```
"No way..."
```
Ke Mingye murmured, looking through the owl's perspective at the whip-shaped magic wand in Shi Neian's hand, then at the broken, dim gemstone on the handle.
He was stunned for a moment, utterly convinced that this broken magic crystal was the emblem of a witch and identical to the magic wand of Witch Black Rose he had seen that day...
"This... where has this gotten me?" he thought. "Did I sign up to be a Magic Girl?"
Shi Neian looked surprised, her medium-length black hair draped over her shoulders.
Her complexion was as pale as paper, making the dark circles under her eyes stand out prominently, like a drop of ink on drawing paper. The layer of black, like spilled ink, spread out from the edges of her eyes, tracing upward at the corners in a swoop like eyeshadow, adding a teasing quality to her languid demeanor.
At that moment, the shadow of a beret loomed over her eyes, but it could not hide the burning purple-red flames within her gaze.
