A Girl Who Doesn’t Believe in Humans

Chapter 2: Debut

Under the cover of the night, a demon with horns, wings, and tail glided between buildings. Her appearance resembled the legendary succubus.

The dark attribute is the power of the mind, and the “succubus” skilled in this aspect can freely travel between the material and dream worlds. At this moment, what one sees in the real world might just be a projection from the dream world.

Late at night is the “succubus’s” hunting time, and people’s dreams are her hunting grounds.

The distance in the dream world is ambiguous. Two people who are several blocks away in the real world might be adjacent in the dream world. The concept of space folds here, and the dreams of countless people form a glowing thread, enveloping the “succubus” from top to bottom.

This thread is fluid, like a river. It comes from an unknown source and leads to an unknown destination. The river brings sparkling bubbles, displaying the dreams of countless people to her, revealing their inner desires, hopes, joys, and sorrows.

The “succubus” delicately played with her black lotus-like hands, gently scooping up one of the bubbles from the dream river.

With gentle force, she toyed with the bubble in her hand, observing the scenery inside through the iridescent film, confirming that this was what she was looking for.

The barriers of dreams are ambiguous. With a gentle touch of her black fingertips, the colored film of the bubble engulfed her entirely, and the concept of size in this world became equally vague.

She was drawn into someone’s dream, and the scenery inside the bubble continuously enlarged, or perhaps she herself kept shrinking, until she became a part of it.

However, since she was always an intruder, the plot of the dream originally didn’t involve her. The spotlight of the stage didn’t fall on her at this moment; she could only be an observer of the story.

This was someone’s dream, or rather… a spring dream.

They were fantasizing about confessing to their long-admired female classmate and then living a happy life together without any restraint.

In the dream— the fictitious “heroine” was clearly visible, with her graceful curves and exquisite details. It was evident that the dreamer harbored admiration for this person they had yearned for day and night. However, the outline of the dreamer was blurry, and even— their face kept changing.

This was the marvelous aspect of human dreams. In dreams, their cognition of themselves always had clear boundaries from others, but their self-definition was vague. In dreams, the dreamer’s appearance, identity, gender, and behavior fluctuated with their emotions.

Moreover… precisely because the real-world self couldn’t become that, the image of the “self” in the dream would further transform into an unattainable form.

At this moment, the dreamer was infatuated with the “dream come true” in front of them. However, their subconscious also realized that this kind of future was impossible. The female classmate was an idol in the school, and they didn’t even have the qualification to talk to her. Moreover, this love affair was essentially a forbidden love, destined not to be blessed by ordinary people. “Confessing successfully and then a world for two”—this was essentially a fantasy.

As a manifestation of these negative thoughts, a group of small monsters, entirely black and with only teeth visible, began to slowly tear and devour the dream at the edge of the dream. When they reached the core of the dream, it marked the abrupt end of this beautiful dream and also symbolized that the dreamer’s rationality had finally denied the fantasy.

The “succubus” was accustomed to calling these small monsters “Awakeners.”

The little monsters ate quickly, and the dream of the dreamer was about to end. However, the “succubus” didn’t come here just to watch the show; she was here to forage.

She immediately stopped the destruction of the Awakeners. The method was simple; she just needed to eat the Awakeners directly. She was now a dream entity, and touching anything in the dream was effortless.

With a grasp of her five fingers, she caught several struggling Awakeners. Those black little monsters tried to break free from her magical claws, but when they fell from the claws, what awaited them was the pitch-black maw behind those enchanting red lips.

Between the opening of porcelain-white teeth, all the cries were swallowed at once.

The dream obtained temporary stability.

However, the disappearance of the little monsters was also temporary. They were originally a mechanism of the dream, and they would regenerate as long as the dream still existed.

And the Awakeners were just a prelude to her meal; she looked towards her main course, the central part of the dream.

For her, there were two ways to feed. One was to directly devour the entire dream, which could gather the most essence at once, but the consequence was that the dreamer might lose their soul, turning into a vegetable in reality.

She would never commit such a demonic act.

So, she used the second method—modifying the dream’s target.

She snapped her fingers, and the plot in the dream instantly paused. In the frozen world, she slowly walked towards the other protagonist of the dream, the female heroine that the dreamer had longed for, and then, with a punch—shattered this fantasy.

As one of the protagonists lost their position, the original space of the school idol was only left with shattered cracks like a broken mirror. Behind the cracks was pitch darkness, like the hollowness of the dream itself.

The “Succubus” spreads her hands, gathering the fragments of all the female protagonists. With delicate hands, she kneads and reshapes the “heroine,” then embeds her back into the gaps of the dream. However, this time, the female protagonist is no longer the idol girl but the “Succubus” herself.

Snap!

Another snap, and the dream’s progress resumes. The dream owner behaves as if nothing has happened, still hugging and embracing the “heroine” they obsess over. They remain oblivious to the fact that their dream lover has transformed into the Succubus.

Not only that, even the previous scenes of the dream, like confessions, dates, weddings… all the protagonists in these storylines have turned into the Succubus and the dream owner.

Everything appears so natural, as if the dreamer was infatuated with the non-human “Succubus” from the beginning.

In reality, dreams change so easily for a reason. It’s merely replacing one fantasy with another. The dreamer knew that a relationship with their idol classmate was impossible. They had no bonds, and this forbidden love often tormented their heart. Choosing to abandon impractical fantasies and embrace more magical desires without burdens might be what the dreamer truly desires… or maybe not.

The Succubus only feeds on the dreams of women because the essence of men is murkier, especially those related to desire, which might upset her digestion.

After completing all this, the real “Succubus” claps her hands, signaling the end of her preparations. She doesn’t need to do anything else but wait for the essence to flow with desires.

However, human desires are fickle. After some time, she may need to come back to this dream for “regular maintenance” to ensure the dreamers she keeps don’t become someone else’s.

In simple terms, what she does is replace the objects of other people’s yellow waste in their brains with herself. Afterward, she can feast on their essence – that’s how she stays “well-fed.”

Whether it’s one hearty meal or regular feasts, she knows how to choose.

Strictly speaking, her method of replenishing magic is similar to magical girls. The only difference is that they get support openly, while she just lurks in the shadows.

Magical girls are idols for the public. Isn’t she an idol for some people too?

Snow Qing comforts herself with this thought.

This might be the tragedy of underground idols.

The work of releasing the food supply source is done, and it’s time for her to go back.

The time in the dream world is different from the real world. The dreamer on the other side has almost lived a lifetime, reaching the stage of growing old together, while in reality, it’s just dawn.

She closes the window of her rented room, and Snow Qing, in her human form, appears in the room once again.

After finally having a satisfying meal, her mental state has improved a lot. On the surface, she has transformed from frail to pitiable.

She opens the wardrobe, which contains very little besides casual clothes and school uniforms. She takes off her current attire and skillfully changes into her sailor uniform.

Yes, she is still just a high school student, and attending school on time is what she should do, even though she is no longer human.

Closing the wooden door of the rented room, she steps onto the road for her school commute.

Sometimes she questions herself: Why does she maintain the life of a student? Prolonged mimicry only increases the burden on her body. Isn’t this foolish?

But if she abandons her identity as a high school student, what will be left of her “self”? Magical Girl Snow Qing? Or herself as a demon?

She is afraid, afraid that she has unknowingly forgotten how humans live. So even if it’s just playing house, she wants to continue playing the role.

Snow Qing finally passes through the narrow alley and reaches the main road of the commercial street. The school is getting closer, and she sees more and more students.

Occasionally, there are billboards featuring various magical girls on the street.

The existence of magical girls in this world is as common as common sense. They endorse advertisements, star in movies, participate in reality shows—these are just ordinary things for magical girls.

Not long after, she has already arrived at the school.

Qing Yue silently passes through the school gate, through the bustling classroom corridor, and silently enters the lively classroom, sitting quietly in her own seat. She usually treats people with extreme coldness, so there are no friends to greet her.

No one pays attention to her, and she doesn’t care about anyone either.

This is good, this is what she wants.

She won’t trust anyone, be it magical girls or ordinary people. They all carry the factors of demons, and they all have the potential to suddenly transform and maliciously tear apart the trust she has in them. The current tranquility and laughter are all illusions, and she doesn’t need such fragile things.

She says this in her heart.

Qing Yue silently organizes the school supplies for class and takes out a bottle of milk. Her breakfast is usually eaten in the classroom.

Although she pays no attention to others, the voices of classmates discussing still inevitably reach her ears.

“Ashu, have you heard? A new magical girl has debuted recently!”

A boy excitedly shares his new information with his companion.

“Ah, the white one, right? I already knew about that.”

The boy named Ashu remains calm, but the raised corner of his mouth reveals his inner satisfaction.

“Incredible, Ashu! You even knew about this, even though she only appeared for the first time yesterday…”

Another person interjects.

People refer to someone gaining the qualification to become a magical girl as “debut,” and a magical girl’s debut is divided into two types. One is “semi-debut,” in which they cooperate with an entertainment company but continue to hide their true identity. The benefit is that they can still maintain a normal life as an ordinary person. The other is “official debut,” where they directly announce their identity, then engage in deep cooperation with an entertainment company. Although this sacrifices their daily life as an ordinary person, the advantage is that they can get the maximum help from the entertainment company. They not only gain support from people as magical girls but also attract more fans in the form of ordinary idols.

It can be said that this is a world completely entertainmentized by magical girls. However, there is actually another way to debut, but very few magical girls choose this—known as the “underground debut,” and Snow Qing is an example of that.

However, they generally remain unknown and unnoticed. Due to a lack of people’s support, they eventually fall in some battle, and from birth to disappearance, no one cares.

“Of course, it’s true. If you don’t believe it, you can wait for two more days. The news conference for the official debut of the white magical girl will be announced by then,” Ashu said confidently.

Ashu is a strange person. He always seems to know information about magical girls faster than others, and…

(He seems to have the magical power of a magical girl on him, although very weak, it indeed feels like the magical girl’s power… and this is not something attached to him like other magical girls. Instead, it’s more like…)

Qing Yue ponders while sipping her milk.

“Damn it! When will my Cherry officially debut? Ashu, tell me! I want to confess to Cherry!” A Cherry fanatic suddenly bursts out.

“Cough, cough… How would I know about that? You might as well ask Du Zhi, a classmate from the next class. She’s also a magical girl and might be able to convey your message to Cherry for you,” Ashu earnestly suggests to the guy.

Du Zhi is a classmate from the next class and, at the same time, a magical girl who has officially debuted.

In this world, the distance between ordinary people and magical girls is not that far.

“It’s not interesting to officially debut. Heroes should protect humans quietly without revealing their identities!” A girl with light brown short hair remarks.

“Yeah, indeed. The magical girls who show their true selves do lack a bit of flavor,” Ashu agrees with this viewpoint, nodding repeatedly.

“Mystery is the most charming aspect of magical girls. Just like in the past Sentai shows, the Silver Warrior who is both good and evil and only acts at the last moment is the coolest!”

“Speaking of which, Ashu, which magical girl are you a fan of?” his companion asks curiously.

Ashu looks even more proud and proudly declares, “No need to say, it’s, of course, the most mysterious, the purple one—Magical Girl Snow Qing!”

Sitting at the back, Qing Yue almost sprays out the milk from her mouth.