The next morning, in Yuan Qing’s rented apartment, even though Yuan Qing had gotten up earlier than usual, it didn’t mean his bed had become any tidier.
The duvet was lumped in a pile, the pillow was skewed to one side, and though the clothes he had changed out of last night had been washed, they hadn’t been hung up to dry yet.
On the windowsill, Raven was preening its feathers with its beak. Sunlight leaked through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a golden line across the floor.
“Did you see Sundae yesterday?” Mizuho asked.
“Yeah.”
“Did you say anything?” Mizuho pressed.
“No.”
“That’s good,” Mizuho breathed a sigh of relief. “I was afraid you’d accidentally have a slip of the tongue. It would be a problem if your identity was exposed.”
Mizuho sat at the somewhat wobbly folding table, holding a cup of convenience store coffee. She had specifically cleared her morning schedule today and had Raven teleport her over early in the morning.
Yuan Qing sat on the edge of the bed, also holding a cup of coffee, drinking it with an expressionless face.
“Hifumi’s stream is about to start,” Raven flew down and skillfully tapped on Yuan Qing’s phone. “I’ve opened it for you. Come and watch.”
The phone screen lit up. The live broadcast hadn’t started yet, but the bullet comments were already bustling in anticipation.
“It’s here, it’s here! So excited!”
“Is Miss Kazama going to respond?”
“I want to see the showdown at the summit between Miss Raven and little Hifumi…”
Mizuho leaned over, staring at the screen with Yuan Qing.
The two of them sat side by side with two identical faces—one wearing a tracksuit, the other an old shirt. Both held coffee cups, and both stared at the phone screen.
Raven landed on the table to the side and also stared at the screen.
“What do you think she’ll say?” Mizuho asked.
“I don’t know,” Yuan Qing replied.
“Will she refuse?”
“No.”
“You’re that certain?”
“Yeah.”
Mizuho glanced at Yuan Qing. “Why?”
Yuan Qing took a sip of coffee. “Because she wants to fight too.”
“True.”
Mizuho turned back.
The live broadcast screen suddenly flickered to life.
In the frame, Kazama Hifumi sat in a simple parlor. Behind her was a floor-to-ceiling window, through which the Tokyo sky was visible.
She wore a white knit sweater, her black hair falling over her shoulders. Her expression was as calm as ever, and the White Snake familiar was coiled around her right forearm. Combined with its crimson eyes and flickering tongue, Hifumi looked exceptionally enchanting.
A single microphone was placed in front of her.
“Good morning, everyone,” she began, her pronunciation crisp and clear. “I am Kazama Hifumi.”
The bullet comments instantly flooded the screen.
“She’s here!”
“Miss Kazama!”
“So beautiful!”
Hifumi waited a few seconds, letting the camera flashes from the reporters below settle down slightly, before continuing, “Regarding Miss Raven’s declaration of war against me 2 days ago, I would like to formally respond here.”
Yuan Qing remained expressionless because he knew what Hifumi would say—and what Hifumi had to say.
“I accept.”
Three simple words.
The bullet comments exploded again.
“She accepted! She actually accepted!”
“When is the fight? Will it be streamed?”
“I’m so excited! Is there going to be a bloodbath?”
Hifumi waited for a moment, then raised her right hand, which was wrapped with the White Snake, signaling for everyone to be quiet.
“The time is set for 1 month from now, counting from 2 days ago,” she said methodically to the camera. “The location is the Tokyo Metropolitan Magical Girl Arena. The rules will follow the standard match format, a best of 3.”
Mizuho whispered from the side, “The Tokyo Metropolitan Magical Girl Arena… That’s an official venue. There will definitely be a lot of people watching.”
Raven nodded. “Yes, and it will be broadcasted. All of Japan will be able to see it.”
“In that case,” Yuan Qing interjected, “the popularity value will also…”
Hifumi continued speaking. “I know many people feel that my acceptance of a challenge from a newcomer is somewhat… unconventional. However, I have fought her. Her talent is the highest among all the newcomers I have ever seen. Her rate of improvement is the fastest among all the Magical Girls I have ever encountered.”
“That’s because I’m getting stronger through popularity value,” Raven boasted.
But Yuan Qing and Mizuho ignored it and continued watching the broadcast.
“But right now, she still cannot defeat me,” Hifumi’s tone shifted subtly, though her expression remained unchanged. “Physical strength and mastered techniques do not easily fall behind. However, what truly governs a battle is the control of movement, split-second judgment, sharp instincts, and so on. Without long-term and extensive combat experience, it is impossible to reach a level where one can rival me.”
“Miss Kazama,” a reporter pushed a microphone forward, “how would you evaluate the current Miss Raven?”
The other reporters raised their cameras, preparing to capture the moment she answered.
“She is indeed very talented. However, the environment she is in is not qualified to cultivate such talent,” Hifumi didn’t move an inch, merely shifting her gaze slightly toward the microphone. “Good opponents and coaches, intense confrontation—she has none of these. In such a greenhouse, her talent is being wasted.”
“What a harsh evaluation.”
“But it’s true, isn’t it?”
“Miss Raven has been working very hard too!”
The bullet comments drifted by.
Then, Hifumi said something shocking.
“Therefore, I sincerely invite Miss Raven—or rather, Miss Yonai—to come to my side to receive my training and cultivation. I believe that in all of Tokyo, in all of Japan, only I am qualified to let her talent bloom and bear fruit,” she said very earnestly.
The reporters were stunned.
The viewers in the bullet comments were stunned.
Even the White Snake coiled around Hifumi’s right forearm, along with Yuan Qing, Mizuho, and Raven, were all stunned.
“Then, Miss Kazama,” another microphone was thrust forward, “do you think it’s possible for Miss Yonai to defeat you after receiving your training and cultivation?”
This crucial question snapped everyone to attention, including the audience behind their screens.
Hifumi merely smiled.
“Absolutely impossible,” she declared.
“Wow, how arrogant…” Raven muttered a complaint. “But then again, it’s that Hifumi. No one will complain even if she’s a bit arrogant.”
Yuan Qing didn’t say anything.
He just stared at that cold face on the screen, staring at the slight upturn of her lips when she said “absolutely impossible.”
Mizuho watched his expression carefully from the side.
“Hey,” she spoke up, “you’re not angry, are you?”
“No.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Mizuho watched him for a while. That face still had that expressionless look, showing no emotion.
No, wait. Something was definitely different.
“So?” Mizuho poked Yuan Qing. “What’s your answer?”
Yuan Qing was slightly distracted. “I’ll win. Don’t worry.”
Mizuho looked at Yuan Qing and thought for a moment.
“That’s not what I was asking,” she continued.
“Hmm?”
“I was asking if you’re going to accept her invitation.”
“Oh, that…” Yuan Qing paused, then decided to throw the question to Raven. “Raven, what do you think?”
Both Mizuho and Yuan Qing looked at Raven.
Suddenly put on the spot, Raven was still dazed. “Huh? Me?”
“Why do you seem so distracted?” Yuan Qing asked.
“Sorry, I was just thinking about something…” Raven shook its head. “I am just a familiar. If the contractor wishes to pursue a better future, I have no right to stop them. After all, the mission of a familiar is to bring about a better future for the Magical Girl and the world.”
“Ah…” Mizuho retracted her gaze. “You said a lot of words that mean absolutely nothing.”
Raven: “…”