Magical Girl Heavy Dependence

Zhong Ai collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

An indescribable sense of unease lingered, and she knew better than anyone what the source of this unease was.

So she suddenly sat up, rushed to the bookshelf, and frantically searched for the books.

Until they dug out a diary long forgotten by time from the very bottom.

He patted the dusty cover, turned the pages, and found the crooked handwriting and scribbling so illegible that even the owner himself could no longer make them out.

[At breakfast, my brother said that if I finished my broccoli, he would take me to the park to play with the dogs in the afternoon. Broccoli is awful, I hate broccoli!]

[I broke my piggy bank, and my brother gave me a disgusted look as he cleaned it up. But then he went out and bought me a new one in the afternoon… But where did all the change go?]

[I tripped and fell on the steps, and my brother laughed loudly when I cried. He laughs every time I cry; he's such a jerk! I'll never cry again.]

My brother said I could eat two ice creams without telling Dad.

My brother brought me comic books!

[My brother looks so scary when he's angry, sob >v<]

[If only my brother were my brother.]

"……Fool."

Too embarrassed to read any further, Zhong Ai closed her diary.

The words were filled with a clear sense of stupidity. What on earth had gotten into him to think of finding this thing?

This is what they call a "dark history," right?

Zhong Ai let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the bed again like a deflated balloon.

I didn't realize I wrote so much about him when I was a child...

She turned her head somewhat irritably, and her gaze fell on the rabbit doll that Cheng Chen had given her.

"What the hell did you come back for?! You idiot, you idiot!"

While squeezing the rabbit's two ears, he couldn't help but complain.

His past memories are long gone; the little girl who used to follow him around calling "Brother, Brother," and who would get happy or angry at his every word, is long dead.

Now she is the magical girl Azumi, and all she needs to look to is the future.

"I won't fall for that."

Zhong Ai picked up the rabbit ears, intending to throw the doll away.

"..."

But he couldn't muster any strength in his arms, and he couldn't move his body at all.

What value does a "gift" that is bought casually and without any care have?

She sighed again, resignedly got up, and began tidying up the now messy room. The diary and the rabbit doll were stuffed into a box and buried deep within a pile of toys and odds and ends.

But there are countless rabbit plush toys on the bedside table.

"Nothing new. Do you think I'm a child?"

He muttered something under his breath.

She slammed the wardrobe door shut, trying to shake off the inexplicable emotions swirling in her mind.

On one hand, there was Jingwei's piercing warning, and on the other hand, there was the argument with her father in the living room.

No matter how much a demon tries to disguise himself, he can't hide the cold-bloodedness in his bones.

Jingwei's words echoed like a curse.

He has been gone for six years.

I've gone from a silly little girl with pigtails and a snotty nose to who I am today, but in all that time, I've never received a single call or greeting from him.

How is he doing? How's university life? Is he happy every day?

If... if you're usually too busy to send me a birthday greeting, that's fine too.

The rabbit doll, which should have been hidden away, somehow ended up back in Zhong Ai's hands. The girl's slender, pale fingers unconsciously kneaded the rabbit's ears as she stared blankly into space.

"You've come back now only because I'm of use to you?"

Zhong Ai asked the rabbit doll in a low voice.

After pondering for a long time in the dimly lit room, she slowly opened her five fingers. A clear blue magical light meandered and coiled along her fair arm, flowing and gathering in her palm, eventually transforming into a lifelike little bird that illuminated the surroundings.

After a long pause, she spread her five fingers, and a stream of blue magical light flowed along her fair arms and into her palm, forming the shape of a small bird that illuminated the surroundings.

The little bird tilted its head dramatically, glancing at her sideways, its beak opening and closing as it uttered a melodious song.

"...I agree." Zhong Ai said to the little bird, "I will help you investigate information about 'Demon Lord'. In exchange, I want the magic wand treasured by Nightingale's House, Nightingale's Whisper."

Jingwei once mentioned to her in a casual conversation that the great seal creator, "Magical Girl Carnival," split her magic wand into three parts before her death, and gave them to the three great kingdoms respectively.

The Nightingale's Song is the part kept in the Nightingale's House, from which the latter derives its name.

It can be said that this broken wand is the undisputed national treasure of the Nightingale's House. With such an outrageous demand, Zhong Ai was actually secretly hoping that the other party would refuse.

The result was completely different from what I had imagined.

"Okay, I agree."

The little blue bird made the sound of Jingwei.

"etc……!"

Before she could change her mind, the light in the bird's eyes dimmed, and it transformed back into a pet woven from magic.

Zhong Ai felt as if all her strength had been drained away in an instant. She buried her face in the belly of the rabbit doll and muttered to herself.

"What am I doing?"

jingle.

The phone screen lit up briefly.

[Jingwei: After getting close to the 'Evil Lord,' you can ask him to investigate an organization called 'Ink Cat Residence.' I'll arrange the follow-up... Keep in touch.]

Zhong Ai stared blankly at the few lines of cold text on the screen, lost in thought.

It wasn't until the little blue bird on my fingertip chirped a reminder that I suddenly realized what it meant.

[Azure: I understand.]

Reply by typing, and use your favorite emojis as naturally as possible.

"call."

She tossed her phone aside, closed her eyes, clutched her wildly beating chest, and muttered something under her breath.

"I just don't want to be like my dad and do nothing, that's all."

……

The next morning.

"Sign here. Make two copies of the contract, and remember to keep them safe."

In the conference room of Yinfu Entertainment, Jiang Fei sat across the table, smiling as she guided Zhong Ai in signing the idol artist contract, while explaining some important contract terms.

She insisted on doing the simple task herself, even though it could have been handled by HR. I wonder what her motives were.

"Welcome to Yinfu Entertainment. From today onwards, you're a member of this big family. Let's get along well, Cang Qing." The female CEO smiled radiantly, her enthusiasm bordering on dangerous.

Zhong Ai shrugged uncomfortably and subconsciously turned her head, so Cheng Chen stepped forward and took the contract.

"After you sign, I'll show you around the company. Relax with me here."

Seeing the familiar profile made her feel a little more at ease. She wrote her name in several signature areas and used her unique magical aura to authenticate it.

Jiang Fei interjected at the opportune moment, "I'll join you too," and naturally stood up.

Cheng Chen looked at her and said, "No need, you go ahead and do your work."

Jiang Fei's expression immediately fell.

Cheng Chen led his newly recruited trainees out of the conference room.

"Let me take you downstairs to see your future private practice room first. As for the specific debut plans and daily work, we'll talk about them in detail later." He walked ahead, "Did you argue with your dad last night?"

Zhong Ai was taken aback, and coldly retorted, "How did you know, brother?"

His voice was gentle and steady. "Now at the company, you have to call me producer."

Cheng Chen stopped and smiled at her. "Because you rejected me without a second thought last night, but changed your mind this morning. Apart from arguing with you, I can't think of any other reason for your sudden change of mind."

Zhong Ai's thoughts were exposed, and she subconsciously lowered her head, afraid that her expression would give him away. "I have my own goals, and I have things I have to do." She deliberately made herself seem nonchalant. "Brother, you're right. He can't help me at all; he'll only be an obstacle to me."

Cheng Chen declined to comment.

Whether it's a rebellious phase or just a fit of pique, as an outsider, he has no right to offer guidance or comfort, even if doing so would benefit him.

"As I said yesterday, we have a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship."

Zhong Ai stopped half a step behind: "So, producer, what can I do for you regarding Yan Xi?"

……