“Situation is very severe.”
Wuwangwo pushed up the glasses on her nose, the lenses reflecting the cold light of the overhead lamp.
“I must immediately report the information about the Witch appearing in Red Sea City to the Association High Council.”
Her gaze swept over the still-shaken Xu Beauty and the equally grave faces of Huang Xi and Mu Yurou.
“You must stay vigilant recently and be twice as careful in your actions.”
“The Witch…”
Her voice was low and serious, “…is by no means a benevolent being.”
Having said that, she didn’t linger any longer and turned sharply, striding out of the oppressively tense examination room, her footsteps quickly fading down the empty corridor.
Only Huang Xi, Mu Yurou, and Xu Beauty—still curled up on the sofa, exuding a strong aura of shame and distress—remained in the room.
The air was heavy, almost suffocating.
“Um… Xu Beauty,” Huang Xi tried to soften her voice, “you should rest properly first…”
She gently tugged on Mu Yurou’s sleeve beside her.
“We… won’t disturb you any further.”
Both of them nodded slightly toward the figure refusing to engage on the sofa and quickly exited the room.
As the heavy metal door closed, it sealed off the suffocating atmosphere inside.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Huang Xi immediately grabbed Mu Yurou’s wrist!
Her sharp eyes scanned the empty corridor, then without explanation, she pulled Mu Yurou into a dimly lit, secluded corner piled with cleaning supplies.
After confirming no one was around, Huang Xi released her hand, turned, and locked eyes with Mu Yurou fiercely.
Her voice dropped to an extremely low volume, with a barely noticeable tremor:
“The two of us… were thinking about the same thing back there in the room, right?”
Mu Yurou met her gaze; her clear eyes were filled with suspicion and gravity.
She took a deep breath and slowly nodded.
“Yeah…”
Her voice was just as low, “…that’s right.”
“Crystal Orchid Senior…”
Huang Xi’s voice was thick with disbelief and difficulty, “…she really has become a Witch!”
“And…”
Her tone suddenly became urgent, “…she was the one who attacked Xu Beauty tonight!”
“No, wait!”
Mu Yurou immediately shook her head, forcing herself to calm down and analyze rationally.
“The ‘Crystal Orchid Senior’ who saved us that day…” she deliberately emphasized the title, “…had white hair and red eyes.”
She raised a finger.
“But the Witch who attacked Xu Beauty tonight, according to Xu Beauty herself, had black hair and red eyes.”
Her gaze sharpened.
“So, the attacker’s appearance… doesn’t match!”
“The one who attacked Xu Beauty… isn’t the one who saved us!”
Huang Xi was stunned for a moment, then a deeper regret washed over her face.
“But… regardless of hair color…”
Her voice sank lower, “…there’s no doubt that the Crystal Orchid Senior… has fallen and become a Witch…”
“Those red eyes… are irrefutable evidence.”
“Yes…”
Mu Yurou’s face paled as she agreed with the harsh conclusion.
“That means…”
She glanced around at the cold walls, as if feeling the invisible pressure, “…there are at least two extremely dangerous Witches hidden in Red Sea City right now…”
“One of them…”
Her voice carried a heavy weight, “…was once the strongest Magical Girl…”
“Good heavens… this is too dangerous…”
Huang Xi couldn’t help but hug herself, a chill running down her spine.
“The Association… the Association surely won’t just stand by, right? They have to take action…”
“Wait…”
Mu Yurou suddenly raised her hand, cutting off Huang Xi’s anxiety.
Her brow furrowed as if trying to catch some crucial detail.
“Although Xu Beauty’s attack by the Witch today was… humiliating…” she carefully chose her words, “…according to the examination results, she wasn’t injured, nor corrupted.”
“And that day…” Her gaze deepened as she looked at Huang Xi, “…the ‘Crystal Orchid Senior’ who saved us… didn’t harm us either!”
She took a deep breath and slowly voiced her speculation:
“Maybe… they don’t want to hurt us?”
“At least…”
Her tone held a hint of uncertain hope, “…that Witch who looks like Crystal Orchid Senior… probably wouldn’t do that?”
“Let’s hope so…”
Huang Xi’s voice was still full of worry, but Mu Yurou’s analysis indeed gave her a faint comfort.
She felt a deep helplessness.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Mu Yurou noticed Huang Xi’s unease and tried to force a reassuring smile.
She reached out and gently, soothingly, stroked the top of Huang Xi’s smooth head.
“The Association has definitely already received Wuwangwo’s report…”
“They… will definitely take action.”
***
In another city far from the hustle and bustle of Red Sea City, inside a spacious but somewhat desolate office belonging to the Association High Council.
The silence of the late night was broken by the sound of rustling papers.
Behind a large desk sat a blonde girl.
Her smooth golden hair flowed like molten gold, shimmering under the warm glow of the desk lamp.
At this moment, her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, ice-blue eyes focused intently on an urgent encrypted report freshly sent from Red Sea City.
“Witch attacks in Red Sea City?”
Baihe Hua set down the report, her fingertips lightly tapping the polished desktop with a steady rhythm.
Her voice carried a trace of cold doubt.
“The Abyssal-class Beast crisis just calmed down, and the City Protective Shield’s cracks have only just been repaired…”
“And yet the Witch… took advantage of the opportunity to infiltrate?”
This was no coincidence.
She leaned back, sinking into the wide, comfortable leather swivel chair.
Her ice-blue eyes gazed sharply out into the dark night, piercing as a blade.
“Looks like…” she muttered to herself with an unyielding resolve, “…I have to go myself.”
Her gaze shifted, unconsciously falling on a delicate wooden photo frame at the corner of the desk.
Inside was an aged group photo.
In it, a girl with pure white hair like snow and warm, radiant golden eyes smiled with unparalleled gentleness as she hugged a much younger, beaming blonde girl closely.
Baihe Hua’s fingertips brushed reverently over the white-haired girl’s face in the photo.
Beneath her ice-blue eyes swirled complex waves of longing and deep worry.
“Teacher…” she whispered so softly it nearly vanished into the still air, “…will I ever see you again…”
“Knock knock knock—”
A soft but clear knock suddenly shattered the quiet contemplation.
“Please come in.”
Baihe Hua quickly composed the softness from her face and regained her usual cold composure, though her voice remained gentle.
The office door was gently pushed open.
A girl with smooth purple hair and a gentle temperament stepped in, holding a steaming mug.
She was Yuanwei Hua, Baihe Hua’s closest partner.
“Little Baihe, working late again?”
Yuanwei Hua’s voice carried familiar concern with a hint of playful reproach, like a gentle spring.
“I made you some coffee to keep you awake.”
She set the richly aromatic cup down on the desk before Baihe Hua.
“Thank you, Yuanwei.”
A warm gleam flickered in Baihe Hua’s ice-blue eyes as she lifted the cup, feeling the heat through the ceramic.
“You’re welcome~”
Yuanwei Hua smiled sweetly and, with a natural ease, circled behind the large office chair.
Instead of sitting in the guest chair beside it, she mischievously settled sideways on Baihe Hua’s folded lap!
“Who else but us?” she said affectionately, wrapping her arms around Baihe Hua’s neck and resting her chin on the blonde girl’s shoulder, her gaze catching the report from Red Sea City on the desk.
“Going on another business trip?”
Yuanwei Hua’s voice whispered in Baihe Hua’s ear, carrying a trace of unspoken sadness.
“Yeah…”
Baihe Hua just began, her voice tinged with weariness from work.
“The mission is urgent, I—”
But before she could finish the word “busy”—
Her voice was cut off abruptly!
Because an extremely soft, uniquely sweet-smelling object lightly brushed against her lips.
Baihe Hua’s ice-blue eyes instantly widened!
Long moments passed…
Until Baihe Hua felt as if all the air in her chest was being drained away, Yuanwei Hua reluctantly pulled back.
Purple crystal-like eyes shimmered with unhidden love and a hint of reluctance.
“When you come back this time…”
Her voice was breathless from the kiss, filled with deep affection, “…you have to spend more time with me.”
Baihe Hua’s cheeks flushed a charming shade of red, her ice-blue eyes still holding traces of shock and a hint of… shyness.
“You’re so bad…”
Her voice softened considerably, tinged with playful reproach, “…attacking me suddenly like that…”
“Hehe…”
Yuanwei Hua laughed like a cat that just got away with mischief, her fingers teasingly twirling a strand of Baihe Hua’s golden hair.
“You enjoyed it too~”
She winked slyly.
Baihe Hua was momentarily stunned.
Then, a trace of relief and deeper warmth flashed through her ice-blue eyes.
The blush deepened, but her gaze became unshakably resolute.
“You’re right…” she admitted softly.
This time…
She decided not to remain a passive recipient.