The staircase leading from the underground training area to the first floor of the base had only two sections.
An adult, walking at a slower pace, would take no more than ten seconds to climb this staircase, even girls with relatively shorter strides wouldn't take much longer, but Emerald Sparrow felt as though she had walked on the stairs for several hours.
Adhering to the principle of "neither favoring nor neglecting any side," she struggled to maintain her balance between Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan, this effort took a great deal of her effort, barely squeezing through the staircase entrance.
Standing at the staircase entrance, a swift glance to the side revealed the nearby dining hall. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire
The dining table was particularly lively today.
Not only because everyone was present, which made the dining table fully packed, but also because the members of the Bai'an City team seemed to be engaged in a heated discussion, the sounds of arguing emerged clearly from the dining hall, audible even from the staircase that led to the first floor.
Judging by the voices, the opposing sides of the argument seemed to be Bai Ji and Mu Baihe.
—"No, the existence of our team is an integral one, and even if we need to operate separately, it should not be for such trivial reasons, I cannot agree to your request!"
"Why not, after all, Bai'an City can hardly miss a warrior like me, right?"
"That's not the point! This isn't about combat power, you should understand, you're a very valuable member of our team..."
"Right, right, right, always a bother to the team, always holding others back, isn't that what you told Sister Yuan Xiang?"
"How could you... No, I... I did say that, but it's not what you think..."
"Then what does it mean?"
"I... just wanted her to push you a bit more..."
"So you do despise me after all? Where did I misunderstand you?"
The voices gradually shifted from a debate to an outright argument, and the conflict between Bai Ji and Mu Baihe seemed to escalate. While some bystanders tried to calm them down nicely, others folded their arms as if watching a show, but regardless of their actions, they couldn't quell the fiery dispute between the two.
In such an atmosphere, Emerald Sparrow and the two juniors entered the dining hall.
Emerald Sparrow, unaware of the current situation, immediately approached Asou Haruka, "What are they arguing about? Aren't you going to persuade them?"
It wasn't that she wanted to be nosy, but because Asou Haruka was just watching the fray, seemingly detached despite it involving her own team members.
"Ah, they're just quarreling, you know, it's inevitable in a young group."
Asou Haruka still leaned on the back of her chair, casually saying, "It's not a fundamental problem, after all, routine friction is better than disunity on the battlefield."
"Is that why you, as a senior, are sitting here as if watching a show?"
Emerald Sparrow drooped her eyelids, "Even if friction and conflict are inevitable, wouldn't it be better for you to go and act as a mediator?"
"There's no need for that, lubricating and mediating just delays the inevitable clash of conflicts."
Asou Haruka simply shook her head, "Don't always treat the juniors like children, teenagers already have some of their own opinions. What they like, what they dislike, we third parties don't have the power to make decisions for them, letting go appropriately actually helps everyone resolve issues."
She spoke with an implied meaning, her gaze inadvertently sweeping across Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan, and then casually turned her head back, smiling as if nothing had happened.
"You're only quick-witted when it comes to spinning strange logic."
Emerald Sparrow sighed helplessly, "Then let me, as the host, try to moderate. We can't let the guests create too ugly a scene. Tell me, what exactly happened?"
"You too, always eager to play the good person."
Asou Haruka shot her a look but did not refuse. Instead, she clapped her hands, "Hey Bai Ji, come explain to this senior Patrol Envoy. Since we were going to discuss this matter today anyway, it's a good opportunity to clarify it."
Bai Ji, upon hearing Asou Haruka's words, immediately halted his argument with Mu Baihe, with a fierce glance across his opponent's face, then turned around, composed himself, and solemnly said, "I'm very sorry, senior Patrol Envoy, for exposing you to such an unpleasant scene. According to our original plan, today was supposed to be a more dignified farewell."
"Farewell?" Emerald Sparrow sharply caught the key word in the statement.
Bai Ji nodded, "Since the holidays are almost over, and our schools in Bai'an City are about to resume, although the education of a Magical Girl isn't that critical, most of us are still enrolled in school, so we plan to return to Bai'an City soon. As for our mentor, she said she will continue to support the defense work of Fangting City here, but these aren't things we juniors can decide."
"Oh, well, indeed, if it's about education, there's really no help for it. Although I personally would welcome your continued stay here, I won't forcibly retain you."
Influenced by Bai Ji's structured behavior, Emerald Sparrow also politely inquired, "So, what exactly is the disagreement about?"