Chapter 47 The Birth of Genius Girl Irina
L’s face was almost visibly tinted pink, even her ears blushing as she tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, while the hand held by Sumu fidgeted restlessly, brushing against her softly a few extra times.
In an instant, Sumu’s breath grew hot, her rapid heartbeat faintly transmitting between their overlapping palms, making her unable to restrain herself any longer and release her hand, allowing L to quickly pull back.
The sensation of being touched was not fundamentally different from kneading the soft flesh on one’s lower abdomen; it was not an experience hard to articulate, but when it was in the hands of another, it became extraordinarily sensitive and heart-stirring.
“Y-you, why is it… isn’t this a bit too fast?”
At this moment, L was tongue-tied, expressing the chaotic heart of every girl unexpectedly confessed to, but her words held no trace of resistance.
The little deer in her heart was frantically beating, bumping against her reserve, yet it was indeed as she mentioned, Sumu was moving too quickly, too unexpectedly.
Clearly, they had not yet reached a level of intimacy that warranted this closeness, so when L’s hand was held tightly and placed less than ten centimeters from Sumu’s heart, she felt everything happened so abruptly.
Why?
In L’s shyly widened light purple eyes flickered with confusion, while Sumu awkwardly averted her gaze.
Because she wanted to grasp the future.
All along, Sumu’s greatest enemy was not death, but loneliness.
Before becoming a magical girl, she had never had a true friend in the real sense.
Whether it was called self-isolation or simply not fitting in, the result was the same.
Sumu did not believe she was an extremely disliked person, at least not before she became Genius Girl Irina.
However, her past decade was like being under some sort of curse; she didn’t know how to proactively approach others, and others treated her as if she didn’t exist.
She was the least noticeable existence in her class, a little transparent that no one would notice if she was absent from the graduation photo, with average grades, an unremarkable personality, her presence seemingly unregarded.
She thought it was due to her overly delicate appearance affecting her, and had tried some silly methods that sounded ridiculous, such as shaving her head, not wearing a school uniform, getting temporary tattoos…
Hilarious, the security guard wouldn’t even let her into the school and her parents were called.
Awkward, her parents didn’t even come.
Sumu waited in the office for a long time until the teacher shook her head and let her go.
Naively thinking, still want to call my parents?
Didn’t expect it, my driftwood seemed to vanish!
Dad? Not going home is even less noticeable than me, right? At least he still sends money regularly.
As for her always dazed mother at home, Sumu was even less willing to mention.
Fortunately, Sumu still had online friends.
No one to play games with? Then she would gather people in the lobby. No one to help alleviate her distress? Then she’d post on forums.
Online, the misfortunes surrounding Sumu suddenly evaporated, and everything turned clear, opening up a new world to her.
Here, she easily garnered attention, meeting many people she had never met but could chat with freely.
As long as hidden behind avatars and IDs, they could share secrets without reservations, like old friends who had known each other for years.
This fleeting liveliness briefly dispelled the loneliness around Sumu, causing her to unconsciously distance herself from social interactions in reality, leaning more towards pretending to be a mature adult with an avatar she’d barely recognize to chat with other netizens, even if it occasionally brought unpleasantness, it was still better than being completely ignored.
Like this, Sumu celebrated her fifteenth birthday before the computer screen, amidst the uncertain well-wishes of strangers.
From that moment, the facade of liveliness began to crack.
Sumu awakened the talent belonging to a monster.
When anyone faced similar circumstances, they would panic, but Sumu hesitated again and again, still not planning to rely on the woman who merely said “Happy Birthday” in a faint voice before leaving the room.
She tried to indirectly ask her online friends what to do in such situations, but how could a fifteen-year-old well conceal her feelings?
Soon, someone questioned whether that friend she mentioned was herself?
They seemed to wear a different face, or perhaps this was their true appearance—suddenly eager to distance themselves from Sumu, afraid of getting dragged in. Some pretended to console but offered no further response; others quietly vanished…
Until finally, Sumu stood before a dialogue box that no longer displayed new notifications, lost in bewilderment.
The talent of the monster allowed her to clearly feel the negative emotions of those people transmitting through the internet into her body; they were worried and disgusted by Sumu becoming a monster.
After all, they didn’t even know each other’s names and faces, did they?
Loneliness once again enveloped Sumu, this time so thoroughly, so profoundly, it was despairing.
But those negative emotions streaming from the internet served as a stark reminder to Sumu—she still had another choice.
That day, Genius Girl Irina was born, as a false and detestable magical girl.
Sumu eventually left her hometown and arrived in City B, to this city she thought might be less desolate.
It was said to be bustling with much magic power and many magical girls.
This false magical girl wanted to join in on the fun.
“Are you satisfied now? I should leave; L outside has probably been waiting for a while.”
L finally came back to herself from her daze, holding onto Sumu’s warm right hand, quietly pressing it against her nearly flat right chest.
“Yes, it’s time to go. After all, this is my dream; staying here longer may cause you to get lost. Should I escort you a bit?”
Sumu adjusted her dress and smiled lightly.
“No need, I have my ways of getting back.”
“Detected that your sinking level has approached 10%, it is advised to initiate the return now.”
Sumu silently confirmed in her heart, and the next moment, a familiar feeling of liquid stagnation enveloped her body, this time a surge of magic power gripped her, forcefully pulling her upwards.
“Little Sumu, you just recalled some unpleasant things, didn’t you?”
It was indeed unpleasant.
“Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, I won’t let you feel neglected or hurt.”
Irina’s voice was faint, not as cheerful as usual, but enough to disperse the solitude of wandering in the dream.
Indeed, just having Irina, who could converse with her anytime in her mind, who would come to protect her at critical moments, was enough to feel secure.
“Don’t think like that; placing all hopes on yourself… can be very exhausting. Find more reliable little girlfriends like L. If it comes to it, I can introduce you to a few who are as strong as Tang Nai.”
Hey, why does that sound so dangerous? What other people do you know that I don’t? And L is not even a little girlfriend; we have a pure friendship, okay? Friendship!
“Say what you want; remember to poke me when you squeeze; if I miss out on something like that, I’ll regret it for a long time.”
Squeeze your dams!
