Chapter 256: Candies and Mirrors

Xia Liang's chocolate was eventually eaten amidst a chorus of praise.

Although gnawing on chocolate shaped similarly to one's own Heart Gem seemed strange, after the first bite, both Bai Jingxuan and Lin Xiaolu gradually let go of this reservation and stuffed the chocolate into their mouths in three swift moves.

Senior Cuique sipped and savored it in small mouthfuls, seemingly feeling the lively atmosphere around the table, her calm expression revealing nothing of her thoughts.

Just like that, after the other three had already distributed their own chocolates, the finale to make an appearance was Lin Xiaolu.

After fumbling a bit, she pulled three large cardboard boxes from under the table, placed them on the table, fiddled with the ribbons binding the boxes, and then wore a look of difficulty:

"Ah, I forgot to write the names."

She flipped through the boxes for a while, probably trying to judge the contents by the patterns on the packaging, muttering to herself things like "which one was for whom again," but quickly gave up and announced: "I forgot which chocolates inside were for whom, so I'll unwrap them and give them out!"

Thus, under the silent gaze of everyone, Lin Xiaolu began to unwrap the packaging of the chocolates she had made herself.

Fortunately, although her cardboard boxes were large, several times the size of Xia Liang's just by volume, the packaging was very simple, merely a few ribbons wrapped around the outside of the boxes, so unwrapping was easy. Lin Xiaolu operated simply for a couple of moments, then took her chocolate creation out of the first cardboard box:

— A plate of chocolates molded into the shape of bow-shaped candies.

In terms of craftsmanship, the shape Lin Xiaolu molded was indeed far inferior to Xia Liang's; not only was the precision average, but even for such a relatively simple shape, there were some bumps and hollows on it. But the few people present clearly did not care about such things; instead, they all waited for Lin Xiaolu to continue speaking.

"Ahem, ahem."

Clearing her throat under everyone's gaze, Lin Xiaolu pushed the plate of chocolates in front of Bai Jingxuan: "Yours."

"This is for me? It's a candy."

Bai Jingxuan picked up a piece curiously to examine it, then looked at Lin Xiaolu strangely: "But why?"

"Why? Even if you ask me such a question..."

Lin Xiaolu pressed her lips together, clearly wanting to say something, but because it was too awkward under everyone's gaze, she answered very stiffly: "There is no why! I just got an inspiration so I made it in this shape!"

"I see..." Bai Jingxuan immediately showed a visibly disappointed expression.

"Hey, hey."

So Xia Liang, sitting next to Lin Xiaolu, reached out and poked the other's arm: "Don't be awkward at a time like this; if you don't say some heartfelt words now, how long do you plan to hold them in?"

"What do you mean by being awkward?"

Lin Xiaolu glanced at Xia Liang somewhat displeased: "Didn't you say that the shape of the chocolate should be a secret only between two people, understood only by the giver and the receiver? Isn't it strange to say it out loud?"

"But look at Xiaoxuan; she clearly doesn't get it."

Xia Liang poked Lin Xiaolu again: "Don't be a riddler; explain it."

"Um, hiss."

Lin Xiaolu looked at Bai Jingxuan again; seeing that Bai Jingxuan was also looking at her with somewhat expectant eyes, she couldn't help but suck in a breath through her teeth.

She paused for a moment, and after a long while, crossed her arms, shook her head, seemingly organizing her words; after another moment, she slowly opened her mouth and said:

"It's just, that uh..."

"Mm." Bai Jingxuan nodded while holding the candy-shaped chocolate, indicating she was listening.

"It's just, don't I often eat the candies you give me?"

As if giving up on something, Lin Xiaolu sighed and looked at Bai Jingxuan: "I calculated a bit; from the very first one you gave me to the one I ate a few days ago, it seems I really took quite a lot from you."

"Mm, mm." Bai Jingxuan hummed twice to show agreement.

"So I thought, since we both really like this candy, maybe making it in this shape better represents our relationship."

Lin Xiaolu spoke quieter and quieter: "As for why I made it in the shape of a bow, I feel like you haven't worn any accessories on your body before; this shape suits you well, maybe it could be used as a hair accessory or something..."

"Mm... like this?" Bai Jingxuan brought the candy above her eyebrow, suspending it in front of her hair like a hairpin, then reached out to part her bangs, simulating the effect of a hairpin holding the hair in place.

"About right?" Having forced her heartfelt words out like pouring beans, Lin Xiaolu was obviously so embarrassed she could barely hold it in, but she still looked at Bai Jingxuan's indication: "Like this, it should indeed be cuter?"

"Indeed, I think it's cute too." Xia Liang nodded in agreement from the side.

"Cute."

Senior Cuique also commented: "Maybe we really should buy a hairpin like this."

Everyone's praise immediately made Bai Jingxuan happy; she ran two steps to Lin Xiaolu's side and gave her another hug: "Thank you, Sister Xiaolu!"

By now, everyone present had been hugged by Bai Jingxuan.

"Don't touch my clothes with hands covered in chocolate."

Lin Xiaolu warned verbally, looking somewhat reluctant as she returned the hug, but the forced poker face broke after three seconds: "Really... you really love acting spoiled."

After the two hugged for a while, it was Lin Xiaolu's turn to unwrap the next chocolate.

She stood up, untied the ribbon on the second cardboard box, and then took out an irregular oval chocolate from it.

"What is this?" Bai Jingxuan, who had not yet returned to her seat, leaned next to Lin Xiaolu, looking left and right: "A fried egg?"

"I think it's a bush?" Xia Liang judged thus: "It looks very much like the shape of bushes in the green belts by the roadside."

"It should be a small animal, or a fairy's face?" Senior Cuique, while biting into the chocolate she hadn't finished yet, joined the discussion: "Look, those two protruding parts look very much like ears."

After the three each gave their guesses, they looked at Lin Xiaolu, hoping she would reveal the correct answer to this question.

"It's a mirror." Lin Xiaolu remained silent for a long time, then turned her head away with a gloomy face.

"... Ah, I see, it's a mirror!"

Xia Liang immediately exclaimed in an somewhat exaggerated voice: "I misjudged just now; actually, it looks quite like a mirror!"

"Mm, mm, very much so!" Bai Jingxuan agreed thus.

"My seat was a bit far, I didn't see clearly." Senior Cuique also immediately negated her previous conclusion: "Don't mind what I said."

"It's okay; I know I didn't make it look like one."

Lin Xiaolu, giving up on the broken jar, placed this bumpy oval in front of Xia Liang, then flipped it over to reveal the concave shape inside:

"I originally wanted to make a mirror surface first, then pour a layer of frame on top, but the amount of chocolate used for the frame was a bit too much; after pouring it, it ended up looking like this... Anyway, this is for you."

"Eh, so it's for me..."

The smile on Xia Liang's face froze for an instant, but quickly became natural again: "Making it in the shape of a mirror means my Magic Armor? That's actually a good idea."

"That's just one aspect."

Lin Xiaolu hesitated, about to speak but stopping: "Besides that, there's more."

"More?" This sparked Xia Liang's interest: "What do you mean?"

"It means..."

Lin Xiaolu looked around, noticing everyone was still staring at her, clearly wanting to hear what she intended to say next, so she took a deep breath to boost her confidence before continuing: "For me, you are also a mirror."

"Oh!" Bai Jingxuan beside her exclaimed.

"Eh?" Xia Liang covered her mouth in surprise.

Senior Cuique also blinked in astonishment.

"Because, let's say we became magical girls in the same period; in fact, you actually became one two months later than me."

Lin Xiaolu didn't look at Xia Liang but stared at the chocolate on the table: "But your talent is obviously superior to mine; your blooming and progress speed after becoming a magical girl were faster than mine, so at the very beginning, I was actually very envious, even a bit jealous."

"We usually studied together, our spiritual thoughts were together, and we practiced combat together, so how exactly did you improve, how did you leave me behind? I actually saw it all clearly. So, later I realized that by watching your changes, I could know exactly what I lacked."

"You see, didn't the language class teach the phrase 'take others as a mirror'... whether it's matters of study, matters of being a magical girl, or getting along with others, if I hadn't met you, I probably wouldn't have understood what I lacked, and I definitely couldn't have become the person I am now, right?"

Saying this, Lin Xiaolu finally looked up to meet Xia Liang's gaze: "So, thank you. I hope that in the future, we can walk this path together."

Everyone fell silent for a moment due to Lin Xiaolu's long speech.

And after that moment, Senior Cuique and Bai Jingxuan began to applaud, while Xia Liang lowered her hand from in front of her face and slowly stood up.

She walked to Lin Xiaolu, opened her arms, and tilted her head slightly: "Come on."

"Come for what?" Lin Xiaolu looked at her strangely.

"A hug, like you just did with Jingxuan." Although Xia Liang's expression was normal, even still carrying a gentle smile, her voice carried a slight nasal tone: "I'm very moved, so come on, limited-time hug session."

"... No." Lin Xiaolu stepped back: "It's so cheesy."

"Don't be difficult, you just said those kinds of words."

Xia Liang wasn't stopped by Lin Xiaolu's words at all; instead, she took a step forward, smiling: "I know you really want to do this too, a hug between good sisters."

"Who is your good sister! I said I was jealous of you, can't you understand?"

Lin Xiaolu stepped back several times in a row: "Don't flatter yourself! You're not a primary school student, stop acting spoiled like one!"

"You... just said such moving words, and now you're shrinking back again."

Xia Liang sighed: "Fine, then I'll do it myself."

"Do what yourself... hey, don't come closer! I warned you!"

"Come hug!"

"No!" Lin Xiaolu started running around the room.

"Don't be shy, come on!" Xia Liang chased after her, starting to run.

For this reason, the two of them started playing a game of cat and mouse inside the room.

"Your relationship is so good."

Senior Cuique ate the last bite of chocolate, watching the two not far away; while feeling gratified, she also felt a bit melancholy in her heart.

Exchanging chocolates during such a festival isn't a privilege of the present era; in the two years after she became a magical girl, the Fang Ting City squad at that time did similar things.

It's just that back then, because everyone in the squad was still a student, An Ya and Su Shengzi in particular would brazenly shove chocolates at him in the classroom; doing this during high school would cause a chorus of whistles around them, with a huge crowd egging them on shouting strange things like "get married." Afterwards, boys who were envious or jealous of him would always use this to joke with him, and rumors in the school that "Lin Yun from Class Two is a womanizing scumbag" were rampant, causing quite a bit of trouble for Lin Yun at the time.

Although, in the end, he did indeed marry An Ya.