: Someone else beat me to it and gained my favor.

As soon as Mu Ming exited the subway station, he found that Li Huanhuan was already waiting at the entrance, even though it was still some distance from the meeting point.

Upon meeting, a warm smile bloomed on her face.

Unlike yesterday when her hair was loose, she wore a high ponytail today, a beige short-sleeved top, and cropped jeans. Her back was straight, and she had completely shed the shyness she had shown yesterday. At first glance, she could only be described as youthful and beautiful.

"You came so fast..."

"My home is quite close to here."

"I see."

The streetlights cast a warm yellow glow, pedestrians strolled leisurely, and the storefronts of various chain stores filled the view.

This is a bustling area, and Mu Ming usually tries to avoid going through this area.

He can encounter monsters even in places with few people. If he goes to crowded places, the monsters that spawn there might be the more powerful kind.

Now that I feel more confident, I no longer think about deliberately avoiding these places.

"They say they're looking for the calamity beast, but we don't know where or when it appears. Do you have any ideas?"

As Li Huanhuan asked, she moved closer.

Mu Ming glanced at her and realized that his judgment yesterday was wrong. He thought Li Huanhuan was the timid and shy type.

After all, she was stuttering when she spoke yesterday, but today she seemed like a completely different person, exuding a faint air of confidence.

"This is a bit troublesome..." he thought to himself. He had hoped to easily establish a partnership with Li Huanhuan, since the AI's guide had mentioned that it was a strategy specifically designed for people who lack self-confidence.

However, the principle is universal, just as everyone needs to eat, regardless of their appetite; the only difference is how much they eat.

Similarly, as long as you take it seriously, send messages every day, and occasionally send gifts, you can easily get her special CGs all over the place.

"Let's go to a crowded place first. Where there are many people, evil thoughts are more likely to gather, and the probability of encountering a calamity beast is higher."

Mu Ming really had no idea. After all, it was always the calamity beasts that came looking for him in the past. If he knew how to find them, he wouldn't have to be so worried—if he couldn't beat them, he could at least avoid them.

"Hey~ that's a great idea."

A smile appeared on Li Huanhuan's lips. She didn't actually have high hopes for encountering a calamity beast.

After all, that thing is randomly generated, and you can't just encounter it whenever you want. The time she ran into the disaster beast was two months ago.

She had originally planned to meet up with Mu Ming, and if possible, have a meal together and go shopping.

I was worried he'd be too focused on finding the monster, but I didn't expect him to be so perceptive.

Mu Ming was somewhat surprised.

I thought Li Huanhuan would object to this casual search method.

He was also thinking that if all else failed, he would go find it by himself.

While acting together should increase goodwill, it could be more dangerous if disagreements arise during battle.

She accepted it very easily.

"How about going over there?"

Li Huanhuan pointed in a direction where the lights were noticeably brighter, and there were many people there because of the numerous roadside stalls.

"Shall we find another one?" Mu Ming glanced around and saw that it was too crowded.

"But that's where there are the most people, so it's the most likely place for the calamity beast to appear, isn't it?"

"...Then let's go over there."

Mu Ming took the lead and walked away first, with Li Huanhuan following half a step behind.

A moment later, Mu Ming regretted it—there were too many people.

Because both sides are lined with mobile vendors, there is only about six shoulder widths of space left for pedestrians. In addition, some stalls are crowded with people, making it extremely uncomfortable to walk.

Normally, he can walk alone and weave through the crowd, but now he's with Li Huanhuan.

She stayed very close to pedestrians to avoid them, making it inconvenient for her to walk alone...

The girl's natural fragrance, mixed with the aroma of barbecue and oil nearby, created a subtle and delightful scent.

The street looked quite long, and it was crowded with people, making it difficult to walk.

Mu Ming looked back and realized that he was at an awkward juncture. He had already gone almost halfway, and neither "going back" nor "moving forward" was a good option.

"Sigh..." He sighed unconsciously. If only he were a girl, he could just turn into a magical girl and fly away.

"What's wrong?" Li Huanhuan heard clearly and turned her head to ask.

"I'm troubled by physiological problems."

"Need to use the restroom?"

"No, let's eat something." Mu Ming had been cultivating all day and had missed lunch, so he was indeed a little hungry now.

"Hehe, coming to this kind of food street, just walking around for a bit doesn't feel right~"

Li Huanhuan readily agreed.

Thinking he could also have dinner, Mu Ming ordered a plate of fried noodles.

After taking it, she saw Li Huanhuan walking over with two buckets of iced milk. She raised her hand and handed one of the buckets to her.

Mu Ming was stunned for a moment, then felt a little regretful. He should have bought two servings of fried noodles, so he could have given one away and improved her favorability.

"Is she trying to boost my affection level? I don't have any special CGs to give her..."

Mu Ming stared at the iced milk, not taking it for a moment.

"Don't you like to drink it?" Li Huanhuan asked.

"I'm alright, thank you."

Seeing Mu Ming reach out and take it, Li Huanhuan breathed a sigh of relief.

She originally wanted to ask Mu Ming about his preferences, but she felt that Mu Ming didn't like others asking about his affairs.

But there were no other drink stalls available at the moment, and squeezing into other stalls would likely waste time, so I could only choose an option that didn't seem so bad.

Fortunately, Muming is not lactose intolerant.

Otherwise, this memorable first time would be ruined.

......

With the moon high in the sky and many people gone, Mu Ming and Li Huanhuan sat on a bench to rest.

"In the end, we didn't encounter any calamity beasts." Li Huanhuan said dejectedly, but her tone was lighthearted, as if she wasn't disappointed at all.

"Something's strange..." Mu Mingze covered his mouth slightly, his face serious.

"What's wrong?"

"The monsters that you could normally encounter after wandering around for a bit might spawn twice as many the next day if you stay inside and don't go out."

"Uh..." Li Huanhuan didn't understand his strange statement, but she comforted him:

"That's normal. We just encountered a calamity beast yesterday, how could we be so unlucky as to run into one again today? Besides, there's a saying that goes, 'What you fear most is what will happen.' Now that we're not afraid of calamity beasts anymore, it's naturally not easy for us to encounter them again—"

boom!!!

Before Li Huanhuan could finish speaking, a loud bang was followed by a series of screams from the park behind them.

She turned around in astonishment. "How could this be?! Shouldn't the park be almost deserted at this time?!"

Logically speaking, it should be impossible for a calamity beast to be generated.

The strange, foul magic that Li Huanhuan could sense confirmed that there was a newly born calamity beast inside.

She looked in Mu Ming's direction, only to see that the black liquid had already enveloped it, and a face she had been thinking about all day emerged from it.

Li Huanhuan's breath hitched for a moment, her gaze fixed on Mu Ming.

"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and transform!"

After speaking, Mu Ming's figure transformed into a black shadow and leaped into the sky above the park.

"It's fine normally, but it's definitely better when I transform."

Li Huanhuan couldn't help but laugh. Silver light overflowed from her hands, bathing her in its glow, and finally transforming her into a silver magical girl.