Why are the magical girls in your area male?

"Not completely soaked in hot water."

Shiori Shiomi slowly turned around to face the other person and slowly raised her right hand.

A snow-white glow swirled in her palm, eventually coalescing into a scroll resembling parchment.

"This is an A-rank spell, Aurora Death Dance. Under normal circumstances, even an A-rank lord-type shadow beast can be severely injured by it."

Take this and go in to try it out. If scroll usage is restricted inside, try to avoid combat and stall until the Moon Etching ends.

"it is good!"

Yuan Qing reached out and took the scroll. It was icy cold to the touch and exuded a terrifying magical power that was hard to conceal.

He was well aware of just how valuable this scroll was!

This is a skill scroll crafted by an A-rank magical girl; its destructive power, if applied to the real world, could easily destroy a small village!

The powerful magical item that countless awakened beings coveted was given to her for free, like a toy!

I doubt any magical girl in the association could enjoy such good treatment.

"Also, put this on."

Shiori Shiomi handed over another small item.

This is a simple gold ring with various magical runes faintly visible on it.

After seeing what it looked like, Yuan Qing raised an eyebrow: "A ring?"

"Yes, this is a blessing ring that I had Daiju, Yaoli, and two other A-rank support-type magical girls use to enhance your combat abilities."

The magic power inside is limited; once it's used up, the blessing will lose its effect, so please be careful.

"It's alright, even if it's just a short-term boost, it's still pretty good!"

Yuan Qing beamed and asked, "But speaking of which, can't we make more of something this good? If I wear it on all ten fingers, wouldn't the blessing effect be increased tenfold?"

Shiori Shiomi let out a cold snort: "Heh, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Do you think making this thing is easy?"

Furthermore, the enhancement provided by magical equipment to Awakened Ones is limited, not to mention that the equipment itself can also become a burden for them.

A powerful Awakened One can, at most, equip two magical items of equal strength. Exceeding this limit will not only prevent them from unleashing the power of the equipment, but will also cause them to collapse under its weight.

"So that's how it is... Hmm, that makes sense."

Yuan Qing looked thoughtful.

I originally thought I could only wear five pieces of equipment because the system was too stingy. Now it seems that I can not only wear so many pieces of equipment, but also ignore the burden of equipment. I'm already pretty overpowered.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

Seeing that the other party hadn't handed over the ring for a long time, Yuan Qing couldn't help but tease him mischievously:

"President, would you like to put it on me yourself?"

I thought the other person would just snort, throw the ring at me, and say, "Take it or leave it."

To his utter surprise, the guy calmly nodded and said, "If you want to, put your hand out."

"Uh... really?"

"you guess?"

Shiori Shiomi's blood-red eyes were calm and unwavering, and her questioning tone revealed no hint of a joke.

Yuan Qing looked at her delicate, doll-like face, her deep eyes seemingly capable of swallowing starlight, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether she was serious or just teasing him.

"Just kidding, I'll do it myself."

Yuan Qing chuckled and reached out to take it.

But the next second, Shiori Shiomi grabbed his hand.

Her fingertips were slightly cool, with a jade-like feel, as she gently lifted Yuan Qing's palm.

Her movements were gentle and solemn, as if she were performing some kind of sacred ritual.

Starlight fell on her lowered profile, outlining a soft contour and softening her usual aloofness, revealing an indescribable tenderness.

Yuan Qing looked down at her.

From this angle, he could clearly see her smooth forehead, her pert nose, and her slightly pursed, pink lips, like cherry blossom petals.

She looks so beautiful when she's serious.

It was so beautiful that he was a little dazed, and even had a ridiculous illusion.

It was as if they weren't putting on combat gear, but receiving a silent wedding.

Moreover, she was the one who was proposed to.

Shiori Shiomi pinched the antique-looking gold ring, which was covered in magical runes, and slowly slipped it onto the base of Genji's right ring finger.

The cool metallic touch instantly enveloped the base of the fingers.

The next second—

"Buzz!"

The magical runes flowing on the ring suddenly lit up, emitting a soft and warm golden halo.

A warm energy, like a gentle stream, flowed into Yuan Qing's body through the ring, making him feel invigorated and full of power.

However, at this moment, Yuan Qing had no time to appreciate the feeling of being injected with hormones by Anna.

His entire attention was focused on the ring finger that was encased in a ring.

And Shiori Shiomi's slender hand that had not yet loosened its grip.

Her fingertips were still on the edge of the ring, as if checking that it was securely on.

The cool touch felt like a feather gently brushing against his knuckles.

Yuan Qing felt a surge of electricity rise from the skin that had been touched and sweep across his entire body in an instant.

He struggled to come to his senses and met Shiori Shiomi's raised eyes.

Those blood-amber eyes, illuminated by the golden halo emanating from the ring, remained as calm as ever.

Yuan Qing suddenly felt a little lost.

He realized that he had never seen the real Shiori Shiomi.

The other person still had the same face, still wearing a mask that deeply concealed all their emotions—

"She is very lonely."

This thought suddenly popped into Yuan Qing's mind.

Deep within her calm eyes lies a frozen lake.

The lake surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting an artificial starry sky.

There wasn't a ripple in sight, nor a trace of her own warmth.

She always stood ramrod straight; her small body, like an unyielding cherry blossom spear, bore the weight of the entire association and guided the direction of all its members.

She stands at the top of the association, overlooking the unknown and chaos etched by the moon, setting rules, issuing orders, and safeguarding order.

She is the "chairperson," the leader, and the pillar that everyone looks up to and relies on.

But she is also a little girl who can weave a false starry sky and gaze at it alone.

Yuan Qing felt as if something had gently pricked his heart.

He knew that Shiori Shiomi's loneliness did not stem from having no one to accompany her.

Red sparrow, blue phoenix, white pheasant, sky crow...

They were all her powerful partners and loyal comrades-in-arms.

But her loneliness seems more like an innate sense of alienation from the world.

A kind of loneliness that comes from being at the top.

A responsibility that no one can truly understand.

She must be strong, she must be calm, and she must always be right.

She cannot show weakness, cannot be confused, cannot be as open-minded as Li Xi, and cannot be as innocent and carefree as Yuan Xun.

Because everyone else has her backing, while she has nothing.

She is Shiori Shiomi.

He is the president of the Tarot Association.

It is the faith in the hearts of many magical girls.

The only thing that can't be her is herself.

Yuan Qing gazed quietly at the petite figure before him, bathed in starlight, seemingly merging with the artificial starry sky.

He suddenly understood that the coolness from the other person's fingertips was a chill that originated from the depths of the soul and that even the sunlight could not dispel.

He wanted to say something comforting, to break the silence.

I want to tell her that she doesn't have to be so strong.

But when the words reached his lips, it felt as if something was blocking his throat.

Don't you have to be so strong?

It's really high and mighty.

Are you pitying her, or are you sympathizing with her?

Can a simple "Don't work so hard, I understand" really comfort the other person?

Do not make jokes.

Even if I have unlimited potential to upgrade and become stronger, I am currently just a C-rank who can't even get past the second floor of the Tower of Illusion.

On what grounds does he have to understand someone who carries the weight of the entire association and may even be involved in a part of the world's order?

He hadn't even glimpsed the tip of the iceberg of her power, so how could he presume to understand her loneliness?

Now, he doesn't even have the right to get close to her inner world.

This realization gave Yuan Qing a deep sense of powerlessness.

And an unprecedented desire to become stronger!

"All right."

Shiori Shiomi released her grip, her voice still cold and clear.

"Ah."

Yuan Qing nodded, quietly feeling the power emanating from the ring.

This power was given to me by her.

Right now, I am powerless to do anything for her.

Only by becoming stronger...

Only by becoming stronger!

Yuan Qing straightened up and looked down at Shiori Shiori's indifferent little face. Suddenly, an impulse to break free from his restraints surged into his heart.

Before his brain could even process it, he subconsciously reached out and rubbed Shiori Shiomi's small head covered in white hair.

The movements were as gentle as if caressing a rare treasure.

The incident happened so suddenly that even the usually aloof Shiori Shiomi froze for a moment.

She seemed to be frozen in place, her eyes suddenly widening, a look of disbelief and astonishment flashing deep in her pupils.

After realizing what had happened, Yuan Qing seemed to be startled by his own bold move.

But since things had come to this point, he decided to go all the way and see it through to the end.

He bent down slightly, leaned closer, and smiled at Shiori Shiomi's stunned face:

"Don't worry, little guild master, tonight I'll beat that damn goblin old man to a pulp."

I will become very strong, stronger and stronger, and then become the association's protective umbrella, shielding you from all the storms of life. I promise.