Chapter 21: The Lingering Embrace and the Looming Inquiry

Violairella, fueled by an incandescent rage, gave chase to the Night Terror, and the suffocating dread that had permeated the ancient castle suddenly began to recede. Yet, in its wake, an entirely different, unseen pressure instantly enveloped Kazami Jin.

She watched as Xia Yue, Lin Wan, and Yu Niannian turned their gazes upon her—eyes that no longer held the sharp, formidable intensity reserved for an enemy, but rather something far more intricate, far more profound.

Xia Yue’s brow remained subtly furrowed, and within the depths of her ice-blue eyes, Jin perceived a swirling undercurrent of emotion. Lin Wan had shed her usual playful demeanor, her gaze now imbued with a solemnity Jin found impossible to decipher. Even Yu Niannian, though clutching her hand tightly, regarded her with wide, anxious eyes that spoke volumes of unspoken concern.

This grave atmosphere, reminiscent of a prelude to judgment, sent a sharp pang through Jin’s heart. ‘It’s over,’ she thought, a wave of dread washing over her. ‘Are they going to pursue Huo Hualan’s accusation? Am I finally going to confront my identity as a “witch”? And… and the “first aid” I performed on Huo Hualan… Even if it was to save her life, that kind of touch…’

Overwhelmed by a monstrous panic, she found herself barely able to form a coherent thought. An insistent urge to confess everything, to plead for leniency, clawed at her throat. Her lips trembled uncontrollably, tears welled in her eyes, and her voice emerged as a fragile, trembling sob:

“So-so-sorry!” Jin stammered, her voice thick with tears. “I… I didn’t mean to touch her… I just saw she was bleeding so much, and she’d passed out. I was terrified she’d die, which is why… why I gave her CPR and chest compressions… I-I didn’t do it very well, and… and I even touched places I shouldn’t have… I truly didn’t mean to! Please don’t kill me… and don’t hand me over to the organization!”

Her words tumbled out in a frantic, incoherent rush, confessing every perceived “crime” until nothing was left unsaid. With each word, her fear intensified, eventually dissolving into soft, broken sobs. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the final judgment—would it be a chilling purification, or a brutal interrogation back at the organization’s headquarters?

Yet, the anticipated scolding, the icy touch of magic, or the binding restraints never materialized.

Instead, she was engulfed by three embraces so unexpectedly warm, they left her utterly bewildered.

She first found herself enveloped in an embrace that carried a faint, cool fragrance, yet felt remarkably firm. Xia Yue’s arms circled her shoulders with a grip that was almost tight, and Jin could even sense a subtle tremor running through her.

Immediately after, Lin Wan embraced her tightly from the other side, burying her face in the hollow of Jin’s neck. Her voice, muffled and hoarse from the recent ordeal, brimmed with profound grievance. “Idiot Jin! Who cares about any of that?!” she cried out. “Do you have any idea how frantic we all were when you were taken?!”

Then, Yu Niannian squeezed in, wrapping her arms around Jin’s waist from the front, her small face burrowing into Jin’s chest. “Big Sister!” she sobbed, her voice thick with tears. “We were so scared! So afraid that wicked witch would kill you! Afraid we’d never see you again!”

The collective embrace of the three girls nearly swallowed her whole. Their genuine body heat, their hurried breaths, and their raw, undisguised worry and fear cascaded over her like a warm current, instantly shattering the psychological defenses Jin had so painstakingly erected. In that moment, she was utterly bewildered.

‘They… they aren’t angry?’ Jin thought, a profound confusion settling in. ‘They aren’t interrogating me? They’re… they’re worried about me?’

Xia Yue drew a deep, shaky breath, as if attempting to compose herself, yet her voice still carried an almost imperceptible tremor of tension and lingering terror. “When we reached the battlefield,” she began, “we found nothing but ruins and scattered dark magic… We couldn’t find you… In that moment…” She trailed off, unable to complete the sentence, but Jin felt Xia Yue’s arms around her tighten further.

Lin Wan lifted her head, her eyes slightly reddened. She vigorously ruffled Jin’s hair, her voice imbued with a seriousness Jin had never heard before. “We practically tore the entire school district apart looking for you!” she exclaimed. “If Niannian hadn’t sensed a faint, residual magic fluctuation connected to you and tracked us here… we, we might have truly lost you!” Her voice caught, a sob escaping. “Do you have any idea,” she pressed, “how terrifying that feeling is—the possibility of never finding you again?!”

Yu Niannian nodded vigorously, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she gazed up at Jin. “Big Sister,” she pleaded, “don’t ever run off alone again! And don’t let bad people capture you! We… we’ll protect you!”

Kazami Jin found herself utterly flustered by this sudden, overwhelming surge of affection, her mind a complete blank. All her fear, her frantic explanations, her deep-seated grievances—in this moment, they dissolved into an immense bewilderment and… a peculiar, unfamiliar emotion that made her nose sting and her eyes burn.

‘They didn’t care about Huo Hualan’s accusation,’ Jin mused, a nascent realization blooming. ‘They didn’t even care about my “offensive” actions just now… They were just afraid, afraid of losing me?’

‘This… this is completely different from what I expected!’

‘Wasn’t I an “anomaly” who needed to be monitored, coerced, and could be purified at any moment?’ she questioned inwardly. ‘Why are they so panicked, so desperate over me?’

“I… I…” Jin’s lips parted, but she found herself utterly speechless, her throat feeling as though it were constricted. Tears, large and unbidden, streamed down her face, mingling with the dust and blood to leave desolate trails.

She neither struggled nor offered a reply, simply standing there stiffly, allowing them to hold her. She absorbed the warmth and worry that felt as though it might almost sear her skin.

Deep within her heart, a cold, unyielding corner seemed to be quietly, imperceptibly melting.

‘Perhaps… perhaps this world isn’t solely about hiding and fleeing, as I’ve always believed?’ she pondered, a flicker of hope igniting. ‘Perhaps… there truly exists a bond that can transcend the boundaries of factions and identities?’

This nascent thought terrified her, yet she couldn’t suppress a faint, almost unbelievable… longing that stirred within her.

Meanwhile, the unconscious Huo Hualan lay forgotten on the ground (Yu Niannian had merely, as an afterthought, cast a basic healing aura to sustain her life). The three magical girls’ entire focus was now solely on Jin, whom they had so miraculously recovered. She was, in their eyes, the precious one who needed to be carefully cherished.

This peculiar, heartwarming yet chaotic tableau made Jin, who had just narrowly escaped death, momentarily wonder if perhaps… perhaps simply living wasn’t always destined to be so arduous and fraught with despair?

****

That overwhelming surge of affection, which had threatened to melt Kazami Jin entirely, did not last long.

As if a sudden switch had been flicked, Lin Wan abruptly lifted her head from the hollow of Jin’s neck, her eyes wide with dawning realization. “Wait a minute!” she exclaimed. “Did that Huo Hualan say something before she passed out? Something about… artificial respiration? Pressing… pressing in places she shouldn’t have?”

Xia Yue’s arms, which had been wrapped around Jin’s shoulders, subtly stiffened. Slowly, she loosened her embrace, her ice-blue eyes refocusing, now imbued with a hint of scrutiny and utter disbelief as she fixed her gaze on Jin. “Jin,” she asked, her voice carefully modulated, “what exactly did you… do to Huo Hualan?”

Yu Niannian, too, belatedly processed the information, her small mouth forming a perfect O of surprise. She glanced at Jin, then at the unconscious Huo Hualan on the ground, before stammering, “Se-Senior… did you… did you kiss Big Sister Huo Hualan? And… and touched her?”

Three pairs of eyes, brimming with shock, curiosity, and an indescribably complex blend of emotions, converged on Jin like sudden spotlights. The panic that had only just begun to recede now surged back, more overwhelming than before, making her scalp prickle even more intensely than when she had faced Violairella!

“I-I didn’t! It’s not what you think!” Jin’s face instantly flared crimson. She waved her hands frantically, attempting to explain in a jumbled rush. “I was trying to save her! She was bleeding too much and passed out! It was first aid! CPR! That’s how they do it on TV! I-I don’t know where I pressed… I didn’t mean to!”

The more she tried to explain, the more she saw the increasingly peculiar expressions on their faces, and the deeper her shame and despair grew. This was, she realized, even more mortifying than confessing her identity as a witch!

Amidst this awkward and chaotic moment, a calm yet undeniably authoritative voice sliced through the delicate atmosphere.

“It seems,” the voice declared, “this place is even more ‘lively’ than I imagined.”

Everyone turned their heads towards the sound, only to discover Ouyang Na, who had, at some unknown point, arrived at the edge of the ravaged battlefield. Behind her trailed several personnel clad in Star Guardians uniforms, laden with medical equipment.

Her gaze, sharp as ever, first swept quickly over the unconscious Huo Hualan and the severe injury to her abdomen, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. She then gestured to the medical personnel. “Prioritize ‘Blaze Incineration’ Huo Hualan,” she instructed, her voice calm and firm. “Treat her injuries and transfer her with extreme care.”

Two medical personnel immediately advanced, skillfully examining Huo Hualan’s injuries, then performing preliminary treatment and stabilization.

Only then did Ouyang Na’s gaze slowly shift, settling upon Kazami Jin, who was subtly shielded between Xia Yue, Lin Wan, and Yu Niannian, her face flushed crimson, her eyes darting nervously.

Her gaze remained perfectly calm, yet it possessed a penetrating insight that made Jin feel as though all her carefully constructed disguises had been effortlessly stripped away.

Xia Yue instinctively stepped forward, positioning herself more squarely in front of Jin. Lin Wan and Yu Niannian immediately followed suit, the three of them forming a small, resolute protective circle. Despite standing before a high-ranking inspector of the organization, their stance remained exceptionally firm.

Ouyang Na observed the scene, her sharp eyes sweeping back and forth between the four of them, before finally culminating in an almost inaudible sigh. She shook her head, her voice imbued with a complex nuance that made it impossible to discern if it was mockery or profound contemplation:

“If not for the fact that her magic fluctuations are so faint they’re almost negligible,” Ouyang Na remarked, her gaze piercing, “I would suspect… she used some long-lost, powerful enchantment spell on you, one not even recorded in the organization’s archives.”

Her words caused Xia Yue and the others to momentarily freeze, a flicker of discomfort crossing their faces. Despite this, their protective stance around Jin remained utterly unwavering.

Ouyang Na did not pursue the topic further. Her gaze once again settled firmly on Jin, her expression silently conveying, ‘Our business is far from concluded.’ Yet, she did not immediately unleash her displeasure. Instead, she addressed Xia Yue and the other two in an unequivocal tone:

“This is not the place to talk. ‘Blaze Incineration’ Huo Hualan needs to be immediately sent back to headquarters for intensive treatment. As for you three—Xia Yue, Lin Wan, Yu Niannian—you will return to the organization with me at once to provide a detailed report of this incident’s entirety and to undergo questioning and review for violating regulations and causing significant social impact.”

Her tone reverted to its cold, official register as her gaze swept over the three magical girls. “As for her…” Her eyes briefly flickered to Jin once more. “She will temporarily remain under your ‘supervision’ and be brought back with you. Specific handling will be discussed once the investigation is complete.”

The atmosphere grew solemn and tense once more.

Although the worst possible outcome—immediate purification or capture—had been temporarily averted, the future remained shrouded in thick uncertainty.

The organization, the witches, a mysterious past, and these three magical girls whose attitudes were unclear yet remarkably protective of her… Kazami Jin’s mind was a chaotic mess. The glimmer of warmth that had just risen within her was once again supplanted by the dread of the unknown.

She looked at Ouyang Na’s retreating back as she turned to direct her personnel in clearing the wreckage, then at the three girls in front of her, their faces grave but still shielding her. A myriad of emotions churned within her.

Returning to the organization… what, she wondered, awaited her there?