"I thought I'd be fine... so I tried it by myself."
Faced with Xia Liang's well-meaning "scolding," Bai Jingxuan could only defend herself meekly. "I won't do that again if there's a next time."
"Next time? Oh? You've got quite the ambition!"
Xia Liang's hand on Bai Jingxuan's face shifted from rubbing to pinching. "You've only just Blossomed to Leaf Rank, and you're already looking ahead to Blossom Rank? If you say things like that, people will think you're arrogant!"
"I think I'll get there someday." Xia Liang controlled her strength well, so Bai Jingxuan did not find the cheek-pinching too unpleasant. She obediently shifted over a little and leaned into Xia Liang's arms. "If I don't become stronger, I'll never be able to truly face those people..."
"That's enough of that topic."
Xia Liang interrupted her gently. "Otherwise, everyone's going to get upset."
"...Okay." Bai Jingxuan paused, then answered obediently.
She had surely wanted to bring up revenge again. Everyone knew that, but clearly, no one liked seeing a child like her constantly sink into such negative emotions.
However, after Bai Jingxuan successfully Blossomed to Leaf Rank, one thing was certain: she had indeed gained the initial strength for "revenge."
Last summer, when Bai Jingxuan had just become a magical girl, Sparrow—the Claw Mark magical girl who had attacked Fangting City alongside Black Ash Dawn—had only been Leaf Rank as well. The difference in strength between two Leaf Rank magical girls could be enormous, but Bai Jingxuan had now reached the same Blossom stage. This meant that if Bai Jingxuan began learning Spell Formulas over the next few months, expanded her repertoire and combat skills, and combined them with a more complete beast transformation ability than Sparrow's, she would be able to stand against the Sparrow of that time