Chapter 31: Frenemies and Investigations

Inside the office, Lu Ming glanced at the two troublemakers standing beside her desk, hands clasped in front of her thighs, silent.

She wanted to speak but found herself at a loss for words.
For magical girls, boundless energy was indeed a strength.
But if that energy were channeled into class, their academic progress would surely soar.

Alas, things didn’t go as hoped.
That abundant energy was spent on sly antics and playful squabbles during lessons.

Lu Yue and Xiao Yan stood with hands behind their backs, neither speaking nor looking at each other.
After all, they were among the first girls to receive the “boy treatment”—not exactly an honorable distinction.

“Xiao Yan, how can you forget your textbook and then steal someone else’s?” Lu Ming said to Xiao Yan.

“I…” Xiao Yan started to protest, but Lu Ming raised a hand to silence her.

“We’ll get to you later,” Lu Ming said to Xiao Yan, then turned to Lu Yue, who was still daydreaming.

“Lu Yue, you know better.
How could you go along with Xiao Yan…” Lu Ming trailed off, unable to finish.

She couldn’t exactly call Xiao Yan a dimwit in front of her—that would hurt her pride too much.
Even if Xiao Yan would likely accept being called a dimwit, that wasn’t the point.

Lu Ming sighed and spoke sternly to both:

“I’ve reviewed your profiles.
You’re both sixteen—halfway to adulthood in society’s eyes.”

“Even if you’re not fully grown, you should understand certain principles.”

“What you should and shouldn’t do—some things don’t need repeating.”

“On another level,” Lu Ming said, her mouth feeling dry.
She pursed her lips and continued, “When power and maturity don’t align, it often leads to disaster.”

“I’ll stop there.
Reflect on it yourselves.”

Lu Ming fell silent, propping her chin to observe their reactions.

Xiao Yan showed no response—she hadn’t absorbed the words, as expected.
Lu Yue’s legs trembled slightly—she likely understood what was meant.

Fine, let’s leave it at that, Lu Ming thought to herself.

Next, she needed to address why both looked so listless before they started acting up in class.

“Lu Yue, why were you so distracted earlier?
Thinking about something, or didn’t you sleep last night?” Lu Ming asked Lu Yue.

“Of course I slept last night,” Lu Yue replied.

“I was just wondering why Liu Lian didn’t come to class today.”
Lu Yue stole a glance at Lu Ming’s unchanged expression before continuing.

“I’m really worried if something happened to her today.”

“She was perfectly fine yesterday.”

“Teacher, do you know why Liu Lian didn’t come?” Lu Yue tossed the question to Lu Ming.

“Liu Lian, huh…”
Lu Ming knew exactly why she wasn’t in class today.
After all, since arriving here, her sister had been living with her.

This morning, just as Lu Ming got up, she saw her mother transform into her Corona form and fly out the window, saying something about handling some business.

Lu Ming naturally didn’t pry into her mother’s affairs, simply preparing a leave slip for her sister’s school identity.

“She had some personal family matters and left in a hurry this morning, so she forgot to message you,” Lu Ming explained.

“Alright.”
Lu Yue accepted the explanation.

“And Xiao Yan, you really need to fix your habit of being scatterbrained at school,” Lu Ming said to Xiao Yan.

“That’s it for today’s class incident.”

“But I didn’t call you to my office without consequences,” Lu Ming said slowly.

“This Saturday, I’ll give you a quiz on the classic alchemy material we covered this week.”

“If you both pass, your Saturday will be a breeze.”

“But if even one of you fails, I’m sorry, but your weekend will be very eventful.”
Lu Ming delivered her final ultimatum.

Lu Yue, hearing the first part, thought she could still take a shot at it.
But the second part made her realize there was no point in studying hard.
Xiao Yan, meanwhile, looked utterly crestfallen, as if she’d shatter at the slightest touch.

Seeing her punishment teetering on the edge of collapse, Lu Ming added:

“If you don’t pass, I’ll consider your recent academic performance as well.”

At that, Xiao Yan’s eyes lit up slightly, and Lu Yue let out a long sigh of relief.

Saved at last.

…………

Linhai City, Magical Girl Association Building.

After taking off from home that morning, Corona had flown at full speed to the gem atop the Magical Girl Association Building.

Transforming her existence into a beam of light, Corona passed through the president’s office window, re-materializing mid-air.
She dispelled the optical camouflage she’d cast on herself and landed lightly.

Elizabeth, as if sensing her arrival, had already prepared tea and snacks for her sister.

“Sister, it seems you have something to discuss.
Why don’t you share it with me?” Elizabeth said unhurriedly, guiding Corona to sit on a small sofa by the coffee table.

Corona got straight to the point of her visit.

“I want you to help me look into someone’s family information,” Corona said.

“Who?” Elizabeth asked, elegantly sipping her tea.

“Alice Phil Ludwig.
You should know whose name that is,” Corona said, her gaze fixed earnestly on Elizabeth.

Hearing the name, Elizabeth nearly spat out her tea.
She hadn’t expected her dear sister’s purpose to be this.

She knew Corona usually wasn’t interested in her sisters’ family matters, so she must have uncovered something.

“So, sister, what did you find out?”

“I want to investigate her husband,” Corona said.

The answer was within Elizabeth’s expectations.

“I can tell you right now about Yuehua’s husband’s identity,” Elizabeth said, holding nothing back from her sister.
“His name is Lu Xin.
Yes, he’s that all-purpose liaison from back then, Yuehua’s husband.”

“As I thought…” Corona murmured.

“What’s wrong, sister?” Elizabeth asked curiously.

“Nothing, just didn’t expect to see an old acquaintance again,” Corona said, shaking her head.

“And he’s become Yuehua’s husband.”

“Quite the twist of fate, isn’t it?”
Corona’s lips curved into a strained smile.