Veronica poured the hot water and returned to the living room with several teacups, just in ti to see Xia Liang stepping out of the bathroom, wrapped in a bathrobe.
"I found these in the kitchen."
To avoid any misunderstanding, she explained briefly while placing the freshly brewed tea on the coffee table.
She set down the cup, pushed a teacup forward, then sat back on the sofa, holding her own cup of tea. After a brief silence, Veronica spoke lightly:
"Why did you run away from ho?"
She didn’t look at Xia Liang when asking, not wanting to put too much pressure on her.
It was just an intuition, but Veronica had a feeling that Xia Liang was hiding quite a few secrets.
"Ahaha… um, can I just dodge this question?"
Xia Liang's voice was a little dry, her response carrying a hint of hesitation.
Veronica raised an eyebrow. "And what excuse are you using to dodge?"
"Let think… how about the classic 'I had a fight with my family'?" Xia Liang glanced around before smiling and raising her right index finger.
"That does sound believable."
Veronica neither confird nor denied it, taking a sip from the rim of her teacup before asking, "Is that what you told White Rose too?"
"Xiaolu hasn't asked yet."
Xia Liang shook her head, looking sowhat disappointed. "She let stay at her house so easily without asking anything. I had prepared so many interesting reasons to tell her."
"That kid won’t admit it, but she’s pretty straightforward. Don't take advantage of her too much."
Veronica put down her cup and turned slightly to look at Xia Liang. "But… the way you call her 'Xiaolu'—did she tell you her real na?"
"Hm? Yeah, she told when we first t."
Xia Liang was confused but could sense sothing else in Veronica’s tone. "Is there a problem?"
"There is. When appearing in public as a Magical Girl, we usually address each other by our aliases."
Veronica lowered her gaze. "I’m Veronica, you're Little Viola, and Lin Xiaolu is White Rose. When you transform, your alias is your na."
"It's not just about enemies or strangers. Even among Magical Girls, sharing real nas and true identities is sothing only done after mutual trust is established."
"Don't reveal your vulnerabilities to people you don't trust—unless you're strong enough to protect yourself."
She clasped her hands together and raised her eyes. "So, during transformations, I will always call you by your alias. It’s not just about fairness since I only told you my alias; it's also a good habit."
Xia Liang nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly clapped her hands. "Can I apply to change my Magical Girl alias to 'Xia Liang'?"
"Don’t ask dumb questions."
"Then what should I do now that I've already told Xiaolu my real na?"
"Nothing."
Veronica sighed. "Among allies in the sa city, real nas eventually get shared. But once you leave Fangting City, you’ll encounter Magical Girls who aren’t your allies. That’s when you’ll need to be mindful of this."
"Allies, huh…"
Xia Liang murmured the word, her eyes flickering before she squinted, pulling her bathrobe tighter around her.
"So, does that an I successfully dodged the question with an ally?"
"I guess?"
Veronica either didn’t notice Xia Liang’s subtle movent or chose to ignore it. She stood up, dusting off her skirt. "Be cautious with enemies and strangers, but trust your allies when you can—that’s the Magical Girl code."
"White Rose is a simple girl; she’ll believe you. I think you’ll be a good kid, too, so I’m willing to believe you. No one will force you to talk about things you don’t want to."
"So, when you feel like you can trust us enough, tell us what’s really on your mind."
After all, every Magical Girl in the Material World carries so form of doubt or uncertainty.
But Veronica left that last thought unspoken.
"Junior…"
Xia Liang looked up, seemingly touched by Veronica’s words.
She hesitated, opened her mouth, then pursed her lips, hesitated again, and finally spoke—
——"I'm done showering! You can go in now!"
A loud, casual voice interrupted her.
Lin Xiaolu walked over from the bathroom, wearing comfy loungewear with a towel draped around her neck, steam still rising from her.
Halfway through speaking, she stopped in the living room, staring at the two sitting on the sofa. Their expressions seed a little… strange.
Her eyes widened. "What? What were you guys talking about? The atmosphere feels kind of weird…"
Veronica glanced at Xia Liang, who also turned to look at her.
The two exchanged glances—one closed her eyes, while the other showed a helpless smile.
Looks like their conversation wouldn’t be continuing.
"Just so casual chat, nothing much."
Veronica brushed off Lin Xiaolu’s question and took a sip of tea. Then she set down the cup and walked toward the balcony.
"Since you two are settled in, I’ll be heading out. I have other things to do."
She really couldn’t stay any longer. She had only co over during her lunch break, and she still had work in the afternoon. She had already been delayed for over an hour—any longer, and it would cause trouble.
"Huh? You're leaving already? Veronica, stay a little longer!"
Lin Xiaolu instinctively tried to stop her, looking around for a reason to make her stay. Finding none, her gaze landed on the cups of tea.
"…Wait, what about the tea?"
"I was restless, so I made so from what I found in the kitchen."
Veronica kept walking, reaching the edge of the balcony. She turned back to glance at the living room.
"I made it because I was thirsty, but it’s still hot. Let it cool before drinking."
"See you tomorrow."
With those parting words, she didn’t linger.
She leaped over the railing, vanishing into a stream of brilliant blue magic.
Leaving Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang staring at the now-empty balcony.
"So… so… so…!"
After Veronica left, Lin Xiaolu stood frozen, frowning, eyes unfocused, muttering sothing under her breath.
"I an… I don’t really think it’s that big of a deal?"
Thinking she was upset about Veronica leaving in a hurry, Xia Liang waved a hand and tried to smooth things over. "Junior always says things directly, so she probably really had sothing urgent to do, not just an excuse to leave. No need to be mad, right?"
"…That was so cool."
"What?"
"That was SO COOL!" Lin Xiaolu’s eyes sparkled.
"Huh?"
"You saw it, right? You saw it too!"
For once, abandoning her usual standoffish attitude toward Xia Liang, Lin Xiaolu excitedly pointed at the balcony, gesturing with both hands like a fervent preacher.
"You saw it, right? That move—talking while jumping off a high platform, then soaring away in a wave of magic—Veronica’s whole exit was ridiculously cool! I want to learn that!"
"Uh… I guess?"
Watching Lin Xiaolu get so hyped over sothing so random, Xia Liang forced a smile.
At the sa ti, she couldn’t help but recall what Veronica had said earlier.
Calling her 'straightforward'…
Yeah, that checks out.
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