The 30-Year-Old Magical Girl - Chapter 56

“…If you hear anything about Xiao Mian, please call me immediately, okay?”

“Of course. I understand.”

“Your aunt and uncle are going to continue searching together. What about you? Do you want me to call a taxi and take you home?”

“No, thank you. I want to look around a little longer.”

“Alright… and thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Xiao Mian is my friend. I’m worried about her too.”

You Xi forced a smile at the exhausted middle-aged woman, but she knew how hollow it looked.

After leaving Bai Mian’s apartment, You Xi wandered aimlessly through the neighborhood.

Bai Mian was gone.

Ever since that night’s battle, she hadn’t returned home.

To her family and the police, who knew nothing about the truth, it was simply another case of a teenage girl running away.

But You Xi knew better.

Maybe Xiao Mian had decided she could no longer return as the person she used to be after her identity was exposed.

The sun slowly sank toward the horizon, bathing the sky in crimson twilight. The beautiful colors only made You Xi’s heart feel heavier.

Swear a noble oath. Become a magical girl.

Fight. Get hurt. Gain experience. Become stronger.

After everything she had done… had the world really become a better place?

She remembered the advice her senior had once given her:

“…If you ever feel lost or exhausted after fighting endless battles, remember how you felt when you first became a magical girl.”

Those words had once helped her through her doubts.

But now, everything was different.

If she had become a magical girl to defeat aberrations…

Then what was she supposed to do about Bai Mian?

Were they destined to become enemies?

Was she really supposed to fight her best friend?

…How could she possibly do that?

You Xi stared down at the dim, lifeless glow of the soul gem in her palm and gave a bitter smile.

Without realizing it, she had already reached the edge of the neighborhood.

Beyond an iron security fence, a dark figure suddenly caught her attention.

Her frozen body instantly sprang to life.

You Xi rushed toward the fence, gripping the bars tightly.

“Xiao Mian!?”

“It’s me.”

The figure slowly lowered her hood, revealing Bai Mian’s pale face.

“Your arm…”

You Xi’s eyes immediately fell on Bai Mian’s right arm.

The sleeve had been torn away, revealing crudely wrapped bandages beneath. Burn marks were still visible around the edges.

That must have been from Senior Tidal’s magic beam that night.

You Xi remembered seeing Bai Mian deflect the attack with her arm.

“It’s nothing. For someone like me now, this kind of injury doesn’t matter.”

“Someone like you now…”

You Xi repeated the words softly, her heart aching.

“Yes. This is who I am now.”

Bai Mian gave a hollow smile.

“Wait here! I’ll find a way to get over there!”

You Xi frantically searched for an entrance in the fence, but there was no gate nearby.

“No.”

Bai Mian stopped her.

“I think… this is fine.”

Separated by the iron fence, the two girls simply stared at each other.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still.

Memories of walking home together from school and sitting on the rooftop at dusk resurfaced in their minds.

Everything around them looked the same.

But something between them had changed forever.

The answer was like an invisible wall standing between the two girls.

They could see each other clearly, yet neither knew how to cross that wall.

“Ah… I never imagined Xiao Xi would be a magical girl.”

Bai Mian was the first to break the silence.

“You must be shocked too, right? That I became an aberration.”

She smiled faintly.

“Don’t pity me. Just tell me what you really think.”

“I think… something must have tricked you, Xiao Mian.”

You Xi hesitated before speaking.

“I don’t believe you would willingly hurt anyone. You must have been deceived somehow.”

“Tricked?”

Bai Mian tilted her head.

“Why do you think I can’t hurt people?”

“Because you’re kind. I know that better than anyone.”

“Hmph.”

Bai Mian gave a dry laugh.

“That sounds exactly like something you would say.”

“At first, perhaps I really was deceived.”

Her expression gradually darkened.

“But now… I’ve accepted this version of myself.”

She looked at You Xi.

“Power is wonderful, isn’t it? You should understand that better than anyone, as a magical girl.”

“You’re wrong, Xiao Mian.”

You Xi shook her head.

“Power is just power.”

“If you use it to hurt innocent people, then there’s no difference between an aberration and a magical girl.”

Bai Mian’s expression twisted.

The words struck somewhere deep inside her, and all the anger she had been suppressing finally burst out.

“Of course you hate me.”

“…What?”

“You’re strong. Confident. Clear-minded.”

Her voice trembled with bitterness.

“Even after becoming a magical girl, you haven’t changed. You never became arrogant. You never became obsessed with your power.”

“How do you have such a strong heart?”

Bai Mian lowered her eyes.

“Even if you taught me, I could never become like you.”

“Heh…”

“Before all this, I was nothing but a helpless worm.”

Her eyes slowly hardened.

“So when I finally got the chance to fight back, to take revenge… why should I give it up?”

“That’s all I wanted.”

“You keep saying I’m kind.”

Bai Mian laughed bitterly.

“But you don’t really know me.”

“Just like I don’t really know you.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“How many other things are you hiding from me, Xiao Xi?”

“…”

You Xi slowly shook her head.

“I… I’m not hiding anything from you.”

“Liar!”

The word burst from Bai Mian through a sob.

Tears filled her eyes as she glared at You Xi.

All the humiliation and loneliness she had felt that day in the mall bathroom came rushing back.

Those emotions—the ones that had helped push her toward the abyss—now found a target in the person standing before her.

“I know about you and Mo Li.”

“You and… Mo Li?”

You Xi stared at her in confusion.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the police report?”

“Why didn’t you ask for my opinion? Why didn’t you ask me for help?”

“Was our promise just a lie?”

“No! It wasn’t like that!”

You Xi hurriedly tried to explain.

“I didn’t want you to get involved in this again…”

“You thought I was weak.”

Bai Mian smiled coldly.

“Unreliable.”

“You thought you could handle everything yourself because I was useless.”

“That’s what you really thought, wasn’t it?”

“No… Xiao Mian…”

You Xi’s voice broke.

Unable to bear the misunderstanding any longer, she began to cry.

“I never thought that…”

“Please… don’t say that…”

Perhaps seeing her friend break down finally awakened the last trace of Bai Mian’s conscience.

She sighed.

“You really didn’t think that.”

“I know.”

“X-Xiao Mian?”

You Xi whispered her name, her voice trembling with hope.

“But…”

Bai Mian’s expression became empty again.

“All I ever wanted was equality and respect between friends.”

“If you had asked me that day…”

“If you had needed me…”

“Maybe I could have escaped that endless feeling of inferiority and guilt.”

Her voice grew quieter.

“At first, Mo Li was the one who pushed me toward the edge.”

Bai Mian looked directly at her friend.

“But in the end…”

“…you were the one who pushed me over the cliff.”

“My friend.”