Volume 1 Chapter 9: Maybe a World Like This Should Be Destroyed
In Wangdu, traffic jams were normal. It was especially painful during rush hour, when the roads were packed and cars could barely move.
And if it happened on a stormy day, during the afternoon rush hour, while roads were being inspected and repaired because of a battle between a magical girl and a monster, then it became even worse.
Stuck in the crowded traffic, the car carrying Bai Muxue and Shen Jingyi was strangely quiet. The only sounds were the noise of people outside, horns going off now and then, and raindrops hitting the windows.
Unlike the slightly annoyed Bai Muxue, Shen Jingyi did not seem worried at all. She leaned against the window, resting her chin lightly on one hand, watching the rainy scene outside.
The air conditioner was on, and the pale look on Shen Jingyi’s face slowly changed into a healthier blush.
Bai Muxue quietly looked at her side profile. After being soaked by the rain earlier, the little makeup Shen Jingyi had on was almost completely gone.
But the cheap makeup had never added much to her beauty anyway. Now, with this half-natural look, the cold and distant feeling she usually gave off had softened, making her look pure and gentle instead.
Especially now, as she leaned by the window and stared outside in silence.
“Tch, these monsters… causing chaos so early in the morning. How are people supposed to live like this?”
Perhaps unable to bear the traffic anymore, even the usually calm driver of the Bai family complained out loud.
“......”
The driver’s words broke the silence. Shen Jingyi said nothing, but the way her right hand quietly tightened into a fist revealed the complicated feelings in her heart.
Bai Muxue noticed the small movement and followed Shen Jingyi’s gaze outside.
Not far away, a tall building looked close to collapse, with dust filling the air. Strange purple-black smoke drifted around it. A section of the road ahead had been smashed open into a crack several meters wide, forcing cars to take another route.
Some workers wearing safety helmets were busy recording details at the scene while directing others to load stones and broken glass into trucks.
On the other side, workers in dark green protective suits carefully cleared away the strange smoke while searching around the building.
Bai Muxue knew what they were doing. They were collecting the remains of the monster to prevent any second disaster. After all, no one could guarantee that the bodies of such strange creatures were harmless.
Heh... I didn’t expect to see my old coworkers here...
Looking at the familiar badges and their busy figures, Bai Muxue felt a little emotional.
If not for that car accident, she might still have been one of them, dragged out of bed early by the bureau, listening to her troublesome daughter complain, while running around the disaster site. Another peaceful weekend stolen away.
But maybe this was the life of countless people in this world.
Even though monsters and disaster beasts appeared from time to time, life still had to go on, didn’t it?
After all, the reason people could still live normal lives in an orderly way was because of...
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, turned back to Shen Jingyi, and spoke softly.
“Teacher Shen... why do you do this?”
Since there were other people in the car, Bai Muxue did not speak too clearly. But she believed Shen Jingyi would understand.
They were both at an age when they should be cheerful and carefree. Why did they have to carry such a cruel fate and fight those terrifying monsters?
Shouldn’t they be studying, enjoying shows and comics, and spending happy youth with family and friends instead?
And with Shen Jingyi’s poor family situation and difficult past, she had even less reason to choose this path.
Shen Jingyi froze for a moment. She clearly did not expect the infamous young lady of the Bai family to ask such a question.
She stayed silent for a while. Without turning around, she kept watching the busy workers outside and slowly said,
“...There is no special reason.”
After hesitating for a moment, she continued.
“It’s just that I happened to gain this kind of power, and there were people in front of me who needed help. That’s all.”
“I see.”
After hearing Shen Jingyi’s answer, Bai Muxue nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more.
For a moment, the car fell into a strange silence.
After being quiet for a long time, Bai Muxue let out a soft sigh and spoke again as if casually.
“Everyone is different, and everyone has different abilities. What you can do, what you want to do... maybe one day, you will face these questions directly and find your own answer.”
Hearing this, Shen Jingyi slowly turned her head. A trace of surprise flashed deep in her eyes.
Face the problem... find the answer...
Those words echoed in her mind again and again. It felt as if something unclear in her heart had suddenly been pointed out by Bai Muxue.
What surprised her even more was that when Bai Muxue said those words, she had completely lost her usual playful and carefree tone. Her voice sounded heavy, nothing like the spoiled young lady of the Bai family who always did whatever she wanted.
She sounded more like... someone middle-aged who had gone through many hardships and disappointments.
“You...”
Shen Jingyi opened her mouth to speak, but then the girl in front of her scratched her hair and pouted as she complained to the driver in the front seat,
“Ahhh, this is so annoying! How long is this traffic jam going to last? I really can’t stand it!”
In only a few seconds, Bai Muxue had turned back into her usual spoiled and unreasonable self, as if that serious moment just now had only been Shen Jingyi’s imagination.
“Huh?”
Shen Jingyi was still confused when she suddenly felt someone’s hand slide along her waist and quietly rest on her smooth pale thigh.
The warm hand instantly felt the softness of her skin.
Fingers moved slowly over her leg, lightly brushing it now and then. Every touch made Shen Jingyi’s body tremble slightly.
“H-Hey... you!”
The strange tingling feeling, something she had never experienced before, made panic rise in her heart. Even her breathing became heavier.
How could this girl say something so thoughtful one moment, then do something like this the next?
She carefully held down the restless hand and nervously glanced at the driver in front, afraid she might notice something strange.
But Miss Bai did not care at all. She giggled and moved even closer to Shen Jingyi.
“It’s so boring. I need something to pass the time. Don’t forget about the contract, Teacher Shen...”
Bai Muxue leaned close to Shen Jingyi’s ear and whispered with a soft laugh.
This girl...!
With bright red ears, Shen Jingyi glared fiercely at Bai Muxue.
She had just started to think a little better of her too... honestly...!
But when she thought of that terrible contract, and the expensive dress she was wearing now, her resistance slowly grew weaker.
“Hehe, that’s better. If you stay quiet, no one will notice~”
Bai Muxue nodded in satisfaction and lightly moved her hand across Shen Jingyi’s slim waist.
“......”
Shen Jingyi said nothing more and only lowered her head quietly.
What she did not notice was that Bai Muxue’s eyes were not on her at all. They had returned to the damaged building outside, and to the busy workers from the Disaster Management Bureau.
A world that needs a group of children to save it...
Maybe a world like this would be better off destroyed.
The girl let out a quiet sigh, and the light in her eyes dimmed a little.