MTLNOVEL Chapter 92 - What was your wish?
Although the food had cooled down a bit, fortunately, it hadn’t been long enough to render it inedible.
After some fussing and adjustments from YouYu and Liu Meng, the dishes were finally restored to their perfect state, as if freshly prepared, and placed on the dining table.
“Hah…”
Once everything was settled, Liu Meng and YouYu sat at the table and let out long sighs, signaling a complete release of tension.
Though in reality, YouYu hadn’t felt any tension at all. Most of the time, it was Liu Meng who was rushing about in a flurry. Even when YouYu tried to calm her down and tell her not to worry so much, it was no use.
In the end, her frantic behavior made him feel a little on edge too.
Thinking about it, YouYu looked at Liu Meng across the table and chuckled helplessly.
“Seriously, Liu Meng, was there any need to get that worked up? The food was just a bit cold. It’s not like reheating it would make it inedible, right?”
“Huh?”
“No way! Don’t you know…”
Before Liu Meng could finish her indignant reply, YouYu interrupted her with a knowing look.
“Of course I know, Liu Meng. I understand all your reasoning, really. What I’m trying to tell you is a way to avoid situations like this…”
“Next time, just keep an eye on the time while giving your lecture, and everything should be fine.”
“Ugh!”
Hearing his words and seeing the helpless look on his face, Liu Meng finally realized what she had done.
Remembering the long speech she had given earlier, Liu Meng froze for a moment. Then, pretending nothing had happened, she cleared her throat and placed a hand over her face to hide the faint blush creeping up her cheeks.
In a somewhat sheepish tone, she said, “Alright, YouYu, I admit it was my fault this time. Next time… actually, I can’t promise there won’t be a next time. For now, I’ll just apologize.”
“I’ll try to watch the time more carefully in the future and avoid saying too much.”
“Okay, okay. As long as you’re aware, there’s no need to be so serious about it.”
Seeing her earnest expression as she apologized, YouYu couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head.
“Anyway, let’s eat quickly. If it cools down again, that’d be troublesome.”
“Mm!”
Feeling a bit embarrassed about her earlier actions, Liu Meng didn’t say much more and lowered her head to eat.
YouYu did the same.
…
About twenty minutes later.
Because there wasn’t much food to begin with, they managed to finish everything within twenty minutes.
Looking at Liu Meng’s still unsatisfied expression, YouYu began to wonder if he should make more food next time. After all, despite her gentle appearance, Liu Meng had a surprisingly large appetite…
“YouYu, I have something to tell you.”
But before YouYu could finish his thoughts, Liu Meng, who couldn’t sit still after eating, initiated a conversation.
So, YouYu set his thoughts aside and listened.
“What is it, Liu Meng?”
“It’s about your memories.”
After dabbing her mouth with a napkin, Liu Meng continued, “Specifically, it’s about what happened before you lost your memory—when you became a Negative Beast. I overheard some details from a conversation between two other magical girls.”
“I’ll explain everything to you as clearly as I can.”
“…”
“Go ahead. I’m ready to hear it.”
“Alright.”
Liu Meng nodded and organized her thoughts before recounting what she had overheard from Bai Yu and WuYue at the cake shop.
Since the information she overheard wasn’t much, and she had condensed it to the main points, her explanation didn’t take long.
When she finished, YouYu lowered his head, deep in thought. Seeing this, Liu Meng spoke up.
“To summarize, my conclusion is this: although you became a Negative Beast, you still retained the intention to protect them. That’s a trait I’ve never seen in anyone else who went through something similar.”
“Because of this unique characteristic, I believe you still have a chance to redeem yourself.”
“If there’s an opportunity in the future, you might even get to see them again.”
“I see…”
Hearing Liu Meng’s conclusion, YouYu sighed as if a long-standing question had been resolved. But then, as if another thought had occurred to him, he spoke up.
“But, based on what you just described, it reminds me of another question.”
“According to your explanation, it seems I was ‘killed’ by them once and then ‘died’ again for their sake in front of them. Is that correct?”
“And according to you, magical girls can reverse and become witches when faced with despair strong enough to shatter their beliefs, right?”
“If I died in front of them… would they really be okay?”
“…”
Liu Meng was momentarily stunned by his words. Then, with a mix of admiration and amusement, she chuckled softly.
“Well, well… Even after losing your memories, you still care so much about them. Now I’m not surprised that you retained human consciousness as a Negative Beast.”
“Alright, let me give you the answer.”
Pausing for a moment, Liu Meng explained:
“They wouldn’t reverse because of that. Turning into a witch isn’t such a simple matter.”
“After all, the essence of a magical girl’s power is tied to her beliefs and wishes.”
“As long as their hearts remain steadfast, as long as they believe in something—like the belief that you’re still alive—then no matter how despairing the situation, the gems around their necks won’t darken.”
“Huh? Could you explain that more clearly?”
“Simply put…”
“Even if you really died, as long as they didn’t see it happen, as long as they believe you’re still alive, they won’t reverse into witches.”
“At most, their soul gems might dim. But if their beliefs are strong enough, the gems might shine even brighter instead.”
“On the other hand, if their faith wavers, the gems will dim.”
“If I were to use an analogy from anime, it’s like a ‘faith-based power.’”
“Just less exaggerated, of course.”
“…Actually, it’s already pretty absurd.”
This time, YouYu was silent for a long moment before finally responding. He sighed and, after some thought, asked Liu Meng curiously:
“If a magical girl’s power is tied to her heart, then as someone who’s been a magical girl for two years, your heart must be pretty strong, right?”
“Liu Meng, there’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you—”
“What was your wish?”