Engine-Like Sleep

The shrieking was unbearably annoying. Worse still, she did not have permission to turn off the sound.

The shriek was deafening, like a woman screaming in terror.

Naturally, everyone's eyes turned toward her.

She already disliked crowded environments, and now that everyone was staring at her, her face immediately darkened.

She was not experiencing any major emotional fluctuations, much less any reason to channel magic, so this time, the wristband's screaming definitely had nothing to do with her.

Who else nearby could trigger such a powerful resonance?

She glanced at the neighboring class. There were forty students in a class, and at first glance, none of them looked particularly strange or wore bizarre clothes. A few might have looked unruly, but they were still within the bounds of ordinary humans.

With a grim expression, she viciously slammed the wristband against the wall.

The wristband's noise stalled briefly from the impact, then resumed.

The sound irritated her so badly that, despite her originally calm state, she was forcibly starting to get angry.

Her slightly reddened eyes swept over the surrounding students. Most of those she looked at froze briefly before retreating.

Their instinctive fear of darkness made them subconsciously distance themselves from the strange person wearing a wristband that kept shrieking. The students who had wanted to come over and ask what was happening were instantly too frightened to say anything.

Fu You glanced at the class next door. Some students inside had been drawn by the shrieking and looked outside, while more simply acted as though nothing had happened and continued with their own business.

The wristband showed no intention of quieting down. Fu You quickened her pace and headed toward the laboratory building.

Liu Rui had noticed the wristband long ago. He had assumed it was just an accessory, never expecting it to make such a loud sound. He wanted to ask Fu You what was going on, but her expression already explained everything. So he said nothing and merely followed behind her toward the Magical Girl Division.

Even after they moved away from the teaching building, the shrieking did not disappear, though it became somewhat quieter. Most passersby gave him curious looks, but he ignored them and strode toward the laboratory building.

After entering the laboratory building and reaching the duty room, she kicked open Sun Feiliu's door.

Sun Feiliu had his feet propped on the desk, the mud on his soles clearly visible. Leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, he had yet to wake up.

His chair was tilted backward, looking as though the slightest push would send him crashing to the floor. His hands rested over his abdomen, his head hung back over the top of the chair, and his earthshaking snores rose and fell. Together with the shrieking of Fu You's wristband, they complemented each other remarkably well.

Fu You walked into the room without ceremony.

Liu Rui followed to the doorway. Seeing that Fu You had already reached the sleeping Sun Feiliu, he still obediently called from the door, "Reporting! Minister Sun, I'm coming in."

Fu You had already reached Sun Feiliu's side. One hand pressed against his desk as she viciously held the wristband beside Sun Feiliu's ear.

Liu Rui had thought Fu You was about to slap Sun Feiliu across the face. Seeing that she actually had such a "gentle" side, even his hastened footsteps slowed.

"Hrngh--------"

"Beep--------"

"Angh--------"

"Beep--------"

They rose and fell together, each with its own merits.

Seeing that Sun Feiliu still would not wake amid such noise, the red light in Fu You's eyes intensified.

The hand she had pressed against the desk lifted, then heavily slapped down onto it.

Black magic poured from her palm. A ring of dark ripples spread from her hand like black mist expanding outward. The mist swept up the books and papers on the desk and blew over Sun Feiliu as well.

Sun Feiliu's highly tilted chair nearly toppled backward under the force of that wave.

At the same time the black mist appeared, Fu You's wristband shrieked even louder.

The instant he saw that black aura, Liu Rui felt an intense, unfamiliar unease.

Almost instinctively, he felt that the Fu You before him was different from the senior he knew. Her expression, mannerisms, and appearance had not changed at all, yet simply because she had released that black aura, he felt a violent sense of distance and unfamiliarity that reached into his bones.

Was the person before him really human?

Was she actually some kind of Fierce Beast, or perhaps simply a Witch?!

Alarm bells blared in his mind. His body and his consciousness alike were warning him that the Fu You before him was no longer the Fu You he knew, but another terrifying being steeped in darkness and corruption—

No, he had never understood Fu You well enough in the first place. He had unilaterally assumed she was a good senior, but he knew nothing about her past, her identity, or even her gender, which he had only just learned.

No, no. Senior could not be a bad person.

His reason tried to refute his feelings.

Yet the moment that black aura was released, he nearly instinctively clenched his fists. His mind went blank in an instant, and he subconsciously wanted to pull out his wand and transform.

He restrained his urge to transform, because he could clearly see that Fu You had no intention of hurting anyone or doing anything bad...

She was only trying to wake Sun Feiliu.

But what was this feeling?

Liu Rui lowered his head and looked at his constantly trembling hands. He realized that his entire body was shaking uncontrollably. It was not just fear and terror, but also profound... excitement.

That excitement was mixed with anger, hostility, and the desire for revenge. It was as though killing Fu You now would bring him unprecedented satisfaction, as though he would fulfill his life's mission, become the hero of the entire world, and everyone was waiting for him to strike—

No, this should not be happening.

In truth, the black mist in Fu You's hand dispersed extremely quickly. The mist that had spread across the desk vanished abruptly after striking Sun Feiliu's body.

But even after the black mist disappeared, the sense of distance in his heart did not fade. The Fu You before him still instinctively felt entirely different from before. She might not even be Fu You at all.

Yet reason reminded him that the Fu You he had followed all the way here could not be fake. Senior was still Senior. She had not turned into a Fierce Beast or a Witch. Her clothes had not changed, her appearance had not changed, and he had no reason to become her enemy.

The contradiction in his heart left him rooted in place. He stared blankly at his trembling hands and did not move again.

Why was this happening?

Fu You did not care much about what Liu Rui at the door was doing.

The black mist she released from her palm did not have much pushing force, but Sun Feiliu had already been teetering on the edge of balance. Nudged by the black mist, he nearly fell from his chair.

However, he reacted quickly. As the chair tipped backward, he hooked his feet against the desk and forcibly pulled it upright. His head, which had been hanging back, also lifted as he opened bloodshot eyes reddened from poor sleep.

"Yo, you're here?"

Three girls in magical girl outfits suddenly appeared outside the room.

"What showed up?!"