Since It Had Come to This, Eat First

Inside the dim secret chamber.

"Damn it, I'm completely out of magic power, and these ropes even prevent magic power from recovering."

Feiyan restlessly twisted her body, but the binding ropes left her with nowhere to exert any strength.

Her recklessness had taught her a lesson.

"Sorry for dragging you into this, Yuyan. Are you hurt?"

Now that things had come to this, she could not fail to see that her arrogance had harmed both herself and her junior.

It was not yet time for despair, but after taking a fall, it was only natural to stop and nurse the pain.

Magical girls were miracles themselves. Feiyan believed the evil organization had merely imprisoned them for a while, nothing more.

"I'm fine. With Senior Feiyan here, nothing will happen to me," Yuyan replied softly.

"Are you scared?"

"Not really. Senior Feiyan is very dependable."

"I see, I see. What kind of treatment do you think we'll receive next?

They surely wouldn't dare lay a hand on us, right? As long as we wait for our..."

Feiyan chattered endlessly, not pausing for even a moment.

Her voice echoed repeatedly through the dark, sealed room, dispersing a trace of fear.

Yuyan seemed to notice the other girl's unease. Feiyan's constant attempts to find topics for idle chatter exposed what she was feeling inside.

So Yuyan began comforting her gently, signaling that Feiyan could rest easy:

"Don't worry. Before I left, I told Yalin that if she didn't see us by tonight, she should seek out other senior magical girls to rescue us.

I'm sure we'll be saved soon. It's just that Senior Feiyan might have trouble saving face afterward."

After she said that, Feiyan seemed to have swallowed a calming pill. Her endless chatter came to an abrupt stop, and she said with slight gratitude:

"That helps a lot. If we can break free, what does losing face matter?"

She was not someone incapable of admitting her mistakes.

If she did something wrong, lost face, and received punishment, that was only natural.

Tap...

The faint footsteps interrupted the two girls' conversation.

The light spilling in as the door opened was slightly dazzling. A blond man wearing a mask and holding something unknown entered the room.

An orc followed close behind him, clearly a member who had led the way.

"Boss, the two magical girls are here. You can proceed with the hypnosis experiment without worry."

Hypnosis!?

Hearing the orc's words, the two magical girls bound to their chairs abruptly turned to look at each other. An uncontrollable fear surged up from the depths of their hearts.

Did he mean hypnosis capable of changing common sense and brainwashing them!?

I was wrong. I was wrong.

Feiyan's mind filled with thoughts blaming herself.

If Abyss Return truly had such a trump card, then forget about herself—she had dragged Yuyan into a terrible situation too.

Feiyan was not afraid of methods like threats, temptation, or harsh interrogation.

But that "hypnosis" she had never encountered before was filled with the terror of the unknown, making it impossible for her to remain calm.

Would she cease to be herself?

No, no!

No matter what, I have to get this crucial information out!

And I won't let anything happen to Yuyan. I was the one who brought her into Abyss Return!

This was the basic sense of responsibility a magical girl ought to possess.

"Mm. You can leave. No matter what happens, there's no need to come in later."

Ye Qing ordered his subordinate to leave, even preparing a rescue stage for the magical girls who might barge in later.

Gorgeous, mysterious, powerful magical girls surely possessed abilities such as teleportation.

Even if they did not, it made no difference. He could simply wait for the magical girls to smash through the foundation and force their way into this secret chamber.

He would become the villain in the script. Once the organization realized something was wrong, opening the door would reveal nothing but a secret chamber reduced to ruins, along with him lying on the floor inside.

All of this was so he could remain in the organization for a long time!

This job was absolutely worth such a sacrifice.

What if the boss pitied his miserable state and directly multiplied that month's salary by five, then threw in a generous medical allowance as well?

Just thinking about it made him happy.

"Heh heh heh."

As he thought, Ye Qing could not help letting out an evil laugh while slowly approaching the bound magical girls.

"Don't come any closer! You evil blondie! You damned scumbag!"

Countless terrible possibilities flashed through Feiyan's mind. Filthy, chaotic images broke through her mental defenses.

She reacted by shouting angrily at Ye Qing, but in this situation, her words sounded particularly powerless.

Like playful resistance before some lewd affair began.

Awakened by her shout, Ye Qing looked over the magical girls tied up in ropes and feasted his eyes.

Their lovely bodies were displayed to the fullest by the obscene weaving of the bindings, and their differently sized chests were equally pronounced.

Every part of their bodies was like a selection of premium ingredients, clearly priced and laid out before Ye Qing's eyes.

Ye Qing merely admired them, without harboring any lustful thoughts.

Magical girls were sacred and must not be defiled! Except on the internet.

Veteran magical girl Feiyan, and newly promoted magical girl Yuyan?

Had they followed armed members recovering a mech and gotten caught?

Magical girl teams usually operated in groups of three. Since only two were here, did that mean one had escaped?

The boss had not deceived him. All he needed to do next was pretend to conduct an experiment and wait for the magical girls to be rescued.

As a seasoned shut-in, Ye Qing identified the magical girls and made his judgment at the same time.

Sure enough, magical girls were beautiful from every angle.

Ye Qing admired Feiyan at close range. Her appearance was so lovely that he could not think about anything else.

Then he gradually shifted his gaze toward Yuyan on the other side.

Not looking was one thing. Looking was what stirred Feiyan into panic.

"I'm much stronger than a newly promoted magical girl. If you want to alter common sense through hypnosis, using me would be more worthwhile!"

Feiyan spoke urgently, her cheeks flushing crimson from anxiety. She looked extremely alluring, and a hint of pleading entered her voice.

"As long as you promise to spare Yuyan, I'll cooperate with you unconditionally and satisfy you, whether it's playing with my body or controlling my mind!

A completely obedient test subject is better than one that resists to the death, isn't it?"

Was Feiyan this kind of perverted magical girl? Ye Qing could not help wondering.

He had never had such evil thoughts!

"No."

The reply did not come from Ye Qing, but from Yuyan at the side, who said softly:

"Wouldn't a newly promoted magical girl be easier to control? Let Senior Feiyan go. I'm willing to cooperate with your experiment and tell you everything about my Heartglow Stone's abilities and condition."

"Yuyan, do you know what you're doing!?"

Feiyan turned toward Yuyan in shock, her voice thick with disbelief.

That would mean completely losing her qualifications as a magical girl!

"Let's make a deal, blond gentleman," Yuyan said calmly.

"Impossible! I won't allow this. If someone has to do it, it'll be me!" Feiyan fiercely objected.

What are they doing...

I can't even hypnotize people.

At that moment, Ye Qing held a hamburger in his left hand and a cola with a freshly inserted straw in his right.

He wore the slightly numb, speechless expression of a certain cat meme.

I haven't even had dinner yet.

I rushed over here desperately just to put on an act.

I'll use preparing the experiment as an excuse to eat dinner first.

"Heh heh heh. Such pathetic rhetoric. Once I've prepared the experimental equipment, both of you will become part of Abyss Return." Ye Qing deliberately lowered his voice, speaking in a strange and sinister tone.

Being at the mercy of others, the two magical girls did not dare assume that what Ye Qing held were ordinary hamburgers and cola.

Otherwise, in such a tense and solemn atmosphere, seeing an evil organization officer bring hamburgers and cola into a secret chamber—

With the organization being as unreliable as some amateur troupe, unable to distinguish priorities, it might have eased at least some of their anxiety.