Xia Che might never forget what he saw that day.
The rain stopped without him noticing, the dark clouds dispersed, and the afterglow of the setting sun quietly spilled into the hall through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Glass fragments reflected the sunlight like translucent orange gems, and his shadow was stretched very, very long.
In the live broadcast room, the commentator was almost out of breath from speaking too fast:
“A B-class magical girl, Sakura Blizzard, couldn’t defeat an A-class Shadow, yet Hui Jin easily killed it!”
“Something like this has never happened before! This… this is simply a miracle!”
The barrage area was refreshing at the speed of a space elevator:
«Hui Jin is amazing!»
«Ahhh Lord Hui Jin I am your dog!»
…
The drones fell one after another, signaling that the battle was completely over.
No doubt the recording of this battle would get hundreds of millions of views, and Hui Jin’s name would become known to people.
But none of that mattered.
The young man looked at the girl bathed in the setting sun.
The sunset’s glow coated her with a soft orange, as if the flames on her body had never gone out.
But he noticed that the light in the girl’s eyes was gradually dimming.
“Hui Jin…”
Xia Che’s voice was a little hoarse.
“Mm…”
The girl slightly raised the corners of her lips and gave him a smile:
“It’s okay now.”
He thought he would never forget her smile.
Xia Che stared at her blankly, opened his mouth, but couldn’t say a word.
It wasn’t until Hui Jin spoke slowly that he snapped back to reality:
“Is… is Feizuan okay?”
Xia Che reacted, propped up his still trembling body, came to the unconscious Feizuan, checked her condition, and showed a delighted expression:
“She’s fine, just passed out. She should wake up soon.”
“And Sakura Blizzard?” she asked again.
Xia Che looked at Sakura Blizzard and couldn’t help frowning:
“She’s still alive, but her condition isn’t good… The Task Force will arrive soon, she’ll be fine.”
“I see.”
Hui Jin’s voice became quieter.
“…That’s good.”
Xia Che looked up.
By now, the sun had set a lot more.
The girl stood in the shadows, making the cracks on her body stand out.
They were like slender orange-red earthworms branded into her skin.
“Your body…”
He stood up and walked toward Hui Jin.
But the girl took a step back, gently hugging her own arms:
“It’s fine. You should quickly take Sakura Blizzard and the others to rendezvous with the Task Force rescue.”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, almost like talking to herself:
“…I’m fine. I’m just a little tired, want to rest for a while, I’ll soon…”
“Hui Jin?”
Xia Che gradually felt something was wrong.
He called Hui Jin’s name again, but got no response.
He suddenly noticed that the flames on Hui Jin had almost completely extinguished.
She was covered in cracks, as if she would shatter the next second.
“Sorry…”
The girl said, then fell backward.
“Hui Jin!”
Xia Che rushed over, dropping to his knees with a thud, using his knees as a cushion for Hui Jin, while his arms wrapped around her slender waist.
“What’s wrong with you!”
He shouted anxiously, shaking the girl’s shoulders repeatedly, hoping she would push his hand away and say impatiently, “What? Just sleeping, so noisy!”
But the girl remained silent, the light in her eyes fading rapidly.
“Hui Jin, don’t sleep! Don’t sleep… Xiao Chi is still waiting for you!”
Xia Che’s hands were trembling, his heart filled with immense panic.
“Didn’t you make a promise with her? To always stay by her side! Don’t break your promise!”
Hui Jin responded to those words.
Her small body curled up slightly, like an injured kitten shrinking into Xia Che’s arms.
Her dim, deep red eyes seemed to look at Xia Che, but also at something else.
She slightly pulled the corners of her mouth and said softly in a hoarse voice:
“…We didn’t pinky swear, so it doesn’t count…”
After saying that, Hui Jin completely fell silent.
Her breathing became shallower and shallower, and her heartbeat was almost imperceptible.
“Hui Jin! Hui Jin!!!”
A deep sense of helplessness swept over Xia Che’s entire body.
During the Great Catastrophe, he had watched his parents sacrifice themselves to let him live.
In battle, he could only watch helplessly as Shadows took away the person most important to him, powerless.
Now, was he going to let the person who risked her life to save him die in his arms?
Xia Che’s eyes trembled, and he gasped heavily.
He didn’t want to see anyone else get hurt because of him.
He didn’t want to see others die because of him.
He didn’t want… didn’t want…!
He didn’t want Hui Jin to die…!
The moment this thought was born, he began to recall every piece of knowledge he had learned, every sentence he had heard.
Memory rewound rapidly, until he was back in the classroom, hearing Lulu say excitedly:
“…At that critical moment, the male lead’s kiss gave Xiao Meng power!”
Kiss.
Xia Che was slightly stunned.
In many magical girl works, magical girls are described as incarnations of love.
Whether it’s the friendship between friends or the care between family, they can bring power to magical girls.
Among them, the strongest and purest power that can bring to magical girls is the word “love” itself.
If there was a way to directly express love to a magical girl…
A kiss!
Xia Che tightly gripped Hui Jin’s shoulders, his eyes locked on the girl’s small, pink lips.
He swallowed, his heart suddenly racing.
He suddenly slapped himself!
‘Xia Che, what are you thinking! Hui Jin is dying, how can you have such a filthy thought in your mind!’
He was sure he didn’t like Hui Jin.
Since childhood, there had been many girls around him, but he had never been in a relationship with any of them.
Because he couldn’t let go of Ye Xiao Chi.
Xiao Chi was very dependent on him now, but once he fell in love, the relationship with Xiao Chi would inevitably become distant.
That wouldn’t do.
Ye Xiao Chi had saved him from the most desperate darkness.
For Xia Che, Ye Xiao Chi was the most important person.
If Ye Xiao Chi wanted, he could stay by her side for life.
But now…
Xia Che took a deep breath.
Kissing Hui Jin might not be the only way, but it was the only thing he could do now.
Hui Jin was his savior; he had to save her, one life for another.
That meant this wasn’t a kiss full of love.
It was a kiss of camaraderie!
What it contained was the beautiful bond between senior and junior who fought side by side!
With that thought, Xia Che made up his mind, tightened his arms around the girl, and used his hand to support the back of her neck.
He then noticed that the girl was really light, so light that he could lift her without effort;
And her body was really soft, like some kind of fluffy little animal;
And her lips, small, pink, slightly parted, as if tempting him to kiss them.
‘Miss Hui Jin, this is your fault.’
He leaned down and said softly:
“You promised Xiao Chi, you know. You can’t sneak away…”
Saving Hui Jin was also Ye Xiao Chi’s wish.
Xia Che thought to himself at last.
Because it was what Ye Xiao Chi wanted, he had to do it.
This was all for Xiao Chi…
He kissed the girl’s lips.