Chapter 57: An Unexpected Reunion and a Familiar Past

“A-Ah, Ling Xing? What are you…”

Chao Wu instinctively blurted out, only to realize her slip of the tongue halfway through, her hand flying to cover her mouth. In a matter of seconds, her expression shifted erratically: from astonishment at seeing Ling Xing, to a sullen gloom upon witnessing Ling Xing entangled with an unfamiliar girl, before finally settling into a worried realization of her own indiscretion, as she covertly glanced at Blazing Blade beside her.

‘If this senior magical girl wasn’t here, I would definitely be giving Ling Xing a thorough interrogation.’

‘But now, I can’t.’

Blazing Blade, a C-rank magical girl, was a renowned senior, as fiery and spirited as a blazing flame. She was a formidable entity who had once, with a single full-powered strike, severed an entire building used as a hidden base by the Dark Organization.

Legend had it that she had endured inhumane treatment at the hands of the Dark Organization. Consequently, even after the organization lost its power and went into hiding, she remained active on the front lines, relentlessly pursuing and destroying them until they vanished completely from this world.

For such a powerful magical girl to come here of her own accord, there could only be one reason.

It was Ling Xing’s declaration, the news of the Dark Organization’s resurgence.

‘Even if others might relax their guard, mistaking Ling Xing for a magical girl, Blazing Blade—she who is perpetually on the front lines hunting down the remnants of the Dark Organization—she would never…’

Chao Wu nervously held her breath, swallowing hard.

‘With Ling Xing, two D-rank combatants against the C-rank senior Blazing Blade… there’s absolutely no chance of winning. Do we… do we have to launch a sneak attack?’

Chao Wu’s small head whirred with thoughts. As she contemplated reaching for the hilt of the blade at her waist, the scene had already progressed.

The tall, spirited woman raised her hand slightly.

“Yo—Ling Xing, still so fond of Nuonuo, I see~”

“Nonsense, it was just on the way. I’d rather throw this one into a pool of tentacles, how could I possibly like her—”

“…Eh?”

Chao Wu, who had half-drawn the long blade from her waist, stared blankly as the senior smiled and waved at Ling Xing, greeting her casually with an air of familiarity.

Turning her head, Ling Xing also seemed… completely unguarded towards the senior. She merely continued to indignantly pinch the unfamiliar girl’s small face, causing the tattered, sickly girl to emit wretched whimpers.

“Uwah… I-I can’t breathe, Ling Xing is going to choke me until I lose consciousness… my vision is dark, my eyelids are heavy, the lights are spinning chaotically, guhehehe…”

“Useless! Even if you pass out, I’ll elbow you awake, you masochistic good-for-nothing who only remembers me when you’re up to no good!”

“……”

‘W-What’s going on?’

‘Why is this senior, who should be an enemy, acting so familiar?’

‘This atmosphere, pushing me out… it’s as if I’m the outsider.’

Chao Wu’s hand, poised on her drawn blade, froze at her waist. After a long moment, she silently returned the blade to its sheath, then, puffing out her cheeks, forcefully interjected into the conversation.

“Ling Xing, aren’t you… aren’t you going to introduce me?”

****

A few minutes later, in a private office on an upper floor of the tower.

“So, Senior Blazing Blade once…”

Chao Wu sat upright by the table, gently blowing on the steaming tea in her cup. Before her, Blazing Blade naturally removed her glasses and took off her uniform, hanging it on a hanger to reveal a refreshing sports bra and shorts ensemble. Her firm abdomen, with its visible muscle definition, gleamed beautifully with a hint of sweat, openly displayed for all to see.

“Ah, I used to be a brainwashed combatant myself. I was used as a grunt for several months until the organization fled and I was rescued.”

Yes, that was right.

Blazing Blade was indeed the pitiable magical girl Kuonji Mashiro had once spoken of—the one who had been brainwashed for months, only to have her combat uniform auctioned off after her rescue.

This was also why Ling Xing had the sudden idea that she could sell some combat uniforms to raise funds… because the combat uniform the young lady had bought for several million yuan was the very one Ling Xing had put on Blazing Blade back then! Ling Xing was Blazing Blade’s combatant captain back in the day!

Putting old matters aside, Blazing Blade now spiritedly flicked her fiery red ponytail, set down the teapot, and casually grabbed an energy drink from the table, tossing it to Ling Xing. Her movements were smooth and fluid, completely devoid of any past shadows. Instead, she seemed to share an unspoken understanding with Ling Xing, which made Chao Wu feel a slight unease.

“Ha, it’s quite embarrassing to think about. A C-rank magical girl, defeated and captured by a mere combatant, then used as the lowest-tier brainwashed grunt—”

“That’s because that was the only uniform available in the organization, wasn’t it? Don’t make it sound like I deliberately humiliated you!”

“Ahahaha, it made no difference in the end, did it? I was still wearing that outfit when I was rescued. You have no idea how many adult works were based on me back then; if I could collect royalties, I could buy several large villas.”

Blazing Blade laughed heartily, chatting with Ling Xing about a past Chao Wu knew nothing about. It wasn’t like they were recounting an unbearable dark history; rather, there was a nostalgic quality to their reminiscence.

‘I can’t get a word in.’

‘This past she speaks of, Chao Wu knows nothing about. Ling Xing has never mentioned it either.’

‘So, Ling Xing had such a past?’

‘A senior who is more excellent, stronger, and more charming than me… and, like me, became a combatant?’

Chao Wu unconsciously pressed her lips together, staring at Ling Xing’s profile. She watched her gulp down half a bottle of energy drink, then, annoyed, she picked up the frail girl who was slumped against the table, about to slide off, pinched her small face, and poured a mouthful of the drink into her.

“Gulp gulp gulp—Pwah, so sweet, my teeth are going to fall out…”

Watching Ling Xing affectionately (?) pull at the girl’s own skirt to wipe her face, as the girl, looking as if she’d been poisoned, clutched her throat, her face scrunched up in a grimace, her small tongue lolling out.

‘She’s complaining, yet she’s receiving treatment I’ve never even gotten! That hateful little brat!’

On the surface, Chao Wu appeared unperturbed, but the tea in the cup she held was rippling, its surface trembling.

This long-awaited reunion should have made her happy for Ling Xing, but Chao Wu found herself inexplicably… unable to feel joy.

“Ah, I forgot to mention, this is Nuonuo. She was a researcher for the Dark Organization back then and jumped ship after it disbanded—don’t let her gloomy expression fool you, her research capabilities are actually quite good.”

“That is, if you ignore the fact that her daily failures caused the organization to constantly churn out all sorts of bizarre things like tentacles, man-eating plants, pitcher plants, and goblins.”

Ling Xing testily interjected. Seeing no reaction from Nuonuo, she simply grabbed Nuonuo’s small hand herself and waved it at Chao Wu like a beckoning cat, considering it a greeting. The moment Ling Xing let go, Nuonuo, as if boneless, flopped down again, sliding to Ling Xing’s lap and haphazardly wiping the residual sugary liquid from her face onto Ling Xing.

“Ah… what a cute child…”

Chao Wu forced a strained smile.

‘Dal is one thing; it’s only natural to care for children. But this one—though sickly and a bit gaunt, she’s clearly older than Ling Xing, isn’t she?!’

‘Why does Ling Xing have to take care of her?! Damn it, am I the only one in the entire organization who isn’t worthy of Ling Xing’s care?!’

The teacup in her hand trembled, splashing tea, and in the end, Chao Wu didn’t take a single sip before placing the cup on the table. Her small face was puffed out, resembling a hamster, and she lightly bit her finger.

‘Calm down, calm down, Chao Wu, you have something they can’t compare to…’

Chao Wu took a deep breath.

“But… since you’re a senior who hasn’t been in touch for a long time, is there something specific that brought you to Ling Xing this time? It doesn’t seem like a good time for reminiscing, does it?”