Perhaps it was due to the sudden announcement of the literature competition that morning, but the rest of the day passed without much turbulence. The only notable change was that Wang Tingsi had finally stopped looking at her. To her, that alone was a welcome surprise.
If she hadn't happened to pass by and save his life that time, they wouldn't be entangled at all now. Truthfully, the exposure of her identity could also be traced back to that incident—he was the root of it all.
After experiencing a certain event, she had developed a deep aversion to men. Ordinary interactions were tolerable, but if someone showed even the slightest intent of pursuing her, she would never treat them kindly.
This was precisely why she only targeted Wang Tingsi, and not someone like Zhang Feng, who also clearly liked her. The former was like a piece of gum stuck to her shoe—clingy and annoying; the latter, like a statue—he would only look from afar and think, but never act.
She had always been tolerant toward those who didn't bother her. Even if that tolerance sometimes looked like preferential treatment, she never minded, nor did she see a reason to change.
The moment she passed Wang Tingsi at the school gate, she sensed the shift in him. So without hesitation, she chose to draw a clear line between them. Whether he was just confused or had truly made some decision—none of it had anything to do with her anymore.
She didn't know, and had no interest in knowing.
The setting sun cast long shadows over the boy and girl. He was tall and handsome; she, breathtakingly beautiful. They looked like a perfect match made in heaven. But between them stood an invisible wall, keeping their gazes fixed forward as they each went their separate ways.
Perhaps this was the last time they would be this close. From now on, she wouldn't have to deal with him, and he could leave behind a mistaken obsession and choose a better path.
Only he knew what that choice was. The future, after all, must move forward.
Back at home, after removing her little leather boots, she gently placed Tina on the sofa. Then, catching sight of her mother's figure busy in the kitchen, she recalled what her mom had said that morning: "A real mother is the one standing in front of you..."
Thinking of that, she smiled softly and walked over, wrapping her arms around Li Mingxue's slender waist and rubbing her cheek against her back, not caring that she was wearing an apron and in the middle of cooking.
Surprised by the sudden hug, her mom instinctively tensed up, then quickly relaxed again. Her hand holding the spatula never stopped stirring the pan, while her other hand gently patted the back of Chu Lian's hand resting on her waist.
"Little Lian'er, it's rare for you to hug Mom like this. In the past year, only once at the hospital—and now this. Did something upset you? Tell Mom, I'll go teach them a lesson..."
Chu Lian shook her head vigorously, her face buried in her mother's back as she mumbled, "No one bullied me. I just wanted to hug Mom for a bit. That's all... Mm, go ahead and cook."
She didn't hold on for long before letting go.
Seeing the joy mixed with a playfully annoyed look on her mom's face, she couldn't help but lean in and plant a soft kiss on her cheek, gave a playful wink, then hopped and skipped her way upstairs.
"This child... ever since that hospital visit, she really has changed. But it's a good change..."
Tina, who had been napping on the sofa, quietly opened her eyes. Watching Li Mingxue's busy figure and the slight, rhythmic movements of her shoulders, she fell into deep thought.
Is this what they call a mother? Why are human mothers so different from those of us spirit-cats? If one day I'm in danger or hurt... would my mother worry about me like this?
In just a few short days in the human world, Tina had encountered an incredible number of new things—far more than everything she had learned or been confused about in her entire life before. Perhaps this was why so many spirit-cats had signed contracts with other lifeforms and left home to explore the outside world.
Setting aside Tina's and Mom's complicated emotions, Chu Lian returned to her room, tossed herself onto her bed, and after lying there for a moment, entered the system space.
Since she had decided to follow Ayase's advice and release the novel early tomorrow, of course she couldn't go in unprepared. It just so happened she'd mentioned before that she would release a Cosplay photo series. Originally, she had chosen the character Illya, but given the current situation, Illya wasn't suitable.
Although Illya was quite popular thanks to the latest anime, she still fell short compared to the most beloved female characters in the two-dimensional world.
So this time, Chu Lian planned to begin promoting her new serialized novel while simultaneously completing her Cosplay.
Given the style of the new novel, the most fitting promotional image would no doubt be a classical beauty in white robes, with long flowing hair and gentle grace.
However, in order to preserve the mystery, she couldn't reveal specific characters ahead of time. Besides, her current height and age were also a problem—there really wasn't a character in Sword and Fairy 1 that matched her present appearance.
So she decided to compromise and pick a high-popularity character—using that character's popularity to boost attention for her novel was good enough.
Still, she had already resolved that once she was older and taller, she would Cosplay Zhao Ling'er—not a chibi version, not a loli version, but the full, authentic Zhao Ling'er. By then, Sword and Fairy 1 would surely be burning hot in popularity.
She opened the system's exchange menu, selected the Integrity Points category, scrolled down, and clicked on "Dimensional Barrier." Once she made that selection, the previous menu vanished, replaced by rows of lifelike 3D female models.
"Bring up Misaka Mikoto from A Certain Scientific Railgun," she said, glancing at the beautifully rendered characters and addressing the screen.
"Misaka Mikoto: A main character in A Certain Magical Index and the protagonist of A Certain Scientific Railgun. She is one of the seven Level 5 espers in Academy City, ranked third in power, known as the strongest Electromaster, codename 'Railgun.' A second-year student at the prestigious Tokiwadai Middle School, she is known as 'Tokiwadai's Ace' and the 'Invincible Electric Princess.'"
"Name: Misaka Mikoto; Birthday: May 2; Age: 14; Gender: Female; Blood Type: AB; Height: 161 cm; Weight: 45 kg; Measurements: 78/56/79. Evaluation: Like you, she walks the path of the flat-chested. The only difference is that she's taller, so she appears even more flat. You could try comparing yourselves—if you can still run after getting zapped."
"Select Mirror Mode. I want to fuse with her." Chu Lian selectively ignored the system's commentary. Looking at the stats, she estimated she could reach at least 50% similarity, so she selected Mirror Mode, which required a minimum of 50% compatibility.
"Scanning host attributes. Please wait..."
"Scan complete. Host attributes as follows..."
"Name: Chu Lian; Birthday: February 8; Age: 13; Gender: Female; Blood Type: O; Height: 140 cm; Weight: 35 kg; Measurements: 58/47/56; Evaluation: Compatibility 30%. Insufficient for Mirror Mode. Initiating hidden scan..."
"Hidden scan complete..."
"Due to host possessing LV1 Electromaster ability, compatibility increased by 15%; also flat-chested, +5%; tsundere personality and has the ability to attract females, +15%; strong-willed, +5%."
"Total compatibility: 70%. Possession Mode available. Proceed?"
"Thank goodness for the Electromaster trait and personality bonus—that got me past 50%. Since I can go higher, let's use Possession Mode instead." Once again activating her LV6 selective ignoring ability, she filtered out the remarks about being flat-chested and tsundere. She replaced Mirror Mode with the 70% compatibility Possession Mode and clicked Confirm.
"Dimensional Barrier subsystem notification: Activating Possession Mode requires 100,000 Integrity Points. Each additional minute consumes 10 Integrity Points. You will gain the character's appearance but none of their abilities."
"Due to host's age and height, Misaka Mikoto's appearance will be adjusted to a loli version."
"Possession Mode activated..."
At that moment, a cloud of white mist filled Chu Lian's room. As an eerie glow flashed, the mist slowly faded to reveal the figure inside.
It was a girl standing 140 cm tall, with short tea-colored hair and wearing Tokiwadai's school uniform. Her face was still Chu Lian's, but her aura was unmistakably that of Misaka Mikoto from A Certain Scientific Railgun.
She raised her hand. A coin sparked with electric light between her fingers. With a faint smile on her face, she flicked it—the coin launched from her hand...
At this moment, Chu Lian truly looked as if she had been possessed by Misaka Mikoto. That was the power of the Dimensional Barrier. Even if it was only an illusion of appearance, it made people wonder if the character had actually been summoned.
If it weren't so expensive, she would've used this long ago—no need to struggle picking outfits all the time.
"This should satisfy you all now, right...?"
That smile—truly the same bold grin of the Railgun herself.