Chapter Four: If I Cannot Transform, Am I Condemned to Death?

The rain continued to fall outside.

Jiang Si descended from the bedroom on the second floor. His younger sister sat in the living room, staring blankly at the family portrait hanging on the wall.

It had been taken before their trip.

Their mother wore a white hat; though she smiled faintly, her brow was furrowed as she reached out to pinch the cigarette their father was holding.

Their somewhat aged father wore a helpless smile, cradling their excited little sister in his arms.

Behind the three of them stood Jiang Si, looking absentminded and out of place.

“Uncle said he wants to adopt you.”

By the door, as he changed his shoes, Jiang Si’s tone was indifferent. “Pack your things and go. I’ll stay here and watch over the house. You can come back anytime you want.”

“Brother.”

The soft, plaintive voice trembled as if she hadn’t eaten in days, laced with sobs.

“If there’s anything you want from home, just take it.”

Jiang Si stood on tiptoe at the entrance, adjusting his shoes so that they fit snugly. “I have things to do.”

“Really, what is it, brother?”

His sister’s eyes reddened, her voice filled with grievance. “What could be so important?”

Jiang Si paused as he pushed the door open, pulling an umbrella from the shoe cabinet. “Many things.”

“Brother!”

His sister raised her voice, as if trying to call him back.

But Jiang Si did not look back. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

“Jiang Si!”

Her final cry was hoarse and choked, yet he did not stop. Opening the umbrella, he walked into the rain.

A tiny sprite, like a plush toy, flew out of his pocket.

It resembled a pink flying cat.

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay and have a heart-to-heart with your sister...”

The companion spirit of a magical girl, Jiang Si had never watched magical girl anime and didn’t know what this was.

It appeared when he transformed, and his first instinct was to exterminate what looked like the seed of a disaster beast.

But in reality, he couldn’t touch it.

It wasn’t a real creature but a kind of phantom formed by the magic power condensed after transforming into a magical girl.

He later learned it was a guide for magical girls.

“No need. Our parents are gone; she must grow up quickly.”

Jiang Si’s tone was void of warmth, as if even the rain falling beside him would freeze. “I have no intention of taking care of her.”

There was still much he had to do, and he wouldn’t have time for her.

It’d be best if she obediently went to live with relatives.

“A girl’s heart is soft, like a flower that needs care...”

Before the sprite could finish, Jiang Si grabbed the grass-like tuft atop its head and held it before him, letting the rain drench the little spirit.

Relying on the magical girl’s power, the companion spirit gradually gained physical form. The tuft on its head was its origin point and the only weakness Jiang Si could grasp.

“I want to understand magical girls.”

His voice grew rare with a hint of anxiety. “Why can’t I transform anymore?”

Since that day, after transforming once, he had been unable to feel magic when he took out the seed again. He couldn’t transform.

For Jiang Si, that was utterly unacceptable.

That was also why he had no heart to care for his sister. His own path was the foremost priority.

The winged, cat-like spirit flapped its wings and slipped from Jiang Si’s hand, then huffed with frustration.

“If you keep this up, I’ll really get mad!”

“Sorry. So, why can’t I transform?”

Surprised by his straightforward apology, the sprite paused, then muttered, “There are many requirements for transformation. It’s not just a matter of saying ‘transform.’ But it’s the first time I’ve seen a boy become a magical girl...”

“So what do I need to transform?”

“Why are you in such a hurry...” The sprite mumbled, then answered, “First, you have to hold the Miracle Seed. It’s the crucial medium for transformation. Only by obtaining your own Miracle Seed can you truly become a magical girl...”

As Jiang Si walked along the road, heading to the convenience store to buy something, loud noises erupted from the parking lot ahead.

“Not good!”

The normally leisurely sprite’s voice suddenly grew urgent. “A disaster beast has appeared!”

“I still don’t know how to transform.”

“I’ll explain quickly. Run! If disaster beasts eat people, they grow stronger!”

Jiang Si didn’t run but quickened his pace.

In the pouring rain, a terrified crowd surged from the parking lot, pushing and shoving, making it impossible for him to run.

His past training always supported him in critical moments.

Effort never betrays.

Even facing such chaos, he could still stride upstream with ease, his umbrella unmoved by the turmoil.

“Second! You must feel the magic inside the seed! Resonance with the magic! Only by resonating with the magic can you gain the power to become a magical girl! Close your eyes—you can feel the flowing water inside the seed. That’s the magic!”

As the sprite said, closing his eyes, Jiang Si indeed felt the flowing power inside the seed.

But it wasn’t water—it was more like fire.

Blazing, fierce!

Pushing through the torrent of people, Jiang Si finally reached the parking lot where the disaster beast stood.

The terrifying monster looked like a giant insect; its mandibles tore through cars.

The entire parking lot was ravaged and chaotic, though hardly anyone remained; only vehicles lay wrecked, emitting black smoke. The pouring rain doused the flames.

Only a young girl sat in the rain, clutching her bleeding right leg, sobbing in panic.

“Help her! Jiang Si!”

“I feel the magic, but still can’t transform.”

Jiang Si calmly approached the disaster beast.

“The last step is the incantation—the final transformation spell! You have to come up with it yourself! It’s the trigger for the magic to burst forth! It’s common sense that you can only transform through the spell!”

“What common sense? I’ve never heard of it.”

The injured girl lifted her head, watching the strange boy as he came before her and faced the disaster beast.

He casually discarded his umbrella at her feet.

“Don’t get in the way.”

His cold tone didn’t make her feel cold. As she picked up the umbrella, she saw the boy take out a seed.

Beautiful and delicate, the seed captivated her gaze so completely she couldn’t look away.

Then she heard the boy muttering a spell, but the rain muffled the words.

Purple flames shot up into the sky!

They hurled the charging disaster beast away, crashing it into a car.

The blaring alarms, the rain, and the beast’s roars mixed into a cacophony. The girl could see nothing and hear nothing.

Her whole being focused solely on the purple figure before her.

The ribbons fluttered like flowers in the wind; the purple and gold dress shimmered like a blossom of fire.

And that face—bearing a resolute and aloof gaze, a look of determination rare in males, yet strikingly beautiful and delicate.

A boy had transformed into a magical girl...

“Magical Girl, Shion.”

“Beginning cleanup operation.”

A voice came from somewhere unknown. Clutching the umbrella tightly, the girl etched the fiery, flower-like figure deeply into her heart.

Never to be forgotten.