Chapter 60: Mother

Xiao Yuan looked Luo Tianyou up and down, a flash of amazement crossing her eyes.

“Floralan really knows how to shape a body. This figure, this face — it is practically crafted to match her aesthetic.”

Luo Tianyou’s cheeks reddened slightly.

“Mother just likes them… bigger…”

Xiao Yuan stepped forward and began examining Luo Tianyi.

“The flow of magic in this body perfectly follows the patterns of a normal Magical Girl, and the intensity is extremely high. No… not just high. Judging purely by magical strength, this is almost at Floralan’s peak level.”

She turned toward Luo Tianyou.

“Little Tianyou, when you control this body, do you feel anything unusual?”

Luo Tianyou thought for a moment.

“It is hard to say. She has no consciousness, but she acts according to the Battle Suit’s instincts. And the Battle Suit has inherited a trace of Mother’s will.”

Xiao Yuan’s expression grew serious.

“This is not a simple Magic Avatar. Little Tianyou, this is an ideal form created by Floralan using her fundamental power and your life data. In a sense, you could call it another version of yourself that Floralan left behind for you.”

“Another version of myself?”

Luo Tianyou felt a faint sense of realization.

“Or rather, the form she hoped you would become — the version of you after fully maturing as a Magical Girl. Floralan really planned everything.”

Xiao Yuan withdrew her hand.

Luo Tianyi’s body dissolved into starlike glimmers and returned to Luo Tianyou.

“All right, the examination is complete. Conclusion: your body has no problems. It has merely been fixed in a pre-development state by Floralan through some method. Only by choosing to wear the Battle Suit will you transform into a Magical Girl and ultimately become one. If you stop wearing it, you may gradually lose your Magical Girl abilities and become an ordinary girl. As for why she did this…”

Xiao Yuan looked at Luo Tianyou with a gentle gaze.

“My guess is that she wanted to give you a choice.”

“A choice?”

“The choice of whether to fully become a Magical Girl. The choice of your own life.”

Xiao Yuan gently ruffled Luo Tianyou’s damp hair.

“Floralan loves her pranks and arrangements, but when it comes to the most important matters, she never forces you. She simply prepares the path. Whether you walk it, and how you walk it, is entirely up to you.”

Luo Tianyou stood there, stunned.

Mother… was giving her a choice?

She was not forcing her to become a girl, nor dictating her life.

She was only placing possibilities before her.

But the Diary…

Luo Tianyou’s body trembled.

Mother never intended to make her wear the Battle Suit.

She had only granted her child the power to overcome a crisis.

How had she come to resent Mother afterward?

Mother only wanted to help.

It was she who chose this path.

Was loving one’s child a mistake?

It was Yuexia Liuli’s actions that had filled her with disgust, which she had unknowingly extended to Magical Girls themselves.

Even now, Mother had left her a way out.

If she stopped wearing the Battle Suit, she would gradually return to her original self.

Without the Battle Suit, Yuexia Liuli, Li Huayu, Xiao Yuan, Evelyn — none of them would have entered her life.

Mother…

“But…”

Luo Tianyou’s voice choked.

“She is gone now. I cannot even ask her…”

Xiao Yuan gently embraced her.

“She may be gone, but everything she left behind speaks of her intentions — the promises, the Second Body, the magical guidance within you.”

“Little Tianyou, if you wish to remain as you are, then remain. If you wish to be a Magical Girl, wear the Battle Suit. If you prefer Luo Tianyi’s form, you may even guide your true body toward that shape. Every choice is yours.”

Luo Tianyou’s eyes reddened.

Not from sorrow, but from relief.

“Sister Xiao Yuan…”

Xiao Yuan softly brushed the corner of her eye.

“Take your time. Think it through clearly before deciding.”

They dried off, changed into clean sleepwear, and left the Bathroom.

The Living Room was filled with the sound of a television.

Li Huayu was watching the evening news.

It was about Kyriel in C City.

Zhou Zheng was holding a press conference.

Seeing them emerge, Li Huayu immediately stood.

“Tianyou, Sister Xiao Yuan, are you done talking?”

“Yes.”

Luo Tianyou nodded, her eyes still faintly red.

Li Huayu noticed but did not ask.

“I warmed some milk. Would you like some?”

“Yes.”

The three sat on the Sofa, sipping warm milk.

The channel switched to a Magical Girl animation.

The heroines shouted slogans of love and justice as they defeated Monsters.

Li Huayu watched with delight.

Luo Tianyou held her cup, her thoughts lingering on Xiao Yuan’s words.

Choice.

Mother had given her a choice.

Yet what Xiao Yuan did not know was this:

If she chose to stop wearing the Battle Suit, she would not become an ordinary girl — she would return to being a boy.

Would she want that?

Li Huayu burst into laughter at the show, leaning against Luo Tianyou’s shoulder, trembling with amusement.

Xiao Yuan sat beside them, watching quietly, a gentle smile on her lips.

Peaceful.

Warm.

Like a real family.

Luo Tianyou cherished moments like this.

In the past, after Mother’s death, he would have sat alone before the television.

Loneliness had once defined Luo Tianyou’s life.

But now there was Huayu.

There was Xiao Yuan.

Even Yuexia Liuli and Evelyn, in a distant sense.

All of this existed only because she had become a Magical Girl.

A faint smile formed on Luo Tianyou’s lips.

Xiao Yuan glanced at the time and set down her cup.

“It is getting late. I should head back. Little Tianyou, contact me anytime. Good night.”

“Good night, Sister Xiao Yuan.”

The door closed softly.

Only Luo Tianyou and Li Huayu remained.

The animation ended.

Advertisements began.

Li Huayu picked up the remote and turned off the television.

Silence filled the room.

“Tianyou, what were you and Sister Xiao Yuan talking about?”

Li Huayu asked.

“…Just some things about my body. A Magical Girl checkup. You know how it is.”

“Oh. So everything is fine with your body?”

“No problems. Just developing a bit slowly. More nutrition should help.”

“Then I will cook lots of delicious food for you so you can grow faster!”

Seeing her earnest expression, Luo Tianyou could not help but laugh.

“All right. Then you will be responsible for my meals.”

“Leave it to me!”

Li Huayu puffed out her chest, then suddenly blushed.

“Tianyou… can we kiss tomorrow?”

Luo Tianyou fell silent.

‘…’

How was she still thinking about that?

“We will talk about it tomorrow!”

She quickly stood and hurried toward the Bedroom.

“Time for sleep. Good night!”

“Wait! Tianyou, tell me first — can we or not?”

The door slammed shut.

Leaning against it, Luo Tianyou stared at the ceiling, smiling to herself.

Tomorrow.

Yes.

Could they kiss tomorrow?

Only girls could kiss like that.

Would tomorrow’s self be a girl?

Luo Tianyou believed so.

There were two beings within her.

One was a girl.

The other was also a girl.

Tomorrow’s self would be a girl.

This was Mother’s gift.

And she had chosen to accept it.