"Why are you all here?" Flicking off the water droplets on her shoulder, Chu Lian walked over to ask Cai Ya and the others. Her expression carried an unusual confidence, and she seemed more mature than usual. Her tea-brown, medium-length hair swayed slightly with her movement, and her posture was calm and composed.
"Chu Lian-chan, we came to help you..." Ruriko Nana beamed as she approached Chu Lian, summarizing the earlier conversation for her. Of course, she left out the parts about the showdown between Chu Chu and Cai Ya, as well as the warnings directed at herself and Lux.
"Oh, is that so? Then thank you all very much..." Chu Lian tilted her head in thought for a moment, then her lips curved into a radiant smile. "Xiu'er, give them a call. Tell them not to bother sending the cosplay outfits anymore. Instead, arrange for a few makeup artists to come and bring some set decorations. We'll make use of those."
With one hand on her hip, she looked at the three girls and sighed. "Your current looks are still a bit off from the characters in A Certain Scientific Railgun, but not by much."
"Cai Ya, you're cosplaying Kiyama Harumi, a mature woman. Right now, you look too youthful, but portraying a younger version should be fine." Cai Ya had the same issue as many others—age. Luckily, cosplay had many tricks to solve that, like 'chibi versions' and such.
Cai Ya snorted in dissatisfaction, but recalling what Kiyama Harumi looked like—a calm and mature adult woman—she had to admit she still fell short. So she didn't argue.
"Miss Lux, you resemble Shokuhou Misaki in appearance. All you need to do is exude a bit more of that queen-like elegance, arrogance, and sex appeal." Yes, when it came to Shokuhou Misaki, Chu Lian summarized her traits as elegance, arrogance, and sex appeal. Lux already had the elegance—what she lacked were the other two. Fortunately, those could be conveyed through expressions, posture, and makeup.
"What about my figure—does it work?" Lux blinked playfully and teased.
"Of course. If your bust were a little bigger, it'd be even better. After all, we're talking about the queen of doujinshi. That kind of allure requires some assets to pull off. Also, your hands and legs absolutely need to be in white thigh-highs. Are you confident in your legs?" Chu Lian was blunt, but she hit the nail on the head.
"Well then, since you put it like that, it looks like I have no choice but to show you." Lux Lyle covered her lips with a delicate hand and smiled with narrowed eyes. Then she raised her gown with both hands, slowly revealing a pair of flawless, pale, beautiful legs.
"Oh, looks like even among Westerners, your legs are on the slim side. Just enough flesh on the thighs—not too much, not too little. If you wear white thigh-highs and add a more seductive gaze, you'd practically be Shokuhou Misaki."
Hearing Chu Lian's comment, Lux gave a graceful bow, clearly pleased with the praise.
"Ruriko Nana, Uiharu Kazari is a rather shy girl. Though she's a member of Judgment and highly skilled, she's also full of justice. That sense of justice could be seen as softness, and softness means kindness and compassion. You need to highlight that, especially in certain scenes."
"Also, your hair is a bit longer than hers, so you'll need to trim it slightly and wear a headband full of rose decorations. That should do the trick. The rest is all about the outer appearance. You're very cute-looking, but you don't have that shy vibe—so you'll need to show a bit more of that gentle, delicate side."
As Chu Lian spoke, Ruriko nodded along attentively. Right now, she was utterly obedient to Chu Lian. While part of that was due to the promise Chu Chu had made her, there was no denying that a large part came from her feelings toward Chu Lian herself.
"And lastly, you—Xiu'er. Since the perverted Kuroko was claimed by Chu Chu, there's still Saten Ruiko, who suits you well. But your bust is much larger than hers, so you'll need to wrap some white cloth around it to make it look smaller." Chu Lian, now fully in her "big sister mode," had become much bolder with her words. Where she once chose careful phrasing, she now spoke bluntly.
"Um..." Li Xiu'er's face turned crimson in an instant. She clasped her hands behind her back, nervously twisting her index fingers together. She wasn't used to this straightforward version of Chu Lian. What embarrassed her even more was discussing things like breasts and thighs in front of everyone—it made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.
"Big Sis! What about me, what about me?" came Chu Chu's energetic voice from behind. She was currently struggling to climb out of the pool.
Of course, while she had been underwater, she hadn't heard any of Chu Lian's instructions to the others. Only when she surfaced and made her way toward the pool's edge did she overhear Chu Lian's words to Li Xiu'er—and immediately shouted out.
Her interruption made Chu Lian's brow twitch, but then a gentle smile formed on her face as she turned and walked toward her.
Seeing her beloved big sister finally not avoiding her—and instead walking over with genuine concern—Chu Chu's face lit up with joy. Ah, is Big Sis finally showing me some care?
When Chu Lian reached her, she crouched down, tilted her head, and gently asked, "Tired? Give me your hand, I'll pull you up."
At that moment, even if Chu Chu wasn't tired, she had to say she was—how else could she soak in more of her big sister's endless gentleness?
So, she put on a helpless look and nodded weakly. "Chu Chu is so tired, Big Sis..."
"It's a hot day—of course you're tired," Chu Lian replied, as if forgetting Chu Chu's earlier energetic shouting. She reached out and gently grasped Chu Chu's hand, helping her out of the water.
Feeling that her sister genuinely cared this time, Chu Chu got a little carried away.
As she was pulled ashore, before she even regained her footing, her legs gave out. She collapsed to the ground and murmured like someone suffering from heatstroke, "Big Sis, I feel terrible... I can't breathe. Can you give me mouth-to-mouth?"
Chu Lian furrowed her brows but didn't refuse. She leaned down, her cherry lips meeting Chu Chu's...
In Chu Chu's eyes, though her big sister no longer had the long, ethereal hair that made her look like a fairy, she now carried a new air of confidence and boldness—and Chu Chu loved that too. As Chu Lian's flawless, delicate face came closer, her heart began to race.
Finally... finally I get Big Sis' kiss? This is too blissful... I... But before she could savor the thought, her whole body was yanked upward and flung through the air—straight toward the center of the pool.
What's going on? Everything happened too fast for her to react. The last thing she saw before plunging headfirst into the water was Chu Lian turning away with a graceful smile. Great, I got tricked by Big Sis again...
The four bystanders were dumbfounded, watching this dramatic scene unfold.
First, Chu Lian had changed her attitude completely, approaching Chu Chu with tenderness and even pulling her out of the pool. That kind of gentle behavior was rare and surprised them all.
Then, the previously energetic Chu Chu collapsed dramatically on the ground, pretending to suffer from heatstroke. You were just shouting at full volume a second ago—who do you think you're fooling?
And then, Chu Lian tucked her hair behind her ear, crouched down, and slowly leaned in with her lips slightly parted, moving toward Chu Chu for a kiss...
Just as the others thought Chu Chu's "scheme had succeeded" and she was about to get a kiss from Chu Lian, something unbelievable happened. Chu Lian suddenly, with lightning-fast reflexes, grabbed the collar of Chu Chu's top—an action that caused a rippling bounce through her chest—and then hurled her toward the center of the pool. Her elegant smile and graceful turn made the scene even more surreal.
The girls watched as Chu Chu's body traced a perfect arc, soaring over twenty meters before landing squarely in the middle of the pool, sending up a spectacular splash. All four girls shivered involuntarily.
As Chu Lian approached, they instinctively stepped back, leaving her slightly puzzled. Eventually, it was Li Xiu'er who broke the silence. "Chu Lian, you… how could you throw her that far? Are you okay?"
Good girl! Despite the shock of the moment, she was more worried about Chu Lian's wellbeing than anything else. That alone made Chu Lian adore her even more.
"I'm fine, and she'll be fine too—don't worry," Chu Lian said with a smile to Li Xiu'er. "As for how she flew so far… honestly, I don't know either. I just felt like there was some kind of force inside me that I could use."
That was the absolute truth. She herself had only just realized she could throw someone that far. It wasn't something she thought she could actually do.
Her Strength stat of 7 didn't represent her literal muscle power, but rather the maximum force she could safely exert under her current conditions. A Strength of 7 meant she could apply up to 35kg of force.
For a 140cm tall, 13-year-old girl, that was a lot—on paper. But in practice, even reaching 20kg without injuring herself would be considered excellent.
That level of strength certainly shouldn't be enough to toss a person from the pool's edge to the center over twenty meters away.
Another anomaly. Too bad Ayase isn't here—I have no way of figuring out what's going on... System? No, you're not going to tell me either… I get it… Chu Lian sighed inwardly, a flicker of worry passing through her heart.
Thankfully, she didn't forget that the others were still standing there under the blazing sun. She quickly changed the subject. "Alright, the cosplay outfits are in the changing room. Come with me—I'll hand them out. You can change and do your makeup in there. The opening scenes don't have your characters, so there's time."
With that, she turned and walked toward the changing room she had just exited.
The girls exchanged glances, silently deciding that there were some things better left unasked. Then they followed her into the changing room.
A short while later, two hands gripped the edge of the pool, and Chu Chu pulled herself up, grumbling with effort: "Big Sis, you can't get rid of me that easily..." Finishing her muttered vow, she too headed toward the changing room.