Chapter 25: The Price of Profanity and a Mysterious Dream

Logically speaking, magical girls generally adhered to reason.

Even in their daily lives, the Magical Girl Management Code dictated specific behavioral standards.

For instance, it meticulously outlined the protocols for pre-rescue operations and the intricate details during assistance.

Regrettably, however, reason now resided solely in Illo’s hands.

Whether something was reasonable or not was entirely up to her.

As the morning birds chirped outside, Su Qianyu weakly dragged herself from the bed.

She had always known Illo was a pervert, a lecher.

Yet, she had never imagined Illo could be *such* a perverted lecher.

“Water…. water….!”

A parched sensation clung to Su Qianyu, making her feel as though she had been drained to the point of dehydration.

People often said that a fox spirit like her should only be admired from afar, never trifled with.

What they didn’t realize was that for someone like Su Qianyu, a single touch was enough to profane her.

Profaned in every conceivable way (TL Note: The original Chinese character ‘亵’ (xiè) carries connotations of defilement, blasphemy, or treating something with extreme disrespect).

A dark, twisted crawl.

Soon, relying solely on her own will, Su Qianyu managed to successfully writhe her way to the living room.

Reaching the pinnacle of her world: the sofa!

Gathering every ounce of her strength to clamber up, Su Qianyu then plunged into a deep kiss with the water kettle on the table.

“Drink, I’ll drink!”

The lingering taste of pineapple juice from last night still clung to her mouth.

Choking on the water, Su Qianyu collapsed once more, propping herself up on all fours as she struggled to cough out a sound.

‘I’m alive, I’m alive!’

It proved true that being a villain not only required a cunning mind but also a robust physique.

Otherwise, one might find it difficult to get out of bed.

Watching the sky gradually lighten outside her window, Su Qianyu exhaled a long, shaky breath.

Returning to her room, she found it precisely as she had left it.

Gazing at the person soundly asleep on the bed, Su Qianyu felt waves of helplessness wash over her.

It was not merely physical, but spiritual as well.

Sometimes, she couldn’t help but wonder what exactly these magical girls were.

Despite their maidenly appearances, their inner selves were more abstract than the last.

Pulling out the magic crystal given to her by that ‘Old Man’ (TL Note: ‘老登’ (lǎo dēng) is a somewhat informal or slightly derogatory term for an old man), Su Qianyu fell into deep thought.

‘This thing, it’s really that powerful?’

However, after recalling the magical girls she had encountered, Su Qianyu offered a wry smile and silently tucked it away.

‘Becoming a magical girl? I’ll pass.’

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

She certainly didn’t want to suddenly be presented with a bill for her youthful endeavors years down the line.

Moreover, she had no desire to become a magical girl now.

‘A man like me turning into a magical girl, that’s still too bizarre.’

‘Ahem, though technically, I’m not a man anymore.’

Quietly slipping back under the covers, she found the lingering warmth of her own body from the night before.

Compared to the room full of fishy, heather-like scent before she transformed into this appearance, Illo’s occasional sweet citrus fragrance was far more palatable.

‘Hmm, for a grown man like me to get a taste of a magical girl, it’s definitely worth it!’

With that thought, even the exhaustion from their ‘game’ seemed to lessen considerably.

Soon, Su Qianyu drifted back into slumber.

****

Dreams are an extension of reality; reality is the culmination of dreams.

In her dream, Su Qianyu found herself in a field of jasmine flowers.

‘Hmm, fragrant and delightful.’

As her feet trod through the flower field, each step produced the unique rustling sound of green leaves.

Looking out, the jasmine flowers stretched endlessly, leading all the way to an indistinct building in the distance.

It wasn’t until she stood before it that Su Qianyu finally discerned what it was.

“A… a church?”

Instinctively stepping inside the church, she looked around, only to find it utterly empty.

Save for the raised platform in the center.

Stained glass shattered the light into a rainbow, casting vibrant hues upon the pristine white hall.

Vaguely, Su Qianyu seemed to perceive a figure upon it.

Yet, even squinting, she couldn’t make out the slightest detail of the person within.

Strangely enough, despite never having seen this individual, a sense of familiar unfamiliarity emanated from her.

The further she ventured inward, the more intense the jasmine fragrance became.

Eventually, the scent grew so overwhelmingly rich that it became difficult to even draw a breath.

“You… you’ve finally arrived?”

Before Su Qianyu could respond, however, the hall above suddenly began to collapse.

The ground swayed, and fragments of stone rained down incessantly.

Driven by instinct, Su Qianyu reached out to pull the figure away.

But before she could grasp them, an unfathomably deep chasm suddenly opened beneath her feet.

And then, came the endless plummet.

“Wake up, wake up…!”

The moment she hit the ground, Su Qianyu cried out.

She jolted upright as if from a deathbed, but looking around, where were the grand halls or the precipice?

All that remained was Illo’s somewhat bewildered face.

“What are you doing?”

“Why are you shouting so early in the morning?”

Her gaze instinctively darted to the window, only to find the sun already high in the sky.

She clutched the blanket covering her body, from which a faint, elusive fragrance emanated.

Seeing Su Qianyu’s expression, Illo immediately surmised what had transpired.

“You, had a nightmare?”

Su Qianyu didn’t answer, instead savoring the recent dream.

The dream had been so vivid that every detail felt seared into her mind.

Even her back was drenched in sweat, leaving a profound impression.

Before she could recall anything further, Illo’s laughter suddenly drifted over.

“I never thought an demon like you would have nightmares, either?”

The light, pleasant laughter pulled Su Qianyu back from the sensation of falling she had just experienced.

Illo hadn’t expected that a villainous wretch like Su Qianyu would show such an expression due to a nightmare.

It was a pure, heartfelt fear of the unknown.

Even in her previous life, Illo had rarely witnessed such an expression on the faces of her enemies.

“What are you laughing at!”

“Haven’t you ever had a nightmare yourself!”

Retorting instinctively, Su Qianyu finally regained her composure.

With bared fangs at the corners of her mouth, the latter clearly felt indignant.

However, Illo suddenly rose from bed, choosing not to dwell on the topic.

For more than this, she was concerned with what Jasmine had actually written to her.

She hadn’t forgotten what that person had said.

Something about it being better not to know for now, and having someone else deliver an envelope to her.

She had never seen Jasmine act so mysterious before.

Yawning, Illo decided she would see for herself what could warrant such secrecy.

But the moment her hand touched the envelope, the sensation it conveyed made her frown.

‘It’s been opened?’

Hastily opening the envelope, she found that the magical array on it had already been dispelled.

Yet, apart from a blank piece of paper, there was nothing inside.

Even the weight she had initially felt was now completely gone without a trace.

“Hey, did you mess with my stuff?”

Turning to look at Su Qianyu, who was still in bed, Illo immediately questioned her.

After all, only the two of them were in the room; if the little one hadn’t opened the letter, who else could have?

However, after a thorough check, Illo found nothing on Su Qianyu.

Even with her mind-reading abilities, the only information she gleaned was that Su Qianyu had woken up and drunk water that morning.

It was as if whatever had been inside the letter had suddenly vanished into thin air.

Getting out of bed, Illo immediately began rummaging around.

Seeing Illo busy, Su Qianyu went to the washstand to tidy herself.

But as she swept back her hair, she noticed a mark appearing in her eye.

“This is… a jasmine flower?”