Chương 203: "War" and Warmth on the Way Home

The wind whistled past my ears, carrying the damp smell unique to rain.

On the ground, the city lights and building outlines receded rapidly in the field of vision, eventually merging into a blurry yet dazzling patch of color under the night sky.

For Xingxian, a senior inspector of the magic kingdom, this kind of high-speed flight should have been commonplace, even to the point of being somewhat tedious.

However, at this moment, her feelings were more complicated than ever before.

Because she was being forcibly "kidnapped" in the air by a junior who was merely at the Stardust level, in an extremely embarrassing princess carry.

This feeling was strange, embarrassing, but also—exceptionally novel.

Before this, she had never been carried like this by any companion, not even her beloved senior, Xing Shuang.

In any squad, she usually plays the role of a reliable leader and a powerful core combat force. Never before has she been so weak that she cannot even fly on her own and needs to be "carried" by her comrades in this way.

Despite feeling resentful and ashamed, Xingxian instinctively curled up, trying not to move and reducing the burden of Yinxue carrying her while flying.

This is a professional quality she has cultivated over a long period of time as a patrol officer—to avoid becoming a burden to her companions at any time or place.

In Yin Xue's warm yet incredibly awkward embrace, she silently gazed at his focused and exquisite profile, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

She never imagined that so many unexpected things would happen after she arrived in this city. From her chance encounter with Xiaoying, to her defeat in Jingjue's trap, and now—the absurd scene she was experiencing.

If someone had told her yesterday that they would be forced to go to her house by a Stardust-level junior, and that they would be "kidnapped" there in a princess carry, she would probably have thought without hesitation that the person had lost their mind.

However, this absurd scene did indeed happen.

And the root of all this comes from the strange magical girl who is holding him.

When ordinary Stardust-level juniors meet him as an inspector, they invariably show the proper awe and respect.

Although she couldn't say she particularly liked that distant feeling, she had gotten used to it over time and even subconsciously believed that it was the "correct" way to get along.

However, this girl named Yin Xue completely ignored her authority as a senior and the power of an inspector during their time together.

She would argue fiercely with herself because of differing ideologies, be hostile towards herself in order to protect her companions, pick herself up without hesitation, and extend that seemingly rude invitation to work together without regard for the exposure of her true identity.

What a strange guy.

Despite caring so much about Xiaoying, even considering me a "love rival," he was willing to lend a helping hand when I was at my weakest. Although he said all sorts of disdainful and dissatisfied things, his actions clearly showed his concern.

It was as if she completely ignored the halo that came with her identity as an "inspector," "genius," and "senior."

In her eyes, she was perhaps just a peer who needed to be taken care of and was a bit of a trouble, nothing more.

Xingxian suddenly felt that the girl who was hugging him was a little too straightforward. All her emotions were clearly written on her face, like an open book that could be seen through at a glance.

She also had to admit that Yin Xue's straightforward, lively, and even slightly rascal personality was indeed "cute," a quality she herself did not possess, which allowed her to easily bridge the gap with others.

Compared to her, the way I usually act is perhaps—indeed, somewhat boring and unapproachable. Is that why Xiaoying chose her instead of me?

No! This shouldn't be happening!

A defiant flame reignited in Xingxian's silver-gray eyes.

She knew very well that she also had her own unique strengths, and what she needed to do next was to let Xiaoying understand her charm so that she would willingly side with her in her future choices!

And—what do you mean by not having inappropriate thoughts about Xiaoying? Xiaoying isn't your property! I just—I just want to become closer friends with her!

Well, I just want to be friends—that's all.

Xingxian silently added a sentence in her heart, but even she felt a little guilty.

Seemingly noticing Xingxian's burning gaze, Yinxue turned her head uncomfortably and asked irritably, "What are you looking at? Is my face that good-looking?"

Upon hearing this, Xingxian immediately composed herself, regaining her calm and collected demeanor, and replied indifferently, "Hmm—in terms of appearance, perhaps similar to mine."

Then, as if she had thought of something interesting, she glanced meaningfully over Yin Xue's chest, and even deliberately puffed out her chest, which, although covered by the combat suit, was still quite curvaceous, and revealed a proud smile.

"However—in some areas, you might be more than a little bit behind me."

"You—you care about that a lot, don't you?"

"Who cares?! I don't care at all!"

Xingxian's provocative words instantly struck Yinxue's most sensitive spot, causing her cheeks to flush red and even making her stutter.

However, her voice, which was clearly eight octaves higher than usual, along with her flustered eyes and a fleeting expression of shame and indignation, had already completely betrayed her true thoughts.

Seeing Yin Xue's blustering yet cowardly demeanor, Xing Xian pressed her advantage, teasing, "Oh? Is that so? Didn't someone confidently say before that Xiao Ying prefers your type?"

"However, judging from your current reaction, the truth seems to be—not quite like that, is it?"

"Do you think... my figure might be more pleasing to her?"

"Ugh—you—shameless woman!"

Yin Xue was so angry at Xing Xian's words that she gritted her teeth. She wanted to retort loudly, but in the face of the absolute difference in "hardware", any words seemed so pale and powerless.

Enraged, she decided to take action to get back at him.

"Hold on tight!"

Yin Xuejiao shouted, and the originally steady flight trajectory suddenly became completely erratic.

She would sometimes rise rapidly, sometimes swoop suddenly, and sometimes perform various difficult rolls and sharp turns in the air, trying to tease Xingxian in her arms in this way, hoping to see her scream in fright and thus win back some ground.

However, to her surprise, even though she made such a violent maneuver, Xingxian in her arms remained calm and expressionless, simply watching her with a slightly bored look.

After Yin Xue completed another difficult aerial maneuver, Xing Xian finally spoke, offering a professional critique of Yin Xue's flying skills: "Too slow. Your maximum speed is probably less than a third of my normal speed."

"Furthermore, the movement to change direction is not quick enough, and the energy control when turning is also somewhat rough, resulting in a lot of unnecessary magic power being wasted."

"Flight training is one of the compulsory courses for magical girls. If I were your examiner, your performance just now—" I'm afraid I'll only get a failing grade.

"you--!"

Xingxian's comments were all incredibly accurate and hit the nail on the head, leaving Yinxue, who had originally wanted to see the other party make a fool of himself, speechless and pouting with resentment.

Xingxian's smile deepened as she looked at Yinxue: "So, if you're trying to scare me like this, forget it. For a magical girl like me with so much flying experience, your little prank is nothing."'

Ah!"

Xingxian's confident declaration came to an abrupt end the next moment, replaced by a short scream.

Because, just as she was giving her professional critique, Yin Xue, who was holding her, suddenly revealed a sly smile on her face, and then—without warning, she let go of her hands!

A sudden feeling of weightlessness swept over Xingxian's entire body, and she fell rapidly toward the ground below without control.

Although it was only for a moment, less than a second, Xingxian's waist and wrists were firmly held by several tough, emerald-green vines extending from Yinxue's arms, stopping her fall.

However, the fear of about to fall from a great height still left this usually calm and composed patrol officer shaken, and her breathing became somewhat rapid due to tension.

"You—you!" Xingxian snapped out of her daze, a burst of anger igniting in her silver-gray eyes. She glared at the girl in front of her with a smug, wicked smile, and for a moment, she was speechless.

Looking at Xingxian's flustered appearance—her face flushed, her breathing rapid, a stark contrast to her calm and composed demeanor just moments before—Yinxue finally revealed a satisfied smile.

She said with a grin, "Oh dear, weren't you just talking big? But as soon as I let go, you showed this adorable flustered look."

"So—our mighty patrol officer is also afraid of heights?"

"That, that's not a fear of heights at all!" Xingxian finally managed to calm her rapid breathing, her face flushed and somewhat exasperated as she retorted, her voice rising a few decibels with embarrassment and indignation.

"I can't fly on my own right now. If you hadn't grabbed me just now—"

"Relax, relax," Yin Xue interrupted her with a smile, "I made thorough preparations before I let go. Even if I accidentally fall, I will definitely not let you get hurt."

She paused, a more sinister smile spreading across her face, and whispered something that sent chills down Xingxian's spine: "However, that kind of situation might—do happen a few more times, you know? Are you—ready? My dear Inspector?"

"You—you dare!" Xingxian glared at Yinxue, her body trembling slightly.

"You'll see if I dare!" Yin Xue playfully stuck out her tongue.

"It's all because you brought up my figure to provoke me, and you also said that my flying skills are bad. The more you act like a superior senior, the more I want to see you lose your composure because of panic."

"Look," she said, reaching out her other hand to gently pinch Xingxian's cheek, which was slightly flushed with shame and fear.

"You're much cuter now than you were just now, so cold and aloof."

"You—!"

Xingxian took a deep breath, interrupting himself, a resolute glint flashing in his silver-gray eyes.

She knew that continuing to argue with this unpredictable person was pointless, so— The next moment, she, who had been quietly curled up in Yin Xue's arms, suddenly stretched out her arms and hugged his neck tightly with great speed, while pressing her upper body against him without reservation.

"Hey?! Hey!"

The sudden intimate contact and the feeling of restraint on her neck caught Yin Xue off guard, and her flight path immediately became erratic.

She let out a short gasp and hurriedly adjusted her magic output to barely steady herself.

Immediately, Yin Xue protested in a flustered manner, "Xing Xian! What are you doing?! Why did you suddenly hug me?! I almost lost my balance and fell!"

"That only shows that your core control ability is too poor," Xingxian's voice came calmly from her ear, without any emotional fluctuation.

"If it were me, even if I was holding someone with a similar size to you in my arms, the flight trajectory would definitely not be like this."

However, although her words sounded calm, the way she tightly hugged the other person's neck revealed that she was anything but calm inside.

"Also, instead of asking me what I'm doing, why don't you look at what you were doing just now? I don't want to experience that feeling of weightlessness and falling again."

As she spoke, Xingxian tightened her arms around Yinxue, hanging almost all of her weight on Yinxue's slender neck.

"You—you need to loosen your grip a little! I can't breathe!" Yin Xue's cheeks flushed crimson from the overly intimate contact.

"And... and what's that?! It's rubbing against me!"

"Haven't you realized it yet?" Hoshizune's tone finally carried a hint of smugness.

"Of course it's—that 'thing' you were so concerned about earlier."

After a brief silence, Yin Xue's voice, filled with embarrassment and helplessness, rang out: "Xing Xian, you bastard! I really—I still can't bring myself to like you!"

"Ah, same to you."

This was Xingxian's reply, accompanied by a faint smile.

Unlike Xingxian and Yinxue's side, which was filled with tension and childish bickering, Jiying and Liuli were completely immersed in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.

There was no extra communication between the two; the only sounds were the whistling wind high in the sky and their clearly audible, steady breathing.

Jiying curled up in Liuli's arms, her eyes tightly closed, trying to pretend she knew nothing.

- Although this wasn't the first time he'd had intimate contact with Liuli in this form, being carried by her in a princess carry like this was something that had never happened before.

This made her feel extremely ashamed and uncomfortable.

She certainly wanted to reassure the other party that she wasn't as weak as Xingxian, and that she could put her down and let her fly on her own.

However, recalling the happy smile on Liuli's face when she set off, and that powerful leap—Jiying felt a pang of reluctance.

—She's actually looking forward to this, isn't she? If I refuse now, she'll definitely look very disappointed.

Thinking of this, Ji Ying could only sigh helplessly in his heart and give up the idea.

Moreover—although her eyes were closed, her senses were not impeded in the slightest. She could clearly perceive that Liuli was flying quite steadily, completely avoiding any unnecessary turbulence.

She even meticulously used magic to create an invisible barrier around herself, perfectly isolating herself from the biting air currents and the few scattered raindrops in the high sky.

Aside from the necessary physical contact required by the embrace, Ruri didn't seem inclined to get any closer. Instead, she appeared to be deliberately maintaining a distance, as if afraid of making him uncomfortable.

This silent, delicate, and thoughtful care deeply moved Ji Ying, making it even more difficult for her to say no.

She tried to peek through a crack in her eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Liuli's current state.

As a result, the moment he opened his eyes, he found Liuli staring at him with her head down, her icy blue eyes unblinking.'

Ji Ying's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately and hurriedly closed her eyes tightly again, her long eyelashes trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Liuli smiled slightly and let out a soft laugh.

This scene reminded her of a time not long ago when Xiaoying had also used this cute yet clumsy method to secretly look around, only to be caught red-handed by her.

But unlike before, this time she did not choose to expose the other party.

She simply continued to gaze quietly at the serene and delicate face of the girl in her arms with her tender, almost radiant gaze.

However, after sensing the stiffness and barely perceptible trembling of the other person's body, she assumed that her gaze had made the other person feel uneasy, and her voice involuntarily carried a hint of disappointment as she softly comforted her, "Xiaoying, don't worry, we—we'll be there soon."

Upon hearing these words, Ji Ying's heart trembled slightly. She could hear the hidden disappointment and reluctance in Liu Li's voice.

Almost instinctively, she immediately replied, "Xiao Li—actually, it doesn't matter if we fly a little slower; we won't be short of time."

Upon hearing this unexpected answer, Liuli paused slightly, then asked hesitantly, "—Is this alright?"

"sure."

This time, Jiying opened her eyes, looked intently at Liuli, and continued, "Actually—I feel a little uncomfortable when I fly too fast."

This was an utterly ridiculous excuse. Of course, Liuli knew that with Xiaoying's strength, how could she possibly feel uncomfortable due to this level of flight speed?

However, this act itself, this slightly clumsy tenderness and consideration, made her feel incomparably happy and moved.

She nodded emphatically, a bright smile spreading across her face. Following Ji Ying's advice, she quietly slowed down her flight, wanting to savor a little more of this precious time alone.

After flying forward a distance, Liuli spoke softly, calling the name of the girl in her arms.

"Xiaoying————"

"Hmm?" Ji Ying turned her head to look at her, somewhat puzzled.

"Before—when you went into that dangerous alternate dimension alone, I was really sad because I was too weak to go in with you and share the burden with you—I'm so sorry."

Ji Ying shook his head, reached out and gently patted Liu Li's arm that was holding him, comforting her in a gentle voice: "What nonsense are you talking about? Just by cooperating with me in acting and luring that bastard Jing Jue out, you've already helped me a lot. You don't need to be so hard on yourself."

"I'm glad I could help you." Ruri's eyes became incredibly firm.

"But I also hope that in the future—I can help you even more, and share more of your burdens. I will—strive to become stronger."

"Although I may not be able to be like Yuqing, I still want to stay by your side in my own way."

Jiying was silent for a moment, then a gentle smile appeared on her face. She reached out and gently touched Liuli's smooth, dark blue short hair, and said softly, "Okay, then you have to work hard. In the future—you can also try to ask Xingxian for advice. After all, she is an inspector, and she is definitely more experienced than us in many aspects."

"Mmm!" Liuli nodded happily, the joy of receiving affirmation almost overflowing from the bottom of her heart.

Then, as if in response to Jiying's encouragement, she quietly moved her body even closer to the petite body of the girl in her arms.

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