I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 147 A Day Spent with Li Mengling

Chapter 147 A Day with Li Mengling (Part 2)

"So—what was I like before?"

Shen Zixin looked at the bustling crowd ahead, wondering how this junior student viewed him.

"Well—do you remember the first time you met me, senior? You were looking for a tutor for Xiaoling, so Tuoyejun contacted me."

"Um."

"At that time, my senior gave me the impression of being steady and mature. He seemed like a working professional who had been in the workforce for several years."

"Am I that old-fashioned?"

"This isn't being old-fashioned, it's maturity!" Li Mengling corrected her. "That's a compliment!"

"And then, theoretically, our second meeting was a few minutes later, around the time you transformed into Rei! But at the time, I had absolutely no idea you were Rei, so—I'll leave that out of your memory for now!"

"Huh? But Rei is me too?"

In Shen Zixin's view, Lingbo is one of his identities, and it seems a bit strange to separate it from others.

"Of course they're different!" Li Mengling held up her finger. "Senior, haven't you noticed yet? Appearance can influence a person's inner self and personality!"

"For example, when you transform into Rei Ayanami, it will weaken your aura because you will be shorter, and your voice will become very cute, making it difficult for you to project an adult's authority."

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"Furthermore, Lingbo is a bit colder—probably because after her senior transformed, she's not good at communicating with everyone as a little girl, so she simply becomes more taciturn."

"Therefore, in my opinion, Lingbo and Shen Zixin are two different beings."

After hearing Li Mengling's explanation, Shen Zixin had no choice but to agree.

In fact, he also discovered that the transformation did have some impact on his personality. If this difference wasn't very noticeable in him, the difference between "Noah" and him could be considered another example.

However, this example is quite inappropriate. His and Noah's experiences are too different, making it difficult to say whether their differences in personality are due to gender or their different experiences.

"As for my later interactions with my senior—if I had to describe it in one word, it would be gentle."

"That sounds like a really common compliment," Shen Zixin chuckled. "It's practically the standard 'gentleness' trope for male protagonists in all sorts of novels and games, isn't it? Giving me this kind of praise really evokes mixed feelings."

"It's different." Li Mengling shook her head, then took off her glasses and gently wiped the lenses with the corner of her clothes.

When she looked up again, her eyes had become slightly deeper. A certain mature quality emanated from her.

"You're different from others. Your gentleness is a gentleness that doesn't want to hurt anyone. For example, everything Su Qingyuan did—although you absolutely cannot forgive her emotionally, you're unwilling to completely cut ties, and instead chose not to see Su Qingyuan again."

"I have no intention of forgiving her at all." Shen Zixin's face darkened considerably upon hearing this name.

"I didn't advise you to forgive her, and I know very well that you can't forgive her." Li Mengling stretched. "What I'm trying to say is, look at what Noah did, and you'll understand what I mean. She told Su Qingyuan face-to-face that she would never forgive her, leaving no room for compromise. The most fundamental difference between you and Noah is that you avoided meeting Su Qingyuan, while Noah didn't shy away from this at all, although even when they met, they only exchanged harsh words."

"Even when facing a villain like Su Qingyuan, completely refusing to meet her already indicates that you will never forgive her, right? But you didn't completely rule her out. This leaves her with a sliver of hope. Even towards someone like her, you've retained a final touch of tenderness, haven't you?"

"In Noah's era, Su Qingyuan's heart was completely dead, which is why she only did it in the end."

Li Mengling was about to say something, but immediately stopped and changed the subject. "In short, in this sense, Noah has lost the essence of Shen Zixin. So, this matter with Su Qingyuan is your biggest test, isn't it?"

The surrounding environment remained noisy, a cacophony of electronic music and human voices. Yet, in this very setting, the two of them seemed to create a kind of aura, isolating them from everything outside and plunging them into a deathly silence.

"Do you think I should keep this gentleness?" Shen Zixin stared at Li Mengling for a long time before slowly speaking.

"It depends on how you think about it." Li Mengling picked up the coffee can in her hand and drank the last few mouthfuls of coffee in one gulp.

"Letting go of this gentleness will bring you closer to Noah." Haven't you always wanted to stand by Noah's side and share all of this with her? Now is the perfect opportunity. Your gentleness isn't always a good thing, so there's nothing to regret about letting go of it. Look at Noah, she went through the same thing, didn't she?"

"As for preserving this gentleness," it allows you to maintain yourself to the greatest extent possible. Although, from my perspective, I wouldn't want to see two "Noahs" appear.

Shen Zixin glanced at the coffee can in her hand, and followed Li Mengling, finishing the rest of her coffee. "Phew, you really gave me a tough time."

"Whatever choice you make, just remember that it's the future you've chosen."

Li Mengling closed her eyes and slowly picked up the glasses that had already been wiped clean.

"I've lost myself many times." Each time I'm reborn, I wonder, is this version of myself, inheriting my memories, still the same person? What do those past experiences, which don't belong to this body, mean to me?

"Later I understood. Who I am is not entirely defined by my past. What truly defines me is the choices I make in this moment and the future I want to move towards."

"So, think about it. What kind of future do you want to pursue?"

The glasses were put on Li Mengling's face. The next second, Li Mengling opened her eyes and stood up from the bench in a somewhat panicked manner. "Ahhh, senior, I'm so sorry! I just wanted to go out with you today to relax! But I just brought up—uh, your sister—I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have brought it up! But I couldn't control my other self! Waaah, I was just wiping my glasses, why did she have to show up?!"

Seeing Li Mengling's apprehensive expression, Shen Zixin burst out laughing.

"I'm fine. In fact, thank you this time."

"I'm sorry, senior, I'll do it next time—?"

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