“I remember when she first became a Magical Girl, she trained constantly, day in and day out. As I said before, she left an indelible mark on the history of Magical Girl idols, because public support gives Magical Girls stronger power, like the legendary incense offerings? Probably. But she only had a very short idol career. Her Speed of promotion is also a legend of the Demon Court; in four years, she became the strongest Magical Girl of her generation. Her mastery of Space and Time Magic made her invincible.”
Bai Baihe fell into her memories.
“What kind of person was Senior back then?” Shi Yu found herself growing more and more curious about this mysterious Senior.
“She was outwardly cold but inwardly warm, and not very talkative. Perhaps she preferred action over words. She used to be on my team, and her use of Time Magic greatly reduced team casualties. In those dark and turbulent years, that was nothing short of a miracle. The casualty rate for Magical Girls during that chaotic period was appallingly high, because Magical Girls were a mysterious power that appeared out of nowhere; without guidance from predecessors, they could only explore on their own. Back then, Magical Girls fought with a heart that simply wanted to protect.”
“Even if it meant dying inexplicably?”
“Yes, even if no one knew their true identities, even if they died inexplicably on the battlefield, even if there was no one to mourn them.”
Bai Baihe sat on the chair, arms crossed, head slightly bowed. The atmosphere was incredibly heavy.
“Let’s not talk about that. Let’s continue with the mysterious Senior you’re curious about.”
Shi Yu’s thoughts were pulled back. “Okay, Sister Bai, what was Senior’s Magical Girl codename?”
“Her codename? She was called 【Li Yu】, Li from ‘glazed,’ Yu from ‘feather.’”
“So that was Senior’s codename. Did Senior Li Yu also hide herself with a black trench coat back then, just like now?”
“Haha, little Li Yu wasn’t like that back then. Little Li Yu never wore a black trench coat before, you know.”
“Is that so…” Shi Yu somewhat wanted to see Senior’s true appearance beneath the trench coat, and also wanted to know why Senior gave her such a familiar feeling.
“That’s right, little Li Yu was known as the Demon Court’s famous ‘Ice Beauty,’ but that was only when facing outsiders. What little Li Yu was like in private might surprise you greatly~”
“Sister Bai! I’m so curious! I want to know!” Shi Yu sprang from her chair, hands on the table, her cowlick standing straight up.
Bai Baihe leaned back, resting her entire body against the backrest. “Eh~ Xiao Shi Yu, that won’t do. Am I the kind of person who just spills someone’s embarrassing past?”
Shi Yu wasn’t happy. She put her hands on Bai Baihe’s shoulders and shook her vigorously. “Sister Bai~ You’re the best~ Just tell me a little bit~ Please~”
Bai Baihe felt a bit dizzy from the shaking. “No! Absolutely not. I promised little Li Yu I wouldn’t talk carelessly.”
“Eh~ Sister Bai, why are you like this? Just a little, a tiny bit!” Shi Yu increased the intensity of her shaking of Bai Baihe.
A creaking sound came from Bai Baihe’s chair. “Stop shaking! Stop shaking! I really can’t say! Shi Yu, please let me go.”
“No! Sister Bai, you’ve piqued my curiosity. If I don’t know something, I won’t be able to sleep well for the rest of my life, and all of this! It’s all Sister Bai! Your fault!” Shi Yu’s words came out like a machine gun, and her hands didn’t stop moving.
“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!” Bai Baihe finally succumbed after enduring torture that a person her age shouldn’t have to bear.
“I’ll tell you! But I can’t tell you everything. Xiao Shi Yu, you have to consider Sister’s difficulties, right?”
“I knew Sister Bai wouldn’t bear to let me suffer the pain of sleeplessness for the rest of my life. Sister Bai is the best~”
Shi Yu withdrew her hands from shaking Bai Baihe, took a small hop backward, and sat back in her chair.
“Then I’ll tell you a keyword. As for anything else you want to know, you’ll have to wait until little Li Yu is willing to tell you herself~”
Bai Baihe shook her head, feeling completely out of sorts just now. She took a sip of water and finally came back to life.
“Xiao Shi Yu, let me tell you, your mysterious and powerful Senior Li Yu, besides the nickname ‘Ice Beauty’ while she was at the Demon Court, she had another nickname too.”
“That nickname was ‘Steam Princess’!”
“Steam Princess?” Shi Yu was a bit confused.
“I can only say this much. If you want to know more, Xiao Shi Yu will have to figure it out herself,” Bai Baihe said, then prepared to leave the training room.
“Sister still has work to do, Xiao Shi Yu, so Sister will be leaving now.”
Click. The training room door closed as Bai Baihe left.
Steam Princess? What does that mean… Shi Yu was in a brainstorm. How could a naive young girl understand the meaning of such words? Could it be that Senior Li Yu puffed out white steam when she fought? No, that’s not right. The last time she saw Senior fight, there was no white steam. Why then? Why was Senior’s nickname Steam Princess?
---
Having returned home early, Shi Kong had no idea that Bai Baihe had spilled her embarrassing past. She was concentrating on cooking.
Beep beep beep.
It was a message notification from Juxin.
Shi Kong washed her hands and took out her phone.
Baihe: The little girl seems to have found out something.
I Don’t Want to Work: Huh? What did you tell her?
Baihe: I didn’t say anything… probably.
I Don’t Want to Work: Then you still said something, didn’t you?! Wait for it! If I get discovered, I’m dragging you down with me first.
Shi Kong put down her phone, her mind in a mess. Discovered what? Discovered what? I didn’t do anything.
The sound of a key in the lock. Oh no, my sister’s back. Shi Kong hurried back to the kitchen to continue cooking.
“You’re back. Dinner’s almost ready. Just sit for a bit.”
“Oh, okay. What are we eating today?”
What? What! My sister actually said so many words in one sentence to me. What’s going on? Has my sister been possessed?
“Uh, Shi Yu?”
“What?”
“Are you really Shi Yu?”
“If I’m not Shi Yu, are you?”
“Uh… haha, it’s just a bit, well, a bit flattered?”
“Get lost,” Shi Yu said, changing her shoes and heading into the bathroom without looking back.
“That’s better,” Shi Kong let out a long sigh of relief.
In the bathroom, Shi Yu’s cheeks were a little warm. She had originally intended to be a little nicer to her brother, but who knew he would actually think she wasn’t herself. Sure enough, he was still the brother who made her feel so “annoyed.”
After dinner.
Shi Kong’s phone beeped again.
Baihe: The investigator dispatched by the Tribunal has arrived in Suhang City. Be careful and watch yourself. Recently, I won’t be appearing.
I Don’t Want to Work: I know, don’t worry. I won’t be showing up recently.
Shi Kong put down her phone, took off the decorative key that had been hanging around her neck, and then found a small iron box.
As the box opened, the items inside also stirred Shi Kong’s memories.
He had lived for four years as Li Yu with the friends she cared about. The box contained all the gifts she had received for every birthday over those four years.
Shi Kong took out a white and blue pen and murmured to herself.
“Soon, soon. I’ll come find you all very soon. Wait for me.”
Shi Kong placed the pen by her pillow, closed her eyes. Only when she thought of seeing them soon could she sleep peacefully…
---
The night passed quickly, and the sky was faintly bright.
Shi Kong opened her eyes and glanced at her phone.
5:45
Changing into her clothes, Shi Kong hooked out the slippers from under the bed with her foot and prepared to go to the bathroom to wash up. Passing by her sister’s door, she heard some strange words.
“Sen…ior… what is… a steam engine… huff huff huff”
Shi Kong wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but she was curious. When did this girl start talking in her sleep?
It was still two milks with hand-grabbed pancakes. Shi Kong knew her sister wasn’t going to school but to the Bureau for training, so she would definitely wake up early.
It’s coming soon. Soon, it will be my sister’s Magical Girl idol debut performance. Should I go see it? No, that’s not right. I don’t even like Magical Girls. If I go, won’t I be exposed?
I’ve got it! Transform and go see! No, no, no, no, that won’t work either. The investigator is in the next city. What if I transform now and get discovered? Hey! That’s right, that’s right. I’m just transforming; I’m not using magic. As long as I don’t teleport, no one will ever discover me! That’s right, that’s right, that’s right, right?
So annoying, the more I think about it, the more annoying it gets. I want to go see my sister’s debut performance, but I’m afraid of exposing my identity. So annoying, so annoying, so annoying.
“Forget it! Go to work first. I’ve been absent for several days. The perfect attendance bonus is probably gone. I hope they don’t deduct my salary.”
Shi Kong placed the prepared breakfast on the table, walked to the entrance, changed her shoes, opened the main door, and found her little electric scooter, which she had bought outright with two months’ salary.
Shi Kong rode her beloved electric scooter. The streets were bustling with people, and posters of Magical Girls were everywhere. The large screens cycled through the most popular Magical Girls of the moment.
“Sigh, I really still hate Magical Girls.”
After a half-hour ride, Shi Kong finally arrived at the company just before the clock-in deadline.
Shi Kong’s job: Human Basic Survival Guarantee Business Deliverer, a very noble profession that ensures human basic survival!
In short, a delivery driver. Don’t let this job seem tiring and sun-drenched; as long as you deliver a lot, earning over ten thousand a month is not a problem!
Beep beep! You have a new order!
Shi Kong placed her phone on the phone holder on her electric scooter and clicked to accept the order.
As the electric scooter started, Shi Kong’s ordinary and not-so-pleasant day began.
The electric scooter sped along. Shi Kong’s motto for delivering food was: never let any customer starve in front of her.
Shi Kong parked her electric scooter in front of a resplendent five-star hotel.
“Holy cow! If I could stay in a place like this a few times in this life, I’d be happy even if it meant getting rich instantly!”
Shi Kong walked into the lobby with the takeout, looking around like someone who had just entered the city. (In reality, I don’t know if delivery drivers can enter five-star hotels, but here, I think they can.)
She entered the elevator and pressed the top floor button.
“Oh my, the top floor! If only it were a rich lady, I wouldn’t have to work hard for the rest of my life!”
The elevator quickly reached the top floor. The elevator doors opened. “Uh, 5101. Oh, oh, oh, I see it.”
Bang bang bang, “Hello, your takeout!”
The sound of knocking had just faded when the door opened.
“Hello, here’s your takeout. Please give a five-star review, thank you~” Shi Kong said with her signature smile.
A girl, dressed in all black, stood before Shi Kong. She reached out to take the takeout, and Shi Kong looked up, meeting the gaze of the black-clad girl.
“Thank you,” the girl said, taking the takeout and closing the door, leaving Shi Kong standing alone at the entrance, dumbfounded.
“Why is she here?”
(PS: Please give me more time, everyone. My writing is already trying hard to improve! Wuwuwuwuwu)