Chapter 10: The Aftermath and a Clandestine Meeting

“Drip… drop…”

Water droplets fell from the brim of her hat. Through a single suspended droplet, Baoyu gazed upon a sky painted with the hues of a lingering sunset.

“Hoo—”

Casually, she removed the felt hat from her head, placing it by the window. Baoyu stood before the pane, exhaling a sigh of relief as she looked out at the city, now tinged with a soft, warm yellow by the twilight glow. Her first battle as a magical girl had thus concluded. The Corrosive Entity (TL Note: 负蚀体, ‘Fu Shi Ti,’ refers to a malevolent, corrosive entity or monster.) had been annihilated, the threat neutralized. Despite a few twists and turns along the way, she felt she had fulfilled her mission as a magical girl.

The euphoria of victory, the novelty of wielding magic, the thrill of vanquishing a monster—all such emotions vanished in a fleeting moment, like a white steed galloping past a crevice. What remained in the young girl’s heart was a profound melancholy, born of having taken an irreversible step. Turning, she looked at Asherah, who sat by the wall behind her, and the exhausted, unconscious girl they had rescued from the Corrosive Entity’s core. Only then did a faint sense of solace finally bloom within her.

“How is she?”

“She’s fine. She was just mentally exhausted, so she fell into a deep sleep. She should be alright after a good rest.”

Asherah bent down to adjust Ye Xiaoshuang’s school uniform. Hearing the girl’s steady breathing, she nodded reassuringly, then smiled and reached out to gently stroke her head.

“You truly worked hard. Thank you.”

Having carefully settled Ye Xiaoshuang, Asherah rose and approached Baoyu, opening her arms under the other girl’s bewildered gaze.

“?”

“Let’s have a celebratory hug, Baoyu.”

“That’s not necessa—”

“Aw, don’t be shy~”

Baoyu instinctively took half a step back, yet the enthusiastic cat-like girl quickly stepped forward, embracing her waist. The two magical girls’ bodies pressed together, swaying gently.

“We worked really hard too, you know. You did great, Baoyu.”

“No, I didn’t do much…”

“This isn’t the time for modesty. There’s no one else here.”

Patting Baoyu’s shoulder, Asherah gestured with her eyes towards the gun hanging at Baoyu’s hip.

“Didn’t you use that to hit such a distant target, so incredibly coolly? If not for your help, that child and I wouldn’t have escaped so smoothly. All of this is your achievement, Baoyu.”

“…Alright, the feeling’s mutual then. So… a high-five?”

“Sure! Come on, come on, *whoosh*~”

With a “smack,” Baoyu felt a slight tingle in her outstretched palm. Asherah was a little shorter than her and appeared more petite, yet her strength was clearly far greater. Recalling their first meeting, when Asherah had single-handedly lifted a Corrosive Entity and rendered it helpless, this monstrous strength, so utterly at odds with her appearance, might well be a unique part of her charm.

Glancing at the hand still wrapped around her waist, Baoyu quickly abandoned any thought of breaking free. She decided it would be better to get used to Asherah’s (TL Note: The original text uses ‘Cheng Zhenzhen’ here, but contextually refers to Asherah. This may imply Asherah’s true identity or an alias.) occasional lack of personal boundaries as soon as possible.

“Is this all we need to do?”

Baoyu’s question seemed posed to Asherah, yet equally to the current situation itself. In her eyes, they had accomplished much, but also, paradoxically, resolved nothing.

The notion that merely eliminating a Corrosive Entity would make everything fine was, predictably, far too simplistic and naive.

“Our duty as magical girls is to eliminate Corrosive Entities and protect ordinary people from their threats. Now that the Corrosive Entity is gone, we should leave the rest to the ‘uncles’ (TL Note: ‘Shushu,’ a respectful term for adult men, often translated as ‘sirs’ or ‘gentlemen’ in a formal context, but ‘uncles’ conveys a slightly more familiar yet still respectful tone here, implying government or law enforcement figures.) waiting outside. They are the professionals when it comes to handling follow-up matters. Trust them; they fight to protect everyone’s lives, just like us.”

Baoyu looked down at the figures rapidly rushing into the campus, nodding silently.

“Of course, procedurally, we also need to provide an explanation of the incident’s course and outcome, so we can’t leave just yet. Don’t worry, Baoyu, it won’t be much trouble.”

“Speaking of which, last time, because you just ran off after dealing with the Corrosive Entity, I was left behind by the police to do all the explaining…”

“Ah, ahaha, now that you mention it, something like that did happen.”

The atmosphere gradually relaxed. Just as Baoyu believed the incident had settled, she and Asherah heard human voices from not far behind them. Turning, they saw three female students emerging from the restroom, supporting themselves against the wall, covering their heads and rubbing their eyes. Both parties noticed each other simultaneously.

“Hey there, students! Are you all alright? Don’t worry, the crisis has been averted.”

Asherah waved and jogged towards the students. Her perpetually energetic demeanor and voice always managed to quickly put people at ease in such situations. After scrutinizing Asherah’s unusual attire, the students immediately recognized her as a magical girl.

“Oh, it’s a magical girl! A real one!”

“My eyes hurt so much… They won’t still be swollen tomorrow, will they? How ugly…”

Compared to the two girls who seemed to lack any sense of lingering danger, the remaining short-haired girl silently scanned her surroundings, completely disregarding the tear streaks on her face, until her gaze landed on Ye Xiaoshuang, who was leaning against the wall.

Human expressions can be so wondrously complex at times; even a slight shift in facial muscle lines can readily conjure a face brimming with unusual emotions. On this girl’s face, the most discernible feelings were “fury” and “savagery.”

Apparently noticing her lapse, the girl quickly softened her expression upon sensing two gazes fixed upon her, and then faintly uttered a “thank you.”

Subsequently, she pulled a phone adorned with a pink sticker from her school uniform pocket, activated the camera function, and aimed the screen at Ye Xiaoshuang.

Before the pristine screen could capture any information imbued with additional emotion, a sudden shadow consumed the center of the frame. The short-haired girl raised an eyebrow, her expression displeased, and shifted her gaze from the screen to the magical girl who had abruptly appeared before her, hand blocking the lens.

“Excuse me, student, but I’ll be holding onto your phone for a little while.”

Before the girl could respond, Asherah effortlessly took the phone from her hand, her smile unwavering as she looked at the two other girls.

“And you two students behind, please hand over your phones to cooperate with our work.”

The remaining two first exchanged glances, then looked at Asherah, finally settling their eyes on the short-haired girl, seemingly awaiting her decision.

“…If she wants them, just give them to her.”

The short-haired girl shrugged, casting her gaze aside. Reluctantly, the other two slowly produced their phones, which Baoyu then collected.

“You’d better take good care of them. If they break, you’ll have to compensate me.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. The police uncles (TL Note: ‘Shushu,’ a respectful term for adult men, here referring to police officers.) will definitely return them to you in perfect condition.”

A series of footsteps echoed from the staircase in the corridor; soon, the adults handling the aftermath would arrive. By then, the full scope of the incident would gradually become clear through the efforts of multiple parties. Perhaps realizing this, the short-haired girl looked at Ye Xiaoshuang one last time.

“She’s the one who became the Corrosive Entity. She’s the one who hurt everyone. She’s the culprit behind this incident, and she’ll get the punishment she deserves, right?”

Was this a question, a statement, a plea, an evasion, or self-deception? The magical girls could not tell. However, Baoyu felt a pang of sadness in that moment.

“That’s not for me to decide, nor for you. Student, none of us possess the right to arbitrarily judge others. We will simply strive to ensure that everyone receives the fairest and most appropriate treatment possible, nothing more.”

Upon receiving Asherah’s reply, the girl fell silent. Meanwhile, the last vestiges of the lingering sunset slowly sank westward, swallowed by the encroaching night, heralding another slightly humid evening.

****

Zhang Qingwei had lost count of how many times he had cast his gaze towards the ordering counter, drawn by the unmistakable scent of french fries permeating the air. Ice clinked in cups, burger wrappers were torn open, and golden, salted fries tumbled in the machine. Under this assault of sensory stimuli, he began to regret his decision to come here without having eaten dinner.

It was the hour when students were dismissed and office workers finished their day. Every now and then, small groups of students would leisurely stroll in, order a cola and fries, then settle down to do homework or pull out their phones for a few rounds of games. Adults, however, tended to move with more urgency; many would grab their food bags and depart in haste. Of course, there were also those who nursed a single coffee, hunched over laptops, tackling work. Among these diverse patrons, a figure like him—who hadn’t ordered, carried nothing, and simply sat in a corner seat, seemingly lost in thought—was indeed conspicuous. Fortunately, everyone here had their own affairs to attend to, and no one had the spare energy to notice a stranger in a fast-food restaurant.

‘A matcha soft-serve ice cream… I’ll get one after work on Friday.’ Imagining the cool sweetness and crispy cone dancing on his tongue, the waiting period became increasingly agonizing.

The glass door, adorned with promotional meal posters, swung open once more. Zhang Qingwei noticed a woman in blue jeans and a brown jacket enter the establishment. After receiving a cup of coffee from the cashier, she walked directly towards his area, then, as if oblivious to his presence, silently pulled out the opposite chair and sat down.

The woman silently sipped her coffee, while Zhang Qingwei fixated on the cup in her hand. Their gazes never once met throughout.

“How was that coffee paid for? Did you bring this person’s phone?”

Zhang Qingwei asked in a hushed tone, audible only to himself and the woman. Hearing the question, she slowly set down her cup. Prying open the lid and swirling the ice within, she replied with a languid drawl, “It’s not that complicated. The staff here and she were high school classmates; they all know each other. It’s quite normal for her to occasionally snag a free coffee here. Ah, if only it were hot, it’d be even better.”

Having said that, she looked at Zhang Qingwei and the empty table before them, letting out a soft chuckle.

“Shall I get you something too? A girl sitting alone in a fast-food restaurant on an empty stomach looks rather pathetic.”

Zhang Qingwei blinked. His gaze flickered towards the window beside them. In the reflection, he saw the woman seated in the chair, but the chair opposite her was empty; he could not see his own reflection.

“No need. Don’t do anything superfluous to cause trouble for yourself.”

“Superfluous things… isn’t what you want me to do far more likely to cause us trouble, Black Mirror (TL Note: 黑镜, ‘Hei Jing,’ refers to a Corrosive Entity or character named Black Mirror.)? From my perspective, you’re just pushing all the risks onto me, while you’ve found yourself a nice spot to reap the benefits.”

The woman scrutinized the beautiful girl in a school uniform before her. For their public meeting, both had adopted a certain degree of disguise; two monsters had taken on the appearances of ordinary people, deceiving the public eye. Yet she knew that, even under such seemingly equal conditions, the other would always be more deeply hidden than herself.

“You could easily do this yourself, yet you deliberately drag me into it too. Black Mirror, you truly are malicious.”

Facing the woman’s provocation, Zhang Qingwei—or rather, the Corrosive Entity “Black Mirror”—clearly wasn’t falling for her act.

“Rainbow (TL Note: 虹, ‘Hóng,’ refers to a Corrosive Entity or character named Rainbow.), you agreed without hesitation back then, didn’t you? You do me this favor, and I’ll grant one of your requests. That was our agreement. Even if you say this now, I won’t increase the stakes.”

“Besides, do you remember what I told you?”

Hearing this, the woman propped her head on her hand, tilting it, while her other hand casually formed a “2.”

“Of course: ‘People cannot catch two kinds of individuals: those whose identities cannot be confirmed, and those whose existence cannot be confirmed.’”

With technological advancement, electronic devices like surveillance cameras are now ubiquitous. Unlike the human eye, these ceaseless, almost omniscient cold gazes permeate nearly every corner of public spaces. People trust the power of the technology created by their own hands, and thus, unconsciously, they preemptively accept everything recorded on screens as fact. As people manipulate dozens of screens to gain comprehensive control over an area, they struggle to conceive that their proud information defenses have, in fact, provided an opportune loophole for these two seated Corrosive Entities.

The unique characteristics possessed by the Corrosive Entities “Rainbow” and “Black Mirror” rendered them undetectable blind spots.

“Since you remember, I suppose there’s no need for me to explain further. Where’s what I asked for?”

“Ah, you’re so cold, Black Mirror. That’s hardly the attitude one should have when asking for a favor, is it?”

Rainbow sighed softly, stirring the straw in her hand, making the ice in the cup clatter continuously. She made no move to fulfill Black Mirror’s request.

“If you don’t have it, then I’ll be going. We can meet again in a week.”

Black Mirror maintained her indifferent demeanor. After being subjected to her cold gaze for approximately five seconds, Rainbow finally pursed her lips, unwilling to prolong a conversation that was meaningless to both of them.

“Alright, alright, you win.”

With that, Rainbow, looking rather unwilling, pulled a small brown notebook from her jacket pocket. She straightened her back, placed the notebook on the table, and gestured with her eyes towards the girl opposite her. Black Mirror immediately understood her meaning, reaching into the notebook’s pages to feel for a button-sized hard object. She slid it with her finger into her palm, then withdrew her hand.

Looking at the red and black USB drive nestled in her hand, Black Mirror nodded to Rainbow.

“Thank you. You’ve worked hard. See you.”

“Wait, are you leaving already? Won’t you stay with your ‘jiejie’ (TL Note: ‘Jiejie,’ an affectionate term for an older sister or a close female friend who is older.) for a bit longer?”

“If the item is fine, I’ll come find you again.”

Ignoring Rainbow’s wistful expression, Black Mirror put away the USB drive, then rose from her seat. Following a group of students preparing to leave, she departed the restaurant, leaving Rainbow alone at the table.

“Hah, such a predictable reaction… not cute at all.”

Retrieving the notebook from the table, Rainbow felt a touch of boredom as she gazed at the empty seat opposite her. She understood Black Mirror’s caution and had, in fact, almost entirely anticipated such a reaction. Yet, seeing the girl truly depart so indifferently still stirred a bitter vexation within her. A sense of inherent humility and grievance made her take a harsh sip of her coffee, then she frowned.

“Ugh, so bitter…”