“You know my ability, Shandie. The monsters I control are like my ‘eyes,’ letting me observe the Magical Girls during their battles.”
“After those recent monster attacks, I’ve already recorded the ranks and abilities of all the Magical Girls in Summersea City. The plan is already halfway complete.”
Shandie frowned. “This doesn’t quite match the plan we agreed on at the start.”
At first, Black Rose’s plan was only to test how many simultaneous monster attacks Summersea City’s Magical Girls could handle.
Once that conclusion was reached, she would use a dispersed monster attack that exceeded the Association’s handling limit to make all the Magical Girls mobilize.
That way, Black Rose could infiltrate the Association and get what she wanted—a simple bait-and-trap strategy.
But now Shandie felt uneasy. Since Black Rose made her infiltrate the Association, the plan seemed to have gone off course.
Originally, the plan was only to draw away the Magical Girls.
Now Black Rose said she had recorded all their abilities… It sounded like she intended to take out every Magical Girl in Summersea City.
“That was the original plan, but an unexpected variable appeared, so we had to switch to another plan.”
“…The variable is Eternal Star, right?”
Indeed. Eternal Star, who retired and disappeared three years ago, was now in Summersea City. That was bad news for them.
Shandie didn’t believe they had the ability to create monster attacks beyond what Eternal Star could handle.
“It’s fine. The new plan is much more secure,” Black Rose said, casually pulling out a few empty bowls for Shandie. “I found a very reliable partner—the Divine Summon Order people will arrive in Summersea City in a few days.”
“I’ve already figured out all the Magical Girls in the Association; none of them pose a real threat. The only troublesome opponent left is naturally Summersea City’s Guardian, the Bailing Songstress Muxingge.”
“Luckily, our dear Shandie is now Muxingge’s teammate. So I really need you to build a good relationship with them. The more they trust you, the easier it will be to deliver a ruthless backstab at the most critical moment.”
Black Rose said this with bright enthusiasm, like a child planning where to play during the holidays with classmates.
“Why would the Divine Summon Order remnants help you? I don’t think they’d be interested in your plan.”
“Exactly, so I found them a bait they can’t refuse,” Black Rose chuckled. “The Blood Moon Witch… The Divine Summon Order definitely wants to find their witch lady again, right?”
“The last time the Blood Moon Witch suddenly appeared downtown and took down the monsters I worked so hard to summon in just a few moves, it really scared me.”
“Luckily, I was there at the scene and barely caught the Blood Moon Witch’s trail… Otherwise, what do you think I was doing all this time you were undercover? I’m not the type to just make my partners work while I lounge around.”
Even Shandie was surprised, eyes wide. “You found the Blood Moon Witch?”
“Not exactly. I can only tentatively confirm the Blood Moon Witch is hiding near Southern Avenue. She must have anticipated the Association’s blockade of all city exit routes, so she stayed behind. That’s enough bait to lure the Divine Summon Order.”
Shandie suddenly found it strange—Eternal Star and the Blood Moon Witch were both in Summersea City now. These two really seemed destined to be fated rivals.
“I really dislike how cunning and calculating you are, Black Rose,” Shandie said, lowering her head to scoop rice. “It makes me feel like I’m just being used… which is unpleasant.”
Shandie opened the door and loudly called into the hallway, “Enough playing! You guys! Time to eat!”
Black Rose quietly retreated into the shadows of the room again.
“How could that be, Shandie? We’re partners. The most important thing in cooperation is mutual trust.”
……
At this moment, Xiaoxi, living with her fated rival, was curled up in her room, finishing her writing for the day.
Strangely, at this time before, Xiaoxi would at least have completed half of her task, but now she had only written about five hundred words.
Her face was flushed red, and she typed haltingly, seemingly unable to fully focus on the screen. It was clearly a serious case of writer’s block.
“Xiaoxi, I’m coming in to sit with you for a bit. Want a drink?”
Ye Xinglan entered the room, eyes down on her phone. She sometimes accompanied Xiaoxi while she wrote, occasionally discussing the plot together.
Ye Xinglan still found it hard to believe that Xiaoxi had returned in one piece today, that Muxingge hadn’t harmed her at all—this was quite unlike the Muxingge she remembered.
“Um… Xinglan, today’s probably not a good day. Maybe you shouldn’t stay in my room…”
“What’s wrong? Writer’s block again? Want me to help you think it through?”
Ye Xinglan immediately noticed Xiaoxi was off. Since her private talk with Muxingge earlier, Xiaoxi’s mood had been strange, making Ye Xinglan suspect it had something to do with Muxingge.
“Kind of. Not really. Well, fine. If you want to stay, just sit a little farther away.”
Xiaoxi bit her lip, legs together on the chair, and after a long while, typed half a line.
Ye Xinglan didn’t listen and moved closer to peek at what Xiaoxi was writing today.
Huh, she thought Xiaoxi was too scared to write freely after Muxingge’s warning, but what she saw was even better than usual! It seemed Xiaoxi was braver than she thought.
“Strange, your plot seems to be going smoothly. Why’s your typing so slow today? Where exactly are you stuck?”
“Yeah… I’m not stuck on the writing itself.”
For some reason, Xiaoxi’s blushing face made her look cuter than usual.
Ye Xinglan sat at the foot of the bed, listening to Xiaoxi’s halting typing, while she herself boredly scrolled through her phone.
After a while, Xiaoxi suddenly lifted her hands off the keyboard and buried her head deeply.
“…Huff.”
“What’s wrong, Xiaoxi? You don’t seem yourself today. Are you sick?”
Ye Xinglan still worried, gently put her hand on Xiaoxi’s shoulder… then suddenly felt a faint trembling through her body.
Ye Xinglan: “?”
She froze for a few seconds, then slowly looked down.
“Don’t stare at me, okay? It’s really embarrassing!”
Xiaoxi’s face flushed even deeper.
She subtly shifted her legs to avoid Ye Xinglan’s gaze, but her mind somehow cleared up, and her typing speed immediately picked up.
“Xiaoxi, you wouldn’t be…,” Ye Xinglan tentatively asked, “playing with a toy while typing, would you?”