A Girl Who Doesn’t Believe in Humans

Chapter 23: The Correct Answer

Hou Entertainment’s photo studio is not just one room but an entire floor on the 23rd level of the building. About half of this floor is occupied by closets storing clothes, while the rest is various photographic settings.

“Wow! This is too big!”

Azure marveled at the artificial beach in front of her.

Only about half of the beach along the edges is real, with the vast ocean in the distance being a 3D image. However, even so, the visual effect is stunning enough. This made Snow Qing marvel at the advanced technological capabilities of the Hou family.

“Psh, making a fuss over nothing.”

Bao Xiang looked disdainful.

“What’s wrong with you?! Are you deliberately picking a fight?!”

Azure rolled up her sleeves, ready to confront Bao Xiang.

“Azure, haven’t you come here to shoot photos?”

Snow Qing thought this was a necessary rite of passage for every company magical girl.

“H? How could I possibly do something like that?!”

Azure blushed, her face emitting smoke.

“H? How is it H? Taking photos is just a normal thing, isn’t it?”

Idol debutante Bao Xiang commented gracefully.

“Only shameless people like you would think it’s ordinary! Normal people wouldn’t find this kind of thing ordinary, right?!”

Azure’s reddened eyes were like a cat’s, glaring.

After scanning her surroundings, unable to get confirmation from anyone else, Azure turned to Snow Qing, hoping to get “approval from other normal people.”

“Sigh…”

Snow Qing, who came here to take photos in the first place, couldn’t side with Azure.

She felt that Azure’s brain wasn’t working very well and cast a slightly pitiful glance at the flat terrain—

“If it’s Azure, trying to take photos might indeed be a bit difficult…”

With remarkable effect, Azure collapsed.

“Uh-huh (nod), I also think so (stare—)”

Bao Xiang followed suit very tacitly.

“Hey hey hey! What kind of look is that you’re giving?! ”

Azure’s eyes had a misty appearance at the corners.

“It’s just a useless fat lump! I wouldn’t want it! Muscles are the real way!”

Azure tried hard to flex her biceps, but her piercing gaze couldn’t deceive anyone. “Piercing gaze” literally refers to a look that seems to want to pierce through something with one’s own gaze.

“By the way, aren’t you also not taking photos? Why are you still here?”

“As long as you find something that embarrasses you the most, then proceed to do that thing, and learn to maintain a calm demeanor during this process.”

Snow Qing raised her index finger in front of Azure.

“The most embarrassing thing for yourself…”

The slender and fair finger in front of Azure made her a bit distracted.

Snow Qing gently bent down, brushed aside the hair near her ear, and brought her lips close to Zhan Lan’s earlobe, slowly uttering,

“That’s right, the most em·bar·rass·ing thing for you…”

“My most embarrassing thing…”

Azure’s vacant eyes had lost their focus.

“What is the most em·bar·rass·ing thing for you…?”

Seductive lips gently parted.

“That is… what…”

Azure’s voice had lost its usual modulation.

“You feel that taking photos is very em·bar·rass·ing, right?”

Snow Qing’s voice, like a cotton swab inserted into the ear…

“Yes.”

Azure mechanically responded.

“And you want to become stronger… so you have to do embarrassing things… right?”

A warm breath drilled into Azure’s brain from her ear.

“Yes…”

She accepted this logic as a matter of course.

“So… do you now understand how you should proceed?”

The silver-bell-like voice gently stirred up Azure’s mind.

“I… I have to do embarrassing things… Taking photos is very embarrassing… I… I want… to take photos!?”

Azure’s speech became less articulate.

“Correct~”

The silver-bell-like light laughter proclaimed the correctness of the answer.

The feeling of joy surged in Azure’s heart when she was praised by the other person.

“Very good~ Now, repeat your an·swer~”

“I want to take photos!”

Azure said excitedly.

“Good child, let’s take them together.”

Finally leaving Azure’s ear, Snow Qing stroked her small head with satisfaction. Then she took the unhighlighted Azure to change into swimsuits.

Only after the two left did Bao Xiang, who was dumbfounded on the side, come back to her senses.

“Oh my… What just happened?”

After a while, Snow Qing changed into a dark purple bikini, while the clueless Azure was put into a blue one by her. Originally, Snow Qing intended to have her wear a bolder one-piece swimsuit, but Azure’s subconscious resistance prevailed, so Qing Yue had to reluctantly give up.

Next, holding Azure, Snow Qing arrived at the artificial beach to start the swimsuit photoshoot.

Thinking carefully, it seemed that the mobile game in her previous life also had swimsuit skins, although she didn’t spend money on them at that time because they didn’t offer significant advantages. Now, it was a kind of compensation for regrets from the past.

Azure, like a doll, was gently placed on Snow Qing’s lap. Then, she held Azure’s small hand and made a scissor gesture in front of the camera.

Qing Yue lazily approached the ear of her “toy”—

“We’re going to take pictures now~ Say cheese~…”

Click!

After the flash, the film captured Azure’s blank smile that seemed to say, “I’ve been played with,” and the bewitching smile of a certain enchantress beside her.

Bao Xiang, with a face full of arrogance, asked Azure.

“Why can’t I be here?! I still have very important things to do!”

Azure reflexively retorted.

“What important things?”

Bao Xiang suspiciously gave Azure a white eye.

“I, I, I…”

Azure’s words got stuck in her throat.

“I, I want—”

Snow Qing also looked curiously at her.

“I want to… become Snow Qing’s disciple!”

The blue head, red and emitting smoke, lowered deeply toward Snow Qing.

(Hold back! Me! Bowing to this bad woman is just a momentary shame. Once I’ve learned enough, I’ll definitely “rise above” and show her some colors!)

“Oh? Is that so.”

Snow Qing remained non-committal.

Lowering her head, Azure secretly glanced at Snow Qing with the corner of her eye, only to find that Snow Qing had no other reactions.

“So, how about it? Give me a word, whether it’s okay or not!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Azure stomped her foot.

“Pfft, is this the attitude you should have when seeking apprenticeship?”

Bao Xiang couldn’t help but cover her mouth, holding back her laughter.

“What the heck! Didn’t I just perform the ceremony for apprenticeship?!”

So, her apprenticeship ceremony was just that bow she did earlier.

“Fine.”

Snow Qing responded indifferently.

“Really?!”

Azure was overjoyed, and even Bao Xiang couldn’t believe it.

“Yes, really. But whether you want to learn what I teach is entirely up to you.”

Snow Qing said indifferently.

“I want to learn! I’ll definitely learn! As long as I can become as strong as you!”

Azure excitedly clenched her small fist.

“Is that so? Well then, it’s easy… Have you ever thought about what your biggest problem is when you’re in a fight?”

Snow Qing began her gentle persuasion.

“That is… what?”

Azure, unable to wrap her head around the question, eventually gave up thinking.

“It’s your heart.”

Snow Qing entered riddle mode.

“Heart?”

Azure’s brain crashed.

“That’s right, your heart. It wavers too much in battle. Your enemies will use that to find your weaknesses and might even gain strength from your uncertainty.”

Recalling her battle with Qi Chimu, Azure nodded in agreement.

“So, the first thing you should do is ensure you can keep your emotions calm at all times.”

“Heart as calm as still water?”

Azure listened attentively.

“Exactly. Ensure that you won’t be disturbed by distracting thoughts. Not only will this make you invulnerable, but it will also reduce the consumption of magical power.”

Bao Xiang on the side also focused intently, perking up her ears.

“How do I achieve that?”

Snow Qing finally got to the point.

“You cultivate the habit of maintaining a calm heart in your daily life. That way, it becomes easy to do so during battles.”

“In daily life?”

Azure tilted her head.

“Yes.”

“How exactly do I do that?”

Azure felt a sudden enlightenment from the words.