This was the meal Lin Yun had instructed the canteen to prepare to entertain these two unexpected guests. Having been detained in the interrogation room all morning, they must be hungry by now, and a lunch would be effective in bridging the distance between them.
"I am truly sorry for the misunderstanding earlier. Our staff failed to understand your identities and intentions, causing you to waste an entire morning," he said.
He gestured towards a nearby table with a "please" sign: "We have specially prepared lunch and drinks for you, and we hope you'll enjoy them."
The moment the statement reached the girl in the Taoist robe by the door, her eyes brightened, almost as if she was about to whistle: "That's great, these past days have all been about sleeping rough, sustaining on breath control fasting, it's been far too long since anything delightful passed my lips!"
"You're not seriously considering drinking, are you?"
The Black Cat Fairy hurriedly tried to dissuade her: "Don't forget what we're here for. What if you really get drunk?"
"I won't get drunk; I won't get drunk. What's the harm in enjoying a few drinks?"
Dismissing the concerns of the fairy, the girl waved her hand and took her seat directly: "Besides, as martial cultivators, we have control over our circulation of vital energy. A little alcohol can be exhaled away."
"You should... be a little more careful..."
The fairy clearly wasn't quite willing but, knowing she couldn't persuade the other, she reluctantly sat down as well.
Lin Yun followed them, instructed the staff not to come in, and joined the two at one side of the square table, continuing the conversation with the girl.
Perhaps it was the presence of food and drink, but the girl's spirits seemed a lot higher than before. Parts of the conversation that had previously been obscure and vague became clearer and more structured.
Of course, from Lin Yun's perspective, much of this consisted of nonsensical lies and idle gossip.
For instance, after the girl had some drinks, she boasted continuously, "I am as close to Cornflower as if we were siblings, practically sisters, and I've come this time to bring her an opportunity." In truth, Lin Yun had no recollection of anyone named "Canna" in his memory.
No matter how convincingly she bragged, a lie was still a lie and could not become the truth.
However, some useful information was mixed in, as occasionally the girl would mention secrets that a regular Magical Girl wouldn't know. Some of these hints were clearly related to the Claw Marks, further assuring Lin Yun of the girl's origins.
As he kept encouraging more drinking, he also tried to extract more information, just when their conversation was becoming fervent, his expression suddenly turned grave. That was because a surge of Magic Power uncontrollably burst forth from the Heart's Gem and rapidly spread throughout his body.
—This was not an attack from an enemy, without a doubt, it was a precursor to transformation.
His troublesome aftereffects had flared up once more.
Although he had long been prepared for such eventualities, he hadn't expected the aftereffects to strike at such a critical moment. If the Magical Girl beside him realised it, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause.
Realizing this, Lin Yun quickly rose to his feet, alerted the other two at the table, and hurried towards the exit.
He needed to find a secluded place to wait for the uncontrollable transformation to end.
After Lin Yun left, the Taoist-robed girl, who was still somewhat tipsy from the drink, suddenly looked up at a certain direction beyond the door at a particular moment.
"...Semi, do you feel it?" she asked slowly.
"What?" The Black Cat Fairy looked at her, puzzled.
"It's a magic power fluctuation, a very strong one."
She lifted her cup, downed the alcohol in one gulp, and wiped her mouth: