Chapter 59: The Bitter Tea of Disillusionment

Blazing Blade, a C-rank Magical Girl.

A Magical Girl renowned for her vibrant personality and fierce, aggressive combat style.

Compared to higher-ranking Magical Girls who could single-handedly devastate entire city blocks and annihilate cities, operating on a scale far beyond normal human comprehension, the ever-smiling Blazing Blade, both in her disposition and her fighting, aligned much more closely with the average person’s imagination of a Magical Girl.

She would deftly weave through monster attacks with agile, swift movements, parrying barrages with her blazing greatsword before delivering a decisive counter-slash, unleashing torrents of flame mid-clash.

Ultimately, she would wipe the sweat from her brow, smiling as she brought victory to the people she protected. She was, in essence, the very embodiment of the term ‘Magical Girl’ in the public’s mind.

She was also the object of admiration and aspiration for many new Magical Girls.

Most novice Magical Girls wouldn’t dream of melting city blocks, slicing through cities, tearing apart mountains, or stirring oceans with a mere wave of their hand. In contrast, the idea of fighting with the graceful skill and technique of Blazing Blade, or handling situations with her cheerful and relaxed demeanor, seemed a much more realistic aspiration.

Not everyone possessed the potential of a high-ranking Magical Girl, but everyone could certainly put in the effort to train.

Chao Wu once thought the same.

There was a time when she would repeatedly watch recordings of this senior’s battles, spend all day online defending her from criticism and slander, and even secretly buy her questionable fan-made doujinshi at conventions, hiding them under her bed…

Compared to the new generation of Magical Girls whose outfits were so elaborate they resembled Lolita princess dresses, and whose battles felt like flamboyant stage plays, Chao Wu always believed that these genuine, seasoned Magical Girls were purer, more authentic.

Thus, she once fantasized about becoming a dazzling Magical Girl like her senior, Blazing Blade, becoming someone people discussed and praised.

Until a few days ago… no.

Until today.

Until she encountered Ling Xing just now.

The passionate and heroic Magical Girl had actually once worked with a dark organization. The very person who constantly proclaimed her dedication to fighting dark organizations and loathed evil as if it were her sworn enemy, was interacting with Ling Xing, a true member of a dark organization, as if they were old friends. Not a hint of the stance she promoted was visible…

This single fact, if thrown onto the internet, would be enough for countless netizens, like the former Chao Wu, to denounce it as malicious slander across thousands of posts.

But this wasn’t the reason for Chao Wu’s disillusionment.

If it were merely that, even though Ling Xing was a member of a dark organization, she had never truly done anything evil. Her senior peacefully coexisting with her wouldn’t be a major issue for Chao Wu, who was aware of the inside story.

The real problem was… how to put it?

There was an intuitive sense that when her senior’s cheerful smile, so often displayed in videos and on television, was genuinely presented before her, it carried an unsettling lack of true mirth.

“Oh! That’s good. I’ll take care of this. Once it’s resolved, let’s go play at the branch together. Dal will definitely be thrilled—”

Having uttered these words, Ling Xing tucked the limp Nuonuo under her arm and departed in a rush.

Only Chao Wu remained in the room, along with Blazing Blade, the Magical Girl senior she had once admired.

“Still so impulsive. You haven’t changed a bit, ahaha…”

Blazing Blade chuckled, wiping the glasses she had taken off.

“Aren’t you going after them?”

“You’re the one who called me here for duty, Senior, aren’t you?”

Chao Wu did not rise. She picked up the steaming teacup from the table and took a delicate sip. A sour, bitter, and salty taste spread across her tongue with just that small amount.

“You’re right, I suppose. My apologies, little one. I’ve never actually drunk this stuff before, so I probably brewed it terribly. Please forgive me.”

“…No, not at all.”

Chao Wu stared at the teacup again, watching until the swirling liquid clearly reflected her own face and that of Blazing Blade beside her.

“Still, Senior, aren’t *you* going after them?”

Magical Girl Blazing Blade, even in recent years since the dark organization’s demise, remained active on the front lines, combating its remnants.

For such a powerful Magical Girl to actively come here, there could only be one reason: Ling Xing’s declaration, the news of the dark organization’s resurgence.

“You’ve been searching the world for years, haven’t you, Senior?”

“Eh… I can’t help it. Have you ever heard that saying, little one?”

Blazing Blade lightly flicked her ponytail and put on her glasses. The originally heroic and dashing figure now seemed to possess a touch of a clerical air.

“The tighter you hold, the more distant you become. Conversely, occasional short separations can make you cherish each other more—ah, that’s just some cheesy online advice I stumbled upon. Don’t take it to heart, okay?”

Blazing Blade still wore her signature sunny smile, but Chao Wu couldn’t discern any of the usual heroic freedom or casual ease from it. Instead, there was a faint, yet distinct, hostility.

An acclaimed hero, the C-rank Magical Girl Blazing Blade, who was always so cheerful and carefree with everyone, was now displaying such an emotion towards a new Magical Girl like her, who had only just been promoted. It was a setup even novels might shy away from.

Even if others were watching at that moment, they wouldn’t sense a thing, dismissing it as a casual joke. Only Chao Wu, as the one directly involved, could keenly detect this subtle, almost imperceptible animosity.

When it came to intuition, Chao Wu was remarkably sharp.

“How could that be, Senior? On the contrary, I should thank you for your guidance. As Ling Xing’s current companion, I am still far from mature. I implore you, Senior, please do not be stingy; impart more of your past experiences to me.”

She set down the teacup. Chao Wu maintained her smile, nodding slightly to Blazing Blade, adopting a posture of earnest inquiry.

From an outsider’s perspective, this would appear to be a scene of a new Magical Girl seeking advice from her senior, both sharing lighthearted smiles and enjoying each other’s company.

However, between the two of them, the bitter tea on the table—though there was no wind—rippled as if stirred by some invisible force.

“Too polite, aren’t you? Well, let’s just continue working for now. We can discuss these things after we’ve finished the tasks at hand—who knows, perhaps we won’t even need to by then?”

“You’re right, Senior. I won’t disturb you then. I look forward to you finishing your work soon and finding the time to visit us.”

*Clink*—

The teacup, untouched by anyone, spontaneously fractured into several cracks. The bitter tea seeped from its body, spreading across the table, yet neither of them paid it any mind.

Driven not by their roles as Magical Girls, but by a purer, more fundamental emotion, the two, seemingly enjoying themselves, parted ways on an unsettling note.

****

Meanwhile, Ling Xing, the culprit behind it all—

Ling Xing was staring blankly at the refrigerator in Nuonuo’s room, with Nuonuo still tucked under her arm.

“Why isn’t there even a single cup of instant noodles!”

[I already told you, the Magical Girl organization has a free 24/7 cafeteria. Why would I hoard food? Anyway, you’ve been recognized as a Magical Girl, so why don’t you just go there?]

“Impossible! How could I, a dignified combatant of a dark organization, pretend to be a Magical Girl just to scrounge for food and drink—that’s a matter of principle!”

Indeed, no matter what, at this point…

Of course, the priority was to eat! How could she have the energy to ponder what came next if she wasn’t full?