My brother couldn't be a corrupted magical girl.

Chapter 403 Exchanging Secrets

Okasan left, but left behind the breakfast he had brought: a plate of dorayaki and a glass of milk.

Hoshino Saki yawned, sat up slightly, and the dream from last night was still faintly in her mind.

These past few days, Demoness Illusion Butterfly has been appearing in her dreams all the time. Each dream is roughly about two people battling wits, with her losing more often than winning. Even when she does win, not long after, she hears a crisp sound of the dream shattering.

It's fair to say that the psychological trauma from her third failure was extremely profound.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore.

Hoshino Saki shook her head. Today was the day she had arranged to go out with Ning Zixuan, and she didn't want to show her face with a long face.

Hoshino Saki gently opened the wooden door of the shrine, and a breeze blew in. In the shrine's courtyard, stone lanterns stood quietly, still bearing traces of last night's dew.

Hoshino Saki took a step and slowly walked down the steps, the wooden clogs under her feet making a crisp "tap-tap" sound that echoed in the silent shrine.

As soon as Hoshino Saki stepped out of the main hall, she was greeted by a cacophony of noise, which made her frown slightly. Why was it so noisy outside?

As she walked along the approach to the torii gate, she saw a long line of girls, all sixteen or seventeen years old and full of youthful energy.

It was only then that Hoshino Saki remembered that today was the day the Inamori Shrine was recruiting maidens.

After a quick glance, I had a general idea of ​​what was going on. The prospect was mediocre, and his skill level had dropped drastically compared to his previous performances.

However, there was nothing that could be done about it; it was just that the Inamori Shrine was slow to react during this leadership reshuffle in Japan.

Surprisingly, even after the Shuoyue clan came to power, they still cooperated with the Genji clan.

The other party only gave it a slight tap, which is already quite good.

Just as Hoshino Saki was about to look away, she was suddenly drawn to the sound of an argument.

"Name?"

"Nakano Harumi."

"age?"

"17".

"Are you perfect?"

"Um."

"What is a magical artifact?"

...a sword.

"Magical girl level?"

"what?"

Harumi Nakano paused for a moment.

The clerk, dressed in a shrine maiden's robes, glanced at her and continued, "Do you have a recommender?"

"No...no."

Harumi Nakano was speechless; she couldn't very well say it was the Abyss Demoness.

After listening, the recorder flipped through the roster next to him for a moment and finally drew a small cross.

"Not accepted. Next."

"Ugh, why should I?"

Harumi Nakano was immediately unhappy. She had originally thought that the God Servant Girls were tested based on their talent and strength, but the other party eliminated her after asking only two questions. What kind of nonsense was this?

"Where did this bumpkin come from? Does a newly minted magical girl like you even have the right to enter the Inari Shrine?"

"They said it's substandard, so get out of the way."

"The Inari Shrine generally requires magical girls to have the [Scattered Leaves] level to join. You need to be a newly recruited magical girl..."

"You could try going to the nearby Tsukuyomi Shrine; they don't have any special requirements."

Before the recorder could say anything, the girls behind Harumi Nakano were already whispering among themselves.

"ah."

Harumi Nakano was stunned for a moment. What was Sanba? Huanchao hadn't told her about this before.

Hoshino Saki had a headache seeing her dull-witted students. First, there was Shiratsuya Natsuko, and now there was Nakano Harumi. If you said they were no good, how could they become magical girls? If you said they were good, one was a brooding introvert and the other knew nothing, yet they dared to sign up for Inamori Shrine.

But no matter what, the other person is still her student. It's impossible for her to go to another shrine, where she might end up being used as cannon fodder without even knowing it.

A flash of pink light appeared, and the Sakura Mage appeared beside the recorder, pointing at Nakano Harumi and saying, "Accept her, and then send her to the Snow Lily Mage."

"OK."

"Holy crap, the Sakura Mage herself has shown up! How lucky is this person to get the Sakura Mage to personally open the back door?"

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"This isn't luck; this person must have exceptional talent. Otherwise, how could they have caught the eye of the Sakura Mage?"

The whispers and murmurs around her made Harumi Nakano feel insecure. Was her talent really that great?

The next second, the voice of the magical sprite rang in Nakano Harumi's mind.

"Stop daydreaming. Your talent is indeed there, but it's definitely not as outstanding as you think. Go and collect your name card. I don't want to be eaten alive by that hateful Abyss Demoness."

"Well, what's wrong with me showing off a little?" Nakano Harumi pouted and muttered under her breath.

Those bright eyes followed the receding cherry blossom pink figure closely, their eyes brimming with longing and yearning.

If she can become a powerful magical girl like Sakura Magica in the future, then all the Abyss Beasts and Abyss Demonesses will have to give way.

In her mind, the Sakura Wizard was the most powerful magical girl.

Half an hour later, in the bustling shopping mall, where crowds gathered, Hoshino Saki and Ning Zixuan met as agreed, beneath a clock decoration that had been turned upside down.

Today, Hoshino Saki wore a pale white dress, adorned with several pale white flowers of varying sizes, adding a touch of liveliness.

Ning Zixuan was wearing a black dress. The dress was made of a very comfortable and refreshing material, and she looked elegant, graceful, and noble.

Upon meeting, Hoshino Saki smiled broadly, her eyes filled with sincere praise: "Zixuan-chan, you look so beautiful today!"

Ning Zixuan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly waved her hand modestly, saying, "No way, Saki-chan is still the prettiest."

"Alright, if we keep being so polite, it'll get dark soon. By the way, Zixuan, do you have any special plans for today?"

"No." Ning Zixuan shook her head.

"Yay! We can have a happy shopping trip all day!" Hoshino Saki excitedly raised her fist and announced loudly.

"Let the shopping spree begin!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the two looked at each other and smiled.

They strolled slowly from the first floor of the mall to the fifth floor, and would go into each shop they passed to take a look.

The two of them seemed like robots, browsing from shop to shop without ever getting tired.

During the selection of her clothes, Hoshino Saki carefully chose three off-white dresses, two pairs of pink cat paw stockings, and a delicate hat.

Ning Zixuan also bought several dresses, including a blue and white Chinese-style long dress and a black evening gown.

Upon reaching the checkout counter, Hoshino Saki's gaze inadvertently fell upon Ning Zixuan's shopping bag. After examining it for a moment, she chuckled and asked, "Zixuan-chan, is this a dress you bought for Bai Xiaodie?"

"Um."

Ning Zixuan nodded slightly and sighed, "I just don't know if she'll like it."

"Bai Xiaodie will definitely like it; who wouldn't like a pretty little dress?"

Hoshino Saki chuckled a few times, then turned her gaze to Ning Zixuan's attire, asking with a hint of doubt, "Zixuan-chan, speaking of which, why do you always like to wear black dresses?"

"."

Ning Zixuan gasped softly, a look of confusion on her face. Then, she smiled somewhat shyly and asked, "A lot?"

Hoshino Saki blinked and said seriously, "No, when I see you at school, you're either wearing your teacher's uniform or a black dress. If it weren't for the fact that each black dress is a different style, I would have thought you only had one set of clothes."

As she spoke, she leaned closer to Ning Zixuan and asked mysteriously, "So, tell me honestly, is there some secret behind this?"

No!

Ning Zixuan gave a coquettish laugh, turned her head away in a fluster, and then hurriedly changed the subject, saying, "What about Hoshino Saki-sensei? Aside from her teaching uniform, you basically wear light white dresses."

Hoshino Saki's eyes darted around, and she suggested, "How about I tell you the reason, and you tell me the reason too, and we can exchange secrets?"

Ning Zixuan hesitated for a moment, as if weighing something, but when she saw that the other person was Hoshino Saki, who looked very much like Hoshino Seri, she smiled and nodded and said, "Okay, there's a seafood buffet restaurant over there, let's eat and chat."

"it is good."

Hoshino Saki readily agreed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

However, as soon as they stepped into the restaurant, their high spirits seemed to vanish instantly, leaving them exhausted and collapsing limply onto the sofa.

It wasn't until the waiter handed them two full glasses of ice water that the two eagerly picked them up and drank them down in one gulp. The cool sensation spread from their throats to their entire bodies, and they gradually came to their senses.

Just as Ning Zixuan was thinking about how to start the conversation, Hoshino Saki suddenly threw out a strange question: "Zixuan-chan, do you think my older sister is gentler and prettier, or am I?"

"?"

Ning Zixuan was stunned for a moment, but whether for personal or professional reasons, she was on Hoshino Saki's side, so she said without hesitation, "Of course Saki, you are prettier."

"Waaaaah, I knew Zixuan-chan would be on my side." Hoshino Saki's eyes were slightly red, and her voice was choked with sobs.

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Then, as if she had opened a floodgate, she poured out her heart through gritted teeth: "From childhood to adulthood, the elders clearly favored my older sister. In their eyes, she was obedient, kind, and sensible, gentle and quiet like a perfect good girl. But only I know that it was all a facade; she's actually a devil in angel's clothing!"

"How so?"

When Hoshino Seri was mentioned, Ning Zixuan immediately became interested.

"When I was little, I loved sweets, so that devil replaced the sugar in the candy jar with salt. At school, she not only set my alarm clock an hour early, but also put a toy spider next to my pillow. She stole all the spicy snacks I painstakingly saved up to buy, then put a few steamed buns in the jar. After school, she hid my homework, saying I could only find it after I finished the chores. When I finished the chores, I found out they were chores my parents had assigned her to do. She also loved to tattle on me to my parents. When I had a cold, she ate ice cream and spicy snacks right in front of me..."

At first, Hoshino Saki held back a bit, but as she talked, she became more and more aggrieved and even revealed many of her dark secrets.

Suddenly, Hoshino Seri's image in Ning Zixuan's mind became much richer. She thought to herself, "That girl who seems like a pure white lotus on the surface..."

There is definitely a hidden side to people that is not known to others.

Now, let's hear from the victims themselves.

"but..

'

After talking for an unknown amount of time, Hoshino Saki suddenly stopped. She picked up the plum wine next to her and chugged it down. "My sister may be a little bad, a little malicious, and not as pretty as me... but I have to admit, she is really outstanding, so outstanding that it makes me jealous."

Then, Hoshino Saki seemed lost in memories, and slowly said, "From childhood to adulthood, I have always tried my best to keep up with her. She entered Ryukizaka Noble Middle School with excellent grades and was exempted from tuition for three years. At school, she not only excelled in real life, but also quickly advanced to the [Budding] level in the magical girl category, successfully summoning a magical artifact, and then bravely slaying the [Eclipse] level Abyss Cutter."

After graduating from high school, she entered the University of Tsukuba and completed her studies in just one and a half years.

During her university years, she advanced to the [Scattered Leaves] level in her freshman year and killed the [Falling Sun] level Abyss Eye;

In his second year, he advanced to the [Breaking the Bud] level and defeated the [Shura] level Abyss Simulator:

In her junior year, she surprisingly mastered the transformation technology of magical artifacts. This technology had previously only existed in the theoretical stage, yet she achieved it, successfully transforming a melee magical artifact into a ranged magical artifact. In her senior year, she advanced to the [Blooming Flower] level, decisively slaying a [Crystal Wall] level Abyssal Flame Demon.

"After that, her fame grew louder and louder, while I went from walking side by side with her at the beginning, to struggling to keep up, to finally being unable to catch up at all. I could only watch my sister's back from afar, she stood out so much in the crowd."

"Never suffered a setback?"

But it was clear that Ning Zixuan wasn't there to hear how amazing Hoshino Seri was; she wanted to hear her get humiliated.

Hoshino Saki was silent for a moment, then slowly turned her head to look at Ning Zixuan, remaining silent for quite a while.

A smile suddenly appeared on her lips: "I knew Zixuan-chan would definitely be on my side. Although my sister is very powerful, she must have suffered setbacks before. The biggest setback was a few years ago, not long after my sister advanced to the [Blooming Flower] level. At the height of her career, the Inam Shrine received a very important mission: to guard the token and to ensure that we protect it at all costs."

"Looking back, my sister was incredibly confident. I wouldn't say she was absolutely certain of victory, but she seemed to have everything under control. In the end, she was completely overwhelmed by the Demoness Illusionary Butterfly and became utterly despondent."

"At that time, she looked so pathetic, like a little dog with a broken spine."

Hoshino Saki's lips curled up as if she wanted to laugh, but she couldn't manage a smile for a long time. If her sister was beaten like a dog, she was beaten like a dog.

"The Demoness's Illusionary Butterfly?!"

When Ning Zixuan heard this familiar name, she couldn't help but feel a little flustered. She had always thought that Bai Yuze and Hoshino Seri met in Yeqiu City, but she never expected that they had already crossed paths back in Dongying City, and it was a wonderful fate that led to them becoming friends after a fight.

"Hmm, what's wrong, Zixuan-chan? You have a grudge against the Demon Princess Phantom Butterfly?" Hoshino Saki noticed Ning Zixuan's unusual behavior and asked suspiciously. "Ahem, magical girls and abyssal monsters are inherently incompatible and mortal enemies. There's no grudge between them." Ning Zixuan coughed lightly a few times and quietly changed the subject. "So, the reason you like white is because you've always been following in your sister's footsteps, right?"

"Hiccup~ You could say that."

Hoshino Saki let out a hiccup; before she knew it, she had finished a whole bottle of plum wine. A faint blush rose to her cheeks, and her eyes were slightly unfocused. Perhaps due to the alcohol, Hoshino Saki spoke much more than usual.

"Sigh, so much time has passed, and she hasn't come back to see me even once."

"But I can understand why she doesn't come back. After all, I did something really stupid."

Just as Ning Zixuan was about to listen intently to the story of the two sisters, Hoshino Saki suddenly turned her head, her bright eyes fixed on her, and said clearly, "Now it's Zixuan-chan's turn to explain why you like wearing black dresses so much."

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