A Temporary Conclusion

For now, the matter had come to an end.

Qingyin gripped Wayne's head with Skull Ripper and flew high into the clear sky, faintly hearing Yalin's dutiful shouts below.

"Please don't come any closer! It's dangerous here! Anything you want to know will be on the news later!"

Yalin held back the overly curious citizens, single-handedly forming a warning line that no one was allowed to cross.

Feiyan used Magic Weapon's flame properties to keep the fire from spreading, but the raging heat could not stop the crowds whose curiosity had reached absurd levels.

Qingyin slowly shifted her gaze. Yuyan was crouched down, comforting the civilians who had nearly been injured.

The three of them had clearly divided their duties, each handling her own task.

As for the fire caused by the explosion, Qingyin summoned a localized drizzle to extinguish the roaring flames, incidentally dousing the inexplicable enthusiasm of those ordinary people who had no regard for their own lives.

"Finished?"

A gentle voice suddenly sounded beside her. Qingyin glanced to the side and saw Youyue smiling brightly at her.

"Mm." Qingyin answered calmly, holding out the Bloodkin she had captured.

"A Blood Purity Court officer. Take him away for interrogation."

"You're tossing this troublesome matter to me?" Youyue's lively eyes shifted as she seemed to be plotting something wicked again. "Fine. Toss him in."

A cloud of purple mist floated before Youyue's outstretched hand. Like she was throwing away trash, Qingyin tossed the unconscious Bloodkin into the purple-mist trash can.

"How long were you hiding in the dark and watching?" Qingyin asked curiously.

"The whole time." Youyue made a corresponding gesture. "I didn't expect the Blood Purity Court's people to harm their own child kin, either. Since you rescued them, you've exceeded the mission requirements."

A magical girl's sixth sense varied in strength, as did the importance she placed on it.

It was stronger when she was personally involved, and stronger when it concerned someone she cherished.

If one of Qingyin's close family members had been among them, her intuition might have gone off the moment she heard about this mission in the Otherworld.

The reason she had sensed something unusual might have been because she had met that Bloodkin girl once before.

"Sounds like I passed. What score did I get for this mission?" Qingyin asked.

"Ninety-nine points," Youyue replied after some hesitation.

The scoring was somewhat subjective, so she needed to think it over.

"Points were deducted because factories on both sides exploded, and those explosions might have endangered ordinary people." Youyue counted on her fingers. "They caused a certain degree of public panic, affected traffic on the western highway, and the fire spread to the northern forest, causing property damage. All of that resulted from carelessness."

Even magical girls could not make everything perfect.

Effective damage control was also a source of bonus points for magical girls.

Feiyan and the others had acted promptly and minimized the damage as much as possible. They deserved praise.

The points earned for exceeding the mission requirements and rescuing the children outweighed that minor accident.

Calling it a perfect score would not have been unreasonable.

"I deducted one point so your team won't get too cocky. There's still room to improve." Youyue patted Qingyin on the shoulder, then asked in slight confusion, "Why didn't you use your Barrier Art this time?"

If she had used it, the fire would not have happened, and nothing that occurred inside would have been discovered by the outside world.

That was what Youyue did not understand.

"That would have blown them to death," Qingyin replied.

Barrier Art could control the range of an explosion, but it could not weaken its power.

How could a group of Bloodkin no different from ordinary humans survive an explosion confined to such a limited space?

"You actually sympathized with them?" Youyue said in surprise, though inwardly she was not surprised at all. "Is it unnecessary mercy, or are you simply really that gentle?"

Different upbringing.

Naturally led to different values.

The members of an evil organization had chosen their own fates.

Even if magical girls failed to save them, or even took their lives personally, no one would blame them. Law and morality both allowed it.

But Qingyin's values had long taken root deep within her. Even if she lived another life and received a different kind of education, she would not change her beliefs.

When faced with a question she did not like, she changed the subject immediately!

"Will my pay be docked for this?" Qingyin asked.

"Mm..." Youyue responded. "Some will be deducted. After all, the consequences resulted from the magical girls' failure to fulfill their duties.

"But only a tiny amount. The Association and the authorities will cover most of it. You could even say the Magical Girl Association will cover all of it."

After all, the damage had been caused by an evil organization.

It had not been destruction caused by magical girl skills.

"Don't dwell on it. Your reward will far exceed the compensation," Youyue said casually.

In Qingyin's view were magical girls braving the light rain and still helping ordinary people amid the fire scene.

Although she did not know much about her students, and they had only known one another for a week.

The timid and shy Yuyan was willing to take the initiative to comfort everyone. The proud and awkward Yalin would protect the civilians while blurting out her honest feelings again and again.

And Feiyan, who had clearly assigned their roles, directed them properly, and acted as a qualified senior magical girl.

Yalin's pitiful expression flashed through Qingyin's mind as she said, "If only I had money..." while asking her for desserts.

The new generation of magical girls... probably lacked money.

"Deduct it all from my pay," Qingyin said at once. "The park Feiyan destroyed yesterday, and the explosion caused by their carelessness today.

"You kept records in secret, right? Put every bit of damage they cause over the next month on my tab."

"Are you sure?" Youyue asked with an amused look.

"I'm sure." Qingyin nodded.

She could not remember when she had first received a salary far beyond her expectations.

Nor could she remember how happy she had been then. In any case, she had been incredibly, incredibly happy.

The money she earned simply by being a magical girl would not change her life much even after it reached her hands.

But this would let her see their smiling faces. Qingyin did not know whether that counted as gaining or losing, but at the very least, she definitely would not regret it.

Because they were all good girls.

Money was especially important to ordinary adults.

Even so, there were things more important than money.

"I'll be leaving first." Qingyin glanced at the fire scene, which would still take some time to extinguish, and said so.

"Now? Where are you going?" Youyue asked in surprise.

"To help a little girl find her father."

"Hey, then what are we eating tonight!?"

Youyue cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted after Qingyin, who had already flown off with decisive speed.

"Yeah, what are we eating?"

Qingyin's calm voice drifted back leisurely from afar.

"Don't answer a question with a question." Youyue helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead.

The localized rain was still falling.

The flames had been completely extinguished, leaving behind only blackened ash and charred remains.

Feiyan, Yuyan, Yalin, and Youyue gathered together.

Instead of waiting for reporters to interview them, they first waited for Qingyin, who had finished helping the little girl find her father.

After receiving Qingyin's dinner invitation, they instantly tossed the matter of post-battle interviews to the back of their minds.

Walking ahead of them, Qingyin suddenly bent at the waist and leaned backward, looking toward everyone behind her.

"Let's have barbecue tonight."

"Huh, barbecue again?"

In the end...

They ate hot pot.