Back at the temporary camp.
A rookie soldier in charge of reception immediately straightened his back and gave a crisp military salute the moment he saw Amber Flowing Light and Fei Xia return.
“Ma’ams! Thank you for your hard work! Welcome back!”
The rookie’s face was filled with the excitement of seeing idols, yet he didn’t dare look directly at them.
He bowed slightly and gestured for them to follow.
“Please come with me. The tent prepared for you two is over here. It’s already been tidied up.”
He led the two to a sheltered corner on the inner side of the camp.
The tent before them was noticeably larger than the ones the soldiers were using, and the material looked far more refined.
The rookie eagerly lifted the tent flap.
Fei Xia glanced inside. Thick moisture-proof mats had been laid out, with warm-looking quilts and cushions in the center.
However… there was only one set.
Fei Xia frowned. Such a luxurious single tent—it seemed the status of magical girls was higher than she had imagined.
“Thanks for the hard work! Thanks, bro!”
Amber Flowing Light replied somewhat perfunctorily, as if she was used to this kind of treatment. She then naturally linked arms with Fei Xia and tried to drag her inside.
“Wait.”
Fei Xia stopped in her tracks.
“Am I sleeping here too?”
“What are you thinking, Little Red Bean~”
Amber Flowing Light turned back and pointed at the spacious interior as though it was obvious.
“This tent is so big. It’s more than enough for two people to squeeze in! We’re both girls anyway. What’s wrong with a little cuddling~”
The corner of Fei Xia’s mouth twitched. The reason was self-evident.
“Um… if…”
The rookie who hadn’t left yet saw this and thought the two important guests were dissatisfied because of insufficient supplies.
His face reddened as he quickly spoke up.
“If you don’t mind, I can give you my sleeping bag! I’m not tired at all. I can go stand watch!”
“…No need.”
Fei Xia sighed and refused outright.
It wasn’t that she was being picky. She simply wasn’t the type who liked troubling others.
Rather than bother someone else, she would rather trouble herself.
It was only one night anyway. It would pass in the blink of an eye.
Holding onto this naive thought, Fei Xia steeled herself and entered the tent.
However.
Just two hours later, she deeply regretted it.
***
2 AM.
Inside the dark tent, Fei Xia slowly opened her eyes.
There was not a trace of sleepiness in her pupils—only deep irritation and the urge to kill someone.
She couldn’t sleep.
It wasn’t because of the anxiety from her over two million in debt, nor was it moral concerns about sharing a room with a girl.
It was all because of the person beside her.
Amber Flowing Light had terrible sleeping habits.
She was sprawled out, occupying most of the bedding, with her limbs shamelessly wrapped around Fei Xia.
One leg was pressed heavily on her stomach, one arm draped across her chest hugging her shoulder, and she was even unconsciously scratching and trying to slip her hand inside the collar.
“Hehe… so soft… gimme more…”
The girl was even letting out dreamy, perverted-sounding sleep talk.
Fei Xia’s face was covered in black lines.
She had spent the entire night on edge, terrified that she might accidentally take advantage of the other girl.
Turns out, after all that worry, she was the one being taken advantage of.
Without mercy, she reached out, picked up the restless paw like she was handling trash, and flung it away in disgust.
“Mmm…”
Amber Flowing Light rolled over, hugged the nearby pillow, and continued sleeping soundly.
Fei Xia let out a long breath of relief. She quietly slipped out of the quilt and slowly stood up.
Because the cloak had felt too cumbersome while sleeping, she was now only wearing the dress underneath.
She had also undone her usual twin tails.
Under the faint moonlight filtering through the tent seams, her full outfit—which had never been completely displayed before—was finally revealed.
It was an intricately designed yet lightweight pure white off-the-shoulder dress.
Combined with her unbound crimson hair that cascaded down like a waterfall.
In the cold moonlight, this shade of red didn’t appear fiery or passionate. Instead, it resembled an aged red wine flowing silently.
The rich crimson strands scattered across the snow-white fabric.
The extreme contrast between red and white created a stunning, seductive visual impact.
The semi-transparent lace trim at the collar perfectly outlined the girl’s delicate, deep collarbones and rounded, fair shoulders.
The layered skirt resembled blooming white epiphyllum flowers.
Beneath the hem were white stockings wrapping her long legs, giving off an ethereal, otherworldly sense of purity.
Yet the one wearing this “pure white” outfit possessed a cold, dead-fish-eyed soul.
Fei Xia looked down to adjust her skirt hem.
Her doll-like exquisite face showed no expression whatsoever.
Her eyes were indifferent, as if she had seen through the mortal world, or was simply tired of everything in existence.
The extreme cuteness and extreme coldness intertwined, creating a strange and dangerous chemical reaction.
Like a bloodstained white epiphyllum blooming on frozen permafrost—breathtakingly beautiful, yet radiating a chill that kept everyone at a distance.
Pure. Cold. And seductive.
“…Tsk, it’s freezing.”
Fei Xia rubbed her arms. She felt this damn dress was too drafty.
She casually grabbed the torn black cloak beside her and draped it over herself again, covering up that breathtaking sight. Then she crouched and slipped out of the tent.
The wind outside was even stronger.
Fei Xia tightened her collar and headed toward where she remembered Qinghai Starlight was supposed to be standing watch, hoping to warm herself by the fire.
However, when she arrived, she only saw a pile of long-extinguished embers.
The campfire had gone out ages ago, not even a trace of warmth remained.
‘Where is she?’
Fei Xia frowned and looked around. There was no one in sight.
Maybe she went on patrol or to the bathroom.
Fei Xia sat down on a cold rock nearby.
To warm herself up, she stretched out her fingers and tried to imitate the fire magic she had seen before, attempting to create a small flame at her fingertips.
Hiss—
A wisp of dark red magic power flashed by, but instead of forming a flame, it fizzled like a dud firecracker, releasing a puff of black smoke before dying out.
She tried several more times. Either nothing happened, or she output too much magic power and nearly caused an explosion.
“…”
Fei Xia stared at her smoking fingers and fell silent.
She thought of Peachfluff. Maybe she really needed to find a teacher to learn basic magic power control.
Giving up on starting a fire, Fei Xia hugged her knees, huddled inside her cloak, and waited.
The wind howled as time passed minute by minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Qinghai Starlight still hadn’t returned.
As the person on night watch, leaving her post for such a long time was already abnormal—especially in the dangerous wasteland.
‘Something’s wrong.’
Fei Xia stood up, her expression growing serious.
She closed her eyes and activated her magic radar.
The black-and-white lined world reconstructed itself before her.
Amid the chaotic wind and radiation interference, she picked up a faint trace of familiar light blue magic power residue.
That magic power wasn’t patrolling the surroundings. Instead, it pointed straight toward…
The direction where the supply truck was parked.
Fei Xia opened her eyes.
A cold glint flashed in her pupils.
Without any hesitation, she tapped her foot lightly.
Her body rose gracefully into the air as she followed the trace, silently gliding toward the depths of the darkness.