432. Actually, I’m Really Strong
Out of nowhere, a torrential downpour enveloped the city.
The relentless rain dimmed the streetlights on campus, making the night feel even thicker. What once was a faintly visible corner now appeared as a dark abyss, while students scattered away, leaving the roads desolate and eerily quiet.
Lily’s cheeks flushed a slight pink as she stood at the supermarket counter with several packs of sanitary napkins clutched tightly in her arms, feeling incredibly awkward in front of the cashier.
“C-Cash out, please.”
Even though, as a succubus, she indulged in various mischievous acts privately, the very thought of buying sanitary napkins made her feel intensely embarrassed.
The sound of the rain caught her attention, and she turned to look outside the supermarket, watching the splashes of water on the ground and the deepening darkness of the night. Suddenly, Ning Chu’s warning echoed in her mind.
Vicious murderers? Tentacle monsters?
To be honest, she didn’t believe either.
But she was afraid of the dark… the regret of going out at night began to creep in.
“It really picked up out of nowhere,” remarked a part-time student cashier, rolling her eyes. “How can it rain this hard in spring?”
“Hmm.”
After stuffing the sanitary napkins into a black bag, Lily opened her umbrella and stood hesitantly under the supermarket’s eaves, contemplating whether to step into the rain.
There couldn’t really be a tentacle monster lurking about, right?
She glanced suspiciously into the pitch-black corners, nervously pressing her legs together while her arms unconsciously wrapped around her chest.
A sliver of anticipation bubbled up inside her…
But Lily quickly shoved that little spark of hope out of her mind. She might be silly, but she wasn’t naive.
Tentacle monsters in hentai are already pretty grotesque and scary; encountering one in real life would likely make her lose her sanity.
“Just a prank, just a prank…”
Mumbling softly to herself, Lily finally mustered the courage to open her umbrella and stepped into the downpour.
…
It was just past nine in the evening, and the buses were still running.
Ning Chu anxiously clutched Wen Yang’s arm, resting her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder while nervously gazing out at the night through the bus window.
If given the choice, she absolutely didn’t want to come face-to-face with a tentacle monster!
She was already the female lead, and she definitely didn’t want to become a breeding ground for tentacle monsters!
But this was all just her wild imagination… Though she believed she wasn’t cut out for that kind of responsibility, a wave of guilt washed over her at the thought of so many girls potentially being tormented by tentacle monsters.
Wen Yang, usually scared of ghosts and monsters, was surprisingly calm, wearing a gentle smile. He held Ning Chu’s small hand in his, trying to impart some sense of safety.
With Wen Yang around, and magical girls there for protection… there was nothing to fear.
In the back of the bus, Qian Qian stood up, propped her arms on the back of a seat, and leaned down to glance at Ning Chu: “Don’t worry! Newly emerged evil demons are weak—so weak a single stomp can squish them! Otherwise, they wouldn’t be hopping into human bodies.”
“Your horns are so cute! Can I touch them?” Her eyes were locked on the two little horns forming on either side of Ning Chu’s head, her hands itching to reach out.
“The tips are fine… but don’t go touching lower.”
Hearing Qian Qian, Ning Chu felt a bit more at ease and, feeling the gentle touch on her horns, asked, “So how long until the evil demon can go rampaging?”
“About a year? Plus, that specific evil demon doesn’t even have a master yet, so we can’t track it down.”
So, they had to wait a whole year before the tentacle monster’s side story kicked off in the plot?
“Is that so… Well, why are you two in such a rush?”
Ning Chu completely relaxed, her formerly tense face lighting up with a smile.
A black cat jumped onto Qian Qian’s shoulder, giving her a disapproving look: “Aren’t you the one who dragged us into this?”
“Now that we’re out here, tonight I’m going to do a thorough search of the school with Qian Qian! With this heavy rain, the evil demon might not even find a suitable host!”
“And while we’re at it, we can scout for suitable girls to sign a contract~ You really should consider it!”
The black cat coaxed Ning Chu in a tempting tone: “You can grant a simple wish, gain a strong body, and have magical powers that let you go anywhere!”
Ning Chu blinked, her eyes shimmering with intrigue.
If she really became a magical girl… someday, if Wen Yang got too carried away, she could transform into a magical girl and take him down before she passes out!
But then, thinking about the outcomes of losing to a tentacle monster made her pale.
“Absolutely not!”
She firmly rejected the offer again.
If she didn’t know all the evil demons were tentacle monsters, she might have foolishly agreed like Qian Qian did when she was tricked by the black cat into signing up out of some sense of justice.
“Ning Chu, you should head back,” Wen Yang suggested. “It’s pouring out, don’t get caught in the rain and catch a cold.”
“I…”
“Everyone, just head back! Don’t get in the way!”
Ning Chu turned to see Qian Qian’s rosy, flustered face, quickly understanding this magical girl’s intention.
It looked like she was planning to put on her combat suit and magically search for the freshly arrived tentacle monster.
Well, if that was the case, she really would just be a hindrance. She didn’t want Wen Yang to see Qian Qian dressed up like that.
“Fine, I’ll swing by Lily’s dormitory for a bit. Let’s go together after that?”
“Sure! What’s your number?”
After exchanging contact info, the bus conveniently pulled up to their stop.
As she held up her umbrella and stepped off the bus, Ning Chu noticed the torrential rain had softened into a light drizzle.
Looks like the downpour was just a weird phenomenon when the tentacle monsters arrived?
She wondered if there was a rainstorm when she first crossed over to this world.
“Should I swing by the dorm too?” Wen Yang stepped off the bus alongside her, smiling as he stood at her side. “It’s been a while since I was there; I’ll walk you to the girls’ dorm.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Don’t worry too much, it’s still a year away.” He glanced at Qian Qian, who was already heading toward the school gate, and continued, “Besides, there’s only one magical girl in the plot, but now there are two. A year from now, it should be easy to handle.”
Ning Chu mumbled, “Just thinking about the tentacle monster lurking in the school makes me uncomfortable.”
It gave her an unsettling feeling of insecurity~
She closed her umbrella, slipped under Wen Yang’s, and wrapped her arm around his: “I hope Qian Qian finds it! I wonder which goofball will get tricked by the black cat.”
The powers of a magical girl come from tentacle monsters; once the tentacle monsters reach peak potential, how could a magical girl possibly win?
So am I really strong too? Just my power hasn’t been activated yet?
Ning Chu gazed blankly at her delicate little hands.
Superman! Kamen Rider! Armor Warriors! Ultraman!
The spirit of a chuunibyou boy flared to life within her! Her brain was already crafting a grand image of herself defeating little monsters and saving girls, basking in their adoration.
After Wen Yang escorted her to the girls’ dormitory entrance, Ning Chu finally let go of her chuunibyou fantasies.
At this rate, even a goose could probably chase her down…
“I’ll call you when I head back!”
“Okay.”
Waving goodbye to Wen Yang, Ning Chu turned and dashed into the building, effortlessly making her way to Lily’s dorm room, barging right in without a second thought.
Once inside, she was met with the sight of three girls squatting on the floor, gathered in a circle, all staring up at her in unison.
“What are you guys up to?”
Ning Chu halted at the door, her face a picture of confusion.
