Chapter 107 – Sun Goddess

“Lin Xi, I know this is a lot to ask, but… could you feed me?”

Sitting across from each other at the dining table, Xia Xun suddenly made that request.

“Huh???!!!” Xia Xun’s request went far beyond the scope of Lin Xi’s comprehension.

Xia Xun hurriedly explained, “It’s like this. Today I had to fight a Special-Grade Disaster, then run around handling all kinds of things at the Countermeasures Bureau building. I’m so tired I can’t even lift my chopsticks…”

Xia Xun knew that excuse was total nonsense. She just wanted to play out a little feeding scenario with Lin Xi.

“Oh, so that’s what it is. You really worked hard today. All right, which dish do you want?” Lin Xi failed to see through Xia Xun’s cunning little scheme and agreed on the spot.

After all, Xia Xun had only been busy all day because of her. Lin Xi had even lied to her. She had to make it up to her properly!

No matter what request Xia Xun made, Lin Xi would satisfy it.

If it were anyone else, Lin Xi wouldn’t dare say something like that. But with Xia Xun, she felt completely at ease.

Xia Xun was a righteous Magical Girl. There was no way she would make some weird, outrageous request.

Feeding her was simple, wasn’t it? Anyone with hands could do it.

“Thank you!” Xia Xun was deeply moved. “Lin Xi, you’re just too yasashii!”

So the wickedly gentle one was me all along??? …Lin Xi didn’t think of herself as a gentle person. She had tricked Xia Xun. That had clearly been awful of her, and now she was only atoning for it.

Yes. Atoning.

“Ahaha-” Lin Xi laughed awkwardly. The more Xia Xun praised her, the more ashamed she felt. “I’m not as good as you think.”

“Let’s not talk about that. Which dish do you want?”

For tonight’s dinner, Lin Xi had made four dishes.

Xia Xun said excitedly, “I want to try all of them!”

And so, Lin Xi officially began “feeding” Xia Xun.

Xia Xun opened her mouth and ate the delicious food Lin Xi brought to her lips, looking both adorable and utterly delighted.

“It’s so good!”

“Lin Xi, you’re the best cook out of every girl I’ve ever met.”

Lin Xi said modestly, “My cooking is just passable.”

“Xinning and Miss Shanshan are both way better than me.”

Xia Xun had met Zhao Xinning before. She was a gentle, cute, sunny, cheerful girl, almost like an angel.

If Xia Xun remembered right, she was in the Track and Field Club and was pretty famous in the school’s sports circles.

Xia Xun knew Zhao Xinning and Lin Xi were very close.

But they were only friends.

Xia Xun estimated that, in Lin Xi’s heart, her own position was probably a notch below Zhao Xinning’s.

That was fine. She would catch up from behind.

To put it simply, in three words:

She would win!

As for this “Miss Shanshan”? Who? Where had she popped out from???

Xia Xun seriously began asking Lin Xi about her.

“Miss Shanshan sits behind me,” Lin Xi said. “She’s a really good kid who’s super socially anxious.”

“Back when I was still a ‘semi-transparent’ person, Miss Shanshan, a ‘transparent’ person, was the first friend I made in class.”

Now, Lin Xi, who was long past being “semi-transparent,” had become the class’s superstar. She was even revered as the “Sun Goddess” by a group of “abstract” yet “loyal-orange” classmates.

Lin Xi did not breathe a single word of something that embarrassing to Xia Xun.

Xia Xun was the real superstar. How could Lin Xi have the nerve to compare herself to her?

After hearing Lin Xi out, Xia Xun had a rough idea that this Miss Shanshan wasn’t much of a competitor.

Her place in Lin Xi’s heart was definitely nowhere near Xia Xun’s own.

Hard pass.

“I want some soup.” Xia Xun submitted a “feed me” request.

Lin Xi scooped up a spoonful, gently blew on it to cool it down, and fed it to Xia Xun.

“Careful, it’s hot.”

Xia Xun felt utterly blissful. “Lin Xi, you’re amazing. You’re like the warm, comforting sun.”

Lin Xi: “…”

Wait. Was her title as the “Sun Goddess” about to become official???

Xia Xun wasn’t just throwing out random praise. She really was moved.

“In other people’s eyes, we Magical Girl are righteous and brave, beings with wills of steel who never give in.”

“With great power comes great responsibility. It’s like everyone thinks it’s only natural for us to protect Z City.”

“But I get tired too. I get scared too. I also have times when I want someone to care about me…”

“And you, Lin Xi, you’re the first person who’s ever truly cared about me.”

“That empty-headed Captain of mine can only count as half a person who truly cares about me.”

As Xia Xun spoke, tears welled in her eyes. “Thank you, Lin Xi. And I’m sorry for letting you see that even as a Magical Girl, I have a fragile side…”

Lin Xi felt like the sky was falling.

Had everything she’d done today actually made Xia Xun break down like this???

“No, Xia Xun. In my heart, you’re the strongest Magical Girl there is!”

“You’re not fragile at all. If you’re fragile, then wouldn’t an ordinary person like me, who’s basically dust, have no value in existing at all?”

Lin Xi had to cheer Xia Xun up, strengthen her resolve, and boost her confidence.

“Wuuu-” Xia Xun burst into tears, moved beyond words. “Lin Xi, you’re so warmhearted you’re practically the Sun Goddess-“

Lin Xi: “…”

She hurried over, inwardly cursing herself. Damn it, if she didn’t know how to talk, she shouldn’t have talked at all. Great, now she’d made Xia Xun cry…

Lin Xi obediently shut her mouth.

But if she didn’t speak, she had no idea how to comfort a crying girl.

So she just stood beside Xia Xun like a block of wood, holding a tissue.

Thump-

Xia Xun threw her arms around Lin Xi, feeling the warmth of the “Sun Goddess” as she let out the pressure she’d been bottling up for so long…

Being a Magical Girl really isn’t easy either… Lin Xi thought. She swore that from now on, she would do her best not to cause Xia Xun trouble.

And she would secretly help Xia Xun strike down criminals and monsters. Doing that could even improve her own performance numbers. Getting promoted and earning a raise at ZERO wouldn’t be a dream.

“Lin Xi, could you pat my head and comfort me a little???” Xia Xun asked, her tearful eyes glistening, looking absolutely pitiful and adorable.

How could Lin Xi possibly resist such a “super attack”? She gently patted Xia Xun on the head.

“If the pressure ever gets too much in the future, just tell me.”

Everyone had a fragile side. When your emotions collapsed, having a friend by your side was undoubtedly the best medicine.

It sounded a little arrogant to put it that way, but Lin Xi hoped she could become that medicine for Xia Xun when Xia Xun’s emotions fell apart.

Held in Lin Xi’s arms, Xia Xun’s mood gradually settled down… as if!

The pressure had indeed been released, but what came right after was… her heart fluttering???

Xia Xun’s heart was pounding hard. She only wanted to become Lin Xi’s good friend, so what was with this abnormal, springtime stirring in her heart???

If Lin Xi found out, she would definitely think Xia Xun was some kind of pervert, right?

She treats you like a friend, but you want to sleep with-uh, no, it wasn’t at that point yet. Xia Xun’s face flushed bright red as she let go.

If she kept hugging Lin Xi, there was no telling if Lin Xi would hear her heartbeat pounding like a drum.