After following the murderous Silverflame Dragon Princess out of the office, Qiuli, who was quietly observing the other girl, gave a self-deprecating smile in her heart.
Yesterday, when they met for the first time, Wange Yue had said she hoped Qiuli could get along with the Silverflame Dragon Princess and become friends.
Looking at it now, could she really befriend such a terrifying Magical Girl?
No, it was more like, besides a weirdo like Wange Yue, who else would be willing to be friends with her… a Corpse Collector?
Qiuli’s eyes were like a pool of stagnant water. She watched Wange Yue grab the Silverflame Dragon Princess’s hand with some excitement, shaking it back and forth… and then the latter suddenly started crying.
“My hand… my hand is numb… waah…”
“I, I, I originally wanted to look respectful. I was going to pour a cup of water for the Minister first and then plead properly. But, but because I was so nervous, my arm went numb while I was pouring, and it just froze there. I couldn’t move…”
Qiuli was stunned. She had thought the Silverflame Dragon Princess was using a purely arrogant and unreasonable method to refute the Minister, implying that as long as one kept adding water, the cup would eventually become clear… but it turned out to be like this!
“What should I do, Wange? Did, did I mess it up? I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay, Ling’er! The effect just now was great. You were a big help!”
Wange Yue hadn’t expected this either. She comforted Ling’er while helping her rub her numb arm.
It was only then that Ling’er belatedly realized there was an Outsider present.
She had been too nervous just now to notice, and she had accidentally exposed her true nature in front of Wange!
“It’s fine. Qiuli is a very good person. You two will definitely get along,” Wange Yue said, pushing Ling’er’s shoulders. “You really helped me out a lot this time. How about I take you out to play tomorrow? Oh, and Qiuli should come along too.”
“Qiuli?”
Dazed, Qiuli finally came to her senses. She couldn’t help but chuckle. This was the first time Wange Yue had seen a smile on that stagnant face.
‘S-Rank Magical Girls… they’re all unexpectedly a bunch of weirdos.’
Just as Wange Yue remembered to help Ling’er make more friends, she also remembered to take Qiuli out more to see the World.
As it turned out, the three of them really did have a good relationship later on. Ling’er herself hadn’t expected that she could make such harmonious friends.
The feeling reminded her of her former Team members.
Unfortunately, after The Chaos ended, the Team members had gone their separate ways, and A Xing had vanished into thin air.
However, Ling’er also knew that the reason Qiuli was disliked within the Association later on was because of this relationship.
For a weirdo to not only join the Association against the rules but also to get close to S-Rank Magical Girls from both the Association and the Church so quickly, it was bound to attract jealousy.
But Qiuli herself didn’t care.
……
Once the story was finished, Ye Xinglan nodded in realization. She thought to herself that there was no way Ling’er would dare to actively challenge someone like that, so…
“Aha, so that’s how it was. That’s really interesting, haha…”
Ye Xinglan was starting to sweat a little. Although the story she had asked Ling’er to tell had indeed lasted a long time, why wasn’t Xiaoxi done yet? How long had it been!
Even Ye Xinglan, who considered herself quite capable of chatting with Ling’er, felt she couldn’t drag this out much longer. ‘What should I do? Is there any other topic…’
“Wange is indeed a very good person, and she helped me a lot,” Ling’er said, reaching the conclusion of her story. “She’s always helping others, but she hasn’t been treated very well in return.”
Ling’er lowered her head. “The Church doesn’t treat Wange like a person at all. They schedule so many activities for her. Maintaining her Discipline all day long already puts a huge burden on her body. If only I could do something for her… Ah, sorry, it’s nothing.”
“Hmm? Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine…”
Ye Xinglan, who was deep in thought, hadn’t really listened to what Ling’er was saying. At that moment, a notification sound rang out. Ye Xinglan grabbed her Phone as if it were a literal lifesaver and breathed a massive sigh of relief in her heart.
“Oh, Xiaoxi sent a message saying the package was delivered to the door. The courier must have missed us. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s get back quickly.”
When the two of them returned Home, an empty express box that Xiaoxi had used as a disguise was sitting by the door. She was in the kitchen handling the seafood she had hidden away earlier, her back looking perfectly normal.
Ling’er naturally didn’t suspect anything. In fact, she didn’t think much of it at all and simply continued playing The Game with Ye Xinglan.
Ye Xinglan thought the matter was settled and lightheartedly entered the entertainment phase, until mealtime, when Xiaoxi couldn’t stop staring at Ling’er.
Such a gaze was naturally sensitive for someone with social anxiety. Ling’er, who had been quite relaxed just now, became a bit constrained under Xiaoxi’s stare. It could only be said that she and Xiaoxi weren’t close.
“Don’t keep staring at Ling’er, Xiaoxi. You’re making her nervous, okay?”
“…Sorry, Senior Silverflame Dragon Princess.”
Xiaoxi withdrew her gaze, unable to stop thinking about what she had seen under Ling’er’s bed.
Hidden deep under the bed, behind those adult books, were two identical sets of Wange Yue’s clothes and some personal accessories.
Next to them was a box containing what appeared to be a Magic Device. However, due to the time constraint, Xiaoxi hadn’t looked closely and didn’t know what it was for.
Xiaoxi recognized those clothes. She had seen the files provided by the Astrologer.
Wange Yue had been wearing that outfit the day she went missing — from the clothes to the accessories, they were identical. Those were undoubtedly Wange Yue’s things.
But how could these things be in Ling’er’s Home? And why were they hidden so deep? No matter how she thought about it, it was suspicious! And… why were there two sets?
Ling’er pulled her neck in. ‘As… as expected, it’s because I’m getting too close to Xinglan, right? It’s only natural for her Girlfriend to be angry. Um…’
“Th-that, I’m sorry, Sirius. I, I just get along well with Xinglan, there’s nothing else…”
“Ah, it’s fine, Senior. I didn’t think that far, really.”
Xiaoxi gave a strained smile. The timid, overthinking little girl in front of her was exactly the same as the one in her memories.
She had heard this apologetic tone and phrasing countless times before. But… why did she suddenly feel that Ling’er was such a stranger?
There were too many points she couldn’t understand. Xiaoxi naturally had no appetite. After taking two mouthfuls of food, she left the dining table.
She endured until Ling’er had left before she lost her patience, putting on her clothes and preparing to head out.
“Eh? Why are you going out all of a sudden? Are you delivering something to the Astrologer?”
“Yeah, something like that…” Xiaoxi answered vaguely, looking at her little Girlfriend with hesitation. “Xinglan… you should probably avoid getting too close to the Silverflame Dragon Princess lately.”
Ye Xinglan blinked. What did she mean? Since when did Xiaoxi become such a jealous person?