Chapter 25: The Tower’s Invitation and a Shifty Companion

Su Qingyao took a deep breath and stepped into the tower.

After seeing Su Muxue off, the young woman arrived before the tower, just as they had agreed before disbanding yesterday.

Mindful of yesterday’s encounter, Su Qingyao remained cautious, extending her sensory tendrils towards the fragments atop the tower.

A moment later, the young woman’s smile faded, replaced by a grave expression.

The fragments on the tower were relentlessly sending messages of “magic” towards her.

It was as if they were actively inviting Su Qingyao.

Su Qingyao’s first instinct was to reach for her wooden staff.

Yet, she didn’t.

Instead, a thoughtful smile played on Su Qingyao’s lips.

“Ah, I see.”

The inviting magic wasn’t “reverse magic” but genuine, unadulterated “magic.”

In a way, this was proof of its safety.

Thus, Su Qingyao ignored the invitation.

What a joke. Su Qingyao’s time was far too precious.

Calling her up was merely an attempt to deliver a concession speech.

It was only natural for the young woman to be disinclined to listen.

After all, over those five years, Su Qingyao had heard such speeches far too many times, leaving her somewhat numb.

“Work is more important, after all.”

With a final, distant glance towards the fragments, Su Qingyao turned and headed for the elevator inside the tower.

****

The first time was unfamiliar, the second time, routine.

As Su Qingyao stepped out of the elevator, she saw Xiaohua, looking rather shifty, approaching her.

“Xiaohua-senpai, were you waiting for me?”

Su Qingyao paused, bending down to stroke the smooth back of the cartoon cat.

Her fingers met with a soft, fuzzy texture.

“Um, well, I actually forgot to tell you yesterday, meow,” Xiaohua stammered hesitantly:

“Our operation might have been exposed, meow!”

“How so?”

“Well, Little Star is actually one of our magical girls, and it’s highly likely she went back yesterday and tattled to Xu Yanqing, meow!”

I see.

That indeed presented a minor issue.

Su Qingyao mused for a moment. Indeed, abruptly getting involved as a stranger could easily draw criticism from Xu Yanqing.

However, to put it another way, Su Qingyao hadn’t done anything wrong. Even if she were to be gossiped about a little, that would be the extent of it, with no major impact.

“Oh dear, Senpai. This isn’t good at all.”

Nevertheless, Su Qingyao didn’t mind trying to leverage the fantasy creature’s guilt.

What a mischievous magical girl.

After a few more casual exchanges, Su Qingyao proactively ended the conversation—she had already vaguely spotted Xu Yiyi’s head peeking out.

“Alright, I’ll handle it myself for now.”

Su Qingyao scratched Xiaohua’s chin again, adding, “Don’t forget our agreement, okay?”

“Of course! I always keep my promises, meow!”

Xiaohua meowed loudly.

Su Qingyao gave a couple of rubs to its fur before casually walking inside.

The moment she entered, she was met by Xu Yanqing, who had “I have something to say to you” practically etched onto her face.

Xu Yiyi, on the other hand, reacted quite normally, observing the young woman with a faint, respectful gaze.

This was ever since she learned that Su Qingyao’s daughter had started elementary school.

“Good morning.”

Su Qingyao could only offer a gentle yet polite smile.

“Good… morning.”

“Good morning, my dear Qingyao!” Compared to the hesitant Xu Yanqing, Xu Yiyi was far more enthusiastic.

Su Qingyao could sense that Xu Yiyi’s naturally cheerful disposition was further amplified by her magic core.

However, her genuine kindness and “country bumpkin” origins compensated for any potential flaws.

This made her the second person, after Chen Qingfeng, to exchange contact information with Su Qingyao.

Naturally, this was limited to individuals outside of her immediate family.

Even Xu Yanqing only suddenly thought of exchanging contact information after Xu Yiyi had already done so.

“Excuse me, will the training begin today?”

Su Qingyao proactively posed the question.

Xu Yanqing nodded slowly.

“Actually, we’ve been waiting for you.”

Ah, so direct.

“Ah, of course. We all understand, Qingyao. After all, you have a daughter to pick up and drop off from school…”

Xu Yiyi eagerly intervened in a situation that didn’t exist, bustling forward like a cute, anxious red-furred puppy.

Xu Yanqing, meanwhile, wore an expression of bewilderment.

Excellent. It seemed everyone was still in character today.

Su Qingyao nodded.

Then, she found a chair and sat down.

The young woman tilted her head, asking innocently, “So, can we begin now?”

“Of course.”

This time, they finally reached a consensus.

****

“The theoretical material we need to cover is all here.”

Xu Yanqing casually swiped the electronic board, turning the lesson plan to the next page.

It was clear that much more content followed, none of which concerned Su Qingyao or Xu Yiyi. This was the part Xu Yanqing intended to explain personally later.

In other words, within Xu Yanqing’s plan, the two magical girls were positioned more as security guards than teachers.

Neither of them had any objections to this arrangement.

Su Qingyao, for her part, had little to offer beyond her extensive practical experience.

Xu Yiyi, having grown up amidst ruins, had already exhausted her guardians’ efforts just by managing not to become illiterate.

“Ultimately, the purpose of your understanding all this is mainly to account for the possibility that children might come to you with questions later on.”

“By the way, Ms. Su Qingyao’s daughter is also on the training roster, isn’t she?”

Xu Yiyi suddenly asked.

Su Qingyao gave an affirmative reply.

The latter seemed to recall something, smiling playfully as she teased, “It looks like Qingyao is definitely going to be bombarded with questions then.”

Su Qingyao feigned dignified displeasure with a couple of huffs, which only made Xu Yiyi burst into laughter.

The atmosphere instantly livened up.

Even Xu Yanqing’s lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

Simply by talking to this gentle-mannered young woman about her daughter, they immediately understood why Su Qingyao had come to serve as the temporary deputy leader.

“Alright,” Xu Yanqing cleared her throat, her expression turning serious. “Next, we’ll cover the true core of this preliminary training.”

Hearing this, Su Qingyao also sobered her expression.

“This time, the most crucial part is actually leading those children through a ‘hunt’ demonstration.”

Xu Yanqing’s demeanor conveyed an air of solemn sternness.

“Some things cannot be guaranteed by mere words.”

“Therefore, we must depart from the tower and head outside the city.”

Xu Yanqing’s words caused the other two to frown in unison.

Though the tower was said to be in the Southern District, it was actually quite close to the city center, practically bordering the junction.

To travel from the tower to outside the city, even in a straight line, would require flying across the entire linear distance of an old-era provincial capital city in one go.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“However—”

Xu Yanqing seemed pleased with Su Qingyao and Xu Yiyi’s reactions. “This is the tower, after all. Naturally, there’s a shorter path to take.”

It sounded as though Xu Yanqing took immense pride in this magnificent edifice, a monument to magical girls.