Page Fifty-Five – The Sixth Magic Girl
After hearing my description, Wǔ Jiàng laughed and said these words.
“Haha, could it be that Cháng Kǎi has no other female friends?”
Though her words were unintentional, my heart ached.
Why am I crying?
I hate this, the tears won’t stop.
To encourage me to be strong, Xiǎo Yáo patted my shoulder silently, giving me the strength to survive.
“Wǔ Jiàng—”
“Don’t call me like that!”
I stared at her intensely, making her uneasy.
“The high school we attend is a boys’ school.”
“…Sorry.”
Since he’s also a man turned, even without saying, some sad things can still be conveyed.
I wiped away my tears, swallowing them down, and gathered myself again.
“In short, I brought you together to prevent any confusion when you meet at the book signing event.”
Xiǎo Yáo nodded, showing she understood.
And Wǔ Jiàng seemed eager to leave: “Is there anything else? Then I’ll return to the publishing booth to observe the signing process!”
The signing events of other authors at the publishing booth had already started, and Wǔ Jiàng kept glancing at the large neighboring booth, looking somewhat anxious.
I didn’t want to make things difficult for her.
“Go ahead. You’re not going to expose yourself, right?”
“I got it! I will maintain the image of ‘Gongyong Xiaojī,’ this is also a way to repay the readers’ support, right?”
The theory of Léi Miāomiào indeed convinced her, and she seemed quite relaxed, no longer troubled as before.
“It’s great that you think so. Don’t add any false settings, accumulating lies can truly suffocate people.”
Recently, I’ve deeply felt this. Lying to cover up more lies often leads to situations that are hard to reconcile.
Sometimes, I feel it might be easier to just be honest with them.
Seeing how serious I was, Wǔ Jiàng nodded solemnly.
“Mm, I’ll tell Xiǎo Yèdié about this idea first. See you this afternoon, Xiǎo Yáo sister, you’ll come, right?”
“I’ll definitely come, Wǔ Jiàng.”
When she said “Wǔ Jiàng” and emphasized “Xiǎo Yáo sister,” it sounded heavy.
“So don’t call me like that!”
After Wǔ Jiàng left, Xiǎo Yáo looked at me indifferently, lost in thought, which made me feel uneasy.
This person is much smarter than me. Among everyone, he is the one I can never take lightly.
“Xiǎo Yáo, go back and help too… Is Yán Yáo your own name?”
Xiǎo Yáo shook his head, then said slowly, “No, it was Lǐn Huā who named me. It sounds much better than ‘Liúliú,’ so I just accepted it.”
“It suits you well… By the way, where is Lǐn Huā?”
“She went off alone, saying she didn’t want to help at the booth.”
“Thank you for coming today to help. Let’s treat you all to a big meal afterward~”
A big meal, of course, means asking Wū Qínglán for funds.
“You’re welcome.” She made a sound, picked up her giant scythe, and walked away without looking back, leaving me with a proud silhouette and an ∞-shaped hair tie.
[Time Accelerates]
By the time we were about to have lunch, Lǐn Huā hadn’t returned yet.
Due to the small backstage space and the need for someone to watch the booth, Wū Qínglán asked us to take turns eating. The boxes of food were kept warm, so they wouldn’t get cold by the time they arrived.
I had barely sat down when a pink-haired, twin-tailed cosplayer ran into the backstage area. She was a magic girl I hadn’t seen before.
She wore a pink and white checkered dress with lace trim on the hem, knee-high white socks, and red high heels.
There wasn’t such a weak magic girl in the manga Magical Girl Heaven. If I remembered correctly, she seemed to be a famous protagonist from a magical girl animation.
“Madoka-chan!”
Dianfeng exclaimed, holding a box of food in one hand and grabbing a camera with the other, moving so quickly it looked like teleportation.
Right, the animation’s name was Monkey Burn Alcohol Madoka, wasn’t it?
“No, let’s take pictures later. I’m hungry.”
“Madoka” refused Dianfeng’s request and turned to ask me, “Do you have my box of food?”
I instinctively pointed to the large box of food on the table. She took off her white gloves and stuffed them in her pocket, then lifted the lid of the box.
“Oh, it’s still warm?”
No, who exactly are you?
I watched her curiously.
Everyone in the room was looking at her too.
This suddenly appearing girl, holding her box of food and looking around the backstage area without finding a seat, finally sat down on a square makeup case in the corner.
That was the makeup case Lǐn Huā had brought in the morning.
I tried calling softly, “Lǐn Huā?”
“Hmm?”
She raised her head and responded, with rice grains still stuck to the corners of her mouth since she had just eaten.
Only then did everyone seem to realize.
This new magic girl was indeed Lǐn Huā, whose cosmetics had blurred her features, making her unrecognizable until now.
Thinking about it, Xiǎo Yáo, who was standing guard outside, not stopping her should have made me realize that Lǐn Huā would be recognized by Xiǎo Yáo even if she were ashes.
“Why are you all staring at me?”
“You wouldn’t have recognized me in this outfit… Here.”
Tián Qiàn, sitting next to her, smiled and handed her a bottle of water, even unscrewing the cap for her.
“No way? Is it really that exaggerated… Ah, thank you.”
Lǐn Huā tilted her head back and drank, continuing, “While I was wandering around earlier, I saw a stall selling finished cosplay outfits. I wanted to try them on when I saw you all wearing them this morning, so I got one… How do I look? Pretty?”
“You look good. You look good in anything.”
I hurriedly flattered her, but it backfired.
“Go away. Being told I look good doesn’t make me happy!”
Miss Marika approached and touched the fabric of the skirt, supporting her chin and praising, “The craftsmanship of this dress is pretty good, but it doesn’t fit well. Let’s have Fēiyuè fix it for you later.”
Mainly, the chest area was empty and drooping. Miss Marika must have noticed it too, but didn’t say it outright—it was a mature kind of tact.
After lunch, the exhibition welcomed its second wave of tourists. Although fewer than those in the morning, Lei Miāomiào wasn’t going to miss out on these potential fans. After a good rest and full meals, she put on a full performance that attracted a large number of new visitors to the Witch Workshop.
“If only she would join our club, we’re missing a professional songstress.”
Miss Marika also liked Lei Miāomiào’s singing voice, but her tone was regretful, “But she doesn’t like the commander, so she won’t join.”
“Then why not change the commander?”
“That’s not possible. This club can’t function without him.”
Wū Qínglán was apparently very important. Was it because of his funding?
After that, the magic girls began their rounds through the venue. With their extremely high attractiveness, many single-lens reflex cameras followed them. Due to Lǐn Huā’s unexpected appearance, many cosplay magic girls spontaneously joined the parade…
Wait!
Could you please take the zombie girl with the chainsaw out?
And the old lady with the parasol too! Please respect her age!
The one shouting “Dragon Break Slash”… emmmm… Go ahead.
And take out the Geisha with the Hearthstone card too!
In short, the parade included many strange things that weren’t magic girls, eventually turning into a magic girl army. It felt like it would become a widely known incident in Weibo and the otaku community…
However, Miss Marika soon left. She needed to prepare for her own signing event and couldn’t stay until the end.
Speaking of signing events, there’s also Gongyong Xiaojī’s signing event in the afternoon.
Wǔ Jiàng didn’t specify the exact time, as it depends on Xiǎo Yèdié’s arrangement.
Whether it’s the romantic Dream Fragrance or the crowded lines, I’m not interested.
I’ll just stand far away and take a few photos of Xiǎo Cāngyǔ to send over. Anyway, getting a signature is easy; I can ask her to sign after the event if I really want one.
As for why I want a signature… Gongyong Xiaojī is also a celebrity. Who knows, maybe someone might pay a high price for it?
