Chapter 7: The Roles Reverse

“Ugh… an unfamiliar ceiling…”

The girl rubbed her eyes and looked blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling.

Last night… what happened?

[Everything is entrusted to you, Li Lu.]

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice echoed in the girl’s mind, snapping her fully awake.

“What?! Where’s Li Lu??”

She jerked her eyes wide open, sat up at once, and went into combat readiness.

“There’s no Li Lu… wait, it hurts, and it’s cold!”

Only then did she realize she had slept on the floor all night.

“Huh… huh?”

That wasn’t what she needed to worry about right now!

She quickly stood and walked to the full-length mirror like yesterday, staring at the reflection.

“This is… Li Lu.” The girl swallowed and lightly touched the mirror. “This time, I can move…”

She could feel that not only was control of the body in her hands, but the powers of a magical girl were hers as well.

“Hey, Li Lu, are you there?!”

The girl called Li Lu’s name anxiously. Everything had happened too suddenly, leaving her at a loss.

At the same time, what Li Lu had gone through yesterday resurfaced in her mind.

“Tch… what kind of mess is this!” The girl gritted her teeth. “I’m talking to you. You can definitely hear me, Li Lu!”

[…You’re so noisy.]

Perhaps because she could finally rest, Li Lu’s voice sounded a little more energetic than yesterday.

“You really are there!” The girl brightened. “What’s going on? Why am I the one using the body now?”

[…]

“Tch, don’t give me the silent treatment. If you don’t explain what’s going on, I’ll use your body to cause trouble everywhere. I’ll beat up all the friends and companions you care about!”

[…]

“Heh heh, scared now? If you’re scared, then hurry up…” The girl curled her lips, looking completely sure of victory.

[As you like.]

“As you… what?!” Her voice was full of shock. She hadn’t expected Li Lu to say that.

[Right now, you are Li Lu. Whatever you want to do is your freedom.]

“What do you mean I’m Li Lu? If I’m Li Lu, then what are you?”

The girl frowned slightly, purple eyes full of confusion.

[…What I am is for you to decide. Right now I just want to rest.]

“What, you want to run away?” The girl frowned.

[If you want to think that, fine. You’ve been unable to stand my behavior all day yesterday, haven’t you? Then from now on, you do it.]

Li Lu’s voice was cold and slow. Speaking so much in one breath almost left her suffocating.

[Though I don’t know how you got here.]

[But we are both Li Lu. So please, let me rest.]

Li Lu’s voice carried a plea. Even without saying it, her exhaustion was obvious.

“…”

The girl took a deep breath.

“In other words, you really are running away?”

[I won’t deny it.]

“Tch…”

Too casual.

But she knew why Li Lu could make that choice.

She had taken her for Li Lu, for another Li Lu with a different personality… for… a retreat route that had appeared out of nowhere.

So Li Lu ran away and handed the name of Li Lu to her.

The girl rubbed her head, the corner of her mouth twitching.

This was too much. How could someone be this lazy? She had to properly educate…

“Hey, you…”

The girl parted her lips, but quickly closed them again.

No… this wasn’t bad at all.

Li Lu had taken her as her second personality and completely handed over control of the body.

If that was the case… didn’t she now have the body of the strongest magical girl?

Even if “strongest” was a future possibility, it still proved this body had tremendous talent.

She suddenly realized she had no reason to be angry at Li Lu. She should be happy.

With this, her original plan could be carried out!

“Even if I take revenge on those magical girls, you won’t suddenly take the body back?”

[No.]

An instant answer. She really wanted to slack off.

“Heh… good~ Then I’ll be Li Lu from now on?”

She lifted her eyes slightly and squinted at “herself” in the mirror.

[As you like.]

“Then what about you? We need some way to tell us apart.”

She decided to follow Li Lu’s story and pretend to be Li Lu’s second personality.

[Whatever you want.]

Good, worthy of the queen of slacking.

She couldn’t even be bothered to say a full sentence. Two characters at a time, fobbing her off.

Li Lu’s mouth twitched. She shook her head helplessly.

“Then I’ll call you Little Lu from now on?”

[…]

“Silence… so you don’t like it.”

Mengjian Yue always called her Little Lu, so Li Lu had tested her attitude.

From the look of it, there really was a problem…

“I got it. How about Silly Lu?” Li Lu put her hands on her hips and proudly talked to herself.

A deliberate provocation, to see if her nemesis would have any special reaction.

[…As you like.]

Even that was fine? Silly Lu was better than Little Lu?

“…If you say that, I really will call you Silly Lu from now on, you know?” Li Lu narrowed her eyes, but all she got was her nemesis’s silence.

“Tch… still so boring. I’ll call you Little Little Lu. One more ‘little’ than Little Lu. Satisfied now?”

[…]

Heh heh, good. Silence meant agreement!

So from now on, Li Lu’s nickname would change from “Li Lu” to “Little Little Lu.”

And she… would inherit the name Li Lu.

[Are you done? Then I’m going to sleep. Don’t call me for anything.]

“Huh? Huh?”

Li Lu blinked blankly, but soon heard steady breathing.

“Li Lu? Little Little Lu??”

No response…

“This girl, she really just went to sleep that easily?”

She held her forehead and shook her head helplessly, but thinking about it, it made sense.

Li Lu… no, Little Little Lu!

Little Little Lu’s sleep must be terrible. Otherwise she wouldn’t always look like she was about to collapse.

And this girl… seemed to have a tsundere streak!

If Little Little Lu really couldn’t be bothered to explain, she wouldn’t have endured until morning to greet her.

Explaining the situation before going to sleep…

Maybe that was the gentleness of this “strongest.”

“Bah, bah, bah, what am I thinking!”

If she kept thinking like this, she’d turn this terrifying “strongest” into a suffering, gentle little kid.

“Hmph, since you’re washing your hands of it, then whatever I do, you’d better not interfere!”

She was kind and gentle, but she wasn’t a fool like Little Little Lu, enduring whatever came her way.

Ding dong.

The doorbell rang on time, almost the same as yesterday.

“Mm… it’s already this time.”

At this time yesterday, Mengjian Yue had come to call Little Little Lu for school. Back then, the desperate expression Little Little Lu made had been hard for Li Lu to understand.

But now she understood.

Because going to school every day was so painful, that was why she made that expression…

“But it’s fine. I’ll show you how the strongest should act!”

Li Lu curled her lips. No more cowering. She revealed a slightly chuunibyou evil grin.

“Heh heh heh!”

Ding dong, ding dong.

The doorbell outside became urgent, as if urging Li Lu to open the door.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming!”

She quickly dropped the chuunibyou pose and ran to the door.

Creak.

The door opened, and standing there was Mengjian Yue.

Mengjian Yue was still smiling, as if she had forgotten the words she’d said yesterday.

“Good morning, Little Lu~”

Li Lu froze for a moment, then realized Mengjian Yue was calling her.

She curled her lips into a bright smile.

“Good morning, Little Meng~”

The roles reversed at this moment.

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