Chapter 68: The Unveiling of Secrets and a Provocative Proposal

Ink Crystal was utterly stunned. How could Liu Xingyue possibly know Teacher Lin’s true identity?

‘Teacher Lin, you sly fox! With your thick eyebrows and honest eyes, you’re secretly harboring secrets with Liu Xingyue? That’s terrifying! And you never told me a thing!’

‘Last night, you had your way with me, yet you never explained why Ox Mask managed to escape! But now, you’re ready to spill everything to Liu Xingyue?’

She wasn’t one to make a scene without cause. She understood that Teacher Lin surely had his reasons. More crucially, their relationship had evolved to a different level, and a man of his character wouldn’t possibly evade responsibility.

Thus, she wasn’t entirely flustered.

Still, how exactly did Liu Xingyue come to know Teacher Lin’s identity?

This meant that the last time Liu Xingyue and Teacher Lin were captured together—it wasn’t because Ink Crystal had been with Teacher Liu, and Liu Xingyue, unable to find her, had gone looking for Teacher Lin and coincidentally gotten caught. No, it was because…

Liu Xingyue had intentionally stayed by Teacher Lin’s side!

She possessed incredibly strong defensive capabilities, while Teacher Lin was a formidable Kamen Rider!

No wonder she wasn’t afraid!

‘If it were me, I wouldn’t be afraid either!’

‘Damn it! How could he keep this from me, his girlfriend?’

Though she, too, had kept some things from Liu Xingyue, that was—that was completely different!

‘And I need to gather more intel…’

“Since that’s the situation, I’ll join you,” Liu Xingyue declared. “You plan to act with Ink Crystal, so how about I join your group as well?”

Lin Han asked, “Wouldn’t that make our target too large? If all three of us appear together, I’m worried Ox Mask might react erratically. In fact, I’d prefer to find Ox Mask’s ‘backup plan’ beforehand. If we can counter it, we can directly apprehend both Ox Mask and the Saintess.”

“While that sounds wonderful, we all know it won’t be easy,” Liu Xingyue sighed. “If it’s a hidden trump card, then we’re unlikely to find it. Discovering it would be a pleasant surprise, but we shouldn’t pin all our hopes on it.”

Her advice was unexpectedly steady, and Lin Han agreed wholeheartedly. “Therefore, it’s better if Ink Crystal and I investigate. I’m a psychological counselor, and Ink Crystal is an understanding Magical Girl.”

Liu Xingyue raised an eyebrow. “Teacher Lin, are you implying that I’m not an understanding Magical Girl? I’m Emerald, the Magical Girl who symbolizes the power of compassion, yet in your eyes, I’m not… a gentle child?”

“I heard that when you first spoke to He Yao about Magical Girls, you told him not to get involved?”

“That’s not exactly how I said it—but it was essentially the same meaning. Teacher, do you think that’s too much?”

“No, what I mean is, that is precisely where your gentleness lies, Liu Xingyue,” Lin Han emphasized. “Though your attitude is firm, it’s your gentle wish that she not get entangled. Some words must be spoken forcefully to inspire fear and be effective.”

Liu Xingyue’s face flushed slightly. “Teacher, you’re overthinking this a bit. I’m not the kind of person you describe.”

“No, I know you well. As your teacher, I see it clearly. However, while I know who you are, compared to Ink Crystal—Ink Crystal can face monsters with a smile, but you cannot. This isn’t to say you’re not gentle enough, but rather, it’s your nature.”

‘Honesty and innocence are your true colors.’

Liu Xingyue grew incredibly embarrassed. She averted her gaze, avoiding Lin Han’s eyes to prevent him from seeing her shyness.

“Teacher Lin, you’re saying such things without a trace of embarrassment yourself.”

“Of course, I’m embarrassed, but a teacher cannot refrain from praising their students’ strengths just because of their own shyness. That would be detrimental to a student’s growth. We consider ourselves qualified teachers, and therefore, I must make this clear to you. Do you understand?”

Liu Xingyue covered her face. “I! I! I understand!”

She hastily stood up.

“Then! Then I’ll go report to the others first! I’ll have them organize and see if they can find Ox Mask’s backup plan! That! I’m leaving now!”

“Wait! He Yao isn’t back yet…”

“Give him my regards! Tell him I have urgent matters to attend to immediately! I’ll see him at school later!”

The young girl, her face flushed, quickly exited the house.

Lin Han stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching Liu Xingyue rush away. She glanced back a few times, though he couldn’t tell what exactly she was thinking.

Only then did Lin Han finally turn his gaze to He Yao’s room.

Her expression was displeased as she looked at Lin Han.

“You, what’s wrong with you?”

“No~ that is precisely where~ your gentleness~ lies~” Ink Crystal drawled in a sickeningly sweet, sarcastic voice. “Honesty~ innocence~ are your true~ colors~.”

Lin Han looked utterly speechless.

“How impressive~ Teacher Lin~ My girlfriend has never even blushed in front of me…”

‘What do you mean by that? Do you like Emerald? Or do you just like…’ This was beyond sarcasm; it was outright acrimony.

“You… you’re not jealous, are you?”

“Oh my~ Teacher Lin, who just graduated from bachelorhood with me last night, can actually understand ‘jealousy’? You devoured me whole last night, and today you won’t even spare my girlfriend~ What? Does Teacher Lin actually want everyone to serve him?”

Ink Crystal’s gaze was extremely unfriendly, yet she spoke in a seductive tone. “At that time, I’ll pin Emerald down, pressing her beneath me, presenting a ‘couple’s burger’ before you, Teacher. You can pick whichever you desire~”

As she spoke, the corresponding image actually surfaced in Lin Han’s mind.

“Teacher, you’re fantasizing, aren’t you! You’re definitely fantasizing!”

“…I, I can hardly say I’m not.”

Lin Han answered very honestly.

Ink Crystal was immediately speechless.

To be honest, for a moment, she couldn’t quite tell whose jealousy she was feeling—but perhaps it was simply envy.

Who knew?

She had never truly been in a relationship; it was genuinely complicated.

And not very rational.

Lin Han thought for a moment. “Still, all in all, we managed to fool them. When should we go find Zhang Xiao?”

“…Are you changing the subject by talking business?”

Ink Crystal gritted her teeth, then took up the conversation. “Before that, it depends on what you plan to do, Teacher. Let me ask first: you’re not thinking of getting to know the Saintess, becoming her friend, building a good relationship, and then converting her with kindness, are you?”

“Isn’t that the correct approach?”

“Isn’t that a bit too idealistic?”

Ink Crystal didn’t fully agree with this method. “If you ask me, we should first pretend to befriend the Saintess, then wait for Ox Mask—Ox Mask will be instantly defeated. This way, Ox Mask’s backup plan cannot be activated. Then, we arrest the Saintess.”

“Why do you sound like a villain? You’re a Magical Girl who symbolizes love and justice.”

“It’s precisely because I’m a Magical Girl that I have to do this! The opponent is always a very dangerous existence,” Ink Crystal pointed out. “And ultimately, even if Ox Mask truly has such means, the initiative should be with us. It should be the Saintess and Ox Mask trying to gain our trust, not the other way around.”

Ink Crystal emphasized, “If we are forced to go and trust them, then it’s a complete reversal of the natural order. Our actions will always be restricted.”

Lin Han, of course, understood Ink Crystal’s meaning. “I know what you’re thinking, but in truth, I truly don’t want to see any sacrifices. So, yes, we will be constrained by them.”

“…So, Teacher, you look exactly like someone who’s about to be exploited by the villain and then die tragically!”

“That’s going too far. I would—”

“I would be exploited by the villain?”

“I think you already have been!”

Lin Han didn’t refute this.

“Forget it, you’re just that kind of person, Teacher. Contact Zhang Xiao first! But it probably won’t work out today.” Ink Crystal seemed to remember something. “Let’s go on a date today!”

“A date?”

“What? Teacher, you don’t want to? You used me to graduate from bachelorhood, yet you don’t even want to go on a date with me?”

Ink Crystal had found her ultimate weapon in an argument.

But what could he do?

She was speaking the truth!

‘Why couldn’t I control myself?’

He wanted to defend himself, but truly—in that situation, if he could have resisted, he probably wouldn’t have been a normal man.

Ink Crystal understood him too well.

This child was smart, but using her intelligence in such ways was truly headache-inducing.

She fully understood men’s interests and hobbies, so when it came to *those* kinds of things, she was utterly composed—though his later taking the initiative was another matter entirely…

“Do you have anything you need to buy?”

“Teacher, is your understanding of a date limited to just buying things? How did you and Teacher Liu go on your last date?”

Lin Han thought for a moment. “We first went to a church, then she expressed her feelings. For lunch, we went to the commercial street and found a good all-you-can-eat barbecue. In the afternoon, we watched a movie, and then we strolled around the streets. That was roughly the process, I suppose?”

“Are you two high schoolers?”

“Huh?”

“Ugh! An adult’s date, of course, is going straight to a hotel, and then…!” She rattled off a string of words unsuitable for a cute Magical Girl to say, and certainly not for children to hear.

Lin Han completely lost it. “Is that a proper date?”

“How is it not proper? Anyway, for couples who reach that stage, don’t all dates end up in that kind of place? Rather, it’s better to get straight to the point. That way, you can save a lot of money. Some expenses are simply unnecessary!”

“Apologize to all the couples under heaven!”