Chapter 49: Hotpot, Magical Girls, and Unexpected Guests

“To be honest,” Lin Han began, settling into Ink Crystal’s home, “I didn’t actually think you’d manage to reel someone in.” He found it almost unbelievable. While the idea had possessed some merit, he’d considered it a terrible plan since morning.

Yet, she had actually lured out Tiger Mask.

Regardless, only three masked figures now remained at large. Ox Mask had also made an appearance, albeit as a robot.

This indicated that the masked individuals were constantly observing them.

The person who had delivered the letter to Ink Crystal and her companions was suspected to be Rat Mask.

Ink Crystal puffed out her chest with a hint of pride, making her ample assets even more eye-catching. “Of course! My little Ink Crystal’s wisdom is no laughing matter! Achieving such results is only natural!”

‘Little Ink Crystal?’

‘She’s not little at all…’

Ink Crystal opened a can of beer for Lin Han. “However, Teacher Lin, while I understand your intentions, getting captured with Liu Xingyue wasn’t exactly ideal, was it? Of course, as Emerald’s defensive force, she’s incredibly strong, and Tiger Mask might not have been able to overcome you two, but there was still a significant risk.”

“If a battle were to break out directly at school, wouldn’t the sports festival have to be canceled? Tiger Mask is exceptionally powerful, and fighting him would easily lead to widespread destruction, wouldn’t it? It could also readily injure the students.”

“Even if such a thing were to happen, it wouldn’t be your fault, Teacher, but the villain’s. Comparatively, I’d much prefer you to protect yourself. You worry far too much about others.”

Ink Crystal picked up a plate of sliced pork belly and carefully placed it into the bubbling hotpot. The two of them were currently cooking hotpot at home, a celebratory meal for Tiger Mask’s capture. Since Ink Crystal had invited Lin Han, she had prepared an abundance of meat and other dishes.

“Protecting students is a teacher’s inherent responsibility.”

“Oh, really? How truly touching!”

Ink Crystal opened a can of cola for herself. “But Tiger Mask was incredibly strong, yet he met the same fate as his big brother in front of Rainbow Jade! I actually thought Rainbow Jade had instantly killed him with one shot, which gave me quite a fright. I even thought Tiger Mask didn’t seem to deserve death. Then I found out he wasn’t dead.”

‘It seems Rainbow Jade, despite her cold demeanor, knows how to hold back. Her direct killing of Dragon Mask before must have involved far deeper considerations.’

Lin Han nodded. “After all, she’s been Clear Sky City’s strongest Magical Girl for so many years. She can’t simply be a violent brute who only knows how to wield power.”

“Oh, but she’s not easy to talk to at all! I originally planned to exchange contact information with her and then try to figure out how she became so powerful, but she completely ignored me!”

At this, Ink Crystal’s face contorted with displeasure. “Teacher Lin, do you know how much that hurt me? It’s so incredibly difficult for someone like me to muster the courage to speak to many people, and then to be rejected just like that! Oh my goodness! I feel like I won’t dare to make new friends for at least two years!”

‘Two years is a bit exaggerated!’

‘Right, how about two months then!’

The two looked at each other and smiled, then clinked their cola and beer cans together in a toast.

‘However, Teacher Lin might just be the easiest one to ‘fish’ for.’

Lin Han asked, chewing on a piece of meat, “How exactly was I ‘fished’?”

“Oh, you explicitly said you wouldn’t come to my place before, but as soon as I mentioned hotpot, you came right over! Isn’t that how I ‘fished’ you?” The girl winked slyly, pointing at the beer can in Lin Han’s hand. “And Teacher Lin, you’ve been drinking! No drinking and driving! Not even on a motorcycle! So you’ll just have to stay over at my place!”

‘Nani?!’

‘There’s such a move!’

‘I can just call a taxi back.’

“The taxi fare would be at least twenty yuan, wouldn’t it, Teacher Lin? If you bought instant noodles in packets, you could buy ten packs. If you bought dried noodles, you could eat for two weeks.”

‘So that’s how it is!’

“Hehe, so, Teacher Lin, if you have someone to blame, blame yourself for carelessly spending your salary after getting paid!”

Lin Han was quite helpless. “By the way, we’re clearly eating hotpot, so why are you maintaining your Magical Girl form?”

“Oh, isn’t that obvious, Teacher? There are three distinct purposes!”

Lin Han’s gaze sharpened slightly as he inquired, “Three purposes?”

“The first purpose is, of course, because I’m cultivating! The series of recent battles has made me realize that my power as a Magical Girl is still far from sufficient! Although I wanted to ask the higher-ups to arrange for Miss Rainbow Jade to give me special training, that will have to wait until the winter break. So for now, I can only rely on my own understanding and try to cultivate. I believe maintaining the Magical Girl state for extended periods is an excellent cultivation method.”

“But you have to change back when you go to school, right?”

“Exactly, so I can only be like this when I’m at home, right?”

Lin Han nodded slightly; that was quite reasonable.

“The second reason is that since the ‘fishing’ plan successfully caught someone, I can absolutely continue to maintain this persona. And I don’t know if Teacher Liu has given up yet… Ah! Speaking of which, Teacher Lin! You didn’t tell me that Teacher Liu is a Magical Girl! That’s what she talked to you about on Sunday, wasn’t it?!”

Lin Han’s gaze shifted subtly. “And the third?”

‘What a stiff topic change!’

“As for the third, it’s also the most crucial issue! And that is: a Magical Girl’s body is amazing!”

“Huh?”

“After fighting with Tiger Mask, I realized that Magical Girl Ink Crystal should actually be more inclined towards a battle-tank role. Although her offensive power isn’t overwhelming, she can certainly take a lot of damage. And then I discovered that in Magical Girl form, when eating hotpot, I’m utterly fearless of spice!”

She smiled triumphantly. “I recover super fast! So I won’t be overwhelmed by the spiciness! Do you know how amazing that is, Teacher Lin?”

“That’s a bit too amazing! Magical Girls are cheating!”

“You’re not allowed to eat hotpot in Magical Girl form!”

Lin Han lectured Ink Crystal in this manner.

“Hahahaha~ Giggles~”

After eating and drinking their fill, Ink Crystal picked up an apron.

Lin Han then offered, “I’ll wash the dishes!”

“No need! Teacher Lin, you’ve been drinking. Let me do it. Besides, you haven’t officially moved in yet. If you were living here, then perhaps. But right now, you’re still a guest! It’s simply not my way of hospitality to make a guest wash dishes!”

Ink Crystal said righteously, “So, Teacher Lin, if you truly feel bad about it, how about just moving in?”

‘So why do you want me to move in so much?’

But with her saying that, Lin Han indeed found it hard to insist further. He could only sit on the sofa, turn on the TV, and watch some programs.

His gaze drifted towards the kitchen.

Ink Crystal, still wearing her apron, hummed a little tune while washing dishes with a faint smile on her face.

A subtle, profound feeling emerged in Lin Han’s heart.

He suddenly felt a happiness he hadn’t named until now: “tranquility.”

It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in many years, a scene from when his parents were still alive, when he was still a youth.

Back then, he also sat on the sofa watching TV, while his father worked overtime on his laptop at the desk, and his mother washed dishes in the kitchen.

He was utterly carefree back then.

It had been many years since he had last felt such happiness amidst such profound peace.

‘Perhaps, staying with Ink Crystal here might actually be a good decision?’

‘But that would be too thick-skinned. As a teacher, no matter what, such a decision would be utterly inappropriate.’

‘Wouldn’t that be akin to living off Ink Crystal?’

‘Though he hadn’t eaten any less in the past two years, either.’

But the concept was different. Crashing at a friend’s place for a meal was one thing; treating it as his own home was an entirely different matter.

Ink Crystal finished tidying up quickly; she clearly performed these household chores often.

However, she didn’t take off her apron. Instead, she walked into the living room still wearing it and sat directly next to Lin Han.

“Ink Crystal?”

“What’s wrong, Teacher?”

“You’re too close.”

Ink Crystal laughed, then leaned even closer to Lin Han. “Eh~ Teacher, don’t you think I look just like a virtuous newlywed wife in my apron?”

“Are you playing some inexplicable role-playing game again?”

“How mean, Teacher! You make me sound like some chuunibyou! If I were truly going to role-play, you’d scold me like this.”

She stood up.

She bent slightly at the waist.

And so, Lin Han saw a large expanse of white on the girl’s body.

“Welcome home, darling! Do you want to eat first, shower first, or perhaps… eat me first?”

Lin Han averted his eyes, no longer looking at Ink Crystal.

“See, Teacher!” Ink Crystal put her hands on her hips again. “This is what role-playing is! Teacher, someone like Xiao Chunnan couldn’t possibly resist this!” Ink Crystal was quite proud of herself for this.

After playfully teasing Lin Han for a while, Ink Crystal settled down. She then said,

“I had a fierce showdown with Teacher Liu today. I’m afraid she won’t dare to openly confront me for a while! Teacher Lin, you can temporarily rest assured about this matter.”

“Really?”

“Why would I lie to you? Let me tell you, if I wasn’t afraid of hurting Teacher Liu too much, I could have directly fought her into doubting her own existence today. Teacher Liu is a good teacher! But she’s too naive! But it’s understandable, after all, being a teacher is simpler compared to other professions, and they usually deal with pure-hearted students.”

Miss Ink Crystal was very proud.

“But I’m different. Although my social circle isn’t wide, I’ve been to many dinners with my parents and dealt with business elites. A mere Teacher Liu is easily handled! If I wanted to, I could make Teacher Liu’s Dao heart crumble in minutes!”

This made Lin Han somewhat worried about Teacher Liu.

“You need to get to the point!”

“Don’t worry! I said Teacher Liu is a good teacher, and I don’t want to lose such a good teacher. So, trust me, Teacher Lin, I can certainly maintain proper boundaries! The art of war is the art of pulling and pushing!”

Lin Han stood up. “Then I’ll go take a shower. After being tied up in an abandoned factory today and then eating hotpot, I smell quite strong. I need a good wash.”