The Price of Heroism

The midday weather was gloomy, the sky, once clear, now obscured by layers of dark clouds, looking as though a torrential downpour was imminent.

Inside a certain convenience store, Shen Jingyi, who had been tidying the shelves, paused imperceptibly.

She then instinctively clutched her faintly aching lower abdomen.

Normally, no matter how tight her finances were, Shen Jingyi would at least eat a slice of cheap whole wheat bread for breakfast before coming to work.

But today, thanks to a certain bat-like monster, she had grabbed her magic wand and rushed out immediately after waking up.

After the battle, she had headed straight to the convenience store where she worked, naturally having no time to eat.

As a magical girl, Shen Jingyi had sacrificed so much of her own time, defeating countless monsters and villains that threatened the citizens.

Yet now, not only could she no longer afford her rent, but she had even signed an agreement with the city’s whimsical rich young lady, an agreement that felt almost like selling herself into servitude.

What did it matter if she was a magical girl? What did it matter if she saved the world?

She still had to be a plaything for a rich young lady like Bai Muxue.

‘Hah, how truly ironic,’ she thought.

A faint, self-deprecating smile touched Shen Jingyi’s pretty face.

She then pulled out her phone, which had been on silent.

–The phone displayed three missed calls, all from Bai Muxue.

Given Young Miss Bai’s arrogant nature, letting a phone ring three times without answering was an unforgivable offense, much less ignoring three consecutive calls, as Shen Jingyi had done.

Shen Jingyi’s slightly pale lips pressed into a thin line.

She didn’t want to call back, but then the screen lit up, and Bai Muxue was calling again.

“Hello~” Bai Muxue’s languid voice drifted from the other end of the line.

“Is Teacher Shen very busy? You haven’t been picking up my calls?”

Hearing this, Shen Jingyi hesitated: “I was a bit busy this morning…”

“Oh, right, I saw Teacher Shen’s heroic figure on TV.”

On the other end, Bai Muxue chuckled softly: “Being a magical girl is truly cool.

I even feel like asking Teacher Shen for an autograph.”

Listening to the girl’s somewhat lighthearted voice, Shen Jingyi didn’t reply.

Instead, she bit down hard on her lip with her pearly teeth.

Not answering the phone because she was fighting a monster seemed like a perfectly reasonable excuse, but if Young Miss Bai wanted to make things difficult for her, did she truly need a reason?

Despite Shen Jingyi’s entire body tensing up, Bai Muxue didn’t seem to intend to trouble her.

After a few casual remarks, she chuckled again and said: “Teacher Shen hasn’t forgotten that I have a funeral to attend this afternoon, have you?”

“Are you still working at that convenience store, Teacher? I’ll come pick you up then.”

Although the other party’s tone was inquisitive, it carried an unmistakable air of refusal.

Fortunately, she had nothing planned for the afternoon; at most, she would just have to trouble a colleague to swap shifts.

As she was pondering, Bai Muxue’s lighthearted tone dropped a few notches: “Teacher Shen?”

“…Alright.”

Shen Jingyi took a deep breath and whispered.

“Mhm, don’t be late.”

With a soft “click,” Bai Muxue hung up the phone.

“…”

Shen Jingyi’s lips pressed into a tight line.

Her delicate fingers silently gripped the black neck accessory she wore.

****

A few aisles away, at the checkout counter, a young girl dressed as a cashier was gossiping with another middle-aged woman in a store uniform.

“Hey, hey, Sister Li, did you see that luxury car that came to pick up Senior Shen the other day?”

The girl was young, at an age where she loved to gossip.

As Shen Jingyi’s junior from the same school, she naturally referred to Shen Jingyi as ‘Senior Shen’.

Sister Li pondered for a moment before replying: “I saw it.

That car looked quite expensive, probably worth eight figures?”

When Bai Muxue had first approached Shen Jingyi, she had deliberately had her driver use a rather ostentatious luxury sedan, just to put the proud girl in her place.

Recalling the scene, Sister Li frowned subtly: “Hmm, I remember little Shen’s family background wasn’t very good, was it…? Could it be that she met some wealthy friends?”

“Speaking of which…”

The girl raised an eyebrow, then leaned mysteriously close to Sister Li and whispered: “There’s a rumor going around school, saying that Young Miss Bai from the Bai family…”

With her cool, refined appearance and excellent academic performance, Shen Jingyi was quite well-known at school.

Gossip about her spread even faster.

Moreover, Bai Muxue’s actions in the city were quite flamboyant.

The license plate of that luxury car had been seen by others, so much so that rumors had begun to circulate in the school about Senior Shen, the academic ace, and Young Miss Bai.

The girl casually shared a few more tidbits of gossip, which startled Sister Li.

For a middle-aged woman her age, such gossip was truly a bit much to accept, especially when the subject of the gossip was ‘little Shen,’ whom she had always held in high regard.

“No, I’m telling you young folks…”

Sister Li’s voice unconsciously rose a few octaves: “What strange things are you thinking about all day long…?”

Just then, a crisp set of footsteps approached.

Like a death knell, both women trembled simultaneously, and the convenience store, devoid of customers, instantly fell into an icy silence.

Shen Jingyi silently walked past them, not uttering a word.

She neatly folded the convenience store uniform, changed back into her usual plain white dress, then placed the uniform into her bag, seemingly preparing to leave after her shift.

Seeing this, the young girl secretly glanced at her senior’s face.

Noticing that she seemed normal, apart from an unexplained weariness, she mustered her courage and spoke brightly:

“Senior… are you planning to leave work?”

“Mhm.”

Shen Jingyi nodded calmly: “I suddenly have something to take care of this afternoon.

Could you swap shifts with me? I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”

“I-I guess I can…”

The girl answered instinctively.

Her gaze, however, fell upon Shen Jingyi’s fair, slender neck.

A strange neck accessory had suddenly appeared there.

Shen Jingyi’s style of dress was always simple, and that small, delicate neck accessory looked utterly out of place.

‘Would Senior Shen wear such an expensive accessory?’

‘Even stranger… for some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the neck accessory looked a bit like… a collar!?’

‘No way, could it be…!’

Recalling the various rumors circulating in the school, the girl hesitated for a long time but still didn’t dare to speak.

Sister Li, however, frowned: “I’m telling you, little Shen, even though you kids are under a lot of pressure, there’s no need to push yourselves too hard.”

“If you have something urgent, you can just take a leave of absence.

At most, you’ll just earn a little less money…”

“It’s fine.”

Shen Jingyi offered them a faint smile.

Then, she pushed the door open and left.

Watching Shen Jingyi’s retreating figure, the two women exchanged glances, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

Normally, while Shen Jingyi wasn’t exactly cheerful or lively, she was always polite and proper in her interactions.

But today, something had clearly happened to her.

It felt as though an aura of aloofness, keeping others at arm’s length, now hovered around her.

Shen Jingyi, walking down the street, lightly pressed her slightly throbbing forehead.

The morning’s battle combined with her empty stomach left her feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Even without suitable attire, she still took this formal occasion very seriously.

She had even used a bit of cheap perfume she usually wouldn’t dare to touch.

‘But what if she actually fainted and breached the agreement…?’

Just then, a message from Bai Muxue arrived: “Have you arrived? I’m waiting for you in the park next door.”

To Bai Muxue, this might have been a simple inquiry, but to Shen Jingyi, it felt more like an impatient催促 from Young Miss Bai.

She gritted her teeth and walked through a small path in the park.

The path was deserted, with only the birch trees on either side rustling in the wind.

Shen Jingyi quickened her pace.

Sure enough, a silver-gray luxury car was quietly parked by the roadside.

‘She finally made it…!’

Shen Jingyi quietly let out a breath of relief.

But before she could approach, she noticed a tall girl already standing by the car.

The girl seemed to be arguing with someone inside the vehicle; unfortunately, their voices were too low for Shen Jingyi to hear clearly.

The girl’s long hair and the hem of her skirt both fluttered in the blustery wind, swaying like trembling leaves.

“Aren’t we already dating??”

As she spoke, the girl’s tone suddenly rose.

Her trembling voice, in the quiet path, was exceptionally clear.

Hearing the girl’s voice, tinged with a hint of a sob, Shen Jingyi involuntarily halted her steps.

‘Huh…?’