Long Time No See

"Oh, speaking of which, this lady with glasses, you're the one who treated Moko and me to milk tea before... wait, what's going on with you two?"

While Lin Xiaolu uttered those startling words, Bai Jingxuan was still overjoyed to have reunited with the "good person" from her memories. However, her greeting with White Thistle ended before it even began because of Lin Xiaolu's words.

The introduction of the concept of "someone who bathes in the slime of Aberrant Beast" immediately made the previously relaxed atmosphere quite subtle again.

All eyes were instantly drawn to her, and then inexplicably to the blonde girl beside her.

"Ah, you're the guy who almost got killed by the Looper Tier- Aberrant Beast..."

The blonde girl, who had been casually greeting everyone just moments before, paused for a moment, then belatedly realized something and pointed at Lin Xiaolu, shouting, "Wait, who said they bathed in the slime of Aberrant Beast?!"

"... Isn't it you?"

Lin Xiaolu blinked, gestured in the air, and pointed to the other person's signature blonde hair and bald head, saying, "If I think about it carefully, the appearance is very similar, the voice is very similar, and both are magical girls who recently came to Fangting City. It can only be you, right?"

"I didn't say that wasn't me! I said there's no such thing as 'taking a bath with the slime of Aberrant Beast '!"

Somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, the blonde girl shouted, waving her fist. "That was an accident! It was an accident caused by that Aberrant Beast self-destructing before it died. I didn't do it on purpose!"

"Your fighting method is basically aimed at causing the Aberrant Beast to Explosion, isn't it...?"

"Who knew that thing would be filled with such disgusting stuff after it exploded!"

The blonde girl's face was ashen, and she involuntarily pressed her stomach, as if disgusted by the mere thought of those memories. "Can you please stop bringing up such nauseating memories? To be honest, I'm about to throw up if I think about it again."

"Ah, sorry..." Seeing the other person's unpleasant expression, Lin Xiaolu realized that her words seemed to have touched on a sore spot, so she turned her gaze away and decisively ended the topic.

However, the fact that the two of them reached a consensus didn't mean the other teammates had nothing to say. The two of them used this method to start a conversation, and naturally, the others also had a lot to say. Especially Bai Jingxuan and the girl codenamed White Thistle, whom they had met before, were naturally quite familiar with each other. In addition, Xia Liang was also quite curious about the magical girls from other cities, and the group immediately started chatting noisily.

Larkspur stood to the side with her arms crossed. Seeing the girls chatting enthusiastically, she didn't intend to dampen their spirits. Instead, she leaned against the wall, looking at the lounge not far away, quietly waiting for the person she was waiting for.

After waiting for a few minutes, just as Larkspur was tapping her arm, somewhat lost in thought, there was a "click" sound, and the door to the lounge was gently pulled open.

The sound of the door opening attracted the girls' attention, and their conversation became much quieter. The main character, Asō Madoka, who had not appeared in the lounge until now, finally appeared in front of everyone.

She was no longer wearing her stage costume, and her glamorous makeup was completely removed, but she didn't lose her charm because of it. She leaned out of the dressing room, one hand on the door frame, and silently glanced at the equally silent girls, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Tutor."

"Elder sister."

"..."

Three girls from Bai'an City greeted the woman behind the door one after another. Although one of them seemed a little off, it was enough to draw everyone's attention to the woman.

Asō Madoka's gaze swept over the girls around her, first pausing on Lin Xiaolu, Bai Jingxuan, and Xia Liang, then lingering on Lin Xiaolu for a while before moving on to the girls from Bai'an City, finally focusing on Larkspur's face.

Similarly, the Larkspur was watching her.

Their eyes met.

Long before leaving the stage, Larkspur had mentally rehearsed many times that she would definitely question the other person about their behavior when she met them in private. But when things actually came to that point, she found that the atmosphere was completely different from what she had imagined.

She initially thought the other person had pulled her onto the stage as a prank, and was probably gloating with a twisted sense of humor. But after seeing Asō Madoka's expression, she realized she might have been wrong.

Because the expression on the other person's face wasn't one of schadenfreude or mockery, but rather one of weariness, nostalgia, and a relieved smile.

Even twenty years ago, Larkspur rarely saw such a gentle expression on the other person's face.

"Is there anything you want to ask?" After a brief silence and eye contact, Asō Madoka was the first to initiate the conversation.

"... What are you trying to achieve by putting on this whole show?"

Not knowing what the other party was up to, and not wanting to waste her feelings, Larkspur simply said expressionlessly, "Is it some kind of malicious prank to abruptly call someone onto the stage to cooperate with your performance?"

"Oh, a prank?"

Asō Madoka looked somewhat innocent and asked, "Is that how you understand it?"

"... It's probably better than a real prank."

Larkspur sighed softly, "I thought you were going to just shout 'This is my old friend' on stage, and then do a series of pranks and stuff like that."

"This is a misunderstanding, sister. Even I am not so incapable of distinguishing between a normal joke and an embarrassing prank. Inviting your friend onto the stage to embarrass them is not only a disregard for friendship, but also a desecration of the stage."

Asō Madoka's lips curled into a smile, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly. "Especially for the fans in the audience, if I were to reveal our relationship to them and then let you speak as a friend, it would mean something completely different to them."

What are the different meanings?

"To put it mildly, it's called 'neglect'; to put it more bluntly, it's called 'betrayal'?"

Asō Madoka slowly walked out of the dressing room, gradually closing the distance between herself and Larkspur: "Whether it's singing or a concert, although objectively it's about distributing your songs to fans, in the fans' experience, it's closer to a direct, one-on-one spiritual dialogue."

"In a concert setting, if a singer explicitly states that their concert has ulterior motives or that they are distracted, then it is a neglect of the fans who have spent money to support them, and it is also a sign of incompetence."

She walked until she was half a meter in front of the Larkspur, then stopped and bowed slightly. "Just as a competent magical girl needs to not only eliminate the Aberrant Beast but also stabilize the hearts of the people, a competent singer needs not only good works but also to resonate with the fans at the concert. Emotional experience is very important, so I won't do anything too outrageous on important occasions."

The Larkspur looked back at the other person, puzzled. "... So?"

"So, I invited you to the stage simply because I wanted old friends to commemorate this reunion together. It was just my own spontaneous feeling; there were no other ulterior motives, sister."

Asō Madoka said softly, "You don't need to feel unfamiliar with me because of what has happened. No matter how many things are different from before, at least our relationship will not change."

"Can this be considered a kind of 'emotional experience'?"

"That's right. You can think of this as my explanation, or apology, for my previous behavior because I was considerate of my old friend's feelings, since I didn't intend to upset you."

Asō Madoka said helplessly, "But my prediction might be a little wrong... No, I should say your temper has gotten worse a lot? Sorry, I thought you wouldn't get angry at a joke like this."

"It's less about being angry and more about being confused."

Larkspur frowned slightly. "You know, Asō, it's been thirteen years. You haven't returned to this city for a full thirteen years. Your sudden return at this point in time made me think we should be discussing more important matters."

"A more pressing matter... confusion..."

The woman with crimson eyes looked at Larkspur with a slightly confused expression, then nodded as if suddenly realizing something. "Ah, I see. You think my joke was meaningless."

After saying that, she suddenly shut her mouth, pausing for a moment as if deep in thought, then gave a slightly complicated smile, "It's meaningless, it's meaningless. Sigh... You've really changed a lot."

This statement seemed somewhat abrupt in this context, even abrupt, but the Larkspur still subtly caught on to what it was trying to express and responded aloud.

"After all these years, if there's no growth or change at all, wouldn't it seem like time has been wasted?"

She looked up at her old teammate, her voice softening slightly. "The Asō Madoka I remember wasn't the type to apologize for something like this. You used to never explain your actions to others."

"Explain your behavior? Aren't you the same? I thought I might never see 'Larkspur' appear in my lifetime."

"... That's what I thought too."

Larkspur paused, then said, "But so much has happened recently, I can't just sit here and wait to die."

"I've heard about it. Fangting City seems to have been plagued by a lot of disasters lately."

"Who told you that?"

"Dean."

"She still told you?"

"I asked them myself."

Larkspur glanced at her questioningly. "Why did you suddenly decide to ask her about this?"

Asō Madoka smiled inexplicably, "Of course it's because I heard that a former retired teammate has made a comeback, and even came to the city where I'm stationed to show off his skills. Even my juniors and students have received a lot of guidance from that person. Who do you think that person is?"

"... I knew that old woman was up to no good."

Hearing the other person's words, and recalling who had given the idea of sending her to Bai'an, Larkspur suddenly understood the crux of the matter and couldn't help but press her temples. "I shouldn't have accepted her request to be reinstated in the first place."

"It's not good to call her 'old lady' directly; she doesn't seem to like being called that."

Unlike the gloomy look on the Larkspur's face, Asō Madoka, the beneficiary of this situation, had a much lighter expression. "No matter what, the outcome is good. It's a rare and joyous occasion to see an old friend. Or perhaps you didn't actually want to see me?"

The Larkspur pursed her lips in a somewhat helpless manner.

Emotionally speaking, seeing a long-lost friend is certainly not a bad thing; however, meeting them at this crucial juncture only adds unnecessary trouble.

Or to put it a little more dramatically, it's not that she's unwilling, she just hasn't mentally prepared herself.

She had some experiences she was reluctant to tell her children and descendants. Even Hong Siyu wasn't entirely clear about those things, and even if she knew a little, she would consider her own feelings and wouldn't easily reveal them.

But Asō Madoka is different. This woman never cares if her words or actions cause trouble for others. She says what she wants to say and never holds back.

The woman in front of her, named Asō Madoka, had one major difference from her Hong Siyu: Madoka was her partner from the very beginning when she became a magical girl. As a result, the two of them knew a great deal about each other's secrets.

From their days as rookie magical girls to the subsequent Garden Defense War, the more details they knew about each other, the more they understood each other, and the more casual their interactions became.

Could Asō Madoka distinguish between what could be said and what couldn't? Larkspur herself wasn't sure, but saying "I don't want to see you" at this juncture seemed too heartless. Clearly, it was inappropriate.

"... If I had to say, reuniting is still a happy thing." After thinking about it for a long time, she finally came to this conclusion.

"So, it's the same for both of us?" Asō Madoka chuckled upon receiving the response.

"Same to you."

With a short sigh, Larkspur slightly raised her eyelids. "Anyway, it's been a long time. You seem to be doing quite well."

"You're doing well too."

Asō Madoka chimed in, "Or rather, the fact that I can see you standing here like this means you're in even better shape than when I left."

As she said this, she extended her right hand, making a loose fist as if inviting a handshake. "Then, perhaps it's time for us to start working together again."

"Cooperation? What's it about?"

"Many things—things to protect the city, things to the Kingdom, things to Anya, things to Su Shengzi, and even things between you and the Chief."

As she said this, Asō Madoka's expression became much more serious. "You said before that you wanted me to talk about serious things, so this is probably it?"

"... Are you investigating?" Larkspur stared into her eyes.

"I'm investigating, or rather, I know more about the progress of things than anyone else." Asō Madoka looked at her intently.

"Really? That's good."

Nodding, Larkspur extended her hand, clasped the other's hands, and gently shook them. "In that case, let's cooperate."

"Magical Girl, Flower Card certification number 21032, affiliated with the Investigation Institute, codename Margaret," Asō Madoka suddenly said.

Upon hearing her announce her number, Larkspur was taken aback for a moment. Realizing that this seemed to be a formality, she replied, "Magical Girl, Flower Card ID 41076, Larkspur."

After they finished speaking, the scene fell silent again. Not only did the two people who had shaken hands remain silent, but the girls watching the gossip also held their breath, making no extra sound.

Then, Asō Madoka suddenly laughed.

As she smiled, she bent her knees, maintaining the handshake gesture, and gently turned to kneeling on one knee.

After her knees touched the ground, she changed her grip from a handshake to a supporting gesture, gently lifting the back of Larkspur's hand. Then, before anyone realized what she was doing, her lips lightly touched the back of Lark's hand.

"At your service, my lady."

Updates are still a bit slow, I'm really sorry for the long wait. Because I'm still adjusting to my current situation, I'll probably be updating every 2-3 days for a while. I'll get back on track as soon as possible, please forgive me.