Chapter 78: Another Coincidental Encounter

The black luxury sedan came to a steady stop beside the entrance of a large chain supermarket. The window lowered, and Agent Guan turned her head slightly, her lips curved with her signature faint, unreadable smile.

“Is stopping here okay?” she asked, her gaze sweeping over the bustling crowd at the supermarket entrance.

“Mm, dropping me off here is fine,” Kexin replied while unfastening her seatbelt. “I was planning to buy some things this morning anyway, so this works out perfectly. Thanks for the ride, Agent Guan.”

Her bright tone carried the distinct liveliness of a girl her age—probably.

Agent Guan dipped her head lightly and offered a final reminder.
“Before patrol tonight, make sure to double-check your gear and keep your comms open. Remember—if anything happens, report immediately.”

“OK! Got it!” Kexin made a reassuring hand gesture before hopping out of the car.
The black sedan slipped back into the traffic flow like a dark fish diving into deep water, quickly swallowed by the afternoon stream of vehicles.

Standing at the supermarket entrance, Kexin took a deep breath.

The air carried the warmth of sunlight, the scent of grass from the roadside greenery, and the cool breeze mixed with various indistinct product smells that wafted out from the sliding doors.

The supermarket was bustling as always on weekends. The lively scene eased the tension in her mind a little—after all, the heavy conversation in the car about a mysterious organization and the possibility of the Corpse Mother infiltrating the city contrasted sharply with this peaceful scenery.

She pulled out her phone, unlocked the screen, and quickly opened a group chat named “Crescent Apartment 401.”

Inside were the four magical girl teammates who shared the apartment with her. After living together for some time, a certain unique camaraderie had formed naturally.

She typed swiftly:

【I’m at the supermarket near the apartment. I’m gonna do a round of shopping—anyone need anything?】

The responses exploded almost instantly—as if everyone had been waiting with their phones open.

Maoqi:
【Spicy strips! The spiciest! And sugar-free Coke, iced! Thanks nya! (≧ω≦)/】

Bai Xihan:
【@Kexin, could you get me the usual fruit candies? Lemon flavor. Thanks.】

Himehara Tsukito:
【Kexin, could you get a pack of tissues for me? Mine’s almost out. Sorry to trouble you.】

Lu Qisi:
【I want curry chicken.】

Kexin couldn’t help smiling warmly at the screen.

【Got it~】

She replied with a cute sticker, put her phone away, and pushed a shopping cart from the entrance into the cool, spacious supermarket. The blast of air conditioning was sudden enough to make her shiver.

She began shopping with practiced ease.

First she headed to the fresh produce area, picking tomatoes, checking eggs one by one, and thinking about whether she should cook tomato-egg stir-fry tonight… or maybe omurice.

Ever since moving into the apartment, the kitchen had basically become “Kexin’s domain.” Her cooking wasn’t exceptional, but no one had complaints.

Next, she headed to the daily necessities section and found the exact brand of tissues Tsukito used.

Then she looped to the seasoning aisle and chose a well-reviewed box of curry cubes for Qisi.

Finally, she arrived at the brightly colored snack and beverage section.

She located the sugar-free Coke for Maoqi. Looking at the neatly lined shelf of cans and bottles, she tilted her head slightly.

Cans or bottles?
It sounded trivial—but that cat-like girl would absolutely care.

She imagined Maoqi clutching a big bottle of Coke and chugging it like an actual kitten, and couldn’t help chuckling. Ultimately, she picked a one-liter bottle and grabbed a few bags of spicy strips.

The lemon fruit candies for Bai Xihan were right nearby as well.

Just as she reached for the candies, a hesitant, startled voice came from the side aisle—half buried in the store’s BGM and ambient chatter:

“…Kexin?”

Kexin turned and saw a girl holding a small shopping basket. She wore black-rimmed glasses slightly too large for her face, her hair messy like she’d rushed here. Inside her basket were a few Fuji apples and some snacks.

The outfit—plain T-shirt and jeans—was different from their school uniforms, but Kexin recognized her instantly.

“Ruolin?” Kexin asked with a pleasantly surprised tone. “What a coincidence! You’re shopping too?”

Zhang Ruolin—her classmate. Quiet. A bit gloomy because of her niche interests. Kexin had joined her “Far East Magic Research Society” (yes, the name sounded suspicious as hell) in hopes of gathering more occult rumors. Over time, they’d become fairly familiar with each other.

“Y-yes!” Ruolin nodded vigorously. Her eyes brightened behind her glasses like a pair of lit stars. She pushed up her frames, stepped closer, and lowered her voice mysteriously.
“Kexin! Guess what I’ve been doing these past few days?”

“What?” Kexin asked naturally while placing the Coke and candies into her cart. “Didn’t you say this morning you followed those ‘Paranormal Exploration Club’ people to that famous haunted site in the next city? The abandoned factory? Azusa and Ayano went with you, right?”

She remembered—it had been discussed in group chat before Kexin went to the library with Luo Anying.

“Exactly!” Ruolin’s excitement grew, sprinkled with theatrical mystery. “But you don’t know the details yet! Listen— that factory is the one online famous for late-night ghost sightings, supposedly the spirits of workers who died in industrial accidents!”

Kexin’s heart gave a subtle jolt.

Words like “ghosts” and “spirits” were no joke to a magical girl in the Special Search Bureau.

Still, Kexin maintained a perfectly casual curiosity:
“Oh? That place does sound creepy. So? Did you find anything interesting?”

She pushed the cart forward casually. Ruolin naturally followed.

But Ruolin’s shoulders slumped a little, disappointment flooding her voice.
“Sigh… actually we found nothing. We wandered around that wrecked factory for hours, almost until midnight. Aside from feeding mosquitoes and getting scratched by weeds, we didn’t record anything. The EVP had nothing but wind and our own footsteps… such a wasted trip.”

Kexin quietly sighed in relief.
Well, of course. She had reported the location beforehand—if any low-risk anomaly existed, it was likely handled already.

She said sympathetically, “That’s a shame. Must’ve been tiring.”

“It was! But—!”
Ruolin’s emotional rebound was instant. She pushed up her glasses and smiled brilliantly. “It was still fun! Everyone in the club is so interesting. They’re all genuinely passionate about supernatural research. Even though we didn’t find anything, sitting together at night talking about urban legends and past explorations was amazing! Next time we might go somewhere even more remote—some mountain reservoir… people say there’s a ‘water ghost’ legend!”

Ruolin launched into a stream of lively stories.
Kexin nodded and replied in all the right places while continuing her shopping:

“Really?”
“Wow, that sounds awesome!”
“Oh, I think I’ve heard of that place…”

Inside, however, she could only sigh.

She knew far too well that many “haunted sites” online were intentionally fabricated or exaggerated by the Bureau’s intel department—risk control by flooding the public with safe misinformation. Because it was impossible to stop curious “urban explorer” groups entirely, the Bureau steered them toward harmless locations.

Of course, buried among the noise would be a few real, low-risk anomalies. And unless a magical girl was nearby, those were not high priority.

If Ruolin’s group actually ran into even the mildest anomaly… the consequences could be disastrous.

She silently prayed their luck would continue.

They continued chatting until they reached the checkout.

Her cart was piled like a small mountain.

After paying, the groceries filled two huge reusable bags that looked extremely heavy.

As Kexin prepared to lift them, Ruolin gasped:
“Kexin—these are so heavy! Let me help!”

“No need, no need. Easy.”
Kexin smiled lightly.

With a casual motion, she lifted both bulging bags effortlessly—her arms barely tensed.

Ruolin stared at her, stunned.
“W-wow… Kexin… you’re so strong… I totally couldn’t tell…”

“Ah… haha… it’s nothing. I probably got used to farm work back home?”

She laughed awkwardly and used the most ordinary excuse she could think of.

Then she quickly shifted the topic.
“Well, Ruolin, I’ve got a lot to carry, so I’ll head back first. See you at school!”

“See you! Yeah!” Ruolin waved as she watched Kexin stride off effortlessly with the two heavy bags—looking as if she were carrying nothing more than two feather-light snack bags.

Outside, the afternoon sunlight had softened.
Kexin walked briskly toward the apartment, her mind replaying Ruolin’s stories:

“Paranormal Exploration Club… reservoir… water ghost…”

She mentally noted these keywords.

Ruolin’s group had been safe so far— but who could guarantee next time?

And with the Corpse Mother case shrouded in uncertainty, any minor rumor among civilians could become an important clue.

She decided she should keep a discreet eye on these amateur exploration groups. They might stumble upon something the Bureau missed.

Thinking of this—
and of tonight’s secret patrol mission in the suspect western abandoned zone—
her mood grew heavier.

She took a deep breath and quickened her steps.

At the very least, she had to get these “supplies” home before preparing for tonight’s operation.