I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 158 Effort Still Requires One's Own Responsibility

Fu Ping yawned, then looked at Noah and Shui Li sitting opposite her.

This was their team's second meeting.

Before Fu Ping arrived, Noah and Shui Li had been there for quite some time. They seemed to have some kind of plan regarding the Civil Defense Bureau for this era. Fu Ping wasn't interested in the plan and had no intention of joining the discussion.

Although Noah felt unsafe about these regular meetings, suggesting everyone communicate via mobile phone instead, Mizuki had a different opinion—

"No problem. Now I have some free time. Since I have to avoid them anyway, it'll be easier for me to meet with the captain and the seniors and discuss tactics, right?"

So, they decided to keep in touch by phone as usual, but also to meet up periodically. The meeting place was usually the coffee shop they frequented.

"Fennel is so slow," Floating Duckweed complained. "We've been waiting for her for over half an hour."

"She should be here soon," Noah said, passing the time on her phone. "She said she'd be a little late, so let's wait a bit."

Noah had barely finished speaking when there was a knocking sound at the door: "I'm here, open the door."

"Ah~~~"

Noah opened the door, and Li Mengling strode in. She took off her thick trench coat, revealing a close-fitting sweater underneath, showcasing her curvaceous figure. As a college student, Li Mengling's figure was indeed quite impressive, but it still paled in comparison to Noah's.

"Sorry I'm late." Li Mengling placed her trench coat on the back of the sofa and then sat down. "I won't participate in your conversation."

After saying that, Li Mengling took off her glasses and placed them on the table. In an instant, her expression transformed into that of the mature version of Li Mengling from the future.

"I chatted with my mom a little longer at noon, and before I knew it, some time had passed."

"Oh?" Noah seemed interested in the topic. "What did you and the mother of your era talk about?"

Noah deliberately emphasized the words "this era." She knew very well that for Fennel, who had experienced that future, the word "mother" was not a pleasant one.

Li Mengling smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing special. I just gave her a general description of our future relationship."

This answer surprised everyone present.

"You actually told Wang Tingshi of this era about this?" Noah crossed her arms. "Although theoretically this hasn't happened yet," she said, "won't telling her beforehand affect your relationship?"

"It's not that bad." Li Mengling waved her hand. "Some things are better said directly. Besides, I've never resented my future mother."

"Hmm?" Shui Li was even more puzzled. "Her future self—by the end, she practically treated you as a tool, right? And you—don't you resent her?"

"Of course not," Li Mengling answered without hesitation, "because it wasn't her fault."

"The future mother, everything she does actually stems from one very simple reason - she cannot bear the pain of losing me again."

"Using cloning technology and memory transplantation, she did indeed create the illusion of a daughter who could be resurrected indefinitely—a daughter who could not be taken away by death." However, deep down, she knew better than anyone that the resurrected "me" was merely a counterfeit inheriting Li Mengling's memories.

"Because she knew these daughters weren't real daughters," she was no longer able to give genuine maternal love. Therefore, she chose to close herself off emotionally and treat me like a business partner."

"So, it's not really her fault. From the moment the original Li Mengling died, the tragedy was already destined."

These words plunged the entire private room into a long silence. Noah gazed at Li Mengling, gradually understanding her thoughts.

"So—what does Senior Fennel plan to do?" Floating Duckweed asked curiously. "Since you chose to tell your mother about this, you must have some kind of plan, right?"

"Of course." Li Mengling smiled, picked up the glasses from the table, and slowly put them on—

Li Mengling stood up and declared in a spirited and passionate tone—

We made a promise: we'd definitely complete the game without dying on our first try! This time, the ending has to be a Good Ending!

"Oh oh oh—" Only Fu Ping clapped perfunctorily twice, while Noah and Shui Li were not very interested.

Seeing the other people's reactions, Li Mengling suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

"Your idea is quite good," Shui Li said, picking up her teacup and taking a sip of black tea. "However, path dependence is something that's very difficult to break."

"?"

Li Mengling blinked, somewhat confused, completely failing to grasp the deeper meaning behind Shui Li's words. The reason she wore glasses was because Li Mengling, with her college student personality, thought, "Leave that cool declaration to me." But after saying that, Noah's teammates seemed quite unimpressed?

Noah looked at her like this and sighed helplessly. "What Shui Li actually meant was that 'Fennel's' fighting style would make it difficult to achieve this goal." Noah leaned back on the sofa and began to explain.

"The other you," our teammate "Fennel," she's become accustomed to tactics centered around self-destruction. In a sense, her entire combat system has developed a path dependency.

"All her fighting methods revolve around the premise that she will eventually self-destruct, abandoning her current body. Therefore, her fighting style is all about mutual destruction and mortgaging the future. You have her memories, so you know this, right?"

Noah smoothed her hair as she spoke.

"So, in terms of combat, your other self is probably out of the running. From today onwards, you'll have to rely on yourself to figure out a completely new combat system that doesn't require self-destruction."

"Besides, Fennel-senpai is usually the weakest among us," Floating Duckweed immediately added. "Although Fennel-senpai has saved us many times by self-destructing, I really can't imagine how Fennel-senpai would fight without self-destructing—"

Li Mengling was stunned.

Wait a minute—? This isn't right, is it?

It was clearly "another version of myself" who solemnly promised that she would never let herself follow in her footsteps.

In the end, it feels like I'm the one who's putting in the effort.

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