Yu Hua pretended to be playing on his phone, but in reality, he was racing against time as he remotely guided Fei Xing, who was in the office.
Shuihua: “If she calls you out, just reply: ‘Senior Liujin, I’m really sorry, I have plans this afternoon and just can’t get away.’ As for the specific reason, just flip through the task schedule on my desk, pick an urgent task, and fill that in.”
Shuihua: “If she presses for details or seems especially persistent, just say: ‘Senior, it’s not very polite to pry too much into a friend’s affairs, you know.’”
Shuihua: “Don’t reply to the message right away. Wait about ten minutes before sending it, pretend you’re busy and only just saw the message.”
Fei Xing: “Understood, I’ll make sure the task is completed!”
“Hoo…”
Yu Hua finally breathed a little easier and lowered his voice to speak to Star Li in front of him, “Everything’s set on Fei Xing’s side. We can continue.”
“All right~ Let’s continue our date, then.”
Star Li got up from the two-seater and moved to the longer couch where there were more cats.
She reached out and petted the Jinjila Cat also sitting on the couch; the cat squinted in comfort and purred.
Star Li immediately put on the air of a lovestruck girl, her voice several degrees softer than usual, and pointed to the cat beside her as she said to Yu Hua, “Yu Hua-ge, look, this kitty is so well-behaved, its fur is so soft.”
Yu Hua got up and sat down next to her.
The two of them sat side by side on the long couch, teasing the cats that gathered around.
For the rest of the time, they just needed to focus on their date and wait for Lin Ling to give up.
***
In the corner, Lin Ling looked at Shuihua’s reply on his phone screen, then looked up at the couple not far away, confusion growing in his eyes.
Although he was sure Yu Hua was Magical Girl Shuihua, logically speaking, Shuihua was replying to his messages while Yu Hua was on a date.
There was no time to send messages.
Unwilling to give up, he sent another message to Shuihua:
“About what time will the task end? Can we meet after it’s over?”
Soon, his phone vibrated with a reply.
Fei Xing answered just as Yu Hua had instructed:
“Senior, it’s not very polite to overstep boundaries between friends, you know.”
The word “friends” doused Lin Ling like a bucket of cold water.
Staring at those two characters, he looked up at Yu Hua and Star Li’s intimate interaction in the distance, a faint, bitter smile appearing on his face.
He shook his head, stood up quietly, and with head lowered, walked around Yu Hua and Star Li’s spot, leaving the cat café without a sound.
Only after Lin Ling’s figure completely vanished at the door did Yu Hua finally relax.
“So, can you tell me now what exactly happened?”
Star Li withdrew her hand from teasing the cat, her tone returning to normal.
Yu Hua sighed and rubbed his brow.
“It’s just like I said in the message. He’s a die-hard fan of Shuihua, and for some reason, his suspicion landed on me. Today’s whole act was just to make him give up.”
“Eh? Then why did you have to let Fei Xing pretend to be you and reply to Senior Liujin’s message? Don’t tell me… he’s actually Senior Liujin’s true form?”
With Yu Hua as a living example in front of her, Star Li had long since shed the stereotype that Magical Girl forms had to be female.
Coupled with how Liujin had proactively asked Shuihua out before, a bold yet reasonable guess took shape in her mind.
At the time, she’d thought Shuihua was the one taking advantage, but it turned out to be the opposite.
“I was supposed to keep his secret… But he forced me into a corner this time. I had no choice but to let you all know. But you absolutely must keep this confidential—I promised him I would.”
“Don’t worry, we’re the tightest-lipped!”
Star Li mulled over the twisted relationship between the two, then let out a snicker and made a sealing gesture at her lips.
“After all, on one side is the S-rank big shot, on the other is the backbone of our Department—there’s no way we can afford to offend either.”
“As long as you know…”
Yu Hua said quietly.
Ever since becoming a Magical Girl, he’d been forced to tell all sorts of lies every day to hide his identity and for work, but this time, having broken his promise to Lin Ling, a surge of guilt welled up in the depths of his heart even as he spoke in exasperation.
“Should we go back now?”
Star Li asked.
“Let’s wait a bit longer,” Yu Hua replied nervously, glancing at the entrance.
“I’m worried he might double back or lurk somewhere. He’s made me pretty paranoid lately.”
“That’s just as well.”
Star Li stretched her body and, in a cheerful mood, scooped up the affectionate Jinjila Cat again.
“It’s rare to visit such a relaxing place—let’s just take it easy and enjoy it.”
The Jinjila Cat curled up obediently on her lap, rubbing its furry chin against her palm.
Star Li, enjoying the cat’s affection, brought up an old topic again, half joking:
“If you ask me, Yu Hua-ge, you might as well just go for Senior Liujin. She’s an S-rank hero, you know? With a top-ranking big shot like that, you’d never need to work hard again for the rest of your life.”
“How is that any different from being a kept man?”
Yu Hua retorted in annoyance.
“Plenty of people would love to be one, but don’t even have the chance.”
“In any case, I refuse.”
“And it’s not like your relationship is just about living off her.”
Star Li counted on her fingers, listing them off in detail:
“Don’t you find your pairing especially interesting? There are four combinations if you think about it: as two men, you’re roommates; as man and woman, it’s rich lady and kept man; as woman and man, it’s idol and fan; as two women, it’s lifesaver and junior-senior. So exciting you could write a light novel about it.”
“If you like pairing people up so much, I’ll give you his contact info—you two can pair up yourselves.”
Yu Hua was speechless at her wild imagination.
Star Li just shook her head with a mischievous smile.
“A ‘gravity field’ like Senior Liujin is something you’ll have to enjoy by yourself, Yu Hua-ge. I wouldn’t dare get involved.”
Suddenly recalling something, her tone became a little more serious:
“By the way, Yu Hua-ge, did you know? Magical Girls can actually transform without relying on a Transformation Device.”
“Hm? I really didn’t know that.”
Yu Hua looked at her in confusion, not understanding why she’d bring that up all of a sudden.
Star Li went on, “Transforming that way can greatly boost your fighting power for a short time, but the cost is… it rapidly accelerates your own process of alienation. Usually, after using it two or three times, you’ll never be able to return to your original form.”
“Why are you suddenly telling me this?”
A sly smile appeared on Star Li’s face as she lowered her voice, “You see, you’re not really comfortable with Senior Liujin’s true form, right? Maybe you could have her stay in her Magical Girl form forever. She likes you so much, she’d probably be willing to do anything you ask, wouldn’t she?”
“Hey! What kind of person do you take me for? Would I really do something like that?”
Yu Hua was both shocked and annoyed by Star Li’s suggestion.