Chapter 10: The Impossibly Beautiful Transfer Student

Qin Lan was momentarily taken aback, yet her understanding of Gu Qing’s intent was instantaneous.

“Consider it done,” she declared with brisk assurance, “all identity particulars and enrollment formalities will be fully arranged by tomorrow.”

She agreed with remarkable alacrity.

Once the matter was settled, Gu Qing found himself unwilling to linger for even a moment longer.

Stepping out of the cafe, he caught sight of a young girl’s reflection in a shop window along the street, prompting a disgruntled ‘Tsk’ to escape his lips.

Imagine a father, forced to transform into a young girl, merely to become a classmate to his own flesh and blood daughter.

What an utterly preposterous turn of events.

Still, there was little point in complaining about a path he had, in essence, chosen himself.

After all, who else was to blame but the fact that the girl was his own progeny?

****

The following day, deep within the S.H.I.E.L.D. Tower, three hundred meters beneath the surface, Gu Qing sat in the specialized operations room, a picture of impatience.

His two slender, pale legs were crossed, his foot tapping a restless rhythm.

Qin Lan projected the document onto the luminous screen, revealing two photographs of young girls.

“I shall now formally outline the details of this mission,” she began, her voice imbued with a grave solemnity.

“In the last fortnight, Saint Sakura Academy has reported the disappearance of two students.”

“While the school officially stated they were on leave or had transferred, the GSA swiftly intervened, suppressing all information to avert public panic.”

Gu Qing shifted his position, a languid remark escaping his lips.

“A mere missing persons case, is it? Has the GSA grown so ambitious that you’re now snatching even the police’s duties?”

“Evidence at the scene indicates the involvement of the Inheritors of Dawn,” Qin Lan stated.

This single declaration was enough to strip the last vestiges of nonchalance from Gu Qing’s expression.

“What evidence?” Gu Qing pressed.

Qin Lan’s hand swept across the luminous screen, summoning a segment of blurry surveillance footage.

In a corner of the frame, a student was visibly engulfed by a swirling mass of shadow.

“This, unequivocally, is their modus operandi,” Qin Lan asserted, her voice deepening with gravity.

“Furthermore, our operatives at the scene detected unmistakable traces of Void Grafting.”

At the mention of that term, Gu Qing’s pupils constricted sharply.

It was the hallmark technique of the Inheritors of Dawn.

Void Grafting possessed the insidious ability to corrupt “Raw Stones” (TL Note: Individuals possessing the latent potential to become magical girls, but who have not yet awakened their powers), transforming them into mere puppets of the Void.

“Their objective,” Qin Lan stated, her gaze fixed intently on him, “is to target those students within the academy who possess the latent potential to become magical girls.”

Her expression remained unyieldingly serious.

“Your current guise, though I remain unaware of the precise method of your disguise, presents you as nothing less than a prime, top-tier Raw Stone.”

Gu Qing’s comprehension of her unspoken implication was immediate.

“You intend for me to act as bait?” he questioned.

“It is currently the most efficient approach,” Qin Lan conceded, offering no denial.

Continuing to manipulate the luminous screen, she elaborated, “Your new identity has already been meticulously arranged.

Your name will be Bai Shiyu, an orphaned honor student whose family fortunes have declined, and who has transferred to Saint Sakura Academy on a full scholarship.

The records have been flawlessly modified, rendering them impervious to scrutiny.”

“To further streamline your operations, I will assign you a partner—someone capable of providing assistance within the school environment.”

“I have no need for a burden,” Gu Qing retorted, his refusal immediate and unhesitating.

“She is no burden,” Qin Lan asserted, her tone growing stern.

“She possesses an intimate familiarity with the school environment and is, moreover, a fully registered magical girl.

She will prove invaluable in providing cover during crucial moments.”

“Suit yourself,” Gu Qing declared with an indifferent wave of his hand, inwardly resolving to simply operate independently when the moment arrived.

Qin Lan pressed the communicator.

“Send her in.”

The door to the operations room hissed open.

A young girl, clad in the uniform of Saint Sakura Academy, entered, her head bowed, her hands nervously clutched at the hem of her skirt.

“Team… Team Leader Qin, I’ve arrived,” the girl murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

Gu Qing’s brows furrowed.

‘Wasn’t this the very same novice magical girl who had trailed behind Qin Lan in the school plaza that day?’ he mused.

‘With a temperament like this, could she genuinely be of any assistance?’

“Bai Shiyu,” Qin Lan announced, “allow me to introduce your partner, Lin Xiaolu.”

It was then that Lin Xiaolu finally lifted her head, and upon seeing Gu Qing’s exquisitely beautiful face, a swift blush spread across her cheeks, her gaze flitting away in a flurry of embarrassment.

“Hello, Senior,” she stammered, “my name is Lin… Lin Xiaolu. Please, I ask for your guidance.”

Having spoken, she executed an abrupt bow towards Gu Qing, her head narrowly missing the table’s surface.

Gu Qing found himself utterly speechless.

“Are you absolutely certain you’re not playing a prank on me?” he demanded, turning his gaze towards Qin Lan.

“From where, precisely, did you unearth such an… oddity?”

“Senior Azure Star,” Lin Xiaolu began, her voice a soft, trembling explanation, “I assure you, I am not an ‘oddity.’

I… I am an active magical girl, codenamed Morning Dew.”

Her eyes, even as she spoke, welled up, their rims instantly reddening.

“Enough,” Qin Lan interjected swiftly, sensing Gu Qing was about to speak again.

“Lin Xiaolu’s ‘Star Power Purification’ is a rare and potent ability, proving remarkably effective against Void energy contamination.

For this operation, your role is to lure the enemy into the open, while hers will be to provide crucial support.”

Gu Qing let out a dismissive scoff, offering no further words.

‘Cooperate with this crybaby?’ he thought, a sense of foreboding settling in.

‘I’ll probably end up having to rescue her myself.’

The atmosphere within the room grew excruciatingly awkward.

Lin Xiaolu bit her lip, her shoulders trembling almost imperceptibly.

She was acutely aware of her own weakness and timidity, yet a fervent desire burned within her to become a hero capable of protecting others.

Gathering her courage, Lin Xiaolu lifted her head once more, meeting Bai Shiyu’s sapphire-like eyes directly.

“Senior,” she declared, her voice soft yet imbued with a resolute stubbornness, “I will do everything in my power not to be a hindrance!”

As Gu Qing observed her, a strange, unbidden thought of his own foolish daughter surfaced in his mind.

A measure of the displeasure he had felt began to dissipate.

“Tsk.”

She strode over to Lin Xiaolu, extending a finger to lightly tap the other girl’s forehead.

“Stop your blubbering.

Women’s tears merely exasperate me.

Should you dare to impede me, I will personally cast you to the Void Beasts, understood, crybaby?”

Lin Xiaolu found herself momentarily bewildered.

‘But isn’t Senior a girl herself?’ she wondered.

“Don’t hold me back.

Make sure your actions match your words.”

With that declaration, Gu Qing exited the operations room without a backward glance.

Qin Lan let out a resigned sigh, her eyes falling upon the student ID card resting on the table.

‘This one,’ she mused, ‘always so prone to forgetting things…’

She picked up the card and offered it to the still-bewildered Lin Xiaolu.

“Go quickly and deliver this to your Senior,” she instructed.

Lin Xiaolu accepted it instinctively.

The ID photo depicted a golden-haired girl with a radiant, sunny smile—a stark and almost unbelievable contrast to the ‘keep out’ expression she had just worn.

Her gaze drifted downwards, settling upon the ‘Class’ section.

‘First Year, Class Three?’ she thought, a sudden realization dawning.

‘Isn’t that Qianqian’s class?’

Lin Xiaolu was abruptly struck by the feeling that this mission was destined to be far more intricate than she had ever anticipated.

****

Another day elapsed.

At Saint Sakura Academy, in First Year, Class Three, the classroom remained a hubbub of chatter, though the class bell had only just chimed.

The homeroom teacher, a middle-aged man with a distinctly receding hairline, stood at the podium, his face wreathed in a wide smile.

“Students, please settle down,” he announced.

“Today, our class is welcoming a new classmate.

Let’s give them a warm round of applause!”

No sooner had his words faded than the classroom door swung open, and a figure stepped inside.

Instantly, the boisterous clamor of the entire classroom ceased, as if by magic.

Every student’s breath seemed to hitch for a collective beat.

What stood before them was a young girl of impossible, breathtaking beauty.

A cascade of dazzling golden hair spilled gracefully over her shoulders.

Her skin was exquisitely fair, her features sculpted with delicate precision, and her sapphire-like eyes gleamed with a clear, translucent brilliance, evoking the image of a princess stepped directly from a fairy tale.

Every boy in the class found their eyes fixed in an unblinking stare.

Among the girls, a palpable mix of envy and self-consciousness rippled through their ranks.

Gu Qianqian, who had been resting her head on her desk, found the sudden, profound silence rather peculiar.

She lifted her head, her gaze immediately locking onto the flawlessly perfect face standing at the podium.

Gu Qianqian, too, was utterly transfixed.

‘Her beauty is simply unfair, isn’t it?’ she thought, a sense of awe washing over her.