Chapter 286

Chapter 286: The Honey of Little Widow Cos, Charlotte’s Unease

The castle’s back garden.

The bunny girl with silver hair and red eyes knelt on the neatly trimmed grass. She sipped her coffee made from data and said softly:

"Little Yu is already one of the top witches in the Countermeasures Bureau. Her talent is quite ordinary, and not many of the other captains are very clever."

Chu Yuanqing sat on a wooden bench in the garden, basking in the sunlight. Her features were clear and sharp, and her golden eyes looked at this super AI with a smile as she gently moved her lips and said softly:

"You know, I’m not talking about talent in the witch system, but rather in the fighting skills I have taught."

"Little Yu’s talent in this area is indeed quite ordinary. It wouldn’t be fair to call it poor; it’s just that she has always been very hardworking and has good perseverance, which helps her."

Esther paused for a moment, helplessly rubbed her forehead, and sighed:

"Do you really know what you are talking about?"

Chu Yuanqing not only behaved strangely but even stopped hiding her strangeness.

Charlotte would be honored as the Holy Maiden for her unique talent of shining brightly almost all the time, her magical girl potential far exceeding everyone else’s, and the Shine Meditation Method that helps fully blooming magical girls continue to progress, as shown in the astrolabe analysis.

Among these, the first two are natural gifts, but the third is somewhat beyond the norm. However, considering she has been part of the Countermeasures Bureau for a long time, read many Meditation Methods, and created her own in the Ideal State environment, it still falls within a reasonable range.

In contrast, look at Chu Yuanqing, who is strongly promoted as the Lighthouse by the Donghong Federation.

Although her magical girl potential is incredibly obvious, with Charlotte as a historical foundation, these issues do not pose a problem.

But ever since this girl, with a magical power thousands of times greater, defeated a captain-level witch with unbelievable battle skills, the situation has subtly changed.

If until now, one could still talk about some outrageous talent that perfectly controls magical particles and greatly enhances their power.

Then that statement would mean acknowledging that she possesses a different type of battle skill from the witch system, which is completely a different concept from the Shine Meditation Method, theoretically derived from other Meditation Methods.

Chu Yuanqing naturally understood this very well. Her delicate and perfect face showed calmness, and the majesty in her golden eyes radiated authority. Just by raising her gaze, she displayed a commanding presence and said casually:

"Is this important?"

"We don’t have much time left."

"Just think of it as something I learned from [Pure White]."

Since getting the position of [Lighthouse] and meeting Charlotte, who is also a [Lighthouse], Chu Yuanqing realized there was no need to hide her identity too much. She needed to hide her disguise before to protect herself from unnecessary surprises.

As for now? No one would come after her for acting too dramatically.

Even if Esther and the others in the upper circle guessed her connection with Chu Yuanying, so what?

In fact, being suspected in that direction would only increase her influence and credibility.

So, if you want to do something, get something, or have someone cooperate, it’s best to communicate openly instead of beating around the bush and wasting time.

Sure enough, even when revealing [Pure White], a sensitive clue pointing to Chu Yuanying,

Esther did not continue to ask further but carefully answered the previous question.

"It is very hard for the captains to find free time. Recently, the movements of Disaster have become more frequent, and with having to stay in the restricted area, the arrangement of personnel is very tight. We also have to be responsible for the lives of the other witches on their team."

"It is already very unusual for Little Yu to stay here for another week. Under such circumstances, we at least need the first group of fresh blood from Dazzling Stage to join the Countermeasures Bureau to help ease the situation, but you also know that time is the biggest problem."

Chu Yuanqing’s suggestion was undoubtedly very tempting.

If just one week of time could double the fighting strength of all the captain-level witches in the Countermeasures Bureau, then as long as the higher-ups are sensible, they would be happy to let them participate in the other training.

But ideals are ideals, and reality is reality. Recklessly pulling a large number of captains for training is like tearing down the dam during a flood, which could easily cause irreparable losses and greatly reduce the chances of success for the Dazzling Stage project.

So, we can only take it slowly.

Esther calmly delivered the standard statement of a capitalist.

"I can only guarantee that, even if it means squeezing all of those children’s vacations, we will arrange for people to come when there is free time, but it is very hard to set a specific time. It might even conflict with the competition rules you will participate in later."

"On the other hand, you need to consider whether it overwhelms the other captain-level issues."

The Counter-Magic Bureau has three requirements for achieving captain level.

First is ‘Full Bloom’.

Second, you must have a Lantern Elf, so that you can fully use ‘Full Power Mode’ once and still stay alive.

Third, after training in the Ideal State, you must enter the sanctuary and pass the corresponding trials to gain your own Unrestricted Technique from the blessings received.

Among them, ‘Full Power Mode’ is a move that can almost only be used once in a lifetime and must never be used in internal wars, nor can it be considered as part of regular combat capability.

Therefore, only the Unrestricted Technique truly determines the power gap between captain level and the normal ‘Full Bloom’.

The difference between it and other techniques is that the Unrestricted Technique is a vast framework; it acts as an evolution formula that can infinitely refine one’s own magic.

Due to mental issues, Xie Qing Yu has not made any progress for a long time; her development of the Unrestricted Technique is quite shallow, and she has only created a branch technique called ‘Butterfly Burial’ to compensate for damage output.

But the captains at the top level are different; they have almost all completely upgraded their magic.

Some have evolved the technique for building Magic Armor to rival Taboo Techniques, some have combined flower language and emotions to weave extremely powerful concept techniques, and some have developed their magical domains to be like an otherworldly Divine Kingdom, controlling any energy within their range…

The power that the Pure White Witch currently shows may not be enough to guarantee a win against Little Yu in a real life-and-death battle, let alone use that kind of training method to educate those witches.

Chu Yuanqing nodded upon hearing this, not feeling belittled at all.

If the strongest team of magical girls only had someone like Little Yu, humanity would likely have been finished long ago; just the Grade A Disaster Debris in the Möbius Ring is not something Little Yu alone could normally defeat.

Of course, the strength of Full Power Mode is unknown and needs to be calculated separately.

Chu Yuanqing pondered for a moment and asked:

"I have a question: since Blooming Flowers is a special skill for Full Bloom, there should be many magical girls who can use Blooming Flowers, even if they are not captains, right?"

"And as long as there is Blooming Flowers, the necessary hardware conditions for training can be met, and it can be brought along completely."

Esther clearly thought about this too, and she said directly:

"Although not everyone can handle that kind of training, many magical girls really long to take another step and gain stronger powers."

"If conditions allow, I will recruit a few volunteers who are willing to give up their holidays and are aware of what that means. I will mention it to you then."

Chu Yuanqing felt a bit disappointed; it was clear that the Countermeasures Bureau really lacked magical girls. Otherwise, Dream Weaver Rabbit would have surely sent a few more to try things out.

All we can do is hope that this situation changes quickly during the planning of "Dazzling Stage."

Esther looked at the sad Pure White Witch and shared some good news:

"By the way, we have almost finished taking your photos these days. They will be released together when the seventh episode airs."

Chu Yuanqing sighed in relief and showed a relaxed smile; she had been spending three to four hours each day for the past few days taking photos, sacrificing a lot of sleep.

During the process, she changed outfits hundreds of times. If it weren’t for the help of magic, just changing clothes would have taken at least half of the total time, which was truly scary.

This was far beyond just a game of changing clothes for Charlotte.

What Dream Weaver Rabbit said that day about wearing the Magic Armor was completely untrue; her Magic Armor only appeared on the cover, which meant she only saved one chance to change her clothes.

There was no way around it; since the theme was a fashion magazine, there naturally wouldn’t be any repeated clothes or outfits.

Chu Yuanqing couldn’t remember how many brands of clothes she had worn or what kind of photos had been taken, but no matter what, those nightmares and darkness were now behind her, and ahead lay a beautiful and easy day.

However, she hadn’t been happy for long.

Dream Weaver Rabbit then listed out a series of items and continued:

"So now, it’s time to fulfill the fans’ wishes."

Huh?

Chu Yuanqing looked blankly at the screen, which showed the voting results from the official website of "Dazzling Stage," listing styles from the last photo shoot: cheongsam, knight costume, maid outfit, princess dress, punk, office lady, Lolita…

The super AI said seriously:

"Many proposals that do not match this theme were rejected to maintain the style."

"But instead of being in the official photos, they can be taken as gifts, which can also give back to your fans and help with promotion."

Pure White Witch couldn’t resist this reasoning and could only agree with a sigh.

Fortunately, because the conditions were set from the beginning, all requests related to nudity were passed, making the photo shoot not as difficult as imagined; it only took two and a half hours of extra work to finish.

Of course, there were still many difficulties during the shoot.

In the camera, the girl shyly tugged at the collar of her sweater; her white hair was tied into a ponytail with a black ribbon, and her well-developed softness was wrapped in a fitted gray sweater, outlining a lovely and beautiful curve.

Although she wore a small suit that seemed dignified, it actually drew attention to her curves. The lower half was a classic pencil skirt, perfectly fitting black stockings, and office high heels that accentuated her shape.

This surprisingly appealing office outfit looked on the usually serious little widow, giving off a sense of strictness while also stirring desire in others.

Dream Weaver Rabbit understood people’s hearts very well. It also included various versions in this outfit like wearing a ponytail or not, wearing a badge or not, wearing glasses or not, different types of stockings, and activities like working, standing, sitting, getting water, stretching, going barefoot, and so on. It perfectly matches the needs of everyone.

At the same time, to evoke a bit more emotion from someone, it required her to be filmed in her true form with white hair and golden eyes the whole time, giving it a feel of a magical girl going to work after quitting.

After that, the too cute princess dress and the sweet Lolita style, like cake, made the middle-aged father, who had no girl-like heart, feel a strong sense of discomfort and shame.

Hmm, surprisingly, the maid outfit, which theoretically has a meaning of obedience, showed no disturbance in front of the camera since she had worn very revealing outfits before. The filming process was smooth, almost as if she had been trained by Charlotte.

There were also some cosplay elements mixed in.

Theoretically, the number of cosplays requested by some online users was not very high; the highest one was just a few hundred thousand votes, but Dream Weaver Rabbit added extra work for Honey Qing under the pretext of picking comments from lucky viewers.

One of the characters is Lucy from "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners." In a sense, she fits quite well with Pure White Witch because she becomes a little widow at the end, and she shares some similarities with Motoko Kusanagi, who was mentioned in the comments before.

Both characters wear high-cut bodysuits, which are retro and stylish.

If worn alone, it would definitely belong to the adult category, but with the side-cut hot pants and off-shoulder coat, along with the similarly designed tight pants, it barely falls into the acceptable range.

After all, to be serious, only her shoulder, part of her waist, and the side of her thigh were revealed, which can be seen as a beautiful hint of mystery, like "still holding the pipa with half of her face covered."

In short, after a tiring training that lasted a little more than half the afternoon, it finally came to an end.

Chu Yuanqing, with the belief of wanting to eat more fan will, managed to stick it out to the end under Esther’s persuasion, taking hundreds of photos just as gifts.

Each outfit of the Pure White Witch was photographed dozens of different versions, and according to this sneaky super AI, it will inform fans during the promotion that only the first ten thousand fashion photo books will come with physical photos, including ten signed by her.

Even without that last treat, one can imagine how many fans would gather to buy Honey Qing’s complete photo book, eagerly waiting for the pre-sale.

Chu Yuanqing, bathing in the afternoon sun, walked down the old town streets, carrying a bag full of goodies. In the bag on her left, there were matcha milk tea and strawberry sundaes for her lovely daughter, Charlotte, along with a small cake wanted by Liuli Cat.

On the other side, she had bought pink roses to give to each of the small idols and a sunflower just for her daughter.

This was not for any special reason, just a simple celebration after finishing a task.

Along the way, residents occasionally gazed at Pure White Witch, and some cats and dogs, which had been napping in the sun, came over to rub against her feet upon seeing her, creating a delightful feeling that she had lived here for many years.

The dance studio is only a fifteen-minute walk from the castle, and if you take a shortcut, it can be even faster.

Chu Yuanqing took a little detour while shopping, but she still quickly arrived at the dance studio. When she walked in, Charlotte was sitting on a chair, cheering for her lovely daughter while everyone was rehearsing the dance.

The Pure White Witch sat next to Charlotte, handing her pink roses and a strawberry sundae, which brought a surprised smile to Charlotte’s face and a sweet kiss on her lips as a reward.

Charlotte, in a happy mood, ate her strawberry sundae while watching her daughter dance, and she confidently said:

"Little Qing, Little Shu must have guessed the truth because her attitude toward me was clearly strange today; our relationship suddenly feels much closer."

The Last Diva spoke with sparkling eyes, her lips curling into a smile, filled with overflowing maternal love, but also hiding a bit of nervousness like a young mother awaiting a judge’s score, giving off an innocent and youthful vibe.

Chu Yuanqing was struck by this cuteness, her heart thumping loudly. She then averted her gaze, followed her wife’s line of sight to see their daughter, reached out to hold her hand, smiled, and said seriously:

"Don’t be nervous. I told you, Charlotte will be a wonderful mom."

"Little Shu will definitely like you and won’t blame you for anything, that is for sure."

These are her true feelings.

Don’t think that the lovely daughter is always very understanding; even if she is a bit rebellious, once she knows the whole story and realizes that her own mother is the same age as she is and cannot be part of her childhood, she may choose to understand this shocking reality.

After all, you can’t expect a little baby to hold another little baby and maturely call herself "Mom."

That probably won’t become a warm memory; it might turn into a childhood shadow when they grow up.

Charlotte said quietly and a bit shyly:

"I know our daughter is well-behaved and very sensible, but… it just feels like I am not completely ready."

This mindset is easy to understand; it’s like a lesbian who talks about going to a hotel every day, but when the time comes to actually go with the girl she likes, she starts to hesitate, wondering if she might be disliked for not being good enough.

Charlotte feels the same way; after spending some time with her daughter as a friend and a caring big sister, she gained some rationality in her earlier desire to immediately recognize their relationship, afraid of not handling the role of Mom properly.

Chu Yuanqing also finds this difficult; after all, her daughter has grown up. If she were still a baby, they could look at expert books on parenting.

But in human history, there has not been a book that teaches how to have a good relationship with a daughter of the same age.

Even if there were, it would be something like stepmother literature or stepmother manuals, mainly found in melodramatic novels, which are hard to use as examples.

So, the Pure White Witch can only hold Charlotte’s small hand tightly and encourage her seriously:

"It’s okay, I can be a mother with Charlotte too."