Magical Girl Headquarters vicinity, central garden, early morning.
The garden was very quiet, with only the early-rising birds chirping.
Captain Su Li arrived early. She sat on a bench, dressed in simple casual clothes. Although her complexion was somewhat pale, she looked fairly spirited.
Su Li glanced around; Lu Yuan had not arrived yet.
She held a cup of hot coffee, her gaze vacant as she looked at the small flowers in the clearing ahead, seemingly lost in thought over something important.
The bitter aroma of the coffee lingered at her nose. Su Li hesitated, then took a sip, her brows furrowing slightly.
She still wasn’t quite used to the bitterness of this drink, always feeling that a sip of tea was more refreshing.
But… Lu Yuan liked it.
That thought naturally surfaced.
Su Li stared at the deep brown liquid in the cup, her eyes complicated. She began to subconsciously pay attention to what Lu Yuan liked, trying to understand and experience these feelings—it was more than simple concern now.
She recalled what Lin Wan had told her—that she liked Lu Yuan.
Su Li knew she had always been emotionally slow, only realizing she owed Lu Yuan a lot… but these feelings seemed to have changed. As for what they had changed into, she wasn’t sure.
***
Her thoughts drifted back to the recent battle at the amusement park.
On the edge of losing consciousness completely, it was Lu Yuan who caught her and pulled her back from the abyss of despair.
Lu Yuan had also scared away the Rose and captured Si An.
All of this happened after Su Li had fallen unconscious; she pieced together the details from subsequent reports and conversations with Jasmine Star Doctor.
Thinking of this, Su Li’s fingers tightened slightly around the coffee cup.
An extremely complex emotion spread through her heart.
She had witnessed Lu Yuan grow from a “child” who needed careful protection—someone caught in this world due to Su Li’s own mistakes—into the powerful existence capable of standing on her own and saving her.
She knew Magical Girls progressed quickly once they adapted to their powers, but she hadn’t expected Lu Yuan to grow so fast.
***
Suddenly, a trace of disappointment she barely admitted to herself quietly emerged.
She had always thought of herself as the protector, the one who stood in front to shield them from the storm.
She was used to bearing the responsibility, used to sheltering Lu Yuan under her wings, even though the burden often felt suffocating.
But now, she suddenly realized that the “child” she had always guarded so closely had, without her noticing, grown so strong that she could even protect Su Li in return.
The feeling of this role reversal was strange, as if she had been holding Lu Yuan’s hand tightly, afraid she would fall, only to one day discover that Lu Yuan could walk more steadily than herself and even support her when she stumbled.
Su Li realized she was no longer Lu Yuan’s only support.
An indescribable melancholy welled up in her chest.
This child… had really grown up fast.
Su Li looked at her blurred reflection in the coffee cup and let out a helpless, wry smile.
***
Lu Yuan’s growth was something to be proud of. The enemies ahead would only get stronger; they needed everyone’s strength. Lu Yuan becoming stronger was good for the entire team and the city.
It was just… she might have to start adjusting her mindset and position.
From being a protector to becoming a partner who could occasionally rely on Lu Yuan.
***
“Captain Su Li!” In the distance, Lu Yuan waved and jogged toward her.
Su Li snapped out of her thoughts. She checked the watch on her wrist—it was 9:03 a.m.
Though Lu Yuan was three minutes later than scheduled, it was still relatively on time.
Only… she looked… hmm, a little off, as if she hadn’t slept well? That must be why she was late.
Just as Su Li was thinking this, Lu Yuan reached her side.
“Sorry I’m late…” Lu Yuan panted lightly as she caught her breath.
She wore her usual simple JK uniform, without any extra accessories, her hair tied back in a neat ponytail.
Su Li smiled at Lu Yuan and patted the spot beside her.
“You’re here? Sit first. How’s your wound?”
***
Lu Yuan sat down beside Su Li, awkwardly scratching her head. She understood Su Li was obviously referring to the “wound” from their phone call yesterday.
“It’s nothing, just a small injury.” She decided to quickly skip this slightly embarrassing topic. “But Captain Su Li, how are you feeling?”
Su Li took a sip of coffee.
“My body is fine, just needs time to recuperate. The reason I called you here… is mainly for two things.”
“Two things…?”
“The first is I want to thank you. If you hadn’t arrived in the end, I might have died at the amusement park.” Su Li looked at Lu Yuan sincerely. “Thank you, Lu Yuan. You saved me again.”
Lu Yuan shook her head.
“We don’t need to say that between us. Besides, if you hadn’t taken so long, I wouldn’t have been able to save you either.”
Lu Yuan was a little uncomfortable with such formal thanks and felt slightly awkward.
Su Li smiled and didn’t continue the formalities.
***
“The second thing… is about last night.”
Lu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, and her legs tightened involuntarily.
Had Captain Su Li discovered something?
Su Li didn’t look at Lu Yuan but stared into the distance, as if organizing her words.
“During the call last night… your condition was off.” She paused, her voice tinged with concern. “Lu Yuan, be honest with me. Did something happen with Qing over there? Is she unstable? I know you care about her, but if something’s wrong, you have to tell us.”
She knew Qing’s origins were special. Lu Yuan’s abnormal behavior last night worried her—was Qing showing signs of losing control again, and Lu Yuan was dealing with it alone?
Lu Yuan was somewhat similar to Su Li in that regard—both liked to shoulder burdens by themselves.
***
Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment, relief washing over her heart, but guilt followed immediately.
Captain Su Li, just barely recovering from serious injuries, was first worried about her and Qing’s safety.
And yet she had actually been… cough cough.
“No, Captain Su Li.” Lu Yuan quickly explained, her tone firm. “Qing is fine and stable. Last night… I was just doing some pretty intense magic adaptation training, so I felt weak afterwards.”
It was indeed magic transmission, and it was indeed intense, so Lu Yuan’s eyes were sincere; she felt she wasn’t lying.
Su Li studied her eyes carefully, as if trying to judge the truthfulness behind her words.
After a moment, Su Li seemed to believe her and relaxed her tense shoulders slightly.
“That’s good. If there’s ever a problem, you have to tell me right away. Don’t carry it all alone, got it?”
“Yeah, I know.” Lu Yuan nodded.
***
“Also,” Su Li seemed to remember something, pulling a copy of a report from her folder. “This is Jasmine Star Doctor’s preliminary analysis report on Si An’s blood. Take a look.”
Lu Yuan took the report. It was filled with dense data she didn’t quite understand.
“What is this…?”
“The situation is more complicated than we thought… Si An’s power source might be directly related to a high-level Calamity.”
“High-level Calamity…?” Lu Yuan didn’t understand what Su Li meant.
“There are Calamities with high intelligence besides Qing.”