Chapter 77: Three Days Later

In Beijiang, the Starlight Magical Girl Group Rules!

Consciousness slowly floated up. 

After an unknown amount of time, it gradually awakened from the bottomless darkness.

Lin Lu raised her hand to shield her eyes for a moment. 

The moment she opened her eyes, the light in the room made her squint.

“It’s been three days… Why hasn’t Sister Lin woken up yet?”

Hoshino Hikari’s familiar voice reached Lin Lu’s ears from beside her.

Hoshino Hikari helplessly held her forehead. 

What could she do if Lin Lu wouldn’t wake up? 

Lin Qingqing watched Hoshino Hikari from the side.

Lin Lu then reached up to hold her forehead. 

Waking up after a long coma left her head still dizzy and groggy.

“Ah! She’s awake, she’s awake!”

Hearing the noise, Lin Qingqing turned her head immediately, pointed behind Hoshino Hikari, signaling her to look back, then quickly moved to sit by the bed.

“Hello, hello! Sister Lin, do you still recognize me? How many fingers am I holding up?”

She held up three fingers and waved them in front of Lin Lu.

“I just passed out for a while, it’s not like I went stupid.”

Lin Lu slapped Lin Qingqing’s hand away, then coughed twice and said in a hoarse voice, “Is there any water?”

“There is, Sister Lin, there is.”

Hoshino Hikari immediately fumbled to pour water, almost knocking over the cup.

Lin Lu sat up slightly and leaned against the pillow. 

She took the warm water Hoshino Hikari handed her and took a sip. 

As the warm water slid down her throat, she felt like she had come back to life.

“Hmm… By the way, where am I right now? How many days have I been unconscious?”

“Of course in the hospital, where else? And Sister Lin, you ask—why hasn’t Sister Lin woken up? I’ve been driven crazy by her.”

Lin Qingqing sighed and then glanced at Hoshino Hikari.

“These past few days, that girl Hoshino Hikari has been pestering me every day, asking why Sister Lin hasn’t woken up. I’m almost sick of her.”

Hoshino Hikari’s face flushed slightly, as if her little secret had been exposed. 

She immediately retorted to Lin Qingqing, “I’m just worried about Sister Lin! Not everyone is as carefree as you!”

Lin Lu watched these two arguing again and felt her head starting to ache.

“Uh… What’s the situation outside now?”

“Of course it’s all been taken care of.”

Hoshino Hikari answered first, looking at Lin Lu with adoring eyes.

“Three days ago, after Sister Lin fainted, reinforcements arrived. Including Senior Hong Huang, the headquarters sent a full three Seven Blades to support! With their help, we quickly wiped out that… what was it in Beijiang?”

“Guixu Zhiying.”

Seeing that Hoshino Hikari couldn’t remember the name for a while, Lin Qingqing rolled her eyes and continued.

“It’s said that the three Seven Blades’ support was obstructed by Hui and the Guixu Zhiying organization, but they severely injured Hui. The Guixu Zhiying in Beijiang was completely wiped out. Thanks to Sister Lin, there were no casualties among the citizens or magical girls on our headquarters’ side—only some magical girls sustained varying degrees of injuries during the battle.”

Lin Lu nodded slightly and thought for a moment. 

Although she still had many questions in her mind, these things couldn’t be figured out in a short time.

She suddenly remembered that someone seemed to have recognized her witch identity before she passed out, and she frowned slightly.

‘Who was that unfamiliar voice? To recognize my identity at a glance, it’s definitely not a simple character.’

‘Since they recognized my identity, why am I in the hospital and not locked up somewhere being interrogated?’

The air in the hospital room suddenly fell silent.

Lin Qingqing and Hoshino Hikari heard Lin Lu’s question and exchanged glances, their minds working to think of the reason.

Just as Lin Lu was lost in thought, the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open. 

The sound of heels clicking on the floor came.

Lin Lu looked up and saw a woman walk in without even knocking. 

The visitor was Heng Guang, dressed in a black suit just like when she arrived in Beijiang City, and her crisp smile made her look very capable.

“What? Our great hero is a masochist? Want to be locked up that badly? Wouldn’t the media tear you apart?”

Heng Guang pulled up a stool and sat by the bed. 

While teasing Lin Lu, she reached into her pocket to search for something.

“…Where are my cigarettes?”

Although Lin Lu didn’t know Heng Guang, she recognized her voice as the one she had heard before passing out.

“Excuse me… Who are you? Also, this is a hospital room—shouldn’t smoking be prohibited?”

Heng Guang’s movements paused. 

She pouted and put the cigarette pack she had pulled out back into her pocket.

“Alright, alright, whatever the great hero says.”

Lin Lu really wanted to complain—isn’t it common sense that you can’t smoke in a hospital room?

“Yeah, yeah! Who are you?”

Hoshino Hikari and Lin Qingqing saw that Heng Guang had ignored the two of them. 

Coming back to their senses, they stood in front of Lin Lu in unison like mother hens protecting their chicks.

Hoshino Hikari put her hands on her hips and glared at Heng Guang.

“Ma’am, visiting hours are over, aren’t they? And you barged in without even knocking, and you want to smoke? That’s so rude!”

Lin Qingqing nodded frantically beside her.

“That’s right! Sister Lin just woke up, she needs to rest!”

Heng Guang looked at the two live wires in front of her and twitched her mouth.

Heng Guang reached into her bag and pulled out an ID, waving it in front of the two.

“Hey… you two little brats… Here! See clearly? Do I need to report to come in?”

Hoshino Hikari leaned in to look, then froze in place.

“Not, Hoshino Hikari, what are you doing?”

Lin Qingqing pushed Hoshino Hikari aside.

“Move over, let me see who’s so…”

Lin Qingqing leaned in to look as well, then also froze in place.

Lin Lu was confused, ‘Didn’t you two just boast? Why did you chicken out the next second?’

“Ahem… um, senior, it was Hoshino Hikari who said that, it has nothing to do with me. If you’re going to deduct salary, deduct Hoshino Hikari’s.”

Lin Qingqing immediately pinned the blame on Hoshino Hikari, turned her head away, and whistled, looking like she didn’t care at all.

“Hey! Lin Qingqing, you’re so disloyal!”

Hoshino Hikari glared at Lin Qingqing, then scratched her head sheepishly and looked at Heng Guang.

“Um… senior, can you not deduct money? I still have outstanding payments to settle. If you deduct, I’ll have no money to eat next month.”

“I’ll waive the deduction.”

Heng Guang put the ID away and said, “However, you two will have to come with me to the Capital Headquarters to help me process documents for a week.”

Heng Guang smiled slightly.

“After all, I’m not a demon. The work at our Adjudication Court is actually pretty light.”

Hoshino Hikari and Lin Qingqing, as if struck by lightning, gaped and stood there wanting to cry but without tears.

‘Your Adjudication Court’s work is light? Liar! Even a workhorse would be exhausted coming out of that place. And you have the nerve to shamelessly say the work is light? A week… might as well just deduct my salary…’

Lin Lu watched the two from the bed and couldn’t help but chuckle softly, then looked over Heng Guang.

“If I’m not mistaken, this lady must be one of the Seven Blades, right? And from the Adjudication Court at that.”

Aside from the Seven Blades who came to support, Lin Lu couldn’t think of anyone else who could have Hoshino Hikari and Lin Qingqing so obedient.

“That’s right, you can call me Heng Guang.”

Heng Guang cleared her throat and put away her smile.

“At the same time, I am also the Deputy Chief Judge of the Capital Magical Girl Headquarters’ Adjudication Court. I think… you’ve guessed why I’m here, haven’t you? Chiyoyuki, or rather… the unknown witch.”