Chapter 727 - 277: Bat and Mouse_2

This caused Arrowroot's expression to contort further.

"No surrender! You idiot! Waste! Coward! Haven't you realized? This is a Food Sacrifice! The loser gets eaten by the winner!"

She yelled angrily, "Get up quickly! Fight me to the end! I don't want to kill a piece of rotten meat lying on the ground!"

Mint knew this.

Indeed, until the battle commenced, she was genuinely harboring the intention to "kill Arrowroot."

She originally believed she was prepared, ready to ruthlessly and decisively kill this arrogant, annoying person spewing nonsense in front of her.

—Kill her "sister."

Mint had once told Lin Xiaolu that she and Arrowroot were not from the same city and had never been teammates. This was true, but an incomplete truth is essentially a lie.

Mint lied.

She indeed never worked a single day with Arrowroot, simply because all their shared memories actually predated "becoming a Magical Girl."

As what people call a "Beast Child," Mint was actually very fortunate.

She was born in Central City, with living parents and a privileged environment. From childhood, she was the most favored little princess at home. Her starting point was better than that of most peers.

If there was any misfortune, it was that her parents, though part of the upper class in Yue Wang City on the surface, were secretly "Believers" of Black Ash Dawn.

Of course, saying "Believers" essentially meant "wallets." Such people were everywhere in the Material Realm. The so-called "Believers" did not directly participate in Black Ash Dawn's actual activities but simply purchased useful magic tools via its channels, which were regulated by the Kingdom, and regularly donated to Black Ash Dawn.

Mint's parents weren't completely brainwashed blind believers; rather, by the average moral standards of society, they could still be considered good people.

This somewhat complex family took on a task from the organization during Mint's childhood.

—To raise an orphan.

That was a girl without a name, only a numerical designation, whom her parents introduced to her one morning as she groggily stepped out of her bedroom.

"Xiao Qing, this will be your sister from now on; don't bully her."

She still remembers her mother smiling as she said this to her.

Mint's name was Wu Xiqing, and after that day, she gained a younger sister named Wu Xiyu.

Many years later, her Magical Girl code name was Mint, while her sister's was Arrowroot.

Throughout Mint and Arrowroot's sisterly life, there were actually no deeply poignant events.

Perhaps at that tender age, Mint's understanding of a "sister" was merely someone who stayed at her home. She was very interested and kind to this girl who suddenly appeared in her life but never felt any responsibility as an "older sister."

Back then, Arrowroot was just a very introverted, silent child. Mint's role was to keep lending her friends to Arrowroot, sharing toys with her, and introducing her to beloved stories.

If one were to speculate maliciously, the motivation for this behavior might be more about "fast-tracking" a close friend than "caring."

Yet neither Mint nor Arrowroot was aware of such things. Mint indeed did good. It was her persistent effort that pulled Arrowroot out of her closed-off world where she didn't want to communicate with others.

No heavy, distant promises. No overly sweet, unforgettable memories. Like ordinary sisters, they played, studied, slept, ate, and even eventually fought over toys, quarreled, and bickered. They became so normal over time that both Arrowroot and Mint seemed to forget they weren't blood sisters.

This normalcy ended when someone from Black Ash Dawn Headquarters came again.

"Thank you for raising the Sacrificial Child. We'll take over from now on."

The man who visited said this, expressing sincere gratitude to Mint's parents and even bringing many magic tools as "compensation."

Her parents couldn't refuse the man.

It wasn't because of the compensation; rather, this special "child" had originally been brought by them. Now that they wanted to take the child back, and offered due courtesy, as ordinary "Believers," her parents had no grounds to refuse.

Arrowroot stood at the doorway, holding the man's hand, without crying or making a scene, just staring blankly at Mint and her parents.

"The cartoon is about to air; do you have to leave now?" Mint's concern was such a trivial matter.

"Sorry, Miss, we have limited time." The stranger replied.

Mint didn't want her sister to leave, so she looked at her parents and the man, slowly approached, and grabbed her sister's arm.

"Don't go."

At that moment, Mint naturally didn't notice the livid expression on her parents' faces.