Chapter 62: A Mother’s Visit and a Misunderstanding

Lily of the Valley stopped in front of the two, clearing her throat. She raised both hands, cupping them loosely by her cheeks as if they were cat paws. The small white flowers on her ceremonial dress swayed wildly with her movements.

“Good afternoon, little Fireworks, Brother Lu~ I’ll be relying on your guidance and care today too, meow (*╹▽╹*)~”

Despite uttering such embarrassing lines and even somehow vocalizing an emoticon, Lily of the Valley maintained a rigid expression, appearing much like a game sprite with the wrong expression loaded.

Lu Chen slowly recovered from his shock, suppressing the impulse to bluntly ask what that meant. He cautiously posed a question:

“…Good afternoon. What exactly is this?”

Lily of the Valley waved her hands up and down like a beckoning cat, then said:

“I want to act more like a magical girl, so I looked up some of Miss Morning Star’s youthful mannerisms to imitate and learn from.”

“But seeing your complete lack of reaction… it seems practice truly can’t be perfected overnight. I’m still lacking some finesse.”

‘Miss Morning Star truly is remarkable.’

Lu Chen sighed inwardly, then said:

“Rather than lacking finesse, you’re almost burning me to a crisp… Why the sudden desire to change your image?”

Lily of the Valley turned her head slightly, casting a glance towards the end of the corridor behind her. Silvermoon’s guidance also appeared, drifting lazily and unenthusiastically in that direction.

Following the guidance, Lu Chen looked over. He saw a plump middle-aged auntie standing by the wall, her gaze piercing and fixed intently on them.

“Who is that lady?”

Lily of the Valley whispered:

“She’s my mother. She came to observe the training today.”

“She seems to have been worried that I’m suffering as a magical girl, unable to build good relationships with others… I want to take this opportunity to put her mind at ease.”

Lu Chen and Xia Shi exchanged glances, seeing amusement reflected in each other’s eyes. Xia Shi clapped her hands together, smiling faintly.

“I see. Please rest assured, we will definitely cooperate with you to ensure your mother returns home happy!”

“Thank you very much, meow. In that case, I’ll call her over, meow.”

“…Please don’t use that way of speaking anymore.”

Lily of the Valley bowed slightly, then turned to face her mother and waved her over. The latter immediately walked over with small steps, stopping in front of the four of them.

She first fixed her gaze on Lu Chen, her eyes like surgical scalpels dissecting the young man with rapid precision. Her mind had already begun to race.

‘Standing over 180 centimeters tall, with neat black hair, refined features, and meticulously ironed clothes… He was indeed the devilishly charming man who openly enticed two magical girls simultaneously, exuding an air of frivolity from his very appearance.’

‘He was practically identical to those smooth-talking, outwardly friendly, yet secretly condescending charming villains from romance dramas…! Many young girls fell for that act!’

‘There’s no need to be polite to such a person. I’ll just lay into him directly!’

As Lily of the Valley’s mother’s thoughts drifted, ‘Mr. Charming Scoundrel’ stepped forward.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Miss Lily of the Valley’s photographer, Lu Chen. You can just call me Little Lu!”

A warm, friendly smile radiated from the young man’s face, making the cool corridor feel a degree warmer.

Lily of the Valley’s mother’s mind briefly crashed, her previous plans vanishing completely. She could only reply with a smile:

“Oh… oh, nice to meet you. I’m Gu Si’s mother, just call me Auntie Bai.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Auntie Bai—whose full name was Bai Ruo—immediately regretted them, secretly cursing herself for her weak resolve.

‘This fellow is a two-timing scumbag! How could I be fooled by his superficial politeness, like a massage chair salesman!’

‘This concerns my daughter’s future happiness; I must confront him seriously!’

Just as she was about to speak, Xia Shi stepped forward from the side. The young woman brought her feet together, hands clasped in front of her, and bowed slightly to Bai Ruo.

“Good afternoon, Auntie Bai. I am Lily of the Valley’s partner. My given name is Xia Shi, but you can call me Little Xia or Fireworks.”

“Welcome to observe our training.”

The young woman’s voice was gentle and melodious, captivating to the ear. Bai Ruo’s burgeoning anger immediately quelled, and she could only reply softly:

“Thank you, thank you. And thank you for taking care of Gu Si.”

Completely oblivious to her mother’s internal turmoil, Lily of the Valley simply perceived her expression as gentle, assuming she was in good spirits.

A smile bloomed in the corners of her eyes, and she said:

“Well then, Mom, we’re off to train now. Please call me if you need anything at all.”

“…Mm, be careful not to get hurt.”

Lily of the Valley nodded, then walked into the training ground with Xia Shi. Lu Chen led Bai Ruo up the stairs as well, ascending a few flights to reach the observation room.

Magical girl training was quite intense. Aside from special circumstances like synchronization tests, ordinary visitors were generally only permitted to observe from within the observation room.

The room was empty, save for the glass partition and the two people within. Bai Ruo regarded Lu Chen with a cold gaze, a new idea forming in her mind.

‘…A perfect opportunity.’

She cleared her throat, speaking casually as if nothing were amiss:

“Gu Si often talks about you, you know. Are things progressing smoothly between you two?”

‘Smoothly… She must be asking if I, as the cameraman, and Lily of the Valley, as the magical girl, are compatible.’

Mindful of Lily of the Valley’s request, Lu Chen wholeheartedly sought to reassure the auntie before him about her daughter, who had once been a little out of control.

He offered a smile, stating candidly and without hesitation:

“Yes, extremely smoothly! So smoothly, in fact, that it’s second only to Miss Fireworks and me!”

‘To say such a thing so openly and frankly…!’

Bai Ruo listened, utterly dumbfounded, and replied stiffly:

“Ex-extremely? From what I know, she isn’t very good at communicating with people, and her actions can be a bit rough. Can she really get along well with you… and Fireworks?”

‘Why did she suddenly bring up Xia Shi?’

Lu Chen felt a little bewildered. Without overthinking it, he continued:

“Not at all. Miss Lily of the Valley is just a bit clumsy.”

“At first, she did have some minor friction with Xia Shi, but they reconciled after a bit of sparring and discussion.”

“They… they fought? Because of you?”

“Uh? You could say that. In any case, Miss Lily of the Valley is a very serious and kind person, truly outstanding among all the magical girls I’ve worked with.”

“We quickly developed a strong rapport.”

Bai Ruo’s eyes widened further, and her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

“‘All’? Besides Gu Si and Xia Shi, there were others?”

Lu Chen chuckled heartily:

“Yes, about four or five others, but that was all in the past. Now, I am fully dedicated to these two.”

“Two people… can you truly be fully dedicated?”

Lu Chen nodded confidently.

“It might sound a little incredible at first. But please rest assured, this number isn’t actually that high; it’s quite common in our line of work. You can ask anyone else and they’ll tell you.”

“I’ve heard of the most impressive people managing four magical girls simultaneously across different cities. Some of them even from foreign countries.”

‘That’s considered a small number?! And there are those who can juggle four relationships across different cities and even foreign countries?! Is that even physically possible?’

Bai Ruo considered herself an open-minded person, but faced with such an outrageous statement, the values she had built over half a lifetime began to crumble.

“I-I’m sorry, please allow me a moment alone.”

“…?” “Of course.”

As they spoke, the two magical girls on the field had already begun their training. Both completed their transformations, then clashed in a flurry of motion.