As a Magical Girl, Haitang Hua had seen too many families shattered by Witches and Cultists, too many innocent lives lost because of these mad existences.
Therefore, she harbored not a shred of pity for Witches and Cultists.
Eradicating them and protecting the safety of ordinary people had long since become a responsibility carved into her very bones.
“Still, this is really strange.”
Haitang Hua’s gaze returned to the mess strewn across the floor, her brow furrowing once more, her tone full of puzzlement.
“If that Witch left after killing these Cultists, then why were all these Magic Crystal Stones left here?”
She walked over to the crates stacked with the stones, reached out, and touched the crystals inside, continuing her analysis.
“Magic Crystal Stones are the core material for making Magic Crystal Weapons. They’re not only useful to humans, but have many uses for Witches as well.”
“In theory, she had no reason to just leave so many Magic Crystal Stones behind. She should have either taken them or destroyed them. How could she just leave them here so casually?”
“And there’s another strange point.”
Haitang Hua’s eyes swept over the Cultist corpses on the ground, the confusion in her voice deepening.
“These Cultists were all ordinary people, at best brainwashed fanatics. They had no Mana whatsoever. They weren’t worth an A-rank or higher Witch unleashing such powerful Mana to deal with.”
“The Mana fluctuation she released earlier was so intense, clearly indicating she went through a fierce battle. But who exactly was she fighting?”
She raised her Magic Wand again and waved it.
Several threads of water surged out, conducting a meticulous sweep of the entire factory once more. But the result was still the same as before.
Apart from the Witch’s Dark Magic, she couldn’t sense any other residual Mana aura—neither that of a Magical Girl, nor any other Witch or Disaster Beast.
The girl stood in place, propping her chin with one hand, frowning in thought.
Her pretty twin-tails hung over her shoulders, swaying gently with her movements.
Her face was full of bewilderment.
“What exactly is missing?”
She murmured to herself, her gaze roaming around the factory, trying to find a clue she might have overlooked.
Whether it was the corpses littering the floor, the residual Mana, or the stacked Magic Crystal Stones, everything exuded an indescribable eeriness.
She felt something was definitely off.
Suddenly, her gaze fell on a specific spot amidst the pools of blood on the floor, and her eyes lit up slightly.
“Huh?”
She walked over quickly, crouching down to examine it closely.
It was a small area of about half a square meter.
The surroundings were all congealed, dark red bloodstains, but this spot alone was clean, not stained with the slightest bit of blood or even a speck of dust.
It looked extremely out of place.
She extended a finger and gently touched that clean patch of ground.
Her fingertip registered a cool, smooth surface, with no trace of blood having seeped in.
She looked up again at the surrounding environment.
This clean area was right in the center of the factory, surrounded by dense clusters of corpses and bloodstains.
It didn’t look naturally formed at all.
The confusion in Haitang Hua’s eyes deepened.
Had someone stood here before?
Or had something been placed here and then taken away?
Right then, a tiny fragment caught her attention.
It had fallen at the edge of the clean area.
The fragment was pale gray in color, and the material looked like cotton fabric.
It also bore a barely noticeable smear of dark red stain, likely dried blood.
Haitang Hua carefully reached out a finger, picked up the fragment, and placed it on her palm for a closer look.
The fragment was very small, only about the size of a fingernail, with slightly frayed edges, as if it had been torn.
She gently smoothed it out and discovered a faint pattern printed on it—it was the distinctive school emblem pattern of a local high school’s uniform.
The pattern was a small plum blossom.
Though it was somewhat blurred and the edges had become unclear from wear, it could still be clearly recognized.
“This pattern… it looks like a fragment from a high school uniform?”
Haitang Hua’s frown deepened, the doubts in her heart growing stronger.
Her fingers holding the fragment tightened slightly, her tone full of incomprehension.
“This place is so remote, and it’s such a dangerous Witch stronghold. How could there be a fragment of a high school uniform here? Could a student have come here?”
She stood up, her gaze sweeping across the entire factory once more, trying to find more clues.
But aside from this small fragment, she found no other traces related to a student.
“But why would a normal high school student come to such a remote and dangerous place? Unless… they got lost by accident? Or were captured by the Cultists?”
“Perhaps the breakthrough lies with this piece of clothing.”
—
“Achoo!”
Ningning rubbed her nose.
Holding her School Uniform, she hung her head, looking like a little beast that had been wronged, and pattered over to Hua Niao.
The girl lifted her face.
Her long eyelashes still held tiny droplets of water.
Her damp, glistening eyes blinked as she looked at Hua Niao.
Her voice was soft as cotton candy, carrying a thick nasal tone.
“Hua Niao~ Uniform, broken, fix fix.”
As she spoke, she gently shook the uniform in her hand.
Her tone was full of dependence, even dragging out the end of her words.
Seeing her like this, the amusement in Hua Niao’s eyes grew even richer.
Her originally crossed arms slowly lowered, her fingertips glowing with a faint light.
She reached out and gently took the uniform from Ye Ning’s hand.
The Mana at her fingertips slowly coiled around the fabric.
The stubborn bloodstains, wrapped in the Mana, gradually dissolved like ice and snow meeting fire.
The frayed edges slowly became smooth again, and even the wrinkles in the fabric were smoothed out.
Moments later, the once disheveled uniform was restored to a clean and tidy state, as if it had never been stained with blood or grime.
“Hehe, Hua Niao is so good~”
Ye Ning looked at the uniform, now as good as new, and her eyes instantly lit up.
Happily, she stood on her tiptoes, reached out to hug Hua Niao’s neck, and planted a firm kiss on her cheek.
Then she grabbed the uniform and, wearing her pink bunny slippers, pattered off towards the bedroom.
—
After the deep Mana Replenishment ended, Ye Ning snuggled in Hua Niao’s arms, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush, her breathing even and gentle.
She still carried the unique, cool fragrance of Hua Niao’s body, which made her feel especially secure.
“Ningning.”
Hua Niao lowered her head and called the girl’s name softly by her ear.
“Hmm?”
Ye Ning nuzzled against her, finding a more comfortable position to curl up in.
Her voice was soft and fuzzy, carrying a strong sense of weariness.
She was truly exhausted. Having forcibly activated the power of the Deathbird at the factory during the day, then undergoing Mana Replenishment, her eyelids felt so heavy she could barely keep them open.
She could only manage a vague response from her throat.
“Ningning seemed very proactive today.”
Hua Niao looked down at the little one in her arms, her dazed and sleepy appearance.
A gentle smile curved at the corner of her mouth.
She reached out and gently pinched Ye Ning’s cheek, the touch soft and delicate.
Ye Ning let out a soft “Mm” from the pinch but didn’t pull away.
Instead, she burrowed deeper into Hua Niao’s embrace.
Her cheek rubbed against Hua Niao’s neck, and she giggled foolishly.
Her voice still held lingering tiredness but was exceptionally clear.
“Hehe~”
After laughing, she lifted her head slightly, a layer of mist still in her eyes.
“Because I saw Xiao He today. She’s grown up. And she’s not being bullied like before anymore.”
“And also………”
The girl whispered into Hua Niao’s ear.
“Hua Niao was really worried about me today, right? Even though I couldn’t see your expression, I could feel it.”
“So, even though Hua Niao is the worst… but, but I still like Hua Niao a little bit~ Just a little bit……….”
The girl fell into a deep sleep.
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