Barbecue

A barbecue restaurant.

Recommended by Youyue, who had spent a long time in the Otherworld.

The ingredients were nothing but fresh, real meat, without a trace of fake "Hextech" nonsense.

Anyone who dared serve fake meat to magical girls truly had a death wish.

Naturally, the Otherworld had nowhere near as many residents as the outside world. Everyone there was either connected to magical girls in some way or staff members.

With such a small population, people were bound to run into each other constantly. Accidentally angering a magical girl could have unthinkable consequences.

Only establishments with genuine skill dared to find ways to open in the Otherworld.

If inferior goods tried to pass themselves off as the real thing, a single rebuke from a magical girl of slightly higher status would send them packing without earning a cent.

"Qingyin, I want that piece of pork shoulder," Feiyan said without reservation.

"Qingyin, I want the fatty meat once it's cooked," Yuyan said as well.

Yalin stared longingly at the cooked meat on the grill, but she did not ask for any yet.

"Everyone will get some," Qingyin replied calmly.

When Qingyin placed some in Yalin's bowl with her chopsticks, it seemed to trigger some underlying logic in her.

"Thank you!" After thanking her, Yalin said haughtily, "Since Qingyin gave it to me of her own accord, I'll reluctantly eat it."

"What about mine? What about mine?" Youyue blinked at Qingyin.

"It's still cooking. Wait a moment." Qingyin did not refuse her either.

To make it up to them, Qingyin took on the heavy responsibility of grilling the meat. Youyue was merely an extra addition.

At group meals like barbecue or hot pot, when there was an elder present, that elder would usually be the one handling the cooking.

First, it prevented younger, inexperienced people from mishandling things and hurting themselves.

Second, it prevented a situation where every flower bloomed at once. Mainly, it was to prevent that.

When Qingyin had gone out for barbecue with her university roommates in her previous life, a group of people the same age grilling meat together had created a scene of Gods and Devils dancing wildly.

First came Gods and Devils Number One: the crazed primitive who ate raw flesh and drank blood.

Qingyin watched the other person stuff meat that had not even been grilled for half a minute, still seeping blood, into their mouth.

Their usual words were, "It's cooked, bro, it's cooked. If you don't eat it now, it'll get tough."

The liquid that seeped out was myoglobin. That was exactly the taste they wanted. If they chased animals across the grasslands early in the morning and bit into them, they would probably worry that the sun had overcooked them.

Next came Gods and Devils Number Two: the geological digester who chewed charcoal raw.

Any meat the other person put on the grill personally would inevitably be cooked into black charcoal.

Their usual words were, "Mine needs to cook a little longer to taste good." They could chew ordinary grilled meat with the same crunch as chewing cartilage.

The two Gods and Devils would argue over whose barbecue was the correct one. The next day, they took turns occupying the dormitory bathroom for the entire day.

Only with a normal person willing to work, someone who could reliably control the grilling time, could a barbecue gathering end perfectly and smoothly.

"Qingyin." "Qingyin." "Qingyin." For the rest of the time, those few keywords echoed through the barbecue restaurant.

Qingyin tirelessly placed every lovingly grilled piece of meat into their bowls, taking a few bites for herself whenever she found a spare moment.

Magical girls could eat far more than ordinary people. Fortunately, Qingyin had excellent stamina, and even after working for several hours, her hands did not feel sore.

"Mmm... Qingyin, I don't want any more. I'm full." Feiyan refused the meat Qingyin had picked up, becoming the first to admit defeat.

Yalin, who looked like she could eat a great deal, fell next. After only a few bites of barbecue, she started drinking the free sweet beverage from the restaurant to cut the grease.

"I'm so satisfied." A blissful expression appeared on Yuyan's face. She lowered her head slightly to look at her phone, then silently held her right hand out toward Qingyin at the grill.

The magical girl beside her nudged her. Coming back to her senses, Yuyan hurriedly explained, "Sorry, sorry, Qingyin. I was enjoying myself so much that I thought I was..."

As she spoke, she was about to withdraw her hand when Qingyin pulled out two tissues and placed them in her palm.

"What were you thinking of? Didn't you want tissues?" Qingyin asked.

"No, no, I did want tissues. Thank you, Qingyin." Yuyan thanked her hurriedly and drew back her hand with slight awkwardness.

Embarrassment filled her heart. She held her phone in both hands and typed furiously, though it was unclear who she was messaging.

"What are you looking at me for? Keep grilling." Youyue gave her a polite smile.

"How can you say that with a straight face?" Qingyin said expressionlessly.

"Huh? Bad signal. I didn't hear you." Youyue playfully lay on her side in the seat, looking utterly shameless.

"Qingyin, Youyue, I have class tomorrow, so I need to go home first."

"Me too, me too."

"Then I won't disturb you two any longer either."

Once someone started it, the other magical girls immediately followed.

After exchanging polite pleasantries, they left the barbecue gathering early.

It was indeed getting very late. If they stayed out any longer, as students, they would draw serious suspicion and face questioning from their parents.

The already quiet barbecue restaurant was suddenly left with only Qingyin and Youyue.

"It's just the two of us now." Youyue spoke with unclear intent, then nudged Qingyin with her elbow and invited her.

"The juniors have all gone. Shall we have a few drinks?"

"No." Qingyin refused the invitation.

"Could it be that Qingyin is a lightweight?" Youyue taunted her.

"I can drink a normal amount, but I don't really like it." Qingyin shook her head slightly.

She did not touch tobacco, alcohol, or drugs. Her conduct was exemplary.

If she had to say something, it was that she was more lustful than most people.

But after becoming a magical girl, her calm mind had suppressed many of those desires.

"We can drink at something like a celebration banquet. If you wanted to drink, you should have said so from the start," Qingyin said.

Her interest in such things was more dependent on the setting and circumstances.

If the mood was right, having a few drinks was fine.

Besides, she still had work tomorrow.

"What a shame to miss an opportunity." Youyue said regretfully.

Having said that, she immediately swept away her previous pretended dejection and began chatting.

"Of the three of them, which magical girl do you like best?"

"Feiyan. I've known her longer, and she's also the strongest of the three," Qingyin replied.

"That's not right." Youyue wagged a finger and corrected her.

"The strongest of the three is Yuyan."

"Is that so? She seems very fragile." Qingyin neither agreed nor disagreed, speaking calmly.

"One evening isn't enough to get to know them. My opinion may change later."

"I'll spoil it for you. Feiyan is actually the most fragile one."

"Is that so? Can eating meat shut your mouth?"

"Mmm... no."

"That was the last piece."

"Is the gathering over, then?" Youyue looked at the barbecue Qingyin had placed in her bowl, dipped it in seasoning, and put it into her mouth. After swallowing it in a few bites, she glanced at Qingyin. "I'm still not full."

"We've already eaten all the meat we brought over. If you're not full, get some more and eat slowly by yourself," Qingyin replied coldly.

"But I can't eat without you keeping me company." Youyue acted coquettishly.

"It's very late. Don't you have work tomorrow?"

"Hehe, being a magical girl is my main job. Before you showed up, I was bored for a very long time."

"You have so much free time. Go find another job."

Qingyin stood up and left without mercy, and a resentful voice came from behind her.

"You cold-hearted bad woman!"