Chapter 32: Unexpected Encounters and Lingering Thoughts

Within the pitch-black confines of the space, only Illo’s heavy breathing resonated.

The silence remained as profound as when she had first entered, yet the girl’s expression had clearly shifted from her initial composure.

As if refusing to believe it, Illo repeated the operation several times.

Swiftly, she re-entered the identical query.

However, seeing the red screen persist, Illo’s movements froze mid-air.

‘Why was she unauthorized to view information concerning recent disappearances?’

Yet, in the blink of an eye, Illo suddenly let out a sigh of relief.

Before, she had feared that those above had discovered her anomaly and were restricting her access to information.

Now, however, observing the blood-red panel—a stark symbol of warning—it was clear someone was deliberately alerting her.

They were reminding her to begin her investigation right here.

‘But who would do such a thing, and how had they anticipated her arrival?’

One question often begets a multitude of others.

The information she had now acquired was clearly more than she had bargained for.

Realizing this, Illo decided to temporarily abandon her efforts and return home to organize these revelations.

As she withdrew the access card from the terminal, the entire pitch-black space instantly flooded with light.

There was minimal dust on the floor, and signs of recent cleaning were evident everywhere.

Securing the card, the young woman turned and departed.

Noting that it was approaching noon, Illo resolved to head home first.

This time, however, instead of taking the stairs, she ascended to the rooftop.

‘Flying, after all, was swifter than running.’

Yet, on her way up, Illo once again encountered that familiar figure.

“Oh, Miss Illo?”

“You’re back again? Do you need help printing more documents this time?”

Gazing into the other’s eyes, Illo naturally felt a distinct aversion.

‘It was… strange.’

She couldn’t quite pinpoint why she disliked an ordinary person so intensely.

Just as she prepared to leave, Illo suddenly paused, as if a thought had struck her.

Before speaking, however, she quickly scanned the vicinity for surveillance cameras.

‘Good, this was a blind spot.’

Only upon confirming that this stretch of staircase was devoid of surveillance did Illo finally speak.

“What is your relationship with Jasmine?”

Illo immediately cut to the chase.

“Oh, Miss Illo… what, what are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb, or I might just have to beat you up.”

Grabbing the other’s collar, Illo’s words carried an undisguised threat.

“I know what kind of person Jasmine is. She wouldn’t ask an unfamiliar clerk to help deliver a message.”

In truth, Illo had been quite suspicious of Lin Li ever since the time before last, when she had appeared near her home.

This Lin Li seemed to know exactly where Illo was going.

Last time, she had even called Illo ‘Adult,’ despite the two of them being complete strangers.

Adhering to the principle of “better safe than sorry” (TL Note: Literally ‘better to kill by mistake than to let go’), Illo immediately demonstrated what a human grip strength meter looked like.

“I, I and Jasmine… are friends!”

Lin Li’s voice, laced with fear, tapped against Illo’s arm.

But Illo did not release her grip; instead, she intensified her hold.

“You’re lying.”

Seeing Illo about to get serious, Lin Li quickly cried out.

“It… it was a lie I told. I lied to her, saying I was very close with you!”

The moment the words escaped Lin Li’s lips, Illo immediately released her.

Though it sounded utterly preposterous, it was, in fact, true.

Given Illo’s understanding of Jasmine, she certainly would behave in such a manner.

Recalling Lin Li’s initial fervor upon meeting her, Illo knew that if Jasmine herself were present, she would undoubtedly speak up for a fan like Lin Li.

Attributing it to her own oversensitivity, Illo snapped her fingers at once.

“You will forget everything that happened here, as if nothing ever occurred, understand?”

Having used her telepathy to erase the other’s memories of the encounter, Illo swiftly departed.

Yet, no sooner had Illo left the stairwell than Lin Li, whose eyes still held a bewildered expression, suddenly sharpened her gaze.

Catching the lingering scent in the air, Lin Li, instead of growing angry, merely smiled, straightened her clothes, and descended the stairs once more.

‘It seemed she truly hadn’t chosen the wrong place, after all.’

“Illo… you truly haven’t changed, have you?”

But this expression lasted only a moment before Lin Li’s face reverted to its usual demeanor.

And everything that had transpired there vanished, as if it had never occurred.

****

Alone, Illo reached the rooftop and transformed.

Effortlessly dealing with a few strange individuals who had appeared from who-knew-where, Illo once again soared towards her home.

En route home, Illo suddenly thought of Su Qianyu, still at the house.

After a brief moment of contemplation, she pulled out her phone.

The chat log on her phone remained stagnant from several hours prior.

Observing the abruptly ended conversation, Illo felt a pang of inexplicable disappointment.

‘That little one wasn’t anxious at all, it seemed.’

When Su Qianyu failed to reply, Illo felt an odd sense of being overlooked.

While flying, Illo took a moment to reply to the message.

–A Magical Girl’s weaknesses vary from person to person, Illo… even we don’t know them yet.

–However, I’m almost near the address you sent. Shall we pick a time to meet tomorrow?

Leaving that message, Illo promptly closed her phone.

As fate would have it, no sooner had she flown away from the Magical Girl headquarters and sent her message than a light, drizzling rain began to fall from the sky.

Although her transformed attire rendered her impervious to the rain, the sight of lightning flickering within the clouds made Illo suddenly flinch, causing her to slowly reduce her speed.

‘Tch, never mind.’

‘It wasn’t far from home anyway; she might as well walk the rest of the way.’

Upon landing, Illo noticed many pedestrians, just like her, seeking shelter from the rain.

Yet, watching a young couple by the roadside playfully dodging the rain, Illo pursed her lips.

‘They could have simply stood under any eaves, so why did they insist on huddling beneath a tiny umbrella?’

‘Not only did it fail to shield them from the rain, but both ended up half-soaked.’

‘Weren’t they afraid of catching a cold?’

After passing the pair, Illo turned her head and continued on her way.

‘Couples were truly troublesome.’

Before long, Illo arrived back near her house.

Although, before landing and dispelling her transformation, she had already woven a protective layer of clothing over her attire using magic to ward off the rain.

Still, by the time she reached home, some of her inner clothing had inadvertently gotten wet.

Inserting the key into the lock, a soft click resonated, and the front door swung open in response.

Raindrops trickled from her hair onto the floor.

Inside the house, the decor remained unchanged.

In the living room, a program about Magical Girls was playing on the television.

No sooner had she stepped inside than a pitter-patter of footsteps echoed from an inner room.

“Huh!? You, you’re back!?”

Su Qianyu came jogging out of Illo’s room, her footsteps light and quick.

“You got caught in the rain?”

Seeing Illo’s clothes largely soaked, Su Qianyu, who had just been about to reply to a message from the Sub-Moderator, immediately retrieved a bath towel from the bathroom and offered it to her.

Taking the towel, Illo first dried her rain-soaked head.

Observing the frightened yet concerned expression on her little fox girl’s face, Illo suddenly found her anger dissipating.

‘Perhaps, this wasn’t so bad after all?’