Dad, Please Let Me Be Your One-Pick!

On the other side,

Chu Yuanqing closed the Fairy Tale Book in her hand. She glanced at the Little Cotton-padded Jacket's adorable sleeping face, reached out her fingertips to gently stroke the ends of the hair on the other's forehead, her pink lips moved silently, said goodnight, and then pulled back the blanket on the bed, preparing to lie down and sleep.

--Knock knock knock.

A faint knock sounded, and an unexpected guest entered the father and daughter's room.

It was Kiriwake Yayoi.

Volume 1: 136. Xiao Qing, how many women have you kissed? (5K views, please vote)

Chu Yuanqing turned her head slightly, looked at the Little Idol who had stepped into the room, blinked, put her index finger to her lips, and her pink lips moved as she said "Shh," signaling the other person to speak softly.

Kiriwake Yayoi noticed Chu Wangshu, who had just fallen asleep on the bed. Understanding the situation, she smiled apologetically and tiptoed over, sitting down next to Chu Yuanqing so close that their thighs were almost touching.

Then, Little Sakura leaned closer, her moist lips almost biting Chu Yuanqing's ear. She had just brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth, the scent of lemon and mint lingering in her nostrils. She whispered softly:

"I saw Liuli sleeping in your room, so I came here to check."

Chu Yuanqing felt somewhat uncomfortable. Her intuition and even the lantern she was carrying told her that Yayoi was different today.

Should I say she's become more beautiful? Or more alluring?

That's not quite right either. While her facial features haven't changed, she's not exactly alluring or seductive.

Chu Yuanqing seemed to be deep in thought, as if he had just realized something.

By the way, Yayoi now looks just like she's on a stage. She seems to have integrated her stage presence into her daily life, shining brightly and radiating brilliance at all times.

Chu Yuanqing turned his head to look, and saw that the Little Idol's eyes were slightly upturned at the corners. Her usually brown pupils were now tinged with an alluring cherry blossom pink, like gemstones reflecting arcs of light in water. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

This is clear evidence of the extremely high purity of [Flow State].

Although Kiriwake Yayoi have stirred up Heart Tide and caused changes in her eye color in the past, only she herself could see it; otherwise, she would have been criticized by the audience on stage long ago.

But now it was different. As her Heart Tide surged with emotion, it was as if she were wearing colored contact lenses; her eyes seemed to shimmer with light as they moved.

Chu Yuanqing's heart sank slightly. What she cared about wasn't whether the eyes were beautiful or not, but the reason behind them.

If I'm not mistaken, the change in eye color indicates that the magic extracted from the Heart Tide is already interfering with, and even modifying, the host's organs.

In other words, this Little Idol, who is solely focused on being on stage and should have no connection to war, is unknowingly undergoing a gradual transformation in her Life Form, changing towards becoming Magical Girl.

Moreover, since it is a man-made lantern, no one knows whether any accidents might occur during the process.

Chu Yuanqing asked with some concern:

"Yayoi, have you been feeling unwell lately?"

The girl asked, her small face serious, and reached out to stroke the other person's face. Her Supernatural Senses activated, carefully examining the other person's condition.

Little Sakura had just emerged from her bath, her fair face still flushed slightly. Her skin felt supple and warm to the touch. When touched, her curly eyelashes trembled shyly. She blinked at the other person, obediently offering no resistance.

No, why are you suddenly asking this question?

Chu Yuanqing didn't answer. She was doing something important, using her slender, delicate fingertips to brush from her chin to her eyelids, then to her eyelashes, like a soft brush, circling around her eyes, giving a tingling and cool sensation before finally withdrawing her brush.

Chu Yuanqing understood the situation.

The artificial lantern called the Rose Covenant is beginning to merge with Yayoi's soul. When it reaches the stage where they are completely inseparable, it will officially begin the transformation of her Life Form.

This process is inevitable unless death occurs, and it cannot be forcibly interrupted.

This is nothing short of forced buying and selling; it's a despicable tactic to bind them to the war machine.

Chu Yuanqing took a deep breath, her emotions somewhat complicated. As someone who had lived through that era, she could understand the government's motives and methods.

Rather, if the Disaster Tide has already silently occurred, then it would be perfectly reasonable to adopt policies and measures that are a thousand times more stringent and cruel, or even to implement extreme plans to preserve civilization.

In an era of imminent collapse, freedom and the right to know are luxuries.

But understanding doesn't mean being able to accept it.

There were 168 contestants in the Sea Capital division of the "Flash Dance" competition, many of whom were only seventeen or eighteen years old. Even Kiriwake Yayoi was only 19 years old, just one year into adulthood. In her eyes, she was still very young, full of innocence and naivety.

Therefore, even for the sake of humanity's future.

Using dazzling dreams as bait, and packaging idols and stages to create a colossal lie to deceive these children into participating in the competition, is still too hypocritical and disgusting.

Chu Yuanqing understood that perhaps selecting suitable candidates to become Magical Girl from among them, and using them to combat a potential cataclysmic Disaster Tide, could prevent the sacrifice of even more people.

But... it shouldn't be like this.

She sacrificed millions of lives, erasing herself time and time again, carrying the prayers of so many loved ones and those she loved, bearing the expectations and sparks of civilization, and the new world she pioneered should never see such tragedies again.

Chu Yuanqing lowered his eyes, and a broken golden arc rippled in the depths of his pupils.

When she first learned that the [Calamity Beasts] still existed, her soul was filled with murderous intent. Hatred was like a raging sea of fire that melted glaciers, burning away all excess weakness and sorrow, leaving only an unwavering heart of stone.

But now, the strangeness in Kiriwake Yayoi's body is like a sharp knife piercing her heart, telling Chu Yuanqing a bloody truth.

That is, at this very moment, in various Flash Dance competition zones around the world, there are many children who have dreams and hopes for the future, but are simultaneously embracing the cruel fate of being destined to step onto the battlefield.

Chu Yuanqing was somewhat dazed.

For this ending, she burned her soul so many times, twisting and defiling herself, resisting the risk of being devoured, merging the authority of thirteen Disaster God, and finally even had to watch Charlotte commit suicide and shatter her soul, launching the final [Funeral Procession], accompanying the City of Doomsday to sink into the sea.

Now, the clock of fate has turned once more, and the wheels of history have brought forth a massive Disaster Tide. The seeds of tragedy have been sown in completely different yet ultimately the same way. Apart from being 17 years late, it seems that nothing has changed.

Chu Yuanqing was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. Her eyes dimmed, and she was drowning in memories of the past, like a lonely note stripped of its color, drifting in neglected ruins. Amidst the surging emotions, she whispered in her heart:

"Charlotte, I promised you I would create a world where you can be an idol without worry."

"I thought I kept my promise, I thought I could fulfill your dream."

"The plan to rewrite everything has failed. The [Calamity Beasts] still exist, and their root cause has not been eradicated. Perhaps we were both wrong; their root cause cannot be erased."

"If... you really participate in <Flashdance>, you will definitely follow the original path. You will be the best idol, the best Magical Girl, and naturally you will once again stand on the front line against the Disaster Tide."

"And this time, Chu Yuanqing will no longer be by your side."

"I'm sorry, I broke the contract."

Inside the lantern, a complex mix of emotions—loneliness, guilt, regret, sorrow, and remorse—transformed into a chaos distinct from pure white, spreading like a fine spiderweb, allowing an atmosphere as gentle as the sea and as somber as dusk to slowly permeate the room.

Kiriwake Yayoi remained silent. Looking at Chu Yuanqing, she felt as if he were a small boat being dragged to the bottom of the sea by a storm, somewhat lost and dejected.

--So far away.

Xiao Qing is like a cloud city reflected on the ocean tide, seemingly close at hand, yet actually unreachable, impossible to touch or embrace.

That golden splendor, bathed in the glow of twilight, is only worthy of those who have accompanied her through hardship, witnessed the Flower Bloom tides.

For some reason, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her.

These emotions came out of nowhere, but they weren't the shallow jealousy one felt towards Tang Liuli and Xie Qingxuan. Rather, it was as if another version of myself was feeling wronged and heartbroken.

On the other side,

Chu Yuanqing gradually emerged from the gloom. Her despondency was always short-lived; she quickly and decisively severed ties with her emotions and turned her attention to more practical issues.

1. Would Magical Girl created using an artificial lantern possess any flaws or risks?

2. To persuade the authorities to stop this plan, what reasonable alternative should be proposed?

3. How can we cope with the curse of the Sea of Truth and live longer?

Of these three questions, the third is clearly the most crucial.

If she had more time, she could naturally have finished these unfinished tasks and prevented similar tragedies from repeating themselves.

"Positive emotions, or rather, the will of all beings, can only attempt to repair the lantern and amplify magical power. To increase lifespan through this path, one must go to its end and create a miraculous magic powerful enough to reverse the Sea of Truth."

"That's unrealistic."

The Sea of Truth is the root of the world, the origin of the universe, and a cross-section of time, space, and destiny.

Even at his peak, Chu Yuanqing, wielding the authority of thirteen Disaster God and possessing [Levantin] who had fused ninety percent of the blessings, could only barely coordinate with Charlotte's blessing abilities to find a loophole, correct some tributaries, and thus change history.

The Sea of Truth cares little for the [Calamity Beasts], much less for human civilization.

Chu Yuanqing was cursed only because she triggered a taboo and violated its mechanism.

The reason she became more vibrant and normal after transforming into Magical Girl is almost certainly because the magic that corrected the cause and effect of the entire world in that instant when she became Witch blurred the concept of [Chu Yuanqing] as an individual.

This directly blurred the punishment mechanism of the Sea of Truth, thus extending its life by a few more months, which was a way of coping by half-skipping class.

The problem is that magic of that level is neither reproducible nor replicable.

Chu Yuanqing's identity has absolutely no connection to his past, whether in terms of physical appearance, World Record, or karmic past. The reason he can achieve this effect is entirely due to the miraculous magic that was activated in celebration when the Pure White Witch was born.

The only way to go further is to completely forget [Chu Yuanqing], and to erase all his records and traces on a causal level.

Simply put, it's impossible.

This is also why Chu Yuanqing didn't try to struggle; she no longer had the leverage to contend with a behemoth like the Sea of Truth.

"Xiao Qing?"

Kiriwake Yayoi's slightly worried question interrupted Chu Yuanqing's thoughts.

Chu Yuanqing immediately snapped out of her daze, realizing that her state seemed a bit strange to others. She quickly looked up, smiled, and replied softly:

"I'm fine, I was just... a little sleepy, so I spaced out for a bit."

"By the way, Yayoi, is there something you need from me?"

Upon Kiriwake Yayoi took a deep breath, her cherry-pink eyes looking at the other person, and said softly with a serious expression:

"Xiao Qing, I've come to ask you a few questions."

Chu Yuanqing didn't think much of it; she simply replied:

"Is it about training? Go ahead and ask."

With hope and anticipation, Kiriwake Yayoi stared at the other person's face and asked, word by word:

"Xiao Qing, did you kiss Xie Qingxuan on your own initiative?"

Chu Yuanqing was completely bewildered by this incredibly direct and direct attack, which was practically aimed right at his face.

She felt a chill run down her spine and was on pins and needles. It was like a young widow having an affair with a younger man, only to be caught in bed by her neighbor's high school girl. She felt an awkward sense of being exposed for both immorality and taboo, a socially embarrassing experience of the year.

Chu Yuanqing glanced at her sleeping daughter beside her, nervously placing her finger to her lips, pleading with her to speak softly. Her gaze was unusually unfocused and evasive, as if her secret had been exposed and she was at a loss for what to do.

That's so strange, so very strange.

Mingming and Qingxuan, as well as Yayoi, were just normal friends. Why did things turn out like this?

Chu Yuanqing instinctively wanted to shake her head, but didn't know how to deny it. She hadn't even considered how Little Sakura knew, and simply gritted her teeth, replying honestly:

"... Although it may be different from what you imagined, in terms of the outcome, this statement is correct."

The hope in Kiriwake Yayoi's eyes was shattered.

It's true, what Xie Qingxuan said is true.

But why? Did Xiao Qing truly fall for him, and that's why she took the initiative to kiss and confess her feelings?

If that's the case, shouldn't I, who don't want to be the Little Fox, let go here and wish Xiao Qing happiness in the future?

At this moment, Little Sakura felt an unprecedented hope: the person she liked was a scumbag. Perhaps then she would even have the right to be scumbag herself. Tears welled in her eyes, and she forced back her bitterness and grievances, sniffed, and asked with pursed lips:

When did this happen?

Looking at Yayoi's aggrieved and sad expression, Chu Yuanqing felt a pang of shame and guilt.

Yes, Yayoi respects idols and the stage so much, she must despise someone who engages in promiscuous relationships during their trainee days, not to mention that Yayoi has always felt that she and the other person are the same kind of people.

Therefore, it's perfectly normal for the other person to feel disillusioned, and even to feel betrayed by a friend; it's entirely reasonable for them to show this expression.

But...

Such a situation, for which there is no real explanation, can only be a misunderstanding.

Chu Yuanqing sighed inwardly. Overwhelmed by guilt, she chose to tell the truth:

"It was the afternoon we returned to the show after shooting that wedding dress commercial together."

Kiriwake Yayoi was struck dumb. She thought she was mentally prepared, but when she heard this shocking time, she still felt like the world was collapsing. The pure white wedding dress that had given birth to her love and stirred her feelings of affection was shattered in her mind.

The mist in Little Sakura's eyes grew thicker, her emotions were starting to spiral out of control, but she still tried her best to restrain herself, calmly pursing her lips as she said:

"Why that particular day? Was it to explain to Xie Qingxuan that filming that commercial with me was purely for work purposes?"

"Then, in order to prove that you liked her, not me, you chose to prove it by taking the initiative to kiss her, right?"