Chapter 30: The Sweet Dreams of Revenge

Tomorrow and tomorrow, so many tomorrows abound.

Of course, here, ‘tomorrow’ functions as a verb, an act of deferral.

In the throes of despair, one invariably clutches at some form of solace.

Thus, Su Qianyu frequently indulged in fantasies where Illo’s reputation, sabotaged by her own machinations, would utterly collapse, leaving her to face the relentless onslaught of cyberbullying.

Though merely a figment of her imagination, it offered one of her scant few comforts.

After several measured breaths, Su Qianyu soon found herself chuckling aloud.

Was it pathetic? Perhaps a touch.

Yet, it was infinitely better than having nothing at all.

Clutching this grand dream of vengeance close to her heart, Su Qianyu drifted into a peaceful slumber.

Her dreamscape was utterly serene, devoid of any magically descended girls or convenient superpower cheats.

All that existed within it were herself, her small phone, and her cozy blanket.

‘Hehe, for us three, living our days well surpasses all else in importance.’

‘This tiny phone holds all my love, and my beloved within its confines.’

‘I remember now, I am not a doctor 😭 nor some transmigrator 😭 nor even a defeated fox girl 😭!’

‘I am… I am… 😭!’

–Hey, what are you laughing at?–

–Eh!?–

‘Was it… was it a dream?’

Su Qianyu’s eyes fluttered open once more, but the sight greeting her was not her first, second, or third ‘wife,’ but a deeply fatigued Illo.

Illo, at this moment, was frowning, clearly taken aback by Su Qianyu’s exceptionally poor sleeping habits.

So much so that, early in the morning, before her own alarm could rouse her, she had been abruptly kicked awake by Su Qianyu.

–What’s gotten into you? Are you sleepwalking now?–

Massaging her shoulder, Illo’s expression was etched with an undeniable weariness.

While she didn’t require much rest, she certainly couldn’t endure the constant commotion from this little one.

–Next time you sleepwalk and decide to kick me, you can just roll over and sleep on your own floor, alright? Got it?–

As she spoke, Illo rubbed her somewhat stiff limbs.

Had she not needed to investigate something today, she wouldn’t have chosen to rest at all last night.

The arduous path of revenge allowed no prolonged moments of respite.

However, upon gazing at Illo, Su Qianyu’s eyes brimmed with a profound sense of injustice.

‘Shouldn’t you consider what you, Illo, did yesterday!?’

‘You were the one who lured me into this room.’

‘You were the one who promised ‘good stuff’.’

‘You were the one who wielded a vibrating magic wand, leaving me teetering on my tiptoes, unable to touch the ground.’

‘Now, having woken up, you’re suddenly filled with disdain for everything!?’

‘To hell with you, Su Qianyu!’

‘Scum! Utter scum!’

Thankfully, she was still alive.

Today, with no classes scheduled at school, Su Qianyu’s confinement remained absolute; she was not free to leave.

–Stay home. There are vegetables in the fridge.–

–If I return to find you’ve caused trouble again, you’ll face the consequences tonight.–

With this curt warning, Illo swiftly departed.

She neither took the elevator nor descended the stairs.

As Su Qianyu, peering from the window, wondered about Illo’s destination, a crimson streak flashed across the distant sky.

‘Oh, right, she can fly.’

Back on the bed, Su Qianyu listlessly retrieved her small phone.

The news feed remained as mundane as ever, reporting nothing beyond localized incidents or natural calamities.

The sole item of note was an impending Category 17 typhoon, urging coastal regions to prepare for protection.

Yet, Su Qianyu merely scoffed at the warning.

‘Hmph, before my transmigration, I was a Level 24 university student.’

‘Level 24 versus Level 17, the advantage is clearly mine!’

She swiped it away, moving to the next item.

‘Hmm, what’s this?’

‘Chat history? A quick glance!’

[Class Monitor Li Hao, with 1.2 million votes, has unfortunately lost the election.]

Upon seeing this, Su Qianyu silently tapped out a ‘😭’.

As she lay on the bed scrolling through messages, Su Qianyu was suddenly struck by the realization that she shouldn’t remain in such a state.

‘Su Qianyu, oh Su Qianyu, are you truly content to be held captive here by Illo!?’

And so, with a sudden resolve,

Su Qianyu flipped over!

Only to flip back again, thwarted by the brevity of her charging cable.

It wasn’t that she lacked the desire to flee; she knew with absolute certainty that Illo had already placed powerful restrictions upon her.

Messages on her phone scrolled by, yet truly useful information remained exceedingly sparse.

Perhaps the only genuinely valuable piece of news was the recent surge in missing persons cases, a matter that magical girls and the police were diligently investigating.

Su Qianyu harbored no particular emotion regarding this, offering nothing but a dismissive smirk.

After all, such matters held no relevance to her.

Spending every single day alongside Illo, if she could somehow be ‘abducted’ right under Illo’s watchful eye, it would scarcely be an exaggeration to consider it a rescue.

‘Ugh, this is so utterly boring.’

Exiting the news interface, her gaze lingered on the chat history she had grown weary of staring at. After a moment of deliberation, Su Qianyu ultimately decided to open it.

[–Hey, are you there?–]

Gazing at the other party’s profile picture, which conspicuously featured Illo as a magical girl, Su Qianyu dispatched her message.

–Busy, what is it?–

The reply was instantaneous, its swiftness surprisingly reassuring.

After careful consideration, Su Qianyu realized she had never imagined an online acquaintance could inspire such profound hope within her.

–That thing you mentioned, about your team dedicated to slandering magical girls, right?–

–I did mention it. Why do you ask?–

Illo, currently stationed at the Magical Girl Headquarters, replied, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.

–Then, do you happen to know any magical girls’… weaknesses or anything?–

Upon seeing Su Qianyu’s message, Illo immediately grasped its underlying intent.

This ‘Little Fox Girl’ (TL Note: A nickname for Su Qianyu, implying she is cunning or mischievous) was indeed a handful, even when confined at home.

She had wondered what Su Qianyu was up to; it seemed she was simply looking to stir up trouble for her again.

This time, however, Illo did not rush to reply, choosing instead to leave the message unanswered for a moment.

Gazing at the crimson screen, Illo let out an inward sigh.

After all… didn’t she have a far more pressing issue demanding her attention at this very moment?

Observing the sudden silence from the other end of the phone, Su Qianyu grew visibly agitated.

‘Hey, where did she go?’

‘Don’t just vanish mid-conversation!’

‘She absolutely loathed people who disappeared after speaking only half a sentence!’

Staring blankly at the top of the chat window, Su Qianyu drifted into thought.

When the other party remained unresponsive, her anxiety truly began to mount.

‘Could it be that Illo traced the connection and apprehended her!?’

Yet, after a moment of careful thought, she reasoned that if Illo had indeed done such a thing, she ought to be receiving a video call from her right now.

‘It must, it must simply be that she is temporarily occupied!’

As she tried to reassure herself, Su Qianyu realized she had never before cared so deeply about the person behind a phone screen.

Though they had never met, the exchanges always imbued her with a strangely familiar sensation.

In any case, she fervently hoped that nothing untoward had befallen the individual on the other side of the phone.

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, Su Qianyu swiftly tapped open the other party’s profile.

Witnessing the change in her IP address, a rare flicker of delight crossed the young woman’s face.

‘This Sub-Moderator truly hadn’t deceived me; she was genuinely en route!’

‘This meant the other party possessed a team capable of assisting her!’

‘The righteous gain many allies; the unrighteous gain few!’

‘Illo, your day of reckoning is swiftly approaching!’

Switching off her phone and placing it face down on the blanket, Su Qianyu executed a swift ‘carp jump’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom referring to a rapid, agile sit-up or leap from a lying position) to her feet.

Since a meeting was imminent, and without Illo present to help conceal her ‘yokai’ (TL Note: A Japanese term for supernatural monsters, spirits, or demons, often used in Chinese web novels to refer to non-human, monstrous, or supernatural beings) characteristics, Su Qianyu prudently decided to give herself a thorough makeover first.

This was to prevent the Sub-Moderator from being startled away by her true nature before she even met her.

‘But where would she acquire suitable clothing?’

Pondering this, Su Qianyu’s gaze drifted towards Illo’s wardrobe.

‘It was high time she collected a little interest!’