Deep within Su Fang’s mind, it felt as if a hidden string had been plucked, sending out a thunderous buzzing.

Those words pierced the hazy illusion like a sharp awl, with no warning.

In the next moment, she sprang to her feet, and her jade-green eyes had already cleared.

“What’s wrong, Su Fang?” Su Jingyan looked surprised at his daughter’s sudden movement.

Mogong Ma thought her daughter was rushing and hurriedly chided, “No matter how busy you are, you can’t skip breakfast.”

Su Fang didn’t answer her parents. She simply clenched her fists.

—Senior Airwen, what have you done?!

At that moment,

as if sensing her thought, Airwen’s voice sounded calmly.

[This is a world constructed from your inner longing.]

[Su Jingyan is also a victim, so I promised him a happy life as well.]

[In this world, you no longer have to carry that heavy fate, you no longer have to face a father tainted by the Abyss.]

[You don’t have to watch him raise the slaughtering blade again and again, nor suffer through despairing cycles of reincarnation.]

Airwen’s voice was calm.

Not the kind of calm meant to conceal something, but rather carrying a certain apology and sincerity.

[Because he previously bore the authority of the Abyss, your father’s soul is not seriously harmed.]

[Your mother… her state of existence is the same as those Previous Magical Girls who are only Echoes now, barely able to be called existence.]

[However, in this world without cycles, she is your true mother.]

[You will find happiness in this world.]

[Your family can live together happily here until the end of your natural lives.]

[And not only you.]

[Mengmengxiang, Tang Keren, Zihan… they are all here too, each having their own perfect lives, without flaw.]

[No war, no monsters, no one will get hurt, and no one will be forced to sacrifice their spirit.]

[This is the everyday life you have longed for most.]

Airwen’s tone was even and unruffled.

“Fake… these are all phantoms you fabricated!”

Su Fang ground her teeth and retorted in her heart, her eyes reddening.

Airwen offered no denial: [Yes, this world is an illusion.]

“...!!”

[But… at least your parents, and they, are real.]

Airwen said softly.

[If you nod, you can obtain this happiness; they will also share this happiness with you here.]

[You will live together in this happy world.]

[I swear it with my life.]

Ding dong—

A clear, crisp doorbell sounded abruptly, snapping Su Fang out of her thoughts.

“Hey, I told you to hurry before and you wouldn’t listen.”

“They came earlier than I expected; they’re already here.” Mogong Ma shook her head with a smile, “Su Fang, stop standing there, go open the door.”

Muffled laughter could be heard from outside.

Those were unmistakably their voices.

Su Fang stood where she was, her gaze fixed on the locked security door.

She knew Airwen hadn’t lied.

If she wished, she could stay forever in that pain-free warmth.

Su Fang slowly lowered her head, her bangs hiding her eyes, making her expression unreadable.

————————

When the world reconstituted, Lin Guang slowly opened his eyes.

His vision returned like rippling water, revealing a gentle world reflected in those sakura-red irises.

Right now she was inside a stylish, modern dessert shop.

Afternoon sunlight poured in through the windows, warm enough to lull one into drowsiness. The rich aroma of black tea and the sweet scent of the delicate cake before her, topped with fresh strawberries, enveloped the air.

Outside, the street was bustling and noisy.

This looked like the center of a vast metropolis, traffic in a steady flow, pedestrians everywhere.

At this moment,

a massive airship drifted slowly across the cerulean sky.

A giant screen on its hull played a video.

A lively idol group in performance outfits and bright smiles were letting loose on stage, singing and dancing.

One member favored red as her primary color, another embraced a sweet pink style.

Skyscrapers lining the street were plastered with huge posters of them and all kinds of support banners.

Inside the milk tea shop, the speakers were looping a cheerful, sweet song.

“Tell Me Tell Me…”

—That was her own song.

The Cherry-Haired Girl’s gaze settled on the scene outside, when someone beside her spoke.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Are you spacing out because your solo album release is coming up and you’re nervous?”

The black-haired girl licked cream off her spoon, golden eyes full of amusement. “Heh heh… turns out without a partner’s help, you’re not confident at all.”

“Hmph, there is no need to worry. The trajectory of the stars is already set.”

Beside them, Zihan covered her right eye with one hand, the eye hidden beneath an eyepatch. Though wearing casual clothes, her dramatic flair remained unchanged.

She guffawed, “If your first solo CD, Magical Girl Mengmengxiang, doesn’t explode in popularity in this world, then no other song will ever be sung again!”

“Exactly! Senpai’s song is super catchy, it’ll definitely do great!”

Su Fang, seated on the other side, nodded like a little chick pecking.

Sunlight was bright, breeze gentle.

Friends sat around her, sharing delicious afternoon tea and talking about a future full of hope.

A perfect world, a perfect future.

Yet for a moment, the sakura-red girl spoke calmly.

“Airwen.”

Then…

in an instant,

everything froze.

The three girls in front of her stopped moving simultaneously. Pedestrians outside, the traffic, the airship in the sky, the girls on the giant screen, and the song in the dessert shop—all halted.

Everything ceased as if a tape had jammed, or like an insect trapped in amber.

But…

in that motionless world, the only person who retained the ability to act still sat where she was, without making any dramatic movements.

She remained calmly seated among the three, staring at the empty chair across the table where one person was missing.

“………”

After a long while, a silver-black figure in a suit suddenly appeared in that seat and sat down beside her.

—Thus, the table returned to five people.

The silver-haired girl wore a jet-black mask, her head slightly bowed, silent. The Cherry-Haired Girl also gave no sign of speaking.

They were quiet for a very long time, like two forces sizing each other up.

Finally, Airwen spoke first.

“You never cease to surprise me.”

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