The radiance of friendship and dreams enveloped Luo You and Hai Ling, silently pressing upon Luo Zining and the others.
But in reality, it was only because they were standing where the sunlight shone.
What a joke. Can true friendship and bonds really be seen with the naked eye?
Xing Yue saw through all this clearly, wondering what this little she-devil was up to.
“It’s coming!”
Luo You suddenly launched an attack! She dribbled all the way beneath the hoop, with Hai Ling right behind her. The two of them broke through Luo Zining and the others’ defense like there was no one there, striking straight to the heart of the fortress! Targeting that round opening, she hurled the scorching ball with all her might! The force was like that of a cannon—if it hit the mark, it would mean the enemy’s complete defeat!
“Don’t even think about it!”
Luo Zining darted over with a fierce look, ignoring Luo You’s utterly rule-breaking, never-touching-the-ground dribbling. But honestly, Luo Zining’s own moves were a bundle of violations.
Still, as they say, when girls play basketball, the rules might as well go straight into the trash can; almost everyone just plays on instinct.
And Luo Zining was really going at it.
In this situation, even throwing an elbow would be considered pretty normal, right?
“Haha! You can’t stop me!”
Seeing the big girl blocking her way, Luo You used her small size to dart under her arm.
“I told you, don’t even think about getting around—!?”
Luo Zining’s eyes locked onto Luo You’s movements. When she saw Luo You slip beneath her arm, her body reacted on instinct, swinging her right arm to intercept.
Her elbow closed in on Luo You’s face.
Thud!
The basketball that was never supposed to leave her hand went flying, and Luo You’s petite frame crashed uncontrollably to the ground.
“Lord Golden Scales!?”
Hai Ling, Mu Shui, and the others couldn’t care less about the match now—they all rushed over.
“Eh?! Are, are you alright?”
Luo Zining also ran over in a panic. “Where did my elbow hit!?”
Swish!
Luo You sprang to her feet in a flash, waving her hand to reassure everyone. “I’m fine, I blocked it with my hand.”
“Whew… scared me to death…” Hai Ling exhaled carefully, shooting Luo Zining a reproachful look.
Guilt was guilt, and Luo Zining checked again and again. “Th-then, are you really okay? I didn’t mean to…”
Luo You shook her head. “It’s nothing, just an elbow, right? Any magical girl can block something like that. If you can’t handle this, how can you be a magical girl?”
“!?”
Luo Zining took a hundred thousand points of damage, her stomach faintly aching.
At this moment, Hai Ling pulled out a red card from her pocket. “Red Riding Hood, you fouled! Red card, off the court.”
Luo Zining knew Hai Ling just didn’t want her and Golden Scales to keep escalating the conflict, but to get sent off by a good friend in front of everyone…
“Red Riding Hood, you’re way too into this. No need, no need~” Huahua teased.
“…Don’t you all want to win?”
“Not at all,” Jellyfish said. “If anything, you’re the only one taking this seriously, Red Riding Hood.”
Luo Zining was speechless.
So… it was just her…
Looking closer, she felt deeply unsatisfied.
Everyone else was playing just for the honor of treating Lord Xing Yue and Lord Golden Scales to a meal, but she alone…
If she were still back in Flower Sea City, she probably would’ve felt just like her teammates. But ever since she started training on the front lines, her mindset had changed.
But right then, Luo Zining suddenly realized: Change doesn’t happen to everyone at once.
Aside from her, everyone else had stayed the same.
Luo You narrowed her eyes, watching the dazed Luo Zining who had been sent off the court, her lips parting slightly.
Change…?
After that, without Luo Zining in the game, the result was naturally one-sided. Luo Zining and her team had to treat everyone to dinner that afternoon.
“Xing Yue, you pick the restaurant,” Luo You said.
“Then… let’s try some Yu cuisine. How about this place?”
“Wow! I’ve heard of this one—they say it’s super expensive!”
“Eh? I thought the prices were pretty normal… If it’s not suitable, I can choose another.”
“No, no, no, we can afford this, right? Red Riding Hood?” Suddenly called out, Luo Zining was caught off guard and glanced at Golden Scales.
After all, she’d elbowed the other party—it was only fair to spend some money treating her to something nice, right?
“I don’t mind. I save all my 8,000-a-month living expenses, and I get over 10,000 pocket money every month. Treating everyone once is no big deal.”
“Wow! Turns out Red Riding Hood is a rich kid after all?!”
“Send me 50 and let’s see your real power!”
Listening to her teammates’ praise, Luo Zining started to get a little carried away.
But Luo You was itching to curse.
Damn it! She gets 10,000 in pocket money from her aunt every month, and still dares to ask me for 8,000 a month in living expenses?
Damn…
You little skinner, Luo!
[My aunt never even gave me any money for keeping me, I even had to pay her back! Why does she get 10,000 a month without paying with her body?]
Luo You was extremely unbalanced inside.
No, next time I can’t just focus on milking my aunt for buns—I’ve got to milk her wallet too!
Yu Cuisine Restaurant—
After everyone was seated, Xing Yue got up. “I’ll step out for a bit.” “Alright.”
Once Xing Yue left, Huahua immediately whispered, “Is Lord Xing Yue going to the bathroom?” “Are you stupid? A magical girl of Xing Yue’s level doesn’t need to use the bathroom.” “Really? That’s incredible!”
“…”
Hearing this, Luo You sneered inwardly.
Whether Xing Yue needed the bathroom depended entirely on how nimble her fingers were!
Even someone like Xing Yue, in bed, is still just a female!
On the other side—
Xing Yue went out and called the owner of the Yu cuisine restaurant on her phone.
“Give the guests in VIP 13 a 90% discount, understand?” “Eh? No, wait, 90% off is just—” “Do it. Who’s the boss here, you or me?” “Of course it’s you! Got it, got it—90% off!”
“And remember, not a single chili pepper in their dishes. Go light on the wine, and bring honey tangerine tea.”
“Understood, understood.”
After the call, Xing Yue returned to the private room.
There was laughter and chatter.
At the same time—
Deep in the Boundary Sea.
A hundred-meter-long ship cruised through the Boundary Sea. Despite its primitive sails, it moved with surprising speed.
“Miss Bai He, we’ve reached the general area. Should we release the drones to search?” “Release them.”
Over a hundred prepared drones swarmed into the sky.
“Hah—”
Bai He let out a long sigh.
It had been days since she set out for the Boundary Sea. In that time, she’d faced countless dangers, finally arriving in the approximate area where the Black Candle Colossus was sealed.
She didn’t know how many more days it would take to find the Black Candle Colossus.
But unexpectedly, it only took a moment to find it.
“Found it! Lord Bai He, it’s thirteen nautical miles northwest!” “Advance with caution!”
The place ahead—she had found it, but Bai He felt no relief.
Because what she was about to face was the strongest, most terrifying demon known among dimensional behemoths.