Qiuli stared intently at Xiaoxi.
The previously calm atmosphere instantly became tense, but after a moment, Qiuli was the first to look away, picking up the cup on the table and taking a small sip.
“Since you already know from others, shouldn’t you stay away from me? Aren’t you afraid I might really do something to you? As a Corpse Collector, I may have quite a few lives on my hands.”
Xiaoxi had guessed right; this was a reasonable explanation.
How could the Magical Girls of North Blossom City not have secretly investigated Qiuli’s background?
It’s just that their intelligence network couldn’t compare to Mo Lan’er’s, at most only discovering that Qiuli was a Corpse Collector.
Naturally, the Magical Girls of The Association wouldn’t want to associate with someone like her, so, just like Qingluan, there were plenty of Magical Girls in North Blossom City who excluded Qiuli, both openly and behind her back.
But Qiuli knew very well that exclusion wasn’t only for that reason.
There was another thing she understood but had never mentioned—why, as a Corpse Collector with a tainted identity, could she have such a good relationship with Judgment Scales?
Others resented how she could get so close to Wange Yue, but didn’t dare say anything to Wange Yue herself. Naturally, they could only vent their anger on her.
“Why should I stay away from you?” Xiaoxi smiled. “What kind of person someone is, I trust my own judgment more than others’ opinions. Do you think you don’t look like a good person in front of me?”
Qiuli was slightly stunned. These words sounded strangely familiar, so familiar that… she instinctively felt wary.
Qiuli had the urge to get up and leave.
After all, she didn’t have to stick with these two. If she thought about it, she and these two had only just met, maybe two or three times at most.
She wasn’t someone used to accepting kindness from strangers; more often than not, unprovoked goodwill from others was a dangerous signal, and her past experiences had made her very sensitive to such signals.
If it were before, Qiuli would never have accepted this goodwill.
But… Qiuli hesitated for a moment.
After all, she had met someone this pure and kind before.
Under the table, Xiaoxi squeezed Ye Xinglan’s hand.
She truly meant what she’d just said, otherwise, she wouldn’t have remained steadfastly by Ye Xinglan’s side after learning her true identity.
“I see, so you’re very curious why someone like me, a Corpse Collector, would appear in The Association, aren’t you?”
Qiuli finally relented; she didn’t get up to leave, instead, she took the initiative to continue the conversation.
“Let’s make a deal. I’ll tell you why I joined The Association, and in exchange, after this meal, we’ll go our separate ways. How’s that sound?”
Xiaoxi sighed. “So in the end, you still don’t want to act with us.”
“…No, it’s just that I feel a bit redundant tagging along with you two.”
While the two chatted, the waiter had already served the food.
At this moment, Ye Xinglan was looking at Xiaoxi affectionately, about to feed her, and was even trying to eat a single French fry with her…
Qiuli turned to look at her own emotionless reflection in the wall mirror.
She suddenly felt that acting alone suited her just fine; perhaps she should avoid these kinds of team activities in the future.
“I don’t know if Qingluan ever told you,” Qiuli let out a long breath, “but the only reason I could join The Association was because of Wange Yue.”
……
Qiuli had once stayed for a period in the Dungeon of the Tianqi Church.
That happened after she, as a Corpse Collector, failed in her mission to steal from the church.
At that time, the church refused to hand her over to The Association, so they simply threw her into the long-abandoned Dungeon at the church Headquarters.
Qiuli couldn’t remember clearly what she was thinking at the time.
She only remembered her mind being blank, and even feeling a trace of relief after being caught.
After she’d been locked up for a few days, a gentle woman came to her cell.
Qiuli recognized her: [Judgment Scales], Wange Yue—the very one who had caught her trying to steal from the church.
So, this really was a formidable character. She’d never failed at stealing before, and no one had ever been able to suppress her powers.
“These past few days… Well, I suppose it hasn’t been too great. The Dungeon here is in terrible shape, but they insisted on locking you up here…”
Wange Yue spoke with concern.
Ignoring the filthy environment, she gently sat down beside Qiuli.
“Just kill me.”
A short reply.
Qiuli didn’t look at Wange Yue, her vacant eyes fixed on the empty wall.
“Why do you say that?”
“I’ve done so many bad things. By all rights, letting someone like me die is only just, isn’t it?”
Wange Yue frowned.
Only then did she take a careful look at Qiuli.
The short-haired girl’s face showed little expression—whether numb or calm was hard to say.
But there was a faint aura about her, a sort of… complete indifference to life.
“It’s not that you think you deserve to die for your crimes, but that you want to die yourself, isn’t it?”
With one sentence, Wange Yue saw through Qiuli’s thoughts.
Qiuli didn’t reply, as if in tacit agreement.
To her, being caught by The Association or any other organization always led to the same end: the only difference was whether she died sooner or later.
“That’s not right.” Wange Yue studied Qiuli’s face for a moment, then gently shook her head.
“If you really think what you did was wrong, you should find a way to live and atone for your sins. Once you’re dead, there’s no atonement left, is there?”
“So, what are you going to have me do to atone? Pray? Or believe in your Tianqi Church’s faith?”
Qiuli smiled.
She knew Wange Yue seemed to be part of the church, so she must be a believer, right?
“If atonement could be achieved just through prayer, then there’d be no need for justice or the rule of law in this world.”
“If you truly wish to atone, first you have to stay alive. Only by living can you use your actions to atone, don’t you think?”
It was only later that Qiuli realized perhaps Wange Yue had seen through her at the time and was simply using this method to guide her.
Wange Yue gazed at Qiuli’s face, then suddenly took a handkerchief from her chest and began carefully cleaning Qiuli’s face.
After days in this place, Qiuli was already filthy, and the smell on her wasn’t pleasant, either.
Yet Wange Yue didn’t seem to notice at all, gently pressing the soft handkerchief to Qiuli’s face… only to have it abruptly shoved away.
That action was a little too intimate for Qiuli, especially coming from the woman who’d just caught her.
Why was this Wange Yue suddenly acting so attentive?
“Your name is Qiuli, right? It’s a lovely name. Makes me think of chestnuts. Do you like chestnuts?”
Wange Yue suddenly launched into a topic that had nothing to do with the current situation, looking at Qiuli’s face with gentle eyes and waiting for her response.