Chapter 301: Cotton Candy Carbon (1)

In her memories, her mother had always been so gentle and lovely. It was only when she picked up a sword that she seemed to become a different person entirely, brimming with heroic spirit, sharp and dazzling.

And every time she saw this sword, Xia Yao's mind would involuntarily conjure up the final memories of that summer.

Back then, she wore a princess dress matching her mother's, training in the courtyard downstairs.

Her mother patiently corrected her grip on the sword. The crisp sound of metal blades clashing seemed to still echo in her ears, accompanied by the childish words of nine-year-old Xia Yao.

—I want to become as amazing as Mom!

—That might mean enduring a lot of hardship, you know.

—I'm not afraid!

She just never imagined that would be the last time she ever saw her mother.

After that...

She only received a one-sided notification from her father that "your mother died in a car accident."

"......"

Would a car accident leave a person without even ashes?

How could that be possible?

But no one answered her questions.

Whether it was her brother or her father, both seemed to have changed overnight, pouring everything into the affairs of Yanxia Group.

It was from that time on that this home seemed to fall apart, leaving only Uncle An, who had served as her mother's butler, still caring for her and looking after her as always.

"..."

Having finished paying her respects, Xia Yao turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. The expression on her face had calmed considerably.

—She had done what she came here to do, and she was ready to leave.

If she had to put it into words, Xia Yao was not the kind of person who would wallow in sorrowful memories.

The tide-like grief brought by her mother's departure had mostly dissipated after nine years of being worn away by time. What remained was only regret, melancholy, and nostalgia.

What she had never been able to let go of was actually that person's attitude.

It seemed that in all her memories, her father had never once shown grief or sorrow over her mother's departure in front of her. He hadn't even shed a tear at the funeral.

If not for that, how could this home have become so desolate, making Xia Yao want nothing more than to escape?

She left the third floor with light footsteps, descending the stairs.

When she reached the second floor, her peripheral vision suddenly caught the door on the right side of the hallway.

That was her brother's study.

The black-haired girl furrowed her brow slightly.

Her brother, five years her senior, had actually been fairly normal at first, but had also gradually transformed into that workaholic over time.

After all, he was the future heir of Yanxia Group, buried in official business every day.

Even during holidays, all she got was a greeting message or a phone call from him. He probably barely even came back to this villa.

So Xia Yao had come to dislike him along with everything else.

"..."

Speaking of which, what had that guy been up to lately?

Xia Yao furtively glanced left and right, confirmed there were no servants on this floor, and then without hesitation pushed the door open and walked in.

What greeted her eyes was a study decorated in understated elegance, lined with rows of dark walnut bookcases filled with books and documents. A large desk sat at the very center, with a computer placed on top.

On the black leather desk mat, a dark green "X"-shaped metal badge had been tossed carelessly.

Xia Yao's gaze rested on the badge for only a moment before she looked away.

After all, she had seen this style of emblem many times at home. It was probably the logo of some Yanxia Group subsidiary brand. Nothing unusual.

And then...

She suddenly widened her eyes as if she had seen something unbelievable.

"?!"

There on the desk sat a large stack of disc cases. On their covers were printed all sorts of colorful two-dimensional girls.

Magical Girl Little Star Candy

Starlight Transformation Squad

Gurgle Gurgle Little Magic Fairy

Magical Girl Lilia

The Ultramarine Witch

...

They were all goddamn magical girl anime discs. Some had even been unwrapped and opened already.

Was that guy watching this stuff on his computer after coming home late at night?!

"Hah?!"

Xia Yao was stunned for a long moment before she reacted, her face struggling to hold it together.

"What the hell..."

That guy usually acted so straight-laced, yet behind closed doors he watched this kind of stuff too... Could it be that the strange movie broadcast on TV a few days ago had gotten him interested in these things?

Now that she thought about it, that was actually quite possible!

Was Mengmengxiang's charm really that absurd, enough to change even a workaholic's tastes?

Xia Yao held it together for a while, then remembered the other party wasn't home, and finally burst out laughing without restraint. She laughed for quite a while, then without any courtesy walked forward, gathered up all the discs on the desk, and began sorting them out, seemingly preparing to take them away.

—A grown man watching this kind of stuff, isn't it embarrassing? Next thing you know he'll be buying toys too, won't he?

Anyway, she happened to need reference materials related to magical girls recently, so she'd confiscate them first!

As for what that guy would think after she took them... Who cares!

As Xia Yao organized the discs into a stack, she suddenly remembered something and turned her head, speaking out of the blue.

"Before, no matter where I went, as long as Uncle An and he weren't around, you'd chatter on and on nonstop trying to sell me on your contract."

"So how come you've gone so quiet today?"

Her words were clearly directed at empty air, yet her eyes seemed certain that something was there. Then she enunciated each syllable as she spoke that name: "Cot-ton Can-dy Car-bon~"

The next moment.

A little purple pixie slowly materialized in the air, as if dispelling an invisibility spell.

"Wh-what are you talking about!"

The wondrous creature called Cotton Candy Carbon spoke in a cute voice, its big eyes darting around guiltily: "I just noticed you weren't in a great mood, that's all. Nobody likes someone with no sense of boundaries, you know. Even I know that, mian!"

"Mm-hmm? Really now?"

Xia Yao smiled but didn't smile, her dark eyes reflecting the other's somewhat flustered gaze: "I don't quite believe it. Are you lying to me?"

"I really hate being lied to, you know."

Hearing those words, Cotton Candy Carbon's fluffy long ears twitched very noticeably in midair.

—It had indeed lied.

There was a real reason it had stayed quiet.

Because... after arriving at this villa, it had smelled a familiar scent.

It was the scent it had smelled before, back underground in the research institute. The moment it caught that smell, it thought of that terrifying Infernal Species, the Root Demon.

Was this... its collaborator?!

It never expected that the highly qualified girl it had finally taken a liking to would have such a terrifying family background.

Cotton Candy Carbon's mind churned frantically.

[Too dangerous, this place is practically a dragon's den and tiger's lair, mian!]

[Must hurry and get her to sign the contract so we're bound together, mian!]

[I heard humans really care about family. Only that way can I guarantee my safety, mian!]

"Ahem!"

Cotton Candy Carbon calculated rapidly in its heart, but on the surface it tried hard to adopt an air of unfathomable mystery, hands clasped behind its back as it paced in midair: "I am the messenger who guides destiny. I was merely giving you time to contemplate your fate, mian!"

"So then, chosen girl, have you made your decision, mian?"

In reality, its fluffy tail was wagging behind it like a fan from the nervousness it couldn't hide.