Chapter 348
This is the price they pay for always having an easy time.
Xiao Bai witnessed all of this, and after a long silence, she approached Xiao Qiu and the others, and said softly:
"Don't interfere, I'll fight her."
"Black? Are you trying to show off by yourself again?" Chen Xiaoxia looked at Xiao Bai suspiciously.
Xiao Bai glared at her lightly. "Idiot, I just wanted you to see her moves clearly, and incidentally... to stimulate my potential as well."
After all, among the Magical Girls in the Central Continent District, only Xiao Bai and Song Niandong remain who haven't activated their Shining Form.
Hearing this, the Magical Girls said no more. They obediently stayed by Kelly's side and watched as Xiao Bai flew up to fight Chihiro.
However, the battle between Xiao Bai and Chihiro wasn't pretty.
In Xiao Qiu's eyes, Xiao Bai was invincible; wherever she appeared, the situation would be completely stabilized.
Xiao Bai seems to have become synonymous with 'safety'.
Even when Xiao Bai in the Sky Screen was in extremely poor condition, every time she appeared, it was basically a turning point.
Therefore, Xiao Qiu and the others have rarely seen Xiao Bai suffer setbacks in battle.
Until now.
When Chihiro fought Xiao Bai, she was clearly holding back.
Because Xiao Bai didn't use any ranged attacks like Magic Cannon, and Chihiro also didn't use the X-ray that had just killed Xiao Qiu and Xiao Chun.
Even so, Xiao Bai was stuck in an endless cycle of being knocked back, returning, and being knocked back again.
Although Xiao Bai's movements became more efficient and his battle with Chihiro became more evenly matched, Xiao Bai still couldn't touch Chihiro's clothes in the end.
It was like that all day long.
She had no idea how to activate the Shining Form.
Volume 4 <Magic Autumn> Theatrical Edition and Season 3: Chapter 377 Confused? A fight will solve it!
The first day of training ended with everyone being defeated.
Even Xiao Qiu and the others, who went to fight Chihiro with Xiao Bai in the end, couldn't defeat her.
Compared to Chihiro, they were like newbies who had just left the beginner village, while Chihiro was like a boss of the Four Heavenly Kings level blocking the beginner village.
It's not that they can't fight at all, but winning won't be easy.
During this time, Xiao Qiu also tried to use the Magic Link to defeat Chihiro, but perhaps due to the nature of their experiences, the Magic Link between Xiao Qiu and Xiaoxia and the others was not stable.
As for infusing the Power of Hope to awaken Shining Form 2, that also failed.
There's a reason why Xiao Qiu in the Sky Screen succeeded twice in a row.
The first awakening of Shining Form 2 was because without doing so, it would be impossible to defeat Demon Nicole and save Xiao Bai. With the belief that she would either succeed or die trying, Xiao Qiu successfully activated Dawn Mode.
The same applies the second time.
The pressure from the Witch is immense. If she fails, the future of this world is uncertain. Xiao Qiu has to succeed.
Having already gained experience from the first time, Yu Muqiu was familiar with the feeling of activating Dawn Mode, so activating it again was a natural progression.
Based on this speculation, once Yu Muqiu becomes even stronger next time, he will probably be able to successfully activate Shining Form 2 without needing to gather the hopes of Spring City.
Because her body already knows how to activate this form, as the saying goes, practice makes perfect, Yu Muqiu in the Sky Screen will eventually be able to activate Shining Form 2 without relying on any external objects, but... the real Yu Muqiu cannot.
Did Chihiro put a lot of pressure on Xiao Qiu?
It's very big.
Xiao Qiu had never faced such a powerful enemy before.
However, Chihiro didn't put that much pressure on Xiao Qiu.
First, Chihiro is Magical Girls.
Secondly, since their training takes place in a dream world, Xiao Qiu doesn't experience the pressure of life and death.
Third, Xiao Qiu doesn't have anything she absolutely needs to do right now, such as rescuing Xiao Bai or preventing the Witch from invading this world.
With insufficient conviction, inadequate pressure, and the magic circle not gathering the Power of Hope as quickly as expected, Yu Muqiu currently lacks the necessary conditions to unlock Shining 2.
Therefore, it's normal to not gain anything on the first day; it would be abnormal if Yu Muqiu could easily unlock Shining 2.
Therefore, there's nothing to be disappointed about.
There's still plenty of time. Even if we use the Power of Hope to increase Yu Muqiu's magic every day, it will be enough for her to master the secrets to unlocking Shining 2.
The first day of special training came to an end. It was 10 p. m., and the Sky Screen was still not lit. It seems that after the movie ended, it will be a long time before we can see the plot of the third season.
Xiao Bai felt fortunate about this, because the third season would be the time for Xiao Bai to run away.
She plans to master the Shining Form before the third season, and then go beyond the world to meet with that Witch's avatar and have a proper talk about the future.
Whether they'll return later... depends on how much is revealed in the third season.
If Fang Ming and Xiao Bai's identities are completely exposed... even if Fang Ming comes back, he will probably have to change his appearance until he is completely untraceable.
There's no way around it; in the world, social death is practically the same as death. Fang Ming's skin isn't thick enough to allow him to wander around in his true form without a care in the world after being exposed.
Because they had to continue special training the next day, and the Magical Girls had expended a lot of energy that day, they all went to rest early.
Under Xiao Bai's strong protest, Xiao Chun finally obediently went back to her room to sleep. However, before going to sleep, she for some reason dragged Aurora into her room as well, leaving Xiao Bai completely confused.
Nothing happened during the night.
However, in the middle of the night, when Xiao Bai was conducting a routine check, he found Xiao Qiu sitting in the rest area outside the base, looking up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.
This rest area is where Xiao Bai and her friends held their party before. Although it's also inside the base, the roof is a thin, transparent glass panel, making it easy to see the Sky Screen above.
Xiao Qiu was sitting on the sofa below, staring blankly at the sky.
After witnessing this scene through the surveillance camera, Xiao Bai remained silent for a while before heading to the rest area, where she found Xiao Qiu.
She looked at Xiao Qiu, whose mind was blank, and asked her softly:
"Why aren't you asleep so late?"
"Ah, Xiao Bai."
Xiao Bai's sudden voice startled Xiao Qiu. Xiao Qiu sat up straight from the sofa, turned to look at Xiao Bai, scratched the back of her head sheepishly, and said:
"I have trouble sleeping."
"What's wrong?"
"... I'm just... a little worried that I won't be able to activate my Dawn Form..."
Xiao Qiu smiled at Xiao Bai, then lowered her head and whispered, "I... I'm different from the me in the Sky Screen. The me in the Sky Screen... is too Shine, it feels a bit... unreal."
Xiao Qiu in the Sky Screen is confident, sunny, and cheerful; she would do anything for her friends.
In real life, Xiao Qiu is confident that she can do the same things, but... from an outsider's perspective, Xiao Qiu feels that she is somewhat unworthy of her image on the Sky Screen.
She was so dazzling on the Sky Screen that she seemed completely out of place with my ordinary, unremarkable self.
"... Was that the same thought you had when you fought today?"
Xiao Bai asked Xiao Qiu.
Xiao Qiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently. "Mm."
So even though Xiao Qiu received so much Power of Hope, she still couldn't successfully enter Shining Form 2. The reason is still here.
Xiao Bai exhaled slowly. After thinking for a moment, she went to Xiao Qiu's side and looked at the starry sky with her, saying to her:
"I won't comment on your thoughts, but I want to ask you, would you stand up for your friend when they're in trouble?"
"Of course!" Xiao Qiu replied immediately.
"When faced with an insurmountable enemy, would you choose to fight her to the end?"
Hmm... maybe...?
"If we don't defeat this enemy, the whole world might be in danger. Would you back down?"
"How could we possibly back down!"
Yu Muqiu answered immediately this time.
Xiao Bai nodded slightly. "So what else is there to be confused about?"
She looked at the sky, gazing at the Sky Screen faintly visible beneath a sky full of stars, and said to Yu Muqiu:
"Xiao Qiu in the Sky Screen is just like you. When her friends are in danger, she will help them without hesitation. When faced with a powerful enemy that is difficult to deal with, she will never give up, even if she has to fight with all her might."
"She's just like you, so why do you feel like you're not a good match for her?"
"But... I..."
She bit her lip, hesitatingly saying, "What if... what if I can't be Yu Muqiu on the Sky Screen, what if I can't do all those things...? What if I... what if I can't become the me on the Sky Screen... this world..."
It is precisely because Yu Muqiu Shine in the Sky Screen that he feels immense pressure now.
What if I can't do what the person in the Sky Screen can't do? What if I'm not even as good as the person in the Sky Screen?
How will people in this world view her? And how will this change the future of the world?
Every time the Sky Screen darkens and Yu Muqiu sees what he is doing in the Sky Screen, he becomes deeply confused.
She felt as if she were carrying an extremely heavy burden, a burden that made it hard for her to breathe.
The reason why Xiao Qiu in the Sky Screen was able to be carefree was because she didn't understand the mission she had to bear in the early stages. Later, after she found out, her strength and experience enabled her to face everything she would have to face in the future.
Xiao Qiu in the Sky Screen is growing up.
But in reality, she... is stuck in the same place.
Yu Muqiu felt that she was not up to par, and she was... a little afraid of what would happen if she failed.
She spent the entire day thinking about these things, which was the root cause of her inability to smoothly enter the new form.
Xiao Bai turned her head to look at Xiao Qiu, who had lowered her head.
Xiao Qiu's performance on the Sky Screen had made Xiao Bai forget that the child actually had a hidden sense of inferiority.
She considers herself ordinary and unremarkable, which is evident from the opening lines of the first episode of the first season.
--I am an ordinary high school student in Spring City.
This was Xiao Qiu's 'self-introduction' when she first met everyone.
Xiao Qiu considers herself ordinary, and that meeting Nino is her good fortune. She even thinks that if Nino had met someone else instead of her, that person might have done even better.
Xiao Qiu in the Sky Screen has lost that inferiority complex at this stage.
Her experiences, like a millstone, pulverized and crushed the tiny feelings of inferiority and insecurity deep within her heart.
But in reality, Xiao Qiu is still too naive.
The appearance of the Sky Screen did accelerate their growth, but it also caused their growth to stagnate.
The former refers to an increase in strength, while the latter refers to growth in mindset.
Both are crucial, and the latter is actually more important than the former.
Was it my fault? Or was it Sky Screen's fault?
After thinking about it, Xiao Bai realized that it must be his fault. Even if the Sky Screen Curtain had many flaws, it had also told everyone about the future and prevented countless tragedies from happening.
From this perspective, it doesn't matter how many flaws the Sky Screen may have.
Besides, Sky Screen didn't do anything special; it just stood there, broadcasting anime series from another world to this world.
Whether you look at it or not is a personal choice. If you really don't want to look, just look straight ahead and don't look at the Sky Screen. You won't even hear the sound of the Sky Screen.
Therefore, it is wrong to shift the blame onto Sky Screen.
Xiao Qiu and the others' mental development didn't keep pace with Sky Screen's, and that's Xiao Bai's own fault.
So...
"Xiao Qiu," Xiao Bai said earnestly to Xiao Qiu, "It's been a long time since we've sparred, hasn't it? How about... we have a fight?"
... Let Xiao Bai make up for his mistakes himself.
Volume 4 <Magic Autumn> Theatrical Edition and Season 3: Chapter 378 Cheer Up!
For Magical Girls, nothing can't be solved with a fight.