Chapter 123: The Celebrity
And indeed, it was true. No matter how hard Xia Mo tried, she couldn’t pull down the hairpin, but Luo Shuangxing gently tugged on it, and it fell from Luo Shuangyue’s hair as if she had taken it off herself.
What is the principle behind this? Luo Shuangyue and Luo Shuangxing exchanged a glance, seeing the same bewilderment in each other’s eyes.
After thinking it over, it seemed that the only explanation was blood relation, right?
But neither of them could express this openly yet, so they could only share a more subtle glance to exchange opinions.
“It doesn’t seem to be a big deal; just don’t touch me randomly in the future.”
“As if I wanted to touch you, tsk!”
After a couple of retorts, the two of them seemed to have completely forgotten what had just happened and began to do their own things.
Xia Mo planned to return to her dormitory first and then come back to sleep with Luo Shuangyue.
Yes, her earlier thought was not just a passing idea; she really intended to make it a reality.
However, since both Luo Shuangyue and Luo Shuangxing needed to take a shower now, Xia Mo took this opportunity to return to her dormitory and inform Fei Yue of her plans to stay out for the night.
After all, it was already 10 PM.
Leaving Luo Shuangyue’s room and going next door, Xia Mo opened the door to see Fei Yue sitting on the bed, lost in thought, her face displaying a complex expression.
Upon hearing Xia Mo enter, she looked up and fixed her puzzled gaze on Xia Mo, “Are Miss Dark Butterfly and Miss Linglan sisters?”
This question left Xia Mo silent for a few seconds; she didn’t know whether to answer yes or no.
But the conflicted expression on her face was enough for Fei Yue to infer the answer.
Clearly, Xia Mo knew the relationship between the two young ladies, and she felt that it was not something easily said or shared with outsiders.
If Dark Butterfly and Linglan were not sisters, Xia Mo could simply shake her head and dismiss the matter without any fuss.
Only if the two were indeed sisters would Xia Mo show such a conflicted expression in response to the question.
“Alright, I roughly understand the situation now… Their relationship is truly good,” Fei Yue murmured softly.
Good relationship? Xia Mo didn’t deny this.
The bond between the Luo sisters was so strong that sometimes even she felt a vague sense of wariness towards Luo Shuangxing.
Though it might seem that the two didn’t get along on the surface, deep down, they undoubtedly loved each other very much.
“Yes, it’s almost enviable,” Xia Mo nodded, sensing a hint of faint envy in Fei Yue’s words.
Could it be that this magical girl is actually a sister in need of love? Is her relationship with her elder sister not very good?
Although she felt a bit puzzled, Xia Mo certainly could not ask a newly acquainted roommate such personal questions. She could only suppress her curiosity and inform Fei Yue that she would be going next door to rest for a while.
This statement elicited a surprised expression from the downcast Fei Yue. “Going next door? But isn’t there no extra bed left?”
“Is it something I did wrong? I can change…”
Fei Yue thought it must be something she did wrong that made Xia Mo unwilling to stay with her.
“No, it’s just my personal preference.” Xia Mo shook her head, using a gentle tone to ease Fei Yue’s tension and anxiety. “I’m closer to Dark Butterfly.”
As she spoke, she winked at Fei Yue, giving her a meaningful glance.
“The beds arranged by the Magic Department are quite big; two people can squeeze in without problem.”
Fei Yue looked down at the bed beneath her and then at Xia Mo, a sudden flush creeping onto her cheeks.
It seemed she understood what Xia Mo meant!
So that’s what it was!
Miss Rosemary and Miss Dark Butterfly have that kind of relationship?
If that’s the case, then Miss Rosemary going next door doesn’t seem strange at all…
For magical girls, feelings between girls are not a taboo topic. Many magical girls experience emotions that transcend friendship with their companions.
After all, they are young girls; their emotions are inherently delicate, and it is completely normal to develop subtle feelings for companions they can trust with their lives.
Emotions are the source of power for magical girls. With these feelings to support them, magical girls become stronger, don’t they?
“I get it now!” Fei Yue covered her face with her hands, speaking in a stuttering manner. “Miss Rosemary, you can feel free to do as you like; I can manage living alone!”
This child is quite cute, a thought occurred to Xia Mo that might not be very polite.
She feels easy to deceive.
Uh-oh, no, that’s not right; we should call it kind-hearted and innocent, not easy to manipulate.
Quickly discarding that impolite thought from her mind, Xia Mo packed up her personal belongings in the room and then opened the door to return next door.
As soon as she entered, she saw Luo Shuangxing already changed into her pajamas, snuggled under the covers, lying on her back with her eyes closed in a peaceful manner.
Meanwhile, Luo Shuangyue was nowhere to be seen. The faint light coming from the bathroom indicated that she was likely still inside washing up.
Three minutes later, Luo Shuangyue emerged from the bathroom, dressed in her pajamas.
“You wash quickly,” Xia Mo was already lying on Luo Shuangyue’s bed, gently patting the empty space beside her, signaling for Luo Shuangyue to come over and warm up the bed.
“I just did a quick wash; actually, transforming also does a similar job.” Sliding into the slightly warmed bed beside Xia Mo, Luo Shuangyue replied softly.
Magical girls in their transformed state do not get dirty; their magic keeps all dirt at bay.
If Luo Shuangyue wanted, she could maintain her transformed state indefinitely without taking a shower, and her body would still be clean and fragrant.
“Is that what they call a sense of ritual?” Xia Mo’s hand quietly moved closer to Luo Shuangyue. “I actually prefer this version of you.”
Magical girls are indeed very beautiful, but that kind of beauty carries a dreamlike, ephemeral feeling, making Xia Mo fear that her touch might shatter that illusion and her beloved would disappear like a mirage.
After transforming back to their true forms, the dream becomes reality; this warm, tangible feeling is what truly provides Xia Mo with a sense of peace.
Holding the girl beside her tightly, Xia Mo sank into a deep sleep. When she awoke, the clock read 7:30 in the morning.
Luo Shuangyue, lying next to her, had already opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling with her big, red eyes, as if she had been awake for a while.
Across from them, Luo Shuangxing was neatly dressed in her regular attire, sitting on her bed with a submissive expression, occasionally casting shy glances at the two nestled together.
If the three of them weren’t mutually aware of their identities, this scene would undeniably suggest that Xia Mo, the sister-in-law, was secretly flirting with another girl in front of her younger sister—a clear case of being two-timed!
“I’m sorry, it seems I woke up late!” Xia Mo hurriedly released her hold on Luo Shuangyue, a bit flustered as she sat up from the bed.
“It’s fine; training doesn’t start until 8:30. We have plenty of time.”
Once freed from Xia Mo’s embrace, Luo Shuangyue sat up slowly, stretched, and naturally walked toward the washroom.
As if nothing odd had happened, she was just someone who had woken up and was getting ready.
After all, if she displayed any other reactions, the act would completely fall apart.
So, let’s just pretend that this never happened!
“Sister Xia Mo, you two didn’t do anything last night,” Luo Shuangxing said with her hands neatly placed on her knees, adopting a model student demeanor, but her words carried a peculiar provocative tone.
No matter how shameless Xia Mo might be, she absolutely couldn’t engage in such actions in front of Luo Shuangxing and Luo Shuangyue!
She is, after all, a young girl with normal thoughts and values, thank you.
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Xia Mo puffed her cheeks and walked up to Luo Shuangxing, ruffling her hair vigorously, resulting in the latter letting out a silly laugh.
“I’m not talking nonsense. Sister Xia Mo, I think your relationship with my sister could get a bit deeper,” Luo Shuangxing said earnestly, raising her fist.
Given Xia Mo’s current relationship with Luo Shuangyue, it would actually be normal for it to progress further, considering that these two could kiss without a hint of blushing.
They could even continue kissing in her presence without a care; does that not say enough about their relationship?
“It’s not the right time yet; I want to wait until she completely sheds her disguise and fully integrates her identity before I savor things properly.” Xia Mo shook her head, fully aware that she could “consume” Luo Shuangyue right now.
But doing so would leave her feeling a faint sense of loss; she wanted to make that leap in their relationship at a more perfect moment.
Currently, Luo Shuangyue was not at the level Xia Mo desired, so she chose to endure and quietly await that opportunity.
Like waiting for a delicious meal to be served.
At present, Luo Shuangyue was like a piece of raw beef; it was fine to pounce on and nibble at her, but a bit rough overall.
What she really wanted was a delicious steak.
“Oh, Sister Xia Mo, so that’s what you think!” Luo Shuangxing instantly showed an adoring expression; this explanation was exactly to her taste!
Thinking from another perspective, she felt like she would make the same choice as Xia Mo. Such a bad sister should let her experience her love in every way possible!
“What are you two chatting about?” After finishing her wash, Luo Shuangyue walked back into the room and involuntarily shivered.
Why did it feel like her sister and Xia Mo were looking at her with strange eyes?
Is it just her imagination?
“Nothing!” The two answered in unison.
They were definitely discussing something frightening! Luo Shuangyue sensed the air of danger but saw their expressions making it impossible to directly ask what they were thinking.
She could only hope they weren’t considering anything odd…
The doubt about this topic didn’t linger in Luo Shuangyue’s mind for too long; soon, training from several seniors completely consumed her capacity to think about anything else.
The space battlefield was completely different from the ground battlefield; the battles here were much more complex, with various actions that were hard for Luo Shuangyue, who was used to ground combat, to fathom.
There was no up or down in space, no high-rise buildings obstructing movement, and nothing requiring protection.
At least, it was that way here.
This caused the battlefield to become extremely vast, making the magical girls appear to be little more than specks in the vast expanse, which made Luo Shuangyue, with her close-combat specialization, feel quite awkward.
Those magical girls who could launch magic cannons from a distance could attack from far away, while she had to exhaustedly fly right up to the enemies.
The greater the force of the attack, the more likely the enemy would be sent flying, which meant she would have to work hard to chase after them. All in all, it was indeed a tough situation.
After three consecutive days, Luo Shuangyue still felt a sense of difficulty in adapting to this battlefield.
“You’ve made considerable progress. Fighting here definitely requires some time to adapt,” the whip magic girl training her remarked, applauding Luo Shuangyue’s improvements as the biggest achievement on the lunar side.
“Those magical girls from the Magic Department can barely move freely; the number of times they blasted off in the wrong direction while trying to hit a target is countless.”
As she spoke, this senior couldn’t help but laugh heartily, seemingly quite pleased at the misfortunes of the magical girls from the Magic Department.
After laughing, she composed herself and informed Luo Shuangyue of tomorrow’s agenda.
“Your task for tomorrow is to accompany a team from the Magic Department on routine patrol; there will be a Blooming Level Magical Girl leading the team, and there should be about ten Initial Bloom Magical Girls in the unit, essentially letting you adapt to future battles ahead of time.”
In these days, there were not many magical beasts attacking in space; there were sporadic occurrences, but they weren’t powerful.
The outermost Blooming Level Magical Girls easily dealt with those magical beasts, but this also confirmed that there were indeed clear magical beasts targeting this location in space.
“Actually, I’ve always wanted to ask a question: with such a vast universe, can we really defend this place without any leaks?” Luo Shuangyue posed a question that had been troubling her.
The universe is not like the ground; it’s far too large. The directions magical girls may watch over aren’t limitless.
It’s easy to be caught off guard, right?
“The Magic Department is currently setting up planetary protection magic to safeguard the entire mother planet, so we don’t need to worry about safety there. What we need to do is eliminate all incoming magical beasts before the protection magic fails!”
The Magic Department’s plan was simple: use magic to protect the mother planet and have a large army launch a decisive battle against the magical beast army in space. As long as they could quickly slay the Royal-class magical beasts, the magical girls would achieve victory.
As for whether they could manage rapid slaying… well, the Magic Department believed they could.
As long as they could locate the hiding place of that magical beast, the Blooming Level Magical Girls could rush in and unleash a barrage that would surely defeat it.
Unless that magical beast had grown strong enough to face off against nearly twenty Blooming Level Magical Girls and crush them; otherwise, its end would be death.
“Such a simple and brutal battle plan? I expected it to be more sophisticated, maybe using some strategies…” Luo Shuangyue murmured softly.
This plan sounded a bit like trying to fit an elephant into a refrigerator—no details at all, raising significant doubts about whether this was even a legitimate plan.
“Of course, it’s not that simple; this is just the shallowest level of the plan; there are many details yet to be finalized beneath the surface. However, all those matters are being devised by the members of the Magic Department on the ground. We merely need to agree or oppose the plan in the end.”
“And you Initial Bloom Magical Girls have the task of engaging with other magical beasts within the beast army, stalling them to prevent them from interfering with our decapitation operations.”
If the Royal-class magical beasts were surrounded by the King-class magical beasts during the decapitation operation, the Blooming Level magical girls would certainly find it a bit challenging.
Therefore, the Initial Bloom magical girls needed to stall the magical beasts’ minions, allowing the Blooming Level girls to have a clear battlefield.
“I see… But those magical beasts seem quite adept at battling in the stars; they likely won’t be easy to deal with.”
“Are you scared?” the senior chuckled lightly.
“Of course not. I’m just wondering if there’s a quicker, better way to take down these magical beasts.” Luo Shuangyue shook her head; she wasn’t afraid of facing her subordinates. The current her and her previous self were entirely different levels of existence.
Though her rank was still Initial Bloom, that was only because her mindset had not yet reached the level required for Blooming Level; as long as she overcame this mindset, becoming a Blooming Level magical girl would be a matter of course.
Yet, breaking through her mindset ultimately relied on her own comprehension. Countless Initial Bloom magical girls get stuck at this step, spending decades without making progress.
These Initial Bloom magical girls are incredibly strong; in short-term combat, their power might even rival weaker Blooming Level magical girls, but they still lack the god-like strength that Blooming Level girls possess.
The transition from budding to initial bloom can stall a small portion of the magical girls, but as long as there’s a solid belief and confidence in their conviction, they can successfully break through.
However, the jump from initial bloom to blooming is a different story altogether.
Out of approximately a hundred Initial Bloom magical girls who touch upon the edge of Blooming Level, only one will truly become a Blooming Level magical girl.
And those who fail to breakthrough might even regress in strength, as they realize their beliefs weren’t as steadfast, causing them to start doubting their inner resolve.
When the heart wavers, the power of the magical girl naturally weakens.
“Good idea; I hope you’re not just talking big. Alright, today’s training ends here; see you the day after tomorrow.”
…
Perhaps considering that magical girls who know each other would coordinate easier, the Magic Department thoughtfully arranged for Luo Shuangyue and Xia Mo to be on the same training mission on the exact same day.
You might wonder where Luo Shuangxing is? This budding magical girl should just stay at the base; space isn’t suitable for her.
In the small team, there was also someone Luo Shuangyue found somewhat familiar—the red-haired Fei Yue.
But Fei Yue’s expression seemed a bit unhappy?
Luo Shuangyue glanced at Fei Yue and then at the other red-haired girl frowning next to her. The two looked quite alike.
“Are they sisters?” Luo Shuangyue lightly nudged Xia Mo with her elbow.
Xia Mo gave a helpless look; wasn’t that obvious?
“Yes, Fei Hongzhi. She is a reasonably famous genius magical girl in the Magic Department, said to be the most likely Initial Bloom magical girl to break through to Blooming Level soon.”
“Oh! So Fei Yue doesn’t like her sister?”
“Not sure, but it seems that way.”
The two wanted to say more, but their team leader cleared her throat heavily, reminding everyone that the task was about to begin, and to collect their casual attitudes.
Before tasks commence, everyone can happily chat like good sisters, but once the task begins, she must become the cold, unfeeling captain. If anyone makes a mistake, don’t blame her for being merciless.
“Form up! Let’s go!”
With her command, ten magical girls from various places lined up and followed her into the starlit sky.
This was a patrol mission, and it also served as a teaching session from the Blooming Level magical girls to these Initial Bloom magical girls just entering space, all while training the small team’s cohesion.
Based on the training results, the Magic Department would adjust the members of the team, allowing the most compatible magical girls to form squads and conduct combat training as units.
The speed of the Blooming Level magical girls was extremely quick; they easily left the Initial Bloom girls far behind. This was intentional, as she wanted to see how well the juniors she was leading performed this time.
And the outcome considerably exceeded her expectations.
A few of the juniors had surprisingly kept up with her speed, managing to roughly follow her pace.
One of them was familiar; she was a little genius well-known at headquarters, but the other two were a bit unfamiliar.
What baffled her even more was that the little genius from headquarters was the one lagging behind!
“Interesting…” Observing those juniors striving to catch up, the senior couldn’t help but smile, realizing her little team was hiding impressive talent.
While her curiosity and interest grew, Fei Hongzhi felt only shock and disbelief.
She had initially thought that in this team, she would stand out like a crane among chickens, showcasing her strength in front of her sister, earning her admiration.
Yet at the very start, the development of events had exceeded her expectations; she had been overtaken by two magical girls who appeared out of nowhere!
And it was an overtaking she couldn’t catch up to no matter how hard she tried!
How could this be possible?
Especially the magical girl who resembled a butterfly. From her expression, it seemed she wasn’t even using her full strength.
Fei Hongzhi was right; Luo Shuangyue indeed hadn’t used her full strength. If she wished, she could flap her wings a few more times and dash even faster.
But what was the need? There was no reward for catching up to her predecessor. It was far better to fly alongside Xia Mo and chat together!
Flying while chatting was much preferable to straining to catch up alone!
Xia Mo’s floating cannon had now formed into a large serpent under Ye Lin’s control, adorned with numerous magical power jets. Xia Mo sat comfortably on the serpent’s back, gazing relaxedly at the distant points of light ahead.
That location was where the Blooming Level seniors were. Although it looked far away now, if the seniors’ speed were to drop to zero, Xia Mo and Luo Shuangyue would have no trouble reaching them in a few seconds.
Of course, at that point, they would undoubtedly crash right into the back of the seniors.
“Ah, I envy you so much,” Luo Shuangyue said, her voice tinged with a light sourness as she looked at the agile serpent beneath Xia Mo.
What Xia Mo was currently doing was simply providing magical power for Ye Lin to use; the floating cannon was entirely under her control.
Looking at Xia Mo’s spirit tool and then at her own, sigh.
It’s just so discouraging to be compared to others.
Luo Shuangyue didn’t dislike You Lian; the little fellow was indeed cute, but cuteness is not everything!
Compared to Ye Lin, who could really assist magical girls in real life, You Lian was far too childish. Luo Shuangyue hadn’t even managed to teach You Lian what was edible and what was not!
The little fellow was bold enough to approach her well-respected Blooming Level seniors to nibble on their hair!
Let’s just say, she had quite a bit of audacity.
Therefore, in recent days, Luo Shuangyue had confined You Lian. While she couldn’t prevent You Lian from coming out, she could ask You Ji to restrain her.
“What are you jealous of? Ye Lin said she has already maximized her magic usage, but I can barely keep up with you,” Xia Mo noticed Luo Shuangyue was intentionally waiting for her.
This made her feel a bit cheerful, but as for Luo Shuangyue’s envy, she still couldn’t quite understand.
“I envy your Ye Lin.” Luo Shuangyue pointed at the serpent beneath Xia Mo. “She’s far more sensible than my You Lian.”
Hearing Luo Shuangyue’s praise, Ye Lin poked her little head out from the serpent and humbly replied, “You Lian is much better than me.”
“But she’s not obedient,” Luo Shuangyue sighed, feeling helpless. “She always can’t differentiate between what she can eat and what she cannot; you know that, right?”
As if remembering nearly being nibbled by You Lian, Ye Lin’s expression turned fearful. Luo Shuangyue was right; You Lian’s habit of wanting to nibble at everything she sees needed to be addressed.
However, given You Lian’s immense abilities, having a small flaw was quite normal, right?
“Hey, the senior in front slowed down.” After a few exchanges, Ye Lin noticed the little dot ahead was beginning to decelerate, quickly diving back into the serpent and controlling its speed accordingly.
Luo Shuangyue also spread her butterfly wings, gradually slowing her own speed thanks to her magic.
Fei Hongzhi, who was following behind them, noticed both of their actions and a trace of confusion flashed through her gaze, but her instinct told her to follow suit.
Therefore, as she approached their vicinity, she began to reduce her speed too, inquiring the reason for their deceleration.
“Because we noticed the senior started slowing down; if we keep up our former speed, we’ll surely pass by,” Xia Mo explained.
In the cosmos, the speed magical girls could reach was exceedingly fast, but it also meant they had almost no ability to reduce their speed quickly.
To bring their speed directly down to zero would require an astronomical amount of magical power.
After about a minute of gradually slowing down, the trio finally flew alongside the senior and came to a halt.
A few seconds later, they saw several of the other girls frantically zooming past them, and it was only after they had flown by that they heard the shocked exclamations.
“I can’t stop!”
“Why did it suddenly stop?”
“We’re doomed!”
Watching those magical girls tumble uncontrollably into the distance, their senior cast a satisfied glance at Luo Shuangyue and the others. “Well done.”
This was indeed the first lesson she aimed to teach these magical girls: pay attention to the situation ahead while flying. In the expanse of space, everyone’s absolute speed is incredibly fast, and when facing urgent situations, you can’t slow down like on the ground.
The girls who had zoomed past were utterly oblivious to this reality.
Fei Hongzhi wore a somewhat embarrassed expression; she hadn’t been aware of this at first and had only slowed down upon seeing Luo Shuangyue and Xia Mo decelerate.
“These two sisters are the ones who reminded me; they were the ones who did well, not me,” she softly told her senior.
Hearing her words of praise from Fei Hongzhi and their senior, Xia Mo scratched her head in embarrassment. “I also kind of cheated, after all, I have a spirit tool helping me.”
She gently tapped her fingers against the mechanical serpent beside her, and Ye Lin promptly poked her head out.
Upon seeing Ye Lin, the Blooming Level senior exclaimed, “Oh! I’ve heard of you; so this is a spirit tool!”
Fei Hongzhi turned her curious gaze towards Ye Lin as well. As one of the geniuses meticulously cultivated by the Magic Department, she had definitely heard about spirit tools; however, such creature consciousness that could withstand the magical girls’ magical power was far too rare. That was why she hadn’t obtained her own spirit tool.
Now that she had the chance to see a real spirit tool in front of her, she undoubtedly felt a hint of envy and curiosity.
Speaking of which… she seemed to recall a research report concerning spirit tools.
Currently, the only two magical girls possessing spirit tools were the discoverer Dark Butterfly and Rosemary… Ah, the two standing before her must be Dark Butterfly and Rosemary!
“So cute! You must be Miss Rosemary!” Fei Hongzhi exclaimed in delight.
“Yes, she’s my friend…” Xia Mo was about to introduce Luo Shuangyue to Fei Hongzhi, but her introduction was interrupted by Fei Hongzhi.
“I know, this one is Miss Dark Butterfly!”
Oh, so I have become a celebrity? Even the genius of the Magic Department recognizes me? Luo Shuangyue appeared somewhat dazed, realizing that she had become quite famous!
