Chapter 10: Linlin, Found You

“Victim Witch”? That name… doesn’t sound good at all.

Vision cleared before thought.

First noticed was the perspective.

She looked straight ahead, line of sight… seeming a bit higher than usual?

She subconsciously looked down.

What met her eyes wasn’t the familiar white nightgown and red cloak, but a high-quality dark girls’ uniform, short skirt over black knee-high socks on her legs.

She raised her hand; fingers slender, but no longer the childish roundness.

She touched her hair, a strand slipping through her fingers—soft, but the color… she pulled the tip to her eye.

Pink.

She’d become a pink long-haired girl in a uniform, seemingly taller (but definitely under 1.6 meters).

The body’s feel was strange, but her chest size seemed unchanged—small.

She was in a stairwell.

Concrete steps, metal handrails with peeling paint, dust floating in the air.

The safety exit sign on the wall glowed faintly green.

A heavy fire door ajar, evening sky outside, corridor light slanting in.

[Victim Witch]

[Sole Task: Investigate Witch Xiran’s past and resolve her obsession with the character Bai Linlin.]

The system panel popped up, the task description concise to the point of chilling.

“Bai Linlin, Bai Linlin—isn’t that my own name? Why are our names the same?”

She muttered softly, her mind struggling to catch up.

Was there a Bai Linlin in this instance too?

And part of the task target?

Before she could figure it out, the panel updated again.

[Character: Bai Linlin (Currently Role-Playing)]

[Identity: Eldest daughter of the Bai family, attending St. Maryanna Girls’ Academy.]

[Background: Threatened by classmate Xiran, required to “bully” Xiran daily per demands to satisfy some unknown need. Once suffered severe torment for failing to comply.]

[Current Event Node: Completed Xiran’s assigned task of “finding the campus bully targeting Xiran.” Now meeting transfer student Jiang Niaoniao in the east stairwell to inquire “how Xiran discovered our ‘plan’ against her.”]

Info overload.

Bai Linlin (the current one) blinked, quickly grasping the key points.

First, in this instance, she’d replaced some same-named “Bai family eldest daughter.”

Second, this eldest was a unlucky one, targeted by a ruthless Xiran, forced to “bully” her daily—or get beaten.

Third, this eldest seemed unwilling, conspiring a “plan” with a Jiang Niaoniao to take down Xiran, but the plan got exposed.

Fourth, she was now stuck right after the plan’s failure, secretly meeting co-conspirator Jiang Niaoniao to postmortem “how it leaked”—an awkward moment.

She looked up, ahead.

She wasn’t alone in the stairwell.

A few steps away, leaning on the opposite wall, was a white-haired girl.

The girl had a curvaceous figure, uniform worn impeccably, face carrying a… gentle, even overly concerned expression.

She was quietly looking at Bai Linlin, as if waiting for her question.

This had to be Jiang Niaoniao.

Bai Linlin’s scalp tingled.

She knew nothing!

How to ask? Ask what?

What exactly was “that plan”?

How did it get exposed?

She didn’t even know what the original body’s voice should sound like!

Jiang Niaoniao waited a few seconds; seeing Bai Linlin just staring wide-eyed without speaking, she sighed softly and took the initiative, her voice indeed gentle and slow.

“Linlin, are you okay? Are you… scared? Xiran really is much sharper than we imagined.”

She paused, stepping closer and lowering her voice.

“As for how she found out… I think maybe we were careless when meeting before, spotted by someone, and it reached her ears.”

“After all, in this school, many things can’t be hidden.”

The reason sounded perfunctory, like made up on the spot.

But Bai Linlin didn’t dare question, hurriedly nodding along.

“Ah, yeah, maybe… that’s it.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Niaoniao looked at her, eyes somewhat worried.

“You don’t look well. Later… we need to be more careful.”

“I’ll go to the restroom; you rest here, okay?”

Bai Linlin, as if granted amnesty, nodded immediately.

“Okay, sure, go ahead.”

Jiang Niaoniao gave her another gentle smile, turned, pushed open the fire door, and walked into the slightly brighter corridor, footsteps fading.

The door ajar again.

Bai Linlin exhaled long and silently, her back against the cold wall.

Scared to death. Temporarily fooled.

She quickly resummoned the panel, focusing to dig for more info on this identity and situation.

The panel indeed showed more detailed text logs, like this “Bai Linlin’s” journal summaries.

She scanned quickly.

“So that’s it…” she murmured.

In summary.

The original (or rather, this instance’s native) Bai Linlin, unable to endure Xiran’s twisted “you bully me” control and ensuing torments, in despair grasped the olive branch from Jiang Niaoniao.

Jiang Niaoniao was gentle, offering to help her escape Xiran.

The so-called “plan” was Jiang Niaoniao’s orchestrated elimination action against Xiran.

But it failed; Xiran somehow knew in advance, leading to Bai Linlin suffering “punishment” worse than before.

And now, it was post-failure, the rattled Bai Linlin secretly meeting Jiang Niaoniao to figure the failure cause.

Bai Linlin rubbed her temples.

So, her current situation was.

On the surface, an arrogant, bullying villainess.

Actually, yandere witch Xiran’s puppet and dedicated punching bag.

Secretly, a failed elimination conspirator, possibly targeted even harder by Xiran.

And privately meeting “plan” co-conspirator Jiang Niaoniao was undoubtedly high-risk.

If Xiran found out…

Goosebumps rose on her neck.

Just then!

Click.

Above in the stairwell, the fire door to the upper floor was gently pushed open.

Footsteps sounded, unhurried, step by step down the stairs.

Bai Linlin jerked her head up, heart instantly in her throat.

A figure emerged from the stair turn.

Black long hair, smoothly draped over shoulders.

Slightly pale cheeks, features delicate but bloodless, eyes looking over, pupils deep black.

She wore the same uniform, figure slender, seeming a bit frail.

It was the one from the photo, the surface “long-term bullying victim.”

Xiran.

She reached the mid-stair platform, stopped, gaze landing on Bai Linlin.

Her lips seemed to curve minutely—or maybe not.

Her voice rose, light and soft, carrying a faint relief like just finding someone:

“Linlin, you’re here…”