Chapter 55: The Mascot’s Confession and a Web of Deception

The crisp voice of the young woman echoed briefly within the room. Shen Congqing’s pupils constricted slightly, her gaze, flickering with uncertainty, shifted towards Gu Xuanyu. Her crimson lips parted, yet no words escaped.

“I know this might be a bit abrupt,” Gu Xuanyu said, leaning calmly against the wall, her face as serene as a placid lake. “But please, trust Ye Qing; she certainly doesn’t harbor any ill intentions.”

Shen Congqing mused for a moment, neither confirming nor denying anything.

“Continue.”

Granted permission, Ye Qing seemed to receive a grand pardon. She let out a soft breath and subtly licked away the cream from the corner of her lips.

“Actually, my current state is also quite an accident.”

Ye Qing had initially intended to show Shen Congqing her transformation device, but the thought of its dreadful appearance made her abandon the idea.

“Ms. Shen, do you by any chance remember… Violet?”

At the mention of that name, Shen Congqing’s delicate brows furrowed, her emerald eyes momentarily losing their focus.

“Of course. She was once my captain. However, ever since the new director took over Jinzhou’s Magical Girl affairs and led us to eradicate the ‘Tea Party’ evil organization’s stronghold, she ceased to appear as a Magical Girl.”

Ye Qing made no attempt to conceal An Yueying’s existence. She had no intention of lying to Shen Congqing, and An Yueying, no doubt, had anticipated this, which was why she had deliberately revealed her past.

“The evil organization currently active in Jinzhou is one she spearheaded the establishment of, and I was her first recruited member…”

Ye Qing paused slightly before reluctantly revealing her rather embarrassing position. “Now, I serve as the mascot for the evil organization.”

Upon hearing this unfamiliar term, Shen Congqing looked perplexed.

“What is a mascot?”

Ye Qing pursed her lips and proceeded to explain.

“It’s someone responsible for scouting for evil executives and managing them. I myself possess no combat capabilities whatsoever.”

Shen Congqing blinked, then let out a soft chuckle.

“Shouldn’t that be called a director, then? Why a mascot? We also have someone similar; it used to be Yin… uh, Yinjin, but she was transferred, and now it’s Silver Moon.”

A certain senior Magical Girl director, Yinjin, whose surname was Duanmu and given name Jin, was rather displeased with the terrible codename given to her by the CCB, which was why those familiar with her usually called her by her real name.

Upon hearing Shen Congqing’s words, a subtle crack appeared in Ye Qing’s composed expression.

An-Yue-ying!

That wicked woman had prematurely indoctrinated her with the concept of a mascot, leading her to be misguided and fall for the deception.

‘I’m supposed to use proper titles at work, yet that wicked woman just calls me Mascot Qing!’

Ye Qing indignantly clenched her small fists.

‘Next time I see her, I’ll definitely give her a good thrashing.’

“That’s roughly the situation. The main reason I joined the evil organization is primarily because of Xuanyu—I suspect all of you have been deceived by Silver Moon.”

Ye Qing had pondered silently for a long time the night she received Gu Xuanyu.

Why Gu Xuanyu’s memories were so fragmented and why she had left back then—Ye Qing was gradually forming a vague answer to these questions.

She still remembered what they had both experienced on Gu Xuanyu’s fifteenth birthday.

Though Ye Qing might not be as meticulous as Gu Xuanyu, she meticulously recorded all important dates and events.

She remembered Gu Xuanyu’s birthday perfectly: September 22nd, the last day of Virgo, as if symbolizing that she would be an elegant, flawless young woman.

Though she might be a little particular, her minor flaws were overshadowed by her virtues.

The silver-haired girl had often chattered in her ear in the days leading up to her birthday. Her increasingly frequent words and her wine-red eyes, reflecting tiny stars, all spoke of her inner anticipation and eagerness.

The young woman’s gaze always lingered on her, and every sentence describing her future included Ye Qing.

Thus, from the moment she opened her eyes that morning, Ye Qing clearly remembered everything that followed, even recalling which pair of socks she wore and which shop’s steamed buns she and Gu Xuanyu had eaten.

She remembered the girl, distracted, burning her tongue on a bun and sticking out her pink tongue.

She remembered the meticulous care with which the girl chose the candles, and how clumsily she had drawn that rather ugly design sketch.

She even remembered, while being tricked into eating a chocolate bar, how close she came to touching the girl’s tempting cherry lips.

Just as they were sharing the cake and about to make their wishes, that figure abruptly appeared, brazenly stepping onto the cake and, with a playful wag, pointed its little tail at her.

What happened next, Ye Qing remembered nothing, as if she had been drunk. It was so hazy that she had no recollection of how she even got home.

Had she not thought deeply about it, she would not have noticed this oversight. But as she repeatedly replayed the events, the flaws became apparent.

She still couldn’t recall what happened during that period, much like Gu Xuanyu couldn’t remember her own name. However, she could surmise that her memories had been tampered with.

The perpetrator, she believed, must be the non-human creature disguised in a cute appearance—most likely the Silver Moon Shen Congqing had mentioned.

“Silver Moon modified my memories and Xuanyu’s, and she must have used similar deceptive tactics on you all, though I don’t know her true objective…”

Ye Qing turned her gaze to Gu Xuanyu, meeting those serene, wine-red eyes for a moment. The young woman understood immediately, everything conveyed without a word.

Gu Xuanyu naturally took over the conversation. The fact that she no longer called Ye Qing ‘Qing’ indicated her intention not to conceal her recovered memories.

Yet, Ye Qing didn’t press for details, a gesture that warmed her heart.

‘No matter how much time had passed, she was still the familiar person I knew.’

“Silver Moon wants to force our loyalty. She used my becoming a Magical Girl as a medium to alter my memories, making me mistakenly believe she was the one who was utterly devoted to me… my lover.

But her attempts were clumsy, and what’s more, ab-so-lute-ly outrageous.”

Gu Xuanyu’s final words were practically hissed through gritted teeth, but Ye Qing’s pretty face flushed faintly, her mind solely fixated on the way she had been addressed.

‘L-l-lover? What in the world is that?’

Perhaps still somewhat dazed, she didn’t interrupt Gu Xuanyu.

“Even now, there are still hazy portions in my memories. One day, I will personally retrieve them all, and then make her personally experience the pain of having her beloved possessions stripped away…”

Gu Xuanyu rarely displayed such a ruthless expression; her wine-red pupils seemed to pulse with a bloody glow, a sight that made even Ye Qing feel a sense of unfamiliarity.

While Ye Qing also felt a surge of anger and truly wanted to demand an explanation from that ‘Silver Moon’ individual, it wasn’t to the extent of…

Well, she was indeed quite soft-hearted and found it difficult to bring herself to harm anyone.

“I think I understand…” Shen Congqing lightly propped her chin on her hand, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly.

“No wonder I always see a shadow of my students in her. Is she trying to disguise herself as someone I would find endearing? It’s a pity her attempt is quite clumsy, nowhere near as good as…”

Shen Congqing subtly glanced at Ye Qing, as if everything was conveyed without words.

Feeling the gazes of the two women converge and clash upon her, Ye Qing felt a strange pang of guilt and picked up her cake fork once more.

‘Since things have come to this, I might as well have a bite first.’

Watching another smudge of cream appear at the black-haired girl’s mouth, Shen Congqing chuckled softly and resumed her thoughts aloud.

“Perhaps Violet also sensed something amiss with Silver Moon, which is why she made such a choice. Now that I think about it, her other colleague and I likely ended up the way we did because of Silver Moon as well.”

Recalling the grey-haired Magical Girl, Shen Congqing’s gaze dimmed slightly, then abruptly sharpened, like the tip of an arrow.

“I will confront Silver Moon. As a director, to commit such acts, she must provide an explanation.”