radicalducati Page 86
Page 86
This...this is my daughter?
Is this really the same fifteen-year-old girl who was heartbroken over jealousy just the night before?
Her transformation and growth in thought, which is as fast as the speed of light, is just... too fast!
However, looking into her daughter's clear, pure, and affectionate blue eyes, Xiaobaihe's chaotic heart, filled with self-blame and unease, was miraculously touched by a huge, warm current.
She knew that her daughter wasn't just putting on a brave face.
She was genuinely using her clumsy yet incredibly sincere way to comfort herself, to accept reality, and to... seek from herself a kind of courage that belonged to her family, a courage to face things together.
a long time.
After a fierce internal struggle, Little Lily slowly nodded in an almost inaudible, trembling, and resigned tone.
Upon seeing his mother, he finally nodded in agreement.
In an instant, a bright, genuine smile, as radiant as the sun after a rain, bloomed on Eriri's face!
Then, as if struck by something, her blue eyes suddenly burst forth with an unprecedented, dazzling light, comparable to a 100,000-volt light bulb!
"—I understand!"
She suddenly leaped up from the ground and rushed back to her room like a gust of wind!
"Mom! Wait for me! I... I suddenly had an inspiration! A wonderful, unprecedented, and magnificent inspiration that perfectly captures the complex yet warm bond between us!"
As she spoke, she pulled out her drawing board and digital pen with unprecedented, frenzied speed!
Looking at her daughter's frantic, inspiration-filled back, as if she'd been injected with adrenaline, and at the faint outlines of two women, one large and one small, one blonde and one brown-haired, embracing each other on the canvas...
Little Lily no longer needed to ask; she already knew what her "genius" daughter's so-called "inspiration" really was.
—That was a brand new story about "home" and "love," unique to the mother and daughter.
A huge, absurd, and utterly powerless feeling welled up in her heart.
"...My daughter has been completely seduced by that man..."
She covered her face and let out a sigh that was both helpless and filled with doting affection and happiness.
Perhaps, this is for the best.
155 Shizuku Kuroe and the two at the anime convention
When Eriri, as if injected with adrenaline, rushed back to her room and began her "great creation" that was destined to shock the industry, Sayuri finally slowly came back to her senses from that absurd and shocking reality.
She covered her still slightly flushed cheeks, feeling her heart pounding wildly because of her daughter's shocking "declaration." On her face, a complex smile appeared, a mixture of helplessness, doting, and... a hint of secret expectation that she herself was ashamed to admit.
She looked down at her mature body, which still retained a strange feeling from last night's "self-indulgence."
Sadly, yet with unwavering clarity, she discovered a fact that filled her with shame and indignation.
It seems that she, both physically and mentally, has long been completely molded into the shape of that man named "Gu Chuan".
Even the most private, instinctive reactions of a woman seem to have been deeply ingrained with his name.
"...Truly, we have completely fallen into the trap of '893'."
She let out a resigned, almost inaudible sigh. Those eyes, always filled with tenderness and maternal glow, now shone with a resolute yet alluring light, a light that had utterly abandoned all restraint and inhibition—a light belonging to a mature woman.
……
The summer sun always seems exceptionally intense.
Outside the massive international exhibition center, a sea of people had already gathered. Countless young men and women, brimming with youthful energy, braved the scorching sun, enthusiastically queuing in long lines, eagerly awaiting the opening of this grand carnival for anime and manga enthusiasts—the summer anime convention.
Gu Chuan did not join the queue.
He arrived at the agreed location ahead of time, and leisurely stood by the entrance, under the cool shade of a tree cast by a huge billboard, quietly waiting for the figure of that always energetic blonde bombshell.
Time passed, second by second.
Just as Gu Chuan was beginning to suspect that the unreliable hot girl might have overslept, a figure suddenly entered his field of vision without warning, instantly attracting all his attention.
That wasn't the fashionable, sunny, and energetic blonde he knew.
Instead, she is a dark Lolita girl, exquisitely beautiful like a doll, who seems to have stepped out of an ancient, Gothic castle, exuding a yandere and mysterious aura.
A long, flowing wig, as dreamy as violets, replaced her signature, dazzling blonde hair. Her face wore meticulously applied, pale and broken-looking "sickly" makeup. Her usually energetic and bright eyes, now accentuated by purple contact lenses and thick false eyelashes, appeared so empty and unfocused.
She wore an exquisitely crafted Gothic Lolita dress, predominantly black and purple, with layers upon layers of fabric. The intricate lace, delicate ribbons, and the cinched waist, exuding an air of asceticism, accentuated the girl's already curvaceous and perfect figure, making her even more alluring.
What's most striking are her long, straight, beautiful legs clad in black fishnet stockings. The black stockings, adorned with mysterious patterns, create a strong, visually impactful contrast with her snow-white, delicate skin, exuding a forbidden charm that could drive any man mad.
Both her appearance and temperament were completely different from the carefree Kitagawa Kaimu he knew.
However, Gu Chuan recognized her the moment he saw her.
Unlike the amazed passersby around him, he didn't exclaim in surprise or take out his phone to take pictures.
He simply watched quietly as the girl looked around anxiously, searching for him, and a gentle smile, full of genuine appreciation and admiration, appeared on his face.
"—Very beautiful, Hai Meng."
He slowly emerged from the shade of the tree and spoke in an extremely sincere tone.
"Both the costumes and the makeup were perfect. You captured the character's morbid, fragile, and obsessive beauty perfectly."
"Huh?! Gu...Gu Chuan?!"
The moment Kitagawa Kaimu saw Gu Chuan, her eyes, which were always full of energy, suddenly lit up!
"You...you recognize me?! You know who I'm cosplaying as?!"
Like a kitten that has discovered a treasure, she ran to Gu Chuan in a few quick steps, her delicate and pretty face, adorned with a sickly-sweet makeup, filled with unbelievable and immense surprise!
“Of course.” Gu Chuan’s face showed a knowing smile of “like-minded people”. “After all, this is the most popular and most difficult to conquer final hidden BOSS in that famous, so-called sticky second-generation female character game.”
"—Shizuku Kuroe, right?"
He even added a sentence that would make any seasoned otaku consider him a kindred spirit.
"To be honest, I've played this game too."
"!!!!!!"
Kitakawa Kaimu was completely shocked!
Her beautiful purple eyes were wide open with extreme excitement and agitation! She looked at Gu Chuan with the same gaze she would give a long-lost, only relative who could understand her soul!
"Oh my god! Gu Chuan! You...you actually played that game too?! I thought I was the only one in the whole world who liked such an obscure character as Shizuku!"
Excitedly, she grabbed Gu Chuan's arm, like a little bird that had found its owner, and began to chatter incessantly, sharing her boundless love for the character.
"I absolutely adore Shizuku! Although she seems gloomy and yandere, it's all because she's so starved for love! Deep down, she craves understanding and salvation more than anyone else! Her obsessive love—the kind that's willing to do anything, even destroy the world, for the person she loves—it just really touches me!"
As she spoke, she glanced at the passersby around her, who were pointing and secretly taking pictures of her, and complained softly, with a hint of annoyance.
"However, I actually don't like being surrounded and photographed by so many strangers. It feels like being a monkey in a zoo, with no privacy at all."
"I simply want to become Shizuku because I like her. It's not for the sake of being admired by others."
Listening to her small worries, which were full of sincerity and love, Gu Chuan's face showed a doting and understanding smile.
"--I see."
He reached out and, with an incredibly natural and gentle motion, gently took her small, slightly cool hand, which was clad in a black lace glove.
"So, let's turn this comic convention into a private date just for the two of us."
"Eh?"
At that very moment, Kitagawa Kaimu felt her cheeks flush and her heart race because of this sudden, intimate hand-holding—
Suddenly, she felt that the world around her seemed to have undergone a strange and indescribable change.
Those who had been frantically taking photos and discussing her suddenly, as if by prior arrangement, began to subconsciously avoid her location.
They did not disappear.
They still exist there.
However, no matter whose gaze was about to fall upon the two of them, at that very moment, it would be uncontrollably and gently guided and deflected by an invisible force.
It was as if the two of them were completely isolated from this noisy world by an invisible, transparent "barrier".
They were standing right there at the entrance to the bustling anime convention, amidst a sea of people.
However, a completely quiet, undisturbed "private space" was formed around them, belonging only to the two of them.
This is a completely new and more refined way of controlling and applying "presence" that Gu Chuan developed after upgrading "vector manipulation" to L6.
He is using his own power to create a unique, undisturbed, and perfect date just for the two of them, for the girl he loves.
156 Dating
"This...this...how did they do that?!"
Kitagawa Kaimu's beautiful eyes, adorned with purple contact lenses, widened in utter shock.
She stared in disbelief at the miraculous scene before her, a sight comparable to the "Moses parting the seas."
They were standing right at the entrance of the convention, where the crowds were at their heaviest. Yet, everyone, whether they were hurried passersby or fellow cosplayers, would instinctively scatter to either side as they approached them, like a stream encountering an invisible reef.
No one noticed their presence.
No one cast curious or amazed glances at them.
It was as if the two of them were completely isolated from this noisy world by an invisible, transparent "barrier".
"Just a little trick."
Gu Chuan held her soft little hand, which was clad in a black lace glove, with a gentle, serene smile on his face.
"That way, no one will disturb our date."
"So...so amazing!" Hai Meng looked at Gu Chuan's handsome profile, which was full of mystery and power, and his beautiful eyes were almost sparkling with stars. "Gu Chuan, you...you are just like a real magician!" "Maybe."
Gu Chuan smiled noncommittally, took her hand, and walked into that holy land of dreams and passion, the two-dimensional world.
Without the onlookers and disturbances of others, Hai Meng completely let loose and embraced herself.
Like a happy little bird that has broken free from its cage, she held Gu Chuan's hand and excitedly moved between the various booths.
"Wow! Look at this! It's a Shizuku figure! It's so cute!"
"Ah! Over here! This is the official art book! My God! It even has the author's autograph!"
"Gu Chuan! Look! That stall is selling Shizuku fan-made badges! And they're even the rare, hidden editions!"
Every time she discovered a small item she liked, she would exclaim with excitement and boundless energy, as if she had discovered a new continent. Gu Chuan, on the other hand, would act like the most dutiful and generous "protector of flowers," without hesitation taking out his wallet and buying everything she liked.
Before long, the two of them were carrying shopping bags of all sizes, all printed with the image of "Shizuku Kuroe".
“Um…Gu Chuan,” Hai Meng looked at Gu Chuan’s generous way of paying for her without hesitation, and her pretty face, made up with a sickly-sweet makeup, blushed slightly. “You…you’re going too far, aren’t you? And…”
She paused, then looked up at Gu Chuan in a half-joking, half-testing tone, a sly glint in her beautiful eyes.
"—You're so nice to me, could it be that you're trying to seduce me?"
Faced with her direct question, which was full of hints and probing, Gu Chuan did not choose to be shy, avoid it, or try to gloss over it with jokes, as would a typical boy would.
He stopped, turned around, and looked directly into Hai Meng's beautiful eyes, which were beginning to dart away at his gaze with an incredibly serious, frank, and even slightly aggressive look.
"—It's possible."
He spoke slowly. His deep, magnetic voice seemed to possess an undeniable magic.
"I admit that both your looks and your personality are very much to my liking."
"So, if you don't mind, I already have other equally important girls in my life..."
“I wouldn’t mind if they had one more sister like you, who is both beautiful and interesting.”
In this way, he revealed his undisguised ambition for a "multi-faceted relationship" to the girl in front of him in an almost "showdown" and extremely frank manner.
"!!!!!!"
At this moment, Hai Meng's brain completely shut down.
For the first time, her usually energetic and eloquent mind went completely blank.