Chapter 177: Chapter Forty-Nine: Long Time No See

"Ah, speaking of which, Sister with the glasses, you're the one who treated me and Moko to milk tea before... Eh, what's wrong with you?"

While Lin Xiaolu spoke these shocking words, Bai Jingxuan was still feeling happy about reuniting with the "good person" from her memories, but her greeting with Bai Ji had not even begun before it ended due to Lin Xiaolu's words.

The concept of "people who bathe in residual beast slime" was thrown out, and the atmosphere that had just eased up instantly became quite subtle again.

Everyone's gaze focused on her in an instant, then inexplicably shifted to the blonde girl beside her.

"Ah, you're the guy who almost got killed by a Huo-class residual beast..."

The blonde girl, who had been loudly greeting everyone just a few breaths ago, was first slightly stunned, then belatedly realized something, pointed a finger at Lin Xiaolu and shouted: "No, who are you calling someone who bathes in residual beast slime!"

"... Isn't it you?"

Lin Xiaolu blinked, gestured in the air with her hand, and pointed at the other's signature golden hair and shiny forehead: "If you think carefully, the appearance is very similar, the voice is very similar, and both are magical girls who recently arrived in Fang Ting City; it can only be you, right?"

"I didn't say that wasn't me! I'm saying there is no such thing as 'bathing in residual beast slime'!"

Shouting with some shame and anger, the blonde girl waved her fist: "That incident was an accident! It was an accidental event caused by the residual beast exploding before it died; I didn't do it on purpose!"

"Your fighting method was aimed at making the residual beast explode, wasn't it..."

"Who knew that thing would contain such disgusting stuff after it exploded!"

Seeming to feel disgusted just by recalling the related events, the blonde girl's face turned ashen, and she involuntarily pressed her abdomen: "Can you stop bringing up such disgusting memories? To be honest, if I recall it again, I'm going to throw up."

"Ah, sorry..." Seeing the other's face turn grim, Lin Xiaolu also realized her words seemed to be poking at a sore spot, so she turned her gaze aside and decisively ended the topic.

However, just because the two of them reached a consensus did not mean the other teammates had nothing to say. Since the two of them opened the floodgates in this manner, the others naturally also had a belly full of words they wanted to exchange. Especially Bai Jingxuan and the girl with the codename Bai Ji, who had already met before, were naturally quite familiar with each other. Plus, Xia Liang was quite curious about magical girls from other cities, so the group immediately started chatting noisily.

Senior Cuique stood aside with her arms crossed; seeing the girls chatting fervently, she had no intention of dousing their enthusiasm, but simply leaned against the wall, looking at the lounge not far away, waiting quietly for the person she needed to wait for.

Just like that, after waiting for a few minutes, and just as Senior Cuique was tapping her arm and already somewhat lost in thought, she heard a "click," and the lounge door was quietly pulled open from the inside.

The sound of the door opening attracted the girls' attention, and the chatting voices became much fainter; the main person who had been in the lounge and had not yet appeared, Asano Enka, finally appeared before everyone.

At this moment, she was no longer wearing the stage performance outfit, and her gorgeous makeup had been completely removed, yet she had not lost her luster because of removing the makeup. She held the doorframe with one hand, poked her head out from the lounge, silently scanned the equally silent girls, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

"Mentor."

"Sister."

"..."

The three girls from Bai'an City greeted the woman behind the door in turn; although one person's attitude seemed a bit off, it was enough to focus everyone's gaze on the woman.

And Asano Enka's gaze swept over the girls around her, first pausing briefly on Lin Xiaolu, Bai Jingxuan, and Xia Liang, lingering especially on Lin Xiaolu for a while, then crossing with the girls from Bai'an City one by one, and finally focusing on Senior Cuique's face.

Similarly, Senior Cuique was looking at her.

The gazes of the two met just like that.

Even before leaving the stage, Senior Cuique had rehearsed many times in her mind, thinking that when she met the other person privately, she would have to question the other's behavior thoroughly, but when the matter actually reached this point, she found the atmosphere completely different from what she had thought.

She originally thought the other person, having pulled her onto the stage to stage such a prank, was probably maliciously enjoying her misfortune right now, but after really seeing Asano Enka's expression, she found she had guessed wrong.

Because the expression on the other's face was not malicious enjoyment, or a teasing nature, but a smile of exhaustion, nostalgia, and relief.

Even twenty years ago, Senior Cuique rarely saw such a gentle expression on the other's face.

"Is there anything you want to ask?" After a brief silent stare, Asano Enka was the first to start the conversation.

"... Staging such a play, what do you want to do?"

Not knowing what medicine the other was selling in her gourd, Senior Cuique did not want to waste her emotions, and simply said expressionlessly: "Suddenly calling someone to the stage to cooperate with your performance; is this some kind of vicious prank?"

"Oh, a prank?"

Asano Enka looked somewhat innocent: "Is that how you understand it?"

"... Maybe a bit better than a real prank."

Senior Cuique sighed slightly: "I thought you were going to loudly say 'This is my old friend' on stage directly, and then launch a series of prank shows and so on."

"That is a misunderstanding, sister. Even I am not so incapable of distinguishing between a normal joke and an embarrassing farce. Inviting a friend to the stage to make them look foolish is not only a disregard for friendship, but also a desecration of the stage."

Asano Enka's corners of the mouth curled up, and her crimson eyes narrowed slightly: "Especially for the fans downstairs, if I unilaterally reveal our relationship and then let you speak in the name of a friend, the meaning of this matter for them would be completely different."

"What different meaning?"

"On a small scale, it's called 'neglect'; on a large scale, it's called 'betrayal'?"

Asano Enka walked slowly out of the lounge, gradually closing the distance between herself and Senior Cuique: "Whether it is singing or a concert. Although objectively it is distributing one's songs to fans, in the fans' own experience, this is closer to a 'one-on-one' direct spiritual dialogue."

"At an event like a concert, if a singer clearly indicates that their concert has other purposes, or is distracted, then it is a neglect of the fans who paid to support them, and also incompetence."

Walking all the way to half a meter in front of Senior Cuique, she stopped in place, lowered her head slightly: "Just as a competent magical girl, besides eliminating residual beasts, must also stabilize public opinion; a competent singer, besides good works, must also resonate with fans at the concert venue. Emotional experience is very important, so I will not do anything too outrageous on important occasions."

Senior Cuique looked back at the other, not understanding: "... So?"

"So, asking you to the stage was simply because I wanted to let an old friend commemorate the moment of reunion together; it was my own inability to control myself, with no more calculations, sister."

Asano Enka said softly: "Do not feel strange towards me because many things have happened. No matter how many things are different from before, at least our relationship will not change."

"Is this also a kind of 'emotional experience'?"

"That's right, you can consider this my consideration for an old friend's emotional experience, so an explanation, or rather an apology, for my previous behavior, because I did not intend to make you unhappy in my original intention."

Asano Enka said helplessly: "But my estimate might have been a bit wrong... No, I should say your temper has gotten worse? Sorry, I thought you wouldn't get angry over a joke of this level."

"Rather than anger, it's more like confusion."

Senior Cuique frowned slightly: "You know, Asano, it has been thirteen years. For a full thirteen years you have not returned to this city; you suddenly return at such a time node, and I thought we should talk about more urgent matters."

"More urgent matters... confusion..."

The woman with crimson eyes looked at Senior Cuique with a slightly confused expression, then, as if suddenly realizing something, nodded: "Ah, so that's it. You think my joke has no meaning."

After saying this, she suddenly closed her mouth, paused stiffly as if thinking about something, then revealed a slightly complex smile: "No meaning, no meaning. Sigh... You really have changed a lot."

This sentence seemed a bit abrupt in this setting, even to say it was out of nowhere, but Senior Cuique still subtly followed the thought it wanted to express and responded aloud.

"After all, so many years have passed; if there was no growth or change at all, wouldn't that instead show the time was wasted?"

She looked up at her old teammate in front of her, her voice slightly softer: "The Asano Enka in my memory was also not the kind of personality who would apologize for such things; the old you would never explain to others what your behavior was for."

"Explaining your behavior? Aren't you the same? I thought I might never see the appearance of 'Senior Cuique' in this lifetime."

"... I originally thought so too."

Senior Cuique stamped her foot: "But a great many things happened recently; in the end, I could not simply sit and wait to be struck down."

"I heard about it. Fang Ting City seems to have been quite disaster-ridden lately."

"Who told you?"

"The Dean."

"She still told you?"

"I went and asked her myself."

Senior Cuique glanced at her in confusion: "Why did you suddenly think to go ask her about this?"

Asai Enka smiled inexplicably: "Of course, because I heard that a certain former teammate has made a comeback, and even came to the city where I am stationed to make a big splash. Even my juniors and students received quite a bit of instruction from that person. Tell me, who is that person?"

"... I knew that old hag had ill intentions."

Hearing the other's words and recalling who had made the decision to send her to Bai'an back then, Senior Cuique suddenly understood the crux of the matter and couldn't help but press her temples: "I shouldn't have accepted her request to resume her duties in the first place."

"Calling her 'old hag' directly isn't good. She seems to dislike being addressed that way quite a bit."

Unlike Senior Cuique's worried expression, Asai Enka, as the beneficiary of this matter, looked much more cheerful: "Regardless, the result is good. Meeting an old friend is a rare joy. Or do you actually not want to see me?"

Senior Cuique helplessly pressed her lips together.

Emotionally speaking, being able to see a friend after a long separation is naturally not a bad thing; it is just that meeting the other person at this critical juncture truly only adds trouble.

Or to put it slightly more pretentiously, it is not that she is unwilling, she just has not yet prepared herself mentally.

She had some experiences she was less willing to tell her children and juniors about; those matters were not even entirely clear to Hong Siyu, and even if she knew a little, she would consider her thoughts and not easily speak them out.

But Asai Enka was different; this woman had always been unconcerned about what trouble her words and deeds caused others, speaking whatever she wanted, with no filter on her lips.

The woman before her named Asai Enka had one biggest difference from Hong Siyu, who was also her former teammate: she was the partner who had accompanied her since she first became a magical girl, and therefore, the secrets they knew about each other were exceptionally numerous.

From the time of being a Grade Seed Newcomer magical girl to the subsequent Garden Defense War, the more they knew about each other's background, the more they understood one another, and the more casual their mode of interaction became.

Could Asai Enka distinguish what could be said and what could not? Senior Cuique actually had no certainty in her heart, but saying "I do not want to see you" at this critical juncture seemed too heartless. Obviously inappropriate.

"... If I must say, a reunion is still a happy thing." After pondering for a long time in her heart, she finally gave this conclusion.

"Then it is mutual?" Receiving a response, Asai Enka giggled.

"Mutual, I suppose."

Letting out a short sigh, Senior Cuique slightly raised her eyelids: "Anyway, long time no see. Your condition looks quite good."

"Your condition is not bad either."

Asai Enka echoed in return: "Or rather, being able to see you standing here in this state shows that your condition is even better than when I left back then."

Saying this, she extended her right hand, her palm loosely curled, assuming a posture inviting a handshake: "Then, perhaps it is time for us to start cooperating again."

"Cooperating? About what?"

"Many things. Protecting the city, the nation, Anya's affairs, Su Shengzi's affairs, and even your affairs and those of the Prime Minister."

Saying this with her mouth, Asai Enka's expression also became more serious: "You mentioned earlier that you wanted me to talk about serious matters; these are probably them?"

"... Are you investigating?" Senior Cuique fixed her gaze on her eyes.

"I am investigating. Rather, I know the progress of the matter better than anyone." Asai Enka also looked seriously back at her.

"Is that so? Very good."

Nodding, Senior Cuique extended her hand, clasped the other's hands, and shook them gently: "In that case, let us cooperate."

"Magical Girl, Flower Card Certification Number, Affiliated Investigation Bureau, Codename Margaret." Asai Enka suddenly said this.

Hearing her announce her number, Senior Cuique was stunned for a moment, realized this seemed to be completing some sort of etiquette, and then opened her mouth as well: "Magical Girl, Flower Card Certification Number, Cuique."

After the words were spoken, the scene actually fell silent again for a moment. Not only were the two shaking hands not speaking, but the girls watching the gossip on the side also held their breath, with absolutely no extraneous sounds.

Then, Asai Enka suddenly laughed.

While laughing, she bent her knees, maintaining the handshake posture, and gently transitioned into a single-knee kneel.

After her knee touched the ground, she changed the handshake posture to a hand-holding one, gently lifted the back of Senior Cuique's hand, and then, before anyone realized what was happening, her lips touched the back of her hand lightly like a dragonfly skimming the water:

"At your service, my lady."

The updates are still a bit slow; I am truly very sorry to have kept you waiting. Because my condition is still being adjusted, the frequency for this period will probably be one update every 2 to 3 days. I will adjust as soon as possible; please forgive me, meow.

(End of this chapter)