Rational Magical Girl

"Ahhh, why is my true nature so crude? Impossible, impossible."

The moment he dispelled his magical girl form, emotions he had once thought irrelevant surged through Ye Qing's mind, foremost among them a feeling called shame.

The shame of becoming a magical girl and the shame of recklessly provoking trouble with words that did not reflect his intentions overwhelmed every other feeling.

Ye Qing hugged his pillow and kept rolling around on the bed, trying to cool his boiling blood.

The quiet, private space relaxed him. As his emotions faded, he gradually calmed down enough to think.

"My true nature? My upbringing couldn't possibly be that terrible."

Could it be that I no longer wanted to hide myself? That I no longer wanted to put on false pretenses?

Ye Qing was not a particularly mature person, but after becoming an adult, he had not been allowed the luxury of immaturity.

The fake smiles behind a mask, the exaggerated expressions used to please others, the lies that went against his heart—these were all skills he had been forced to learn after entering society, skills that had gradually changed him.

That was how interpersonal relationships worked. No stranger cared what your true nature was like.

They only cared whether you knew how to please people and understood proper etiquette.

For work and survival, you had to learn the etiquette you did not understand and do the things you did not want to do.

Drinking-table culture, etiquette culture, favor culture... those who did not follow the rules would never receive promotions or advancement.

These were things ordinary people inevitably had to go through.

The coercion created by such customs and lifestyles could not exactly be called cultural dregs, but for those unwilling to involve themselves in that kind of culture, it was certainly not a good thing.

Take drinking-table culture, for example. Some people simply wanted to drink when they felt like drinking and refuse when they did not. They did not yearn for promotions or raises; they just wanted to live simply.

Yet they had no choice but to follow the rules, putting on an act involving speeches before drinking, toasts, who to toast, and countless other regulations.

Ye Qing happened to be one of those people who disliked such restraints, yet he had no choice but to learn and follow them if he wanted to survive.

In his previous life, he had suffered through them endlessly. By now, the mask on his face had long fused with his very being.

In truth, he no longer wanted to keep doing such things.

Over time, the true nature displayed by his magical girl form had become even more extreme.

It directly put into action whatever it wanted to say or do, no longer playing along with anyone.

The anguish of possibly losing his job was why he had spoken so viciously to Feiyan and Yuyan.

The exhaustion after overtime was why he had wanted everyone else to leave so badly, so he could hurry home himself.

Having suppressed himself for too long, even the way he expressed himself had become extreme.

As for the foul language he used out of habit...

That was definitely because he spent too much time online!

Damn it.

Too many things had changed all at once, and there was too much to process. His mind was having trouble keeping up.

Ye Qing tossed aside the pillow and moved from his bed to the computer desk.

It was difficult to figure out so many things in such a short time. He needed time to digest them slowly.

And the best way to cast aside all those chaotic thoughts was to get online!

Galgame, launch!

On a Friday with a two-day weekend ahead, romancing girls was important.

As for turning into a magical girl, he could think about that once he got back to work.

Adults needed to learn how to allocate their time reasonably.

Current events, daily troubles, idle chatter—he could discuss all of that after getting back to his desk!

Elsewhere.

Youyue, the magical girl who had led Feiyan, Yuyan, and Yalin away like an elder, did not take them back to the Otherworld, nor did she say a word of reprimand.

After simply offering a few words of comfort to the suffering Feiyan and Yuyan, she considered how late it was, how nearly depleted their magic was, and how complicated their feelings must have been.

No matter what they had done wrong, Youyue decided to wait a few days before asking about it.

Any punishment could wait until they had recovered emotionally.

As the regional guardian responsible for Bailan City, Youyue naturally needed to find a way to punish these young girls and make them reflect on themselves.

After parting ways with Youyue and Yalin, Feiyan and Yuyan flew together for some distance in the same direction.

Feiyan complained, "That was awful. When I get back, I'm definitely taking a quick bath, digging out... a good sleep. What about you, Yuyan?"

Yuyan replied, "I... plan to chat with my friend for a while?"

Today really had been awful.

I'll go mess with Little Qing for a bit and improve my mood, Yuyan thought.

"Senior Feiyan, I'm heading left."

"Don't be so formal. You can just call me Feiyan."

"Then, see you tomorrow, Feiyan."

"Mm."

The little troublemakers could return home and rest peacefully, but Youyue, their senior and superior, had no choice but to meet with a director.

It was not about the girls' mistakes. She needed to ask about the identity of that unknown magical girl.

Inside a director's office in the Otherworld.

Director Yaohua was painfully working overtime, dealing with the enormous pile of matters caused by magical girls.

As both the district chief of District 28 and a director of the Magical Girl Association, her workload was astonishing.

Even a magical girl's superhuman stamina was almost not enough.

This Director Yaohua was the one who had previously ordered Wazi and Qiubo to recruit the newly awakened magical girl.

"Wazi, you're back? Did you invite that newly awakened magical girl?" Yaohua stopped working and asked.

At last, she could rest briefly.

"No." Wazi answered truthfully in an ordinary tone.

"She rejected us without mercy."

"I see. What kind of girl is she?" Yaohua continued.

"Very formidable." Wazi recalled the aura Qingyin had released without any attempt at restraint.

"Powerful and sharp-edged, with little understanding of etiquette. She often said overly blunt, crude things and was completely unafraid of offending people.

Before we arrived, she had already saved Feiyan and Yuyan. She scolded them mercilessly, and even told Youyue to get lost."

"Oh?" Yaohua said with interest.

"She sounds like a reckless, impulsive problem girl. Educating problem girls is what I like most. Something entertaining might happen."

Turning unruly magical girls into gentle, obedient ones was one of Yaohua's few pleasures.

This district was her territory. She would definitely give this newly awakened magical girl a proper lesson.

"No." Wazi refuted her.

"She is most likely a Rational Magical Girl."

"Huh?" Yaohua was somewhat taken aback.

Powerful and razor-sharp.

Carelessly offending seniors without assessing the situation, not a trace of humility in her words.

And daring to enter the evil villain organization Abyss Return to save fellow magical girls.

That sort of behavior belonged to a Rational Magical Girl?

"What is her name?" Yaohua's interest was fully piqued.

"She said her name was Qingyin," Qiubo replied.

"She clearly looks refined and gentle, and even her magical girl name is so elegant, yet her mouth is full of vulgarities. That is rather rare."

Click.

After eavesdropping for a moment, Youyue pushed the door open and gave her opinion.

"Oh, Youyue, are you here to help me work?!" Yaohua leaped from her chair toward her.

"No. I came to say that since Qingyin is a newly awakened magical girl, leave her to me to discipline." Youyue steadily caught her and said with a smile.

"You can finish your own work."

"Your strength is almost catching up to mine. When will you take over as district chief?!" Yaohua said unhappily.

"My experience is still insufficient. I cannot yet shoulder such an important responsibility."

"Then help me now! Otherwise, at the next directors' meeting, I'll recommend you and force you to become district chief!"

"Fine, fine. I'll help."