Chapter 51: Under Suspicion, Meow?

A Tense Confrontation

“Didn’t we leave together? Where did you go just now?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing! I was looking for you outside forever. Guess we just missed each other.”

Not only did Xiao Xi stay calm, but she also turned the tables, using the excuse she’d prepared.

“Really?” Ye Xinglan narrowed her eyes. “Then why didn’t you register with the Association staff? I asked them, and they said your name wasn’t there. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been so worried.”

“Well… I didn’t get around to registering yet. I ran into you first, didn’t I?”

“Liar,” Ye Xinglan rolled her eyes, giving Xiao Xi a light chop on the head. “I made that up. The Association doesn’t have time to register everyone. Tell me the truth—did you go back to the theater?”

“I—” Xiao Xi hadn’t expected to be tricked. “Fine, I’ll be honest. I sneaked back… I was worried about that brat Xiao Coco.”

“But then I got trapped by monsters in the theater and was just saved by a magical girl.”

It was a reasonable excuse. Although Ye Xinglan was still hung up on the bracelet, she couldn’t find fault with Xiao Xi’s explanation.

Lingering Concerns

“By the way, where’s Coco?”

“That brat ran into monsters and got a few minor injuries. She’s at the hospital getting treated.”

Mentioning Xiao Coco, Xiao Xi sighed again.

Ye Xinglan nodded, suddenly thinking Xiao Coco was quite unlucky. She recalled Coco had been to the hospital not long ago.

Honestly, for someone not in a high-risk job like a magical girl, getting injured so often was truly unfortunate.

As they left the chaotic theater entrance, the noise and crowds faded. Consequently, the night air felt refreshingly clear.

A Familiar Scent

Suddenly, Ye Xinglan sniffed and frowned.

“Xiao Xi, are you hurt?”

“Huh… I tripped in the theater earlier and scraped my left knee. How’d you notice?”

“You’re walking slower, limping a bit. You okay?”

“Haha, I’m fine, I’ll patch it up myself…”

Neither was fully honest. In truth, Xiao Xi had injured her right knee but lied to avoid a repeat of the coffee shop incident. Luckily, her long pants hid the injury, so Ye Xinglan couldn’t tell.

However, Ye Xinglan hadn’t noticed the injury by sight—she’d smelled it.

At the theater entrance, the mix of scents had masked it. Now, alone with Xiao Xi, she caught the faint blood smell immediately.

As the Blood Moon Witch, Ye Xinglan was acutely sensitive to blood, just like at the coffee shop.

Yet…

A thought struck her—Xiao Xi’s blood smelled eerily similar to that annoying magical girl’s, both sweetly distinct.

Sniffing again, Ye Xinglan noted the scent was faint; the wound had stopped bleeding. It was too weak to be sure.

Moreover, her memory of the magical girl’s blood scent wasn’t clear—she’d been too focused on searching earlier.

Still, these coincidences made Ye Xinglan uneasy. An improbable idea took root.

Could Xiao Xi and that annoying magical girl…

She glanced at Xiao Xi but kept her suspicions silent.

A Carefree Facade

Meanwhile, Xiao Xi hummed a tune, in high spirits.

‘Today’s excuses were perfect,’ she thought. ‘No way Ye Xinglan will suspect anything now~’

“By the way, Xiao Xi, I called you so many times. Why didn’t you pick up?”

“Did you? I didn’t hear my phone. Let me check.”

“…”

Moments later, a cry echoed in the night.

“F*ck, where’s my phone?!”

Doubts and Reflections

The next evening, in Ye Xinglan’s room.

Unusually, Ye Xinglan wasn’t gaming. Instead, she rolled on her bed—a rich girl with something on her mind.

She pulled out the bracelet with the chibi cat, pondering if Xiao Xi was linked to the magical girl.

However, she didn’t plan to confront Xiao Xi. The evidence was too thin, and if she really wanted answers, she didn’t need to investigate herself.

Suddenly, she realized she and Xiao Xi had been living together for nearly a month. The Association hadn’t come knocking, and her fake girlfriend role hadn’t been needed.

A-Lan had told her to lay low for a month. With that time nearing, she could ask A-Lan to investigate once they reconnected.

Ye Xinglan knew A-Lan had far better resources for such matters.

Truthfully, she wasn’t that curious about it.

Rolling over, she thought, ‘Xiao Xi isn’t Eternal Star. What does it matter if she’s some other magical girl?’

They weren’t real girlfriends. If they were, Xiao Xi hiding her magical girl identity might justify some anger.

A Logical Counter

Moreover, Ye Xinglan found a reason to doubt Xiao Xi was a magical girl. If she were, between writing novels, being a maid, and magical girl duties, she’d be juggling three jobs.

Ye Xinglan didn’t doubt someone could handle three jobs. But three jobs… and still be this poor?

Yesterday, she’d accompanied Xiao Xi back to the theater to search. They found her phone near the safety exit, its screen shattered beyond repair. Xiao Xi couldn’t even afford a new one, so Ye Xinglan covered it.

If Xiao Xi were a magical girl, wouldn’t the Association pay her? How could she be this broke?

A Sudden Realization

Elsewhere, Xiao Xi, typing in her room, sneezed loudly.

‘Speaking of which…’

Ye Xinglan stared at her phone’s calendar, a realization hitting her.

Once the month was up and she reconnected with A-Lan, she’d have to move out. No need to keep pretending to be a couple.

After all, staying here was just to lay low… Yet, the thought sparked an unexpected pang of reluctance.

After a moment’s silence, she got out of bed, deciding to visit Xiao Xi’s room.