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Chapter 384 Comfort
Chapter 384 Comfort
Within the Abyss Network, the Phantom Butterfly summoned Sylvia and Bai Xiaolong, and their reactions were noticeably more joyful.
Since being subdued by Princess Illusion Butterfly, they haven't done anything. They're practically idle and are about to take a trip to the Abyss Hall.
Although the two didn't get along, that didn't stop them from venting their desires.
"Your Highness, what brings you here?"
"Are you guys busy lately?"
Sylvia and Bai Xiaolong exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. Was Princess Huan Die about to give them an important task?
The two hurriedly shook their heads, "No, no, Your Highness Huan Die, we're so bored we're practically going stir-crazy."
"Alright, I have a task for you."
"Your Highness, if you say so, we guarantee to complete the mission."
"Well, I have two things for you to do. First, go and catch a magical spirit for me, a live one."
"The second task is to gather ingredients. I will teach you the Abyss spell 'Crystal Sealing' later. From now on, every day before 7 PM, you need to find me twenty ears of Abyss Listeners and ten fruits of the Abyss Tree. Remember, they must be intact. Any questions?"
"no."
Sylvia and Bai Xiaolong shook their heads at the same time.
Despite their swift actions, a sense of resentment inevitably arose in their hearts.
After all, they were all powerful individuals with the strength of Abyss Demon Generals, yet they were being sent to do these things. In their eyes, this was a waste of their talents, and they felt quite aggrieved and dissatisfied.
Huan Die seemed to understand their inner thoughts, and shook her head slightly. Xiao Si is still the most sensible and considerate.
She took out a black soul ink that exuded a mysterious aura from her collar and casually tossed it to the two of them.
"This is your reward for completing the mission."
Sylvia and Bai Xiaolong were taken aback at first, but when they saw the black soul ink clearly, their eyes lit up instantly, and their reluctance vanished without a trace.
"Thank you, Your Highness Huan Die! From now on, whatever your command, we will go through fire and water to fulfill it. If you tell us to go east, we would never dare to go west!"
"Okay, go down."
As their figures disappeared, Phantom Butterfly returned to the real world. She had wasted too much time preparing ingredients every day. Now that she was Phantom Butterfly the Demoness, there was no need for her to do everything herself like she did when she was a magical girl.
As soon as she returned to the real world, Huan Die noticed that someone was watching her. Turning her head, she saw Nakano Harumi secretly looking up at her, her eyes filled with vigilance and fear.
Unconsciously, Huan Die gave her a friendly smile, but to her surprise, the latter, upon seeing this smile, immediately withdrew her gaze like a mouse seeing a cat.
hiss~
Am I that scary?
Huan Die touched her cheek, seemingly puzzled.
Helpless, Huan Die could only continue to raise her head and stare blankly at Hoshino Saki, wondering how Seri-chan was doing.
At Yeqiu No. 1 High School, Hoshino Seri stood on the podium explaining mathematical concepts, and the students below listened attentively. They were already in their senior year of high school, and the learning atmosphere in the class was still very strong.
What surprised them most was the new student, who had forgotten most of the basic knowledge of the second year of high school, let alone kept up with the other students in the class.
But a few weeks later, they were suddenly horrified to discover that the new girl had quietly caught up with the class's learning pace, rising from the bottom of the class to the middle ranks step by step, which was truly terrifying.
It also inspired a large number of struggling students. If others can do it, why can't they? So they all fell silent when they tried to learn it.
Sometimes, hard work is important, but sometimes talent can make up for a lot of hard work.
As the bell rang, everyone in the classroom turned to look out into the corridor. There, a girl in the uniform of Yeqiu No. 1 Middle School stood out. Her navy blue suit jacket was tailored to fit her perfectly, outlining her slender figure. A long, black ponytail hung down her back.
The girl was beautiful, but the liveliness in her eyes had long since vanished, replaced by a heavy gloom and a hint of death.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire class, Chen Yao, from the third row of the fourth row, slowly stood up. Her movements were somewhat sluggish, and her eyes revealed complex emotions: anger, resentment, and a hint of barely perceptible pain.
She walked out of the classroom step by step, looking at the girl in front of her—Bai Youqing. Almost instinctively, Chen Yao's right hand clenched into a fist, the veins on her arm bulging slightly. It seemed as if she was about to throw a punch at the other girl at any moment, even if doing so would lead to the serious consequence of being expelled from school.
However, just as her clenched fist was about to touch Bai Youqing's cheek, she seemed to suddenly remember something, and her movement stopped abruptly. Her fist froze in mid-air, only inches away from Bai Youqing's cheek, and her slightly trembling arm betrayed the intense struggle she was going through.
Then, Chen Yao slowly lowered her fist and gently lifted Bai Youqing's lifeless face.
The two looked at each other, Bai Youqing's eyes lowered slightly, not daring to meet Chen Yao's gaze directly.
Chen Yao stared at Bai Youqing and said slowly, word by word, "Xiaoqing, you don't need to come here to get beaten up anymore. I won't lay a hand on you again. But I can tell you very clearly that I will never, ever forgive you, even if you are her sister."
After saying that, Chen Yao released her grip, turned around and left resolutely, leaving Bai Youqing standing alone in the same spot, her figure appearing particularly lonely and desolate.
At that moment, Hoshino Seri walked out of the classroom with her lesson plan, patted the girl's head, and gestured for her to follow.
The latter lowered her head and followed closely behind, her gaze always following Hoshino Seri's back, her eyes filled with a hint of caution and obedience.
Hoshino Seri did not lead Bai You and the others into the office, but instead led them to the forest path of Yeqiu No. 1 Middle School.
The path is lined with lush trees on both sides, their branches and leaves intertwined to form a natural green dome.
Once upon a time, she and Teacher Xiaobai accidentally touched fingers on this path, and then held each other's hands tightly.
And now, she was the first to reach out her hand and take Bai Youqing's cold little hand in hers.
"Xiao Qing, do you know why I came to find you today?"
Bai Youqing shook her head. "I told Chen Yao that you are the younger sister of the Violet Mage."
Bai Youqing was somewhat silent. She knew that Chen Yao had come to Yeqiu No. 1 Middle School and become a student in the senior year (D) class. She had come here specifically to apologize to the other party, but every time the other party saw her, he would not speak to her at all and would beat her up as soon as they met, although she did not fight back.
After being beaten up several times, Bai Youqing became famous in Class D of the third year of high school. Chen Yao almost dropped out of school because of this. In the end, it was Hoshino Seri who stepped in to resolve the matter.
"Xiaoqing, to be honest, I'm very disappointed with your performance lately."
"I'm sorry, Hoshino-neechan."
Bai Youqing lowered her head in anguish: "But I really don't know how to make them forgive me. Because of my impulsiveness, I killed my brother, I killed Lotus-senpai's closest magician sister, I killed the Violet Magician of Kikyo's Judgment Squad, and I killed Hoshino-neechan's dearest person..."
The next second, Bai Youdeng heard Hoshino Seri's gentle yet disappointed words: "Xiao Qing! Look up at me. Do you really think that by getting Chen Yao's forgiveness, the forgiveness of the Kikyo Judgment Team members, and my forgiveness, Teacher Bai will come back?"
"No, I can't, but..."
"7
Bai Youqing lowered her head, her eyes now empty and lost, as if she had lost her soul.
"There's no 'but' about it. Since there's no way to bring Teacher Xiaobai back, why bother pursuing these meaningless things? Think about it: if your brother were still alive, would he want to see his sister looking so dejected and lost all her life?"
Bai Youqing slowly shook her head, her voice trembling slightly: "No."
"Then think about it carefully again. If your brother were still alive, what would he most want to see you like?"
"Excellent academic performance, able to take excellent care of herself, and possesses magical power strong enough to protect herself —"
Bai Youqing's words were somewhat intermittent, her voice growing softer and softer as she spoke. Towards the end, crystal tears uncontrollably streamed down her face. "But no matter how hard I try, my brother will never see it again!"
"Perhaps Teacher Xiaobai can't see it, but I, as Xiaoqing's older sister, can."
Hoshino Seri gently pulled Shiro Yuqing into her arms, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze, "I promised Shiro-sensei that I would take good care of Yuqing, okay?"
"Waaaaah~"
"I'm so sorry, Hoshino-neechan, I've made you worry about me all this time."
Hearing Hoshino Seri's gentle voice, Bai Youqing could no longer hold back. She began to cry loudly in Hoshino Seri's arms. After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly broke free from Hoshino Seri's embrace. She quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her face full of seriousness: "Hoshino-neechan, don't worry, I will definitely work hard towards this goal, so that my brother can see it from heaven, and so as not to let you down, Hoshino-neechan."
"Yes, I believe you."
Hoshino Seri nodded slightly, a warm smile appearing on her face.
Then, she skillfully changed the subject, "Xiaoqing, have you been in contact with Ning Zixuan lately?"
"?"
Bai Youqing's expression froze for a moment, as if she had been startled. Then she hurriedly shook her head, her anxious demeanor as if desperately trying to prove her loyalty: "Sister Xingye, don't worry! In my heart, you are the sister-in-law I truly acknowledge. As for that woman Ning Zixuan, I've never looked down on her, let alone acknowledged her!"
Hoshino Seri couldn't help but find Bai Youqing's flustered appearance somewhat amusing: "Who told you to say these things? I was just asking if you two have been in contact by phone or WeChat recently?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Youqing first cautiously glanced at Hoshino Seri. Seeing that the other woman's expression was normal, she nodded slightly and whispered, "We did contact each other. When we went back to our hometown to bury my brother, Ning Zixuan didn't come with us. I was really angry at the time, so I called her. But when she answered the phone, she heard me say that my brother had sacrificed his life, and she immediately hung up. After that, I couldn't get through no matter how many times I called."
At this point, Bai Youdeng's face instantly turned bright red, filled with anger: "I was so blind back then! How could I have entrusted my brother to her! Her feelings for my brother aren't as deep as mine!"
As soon as she said it, Bai Youqing seemed to realize something, and suddenly covered her mouth, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.
Fortunately, Hoshino Seri seemed not to have heard this, and simply nodded gently, saying softly, "Xiaoqing, you should go back to class now. This time, I don't want to hear from Teacher Zhang about you skipping class again."
"understood."
Bai Youqing lowered her head in shame. Ever since her brother's sacrifice, she felt that studying was useless, and she had only one thought in her mind: to do everything she could to improve her strength.
Watching the girl's departing figure, Hoshino Seri silently fell into deep thought. Shiro-sensei had told her before that Shiro was a brother-complex, and even hoped that she could help with the treatment.
Now it seems there's no need for treatment anymore, because the root cause is gone.
Putting Bai Youqing's matter aside, Hoshino Seri began to recall Ning Zixuan. She would never believe that Ning Zixuan had no feelings for Teacher Bai. She had not forgotten the way Ning Zixuan's eyes were filled with Teacher Bai when they first met.
And that time when the other person lost control and drugged her, yet managed to get Xiaoqing to contact her at the crucial moment—if that's not love, then she doesn't know what love is.
It can only be said that Bai Youqing was blinded by her own involvement while seeing things clearly from the sidelines. If that's the case, then why doesn't Ning Zixuan come back?
One possibility is that Teacher Xiaobai didn't die, and she happened to be someone who knew about it, so she didn't care about the funeral at all. But this possibility is basically nonexistent, since the entire city of Yeqiu witnessed the Violet Mage sacrifice herself to save Bai Youqing.
Secondly, Ning Zixuan is currently on a special mission and it is inconvenient for her to return, just like when she infiltrated the villainous witch organization last time.
If that's the case, then it's understandable.
However, this statement also hides a huge loophole, namely that Ning Zixuan was still a patient at the time, and Ye Qiu City's CCSA system could not possibly issue tasks to patients.
"Ugh!"
Hoshino Seri sighed softly. As expected, these special issues still needed to be resolved through face-to-face conversation.
She looked up at the fallen leaves gently rustling in the breeze along the forest path, and a hint of loneliness and sorrow appeared in her eyes.
To be honest, she also misses Teacher Xiaobai's unreliable, childlike personality!
Even in the final confession letter she received, Shiro-sensei didn't tell her when the other person found out she was Kikyo the Magician.
Teacher Xiaobai, you're so mean!
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