That happened on the day of Aya’s funeral.
Dark clouds lood overhead, cold winds howled, and a fine drizzle fell continuously.
Lin Yun walked forward under a black umbrella, his gaze fixed straight ahead, oblivious to the puddles beneath his feet. His solitary umbrella swayed in the wind, like a black mandrake flower.
Water splashed under his leather shoes, scattering across the ground. Looking ahead, he saw a woman waiting for him.
She stood in the rain without an umbrella, the drizzle carried by the wind striking her body and flowing down along her hair.
She appeared to be in her twenties. Because of the funeral, she was dressed in a black won's suit. Her facial features were sharp, giving her a sowhat valiant air.
Seeing Lin Yun approach, she raised her head. Her pale face was streaked with lingering traces of rain.
“…I’m sorry.”
Her voice was hoarse, trembling slightly as she spoke. “We got there too late.”
Lin Yun said nothing.
He didn’t know what to say. Or rather, “I’m sorry” wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
Everyone who had known Aya began their conversations with those words. It was as if they had all taken responsibility for her death. More importantly, their grief was real.
But if Aya’s death was truly their fault, then what was the actual culprit? And what did that make him—standing helplessly before the void, left only with apologies?
If every eting began with remorse, where was he supposed to pour out the emotions he had nowhere to place?
At sixteen, he might have wept bitterly. At twenty-six, he might have shed tears. But now, over thirty years old, the last remaining head of the family, standing before his daughter and the assembled mourners, he no longer had room for tears.
All that remained was silence. Only silence. Because even a single word might choke him, and how was he supposed to speak through that?
But just because he said nothing didn’t an the woman in front of him would stop talking.
“We placed too much trust in Sakura-senpai… or rather, we underestimated the enemy. We got careless.”
Her fists clenched, her face full of regret. “She told us, just like always, ‘I can handle this alone.’ She said we didn’t need to step in. And we believed her—believed that soone as powerful as her, a Magical Girl, couldn’t possibly fall. But in the end…”
Stop.
Lin Yun wanted to tell her that. He didn’t want to hear how Aya had died. But he knew that was impossible.
“When we arrived, Sakura-senpai was already… and the enemy escaped right in front of us.”
Her voice grew quieter, heavy with emotion. “I’m sorry. We couldn’t do anything. We were completely useless. As her comrades, we failed her.”
The rain continued to fall.
Lin Yun stepped forward, walking toward the woman.
She stood motionless, but her hands clenched tighter, her eyes closing.
As comrades-in-arms, they had let a teammate—no, a senior who had always looked out for them—face death alone. Such disgraceful failure… If he lashed out at her in anger, it would only be natural. She was already prepared for it.
But Lin Yun didn’t do that.
Instead, he extended his umbrella over her head, then gently pulled her into a brief hug, patting her shoulder.
“Don’t bla yourself. You all did your best, Tumi.”
His voice was dry, his expression indifferent, yet there was a softness to his words. “From here on, just focus on what needs to be done.”
Tumi stood beneath the umbrella, her eyes widening in shock. After a brief daze, tears welled up and spilled over.
“Cornflower…”
“Don’t.”
Lin Yun shook his head, cutting her off. “I don’t like that alias.”
“…Then, Veronica-senpai.”
Tumi tried to hold back her sobs, covering her mouth and falling silent for a mont. After a deep breath, she steadied herself and looked at Lin Yun. “No—Mr. Lin Yun.”
“We’re planning to leave Fangting City.”
Clearly, that was what she had truly co to tell him.
Lin Yun’s fingers twitched slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply nodded. “When?”
“Soti this week.”
Tumi wiped away the lingering tears with her sleeve. “Even though the enemy got away, based on its appearance and behavior, we’ve determined that the one who killed Sakura-senpai wasn’t a Ravager—or at least, not just a Ravager.”
Not just a Ravager.
That phrase caught Lin Yun’s attention.
“This incident seems to be connected to a mysterious organization that The Kingdom has been tracking for so ti. It appears they have so ans of collaborating with Ravagers.”
Tumi sniffled, her red-rimd eyes gradually hardening with determination. “So, we’re joining a special investigation team under the Investigation Institute, following the trail of the murderer until we find them.”
“…It’s dangerous?” Lin Yun picked up on the deeper aning in her words and lowered his gaze.
“Seems so. It’s supposedly the team with the highest casualty rate in the Investigation Institute.”
Tumi forced a smile, though it ca out twisted and strained. “But if we don’t do this, we might never be able to face ourselves again.”
“Once we leave, a new Seeder will arrive in Fangting City. They will choose new Magical Girls. It’s ti for us veterans, whose ti is running out, to step aside.”
“And Morning Glory-senpai… She’s been retired for years. Her real na is Hong Siyu, and she now works for the Counterasure Bureau. She’s being reassigned to Fangting City as well.”
She rambled on, listing everything she knew as if trying to unload a burden.
Lin Yun listened for a long ti. He neither responded nor interrupted.
“…I wish you all success.”
After she finished, Lin Yun finally nodded and extended his umbrella toward Tumi. “Take it with you.”
Tumi didn’t take it.
She looked at him, gave a bitter smile, and shook her head.
Their eyes t for a long mont. Lin Yun understood her aning. Silently, he retracted the umbrella, took a deep look at Tumi, then turned to leave.
“Mr. Lin Yun… You don’t need to answer what I’m about to say.”
But after he had taken just two steps, Tumi’s voice called out again from behind him.
This ti, there was hesitation in her tone.
“After I applied to join the special investigation team… soone approached . They claid to be a subordinate of Lord Gold-Green Cat’s Eye.”
Lin Yun’s pupils shrank slightly at the ntion of that na.
But Tumi had told him not to respond. So he didn’t turn around. He simply stood still and listened.
“She told this situation runs deeper than we realize. In fact, this week, a Flower Card-certified individual already went missing during the investigation.”
“So she told to relay a ssage from Lord Gold-Green Cat’s Eye to you—”
“Think carefully about what you’re carrying. Don’t act recklessly.”
After that, silence.
Realizing that was the end of the conversation, Lin Yun stood there for a long ti before finally doing as Tumi had said—without any response, he simply walked away.
Behind him, pale yellow Magic Flow erupted from an empty corner, and a faint Magical Light streaked into the sky, hidden beneath the overcast rain.
One year later, Tumi joined an unofficial investigation team under the Investigation Institute.
During a mission, she encountered an unknown enemy.
After a brutal battle, she sacrificed herself in Binhai City to ensure the safe delivery of critical intelligence.
After her death, another teammate—also from Fangting City—took her place and continued the pursuit.
But as for this, Lin Yun remained unaware.
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