Yes, I did all of this!

Holding the phone, the wind chimes projected it onto the screen to connect the call:

"Mr. Duanmu, weren't you going to handle a commission?"

That's right.

Duanmu Mo sat on the high-rise building, his cyborg eyesight allowing him to see the scene below from afar: "But my position is perfectly safe right now, which is why I have time—as for you guys, I saw the strange man appear on the TV nearby. Ling, are you and Yuzhi alright?"

"I'm fine, but Yuzhi has new injuries from the battle."

As she spoke, Fengling looked at Huangyi and said.

"I'm fine! It's just a minor injury, don't worry."

Huang Yi quickly waved her hand, but the movement aggravated her wounds, causing her to groan.

"...Anyway, I was just trying to find out what was going on over there when I saw the message you sent me, Rin. The current situation is that 'that person' has the ability to bewitch people, and you need to consider what to do, right?"

"Yes, Cangyi also said that the sea monster itself is very strong, and even Cangyuan in his orca form is no match for it. Only by fully awakening Cangyuan can it be defeated."

"Is that so..."

Duanmu Mo wasn't too surprised. He picked up a pizza box and started eating, mumbling indistinctly as he spoke:

"Since that's the case, quite a few people are paying attention to this battle now, right? How are people reacting to what the monster said?"

"After all, we have just finished the battle, so there are not many people's reactions yet, but apart from those who are cautious about this statement, there are also those who do not believe the strange man's statement."

"They don't disbelieve the statement itself, they just don't believe in the monster. Rin, Cangyi said that her enemies at the time, besides 'that person,' also included Zero, which is you, who was transformed into a monster by the Zero system. Your abilities combined with the monster's seduction can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

After swallowing the pizza, Duanmu Mo slowly and methodically analyzed the situation.

"You're right..."

The thought of her own potential made Fengling feel a mix of emotions, but mostly she felt fortunate.

Fengling could sense the wariness that Cangyi was showing towards Zero when he was talking about those things, but she didn't feel disgusted because she was not only Zero, but also the magical girl Fengling.

On the contrary, she could even empathize with Cangyi's wariness, because it was, after all, her own ability, and the scenario of this ability standing against her sister was something Fengling did not want to see.

Duanmu Mo nodded and continued:

"—Rin, your ability is extremely convenient in this world, almost like having a cheat code. So, conversely, this ability can also make the monsters' actions twice as effective."

"So... it's a mix of truth and falsehood used to deceive ordinary people?"

“This is called a white lie.” Duanmu Mo raised his head, looking at the sun in the sky. “Don’t feel ashamed and unable to act; after all, even the moon lies…”

"--Okay, I've posted it."

Before Duanmu Mo could even pause for a moment...

"Okay... that's fine, you're pretty quick."

Of the four magical girls, only Huangyi and Lingyin hesitated for a moment because of this. As for Xi Ri and Fengling, as long as it didn't harm the lives of ordinary people, this little deception was nothing to worry about.

It's not that there's anything wrong with it; the mutual support between two people with high moral standards and two people with average moral standards is impeccable, making it difficult for the weirdo to find a flaw.

"That's settled then, Rin. It's enough to raise the awareness of ordinary people to prepare for what might happen in the future."

"Leave it to me with confidence, I won't let you down." Fengling smiled and agreed.

"Yu Zhi." Hearing the words coming from the television, Cang Yi spoke up, saying, "Tell everyone, no matter how optimistic you are, don't be careless. The disaster brought by that strange man is not so easy to solve."

"Alright—everyone, Mr. Duanmu, Cangyi warned us to be careful..."

—After listening to Huang Yi's words, Duanmu Mo remained silent for a moment, looked at the crowd below, and said with a teasing tone: "Still trying to be a riddle teller? I know, I'm just an ordinary person, and I don't have any room for carelessness."

With just a few words, Duanmu Mo would naturally be on high alert.

"We can't let our guard down no matter what." Xi Ri sighed and looked at the screen, saying, "By the way, Duanmu Mo, when are you coming back? I'm hungry!"

"—Okay, okay...almost there."

Helpless, Duanmu Mo looked at the crowd in the distance and hung up the phone.

Chapter 320: Growth

. . . . . .

How are your injuries?

After returning home in the afternoon, Duanmu Mo prepared a meal for them.

After eating and drinking his fill, Duanmu Mo stood in the kitchen washing the dishes while asking a question to the outside.

"Ling is fine, and I'm alright too," Lingyin said softly as she gently cut the fruit.

"Sister, you need to rest for a few more days. This doesn't seem like a minor problem."

Shen Wuling had already deactivated her transformation and glanced at Lingyin, whose face was still pale, before speaking.

Lingyin just smiled awkwardly and didn't really refute it.

"I'm alright, anyway, you guys have to keep me in line these next few days," Yuhi said casually, watching the game on TV.

"After all, we were worried that you might get hurt again, Yuuni-senpai... cough cough." Huangyi was wiping the table when he suddenly coughed lightly.

"Yuzhi, you should also rest well. You don't need to do housework."

Upon hearing the cough, Duanmu Mo glanced at the living room and frowned as he spoke.

"Okay... I'm all done cleaning up."

Putting down the rag, Huang Yi smiled and sat down in the chair, then said, "I'm just feeling a little unwell right now, I'll be back to school tomorrow."

“You don’t look like you’re just ‘unwell’ right now.” Duanmu Mo looked at Huang Yi, then turned to say, “Ling, check on her for me.”

"Okay, wait a minute."

Shenwu Ling transformed again, placing her hand on Huangyi's back, and dark golden power spread out.

"Wait, wait a minute..."

Seeing this, Huang Yi panicked slightly, but didn't move rashly, because almost the next moment, Feng Ling raised her hand:

"The scan is complete. There are no fractures, but there is still some damage to the internal organs. I still recommend that you rest for another day."

"Did you hear that?" Duanmu Mo asked Huang Yi.

"But..." Huang Yi opened his mouth, then said helplessly:

"I've already taken several days off this semester. If this continues, I'm worried that people will become suspicious, and it would be terrible if my parents asked me about it."

"Haven't your parents become much more lenient with you? Just pretend you're not feeling well," Yuhi interjected, turning her head.

"I've used this excuse countless times..."

"If all else fails, let Ling ask for a day off for you," Lingyin said, coming out of the kitchen with concern.

Although she never advocates the abuse of magical girl powers, she won't rigidly adhere to this rule when it comes to the health of her companions.

"Although there's no problem on the computer, we still can't hide it from our classmates and teachers." Huang Yi sighed several times, clearly very troubled by this.

"—Since that's the case, then let's go." Seeing her insistence, Duanmu Mo didn't press the matter further.

Huang Yi breathed a sigh of relief, a look of joy on his face: "Then I'll leave it to Mr. Duanmu."

"I'll prescribe you some painkillers. Remember to transform and recover occasionally."

Since Yu Zhi insisted, Duanmu Mo wouldn't force her, just as he wouldn't stop Huang Yi from transforming and fighting.

However, Duanmu Mo wouldn't pay much attention to the pain and other effects that would follow; at most, he would offer a little help.

. . . . . .

The following day, Duanmu Mo drove away with Yu Zhi in his car.

"Are you feeling alright? You can stay in the transformed state for a while now."

Duanmu Mo looked at Yu Zhi in the rearview mirror, who was wearing a school uniform and breathing slightly slower, and asked.

"Um......"

Lightning crackled around Yu Zhi, and she transformed into the form of Huang Yi.

However, under her control, she did not wear the magical girl outfit, but instead remained in her school uniform.

No one in a moving car can see what the girl inside looks like.

As the discomfort subsided, Huangyi let out a sigh of relief.

Then, she looked up at Duanmu Mo and saw his face in the rearview mirror.

With his gaze fixed ahead, occasionally glancing at her through the rearview mirror, Duanmu Mo suddenly asked, "How did you sleep last night?"

"Ah, very good."

Huang Yi smiled, recalling his conversation with everyone yesterday.

"...Actually, I thought Mr. Duanmu would insist that I stay at home to rest."

Looking at his backpack, which contained some painkillers, Huang Yi said embarrassedly.

“If it were Xia Yan, I would insist that she do it, but it’s different for you.”

"What's different?" Huangyi asked, puzzled.

“You are more sensible than Xia Yan.”

Duanmu Mo drove, looking at the scenery ahead, and said:

"To be honest, if I had only known you for a short time, I would probably have made some other choices."

"You want me to stay?"

"No, it's not that I'll completely ignore you." Looking at Yu Zhi through the rearview mirror, Duanmu Mo said, "At most, I'll just notify your parents to take care of you. In my eyes, you're still too immature. You don't know what you should do and you always passively listen to other people's arrangements."

"Is...is that so..." Huang Yi looked embarrassed and gently scratched his cheek.

"—As for now, you have truly impressed me."

Duanmu Mo said calmly, "Especially when you were in Fengchuan City, you already had your own opinions and principles."

Yu Zhi looked a little shy and unaccustomed to such direct words, so Duanmu Mo continued:

"So, if you want to do something, do it yourself, but if anything happens, you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."

"That's still somewhat..."