My ex-girlfriend is a magical girl junior?

Chapter 153 Power Boost! However... I can't go back?!

Under the cool moonlight, the pale purple light that the star strings had transformed into had long since disappeared into the distant horizon. This secluded corner returned to its previous silence, with only the soft rustling of leaves in the wind.

Ji Ying let out a long sigh and sat back down on the bench that had witnessed too many "accidents".

She subconsciously reached out and gently smoothed out the slight wrinkles on her white cardigan caused by Xingxian's enthusiastic embrace, while carefully sorting through everything that had happened since he appeared.

Although Xingxian's special ability to seamlessly switch between the two modes truly surprised her.

Although she was in "relaxed mode," her unreserved enthusiasm for cute things and her almost aggressive way of getting close to them were exactly the same as Su Yuqing's, which gave her a headache, but she was helpless.

But putting aside these comical anecdotes, Jiying had to admit that Xingxian was indeed a powerful and trustworthy ally.

She will be an extremely important asset to their side when they fight against Mirror Lord in the future, or even against other potentially more powerful Void Realm Apostles.

Ever since learning of Jingjue's existence that night, a heavy shadow has been hanging over Jiying's heart.

She was deeply wary of the cunning and powerful apostle from the void, but because she was unable to track his movements and her own power had not yet fully recovered, she could only passively defend herself during this period.

And now—

Ji Ying looked down at the five or six erosion-grade energy cores that shimmered with a deep, dark light beside him, feeling the pure and powerful ethereal energy contained within them, and a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

The high-quality energy cores in her possession were enough to completely replenish the ethereal energy she had previously consumed, and even—to elevate the power of "Silent Shadow" to a new level.

Furthermore, Starfrost's power will be fully restored within a few days.

Perhaps it's time to change the previous passive and defensive situation and take a more proactive approach.

Tomorrow, after obtaining more comprehensive intelligence support from Xingxian, they might—truly—take advantage of the fact that Jingjue is unaware that his collaborators within the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs have been exposed, and instead meticulously set a deadly trap for him.

Even if we ultimately fail to completely kill that cunning guy's main body, we should at least destroy his mirror image clone again, just like last time, and seize the Void Source.

But then, when his thoughts turned to tomorrow's meeting with Xingxian and that unavoidable topic, Jiying's mood involuntarily became heavier.

That heaviness did not stem from worries about future battles, but rather—primarily from the child, Ruri.

It's not that I'm worried she'll act like before, displaying an inappropriate and hostile attitude towards Hoshino, the inspector who came from afar, due to some misunderstanding, thus causing unnecessary conflict between the local magical girls of this city and the representative of the magical kingdom.

After experiencing so much, Jiying was very clear that Liuli, under their subtle influence and her own efforts, had undergone tremendous growth and change, completely different from how she was a month ago.

As for Hoshino, although she initially appeared somewhat cold and stubborn, it became clear from their subsequent interactions that she wasn't the type to take advantage of her status as an Inspector to put on airs or act arrogantly towards the younger magical girls.

What she was really worried about was something else—once Liuli learned the truth about the disappearance of those Crescent Moon-level seniors from Xingxian, and realized that they were not deliberately distancing themselves from her out of disgust or disdain, as she had previously misunderstood, but rather—they might have already met with misfortune.

Given Liuli's sensitive and kind nature, she would surely feel immense guilt and self-reproach upon learning this cruel truth.

She might very well attribute a significant portion of her predecessors' misfortunes to her own immature, hostile, and rude behavior in the past.

That heavy sense of guilt, even if it couldn't push her to the brink of self-isolation again, would still cause her immense and irreparable damage.

In contrast, due to her personality, Yin Xue mostly acted as a "lubricant" between Liu Li and her seniors in their interactions with the new moon-level seniors, and her relationship with them was relatively harmonious.

Therefore, even if she feels sad and upset after learning the truth, her sense of guilt will be much less than Liuli's, and the direct emotional impact she experiences should be much lighter than Liuli's.

Moreover—before Xingxian appeared, she had just met Xiaoli, that man she called "father"—

Luo Hongyu had a less than pleasant meeting.

Although she had some doubts about the man's repentance and attempts to make amends, it was undeniable that Luo Hongyu did show a willingness to repair his relationship with his daughter.

When Xiao Li learns of this statement, it will surely stir up another wave of emotions in her heart.

Either of these two things alone would be enough to trouble Xiao Li for a long time.

But they all happened on the same day, or rather, at such close intervals.

When she spoke with Xingxian earlier, she sensed his determination to tell Liuli and Yinxue the truth immediately, and realized that it was inevitable that they would learn the truth. In fact, she had already made a decision in her heart.

This matter must be told to them personally.

She should choose the right time, control the way and pace of information delivery, and reveal this cruel fact in the safest and most acceptable way to them, so as to minimize the possible harm.

In that situation, making such a decision was perfectly normal for her, but she didn't realize that she had already decided to give the choice of whether or not to repair her relationship with her father to him.

When faced with these two equally thorny issues at the same time, she naturally fell into deep hesitation and entanglement once again.

How should I bring it up? And what words should I use to let her know the truth without causing her too much pain and self-blame?

After thinking for a long time, Ji Ying rubbed his temples in distress and shook his head gently.

She decided to first inform Liuli and Yinxue about the more urgent matter of "the disappearance of the seniors," which was also more related to their future safety, before her formal meeting with Xingxian tomorrow.

After all, Inspector Xingxian will definitely meet with them tomorrow, and this matter will be brought up sooner or later.

As for Xiaoli's biological father—let him cool off somewhere else for now. It's really not appropriate to provoke her with such upsetting things right now.

After making this difficult decision, Ji Ying's inner turmoil and hesitation finally eased a little.

She turned her attention back to the erosion-level void beast energy cores emitting a dark glow beside her, a hint of undisguised anticipation flashing in her dark red eyes.

She was also very curious about how much her own strength would grow after she had completely absorbed all five or six of these extremely high-quality, pure energy-grade erosion-level void beast energy cores.

With that thought in mind, Ji Ying no longer hesitated.

She stretched out her slender, fair right hand and gently brushed it across the energy core beside her. The originally cold and hard crystals melted instantly, turning into halos of light without a fixed shape.

With a thought, the halos, as if drawn by a force, transformed into torrents of ethereal energy, rushing into her petite body.

The absorption process was far smoother and faster than Ji Ying had imagined. Her body was like a bottomless vortex, greedily devouring the foreign energy.

The violent and chaotic ethereal energy, upon entering her body, was swiftly guided and purified by an invisible force, ultimately merging into a core deep within her body and completely transforming into a part of her own power.

The illusory energy contained in the five or six erosion-level energy cores was completely absorbed by Ji Ying in just over ten seconds. After the last trace of illusory energy was completely integrated into his body, Ji Ying slowly opened his eyes.

"Hoo—" Feeling the abundant ethereal energy within his body, Ji Ying nodded in satisfaction.

She raised her hand and gently took off the white knitted cardigan that Xingxian had given her, revealing a black strapless top underneath, as well as a flat, smooth abdomen without an ounce of fat and a slender, supple waist.

She carefully folded the cardigan and placed it neatly beside the bench, thinking that perhaps she could return it to the other person later.

Then, guided by her thoughts, the familiar black light reappeared from her body, rapidly extending and expanding upwards and downwards, gradually solidifying into a shape.

Soon, the long black trench coat, which reached her knees and had a simple yet stylish design, once again enveloped her petite body.

The collar of her trench coat stood up high, covering her slender neck, while the hem swayed gently in the night breeze, making her long, beautiful legs, clad in black knee-high boots, appear even straighter.

"Hmm, this looks much better—it certainly does." Ji Ying looked at his new look with satisfaction, enjoying the completely different wearing experience compared to the previous short jacket.

—Although she still has that petite, girlish figure that's a real headache, she looks much cooler now than before when her revealing outfits seemed a bit shameless.

And most importantly, she felt much more at ease and comfortable than before.

However, in the instant that thought flashed through her mind, another somewhat strange idea uncontrollably popped into her head:

—While this trench coat is indeed very stylish and fashionable—doesn't it seem a little too cute? It doesn't quite suit my petite frame.

"!"

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Ji Ying's expression froze, and his eyes widened slightly in shock.

—What was that thought I just had? Not cute enough?! Why would I have such a strange thought?

She shook her head violently, banishing the absurd idea from her mind. Then she took a deep breath, intending to deactivate the "Silent Shadow" transformation and revert to her original form as usual.

—The virtual energy has been replenished, and the appearance has been adjusted to a state that I am quite satisfied with. Now it is time to go back. If I go back any later, they will start to worry.

However-

The black streak that should have appeared when she deactivated her transformation did not materialize this time in response to her will.

The black trench coat still enveloped her petite body, her dark red eyes remained as clear and bright as rubies, and her playful black side ponytail still hung obediently behind her shoulder.

Nothing happened.

Ji Ying was slightly taken aback, thinking that she had been distracted and had not been able to concentrate. She took another deep breath and tried to deactivate the transformation again.

The result was the same as before.

Once — twice — three times

No matter how she silently chanted in her heart, no matter how she tried to communicate with the power within her body through her thoughts, there was absolutely no sign of her turning back.

Her petite and delicate body seemed to be completely locked in this "Shadowless" form, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not transform back into the familiar boyish appearance that belonged to Lin Che.

The color drained from Ji Ying's face at a visible speed, and his eyes were filled with disbelief, astonishment, and panic.

Looking down at her still slender, fair hands, a trembling voice, tinged with despair, uncontrollably escaped her throat: "No—no way—?"