Chapter Eleven: It's All the Same Magic After All

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Jiang Si wasn’t particularly surprised that his younger sister ultimately decided to join the Disaster Response Bureau. Although their relationship had worsened since their parents passed away, over the past three years, he had occasionally come home to find Jiang Keke watching magical girl programs on the television in the living room.

Some were live news reports about which disaster beasts the magical girls had recently eliminated and how many people they had saved; others were variety shows.

Magical girls also had to make money. Since the Disaster Response Bureau needed funding to operate, they often capitalized on the idolization of magical girls to generate revenue.

Variety shows, games, TV shows, and movies frequently featured magical girls as guest stars.

What Jiang Keke cared most about was the blue magical girl from years ago, named Larkspur, who had once saved their benefactors.

Although Jiang Keke never openly said so, Jiang Si had raised her for so many years that he could tell she felt guilty for having once rashly blamed Larkspur for not arriving sooner to save their parents.

She often tried to find ways to contact Larkspur and had even written letters hoping to reach her.

Alas, they had all vanished without a trace.

To Jiang Keke, Larkspur was clearly her idol and goal.

Larkspur was also the captain of the magical girl team in the neighboring city’s Disaster Response Bureau, so it made perfect sense for Jiang Keke to join the bureau, giving her a chance to meet her idol.

Refusing such an invitation would have been strange; there was no reason to decline.

Wanting to avoid embarrassment, Jiang Si got up early to change into an outfit left behind by their father, which he had been able to wear since his first year of high school.

Part of this was because Jiang Si grew quickly, but their father was also quite short.

He folded the cuffs of the sleeves and trouser legs slightly, and it fit quite well.

After tidying his hair and adopting a somewhat weary look, reminiscent of someone half-dead after a day at work, he looked every bit like a member of society.

As for his appearance, demeanor could cover much.

At least, judging by the reaction of Yinlian when she saw him coming downstairs, he had adjusted well enough.

“Your brother looks just like your dad,” Yinlian remarked.

Jiang Keke, hearing the magical girl’s comment, couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless. “He deliberately dresses like Dad.”

“I’m just saying he looks very mature…”

“He might be a thousand-year-old demon inside,” Jiang Keke said without any intention of flattering him. “Heartless and carefree.”

Actually, he wore that outfit every time they had parent-teacher meetings, so Jiang Keke was already used to it.

Jiang Si only had two sets of clothes: his school uniform and the suit left by their father, which he rarely wore.

But whenever he did, he really resembled their father.

When he first went to a parent-teacher meeting, the homeroom teacher even mistook him for a very young dad.

But once he spoke, it was obvious he was younger—the voice was still a bit immature.

“Have you eaten?” Jiang Si asked calmly.

Jiang Keke gave a brief “Mm,” unwilling to say more, as usual.

Yinlian, standing nearby, obediently said, “I saved some for you. Senior Jiang, do you want some? It probably hasn’t cooled in the kitchen yet.”

“No need. I ate last night.”

At the door, Jiang Si changed into dress shoes—also their father’s, as he usually wore sneakers for convenience during workouts. “Get ready, then let’s go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we return. I have to go to school this afternoon.”

Upon hearing that Jiang Si planned to go to school, Keke immediately made a ridiculous face.

Go to school? For what, to skip class?

But she was too lazy even to mock him, only following behind to change her shoes.

Even Yinlian sighed quietly in the awkward atmosphere.

Family problems among magical girls were never a good thing...

Although it seemed that most magical girls had some kind of family trouble.

When they pushed open the door, the sun was shining nicely. It was already late August, and the weather in Beihai was beginning to turn autumnal, no longer so hot. Especially in the early morning, the breeze carried a slight chill.

But if they stayed directly under the sun, heat would soon become oppressive.

Once outside, Yinlian sought refuge in the shadow by the roadside, enjoying the coolness. Jiang Keke, being a bit taller, couldn’t completely hide in the shade cast by the buildings, so her face was still exposed to the sun, forcing her to occasionally raise her hand to shield her eyes.

Halfway along, Yinlian noticed Keke’s gesture and immediately imitated it, stepping out into the sunlight deliberately while saying, “It’s a bit hot today, huh...”

“Senior, do you like eating without bitterness?” Keke teased.

“I’m really hot,” Yinlian muttered, glancing back at Jiang Si, who was trailing far behind, striding boldly under the direct sunlight, seemingly unconcerned about the shade. “Does your brother not mind the heat?”

“He keeps his entire body temperature below zero.”

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“What kind of supernatural ability is that?”

“Just a frozen corpse.”

“…”

Though it was somewhat rude, Yinlian nearly laughed aloud, covering her face to hide the inappropriate amusement before asking, “Why do you dislike your brother so much?”

After a moment of silence, Jiang Keke tugged on her shoulder bag. “Because he’s not human.”

Yinlian hadn’t intended to pry further, as it was already intrusive to ask about others’ private matters.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Keke continued, “When our parents died, on the day of their funeral, he didn’t show up. He went to exercise instead.”

Yinlian hesitated, then glanced at Jiang Si far behind them, frowning. “There must be a reason, right?”

“No, it was purely for exercise,” Keke said expressionlessly. “No reason. Even though our parents raised him, and they lived together for over ten years, their deaths were not as important to him as his workout that day.”

“Maybe he’s just using exercise to numb himself, to hide his sadness and pain...”

Yinlian looked at Keke with a strange smile. “Senior, you’re a bit out of touch with reality. When my relatives dragged him to the funeral, he looked utterly impatient. He felt no sadness or grief over his parents’ deaths, let alone pain. To him, it was like two dogs dying. You could ask around if you wanted to.”

Jiang Keke’s sudden openness left Yinlian stunned, even slowing her pace.

“I think you have unrealistic expectations of him, Yinlian. I’m just giving you a heads-up so you won’t be disappointed later. That feeling really hurts.”

Yinlian took a deep breath. “Thanks, Keke, I understand. But I still think there might be some misunderstanding.”

“Hopefully.”

Jiang Keke neither confirmed nor denied. If it weren’t for the fact that Yinlian was also a magical girl who genuinely cared about her, she wouldn’t have unwittingly regarded her as a friend or shared family matters she had never spoken of before.

Whether Yinlian chose to listen was her own affair. Jiang Keke had no desire to meddle in Jiang Si’s business. If Yinlian ever sided with Jiang Si and pushed for reconciliation, Jiang Keke would definitely refuse to join the Disaster Response Bureau or maintain any contact with Yinlian.

Several relatives had cut ties with her for similar reasons.

“But I also understand that if your own brother is like this, it’s really hard to accept. I’m sorry for hoping earlier that you could get along well with him. I was being naive.”

“Not really...” Keke sniffed and looked away. “You don’t know these things, so it’s not your fault.”

Yinlian grabbed her hand and shook it. “Just call me Yinlian from now on. No more ‘senior, senior.’”

“Little Yinlian.”

“I never said you could add the ‘little’!”

Jiang Si frowned, watching the two girls bickering ahead, not knowing what they were up to.

They had been wandering aimlessly for nearly twenty minutes, showing no intention of heading to the Disaster Response Bureau.

Was this guy just wasting his and Keke’s time?

Although he could message Ice Sugar to get the bureau’s location, that was too risky. Who knew if Yinlian might be monitoring him?

Magical girls always had strange abilities, especially since she was a pink magical girl, usually adept at mental magic. With the Disaster Response Bureau’s backing, if she targeted him, contacting Ice Sugar could expose him.

Better to be cautious. Since last night, he hadn’t contacted Ice Sugar and even put his phone in airplane mode.

But wasting time like this was no good either. He stopped and asked, “How much longer? Should we call a ride?”

Yinlian released Keke’s hand and smiled, “Almost there, don’t rush.”

Her tone was no longer so respectful.

After walking a bit more, the three entered a secluded street. From afar, Jiang Si recognized some familiar buildings.

The sanatorium where he and his sister had been sent for treatment three years ago.

The Disaster Response Bureau was actually located in a place like this? So close?

He found it strange. If it was so near, why hadn’t Ice Sugar told him?

Yinlian suddenly turned again, leaving the alley and taking another small path.

It wasn’t that far, but her left and right turns almost made them dizzy before arriving at a place neither siblings had seen before.

It seemed to be near the outskirts, where a small grove of trees blocked the view. The three stopped at a corner by a wall, which looked old and dilapidated, with exposed red bricks crawling with ants. Nearby, an old poplar’s branches hung over the top of the wall.

Jiang Si felt the route was strange and guessed Yinlian might have used magical girl powers to distort their sense of direction, though he couldn’t be sure.

“The Disaster Response Bureau is in a place like this?” Jiang Keke gasped, tugging at her collar, exhausted from all the detours.

Because of Jiang Si, Keke hated exercise and thus disliked physical education classes, so her physical condition wasn’t very good.

Walking such a long distance was naturally tiring.

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“Of course not,” Yinlian said, pulling out a key and pressing it against the wall.

Jiang Si raised an eyebrow, confirming she didn’t consider him suspicious.

The key had a Miracle Seed hanging from it, so she made no effort to hide.

As she inserted the key, the entire wall shimmered like ripples on water. When she turned the key, the wall swung open like a gate.

Yinlian pocketed the key and lightly jumped inside, then poked her head out to beckon them in. “Come on in.”

Jiang Si led Keke through the gate and immediately saw a station ahead.

There were ten entrances in total, each with a small brass bell at the end.

They had entered midway between gates nine and ten.

“Welcome to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.”

Although the entertainment world here was completely different from before, its development trajectory was similar.

The Harry Potter series had swept the world a year ago, and Jiang Si was aware of it.

In his previous life, he was a fan of online literature and had little interest in low-magic world stories. The magic used in those tales made him scoff.

Some kids saving the world, with no detailed progression system or clear power rankings—it was far inferior to online literature. He didn’t understand how it became so popular, only that capital had pushed it hard.

Unexpectedly, the prestigious Disaster Response Bureau even mimicked this at the station.

They were treating them like children.

Jiang Keke cautiously stepped inside and, after peering around, joked upon hearing the platform’s name, “Is there no copyright issue?”

“No problem. They actually collaborate with the Disaster Response Bureau, and the actors are all magical girls from our side,” Yinlian replied.

Harry Potter with East Asian actors? Jiang Si found that hard to imagine.

“The old platform was too outdated and scared many newcomers. It felt like a horror movie set. Later, the higher-ups said it had to keep up with the times, at least look appealing to children. That’s how Platform Nine and Three-Quarters came about, and other Disaster Response Bureaus are following suit.”

“Is it effective?”

“...You’re the first newcomer since the platform was renovated.”

Yinlian scratched her head awkwardly, then grumbled, “It’s all Qingyun Sect’s fault! They made it so the Disaster Response Bureau can’t find magical girls anymore.”

Ah, right, all Ice Sugar’s doing.

Jiang Si sneered inwardly. It wasn’t the bureau’s recruitment loopholes; it was Ice Sugar’s fault.

Jiang Keke didn’t join Yinlian in criticizing Qingyun Sect but looked curiously into the distance. “So it’s a train too?”

“Of course not.”

Yinlian walked to the bell and lightly tapped it with her fingertip.

The clear bell sound echoed far away, but Jiang Si was more puzzled by the fading sound, which resembled being in the mountains.

Soon, two broomsticks appeared, pulling a small section of a carriage.

They moved fast and even sparked when stopping at the platform.

“One carriage only fits two people,” Yinlian explained. “Originally, it was just broomsticks, but to match the platform, we added this carriage. Newcomers won’t be scared sitting in it.”

She dragged Jiang Keke inside first.

The small carriage indeed only fit two.

“Senior Jiang, wait here. I’ll come back for you...”

Just as Yinlian spoke and the broomstick lifted the carriage into the air, she saw Jiang Si bend slightly below.

Then, like a spring, he leapt up with a sudden burst!

Nearly six meters high, he grabbed the broomstick’s handle as it took off.

“This one it is.”

Yinlian gawked at Jiang Si holding the broomstick so tightly, showing no sign of falling even at high speed.

She put away the Miracle Seed, feeling parched and looked back at Keke. “Your brother... who exactly is he?”

Huffing, Jiang Keke responded as if unsurprised, “I told you, he’s not human.”