Chapter 346: Mom!

Click.

The door slammed shut, and someone locked it from the inside. The classroom was left with only Vivi and the pale-yellow-haired girl.

The air grew tense.

Vivi discreetly reached for the one-shoulder bag at her waist, her muscles tensing slightly as she stayed on high alert.

Although she had no idea why the other girl had called her here alone... Teresa was right by her side, after all. If it came to a fight, she had nothing to fear.

She’d break every last one of her ○!

“Hey, you...”

Vivi had barely started speaking when the sight before her made her wonder if she was hallucinating.

Without warning, Xiyuji, who was usually so haughty at school, let her knees buckle and dropped to her knees in front of Vivi with a thud.

Even that protruding thing hit the floor hard.

“Mom, I’m bowing to you!”

Lin Guang and Vivi: “……… ”

Isn’t there something a little off about the way you’re bowing?

“There were too many people in the classroom just now. I was too embarrassed to say it.”

Her usually aloof face was filled with urgency and longing as she shouted herself hoarse, “Lend me some money!!! I’ll do anything!!”

“...”

Vivi couldn’t help saying, “Have you gone crazy? Who’s your mom?! And how would a broke loser like me have any money to lend you?”

Xiyuji stayed on her knees, not caring in the slightest about her image. She tilted her head up and stared at Vivi’s face with an intensely fervent gaze.

“Mom, you’re putting on a good act, but I can see through it.”

She drew a deep breath and said with certainty, “Your magic-power level is already level five, right?”

Vivi’s pupils contracted sharply.

She could tell? Vivi hadn’t even used her powers in front of her!

This girl’s ability to sense magic power was incredibly sharp...

“And that thing you secretly ate in class just now was premium Tianmei nutrient paste, right? It retails for 60 credit points per tube... Something must have happened to you.”

Vivi’s expression grew more and more dangerous.

What was going on? Was she about to be exposed?

Xiyuji spoke with absolute conviction. “You must have...”

If this girl was planning to blackmail her, then...

Vivi’s fist was already clenched.

“...gotten rich overnight.”

“...”*2

At that very moment.

In Xiyuji’s field of vision, she saw the bright golden number 5 above the other girl’s head, along with an exclamation mark indicating a high-value target. She couldn’t help saying, “Mom, lend me some money.”

Because of certain modifications she had undergone, the installation of a certain magical prosthetic, and her long-term medication, her brain and soul had changed in certain ways. Although she couldn’t see many things, her dual-core drive gave her exceptionally sharp senses and intuition in certain areas.

Her cybernetic eye converted the abstract information it collected into concrete information, allowing her to see it directly.

“Mom, you were only third-grade two days ago, but today you’re already level five. Your control over your magic power has improved by an enormous amount, too.”

Xiyuji knelt on the floor, maintaining her hunched posture with her little head bowed toward the ground. “There are only two possible explanations.”

“Either you went to a training camp that only super-rich people can afford and used the most cutting-edge technology to have power poured into you, or you’ve been drinking some high-grade magic potion that’s both incredibly effective and has few side effects like it’s plain water.”

“But whichever it is, you must have money.”

Xiyuji stared fixedly at Vivi.

“Mom, you must have gotten rich overnight! Did you win the lottery, or did someone put your name on an inheritance by mistake...? Please, lend your daughter... son some money!! I’ll do anything!!”

Vivi couldn’t help saying, “...Even if I had money, why would I lend it to you? And I don’t have any.”

“I haven’t had any high-grade magic potion for five days!” Xiyuji dabbed at the corner of her eye. “I’m absolutely parched. Give me however many bottles you can, and I’ll finish them all before the exam. I won’t waste a drop!”

“Mom, look at your lousy aptitude. You haven’t even gotten a brain-computer interface, and even if you did, you’d need half a month to adjust to it. The competition this year is so fierce, so don’t waste your money. Invest in me!”

“Fuck your mo—”

“It’s not entirely out of the question. I can ask my moms and see if they’re willing...”

“...”*2

Xiyuji begged desperately, “Anyway, once I pass the exam and become a magical girl, I’ll pay you back tenfold within three years! By then, Mom, you’ll still be studying at a technical college or junior college, so you’ll have plenty of time!”

“Fuck you! You think if I can’t become a magical girl, I have to go to a technical college?”

Vivi couldn’t help taking half a step back. “Get a fucking grip!”

But the yellow-haired girl refused to give up. Using her knees as legs, she lunged forward, arms spread wide as she tried to grab Vivi’s leg. Her little head nearly hit Vivi’s shoe.

But Vivi’s speed had already undergone a complete transformation.

In an instant, she darted nimbly to the side, making Xiyuji miss. A look of surprise flashed across the girl’s eyes.

What incredible reflexes and speed.

But Xiyuji quickly stopped thinking about it as she looked at Vivi. In a wretched heap on the floor, she didn’t even bother to get back up. Instead, she rapidly threw out every bargaining chip she had.

“Mom, if you lend me money now, and I become a magical girl, you’ll be the one who gave me a new life. You’ll be my real mom.”

“I’ll pay you back tenfold within three years!”

Xiyuji lowered her voice. “I’ll take care of you when you’re old, too. I’ll buy you a cyber cemetery with a holographic projection in the most upscale district downtown!”

Vivi laughed in exasperation. “Get lost! You’re not dead, and I’m not dead either! Who needs you to take care of me?”

“Even if I take a huge step back and really don’t pass this year because of bad luck, I can still use the gimmick of this body to become a magical-girl idol.”

“I can make plenty of money that way, too, and I’ll absolutely pay you back tenfold within three years. This investment is guaranteed to make you a profit!”

“Wcn...”

Xiyuji seemed to have misunderstood something. “...If you don’t mind, I suppose that’s not out of the question either.”

Vivi and Lin Guang, inside the bag, both shuddered.

What do you mean, “not out of the question”?

“As an idol, of course I need to have the proper qualities. I’ve been prepared for the possibility of being exploited for a long time. I just didn’t expect that your tastes, Mom, would be that particular... But that’s fine, too. It’ll help temper my path to magic and make it even purer!”

Xiyuji looked a little conflicted, but as she looked at Vivi, she soon made up her mind. “Mom, I’ll do my best to satisfy you...”

Vivi and Lin Guang both shuddered again.

“Holy crap, that’s way too niche and perverted!”

So this was how rich people got their kicks? Vivi was so broke she didn’t even have a brain-computer interface, and she’d watched so few videos that she’d never even imagined this kind of thing existed.

“Being niche and perverted is exactly the point, I’m telling you.”

Xiyuji’s eyes blazed. She looked utterly serious. “A specialized niche and a precisely targeted approach, that’s the way to attract devoted fans.”

“How else can I increase my potential for magic? How else can I make big money?”

“You probably know that I was planning to retake the exam next year... But plans can’t keep up with changes. I have no choice but to beg you, Mom!”