“You think you can bully just because I can only throw rock or paper? Still feel like playing?”
Moko popped out from the side, chiming in with a shout, “We’re the ones out enjoying a lovely afternoon tea, while you’re stuck cleaning up and collecting dust at ho, ow-haha!”
“Afternoon tea?”
Lin Xiaolu glanced at it, her voice cool and indifferent. “Well, since Xia Liang’s having fun chatting with her classmate, you can just be the invisible one.”
“And even if we’re not playing rock-paper-scissors, don’t you still go out wandering every afternoon? Going with Xia Liang is just a change of scenery, isn’t it?”
“What kind of attitude is that!”
Moko puffed up, wings flapping furiously. “How many tis do I have to tell you? This is part of my work as a Seeder!”
“Oh? So the Seeder’s job involves going to the orphanage and airing all your buddies’ dirty laundry to clueless little girls?”
Lin Xiaolu narrowed her eyes. “That’s really sothing. Classic you—big fat liar.”
“What orphanage are you even talking about? I haven’t gone there in—”
Moko started reflexively denying it, then froze as it finally registered what Lin Xiaolu ant. It turned toward Bai Jingxuan. “Xiao Xuan?”
All it got was an apologetic smile from Bai Jingxuan.
“Sorry… was that supposed to be a secret?”
That afternoon while cleaning the living room, she had casually shared how she first t Moko with Lin Xiaolu. At the ti, Lin Xiaolu didn’t seem to react much, so Bai Jingxuan hadn’t realized she’d basically thrown Moko under the bus.
Not supposed to be said? More like absolutely must not be said.
Moko really wanted to yell that, but it was way too late. All it could do was awkwardly glance toward Lin Xiaolu.
“What’s wrong? Why are you so far away from all of a sudden?”
Hands on her hips, Lin Xiaolu stared him down. “I heard you wanted to play rock-paper-scissors? Co closer.”
Moko flapped backward two steps. “ow-haha, changed my mind, not playing anymore, ow.”
“Not playing?”
With a cold chuckle, Lin Xiaolu raised her fist. “Too bad. I demand a rematch. I’ll use my hand. You use your face.”
Moko shuddered all over and retreated again. “That’s not how rock-paper-scissors works, ow!”
With that, it spun around and zipped down the stairs toward the basent.
“Don’t run! Get back here!” Lin Xiaolu shouted as she gave chase.
Bai Jingxuan and Xia Liang remained in the living room, watching the chaos unfold, then vanish downstairs. They shared a helpless glance.
“Forget those two brats. Let’s put the groceries away and get them into the fridge,” Xia Liang said with a laugh.
The two of them returned to the kitchen and started sorting through the mountain of plastic bags.
As Bai Jingxuan opened one of the bags and examined the vegetables, her eyes widened slightly. “Xia Liang-jie, the veggies you picked are really high quality!”
Even the worst-looking ones were at least good grade, and the rest were excellent.
“I’m pretty confident in this area,” Xia Liang said, a bit smug. “I’ve lived alone for a long ti. I’ve got the basics of shopping and cooking down pat.”
“That’s amazing!” Bai Jingxuan said earnestly. “I’ve got to learn from you.”
“It’s just a sha I got asked to go grocery shopping so close to noon,” Xia Liang said as she efficiently arranged items into the fridge. “The best batch had already been picked over.”
—“But I don’t rember it taking four or five hours to buy groceries.”
Lin Xiaolu’s voice rang out from above. She was walking over, dragging Moko in one hand, the other on her hip. “Thanks to you, Bai Jingxuan and I had to eat takeout for lunch!”
“Even if I ca back super fast, there wouldn’t have been enough ti to cook lunch.”
Xia Liang smiled wryly. “Besides, I sent you a ssage saying I wouldn’t be back in ti.”
“You just wanted to eat takeout!” Moko added from her grip. “So greasy and salty—you’re gonna break out in pimples!”
“None of your business!” Lin Xiaolu growled and gave Moko a firm rub on the head.
After venting a bit, she tossed Moko aside and squatted next to the bags. As she rifled through one, she asked, “By the way, it’s all fresh ingredients. No prepared food?”
“You never said to get prepared food.”
Shoving the last of the veggies into the fridge, Xia Liang turned back. “And eating too much industrial stuff isn’t good for your health. Cooking it yourself is the safer option.”
Lin Xiaolu didn’t respond, still rummaging through the bags. A mont later, she tossed one aside and looked up. “So what’s for dinner?”
“Dinner?”
Xia Liang blinked, caught off guard.
“I told you before you left, didn’t I? Bring sothing back that we could eat straight away.”
Arms crossed, Lin Xiaolu gave her a look. “So… where’s our dinner?”
That finally jogged Xia Liang’s mory. She glanced into the bags again, froze for a beat, and then exclaid, “Ah! I forgot!”
“Knew it!”
Lin Xiaolu pointed at her. “Didn’t you say playing with your classmates wouldn’t interfere with anything? That sounds like a major problem to !”
“Ugh… can’t argue with that.” Xia Liang drooped like a deflated balloon.
“Now, tell , Minister of Imperial als!”
Lin Xiaolu banged on the fridge door, pointing dramatically at the recently scolded Moko. “Where is Our Majesty’s supper?! Prepare to lose your head!”
“A thousand apologies, Your Majesty,” Xia Liang said with a sheepish grin, bowing slightly. “Please allow this humble servant a chance to redeem herself. I’ll start cooking right away.”
“Fine then. I want bird’s nest soup with shredded chicken, sea cucumber with pork tendon, and stead bear paw with fish tongue!”
She reeled off the fanciest dishes she could think of. “If I don’t see these on the table, I’m taking your head!”
Xia Liang glanced at the contents of the fridge, silently comparing fantasy with reality. Then she wiped an imaginary sweat drop from her brow. “Forgive , Your Majesty. Even the best cook can’t make a feast without ingredients. I can’t do it.”
“Off with her head!”
“rcy, Your Majesty!”
“…Um, I don’t know if I should say this,” Bai Jingxuan timidly raised a hand. “But it’s already six-thirty.”
Her comnt was like winding up a toy. Both girls imdiately turned to stare at her.
“Six-thirty?”
“SIX-THIRTY?!”
Their alard voices overlapped.
This ti mattered—for one reason: Hong Siyu was about to arrive.
Ever since Veronica left Fangting City and sent Hong Siyu to watch over them, she’d been dropping by the secret base every evening between six and seven.
And if she showed up to find they hadn’t had dinner yet…
“Can we still make dinner in ti?” Lin Xiaolu asked numbly.
“If it’s sothing simple… maybe thirty minutes?” Xia Liang eyed the ingredients. “Noodles would be quicker.”
“How long till that woman—uh, Hong Siyu—gets here?”
“Based on her usual schedule, ten minutes tops. She might already be on her way.”
The mont she said it, Xia Liang paused, as if the realization had just hit her. She and Lin Xiaolu locked eyes.
No words were exchanged. The look said it all: We’re screwed.
They both knew Hong Siyu’s enthusiasm for cooking… and the disaster it usually brought.
The last ti, her cooking had knocked Moko out cold at the dinner table. Even Bai Jingxuan, who once ate it calmly, had started showing signs of resistance.
They couldn’t let her in the kitchen. Period.
“What do we do? Order takeout?” Lin Xiaolu opened her food delivery app. “Still ti? Should I transform and fly over to pick it up?”
“Now’s not the ti for your takeout cravings.”
Sighing, Xia Liang peeled off her jacket. “Guess I’m not getting that break after all. I’ll cook.”
“Will you make it in ti alone?”
“I’ll help.” Lin Xiaolu offered. “Don’t want to leave you hanging.”
“The best help you can give is staying out of my way,” Xia Liang replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes as she headed to the stove.
“That’s it? I can do that!” Lin Xiaolu bead.
“I can help too…” Bai Jingxuan stepped forward, but Lin Xiaolu stopped her.
“Too dangerous—hot oil, sharp knives. You just sit tight.”
With that, Xia Liang got to work.
At first, Lin Xiaolu waited patiently for instructions. But when it beca clear there wasn’t much she could do, boredom took over.
She began hovering behind Xia Liang, nitpicking.
“Isn’t that too much water?”
“These veggies are chopped too thick. So ssy.”
“You didn’t beat the egg enough.”
“This broth’s boring. Veronica’s was better…”
CLANG!
Xia Liang slamd her spatula onto the cutting board, turning with a forced smile and a terrifyingly blank stare. “Shut it.”
Lin Xiaolu imdiately shrank back like a startled quail.
Despite the chaos, Xia Liang finished the noodles in just over ten minutes. The two girls carried the bowls into the dining room.
“Whew, good thing Hong Siyu’s late today,” Lin Xiaolu exhaled, clutching her bowl. “If she’d shown up mid-cooking, we’d be toast.”
“You didn’t exactly help in the kitchen,” Xia Liang said sweetly, eyes narrowing. “Maybe think twice before talking next ti. I hold the knives, rember?”
“Got it, got it…”
Lin Xiaolu mumbled, stirring her noodles. But after one bite, her face twisted.
“What now?”
Xia Liang took a bite—and winced too. “…Ah, forgot the salt?”
“Why’s that a question?” Lin Xiaolu knocked her bowl with a scowl.
“Because I cooked too fast, I honestly don’t rember what I did…” Xia Liang muttered.
After a long pause, Lin Xiaolu lowered her chopsticks. “Off with her head.”
“rcy, Your Majesty!”
Watching all this in silence, Bai Jingxuan slurped her noodles, then suddenly asked, “By the way, isn’t Sister Hong late? It’s much later than usual.”
“Probably work stuff,” Lin Xiaolu shrugged as she grabbed a jar of pickles from the fridge. “Whatever.”
“Don’t say that. We even prepared her portion. I’ll ssage her.”
Xia Liang sent a text, and the phone buzzed shortly after.
“What’d she say?” Lin Xiaolu asked.
“Let see…” Xia Liang scrolled through her screen. “She says she can’t make it tonight—has to work late.”
“Why?” Lin Xiaolu twisted at the pickle jar.
—“Is it because of the Counterasure Bureau’s upcoming exams?”
—“She said it’s because the Bureau is about to hold a recruitnt exam. She’s helping write the test.”
The two voices ca simultaneously—one from Xia Liang, one from Bai Jingxuan.
“You knew?” Xia Liang asked, lowering her phone.
“Yes,” Bai Jingxuan nodded. “Soone I know ntioned it.”
“Who? Soone from the orphanage?”
“One of the caregivers.”
She lowered her voice. “You girls have t him before.”
“We have?” Xia Liang tilted her head.
“During that ti when bad people caused trouble at the orphanage,” Bai Jingxuan explained. “The uncle who was with back then—that was him.”
“Oh, right!” Lin Xiaolu tapped her chin. “Sort of rings a bell.”
“That rude guy!” Moko snorted from behind her.
“Yeah, I ran into him again on a recent visit, and we had a quick chat,” Bai Jingxuan said. “He told he’s prepping for the exam. If he passes, he won’t be working at the orphanage anymore.”
“Is the Counterasure Bureau job that good?” Lin Xiaolu finally popped the pickle jar open and set it on the table. “From the way you’re all talking, sounds like the exam’s super hard?”
Silence.
Bai Jingxuan and Xia Liang stared at her like she was an alien.
“You’ve never paid attention when Sister Hong talks, huh?”
Xia Liang was the first to break the silence. “The Bureau is the dream job for regular magicians!”
“Dream job? Aren’t they just city maintenance crew for Ravager clean-up?”
“They also manage other magical personnel besides Magical Girls and Ravagers.”
Xia Liang gave a strained chuckle. “You’re seriously underestimating them.”
“…So that uncle taking the exam—it’s actually a pretty big deal?”
With zero change in tone, Lin Xiaolu lifted so pickled veggies with her noodles. “Well, I hope he passes then.”
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