Chapter 6: Unexpected Predicament and a Half-Hearted Farewell

It seemed I had inadvertently stumbled into a predicament.

How these individuals had managed to locate him remained a mystery, as did their motive for attempting to eliminate one of their own—that foolish magical girl. And he, too, had inexplicably transformed into… *ahem*, no, he wasn’t a magical girl. Rather, he was an elite combatant, perhaps in his second stage of evolution.

With their hideout compromised, relocating would undoubtedly prove bothersome, and dealing with these adversaries presented an even greater headache.

Since things had come to such a pass, then—

First, they should eat.

He would ponder the future later; for now, it was high time to savor the rich, meaty flavors he hadn’t tasted in a month!

“Oh, Dal, I’m so incredibly moved. A whole month of compressed biscuits had made me almost forget the taste of proper meat…”

“There’s nothing for it, is there? These magical girls only get resupplied once or twice a month. It’s like opening a blind box; who knows what we’ll manage to snatch.”

Truly, it was all the fault of those detestable magical girls.

Leaning back against the remnants of furniture, Ling Xing carefully fed a steaming chunk of meat to Dal, the young cadre nestled securely in his arms.

He then devoured a large mouthful of meat broth with the speed of a whirlwind, wiping the lingering grease from the corners of his lips.

Life was truly wonderful.

It would have been even more splendid had that foolish magical girl not destroyed an entire box of meat, which would have sustained them for another week.

“The organization’s food supplies are mostly sourced from local markets. Shipments from out of town typically comprise various long-term emergency rations, don’t they…?”

The foolish magical girl, the true culprit, stood isolated in a corner of the room, her head bowed in an expression of utter resignation.

Ling Xing’s response to her was immediate:

“Why are you still lingering here?”

“…Huh?”

“You’re not hoping to mooch a meal, are you? Absolutely not! This meager portion isn’t even enough for Dal and me, and you won’t get a single drop of this meat broth!”

Ling Xing, now a white-haired girl, puffed out her cheeks and huffed indignantly!

This transformation made her resemble a cat even more, though she still lacked a tail. Nevertheless, a beautiful girl with cat-like features was undeniably charming.

“No, I… I’m a captive, aren’t I? A captive who tried to escape, only to be… saved by you. *Gulp*. Even if you intend to do something now, I… I…”

The foolish magical girl pressed her lips together, hugged her shoulders, and her voice, thick with unshed tears, grew increasingly thin.

Who knew what dark fantasies she was conjuring? Perhaps she envisioned herself being beaten, abused, swallowed whole, parasitized, brainwashed, modified, executed, or even consumed?

“You were, once, but—”

“You’re not a magical girl any longer, are you?”

Setting down her bowl, Ling Xing, still unsatisfied, traced Dal’s lips with her fingertips, meticulously searching for any lingering trace of meaty grease.

The girl before her, however, inexplicably gaped in astonishment, her eyes wide and fixed upon Ling Xing.

This, she mused, was precisely why conversing with an idiot proved so exhausting; every single detail had to be painstakingly spelled out.

“We are a dark organization dedicated to vanquishing evil magical girls. Since you haven’t committed any misdeeds and are no longer a magical girl, what exactly are you still doing here? Go home, be a diligent student, a good girl, and contribute positively to society!”

Ling Xing waved her hand with an air of utter nonchalance, then licked her fingertips, a blissful expression gracing her face as she savored the last vestiges of meaty flavor.

“Exactly! Our dark organization upholds justice! Even hateful magical girls, so long as they commit no evil, will face no harm from us! Ugh, Ling Xing, you’re so sly! I want some too…”

Dal, who had been delivering her righteous pronouncements with an air of imposing dignity, abruptly broke off mid-sentence, shrinking back into Ling Xing’s embrace and playfully nibbling her finger.

This left only Dal, her face alight with a doting smile and soft laughter, and the utterly bewildered girl before them, to continue the conversation.

“No, b-but, ah, I know about that machine, information so crucial that even the organization wants to silence me permanently! You, you mean you’re just going to…?”

It was evident she was utterly disoriented.

She gesticulated wildly, her hands flailing as she pointed first to herself, then to Ling Xing and Dal, her words tumbling out in fragmented, incoherent bursts.

Ah, truly, conversing with an idiot was an exhausting endeavor.

“Then shouldn’t you be even more eager to leave? If you reveal nothing, and then send these ‘Magic Tech Squad’ individuals back, a divination spell can confirm your silence, thus freeing you from their relentless pursuit, can’t it?”

“……”

See? That utterly blank, astonished expression clearly indicated she hadn’t grasped the concept at all.

This, she thought, was the intellectual dominance of an elite combatant over a mere magical girl!

“Moreover, I recall the organization tracks people via crystals. Without a crystal, you could simply live as an ordinary girl, no longer entangled in such affairs—that wouldn’t be so bad. Could you perhaps offer a response? Staring at me in silence is rather unnerving.”

“Uh… ah, so… I don’t have to do anything at all, I can just, leave?”

“That is, ultimately, the outcome. Now, hurry along. We, too, must begin packing for our relocation. If you truly become a good girl, there will be no need for us to meet again, will there?”

After lightly nudging the ‘fly-head’ sleeping rather comically at her feet, Ling Xing waved her hand, rose, and performed her characteristic, slightly flirtatious farewell gesture: two fingers pressed together, lightly tapping her forehead.

While previously the gesture had exuded a dashing, carefree air, Chao Wu now found it surprisingly endearing.

“No, I understand. I shall never forget the grace of you saving my life. Should there ever be a need for assistance, I, Chao Wu, will undoubtedly stake my very life, braving fire and flood—”

Solemnly, she made her vow.

It was a solemn pledge, offered not as an adversary, but as an individual, to the boy—no, the girl—who had saved her.

Chao Wu felt certain she would never forget the scene of being saved by a magical girl.

Therefore, if there truly arose an occasion demanding her life in repayment, she…

“Ah, as a matter of fact, there is.”

Already? So soon?

Chao Wu blinked in surprise.

Then, she watched as Ling Xing gestured towards a stack of… boxes in the corner of the room?

“Then help me carry down my spoils of war from today. Just to the alley entrance will suffice; we’re moving, and these things are rather heavy.”

“Uh… ah, I meant, the kind where I stake my very life, exerting every ounce of effort…”

Not trivial matters like this! It had to be something far more weighty, more solemn, something worth dying for…

How infuriating! What did this person take a maiden’s solemn vow for?

Chao Wu bit her lip, casting a furious glare at Ling Xing.

“Oh, then stake your life, and exert every ounce of your strength to lift those boxes! Go on, you can do it!”

Facing the girl’s furious stare, Ling Xing merely waved her hand with a cheerful grin, her long boots stepping over the prone ‘fly-head’ on the ground as she carried Dal towards the interior of the house.

Just before stepping inside, she paused, turning slightly to offer a striking profile as she spoke.

“An ordinary girl should simply do what an ordinary girl does. I am an elite combatant; I have no need for a mere ordinary girl to risk her life for me. Such a weighty vow should be reserved for someone far more important to you—”

“Farewell. And, ah, it’s truly best if we don’t meet again. If you commit no evil, then we shall have no reason to cross paths, shall we?”

Ling Xing closed one eye, a faint smile playing on her lips as she stepped into the house, leaving those words to drift softly towards the girl in her wake.