Chapter 53: A Thrilling Ride and Unspoken Truths

“So, it seems all you wanted to do, in the end, was ask a few questions.”

Ling Xing finally exhaled, a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, after practically tossing the Reporter Lady into the passenger seat. She had to prevent the woman from getting carried away by her emotions, slamming the accelerator, and transforming their car into some kind of rogue land-rocket, hurtling them both into a deadly, unplanned space mission.

While she had appeared resolute and formidable just moments ago, the Reporter Lady, now alone with Ling Xing, proved surprisingly… well, how should one put it? She was like a timid rabbit, easily startled by the slightest rustle. It was truly a wonder how she managed to risk her life as a frontline reporter.

“Y-yes, yes, Ling Xing-sama, I-I’m so, so sorry, I-I truly…”

Her composure utterly shattered by her successive blunders, the Reporter Lady huddled miserably in the passenger seat, dabbing at the tears welling in the corners of her eyes. It made Ling Xing feel as if she were the one who had committed some egregious act of bullying—when in truth, Ling Xing was the actual victim!

“Oh, it’s really nothing to fuss over. You just wanted to repay me, didn’t you?”

Shaking her head, Ling Xing casually plucked a lollipop from its resting place beside the seat. She tore open the wrapper and popped it into her mouth.

“Mmmph. There, we’re even. Now, ask away.”

Without so much as a glance to gauge the Reporter Lady’s reaction, Ling Xing slammed the car into gear and floored the accelerator, sending the vehicle roaring and surging forward.

The Reporter Lady, still huddled in a fetal position, was nearly plastered against the windshield. Yet, once she had frantically clawed her way onto the seat and secured her seatbelt, the rush of the howling wind from the rolled-down window seemed to sweep away much of her recent gloom and timidity. Even if she had harbored any lingering desire to dwell on her embarrassment, the opportunity to voice it had vanished.

“Just ask what you need to ask. Once we reach our destination, I’m getting out, and you won’t be able to find me then, even if you wanted to~”

Ling Xing had never been adept at comforting others. Given that, rather than offering solace, it was far more effective to simply kick people out of their own mental ruts. If they couldn’t keep pace with her, then there was naturally no point in prolonging the conversation.

“W-wahhh! Y-yes, Ling Xing-sama!”

The vehicle careened along the nearly deserted suburban highway. The roadside scenery blurred into streaks, as a torrent of wild wind surged into the cabin. The Reporter Lady’s usually neat long hair whipped chaotically in the gale, and the incessant roar of the wind forced her to elevate her normally delicate voice. Even with Ling Xing right beside her, for someone accustomed to soft-spoken conversation, it was practically an undignified shout.

This was Aike’s inaugural experience of such a tumultuous ride. Caught in a frenetic rush that threatened to send them hurtling off the road, crashing into other vehicles, and even ejecting her from the car, Aike’s senses were utterly overwhelmed by her pounding heart and the furious wind. Naturally, she found herself with no mental capacity to fret over her phrasing or word choice. Only the raw, unadorned truth of her heart could be bellowed forth in that moment.

“Are you truly a magical girl, or merely a combatant? If you are a magical girl, why would you assault the Magical Girl Tower? And if you are a combatant, why did you thwart the ambush laid by the Dark Organization!?”

This could hardly be called an interview; even if she had turned on her camera, it would likely have captured nothing but the shriek of the wind. And perhaps, that was precisely why it felt so pure.

“Me? Hahahahahahaha! I am, of course, a bona fide, elite combatant! As a righteous warrior of the Dark Organization, isn’t it only natural for me to defeat villainous magical girls and put a stop to the world’s myriad evils!?”

Ling Xing’s laughter boomed, carried on the wind of their reckless speed. The blurring landscape seemed to sweep away the lingering shadows of the day’s encounters. After all, a thirst for thrills was a boy’s inherent nature, and even if one transformed into a beautiful girl, such fundamental instincts rarely changed. Being dragged into a reckless, life-threatening joyride? Unacceptable. Initiating one herself? Absolutely!

Accelerate, accelerate, accelerate until the speedometer shattered, until the world outside melted into a continuous blur—

“W-waaahhhhhhhhhh————!”

“Ahahahahahahahahaha————”

The Reporter Lady’s screams and Ling Xing’s wild laughter intertwined, echoing across the open road. It was only upon entering the city, nearing the Tower, with their destination almost in sight, that this exhilarating rush finally screeched to a halt.

The Reporter Lady, on the verge of collapsing from her incessant screaming, clutched her wildly pounding chest, gasping for breath. Tears had long since been forgotten, replaced by a cold sweat that thoroughly drenched her. Her once-professional uniform was now disheveled, revealing dark, damp patches where perspiration had soaked through.

“Well, then, I’ve arrived at my stop.”

Offering not a single word of comfort or pleasantry to the disoriented Reporter Lady, Ling Xing grinned, pulled the car to a stop directly in front of the news agency, and pushed open her door. Precisely as she had declared during their wild ride.

“Thanks for the ride, and for the lollipop, Reporter Lady. See ya~”

Bringing two fingers together, Ling Xing winked a single eye, striking a dashing farewell pose. As she turned, her slender fingers, still poised in their farewell gesture, smoothly pulled the lollipop from her cherry-red lips with a soft ‘pop.’ She then presented it to the Reporter Lady, a single, glistening strand of silver candy-spit stretching delicately from the sweet treat.

‘The payment had been collected, consumed, and thus, there was no longer any need to dwell on messy notions of repaying kindness.’

Ling Xing silently conveyed her message to Aike, then popped the lollipop back into her mouth, her teeth lightly crunching the candy that had remained stubbornly un-melted throughout their journey.

“Ling… Ling Xing-sama…”

“Next time we meet, just call me Ling Xing—oh, and by the way, regarding that footage of the Allied Forces from earlier, it would probably be best if you didn’t release it.”

With cheeks puffed out like a hamster as she chewed her candy, Ling Xing left the Reporter Lady with a lighthearted, receding back.

“Munch, munch. Hmm, I absolutely detest being famous. I just do what’s right, what’s expected, but if I’m treated like some kind of hero, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable.”

“Ah… ah…”

This time, Aike did not reach out to grasp Ling Xing’s shoulder. She had found the answers she sought, and encountered the girl she had hoped to find. Her judgment wasn’t based on the labels “combatant” or “magical girl,” but on something far purer: Ling Xing, a Dark Organization combatant who simply could not stand idly by in the face of evil. Despite such undeniably righteous actions, she dismissed her deeds as merely “what was expected,” shunning both reports and fame. Fighting not for renown, nor for wealth, but purely out of an innate sense of justice, unable to ignore evil, striving without a thought of reward…

She was, in essence, like the purest, most primordial magical girl—the kind found only within the pages of literary fiction.

“Wait, Ling… Ling Xing-sama! I never told you my name, and the ring you gave me is still—”

It took a long moment for Aike to snap out of her reverie, before she finally scrambled out of the car in pursuit. Ling Xing’s figure had long since vanished. Around Aike, only a few scattered passersby cast an occasional glance her way before quickly losing interest. In the end, Aike hadn’t even managed to tell her own name to the person she chased.

Disheartened, Aike sank back into the car, her gaze falling upon the crumpled lollipop wrapper nestled in the storage compartment. Then, with a solemn reverence, she retrieved the ring from an inner pocket of her clothes, finding it pleasantly warm from her body heat.

‘Would they ever meet again? She, the nameless Reporter Lady, who had shared a bond forged in life-threatening moments…’

Aike still had so many words she yearned to speak to Ling Xing. Closing her eyes, she pressed the ring and the wrapper to her forehead, as though by doing so, she could transmit her unspoken words to Ling Xing. Then, as if by some magical connection, the ring vibrated, and a soft voice indeed whispered from behind her.

“Ling Xing-sama?”

Aike looked up, a thrill of surprise momentarily eclipsing her despair, but… The reflection in the rearview mirror was not Ling Xing. Instead, it was a petite, purple-haired girl, idly toying with a short sword.

“Wrong. If it were her, you wouldn’t have felt a thing.”

In the blink of an eye, the girl pressed the tip of her short sword against Aike’s throat.