Halley Joins the Fight

(Bai Ziye)

"Ugh! Waaah!"

Halley, who was holding me, was also struggling to breathe.

The suite door opened inwards, and a maid with golden-brown braids, cheeks puffed out and holding her breath, pulled us tightly into the room and quickly closed the door behind her.

Then, the blue that had enveloped the entire field of vision finally faded...

"Hoo, ha! Ha!"

"Huh? What... what just happened?!"

Halley and I were both panting heavily, but the latter didn't understand what was happening and was sweating profusely with tension.

After recovering, I explained, "That was Miss Zara's magic. In that state just now, she was actually in the Subspace, where people in normal environments can't see us... The only problem is that there's no oxygen in that Subspace, so she herself can't stay there for too long."

Zara nodded, seemingly still unable to speak.

Can this person even participate in the Idol Festival?

Previously, direct contact was required to drag someone into the Subspace, but now they can pull me in through a door. Magic has improved significantly. Maybe carrying an oxygen tank during battle will allow me to suffocate my enemies in the Subspace?

"There's such magic? Speaking of which, what is my magic?"

She started worrying about magic again, but she didn't have any magic at all.

However, the Succubus Monster's ability will probably be to suck out ** breath, or squeeze out... cough cough...

"Ahem, let's not talk about that. Let's meet Sirius first."

Halley followed me into the living room.

"Miluno, come here right now!"

Sirius, who was sitting in the living room, only glanced at Halley before dragging me to the master bedroom of the apartment and locking the door behind us.

"My little darling, why did you take time out of your busy schedule to carve out a Monster for me? Is it a souvenir?"

"She's special."

With her arms crossed over her chest, Sirius said, "A female Monster other than a witch is indeed quite unique."

"She also confirmed our previous suspicions. I personally witnessed her transform from a human into Monster, using the same Black Crystal that Chairman Sun used back then."

The only difference is that she doesn't have the Star Crystal inside her.

Magical girls who fuse with Black Crystal become witches, while ordinary people only become weaker Monster.

Sirius is not surprising.

"This has been confirmed by the research department. Those Dark Energy lie dormant and grow within the human body. When they are enough to form Black Crystal, they will turn the host into Monster... or turn a magical girl into a witch."

It seems the Association didn't come away empty-handed.

But if that's the case, aren't Aunt Yuehan and Anjie in a dangerous situation too?

"However, she firmly believes that the Black Crystal is the Star Crystal, and even considers herself a magical girl. She not only wants to register with the Association, but also plans to participate in the Supernova Idol Festival auditions the day after tomorrow..."

"Wow? That's interesting."

Sirius gave a playful smile and asked again.

"And what about you? What are your thoughts?"

I leaned against the door, closed my eyes, and tucked a strand of hair from my forehead.

"Will her condition worsen? Will she even become Monster inside? How did she come into contact with Dark Energy? What are the conditions for the Black Crystal to choose a host? I want to find the answers to these questions through her. If possible, I also want to turn her back..."

There was some resistance at the time that prevented me from using the hourglass immediately.

Moreover, even if the flow were reversed, it wouldn't return to the time before she came into contact with the Dark Energy; it would only postpone the appearance of the Black Crystal by three minutes.

Sirius said, "You may not know this, but not handing her over to the Association... was actually the right decision."

"What's the meaning?"

"The Electromagnetic Man arrested in the subway a few hours ago died before he could be taken back to the branch for interrogation."

"Dead? And it was Betelgeuse?"

As far as I know, that Hunter Witch specializes in this kind of thing.

But this time, Sirius shook his head.

"It wasn't her. The Monster's computational units, joints, and even its Simulacrum Factor have all turned to gold... This is undoubtedly the work of the Golden Consort... It's Aldebaran's doing. Her magic is extremely deadly to this type of Constructed Monster."

Has the person been changed?

Did I get fired for failing the Hunter Witch quest too many times?

So, in that case...

"Ah!"

My realization puzzled Sirius.

"What's wrong? Why are you so easily startled?"

"Actually, I saw a magical girl with long, pure gold hair last night. I was a bit dazed at the time, so I forgot about it afterwards... Although she didn't say anything, she left me a few pieces of gold."

"How could you forget something so important? Aldebaran does indeed have real 'golden' hair, so were you given it to you by the enemy? Where are the fragments of gold?"

"I exchanged money for Metal..."

How poor are you?

Sirius sighed helplessly.

Don't you even consider who made me so poor? It's all because of the Association's damn registration system.

"The Empty Wormhole only occurred twice, but three Monster appeared... Miluno- chan, do you know what that means?"

I replied, "The Dark Energy brought by a single Empty Wormhole can create multiple unpredictable Monster, and there are probably other Monster lurking in the city."

"These hosts were already extreme antisocial personalities before they were chosen, with severe violent tendencies. Once they become Monster, they either seek revenge on their ex-girlfriends or carry out terrorist attacks in the subway... Although their strength is not as good as the regular members of the Monster Legion, they have indeed caused serious casualties... Miluno, if you really want to take care of that guy outside, you must take responsibility."

"I know, I will never let her hurt anyone."

The reason the Dark Energy chose Halley was undoubtedly because of her inner resentment and despair. However, after the Black Crystal formed, her mood underwent a complete reversal, becoming full of hope and positivity... even though these positive emotions were based on flawed perceptions.

I have a feeling.

If she reverts to her previous state, she will become a real, threatening Monster.

"Miss Sirius, there's something else I need your help with."

afewmomentslater

Once the deal was struck with Sirius, she was naturally willing to cooperate with my script.

As they went outside, Zara had already poured Halley a cup of hot tea.

"Your name is... Halley-chan, right? Miluno- chan told me everything. Please forgive my excitement just now, because your appearance was outside my plan... She didn't tell me that she brought a new magical girl with her."

"Ah? Uh, it's alright. It's true that I need your help. Miluno probably resorted to this because she was afraid you'd refuse over the phone..."

Her response was appropriate, but she couldn't hide her excitement.

"Ha, wouldn't it be more awkward to refuse to your face?"

"Ah, this..."

Sirius's words of cold water froze Halley's expression.

"Don't look at me like a pitiful abandoned kitten. Even if you were introduced by Miluno, I know how capable you are. You want me to invest? Wouldn't that make me a sucker?"

I chimed in, "Does this mean there are preconditions for the investment?"

Sirius pointed to the Supernova Idol Festival commercial that was playing on TV.

"Halley-chan... no, Hallley-senpai, please go participate in the Supernova Idol Festival! If you can win the crown, I'll fund the purchase of Kuluoluo Idol Agency!"

Halley's disappointment vanished instantly, and she looked up in surprise.

Sirius's implication was that he knew Halley's true identity.

Halley's expression was a mixture of emotions for a moment, but it eventually turned into determination.

"I'll show you my power!"