Chapter 50: The Budding Blossom’s Confirmation

Su Xinxin froze.

‘I… I passed?’

“Wait, just a moment…” she instinctively began. “Is that… it?”

Black-hearted Chrysanthemum smiled.

“What? Do you want another round?”

“No…” Su Xinxin shook her head. “It’s just, I feel like…”

“Hmm?” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum raised an eyebrow. “I witnessed your performance during the battle, and the fact that you could still ponder those questions mid-fight indicates a stable mindset.”

She paused.

“It seems your mentor has taught you quite well.”

Su Xinxin opened her mouth, still searching for the right words.

“Alright then.” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum waved a dismissive hand. “Go back and await notification. The official assessment results will be communicated to you within the next two days.”

She turned and walked towards the path winding through the woods.

After a couple of steps, she looked back.

“Oh, right,” she said. “Your name… Gentian, it suits you quite well.”

She smiled, a hint of deeper meaning dancing in her bright eyes.

“Unlike my own ‘Black-hearted Chrysanthemum,’ which sounds like it would trick people.”

With that, her figure vanished among the shadows of the trees.

Only then did Su Xinxin fully process what had happened.

‘Wait! Hold on! So the assessment isn’t actually over yet? That makes sense. They only said the ‘practical assessment’ passed. Could there be other parts to the evaluation?’

Cornflower approached, her gaze falling upon the still-perplexed Su Xinxin.

“Go back and rest,” she said. “You’ve done everything you needed to do.”

Su Xinxin nodded, though a trace of confusion lingered.

“Senior Cornflower,” she asked, “what about my assessment…?”

“The assessment results will be available within the next two days,” Cornflower replied. “You’ll receive a system notification with the exact time.”

She offered no further explanation.

Instead, she simply looked at Su Xinxin and nodded slightly.

Then, she too turned and departed.

****

The light flared once more.

By the time Su Xinxin recovered her senses, she was standing back in the suburban park where she had first arrived.

The warm afternoon sun bathed her, and in the distance, birds chirped and children laughed.

Everything felt utterly normal.

She stood there, lost in thought for a long moment.

Then she looked down at her hands—they were still trembling slightly, whether from exhaustion or something else entirely, she couldn’t tell.

[Stop spacing out! Go eat something delicious! I’m hungry again!]

Xiao Ming had also returned, grumbling on her shoulder.

[Alright, alright, coming right up, just give me a moment.]

Su Xinxin took a deep breath and pulled out her phone. She opened the familiar chat window, her finger hovering over the screen, unsure what to type.

After much deliberation, she finally sent a single message:

[My assessment is done. It should be fine. Thank you, Mentor.]

****

She waited.

The next two days passed peacefully for Su Xinxin.

In the mornings, she continued to wake early, wash up, and make breakfast. Xiao Ming, refusing to get out of bed, had to be dragged to the dining table by its ear.

“Eat more,” Su Xinxin told it.

Xiao Ming looked down at its round belly, a suspicious expression on its face. ‘Is this my last meal?’

In the mornings, she would take strolls around the neighborhood. The early July sun was already strong, its warmth a pleasant blanket that made one feel drowsy.

She would return at noon to cook, then spend the afternoons reading or reviewing the notes she had taken during the past month’s training.

Sometimes, she would take out her phone to search for things.

For instance, “Black-hearted Chrysanthemum.”

The search results stated that the Black-hearted Chrysanthemum’s flower language was “fairness and justice,” “unique personality,” and “pursuit of righteousness.” She stared at the screen for a while, recalling the chief examiner in the golden dress, with twin pigtails, whose words always ended with an upward lilt.

Fairness and justice… that seemed to make sense. That skill, the ‘Black-hearted Golden Light’ that determined damage based on good and evil, certainly felt fair. As for a unique personality, her attire alone spoke volumes.

She scrolled further down.

“The heart of the Black-hearted Chrysanthemum is not actually black; its true color is dark brown or dark purple. It appears black only because the color is very deep, and many small flowers are tightly clustered together, forming a raised, spherical shape that, from a distance, resembles a black, velvety ‘heart’…”

So that was it.

It wasn’t black-hearted; it only looked that way.

Su Xinxin remembered Black-hearted Chrysanthemum’s parting words, “Unlike my own ‘Black-hearted Chrysanthemum,’ which sounds like it would trick people,” and suddenly felt a little amused.

She also searched for “Kappa” and “Suiko,” wanting to learn more about yokai.

[Master,] Xiao Ming leaned in, [what are you doing?]

“Studying.” Su Xinxin shook her head. “I just… want to know more.”

She paused, then picked up an elderly person’s ‘words of wisdom.’

“As the saying goes, live and learn.”

****

In the evening, she went to Cuihu Park alone.

She walked to the lakeside and found a long bench to sit on. The sun was setting in the west, painting the entire lake a warm orange. A breeze rustled through, gently swaying the willow branches and creating faint ripples on the water’s surface.

She watched the shimmering water, lost in a daze for a while.

[What are you thinking about?] Xiao Ming squatted beside her, also gazing at the lake.

[I’m thinking…] She fell silent for a moment. [If I pass, I’ll truly be a Magical Girl from now on.]

Xiao Ming remained silent.

[Jasmin said that once I become official, I’ll have to take on proper responsibilities,] she continued. [I’ll have to make protection my duty, and purifying ‘Erosion’ my mission. I can’t be like I was during the probationary period anymore.]

She lowered her head, looking at her clothes.

[I wonder, am I really ready?]

Xiao Ming tilted its head, looking at her.

[Master,] it said, [you actually asked yourself that question the day you signed the probationary contract.]

Su Xinxin was startled.

She remembered Xiao Ming on the windowsill that day. She remembered the question, “You really want to leave, don’t you?” She remembered saying, “I’ll sign.”

What had she been thinking then?

It was the faces of her daughters. The smiles of her grandchildren. The lingering thought of ‘being able to help them one last time.’

Back then, she hadn’t thought about “guarding missions” or “purification responsibilities.”

She had simply thought that perhaps she could still do something.

[So,] Xiao Ming said, [these questions you’re pondering now aren’t new. You’ve been thinking about them from the very beginning.]

Su Xinxin remained silent for a while.

She recalled the events of the past month.

The awkwardness of her first transformation in front of a mirror. The fear and pressure brought by her first encounter with a mysterious door-breaker. The strange satisfaction of her first ‘Dust’ purification.

She also remembered the battle on Xinghe Han Street, the fight at the Provincial Library, and the combat during the assessment…

And those ‘Erosions’ she had never seen before. Even now, she felt that those formed by fear were just fear. Those formed by hatred were only hatred. They had no right to choose, only the instinct to exist.

And what about her?

She had the right to choose.

She could choose to stay, to take on more responsibility. Or she could choose to leave, to depart this world and pursue the world where her late husband resided.

But if she left, what about those children? Her daughters? Her grandchildren?

She remembered her daughters calling her ‘Papa’ when they were little. She remembered her grandchildren reaching out for hugs. She remembered them, red-eyed and forcing smiles, by her sickbed.

And those anonymous remittances—if she left, she would never be able to secretly help them again.

She suddenly understood.

She wasn’t “choosing”; she was “confirming.”

Confirming what kind of person she truly wanted to be.

And the answer to that question had, in fact, been there from the start. She just hadn’t believed in the answer she had chosen for herself.

****

A special signal suddenly echoed in her mind.

It was a system notification from the Hua Ying Division.

[The assessment results for trainee ‘Gentian’ will be announced tomorrow afternoon. Please proceed to the Hua Ying Division’s Jiangcheng Branch, Third Training Zone, tomorrow at 5 PM for confirmation.]

Hua Ying Division Jiangcheng Branch, Third Training Zone.

Su Xinxin walked into the familiar Gentian training room, awaiting the arrival of her assessment results.

Not long after, Black-hearted Chrysanthemum arrived.

“Oh, you’re already here? Have a seat.”

Su Xinxin sat down.

Black-hearted Chrysanthemum looked at her, then began:

“Gentian, Zero-Rank trainee, one-month training period. Following a comprehensive evaluation by the Flower Appraisal Department’s assessment team—”

She paused.

Su Xinxin’s heart pounded.

“Practical performance: Excellent. Theoretical knowledge: Good. Temperament evaluation: Qualified. Overall assessment—”

She paused again.

“Passed.”

Su Xinxin was somewhat stunned once more. Passed?

This time, it was truly passed.

“Congratulations,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum stood up, walked over, and extended her hand. “You are officially a member of the Hua Ying Division and promoted to the First Rank—Budding Blossom.”

Su Xinxin instinctively reached out and shook her hand.

Black-hearted Chrysanthemum’s hand was warm.

“Next,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum withdrew her hand, “you need to make a confirmation.”

She directly summoned a document adorned with glowing patterns, which floated before Su Xinxin.

It was a contract.

It resembled the original probationary contract but was far more formal. Faint golden light patterns flowed along the edges of the pages, and every line of text seemed etched in light.

“This is the official contract,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum explained. “Signing it means you officially become a Magical Girl and assume the corresponding responsibilities.”

She glanced at Su Xinxin, offering another reminder.

“Once signed, you can no longer withdraw casually like during the probationary period. You must make protection your duty and purifying ‘Erosion’ your mission. You cannot retreat in the face of danger, nor ignore those in need of help. This is not merely a job; it is a solemn promise.”

Su Xinxin gazed at the contract.

It spoke of “loyal fulfillment of duties,” “adherence to vows,” and “guarding the human world.”

It was so formal it made her feel a little disoriented.

She remembered that day when Xiao Ming had asked if she was willing to sign the probationary contract.

Back then, her thoughts were simple—earn some money for the children, secretly help them out.

But now…

She thought of her daughters’ faces. She thought of her grandchildren’s smiles. She thought of the old house filled with old things. She thought of her late husband playfully scolding her in her dreams.

If she signed this contract, she could continue to stay.

Continue living, continue protecting, continue—secretly helping them.

She looked up, towards the colorful flowers blooming on the wall.

Then she picked up the pen.

She signed her codename flower name—Gentian—and pressed her fingerprint.

Light surged from the contract, flowing through her fingers and into her body.

It was warm.

As if she had been accepted by something.

“Congratulations.”

Black-hearted Chrysanthemum collected the contract, a genuine smile gracing her face.

“From today onwards, you are a First-Rank Budding Blossom.”

She gestured towards the pot of Gentian flowers in the room—the very pot Su Xinxin had seen during her first training session, still there.

“That pot of flowers has been here since your first training,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum said. “Now, it belongs to you.”

No sooner had she spoken than the pot of Gentian flowers gently trembled.

A single bud slowly unfurled, and a wisp of goose-yellow and moonlight-white light emerged from between its petals. The light, as if drawn by an unseen force, slowly drifted towards Su Xinxin’s phone, merging into its screen.

The phone vibrated softly.

The screen lit up, and a faint Gentian flower pattern appeared around the edges of the otherwise ordinary interface. On the lock screen, Xiao Ming’s Q-version image pouted, looking at her with an innocent expression.

[Master!] Xiao Ming’s voice came from the phone. [I’ve been locked inside!]

Su Xinxin paused, then looked at Black-hearted Chrysanthemum.

“This is a Magical Girl’s specialized device,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum explained. “In anime terms, it’s a transformation device. However, years ago, it was improved to merge with modern smartphones.”

She pointed at Xiao Ming on the screen.

“Normally, it can stay inside here. When needed, the phone can help you transform, receive missions, and store information. When not in use, it’s just a regular phone.”

Su Xinxin looked down at her phone.

On the screen, Xiao Ming was still pouting, but its eyes no longer held complaint; instead, there was a hint of curiosity and anticipation.

She suddenly remembered Jasmin mentioning that her Spirit-Flower, Xiao Li, often stayed inside her phone. Back then, she had wondered why her Spirit-Flower could reside within a phone screen.

Now she understood.

She looked up and nodded.

****

By the time she left, it was already evening outside.

The sunset painted the entire sky a warm orange-red, and the clouds, like they were set ablaze, were edged with gold.

Su Xinxin stood at the entrance, gazing at the evening glow.

Lin Mo, appearing from nowhere, caught up and walked beside her, also looking up.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lin Mo asked.

“Yes,” Su Xinxin nodded. “It is.”

The two fell silent for a moment.

Then Lin Mo suddenly spoke:

“Xinxin.”

“Hmm?”

“From now on… we’re colleagues of the same rank, so you’re not allowed to call me Mentor anymore, okay?”

Su Xinxin turned her head to look at her.

The light of the setting sun fell upon Lin Mo’s face, making her already bright eyes shine even more intensely.

“Okay,” Su Xinxin said.

Lin Mo smiled, a radiant, dazzling smile.

****

On the way back, Su Xinxin no longer thought about Magical Girl matters.

Her thoughts drifted back to her family.

‘If… if only I had a chance to see them again, that would be even better.’

She stopped, looking towards the distant direction—Zhuzhou District.

Her phone screen lit up, and Xiao Ming poked its head out.

[Master, what are you looking at?]

“Nothing,” she shook her head, withdrawing her gaze. “Just… feeling a little homesick.”

Xiao Ming didn’t press further. Instead, it hopped out of the phone, nudged Su Xinxin, and accompanied her home.

The sun slowly sank below the horizon, stretching her shadow long, long behind her.

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