After morning study period ended, Li Xiu'er went to speak with the teacher. The homeroom teacher's support for Chu Lian turned out to be surprisingly strong—she didn't even ask for any details and immediately approved the request. She even called relevant personnel to inform them, giving Chu Lian free movement privileges in all non-restricted areas of the school. It was practically a campus pass.
On second thought, the teacher's attitude was understandable. After all, it was Chu Lian's song that secured Class One the final slot for the school trip.
In the individual talent performances, she performed solo on four traditional instruments, transforming the school's anniversary celebration into her personal stage in a single afternoon. Her name instantly spread across China: "In one day, Chu Lian became a household name."
Even though her achievements had little to do with the teacher's actual instruction, on paper, Chu Lian was still her student. Her success gave the teacher a perfect answer for school leadership and left other faculty members filled with envy and regret. Unless Chu Lian dropped out or switched classes, no one would be able to shake Ning Zhiyuan's standing. In a sense, Chu Lian had salvaged her career, so giving her special treatment was more than justified.
With the teacher's support secured, Chu Lian let out a sigh of relief. Once Li Xiu'er returned, she'd be able to head out, choose filming locations, and activate the Possession Mode for Misaka Mikoto—roaming the school in her loli-version Railgun cosplay for the shoot.
To be fair, Sudi High School's infrastructure was easily on par with the world's best. With all the facilities one could ask for—minus the sci-fi tech—it could easily pass for another Tokiwadai Middle School without the slightest sense of dissonance.
Though it lacked the famous landmarks from the anime, the school had its own charm. It was more than suitable to serve as the backdrop for this cosplay photo series.
After a short wait, Li Xiu'er returned. She flashed Chu Lian an "OK" gesture, signaling everything was ready. "The teacher wants me to stick with you today. She saw your Weibo post and figured you might need help…" she said softly as she approached.
Chu Lian furrowed her delicate brows but didn't say anything. She simply nodded, packed her bag, picked up the still-sleeping Tina, and gently handed the cat to Xiu'er before walking toward the door.
Behind them, Cai Ya, Ruriko Nana, and Lux Lyle all stood up almost simultaneously and followed in silence.
"So, Chu Lian, where do you want to start?" Xiu'er asked as she cradled Tina and walked beside her.
"Hmm… let's start at the swimming pool," Chu Lian replied after a moment of hesitation, choosing it as the first location for the cosplay shoot.
That opening pool scene in A Certain Scientific Railgun had left a strong impression on her—it felt like the perfect place to make her debut shot…
Once the decision was made, the two of them walked a bit further. As they moved, Chu Lian kept glancing between Li Xiu'er and her own backpack. After a long internal struggle, she finally made up her mind.
"Xiu'er, here's the camera. You hold it and use this to take the photos later," she said.
There was no helping it—she had to hand over the black-tech camera to Li Xiu'er. She couldn't manage both the cosplay and the filming on her own, not while Xiu'er was watching and no one else was available to help.
Driving Xiu'er away wasn't an option, which left only three choices:
First, let Xiu'er assume she didn't bring a camera and go borrow or fetch one herself. This would protect the secret of the black-tech camera, but Chu Lian had already compromised once for the sake of popularity. When it came to photo quality, she would not back down again. Only the black-tech camera could meet her standards. So, this option was out.
The second option was to activate the black-tech camera's auto-capture function, which could follow the user's intent to snap any shot. But that would be too shocking. If Li Xiu'er witnessed it in action, she might be traumatized—or worse, scared of Chu Lian. If that happened, they wouldn't be able to hang out anymore. So this option was a no-go.
The third option was to hand over the black-tech camera to Li Xiu'er, secretly disabling most of its mysterious and overly advanced features, leaving only the most basic photography and video recording functions. Even then, the camera's abilities were beyond imagination, but this was the best choice she had.
Yes—just give Li Xiu'er the black-tech camera, and say nothing about its special features. If she noticed anything unusual, she'd likely rationalize it herself. That kind of self-justified explanation was far more effective than outright lies. So Chu Lian didn't explain anything.
Li Xiu'er took the silver-white camera that looked ordinary apart from the intricate carvings on its surface and the unnaturally comfortable grip. She asked curiously, "Chu Lian, where did you get this camera? I don't think I've seen this model before. It doesn't look like some off-brand junk either."
"This camera is called the 'Black-Tech' Camera Type I, made by a small workshop called 'Black-Tech.' They only produce a few units, but the quality is surprisingly high."
"They're known only to a select few, so it's normal you haven't heard of them. I only got this because someone gave it to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't even know this kind of place existed."
It was a lie impossible to verify—at least not until she decided to reveal the truth on her own. So this would have to do to conceal the origin of the device.
Of course, as mentioned before, she explained nothing beyond the basic origin, leaving all the guessing and discovery to Li Xiu'er.
Sudi High School had three kinds of swimming pools. One was a man-made lake built outside the school for social gatherings. The second was a massive pool on the back hill that could hold up to 500 people without crowding. The third was a set of small pools, both indoor and outdoor.
Chu Lian chose one of the outdoor small pools. Despite being labeled "small," it was about the size of a standard 50-meter sports pool. The "small" designation only made sense when compared to the other two.
Standing by the pool and seeing no one else around, Chu Lian finally relaxed.
Though she wouldn't be changing into a swimsuit or anything, she would be using abilities in Possession Mode, and they might have destructive visual effects. Still, those were all cosmetic—there would be no actual harm done.
"I'm going to change. Xiu'er, wait here," Chu Lian said after checking the sunlight, deeming it mild enough not to harm her skin. It was time to start filming.
"Okay, I'll notify the teacher and ask her to reserve the pool for us so no one else comes by," Li Xiu'er replied with a smile while holding the black-tech camera. If she weren't also holding Tina, she might've waved goodbye.
"Whew, having an obedient little sister type really is great…" Chu Lian thought, comforted, as she headed toward the changing room.
Hidden in a locker, she began her magical girl-style incantation: "Dimensional Barrier, start. Initiate Possession Mode. Template: Misaka Mikoto. Begin transformation…"
Brilliant white light flared. Mist filled the locker, and the loli-version of Railgun slowly emerged.
Meanwhile, poolside—while Li Xiu'er was communicating with Ning Zhiyuan and Chu Lian was still in the locker—three figures arrived and stood nearby.
Sensing something, Li Xiu'er turned and was surprised to see them. "You… what are you doing here?"
"Hmph. I just want to see how that idiot plans to shoot this Cosplay series. Heard it's A Certain Scientific Railgun? Just her alone—can she really pull it off? If she begs me, I might consider playing a role. But only as Kiyama Harumi."
Cai Ya's words were sharp as always, but Li Xiu'er could still hear the concern behind them. She couldn't help smiling wryly—how could someone so caring say such infuriating things?
"Either way, thank you for your help."
"I'm here to help Lian-chan too. She probably needs some supporting roles, right? I think I can fit into one of them," Ruriko Nana said more straightforwardly, though her words revealed she'd been eavesdropping on Chu Lian and Li Xiu'er.
Li Xiu'er smiled with genuine gratitude. "Yes, we definitely need people. I was just going to ask the teacher for help, but she told us to handle it ourselves. We're short on time, so I was going to slowly recruit. Your help is very welcome. Do you have a specific character in mind? Did you bring a costume?"
"Uiharu Kazari," Ruriko Nana said, tilting her head and giggling. "I think she suits me best—shortest hair and all. Plus, she was one of my favorites when I watched the anime."
"Thank you… As for the costume, no need to worry. I already had my butler buy them," Li Xiu'er nodded, then turned to Lux Lyle. "Miss Lux, what about you?"
"The same as Miss Cai Ya and Nana. I'm here to help Chu Lian. Consider it repayment for what she's done for me… I'll play Shokuhou Misaki—that role fits me best."
"Much appreciated. I'll let Chu Lian know when she comes out. That just leaves Saten Ruiko and Shirai Kuroko."
"I can do one of them. Which should I pick?"
Before she could decide, an energetic voice rang out behind her: "Shirai Kuroko is my exclusive Cosplay! No one else can do it—because Big Sis is mine!"
Everyone turned in surprise.
"She looks just like Chu Lian?"
"Of course! I'm Big Sis' little sister! Her real little sister!" the newcomer said cheerfully.