Chapter 156

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Chapter 156: The Private Magic Room, a Harsh Punishment, the Final Battle Begins

Kirimi Miyuki felt a pang in her heart, her eyes shimmering with a deep pink. She had always known that the silly dog held a special place in Little Qing’s heart; otherwise, why had such a "misunderstanding" never happened to her before?

But even though she felt jealous, Little Sakura understood that she had no right to interfere. She simply pressed her lips together, stopped talking, and decided to temporarily ignore the topic.

After all, their team didn’t have a single voice; the reason they could focus on the same goal last time was mainly because she and the shy cat, along with Little Shu, were all close to Chu Yuanqing, which created strong bonds.

This time, choosing teammates would be different; they would definitely adopt a democratic voting system.

But, that being said, if Chu Yuanqing made a suggestion, Tang Liuli and Chu Wang Shu would probably follow along. They would need to assess the situation when the time came.

Chu Yuanqing did not realize she had hurt the feelings of the girl beside her. Her expression was serious, and her beautifully delicate face seemed quite solemn, as if she were deep in thought about something important. She casually continued:

"But if we really want to win, we must consider the overall factors of the team."

"We’ll discuss it together later."

Does that mean she is not the only one?

So… Little Qing never thought this much?

Little Sakura blinked, and the unhappiness in her heart faded away. Her naturally drooping eyes looked innocent, now turning up slightly to show a hint of a smile.

Kirimi Miyuki quietly admired the lovely side profile of her crush and those tempting, slightly puffy lips filled with the scent of flowers. For a moment, she felt shy and a bit ashamed, thinking she had been too petty. Despite having received so much, she still couldn’t help but feel possessive and jealous.

This can’t continue. Honey Qing is so cute and kind, a top-notch talented idol. Her beauty and gentle glow will someday be seen by more people and will shine beyond Daxia, spreading to the Donghong Federation and even to stages around the world.

If this kind of mindset keeps growing, won’t I eventually become the kind of person who doesn’t want her to be seen by so many?

Little Sakura thought this wasn’t the way to go. Unless they truly progressed to a mysterious relationship that couldn’t be shared, she should respect the other person’s wishes when it came to who to like, who to kiss, and who to choose, only using her charm and attraction to subtly influence Chu Yuanqing’s choices.

In this, she felt her earlier "affair" with Honey Qing in bed was both wrong and right.

The wrong part was that she was overwhelmed with the pain of her breakup and said many things filled with personal emotion, which might have put the kind Little Qing in a difficult spot.

The right thing is that Honey Qing is very happy to kiss herself, showing that she has successfully spread her charm!

Kirimi Miyuki replayed the situation in her mind and suddenly realized.

Oh, right! Honey Qing obviously likes girls, and she definitely doesn’t dislike someone like me. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said [need] to me or been so invested during our kisses.

In other words, their closeness can definitely go further! I hadn’t noticed before because kisses alone were enough to satisfy me.

Yes, Chu Yuanqing hugging her waist and the thrill of gently biting, grinding, and savoring was enough to make innocent Little Sakura lost in the moment, without ever thinking of wanting more.

But now that I think about it, the two of them could at least attract each other on the surface; it’s not just me craving Honey Qing’s lips and body. Honey Qing has certainly felt attracted to some part of me too!

So…

Kirimi Miyuki understood the truth. Though she couldn’t force Little Qing into bad things, she could definitely tempt Little Qing to do bad things with her! As long as they got up to enough mischief, why worry about that silly dog and cat?

Win! Absolutely winning way too much!

Chu Yuanqing did not know what brilliant idea Little Sakura had in her mind. She glanced ahead and unexpectedly saw a pair of familiar figures.

The young girl’s face was beautiful, with classic, striking features. Her hair was a lovely raspberry red, like a pop star. She seemed to have just stepped off the stage, wearing a form-fitting outfit that showed off her graceful figure. Her expression was gloomy as she pulled the wrist of the person behind her, walking silently forward.

This was clearly Chen Yining, the daughter of Yunlan Entertainment.

Ji Shuzhu pressed her lips together and stayed silent, still wearing her cold and distant expression. Yet, her eyes were filled with a dreamy mist. Her chest and stomach felt full, overwhelmed by a mix of "pain" and sweetness that burned like a raging fire, making her mouth water continuously.

Miss Choreographer was not quite herself. She was overwhelmed by Chen Yining’s long-held emotions, which had finally burst forth on stage with "Heart Flow," leaving her only able to hold on to her expression while being led away in a daze.

As for the two’s teammates…

Lin Baor did not dare to get involved, while Liang Xiaoxiao pulled Ruan Wutong, who wanted to watch the fun, back to their dormitory and kept a close watch on her.

Xie Qingxuan completely ignored it—because it was lunchtime—and the remaining two invisible girls naturally did not want to interfere in their choreographer’s private matters.

Well, as for Ji Shuzhu herself, she initially wanted to continue pretending to be indifferent. However, she already liked Chen Yining, and the light of her childhood friend brought her joy, making her subconscious reluctant to suppress this happiness. It was a surprise that her legs didn’t give way and her mind went blank; she couldn’t even think about maintaining her act.

As soon as she revealed her true feelings, it caused a long-fuming young lady, almost turning into a lovesick girl, to completely lose her temper and storm from the practice room to here.

At that moment,

Chen Yining also noticed the two people walking toward her. She politely nodded and, without any intention of avoiding suspicion, continued to hold Miss Choreographer’s wrist and casually walked into a private cinema.

The most coincidental part was that it was the same one the two had just used.

Chu Yuanqing and Kirimi Miyuki locked eyes, momentarily speechless.

Little Sakura, not sure what she was imagining, blushed and said,

"It shouldn’t… shouldn’t be what I’m thinking, right?"

Chu Yuanqing hesitated for a moment, feeling that the number of female contestants in this season of "Dazzling Stage" was probably not that exaggerated.

But thinking about how this pair of childhood friends was forced to separate after the Stage Battle, like a scene of terrifying life and death, in a highly intense, dramatic atmosphere, her thoughts shifted from "There can’t possibly be that many lesbians" to "If something outrageous happens to this pair, it seems understandable."

Chu Yuanqing shook her head, pushing away all the strange thoughts, and said seriously:

"Not necessarily, they might just be resolving a conflict."

"Conflict?"

Kirimi Miyuki felt a bit curious.

She hadn’t paid attention to the gossip about the two childhood friends. When she was scrolling through her phone earlier, her focus was on chatting with family and interacting with fans on different social media accounts. She only learned about Xie Qingxuan through her sister mentioning that quirky name.

So, she knew nothing about the breakup of the "Sun and Moon" couple.

Chu Yuanqing said quietly:

"Have you ever thought about why Ji Shuzhu joined our team? During the Stage Battle, they argued a lot about whether to accept us or not, and in the end, that red-haired girl even cried. She is probably reflecting on that now."

Little Sakura suddenly understood.

Isn’t this how Xie Qingxuan reacted when she took Little Qing away?

But Chen Yining was even more excited than that silly dog and still a bit more delicate.

As Kirimi Miyuki read this, she felt a rush of excitement.

Although it could be seen as friends arguing, to be honest, crying over such a thing has a bit of that feeling. And if it were really a pair of childhood friends in a lesbian relationship, it would definitely be too much like a yuri comic!

"Anyway, let’s leave first. We’ve stayed too long, and it’s almost time for training."

Chu Yuanqing felt it was not good to stay here any longer. After saying that, she ignored what the childhood friends were doing in the private theater and quickly pulled Little Sakura away from the scene.

On the other side, in the private theater.

Chen Yining pinned Ji Shuzhu against the corner, the crimson in her eyes burning, and coldly asked:

"Tell me, why didn’t you agree to my challenge?"

Ji Shuzhu’s head was spinning. She looked at the young lady’s face, which was usually full of smiles and kindness, but now it was only dark and sad. For some reason, Chu Yuanqing’s words from that time suddenly came to her mind.

— "Ji Shuzhu, don’t let yourself have regrets."

So, she answered obediently, as if being guided by an unseen force:

"It wasn’t my decision. When our team just arrived at A1, Xie Qingxuan challenged Chu Yuanqing’s team."

Chen Yining sneered:

"But Little Shuzhu, you went along with it, didn’t you?"

The color in the girl’s eyes grew darker, and the Eternal Courtyard on her wrist trembled. She looked sadly at that beautiful face and whispered:

"You’re a liar. You promised to let me come and take it, but you didn’t… you didn’t even give me a chance!"

Ji Shuzhu was silent for a moment. She swallowed her quick breaths and endured the heat in her stomach. Yet, the mist in her eyes looked like flower petals touched by morning dew, vivid and beautiful. If it weren’t for the dim light of the private theater, this scene would be hard to explain.

Miss Choreographer closed her eyes and pressed her lips together in silence.

Everything was unexpected; she never thought that the quiet plum, which had been silent for many years, would suddenly wake up after she chose to step away and walk down a different path of life, even acting against her usual style and character, pressing herself into such a private corner.

Perhaps, as Chu Yuanqing said, she was too proud; she shouldn’t have made such a decision by herself.

But on the other hand, even if the roles were reversed and she was pressed against the wall, Ji Shuzhu did not regret her previous choice.

Because if she had followed the other person and chose not to leave at that time, no one would know when Chen Yining would wake up.

From the outcome, her choice led to Little Ning’s awakening.

Thinking about this, Miss Choreographer couldn’t help but continue to overthink.

So, is she really just a burden and a shackle to Little Ning? If she hadn’t been so concerned about herself, would Little Ning have awakened long ago?

"Just think of me as a deceiver."

This bland sentence completely made Chen Yining’s emotions, built up over half a month, burst out.

The young lady was very angry; she decided not to tolerate the other’s bad temper anymore and coldly said:

"Liar, you should be punished."

The words hung in the air.

"Little Ning?"

Ji Shuzhu opened her eyes wide in shock. She wanted to say something, but she was rudely silenced, her hands were even locked with one hand and pressed against the wall, unable to make a sound, only left to be taken away.

In an instant, the two reserve witches triggered a very low-frequency chemical reaction.

Chen Yining’s Heart Cocoon stirred a wave of aggressive emotions.

Ji Shuzhu also had a Heart Cocoon deep within her soul, but her talent was not as good as Tang Liuli’s, and her flaws were more serious. The negative symptoms of hyperthymesia came from the cocoon’s incompleteness, which is why it needed the brilliance of emotional waves to nourish and complete it.

In that moment, the two were unexpectedly completing each other as their magic intertwined.

The reason is simple: the so-called "Cocoon of the Heart" exists deep within the soul to weave, create, and fulfill the wishes of its host.

However, the wishes of this pair are connected to each other, which caused an extraordinary chemical reaction during the interaction of their "Cocoon of the Heart."

One could say that the benefits of their closeness, because of their compatibility, rank just below the blessings of a certain Pure White Witch.

Ji Shuzhu, unaware of the details, sensed that her illness had found a targeted cure. In an instant, all her feelings revived, bringing forth guilt, sadness, love, and desire, transforming her struggles into a peaceful response.

Chen Yining also changed from initial anger and impulsiveness to a shy hesitance, eventually immersing herself as if pouring all her grievances into this moment, punishing with clumsy yet fierce strength.

After a long time,

Ji Shuzhu’s "Cocoon of the Heart" was partially repaired, and she felt as if the world had opened up to her anew, with the air and herself becoming vibrant again.

It was not a fleeting joy snatched through shining moments but a normal sense of relief, like a person recovering from depression, regaining the ability to appreciate beauty.

Although she still felt much duller than a normal person, the heavy feelings of boredom, disinterest, sadness, loneliness, and other negative emotions that pressed on her heart faded away like clouds parting to reveal the sun, making her feel as if she had been given a new life.

Little Ning managed to heal a bit from her illness in this way?

Ji Shuzhu was greatly shocked; she had always believed that only the shining moments on stage could cure this stubborn ailment that no medicine could fix. Who would have thought that after Little Ning learned "Heart Flow," even a kiss seemed to have magic, proving to be even more effective than the shining moments.

So…

Could she stop pretending to Little Ning now?

But before Miss Choreographer could figure out how to honestly share this, the eager and slightly frustrated Chen Yining jumped into action, just like the beautiful scenes she once imagined when she was normal, but the only difference was…

…

…

That day.

Underground base, central room.

Dream Weaver Rabbit looked at the data fusion of Artificial Lantern and murmured to herself:

"Is this the uncertainty of a witch’s promotion? Among the six Grade A candidates, Ji Shuzhu and Chen Yining, who initially had the most stable fusion progress, have suddenly surged forward, trying to catch up with the other four who were once far ahead."

"Also… Kirimi Miyuki’s growth curve is changing again, and the timing happens to coincide with these two, one before and one after. Is this just a coincidence? Or is there some kind of commonality?"

For entertainment areas like private cinemas, there are naturally cameras, but just like in the dorms, their placements are quite obvious, and the contestants can easily cover them up.

Of course, if this super AI wishes, there are no secrets in this underground base for her.

But the key point is that the global government is not cultivating simple idols or just war machines; they must maintain their original intentions, free from any corruption, and use their true selves to perform the magic of saving the world as magical girl idol groups!

Therefore, these witch reserves are silently rising in status within the global government, and to avoid unnecessary conflicts in the future, even public opinion on the internet is managed in advance, let alone such privacy rights?

This led to two groups within the base creating ambiguous scenes while replenishing their magic, and even Dream Weaver Rabbit had no idea, unable to guess the reason for the continuous rise in Artificial Lantern’s fusion level.

However, if this shameless super AI truly understood the situation, it might make the global "Dazzling Stage" start to lean toward a lesbian variety show, intentionally pairing the young idols together and urging them to bond every day.

If that really happens, the global fan circles would likely be forced to become a world of CP fans, a true ultimate hell for both extreme fans and regular fans.

Dream Weaver Rabbit did not know what fun it had missed; it concluded:

"I suppose it’s best to keep observing for now."

"If the growth continues at this rate, perhaps Ji Shuzhu’s ‘Cocoon of the Heart’ will officially be completed before the stage showdown, awakening the full ability of ‘Heart Flow.’"

As Dream Weaver Rabbit spoke, its crimson eyes gleamed with joy, and it smiled in anticipation:

"Xie Qingxuan’s growth has exceeded my expectations. She started by shining through the talents of others, but her own brilliance has not faded; instead, it has become ever more transparent and dazzling, not even 14 Stage Battles could push her to her limit on stage."

"If we add a fully awakened Ji Shuzhu, the disadvantage in training time will be completely made up."

Dream Weaver Rabbit excitedly opened its arms and cheered loudly:

"It is truly exciting! This battle between the reserve witches is just like their last showdown, exactly what I have always dreamed of. It is a stage of fate that even Dreamweaver cannot predict!"

…

…

Two days quickly passed.

During this time, Chu Yuanqing gave Little Sakura extra lessons in the private cinema to help the team’s chances.

It is quite interesting that she always ran into the same choreographer and young lady either before or after their time in the private cinema.

"Maybe they both really like watching movies?"

This was both of their opinions about each other.

Yes, Ji Shuzhu truly did not doubt that there was anything inappropriate between Chu Yuanqing and Little Sakura, because she always thought the real concern was a certain golden retriever.

Instead, it was she herself who had been acting like a stubborn "prisoner" these days, always finding the young lady at noon, silently encouraging her to try to open her mouth.

Ji Shuzhu initially wanted to explain, but each time she was interrupted by affection, so she eventually thought it might be more exciting for Little Ning to keep her questioning and vengeful attitude, making her stubbornly silent, which led the unaware young lady to become more intense.

Finally, on the day of the competition, the supermemory condition that had troubled her for many years was stopped after the initial improvement of the "Cocoon of the Heart," and just as the Dream Weaver Rabbit expected, she mastered the complete state of "Heart Flow" before the Stage Battle.

At this point, the time was noon, 12 o’clock.

The Demon King and the Hero arrived at the stage on time!