Shatter.
*Thud, thud-thud-thud.*
After a brief pause, the rhythmic sound of chopping vegetables resumed in the kitchen.
“Sure, that sounds good. But I want to make it with you, Jue,” Su Yaqing replied slowly from the kitchen.
“I should just do it myself! It wouldn’t be right to keep troubling you, Yaqing!”
*Thud.*
The sound of the knife stopped abruptly. That simple refusal felt like a wall dividing the kitchen from the living room.
“Ah… I see.”
Su Yaqing glanced at the bleeding wound on her finger. It healed instantly under the influence of her magic. Without another word, she silently picked up the knife and continued chopping the ingredients.
Ripples formed in the cold water inside the iron pot. She ignited the restless flames and tossed everything inside.
There was no need to worry about anything. Tangled emotions were just like a stew; they would soon be cooked into a soft mush and sent to the stomach.
“Yaqing, what’s… what’s wrong? Is it not okay for everyone to eat barbecue together?”
The intermittent, heavy sounds of the chopping knife made Lin Jue suspect something was wrong with Su Yaqing. She couldn’t help but step forward nervously, asking cautiously.
An angelic face with a hint of baby fat came into view, and the emerald green in Su Yaqing’s eyes brightened.
“It’s nothing. I really like the barbecue you make for everyone, Jue.”
“Yeah! We should all eat barbecue together! That’s the only way to be happy!”
The girl before her was like a child, holding up this wish she had repeated for the past fifteen days.
To turn back into a man, to have the team return to the way it was—Su Yaqing had heard these wishes countless times. She heard them every day when she visited and every time she cooked for Jue.
“Right… it only tastes good when everyone eats together…”
As Su Yaqing echoed Jue’s wish, she walked to the living room and pulled the thick curtains shut.
The light was blocked by the fabric, leaving only a tiny crack that cast a sliver of shadow.
Su Yaqing walked toward Lin Jue with her back to the light, moving within the silhouette carved by the dim glow. She looked like a Golden Lion draped in starlight, yet she appeared so dark.
“Yaqing, why are you closing the curtains?”
The sudden darkness made Lin Jue hug her arms tightly. Since turning into a woman, her way of thinking had become increasingly feminine.
If she wasn’t being a romantic, she was afraid of the dark. She feared everything a girl would fear, and her likes had changed as well.
Su Yaqing tilted her head and leaned down to make herself seem less intimidating. She squeezed out a smile and narrowed her eyes.
“Did you forget, Jue? Today is your birthday.”
Birthday?
Come to think of it, Lin Jue really hadn’t remembered. During her five years as a Magical Girl, she had hardly paid attention to such things.
Every day was spent either fighting or resting at home; she had even neglected the distance between herself and her father.
“So…” Su Yaqing took a cake out of a dessert box and placed it on the table, lighting the candles. “I’ll celebrate it with you on behalf of everyone.”
She began to sing a birthday song. Her voice was melodious and moving, like a comforting, simple tune played by a campfire in the dark of night. It was impossible to maintain any sense of caution.
“Make a wish.”
Pushing the cake in front of the birthday girl, Su Yaqing rested her chin on her hands, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.
The scent of cream wafting with the flickering candlelight was intoxicating. Lin Jue felt like this was the first time she had ever encountered such a reassuring cake.
As the former best cook on the team, she had certainly made cakes before; whenever a teammate had a birthday, they almost always asked her to make one.
She couldn’t help but feel a bit curious about the ingredients of this cake.
However, no matter how she looked at it, this cake didn’t seem to be made from ordinary ingredients. One rarely found this kind of heartfelt sense of security in a dessert shop.
What exactly was it?
She couldn’t help but look up at Su Yaqing.
“Yaqing, did you make this cake yourself?”
Su Yaqing’s eyes blinked rapidly for a moment before returning to normal. The smile remained on her lips, though she looked slightly exhausted.
“I made it. Since you were my teacher in the culinary arts, don’t you want to try it?”
“Ho ho, since you made it, I definitely have to give it a good taste. Don’t go crying if I point out any flaws or shortcomings, Yaqing!”
Knowing Su Yaqing had made it herself, Lin Jue felt eager. Holding the cake knife, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and blew out the candles.
*Whoosh.*
Amidst the sparks of the dying candlelight, she sliced the cake.
Then, she looked at Su Yaqing.
“You take the first bite, Yaqing.”
Su Yaqing lowered her hands from her face and motioned somewhat unnaturally.
“You first. You’re the birthday girl.”
“Me first?”
“You first, Jue.”
“Mm-hmm~ Well, that’s a shame. The first bite of cake is always the best.”
Without any hesitation, Lin Jue took a large bite. As the cream melted in her mouth, the world before her eyes seemed to grow even darker.
‘Wait… what’s happening?’
Dazed, she felt her body being lifted into the air, held by a pair of slender yet strong arms.
A panicked voice rang in her ears.
“Jue, why did you faint…”
Then, everything froze.
The girl sat up in shock, only to see her own unconscious body.
**[You died]**
**[Unattainable love; she only wishes to cherish her time with you]**
**[When you wake up again, you are in Su Yaqing’s home. After her explanation, you temporarily accept her protective isolation]**
**[Daily life at the Su Family Mansion is mundane and trivial. As the days pass, you realize there is no hope of recovering your strength]**
**[Thus, one day, you decide to leave quietly]**
**[After deceiving the servants and the butler, you leave the Su Family Mansion but fail to exit the Su Family Manor grounds, fainting halfway…]**
**[Unlocked Recollection: Time at the Su Family Mansion]**
**[Acquired Ability: Endurance I]**
**[Acquired Debuff: Lapsus (When your fingertips are touched, you will occasionally voice your subconscious thoughts)]**
**[Remaining Simulation Attempts: 3]**
Lines of text jumped before her eyes. Lin Jue looked at her own body and then fixed her gaze on Su Yaqing’s face.
The surroundings were still dark. The cake with the small bite taken out of it sat on the table, declaring that everything remained the same, yet it clearly wasn’t.
There was an eerie silence all around. Everything was frozen; only she could move.
‘Is this… has my power returned?’
Lin Jue’s first instinct was to believe in her own ability.
As a Magical Girl, the first ability she had awakened was “Super-speed Calculation.” It allowed her to perform actions beyond her limits in an extremely short amount of time.
To put it simply, it was like a time-stop space in an action game.
It was an ability with a significant cost; she was almost unable to continue fighting after using it once. It was usually reserved as a trump card.
However, the current situation didn’t seem to be what she thought.
Looking at her “self” in Su Yaqing’s arms, Lin Jue’s relaxed brow furrowed. She placed her hand on her chin, shaping her fingers like a pistol.
‘Could it be? The System?’
‘Why did it only show up now? I’ve already become the strongest Magical Girl—well, I guess it’s still pretty early for it to appear now?’
Lin Jue realized this was a good opportunity to recover her strength.
‘Heh heh, let’s see what this is~’
Directing her gaze to the text, Lin Jue read through it line by line. Her small face gradually turned pale.
‘Eh? I died? I died while taking a walk? What?! Why?!’
Lin Jue had truly never imagined that as the strongest Magical Girl, she would die in such a stupid way.
Had her intelligence decreased along with her gender after turning into a girl?
She poked her small hands together uneasily, moving them back and forth across the screen until they landed on **[Recollection]**.
Perhaps the answer she needed was inside?
Opening the Recollection, she rubbed her hands together and began to watch.
The screen expanded, and a buzzing sound rang out from behind a sumptuously decorated door.
The camera panned…