Chapter 46: The Unspeakable Agony

After sending her message, Ke Xin immediately received a reply in the form of a question mark. Almost instantly, the ringtone for a voice call started ringing, its increasingly urgent pace seeming to push her to answer immediately.

Staring at the avatar in the center of the screen for a moment, as if summoning some resolve, Ke Xin firmly declined the call.

[It’s not convenient right now. I’ll explain when I get a chance.]

While typing, she quickened her pace and walked into the lobby of her apartment, glancing around to make sure no one was nearby. At the same time, she sent a nearly interrogative message to the friend labeled as “Mom” in her contacts.

She needed to figure out exactly what her mother had revealed.

Looking down at her phone, Ke Xin noticed that Mizuki Tsuki hadn’t responded further, either recognizing the seriousness of her message or simply waiting.

Without looking at the floor, she instinctively stepped into the elevator—completely unaware that Bai Xihan had entered at the same time.

The girl with white hair fading to black at the tips stood beside Ke Xin, tilting her head as she hesitated, unsure whether to speak first.

“Ke Xin, you’re home early today too.”

“Ah, yeah… nothing much going on,” Ke Xin said after a brief pause, suddenly realizing someone was standing beside her.

Though she tried to appear normal, even Bai Xihan could sense that something was off about her today.

“Really nothing wrong?”

“Uh—sort of, but it’s not a big deal.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a major issue. After all, a childhood friend showing up unexpectedly—even though she hadn’t actually come to her door—wasn’t entirely trivial.

Ke Xin was grateful that her mother had only given out this new account, without “accidentally” leaking her residence or school. Otherwise, with Mizuki Tsuki’s personality, she would have been ambushed as soon as she stepped out of school.

The problem was Ke Xin didn’t know how to face Mizuki Tsuki. She first needed to explain why she had become like this, and she wasn’t sure how much the Special Investigation Bureau allowed her to reveal.

Even if Mizuki Tsuki accepted the explanation, more problems would arise—this girl would surely mercilessly tease her.

Ke Xin was certain that her neighbor since childhood, who had attended the same small-town school and shared the same class, would not let her off easily. Just imagining it felt like standing on the edge of a personal hell.

Seeing Ke Xin avoiding the topic, Bai Xihan didn’t press further and shifted the conversation: “Well, I haven’t seen Qisi and you together much lately.”

“Qisi? She’s been busy guiding new members in several clubs since the club recruitment started. Today it’s probably the soccer club, yesterday she was helping at the inter-high basketball tournament,” Ke Xin explained.

Since Qisi spent most of her time helping clubs, she rarely returned home early.

On evenings when she didn’t have patrols or training, Ke Xin would sit at her desk and play a game. When she heard strange noises outside, Qisi would find unusual ways to enter—even with a key, she liked unconventional routes.

“Participating in several clubs at once?”

To Bai Xihan, this was beyond her understanding. In her first year, she had only nominally joined the anime club and never actually participated.

“Strictly speaking, not really. She’s not an official member of multiple clubs.”

Even though New Moon Academy encouraged students to pursue hobbies, no student could officially join multiple clubs simultaneously.

“Really? That’s dedication. I remember seeing her at the gym on weekends, wearing sports clothes and sweating, yet never seeming out of breath.”

By the time they reached Ke Xin’s room, Bai Xihan, who didn’t live there, found it boring to be alone, and more importantly, there was a meal waiting.

Ke Xin recalled the first time she saw Qisi climb in through the balcony and instantly thought something was off about her. She was right.

“Still, you’ve known each other for a while, haven’t you? Didn’t you know about Qisi before?” Ke Xin asked, puzzled—she’d only been at New Moon Academy for less than half a year.

“If knowing someone means knowing their name, then yeah, about a year. But honestly, I haven’t spoken with Qisi alone as much as we’re talking now.”

“Really?”

Bai Xihan nodded, though Ke Xin’s eyes still held suspicion. To her, Bai Xihan seemed outgoing and talkative, always greeting her first. Compared to introverted, homebody Ke Xin, Bai Xihan was a bright, social presence.

“Because Qisi is a school star, shining so brightly that it’s hard to get close.”

“Sounds like you’re talking about the sun.”

Thinking about it, Ke Xin admitted the comparison was apt. From an outsider’s perspective, Qisi excelled at sports, music, academics, and social etiquette. Without knowing her private side, she seemed untouchable.

“I feel more relaxed with you,” Bai Xihan said, lying on the sofa and glancing at the shopping bags Ke Xin had left in the kitchen. “By the way, what’s for dinner?”

Bai Xihan, having eaten many times at Ke Xin’s, was now completely at ease.

“Catsaki said she’s having dinner with a senior, Hiiragi said we don’t need to prepare her share, and Qisi will probably handle it at her club.”

Ke Xin tallied the dinner attendees—it would likely be just the two of them.

“Catsaki is with Rui?”

“Yes, Ms. Wolf.”

Ke Xin recognized the name from weekly meetings—Wolf was Bai Xihan’s squad leader and a prominent Special Investigation Bureau agent. She seemed like a cool, commanding figure.

While preparing ingredients, Ke Xin decided on a dry-pot shredded cabbage with a bit of beef from the fridge.

“By the way, Catsaki is assigned to your squad for training.”

“Already? They’ve divided squads?”

“Yes. Advanced training is six per squad, and the squad leader has extra training duties.”

“What does that mean?”

Bai Xihan didn’t explicitly say, just gave Ke Xin a knowing look, making her shiver. She hated troublesome tasks like this.

“I’m curious too—your squad has someone like An Ying, yet they made you the leader?”

“Really?”

Ke Xin knew that senior Lo An Ying was participating in the training, but she hadn’t expected to be in the same squad—she felt completely unprepared to handle her, let alone other magic girls of her generation.

“You don’t need to worry too much. I heard this training is mostly a formality.”

“The setup seems pretty serious, though.”

“Who knows what the adults are thinking? I planned to go out for a few days anyway. Let’s not worry—we’ll see when the time comes.”

“True.”

After dinner, Ke Xin left the dishes to Bai Xihan and went to her room. Normally, she would have logged in to play a game, but today she didn’t feel like it.

Closing the door, she threw herself onto the bed and opened Mizuki Tsuki’s chat. Though the avatar was just a scenic photo, Ke Xin felt like she was staring at her face.

How should she explain? Her mind raced through scenarios for meeting Mizuki Tsuki, yet she couldn’t find a suitable way to convey the truth—how to make her understand without diving too deeply into this unreal side of things.

Her current transformation couldn’t be undone by a simple surgery abroad. According to the Special Investigation Bureau’s earlier health check, if one didn’t know her history, there was no question: she was entirely female now.

Only magic could have done this. If she said it was magic, maybe Mizuki Tsuki would accept it faster.

Maybe.

Ke Xin sighed. Monsters were really the worst.

She stood up, walked to the window, and thought: it was still early—might as well go on patrol.