The tide of memories receded, and Ye Ning’s consciousness slowly returned.
She looked up at Hua Niao, the corner of her mouth twitching uncontrollably, her voice hoarse as if just freed from chaos.
“So, how did you find me?”
Hua Niao remained as nonchalant as ever, tilting her head with a smile.
Her long, gray-to-purple gradient hair gleamed coldly under the dim light.
Her tone was light but carried undeniable certainty.
“I have a contract with you. Naturally, I know your location.”
Ye Ning rubbed her throbbing temples, feeling a headache coming on.
The next second, she glared at Hua Niao, her eyes still clouded with confusion and a trace of grievance.
“Then what about my delusions? I lost my memory, and you didn’t even give me a place to live? I had to imagine one out of thin air!”
“…”
Hua Niao was both amused and exasperated by her righteous indignation.
She reached out and pinched Ye Ning’s cheeks, pulling them to the sides with a firm but not harsh grip.
“Due to a Witch’s inherent traits, when I sealed your memories, I also disrupted part of your cognition. Combined with the Witch’s already bizarre mental state, it caused a Delusion Tide to fester within you, weaving this fabricated space around here.”
She paused, her grip tightening slightly as she rubbed Ye Ning’s face, her tone full of helpless reproach.
“As for not giving you a house… is it possible that I already gave you the key to the real residence, and you were the one who stubbornly fixated on it, forcing yourself to imagine one instead?”
Ye Ning’s cheeks grew warm from the rubbing.
Her eyes instantly shifted, avoiding Hua Niao’s gaze guiltily, her fingers curling unconsciously.
But the next moment, as if she had suddenly grasped a crucial piece of information, she looked up sharply, panic replacing the guilt in her eyes.
“Wait, if you came looking for me specifically, that means…”
The smile on Hua Niao’s face deepened, a mix of amusement and seriousness spreading across her features.
She spoke each word clearly.
“That’s right. The three-year agreement… it’s up.”
Ye Ning’s body stiffened slightly, the warmth draining from her fingertips.
She pressed her lips together, her voice softening with a hint of pleading.
“Um… can we renew it? Just another three years, okay?”
“…”
Hua Niao remained silent, her dark eyes staring straight at Ye Ning without a ripple, but her utter speechlessness was palpable.
It seemed the answer was no.
Ye Ning’s heart sank.
She gritted her teeth slightly, secretly gathering mana behind her back—a magic wand adorned with pink and white feathers materialized silently, its tip glowing faintly.
She was, after all, a Magical Girl of the Light-Bathing Class.
Though her attack power was meager, with mana-enhanced speed, she still had some chance of escaping.
Hua Niao seemed to have seen right through her thoughts.
She leaned leisurely against the wall, crossing her arms, her tone flat yet carrying a warning.
“You’d better not think about using your Magical Girl powers to run. Setting aside whether you can actually escape, you should know that right now, you are the Magical Girl Association’s top wanted criminal~”
Ye Ning’s movements halted.
Hua Niao continued, “Back then, after you personally ended Equinox Flower, when the rescue team arrived, they only found your five unconscious companions. The scene was saturated with your lingering Witch aura, and coupled with Liu Tinghua’s Soul Crystal at the Association shattering completely—they logically concluded that Equinox Flower was killed by you after you fell and became a Witch.”
Ye Ning pressed her lips together, her face slightly pale.
“How could that be… I clearly…”
Hua Niao’s voice was gentle, yet each word cut like a knife, piercing Ye Ning’s heart.
“In the eyes of the Magical Girl Association’s S-Class members and high-level government officials, you are already an unforgivable traitor. Though, fortunately, the matter was strictly sealed. To the public, it was only announced that you and Xu Tinghua died together on the battlefield, your bodies lost.”
Hua Niao took half a step forward, the amusement fading from her eyes, her tone growing even more solemn.
“So, once your whereabouts are exposed, what awaits you will be an outcome far more troublesome than death.”
“What…”
Ye Ning’s pupils constricted sharply.
“Hold on, isn’t anyone going to feed me peanuts?!”
Hua Niao shrugged.
“Your five companions have always held doubts. But you know well that the Magical Girl Association’s judgments rely solely on evidence—without evidence to overturn the conclusion, all questioning is futile.”
Ye Ning fell silent.
The aura around her instantly grew heavy.
The dim yellow light fell on her pale face, reflecting the despondency and exhaustion in her eyes.
After a long while, she slowly withdrew her hand.
The magic wand dissipated into faint light.
She let out a soft sigh, her voice full of powerlessness.
“Let me be alone for a while.”
Hua Niao didn’t say anything more.
She just gave her a deep look, then turned and walked toward the alley’s bend, her figure melting into the shadows, giving her space.
Ye Ning’s figure was hidden in the alley’s shadows, her expression unclear.
But moments later, Hua Niao’s eyebrows in the shadows suddenly lifted.
The corner of her mouth curled into a smile that was both exasperated and amused as she murmured under her breath, “This girl… she actually dares to run?”
By now, Ye Ning had already used the boost from her Light-Bathing mana to shoot out of the alley like an arrow from a bow.
Her feet flew over the bluestone pavement, only the whistling wind in her ears.
She pushed her speed to the limit, her pink and white hair whipping wildly in the wind.
‘Hmph, even if I can’t beat you, can’t I run? Let’s see how you catch up. I told you this Witch isn’t right in the head! A total idiot! Trash, trash!’
The pink-and-white puffball wore a triumphant smile.
But this triumph didn’t last more than a few seconds before a strange warmth suddenly bloomed in her lower abdomen.
That warmth carried a scorching, feverish heat that raced through her bloodstream, instantly spreading to every limb, making her whole body flush with an uncomfortable, burning sensation.
‘Wait, what’s happening…’
Ye Ning’s heart tightened.
Her speed abruptly slowed, and the concentrated mana boost she was maintaining grew chaotic.
The next second, that feverish feeling intensified, as if countless tiny streams of heat were scurrying just beneath her skin, making her whole body ache and go limp.
Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably with a deep blush, even the tips of her ears growing hot.
A strange, indescribable restlessness quietly rose in her heart.
Her previously clear reason seemed veiled by a thin mist, beginning to scatter uncontrollably.
Even the thought of escape grew fuzzy.
Ye Ning could no longer hold on.
Her legs gave way, and she stumbled, collapsing onto the cold bluestone pavement.
She hastily braced herself with her palms to steady her body, but her back still trembled slightly, her very fingertips shaking uncontrollably.
She bit her lower lip hard, trying to use the slight pain to awaken her remaining reason and dispel the bizarre discomfort within her body.
But the air around her nose seemed to grow scalding.
Her breathing became increasingly rapid and disordered.
The corners of her eyes grew slightly red, glistening with moisture.
Her gaze gradually grew hazy and unfocused.
“No… don’t be like this…”
The girl seemed to be pleading.
Her consciousness slipped into a blur.