Monday inevitably arrived.
Yu Hua, reluctant as ever, climbed up to that familiar school building rooftop.
After confirming there was no one around, she completed her transformation.
Magical Girl Shuihua leapt into the air, flying straight towards the East River Branch of the Bureau of Abilities.
Pushing open the door, she found that, as it was Monday, both Xingli and Fei Xing were absent due to school, so the department should have been empty.
But things, of course, didn’t go as she wished.
Seated upright on the guest sofa was a lone figure.
The girl’s dazzling short golden hair and upright posture made it obvious to Shuihua, even without guessing, who it was.
She took a deep breath to calm herself and spoke as naturally as she could:
“Senior Liujin? What are you… doing here?”
Liujin had been anxiously tapping away on her phone, but the moment she heard the voice, she jumped up from the sofa, nearly knocking over the coffee table beside her.
Her hands seemed not to know where to go, making her look quite bashful.
“I—I came here especially to thank you, Magical Girl Shuihua. Last time, I owe you.”
“Ah, that? It was really nothing, Senior Liujin, you don’t need to think much of it. As a Magical Girl, anyone would have stepped in to help in that situation.”
“No need to be so modest,” Liujin shook her head gently, her golden eyes full of sincerity.
“I’ve already heard from my teammates. My vitals were really unstable at the time. If you hadn’t stabilized my injuries with healing magic and kept me going until they arrived, the consequences could’ve been truly dire.”
Those words left Shuihua unsure how to respond—neither too lightly nor too seriously.
As she searched for the right words, Liujin seemed to suddenly remember something, turning to pick up a slender paper tube from the sofa.
“So, this… please, you must accept it.”
She clumsily untied the ribbon and unfurled the tube.
Inside was a bright red silk banner, with bold gold lettering embroidered across it:
“Extending a helping hand in times of crisis, a hero’s friendship as deep as the sea.”
Liujin held the banner with both hands and solemnly presented it to Shuihua.
“It might be a little cliché, but this is the most formal way I could think of to thank you.”
The gesture was unexpected for Shuihua, but certainly fit the local flavor.
After handing over the banner, Liujin’s gaze swept around the rather empty office, a trace of awkwardness on her face.
“Actually, I wanted to take a group photo with all the members of the Magical Girl Department, but they seem to be…”
“The Director and Fei Xing are still students, so they’re in class at this hour. How about you come back around six? They should all be here by then.”
Liujin shook her head softly, her tone tinged with regret.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. I have an urgent mission right after this, my schedule won’t allow it.”
As she spoke, her eyes landed on Shuihua.
Her words were apologetic, but her eyes betrayed a barely contained delight.
“It’s a pity, but since it’s like this… just the two of us, can we take a photo together? Please?”
“Uh… okay.”
It was, after all, an S-Rank Hero’s request.
Shuihua kept grumbling internally, “Your face really doesn’t look disappointed at all,” but had no choice but to agree.
The two of them left the department and found an idle hero to help take the photo, who readily agreed.
They stood side by side before the department wall emblazoned with the Magical Girl Division’s emblem.
Shuihua deliberately kept some distance, but Liujin naturally stepped a bit closer.
Their arms brushed, and the warmth beneath Liujin’s magical armor and the subtle scent unique to girls suddenly overwhelmed Shuihua’s senses, making her face flush red.
Professionalism told Shuihua she should take the initiative to lean in, raise the corners of her lips, and show a standard, natural smile.
But with the thought that this was possibly her secretly infatuated roommate, her blush turned from embarrassment to something almost like anger, and her smile became awkwardly stiff.
“Kacha—”
The hero in charge of the camera quickly pressed the shutter.
Just as Shuihua thought the ordeal was over, the person asked a bit embarrassedly, “Um… Miss Shuihua, could you smile a bit more… naturally? This one looks a little too serious.”
“Haha, really? Maybe I was just a little nervous…”
Shuihua let out a few fake, awkward laughs.
Someone as seasoned as her knew perfectly well how to smile, right?
But her facial muscles just wouldn’t cooperate.
All she could do was blank her mind, try to banish all thoughts of Lin Ling and “love at first sight,” and face the camera again.
Relying on muscle memory from years of fake smiles, the curve of her lips finally looked a bit more natural.
Liujin, on the other hand, maintained a heartfelt smile throughout.
Just before the shutter clicked, she subconsciously leaned even closer toward Shuihua.
“Kacha—”
This time, the photo was perfect, with just one flaw:
Liujin wasn’t looking at the camera, but at Shuihua.
And Shuihua’s gaze seemed to have wandered off to nowhere in particular.
“Thank you, Shuihua,” Liujin said, expressing her gratitude once again.
“N-no problem, Senior Liujin, you’re too polite. I won’t keep you from your mission, please get going!”
Shuihua’s mind was blank, her body answering automatically, wishing only for Liujin to leave quickly.
Liujin paused, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes.
She didn’t ask further, only nodded.
“Alright, I’ll go now. Thank you again.”
Watching as Liujin finally left the Magical Girl Department, Shuihua let out a sigh of relief, sinking onto the sofa as her wits slowly returned.
“My behavior just now should have been clear enough… wait, something’s off…”
As Shuihua recalled her actions, she realized that even though she felt burning hot inside, in others’ eyes she probably just looked like a shy girl who didn’t even know how to smile.
But it wasn’t her fault.
Lin Ling’s confession of love at first sight had been haunting her thoughts these past days.
She’d even subconsciously avoided sleeping with her back turned to Lin Ling’s side, as if afraid of being stabbed in the back.
And now, having Liujin shamelessly keep getting closer and closer after transforming, anyone would be too flustered to smile.
“Could it be that I made her think I like her? Is she still planning to court me?”
Shuihua patted her already bright red face and consoled herself silently:
It’s fine, it’s fine.
This is a modern society where love is free.
Even if Lin Ling really develops some unrealistic feelings for this Magical Girl appearance of hers, so what?
She can just turn her down.
No matter how much of an S-Rank Hero Liujin is, how much power or fame she has, could she really forcibly abduct a “Magical Girl” in broad daylight?
“That’s right, exactly! Next time, if she shows even the slightest sign of those intentions, I’ll immediately, without any hesitation, reject her and put an end to her delusions!”