Chapter 5: A Tangled Transmission

Su Qianyu had always considered himself a man of extensive knowledge.

At the very least, across the multitude of worlds he had traversed, he had witnessed an immeasurable amount.

Yet, despite having journeyed through countless realities, Su Qianyu had never once faced a predicament quite like this.

‘What was happening? Why was this body reacting in such a way?’

‘A searing heat consumed her, as if her entire being was on the verge of combustion.’

Myriad fragmented memories flickered through her mind, eventually settling on the rows of notebooks she had perused long before her transmigration.

She crumpled to the floor, her limbs utterly devoid of strength, a sensation fundamentally distinct from the time she had merely been knocked unconscious.

Had anyone been nearby, they would undoubtedly have noticed two slowly coalescing heart shapes forming within the fox girl’s pupils as she lay prostrate on the ground.

Catching her reflection in the polished tiles, Su Qianyu, too, became aware of this peculiar sight.

‘Could that scoundrel, Illo, have done something to her while she was unconscious!?’

Clenching her teeth, Su Qianyu’s hand instinctively reached for the icy collar encircling her neck.

She was not a person prone to overwhelming desires.

In fact, it was fair to say that in this particular world, she had lived a far more disciplined life than ever before.

She never smoked, her consumption of alcohol was limited to a mere sip, she retired to bed precisely at eleven each night, and ensured she always slept for a full eight hours.

Before drifting off, she would drink a cup of warm milk, then complete twenty minutes of gentle stretching exercises, and the moment she hit the mattress, deep slumber would claim her.

She steadfastly refused to carry fatigue or stress into the next day, and even medical professionals had attested to her perfectly normal state.

Therefore, apart from Illo, she couldn’t conceive of anyone else capable of orchestrating such a predicament!

With each hesitant step she took, Su Qianyu felt the scorching sensation within her lower abdomen intensify with alarming speed.

It was as if, with every single stride, the raw desire in her eyes deepened by another shade.

Clutching the wall for support, Su Qianyu desperately willed herself to regain some semblance of composure.

One step, then two; her legs trembled uncontrollably.

Three steps, then four; her vision swam before her.

‘If they wouldn’t let her walk out, she’d be damned if she didn’t figure out exactly what was going on!’

‘To hell with your damned fate! My destiny is my own, not heaven’s to dictate!’

****

Far away, within the bustling Magical Girl Headquarters, Illo’s lips subtly twitched as if she had sensed something significant.

“Sister Illo, what has you smiling so?”

Her thoughts were drawn back by the young girl before her, for at this very moment, Illo was busily crafting a new identity for Su Qianyu.

“Oh, nothing at all. I was merely recalling the little pet I keep back home.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, Illo could distinctly perceive Su Qianyu’s every physical alteration through the collar she had conjured via thought projection (TL Note: A magical ability to create objects or influence reality through thought and willpower).

As she felt the other party relentlessly battering against the grand formation she had meticulously laid, coupled with the intermittent tactile sensations transmitted directly from the body, Illo found herself overcome with waves of profound pleasure.

She simply adored the sight of her opponent struggling so desperately, yet utterly powerless to resist.

“Sister Illo, your smile is… rather perverse, isn’t it?”

Before her, crisp sheets of paper continually rustled and clattered across the desktop.

Upon them, every single identity record pertaining to Su Qianyu had already been meticulously photocopied.

Indeed, it would be no exaggeration to say that Illo had conjured this entire person from thin air.

Under normal circumstances, Magical Girls were not typically endowed with such extensive authority.

Illo, however, was a notable exception.

Given her unique status, bending the rules on occasion was not entirely out of the question.

Realizing her smile had indeed taken on a rather perverse quality, Illo swiftly composed herself.

‘Habits from her previous life truly needed to be shed, albeit gradually.’

‘Otherwise, drawing the attention of those old relics before the reckoning had even begun would prove to be a grave misstep.’

All of Su Qianyu’s newly fabricated documents were promptly laid out on the table.

When it came to administrative efficiency, the Magical Girl Headquarters was undeniably second to none.

“Excellent. Remember to give my regards to that old geezer; I’ll be taking these with me now.”

Gently brushing away the stray toner from the dossier, Illo’s expression was one of profound satisfaction.

“Um, Sister Illo.”

“Would it be alright to ask… this girl named Su Qianyu… is she connected to you in some way?”

Just as Illo was poised to depart, the voice of the young girl echoed from behind her.

Turning her head, Illo noticed the identity badge pinned to the girl’s chest.

As the girl was merely a junior clerk, her badge bore nothing but her name.

“Lin Li, do you know something?”

“I have quite the aversion to those who speak out of turn, you see?”

Realizing her words had ventured beyond the bounds of propriety, the girl, Lin Li, hurriedly bowed her head and offered several hasty apologies.

Disregarding the girl’s apologetic gestures, Illo simply turned and walked away.

Such trivialities held no interest for her.

After all, her time was precious, and she had a little escape artist back home attempting a jailbreak.

As the incessant stream of information continued to flow from the other party, Illo found herself involuntarily recalling her own past life.

‘In her previous existence, hadn’t she been much the same?’

‘Knowing full well that escape from that hellish realm was impossible, yet still compelled to struggle.’

Only this time, their positions had been irrevocably swapped.

Yet, before Illo could even step through the doorway, her legs abruptly buckled, causing her to nearly stumble and fall directly in front of Lin Li.

“Miss Illo, are you alright!?”

Witnessing her idol nearly fall, Lin Li, who had been watching Illo depart, swiftly rushed forward.

Yet, before Lin Li could even reach her, Illo had already regained her footing.

“It’s nothing. I was merely lost in thought for a moment and became distracted.”

While she claimed to be thinking, the reality of the situation was entirely different.

Illo had overlooked one crucial detail, a matter of paramount importance.

The thought-projection (TL Note: A magical ability to create objects or influence reality through thought and willpower) collar she had forged could indeed transmit the physical sensations of its wearer; this much was true.

However, she had forgotten that this particular channel was one-way, and, moreover, entirely unrestricted.

Consequently, Su Qianyu’s intense desires were also being transmitted, even if they were somewhat attenuated.

The overwhelming intensity of these sensations had, in turn, profoundly affected Illo.

Before the approaching Lin Li could even draw near, Illo had already swiftly recomposed herself and soared away from the scene.

Illo’s figure swiftly vanished once more into the skies above the Magical Girl Headquarters.

Yet, gazing at the receding crimson silhouette, Lin Li did not depart.

Instead, she took several eager steps forward, greedily inhaling the lingering scent that remained.

“She… she actually remembered my name!”

“Lady Illo…!”

****

At this very moment, Su Qianyu lay sprawled on the floor of her home, deeply contemplating the meaning of life.

To ascend or to descend; that was indeed the question.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined a day where she would find herself locked in battle with pure carnal desire.

And now, the battle was concluded.

She had even achieved a ‘Kira Yoshikage’ (TL Note: A reference to the character Kira Yoshikage from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, often associated with a state of serene satisfaction after a particular act).

This marked her inaugural, visceral experience of what it truly felt like to be a girl.

If pressed to describe the sensation, Su Qianyu could only articulate it with a single, potent word.

Ecstasy.

Utter, unadulterated ecstasy.

Catching sight of her own flushed, crimson face in the mirror, Su Qianyu promptly averted her gaze.

‘Ugh, all her strength had utterly drained away.’

‘The floor felt wonderfully cool against her skin.’

With eyes closed, Su Qianyu somehow managed to shuffle herself back onto the bed.

Perhaps it was because carnal desire served as humanity’s primary driving force, or perhaps it was simply her innate prodigious talent.

In that singular moment of ‘takeoff,’ Su Qianyu had unexpectedly unlocked a novel application for her abilities.

She could effectively ‘relocate’ herself.

In simpler terms, it was short-range teleportation.

Surveying the battle-scarred floor, Su Qianyu silently ‘relocated’ all the spilled water into the toilet.

‘Ugh, she didn’t want to live anymore.’

Closing her eyes, Su Qianyu decided to indulge in a brief nap.

Yet, before slumber could fully claim her, the distinct sound of a door opening echoed in her ears.

“All sleeping little ones, please raise your hands, won’t you?”