“What?!” Lu Yuan was completely shocked.
Up until now, one reason disasters could be so easily eliminated by Magical Girls who were weaker than themselves was because the disasters lacked intelligence.
If a disaster started to possess intelligence, its entire rating would increase significantly, which would be a devastating blow to the already scarce number of Magical Girls.
“And besides, Tian Aixing also found magic similar to coordinates in Si An’s blood…” Su Li rubbed her forehead. “We suspect it might be related to that high-intelligence disaster.”
As she spoke, Su Li stood up and tossed her empty coffee cup into the trash bin.
“But the fact it hasn’t appeared for so long must have a reason. At least we still have the initiative, so there’s no need to worry too much.” Su Li smiled and reached out her hand to Lu Yuan. “Now we just wait for Tian Aixing to decrypt the coordinates and prepare accordingly.”
Lu Yuan took Su Li’s hand and stood up, nodding. She knew worrying was useless; she just had to prepare for the battle ahead.
***
At that moment, Su Li suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled out her phone.
“Oh right, what a terrible memory I have, only telling you bad news so far. Actually, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
“Considering the potentially more complicated combat situations in the future, Headquarters has decided to strengthen cooperation between teams and develop backup forces. So, I’ve arranged for you to have a new teammate.”
“A new teammate?” Lu Yuan was surprised. “Isn’t the Nightingale Squad already full?”
Su Li smiled. “You’re not joining your Nightingale Squad. Instead, a new reserve squad is being formed. The new squad’s captain is usually someone brought up by other established teams.”
She raised her hand and showed Lu Yuan a photo.
It was a girl who looked very young, probably even younger than Chen Lianxue. She had soft chestnut short hair, big eyes filled with a timid curiosity, and looked very inexperienced overall.
“Her name is Tong Feng. She’s one of the new candidates from the last batch of Transformation Crystals. Her talent scores are very high, but she has almost zero combat experience, and her temperament isn’t very good either. She’s somewhat socially anxious,” Su Li introduced. “Headquarters hopes you can mentor her.”
When she said “Headquarters,” she really meant herself. She was the one in charge because she thought, given how quickly Lu Yuan was progressing, she was the best choice to train a newcomer.
Lu Yuan was stunned, unable to react immediately. “Me? Mentor a newbie? Sister Su Li, I…”
She was still exploring and learning herself, how could she teach someone else?
Seeing Lu Yuan’s stunned expression, Su Li couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“What? You think you’re not qualified?” Her tone was gentle. “Lu Yuan, with your current strength and experience, you’re more than capable of guiding a rookie. Just teach her what you’ve learned, the pitfalls you’ve encountered, and the lessons you’ve summarized.”
“Uh… I…” Lu Yuan scratched her head. This mentoring thing was a bit sudden and she needed some time to process it.
“Alright, there’s plenty of time to think about it. No need to rush. I set the meeting for eleven o’clock, and I deliberately called you out two hours early.” Su Li smiled, her tone softening as she looked toward the swaying shadows of the trees. “For now… that’s all the work stuff.”
***
She paused, seemingly choosing her next words carefully.
“Lu Yuan.” Su Li looked back at her with a hint of hesitation in her eyes. “Next… this is something personal from me, Su Li. May I take a little of your time?”
“Hmm?” Lu Yuan didn’t quite understand.
Personal time…?
Seeing Lu Yuan’s completely clueless expression, Su Li couldn’t help but find it a little amusing.
She sighed softly and took a small step closer, narrowing the distance between them until Lu Yuan could clearly see her eyelashes and the faintly puzzled look in her eyes.
“This isn’t about work,” Su Li said softly. “I just… want someone to talk to.”
She tilted her head slightly and gave a faint smile.
“So, I wonder if I have the honor of asking our strong Miss Lu Yuan to temporarily forget her Magical Girl identity and accompany me… just for a walk, or rather—”
“A date?”
She said the last two words very quietly, but Lu Yuan heard them perfectly.
“A-d-a-t-e?!” Lu Yuan felt as if she’d been shot by a bullet; her mind instantly went blank.
Seeing Lu Yuan’s face instantly turn bright red and her stunned expression, Su Li’s own nervousness dissipated.
She maintained the perfect distance and smile, waiting for Lu Yuan’s response.
“I… I…” Lu Yuan felt like she was stammering, her heart inexplicably racing.
A date with Sister Su Li…? Me?
Hadn’t she just said something similar to Lin Wan a few days ago?
***
“Well?” Su Li raised her eyebrows, feigning disappointment. “Don’t want to come out and help this injured person relax?”
“Not really…”
“Then that means you agree?”
Lu Yuan turned her face aside, her cheeks even redder. She hurriedly added, “I mean… uh, yes.”
Seeing her stumbling over her words, Su Li finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Then it’s settled.” She naturally reached out and gently hooked Lu Yuan’s arm, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Let’s go. I know a nice dessert shop nearby. Their mango mousse, you’ll probably like it.”
***
Inside the dessert shop, Lu Yuan sat at a small table draped with a white lace tablecloth.
The air was filled with the aroma of coffee and the sweet scent of desserts.
Her body was still a bit stiff as she stepped inside, her mind buzzing with the word “date.”
Before she could even take in the shop’s decor, Su Li led her to a quiet booth by the window.
“Sit.” Su Li released Lu Yuan’s hand and naturally sat across from her, picking up the menu and handing it to Lu Yuan. “See what you want? Their specialty is mango mousse.”
“They also have coffee here. You can take a look too.”
Lu Yuan took the menu, her fingers uncertainly brushing over the delicate pictures as her heartbeat hadn’t yet calmed down. “Ah… um, I do kind of like it.”
She had just mentioned it casually, and Sister Su Li actually remembered it so clearly?
“Then one mango mousse, and two fresh coconut lattes, please. I want to try it.” Su Li looked at Lu Yuan hesitating and unsure when to order, so she made the decision for her.
“Oh… thank you, Sister Su Li.” Lu Yuan thanked her. Su Li had indeed ordered all her favorite things.
After ordering, Su Li placed her hands folded on the table, leaning slightly forward as she looked at Lu Yuan.
“What? You feel so uncomfortable just going out alone with me? Am I really that scary?”
“No, no!” Lu Yuan immediately denied, straightening up instinctively. “It’s just… a bit unexpected.”
The usually so serious Sister Su Li actually had this side?
“Unexpected what? Unexpected that I’d ask you out?” Su Li chuckled lightly, her fingertips tracing circles on the tabletop. “Or that I’d use the word ‘date’?”