Ziwei looked at the girl gazing up at her. "I watch over every Magical Girl."
Ye Qingqing went stiff.
Ziwei's voice remained steady. "Mint, Cherry, Starshine, and you."
"Everyone who takes this path is within my sight."
"If any of your magic fluctuates abnormally, I'll know."
"If any of you is trapped with no way out, I'll be there."
Ye Qingqing looked up at her, tears still clinging to her lashes.
In another setting, from another person, those words might not have sounded comforting. But to Ye Qingqing, Every one of you is within my sight meant more than ten thousand declarations that she was special.
"Teacher..."
She had spent eighteen years being invisible. Now someone was telling her that she saw her every breath.
"Sit down. Let's talk."
Ye Qingqing sat back on the sofa, her hands neatly folded on her knees.
"I've heard everything you just told me."
"The way you deal with that family comes down to one thing: making yourself less visible." Ziwei sat across from her.
"Don't cause trouble. Don't make a sound. Don't show your face. Don't ask for anything."
"You thought that if you made yourself small enough for no one to see, you could live in peace."
"...Was I wrong? If I make a fuss, they'll only find me more annoying." Ye Qingqing lowered her head.
"Yes." Ziwei looked at her, her tone earnest. "Azure Gale, remember this: being invisible is not the same as being safe."
"Invisibility won't buy you safety. It only gets you ignored."
"You came first in your grade. No one noticed."
"You had a fever of 39.8 degrees. A doctor came, and a nurse left."
"You ran away for a night. The housekeeper asked about your supplementary credit card."
Ziwei spoke one word at a time. "You