Under the binding of Yi Shiyue’s Vine Spell, the group led Mite out of the hospital.
Ye Xingyao was held in the arms of her childhood friend, “walking” in front. In the middle was Fumier, who had been silent for some reason until now. Ye Xingyao was still hoping this Blood Elf loli could save her from the fate of being carried to the car by her girlfriend.
At the very back were Mite, whose upper body was tied up, and Hongye Qiu, who was monitoring him.
“So, Xiao Yao, you were tripped by someone just like that, and then that Forest Elf tied you up and brought you here?”
Yi Shiyue lowered her head slightly, whispering to the girl in her arms.
In that short span of time, Ye Xingyao had recounted everything—from entering the venue and talking with Miss Chen and Qiansui, to gradually discovering that something was wrong with the venue and the organizers, the appearance of Mite and Fumier, the battle with the Defective Blood Fiend, and finally, the unexpected support from the Magical Girl Jin Ming and how she had inadvertently ended up there.
She also shared the information she had obtained from Fumier, Fumier’s purpose for coming to Satellite City, and the various layers of her psychological chess match with Mite.
“Yes…”
Ye Xingyao closed her eyes. Since the possibility of walking on the ground had become a distant dream, our Miss Star Elf chose to close her eyes and enjoy the ride.
Although she had downplayed the details—trying her best not to describe some of her more harrowing experiences—Shiyue was still sharp enough to extract the key information from her words.
“Sigh… You really, what am I supposed to say to you… For someone so shrewd, why wasn’t your own safety the first thing on your mind?”
Yi Shiyue spoke with a tone full of heartache.
“Look at you, you’re in such a mess, covered in blood. When I first saw you, it scared me half to death.”
Yi Shiyue used the hand resting on her waist to gently pinch her slender midsection.
“How should I put it? I guess I just didn’t want the efforts of Qiansui and Miss Jin Ming to go to waste. I didn’t used to be this impulsive.”
Ye Xingyao rubbed her throbbing forehead with some frustration. The intensity of everything she had experienced tonight was still high, comparable even to the battle against the Midnight-level Humanoid Monster one week ago. Back then, she still had a Magic Stone she could use, but this time, she could only rely on her own abilities… all thanks to the Starlight Magic inside her body…
Even the circumstances were somewhat similar. Both times involved a Star Elf, both times she was blindsided, and both times she ended up heavily injured…
Thinking of this, Ye Xingyao suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, something like “fate.” She had never been one to believe in destiny; no matter what happened, she would always do her best to achieve the best possible outcome. That was true in the past, and it was true now.
However, if she stepped outside her own perspective for a moment, she wondered… Her sister’s birth, meeting Shiyue, her parents’ disappearance, crossdressing and meeting Hongye Qiu, becoming a Hunter.
And then, finding out Shiyue was a Moon Elf, their feelings growing deeper, experiencing high-level battles she had never faced before, and now, encountering the Blood Elf Fumier. What would happen after today?
It seemed that if she thought about it carefully, things that needed processing were always chasing after her. She was doing her best through her own efforts, but…
‘Could this not be a part of “fate” as well?’
‘What if “fate” even calculated her own agency, and everything else, into the equation?’
“Xiao Yao? Xiao Yao? You’ve been dazing for a long time. What are you thinking about?”
The girl, immersed in her thoughts, was startled awake by her girlfriend’s gentle voice.
“Hmm? It’s nothing. Shiyue, don’t worry about me, okay?”
Ye Xingyao answered casually, gradually shifting her attention back to reality.
Even if that were the case, so what?
She still had a younger sister to look after, a lover to accompany, and an older sister figure who cared about her, didn’t she?
As for being a Star Elf or whatever, wasn’t that still her?
“Alright. Xiao Yao, do you want to sit in the back with me?”
How could Yi Shiyue not know what state she had just been in? Her childhood friend must have been feeling lost again.
But now, Ye Xingyao could completely lean on her. It wasn’t just a matter of being able to help her anymore.
The current Yi Shiyue could be said to have regained her usual confidence—confidence in herself, in herself as a Moon Elf, and in the relationship between herself and her lover.
‘It would be even better if Xiao Yao could stay by my side forever.’
Thinking of this, as she watched the girl clumsily shuffle toward the inner side of the back seat, Yi Shiyue poked out her small tongue and licked her lips.
‘Xiao Yao, when she shows her fragile side, looks much more delicious than usual~’
“Eh? Shiyue?”
Ye Xingyao turned her head and happened to see her childhood friend wearing a strange expression. She couldn’t help but tense up all over.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
Yi Shiyue quickly adjusted back to her usual state. She tilted her head with an expression that said nothing had happened, moved to the middle of the back seat, and looked at her girlfriend with feigned confusion.
“No… nothing.”
Ye Xingyao looked away, shifting her gaze out the window and refusing to meet Yi Shiyue’s eyes. She had finally escaped that girl’s embrace; she didn’t want to endure any more of Shiyue’s mischief in the car…
Fumier, still wearing a beaming smile, crawled into the other side of the back seat.
Hongye Qiu opened the passenger door, stuffed Mite inside, and then walked around the front of the car to the driver’s side and closed the door.
“I’ll take you to the Safehouse first. This car belongs to the Human Alliance, and there’s no telling what kind of weird things might be tucked away in here, so remember to watch what you say—especially that little one in the back.”
“After that, I need to hand this guy over to the Human Alliance. You all can think about whether there’s anything you want to ask him; you can ask once we’re back and you’ve gotten out of the car.”
Hongye Qiu glanced at the three girls in the back through the rearview mirror and gave a cautious reminder.
Ever since the incident with her sister, Ye Xin, Hongye Qiu had been on full alert.
The vast majority of transportation in Satellite City was autonomous, mostly relying on the recently constructed tracks. For Hongye Qiu to get a car like this that could be driven manually, she had to do quite a bit of talking with the Human Alliance. It wasn’t until Li Xiang— the person in charge of the Human Alliance in Satellite City—gave the word that she obtained the rights to use this vehicle.
She pressed a button and entered her identification. The touchscreen then displayed the words “Level 1 Authority Granted,” and the engine let out a low roar as the car started up.
“You certainly went to a lot of trouble just to catch me…” Mite remarked.
He hadn’t expected Hongye Qiu to appear in Satellite City, let alone that she would have such a deep partnership with the Human Alliance.
One must understand that Level 1 Authority meant having the power to handle almost any incident that might occur. From this, it was clear just how much of a green light the Human Alliance had given Hongye Qiu.
“You? You aren’t that important,” Hongye Qiu said, curling her lip.