Chapter 67: The Weight of Responsibility and the Saintess’s Secret

Even though Teacher spoke with such righteous indignation, the preparations were now complete.

When she herself awoke and realized she couldn’t transform back, she was, in fact, incredibly panicked.

After numerous attempts, still unable to revert to her original form, she cast her gaze upon the sleeping Lin Han.

Regardless of anything else, she had now established a completely new relationship with Teacher, becoming his ‘one and only’ in a sense.

Surely, Teacher couldn’t just shirk responsibility, could he?

Though she hadn’t intended for Teacher to be responsible, he had, in a way, graduated from his virginity because of her. This ought to count as a ‘favor’ in itself.

So, she decided to leave this matter entirely in Teacher’s hands!

While she verbally stated that they would wait two weeks to see if she could change back before confessing to Liu Xingyue, in reality, she felt she needed those two weeks to mentally prepare herself to face Liu Xingyue.

However, fortunately, she was no longer the same person she had been before meeting Teacher Lin. As the saying goes, ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do.’

Since this had already happened, it wasn’t necessarily all bad. She hadn’t previously planned to tell Liu Xingyue her true identity, the fact that she could transform into a magical girl, but now, having developed this relationship with Teacher, she finally had a direct reason to tell her.

In any case, she would leave it to Teacher Lin for now!

If he couldn’t keep a secret and exposed it on the spot, it wouldn’t be so bad, actually.

Keeping secrets was always difficult. Speaking frankly, no matter the outcome, as long as it didn’t greatly affect Teacher Lin and herself, it would ultimately be fine.

‘My entire life has been like walking on thin ice. Can I truly reach the other shore?’

****

“Teacher Lin!”

Although Liu Xingyue knew Teacher Lin was definitely at He Yao’s house, she was still somewhat surprised. After all, she had notified He Yao in advance, and as her boyfriend, he should have known it was her at the door. Why was Teacher Lin opening it?

Lin Han had already adjusted his mindset and now appeared composed. “Liu Xingyue, come in. He Yao just realized we were low on seasonings, so he went to buy some, and some ingredients along the way.”

‘He Yao isn’t home?’

Hearing this, Liu Xingyue felt a surge of delight. She hadn’t come to see He Yao today; she was here for Teacher Lin. Even if He Yao had been home, she would have found a way to send him away. His absence now simply made things much more convenient.

“He’s not home? Perfect.”

Lin Han froze. ‘What did she mean, ‘perfect’?’

The words had spilled out, but a few seconds later, Liu Xingyue realized her statement was indeed very inappropriate.

“Please don’t misunderstand, Teacher Lin. I primarily came today to ask you about the Ox Mask.”

Lin Han breathed a sigh of relief.

Last night, Ink Crystal had pulled off an incredibly outrageous ‘bird-snatching’ stunt. He was afraid Liu Xingyue might suddenly come up with something equally absurd.

He invited Liu Xingyue to sit on the sofa, his gaze involuntarily drifting to the second floor, where He Yao’s room was. Magical Girl Ink Crystal was currently in that very room.

‘She must be secretly observing the situation in the living room right now.’

As Lin Han prepared tea for Liu Xingyue, he asked, “What exactly do you want to ask?”

“It’s like this: yesterday, I saw you pursue someone, Teacher Lin. I assumed you were chasing the Ox Mask. So today, I asked Ethereal Gem, but I received news that the Ox Mask was not apprehended…”

Her gaze settled on Lin Han. “Is the Ox Mask perhaps stronger than the other masked figures?”

As a Haojing Stone, she clearly understood that Kamen Riders possessed immense power, having fought alongside them before. Last time, she and Amethyst pursued one but couldn’t stop them. This indicated Teacher Lin’s formidable strength.

Yet, even such a powerful Teacher Lin had failed to stop the Ox Mask.

Lin Han placed the teacup in front of Liu Xingyue and sat on the sofa. “Couldn’t it be that I simply killed the Ox Mask?”

“If the opponent were a very troublesome enemy, and you couldn’t hold back, Teacher Lin, I believe you would kill them. But if you were significantly stronger than the opponent, I think you would apprehend them and hand them over for legal judgment.”

Liu Xingyue’s fingers traced the slightly warm rim of the teacup. “In any case, since you didn’t apprehend the Ox Mask yesterday, it only proves that their strength is greater than we imagined. I came to you to verify their specific power level.”

In other words, in Liu Xingyue’s understanding, whether Lin Han killed the Ox Mask or the Ox Mask escaped, both indicated the Ox Mask’s formidable power.

“If the Ox Mask is so strong, I have to consider that perhaps the Dog Mask, who has yet to appear, might be even more powerful, or perhaps… the Saintess, or rather, the entity that has ensnared the Saintess, is considerably stronger. In such a situation, perhaps only Carnelian and Rainbow Jade in the entire Clear Sky City could engage them. Other magical girls would have to retreat. They wouldn’t be a match.”

A thoughtful expression appeared on her face. “If that’s the case, we must make advance preparations.”

‘This is truly a very earnest magical girl!’

Lin Han felt a deep sense of guilt. He had actually, for a time, thought Liu Xingyue would cause trouble like Ink Crystal, but he hadn’t expected her to be seriously contemplating fighting monsters.

He had originally intended to conceal some things, but after Ink Crystal’s incident last night, he felt that continuing to hide it wasn’t necessarily bad, especially since Ink Crystal was also listening…

“The Ox Mask’s own strength is not particularly great. Compared to the Tiger Mask, they are indeed stronger, but not to an insurmountable degree. I let them go myself.”

Liu Xingyue was clearly shocked by this answer. She stared at Lin Han.

Lin Han nodded affirmatively.

Liu Xingyue picked up her teacup and took a sip. “Teacher Lin, are you planning to cast a long line to catch a big fish?”

“Not at all.”

Liu Xingyue’s expression gradually turned cold. She put down the teacup. “Then may I ask what you mean? I personally trust you very much, but you should know that this isn’t a simple matter. Ye Liuyun and Si Kou Ting were killed by the Rat Mask on broadcast. That person must be apprehended and punished, and the Ox Mask helped them escape.”

“What exactly were you thinking, letting the Ox Mask go?”

“The Saintess appeared.”

“The Saintess?”

Liu Xingyue paused, surprised. “The Saintess, you say?”

Her expression softened. She picked up the teacup once more. “You should have said so earlier! If the Saintess appeared and rescued the Ox Mask, then there’s nothing that could be done. I told you not to be so stubborn; I thought you let the Ox Mask go because you felt mercy for the monster.”

“You’re right.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“Frankly speaking, the Saintess is an ordinary girl. The Ox Mask is her current guardian. She stood before me and swore she would never use that power to do anything. If I had taken the Ox Mask away, she would have become an ‘orphan.'”

Liu Xingyue stared at Lin Han. “But the Saintess herself should also be apprehended. No one can prove her innocence. I don’t know the basis for your judgment… but the Saintess is also a wanted individual.

“Ultimately, even if the Ox Mask were arrested, do you, Teacher Lin, believe that current society cannot provide enough care for an orphan? Even if we assume the Saintess is truly innocent and current society cannot provide adequate assistance, if you told me about it, I could also take care of that girl. A magical girl’s income is enough for me to support her—this doesn’t constitute a true reason.”

“The magical girl aura on her was fluctuating.”

“If you cannot give me a precise answer, Teacher Lin…”

In the next instant, she transformed into Magical Girl Emerald.

‘Then I can only consider you an accomplice protecting a monster!’

She was a person filled with a sense of justice, and she deeply valued the concept of ‘responsibility.’

She believed it was her duty to eradicate evil.

Even though, truthfully, it wouldn’t matter if she didn’t get involved—after all, Emerald wasn’t a particularly skilled combat magical girl. And this matter originally involved a jade pendant.

Yet, she came looking for him directly the very next day.

Even if the other party was her teacher, even if the other party was her boyfriend, she displayed the resolute spirit of Magical Girl Emerald, looking at Lin Han with utmost seriousness.

Even if she wasn’t Lin Han’s match, she wasn’t afraid to face an enemy.

Seeing her serious, even somewhat deliberate expression, Lin Han remained silent for a moment, then smiled gently.

“Teacher, what are you smiling at?”

“Nothing. I’m just genuinely relieved that my student is so righteous, so brave—how could one not feel relieved by such a thing?”

Liu Xingyue’s expression remained unwavering. “Saying such things won’t get you off the hook, Teacher Lin.”

Lin Han then sat up straight, looking at Liu Xingyue with serious sincerity. “I did conceal some things. However, Ink Crystal and I will investigate the Saintess and the Sacred Relic next. After reaching a definitive conclusion, we will report the matter through Ink Crystal.”

“What does that mean?”

“To put it simply, the Ox Mask was originally willing to die, but after the Saintess appeared, he became agitated and warned me that if I attacked the Saintess, a certain bomb he had set would detonate.

At that time, a large group of people in Clear Sky City would be induced to transform. Many would mutate into masked figures. Those who succeeded might even become beings like the masked figures—which could perhaps be considered a good thing, but the vast majority would become deformed monsters.

I couldn’t confirm the truth of this matter, so I could only let them go.”

Lin Han finally revealed the true situation.

“You can report this matter, allowing other magical girls and the government to investigate discreetly, but it’s best not to alert them. Ink Crystal and I plan to conduct a clandestine investigation next.”

In the next second, Liu Xingyue deactivated her magical girl transformation.

She blushed slightly, giving Lin Han a reproachful look. “So… you should have said all this earlier, making me look like an idiot.”

“My apologies. I also wanted to confirm my student’s resolve.”

“Teacher Lin, you really are something!”

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