Chapter 220: Leisurely Day

— 【Stop arguing!】

【It's the New Year holiday, a time that should be full of joy and celebration, yet you are haggling over a few red envelopes. What is this like!】

【Our whole family gathered here should be in harmony, yet we have argued over such trivial gains to this point. Don't you find it chilling?】

At the City magic base in Fang Ting, the television in the living room was playing the melodious "New Year Overture." Along with the music came the energetic recitation of the sketch comedy actors.

Opposite the television, Senior Cuique sat upright on the central sofa, expressionless, her pair of azure eyes reflecting the glow of the screen.

This was the New Year gala organized annually by Tian City for the Donghua State, inviting famous artists from Donghua and even other states to perform and celebrate. Programs were usually recorded in advance in December of the previous year, distributed to cities large and small, and finally broadcast uniformly on the night of the New Year's transition.

Such a celebration has continued since television became widespread in Donghua State, held once a year for nearly a century now. For a significant portion of families in Donghua State, the New Year gala has long become an inseparable part of the New Year festival.

The magic girls born in Donghua State would not deny this, and Asano Enka from Dongyi State had long grown accustomed to it. On New Year's Eve, the magic girls' original plan was to eat hot pot together and then watch the New Year gala together, but all arrangements were disrupted by the sudden attack of Claw Marks, leaving nothing accomplished.

As for Senior Cuique, she hadn't expected to see the premiere of the New Year's Eve program in the first place. The first few days of the New Year holiday were not completely free, so it wasn't until the morning of the fifth day of the holiday that she had the time to sit on the sofa and properly watch what the New Year gala was broadcasting this year.

However, having only watched halfway through the program, she had already completely lost the mood to listen to what the sketch comedy actors on television were saying.

It wasn't just because this year's programs were mediocre; aside from a few song and dance performances, the content of most language-based programs was quite boring, to the point where the ending of certain sketches could be guessed from the beginning. It was also because she was genuinely quite uncomfortable right now, completely unable to focus her attention on the television program.

She could only sit as straight as possible, because on her left was Lin Xiaolu, leaning sideways against her shoulder and snoring deeply, and on her right was Bai Jingxuan, half-asleep and half-awake on her lap.

Lin Xiaolu's act of forcibly waking up early in the morning just to eat breakfast ultimately had its price—when the boring program that held no interest for her began playing on television, her already scarce energy flew away along with the canned laughter on the screen. She had originally intended to watch television intimately shoulder-to-shoulder with Senior Cuique, but soon turned the other's shoulder into her own pillow.

Bai Jingxuan didn't have any problem with lack of sleep, but seeing Lin Xiaolu sleep so soundly leaning on Senior Cuique, she wanted to do the same. However, Senior Cuique's frame didn't have much flesh, and her shoulders were hard; only Lin Xiaolu, being extremely sleepy, could sleep leaning on them. After Bai Jingxuan rested her head there, she felt uncomfortable no matter what, her head constantly turning around. In the end, Senior Cuique could only helplessly let her lie on her lap.

Thus, the current scene came to be: two people sleeping soundly, one person suffering.

【Big Sister, you are right. I was mistaken before. Arguing and making noise is no way to behave. How about we all make dumplings together!】

【Hey, did you forget something? We aren't just our own family celebrating the New Year!】

【Oh, look at my memory. Everyone in front of the television is also waiting for us to pay them New Year's greetings!】

【What do you mean?】

【Then let us wish everyone in front of the television a smooth New Year, perfection in all things, success in a hundred affairs, auspiciousness in a thousand matters, and fulfillment in ten thousand wishes. Together—we pay our New Year's greetings!】

"Not very interesting... but at least it's festive."

Senior Cuique gave this evaluation in front of the television.

The drowsy program segment came to an end, but the replay of the New Year gala did not stop there. After a brief burst of canned applause, subsequent programs followed one after another. Senior Cuique could only sit motionless in place, pondering whether to use her Magic Armor to create a substitute to continue acting as a pillow for these two children in her stead.

This was not a difficult task for her. Using Magic Armor threads to weave a substitute with a figure similar to her own would not create too many abnormalities in either visual or tactile sensation. Even if the substitute's interior was an empty shell, unable to perform precise movements or speak, such complex functions were not needed for the current scene.

However, this thought was shelved by herself once her gaze touched upon the peaceful profiles of Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan.

Lin Xiaolu leaned against her shoulder, breathing calmly and peacefully, a little drool even flowing from her slightly open mouth, obviously sleeping soundly. Bai Jingxuan, on the other hand, was as quiet as a puppy, eyes closed, a satisfied smile on her face.

At least the children are quite happy.

Senior Cuique thought.

After all, it is holiday time; being idle is being idle. Being able to interact peacefully with the children like this must be a rare enough experience for her, right?

Thinking this way, the current scene was actually considered a rare comfort for the magic girls who were usually very busy.

So she stopped thinking about escaping, instead making her body sit as straight as possible to ensure Lin Xiaolu wouldn't slide off her shoulder, and then peacefully watched the television.

Just like that, time quickly approached noon.

Accompanied by the winter sun climbing high into the sky, the girls who hadn't been able to get up the night before because they played too late also walked out of the bedrooms one after another. Because of the holiday, everyone was somewhat lazy.

Among them, Asano Enka's state was the most casual. She didn't even bother to comb her long hair, walking into the dining room with a mop of tangled hair on her head and slippers on her feet. Passing the living room, she glanced toward the sofa position due to the sound of the television, saw Senior Cuique being used as a cushion by two children, and laughed quite shamelessly.

Senior Cuique, not wanting to speak loudly, could only glare at her silently.

By the way, at the board game gathering last night, after Bai Jingxuan was taken to bed early, Asano Enka was the one responsible for filling the spot. This person had absolutely no spirit of concession when playing games with children; not only did she make unreasonable scenes when she lost, but when she won, she acted like a petty person gaining power and mocked everyone extensively. In the end, she was targeted jointly by several juniors, including her own teammates, becoming the person with the fewest wins throughout the night.

As for Senior Cuique at that time, she and Hong Siyu were in the study, treating the noise from the living room as background sound while working overtime.

Also, since the work at the Yi Ce Bureau today happened to fall to Hong Siyu for duty, she was also the one responsible for making breakfast in the morning. In reality, her sleep time was only one or two hours longer than Lin Xiaolu and the others.

No wonder she had no good face for the unprofessional Asano Enka.

After a while, Xia Liang also walked out of the room leisurely. Her hair, which had grown a bit longer recently, was braided into a side ponytail on the side of her face, draping down over her shoulder. Stretching, she passed the living room, and then, also noticing the three people squeezed together in the living room due to the sound of the television, her gaze tightened slightly.

"What is this going on?" she asked with her mouth slightly open, using lip movements.

"They woke up too early and are sleeping." Senior Cuique answered with lip movements as well.

This answer made Xia Liang stand still for a moment, then she turned her direction, having no intention of going to the dining room anymore, and simply came into the living room.

She first looked at Lin Xiaolu, who was leaning on Senior Cuique's left shoulder with drool almost dripping down, then looked at Bai Jingxuan, who was sitting on Senior Cuique's right side, lying sideways on her lap, and had fallen asleep at some unknown time. She couldn't help but helplessly grin.

"What about me?" she pointed at herself and asked again with lip movements.

"Go eat first." Senior Cuique answered helplessly.

Then she saw Xia Liang reveal a cunning smile like a little fox.

Before Senior Cuique could react, she directly sat on the ground hugging her legs, then lay back, her whole body leaning against Senior Cuique's calves.

From then on, Senior Cuique was completely squeezed until there wasn't a shred of movement space left.

This bizarre scene naturally did not escape the eyes of other team members. Not long after, Asano Enka walked out of the kitchen, holding a glass of plain water in one hand and half an egg in the other. Seeing another person added by Senior Cuique's leg, she whistled quite maliciously.

"The relationship is really good," she sighed with a smile.

Senior Cuique, who couldn't even move her feet, could only return an even fiercer glare.

The lazy and leisurely morning passed quickly.

By noon, the task of cooking naturally fell to Asano Enka, who had slept for half the day.

However, because most people got up very late today, lunch was not very formal either, with only three or five people gathering around the table. The others, such as Mimosa, who was the last to get up, had combined breakfast and lunch into one meal and didn't need to eat at all. At this moment, she was silently scrolling through her phone in the corner of the living room because Mulberry had snatched the TV remote.

Senior Cuique moved her somewhat sore shoulders, picked up some green vegetables from the table, and slowly chewed them as she put them into her mouth.

However, before she could taste anything, she saw Asano Enka across the dining table, propping her cheek with one hand, looking at her with bright eyes.

"How is it?" she asked thus.

"... Not bad." Cuique swallowed her food, savored it for a moment, then answered honestly.

"Hong Siyu's cooking seasonings are far too ordinary—she makes it impossible for me to fully showcase my skills."

Masaoka Enka lifted her rice bowl: "If you could buy me more seasonings, I could cook you the most authentic East Yamato cuisine."

Upon hearing this, Cuique showed no reaction, but the girls beside her all looked up, fixing their gazes on Masaoka Enka.

"East Yamato cuisine..." Lin Xiaolu gripped her rice bowl a little tighter.

"I've never eaten it before..." Bai Jingxuan's eyes sparkled.

"My mentor never made it for me..." Qiu Yun widened her eyes.

"Even if you bought them, you'd never step into the kitchen anyway, would you?"

Unaffected by any craving, Cuique said flatly: "You're always lying on the sofa ordering Hong Siyu around."

"After all, Hong Siyu seems to enjoy doing housework."

Masaoka Enka took pride in it: "So I willingly gave her the responsibility of housework."

"Isn't it just because you're lazy?"

"Sis, you expect someone who's been pampered like a revered ancestor by her agent and personal assistant for ten years to do chores herself?"

Masaoka Enka pointed at herself: "Even retaining these basic life skills means I haven't been completely corrupted by capital."

Cuique rolled her eyes, left speechless.

"... But then again, if you want me to keep doing housework for you, that's not impossible."

Mid-sentence, Masaoka Enka changed tone, smiling slyly: "I could even pause my singing career. You know what I mean, right?"

She smiled teasingly; under the table, her slipper accidentally brushed against Cuique's shoe tip, implying more than words.

Lin Xiaolu, for some reason, suddenly lifted her head, scanning between Cuique and Masaoka Enka. Cuique understood what was implied but said nothing, merely murmured an "Mm" to acknowledge it, then lowered her head to pick at her food.

To be honest, though she often acted indifferent to housework, Masaoka Enka's cooking was genuinely good.

As an East Yamato native raised in East Hua territory, Masaoka Enka inherited the common East Yamato female talent for domestic skills, combined with East Hua's openness and generosity, plus the aura cultivated over a decade as a singer, and her youthful, radiant appearance untouched by age due to her entry into the Magic Realm—undoubtedly, she was an outstanding woman.

Cuique had no doubt such a woman attracted many suitors.

As a close friend of twenty years, she hoped her friend would find happiness—even though Masaoka Enka had once, over a decade ago, made a vague confession to Lin Yun, Cuique never believed she needed to remain single because of it.

Yet, as things stood, as a singer constantly active in the entertainment circle, encountering countless handsome men and beautiful women daily, Masaoka Enka had never married.

Cuique was no fool; this anomaly must have an underlying cause, and from Masaoka Enka's subtle hints, she had already guessed part of it.

Partly due to her lifestyle—Masaoka Enka was a free-spirited person who disliked being bound by relationships—and partly because the only person who had ever made her consider deepening a relationship was now beyond any possibility.

Just as with Hong Siyu, Cuique could continue treating Masaoka Enka as a very close, important friend—but friendship was already the best possible relationship between them.

Masaoka Enka understood this, so she only occasionally teased with words, never formally bringing these topics to the table.

This was their unspoken understanding.

Their mutual silence naturally moved past the topic; aside from Bai Jingxuan, whose heart still fluttered at the thought of "authentic East Yamato cuisine," everyone else focused on eating.

Lin Xiaolu, who had grown alert during their conversation, gradually lowered her guard as the talk ended, resuming her meal—but subtly shifted her seat a little closer to Cuique.

Cuique noticed Lin Xiaolu's small movement but pretended not to see.

Since she had decided to let the Cuique identity bear more of Lin Xiaolu's reliance, she wouldn't retract it; she would respond appropriately to Lin Xiaolu's simple displays of affection.

Yet this scene unconsciously reminded her of her earlier conversation with Emerald.

Because she chose to accept Lin Xiaolu's request and grow closer to her, the conflict between Lin Yun and Cuique's identities would inevitably become harder to manage in future activities.

Not only because the Cuique identity could no longer act as cold and distant as before, but also because, whenever Lin Xiaolu questioned her whereabouts, she now had to give more specific answers; moreover, under East Hua traditions, her current relationship with Lin Xiaolu was equivalent to "adopting a goddaughter"—this wasn't something only she and Lin Xiaolu could decide.

Clearly, it required discussion between "Cuique" and "Lin Yun."

Although Lin Xiaolu seemed unaware for now, if this formal process wasn't completed, she might eventually notice the strangeness once she grew more mature.

And to make "Cuique" and "Lin Yun" conduct this "discussion" in Lin Xiaolu's presence, Cuique's current magic gear couldn't produce a convincing enough decoy.

That was why she had previously sought out Emerald, asking if any such item existed.

And Emerald's answer to Cuique's request was simple—none existed.

Although it was widely known that Emerald herself had unique expertise in manipulating decoys, crafting a human-like decoy with no flaws required an enormous expenditure. In Emerald's own words, "Even if you killed me right now, I couldn't scrape together that much private savings."

Enhancing Cuique's magic gear to improve control precision was theoretically possible, but the problem circled back to her current dilemma: her true form's injuries hadn't healed, making it unsafe to tamper with her magic gear.

Thus, on this issue, Cuique ultimately returned empty-handed.

Of course, "empty-handed" didn't mean her meeting with Emerald yielded nothing—in fact, before parting, Emerald gave Cuique something.

—A completely new fake Heart Gem.

This fake Heart Gem had none of the normal functions of a real Heart Gem—it couldn't trigger transformation or generate magical energy—but it could forge magical fluctuations, allowing Cuique to disguise her magical signature.

And magical fluctuations were a key inspection item for magic girls crossing the realm's border.

"I've already arranged your false identity. Just recently, a retired magic girl's codename was archived. My friend spotted it in the records and kept it for you."

Emerald explained: "The codename is 'Dragon's Bitterroot.' I'll have someone prepare the relevant documents—should anyone check at the Magic Affairs Institute, they'll find that after the former 'Dragon's Bitterroot' retired, a newly appointed magic girl from Fang Ting City inherited the codename."

"So when I enter the realm, I'll pass the border checkpoint under the codename 'Dragon's Bitterroot'?"

Cuique looked at the Heart Gem in her hand: "And at that time, my identity will be the same as the other team members—'magic girls from Fang Ting City here for evaluation.'"

"Exactly. I'll help you with some simple disguises to ensure you won't be easily recognized by appearance."

Emerald nodded: "Your face can't be changed—facial alteration spells are heavily monitored, and any disguise on your face would be easily detected, raising suspicion. Better not to try."

"Then how can I disguise myself?" Cuique felt puzzled.

"Hmph, obviously through hairstyle and clothing."

The fairy doll on the chair puffed out her belly: "Clothes make the man. If you change your attire to alter your aura, and use that fake Heart Gem to forge your magical signature, you'll pass inspection effortlessly. Don't worry—the magical signature stored in the fake gem has already been registered as 'Dragon's Bitterroot's' personal data. It'll be flawless."

"That sounds fine..."

Cuique pondered: "But if what you say is true, then 'Dragon's Bitterroot' has never actually been used, right? If during this time, a new magic girl emerges and claims the codename 'Dragon's Bitterroot'..."

"No problem, no problem—my other friend has already arranged it. The Research Institute launched a new project last month: studying the correlation between magic girl codenames and magical properties. So they've temporarily withdrawn a batch of unused codenames for research purposes."

The Emerald shook its paw: "So this batch of codenames was naturally frozen and will not be granted to any newly appointed Magical Girls for the time being."

Senior Cuique couldn't help but squint: "Are you saying they sent the codename Gentian into that research project as well..."

"Watch your words, youngster."

The Emerald tapped the table: "You need to understand that the codename list we drew up did not include 'Gentian'. After all, Fang Ting City now has a newly appointed Magical Girl named Gentian; how could we possibly use a codename that already has an owner for research?"

"... Magical Girl codenames are quite important magical affairs resources; such a project should not be executable for too long." Senior Cuique pressed her lips together.

"Indeed, so our research project can only last one year. At least before Her Majesty closes the Rose Palace again, we must end this project and provide effective research results."

The Emerald nodded: "Of course. Speaking privately to you, since I am a once-in-a-millennium academic genius, this result actually took shape decades ago."

"What happens after that year?" Senior Cuique continued to confirm.

"After a year? Naturally, we end the project normally, report the research results, and return the borrowed Magical Girl codename."

The Emerald stood up, suddenly making his voice heavier, as if trying to mimic a declamatory tone, but it still sounded as flat as ever: "As for our poor newly appointed Magical Girl Gentian, not long after the project ended, she 'sacrificed' herself in a heroic battle against a Remnant Beast. The Magical Affairs Bureau recovered this codename amidst sorrow, and I, as the Chief Researcher of the Research Institute, express my deep condolences regarding this matter."

Senior Cuique finally had no more questions.

Truly worthy of the Gem Scepter.

She did not speak these words. Because she knew that even if she said so, the other party would likely only reply with:

"I am honored by your praise."