The crisp and pleasant sound of giggling rang out incessantly. At this moment, the four of them felt like their brains were completely overwhelmed. Chen Yuxuan and Lu Hao had already stood back up. But looking at the little girl in front of them, who was doubled over with laughter, everyone remained silent.
Thinking on the bright side, she at least didn't seem to have any hostile intent. This finally allowed them to breathe a small sigh of relief; after all, one thing was very clear to all four of them now. And that was that they were completely helpless against this girl. From start to finish, they had been led by the nose by her in a state of confusion.
However... Sparkle suddenly stood up, the muzzle of the gun in her hand pressed directly against her own head. With a "bang," her head tilted, and a small flag popped out of the muzzle again, accompanied by countless streamers flying out. Then, Sparkle slumped to the ground, putting on an expression as if she were heroically sacrificing herself.
Chen Yuxuan: (╬▔dish▔)╯
He couldn't help but feel like this brat was mocking him. If she weren't so bizarre, Chen Yuxuan would have definitely given her a harsh lesson.
Pfft!
Chen Yuxuan: Hmm?
"Ahem, sorry, Captain." Lu Hao cried out that he couldn't help it as the atmosphere suddenly shifted. His originally sorrowful and indignant memories suddenly turned into a mole, frantically sweeping through his brain, causing him to lose control of his emotions for a moment. Especially when he suddenly thought of the déjà vu of the Captain heroically covering the rear, only for it to end with a pea-shooter against a cannon... No, it would be rude to keep thinking about it.
"Oh my, did you think of something interesting, Big Brother? Could it be a story about the Captain and Mr. Svarog?"
The familiar Clara suddenly appeared behind Lu Hao, startling the latter so much he almost jumped out of his skin. But upon hearing what she said, he immediately felt that things were about to go south. Stealing a glance out of the corner of his eye, their gazes naturally met.
Lu Hao: I'm doomed! This detestable, naturally evil brat! Chen Yuxuan: Humph, I might not be able to deal with this girl, but I can certainly deal with you. Just wait until we get back; you're definitely in for it.
Seeing that she had successfully stirred the pot, Clara transformed, and the familiar Sparkle appeared before the four of them once again.
Everyone: (⊙o⊙)!
The Clara from before wasn't an illusion! Just what kind of Supernatural Ability does this girl have? At this moment, the girl's identity and abilities became increasingly mysterious in the minds of Chen Yuxuan and the others. After hesitating for a moment, Chen Yuxuan chose to speak up.
"Thank you for showing mercy. First, let me introduce ourselves—we are a team from the Muyun City Ability Bureau. I am the team captain, Chen Yuxuan..."
After the introductions, Sparkle got to know each of them. This robust middle-aged man was Captain Chen Yuxuan, and the names of the other three were Mu Yao, Qing Yutong, and Lu Hao.
"Hello everyone, my name is Sparkle—just like those beautiful fireworks, and those brilliant pyrotechnics!" Sparkle replied in a playful tone. For some reason, the four of them felt something was slightly off about this introduction, yet they couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Perhaps one day in the future, they would vividly recall this introduction. But that's a story for another time. The group felt a surge of joy; it seemed Sparkle wasn't impossible to communicate with. So, Chen Yuxuan continued to ask.
"Miss Sparkle, since you know who we are, may I ask about your identity? After all, we are an official organization, and we must learn more about an Ability User with strength like yours."
Sparkle poked her cheek with a slender finger. "My identity? An abandoned orphan, a cursed girl, the last descendant of the Puppet Clan... it depends on which version you like; I can make them all up~"
As she finished, Sparkle flashed a "generous" smile. This expression, accentuated by the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, was even more captivating. This scene unconsciously drew Lu Hao's gaze. Sparkle, of course, noticed this. She gave a sly smile and immediately assumed the posture of an innocent young girl.
"Big Brother, staring at me like that, do you like me?"
"N-No... I don't!" Lu Hao panicked and hurriedly looked away. But Sparkle was relentless; she turned back into Clara, immediately lowering her reddened eyes and pouting her lips aggrievedly.
"So Big Brother doesn't like Clara..." She looked as if she were about to squeeze out a few tears at any moment, making even Qing Yutong and Mu Yao marvel at her acting skills.
"It's not... I... I don't..." Now Lu Hao was even more incoherent. Having been single his whole life, even though he guessed Sparkle might be acting, he didn't know how to respond. He turned his head, trying to seek help. Only to find Mu Yao wearing a look of utter disgust, her eyes looking as if she had discovered some kind of "pervert." Noticing his gaze, she immediately hugged herself tightly, took a few steps back, and spoke.
"Perverted lolicon!"
Lu Hao: ┭┮﹏┭┮
'I'm being framed! And what's with you backing away? Even if I were, I wouldn't be interested in flat boards like you, okay?!' Especially when he looked back, Sparkle had already returned to her original form and was giggling on the side with her hand over her mouth, looking completely like someone just enjoying the show.
Lu Hao: ～( TロT)σ
Pfft!
This whole scene truly amused Qing Yutong. It was obvious without even thinking; a virgin like Lu Hao was no match for Sparkle.
Chen Yuxuan: ...The Captain didn't know whether to laugh or cry watching such a dramatic scene. Sigh. It seemed impossible to find out her identity; there was nothing to be done about it. After all, he couldn't exactly force her, and the fact that she hadn't killed them was already a stroke of luck.
However, Sparkle suddenly took the initiative to speak. "By the way, Uncle, what is an Ability User?"
"Hmm? You don't know?" Mu Yao, feeling that Sparkle didn't seem to have any ill intent, couldn't help but be a bit surprised upon hearing this.
The others felt the same way. In their eyes, Sparkle's Supernatural Ability was extremely powerful, and her experience was beyond doubt. So they naturally assumed Sparkle was a senior Ability User. But she didn't seem to know anything about Ability Users at all?
Chen Yuxuan couldn't help but wonder if she was some kind of hidden master from the public. She couldn't possibly be a newly awakened rookie, right? Regardless, Chen Yuxuan chose to answer truthfully.
"About a hundred years ago or so, some people appeared in the world who possessed special powers—called Supernatural Abilities—and people like us are called Ability Users. Over time, some people might awaken their Supernatural Abilities by chance. However, Ability Users are nearly one in ten thousand, so publicly, no one knows of our existence."
"Supernatural Abilities, Ability Users? How interesting." Hearing this, Sparkle couldn't suppress her joy; this world was indeed much more interesting than she had imagined.
Meanwhile, Chen Yuxuan noticed Sparkle's morbid expression and felt a faint sense of unease. 'I didn't say anything wrong, did I? It's not like this is a secret.'
"By the way, Sparkle, what is your Supernatural Ability? I feel like I can't distinguish it at all." Mu Yao asked subconsciously, but she immediately realized it was inappropriate. Although Sparkle seemed easy to talk to for now, one usually wouldn't easily tell others about their own Supernatural Ability, so asking like that was indeed a bit rude.
"Sorry, I didn't mean..."
"I never said I was an Ability User~" Before Mu Yao could apologize, Sparkle dropped a bombshell. And the reaction of the group was exactly as Sparkle expected; they were all struck dumb with shock, beyond words.