I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 135, First "Friend"

family--

Yes, although they are not related by blood, they are all children who live in the laboratory and have never experienced the warmth of parents. Without a doubt, they are each other's family.

Su Qingyuan felt the warmth brought by Lu Yue, but dared not ask for more.

Until she met her second "friend".

Every so often, new "juniors" join the lab. Most of the newcomers, observing Su Qingyuan, this not-so-popular "senior," have learned to keep their distance from her.

Similarly, Su Qingyuan wasn't interested in them and never considered actively approaching these newcomers. In her view, as long as these new kids didn't cause her trouble, everything would be fine.

Until that day, a "junior" stirred up a ripple.

It was a boy named Shen Zixin.

Even Su Qingyuan, who rarely interacts with others, heard this name from other people's casual conversations.

In this world made up entirely of girls, this was the first male friend they could interact with. This quickly made Shen Zixin the new center of attention.

The girls would gather around him curiously. Although the oldest children in the lab were only thirteen or fourteen years old at the time, this gave them a nascent understanding of the concept of "opposite sex."

Even the most assertive girls would restrain their arrogance and capriciousness when facing him, and try their best to show their best side, chatting and laughing with Shen Zixin.

Su Qingyuan simply watched from afar.

She had no intention of getting close to that boy. To her, someone like herself trying to connect with others...wouldn't that just bring trouble?

So one ordinary afternoon, Lu Yue was unable to accompany her as usual because she had to participate in a special experiment.

Without Lu Yue's daily company, Su Qingyuan suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. If she continued to stay in the lounge, those bullying cliques would probably come back again.

So, Su Qingyuan immediately ran to the library.

Despite being called a "library," it was actually just a large room piled high with books, completely lacking the solemnity and grandeur a library should have. However, it was usually quiet, so Su Qingyuan could use it to pass the time and avoid those who were trying to cause her trouble.

However, when she arrived at the library, she found that someone was already sitting in a chair—

It is Shen Zixin.

He was engrossed in a book and completely unaware of Su Qingyuan's arrival.

Su Qingyuan stared at him, stunned and rooted to the spot.

Why is he here?

I think I should... leave.

She was afraid that she would bother him, and even more afraid that... he would look at her with disgust, just like everyone else.

Thinking of this, she took a step back, but the movement bumped into the chair behind her. The chair shifted slightly after being bumped, and the sound of its legs scraping against the ground made a "squeak" sound.

Hearing the noise, Shen Zixin looked up at Su Qingyuan and their eyes met.

The first time she made eye contact with a boy like that made her instantly flustered.

Su Qingyuan was thirteen years old at this time—facing a younger man of the opposite sex, her longing and curiosity gradually overwhelmed her fear of strangers.

Should I... say hello? What should I say?

With her mind blank, Su Qingyuan felt she had to say something when facing Shen Zixin's gaze.

Are you reading a book?

As soon as she said those words, Su Qingyuan regretted them.

That's obvious.

However, Shen Zixin didn't show any impatience. Instead, she smiled and nodded, "Yes. Can I watch it with you, sister?"

Huh? Want to watch it together?

Su Qingyuan froze on the spot. Why would he invite her to read a book?

Shen Zixin seemed oblivious to Su Qingyuan's reaction, and instead raised the book in her hand—

"There are so many words on this page that I don't recognize..." the boy looked at her expectantly. "So, could you read them to me, sister?"

Ah, Zixin's younger brother... he's only about seven or eight years old... it seems normal that he doesn't recognize many words.

But... why did he ask me for help?

At that moment, an unprecedented feeling welled up from the depths of her heart. This was the first time Su Qingyuan had experienced the feeling of "being needed by others."

After being asked to do this, Su Qingyuan mustered her courage and walked step by step to sit down next to Shen Zixin. Shen Zixin handed her the book in her hand, and Su Qingyuan slowly took it, discovering that it was a fairy tale book.

Ah, as expected, at my younger brother's age... he still prefers reading this type of book.

For Su Qingyuan now, this kind of book was obviously a bit childish. But she didn't feel annoyed—being needed by a junior like this... the feeling in her heart was completely different from the feeling when Lu Yue protected her, but it was even warmer.

Then, Su Qingyuan began to read aloud from the storybook in her hand.

"A long, long time ago..."

At first, she stuttered a bit and didn't read very fluently. But when Su Qingyuan saw out of the corner of her eye that Shen Zixin was listening intently and didn't seem to mind her poor reading at all, Su Qingyuan gradually gained confidence.

The two of them spent the afternoon together like that. It wasn't until Su Qingyuan turned to the last page of her book that she realized how much time had passed.

"Thank you, sister!" Shen Zixin happily grasped her hand. "Thank you for telling me the story!"

"Ah... um... oh..." Faced with the boy's thanks, Su Qingyuan didn't even know how to respond. Having never been needed by anyone, she had naturally never been thanked by anyone either.

"Oh, right, sister, I haven't asked your name yet." Shen Zixin suddenly remembered something. "My name is Shen Zixin. How should I address you, sister?"

"Um... I... my name is Su Qingyuan... you can call me whatever you like..."

"Then I'll call you Sister Qingyuan! Hehe, Sister Qingyuan, can I ask you to tell me stories again next time?"

"Eh...? Ah... of course... you can!"

This time, Su Qingyuan mustered her courage, met his gaze, and nodded heavily.

"That's great!" The boy stood up from his chair and hugged her happily, which made Su Qingyuan momentarily at a loss. But a few seconds later, she accepted Shen Zixin's hug and reached out to embrace him as well.

And so, Shen Zixin became the second "friend" she made.