The Meaning of an Inspector

"It sounds like a pretty massive government..."

Xia Liang could not help glancing upward, lost in thought. "Magic Kingdom... Hearing that name, I thought it would be like some fairy-tale world."

"If you only look at the surface, it really is like a fairy tale."

Hong Siyu raised a finger again. "But unfortunately, the Magic Kingdom is not just a fairy tale. Managing the enormous ranks of magical girls in the Material Realm alone requires a great deal of manpower. Add to that the civilians living within the Kingdom, and a formal administrative body is indispensable."

"In that case, being a magical girl sounds much more burdensome..."

Lin Xiaolu seemed somewhat dejected. "They seem like mysterious, powerful heroes in the public eye, but in reality, they still cannot escape mundane power structures."

"That is precisely proof that magical girls are still 'human' and have not transcended humanity."

Her words carried a childlike wishfulness, yet they made Hong Siyu sigh inwardly. "It is because they still have attachments, desires, and connections with other people that the world of magical girls is likewise full of complicated interpersonal relationships."

"So that is why there are bad magical girls?" Xia Liang asked.

"Yes, that is why there are bad..."

Hong Siyu was about to continue along that line, but after registering what Xia Liang had said, she stopped and looked puzzled. "Who told you that?"

Xia Liang turned to look at Lin Xiaolu. Lin Xiaolu frowned openly. "My contact told me. What is it?"

"Ah, then I can probably guess what is going on."

Her confusion cleared, Hong Siyu nodded in realization. "Then I will be frank. Bad magical girls do exist for that reason. Just as there are law-abiding citizens and criminals in the Material Realm, you cannot guarantee that everyone is kind by nature."

"Doesn't the Seeder choose magical girls based on whether their hearts are pure?" Lin Xiaolu glanced at Moko.

"To be precise, the Seeder only looks at whether you possess talent in magic and the soul." Hong Siyu spread her hands.

—"I cannot see the sort of thing you are talking about. The Heart Seed is what judges the wishes in your hearts."

Moko chimed in as well. "However, the Heart Seed should not react to children whose hearts are filled with dark thoughts."

"Even if they were genuinely kind-hearted when they were chosen, a magical girl's term lasts a full ten years. No one knows whether their mindset will change during that time."

Hong Siyu looked at the two girls before her, her tone flippant. "Take me, for example. Ten years ago, I definitely never imagined I would still be single now."

No one responded.

The example she had given was so sensitive and painful that the two girls fell silent for a moment.

"Huh? Aren't you going to laugh? I thought I had already made a pretty embarrassing thing into a joke." Hong Siyu looked slightly surprised.

"How should I put it... It feels a little..." Lin Xiaolu turned her face away.

"If you retired ten years ago, then this year you are already..." Xia Liang wore a faintly sympathetic smile as well.

"Don't be like that! Your reactions are making me so embarrassed!"

Hong Siyu could not help slapping the sofa. "Fine, forget it! I should not have made that kind of joke. Back to the point! Let us continue talking about bad magical girls!"

"Listen carefully! Ever since the beginning, whenever a magical girl violates regulations or discipline, the Investigation Institute sends a specialized investigation team to gather evidence, then arrests the offending magical girl."

"Besides that, if Magic Side criminals other than magical girls appear—Mages, for example—and they cause major, harmful consequences, the Investigation Institute will likewise be dispatched to investigate and apprehend them."

"You can think of the Investigation Institute as the police of the Magic Side. From the lowest-ranking Mages to the highest-ranking magical girls, even Flower Card Girls, anyone who breaks the rules can become the target of an investigation and arrest."

"The Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau deals most often with the Investigation Institute and the Magic Affairs Institute. You could even say that whenever a matter involves magical girls, we are subordinate agencies of those two Institutes."

"As for Inspectors, they are special agents within the Investigation Institute who specifically investigate extremely serious crimes. Since the threshold for becoming an Inspector is basically Flower Card rank, there are only a few of them in total. Generally speaking, whenever one is dispatched, it means something major has happened."

With that, Hong Siyu casually picked up the tea Xia Liang had brought over. "Now do you understand? Just what kind of big shot Larkspur is as an Inspector."

The lengthy explanation had left her throat a little dry, so she brought the cup to her lips, intending to take a sip of tea.

"So she is actually one of your direct superiors?" Xia Liang asked innocently at that moment.

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"

The tea she had just swallowed sprayed out, and Hong Siyu coughed violently. "How... did you reach that conclusion?"

"Well, look, an Inspector is a big shot in the Investigation Institute, right? And you said the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau is subordinate to the Investigation Institute, so aren't Inspectors your superiors too?" Xia Liang counted on her fingers as she carefully sorted through the logic. "Or are they too high-ranking to manage you?"

"Ahem. Strictly speaking, Inspectors do not handle administration. They are only responsible for investigating cases."

Pulling out two tissues and wiping the corners of her mouth, Hong Siyu explained to Xia Liang, "Although they have considerable authority, and the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau has to cooperate with them as much as possible during investigations, they generally neither interfere with nor have any obligation to interfere with the Bureau's operations."

"Of course, on top of that, Larkspur's status and circumstances as an Inspector are even more special. That is why she can stay in one place like this and leisurely serve as your introductory mentor."

At those words, Lin Xiaolu seemed to recall something and stared at Moko in the distance. Moko, meanwhile, played dumb. To look nonchalant, it even began whistling.

"You are currently under Larkspur's protection. You can avoid dangerous matters, avoid the Magic Kingdom and genuinely complicated interpersonal relationships, and study in peace. But you must also be prepared. This kind of life will not last very long."

That was how Hong Siyu concluded.

Based on what she knew of Lin Yun, with his thoroughly awkward personality, he was probably like a sealed gourd who never wanted to talk about such things.

He would think such matters were unsuitable for children to learn about too early, so he explained nothing, merely kept it all to himself, thought alone, and bore it alone.

Ever since he returned under the codename "Larkspur," the many things he had done clearly carried deeper intentions. Yet even Hong Siyu, who had once been his companion, had been unable to see through those intentions.

The reason she had said so much as soon as she arrived today, even things that might be too complicated for children, was actually because she hoped they would know more, understand more, and then take the initiative to seek Larkspur out and learn more from her.

Her final conclusion had clearly stirred something in both girls, and they showed different expressions.

Lin Xiaolu's feelings were obvious. Just from her expression, it was clear how reluctant she was at the thought of "Larkspur leaving." Xia Liang controlled her expression well, but she too looked thoughtful.

The clock on the living room wall ticked quietly onward, passing eleven-thirty and moving toward twelve noon.

—"Speaking of which, Sister, I have one more question."

After thinking for a while, Xia Liang suddenly asked, "Since you said Inspectors do not actually manage affairs, then who in the Investigation Institute is responsible for assigning magical girls?"