Chapter 43: The Silent Park and a Sister’s Vow

In February 2013, the “Century Dream Park,” established by the Shinguang Group, opened in the suburbs of Linzhou City.

From the project’s inception, the group invested heavily, equipping the park with world-class amusement facilities. These ranged from towering Ferris wheels and thrilling roller coasters to smaller shooting galleries and charming puppet theaters, offering a comprehensive array of entertainment.

Moreover, the group fully leveraged its numerous Magical Girls, arranging for them to serve as brand ambassadors. They conducted promotional tours far and wide, garnering unprecedented public attention for the park.

Given such meticulous planning, the park naturally became immensely popular, with visitors flocking in droves from Linzhou and even neighboring cities.

For most children, this park transformed into a cherished sanctuary, a symbol of joy and affection they had only ever dreamed of.

Local elementary school student Gu Pan was one such child.

She often listened enviously as her classmates boasted about their visits to the park, and her heart swelled with longing. Every weekend, she would plead with her parents to take her there.

However, Gu Pan’s family lived on modest means, and her mischievous nature often caused her parents considerable grief. Consequently, her pleas were never granted.

Despite these repeated rejections, Gu Pan’s yearning only intensified. Knowing she couldn’t sway her parents, she turned to pester her older sister, Gu Si, who was also an elementary school student, hoping her sister could help her fulfill her dream.

In May of the same year, Gu Pan fared poorly on a school exam, and after being severely scolded by her parents, her spirits were utterly deflated.

To lift her sister’s spirits, Gu Si took out her long-saved pocket money and New Year’s gift money. She then secretly slipped out of the house with her sister, hailed a taxi, and headed for the suburbs, where they stealthily entered the park.

As they passed through the ticket gate, the two sisters were brimming with apprehension. Their small hands clasped tightly together, palms slick with cold sweat. They hurried forward, heads bowed, fearing that an observant staff member might call out to them.

Yet, the moment they stepped through the park’s gigantic archway, all their apprehension immediately vanished, replaced by an explosion of wonder and excitement.

With just that single step, the drab, sprawling wilderness of the suburbs instantly disappeared from view.

A colossal, ancient castle loomed majestically before them. Dragon-like roller coasters coiled and soared overhead, exhilarating, joyful orchestral music echoed in their ears, and the air was thick with the sweet, buttery scent of popcorn.

The two sisters’ eyes widened in excited awe, making them feel as though they had truly stepped into the pages of a fairy tale.

They first embarked on the thrilling Rapids Ride, plummeting from a great height in a small boat, screaming with delight amidst the colossal splashes. Next, in the shooting gallery, they donned 3D glasses, raised toy guns, and battled virtual monsters, cheering all the while.

The two children lingered, captivated by each attraction, momentarily forgetting the passage of time.

By the time they descended from the Ferris wheel, the sun had already begun its descent in the west, painting the sky with vast swathes of fiery clouds.

Gu Si, fearing her parents’ concern, wished to take her sister and hurry home. But Gu Pan, reluctant to leave, pleaded with her sister to buy some grilled sausages or popcorn to fill their stomachs before they left.

Unable to resist her sister’s entreaties, Gu Si joined a long queue at a small park shop and purchased some snacks.

However, as Gu Si exited the queue, plastic bag of snacks in hand, and stepped out of the shop, she discovered that her sister, who should have been waiting by the door, was gone.

Initially, she suspected her sister was merely playing a prank, and a flicker of annoyance sparked within her.

But after frantically searching the vicinity of the small shop and finding nothing, that flicker of annoyance was swiftly consumed by fear and panic.

She clutched the plastic bag tightly, her eyes wide with panic, as she frantically scanned her surroundings. The cheerful orchestral music, still playing, now seemed a cruel mockery as she ran alone through the bustling, laughing crowd.

Yet, even as the grilled sausages in her plastic bag grew cold, Gu Si still found no trace of her sister.

She dared not delay any longer. She immediately sprinted toward the service center, intending to contact her parents, but just halfway there, she heard a chorus of gasps and exclamations erupting in the distance.

Perhaps guided by instinct, Gu Si raced toward the source of the commotion. She darted through a secluded path, arriving before an exquisitely crafted small house.

It was a low, circular building. Its exterior walls were painted in the most charming hues, resembling a candy house straight out of a fairy tale.

A curved wooden sign hung above the entrance. On it, eight artfully rendered characters spelled out “Fairy Tale Home Puppet Theater.”

Like the other attractions, a long queue had formed in front of the charming house, and many people had gathered.

Unlike the other attractions, however, its visitors wore no smiles.

They maintained a cautious distance from the house, peering inside with a mix of fear and curiosity, and occasionally exchanging hushed whispers with those beside them.

Through the dense, buzzing chatter, akin to a swarm of mosquitoes, Gu Si pushed through the crowd and rushed into the puppet theater, her gaze fixed on the stage in the center of the small building.

The stage was covered in twisted, vine-like bloodstains. A brand-new spotlight hung suspended from the ceiling above.

Beneath its brilliant beam, the broken and incomplete Gu Pan sat in the center of the stage.

She could no longer speak, move, or breathe. Yet, her dark, lifeless eyes remained wide open, locked in an unseeing stare with her sister.

This incident marked a grim turning point. The park’s visitor numbers plummeted precipitously, and it swiftly plunged into an eerie silence.

Despite the operators’ desperate attempts at public relations and the implementation of various promotional offers, they could not stem the tide of decline.

Months later, the colossal maintenance costs shattered their financial chain. The “Century Dream Park” declared bankruptcy and officially ceased operations.

It would be another year before the Magical Girl Morning Star identified the culprit and brought them to justice.

****

In the center of the plaza, children still playfully tapped and circled the statue, their laughter drifting to the nearby bench.

Gu Si stared at the tips of her shoes, slowly concluding her narrative. Lu Chen gazed at the Magical Girl, unsure how to respond for a moment.

He turned his gaze to the statue, collecting his thoughts before speaking.

“So, who was the culprit?”

Gu Si pursed her lips and answered calmly:

“It was Envy themselves.

“According to the officer in charge, several witnesses saw ‘me’ leading my sister into the puppet theater… That is a power unique to the Envy faction.

“I dropped out of school after that, and spent my days locked in my bedroom, doing nothing… It was complete escapism.

“A year later, when I saw the news on television that Miss Morning Star had located Envy, only then did I finally leave my room again.”

To keep the conversation flowing, Lu Chen asked, feigning ignorance:

“Miss Morning Star… she didn’t execute or arrest Envy at that time?”

“No. She dealt Envy a devastating blow, but in a fleeting moment of carelessness at the last second, she allowed that individual to escape.”

“…What a pity.”

“A pity? Perhaps. But to be honest, my immediate reaction wasn’t pity at all.”

As she spoke, the girl clenched her fists, and a sharp, dazzling green light flickered in her eyes.

“This is my chance. My chance to personally kill Envy, to eradicate every monster, and to atone for my sister.

“This is my sole reason for continuing to live, not just as a Magical Girl, but as a human being.

“I am a machine, existing solely for this purpose.”

“‘Sole reason,’ huh…”

Lu Chen murmured, echoing Lily of the Valley’s words. He finally understood why she found it impossible to smile genuinely.

He stared thoughtfully at the statue for a moment. Then, he pulled out his phone, opened a link, and offered it to Lily of the Valley.

“Miss Lily of the Valley, I know this is presumptuous and rude, but I still hope you can take a look at this. My apologies.”

“? Alright.”

Gu Si took the phone, utterly bewildered.

The screen displayed an article—more precisely, a Valentine’s Day advertisement. Its title boldly declared: “Want Him to Understand Your Feelings? This Box of Magical White Chocolate Cookies Is All You Need!”

The girl quickly skimmed the article, and her usually pale face instantly flushed a deep crimson.

She clutched the phone so tightly it seemed it might crack, stammering incoherently: “Wait, wait, wait a minute! I absolutely didn’t mean that, this is—”

Lu Chen gazed at the girl’s scarlet cheeks and sighed helplessly.

“Miss Lily of the Valley, there’s no such thing as a machine that blushes.”