Their Decision

Ran Jiu’yi didn’t rush to answer. Instead, she took Meng Shan’s right hand and drove an Eclipse Needle into his palm; a thorn-like pattern immediately bloomed across his skin.

Then, she injected a massive surge of life force into his body.

Under the influence of this vitality, the alcohol in Meng Shan’s system rapidly evaporated, and his mind cleared instantly.

“Thanks. My head feels much better; I should be in good spirits for tomorrow.”

To his gratitude, Ran Jiu’yi only said flatly, “I should be thanking you. Thank you for finally telling me the truth.”

Meng Shan shrugged. “No need for that. You told me the truth too. Let’s call it even.”

Ran Jiu’yi continued, “And I know that everything you said tonight was part of your ‘PUA’—a way to guilt-trip me into staying here as your free muscle and a drill sergeant for those three girls.”

“You investigated my past. You knew we had a lot in common, so you shared your story to play the emotional card, slowly closing the distance between us until I couldn’t say no. You had to, because you don’t have anything else to play—no money, no power, no influence.”

Meng Shan replied calmly, “So you saw through it. Not surprising; you’re sharp. So…?”

“So, I should have just walked away without looking back?” Ran Jiu’yi cut him off. “Honestly, that’s exactly what I should have done.”

“But… but! I really can’t stop worrying about those three. Even though we haven’t known each other long, I can tell they’re good kids. You’re right—I don’t want to see them die.”

“Damn your logic. Be happy; your story was good, and I’m convinced. I’ll help you train them into proper Magical Girls—or at least ensure they can live out their lives as normal humans in peace.”

Seeing his goal finally achieved, Meng Shan let out a satisfied laugh. He pointed at himself and said:

“Then you understand why I stay here, right? It’s because of those unbreakable emotional ties born from the past.”

“I stay because I refuse to let another innocent child lose their life because of my inaction.” He then pointed at her. “And you stay because you refuse to see anyone else make the same mistakes you did.”

Ran Jiu’yi sighed. “Fine, you win. You calculating old soldier… I just know I’m going to get screwed over by you one of these days.”

“Right back at you. Working with a half-insane Magical Girl like you? I’m the one likely to get screwed.”

Meng Shan extended his right hand. “Regardless, we have a preliminary understanding of each other now. So, let’s shake on it, partner. From now on, I’ll call you ‘A-Jiu.’ I was going to call you ‘Jiu’yi,’ but that’s just too weird.”

Ran Jiu’yi rolled her eyes. “Can you please stop talking about my name, Da Shan (Big Mountain)?”

Despite her complaining, her hand reached out and firmly grasped his. “Honestly, doing such a childish ritual… I doubt we’ll even be working together that long.”

“True. I expect it’ll last until the end of the Open Tournament—less than a year, probably.”

At that moment, neither of them knew that fate had already tied their futures together in a knot that wouldn’t easily unravel.

Thanks to Ran Jiu’yi’s life force transfusion, they woke up the next morning feeling refreshed despite the busy day of packing.

They washed up, changed, and ate some leftovers from the night before. But instead of heading to the Deployment Center, they drove to a hidden location: an abandoned chemical plant. They had one loose end to tie up—the Werewolf, Ken.

On the way, Meng Shan asked, “Say, why are you so sure Ken still has the remaining vials? Didn’t he finish his transaction?”

Ever since Ran Jiu’yi decided to stay, she had revealed her true mission: recovering seven stolen experimental vials from the research institute.

Her answer was blunt: “I don’t know, but they better be on him. If not, my workload is going to double.”

“Fair enough.”

Once at the plant where Meng Shan hid his gear, he meticulously donned a hazmat suit. In a place this toxic, there was no room for error. Ran Jiu’yi, however, was much more relaxed. She simply transformed into her Magical Girl state and relied on her innate resistance to tank the toxins. She hadn’t brought her prosthetic legs, choosing instead to move using her needles in this desolate area.

Following the marks they had made earlier, they reached a heavy iron door. Behind it was where Ken was being held.

“I have to ask,” Meng Shan said while opening the door. “Are you sure he’ll talk? What if he’s stubborn?”

“Don’t worry,” she replied casually. “To prevent that, I broke all four of his limbs yesterday. After a night of extreme pain and breathing in toxins, I imagine he’ll be very cooperative.”

“Ah, so that’s why you lingered here yesterday. I thought you hated torture?”

“I do. But sometimes, it’s a necessity. You should understand that better than anyone.”

“I do. I’ve done my fair share, though usually not as ruthlessly as you.”

Meng Shan pulled the lever, and the iron door groaned open. Inside, a dying Ken was suspended in the center of the room. His once-robust muscles had vanished, leaving only loose skin sagging over his bones.

“Your life force absorption is terrifying,” Meng Shan remarked. “You’ve completely drained him in no time.”

“It’s not that impressive; without my Ascension Form, the absorption rate is actually quite low,” she explained. “He looks like this mostly because his Burst Mode overtaxed his own body. That form is a suicide move. During your fight, the first burst almost emptied him. Yet he went for a second and a third. This is just the result of total magical and physical bankruptcy.”

Their voices woke Ken. Gone was the arrogance of the previous days. He croaked out a single plea: “Please… don’t… kill… me…”

Between the soul-crushing exhaustion of his Burst Mode, Ran Jiu’yi’s drainage, the precisely broken bones, and the night of toxic fumes, even speaking seemed to cost him a year of his life.

Ran Jiu’yi didn’t mince words. “Tell me where the last two vials are, and I might consider letting you live.”

“In… in…”

He couldn’t get the words out.

Ran Jiu’yi injected a tiny bit of life force into him. With a gasp, Ken began to breathe heavily.

“Spit it out,” she urged. “I don’t have much patience.”

Ken stammered, “In the sewers in the southeast of the city. I threw them away randomly, so I don’t know the exact spot.”

“Is that so? Why do I feel like you’re lying?”

A swarm of needles manifested around her. “Maybe if I take you apart piece by piece, you’ll find the truth.”

“Easy, A-Jiu. He’s telling the truth,” Meng Shan said, stopping her. “If it were a lie, he would have made up something better.”

She let the needles dissipate. “Fine, I’ll take your word for it. But what about the vials? Are we really going to sift through the sewers?”

“No need. I’ve studied the city’s sewage layout. Given a few days, the vials should move to a few specific trash collection points. We just need to check those.”

“Rummaging through trash in a sewer? That sounds revolting.” Ran Jiu’yi felt like she was going to lose her breakfast. “Who did you make the deal with?” she asked Ken.

Ken shook his head frantically. “I don’t know!”

Her face darkened. “You don’t know? You must have had a way to contact them.”

“I don’t! The contact method just appeared in my head one day while I was running. You were pushing me so hard I had no choice but to follow the instructions in my mind and come to this city.”

Meng Shan pondered this for a moment. “Sounds like the work of a mentalist superhuman.”

“I figured,” she said. “And a capable one. But that doesn’t help us; there are plenty of strong mentalists out there.”

“It’s enough for your report. Your job was to find the vials. Let the institute handle the rest.”

Ran Jiu’yi thought about it—he was right. Do the work you’re paid for, no need to give the institute free labor. “Fine. What about him?” She gestured to Ken.

“Kill him. Hand the body over to the institute,” Meng Shan said coldly.

“Understood.”

“Wait, you guys—”

Before Ken could utter his final words, an Eclipse Needle shredded his brain.

Looking at the corpse, Ran Jiu’yi said with a hint of regret, “Oh, wait. I forgot. We could have made him dig through the trash. Why did you have me kill him?”

“Simple. I don’t trust him. If he escaped, it would be a headache. Don’t worry about it,” Meng Shan said, patting her head. “It won’t be that much trouble. I’ll go with you to find them.”

“I don’t want to go with you to dig through trash! I want to not dig through trash at all! If someone has to do it, you go!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll do it myself then.”

Seeing how quickly he agreed, Ran Jiu’yi felt a bit guilty. “Fine… out of pity for you, I’ll go along.”

Meng Shan laughed. “Can you stop being such a tsundere?”

“Tsundere your head! Where do you see a tsundere?”

“Right here.”