Debate

After seeing off the uninvited guest who had come to the director's office, Lin Yun went to the canteen of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau with a heavy heart.

Although he is now the director, he insists on not seeking any special treatment in his lifestyle, keeping everything the same as ordinary employees, and not enjoying any special privileges.

Lin Yun ate a few bites of food on her plate, finding it tasteless, and pondered the conversation she had had in the director's office that morning, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

He felt like he had shot himself in the foot.

He didn't know what Bai Jingxuan's mindset had been before, or what her views were on life and hatred. But the fact that she now had such violent thoughts seemed to be inextricably linked to the battle he had fought on the Full Moon Festival.

Lin Yun often reflects on this incident, wondering if his choice was too extreme, whether he should have used such a cruel fighting style in front of the girls, and whether it would have any negative consequences.

In fact, Bai Jingxuan's eyes had already shown something strange when she killed Moss and reunited with the girls. Of the three girls, only she showed no worry or fear, but rather pure excitement and admiration.

She displayed this attitude as if she had finally found some direction or finally gained some kind of enlightenment.

At that time, Larkspur had no idea what Bai Jingxuan was thinking. Now, thinking back, the child probably already had similar wicked thoughts. These wicked thoughts had been brewing for half a month, and under her calm and obedient appearance, they underwent some unknown fermentation, eventually manifesting in the way she is now.

Larkspur did not want to shirk responsibility for this matter. As a senior on the path of magical girls, she had indeed failed to set a positive example in this regard.

However, things have already turned out this way, and hesitating won't help. What I need to think about is how to salvage the situation. How can I tell Bai Jingxuan that her thinking was inappropriate?

With mixed feelings, Lin Yun returned to her office somewhat wearily after lunch.

He pushed open the swing door to the director's office and looked inside, only to see the green-haired girl with a single ponytail who should have already been sent away.

Tian Sheng stood awkwardly to the side, unsure of what to say.

"... Why is she still here?" Lin Yun turned to Tian Sheng and asked.

"I tried to persuade her, but she insisted on coming," Tian Sheng explained softly. "And I couldn't stop her, so I had no choice but to follow behind."

"Didn't the Security Department come to kick people out?"

"She's here, but she's a magical girl after all... the Security Department can't really do anything about her." Tian Sheng scratched the back of his head.

Lin Yun's gaze swept over the two of them. After a brief pause, he sighed almost imperceptibly and said to Tian Sheng, "Alright, you can go back first. I'll talk to her."

"Don't you need me to stay here?" Tian Sheng pointed to himself, "If we still can't reach an agreement..."

"Then you can't persuade her either, can you?"

Lin Yun waved her hand. "Thank you for your help this morning, go back and rest."

Tian Sheng seemed to have something else to say, but seeing the subtle tension between Lin Yun and Bai Jingxuan, he gave up and left the director's office with some worry.

Having seen Tian Sheng off, Lin Yun returned to his desk. He looked at Bai Jingxuan, Bai Jingxuan also looking at him with a somewhat stubborn expression.

"I should have said it before, I will not agree."

Lin Yun shook his head and spoke again, "Unless you can change your intentions and not participate in the operation with a purely revenge-driven mindset, and stop using words like 'massacre,' just go and simply eliminate the enemy."

"Then, then I won't talk about these things, let's just fight the bad guys in a normal way..." Bai Jingxuan tentatively suggested.

"I need a guarantee, not just a perfunctory response. I don't want you to verbally agree with me, only to go back on your word and slaughter the enemy when it comes to actually participating in the operation."

Lin Yun seemed to read her mind and said calmly, "If you can do that, then I'll agree to your request to participate in the operation."

"Hmm..." Bai Jingxuan pursed her lips, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Sit down, there's no need to stand and talk anymore. If you want my advice, perhaps you could go back and ask the 'teacher' you mentioned."

Lin Yun sat down in her seat and pointed to the chair in front of her desk. "You said you wanted to learn from her, so what does she think of your current decision? Have you thought about that?"

"... I have no idea."

Bai Jingxuan shook her head, still standing in place. "I haven't asked her yet."

"In other words, your decision to come to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau was entirely your own, and you did not seek your teacher's advice."

Lin Yun picked up the water glass on the table. "Even from this perspective, aren't you being too impulsive?"

"I don't think the teacher will refuse..." Bai Jingxuan muttered softly.

Your teacher is now strongly opposed.

Lin Yun tightened her grip on the water glass.

"Regardless of your opinion, the opinion of the person involved is essential."

He tried to calm himself and spoke in a gentle tone, "Let's go back and ask first. Come back to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau when we have a concrete answer."

By saying this, his meaning was quite clear: another rejection. However, this time it wasn't a complete refusal; rather, he handed over the responsibility for handling the matter to Larkspur.

In his opinion, given the current situation, as the director of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, he couldn't offer any constructive advice to make the conversation progress. To sway Bai Jingxuan's decision, he seemed to need to change his perspective, or even his identity.

Since Bai Jingxuan's current thoughts are related to Larkspur, then Larkspur's opinion is undoubtedly more useful. Perhaps, if I use my position as her teacher to dissuade her, Bai Jingxuan will listen to some of my advice.

However, Bai Jingxuan did not reply.

After listening to Lin Yun's words, she just stared at Lin Yun, her expression complex, unsure of what she was thinking. Lin Yun could only see her expression shift from serious to hesitant, then from hesitant to resolute, before she finally spoke again:

"But Uncle, you also hate those bad people, right?"

"I already know, Uncle. You are Xiao Lu's father, and Senior Ying is Xiao Lu's mother, so Senior Ying is your wife, isn't she?"

Bai Jingxuan clutched her skirt. "She died at the hands of those people, so you should hate them too, shouldn't you? Let me take revenge on them, is that not allowed?"

"... This has nothing to do with you."

Lin Yun lowered his gaze, looking into Bai Jingxuan's eyes. "This matter is much more complicated than you think."

"Uncle, don't you want to take revenge on them?"

"I think it's acceptable, but not in the form of 'massacre' or 'torture'."

"I don't understand," Bai Jingxuan said, her head bowed.

"You may not understand, but I can assure you that these criminals lurking in Fangting City will receive the punishment they deserve."

Lin Yun tapped the table with her fingers. "So you don't need to get your hands dirty. Just watch their ending and clap your hands in satisfaction, okay?"

"But that's not my revenge, is it?" Bai Jingxuan kept her head down.

"Revenge never has to be done by oneself."

"... Uncle, I don't feel anything unless I kill them with my own hands."

Bai Jingxuan raised her head, her obedient and calm eyes filled with emptiness. "I still want to go by myself."

"Then I will never let you go, Bai Jingxuan."

With no one else in the office, Lin Yun stopped hiding her intentions and directly called out the girl's name, "I won't let a magical girl accompany my employees to kill people, even if those people are utterly evil."

"But the teacher killed the bad guy!"

"Your teacher is an adult, you are not. Your situations are different."

"This has nothing to do with whether you're an adult or not!"

"Some."

Lin Yun tapped the table faster and faster. "Because no adult would allow such a thing to happen right before their eyes."

"Why?" Bai Jingxuan asked, puzzled.

"Our lives are already set, but you still have hope."

Lin Yun looked earnestly at the girl in front of him. "We have already shouldered the responsibility of killing, and we are destined to continue down this path. But you haven't; your life still holds other possibilities."

"I don't need that possibility!"

Bai Jingxuan said loudly and anxiously, "It's good to be like the teacher!"

"Is your teacher really that good? Why do you think that?"

Lin Yun countered, "Is it possible that she sometimes regrets what she did?"

"No way!" Bai Jingxuan said somewhat discontentedly, "Teacher clearly saved everyone and punished the bad guys, how could she regret it?"

"Yes," Lin Yun said in a slightly deep voice, "In places you don't know, your teacher often regrets her actions; in fact, she's always regretting them."

"Why? Uncle, how do you know all this?"

Because I am Larkspur.

Lin Yun really wanted to say it out loud.

He had no reason to deliberately hide the fact that Larkspur and Lin Yun were the same person from Bai Jingxuan. The reason he hadn't told her before was simply because Bai Jingxuan was too young and might accidentally let it slip to Lin Xiaolu after learning the truth.

But now, compared to such a slim possibility, Bai Jingxuan's psychological problems are obviously more important. If revealing her identity here can move the conversation forward, then there's nothing wrong with admitting it.

So, should we admit it? Should we reveal our position here, and as her teacher, tell her that we don't approve of this behavior?

In such a situation, does revealing one's identity truly help change the situation, rather than making things worse?

Just as Lin Yun was pondering whether to reveal the truth, Bai Jingxuan spoke again, posing a question that left Lin Yun's mind blank:

"Is it because you're going to marry the teacher, Uncle?"

"Is it because... huh?"

Lin Yun swallowed back the words she was about to say, and looked up in surprise. "What did you say?"

"Is it because you're already planning to marry Teacher, Uncle, that you don't care about Senior Sakura's affairs anymore?" Perhaps because Lin Yun's reaction was a bit exaggerated, Bai Jingxuan shrank back in fear after saying this.

"Who told you this?" Lin Yun asked blankly.

"Moko told me!"

Bai Jingxuan was a little timid, but quickly mustered her courage. "It said that you and the teacher have a very good relationship, you're practically a couple, and you might be together in the future!"

"It's lying," Lin Yun said decisively.

At the same time, although he didn't show it on his face, he had already made up his mind. When he got back, he would definitely have a serious talk with Nini and ask her to increase the discipline on Moko.

"Uncle, if you're going to marry the teacher, shouldn't you be avenging Sakura-senpai even more?"

On the other side, Bai Jingxuan completely ignored his words and continued, "If you really want to be together, then at least let Senior Ying rest in peace!"

"Where did you hear this nonsense from?" Lin Yun's eyes twitched involuntarily.

"That's what Sister Xia Liang said!"

This girl.

Lin Yun seemed to picture Xia Liang's slightly mischievous smile.

"And there's more, and more!"

Bai Jingxuan tried hard to recall and calculate, her fingers waving in the air, and then, as if she had finally remembered something, her eyes lit up and she shouted:

"If you and my teacher get married, you might adopt me. If you do, then you'll be my dad and my mom!"

"Dad! Let me go! I want to get revenge!"

The office fell into a deathly silence once more.

The impact of these words on Lin Yun was so immense that Lin Yun completely forgot to tap the table, and his legs, which had been trembling under the table, had stopped shaking. He stared at Bai Jingxuan, momentarily forgetting what expression he could make, and could only weakly ask again:

"... Who told you that?"

"My older sister Xiao Lu told me this!"

Bai Jingxuan was very serious.

Lin Yun fell silent again.

He lowered his head and began to reconsider his previous plans, particularly the question of whether or not to reveal his identity to Bai Jingxuan.

If he was previously inclined to admit his true identity, after hearing Bai Jingxuan's next few words, he completely abandoned that idea.

Judging by this child's mouth, if I really told her my identity, Lin Xiaolu would probably find out by tomorrow.

"... Let's put the topic of revenge aside for now."

After thinking for a moment, he raised his head again, his expression somewhat kind and gentle, and asked in a soft voice, "Tell me first, what else did your 'Sister Xiao Lu' say to you?"