Iris resigned.
When Su Tianqing heard this from Bai Ling, she instinctively thought this unreliable Observer was joking.
But on second thought, although Bai Ling was not very reliable, she was quite serious about these matters and probably wouldn't make such a terrifying joke.
"Iris... doesn't want to be a Magic Girl anymore...?"
Su Tianqing said in surprise.
"Why? Wasn't Hua Ling... wasn't she just today..."
"Weren't you rescued by that Hellcat? Hua Ling thought Hellcat kidnapped you, so she... she unexpectedly gave birth to a form completely opposite to Star Shadow—"
"【Star's Dark Shadow】."
Not far away, Observer Fox Fox, who had been in autonomous mode, emerged from the bedroom and spoke to the two.
Su Tianqing searched her memories in the Observer Encyclopedia in her mind and quickly found the corresponding term.
It was hidden very deep in a sub-directory of Magic Girl's second transformation, but it was given a lot of space.
"Xiaoyue! You're here too!"
Bai Ling pounced on Observer Fox Fox as if she had found a savior, circling her a few times.
"Xiaoyue, please save me! Iris won't even come out of her bedroom today, it's driving me crazy!"
"Hmm? Is it really that serious?"
Fox Fox said in surprise.
Su Tianqing felt she must have missed a rather exciting plot during her unconsciousness, so she quickly connected with her and synchronized the memories from that period.
Hmm... so that's how it is.
During this time, Hua Ling suddenly gained a new form different from Star Shadow and chased Hellcat. No wonder she looked like she was going to blast Ben Hu as well.
But she didn't expect Hua Ling to fall into self-isolation because of this, even doubting her own identity as a Magic Girl...
"Is that so...?"
Observer Fox Fox mumbled to herself, pinching her chin, looking thoughtful.
Su Tianqing silently switched her back to automatic mode.
"So, Iris is still in her Shadow state then?"
"No, she dispelled the Shadow after Hellcat left, but things aren't that simple."
After speaking, Bai Ling was silent for a few seconds, her gaze shifting from the dazed Golden Fox to Fox Astrologer, as if seeking help.
"Um... Xiaoyue... Miss Dandelion doesn't seem to understand what Shadow is, you see..."
Su Tianqing immediately understood Bai Ling's meaning, sighed, and began to explain "Shadow" to herself.
.
"Generally speaking, Magic Girls' power source comes from the stars. Every Magic Girl has her corresponding star or constellation, and even Witches use constellations and stars to maintain their existence."
"And by gaining the favor of the stars in a transformed state, and having enough faith and will to overcome it, one can become the reflection of the Star Realm in the current world, which is the so-called 【Star Shadow】."
Su Tianqing sat idly on the sofa, while Bai Ling sat on the coffee table, listening to the manual mode on the opposite sofa lecturing.
"Mhm, mhm, Xiaoyue is right, that's how Star Shadow comes about." Bai Ling nodded repeatedly, speaking to the Golden Fox behind her.
Golden Fox really wanted to complain about the ignorant, stupid Bai Diao (White Sable) in front of her, who reminded her of the idiotic interns she used to mentor.
"I see... Then what about Star Shadow?" Su Tianqing asked, pretending not to know.
"That's a long story..."
"First of all, since the Star Realm can cast a projection in the current world, an accompanying shadow will inevitably be born."
"Once Magic Girls generate an overly powerful obsession, and at the same time are not recognized by the stars, this obsession will draw power from the shadow of the stars, bringing Magic Girls into the dark side of Star Realm Magic—"
After a brief pause, Observer Fox Fox made Darth Vader's classic choke gesture.
"That is, briefly entering the shadow of the stars, transforming into 【Star's Dark Shadow】, losing all rationality and self-control except for that obsession."
"Oh, well, Senior Bai Ling, hurry up and tell me about Iris's current situation! Didn't she dispel the Shadow state? Why is she still cooped up in her room?"
"Ah... well, she cast a very powerful defensive magic on the bedroom door, and I can't get in at all, so..."
Bai Ling cowered into a ball.
Su Tianqing sighed.
Hua Ling's situation was more troublesome than she had imagined.
Just being cooped up in her bedroom was already enough to give her a headache.
From her perspective, it was quite normal for Hua Ling to be in this state—
Arriving a step late, which resulted in "Su Tianqing" falling into Hellcat's hands, coupled with Hyacinth and Nightingale's experiences, this was probably the reason Hua Ling stepped towards the other extreme of Star Shadow.
But her subsequent unfamiliar black form... even she felt a strong unease.
Let alone anything else, just looking at Razor Freak's experience was enough to prove Hua Ling's violent destructive power in that state:
One shot instantly killed Razor Freak, who had no magic resistance added.
Su Tianqing felt that even if she had added magic resistance to Razor Freak, it would probably only endure a few more shots.
Not to mention the firepower of her two twin-linked magic cannons, which would definitely be able to forcefully melt Razor Freak despite the magic resistance.
"We have to find a way to get Iris back to normal as soon as possible." Bai Ling sighed and said.
"Yes, otherwise, you'll just have to fight Xin Yuehu and the others yourself, Miss Dandelion." Observer Fox Fox interjected at the opportune moment.
Brief silence.
"It seems we can only go and check on Iris's situation then." Su Tianqing replied.
.
A little later.
Magic Girl Dandelion landed quietly, entering the apartment through the window.
"This is it, Hua Ling usually lives here." Bai Ling turned on the living room lights and introduced to the two Fox Foxes.
Su Tianqing glanced at a family photo frame not far away, then at the slightly dusty living room.
The house still seemed to maintain the appearance of a family of three living there, but there was a strange sense of incongruity—
This warmth was deliberately maintained by someone, that person didn't want the traces of "someone living here" to disappear, so they often maintained the layout of this living room.
"It must be Hua Ling herself maintaining it." Su Tianqing murmured to herself.
Hua Ling's mental state seemed more shattered than she had imagined... but this was also normal. After all, her parents had suffered such a terrible disaster, who could truly let go?
"Hua Ling is in there." Bai Ling floated to the door of a closed bedroom and looked back, saying.
Su Tianqing walked forward and glanced at the bedroom door.
Powerful defensive magic was attached to the door, preventing anyone from entering. Even Bai Ling couldn't bypass the door by spiritualizing.
Sigh... so stubborn.
Golden Fox stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Hua Ling Meimei, are you in there?"
"If you have time now, can you talk to your elder sister?"
Silence.
But soon, the lock opened from the inside, and the dejected girl revealed half her body through the crack in the door, glancing at the two foxes and one sable outside, who looked worried.
"Tianqing Jie... are you, are you feeling better?"
"I'm much better, I wasn't hurt at all, you know."
Su Tianqing quickly replied,
"I heard from Bai Ling, Hua Ling Meimei, you... don't want to be a Magic Girl anymore, is that true?"
Hua Ling paused for a few seconds, then nodded gently.
"...Yes."
"I... I don't have the talent to be a Magic Girl... I can't protect anyone, I just recklessly destroy surrounding buildings... even, even bring danger to everyone..."
"But Hua Ling Meimei, didn't you protect many people? You protected me and Xiaoyu on the Ferris wheel, and you also protected the fallen Hyacinth. Didn't you do all of that?"
"It's useless... I... I can't do anything... I even, even bring great danger to Tianqing Jie..."
"As long as I'm a Magic Girl, I can only bring destruction... I can't protect anyone."
Su Tianqing pouted.
The conversation had died. Hua Ling was so stubborn she wouldn't listen to anything, her mind was full of the scene where she almost blasted Ben Hu today.
"What about Hyacinth then, and Nightingale? They're being held hostage by Xin Yuehu. Are we just going to watch them be kidnapped?"
Long silence.
The girl seemed to want to say something, but couldn't bring herself to speak.
Su Tianqing was about to say something more, but Hua Ling spoke first:
"Please leave me alone, Tianqing Jie."
"...Good night."
The bedroom door closed, and the magic lock sealed it shut again.
No matter how Golden Fox knocked on the door, there was no longer any movement from inside.
