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Join the Server[Contact “Lotus” Missed Call (5)]
[Contact “Lotus” Missed Call (6)]
[Voicemail | Lotus: Captain, yesterday’s high-intensity training at the base was so tough!
Star Vault hasn’t had a team dinner in ages—let’s go out and hang out together today~]
[Voicemail | Thorn: Yeah, no kidding!
Let’s go eat and drink and relax.
Captain, you’re like a ghost—only showing up for battles and training.
Don’t tell me you’re secretly a homebody?]
[Voicemail | Azalea: My whole body feels like it’s falling apart after training…
I just want to collapse…
Ignore what I said (ヘ＿ヘ)]
[Voicemail | Sunflower: Um…
I don’t have much to say, but Captain, are you coming?
We’re going to eat grilled meat.
It’s super delicious.]
The phone screen was flooded with messages.
Bai Shimo lay sprawled across her desk, her elbow propped against the surface and her chin resting on her hand, staring motionlessly at the constantly popping notifications.
Her fingertip hovered above the screen, but she never tapped to open them.
It wasn’t until the familiar ringtone sounded again—another call from Lotus—that she took a deep breath, grabbed her phone with a resigned expression, and walked toward the balcony.
“Hello, Lotus?
What’s up?”
The moment she pressed the answer button, Bai Shimo’s tone instantly brightened into its usual lively, cheerful self.
The reliable and radiant Captain Molly that her teammates knew so well.
“C-Captain!
It actually connected!”
Lotus’s voice was full of surprise, tinged with a hint of nervousness.
“We trained hard all day yesterday, and Thorn suggested we go for grilled meat tonight to reward ourselves.
Captain, do you want to come along?”
Bai Shimo’s tone still held a smile, but with a note of apology: “I’ll pass this time—I was way too tired yesterday, and I just want to catch up on sleep at home today.
You guys go ahead and have fun.”
“Eh?
Captain, you’re really not coming…”
“Mm, let’s do it another time.
Hope you enjoy your meal.”
Lotus’s voice immediately dropped on the other end, heavy with disappointment.
When she realized she couldn’t persuade Bai Shimo any further, she reluctantly agreed.
After hanging up, Bai Shimo smoothed her loose tea-brown hair in front of the balcony mirror, turned, and walked back inside—where she found Su Yuan waiting for her by the door.
“Did you wait long?
Sorry, I just had to take a call from a teammate.”
“Not long—just a few minutes.”
The moment Su Yuan finished speaking, a warmth spread through her palm—Bai Shimo naturally took her hand, her fingers warm, her grip gentle yet firm.
She pulled Su Yuan along as they headed down the school building stairs, her flowing tea-brown hair swaying gently behind her, the tips catching the afternoon light.
“Let’s go, Xiao Yuan—we said we’d go out today,” she turned back and smiled at Su Yuan, tiny sparks of light dancing in her eyes.
“There’s a new arcade downtown, and I’ve been wanting to check it out.”
Su Yuan nodded blankly, letting herself be led forward.
***
It was Friday afternoon after school.
With the weekend approaching, the campus was filled with laughter and chatter, the excited energy of students carried on the breeze.
The two walked side by side through the lively crowd out of the school gates and into the cool underground station.
As they walked, Su Yuan pondered to herself.
Bai Shimo’s transformation toward her was far too obvious.
The vague probing and using from before had faded away.
Now she seemed to have genuinely let down all her defenses, truly wanting to be close.
Su Yuan could guess the general reason.
Bai Shimo appeared rational on the surface, but deep down she was incredibly emotional.
The moment she was reminded of being abandoned by Miss Succubus, she would plummet into an emotional low.
And Su Yuan had simply guided her with a little comfort, making Bai Shimo lower her guard completely and trust her unconditionally.
Thinking of this, a faint, imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Su Yuan’s mouth.
She was quite satisfied with her maneuvering.
The two arrived at the subway station.
The carriage wasn’t too crowded, and they stood side by side holding the handrails.
Bai Shimo suddenly tilted her head toward Su Yuan, her voice cheerful: “I’m totally wiped from yesterday’s mission and training—I need a proper meal today.
Xiao Yuan, want to go eat grilled meat together?”
Su Yuan let out a soft, helpless laugh: “But you said you were on a diet a few days ago.”
“Ah, you need energy to diet!”
Bai Shimo winked playfully, a hint of stubbornness in her tone.
“Today I’m going all out—I’m ordering the most expensive premium grilled meat set!”
“The most expensive one is way too big—I can’t finish it all.”
“What’s there to worry about?
You’re so skinny, Xiao Yuan—eating more is good for you.
And I’m here!”
“Still, that’s not really—”
Su Yuan tried to argue, but Bai Shimo cut her off with a laugh.
The two bantered softly, their voices full of ease and comfort.
Even though she had just gone through the Security Bureau’s high-intensity combat drills yesterday, Bai Shimo was full of energy today—not a trace of fatigue in her eyes, brimming instead with vitality.
After their grilled meat dinner, the two headed straight to the newly opened arcade.
Who would have guessed that the magical girl who dominated the battlefield and training grounds would be completely out of her element as soon as she stepped into the gaming world—losing again and again.
She lost at the driving simulator, got crushed in fighting games, and couldn’t even keep up with Su Yuan’s rhythm in rhythm games.
Eventually, Bai Shimo just sat to the side, chin resting on her hand, watching Su Yuan show off her skills—admiration and a hint of dejection in her eyes.
“Xiao Yuan, you’re way too good.
I didn’t win a single round from start to finish.”
Bai Shimo’s voice carried a note of resignation, but her eyes still held a smile.
Sensing that faint hint of disappointment, Su Yuan picked up the last two game coins and walked toward the claw machine near the exit.
“Shimo, do you like plushies?”
“Of course—why?”
Bai Shimo blinked, then curiously leaned in.
Before she could finish, Su Yuan’s coin had already rolled precisely into the machine’s slot.
She turned back and smiled at Bai Shimo, deftly maneuvering the joystick with focused attention on the plush toys inside.
Then the claw descended slowly, catching two fluffy figures.
Under their nervous gazes, the claw rose steadily—and the two plushies landed safely in the prize chute.
One try, and she got two at once!
Bai Shimo was so surprised she nearly gasped, her eyes lighting up instantly.
Su Yuan crouched down, pulled the two plushies from the chute—a pink rabbit and a blue rabbit—both fluffy and incredibly cute.
“Shimo, here you go.”
She handed them over.
“You don’t have to give me both—one is enough.”
Bai Shimo took the blue rabbit with a smile and gently pressed the pink one back into Su Yuan’s arms, her eyes full of warmth.
“One for each of us.
Think of them as tokens of our friendship.”
“Okay.”
Su Yuan accepted the pink rabbit, hugging it to her chest with a soft reply.
When they walked out of the arcade, it was already 8:30 PM.
The night breeze carried the coolness of the evening through their hair.
Neon lights flickered on one by one, traffic and voices weaving together in the busiest hour of the night.
Each bought an ice cream cone, savoring the sweet coldness on their tongues as they strolled slowly down the street.
Suddenly, a soft sound came from the night sky.
Bai Shimo stopped abruptly and grabbed Su Yuan’s arm, her voice full of excitement: “Xiao Yuan, look!”
Fwoosh—
Su Yuan looked up—just as a firework burst across the night sky, its brilliant light instantly illuminating the surrounding buildings.
Colorful sparks rained down, drawing cheers from the crowd around them.
“So beautiful.”
Su Yuan hugged the pink rabbit to her chest and couldn’t help but whisper in admiration, her eyes reflecting the fireworks, bright and clear.
“Yeah… I wish I could stay like this with Xiao Yuan forever…”
At some point, their shoulders had gently touched.
Vivid lights and shadows played across each other’s hair, and the warmth from beneath their thin clothes quietly aligned with the rhythm of their hearts.
The firework rose to its highest point, blooming in its most dazzling brilliance.
Su Yuan quietly turned her head to look at Bai Shimo beside her—her lips curved in a gentle smile, her expression one of pure happiness.
In that moment, something stirred in Su Yuan’s heart.
She suddenly felt that staying by Bai Shimo’s side like this wasn’t such a bad thing.
At least she could witness Bai Shimo slowly walking out of the shadows of her past, no longer clinging to that long-departed Miss Succubus.
At least Bai Shimo could gradually find herself again, get back on track, and grow into a magical girl truly strong in both body and heart.
***
On the other side of the district.
Outside the open entrance of a grilled meat restaurant, the four girls of Star Vault walked out laughing and chatting.
A gust of evening wind blew away most of the grilled meat aroma clinging to their clothes.
Azalea stretched with a big yawn, letting out a satisfied sigh: “Ah, eating and drinking and then catching a breeze—it’s so nice.
The grilled meat today was amazing.
Too bad Captain Molly didn’t come—it would’ve been even livelier.”
Lotus nodded lightly, but a hint of worry lingered between her brows: “Captain’s training volume yesterday was twice ours.
She’s always pushed herself so hard.
She must have been genuinely tired to turn us down.”
Thorn suddenly sidled up to Lotus, nudging her with an elbow and waggling her eyebrows teasingly: “Hey, Lotus, you’ve been mentioning Captain Molly nonstop.
Aren’t you a little too concerned about our captain?”
“I-I’m not!”
Lotus’s cheeks flushed as she waved her hands in frantic denial.
“Really not?
Someone doesn’t sound very convincing~” Azalea joined in the teasing.
“Hehe, don’t bother hiding it.
If Molly were here, you’d probably be clinging to her all night, right?”
Thorn clapped Lotus on the shoulder with casual familiarity.
Lotus’s face burned bright red, but then she let out a soft sigh, a flicker of disappointment passing through her eyes.
“Maybe I am too clingy…
I’ve been messaging the captain lately, but she hasn’t been replying much…”
Before she could finish, her gaze caught sight of a self-serve ice cream machine nearby, and her eyes lit up: “Wow—they have pistachio flavor!
Wait for me, I’ll go grab one!”
“More cold stuff?
We just finished grilled meat!”
Thorn laughed in exasperation.
“I just want to try it!
Be right back!”
Lotus said as she hurried over.
“Fine, go ahead—we’ll wait.”
“Mmhm!”
Lotus’s preference for pistachio flavor stemmed entirely from Bai Shimo’s love for it.
To feel closer to the person she admired, Lotus had tried to cultivate the same taste—and over time, it had become her own.
She reached the machine, operated it with practiced ease, and watched the ice cream slowly fill the cone, holding it carefully.
She was about to turn back when a loud boom suddenly sounded behind her.
Then, fireworks burst across the night sky, dazzling and brilliant.
The surrounding crowd erupted in excitement, all stopping to look up.
“Fireworks…?”
Lotus instinctively glanced up.
One firework fell, another rose and bloomed.
Just as the blazing light illuminated the street corner—
Lotus’s gaze froze.
In that fleeting brightness, she made out a familiar figure at the corner not far away.
Tea-brown hair gently flowing in the wind.
Tall, elegant silhouette.
The person she had been thinking of all this time—Bai Shimo.
The captain?
But she said she was resting at home today…
Why was she here?
She instinctively held her breath, quietly moving her feet and using the crowd as cover to edge closer, wanting to see more clearly.
But she had only taken a few steps when the ice cream in her hand slipped and fell to the ground.
Pale green cream splattered along with crushed pistachio bits, a sweet scent spreading in the air—yet it couldn’t dispel the chill in her heart.
“Who… is that…”
Lotus covered her mouth tightly, her knuckles white.
Her eyes instantly reddened as she stumbled back two steps.
In the light of the fireworks, she could clearly see Bai Shimo wearing an expression she had never seen before.
That smile was gentle and radiant, her eyes full of tiny sparks of light—but they weren’t directed at her.
They were directed at the unfamiliar girl beside her.
That girl was quite cute, wearing a fluffy tiered skirt, with soft red hair tied in half-up pigtails.
She stood obediently beside Bai Shimo.
The two of them were each holding matching plush toys, smiling at each other, standing so close.
“No… no… it can’t be…”
Lotus’s voice trembled uncontrollably, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Captain Molly said she was resting at home…
Why is she here… with a girl I’ve never seen… so intimately…”
She felt dazed, almost wishing everything she saw was an illusion.
She and Bai Shimo were teammates who fought side by side, shared life-and-death battles.
Whether in front of the TV cameras or in everyone’s perception, she should be the one standing closest to Bai Shimo.
Even online discussions often paired “Lotus” and “Molly” as the most popular magical girl couple.
But now—why had this person suddenly appeared?
In the center of her vision, at that street corner illuminated by fireworks, Bai Shimo leaned slightly sideways and gently bumped shoulders with the red-haired girl beside her in a playful manner.
“Xiao Yuan, I want to try your strawberry ice cream—okay?”
“Alright, go ahead.”
Su Yuan naturally handed over her ice cream.
Bai Shimo bent down and took a small bite.
A little pink cream clung to the corner of her mouth.
She squinted her eyes, smiling with satisfaction and sweetness.
“Mmm, delicious.”
Su Yuan watched her, and without thinking, stood on tiptoe, pinched a tissue between her fingers, and gently wiped the corner of Bai Shimo’s mouth.
“Eat slower.”
Even though the two only looked like close friends—
That unguarded expression on Bai Shimo’s face, that intimate profile as she tasted the ice cream from the other’s hand… each image pierced Lotus’s heart like fine needles.
Who was that girl?
Why was the captain treating her like that…
In the surging bitterness of her heart, Lotus’s hand moved before her reason could catch up.
She tremblingly raised the phone she had been clutching, the screen’s cold light reflecting her pale face.
Through tear-blurred eyes, she aimed at the two figures leaning together in the distance—and pressed the shutter.
Click.
The faint sound was drowned out by the roar of fireworks and the noise of the bustling street.
One photo, freezing that moment of happiness between the two.
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