The next morning, after sending Yijinmo back to the Lower District, Luo Shi rode her little electric scooter to the Magical Girl Association.
She parked the scooter in a secluded corner, gripped the flower-shaped necklace around her neck, and completed her transformation, descending at the entrance of the association building in the form of the Red Spider Lily.
No sooner had she landed than cries of astonishment erupted all around.
Unlike that certain eccentric “waifu” from before who would throw open her arms like a new-world Kami, welcoming the crowd’s cheers, Luo Shi’s appraisal of outsiders was always,
“Oh, I see. And then?”
The Magical Girl Association had risen over the past decade, mainly responsible for managing magical girls and handling monster incidents.
When the government first established the association, the goal was merely to have magical girls as a controllable force to deal with the increasingly severe monster threats.
But as time passed and the magical girl community expanded, the association’s influence and authority rapidly grew, to the point where it had already replaced the police and military in some areas.
Vaguely, the association had slipped from official control, becoming a super-organization that posed a threat to the regime.
Some special magical girls even leveraged their immense popularity among the public to enter politics after retirement, allowing the association’s influence to penetrate the political arena.
Even her own mother, a formidable figure, often found dealing with such monsters a headache.
Luo Shi pressed her lips together and cleared her mind, stepping into the association’s lobby as the automatic doors slid open.
“Senpai!!”
A pink-haired girl immediately came bounding over.
It was the Lv.4 junior she had praised recently—Yaezakura.
“Wow, I didn’t expect to see Senpai here! What are you doing at the association? Training?
If possible, could you guide me a bit? I just encountered an incredibly powerful enemy, and I realized I absolutely cannot remain at Lv.4. I must look up to you and become a magical girl as strong as you, Senpai! Senpai? Senpai!”
How had she never noticed this kid was so talkative—like a rapid-fire cannon…
To protect her hearing, Luo Shi slipped away while Yaezakura wasn’t paying attention, heading straight for the elevator.
But who was Yaezakura?
Just by sensing the faintest trace, she could track monsters all the way to the outskirts of the city, twenty or thirty kilometers away.
Her nose was more sensitive than a husky’s, and within a few steps, she’d caught up to her idol.
“Senpai, wait up!!”
“Senpai, where are you going? To see President Sister?”
“……”
As a consummate energy saver, Luo Shi always adhered to the habit of speaking only when necessary to everyone except her “waifu,” but facing such a devoted fan, she found it hard to hold back.
“…So, um, aren’t you afraid of me?”
“Afraid?”
“Why would I be? You’re so pretty and so strong, Senpai!”
Although the Red Spider Lily was hailed as the strongest magical girl with immense popularity, very few sensible people dared to really chase after her.
With all those terrifying rumors—both real and fake—circulating, everyone only dared to admire her from afar.
Yaezakura was the first to truly pursue her.
“I think those people have the real problem. They only like Senpai’s strength and coldness but don’t understand Senpai at all!
They refuse to meet Senpai in person but blindly believe the ridiculous rumors online.
They could easily tell fact from fiction if they used their brains, but they won’t!”
“They’re just a bunch of self-righteous, arrogant, conceited, high-and-mighty, self-important jerks!!”
“Hmm…”
Hadn’t her “waifu” said something similar before?
Seeing that there was no way to shake off this excellent junior fan, Luo Shi shrugged and gently ruffled the girl’s hair.
“Thank you.”
“Eh—?”
The elevator arrived, and Luo Shi left without looking back, leaving Toyokawa Shoko frozen in place.
I actually… I actually just got head-patted by Senpai!
Waaaahhh!!!
Looks like I won’t need to wash my hair for a week.
Having successfully fangirled, Shoko dissolved happily into a puddle of pink liquid, forever slumbering in the elevator .
…
“Red Spider Lily?”
“What wind blows such a great deity to my little temple today?”
Pushing open the president’s office door, inside sat not only the black-haired mature woman Luo Shi often dealt with but also a golden-haired figure that was almost dazzling.
“I’m here to discuss some matters. Are you busy? If so, I’ll wait.”
“Not busy, come in and sit down. Coffee?”
“No need. I’ll be brief.”
Xu Wanci, branch president of the Magical Girl Association in Jiangnan City.
Once a magical girl known as “Begonia,” with a contract spanning over ten years, she was among the longest-serving magical girls in the world.
However, due to age, she terminated her contract with her familiar three years ago and transitioned into management within the association.
The elegant president in front of her was one of the few people in Jiangnan City Luo Shi interacted with regularly.
Though “regular” here was limited strictly to work—task assignments, more task assignments, and even more task assignments.
No choice—she was the city’s only Lv.5 magical girl, and Jiangnan was the kind of place where monster incidents popped up every few days.
The bigger ones always required her presence.
Over time, Luo Shi had become an unfeeling firefighter.
Sitting opposite the president, Luo Shi glanced sideways at the golden-haired figure and recognized her as the magical girl Rose Thorn who had appeared last night at White Night Castle.
“Ah, ah, hello?”
The girl timidly tried to greet Luo Shi, but the latter coldly turned away.
If she recalled correctly, Rose Thorn wasn’t part of the association, right?
“Were you just talking about something?”
“About last night. You must have heard something too, Red Spider Lily.
“There was a monster incident at White Night Castle last night. Fortunately, Miss Rose Thorn arrived in time to stop the damage.”
The mature president sipped her coffee, but it did little to ease the heavy dark circles beneath her eyes.
“……”
Clearly, the president hadn’t said everything.
Since the main party had come here, Xu Wanci must have received the report as well.
But none of it concerned Luo Shi anymore.
Her mind was entirely filled with thoughts of the wife and child by the warm hearth.
“That’s good.”
“I came here mainly to notify you—I’m resigning.”
“Pfft!!”
The president spat out her coffee again.
Fortunately, Xu Wanci was well-mannered and didn’t spray it at anyone—just stained her desk.
“Y-You… said what…?”
“I’m resigning.”
Luo Shi repeated expressionlessly.
“!!”
The two present clearly hadn’t processed it. Finally, Xu Wanci carefully asked, “Did something happen?”
“Has someone been bothering you? Do you need me to deal with it?”
But Luo Shi herself knew well there was no one in this city who could provoke the Red Spider Lily.
Anyone who dared was either in prison or six feet under.
“No.”
“Are you transferring to another city?”
“No.”
“Then, why? Can you give me a reason? This is so sudden!”
It wasn’t that Xu Wanci didn’t want to let her go, but this decision was just too shocking—like the company’s three-year champion salesperson quitting suddenly. Who wouldn’t be stunned? At least give a proper explanation…
“It is sudden because I recently realized I’ve never been happy being a magical girl.”
Three years ago, Luo Shi thought that becoming a magical girl would bring her closer to the person she liked.
But the exact opposite happened—not only did she fail to enter her world, but she also disappeared for so long.
Now, that free fallen leaf had returned beside her, but not because of the magical girl identity.
The Red Spider Lily had only brought her battles and busyness.
Luo Shi had never gained anything else from it, much like her indifferent attitude toward everything else—unconcerned and meaningless.
This gray world was colored by Yijinmo.
It was because of Yijinmo that life was exciting—not because of the Red Spider Lily.