Chapter 16: The Regenerator Hunt and a Teacher’s Peculiar Taste

Almost immediately after stealthily returning home, He Yao discovered a bounty mission had been posted within the Magical Girl domain. Concurrently, all the Magical Girls in Sunny Sky City received a mission notification, which stated, “If you are not currently engaged in other tasks, please participate in this expedition.” This bounty also implied that Magical Girls from other cities could come to Sunny Sky City to hunt down the 괴in. The higher-ups had clearly recognized the danger posed by the Regenerators and the organization behind them, and they had resolved to eliminate them immediately. After clicking to accept the mission, He Yao saw the message: [Please keep your communication channels open and await notification]. She wasn’t particularly anxious about this, nor was she afraid of missing updates. The higher-ups always had various ways to notify Magical Girls.

“You’re back so soon?”

“We had just gathered for a moment when we encountered a Magical Girl battling a 괴in, so everyone had to disperse,” He Yao explained. “That’s why I came back.”

Upon hearing this news, Su Gu couldn’t help but express concern: “The frequency of Magical Girls fighting 괴in seems a bit high lately.”

‘It’s not really that high, is it? It’s just that recent events have been happening around me, which makes it feel that way.’

“Go wash your hands, then we’ll eat!”

“Okay.”

After enjoying dinner with her mother, He Yao said, “Teacher Lin Han said he’s free and can come over then.”

“That’s wonderful! I’ll arrange for someone to deliver some good ingredients in advance.”

‘Ah… she’s planning to prepare some seafood, isn’t she?’

“Alright.”

He Yao had no objections. Privately, she felt that Teacher Lin Han didn’t seem particularly picky about food, as long as it was delicious. However, many so-called high-end ingredients were meant to be enjoyed for their original flavors. Teacher Lin Han might not necessarily enjoy them. Besides, if Teacher Lin Han found them unappetizing, she could just add two dishes he preferred; it wouldn’t take long to stir-fry a couple of extra dishes.

What was more important now was the expedition against the Regenerators. She was almost certain that the lamb-headed masked figure who appeared later did not possess super-high-speed movement abilities. Even her own ‘Ink Crystal: Bee Sting’ would leave traces of high-speed movement. If the Regenerator possessed such an ability, then its speed would be beyond her ability to track. In that case, even if it couldn’t completely evade her predictions, it should have been able to minimize the damage it sustained.

The truth was, if the Regenerator were an ordinary human or a monster, that single attack would have undoubtedly killed the lamb-headed masked figure. It was only by relying on the unique properties of their flesh, their ability to regenerate indefinitely, that they hadn’t truly died. However, she also noticed that the lamb-headed masked figure lacked the recovery abilities of previous Regenerators. While its near-immortal nature persisted, its recovery ability had undoubtedly diminished compared to the rapid regeneration of other Regenerators.

Could this decrease in regenerative power be related to its ability to maintain a human form? Regenerators typically only revealed their human forms when their life force was nearly depleted. Yet, the lamb-headed masked figure had consistently maintained a human appearance; even after being nearly obliterated by her, it had fully recovered to its human guise. In other words, their technology had advanced. They could now restrain the power of infinitely proliferating cancerous cells, a force guided by the monstrous demons. While restraining this regenerative ability, they had acquired a different kind of power.

This power was certainly not super-high-speed movement. He Yao leaned towards it being an ability for ‘induction’ or ‘producing illusions.’ However, this situation required verification. Regardless, the opponent was not powerful enough to completely overwhelm a Magical Girl’s strength. It seemed reasonable to consider this the standard combat power of that 괴in organization at present. After all, if it were too weak, it wouldn’t have been sent to retrieve the Regenerator’s body. So, during the next expedition, what should she do to swiftly defeat such an opponent?

Ink Crystal’s power didn’t seem to be able to counter these types of 괴in in the same way Emerald’s could. Targets struck by Ink Crystal’s attacks could still continually regenerate. Her fingers tapped against the tabletop. He Yao opened her computer, logged into an academic website, registered, activated a membership, and then purchased relevant papers. She began to browse through the related research questions late into the night. Solve such a problem? She certainly couldn’t do that directly. However, finding some insights from the research to understand how to defeat creatures like Regenerators was a viable approach. She didn’t believe that a brief two or three days of training could bring about a qualitative change in power. Moreover, whether Magical Girl training was even effective remained a question mark. But she was certain of one thing: confronting enemies required strategy, skill, and deeper thought.

****

The fact that Magical Girl Ink Crystal was his student was a truly shocking revelation for Lin Han. Furthermore, he had also learned that Magical Girls might soon launch a large-scale expedition against a certain 괴in organization. He didn’t want to expose He Yao’s identity. As he always thought, if He Yao didn’t care, she would naturally tell him herself. However, the matter of the Regenerators deeply concerned Lin Han. ‘The methods of this 괴in organization…’ ‘Could it be “Morning Star”…’ ‘No, that organization should have been annihilated already.’

He gazed into the rearview mirror of his motorcycle, and within its surface, he saw a sky ablaze with fire. Regarding Regenerators and similar beings, 괴in modifications often came with physical enhancements; this was not uncommon, as many 괴in exhibited such traits. ‘I’m being overly sensitive.’ Lin Han clenched his fist. Yet, since this matter was unfolding in Sunny Sky City, he naturally couldn’t stand idly by. However, it was an expedition involving all the Magical Girls… if he kept a close eye on He Yao, he should be able to track her to the scene. That way, he could seize an opportunity to act. If the Magical Girls could perfectly resolve the situation, then all was well; if not, he might be able to fill in the gaps. He patted his motorcycle’s fuel tank. “My good friend! This time, it might be our turn to make an appearance!”

****

“Teacher Lin, where’s your motorcycle?”

He Yao was surprised to find that Teacher Lin Han’s motorcycle was gone. Lin Han sighed. “A relative borrowed it. They said they needed it for two days.”

“What? How is that any different from lending your wife to someone else?”

“You rascal, is this all you learn day in and day out?” Lin Han looked at He Yao with disdain.

He Yao let out a laugh. “But seriously, someone actually wanted to borrow your motorcycle, Teacher? Isn’t it hard to handle? Yours is super fast. Hope nothing goes wrong.”

“It should be fine, right? That relative of mine is quite reliable.”

“Since you say so, Teacher, I suppose it’s fine then… But if you’ve lent out your motorcycle, what are you still doing here?” He Yao asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.

Lin Han replied, utterly speechless, “The way you put it… as a physics teacher, where else would I be if not here?”

“You should be asking Teacher Liu Yun out on a date!” He Yao stated directly. “Doesn’t Teacher Liu Yun have no classes today? And you don’t have any classes after this either. You should invite her to dinner right now, then watch a movie, and finally find a quiet bar for a drink before taking her back to your place.”

“…So, where exactly do you get all this knowledge?”

“From books, of course! Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘In books, you’ll find beauty like jade?’ You have to seek out beauties in books!”

He Yao enthusiastically added, “Teacher, at your age, you should really start thinking about your single status.”

‘…Am I actually being pressured to marry by my own student?’ Lin Han was utterly speechless. Then, it suddenly occurred to him: ‘He Yao is a Magical Girl now, isn’t she?’ So, with a hint of playfulness, he said, “You talk about marriage and finding a partner… I’m actually looking for a Magical Girl.”

“!” He Yao’s eyes widened. “What?!”

She took two steps back, her face a mask of shock. “I truly underestimated you, Teacher Lin Han! You actually want to find a Magical Girl to be your wife? Do you have any idea how many people in this world dream of marrying a Magical Girl? On certain unspeakable websites, ‘I want to find a Magical Girl wife, have her transform, and then I’ll pretend to be a 괴in to play defeat-fantasy with her’ is number one on the rankings! Teacher, aren’t you being a bit too greedy?”

‘Is that so? Such things exist? I wasn’t aware, but it certainly sounds rather exciting, considering they are Magical Girls after all…’ However, He Yao then shifted her tone. “But Teacher, you truly have good taste; I was right about you. Liking Magical Girls is perfectly normal. After all, Magical Girls have no disagreeable qualities… So, who do you like the most, Teacher?”

Like a conversation between ordinary friends, she continued, “Among the Magical Girls in our city, it has to be Rainbow Jade, the most popular one, right? I hear that not only is Rainbow Jade’s ceremonial dress incredibly opulent and her aura quite divine, but she’s also very polite, always smiling at the citizens to soothe their hearts. She’s truly the undisputed popularity queen of Sunny Sky City! But then there’s Amethyst, who’s a beautiful ice queen but goes wild at critical moments, which is unexpectedly endearing. Emerald is calm, collected, and strong-willed, also very distinctive… Which one do you prefer, Teacher? Personally, I like Ink Crystal.”

‘Liking myself doesn’t count as lying, does it?’

“You just mentioned Rainbow Jade, Amethyst, and Emerald, but it turns out you like Ink Crystal?” Lin Han asked, feigning ignorance.

“Exactly! Even though she’s a newly debuted Magical Girl, when I saw her that time, I noticed Ink Crystal’s outfit was quite alluring! Her ceremonial dress was rather revealing, with a hint of ‘southern hemisphere’ showing, giving the impression that she was practically wearing nothing underneath. It’s totally my type.”

‘It seems you’ve thoroughly appreciated her yourself…’

“Is that so… If I ever get the chance to meet Ink Crystal, I’ll be sure to observe her closely,” Lin Han said, seriously taking the suggestion.

He Yao’s face flushed slightly.

“In any case, Teacher, while Magical Girls are indeed wonderful, you yourself are a motorcycle modification fanatic. It’s probably hard for any Magical Girl to approve of that hobby! Wanting to find a Magical Girl as a wife isn’t very realistic! You can’t expect her to support you with her Magical Girl salary, can you?”

“That… that wouldn’t do.”