A Girl Who Doesn’t Believe in Humans

Chapter 7: Clear Moon

In the following time, Qing Yue and Han Quan sat shoulder to shoulder in silence. Han Quan, who had cried, tried to calm her rapid breathing, but her breath remained erratic. She didn’t want to speak much because her hoarse voice and disordered gasps would make her sound strange, and she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Qing Yue.

However, her slightly cold body unconsciously sought the warmth of Qing Yue, moving half a step closer. The faint fragrance on Qing Yue made her feel at ease.

Qing Yue also noticed Han Quan getting closer. Initially, she wanted to stop her, but in the end, she gave up. She maintained her silence, not out of awkwardness but purely contemplating or, rather, reflecting on something.

In fact, she shouldn’t have allowed Han Quan to get close to her, and she shouldn’t have listened to Han Quan’s crying from the beginning. These actions would only bring her and Han Quan closer, something Qing Yue didn’t want.

She felt indecisive about herself.

When Han Quan cried and threw herself into Qing Yue’s arms, Qing Yue’s initial reaction was to be on guard—yes, on guard. “Pretend to be sad, lower defenses, and then strike when the guard is down”—this was a common trick used by fallen magical girls in the game. It wasn’t that Qing Yue was overly paranoid, but these scenarios were so common in the game that even the seasoned Qing Yue couldn’t help but develop a bit of PTSD.

Originally, she intended not to trust anyone, and not to need friends, but her inner self has always longed for these connections. This contradiction made her feel pain.

Despite knowing that trusting someone would eventually lead to betrayal, she had already learned this truth in the past, when her trusted friends betrayed her. However—

Qing Yue glanced at Han Quan, who was pretending to be asleep on her shoulder. The warmth of the two of them cuddling made her somewhat reluctant.

Apart from warmth, there was something from Han Quan that transmitted to her, and that something made Qing Yue feel guilty. It was magical power—from Han Quan’s magical power.

Magical girls could provide magical power, and the magical power on a magical girl’s body would be of higher quality than that of an ordinary person. Qing Yue had a speculation—perhaps the reason Azure was not as powerful as the other Four-Leaf Clovers of her time was that her magical power, driven by intense emotions, had unknowingly transferred to the other three.

Therefore, if one wanted to become a powerful magical girl, one should abandon bonds and cast away the sorrowful heart—just as Qing Yue had previously advocated.

Thinking about this, Qing Yue couldn’t help but frown.

Various emotions could produce magical power for the subject of those emotions, and different emotions would create different “colors” in the special vision of monsters. Currently, what Qing Yue sensed from Han Quan was a faint color of admiration—an abnormal occurrence.

Qing Yue was self-aware. Her feelings for Han Quan were far from deep. The phenomenon at present might be a result of Han Quan’s admiration for someone being altered—manipulated by the instinctive tampering of a magical girl who had become a monster.

For a monster without a normal sense of taste, magical power was the main source of satisfaction for its desires. Even if Qing Yue tried to restrain herself, her instincts still urged her body to seduce her prey.

This was why Qing Yue hated others getting too close to her. Anyone who got close would become her bait, even if she didn’t want it.

Observing Han Quan, Qing Yue began to doubt herself. Was her attachment and bond with Han Quan just a hallucination induced by the illusionary effects of consuming magical power?

The more she thought about it, the deeper she fell into self-doubt and self-loathing. The sense of guilt and emptiness prevented her from extricating herself.

“Qing Yue, your complexion looks bad. Are you not feeling well?” Han Quan lifted her head from Qing Yue’s shoulder, expressing concern in a gentle tone.

Seeing Han Quan’s intimacy, Qing Yue felt even more uncomfortable. She knew that Han Quan regarded her as someone else.

“I’m fine. Move your head away. Your tears are almost soaking my clothes, and it’s uncomfortable.” Qing Yue maintained a distant attitude.

“What the heck?! I’m caring about you, and you’re so heartless!” This immediately angered Han Quan.

“Who cares about whom? Wasn’t I comforting you just now?” Qing Yue coldly retorted.

Han Quan, infuriated, clenched her small fists.

The friendship boat sank suddenly.

At this moment, a third voice interrupted the tense atmosphere.

“Ala ala~ Who do we have here? Isn’t it the tomboy Han Quan? Why, are you changing your role to become a frail and sickly good student?” The mocking words seemed to be deliberately raised a few pitches, giving a sense of superiority.

Although it seemed like the words were aimed at Han Quan, she immediately realized who the troublemaker was.

“You, what are you doing here?!” She seemed to be preparing to curse at the person, glaring fiercely.

Qing Yue, following the voice, saw the appearance of the intruder.

A smug-looking girl.

With light yellow wavy hair falling to her shoulders, a delicate face slightly raised, and eyes of the same color looking down at the two, her voice seemed intentionally elevated, giving an impression of arrogance. Though she wore the same style of gym clothes as everyone else, the material of her clothes looked bright and luxurious, likely made from higher-grade fabric. Even among the students, her attire stood out, making her look like the protagonist in the midst of the crowd.

Judging by her face shape, Qing Yue thought she shouldn’t be a foreigner; the hair color and eye color were likely achieved through hair dye and colored contact lenses. Qing Yue also noticed that the girl had light makeup on her face. It was uncommon for students to wear makeup, and it was even against school rules.

Clearing her mind, Qing Yue realized that she had seen this face in someone’s dream.

While Qing Yue was observing her, the girl shifted her gaze from Han Quan to Qing Yue.

“Isn’t this the top student of our grade? How did you end up hanging out with such a bad student?” Her eyes flicked over Han Quan’s tear streaks and the wet marks on Qing Yue’s clothes, her expression turning strange.

“Are you two doing something indecent here?” Han Quan retorted indignantly.

“I didn’t say anything about what you were doing, did I?” The girl with light yellow hair responded with boredom, twirling her hair with her fingers and speaking in a slightly disdainful tone.

Although her words seemed to target Han Quan, Qing Yue absorbed a sense of “envy” magical power from her. At this moment, a distant figure holding a camera outside the school greeted them—specifically, greeted the girl with light yellow hair.

“Miss Du Zhi, the photography session is about to begin!”

“Tch…” This seemed to be a click of the tongue from Du Zhi.

However, when Qing Yue looked over, she only saw Du Zhi’s brilliant smile.

“All right, Mr. Producer, I’ll be right there.”