Rational Magical Girl

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

The moment he reverted from his magical girl form, the emotions he had thought were no big deal surged through Ye Qing's mind, with shame being the strongest of them all.

The shame of becoming a magical girl, the shame of provoking trouble with words that did not match his intentions—it overwhelmed every other sensation.

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

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

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

Could it be that I no longer want to keep hiding things? No longer want to play along with people?

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

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

That was simply 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 the sake of work and survival, he had to learn manners he did not understand and do things he 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 these cultures and everyday life could not exactly be called cultural dregs, but for those unwilling to involve themselves in such things, it was certainly not pleasant.

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

Yet they had no choice but to follow the rules, putting on an act through countless formalities: speeches before drinking, toasts, who to toast, and so on.

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

He had suffered through it in his previous life, and by now, the mask on his face had long fused with his very being.

In truth, he no longer wanted to do such things.

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

She put whatever she wanted to say and do directly into action, no longer playing along with anyone.

The agony of possibly losing her job made her speak harshly to Feiyan and Yuyan.

The exhaustion after overtime made her desperately want everyone else to leave so she could hurry home herself.

Having suppressed herself for too long, even her way of expressing herself had become extreme.

As for the bad words she used out of habit...

It was definitely because she spent too much time online!

Damn it.

Too much had changed all at once, and there was too much to take in. His brain was having trouble processing it all.

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

It was difficult to comprehend 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 simple: get on the computer!

Galgame? Boot up!

On a Friday during a two-day weekend, 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 properly.

Current events, everyday troubles, idle chatter—he could discuss all of that after getting back to work!

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 single word of reproach.

After briefly comforting the suffering Feiyan and Yuyan, she considered that it was already late, their magic was depleted, and their emotions were surely a tangled mess.

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

Any punishment could wait until they had recovered emotionally.

As the regional guardian in charge of Bailan City, Youyue naturally had to find a way to punish these young children and make them reflect on themselves.

After separating from Youyue and Yalin, Feiyan and Yuyan flew together for a short distance along the way.

Feiyan complained, "This was awful. When I get back, I'm definitely taking a bath, digging in properly... and getting some sleep. What about you, Yuyan?"

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

Today really had been awful.

I'll go mess with Little Qing and lift my spirits a little. That was what 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 ones who had caused trouble could go home and rest in peace, but Youyue, their senior and superior, had no choice but to meet with a director.

It was not because of the little ones. She needed to find out exactly who that unknown magical girl was.

Inside a director's office in the Otherworld.

Director Yaohua was painfully working overtime, handling the mountain 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 astonishingly immense.

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

Director Yaohua was the one who had previously instructed 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 take a brief break.

"No." Wazi answered truthfully, her tone calm.

"She rejected us without mercy."

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

"She's formidable." Wazi recalled the aura Qingyin had emitted without knowing to restrain it.

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

Before we arrived, she had already rescued Feiyan and Yuyan, scolded them without holding back, and even told Youyue to get lost."

"Oh?" Yaohua said with interest.

"She sounds like a reckless, impulsive troublemaker. I love educating troublesome girls. 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 certainly discipline the newly awakened magical girl properly.

"No." Wazi refuted her.

"She was most likely a rational magical girl."

"Huh?" Yaohua was somewhat taken aback.

Powerful and sharp-edged.

She offended her seniors carelessly without first assessing the situation, with not a trace of humility in her words.

And she had dared to venture deep into the evil villain organization, Abyss Return, to rescue her magical girl companions.

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 answered.

"She clearly looked refined and gentle, and even her magical girl name was so elegant. Yet she had a mouth full of vulgarities. That was rare indeed."

Click.

After eavesdropping for a moment, Youyue pushed open the door 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 caught her steadily and said with a smile.

"You can finish your own work."

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

"My experience is still too limited. I am not yet capable of taking on such an important responsibility."

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

"Fine, fine. I'll help, I'll help."