“Your two juniors?”
After hearing Xia Mo’s explanation, Luo Shuangyue, standing on the rooftop in her White Night cosplay outfit, struggled to keep a confused expression off her face.
What the heck is going on?
I just wanted to give Xia Mo some private lessons—how did I end up on the Magic Department’s radar?
Not only did they notice, they actually want to take advantage of me?
What do you mean by “since you’re already training Rosemary, adding two more doesn’t matter”? Do they think this is like grocery shopping in a supermarket?
“Mhm, the Director said that as long as it makes us stronger, White Night-senpai can train us however she wants.”
Xia Mo nodded timidly.
Luo Shuangyue had originally intended to refuse.
After all, she couldn’t just take on extra people because someone asked.
That would make White Night seem cheap.
Come on, White Night is a legendary magical girl, world-renowned.
Me personally training even one rookie is already a rare thing.
Now they want me to add two more?
That’s seriously degrading.
“The Director also said… with your personality, White Night-senpai, you’d probably agree quite happily.”
“Huh?”
Luo Shuangyue’s expression stiffened.
Hmm… thinking about it carefully, that does sound like something her mom would say.
In Luo Shuangyue’s memory, her mom had always been a quirky and mischievous character, completely lacking the awareness that she was a mother of two.
At home, it was always Luo Shuangyue’s dad who played the role of both strict father and gentle mother—strict in personality, soft in appearance…
Meanwhile, their mom felt more like a big sister—specifically, the kind who liked to mess with her younger siblings.
“Your Director… is serious?”
“Very serious. She said that no matter what you do, White Night-senpai, she’ll fully support you!”
Xia Mo nodded vigorously.
“I’ll think about it. For now, go do seventy-five laps to warm up.”
“Huh? Last time it was just fifty…”
“Do you want to stay where you are? Talk back again and I’ll add ten more.”
“Yes ma’am! I’ll go right now!”
Xia Mo ran off with a groan to start her laps, while Luo Shuangyue retreated to a shady spot away from the sun, beginning to ponder whether she should accept this suddenly added task.
Refusing would be easy—she could just say she didn’t have the energy to train three magical girls.
But the Director wasn’t wrong.
Since she was already training Xia Mo, adding two more wasn’t that big of a leap.
Improving the overall strength of a three-girl team would definitely have more impact than just training Xia Mo alone. And stronger teammates would, in turn, help keep Xia Mo safer.
Since Xia Mo wasn’t ready to give up being a magical girl yet, Luo Shuangyue could only do her best to reduce the dangers Xia Mo might face.
“From a rational standpoint, this is actually a pretty good idea. From an emotional one…”
Luo Shuangyue thought of that magical girl named Linglan.
Last time, that little brat had teamed up with Xia Mo and totally humiliated her.
That grudge?
Luo Shuangyue remembered it very clearly.
She hadn’t found the right time for revenge before, but now, she might just have a perfectly reasonable and legal way to settle the score.
“Linglan, huh? As your senior, I’ll be sure to take real good care of you.”
Clenching her fist, Luo Shuangyue muttered through gritted teeth, word by word.
“Achoo!”
“Linglan, you sneezed at me, meow! You wanna duel, meow?!”
Catgirl Siam, now with her face full of Linglan’s sneeze, shouted in protest.
Her cat tail stood straight up, signaling the storm brewing in her heart.
As two of Starsea City’s only newbie magical girls, Siam and Linglan had a love-hate relationship.
Love, because they were comrades in arms.
Hate, because they both adored the gentle, kind, and sweet-smelling Rosemary-senpai.
In their battle to get closer to their beloved senior, Siam and Linglan had clashed many times.
But in the end, things always turned out about evenly — a fifty-fifty split, with neither able to best the other.
After all, the two of them had become magical girls around the same time, and their so-called “conflicts” were mostly just the kind of petty scuffles you’d expect between young girls.
“Someone must be badmouthing me behind my back. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have sneezed,” Luo Shuangxing immediately crossed her arms over her chest, trying to explain that this time the sneeze really wasn’t on purpose.
A magical girl normally wouldn’t sneeze — if she did, something abnormal was definitely going on.
Siam didn’t quite buy it.
“Really, meow?”
“Really! And can you please stop ending every sentence with ‘meow’?”
“You think I want to, meow?”
Siam spread her hands helplessly.
In fact, she didn’t have this verbal tic when she wasn’t transformed.
But once she transformed, the “meow” became completely unavoidable.
Just one of the effects magic had on her.
Every magical girl had their own unique trait.
Some girls only developed theirs after reaching their “First Bloom” stage, while others had their traits from the very beginning.
Siam, for example, had an extremely obvious one — cats.
Luo Shuangxing, on the other hand, was in the category of magical girls with no clear trait… or at least one that wasn’t very noticeable.
If you had to name one, it would be the lily-of-the-valley patterns on her costume after transforming, along with the faint floral scent she gave off.
As for her two long and two short braids and her bright golden eyes, those weren’t particularly unique.
After all, a certain legendary magical girl had the exact same features.
Tap tap tap… Light footsteps echoed through the hallway.
“Linglan, Siam, come here for a moment,” came the voice of the Director, cutting off their quiet chatter.
Luo Shuangxing and Siam exchanged a look and saw the same confusion in each other’s eyes.
Isn’t this supposed to be break time?
There shouldn’t be a problem with a little small talk, right?
And there hadn’t been any magical beast alarms either.
So what did the Director want them for?
Siam was completely baffled. Luo Shuangxing, however, seemed to have a hunch.
She remembered mentioning her desire for special training to the Director a few days ago.
Maybe this had something to do with that?
Following the Director into her office, Luo Shuangxing quickly got her answer.
Sure enough, it was about the special training.
“Linglan, you mentioned wanting to join special training the other day. I’ve thought it over, and I don’t think the Magic Department’s current training courses are a good fit for you,” the Director said, clearing her throat as she addressed the two girls sitting across from her.
“So I’ve found a very skilled instructor for you. Your senior, Rosemary, also trained under her.”
“Tomorrow, Rosemary will take you to meet this senior. Be prepared — she’s an extremely tough, even cruel, instructor.”