“Tch, in such a remote place… heaven knows how those big shots got the news. I find it hard to believe they’re that well-connected…”
Ye Xingyao curled her lip and kicked an old lamppost nearby as she grumbled.
It was already nearing the meeting time of 6:00 PM. Ye Xingyao and Yi Shiyue had arrived early near the factory to scout the area.
Currently, Ye Xingyao wore a black mask and a red baseball cap. She was dressed in a gray hoodie paired with jeans, looking very much like a delinquent girl from an old movie.
In contrast, Yi Shiyue’s outfit was much more practical. She wore a sleek tracksuit and sneakers, all in dark colors that wouldn’t easily show dirt. The elastic fabric of the tracksuit did nothing to hide her gifted curves.
Looking back at herself…
No, Ye Xingyao used to be an absolute male. Even if wearing women’s clothes meant she could be considered a femboy, it was still different. In short, she personally didn’t feel much about things like her own figure.
At most, she felt a tiny bit of curiosity.
She turned her gaze back to the dilapidated factory area. This place had likely been abandoned for a long time. The iron gates for vehicles outside the fence were rusted beyond recognition, and there was scrap metal tossed by the roadside that was almost impossible to identify.
“I really didn’t expect Satellite City to have a place like this…” Yi Shiyue remarked.
In her childhood memories, Satellite City had always been a representative of progress. Because the strength of the monsters appearing here was mostly around the First Night Level, their destructive power was limited. Consequently, many leading enterprises from various industries chose this place as their corporate headquarters.
Aside from vital political resources and organizations that dealt with monsters—like the Human Alliance, the Magical Girl Society, and the Hunter Alliance—which kept their headquarters in Kyoto for better transportation, this was arguably the most prosperous city.
“True. It’s only when you see these old, abandoned things that you remember humanity took things one step at a time to get where we are today… Though that makes it sound like I’m not human,” Ye Xingyao said, nodding.
She kicked the tightly shut gate again and clicked her tongue. Setting her hiking bag down on the ground, she unzipped it. She quickly found a pair of pliers, compared them to the size of the large lock on the gate, and nodded with satisfaction.
“Yao, why didn’t you just use magic to burn it off?”
Yi Shiyue watched as Ye Xingyao clipped through the chain on the lock one link at a time. Before long, beads of sweat appeared on her clean forehead, making her look quite strained.
“Well, I’m just used to using these things. Magic should be saved for emergencies.”
Ye Xingyao shrugged without stopping her work. Soon, the large lock fell with a clang as the last few links of the chain were snapped.
“Besides, I can’t really use magic right now anyway. Unlike you, who can control various elemental energies, I need to burn Magic Stones to cast spells. Those things are semi-contraband and pretty expensive,” Ye Xingyao continued.
Logically speaking, to support her younger sister, she could have found a decent job in the service industry.
In an era where technology had advanced to such a degree, the entertainment and service industries had long become the mainstream of society. Many low-level members of the Human Alliance or obscure independent hunters and small organizations earned less than those who had “real skills” in those sectors.
However, she had another main objective: researching the items her father had left behind. The money required for that was no small sum. Additionally, to trace the truth behind her parents’ “disappearance,” she needed even more resources.
‘Sigh…’ Ye Xingyao sighed internally.
“Yao, didn’t you say the reward Miss Hong gave this time was quite high? Why the sudden sigh? The Magical Girls will be arriving soon, so as their senior, you need to stay energized.”
Seeing that Ye Xingyao seemed to be dwelling on something troubling again, Yi Shiyue felt a bit dissatisfied that she wouldn’t share her thoughts. However, remembering what Hong Yeqiu had told her that day, she offered comfort.
‘Yao… has kept herself closed off for too long.’
Just then, Ye Xingyao’s phone rang. She answered the call; it was her teammate for today’s operation—the Magical Girl “Skylark.”
“Miss Ye Xin, the three of us will be there soon. Where do you plan to meet?”
“Just outside the main gate of the factory area. You should know where I mean, right?”
“Of course. See you in a bit.”
“Right, see you then.”
Hanging up the phone, Ye Xingyao clapped her hands to psych herself up.
“The ones joining us today are Skylark, the Vice President of the Satellite City Magical Girl Society, and two other Magical Girls, Jinming and Frost Flower. That Frost Flower is the one we met that night. She shouldn’t recognize us, so don’t worry.”
Ye Xingyao put the pliers back and zipped up her hiking bag. She sat down on the bag, but it felt like she had sat on something sharp. She jumped up with a start, clutching her backside, her expression looking a bit strange.
“Yao, sometimes you seem… not very bright?” Yi Shiyue giggled, covering her mouth.
“I’ll be very sad if you say that to me, you know?”
Ye Xingyao rubbed her bottom piteously. She didn’t know what she had been thinking just now. It was likely a habit from the past when she spent time waiting for others—especially the frequently unpunctual Miss Hong. Without thinking, she had instinctively sat down.
She had completely failed to notice that her current backside wasn’t quite as sturdy as it used to be.
Leaning against the lamppost she had kicked earlier, she was just about to close her eyes for a short nap when she saw a small white figure in the distance leading a blue and a golden Magical Girl toward her.
Ye Xingyao waved her hand to signal their location. The three Magical Girls quickened their pace and approached.
Skylark looked Yi Shiyue up and down as she smiled and greeted them, then she turned her gaze toward Ye Xingyao.
“Let’s start with introductions. My name is Ye Xin, a Midnight Level Hunter. I’m the nominal leader of this joint operation, though I’m not very good at fighting,” Ye Xingyao spoke first.
“Ivanna, a First Night Level Esper. I’m skilled in some minor magic. Please take care of me.”
“Esper” was the cover identity Yi Shiyue had created for herself.
If the Magical Girls found out she could use Spirit Magic, explaining it would be a headache. Frost Flower might even connect it to the events of that night.
An Esper identity solved that problem perfectly.
Espers came with all sorts of powers. Why couldn’t Ivanna use a bit of “minor magic”?
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I suppose