Chapter 34: Start

The light in the corridor spilled down.

Luo Tianyou held the bundle tightly, wearing her old Magic System girl Cosplay Outfit, her long hair disheveled and loose.

She only wanted to leave here as quickly as possible, to get away from that dangerous and unpredictable bastard.

But as soon as she stepped out the door, a figure flashed through her mind.

Li Huayu.

Where was she now?

When she left in the morning, Li Huayu was still in the room, but when she returned, she was gone.

She’d told her, “You can follow me,” and given her a Promise.

If she just walked away like this, how was she any different from those who used her, hurt her, treated her as nothing more than a tool?

No.

She had to take her with her.

Luo Tianyou clenched her small fists, but then a new problem came to mind.

She was marked by the seal of Yuexia Liuli.

If she didn’t remove it, no matter where she ran, Yuexia Liuli would drag her back.

Damn it, she really was too weak, too powerless.

Gritting her teeth, Luo Tianyou realized the only way left was to search her mother’s belongings.

She had to gain control over her power and erase the mark.

Her thoughts were so absorbed that she didn’t notice what was ahead, almost colliding headlong into a girl who suddenly appeared at the corridor’s corner.

“Ah!”

Luo Tianyou staggered back, nearly dropping the bundle.

She looked up.

A face, so gentle it seemed to embrace all sorrow and unease, gazed down at her.

Shoulder-length pink hair tied into neat butterfly bows with red ribbons on each side, porcelain-white skin, and eyes like Warm Sun Eyes—smiling as they watched her.

She wore a light pink Magic System girl battle dress, the hem reaching her knees and exposing white legs.

There was no obvious magic fluctuation on her, but simply standing there, she exuded a calming aura.

“Xiao Tianyou? You’re Flora’s child, Luo Tianyou, right?”

The girl looked at her in surprise, pink hair swaying with her movement.

“I’m Xiaoyuan, once your mother’s good friend. You can call me sister.”

Xiaoyuan hurried forward, reaching out, her eyes filled with joy as she gently brushed the tears from Luo Tianyou’s cheek.

“Xiao Tianyou, really, why are you crying? Your eyes are all red. Who would bear to bully such a beautiful, adorable girl?”

Luo Tianyou stared at her in a daze, her brain stalling.

Xiaoyuan, S-rank Magic System girl, also her mother’s friend.

She knew this, but had never met her in person—only seen photos online.

And she said she was a girl?

Xiaoyuan became a Magic System girl before her mother.

If her mother mentioned her to Xiaoyuan, shouldn’t it be clear she was a boy?

Or, in Xiaoyuan-senpai’s mind, was Flora’s child naturally a girl?

Did her mother not say? Did she lie?

How did Xiaoyuan recognize her?

She wasn’t even in her battle dress, and her appearance had already turned into that of a girl.

Luo Tianyou’s mind was in chaos.

For a moment, she forgot to break free from Xiaoyuan’s hand, forgot to keep running.

Xiaoyuan seemed to take her blankness as a child’s grievance at being comforted by a long-lost relative.

She gently put her arm around Luo Tianyou’s shoulders.

“Come, let’s go back to the room. It’s cold outside, and you’re dressed so lightly. Whatever’s troubling you, whatever you need to say, you can tell sister slowly. Sister can solve any problem for you, all right?”

Luo Tianyou was half pushed, half guided, following Xiaoyuan back into the suite’s living room.

She was seated on the sofa; Xiaoyuan sat beside her, holding her hand.

The living room was quiet.

The bedroom door was closed.

Yuexia Liuli was still asleep.

“It’s all right, don’t be afraid. The magic within you is your mother’s. It’s unique, so I can tell you’re her child. I was your mother’s good friend, and I know many things about you—like how you did Map Drawing Bedwetting, stole apples from the Offering Table, and lost a fight with the Yellow Dog next door over food…”

Xiaoyuan’s voice was gentle, as if pouring out every trouble could be solved just by confiding in her.

Ever since her mother died, Luo Tianyou hadn’t felt this kind of warm, caring presence from an older woman.

Xiaoyuan exuded an aura of calm, making Luo Tianyou part her lips.

“I beat the Yellow Dog.”

“All right, all right, you beat it.”

Xiaoyuan smiled warmly.

Luo Tianyou realized she’d been teased.

“Lady Xiaoyuan…”

“Call me sister. Flora and I were very close friends. I watched you grow up—back then, you were so small, always cradled in Flora’s arms, wrapped up like a cute little dumpling. Flora adored you, always showing off her adorable little girl.

She could hardly bear to let anyone else hold you. Before I knew it, you’d grown into such a graceful young lady and even inherited Flora’s power of the starry sky. Time flies.”

Xiaoyuan pinched Luo Tianyou’s cheek.

Listening, Luo Tianyou’s thoughts grew even more jumbled.

So Xiaoyuan saw her when she was little.

Back then, her mother already lied to Xiaoyuan, saying she was a girl?

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Luo Tianyou’s forehead, her brows knotting tightly.

Again.

That car accident that landed her in the Hospital, injured her head.

Every time she tried to recall things from eight or nine years ago or earlier, her head hurt, and nothing came to mind.

According to the diary, her mother had anticipated a situation where Luo Tianyou would have to don the Magic System girl battle dress after her death and had started spreading the idea she was a girl back then?

Was that really enough of a reason?

“What’s wrong? Does your head hurt?”

Xiaoyuan noticed her discomfort, placing a hand on Luo Tianyou’s forehead.

A gentle wave of magic flowed in, soothing the pain.

“It’s nothing…”

Luo Tianyou shrank back.

Xiaoyuan’s touch was gentle, entirely different from Yuexia Liuli’s invasive feel, but the excessive intimacy still made her uncomfortable.

“Don’t be nervous, Xiao Tianyou.”

Xiaoyuan withdrew her hand, her smile still gentle.

“I know it must be unsettling to suddenly meet a strange sister.”

Luo Tianyou lifted her head.

Xiaoyuan’s appearance had brought unexpected confusion, but now was the time to seize the opportunity.

“Xiaoyuan…sister, thank you, but I want to leave here. I want to go now. There’s a mark on my neck. Can you remove it?”

She exposed the moonlit mark on her neck.

“Leave? So someone did bully you. It was Yuexia Liuli, wasn’t it?”

Xiaoyuan glanced at the moonlit mark, sighing softly.

She’d arrived in response to a distress signal.

At first, she didn’t know of Luo Tianyou’s existence, only discovering on the way that a new, unfamiliar Magic System girl had appeared in the city—Flora’s child, Luo Tianyou.

That made her happy, but she quickly realized another S-rank Magic System girl, Yuexia Liuli, was also in the city.

She knew what had happened ten years ago.

Back then, Flora had forced Yuexia Liuli into a Promise, making her act as Luo Tianyou’s dog.

It affected Yuexia Liuli more deeply than anyone realized, even twisted her.

Now this mark, brimming with possessive and controlling intent, seemed like an attempt to make Luo Tianyou her own dog.

What could an Old Generation like her say about the affairs of the young?

In her own days as a Magic System girl, monsters ran rampant, the world was on the brink, and everywhere was filled with despair.

There wasn’t so much love and drama.