“Rosemary, wait a moment—I have something to ask you.”
“Huh? What is it…?”
After casually inquiring about Snake Fang’s whereabouts, Xia Mo was about to leave, but the Director’s sudden request left her feeling a little uneasy.
Could it be that her actions had been too suspicious and made the Director wary?
If the Director found out she was cooperating with Ming Die, she’d definitely get a harsh scolding, right?
After all, Ming Die was an enemy, standing on the opposite side of them magical girls.
“Have you been hiding something from us lately?”
Xia Mo’s heart skipped a beat.
Oh no, the Director really found out about her cooperation with Ming Die!
And judging from how certain the Director sounded, she must already have solid, irrefutable evidence and was just waiting to confront her today.
“N-no, Director, what are you talking about?”
Xia Mo tried to deny it, even though she was starting to panic.
Maybe… just maybe the Director didn’t have full proof yet?
The Director stared sharply at the purple-haired girl across from her.
A drop of cold sweat rolled down Xia Mo’s forehead.
She was really bad at lying! Being stared at like this by the Director—her legs were already starting to tremble!
“I know her personality too. She doesn’t like our side, and doesn’t want to be involved with us,” the Director said, shaking her head.
Huh?
The Director also knew Ming Die?
Xia Mo was a bit surprised.
From the tone, it was almost like they were old acquaintances…
“You’re not telling me about her because she asked you not to, right?”
Xia Mo silently nodded.
She had expected a storm of scolding, but surprisingly, the Director’s attitude was rather calm… even a little supportive?
Could it be that the Director had long noticed Ming Die and wanted to bring her over to their side?
Ming Die might look fierce, but Xia Mo didn’t find her that hard to get along with.
If everyone could team up to fight monsters together, wouldn’t that be great?
“Well, since it was her request, I won’t press you further. But Rosemary,” the Director stood up and gently patted Xia Mo’s shoulder, “hogging everything for yourself isn’t a good habit, you know?”
That sentence completely threw Xia Mo off.
Hogging?
What did she mean by that?
Was cooperating with Ming Die considered hogging?
“Director, you mean…?”
“Bring Linglan and Siam along too. Since she’s training you, adding two more rookies shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
The Director flashed a cunning, almost merchant-like smile.
“Ah, I didn’t expect you could actually convince Byakuya to train you.”
Byakuya-senpai?
Xia Mo blinked in confusion.
“Director, you mean Byakuya-senpai?”
“Of course—who else do you think I meant?”
The Director looked puzzled, as if her meaning had been obvious.
She didn’t get along with their Magic Department, had been secretly meeting with Rosemary these past few days, and was keeping it all confidential—who else could it be but Byakuya?
“N-nothing, nothing… Director, how did you know I was being trained by Byakuya-senpai?”
Xia Mo quickly changed the subject.
Luckily, her connection with Ming Die hadn’t been exposed.
If she could just stall for time a little longer—if she and Ming Die could drive off Snake Fang’s people—they could go back to being on opposing sides, and the Director wouldn’t suspect a thing.
“Don’t assume the Magic Department’s mana detection devices are fake. You flew around the entire Xinghai City so many times—your magic fluctuations were captured ages ago.”
The Director figured Xia Mo really underestimated the Magic Department’s capabilities.
With the kind of powerful magical energy a magical girl emits, even their worst equipment could detect it easily.
“Oh… I see.”
“Flying around Xinghai City is Byakuya’s signature training method. Combined with the previous sightings you all reported, it wasn’t hard for me to guess that you’ve gotten involved with that person.”
Xia Mo blinked—so flying around the city really was Byakuya-senpai’s signature training method.
She had thought Byakuya was just messing with her on purpose.
“I don’t know where she’s been all these years, living it up somewhere, or why she didn’t even bother telling me, her old friend, that she was back—but knowing she’s still around is already the best news.”
The Director sighed deeply, a nostalgic glint in her eyes.
“These past few days, Linglan has also been begging me for special training, so I figured—since Byakuya is already training you, adding two more rookies shouldn’t be a problem.”
After hearing that, Xia Mo couldn’t help but feel the Director was treating Byakuya-senpai like some kind of tool.
What did she mean by “since she’s already training you, adding two more isn’t a big deal”?
Even if her two juniors were well-behaved, training one person versus training three was definitely not the same thing.
“Director, wouldn’t that make Byakuya-senpai unhappy? After all…”
Xia Mo voiced her concern in a small voice.
“Unhappy? Ha! Xiaoxiang, let me be blunt—knowing I’m sending more newbies her way would thrill her!”
The Director crossed her arms and let out a sharp snort.
“Huh?”
“She’s sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, and she loves messing with people—especially cute juniors.”
Seeing Xia Mo’s doubtful expression, the Director chuckled knowingly.
“Your Byakuya-senpai isn’t as noble and serious as you think. Honestly, she’s kind of a troublemaker.”
“Her training will make you stronger, sure. But during that time, you’ll basically be her toys—she can mess with you however she likes.”
“There was even a time she came to me, asking if I could lend her a few newbies to play with. I let them follow her for just one day, and they came running back saying they couldn’t take it anymore.”
At this point, the Director looked helpless.
If Xinghai City didn’t urgently need more combat power, she wouldn’t be bothering Byakuya at all.
Compared to the Magic Department’s more gradual, step-by-step training methods, Byakuya’s style was brutal—but undeniably effective.
The difficulty?
It scaled very steeply.
Still, this was exactly what the Director needed right now.
“So, Rosemary, I want you to ask Byakuya for me—see if she’s willing to take on two more rookies.”