CXnovel Chapter 419 This burden did not belong to you
Chapter 419 This burden did not belong to you
Dinner time.
"Cheers——!"
""Cheers——""
The wine cups were clinked and toasts were exchanged.
Inside a private room of a beef hot pot restaurant, the cheerful clinking of glasses by young women could be heard.
Magical girls gathered around a hot pot with two broths, and various drinks and dishes were laid out on the table. Familiars were busily cooking and grilling food, distributing the dishes they wanted to those around them.
"Mmm, this beef is delicious!"
"The pot-side buns are delicious too, and you can even stuff them with minced beef from a familiar—woof~ it's perfect, woof!"
Tian Nanxing sat at the table, holding a steaming hot, crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside pot-side bun in both hands, her Alice-like body revealing an expression of utter bliss.
Su Tianqing even felt as if there was an illusory tail wagging violently behind her.
"Eat slowly~ There's still plenty of food in the pot. If you're not full, you can ask your familiar to add more~"
The fox girl smiled and put a piece of steak that the familiar had cut into her own mouth. The aroma and flavor filled her mouth, and the smooth and tender texture made her fox tail sway involuntarily.
As the closing activity of the day, after a full day of laughter and group fun, even the gloomy Fenfeng and Little Jack—Black Alice—showed genuine smiles.
With the help of the little dog from Tiannanxing, the two of them quickly integrated into the magical girls' group activities.
During the afternoon's hand-painted plaster doll task, Fenfeng and Little Jack sat side by side in front of Fox Fox's plaster doll stall, seriously considering what paint to use for the painting.
Watching her two foreign friends, Fenfeng and Little Jack, keep piling food onto their plates, looking as if they were thoroughly ravaged by British cuisine, Su Tianqing couldn't help but reveal an even brighter smile.
The event unfolded perfectly, just as I had expected, and even exceeded my expectations.
Alice's obsession gave birth to Little Jack, a phantom star that split off from herself. Although the obsession of the Fiery Wind was deep, it was fortunate that the goal was clear and there was a way to solve both.
"In fact, this group spring outing today was prepared specifically for the two of them."
Su Tianqing muttered to herself.
.
Foehn stood alone on the terrace.
The people around the table were still laughing and eating heartily, chatting about the series of tasks they had completed that day, and sharing the interesting stories and anecdotes they had encountered.
Fenfeng glanced back at the joyful scene, then calmly turned his head to look at the bustling Chengdu night market outside the window.
The crowds thronged, coming and going, and the dazzling neon lights illuminated the entire pedestrian street, making the pedestrians, bathed in brilliant light, appear even more leisurely.
"You're watching very intently."
The voice of a golden fox came from beside me.
Fenfeng turned his head and looked at the golden-haired fox girl who had walked up to him.
Heart Moon Fox.
"Is there anything different about Chengdu's night view compared to London?" Xin Yuehu asked softly.
The Wind-Burning, residing within the black body of Alice, paused for a moment, then turned its gaze to the pedestrians on the street before replying:
"There are a lot of people here, and... everyone has a happy smile on their face, not a look of fear."
"Oh? Could it be that in London...?"
Fenfeng sighed with a wry smile, then continued:
"Yes. London is a city where bizarre attacks are frequent, with the number of casualties reaching triple digits every year."
"I've been working incredibly hard to fight these monsters, but even so, their sudden attacks still cause considerable damage."
"On the streets of London, people walk with trepidation, constantly on alert for the 'freak alert,' fearing that a terrifying monster might appear next to them at any moment."
That's why I find Chengdu's leisurely style quite rare.
After speaking, Fenfeng turned and glanced at Xinyuehu beside him.
"Miss Heart Moon Fox."
"uh-huh?"
Fenfeng was silent for a moment, slightly opening his mouth as if to say something, but then silently closed it again. He stared blankly at the fox girl's clear green eyes for a while, then looked away and reorganized his thoughts.
The words he was about to utter were stuck in his throat. Fenfeng turned back again, gazing at the pedestrians on the street, as if making a decision:
"During this time, I realized something."
"The so-called 'villains' are actually just magical girls like me and Hyacinth."
Even if they are unclaimed guardian stars, what they acknowledge is still the determination to protect in everyone's hearts, and the belief in protecting innocent people and cherishing things.
"...Although the way people express their beliefs might be a little strange."
Speaking of this, Fenfeng glanced at the Cheshire Rabbit inside Iris Flower's body, and at Iris Flower, who had been forced by Rabbit to wear a specially made bunny girl outfit made by the rabbit tribe beastmen.
Both Fenfeng and Xinyuehu ignored Rabbit, who seemed to be an exception.
"I feel I might have a say in this matter."
Before Fenfeng could continue speaking, another voice suddenly sounded beside them.
The two immediately turned to look at the white-haired girl who had suddenly appeared beside them.
Messiah, an S-rank hero of the Chengdu Heroes Association.
"Miss Messiah? When did you...?"
"I'm eating right next to you, Meteor and the others are there too," Messiah said with a shrug and a helpless expression.
"Don't worry, the boss sent us to keep an eye on things. Otherwise, your door would have been surrounded by fans and social media users long ago. You probably don't want to be completely surrounded by fans as soon as you step out, do you?"
"so……"
Su Tianqing felt a little embarrassed and quickly thanked her.
I hadn't really paid attention to the fans' movements, so it seems the Hero Association does have a unique approach to crowd control.
"Magical girls like Miss Kokoro are not considered 'villains' by the National Association Headquarters here; they are simply considered a rather special type of magical girl."
"Even with a history of misconduct like Hellcat's, which includes multiple attacks, the association only issued protests and offered advice," Messiah said.
"...Why?" Fenfeng asked, puzzled.
Messiah glanced at the naive young girl and said with a wry smile:
"Even if they attack passersby, they will replenish their magic and send the attacker to the nearest hospital. In addition, the attacked person has outstanding magical talent and can quickly recover to normal without experiencing any problems other than dizziness."
"Not to mention her numerous encounters with Lily's team, which the Hero Association has always turned a blind eye to and hasn't paid much attention to."
Messiah paused for a moment,
"...Perhaps you don't know about Fenfeng."
"Since the magic storm appeared, almost all magical girls across the country, whether villains or heroes, have taken action to provide assistance in defending their respective cities and homes."
"In other words, minimizing casualties is the biggest concern for the Hero Association and the public, and how you all get along is something you need to figure out yourselves."
"But if we go too far and strictly prohibit the replenishment of magic power... the Venus flytrap incident is the best example."
"If we ignore the casualties among the masses and just focus on defeating the monsters, the former Mugura Squad could become a negative example."
"There's another matter. The London Society just released an investigation report, with your predecessor [Arthur] and two Stargazers serving as magical technology advisors, confirming that there is no substantial control or connection between [Alice] and [The Ripper]."
The Messiah continued,
"In other words, the stargazers have proven Alice's innocence, and you no longer need to be so persistent in pursuing Alice."
"I see."
After a long silence, Fenfeng finally closed his slightly parted lips, revealing a smile, and calmly said.
In that instant, Fenfeng felt as if he had unloaded some burden that should not have existed in the first place. He sighed and said no more.
The starry sky tonight is as beautiful as ever.