"Mr. Xia…" Mona murmured.
"Yes?" Xia Zhi answered.
"I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Your identity… it should be… very exalted, shouldn't it?"
Xia Zhi looked completely calm. "No. I'm just an outsider."
Mona stared at him, speechless.
Xia Zhi smiled. "Is this because of what happened with Charlotte?"
Mona nodded. "You know astrology has taboos. For example, we're forbidden from peeking into the fates of gods. I just find it strange. By all logic, I shouldn't be able to read anything about you."
"Maybe I'm just a special case," Xia Zhi said.
Mona thought quietly for a moment, then asked in a small voice, "The first time I went to your shop… when I did a reading for Xia Ci… my crystal ball suddenly shattered…"
"Xia Ci is also special," Xia Zhi said lightly.
"Special like Xia Zhen?" Mona asked.
"What do you think?"
"…" Mona sighed and lowered her head.
"Mr. Xia, you really like teasing people… That crystal ball was a gift from my master. It meant a lot to me…"
"Well, I did compensate you with a new one afterward."
"That doesn't count! I pulled that from a loot box myself!"
"Ganyu opened it for you."
"It's still the same! Everyone gets help opening ours!"
"Alright, so?"
"So that doesn't count as compensation!"
Xia Zhi tilted his head. "Then what compensation do you want?"
Mona immediately straightened up, looked him in the eyes, and declared, "Mr. Xia, I want to become a magical girl!"
"Really?"
"Really!"
"You should probably ask your master first…"
"No need!"
"Then tell me your reason."
"As long as I become a magical girl, my master won't be able to use divination on me anymore!"
"That's it?"
"That's it!"
Xia Zhi shook his head. "I'm special. Even if you form a connection with me, your master will still be able to divine about you."
Unless he erased his simulated destiny—but he had no intention of doing that.
Mona insisted, "It's fine! Even if she can divine it, she won't dare to divine it!"
"You really seem afraid of your master. What happened between you two?"
"She always bullies me…"
"Bullies you?"
"For example, she abuses her stronger divination skills to steal the snacks I hid. Snacks I saved for days! And she eats them right in front of me! I was furious!"
"…I see."
Xia Zhi fell silent.
He was beginning to understand their master-disciple relationship.
Well… Barbeloth was a Hexenzirkel witch. The behavior checked out.
Thinking of her, Xia Zhi's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you're trying to compete with her. She joined the Hexenzirkel, so now you want to join the magical girls?"
Mona nodded solemnly. "Exactly! Even if it's not in astrology, I'll surpass her somehow!"
"Fine," Xia Zhi said.
"Mr. Xia?"
"I'll allow it."
He found the idea amusing.
Alice was a witch, and her daughter Klee had become a magical girl.
Rhinedottir was a witch, and her daughter Durin—Xia Lin—had become a magical girl.
Barbeloth was a witch, and now her disciple Mona wanted to join the magical girls too.
Maybe he really could gather the entire next generation of the Hexenzirkel under him.
Mona smiled brightly. "Thank you for accepting me!"
Xia Zhi asked, "Do you have a personal item you're attached to? Like Charlotte's Kamera. I'll turn it into your transformation device."
Mona tapped her chin. "Can I use a crystal ball?"
"That works."
She handed him the crystal ball she'd gotten from the loot box.
Xia Zhi tucked it away. "Do you have a preferred element?"
"I want something like Fischl's!"
"Dark element, got it. I'll bring it to you soon."
"Okay!"
---
In the mountains..
Barbeloth lay under the shade of a tree, enjoying the breeze.
Suddenly, an uneasy shiver crept through her chest.
She sat up abruptly, frowning. "What's happening?"
With her level of mastery, she could already sense fragments of the future.
A feeling like this usually meant a warning.
"Why do I suddenly feel like something malicious has locked onto me…?"
She raised a hand and summoned a crystal ball.
Running her fingers across the surface, she tried to read the vision inside.
Her frown deepened.
"I can't find anything…"
---
Xia Zhi was still discussing astrology with Mona when he suddenly felt an odd gaze pressing in from afar.
Someone was peeking through space.
Who?
Xia Zhi kept his expression calm and quietly erased both his presence and Mona's.
A moment later, the strange gaze vanished.
He ignored it.
But after a short while, it came again.
This time, Xia Zhi could sense it clearly. The gaze was aimed directly at Mona.
He didn't know who it belonged to.
But Mona was now one of his magical girls.
If someone tried spying on her, he would protect her.
Following the thread of spiritual energy attached to the gaze, Xia Zhi silently flung back a dark curse.
[Divine Aging].
Moments later, the gaze vanished again.
Probably hit.
This was his first time casting a curse across such a long distance. Just to be safe, he lightly blessed Mona afterward before restoring their presence.
Mona, completely oblivious, continued chatting excitedly about astrology.
---
In the mountains..
Barbeloth stared at her reflection, stunned by the sudden strands of white hair appearing on her head.
She had attempted divination twice. Not only did she fail to find the source of her unease, she also got backlash.
She could feel her life force draining faster than normal.
If this continued, she really would become the "old hag" Mona always called her.
"Well… this is troublesome…"
---
"Alright, let's stop here for now," Xia Zhi said with a smile.
"It's about time. I'm going to the kitchen to cook."
Mona still looked reluctant. Even if she slacked off a lot lately, she still genuinely loved astrology. She was always thirsty for the knowledge he shared. "Okay, you go ahead."
Xia Zhi nodded and walked away.
Mona sat alone for a moment, absorbing everything she'd learned.
Then she took out her phone and sent Charlotte a private message.
"Hurry up! Add me to your magical girl group."
Charlotte replied instantly with a question mark. "?"
"I already told Mr. Xia. He agreed to make me a magical girl."
"You're serious?"
"Of course! When have I ever lied to you?"
"Alright, hold on."
A moment later, Charlotte sent an invitation.
Mona accepted and entered the private group.
"Hello everyone. I'm the new magical girl Mona. If any of you ever need a divination, come to me. It's free."
----
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