The 30-Year-Old Magical Girl - Chapter 58

“I came to check on you.”

Mo Li casually scanned the room, pretending to be completely unconcerned.

“Obviously, I’m here as Magical Girl Huangxing to check on my teammate. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

Raging Flame stared at her.

“…What kind of excuse is that?”

“Did you forget what Senior Tidal said? When we’re magical girls, I’m Huangxing, and you’re Raging Flame. Nothing more.”

Mo Li placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, doing her best to look arrogant.

“You may be annoying, but you’re still my teammate. More importantly, you’re a vital part of our combat strength.”

She raised her chin and looked down at You Xi.

“So listen carefully—I’m not allowing you to quit the team.”

The forcefulness in her gaze made You Xi instinctively lower her eyes.

“…I never said I was quitting.”

“Is that so?”

Mo Li smirked, though her expression quickly turned serious.

“Anyway… about that night…”

“Yeah.”

Before Mo Li could finish, You Xi nodded.

It was almost as though she was afraid to hear the name that was about to be spoken.

“…”

Mo Li fell silent.

What exactly had happened to Bai Mian?

How had she become involved with the Nightmare Fiend?

And how had she ended up becoming an aberration?

Mo Li didn’t know the full story.

But she also couldn’t honestly say that she had nothing to do with it.

Maybe… she really had done something unforgivable to Bai Mian.

The thought settled heavily in her chest.

At that moment, Mo Li felt that even if You Xi blamed her for Bai Mian’s fall, she would accept it.

She wouldn’t argue.

She wouldn’t defend herself.

She wouldn’t make things worse.

But surprisingly, You Xi showed no anger toward her.

Instead, she spoke softly.

“…Yesterday, I saw Xiao Mian.”

Mo Li blinked.

“What happened? Is Bai Mian—”

“It’s my fault.”

You Xi suddenly buried her face in the pillow.

“…It’s all my fault.”

Her voice cracked.

“I lied to her… even though she’s my best friend.”

“When she needed me to acknowledge her… I wasn’t honest with her.”

Her fingers tightened around the pillow.

“I abandoned her.”

“…Huh?”

Mo Li stared at her in disbelief.

“What are you even talking about?”

“I don’t know what happened between the two of you,” You Xi continued.

“But no matter what happened… maybe she was suffering too.”

Mo Li’s expression immediately hardened.

“I don’t care.”

You Xi froze.

“The people she attacked are suffering too,” Mo Li said bluntly.

“They didn’t do anything wrong. Why should they be forced to sleep for days? What about their jobs? Their families? Their schoolwork?”

Her words struck You Xi like a hammer.

“You say that…” You Xi whispered.

“But what did Xiao Mian ever do wrong?”

Mo Li understood what she meant.

She understood perfectly.

But she refused to back down.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke firmly.

“Yeah. Exactly.”

She clenched her fists.

“So I’ll take responsibility.”

You Xi slowly looked up.

“Do you know who I am?”

Mo Li pointed at herself.

“I’m Magical Girl Huangxing.”

Her eyes burned with determination.

“If Bai Mian keeps doing bad things, then I’ll beat her senseless.”

“I’ll beat her until she comes to her senses.”

“Until she’s begging for mercy.”

Then Mo Li looked directly at You Xi.

“What about you, Magical Girl Raging Flame?”

You Xi remained curled up on the bed.

Mo Li stared at her for several long seconds.

“If you want to stop me…”

Her voice became sharp.

“Then get out of this room.”

She turned toward the door.

“And remember our bet? The one about who defeats more aberrations?”

She glanced back with a provocative grin.

“What? Are you scared?”

“I’ll prove it to you.”

“Whether it’s grades, looks, or being a magical girl…”

Mo Li pointed at You Xi.

“I’ll always be better than you, you stupid she-ape.”

“If you don’t like it…”

Her grin widened.

“Then come and prove me wrong.”

With that, Mo Li turned around and walked toward the door.

“…Thank you.”

A quiet voice stopped her.

Mo Li paused.

“Hmph.”

She continued walking.

“Didn’t hear that.”

A smug little tune escaped her lips as she left the room.

---

Somewhere else, in the darkness, someone was crying.

Soft sobs echoed through a deserted concrete ruin.

Deep inside an unfinished building, Bai Mian sat alone with her knees drawn against her chest.

She was still wearing the same torn black hoodie.

Her hair was messy and tangled. She hadn’t bothered to comb it.

It was obvious she had been living like this for days.

“How long are you going to keep crying?”

Dreamfiend let out a lazy yawn.

“I’m getting tired of listening to you.”

“…What did I even say?”

Bai Mian lowered her head.

The moment she remembered what she had said to You Xi, regret overwhelmed her.

You Xi had carried so much of the burden for her sake.

And yet Bai Mian had repaid her with cruel words.

Words meant to hurt.

Words meant to push her away.

“I…”

Her voice trembled.

“I really am hopeless.”

With that, Bai Mian began crying again.

“Exactly,” Dreamfiend said coldly.

“You can’t go back now.”

Bai Mian remained silent.

“You can’t return home.”

“Your friend has become your enemy.”

“Bai Mian, you no longer belong to human society.”

Dreamfiend’s voice slowly became more persuasive.

“In other words, you need to find another way to survive.”

“And on that path…”

The eye in her hand seemed to stare directly into her soul.

“…the only one you can rely on is me.”

“This is all your fault…”

Bai Mian weakly glared at the eye in her hand.

“See?”

Dreamfiend sneered.

“There you go again. Blaming everyone else the moment things become difficult.”

“You made your choice.”

“You asked for my power.”

Its voice became increasingly cruel.

“And weren’t you excited when you hunted?”

Bai Mian’s body stiffened.

“Admit it, Bai Mian.”

“You’re better suited to be with me.”

“In human society, what were you?”

“Nothing but a pitiful worm.”

“Your dignity was trampled.”

“You were mocked.”

“Looked down upon.”

“You thought you had friendship?”

Dreamfiend laughed.

“That was nothing more than wishful thinking.”

“…”

Bai Mian said nothing.

As memories of her past resurfaced, she realized she couldn’t completely deny Dreamfiend’s words.

“So, Bai Mian…”

Dreamfiend continued.

“Stop worrying.”

“Stop thinking.”

“Forget that you were ever human.”

“Treat your previous life as a dream.”

“…A dream?”

Bai Mian repeated softly.

“Yes.”

Dreamfiend’s voice was almost gentle now.

“We are superior to every other creature on this planet.”

“Humiliate them.”

“Hunt them.”

“Crush every inferior being beneath us.”

“Your actions carry no sin.”

“Because this world…”

Its voice echoed through the abandoned ruins.

“…is our hunting ground.”

“Instead of wasting away here…”

“Why not enjoy yourself?”

Bai Mian continued to cry silently.

Perhaps every tear that fell was another fragment of her fading humanity.

The final emotional connection binding her to the person she once was.

After a long silence, she finally sighed.

“…Yeah.”

Her face was covered in tears.

Yet strangely, her expression held nothing.

No happiness.

No sadness.

No anger.

Nothing at all.

“There’s no going back.”

Dreamfiend seemed to smile.

“Then…”

Bai Mian lowered her head and stared at the eye resting in her right hand.

Her eyes were empty.

Lifeless.

“…Give me everything.”

Dreamfiend grinned.

The final invitation to damnation had been accepted.

“…I suppose there’s no other way.”

Bai Mian stared silently at Dreamfiend.

Around the grotesque eye, jagged veins began to rise.

Dark.

Swollen.

Filled with blood.

They spread across her hand.

Then crawled upward.

Along her wrist.

Across her arm.

“…Hahahaha.”

A twisted, terrifying laugh echoed through the empty ruins.