A Magical Girl's part-time contract, signed for a full ten years

Su Bai's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"With part-time employees, no one can guarantee they won't mess up the project on their first day. Do you think Ziwei was born to be a capitalist?"

"Since she dared to recruit you bunch of greenhorns, she should be prepared to handle the risk of her employees making mistakes."

"She took the lion's share of the spoils; she sat in the highest position, so if the sky were to fall, she'd be the one to take the fall."

"An employee's duty is to do the work they're paid for. If a project really goes wrong, that's a management decision-making error. Why are you rushing to take the blame?"

Xia Ning was so stunned by this absurd yet perfectly logical fallacy that she blushed deeply and stood there speechless.

She wiped away the remaining moisture from the corner of her eyes, her mind replaying Su Bai's words.

It's so natural.

This is a stingy, mercenary, ordinary guy who meticulously calculates every penny...

Why did he speak with such familiarity, as if casually commenting on the owner of the convenience store across the street, when evaluating the god-like Lady Ziwei?

Xia Ning suddenly raised her head, her gaze fixed on Su Bai's tired, lifeless face.

Those casual analyses, those cold, hard logics that pinpoint the core issues, and the bizarre coincidences in the convenience store back alley...

An extremely absurd yet terrifying thought began to frantically grow in Xia Ning's mind.

Xia Ning stared intently into Su Bai's eyes, her lips trembling slightly, and blurted out:

"Brother Su Bai, you wouldn't have... met Lady Ziwei, would you?" Her eyes were filled with obvious surprise and doubt.

Su Bai raised his right hand without changing his expression and yawned loudly in front of her.

"I used to work part-time carrying heavy bags at a scrap metal recycling station in the West District, and that's when I bumped into her selling magic cores."

Su Bai rubbed his sore nose, his tone lazy and flat.

"Those shady brokers saw that her face was covered, so they deliberately pushed the price of the goods, which were supposed to be 2,000 yuan, down to 3,000 yuan."

"I couldn't stand it, so I casually reminded her about the market rate, and that was it, just a couple of sentences."

Su Bai crushed the empty paper cup and casually tossed it into the trash can at his feet.

"She has a terrible temper, and all she talks about is her wages. She's incredibly mercenary."

"You think immortals don't need to eat? They're just like everyone else in private."

Xia Ning was completely stunned.

She opened her mouth, her previously tense nerves shattered by this rambling nonsense.

That aloof and powerful Lady Ziwei, who could vanquish calamities with a wave of her hand, would actually sell magic cores at a recycling center?

I almost got ripped off by a dishonest real estate agent?

All of Xia Ning's fantasies about gods were violently shaken at this moment.

The night wind slipped through the iron bars of the balcony's security grille, making her old clothes stick to her skin.

A damp chill crept up my ankles.

Xia Ning suddenly lost her strength, her knees buckled, and she squatted down on the cold cement floor.

She buried her face in her knees, clutching her hair with her fingers, and letting out suppressed sobs.

The emotions that had been building up all night finally burst forth.

"Brother Su Bai, I actually... am really disgusting."

Xia Ning's voice was muffled between her knees, punctuated by intermittent sobs.

"When I saw those two Blood Curse Species in the convenience store, I didn't even have the strength to lift my foot and run away."

"Two thousand units of pressure crashed down, and my hand holding the staff trembled uncontrollably."

"I even secretly prayed that those two monsters would pounce on someone else first."

"As long as they bite someone else, I can live a few more seconds."

Xia Ning looked up, her face streaked with tears, and the tip of her nose was bright red.

How could I be so despicable?

"I'm clearly holding the Mint scepter that Lady Ziwei gave me, and I bear the title of Magical Girl."

"But all I could think about was how to survive, how to leave my comrades behind."

She sobbed, wiping her face hard with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears streamed down her face.

"Xiaoxiao just figured out Magic Power tonight, and she awakened 'Absolute Refraction' after taking a quick hot bath."

"I'm jealous of her, Su Bai. I'm so jealous my heart aches."

"I practiced all night long, exhausting all my mental energy, and all I could release were a few shards of ice to cool things down."

"Azure Gale can fight against Lord-Class Monster at high altitudes, and Xiaoxiao can withstand attacks head-on."

"I'm the only one who can't even properly put a shield on them. I'm just a useless piece of trash."

Xia Ning buried her head back in her arms, her shoulders heaving violently.

Su Bai stood to the side, looking down at the girl who was huddled up in a ball.

He reached out and grabbed Xia Ning by the back of her oversized T-shirt.

With a forceful pull, he dragged Xia Ning off the concrete floor like a chick.

Xia Ning was forced to stand up straight, her slippers screeching on the ground.

Su Bai placed his hands on her thin, trembling shoulders and pressed down firmly.

Xia Ning was forced to look up and meet Su Bai's calm, unwavering eyes.

"Are you done crying?" Su Bai asked coldly.

Xia Ning sniffed, tears still streaming down her cheeks, and didn't dare to utter a sound.

"You're not the one who should be handling such a messy situation as dealing with a top-level liquidation."

Su Bai looked directly into her reddened eyes, his tone calm and resolute.

"As the leader of the Star Team, taking down the Monster Hunting Bureau is the dirty work that old woman Ziwei should be doing."

Xia Ning stood frozen in place, tears welling up in her eyes, forgetting even to wipe them away.

She stared blankly at Su Bai, her chest heaving violently.

"But... what if I stay in the Germination Stage my whole life?"

Xia Ning's lips trembled, and her voice was so soft it seemed to be blown away by the wind.

"If I can only stand on the edge of the Barrier forever, serving as a human power bank..."

"Then what am I to that team if I stay?"

Su Bai released his hand from her shoulder and turned to point at the night sky outside the security bars.

The dark clouds were slowly dispersing, revealing the dark red sky behind them.

"The reality is, as long as Ziwei is still in this city, not a single meteorite from the Deep Space Rift in the sky will fall and kill you."

Su Bai pointed to the void, his tone without the slightest hesitation.

"If the sky falls, the person who gets the highest salary will hold it up."

"The only thing you need to worry about is whether you can be on time tomorrow morning."

Xia Ning gazed at the dark night sky, her eyes still filled with deep confusion.

"My Magic Power accumulation rate is too slow, it's like a tortoise crawling."

Xia Ning muttered to herself in despair, her fingers hanging limply at her sides.

"How long will it take me to catch up with Xiaoxiao and Azure Gale?"

Five years? Or ten years?

"By the time my ten-year Magical Girl service is over, I might not even be able to get past the Second Order tier."

Su Bai withdrew his hand and casually slipped it into the faded pocket of his hoodie.

He turned to the side, leaning against the rusty gate, and let out a soft scoff at the residential buildings outside.

"Then sign your part-time contract for a full ten years, until you can no longer fight monsters and retire."

Xia Ning suddenly raised her head and stared blankly at Su Bai's profile.

"Ten years... part-time?"

"Or what? You want to break your contract halfway through and jump ship to the Monster Hunting Bureau to get killed off?"

Su Bai turned around and reached out to open the glass sliding door leading to the living room.

"Alright, stop trying to be a celebrity and go to sleep."

The night breeze outside the balcony gradually subsided.

The torrential rain that had lasted for most of the night had completely stopped at some point.

The pale blue light before dawn pierced through the thick fog of Deep Space and fell on the dilapidated roof of the old building.

The edges of the tiles reflected a faint grayish-white luster.

Two young figures leaning against the balcony moved.

Xia Ning wiped away the tears on her face and silently followed behind Su Bai.

Their footsteps were very soft as the two of them retreated one after the other into the warm yellow light of the living room.