Then Wait Until Next Time

"Sorry, I got excited and held you too tight."

Only after Youyue calmed down a little and released Qingyin did she raise her head and take a deep breath.

Sweet, with a uniquely enticing fragrance.

Qingyin was such an idiot. She had nearly suffocated and still did not know to struggle free.

Catching sight of figures flying over from the corner of her eye, Qingyin spoke to the magical girl beside her.

"They're here."

Her three squad members.

"Do you need my help with your first time?" Youyue asked affectionately.

"No." Qingyin flatly refused.

A magical girl team leader's job was simply to ensure that magical girls did not suffer fatal injuries.

Record the damage to the venue on paper forms, deduct the corresponding magical girls' pay, and grade their combat performance.

It looked objective, but much of it could be recorded according to personal preference.

If someone needed help even with such an easy job and could not complete it properly—

They might as well find some tofu and smash their head into it.

After all, she had done who knew how many different jobs just to survive.

They were underestimating her far too much.

"Then I'll leave it to you. I'm off first," Youyue said with a smile.

Staying with that giant cockroach for too long would cause permanent damage to her brain.

Ugh, disgusting.

Disgusted, Youyue said no more. She could not even be bothered to use that unknown purple mist, simply flying away into the distance.

One second after she left, all the squad members landed before Qingyin.

"Qingyin!"

Those familiar faces and energetic postures made Qingyin silently mourn for the three of them for a few seconds.

"We received Sister Youyue's message and came right away. Where's the Evil Beast?" Feiyan asked.

"Down there." Qingyin pointed below.

Following her gesture, they looked down at the park. A giant cockroach was pouncing against the barrier, roaring as it gnawed futilely at the transparent shield.

"Eek!" *2

Feiyan and Yuyan were frightened to different degrees and instinctively flew backward several meters.

Yalin, on the other hand, did not react much. Instead, she curiously observed the Evil Beast from afar.

It was a new Evil Beast she had never seen before.

"Is this the Evil Beast we have to face?" Feiyan wore an expression of utter disgust.

Its defense did not look particularly strong. Killing it from range would not be a problem.

Yalin was not afraid, and Feiyan fought from a distance.

As for a certain magical girl who used her fists as weapons, her face had gone completely pale.

"Qingyin, help me. Can I sit out this fight?" Yuyan pleaded weakly from the side.

"Next time. I'll definitely contribute more in the next battle."

"Yuyan..." Feiyan looked at her companion.

"Don't be afraid, Sister Yuyan. I'll help you when the time comes. It's just a little bug," Yalin encouraged her.

"But..." Yuyan hesitated.

No matter what, she did not want to fight an Evil Beast like that.

If she encountered a cockroach in real life, she would have to spray the entire room with powerful insecticide, then run off miserably to hide at her childhood friend's house for the whole day.

"Are you scared?" Qingyin looked at her.

"Mm." Yuyan answered weakly.

"It's normal to be scared. If you don't want to fight, that's fine." Qingyin's reply caught everyone by surprise.

They looked at her in amazement.

They had thought Sister Qingyin, who always seemed cold as ice, would be difficult to talk to—a strict and serious team leader. They had not expected her to agree to Yuyan's request to avoid battle.

It seemed that compared to growing stronger and gaining combat experience, Sister Qingyin cared more about their feelings.

They were touched.

The next moment, that feeling vanished.

"It's fine to be weak. It's fine if you don't want to go." Qingyin spoke slowly in an indifferent voice, as though she were trying to comfort her gently.

"But people have to grow. If you don't grow now, then you can grow later while looking at the corpses of your companions and family.

"Maybe one day, an Evil Beast like this will appear again. Because of your cowardice, you'll miss the best chance to kill it and let it escape.

"You have someone you like, right? When an accident happens, all you'll be able to do is watch the Evil Beast you let go gnaw him alive. You'll hear his screams and cries of pain, then try to make up for it afterward.

"Once only half his body remains and he is barely clinging to life, having lost all his former motivation and hope to live, how do you think you'll feel?

"It's fine if you don't want to fight. Let the people you want to protect suffer. When everyone you cherish is dead, then you can come fight."

"Stop talking! Stop talking already!"

Yuyan glared at Qingyin. With every word Qingyin said, a vivid and hopeless scene formed in her mind.

After shooting Qingyin a vicious glare, Yuyan's anger filled her heart to the brim as she charged into the barrier.

She was going to kill those Evil Beasts and show Qingyin!

"Sister Qingyin, that was too much," Feiyan agreed as she chased after her.

"Couldn't you have been more tactful?" Yalin also agreed with Feiyan. Not wanting to say anything more, she hurried after them.

Qingyin did not know how long the three of them had known one another, but even though she was their team leader, they did not show her much friendliness.

It was not only Yuyan's two companions who spoke up for her. The inconspicuous mascot also spoke solemnly.

"Lady Qingyin, wasn't that a little too cruel?"

"Huh? You're still here?" Qingyin asked with slight surprise.

He was too useless. The moment she set off, she had already forgotten Qiubo existed.

Clearly, that sentence was even crueler.

"That's too much! Too much!" Qiubo protested unhappily.

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold gaze from the side fell upon him. Qiubo immediately felt it was not too much after all and trembled too much to say another word.

"What's cruel about it? I was merely telling the truth," Qingyin replied to the mascot's question.

When the future became the present, when assumptions became reality, and everything had settled into place, it would be too late for regret.

Being prepared for danger in times of peace was never just something to say.

Precisely because one lived in comfort, one should think of danger. Disaster could strike at any time.

Peace had never fallen from the sky.

If they did not want to fight, they could not resolve the Spatial Rift.

If they did not want to fight, they could not resist foreign races.

If they did not want to fight, they could not deal with Evil Beast attacks.

"She already made it clear when she introduced herself. Her dream is her family, and she loves someone." Qingyin gazed calmly below.

"If she continues to be as fragile as she was just now, she won't be able to protect her lover or defend her family."

Qingyin had never taken any teaching certification exam, so she did not know how a qualified team leader should act.

She only knew that she had to guide them, at the very least, down the path toward the dreams they longed for.

Feiyan wanted to become stronger, so she needed to fight and train more.

Yuyan wanted to protect others, so she needed to overcome her weakness and fear, tempering herself through courage.

As for Yalin, she could just stay with them for now.

Adapting to all changes by remaining unchanged had always been the best choice.

Before that, they needed to grow strong enough to handle whatever came their way.

Still, to be fair—

Fighting a cockroach barehanded was not something ordinary people could do.

Goosebumps...