Magical Girl Fan Bingbing

"Hello, Teacher Jiang?"

Chu Ying's voice came from the other end of the phone, as lively as ever.

"Do you have class tomorrow? I'd like to come to the school to see you; there are some things I'd like to ask you in person."

Jiang Ran glanced at Leng Qiaoqiao beside him, who was leaning in with her ears perked up. He turned his body slightly to the side.

"I'm free after class tomorrow afternoon, just come over."

"Okay, see you tomorrow!"

Chu Ying hung up the phone, and Jiang Ran put her phone back in her pocket.

"Who is it?" Leng Qiaoqiao asked.

"I'm a student, so I'm kind of your... senior?" Jiang Ran didn't intend to reveal too much information about Chu Ying to Leng Qiaoqiao.

Leng Qiaoqiao's lips twitched slightly.

"Oh, another student." She put her hands in her coat pockets, her tone tinged with envy, "Teacher Jiang truly has students all over the world."

Jiang Ran couldn't help but laugh and reached out to pat her head.

He withdrew his hand, his tone becoming serious, "If you see monster corpses being sold on the black market again, don't rush to make a move. Hold your position for now."

"Was it a raid by the police?"

"Most likely, they're eager to reel in their catch, so they'll definitely release bait to lure people in," Jiang Ran said.

Leng Qiaoqiao nodded. Although she was joking just now, she had one advantage: she was obedient, timid, and quick to run.

The two parted ways at an intersection. The situation was urgent, and Leng Qiaoqiao's Maybach didn't come over. She hailed a taxi and glanced back before opening the car door.

"Teacher Jiang, you should go back and rest early too, take care of yourself. I'm still waiting for you to help me make a fortune."

Jiang Ran waved his hand and watched the taxi merge into the traffic.

……

The door opened from the inside as soon as the key was inserted into the lock.

Jiang Li stood in the entryway, hands on her hips, and began her interrogation.

"Dad, are you sure you're going to see Mom today?"

"Um."

"Then why did you leave so quickly!" Jiang Li's tone was full of dissatisfaction. "I ran to my mother's office as soon as get out of class ended at noon, but she said you had already left."

"I have work on both sides, so I can't just chat all the time." Jiang Ran bent down to change into slippers.

"Chatting? Is that what you and Mom were doing as chatting?" Jiang Li dragged his arm towards the living room. "What did you two talk about? Any progress? Did you agree on when to give me a younger brother or sister?"

"Having you as my only daughter is already exhausting enough, do you want a few more?" Jiang Ran tapped her on the forehead. "Go to sleep, you have school tomorrow."

Jiang Li muttered, "I'm serious. What if I become a magical girl someday? Who will take care of you in your old age and leave you any children?"

"You call yourself a magical girl? You wouldn't even dare to go into a haunted house at an amusement park."

Jiang Ran smiled and was about to bring up some embarrassing stories from Jiang Li's childhood when she realized that Jiang Li had slipped away as soon as she sensed something was wrong.

"This girl..."

The next afternoon, Jiang Ran had just finished her last physical education class when she saw Chu Ying appear at the edge of the playground.

She wasn't wearing her uniform today, but rather a casual outfit: jeans and a white T-shirt, with her hair tied in a simple ponytail. She looked just like an ordinary student at school, and you couldn't tell at all that she was a powerful police station captain.

"Teacher Jiang!" Chu Ying jogged over, a smile on her face, but beneath the smile lay a visible layer of fatigue.

"You're here, have a seat." Jiang Ran pointed to the steps by the playground.

The two sat down on the steps. The last few students on the playground were packing up to leave, and the setting sun dyed the entire playground orange-red.

After Chu Ying sat down, she didn't immediately get down to business. Instead, she hugged her knees, stared blankly at the track on the playground for a while, and then spoke.

"Sigh, our boss makes us work overtime every day without warning."

"At the beginning of the month, they said we only needed to meet the targets by the end of the year, but this week they suddenly notified us that we had to meet them ahead of schedule, saying that some leaders from above were coming to inspect and that we had to produce results quickly."

"With just one sentence from above, we have to work non-stop. It's common to work overtime until two or three in the morning. My vacation last month was completely ruined. I had planned to travel to another city with my friends."

Jiang Ran didn't interrupt, and listened quietly.

"The local government is a bunch of idiots. They were pressured from above to cooperate with the crackdown, but instead of doing their job properly, they accused us magical girls of interfering with local administration. When something goes wrong, they try to pin the blame on us. They get all the credit for the good things, and we take all the blame."

Chu Ying became more and more excited as she spoke, clapping her hands twice on the steps.

"We're fighting tooth and nail with the monsters on the front lines, while these insectoids are just lining their own pockets and dragging us down in the rear, and then we have to clean up their messes. I really want to fuck them..."

She took a deep breath and swallowed the rest of her sentence.

There were no students left on the playground, and the setting sun had turned from orange-red to deep red.

Jiang Ran sat beside her, offering no opinion from beginning to end, only humming or nodding when Chu Ying paused.

He knew that Chu Ying hadn't come to him for advice; she just needed someone who could listen to her quietly.

The higher a person's position in the workplace, the fewer people they can confide in. Although Chu Ying's teammates had a good relationship, they were, after all, superiors and subordinates, so there were some things she couldn't say. Her friends of the same age didn't understand the special nature of her work, and even if they did, they wouldn't understand.

Jiang Ran happens to be someone who understands the magical girl community, yet is not part of her work system, and is also her former teacher, making her an excellent confidante.

Finally, Chu Ying poured out all the bitterness that had been building up for who knows how long. She straightened up, let out a long breath, as if she had finally unloaded a burden she had been carrying for a long time.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Jiang, for starting with all this nonsense as soon as I arrived." Chu Ying scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "I don't know why, but I just can't help but talk about these things in front of you, Teacher."

"It's alright." Jiang Ran smiled. "Besides teaching, guiding students is also part of a teacher's job."

"Thank you, Teacher Jiang." Chu Ying's bright smile returned, and she looked much better.

Looking at her smiling face, Jiang Ran's thoughts were also somewhat complicated.

The person Chu Ying was desperately trying to catch was the very person she was now leaning against, pouring out her heart to.

"So what's the important thing you came to see me about today?" Jiang Ran steered the conversation back on track.

"Oh, right."

Chu Ying then remembered her purpose for coming, took out a file folder from her handbag, and pulled out a few pages of paper.

"It's like this, our team is currently handling a case involving some special suspects." Chu Ying carefully chose her words. "Because the case is still under investigation, I can't go into too much detail. In short, there's a suspect who is suspected of being a magical girl and is committing crimes in Tianhai City."

Jiang Ran's expression showed a hint of surprise at just the right moment.

"A magical girl committing a crime? That's quite rare."

"It's not just rare, it's practically unheard of." Chu Ying smiled wryly. "Moreover, this suspect isn't in the national magical girl registration database, which means she's very likely a wild magical girl who awakened but wasn't registered."

"There are even wild magical girls?"

"Yeah, I'm having a headache too." Chu Ying sighed. "I don't know what these people are thinking. The Ten Council provides every magical girl with all kinds of protection. They may not be rich, but at least they have enough to eat and wear, decent jobs, and high social status. So why do some people have to be troublemakers?"

Jiang Ran didn't reply immediately, but after two seconds she spoke: "Perhaps it's because they like freedom."

"Or perhaps it's simply a matter of disagreeing with certain ideas and practices of the ten-seat council." Jiang Ran's tone was flat, as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself. "People have different ideas. Just because you think it's good doesn't mean everyone else should think it's good."

"But the senior members of the ten councils are all very good people," Chu Ying said, somewhat unconvinced. "If you have any opinions, you should report them to the organization. As long as they are reasonable, they will be fully considered."

"Report it to the organization?" Jiang Ran looked at her, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "You've been complaining to me for half an hour, which of your grievances were reported to the organization?"

Chu Ying opened her mouth slightly, then closed it again.

"That's different..." she muttered, but her voice clearly lacked confidence.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. You brought this list to me because you wanted me to see who on it is the most suspicious, right?" Jiang Ran didn't delve too deeply into this topic. Chu Ying was still a person within the system, and there were some things that were not suitable to say to her.

"Yes, that's right." Chu Ying nodded, seemingly not having taken the previous words to heart. "Teacher, please share your thoughts with me."

Jiang Ran is the most senior teacher in this school. Although he has never been a homeroom teacher, his teaching quality is indeed excellent, which has left a deep impression on many students. They often seek his advice in private. Therefore, Jiang Ran can be said to be the best person to ask for help.

Jiang Ran took the list from Chu Ying's hand, her expression momentarily complicated.

Does this count as letting heroes investigate heroes, and good men investigate good men?

It's a pity that Jiang Ran couldn't help Chu Ying find that heinous wild magical girl, despite her trust in her.

After casually circling a few names on the list, Jiang Ran returned it. "By the way, if you catch that magical girl later, what will you do with her?"

"Well..." Chu Ying was a little unsure for a moment. "There aren't many similar cases. If someone is caught, they will most likely be handed over to the ten-seat council for processing. But the final punishment probably won't be too severe. At most, they'll be placed under house arrest or something."

"Of course, that's on the premise that she doesn't make any major mistakes. The senior members of the Ten Council are quite lenient towards magical girls."

Jiang Ran nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

It's common knowledge that magical girls have special privileges; they're basically above the law. In some countries, it's even more extreme, with magical girl organizations directly replacing the original government.

In short, those who know, know.

After receiving the list from Jiang Ran, Chu Ying felt much happier and continued chatting about the previous topic.

"Teacher Jiang, what you just said..." Chu Ying turned her head to look at him, her eyes filled with curiosity. "It sounds a bit like the ideology of the former Demon Alliance."

Jiang Ran did not deny it.

"I'm not saying that magical girl is right." Jiang Ran shifted her gaze back to the playground. The setting sun had already sunk below the wall, leaving only the last ray of light at the end of the track. "It's just that not everyone in this world is willing to be governed by the Ten Councils. Their ideas and ways of doing things may not be acceptable to everyone. At least we need to have the tolerance to seek common ground while reserving differences."

"Besides, I was born and raised in the pre-Fantasy Alliance era."

Chu Ying's eyes lit up immediately.

"Teacher, do you still remember those things from the pre-Demon Alliance era?" She turned around to face Jiang Ran, her knee almost hitting his arm. "Do you know what the pre-Demon Alliance was like? Unfortunately, the textbooks are very vague about it, and I didn't learn much. It feels like this part of the historical record has been lost."

Chu Ying was born after the Demon Alliance disintegrated. To her, the Demon Alliance was like a hazy term in a history textbook; she knew it existed, but didn't know exactly what it looked like.

Most importantly, it's never on the exam.

Jiang Ran's memories of that era, too, were dusted off and resurfaced thanks to Chu Ying's curiosity.

In a daze, Jiang Ran seemed to have returned to that day twenty years ago.

……

"To all my magical girl companions."

"In light of the current situation since the establishment of the Magical Girls Alliance, I hereby announce the termination of my activities as the president of the Magical Girls Alliance. This decision is made for personal reasons."

"The Magical Alliance will not disband, and will continue to lead all magical girls in fighting against monsters..."

……

"Azure Star Stone, why? Why did you suddenly withdraw from the Demon Alliance? What happened? Can't you discuss it with us? Or is it...?"

"It's my own fault."

"Wasn't the battle with the World Serpent going smoothly? We defeated the supreme monster and saved the world, and you also said that you would continue to protect this world."

"I didn't say that."

"But Souseiseki, you are one of the founders of the Demon Alliance. If you also withdraw..."

"Even without me, the Demon Alliance can continue to exist, and you can protect this world on your own. I wish you happiness."

Then, the Magical Girl Alliance collapsed, and the Magical Girl Council of Ten was established.

……

"Teacher Jiang? Teacher Jiang?" Chu Ying waved her hand in front of Jiang Ran.

Jiang Ran snapped out of her reverie and smiled, "I was lost in thought just now. I was only a teenager when the Demon Alliance disintegrated, so I only remember some fragmented memories."

"Can you tell me about it?"

Jiang Ran looked up at the sky and said calmly, "The Magical Girl Alliance was probably founded by a bunch of hot-blooded but naive idiots."

"At that time, Earth was facing a monster invasion, magical girls had only been born for a short time, and the world was in chaos. Then there was a group of like-minded people who burned themselves to light up the darkness."

"However, ideals and beliefs alone cannot take you very far. The Demon Alliance made many mistakes in its later stages, which led to the establishment of the ten-seat council."

"The world is basically at peace now, and the economy is developing steadily. In this respect alone, the Ten Councils are doing a much better job than the Magic Alliance."

There was something else Jiang Ran didn't say: Although the Demon Alliance failed, he didn't believe that the path they took was wrong.

Chu Ying listened intently, but her expression was somewhat confused, as if she hadn't quite understood. "From what you're saying, teacher, it seems like you prefer the former Demon Alliance a bit more?"

"Is that so? He's just a middle-aged man reminiscing about the past."

Jiang Ran stood up and dusted off her clothes. "Maybe people just like to reminisce about the past when they get old. Don't take what I said to heart. Just listen to it as a story."

"Not at all, I'll have to ask you for more advice in the future." Chu Ying also stood up. "Thank you for your help today, Teacher Jiang."

"You're welcome." Jiang Ran watched her put away the documents and casually asked, "Was this case very difficult? You seemed to be under a lot of pressure."

"It's more than just troublesome." Chu Ying stuffed the file bag back into her handbag with a bitter face. "The other party is like a ghost, appearing and disappearing without a trace. It's driving me crazy."

After she finished speaking, she touched her ponytail to make sure she still had hair, and then she felt a little relieved.

"But it's okay, it's only a matter of time." Chu Ying patted her handbag and gave Jiang Ran a confident smile. "There's no one in Tianhai City that I can't catch. Once I catch her, I'll definitely whip her buttocks and make her kneel down and write a 100,000-word self-criticism."

Jiang Ran smiled too.

"Then I look forward to the day you succeed."

Chu Ying waved to him, then turned and jogged away from the playground.

Her ponytail swayed in the twilight, and her silhouette was as energetic as when she was in her extracurricular classes.

Jiang Ran stood there, watching her disappear at the school gate.