“Ha What’s going on…”
After dinner, sitting in front of the computer, having just transformed into Bai Qiu and about to start her nightlife of raking in money, she yawned.
It was really strange.
She had clearly just slept for more than 10 hours, so why was she so sleepy now?
“Well… sometimes that happens…”
There have indeed been many cases where the more you sleep, the more you want to sleep, especially more common in people with irregular routines.
“I was going to finish the true ending of and then play a few rounds of viewer Mahjong matches…”
Bai Qiu struggled up from the chair that seemed to want to trap her, her eyelids fighting each other more and more fiercely.
“Even so, I can’t be this sleepy…”
The scene before her eyes began to blur.
Logically, no matter how sleepy a person is, they shouldn’t be unable to even walk or see clearly.
“No, wait… this isn’t normal sleepiness…! My heart didn’t actually grow muscles, did it!?”
By the time Bai Qiu realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
Holding on to her last bit of consciousness, Bai Qiu managed to let herself fall onto the bed, so that when she woke up next time there wouldn’t be a bump on her forehead.
If she could wake up next time, that is.
Immediately after, she fell into a deep sleep, with no other reaction.
Gathering in Jiu’s room and watching Bai Qiu sprawled on the bed sleeping soundly, different expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.
“Is this really okay…”
Even now, Jiu still didn’t think this was a good idea.
If Teacher woke up and found out, he would definitely be angry.
“It’s fine.”
“Since I did it, I should take responsibility to the end.”
Li Ai stood up without yielding.
The moment she moved her feet, her body froze in place.
“How can you do that, Li Ai-chan?”
“Sneaking ahead is not okay.”
Alice had already completed her transformation at some point, and everyone present was unable to move.
“Alice, you’re too despicable!”
Xilalite glared at Alice.
“This is called outsmarting, baby.”
Alice winked at her and, under everyone’s gaze, swaggered toward the door.
With a “thud,” as if she had hit a wall, Alice plopped down, her forehead turning red from the impact.
Time Stop was forcibly released.
“How…”
Before the question left her mouth, the answer already surfaced in her mind.
“Little You…!”
She glared at the opened room door.
“What a bunch of idiots, meow~”
On the other side of the Light Wall was Caili, who had transformed the instant she saw Bai Qiu collapse, sneaked outside the room while invisible, and used light to create a wall to trap them.
Alice knocked hard on the Light Wall.
Naturally, the Light Wall didn’t react at all.
Her ability was completely useless against Caili’s ability.
“This time it’s Caili-chan’s victory, meow~ Hahaha—“
Caili turned into a beam of light and darted to Bai Qiu’s door.
Placing her hand on the doorknob, one gentle turn would open the door to the “New World.”
“What business do you have with my brother?”
Bai Qiumu’s clear voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Meow!?
Caili trembled all over and turned around guiltily.
“Th-that is… I can’t really sleep, so I wanted Brother Qiuchen to tell me a bedtime story, meow…”
“Is that so?”
Bai Qiumu came up to her and looked her over like a detective examining clues.
“Sister Xiao Mu, wh-why are you looking at me like that, meow~?”
“Nothing, it’s just…”
Bai Qiumu delivered a lightning-fast chop.
Caili’s eyes rolled back, and Bai Qiumu caught her as she collapsed.
“See, you can fall asleep without a bedtime story, can’t you.”
Bai Qiumu removed Caili’s “Heart Stone” and undid her transformation.
As the transformation was undone, the “Heart Stone” vanished.
Bai Qiumu grabbed Shang Mengyou by the back collar of her pajamas like a kitten and carried her downstairs.
She opened the door to the room with her name on the doorplate, threw her onto the bed, covered her with the blanket, and finally closed the door.
Bai Qiumu clapped her hands and returned to her own room on the second floor.
Meanwhile, on the other side…
“Huh?”
Jiu, who had intended to transform and cut down the Light Wall, discovered that the Light Wall had actually disappeared.
“It disappeared.”
“Mengyou released it?”
Why did the Light Wall disappear?
There were only 2 possible reasons.
One was that Caili had released it herself.
But they knew that was impossible.
Judging from Caili’s mental state lately, the probability that she would release the Light Wall before devouring Bai Qiu completely was infinitely close to zero.
The second was that her transformation had been undone.
At present, only the second possibility remained.
But why would Caili undo her transformation?
Everyone’s eyes focused again on the image on the tablet.
Bai Qiu was still sprawled on the bed sleeping soundly, but Caili was nowhere to be seen.
A certain great detective once said: When you have eliminated all that is impossible, whatever remains, however incredible, must be the answer.
Bai Qiu had not suddenly woken up, Caili had not entered Bai Qiu’s room, Caili had undone her transformation, no 8th person had been sensed in the house, and Caili had not returned…
“In other words, Little You was taken out…”
Alice slowly voiced the conclusion.
Though they really didn’t want to admit it, at this moment the little lolis understood that the true big boss had appeared.
Even though they really didn’t want to let such a good opportunity slip, they all knew now was not the time for internal strife.
They had to unite against the outside first, deal with the common enemy, and then fight among themselves.
“The question is, how did Sister Xiao Mu take out Mengyou?”
Xilalite voiced the doubt in her heart.
She couldn’t figure out how an ordinary person could defeat, in such a short time, a powerful Magical Girl whose “Miracle” was no small matter.
That was a Magical Girl, after all!
“We might need to sacrifice one person to exchange for information…”
Li Ai said with difficulty.
Jiu, who had been silent all along, stood up and said in a low voice, “I’ll go.”
Instead of letting everyone sneak ahead and anger Teacher later, she would go protect her senior herself.
Jiu resolved to make sure Bai Qiu passed tonight safely.
“Little Jiu…”
Li Ai, unaware of Jiu’s inner thoughts, looked at her with worry.
“I’ll go.”
Alice also stood up.
“My ability is more suitable than Jiu’s.”
“Whoever goes, I’ll be hiding in the shadows watching you all the time.”
Nox, having completed her transformation, poked half her head out of the shadows.
Not just to gather information, but also to keep watch so that none of them could sneak ahead.
After thinking for a moment, Li Ai stood up and said, “…Let’s go together. If we go together, even if we encounter something unexpected, our chances of survival will be higher than with 1 or 2 people.”
After saying that, Li Ai summoned her “Heart Stone” and transformed.
The 3 set out for Bai Qiu’s room, but Jiu froze in place.
“Jiu, aren’t you coming?”
Alice looked at her.
“…Yeah.”
Jiu nodded reluctantly and stood there without moving.
They didn’t say anything more and walked out of Jiu’s room.
Perhaps they understood in their hearts that Jiu had always been against them doing this.
The reason she had wanted to go alone before… her personality had always been like that.
“……”
Jiu watched them leave with deep worry.
She felt that doing so was not okay.
If they succeeded, Teacher would definitely be angry when he woke up.
Her heart told her she should go stop them.
Bai Qiumu alone definitely couldn’t stop the 3 of them, such powerful Magical Girls.
After a fierce internal struggle (half a minute), Jiu made up her mind—she couldn’t do this.
She must not do something that would make Teacher angry.
She should compete fairly.
When Jiu tried to summon her “Heart Stone” to transform, she sensed—
Someone… was approaching.
“Click, click.”
The sound of doors opening and closing in succession.
Tap, tap…
The footsteps grew closer—
That person stopped in front of her room.
“Click.”
The door opened.
A figure with long white hair stood at the door, those eyes seeming to give off a terrifying red glow.
“You’re quite obedient.”
Bai Qiumu said flatly.
Seeing this, Jiu knew that everyone had been completely defeated.
She swallowed and asked cautiously, “Sister Xiao Mu, um… how is everyone?”
“Ah, I just made them fall asleep, no need to worry.”
Bai Qiumu’s gaze toward Jiu held amusement.
“What, do you want to try too?”
Jiu immediately shook her head in refusal.
“Good girl.”
Bai Qiumu showed a gentle smile and turned off the light at the door.
“Go to sleep now. Children shouldn’t stay up late.”
“O-okay…”
Jiu hurriedly and obediently slipped under the covers.
The last thing that remained in her mind was Bai Qiumu’s meaningful smile.
Tonight’s outcome:
Ri Bai Jiu’s half-victory—she had always tried to stop her friends from doing that.
As an outsider, she was let off by the boss.
Nikaido Ria & Shirarito Akaosu & Shang Mengyou & Alice Deloise’s defeat—directly arrested by the boss.
Current score:
Nikaido Ria (2)
Alice Deloise (2)
Shirarito Akaosu (1)
Ri Bai Jiu (1)
Shang Mengyou (0)