MTLNOVEL Chapter 34 New Member
In early December, the weather turned cold, and the wintry winds brought a light snow, making the streets of Fangting City much paler in the winter day.
The pale sky was high and vast, and although the sunshine shined down, it brought not a trace of warmth. When the cold wind blew, it carried a faint howling sound, as if nature itself was letting out a roar.
It was the weekend, yet there were hardly any pedestrians on the road. The streets were permeated with chilliness, and the few who ventured outside were wrapped in heavy winter clothing, braving the biting cold on their cheeks as they crossed the gray and white interwoven pavement. The city's clamor was dissipated by the cold wind, leaving behind only silence and loneliness.
During such cold times, most people preferred to spend the rare weekend in a room with the heating turned up.
With the streets outside cold, the warmth inside became precious. A layer of glass separated the cold and warm worlds; the lingering condensation on the window panes seemed to be protesting the chill outside.
With a "huh" she exhaled fog onto the glass and watched the area of mist slowly shrink, Lin Xiaolu, somewhat listlessly, drew a crude smiley face on it. Looking through the smiley face at the desolate scenery outside, she still couldn't see the person she was waiting for. Turning back, she glanced at Xia Liang who was lying on the couch playing with her phone, and couldn't help but sigh,
"Why hasn't Emerald Sparrow come back yet?"
Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire
"It always feels like you're asking about Emerald Sparrow, but it seems like there's something else hidden in your question,"
Without looking up from her phone screen, Xia Liang said in a draggy voice, "Does being alone with me bore you that much?"
"Who's alone with you, we're just coincidentally in the same living room."
Lin Xiaolu glanced at the smiley face she drew earlier, and in the span of two sentences, her "artistic masterpiece" had already become patchy. She squinted subconsciously and said, "Don't flatter yourself, I really was just asking about Emerald Sparrow."
"Even if there's no other meaning, you've already asked that question at least three times."
As Xia Liang tapped away on the phone's keyboard, she muttered, "If she's not back, she's not back; fretting won't help. Don't you have something else to do?"
"No."
Wiping away the smiley face she had just drawn, Lin Xiaolu muttered, "Magic Power training has hit a bottleneck, school homework is done, and there's nothing interesting on TV—absolutely nothing to do."
"What about video games? Your Magical Girl squad?"
"Finished. I've cleared all the levels."
Turning away from the window, she walked back to the center of the living room and slumped down on the couch with a downcast expression: "Mom... I even obtained the character 'Shucao', and raised her to the max level. There's no interest in playing anymore."
"Isn't there a new event? And what about the latest character that was released, called something...Qianniu?"
"Not interested, Yin Jiao isn't my type. Magical Girls should be glittering and inspiring."
Upon hearing the name "Qianniu," Lin Xiaolu subconsciously pursed her lips, her remarks sparing no feelings: "As for the new event, it seems boring; isn't it just the same old villain's introductory tropes that are played out in animations?"
"Then go challenge other players, I remember that game has multiplayer competitive content, right?"
"What? Let my painstakingly nurtured Magical Girls compete with others for superiority? Winning brings no benefits, losing brings embarrassment—you must be a devil," Lin Xiaolu widened her eyes.
"It's the game operators who are the devils, I'm just stating the facts,"
With some resignation, Xia Liang put down the phone: "If this isn't good and that isn't good, why don't you go downstairs and train with Xiao Xuan?"
"She's already awakened her magic outfit, what's the use of me going?"
Lin Xiaolu pursed her lips: "Besides, I always feel like that kid suddenly became much stronger lately. I don't stand a chance when sparring with her."
"If you really put it that way, it is indeed the case,"
Xia Liang nodded in agreement: "Not only can you not win against her, but I'm almost at 'Ye' level, and I still don't feel like I have any advantage against her. The little senior has been taking her out for one-on-one training more often too; I always feel like something we don't know about has happened to that kid."
"Really?"
Propped up by her elbows on her knees, Lin Xiaolu blinked puzzledly, "I haven't felt anything."
"You've noticed, haven't you? That kid has completely abandoned the title 'teacher' and started calling the little senior 'mommy'."
Xia Liang's head, propped on the armrest, tilted slightly back, meeting Lin Xiaolu's gaze: "Don't you have any thoughts about that?"
"What's the big deal? After all, I was the one who told her,"
Looking baffled at Xia Liang, Lin Xiaolu tilted her head: "It's fine for an elementary school student to express closeness like that, right?"
"Then why haven't you been calling her that these last few days?"
"I'm not an elementary school student anymore! Plus, Emerald Sparrow seems troubled by that nickname!"
Lin Xiaolu emphatically pointed out the error in Xia Liang's words, then leaned back with her arms wrapped around herself, assuming a pondering pose: "Although according to this progression, maybe there will be a day... it's still too soon for their relationship to reach that stage, isn't it? I don't want to rush things; wouldn't that be a bit selfish?"
"...As you wish."
Displaying an odd smile that Lin Xiaolu completely failed to understand, Xia Liang put down the phone. She pushed hard against the backrest of the couch, popping herself up and changed the subject: "Anyway, let's do housework together, shall we?"