: The Fist Hardened

Upon seeing Jin Yu, Mu Ming was taken aback for a moment, then quickly asked, "When...did you arrive?"

He wanted to ask, "Why are you here?" but he felt the person was too defensive.

"I just arrived and knocked on the door but you weren't there. However, a delivery guy just arrived, so I figured you should be back soon and decided to wait."

Jin Yu responded gently.

A gentle face usually gives people a sense of security.

However, her face gave off an overly soft feeling.

It's like a child who has just woken up in the hospital asking the doctor, "Will I get better?" The doctor says, "Yes, child," but then invites Captain Amei and Iron Lump, who are visiting the child outside, in.

"I was planning to take you out for lunch, but you've already ordered takeout."

Jin Yu raised the takeout bag in her hand, and Mu Ming reached out to take it.

But after taking it, Jin Yu didn't let go, her two hands gripping the takeout bag tightly, as if she were fighting over something.

Mu Ming looked at the woman in front of him strangely, not understanding why she seemed to be looking for trouble.

Surely they're not after my takeout, are they?

"Want me to order you some takeout?" he suggested, letting go of her hand.

Alternatively, you can have lunch with Jinyu first, and then reheat the takeout when you get home in the evening.

"No need, missing one or two meals isn't a big deal for me." She shook her head, stepped aside to let the doorway pass, and said seriously:

"Muming, can I talk to you?"

"oh."

Mu Ming responded, asking whether Jin Yu was his guardian or the regional head of the Bureau of Statistics.

Regardless of their status, they are in a high position, and it would be inconvenient for them to refuse.

However, the other party's hostile demeanor made Mu Ming want to turn her away.

After entering, Mu Ming made Jin Yu a cup of hot tea.

Mu Ming doesn't drink tea, so he can't tell the difference between good and bad tea; it usually just sits there collecting dust.

However, since Li Huanhuan did send it over, it's good to use it to entertain the guests.

But Jin Yu can distinguish between good and bad, and can even see that Mu Ming's method of brewing completely ruins good things.

"Ah, it's this tea... Your taste in this area is truly remarkable."

She took the tea and said:

"It's good to save money to buy things you like, but I don't really recommend that you scrimp and save to buy such an expensive brand. High school is when you're still growing, and I remember that the monthly allowance I gave you wasn't that generous."

Whether it was a misperception or not, Mu Ming felt that Jin Yu's tone of voice had taken on a sarcastic or unsettling quality since the beginning.

He looked up and met Taiyang's gaze, which was intense and filled with aggression.

Jin Yu seems out of sorts today, both because of his sudden visit and his attitude.

She gives the impression of a middle-aged woman going through menopause, making trouble for no reason.

He was unusually talkative, even though I had never interfered in his life before.

"This was a gift from a friend."

However, Mu Ming still wanted to explain that he hadn't been spending money recklessly, and that he didn't have any other source of income.

"friend?"

Jin Yu's aura suddenly weakened slightly, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed as if she were pondering the meaning of the word.

"You've reached the point where you can exchange gifts; it seems you get along well with your classmates."

She asked pointedly, poking around on her rounded forearm with one finger.

But Mu Ming buried his head in his rice and didn't rush to answer her question, which made her increasingly impatient.

Jin Yu found it really strange. She had every reason to be angry, and she really wanted to get angry and directly question Mu Ming about why he skipped school.

She didn't even understand why he would skip school.

But I'm also afraid that being harsh with him will upset him.

It's clearly his fault, yet I have to accommodate him... Even if he has mental problems, he shouldn't act like this.

Besides, the doctor said that when they're not talking about magical girls, Mu Ming is actually quite...normal.

She thought to herself how strange it was; they were practically strangers just a month ago, yet now his affairs could affect her emotions so much.

If any of the other children under her name skip school, she feels that although she will be worried, she will never be angry or come to confront them directly.

"I'm not very close to my classmates, and this friend isn't from our school either."

Jin Yu secretly regretted that Mu Ming hadn't lied about this topic, otherwise she could have seized the opportunity to retaliate.

But I worry that someone might climb up right after me. What if this friend isn't a classmate, but some kind of hoodlum?

She quickly confirmed:

"Could he be a member of the underworld...?"

Jin Yu looked at the expensive tea that didn't even have a box to hold it. Her family often drank this kind of tea, so she knew its price.

This is far beyond what Mu Ming can afford; even a middle-class family would have to think twice before buying one.

It is definitely a luxury item.

She suddenly realized an even more terrifying possibility... the tea cake might not have been a gift, but stolen...

Mu Ming's social circle is very narrow, which is written into his file; he even missed his junior high school graduation ceremony.

He's too young to work, and respectable companies won't hire him, so he has even less of a chance to meet wealthy people...

"Oh no, oh no, oh no... He's skipping school and stealing from bad guys now, what are we going to do???"

Unconsciously, the handle of the cup in Jin Yu's hand had been dented, and her eyes gradually widened:

How could he do this... How can I correct him...?

"No, they're from a respectable family," Mu Ming replied.

Jin Yu simply didn't believe it. She was certain that Mu Ming and the "respectable family" he mentioned had only known each other for a month at most. How could someone who had only known each other for a month possibly give such an expensive gift?

She knew that now was not the time to save face; if she didn't bring the issue up now, it would be tantamount to condoning it.

The result of such indulgence is children who are even worse than they are now...

"Muming... um, about your leave of absence, I think we should talk about it." Jin Yu asked nervously, her eyebrows almost furrowing as she spoke, her heart filled with unease.

Mu Ming paused for a moment while eating, then continued shoveling rice into his mouth.

It seems Jin Yu already knows about the truancy. Secrets can't stay hidden forever, especially since Mu Ming never intended to conceal it in the first place.

One is an absent student who doesn't attend school, and the other is the person in charge of the entire city. It's obvious how the homeroom teacher will choose.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What's wrong...?" Jin Yu found it incomprehensible when she heard the other person ask. "Taking leave requires the consent of a guardian, but I don't remember ever giving you permission to take leave."

"But I have more important things to do..."

"What is it?" Jin Yu asked unhappily, wanting to hear Mu Ming tell the truth, yet also afraid to hear it.

Mu Ming put down his lunchbox, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and said seriously:

"As a magical girl, isn't it natural to put aside your studies to protect the city?"

Jin Yu's gaze darkened, and his teeth left marks on his lips.

She was afraid of that kind of answer...

"But... at least tell me first..." Jin Yu said unwillingly.

"You disagree too, you don't even acknowledge that I'm a magical girl..."

Yes, Jin Yu would never agree to such a reason; if she did, she would be truly insane.

She couldn't tell whether Mu Ming was acting crazy or just being clever, using his illness to cover for himself.

Perhaps due to an accumulation of evil energy, or perhaps because he was possessed by a demon, Jin Yu actually asked:

"Then why did you start magical girl activities?"

"Ah..." Realizing she had said something outrageous, she quickly covered her mouth and looked over with almost pleading eyes.

I hope Mu Ming won't answer this question.

Seeing Mu Ming stunned, Jin Yu was about to apologize, but he spoke first:

"Go deal with the calamity beasts."

It was too late; she had already steered the conversation in a bad direction.

"What should I do..." Jin Yu struggled in her heart.

"Since we've already made a mistake... at least we should get some answers..." After thinking for a few seconds, she made her decision.

At the very least, we need to determine whether Mu Ming actually did anything wrong.

"Where?" she asked.

"Southern District".

"Really?"

Why would I lie to you?

Mu Ming spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but Jin Yu inwardly sneered.

He's lying to himself.

Unlike in the past, Mu Ming did not have any unclean magical aura on him today.

Moreover, according to reports from his subordinates, a powerful magical girl has recently appeared in the South City District. She seems to be able to foresee the appearance of the disaster beasts and arrives at the scene to kill them even faster than the beasts themselves.

Based on the captured images, it is Wu An, whom Jin Yu had asked Qing Xia to find.

Qingxia was very persistent in touching him. She had previously said that if she couldn't catch him, she would just give up, saying that she would run into him sooner or later, so she simply stopped actively looking for him.

Since the Huanzi Society indeed had no other base in Changming City, this matter was left to be let go for the time being.

The only suspicious point is the missing Zhu Huan. Logically speaking, Wu An should have been captured and questioned.

However, because Wu An is very active and comes out to clean up the disaster beasts every day, although no one can find her true identity, she has no intention of hiding it at all.

This upright demeanor suggests that he is an innocent person who must have said everything he needed to say at the time.

Jin Yu didn't intend to make things difficult for them.

During this time, the monsters in the South City District were killed by Wu An until they were completely wiped out, but now Mu Ming is saying that he is dealing with the monsters in the South City District.

What else could it be but lying?!

Although exposing the lies of someone you care about would embarrass them, Jin Yu simply couldn't bear the fact that Mu Ming had lied to her.

Faced with such an evil and wicked child, she really wanted to strike back hard!