“Then I’m just an ordinary person. I don’t have any special abilities to look after others like you guys do. Just completing the mission and making sure I come back in one piece takes everything I’ve got…”
Ye Xingyao shrugged, spread her small hands, and let out a helpless sigh.
“It’s just an investigation mission. We don’t expect you to uncover anything massive. The main goal is for you to get familiar with a few of the new generation of magical girls. Although there’s a slight suspicion of exploiting their friendship, it’s a necessary collaboration,” Hong Yeqiu explained, picking up her teacup and taking a sip to savor the flavor.
She knew that for a girl as clever as Ye Xingyao, she wouldn’t accept such a request unless most of the objectives were laid out clearly. She could have been fooled in the past, but now, the two of them were far too familiar with each other’s styles.
“The one leading the team with you is ‘Skylark.’ she will handle all the information gathering and planning. You’re only being brought in as a safety guarantee.”
“You really think too highly of me. You know perfectly well I’m not a team-player hunter. I don’t know where you get the confidence that I can take care of people.”
Ye Xingyao curled her lip.
“That’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own. Besides, aren’t you a Star Elf now? You’re hardly an ordinary person anymore. You need to experience combat to test the Salvation Power within the Elf Language.”
“I don’t feel like this body has any Salvation Power,” Ye Xingyao said, looking down.
She glanced past her slightly curving chest toward her Absolute Territory—the area of skin between her skirt’s hem and her over-the-knee socks—and her expression became complicated.
‘I don’t know if I can save the world, but with this pretty face, this body should be considered a… what was that word? A nuisance? No, I shouldn’t say that about myself. Oh, right, a femme fatale.’
“You can discover that for yourself. Afterward, the Star-Shadow rank hunter exam will be waiting for you. It’s getting late, little Yexin. Big Sister is hungry, go make some food.”
Hong Yeqiu waved her hand and leaned back into the leather sofa. Her waterfall of black hair spilled out haphazardly around her as she spoke with a bored tone.
“I knew it…”
She knew it! The reason this woman asked her to meet offline at her own house was definitely so she could cook! This woman was even more devious than she was!
“I bought ingredients. Go check the kitchen and make whatever you want. Go on, go,” Hong Yeqiu urged.
“The special cuisine of the Ye family isn’t something just anyone gets to taste!”
Ye Xingyao would never be a slave! No matter what, she wasn’t the kind of girl who could be beckoned and dismissed so easily! She, Ye Xingyao, was a handful!
Ye Xingyao tilted her chin up, putting on a textbook tsundere expression.
Nearby, Yi Shiyue observed her with curiosity.
‘Yexin… doesn’t usually make expressions like that. Is it because she used to be male? Or is she just acting reserved in front of me and the Star Spirit to make us feel at ease?’
She thought the current Yexin was much cuter.
“Oh? And?”
Hong Yeqiu, who had already closed her eyes, opened them just a crack and looked at Ye Xingyao with a beaming smile.
“I’ll need extra pay.”
Ye Xingyao stood up, walked over to Hong Yeqiu, and held out her small hand.
“Rich lady, I’m hungry, feed me~”
“Heh, that depends on your performance~”
“Understood! Maid Number One, Yexin, is at your service! Please let me know if you have any needs other than cooking!”
The shift from haughty to humble was so sudden it was laughable.
“Um, do you need help? Yexin?”
Yi Shiyue felt it wasn’t right to just sit there doing nothing, so she offered to help cook. Furthermore, she was quite confident in her own culinary skills.
“No need, just let her do it herself. I have something I want to talk to you about.”
After signaling Ye Xingyao to head to the kitchen, Hong Yeqiu sat up again and looked Yi Shiyue up and down.
“Truly impressive. This magic makes it impossible to see any trace of a Moon Elf. Since she brought you here, stop looking at me with such wary eyes. She calls you Yue, so Yiwena was obviously an alias… What’s your real name?”
Hong Yeqiu looked at the black-haired, black-eyed Yi Shiyue and compared her to the white-haired, purple-eyed elf from the previous night. If Ye Xingyao hadn’t been the one to bring her, she definitely wouldn’t have recognized her as the Moon Elf from that night.
“Yi Shiyue.”
Based on her trust in Ye Xingyao, the wariness in Yi Shiyue’s eyes diminished significantly. However, she was still internally questioning Hong Yeqiu’s intentions for sending Yexin away to speak with her privately.
“A nice name. Can I call you Yue, then? Yue, do you know why I arranged this mission for her?”
Hong Yeqiu’s expression turned serious. She faced the direction of the kitchen, seemingly watching Ye Xingyao’s busy silhouette.
“I assume it isn’t for a shallow reason like her being very strong…”
The impression Hong Yeqiu gave her now was that of someone powerful and casual, yet someone who was always calculating something hidden.
Following that train of thought…
“Are you preparing some reliable connections for her?”
After a moment of silence, Yi Shiyue voiced the possibility she had considered.
“Mm, that is indeed one of the reasons. Not bad,” Hong Yeqiu nodded and continued. “I don’t know what Yexin looks like in your eyes. You should be more familiar with her side as an ordinary person. It seems the name Yexin is just a code name. Whether it’s the fact that she doesn’t exist in the database or your reaction, I can tell. But that isn’t important.”
“She…”
“You don’t need to tell me her situation. I’m not a woman who can’t read the room. Although I’m curious how she used magic when she was a normal person, I’ve already guessed eighty or ninety percent of her secrets. I won’t make things difficult for you.”
Hong Yeqiu interrupted the hesitant Yi Shiyue, picked up the teapot to refill her own cup, took a sip, and continued.
“I don’t know what she’s carrying, and I don’t know what you’re carrying. From the time I met her until we became familiar with each other’s temperaments, she would only occasionally mention her younger sister at home or the childhood friend next door. Over time, I’ve come to treat her like my own younger sister.”
“Because of that, I was able to see the loneliness beneath her mask. Every time she handled a mission, she was always alone. Likely to hide her secrets, or perhaps to protect the ordinary people around her. It’s fine normally, but once things get dangerous, she turns into a reclusive lone wolf.”
“There are many hunters like that, but the further up you go, the more dangerous it becomes. And the more dangerous it gets, the more she will fall into a cycle of isolation. I can’t protect her every second of every day, so I need someone who can always be by her side—someone who makes her realize she can rely on others even in the middle of a battle.”
“Can you be that person?”
Hong Yeqiu’s expression was solemn, her face showing a level of sincerity she had never displayed before.
Without a second thought, Yi Shiyue gave a heavy nod.