Chapter 16: You Went Out Just Now, Meow?

Aftermath of the Raid

Mu Xingge took [Little Red Hood] to the hospital, and Xiao Xi wanted to follow, but Miss L held her back.

The rain outside grew heavier, and the two took shelter inside the building as the logistics team began wrapping up.

“Why’d you keep me here?”

Miss L sighed. “Sorry, A-Xing, this was my intel failure. I won’t let such a basic mistake happen again.”

“Don’t worry, Xingge said it’s not serious. She was our team’s ace healer back in the day—don’t you trust her?”

“That’s not it,” Miss L said, pulling out a black spherical object. “The logistics team found this in the building. I want you to take it home and keep it for a day.”

“Why me? Doesn’t the Association have storage for this stuff?”

“Don’t you think this tech looks familiar?”

Staring at the sleek, metallic shell of the black sphere, Xiao Xi fell silent for a few seconds before voicing the answer that came to mind.

“The Divine Assembly? But they were wiped out three years ago.”

“Just a possibility. You’re familiar with the Divine Assembly, so I want you to take a look before we hand it to the research department. Maybe you’ll spot something.”

Given it involved the Divine Assembly, Xiao Xi didn’t refuse. But after taking the sphere, Miss L dangled two bags of takeout in front of her.

“And here’s some late-night snacks—A-Xing, want to take some home?”

Xiao Xi frowned. “Your people got knocked out by a villain, and you’re thinking about snacks?”

“No way—am I that kind of person? I got these to treat you all after the mission since it’s so late. But now I’ve got too much for myself. Help me out and take some.”

Xiao Xi sighed, reluctantly taking a box of fried chicken and a small bag of snacks from Miss L.

A Suspicious Object

When Xiao Xi got home, the rain was pouring even harder.

Flying in through the window, she dismissed her transformation with a thought, and her soaked clothes vanished instantly.

That was the perk of being a magical girl—transformed outfits were made of mana and disappeared upon reverting, even if wet. Her hair, though, was another story.

Xiao Xi listened carefully, ensuring she hadn’t disturbed Ye Xinglan in the next room, before tossing the black sphere onto her nightstand and grabbing a handful of tissues to dry her hair.

She didn’t notice that while she was drying her hair, the sphere twitched slightly, as if drawn to something. A faint wisp of black mana seeped out, slipping through the keyhole of her door.

“Hm?”

Xiao Xi frowned, grabbing the sphere and tapping it like a malfunctioning old TV.

It had been still the whole way back—why was it acting up now?

Changing into pajamas and sitting on her bed, Xiao Xi began examining the sphere.

Strange. This thing didn’t just store mana. The mana inside… it felt almost “alive.”

It clicked. That’s why the monster attacks had been so sudden.

The sphere could block mana detection, but more than that, it didn’t just hold mana—it contained nearly fully-formed monsters. Once released, the mana would instantly hit critical levels and coalesce into a monster… like some kind of Poké Ball?

This was definitely the Divine Assembly’s style. That organization had been obsessed with researching monsters and villains. Thirty percent of the monsters Xiao Xi had fought came from their hands. They’d even built villain factories, which she’d later shut down.

Intrigued, Xiao Xi dove deeper into studying the sphere.

A Familiar Sensation

Meanwhile, in Ye Xinglan’s room.

After binging an entire drama series, Ye Xinglan yawned widely. But just as she was about to turn off the light and sleep, she sniffed the air like a curious puppy, suddenly alert.

Did she just sense a faint, familiar trace of negative mana?

As the Blood Moon Witch, Ye Xinglan was all too familiar with mana tied to negative emotions.

It seemed to come from… Xiao Xi’s room?

It could be a mistake, but after a moment’s hesitation, she decided to check Xiao Xi’s room. Better safe than sorry—what if Xiao Xi was being corrupted by negative mana and turning into a villain?

Mana stemmed from human emotions, naturally dividing into categories. Positive, uplifting emotions fueled magical girls’ powers, while negative, despairing mana gathered into monsters.

If someone’s emotions grew too negative, they’d attract similar mana, and if it built up too much, they could turn into a villain—an original villain, born from their own despair.

Ye Xinglan considered it. With Xiao Xi’s life—jobless, broke, failing at dating, and behind on rent—she was prime candidate for negative mana corruption.

Tiptoeing out of bed and into the living room, she noticed a sliver of light through Xiao Xi’s door. That was odd—hadn’t Xiao Xi said she was going to sleep? Why was her light still on?

“Xiao Xi, what are you doing?”

Ye Xinglan pushed the door open. Xiao Xi, who was studying the sphere on her bed, jumped, instinctively pulling the blanket over herself.

She was sure she’d locked the door before leaving!

“I-I’m not doing anything! Just couldn’t sleep, so I’m scrolling on my phone.” Xiao Xi grabbed her phone from the bedside, tossing out a flimsy excuse.

But Ye Xinglan eyed her suspiciously. She’d clearly seen Xiao Xi pull the blanket to hide something, though she hadn’t caught what.

As Ye Xinglan leaned closer, Xiao Xi’s hand tightened around the sphere under the blanket, praying Ye Xinglan hadn’t noticed her movement.

“You’re saying you’ve been on your phone this whole time?”

Ye Xinglan got so close their noses almost touched, as if trying to read something in Xiao Xi’s eyes.

“Yeah, what’s the problem?”

“Liar. You went out, didn’t you?”

Xiao Xi startled. How did Ye Xinglan know? Maybe she was just bluffing?

Ye Xinglan sniffed again, glancing at the pouring rain outside, and spoke calmly.

“Don’t pretend. You smell like the outdoors. How could you not have gone out?”

Xiao Xi froze, realizing what Ye Xinglan meant by “outdoor smell.” Before rain, the air carried a pleasant mix of damp earth and grass, and she’d flown home through it.

So Ye Xinglan had gotten close not to read her expression, but to sniff her?

“What were you doing out there this late?”

Ye Xinglan was now certain of her earlier suspicion. Upon entering Xiao Xi’s room, she’d caught a fleeting trace of mana.

In this world, only monsters, villains, and magical girls carried mana.

“Or… were you out doing something shady?”

Ye Xinglan narrowed her eyes, sizing Xiao Xi up.