In the morning, Luo You was watching the news, and unsurprisingly, the broadcast was all about Manjusaka.
By now, Manjusaka had already landed on the blacklist of top officials from various countries.
There had never been a magical girl who could make them this wary.
If it weren’t for the fact that these high-ranking government officials couldn’t meet Xingyue at all, there would probably already be quite a few who wanted to secretly connect with her and support her ascent.
Today’s news even included a country making explosive statements—claiming that if any magical girl set foot on their soil, it would be tantamount to a declaration of war by the Magic Alliance.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was just that country’s government putting on a show for votes and funding.
With their tiny country barely having even a few Fusion Warriors, if it truly came to war, it would be like an egg smashing into a rock—crushed to pieces.
But this had nevertheless set a very bad precedent.
“Wow, things have already reached this stage, huh.”
Luo You spoke without even glancing at the TV, focused entirely on composing a new social post.
In a world being steered by public opinion toward mounting resentment and agitation, only social posts could serve as a refreshing current, purifying this restless society.
Magical girls truly are amazing.
“Dad.”
“Holy—! When did you get back?!”
Luo You was so startled that she nearly skidded on the spot.
Thankfully, she managed to steady herself on the table, preventing a scene of utter disaster.
She snapped, “What the heck!? You came home without a sound—are you suspicious I’m bringing a woman home again?”
Luo Zining sat down opposite her with utmost seriousness.
“Dad, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“What’s so important? Don’t pretend to be all serious! Is this about me having to become Star Fury again?”
“It’s about my work!”
“I’m telling you, I thought you’d matured, but you’re still sneaking back to ask me for advice? Didn’t you say that, sooner or later, I’d have to look up to you from now on? And now you can’t handle it anymore?”
Seeing that Luo You wasn’t buying it, Luo Zining gently pulled her back down as she tried to sneak away, coaxing:
“Isn’t there a song that goes, ‘Life’s troubles, talk to mom; work matters, talk to dad?’ Now that you’re both dad and mom, you’ve got to listen to one or the other, right?”
***
Well, well, feelings-wise it’s another two-way choice.
Luo You chose life’s troubles.
She sprawled out on the sofa, “Then tell me about life’s troubles.”
“Actually, I’ve hit a major low point in my life, and it’s affecting my future—”
“Hold it.”
Luo You raised her hand, “That’s too heavy. You’ll have to resolve that on your own. Let’s talk about work matters instead.”
“Actually, I’ve hit a major low point at work, and it’s affecting my future…”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“Yeah, it’s the same, or you could say both are involved.”
The atmosphere at that moment was so heavy, Luo You could barely breathe.
So this time, she really had to be both dad and mom, huh?
“Go ahead.”
“I want to ask… Dad, what do you think of the current state of the Magic Alliance?… What’s wrong, did I ask something weird?”
“No, just feels like this again, huh?”
First Zhizhi, then Liyun, then a late-night ambush by her aunt, and finally Xingyue.
Over ten days ago, Luo You thought this question would have blown over by now, but unexpectedly, it had come up again.
“Why are you asking me?”
Luo You asked out of habit.
“Be—because… work matters, talk to dad~”
“Okay, okay, quit singing, will you. Hold on a sec.”
Luo You accepted her fate and got serious.
She went to her room and swapped her short socks for thicker tights to boost her focus.
Meanwhile, Luo Zining waited anxiously outside.
Truth be told, she’d stubbornly held out before, wanting to show her growth in front of Luo You and refusing to ask. But now, she really couldn’t hold out any longer.
[Nothing to be embarrassed about. She’s dad after all! And I’m stuck with her, aren’t I?]
Luo Zining silently reassured herself that she was doing the right thing.
If Luo You were just an ordinary bratty old-timer, Luo Zining wouldn’t bother asking her.
But this old-timer was Herrera! Her perspective outclassed almost every other magical girl!
Her advice might not always be right, but her viewpoint was bound to be unique.
Just then, Luo You came out—wearing thick black cotton tights and an oversized white shirt, slouching down with a laid-back air.
***
“Explain what you meant earlier. ‘My opinion on the current state of the Magic Alliance’ is way too vague—I can’t answer that!”
“Oh, right, here’s the thing.”
Luo Zining quickly played the full video of a meeting she’d recently convened, which had involved a large number of magical girls.
Then she explained the current predicament magical girls were facing, the conflicts among teammates, and her own concerns about what kind of contribution she should make as one of the Pre-selected Ten Seats.
After hearing it all, Luo You immediately lost interest and looked away.
“Your thoughts are all over the place. Give it up—it’s not going to happen.”
“Dad!”
“I’m not wrong. I can answer pretty much all your questions, but even if I told you everything, your pitiful brain wouldn’t be able to process it, let alone put it into action.”
With that, Luo You, looking bored, went back to scrolling through her social feed.
Luo Zining puffed up her cheeks, wanting to hit this old-timer with a Magical Girl Explosive Burst.
What the heck! She’d mustered so much resolve to come ask, and this is what she gets?
You’re useless, old-timer!
“Fine! If you don’t want to help, forget it! I’m leaving!”
“If—”
Luo You was still lying on her side, scrolling on her phone, eyes glued to the screen.
“If you could only pick one of the questions you just asked for me to answer, which would you choose?”
“I choose—”
“Don’t hesitate. Like I said before, some of the questions you asked—even if you knew the answer, you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. So imagine this: pick the point where what you can do in reality overlaps with what you want to do in your ideals.”
Luo You’s eyes, as red as magatama, slanted toward her.
“Don’t let what you truly want slip by. Think again—what identity fits you best right now?”
“I…”
Time seemed to slow down for Luo Zining.
[What identity fits me best right now? I am… A magical girl, a University Student, leader of my squad, a Pre-selected Ten Seats candidate, a Divine Particle holder, Herrera’s daughter…]
[What I can do in reality, and what I want in my ideals…]
It felt like half an hour had passed.
“Dad, I—”
“I’m still a magical girl, but just a Pre-selected Ten Seats. I… I’m still just an immature magical girl, and that’s exactly why I’m only ‘pre-selected’ right now. If I want to shed that label, I need to accomplish results truly worthy of the Ten Seats. It’s not about making some world-shaking contribution, or about hunting down some insanely strong dimensional monster right this instant, but—”
“It’s about achieving results that suit who I am right now. So, please, tell me—”
Luo Zining lifted her face, her gaze as hot as a burning flame.
“What should I… How should I act to reconcile the conflicting ideals of my teammates? It can’t go on like this… If I can’t even resolve the basic internal conflicts in my own squad, how can I hope to handle anything at the level of the Ten Seats…”
“…You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Luo You locked her phone screen.
“What you most want to know now is how to act, right? Well, the solution’s simple. Xingyue already outlined the general policy in that meeting.”
“Huh? Where?”
“She said it herself. At its core, the Magic Alliance isn’t a tightly bound organization with compulsory enforcement—magical girls can have their own thoughts, their own lives… As long as you act toward reconciling your teammates’ differences, you’ll be fine.”
Luo Zining leapt to her feet.
“But I just don’t know what to do specifically—”
“You don’t know, and you still want to be one of the Ten Seats?”
Luo You smiled wickedly.
“Go out and practice. The Magic Alliance isn’t an organization that forces compliance, after all~”
“But… what if I fail?”
“Then you’ll need to tell the difference. There are two kinds of failure in this world: some failures can’t be tolerated, and you should do your utmost to avoid those. But as long as a failure is bearable, then it just becomes part of your life experience.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.