Lin Xiaoyu stared at those two lines of text, dazed for a long time.
“Do you like it here?”
“Stay here.”
Lin Xiaoyu sat on the rattan chair, her fingers gently brushing over the lines.
She raised her head and looked at the courtyard.
“Do I like it…” Lin Xiaoyu murmured to herself.
She certainly liked it here.
However, no matter how realistic or happy a dream was, it was still a dream.
There would always be a day when one had to wake up.
If she could truly stay here… she would no longer have to face proposals for difficult clients or listen to her boss’s scolding.
All the worries and pressures of the real world would vanish.
Lin Xiaoyu lowered her head and looked at the book.
As if sensing her hesitation, a new line of text surfaced on the page: “You can be here forever.”
“Always.”
Lin Xiaoyu’s fingers trembled slightly.
‘Always.’
She could stay here forever.
She would never have to wake up again.
She would never have to go back.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened them, the corners of her mouth slowly curved upward.
“Okay,” she said softly.
The words on the book slowly disappeared.
In their place, a new line appeared: “Go to sleep early tomorrow.”
“Sleep a little longer.”
“You won’t have to wake up again.”
Lin Xiaoyu looked at those words and nodded with a smile.
She leaned back against the rattan chair and closed her eyes.
The sunlight felt warm and pleasant on her face.
***
Zhou Ting remembered it very clearly.
Lin Xiaoyu was very strange that day.
It was as if something wonderful had happened; Lin Xiaoyu was in a particularly good mood.
During the meeting, the boss scolded her again.
The client still said the proposal was no good, the boss complained the progress was too slow, and he accused her of not putting in enough effort.
Zhou Ting listened from the side, feeling bad for her, but Lin Xiaoyu only nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll go fix it right away.”
After the meeting, Zhou Ting pulled her into the breakroom.
“Are you okay?” Zhou Ting asked.
“The boss said such horrible things. How can you still smile?”
Lin Xiaoyu held her cup and looked out the window at the sky.
“It’s nothing,” Lin Xiaoyu said, “There’s nothing left to worry about.”
Zhou Ting was stunned, “What do you mean?”
Lin Xiaoyu turned to look at her.
Zhou Ting would never forget that look for as long as she lived.
It was as if Lin Xiaoyu didn’t care about work matters at all anymore.
“Zhou Ting,” Lin Xiaoyu said, “thank you for always being there for me.”
“What… what are you talking about?” Zhou Ting panicked and asked, “Why are you suddenly saying that?”
Lin Xiaoyu smiled.
“Nothing,” she said, “I just wanted to thank you.”
Zhou Ting didn’t know what to say.
That afternoon, Lin Xiaoyu worked very diligently.
She revised the proposal, replied to messages, attended meetings, and communicated with clients.
Everything was the same as usual.
But Zhou Ting felt something was wrong.
When it was almost time to leave work, Zhou Ting went to find her again.
“Want to grab dinner tonight?”
Lin Xiaoyu thought about it and shook her head, “Not today,” she said, “I want to go back early.”
“Then are you free this weekend? Want to go shopping?”
Lin Xiaoyu looked at her and smiled.
“We’ll see,” she said.
Zhou Ting frowned, “You say that every time. Do you hate me now?”
“How could I?” Lin Xiaoyu smiled and hugged the slightly grumpy Zhou Ting, “You’re my best, best friend!”
“Hmph! So you do know?” Zhou Ting rolled her eyes at Lin Xiaoyu.
“Fine, then… get some good rest. Let’s hang out when you have time.”
“Yeah. If there’s a chance… definitely.”
Later, Zhou Ting kept wondering what those words Lin Xiaoyu said that day actually meant.
Did she… already know back then?
Did she know she wasn’t coming back?
— Lin Xiaoyu’s Last Diary Entry —
Minazuki flipped to the last page of the memo.
There were only a few short lines:
[I went to that place again. Words in the book asked me: “Do you like it here?” I said I liked it.]
[It said: “Stay here.” I agreed. Zhou Ting, I’m sorry. I might not be able to keep my promise to you. But don’t be sad. I am really, really happy. Happier than I’ve ever been. I don’t have to face the pressure of work anymore, and I don’t have to worry about life… It’s really nice here…]
***
The Training Room was terrifyingly quiet.
Hoshino Hikari lowered her head, her expression unreadable.
Minazuki adjusted her glasses; the lenses reflected the light, obscuring her eyes.
Lin Lu stared at the final line of text on the screen, unable to speak for a long time.
[I am really, really happy.]
“A fake dream…” Lin Lu sighed.
Hoshino Hikari looked up, her eyes slightly red.
“Why?” she asked, her voice a bit raspy, “It’s just a dream… no matter how beautiful it is, it’s fake. She clearly knew it was fake, so why did she choose it?”
No one answered.
Lin Qingqing shook her head and whispered, “Because reality is too exhausting.”
Lin Qingqing’s voice was very soft, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet Training Room.
Minazuki pushed her glasses up.
The lenses reflected light, hiding her expression.
“In the end, it is nothing more than an escape from reality,” Minazuki said softly as she continued to look through the phone for other clues.
Just then, the door suddenly opened.
A staff member walked in quickly, holding a freshly printed document with a strange look on her face.
“There’s a new discovery.”
She handed the document to Minazuki.
“The forensics team re-examined Lin Xiaoyu’s brain. Look at this — “
Minazuki took the document and scanned it quickly.
Her pupils constricted slightly.
“Brain activity… hasn’t completely vanished?”
“Correct.” The staff member nodded, “Generally, brain activity stops rapidly after death. But in Lin Xiaoyu’s brain, certain areas still maintain weak activity — though it is extremely low, it definitely exists.”
Hoshino Hikari’s eyes widened, “What does that mean? She’s not fully dead yet?”
“It seems so,” Lin Lu pondered, “Her consciousness might still be operating somewhere.”
A thought suddenly flashed through Lin Lu’s mind.
“That dream,” she blurted out, “Is her consciousness still in that dream?”
The Training Room fell silent for two seconds.
Minazuki nodded slightly, “It is a possibility.”
Lin Qingqing covered her mouth and asked, “Then… then can she still be saved?”
“I don’t know.” Minazuki shook her head.
“But at least, it is a ray of hope.”
Hoshino Hikari stood up abruptly and said, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go find her!”
“How?” Minazuki asked, “Where is that Shadow Beast hiding? Who is its next target? We know nothing about any of this.”
Hoshino Hikari was stunned by the questions.
Lin Lu’s mind raced as she spoke, “If that Shadow Beast can really trap people in dreams, it must have some kind of medium, a connection, or some kind of traceable mark.”
She didn’t believe this Shadow Beast’s ability was powerful enough to directly trap someone in a dream world without a catalyst.
Minazuki shook her head, “But we still have no clues to find this medium.”
Minazuki’s words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the small spark of hope that had just been ignited.
“So what do we do now?” Lin Qingqing asked.
Minazuki was silent for a moment before speaking. “First, organize the existing clues. Lin Xiaoyu’s diary, personal information, the Shadow Beast’s abilities, and so on. Report all of this to the Technical Department and have them continue the investigation to see if there are any related leads.”
She pushed up her glasses.
“As for that Shadow Beast… it will appear again. No matter how well it hides, there will be a day when it reveals itself.”
Lin Lu took a deep breath and stood up.
“Let’s call it a day,” she said.
“Everyone, go back and rest. There’s no point in just wasting time here.”
Hoshino Hikari wanted to say something else, but in the end, she nodded.
Minazuki returned the phone to the staff member and gave a few instructions.
“Alright, alright~ Everyone, don’t be so depressed.” Lin Qingqing pulled Hoshino Hikari over to liven the atmosphere.
“The day will come when we drag the culprit out. When that happens, we’ll give it a good thrashing and let it know how powerful we magical girls are!”
Lin Qingqing raised her arm, showing off her muscle-less bicep.
“You really are something…” Hoshino Hikari sighed helplessly.
“What are you planning now? Do you want to go shopping?”
“Bingo~ Hikari knows me best~” Lin Qingqing snapped her fingers and laughed, “Senior Chiyoyuki hasn’t joined us for any fun since she arrived. We should appropriately reduce our work stress and adjust ourselves~ Don’t you agree, Minazuki?”
Minazuki, having just finished her task with the staff member, turned back and nodded to everyone, “Indeed. Appropriately adjusting oneself is also a necessary refinement for a qualified magical girl.”
“In that case!” Lin Qingqing announced with her hands on her hips, “Today, everyone is going shopping together!”
She then grabbed Hoshino Hikari, Lin Lu, and the others, running toward the door.
“Eh?! Wait?!” Lin Lu finally snapped out of it.
“I have to go too?”
‘No!! I really don’t want to go shopping at all!’
***
“Oh? A mission has finally arrived…”
In front of the floor-to-ceiling window of a villa, a woman with slightly curly red hair stretched, her waist tracing a lazy curve.
She picked up her phone and squinted at the message on the screen.
“Beijiang City… Suspected traces of a [Hui Yan]…”
The corners of Hong Huang’s mouth curled upward.
‘Beijiang…’
The name swirled in her mind.
‘Chiyoyuki. A 20-year-old Radiant Moon Rank newcomer who killed an A-level Shadow Beast in a single hit.’
Origins shrouded in mystery, magic characteristics unknown — she hadn’t forgotten a single word of the information Eri had mentioned over the phone.
“Interesting.”
She tossed her phone onto the sofa and walked to the window, watching the sunset slowly dip below the horizon.
[Hui Yan].
Now that was something good.
Completely humanoid, capable of speech, and possessing self-awareness.
The strongest known Hui Yan had strength comparable to the Rising Dawn Rank — much more interesting than those low-level Shadow Beasts that only knew how to devour by instinct.
And it just happened to appear in Beijiang.
Hong Huang turned around, picked up the red trench coat draped over the back of the chair, and threw it on.
“Book me a flight to Beijiang,” she said to the air.
In the corner, a woman dressed in a black suit appeared silently, nodded, and then vanished just as quietly.
“Chiyoyuki…” Hong Huang whispered the name softly, “Let’s see just what kind of person you are.”