“Are you alright?”
Yan Qingzhu gently assisted Bai Zhiqiu from the car.
At that moment, Bai Zhiqiu’s steps were unsteady, her entire demeanor one of utter exhaustion.
She lacked even the strength to revert from her transformed state, making a return home impossible.
Consequently, she could only allow Yan Qingzhu to lead her back to the shop.
The sight of the three characters, “Fuli Ji,” emblazoned above the shop door, brought an immediate sense of calm to Bai Zhiqiu.
Despite the fact that both she and numerous others had often ridiculed the name, her master, quite unexpectedly, held a particular fondness for it.
“The key… it’s in my skirt pocket…”
Bai Zhiqiu murmured, her voice barely a whisper, to Yan Qingzhu.
Heeding Bai Zhiqiu’s faint instruction, Yan Qingzhu swiftly unlocked the door, guided her through the front section of the shop, and carefully settled her onto the waiting sofa.
“Here, drink some water! Are you still feeling so unwell?”
Yan Qingzhu poured some tea into a glass and gently placed it into Bai Zhiqiu’s trembling hand.
Bai Zhiqiu took a grateful sip.
The water, boiled the previous night, was at the perfect temperature.
“Much… much better now…”
With that single gulp of water, a significant portion of Bai Zhiqiu’s lingering nausea began to subside.
“I truly apologize! I never imagined that eggplant would have such a devastating effect on you!”
Yan Qingzhu said, her gaze filled with genuine remorse as she looked at Bai Zhiqiu.
“Say that one more time!”
Bai Zhiqiu shot Yan Qingzhu a fierce glare, baring her sharp little canines in a clear display of menace.
“Alright, alright! I won’t say it again! Not another word!”
Witnessing the little demoness’s indignant outburst, Yan Qingzhu hastened to placate her, acknowledging that the events of that evening had indeed been rather excessive.
She had severely underestimated the destructive power of eggplant when it came to the little demoness!
Bai Zhiqiu reclined on the sofa, resting until the last vestiges of nausea finally dissipated.
“Why are you still here?”
Bai Zhiqiu questioned, her gaze fixed on Yan Qingzhu as she began to issue a clear dismissal.
“I’m perfectly fine now! You can leave, can’t you?”
“How heartless! To just discard me after you’ve used me…”
“The way you phrase that makes it sound as though I’ve done something to you! Now hurry up and leave! I need to rest! Out the door, turn right, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”
Having delivered her ultimatum, Bai Zhiqiu pointed emphatically towards the door, her meaning undeniably clear, while her other hand subtly clenched into a small fist.
“Alright! I’ll leave right away!”
With those words, Yan Qingzhu turned and departed without the slightest hesitation.
As she watched Yan Qingzhu walk directly towards the exit, an unexpected flicker of disappointment inexplicably crossed Bai Zhiqiu’s heart.
She had anticipated Yan Qingzhu would brazenly insist on staying, or perhaps linger, hoping to be verbally driven out.
Yet, the fact that she departed without a single word immediately unsettled Bai Zhiqiu.
The sensation was akin to preparing an extensive barrage of insults during an argument, only for your opponent to suddenly surrender just as you were about to launch your attack.
It was like landing a punch squarely on a wad of cotton.
Only when Yan Qingzhu’s figure vanished beyond the doorway did Bai Zhiqiu’s tightly clenched fist finally relax.
“Oh, right! Jasmine mentioned that your salary for the next six months will be entirely withheld!”
Yan Qingzhu suddenly reappeared, turning back to deliver this bombshell to Bai Zhiqiu.
“But didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t deduct my wages?”
Bai Zhiqiu’s composure instantly crumbled.
Half a year’s salary—that amounted to a staggering three hundred thousand!
“Oh, but I never actually agreed to that, did I? While you certainly brought it up, my agreement was never given.
Well, now that the message is delivered, I really must be going.”
With that, Yan Qingzhu departed without a backward glance, her pace notably swifter than before.
‘My fists are clenching! They’re absolutely rock-hard!’
“Wait… I…”
Bai Zhiqiu called out, her expression a mask of pure distress.
‘Do I really have to beg that person?’
‘But that’s three hundred thousand!’
‘She teases you relentlessly every single day!’
‘But that’s three hundred thousand!’
****
Within Bai Zhiqiu’s mind, two versions of herself, one adorned with black wings and the other with white, were engaged in a tumultuous, irreconcilable debate.
“Oh? Is there something you need, little demoness? If not, I truly must be off,”
Yan Qingzhu stated with a feigned solemnity, though a knowing smile played upon her lips.
‘Gotcha! She’s taken the bait!’
“Can… can you please not deduct my salary?”
Bai Zhiqiu pleaded, blinking her large eyes with an expression brimming with hopeful anticipation as she gazed at Yan Qingzhu.
‘Ultimately, it seems the little black-winged devil prevailed…’
“Of course—you can! However… that will depend entirely on your performance, won’t it?”
“My performance…”
Bai Zhiqiu cast her gaze downwards, observing her almost entirely flat chest.
It was painfully evident to her what Yan Qingzhu was implying.
“Then… Sister Qingzhu~ Could you please not deduct my salary? I’m begging you! Sister Qingzhu~”
With those words, Bai Zhiqiu sprang from the sofa, embraced Yan Qingzhu from behind, and gently nuzzled her small head against Yan Qingzhu’s back.
‘Damn it! If it weren’t for that salary, I wouldn’t be begging you like this!’
“Having stood for such a long time, my legs are truly weary…”
Heeding Yan Qingzhu’s subtle hint, Bai Zhiqiu assiduously guided her to sit upon the sofa.
She herself then knelt beside it, diligently massaging Yan Qingzhu’s legs.
“Sister Qingzhu~ Does this pressure feel alright to you?”
“It’s acceptable… perhaps a little lower… to the left… yes, yes! Right there!”
As she listened to Yan Qingzhu’s instructions, a flicker of malicious cunning glinted in Bai Zhiqiu’s eyes, though she quickly suppressed it.
‘For the sake of my salary! I must endure!’
“Oh, by the way! I just checked, and the Magical Girl headquarters is already closed for the night, so where I’ll stay tonight is still quite a predicament,”
Yan Qingzhu added, casting a pointed glance at Bai Zhiqiu.
‘Her intentions couldn’t be more blatant! She just wants to stay here, doesn’t she?’
“Then, Sister Qingzhu, can’t you simply go home? Or I could find a hotel for you nearby, that’s also an option!”
Despite fully grasping Yan Qingzhu’s underlying intention, Bai Zhiqiu chose to feign ignorance.
“My home… it’s very far away…”
Yan Qingzhu murmured softly, a subtle trace of sorrow coloring her voice.
‘There must be a story behind that…’
“I’m sorry… I didn’t know…”
Bai Zhiqiu whispered her apology, a powerful wave of self-reproach simultaneously rising within her.
‘Wuwuwu! I really shouldn’t have opened my mouth!’
“It’s truly nothing… a great deal of time has passed since then…”
“If it causes you pain, then there’s no need to speak of it…”
“No, let’s talk about it.
Are you familiar with the Imperial Capital Port bombing?”
Upon hearing Yan Qingzhu’s question, Bai Zhiqiu vaguely recalled the event.
It had occurred some eight or nine years prior: a colossal explosion had inexplicably ripped through Imperial Capital Port, reportedly resulting in thousands of casualties and hundreds of billions in economic damages.
“My parents tragically lost their lives in that very incident.
I was shielded beneath my mother, only to pass out and, by sheer luck, survive.
When I awoke, I witnessed a colossal beast, hundreds of meters in length, emerging from the sea.
Standing beside it was a woman cloaked in black robes.”
“A witch, then…”
Bai Zhiqiu murmured softly, her eyes brimming with sympathy for Yan Qingzhu… yet also betraying a faint flicker of alarm.
“Yes! It was a witch! The flames ignited by that witch blazed across the ocean, their fiery hues even painting the sky!
From that moment on, I could only kneel there, utterly helpless, watching them utterly destroy my home!”
Despite Yan Qingzhu’s deliberate attempts to suppress her emotions, Bai Zhiqiu could still discern an boundless sorrow woven into her voice.
Without realizing it, she found herself unconsciously drawing closer to Yan Qingzhu.
“After that, I don’t recall anything until I was rescued by my master.
I became a Magical Girl, and initially, I believed all witches to be inherently evil, but then someone appeared.”
“Who was that person?”
Bai Zhiqiu listened with rapt attention, unable to resist asking for more details.
However, Yan Qingzhu offered no reply.
Instead, she gently pulled Bai Zhiqiu into an embrace, their chests pressing intimately together.
‘Could that person… be me?’