Chapter 45: The Elder Brother's Transfer

(1/3)
Yehe City No. 1 High School Library.
After school, the vast majority of students had already gone home.
A small number of students had slipped into the library, where the lights burned brightly and they concentrated intensely on their studies and review.
Following closely behind Xia Qing, Bai Youqing felt a mixture of nervousness, excitement, and a lingering trace of doubt.
Why hadn’t Senior Han Xue come over after school?
Walking ahead, Xia Qing seemed to sense her confusion and patiently explained:
"Because of her family situation, Han Xue is different from us. She focuses primarily on her studies and treats fighting disaster beasts as secondary. She doesn't plan on being a magical girl for the long term, so she rarely comes around here normally. However, today is mainly to give you a general idea of the place, so it doesn't really matter whether Han Xue is here or not."
As she spoke, Xia Qing placed the star-shaped pendant on her wrist against a small paw print at the entrance. With a crisp "beep," a heavy alloy-like door slowly swung open.
Walking inside while giving a tour, she introduced, "The fourth floor of the library is officially designated as the Literature Department, with Teacher Chen Yuyi serving as our advisor. We usually study and hold meetings up here on the fourth floor. Of course, you don't have to worry about other students accidentally wandering in."
As the door opened, the interior scenery was revealed. Unlike the floors one through three, which were packed with row upon row of bookshelves, this place didn't look like a library at all, but rather resembled an apartment layout.
Several rooms were scattered along the corridor, each bearing a doorplate adorned with golden floral patterns.
"The rooms here are all independent. You can use them not only for training, but you're also welcome to rest and study here on a daily basis. Rooms 101 through 104 are occupied, but you can choose any of the other rooms as you please. There's no rush, though; I'll take you to look at my room first."
Opening room 102,
Soft light-blue carpeting met the eye, and a faint, delicate scent of jasmine drifted through the air. The bright moonlight streamed in through the window. The furnishings inside were sparse, consisting mostly of some fitness equipment, a large pink bed, and a massive wardrobe crammed with colorful, dazzling outfits.
Lolita dresses, anime character costumes, complete sets of magical girl cosplay attire...
However, the most eye-catching piece was a two-meter-high giant bear plush toy sitting right in the center, looking utterly endearing and adorable.
"Wow! So cute!"
"Good grief, I brought Bai Youqing here to brush up on classroom knowledge, and yet you're just showing off your giant bear plush!"
Out of the darkness, a terrifyingly cold hand accurately pinched Xia Qing’s ear.
"Ow, wrong, I was wrong! Sister Yuyi, let go, my ear is going to break! If I turn into a one-eared mouse because of this, you're taking full responsibility," Xia Qing cried out in pain.
Chen Yuyi, dressed in a light cyan dress, finally released her grip and let out a cold snort. "To the study area."
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(2/3)
The study area sounded like a rather mundane place, but upon stepping inside, one realized how terribly mistaken that assumption was.
The interior was brimming with high-tech marvels, with all sorts of flashy instruments emitting dazzling fluorescent glows. Following behind Chen Yuyi, Bai Youqing felt like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, gasping in admiration again and again.
The very first thing that caught the eye upon entering was a massive glowing orb in the center of the room. Rippling with wave after wave of golden light, the crystal-clear orb was over a dozen meters wide, floating weightlessly in mid-air as it bobbed gently up and down.
Pointing at the giant orb, Chen Yuyi introduced, "Standing within the ripples, you can unleash your magic to your heart's content against the magic crystal—which is this glass sphere right here. It can analyze the damage and destructive power of your attacks, as well as pinpoint the areas where you need improvement.
Moreover, no matter what you do while staying inside this room, not a single sound can be heard from the outside. In addition, your perception of magical power here will be several times stronger than it is outside."
"Alright, now I will begin the first lesson on being a magical girl. To learn magic, you must first be able to sense magical power." Chen Yuyi extended a single finger and sliced it gently through the air, leaving a brilliant trail of colored light that slowly dissipated. "Magical power is the most fundamental element, and it can be converted into light."
Then, she opened her palm, summoning a flickering flame, "It can become fire."
"It can transform into water, condense into wood, synthesize metal, and gather into earth..." Chen Yuyi’s wrists turned gracefully as various attributes of magic danced at her fingertips, flashing in a myriad of colors—a truly dazzling sight.
"Wow, that's amazing... But why can only ordinary magical beams come out when we cast spells?" Bai Youqing asked with genuine wonder and admiration.
"Because you are still novices. Once you finish the beginner magical girl course and move on to the intermediate magical girl curriculum, you'll be able to access those."
Chen Yuyi’s lips curved into a slight smirk before she glanced at Xia Qing, wearing an expression that seemed to say *some people are simply beyond hope*.
"Hey, hey, Sister Yuyi, you can't just find a new favorite and forget your old flame! Clearly, I used to be your precious little sweetheart."
"Tsk tsk tsk."
"Eh? I think I'm starting to understand. My next task is to train my ability to control magical power, right?" Bai Youqing asked.
"Not entirely a fool," Chen Yuyi nodded. "Controlling magical power is as simple as it is difficult. Whenever you have free time in the future, you can often come here to train."
"Mm, got it," Bai Youqing nodded obediently.
"Alright, now that you've toured the magical girl secret base, it's time to go meet our vice-captain."
"Vice-captain? Has she arrived in Yehe City?"
"Well, you'll have to ask Bai Youqing about that. She was the one who rescued her at the Wan Cheng District Park."
"Ah, then she must be really strong! When we were passing by earlier, we ran into a boss-tier evil witch who looked like a drowned rat—not a single patch of her body was intact, and her magical vestments were completely shredded to pieces."
"Really!? Then why didn't you mention it earlier?"
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(3/3)
Chen Yuyi was startled for a moment; she had never heard about this incident before.
"I was too worried about Bai Youqing's safety, so it completely slipped my mind."
"Hmph, I'll settle accounts with you girl later. By the way, where is Han Xue?"
At the mention of Han Xue, Xia Qing’s expression drooped instantly, resembling a frost-bitten eggplant.
"Sigh, the last time I dragged Han Xue along to perform on stage and earned five thousand yuan, I originally thought her mother would be thrilled. Instead, it ended up getting Han Xue another beating when she went home. Her mother claimed she was neglecting her proper pursuits for idle amusements, and now she demands that Han Xue return home by a strict curfew every single night after school. If she's late, she gets beaten."
Hearing this, Chen Yuyi fell silent. "Then why haven't I heard her mention this?"
"Han Xue doesn't want others meddling in her family affairs. Her mother actually cares deeply for Han Xue and gives her what she believes is the absolute best.
It's just that her desire for control is suffocatingly intense; she refuses to let Han Xue do anything she deems unconventional, making this maternal love appear overwhelmingly heavy and distorted."
"I can understand a mother's well-intentioned devotion to her children, but this can't go on. Who is your homeroom teacher?"
"Teacher Zhang Qiang, though it seems something happened in his family, so next semester we might get Teacher Bai Yuze instead—who happens to be Bai Youqing's older brother."
As she explained, Xia Qing cast a look filled with lingering grievance toward Bai Youqing.
"Mm, I see."
Chen Yuyi nodded and said nothing more.
Standing to the side, Bai Youqing listened quietly. It was only now that she understood what kind of family environment Senior Han Xue had grown up in.
No wonder Senior Han Xue always maintained such a cold and aloof exterior, yet possessed a warm heart beneath it all.
However, the more she listened, the stranger it sounded. Her brother was going to transfer to become the homeroom teacher of Class 2-D next semester?
Didn't her brother say before that he had been praised by the leadership and was about to receive a major promotion?
Why, on the contrary, was he being transferred from a key class to an ordinary class instead?
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