Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

Seruno blinked.

"Yeah, I went to the bathhouse this afternoon, but the gua sha therapist was a newbie and scratched my skin too hard. Don't worry, it'll be fine in a few days."

Although it's a far-fetched, it's still a reasonably plausible excuse.

"Really? You actually sneaked off to a bath and massage place all by yourself?"

"It's such a long afternoon, can't I even relax a little?"

Although she still looked suspicious, she couldn't find anything to question, so she changed her words and said, "Um, Miss Miluno asked me to go out for a walk tomorrow."

"...Go ahead, do you want me to come with you?"

"No need for that. She said I can go by myself. We can just wander around the Changyue Lake scenic area in the E2 area."

Changyue Lake.

I do know that scenic spot; it's half a mountain surrounding half a lake, a rare natural landscape in this highly developed city... But going on a picnic in this sweltering heat? What was Yin Wei thinking?

"Then why did she call you over?"

"Um, they said they'd go boating in the middle of the lake."

"……what?"

Fun fact.

In summer, the center of the lake is hotter than the shore.

Because lake water evaporates more strongly than the ground, a large amount of water vapor accumulates on the lake surface, increasing humidity. Combined with unobstructed sunlight, people feel extremely stuffy, as if they are in a sauna.

I wanted to refuse, but given Bai Ziye's status, I couldn't persuade Seruno at all.

"...I suggest you carefully consider this proposal tomorrow. Going boating in the middle of the lake in this awful weather can't be called relaxing."

"What's it called?"

"Call it cooking."

"cooking……"

Seruno scratched her head and said with a wry smile, "I don't think it's that exaggerated."

Because it was Miluno's suggestion, even though she knew it was unreasonable, she didn't want to reject it.

This is just an irrational fan!

"Ye Zi, what outfit do you think I should wear to see Miluno tomorrow?"

I walked to the wardrobe in the bedroom and replied, "...Why don't you just wear your battle gear?"

"Of course you can't wear combat gear for a secret meeting!"

"Please, how am I supposed to know what kind of clothes Miluno likes? Just pick anything."

"No way! I don't want to leave a bad impression on Miluno! Can you use your experience in wearing women's clothing to help me put together an outfit?"

Hey, why are you bringing up this pot that won't boil again?

I pursed my lips and started to recall the outfits she had tried on for me during the day.

"How about wearing that off-the-shoulder tank top with a pink cape-style short jacket? You can take it off if you get hot while boating, which will help you cool down... although it won't make much of a difference."

I grabbed a clean set of clothes and went back to the bathroom.

Seruno rolled her eyes and thought for a moment.

"That makes sense! What about the lower body?"

"...hot pants?"

"Oh! Well, that'll require a bit of courage! But this is just what Ye Zi wanted to see me wearing, right?"

She squinted at me and gave me a silly, mischievous smile.

"No, I just think Miluno would like this."

"Oh why?"

"Intuition... I need to take a shower, get out of here."

She grinned and tried to come in, saying, "Hehehe, do you need this pretty girl to scrub your back?"

I slammed the door shut and locked it.

Serino still lacks a sense of self-awareness as a woman, yet sometimes she appears inexplicably delicate.

"How could I possibly let you wash for me! You idiot!"

"You don't consider me your brother anymore!"

I ignored her unreasonable behavior.

He crossed his arms and lifted his shirt, pulling off the blood-stained t-shirt. Through the mirror, he could see the shocking wounds on his back. If Seruno saw this, he couldn't just brush it off with cupping; it had to heal as soon as possible...

With that in mind, I took off the wristband and placed it on the sink, then infused the Star Crystal into my body.

A flash of dark golden light, and I transformed into Miluno.

The pain in my body was almost negligible, and I even felt a sense of relief that was hard to describe.

Then, I accelerated my own time flow, making everything around me slow down.

"Ugh……"

I was so afraid that the idiot would hear me that I even sighed very softly.

Why did you ask Seruno to go out in my name?

I sent Yin Wei a text message questioning her.

Chapter Thirty-One: Preparations

(Albinocotyledon)

The next morning.

Seruno carefully styled her hair with gel (mine) and changed into a new outfit, suppressing her excitement as she stood in front of the entrance.

Although she wasn't wearing makeup, the change in her mood was still quite striking. Her date with Miluno was taken with the utmost seriousness, something even I, her brother, don't receive...

"Ye Zi! I'm going out!"

"Oh, take care."

Snap—

The sound of the door lock snapping shut was like the starting pistol in the referee's hand. One second I was lying on the sofa watching the news, and the next second I jumped up and transformed, then took out my phone to call Yin Wei.

"Serno has gone out."

As soon as the call connected, I got straight to the point.

"I saw her. Come down after she's gone... Are you two really living together?"

She's currently parked near the apartment entrance.

"That's none of your business. How confident are you about today's plan?"

"At least 90%."

Like a skilled salesperson, Yin Wei answered decisively.

"Many magical girls have tried this approach. Concealing identities and eliminating suspicion is our job as liaisons. Please give me your full trust."

"Impossible, I can't trust you."

"I am only helping you out of personal belief, and I will gradually prove that in the future."

Belief?

According to Yin Wei's explanation, she impersonated me to make the phone call in order to dispel Seruno's suspicions about me.

That makes sense. If Seruno received Miluno's call while she was with me, she wouldn't suspect that I was the real Miluno. Besides, last night was a critical moment when I was about to be suspected, and Yin Wei's call truly saved my life.

At least it saved Miluno's life.

Based on this alone, it's impossible for me to trust the association's liaison officer; everything she does seems purposeful to me.

"Serno has gone far away, you can get down now."

Upon receiving Yin Wei's notification, I rushed down the stairs at three times the normal flow rate and sat in her mini convertible within a minute of normal flow. Yin Wei was even a little taken aback.

"...As expected of Miss Miluno, your speed is even more astonishing than I imagined."

"Your car is also very retro; you rarely see these days."

"Thank you, this is my private car."

The Beetle-like design is beautiful, but its mini size is a bit cramped.

Yin Wei started the car, and the electric soft top slowly covered her head. Then she took out a cloth wrapping from the back.

"The package is a bit simple, but everything you need is here."

I want women's clothing.

A short-sleeved shirt with a floral collar and black flared trousers.

This outfit is a bit too hot for boating on the lake, but I have to wear it. It's not appropriate to wear my own clothes from the closet when I'm going on a trip with Serino, but brand new clothes would look strange, so Yin Wei found these relatively old women's clothes.

but……

"Are these your own clothes?"

"Yes, here you go. Change into this before you get to Changyue Lake."

One of the basic functions of the Star Crystal is to hold multiple pieces of clothing and allow you to change into them at any time, enabling a true one-click outfit change. However, since the windshield is transparent, it's not the right time to change clothes yet.

I don't remember changing into it. Underneath the clothes was a cell phone, and if I'm not mistaken, the phone card she used to call Serino yesterday was inserted in it.

"Are you planning to have me play two roles in my interactions with Seruno for an extended period of time?"

“This is the best way to dispel her suspicions. If you think you can’t do it, I can pretend to be Miluno.”

"...Then I'll do it myself."