“Do you two also like magical girls?”
“I don’t dislike them.” “I like them.”
Su Bai and Jiang Yuelan answered almost at the same time, yet their answers were slightly different.
Hearing the replies, Yu Xiaoyan glared at Su Bai.
“What do you mean by ‘I don’t dislike them,’ you guy?
Magical girls are beings loved by everyone. Every kind and brave child should like them.
If you really like them, why not just say so openly, like Classmate Jiang?”
Then she turned to Jiang Yuelan and gave a big smile, clearly very satisfied with her answer.
“Forget it, forget it. I, a magnanimous person, won’t hold a small person’s faults against them. You’re both going to the exhibition, right? I can be your guide.”
“I think you just don’t have anyone to go with you, so you came looking for us.”
Su Bai rolled her eyes and directly retorted.
“You guy!!! I’m not talking to you anymore, bad Xiao Bai.”
Yu Xiaoyan glared at Su Bai, her long twin tails seeming to tremble with anger.
Jiang Yuelan watched the two of them argue with a smile and did not say much, only speaking up to remind them.
“Let’s walk together. Having someone introduce things isn’t bad either. We’ve already bought the tickets. Going late would be a loss.”
Hearing this, Yu Xiaoyan nodded. “I’m not arguing with you anymore. It’s a waste of time. If it weren’t for the fact that you look a bit pleasing to the eye, I wouldn’t even bother dealing with you.”
Su Bai also nodded and silently followed the two of them.
Jiang Yuelan turned her head and glanced back, her brows furrowing slightly.
At the entrance of Jiangcheng University’s gymnasium, the crowd was surging.
This event was not limited to students of Jiangcheng University.
Many enthusiasts from outside the school had specially rushed over.
This gymnasium was not to be underestimated.
Its floor space and construction scale were in no way inferior to other large sports centers, and it was often a venue for large-scale activities in C City.
It was still early, yet a group of enthusiasts had already gathered outside the gates.
Some wore magical girl cosplay outfits and were checking in and taking photos.
Some gathered in small groups, chatting and shooting the breeze.
There were even more fanatical magical girl fans who had made banners and were distributing flyers to promote the magical girls they supported.
“It’s really lively.” Su Bai took a deep breath, startled by the scene.
Previously she had never participated as a member of the audience.
Back then it was just fighting monsters, saving people, eating, and sleeping.
She had never stood in the middle and felt the vitality of these people who loved magical girls so much.
“Classmate Xiaoyan, which magical girl do you like the most?” Jiang Yuelan asked curiously.
“You’re asking who my main push is? Hehe, look here.”
Yu Xiaoyan pointed at her crossbody bag.
The two of them followed the direction of her finger and saw an acrylic charm tied to the zipper of the bag.
“This is…?”
On the acrylic board was drawn a two-headed white little person who was chubby yet carried a bit of heroic spirit, especially cute.
“Hehe, this is the chibi character merchandise of [White Iris]. My favorite magical girl.”
The moment Yu Xiaoyan mentioned [White Iris], her eyes sparkled with light.
“Wow, this looks really nice. The quality is pretty good too. Not cheap.
Where did you dig this up? I want to buy one too.”
Jiang Yuelan’s eyes also lit up, immediately attracted by this super cute and super exquisite two-dimensional image.
“Hehe, I know a stall owner. He’ll also be setting up at this exhibition.
When the time comes we can just go to his spot and buy. He’ll give you a discount.
I’ll add one more thing—his [White Iris] goods are all… how should I put it, immortal-grade items.”
Yu Xiaoyan raised a big thumbs-up, looking proud.
Jiang Yuelan nodded and tilted her head to look at Xiao Bai, wanting to see how this “real person” would react upon seeing this.
Yet it was different from the shame, pride, or sadness she had imagined.
Su Bai was only calm.
Abnormally calm.
A calm that stirred up no waves at all, as if what was being discussed right now was something completely unrelated to her.
Seeing Su Bai like this, without any warning, the heart deep inside Jiang Yuelan’s body felt as if it had been fiercely twisted.
Although they had only known each other for these two days, Jiang Yuelan absolutely did not believe this was the reaction that the Su Bai she knew—that clumsy yet very kind girl—should have.
“Xiao…”
Jiang Yuelan had originally spoken up wanting to ask about Su Bai’s state, yet she was overridden by Yu Xiaoyan’s loud voice.
“Bad Xiao Bai, how can you have no reaction at all? Don’t tell me you don’t even know [White Iris]?”
“How could I not know? It’s spread everywhere. She’s very famous.” Su Bai shook her head, her tone still that calm.
“Wuu, if you know her, how can you have this kind of reaction? Magical girl [White Iris] is the most legendary magical girl. The number of people she has saved under her hands is countless. A lot of people worship her…”
Yu Xiaoyan wanted to recount all those fan-attracting deeds compiled by [White Iris] fans to Su Bai, yet looking at Su Bai’s still unchanging face, she paused.
“…You… you didn’t see those… rumors online, did you?” Yu Xiaoyan’s voice choked a little when she said this sentence.
Su Bai nodded and said, “Not that many. I only saw a little bit.”
“They’re all rumors, rumors. The big shots in our ‘Knight Order’ analyzed them one by one. There’s definitely someone stirring up trouble inside, so…”
Su Bai did not respond and subconsciously began fiddling with the bracelet.
In Jiang Yuelan’s eyes, Su Bai’s gaze seemed a bit vacant.
Yu Xiaoyan did not notice anything unusual and only felt that perhaps Su Bai had no interest in the topic of magical girls at all.
She also tactfully closed her mouth.
She was not the type who loved forcefully recommending things to others.
Su Bai, what exactly are you thinking about?
Do you hate it? Or do you truly not care at all?
Jiang Yuelan only felt that Su Bai was growing more and more distant from her, so distant that only a small back figure seemed to be hiding at the very end of the other side of the world.
A strong desire sprouted from the bottom of Jiang Yuelan’s heart.
I really want to walk over to her side and figure it out… No, it’s not that I really want to.
It’s that I must… must… must!
That obsessive nature of a witch took root and sprouted in a corner even Jiang Yuelan herself had not noticed.
Jiang Yuelan moved.
She took a step and leaned close to Su Bai, this person who should have been her enemy.
Then without the slightest hesitation she took hold of Su Bai’s fair and tender little hand that was wearing the bracelet, and pulled her a bit closer to her own side, creating a small distance between the two of them and Yu Xiaoyan.
Finally a change appeared on Su Bai’s calm face—confusion mixed with a bit of fear.
She had not expected Jiang Yuelan to take her hand.
“Classmate Xiaoyan, it was me who pulled Xiao Bai along to accompany me to the exhibition. I also didn’t expect that Xiao Bai doesn’t actually like magical girls that much.
But even so, Xiao Bai still agreed to come with me. There was no malice. Please don’t use the rules of the circle to harshly criticize her.”
Jiang Yuelan suppressed her emotions and finished this paragraph word by word.
“Sorry, sorry, I apologize! Good Xiao Bai, maybe I got too into it and gave you a bad experience.”
Yu Xiaoyan also caught the dissatisfaction in the words and realized her tone just now seemed a bit fierce, so she quickly apologized.
“Classmate Xiaoyan, what are you apologizing for? Sister Xiao Lan, you scared her. I should be the one apologizing. I was the one who spoiled the mood.” Su Bai waved her hand, indicating she did not mind.
“All right, since everyone has already apologized, let’s hurry and go in to look around. Don’t get stuck at the entrance.”