Chương 150: A Friendly Offensive from the Inspector

Xingxian's silver-gray eyes, which had seemed cold and sharp just a few minutes ago, now curved into beautiful crescents because of her bright smile, her eyes sparkling with undisguised expectation and sincere light.

She grasped Ji Ying's hand in return, her grip light yet conveying an undeniable intimacy that drew them even closer.

"Not just as a trustworthy companion, but as—a closer and more intimate friend."

Warm breaths, accompanied by a refreshing fragrance, gently brushed against Ji Ying's cheek, causing her heart to skip a beat uncontrollably.

She instinctively wanted to pull her hand away from the other person's soft, warm palm. This sudden, overly intimate physical contact with the strange girl made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

However, Xingxian seemed to have sensed her intention, and with a slight increase in pressure, he gripped her hand even tighter.

This action silently declared the failure of Ji Ying's small act of "resistance".

As that exquisite and beautiful face grew larger and larger in front of him, and the distance between them was so close that their noses almost touched, Ji Ying finally lost his composure.

She quickly leaned back, trying to create some distance, and asked somewhat flusteredly, "Um—Miss Xingxian, what did you mean by what you just said? What do you mean by—even closer friends?"

Seeing Ji Ying's clearly startled expression, Xing Xian looked slightly puzzled. She tilted her head slightly, her bright eyes fixed on her, and answered matter-of-factly, "It means exactly what it says. I want to become better friends with you, Ji Ying, I want to be closer to you, I want to understand you better—that shouldn't be too hard to understand, right?"

"But, but—" Upon hearing this, Ji Ying's confusion deepened. She tried hard to find even a trace of a joke in the other person's sincere eyes, but all she saw was earnestness and expectation.

She retorted somewhat hesitantly, "Haven't we only known each other for a few hours?"

"Besides, we even had a fight when we first met. Isn't this kind of rapid development a bit too fast?"

"It might be a bit fast for most people." Xingxian's eyes remained sincerely fixed on the girl beside her.

"But Jiying, you and them—and everyone I've ever met before—are different."

She paused, her voice softening and becoming serious as she explained her sudden closeness: "You possess such unique abilities and an identity that, in my opinion, you might truly become a key asset in our fight against those powerful enemies in the Void Realm in the future."

"As an inspector of the magic kingdom, maintaining a friendly and close relationship with someone as special as you, and even recruiting you as a reliable ally, is an inherent requirement of my duty."

"Not to mention, you could have easily crippled me, or even killed me, but you ultimately chose to spare my life."

"And after that, you were still willing to share so much important information about Mirror Lord and the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs with me, and even when I was deeply remorseful for my mistakes, you patiently guided and comforted me."

"All of this makes me feel that you are a very, very special person, and—absolutely trustworthy."

.

"To be honest, I rarely feel such a strong sense of trust and closeness to someone I've just met. Perhaps it's just because I can sense a unique kind of sincerity in you."

Xingxian looked into Jiying's dark red eyes, which were slightly dazed by her words, and her smile deepened. Her tone became even gentler and more sincere: "Moreover, to be able to meet someone as powerful as you, someone whose stance might be aligned with ours as magical girls," and to have the opportunity to become a true friend—"

"For me, this is a very lucky and happy thing, and I don't want to miss this precious opportunity because of unnecessary restraint and pointless hesitation."

"so--" She gently shook their tightly clasped hands, her bright eyes filled with sincere expectation, and said, word by word, "Jiying, let's become true best friends—is that alright?"

As she spoke, she unconsciously moved her already close body even closer to Ji Ying, the distance between them almost becoming intimate.

Faced with Xingxian's heartfelt declaration of friendship, which was almost a direct confession, and the increasingly close, faintly fragrant breath, Jiying felt her mind go blank once again.

She could clearly feel the irresistible "attraction" emanating from those beautiful eyes, so close to her, sparkling with anticipation.

—If this continues—I might really be "eaten up" by her!

A single thought rang frantically in her mind like an alarm bell.

Faced with an overwhelming sense of crisis, almost out of a survival instinct, she hurriedly agreed, "Okay, okay! I promise you! We're friends now! So—could you let go of my hand first, and we can talk slowly? You don't have to stand so close—" When Xingxian heard Jiying finally agree, her bright eyes instantly shone with a star-like brilliance, and her smile became even more radiant and cheerful.

Taking advantage of the moment when she loosened her grip slightly in joy, Ji Ying swiftly pulled his hand back from her grasp like a startled rabbit.

Immediately, as if afraid that the other party would use the same trick again, she quickly moved her body to the other end of the bench.

She had almost completely settled herself on the very edge of the bench, placing herself in a corner with "nowhere to retreat," while keeping a close watch on Xingxian not far away with a highly vigilant gaze.

No! We absolutely cannot let her get any closer!

Jiying screamed wildly in his heart.

Her internal energy is almost completely depleted, leaving her utterly defenseless. If Xingxian were truly possessed by Su Yuqing and suddenly transformed into a pervert, pinning her down— She seems to have absolutely no effective means of resistance!

As for the option to deactivate the transformation and revert to the original form — She only pondered the possibility for a moment before shivering uncontrollably and immediately banishing the terrifying thought from her mind.

Ji Ying had no doubt that, given the decisiveness and ruthlessness this patrol officer had displayed in the battle, and the almost overflowing "affection" in her eyes as she looked at him now— Once she discovers that she has been emotionally deceived by a man in this way, and falls into a state of shame, anger, and rage—she might not be able to leave this place standing up today.

Xingxian couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at Jiying's adorable, wary little animal-like expression.

She didn't lean any closer or try to grab Ji Ying's hand again to prevent her from escaping. Instead, she leaned back slightly on the back of the bench and stretched gracefully.

As the well-fitting light purple combat suit accentuated her beautiful and exquisite body curves, Xingxian let out a soft hum from her throat, carrying a hint of laziness and satisfaction.

The aura that belonged to the inspector seemed to completely dissipate at this moment, replaced by a more relaxed and casual girlish demeanor.

Looking at Xingxian's drastically different appearance, almost like two different people, Jiying's vigilance remained, but he was more puzzled and confused.

She couldn't help but ask, "Um—Miss Xingxian, the way you were so serious just now is so different from how you are now. Are you sure—you're alright?"

"Oh dear, you noticed?" Xingxian smiled mischievously at Jiying's question, winking playfully.

"Sorry, sorry, did I scare you just now?"

"How should I put it—you can think of my cold, serious demeanor just now as my work style."

"As an inspector of the magic kingdom, I must always be highly vigilant and focused when facing unknown enemies and dealing with those tricky tasks, and I cannot relax in the slightest."

"In that state, I do seem—well, a bit unapproachable and a bit cold-hearted."

.

"However, once I confirm that the other party is not an enemy, or that the task at hand has come to an end, I will habitually immediately break out of that highly tense state and let myself relax completely.""

"After all, whether it's constantly thinking about how to slack off at work or having to keep thinking about those annoying tasks during precious rest time, it's a very inefficient behavior in my opinion."

""

"Since you've decided to relax, then of course you should fully immerse yourself in it and use the highest efficiency to restore your energy and good mood, right?"

Xingxian's face lit up with a bright smile again, her tone becoming more intimate and casual: "So, the person in front of you right now is, in what could be considered 'non-working mode,' so you can relax a bit and not be so tense, always treating me like that stern inspector."

Looking at the other person's casual demeanor, as if they had instantly and completely shed their meticulous "workaholic" mode, Ji Ying recalled the rather "girlish" phone they had used when exchanging contact information earlier— Immediately, I had some vague guesses about her behavior patterns that were so different before and after, as well as her true personality.

She tried to ask cautiously, in a tone that was as unpretentious as possible, "Um—Miss Xingxian, if I'm not mistaken, you're not that old, are you?"

"Of course, if you feel it's inconvenient to answer this question, that's fine too."

Xingxian was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then a brighter smile appeared on her face.

She nodded without hesitation and replied in a relaxed tone, "Yes, that's right. I've only been in my first year of high school for a short while now."

"Just now—up to the first year of high school?!"

Despite having suspected it beforehand, Ji Ying was still quite surprised when she heard Xing Xian admit it so frankly.

This inspector's style of doing things looks so sophisticated and mature, and he even demonstrates a level of strength far exceeding that of an ordinary Crescent-class inspector in battle.

His actual age was—just a child who had just finished compulsory education and hadn't grown up yet.

What was the source of her maturity and composure far beyond her years, as well as her powerful aura as an inspector?

Considering what she said before about the "work mode" that requires constant high alertness and focus, and the habit of immediately switching to "relaxation mode" once safety is confirmed— Suddenly, a feeling of indescribable pity and heartache welled up in Ji Ying's heart for the seemingly powerful and perfect girl in front of him.

The somewhat abrupt and starkly contrasting "mode switching" she displayed before was probably a self-protective and regulatory habit that she unconsciously developed due to the pressure and responsibility she had been bearing for a long time, far beyond her age.

While Jiying was still shocked and heartbroken by Xingxian's true age, pondering these complicated matters, Xingxian had already subtly moved closer to her.

She tilted her head slightly and asked in a curious tone, "So, what about you, Jiying? Are you a middle school student?"

"Now that I've told you I'm a first-year high school student, it shouldn't be too much to ask you to tell me something about yourself, right?"

She paused, then leaned forward slightly, almost pressing her cheek against Ji Ying's ear, and whispered in a sweet, seductive voice, "To be honest, Ji Ying, I'm—very, very curious about everything about you right now~" Ji Ying was startled by Xing Xian's sudden question and his approaching movement, instantly snapping him out of his chaotic thoughts.

When she clearly heard Xingxian's guess about the "junior high school student"—she felt her temples throbbing.

She knew, of course, that the reason the other party thought she was a junior high school student was definitely not because her previous statement that she had "maintained contact with my business partner for quite some time" was not convincing enough.

Rather, it's because, in the other person's eyes, given her current petite appearance, she could never possibly be someone older than her.

Facing Xingxian's soft, faintly fragrant body gradually leaning towards him, facing her beautiful, large eyes sparkling with pure curiosity and anticipation— After a prolonged internal struggle filled with grief, anger, and despair, Ji Ying finally— He nodded slightly, as if utterly despondent.