Luo You served up the usual trio for guests: biscuits, music, and Ancestor’s Honey Tangerine.
First came the subtle probing.
“You’re injured, yet instead of resting, you come here? What’s the matter?”
Xingyue seemed puzzled. “I’m injured? Who told you that?”
“Every Magical Girl knows, okay? There’s no way to use Zero-Rank Magic and come out unscathed. Ah, unless the one paying the price isn’t you, but Manjusaka instead?”
“No, your guess is correct.”
Xingyue half-reclined on the sofa, graceful and soft as water—the very image of classic beauty.
Her alluring eyes opened slightly.
“Keep it a secret, okay?”
“I never intended to tell anyone.”
To those who had tried to kill Xingyue, it made little difference whether she was at her peak or not—after all, their tactics were already so dangerous that Zero-Rank Magic had to be used in response.
Still, she was a Magical Girl in name, and Xingyue was her superior, so Luo You still pretended to care, bringing over a blanket and covering Xingyue with it.
“Thank you…”
Xingyue looked somewhat surprised at the blanket draped over her.
“What’s with that expression? With your situation right now, is it so strange for me to get you a blanket?”
Xingyue snapped back to herself and immediately came up with a perfect response.
“It’s rare for me, actually. No one’s ever done something like this for me—never had the chance.”
“Heh, what an arrogant thing to say, First Seat.”
Luo You poured her another cup of Honey Tangerine, half-mocking.
“So, Xingyue-sama, even now, you come to me—are you planning to promote me as your temporary replacement?”
“You want my position?”
“It’s just a thought.”
Luo You shrugged.
To be more honest, it wasn’t Xingyue’s position she wanted.
She wanted to sit on Xingyue’s face.
The so-called strongest Magical Girl, the First Seat—when ridden, weren’t they all just small fry~V~
***
“I’m here to discuss something with you. In the coming days, do you want to keep a low profile as a Magical Girl, or maintain your current pace and stay in the spotlight?”
“Oh, just that? Then I’ll choose to stay in the spotlight.”
As a qualified narcissist, how could she possibly keep a low profile?
“I thought so. In that case, nothing more. Take care of yourself—now that you’re so popular, your enemies might come after you.”
Xingyue slowly stood up.
“Wait—!”
Luo You suddenly turned pure and earnest! She shot to her feet, face just like a passionate rookie Magical Girl!
“I… can I learn Zero-Rank Magic too? As a Magical Girl, I want to do my part for the people, for society!”
With that, she bowed deeply.
“…Huh?”
When Xingyue heard this, her dignified face froze, utterly stunned.
“Is it so strange? I really want to learn Zero-Rank Magic to help you, Xingyue-sama! I don’t want you to bear all this pressure alone! Even if learning Zero-Rank Magic would hurt me, I’d do it without hesitation!”
After a while, Xingyue finally gave a light reply.
“Such a heavy responsibility… doesn’t need a rookie like you to shoulder it. I wouldn’t let anyone else have the chance to be a senior like this~”
When Luo You looked up, she saw that Xingyue was already gone.
Tch! Luo You clicked her tongue.
A mere Xingyue—why not just hand over the secrets of Zero-Rank Magic already!
This thing had always hung over her head like the Magical Girl Sanction Rod.
As long as Zero-Rank Magic existed, she was never truly safe.
Nothing to be done—she’d have to go to Zhizhi next time.
As long as Zhizhi became her Starlit Fury daughter through and through, she’d be able to get any answers she wanted.
***
At the border crossing.
“Zhizhi.”
On a snowy mountain sealed in ice, Xingyue found a certain brat grilling fish over a fire in the snow—a strange sight.
Zhizhi swallowed the crispy, juicy, salty-sweet grilled fish, smacked her lips, and asked, “Eh? Xingyue, what brings you here? Didn’t Zero-Rank Magic burst your body?”
“It was just for intimidation, nothing too serious.”
Seeing Zhizhi so different from her Tenth Seat demeanor, Xingyue couldn’t help but sigh.
“…If you tried a little harder, so many burdens would be lighter.”
“I don’t want to improve. This is just right for me. (munch munch munch)”
“Never mind. I came to remind you—if Luo Youyou asks to learn Zero-Rank Magic, don’t teach her.”
Hearing Luo You mentioned, Zhizhi stopped eating her fish and said seriously, “Even if you didn’t say so, I wouldn’t teach her. It’s too dangerous.”
“But it looks like you’re spending too much effort on her.”
“Is there a problem? She’s my favored junior. Spending a bit more energy on her shouldn’t matter.” “I’m worried you won’t hold the line.”
Alright, Zhizhi knew she was a little too involved—she didn’t have much ground to refute.
“I know what I can and can’t do, especially when it comes to Zero-Rank Magic. Don’t worry.”
“Then I’m at ease.”
Xingyue was truly reassured—this wasn’t just a polite remark.
She knew full well that Zhizhi had already become Luo Youyou’s target.
No doubt, cunning as Luo Youyou was, she’d chew Zhizhi up and spit out nothing but scraps.
But Xingyue trusted Zhizhi’s deeper self.
Even if she was lost in a witch’s embrace, some lines Zhizhi would never cross.
Zhizhi often acted unmotivated, lazy, and unreliable, but when it came to the truly important things, she always delivered beautifully.
If her core self weren’t strong enough and she could be easily swayed by desire, she would never have become the Fourth Seat.
Other Magical Girls had been toyed with by Herrera time and time again—none of them ever surrendered, did they?
So Xingyue trusted her.
Still, out of personal concern, Xingyue reminded her, “Don’t get too close to Luo Youyou.”
“Huh? She’s my soldier, why can’t I get close?”
“I mean, don’t get too close, that’s all.”
Xingyue fixed her with a stare.
“I know the atmosphere among Magical Girls, but don’t just follow the crowd. Otherwise, when you learn the truth, you might not be able to accept reality.”
Heh!
Zhizhi smiled confidently.
When she looked at Xingyue again, her expression turned mocking.
“So you see, Xingyue, you’ve been away too long—you don’t know me at all. I don’t have those shallow thoughts about Youyou, nor any such interest.”
Hm?
Didn’t sound like a lie.
Xingyue’s mouth fell open in surprise.
She could read Zhizhi’s heartbeat, every subtle expression—no matter how she looked at it, Zhizhi was telling the truth.
***
Could it be that Zhizhi really wasn’t interested in Luo Youyou, and just saw her as a useful subordinate?
And Luo Youyou wasn’t fooling around with Zhizhi either—just treated her as a cocky brat of a boss?
“But lately, you’ve been causing quite a ruckus with her, even posting that kind of tweet.”
“So you read it too?”
Zhizhi’s tone faltered instantly.
Done for. Social death.
But the more she was cornered, the calmer Zhizhi became.
“You only called it messing around. I’ve been bored for so long—finally met an interesting soul. Is it so wrong to fool around a bit?”
She shook her head in mock sadness.
“Since when did Magical Girls getting a little close count as a ‘bad influence’? Now people look at us with tinted glasses, thinking every Magical Girl is probably a yuri. I’m really pained! Xingyue, you’re the First Seat—how can you look at your comrades that way?”
“…Alright, as long as you don’t think so.”
When it came to Zhizhi, Xingyue really couldn’t handle her.
This brat was the odd one out among the Ten Seats—impossible to grasp.
She changed the subject.
“The reports say the dimensional beasts appearing here lately have been acting strange?”