“Sigh, rules, rules. When will rules ever defeat a Monster?”
Under the gaze of the crowd, Ye Xingyao let out a sigh, walked forward two steps, and tossed the object in her hand toward the Squad Leader.
“What is this supposed to mean?”
The Squad Leader fumbled the catch, and the item Ye Xingyao threw fell directly onto the ground.
“It means we’re doing things by the rules.”
Ye Xingyao stood with her hands on her hips, her head held high and her chest puffed out, looking quite proud of herself.
Unfortunately, the aura she projected didn’t exert any pressure, nor did she look particularly majestic. Instead, she looked… a bit funny? She gave off the impression of a little girl desperately trying to act like an adult.
The Squad Leader didn’t react immediately. Shouldn’t the spokesperson for these girls be that Magical Girl, Yunque? Why was this girl, who looked like a delinquent, stepping up to handle things?
For a moment, the atmosphere dropped to the freezing point.
Then, he looked at the object that had fallen on the ground.
He hadn’t intended to pick it up at first, but the thing looked remarkably like a Hunter Badge.
“Midnight Grade?!”
As he bent down to pick up the badge, the Squad Leader couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.
What was a Midnight-level Hunter doing here? Was she here to clear out small fry like them?
Furthermore, was this young girl actually a Midnight-level Hunter?
The Squad Leader’s mind was in a state of chaos for a moment, but he quickly adjusted himself.
After all, as the leader of a squad, he had a certain level of experience. Bullying a few Magical Girls earlier was just a way to let his men slack off a bit. Now that he had encountered someone with even more weight within the “rules,” a veteran like him found it quite easy to swallow his pride and back down.
Regardless of whether this “Ye Xin” actually possessed the strength of a Midnight-level Hunter, the background required to promote her to such a status within the Hunter’s Union was something he couldn’t afford to provoke.
As for the reason…
“According to the rules set by the Human Alliance for handling special situations, hunters at or above the Midnight Grade possess the highest authority when an Area Manager is not present, due to their sufficient experience in dealing with Monsters,” Yunque explained to the three girls behind her.
In the eyes of the two newly minted Magical Girls, although Ye Xingyao’s figure still didn’t quite look like a Midnight Grade entity, she nonetheless grew significantly more imposing.
“Now, can we leave? We will submit the follow-up report to the Alliance as soon as possible,” Ye Xingyao said with a gentle smile.
“Yes, of course. We will handle our mission ourselves. Miss Ye Xin, please take back your badge.”
After reclaiming her badge, Ye Xingyao turned around and waved to the girls.
“Hey, let’s go. Don’t you guys want to get back and rest? I’m leaving first, then!”
The others finally snapped out of it and, led by Yunque, hurried to catch up with her.
Soon, the girls’ silhouettes disappeared from the Squad Leader’s sight.
***
“I don’t really care much for authority and things like that, but sometimes having a certain status makes things easier to handle,” Ye Xingyao explained regarding her status as a Midnight-level Hunter.
It was also at this moment that she truly began to bond with the two new Magical Girls.
Mainly, Jin Ming was politely calling her “Miss Ye Xin,” while Shuanghua was calling her “Sister Ye Xin” with every other breath. Both titles made her feel quite lightheaded with joy.
“Since when did Miss Ye Xin start being a hunter?” Jin Ming asked curiously.
“Probably… when I was 16 or 17 years old?” Ye Xingyao answered honestly.
“Starting as a hunter at such a young age… Sister Ye Xin is so amazing! Then how long did it take for Sister Ye Xin to become a Midnight-level Hunter?” Ye Xingling looked at her with wide, sparkling eyes.
“That’s a secret. Besides, Miss Shuanghua, asking that sounds a lot like you’re trying to figure out my age,” Ye Xingyao teased with a blink.
“Oh, sorry about that.” Ye Xingling stuck out her tongue, acting cute.
Before Ye Xingyao could say anything else, she felt her arm being pulled into a warm embrace.
It was Yi Shiyue.
She was staring back with her beautiful purple eyes, which held a hint of resentment.
“Um, everyone, I’ll be heading back first! If you need anything, just ask Yunque for my contact info.”
*Xiao Yao used Flee in Panic!*
Actually, she couldn’t be blamed.
Magical Girls naturally possessed a certain charm, with their outfits, hair colors, and contact lenses all filtered through Magic Power. With those two being so sweet-talkative, it was only natural for her to lose herself for a moment.
***
“Senior Jin Ming…”
Ye Xingling watched the two of them leave while snuggled together, her hands clasped over her chest as she wore an expression of someone appreciating a beautiful sight.
“Didn’t I tell you there’s no need to call me Senior!”
Once the two were gone, Jin Ming finally dropped her facade and returned to her persona as a haughty, tsundere young lady.
“Oh… Miss Jin Ming, how old do you think Miss Ye Xin is now?” Ye Xingling was very interested in this kind of gossip!
“I wouldn’t dream of talking about others behind their backs… though Miss Ye Xin doesn’t look very old. Based on when she started as a hunter, she’s probably a college student now,” Jin Ming speculated seriously, pinching her chin.
“A college student, huh? That’s impressive. It would be nice to have a sister like that, unlike my older brother who’s always bullying me at home.”
Ye Xingling inexplicably thought of her brother’s face. If her brother were a sister…
Never mind. If a sister like that and Sister Shiyue were both taken away by bad men, what would a shut-in girl like her do?
“Eh? Is Little Shuanghua bullied by her brother at home? My house is very large; I can allow you to live with me… Furthermore! If Little Shuanghua’s brother refuses to change his ways, I can…”
A sharp glint flashed in Jin Ming’s green eyes, as if she had thought of something terrifying.
“No, no, no, that’s not it, Miss Jin Ming! It’s just normal sibling complaints. Please don’t worry about it, Miss Jin Ming.”
Ye Xingling shook her head frantically, barely managing to pull Jin Ming back from her horrifying thoughts.
This young lady clearly misunderstood. No matter how much she disliked her brother, she wouldn’t actually do anything to the brother who took care of her…
“By the way, Miss Ye Xin and Miss Yiwena… they’re in that kind of relationship, aren’t they?” Ye Xingling quickly found a topic to divert Jin Ming’s attention, preventing her from dwelling on dangerous thoughts regarding her brother.
“Hmm? What relationship? Are they just very close best friends?” Jin Ming asked curiously. It was obvious that Ye Xingling was implying something with “that kind of relationship,” but she really didn’t understand what it meant.
“Well, it’s a bit hard to explain… Miss Jin Ming, do you like reading manga? I’ll bring a few volumes for you to read later, and you should understand then.”
Ye Xingling found herself in a bit of a predicament. Who knew this girl was truly such an innocent “Young Lady”?
“Manga? I would never read such things. But if it’s a recommendation from Little Shuanghua and I can gain knowledge from it… I suppose I can reluctantly study it.”
“Everyone, our car is here,” Yunque, who had been quiet for a long time, reminded them.