Chapter 179: Again?!

Ji Yue felt that something was off with Luo Zining today.

“Zining, what’s wrong? You seem much more energetic than before.”

“Really? Is it that obvious?”

“But you also seem a lot more anxious.”

“Uh, is it that obvious?”

Luo Zining’s behavior was so obvious that Ji Yue saw right through her without any effort.

“Energetic, yet anxious… To be able to display both emotions at once… did you think of something and now want to put it into action?”

“Eh?! You can tell?!”

“Is that all you know how to say?”

Seeing Luo Zining’s reaction, Ji Yue was overcome by a wave of nostalgia.

Back when she herself had an idea and wanted to try something for the first time, she was just like Luo Zining now.

At that time, with the help of her seniors, she’d successfully accomplished what she wanted to do.

That had become the springboard for her, putting her magical girl career on the right track.

“What did you think of? Tell me, I’ll do my best to help you within my abilities.”

“Auntie…”

Luo Zining was deeply moved.

To be honest, this was a huge help.

“Auntie, tell me… why do magical girls end up splitting among themselves because of the conflicting Belief of Manjusaka and Xingyue?”

“I don’t follow. Say it more clearly.”

“Think about it. Xingyue and Manjusaka have different Belief. In the end, that’s just something between the two of them, right? So why do the other magical girls start taking sides and turning against each other too?”

When she said that, Ji Yue understood—so Luo Zining wanted to start reconciling the conflicts within her team.

Realizing this, Ji Yue’s face was full of nostalgia.

“So young, huh~”

“Auntie?”

“Ahem, that’s just because you don’t know enough yet, Zining. Have you been to any other magical girl teams recently?”

“Um… not even once.”

“Knew it.”

Ji Yue put her hands on her hips, not expecting her niece to be so closed off.

“Listen, out of the three magical girl teams in Jiuyinghai, only your team has this kind of internal discord.”

“Eh?! Eh?! Eh?! Eh?! Jiuyinghai—only my team is like this?!”

Luo Zining immediately panicked, experiencing firsthand that desperate feeling of slacking off at studying, only to realize her roommate had secretly worked hard and climbed into the school’s top ten.

She’d been isolated.

If this kept up, even if other magical girls went to the bathroom together, no one would call her along.

“No, wait, Auntie—don’t your teams care about this kind of thing at all?!”

“Of course we care. Our team’s morale is also low, but that’s because we’re worried about the current situation, not because of any discord over Manjusaka and Xingyue’s differences.”

After all, the Ideal of a magical girl is to protect the people and their homes—everything else is secondary.

The conflict between Xingyue and Manjusaka made the situation faced by magical girls in today’s world even tougher: all kinds of subtle difficulties from the government, financial strains, and a lot of other issues…

Precisely because it’s such a time, magical girls all the more need to stick together, form bonds, and get through hard times.

It’s normal to have different Belief, normal to have disagreements, but there’s no need to fight over it.

Because the Ideal of a magical girl is ultimately the same—they all protect the people and their homes.

“Don’t find it strange. From what I’ve observed, almost all the teams with internal conflict are those formed in the past few years. Your team fits that exactly.”

“Uh…”

Luo Zining looked away awkwardly.

But she still believed that wasn’t the only reason.

“Are there any other factors?”

“There are.”

“What are they, what are they?”

“Don’t rush, sit down, let’s talk slowly.”

The steadiness of an adult was fully embodied in Ji Yue.

The generous rise and fall of her chest also caught Luo Zining’s eyes, wide and unblinking.

Today, Auntie… isn’t wearing a bra?

“Let me ask you: when you first became a magical girl, who did you look up to the most?”

“It was Gra… uh!? No, it was Xingyue!”

Ji Yue gave her a puzzled glance, unable to figure out what that first syllable meant.

“And now?”

“Still Xingyue… I guess?”

Ji Yue smiled, “When your answer comes out as a question, it means that’s no longer the case.”

No one knew better than Luo Zining herself.

She was well aware that Xingyue was no longer her top idol.

“I’m not going to ask who you look up to now… so, do you see the problem?”

“…I don’t.”

“Zining, you have to understand, it’s not just you—almost every magical girl, when they first join, has someone they look up to, someone who’s their oshi. I did, and so did my teammates.”

Ji Yue shared her experience without holding back.

The term ‘oshi’ carries a lot of weight; depending on the situation, the words and deeds of an oshi can deeply influence their fans.

If the oshi likes to eat something, the fans also like it. If the oshi has a certain hobby, fans will take it up too.

So, the Belief of Xingyue and Manjusaka both deeply influence the magical girls who look up to them. When the oshi have a falling out, the magical girls split as well.

Luo Zining had more or less figured out the answer.

She lowered her head, lips tightly pressed together.

“Then, Auntie, why doesn’t your team get affected by Xingyue and Manjusaka’s differences?”

“Because my team, deep down, recognizes their captain—that is, me. My orders give them a clear direction to move forward.”

Ji Yue proudly thrust out her gi~~ant chest.

“Right now, the Ten Seats are in chaos. Magical girls who can’t get direct orders from the Ten Seats feel uneasy and can only blindly follow their idols. So, there has to be someone reliable and strong enough to take up the banner. When the hearts of the people naturally gather around you, internal conflict simply won’t happen.”

“So… the reason my team has discord is because I haven’t gained their deepest recognition?”

Luo Zining clenched her fists, crestfallen.

“That’s right. Be honest with yourself—do they see you more as a friend, or as a captain?”

“More as a friend. (muttering)”

“So, there’s your problem. Try to become their center. If you become their center, your Belief will take first place in their hearts, and there won’t be ideological splits anymore.”

Another knot was untied.

Luo Zining suddenly saw the light.

Now all that was left was to put it into practice.

But how should she become the center of her team?

Defeat a powerful dimensional beast?

Or come up with a clever plan to solve a team problem?

Luo Zining began to perform her traditional skill—call for backup.

“Hello? Can you help me contact Magical Girl Jinlin? I have something to ask her.”

“Alright, please wait a moment.”

Speaking of Jinlin, she was really making a name for herself lately.

She hadn’t even been a magical girl for a month and had already won the favor of the new generation.

She was, without a doubt, the center of the new generation of magical girls right now.

It was said she was currently at the Huahai City branch, but it was clear she was only there to acclimate; her name wasn’t on the branch’s roster, and she’d probably be on the front lines before long.

Seeking her advice couldn’t be more fitting.

After a short wait, the Huahai City branch finally called back.

“Hello, this is Jinlin. What is it?”

“Hello? Lady Jinlin! Good day!”

Without even thinking, Luo Zining started using honorifics.

She’d been a magical girl for almost two years, but now had to use honorifics to address a rookie—she wanted to die from the shame.

“Uh, who are you?”

“I’m Little Red Riding Hood from the Jiuyinghai branch, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Eat shit.”

Beep— beep— beep—