[CH.13] Confession
Alice stared at the disappearing window where Kate had gone, lost in thought.
It hadn't been long since Alice had separated from her senior, Li Meiting, and she had been called over for something like this again. Would her senior think that Alice was too troublesome?
Looking down, Alice noticed her disheveled appearance without the radiant glow she usually had. Her long stockings were covered in dust, and her clothes were wrinkled. Would her senior still find her cute in this state?
Sweat clung to her clothes, and the cold wind made her shiver.
Alice instinctively hugged herself, and this small movement reminded her of the embrace she shared with her senior on top of the television tower.
Did her senior hug her back then to keep her warm?
"Why am I thinking about this now? Don't think! Don't think!"
Alice grabbed her hair, holding her burning cheeks, almost rolling on the ground.
"Hey, can you keep it down!"
The small disappearing window opened from the inside, and a woman's head peeked out.
She had curly golden hair, heavy makeup, and dark eye makeup that circled her eyes like dark circles. Her long false eyelashes were like windshield wipers.
Her left half of the lips was painted deep purple, while the right half was blue. Her entire face was covered in brown watercolors, and there were colorful stickers in heart and star shapes attached to it.
She looked like a character from a story, appearing suddenly like a ghost, which startled Alice and made her gasp.
"Ah... Ahem..."
If Alice had been able to catch her breath in time, she would have screamed.
Seeing Alice's reaction, the woman at the window burst into laughter. Her hearty laughter was clean and gentle. Although she was mocking Alice's reaction, it didn't make Alice uncomfortable.
"Look at you, did you mistake me for a ghost or something?" She imitated Alice's actions, widening her eyes and shivering. "I don't think I can imitate that expression of yours. Was I really that terrifying in that moment?"
The other person laughed until tears welled up in her eyes. She used her pinky finger to wipe away the tears and managed to stifle her laughter.
"Sorry, I overheard your conversation. But your voices were so loud that I couldn't pretend not to hear. You're a magical girl, right? What's your name?"
Alice looked at the woman at the window with some caution, unsure if she should respond. Despite the woman's trendy makeup, her natural smile appeared so innocent and relaxing that Alice didn't sense any malice.
"I'm Alice, and I became a magical girl just half a month ago. Are you a magical girl too?"
"Of course, can't you tell?" The woman proudly lifted her head, showing off her voluminous curly hair. "A cute girl like me has to be a magical girl. All little princesses have magic, you know."
"Is that a thing?"
"No, I made that up. Nice to meet you, I'm Zhang Jingya. I'm just a regular street singer now, with the biggest dream of becoming a star like Lady Gaga, making everyone who sees me look surprised."
Zhang Jingya said proudly, her colorful face shining.
"So, I really liked the expression you had when I startled you just now. Can you do it again for me?"
"How could I...?"
"Exactly. If it wasn't for a particularly sudden situation, most people wouldn't get scared. So, is there something you're afraid of or dislike?"
Zhang Jingya, with only her head poking out of the window, engaged in a conversation with the collapsed Alice below. She talked incessantly, steering the conversation in her own direction. Alice didn't have the energy to move, so she let the conversation meander.
After thinking for a while, Alice said slowly, "I don't think I have anything in particular that I'm afraid of."
"Really?" Zhang Jingya took out a cigarette and held it between her fingers. "Every girl has something she dislikes. There's a saying, have you heard it? Take any two girls off the street, let them discuss something they both dislike, and within ten minutes, they'll fill up a whole page."
"But I..."
Alice probably didn't count as a girl... maybe, not even half? Perhaps, she was only a quarter?
Well, at least in her transformed state, Alice should be considered a girl. She couldn't deny that.
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Jingya proposed, "How about this? Let me guess what you might dislike. Imagine the scene, and if you agree, just nod."
"Slimy, wet tentacles that wrap around your body, or men with lecherous eyes looking at you and thinking about touching you—"
"Stop!" Alice blushed and interrupted Zhang Jingya's description. "I, I don't really want to discuss this kind of topic."
"Haha, are you such a innocent girl? Have you never been in a relationship?"
"I have... maybe..."
The brief past relationship Alice had didn't really count as love; it was something that happened between Han Huayang and another girl. And there were some fundamental differences between the transformed Alice and Han Huayang.
For instance: the presence or absence of something.
Han Huayang's experiences couldn't be equated with Alice's, and vice versa.
Zhang Jingya squinted her eyes, put the cigarette in her mouth, and teased, "Don't lie, you definitely haven't been in love. At least not with a man."
"I don't need men!"
"Oh, are you angry?"
"No, I'm not angry..." Alice lowered her head and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, my reaction may have been a bit excessive. I apologize."
"No need to apologize, I'm not blaming you. Is your personality too timid?"
Zhang Jingya quietly took out a lighter. In fact, she had been noticing Alice's emotional shifts. In their brief conversation, Zhang Jingya had picked up on something that truly bothered Alice.
She was quite certain that Alice disliked men.
Perhaps she had been hurt by a man before? Or...
As a stranger, Zhang Jingya didn't delve too deeply into Alice's experiences. She was just here to chat with Alice and amuse herself in the process.
Zhang Jingya was about to light her cigarette when she suddenly stopped. She raised her head and asked Alice, "By the way, do you smoke?"
"No, thank you."
"Underage? Alright, then I won't smoke either."
Zhang Jingya put the cigarette back in its pack and smiled again.
When Zhang Jingya smiled, she had two dimples on her face, and you could faintly see a small canine tooth in her mouth. Her smile had a pure and genuine quality to it, completely different from the heavy makeup on her face.
However, perhaps it was precisely because of the heavy makeup that her smile appeared even cleaner and more innocent.
After a while, Zhang Jingya spoke again, "Alice, I'm actually a lesbian. I liked you from the moment I saw you. Are you interested in me?"
"What?! - Cough, cough, cough..."
Alice almost coughed up her own lungs. She pressed her chest, her face turned pale, and she looked panicked, like a startled little rabbit.
"What did you just say?"
"I said I'm a lesbian. So, I actually... Oops—oh, sorry. I should have been more serious during the confession."
Zhang Jingya couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. She let out a hearty laugh, her head against the window frame.
"Your reaction this time is even more intense than the last one. Alice, that expression just now was fantastic."
Zhang Jingya held her stomach, trying to control herself, but her body kept shaking violently.
She bit her lip with her teeth, wincing as she said, "I might need to apologize to you. Most of what I said earlier was just teasing you; please don't take it too seriously."
"Ah... um..."
Alice half-opened her mouth, not knowing what to say. However, what Zhang Jingya said next left her even more speechless.
"But, there's one thing I didn't lie about. I really am a lesbian."
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It is getting quite interesting now.
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