Rules Changed

"In conclusion, based on what we discussed this morning, the previous agreement is hereby void."

That evening, after dinner, the magical girls gathered at the base's dining table. After a brief introduction, Asō Madoka announced to everyone, "Even if one side loses the competition, neither side will be bound by any restrictions. Winning doesn't mean you have to take the exam, and losing doesn't mean you can't. Those who need to take the exam will take it, and those who need to go home will go home. Hmm, I apologize for this sudden change of plans, but for now, this will be the arrangement."

No one responded to her immediately.

Not to mention the Fangting City Squad, even her own team members in the Bai'an City Squad looked at her with blank expressions, seemingly unable to figure out what Asō Madoka was up to.

But even if they didn't understand, someone had to take over the conversation, and in the end, Xia Liang took the initiative to speak and shoulder this responsibility:

"Then... if there's no restriction requiring you to beat your team to take the exam, is it still necessary to continue the competition?"

"Have."

Previously silent, Larkspur replied, "Consider it a chance to assess the intensity of the exam and understand the strength of your peers among magical girls. You haven't encountered enough magical girls yet, so this opportunity for practical experience is not to be missed."

"A chance for real combat...?"

Xia Liang glanced thoughtfully in the direction of the Bai'an City Squad, then nodded to Larkspur: "I understand, I will prepare diligently."

"Hmm." Larkspur nodded in agreement, then looked around at the others. "That's pretty much the conclusion. Everyone else doesn't need to be so reserved; feel free to ask any questions."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wood Lily raised her hand.

"You say it," Larkspur gestured to her.

"Can I choose my own opponent?" Wood Lily blinked.

Larkspur remained noncommittal, calmly countering, "Theoretically, I have no right to force you to fight anyone, but would you mind explaining your reasons?"

"Because I have a conflict with that guy." Wood Lily tilted her head slightly and glanced in the direction of the Fangting City Squad.

Following his gaze, Larkspur easily found the "contradictory object" he had mentioned—her own daughter, Lin Xiaolu.

Her expression faltered slightly, but she quickly masked the change. She looked at Lin Xiaolu again, hoping it was just a one-sided misunderstanding, but as soon as she turned her gaze away, she saw her daughter glaring at Wood Lily with a sharp, confrontational look.

It seems it really wasn't a misunderstanding.

After confirming that what Wood Lily said was true, Larkspur subconsciously twitched the corner of her mouth.

Although I've had this feeling before, is my daughter's interpersonal skills really that bad? Not to mention making friends, she managed to turn two enemies out of three strangers in just a few days, which is truly beyond the average person.

Unfortunately, she could only think these words in her heart and couldn't say them out loud right now, so she could only look at Asō Madoka, hoping to get some useful advice from her.

"No."

Asō Madoka's suggestion was also straightforward; she rejected Wood Lily's proposal with just two words.

"Why?" Wood Lily immediately puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"Because that's so rude, you idiot."

Asō Madoka sighed, "We'll decide the specific opponents by drawing lots later. There's no room for discussion about choosing the opponent. That's settled."

Wood Lily was easily vetoed, and the next person to ask a question was White Thistle. This magical girl, who had once been designated as the future captain of Bai'an City, had already half-raised her hand, clearly having her own opinion on this arrangement.

"May I ask why the previous agreement was cancelled? According to the mentor's previous suggestion, if next year's assessment is indeed very dangerous, it would be necessary to verify one's abilities beforehand."

After being prompted to speak by Larkspur, she took the opportunity to express her own question, "Of course, I will follow my mentor's instructions. The question I'm asking now is simply out of my personal curiosity."

After two days of adjustment, White Thistle had calmed down and regained his composure compared to the night he arrived in Fangting City.

If it weren't for the fact that she and Lin Xiaolu hadn't exchanged a single word, and neither of them even bothered to look at the other, Larkspur would probably have thought that the conflict between the two was over.

"Because I've discussed it with your teacher, and we ultimately believe that respecting the team members' personal wishes is more important when it comes to assessments."

As for the question raised by White Thistle, Larkspur had anticipated it and had already prepared a response, so she answered fluently, "As long as you are prepared to deal with the danger, then we have no reason to stop you. As for the danger of the assessment... I will accompany the test takers next year, so there is no need to worry too much about that."

The Larkspur didn't actually finish her sentence. For example, she couldn't easily explain why she was accompanying them to the Kingdom or how she would ensure their safety.

She found it incredibly difficult to tell the children in front of her that she was only going to the Kingdom because she needed a fake identity as a test-taker, and that she would ultimately have to use that fake identity to take the exam with them...

It wasn't that I was worried about the children leaking the secret; it was just that I felt they couldn't interfere with my healing process anyway, and revealing it now would only increase their concerns.

However, even if she didn't explain anything, simply saying "I'll go myself" was enough to dispel the doubts of her juniors. Not to mention the magical girls in Bai'an City who weren't familiar with her, even the three members of the Fangting City Squad didn't raise any objections.

So the issue was simply glossed over.

The last person to raise their hand was Lin Xiaolu.

To say she was raising her hand might be a stretch, because her forearm was completely flat on the table, with only one palm sticking up. Clearly, she herself had some doubts about whether she should do this.

When Larkspur turned her gaze to her, Lin Xiaolu's half-raised hand even slumped down. She looked away, trying to pretend that nothing had happened.

"Is there anything you want to ask?" However, Larkspur's eyes did not miss her subtle movements, and she keenly noticed Lin Xiaolu's intention to say something at the first moment.

When her name was called, Lin Xiaolu paused, opened her mouth, and after a long while, squeezed out a voice barely audible. "... The reason for canceling the previous agreement, is it because..."

"Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly." Larkspur frowned, having only understood a few words.

"... nothing."

Lin Xiaolu paused slightly, then shook her head. "It's just some unimportant things. I have no other questions."

As she said this, she lowered her head and stared at the dining table, seemingly lost in thought.

Only Larkspur remained, sitting opposite, hesitant to speak, wanting to offer advice but unsure how to begin. Seeing that no one else had raised their hands, she assumed they had already asked all the questions they wanted to ask, and feeling embarrassed to waste any more time, she could only sigh softly.

"Then let's disband."

Night deepened, and the moon hung high in the sky.

It was already 10 p. m., and the magical girls at the base had gradually finished their day's activities, washed up, returned to their rooms, and drifted off to sleep.

For most magical girls, going to bed on time is a good habit, because the Aberrant Beast often appear at night, or even in the middle of the night. If they stay up too late to sleep, they often won't have gone through a complete sleep cycle when the Aberrant Beast appear, and they will be forced to attack in a drowsy state, which is quite disadvantageous in battle.

Among these magical girls lying in bed, many harbored their own worries and remained sullen until they fell asleep. However, after a long day, they succumbed to sleepiness and closed their eyes under the covers.

Only two rooms had their lights on at this time.

One of them was Larkspur's room. The reason he wasn't asleep yet was simply that he hadn't finished his work.

Managing such a large Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, even though Lin Yun had delegated as much authority as possible and handed over most of the trivial and miscellaneous tasks to relatively trustworthy employees, still required a great deal of coordination, approval, and decision-making work.

There was so much work that it couldn't be finished during the day, and Lin Yun didn't dare to work overtime at the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau at night. He could only take it back to the base and do it alone when it was late at night.

The good news is that since Hong Siyu returned, the workload has been reduced considerably because the documents have already undergone a screening process before reaching him.

And now, Larkspur is reviewing the last document of the day.

This document, submitted by the Logistics Department, concerns the wear and tear of the Magic Armament. As the direct provider of the Magic Armament, she needs to verify this report before applying to the Investigation Institute for repairs and replenishment.

Magic Armament Mage to single-handedly confront Egg Rank Aberrant Beast is of paramount importance to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, so Larkspur needs to carefully review every piece of data to ensure there are no oversights.

Perhaps she was so engrossed in reading the documents that she didn't notice there was someone sitting next to her at her desk.

She sensed no hostility whatsoever, nor any fluctuations in magic, to the point that Larkspur subconsciously ignored the person's presence. It wasn't until the figure's presence became increasingly apparent in her peripheral vision that she belatedly shifted her gaze from the documents and looked to the side.

Standing there was someone she hadn't expected— Xia Liang.

Since the night of the Full Moon Festival, and since taking office as the director of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, Lin Yun, or rather Larkspur, has had too many troublesome matters to deal with, so he inevitably has less time to spend with the girls.

Xia Liang, though not intentionally, is indeed the child with whom she has spent the least amount of time alone recently.

The reason is simple: it saves trouble.

Compared to Lin Xiaolu, who always makes a fuss to attract attention, and Bai Jingxuan, who is more worrying the quieter she is, Xia Liang has indeed been very easy to take care of lately.

Although there are occasional minor, harmless pranks, they are nothing compared to the pranks played by the other two team members.

Furthermore, Xia Liang demonstrated exceptional talent and comprehension in all aspects of her studies, including Blossoming abilities and training as a magical girl. Even her teaching didn't require Larkspur to spend too much time on her. As a result, without realizing it, Larkspur and she spent much less time together.

At this moment, Xia Liang suddenly ran over, which made Larkspur feel a little nostalgic.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" So she put down the documents in her hand and said in a more serious tone, "And please let me know when you come."

"Here you go." Xia Liang said, suddenly pushing forward with both hands and handing over a teacup. "It was just brewed with boiling water, so it might be a while before you can drink it."

Only then did the Larkspur notice that the other person had made a cup of tea when they arrived.

"Thanks."

Taking the teacup, Larkspur gently rubbed the rim to confirm that the water inside was indeed very hot. "Is there some problem with your practice?"

No.

Xia Liang simply shook her head at this. "I just suddenly wanted to come and take a look."

"What are you looking at?"

"I don't know, is it necessary to have a specific purpose?"

"... Not exactly."

Xia Liang's somewhat erratic attitude puzzled Larkspur, but as usual, she pulled out another chair from beside her desk. "Sit down."

This chair was originally intended for study sessions, but since the arrival of the Bai'an City Squad, there have been more occasions for entertaining guests, so it hasn't been used for almost a week.

Xia Liang silently took the chair, sat down at the table, and then silently looked at Larkspur, making the atmosphere quite strange.

"Don't you need to continue working, junior colleague?"

After a moment, she spoke, "You don't need to worry about me, just keep doing your own thing."

"... How can you concentrate on your work when someone's constantly watching you?"

Larkspur tapped her fingers on the teacup, her eyelids drooping. "It's so late, shouldn't you be going to sleep?"

I'm not sleepy yet.

Supporting her cheeks with her hands, Xia Liang muttered softly, "On the contrary, it's you, Little Senior, whose face practically screams 'I'm so tired.'"

"... Is there?"

Larkspur instinctively touched her face, but since magical girls don't sweat, all she touched was still smooth skin. "I don't think it's gotten to that point yet."

"You've been sighing more often lately; you seem to be in a bad mood."

That's true.

Larkspur couldn't deny what Xia Liang had said, "Thank you for your reassurance, but don't worry, I'm not actually feeling very down. I just did it subconsciously most of the time."

Suddenly, the room fell silent again.

The two people, one looking at the other and the other with his head slightly lowered, were not saying a word, even though neither of them was doing anything.

"Is everything alright with Xiao Lu? I've noticed she's been secretly going to see Asō for the past few days."

Several minutes later, Xia Liang suddenly spoke up and asked, "Young senior, you should know, right?"

"No problem, I've discussed this with Asō."

Looking at the teacup in her hand, and at the blurry reflection on the porcelain surface, Larkspur said softly, "In this matter, I really need to learn to let go and not hold on so tightly."

"What about Xiao Xuan? Suddenly putting her in a competition with other magical girls, her Magic Armament isn't actually suitable for one-on-one battles."

"Bai Jingxuan... don't worry about her strength, just focus on her performance," Larkspur said calmly.

"I have a feeling that the junior colleague is secretly giving Xiao Xuan extra help?"

"... That's not true."

"Then why are you so confident in her abilities?"

"I simply exchanged some things with her and discovered some special talents, which you will all find out about soon," Larkspur said vaguely.

"Hmm? Oh." Knowing that Larkspur was just being perfunctory, Xia Liang responded noncommittally.

The tapping on the teacup continued, but the sound was uneven. Outside the window, the withered trees swayed slightly in the cold wind, making a soft, crisp sound.

Xia Liang still cupped her cheeks, a faint smile on her face, looked at Larkspur, and then asked softly:

"And... what about me?"

The fingers tapping on the teacup paused.

The wall clock was still chiming crisply, but it sounded somewhat out of place in the seemingly stagnant air.

The Larkspur finally looked up from the table.

Now, she had to face the girl in front of her.