Jiang Lingwei felt both embarrassed and annoyed in her heart.
She didn’t understand it—how could she not remember the person opposite her, yet her heart couldn’t help but be drawn to them?
This wasn’t right. Didn’t she like youthful young girls?!
As a male magical girl, part of a magical girl team, wasn’t this basically a light novel cliché?
Come on.
She hurriedly recalled the beauty of her teammates in her mind, trying to stir up some desire.
As magical girls, each had their own charm in appearance and figure; any one of them would cause a crowd to fight for attention if they stepped outside.
However, after this mental exercise, Jiang Lingwei sadly realized she felt nothing.
For many years now, those little feelings had long transformed into genuine worry and pure comradeship.
Back then, she would think daily, “Here we go again, time for work!” “How many died? Damn monsters, my verdict is kill.” “Everyone, are you hurt? I’ll heal you!” Not wanting to work… when will those monsters finally be wiped out?
These four states cycled repeatedly, leaving any romantic or lesbian sentiments completely pushed aside long ago.
Besides, everyone was fighting against darkness. If she spent her days fantasizing, that would be way too flashy, repressive, and sordid. Jiang Lingwei’s own moral compass wouldn’t allow that. At most, she only dared to dream about life after retirement.
When she thought of love and such, the face of Jiang Cheng popped up in her mind instead.
“Stop, stop, stop!”
The girl suddenly shouted in embarrassment and anger, retreating several meters back again.
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Cheng asked with concern, rising to follow her.
“Don’t, don’t move!”
Jiang Lingwei planted her feet, one hand covering her face, the other raised in front of her, stammering:
“You have too much influence on me. You stay right there and don’t move!”
“Okay.”
Very obediently, Jiang Cheng stood still.
Only then did Jiang Lingwei sigh in relief and say:
“So, you’re like me. You don’t have much memory either, right?”
“Almost.”
Jiang Cheng nodded. “But I still remember you, and I remember our daughter.”
“Don’t say that…”
Mumbling softly, Jiang Lingwei didn’t quite know what to feel, so she forced herself to say:
“What about the rest? Do you remember anything about Yunxia’s magic armor? Or, have you ever met her in person?”
Jiang Lingwei described with a hint of hope:
“A magical girl in a spirit suit dressed like a ninja, wearing a mask with the Eastern Demon Tribe’s patterns on her face…”
She paused, then added,
“Very cool, doesn’t speak, looks cold—though it’s actually just social anxiety.”
Jiang Cheng fell silent, thinking carefully before answering:
“I must have met her.”
“Really?!”
“But…”
Facing Jiang Lingwei’s excited, wide-open eyes, Jiang Cheng said apologetically, “I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you. I only know that I’ve met her.”
“…”
Jiang Lingwei sat back down again.
“Well… never mind. I can’t force you.”
There was undeniable disappointment in her voice:
“Come to think of it, you’re about the same as me. So, do you remember anything else?”
“I love you.”
“Waaah! Don’t say that! When you say that, my knees go weak!”
Jiang Lingwei immediately crouched, holding her head defensively, shouting loudly, “Be serious! Stop joking around, talk about the real matter! Ming, can’t you remember anything at all?”
At this point, Jiang Lingwei had completely lost her temper. This body was just like the female lead in a novel—only difference being, the female lead would get weak-kneed when seeing OO, while she went weak-kneed when Jiang Cheng confessed.
Seems like… a little more innocent?
Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!
No way!
“I can’t remember.”
Jiang Cheng shook his head, his eyes filled with melancholy as he said:
“I’m really sorry.”
His silver hair drooped, beard sagged—his look reminded Jiang Lingwei of the neighbor’s Samoyed dog when scolded by its owner, looking pitiful and helpless.
“…It’s not your fault.”
Jiang Lingwei’s heart softened.
Or rather, as a magical girl, she’d never been hard-hearted. Now, she even felt that if the father of her child were a beast or a demon, it wouldn’t be so bad. At least then she could deal with it herself; even if she had to kill him, she wouldn’t feel wrong—only relief.
But seeing Jiang Cheng like this, how could she be so ruthless?
After some thought, Jiang Lingwei walked over and said to Jiang Cheng:
“There will be a way. I’ll find the memories I lost, and you will too.”
“Things will get better. The sky will clear again.”
She sighed and reached out her hand:
Besides, some things simply shouldn’t fall on him to bear—especially with a child involved.
Jumping straight into an old married couple relationship? Not realistic. Aside from what happened after that final battle, she was still a young girl herself. If asked to do too many feminine things, she wouldn’t know how.
Torn between these thoughts, Jiang Lingwei decided that no matter what had happened in the past, she would start by getting to know him again. That couldn’t be wrong.
“Oh, right.”
At that moment, Jiang Cheng pointed to the kunai stuck in the soil nearby:
“That magic armor… I have some other impressions.”
“What impressions?!”
“It was left for you.”
“Le—left for me?”
Jiang Lingwei was confused. “Why? Who left it for me? Yunxia?”
“I don’t know. I only know that without it, I wouldn’t have made it out. And it was originally meant for you.”
Jiang Cheng stood up, picked up the kunai, and handed the hilt end to Jiang Lingwei: “Want to try holding it?”
“…?”
“!”
Unexpectedly, the moment Jiang Lingwei gripped the kunai, everything before her eyes changed in an instant.
She first felt a faint warmth. The kunai’s color was like fiery clouds, burning her entire world red. A kind of misty magic wrapped around her whole body.
“Ah—”
Within this space, she seemed to hear that hidden ninja sliding past behind her.
Jiang Lingwei didn’t move.
She felt as if someone was behind her, someone very familiar.
“Is that you?”
Afraid to turn around, fearful the presence behind her might dissipate like mist, Jiang Lingwei only asked in a trembling voice.
Behind her, Yunxia’s voice—calm and simple but misunderstood by others as cold, actually just due to her social anxiety—rang out without answering directly. It sounded like a pre-recorded message playing back Jiang Lingwei’s words:
【I know Ming will surely come into your hands, Little Aurora.】
【I just believe this.】
【Don’t give up. You are the last hope.】
【Take this power. Ming will guide you to get what everyone left for you.】
【Good luck. I… oh, it seems I can’t say much more.】
【Still, I’m very happy—fighting and living with everyone was truly joyful.】
【That’s all.】 【Sorry, now it’s up to you.】