NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77 - WuYue's decision
“…Ouja!”
Hearing the voice on the other end of the call, Bai Yu suppressed the surge of anger that flared up within her. Taking a deep breath, she spoke in a cold tone:
“Why are you calling me? What do you want this time, Ouja? Another set of conditions to negotiate?”
“If that’s the case, then save it! Unless it’s about YouYu, don’t bother us again! No matter how much you mock us or hide, we’ll keep searching for you until we find you!”
“Tsk tsk tsk~ Such a sharp tongue you have, Blue Night. You should really watch your tone. That man you’re so worried about? He’s still in my hands, you know?”
“If your words put me in a bad mood…”
“…Enough! What exactly do you want? Just say it already and stop wasting my time!”
Hearing Bai Yu’s impatient click of her tongue and the way she shifted the topic, Ouja chuckled lightly before replying:
“Relax, Blue Night. I’m not here to waste your time. In fact, I’m here with good news.”
“That is, tomorrow, you and the other magical girl will head to the address I’m sending you.”
“Once you’re there, you’ll finally get to see the YouYu you’ve been so desperate to find.”
“Of course, that’s only if…”
“You manage to defeat me first.”
Bai Yu’s brow furrowed as she listened. For once, she managed to remain calm and asked,
“Are you saying we’ll fight tomorrow? How can we be sure YouYu is still with you? How can we know he’s even alive?”
“What if we go there, and YouYu isn’t? What if this is just another of your lies? What then?”
“So before anything else, at the very least—let me speak to him. I need to confirm his condition!”
“…”
There was a long silence on the other end of the call. Finally, Ouja responded, his voice laced with mock regret:
“Hah! Blue Night, I’d really love to grant that request. After all, a little hope does wonders for motivation, doesn’t it?”
“But unfortunately… that man isn’t exactly in a convenient state at the moment.”
“What do you mean by that?!”
Bai Yu’s heart sank as she pressed him further, anger sharpening her voice.
But this time, Ouja didn’t answer her directly. Instead, he sighed as if in exasperation, laughing softly.
“What I mean is exactly what it sounds like. He’s… unavailable right now—in every sense of the word.”
“If you’re so eager to find out his current state, then show up tomorrow at the location I’ve just sent you. It’s already on your phone.”
“It’s… a rather familiar place for you all.”
“Once you defeat me, you’ll have plenty of time to ask questions.”
“Well then, as usual…”
“Ciao~”
With that, Ouja hung up.
“…”
Lowering the phone from her ear, Bai Yu stared at the anonymous message that had just come through. Her expression tightened.
She tapped the notification and opened the attachment—a photo.
The image showed a place she recognized all too well: the training grounds they’d used countless times.
“Ouja…”
Clenching her jaw, Bai Yu muttered through gritted teeth,
“So you’ve been watching us all along…”
After a brief moment of thought, Bai Yu refocused on what needed to be done. Without delay, she dialed WuYue’s number to inform her about what Ouja had just said.
“What? We’ll be fighting tomorrow?”
“And… it’s at that place.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Bai Yu sighed, glancing out the window at the falling rain.
“While the sooner we act, the better, with just the few days of training we’ve had, can we really win against Ouja?”
“I’m worried… that we won’t rescue YouYu and might even lose ourselves in the process.”
“You’re right, Bai Yu. With our current strength, it’s true we might not be ready.”
“But at this point, we don’t have a choice. He’s come to us, and we have to at least try to defeat him.”
“After all, we can’t guarantee he’ll give us another chance. If we fail and he does something to YouYu… I don’t even want to think about it!”
WuYue paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, then continued, her tone firm:
“Bai Yu, I know you’re anxious—I am too. But right now, the only thing we can do is stay calm and face tomorrow’s battle head-on.”
“That’s all for now, Bai Yu.”
With that, WuYue hung up.
Bai Yu stared at her phone, momentarily dazed.
It took her a while to snap out of it, and when she did, a realization struck her.
“That was… unnervingly calm for WuYue…”
What was she thinking?
It was likely that Ouja’s thinly veiled threats had chilled her to the core, turning her demeanor cold. Those words had been nothing short of blatant intimidation.
Bai Yu clenched her fist. She needed to prepare herself, and quickly.
At WuYue’s home
WuYue stood in her room, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. The figure staring back at her was that of her magical girl form. She looked almost detached, as though lost in thought.
Lowering her gaze, her eyes fell on the ruby pendant around her neck. It seemed to have dimmed slightly—barely noticeable, but to someone who had been carefully observing it for days, the change was clear.
She remained silent for a moment, then lifted her head again.
Ever since hearing Bai Yu relay Ouja’s words, her heart had been consumed by a mix of anger and fear—fear for YouYu’s safety.
And now, with that fear, WuYue couldn’t help but notice the slight dimming of the ruby.
Was it possible her earlier judgment had been wrong?
“…No.”
She couldn’t allow herself to dwell on it.
If she overthought, her strength might falter.
“Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I must defeat him and rescue YouYu!”
“Then… I’ll protect him, and never let those enemies near him again!”
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, WuYue watched as flames of mana ignited around her clenched fists, glowing fiercely with power.
She had made up her mind.