Chapter 258
"That's how I've always been addressed; I'm used to it..."
Chen Xiaoxia sat casually on the ground, muttering to herself.
On the other end of the video call Fang Ming sighed softly and said to Chen Xiaoxia:
"At least, you're comrades, aren't you?"
"... That girl never considered me a comrade; she just... just saw us as beings who needed to be protected."
Chen Xiaoxia hugged her legs tightly, held her phone in both hands, and responded in a low voice.
Don't you need to be protected?
"Brother Fang Ming, how could even you—!"
"If you don't like being 'lectured' by your peers, or having Xiao Bai speak to you in an elder's tone, then I'll do it. Chen Xiaoxia ... you've gone too far this time."
Fang Ming said to Chen Xiaoxia in a deep voice.
Then, without waiting for Chen Xiaoxia to speak, he said again:
"You think you've created a new move, an ability to defeat Xiao Bai, and you're starting to feel smug, thinking you've become stronger, right? But that's not becoming stronger at all! Xiao Bai's surrender was just because he didn't want you to get hurt!"
"In the end, if it weren't for Xiao Bai adding an extra layer of protective magic, the injuries you and Xiao Bai suffered would likely have been even more severe!"
"No, I..."
"There's nothing wrong with striving to become stronger, and there's nothing wrong with having the courage to fight to the death rather than admit defeat when facing a powerful enemy! In fact, such courage is admirable. But the question is... is Xiao Bai your enemy?"
"..." Chen Xiaoxia's pupils contracted slightly, and her lips trembled.
"Answer me! Chen Xiaoxia! Is Xiao Bai your enemy?!"
Fang Ming's tone became more forceful.
Chen Xiaoxia's eyes reddened again. She began to shake her head, afraid to speak, lest she burst into tears.
Fang Ming then continued, "Xiao Bai isn't your enemy, nor is she the target you should have used this move on, yet you did. Do you truly consider Xiao Bai your ally?"
Perhaps realizing he had already spoken harshly enough, Fang Ming's subsequent words softened:
"Perhaps you just wanted to win, and were blinded by the desire to win once, but no matter what, it's an undeniable fact that you used a move that shouldn't have been used on your partner during a sparring match against Xiao Bai."
"I... I... didn't..."
"You might think of Xiao Bai as a partner, but think about it carefully. If you were sparring with Xiao Qiu or Xiao Chun, would you use the same skills on them to try and 'take them down with you'?"
"..."
"No, right?" Fang Ming said in a low voice, "Xiaoxia... you're still a child, but you can't stay a child forever. We can tolerate your willfulness once, twice, or even countless times, but that can't be a reason for you to hurt your 'comrades'."
"Moreover, in front of outsiders, just one act of willfulness is enough for them to sentence you to 'death' in terms of your character. You will lose more than that, and you may even lose everything you care about."
"I didn't really want to say too much to you. Although Uncle Chen asked me to take care of you, I've always wanted to treat you like a real adult. But this time... I feel like I should say something to you."
Fang Ming said earnestly, "You are no longer a child. From today onwards... no, from the day you become Magical Girls, you will be responsible for every action and every choice you make."
"Every time you do something, you need to understand the consequences. Like this time... You might feel wronged, like your efforts have been trampled on, but have you ever thought that the truly heartbroken people are actually Xiao Bai and those who care about you?"
"Have you ever thought about how Xiao Bai, your 'comrade,' would feel when you used this move against her? Have you ever thought about how Xiao Qiu and Xiao Chun would feel seeing you lying on the ground covered in wounds?"
Fang Ming's words were very long, and Xiaoxia was already sobbing uncontrollably, unable to even say "I'm sorry," because she was afraid that if she did, she would burst into tears in front of Fang Ming.
The video continued, and Fang Ming on the other end did not stop lecturing Xiaoxia because of her crying.
He looked at Xiaoxia and finally said, "Xiaoxia, so... do you understand what you should do?"
"... I... boohoo... I'll go... apologize... boohoo... I'm sorry... I really didn't mean it... Brother Fang Ming, I really didn't expect it to turn out like this... boohoo, I'm sorry..."
Chen Xiaoxia finally couldn't hold back her tears and burst into sobs.
Fang Ming breathed a sigh of relief and said softly to Chen Xiaoxia:
"Although... I still have a lot to say about your move, let's save that for later. Now, wipe away your tears and do what you should do, Xiaoxia."
After saying this, Fang Ming hung up the phone.
The phone call ended, the screen went dark, and Fang Ming's image was reflected in the black screen. Looking at the reflection on the screen, Fang Ming let out a long sigh.
Chen Xiaoxia is an idiot; he already knew that.
This child always acts solely on his own impulses; to put it nicely, he fights on instinct; to put it bluntly, he does things without ever using his brain.
She was able to throw her greatsword when fighting the Demons, and she was able to use immature moves when fighting Xiao Bai. These were all things she did on a whim.
But you can't say she was wrong, because under the circumstances, it was indeed the only way to 'win'.
However, precisely because of this, Chen Xiaoxia's actions may unintentionally hurt some people, and also hurt herself.
Fang Ming wasn't actually that angry about Chen Xiaoxia's crying.
Because in Fang Ming's eyes, she was a child, and she had the right to cry and scream like that.
But not in front of other people.
Especially in front of Demons, her tears would not elicit any sympathy from her enemies.
Ultimately, this is also Sky Screen's fault.
The appearance of the Sky Screen caused Chen Xiaoxia to lose many opportunities for growth. Compared with Chen Xiaoxia in the Sky Screen, Chen Xiaoxia's current mental state is no different from that after the first season ended.
The growth rate was almost zero.
So if the Chen Xiaoxia on the Sky Screen can still weigh the pros and cons and know what to do and what not to do, then the real Chen Xiaoxia will still act entirely based on her intuition, just like before.
Not just Xiaoxia, but also Xiao Qiu and Xiao Chun.
Even Xiao Bai himself is the same.
They all missed an opportunity to grow.
Therefore, similar incidents will likely occur again in the future, Fang Ming must find a way to make up for this part of his growth path.
Otherwise, if we push the timeline to the third season in reality... the Magical Girls in reality probably can't compare to those in the Sky Screen.
Volume 3 Side Story <Magical Girl Aurora>: Chapter 284 Fang Ming, he's really handsome...
The day passed peacefully.
Apart from Chen Xiaoxia causing a big commotion, almost nothing else happened that day.
The Aurora Society's three large experimental bases have been eliminated, and the remaining smaller bases are like isolated islands in the ocean, completely disconnected from each other. It's only a matter of time before they are destroyed.
Xilisi was rescued, Bear-Eared Girl, who could potentially become the final boss of the side story, was also being monitored by Xiao Bai.
In reality, almost no accidents will occur.
Therefore, the Magical Girls, unusually, settled down and devoted themselves entirely to watching the eighth episode.
However, before episode eight begins.
Xiaoxia found Xiao Bai, who was standing alone on the second-floor balcony.
"Hey... um..."
After spending the afternoon composing herself, Xiaoxia stood awkwardly next to Xiao Bai, glancing left and right but not daring to meet Xiao Bai's eyes. She remained silent for a long time.
"What's up?"
Xiao Bai sat on the balcony railing, waiting for the start of the eighth episode of the spin-off.
Chen Xiaoxia took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. As if making a major decision, she bowed deeply to Xiao Bai and said very seriously:
"I'm so sorry about what happened during the day! I shouldn't have used that trick on you! I shouldn't have lost my temper with you, so... please forgive me!!"
Chen Xiaoxia's voice was so loud that even the Magical Girls downstairs could hear it.
However, the Magical Girls downstairs showed no intention of coming up to disturb the two.
Xiao Bai glanced at Chen Xiaoxia and said coldly:
"I accept your apology, but I do not forgive you."
"!!!"
Chen Xiaoxia looked up instantly, staring at Xiao Bai in disbelief.
Wait, is this script written correctly?
Logically, shouldn't the other person accept your apology, choose to forgive you, and then you all end up making dumplings together?
Why did the other person choose not to forgive?
Having never experienced the harsh realities of society, Chen Xiaoxia's mind went blank at that moment, and she didn't know how to say the rest of her words.
Xiao Bai continued:
"There's no such thing as being forgiven just because you apologize. You should be prepared that if you do something wrong, you might not be able to get forgiveness from others."
"..."
"... That's what I meant to say." As Chen Xiaoxia lowered her head, feeling dejected, Xiao Bai suddenly changed her mind:
"But I also bear responsibility for this."
She stood on the balcony railing, turned to Xiaoxia and said:
"I am a stranger to you, none of you know me, but I suddenly appeared and started lecturing you, negating everything you have. This is my mistake."
Chen Xiaoxia looked up and stared blankly at her.
Xiao Bai concluded, "So, the mistakes cancel each other out, and I forgive you."
Chen Xiaoxia's eyes flickered. She opened her mouth slightly, as if to say something, but in the end, she only slowly uttered a single word:
"... Thanks."
"That's strange, I thought you'd immediately cheer up and argue with me."
"Perhaps... I would have done that before," Chen Xiaoxia said softly, leaning against the railing. "But after talking with Fang Ming, I realized that not everyone can accept my willfulness. I was too immature before."
"Ah... yes, it's good that you understand."
Chen Xiaoxia's change was so rapid that it surprised Xiao Bai, but it wasn't a bad thing, so Xiao Bai didn't say anything more.
"... I'm just unwilling to accept it," Chen Xiaoxia suddenly said. She looked at her right hand, clenched it gently as if holding her Magical Armament, and said to Xiao Bai:
"I wasn't willing to fall further and further behind you, I wasn't willing to just watch your back forever, so... I thought I had to beat you at least once... but I almost..."
She almost did something she might regret for the rest of her life.
No, it wasn't just a little bit; she actually did it. She just didn't immediately realize what was happening and apologize to Xiao Bai afterwards.
"I haven't always been this strong." Xiao Bai sat down on the railing again, close to Xiaoxia, and looked at the Sky Screen.
"Actually, even before you came to the Americas District, my strength was already inferior to yours."
"Huh?"
"So I came to the Americas District not just to find the Magical Girls here, but also to avoid 'sparring' with you guys. Otherwise... wouldn't it be embarrassing for the 'seniors' who have always been no match for you?"
Xiao Bai's voice remained calm, but a blush crept onto her cheeks, as if she felt embarrassed about her lack of strength.
"So... you worry about this too?" Chen Xiaoxia was quite surprised.
"Otherwise what?" Xiao Bai rolled her eyes. "You watched the second season too. You know what I did when I wasn't strong enough. You should know very well that I'm actually the same as you. Neither of us likes to be left behind."
"You really are cunning, running away when you were outmatched..."
"It would be such a disgrace to fail in front of you."
"Huh? What do you mean by that! Is it shameful to be defeated by me?"
"Being defeated by an idiot who doesn't even take care of his own body... yeah, that's really embarrassing."
"Ugh, ugh--!"
Chen Xiaoxia gritted her teeth, looking ready to fight Xiao Bai again, but she quickly deflated and said helplessly:
"Fine, say what you want, I can't beat you right now anyway."
"So, you're admitting defeat in today's fight?"
"Yes, we lost. A victory won in that way can hardly be called a victory. Being less skilled is being less skilled, and being unable to win is being unable to win. Constantly emphasizing that you won only makes you look bad."
Chen Xiaoxia said very casually.
After talking to Fang Ming today, Chen Xiaoxia also had a good cry.