The next day, inside the association’s office, Ms. L was giving introductions.
“This is [Little Red Riding Hood], a recently awakened magical girl who just joined the association. And this is [Sirius], a newcomer transferred here from another city to Xiahai City. From now on, both of them will be under your command, Xingge.”
Xiao Keke’s face couldn’t hide her excitement.
She hadn’t expected Director L to assign her Mu Xingge, an S-rank magical girl, as their team leader.
Surely, the director must have seen the magical girl talent within her, right?
The association currently organizes magical girls into squads—at least three per squad—with at least one C-rank or above serving as the squad leader.
They always go into battle in groups of three.
Xiao Xi sneaked a glance at Ms. L… assigning Mu Xingge to lead her must have been intentional!
In terms of popularity alone, the Nightingale Songstress Mu Xingge might even surpass Eternal Star.
Not only is she an S-rank magical girl registered under her real name, but she’s also a well-known idol. These two identities boost her popularity significantly.
“[Little Red Riding Hood] and… [Sirius], right? Nice to meet you both. Looking forward to working together.”
Mu Xingge smiled gently and extended her hand.
Although Xiao Xi was reluctant, she had no choice but to shake it.
But after the greeting, Mu Xingge’s gaze didn’t leave Xiao Xi’s form.
Instead, she thoughtfully scanned her up and down.
Xiao Xi suddenly felt nervous.
She had never revealed her Sirius form in front of anyone.
Even though Mu Xingge was her old teammate, she hoped there was nothing suspicious…
“What’s wrong, Mu Xingge… senpai?”
“Nothing. I just think your transformation outfit looks quite unique. What was your symbol when you awakened?”
Xiao Xi knew that Sirius’s outfit didn’t exactly match the typical “magical girl” image, but she hadn’t expected Mu Xingge to ask that question and wasn’t sure how to respond.
Every magical girl receives a unique, singular symbol upon awakening.
For example, Mu Xingge’s is a nightingale, while Xiao Xi’s is a star.
But the Eternal Star’s symbol was too famous.
Xiao Xi worried that mentioning it might make Mu Xingge suspicious!
“It’s alright. This kind of thing is personal, so if you don’t want to say, that’s fine too.”
Thankfully, Mu Xingge didn’t press further.
She just smiled gently. “We can talk more about it another time. I have a rehearsal for a performance soon, so I’ll be off first.”
Ms. L noticed that as Mu Xingge turned to leave, Xiao Xi’s gaze remained fixed on her, eyes filled with a complex blend of tender affection and quiet apology.
It seemed that A Xing still felt guilty about leaving without a word all those years ago… Ms. L thought silently.
Having Mu Xingge team up with A Xing was definitely the right choice.
Maybe A Xing’s nostalgia would even lead to a comeback?
What Ms. L didn’t know was that Xiao Xi wasn’t staring at Mu Xingge’s retreating figure out of regret over the past… but because she had been writing a fanfic based on her these past few days.
Xiao Xi had originally considered changing the character’s image, but yesterday the editor had given plenty of suggestions on the story’s opening.
Not only did they praise her talent and realism, but they specifically told her not to change the character’s image, to ride Mu Xingge’s popularity while it lasted.
Sorry, Xingge! Please forgive me now that I’m struggling with no job prospects! Red bean paste, secret fanfic!
After Xiao Keke left, only Xiao Xi and Ms. L remained in the office.
“So, A Xing, how does it feel to talk to your old teammate again after three years? Do you have a strong urge to come back and rekindle old bonds?”
Xiao Xi rolled her eyes. “Just say it. Why did you keep me behind alone?”
“Your squad’s next mission has been decided. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
Xiao Xi was momentarily stunned. She thought, Ms. L really is ruthless, eager to exploit her labor so soon.
“It’s related to the last monster attack. Other departments in the association have uncovered some clues.”
Ms. L showed Xiao Xi several photos, all from previous monster attack sites.
The images were zoomed in on a few individuals.
Xiao Xi squinted at the blurry pictures for a long time before noticing that all these people bore the same tattoo.
“What does this mean?”
“That’s the Mangwolf Gang’s tattoo. It’s normal if you don’t know them—they only appeared after you retired.”
“Calling them a freak organization is giving them too much credit. At best, they’re just a bunch of thugs.”
Ms. L shrugged.
The Mangwolf Gang only had a small amount of freak technology and never dared to use it openly.
Besides, the famous freak organizations had mostly been eradicated by A Xing during those chaotic years.
“So you suspect that last monster attack is connected to this gang?”
“Yeah, out of the eight monster attack sites, we spotted Mangwolf Gang members at four locations. It’s very likely not a coincidence, so we plan to investigate.”
Though she said it was just an investigation, the association’s real intent was to wipe out the Mangwolf Gang.
Previously, they had turned a blind eye because the gang was relatively compliant.
Now, with such large-scale monster attacks involved, the association had no reason not to take them down.
Having Xiao Xi involved made Ms. L even more confident.
Although Xiao Xi was concealing her identity and limiting her magical power fluctuations to a D+ level, her veteran experience was still formidable.
When Xiao Xi acted, it was like fishing in a barrel.
“Alright, I have just one request. Schedule the operation so it doesn’t interfere with lunch or dinner—I need to go home and cook.”
Xiao Xi’s words immediately triggered Ms. L’s curiosity. “Cook? For whom? Aren’t you living alone now?”
“You even made that a special request… could it be you’re cooking for a girlfriend? Or wait, did you retire three years ago because you got married? Do you even have kids now?”
Ms. L’s guesses grew more absurd, even reaching out as if to touch Xiao Xi’s stomach… Xiao Xi finally couldn’t hold back and raised her fist in a warning.
“Stop guessing!”
“Can’t help it. You’ve always been so mysterious, A Xing. Maybe your real identity is a thirty-year-old widowed mother of two? You can’t possibly be so eager to rush home just to cook for yourself.”
Xiao Xi bit her lip, unwilling to argue further.
She wasn’t especially concerned about Ye Xinglan, but their original agreement included preparing three meals a day for Ye Xinglan.
Xiao Xi didn’t want to break her promise.
“Don’t worry. The surprise attack on the Mangwolf Gang will take place after midnight, so it definitely won’t get in the way of cooking for your girlfriend.”
Ms. L had apparently already accepted the fact that Xiao Xi had a girlfriend.
After midnight, huh? That did solve the cooking issue, but…
Xiao Xi frowned.
She knew Ye Xinglan stayed up late every day—after all, being a young rich woman meant she didn’t have to get up early for work.
But if Xiao Xi left that late, how was she going to explain it to Ye Xinglan?