Room Inspection Failed

“I need your cooperation in conducting a room inspection.”

“P-please wait a moment!”

The front desk receptionist had clearly never handled a situation like this before.

Flustered, she rushed off to consult the manager, then returned and escorted Luo Zining to the security room.

The moment the manager heard what was going on, his heart skipped a beat.

A magical girl had personally shown up—this had to be serious.

No doubt, something major had occurred.

He led Luo Zining into the surveillance control room.

“Whatever you need,” he said, “just let the technicians know.”

After a brief moment of thought, Luo Zining said,

“Then… pull up the surveillance footage for the past half hour, and around 1 PM.”

“Right away!”

Soon, the footage came up.

Sure enough, the old degenerate had gone out after soaking in the hot spring around noon, only to return after 4 PM.

But when she came back, she stopped at the front desk and booked an additional room.

However, the footage didn’t show anyone accompanying her.

That room…

It was right on the floor below their own!

“I need a keycard for that room. Quietly. No one must know.”

“Of course! Understood!”

The manager stared at the footage, face twisted with rage.

That petite, adorable girl on camera had to be the victim.

The thought of such a beautiful girl crying under the hands of some vile criminal—

His lungs nearly burst from fury.

‘Beast! How dare you defile someone this cute?! You filthy scum—just die already!’

Five minutes later, Luo Zining, keycard in hand, marched toward the room with murderous intent.

Elsewhere—

The room was dark.

Blackout curtains hung flush and heavy, blocking out every sliver of light.

A half-dressed girl lay sprawled, dazed and groggy, on the large, soft bed.

Her clean, pale feet stuck out from under the blanket.

The white thigh-high stockings she had been wearing were neatly folded by the bedside.

Luo You, exhausted, had planned to nap a little before Zining returned.

After dinner, she’d hit the hot springs again and then crash completely.

Tap tap.

“Master, Master~”

“F*ck! Didn’t I tell you not to come find me?!”

Luo You snapped her eyes toward the sound.

Xue was at the window, tapping the glass with her little hands, looking like she wanted to be let in.

Before Luo You could say anything, she had already unlatched the window and slipped inside.

She gently closed the blackout curtains and tiptoed over to the bed.

[Good grief. Did Lithia teach her this too? Pretty considerate, huh.]

If only she could stop acting like a sneaky burglar slipping into someone’s room at midnight.

“Master, I…”

“What are you supposed to call me?”

“Yōu, over here!”

Xue pulled out her phone.

She’d turned the screen brightness all the way up, displaying a message on her chat app.

“I don’t get it. What’s a ‘friend of the neighbor’s niece from your third maternal aunt’s side’?”

“Ugh! What are you trying to do—transform into a Light Giant?!”

Luo You rushed over to tug the curtains open again, splashed her face with water, and began explaining,

“That’s your identity cover! If you ever get caught or questioned, that’s what you say!”

“What kind of situation would that be?”

“When someone finds you, obviously! Anyway—right now, immediately, go back.”

She pointed toward the window, unusually anxious.

If Zining came back at this moment, how was she supposed to explain this creature?

Having a criminal in a cop’s family was bad enough.

If a magical girl was caught living with a dimensional beast, it would destroy her reputation instantly.

Luo You didn’t want those two crossing paths.

To be fair, having anything to do with Luo You was already Zining’s greatest misfortune.

“Yōu, when are you free?”

“Uh… around seven. I plan to visit the hot spring.”

“Then I’ll go too!”

“You? No. Stay put. If I don’t call you, don’t come. If anything happens, call me.”

Luo You ushered Xue out.

Sleep was out of the question now.

She sat cross-legged on the bed, rocking side to side like a weeble toy, waiting to be fed by her daughter—while her mind lingered on Xue.

That creature—formerly a degenerate form of a light-harvesting entity—was surprisingly intelligent.

She even had memories from her time living in the Sea of Realms.

By human standards, Xue had to be at least several decades old.

But because she’d spent her entire life drifting through the vast Sea of Realms, she rarely encountered living beings.

As a result, despite her high intelligence, she’d never had the chance to truly apply it.

Being smart and knowing how to use that intelligence were two very different things.

She seemed to understand a lot, yet behaved like an innocent child.

She was a blank slate—waiting to be written upon.

That was exactly why Luo You felt confident enough to take over this responsibility from Lithis.

“Tomorrow or the day after… I’ll hypnotize her again. Then leave her alone for a bit to observe.”

Her hypnosis and brainwashing only lasted temporarily on regular people.

But on a blank slate like Xue, the effects could be lifelong.

Once wasn’t enough.

She’d have to do it again and again.

Eventually, the influence would be total.

Lithis’ so-called assurances weren’t foolproof.

To protect her own life and identity, Luo You needed to put safeguards in place.

She’d picked up that mindset during her time doing dirty work in the inhuman organization.

Clatter—

“Huh? Zining sure is taking her time… It’s been over an hour.”

“I… I forgot to tell the cook to go easy on the spice. I had to make him redo it.”

Zining set a plastic bag of takeout on the table, eyes sharp as they swept across the room.

Nothing suspicious.

But then—

Her gaze landed on the white thigh-highs folded neatly by the bed.

“Dad, where’d you put your clothes from earlier? I’ll wash them for you.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Probably best to wash them. I think there’s a laundry machine on the fifth floor…”

“No way! So many people have used that—it’s unsanitary. I’ll hand wash them.”

She casually scooped up the stockings.

Before Luo You could respond, Zining announced briskly,

“Take off your underwear too. I’ll wash those as well.”

“Hold on, I’m heading to the hot spring again. I’ll change after.”

“Huh? But didn’t Auntie say she was meeting you tonight—”

“Oh, right. Totally forgot about that.”

Luo You’s face instantly collapsed.

She headed into the bathroom, swapped out her underthings, freshened up, and packed her belongings.

All signs pointed to her preparing to flee.

“Zining, I’m staying in a different room tonight. Don’t tell her. If she asks, say I went out.”

“You really can’t stand my aunt that much?!”

“It’s not that. I just feel like she’s trying too hard to figure me out…”

“And well, I have to worry—what if she uncovers who I really am?”

“Uhh—”

Zining’s fingers slipped.

The pale yellow panties, still warm from Luo You’s body, fell to the floor.

“Y-yeah… you’re right. Better to stay in another room tonight.”

Flustered, she scooped up the panties and shoved them in her pocket.

And just like that, her suspicion was resolved.

So the extra room Dad booked… was just to avoid Auntie.

Guess I was overthinking it.

“……”

[Why did she put my underwear in her pocket…?]
Luo You squinted, but didn’t press the issue.

Probably just absentmindedness.

After finishing the completely non-spicy barbecue, she sat for a while.

Then, wearing a bathrobe, she headed for the hot spring.

This time, she didn’t wear that vulgar bikini.

What was the point of wearing something that couldn’t be shown off?

So she opted for a school swimsuit instead.

Surprisingly, Zining didn’t follow her this time.

Though when she saw Luo You in the swimsuit, she looked like a terminally ill patient wrestling with her final regrets…

In the end, she stayed behind—doing who-knows-what.

“Ahh… finally, peace and quiet without Zining around.”

Time flew faster than expected.

After the bath, Luo You booked yet another room.

After all, she couldn’t risk sleeping unguarded in front of Xue.

Better safe than sorry.

Right before bed, she got a text from Zining:

[Auntie says 10 PM. See you at the hot spring.]

Luo You turned off her phone, drew the curtains, and went to sleep.

The Next Day —

Magical Alliance Headquarters

Built deep within the Sea of Realms, this breathtaking structure was a marvel of magical architecture.

Floating above a sea of clouds, its vast, ancient halls pulsed with dreamlike grandeur.

Its true foundation was not the stone or sky it stood on,
but the mysterious, dark yellow cloud sea that upheld it—limitless and eternal.

The headquarters existed in a space between reality and illusion.

The crashing waves of the Sea of Realms could never touch it.

It was an unshakable stronghold, housing countless magical creatures of unknown origin.

And despite their strangeness, their presence here felt… natural.

Some say the entire building is built upon a single, massive magical beast.

Besides the creatures, only magical girls dwelled within.

Human governments had tried to infiltrate it for years.

But reaching it required the Alliance’s teleportation magic—

So for decades, they had nothing to show for it.

That morning, one by one, the Alliance’s exclusive teleportation points lit up.

These were reserved only for the Ten Seats—the elite among magical girls.

Each arrival sent ripples of dazzling phenomena through the cloud sea.

Even the locals could tell when a major figure had come—just by watching the sky.

Five Seats had already arrived when suddenly—

Another teleportation point lit up.

The sky outside exploded into a constellation of brilliant stars.

In that fleeting moment, the terrifying force of the magic shook the entire Sea of Realms.

Every dangerous entity lurking below immediately fled.

“Lady Xingyue… she actually came…”

Ji Yue stared at the celestial vision that had stirred the entire headquarters.

It was Xingyue’s inherent magic—unique to her alone.

Most magical girls had just one inherent magic.

The Ten Seats often had two or more.

But Xingyue—she had only one.

Yet that one magic could give birth to endless miracles.

Zhou Xi, walking beside her, blinked away her tension.

Only pure admiration remained.

Then she glanced over.

“Feiyu, are those dark circles? Didn’t sleep last night?”

“…Was waiting for a certain someone in the hot spring.”

Feiyu clenched her teeth.

“Waited until 2 AM! Then stewed in rage till morning!”