Dinner Time
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, Ei, Venti, the Dragon King, and the others had returned from Araumi.
The day's work had gone smoothly.
Venti had even brought back a pile of War Machine parts for Xia Zhi, saying he'd noticed how fascinated Xia Zhi seemed with them and thought he might like some spares.
A little later, Qiqi and her group came back too, arms full of monster materials.
As for the Kairagi and Nobushi—they'd already sent word to Xia Zhen, asking the shogunate's samurai to haul those guys away. The ones with heavier crimes had even been marked for later judgment.
Seeing that everyone had worked hard today, Xia Zhi suggested giving them massages to help them relax.
Ei hadn't been interested at first.
But then her sister leaned close, whispering with a teasing smile that she had to try it—it felt amazing.
Comfort didn't matter to Ei much, but when her sister put it that way, there was no refusing.
Yae Miko's ears twitched from where she sat nearby, a sly smile tugging at her lips.
If Ei was going, then as her familiar, she definitely wasn't staying behind.
And so, the bathhouse inside the Serenitea Pot welcomed two new guests that night.
Hanachirusato soaked in the steaming pool, looking a little uncomfortable.
Mostly because Yae Miko's gaze was too bold, too deliberate—amused, even.
Hanachirusato didn't like the way she stared. She wrapped a towel tightly around herself and sighed.
Five hundred years ago, that little fox had been so obedient. How did she grow into this kind of troublemaker?
Ei, on the other hand, was much quieter.
She shared a bath with her sister, who gently washed her hair. The way her fingers glided through Ei's strands—slow, careful, tender—filled her with a deep, peaceful contentment.
From time to time, one of the girls would rise from the bath and head into the adjoining massage room.
Charlotte was especially eager today and went in early.
She lay face down on the small massage bed, looking up at Xia Zhi. "Mr. Xia…"
"Hm?"
"There's something I want to ask you."
"What is it?"
"It's… um…"
"Go ahead."
"It's about magical girls!"
"Oh?"
"Do you think I still have a chance, at my age?"
"You want to become a magical girl too?"
She nodded firmly. "Yeah! I really do!"
"Give me a reason."
"A reason… I want to uphold justice!"
"Excellent."
"Huh?"
"I approve of that reason. The world could use more heroes like you."
"I'm not really a hero though… so, does that mean—?"
"I can form a contract with you," Xia Zhi said, smiling faintly, "and make you a magical girl."
Her eyes lit up. "Really?!"
"Stay still. Massage isn't done yet."
"Oh—right."
Charlotte obediently lowered her head again, but her excitement was impossible to hide.
"So, what do I need to do?"
"Nothing," Xia Zhi said, his tone calm. "I'll craft a transformation item for you."
"A transformation item?"
"Yes. Like Fischl's—her black eyepatch is actually hers. If you have any personal accessory you're attached to, I can convert it into your own transformation tool. If not, I'll make one from scratch."
"Could I use my Kamera?"
"That'll work."
"Then that's my choice!"
"Alright. When we're done here, leave your Kamera on the table. I'll have it ready by tomorrow."
"Okay!"
"Any particular element you'd like?"
"I want to learn the same spell Qiqi uses—the one that tells good from evil!"
"Ah, Qiqi's spell. You mean [Detect Evil], right? That would make you a Light-type."
"Yes!"
"Got it."
Once the massage was done, Charlotte placed her Kamera on the bed and left with a bright, hopeful smile.
Xia Zhi picked it up. Another magical girl under his wing.
He treated a few more girls after that, until Xia Le entered.
"Big brother."
"What is it?"
"Have you been busy lately?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Because I've been feeling time acceleration pulses all day. It must've been you, right?"
"Oh, that. Yeah. I borrowed a Transformation Box from Madame Ping."
"What's that?"
"It's a small device. If you put plants inside, it'll eventually turn them into their corresponding seeds."
"I see! So you've been making seeds?"
"Exactly."
"Then I can help!"
"You?"
"Of course! I can use Time Acceleration too. Whatever seeds you want, I'll help you make them!"
"Well… that's true."
The Transformation Box was good for earning points. The only problem was that the job got mind-numbingly boring after a while—and it required Time Acceleration.
Aside from him, only Xia Le could use that ability.
But unlike him, she was the Time Dragon. For her, manipulating time was as easy as breathing.
If she handled it, she could work and play at the same time. Perfect efficiency.
Xia Zhi hesitated for a moment.
Sensing his indecision, Xia Le pouted. "Big brother, let me help, please? I really want to help you!"
He chuckled. "You're not afraid of getting tired?"
"Not at all!"
"Alright, I'll let you help."
"Yay!"
After her massage, Xia Zhi handed her the Transformation Box. "There are some Sakura petals from the Sacred Sakura inside. Don't touch them—just leave them there. Go to the garden in the Serenitea Pot or near the shrine and collect flowers or leaves from any plants you find. Put them in the box, and they'll turn into seeds."
"Any kind of plant works?"
"Yes. Anything."
"How many seeds do you want? A thousand? Ten thousand?"
"There's no limit. The more, the better."
"The more, the better?"
"Exactly."
"Then what if I get you a million seeds? Will I get a reward?"
"A million…"
He blinked. Even if they were all Black Iron quality, recycling that many seeds would earn over a million points. That was enough for a decent Prismatic item.
Unlike the lower tiers—Black Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond—the Prismatic and Supreme tiers didn't scale by fixed ratios.
Some Prismatic items cost only tens of thousands of points. Others ran into the millions.
Supreme-tier gear? Usually in the billions.
He patted her head, smiling. "Forget a million. If you bring me ten thousand, I'll grant you one wish."
Her eyes sparkled. "Really?"
"Of course. As long as it's not too outrageous."
"Deal! You promised! No take-backs!"
"No take-backs," he said with a laugh.
Clutching the Box, Xia Le skipped out of the room, beaming with excitement.
Watching the door close, Xia Zhi couldn't help smiling. "That girl…"
She loved music so much.
Her wish was probably going to be for him to play a song just for her.