The Place We Must Go

"Not taking next year's exam?"

Asō Madoka's words were like a depth charge, silencing the girls in the Fangting City Squad. Only Larkspur spoke up, her expression displeased. "What do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't mean anything; it's just a suggestion."

Asō Madoka's expression remained unchanged, as if she didn't think there was anything wrong with what she said, "If you insist on an explanation, then you can consider the upcoming sparring as the 'preliminary test' for qualification. If you fail the 'preliminary test,' you naturally won't be qualified to participate in the subsequent tests. That's normal, isn't it?"

"Are you the examiner for next year's exam?"

No, it's not.

"Then I don't think you have the legitimacy to make this suggestion."

Larkspur slightly raised her chin, her gaze turning cold. "Or is this the purpose of your 'exchange' in Fangting City? Just looking for trouble?"

"I've already said I didn't have the slightest bit of malice. If I were just looking for trouble, I wouldn't have bothered to trip up a group of complete strangers, would I?" Asō Madoka said innocently.

Her words clearly failed to persuade Larkspur, Larkspur didn't even bother to reply, simply continuing to stare at her in silence.

After enduring that cold gaze for several seconds, Asō Madoka's smile finally faltered, replaced by a helpless expression.

"Okay, it seems this method really won't convince you."

She sighed softly. "Indeed, perhaps we need to find a place to talk properly. I can answer some of your questions, and perhaps you can tell me something I don't know."

"Find a place?"

"Yes, at least not here."

Asō Madoka turned her head to look at the girls beside her, and smiled mysteriously, "Some things are for adults; it's too early for children to understand these things."

Upon hearing this, the girls around her reacted in various ways; some remained unmoved, while others were clearly unconvinced. Lin Xiaolu even took a step forward, and just as she was about to retort, she saw Larkspur suddenly nod before she could speak.

"Can."

She spoke crisply and decisively, her voice firm and resolute. "Where to? Do you have any good suggestions?"

"As the host here, you should be more thoughtful than I am about where to hold our talks, right?"

Asō Madoka crossed her arms. "After so many years, I'm quite curious about what interesting places Fangting City has to offer now. Take me to see them!"

"... Let's go to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau in Fangting City."

Ignoring the latter part of the other person's request, Larkspur casually suggested, seemingly uninterested in "where to go," more concerned with the content of the conversation. "The meeting room of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau can guarantee the privacy of our conversation, so that no one else can hear us."

"The Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau? No way, that's too boring."

Asō Madoka rejected the suggestion without hesitation, her eyes filled with inquiry. "Don't you have any more interesting suggestions?"

"What do you want?" Larkspur looked back at her.

"Now that I'm back in Fangting City, I'll definitely be visiting the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau later, so shouldn't we take this opportunity to find a place with a better atmosphere?"

Asō Madoka pointed to her arm with her finger. "Look, how about finding a nice restaurant? Or a tourist attraction that's been built in recent years? Something a little more romantic, you know?"

"... If you don't want to go to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, we can talk in the study at the Secret Base; there won't be any outsiders there."

"Secret Base? Isn't that a place we'll be going to frequently from now on?"

Asō Madoka complained, "You've lived in Fangting City for over a decade longer than me, and you really can't figure it out? You know, even before I came here, a simple online search would have yielded a list of 'must-visit' spots."

"I'm sorry, but I'm just a rather dull person." Larkspur involuntarily lowered her eyelids and turned her head to look at the corridor beside her.

Perhaps due to the other party's previous instructions, only a few staff members were passing by in the corridor at this time, and they showed no intention of moving in this direction. This area outside the lounge seemed to have some kind of artificially drawn boundary, isolating everyone except the magical girls.

Her gaze wandered aimlessly, and after pursing her lips in thought for a moment, Larkspur looked up as if she had just remembered something. "Speaking of which, if you really want to find a place where you can talk business and that is also 'memorable' enough, I do have a suggestion."

"Oh? What kind?" Asō Madoka's eyes lit up immediately, as if she had become interested.

"It's a very quiet place, not many people go there often, but most people in Fangting City will inevitably have to deal with it."

The Larkspur's voice was calm and expressionless as she said, "You know you should go there and take a look."

"Not many people go there, but I should go and see... Is this some kind of riddle?" Asō Madoka smiled wryly.

Is it hard to think of an answer?

"It's a bit difficult, after all, there are too few clues and clues. To be honest, there are just too many places like this..."

Asō Madoka stopped speaking mid-sentence.

Even her facial expression froze for a moment. She remained silent for a long time, then sighed resignedly, "Ah, I understand. You're right, it's not hard to guess."

The two stared at each other inexplicably, and the atmosphere suddenly became much more tense, leaving the girls on the side completely baffled.

"... So, where is it? Does Fangting City have such a place?"

Lin Xiaolu, who had listened to the entire conversation, could only ask blankly, "Could you two please explain yourselves more clearly?"

"I'm sorry, White Rose, I probably won't be able to take you back. Would you mind taking the tram or flying back discreetly?"

But this time, Larkspur didn't answer her question directly. Instead, she suddenly turned around, walked to her side, and patted her arm. "Take the guests from Bai'an City to the Secret Base. Remember to treat them well. Asō and I will be back later."

"What do you mean 'Auntie'? Can't you speak more politely?" Asō Madoka retorted immediately.

"Taking them back is possible... but where exactly are you going?"

The strange atmosphere made Lin Xiaolu subtly uneasy. She unconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes on the arm that Larkspur had patted. "Is it dangerous?"

"No, there's no danger."

"Larkspur said casually, then leaned closer to Lin Xiaolu and whispered a location," Cui Que said.

Her voice was so soft that no one else around her heard what she said. But Lin Xiaolu got the answer she wanted, and her eyes widened slightly at the result.

Then, before she could comment on it, Larkspur and Asō Madoka bid farewell to the other magical girls, walked around the corner of the corridor, and disappeared from everyone's sight.

Lin Xiaolu stared at the corner, her lips pursed, remaining silent for a long time, until Wood Lily beside her leaned closer, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, and asked, "So where exactly are they going? What did the Inspector officer tell you?"

"... They're going to see someone."

Lin Xiaolu then spoke again, turning her head with a complicated expression, and slowly replied, "Larkspur said they want to go see my mother together."

An hour after the concert ended, the once bustling venue gradually quieted down. Outside the Green Tower Stadium, although many fans were still chatting enthusiastically, the area had become much quieter.

The lingering crowd gradually dispersed from the area around the stadium. A rather inconspicuous silver-white SUV drove out of the "Green Tower" stadium and slowly drove onto the road. This SUV blended into the sparse traffic leaving the stadium, just like any other ordinary group of fans, slowly driving along the road.

However, if someone were to look closely and notice the passenger seat, they would notice something unusual – the star of the previous concert, Asō Madoka, was sitting in the passenger seat with a smile on her face.

At this moment, this singer, who should have been used to luxury and extravagance, acted like a curious young girl, fiddling with the furnishings in the car: poking at the seat cushions, flipping the air conditioning buttons, and then playing with the window next to the passenger seat.

The driver in the driver's seat initially remained unmoved by her actions, but finally turned his head after the window was rolled down halfway, glanced at her with some helplessness, and said, "Don't open the window randomly. Aren't you worried about being photographed?"

The driver was none other than the Larkspur.

She had remained silent all along, unwilling to speak, staring straight ahead, acting as a cold, mechanical driving machine. If it weren't for Asō Madoka's various fidgety antics that were so distracting, she wouldn't have uttered a single word.

As soon as she said that, Asō Madoka, who had been quietly making small movements, turned around, looked at her, and said with a mischievous smile, "Is there anything that can't be photographed?"

Larkspur's gaze met hers for a second before she deliberately looked away, turning her attention back to the road ahead and adopting a serious driving posture. "You know, I don't want any random media people following us to where we're going next."

"Ah, I see."

Upon hearing this, Asō Madoka paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, smiling as she closed the window, "Indeed, that shouldn't be something that should be disturbed by outsiders."

There were only two people in the small SUV. After saying that, neither of them spoke again, and the car fell into a brief silence.

The main component of this silence is called "awkwardness".

If there were other people in the car at that moment, the two wouldn't be in such an awkward situation. Unfortunately, there was no one else in the car.

It wasn't that they had nothing to say to each other, but rather that they had too many questions they couldn't bring themselves to ask, so they couldn't think of a starting point.

Fortunately, Asō Madoka didn't let the awkwardness last long. After a brief silence, she leaned back in her chair and said slowly, "Speaking of which, aren't you going to ask me why I'm only coming back now?"

Why ask?

"They'll usually ask, given what happened before."

"Two years ago, I thought you would come, but you didn't show up."

As the car rounded the bend, Larkspur's gaze darted between the rearview mirror and the road ahead, then she slightly turned the steering wheel. "Actually, it wasn't just you. Hong Siyu, Su Shengzi, my biggest worry back then was what to do when you all came? What attitude and demeanor should I adopt when facing you?"

"I chose that ordinary life, thinking I could immerse myself in it forever, but I failed. I failed to protect the people who are important to me. I'm really afraid of you appearing in front of me and asking me, 'Why couldn't you save Anya?'"

"I naively believed that the biggest threat had been resolved; I naively believed that my life could remain peaceful; I naively believed that Anya was alright... I never imagined that something like that would happen, so much so that at that moment it felt like I was in a nightmare, and everything seemed unreal."

"To be honest, if you had actually shown up back then, I might have had to find a way to hide, because I wouldn't know what kind of answer I should give you."

She paused, took a slight breath, and said softly, "Fortunately, none of you came, not even a single one. There were only some neighbors she knew, employees of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau who were hiding their identities, and the magical girls from Fangting City at the time. Everyone had their own understanding of 'Anya,' and everyone had their own understanding of my identity. They might not have known much about the truth, but at least at that time, no one questioned me."

"So you actually think it's a good thing I didn't come? It's a teammate's funeral, something so important, and you didn't even show up. Aren't you worried that I might be dead too?" Asō Madoka's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You won't, you're more afraid of death than anyone else," said the Larkspur calmly.

"That's a rather harsh assessment for a magical girl. Haven't you considered using a different adjective? My actions could also be described as protecting myself."

Asō Madoka held up her index finger and retorted, "Besides, haven't you considered that even if I value my own safety, I might still encounter an enemy I can't escape from?"

"So you can't escape?"

Larkspur glanced at her sideways. "Does such an Aberrant Beast exist in this world?"

"Who knows? Before Anya's accident, we all believed there was no enemy capable of killing her, didn't we?"

Asō Madoka withdrew her hand and looked ahead as well. "To be honest, when I heard this news from the director, I thought she was playing some kind of cruel joke on me again. It wasn't until this incident was officially listed as a key investigation item in the Investigation Institute's archives that I realized it was actually true."

"So you actually knew right away?" Larkspur asked softly.

"Ah, probably the day after it happened."

"So."

"... Now that we've come this far, aren't you going to ask me why I didn't come?"

Seeing that Suzume was Asō Madoka Larkspur felt even more helpless. "Wouldn't most people want their teammates to come back so they could all discuss revenge together?"

"I don't need to drag you into this trouble."

Larkspur calmly replied, "Anything capable of killing Anya is no ordinary being. Seeking revenge against such a thing requires being prepared to pay a heavy price. I cannot ask you to participate in such a dangerous endeavor."

"Sometimes your thinking is really like a pickled vegetable rock, both smelly and hard."

Asō Madoka squinted her eyes in displeasure, but then smiled helplessly, "Yeah, that sounds like something you'd think. Well then, just consider what I'm about to say as me talking to myself."

"If you won't ask me why I didn't come, then I'll tell you myself. Do you know why I didn't come?"

"... Why?" Larkspur asked in response.

"Because someone stopped me and told me not to go yet."

Asō Madoka leaned back in her chair, looking straight ahead with Larkspur: "The Dean personally met with me and told me not to interfere with your ideas, but to let you think about what to do on your own."

Just letting you know I'm still battling Caven and haven't lost. And belated holiday greetings, everyone! Happy holidays!