Chapter 409: A New Journey, Replaying the Pure White

Worth over a hundred million?

Pure White Witch looked down at the card carefully. For a moment, her eyes shook with shock, feeling very amazed.

Although she once sold her principles to advertise wedding dresses and made “big money,” and after becoming a [Lighthouse] she got the blue-green modifier, caring even less about money than any rich person.

But she never had time to spend or enjoy money; her ideas about spending were still controlled by her 17 years of hard work, and she could not understand how a rich woman thinks at all.

So strange, after inviting her to such an expensive meal for no reason, they also wanted to give her a lifetime card worth one hundred million. No matter how she thought, it just did not feel right. Could it be some new kind of scam?

Chu Yuanqing was confused for a moment, then touched her cheek and said seriously with her small face:

“No, I have to give it back.”

No matter what, you should not accept gifts for no good reason. It’s okay to enjoy a free meal, but something this expensive, she did not want to take it without a reason.

The shrine maiden sat quietly beside Honey Qing. She was not surprised at all and did not argue. She just smiled softly, looking at the other’s cute face with shining eyes and gently suggested:

“Miss Li Hui said she wanted to go to the music festival. Tomorrow we will go to Miaocun Mountain early, lay out our mats, set up a tent, and wait quietly so we can meet her.”

Chu Yuanqing nodded when she heard this.

“Then we can give it back to her when we meet again.”

But right after saying that, she felt something was wrong.

Wait, didn’t she originally not plan to go to the music festival?

Pure White Witch suddenly woke up from a dream, slowly realizing she had been tricked. She looked sadly at the smiling naughty woman and felt a little angry.

The shrine maiden tricked her into taking this card just to make her go to the music festival!

How annoying; why are the shrine maiden and Little Sakura so pure and sensible, but Nostalgia can be so mischievous?

Chu Yuanqing had never noticed Little Sakura’s secret clever side. Now she was very confused and began to wonder if the Nostalgia in front of her had been spoiled by something bad.

The shrine maiden blinked her innocent eyes. What bad thoughts could she have? After all, Honey Qing said there were too many people at the music festival and didn’t want to go.

Besides, if things turned out like this, shouldn’t Honey Qing blame herself for being too tempting? She never expected Rie Hatanaka to give such a thing. It just happened naturally.

The shrine maiden could firmly say there was no trick or plan here. It was all Pure White Succubus’s fault!

But to calm Honey Qing down, she still appeared in person, hugged her soft body gently, lowered her voice, and acted very sweetly without shame:

“Alright, don’t be grumpy. The music festival will be super fun. There should be many performers on the mountain during the warm-up. Little Qing will blend in and not draw much attention.”

The shrine maiden said these words, though she didn’t mean them, and quickly added:

“Besides, many people want to see Little Qing because your music is wonderful and you are so beautiful.”

“It’s just like when you stand on stage and everyone watches you. It’s a kind of praise and approval. Even if they don’t accept it, don’t resist it. I want more people to see Little Qing!”

Chu Yuanqing was quickly won over by the shrine maiden’s “sorry attitude,” but in her daze, she noticed something was wrong. Wait, wasn’t she just going to watch? Why was it assumed she had to perform by the roadside?

But before she could argue, the other person used a secret move and softly said by her ear:

“Little Qing, we are almost out of money. You don’t want me to sleep on the streets with you, right? We would have to rely on kind strangers to give us food.”

Chu Yuanqing laughed. She gently held the shrine maiden’s cheek and gave in with a smile:

“Alright, I’ll go then.”

The girl had been through many hardships. She didn’t think sleeping outside was a big deal, but that carefree attitude only applied to herself.

Even though she knew Kirimi Miyuki was still alive and vibrant, she hoped that this shrine maiden, who represented the first playthrough remembered as Nostalgia, could enjoy and experience the beauty of the new world even more.

Delicious food, beautiful sights, and all kinds of new and interesting things.

If she could, she definitely wanted to give her the very best.

So actually, it wasn’t a problem. She would join the music festival too.

The shrine maiden kissed Chu Yuanqing’s soft, pink lips, savoring the sweet flavors of white tea and peach. She happily said,

“Little Qing is really great.”

“This will make your fans happy too. Let’s open everyone’s wallets together!”

As the girl spoke, her shrine maiden clothes transformed into a secretary outfit. She wore smart black glasses on her nose and held a tablet (a pretend prop). She looked proud, like a boss ready to give orders to sell stocks and make big profits.

Chu Yuanqing said, “…”

Could Miyuki really be this cheeky?

It felt like she was almost becoming like Charlotte.

This Nostalgia must have developed a little strangely!

The shrine maiden’s show-off segment was very brief. Soon, with a swish, she slipped into the floor and wandered off somewhere. As a Nostalgia, she could move freely within one kilometer, which was surprisingly extensive.

After leaving Pure White Witch far behind, the joy, liveliness, and girlishness she had began to fade away like clothing being shed.

The girl stood under the eaves, gazing at the distant mountains, bathed in the cold moonlight. Her lowered eyes returned to a sharp and calm demeanor. Her wide sleeves withered like falling cherry blossoms, resembling a deep abyss absorbing light and warmth, losing all traces of humanity and emotion, leaving only a sharp and intense edge.

The shrine maiden’s personality was not so easily changed. Just to keep Chu Yuanqing from feeling lonely, she tried to smile more in front of her, appearing happier and more lively—hopefully… a bit more like Charlotte.

Her true self was too dull, shy, clumsy, and extreme, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath that could easily hurt others, not something she could readily reveal.

This was unavoidable; she was ultimately composed of pieces of the shrine maiden’s personality. Even with memories from New Game Plus, her personality leaned towards that of Saiō King from the first playthrough.

Such a past and experience could not resemble Kirimi Miyuki from New Game Plus, who possessed pure and innocent passion.

But perhaps, that was not so bad.

The shrine maiden recalled how Charlotte used to tease everyone, proudly reveling in her pranks. She looked up at the bright crescent moon and smiled lightly, a faint, gentle, and reserved smile, whispering softly,

“Is this what a prank is? Hmm, it’s quite fun.”

After saying this, she vanished into the moonlight, like a wisp of smoke returning to the hot spring hotel, transforming into a cherry blossom petal that gently fell onto Honey Qing’s head, allowing her to sleep peacefully.

The next morning, Miaocun Mountain was already open to visitors. The outdoor music festival site was very expansive, large enough to accommodate one hundred thousand people, and the tickets were quite difficult to obtain.

Well, in any case, the shrine maiden had used her quick and noble ghostly hands to grab the tickets.

It is worth mentioning that aside from the stage, the main venue had no seats for the audience, only pre-processed grass. Thus, many vendors outside sold tablecloths and small stools.

Additionally, since the festival would last three days and no one knew when the “Dazzling Stage” performers would arrive, many people set up tents near the venue, resembling a big camping party—just missing a bonfire at night.

At that moment, numerous invited bands played music in various outdoor areas, and many music lovers created their own small stages, sharing their heartfelt tunes, participating in this lively celebration.

Chu Yuanqing sat at the edge of the grass, her eyes lowered as she tuned her guitar. She wore a loose black hoodie today paired with matching black jeans. Her short hair blew gently in the wind, giving her a cool, youthful appearance—distant yet beautiful.

The shrine maiden happily took photos and glanced around, searching for the little rich lady from yesterday. She hadn’t intended for Honey Qing to perform just yet; she wanted to wait until the “Dazzling Stage” performers started, so she could ride their wave of popularity, add a tag, post videos to gain more views, and then open a live stream to grow her fan club’s little treasure trove.

Even in the corner area, many people were drawn to the Pure White Succubus, but due to some being more interested in the music, they assumed she was just posing since she hadn’t played for a long time and wandered off to explore elsewhere.

The shrine maiden happily sat beside, saying:

“Little Qing, do you think we can meet the rich lady’s Hoshino today, like yesterday?”

Chu Yuanqing softly replied while copying Little Sakura’s grid writing:

“I don’t know, but I can sense many magic energy particles. She should be at Miaocun Mountain by now. Hmm, she probably built Magic Armor with her team and flew here directly. Maybe she wants to surprise the fans?”

At this moment, far away at the main event, a rock band just finished playing. The crowd all around was like a dense wave, still lost in the exciting music, the mood very lively.

Rie Hatanaka and Qingshan Xiao stood in the front row. They seemed to have broken free from the charm of the Pure White Witch and were fully enjoying the event, feeling very excited.

The host kept the heat of the crowd rising, telling some jokes and building suspense. Then, just as Chu Yuanqing said, several little idols appeared from the sky. The Magic Armor disappeared with the effects, they picked up their instruments and shone brightly, causing the crowd to cheer loudly.

Even from far away, the roar like thunder could be heard. The expensive sound system repeated Hoshino Ayano’s greeting to the fans, which sparked screams and cheers again, showing how popular she was.

The shrine maiden had started a live stream. Using the power of Nostalgia, she boldly squeezed next to a rich lady and showed off her skills as a photographer, riding on the hot popularity of the idols on stage.

When she wasn’t filming, she also remembered to care about Honey Lin’s fans who cared deeply. Pretending to lift her selfie stick, she slowly raised her phone’s camera, turned it, zoomed in, and then saw Honey Qing sitting under the banyan tree, far away and blurry like pixels.

The contrast made it look a little lonely, like being all alone, a left-behind child, or an elderly person living in solitude… very sad. It was almost like holding up a sign asking fans to send money to buy Honey Qing a seat.

Fans harshly criticized the photographer who was hogging all the attention and not playing with their own Honey Lin in the comments. At the same time, some wealthy fans were successfully tricked, throwing lots of coins, showing there were many people watching the live show of Hoshino Ayano, and telling them to hurry up and film Honey Lin.

The shrine maiden gladly accepted the gifts, showing the skill of a ghost photographer. Almost instantly, she turned the camera onto the Pure White Witch’s perfectly beautiful face with no blind spots, causing the live chat to fill with question marks.

Luckily, everyone was soon enchanted by Chu Yuanqing. Their attention focused on someone’s lips, eyes, eyelashes, fingers… and every other part, temporarily ignoring the photographer’s strange behavior.

The chat had a great atmosphere, with fans playfully cheering and joking around.

Even when a few fans of Hoshino Ayano and other little idols spoke up, saying they wanted to see the live performance more, they were quickly enchanted by the Pure White Succubus. They felt watching their favorite for a few minutes less was okay, falling into the trap of thinking home flowers aren’t as lovely as wild ones, and unknowingly clicked to follow, getting ready to watch more shows.

The shrine maiden looked at the steadily growing gifts and tips, nodding with satisfaction.

Very good, very good, our chef is really powerful! A few more rounds like this and we won’t have to worry about Little Qing sleeping under the bridge!

On the stage, Hoshino Ayano’s short hair swayed gently. Her breath moved with the rhythm of the music. She smiled as she skillfully played the drums, stepping on the bass drum with a free and graceful style, like dance steps matching the song, showing great power and energy.

Playing along with her was the flow of the heart, bursting from the soul.

The shining light rose and spread in the world of thoughts. It burned together with her teammates’ feelings, becoming the spirit of rock that took over the stage, touched everyone watching, and ruled the music festival. All the audience fell deep into this surprise show that had no introduction but still blew the roof off.

This was the top idol group in the Tokyo region.

Or rather, no matter where they were from, the real number one team always had a strong [Heart Flow] in every member. They naturally had terrifying power that crushed the old times and could shine brightly and spread excitement wherever and whenever they performed.

Chu Yuanqing looked at the young idols on stage and suddenly felt a little sad. She knew she wouldn’t get to see her daughter and her teammates debut.

But their stage would surely be just as amazing as Hoshino Ayano’s, maybe even better. It would make Dream Weaver Rabbit amazed and fans happily surprised with its shining light.

Suddenly, she smelled a strange mix of evil intentions.

In a daze, the Mercury Blood inside her flowed again. Her golden eyes glowed warmly, rising above her broken body. Her extrasensory perception started, letting her see more clearly and fully. The whole picture appeared before her eyes.

Among the crowd immersed in the music festival, there were tens of thousands of heads hiding eggs of disaster aura, like little maggots.

Chu Yuanqing recognized what it was almost instantly.

It was a fragment of a disaster beast, likely under the control of [Amahl], with puppet-like abilities, between E-class and Grade D. Once inside a human body, it could do many things.

The simplest way was to match the festival’s mood, making people’s brains overexcited, speeding up blood flow, faking sudden deaths, strokes, heart attacks… and destroying everyone’s trust in the magical girl stage, spreading fear.

Did the Countermeasures Bureau prepare a plan to fight this in advance?

Chu Yuanqing’s thoughts were a mess, but instinctively she strummed her guitar. The flower of suffering slowly bloomed in her soul, and the little magic she always cherished reignited the Mercury Blood within her body.

In that moment, her fingertips brushed the strings, the prelude just starting, and [Heart Flow] began again, pure white notes playing softly.

“The pay is a flat line after joining the company.”

“Though I love Tokyo, I have nothing.”

That dreamy, light, and enchanting song, like a bird flying into the world of rock, soared into everyone’s hearts, leaving silent footsteps behind.

“Please give me a Rickenbacker 620.”

“I don’t even have 190,000 yen in Ochanomizu.”

“The smell of Marshall made me so excited I started jumping.”

The shrine maiden looked deeply at Chu Yuanqing. She lifted her head and gazed into the distance. The pure white feathers fell gently throughout Miaocun Mountain, softly like melting snow in early spring, without stealing the show or disturbing the stage.

The strong wind blew, carrying the pure white like racing thoughts, like burning flowers that appeared and disappeared, bursting and fading through waves of sound, washing away all traces of disaster aura.

The world returned to gentleness.

On the stage, the drums roared, telling the story of youth.

Chu Yuanqing’s white eyelashes fluttered. Her hair was messy in the wind. She kept playing the guitar and quietly sang the song’s last notes, all alone in the almost unnoticed noise.

Time passed, and Hoshino Ayano’s group played music for two hours. They ended perfectly and peacefully. The audience was very excited, listening to the little idol’s words as she began her journey.

Rie Hatanaka hugged Qingshan Xiao happily. Even after Hoshino Ayano bowed and left the stage, she was still lost in the magic of the show. She chatted excitedly with her boyfriend, sharing her feelings and happily showing her phone to her friends.

On the way back, she suddenly put her hand into her pocket and found a very familiar card.

“Oh, isn’t this the one I gave away yesterday…”

Rie Hatanaka whispered to herself, feeling a bit dazed.

The face of that person appeared in her mind, and a soft song gently played in her ears.

The girl stood still, staring at the busy, noisy place nearby. She spoke softly, feeling a little lost:

“Now that I think about it, I don’t even know her name yet.”

Somehow, Rie Hatanaka felt that this was the last time she would meet that person, who seemed like a fairy from a snow-covered land.

How strange it was, after realizing this truth, the joy of watching the idol live felt like a heavy tide pulling away, leaving behind a few faint, lingering feelings of regret and sadness.

At the same time, at a distant train station.

The shrine maiden smiled and looked at a mysterious guitarist, asking:

“Are you really not going to stay a few more days in Echigo-Yuzawa? The music festival lasts for several more days! It will be livelier and more fun later.”

Chu Yuanqing looked toward the snow-capped mountains in the distance, lifted the corners of her mouth, and said:

“You said that only by seeing more places can one truly make the most of this journey on earth, didn’t you, Miyuki?”

The shrine maiden said:

“So, where is the next stop?”

Chu Yuanqing gently breathed out cold air and said:

“Hokkaido, I will take you to visit your family.”