Chapter 251: Invitation

Before even stepping into the simulation room, Luo Shaotian was already shouting excitedly:

“Senior! Now I really have to respectfully call you ‘Senior’! In learning there’s precedence, and in skills there’s specialization! That move just now was way too cool!”

“Oh? You mean that Xia Nai? Ha, that guy logged off at light speed right after the simulation ended—must’ve known they couldn’t afford the embarrassment~”

“I don’t care! For my next B-rank promotion mission, escort duty is definitely on you! You have to be my top-tier bodyguard!”

From the sound of it, the atmosphere inside was extremely cheerful.

Luo Shaotian thought silently.

His hand hovered over the door handle. At that moment, he hesitated uncontrollably.

He really wanted to push the door open immediately and see the expression on her face after winning the battle.

But… after not seeing each other for so many days, would things feel a bit distant again?

Even if they used to be close… thinking about it carefully, ever since he learned the truth, that “closeness” always seemed to carry a layer of danger.

In the end, he was the one who had been more entangled.

If he seemed too eager… would it make her angry?

Probably… not, right?

“Tch…”

Luo Shaotian cursed himself inwardly.

Since when had he become so timid?

That’s really not like me.

Click.

The door opened with a soft sound—not by him, but from inside.

A gust of cold air from the corridor rushed in, and the noise inside abruptly stopped.

No—actually, that wasn’t quite right.

Li Qing was still chattering away, but the moment the door opened, Luo Shaotian felt as if his hearing had been stripped away.

Those peach blossom eyes stole all his attention.

The girl in front of him seemed to freeze for a moment, then revealed a soft, slightly naive smile.

“You’re here~ Happy New Year~”

“Happy New Year?”

“Oh right… it’s already after the New Year now…”

Such a cute smile.

She even clasped her hands together gently in front of her chest.

“So ladylike.”

“…Happy New Year.”

Luo Shaotian’s throat moved slightly, his voice low:

“Congratulations, A-Lan. Beating a B-rank magical girl so easily… at this rate, it won’t be long before you get promoted and a raise.”

“Hehe… it might’ve just been luck.”

Lin Yu lowered her gaze slightly, her thick eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

She lifted her eyes and cautiously glanced at Luo Shaotian, her voice soft:

“Just now… were you watching in the spectator system?”

“Yeah, for a few minutes.”

Luo Shaotian answered honestly.

“Once I saw you establish an absolute advantage, I exited.”

“Huh? Why?”

Her beautiful eyes widened instantly, and her neatly clasped hands dropped.

“Y-you didn’t even watch till the end? But at the final moment, I even deliberately…”

“Deliberately what?”

“N-nothing!”

Lin Yu puffed her cheeks and turned her head away, pouting slightly.

“You didn’t even finish watching—how do you know I would definitely win? Just guessing?”

“Well… how should I put it…”

Luo Shaotian unconsciously rubbed his chin.

“From your expression during the fight, I felt like victory was already in your grasp.”

“I’ve seen that look on you many times before… whenever you cleared those super high-difficulty games or solved a big problem—you always looked that calm and in control.”

“Tch…”

Lin Yu muttered softly,

“What if I messed up this time?”

“The old, reckless you might have. But the current you… probably wouldn’t.”

“Huh?”

Lin Yu froze for a moment.

“Because you’ve grown up, A-Yu. When I was watching you just now… for a moment, I really felt like you had grown.”

Lin Yu turned her face aside, crossing her arms. Her expression didn’t change much.

“So condescending~ Using such an old-fashioned lecturing tone. We’re about the same age, okay? You should save that kind of ‘elder’ talk for little girls like Li Qing and the others.”

“Huh? Why am I getting dragged into this out of nowhere?”

Li Qing spread her hands.

“And! Brother Luo! What did you mean by saying Senior has ‘grown up’? What kind of statement is that? Is she some kid who still runs around in split pants or something? Like us underage girls? That sounds weird!”

Luo Shaotian also seemed to realize something was off.

“Maybe my wording wasn’t very accurate… sorry.”

“Huh? N-no, it’s fine!”

Lin Yu lowered her head, her toes nervously rubbing against the floor.

“I… I really was a bit immature before… what Shaotian said is completely fair!”

“Ah???”

Now Li Qing was practically covered in question marks.

Individually, those words sounded fine—but the more you thought about them, the stranger they felt.

At that moment, Chen Bing suddenly spoke:

“Lin Yu, aren’t you going to解除 your transformation now?”

“Huh? Now?”

Lin Yu’s expression shifted slightly. She subconsciously clenched the hem of her sailor skirt.

“I-it’s not urgent, right? The reservation time for this simulation room isn’t up yet. If I revert now, wouldn’t that be a waste?”

“But maintaining this form for too long isn’t good for your real body, is it?”

Chen Bing frowned slightly.

“I’m just making a suggestion. After all, staying in a phase-spirit body state for too long, your real body—”

“I’m fine!”

Lin Yu suddenly raised her voice.

“I’m fine!”

“Sister Bing, don’t worry! I’m not that fragile!”

“In a bit… I still want to run another simulation battle, and also test countermeasures against contaminants…”

“My condition right now is super good. I’m not… not that tired yet… If I feel like I can’t handle it during battle, or I’m close to my limit, I’ll definitely解除 the transformation immediately!”

…

Chen Bing looked at her deeply, said nothing more, and simply turned her gaze away.

“Alright. Since you know your limits, don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Luo Shaotian patted her small shoulder.

“Balance work and rest. Your health comes first.”

After saying that, he turned around and waved at the magical girls inside, all with different expressions.

“You guys carry on. I need to go see Director Bai—he just messaged me saying there’s something to confirm.”

“Um…”

A small hand hooked onto his sleeve, tugging lightly like a little claw.

“What is it?”

Luo Shaotian stopped and turned back.

“You…”

Lin Yu lowered her head slightly, her gaze wandering aimlessly along the cracks in the floor.

“Are you… free this weekend?”

Luo Shaotian thought about his schedule.

“I should be. Unless the company assigns some urgent last-minute task, weekends are my personal time.”

“I see…”

She still didn’t look up, just lightly tapping the floor with her toe.

“It’s just… I remember back in university, your photography skills were pretty good, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Luo Shaotian smiled nostalgically.

“Back in college, someone in the club gave me a camera, and I just messed around with it for a while. Why bring it up all of a sudden?”

“My little sister… Xiaoxue… wants to go to that newly opened Flower Sea Park in Xinhai City…”

“You know my straight-guy aesthetic—my photos always turn out terrible, and she complains like crazy every time… so… if it’s convenient, could I trouble you to… be our photographer?”

“No problem.”

“Great! Then it’s settled! When the time comes… I’ll treat you to a big meal! Definitely not a stingy one!”

“Alright.”

Only after that tall figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor…

Did Lin Yu finally let out a breath.

She slapped her cheeks lightly, then turned back to face her teammates.

“Hey, hey, Sister Qing!”

As if nothing had happened, she cheerfully moved next to Li Qing and hooked her arm around the pink-haired girl’s.

“What’s the general process for that B-rank promotion mission? Manager Qian said I might have to prepare for the assessment soon…”

“Ohhh! Let me tell you—the assessment is insanely变态…”

Li Qing was instantly distracted, excitedly gesturing as she began explaining.

However—

Chen Bing, who had been standing quietly in the corner, felt a faint unease.

Was she overthinking it?

…Hopefully.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

SSS-Class Soulmate

FantasyHealinghunter

Read Now →
Not interested