Chapter 12 : Luo You’s Scumbag Quotables

The state of emergency in Huahai City had officially been lifted.

Injured magical girls were being transported for treatment.

Damage assessment was underway in the combat zones, with efforts made to track any missing persons.

The entire city was in a frenzy of activity.

No one seemed to remember the magical girl who had sacrificed her body to save others—who, even now, was silently enduring sweat and tears for their sake…

“Commander Zhao!”

Luo Zining reported to the command room.

Among so many magical girls, she was the only one who had come out unscathed.

Naturally, she was called in to give a detailed account of what she had witnessed.

The command room was dimly lit.

Only Zhao Xin was there, and the air carried a heavy, stifling atmosphere.

“Little Red Riding Hood, you’re here.”

Once Zhao Xin confirmed that both Luo Zining and the divinity particles were fine, she pointed at the desk.

“Write down every detail of this mission. I’ll be forwarding your report to headquarters.”

“U-Understood.”

“Oh, right. Keep this in mind—Zhou Xi has been transferred to another district for recovery due to the nature of her injuries. You are not to mention her whereabouts to anyone. Clear?”

“Huh? Didn’t Senior Zhou Xi—”

“She’s been moved to another district to recover. Understood?”

Under Zhao Xin’s intense stare, Luo Zining felt chills run down her spine.

She quickly nodded and replied loudly,

“Understood!”

A teachable child.

Zhao Xin nodded in approval, then walked to the monitor, her eyes fixated on the red silhouette displayed on screen.

“Commander Zhao, what are you looking at?”

“Stop talking and write your report.”

Zhao Xin ignored her entirely, eyes glued to Zhou Xi’s biometric data, every value making her heart pound with nervous energy.

The health status monitor was highly advanced.

Whenever a magical girl’s body sustained injuries, the affected areas on the diagram would shift in color—yellow for minor compression, blue for bleeding, and purple for heavy blood loss.

In other words, Zhao Xin could tell exactly which parts of Zhou Xi’s body were being affected… and vividly imagine the position Zhou Xi was in while being… cough!

One hour later—

“Incredible… Zhou Xi always seemed quiet and reserved. Who knew she could pull off moves like that?”

Two hours later—

“Oh my god, what even is this?! So many areas are turning yellow! Is that… Shibari?!”

Three hours later—

“Little Red Riding Hood, is your report done? If so, step out for a bit. Don’t come back for at least half an hour.”

“…..”

Luo Zining was speechless.

What is wrong with you people?!

A teammate goes through something awful, and instead of worrying, you’re all indulging in wild fantasies.

Now you want the room to yourself for something sneaky?

Is this really what magical girls are like?

“I’ll be back in half an hour!” Luo Zining said excitedly.

She wanted to see it too!

However, as night fell, her enthusiasm faded.

It wasn’t like watching a livestream—everything had to be imagined.

On top of that, she was already exhausted from the mission, so she headed home and passed out early.

Before falling asleep, one last thought drifted through her mind: “Come to think of it, that girl named Ellera… her back looked a little like Dad’s?”

The moment that thought surfaced, she sank into sleep.

When she woke up, it was already the next evening.

Her memory of the day before was fuzzy.

“Dad… Dad—? I’m hungry! Food!”

She called out several times, but there was no response.

Calling Luo You’s phone got her nothing either.

“…Don’t tell me he couldn’t handle becoming a girl and decided to retreat into some hermit NEET lifestyle?”

It was half-joke, half-serious. Luo You didn’t understand her that well, but she understood Luo You perfectly.

As the saying goes: eight out of ten gym-goers are narcissists, and the other two are narcissists in denial.

Judging by how obsessed Luo You had been with his own muscles, he was definitely one of the latter.

Turning into a girl wouldn’t make him depressed—it would send him even deeper into the ocean of self-love.

“His personality might be trash, but that face of his… is still really good-looking…”

Even Luo Zining had to admit, when it came to femininity, she might not even measure up to that old geezer.

Hmph. That old geezer’s not answering his phone—probably fascinated by his new body and off exploring it somewhere!

[Ugh! What if some creepy guy hit on him and dragged him off to a shady love hotel?!]

A cold sweat slid down the side of her face. Luo Zining stood frozen.

Her dad was pretty.

There’s no way he wouldn’t catch the attention of some pervert, right?

“Well, hopefully her first experience turns out okay and she learns to enjoy men… Then when she turns back, she can become a proper BL protagonist!”

······

Beep beep, doot doot.

“Hello? Commander Zhao? I need your help finding someone… yes, just like that… exactly… Uh-huh, very pretty! She left in slippers, total narcissist, looks about sixteen. I’m counting on you.”

Given her status, Luo Zining’s request was processed immediately.

The Magical Alliance began searching the ten-kilometer radius around her home.

“Sheesh, you’re a grown adult—stop making me clean up your messes.”

Leaning against the windowsill, Luo Zining gazed up at the sky with a long sigh.

***

Meanwhile—

Ellera had just stepped out of a room thick with certain… aromas, stretching contentedly.

“Phew! Magical girls really are the best~~”

On the bed, Zhou Xi lay with her eyes rolled back, exposing the whites.

At least she had the decency to keep her tongue from lolling out, preserving the last shred of her dignity as a magical girl.

Had she not still counted as half a patient, Luo You wouldn’t have hesitated to strip even that dignity away.

“Ellera…!”

Zhou Xi sat up shakily, using one arm to shield her chest, her eyes now void of hatred.

“Oh? You’re up already?”

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah. You should get some rest too. I paid for an extra night. Or I can carry you to the shower again.”

“……”

“What’s with that look?”

Ellera tilted her head.

Zhou Xi was staring at her like she was some kind of alien.

Had she said something weird?

After a long silence, Zhou Xi muttered, “You’ve changed.”

“Changed how?”

“You really don’t remember, do you? Seven years ago, you just left without a word. You even left a floor full of cigarette butts behind.”

…Oof.

Ellera rubbed her neck awkwardly.

Her methods back then were indeed simple and brutal.

Magical girls?

If they could still walk, she kept going.

Once done, she’d lift her skirt and vanish—never cleaned up her mess.

“Mm, took a few years off for self-improvement. Seems like it helped.”

“So does that mean you won’t hunt magical girls anymore?”

Zhou Xi asked, her eyes filled with fragile hope.

“Huh? Nah, I’ll totally keep doing it.”

“…What about all that self-improvement?”

“One relapse and boom, back to square one!”

Painful topics were best avoided.

Ellera calmly walked over and picked Zhou Xi up in a princess carry.

“Let’s get you cleaned up. Don’t be so tense—there’s no overtime round. My daughter’s probably waiting anxiously at home.”

Daughter—?!

Zhou Xi took 10,000 points of psychic damage.

Her mouth moved, but no words came out.

Ellera only now realized she’d said too much.

But since Zhou Xi didn’t question it, she let it slide.

In the bathroom, Ellera turned on the shower.

Zhou Xi asked, “Does your daughter know you do such… shameless things?”

Ellera’s eyes widened in mock offense.

“How dare you slander me out of nowhere?”

“???”

Zhou Xi was dumbfounded.

You seriously think you’re innocent after everything you’ve done?

But Ellera simply declared, “Hunting magical girls as a villainous commander isn’t shameless—it’s righteous!”

“That’s literally the definition of shameless.”

“Hmph! You’re alive, aren’t you? Saving lives earns you karmic merit! You all owe your lives to me—say thank you!”

Compared to villains who killed magical girls on sight, tortured them, or used them for experiments, Ellera was basically a saint—case closed!

“Alright, stop moving. I’ll put the body wash on for you.”

Zhou Xi could’ve done it herself, but instead she relaxed, letting those hands touch her freely.

Dazed, she looked at Ellera’s masked face. She reached out, trying to see what lay beneath.

Naturally, Ellera dodged with ease.

“Why won’t you take off your mask?”

Zhou Xi asked, slightly annoyed.

“Did water flood your brain? If I showed you my real face, the Magical Alliance would put a global bounty on me.”

“I doubt that would happen.”

These days, the once-feared enemy group had rebranded as a legal organization.

Publicly, they maintained peace with the Alliance.

There was no way they’d issue a wanted notice now.

“Or is it true, what they say—that you’re so ugly, that’s why you hate magical girls?”

“Are you kidding?! My beauty is unmatched even by the Creator! I just happen to love messing with magical girls.”

Ellera’s tone left no room for argument.

When it came to looks, if the scale was out of ten, she gave herself a hundred.

Zhou Xi was speechless.

If you’re so confident, then show me already!

“Let me see. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Unless I’m brainwashed, I’m not listening to a word of that.”

Ellera looked up—only to meet Zhou Xi’s hurt and resentful gaze.

You really don’t trust me at all… she thought.

But Zhou Xi soon looked down and asked quietly, “Other than me… just how many magical girls have you done this to?”

“Not many. Maybe… a hundred or so?”

Ellera replied without hesitation.

“WHAT—?!”

Zhou Xi’s eyes went wide.

A hundred?!

You could buy a house just collecting hush money from that list!

“Hey hey hey, what are you doing?!”

Ellera flinched as Zhou Xi’s bare foot came flying at her face.

She backed away quickly.

“Why are you kicking me out of nowhere?!”

“I’m leaving!”

Zhou Xi grabbed a basin of hot water, rinsed the soap from her body, and stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door hard.

So unreasonable.

Ellera shook her head, gave herself a quick rinse, and went home.