Preparing to Act

(Bai Ziye)

The next morning.

Carefully fixing his hair with styling gel (mine) and changing into a fresh new outfit, Ceruno stood before the entryway with a suppressed little burst of excitement.

Though without makeup, the change brought on by her mood was still striking enough to make one's eyes light up. Her date with Miluno had her pulling out the highest-spec serious mindset—clearly, even I, this brother of hers, had never received such treatment...

"Yezi! I'm heading out!"

"Oh, have a safe trip."

Clack-snap—

The sound of the door lock clicking shut was like the starter's pistol in a referee's hand. In the second before, I was still lying on the sofa reading the news; in the second after, I sprang up to transform, then fished out my phone to call Yin Wei.

"Ceruno has left."

The moment the call connected, I cut straight to the point.

"I saw her. Once she walks a bit further away, you can come down... Are the two of you really living together?"

She was currently parked in a car near the apartment entrance.

"That's none of your business. What percentage of confidence do you have in today's plan?"

"At least ninety percent."

Like a seasoned sales representative, Yin Wei answered very decisively.

"This set of protocols has already been tried by many Magical Girls. Concealing one's identity and dispelling suspicion—this is the fundamental duty of a liaison, so please grant me your sufficient trust."

"Impossible, I cannot trust you."

"I am simply providing assistance to you out of personal conviction, and in the future, I will slowly prove this."

Conviction, huh?

According to Yin Wei's explanation, the reason she had impersonated me on the phone was to dispel Ceruno's suspicions of me.

It actually made sense. If Ceruno received a call from Miluno while she was with me, she wouldn't suspect that I was the real Miluno. Moreover, last night was the exact moment of crisis when I was about to be suspected; Yin Wei's phone call had saved my life in the truest sense of the word.

At least, it saved Miluno's life.

Yet based on this alone, asking me to trust an Association liaison was out of the question. Every action of hers seemed purposeful in my eyes.

"Ceruno has walked far enough, you may come down now."

Receiving Yin Wei's notification, I sprinted down the stairs at triple the normal flow of time, and within one minute of normal flow time, I slid into her mini convertible. Yin Wei even looked a bit caught off guard.

"...Truly worthy of Miss Miluno, your speed is even more astonishing than I imagined."

"Your car is quite retro too, rare these days."

"Thank you, this is my personal vehicle."

The beetle-like model was quite pretty, except its miniature size was a bit cramped.

Yin Wei started the engine, the electric soft top slowly pulling up to cover overhead, and then she fetched a cloth bundle from the back.

"It's wrapped a bit crudely, but everything you asked for is here."

What I asked for was women's clothing.

A short-sleeved collared shirt and black flared trousers.

Going boating on the lake in this outfit would be a bit warm, but I had to wear it. Roaming around with Ceruno was unsuited for the casual clothes in my wardrobe, while completely brand-new garments would look strange, which was why Yin Wei had dug up these relatively old-fashioned women's clothes.

However...

"Are these clothes your own?"

"Mhm, they're yours now. Change into them before we reach Longmoon Lake."

One of the basic functions of the Star Crystal was to house multiple items of clothing while allowing them to be swapped onto the body at any time, achieving true One-Click Outfit Change. However, the car's front windshield was transparent, so right now was not the time to change clothes.

I didn't rush to change; beneath those clothes lay a smartphone, and barring any accidents, the phone contained the SIM card she had used to call Ceruno yesterday.

"Do you intend for me to play two roles long-term and interact with Ceruno?"

"This is the best way to eliminate her doubts. If you feel you can't do it, I can also pretend to be the Miluno role."

"...I'd better do it myself."

"The phone can be kept in your pocket, so when you undo your transformation, it will be taken into the Star Crystal along with it. All other Magical Girls do it this way."

"Of course I know that."

I had been a Magical Girl for a whole year, after all, yet Yin Wei still felt the need to remind me of such basic knowledge.

Following the clothes and phone, there was also a stainless steel hip flask.

"...What is this?"

I didn't remember asking her to bring alcohol or any other beverages.

"Magic potion, a magical creation of Association-affiliated Magical Girls. It can accelerate the metabolism around wounds, letting the injury on your back heal faster. Because of its low production output, unregistered Magical Girls like you wouldn't normally be able to get it."

Judging by that, I owed her yet another favor.

"Sounds like alchemy. There are Magical Girls like that too?"

"Not all magic is suited for combat. Under the Association's arrangement, these Magical Girls engage in some auxiliary work. Although they don't have high bounties like you do, after all, they don't need to fight and kill, making it much safer... Actually, Ceruno—who lacks active offensive methods—is the same. Sometimes, choosing the path that suits you is very important."

If Ceruno didn't have to fight and kill on the front lines, it would be a huge relief to me. Her soft personality and soft magic made me anxious every time she went into battle.

"Then have you guys asked her about it?"

"The Association is very humane and won't force Magical Girls unsuited for combat onto the battlefield. That violates the principles upon which the Association was founded."

"Yet she refused, didn't she?"

"Yes."

Sigh—

I sighed inwardly as well.

The ideal Magical Girl in that dumber's mind could definitely not be one of those auxiliary roles quietly contributing behind the scenes.

"Pardon me for asking."

Yin Wei, who was driving, suddenly struck up a conversation.

"Since you and Sun Yao are close friends, why are you unwilling to reveal your identity to her?"

As soon as she had free time, she started fishing for information. That's why Association personnel were truly...

"I don't want to discuss this topic."

I put on a straight face and refused.

"...I understand. We can talk about it whenever you're willing."

"There probably won't be such a time."

The E2 District where Longmoon Lake was located was the northern suburb of the city. Although it was classified as being diagonally upward from the D3 District, the road was a bit winding, and driving there still took some distance. However, Ceruno was taking rail transit, so she might arrive even earlier than us.

"We'll arrive once we pass through this mountain, and at that time, please leave your current phone behind."

"...I know."

Clearly, she intended to reply to Ceruno's messages in the identity of Bai Ziye.

"Thank you for your understanding. Also, there's a mountain tunnel ahead; you can change your clothes inside the tunnel."

Before her voice had even faded, they drove into the dim tunnel.

There were no cars ahead or behind—this was undoubtedly a great opportunity for an outfit change.

"Miss Miluno, I know you don't trust the Association, nor do you understand why I am assisting you in a private capacity."

Having changed into the shirt and flared trousers, Miss Yin Wei beside me started talking to herself again.

"I entered the Association to help Magical Girls, but if you mind my status as Association personnel, I can cooperate with your actions in a personal capacity."

"You've already explained that many times."

"Yet you still don't trust me, do you?"

"Trust bought with words is far too cheap, and furthermore, I only hope the Association can respect my privacy and freedom."

"The Association hopes you can better unleash your strength, Miss Miluno. Your power isn't just capable of guarding a single district of this city; you can save many people."

When it all came down to it, she still wanted me to accept recruitment, didn't she?

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