Esper X Family – Chapter 14 – Transform and Show Me!

“Thank you for telling me all this.”

“Mm… I’m glad I could help.”

Mo Qiuli shyly lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers, her glasses almost slipping off her face.

This timid demeanor was a stark contrast to her Magical Girl persona.

It made one want to get to know her better.

Ye Yao had exactly that intention.

Slacking off alone is boring.

Having friends to hang out with made things much more fun.

Even if one didn’t want to socialize in real life, having some goofy online friends to chat with was essential.

Otherwise, it would be disastrous if you lost the desire to express yourself.

“So we’re friends now, right? Want to come over to my place?”

“Fr-friends? But I don’t even know your name yet.”

“Ah, I forgot to mention. My name’s Ye Yao. ‘Yè’ (夜) as in ‘night sky’ (夜空 yèkōng), and ‘Yáo’ (谣) as in ‘lullaby ¹ It’s actually nursery rhyme, but I’ll be using lullaby for another reason. ’ (童谣 tóngyáo). My hobby is slacking off. Nice to meet you.”

Mo Qiuli stared blankly at Ye Yao, who seemed to glow as she introduced herself, and couldn’t help but murmur softly.

“Somehow, I feel like you’re more suited to be a Magical Girl than—”

“Whoa! No, no, no, don’t even think about it! Being a Magical Girl is exhausting. Having a Magical Girl friend is more than enough.”

Ye Yao quickly shook her head in denial.

“I’m not cut out to be a Magical Girl. That’s a high-risk profession, way too scary.”

“Mmm… true. Ye Yao does seem pretty weak. It wouldn’t be good for you to fight bad guys. You might easily get defeated and picked up by someone.”

Mo Qiuli seemed to seriously consider this, believing that there was a high chance of such a scenario occurring.

“Oi ² She said 铁咩tie mie here which is complete gibberish but it’s supposed to sound like the Japanese てめteme, the word for ‘you’ that implies contempt. ! How can you insult me like that? I’ve got potential, you know!”

Being looked down upon by a younger girl was a huge blow to Ye Yao’s pride.

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“But…” Mo Qiuli shrank her neck, timidly saying, “Ye Yao likes to slack off, right?”

Someone who only slacks off has no future.

In order to become a true Magical Girl, Mo Qiuli had trained herself at designated facilities every day.

She also wanted the ‘power of wishes’ that Magical Girls in anime possessed.

That way, she wouldn’t have to work so hard.

Unfortunately, reality was reality.

“Hmph~ I’m different.”

Ye Yao didn’t plan to explain her abilities or System, changing the subject decisively.

“Anyway, wanna come to my place? This is the first time I’ve invited a friend over.”

“I’m honored.” Mo Qiuli was pleasantly surprised.

“Oh, by the way, where do you live?”

Ye Yao suddenly remembered something and asked.

Mo Qiuli pointed to a building visible in the distance. “I live in that building.”

“Wow~ That’s great! It’s really close to my place. It’s fine if we stay out late, then.”

The distance between the two buildings was less than a kilometer.

Maybe they could hang out there in the future.

“Let’s not waste any time. Come with me.”

Ye Yao took Mo Qiuli’s hand and led her towards her home.

If it had been a suspicious old man doing this, they would’ve been surrounded by the elderly in the park.

“Let’s have a good chat. Tell me about all the interesting things you’ve experienced as a Magical Girl.”

“O-okay.”

Mo Qiuli didn’t resist, letting Ye Yao lead her away.

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Ye Yao didn’t care if bringing someone home would upset the Countermeasures Bureau.

If the country had the capability, it should assign her a “wife”. Otherwise, she would find one herself!

“She’s coming back with a girl from the park.”

On the balcony, Lou Wei suddenly spoke to Xiao Jing.

“Was that girl arranged beforehand?” Xiao Jing asked with a surprised look.

“No.”

Lou Wei shook his head.

Even if they were to arrange someone, it would be someone mature and reliable.

Problem children with flawed personalities would never be considered.

Such individuals were not suitable for the task of contacting Sequence 001 and gathering intelligence.

But since it was Ye Yao’s own choice, they could turn a blind eye.

As long as the person’s background was clean.

“I’ll stay out of sight for a while. You’ll be the one to receive them.”

Seeing that Ye Yao and Mo Qiuli had entered the building, Lou Wei withdrew his gaze and prepared to leave.

Mo Qiuli had seen him last night.

Even if she was clueless, it was best to avoid any issues.

Not long after Lou Wei left.

Ye Yao brought Mo Qiuli into her home.

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“We’re here~ This is my place.”

Mo Qiuli curiously looked around.

“Ye Yao’s home is so big, much bigger than mine.”

“That’s what I thought when I first stepped in here, too.”

At that moment, Xiao Jing approached.

“Welcome back, Ye Yao. Is this your new friend?”

Xiao Jing examined Mo Qiuli, feeling somewhat familiar with the girl.

After all, Mo Qiuli was a notorious problem child in the Countermeasures Bureau.

She was completely immersed in her own “art”, unaware of the world around her.

There were urban legends about her circulating online.

When danger arose, a girl claiming to be ‘Magical Girl Mercury’ would appear, using miraculous powers to resolve the crisis.

It had caused quite a stir back then.

But the Countermeasures Bureau had enough experience to handle such situations without much trouble.

“Um… hello, big sister.”

Seeing how young Xiao Jing looked, Mo Qiuli assumed that she was Ye Yao’s sister and quickly greeted her.

Xiao Jing blinked, smiling slightly, and didn’t bother correcting her.

After all, women always preferred to be called younger.

Even though she was technically Ye Yao’s mother, she was still a single woman at heart.

As for Mo Qiuli not recognizing her…

That wasn’t surprising.

As mentioned earlier.

This little girl was completely absorbed in her “art”.

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Aside from things related to magical girls, she didn’t pay much attention to anything else.

Xiao Jing decided not to point it out, pretending that they didn’t know each other.

“Mom, this is a friend I met at the park. Her name is Mo Qiuli. I’m planning to visit her place to play later.”

“Hmm… I have no objections if her family agrees.”

Although things weren’t going as expected.

It wasn’t completely out of control.

Having a friend of the same age was good. It would lessen Ye Yao’s loneliness.

Xiao Jing placed her hands on Ye Yao and Mo Qiuli’s heads, gently patting them.

The joy of headpatting washed over her heart.

It was simply wonderful.

“You two go ahead and play. I’ll prepare some fruits and snacks for you.”

“Ah, um… thank you.”

Mo Qiuli quickly bowed in gratitude.

She seemed like a well-behaved child.

Provided that you ignore her other side.

Meanwhile, Ye Yao couldn’t wait any longer. After saying a quick word to Xiao Jing, she hurriedly dragged Mo Qiuli into her room.

“So this is Ye Yao’s room. It’s so big and beautiful.”

Just as Mo Qiuli was admiring the room, she suddenly heard a click.

Looking towards the sound, she saw that Ye Yao had locked the door.

Mo Qiuli: “???”

Ye Yao’s eyes sparkled, her face flushed as she stepped closer to Mo Qiuli in excitement.

“Quick, show me how you transform into a Magical Girl!”