Chapter 37: There’s a Dummy, Meow?

A Suspicious Lack of Intel

Facing Xiao Xi’s “Are you messing with me?” glare, Miss L’s tone carried a hint of exasperation.

“Don’t blame me. I only promised to share what I know. I don’t have clearance to access the Blood Moon Witch’s escape files. Where am I supposed to get that info?”

“I can only update you on the association’s progress tracking her, Xing.”

Xiao Xi frowned but didn’t press further. Still, something felt off.

What was the real story behind the Blood Moon Witch’s escape? Miss L was the head of the magical girl division—how could she not have access to those files?

“Oh, one more thing,” Miss L added, as if remembering something. “Little Red Riding Hood might be onto your identity. She came by yesterday asking for your file.”

Xiao Xi froze. She’d come up with such a perfect excuse last time, and Keke was still suspicious? Since when did that girl get so paranoid?

Having Keke constantly doubting her wasn’t sustainable. Unless she saw “Xiao Xi” and “Sirius” at the same time, she probably wouldn’t let it go.

After a moment’s thought, Xiao Xi flashed a friendly smile and patted Miss L’s shoulder.

“Say, Miss L, doesn’t the association’s monster research department have a bunch of slime monsters?”

“What are you up to?” Miss L’s gut screamed trouble. “Those are for experiments. They’re not allowed out of the lab!”

“What’s with the gibberish?” Xiao Xi waved dismissively. “Go grab me one. You’ve been dodging my Blood Moon Witch intel—don’t I deserve a little compensation?”

Xiao Xi wasn’t worried about taking a monster out. Slimes were weak, barely hitting D-grade magical strength. These mimic monsters were harmless, with basic intelligence, only capable of copying simple behaviors.

Slimes could use magic to hypnotize and stun others, then mimic their appearance and habits to blend in, with almost no magical fluctuations to give them away.

For Xiao Xi, it was the perfect tool. With a bit of training, it’d serve her plan perfectly.

“Dear Miss L—” Xiao Xi grinned widely. “After all these years of friendship, I’m helping with association work. You wouldn’t refuse me this tiny favor, would you?”

Miss L: “…”

A Sneaky Delivery

Later that evening, Xiao Xi sneaked home with a large bag, darting into her room like a guilty thief. Ye Xinglan, lounging on the sofa scrolling her phone, didn’t even catch what she was carrying.

That night, Ye Xinglan, as usual, went to Xiao Xi’s room to play games, only to find the door locked. Curious, she pressed her ear against it and heard continuous squelching sounds, like something sticky and wet.

“This thing’s such a pain to control… Stop squirming! Stretch this part longer…”

Ye Xinglan’s face flushed as she tiptoed back to her room. Well, at least Xiao Xi remembered to lock the door while playing with her… little toy.

A Clever Trap

The next morning, after routine patrols, Xiao Keke, as expected, stopped Xiao Xi.

“Wait up, Sirius!” Xiao Keke jogged over. “Um… you got hurt protecting me last time. Are you free this afternoon? I want to treat you to afternoon tea as a thank-you.”

Xiao Xi smiled softly. “Sure, I’m free this afternoon.”

“Awesome! I know a maid café on South Street. Let’s go there?”

“I’m good with anywhere. You pick.”

As they spoke, Xiao Keke closely watched Sirius’s expression. She’d thought if her sister was Sirius, this sudden invitation would make her panic or dodge.

But Sirius agreed so calmly?

Xiao Keke shook her head. Either way, the truth would come out this afternoon. The simplest way to confirm if her sister and Sirius were the same person was to get them in the same place at the same time.

Watching Xiao Keke walk away, Xiao Xi smirked. She’d accept the invitation boldly—she was ready. She’d even worried Keke wouldn’t invite her.

She wasn’t concerned about going out privately exposing her identity. She’d just stay in her [Sirius] form. With the cognitive filter, Xiao Keke wouldn’t recognize her.

As for clothes, it was simple. A magical girl’s outfit was made of magic, so retracting it made it vanish, letting her wear normal clothes.

Xiao Xi was a pro at this trick. Back when old teammates invited her out, she’d always done it this way, never leaking a hint of her real identity.

A Disguised Encounter

Xiao Keke sized up Xiao Xi. Today, she wore a cute, playful skirt with her hair down, a stark contrast to her usual battle-ready, heroic vibe.

Xiao Xi had bought the skirt yesterday just for this, aiming to look adorable and distance herself from Keke’s image of her sister, who never wore feminine clothes out.

One thing stood out, though. Xiao Keke stared at Xiao Xi’s face but couldn’t pin down her features. Was Sirius staying in magical girl form even for a casual outing?

Xiao Keke felt a pang of disappointment. She’d hoped to glimpse Sirius’s real face, but it seemed she wasn’t giving an inch.

Inside the café, Xiao Keke scanned the room but didn’t spot her sister.

“Weird, Sis isn’t here yet?”

Though muttering to herself, she made sure Sirius could hear. But Sirius just kept a polite smile, unfazed.

“What’s up, Little Red Riding Hood? Why the staring?”

“Nothing,” Xiao Keke said, pushing down her doubts. “Just feels weird calling each other by codenames. I guess you won’t share your real name, huh?”

“I’m Xiao Keke. How about… I call you A-Lang? Sounds kinda cool.”

Xiao Keke let go of her suspicions for now. Her sister couldn’t hide forever—she’d wait.

“Let’s check the menu. Here you go—”

Xiao Xi took the menu, completely at ease. Slimes were low-intelligence; getting one into a maid outfit might take effort, but she had it under control.

She’d spent all last night training it. No way anything could go wrong today!

A Fatal Slip

As Xiao Xi relaxed, confidently chatting with Xiao Keke, the doorbell chimed. Reflexively, she stood, flashing a practiced smile toward the entrance.

“Welcome, this way…”

Her greeting cut off. The professional smile froze on her face.

Oh no, there’s a dummy.