Dimensional Barrier

Perhaps it was due to the sudden announcement of the literature competition in the morning, but the rest of the day passed without much excitement. The only notable change was that Wang Tingsi finally stopped looking at her. For her, this was quite a pleasant surprise.

If it weren't for her coincidentally saving his life back then, she wouldn't have any entanglements with him now. To be serious, the exposure of her existence was related to that event, making him the source of everything that followed.

After a certain incident, she had developed a deep-seated aversion to men. Casual interactions were fine, but the moment someone showed any sign of pursuing her, she would not give them any face.

This is why she only targeted Wang Tingsi and did not care about Zhang Feng, who also clearly liked her. The former was like a sticky piece of gum, always clinging to her, which was annoying; the latter was like a sculpture, only watching and thinking without taking any actual action.

She had always been tolerant of people who didn't bother her, even if this tolerance sometimes seemed like a different kind of favoritism. She didn't care and would not change because of it.

When she passed by him at the school gate, she sensed his change. Without hesitation, she chose to draw a clear line with Wang Tingsi. Whether he was momentarily lost or had made certain decisions, it was no longer her concern.

She didn't know and wasn't interested in knowing.

The setting sun cast its light on the boy and girl, making them look like a perfect match—handsome and beautiful. But the distance between them seemed to be separated by an invisible wall, making them avoid looking at each other as they went their separate ways.

Perhaps this was the last time they would be this close. From now on, she wouldn't have to interact with him anymore, and he could move on from a mistaken path to make a correct choice.

However, she didn't know what his choice would be. Only he knew that the future required moving forward.

Back home, after taking off her little boots, she gently placed Tina on the sofa. Then, watching her mother busy in the kitchen, she couldn't help but recall what she said in the morning: "The real Mom is the gentle one you see at home..."

Thinking of this, she smiled slightly, walked over to Li Mingxue, hugged her slender waist from behind, and rubbed her face against her back. It didn't matter that her mother was wearing an apron and cooking.

Li Mingxue tensed up for a moment due to the sudden hug, then relaxed. She continued stirring the food with one hand while patting Chu Lian's hand with the other, saying, "Lian'er, it's rare for you to hug me. This past year, you've only done it in the hospital and now. Are you feeling wronged? Tell mom, and I'll teach them a lesson for you..."

Chu Lian shook her head vigorously, her face pressed against her back, mumbling, "No one bullied me, I just wanted to hug mom. I'll let go in a moment... You keep cooking..." She released her hold shortly after.

Seeing her mother's delighted but slightly exasperated expression, she couldn't help but lean in and plant a gentle kiss on her cheek, winking at her before hopping upstairs.

"This child has really changed since that time in the hospital... Changed for the better..."

Tina, who had been napping on the sofa, quietly opened her eyes, watching Li Mingxue's busy back and occasionally shaking shoulders, falling into deep thought.

[So this is what a mother is like? Why is there such a difference between human mothers and those of the Spirit Cat Clan? If I were in danger or felt wronged, would my mother be this concerned?]

In just a few days in the human world, Tina had encountered more things than in her entire previous life, raising more questions than ever. Perhaps this is why many Spirit Cats sign contracts with various beings and leave their homeland to explore the outside world.

Leaving aside Tina and Li Mingxue's complex feelings, Chu Lian, upon reaching her room, threw herself onto the bed, lay there for a while, and then entered the system space.

Since she decided to follow Ayase's advice and start the serialization early tomorrow, she couldn't be completely unprepared. Coincidentally, she had previously mentioned releasing a series of cosplay photos. Initially, she had chosen Illya's image, but given the current situation, Illya was not suitable.

Although her popularity was very high due to the new anime series, compared to the most beloved female characters in the 2D world, Illya was somewhat lacking.

So this time, she planned to promote the new serialization while completing the cosplay.

She knew that based on the style of her book, the most suitable image for promotion would undoubtedly be a classic beauty in white clothes, with long flowing hair and a gentle demeanor.

However, to maintain a sense of mystery, she couldn't reveal certain characters in the cosplay photos in advance. Moreover, her height and age were also limitations, as the character she wrote about in Sword and Fairy 1 didn't quite match her current appearance.

Thus, she decided to choose a highly popular character instead, using their popularity to boost her own.

Nevertheless, she resolved that once she was older and taller, she would definitely cosplay Zhao Ling'er, not the young girl version, not the loli version, but the authentic Zhao Ling'er. By then, the popularity of Sword and Fairy 1 would be enough to make a big impact.

Opening the system's exchange menu, she selected the option to exchange Integrity Points and scrolled down to "Dimensional Barrier." After clicking this option, the previous page disappeared, replaced by lifelike 3D virtual images of various female characters.

"Help me select Misaka Mikoto's image from 'A Certain Scientific Railgun'," she said to the screen after glancing at the exquisitely realistic characters.

"Misaka Mikoto: A major character in 'A Certain Magical Index' and the protagonist of 'A Certain Scientific Railgun.' She is one of the seven Level 5 espers in Academy City, ranked third and known as the 'Railgun.' A second-year student at Tokiwadai Middle School, she is also called the 'Ace of Tokiwadai' and the 'Electric Princess.'"

"Name: Misaka Mikoto; Birthdate: May 2; Age: 14; Weight: 45kg; Measurements: 78-56-79; Evaluation: Like you, she is walking the path of flattening the world. The only difference is she is taller, so her figure appears more flat. You could try competing with her, provided you can withstand her electric shocks and still run away."

"Select the mirroring mode, I want to merge with her." Chu Lian chose to ignore the system's evaluation, thinking that their attributes should reach at least 50% similarity. Thus, she chose the mirroring mode, which requires a 50% similarity.

"Scanning host attributes, please wait..."

"Scan complete, host attributes are as follows..."

"Name: Chu Lian; Birthdate: February 8; Age: 13; Weight: 35kg; Measurements: 58-47-56; Evaluation: Compatibility is 30. Insufficient compatibility, cannot use mirroring mode. Initiating hidden scan..."

"Hidden scan complete..."

"Due to host possessing Level 1 Electromaster ability, compatibility increases by 15; same flat chest, compatibility increases by 5; tsundere personality and the ability to attract females, compatibility increases by 15; similarly strong-willed, compatibility increases by 5."

"Compatibility reaches 70, can select possession mode, proceed?"

"Luckily, the electromaster ability and personality traits pushed compatibility over 50. Since I can choose the better option, I'll go with possession mode." She activated her Level 6 selective ignoring ability, filtering out the evaluations of flat chest and tsundere traits, and replaced the 50% mirroring mode with the 70% possession mode, confirming the selection.

"Dimensional Barrier Subsystem Notice: Activating possession mode requires 100,000 Integrity Points, with a continuous consumption of 10 Integrity Points per minute. You will obtain all the character's abilities, but only in appearance, without any actual power."

"Due to the host's age and height, Misaka Mikoto's appearance will be slightly modified to a loli version."

"Possession mode activated..."

At the same time, a white mist arose in Chu Lian's room. With a flash of cold light, the mist began to dissipate, revealing a figure.

It was a girl of a similar height, with tea-colored short hair, wearing the Tokiwadai school uniform. Her face still resembled Chu Lian's, but her aura was more aligned with Misaka Mikoto from "A Certain Scientific Railgun."

She raised her arm, and a coin in her fingers sparkled with electric light. With a faint smile, she flicked her fingers, sending the coin flying...

At this moment, Chu Lian truly looked like she was possessed by Misaka Mikoto. This was the strength of the Dimensional Barrier, making it seem as if the character had been summoned, even though it was merely a superficial appearance.

If it weren't so expensive, she would have used it long ago instead of constantly choosing different outfits...

"Are you satisfied now?"

With this smile, she truly embodied Misaka's cheerful demeanor.