Magical Girl Heavy Dependence

When Cheng Chen visited Yan Xi's house last time, he saw a school uniform in her room.

The navy blue color isn't particularly eye-catching, but its advantage lies in its loose fit, making it easy to move around in. Apart from the white stripes on the shoulders and sleeves, it doesn't have many decorations, so it's perfectly fine to wear it as sportswear on a regular basis.

He was very familiar with this color; after all, he had worn the same style for three years.

Driving from Tian'e District, where Yinfu Entertainment Company is located, to Baihu District, the ginkgo trees on both sides of the street have become thick and lush.

Walking through familiar streets shaded by trees, Cheng Chen returned to his alma mater.

The wall is more dilapidated than it was six years ago when he was there. Ivy and ornamental trees obscure the view inside the fence, but the teaching building peeking out from the bushes and the gilded proverb on the wall remain unchanged.

Turn the corner, and the gate will appear before you.

The iron gate at the entrance has been renovated and now features a large white granite slab as decoration, with the school's name engraved amidst the lush flowerbeds.

—Yincheng Comprehensive Seventh Advanced Joint College.

College is a four-year educational stage that is above high school and below university.

On the surface, this educational system is mainly used to cultivate students' independence and social experience, allowing them to break away from the past exam-oriented education in order to embrace a freer and more complex university life.

In reality, it's a form of isolation for magical girls—graduating from the academy coincides with the end of their magical girl career, at the age of 22.

There are no restrictions on the use of magic, and most magical girls use magic to create conveniences for themselves in their daily lives.

Ignoring suggestions, rationalizing suggestions, deceptive suggestions, hypnosis, mind manipulation... In the end, the majority of people in this world are ordinary people, and ordinary people do not limit the abilities of magical girls.

Therefore, the only option is to delay until their careers end and they return to an ordinary life.

As for the results... opinions vary.

In Cheng Chen's view, the essence behind this arrangement is people's fear of "outcasts".

No matter how much magical girls protect the world, they will still be objects of fear.

……

The college has a very free atmosphere. There are very few classes on campus, usually only one morning. The rest of the time, students are encouraged to go out and work to participate in social practice or attend skills training.

The public college is very large, with nearly 50,000 students across all four grades, bringing together almost all the students from the Baihu District of Yincheng.

The gathering is for centralized protection. Beneath the unremarkable buildings of the academy, there are numerous safe houses that can provide shelter for teachers and students in the event of extraordinary combat.

Because the construction and maintenance costs of these safe houses are extremely high, only a very small number of public facilities with high population density are equipped with them. As a result, the total number of academies in Yincheng is not very large, with only one or two in each district.

The chances of meeting a local on the street and discovering during a casual chat that you two are alumni are quite high.

There were yellow lines indicating no parking at the school gate, and since Cheng Chen couldn't find a parking space, he simply went straight to the main gate.

"Hello!"

Stopping in front of the access control, Cheng Chen leaned half his body out and shouted towards the guard post.

A security guard quickly emerged from the guard post, and said in a stern, businesslike manner, "Hello, private vehicles are not allowed here."

"I'm Teacher Yan's nephew, Teacher Zhong Wenge. I'm here to deliver his lesson plans. He forgot to bring them to his house last night. I'll be out soon," Cheng Chen said without batting an eye.

"Vice Principal Yan?"

The security guard looked puzzled. "Does the vice principal still teach? Let me ask him."

Wow, Old Deng has been promoted to vice principal! He's doing pretty well!

Cheng Chen clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers lightly the moment the security guard turned around, casting a spell of suggestion on him.

The latter's eyes cleared instantly: "Okay, the vice principal said it's no problem, please come in."

The Qimingxing X7 successfully entered the campus.

The entire playground has been completely renovated, and several new buildings have been added not far from the old teaching building. The campus is full of shady trees, and there are a few students exercising on the spacious playground. They can't help but take a second look at the eye-catching red sports car.

Cheng Chen parked in a random spot in the parking lot next to the playground and made his way to the administration building with practiced ease.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar scene, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

These are all places where he and Jiang Fei fought (physical) battles.

"Hey you, stop right there."

As I reminisced about the past, a stern voice suddenly came from behind me.

A middle-aged man with slicked-back gray hair and gold-rimmed glasses strode up to Cheng Chen: "I've never seen you before. Which class are you a new teacher in?"

"Old Deng, how can you not recognize me?"

Cheng Chen turned around and smiled brightly.

The middle-aged man's round, small eyes widened, and he pointed a finger: "Oh, me, Xiao Deng!"

The two opened their arms and embraced each other warmly.

The uncle is Zhong Wenge, Cheng Chen's former homeroom teacher.

Because he was an orphan after transmigrating, Zhong Wenge took good care of him when he was in school, and their relationship was closer than that of a typical teacher and student.

"Why are you back? Weren't you still studying in Qiongcheng? Have you graduated?"

Zhong Wenge warmly put his arm around his shoulder and led him to his office.

"I plan to pursue a research career in the future, but I haven't graduated yet. I came back this time for an overseas internship and to look for a job, so I didn't have time to come see you."

While reminiscing, Cheng Chen secretly cast a suggestive spell on his mentor.

"That's great!" Old Deng, having been hinted at, said exactly as he'd hoped, "Our school is hiring teachers, why don't you come back and teach?"

"How could I possibly accept this?"

"Why are you being so polite with me?!"

"Then I'll be an external consultant teacher and manage the students' extracurricular activities," Cheng Chen said casually.

Consultant teachers are the common competition training advisors, who are nominal teachers who are specifically responsible for organizing a small group of students from the college to participate in international competitions.

The student clubs at Yincheng School are all of this type, categorized by competition events, and only students with exceptional talent in a particular area are eligible to join. For example, there are science clubs like the Math Olympiad Club and the Robotics Club, art clubs like the Orchestra Club and the Piano Club, and sports clubs like the Volleyball Club and the Basketball Club.

He was only there to catch his own trainee who had run away from home; he had no intention of actually becoming a teacher and ruining the lives of good students who loved learning. He just wanted to use a random identity to move around the academy freely.

"Okay, then you can go to the 'Love Research Club'. It just so happens that the club is short of an instructor."

Zhong Wenge waved his hand and finalized Cheng Chen's position.

Cheng Chen: ?

What the heck is the Love Research Club?

But Zhong Wenge didn't explain it to him, as if he should know it perfectly well.

Cheng Chen took a deep breath and increased his magical output.

An invisible wave of magic swept across Zhong Wenge's entire body. He discovered ten magical marks on his mentor, Old Deng, in shades of cyan, blue, red, and white... "Damn it, you magical girls, you're trying to sabotage your teacher, aren't you?!"

After all, the vast majority of magical girls are students, and the teachers at the academy are the first to suffer.

It implies magic, but it's not his exclusive skill.

Of course, he had no right to criticize those magical girls he had never met; he had done his share of giving hints to his mentor back then.

For a moment, Cheng Chen felt a little sorry for Zhong Wenge's expression. Wouldn't all those suggestive spells ruin Old Deng's brain?

"Huh? Xiao Deng, what kind of look is that?"

Zhong Wenge's keen senses, honed by years of teaching experience, suddenly made him look up.

"It's alright, Lao Deng, do me another favor. Find out which class a student named Yan Xi is in at the academy. I think she would be a good fit for the Love Research Club."

Cheng Chen withdrew the part about helping others and continued speaking along the implied logic.

"Yan Xi? Wait a minute." Zhong Wenge searched on the computer, "Class 12, Grade 1, you know the homeroom teacher, Wang Chunhua, she taught you economics back then."

"Alright."

Cheng Chen patted his behind, got up and left, saying, "Old Deng, you're busy. I'll go take a look around by myself."

Zhong Wenge stopped him: "Wait a minute, you're still so impatient."

Cheng Chen stopped at the door and turned to look at him.

Zhong Wenge casually finished his work, clapped his hands, stood up from his chair, and put his arm around his shoulder: "Come home with me tonight, we can have a few drinks together!"

Cheng Chen's eyes lit up and she immediately broke into a bright smile.

"Alright, let me try your cooking and see if it's gotten worse."

Zhong Wenge nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand: "Go."

"Alright, Old Deng, don't slack off at work."

Cheng Chen lazily got up and walked outside.

At that moment, the office door was pushed open from the outside.

"Dad, I..."

The sound stopped abruptly.

Upon looking up, there stood a tall girl wearing black-rimmed glasses by the door.

"!"

Cheng Chen saw a fleeting look of fear on her face.

"Oh, Xiao Ai, thank you for your help." Zhong Wenge looked up, completely oblivious. "Put the file folder in its usual spot. You should go back to class soon."

The girl nodded slightly and walked past Cheng Chen.

Only after putting down the documents in his hand did he gently open his lips and say, "Dad, who is this...?"

"Don't you remember?" Zhong Wenge said with a smile, "It's Cheng Chen, my former student. She used to come to our house for meals often and even helped you with your homework. Don't you remember?"

Cheng Chen turned around and leaned against the doorway: "How old was Xiao Ai back then? It's normal that she doesn't remember."

After he finished speaking, both Zhong Wenge and he laughed at the same time.

Zhong Ai stood to the side, her expression hidden behind thick glasses.

Cheng Chen waved to her, smiling warmly with her eyes narrowed.

He could smell the scent of a magical girl on the girl.

……