Facing the approaching embrace of Ye Xinglan, Xiaoxi instinctively slapped her arm away with a loud “pa!”… and immediately, Ye Xinglan’s eyes reddened, tears the size of beans instantly welling up.
From yesterday until now, whether being approached by the Divine Summon Order or taken away by The Association, she hadn’t said a word, and even when that bastard Eternal Star forced a kiss on her, she’d endured it!
But just now, that single slap caused all the grievances she’d bottled up to break free at once.
So it seems Xiaoxi already knows everything, huh? The thing she feared most still happened… In the end, Xiaoxi still can’t accept her identity as the Blood Moon Witch?
It was only now that Xiaoxi realized what she had done, but she really hadn’t meant it; she’d just gotten startled after realizing the person in front of her was the Blood Moon Witch!
The main thing was, during battles before, the Blood Moon Witch had also made this kind of move—back then, Xiaoxi had only felt that the Blood Moon Witch’s embrace was too tight, and… certain things were rather large…
She didn’t escape until Silver Bell forced the Blood Moon Witch back with a sword, though Xiaoxi had ended up with a broken rib from being squeezed so hard.
“I’m sorry, baby, are you alright? I didn’t do it on purpose—did I hurt you?”
At this moment, Xiaoxi couldn’t care less whether there were others around.
She hurriedly reached for Ye Xinglan, her tone soft like a cat who’d realized it scratched the wrong person.
The two Magical Girls who had escorted Ye Xinglan looked at each other in confusion.
They had come along with that big shot from the Council in North Blossom City, so naturally, they knew Ye Xinglan’s true identity…
But are you sure that the one we see now, crying on someone’s shoulder, is really the infamous Blood Moon Witch, rumored to kill without batting an eye?
Miss L, standing to the side, was trying desperately not to laugh. Eternal Star, as usual, directly attacked the Blood Moon Witch… and then immediately started coaxing her like a soft-hearted girlfriend. It was Miss L’s first time hearing Xiaoxi speak in such a whiny voice!
Xiaoxi shot a subtle glare at Miss L, while Ye Xinglan hesitated, wanting to say something, but Xiaoxi spoke first.
“Xinglan, you scared me to death! Ministry Head L said you were caught up in the Divine Summon Order’s battle and suffered a serious mana infection, so you’ve been getting treated in the medical department. Are you okay now?”
“Ah… ah? Yes, yes, I’m fine now.”
Ye Xinglan, snapping back to herself, quickly followed Xiaoxi’s lead.
Judging by Xiaoxi’s earlier reaction, she thought her identity had been discovered, but now it seemed The Association hadn’t told Xiaoxi yet?
Well, the Blood Moon Witch is a secret identity after all—maybe they wouldn’t tell a D-rank Magical Girl like Xiaoxi.
Miss L didn’t refute anything. She guessed that Xiaoxi might want to keep hiding Eternal Star’s identity, but she hadn’t expected her to play dumb even about this.
Miss L shook her head… Did you really think you could just avoid this for the rest of your life, Ah Xing?
You know, the bigger a bubble of lies gets, the louder it pops when it bursts.
It seemed Ye Xinglan still needed to handle some formalities before leaving The Association.
The two Magical Girls soon separated the pair and led Ye Xinglan away.
Miss L got up, locked the office door, and poured two cups of tea for Xiaoxi—signaling that official matters were over and it was time for a chat.
“Alright, now it’s just the two of us in this room. Let’s talk, Ah Xing—what do you really think of the terms the Council offered you?”
“I think it’s fine.” Xiaoxi took a light sip of tea.
“I understand Xinglan’s situation is special. I thought she’d be sent straight back to Hidden Bone Hall, so I was ready to use a bit of force to make those old geezers loosen up.”
“But didn’t I just say? The Association’s terms are more lenient than I thought. I don’t want anything else; as long as I can be together with Xinglan in peace, I’m happy as things are.”
The two sat facing each other. Xiaoxi’s tone was relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Miss L looked at her calmly and nodded slightly.
“It’s good that you feel this way, Ah Xing.”
When it was time to leave, Miss L personally saw them to the door. Ye Xinglan, as always, naturally reached for Xiaoxi’s hand.
At the instant their fingers touched, Xiaoxi’s hand reflexively shrank back, but she then took Ye Xinglan’s hand anyway—this tiny detail didn’t escape Miss L’s sharp eyes.
She suddenly recalled the way Xiaoxi had reflexively slapped Ye Xinglan’s arm earlier.
Although she didn’t know the reason, years of experience told Miss L that Xiaoxi was acting very strange.
……
“Xiaoxi, why is your hand so sweaty?”
“It’s nothing, uh, probably because it’s hot.” Xiaoxi let out a heavy sigh.
“There’s some bad news—Keke’s dorm can’t fit the three of us, so tonight we’ll have to squeeze into a hotel. Tomorrow, I’ll look for a rental agent…”
Ye Xinglan blinked: “Why do we need an agent? Who told you we don’t have a place to stay?”
“But the house we used to live in got blown up…”
Xiaoxi then watched as Ye Xinglan pulled out a large ring of keys from her pocket, jingling brightly.
“So what if it’s blown up? We can just move to another place, right? If that’s no good, we can always go back to Aluan.”
Xiaoxi: “……”
She was overthinking it. How could a little rich lady not have a place to stay? Wait, now that she thought about it…
Xiaoxi suddenly realized that when she was struggling before, she often used the Ah Q Spirit to comfort herself by comparing herself to the Blood Moon Witch.
But now, looking at herself, she felt like a complete clown! How could she possibly compare herself to her?
At that moment, Ye Xinglan suddenly stood in front of Xiaoxi and hugged her.
Xiaoxi’s shoulder tensed, but this time she managed not to dodge.
“What’s wrong, Xinglan?”
“It’s nothing. I just missed you a bit…”
Ye Xinglan buried her head in Xiaoxi’s shoulder and took a deep breath.
The scent on Xiaoxi made her feel nostalgic and safe, even though they’d only been apart for a single day.
She’d thought she wouldn’t be able to come back this time, but unexpectedly, The Association had let her go without doing anything.
Though she was puzzled, she didn’t dare ask more, afraid she’d be separated from Xiaoxi again.
Ye Xinglan was actually a bit taller than Xiaoxi, so their current posture looked a little awkward.
But feeling the warmth of the person in her arms, Xiaoxi was suddenly moved, realizing that right now, Ye Xinglan had only her to rely on.
Maybe she shouldn’t have hidden the fact that she knew Ye Xinglan’s true identity.
Ye Xinglan might really need someone to talk to now… and she herself should have been that person, but…
Xiaoxi looked down at her own hands, which were trembling slightly, and sighed with complicated feelings.
“Let’s go. We lost all our things, so even if we have a place to stay, we’ll have to tidy up first.”
“Then, after we’re done tidying tonight…” Ye Xinglan suddenly looked up, her eyes shining as she gazed at Xiaoxi.
“No, I might have something to do tonight.”
“What’s that?” Ye Xinglan pouted, shaking Xiaoxi’s sleeve. “Every time I bring this up, you make excuses. You’re doing it on purpose!”
Then Ye Xinglan noticed that Xiaoxi’s face actually turned red and she avoided her gaze… Seriously?
She knew Xiaoxi could be a bit shy, but she’d never been this bashful before! Was she really this weak to a little bit of teasing?!
In fact, Xiaoxi had once again realized that the person in front of her was the Blood Moon Witch.
Thinking about how, in battle, the Blood Moon Witch used to swing her blood-red scythe with terrifying force, and now seeing Ye Xinglan act all cutesy and playful… she couldn’t help but find her even more adorable.
But still…
“This time it’s not an excuse, Xinglan,” Xiaoxi sighed, her gaze drifting into the distance. “It’s something very important, something that could affect our future.”
……
Late at night, after tidying up the room and getting ready for bed, Xiaoxi’s phone finally rang.
She blocked the screen and the sender, got out of bed, ignoring Ye Xinglan’s pouty look, and quickly changed clothes.
“I have to go out for a bit. Go to sleep first, Xinglan. Don’t wait up for me.”
With her back to Ye Xinglan, the expression on Xiaoxi’s face was more serious than ever.