“That concludes today’s class. Class dismissed.”
It was late afternoon, time for class to end.
Hua Ling tidied up her textbooks and notebooks, stretched, and let out a long breath.
“Phew… today’s class is over,” the girl thought.
She had another nightmare last night.
The same nightmare as always, waking up startled from it as always, and even clutching her tail pillow as always when she woke up.
Ever since she decided not to be a Magic Girl, Hua Ling felt as if a huge psychological burden had been lifted, making her feel much better.
Hua Ling thought back to yesterday, to that nightmarish day:
—Yesterday, as a Magic Girl, she was entangled by the phantom of the stars, almost hurting Tianqing Jie.
This was absolutely intolerable.
Tianqing Jie was the person she swore to absolutely protect; no matter what happened, only Tianqing Jie must never be harmed.
But what had she done yesterday?
Thinking of the scene where Hellcat shielded Golden Fox, Hua Ling felt a chill down her spine, an inexplicable sense of lingering fear.
If Bai Ling and Mu Yao hadn't stopped her from firing in time, Tianqing Jie would probably have…
“…”
The girl trembled silently twice, lowering her head to look at the thick notebook on the desk.
The cover was printed with Iris’s guardian star logo, a merchandise sample sent to her by the Hero Association, and the title page had a small, squinting fox drawn on it by Tianqing Jie herself.
“What exactly have you been protecting, Iris?”
Her finger lightly traced the logo on the cover. Hua Ling sighed, put it into her backpack, and got up to leave.
The weather was a bit gloomy; the sun was not visible, and the campus of the College of Arts and Sciences also seemed somewhat dim.
The girl strolled along the somewhat dim path, letting her thoughts drift.
“If I don’t become a Magic Girl, will Tianqing Jie be sad?” Hua Ling wondered.
“She probably would, of course. Looking at it this way, I really have accumulated a heavy burden of sin.”
The girl sighed softly, looking up at the gradually darkening sky.
It looked like a prelude to rain, making her uneasy.
But just as Hua Ling was about to quicken her pace, a golden figure not far away suddenly caught the girl’s attention.
It was Golden Fox, standing in front of a plum blossom, sniffing it carefully.
She had her fluffy ears drooped, her tail wagging from side to side, completely immersed in the fragrant scent of the plum blossoms.
“Tianqing Jie…?” Hua Ling murmured.
Hearing someone call her, Golden Fox immediately perked up her ears and looked over, waving excitedly.
“Hua Ling Meimei ~ Good afternoon!” Golden Fox bounced over, greeting her.
Hua Ling nervously clutched the corner of her clothes.
“Um… Good afternoon, Tianqing Jie. How is your body? Are you feeling better?”
“I was completely fine last night. It was just motion sickness. The doctor even said I just needed to drink more water,” Su Tianqing said with a smile.
“But Hua Ling, did you rest well after that last night? Did you stay up late?”
Hua Ling paused for a moment, then shook her head helplessly.
“No, I didn’t stay up late. I went to sleep after you left, Tianqing Jie. I slept… quite well.”
The girl told a lie.
Her sleep quality last night could only be described as terrible, but telling the truth would make Tianqing Jie worry, so Hua Ling didn’t dare to be honest.
Golden Fox smiled slightly.
“That’s good. If giving up certain things can make Hua Ling feel more relaxed, then I, your elder sister, can understand.”
“Tianqing Jie…”
Hua Ling’s mouth opened slightly, but she didn’t know how to respond.
…So Tianqing Jie thought that way.
Did she think that she felt immense pressure because of being a Magic Girl, which was why she had such a willful thought yesterday…?
But ultimately, her own reason for becoming a Magic Girl was also very willful, even quite naive, and she hadn’t considered this series of events afterwards at all…
The girl fell into deep thought again, inadvertently leaving Golden Fox standing there in front of her.
Su Tianqing didn’t rush to interrupt Hua Ling’s thoughts, observing her with interest.
As expected, Hua Ling was currently in a vortex of doubt and self-doubt, seemingly taking responsibility for everything that happened yesterday, which was slightly different from her initial guess, but it didn’t matter much.
The plan officially begins!
“Hua Ling Meimei.”
Su Tianqing called softly, bringing Hua Ling back from her thoughts.
“Ah… Ah! Sorry, Tianqing Jie, I zoned out without realizing it!”
“It’s okay. I came to check on you, Hua Ling. Seeing that you can attend school normally puts my mind at ease.”
“…Sorry for making you worry, Tianqing Jie.”
Su Tianqing smiled slightly, pretending not to care, and continued:
“If you feel tired, Hua Ling Meimei, why don’t you take a good rest for a while?”
“Bai Ling has already told me that the guardian star will not be taken back. As long as you are willing, Hua Ling, you can always become Iris and be active again.”
“But until you recover, Hua Ling Meimei… you can fully enjoy this vacation.”
What a sunny, understanding Golden Fox!
She was the one who almost hurt her, yet Tianqing Jie didn’t care about her actions yesterday at all, instead comforting her so gently…
A strong sense of guilt arose in Hua Ling’s heart.
But even with the guilt, she still couldn’t eliminate the hesitation and unease in her heart.
She no longer had the courage and belief to transform into Iris again.
“I’m very scared, Tianqing Jie,” Hua Ling murmured.
“I’m afraid that when I transform again, I’ll hurt someone else… I’m afraid, afraid of dragging you into it again, Tianqing Jie…”
“I understand, Hua Ling Meimei.”
“So, leave the rest to me, your elder sister.”
Su Tianqing chimed in at the right moment.
“The rest? Tianqing Jie, are you…?”
“Hyacinth and Nightingale, both of them are still in Xin Yuehu’s hands.”
Golden Fox looked at the distant, cloudy sky and said seriously.
“…Xiao Feng and Mu Yao, they are my friends, and they are also the people I, as Magic Girl Dandelion, must protect.”
“Including you, Hua Ling, as long as I am Magic Girl Dandelion, I will always protect you all. No matter what happens, I will always support you all.”
After speaking, Su Tianqing turned to look at the stunned girl beside her and smiled charmingly.
“So go ahead and do what you want to do, Hua Ling Meimei. Even if the sky falls, I, your elder sister, will hold it up!”
Hua Ling realized something.
Tianqing Jie, does she intend to go find Xin Yuehu alone?
With this fragile, support-type Fox Fox, is she going to confront Xin Yuehu, who can summon a Star Witch at will?
“That’s too dangerous!”
Hua Ling tried to dissuade her,
“Tianqing Jie, listen to me, Xin Yuehu’s strength is far greater than you imagine. If you go alone… you’ll definitely be…”
“But isn’t that the duty of a Magic Girl?”
“!!…”
The Fox Fox’s words seemed to pierce Hua Ling’s heart, leaving the girl stunned in place.
“Magic Girls are born to protect.”
“I still remember that night, when Mu Yao transformed into Magic Girl Nightingale to protect me, and when Xiao Feng transformed into Hyacinth to stop Cheshire Rabbit,”
“And that day at the Ferris wheel, Hua Ling Meimei, when you transformed into Iris to stop that giant monster, all those scenes made my heart surge with emotion.”
Golden Fox said with a light laugh,
“I’m supposed to be the elder sister, I’m the adult who should be protecting you all, but instead I’m being protected by you all. That’s not what an elder sister should do.”
“Until I met Xiao Yue, she gave me the opportunity to become Magic Girl Dandelion, and I accepted without hesitation.”
“—I want to protect you all, I want to protect everyone.”
“No matter where you are, or whether you are still Magic Girls in the future, I, your elder sister, will always be your strongest support.”
“Tianqing Jie… I…”
Hua Ling hesitated, but was silenced by the smiling Fox Fox in front of her.
“No need to say anything more, Hua Ling Meimei.”
“You’ve done very well to bravely admit that you’re scared.”
“So leave the rest to me, your elder sister! I will definitely rescue both of them safely!”
“Don’t underestimate me, you know. I, your elder sister, still have a trump card I haven’t used yet.”
Golden Fox confidently puffed out her Fox Fox chest, but it didn’t look convincing in the slightest.
“…Oh dear, is it already this late? I, your elder sister, should head back, or Xiao Yu will worry.”
“Goodbye, Hua Ling Meimei ~ You rest well, I’ll bring back good news!”
With that, Golden Fox waved as she ran off, quickly disappearing at the end of the path.
The girl stared blankly in the direction Golden Fox had vanished, then looked up blankly at the dim, gloomy sky.
…It’s going to rain today.