Ningning’s heart was pounding wildly.
She forced a strange, gentle smile, deliberately pinched her voice, and asked in a sickly sweet tone,
“Ah… this… classmate? Is there something you need from us?”
The Wu Wang Wo before her was not in her Magical Girl transformed state.
She was wearing a clean and refreshing casual outfit—a simple white shirt with a small black bow tied at the collar, paired with a light gray pleated skirt that just reached her knees, revealing slender and fair calves.
On her feet were a pair of white leather shoes, making her look obedient and cute.
The girl’s appearance had shed the aloofness of her Magical Girl form, adding a bit of girlish charm.
She looked small and adorable, like a soft little dumpling.
Ningning looked at her, secretly sighing.
‘I’ve seen Wu Wang Wo without her transformation before. I didn’t expect that in just a few years, she’d grown so much—almost as tall as me. And she’s become even cuter than before.’
She held back the urge to reach out and ruffle Wu Wang Wo’s hair, her fingertips clenched tightly as she struggled to maintain her gentle big-sister persona, afraid of revealing any cracks.
Chu Lingyan looked at her, her expression still indifferent, with no extra emotions.
She simply introduced herself, “Hello, I’m Chu Lingyan. I’m visiting this school and accidentally got lost. When I saw you just now, I wanted to come over and ask for directions.”
“I see.”
Ye Ning immediately put on an enlightened look, her tone growing even gentler, her smile sweeter. She waved her hand lightly.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. We were just in a hurry to get back to class, nothing else.”
She added, playfully blinking, “We heard there’s a quiz in class later, so we’re rushing back to review.”
Chu Lingyan’s face showed a hint of apology.
She lowered her head slightly and said softly, “Sorry for interrupting you. I actually wanted to ask how to get to the principal’s office. I’ve been looking for a while but can’t find it.”
“The principal’s office? That’s easy to find.”
Ye Ning breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly reached out and pointed toward the teaching building, patiently explaining the route as she gestured.
“Go straight ahead from here, turn left when you reach the entrance to the teaching building, then walk along the corridor until you see the third office. That’s the principal’s office. There’s a sign on the door.”
As she pointed, her sleeve slipped back, revealing a bracelet on her wrist.
The bracelet wasn’t particularly flashy, but it was exquisitely crafted.
The main part was strung with tiny white beads, with a few small pink agates interspersed in the middle.
The agates were round and cute, each one polished smooth and delicate.
Several small silver bells were woven between the beads, letting out a crisp, pleasant sound with every movement.
At the clasp of the bracelet hung a small bird-shaped charm.
The bird’s wings were woven from pink silk thread, a bit rough, carrying a clumsy texture.
Chu Lingyan suddenly froze, her eyes fixed on Ye Ning’s wrist, motionless.
Ye Ning followed her gaze and, when she saw the bracelet on her own wrist, her pupils sharply contracted.
‘Damn it! How could I forget about this!’
Back then, she was still a member of the Morning Star Squad, preparing to fight that S-Rank Angel together with everyone from Morning Star.
Before they set out, Chu Lingyan had shyly run up to her, holding the bracelet in both hands.
Her head was lowered, her cheeks flushed with a faint blush, her voice soft as a mosquito’s, but filled with reverence.
“Teacher, th-this is a protective charm I made myself. It has my blessings inside. Take it with you. You must come back safely. You have to be okay.”
At that time, Chu Lingyan’s craftsmanship was clumsy.
Making that bracelet had taken her an entire week.
Ye Ning had accepted it solemnly and worn it ever since.
A few days ago, when Hua Niao brought up Wu Wang Wo and mentioned Chu Lingyan, Ye Ning had gotten emotional and fished out the bracelet, putting it back on her wrist.
She hadn’t expected that, in a moment of carelessness, she would reveal it right in front of Chu Lingyan.
Cold sweat slid slowly down Ye Ning’s temple, dripping onto her collar, bringing a faint chill.
Her mind raced.
Chu Lingyan lifted her head slowly, her eyes still fixed directly on Ye Ning’s.
Her voice seemed to hold a lot of suppressed emotion, coming out a bit muffled, with a barely noticeable tremor.
“This bracelet… classmate, where did you get it?”
Ye Ning swallowed hard. Watching Chu Lingyan’s trembling body, her heart skipped a beat.
‘Is she angry?’
Without time to think further, she took a deep breath and put on a reminiscent smile.
“Th-this bracelet? I got it by chance when I went mountain climbing once.”
She cleared her throat and continued weaving her absurd lie.
“At the time, I was climbing a mountain when I suddenly ran into a Disaster Beast. Caught up in the attack, I accidentally fell off a cliff. I thought I was done for, but instead, I landed in a hidden cave. In that cave, I found this bracelet. And I met a girl with pink-and-white hair hidden inside the bracelet. She saved me, leading me out of the cave. When I woke up again, that pink-white haired girl was already gone. I didn’t even get to say thank you. To repay her for saving my life, I dyed my hair pink and white too, and I’ve worn this bracelet ever since, as a way to remember her and repay her kindness.”
After finishing, Ye Ning let out a long sigh.
‘I’m actually pretty good at making up stories, aren’t I?’
She nodded with some satisfaction.
Hua Niao: “…”
Chu Lingyan: “…”
Hua Niao, standing to the side, twitched her mouth and turned her head away.
Chu Lingyan was silent as well.
Her eyes remained fixed on Ye Ning’s, her face expressionless—impossible to tell whether she believed it or not.
The air grew awkward and silent again.
Just as Ye Ning was about to break, Chu Lingyan suddenly smiled.
Her smile was faint, but very gentle.
Her brows curved, the corners of her mouth lifted into a shallow arc, revealing two small dimples.
The distance and scrutiny in her eyes were instantly replaced by warmth.
She looked even more obedient and cute, clean and pure.
The smile carried a girl’s shy charm, a faint, barely noticeable relief, and a hidden joy.
Ye Ning was stunned by it, momentarily forgetting to react—it had been so long since she’d seen Chu Lingyan smile so purely and obediently.
“So that’s how it is,” Chu Lingyan said, her tone gradually softening, no longer carrying the previous tension and tremor, but with a gentle hint of laughter.
“I didn’t expect there to be such a wonderful story. How touching.”
She nodded lightly, her face still wearing a gentle smile.
“It’s nothing. I was just asking casually. I didn’t mean anything by it. Sorry for bothering you, classmate. Thank you for telling me the way to the principal’s office. I’ll head over now.”
With that, Chu Lingyan didn’t glance at the bracelet again, nor did she ask anything more.
She turned and walked slowly in the direction Ye Ning had pointed, her slender and gentle back gradually disappearing into the crowd.
Ye Ning watched her retreating figure and let out a long sigh, her tense body instantly relaxing.
‘That child… actually smiled.’
‘Honestly, back then, she only smiled at me, her teacher. She only showed that kind of obedient, pure smile in front of me. To others, she was always distant and cold.’
‘Now, she can so calmly smile at a “stranger.”’
‘I feel a little lonely…’
But then Ye Ning’s face showed a gratified smile.
‘Still, that child has really grown up.’