Chapter 10: A New School, a Familiar Face, and an Unexpected Request

Morning had already broken when the two of them reunited.

In the early morning, as countless individuals streamed towards work and school, the streets buzzed with their familiar, bustling energy.

Amidst the throng, Illo, having shed her transformed state, walked ahead, leading the way.

Su Qianyu had never imagined that she would one day find herself back on a school campus.

The school they were transferring into was not far from their residence, so the two simply opted to walk.

Rubbing her nose, Su Qianyu gave her head a shake.

The collar around her neck was emitting a faint electric current, urging Su Qianyu to quicken her pace.

According to the Magical Girl Management Handbook, dangerous entities like Su Qianyu, once subdued and restricted, were granted the right to integrate into normal human life.

Not far ahead, Illo was engrossed in her phone, her brows furrowing occasionally.

Passersby on the street seemed quite intrigued by Su Qianyu’s exposed fox features, but, deterred by the inherent danger, most merely paused to observe from a distance.

Feeling the weight of their gazes, Su Qianyu quickened her steps slightly, moving forward.

“Hey…. haven’t we arrived yet?”

Su Qianyu whispered to Illo.

These people’s gazes were far too intense, making her feel distinctly uncomfortable.

Having been a man for nine lifetimes, she knew, without a second thought, precisely what such gazes signified.

The gazes fixated on her ‘headlights’ (TL Note: A slang term referring to a woman’s breasts) were especially fervent.

Indeed, there were ‘snakes and wolves’ (TL Note: A Chinese metaphor referring to lecherous or predatory individuals) lurking within the crowd.

Illo pondered for a moment, then, with a decisive snap of her fingers, acted.

With that sound, the two figures instantly vanished from the space.

While it appeared they had vanished, in reality, they had merely subtly altered the direction of light refraction around them.

The refraction, however, was precisely angled, just enough to completely obscure their forms.

This was the noble power of  Nianshe (TL Note: ‘Nianshe,’ referring to psychography or thoughtography, the ability to project thoughts onto a surface or manipulate reality with one’s mind).

Nianshe, while seemingly potent, was in fact truly formidable, its ultimate potential entirely dependent on the user’s mental prowess.

Observing Su Qianyu’s timid demeanor, Illo felt a surge of deep satisfaction.

“If you don’t keep up, I can’t guarantee what might happen, you know?”

Vigorously rubbing the fox-girl’s distinctively fluffy, large tail, the young woman’s mood brightened considerably.

Perhaps, to a certain extent, the events of her previous life had already begun to influence her mind.

But that wasn’t important, was it?

Seeing Illo resume fiddling with her phone, Su Qianyu could only obediently endure the situation.

Soon, as the surrounding architecture grew increasingly familiar, the two arrived at a rather conspicuous gate.

“We’re here.”

Standing at the entrance, Illo felt a pang of nostalgia.

In this moment, everything here remained untouched, undamaged; everything retained its former, familiar appearance.

Su Qianyu, however, paid no mind to Illo, her eyes instead fixed intently on the statue before her.

This thing… why did it look so incredibly familiar?

Pinching her chin, Su Qianyu began to sift through the memories stored within her mind.

Before long, however, the young woman found her answer.

Hmph, wasn’t this the old geezer (TL Note: A colloquial, somewhat derogatory term for an old man) who had shoved the magical girl gem into her yesterday?

Her gaze swept downwards, the fox-girl’s eyes finally settling on the name displayed above the introduction.

That old man’s name wasn’t long, consisting of only four characters: Yuwen Zhibai.

A little longer than three characters, a little shorter than six.

Why wasn’t it five characters?

Well, perhaps five characters was simply too… inadequate.

“What are you looking at? Hurry up and follow.”

Noticing Su Qianyu once again gazing about aimlessly, Illo couldn’t help but urge her forward once more.

“Coming, coming!”

Su Qianyu replied, then, after stealing two more glances, she finally broke into a jog to catch up.

Soon, trailing Illo, Su Qianyu located her assigned classroom and seat.

The familiar second-to-last row, the familiar window seat.

How did that saying go again?

Back row, by the window: the king’s homeland.

However, before Su Qianyu could even step into the classroom, Illo had already pulled her back, stopping her.

“What’s wrong?”

Su Qianyu, her movement abruptly halted by the sudden action, felt a flicker of confusion.

But Illo offered no reply; instead, she suddenly looked up and scanned her surroundings.

Just moments ago, she had sensed someone watching the two of them.

Yet, when she meticulously peered in the direction from which the gaze had emanated, there was nothing but an empty corridor.

‘Was she just being overly nervous again?’

Illo’s eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze intermittently darting around, vigilant of her surroundings.

However, finding nothing amiss, Illo could only relent, allowing Su Qianyu to enter first.

No sooner had Su Qianyu stepped through the doorway than Illo promptly removed the former’s disguise entirely.

Idle chatter, mingled with the scent of paper and ink, wafted past her nose, and the young woman, as the new transfer student, swiftly settled into her assigned seat.

Although she had mentally prepared herself, it was no surprise that she instantly became the focal point of the entire room once more.

“Is that… the new transfer student!?”

“So cute.”

“Exactly, exactly!”

Seated at her desk, her exceptionally keen fox-clan hearing quickly proved its worth.

Turning her head to face the window, Su Qianyu found herself in a rather ‘hard to bear’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘nan beng,’ referring to a situation that is awkward, embarrassing, or difficult to endure) predicament.

To be praised as ‘cute,’ when she was fundamentally a big man…?

She felt as if a significant crack had appeared in her male dignity.

‘Could this also be part of Illo’s plan?’

Slightly turning her head, Su Qianyu saw Illo still standing at the doorway.

‘Damn you, you fiend!’

As if she had heard Su Qianyu’s unspoken thoughts, Illo clearly smiled.

It would have been better if she hadn’t smiled; with that single smile, Su Qianyu’s anger flared even more intensely.

If only she weren’t so clearly outmatched by this individual, she would certainly make Illo ‘look good’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘ràng tā hǎokàn,’ meaning to teach someone a lesson or make them suffer).

‘Hmph, time to pull out the little notebook and jot down another grudge!’

But just as Su Qianyu was resentfully recording Illo’s transgressions, the distinct sound of a book being set down jolted her back to reality.

“Hello.”

A sudden voice broke the silence, and Su Qianyu slowly turned her head, only then noticing the young woman who had just settled into the seat beside her.

Subconsciously, Su Qianyu began to discreetly size up the other person.

The sun had not yet fully ascended at this hour, and through the window, a slant of sunlight cast Su Qianyu’s shadow diagonally across the other person.

The young woman was strikingly beautiful and carried an aura almost identical to Illo’s.

Beneath a pair of lenses, her purple pupils held a captivating, almost hypnotic allure.

Vaguely, Su Qianyu could even perceive a faint reflection of herself within the other’s presence.

“Um, hello?”

Speaking softly, Su Qianyu responded to the other party.

Yet, at this precise moment, the young woman suddenly fell silent and simply began flipping through a book, seemingly to herself.

‘Oh, how aloof.’

She cast a pleading glance towards Illo, but Illo merely shook her head, leaving Su Qianyu to handle the situation on her own.

Glancing at the book the other girl had placed on her desk, Su Qianyu found herself at a loss for how to strike up a conversation.

‘Hmm, I am a fox-girl, not eloquent.’

Thus, the two sat in awkward silence for the entire morning, until the bell for class dismissal finally rang.

Had Illo not reminded her with the collar that this girl was her mission target, Su Qianyu would have surely dozed off in class.

At this moment, her desk remained utterly bare.

Noticing that most of the nearby students had left, Su Qianyu exchanged a greeting with Illo.

She rose, dusted herself off, performing the actions in one fluid motion.

Yet, just as she was about to leave, Su Qianyu felt as if something had tugged at her.

Looking down in the direction of the tug, Su Qianyu realized it was none other than her mission target who had made the move.

‘This girl, is she finally going to speak?’

“Um, what is it?”

“Can you… can you let me touch your tail?”

“Huh!?”