The Bloody Return and a New Dynamic

“Ah… ah… what a terrifying individual…”

The witch, who had been wavering in her resolve, upon seeing her companion cruelly impaled by that demonic entity right before her eyes, instantly exhausted every last wisp of dark energy within her to activate a teleportation array, thus returning to the main base of the Tea Party.

That fiend… it couldn’t possibly be a magical girl. Could it be some rogue witch, indiscriminately slaughtering without distinction between ally and enemy? Such a creature is undoubtedly more perilous than any magical girl! Why has the Tea Party not placed a bounty on her head?

Yet, it’s truly ironic; perhaps only a being of such nature truly deserves the epithet ‘witch’! From the moment they pledged allegiance to the organization, these witches had meticulously executed the Tea Party’s directives, their very adherence to order stripping them of the wild, untamed essence a true witch should embody. She was far from alone in harboring such thoughts.

“Why have you returned so early? Is the mission already complete? And what about the one who was with you?”

“We encountered a truly terrifying witch. The other person… she’s dead. I demand that our superiors immediately issue a bounty for that witch!”

Observing their disheveled subordinate, the administrator thoughtfully stroked their chin.

“Are you saying a powerful witch attacked you? How are you certain she was a witch and not a magical girl?”

“She uses tentacles! What magical girl would use tentacles! Moreover, she wields a very bizarre sword; I personally witnessed that sword absorb the dark energy!”

“I’ve heard whispers of all the powerful witches, but I don’t recall any who wield both a sword and tentacles simultaneously. Never mind… I’ll come see for myself.”

As the witch watched in terror, the administrator placed their hand on her head.

“Ah!”

Chloe suddenly jolted awake from her dream, having suffered a terrifying nightmare where Tia had cruelly stabbed her with her sword.

“What are you doing out here? How did you even fall asleep?”

Chloe focused her gaze, realizing Tia had returned, though something about her current appearance seemed amiss.

“Why are you covered in blood? Are you hurt?”

The potent smell of blood accelerated Chloe’s heartbeat, and she quickly rose to her feet, intending to examine Tia’s condition more closely. Suddenly, her vision blurred, her brain momentarily starved of blood, and her mind filled with a static-like haze, causing her to nearly collapse.

Fortunately, Tia caught her just in time, though Chloe’s newly changed white dress inadvertently got splattered with a bit of blood, its vivid color starkly noticeable against the light fabric.

“Don’t be so hasty. You shouldn’t stand up so quickly after sitting for a long time, especially with your delicate constitution. I’m fine; this blood belongs to someone else.” Tia cupped Chloe’s small face, casting a chiding gaze upon her wide eyes.

“As long as you’re alright!” Chloe’s worried expression instantly transformed into one of delight.

“What about you? You still haven’t answered my question.”

“I was waiting for you to return.” Chloe tilted her head, offering a gentle smile, her crescent-shaped eyes resembling adorable slivers of the moon.

In that instant, Tia felt as though an arrow had pierced her heart, her entire body growing warm, and her face flushed crimson like a ripe apple.

Chloe didn’t even use that Demon-Slaying Bow, so how did she shoot that arrow?

Hehehe, she’s so easily swayed! Such a minnow~ Following Tia’s gesture of stroking her head, Chloe deliberately lowered her gaze slightly, secretly reveling in her success.

“Don’t do this again next time. The wind is strong outside at night; if you catch a cold, I’ll have to bother myself with buying medicine.” Despite her flushed face, Tia forced herself to maintain an aloof demeanor. If her attitude were to shift too abruptly, her previous composure would appear artificial, like someone whose pretense had been exposed.

“I won’t next time~ Let’s go in and eat first.” Chloe playfully stuck out her tongue, then took Tia’s hand and led her inside the house.

“Whose blood is on you, by the way? It’s not…”

“It’s a witch’s. I killed a witch.”

“So you absorbed dark energy again?”

“…”

Tia chose silence, but Chloe already knew the answer. Sigh, is it really so difficult to just hold back? She absorbed dark energy again, and the issue of impurities still has no solution. Chloe, too, compromised, refraining from further argument. After all, her efforts to boost their affection rating this evening had been perfect so far.

Perhaps there will always be a way to deal with the impurity issue? There’s always a path forward, after all. She mused, consoling herself.

As Chloe emerged from the kitchen, still in her white dress, carrying steaming dishes, Tia felt a strange blurring of her vision. For a fleeting moment, she had a hallucination, mistaking Chloe for Yilan.

“Sister, the fragrant meal is here~”

Tia rubbed her eyes with her hand, inadvertently smearing some bloodstains from her hand onto her face.

“What did you call me?” No discernible emotion could be detected in her tone.

Was that still too bold? Chloe had intended to strike while the iron was hot, but this sudden reaction startled her into a daze. A cautious expression flickered across her face as she tentatively repeated in a whisper, “Sister?”

Silence stretched for a moment. “It’s fine, just call me that. It’s a more suitable address anyway; hearing you call me ‘you, you, you’ all the time feels too distant.”

Strategic victory! Yilan, from now on, your sister is my sister too! You can rest in peace now! Chloe mentally made a victory sign, feeling much more relaxed.

“Sister, aren’t you going to wash your face first? I specifically changed into a new dress and even took a bath, you know. Even if you don’t shower, at least wash your hands, Sister. It’s unhygienic to eat directly like this.” Only then did Tia realize that casually eating while covered in blood right after killing someone was indeed somewhat inappropriate, so she prepared to quickly clean herself.

Noticing the stark red stain on Chloe’s dress, Tia apologized, “I accidentally got your dress dirty. I didn’t mean to.”

What an utterly tactless thing to say! If the situation weren’t so inappropriate, Chloe would have loved to loudly mock this aloof woman.

“It’s alright. This dress was bought by Sister anyway, so it’s fine whatever Sister wants to do with it.” In truth, Chloe still felt a pang of regret, as she quite liked the dress and wondered if the bloodstains could be washed out.

Once both were officially ready for dinner, Tia first took out her phone and snapped a photo.

“It’s not scrambled eggs with tomato this time, surprisingly. This calls for a commemoration.”

Heh heh… Actually, that previous lump of black char couldn’t even be called real scrambled eggs with tomato, could it!

Picking up a piece of meat dripping with juice, Tia brought it to her mouth. Her taste buds finally savored the flavor of normal meat once more, and for a moment, she was genuinely moved.

Chloe also took a bite, and as expected, it was still utterly tasteless, like chewing on wax. However, her body still required sustenance, so she had no choice but to eat it, treating it as if it were plain water. She had initially tried to convince herself of this, but as she continued to eat, bite after bite, Chloe suddenly felt a wave of nausea, almost gagging and throwing up. Yet, this was a critical moment; any issues that arose had to be endured and dealt with later.

“Chloe, you did a great job this time. Why aren’t you eating more?”

“You eat, Sister. I’m already a bit full.”

Having reached the limits of her endurance, Chloe finally couldn’t bear it any longer. She set down her chopsticks and bowl, watching Tia eat with relish from the side, struggling to suppress the urge to vomit. It wasn’t merely a physiological urge; Chloe was horrified to discover that even the smell of the food made her nauseous. While outwardly maintaining a facade of composure, her inner world was in turmoil.