The two men in sunglasses stood one in front and one behind, watching Lin Du like they were escorting a prisoner.
Lin Du glanced at their right hands, both buried in their pockets, clearly gripping something.
His heart sank.
Someone was coming to call him to account.
Could it be the Bureau Chief?
If it were the Bureau Chief, he would have called first.
He wouldn’t send people in the middle of the night to take him away like a criminal.
Lin Du frowned.
Things might be more complicated than he imagined.
The three of them reached the ground floor.
The thinner man tilted his head and pulled open the car door.
“Get in.”
Everything felt like a dream.
After Lin Du left in the middle of the night, Bai Li washed her face and went back to sleep.
When the alarm woke her again, sunlight was already streaming through the gaps in the curtains.
Bai Li picked up the wristband, now overflowing with magical energy, and turned it over in her hands, unsure what to do.
She felt like she was playing a game and had accidentally triggered a bug.
If she kept going, who knew when the game would crash, and her save file would become unreadable.
But if she quit now, all her effort and progress would disappear.
Everything would have to start over.
Lin Du had been taken away by the Bureau of Anomalies.
What did they want with him?
Would he report her?
But if Lin Du really wanted to report her, he would have turned her in last night instead of telling her to hide.
After he pinned her down, he did that to her…
Bai Li pulled the blanket tighter, wrapping it around her chin.
What was that guy thinking?
After he pinned her down, he did that to her.
What was he trying to confirm?
Her gender?
Was there even a need to confirm it?
She looked down at her front armor, pressed it with her hand, and curled her lip.
Fine, maybe it was a bit hard to tell.
The sensation of fingers sliding across her skin still seemed to linger.
Her thighs unconsciously squeezed together slightly.
“Creep.”
Bai Li muttered, punching the blanket hard.
It let out a muffled thump.
Whatever.
Staying here was pointless.
Take it one step at a time.
Maybe after today, she wouldn’t be able to live in this city as “Bai Li” anymore.
Treat today as her last day—the last time she’d experience life as a high school student.
Tomorrow, she’d go confess to Madam, accept her punishment, and go back to being the Bai Li who lived in the sewer.
Bai Li kicked off the blanket, changed into her school uniform, and left Lin Du’s apartment.
The April wind hit her face, carrying the scent of grass and soil.
The annoying special period was finally over.
As she walked out of the building entrance, Bai Li took a deep breath, feeling every alveolus expand with cool air.
Her mind felt incredibly clear now, the balance of reason restored, her sharp intellect back in command.
Although going to school alone felt a little strange, wasn’t this what she wanted?
It also gave her a chance to enjoy the scenery along the way, keep her distance, reduce contact, and lower the risk of exposure.
“Bai Li!”
A familiar voice came from behind.
Bai Li turned around and saw Xiao Yu jogging to catch up, one hand holding her backpack strap and the other waving at her.
“Morning…”
Her eyes widened as she stared at the two lumps bouncing up and down on Xiao Yu’s chest with every step, like two soft little rabbits.
For some reason, a feeling of envy rose from the bottom of her heart.
She looked down at her own school uniform, then back at Xiao Yu’s, and curled her lip.
“What’s wrong, Bai Li?”
Xiao Yu stopped in front of her, hands on her knees, catching her breath.
She straightened up and peered behind Bai Li.
“Where’s Lin Du?
Don’t you two usually walk to school together?”
“He… maybe something came up at home.
He didn’t come with me today.”
Bai Li scratched the back of her head, looking away.
“Oh.”
Xiao Yu nodded, not pressing further.
“Let’s go, then.”
Bai Li gave a slight nod, and they walked side by side toward school.
Woo—woo—
A fire truck sped past them not far away.
Bai Li followed its direction and noticed a residential building with flames roaring from the middle floors.
Fire licked out from the balcony windows, black smoke billowing up from the roof like a giant dragon.
With her fox clan vision, she could make out the details on that balcony—the source of the fire.
A woman was holding her child out over the railing.
The child’s legs kicked wildly in the air, small hands desperately clutching the window frame.
The woman’s face was blackened with smoke.
“This isn’t good.”
Bai Li murmured, looking left and right.
The streets were full of people.
There was no way she could drop her disguise.
And even if she did, with her speed, she couldn’t make it that far in time.
Still, in a crisis like this, the Blazing Knight should step in.
Bai Li took a deep breath, forcing her worry down.
Whoosh!
A sharp, tearing sound cut through the air above her, as if something had ripped the sky apart.
Bai Li jerked her head up.
“Is that a bird?”
A passerby nearby squinted, shielding his eyes with his hand.
“Is that a plane?”
Another tilted his head back at a ninety-degree angle.
“That’s—a Magical Girl!”
Xiao Yu’s eyes went wide as she pointed at the sky.
A pink ribbon of light stretched from the horizon.
At its end, a pink-and-white figure was diving toward the burning building at an incredible speed.
She landed steadily on the balcony, one arm wrapping around the child’s waist and the other gripping the woman’s arm.
A pink glow radiated from her, forming a transparent bubble that enveloped all three, shielding them from the flames and smoke.
Then she leaped lightly, the ribbon of light extending again to lower the woman and child gently to the ground.
The crowd froze for a moment, then burst into thunderous applause and cheers.
“A Magical Girl!
It’s really a Magical Girl!”
“Does A City have a Magical Girl now?!”
“Amazing—!”
Xiao Yu stamped her feet excitedly, clapping until her hands were red.
Bai Li didn’t clap.
She squinted, staring at the pink-haired girl standing on the ground.
She watched her retract her wings, bend down to say something to the child, and then straighten up, smiling gently toward the crowd.
A pink dress with white lace, a star-tipped magic staff in her hand.
That person—Bai Li felt like she had seen her somewhere before.
“Thank you, everyone!
Thank you!”
In the sunlight, the pink-haired girl waved at the crowd, then winked playfully, staff in hand.
She leaped lightly, like a pink butterfly, soaring over the rooftops and disappearing into the city sky.
The crowd remained rooted, looking up, buzzing with chatter.
Bai Li pulled her gaze away and looked down at the pavement beneath her feet.
Pink hair, wings, and that curvaceous figure…
Suddenly, something clicked in her mind.
She jerked her head up.
“No way…”
“What’s wrong, Bai Li?”
Xiao Yu tilted her head and tugged at her sleeve.
“Ah, nothing, nothing.”
Bai Li waved her hand and quickly started walking again.
Yup, replace the city’s protector, have them retired, then stop protecting.