Volume 1 Chapter 5: Rumors and Gossip About the Magical Girl
At noon, the weather was gloomy. The sky that had been clear before was now covered by thick dark clouds, as if heavy rain could fall at any moment.
Inside a convenience store, Shen Jingyi was organizing items on the shelves when her movement suddenly paused. She then instinctively held her slightly aching stomach.
Normally, no matter how poor her life was, Shen Jingyi would at least eat one cheap slice of whole wheat bread for breakfast before coming to work.
But today, thanks to that Bat Monster, she had jumped out of bed, grabbed her wand, and rushed out immediately. After the battle ended, she went straight to her part-time job at the convenience store.
Naturally, she had no time to eat.
As a magical girl, Shen Jingyi had given up so much of her own time and defeated many monsters and strange enemies who threatened the citizens.
Yet now, not only could she barely pay the rent at home, she had even signed that kind of humiliating agreement with the city’s strange rich young lady, Bai Muxue.
So what if she was a magical girl?
So what if she saved the world?
She still had to become a toy for someone like Bai Muxue.
Heh... how ironic.
A self-mocking smile appeared on Shen Jingyi’s pretty face. Then she took out her phone, which had been on silent mode the whole time.
The screen showed three missed calls, all from Bai Muxue.
With Miss Bai’s arrogant personality, even not answering after three rings might be considered a serious offense.
Not to mention ignoring three calls in a row like this.
Shen Jingyi pressed her pale lips into a straight line. She did not want to call back.
But just as the screen lit up, Bai Muxue called again.
“Hello~”
Bai Muxue’s lazy voice came from the other side of the phone.
“Is Teacher Shen very busy? You keep not answering my calls?”
Shen Jingyi hesitated for a moment.
“I was a little busy this morning...”
“Oh right, I saw Teacher Shen’s heroic action on TV.”
Bai Muxue gave a light laugh.
“A magical girl is really cool. I almost wanted to ask Teacher Shen for an autograph.”
Hearing the girl’s cheerful voice, Shen Jingyi did not reply. She only bit her lip tightly.
Not answering because she had to fight a monster sounded like a reasonable excuse.
But if Miss Bai wanted to trouble her, did she really need a reason?
Even though Shen Jingyi’s whole body was tense, Bai Muxue did not seem interested in making things difficult this time.
After casually chatting for a few moments, she laughed softly again.
“Teacher Shen hasn’t forgotten that I have a funeral to attend this afternoon, right?”
“Are you still working at that convenience store now? I’ll come pick you up later.”
Although it sounded like a question, her tone made it clear there was no room to refuse.
Fortunately, Shen Jingyi did not have much to do that afternoon. At worst, she could ask a coworker to switch shifts.
While she was thinking, Bai Muxue’s cheerful tone dropped slightly.
“Teacher Shen?”
“...Okay.”
Shen Jingyi took a deep breath and answered softly.
“Mhm. Don’t be late.”
With a click, Bai Muxue hung up.
“......”
Shen Jingyi pressed her lips into a line and silently grabbed the black neck accessory around her neck.
Several shelves away, near the cashier counter, a young female cashier was chatting with a middle-aged woman in a store uniform.
“Hey, Sister Li, did you see that luxury car that came to pick up Senior Shen the other day?”
The girl was still young, the age when people loved gossip. Since she attended the same school as Shen Jingyi, she naturally called her “Senior.”
Sister Li thought for a moment.
“I saw it. That car looked really expensive. Maybe worth eight figures?”
When Bai Muxue first came to find Shen Jingyi, she had purposely told the driver to use an especially flashy luxury car, wanting to shock the proud girl a little.
Remembering the scene, Sister Li quietly frowned.
“Hmm, I thought Xiao Shen’s family situation wasn’t very good... Could it be she knows some rich friend?”
“Speaking of that...”
The young girl raised an eyebrow and moved close to Sister Li, speaking in a secretive whisper.
“There’s a rumor at school that the young miss of the Bai family...”
With her cold but graceful beauty and excellent grades, Shen Jingyi was fairly well known at school. Naturally, gossip about her spread very quickly.
And since Bai Muxue also behaved very openly in the city, some people had even seen the license plate of that luxury car.
Because of that, rumors had already started at school...
Rumors involving top student Shen and Miss Bai.
The girl casually shared a few pieces of gossip with a smile, but it shocked Sister Li.
For a middle-aged woman like her, such gossip was hard enough to accept.
Even more so when the person being discussed was Xiao Shen, whom she had always thought well of.
“No, really, you young people...”
Sister Li’s voice rose a little without thinking.
“What strange things are you all thinking about every day...”
Just then, a clear sound of footsteps approached.
It felt like a warning bell.
The two women both trembled at once, and the empty convenience store instantly became silent.
Shen Jingyi quietly walked past them without saying a word.
She carefully folded her store uniform, changed back into the plain white dress she usually wore, then placed the uniform into her bag.
It seemed she was planning to leave work early.
Seeing this, the younger girl secretly looked at her senior’s face.
Other than looking strangely tired, everything else seemed normal.
So she gathered some courage and asked awkwardly,
“Senior... are you getting off work now?”
“Yes.”
Shen Jingyi calmly nodded.
“Something suddenly came up this afternoon. Can you switch shifts with me? I’ll make it up tomorrow.”
“I-It’s okay...”
The girl answered without thinking.
But then her eyes noticed something on Shen Jingyi’s long fair neck, a strange neck accessory.
Shen Jingyi usually dressed simply, so the small and elegant accessory looked completely out of place.
Would Senior Shen really wear something expensive like that?
Even stranger...
For some reason, it looked a little like a collar.
No way... could it be...!?
Thinking of all the rumors spreading around school, the girl hesitated for a long time but still did not dare ask.
Instead, Sister Li frowned.
“Xiao Shen, I know you young people are under a lot of pressure, but there’s no need to push yourself so hard. If something happened, you can just ask for leave. At worst, you earn a little less money...”
“It’s okay.”
Shen Jingyi gave them a very faint smile, then pushed open the door and left.
The two women looked at each other as they watched her leave.
The mood suddenly became heavy.
Usually, Shen Jingyi was not especially cheerful, but she was always polite and proper when dealing with others.
But today, something felt different.
It was as if a cold distance surrounded her, keeping everyone far away.
Walking on the street, Shen Jingyi pressed a hand to her slightly aching forehead.
The morning battle, together with not eating anything, made her feel dizzy.
Even though she did not have proper clothing, she still took this formal event seriously.
She had even used a little cheap perfume that she normally hated to waste.
But if she really fainted and caused herself to break the agreement...
Just then, a message from Bai Muxue arrived.
“Are you here yet? I’m waiting in the park nearby.”
To Bai Muxue, it was probably just a normal question.
But to Shen Jingyi, it sounded more like an impatient reminder from Miss Bai.
She bit her lip and walked through a small path in the park.
The path was quiet and empty, with only the birch trees on both sides rustling in the wind.
Shen Jingyi quickened her pace.
Sure enough, a silver-gray luxury car was parked silently by the roadside.
I made it in time...!
She quietly let out a breath of relief.
But before she could walk closer, she noticed a tall young woman already standing beside the car.
She seemed to be arguing with the person inside.
Unfortunately, their voices were too soft, and Shen Jingyi could not hear clearly.
The girl’s long hair and skirt moved wildly in the noisy wind, like shaking leaves.
“Aren’t we already dating??”
As she spoke, her voice suddenly rose.
That trembling voice sounded especially clear on the silent path.
Hearing the girl’s voice, which now carried the sound of tears, Shen Jingyi could not help stopping in place.
Huh...?