Counterfeit Outfit

"It has nothing to do with me; I didn't organize this project."

That afternoon, in Emerald's laboratory, the chubby Fairy doll spread its hands, quite nonchalantly stating, "Even if you ask me a hundred times, my answer will still be the same: the Kingdom Research Institute has never conducted any research projects related to 'Gate to Ascension'."

"I believe you, Your Excellency, but even if the Research Institute itself hasn't studied the Gate to Ascension, what about the peripheral projects funded by the Research Institute?"

Sitting at the low table opposite her, Larkspur rested one hand on her knee and the other on her chin. "Or it could be a privately funded project by the Gem Scepter, or perhaps it's the private research of your 'friends'..."

"Of course not, I'm not playing word games with you."

Emerald sighed helplessly, "Now I'm answering your question very seriously, and that is 'this matter really has nothing to do with me, young man.'"

Upon hearing this, the Larkspur blinked, said nothing more, and simply looked at the Emerald with some surprise.

Emerald immediately retorted, somewhat displeased, "What? Does that sound so unbelievable?"

"That's really incredible."

Larkspur nodded honestly. "After all, you said something arrogant like, 'Magical girls are not allowed to possess technologies they haven't mastered.' There's no reason not to investigate such a seemingly plausible rumor."

"I really should have you as my chief secretary, you little darling. None of my current secretaries are as good at digging up my past mistakes as you."

The Fairy doll rolled its eyes, finding it hard to believe that such a vivid expression as "rolling its eyes" could appear on a doll with a rather simple appearance. "But you also need to know that this is on the premise that it really is a skill... I'm a scholar, not a detective. There are so many rumors in the world, how can I possibly investigate every single one of them as if it were true? If I were to investigate, I should choose those with more factual basis, right?"

"Are you saying that the rumor of 'Gate to Ascension' is actually unreliable?" Larkspur sensed another layer of meaning in Emerald's words.

"No time, no place, no eyewitness accounts; even as a rumor, it's a complete 'three-no' product."

Emerald retorted without mincing words, "To be honest, if you hadn't brought this up in front of me, I probably wouldn't have even remembered such a term."

"Then how do you explain the record I saw on the Green Tower?" Larkspur frowned.

"This is enough to prove that someone did indeed try to investigate something in Fangting City decades ago."

Emerald crossed her legs, using the doll's body as a prop. "However, there's no clear evidence to link the records you obtained to 'The Gate to Ascension.' After all, even the internal records of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau you mentioned don't explicitly name 'The Gate to Ascension.' So far, our connection to that record relies more on subjective inference."

"Yes, I know."

Larkspur softly replied, "I'm not so stubborn as to readily accept a rumor as fact. Currently, whether this record is connected to the so-called 'Gate to Ascension' is still unknown. However, there is one thing that bothers me..."

"Some of the records on the paper seem to match the year you, or rather your wife, became a magical girl, is that what you're referring to?" Emerald recalled.

"That's right."

Larkspur nodded. "While this might be a bit too sensitive, I have a feeling that this part is not a coincidence."

"... Okay, I understand."

Emerald understood. "Since you've put it that way, then I'll make a note of this. In a few days, I'll investigate the flow of resources in this region by the Kingdom decades ago, and I'll also set up a team to research information related to the 'Gate to Ascension'."

"Okay," Larkspur agreed.

"Hmm," Emerald confirmed.

Then, both of them fell silent.

After a while, Larkspur raised an eyebrow with a puzzled look and asked Emerald, "And then?"

"What, and then? Do you think there's anything lacking in this arrangement?" Emerald countered.

"You just agreed to this so easily? No other conditions?"

Larkspur asked suspiciously, "Logically speaking, this doesn't fall under the scope of our previous transaction. Shouldn't you take this opportunity to raise more conditions?"

"Forget it, in your current state, besides the Beast Source, what other resources could I possibly be interested in?"

Emerald drawled, her voice deep and resonant. "Don't always overcomplicate things, and don't always think the worst of others, young man. Just consider this an additional investment from me."

Upon hearing this, the Larkspur hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Then... thank you?"

"Uh-huh."

Emerald readily accepted Larkspur's slightly uncertain thanks. "Of course, if you really feel uncomfortable owing me a favor, then I happen to have something for you to do right now."

"What is it?" Larkspur asked.

"It's something that's related to you, something I told you before about the disguise I need you to provide when you go to the Kingdom."

Holding onto the armrest of the chair, the Fairy Doll slowly straightened up. "Do you still have the Forged Heart Gem I gave you before? Did you bring it?"

You mean this?

Larkspur reached into her skirt pocket and rummaged around for a moment before pulling out the Heart Gem that resembled a bud. "I did bring it, but does this thing have any other functions?"

"Not now, but soon."

Taking the fake gem from Larkspur, Emerald led it to a sophisticated device nearby. "I'm going to input a brand new magical outfit into this gem, different from your original magical girl image, to help you disguise yourself as the rookie magical girl 'Gentian'."

"A brand new magical outfit?" Larkspur followed Emerald to the side of the device, watching Emerald's hands operate while expressing his question.

"That's right, you can think of it as a tailor-made suit of armor; its protective capabilities might even be stronger than your original magical attire."

Emerald's voice was flat and monotone, as if "creating an equipment set with stronger protective capabilities than the Flower Rank Magical Girl Costume" was nothing to boast about. "You just need to secretly activate this fake gem after transforming, and it will overlay the equipment recorded inside onto your original costume, giving you a completely different look."

"Understood."

Larkspur nodded with a hint of understanding, then pressed on, "But it's still just clothing?"

"That's right, only your clothes. Your height, build, and appearance are still the same. As I said before, it's easy to be caught if you try to tamper with these things."

Emerald placed the fake gemstone into the slot of the device and stroked the rune panel beside it. "But don't worry, considering that you are quite well-known in the Kingdom, I've hired several very professional stylists to create a completely different image for you."

"Ha..." For some reason, after hearing Emerald's words, Larkspur had a bad feeling. "Completely different temperaments, but in what exactly are they different?"

"That's what I need you to do."

A moment later, Emerald removed the fake gemstone from the device and handed it to Larkspur: "Here, try it on."

"Let me confirm first, it should be clothing that is acceptable to people in terms of universal values, right?"

Taking the gemstone, Larkspur's eyelids drooped. "Besides, theoretically speaking, I should keep a low profile this time, so my clothes shouldn't be too eye-catching..."

"You'll know once you try." The voice coming from the Fairy Doll was still lazy, but it contained a hint of interest.

"All right."

So Larkspur said no more and, following Emerald's instructions, used magic to activate the fake gem in his hand.

A burst of blue-purple light shot out from the gem, just like a magical girl's transformation. After a brief moment of light, the Larkspur standing there had changed her outfit.

Her long, loose hair was now piled high at the back of her head and secured with several ornate hairpins, forming a bun. The Bonette hair ornament was gone, leaving only a hair clip holding her bangs in place. A pair of bright silver earrings dangled from either side of her ears.

Further down, her navy blue Lolita dress was replaced with a blue-purple sleeveless, high-necked, slit cheongsam. A traditional Donghua knot from Donghua Prefecture hung from between the buttons, and the outer hem was decorated with a delicate ink painting in white and gold thread, depicting a cluster of Gentian flowers among the grass and trees. This perfectly complemented her slightly raised, pointed, embroidered shoes.

If Larkspur's original appearance suggested she was a noble young lady from the Western Luo Region, then her current attire is distinctly characteristic of the Donghua Prefecture. The slightly mature outfit and her undeniably childlike appearance create a peculiar chemistry, resulting in a magical blend of cuteness and maturity.

"How about it?"

Emerald brought out a mirror from somewhere and placed it in front of Larkspur: "Because the previous generation of Gentian's magical attire also had this style that leaned towards the ancient costumes of Donghua Prefecture, my people simply carried on this style. Doesn't it feel like a completely different person?"

"Perhaps?"

Larkspur stared silently at the mirror for a while, then subtly looked away. "Rather than that, even though it's still me in the mirror, my subconscious has this feeling of 'seeing another person,' which is subtly unsettling."

To her surprise, she had been worried that the Emerald was so concealed that this so-called "Counterfeit Outfit" might have some unspeakable oddities. But when she actually wore it, it not only looked quite good, but it also didn't reveal too much skin. By magical girl standards, it could be considered a fairly normal outfit.

"Those are all just minor details."

Emerald seemed unconcerned. "Anyway, my only responsibility is to prevent others from being convinced that you are 'Cornflower.' I can't control or do anything else beyond that."

"By the way, this gem has another function: it can record another set of everyday clothes. You can record your usual attire to create a fake difference between 'before transformation' and 'after transformation.' I call it 'Everyday Wear Mode,' but you have to decide what to wear in this mode yourself."

She waved the doll's paw, making a gesture similar to spreading her hands, and casually dropped a bombshell, then quickly moved on. "Now, what I'm about to say is the important part, because after this is your job."

"What is it?" Although she was also somewhat concerned about the so-called "Everyday Wear Mode," Larkspur's attention was drawn back to the second half of Emerald's sentence.

"It's simple. Since it's a fake identity, we need to make the act convincing. We also need to fabricate some traces of 'Magical Girl Gentian' having been active in Fangting City."

The Emerald raised its claw and pointed to the Larkspur's clothes:

"So, for the next while, before you head to the Kingdom, stay in Fangting City as 'Gentian' and get around to things."

Larkspur's new clothes received unanimous praise at the outpost.

Emerald was right; this outfit was indeed a masterpiece. From its structure and stitching to the combination of various accessories, it was all ingenious and aesthetically pleasing. So much so that when she appeared in the base wearing it, several magical girls immediately started snapping photos with their phones.

"So... so beautiful, so cute, so alluring, senpai!"

Among them, Hong Siyu probably the most enthusiastic about taking photos. Her phone flash went off wildly, and her praise poured out endlessly:

"The Kingdom's fashion magazines should all want you on their cover... no, they should want you as their cover star of the year!"

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Larkspur couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Of course, that goes without saying. If you walked back and forth on the main street of the capital right now, every girl you passed would look at you with amazement and envy!"

Hong Siyu excited her face turned bright red. "Ah, to see you dressed up like this, senior, I would die happy even if I had no regrets..."

"Don't try to kill yourself for such a ridiculous reason."

Larkspur sighed helplessly, "So, you mean that I'm actually very conspicuous dressed like this?"

"To quantify it, if the young senior's 'turn-around index' on the street was originally 70 points, then now it's already 90 points, how does that feel?" Xia Liang, who was also taking pictures with her phone, said thoughtfully.

What is the "return index"?

It's roughly about the intensity of the thought of 'wanting to turn around and take another look after seeing this person.'

Xia Liang chuckled and held up one finger, "How about that? Doesn't it sound like a good description?"

"... I think I should go back to them and have a more understated outfit made." Larkspur looked down at the cheongsam she was wearing and came to this conclusion.

"No, senior, it's fine as it is!"

"Yes, yes, it's such a rare find to have such a beautiful outfit, it would be such a waste to send it back!"

However, this decision was quickly dissuaded amidst a cacophony of opposition.

In the end, Larkspur had no choice but to accept the fact that she would probably have to wear this outfit frequently for the foreseeable future. Then, despite Hong Siyu's objections, she removed the fake gemstone disguise from her clothes.

The reassuring navy blue dress was back on her.

The day's work was over, and most of the matters that needed to be dealt with had been taken care of. Larkspur then did some housework, watched TV with Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan for a while, and then prepared dinner with Asō Madoka.

It wasn't until dinner time that the three members of the Bai'an City Squad, who had been nowhere to be seen until earlier, finally came downstairs.

Although it is unknown what the three of them did before, according to the information that Larkspur had, it was probably because Wood Lily had achieved her goal of coming to Fangting City, so they renegotiated the issue of when to return to Bai'an.

The conversation that followed at the dinner table confirmed Larkspur's idea.

Having found the clue to the "Gate to Ascension," Wood Lily naturally no longer had a reason to stay in Fangting City. She and White Thistle reconciled, and the two apologized for their argument the previous day at the dinner table before bidding farewell to the Fangting City Squad once again.

The departure date was set for next week, roughly the week before Fangting City departs for the Kingdom.

Even for a magical girl, traveling back and forth between cities is not an easy task, so after this farewell, it will probably be quite some time before they meet again.

"Well then, since that's the case, we should definitely throw a proper farewell party, shouldn't we?" Xia Liang said at the dinner table.

"No, no, no, we've already bothered you enough lately. You don't need to expend any more energy on this matter."

White Thistle immediately declined, saying, "Besides, you all have to go to the Kingdom exams soon, and your time is very precious. We shouldn't take up any more of your time."

"But if we just ignore it, we can't just let it go."

Hong Siyu standing nearby, spoke up, "Even if it's just for one night, shouldn't we do something?"

White Thistle wanted to decline, but before he could speak, Lin Xiaolu suddenly spoke up.

"Do something... isn't that just a temple fair?"

With chopsticks in her mouth, she said matter-of-factly, "The timing matches up, the schedule matches up, there's a New Year's blessing ceremony at the temple at the end of the month, why don't we all go together?"

This suggestion caused a brief silence to fall over everyone at the table.

Then, apart from White Thistle, who was still conflicted, and Bai Jingxuan, who didn't know what a "temple fair" was, everyone in the restaurant unanimously approved.

Some things were added to the original outline, and the plot changed, so it was a bit late. It won't be this late later.