The day it happened.
Luo You glanced out the window at the journalists waiting below and couldn’t help but complain:
“Come on, this was all Manjusaka’s doing, so why are they all blocking the entrance to my Huahai City branch?”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s because you’re the hottest magical girl around, aside from the Ten Seats.”
Luo You didn’t even need to turn her head.
Just by hearing the sudden elegant BGM in the air, she knew a certain brat had arrived beside her.
“As expected of my subordinate. I watched yesterday’s video—you handled that trap set against you really well.”
Zhizhi leaned over next to her and said, “You stayed calm in the face of danger and turned the tables on them. Winner takes all. Maybe you did even better than I would have~”
There was a hidden meaning in her words, but Luo You paid it no mind.
“Back to the point. Right now, the internet is buzzing with talk that Lord Jinlin, you are a member of the Manjusaka Faction. Those reporters want to clear things up with you—makes sense.”
Luo You shot her a glance, assuming a leader’s stance and scolded, “What nonsense are you spouting? How many times have I told you—not to say things that aren’t good for unity! Especially when it involves the Ten Seats!”
“Hmm?”
Zhizhi froze for a second.
Luo You continued, “What’s all this ‘this faction, that faction’? A group of magical girls with two separate factions? Isn’t that a betrayal of the ideals of magical girls? Or do you really wish for a Manjusaka Faction so you can join them?”
“…I don’t want to improve, so I don’t need to.”
“Oh, is that so? Never mind then.”
“Ridiculous.”
Zhizhi felt that Luo You seemed to really enjoy acting, often slipping into strange roles out of nowhere.
And saying she wanted to join the Manjusaka Faction… what a joke, she herself was a faction!
Who didn’t know that the Zhizhi Corps she led was a breath of fresh air among magical girls?
Luo You was done with the act and returned to the main topic.
“So, do I have to answer them or not?”
“Sa~ I don’t know~”
“Then I’ll just speak on behalf of Zhizhi, okay?”
“Go ahead, be my guest!”
“…Be my guest, what?”
Luo You’s middle-school education limited her understanding.
But even an academician probably couldn’t decipher Zhizhi’s made-up vocabulary.
Luo You leaned against the railing, gazing downward, and said emptily, “Hmm… Hard to imagine someone as meticulous as Manjusaka could make such a mistake.”
(Poke poke)
She turned back and saw Zhizhi holding her index finger to her lips.
“Shh~~ Don’t say it.”
“…So you know something too, Zhizhi.”
“Don’t you?”
“Hehehe, who knows? People are all different. Maybe I, Zhizhi, have already seen the final layer, while you’re still on the third one.”
“Hahahahahaha!”
The two shared an evil, knowing laugh.
After that, Zhizhi left.
Zhizhi’s special trip to Huahai City hadn’t resulted in any constructive conversation.
Luo You didn’t even know why she had come.
Maybe she’d intended to offer some comfort, but after confirming a few things, decided there was no need to say anything more.
***
In the days following Manjusaka’s cross-border actions and the massive civilian casualties, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of most countries issued condemnations.
Before, the world could still tolerate Manjusaka and her group’s cross-border moves, simply because most civilians sided with magical girls—politicians couldn’t find a crack to drive a wedge in.
But now, they had their excuse.
Manjusaka’s warlike actions caused countless civilian deaths and injuries, making for a perfect hot topic.
The local government immediately sought out the families of the victims, filming their misery in as tragic a light as possible, and then splashing it all over the media, painting a picture of magical girls betraying the people.
Then, crowds were blocked from protesting, while banners were hung at Magic Alliance branch offices, ramping up the pressure.
After that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued statements, criticizing those within the country who colluded with Jiehai forces, while also condemning Manjusaka’s reckless actions, joining with other nations in protest and spreading this atmosphere throughout the international community.
It must be said, the effect was remarkable.
The Magic Alliance, already teetering on the edge, now found itself pressured on all sides.
There were Ten Seats giving public speeches, only to be pelted offstage by paid agitators among the crowd.
There were magical girls who, after defeating Dimensional Beasts, were questioned by the very civilians they had just saved.
Many magical girls were stalked, their identities almost exposed.
All of these things erupted at once.
Yet, throughout the entire event, the main character, Manjusaka, never showed her face, making the Magic Alliance’s opponents around the world all the more apprehensive.
Just when everyone thought the Magic Alliance was finished—
Manjusaka appeared.
She appeared before the media.
“When did I ever show up there?”
The crowd of journalists surged with questions.
“But there’s video evidence of you at the scene!”
“Just because there was golden light in the footage, and a single blurry figure from behind—but not even one clear shot of my face—and you’re saying I’m the culprit?”
“Then why didn’t you come out and explain right away?”
“I was personally in Jiehai during that time. It would’ve been impossible for me to show up there.”
“Then what do you have to say about the civilians who died in this incident?”
“I have reason to believe that certain dirty hands deliberately orchestrated an incident to smear magical girls, using the people as pawns to force the Magic Alliance to stop their investigation.”
The press conference ended in chaos.
Although Manjusaka clarified her stance, there were still many who didn’t believe her.
The suspicion merely subsided for the time being, but the situation for magical girls was still worse than before.
Most countries continued to criticize magical girls.
Politicians and the media made trouble and spread rumors—their words and actions could only be described as “abstract.”
Just as everyone thought the matter was over, on the fifth day after Manjusaka’s press conference, she held another one.
Facing the reporters and cameras before her, Manjusaka calmly said:
“I’m very sorry for deceiving everyone before. In fact, on the day of the incident, I was there. I had received relevant intel and went there to apprehend the culprits, but the enemy had already set a trap, which led to the severe accident.”
Flashbulbs crackled over Manjusaka.
“You vicious woman! Finally showing your true colors! How will you take responsibility for the dead?”
“The dead?”
Manjusaka tilted her head lightly.
“Who died?”
She gestured with her hand, and to everyone’s astonishment, more than fifty ordinary citizens—supposedly killed in the disaster—walked out from backstage, along with their families.
“Everyone at the scene had already been swapped out and taken away by my magic. The so-called bodies were nothing but fakes I conjured up with magic.”
“I convinced them to help me stage a performance, temporarily housing them in the branch while I secretly observed their families.”
“As expected, every victim’s family received a large sum of money, and someone instructed them on exactly what to do—I have all the videos.”
“This has greatly sped up our progress in rooting out those human scum. Here, I’d like to thank all the Justice Activists for their enthusiastic cooperation—let’s give them a round of applause.”
“In this incident, whichever faction was the most aggressive is likely already infiltrated by Jiehai’s enemies. These factions will be our main focus from now on.”
“And finally, I hope you all enjoyed these ten days of your very own Clown’s Performance.”
“Now, it’s time to settle accounts.”
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