Chapter 37: Xia Che was very puzzled

Xia Che was very puzzled.

He thought he had already found the answer, though it was hard to believe—

But after eliminating all impossibilities, whatever remained, no matter how absurd, had to be the truth:

The true identity of the magical girl Ash was Ye Qianqiu.

His first suspicion arose that night when Ash was walking with Xiao Chi and he was behind them.

At first, he suspected the person beside him, thinking Lu Lulu was very likely the magical girl Ash, but gradually he discovered that Ash’s feelings for Xiao Chi ran much deeper than he had imagined.

Not to mention Ash’s infinite indulgence toward Xiao Chi, there was also the occasional protectiveness Ash showed, the reluctance when preparing to leave, and the determination to sacrifice herself to save Xiao Chi at the moment of life and death…

These could never be the actions of a friend or a secret admirer; they were more like familial affection.

He hadn’t been sure before, but now Xia Che was certain—

Ash’s feelings for Xiao Chi were akin to family.

That meant Lulu could be ruled out.

And Ye Xiao Chi’s only family…

Though Xia Che himself barely counted as family, he wasn’t a magical girl, so the only possibility left was:

—Ye Qianqiu.

During the fight with Zhan Che, the situation was critical and he didn’t think much about it.

But once everything settled, recalling past events and looking at Ash’s face unconscious on the hospital bed, the doubt in his heart grew rapidly.

It finally burst forth when Xiao Chi came running to him that day and said Ye Qianqiu had been missing for several days.

Ash had been unconscious for a week, and Ye Qianqiu happened to be missing for exactly a week—

What were the odds?

So when Ash woke up, Xia Che decided to test his theory.

He didn’t understand why he was so eager to know Ash’s true identity; before he could figure it out, his body was already in motion.

Thus, after leaving the hospital with Ye Xiao Chi, he said he had left something in the ward and asked Xiao Chi to go to the restaurant first, then he returned to the hospital.

The hospital had cameras everywhere, including in the wards.

That phone call—

Ash had to return it, no, Ye Qianqiu had to return it.

In that case, he would have to cancel the transformation, and the best place to do that was the hospital restroom!

When Xia Che saw Ye Qianqiu washing his face at the sink, he almost called out “Ash” directly.

At that moment, Ye Qianqiu was defenseless;

If suddenly called by that name, he would definitely slip up.

But he didn’t.

He wanted both to expose Ye Qianqiu’s disguise and to avoid the truth.

—Xia Che had always been someone who believed only what he saw.

Even if he was 99.9% certain, without seeing it himself, he couldn’t treat it as fact.

So he made that phone call, and even after that, he returned to the hospital again, yet still couldn’t catch Ash in a slip.

It was as if Ye Qianqiu had really just come to visit a friend, and Ash had never left the hospital at all, even though the girl’s red face gave away that she had just been fiercely active.

But the question “Why is your face red?”

Was brushed off by the girl with “I haven’t exercised in a while, so I did a few rehab exercises.”

Did magical girls even need rehab?

Before Xia Che could doubt further, his phone received a text from Ye Qianqiu saying, “Send me a message after you meet up with Xiao Chi,” but the Ash on the bed clearly hadn’t typed anything.

It was almost as if she were blatantly telling him that Ash and Ye Qianqiu were two different people.

In short, Xia Che was very puzzled.

All the clues pointed to Ye Qianqiu, yet he couldn’t verify his conjecture.

This both tormented him and brought a slight relief—

If only Ash’s true identity were just an ordinary girl.

Xia Che stared blankly at his own palm, and before his eyes appeared the sunset, a girl, and her smile.

Then, realizing he was thinking about her again, Xia Che frowned and shook his head.

Right now, Xiao Chi was the most important person to him.

“Is it… Mr. Xia Che? You can come in now.”

The magical girl Sapphire poked half her body out from the door, then pushed it fully open and stepped out.

Seeing him still lost in thought, she walked over and patted his shoulder.

“Oi!”

Xia Che looked up, dazed by Sapphire’s lazy expression, then snapped back to reality and quickly stood up.

“Okay, okay! I’m coming in!”

Sapphire raised her hand and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t be so nervous. You did a good job on this mission.”

With that, she waved and left.

Xia Che straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

“Director Jiang, may I come in?”

“Come in.”

After receiving permission, Xia Che pushed the door open and entered, seeing Jiang Yiyun sitting behind her desk in the classic Gendo Ikari pose.

“Good morning, Director Jiang.”

Xia Che sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

Jiang Yiyun nodded, wearing her signature polite yet distant smile.

“Comrade Xiao Xia, you did well this time. Not only did you get Ash to join the Task Force, but you also actively cooperated with the magical girls after the battle, ensuring Ash received timely treatment… If it weren’t for you, Ash would have been in great danger.”

Xia Che shook his head.

“Ash did far more than I did. This isn’t something worth praising.”

Jiang Yiyun put her hands down and leaned back in her chair, a look of approval in her eyes.

“…In any case, I’ll honor the reward. Shandian’s team happens to need a dispatcher… but I think there’s a position more suitable for you.”

Xia Che was puzzled.

“More suitable position…?”

Jiang Yiyun sat up straight, and her smile entered phase two—

A mischievous smirk.

She picked up the teapot from the corner of the table, poured herself a cup, and also poured one for Xia Che.

He quickly accepted it with both hands.

Once that was done, she spoke leisurely.

“As a newly debuted magical girl, Ash has received unprecedented attention. After all, she single-handedly defeated an A-rank Shadow… The last time Rain City had a Shadow was seven years ago, and that one was Ex-rank. The one Ash handled was weaker, but she made it quite a spectacle.”

She took a sip of tea and continued.

“Both her fighting style and appearance suit the audience’s tastes. If she continues to develop, it’s not impossible for her to become the second Candy.”

“I agree with what you’re saying—Ash is indeed a very outstanding magical girl—but what exactly are you getting at?”

Xia Che felt a little uneasy.

“I mean…”

Jiang Yiyun lowered her eyes and gently swirled her teacup.

“There are plenty of people fighting to become Ash’s agent right now.”

Xia Che calmly took a sip of tea, pretending not to understand Jiang Yiyun’s implication.

“Given that Ash is now a popular hero, cooperating with her would probably bring a lot of benefits.”

Jiang Yiyun smiled slightly.

“Is that really okay? Becoming an agent means that a certain man would spend over a dozen hours a day by Miss Ash’s side, helping her with work and even personal troubles. If this goes on for several years, the two of you will probably become the people closest to each other… Although regulations don’t allow agents and heroes to be together, such things aren’t rare, you know?”

Xia Che stared at Jiang Yiyun for a long while before speaking.

“I don’t have that kind of relationship with Ash…”

“I understand, I understand.”

Jiang Yiyun raised both hands and waved them by her sides, looking innocent.

“I never said you and Miss Ash were in any relationship. I’m just telling you what might happen in the future.”

“Besides, being an agent isn’t easy. If personalities don’t match, getting fired is normal. There was once a hero who changed eighteen agents in one month.”

She finished her tea, stood up, walked to the front of the desk, leaned on it, and bent down slightly to speak softly.

“…But if you were Ash’s agent, I’d be very relieved. After all, you know Ash well, and Ash trusts you relatively more. How about it? Want to give it a try?”

Xia Che lowered his head.

Becoming Ash’s agent had only benefits and no drawbacks for him.

Not only could he learn a lot, but he’d also have a legitimate reason to stay by Ash’s side…

For Xiao Chi’s sake, he needed to become stronger—

Whether in connections or skills, he still had much to learn.

“I understand. I can take on the role of Ash’s agent.”

Xia Che looked up and spoke seriously.

“But Director Jiang, I have one request… This isn’t a transaction, but a personal request from me.”

The corners of Jiang Yiyun’s mouth lifted slightly, curiosity showing on her face.

“Tell me.”

Xia Che took a deep breath and said slowly.

“I… want to become a hero.”