"Ugh... ugh... ugh..."

After the battle, as the dust settled, Lin Xiaolu was on her hands and knees, dry heaving with tears in her eyes.

From the moment she was drenched in the foul-smelling fluid, she had been vomiting on the ground, then crying, then dry heaving again, and then crying some more, until she was a mess of snot and tears.

"It's okay, it's okay."

Cui Que squatted beside her, gently patting her back, comforting her in a soft, cool voice, "It's just a bit smelly, and no one saw it. Go home and take a good shower, and the smell will be gone."

Seeing her daughter in such a state, Cui Que couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

So even though comforting her like this was somewhat out of character, she couldn't help but do it.

"Cui Que... ugh, ugh, ugh... ugh... waah..."

Lin Xiaolu looked at Cui Que with tear-filled eyes, but before she could say more than a couple of words, she started dry heaving again.

Not far away, Xia Liang wasn't doing much better. She was leaning against a streetlight pole, looking pale. However, her willpower was stronger than Lin Xiaolu's. After a few initial dry heaves, she managed to control her physiological reactions with her strong self-control and didn't vomit on the spot, maintaining a semblance of composure.

The sour and rotten smell at the scene was overwhelming. Even Cui Que, a seasoned Magical Girl who had seen her fair share of filthy battlefields, felt nauseated and couldn't help but cover her mouth and nose with her hand.

After squatting beside Lin Xiaolu for a while and realizing she wouldn't recover anytime soon, Cui Que flew over to Xia Liang and asked with some concern, "How are you feeling? Any better?"

"Ugh... much better than at the beginning."

Xia Liang covered her mouth, her face full of discomfort, but she forced a smile, "It's just that my head feels sticky and uncomfortable. Little Senior, can you use water magic or something?"

"Sorry, I don't have much expertise in that area."

Cui Que replied honestly.

The "water magic" Xia Liang mentioned did exist and was usually called the "Water Creation Spell Formula," but it wasn't within Cui Que's repertoire.

For a Magical Girl, once their ability blossomed to the Leaf stage, using spell formulas became a basic skill. However, becoming proficient and mastering various spell formulas required dedicated effort and study.

Lin Yun had never been particularly interested in learning spell formulas. He had only learned some basic ones to assist in combat and didn't put much effort into it. So, the spell formulas he mastered were quite limited.

But in this situation, it wasn't necessary to rely on the Water Creation Spell Formula to resolve it. So, after waiting for Lin Xiaolu to recover a bit, Cui Que suggested to the two of them:

"Since the Brutal Beast has been dealt with, you two should go home and clean up, then get some rest."

Lin Xiaolu, still lying on the ground, struggled to speak, "But... this afternoon, I still have to go to school..."

"Don't worry about that."

Cui Que waved her hand, indicating her confidence, "Our coordination with the Bureau of Special Tactics is precisely to handle situations like this. I'll report this to them, and they'll contact the school to sort out the attendance issue."

In fact, if it weren't for Xia Liang being with them, this matter wouldn't even need the Bureau's intervention. Lin Yun could simply call the school to ask for a sick leave for his daughter. Adults have many ways to handle things.

"Okay then... ugh." After hearing Cui Que's words, Lin Xiaolu had no further objections and weakly stood up from the ground.

Standing still, she took a moment to focus, looked around to confirm her location, and reoriented herself. After some effort, she squinted and thought for a while, seemingly remembering the direction of her home.

She took a couple of steps in the designated direction, planning to fly home once her magic power recovered. But soon, she realized someone was following her.

She glanced at Cui Que, who was standing not far away, and confirmed that someone else was behind her. She stopped and squinted back: a purple-clad Magical Girl was standing behind her with a smile.

It was undoubtedly Xia Liang.

Seeing Lin Xiaolu turn around, Xia Liang seemed oblivious to her unfriendly gaze. She waved her hand and smiled sweetly, not intending to explain her actions.

"Why are you following me?"

Lin Xiaolu asked irritably.

"Um... looking for a place to take a bath?" Xia Liang replied naturally but somewhat uncertainly, as if she were looking for a public bathhouse.

"Don't follow me. Go home and wash up." Uninterested in her half-truths, Lin Xiaolu threw out a blunt remark and turned to leave.

But after a few steps, she realized something was wrong. The footsteps behind her hadn't disappeared. Clearly, Xia Liang was still following her.

"You!"

This time, genuinely annoyed, Lin Xiaolu turned around and stared directly at Xia Liang's face, "I told you not to follow me. What do you want?"

"Nothing."

Xia Liang blinked innocently, "I just want to see your house."

"Huh? Why should I let you come to my house?"

Lin Xiaolu looked baffled, "Go back to your own home!"

"Um..."

Xia Liang seemed to ponder for a moment, then tilted her head and replied, "I don't think I can?"

"I don't care about your attitude... wait, why is that a question?" Lin Xiaolu frowned.

Hearing this, Xia Liang first smiled, showing a hint of pride. Then, as if she were saying something significant, she pressed her chest and declared:

"Because I ran away from home."

Silence.

Hearing this, Lin Xiaolu was stunned, and even Cui Que, who had been silent, raised an eyebrow and looked at Xia Liang in surprise.

Fortunately, Cui Que, being an adult, quickly realized the situation and felt it was better for her daughter to continue the conversation to build a closer relationship. So, she nudged Lin Xiaolu from behind.

Coming back to her senses, Lin Xiaolu could only ask incredulously, "What did you just say?"

Seeing both of them looking at her, Xia Liang, thinking she hadn't made herself clear, blinked and repeated:

"Ah, I said I ran away from home and have nowhere to go. Can you give me a place to stay?"