Chapter 2: Chapter Two: The Restaurant and the Junior

Hong Siyu, to Lin Yun, was a familiar stranger.

Familiar because they had known each other for a long time—in fact, they could be called old friends, having met as children in elementary school and even been companions back then.

Strange because they had drifted far apart many years ago, and now he had no idea what she was thinking.

Although she had recently contacted him frequently, clearly aiming to reconcile, he still didn't understand her intentions.

Or rather, he wasn't particularly interested in understanding them.

"The nation released the new list of Magic Girl hanafuda rankings last month—two fresh newcomers were added all at once."

For instance, right now.

Amid clinking glasses and raised wine cups, the woman with a teasing smile spoke to him thus.

To be honest, though she was past thirty, whether due to good care or something else, the woman before him still retained her charm, looking youthful and radiant.

Hearing this, Lin Yun paused his movement, yet maintained a blank expression as he replied: "What's the point of bringing this up now?"

The woman laughed: "Is it meaningless to care about the next generation?"

Lin Yun took a sip of lemon water and mumbled: "It's nothing to do with me anymore—why should I care?"

"You can't fool your own kind with that lie—you can't truly be indifferent, can you?"

The woman sipped the red wine along with him, her tone loaded with implication: "After all, you were the one who…"

"Stop."

Mid-sentence, she saw a finger tap sharply against the center of the table.

Lin Yun extended his index finger but did not meet her gaze:

"I already said I don't want to talk about it."

The two fell silent for a moment.

Hong Siyu stared at him, then after a long while, offered a cryptic smile:

"Fine, then let's not. How about we talk about the house I bought?"

The topic shifted back to mundane domestic matters.

Lin Yun picked at his food absentmindedly, while the woman drank with a cheerful smile.

The atmosphere in the upscale restaurant was refined; the dinner progressed steadily as servers repeatedly replaced the plates.

Just as Lin Yun felt the meal was halfway through, the woman across from him suddenly dropped another topic he could no longer ignore.

"Oh, there's one more thing."

As she said this, she was clearly tipsy, her tone becoming blunt: "The Newcomer Magic Girl from Fang Ting City has already made contact with us today."

Across the table, the woman's radiant smile was captivating: "So? Does this have anything to do with you?"

The two sat at opposite ends of the table, forming a stark contrast: the woman looked young and beautiful, while Lin Yun appeared drained, worn down by time.

Someone unaware of the truth might assume the two were at least a decade apart in age, never imagining they were the same age.

"I've heard a little. What are you trying to say?"

Lin Yun held his cup in one hand, took another sip of lemon water, and continued to feign indifference.

"Oh, you've already heard? Your sources are even better than I thought—they're better than mine, even though I'm the official. Feels like a failure…"

The drunken woman dramatically wiped at her eyes.

"If you truly understand your role as an official, don't blurt out classified information in public."

Lin Yun tapped the table to stop her: "And don't make weird noises in a restaurant—don't you see the other diners staring at our table?"

"I heard you say thirty-five? Are you mocking lonely, advanced-age unmarried women?" Hong Siyu widened her eyes.

"No one mentioned thirty-five, and no one brought up your age—don't twist things. Get to the point."

Exhausted from a long day, Lin Yun listened to her outburst and felt a dull throb behind his temples.

If not for her phone call, he would now be lying on his sofa at home, enjoying peace—not sitting in this outrageously expensive upscale restaurant listening to a drunk woman rant.

"The point?"

The woman across the table tilted her head, displaying an unexpected, age-inappropriate cuteness: "I just want to chat with you?"

"... I meant the Magic Girl you just mentioned."

"Huh? Didn't you already know?"

"If I know, you won't tell me?"

"Won't tell?"

"Tell me."

"You're yelling at me? I'm the one treating you tonight!"

Lin Yun felt his blood pressure spike violently.

He knew reasoning with a drunken, irrational person was pointless, yet the woman's drunken babbling was intensely headache-inducing.

She wasn't just some casual business contact he could brush off at a dinner—she was someone he genuinely had to communicate with, making the conversation at the table unbearably difficult.

"Put aside your inappropriate mood for now—can you tell me, what's the real situation with this Newcomer Magic Girl? When did she appear? How long has she been active? How far along is your coordination with her?"

Thus, Lin Yun broke free from her conversational rhythm and took the initiative, demanding directly the information he wanted.

The term "coordination" mentioned here referred precisely to the city government's stance toward Magic Girls.

This world contained supernatural power.

Remnant Beasts and Magic Girls were both clearly distinct from ordinary humans.

Remnant Beasts could appear anywhere on Earth, and every city in the world had its Magic Girls.

Therefore, every city maintained, openly or secretly, a specialized agency to recruit extraordinary individuals to handle Remnant Beast incidents, while also coordinating with the city's Magic Girls to assist them in swiftly, efficiently, and safely eliminating Remnant Beasts and protecting ordinary citizens.

Over time, this became a tradition.

The government agency responsible for coordinating with Magic Girls and handling Remnant Beast affairs was called the "Anomalous Assault Response Bureau," abbreviated as "AARB."

The Special Strategy Bureau is responsible for contacting the magical girls within the city, extending goodwill, offering assistance, and achieving cooperation; this has already become a standard procedure.

And the Hong Siyu before him was, in fact, a member of the Special Strategy Bureau.

That was why she referred to herself as an "official" and revealed information related to "magical girls."

"Ah ha... what did you ask about? Magical girls?"

Hong Siyu, whose speech was gradually becoming unintelligible, squinted her eyes as if searching her brain for remaining sanity, and stammered, "Ah, yes, I remember now, magical girls! As for that, it should be starting soon!"

"... Starting soon?" Lin Yun was slightly stunned by her words.

"I mean, the interview and report on the newly appointed magical girl, on the city channel. Tonight!"

Hong Siyu seemed to regain a brief moment of clarity, slapping her forehead: "Remember to watch! By then, all your questions will have answers!"

After saying this, she seemed to have completely lost her strength and collapsed onto the table.

Not long after, the sound of even breathing came from across the table; Lin Yun looked carefully and confirmed that this woman had truly fallen asleep at the dining table.

"All will have answers? Why?"

He asked another question, but unfortunately, this question was destined to receive no response.

He called a waiter, went to the front desk to pay the bill, returned to the table, looked at Hong Siyu sleeping there without waking, and Lin Yun sighed helplessly.

After calling out to her repeatedly with no result, he could only support Hong Siyu and leave the restaurant amidst the strange gazes of the people around them.

He found the car keys in her wallet, opened the car door, threw her into the passenger seat, fastened the seatbelt, sat in the driver's seat, and started the engine.

On the night road, the car moved toward Hong Siyu's home.

The evening rush hour had passed, and the traffic on the streets had become smooth; gazing at the night view of the streets, Lin Yun felt his mood improve slightly.

A hand reached over from the side and rested on his knee.

"Senior..."

Hong Siyu's muddled voice sounded beside him.

"What's wrong?" Lin Yun glanced at her and gave a response.

"You say... Aya has been gone for nearly two years, why can't you consider me?"

A somewhat downcast voice came from the passenger seat.

"I'm not married yet, you know. Do you know how hard I've been waiting?"

Lin Yun fell silent for a moment.

He did not really want to answer this question, nor did he know how to answer it.

The car drove on the highway for a while longer before he thought of how to express his feelings, and then spoke:

"I—I haven't been able to convince myself."

He paused, adding:

"Convince myself to let her go."

However, the conclusion reached after this long contemplation was not heard by the other party. Light breathing sounds arose; in this brief silence, Hong Siyu seemed to have fallen asleep again.

In a daze, Lin Yun seemed to hear a very faint sob:

"I'm sorry."

The voice was very vague and hazy, so much so that it took him a long time to understand that this pronunciation was actually "I'm sorry."

Whether this voice was Hong Siyu's sleep-talking or his own illusion could no longer be investigated.