Lin Jue subconsciously clicked the window closed.
What had she just seen?
**[Are you sure you want to exit? (Watch the full version to receive a special reward)]**
“Confirm! Wait, there’s a reward?”
Watching the text pop up, Lin Jue’s finger, which had already moved over to “Yes,” retracted slightly.
Fine, it wasn’t that she wanted to watch it; she just wanted the special reward.
She wasn’t that kind of person anyway.
After convincing herself to open the Reminiscence, Lin Jue immediately dragged the progress bar to the very end.
**[Viewing complete. You have obtained the title “Frontier Developer”]**
**[Equipping this title grants the following effects: Acuity I, Great Enlightenment]**
**[Acuity I: You will become sensitive to any change. This effect can be offset by Great Enlightenment, Stamina, and other similar effects.]**
‘I guess that works too,’ Lin Jue couldn’t help but sigh. As long as this System didn’t forget its original purpose and try to force her to watch things in the future, it would be fine.
Looking at the title, Acuity could improve perception, which was a fairly good ability.
Great Enlightenment had no explanation. Perhaps there was some threshold where the two effects canceled each other out. Lin Jue decided to explore it herself.
She equipped the title. Suddenly, she felt as if everything around her had become ethereal and meaningless.
Why she was here and why she needed to explore her Golden Finger suddenly seemed unimportant.
What Su Yaqing thought of her, why she was doing what she did, her own desire to regain her strength and return to her original body… were they important?
None of it mattered.
Lin Jue felt as if she were about to achieve Buddhahood.
“This… this won’t do!”
Gasping for air, she tore the title off. Lin Jue decided she would never wear it again.
If she truly kept it on, her brain would definitely turn into someone else’s.
When that time came, she might transform from a beautiful girl who couldn’t even unscrew a bottle cap into a beautiful girl who could only babble nonsense all day.
Thinking this, she turned her gaze back to the settlement text, intending to deal with that problem first.
**[Love cannot be conveyed; she only wants to cherish the time spent with you]**
When she saw that sentence earlier, she felt a sense of unreality.
Su Yaqing was the first Magical Girl she had ever met.
At the very beginning, Su Yaqing had helped her as a senior. Later, Lin Jue had caught up, and they gradually became reliable companions who could depend on each other.
She could trust Su Yaqing with her back without hesitation. She could leave rank-two difficulty missions to Su Yaqing while she handled the hardest ones herself.
Su Yaqing would comfort and coordinate everyone in the team, and she would assist Lin Jue in strengthening the group’s cohesion.
Qingtian was Su Yaqing’s code name, and it suited her perfectly — bright and sunny.
Whenever one was graced by her light, their body and mind would escape the dark, cold gloom, wrapped in the warmth of the sun.
But.
Lin Jue had never imagined that Su Yaqing would fall in love with her.
Recalling her past with Su Yaqing, the closest their relationship had ever been was back when Lin Jue first became a Magical Girl.
Compared to her, their junior, Gu Xue, usually interacted more with Su Yaqing and was more affectionate.
‘Cherish the time spent with me…’
Unable to come up with an answer, Lin Jue decided to ask Su Yaqing.
She still had three chances left. This time, she had to fish for information and find a way to avoid triggering a death ending.
She couldn’t trip any landmines, so every step had to be taken with caution. It was just that becoming a woman had made her increasingly emotional. She didn’t know how long her rational thinking could hold out.
‘Start the second simulation.’
***
*Ding-dong—*
The familiar sound of the doorbell rang out. Lin Jue knew Su Yaqing had arrived.
Everything proceeded as before.
As usual, Su Yaqing stayed in the kitchen.
The cutting board sat on the porcelain table. The rhythmic sound of a knife chopping echoed as the washed potatoes were cut into small cubes.
Lunch was pork cutlet curry. Su Yaqing also planned to make miso soup, adding sea shrimp, tofu, and other ingredients to provide Lin Jue with some nutrition.
As the ladle stirred the rich aroma, Lin Jue didn’t mention anything about a sparring match this time.
She would go straight to the point!
She opened her mouth, and a soft, delicate voice drifted from outside the kitchen.
“Yaqing, do you have someone you like?”
“Eh?” Wearing her apron, Su Yaqing paused, her movements slowing down. “I suppose… I do.”
“What kind of person are they?”
Lin Jue watched Su Yaqing’s movements. The latter had returned to her rhythmic pace.
“A very gentle person… why are you asking this?”
Su Yaqing realized what was happening and scooped the potatoes into the pot to blanch them.
“Little Jue shouldn’t need to worry about this, right?”
“No, I just wanted to ask. After all, Yaqing, you’re almost at the age to get married.”
Su Yaqing’s movements grew heavy.
“Then, does Little Jue have someone she likes?”
She sounded worried, yet also expectant.
“Um… not yet.”
Lin Jue twirled a strand of her hair. Her two short legs shifted restlessly, and her tone was bashful as her eyes darted around involuntarily.
“I haven’t thought about it, and I haven’t made up my mind.”
“Then what type does Little Jue like? Personality, height, looks?”
Questions came one after another. Lin Jue’s panicked eyes regained a bit of clarity, and she said seriously, “Liking someone is a feeling, I think. If I had to say what type, I’m not really sure either.”
“A feeling…” Su Yaqing placed a hand over her heart.
“Yeah. Maybe it’s like looking at ginkgo leaves in autumn?”
Hearing those words, Su Yaqing’s hand suddenly froze, and a smile flickered at the corners of her mouth.
“Yes. The first time I met Little Jue was also in autumn. Back then, I was beaten by a Residual Beast until I could barely hold on, but you insisted on running over to pull me away.”
“If it weren’t for Little Jue, I probably would have been eaten.”
“That’s true. Luckily, Gu Xue arrived later. Back then, I didn’t even know my junior was a Magical Girl.”
Lin Jue’s tone was nostalgic as she tried to slowly pry open Su Yaqing’s memories to gain more information.
“Speaking of which, she’s about to graduate soon. I didn’t even go to the graduation ceremony…”
*Thud!*
The sound of the kitchen knife slamming into the cutting board suddenly intensified, interrupting Lin Jue’s carefully weighed words.
The cowlick on her head suddenly stood straight up, and her smooth white hair frizzed out like a hedgehog’s.
‘What… what happened? Wasn’t everything fine just now?’
Lin Jue couldn’t figure out the reason.
Was she upset because Gu Xue was mentioned?
That couldn’t be right. Gu Xue was the most obedient junior in the team.
She did almost everything with all her heart and got along famously with everyone. Even the eccentrics said she was a Magical Girl as pure as a lotus.
Was it the person she liked?
No, Su Yaqing had been very calm when facing that question. She hadn’t shown any extreme reaction.
Then what was it?
Reflecting carefully, Lin Jue captured the keyword.
Marriage.
No matter who it was, everyone hated being pressured to marry.
Young people were already under enough pressure. Having a good friend pressure you to marry was just adding insult to injury.
Moreover, coming from her—someone who was originally a guy—those words felt strange.
‘Whoops. It looks like I absolutely cannot mention the fact that Yaqing should get married.’
A strong sense of trepidation and unease immediately rose in Lin Jue’s heart. She even felt that in the next moment, Su Yaqing would open the cake and stuff the cream into her mouth.
“So… so I think I should also head out and walk around. If Yaqing could accompany me, that would be even better.”
The sound of chopping gradually stabilized. Seeing that there was a chance, Lin Jue controlled her tone and continued, “I can’t keep living off everyone’s help. It’s really a burden for everyone.”
Lin Jue opened her mouth, hesitating as she prepared her next sentence. Her gaze landed on the box containing the cake, and she deliberated for a long time.
However, before she could speak, Su Yaqing beat her to it.
“So, what does Little Jue plan to do?”
Lin Jue was instantly struck dumb. Her small hands flailed in the air. She was about to speak but accidentally bit her tongue. She covered her mouth and endured the pain.
“Wha… ow, I plan to work at the convenience store downstairs first. The owner there knows me. I can work while wearing a mask every day.”
“I see… Which convenience store? Can I go see?”
“Mao Tulu Convenience Store. Yaqing, you aren’t so worried that you don’t even trust me to work, are you?”
“Naturally, I believe in Little Jue. Your future work will surely go smoothly.”
Strangely, Su Yaqing didn’t have much of a reaction this time, merely giving a flat reply.
Lin Jue felt inexplicably caught off guard and could only reply in a small voice.
“Ah, right.”