Chapter 5: It’s like playing on the street

Though she had narrowly escaped, Su Mu’s doubts only piled up more and more inside her heart.

And now, the only one who could best answer all these questions was Grey Rabbit Candy.

Lando felt somewhat uneasy under Su Mu’s lingering gaze.

“What are you looking at?” she asked.

“Uh, I was thinking about my phone,” Su Mu replied.

Lando blinked, took out Su Mu’s phone, weighed it in her hand, and then tossed it back to Su Mu, who caught it in a fluster.

Only after confirming that the phone was intact did she let out a sigh of relief.

To be honest, she had been quite worried that Lando would crush her phone, considering how a mere flick of her finger had shattered the glass earlier.

Truly, a magical girl could hide such terrifying power within her petite frame.

Lost in thought, Su Mu opened the private messages from Grey Rabbit Candy.

It was then that she saw several belated messages.

“Oh, I forgot to mention, the magical girl’s transformation device isn’t used like on TV. There’s a manual at the bottom of the box, remember to check it out.”

“They’ll be there in about two minutes. Good luck, and make sure you survive intact from Little Lando.”

The messages had been sent a minute ago, but at that time, Su Mu had already been cornered in the bathroom by Lando.

She clenched her fists.

“Lando dismantled my front door two minutes ago. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“Still in the mood to complain? It seems things are going smoothly.”

This despicable person! “Don’t change the subject! You’re the one who got me into this mess. Take responsibility!”

“Wow, you want me to take full responsibility? Bold move. If you agree, there’s no going back.”

Seeing the familiar wording, Su Mu couldn’t help but picture a smirking, beady-eyed figure, and she shuddered involuntarily.

“Forget it.”

“That’s a shame, Irina. I was really looking forward to spending time with you.”

If she could, Su Mu would have bitten the person on the other side of the screen.

“So why did you target me? Just because I’m pretending to be a magical girl?”

After hesitating for a moment, Su Mu finally voiced her most perplexing question.

It just didn’t make sense.

There were plenty of people online pretending to be magical girls; it was nothing new.

“Pretending? Please, you’re a genuine magical girl now.”

Even Lando, who had only interacted with her for a few minutes, seemed convinced of this fact, but Su Mu remained puzzled.

She still had that star-shaped emblem in her pocket.

Now it was just an ordinary, exquisitely shaped pebble, no longer glowing or emitting that warm white light.

Like a drained battery.

But the only change she could think of was her gender.

Besides having two extra buns, she didn’t feel any different.

“In any case, come over here first. Let me give you a thorough check-up. We’ll talk about the rest later.”

Check-up?

At the word, Su Mu instinctively clutched her thin nightgown tighter.

The fabric brushed against her chest, making her blush suddenly.

It was then that she realized something very serious.

She was topless!

“What are you looking at?” Lando’s face suddenly came close from the side, and Su Mu hurriedly turned off the screen, locking eyes with Lando’s lavender irises at an awkwardly close distance.

“Get ready to leave. Change your clothes,” came the indifferent remark from Lando as she walked out, leaving Su Mu bewildered in the bathroom.

Su Mu’s current appearance was rather too casual.

She was wearing a long-sleeved nightgown that barely held together at the front, with buttons struggling to keep the two halves of the fabric from parting.

The glimpse of skin visible through the gaps was both revealing and tantalizing.

Most importantly, the prominent and jiggling details were unmistakable.

Fortunately, Su Mu hadn’t straightened up, so these peculiarities hadn’t been noticed.

Otherwise, she would have surely faced suspicion.

Why didn’t she have a battle uniform even though she had become a magical girl?

Su Mu pondered.

Lando was wearing nothing more than a hooded sweatshirt, yet she could effortlessly unleash her powers.

“Sister Rabbit, now that I’m a magical girl, why hasn’t my clothing changed?” Su Mu inquired.

“What kind of change are you expecting?” came the reply.

“At least something that covers me properly from top to bottom.”

“Do you not have any clothes?”

Grey Rabbit Candy’s response seemed deliberately maddening.

“Sis, a normal single man’s home wouldn’t have women’s underwear, but I desperately need something like that now.”

The other party sent an expression of sudden realization, followed by a statement that made Su Mu want to spit out blood.

“I thought you would have some.”

What kind of prejudice did she have against me!

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. The manual has similar introductions, just go and read it for yourself.”

With the confirmation, Su Mu cautiously poked her head out and then crossed the hallway with her arms wrapped around her chest.

Her bothersome pink hair conveniently cascaded down, covering most of her and concealing any flaws.

She didn’t reveal any vulnerabilities.

After entering the bedroom and locking the door, Su Mu’s gaze fell on the gift box that was still in its original place.

A tiny note, similar to a drug instruction leaflet, was casually tucked into a corner crevice.

Su Mu pulled it out and saw the bold text on the first line:

Magical Power Storage Device (Combat Use) Instruction Manual

It felt like some kind of mass-produced product…

The font printed on it was as small as ants, densely packed and dizzying to the eyes.

Su Mu couldn’t help but suspect that this was also part of the rabbit’s mischievousness.

Fortunately, with her extensive experience online, her reading ability was quite good, and she quickly found the section about the combat uniform.

“The device provides a standard combat uniform, and users can also download personalized schemes to replace it. Simply channel your magical power into the device and silently recite ‘change clothes.'”

“If your uniform is damaged during combat, you can repair it in the same way, consuming thirty units of rabbit power each time.”

The long-standing puzzle was solved.

The secret behind how magical girls could always keep their clothes intact despite the intense battles was the built-in uniform repair function of the transformation device.

But why was the unit of magical power so strange?

It must have been that rabbit again!

Without further ado, Su Mu squeezed out the energy within her, channeled it into the emblem, and followed the instructions.

A moment later, under the stunned gazes of Lando and Miti, the bedroom door opened.

Su Mu emerged wearing a tight-fitting outfit that generic combatants would wear.

There was also a rabbit-ear headpiece, but she had taken it off.

“Are you really going to dress like this?” Lando looked at the combat uniform and then at Su Mu’s cheeks, flushed with extreme embarrassment, and couldn’t help but ask.

“Aren’t we going to the headquarters? I thought this might look more proper…” Su Mu explained, though she couldn’t help but inwardly complain.

It was like wearing a school uniform to a class reunion; it might not stand out at first glance, but it would definitely make her the most noticeable person there.