Magical Girl Heavy Dependence

Chapter 11, The Painted Crow

Looking at the file on the screen, Cheng Chen raised his eyebrows:

"A free hunter? Is that the one I'm thinking of?"

Congcong nodded somewhat shyly.

No matter where in the world, anything related to magic can fetch a high price.

More than a decade ago, countless companies and laboratories openly offered high prices to buy the remains of calamity beasts and the corpses of demons. They even offered high prices to recruit living magical girls, who were happy to join those companies as henchmen, storefronts, or even subjects of experimental observation.

But a magical girl's lifespan is limited.

They had enough strength to protect themselves during their careers, but after graduation, they became easy prey for others.

After too many cases of murdering graduating magical girls or magical girls injuring people occurred, the matter was abruptly shut down. Ordinary people were not allowed to come into contact with anything related to magic, leaving only a small number of companies and organizations, such as Yinfu Entertainment, still with operating licenses.

But regulations cannot stop people's passion for magic, and similar transactions still occur in the shadows.

Gray market transactions are not protected.

The term "free hunter" refers to magical girls who use the pretext of fighting illegal activities to participate in shady deals, double-cross others, and even engage in entrapment.

Their extraordinary powers gave them absolute confidence, and those who were cheated had no way to seek redress and could only grit their teeth and accept their fate.

This is a business with no risk and huge profits.

Congcong flipped through the tablet in his hand and accessed more detailed information: "According to the records shared by the Bureau of Affairs and the Association, before joining the company, Miss Eya worked part-time as a signboard girl at a children's amusement park as a magical girl, but that children's amusement park was actually a magical black market."

"Two months ago, a demon appeared on the black market and fought with Miss Eya, causing quite a commotion. As a result, she entered the Yin City Magical Girl Affairs Bureau, and the subsequent work was handled by the association."

Cheng Chen understood: "So, she was forcibly brought to the company because of this?"

"Yes, because of this incident, Miss Eya's [Heart of Wish] was defiled, and thus it was noticed by the Black Arbiter."

Congcong nodded while holding the tablet. "In the cooperation agreement between Yinfu Entertainment and the Association, it was promised that they would help the Association regulate the behavior of magical girls. She was also sent to the company by the current president of the Association."

"I see."

Cheng Chen pondered in his mind.

Why would she become a freelance hunter? Is she short of money?

Congcong continued, "After joining the company, Ms. Huiya resisted being disciplined and was not interested in becoming an idol, which is why she repeatedly clashed with other producers."

Moreover, they resist discipline and do not want to become idols.

He put down his phone and asked, "How has Huiya been doing in the past few months?"

"His performance in basic courses is among the best. He gets A+ in posture, physical fitness, dance, and vocal music."

Congcong gave a surprising answer.

If you don't want to be an idol, why do you get such good grades in these courses?

Seeing Cheng Chen's surprise, she added, "He is completely unable to take other magic-related courses, such as magic manipulation, magic flight, and practical combat simulations. He often refuses to attend classes or is passive in his attitude."

Cheng Chen fell into deep thought.

It was more complicated than he had imagined; she wasn't just a purely problematic magical girl, but rather a collection of contradictions.

Aside from the records mentioned earlier, Yinfu Entertainment knows very little about Eiya, and has not mentioned anything about her in real life. This is a protective distancing to prevent information leaks from threatening the magical girls' families and friends.

These files alone do not reveal much.

"Well then... let's test the waters first."

Cheng Chen had an idea.

"Congcong".

He said to his assistant with a serious expression, "Could you check with the association to see if there are any first-tier 'Fire Sprout' level disaster beast bounties? I'm planning to have my trainees participate in a practical test, so please register all three of them."

Congcong stood there, opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Direct real-world combat? Won't that cause problems?

She had intended to ask that, but out of professional courtesy, she swallowed back the words she was about to say and instead lowered her head to answer:

"Yes, Mr. Cheng, I will arrange it as soon as possible."

……

Yan Xi kicked a pebble at her feet, and it landed with a splash in a pond covered with algae by the roadside.

She looked up and saw the dim, yellowish sunset sinking heavily below the horizon, with a whole row of sparrows perched in a dark mass on the power lines bathed in the afterglow.

Sometimes she even felt disoriented, unsure whether this place truly belonged to Yincheng.

The old street's cracked pavement was riddled with spiderweb-like fissures, from which wild grass sprouted. Half-collapsed ruins and dilapidated houses, barely holding together, stood side by side, their crumbling walls covered in dark green moss. Electrical wires coiled between the houses like veins. A stray cat walked along the eaves, then, upon seeing her, nimbly leaped into the back alley, startling her with a clatter of shattered tiles before quickly fading into silence.

"Xiaoyan, are you out of school yet?"

"Um, Aunt Zhuang, where's my grandma?"

"Aunt Yan was just at Zheng Damao's stall at the street corner. I saw her buy some ribs and haggle with Zheng Damao for ages. I guess she's already gone home by now."

"Okay."

"Hey, Xiaoyan, don't rush off. The persimmons in my backyard are ripe. I picked a few for you to take home and try."

"I can't accept it..."

"Don't be so polite with Aunt Zhuang, just take it!"

Yan Xi carried a bag of persimmons and continued walking forward, stepping on the withered yellow meadow by the roadside.

The old street was filled with the aroma of cooking in the evening. The fragrance of food wafted out from someone's house, and you could faintly hear the sizzling sound of oil and water mixing in the kitchen.

Along the way, neighbors kept recognizing her and greeting her.

"Xiao Yan, it's been a long time."

"Sister Yan!"

"Oh, it's the Yan family's daughter. She's back quite late today."

"..."

She responded to each one, nodding and waving, but her steps never stopped.

The sun had completely set, leaving only a faint, fading light that couldn't pierce the darkness of night.

Yan Xi, wearing an inconspicuous gray tracksuit jacket, walked along the old street step by step with her hands in her pockets and her head down. She continued until she crossed the ruined pond overgrown with weeds and reeds and could see the two-story building with its lights on.

The cement on the building's surface had cracked in countless places, revealing the grayish-blue bricks underneath. The leaking cracks in the roof were patched with sheet metal, and several electrical wires were strung from outside into the house, making a pattering sound as the night wind blew through the clean, white sheets.

Someone pushed open the door, saw her, and then turned and ran away.

Yan Xi rushed forward after seeing this and grabbed the person's shoulder: "Why are you running?"

"Xiao Yan..."

This was a dejected woman, with dry, yellow hair, a pale face, and a mouthful of black, rotten teeth.

"Aunt Qian, what are you doing here?"

Yan Xi questioned her, then frowned in displeasure upon seeing the paper package in her arms. "You're borrowing money from my grandma again? You haven't paid back the money you borrowed last time, have you? How much did you borrow this time?"

"Last time... last time Yinyin suddenly had a high fever, I couldn't help it, and there were also miscellaneous fees at school..." the woman mumbled, trying to find an excuse.

"How come I heard you're gambling?"

"No! Absolutely not! I swear!"

The woman was so frightened that she shook her head hurriedly. To prove it, she quickly pulled out a crumpled medical report from her pocket. "The hospital said that Yin Yin needs surgery. I... I really couldn't afford the surgery fee, so I came to your house."

Yan Xi's brows did not relax.

But just as she was about to investigate further, a sprightly septuagenarian woman emerged from the kitchen, her gray hair tied in a bun and an apron around her waist.

Yan Xi released the woman and called out, "Grandma! I'm back!"

The old woman glanced at her and the woman, and gave a curt command:

"Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."

The woman gave an embarrassed smile, quickly grabbed the paper bag, and ran away with her head down, disappearing around the corner in a moment.

Yan Xi entered the house, placed the bag of persimmons and her backpack on the entryway cabinet, and asked in a low voice, "Grandma, you lent money to someone again?"

"Qian's daughter-in-law is raising the child alone. As neighbors, we should naturally help her out when she has difficulties." The old woman wiped her hands with a towel as she came out of the kitchen. "Back then, everyone helped us in the same way."

"But the amount of money she borrowed was already quite large, and there were also bad rumors circulating on the streets," Yan Xi said.

The old woman remained noncommittal: "We can't just leave Yinyin unattended. Last time, several of us neighbors took that child to the hospital together."

She turned and went back into the kitchen, where she heard the clinking of bowls and plates. When she came out, she had filled two bowls with rice.

"Why are you so late today?"

Yan Xi paused slightly as she unzipped her coat, lowered her eyes, and explained softly:

"...I have to go to class, and after school I have to practice at the company. Also, a new producer came today, and there are some things I need to explain, so I stayed a little longer."

"Hmph, another new producer."

Grandma snorted and curled her lip. "I think your company is a scam. You talk about training and practice all day long, but you haven't produced anything of value. Instead, you're keeping people detained later and later."

"How could that be? The company has shares invested in by Yincheng Municipality, and the boss is an outstanding young entrepreneur in the Southern Federation. Moreover, salaries are paid on time every month without fail."

"You said the same thing to me when you were working at that amusement park, and what happened?"

The grandmother's eyes were full of resentment when she looked at her granddaughter.

Yan Xi opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

When she worked part-time as a signboard girl at the children's amusement park, she also told her grandmother how reliable the job was, so that her grandmother could rest assured.

Grandma walked up to her and had to look up to see her granddaughter: "There are some things I don't understand. It was Director Liang who persuaded me to agree to let you become an idol. You're an adult now, and you need to learn to know your limits."

After saying that, Grandma pressed her down at the dining table: "Eat!"

Yan Xi felt a dull ache in her chest, a kind of inexplicable discomfort.

Many years ago, this neighborhood was destroyed in a battle between magical girls and demons.

Many people lost their loved ones in that accident, and the destroyed neighborhood has yet to be rebuilt, including Yan Xi's family.

Even though it was just the two of them, Grandma still cooked a table full of delicious dishes, all of which were her favorites.

This seemingly harsh old lady actually cared about her a lot, and she never hid this concern.

"I still hope you study hard, get into a good university, and find a good job." Grandma put food on her plate and kept nagging, "Idol actors only have short-lived careers, and the entertainment industry is a bottomless pit that can ruin a person."

"Don't worry, everyone at the company is doing well," Yan Xi said in a low voice.

"That's just for show! What if you're no longer valuable..."

"I'm at the company!"

Yan Xi raised her voice, cutting off the old lady's words.

Looking at that wrinkled face, she tried her best to soothe him with a gentle and confident tone: "I'm ranked number one among the trainees in the company. I'll be officially debuting soon, and then I'll have value and status, and the company will allocate more resources to me. Before long, I'll be able to earn a lot of money and take you away from here... How about moving to Tian'e District? Did Grandpa Ji move there recently? I heard it's very nice."

"I just hope you won't force yourself," Grandma said quietly, looking at her. "You've been very unhappy lately, haven't you?"

That gaze was almost identical to that of the man who had looked into her eyes earlier that day, as if he wanted to see right through her deepest feelings.

Yan Xi's heart skipped a beat, but she forced a smile and said, "How could that be?"

The old lady stood up: "Wash the dishes after you finish eating. Don't bring up moving or anything like that again; that's for adults to worry about. You're just a student; the only thing you should be thinking about is studying hard."

She turned and walked towards the bedroom, giving Yan Xi no chance to speak again.

……