My Magical Girl System

Chapter 131: Lumy Rinne I

The atmosphere in the apartement living room had shifted from high-alert tension to something much lighter, though not entirely peaceful.

Sarah sat on the couch with her arms crossed, cheeks slightly puffed out in a very obvious pout. A faint red mark was still visible on her forehead where Andrey had flicked her earlier. She hadn’t said a word since.

Andrey stood near the couch, arms loosely folded. "Next time you call like that, at least make sure it’s actually an emergency before you scare the entire team."

Sarah turned her face away with a quiet "Hmph," refusing to look at him. Her boba cup sat safely on the table between her and Hope.

Hope, still sitting cross-legged on the floor, finished her mochi and leaned forward with a curious smile. "So... how did it go at the hospital? Did Helena have anything useful?"

Lisa, who had been quietly tidying the snack wrappers on the coffee table, looked up and answered calmly.

"Elena told us Miguel’s whole party helped purify the Obsidian Fang Pendant because it was giving off heavy dark mana. But even after that, he still acted strangely paranoid, pushing everyone away, talking to himself. He was last seen entering his house four days ago. And two weeks ago, right after the purification, she saw a man with golden eyes talking to Miguel near the guild. She thinks he’s connected."

Hope’s cheerful expression slowly turned thoughtful. She set her empty snack bag aside and rested her arms on her knees.

"Golden eyes..." she murmured. "I’ve met a lot of people with unusual features over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone with eyes like that. Not naturally, anyway." She tapped a finger lightly against her chin. "But I do know someone who knows people who can dig up that kind of information. Someone with connections we don’t usually reach."

Andrey, still leaning against the back of the couch, raised an eyebrow.

"You know a lot of people, huh?"

Hope gave him a small, slightly sheepish smile. "Comes with the territory, I guess."

She reached for her phone on the table, unlocking it with a quick swipe.

A few minutes later, her phone vibrated with a reply. Hope glanced at the screen, read it quickly, then looked up at the group.

"Lumy just answered," she said. "She’s actually on holiday right now, so she said we don’t have to wait until tomorrow. If we want, we can come over tonight."

Andrey straightened up immediately, his expression shifting from tired to focused.

"If that’s the case, then let’s go," he said without hesitation. "The sooner we talk to her, the better."

Lisa stood up and brushed the crumbs off her skirt. "I’ll grab a jacket. It’s probably cold outside since it’s already night."

Hope was already typing a quick reply to Lumy, confirming they would head over soon. "She lives a bit outside the main city area, but it’s not too far. We can take the van."

Just as Andrey was about to tell everyone to move, a voice came from the armchair.

"I’m not going."

Sein was slouched back in the seat, one hand pressed against her temple, eyes half-closed. She looked genuinely uncomfortable.

"My head is dizzy from too much information coming in at once today," she muttered, voice low and rough. "My brain feels like it’s being stirred around. You guys just go. I’ll stay here."

Lisa immediately looked concerned and stepped closer. "Sein... are you okay? Do you want me to use a healing skill?"

Sein waved her off weakly. "No need. It’s not a physical wound. I just need some quiet. Go already. If anything happens, message me."

Andrey studied her for a moment, then gave a small nod. He knew her well enough to tell when she was being honest.

"Alright," he said. "You rest. We’ll handle it."

Sarah, who had been quietly sipping her boba the whole time, finally spoke up from the couch, her voice still a little sulky, but softer than before.

"...I’m not going either. Still hard to move properly. Besides, if I tag along I’ll just slow you guys down."

Hope gave both of them an understanding smile. "It’s fine. The three of us should be enough. Lumy’s not the type to set traps anyway."

Andrey grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch and slipped it on. His voice was calm but carried that familiar quiet authority.

"We’ll contact you as soon as we’re done."

Sein just gave a tired thumbs-up without opening her eyes. Sarah muttered a half-hearted "Be careful" while still avoiding looking directly at Andrey.

Hope was already at the door, slipping her shoes on with her usual bright energy, though her expression had turned more serious now that they had a real lead.

"Alright," she said, glancing back at the two staying behind. "We’ll be back soon. Don’t fight over the last boba while we’re gone."

With that, Andrey, Lisa, and Hope stepped out into the night, the door closing quietly behind them.

The night air was cool as the three of them stepped out of the apartement building and walked toward the parked van. The residential complex was quiet at this hour, with only a few streetlights casting long shadows across the pavement. Andrey led the way, hands in his pockets, while Lisa and Hope walked side by side behind him.

Lisa glanced at Hope curiously as they approached the van. "You don’t have any work today, Hope? I thought S-rank heroes were always busy."

Hope let out a small, amused laugh and shook her head. "I already finished everything earlier. These days my workload has actually decreased quite a bit. A lot of new kids have been joining the guild lately, so I have more people to delegate tasks to. Of course, I still have to train them myself sometimes, but overall it’s much more manageable than before."

Andrey slowed his steps slightly and looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "Lumina Guild is still that popular, huh?"

Hope smiled, though there was a hint of seriousness in her expression. "Of course it is. After Vixion disbanded and Horizon’s reputation took such a heavy hit from the last incident, a lot of people left. New members are looking for guilds that are more trustworthy and have better prospects. Lumina has been gaining a lot of attention because of that. We’re stable, we treat our people well, and we actually deliver results. It’s not surprising that many are choosing us over the others right now."

Lisa nodded thoughtfully as they reached the van. "That makes sense. After everything that happened with Horizon... it’s hard for people to trust them again."

Hope pulled open the passenger side door and glanced at both of them. "Exactly. That’s why I’ve been trying to keep Lumina’s name clean and make sure our new recruits feel supported. The more stable we are, the more people will come to us instead of getting caught up in whatever mess the other guilds are dealing with."

Andrey unlocked the van and slid into the driver’s seat. "Well, their loss is your gain. And right now, it’s working in our favor too. Having someone like Lumy as a contact wouldn’t have been as easy if your guild wasn’t in such a strong position."

Hope climbed into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt, her usual bright smile returning. "That’s true. Connections are everything these days. Especially when we’re dealing with things like golden-eyed men and poisoned corpses."

Lisa got into the back seat and closed the door. "Let’s just hope Lumy can actually give us something useful tonight."

Andrey started the engine, the low hum filling the quiet night. He glanced at the rearview mirror, then at Hope beside him.

"Only one way to find out."

The van pulled out of the residential complex and onto the main road, heading toward Lumy Rinne’s place under the dark sky.