Being a magical girl isn’t exactly a relaxing job, but it’s not so busy that you can’t squeeze in a bit of free time either.
In fact, the kind of crisis that truly requires a magical girl to step in is usually pretty serious.
Most of the time, the Ministry of Magic’s own forces are more than capable of handling troublemakers.
They’re good partners to magical girls—not useless freeloaders who just hide behind them to act tough.
New magical girls need to spend a lot of time studying monsters and magical creatures, but for someone like Xia Mo, who’s been fighting small monsters for years, her daily life really isn’t much different from an ordinary girl’s.
She can go out with her friends, pursue her hobbies, even fall in love…
“Shuangyue, if one day, you got hurt because of me, what would you think?”
Sitting in a pavilion surrounded by blooming flowers, Xia Mo lowered her head and asked softly.
Luo Shuangyue tilted her head, looking at the blue flowers outside the pavilion, thinking about how to answer.
Should she say she’d support Xia Mo wholeheartedly?
Or stab her while she’s down…?
Well, that really wasn’t a tough question.
Mo, Luo Shuangyue had come here today precisely to secure her place in Xia Mo’s heart.
And to do that, of course she had to show full support.
“I wouldn’t think much of it. I’d just figure it was my bad luck.”
Returning her gaze, Luo Shuangyue smiled at Xia Mo and said, “After all, who told me to fall for a dummy like you?”
Xia Mo, can you handle this straight-up love confession?!
Faced with Shuangyue’s unfiltered advance, Xia Mo’s face turned bright red, and she buried her head even lower.
Her voice got so quiet that Shuangyue could barely hear her.
“I’m sorry… I’m actually really terrible, aren’t I?”
It was because of her weakness that Shuangyue got dragged into danger.
Because of her, an ordinary girl with no power like Shuangyue had caught the attention of Dark Butterfly.
If she continued going against Dark Butterfly…
Shuangyue would definitely—
Xia Mo’s chest ached with pain.
She didn’t want to give up either of them, but right now, it felt like she had to make a choice.
Should she give up her dream?
Or give up the person who shared her heart?
Xia Mo really couldn’t decide.
Just as she was caught in this storm of indecision, a pair of warm hands cupped her cheeks and gently lifted her face.
Luo Shuangyue’s silver eyes met hers, and in them, Xia Mo saw boundless acceptance and hope.
“No. You’re the best girl in the world. I don’t know why you think you’re terrible, but in my eyes, in my heart, you’re the best.”
“Don’t worry about what other people think. If your enemies think you’re weak, then get stronger, and crush them beneath your feet. If your friends think you’re no good, then prove them wrong.”
“If you put too much weight on others’ opinions, you’ll end up trapped in endless self-doubt. Xia Mo, remember this: You have to convince yourself before you can convince anyone else.”
Placing her hand on her flat chest, Luo Shuangyue said each word with conviction.
Empty platitudes?
She’s a pro at them!
She could come up with a whole pot of chicken soup for the soul without trying.
And right now, what Xia Mo needed really was a dose of that soul-soothing broth.
After hearing Shuangyue’s words, Xia Mo realized she had indeed hit a dead end.
As for Dark Butterfly… let’s put that aside for now.
But what about Senior Bai Ye?
If she gave up now, wouldn’t she just disappoint her even more?
As long as she could become a magical girl truly on par with her senior, wouldn’t that be enough to earn her approval?
“Shuangyue, you’re right. Running away is what a coward would do. I can’t rely on the mercy of my enemies.”
Xia Mo’s eyes turned resolute.
If she gave up her magical girl powers, who could guarantee that Dark Butterfly would keep her promise?
Even if she did, Shuangyue could still face other dangers.
At this moment, only she, a magical girl, could protect the person she wanted to protect.
For the sake of Senior’s approval, and to protect the person she loves from harm, Xia Mo cannot stop here!
“Thank you, Shuangyue. If it weren’t for your reminder, I probably would’ve never figured it out.”
Xia Mo flashed a bright, sunny smile at Luo Shuangyue, and her eyes once again sparkled with light.
At that moment, Xia Mo was so radiant and full of life that it made Luo Shuangyue’s heart race.
This was the Xia Mo she liked, the one full of confidence and glowing with brilliance!
If I want her to be confident, she needs to continue being a magical girl, but being a magical girl is so dangerous…
Ah, what should I do!!
Luo Shuangyue was troubled.
She realized that while she had planned for Xia Mo to give up being a magical girl, the execution had gone all wrong.
She liked Xia Mo, especially the confident, brilliant version of her, but if she wanted to see that Xia Mo, she couldn’t let her give up being a magical girl.
It wasn’t just Xia Mo who was torn between two choices—Luo Shuangyue was too.
She could have been more ruthless, more heartless.
She could have stood by and watched as Xia Mo fell into despair, not offering any help as Xia Mo struggled through dead ends.
But when she saw Xia Mo’s sorrow, she couldn’t bring herself to shatter her beliefs completely.
“Shuangyue… you seem unhappy?”
As her excited mood began to fade, Xia Mo noticed the troubled expression on Luo Shuangyue’s face.
“Yeah, every time I think about that idiot going off to take part in those dangerous missions, I feel like I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
Luo Shuangyue nodded with unexpected frankness.
She had just offered Xia Mo her support, but now, she was telling her that her heart wasn’t entirely on board with it.
This way, she thought, it made her role as a childhood friend more real and complex.
Standing up from the stone bench, Luo Shuangyue walked to the edge of the pavilion, gazing at the sea of blue flowers outside. With a wistful voice, she began to speak,
“You’re like a beautiful Star Blue Flower. I want to pick you and take you home to keep forever. But if I do that, will the Star Blue Flower still be the one I loved?”
“If I leave it where it is, the wind and rain will come and knock it off its stem. Xia Mo, what do you think I should do?”
Just beyond the pavilion, there was a Star Blue Flower, shimmering in the breeze.
Luo Shuangyue stared at it with a helpless sigh.
She couldn’t find an answer.
The next moment, she caught the faint scent of flowers beside her, and suddenly, she found herself in a soft and warm embrace.
Xia Mo’s arms slipped around Luo Shuangyue’s back, pulling her into a tight hug.
“But you’ve already made your choice. You’ve decided to let the Star Blue Flower remain as it is. Thank you, Shuangyue.”