Little Pink Starfish

Anime conventions… Yuan Yuanyuan used to go all the time. But in recent years, she had neither the time nor money. And when she did go, it was just for part-time work.

But today… seeing someone cosplaying as her? That was a first.

Okay, to be fair, this wasn’t exactly something most people would ever encounter.

It was supposed to rain today, and Yuan Yuanyuan just hoped those two girls didn’t get completely drenched. Right now, she felt totally drained—her whole body aching, no appetite at all. She just wanted to collapse at home and rot on the couch.

And rot she did, for a long while, until a strange sensation woke her up.

Still lying in bed, dazed, it took her a few moments to realize what was happening.

Ah… so that’s what it was. Aunt Flo was coming to visit. A sharp ache twisted in her lower abdomen.

No wonder she felt like crap and wanted to murder someone.

She dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom, stayed there for ten minutes, then shuffled back out and plopped onto the sofa, eyes blank.

Still nothing yet, but it was close. And whoever said demons don’t get periods? Or that cultivating to a certain level made you immune to things like cold or hunger? Why the hell did she still feel like this?

Yuan Yuanyuan checked her stash of sanitary pads—low. And no brown sugar either.

She figured she’d better head downstairs and pick some up.

On her way down the stairs, as she turned the corner, she caught a strange scent in the air. Just as she was about to step into the shop, her feet froze. She glanced in the direction the smell was coming from.

Ah… so it’s true what they say—rainy days are when bad things happen. Rain makes scents fade quickly. Perfect cover for grudges and vendettas.

She looked at the shop entrance… then looked toward that scent again. After hesitating, she gritted her teeth and followed the scent.

She never would’ve done something like this in the past, but today… she just wanted to sneak a peek.

Maybe it was because after she transformed, she was bolder. When she took on the form of the Black-Clad Man, even her scent changed. She’d once been locked out of her own apartment because the door didn’t recognize her. Ji Qiu’s enchantments were solid—so long as she didn’t cancel the transformation, no one could tell it was her.

If she could win a fight, she’d fight. If not… she’d run.

Yuan Yuanyuan ducked into a back alley with no surveillance cameras, transformed, and muted her phone. She crept cautiously toward the smell, which grew stronger the closer she got—an intense, metallic stink.

Ugh… must be some gross type of demon. Yuan Yuanyuan generally hated the smelly ones.

She peeked around a corner. Just as she’d guessed—a group of girls had taken a shortcut through a dark alley and run into trouble.

Alleyways were danger zones. No cameras, no witnesses. You didn’t even need to run into a demon—a thug would be bad enough. These girls just had bad luck tonight.

Yuan Yuanyuan reached into her pocket and pulled out a small knife—one of her favorites, taken from some random demon ages ago. Great for peeling fruit… or demon skin.

She glanced at the demon’s height compared to hers. He barely reached her chest.

I could probably take him. That physical size gap gave her confidence.

So she snuck up behind the guy, then without warning, stabbed him.

The demon clearly hadn’t sensed her approach. Blood gushed instantly. She stabbed him several more times, like she was venting all her pent-up frustration, then leapt back five meters just as the demon turned around.

He was slow to react. Clearly wanted a bite of her, though.

When he turned his face toward her… Yuan Yuanyuan nearly gagged.

That face was something else. Enough to make her skin crawl—and also… want to laugh. He must’ve been some sort of insect demon. His face had mandibles, like something out of Resident Evil.

Bro… your transformation isn’t even finished. Don’t go around scaring people like that.

She didn’t run into things this horrifying very often in real life. His head looked like it belonged on Taobao, sold as a “Cursed Monster Mask.”

The insect demon froze when he saw her face in transformed form. Even his twitching mandibles stilled.

The alley fell silent. Dirt, damp rain, and blood all lingered in the air.

Yuan Yuanyuan braced herself for battle, muttering internally:

Stay calm… fight if I have to. Man, my period’s about to start—does transforming mess that up?

All kinds of random thoughts buzzed in her head. She figured the demon probably recognized her—after all, she was wanted around here. Famous enough to be recognized on sight.

She was ready to go full three-hundred-rounds mode.

But then… the demon did something completely unexpected.

He turned and ran.

Yuan Yuanyuan: “…”

The alley remained eerily quiet.

Wait… what? Where are you going? Come back! We didn’t even start yet!

She watched, stunned, as the demon shot webs from his mouth and swung away like Spider-Man.

She was left dumbfounded.

Seriously? I was about to roll up my sleeves… and you pull this?

Should I… chase him?

Nah. Let it go. Count my blessings.

She turned back to check on the girls who’d been strung up like silkworm cocoons.

So… spider demon? Are those a thing now? That’d take some talent to cultivate.

The silk threads were tough. Yuan Yuanyuan had to saw through them with her knife, which heated up from the effort. Eventually, she got them all loose.

The girls had all been awake—now that they hit the ground, only one stayed on her feet. The rest collapsed immediately.

Then it hit her.

Oh… right. Spiders paralyze their prey with venom—keeps them from running, softens up their meat.

She stood there for three seconds in thoughtful silence. Then she hoisted the girls up, half-carrying, half-dragging them to a busy street corner. Pulled out her phone and dialed for an ambulance.

She wasn’t sure if these girls were poisoned, or if hospitals even had anti-venom for this kind of thing.

“Yeah, four girls, all unconscious. We’re in Jincheng…” she said, glancing around while on the call.

After hanging up, she crouched down and checked their foreheads—two had fevers. The other two looked okay, but she was sure all four were poisoned.

Time to bounce.

There were enough people around. The spider demon wouldn’t dare show up here. She left the girls in the crowd and slipped away down another alley.

Once hidden, she cancelled her transformation.

Instantly, the pain hit her like a freight train. Her lower abdomen throbbed. She nearly collapsed on the spot.

Yep. Fiction is a lie. This feels awful. Or maybe… my transformation skills still suck?

Yuan Yuanyuan limped back to the store, bought pads and brown sugar, then slowly, awkwardly made her way back to her fifth-floor apartment.

She brewed some brown sugar tea and flopped onto the sofa.

A few minutes later, she heard distant sirens.

Whew… they’re here.

Despite the risk, the rescue had gone well. She played the entire encounter back in her head and had to admit—she was way too reckless. But that spider demon running away had totally caught her off guard.

Whatever… I’ll drink my tea, sweat it out, and sleep. Still have to work tonight.

She put the cup by the bed, bundled herself in two layers of blankets, and passed out.

---

Meanwhile…

In a dark, shabby apartment, the door slammed open, and a blood-soaked figure stumbled in.

“Where the hell have you been?” asked one of the three people inside.

“I saw him. The Black-Clad Man.”

The air froze.

“He actually lives in this area!” the demon panted. “We’ve been here for years and never knew! I went out to catch some humans… and ran right into him. Took a knife to the back. I looked up and it was him—I ran for my life.”

“Will he follow you here?”

“I don’t think so… there were people around, he probably stayed to save them.”

“Still… I have a bad feeling. Let’s lay low for a couple of days.”

They nodded.

In the middle of their frantic planning… the person at the heart of it all—Yuan Yuanyuan herself—was totally unaware.

Still snoring under her blankets, like a dead pig.

If she knew what was happening out there, she definitely wouldn’t be sleeping so soundly.