Chapter 16: A Taste of Her Own Medicine

Laughing heartily, Su Qianyu announced, “Ahahaha, breakfast is served~!”

She carried the steaming porridge and her freshly-made dumplings to the table.

Gazing at the fragrant breakfast spread before her, Illo felt a flicker of surprise.

‘She actually knows how to make breakfast?’ Illo mused.

As her eyes fell upon the minced meat floating in the porridge, unpleasant memories resurfaced for Illo.

She recalled Su Qianyu’s vile demeanor from their previous life.

Back then, Su Qianyu had not only treated her as subhuman but had also failed to provide even the most basic sustenance.

Yet now, faced with such an enticing breakfast, Illo couldn’t help but smile.

‘Indeed, money makes the mare go, and true power can even make the mill grind the ghost,’ she thought, acknowledging the shift in dynamics.

Observing Illo’s expression, Su Qianyu could only offer a forced chuckle.

“So, aren’t you going to eat?” she prompted.

“The porridge won’t taste as good if it gets cold, you know.”

Pushing the laxative-laced hot porridge towards Illo, Su Qianyu endeavored to appear utterly harmless.

As she watched Illo’s face, Su Qianyu, even before Illo had taken a bite, envisioned her writhing in agony, vomiting and suffering from diarrhea.

‘Go on, eat this medicine! Even if you’re a Magical Girl, you’ll still collapse!’ she gloated internally.

However, as Illo remained motionless for an extended moment, a subtle unease began to stir within Su Qianyu.

‘She… she couldn’t have discovered the laxative, could she?’

Maintaining her smile, Su Qianyu silently took the first bite, setting an example.

‘Yes, I’ll eat first.’

‘Enticing an enemy through action is far more sophisticated than mere words!’

Yet, after watching Su Qianyu drink, Illo suddenly curled her lips into a mischievous smirk.

“You,” Illo commanded, “give me your portion.”

“Eh, eh, eh!?”

Su Qianyu attempted to protest, but Illo’s movements were swifter.

Before Su Qianyu could utter a word, the laxative-laced hot porridge had already been swapped and placed before her.

“Please, go on?”

Illo smiled, silently plunging a spoon into the porridge.

Noting Su Qianyu’s stunned expression, Illo added, not forgetting to twist the knife.

“Please make sure to finish every last drop, alright?”

Staring into Illo’s eyes, Su Qianyu smiled.

But this time, her smile was neither bitter nor resigned.

Counting down the seconds, Su Qianyu silently pressed a button.

Doot—doot—

Suddenly, Illo’s phone buzzed.

“Hm?”

Having not expected anyone to message her at this hour, Illo was visibly surprised.

‘At this time, who would be so idle as to send her a message?’

However, the instant Illo picked up her phone, Su Qianyu knew: ‘This is it!’

Telekinesis, activate!

In the mere blink of an eye, the doctored hot porridge in front of her was swapped back.

Realizing it was a nuisance call, Illo decisively hung up.

Gazing at the virtual account displayed on her phone, Illo furrowed her brow.

‘Where did these people get her number?’ she wondered.

Fortunately, it was just a brief interruption.

After ending the call, Illo once again looked at the little fox-girl before her.

But at this very moment, Su Qianyu was already heartily guzzling down the porridge.

Illo was somewhat taken aback.

‘Had she not put laxative in it after all?’

Observing Su Qianyu’s face, Illo could tell that she was genuinely enjoying her meal.

‘Could it be that I misjudged her?’

Gazing at the breakfast before her, Illo fell into deep thought.

A moment later, Illo, ever the Magical Girl, stood up once more.

Noticing Illo’s movement, Su Qianyu instinctively assumed the other girl was about to settle scores again.

“Wha… what is it?” she stammered.

“Let’s just switch the porridge back,” Illo stated. “I still prefer my bowl.”

Watching the laxative-laced hot porridge circle back into her hands, Su Qianyu was utterly dumbfounded.

‘No way.’

‘Did you peek at the script or something?’

“But I already drank from that one… it’s dirty!”

Struggling, Su Qianyu tried to retrieve the untainted bowl.

But before she could finish her sentence, Illo had already scooped a spoonful into her mouth.

“I don’t mind,” Illo declared.

With that, the porridge vanished from the bowl at a visible pace.

Having even eaten garbage from a sewage ditch, Illo certainly wouldn’t be bothered by this.

It was rare for someone to make her breakfast, and she felt it best to accept this goodwill.

‘Though, I still wonder what exactly that plan she mentioned in the chat, the one about making me lose control of my bladder, truly entails.’

But watching Illo’s every move, Su Qianyu was now genuinely flabbergasted.

“Oh dear… I suddenly feel rather full, don’t I?”

Leaning on the table, Su Qianyu chuckled awkwardly.

Gazing at the white foam settled at the bottom of the porridge, the instigator felt a chill run down her spine.

She had poured an entire bottle of the laxative into it, just to ensure its effects would work on a Magical Girl!

‘What if I have to swallow all of it myself?’

Su Qianyu couldn’t even bear to imagine how ‘beautiful’ that scene would be.

“Oh?”

“You’re full the moment I switch bowls with you? Could it be that you’re looking down on me?”

Just as Su Qianyu was about to make her escape, Illo noticed something amiss.

She couldn’t recall Su Qianyu ever having such a small appetite.

The substantial meals she’d brought her in the past few days had always been eaten without a single scrap left.

‘And now she’s full after just half a bowl of porridge?’

‘Suspicious, far too suspicious.’

Unsealing the anti-magic stone on her person, Illo swiftly grabbed Su Qianyu back.

“How about this then?” Illo offered with a bright smile. “To reward you for making breakfast for once, I’ll feed you this porridge myself, what do you say?”

Smiling cheerfully, Illo tilted her head slightly.

However, to Su Qianyu’s ears, these words sounded like nothing less than a death sentence.

“Hey~~ Why the long face? You’re the very first person I’ve ever fed, you know?”

“Even if others begged me, I might not necessarily do something like this for them, really!”

Although Illo was undeniably arrogant, her words were not false.

After all, a Magical Girl’s profession inherently possessed a celebrity-like quality, making it quite normal to have some peculiar admirers.

With so many people in the world, one couldn’t expect everyone to be normal.

As Illo gently scooped a spoonful, Su Qianyu, realizing there was no escape, was forced to open her mouth.

Waiting for death was far more terrifying than death itself.

Thus, Su Qianyu chose to close her eyes.

Of course, she was not one to passively await her fate; in a mere instant, Su Qianyu reactivated her cheat ability (TL Note: ‘Jinzhi’ refers to a cheat or special ability in web novels, often referring to a ‘golden finger’ that grants extraordinary power or luck.).

As the saying goes, ‘For every policy from above, there’s a countermeasure from below.’

‘As long as I can move this porridge-and-medicine mixture out of my stomach before it’s absorbed, I’ll still be safe!’

But it was only after the contents had gone down that Su Qianyu realized her telekinetic ability had, once again, failed her.

‘No, is this right!?’

‘Why, of all times, now!?’

Watching Illo scoop another spoonful and bring it closer, Su Qianyu, desperate not to reveal her predicament, could only cooperate and open her mouth once more.

Before long, an entire bowl of porridge was consumed by Su Qianyu alone.

Clapping her hands, Illo looked very satisfied.

‘I knew this little one wasn’t full.’

‘To think she was being so polite with me; good thing I’m kind-hearted.’

However, compared to Illo’s smugness, Su Qianyu’s expression was anything but calm.

‘Terrible… utterly terrible…!’

Feeling her stomach churning violently, Su Qianyu felt as though she was on the verge of collapsing like Baosi (TL Note: Baosi was a concubine of King You of Zhou, whose beauty was said to have led to the downfall of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Here, it implies falling apart dramatically or spectacularly.).

That she hadn’t immediately vomited was her last shred of composure.

“Alright, now it’s time to get ready for school, okay?”

Having eaten her fill, Illo was clearly in good spirits.

But upon hearing that they still had to go out, Su Qianyu’s face instantly darkened.

‘No… not you too, buddy?’