“Midnight… Rank?”
Seeing Yi Shiyue’s small mouth hanging open in a look of sheer surprise, Ye Xingyao knew she must have misunderstood something.
“In reality, the Hunter Union’s hunter rank and strength level aren’t necessarily linked. For example, as a Midnight-rank hunter, my actual strength isn’t part of the assessment criteria. I just need enough merit points and to have met the prerequisite of successfully participating in hunting three Midnight-class monsters.”
“Ultimately, I really am just an ordinary person.”
Ye Xingyao shrugged.
“I think you’re already amazing, Xingyao…” Yi Shiyue spoke from the bottom of her heart.
‘What exactly has this boy relied on to get where he is today? And why does he possess such power?’ To her, these questions remained an unsolved mystery.
But Ye Xingyao was just Ye Xingyao — her childhood friend and Ye Xingling’s older brother. That was enough.
“Back to the point. What do you plan to do with that stone?”
Ye Xingyao studied the girl before him. How could he not see the worry hidden beneath that familiar, pretty face?
“I… originally planned to send it to my grandmother in the countryside. Even though I lost contact with the elves long ago, Grandma should still have some ties with the local elven tribes… But that anonymous caller contacted me again today.”
“What did he say to you?”
Surely, that was the source of her anxiety.
Thinking of this, Ye Xingyao secretly clenched his fists. If necessary… he would make sure the owner of that “anonymous call” never returned.
“He seems certain that the Star Spirit Stone is in our hands. He demanded that I carry it with me tomorrow, saying he will find me.”
Yi Shiyue’s expression turned somewhat peculiar as she spoke.
“Hmm? How does he dare to show up?”
An elf, venturing deep into a human city to retrieve the Star Spirit Stone? Was he for real?
They wouldn’t even need to do anything. If the Human Alliance caught wind of this, even an elf who reached the Star-Dark rank would have no way out.
Furthermore, with Hongye Qiu right here in Satellite City, Ye Xingyao couldn’t imagine what kind of trump card this anonymous elf had to dare come and harass them alone.
“I don’t know. It feels like… he just sees me as a lone, easily manipulated member of his own race.” Yi Shiyue shook her head and looked at Ye Xingyao with gratitude. “It’s all thanks to you, Xingyao…”
‘Thanks to you, I’m not that lone, easily bossed around “Moon Elf.” Instead, I’m “Yi Shiyue,” someone who has a reliable childhood friend by her side, someone she can share her deepest secrets with and face danger together.’
Then, a warm palm rested on her head, gently ruffling her hair.
The boy’s face seemed to flush slightly.
“Whatever the case, let’s go out together tomorrow. We’ll face it together.”
“…Okay.”
—
When Ye Xingyao pushed open the door to his home, he saw his sister curled up on the sofa, looking at him with a strange expression.
“Big Brother… what exactly were you talking about with Sister Shiyue?”
“Why are you asking?”
“Big Brother… there’s no shame in taking some stamina supplements. After all, the happiness of two people…”
At this point, Ye Xingyao finally realized what that look in his sister’s eyes meant. It was ambiguous, puzzled, and held a hint of disappointment. It was as if she was saying, ‘Big Brother, are you really that incompetent?’
“Go, go, go! Sister Shiyue and I aren’t at that stage yet!”
Who exactly had corrupted his pure and cute sister like this?!
“Huh? Big Brother is unexpectedly pure-hearted!” Ye Xingling looked quite surprised.
“Tch, why are you being such a busybody, kid?”
“Hmph, even the boys in my class know how to confess to girls and bring them home!”
Upon hearing this, Ye Xingyao reached his limit and gave his sister a sharp flick to the forehead.
“Ouch… why are you hitting your sister! Believe it or not, I’ll tell Sister Shiyue that you’re a violent maniac!”
“Go ahead. You think you can change her wonderful impression of your brother?”
“Sheesh, I never noticed you were this narcissistic before.”
“Heh, kids should go to bed early and stop worrying about adult business.”
After saying that, Ye Xingyao returned to his room with an air of triumph. Meanwhile, Ye Xingling turned her head away and curled deeper into the sofa.
Such childish bickering was a common occurrence between the siblings. When Yi Shiyue saw it, she would always tease them about how close they were.
‘Where is it close?!’ Ye Xingling pouted, feeling a bit disgruntled. ‘How come even after becoming a magical girl, I still can’t win a war of words against my own brother? Is this bloodline suppression?!’
—
“So, you believe there’s an elven intelligence network in Satellite City, and it’s practically full of holes?”
Late at night, Ye Xingyao lay in bed. His phone screen lit up with a message from a contact labeled “Big Sister Hongye.”
Cautious as he was, how could he possibly gamble with his and Yi Shiyue’s safety? Insurance — you could never have too much of it.
Magical girls focused on fighting monsters. Although the Human Alliance hated elves, their situation didn’t allow them to seek help from the Alliance.
After thinking it over, only this “big sister” of his was reliable. Of course, in his short career as a hunter, she was the only one who could be considered trustworthy.
‘Truly pathetic.’
“Yes. But the opponent’s strength shouldn’t be bad either. I estimate they’re between Dream-Entry and Midnight rank. If it were a Star-Dark rank elf, they definitely wouldn’t be able to operate under the nose of the Human Alliance.”
“Alright, I understand. So, how does my little Ye Xin want me to get involved in this?”
“If a fight breaks out, just getting there as fast as possible would be enough.”
After all… he didn’t want Hongye Qiu to meet the “Moon Elf” by his side this early, and he certainly didn’t want to expose his “Ye Xin” identity. In “Ye Xin’s” words, this Moon Elf was “her” “best friend.”
Hongye Qiu’s teasing of him was still fresh in his memory.
“Fine. If there’s danger, just crush the maple leaf bookmark I gave you.”
“Oh? Why did you agree so easily? That doesn’t sound like you, my dear Big Sister.”
“Then I won’t help? You ungrateful, bratty sister?”
“Ye Xin was wrong. Ye Xin will never talk smack online again.”
“Little Ye Xin, do you think you’re very humorous?”
The phone screen reflected Ye Xingyao’s snickering face.
“Wuuuu…”
He still had to play the “pity and cute” card when necessary. Even the dignified Midnight-rank hunter Ye Xingyao was forced to go into “business mode.”
“By the way, there’s a promotion assessment for Star-Dark rank hunters coming up. I have a recommendation slot, and I’ve submitted your name.”
“Huh?”
‘Wait, Star-Dark rank? Me? For real?’
“Don’t play dumb. Your merits should be enough; you’re just missing a mission involving hunting a Star-Dark target. The time for this assessment hasn’t been set yet. They’re probably still selecting the targets… it’ll likely be a while before the official test.”
“It’s fine if you fail. Prioritize your own safety. The main point is to let you gain some experience.”
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