Shadow-Catching Contest

(Ceruno)

"Those monsters treat human life like dirt. In their eyes, humans are probably Pac-Man, points to show off to their kind."

"I know, but I don't feel it that deeply..."

Like a child who has done something wrong, Xiaoling lowered her head.

I pinched her little cheek.

"Therefore, magical girls nowadays don't see monsters as human beings. Conflicts between civilizations are always bloody, which is why peace seems so far away."

The Future my father envisioned was beyond anyone's comprehension. Even if the plan succeeded, he would be forever condemned as a sinner, nailed to the pillar of historical shame...

Dantai Zhengchu was very satisfied with my answer; for the first time, his sickly pale face showed approval.

"They want to create chaos in the world, so we need to maintain stability even more. The news says that people's panic will increase that Corruption Rate. Although I don't really understand that, if it continues to rise, won't something very bad happen?"

This person...

Although he was physically unwell, his mind was quite clear.

"Then let's continue our previous topic, Uncle Dantai."

I let go of Xiaoling, but she leaned against me reluctantly.

The Contaminated Crystal aren't distributed randomly; thugs, gangsters, and antisocial individuals are their targets. To ensure the Crystal are used to create chaos, they conduct prior observation of their targets. So...

"Has anyone been frequently coming and going from here recently?"

"No, Ah Xue handles most of the gang's affairs."

Knock knock.

A knock on the door.

The old man, whom Dantai Xue called Grandpa Gong, came in from outside the door.

"Master, the Lin Family girl has come to deliver the medicine."

Dantai Xue paused for a moment, then replied:

"Quanyin is here? Perfect, let her in quickly."

"Um!?"

"Hahaha, the Chinese medicine is here!"

Carrying a package of Chinese medicine wrapped in kraft paper, the elegant and intellectual-looking young lady with long, straight black hair trotted in, but her opening remarks were loud and boisterous, like a dozen gongs and drums beating in unison.

"Oh my?! Isn't this Ceruno? How about we meet here, is that fate?"

As she spoke, she ran over and hugged me, rubbing against me. However, unlike other people who love to hug, she also smelled of Chinese herbal medicine.

"Izumi, Quanyin- nee... what are you doing here?"

She still wouldn't let go, only replying:

"I'm here to deliver medicine! My dad gets all the medicine for Uncle Dantai, but what are you two doing here... Oh! You're here because of Xue?"

As she said this, she shook her head, her long hair turning a wise sapphire blue, then stood next to Dantai Xue, put her arm around her shoulder, and said:

"I guarantee she won't use the Contaminated Crystal to do anything immoral or unethical. You can trust me, right? We grew up together!"

They share a similar carefree personality, but while Dantai Xue may appear rough around the edges, she clearly possesses a delicate side and a very quick mind.

But Quanyin- nee, she really is rough.

"I... cough cough cough, we're here to investigate the origin of the Crystal, do you have any leads?"

"Huh? How would I know? Even the professionals in the Association can't find it. You two little girls can't do anything about it, can you?"

Although Sister Luer said it was okay if we couldn't find it, we'd already come all this way, and it would be a shame to leave empty-handed.

By the way, since Sister Quanlin keeps coming to deliver medicine...

"Quanyin- nee, you're not an inside man, are you?"

"What nonsense are you thinking!"

She gripped my neck tightly with her arms.

"That's true. If you were an inside man, you'd be exposed in three days."

"Little girl, that's even more rude of you!"

Difficulty breathing... No, my neck is about to break!

It took her a while to let go, but then she started hugging me from behind and rubbing against me. Dantai Xue was still watching me intently, as if she wanted to take me Past as soon as Quanyin let go.

Well...

That concludes the reasoning.

I have no idea what methods they used to monitor Dantai Zhengchu. Perhaps it was some kind of magic?

Or perhaps that informant really is inside the Dantai Society?

Quanyin hugged me and rubbed against me, then looked at Dantai Zhengchu on the bed.

"Uncle Dantai, my dad said you'd better go to a big hospital for a checkup, because the prescription he gave you won't cure the root cause."

"Ahem, I'll go another day."

"Stop saying 'another day'! I may be blunt, but your illness really can't be delayed any longer."

She turned back and greeted the old man again.

"It's been a long time, Master Gong! Didn't you retire and return to your hometown?"

"I was worried about my husband's health, so I came back to take care of him for a while..."

"So A Ling isn't coming?"

"She went home to take care of some things, she'll be back later."

I whispered to Dantai Xue:

"Snow Sis, who is this A Ling?"

She answered softly, "Grandpa Gong's granddaughter. She came to our house to take care of my father in Grandpa Gong's place before."

"Do maids still exist in modern times?"

"Yes, but these days they're called nannies."

Xiaoling also asked, "Is Quanyin's family a traditional Chinese medicine shop? Why are you so close to Snow Sis comes from a yakuza family?"

Quanyin handed the prescription to Grandpa Gong and explained:

"More than ten years ago, when my dad and I had just returned to China from Japan, there were more than a dozen gangs of varying sizes like the Dantai Society in the North Suburbs. My maternal grandfather's family was also involved in the underworld, so I wasn't wary of these people. My dad would also treat injuries for people who couldn't go to the hospital, so you could say he ran an underground clinic! Over time, we got to know some rather unusual people from the village!"

"That's truly extraordinary."

"Actually, gangsters aren't that different from ordinary people~"

While we were rambling on and on, Dantai Zhengchu was still thinking.

After a long pause, he said, "I have an idea that might help me find the person you're looking for."

Oh, as expected of a reliable adult!

Xiaoling hurriedly asked:

"What's your uncle's solution?"

Dantai Zhengchu offered us some advice:

"Quanyin just mentioned that there are more than a dozen gangs like our Dantai Society in the North Suburbs. That magical girl who gave me the Crystal will definitely be looking for another target among them. If you keep an eye on them in advance, you might be able to catch the transaction in the act."

"Oh! So that's one of the tricks!"

Xiaoling was overjoyed, but I shook my head.

"That's true, but where do we find the manpower to monitor a dozen or so targets? And even if we did have enough manpower, how can we guarantee we wouldn't be discovered?"

Once they discover we're spying, the informant emitting the Contaminated Crystal will abandon contact with the target, and all our efforts will be in vain.

When the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, the initiative always lies with the other side.

Dantai Zhengchu shook his head.

"No, we don't need that many people. I'm very familiar with those gangs. You just need to keep an eye on these three..."

Boom--!

Clang, clang clang clang.

Something crashed into the courtyard, creating a huge commotion; the bluestone slabs were overturned and scattered everywhere...

"Dantai Zhengchu!"

The girl's shouts.

"I, Tiger Lord, am back! Come and fight me one-on-one!"