Chapter 77: I Knew It Couldn’t Be Just a Coincidence

“I just went to the convenience store nearby to buy coffee, and happened to see you two coming out of that ramen place,” Agent Guan said with a friendly smile as she casually shook the paper cup in her hand—its surface already beaded with condensation. “Did you just finish eating?”

Ke Xin’s cheeks turned pink almost instantly, as if someone had caught her doing something she shouldn’t. Her voice grew flustered.
“Agent Guan, um, we… we just finished eating. By the way, why are you here?”

Her fingers twisted together unconsciously, her gaze shifting restlessly like a child caught misbehaving. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Agent Guan wasn’t wearing the Special Investigation Bureau uniform—or the stereotypical black suit—but a tailored dark-gray casual suit that fit her tall, athletic figure perfectly.

The slightly opened collar revealed a glimpse of her delicate collarbone, making her look less authoritative than she did in the office, and instead more relaxed, stylish, and approachable. Sunlight traced a soft golden edge around her silhouette.

Luo Anying, speaking at her usual unhurried pace, greeted her:
“Mengyao… good afternoon…”

“Right, I was actually looking for the two of you. Get in the car—we’ll talk on the way.”
Agent Guan tilted her head toward the back seats.

The two complied and got in.

The moment the door closed, the noise of the street vanished, replaced by a comforting quiet.

The air-conditioned interior was cool but not cold. The wide leather seats felt soft and luxurious, and the faint aroma of coffee mixed with a crisp car fragrance created an atmosphere that soothed the nerves.

The vehicle pulled away smoothly, merging into the slightly busy midday traffic along the sparkling riverside road.

After switching on assisted driving, Agent Guan turned slightly, letting her gaze sweep over the two sitting side by side. Then she suddenly revealed a playful smile, one that carried subtle implications.
“Come to think of it, the patrol assignment notice was just issued not long ago, right? And you two are already going out for lunch together. That’s… pretty fast. When did your relationship get this close?”

Hearing the hidden meaning in her tone, Ke Xin’s face combusted. Even the tips of her ears flushed a pretty cherry pink.

Her hands waved frantically as her voice shot up in pitch.
“N-no! It’s not what you think! We just—just went to the library to borrow some books, and then ate together afterward—just that! Really!”

Her words tumbled out so fast she nearly bit her tongue. Her eyes darted everywhere except toward Agent Guan’s amused gaze.

Desperate, Ke Xin turned to Luo Anying beside her, silently pleading for backup with wide, overwhelmed eyes.

Luo Anying glanced at Agent Guan, then at Ke Xin, blinked slowly, and added:
“I invited her…”

Her voice was so soft it nearly dissolved into the ambient hum of the car, yet in this enclosed space, every syllable was perfectly clear.

But—wait.
Why did that sound like she was confirming the misunderstanding!?

Does she even get the implication behind Agent Guan’s words??
Ke Xin internally collapsed.

Agent Guan chuckled lightly at the two girls’ expressions and eventually eased up.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing.”

Her tone shifted to businesslike calm as she retrieved a thin black-gray tablet from the center console. The device’s metallic surface gleamed faintly in the filtered sunlight.

“About the Yunqi Village incident—the preliminary analysis is ready.”

The atmosphere instantly sharpened.
The earlier embarrassment evaporated, replaced by alert seriousness.

Even Luo Anying seemed fully awake; though she still lounged lazily in her seat, her half-lidded violet eyes sharpened like a predator’s catching scent of prey.

“Our technical experts extracted some not-yet-conclusive information from the residual traces at the scene,” Agent Guan said, scrolling through dense charts and data. “But what we’ve found strongly suggests the Mother Corpse was very likely not acting alone. We believe there may be a highly covert organization behind her—one we’ve never documented before.”

Ke Xin frowned.
“But wasn’t that skeleton guy just her minion? Why would there be some organization behind it?”

She had heard everything that monster rambled about at the time—it seemed the Mother Corpse simply sent it as disposable cannon fodder to stall for time.

Given her abilities, having a few elite underlings wasn’t surprising. But jumping straight to “secret organization” sounded… too dramatic.

Except—she also knew the Bureau never made baseless claims.

Agent Guan turned the tablet toward them.
The screen displayed layers of magical reaction waveforms, clusters of data points, shifting maps with glowing markers—so complex it almost blurred together.

She didn’t explain everything yet—just let them skim.

“Details aside, the intel is solid. Everyone needs to be extremely vigilant now—this isn’t like any previous mission. Also, regarding your patrol area for tonight—especially the abandoned factories and old docks in the western outskirts—our early-warning system detected faint magical fluctuations there last night. They share similarities with the traces from Yunqi Village.”

Ke Xin and Luo Anying both straightened further.

“Current judgment is that the Mother Corpse may already be hiding somewhere in Muzhou City.”
Agent Guan continued, calm but grave.
“So we’re adjusting your patrol methods.”

“Adjust how?” Ke Xin asked, leaning forward unconsciously.

Even the normally sleepy Luo Anying looked curious.

“Before, you patrolled in transformed state, flying openly, not suppressing magic signatures. That tactic scares lesser anomalies into hiding. But now, we must avoid alarming the enemy. Also, since we may face more intelligent monsters, all operations will require at least two people—preferably fixed teams.”

Agent Guan glanced at them through the rear-view mirror.
“Everyone else in the Muzhou HQ has already formed teams. That leaves just a few of you. I actually planned to pair you two permanently earlier, and it seems… the timing works out well.”

Feeling the agent’s strange, meaningful gaze, Ke Xin immediately turned toward the window, pretending to admire the riverside scenery—but her heart was in turmoil.

After all—Agent Guan was the first person she saw when she awoke after unexpectedly becoming a magical girl.
No one knew about her situation earlier than Agent Guan.

So every “joke” from her carried weight.
Too much weight.

The agent’s tone then shifted into one that was unmistakably serious, even admonishing.
“I’ve said this many times, but I’ll repeat it—no matter what happens, if you encounter anything beyond normal parameters, your first priority is to report and wait for instructions. Do not act alone. Not even during patrols.”

“…Understood.” Luo Anying answered softly, eyes glimmering with subtle meaning.

Ke Xin sensed something unusual in the warning, though she couldn’t tell what. But she clearly felt—
This wasn’t a casual reminder.

“I understand. I’ll be careful.” Ke Xin responded earnestly.

Agent Guan nodded in satisfaction.
“By the way, Ke Xin—you know how to drive, right?”

“…Why are you suddenly asking that?”
Ke Xin sucked in a sharp breath—her danger sense blazing.

Please don’t ask for my driver’s license—
She absolutely did not have one.
She wasn’t even old enough to apply normally.

But the Bureau wasn’t the traffic police… probably.

“If we want you to patrol without flying, you’ll need a car. And Anying doesn’t drive.”

Ah. That made sense.

Luo Anying gave a small pleased smile when she heard her name, as if being praised.

Ke Xin imagined Luo Anying driving—
and falling asleep behind the wheel.

…No. Absolutely not.

“I learned a bit back home, in the countryside. Just normal automatic cars.”

“Good. We’ll prepare a special driving license for you—approved for official use.”

Magical girls all had special agent IDs granting them extraordinary permissions—
even carrying weapons onto airplanes was possible.

But using that ID too often drew attention—far from ideal for such a confidential unit.

“So… the patrol car?” Ke Xin asked nervously.

“Already parked in your apartment’s garage. Keys are in your living room.”
Agent Guan said casually.

“…That fast?”
Ke Xin blinked. She’d only been out for a few hours…

The Bureau’s efficiency really was terrifying.

“Anyway, where should I drop you off?”

Luo Anying gave the name of a nearby intersection. A short drive later, the car pulled to a stop.

The street was lined with plane trees; sunlight filtered through the leaves in soft patches.

“Get some rest this afternoon. Tonight will be busy,” Agent Guan reminded. Then, with a teasing smile, she added toward Luo Anying:
“But with Ke Xin accompanying you, Anying, you probably won’t feel bored anymore, right?”

“Wh—” Ke Xin started protesting—

But Luo Anying nodded calmly, let out a tiny hum of affirmation, opened the door, and stepped out without hesitation, her blue hair shimmering under the sun.

Ke Xin watched her walk toward a towering luxury apartment building—glass façade gleaming, landscaped gardens immaculate, uniformed guards on patrol.

This place looks insanely expensive.
Ke Xin gulped internally.

Her suspicions were right—the senior really came from money.

“You’ve gotten so easy to tease lately,” Agent Guan remarked as they drove off.
“When did you turn into such a shy little girl?”

“I did NOT!”

“Anyway,” Agent Guan continued, amused, “I’ll take you to Crescent Moon Apartment next.”

Traffic slowed as they reached the elevated highway, causing the car to crawl forward.

Ke Xin finally voiced the question gnawing at her.
“So… senior’s family is that rich?”

Agent Guan paused, thinking carefully.
“More or less. Her father works in magical formula engineering—he’s not a mainstream academic, but even Theseus Group consults him regularly.”

That was… impressive.

“What about her mother? Senior mentioned her during lunch.”

Agent Guan froze for a second.
“She… brought that up?”

Her surprise was palpable—
Luo Anying rarely mentioned anything personal.

Agent Guan’s eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Ke Xin through the rear – view mirror.

Could it be… Ke Xin is influencing Anying?
Softening her?
Letting her open up?

After a moment, Agent Guan answered with measured caution:
“That… isn’t really something I should say. If there’s a chance, Anying will tell you herself.”

“That mysterious…?”

A faint, inexplicable unease flickered in Ke Xin’s chest.
She couldn’t place it—but the moment the topic touched Anying’s mother, the air changed.

The sunlight outside remained bright.
But Ke Xin felt a subtle chill crawl up her spine.

The car continued inching forward through traffic, the atmosphere drifting into a heavy, contemplative silence.

Neither of them spoke again.
Only the hum of the air conditioner and distant honking filled the quiet.