Church

“So what, did you finish your homework? Today’s assigned essay has to be 800 words.”

“Homework? I’ll just write something casually.”

Hearing “800 words” actually made He Zunyi relax.

Back when he was grinding away on the front lines of research, his daily reports were longer than that. Padding an essay was basically effortless.

Fang Yutian, meanwhile, went back to reading.

It was an encyclopedia of firearms, cataloging weapons from early modern times to the present.

He could transform his staff into all kinds of weapons, but only if he understood their structure.

Cold weapons like blades and swords were simple. Their forms were straightforward, and all they required was enough energy to maintain strength.

Firearms were different.

Complex machinery meant complex internal construction. To recreate them, he needed to understand every component and assemble them piece by piece.

So he studied.

The two of them fell into an awkward silence.

To be honest, He Zunyi had originally wanted to ask Fang Yutian about Ma Guohao’s birthday banquet.

But for some reason, the conversation just… stalled.

School time passed quickly.

By the time afternoon dismissal arrived, He Zunyi still hadn’t made any other friends.

She sat alone at her desk, occasionally chatting with Fang Yutian.

One thing stood out, though.

Fang Yutian showed little interest in her personal matters, but whenever the topic drifted toward Ma Guohao, he would actually respond.

Eventually, she returned home uneventfully.

No real gains.

Thinking it over, she realized she had always been a loner.

At school.

At the research institute.

Within the organization.

Even the body-switch mission with Xia Yuhe had been carried out entirely on her own.

As the sun set, she watched her thin shadow stretch across the ground.

She followed it, stepping on it one footprint at a time.

Her shadow stepped exactly where she did.

One, two, three, four.

Hands in her pockets, she took a few bigger strides.

Five, six, seven, eight.

She stopped.

And laughed to herself.

Right there in the middle of the bus stop.

Other people stood off to the sides, absorbed in their phones.

As a girl, she felt lonely in a way she rarely had before.

“So… are you okay?”

A woman’s voice sounded beside her.

He Zunyi jumped and instinctively stepped back.

Only then did she notice the girl.

Black hair tied in a ponytail.

White hoodie.

Gray sweatpants.

She was only about a forehead shorter than her.

But the way she spoke felt strangely familiar.

Was she one of Xia Yuhe’s friends?

That didn’t make sense.

Her friends should still be at her old school.

And yet…

Why did this girl feel so familiar?

“I know something like that happened to you yesterday. For a girl, that kind of experience can be really rough.”

“It must’ve felt awful.”

“Don’t bottle it up alone.”

The girl stepped closer and patted He Zunyi on the shoulder.

Yesterday.

That word triggered something.

Suddenly, He Zunyi remembered where she had seen that face.

Magical Girl Red.

“You’re Red—!”

She blurted it out instinctively.

Her mouth snapped shut.

Red used telekinesis to seal it.

“Tch. Don’t shout my identity out loud.”

“It’ll be a pain to go out after that.”

Red made a shushing gesture.

He Zunyi nodded frantically.

Only then did Red release the telekinetic restraint.

“How about coming to the church with me?”

“It’s a great place to talk things out.”

“Don’t keep it all inside.”

Red smiled gently, without a trace of ulterior intent, and extended the invitation.

He Zunyi hesitated.

This seemed like a good chance to learn more about Red.

After all, she’d been active in the city for five years, yet no detailed or reliable intelligence had ever surfaced.

Still—

If Red had stayed secretive for five years, would she really invite someone so casually?

Was this a trap?

Had Red already seen through her identity and was baiting her?

Doubt lingered.

But curiosity won.

“Uh… okay.”

Nearby, Xia Yuhe (with He Zunyi’s body) and Kada, both disguised as ordinary people, froze.

“The target is with Red.”

“Do we still have a chance, Doctor?”

“No idea.”

“Let’s follow for now.”

With that, Xia Yuhe merged into the crowd boarding the bus.

Sunlight filtered through stained glass, casting fractured patterns across the church floor.

The air carried a faint scent of incense.

Only one or two nuns were quietly cleaning in the corners, the soft sweep of brooms echoing now and then.

Red grabbed He Zunyi’s hand and practically dragged her toward the confessional.

She clearly wanted He Zunyi to unload her stress properly—before she lost it out on the streets.

“Don’t worry, Yuhe.”

“The sisters here are super gentle.”

“Just tell them what’s bothering you.”

“They’ll help.”

With that, Red pushed He Zunyi inside the confessional.

He Zunyi stumbled, nearly falling.

She turned back to look at Red, eyes full of unease and confusion.

She lifted her gaze to the frescoed dome overhead.

It felt impossibly distant.

Red’s eyes gradually cooled.

Her heart drifted upward, into the clouds, alongside angels.

In the end, wasn’t heaven just another name for the Realm of Light in the human world?

A realm of ideals and archetypes.

The source of all existence.

Did her contract with the spirits of light make her an executor of some abstract principle?

Angels…

Perhaps they were simply humanity’s interpretation of that power.

And churches—

Windows through which people tried to connect to the Realm of Light.

Was what she did truly justice?

Or was she merely carrying out the will of something higher?

Then she remembered the beginning.

The sea of fire.

That villain’s twisted face.

His wild laughter, as if admiring his own masterpiece.

For her, this had nothing to do with justice.

It was revenge.

That was her origin.

Doing good was incidental.

This was revenge.

She couldn’t accept that monster continuing to breathe under the same sky.

That walking embodiment of sin.

What enraged her most was this—

Without this power, she couldn’t kill him.

And without killing him, there was no revenge.

That was all.

Becoming a magical girl was the path she chose.

Nothing more.

Red pulled herself out of her thoughts.

An elderly nun approached her, dressed neatly in black, wearing a kindly smile.

“My lady, it’s been a long time.”

“How have things been lately?” Red asked casually. “I heard you were short on hands last time and needed reinforcements.”

“That’s improved,” the nun replied. “We’ve purged a large number of monsters who had truly atoned, so manpower is currently quite sufficient.”

“That’s good.”

The nun paused, as if recalling something.

“Oh, right. Lord Yibu mentioned something recently…”

“Some kind of new development.”

“A new development?” Red asked. “Don’t tell me it’s…?”

The nun smiled faintly.

“I don’t know the details.”

“I only heard it involves a new magical girl.”

“But that magical girl…”

“She doesn’t quite share your style.”