Chapter 8: A Calculated Provocation

“……”

“…..”

The action of carrying Ling Xing over and pressing her against the wall had been quite imposing.

Yet, after truly pinning Ling Xing against the wall in the stairwell, her hand resting on Ling Xing’s shoulder, Chao Wu suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

It was as if she hadn’t considered the aftermath before acting, leaving her to stare blankly at the nonchalant, white-haired thief girl who was simply munching on bread.

Before a single word was even uttered, the close proximity, the faint warmth of a breath, made her blush with shyness.

Despite being the one who had carried the white-haired girl over, Chao Wu’s own pretty face was now tinged with a delicate blush, and she stammered, unable to form coherent words for a long while.

“G-g-gh… S-so… as a magical girl… you should…”

“Munch, munch, are you trying to say that as a magical girl, one should uphold their integrity, showcasing their charm through effort and ability, rather than exchanging their body for monetary gain—something along those lines, right?”

“……”

Unable to articulate a single word, Chao Wu simply nodded vigorously, her body language conveying her intense emotions!

This, however, was quite fitting for her idiotic nature.

“Leaving aside the fact that I’m not a magical girl, aren’t there quite a few magical girls who succeed by relying on their looks and charm? This is a new era, after all; appearance is a su-per important resource~”

Winking one eye shut, Ling Xing playfully waggled a single finger with effortless grace.

“Besides, for a cute beautiful girl like me, just freeloading a meal is already quite wholesome, isn’t it!? If I were to follow their standards, I’d at least have to find some fans to boost my rankings, earning tons and tons of money to become number one before I could even hold hands with gloves on, or something—ugh!”

“G-gh—You, you scoundrel, do you truly wish to sell your own body like that! You’ve gained the power of a magical girl, yet… yet you are so…”

‘So radiant, capable of becoming the kind of magical girl who represents justice and kindness in my heart!’

Ignited by Ling Xing’s flippant words, an infuriated Chao Wu instantly forgot her shyness, seizing Ling Xing’s lightly swaying hand and pressing it firmly against the wall.

Their foreheads touched, the proximity so intimate that warm breaths brushed against each other’s cheeks.

At this point, Ling Xing was truly and completely pinned beneath her.

Ling Xing, however, seemingly just a petite girl under Chao Wu’s press, merely turned her face to avoid the oppressive squeeze of a chest that, lacking any discernible curve, felt akin to being crushed against a wall.

Under Chao Wu’s furious pressure, she let out a soft chuckle.

“…Heh… Hahahahahahaha, you idiotic magical girl, have you truly never bothered to understand your own classmate—”

“W-what do you mean?”

Chao Wu’s grip loosened slightly, allowing Ling Xing to finally catch her breath.

Withdrawing her hand, she then playfully yet exasperatedly tapped the ‘steel plate’ that had nearly suffocated her.

“This place is just a small, peripheral town; everyone here is dirt poor, except for you, who receives subsidies as a magical girl. No one could possibly meet the conditions I laid out.”

“…Eh? Then, you…”

“Not for sale, purely to tempt—heh heh, don’t you think it’s wonderful to provocatively tease others without anyone being able to stop you?”

“……”

Eh?

Chao Wu froze, her mind buffering.

It took her nearly ten seconds to process what had happened.

She had actually done something so foolish in public, all because of a joke—

No, that wasn’t right.

The person before her, even those initial few sentences, had been deliberately provoking her earnest self, only to then suddenly clarify before Chao Wu could truly explode, forcing her to swallow her anger, hadn’t they!?

While morally things hadn’t veered into truly bad territory, in just one day, this girl had already transformed into a mischievous little imp with an utterly dreadful personality!

“N-no, that’s not right, you!”

“Ah-ha, and if someone were to really dig deep and insist on bothering me, well, right at this very moment—”

Ling Xing licked the corner of her lips, her fingertips brushing against butter and bread.

Just then, before Chao Wu could finish her eager questions, her voice was interrupted by the school broadcast.

[The school broadcast is interrupting with an urgent news bulletin. This morning, several valiant members of the Magic Science Team were attacked by thugs, left hanging above the market, and fake confessions were even placed nearby. The actions of these thugs are exceedingly heinous, and we urge all teachers and students…]

“…You did this?”

“Mhm, of course. Has your anger subsided?”

After being interrupted repeatedly, even the simple-minded Chao Wu could no longer muster any anger.

It seemed every one of her actions, even her questions being cut off by the broadcast, had been entirely within Ling Xing’s predictions.

At this moment, Chao Wu felt no anger left within her, only a strange weariness.

“They…”

“They knelt, kowtowed, and tearfully confessed every bad deed they’d committed from birth until now, writing thousands of words in a confession, swearing they’d never do wrong again—”

The confession, of course, was genuine.

And naturally, Ling Xing knew that no matter how well she spoke or acted, the magical girl organization would only slander and denounce her.

Even if she had eliminated them, they would still be hailed as heroes who bravely sacrificed themselves battling thugs, with no mention ever made of their wicked deeds.

“So, I reluctantly gave them another chance, letting them resign from their positions and return home to live as ordinary people.”

Despite all that, Ling Xing still let them go.

It wasn’t about being soft-hearted; the truth was, the dark organization lacked sufficient food supplies to hold hostages for leverage, and she herself needed to focus on relocating their base, leaving her no time to deal with these individuals.

Ultimately… as a righteous dark organization, they certainly wouldn’t just ‘cut’ or ‘kill’ people on a whim, unlike the wicked magical girls.

Life was exceptionally precious.

Unless a crime warranting death was committed, there was no reason to condemn someone to die.

“…Thank you. If they had died because of me, I… I would have felt uncomfortable…”

Chao Wu’s eyes dimmed, but only for a moment, before she instantly reverted to her usual spirited self.

Since everything that needed to be said, and even what didn’t, had been spoken, it was time to return to class.

Thinking this, she finally brought herself to release her grip on Ling Xing’s shoulders.

And with her movement…

Ling Xing, unexpectedly, reached out in return, cupping Chao Wu’s cheeks.

This completely unforeseen action instantly made Chao Wu’s body visibly tense, her gaze fixed blankly on Ling Xing, her hands hovering in mid-air, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

She had seemed so brave when on the offensive, yet when it was her turn, a single action left her frozen in place, utterly flustered, her entire pretty face flushed crimson.

“W-wait, this…”

Her lips were covered by fingertips.

Before Chao Wu could react further, Ling Xing’s finger gently touched Chao Wu’s lips, pulling her small face to her side, turning her back towards the corridor.

“Shh—”

She lightly bit Chao Wu’s earlobe, emitting a soft shush.

Immediately thereafter, footsteps echoed from the corridor connected to the stairwell.

Even and steady footsteps, accompanied by the subtle clink of a scabbard brushing against a leg, passed by the stairwell door.

The footsteps paused slightly, and a gaze peered towards the two figures within the stairwell.

“Captain? Is there something wrong?”

“No, just a long-lost glimpse of youth.”

The steady female voice, one Chao Wu could never forget, responded thus, and with a casual motion, closed the door leading to the corridor.