Qiqi returned to her room.
The little snowfinch perched on her shoulder, round and adorable. She extended a finger to gently stroke its beak, her frozen expression softening a little. She had always liked snowfinches.
But this one… was different.
Her gaze drifted to Xia Lin's bed. She recalled what the little girl had told her after returning from their master's room that morning.
"Qiqi-sis, I can help Papa now!"
"Help?"
"Yup! Papa can see through my eyes!"
"Really?"
"Not just mine—he said he can see through other animals' eyes too!"
Other animals' eyes…
That must include the snowfinch's.
Qiqi looked into her companion's bright little eyes, a strange feeling flickering in her chest.
Back in his room, Xia Zhi took out the Kamera and Wind Glider.
The night before, Cloud Retainer had already studied Xia Ci's beautifying mirror. After discussing it with her, Xia Zhi now understood how to adapt its function into the Kamera.
Perfect timing.
He bought a telescope from the [Shop], gave it a quick Evolution, then removed its lens and fitted it into the Kamera alongside the beautifying mirror. His own sunglasses now carried a shared Vision, so he could directly see the Kamera's feed. He tested a few shots—the results looked promising.
Then he moved on to the Wind Glider. With careful strokes, he inscribed two divine characters onto its surface: [Wind], [Stealth].
When Charlotte returned, he handed the modified items back.
"I've added two new functions to your Wind Glider."
"Mm!"
"On the left—activate it, and even without any wind, it'll generate its own current so you can fly freely."
"That's awesome!"
"On the right—activate it, and your form will vanish. Even standing right in front of someone, they won't notice you."
"That'll make sneaky shots way too convenient!"
"What sneaky shots? It's called not disturbing your subjects."
"Right, right!"
"I also upgraded the Kamera. Try it."
"Okay!"
Charlotte ran to the window and snapped a picture.
"Mr. Xia, I captured both the Jade Chamber and the academy in Liyue!"
"Not bad, huh?"
"It's amazing!"
"Then tonight, I'll leave it to you."
"Rest assured! I'll get the very best shots."
Charlotte left brimming with determination.
Fischl had always been a well-behaved child.
Though her speech and mannerisms struck her parents as absurdly chuunibyou, she had never truly done anything rebellious. She always came home for dinner on time, always went to bed early, always rose early.
But tonight was different.
After saying goodnight to her parents, she returned to her room.
Her fingers brushed against her eyepatch.
It had been days since she last used it to transform. All this time, she had thought of Mr. Xia—every single day, every single night—reciting his name in her heart.
Though the eyepatch had not yet fully charged with Faith Power, it already held enough to trigger a transformation.
She recalled her previous transformation in the wild and whispered silently in her mind:
Transform.
A surge of black light burst from the eyepatch, enveloping her entire body.
Moments later, the light faded.
The Magical Girl Fischl stood reborn.
"This power…"
She clenched her fist, whispering to herself.
"…Enough to make sinners tremble. Let us go, Oz."
"As you command, my lady."
She threw open her window and leapt into the night.
Her legs now carried astonishing strength. A light push of her toes sent her soaring onto rooftops.
She had already mastered all Dark-element spells up to the fourth tier, including ones to cloak her presence and form.
Casting Dark Stealth on herself, she bounded across rooftops, heading straight for the Favonius Cathedral.
Soon she landed at their meeting spot—a quiet corner of the plaza—where Qiqi was already waiting patiently.
"I'm not late, am I?" Fischl asked.
Qiqi shook her head. "No."
Only then did Fischl notice the adorable snowfinch on her shoulder. "What's that?"
Qiqi stroked it, then glanced at the raven perched on Fischl's shoulder. "My partner."
"Where did you get it?"
"My master gave it to me."
"…."
Fischl paused, then asked, "Does it have a name?"
Qiqi nodded. A faint smile tugged at her lips. "Of course. I named it Ba Ba."
"Ba Ba?"
"I'm Qiqi. It's Ba Ba. Qiqi and Baba—makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"
"…Shall we go?"
"Mm."
Fischl was just about to bound away as before, when she saw Qiqi summon a gleaming white sword.
Then, before her eyes, Qiqi leapt onto the blade—and soared skyward, riding it into the night.
Fischl was left in stunned silence.
Wait—aren't we both magical girls?
So why does your style look so completely different?!
---
Inside the tavern, Angel's Share.
Diluc frowned slightly as he looked over the sales reports from the past few days.
"Has business really dropped this much lately?"
The bartenders looked a little helpless.
"Master Diluc, it can't be helped. Ever since those regulars tasted that fine wine Venti brought last time, their palates have become impossibly picky. Even the best vintage in our tavern can't satisfy them anymore…"
Diluc fell silent. He himself had sampled a glass of that so-called fine wine. The taste was indeed far superior to anything Dawn Winery had ever produced.
He had even taken the remainder back to the winery's brewers for analysis, but up to now they had come up with nothing useful. The ingredients and brewing method of that wine were clearly far from ordinary.
He closed the report and said, "I understand. For now, try to draw in as many new customers as possible."
The bartenders nodded seriously. "Yes, sir!"
Diluc turned back into his room. A short while later, he reappeared clad in black, face covered with a concealing mask, and slipped out of the tavern from the second floor—silent as a shadow.
Inside another room, Xia Zhi activated the Vision Sharing of the snowfinch and checked on Qiqi.
From this angle, it really felt like he was watching an outdoor livestream.
Her way of fighting matched her personality: cold, precise, decisive. Enemies were usually dispatched with a single strike. Of course, she also understood restraint and held back just enough. Clearly, she had been training diligently these past days.
Xia Zhi was satisfied with his second disciple's performance. The only thing that felt off was the name she'd given the snowfinch.
Baba.
The same sound as "Papa."
He couldn't help suspecting she had done it on purpose, maybe influenced by Xia Lin—but there was no proof. After all, her logic wasn't wrong. Reasonable enough.
After enjoying a brief magical girl show, Xia Zhi disconnected the snowfinch's Vision Sharing and pulled up his system panel.
He tapped on [Guardian of the Wilds].
A list appeared:
Current contacted animals (transformable): [Firefly], [Cat], [Abyssal Dragon], [Immortal Crane], [Immortal Deer], [Qilin], [snowfinch]...
He tapped [Firefly].
In an instant, his figure vanished, replaced by a small glowing insect.
A few seconds later, the insect turned into a fluffy white cat. The cat bounded around the room twice, then became a white crane before returning to human form.
From his quick test, transforming into an animal also granted him that animal's abilities. It was very much like writing an animal's name on the [Temporary Certificate], which let him play the role of the creature and borrow its power. The difference was clear: the certificate let him roleplay, but [Guardian of the Wilds] turned him into the real thing.
"In a few days, I should visit Dvalin. That'd earn me another Diamond-tier blessing..."
Remembering a certain Cryo nun, Xia Zhi switched to the white cat's Vision Sharing. His vision filled with white smoke. The nun sat in her room, cigarette in hand, taking slow puffs.
The cat let out two soft mews.
The nun looked down at it.
"What is it? Hungry?"
"You hardly touched the dried meat in your bowl… don't like it?"
"I'll be heading out soon. When I return, I'll bring you back two fresh fish."
She put away the cigarette, scooped the cat into her arms, rubbed her cheek against its fur with a look of quiet satisfaction, then set it gently down.
"Stay here in the room. Don't run around, don't rummage through things, alright?"
The white cat just watched her silently. She left, locking the door behind her. Her footsteps faded into the distance.
Xia Zhi cut off the cat's Vision Sharing, thoughtful.