Fangting City, Xizhao Middle School, third floor of the main teaching building.
Lin Xiaolu stared blankly at the phone call that had just been hung up. After a few seconds, she lowered her arm and put the phone away. She turned toward the hallway window, watching the endless drizzle outside. The gloomy weather seed to weigh on her mood as well.
Maybe "weigh" wasn't the right word—she felt lost.
Veronica had told her, "You don’t need to co." It was, of course, ant with good intentions. She didn’t want Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang to put themselves in danger, nor did she want them to miss an important parent-teacher eting. The concern in her words was clear—who wouldn’t understand that?
And yet, even though Veronica had no ill intentions, that phrase could be interpreted another way. "You don’t need to co" could also an "Your presence wouldn’t make a difference."
There was no belittling or mockery in it—just a simple statent of fact: in Veronica’s eyes, the two newcors were fragile and in need of protection, completely incapable of contributing to a fight.
Against a Caterpillar-tier Ravager, Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang—who were only at Seed-tier—were utterly powerless. Even after nearly a month of training, if they faced a Caterpillar-tier enemy, they’d likely only be a burden.
Technically, Veronica, Lin Xiaolu, and Xia Liang were all Magical Girl companions. But in reality, the two newcors couldn’t keep up with her pace, let alone fight alongside her.
Fangting City was in crisis, and Veronica still had to fight alone.
So… was it really okay to just follow the plan as it was?
Lin Xiaolu found herself wondering.
Being protected, cared for, and guided by such a senior did make her feel at ease. Maybe it really was best to just leave the dangerous stuff to Veronica, steadily growing stronger under her guidance, and naturally becoming a skilled Magical Girl in due ti.
No risks. No obstacles. All it would take was ti, effort, and talent.
It was a growth path that seed entirely logical, safe, and reasonable—exactly the kind of secure route any good ntor would arrange for their juniors.
But if she understood all that… then why did she still feel so lost?
She couldn’t figure it out.
"Are you okay, Xiaolu?"
Perched on Lin Xiaolu’s shoulder, Moko noticed her low spirits and asked with concern.
Lin Xiaolu simply shook her head.
The parent-teacher eting was approaching. Most classes had already finished for the day, and students were leaving their classrooms, walking down the hallway toward the school entrance to et their parents.
With more people filling the corridors, the foot traffic beca increasingly dense. This wasn’t the right place for Lin Xiaolu to be talking to Moko.
She put her phone back into her pocket, patted her cheeks lightly with both hands as if to snap herself out of it, and turned back toward her classroom, reminding herself to focus on the eting.
The rain outside was getting heavier—she needed to grab her umbrella.
As she passed through the nearly empty classroom, Lin Xiaolu pulled her backpack from her desk and retrieved her umbrella. Just as she stepped out of the classroom again, she spotted a familiar figure.
It was Xia Liang.
"Xia Liang!"
Moko, who had just been worried about Lin Xiaolu, imdiately switched sides. The little fairy leaped off Lin Xiaolu’s shoulder and, before she could react, dove straight into Xia Liang’s arms—leaving Lin Xiaolu standing there, watching their interaction with a sour expression.
But this was school, filled with ordinary students who couldn’t see fairies. If Xia Liang interacted too much with Moko, she might end up looking like she was talking to thin air, which would definitely seem weird.
So Xia Liang was mindful of her actions, only giving Moko a quick pat before letting go, making sure not to draw attention.
"How about you?"****"Is your dad coming soon?"
"How would I know where that guy is?" Lin Xiaolu frowned. "For all I know, he might not even show up."
"Then why did you bring an umbrella?"
"…I don’t have anything better to do, so I figured I’d check the school gate."
"Pfft." Xia Liang covered her mouth, suppressing a laugh.
"You’re so annoying!"
Flustered, Lin Xiaolu snapped, "If you don’t have anything else to say, just go back to your class!"
"Alright, alright, I’ll stop."
Like coaxing a child, Xia Liang softened her tone before shifting the conversation. "I just wanted to ask about the ssage you sent earlier—about the Ravager that appeared on the light rail…"
"Veronica went."
Lin Xiaolu’s eyes flickered. She answered briefly, "Alone."
"…I see. So it’s the sa as always."
Xia Liang blinked, montarily dazed, but quickly understood what she ant.
Compared to Lin Xiaolu, Xia Liang was more perceptive when it ca to social matters. She had realized Veronica’s intentions much earlier and understood them more deeply.
She knew why Veronica went alone.
After a brief mont of silence, Xia Liang smiled and comforted Lin Xiaolu. "Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. Since that’s how it is, let’s just focus on the parent-teacher eting for now."
"…Yeah."
Lin Xiaolu’s expression was complicated, but she nodded. "I know. Worrying won’t change anything."
After a few more words, Xia Liang waved goodbye and headed toward the other end of the school building, while Lin Xiaolu, holding her umbrella, continued toward the school gate.
By now, a dense crowd had gathered at the entrance. Students were reuniting with their parents and guiding them to their respective classrooms.
Lin Xiaolu opened her umbrella, carefully avoiding puddles as she hopped toward the gate.
She stood on her toes, scanning the crowd, trying to spot Lin Yun. But with the sea of heads before her, her small stature made it hard to see anything clearly.
After a few failed attempts, she realized her efforts were pointless.
Instead, she decided on a different approach: she’d find a less crowded spot and wait there.
After all, given her height, finding soone in the crowd was nearly impossible. But with Lin Yun’s build, he’d have no trouble spotting her over the crowd.
What she needed to do was make herself easier to find.
Holding her umbrella, Lin Xiaolu moved to an empty corner near the flower beds by the gate. Once she confird that she was visible from the entrance, she stood still and waited quietly.
More students poured out of the school, and the crowd at the gate thickened. So students remained inside the building, but most chose to wait at the entrance—after all, the eting would also reveal their final exam grades. Not knowing whether they had done well, many students figured it was best to act obediently in front of their parents just in case.
Lin Xiaolu didn’t care about her grades. She had never liked studying, and after becoming a Magical Girl, she treated schoolwork as nothing more than an obligation. She knew her grades wouldn’t be great, but trying to please Lin Yun over sothing like that was absurd.
She ca to the school gate for one reason only—just to take a look.
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