Her dress was devoid of a single wrinkle, smooth and delicate, its precision far beyond the reach of human craftsmanship.
It was clearly the work of Tang Nai.
The deep, dark purple was interspersed with vibrant patterns, resembling the dazzling nebula in the boundless depths of space, captivating all who beheld it.
When it adorned Irina, it instantly subdued the youthful innocence that belonged to Su Mu, replacing it with an air of profound mystery.
If not for her flushed cheeks and the embarrassing posture of lying face down on the dining table, it might have been even more fitting.
Motes’s breathing gradually grew more rapid, especially when her gaze lingered on Irina’s posterior.
She gently lifted the bothersome skirt, gradually revealing Irina’s tender skin, marked with red imprints, to the cold air.
The brief respite from the chill only heightened Irina’s tension, for—
“Crack!”
A sound even crisper than before echoed through the café, accompanied by a more intense cry of pain.
“Little Mo, why did you use magic? She won’t be able to handle it.”
The whip in Motes’s hand was now glowing with an eerie light, looking quite intimidating.
Surprisingly, the thin whip marks on Irina’s bottom quickly dissipated, the affected area returning to its rosy softness as if it had never been struck.
“Hehe, this is for healing,” Motes said, her delight causing her to unconsciously cover her burning cheeks, her speech becoming sluggish once more.
The blood-red ruler had been discarded; in her excitement, Motes had unconsciously summoned her magical weapon—a whip specifically designed for punishment.
“Everyone, give it a try. After all, it’s not just me…” Motes suggested.
Upon hearing this, Lemon stretched her arms, eager to participate, while Miti subtly worried for Irina, her eyes flickering with concern.
“I’m sorry, little mouse. I’ll try to be gentle,” Miti thought to herself.
“Crack, hiss…”
“Crack, muffle…”
“Crack! Ah!”
Similar sounds began to fill the air.
Lin, on the first floor, quietly closed the café door to prevent the noises from escaping and being misinterpreted as domestic violence by the unaware.
Two light ones followed by a heavy one, alternating, Motes’s strikes remained swift and forceful.
Lemon’s were more playful, while Miti, though feeling guilty, delivered even more painful blows than Lemon.
Irina glared at Miti, puffing out her cheeks.
Miti, you’ll pay for this!
Suddenly, Su Mu spoke up from within:
“Let me take over for a bit. You don’t look so good.”
“No, just stay put… ah!”
The punishment continued until just before lunchtime, finally coming to an end.
Irina felt like a field that had been plowed over by several strong oxen, her body limp and her eyes lifeless as she stared ahead.
“Alright, you can go now,” Irina whispered, her voice barely audible, before fading away.
Su Mu blinked and instinctively reached for her bottom, but all she felt was a cool sensation, with not a trace of lingering pain, as if it had all been taken away.
Irina…
Tang Nai suddenly appeared, playfully slapped Su Mu’s bottom, causing her to jolt and then spring up, exclaiming, “What are you doing?”
“Nothing, just thought Su Mu’s reaction would be more interesting.”
That guy must have taken advantage of the situation to sneak in a few extra hits.
Could it be that the loudest cry from Irina was actually from her?
“Now, I forgive you, Irina,” Motes said, her magical energy finally subsiding, her expression returning to normal, and with her pink eyes, there was even a hint of tenderness.
It was hard to associate her with the person she had been moments ago.
“My name is Su Mu. Irina is actually just a nickname…”
“Su Mu? Sounds easy to remember,” Motes replied.
Could someone who could count and remember every word, sentence, and punctuation mark in Motes’s story really be bothered with such trivial matters?
“My name is Shen Mo Ling. The character ‘Ling’ is written like this. It’s not that hard to remember,” Shen Mo Ling said, gesturing with her hands to help Su Mu understand, making her feel a bit embarrassed.
What a stark contrast!
“Hello there, little Su Mu. I’m Lemon, and my real name is Gu Xiao Bei,” Gu Xiao Bei suddenly popped out from the side, extending her hand to shake Su Mu’s.
Su Mu awkwardly took her hand, feeling it gently squeezed, which made her blush slightly.
After letting go, Gu Xiao Bei looked mischievous and smiled brightly, leaving Su Mu dazed for a moment.
The warmth of the lively girl’s hand lingered in Su Mu’s palm, making her feel lighter.
Just like on TV, she was a comforting magical girl.
To be honest, so far, Tang Nai seemed like a scheming bad woman, Miti was inconsistent, and Motes was just a headache…
None of them seemed like typical magical girls.
Lando and Lemon, among this group, were like a breath of fresh air, firmly preserving the last image of a magical girl.
No more choking, our magical girls are still salvageable!
Wait, are they really?
If I’m included, well, I probably don’t count yet…
“Since we’re all back, let’s go out for a nice meal,” Tang Nai suddenly spoke, drawing everyone’s attention to her.
“But didn’t Lando say she wanted to be alone for a while and then go back?” someone questioned.
“Then let’s buy some ingredients and bring a hot pot to her place,” Tang Nai suggested.
The martial arts hall was so large, it would definitely be fine.
But Su Mu quickly remembered the battered “Tang Nai” hanging in the main hall and bit her tongue just in time to stop herself from agreeing.
“No, no, no, let’s just call her instead. It wouldn’t be convenient for her to clean up alone if we ate there,” Su Mu said.
If they were to walk straight to the martial arts hall and see Lando attacking “Tang Nai,” the situation could be quite awkward.
Upon hearing this, a meaningful smile flickered at the corner of Tang Nai’s lips, but she didn’t press the issue and continued, “Then let’s find a place.”
On the other side, in the martial arts hall, Luo Jialan was indeed pounding the sandbag, but the simple drawing stuck on it was not of Tang Nai.
It was a woman with a scar on her face, the drawing style more naive than Tang Nai’s and the paper tattered and patched with tape many times over, as if it had been drawn much earlier.
“I didn’t expect you still hadn’t completely rested in peace,” Luo Jialan held her breath, shifted her body, and with a powerful punch, sent the sandbag flying.
“This time, I will personally destroy everything that remains of you.”