Chapter 40: Ice cream

Li Huayu pursed her lips, revealing a smile as she followed behind Luo Tianyou.

She wouldn’t tell Luo Tianyou these thoughts.

Whatever happened between Tianyou and Lady Under-Moon Ruri—whether it was the terrible scenes she imagined or something else entirely—belonged to their world.

She was just a brat who had spent her life stealing, cheating, and lying.

Sister Wang thought she was useless, and among the children in the organization, many loathed her, not to mention those she had once deceived or robbed.

The fact that Tianyou was willing to hold her hand, protect her, and give her a chance to start over was already a miracle to her.

She shouldn’t ask for more.

Yet, she couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened at the hotel.

The more she tried not to think about it, the more her mind rebelled, drifting toward those unrealistic fantasies.

Li Huayu also understood that those things only happened because of the pills.

Tianyou had never intended to take her body as payment; it was all just her own emotions acting up.

Li Huayu glanced back.

Under-Moon Ruri didn’t chase after them again.

Her small figure stood alone on the street, her golden hair a bit messy.

She kept her head down, her expression unreadable.

“Tianyou, Lady Under-Moon Ruri looked very sad when she was explaining just now. Do you want to listen to her again…”

Li Huayu spoke softly.

“Li Huayu, you don’t need to worry about her. She did something wrong and hurt people. An apology is expected, but it doesn’t mean I have to accept it. Besides, this is an issue between her and me. It has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to be afraid, and you don’t need to speak for her. I said I would take you away, and I will.”

Luo Tianyou interrupted Li Huayu, her expression slightly impatient.

Why was everyone pleading for Under-Moon Ruri?

Was it because the dog hadn’t bitten them, so they could forgive it just because it looked cute?

She didn’t want to focus on Under-Moon Ruri’s affairs anymore. Her attention shifted back to what Li Huayu had just mentioned.

The personnel from the Management Bureau at the checkpoint were indeed infected, but at the Bureau—at least on Zhou Zheng’s end—there shouldn’t have been any information.

Otherwise, he would have told her when she arrived.

Either the Management Bureau truly didn’t know this was happening, or someone was suppressing the information during the reporting process.

It just so happened to involve Li Huayu’s organization, and it was also because someone within the Management Bureau was acting as a Protective Umbrella.

The rank of the person acting as a Protective Umbrella likely wasn’t low.

Thinking of the worst-case scenario, she shouldn’t just tell the Bureau people about this; she also needed to inform someone else capable of handling it—Sister Xiaoyuan.

Luo Tianyou immediately took out the Communicator Xiaoyuan had given her.

This was a single-number caller that required specific magic to receive.

Xiaoyuan answered almost instantly.

“Sister Xiaoyuan, there’s some bad news…”

Luo Tianyou told Xiaoyuan everything as concisely and quickly as possible.

“I understand. I’ll go ask Zhou Zheng. There’s a certain level of danger where you are right now. You can come back first, but staying there to observe the situation is also fine. I sense that Under-Moon Ruri has gone to your location. She will ensure your safety…”

“Sister Xiaoyuan, can we not talk about her?”

“My mistake, little Tianyou. I’m still dealing with the seal issue here. Once it’s handled, I’ll head over to you immediately.”

“Alright.”

The communication disconnected.

Li Huayu heard the words “Sister Xiaoyuan” and tilted her head.

“Li Huayu, we won’t go back just yet…”

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman’s voice came from the other side of the intersection.

“Excuse me, do you know how to get to the dormitory area of the Xinlong Electronic Factory? It’s toward that Old Residential Area further in…”

Luo Tianyou and Li Huayu turned their heads at the same time.

It was a middle-aged woman in her forties, carrying a large woven bag, though it was empty.

Li Huayu was somewhat surprised.

She recognized this woman.

It was the shop owner who had tried to pull her to the shelter during the monster invasion that day.

The owner also saw Li Huayu.

She froze for a moment before showing a look of pleasant surprise.

“Oh, it’s you, young lady! Why did you run off so suddenly that day? I haven’t seen you since; I was worried! But it’s wonderful that you’re okay!”

She then looked at Luo Tianyou, who was wearing a magical girl outfit, her tone becoming even kinder.

“Are you friends? Together?”

Luo Tianyou looked at Li Huayu with some confusion.

Li Huayu hurriedly explained to Luo Tianyou in a low voice:

“Tianyou, she’s a good person. I was affected when the monster came that day. She’s the owner of a snack shop. Back then, she wanted to take me to the shelter with her.”

Luo Tianyou gave the owner a slight smile.

“Yes, we are friends.”

Li Huayu said sincerely, “Thank you for your help that day. You’re a truly good person. But I haven’t heard of the factory you mentioned. There are many factories around here, some areas have two or three, all with different names.”

It was a good thing to see the owner from that day.

She should find a way to pay her back for the grilled sausage she ate before.

It was just that she really had no money on her right now… she would have to find some day labor tomorrow.

The owner waved her hands quickly.

“No need, no need. It hardly counts as help; I just gave you a tug. But you don’t know about the Xinlong Electronic Factory either…”

“I’ve been asking for directions all along. They said to just keep going down the road, further inside, past a few old factory areas, and there’s an Old Residential Area behind them. The dormitory is right there. My daughter is working a summer job at the Xinlong Electronic Factory. After that terrifying monster thing finally ended yesterday, she called me to say she was safe and that she’d be resigning today. I thought I’d come pick her up and help with her luggage, but I’ve been lost for ages.”

As she spoke, a complex expression of pride and worry appeared on her face.

“My daughter just graduated from high school this year. Her grades were average, so she wanted to earn some tuition money over the summer. I didn’t want her coming to a place like this, but she’s stubborn… still, it’s for the best. After what happened yesterday, she got scared and promised me she’d quit. Besides, the Magical Girl Selection is about to start; registration is in a few days. My daughter has been healthy since she was a child, she’s talented with magic, and she has the desire. I want to pick her up quickly so she can prepare. What if she gets chosen? That would be a great honor for the family.”

The Magical Girl Selection?

Luo Tianyou blinked.

She didn’t know if it could still proceed as scheduled after the Kiriell incident, especially since the issues involving the Kiriell hadn’t been fully resolved yet.

Li Huayu’s expression changed slightly, her tone urgent.

“Auntie, near the place you’re going, is there an abandoned old factory area? One where absolutely no one lives?”

“My daughter did mention it to me. She said there’s a completely abandoned factory site nearby that looks quite creepy. Why, young lady, do you know that place?”

The owner was pleasantly surprised by her reaction.

Luo Tianyou realized what was happening, her eyes turning solemn.

The residential area the owner mentioned was the area suspected of being fully under the Kiriell’s influence.

“Auntie, that place…”

Li Huayu instinctively wanted to warn her, but the words caught in her throat.

How could she explain?

Say that there was a terrifying pollution there, that the entire area might be controlled, and that an organization was performing sacrifices?

What was the difference between that and a hospital issuing a critical condition notice?

Sister Chen was a good person.

Even if good people didn’t always get rewarded, she couldn’t let her daughter walk into danger.

Luo Tianyou stepped forward with a smile.

“Auntie, we happen to be heading that way as well. Why don’t we go together?”

The owner’s face immediately broke into a grin.

“Oh, that would be wonderful! I was worried about finding the way on my own. With the two of you… uh, this is a Lady Magical Girl, right? I’ll feel much safer walking with you!”

The gaze she directed at Luo Tianyou was full of gratitude and trust.

“Just call me Luo Tianyou. Auntie, what is your name?”

Luo Tianyou didn’t deny it; at a time like this, her identity as a magical girl saved her from a lot of explaining.

“My surname is Chen.”

“Then let’s go together, Sister Chen.”

“Alright! Calling me ‘Sister’ really makes me feel young.”

Along the way, Sister Chen chattered about her daughter—how sensible she was, how she wanted to help the family, and how stubbornly she insisted on working.

Luo Tianyou listened quietly, nodding occasionally.

Under-Moon Ruri was no longer at her previous position; the driver was still “sleeping” against the steering wheel.

However, Luo Tianyou didn’t believe that bad dog had left.

Most likely, she was still following behind, just impossible for her to detect.

“Thank you, Tianyou,” Li Huayu whispered her thanks into Luo Tianyou’s ear.

“No need to thank me. I’m a good person too, after all.”

The corners of Luo Tianyou’s mouth lifted in a small arc, which Li Huayu felt was truly beautiful from the bottom of her heart.

They continued forward.

The closer they got to that block, the more Li Huayu could sense a sweetness in the air.

She looked at Luo Tianyou with some curiosity.

Tianyou seemed perfectly normal, completely unable to sense this sweetness.

“Tianyou, can you smell a strange scent?”

“A strange scent? I can smell a bit of something. There are factories all around; a strange smell is normal.”

Luo Tianyou’s answer left Li Huayu puzzled.

It seemed Tianyou really couldn’t smell that cloying, sweet scent.

What exactly was going on?

It seemed no one else could smell it.

Was she the only one?

Why?

Li Huayu felt her vision blur for a moment, and she nearly tripped.

In the past, she often didn’t have enough to eat. If she went hungry for too long, this would happen.

There seemed to be a professional term for this phenomenon.

It was… what was it called… hypoglycemia.

When it hit, her head would spin, her face would turn pale, and she might suddenly faint.

In severe cases, it could apparently be fatal.

It would get better if she just ate something sweet.

She rubbed her eyes hard.

What was wrong with her?

She clearly had the free hotel breakfast this morning, and to avoid going hungry, she had even taken two pieces of bread with her.

Li Huayu wanted to find a mirror to check her eyes, but how could there be one nearby?

She managed to find a metallic surface that could reflect a person, but she couldn’t see any problem with her eyes.

It was just that her face seemed a bit pale.

A bit… pale?

Li Huayu’s heart skipped a beat.

It couldn’t be, right?

She could feel that there was nothing else wrong with her.

“What’s wrong?”

Luo Tianyou asked.

“…It’s nothing.”

Li Huayu hurriedly shook her head.

She must be overthinking things.

Ice cream was very sweet and delicious.

She really wanted to eat an ice cream right now.

Once she finished her day labor tomorrow and got paid, she would buy two ice creams.

One for Tianyou, and one for herself.