Time returned to the present.
Su Li lifted her teacup and took a sip of the now lukewarm tea, the bitter taste spreading across her tongue.
She looked across the table at Lu Yuan, who was patiently wiping the sauce off Qing’s mouth.
The tenderness and protective instinct in Lu Yuan’s eyes were unlike anything Su Li had ever seen before.
And the calamity called Qing relied completely on Lu Yuan, staying alert to everything around them, yet placing absolute trust in Lu Yuan alone.
Commander Lingyan’s orders were clear and ruthless; the so-called “letting go” was merely another form of control and exploitation, turning Qing into the chain that bound Lu Yuan, and Lu Yuan into a glass cage for observing Qing.
Su Li set down her teacup with a soft clink.
She often wondered if she was a bit too meticulous, perhaps lacking warmth.
But she was a Magical Girl—military orders were unbreakable, and there was no other way.
***
“That… Sister Su Li,” Lu Yuan spoke timidly.
“Hm? What’s wrong?” Su Li was a little surprised; she hadn’t expected Lu Yuan to take the initiative to speak.
“I, I just said that… I’ve never really felt happy being a Magical Girl… but don’t take it to heart, it was just a vent,” Lu Yuan explained.
She was right—what she said earlier was only out of frustration. After all, Sister Su Li always felt sorry for accidentally turning her into a Magical Girl, and Lu Yuan knew her words would sting.
“I… actually really like everyone.” Lu Yuan looked at the sizzling meat on the grill. “I’m sorry.”
She had experienced loneliness, living each day trapped in the past after her parents and sister died.
Until she became a Magical Girl, until she met Su Li and the others, her life finally filled with color.
How could she ever be unhappy about being a Magical Girl?
“It’s okay.” Su Li smiled.
“Yeah, yeah, let’s eat first, Lu Yuan!” Lin Wan chimed in, handing a skewer to Lu Yuan. “Come on… open wide, ah~”
Lu Yuan laughed, opening her mouth, happily accepting Lin Wan’s playful feeding.
The atmosphere gradually grew warm and harmonious; even Qing seemed to blend into the group amid clinking cups and laughter.
***
Half an hour later.
The bustling smoke and fire of the yakitori shop began to fade, skewers lay scattered, plates were messy.
Under the warm lights, the earlier tension finally softened under the aroma of food and a rare moment of peaceful coexistence.
Su Li elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin, though she hadn’t eaten much.
She glanced at the deep night outside the window and stood up.
“I should go.” Her voice returned to its usual coolness, but still carried a hint of warmth. “Tonight’s flight is back to Yunjing, and Headquarters has reports that need handling.”
Her gaze swept over the four at the table before resting on Lu Yuan and the calamity Qing, who was tightly leaning against her.
“Lu Yuan,” Su Li smiled gently, “I’m leaving her in your care. Take good care of her.”
Lu Yuan looked up, eyes complex but resolute, nodding solemnly. “I know, Sister Su Li. I will.”
“And…,” Su Li scratched her head and looked awkwardly at Lin Wan, “what you just saw…”
“Understood! Don’t worry, Captain!” Lin Wan immediately assured her, with Chen Lianxue nodding seriously.
Su Li said no more, grabbed the trench coat by her side, slipped it on neatly, and turned to leave.
The sound of her high heels faded into the night street, as if she had never been there.
***
The remaining four fell into a brief silence.
“Uh… well, we should get going too!” Lin Wan broke the silence first, pulling Chen Lianxue up. “Lu Yuan, you… uh, take good care of… Qing Qing.”
She nodded toward Qing.
Though she had a thousand reasons to dislike another woman being alone with Lu Yuan, given the current situation, living together was the best choice.
Lin Wan wasn’t the type to be inconsiderate.
“Yeah, thank you all,” Lu Yuan said softly.
Lin Wan led Chen Lianxue to the shop’s entrance, then turned back to add, “Take care, okay? Not ‘other’ kinds of care—just purely taking care! You better not get into any trouble!”
“I will.” Lu Yuan replied.
***
After sending off Lin Wan and Chen Lianxue, only Lu Yuan and Qing remained at the yakitori shop’s doorway.
The evening breeze carried a chill, and Qing instinctively nestled closer to Lu Yuan, one hand still clutching the hem of Lu Yuan’s clothes, as if afraid that letting go would make her vanish.
Lu Yuan looked down at her. After everything they had been through, Qing appeared especially quiet and dependent at this moment.
“Let’s go,” Lu Yuan’s voice softened unintentionally. She turned her hand to gently grasp Qing’s icy fingers. “We’re going home.”
Upon hearing the words “going home,” Qing’s eyes brightened slightly, and she nodded firmly.
Hand in hand, they walked toward the apartment, silent.
A fragile peace and faint exhaustion enveloped them, as if survivors after a great storm.
***
Standing again before the familiar apartment door, Lu Yuan took out her keys.
“Click.”
The door opened.
This time, the darkness and silence inside no longer suffocated or isolated Lu Yuan.
She turned on the light, and warm illumination filled the living room.
She bent down, pulled a brand-new pair of women’s slippers from the shoe cabinet, and placed them in front of Qing’s dust-covered feet.
“This will be yours from now on,” Lu Yuan said softly.
Qing looked curiously at the soft slippers, then back at Lu Yuan.
Mimicking Lu Yuan, she cautiously slipped her feet inside.
The sensation of stepping on the soft carpet made her squint her eyes in comfort and sigh in satisfaction.
Seeing her so easily pleased, Lu Yuan felt something inside soften deeply.
***
“Go take a hot shower first. Look at you—you’re practically a little mud monkey now.” Lu Yuan pointed toward the bathroom. “I’ll find some clean clothes for you.”
Qing followed her step by step, watching as Lu Yuan took soft pajamas and a towel from the wardrobe.
After sending Qing into the bathroom and hearing the water start, Lu Yuan leaned against the wall outside, letting out a long breath.
A strange warmth spread through her heart.
Her home was no longer hers alone.
The one she once thought a burden and trouble was now peacefully sheltered under her care, seeing her as the only support.
She already regarded Qing as her own little sister—not a replacement for Lu Qian, but a true sister named Qing.
***
The water stopped, and after a while, the bathroom door opened a crack.
Qing appeared wearing pajamas clearly one size too big, the sleeves covering her hands and the pants dragging on the floor.
Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned.
She clearly remembered Qing was slightly bigger than her before—had the injury and long journey made her smaller?
Qing saw Lu Yuan’s lack of reaction and held the dirty clothes she had changed out of, looking a little lost.
Lu Yuan walked over, naturally took the clothes, tossed them into the laundry basket, then picked up the dry towel and draped it over Qing’s head, gently drying her wet hair.
Qing stood quietly, letting Lu Yuan do as she pleased, subconsciously nuzzling Lu Yuan’s hand like a puppy.
“…” Lu Yuan smiled.
***
After tidying up, Lu Yuan looked at her not-so-big bed and pointed. “You sleep here tonight.”
Qing glanced at the bed, then back at Lu Yuan, suddenly reaching out to gently pinch the corner of Lu Yuan’s clothes again.
Her eyes showed a trace of unease, as if asking:
【What about you?】
Lu Yuan understood her gaze and sighed.
“All right, all right,” she smiled helplessly. “We’ll sleep together. But no kicking! And no clinging like an octopus! Got it?”
Though she warned her, Lu Yuan still pulled Qing over to the bed.
Qing smiled happily.
That night, in Lu Yuan’s apartment, the bed that once belonged only to her held one more quiet figure.
Qing seemed utterly exhausted and had finally found a place of absolute safety.
Almost as soon as her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep.
But one hand still unconsciously clutched the edge of Lu Yuan’s pajamas, as if that was her only connection to this new world.
Lu Yuan lay on her side, watching the unguarded face beside her, listening to the soft breath, her heart full of mixed emotions.
The world seemed different to everyone’s eyes.
Like Lu Yuan, sometimes she thought the world was vast, with powerful people like Sister Su Li and Commander Lingyan, and terrible people like Rose and Si An.
And she was just a grain of sand in this huge world.
But the world seemed very small to some, like in Qing’s eyes.
To her, Lu Yuan’s grain of sand was her entire world.
In the end, all the chaotic thoughts dissolved into a faint sigh.
Lu Yuan pulled the covers over them both gently and closed her eyes.
The night was deep, but this time, she was not alone.