Esper X Family – Chapter 92 – The Underlying Logic

Ye Yao descended the stairs, her long white hair swaying gracefully with every movement.

The sight was breathtakingly beautiful.

Although Xia Lian lacked a sense of personal boundaries, her grooming skills were undeniably excellent.

When it came to taking care of others, she was probably on par with Luo Jianhua.

No—

Wait.

Xia Lian only know how to take care of “cats”.

Still not as good as the adorable little Luo.

As Ye Yao reached the bottom of the stairs, she noticed that Mu Luo had brought breakfast.

That was when she realized a serious problem with their little family.

None of them knew how to cook!

Their daily meals relied entirely on Mu Luo running around to buy food.

What’s the difference between this and ordering takeout every day!?

And thanks to their identities, they couldn’t even eat out at restaurants.

Ye Yao was so angry, she… just got angry for a moment.

Then, she obediently picked up the simple breakfast Mu Luo had bought.

Hm.

As long as it filled her stomach.

Fission bodies didn’t need much anyway.

The main body at home could enjoy a near-perfect life.

Eating bread ¹ , Youtiao ² Also known as fried dough sticks. They go really well with sweet tea. , and soy milk ³ It’s funny that every picture I found has soy beans around the milk so that you can tell it’s soy milk. in the morning was just her way of staying down-to-earth.

Ye Yao wasn’t that spoiled.

Like a stray cat raised in the countryside, she could eat anything, from cat food to plain congee.

The key was to be easy to raise.

Besides, even if a fission body starved to death, she could always split out another one.

Ye Yao popped a steamed dumpling ⁴ into her mouth and casually brought up a topic with Mu Luo.

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“Mu Luo, I’ve been thinking about sending Wu Mi back to help the innocent people affected by her out-of-control ability in the past.”

“Mm. Any plans?”

Mu Luo didn’t object.

Wu Mi’s initial containment had been due to the supernatural disaster she caused.

If she could return to a stable state under their care and even go back to save those people, it might be a slap in the face to the Countermeasures Bureau.

Not like they owed the Bureau any goodwill after breaking free from their containment anyway.

Ye Yao pondered.

“Mmm… My idea is to spread the news first, then negotiate. It might go smoothly.”

Mu Luo considered the feasibility.

“Should we go with you?”

“Ah, no—that’d be too risky and way too flashy. People who don’t know might think that we’re up to something. I’ll just take Wu Mi with me.”

Ye Yao was brimming with confidence.

She could always use her main body to secretly observe the Bureau’s reaction first.

See if there would be an ambush.

If not, great.

Even if there is, it didn’t matter.

At worst, she would have the fission body self-destruct to protect Wu Mi, then mentally note this grudge for later.

Her main body would find a chance to scare the living daylights out of those old geezers in the Bureau’s decision-making seats.

Make them lose sleep in fear.

There were so many ways to play this.

Mu Luo nodded calmly, leaving it entirely to Ye Yao.

The true leader of Sequence Zero indeed.

Mu Luo was only good at rescuing people from their “cages”.

When it came to rallying hearts, Ye Yao was unmatched.

And her strength more than backed it up.

Just then, Xia Lian’s cheerful laughter reached Ye Yao’s ears.

“How wonderful. Little Wu Meow even comes with after-sales service? I’m genuinely happy for those victims~ White Catty, can I come along too?”

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“Nope. You’re Sequence 010. Your strategic value is too high. The Bureau might not resist the temptation.”

Ye Yao shut her down immediately.

Xia Lian tilted her head, confused.

“Wait, 010? Not 009?”

Sigh, outdated intel.

“Seasonal rank reset. I squeezed you out of your spot. Enjoy being the gatekeeper ⁵ They need to be above her to reach top 10, so she’s the gatekeeper. of the ‘Extra-Large Cup’ tier.”

Xia Lian: “???”

Ye Yao was just messing with her.

Since Xia Lian insisted on calling her White Catty, speaking in riddles was fair game, right?

Just then Ye Yao noticed that Mo Qiuli had come over.

She smoothly shifted her focus.

Back in the room.

“Ye Yao… Little Luo… I’m back…”

Mo Qiuli seemed unusually dejected.

A thick sense of guilt weighed on her.

Coupled with her naturally gloomy aura, it was as if she was about to leave this world.

Before Ye Yao could even ask, Mo Qiuli suddenly dropped to her knees and assumed a dogeza ⁶ orz posture.

In other words, prostrating herself.

Her forehead was practically glued to the floor, not daring to meet their eyes.

“I-I’m so sorry! I couldn’t hide you two… The adults found out that you were with me that night…”

Ye Yao immediately helped her up and held her small hands.

“Speak slowly. It can’t be that bad.”

Mo Qiuli’s mind was in chaos.

Anyone who didn’t know would think that her life was over.

If left unchecked, who knew what kind of nonsense her usual overthinking would spiral into?

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“B-But…”

Mo Qiuli still seemed flustered, stumbling over her words like a clumsy, bespectacled loli.

Ye Yao cut her off.

“Turn into Mercury first, then talk.”

Ye Yao reasonably exploited her ability’s mechanism.

The next second.

Without even a transformation pose, Mo Qiuli shifted into her blue-haired, glasses-less magical girl form.

“It’s terrible!!”

It was much smoother now.

Mercury wore an indignant expression.

“It must’ve been that adult who showed up yesterday! He must’ve seen you two and snitched! The Bureau might send someone to lecture us!”

Ye Yao finally understood.

Lou Wei snitched?

Not bad.

Mercury threw herself into Ye Yao’s arms, bawling.

“Waaah—I’m sorry! I dragged you into this… The Magical Girl Alliance disbanding… I don’t want that!!”

Ye Yao stroked Mercury’s hair.

She almost laughed.

This was the first time she had seen Mo Qiuli so heartbroken.

Perhaps in her eyes, the Magical Girl Alliance was her sanctuary.

A second family.

The thought of a family breaking apart was truly devastating.

“Don’t worry. It won’t disband. The Magical Girl Alliance will exist forever.”

“R-Really…?”

Mercury lifted her head and stared at Ye Yao carefully, crystal-clear teardrops still clinging to her lashes. Her crying face was adorably pitiable.

“Of course. I promise.”

Disbanding the Magical Girl Alliance? Wasn’t that no different from shattering this family?

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These were Ye Yao’s treasures!

If anyone tried to disband them, they would have to answer to her Family Hero Mode first!

In fact, Ye Yao thought that the Bureau’s decision made sense.

They couldn’t keep her isolated from the supernatural community forever.

Especially since she had already bonded with Mo Qiuli and Luo Jianhua, two special cases.

There was no reason to bar her from interacting with a behemoth like the Countermeasures Bureau.

And that night’s incident was the perfect opportunity.

It was a natural way for Ye Yao to learn more without raising suspicion.

Luo Jianhua’s words must’ve been taken seriously.

Instead of desperately hiding Ye Yao’s existence, it was better to treat her as a normal individual on the surface.

That way, they could obscure enemy intel while maximizing her freedom.

Avoiding future resentment over excessive control.

After all, there was the ultimate safety net known as Lou Wei.

“A mere Countermeasures Bureau can’t do anything against our Magical Girl Alliance! Our bonds are unbreakable!”

Ye Yao declared triumphantly.

Hearing her finally say something befitting of a magical girl, Mercury’s eyes sparkled.

Her sadness instantly vanished.

“Yes! The Magical Girl Alliance shall endure till the end of the world!”

The underlying logic here?

Mercury was way too easy to cheer up.

Author Note

Kids, it seems to have warmed up a little today, which gives me some time to adjust.

So I’ll continue to ask for free gifts today!

Text: Little piggy little piggy, so soft and fluffy ⁷ 软乎乎ruǎnhūhū. It’s supposed to rhyme with the line below.

Snoring ⁸ 呼噜噜hūlūlū, which rhymes with the line above. And yes, this is supposed to be placed at the back but it’s structured differently in English… when encountering difficulty