Chapter 9: The Azure Star’s Return

His face had been etched with exasperation back then.

Yet, this very ability, once deemed utterly useless, now held the power to avert disaster.

The only discernible drawback, however, was the inevitable transformation back into a young girl.

Still, he reasoned, it was a fate he had long grown accustomed to.

Without further hesitation, Gu Qing flipped the coin to its sun-emblazoned face and gripped it firmly.

“Sun Face: Unleash.”

A gentle, warm light enveloped him, and his height began to rapidly diminish.

Mere seconds later, the radiance dispersed.

Reflected in the mirror was a young girl, approximately 1.6 meters tall.

Her long hair shimmered like spun gold, her eyes were the deep blue of sapphires, her skin was porcelain-fair, and her delicate features were as exquisitely crafted as a doll’s.

While this form possessed meager combat strength, it perfectly masked all distinguishing characteristics of both Azure Star (TL Note: Gu Qing’s codename.) and Gu Qing.

It was the quintessential disguise.

****

Half an hour later, at the GSA Headquarters in Linhai City, stood the formidable Aegis Tower.

This imposing structure, soaring hundreds of meters into the sky, was entirely constructed from a specialized alloy, gleaming with a dazzling luster under the sunlight.

Beyond the security cordon, a blonde girl suddenly surged towards the entrance.

“Release me! I must go inside!”

Two fully armed guards immediately intercepted her, each grasping an arm, effectively pinning her in place.

“This is a military restricted zone; you must leave at once!”

Anxiety was plainly etched across Gu Qing’s features.

“I am a witness to the St. Sakura Academy (TL Note: The name of an academy.) incident! I possess critical intel regarding Azure Star and require an immediate audience with the field commander!”

The guards exchanged a brief glance, their expressions unwavering.

“Kindly accompany us to the interrogation room; a dedicated specialist will document your statement there.”

“No, there’s no time to waste! Only your commander possesses the authority to handle this matter!”

A tense stalemate quickly ensued between them.

Just then, however, the automatic doors of the towering building slid open, and Qin Lan emerged, her face a mask of profound exhaustion.

Having just concluded a grueling meeting that stretched over a dozen hours, her eyes were heavy with weariness, and her entire demeanor radiated an aura that implicitly warned others to keep their distance.

Was this not providence granting him an opportune moment?

Overjoyed, Gu Qing seized the opportune moment, deftly slipping from the guards’ grasp and shouting towards Qin Lan.

“Team Leader Qin Lan! I possess Azure Star’s true identity information!”

Every movement around them ceased abruptly, and dozens of gazes converged upon the seemingly innocent girl.

Qin Lan’s stride faltered, then stopped.

A frown creased her brow as her gaze swept intently over them.

“Escort her to my vehicle.”

Qin Lan uttered the command with chilling indifference, then proceeded directly towards the black executive car parked a short distance away.

The two guards immediately took hold of Gu Qing, guiding her along as they followed.

The soundproof car door clicked shut, and Qin Lan, now settled in the driver’s seat, scrutinized the girl through the rearview mirror.

“You have precisely three minutes to present your evidence. Should this prove to be a mere attempt at sensationalism, I shall arrest you immediately on charges of obstructing official duties!”

Gu Qing, however, disregarded her threat, simply stating:

“Operation ‘Dust’ — the official mission report states a frontal breach. Yet, we both know we actually pried open the ventilation ducts and slipped inside. You even complained then that the dust within had ruined your freshly styled hair.”

Before Gu Qing’s words even fully registered, Qin Lan froze.

Such a secret could never have been documented in any official report; it was known only to her two most trusted comrades-in-arms.

Qin Lan turned to face the girl, her gaze searching, attempting to discern something familiar within her features.

Yet, the face before her was utterly unfamiliar, one she had never encountered in her life.

Gu Qing offered a wry, bitter smile.

“We meet again, Qin Lan. I did say I would seek you out for a private conversation.”

****

Half an hour later, within the secluded confines of a coffee shop’s private room.

Qin Lan regarded the blonde girl seated opposite her, who was cradling an iced Americano and sipping it delicately, her expression still clouded with profound doubt.

“Why do you appear this way?” She finally voiced the question that had plagued her. “I find it difficult to believe you’ve remained so youthful after all these years.”

“I utilized certain abilities to achieve this current form, ensuring that, for now, no one recognizes me.”

Gu Qing offered a vague reply, clearly unwilling to elaborate further on the matter.

Aside from his wife, he had never once exposed his true gender to anyone else—the revelation would be far too sensational, too utterly shocking.

Indeed, in this entire world, there was no other man who also happened to be a magical girl.

A heavy silence descended upon Qin Lan.

She knew that what Azure Star chose not to reveal, no one could ever extract.

“Why did you never return all these years?” Qin Lan’s eyes were rimmed with red. “We all believed you were…”

“Dead?” Gu Qing let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “Something akin to it, yes.”

“Then, can you return?” Qin Lan pleaded earnestly. “The GSA desperately needs you. We’ve even kept your room meticulously cleaned since the day you left, clinging to the hope that you might one day come back to us.”

“I refuse,” Gu Qing’s reply was swift and unequivocal.

Qin Lan stood utterly dumbfounded.

“Why?”

Gu Qing remained silent, merely lifting his coffee cup and taking a sip, allowing the bitter taste to spread across his tongue.

“How precisely did the GSA treat Wanning?”

His voice, though outwardly calm, was laced with an undeniable chill.

“Absent without leave during a mission, resulting in the escalation of a catastrophe. Is that truly the final assessment you rendered for her?”

“You shamelessly thrust all the blame upon a dead woman!”

“All because she deviated from headquarters’ asinine orders for a mere thirty seconds to save the civilians trapped within a building!”

“Even her daughter’s rightful survivor’s benefits were cruelly stripped away by you, citing that laughable pretext. Qin Lan, is this truly the GSA’s recompense for its heroes?”

Qin Lan opened her mouth, yet found herself utterly unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.

For every word Gu Qing had spoken was an unassailable truth.

Scorching Sun Star’s (TL Note: Su Wanning’s codename.) brief thirty-second delay bore absolutely no causal relation to Starlight City’s eventual destruction by Skyfire (TL Note: A catastrophic event.).

Yet, the catastrophic incident invariably demanded a scapegoat.

The resolution of that year’s incident was merely a byproduct of the GSA high command’s internal power struggles; as a mere frontline team leader, she possessed no power whatsoever to alter it.

This, too, was the agonizing wound that had festered in her heart, unreleased, for all these intervening years.

“I ceased to be Azure Star long ago,” Gu Qing stated, setting down his coffee cup, his voice heavy with profound weariness. “I am now merely an ordinary individual yearning for a tranquil existence.”

He pushed himself to his feet, clearly preparing to depart.

“The Abyssal Beasts (TL Note: A type of monster or creature.) at St. Sakura Academy were no mere accident; we suspect the Heirs of Dawn (TL Note: A terrorist organization that seeks to subvert world order using the power of the Abyss.) are pulling the strings from the shadows,” Qin Lan revealed.

Upon hearing that name, Gu Qing’s eyes immediately hardened with a chilling intensity.

The catastrophic Skyfire incident from seventeen years prior had been undeniably linked to them.

They were a cabal of fanatics, a terrorist organization hell-bent on exploiting the power of the Abyss to dismantle global order.

“Were they not eradicated years ago?”

“They have resurfaced from the ashes,” Qin Lan stated, her tone laden with gravity. “And they are far more clandestine, far more fanatical than they were seventeen years ago. This academy incident, in all likelihood, is merely a preliminary probe on their part.”

Qin Lan continued, “Scorching Sun Star’s daughter attends that very academy. Are you truly prepared to abandon her to her fate?”

This single statement struck a vulnerable chord deep within Gu Qing.

He could disregard the fate of the world, he could dismiss the GSA entirely.

But he could not, under any circumstances, remain indifferent to Gu Qianqian.

Qin Lan recognized that her opportune moment had finally arrived.

“I require your assistance, not on behalf of the GSA, but as a comrade-in-arms, as a friend.”

A protracted silence settled within the private room.

“Very well, I can offer my assistance, but not in the capacity of Azure Star,” Gu Qing added, his voice chillingly precise. “I intend to enroll in St. Sakura Academy, assuming the identity of an ordinary student.”

“Specifically, as a transfer student into Class 3, Grade 1.”

That was the very class Gu Qianqian attended.

Gu Qing also intended to subtly ascertain what exactly his seemingly foolish daughter was truly thinking.