Chapter 15: The Laxative Trap

From a certain perspective, Illo had indeed been quite ruthless last night.

Ruthless in every conceivable way.

She likely wouldn’t be able to upload that video now.

Unless, of course, Su Qianyu harbored ambitions of instant fame.

After an indeterminate stretch of time, Su Qianyu finally recovered from her flushed state (TL Note: A state of intense embarrassment or discomfort, often implying a heated, red face).

Gazing at her phone, the little fox maiden tremblingly unlocked it.

The chat tab within her Little Blue Book (TL Note: A fictional social media app, similar to Weibo or WeChat) was currently glowing with a red notification dot.

Su Qianyu silently tapped it open, and predictably, it was a message from the Sub-Moderator.

[So, did you get the footage?]

Reading the expectant message, a maelstrom of conflicting emotions churned within Su Qianyu.

The wretched images on her phone flashed through her mind, making even the simple act of typing pinyin a struggle.

–No, not at all.

She replied briefly, a wave of sadness washing over Su Qianyu.

Illo had masterfully executed a cunning trap, leading the little fox maiden unwittingly to the guillotine.

She never imagined that one day, her supposedly brilliant mind would be outmaneuvered by Illo.

Glancing at her phone, and seeing no immediate reply from the Sub-Moderator, Su Qianyu decided to get out of bed first.

Her feet touched the floor, and she slipped on her shoes.

Pushing open the door, she cautiously peered out.

Good, the red-haired, violent old woman was nowhere near the door.

Only after confirming Illo wasn’t lurking in some blind spot, plotting against her, did Su Qianyu dare to leave her room to wash up.

‘Odd, where could she be?’

In the living room, the television was playing an animated series adapted from a magical girl story on a loop.

Holding a glass of water, Su Qianyu walked into the living room.

As before, she found no trace of Illo here.

Gulug-hulung.

Draining the glass in one gulp, Su Qianyu wiped her mouth, still feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

‘Damn it, last night had nearly drained her dry.’

Though the saying went, “No field is tilled beyond repair, only oxen worked to death,” no one had told her that the ‘ground’ could be tilled to ruin itself.

Sighing, Su Qianyu placed the empty glass back on the table.

Just then, her phone buzzed again, signalling another message.

The Sub-Moderator had replied.

[It’s okay if you didn’t get the shot, are you alright?]

Though she had steeled herself for disappointment and pressure, a flicker of warmth still sparked within Su Qianyu’s heart upon realizing the other person actually cared about her well-being.

–I’m fine, just a little regretful I couldn’t get the video.

Wiping the tip of her nose, Su Qianyu sent her reply.

After all, yesterday’s debacle had ultimately been her own miscalculation.

Had she known better, she would have observed for a while before acting.

Outside the window, car horns continued to blare, yet a fresh wave of sadness washed over the little fox maiden’s face within the room.

[Do you have any other plans?]

[Filming the actual fighting is still too dangerous. Is there a slightly safer method?]

Looking at her phone, Su Qianyu made her request.

While she might dabble in morally questionable acts, sacrificing herself for the cause seemed hardly worth it.

Getting caught once might be tolerable, but what about twice, or even thrice?

She wasn’t sure she’d be able to crawl out of bed after that.

A moment later, the Sub-Moderator’s reply came through.

Reading the response, the little fox maiden, still clutching her phone, scratched her head.

‘Film… her losing control?’

[Yes.]

[We have a professional editing team. As long as we have the raw footage, we can create a sensation!]

[Of course, if you have any specific requests, you can also bring them up. We’ll help with anything within our capabilities.]

Reading the messages on her phone, Su Qianyu was profoundly moved.

What more was there to say?

With an entire team offered to her, any further failure would be entirely her own fault.

‘Footage of losing control…?’

Gazing at the breakfast shop not far away, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Su Qianyu.

–Um, would footage of incontinence count?

[?]

Illo, reading Su Qianyu’s message on her phone, nearly choked on her drink.

‘What on earth was this girl talking about?’

Reviewing the detailed plan, Illo suddenly felt she had been too lenient the previous night.

Though she prided herself on being far from a good person, Illo still couldn’t help but lose her composure upon seeing Su Qianyu’s scheme.

Truly, a villain remained a villain.

Even a villain she had personally ‘trained’ remained a villain.

It was like a dog that couldn’t change its habit of eating… (TL Note: A common Chinese idiom, ‘dog can’t change its habit of eating shit,’ used to describe someone who cannot change their bad nature or habits. The original text uses a censored character, represented by a square.)

It seemed she would have to intensify her efforts.

[Of course, if you have it, we’ll take it!]

Typing on her phone, Illo’s lips twitched.

It was fortunate that she was the one who saw the message; any other magical girl might have long since locked Su Qianyu away.

Seeing Su Qianyu’s “OK,” Illo put away her phone.

‘You rascal, just wait until I get back; I’ll show you a lesson!’

Before long, Illo returned to the vicinity of the house.

However, there she spotted a familiar face.

“Lin Li, what are you doing here?”

Frowning, Illo felt a pang of surprise.

By all accounts, no one should have known about this place.

Let alone that the person standing here was a colleague she recognized from Magical Girl Headquarters.

“Eh… eh!?”

“Senior Illo, what a coincidence!”

Upon seeing Illo, Lin Li’s face lit up with joy.

Yet the more Illo looked at the young woman before her, the stranger she found her to be.

As if noticing Illo’s scrutinizing gaze, Lin Li hastily explained that she was there to investigate clues about strange individuals in the vicinity.

“Recently, people nearby have reported seeing eerie figures, and there have been reports of missing children.”

“So… the higher-ups sent me to investigate this area!”

As she explained, Lin Li also presented her investigative credentials.

Illo took the credentials, scanned them briefly, and after confirming their validity, handed them back to Lin Li.

“What do you think, Senior Illo?”

“Everything I’ve said is absolutely truthful, you know~?”

Though the girl’s expression was undeniably charming, Illo couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

It was as if the other party was concealing something from her.

Pondering, Illo considered using her telepathic writing (TL Note: A supernatural ability to read or project thoughts/memories) to probe Lin Li’s memories, but after a moment’s thought, she ultimately decided against it.

While telepathic writing was convenient, if she accidentally caused issues with someone’s memory, her current methods for resolving such problems were still somewhat troublesome.

Recalling that the girl had held no particular significance to her in her previous life, Illo simply let her pass.

“Be careful.”

With that single warning, Illo’s figure swiftly vanished into the alleyway once more.

****

Moments later, Illo returned to her small base.

Opening the door, a fragrant aroma wafted into her nostrils.

‘Congee?’

Following the scent, Illo found Su Qianyu in the kitchen, busily preparing breakfast.

“Oh, you’re back?”

Su Qianyu looked at Illo, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

‘She hadn’t even added the medicine yet!’

“Um, I’m making breakfast; it’ll be ready soon. Would you… perhaps step out for a moment?”

With a plastered smile, Su Qianyu feigned an utterly submissive and compliant demeanor, as if completely subdued.

“Alright.”

“I’m quite looking forward to it, you know?”

A smile playing on her lips, Illo withdrew from the kitchen.

Only after seeing her depart did Su Qianyu retrieve the laxative she had been holding up with her tail behind her back.

‘Phew, that was a close call.’

‘She nearly got caught tampering with the food!’

Gazing at the congee with preserved egg and lean pork she had prepared, Su Qianyu immediately scooped out two portions with a mischievous grin.

Disregarding the heat, Su Qianyu unhesitatingly poured the entire packet of laxative she held into one bowl.

‘This won’t kill you!’

‘This was a precious item she had secretly “borrowed” from the pharmacy below, using her spatial transfer ability.’

‘Colorless, odorless, and potent!’

‘If this doesn’t have you dashing to the toilet like a frantic child today, then my name isn’t Su Qianyu!’