Chapter 20: I’ll take you home.

Lin Yuan was standing with his back to her, head lowered.
Ye Zhining was gently patting his back. The two of them seemed to be speaking in low voices.

“Whew… thank goodness.”

Seeing that both Ye Zhining and Lin Yuan were safe and unharmed, the heart that had been stuck in Lin Xibai’s throat finally settled back down completely.

She let out a long breath. Her tense shoulders dropped, and the lace edges of her black gothic dress trembled slightly with her breathing.

“The situation has been resolved. We… should leave as well.”

Lin Xibai steadied herself, stepped forward, and spoke to the two of them in the standard gentle tone of a magical girl.
“It’s getting late. You two should head home early as well. For safety’s sake…”

She paused, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping across the dim street outside the window.
“Why don’t I escort you?”

She was truly afraid.

Although the witch had escaped, no one could guarantee that there weren’t still uncleaned void beasts lurking in the dark alleys of the old district.

Caution in all things—this was the prudence engraved in her bones after so many years.

Nothing could put her at ease more than personally seeing her child safely home.

“I…”

Lin Yuan stood behind Ye Zhining. His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to refuse.

He instinctively resisted having too much contact with any magical girl, especially this stranger who had just witnessed his embarrassed state and had inexplicably saved him.

Even though the other party didn’t know that Su Jianying was him.

But the words of refusal circled on the tip of his tongue. When Lin Yuan met those clear yet seemingly insightful ruby eyes, he swallowed them back.

In the end, he only lowered his eyelashes and spoke in a voice that was almost inaudible.

“…Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you?”

“Of course not.”

Lin Xibai answered immediately. Her voice softened further as she tried hard to play the role of a reliable and warm-hearted magical girl.
“Actually, for us magical girls, short-distance movement above the city is still quite convenient.”

“How about this,” Ye Zhining spoke up at the right moment and gently patted Lin Yuan’s shoulder. “Since this young lady is so kind, just accept her good intentions. You can chat on the way too. Be sure to get along well with the magical girl sister, okay?”

As she spoke, she turned to Lin Xibai. Their gazes met briefly. There was a trace of entrustment in her eyes, as if saying, “I’ll leave this child in your care.”

Then she gracefully shook her phone screen, which displayed “Ride booked,” “My home is nearby. I’ve already called a car at the intersection. It’s very convenient. You two go first. Stay safe.”

With that, she nodded to the two of them, picked up her bag, and walked out of the café with graceful steps, merging into the night outside and leaving the space to the two of them.

An awkward atmosphere instantly spread between them.

Lin Xibai stood in place, feeling as if her hands and feet had nowhere to go.

She knew full well that the boy in front of her had no idea of her true identity, yet simply standing this close to her own child in the form of “Lin Xibai” made her heartbeat irregular and her palms slightly sweaty.

They had lived together for over ten years. There had been far more arguments, cold wars, and silence than warm conversations. Even so, the blood connection and the familiarity from long years of living together still prevented her from staying as calm as she would with a true stranger.

Moreover, she now had to perfectly play the role of a magical girl meeting him for the first time. She could not reveal even the slightest hint of unusual concern or familiarity.

And in Lin Yuan’s heart, waves were already surging.

He had countless questions he wanted to ask this white-haired, red-eyed magical girl—about witches, about void beasts, about why she had saved him, about the inexplicable sense of familiarity she gave him… and even about the strange relationship between her and that pink-haired magical girl.

But all the questions were firmly suppressed by his reason.

He absolutely could not reveal that he was Su Jianying.

He had to properly act as an ordinary boy who had just been dragged into a void beast incident and was still frightened.

Thus, the two of them fell into a tacit, unspoken silence and walked out of the café.

The night wind carried a chill and a faint lingering scent of scorching.

They walked one behind the other, slowly along the moonlit bluestone path.

Stars twinkled, struggling to shine in the not-so-pure night sky of the city. Their faint light barely illuminated the way home.

Lin Xibai deliberately stayed half a step behind. This way, she could observe the surroundings while not putting pressure on Lin Yuan walking ahead.

Lin Yuan kept his eyes fixed straight ahead on the road, his back held rigidly straight.

The street was empty. Only their light and heavy footsteps sounded.

The silence seemed to gain weight, pressing down on Lin Xibai until she could barely breathe.

She looked at her son’s somewhat thin back. Countless words rolled in her throat.

Warnings, concern, guilt, and even the clumsy love as a father that she had never been able to voice.

But none of it could be said.

She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and carefully chose her words.

Finally, using a tone that fell between an official reminder and the concern of an elder, she spoke cautiously.
“Um… the purple-dressed witch escaped tonight. She will very likely continue operating in Qingchuan City. She might even hold a grudge or pay extra attention to this area because of what happened tonight.”

Her voice sounded especially clear on the quiet street.
“I’m quite worried about everyone’s safety.”

She paused, observing Lin Yuan’s back. Seeing that his footsteps didn’t stop but he seemed to be listening with a slightly tilted ear, she continued.

“I heard that because of the recent disappearance cases, school will be on break for a while. During this time… if possible, just stay home, preview some lessons, read books, play games, and relax. How does that sound?”

That soft, sweet voice somehow carried a somewhat heavy sense of lecturing.

“Preview lessons?”

Lin Yuan was stunned.

He stared at the petite back walking ahead of him. His tightly wound nerves actually relaxed a tiny bit because of this incongruous sentence.
“The way you talk… is really similar to the nagging adult at my house. At a time like this, shouldn’t you say something cooler? Like, the witch will be caught tomorrow.”

Lin Xibai’s body stiffened for a split second. Then, feeling guilty, she quickened her steps.

“…No one can be certain about the future. It’s best to be cautious. Try not to go to remote, sparsely populated places.”

She kept her head lowered, letting her pure white long hair dance in the breeze to hide the embarrassed blush on her face after being teased by her son.

Behind her, Lin Yuan also quickened his steps.

Sigh, she mentioned that person again.

The old man must be waiting impatiently at home right now…?

He thought silently, kicking away a pebble at his feet.

He had no idea that the person he was thinking of was right now, under this quiet starry sky, walking him home step by step.