Chapter 14: Confession

Walking past several intersections along one side of the appliance street, the surrounding crowd gradually thinned out; the girl, who had maintained about ten minutes of silence, seemed unable to suppress her inner questions any longer and spoke up to Lin Xiaolu:

"Hey, I'm asking, who is that child ahead?"

She leaned close behind Lin Xiaolu, deliberately lowering her voice: "She sounds so impressive when she speaks; does she have a powerful background?"

Lin Xiaolu glanced at her but did not answer.

"Or is she your younger sister?" the girl asked next.

"... No."

Unable to hold back, Lin Xiaolu replied somewhat irritably: "That is Senior Cuique; you should be more respectful."

"Why call her Senior?"

The girl blinked: "And you say to be respectful... so she really is a big shot? Some kind of Young Lady?"

This time, Lin Xiaolu did not reply to her.

After all, Senior Cuique had said earlier to discuss things after changing locations, and she did not want to disturb Senior Cuique's plan.

Seeing that Lin Xiaolu stopped reacting after being provoked a couple of times, the girl could only withdraw a step somewhat awkwardly, clasping her hands behind her back, and turned to observe the street scenery around them.

Having left the most bustling district, the shops on both sides of the street here were mostly relatively old; unlike the center where land was worth its weight in gold, the rent prices here allowed individual shopkeepers to run their small stores for the long term.

However, this was still a commercial street; aside from various storefronts and passing crowds, there was nothing else of note on the streetside. After watching for a while, the girl lost interest and spoke again:

"By the way, I seem to still not know your name?"

"..."

"Don't be so resistant to me; just tell me."

"... Lin Xiaolu."

"Lin Xiaolu? Sounds like 'Little Deer'; that's nice, it even sounds a bit cute? As for me, my name is..."

— "We've arrived."

Senior Cuique's voice came from ahead, interrupting the two's conversation.

She turned back to scan the two of them, maintaining that haughty demeanor, pointed at a nearby alley, and said without inflection: "Go in there."

The suggestion received no response, but Senior Cuique did not mind; she continued to lead the way, walking into that somewhat dark alley, while Lin Xiaolu and Moke followed behind.

The girl, who had fallen to the rear, watched the two walk into such a place with expressions of naturalness, and for the first time, a somewhat nervous expression appeared on her face.

— Why an alley?

Was it a robbery? A threat? Or perhaps a murder to silence witnesses?

Several words matching similar scenes quickly flashed through her mind; the girl bared her teeth slightly and for a moment didn't know whether she should continue following them in.

However, the words Senior Cuique had spoken earlier echoed in her ears, and she indeed felt strong curiosity about the origins of these two girls; having followed them this far, there was no reason to retreat anymore.

So the girl pressed her lips together, concealing her slight unease, kept her posture relaxed, and moved forward again.

Turning into the alley, one could see Senior Cuique and Lin Xiaolu already standing there; walking further ahead revealed an upright wall: this was a dead end.

Senior Cuique looked up at the sky; after hearing footsteps at the alley entrance, she turned her head to look at the girl. She reached into her dress pocket, took out her Heart-Flower, and wordlessly stepped toward the girl's direction.

Why was she coming over here? What was she going to do?

The girl struggled to maintain the smile on her face, not letting her nervousness show on the surface, but such control was ultimately limited; Senior Cuique's next action left her completely stunned:

Senior Cuique Became magic incarnate.

To the girl's eyes, this process appeared as a burst of intense light emanating from Senior Cuique, her long blue hair moving without wind, and her original pale yellow puffed-sleeve dress transformed into another navy-blue sleeved Lolita dress. A bonnet of unknown origin appeared on her head, the decorations around her body were as magnificent as a princess depicted in a fairy tale, and she held in her hand a staff carved with unknown fine patterns... a magic wand?

The girl did not know Senior Cuique's identity and naturally did not know this was a transformation belonging to a magic girl, but the scene before her still exceeded her understanding.

In that brief moment of her being stunned, Senior Cuique opened her palm toward her:

"Grab my wrist."

"Ah, okay?" The girl instinctively reached out her hand.

Senior Cuique grabbed her wrist in return, staring seriously into her eyes: "Next, hold on tight."

Gripping each other's wrists tightly; what was this now, some kind of ritual? A secret signal?

The girl's wandering thoughts brought forth many associations, causing her, without understanding Senior Cuique's words, to merely nod mechanically.

Then, she felt her feet leave the ground.

An overwhelming sense of weightlessness, never experienced before in her life, enveloped her entire body; the scenery around her swept past her vision in a completely unreasonable manner. The girl opened her eyes wide and turned her head to the side, only then realizing her situation:

Was she flying?

Then came a scream she could no longer control, bursting from her mouth:

"Aaaaaah!"

Senior Cuique pulled the girl, following the route she had chosen, avoiding angles where they might be seen by others, and flew up into the high sky along the wall of the building beside the dead end.

Dodging the last few windows, she took a few steps in mid-air as if there were truly something beneath her feet to push off from, moving forward a certain distance, and then brought the girl to a rooftop.

A stream of light-blue mana particles surged up from below, and Lin Xiaolu, who had also transformed into a magic girl, flew up to this place as well.

"Hah, hah, I thought I was going to die..." After Senior Cuique let go, the girl, whose legs had gone weak, only then realized she was back on the ground and knelt down with a face full of fear.

"Heh heh, just flying this short distance makes you feel scared?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiaolu, who had landed lightly beside them, looked at her somewhat proudly: "I adapted instantly back then."

But her little boast did not receive the reaction she wanted, because the girl seemed to completely ignore her words, causing Lin Xiaolu, who had been secretly enjoying the other's misfortune, to puff her cheeks in anger again.

"We can transform directly here; it will be more convenient to explain many things."

Senior Cuique spoke on her own: "Let's introduce ourselves first; what is your name?"

"Hah... you're asking me?"

The girl, who had finally somewhat recovered, raised her head: "My name is Xia Liang."

"Then, Xia Liang."

Senior Cuique nodded and asked abruptly: "Have you heard of magic girls?"

She had no intention of beating around the bush; she cut straight to the point.

In fact, if before arriving here she had hesitated about whether to recruit this New magic girl, merely coming to take a look; then upon seeing this girl named Xia Liang, she understood that the girl's potential was extraordinary.

Even before becoming a New magic girl, while still an ordinary person, she had been able to sense Mo Ke from afar—and even reverse-track it. And after seeing her, the unexpressed vigilance in her demeanor further proved: she could sense Cuique's magic far surpassing her own.

Such behavior could already be called raw jade.

The identity of a New magic girl is dangerous for children without talent; but for true geniuses, it is an opportunity—an opportunity to attain magical power far beyond the mundane.

Just as she worried about Lin Xiaolu's safety should she become a New magic girl, yet respected her daughter's decision once she saw her resolve, so too should she grant this girl before her the right to choose.

Let her choose for herself, Cuique thought to herself.

"New magic girl?"

The term seemed to connect something, causing Xia Liang to slightly widen her eyes; the string of strange events before had already sparked some associations in her: "I know what it is… could it be…?"

"My name is Cuique."

Cuique nodded expressionlessly, then extended a hand, pointing to Lin Xiaolu beside her: "She is Bai Mei."

"We eliminate residual beasts and protect the safety of the city and its residents. We are the City magic girls of Fang Ting City."