Chapter 72: Echoes of the Past, Stirrings of a Mother’s Heart

Su Qingyao received a message from Lu Zhichuan. Just listening to it made her feel quite strange.

Originally, she had simply assumed that a few of the mother organisms might have been drawn in by the excessively dense magical aura.

However, the current situation was far more complicated.

‘What did he mean by a large number of mother organisms appearing for only a moment?’

Su Qingyao stroked her chin, contemplating the possible reasons.

Aside from a “system error” like her magic failing, she wondered if she had ever encountered such a situation in her past battles.

The conclusion was none.

Su Qingyao subtly twitched her delicate nose, sniffing the frenzied magical scent that permeated the air.

“Then, it must be the [Exclusive Magic] of a particular special individual.”

Su Qingyao murmured softly.

Just as the Magical Girl system existed, so did the colossal calamity known as [Mind Collapse].

Within this system, some mother organisms also possessed unique [Exclusive Magic].

Moreover, this time, it might even be an stealth-type magic.

Su Qingyao felt a slight sense of vexation, considering the magical abilities she was willing to display openly.

Without resorting to her usual methods of turning the entire forest upside down, it would be genuinely difficult to locate a group of deliberately hidden mud monsters.

“Heh.”

For some unknown reason, the pensive girl suddenly let out a soft laugh.

Su Qingyao simply didn’t believe these monsters would gather here without cause.

Once she knew her target was nearby, Su Qingyao no longer needed to worry about the enemy’s stealth.

As long as it desired something from Su Qingyao.

Perhaps it coveted a Magical Girl’s magic core, or perhaps it needed a ‘meow-bed’ to propagate its power.

Eventually, they would have to reveal themselves. At that point, they would lose all their mystique in Su Qingyao’s eyes.

But then again.

For the sake of a stable future, Su Qingyao decided it was best to keep her identity a secret for now.

Her two icy, piercing eyes once again fell upon the cocoon surrounded by the girls in the distance.

The chill in them quickly melted, transforming into a pool of warm spring water.

The girl made no attempt to conceal the worry and concern in her gaze.

Su Muxue.

Lu Zhichuan had occasionally mentioned some internal conflicts within the Council, which only gave Su Qingyao a headache.

However, for Su Qingyao herself, she didn’t mind being drawn into a “struggle” in some sense.

But if Su Muxue were involved, the situation would be entirely different.

She was a mother.

Su Qingyao savored the simple four words, ‘She was a mother,’ feeling the dreamlike quality and immense weight they carried.

While Su Qingyao was somewhat surprised, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse the instinctive call—the bond with the well-behaved and sensible Su Muxue.

Just as she had once treated the Magical Girls:

Su Qingyao did not reject this identity.

Su Qingyao was accustomed to this identity.

Thus, Su Qingyao chose to embrace this sudden responsibility.

It was like she had naturally accepted Senior Lu Zhichuan’s olive branch.

Sighing softly, the girl cradled her magic staff, watching as the distant egg began to vibrate just as before.

Concurrently, the roars of a beast began to echo.

Yet, Su Qingyao’s thoughts continued to drift, eventually settling on her “senior.”

At first, she had been completely certain, but realizing how many memories of her time with Lu Zhichuan had blurred, a strange sense of detachment abruptly arose within her.

It made her question the nature of her past relationship with Lu Zhichuan.

Similarly, Su Qingyao couldn’t help but wonder if Lu Zhichuan’s initial intentions in approaching her had been entirely pure.

For instance.

‘A fifty-year-old widower finding a second spring, seducing a Magical Girl mother with a child… like that.’

‘Wow, that sounds terrifying.’

‘Haha.’

Su Qingyao’s empty gaze, like that of a dead fish, exuded a profound gloom.

It wasn’t that she hated Lu Zhichuan.

Su Qingyao merely wanted to stab herself with her magic staff for even conceiving such a thought.

****

“Achoo!”

Lu Zhichuan sneezed violently. Having no umbrella, he was naturally drenched by the rain.

“It couldn’t possibly be someone from the Council, could it?”

The corporate drone-like man muttered to himself.

This time, he hadn’t even so much as “moved” his sword, diligently maintaining the stability of the “Veil.”

Lu Zhichuan brushed off non-existent dust before stepping into the bonfire-lit camp.

“I’m back,” he called, waving to Fang Yuan.

****

Setting aside why the Saintess, who had not been by her senior’s side since awakening, hadn’t appeared.

And ignoring how Senior Lu Zhichuan seemed to overlook the days and nights Su Qingyao had spent with him in her male identity.

‘What if Senior Lu Zhichuan genuinely harbored such thoughts?’

‘It was like trying not to think of a pink elephant in the room.’

Su Qingyao inevitably considered this question, and her lingering male psyche immediately cried out within her.

‘Ugh, how disgusting.’

Su Qingyao thought with a hint of disdain.

‘At the very least, he should be a little more energetic, trim his beard a bit, and have fewer dark circles under his eyes.’

‘Only then could she… perhaps consider it?’

Su Qingyao, who had tilted her head, suddenly froze.

‘Something felt amiss.’

Deep down, the girl had never seriously considered Senior Lu Zhichuan as a “romantic” interest.

Only now, upon reflection, did she realize that her inherent aversion to “spending her life with a man” wasn’t as strong as she once believed.

While she couldn’t envision such a future for now, she wasn’t filled with resentment, nor did she clench her teeth at the mere thought.

‘It was probably just… empty.’

‘Neither dislike nor affection stirred within her.’

Therefore, regarding Senior Lu Zhichuan, Su Qingyao’s current intention was merely to share a life together, as partners.

Her feelings for him extended only to the level of a “close friend” and “senior.”

‘No, that’s not right.’

Su Qingyao blinked.

‘Shouldn’t she be screaming internally: “My psychological gender is still male; I must find a female companion or simply remain single forever”?’

‘—Perhaps it was because of Su Muxue.’

Su Qingyao thought without prompting.

The child’s existence had made it remarkably easy for her to accept everything she had realized upon awakening.

Even if her male identity was gone for good.

Even if she had to rush to work at the “Tower.”

The girl, constantly working, seemed to have skipped the stage of questioning the necessity altogether, dedicating herself wholeheartedly.

Because it was for the sake of caring for her daughter, her male identity didn’t matter. Working was simply to gain the ability to raise her independently.

Su Qingyao leaned forward gently, resting against the windowsill, gazing absently at the three pairs of wings that had torn through the magic egg and now soared high in the night sky.

Beneath the night sky, a second magical beast had been born.

‘This was…’

‘Mother?’

Su Qingyao was not unfamiliar with this identity.

Even though her parents had divorced when she was young, she had, for the most part, been raised by her mother until high school before they parted ways.

Yet, this was the first time she had fully experienced this blend of sweetness and sorrow—a feeling where the depths of her heart fluctuated entirely beyond her control.

‘Could this feeling truly be called [love]?’

Unconsciously, Su Qingyao, bewildered, covered her cheeks, which had begun to feel faintly warm.

Su Qingyao found it strange, yet at the same time, she wasn’t repulsed by it…

‘Ah, such a familiar attitude.’