Chapter 24: The Illusory Freedom of Jin’s Holiday

The once familiar campus of St. Sakura Academy had been reduced to a battlefield site requiring extensive repairs, forcing all its students and faculty to accept—a welcome boon for Jin—a sudden, extended holiday.

Having confirmed the news with Xia Yue and received her silver pass—a symbol of being ‘officially certified as harmless,’ which, despite its numerous restrictions, at least meant she wouldn’t have to worry about being ‘purified’ at any moment—Kazami Jin felt so light she could almost float.

Freedom! Was this truly the taste of freedom?!

Though her movements were still restricted to the base and living quarters, compared to the days of constantly hiding and living in fear, this was paradise! Moreover, the ten thousand yuan Yu Niannian (her rich sister!) had given her was still safely in her account! She no longer had to worry about living expenses!

Returning to the temporary single room assigned to her at the base, Jin locked the door behind her, leaned against it, and couldn’t help but cover her mouth, letting out an irrepressible, mouse-like squeal of laughter.

“Hahaha… I’m free! I have money! No more school!” She spun around excitedly in the not-so-spacious room, feeling as if the long-accumulated gloom within her was swept away by this surge of ecstasy.

She used to loathe being alone, finding it lonely and helpless. But now, this time alone felt incredibly precious! There were no sudden ‘inspections’ from magical girls, no deadly pursuits by witches, no cold scrutiny from the organization… Only herself!

Lost in her euphoria, she even hummed an off-key tune, beginning an uninhibited ‘dance of freedom,’ flailing her limbs in pure, unadulterated joy. As she danced, she started shedding the clothes that had become grimy and faintly blood-stained from her escape and battles.

“Strip it~ strip it~ strip all the troubles away~” she sang haphazardly, tossing her jacket and pants carelessly onto the floor. Dressed only in her thin underwear, she felt as if the very air had become much fresher. She planned to first enjoy a comfortable hot shower, then perhaps use Niannian’s money to order a super luxurious takeout meal! Yes! And buy that game she’d always been too reluctant to purchase!

Immersed in her delightful plans, she skipped towards the bathroom, her humming growing unconsciously louder.

However, just as her hand grazed the bathroom doorknob—

Thump-thump-thump!

The clear, rhythmic knocking, like three precise tollings of a death knell, shattered all her beautiful fantasies.

Jin’s smile instantly froze, her humming ceased abruptly, and she stood rigid by the bathroom door, as if struck by a paralysis spell.

That knocking… that familiar rhythm, as if pounding directly on her heart…

No… it couldn’t be…

A thought that made her scalp prickle poured over her like ice water.

From outside the door, the voices she least wanted to hear echoed, like demonic whispers:

“Jin~ Open the door! We know you’re in there, you know!” – It was Lin Wan’s vibrant, undeniably insistent voice.

“Jin, open the door.” – Xia Yue’s voice was cool and concise, yet carried an equally undeniable penetrative force.

“Sister! Hurry and open the door! We’re here to play with you!” – Yu Niannian’s soft, cheerful voice followed immediately.

Kazami Jin: ‘…’

Slowly, despairingly, she lowered her head, gazing at the thin underwear that was her only remaining garment, then at the dirty clothes scattered across the floor, and finally listening to the three voices outside the door, like death warrants…

The euphoria and sense of freedom that had just filled her heart instantly evaporated without a trace, replaced by a familiar, bone-deep despair and helplessness.

Freedom?

Holiday?

Solitude?

Indeed… all mere illusions!

She should have known! With these three ‘nemeses’ around, how could she possibly possess true freedom and peace?!

Jin ran a hand through her disheveled hair, on the verge of tears. Resignedly, she shuffled slowly to the door, and with trembling fingers, unlatched it.

The moment the door opened, three figures squeezed inside as naturally as if returning to their own home.

Xia Yue’s gaze swept the room first, landing on Jin’s disheveled appearance: clad only in underwear, barefoot, and with a frozen smile plastered on her face. Her eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.

Lin Wan, meanwhile, let out a whistle and sidled closer with a grin: “Whoa~ Jin, are you having a private concert? That’s quite the unique outfit!”

Yu Niannian blinked her large eyes, looking at Jin curiously: “Sister, why aren’t you wearing clothes? Are you going to take a bath? Can we bathe together?”

Kazami Jin looked at the three faces before her, distinct in style yet equally ‘dangerous,’ and listening to their words, felt that her beautiful holiday life, which had just sparked into existence, had already been declared utterly bankrupt before it even began.

She could already envision her miserable future: twenty-four-hour ‘close surveillance’ by these three ‘guardians,’ with absolutely no privacy to speak of…

Her song of freedom, before even finishing its first verse, had gone completely off-key, transforming into a tragic… prisoner’s march.

Kazami Jin, cornered by the trio at the doorway, was clad only in thin underwear, feeling a chill both on her skin and deep in her heart. She looked at the three ‘guardians’ before her, their expressions a mix of smiles and clear mischief. A strong survival instinct (or rather, an urge to avoid public humiliation) made her force out a smile uglier than a cry, attempting a last-ditch effort:

“Um… Xia Yue, Lin Wan, Niannian… Look, I have my pass now, I can’t run away… so you don’t… you don’t need all three of you to ‘watch’ me, do you? I can take care of myself! Really!” Her voice grew progressively smaller, lacking conviction.

“Oh?” Lin Wan crossed her arms and took a step closer, a playful smile on her face that seemed to say, ‘keep talking, I’m listening.’ “So, Jin wants to burn the bridge after crossing it, trying to shake us off now that she has her ‘get out of jail free card’?”

Xia Yue’s cool gaze swept over Jin’s bare arms and shoulders. Her tone was flat, yet carried an invisible pressure: “According to Supervisor Ouyang’s orders, until the Huo Hualan incident is thoroughly investigated, and it’s confirmed that you won’t trigger any other ‘rule-based risks,’ we must keep you under ‘comprehensive, all-encompassing’ surveillance.” She deliberately emphasized the last few words.

Yu Niannian nodded vigorously and linked her arm through Jin’s (the touch on her bare skin made Jin flinch), delivering the final blow with an innocent yet cruel tone: “And Sister, have you forgotten that you still need to properly explain to us the ‘good deeds’ you did to Sister Huo Hualan before?”

The words ‘good deeds’ were enunciated with chilling clarity by Yu Niannian, instantly reawakening the memory Jin wished she could forget—the clumsy artificial respiration, the fumbling hands, Huo Hualan’s murderous glare upon waking…

Jin’s face drained of color in an instant, and cold sweat beaded on her skin.

“Oh, and also,” Lin Wan grinned and leaned even closer, almost pressing her lips to Jin’s ear, speaking in a hushed voice, her warm breath caressing Jin’s earlobe, “Jin, have you forgotten? Huo Hualan wasn’t the only ‘victim’ present at the time, you know~”

Her gaze, full of unspoken meaning, swept over Jin’s body, from her smooth neck to her delicate collarbones, then to what was only covered by her underwear… finally returning to Jin’s terrified face.

“The three of us,” Lin Wan held up three fingers, wiggling them before Jin’s eyes, her smile growing ever brighter, yet making Jin feel as though she were being eyed by three predators, “we clearly heard Huo Hualan’s ‘accusations,’ you know~ About ‘artificial respiration,’ and ‘pressing on inappropriate places’~”

Though Xia Yue remained silent, her ice-blue eyes narrowed slightly, carrying a scrutinizing look, as if to say, ‘You need to give us a reasonable explanation.’

Yu Niannian, meanwhile, widened her innocent eyes, asking with an insatiable curiosity: “Sister, what exactly are ‘inappropriate places’? Where did you press Sister Huo Hualan? Why was she so angry?”

Boom—!

Kazami Jin felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her brain, instantly rendering it blank, her cheeks flushed so hot they could fry an egg. She gaped, looking at the three pairs of eyes before her, brimming with ‘curiosity’ and ‘judgment,’ feeling utterly dizzy.

It was over! Completely over! Not only had she failed to shake them off, but she had also delivered herself into an even more terrifying interrogation scene! And in such a state of undress, no less!

Her earlier joy of ‘money and a pass, no worries’ had long been blasted into oblivion, leaving behind only immense shame and a dread of the impending ‘torturous interrogation’.

“I… I didn’t… I wasn’t… That was first aid…” she tried to explain, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, unable to even convince herself.

“Mmm-hmm~” Lin Wan emitted a meaningful sound, reaching out to gently pinch Jin’s burning cheek. “First aid, you say~ So, would you like to demonstrate for us how you perform ‘first aid’? So we can learn a thing or two?”

Though Xia Yue made no move, her gaze clearly conveyed, ‘Confess and be lenient, resist and be punished.’

Yu Niannian, meanwhile, wore an expectant expression that screamed, ‘Sister, hurry and teach me!’

Kazami Jin looked at the pressing trio, feeling like a little white rabbit who had stumbled into a wolf’s den, about to be devoured whole, leaving not even crumbs behind.

Her freedom holiday… before it even began, was already hurtling towards an unpredictable future, filled with pink hues and utter humiliation!

Why did it feel like a tragic ending before it had even begun?