Chapter 12: Joining the Association, Meow?

An Awkward Reunion

Miss L opened a nearby filing cabinet, flipping through documents while chatting with Xiao Xi.

“Speaking of which, why were you carrying two bags of groceries? Have you settled down and bought a place near South Street?”

Xiao Xi stayed silent, sitting motionless in the oversized office chair.

“What about work? Where are you working now? With your skills as a magical girl, any job should be a breeze for you, right?”

Xiao Xi still didn’t respond, her back instinctively straightening, a prickling sense of unease creeping over her.

“Come on, A-Xing, I’m not trying to pry,” Miss L said helplessly. “Just catching up as old friends. Do you have to guard your personal info so tightly?”

With her back to Xiao Xi, Miss L didn’t see the mighty Eternal Star, who faced monsters without flinching, now clutching her skirt hem like a nervous kid grilled by relatives about her salary or love life.

‘It’s not that I don’t want to talk! I’m just too embarrassed!’

‘How could I tell you I’m a jobless shut-in, mooching off a rich girl and secretly writing fanfiction about my former teammate?’

Thankfully, Miss L didn’t press further. She turned and slid a file across the desk to Xiao Xi.

Xiao Xi glanced at the three-inch photo of a girl with gray hair and blue eyes, her short haircut giving her a pure, charming look. Her last shred of hope shattered.

Still, she pretended to skim the file for a while before handing it back. “I thought this kid had something special. Doesn’t seem like much.”

She added the comment to mask her true intentions, but Miss L didn’t take the file back. Instead, she crossed her arms and stared at Xiao Xi.

“Seriously, A-Xing, are you really not going to be a magical girl again? Everyone misses you. Xingge does too.”

Xiao Xi sighed. She’d prepared herself for this, but when Miss L asked outright, she didn’t know how to respond.

A Tempting Offer

“This city needs you. You saw the incident report—something’s very wrong. I suspect there’s a bigger conspiracy behind it.”

Xiao Xi finally understood why Miss L had shared the Association’s report with an outsider like her. She’d been laying a trap.

“What if something like today happens again? You might not be there next time. There could be magical girl casualties… maybe even the kid from that file.”

That woman… Xiao Xi froze. Miss L was as sharp as ever, clearly having guessed something and saying this on purpose.

“I’m leaving.”

Xiao Xi knew Miss L was deliberately provoking her. As the head of the Magical Girl Department, Miss L would never let her girls get hurt.

Worst case, Xiao Xi would keep a closer eye on that brat Xiao Keke. Make her come back? No way.

But just as Xiao Xi opened the window to leave, Miss L added lightly, “Oh, by the way, A-Xing, three months ago, Blood Moon Witch escaped.”

That stopped Xiao Xi in her tracks.

“How come I never heard about this?”

“Of course, the Association kept it quiet,” Miss L shrugged. “News of a ticking time bomb like her escaping would cause public panic. We’re investigating discreetly, but there’s no progress yet.”

“How is that possible? How could she escape a place like Bone Vault on her own?”

“Sorry, that’s classified Association info. I can’t share it with—outsiders.”

“You…”

Xiao Xi gritted her teeth, glaring at Miss L. Even after all these years, that cunning woman still knew how to push her buttons.

But she knew how serious this was—too serious to ignore.

“Fine, fine, I’ll join, okay?”

Miss L’s face lit up with a smile. “I’ll go tell Xingge the good news…”

“Hold on. I’m only agreeing to join the Association, not to return as Eternal Star.”

Miss L blinked, confused.

A New Form Revealed

Xiao Xi sighed, her body glowing with dazzling light. When it faded, the long-haired, starlit Eternal Star was gone, replaced by an entirely different figure.

The girl before them had a short, black wolf-tail hairstyle, tied simply with a navy-blue streak at the ends. She wore a sleek, boxer-like outfit, exuding a sharp, spirited aura—completely unlike the Morning Star form of Eternal Star.

“What… is this form? I’ve never seen it before,” Miss L said, eyes wide.

Eternal Star was called the “strongest magical girl” partly because her transformations were unique, with multiple forms.

The form Xiao Xi used at noon, Morning Star, was her go-to, the most versatile.

“This was meant to be a trump card, but it never came in handy,” Xiao Xi said with a hint of resignation. The Morning Star form was like a high-damage, high-defense, skill-heavy character—overpowered in any game. She’d always relied on it.

In contrast, the Sirius form was less impressive, but it was perfect now, having never been revealed to outsiders.

“I’ll help you for a while, but in return, you give me intel on Blood Moon Witch. After this, we’re done. Deal?”

“And one more thing,” Xiao Xi pointed at Xiao Keke’s file on the desk. “I want to team up with that kid.”

Home at Last

When Xiao Xi got home, it was already pitch dark.

Stepping into the living room, she saw Ye Xinglan, mid-meal, suddenly point her chopsticks at her and say sternly, “Magical girl!”

“…What?”

Xiao Xi jumped, her heart skipping a beat.

“I mean, that magical girl novel you wrote—got any more? I want to read it.”

“Nope!”

Xiao Xi rolled her eyes. ‘Even if I did, no way I’d let you read it.’

After changing, Xiao Xi noticed Ye Xinglan eating Japanese takeout, with the delivery bag in the trash. She caught a glimpse of the receipt’s price.

Over a hundred bucks for one meal?!

“I ordered some for you too. Come eat,” Ye Xinglan said.

Xiao Xi mumbled an acknowledgment, a faint sense of humiliation washing over her at being “kept” by this rich girl.

The orange glow of the lamp cast a warm, homey vibe over the dining table. As Xiao Xi sat down, she saw Ye Xinglan pick up a piece of sushi, then grimace.

“Not as good as your cooking. By the way, what were you out doing so late?”

“Uh… job hunting. Sorry, Miss Ye Xinglan, I’ll try to be back before dinner next time to cook.”

Ye Xinglan shook her head, clearly displeased. “You called me by my name just fine when Keke was here. Why switch back when it’s just us?”

“You’ll slip up in front of others like that. Just call me Xinglan from now on, got it? Try it.”

“…Xinglan.”

“There you go!”

Unlike the satisfied Ye Xinglan, Xiao Xi stayed silent, focusing on her food. Perhaps it was the wasabi, but her cheeks flushed faintly.