From the podium, the lecturer’s analysis of ‘A Hundred Years of Harmony’ slowly receded into an indistinct background hum.
Silvia, however, found herself utterly disengaged from the lesson.
A subtle, persistent tingling sensation was the only thing that truly held her attention.
What was more, it wasn’t just a single kind.
All the while, Xia Naxin remained unusually quiet, her finger tracing endless circles on the screen.
This quiet action sent shivers through Silvia’s entire body.
In this state, she bore little resemblance to the formidable Special Grade Magical Girl she was known to be.
And yet… their relationship was still merely that of ‘half-lovers’.
To think, things had already progressed this far.
If their relationship were to truly blossom, Silvia dared not imagine the boundless happiness that awaited her.
Yes, she would certainly be filled to the brim with it…
****
“Ding—”
The school bell finally rang.
Silvia braced herself, sitting upright as she observed the classroom’s bustling throng slowly dissipate.
Turning, she leaned against the desk behind her and practically melted into Xia Naxin’s arms, her hands firmly encircling the other’s waist.
“Xia! Na! Xin!”
She uttered each syllable distinctly, feigning annoyance, even as her nose playfully nuzzled against the curve of Xia Naxin’s neck, a clear sign of her endearing petulance.
‘What ‘good person’ would maintain a constant, high-frequency, fluctuating presence like that?’
‘Ah, so it was the witch, Xia Naxin~’
“Please stop…”
Silvia’s pleas tumbled out one after another.
Her heart rate had remained stubbornly elevated; this simply couldn’t continue.
“Not yet, little one~ This is what you get for not going on a date with me. I’ll only take it out once I’ve driven you home…”
As she spoke, Xia Naxin’s arm snaked around Silvia’s waist, her fingertips weaving through the silver strands to gently tug at a lock.
Nearby, Lina, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them, rising to her feet without a sound.
She had been a ‘third wheel’ for nearly the entire morning; these two really had no regard for others, did they?
“Do you need me to leave?”
Lina paused, a soft chuckle escaping her lips as her gaze lingered on their intertwined forms.
****
A short while later.
The three descended to the basement parking lot, bathed in the stark glow of the fluorescent lights.
“Be careful not to bump yourself…”
Xia Naxin opened the passenger door, carefully settling Silvia into the seat.
In the rearview mirror, Lina reclined languidly in the backseat, contemplating how best to request blood from Silvia once they were home.
****
The sedan pulled out, and as they began to ascend the slope, Xia Naxin passed Silvia her phone, adding:
“Here, I need to concentrate on driving…”
Upon seeing this, Silvia lightly bit her lower lip, averting her gaze, yet still accepted the phone.
The moment it was in her hand, she pressed and held the power button.
After three agonizing seconds, the device powered down.
With that, Silvia exhaled slowly, feeling as though she had been on the verge of melting entirely.
****
A considerable time elapsed.
“We’re here.”
The crunch of tires on gravel jolted Silvia from her ‘immersion’.
She pushed open the car door with an unusual degree of self-consciousness.
Lina stepped forward to support her.
When her fingers brushed Silvia’s feverish skin, Lina’s eyebrow arched subtly, but she wisely held her tongue.
After watching the two women enter the house.
Inside the car, Xia Naxin’s fingertips traced the phone screen, severing her… connection with Silvia.
It was then that she noticed a distinct damp patch on the passenger seat.
‘Ah, sweat…’
Click~
Xia Naxin unbuckled her seatbelt. What was she planning to do?
Naturally, she would wipe it away.
But how, exactly, would she ‘wipe’ it?
Xia Naxin, of course, leaned down… to wipe it with a tissue.
****
Once inside the house, the two women.
Lina gently guided Silvia to the sofa, settling her down.
Silvia was fully awake now, yet utterly drained, both physically and mentally.
Her eyelids drooped halfway, and a persistent flush still colored her otherwise pale cheeks.
Gazing at Lina, who stood beside her, Silvia surmised that her companion was, in all likelihood, once again craving blood.
Consequently, Silvia turned onto her side, her back to Lina, her hand still absently rubbing.
She spoke:
“Um… help me with two things, and I’ll let you drink my blood…”
At these words, Lina’s eyes narrowed, and she murmured a soft, ‘Disgusting.’
“I truly never imagined you to be this sort of person, with so little regard for propriety.”
Nevertheless, for the sake of drinking blood, she would comply.
After all, she had already regained a fraction of her strength…
With a flick of her finger, a crimson mist surged from her body—Lina intended for the blood mist to act in her stead.
Thus, fixing her gaze on the shimmering rhinestone, with a mere thought, Lina directed the blood mist to plunge into it!
“Mmm-ah♥~”
And as it was withdrawn, it remained open, refusing to close for a considerable time.
But the task wasn’t finished.
There was still one more favor to be done…
A short while later, Silvia felt a sudden lightness suffuse her entire being.
Witnessing this, Lina, her face etched with distaste, controlled the blood mist… and flung it contemptuously aside.
She harbored no desire for direct contact with anything Silvia had used.
Besides, Lina already had a lover, didn’t she?
“Come on~”
Silvia beckoned.
For the next few days, she wanted nothing to do with such pleasure items.
She arched her elegant neck, gesturing to Lina with a hooked finger, a clear invitation for her to proceed.
Lina, of course, would not stand on ceremony with Silvia; it was time for her midday draught of blood.
In the next instant, Lina pressed closer.
Silvia’s collar was delicately parted by Lina’s cool fingertips.
Her gaze fixed on Silvia’s smooth, fair, and fragrant shoulder, Lina leaned in and bit down.
A frown creased Silvia’s brow as pain blossomed on her left shoulder.
Her body, already weary, grew even more pliant.
Having just finished her lessons and endured Xia Naxin’s teasing, she was already profoundly exhausted; to be bled in this manner was simply too much.
Her body and mind truly could not endure it.
A muffled groan escaped her lips, and the sofa armrest crumpled beneath her tight grip.
Warm rivulets of blood now trickled from the corner of Lina’s lips, accompanied by soft, gurgling sounds of swallowing from her throat.
****
When Lina finally released her blood-stained lips and teeth, Silvia felt herself on the verge of collapse.
‘So utterly sleepy, so profoundly weary~’
This exhaustion was further compounded by the faintness of blood loss.
Though sleepiness washed over her, Silvia, ever mindful of her promise, tremblingly retrieved her phone, its cold screen light illuminating her unfocused purple eyes.
Her fingertips traced erratic arcs across the display.
She typed, selected multiple contacts, and sent a group message:
“My darlings, this afternoon… come to my house first to meet up, um, I’ll catch up on my nap… [Attached: location share]”
The instant the send button was pressed, the phone slipped from her grasp with a soft ‘thud,’ landing on her chest.
Silvia drifted into sleep almost immediately.
At this moment, Lina gently covered Silvia with a blanket, just as she had the previous night, considering it a small repayment.
Having drunk the blood, her bones emitted faint, crisp sounds, and her formerly well-fitting dress now stretched a little tighter.
Her long golden hair, cascading over her shoulders, now subtly brushed her waist.
She had grown a little more.
Lina reached out, her fingers gently stroking Silvia’s flushed, feverish cheek.
And those delicate strands of silver hair… their texture was exceptionally fine.
“Sleep well… my blood source.”
She murmured.
Lina gazed at Silvia’s sleeping face, feeling little affection for a woman such as her.
While her hair color, height, and figure bore a slight resemblance to Kuganawa’s, Lina suspected it was more about manipulation.
And then there was this.
Silvia, in public, presented herself as the quintessential Magical Girl, exuding an aura of cool, aloof goddess.
But what about in private?
Her actions that morning—her last-minute rescue of the three girls and the way she disciplined the young witch—spoke volumes.
Furthermore, in college, she secretly maintained a girlfriend, and even in class, she displayed such ‘disregard’ for others.
Lina now understood that Silvia was far from simple; she was certainly not ‘pure’.
Yet, this was, after all, simply human nature, the ebb and flow of emotions and desires, for the Iris Feather Kingdom was populated solely by women—
When people here fell in love, relationships typically involved either mutual giving and receiving, or a dynamic where one was dominant and the other submissive.
It was abundantly clear that Silvia was unequivocally the submissive partner, the ‘weaker’ one in a female relationship.
****
Concurrently, as noon approached.
High above the East District of Ephemeral City.
Xincheng, having toiled all morning, hovered suspended in the air, a yellowish-brown aura of magic swirling within her palm.
With each subtle shift of her hand, the fractured asphalt road below gradually knit itself back together, like pieces of a puzzle.
The scattered, upturned soil and gravel were re-compacted, forming a solid roadbed once more.
Not far away, Weizhan was similarly occupied, wielding her water blades as streams of water transformed into delicate threads.
The rising mist, catching the sunlight, refracted into vibrant rainbows.
These threads lifted the tilted fragments of buildings, carefully embedding them back into their original positions wherever possible.
The combined efforts of water and earth magic doubled their efficiency.
Meanwhile, on the edge of a towering skyscraper’s rooftop, Qiye maintained her ‘Blazing Star’ form, her crimson hair fluttering wildly in the wind.
Before her, black and white chess pieces lay intertwined on the board, yet the mid-game had long since stalled.
She cast her gaze downwards at the pieces.
Suddenly, she recalled the image of Senior Sister Via teaching her how to play chess…
‘A chess game is like a battlefield; once a piece is moved, there is no turning back…’
Yet, at this moment, Qiye felt like a solitary piece trapped in a bewildering maze, caught between advance and retreat.
Grand Witch He had used the promise of alleviating the erosion of demonic fire as leverage, tempting her to… betray her respected Senior Sister Via tonight.
If she refused, Qiye dared not imagine what fate awaited her.
At the very least, she would likely be confined once more, subjected to the bullying of the young witch.
****
Ding-dong—
The notification sound from her phone pierced the silence.
Qiye clutched a chess piece tightly, and when she saw the contact name ‘♥Senior Sister Via♥’ on the screen, a bitter smile finally touched her taut lips.
The message box contained a brief invitation…
Senior Sister Via still remembered their plan to go to the dumpling restaurant together~
Just then, Weizhan’s magically transmitted voice carried a light, teasing tone:
“Qiye, stop slacking off! Come over and lend some fire to dry and solidify these building materials!”
“Understood.”
Qiye responded, waving her hand to disperse the chessboard, then leapt down to Weizhan’s designated area.
Flames poured forth from her ‘Flame Magic Sword,’ swiftly drying the damp concrete.
Amidst the scorching heat, she gazed up at the clouds, Silvia’s message still flickering on her phone screen.
‘Sigh~ I don’t know how I’ll face Senior Sister Via now…’