Chapter 4: Will the Magical Girl Daddy meet his daughter’s childhood sweetheart?

Good.

The battle ended quickly, and Feizuan didn’t follow.

The petite, cloaked girl sprinted swiftly through the alleyways.

To avoid leaving traces, she deliberately refrained from using magic.

Only after running a great distance and confirming no one was nearby did she gradually slow to a stop, panting in small gasps.

While magical girls enhance their physical bodies, without using magic, their physical strength isn’t particularly high.

“Hah… hah…”

Hui Jin wiped the monster’s blood from her chin with the back of her hand, planning her escape route.

She generally wouldn’t revert to her civilian form near a battle site, as that made it too easy to be photographed.

She usually chose to revert to Ye Qianqiu in a surveillance blind spot at the edge of the cordoned area.

The good news was, she had fought near here before and knew a likely safe evacuation route:

Exit the alley, immediately turn right into the underground passageway, and revert in the restroom there.

After confirming the route, Hui Jin let out a small sigh of relief.

She was the type who liked to plan and prepare for everything, preferring to keep things within a controllable range.

This sense of control made her feel secure.

Conversely, anything that happened outside her expectations would make her uneasy.

In short, it was great to have perfectly contained the situation within the smallest possible scope…

The corner of the girl’s mouth lifted slightly.

Exiting the underground passage would lead directly to Ye Xiao Chi’s high school.

It was a bit late to go now, but it should still be manageable.

After the parent-teacher meeting, I’ll take my daughter out for a meal… Hmm…

Today happens to be Crazy Friday, so let’s get RFC.

The alley wind blew in gusts, carrying a slight chill.

The cloak pressed against Hui Jin’s petite frame, outlining the girl’s lovely curves.

She left the alley and entered the underground passage.

The crowds here had also been evacuated.

A picnic blanket piled with rusty pots and pans in a corner was likely some beggar’s shelter.

Tap, tap, tap…

The crisp sound of high heels striking the marble floor echoed through the empty passage, creating layers of reverberation.

“…And after eating, I still have to go back and work overtime.”

Hui Jin muttered quietly to herself, opening her pink, delicate mouth in a big yawn:

“Hah… Day in, day out, it’s just exhausting…”

When alone, people tend to slip into a more comfortable state.

Even someone as self-proclaimed cautious as Hui Jin was no exception.

Upon seeing the restroom sign, she first pulled back her hood, then removed her mask, walking towards the sink.

The mirror above the sink reflected a girl with a delicate, cute face, yet one that showed clear exhaustion.

Beside her reflection stood a tall, young man with handsome, clean-cut features.

“Time to revert and then… Huh?”

Hui Jin stared in confusion at the young man in the mirror.

The young man in the mirror also looked at her and gave a friendly wave.

“…?”

The girl stiffly turned her head to look behind her.

The young man standing at the restroom entrance met her gaze, then revealed a bright, cheerful smile:

“Hello?”

“…”

Hui Jin rubbed her eyes.

Was she not awake?

Why was she seeing her daughter’s childhood friend in a restroom within a cordoned area?

Could it be that the accumulated fatigue from constant overtime had caused hallucinations?

The girl closed her eyes, then slowly opened them again.

At the restroom entrance, that bright, cheerful boy was still standing there, smiling at her.

It wasn’t a hallucination!!!

Hui Jin screamed internally.

To suppress her twitching mouth, she clenched her teeth, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowing slightly as she glanced at Xia Che out of the corner of her eye:

“…Tch.”

Xia Che’s smile began to falter.

Why did he feel disliked? Was he really that detestable?

Such a look of disgust on their first meeting!

Both their minds were racing wildly.

Neither said another word, and the small restroom fell into an eerie silence.

Until Xia Che spoke first, breaking the silence:

“Excuse me… are you Miss Hui Jin?”

Hui Jin’s heart skipped a beat:

Xia Che actually knew her code name?

Was he at the scene during the battle? Or did he watch the stream?

Wasn’t this all a bit too coincidental?

But if that’s the case…

A coldness settled in Hui Jin’s heart.

A glint of frost flashed in her eyes.

With a flip of her small hand, black ash coalesced into a broken sword in her palm, pointing directly at Xia Che’s throat!

“Damn monster, impersonating a survivor? Watch me execute you on the spot right now!”

Turning the tables!

Though utterly unreasonable, it was an excellent way to prevent being seen through and to seize the initiative in the conversation!

—This was the cunning scheme of an adult.

Sorry about this, Xia Che.

My identity can’t be exposed here.

Xia Che was indeed startled, flinching.

He raised both hands high above his head, giving Hui Jin a French military salute:

“Whoa! Don’t cut me! I’m human, I’m a person!”

“Hah? A person? Why would an ordinary citizen appear in a cordoned area? Weren’t you evacuated?”

Hui Jin lowered the broken sword and advanced step by step—literally.

She took several consecutive steps forward, backing Xia Che into a corner until her chin was almost touching his chest:

“How can I believe… you’re not a spy sent by the monsters!”

The girl rubbed her chin, scrutinizing the young man from bottom to top, meticulously, as if truly trying to see through him.

To this, Xia Che offered the answer he had prepared in advance:

“I’m friends with Feizuan! She can vouch for my identity!”

Yes, encountering such a situation was also within his expectations.

On the way here, he had prepared several lines of reasoning in advance to handle different scenarios.

After all, Hui Jin was a hero of unknown identity.

She couldn’t be underestimated.

Although his physical position was quite disadvantageous, Xia Che could tell at a glance that the girl before him was bluffing.

—Her acting was terrible.

She had shown considerable agitation upon first seeing him, yet immediately launched an attack.

It clearly looked like an attempt to cover up her own panic.

Suspicious, but also a bit strange:

What exactly was that look of disgust trying to conceal?

His mind raced with thoughts.

Simultaneously, the girl named Hui Jin gave a reaction that matched his expectations:

First, a stunned pause, then her eyes began to dart away.

Though her expression remained cold, you could clearly feel her momentum deflate significantly.

It was somewhat similar to her expression when she first saw him?

“You…”

Just as Hui Jin was about to speak, Xia Che suddenly leaned down.

He was about one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, a head taller than the girl, so his shadow completely enveloped her.

The girl, already somewhat distracted, was startled by this sudden movement and stumbled backward several steps.

If she hadn’t bumped into the sink, Xia Che had no doubt she would have landed squarely on her backside.

“What are you doing?”

Hui Jin’s deep red, blood-like eyes stared at him warily, her shoulders hunched.

Combined with her gray hair and delicate, cute face, she looked exactly like a vigilant rabbit.

Xia Che pressed his advantage—literally.

He took a few steps forward, looking down at the girl from his height.

Thus, the situation reversed, both physically and conversationally:

“You know Feizuan?”

“…No, I don’t.” Hui Jin averted her gaze.

So she does know her…

Getting this answer, Xia Che actually felt a wave of relief.

If she was an acquaintance, she probably intervened because she saw Xiao Chi was in danger.

In that case, could he ask for her help?

So, he pointed at himself and asked:

“Then, do you know me?”