Chapter 345: Xiyuji’s Invitation

The next day.

Neon Fourth Magical Girl Vocational Middle School.

The first class this morning was a dull lecture on theory.

“Dangerous species are the backbone of the Abyss’s demon beasts. They occupy a considerable portion of the Abyssal Spectrum Quantification Chart. When they appear in groups, the Abyssal threat posed by the resonance of their magic power is no less than…”

The AI teacher recited the contents of the textbook, while Vivi pretended to listen attentively. Every so often, she lowered her head and secretly sucked down a mouthful of nutrient paste beneath her desk, feeling the warm current of magic power spread through her body.

The atmosphere in class today was rather strange.

Nearly all the students were quiet as mice. Even the top students seemed somewhat distracted.

After all, besides Vivi’s stunning outburst in yesterday afternoon’s practical class, when she had pinned Renee to the ground and trounced her, the bombshell Ms. Pris dropped on the news last night had left everyone reeling.

The rules for the magical-girl qualification exam had been adjusted.

The number of spots had been cut in half this year, while the competition was going to be many times fiercer. Most people were busy lowering their heads and calculating what their future prospects might be. Who had the time to worry about some dead-last student?

Vivi had her own concerns, too.

Last night, she had spent hours getting run over in the virtual space while practicing advanced techniques for the Spirit Outfit field.

As for her mental exhaustion, the ball in her bag had done its best to alleviate it by improving the quality of her sleep. But magic power itself couldn’t just appear out of thin air.

Even though everything in the virtual space was fake, the energy consumed to keep it running was real. In the end, it all took its toll on her physical body. When she woke up, she felt short on magic power and listless.

The special potions she had bought from Sis Yi to raise her magic power level were meant to expand her magic circuits and increase her origin, not restore her magic power. She hadn’t bought any of the potions used for recovery.

Luckily, she had bought some high-grade Tianmei-brand nutrient paste yesterday.

When she woke up this morning, she had been so hungry she ate a stick for breakfast. Now she couldn’t help eating another during class, and only then did she start to feel better.

There was definitely a reason expensive things cost so much. It tasted good, left no residue after being digested, restored magic power quickly, and even helped bring back her energy. It was refreshing and invigorating.

No wonder rich kids loved eating this stuff.

Vivi silently calculated things in her mind.

But at this rate, if she had to train again tonight, she’d finish all ten sticks of strawberry-flavored high-grade nutrient paste in just a few days.

Then she’d have to buy more… and her wallet would be empty again.

Damn, becoming a magical girl really was a money shredder.

Still, she didn’t feel bad about it.

The money she was spending brought her improvements she’d never even dared to dream of. Other people might want to spend money like this, but they didn’t have the connections!

Could those idiots at your training camp compete with my personal magical-girl tutor, right by my side?

She even gave me perks! Let me touch her breasts! Anytime!

After last night’s inhuman ordeal and learning the new meditation technique and that skill… Vivi now felt an intense confidence.

If she faced Renee again, she could kick trash like that to death with one blow.

Vivi sucked down the last bit of nutrient paste and grinned without restraint.

Too bad she didn’t have practical class today. Otherwise, she really wanted to take advantage of being warmed up and teach a lesson to a few of those top students who were always looking down on everyone, acting high and mighty and turning up their noses at her.

But… her expression soon settled down again.

She knew that wouldn’t be wise.

The others weren’t stupid, after all.

A poor dead-last student like her getting stronger so quickly would look very suspicious to everyone else. And with no reasonable explanation to offer, it would be easy for people to guess the truth.

She had signed away her freedom to an illegal contract beast of unknown origin, or perhaps made a pact with a real demon for power and sacrificed something… If the school or the NCPD got suspicious and started investigating, things would get very troublesome.

Forget the exam, she might end up being hunted by all sorts of people in Neon City!

That was how all the short dramas and animated comics she watched went!

But the next moment, the pink-haired girl’s calm, unruffled voice sounded beside her ear. “As long as you don’t go around connecting me to everyone, those people won’t be able to sense the link between us.”

“Just face your own heart.”

The meaning was simple: If you wanted to show off, then show off. There was no need to hold back.

Vivi couldn’t help sticking out her tongue. “You want to die, but I don’t.”

“But I guess that’s true. Sis Yi was so close last night, and she didn’t notice anything.”

What a show-off… But a magical girl was supposed to be like that, dazzling and fearless.

That was how the profession she had admired since childhood was supposed to make people feel.

Vivi thought to herself.

She continued speaking in her mind. “But… there’ll be a chance.”

“Mm.”

Flames flared in Vivi’s eyes once more.

She wanted to rise above the rest, become a magical girl, and shine brighter than anyone.

But in the past, she hadn’t been able to do anything. All she could do was watch helplessly and enviously as people who weren’t as hardworking or as willing to take risks as she was stood above her, just because they had been born into better circumstances.

But now…

She had everything she needed.

Before that, though, she still had to find a way to make money.

The potions at Sis Yi’s place would surely get more expensive over time, and there was nutrient paste, all kinds of extra expenses, and even the various things Teresa might need to buy, like prosthetics… Everything cost money.

Luckily, she was so much stronger now that her options for making money had greatly expanded.

Ding-a-ling.

At last, the bell rang.

Vivi stood up, ready to leave the classroom.

Suddenly, she frowned, and her black tail stopped swaying along behind her.

Her magic perception was far more sensitive than yesterday, and she felt a sharp gaze land on her.

She turned around and saw the girl with long, pale yellow hair.

Something beneath the girl’s skirt seemed to be pushing up its hem, drawing sidelong glances from many people.

This girl had style.

It was the girl named Xiyuji.

She was staring at the top of Vivi’s head, a thoughtful look on her cool face as she frowned slightly. Then, while Vivi watched, she walked over to Vivi’s seat and said coldly,

“Hey, come outside with me.”

Vivi furrowed her brows slightly.

What was going on?

She had never messed with this top student who had a Yummy Stick, had she?

Though this school was always full of people acting like bullies, and it seemed like you didn’t need a reason to pick on a bad student… wasn’t this girl the type who couldn’t even see bad students?

Still, Vivi wasn’t the sort to back down from trouble.

She snorted, slung her one-shoulder bag with the ball inside over her shoulder, and followed Xiyuji toward an empty classroom.

Several girls who had been watching them immediately began whispering gleefully.

“That dead-last student must’ve done something to upset Xiyuji.”

“Heh, she probably got carried away after beating Renee yesterday, and Xiyuji’s eyes caught it.”

“She’s improved a little, but she’s still nowhere near Xiyuji… This should be fun.”

“Should we go over and listen?”

“Better not. She might take her anger out on us too… I heard those gender-bender brats who keep their ○○ and take medicine are even more irritable than normal men and women.”

“They’re called hormone girls.”