Starting with magical girls, I'll reign supreme for eternity.

Chapter 35 You Need to step up your game too (5000 words)
Susan glanced at her colleague beside her while munching on her bread, "I didn't expect it would be you who came to do the surveillance mission with me."

Peony, who had changed into casual clothes, yawned.

"There's no other way. I'm the only magical girl left idle in the Disaster Management Bureau right now. Silver Lotus has to go to class today, so I had to come. What? You're not happy with me?"

"No, it's just a bit unexpected. Isn't it Monday and you should be in class today?"

"Of course I asked for leave. The Disaster Management Bureau gave me paid leave."

Peony spoke with a smug look on her face, radiating youthful energy, like a college student.

When it's time to go to work, he looks like he's almost thirty.

Work ages you.

Susan sighed inwardly. She touched her face, realizing that she had been feeling the same way lately, always looking in the mirror every morning and wondering if she had aged a little more.

She's usually someone who absolutely doesn't accept makeup, but this morning she couldn't resist putting on some to cover up her dark circles and somewhat rough skin.

In terms of the work of the Disaster Management Bureau and the arrangements made by the Qingyun Sect, Susan's workload actually far exceeds that of Peony.

Especially recently, because of the Miracle Seed incident, he has been searching for the traitor within the Witch Society of the Disaster Management Bureau, and is also entangled with Yinluo, so he has had quite a few troublesome things.

Peony tapped Susan's head, who was lost in thought: "But you, Susan, have you been okay lately? Just looking at you makes me tired."

"It's alright." Susan finished her bread, clapped her hands, and said. She had rushed out early and hadn't eaten breakfast, so she just bought a bread to tide her over. Looking at Jiang Si, who was just leaving the house in the distance, she thought, "It'll be fine once this period of time passes."

The two chatted as they followed Jiang Si at a distance.

“Yesterday we agreed that Yinlian would be in charge of the surveillance, but you insisted on taking the job. I mean, even if we don’t get along, there’s no need to worry that Yinlian will protect members of illegal organizations, right? The captain hates the Qingyun Sect and the Witch Society to the extreme.”

“The Yinlian and Yinlu sisters made a promise to Jiang Si before,” Susan said expressionlessly. “Regardless of whether they will cover for her or not, it’s best for them to avoid any appearance of impropriety in this matter.”

She didn't know what arrangements the Qingyun Sect would make. The Bureau was investigating closely lately, so she couldn't communicate with Lord Bing Tang about information at any time.

Therefore, we should try our best to secure this job first, giving the Qingyun Sect a day to devise a countermeasure.

Based on her understanding of the Qingyun Sect, it wouldn't actually take a day.

However, having become accustomed to the efficiency of the Disaster Management Bureau, she prefers to leave herself a day to spare.

After warming up a bit, Jiang Si suddenly started jogging as she walked.

The two of them naturally quickened their pace as well.

Peony continued the previous topic in a low voice, "That's what you say... I just think you're too tired."

"It's only for one day; they'll change people tomorrow."

Susan's cold expression softened a bit because of Peony's worry. "The Disaster Management Bureau also helped me with the time off. Today counts as overtime, and I have three days off afterward."

"That's fine, that's fine."

Peony murmured, "If you have anything on your mind, tell me. Don't keep it to yourself. Ever since your seed had problems, you haven't told me anything. It really makes me sad, Susan."

Jiang Si, on the other hand, began to gradually accelerate, running faster and faster.

“There’s nothing to say.” Susan looked at Jiang Si ahead. “Even if I said something, it wouldn’t change anything.”

They were once the best comrades-in-arms.

The Disaster Management Bureau's magical girl combat team has a small number of members, with only seven magical girls since its establishment.

When Susan and Peony joined the combat team, the entire team, including Hyacinth, consisted of only four people.

On the one hand, they had to run all over Beihai to clear out the disaster beasts, and on the other hand, they had to ensure safety, so they tried to split into two teams.

Susan and Peony have been teammates since they joined the Disaster Management Bureau, and they have gone through countless fierce battles and difficulties together.

Looking back now, it seems like it happened a long time ago.

But in reality, it's only been a year or two.

"You remind me of the past, when we first met."

Jiang Si ran faster and faster, and Mudan was starting to fall behind. Her tone became a little hesitant. "Back then, you always said, 'It's not necessary,' 'There's nothing to say,' 'It's just work,' 'Don't waste your time.' You were completely unwilling to communicate with me."

Susan remained silent and took a breath.

When she first came to the Disaster Management Bureau, she only felt that Peony was a burden.

She can handle the monsters all by herself; she doesn't need teammates or help.

Ultimately, the Disaster Management Bureau already had fewer people than the Qingyun Sect, and they even had to work in groups of two. How could they possibly compete with the Qingyun Sect?

And that's indeed the case. With magical girl combat teams of two people each, let alone the monsters, even those magical girls with potential couldn't compete with the Qingyun Sect.

She has always opposed the Disaster Management Bureau's team-based operational strategy, hoping that each magical girl can act independently.

Therefore, he always ignored Mudan and often left her behind to carry out tasks alone.

Until then, Susan, who was still a novice, encountered a B-level disaster beast.

Even a B-rank monster, which would be quite troublesome for a nascent magical girl, was a terrifying monster that was almost impossible for Susan, who was just beginning to develop magical powers at that time, to defeat.

His wand was broken, his magic was almost completely drained, and after reverting to his transformed state, he faced the B-rank monster with his most vulnerable body.

The real feeling of being injured and the fear made Susan realize for the first time that she was not omnipotent as a magical girl.

It's impossible to escape danger every time.

Peony arrived at the critical moment and saved her.

Susan doesn't remember what happened after that. She was taken to the hospital because of her serious injuries, and the invasion of corrupted magic left her unconscious for a long time.

When she woke up again, she found Peony lying on the hospital bed next to her, also badly injured. When she saw that Peony was awake, she smiled foolishly at her.

Peony at that time was naive and innocent, but so dazzling that she dared not look directly at her.

After that, Susan would never leave Peony behind to carry out missions alone again.

"I thought that from that moment on, we were the best, best of friends... Ouch!"

After running for a while, Mudan finally stopped and looked at Jiang Si, who was still running wildly ahead and showed no sign of slowing down.

He bent over, hands on his knees, panting heavily, "Holy crap, is he even human?!"

Even Susan was actually sweating a little.

They were running at a pretty fast pace.

After running for almost half an hour, Jiang Si still had energy left and looked like she could even pick up speed.

"No, I need to use magic." Peony pulled out the Miracle Seed. Although she dared not transform, fearing Jiang Si would discover it, secretly using a little magic to enhance herself was no problem. "How could there be such a person..."

Susan stood beside her, pursing her lips, her gaze fixed on the miracle seed of the peony.

She can't get the seeds out here.

But Peony skillfully grabbed her hand, helping to reduce her fatigue, and the two of them ran wildly again.

They stopped for only a short while, and Jiang Si was almost out of sight.

With the help of magic, the peony finally became more at ease.

After catching up with Jiang Si and maintaining a proper distance, Peony continued the previous topic, "Ever since the seeds went bad, Susan has also seemed to have gone bad, and she doesn't tell me anything."

"I always thought we'd always be friends," Peony said, troubled. "Why did our relationship deteriorate?"

While maintaining her breathing to avoid becoming too tired, Susan gazed at Jiang Si's small figure in the distance.

Yeah, why?

We laugh and grieve with the peony, and together we overcome powerful enemies.

She also thought their friendship would last forever.

Due to an intelligence failure by the Disaster Management Bureau, they were tricked by the Witch Society, and the Miracle Seed malfunctioned, preventing them from transforming. In reality, Susan did not feel despair, nor did she quickly understand what this meant.

After leaving the front lines, I went to the Guard Department, where I could only work in the Disaster Management Bureau at first.

Day by day, the accumulation of many everyday events began to tell her what it meant to be unable to transform.

Susan gradually began to break down.

When she encountered the monsters, she could no longer transform to fight them, and could only run away like other ordinary people, waiting for the magical girl to rescue her;
Even a D-rank calamity beast that she once looked down upon could take her life;
Unable to fight alongside her teammates anymore, she could only watch from behind as her comrades battled the monsters on the front lines;
When they appear on the battlefield, they will only be a burden, and will be criticized or even despised by their former comrades.

Everything she received as a magical girl, including the attitudes of those around her, is changing.

She can no longer transform into a magical girl; things she once took for granted are no longer there, but the pity, ridicule, and sympathy she never accepted will never disappear.

Even her best friend, Peony, couldn't always be by Susan's side. They were no longer comrades; Peony had new allies, and she frequently had to go out with others to clear out the monsters, making it impossible for her to stay with Susan, who could no longer transform.

Even though Peony tried her best to maintain the friendship.

However, distance and time will always dilute many things silently, including friendships that we once thought would never change.

Seeing that there was no longer a place for her next to Peony, and seeing her former comrades chatting and laughing with other magical girls, fighting side by side, while Susan could only do insignificant logistical work in the rear, occasionally exchanging a brief greeting.

She couldn't even find meaning in living.

The sudden upheaval wouldn't drive her crazy; Susan wasn't that fragile.

It was the little things in daily life that, like waterboarding, caused her to break down in a long and arduous period of despair.

"Nothing lasts forever, not even a peony."

She responded in this way, and Jiang Si finally stopped walking.

Peony, who was holding onto Susan, stopped and let go of Susan's hand. Peony held the Miracle Seed and found that it had actually consumed a lot of magic power.

That's enough to wipe out a D-rank disaster beast.

Looking up again at Jiang Si in the distance, who was not out of breath and even doing some exercises to stretch his body, Mudan couldn't help but feel a little shocked, even though she knew he had extraordinary physical fitness.

What kind of monster is that...?

Seeing Jiang Si standing still on the street, seemingly not going to make any further moves anytime soon, Peony breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It's even more tiring than fighting the monsters.

After calming down a bit, she turned to look at Susan, whose face was also flushed and whose forehead was sweating, and handed her a wet wipe. "So, if you have something on your mind, why can't you tell me?"

Susan gazed at Jiang Si, who stood ramrod straight and motionless in the distance, like a statue, and turned her head away as she listened to Peony's words.

What should I say? Should I say I hope you can take me with you to fight? Should I say I hope you can stay and not go to the front lines? Should I say I can please stop transforming into a magical girl?
If you can't say something, in the end you'll only have nothing to say.

Some things are just not things that can be said, and her relationship with Mudan was no longer as good as it used to be.

Susan cannot accept that she cannot transform.

In order to regain the power to transform into a magical girl, she went out alone at night to find the monsters of disaster, and fought them with the seeds that no longer possessed miracles.

Faced with the despair brought by the monstrous beast, we call for a miracle with the strongest hope.

However, this time, without the power of a magical girl, miracles no longer responded to her.

The monstrous beast ravaged her body, and pain seeped from the depths of her soul, devouring her flesh and blood throughout her entire being.

She thought she was going to die, and she fully accepted her death.

The magical girl named Susan died when she lost her ability to transform.

Until, the purple-clad girl appeared.

A terrifying force engulfed the calamity beast and her, like a surging tsunami.

She was like a small boat that could capsize at any moment, struggling desperately.

Then, the purple magical girl reached out and pulled her out.

"Why don't you transform?"

Susan still remembers the scene vividly: the bright, white moonlight shone through the hazy glow of the burning purple flames, and the girl, bathed in it, stood before her, slumped on the ground, her eyes, colder and more beautiful than the moonlight, fixed on her, commanding her:
"Transformation."

Then, a miracle happened.

No, the miracle had already occurred long ago; it had already blessed her when Shion appeared before her.

And when she did as Shion said.

The withered seed of miracle was ignited.

However, he failed to transform at that time and was later taken back to Qingyun Sect by Ziyuan and given to Bingtang.

Under the guidance of Bing Tang, he gradually rediscovered his miracle seed.

It took another two days to successfully transform again.

She cried terribly that day; it was the worst she had ever cried in her life.

Those who haven't experienced it won't understand what it feels like to lose something extremely important, something even more important than life itself, and then regain it.

You can only understand those things by experiencing them yourself; no one can truly empathize with you.

Ziyuan and Lord Bingtang gave her a second life.

Especially Lady Shion.

For Susan, when the sect leader gave her a second life, she had already decided to live for the Qingyun Sect.

I keep working hard to complete my tasks and carry out my missions so that I can see Ziyuan and the sect leader again and express my feelings and gratitude.

As for the Disaster Management Bureau, she had long since become indifferent to it.

"Just do your job well. We don't get many chances to work together on missions, so don't make any mistakes."

Such a cold rejection caused Peony's eyes to dim, and she lowered her head in disappointment.

Ignoring her old friend's feelings, Susan frowned as she looked at Jiang Si, who was sitting carelessly on the curb in the distance.

The streets were getting busier. Although it was Monday, this street, located in the city's busiest area, was never short of people. The surrounding noise also helped to conceal their figures.

If it weren't for the sake of the Qingyun Sect, she wouldn't care whether this unofficial staff member was alive or dead; he deserved to be arrested by the Disaster Management Bureau.

Putting aside his bizarre physical strength, which made him neither human nor ghost, the fact that he took half of her salary while working for the Qingyun Sect, showing no spirit of dedication and treating his work at the Qingyun Sect as just a way to earn extra money, was something Susan found completely unbearable.

How could Lord Ziyuan and Lord Bingtang agree to let such a person join the Qingyun Sect? He went through countless hardships to pass the tests and was only an outer disciple, not even able to get close to the core of the Qingyun Sect.

I want to go shopping with Lady Shion...

In a moment of melancholy, the sound on the once bustling and noisy street suddenly dropped by a decibel.

Because it was so obvious, not only Susan but also Peony noticed something was wrong, so Jiang Si, who was sitting on the curb, also got up.

He was met head-on by someone dressed casually, whose expression remained cold, attracting many glances and turning heads, but only when he saw Jiang Si did he reveal a faint smile...

Aster.

Susan's eyes widened suddenly, and then she immediately turned to look at Peony.

Peony stared blankly, mouth agape, looking utterly incredulous.

Everyone knew Jiang Si might have something to do with the Qingyun Sect, but who would have thought he would actually get involved with the sect leader of the Qingyun Sect!
"This, this..." Peony stammered in surprise, "Is this Shiyuan? It's Shiyuan, right? Although she seems a bit taller, her appearance is similar to the photos in the bureau. Why is she here?"

Of course it's Lady Shion! That perfect face, those beautiful eyes—aside from being a bit taller and having a gentler temperament, there's almost no difference. How could it not be Lady Shion!

"Hey, hey, why are they arm in arm with Jiang Si? What's their relationship like? Are they a couple?"

Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could Lady Ziyuan possibly look favorably upon someone like that! He has no sense of belonging to the Qingyun Sect whatsoever, nor does he want to contribute anything; he only thinks about money. How could he possibly be qualified to stand next to Lady Ziyuan?

"Should we report this immediately? This situation seems beyond our control. If we continue to follow it and Ziyuan discovers it, it could be dangerous..."

A bewildered Peony watched the two figures preparing to leave in the distance and asked them a question, only to find her friend completely lost in thought. She then grumbled impatiently, "That wretched Shion..."

"That wretched Jiang Si!"

Peony paused, turned her head to look at her friend, and for a moment seemed to see resentment and anger in her eyes.

But soon, Susan's expression returned to its icy state, and her tone became indifferent:

"They actually dared to collude with the Qingyun Sect."

How dare they bewitch the sect leader!
"It's absolutely outrageous."

That's so enviable.

"We will absolutely not let him get away with this."

absolute!

After closing her eyes and remaining silent for a while, seemingly pondering for a long time, Susan finally made her decision only when Ziyuan and Jiang Si were almost out of sight:
"Don't report it yet. Follow the target, gather more evidence, and avoid alerting the enemy."

Peony nodded, feeling a sense of admiration.

As expected of Susan, she remained as calm as ever, and even after witnessing such a shocking scene, she was able to make a quick and correct judgment.

I need to step up my game too.

(End of this chapter)