Proving one's status starting with magical girls

Even as the school bell rang, the girl was still thinking about magical girls.

After calming down somewhat from her initial excitement, she now has two choices in front of her.

The first thing is to pretend nothing happened and act like a normal student would.

The second option is to take the initiative and use this opportunity to be honest with Wang Fanfan, and then learn more about magical girls.

To be honest, Li Jiangqun really wanted to choose the second option, but after careful consideration, she decided to pretend that she hadn't seen anything.

Her master had told her that if she wanted to achieve great things, she must first be patient and persevere.

She is still just a lowly cultivator at the embryonic stage, lacking the ability to protect herself in the world of magical girls.

Isn't this a common scene in magical girl anime?

In order to defeat the magical girls, the evil organization deliberately kidnapped the supporting characters who were close to them, and used them to threaten the magical girls into surrendering.

Although in such scenarios the protagonist always manages to suddenly become powerful and rescue the supporting characters from the villains, reality is not a children's animation, and no one can say for sure what might happen.

I'll endure it!

As the girl walked out of the classroom, carrying a heavy schoolbag, she followed the flow of people out of the school building. However, the next second her body froze.

A short-haired girl was standing quietly at the school gate, seemingly waiting for someone.

"Could they be waiting for me?"

With a heavy heart, Li Jiangqun had no choice but to grit her teeth and move forward.

Logically speaking, after learning that the latter was a magical girl, she should have been eager to get on good terms with her.

But now I feel quite hesitant when I see something I like in front of me.

It wasn't because I was afraid of the other person, but because I was afraid of myself.

I'm afraid I'm not perfect enough in the other person's eyes, and I'm afraid I won't make a good impression on them.

If possible, she actually wanted to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage that her master had mentioned, and then go and meet magical girls.

That way, she can proudly say that line to the enemy in front of the magical girl.

"I'll protect these magical girls!"

However, what she feared most came to pass. She had only taken two steps toward the school gate when she felt the short-haired girl's gaze directed at her.

"Student Li."

"...Ah! It's me, Fanfan! What a coincidence, haha!"

The girl gave an awkward laugh.

Seemingly unaware of her unusual behavior, Wang Fanfan said calmly.

"Li Jiangqun, I have reapplied for the poverty subsidy for you."

Li Jiangqun: "?"

While the former looked completely bewildered, the latter continued without changing his expression.

"I've checked with the principal, and your current situation does indeed meet the requirements for applying for the subsidy. I also saw your application in last year's application form."

"The principal said that the reason this application was not approved before was because the intern teacher forgot to upload the information. Now that it has been re-verified, we can resubmit it for you."

Oh? Is that so?

Didn't the teacher say that the application quota was full, which is why my application was not approved?

Is it really possible to make up for it now?

"After I reported it, the principal took it very seriously. If all goes well, you just need to come to the student council in a couple of days to get your signature."

Does the student council even care about this?

For some reason, the girl suddenly felt that the little girl in front of her had become extraordinary.

Of course, this is the feeling outside of her magical girl identity.

After thinking about it, Li Jiangqun finally shook her head gently.

"Fanfan, thank you for your kindness, but I cannot accept this subsidy."

Upon hearing this, Wang Fanfan frowned slightly.

Why?

"Because I feel that there are others who need this subsidy more than I do."

Do I need it?

In the past, Li Jiangqun would have nodded and said she needed it.

But it is different now.

She first briefly became a magical girl, and then, under the guidance of her master, became a monk.

After truly gaining extraordinary power, she found that her mindset had changed.

She now wants to be the one who helps others rather than the one who is being helped.

Upon hearing this, Wang Fanfan frowned even more deeply. She moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something several times, but in the end she kept her mouth shut.

After giving her a deep look, the short-haired girl simply said one word.

"it is good."

There were no questions or misunderstandings, nor the embarrassment of having one's good intentions rejected. Just like usual, Wang Fanfan turned and left briskly.

Watching her departing figure, the girl felt a mix of emotions.

Perhaps she shouldn't have refused her kind offer, but out of her heart, she did it anyway.

Her face fell, and she felt sadly that she was one step further away from her goal of getting along well with the magical girl.

"Thinking about it too much is useless. I should just go back and continue cultivating."

She walked all the way to the bus stop, wondering whether she should finish her homework first and then cultivate tonight, or cultivate first and then do her homework at school the next day.

But as she thought about it, she suddenly frowned.

"Huh? I feel like I've forgotten something."

But all she could think about today was that Wang Fanfan was a magical girl, so she couldn't remember what it was even after thinking about it for a long time.

If it were before, I would have just forgotten, but now...

"When mind and spirit are in harmony, the breath should follow suit. When they are in balance, one will remain calm amidst all changes."

The girl made hand seals and muttered incantations in a low voice. Her mystical manner made the other people waiting for the train on the platform unconsciously keep their distance.

"Mommy, this lady knows magic!" A little boy pointed at the girl making hand seals, his eyes full of curiosity.

Upon hearing this, the mother quickly pulled the little boy behind her.

"Yuxuan, let's not wait for the bus, let's take a car back, okay?"

"good!"

Listening to the conversation between the two, Li Jiangqun's eyes twitched slightly, but she still forced herself to finish reciting the incantation for the Mind-Calming Technique.

A barely perceptible glint of light flashed by, and the girl felt a slight chill in her mind before she entered a state of tranquility.

"...Ah, I remember now."

With the aid of magic, Li Jiangqun quickly remembered what happened at noon that day.

"My classmate Azi asked me to arrange for Fanfan to meet her at the park after school today!"

However, the person in question was right in front of her, yet she completely forgot about it!

"Oh no! Is Azi still waiting for Fanfan in the park?!"

The thought that her mistake might have left the latter waiting alone in the park for a long time sent chills down the girl's spine.

He didn't even get on the bus that had just arrived at the station, and turned around and ran towards the park.

I ran for more than ten minutes before I finally reached the park entrance.

It was only thanks to her increased physical strength after becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator that she was able to keep up; otherwise, she would have been exhausted after running for just three minutes.

However, things aren't much better now; she was already out of breath as soon as she got to the park.

It was already quite dark, and the park was quiet. Li Jiangqun looked around but couldn't see her classmate Azi.

"Ha, ha...They've already gone back?"

The girl bent over, supporting herself with her legs, panting heavily. Not seeing anyone actually made her feel much more at ease.

"Since they're not here, let's go back."

"Oh dear, where are we going back to?"

"Of course, I'm going home."

"That won't do."

"what?"

The girl looked up in surprise, only then realizing that an uninvited guest had appeared before her without her noticing.

The person was tall and slender, wearing a silver and black cropped leather jacket with a necklace hanging from his chest, the end of which dangled into his ample cleavage. He wore a deep red robe over his shoulders, had wild red hair, and dark eyeshadow above his high nose. His face was eerily beautiful.

The woman wore leather boots, had a long sword and a dagger at her waist, and held a long whip in her hand.

A dozen dark figures slowly emerged from behind her. She looked at Li Jiangqun, who had a wary expression, with a half-smile, her red lips slightly parted.

"Hehe, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Magic Incandescent".