Chapter 19: A Birthday Invitation and Lingering Doubts

‘A birthday? For me?’

Her gaze met Qincai’s, and Su Qianyu felt a wave of bewilderment wash over her.

It seemed highly improbable to her that a normal—or even an ordinary—person would so casually invite a demon to such a gathering.

Before her internal doubts could even be voiced, Illo, standing nearby, swiftly stepped forward, drawing Su Qianyu into a firm embrace.

“Oh my, since the words have already been spoken?”

“Then it would be rude of us not to accept, wouldn’t it?”

With a mere twitch of her finger, a sudden surge of electricity rendered Su Qianyu utterly speechless.

Witnessing this, she found herself nodding vigorously, compelled to cooperate with Illo.

‘Indeed, she had no objections.’

‘Or rather, any objections she might harbor would be utterly irrelevant.’

‘She certainly didn’t wish to witness Illo’s eager, itching hands, craving a brawl.’

‘Especially not when she herself was the intended sparring partner.’

‘Therefore, discretion was the better part of valor.’

After seeing Illo settle back into her seat, Su Qianyu let out a weary sigh.

This, undoubtedly, was the crucial juncture Illo had alluded to.

Yet, as she observed Qincai, a lingering sense of bewilderment persisted within her.

“You… you’re not afraid of me?”

Despite their relatively short time together, Su Qianyu remained unconvinced that Qincai truly harbored no fear of her.

“My fangs, you see, don’t discriminate.”

Her face instantly morphed into a battle-ready snarl, Su Qianyu bared her fangs, clearly intending to launch an attack.

However, in the very next moment, a potent surge of electricity coursed through her, pinning her against the table.

‘Ugh ugh ugh ah ah!’

The electricity sizzled and crackled ominously.

A faint, unsettling aroma, akin to roasting meat, even began to permeate the air.

‘Stop, stop, stop!’ Gesturing wildly in the air, Su Qianyu pleaded for mercy with desperate urgency.

‘I’m burning, I’m burning! One more shock and I’ll truly be a charred fox!’

Slapping the table, Su Qianyu nearly toppled from her seat.

Struggling to lift her head, she saw Illo, as expected, regarding her with a knowing, amused smirk.

‘Seriously, did you have to shock me that hard!?’

For a fleeting moment, Su Qianyu imagined herself akin to Hao Jing.

The only difference being, he was confined to an electric chair, while she merely wore a shock collar.

Qincai observed their exchange in silence, merely solidifying her earlier suspicion that the two of them had been responsible for driving away the hooligans.

‘How wonderful,’ she mused.

‘Magical girls and demons—what a perfectly shippable pair.’

Exhaling a wisp of dark smoke, Su Qianyu subtly adjusted her posture.

“Uh, are you alright?”

“Nothing’s wrong! How could anything possibly be wrong with me?”

Feigning nonchalance, Su Qianyu clambered off the table, plastering a strained smile onto her face.

While the words tumbled from her lips, her inner world painted a starkly different picture.

Within her mind, Illo’s meticulously crafted revenge plan silently acquired yet another item.

‘She loves… to just… shock people!’

As she mentally replayed the numerous indignities she had suffered over the past few days, Su Qianyu’s lips noticeably twitched.

‘Hmph, a true gentleman never forgets a grudge!’

‘Not only would she not be a gentleman, she’d forsake her very manhood for this revenge!’

‘Illo, you had better remain eternally stronger than me!’

‘Because the moment I ascend, I swear I’ll make you pay!’

‘Endure, I must endure!’

‘She was, after all, of the ilk who played Nasus or Kayle in the top lane, or Kassadin mid.’

‘When it came to biding one’s time, no one possessed greater patience than she.’

Having mentally cursed Illo’s entire lineage, spanning eighteen generations, Su Qianyu managed to regain her initial composure.

“Oh, right,” Qincai interjected suddenly, “if you don’t have other plans, why don’t we just take my car over?”

Reflecting on Illo’s predictable nature, Su Qianyu became absolutely certain of one thing.

Should she decline Qincai’s generous offer, Illo would, in all likelihood, force her to walk there.

She nodded, signaling her agreement.

As the dismissal bell echoed, Su Qianyu swiftly fell into step with Qincai.

Yet, rising from what felt like a “throne” and glancing back, she was enveloped by an inexplicable sadness.

‘Despite occupying such a seemingly central, protagonist-like position, her life was more miserable than that of a roadside nobody!’

‘Among all anime characters who might sit in such a seat, she was probably in a league of her own for sheer wretchedness.’

‘This was the harsh reality of lacking true power.’

‘She had been here for what felt like an eternity, yet her “golden finger” (TL Note: A common Chinese web novel trope referring to a cheat ability or special power granted to the protagonist) had scarcely evolved.’

‘Its range remained pitifully small; if an opponent possessed even a rudimentary anti-magic ability, she was rendered as helpless as a cuckolded husband, forced to passively endure a beating.’

It was a proven fact: a person in a foul mood found fault with everything.

‘Gazing at the sunset outside the window, a scene that should have been exquisitely beautiful, Su Qianyu found herself wishing only to obliterate the sun with a bolt of lightning.’

‘I am the terminator of this world! I shall pass through the Dark Portal!’

Yet, before Su Qianyu could fully immerse herself in this grand fantasy, a sharp crack resounded from her head once more.

“If you dare indulge in such wild fantasies again, I’ll shock you into utter silence, understand?”

“Ugh…?”

‘You read my mind again!’

Observing Su Qianyu, Illo found herself somewhat exasperated.

It wasn’t that she deliberately wished to rap her little fox-girl’s head; it was simply that Su Qianyu’s thoughts were far too boisterous.

Just moments ago, she had briefly employed her telepathic abilities to glimpse her little fox-girl’s thoughts, and it had nearly set her own head buzzing with the sheer volume.

‘This kid, still plotting revenge and a grand comeback?’

Upon hearing the machinations within that small mind, Illo found herself torn between laughter and tears.

The chastised Su Qianyu, her face a mask of displeasure, could only huddle sullenly in a corner of the car seat.

Yet, it was peculiar; while the car appeared indistinguishable from a standard private vehicle on the outside, its interior boasted a distinctly different, far more elaborate aesthetic.

To put it plainly, it was unassuming on the exterior, but anything but simple within.

“Little one, would you like some soda?”

Suddenly, Qincai produced a bottle of drink from seemingly nowhere, offering it to her from the passenger seat.

After a quick glance, Su Qianyu unhesitatingly uncapped the bottle and guzzled its contents down.

It was as if she were imbibing Illo’s very blood, rather than a mere beverage.

‘I’ll drink, I’ll drink, I’ll drink and drink and drink!’

“Alright, stop making such a spectacle of yourself.”

Illo let out two soft coughs, signaling for Su Qianyu to cease her antics.

Indeed, Illo had not only verbally cautioned her but had also subtly imbued a hint of magic into her words.

Yet, before she could even initiate a shock, Qincai intervened.

“Alright, Illo~”

“She’s hardly some monstrous villain, and besides, isn’t she under your care now?”

Knowing full well Illo’s identity as a magical girl, Qincai smiled gently, pressing Illo’s hand down.

“Didn’t you once tell me, when you subdued monsters in my presence, that everyone deserves an opportunity for redemption?”

Observing Su Qianyu’s seemingly harmless demeanor, Qincai evidently categorized her as one of the innocuous demons.

Illo pondered for a moment, then let out a resigned sigh.

“Fine, it’s your birthday today, so have it your way.”

‘Gazing at the landscape steadily receding towards the outskirts, Illo chose to close her eyes and rest, abandoning the argument.’

Before long, as the car’s speed gently decreased, they finally arrived at Qincai’s residence.

However, the moment she stepped out of the car, Illo was once again enveloped by a familiar aura.

It felt as though someone was observing her from nearby.

This sensation wasn’t the fiery yearning for revenge that emanated from Su Qianyu; rather, it was an inexplicable, unsettling eeriness.

Yet, before she could thoroughly analyze the feeling, Su Qianyu’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Holy crap! Qincai, you live in a massive villa!”