Three-Year Promise / Fanservice Always Comes in Episodes Seven and Eight

Fang Ming looked up and saw Xiao Chun standing in front of the meeting room door.

Chapter 26: Three-Year Promise

What did it feel like when a girl's feelings were made public?

At first, Xiao Chun felt embarrassed and worried, but she also carried a small sense of anticipation.

She had hoped that after Fang Ming learned of this, he would accept her feelings. She had hoped that, from then on, she could openly say that she liked him.

It was because she held onto that hope that, when He Xuan called her over, she personally came to the Rock City branch.

But however much anticipation she had felt then was matched by her disappointment after hearing Fang Ming say that he did not see her that way.

Her feelings had become known to everyone, openly placed on the table as a subject of discussion, and in the end, she had been personally rejected by the person she liked.

If the Magical Girls of this world were the kind who could turn into Witches, Xiao Chun probably would not have been able to bear it.

But fortunately, the Magical Girls in this world were, for now, just the child-oriented kind. Forget turning into Witches—even in the first few episodes, no one had died.

So Xiao Chun was merely feeling down, and her magic was slightly affected. Other than that, there were no major changes.

And after receiving counseling from a psychologist, Xiao Chun felt much better.

At least, she would no longer sink into a depressed mood by herself like she had just now.

Even so, when she saw Fang Ming again, Xiao Chun still did not dare to raise her head and meet his eyes.

She clutched the hem of her skirt with both hands and remained silent for a long time.

In the end, Fang Ming was the one who spoke first and asked Xiao Chun,

"Want to go for a walk?"

"..." Only then did Xiao Chun look up at Fang Ming. Their eyes met, and she finally nodded.

The two arrived at the rooftop of the building.

They could have gone to the plaza outside, but there were too many people there. Both Xiao Chun and Fang Ming were celebrities in a sense now, and with the Sky Screen having just exposed Xiao Chun's feelings, walking through the plaza would probably draw even more attention.

And though they said they were going for a walk, they were actually having a private conversation.

So compared to the more eye-catching plaza, the rooftop was clearly the better choice.

When they arrived on the rooftop and the breeze brushed over her, Xiao Chun felt much more clear-headed.

Looking out over the distant city, Xiao Chun took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and turned to Fang Ming.

"Brother Fang Ming, I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"It's nothing. Still, I never expected someone like me to have a day when someone would like me."

Fang Ming deliberately spoke in a relaxed tone.

But Xiao Chun said firmly,

"Brother Fang Ming, you're amazing! You're not 'someone like that' at all. In my heart... you're my hero!"

"..." Hearing that, Fang Ming awkwardly scratched his cheek.

But Xiao Chun continued as though she had opened a floodgate.

"Maybe at first, I only developed feelings for you and started liking you because you saved me, Brother Fang Ming. But over these past few months, the longer I spent with you, the more I realized what an amazing person you are!

"You care about us, stay by our side, comfort us when we're upset, and point us in the right direction when we're lost.

"Every time we spent time together, every time we met again, my feelings for you grew stronger. So... liking you isn't just a moment of impulse, nor is it some misunderstanding of a 'life-saving debt.'

"I like you because I like you! Brother Fang Ming, I like you!"

"!?"

She came right out with it?!

For a virgin boy who had never had a girlfriend, having a beautiful girl shout "I like you" straight to his face was devastatingly effective.

Fang Ming felt as though his heart had been violently shaken. If he truly had feelings for Xiao Chun in that sense, he probably would not have been able to stop himself from nodding and accepting.

But unfortunately, for Xiao Chun's sake and for his own, Fang Ming could only reject her feelings.

Just as Fang Ming was about to speak, however, Xiao Chun continued,

"But... Brother Fang Ming definitely won't accept me right now, will you? Because I'm still not mature enough, and Brother Fang Ming... you still aren't ready to accept me either... so..."

Xiao Chun took a deep breath and said seriously, "Three years! I hope... Brother Fang Ming can wait for me for three years! Give me three years!

"If I haven't changed my mind three years from now, and if Brother Fang Ming comes to like me, even just a little... then... then at that time... I'll confess to you again, Brother Fang Ming! I hope... that you can accept me then!"

Her face was completely flushed. It was obvious that she was embarrassed beyond measure.

Yet no matter how embarrassed or awkward she felt, Xiao Chun still stared resolutely at Fang Ming and spoke the thoughts in her heart.

That made it impossible for Fang Ming to say the words that had been about to leave his mouth.

What could he say?

If Xiao Chun had confessed to Fang Ming directly here and waited for his response, he might have rejected her confession.

But now, Xiao Chun had cleverly taken a step back and given them both three years to ease into things.

Xiao Chun was still young now. Perhaps she did not understand what liking someone meant, but three years later, after growing up, she would surely understand what liking someone was and what "love" was.

By then, it would no longer be appropriate for Fang Ming to use his current reasoning.

Besides, whether Fang Ming would come to like Xiao Chun by then was still unknown.

Three years was a long time. Countless things could happen during that period, especially for Magical Girls. A single month was enough for them to experience things that others might never experience in an entire lifetime.

So Xiao Chun's proposal of a Three-Year Promise was quite clever.

She understood that Fang Ming could not accept her, and she understood even more clearly that if she truly confessed, it would be no different from charging toward death.

So she left three years for both herself and Fang Ming.

A three-year gap was enough for them to carefully think through their feelings for each other.

"...All right, if you insist."

What else could Fang Ming say at this point?

The girl had already taken a step back and given them three years. Could he really not even wait three years?

And besides, whether Fang Ming rejected or agreed here would not affect the "plot development" on the Sky Screen.

So for now, he would go along with Xiao Chun's wishes.

After gathering the courage to say all that, Xiao Chun's last bit of courage was finally exhausted.

Her face red, she said, "Sorry," then ran past Fang Ming.

As she passed him... Fang Ming vaguely saw what seemed to be tears falling from her eyes... though he did not know whether it was just his imagination.

"What a sin..."

After Xiao Chun left, Fang Ming rubbed his temples and sighed.

If he had known this would happen, he should have just saved Xiao Chun while using Xiao Bai's appearance. At worst, he could have left afterward.

But because he had emerged directly from beneath the water and there had been quite a few people on shore—

And because it would have been inappropriate for Fang Ming, Xiao Chun's guardian, to be absent when something happened to her, he had undone his transformation halfway through and emerged from the water carrying Xiao Chun.

That way, at least no one would suspect that he and Xiao Bai were the same person.

Judging from what the Sky Screen had shown, his choice back then had absolutely been correct. Otherwise, the fact that he and Xiao Bai were the same person would probably have been exposed by now.

But... who could have imagined that doing so would capture a girl's heart?

Fang Ming, Fang Ming, you really are steeped in sin!

Fang Ming cursed himself in his heart, then looked up at the Sky Screen, which was not playing anything, and stared blankly.

So, back to the question.

What exactly was this Sky Screen?

And when... would he be exposed?

Thinking about these things, Fang Ming stared at the Sky Screen in silence for a long time.

Chapter 27: Fanservice Always Comes in Episodes Seven and Eight

Xiao Chun's matter was temporarily resolved in just one day.

Nothing else happened throughout that day.

No "monsters" like the Toy Bear appeared again, and time peacefully moved on to the next day.

Then, at the usual time the next day, the Sky Screen lit up once more, and Episode Seven of Magical Girl Xiao Qiu arrived as scheduled.

"It really is one episode a day now."

Fang Ming looked at the glowing screen in the sky and found it strange.

The story had originally been one episode a week, but now it had become one episode a day. Thinking of the Toy Bear that had suddenly appeared before this change, it looked no matter how he saw it as though the Sky Screen was speeding up the plot in order to quickly transition into the second season.

So...

Was the person behind the Toy Bear important? Or dangerous? Was that why the Sky Screen had no choice but to change the schedule to one episode a day, trying to expose that person as soon as possible?

If that was true, then the person behind it was probably feeling anxious too.

"I just hope that person doesn't do anything stupid."

Fang Ming was somewhat worried.

While the Sky Screen accelerating its broadcasts would let everyone learn sooner who had created the toy puppet, it could also provoke the person behind it.

Who knew whether that person would worry about being exposed and make some huge move in advance?

So if possible, Fang Ming felt it would be better to follow the previous schedule: one episode a week, giving them time to search for the person behind it.

Although that would give the person behind it time to prepare, it would also give Xiao Qiu and the other Magical Girls, as well as Fang Ming himself, time to prepare.

He believed that with the power of the state behind them, their preparations would be more thorough than those of the person behind it.

But unfortunately, they still did not understand how the Sky Screen worked, and Fang Ming had no way to stop it from showing what it wanted.

The same was true for Xiao Qiu and the others.

So they could only watch as the Sky Screen continued to show the next part of the story.

And when Fang Ming saw the opening of Episode Seven, he could not help but freeze.

Because the opening of Episode Seven...

Took place at an outdoor swimming pool.

[The scene opened with a distant view of the pool, before the camera shifted to Xiao Qiu.

She bounced twice on the diving board above the pool, then plunged straight into the water without any form whatsoever.

Then, with a splash, countless droplets of water erupted above the pool. Xiao Qiu immediately sprang out from beneath the water and shouted cheerfully toward the shore.

"Xiaoxia, Xiao Chun! Come play too!"

"I... I'll pass! I'll just watch from the shore!"

Chen Xiaoxia, wearing a one-piece swimsuit, clutched the swim ring around her waist tightly and nervously shouted back at Xiao Qiu.

Behind her, Xiao Chun, dressed in a two-piece swimsuit, wore a rare mischievous smile. Before Xiaoxia could react at all, Xiao Chun gave her a push and shoved her into the water.

"Waaaaaah!!!!"

Unable to swim well, Chen Xiaoxia screamed as she fell into the pool. She flailed around several times before finally managing to float on the water with the help of her swim ring.

When she realized that Xiao Chun had pushed her into the water, an anime anger mark appeared on Chen Xiaoxia's forehead. She then shouted at Xiao Chun,

"XIAO CHUN!!! YOU'RE DEAD!!!!"

With that, she dog-paddled toward the shore, determined to drag Xiao Chun into the water with her.

The girls cheered and played in the pool. At the edge of the pool, Fang Ming, wearing swim trunks and a floral shirt, lay on a lounge chair beneath a parasol, sipping cola as he sighed.

"This is youth."

Nino did not respond. Instead, she lay on the table and gave a huge yawn, her tail swaying lazily.]