“It’s a bit complicated.”
Ye Xingling commented on this. Although she did understand what her sister was trying to express, she still couldn’t let go of her grudge. Everyone was working hard for humanity, so why did they have to balance each other out?
“Complicated is right. That’s human nature.”
Ye Xingyao tried to lean back against the chair, only to be surprised to find that the stool she had brought had no backrest at all. She nearly tipped over backward, but Yi Shiyue, who had been keeping an eye on her, swiftly got up and came behind her to catch her.
“Ah, thanks, Xiaoyue.”
Gently rubbing against the softness behind her head, Ye Xingyao sincerely thanked her.
See? This was her Xiaoyue. Amazing!
“Hey, so does that mean I have to go to school again?”
Ye Xingling watched the heartwarming scene between her sisters and suddenly realized what was going on. The Transcendent Academy her sister mentioned, stuffing magical girls into it—wasn’t that about her?
“Yeah, that’s the solution I came up with.”
Ye Xingyao nodded in acknowledgment. She was also a bit puzzled. When did her little sister become less resistant to school? She’d been talking for so long without any reaction.
Now it seemed that the little idiot hadn’t realized it at all.
“Hey—! School again…”
Ye Xingling wore a troubled expression, but since there was a guest present, she couldn’t pretend to be too upset, so she just dragged out her words to show her dissatisfaction.
“Xingyao-sis, do I have to go to school too?”
Fumier, who had been sitting silently, pressing her belly and watching them chat with a smile, now joined the conversation.
“…”
Ye Xingyao then realized that in this room, aside from herself, Xiaoyue, and Shiyue-jie who didn’t need to go to school, everyone else was a problem girl who didn’t want to attend school…
“Well, if you go to school with your seniors, you might find some common ground? Fumier, you’d probably be with me and Xiaoyue.”
Ye Xingyao racked her brain for reasons to lure the two little ones into school. Clever as she was, she actually came up with a few.
Her little sister probably wouldn’t dislike her seniors, and with herself around, Fumier would likely be fine. That would be the perfect solution!
“It’s not that complicated. Just take your own little team, including those magical girls, and form a separate class. The Human Alliance probably won’t say anything—they still don’t know how to teach magical girls anyway. Better to leave it to you and Yunque Qiluo.”
“Have you thought it through? If you have, I’ll go give the Human Alliance my answer.”
Hongye Qiu looked into Ye Xingyao’s eyes. In matters like this, she never made decisions for her as a Guide. She only laid out the pros and cons and gave her Ye Xin-sister some information. She trusted that this shrewd little girl would make a reasonable choice.
This was the tacit understanding she and Ye Xingyao had developed over a long time.
“Alright, let’s settle it for now. We’ll talk when the Human Alliance comes to negotiate terms.”
Ye Xingyao nodded. Based on her understanding of the Human Alliance, agreeing to these demands was almost certain. However, what she really wanted from the Human Alliance was information about her Promotion Ritual and her Star Elf identity.
The price for that information might be more than she could afford.
“Grr… Do magical girls really have to go to school?”
Ye Xingling made one last reluctant struggle. She wasn’t that opposed to school, but the rigid, step-by-step atmosphere really gave her a headache.
“Yes.”
Ye Xingyao nodded expressionlessly.
“If you don’t want to end up after your magical girl career by collecting a sum of money, holing up at home all day drinking cola and playing games, unable to offer any hospitality when your magical girl friends visit, having nothing in common to talk about, gradually drifting apart from everyone, and growing old alone—then you still need to study.”
“That’s terrifying!”
Ye Xingyao’s words struck straight at her sister’s heart. The little shut-in, who had been somewhat reclusive, now had reliable seniors. She didn’t want to drift away from the care she had finally gained—no way!
“Then study hard. I’m not asking for great grades from you. Just learn some useful ways of thinking, be able to solve tricky problems on your own. At the very least, when faced with a tough issue, think about trying instead of giving up or standing by.”
“Oh? Little Ye Xin, you can say things like that? Did getting a girlfriend give you a taste of maternal radiance?”
Hongye Qiu, who had been watching the show, raised an eyebrow at Ye Xingyao’s words and teased her in surprise.
The old Ye Xin would never say such soft, gentle words. Even when she gave in, it was with a somewhat performative act. Now, she seemed much more agreeable than before.
Hmm… It felt like she was becoming a real girl?
“Mm-hmm! Xingyao-sis is like a real big sister!”
Fumier looked at Ye Xingyao with adoration. To her, this Star Elf lady was the perfect image—strong, decisive, with a bit of cleverness, yet able to guide her own people step by step with reason and emotion.
As expected of Star Elf sister!
Ye Xingyao looked at Fumier’s fangirl-like gaze and found herself momentarily speechless.
Fumier was sometimes too clever, and other times truly like a little girl her age, showing her unique innocence and clumsiness.
This house full of girls… only Xiaoyue and Hongye-jie didn’t need her to worry too much…
“Oh, the Human Alliance says they’ll come talk terms with you tomorrow or the day after. I set the location at my place. We’ll wait for them to notify the exact time.”
Hongye Qiu quickly received a reply from Li Xiang. The Human Alliance had been quite efficient lately. Maybe it was because the Satellite City had stirred up some trouble, and everyone was scrambling for merits.
“Got it.”
“Then I’ll head back. The Hunter’s Union has a lot on my plate.”
Hongye Qiu stood up, said a brief farewell to the girls in the room, and walked out of the safehouse without looking back.
“Hongye-jie… seems really busy…”
Fumier moved closer to Ye Xingyao and whispered as she watched the graceful figure leave.
“Yeah.”
Ye Xingyao nodded with feeling.
“Oh, by the way, Miss Fumier, are you planning to live elsewhere? Our place should be rebuilt soon. Why not come stay with us first?” Yi Shiyue, noticing that Ye Xingyao seemed to have forgotten about this, proposed.
“I… can I?”
“Of course. There are also some things we’d like to ask you.”
Ye Xingyao nodded and shot a grateful look at Yi Shiyue, who returned a sweet smile.