Chapter 166: Hei

“Hmm, how do I feel about becoming a magical girl… It’s all right! Just barely good enough to pass the time.”

“…What a straightforward answer.”

“Heh! Don’t lump me in with those magical girls who, when they see you, can only say ‘It’s my honor to become a magical girl.’ I’m different! Get that straight!”

Luo You pointed at Xingyue and declared loudly.

Even in front of Xingyue, she could speak so boldly.

If Luo Zining saw her like this, she’d probably pin Luo You’s head down and make her kowtow to Xingyue in apology.

“So, Unique Magical Girl Jinlin-chan, could you talk to me about your current thoughts on the future of the Magic Alliance?”

…Is there something wrong with you Ten Seats?

Luo You thought.

If someone else asked, fine.

But you, the person involved, are asking too?

Luo You couldn’t be bothered to play dumb.

There was no point pretending when facing Xingyue alone; on the contrary, it would just make her look truly foolish.

“Ah… I didn’t expect even Xingyue would… Sigh, seriously, why does everyone want to ask my opinion?”

The brat spread her hands, her troubled expression perfect meme material.

“Because you’re special.”

Xingyue gave her praise without hesitation, “You’re someone who can say things like that in such situations. Your perspective might be unique.”

“Even if I share my thoughts, it won’t change anything, you know.”

“That’s fine too. Just say what’s on your mind.”

“Then I’ll be frank. If, in the days to come, you find someone colluding with the Jiehai Faction, and Manzhushahua wants to take people to arrest them, what would you do? Stop her directly? How? By fighting?”

Like hell she’d get an answer to that.

Luo You didn’t even pause for a second and said, “See? You really can’t answer!”

“No, I have considered it to some extent.”

Uh, what?

Luo You felt a twinge of embarrassment.

“But I’m still weighing things, so for now, I can’t share my thoughts.”

“Fine, fine.”

Luo You cut to the chase and said simply, “If I were someone colluding with the Jiehai Faction, my next move would definitely be to toss out some bait, lure you all over, and then ‘accidentally’ cause dozens or hundreds of civilian casualties. That way, the public reputation of magical girls would crash straight to the bottom.”

It was the simplest and most effective way to smear your opponent; in high-level covert struggles, the most plain tactics were often used.

For magical girls, this was the hardest trick to guard against.

Even the Ten Seats would have a hard time handling it well.

How would Xingyue handle it…?

Huh?

Luo You noticed that the aura around Xingyue had grown so quiet, it was as if they stood in the deep vacuum of space—so deep it was hard to breathe.

“Maybe.”

She replied lightly.

The answer was so flat that Luo You was momentarily surprised.

Well, it seemed this First Seat really couldn’t be stumped by something like this.

Luo You felt annoyed. She just had to see Xingyue lose face, so she said:

“Ah, and, what if you found out the Outsider Organization had become your enemy too—would the Magic Alliance go to war with them? This isn’t some small fry you can mess with. On the other side is the Aurora Witch, Erella, the nightmare of magical girls. Can you handle her? Can you?”

If not for her current status, Luo You would’ve loved to taunt right in Xingyue’s face, listing all the Magic Alliance’s defeats at Erella’s hands.

Xingyue’s reaction didn’t disappoint her—

She furrowed her brows in troubled thought, as if pondering how to respond.

Anyone with a bit of sense knew this wasn’t a problem the Magic Alliance could face alone.

Now that there were Fusion Warriors, if the Outsider Organization fought the magical girls again, their previously one-sided disadvantage was gone.

Not quite an even match, but they at least had enough strength for a head-on clash.

If it turned into an all-out war, things would get really tricky.

The main issue was still Erella.

That witch had killed three peak dragon-class dimensional beasts deep in the Jiehai, and her momentum was unstoppable—even at the Nation level, they had to be wary of her.

“I have my own considerations.”

“Oh, is that so.”

Luo You snickered inwardly.

‘Your own considerations,’ huh. Probably just trading your body!

That’s all you’ve got!

Heh! I’ve seen through you from the start!

At this moment, Xingyue glanced at Luo You’s pajamas and asked, “Are you going to sleep?”

“Stayed up too late playing last night, it can’t be helped.”

“Looks like I came at the wrong time, then. Sorry to disturb your rest. While you have the chance, take a good break.”

“Right… oh, okay.”

Watching Xingyue leave so politely, Luo You suddenly shivered.

Wow, that woman’s gaze just now was as seductive as a vixen.

Was she hinting at something?

“It feels like her last words had another meaning… Seems Xingyue is planning something big soon.”

“Zhizhi, that girl, just had to pull me into becoming a magical girl at a time like this… tui!”

She silently spit on Zhizhi, covered her cup, and fell into a deep sleep.

In her dream, she had another strange dream.

She dreamed she was submerged in a viscous black liquid, but as she moved within it, it was smooth as silk—like with just a bit of force, she could travel to any corner of the world.

And when that black viscous liquid flowed over her body, it made a soft rustling sound, so comfortable that Luo You nearly soared on the spot.

But just as she was powering up for takeoff, she suddenly saw a spot of white in her vision—

In an instant, the pitch-black world turned to blinding pure white, sunlight shining through the window.

“…Uh?”

Luo You woke up blankly, drool still on her lips.

“What…time is it?”

Judging by the light, it was probably around three or four in the afternoon.

Luo You groggily got up.

“Ah, I think I had a weird dream…”

Her mind gradually cleared.

Having experienced it several times, she could more or less guess what kind of dream it was.

“Did I awaken a new power again…?”

She looked at her own palm and squeezed it.

“Weird… Did I remember wrong?”

There was no sensation of having awakened a new ability.

Probably just a mistake—after all, the last time she awakened was seven years ago.

Shaking her head and realizing she couldn’t get back to sleep, she got dressed, put on her socks, and took a cab to the Huahai City Entertainment Center.

***

At the same time

In a building next to Huahai City Entertainment Center…

“Any news on the whereabouts of the Ashen Witch?”

“Not yet.”

“Hurry up!”

“Should we try contacting the Outsider Organization again?”

“No, for now we don’t know what Erella’s attitude towards Ariel is. It’s said that Erella quite appreciates her, so the Ashen Witch can only be considered ‘missing by accident.’”

“Understood…”

“What about the Gluttonous Giant Spirit? How’s the work progressing there?”

“Number Three is secretly in touch with it. He says talks are going well. The Gluttonous Giant Spirit’s goal is the same as ours: Ariel.”

“So Gluttonous also wants the power of the Black Candle Giant Spirit? No, there must be another reason.”

After finishing his tasks, a young man who looked so utterly ordinary slowly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the Huahai City Entertainment Center building across the way.

A wicked smile gradually curled at the corner of his mouth.

“Akabane… Let’s hope those juniors you favored don’t disappoint me.”