Chapter 26: The Jasmine Eye and the Swimming Lesson Debacle

Su Qianyu was absolutely certain she hadn’t seen wrong.

Yet, how could such a thing appear in her eyes?

Shaking her head, Su Qianyu blinked twice in disbelief.

‘I must have gotten up too fast; my eyes are playing tricks on me.’

Su Qianyu had imagined developing a Sharingan (TL Note: A powerful ocular ability from the Japanese manga series Naruto) or the Evil Eye of the Wicked Lord (TL Note: A powerful ocular ability from the Japanese light novel series Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!).

However, she had never once conceived of awakening a Jasmine Eye.

‘Who can tell me how to use this?’

‘Surely, it doesn’t require sacrificing a family member, does it?’

Gazing at her reflection in the mirror with a sense of disbelief, Su Qianyu quickly splashed water onto her face twice.

Yet, the distinct jasmine flower that had been so clear just moments ago had suddenly vanished.

Only a pair of blue eyes remained reflected in the mirror.

‘Was it an illusion?’

Tentatively, after wiping away the water, Su Qianyu covered one of her eyes with her hand.

“Hmm…!”

“Open for me!”

The instant she uncovered her eye, Su Qianyu focused her gaze intently on her reflection.

Unfortunately, the scene she had envisioned still failed to materialize.

‘Where is my Jasmine Eye?’

“What are you doing?”

Suddenly, Illo’s head peeked out from beside the mirror.

The abrupt sound startled Su Qianyu, who had been engrossed in observing herself.

“N-nothing!”

Responding to Illo instinctively, Su Qianyu quickly scooped another palmful of water and splashed it onto her face.

Observing the Little Fox Girl’s actions, Illo naturally assumed Su Qianyu was merely washing her face.

Finding no clues about Jasmine’s letter near the washbasin, she felt a pang of bewilderment.

‘Perhaps I should just ask Jasmine about it in person.’

Taking out her phone in front of Su Qianyu, she navigated to the chat log from two weeks prior.

It wasn’t until she saw the grayed-out avatar that Illo vaguely recalled forgetting to ask Jasmine why she hadn’t come to see her recently.

However, after a moment’s thought, Illo didn’t dwell on it much.

After all, there were already plenty of suspicious points about the other party; compared to those, her absence seemed utterly insignificant.

Clicking ‘send’ on the drafted message, the young girl put away her phone.

Sighing, Illo then began her own ablutions.

‘I hope she replies to my message.’

****

The two girls met again in the classroom, just as the lesson was about to end.

Today’s Magical Girl mini-class still focused primarily on theoretical knowledge.

Recalling her gaze from the window, Su Qianyu looked at the clock hanging in the classroom, a hint of despair stirring within her.

She didn’t particularly dislike school life; in fact, she even felt a certain nostalgia for it.

Yet, the moment she considered what the next class would be, Su Qianyu’s previously composed expression utterly crumbled.

She enjoyed swimming, and she also appreciated ‘benefits’ (TL Note: Often implies fan service or suggestive content in web novels).

However, that certainly didn’t mean she enjoyed providing ‘benefits’ to Illo during swimming class!

Watching the minute hand twitch forward, Su Qianyu felt her limbs turn icy cold, as if she had plunged into an ice cavern.

*Ding-a-ling!*

As the nightmare-like sound rang out amidst a chorus of joyful laughter, Su Qianyu caught sight of Illo’s face.

It was a rather smug expression, one that made Su Qianyu yearn to punch it.

Alas, just like before, she couldn’t.

“What’s wrong? You look like you really don’t enjoy swimming class.”

Grinning mischievously, Illo walked over and clapped Su Qianyu firmly on the shoulder.

“You know, I absolutely detest truants.”

“And if I catch anyone skipping class?”

Illo didn’t finish her sentence; instead, she clenched her hand into a fist and gently cracked her knuckles near Su Qianyu’s ear.

“Ah, hahaha, well, about that… how could I possibly skip class?”

“You know me, I… I absolutely adore swimming class!”

Joking nervously, Su Qianyu replied, a faint sheen of sweat covering her.

‘Have you ever seen a fist the size of a sandbag?’

‘Su Qianyu certainly had.’

“Then, I’ll see you in the changing room?”

With that parting remark, Illo was the first to exit the classroom.

Su Qianyu exchanged a brief glance with Qincai, but the latter was equally helpless.

“You know, I’m Illo’s good friend.”

“So don’t look at me; I’m out of ideas too.”

‘😭.’

‘Still, must it come to this?’

****

Clutching the clothes Illo had prepared, Su Qianyu made her way to the swimming pool alone.

As a cradle school for mass-produced magical girls, the swimming pool was situated in another corner of the campus.

The moment she stepped inside, Su Qianyu felt numerous gazes fall upon her.

Even her tail, usually an unassuming presence, instinctively shifted from automatic to manual mode.

‘So nervous, so nervous.’

‘Am I the only fox girl in this entire school!?’

Just as Su Qianyu was surveying her surroundings, Illo waved from the changing room entrance.

Taking small, hurried steps, Su Qianyu walked over, and to the audible sighs of many classmates, Illo literally dragged her into the women’s changing room.

By then, Illo had already changed, clad in her swimsuit.

A pair of considerable ‘justice’ (TL Note: Slang for breasts) was exposed, yet compared to her own, they seemed almost like toys.

“What are you standing around for? Go on in!”

Pointing to the adjacent cubicle, Illo, still with that wicked grin, pushed Su Qianyu inside.

But just as Su Qianyu was about to close the door, she saw Illo follow her in.

‘Why are you coming in?’

“Um, I’m going to change now, okay?”

“Mm, I know.”

“I said… I’m going to change now, okay?”

Su Qianyu repeated herself, but Illo mimicked her, repeating the same phrase back.

‘…..?’

‘Oh no, there’s a pervert.’

“Aren’t… aren’t you embarrassed?”

Struggling, Su Qianyu tried to reawaken Illo’s scarce conscience.

Unfortunately, the one she encountered was Illo.

And a second-round Illo at that.

“Now, strip naked. I want to see.”

Su Qianyu initially intended to refuse, but recalling the memories of last night, her mouth closed successfully before any sound could escape.

‘Indeed, a true hero knows when to yield and when to assert.’

‘She loved to endure.’

‘Clothes are merely external possessions; if I must take them off, then I will!’

Swiftly, Su Qianyu found herself completely naked.

Recalling the swimsuit she had tried on last night, Su Qianyu braced herself for the worst.

‘Let me see what schemes you, pervert, are cooking up!’

Unexpectedly, however, Illo made no untoward moves.

Instead, from the bag she had just carried, she produced the swimsuit that hadn’t been purchased last night.

Gazing at the item in Illo’s hand, Su Qianyu felt nothing but surprise.

“This… you bought it back?”

But Illo didn’t answer the question, instead urging Su Qianyu to put it on quickly.

“You didn’t think I only did bad things, did you?”

Su Qianyu pondered the past few days, about to nod, but rationality once again reined her in.

‘It’s better to be cowardly at a time like this.’

Donning the swimsuit, it fit her surprisingly well.

Illo had even thoughtfully cut a hole for her tail.

‘To be so considerate!?’

****

Stepping out of the changing room, the instructor for the class had already arrived.

Though called a class in the swimming pool, it was essentially a session for relaxation and recreation.

Almost no one present couldn’t swim; even if there were, a shallow area was specifically designated for frolicking.

Midway through, Su Qianyu even encountered Qincai, who approached her with a question.

Naturally, it was to ask how she had been caught by Illo.

Without hesitation, Su Qianyu pulled Qincai to a corner of the swimming pool and, adding fuel to the fire, thoroughly slandered Illo.

“If she hadn’t played dirty tricks, I would have won ages ago!”

“Back then, I beat her so badly she was snotting and crying!”

It wasn’t just Qincai who heard this, but also several nearby classmates.

While they were unaware of Illo’s magical girl identity, they were quite intrigued by Su Qianyu’s identity as a yōkai (TL Note: A class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore).

A harmless fox girl was, after all, quite endearing.

But just then, Illo, from a distance, called for her to enter the water.

Simultaneously, a continuous electric current urged her forward.

‘Tsk, why is she looking for me at this very moment?’

Bidding a hasty farewell to the others with a wave, Su Qianyu then plunged headfirst into the water.

Since Illo could use magic to buoy herself, she simply remained in the deep end.

Su Qianyu was an excellent swimmer; although her wet tail felt heavy, she could still manage in the water for a while.

Yet, upon seeing Illo’s face, Su Qianyu felt a subtle premonition of dread.

“Uh, sis, do you have something you need to tell me?”

Greeting her with a smile, Su Qianyu felt she was being exceptionally polite.

Illo, however, returned her smile exactly as it was given.

“Do you know that magic can be used to weave clothes?”

The sudden, perplexing question left Su Qianyu somewhat confused.

But soon, seeing Illo’s gaze fixed on her swimsuit, the Little Fox Girl’s face instantly contorted with panic.

“Wait, you wouldn’t…!”

“Bingo! Correct answer!”

Before Su Qianyu could finish her sentence, Illo swiftly answered her question.

At the same time, Illo gently hooked Su Qianyu’s swimsuit with her finger and, in a voice audible only to the two of them, softly spoke.

“Student Su Qianyu, I believe I just heard you slandering me, didn’t I?”

“You wouldn’t want to be branded a pervert at school, would you?”

‘Holy crap, she’s a menace 😭!!!’