This awkward reaction only made Hong Siyu laugh harder. "Just kidding, no need to be so nervous."
With that, she leaned back a little, putting a suitable amount of distance between them to show her goodwill.
Seeing this, Lin Xiaolu relaxed somewhat, though her expression still held plenty of wariness. Rather than sitting beside Hong Siyu, she remained where she was and asked, "So why has Larkspur's contact come to my home?"
"Not just Larkspur's contact—I'm also a former magical girl."
Hong Siyu wagged a finger as she corrected her. "There's a big difference!"
"Such as?" Lin Xiaolu raised her brows, clearly unconvinced. "Once magical girls retire, they're just ordinary people, aren't they?"
"That's true in terms of magic power. Right now, I'm merely a frail young woman with a relatively healthy constitution."
Unshaken by Lin Xiaolu's doubts, and showing no reaction at all to being called an "ordinary person," Hong Siyu declared confidently, "But my understanding and knowledge of the Magic Side surpass yours."
"Still not more than Larkspur knows, right?" Lin Xiaolu said gloomily.
"Ahem... Don't say things like that. It makes you less cute."
Momentarily choked up by Lin Xiaolu's remark, Hong Siyu clasped her hands together somewhat awkwardly. "Anyway, I happened to take leave today, so I volunteered to come over and see how you two were doing. I heard you're studying under a Seeder now?"
"Studying under it? It's nothing but a lackey riding on someone else's coattails." Lin Xiaolu scoffed.
"I'm a Fairy, and even by appearance, I'm a cat. Calling me a lackey is slander!" Moko protested sternly from the side.
"You've been so smug these past two days, you're one step away from barking!" Lin Xiaolu glared at it.
"What's wrong with barking? Some people couldn't become this lackey even if they wanted to."
Moko's whiskers twitched as it opened its mouth wide and fired back. It had been riding high lately and paid no heed to Lin Xiaolu's slander. "At your rate of progress, you'll be a junior for the rest of your life—from an active junior to a retired junior. That'll be the only relationship you ever have with her!"
"What did you say?" Lin Xiaolu was instantly furious. Just as she was about to lash out, she suddenly glanced at Hong Siyu sitting nearby and forcibly swallowed the words that had reached her lips.
From an active junior to a retired junior, with nothing more than that kind of connection forever after—if Hong Siyu was telling the truth, then she herself seemed to be a living example.
With such a "typical case" sitting right in front of her, she found herself at a loss for words instead.
Fortunately, ordinary people with little magic power could not see Fairies, much less hear what they said. Hong Siyu therefore merely tilted her head and asked curiously:
"Your Seeder is here? Are you arguing?"
"Ah... yeah, it's nothing." Lin Xiaolu brushed it off rather awkwardly.
Before long, Xia Liang returned from the kitchen carrying several cups of tea. Seeing the two conversing, she set the cups down and asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Just chatting, just chatting."
Hong Siyu took the shoulder bag off her lap and set it aside, then beckoned Xia Liang over. "I mean, I wanted to see how you two were doing. After all, Larkspur told me you're planning to take next year's certification test?"
"That's right. Do you have any advice for us?"
Xia Liang understood what Hong Siyu meant and obediently sat down beside her. "And you said you retired as a magical girl ten years ago. How are you going to prove your identity?"
"Of course, with this!"
After rummaging through the bag beside her for a moment, Hong Siyu pulled something out and held it before the two girls.
In her hand was an ornamental card with a purplish-red base color. The number "41422" was written in the center, surrounded by many tiny, indistinct Fawo Runes. A name had also been inscribed in runes above the number, though neither Lin Xiaolu nor Xia Liang could read it.
They had seen Larkspur's Certification Card before. Compared with Larkspur's, Hong Siyu's ornamental card lacked some of the elaborate, gorgeous decorations, but there was another major difference: its surface was dull and lusterless, gray and dusty. Unlike Larkspur's card, magic power did not occasionally flow across it in shimmering colors.
"This was my Certification Card when I was a magical girl. No matter what, it was a Letter Card. Though it was canceled after I retired, so now it's only an ornament."
Hong Siyu casually stuffed the ornamental card into Xia Liang's hand. "Take a look, both of you!"
The two girls leaned closer and examined it carefully.
Since becoming magical girls, this was the first time they had observed a Certification Card from so close. Larkspur had shown them hers before, but she had never been willing to display it for long.
Xia Liang poked the ornamental card in her hand with her index finger and asked curiously, "Come to think of it, people say Certification Cards are a symbol of a magical girl's strength. How are they different from Blossoming ranks?"
"Can you become a Flower Card once your abilities Blossom to Flower Rank?" Lin Xiaolu added from the side.
"Of course!"
"Actually, that isn't how it works."
As her words fell, two voices rang out at once, but their answers were completely different.
The one who had abruptly interjected with "of course" was Moko, while Hong Siyu's answer was a denial.
Upon hearing Hong Siyu's response, Moko immediately covered its mouth as though it had caused trouble. As an ordinary person, Hong Siyu naturally had no reason to hear Moko's voice, so she continued, "Put simply, Flower Cards are the combat elites among those at Flower Rank, along with a small number of magical girls who haven't reached Flower Rank but have made major contributions."
"The evaluation of Flower Cards is subjective. It depends on how much the Royal Court recognizes a magical girl, so there can be very strong magical girls who are only Letter Cards. That's what you call adult corruption."
Taking back the Certification Card Xia Liang returned to her, Hong Siyu was still in the mood to talk and casually set it aside. "But generally speaking, just think of Flower Cards as the most successful group among magical girls. You could call them 'important people.'"
"Huh? So that means..."
Only then did Lin Xiaolu look at Xia Liang, realizing belatedly that the other girl showed no surprise. She could only cry out herself, "Larkspur is actually an important person?"
"Haha, you only just realized?" Xia Liang laughed somewhat helplessly.
"Larkspur must have told you she's an 'Inspector,' right? That's her official position as an important person. In fact, most Flower Card magical girls hold nominal posts in the Five Great Institutes."
When it came to such matters, Hong Siyu spoke as if reciting treasures from memory. "The Royal Court's five subordinate power institutions—the Investigation Institute, Finance Institute, Research Institute, Civil Governance Institute, and Magic Affairs Institute. The entire Magic Kingdom operates under this system."
Before you continue