Fangting City, Sunset District, near Central Avenue's Electronics Street, the busiest pedestrian commercial area in the entire city.

Cui Que rubbed her wrist as she walked out of a rarely frequented alley, ignoring the occasional glances from passersby. After crossing about two intersections, she saw Lin Xiaolu in her school uniform at their agreed meeting spot.

She quickened her pace, approached, and greeted indifferently, "I'm here."

"Cui Que?"

Lin Xiaolu looked over at the sound, her eyes widening before they sparkled with delight. She circled Cui Que, exclaiming with a look of wonder, "You look amazing! This dress is so cute!"

"Really?"

Cui Que lifted her sleeve to glance at her outfit, noncommittal. "Thanks for the compliment."

"Ah... I'm so jealous. If only I could pull off this light and fluffy look. This is exactly the Magical Girl style I want!"

"I think you can do it."

"Can I take a photo?" Lin Xiaolu eagerly pulled out her phone.

"Um... sure?"

It wasn't that Cui Que couldn't tell if a dress was cute; she just didn't know what she looked like in this one. After all, the dress was newly bought, and she hadn't even tried it on before.

Cui Que hadn't prepared any casual clothes for her Magical Girl form. So, when she was informed that the target was in Electronics Street and she had to go there as Cui Que, she had no choice but to buy some clothes from a department store.

Since walking into a mall in her Magical Girl outfit would be too conspicuous, she went to the children's section as Lin Yun.

As an ordinary adult male, Lin Yun stood at 183 cm tall. Even at 14, when he first gained his Magical Girl powers, he was already about 170 cm, a height that many peers envied. But for some reason, when he transformed into a Magical Girl, becoming Cui Que, his impressive height shrank to just 139 cm.

Was this some kind of extreme reversal? Or a strange coincidence? Lin Yun never figured it out.

This made buying clothes for his Cui Que form difficult unless they were custom-made. Children's clothes were much more convenient. So, pretending to buy clothes for his daughter, Lin Yun gave Cui Que's measurements and entered a children's clothing store under the enthusiastic welcome of the staff.

The sales assistant even asked if he had a photo of his daughter, saying they could give better suggestions based on her appearance. But Lin Yun, not being narcissistic, didn't keep photos of himself as a Magical Girl on his phone. He just picked a few "new season" outfits and quickly left.

After leaving the department store, he found a reputable-looking chain hotel, rented a room by the hour to change clothes, and then flew directly to Electronics Street.

He wasn't worried about whether the clothes fit. He knew Cui Que's appearance was "delicately cute" by general standards, even standing out among Magical Girls with high average looks.

As long as she wore normal clothes with reasonable accessories and hairstyle, she wouldn't look bad.

Although being called "cute" by his daughter in this situation made him feel complicated and a bit strange, he quickly brushed it off.

What could he say? Responding indifferently was the best approach.

Without much small talk, after this one-sided new clothes show, Cui Que got straight to the point:

"So, where's the child Mo Ke mentioned?"

"Ah, about that..."

Lin Xiaolu blinked and slowly turned to Mo Ke. "How should I put it... lost track?"

"Lost track?" Cui Que also glanced at Mo Ke.

"No way!"

Mo Ke, feeling Cui Que's gaze, shivered and immediately retorted, "It's not that I lost her. The child kept moving into crowded places, and her magic aura got covered up!"

"So, you did lose her?" Cui Que put one hand on her hip.

"Well, technically, yes." Mo Ke mumbled guiltily, "But I can still sense she's in this area, just not her exact location."

"You..."

Cui Que sighed, lowering her eyelids. She could vouch that this pink cat was the most unreliable Seeder she had ever seen in her Magical Girl career.

Other Seeders might not be the best assistants, but at least they were good at finding talented children, relaying information between the Kingdom and Magical Girls, and sensing Brutal Beasts' locations and strengths.

But Mo Ke? Besides its frequent cluelessness, it even seemed clumsy at its main job, making it hard to trust.

But all that could be set aside. The most important thing now was to find the girl with magical talent. So, Cui Que didn't dwell on it and quickly moved the topic along: "So, what can we do now? Wait here for Mo Ke to pinpoint her location?"

"Um... how about we check out some stores?"

Lin Xiaolu suggested, "That girl is probably here shopping. She won't leave anytime soon. We can have fun too and might run into her."

"Not reliable."

Cui Que shook her head, analyzing calmly, "She might just be here to buy something and leave. If we don't keep an eye on her, she might leave Electronics Street while we're distracted, making it harder to find her."

"Then let Mo Ke keep looking while we have fun?"

Lin Xiaolu's suggestion made Mo Ke gasp in shock.

"That seems reasonable..." Cui Que's agreement shocked Mo Ke even more.

It hurriedly flew between them, waving its paws. "You can't do that! Even if losing her is partly my fault, you can't just leave me alone! That's too cruel!"

"Where do you get the nerve to say that?"

Cui Que glanced at it and sighed again. "Sigh, you're right. I wouldn't trust you to keep watch alone."

"In that case, let's use the simplest method. We'll split up and guard the two entrances of Electronics Street. If we spot the target..."

—"Then what?" A questioning voice came from behind Cui Que.

"Then we'll call each other and stop the child until Mo Ke arrives..." Cui Que continued but suddenly realized the voice was unfamiliar.

She glanced at Lin Xiaolu, who was looking at something above her head with a slightly fearful expression.

My head? Hair? No, she's looking behind me?

Realizing something, Cui Que turned around. A strange girl stood there, hands behind her back, her pure eyes filled with curiosity, a smile on her face.

The girl looked young, slightly taller than Lin Xiaolu, with a youthful face but mature and flashy attire.

A black waist-cinching suspender skirt paired with a loose white blouse with frills gave her a strong sense of girlishness. Her black short hair reached her shoulders, fluffy and slightly curled at the ends, with the tips dyed purple. She wore light makeup, her translucent lips clearly glossed. Fake eyelashes under her eyelids made her bright eyes even more sparkling. Her earlobes glimmered, likely from earrings.

She looked at the trio and stepped closer, leaning towards Mo Ke. "What's with that cat? Hologram? Augmented reality?"