Rong City Tianfu International Airport.
A domestic flight landed, and passengers queued up to exit the gate, chatting and laughing.
Among the crowd, the most eye-catching one was probably the laughing Golden-haired Fox Girl.
The warm winter sun reflected a halo on her fluffy fur, and the plush edges of her collar and skirt hem trembled in the wind, bringing a vibrant energy to the cold winter.
“I’m home—Yay—!”
The Fox Girl raised her hands to embrace the sun, and the wagging of her tail faithfully reflected her excited mood.
The Cat Girl followed closely, dragging her suitcase, smiling as she watched the bouncing back of the Golden Fox in front of her.
Nan Jiayu herself couldn't help but glance up at the high-hanging sun, narrowing her eyes.
She was back. The familiar yet strange Rong City.
She had originally planned to only play in Sui City for a few days, but by the time she returned to Rong City, more than half of the winter vacation had already passed.
Moreover, she had to ask Tianqing to tutor her on the courses she missed this semester due to her Magic Girl activities, so the trip to the northern ice city would have to be postponed.
Anyway, there's still a long way to go!
Nan Jiayu let out a long breath, casually picked up the suitcase by her side, walked down the stairs, and followed the Fox Girl in front.
Quite a few things had happened during this unexpected trip.
Not only did she gain a deeper understanding of matters related to Tianqing, but their relationship also deepened further, and a new companion was even added to the team.
“Speaking of which, did Rabbit and Doggy not come back?”
Walking side by side with the Cat Girl on the way to the subway, Su Tianqing asked curiously.
“...They didn’t tell me, but I don’t think there’s any need to worry,” Nan Jiayu paused, answering honestly.
She really hadn't paid attention to the whereabouts of these two companions, not even knowing how Xia Taotao got to Sui City.
But then again, it's quite difficult to track a Magic Girl with invisibility powers when she's mixed into the city.
As for Ye Lan, there's even less to worry about.
She had recently received the favor of the Greedy Wolf Star, and although it was only a temporary acquisition of magic power with magical assistance, she hadn't officially joined the Observer and Hero Association yet.
“Taotao Tongxue (Taotao classmate) said she has her own way. Since Ye Lan could go from Mountain City to Hong Kong City, she should be able to go back on her own, right?”
“Is that so~”
Su Tianqing tilted her head, her ears and tail perking up at the same time, as if she had thought of something.
The Fox Girl clung to the Cat Girl and took a big sniff.
“Sniff!”
“Meow!!”
The Cat Girl’s fur bristled fiercely, while the Fox Girl looked satisfied.
Cat energy MAX!
“So, does that mean Xiaoyu can finally go on a date with me~?”
“Eh... but it wasn’t much different from a date when we were in Sui City and Hong Kong City,” Nan Jiayu said, suddenly a little shy.
“NoNoNo, of course there’s a difference, and it’s a big one,” the Fox Girl said, shaking her finger and tail, smiling.
“Traveling is traveling, and dating is dating; they’re two different things.”
“Besides, we went to Sui City for business, but dating is different! You can play however you want!”
Nan Jiayu thought for a long time but still couldn't sort out the difference.
But at this moment, there was no need for too much thought; anyway, Tianqing could do whatever she liked, and holidays were meant for playing to the fullest.
The happier, the better, so that the holiday could fulfill its corresponding value.
The two chatted and laughed, discussing their plans for tomorrow, but as they entered the subway, their eyes were both drawn to the screen showing the news:
“Rong City Midday News.”
“At 7 AM this morning, a supermarket in Rong City Dongbo City was attacked by a Monster. Fortunately, the mall was empty at the time, and no casualties were reported.”
“As the Hyacinth Squad has recently been assisting in Hong Kong City against Monsters, this attack was intercepted by the temporarily stationed Autumn Osmanthus Squad, who successfully eliminated the Monster.”
“Oh, it was Autumn Osmanthus.” “They’re the kids from Mountain City, right?”
On the subway, people looking up at the news discussed in low voices.
Qiugui?
Su Tianqing’s ears twitched twice. After a brief thought, she recalled this Magic Girl squad from Mountain City.
During the period when the Hyacinth Squad was assisting Sui City and Hong Kong City, they took on the Monster defense missions for both Mountain City and Rong City.
The mission was quite arduous, Su Tianqing thought.
But speaking of which, she had met Qiugui once, was it when she was helping to facilitate the Iris Star Shadow?
At that time, she flew to Mountain City to catch the Razor Freak Pokémon and happened to encounter Qiugui and her team who came to intercept. After a friendly greeting, she left without much contact.
But since they’ve been working so hard and diligently lately, she won’t bother them then~
“Xiaoyu, let’s go buy some New Year’s goods tomorrow.”
Su Tianqing quietly clung to the Cat Girl, whispering to her.
“And also, Xiaoyu, are you going back to Shanghai for the Spring Festival?”
“I probably won’t go back again,” Nan Jiayu replied without hesitation.
Su Tianqing blinked, seemingly realizing something, and her fox ears immediately drooped to the top of her head.
Oh no! Did she ask a terrible question?
The Fox Fox’s mind immediately began a brief brainstorm.
Xiaoyu’s hometown is Shanghai, raised by Nan Xiaofeng’s grandparents.
Now she says, “I won’t go back again”... Could it be that...
Could it be that Xiaoyu’s grandparents have passed away, and her words just pierced her heart deeply?!
Feeling the sudden silence and slight trembling of the Fox Girl beside her, Nan Jiayu tilted her head in confusion, meeting the worried gaze of the Fox Girl beside her.
Their mutual understanding made Nan Jiayu immediately understand what Su Tianqing was thinking and quickly reassured her.
“That’s not what you think, Tianqing!”
“Hm?” The Golden-haired Fox Girl’s ears suddenly perked up, and her gloomy mood instantly vanished.
“Sorry for the misunderstanding. Actually, it’s because my grandma hasn’t been feeling well recently, so my uncle brought grandma to Rong City for treatment, and grandpa came along to Rong City too.”
“They should be staying in Rong City permanently, so in the future, I won’t have to specially go back to Shanghai for New Year’s.”
Su Tianqing blinked, and after listening to the Cat Girl’s explanation, the sad conclusion from her brainstorm immediately dispersed.
“Silly Cat Cat! You made me worry about you!”
“I was wrong! Sorry!”
The fox fist lightly tapped the Cat Girl’s shoulder twice, without force, just to vent her feelings.
...
Leisurely subway time.
After leaving the subway, the Cat and Fox temporarily parted ways at the intersection.
Su Tianqing needed to settle her luggage, and the Cat Girl also needed to send her luggage back to Nan Xiaofeng’s home, since the rental house only had one bedroom, which was quite cramped for two people.
...Although Su Tianqing thought that two people squeezing onto one bed felt pretty good, she always felt that it would lead to the end of the world, so it was better to have intimate contact only when no one was around.
“Mmm-hmm—”
After handing the clothes bought in Hong Kong City to the laundry familiar for cleaning, and giving her luggage to the organizing familiar for tidying up, Su Tianqing stretched a solid yawn.
A peaceful daily life.
It was hard to imagine that she had actually resolved the Star Realm Rift that had troubled Red Rose for decades in Sui City, and then eliminated the Star Realm Giant Beast Jörmungandr that threatened the city’s safety in Hong Kong City.
After experiencing such intense and exciting battles, Su Tianqing suddenly felt that living leisurely like this was quite nice.
“If only Xiaoyu were here to play with me—” the Golden Fox sighed.
She felt like the familiars would turn her into a lazy fox. While waiting for Xiaoyu to come over, she would first collect the secret codex missions that she hadn't had time to pay attention to recently!
The Fox Girl opened the thick ancient book.
On the mission page, several large lines of text were clearly written:
【Daily Mission 1: Find Fault】
【Do you like a peaceful daily life? Then change your taste!】
【Requirement: Rewards doubled when the mission is completed with Qiugui as the target】
Su Tianqing closed the secret codex, closed her eyes, and sighed deeply.
Sigh...
Sorry, Miss Qiugui, actually, Ben Hu personally really doesn’t want to find fault with you.
But since the secret codex is tempting Ben Hu with double rewards, Ben Hu is quite susceptible to temptation.
—I’ll use you, Miss Qiugui, as the dessert before tonight’s tutoring for Cat Cat!