Living with a Magical Girl, but a Monster Executive

"..." Cong Yu suddenly fell silent and looked at Yuan'an Alisa, who habitually fiddled with her unruly hair.

Pink hair did not look out of place in reality, either.

All he could say was that the world was truly marvelous.

"No, I just came to see Yaochuan Guang."

As he answered, Cong Yu withdrew his gaze, then looked over again and praised her. "Your hair is beautiful."

"Huh? Th... thank you."

Yuan'an Alisa thanked him, somewhat confused.

However, Cong Yu was not finished. He casually said, "But your hair seems rather disobedient. Have you considered buying another hair clip?"

As he spoke, Cong Yu raised a finger and tapped the tip of his own hair. Yuan'an Alisa, across from him, froze for a moment.

Then, the hand she had casually been using to tuck her hair behind her ear stiffened in midair.

Just as Cong Yu had said, her hair clip... had been lost earlier.

"..." Amid the silence, Cong Yu held his phone loosely and said, "Would you like a meeting gift? How about one matching the hair clip on your head?"

Yaochuan Guang: "..."

Yuan'an Alisa: "..."

The atmosphere grew tense.

No, it was not merely tense. It was gradually being devoured by Cong Yu's "aura." Should it be called "aggressive pressure"?

Even if this was only a probe, it was like a giant python slowly tightening around her, leaving Yuan'an Alisa unable to breathe.

Or was it actually just her imagination?

Yuan'an Alisa was already drenched in sweat as she forced herself to stay calm... the hair clip she had left at the gymnasium?

What did Cong Yu know? How much had he figured out?

"Haha, a meeting gift?"

Yuan'an Alisa laughed awkwardly. She pressed her lips together as countless thoughts flickered through her eyes. "Thank you. My hair clip... just happened to fall off."

Was that a confession? Or...

Cong Yu pondered.

While the two stared at each other, each considering the other's "hidden meaning" and "coded words," Yaochuan Guang blinked beside them.

A meeting gift? What the heck? Cong Yu's attitude felt off.

Wait... a hair clip?!

Then Yaochuan Guang suddenly realized something. She slapped the table and stood up in shock. "Could it be? No way?!"

"Senior Yuan'an, are you the one colluding with the monsters?!"

Cong Yu: "..."

Yuan'an Alisa: "..."

A Test? Never Heard of It!

Genius!

Yaochuan Guang was truly a genius!

Whatever came to her mind, she blurted it out. No deduction ever passed through her brain before jumping from her mouth.

Cong Yu sighed and glanced at Yuan'an Alisa, whose pupils had contracted at Yaochuan Guang's words.

All he could say was that luckily, the other girl was not very smart either... or rather, she had the stress tolerance of an ordinary high school girl.

Completely unlike certain ancient monsters.

"You really are

a clever little thing."

At Cong Yu's flat remark, Yaochuan Guang grinned and scratched her head. "Not really. I'm only clever once in a while. Overall, I'm pretty dumb."

You really are self-aware!

No, wait! Did you think I was complimenting you?!

Still...

She had accidentally hit the mark and laid the matter bare.

Cong Yu's earlier words had been based on the premise that the other party might be suspicious, or might be innocent.

Even if she had merely been an ordinary bystander, she would not have found Cong Yu's words too abrupt... she would only have thought—ah, he was surprisingly enthusiastic.

That was roughly the extent of it.

But now?

Thanks to Yaochuan Guang... the other party's reaction had already proven something.

Cong Yu quietly watched Yuan'an Alisa. Though it was merely a simple gaze, somehow... Yuan'an Alisa could no longer move.

Like prey being watched by a natural predator, a fear rooted in her blood made her feel as though her blood had frozen cold.

"Yaochuan Guang."

Cong Yu spoke simply, and Yaochuan Guang immediately became serious. "Yes!"

Were they making a move? Here?!

Yaochuan Guang was eager to try, ready at any moment to act on Cong Yu's orders. Whether it meant transforming or simply pouncing on her directly.

She was completely prepared!

"Snatch her phone."

Cong Yu said it plainly.

At Cong Yu's words, Yuan'an Alisa's pupils contracted. She immediately reacted and prepared to throw her phone out the window.

But then a flash of light streaked before her eyes.

Without transforming, Yaochuan Guang, in her ordinary state alone, became a golden figure, like a flickering beam of light...

She caught the phone Yuan'an Alisa had just thrown at the fastest possible speed, and even had time to brush against her hand and unlock the screen with her fingerprint.

By the time Yuan'an Alisa reacted, Yaochuan Guang had already reached Cong Yu's side and placed the phone into Cong Yu's outstretched palm.

That posture made her look somewhat like a puppy trying to please its owner. As for the owner's identity... that went without saying.

"Sorry, Senior Yuan'an—"

Yaochuan Guang smiled cheerfully, in sharp contrast to Yuan'an Alisa's tense expression. Though, the scene was actually rather strange.

Because Cong Yu, sitting there casually and scrolling through Yuan'an Alisa's phone, somehow looked like the villain.

As a result, Yaochuan Guang looked rather like the evil servant of some spoiled young tyrant.

Or even an evil dog.

By then, Cong Yu was already reading Yuan'an Alisa's chat history... it had been shown in the previous chapter, so there was no need to pad the word count.

In short, Cong Yu could tell from her contacts that Yuan'an Alisa seemed to want to join 0451's monster organization.

The monster called 0451 had also been directing Yuan'an Alisa's actions... such as the explosion at the Old Sports Warehouse.

During that operation, Yuan'an Alisa had dropped her hair clip there, turning it into the breakthrough point for the entire situation.

With that conclusion in mind, Cong Yu glanced at Yuan'an Alisa... she seemed to understand that as well, which was why she looked somewhat frustrated.

"..." Remaining silent, Cong Yu continued scrolling through the earlier messages... basically, every bit of Yuan'an Alisa's involvement in the matter had been guided by 0451.

[0451: Pick up the package sent to the school. It's with the guard.]

[Yuan'an Alisa: Is this part of the test?]

[0451: Yes.]

[Yuan'an Alisa: I couldn't find the package you mentioned.]

[0451: What?]

[Yuan'an Alisa: Sorry, it really wasn't there.]

"..." It had been the Mosquito Monster from Cong Yu's group that stole the package, which was why Yuan'an Alisa could not find it... the package containing the disguise ring.

Afterward, the Mosquito Monster had been hunted down by Yaochuan Guang, while Cong Yu had protected the package. That was another matter entirely.

Other than that, nearly every exchange between 0451 and Yuan'an Alisa began with 0451 ordering her to do something.

For example...

[0451: Take the package in the grove to the Old Sports Warehouse, then press the detonator.]

[Yuan'an Alisa: A detonator?!]

[0451: It's to eliminate evidence. Just do it.]

[Yuan'an Alisa: Haven't I passed the test yet?]

[0451: Not yet.]

[Yuan'an Alisa: I'll do it now.]

"..."

"..." Cong Yu scrolled upward and realized that the monster called 0451 and Yuan'an Alisa had met in... a monster group chat.

In other words, Yuan'an Alisa really was that sort of person.

The kind who thought monster organizations were cooler than magical girls.

Cong Yu did not know how to judge that, but he was rather curious about one thing. He asked Yuan'an Alisa, "What exactly is this 'test' you keep talking about?"

At that moment, Yuan'an Alisa had tried to snatch her phone back while Cong Yu was looking through it.

So Yaochuan Guang had subdued her.

Pinned beneath Yaochuan Guang in a very improper position, Yuan'an Alisa looked as though she had already given up struggling.

"You people wouldn't understand."

Yuan'an Alisa began in the most stereotypical way possible, perfectly matching Cong Yu's image of a monster enthusiast.

Cong Yu's position leaned toward monsters because he truly was a monster.

But Yuan'an Alisa... was another matter.

"You don't understand the Yuan'an family's destiny... To fight against that destiny, I must seek the power of darkness."

Under Cong Yu's gaze, Yuan'an Alisa clenched her fist tightly... unfortunately, there was no classic scene of her nails digging into her flesh until she bled.

Perhaps that setting simply did not exist.

"Wait, wait, classmate..."

Cong Yu waved a hand casually. He looked at Yuan'an Alisa, who was pinned beneath Yaochuan Guang's butt. "I wasn't asking about that."

"..." Yuan'an Alisa fell silent for a moment. She had assumed Cong Yu would argue something like, [Even so, that's no reason to help evil forces.]

Honestly, Cong Yu's reaction was outside her expectations.

"The test... it is a test given to me by the monsters of the Monster Group. Only by passing trials can humans prove their determination to sever ties with the past!"

As she spoke, Yuan'an Alisa looked at Cong Yu, hoping to see admiration in his eyes... but all she saw was shock.

And confusion.

Cong Yu: What? There's actually a setting like that?

A setting even science fiction novels would not dare use lightly?!

Yaochuan Guang's Eyes Changed...

Humans who wanted to join a Monster Group had to undergo tests, and even have their loyalty tested. Cong Yu had never heard of such a thing.

Not only the 22 Group; the other groups should have been the same.

Monster Groups had always been short on people, whether field personnel or support staff. Whether ordinary humans or humans whose magic had awakened and who wanted to become monsters.