"Keke, I came over to play~"
After knocking, Li Yi tried pushing the door. It wasn't locked, and she pushed it right open.
Then she saw Keke curled up asleep on the sofa.
Keke's living room wasn't small. A long glass coffee table stood in front of the sofa, its surface spotless, with nothing on it except a circle of cups.
The whole house had been cleaned thoroughly. On her last visit, Li Yi had already noticed that Keke's home was exceptionally clean, far cleaner than an ordinary household. She wondered which of the siblings was such a clean freak.
She carefully entered, closed the door, took off her shoes, and found a pair of slippers in the shoe cabinet. Although neither sibling had said anything when she hadn't taken off her shoes last time, she had indeed tracked quite a bit of dirt onto the floor. Li Yi had remembered that all this time.
After changing her shoes, she tiptoed over.
Then she noticed that a section of the floor in the corner had been smashed up a little, and wondered what those two siblings had been doing.
Rather than wake Keke, she crouched beside her and took a look.
Keke had changed into a new outfit: a white pleated skirt and slouch socks, with a red ribbon tied around her head.
She was curled up on the sofa, her hands in front of her face, her silky black hair spread out. Li Yi admired Keke's face for a while. She was very cute.
Keke's looks weren't the kind of beauty that felt somewhat aggressive. She was more like the little girl next door, someone who easily inspired warmth and affection.
As far as Li Yi was concerned, Keke's only flaw was being too tall.
She was clearly a middle schooler, yet she was taller than Li Yi, a high schooler.
And Keke had very nicely shaped legs. Because Li Yi was short, her legs were actually a little stubby. She poked Keke's curled-up calf, feeling a little envious.
Sigh, I do high jumps and drink milk every day, but I don't grow at all. My sister and parents aren't short. I'm the only short one in the family...
As this little worry troubled the girl, Keke shifted on the sofa after having her calf poked, then blearily opened her eyes. She stared blankly at Li Yi, only rubbing her eyes after quite a while. "Huh? Captain, you're here?"
Watching Keke slowly sit up, her slouch socks landing right on the floor-which was very clean anyway-Li Yi sat beside her. "Who else would it be? Why were you sleeping on the living room sofa?"
"Mmm, didn't you say you were coming over so we could go see Senior Hyacinth together? So I got up early and waited on the sofa, then fell asleep while I was waiting."
"Senior Hyacinth has an exam today. Let's go see her later," Li Yi added. "I thought your brother had scolded you and wouldn't let you sleep in your bedroom."
A little more awake now, Keke stared into space for a while before replying, "We're not close enough for that."
"Huh?"
Li Yi froze for a moment, then didn't dare pursue it. She only asked, "Where's your brother?"
"He went running first thing this morning." Keke stretched. "He goes for morning runs on his days off. He can't sit still at home. He has to be moving and exercising, as though sitting quietly for a moment would waste his time and life."
"Yesterday, when he came back..."
Li Yi straightened Keke's clothes for her as she spoke. "Was he hurt? Was there anything unusual?"
Keke shook her head. "No, he was perfectly fine."
"Not a single injury?"
"That I don't know." Keke hesitated. "Even when he's hurt, he never lets anyone know. Maybe he's trained himself that way. He has a high tolerance for pain."
What kind of Calamity Beast is he?
Li Yi grumbled inwardly, then remembered Peony saying she couldn't see Jiang Si, and immediately sighed to herself.
It's really hard not to be suspicious.
Then she asked, "When did he start liking exercise so much?"
"When he was little."
"When he was little?" Li Yi looked a little stunned. "Since when, exactly? There weren't any Calamity Beasts in BH City when he was a kid, were there?"
"No, Calamity Beasts only started appearing in BH City three years ago." Keke hugged her legs, her hair draping over her knees. "But he's been like that for as long as I can remember. He's never changed."
"He'd go out for a run when he got up, then exercise in the yard after coming home, day after day. When I was little, I was scared to sleep alone, so I slept with Mom and Dad. On their days off, they'd squeeze under the covers with me, and we'd watch Jiang Si exercise outside the window. He never stopped, come wind or rain. Dad often worried about what he'd do if Jiang Si became rebellious and he couldn't beat him in a fight. Mom said the bigger worry was that Jiang Si wouldn't grow tall and no girls would like him..."
As she rambled on, she spoke about many other things from the past. Then Keke tidied her hair and secured it with a hair clip, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, Captain. I went on about myself again."
"It's fine. We're teammates and friends. We're supposed to confide in each other." Ruffling Keke's hair, Li Yi smiled. "Tell me anything that's bothering you! Also, just call me Yiyi when we're off duty."
"Yes, Captain." Only when Li Yi pinched her cheek did Keke laugh and correct herself. "Got it, Yiyi, Yiyi. No more Captain."
"That's more like it."
Only after Keke changed how she addressed her did Li Yi let go. Then she said quietly, "The other members of the Magical Girl Combat Team are all older than me. They're very nice to me, but it's hard to become friends. They treat me more like a junior they're looking after. And even if they don't say it, I actually know some of them would still rather have Senior Hyacinth come back."
"Huh?" Keke was a little surprised. "Really? Everyone seems to follow your orders."
"Of course! I've been working hard to grow all this time. According to the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau's records, I'm the magical girl who became a new sprout the fastest. Although I've never beaten Dandelion, I have beaten other magical girls from the Azure Cloud Sect. As long as I work hard enough and get stronger, everyone will naturally acknowledge me."
Li Yi said matter-of-factly, "With Senior Hyacinth as my predecessor, I wouldn't readily accept a new captain either. If I want their recognition, I have to work for it myself."
Keke immediately sat up straight and applauded, praising her in all seriousness. "That's our captain! If it were me, I'd definitely feel like I was being pushed out, then be sad in secret."
"Hehe, that's why I'm a mature adult."
Li Yi smiled a little smugly, then lowered her voice again. "So I was actually especially happy when I found you, Keke. Finally, there was a junior younger than me. I thought I absolutely had to become good friends with you. That way, I wouldn't just be a captain at the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau."
"Yes, Captain!"
"I told you, no calling me Captain!"
Li Yi reached over again and tugged at Keke's soft cheeks. Keke laughed and begged for mercy. After the two little girls had fooled around for a while, Keke said, "Then I want to hear about you and your sister too, Yiyi. It's unfair if I'm the only one talking. I want to get to know you too."
"There isn't much to say about me. My sister's name is Li Ke. Yinluo, the name she uses at the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau, is the magical girl code name she chose for herself when she was little. My sister also picked my code name, Yinlian."
Li Yi leaned against the sofa and glanced at her phone.
There was plenty of time, so there was no real rush. She began leisurely, "Then I'll start from when we were little. Don't get bored, okay?"
"Mm-hmm."
Seeing Keke's expectant gaze, Li Yi continued recalling the past. "My sister and I were close from the time we were little. She always looked after me. Our parents didn't really like me, because I happened to be born when the family was struggling the most financially, adding snow to the frost. And I was sickly as a child, so I often needed treatment at the hospital. For a while, we were so poor we could barely keep food on the table."
When Keke heard that Li Yi had been close to her sister since childhood, envy appeared on her face. But hearing that her parents disliked her, she felt a little sorry for her.
"There was this really wealthy family back then. Oh, right, do you know Senior Bingtang?"
Keke paused. "Never heard of her."
"Wow..." Li Yi seemed a little incredulous. "Senior Bingtang has been Jiang Si's deskmate for two years."
"It's not like he'd tell me about that."
"All right." Li Yi coughed before continuing. "Anyway, Senior Bingtang's family owns a big company. One of their company's general managers used to take walks in a park near my home. I don't know how my dad found out, but whenever he had time, he'd go make friends and chat with him. Sometimes he'd take my sister and me along to play."
"That uncle was very rich, but he didn't have any children and had always wanted one. He took a liking to me right away and really wanted to take me home and raise me as his own." Li Yi praised herself without blushing or missing a beat. "Because I was super cute as a child."
"Captain Yiyi is super cute now too."
"I'm mature now!"
After that retort, Li Yi continued, "I don't know how much money he offered, but my sister said it was enough to buy a home downtown. That was a huge amount back then. Mom and Dad were both very tempted and kept wanting me to go live with him."
At this point, Li Yi's usually sparkling eyes dimmed a little. "He offered so much money. They didn't want me, but I didn't want to leave home and become someone else's daughter. I just kept crying and crying. Then, when that uncle was about to carry me away, my sister suddenly rushed over, grabbed me, and ran out of the house with me."
"We were caught and brought back afterward, but my sister held on to me and wouldn't let go. No matter how they hit her, she wouldn't let go, and she even bit that uncle. In the end, he thought forcibly separating us sisters was a little pitiful too, so he gave up. My sister had only just started middle school then, but in my heart, she was like a mountain. As long as I leaned on her, I wasn't afraid of anything."
Beside her, Keke said softly, "That sounds so nice."
"Yeah. I've loved my sister most ever since I was little." Li Yi was even a little proud as she said this. "Mom and Dad were furious that they hadn't managed to sell me and had lost out on a huge sum of money. After that, they kept thinking I'd blocked their path to riches and treated me like an enemy."
"But whenever they wanted to hit me, my sister would step in and stand in front of me. Although our parents didn't like me, they both valued her. After she started high school, they were even a little afraid of her. So as long as my sister was on my side, they didn't dare hit me whenever they pleased. As long as I hid behind her, I was safe."
Cupping her little face in her hands, Li Yi narrowed her eyes with a faint smile as she recalled the past, as though being disliked by her parents wasn't particularly painful for her. "Ever since I was little, I couldn't match my sister in anything. Studying, cooking, running, and later even height-I was far behind in everything. Although hiding behind her felt reassuring, back then I kept wishing I could catch up to her and stand beside her. Because she always left me so far behind, I was really afraid that one day she'd disappear from my sight."
"Then, later, we encountered a Calamity Beast. I successfully obtained a Miracle Seed and saved my sister, who hadn't managed to get one. For the first time, there was something I was better at than her. I didn't have to keep standing behind her anymore. I could even protect her."
Li Yi held her Miracle Seed, staring at it with sparkling eyes. "So being able to become a magical girl really was wonderful. It lets me keep standing beside my sister and prove to her that I've grown too."
After listening beside her, Keke's face was full of envy. "I wish I had a big sister like that too."
"Don't be jealous."
Li Yi stretched up to pat Yiyi's head, saying solemnly like a little adult, "Big Sister Yiyi will take good care of you, Keke."
Jiang Keke couldn't quite hold it in and burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at? What's so funny!"
Looking at the puffed-up Li Yi, Keke shook her head. "Sorry, pfft. It's just that when Captain Yiyi gets all serious and mature, it's especially... I was wrong, I was wrong! Don't pull my cheeks!"
Kneading and tugging Keke's little cheeks, Li Yi said fiercely, "Laugh again and I'll dock your pay. My authority as captain is unlimited!"
Keke immediately behaved herself.
After all, her family was very short on money. Having her pay docked was genuinely frightening.
Only then did Li Yi let go. She stood and rose onto her toes to make herself look taller.
She had actually been hesitating over whether to tell Keke about the suspicions concerning Jiang Si's identity.
Before, she had thought it would worry Keke, but now she felt it might not.
"Anyway, I'll take on a big sister's responsibilities and look after you, Keke, so you don't have to be too upset about Jiang Si."
"I'm not upset," Keke muttered. "Once you're used to it, it's pretty nice. He doesn't interfere with me anyway, so I'm free to do what I want, without any pressure or burdens."
"Then..."
Li Yi paused. "If, hypothetically, your brother seemed to have ties to an illegal magical girl organization, and the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau planned to put him under long-term surveillance, what would you do?"
Keke stared blankly at her for a long time.
"Huh?"
"Sect Master, Lady Bingtang, you know how miserable my family situation was. My parents beat me from the time I was little, until I was terrified, and they never gave me spending money. I picked up trash in the park as a child. I never had anything good to eat or drink. Other children had parents who loved them, but I was like an orphan. No, even orphans weren't as miserable as me. At least orphans don't have parents beating them..."
The Azure Cloud Sect, the Illusory Moon Cave Abode.
A girl in green, whose ear Bingtang was gripping, wailed miserably. "I slaved away like an ox and a horse for my parents from the time I was little. I finally managed to join the Azure Cloud Sect and get a proper job. I'm terrified of being poor, Lady Bingtang. It really was because I was poor. I couldn't help myself..."
Bingtang held her ear in one hand and her phone in the other. "You hunted a grand total of one Calamity Beast this month, skipped all your other work, collected thirty thousand in base pay, and spent every bit of it on Magical Girl Idol Project. That's what you call being terrified of poverty, Blue Flower?"
"Well, isn't it... isn't it because I had no money growing up, so once I got some as an adult, I couldn't help myself..."
"Yesterday, you told me your parents were sick and needed money for treatment."
"They really are sick, but it's just... just a little cold..."
Bingtang's face was stern. "Hold out your hand!"
Blue Flower's face immediately fell. "No, please! I really was wrong, Lady Bingtang! Ow!"
Despite her words, she obediently held out her hand and received a blow from Bingtang's stick.
As Bingtang was about to swing again, Jiang Si spoke up beside her. "All right, let's get to business. A little punishment should be enough."
Blue Flower, who had been looking miserable a moment ago, immediately gazed at Jiang Si with a face full of gratitude. "Sect Master, I'll always love and respect you!"
Then Bingtang struck her hand again, knocking the smile off Blue Flower's face.
"I told you before, don't squander your money. You're paid high salaries so you can live well in the future, not so you can indulge yourselves and spend recklessly!"
Bingtang's face was cold as frost. "The Azure Cloud Sect despises arrogance, extravagance, debauchery, and idleness above all. Even the sect master is so frugal, yet you've started living it up! Not wasting money is written plainly in the sect rules! You're still young and don't have a basic understanding of money. If you spend extravagantly now, you won't be able to break the habit later! What if you lose your Miracle Seed one day? How will you return to a normal life?"
Blue Flower immediately hung her head and said quietly, "Sorry. I really know I was wrong, Lady Bingtang."
"Reflect on what you've done! One week's confinement, and no internet!"
Blue Flower looked utterly miserable, but still obediently nodded.
Beside them, Four Leaves, Six Leaves, and Yumo were all too frightened to breathe loudly. They sat in their seats, eyes lowered to their noses and minds focused inward, motionless and stiff all over.
Although the sect master held the highest position in the Azure Cloud Sect, and Bingtang normally had to obediently follow his instructions too.
If anyone asked whom the Azure Cloud Sect's disciples feared most in their daily lives, however, it would definitely be Bingtang.
The Azure Cloud Sect offered very high base salaries. To ensure the children wouldn't lose themselves in money and spend recklessly, Bingtang managed their monthly salaries for them, transferring money to them when they needed it.
For those from families in greater financial difficulty, like Yumo, almost all their wages went toward paying off debts. The money didn't even pass through Yumo's hands; Bingtang paid them off directly for her.
The Azure Cloud Sect offered good benefits, but its rules were correspondingly strict. And the person who rigorously enforced those rules and punished disciples who broke them was Bingtang.
An organization couldn't be maintained by a nice guy alone. There had to be good benefits and generous rewards, as well as strict punishments for violations.
Bingtang never minded offending disciples. If they dared break the rules, she would pursue the matter to the end, because during the Azure Cloud Sect's early days, every disciple's salary had come from money she brought from home. She also generally helped deal with whatever difficulties they encountered in daily life.
It was this combination of kindness and authority that made the disciples respect and fear Bingtang so much.
The sect master, by contrast, was somewhat easier to talk to...
Only after Blue Flower obediently admitted her mistake did Bingtang take the phone and glance at the game. "What were you pulling for that cost so much?"
"The newest swimsuit Larkspur, and there's a new ranking event. If you make it into the top three, you can choose a magical girl for them to make a figurine of." Blue Flower said resentfully, "It's all the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau's plot. That damn Disaster Countermeasures Bureau made me lose control for a moment..."
The stick rapped her forehead again, though not as hard this time. Bingtang said sternly, "Reflect on your own mistakes!"
"Oh."
If they pursued the matter strictly, this could even count as aiding the enemy.
Magical Girl Idol Project was a rhythm game jointly developed by the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau's headquarters and a mobile game company. Its biggest selling point was its official magical girl licensing: every magical girl model in the game was based directly on reality.
The Disaster Countermeasures Bureau took the lion's share of the revenue. Apparently, it had grown increasingly popular in recent years and had even become one of the pillars of the bureau's funding.
Blue Flower spending money on the game was equivalent to handing money to the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau.
However, in her earlier Magical Girl Idol Project, Bingtang had actually intended to negotiate a crossover collaboration if their magical girl band did well and became famous...
So she wasn't planning to pursue that aspect too far.
Putting down the phone, Bingtang finally turned back to Jiang Si and said a little apologetically, "Sorry. This had to be dealt with strictly."
"Mm."
Jiang Si didn't mind either. Bingtang's management had always been quite professional, and an amateur like him shouldn't interfere. "So what message did Susan send just now?"
Bingtang took a deep breath. "Susan said that, after discussing it, the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau plans to conduct long-term tracking and observation on you. Right now, Susan is still trying to secure the surveillance assignment for herself, but it looks difficult. Not just Yinluo, but the others aren't very agreeable to it either."
It was a little surprising that the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau had reached a decision so quickly.
They hadn't been so efficient before.
Jiang Si immediately shook his head. "No. Long-term tracking and observation would restrict me too much. Not only would I be unable to come to the Azure Cloud Sect to cultivate, even transforming would be restricted."
"Yes, and they intend to send magical girls to follow you."
Bingtang said gravely, "We can only carry out the plan we agreed on before. As long as we let them know Ziyuan contacted you because of Keke and planted an Obscuring Leaf on you, we can clear you of suspicion."
Blue Flower immediately raised her hand beside them. "Sect Master, I have a better idea!"
Bingtang glanced at her, and Blue Flower immediately shrank back. "What idea? Tell us."
The previously timid Blue Flower revealed an evil smile. "If we make them misunderstand and think Lady Ziyuan and the sect master are in a romantic relationship, the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau definitely won't dare investigate the sect master anymore!"
The Illusory Moon Cave Abode instantly fell deathly silent.
Six Leaves's eyes lit up. "That sounds really fun, Sis!"
Four Leaves tugged at her. "Don't say things like that!"
Yumo hugged her rabbit, hiding half her face. "Th-that wouldn't be very good, would it..."
Keeping a straight face, Bingtang turned to Jiang Si and said quietly, "That makes a lot of sense, Sect Master. How about we do that?"
Jiang Si tilted his head and said gravely, "I just want the fastest result. Don't let it interfere with my cultivation."
Bingtang immediately smiled. "Then, Blue Flower, hurry up and sculpt Ziyuan. She has to be absolutely flawless this time. If anything goes wrong, I'll dock two months of your pay!"
"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"