Chapter 9: A Game of Cards and Newcomers

What real difference was there between the world ruled by Magical Girl organizations and the world that came before?

To delve into specifics would be a lengthy endeavor, but as a student, the most immediate sensation was this…

“Quiet, quiet! These chapters on ancient history won’t be on the exam, so those interested can just read them on their own. This lesson, we’ll be covering the period after the Magical Girls appeared…”

“Eh——————”

Indeed, a significant portion of the curriculum now focused on the history following the advent of Magical Girls.

This was only natural; humanities had always been the most era-defining of subjects.

As the victors of the chaotic war against the dark organizations, the Magical Girl organization, known as ‘Hunters,’ naturally asserted their presence here.

“What do you mean, ‘Eh’? We study what’s on the exam! Those who get into the Magical Girl Auxiliary Force academy have boundless futures. Will learning useless ancient history earn you extra points? Huh!?”

The old teacher on the podium brandished their pointer, sharply rapping it against the desk.

Ling Xing, meanwhile, lay bored across her desk, her head tilted as she gazed at the girl beside her.

Ever since returning from the hallway, Chao Wu had been staring blankly at her desk, as if her mind had been completely scrambled.

Her eyes were unfocused, not blinking for a long time, fixed on the desktop as if lost in thought.

‘Perhaps she’s captivated by my overwhelming charm,’ Ling Xing mused, though she knew such a thought felt pointless without an audience.

“Girl in the third-to-last row, who told you to slouch!? Stand up! Come on, answer this question—”

“Wah… Chao Wu is also…”

“Chao Wu is a Magical Girl; her monthly meal allowance alone is more than your family’s annual income. And you? If you were a Magical Girl, would I even need to bother with you?”

*Rap, rap, rap, rap, rap…*

The old teacher, as usual, violently struck the desk with their pointer.

‘Ah, Magical Girls, indeed.’

Before the advent of Magical Girls, various literary works often depicted figures so impoverished they resorted to desperate measures, or waited for divine intervention, among other chaotic scenarios.

Yet, once they truly emerged, the situation immediately shifted to this…

Even the lowest-ranked Magical Girls commanded what ordinary people would consider astronomical compensation.

It made sense; an extraordinary existence, superior to ordinary humans, could only receive ten or even a hundred times the normal treatment. How could there be individuals who were incredibly powerful yet lacked money, relying solely on passion?

“……”

As if disturbed by the old teacher’s harsh noise, Chao Wu uncharacteristically twitched her fingers, lightly bit her lip, and furtively tilted her head, attempting to steal a glance at Ling Xing.

In that very moment, her eyes met Ling Xing’s, who had been watching her for quite some time.

“!”

The instant their gazes connected, Chao Wu recoiled, pulling her head back in fright, then haphazardly flipped through the books on her desk like a startled rabbit, attempting to conceal her small gesture.

“Ha… This is a literature class. What exactly are you hoping to find in a math textbook? Archimedes?”

“Mmm…”

Her frantic page-flipping ceased, and Chao Wu’s fingertips now idly traced patterns on the book cover, restlessly rubbing her fingers together.

Without needing to ask, Ling Xing knew precisely what consumed her thoughts.

‘If she could only explain herself to her captain face-to-face, perhaps there would still be a chance to clear her name and rejoin the Magical Girls—’

‘But what if she failed?’

Chao Wu didn’t know; such distant possibilities were beyond her comprehension.

She had never been a particularly clever girl, and even after pondering blankly for a long time, she only found herself more entangled in her thoughts.

Ultimately, she found herself subconsciously wanting Ling Xing—this combatant who should have been her enemy—to make the decision for her.

Yet, in the fleeting moment their eyes met, she again lost the courage to voice her question.

‘Why, exactly, had she instinctively wanted to entrust her dilemma to a combatant who was supposed to be a Magical Girl’s adversary?’ Chao Wu sank into a profound sense of regret.

However, this regret did not linger for long.

“I can’t say how things will turn out, but… since it’s a rare opportunity, if you don’t follow your heart and go for it, you’ll definitely regret it later.”

Ling Xing’s outstretched hand gently touched Chao Wu’s uneasy fingers, which had been aimlessly sliding across the book pages.

Ling Xing felt the touch on her fingertips instantly stiffen and tense, before slowly, gradually softening.

“…Thank you,” Chao Wu whispered in response. “You’ve truly helped me so many times. No matter the outcome, I won’t forget it.”

She then clasped Ling Xing’s small, extended hand in return.

They remained like that, hands clasped, until the dismissal bell rang. Only after the old teacher pushed up their glasses and left the podium, and the classroom descended into renewed chatter, did Chao Wu cast a deep glance at Ling Xing before rising and departing.

‘—Well, what will happen in the end?’

‘Who knows? For now, it’s happy break time.’

Ling Xing shook her slightly numb hand, then stretched languidly.

Several friends, with whom she got along well, seized the opportunity to gather around her, their eyes sparkling with gossip.

“Hey, hey, Ling Xing, what happened? What did you do to that dark-skinned sports student? They look completely out of it—”

“Exactly, exactly! You were only gone for five minutes, right? So fast? No way, that’s impossible!”

“Damn it, you turned into a beautiful girl and didn’t let your buddies have some fun first! Let me see!”

‘Now this was the kind of atmosphere school life should have.’

Ling Xing deftly parried a grab from one of her friends—who seemed to have played too many competitive games to even spare their buddies—with a chop of her hand, then returned an elegant yet impolite middle finger.

“Get lost! I am a pure, incorruptible, and self-respecting youthful beauty, and I have no interest in being chased and called ‘Mama’—oh, has another class just ended? How about we play a round of cards, brothers, to decide who buys lunch?”

With her usual light smile, Ling Xing leaned back in her chair, her small hands deftly shuffling an old deck of playing cards.

“Tch, has anyone ever actually won against you at cards?”

“Exactly, exactly! Not even a dog would play with you. You just want someone to treat you to lunch, don’t you?”

“Uh, *cough*, could we perhaps add some extra conditions, like holding hands or something…?”

Both of them simultaneously turned their gaze to the last speaker, displaying a visible look of disgust.

Ling Xing, however, merely shrugged indifferently, a few cards twirling nimbly between her fingers before she shuffled them into the deck and placed it on the table.

“Then let’s not play anything complicated. One card determines the winner, go ahead.”

‘It seemed her lunch for today was secured once more.’

‘Hmph, being a beautiful girl truly had its perks; even with such an obvious trap, people still walked right into it.’

Ling Xing watched with a grin as her opponent drew the three of clubs, which she had deliberately arranged, before casually pulling another card from the deck.

Before she could reveal it, however…

The classroom fell silent.

“Quiet, quiet—”

The old teacher, still clutching their pointer, had returned, causing the previously boisterous classroom to fall into a swift silence and forcing the group to pause their actions.

“We have two new students in class today. They both hail from the Eastern Nation, so let’s all get acquainted—”

Saying this, the old teacher stepped aside.

Yet, in the students’ line of sight… there was nothing.

Only Ling Xing narrowed her eyes, peering behind the teacher.

“My apologies. The Young Miss is still attending to matters, so for now, only I have come ahead.”

A cold voice emanated from the shadows behind the teacher.

As if by magic, a petite girl with short purple hair silently—

—emerged from behind the podium, where no shadow should have been, her head adorned with a pale yellow scarf.

“Oh? So that’s it…”

‘…A scent akin to a fellow rogue.’

‘Though, infused with a far greater killing intent.’

Even Ling Xing hadn’t heard her footsteps.

Earlier, in the stairwell with Chao Wu, Ling Xing had wondered why Chao Wu’s captain was clearly speaking with someone, yet she hadn’t heard a second person’s footsteps.

Now, the question had found its answer.

“And—”

As everyone remained stunned into silence by the peculiar sight, the unfamiliar girl’s voice once again shifted its origin.

Bypassing the front rows, her figure appeared precisely beside Ling Xing.

Extending a finger, she delicately drew a card from the deck stacked before Ling Xing…

An Ace.

“Quite an interesting game. Count me in, what do you say?”

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