I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 172 The Unfulfilled Vow

Fuping's head rested on Lingbo's lap, her eyes closed as she took a nap.

The story of another life from another timeline that she had just told him stirred Lingbo's heart.

Lingbo now fully understands how deeply Fuping's feelings for Noah were etched in her heart, and why she transferred those feelings to herself.

In the world of duckweed, the name "Noah" is synonymous with "redemption" itself. She is the savior who descends from the sky when she lost her parents and had lost all hope in life.

Moreover, he even gave her a "home," provided her with meticulous care, and granted her almost indulgent "power to be willful."

This could almost be described as giving her a second life.

That's why she so greedily craved Noah's tenderness; for a child who had once had nothing, Noah's warmth was the only straw she could grasp.

The duckweed longs to grow up, but her heart remains fragile.

She keenly sensed that she couldn't rely on Noah forever. If she wanted to truly help her, she couldn't exercise her "willful power" over Noah anymore.

Because she didn't dare to bother Captain Noah, who had already decided to fight alongside her, she directed her dependence and affection towards herself, the "former captain."

Lingbo had no objection to this. Just as she had told Fuping, Noah was herself, so if it was inconvenient to contact Noah, contacting her would be the same.

Who told her to plan to share all this poverty with Noah?

In Lingbo's view, Noah held a very heavy place in Fuping's heart. Therefore, her awareness of this was truly a remarkable determination.

But—what about this bond for Noah?

This is probably one of the huge traumas she carries.

Her most important disciple, who was like a younger sister to her, died protecting her.

Moreover, the most painful thing is that Noah broke her vow.

As long as I'm here, I will always protect you.

Lingbo knew very well that the promise "she" made was not a simple comfort, but a heartfelt commitment that she had to keep.

In the end, Noah failed to keep her promise.

The process is irrelevant. What Fu Ping's wishes were is equally irrelevant. Even if Fu Ping willingly sacrificed her life to protect her companions, in Noah's eyes, that was her own problem.

Noah's care for Fuping is probably just like what Fuping remembers: it's her projecting her guilt for not being able to protect Xiaoling onto Fuping.

Caring for Fu Ping, to some extent, is Noah's way of healing her inner trauma. She longs to use this "success" to cover up her previous "failure," thus numbing herself. In this way, she can tell herself—"Look, this time, I protected her well."

However, the death of Fuping shattered her dream completely.

Once again, she failed to protect this child who was like a younger sister.

The first failure could be attributed to her own weakness and powerlessness. But this second failure negated all her significance as a "guardian." It was tantamount to saying that no matter how hard she tried, she was ultimately a failure who couldn't even protect the person most important to her.

Atonement has utterly failed.

In the end, Noah will only impose this guilt on herself and carry it forward.

Lingbo slowly closed her eyes.

Although she was prepared, the more she learned about Noah's past, the more the scars and pain Noah carried exceeded her imagination.

I had once boasted that I wanted to share everything with her.

It wasn't until her identity as the "older sister" was revealed that she realized she was only bearing a small part of Noah's experiences, and the despair she brought almost broke her. Faced with this vulnerability, Noah unconditionally chose to embrace her, allowing her to vent her emotions freely in her arms.

Now, their relationship is more like "licking each other's wounds."

However, compared to Noah, she was completely inferior. In every aspect, Noah was actually much more mature than her. It was just that she was sometimes deceived by Noah's cute appearance. In the end, it was she who truly needed comfort and tenderness.

Looking back, when Noah said, "I will bear the burden with you," Noah should have already realized that it was just an immature promise made without understanding the situation.

Even knowing this, Noah still confided in me, so that I could continue on this path with her.

Noah—she's incredibly strong. What kind of willpower does she possess to choose to stand up after bearing all of this?

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"—Ayanami-chan?"

The sound of duckweed awakened Lingbo from her reverie.

She looked down and saw that her thighs were bare. Only then did she realize that Fu Ping had sat up and was sitting next to her on the bench.

"—Are you awake?"

"I didn't sleep. I just closed my eyes for a little rest, since I'm not sleepy right now. It's you, Ayanami-chan, who should really get some rest. You looked so dazed just now, you didn't even notice me get up. You clearly didn't get enough rest. Want to come to my place for a nap?"

Fu Ping's words reminded Ling Bo of some unpleasant memories, and her gaze became much more wary: "I was just thinking about something, don't do anything unnecessary."

"Hehe, just kidding." Fu Ping hugged Ling Bo's arm. "Because—we talked about so many heavy topics, and the atmosphere got really bad. I just wanted to crack a joke to help you relax."

Lingbo did not respond, but continued to remain expressionless.

"Rei-chan, seriously, you've got that stiff expression again!"

Fu Ping got off the bench, but didn't let go of Ling Bo's arm. "Ling Bo-chan, it's almost noon now, are you hungry? Do you want to go eat together?"

"————Alright then."

""

After hearing what was said, Lingbo did feel a bit hungry.

But—what should we have for lunch?

Lingbo took out her phone with her other hand, intending to see if there were any suitable restaurants nearby.

There's a mala tang (spicy hot pot) restaurant on the north side of the park—and a Sichuan restaurant—and a Hunan restaurant on the south side—why are they all such spicy restaurants? I don't really care, but I wonder if Fuping can handle spicy food.

Just as Lingbo was pondering, Fuping pulled her up from her seat with a sudden movement. "I know a really delicious dessert shop! How about we go there for lunch?"

Should we go to a dessert shop for lunch?

Lingbo was speechless—at least they should go to some decent restaurant, right?

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