Chapter 47: Unpredictable Developments

Not sure if it counted as good news, but it seemed that Shui Xiyue had actually taken in what Kexin had said—since that day, she hadn’t initiated any messages to Kexin.

For Kexin, who wanted to wait until she figured out the right way to explain things, this was obviously a good thing. But she also knew that this was completely out of character for Shui Xiyue. Somehow, she had just accepted Kexin’s explanation—Kexin had no idea what assumptions her friend had made.

At least she didn’t have to worry about it until the training camp ended. Mu Zhou City wasn’t far from Kexin’s hometown, but it wasn’t close enough for Shui Xiyue to just drop by—unless she skipped school and came looking for her.

That probably wouldn’t happen.

As the federal holiday approached, the festive atmosphere in the city grew stronger. Even though Kexin had classes these past few days, she could feel the changes in the city, not to mention listening to her classmates discussing their holiday plans in the classroom.

“Kexin, are you really not coming?” Ruolin tried once again to invite Kexin to join their little adventure of uncovering the truth.

The four of them usually acted as a group, but Yumeng couldn’t leave her part-time job and had already bolted with her bag as soon as the bell rang.

Before she knew it, it was Friday afternoon. The past few days had flown by while her mind had been occupied with countless thoughts. It wasn’t until Ruolin and the others came back to invite her again that she realized tomorrow she would be going to the training base.

“Sorry, I already have plans. I have to leave for the station tomorrow morning. I’ll definitely join you next time,” Kexin said, pressing her hands together in apology.

“Alright, then we’ll see you after the holidays. Let’s head to the activity room first.”

“Yeah, you all be careful too.”

Kexin had already informed Agent Guan about this, and the bureau had made the necessary arrangements, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.

What occupied Kexin’s thoughts even more was that this morning, a more detailed schedule for the training camp had been sent out to everyone. Using tidying up as a pretense, Kexin waited until the four had left before sitting back down and opening the document in her hidden space.

As previously mentioned, the advanced training Kexin was attending wasn’t focused on fighting anomalies—it was focused on improving human combat skills.

The training included basic shooting, close-quarters combat, team coordination, underwater demolition, and even survival training in the wild. The official reason given was that new anomalies were starting to show a certain level of intelligence, and monsters were becoming more active.

If common low-level anomalies were dangerous beasts, then intelligent anomalies were the real enemies. Fighting such enemies required different skills.

But one thing the Special Investigation Bureau didn’t explicitly state was that the activities of magic users were becoming increasingly rampant, abusing their extraordinary abilities to commit magical crimes.

Ordinary law enforcement couldn’t take action against these illegal magic users, nor could they ensure the offenders would obediently appear in court.

That meant someone had to step in.

The schedule was very detailed. Since participants came from different places, transportation arrangements were made individually.

To maintain a low profile, Kexin and the others had to make their way to the bus station on their own, then board through a reserved passage. Even someone paying close attention would find it hard to notice that this seemingly ordinary bus was hiding secrets.

After closing the hidden space, Kexin switched to the Mchat interface and looked at Shui Xiyue’s avatar. She wanted to open the chat, but didn’t know what to say.

Better wait until after the training.

Pocketing her phone, Kexin quickly packed her textbooks. Though she had already finished her holiday homework during her free time, she still brought a few books along to keep up appearances.

“Goodbye, Kexin.”

“Yeah, goodbye.”

At the back door of the classroom, a few classmates gathered to say farewell, even though Kexin wasn’t particularly close to them.

She smiled and replied with a quick wave, then walked away without looking back. Taking deep breaths to calm her nerves, she felt that sometimes interacting with classmates was even more challenging than fighting anomalies.

She had no idea if she would accidentally do something completely out of character.

“Xiyue’s hometown is like this, huh.”

“Sounds interesting! Could we visit sometime?”

“Sure, my place is pretty big.”

Leaving the classroom, Kexin followed her usual route to the school gate, when she suddenly recognized an all-too-familiar voice. Her gaze lifted from her phone and fell on three girls approaching.

In the middle was a girl with long olive-green hair and golden eyes like gems. Kexin immediately stopped in her tracks.

Her companions asked all sorts of questions, while the girl in the middle kept a gentle and kind expression, answering patiently and softly.

It was Shui Xiyue—in the eyes of her peers, she seemed like a motherly, warm presence.

As they got closer, almost within arm’s reach, Kexin’s eyes darted back and forth. She had to act before Shui Xiyue noticed her, planning to sneak away.

But then she realized something crucial—Shui Xiyue had no idea about Kexin’s transformation.

If she ran off suddenly, that would be even weirder.

So, she had to act as if she didn’t see anything.

With her decision made, Kexin kept her head down and continued watching a video on her phone, listening to Shui Xiyue’s voice pass by, brushing past her, and gradually fading into the distance. A few steps later, she looked back and saw the three heading toward the club activity center.

She was still as skilled as ever at blending into a group.

She never expected that Shui Xiyue had secretly transferred to the same school. If not for the sudden encounter, she would have thought her friend was still at her old school.

Suddenly, a chill ran down Kexin’s back. Instinct told her someone was approaching. A hand lightly touched her shoulder. Even though the touch was gentle, Kexin felt it strongly.

Her breath caught immediately.

Was this some kind of ambush?

“Such a coincidence, Kexin.”

Fortunately, the voice wasn’t Shui Xiyue’s—it was Senior Luo Anying, another magical girl. Her long, light blue hair seemed to sweep across Kexin’s heart, giving her an unexpected sense of reassurance.

“Oh, it’s Senior Luo.”

“Not okay? Were you expecting someone else?” Luo Anying looked slightly confused.

Kexin quickly waved her hands. “No, I just didn’t expect to run into you.”

Thinking back, this was the first time she’d encountered Senior Luo at school. After the last mission, they had been temporarily assigned to the same team and often met during patrols or briefings with Agent Guan. Seeing each other untransformed like this was rare.

“What a coincidence. I usually sleep at home during the day.”

“Ah?”

“I just felt like coming to school today. I even fell asleep in class, but I happened to see you when I woke up.”

“Really?”

Kexin knew that Xinyue Academy wasn’t as strict as Mu Zhou First Middle School, but sleeping in class like that was beyond her understanding. And it seemed that skipping school was a regular thing for her. Could that really be allowed?

“Opportunities like this are rare. How about we grab a cup of coffee?” Luo Anying gestured toward the school gate.

“Coffee?”

So sudden.

“Don’t like it? We could have milk tea instead.”

“I didn’t say that.”

Perfect—Kexin wanted to use this time to talk with her senior anyway. Having a senior as her deputy during training was a bit awkward, and this was a chance to discuss it.