Superman Termination Manual

October 25, 2028, it was a tranquil snowy night.

The light in the bedroom was off, and Bai Zini was tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

She took a shallow breath and propped herself up with her hands on the bed. In the darkness, she hugged her knees, lowered her eyelids, and sat quietly.

From the corner of her eye, she looked at the mirror, which reflected a vague dark shadow with blood-red corners of the mouth curving up high.

The shadow was saying something to her.

She couldn’t hear clearly…

She didn’t want to hear clearly.

Just then, the cold moonlight quietly spilled in, prompting her to look towards the floor-to-ceiling window in the corner. Snowflakes drifted over the crisscrossed wires, each falling down, lit by the dim yellow streetlight, resembling the swirling autumn leaves.

After a while, she suddenly turned over, dropped down from the bed, and walked barefoot to the corridor. The floor was as cold as ice in the deep night of October.

She stopped in the deserted hallway, leaned against a room, lowered her head, pondered whether to knock on the door of that room, but eventually restrained her fingers and walked towards the rooftop.

Pushing open the rusty iron door, the whistling snow and wind rushed at her.

Casually closing the door, then like a quiet little cat, she climbed onto the railing and slowly sat down.

The night sky was pitch black. Tonight, there were few stars, but the moon was much brighter.

The girl, wearing a nightdress, sat on the rooftop railing, bathed in moonlight, alone.

The air was chillingly cold, as if it could freeze a person into a snowman. She breathed on her hands and tucked them into her chest.

Looking up, gazing into the distance, amidst the swirling snow, every household’s lights were bright.

Building facades still displayed noisy cosmetic ads, men and women on the streets walked hand in hand towards the distance, resembling a bustling dragon. Overhead, the elevated train moved through the long tunnel, rumbling across the sky, slowly fading into the snow.

She was engrossed in the view when suddenly, from behind her, the iron door made a “creak—”.

She slightly tilted her face and saw a boy in a hoodie slightly pushing open the door, peeking his head through the gap.

Ke Mingye looked at Bai Zini on the rooftop, his eyes downcast, and he gently exhaled a breath of white air.

“I was saying, Bai Zini, it’s so—” Ke Mingye sneezed, “Ah-choo—!” He raised his hand, touched his reddened nose tip, slightly annoyed, snorted, and continued, “what are you doing here alone in the middle of the night?”

His series of actions were exaggerated, as if intentionally alleviating the awkwardness.

Seeing Bai Zini not responding, Ke Mingye stepped onto the rooftop, closed the door, and moved closer to the railing.

“Don’t come over,” she suddenly said.

At her words, Ke Mingye stopped in his tracks. It was as if he was playing freeze tag, completely still.

“What’s wrong, because I secretly ate the ice cream you left in the fridge today?”

He quietly asked, looking at the girl’s back, suddenly feeling she was very distant.

“My heart is so troubled… can I be alone for a while?”

“Okay, then you should wear a coat. I’m going back to sleep.”

As Ke Mingye spoke, he began to take off his coat, intending to hand it to Bai Zini, when he suddenly remembered something, “Oh right… magic girls don’t get cold due to the weather.”

Muttering to himself, just as he was about to retract the coat, Bai Zini suddenly reached out and caught it.

Seeing this, Ke Mingye’s lips slightly curved up, he let go of the coat’s sleeves, allowing her to pull it over, “I’ll count to three, if you still want me to leave, then I will—”

“Don’t go.”

Please, I haven’t even started counting yet. Ke Mingye thought.

“Okay, then I’ll reluctantly keep you company through the night, remember to pay me a chat fee.”

Ke Mingye softly spoke, and with a leap, he sat next to Bai Zini.

Both remained silent, raising their eyes from the rooftop’s railing, quietly looking towards the distant city.

Bai Zini draped his coat over herself, burying her face inside it.

She asked, “How did you know I was awake?”

“I heard your footsteps,” Ke Mingye dangled his legs in the evening breeze, clasped his hands on his lap, and added, “even though you didn’t knock.”

He paused, then turned his head to Bai Zini: “So, what happened?”

“It just feels… like I can hardly hold on anymore.”

Ke Mingye was silent for a moment: “Even so, you still didn’t have the courage to talk to your masters?”

The girl shook her head.

“I don’t want to see them looking at me as if I’m a monster…”

She paused, speaking softly, “I know their attitude towards witches, if they knew I were a witch, I don’t know if they would look at me that way, so I don’t want to say.”

“But if this continues…”

“If I get locked up, I won’t be able to see you,” Bai Zini said softly, “I’ve heard about many magic girls showing signs of witchification who were locked up in Bedlam Asylum… would my masters lock me up too?”

Ke Mingye stayed silent.

And what kind of look would you have, especially you, if you knew I was a player?

In the lingering evening breeze, Ke Mingye lowered his eyes to the dimly lit street corner, pondering.

“Then I’ll accompany you to see your master. Although I’ve never met Xizi Yue in person, I think she isn’t someone uncompassionate… at least, she wouldn’t send her own favored disciple to Bedlam Asylum.”

“It’s useless. If there were a way to turn a witch back to normal, my master wouldn’t hide it from me… I have no way out, not even my master could protect me.”

“We have to try; it’s not time to give up yet.”

Bai Zini lowered her eyes, silent for a long time, while thin snow fell onto her reddened nose, covering the city.