Chapter 24: The Price of Choices

After Ye Xiaoshuang and her mother had waited for several minutes at the school gate, a security guard jogged into view, opening the school entrance for them.

Ye Xiaoshuang recognized the guard; he always seemed rather fierce, and his demeanor had been less than friendly when she used to enter and exit the campus to fetch takeout and other items for Xu Weiwei and her friends, though he had never truly made things difficult for her.

Now, however, the security guard uncle appeared remarkably deferential towards the mother and daughter, apologizing for his tardiness while bowing slightly as he gestured towards the school dormitories for her mother.

Their reason for returning to school today was simple: first, to retrieve Ye Xiaoshuang’s belongings from the dormitory, and second, to sign several agreements with the school.

Ye Xiaoshuang was unaware of the detailed contents of these agreements, but she had heard from her mother and the aunties from the Magic Supervision Department that the purpose of signing them was solely for her protection.

The mother and daughter first went to the dormitory.

After unlocking the door with a key, they stepped into the six-person dormitory.

The dormitory rules in middle school were considerably stricter than those in high school or university, yet these girls nonetheless strived to transform their bunks into their own personal havens.

Some had adorned their beds with fluffy plushies, aiming to create a cozy nook with their favorite items.

Others had set up wooden or plastic shelving units on their beds, covered with study guides and romance novels.

Still others, to ward off summer insects, had already set up mosquito nets over their beds.

Ye Xiaoshuang’s bed was the upper bunk on the inner side.

Her bed had already been tidied, and all her dormitory and classroom items were packed and placed upon it, awaiting their journey home.

Ye Xiaoshuang had once fantasized about what the dormitory would be like upon graduation.

If it were her, she would likely clean away every trace of her presence, just as it was now.

Her classmates, perhaps, would dedicate their last moments at school to a final act of teenage rebellion, leaving many items on their beds, as if they had suddenly fled from this place.

But no matter what, these were now mere imaginings.

She could not stay here until graduation; this was her final moment.

Perhaps it was for the best; she was unsure how to face others now.

She had met others here, lived together, and now she was leaving alone.

This abrupt cessation of her schooling was also part of the price she had to pay for her choices and actions.

The mother and daughter carried their belongings back to the school gate first, tossing their numerous bags into the car.

They then walked through the campus, discussing lunch options.

In this environment, Ye Xiaoshuang’s mother recalled many memories from her own school days, sharing them with her daughter.

Though the times were different, the feelings evoked by school life perhaps remained universally relatable.

Ye Xiaoshuang had never heard her mother speak of these topics before, and thus listened with keen interest.

Her middle school life had not come to a fulfilling close, but she was still very young.

She still had a future brimming with possibilities; she could look forward to high school, university, and the life beyond.

****

Entering the teaching building, ascending the stairs, and arriving before the academic affairs office, the mother and daughter heard voices emanating from through the slightly ajar door.

One voice, in particular, was strikingly familiar to her: it was Vice Principal Xu, who was also Xu Weiwei’s father.

“—”

Ye Xiaoshuang halted her steps.

Facing the bully’s father, she was unsure how she should compose her expression.

Some said he was completely ignorant of his daughter’s bullying, while others claimed he had tacitly condoned it, even pressuring those who knew.

No one truly knew what role this father played, but everyone understood that it was precisely because of her father’s position that Xu Weiwei had acted with such impunity.

Her mother, sensing her daughter’s hesitation, turned and blocked the doorway with her body.

“I’ll go in alone, Shuangshuang.

Why don’t you wander around the school a bit more?

I’ll text you when I’m done.”

“But…”

“It’s alright, Shuangshuang.

Let the adults handle adult matters.

Trust your mother.”

“…Mm.”

Patting her daughter’s shoulder, the mother signaled for her not to worry.

After watching her daughter descend the stairs, a gentle smile still gracing her lips, she turned to face the door, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

Indeed, the war between adults should be fought by adults.

The next moment, the mother reverted to her professional demeanor.

The tender maternal warmth faded from her face, and she retracted the smile reserved solely for her daughter.

Her gaze sharpened, and she reached into her shoulder bag, pulling out a glasses case and donning the spectacles within.

Once prepared, she raised a hand and knocked on the door before her, proceeding to the battlefield that belonged to a mother.

****

Through the door, Ye Xiaoshuang peered into the classroom through a small rectangular pane of glass.

As class monitor, she had been among the first to arrive almost every day, and the classroom key had always been entrusted to her.

However, she had since returned the key to the school, so this was the only way she could catch a final glimpse.

She counted the desks and chairs in the classroom; her own set was nowhere to be seen.

Her former seat had already been reallocated.

By tomorrow, this classroom would once again be filled with students at the urging of the school bell, and her classmates would spend their last month of middle school here, facing a blackboard covered in practice problems.

Passing the restroom on the same floor, Ye Xiaoshuang stepped inside to wash her face.

The cool, flowing water brought a subtle chill to her cheeks, and with it, a rush of memories.

It was in this very place that she had helped the classmate bullied by Xu Weiwei.

When she witnessed Xu Weiwei and two others shoving that classmate into the restroom, she noticed the helplessness in that classmate’s eyes.

Without hesitation, she followed them, stepping in front of Xu Weiwei to try and stop their actions.

That day, Xu Weiwei had mercilessly held her head under the faucet and splashed water into her face.

In that moment, she felt no regret, for that classmate had managed to escape because of her.

Wiping her face dry with a tissue from her pocket, Ye Xiaoshuang departed from the starting point of this divergent path.

Thoughts of Xu Weiwei brought a flood of unpleasant memories, causing Ye Xiaoshuang pain.

Yet, she did not halt the flow of her recollections, believing this would be the last time.

In her memories, the smiles on her face gradually diminished, and her head dropped lower and lower when facing others.

She couldn’t say when it started, but eventually, her gaze was fixed solely on her own feet.

Walking on the sports field, Ye Xiaoshuang’s eyes fell upon the experimental building nearby.

This was the culmination of this divergent path, but not its only end.

She turned her head to look at the rooftop of the teaching building, understanding that if not for that mysterious girl who had taken her hand, that would have been her solitary end.

Her memories of transforming into a Corrupted (TL Note: ‘Corrupted’ is a being formed from intense negative emotions, often losing humanity.) were quite blurry.

From Asherah, the Magical Girl who visited her daily these past few days, she learned that she had transformed into a Corrupted Entity, resembling a cocoon or a beating heart, using its magic to envelop the entire school.

She had allowed sorrowful emotions to permeate and spread everywhere, turning everyone into prisoners of tears.

After the incident, she heard that school had been suspended for a day, and students and teachers involved had undergone investigations.

It was clear that the campus could not have returned to its usual order this past week, which undoubtedly caused considerable disruption for students preparing for the high school entrance examination.

For this, she felt a profound sense of apology.

[Let everyone hear my wailing…]

That’s what the girl had said when she placed the key in her hand.

That night, the girl in their school uniform had saved her life, and investigations had now almost entirely ruled out the possibility of her being a student at this school.

So, why was she there then?

Who exactly was she?

Ye Xiaoshuang recalled Magical Girl Polaris’s unnatural expression when discussing that girl, and combining it with the changes that had occurred to her, the answer had already surfaced: that person was an enemy of Magical Girls, an existence connected to Corrupted Entities.

Television and internet reports depicted Corrupted Entities as terrifying monsters, devoid of humanity and reason, pitch-black and grotesque like aliens.

She had never heard of Corrupted Entities that looked almost identical to ordinary humans yet retained their sanity; merely imagining such beings was chilling to the bone.

But when she actually interacted with the girl, Ye Xiaoshuang hadn’t found her frightening.

When the girl had gripped her hand at the edge of the rooftop, the warmth in her palm had felt reassuring.

Or perhaps… it was because the girl had long been watching her, wishing to use her to inflict harm on more people.

From the outcome, it certainly seemed so; under the Corrupted Entity’s attack, everyone had been equally harmed, with no one spared salvation.

Ye Xiaoshuang sat in the pavilion beside the sports field, shielding her eyes from the sun with her palm.

This hand had once clutched that key.

It was her choice.

If she had truly held a distrustful attitude towards an item given by a stranger of unknown origin, then she should have discarded it the night she received it.

But she hadn’t.

She had chosen to bring that key to school.

She had indeed harbored a certain hope for the key, even though she didn’t know what it could do.

Yet, could that truly be called a choice?

For someone cornered and devoid of the courage to die, wasn’t it the only path forward?

If all her actions were part of that girl’s calculations, then she was merely a fool easily manipulated.

If her weakness and ignorance had made her a puppet of a deeper malice, then…

Perhaps she could more justifiably place herself in the position of a victim.

“…”

Lowering her hand, the sky was clear and bright, the weather fair.

Ye Xiaoshuang shook her head at such a sky.

Footsteps echoed from the stone steps behind her.

One person.

Not her mother, for the sound wasn’t that of high heels.

Ye Xiaoshuang turned her head and saw an unexpected figure.

A figure who had played various roles in her memories.

“Good, good morning, Class Monitor.”

The girl before her half-bowed her head, her expression timid.

When Ye Xiaoshuang looked at her, she involuntarily stopped, her body frozen on the stone steps.

Her clear eyes were like a petri dish of emotions: gratitude, fear, shame, helplessness…

They merged and swelled continuously as the silence persisted, growing increasingly complex.

“Good… mm, good morning.”

Ye Xiaoshuang wanted to use her usual smile to respond, to call out her name as she normally would, but in the end, she couldn’t utter the name.

The smile she managed to force out felt strained.

Ye Xiaoshuang beckoned, inviting her to sit closer.

Though the distance between them had successfully shortened, neither of them faced the other.

Ye Xiaoshuang’s gaze rested on the railing of the distant spectator stands on the sports field, while the other girl still dared not lift her head, her gaze flitting and wandering.

“You’re here so early today.”

“Mm, because I accidentally overheard a teacher saying you were coming back, so…”

Perhaps fearing a misunderstanding, she immediately began to explain.

“I didn’t tell anyone else about this.

Only I know.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiaoshuang nodded and shifted the topic.

“How is everyone in the class?”

“Everyone… everyone is fine.”

Immediately after, the girl added another sentence.

“Everyone doesn’t blame you, and they don’t dislike you, Class Monitor.”

“…”

Ye Xiaoshuang looked at her upon hearing this.

She hoped it was true, but even now, hearing the girl say it, she felt not a shred of relief or liberation.

“Mm, thank you.”

This brief thank you landed like a heavy stone in the girl’s heart, stirring her already tumultuous emotions into even greater disarray.

She visibly flustered, bowing her head deeply, like an ostrich trying to hide from something.

She had not come here to hear these words, but facing Ye Xiaoshuang’s now unfamiliar eyes, she found it difficult.

Her inferiority and shame intertwined, fiercely gripping her throat, rendering her unable to utter a single word.

Ye Xiaoshuang said nothing more.

She was well acquainted with this girl’s demeanor, and she could empathize with the pain in the girl’s heart, for she, too, had once been trapped in such a predicament.

When she chose to help her, the girl fled with a look of cowardice.

When Xu Weiwei demanded her participation, she participated with that same expression, solely to protect herself.

When the two brushed past each other in the corridor, she always acted like an injured puppy, just watching, like everyone else.

Sympathy, shame, unease… these emotions constantly conveyed themselves through her eyes, yet she merely clutched her shirt with trembling hands, her lips pressed tightly together.

She just watched.

The chime of a notification broke the silence.

Ye Xiaoshuang glanced down at her phone screen, understanding it was time for her to leave.

“I’m sorry, I have to go.”

She took a step, then another, before stopping, prompted by the person behind her.

“Class Monitor, I… I’m sorry…”

“…”

Ye Xiaoshuang turned back.

The girl sitting in the pavilion seemed to have mustered all her strength to lift her head and utter those few words.

The moment their gazes met, large tears streamed down her face, and she mumbled the words repeatedly, over and over.

Why was it always the victims who uttered such words?

Humans are creatures who rationalize their actions with various excuses to ease their consciences.

Were these tears merely an attempt to free herself from the entanglement of guilt?

If she offered forgiveness, would the girl truly find solace?

Ye Xiaoshuang remained silent for a moment, then stepped towards the girl, pulling something from her shirt pocket and placing it in the girl’s hand.

A preserved plum candy, one she had received from the hero who saved her.

“Here, have a candy and cheer up.”

“B-but…”

“It’s delicious, and you don’t even have to spit out the pit.”

“…”

The girl in front of her, still sobbing, opened the candy wrapper.

As she put it in her mouth, her expression immediately twisted slightly from the sour taste on her tongue.

Oh, she’d forgotten that this girl couldn’t stand sour flavors.

“Ugh, it’s so sour…”

Despite her soft complaints, she honestly savored the sweet and sour taste in her mouth.

Once the girl had swallowed, Ye Xiaoshuang conveyed the words she had long pondered, now finally organized.

“I don’t regret it, [Classmate’s Name].”

“—”

“Of course, it’s a pity I couldn’t graduate with everyone, but even now, I haven’t regretted my choice.”

“I didn’t help you because I wanted your gratitude, nor do I wish for your apologies now.

I simply couldn’t bring myself to ignore their actions, that’s all.”

“Class Monitor…”

So, I don’t blame you.

So, I forgive you.

So, I pity you.

…

“So…”

Ye Xiaoshuang bent down and embraced the girl.

“So, I just hope that you, like everyone else, won’t be troubled by bad things, that you can come to school every day with a good mood, spend the rest of your time here with your friends, graduate smoothly from here, and move on to high school.

I think, for us, that would be a small kind of happiness.”

“I hope you find happiness.”

Listening to the sobs beside her, Ye Xiaoshuang squinted at the midday sun, and noticing the backpack on the girl’s shoulders, she suddenly remembered something.

“Though it’s a bit sudden, there’s one thing… I hope I can get your help with.”

“Of course, just say it, Class Monitor.”

“Mm… do you have a notebook and a pen?”

“I do, let me find them…”

Although she didn’t understand what Ye Xiaoshuang wanted to do, the girl quickly wiped away her tears, opened her backpack, and pulled out a notebook and a pen, handing them to Ye Xiaoshuang.

“Just for a moment.”

Saying this, Ye Xiaoshuang flipped the notebook to the last page and wrote something with the pen.

“Alright, this is perfect.

Thank you.”

The girl took the notebook back, her face puzzled.

When she saw the contents of that page, her eyes widened slightly.

“This is…”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but when I was in elementary school, I missed my graduation ceremony because I was sick.

I couldn’t take a graduation photo with my classmates, nor did I get any graduation messages from them.

That has always been a regret in my heart.

So, even if it’s just one person, I hope to leave something behind this time.”

No one meets only for farewells, and in the fleeting moment of passing by, no one can know if it’s truly the last time they’ll ever meet.

Yet, Ye Xiaoshuang solemnly uttered a goodbye in that moment.

It was as if she was speaking to the girl before her, to the school, and to herself… she left it on that page, as the final words of this encounter.

“May we all have the tomorrow we wish to embrace.”