Chapter 80: Hard to Speak, Meow?

“That, um, I have something really important I want to tell you—”

“Then you go first… or should I?”

The two of them showed surprising synchronicity over the classic ‘letting the other go first’ scenario.

After a few awkward seconds of eye contact, it was the little rich girl who finally took charge, her tone sharp and fierce.

“Fine, I’ll go first!”

Xiaoxi had no objections, but she was curious why Ye Xinglan seemed to possess that ‘warrior going to certain death’ kind of resolve.

Was the important thing Ye Xinglan was about to say yet another confession?

In truth, Ye Xinglan had steeled herself. The Blood Moon Witch was a secret identity that couldn’t see the light of day.

Revealing it might cost her the peaceful life she now enjoyed.

She had already prepared for the worst. If Xiaoxi couldn’t accept it, she would wrap Xiaoxi up with her tentacles like a dumpling and leave Summersea City that very night.

Since the Blood Moon Witch had appeared in Summersea City, the city was no longer safe.

Mo Lan’er had advised Ye Xinglan to leave multiple times, but the only reason she stayed was because of Xiaoxi.

Ye Xinglan wasn’t worried about any risks with this move.

She was, after all, the Blood Moon Witch.

Taking down a D-rank Magical Girl like Xiaoxi was easy.

If Xiaoxi really couldn’t accept it, she would just seal all her holes with tentacles!

Ye Xinglan thought viciously in her heart.

“By the way, Xiaoxi, it’s so late already. Did you have something urgent when you went out just now?”

“I was out hunting the Blood Moon Witch. There were signs of her activity around East Main Street.”

Xiaoxi sighed. “But it was another false alarm. I don’t know where that thing is hiding. So mysterious, without leaving a single clue… Once we catch the Blood Moon Witch, I want to see her locked away in the Association’s Hidden Bone Hall with my own eyes before I can rest easy!”

Xiaoxi’s voice was full of grit and determination.

Ever since any suspicious Blood Moon Witch intelligence came in, she had acted immediately.

It had cost her a lot of writing time, so naturally, she was frustrated.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about boring stuff. Xinglan, what did you want to say?”

“…Nothing. I suddenly forgot what I was going to say. You go ahead first, Xiaoxi.”

Ye Xinglan forced out a smile, her voice subdued.

Suddenly, she felt like she didn’t even need to open her mouth to know the answer.

“It’s not really important. I just feel like it’s not good to keep hiding things from you…”

Although she had made up her mind, Xiaoxi only started feeling nervous now.

After changing into her loungewear and entering the living room, she noticed Ye Xinglan was sweating quite a bit and her face was flushed.

“Is the air conditioning broken? You’re so hot, why not turn it on?”

“I’m not hot. I just did some exercising,” Ye Xinglan said, waving her fist at the air. “Oh right, Xiaoxi, when you go to work at the café tomorrow, can you help me buy a new Eternal Star pillowcase? The old one broke again.”

Ye Xinglan cracked her knuckles audibly. Xiaoxi caught sight of the tattered, Xiaoxi-printed pillow tossed in the trash bin.

She immediately guessed how Ye Xinglan had been ‘exercising’.

“Why are you quiet, Xiaoxi? You said you had something you were hiding from me?”

“Nothing…” Xiaoxi forced a smile. “I just put too much salt in dinner tonight. Anyway, I’m going to my room to write now.”

Both averted their gazes, feeling the same kind of disappointment.

Some things, it seemed, could be answered without asking.

The confession meeting was about to fizzle out when Xiaoxi was about to slip back to her room.

Ye Xinglan’s soft voice came from behind.

“So, about the last question Mo Lan’er asked you this afternoon… what was your real answer?”

Xiaoxi’s hand froze on the doorknob. “So you heard what we were talking about?”

Before Ye Xinglan barged in at midnight, Mo Lan’er had asked, “Do you really like our Miss Xiaoxi?” Xiaoxi had thought Ye Xinglan hadn’t heard that.

Ye Xinglan didn’t answer. She wouldn’t tell Xiaoxi that she had been listening outside for quite a while and had only pushed the door open because she was afraid of the answer.

Xiaoxi smiled wryly. Love really was a tormenting thing.

Should she tell the truth? She was perfectly clear that Ye Xinglan would never accept her Eternal Star identity…

Turning around, Xiaoxi gently hugged Ye Xinglan, whispering low as if afraid of being overheard.

“I like you too… but I think we’re not ready yet. You don’t really know me, Xinglan. What if once you truly know me, you stop liking me?”

Before Ye Xinglan could reply, Xiaoxi planted a soft kiss on her forehead and then dashed back to her room like she was escaping.

“…I think the same.”

Ye Xinglan seemed stunned by the kiss, exhaling softly as if talking to herself. Did they really reach the same strange conclusion?

Wait, that meant Xiaoxi was hiding something from her too.

But Ye Xinglan was hiding the Blood Moon Witch identity. She felt a strange urge to compete at this moment—surely Xiaoxi’s secret wasn’t bigger than hers…

Still, Ye Xinglan smiled bitterly. She knew perfectly well Xiaoxi wouldn’t accept her Blood Moon Witch identity, but Xiaoxi gave her this kind of answer at a time like this.

Love really was a tormenting thing.

At that moment, Xiaoxi’s door suddenly opened, and a slightly flushed Xiaoxi peeked out.

“By the way, Xinglan, I probably can’t buy that pillowcase for you tomorrow. I have something in the afternoon and asked the Store Manager for leave.”

Xiaoxi had agreed to a team-building event with Muxingge’s group in the afternoon, though she had no idea the event was actually a Royal Palace Banquet set up by Muxingge for her.

…

The next day, inside a downtown restaurant.

“You two really have good chemistry. Even in battle earlier, you acted like sisters.”

Muxingge watched with interest as Xiaoxi casually served food to Xiaokeke, speaking with an intentional double meaning.

Muxingge had done some digging. Using her Guardian of Summersea City privileges, she had checked Shandie’s personal information—and while she was at it, Xiaohongmao’s as well.

What she discovered was surprising: Xiaohongmao and Magic Girl Sirius appeared to be sisters.

The two sisters were in the same Magical Girl squad, yet seemed completely unaware of each other’s identities.

It was definitely suspicious.

When Miss L had assigned Muxingge to lead these two rookies, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now, the more she thought, the more she suspected something was off.

Though today’s intention was to test if Sirius was writing a little fanfic about her, Muxingge now found it amusing to toy with the apparent culprit behind her ‘little emperor’ story.