“Ugh… hmm.”
Opening her eyes, she saw the familiar white ceiling.
As she sat up from the Bed, the pungent, stinging smell of disinfectant filled her nose. The entire room was terrifyingly quiet.
Blazing Flame shook her head and looked around, realizing she had ended up in the hospital again. In less than one month, she had been admitted twice.
‘Maybe I should ask if the hospital can give me a VIP Membership Card. I wonder if they’ll give me a free bag of laundry detergent if I stay for 10 days,’ Blazing Flame mocked herself internally.
She then noticed a Note on the nightstand, the handwriting clear and tidy.
“The Doctor said there’s nothing seriously wrong with your body. It’s just temporary dizziness from overexertion.”
“I put your Mobile Phone in the cabinet. I still have things to handle, so I’ll be busy for a while.”
“If you see this Note when you wake up, just head back to where we live. I’ll return after I finish my work.”
“Oh, right, don’t worry about the medical bills. Currently, medical care for special talents is free. Don’t worry.”
“Xu Wenxing.”
Looking at the handwriting on the Note, Blazing Flame fell silent for a few seconds before suddenly bursting into laughter.
Well, it seemed there was no need for a VIP Membership Card after all.
Being hospitalized twice in a row due to physical exhaustion was truly a blessing in disguise. There was no need to linger in a place like a hospital.
It was time to go.
Rolling out of the hospital Bed, Blazing Flame took her Mobile Phone out of the cabinet, packed her personal belongings, and walked out of the room.
“Miss Zhiyan? Are you heading back now?”
As soon as she stepped out, she saw a Doctor in a white coat approaching her, looking at her with a curious expression.
Blazing Flame nodded to him and replied, “Yeah, I plan to head back. Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing. You’ve worked hard.” The Doctor smiled. “It’s just… there’s something I’m not sure if I should tell you.”
“Go ahead, it’s fine.”
“Alright, I’ll be blunt then.” The Doctor cleared his throat. “I suggest you rest for at least 15 days. During this period, do not engage in any strenuous activity. Don’t even go for a 2,000-meter run to exercise.”
“Why?”
Blazing Flame was a bit puzzled, not understanding why he was suddenly making such a request.
She felt as if her body was perfectly normal; she didn’t think she needed such a long period of recuperation.
Seeing Blazing Flame’s persistent look, the Doctor explained helplessly.
“You’ve been admitted to the hospital twice in one month due to physical weakness. We were almost frightened by your test results.”
“Even though nothing went wrong this time, it might be different next time.”
“Continuous and prolonged dizziness and fatigue will break your body down, Miss Zhiyan. Please don’t act recklessly just because you’re a Magic Girl.”
Hearing the Doctor’s urgent and sincere advice, Blazing Flame immediately understood his perspective.
He was worried about her and didn’t want her to be forced into surgery due to excessive exhaustion.
‘Hmm… he’s a good person.’
“Okay, I understand. Thank you.”
After a few seconds of silence, Blazing Flame nodded and gave a polite reply. Then, she turned and left without giving a convincing answer.
Looking at her retreating back, the Doctor sighed softly and grumbled.
“Why does every Magic Girl neglect her own body…?”
“She was just in the hospital, and yet she’s still acting so recklessly.”
The Doctor shook his head and sighed before heading to other wards to continue his busy life.
……
After leaving the hospital, Blazing Flame was surprised to find that she actually had a bit of Magic Power within her, enough to fly in the sky for a short while.
Although both the speed and duration were incomparable to her state after Transformation, being able to fly at all was already quite incredible.
She didn’t know if she could successfully perform a Transformation while forced to remain in this female body, or if the duration of the female form would become longer or shorter after doing so.
Although she really wanted to try it, she chose to give up when she thought about the potential consequences she might not be able to bear.
She couldn’t help it; she didn’t want to permanently remain in this small, delicate body. It didn’t suit her temperament at all.
She should be a Cultivation University Student who stayed up until 3:00 AM playing on her Mobile Phone under the covers and woke up at 12:00 PM to eat a cup of instant noodles and a large bottle of tea.
She wasn’t supposed to be some beloved, famous, red-haired beauty protecting the citizens.
Such things shouldn’t be happening to her. She wouldn’t accept it!
With her mind racing and imagining various dangerous possibilities, Blazing Flame successfully arrived at the door of her new home and knocked.
No one answered.
Blazing Flame felt around her pockets, only to realize she hadn’t brought the Key.
She wanted to call Xu Wenxing, but when she thought about how he was likely busy with logistics work so late at night, she couldn’t bring herself to disturb him.
So, Blazing Flame sat on the floor in front of her door, quietly waiting for Xu Wenxing to return.
Just as she was wondering how long she would have to wait, the door behind her suddenly opened with a creak.
“…Blazing Flame, what are you doing? Why are you sitting at your own doorstep? Is this some new human hobby? I’ve never seen it before.”
“Cough, I didn’t bring the Key and couldn’t open the door. You didn’t say anything either, so I could only assume no one was home.”
“I just didn’t feel like talking,” Pandora complained. “Besides, I never leave the house for no reason. How could no one be home?”
“I couldn’t help it. Who would have thought a little animal like you could open the door?”
“Hey, I’m not some little animal! I’m a proper Magic Fairy!”
“A proper Magic Fairy? Then can you form a Contract with me?”
“…Let’s discuss something else.”
Rendered speechless by her question, Pandora stepped to the right side of the doorway, making a path for the girl to enter.
Blazing Flame walked in, closed the door, and lay down on the sofa. She closed her eyes, relaxed her body, and let out a comfortable sigh.
After resting for a few minutes, Blazing Flame opened her eyes and looked at her small, fair hands.
She suddenly thought of a question and asked Pandora, who was sitting at the Computer desk.
“Pandora, let me ask you something. Do you know why I haven’t changed back yet?”
“Hmm? Didn’t I tell you? You just need to wait 10 minutes or so to return to normal.”
“No, it’s already been several hours. Come over and see what’s going on.”
“Several hours?”
Hearing this, Pandora immediately jumped off the desk and hurried over to Blazing Flame, placing a paw on her right hand.
The moment she touched Blazing Flame’s body, Pandora’s fur stood on end, and she suddenly recoiled.
“What’s wrong?” Blazing Flame was a bit surprised, not understanding why Pandora was so agitated.
“I should be the one asking that! What is wrong with you? Why was the Price paid so high this time!”
“High?”
“Yes! At first, I thought you only paid the Price of the whole School forgetting your Existence. But now it seems you’ve discarded the Existence of everyone who isn’t close to you as the Price!”
Hearing Pandora’s angry shout, Blazing Flame realized something was wrong. She recalled the scene at that time and remembered how she had been blinded by revenge, seeking ultimate Power regardless of the cost.
But since it had already happened, there was no point in trying to take it back. Blazing Flame rubbed her head and replied.
“The situation was critical, and I didn’t think it through. I just thought that no matter the Price, I just wanted to kill that damned Mist-person as quickly as possible.”
“…I don’t even know what to say to you. Do you have any idea what the consequences of acting so recklessly will be?”
After a few seconds of silence, Pandora looked at Blazing Flame with a serious expression.
Blazing Flame raised an eyebrow, curious. “Does it take longer to return to my original form after canceling the Transformation?”
“Wrong. The Price is that the next time you acquire new Power, you will permanently keep the appearance and form of Blazing Flame. At the same time, all traces of your own Existence will completely vanish.”