Chapter 35: The Calculated Pursuit and Unsettling Return

Illo made no move to rush forward.

Rather, years of accumulated experience advised her against approaching at that moment.

An anomaly such as this invariably hinted at something sinister.

By lingering and listening, she might just uncover more unexpected information.

Casually finding an unoccupied spot nearby, Illo settled down and ordered the establishment’s signature coffee.

Yet, as if sensing Illo’s proximity, the two lowered their voices considerably.

Only a moment before, Illo had observed Su Qianyu’s expression of genuine surprise.

The very next instant, however, the two seemed to share a tacit understanding.

Even with her hearing magically enhanced, Illo could discern only a muddled murmur.

‘Tsk, are they trying to outwit me?’

Despite this, Illo found herself not annoyed, but rather amused.

She, Illo, was certainly not someone to be trifled with.

‘If they refuse to let me listen now, I’ll simply interrogate them directly once we return, won’t I?’

She was eager to discover just who this unfamiliar individual, stepping in to replace her, truly was.

****

Concurrently, Su Qianyu felt an intense gaze boring into her from behind.

This sensation was all too familiar—it was unmistakably Illo’s presence!

The chair behind her shifted; Illo was no longer listening.

Yet, just as she was about to turn and depart, the ‘Sub-Moderator’ abruptly grasped her shoulders, continuing their hushed conversation.

“The Magical Girl is directly behind you, so, once you’ve exited, whatever you do, do not look back, understand?”

“I have a method to draw her away; you merely need to seize the opportunity and leave!”

Having imparted these instructions, Su Qianyu felt an object pressed into her hand by the other person.

Before she could even discern its nature, the hard object in her palm swiftly dissolved, transforming into a warm current that flowed into her Magical Girl crystal.

‘Wait, why would something given by the Sub-Moderator integrate itself into *this* thing?’

Before Su Qianyu could voice her confusion, however, the masked figure before her once again seized the thread of conversation.

“From now on, we shall communicate using this.”

“Should you require anything, simply use that crystal to call for me, understood?”

Observing this, Su Qianyu could only offer a thoughtful nod.

With that, the Sub-Moderator before her promptly rose from their seat.

Pushing the door open, they exited the room, simultaneously radiating waves of oppressive aura to clear a path.

Witnessing this, Illo, despite her considerable patience, immediately sensed that something was amiss.

‘Could this individual be some kind of anomaly?’

Placing her coffee cup, along with payment, on the table, Illo promptly rose and pursued them.

“Wait, don’t you dare run!”

Grasping the retreating figure, Illo instantly materialized her magic wand.

The very next second, however, a violent surge of energy erupted from the other’s body.

A near-frenzied shockwave tore through the area, lifting nearby electric scooters and sending them crashing into the plate-glass windows of street-side shops.

‘A self-detonating puppet (TL Note: ‘Zibao bubing,’ literally ‘self-detonating infantry,’ is a term often used in web novels to refer to explosive puppets or suicide bombers.)!?’

Sensing the impending action of the individual before her, Illo swiftly held her magic wand horizontally, deploying a protective barrier just in time to avoid severe injury.

Coughing out a mouthful of clotted blood, she realized the ‘opponent’ was merely a puppet.

As moments passed, the magical runes inscribed upon the puppet’s form gradually dimmed, yet Illo could still discern that this construct was the work of someone possessing extraordinary magical prowess.

‘But, I never recalled such a creation existing in my previous life…?’

Illo did not rush to retreat; instead, she swiftly activated her magical perception.

Capitalizing on the immediate aftermath of the explosion, she sought to pinpoint the direction from which the puppet’s controller had operated it for this encounter.

However, the moment Illo activated her magical sight, the ambient mana she perceived was a chaotic maelstrom, utterly disturbed by the preceding explosion.

‘Even this move of mine was anticipated?’

Wiping a smear of blood from the corner of her mouth, Illo retreated into a nearby alley and promptly dispatched a message to the Magical Girl Headquarters.

Sliding to the ground, Illo consciously regulated her breathing.

‘It’s been too long since I engaged in a serious battle; I nearly brought about my own downfall.’

****

In the distance, Su Qianyu, having only recently departed the cafe, heard the thunderous explosion erupt behind her.

Gazing at the street now ablaze with sparks, she stood utterly dumbfounded.

‘No, that’s not right?’

‘What on earth just exploded?’

‘Could this truly be the method the Sub-Moderator spoke of to distract the Magical Girl?’

‘This is far too reckless, isn’t it?’

As a plume of black smoke ascended from the roadway, a wave of quiet apprehension crept into Su Qianyu’s heart.

‘Surely Illo wasn’t injured?’

The concussive force of the explosion was immense, buffeting even her, standing on a distant street, quite severely.

Pedestrians along the roadside had been directly thrown to the ground.

Witnessing this spectacle, Su Qianyu swallowed hard.

‘If the effects are so terrifying from this distance, then what of Illo, who followed directly?’

‘She had merely wished to humiliate Illo, not for her to perish here…!’

Swiftly, however, Su Qianyu realized the impropriety of her thoughts and vigorously shook her head.

‘No, no, it would be better if she died!’

‘For transforming me into this state and constantly thwarting my attempts at rebellion, it would be best if she died!’

‘Should she die, I would finally be free!’

‘Any concern I feel for her must surely be due to her insidious machinations against me!’

‘Magical Girls… they truly are contemptible and shameless!’

Even as she desperately attempted to convince herself, Su Qianyu found a persistent thread of worry lingering within her.

Plagued by such conflicting emotions, the Little Fox Girl made her way home, her steps faltering and resuming.

Just as she prepared to knock and enter, a gentle breeze drifted through the long corridor.

Su Qianyu rubbed her nose, only to unexpectedly discover the door was already ajar.

‘Did I forget to close the door when I departed?’

Peering into the room with a flicker of doubt, her gaze fell upon Illo, who was dozing peacefully on the sofa.

At that moment, the girl had one hand tucked beneath her head as a makeshift pillow, while the other cradled a mobile phone, presenting the clear image of someone who had drifted off to sleep mid-activity.

Upon closer inspection, Su Qianyu also observed that Illo’s clothes were impeccably clean, bearing no resemblance to someone who had been out and about.

‘How did she return so swiftly?’

Creeping closer, and recalling the events at the cafe, Su Qianyu cautiously checked Illo’s breath.

‘She’s completely still; she can’t have died here at home, can she?’

‘I should check.’

‘Alright, there’s warmth; it seems she’s still alive.’

Wiping her forehead, Su Qianyu exhaled a sigh of relief.

Just as she prepared to depart, however, she noticed an unhealed scar marring Illo’s forehead.

Inexplicably, the urge to gently touch the other girl’s forehead arose in Su Qianyu’s mind.

‘Perhaps I should apply a band-aid for her?’

Knowing that a fierce confrontation awaited her once the other girl awoke, Su Qianyu, after a moment of deliberation, hastily retrieved the pre-prepared medical kit from a corner.

While the injury wasn’t her doing, Su Qianyu knew Illo’s nature well enough to predict her reaction.

‘That one loves to nitpick.’

‘She might very well pick a fight over me stepping in with my left foot first.’

‘If I apply a band-aid for her now, she might, just might, go easier on me out of consideration for my apparent concern.’

Tearing open the band-aid, Su Qianyu carefully affixed it.

GazIng at the still-closed eyes of Illo, the young girl nonetheless felt a pang of sorrow.

Not guilt over the other’s wound, but rather a profound sadness stemming from her own present predicament.

‘Life is tough, Little Fox Girl sighs.’ (TL Note: A common internet meme, ‘shenghuo buyi, xx tanqi,’ meaning ‘life is not easy, [person/character] sighs.)

There was a time when she, too, had fantasized about a fox girl caring for her in such a manner.

But what of now?

GazIng at her reflection in the mirror, Su Qianyu could only silently wipe away tears that weren’t truly there.

‘Sigh, oh, what a sigh!’