Chapter 12: Best Friends

The broom train continued to fly toward the sky, but Jiang Si could feel that time and space were not quite right.

The time and space here should be problematic, or rather, chaotic.

Because Jiang Si discovered that the surrounding environment was constantly enveloped by a strange magical power; at a certain altitude, even his vision began to misalign.

By the time the broom train's flight speed slowed down, the world began to spin.

It wasn't a metaphor, but a literal description.

The sky was beneath his feet, and the ground was above. Looking up, he could even see the previous platform, distant and ethereal.

Beneath him were layers of cumulus clouds, as thick as solid ground. A very modern skyscraper stood abruptly atop these clouds.

To see a modern building appear amidst such a fantastical and magnificent landscape—it wasn't just unrelated; it was completely out of place.

The Disaster Strategy Bureau's taste was, as always, despair-inducing.

Although Jiang Si had already given up hope on their aesthetic sense the moment he saw them plagiarize Platform 9¾, seeing such an incongruous scene still exceeded his expectations.

Yin Lian was the first to leap from the carriage, stepping directly onto the cumulus clouds. The clouds bounced softly, steadily supporting her and preventing her from falling.

"Don't worry, as long as it's not a Disaster Beast, ordinary people and Magical Girls can both walk on the clouds." To reassure the two of them, Yin Lian even hopped around on them.

She was already short to begin with, and at this moment, she looked even more like an elementary school student...

Jiang Keke first attempted to extend her right leg, stepping on the clouds to confirm the sensation of a solid object. Only then did she extend her other foot, gripping the broom and slowly letting go, carefully walking on the clouds.

"How is it? I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Jiang Keke also hopped around—she wasn't old, having just started junior high this year. She had a childish nature, but due to her family environment, she usually suppressed herself and appeared very mature.

In reality, encountering something like this made her somewhat excited. Bouncing around on the clouds, she finally looked like someone her age.

Yin Lian accompanied Keke, hopping around beside her, looking as if Keke were playing with her younger sister.

Jiang Si watched for a long while, intending to confirm there was no danger before letting go.

Although his hands were already feeling a bit tired and sore from gripping the broom handle throughout the journey, he couldn't easily let go before ensuring safety.

After all, if he truly fell, his only option would be to transform, and transforming here was clearly not a wise move.

However, just as his legs felt the softness of sinking into the clouds...

The broom in his hands suddenly vanished.

This was clearly unexpected for Jiang Si. Worse still, having lost his fulcrum, he felt no sensation of stepping on anything when he hit the cloud layer; he sank directly into the cumulus clouds and even began to fall!

Yet, while it felt like falling, there was also a disorienting sensation of flying upward.

"Watch out!"

Yin Lian was the first to notice something was wrong and immediately rushed over.

For a split second, she revealed her pink magical power. Bolstered by this magic, she grabbed Jiang Si's hand at extreme speed.

Beside them, Jiang Keke instinctively ran forward a few steps. Seeing that Yin Lian had caught Jiang Si, she breathed a small sigh of relief, then slowed her pace and walked over to help Yin Lian grab his other hand to prevent him from falling.

"Hold on tight! Don't let go!"

"You really aren't human, can you actually fall like this..."

"What time is it? Keke, how can you say things like that!"

To avoid exposure, Yin Lian withdrew the magic from her seed, only to realize afterward—he was so heavy...

She was almost unable to hold him.

Feeling strange about how heavy he was, given that Jiang Si wasn't a large build, he immediately said

"Hang on a moment, I'll call the broom back immediately!"

He took out his key again. This time, pink magical power could clearly be seen swirling around the key before spreading outward.

The broom that had just vanished abruptly fell from the sky, though this time it had no carriage.

It landed lonely beneath Jiang Si's feet.

By this time, half of his body was already submerged in the clouds.

"Are... are you okay?" Only after Jiang Si stepped onto the broom and flew up did Yin Lian breathe a small sigh of relief. She was clearly terrified; she had never seen anyone fall through these clouds before. "How did you suddenly fall down? That shouldn't happen."

Beside them, Jiang Keke added, "Truly not human."

"Have you been in contact with any Disaster Beasts lately?" Yin Lian asked, as if remembering something. "Is it possible you were contaminated by one?"

Jiang Si thought for a moment. "Oh, yes. I went to the junior high section and stepped in the blood of that giant bat."

"It might be because of that..."

In reality, contamination wasn't that simple. Jiang Si had guessed somewhat that it was related to his absorption of the Sorrow Seed's magic.

It seemed the Disaster Strategy Bureau did have some tricks up their sleeves...

As Yin Lian supported Jiang Si and maneuvered the broom toward the Bureau's building, Jiang Keke suddenly asked from behind, "What were you doing at the junior high?"

"Passing through."

In truth, he had only gone to collect Sorrow Seeds and absorb magic along the way.

However, to the two girls, it sounded like something else entirely.

As they pierced through the clouds, the gates of the Disaster Strategy Bureau came into view. A shimmering plaque hung above the entrance with the words "Disaster Strategy Bureau," and the entrance featured a common glass revolving door found in many markets.

After testing the entrance to ensure it was solid ground, Jiang Si stepped off the broom.

Compared to the clouds, the marble floor was indeed much more solid and reassuring.

Only after confirming Jiang Si's safety did Yin Lian recall the broom. She then took two steps back to distance herself from Jiang Si, leaning against Keke and lowering her voice, "He didn't go to the junior high because he was worried about you, did he?"

"He doesn't lie," Keke said indifferently. "Or rather, he's too lazy to lie. If he says he was passing through, he was passing through. Don't overthink it."

"But it's too coincidental! How could he just happen to pass by the junior high and then go inside and step in a bat's blood? I think he really was worried about you and went to check, only to get contaminated and almost fall to his death..."

Keke immediately rubbed her senior's face. "Stop overthinking!"

*Don't make me overthink.*

*Worried about me? Impossible. This guy wouldn't care about me at all; he didn't even care about our parents' deaths, so why would he care about my safety?*

*If anything, he'd probably prefer I died so he could live more easily and have a higher chance of monopolizing our parents' inheritance.*

Thinking this, she looked at Jiang Si's back and took a breath.

*It absolutely couldn't be that he went to the junior high because he was worried about me! Even if he almost died, he brought it on himself. It has nothing to do with me.*

"Keke? Keke?"

Coming back to her senses, Jiang Keke looked at Yin Lian, who was calling her. "What is it?"

Yin Lian waved a hand in front of her. "Nothing, you just spaced out for a second. What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking that perhaps I should join the Disaster Strategy Bureau." Jiang Keke looked up at the clerk at the Bureau's counter. "That way, I can leave Jiang Si as soon as possible."

"While I'm happy you're willing to join, that reason is a bit hard to be happy about."

Jiang Si, naturally, had no interest in the subsequent whispering between the two girls.

The entire building was very modern. After entering the Bureau, Jiang Si found himself in a long corridor.

He let Yin Lian walk ahead to avoid triggering any more traps.

Many framed paintings hung on the walls of the corridor.

They were all of Magical Girls and Disaster Beasts.

These paintings were dynamic; when one approached, a Disaster Beast would roar as if trying to burst out of the frame.

As for the Magical Girls, some were reading books—approaching them, one would notice they actually turned pages—and others were painting, with the content of their paintings constantly changing.

He remembered there being a similar art exhibition in Harry Potter, but he couldn't quite recall; after all, he had only glanced at it back then without much interest.

They had copied it all.

However, they stopped at the end of the corridor.

Looking up at the painting at the very top of the corridor, Keke also stopped, staring blankly at the Magical Girl in the painting.

Yin Lian, who had been walking in front, turned back when the two stopped.

The blue-clad Magical Girl in the painting blinked and gave the viewer a wink, looking both cute and charming.

"That is Senior翠雀 (Emerald Sparrow). Are you her fans too?" Yin Lian said, listing facts like a seasoned guide. "Senior Emerald Sparrow is only seventeen this year, but she is already one of the top Magical Girls in the Bureau. Not only is her hunt count among the highest, but she also participated in the Bureau's Idol Project, earning a massive amount of activity funds for us. I heard her academic grades are also top-tier..."

"What a multi-talented superman," Keke muttered beside her. "I know she's amazing, but isn't this a bit much?"

"Of course! She's an idol to many Magical Girls. But have you two ever met her?"

Keke said softly, "Three years ago, when we encountered a Disaster Beast, it was Senior Emerald Sparrow who saved us."

"Oh," Yin Lian nodded understandingly. "Then it's only natural to admire her."

"It's not exactly admiration."

Keke said with some guilt, "At the time, I said the wrong thing and blamed Senior Emerald Sparrow for not coming to save my parents sooner. I've always regretted it and want to apologize to her."

Yin Lian patted her back—she had intended to pat her head, but couldn't reach—and comforted her gently, "It's okay, Senior Emerald Sparrow won't mind. But if you really care, joining the Bureau will give you plenty of chances to see her. You can apologize properly then."

"Mm..."

Beside them, Jiang Si looked back at his sister for the first time. "Are you sure about joining the Bureau?"

"As you wish. I can become independent sooner."

Having long since grown used to her tone, Jiang Si simply nodded and looked at Yin Lian. "Then let's register."

"We're almost there. Follow me."

The three of them crossed the corridor and arrived at a large hall. The reception desk was not manned by humans, but by two Hatchers.

One was white and the other was black. Although they looked similar to the Hatchers Jiang Si had seen before, their temperaments were worlds apart.

Jiang Si's Hatcher was lazy and dim-witted, currently preoccupied with Bing Tang; usually, it didn't even want to come out, let alone contribute to combat. It was lucky if it didn't drag him down, and its knowledge of Magical Girls was superficial at best.

In Jiang Si's mind, a Hatcher was essentially useless.

However, these two Hatchers at the counter were clearly different.

Setting aside the sense of pressure they exerted, their primary difference was the sheer density of their magical power.

Hatchers basically shared the magical power of their Magical Girls; he had mentioned this before—as his magic grew, theirs grew accordingly.

This meant that the masters of these two Hatchers were very likely "Full Bloom" level Magical Girls.

Because simple "Blooming" could not produce such dense magical power; Jiang Si knew this better than anyone.

*If only I could make one my own.*

"Yin Lian, why are you back so late? Did you find a Disaster Beast yesterday?"

"We found one, we found one! And..." Yin Lian immediately pushed Keke forward. "I also found a new Magical Girl!"

The two previously composed Hatchers instantly became excited. "What? You actually brought a new Magical Girl!"

"We must celebrate!"

"Quick, quick, quick, call Aurora over..."

They even seemed a bit flustered.

"Hey, hey, hey, help us register first!"

Jiang Si found a seat nearby. The layout of this hall was similar to the police station he had visited before, except there were very few people.

Aside from the platform and the corridor, the rest of the building's layout looked like it had been directly converted from a police station.

After the mention of registration, he saw one of the Hatchers pull a computer from underneath and plug the power cord into its own tail.

Then, the two Hatchers acted like kind elderly people, fussing over Keke with concern.

They acted as if they had found a precious treasure.

For the Disaster Strategy Bureau, having not seen a newcomer in so many years, Keke's arrival was indeed a windfall.

There was no need to worry about Keke being bullied here.

"You there, whoever you are." The black Hatcher flew up and called out to him. "You're Keke's guardian, right? Come over and sign this."

"He's Keke's brother," Yin Lian reminded from the side. "Be polite."

"Keke doesn't even like him, why should we be polite?"

Yin Lian was momentarily speechless and simply shuffled over to Jiang Si's side. "Sorry about them, they're just a bit thick-headed."

The two Hatchers shouted in unison, "Who are you calling thick-headed, Yin Lian!"

Jiang Si didn't mind much. He walked to the counter and looked at the document printed by the computer.

It was roughly a contract. Since a Magical Girl's position was considered an official appointment, an employment contract was required. It contained many detailed rules; Jiang Si skimmed through it and found no major issues.

Employment contracts had also been issued within the Qingyun Sect; Bing Tang had said they were copied from the Disaster Strategy Bureau, so he knew a bit about them.

He signed it casually, and his part was done.

While waiting for Keke to finish her procedures, Yin Lian explained the steps to her while occasionally looking back to check on Jiang Si, who was sitting alone, ensuring he didn't feel neglected.

She seemed quite hardworking.

Thus, Jiang Si stood up, intending to head back to the corridor to look at the other Magical Girls.

However, before he could take two steps, the entire hall suddenly flashed with red light.

A piercing alarm echoed throughout the building!

"All units, attention! Attention! A Miracle Seed has been stolen from the Safety Room! All personnel, stay where you are! Do not move!"

Accompanied by the urgent alarm, a group of fully armed soldiers poured out of the building.

They were carrying American-made MK18s—weapons that had appeared around the turn of the millennium alongside the M16A4, and they looked quite impressive.

The problem was, as the stronghold for Magical Girls, why was the security provided by the military...

Leading them was a blonde girl wearing a sharp military uniform, her emerald eyes exceptionally cold.

All doors suddenly slammed shut, and the military lined up on both sides, cordoning off the entire hall.

The blonde girl's gaze immediately swept over Keke and Jiang Si. "We detected fluctuations in the cloud layer just now. Who caused them?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yin Lian's face instantly filled with bitterness.

This was going to be trouble...