Chapter 58: The Hypnotic Examination and a Flower Reborn

‘Why was Silver Moon here? Was she also here for a physical examination?’

Liu Qingruo stood frozen at the doorway, her gaze locked with the white-haired girl. For a moment, she was unsure whether to step forward, until Teacher Li gently placed a hand on her shoulder from behind.

“Quickly, greet Commander Silver Moon, Liu Qingruo.”

At these words, Liu Qingruo’s cherry lips parted slightly, yet no sound emerged for a long moment. It was Silver Moon who spoke first.

“You are a Magical Girl now, so I must personally conduct your examination.”

Her reasoning was flawless, immediately earning Liu Qingruo’s trust.

“Oh, so that’s how it is… But… could we… perhaps avoid blood draws…?”

She stammered, her voice growing progressively softer. Watching her anxious demeanor, Silver Moon subtly raised an eyebrow.

‘She’s always such a bother. Why are the Magical Girls under my command not reliable partners like those under Yinjin, but rather weaklings like her and Gu Xuanyu?’

Unfortunately, despite being the highest administrator of Jinzhou’s Magical Girl Department, she had no say in the fate of the Magical Girls trained here.

Most of those selected and sent here were already prospects scouted by other colleagues. Whoever recommended them would take them, and she herself had only cultivated Gu Xuanyu and Liu Qingruo so far.

If it were merely to maintain Jinzhou’s public order and promote the perfect image of Magical Girls, they would be more than enough.

However, with Gu Xuanyu having defected, and members of the Tea Party seemingly infiltrating Jinzhou and stirring trouble, Silver Moon had to plan ahead.

“No blood draw needed. Sit down and look into my eyes.”

Silver Moon patted the chair in front of her, gesturing for Liu Qingruo to sit. Upon learning there would be no blood draw, Liu Qingruo’s mood instantly lightened.

She sat obediently with her knees together, gazing curiously at Silver Moon’s ethereal golden eyes.

‘What kind of examination could possibly be completed just by looking into her eyes?’

“This is a psychological test. Relax; you can think of it as a casual conversation. Just answer as you like, and feel free to skip any questions you don’t care for. How does that sound?”

Liu Qingruo nodded softly. For some unknown reason, she felt that Silver Moon’s brilliant golden pupils seemed to subtly exert a gravitational pull, capturing her gaze within them.

Once she fixed her eyes on them, she found herself unable to look away.

“Good. I want you to relax as much as possible. Next, I will count down from ten to one. With each number I say, allow your body to relax a little more.”

“Don’t feel any pressure, and there’s no need to concentrate. Just take your time. Ten, nine, eight…”

Silver Moon’s light, airy voice carried a certain magic. As the monotonous numbers were spoken, Liu Qingruo found her body growing genuinely lighter, becoming soft and weak, wanting only to continue following the other’s words.

“Five, four, three…”

Watching Liu Qingruo’s crimson eyes grow increasingly hazy, Silver Moon unconsciously curved her lips, yet her voice continued, counting further down.

“Two, one. Excellent. Your consciousness is now very light, enclosed in a bubble. It’s warm, very relaxed. You don’t want to leave, you don’t want to awaken…”

“And your body is safe. You only need to quietly slumber within this bubble, then confidently entrust your body to me.”

As her words faded, Liu Qingruo’s eyes, at some unknown point, had lost their sparkle. She resembled an exquisite, unconscious doll, slumped softly against the chair’s back, as if she might slide to the floor at any moment.

Silver Moon steadied her, yet her movements were somewhat rough, as if she were manipulating a pain-devoid plant. To prevent Liu Qingruo from moving, Silver Moon used restraint straps to bind her arms to the chair’s armrests.

Her legs followed suit, and then the girl’s slender, graceful swan-like neck, each secured to the chair.

This uncomfortable sensation of restraint seemed to awaken some unsettling memories in Liu Qingruo’s subconscious.

She began to struggle involuntarily, but as Silver Moon’s voice resonated in her ears once more, she settled back softly, ceasing her resistance.

“Be obedient. This is to better protect everyone.”

“You will become an excellent Magical Girl. Forget unnecessary thoughts, discard superfluous feelings. You only need to be… a good girl.”

Cold electrode pads were affixed to her temples, and an unknown device was placed on her head. Her vision plunged into darkness.

Hypnotizing Liu Qingruo was an effortless process. She rarely harbored suspicions toward anyone. Rather than maliciously speculating about others’ intentions, she preferred to believe she lived in a beautiful world.

In this world, her friends would embrace her with smiles, and her enemies would mock her with wicked grins.

The foolish evil cadres would repeatedly flee in disarray, and the Magical Girls would quietly revert to their original forms, each enjoying their beautiful youth, gathering and laughing in cafes filled with the aroma of baked goods.

Of course, she knew these were all illusions. Just as she had been pressured by her blood relatives and labeled childish, she could only commit these beautiful things to paper, as if such a wonderful world truly existed within the pages.

It was much like her book, ‘Sole Love’, which simply told the story of an ordinary little girl, gently loved in a gentle world.

“Is this your flower of love? Hmm… It blooms even more brilliantly than I imagined. Allow me to prune away these superfluous branches for you.”

A sharp blade seemed to slice through the air, emitting a crisp ‘snip’.

The green branches were clipped one by one, the thorny briars plucked out, falling into the mud.

The slender stem became smooth, perfect for a vase, to be held in hand, and gifted to a loved one.

What a beautiful red rose it was.

***

Meanwhile, in Yuzhou, thousands of miles from Jinzhou, two young women walked side by side along the city’s most bustling street.

The grey-haired girl, closer to the shopfronts, had blossomed into a graceful figure with delicate, striking features.

Though a mature young woman, she clutched the hand of her companion like a child, her gaze frequently drawn to the exquisitely decorated display windows.

The girl accompanying her, however, had an indifferent gaze, as if she had walked this street countless times before.

While clearly looking ahead, her steps perfectly matched those of the grey-haired woman, demonstrating an intimate familiarity with her companion.

Her long hair, cascading to her lower back, was a very pale, light green, like matcha ice cream, wrapping strands of sweetness in a cool exterior.

Given their casual attire, no one would have guessed they were Yinjin, the supreme administrator guarding Yuzhou, and Fading Star, the renowned Magical Girl.

Yinjin had originally planned to return to Jinzhou today, but she couldn’t resist the grey-haired girl’s insistence on strolling down this street again. Though the girl bought nothing, she simply wished to pass by it repeatedly.

‘Let her have her way. Even if it’s just a monotonous walk, it’s better than being listless about everything.’

‘With careful nurturing, even a plucked flower can be reborn.’