“Yin’s words held a certain truth, yet caution remained paramount.”
With that, Yan Qingzhu steered the car into the underground garage of the Magical Girl Headquarters.
“Let’s hurry! We’ll go find Bai Yue first, and then we can get something to eat!”
****
Before long, they arrived on the fourth floor, where Bai Zhiqiu’s room awaited.
Yin, however, had been completely captivated by the animated show playing in the ground floor lobby, happily blending in with a group of visiting children.
“Bai Yue! Chief Jasmine!”
From a distance, Bai Zhiqiu spotted Bai Yue and Jasmine.
At the sound of Bai Zhiqiu’s voice, Bai Yue excitedly darted forward, wrapping her arms tightly around him.
Bai Zhiqiu, in turn, gently stroked Bai Yue’s head, the scene a clear portrayal of profound sibling affection.
“Brother… are you truly alright?” Bai Yue asked, her gaze fixed with concern on Bai Zhiqiu’s hair.
“Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “I’m perfectly fine! I’ll be back to normal in just a couple of days.”
Bai Zhiqiu offered Bai Yue his comforting words.
Yan Qingzhu chimed in from the side, “Don’t worry, Bai Yue! In just a few days, you’ll meet a very different brother! You should start preparing yourself early, Bai Yue!”
Yan Qingzhu deliberately put heavy emphasis on the word ‘brother,’ causing Bai Zhiqiu’s lips to twitch almost imperceptibly.
He recalled Yin’s words from their car ride: given his current overdrawn state, he would fully transform into a girl within a week.
Four days had already passed, meaning he had less than three days left to experience life as a boy.
The thought of his impending transformation into a girl brought a wave of melancholy, a complex tapestry of emotions swirling within his heart.
“No matter what my brother becomes, he will always be my brother!”
As she spoke, Bai Yue reached out to straighten Bai Zhiqiu’s collar.
Bai Zhiqiu’s heart swelled with profound emotion at Bai Yue’s words. Indeed, Bai Yue was the best! All those times he’d taken the blame for her when she was little had certainly not been in vain.
“Alright, alright! There’ll be plenty of time to catch up later. For now, let’s get Little Zhiqiu to his room so he can take a look around!”
With that, Yan Qingzhu nodded to Jasmine, who then opened the door.
The room was bathed in excellent natural light, spanning nearly seventy square meters and featuring a grand bed spacious enough for five or six people without feeling cramped.
Through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the surrounding scenery unfolded beautifully. Every conceivable amenity was present, and in a corner of the room, a truly dazzling computer setup sat, perfectly capturing Bai Zhiqiu’s desires.
“What do you think? Do you like it?” Yan Qingzhu asked, standing at the doorway and observing Bai Zhiqiu, who remained utterly transfixed.
“It’s… it’s just alright,” he stammered. “Nothing special, really…”
Bai Zhiqiu struggled to tear his gaze away from the lavishly decorated computer case. Though it was yet to be assembled, his eyes immediately fell upon the nearby packaging box.
Just that single component cost tens of thousands!
“Oh, I see! It appears you’re not particularly fond of it after all. Perhaps I should just have it removed.”
With those words, Yan Qingzhu made a move to enter the room and retrieve the items.
“No, wait! I like it! I do! Let’s just go eat first, shall we? We can talk about everything else later!”
Seeing Yan Qingzhu’s clear intention to take everything back, Bai Zhiqiu hastily diverted the conversation.
“I was only teasing you!” Yan Qingzhu chuckled. “Come on! You haven’t eaten a thing since you woke up! Would you like some chocolate to tide you over?”
As she spoke, Yan Qingzhu offered Bai Zhiqiu a piece of chocolate.
As the chocolate melted on his tongue, a wave of rich, sweet indulgence immediately washed over him.
So sweet! White chocolate truly is the best!
“Come on, then! Little Zhiqiu is famished, so let’s all go eat together!”
Yan Qingzhu extended the invitation to both Jasmine and Bai Yue.
“I won’t be joining you,” Jasmine replied. “There are still many arrangements I need to make. I hope you enjoy your meal!” With that, she headed upstairs towards the Chief’s office.
****
“Today is an open day for the headquarters,” Yan Qingzhu explained. “Many children have come in groups to visit!”
Yan Qingzhu smiled, gesturing towards the children gathered before them.
“Often, I find myself pondering why I chose to become a Magical Girl. Perhaps the initial purpose was simply to protect these very children,”
Yan Qingzhu smiled, gently caressing the head of a child who had approached her. She harbored a fervent wish that the tragedies of her own past would never befall another innocent child.
“Big sister, are you a Magical Girl?”
A child, gazing up at her with clear, adoring eyes, posed the question.
“Of course I am! And not just me – even your brother here is one too!”
As she spoke, Yan Qingzhu playfully tugged on Bai Zhiqiu’s hand.
“What are you doing?” Bai Zhiqiu whispered urgently. “Does anyone actually believe you when you say things like that?”
He murmured softly to Yan Qingzhu, while Bai Yue watched the unfolding scene with an amused expression.
“Whether they believe it or not isn’t important!” Yan Qingzhu countered. “And what if someone actually does?”
“Hmph, Big Sister, don’t lie to us! Magical Girls are only girls! This big brother is clearly a boy!”
“Yeah, Big Sister! Don’t fool us! Would you rather believe he’s a Magical Girl, or that I’m Qin Shi Huang?”
“We don’t believe either of you!”
A wave of laughter erupted among the children.
“I never realized Big Sister Yan Qingzhu had such a knack for charming children,” Bai Yue remarked. Observing the intimate interaction between the two, she found herself feeling inexplicably uneasy.
“I wasn’t coaxing them at all!” Yan Qingzhu declared. “I was speaking nothing but the truth!”
Yan Qingzhu firmly took Bai Zhiqiu’s hand, leading him outside to a highly-rated restaurant just a short distance away.
Once the three of them were seated, Bai Zhiqiu suddenly recalled something important.
“It seems we forgot about Yin!”
Bai Zhiqiu lowered his voice, careful to keep the remark from Bai Yue’s ears. He still hadn’t devised a suitable explanation for her.
He couldn’t very well tell her, ‘Your brother is actually a witch, and he’s also entangled with a little vampire,’ could he?
However, if they neglected to invite the little vampire to eat, there was no telling what kind of trouble she might stir up.
“It’s quite alright!” Yan Qingzhu assured him. “We can simply bring her some food after we’re done… I’ve noticed Little Yin seems to have a particular fondness for snacks!”
“You noticed that too?”
“Of course! For the past few days, Little Yin had been quite aloof with me. But then I heard you’d single-handedly gathered a considerable amount of food from the Xuan Guan. I immediately suspected it was for her. So, I conducted a little experiment with some treats, and the results were truly remarkable!”
Upon hearing Yan Qingzhu’s revelation, Bai Zhiqiu felt a wave of exasperation towards Yin. The thought that even Yan Qingzhu could appease Yin with a mere snack was astonishing.
What would happen if Bai Yue ever found out…?
Bai Zhiqiu subtly cast a glance at his sister.
He knew all too well! His younger sister was an absolute white-haired loli-con!
If Yin ever fell into her hands, she would undoubtedly be subjected to endless teasing and mischief.
And as for himself, he might very well suffer a similar fate in the future…
No! This simply wouldn’t do! He had to find a way to correct his sister immediately!
She absolutely could not be allowed to remain a white-haired loli-con!
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Bai Zhiqiu began to meticulously formulate a plan.
He would employ every conceivable method, spare no expense, and stop at nothing!
At the very least, after his transformation, his sister would afford ‘her’ the proper respect, rather than treating ‘her’ like a mere dress-up doll!