Fangting City, Sunset District, near Central Avenue in the electronics street, this is the most bustling pedestrian commercial area in the entire city.
Emerald Sparrow rubbed her wrists as she walked out of a rarely trodden alley, ignoring the occasional glances sweeping around her, and after passing about two intersections, she saw Lin Xiaolu in school uniform at the agreed place.
She quickened her pace and walked up, greeting her in a lukewarm manner, "I'm here."
"Emerald Sparrow?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaolu looked over, her eyes widened initially, then sparkled, as she circled around Emerald Sparrow, exclaiming with the expression of someone seeing something rare, "You look so pretty, this dress is super cute!"
"Is that so?"
Emerald Sparrow lifted her sleeves and looked from side to side, noncommittally, "Thanks for the compliment."
"Ah... I'm so jealous, I wish I could wear something that gives off this light and fluffy feel, that's the Magical Girl style I want!"
"I think you could pull it off."
"Can I take a picture?" Lin Xiaolu pulled out her phone, eager to try.
"Hmm... do as you please?"
It wasn't that Emerald Sparrow couldn't tell whether a piece of clothing was cute or not; it was that she didn't even know what she looked like in her current outfit, as the dress she was wearing was just purchased, and she hadn't even tried it on.
Emerald Sparrow had not prepared any regular clothes for her Magical Girl form, so when notified that the target was in the electronics street, she had no choice but to go to the department store to buy some clothes for herself in order to reach the busy streets in the guise of Emerald Sparrow.
Since it was too conspicuous to enter the mall directly in her Magical Girl outfit, she ended up going to the children's clothing section while still in the form of Lin Yun.
As an average adult male, Lin Yun stood at 183 cm tall, and even at the age of 14 when he first gained his Magical Girl powers, he was around 170 cm, a number that is very healthy among males and even envied by many of the same sex. But for some reason, when he transformed into a Magical Girl, into Emerald Sparrow, his proud height shrank to a mere 139 cm.
Was this a case of extremes turning into their opposites, or some strange coincidence? Lin Yun never quite figured it out.
This also meant that when he wanted to buy clothes for Emerald Sparrow, unless custom-made, it was very difficult to find women's clothing that fit normally.
In comparison, buying children's clothes was much more convenient and straightforward, not only were the sizes easier to match, but there were also both dresses and trousers available. Hence, claiming to be shopping for his daughter, Lin Yun provided the sizes that would fit Emerald Sparrow and, welcomed warmly by the clerk, entered a children's clothing store.
During this time, the sales associate even asked if he had a photo of his daughter, saying that a clear picture would help to offer more suitable suggestions. Lin Yun, who didn't indulge in vanity and wouldn't keep pictures of himself as a Magical Girl on his phone, simply chose a few pieces rumored to be "the latest season's models" of clothes and left promptly.
After exiting the department store, he casually found a seemingly decent chain express hotel by the roadside, booked an hourly room to change clothes, and then took the high-flying route directly to the electronics street.
As for whether the clothes fit or not, he wasn't worried.
He was actually aware that Emerald Sparrow's appearance was "exquisitely cute" from a general aesthetic standpoint, even standing out amongst Magical Girls known for their above-average looks.
For this reason, as long as she wore normal clothes and matched her accessories and hairstyle appropriately, it wouldn't look too bad.
Although, as a father, being called "cute" by his daughter made him feel conflicted and even a bit weird, these feelings were quickly smoothed over.
What could he say? Responding in a nonchalant manner was already the best approach.
Without much small talk, after this one-sided fashion show, Emerald Sparrow directly got to the point:
"So? Where's the kid that Mok said about?"
"Ah, about that…"
Upon mentioning this, Lin Xiaolu blinked and slowly turned her head towards Mok, "How should I put it, we lost track?".
"Lost her?" Emerald Sparrow also glanced towards Moke.
"Not at all!"
Seeing Emerald Sparrow's gaze coming over, Moke shuddered and immediately retorted, "It's not that I lost track of her, but that the child kept burrowing into crowded places, where her magic power's aura was completely obscured!"
"So, in the end, you still lost her?" Emerald Sparrow placed a hand on her hip.
"Well, you're not wrong about that," Moke muttered guiltily. "But I can feel that she is still in this area, I just don't know her exact location."
"You, this guy..."
Emerald Sparrow drooped her eyelids and sighed softly. She could guarantee that this pink cat was the most unreliable Seeder she had ever encountered in her career as a Magical Girl.
Other Seeders, being fairies, tend to be a bit mischievous, but they usually perform their primary duties without issue. They might not always be the best assistants for Magical Girls, but at least they are competent in finding talented children, conveying messages between the kingdom and the Magical Girls, and sensing the location and strength of Remnant Beasts. These supportive tasks are actually done quite adequately.
But Moke? Not to mention its often clueless state, even when performing its duties, it gave people an impression of clumsiness that was truly disconcerting.
Those things could be put aside for now, though. The most pressing matter was to find that girl with the magical talent. So, Emerald Sparrow didn't dwell on it and quickly moved the conversation forward, "What can we do now? Wait here for Moke to pinpoint her location?"
"Um... how about we go check out a few stores?"
Lin Xiaolu suggested, "That girl must have come here to shop and won't leave in a hurry. Why don't we join in the fun? We might bump into her along the way."
"Not reliable."
Emerald Sparrow shook her head and analyzed calmly, "She might have just come to buy something and would leave afterwards. If we take our eyes off her even for a moment, letting her slip away from the electronics district would only make her harder to find."
"How about we let Moke continue the search while we play?"
Lin Xiaolu's suggestion elicited a startled "Eh?" from Moke.
"That seems to not be an issue..." Emerald Sparrow's agreement shocked Moke even more.
It hurriedly flew to the middle of the two, waving its paws frantically, "You can't do that! Even if I bear the responsibility for losing her, you can't just leave me alone to have fun. That would be too cruel!"
"What makes you think you have a say in this?"
Emerald Sparrow gave it a glance and sighed again, "Well, yeah, I can't trust you to tail her alone either."
"Since that's the case, let's use the most straightforward method. I'll split up with you and stand guard at the two entrances of the electronics district. As soon as we spot the target, we'll..."
— "Do what?" The questioning voice came from beside Emerald Sparrow's ear.
"Call each other and then intercept the girl, waiting for Moke to come..." Emerald Sparrow continued, but within seconds, she suddenly realized something was off about the voice that had asked the question, or rather, it was somewhat unfamiliar.
She glanced at Lin Xiaolu and noticed her looking upwards towards her own head with an expression of timidity.
Emerald Sparrow wondered: My head? My hair? No, at this height, she's not looking at the top of my head, but behind me?
After a brief moment of thought, aware of what might be the case, Emerald Sparrow swiftly turned around to see a strange, young girl standing there with her hands behind her back, a look of curiosity in her pure eyes and a merry smile on her face.
The girl looked quite young, only slightly taller than Lin Xiaolu, with a childlike face, but her attire seemed quite sophisticated and flashy.
She wore a black waist cincher skirt with suspenders paired with a loose lace-trimmed white blouse, showcasing an ample youthful charm. Her black hair was shoulder length and fluffy, with slightly curled tips, and her bangs were dyed purple at the ends. Her face wore a light makeup, with the sheer lips obviously coated with lipstick. False eyelashes beneath her eyelids made her bright eyes even more captivating. There was a glint on her earlobe, probably from an earring she wore.
She looked at the combination of the two people and one creature, took a step forward, and leaned in towards Moke, "What about that cat over there, is it a holographic projection? Augmented reality?"