Otherworld

"Uh, boss? Yes, yes, yes. What? You want me to work overtime? Sure, sure, sure."

Having just finished eating and not yet rested for even a moment, Ye Qing took out his phone and pretended to be on a call, beginning his clumsy act.

He turned all his helplessness into a deep sigh.

"Mom, Dad, the boss suddenly said there's an emergency at the company and wants me to hurry back to work. I won't be staying to have tea with you."

It was a well-intentioned lie.

Normally, he and Ye Yuyan would stay with their parents until dinner was over, then catch a ride back.

This time, Ye Qing planned to leave by himself ahead of time.

After giving them a simple, vague explanation, Ye Qing efficiently left the house, leaving Ye Yuyan to properly reassure their parents.

Although he did not know the specifics of his childhood friend's work, from her description, it seemed fairly relaxed. Perhaps she could even stay behind and spend the night with their parents.

Like a guilty thief, Ye Qing sneaked into an empty alley, craning his neck to inspect his surroundings and repeatedly confirming that no one was there.

The next instant, dazzling white light burst from the alley, and a black shadow shot out into the sky.

Take a ride home? How could that be possible?

With such a convenient means of travel as flying, why would he take a car?

Sitting in one was slow and exhausting.

Leaping high into the sky, Ye Qing opened his tightly clenched hand. In it was a crumpled business card and a phone that had nearly been crushed.

"Magical girl Youyue... Hm? My phone's malfunctioning." Qingyin's delicate brows furrowed, making her look pitiful and helpless. "Don't start acting up at a time like this."

She forcefully tapped at the phone screen, flustered and anxious, before finally entering the number and calling Youyue.

"Hello~ Who is this~?"

The voice on the other end differed slightly from the one she had heard yesterday. The mature voice carried an inexplicably alluring charm beneath its lazy tone.

"I'm Qingyin. The café from yesterday. Let's meet." Qingyin got straight to the point.

Once the other party agreed with a hint of surprise, she decisively hung up.

Staring at her cracked phone screen, Qingyin sighed.

After becoming a magical girl, these worldly possessions were truly troublesome.

If she put them in her pocket, they would disappear. If she held them in her hand, she might accidentally crush them.

If she did not handle them properly, they could even expose her real identity.

She would find somewhere to store it, then come back for her phone after everything was over.

Café.

By the time Qingyin flew at high speed to her destination, Youyue had already ordered two cups of coffee and was waving to her from yesterday's seat near the entrance.

"Good afternoon. Have you eaten?" Youyue asked with a smile.

"I came to join the Magical Girl Association." Qingyin got straight to the point as soon as she sat down.

"Dealing with people in circles gets tiring after too many times. I like how direct you are." Youyue smiled at her.

"But I have one condition."

"Go ahead."

The Association was not afraid of new-generation magical girls making demands. What it feared was magical girls not daring to make demands.

"I need medicine to treat Spatial Illness." Qingyin said bluntly.

"Spatial Illness? Of course, that's no problem." Youyue agreed without hesitation, then explained, "However, medicine that can completely cure Spatial Illness is very scarce. It isn't something ordinary magical girls can obtain directly."

"Whatever the requirements are, just tell me." Qingyin could agree to anything.

"The requirement is to follow the procedure." Youyue smiled mysteriously.

"Then let's follow it."

"Mhm~ Talking with Qingyin is so comfortable. You agree to things so readily. Is this the joy of not having to beat around the bush?"

Youyue took a sip of coffee. Seeing Qingyin drain the scalding coffee in one gulp without adding a single sugar cube, she was briefly surprised before a trace of amusement appeared in her eyes.

It seemed this matter was far more bitter than coffee.

Youyue set down her cup. "Since you're in such a hurry, let's go handle the important business first."

Qingyin tilted her head in confusion. "Where?"

"I'll take you to the Otherworld!"

The so-called Otherworld was the deeper world of magical girls.

One could reach it by passing through a spatial rift. Only magical girls and those carrying magical girl credentials could remain there.

Before that, one still had to pass through layer upon layer of inspections.

"Entrances to the Otherworld are everywhere for magical girls. Whenever you want to come, just have your contracted beast open a passage."

Youyue explained as she walked ahead. Qingyin silently followed behind her, quietly waiting as various instruments scanned her body.

The inspection process was much like the procedure when she went to work at Yuanhui Base.

As such, she felt neither discomfort nor panic or curiosity, which only made Youyue admire her more.

After completing the inspection, they passed through the tunnel.

An entirely different spectacle from the outside world came into view.

Beneath their feet was a sea of stars, while pieces of land resembling mountain peaks floated high in the sky.

"This entrance is specifically for magical girls. If ordinary people use it, they'll have quite the thrilling experience." Youyue flew beside her, gesturing with her hands as she vividly described it. "The Otherworld connects top to bottom. If you fall several hundred meters, you'll reappear above the starry sky and continue falling.

"The cycle won't stop until a magical girl notices and rescues you. I imagine you'd never forget that level of excitement for the rest of your life."

"Mhm." Qingyin listened seriously, absorbing this unfamiliar knowledge.

Things that had existed only in virtual worlds and imagination had become reality she could touch. Claiming she was completely uninterested would have been a lie.

"Different mountain peaks are home to magical girls from different districts. Joining the Association automatically gets you a house in the Otherworld too. Pretty good benefits, right?" Youyue boasted.

The Magical Girl Association indeed had the right to boast.

As a newcomer about to join the Association, Qingyin was why Youyue had brought her through this entrance, showing her around and letting her understand the full scope of the Otherworld.

"The super-luxurious structure built in the starry sky of the Otherworld, surrounded by all the mountain peaks, is the Magical Girl Hall." Youyue pointed at the distant, magnificently grand building resembling a palace. "Only veteran magical girls and above are qualified to enter it."

"Got it." Qingyin replied flatly, her tone carrying the air of a dead person.

"Follow me."

Youyue led Qingyin soaring through the starry sky. Their speed gradually increased as they flew for quite some time.

After going so far that Qingyin began to grow suspicious, she asked, "Are you taking me in circles?"

"How could I?" Youyue waved her hand, stopped flying, and pointed at a mountain peak not far away. "There, that's the mountain peak for our District 28. Districts 27 and 29 are on either side. If you have nothing to do, you can visit other magical girls and play.

"The offline distances aren't far either. When the time comes, magical girls can meet up in person too."

After flying for so long, Qingyin felt a reassuring sense of solidity when she landed on the ground.

The land area of the mountain peak was far more vast than it had appeared from afar amid the starry sky.

"Ha, I didn't expect Qingyin to have so much magical power. Flying through the Otherworld's starry sky suppresses magical power, you know." Youyue laughed softly. "When many magical girls first arrive, they make complete fools of themselves in the starry sky, just like ordinary people."

"So you really were taking me in circles." Qingyin stated expressionlessly.