The villainous magical girl's daily mission is to find fault.

Chapter 453: Such a coincidence

Su Tianqing didn't like being followed.

Because that would make me seem like a pervert, when I'm an upright magical girl.

However, when faced with an event that could be crucial information but is fleeting, one must never give up the opportunity, even if it requires unconventional methods.

For example, this little bunny girl in front of me.

Xia Taotao is pink-haired, and this bunny girl is also pink-haired. What a coincidence!

Pink hair is truly rare among the rabbit tribe. Among the many children in the square just now, Su Tianqing only saw four colors: black, white, gray, and yellow. How could there be a color like pink that is not commonly seen?

Su Tianqing became increasingly suspicious that this was the work of a powerful figure behind the Secret Codex, but lacking evidence, she could only silently hint to the Secret Codex to provide more clues.

Otherwise, the development of Rabbit's Starry Night Shadow would really be impossible.

The petite rabbit-girl walked pattering ahead, while Su Tianqing and her companion trailed far behind, observing her every move.

It has to be said that she has the physical fitness of an orc. Even after taking such a hard fall, her gait quickly returned to normal, and she could even jog.

The stamina-depleted fox was quickly left behind, so the task of tracking it was handed over to Xia Taotao.

"Leave it to me."

Rabbit gave a thumbs up, looking like a tracking expert.

.

Watching Xia Taotao follow closely behind the petite rabbit girl, Su Tianqing slowed her pace slightly and directed the familiars temporarily stationed on the rooftop to begin their investigation.

...There's something I didn't tell Xia Taotao earlier, and that's the somewhat familiar magical characteristics I sensed from that child.

Everyone's magical characteristics are different, just like fingerprints. Once the magical characteristics are identified, the identity can be basically determined.

However, the cognitive shielding during a magical girl's transformation completely obscures this characteristic. Su Tianqing has tried many methods to bypass this shielding, but none of them worked.

Unless one is fully aware of the person's identity before the transformation, it is difficult to correct this powerful cognitive masking effect in daily activities.

but!

Using the overly powerful magic [Analysis of Inari], I was able to barely peel back the veil of ignorance while maintaining continuous contact with a magical girl!

Although it can only achieve very rudimentary and vague feature recognition, it is at least better than the usual situation where it is like being completely in the dark.

The petite bunny girl that Xia Taotao is tracking has a magical characteristic—

Found!

Sensing the message from her familiar, Su Tianqing carefully confirmed it, then her tail tip twitched slightly.

...This magical characteristic is very similar to that of [Dream Winter Flower].

"This is... getting more interesting..."

The fox-woman's lips curled slightly as she instructed her familiar to open the secret manual and look at the updated information on the intelligence page.

A secret manual! Let's get some unboxing information!

——Magical girl [Meng Donghua], real name: Xia Youyou.

"Smack."

Su Tianqing snapped her fingers involuntarily.

Done! This fox is a genius!

After transforming, Meng Donghua always wore a fluffy hat. Now that I think about it, the hat must have covered her beastman features, which is why I didn't recognize her.

With the name Xia Youyou, wouldn't it be even easier to connect her with Xia Taotao?

But...

After recovering from the brief excitement of obtaining intelligence, Su Tianqing quickly fell into deeper thought.

Things don't look too good.

No, it's more like a very bad situation!

"We need to hurry over there and check on things. Rabbit, please make sure you don't accidentally see anything you shouldn't be seeing right now."

Muttering to herself, Su Tianqing quickened her pace and hurried toward Xia Taotao.

...

Fortunately, the journey wasn't too long.

Seeing the pink-furred bunny girl hiding next to a dilapidated phone booth, Su Tianqing made some noises to attract Xia Taotao's attention and quietly approached her.

Two little heads peeked out from behind the phone booth, looking at the cluster of shacks enclosed in a courtyard across the street.

The simple fence forms the gate, providing the most basic protection for this slum-style shack courtyard, but it doesn't seem to be of much use; a ladder can easily be used to climb over and get inside.

Through the gaps in the railing, Su Tianqing and her companion also saw the scene in the courtyard:

A dilapidated billiard table picked up from who-knows-where, a simple plastic awning to block the falling snow, a few small stools scattered under the eaves, and two strings of corn hanging down—that's all there is in this yard.

The petite bunny girl who had just been carrying a huge pile of picture cards was now standing in front of the dilapidated billiard table, surrounded by seven or eight children eagerly waiting.

"Sister Youyou, I want a picture of hyacinths today!" "Then...then I want one with amethyst and red zircon!" "Bai Lili..."

"Don't rush, don't rush, everyone gets a share."

"This is yours...this is yours..."

"Wow, it's Lily White!" "I want Lily White too—can we switch?" "No way!" "Mine is Marigold..."

The children, holding picture cards, chattered and laughed around the table.

Su Tianqing noticed Xia Youyou's clothes.

The school uniform of Syracuse College features a thick skirt and fleece-lined tights, making it very warm. It's a completely different style from the patched and ill-fitting cotton-padded coats worn by the other children.

"Hmm... Bunny, does this place look familiar?" Su Tianqing asked tentatively.

Xia Taotao didn't make a sound, and even her movements froze as she stared blankly at the shed-like courtyard in front of her.

"...Rabbit? Peach?"

Su Tianqing tried to bring Xia Taotao back to her senses, but she seemed to be completely immersed in some strange state, her gaze focused on the innermost shed, her mouth slightly open, her mind in a daze.

Her gaze seemed frozen by the winter snow as she stared at the dilapidated walls of the houses across the street.

Xia Taotao certainly heard Su Tianqing's soft call, and she also heard the children's laughter in the yard.

But when she saw everything before her, it seemed to touch upon a long-sealed memory, yet it did not completely open the door to that long-dusted memory.

...until a shout shattered this moment of peace.

"Xia Youyou!"

Suddenly, a stern shout came from inside the shed.

The children, who had been laughing, immediately fell silent, clutching their picture cards and staring blankly at the figure emerging from the shed.

She was a middle-aged woman from the rabbit tribe with a weathered face. Upon seeing her arrival, the children scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing into the side room to hide, leaving Xia Youyou alone to face her with her lips pursed.

Her lips were pressed tightly together, appearing even paler in the cold wind.

After a brief silence, the petite rabbit girl said softly:

"...Mom, I'm home."

"You still have the nerve to come back? What have you done all year studying in the city besides spending your family's money?"

The middle-aged woman's stern rebuke did not lessen in the slightest; on the contrary, it intensified.

Xia Youyou remained silent, her head bowed.

But she seemed to feel a burning gaze coming from the other side of the phone booth, and suddenly turned around to meet the gaze of the bewildered Xia Taotao.

The two of them were stunned at the same time.

Xia Taotao was the first to react, hurriedly retreating back into the phone booth, her heart pounding as if she had seen something that shocked her.

Su Tianqing narrowed her eyes.

Bunny, oh bunny... the more you react like this, the more curious I become.

What kind of person were you in the past?