“Is that so… So much happened while I was away.”
After hearing Ji Yue’s account, Xing Yue’s emotional changes were secondary; what really stood out was the slightly troublesome aura she emitted.
On her way back, she had already caught wind of the related news but never expected it to be so outrageous.
“Xing Yue, what do you think about this?”
Ji Yue asked impatiently.
“Don’t rush. I’ll first communicate with Manjusaka. Giving my opinion before talking to those involved isn’t a good choice.”
Ji Yue was dumbfounded.
Among all the possible answers, she never expected this one.
She couldn’t help but open her mouth bitterly.
Their perspectives were simply on different levels.
If Xing Yue said to her now, “I don’t agree with Manjusaka’s approach,” but then changed her stance after talking to Manjusaka, this inconsistency would silently undermine the image of the First Seat.
As the First Seat and spiritual leader of the Magical Girls, she couldn’t show any wavering to those below.
“Xing Yue, do you think I should—uh!” Before Ji Yue could finish, Xing Yue had already vanished without a trace.
She didn’t even notice her coming and going.
That gap in awareness was just too much…
Ji Yue finally faced reality—she had little influence in this whirlpool.
【But if I can at least act as a slight check… I can still help a little!】
She decided to focus on her own duties.
Instead of trying to change the entire magical alliance atmosphere like Manjusaka and Xing Yue, it was better to first boost morale within her own team—that was her duty and foundation.
The first priority to stabilize… was indeed her niece.
Luo Zining was already the second-in-command of the Nine Abyss Sea Magical Girls, but she was only eighteen years old.
This age also happened to be the average for most magical girls. Once Luo Zining was steady, the others would follow.
Half an hour later—
“Auntie, what do you want with me?”
Luo Zining asked, puzzled.
Ji Yue frowned.
“What did you just call me? How many times have I told you, use titles during work!”
“Ah—!”
“No next time.”
“Senior Nami came to see me…”
“Xing Yue and I talked just now. I want to know your thoughts on the current situation.”
“First Seat Xing Yue is back?!”
Luo Zining squealed with excitement.
“Keep your voice down, it’s still a secret for now.”
“Oh, okay!”
Luo Zining calmed down and then replied, “I don’t have much to say. I’ve just been doing what I need to.”
“You weren’t like this during the meeting at Seidheim.”
“Hmm… nothing much, really. I just feel those aren’t my concerns. Worrying about them only causes trouble.”
Luo Zining’s answer was fine, but her calmness felt somewhat unreal to Ji Yue.
She let Luo Zining leave first.
The moment the door closed behind her, Ji Yue closed her eyes.
“…Does she really think that? Or is she just unwilling to face reality on her own?”
Luo Zining didn’t feel any confusion.
Having experienced her foster father’s—or rather, Eleira’s—brainstorms, nothing could stir her emotions anymore.
Besides, since she had decided to make that old Lind see her differently, she couldn’t let him witness any immature side of hers.
She didn’t feel anything especially deep about the predicament magical girls currently faced.
It just seemed… far removed from her.
After all, the ones who resisted magical girls were the corrupt higher-ups, and most magical girls had nothing to do with their malice.
Even if some girls were emotionally affected, a little guidance would fix everything.
“Ah.”
Luo Zining suddenly remembered something.
It was known: Old Lind was Eleira, but Xing Yue let Old Lind stay at her dorm in Huahai City.
Wasn’t this a classic case of inviting the wolf into the house?
No wonder Old Lind had used Xing Yue’s pillow as a footrest—what a dirty revenge!
“Should I tell First Seat Xing Yue about this?”
Having just said nothing could shake her inner calm, she immediately became troubled.
Xing Yue had considered her family situation and arranged for Luo Youyou to live somewhere safe.
If because of her mistake, the most respected First Seat was tainted by Old Lind… that would be a disaster.
Emmm……
With this worry, Luo Zining headed to the training duty room.
Inside, her good friends Jellyfish and Huahua were fiercely confronting each other, with a crowd of magical girls watching behind them.
“Huh?”
The tense atmosphere in the team made Luo Zining’s previously indifferent expression vanish.
“What… happened?”
Meanwhile—
At Luo You’s home, an unexpected visitor had arrived—or rather, an uninvited guest.
“Oh! Youyou!”
Zhizhi burst in without knocking, calling out familiarly, “Youyou, I heard! You’re unemployed now, right? A jobless wanderer who can’t even afford food?”
“Why are you so happy? And where did you hear that from?”
Luo You, listlessly crawling on the living room floor, pouted unhappily.
“Also, don’t worry about my meals! Even if I had no money, there’d be big sisters on the street willing to treat me all night!”
“Ehh~~ I don’t remember having such a filthy, promiscuous mom like you.”
Zhizhi quickly jogged over to the crawling Luo You and squatted down, paying no mind as her skirt was glimpsed from below.
“Since you’re free now, why not just join my team?”
Luo You looked up at her.
“Is there a salary?”
“Hmph, don’t worry. My team’s pay is great—better than working civil service.”
“Ha, alright.” Luo You agreed.
After all, having nothing left, doing nothing would truly bore her to death.
She couldn’t risk going deep into the Boundary Sea again for some supposedly ‘good’ goods.
“You said it! It’s settled then! Let’s go to the branch office now to complete the steps to become a Magical Girl!”
Zhizhi was delighted, the usual BGM sounding around them, light and cheerful.
In her heart, she thought: 【Haha! Even if in the story you’re a succubus demon mom of a girl, here in the team I’m your direct superior!】
What kind of sparks would this collision produce?
She was excited to find out~
As for Xing Yue’s opposition, Zhizhi had already planned not to let Luo Youyou go frontline for now—just experience life as a magical girl in the rear.
What happened later could be decided then.
At some point, Luo You had stretched her head under Zhizhi’s squatting skirt and asked:
“What are the steps to become a magical girl? It’s not some kind of biogenetic modification, right?”
“Too bad~ You guessed wrong. It’s picking a transformation device that suits you, and then developing your inherent magic.”
“Oh~ cool, then let’s go now?”
“Let’s go.”
“Go!”