To this day, Lin Yun could still recall his first trip to Electronics Street with his squad mbers.
That happened a few months after his youthful self beca a magical girl.
After choosing to fight to protect Aya and stepping forward as a magical girl, he and Aya ford a two-person magical girl squad, tirelessly battling to defend Fangting City.
So ti later, a magical girl from the Eastern Isles, codenad “Margaret,” arrived in Fangting City. She encountered Lin Yun and Aya while hunting Ravagers, and the three of them hit it off instantly. From then on, they began working together, expanding the squad to three mbers.
Not long after, Fangting City’s Seeder—Wopo, the rabbit fairy—introduced them to their fourth and final mber at the ti: a girl their age nad Su Shengzi, whose magical girl alias was “Lanxiang.”
Su Shengzi appeared to co from a wealthy background—though “appeared” was the key word here, as she never explicitly revealed anything about her family. However, the glimpses of her extravagant lifestyle and her complete disregard for financial concerns made it abundantly clear that she ca from money.
As a suspected heiress, Su Shengzi would occasionally put on airs and display a bit of aristocratic etiquette, but for the most part, she did whatever she pleased, completely ignoring how others perceived her.
This attitude manifested in her tendency to dive headfirst into new interests on a whim. She would beco obsessed with sothing for a short ti, throw herself into researching it day and night, then abandon it once she felt she had mastered it—only to repeat the cycle with sothing new.
A few months after joining the squad, one day, Su Shengzi suddenly beca fascinated with arcade gas.
No one knew when or how she got into them, but one afternoon after school, she suddenly announced to the squad, “Let’s go to Electronics Street!”
This proposal sparked a debate among the squad mbers.
At the ti, Lin Yun was a diligent student with little interest in arcades, which older generations often called dens of delinquency. Aya, on the other hand, was a playful and curious spirit who loved trying new forms of entertainnt. And as soone from the Eastern Isles—the birthplace of arcade gaming—Margaret was more than familiar with it.
The debate ultimately led to a vote, which ended in a landslide three-to-one decision in favor of Su Shengzi’s proposal. And thus, the squad’s after-school visits to Electronics Street began.
From that day onward, whenever Lin Yun—being the only boy in the four-person squad—left school surrounded by three girls, he found himself the subject of many odd stares from his male and female classmates alike.
His reputation had taken an irreversible hit: boys saw him as a role model, while girls branded him a player.
But in truth, he and the others were rely friends. After all, when they went out together, he was usually in his magical girl form.
Because of that, in terms of ti spent in Electronics Street, Veronica far exceeded Lin Yun.
Now, gazing at the rain-soaked Electronics Street, Veronica found herself reminiscing about those past days with her old squad. It had been years since they had gone their separate ways, and even longer since she had visited this place just for fun.
The rain-drenched comrcial district, usually a lively pedestrian zone, felt sowhat desolate. Only a few pedestrians, umbrellas in hand, walked slowly under the eaves of the buildings. But the storefronts remained brightly lit and bustling with the sounds of chatter and music.
Veronica and Xia Liang, each holding an umbrella, walked through the puddled streets until they reached their first destination—the archery range.
This establishnt had been a staple of Electronics Street for years, changing owners multiple tis yet never ceasing operations. It was a well-known landmark.
Whether in Lin Yun’s youth or now, stepping past the winding corridor into the spacious main hall would always reveal young university students scattered about, practicing their shots.
As Veronica and Xia Liang entered and approached the counter, their unusual pairing quickly drew so attention.
After all, archery ranges charged by the hour, and for middle and elentary school students, the fees were on the expensive side. A duo like theirs inevitably stood out.
Xia Liang blended in a little better, but Veronica—despite dressing plainly in a long-sleeved shirt, pants, short boots, and a neat ponytail—still attracted attention due to her striking blue hair, which gave her an exotic appearance.
She was long accustod to these kinds of stares. She had been dealing with them for years.
Even when the front desk staff greeted her with a string of condescending remarks—“Little girl, are you lost?” “Are you a foreigner?” “This might be too difficult for kids like you”—she remained unfazed.
After booking a session and paying the deposit, Veronica led Xia Liang to a quieter shooting lane.
Selecting an appropriately sized bow, she stepped up to the shooting platform. Under Xia Liang’s watchful gaze, she adjusted her stance, then fluidly went through the motions: gripping the bow with one hand, notching an arrow, drawing the string, taking aim—release.
Whoosh!
The arrow hit the bullseye.
“Whoa!” Xia Liang clapped in admiration. “That was so cool!”
Veronica flicked her ponytail and handed her the bow. “Wanna try?”
Xia Liang instinctively reached for the bow but hesitated, blinking in confusion. “? But I’ve never done this before…”
“You don’t need prior experience. I’ll teach you the stance—you just need to practice aiming.”
Veronica wasn’t exactly a master archer herself. She had only trained in proper shooting posture, and thanks to her enhanced physical abilities as a magical girl—sharpened vision and exceptional coordination—her accuracy was naturally high.
After adjusting Xia Liang’s stance to ensure no major errors, Veronica stepped aside to observe her practice.
A few other custors—perhaps motivated by goodwill, or simply looking for an excuse to strike up a conversation—volunteered to coach the two of them, but Veronica turned them down with a cold expression.
Xia Liang started off awkward and nervous, but with repeated attempts, her accuracy improved noticeably. From missing the target entirely, to hitting the outer rings, and gradually inching closer to the center—her progress was undeniably fast.
Veronica watched for a while before returning to her own target.
Seeing Xia Liang practice brought a wave of nostalgia, blurring the lines between past and present.
Back then, the Fangting City squad would frequently head to the archery range after school. To avoid suspicion, Su Shengzi had co up with an excuse—claiming they were part of a school archery club.
As magical girls, even in their civilian forms, their enhanced physical abilities ant that with just a bit of training, they surpassed most hobbyists.
Eventually, their frequent visits led to a common belief among archery enthusiasts: that the girls from Lixing Middle School’s archery club were incredibly skilled.
This left the school’s actual sports students baffled—because Lixing Middle School didn’t even have an archery club.
Of course, all of that was in the past now.
Before long, their booked hour was up. Xia Liang, slightly sweaty, set down her bow and smiled in satisfaction at the distant target.
Her arrow had landed dead center.
“And?” Veronica lowered her bow. “Wanna keep going?”
“It was fun, but we have other places to go, right?” Xia Liang, still excited from the experience, grinned.
“We do. But if you really like it, we can stay longer.”
“Hmm… Let’s save it for next ti.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah! Let’s head to our next stop!” Xia Liang bead.
Veronica didn’t argue. After settling the bill, she and Xia Liang left the archery range, umbrellas in hand, and walked toward their second destination.
Their next stop: the bookstore.
Electronics Street had once been ho to the city's largest book wholesale market—a haven for book lovers of all kinds.
Now, twenty years later, the wholesale market still existed, but it had undergone significant transformation. When Veronica and Xia Liang stepped inside, they were t with a space that looked nothing like its forr self. The entire interior had been renovated, giving it a fresh and modern appearance.
The structure of the original wholesale market remained, but its interior design, layout, and even business model had completely changed.
Now, the bookstore was more of a hybrid space—combining bookselling with a café-like atmosphere, similar to a book lounge or a “book café.”
Custors could browse books at their leisure, purchase them, or settle into a cozy corner with a drink in hand, flipping through a novel or previewing select titles. It was a relaxing and inviting environnt, but it no longer had the sa character as the old book market.
The store spanned five floors, with open spaces that connected each level through a network of escalators, making the entire place feel spacious and interconnected.
Veronica and Xia Liang weren’t in any rush. They started from the first floor and made their way up slowly, taking their ti to explore the different sections.
After a while, Veronica turned to Xia Liang and asked, “See anything that interests you?”
At that mont, they were standing in front of the manga section.
“No need.”
Xia Liang glanced at the shelves stacked with colorful volus and hesitated briefly before shaking her head. “But I feel like Xiaolu would probably like this kind of stuff.”
“Yeah.”
Veronica followed her gaze, scanning the area. After a short pause, she nodded in agreent.
She hadn’t read manga in years, but she knew Lin Xiaolu was still quite into them. As she thought about it, she absentmindedly said, “Next ti, we should bring White Rose along.”
Before she could finish the thought, she felt Xia Liang gently take her hand.
“Sorry, Xiaolu, but if it’s just the two of us going out, I’d rather have today be about .”
Xia Liang’s gaze remained fixed forward, her voice drifting lightly. “At least for today.”
“…I understand.”
After a mont of silence, Veronica nodded slowly.
“Heh.”
Xia Liang chuckled softly. “Then let’s keep going just like this.”
For a second, Veronica didn’t quite register what she ant. But then she glanced down at their hands and realized—
Xia Liang wanted to keep holding hands as they walked.
It was a gesture that felt oddly affectionate, yet with their current appearances, it simply looked like an older sister guiding her younger sibling.
Still, Veronica let out a sigh. “Don’t start pulling weird stunts again.”
“What weird stunts?”
Xia Liang blinked innocently, but before Veronica could reply, she mischievously traced her fingertip along the back of Veronica’s hand. “Like this?”
Thwack!
Veronica flicked her forehead with a sharp snap.
“Ow! What was that for?!” Xia Liang yelped.
“I’m not repeating myself. Just behave.”
“Ugh…”
After getting scolded, Xia Liang didn’t try any more tricks. The two of them wandered through the bookstore a while longer before finally leaving the renovated wholesale market and heading toward their third destination.
And this stop was one of the highlights of their trip—
The arcade.
Back in the old days, the arcade had been the after-school hangout spot for the Fangting City squad.
At that ti, arcade gas were one of the hottest trends among young people, with players spending hours imrsed in their favorite titles, losing track of ti in the process.
So would spend their allowance on tokens, playing the sa ga over and over to hone their skills so they could show off to their friends later. Others, who couldn’t afford to play, would loiter around, watching others play, occasionally giving pointers, or even trying to mooch a free round.
That era and its culture were long gone.
Nowadays, arcades were no longer considered cutting-edge entertainnt. Young people had moved on to other hobbies, and arcades had beco just another recreational space—like movie theaters or ice-skating rinks—rather than a cultural phenonon.
Without the prestige of being the latest trend, few people still devoted themselves to mastering arcade gas or lingering in these spaces.
“You wait here for a bit. I’ll go buy tokens.”
Seeing that Xia Liang was distracted by a claw machine near the entrance, Veronica didn’t force her to co along and simply left her with those words.
She navigated through the arcade toward the counter, where she had to go through the usual hassle of explaining to the staff that she wasn’t a lost child, she didn’t need to find her parents, and—under the staff’s bewildered stare—she had to actually prove that she was an adult.
Finally, after all that nonsense, she managed to get a small basket filled with ga tokens and made her way back to Xia Liang.
But when her eyes fell on the scene before her, she imdiately frowned.
At so point, Xia Liang had been surrounded by a group of flashy, dolled-up girls—likely middle schoolers themselves.
From their smug expressions, the way they spoke to Xia Liang as if they were familiar, and Xia Liang’s silent, downcast posture, it was clear—
This wasn’t just random bullying.
These girls knew Xia Liang.
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