Esper X Family – Chapter 261 – My Proposal Is So Brilliant

“Classes will start tomorrow.”

The two-day adjustment period had quietly passed.

The Countermeasures Bureau had given Ye Yao a fairly generous amount of time.

Yu Yayin had delivered the computer.

She had also become somewhat familiar with the environment.

This kind of life was a fresh experience for Ye Yao.

It definitely wouldn’t be too boring.

The other girls also seemed to be looking forward to what was to come.

Wu Mi was no exception.

The girl who didn’t want to fall into a vicious cycle was now stepping into a brand-new future alongside her dear friends.

This studying experience would surely keep her in high spirits for a long time.

Logically speaking, with over 3,000 units of mental power, Wu Mi should have been an overpowered presence among her peers.

Luo Jianhua was already hailed as a super genius among people her age.

So, wouldn’t Wu Mi be on the level of a Heavenly Demon ¹ 天魔tianmo, literally Heaven + Demon. Most know this as the Heavenly Demon from murim novels, but it’s also sometimes translated as celestial fiend or otherworldly demon on CN novels. They usually show up in post-apocalyptic Xianxia novels… yea, those are a thing, and they’re quite interesting. Think of them as classic Xianxia with LotM vibes. Anyway, digging deeper, I found that 天魔 is the CN translation of deva-māra, basically one of the ultimate villains of Buddhism lore, the one who sent his daughters to try seduce Prince Siddharta and stop him from becoming a Buddha. ?

Fortunately, this wasn’t some cliché power fantasy novel.

Otherwise, this would’ve been the textbook “pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger”.

As for a certain sugary pink-haired girl…

“Human, when we start learning about abilities tomorrow, do you want to try actually paying attention? Maybe you’ll have a sudden epiphany and finally control your ability.”

Ye Yao had more or less been conditioned by Fang Tang.

Instead of calling her by name, she referred to Fang Tang with a single word: “Human”.

Just like how Fang Tang only called Ye Yao “Cat”.

To outsiders, it seemed like a special term of endearment between the two.

The pink-haired girl who had been rolling around on Ye Yao’s bed suddenly stopped.

Fang Tang shot Ye Yao a puzzled look.

“Cat, is there a chance that I’ve already heard all that basic stuff back in the room I couldn’t leave?”

During her time in the restricted zone, Fang Tang had been subjected to plenty of “brainwashing lectures”.

In her free time, she had little else to do but study.

She had been taught everything, from basic foundational knowledge to information about abilities.

“And did you actually learn any of it?” Ye Yao countered.

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She glanced at her bed, which was now a complete mess thanks to Fang Tang.

In the universal term used by mothers everywhere, it looked like a “pigsty ² Mostly chicken coop for me, but pigsty is indeed something my mom might’ve said at some point. ”.

Tonight, the bed would probably be saturated with the sugary scent of a certain pink-haired little girl.

Fang Tang tilted her head, completely oblivious to her wrongdoing.

“Um… maybe? Possibly? Probably…? I think I learned some of it?”

“Then recite a bit for me.”

“Forgot.”

The truth was clear.

Even if Espers had excellent learning capabilities, if they didn’t actually focus, knowledge would just go in one ear and out the other.

This pink-haired girl was a classic example of that.

Ye Yao wasn’t the least bit surprised.

Given Fang Tang’s state back then, it would’ve been stranger if she had retained anything.

Truly, the sense of closeness Little Fang Tang gave off was something no one else could replicate.

There was a certain beauty in being unpolluted by knowledge.

“What about you, Little Mo? Any specific plans?”

Ye Yao turned to Mo Qiuli.

This little one was something of an oddball in their current group.

Given her eccentric way of thinking, she might just come up with some… unique shenanigans.

Mo Qiuli fell into deep thought.

“Magical Girls need popularity.

I think we should heavily promote the concept of Magical Girls so that more people can understand us.

That way, when we face difficulties in future group battles, we might draw strength from the support of the masses.

This will lay the foundation for a future power-up through sheer willpower!

What do you think, Ye Yao?

Isn’t it full of love and justice?”

Holy crap!

What kind of children’s cartoon plot is this?!

Don’t drag me into this!

Ye Yao cleared her throat.

“Skip.”

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“Huh?! Magical Girl Lullaby?! My proposal is so brilliant, why would you—?”

Mo Qiuli, who had finally mustered up her courage, was on the verge of tears.

Ye Yao sighed internally.

At this rate, Mo Qiuli was going to end up sharing a desk with Fang Tang!

“What about you, Little Luo?”

“Me? I just need to stay with Sister. After all, I’m already far ahead, so there’s no need for me to worry about these things.”

Luo Jianhua’s response had the atmosphere of a top student.

She spoke with effortless confidence.

But then again, it made sense.

Luo Jianhua had come from the headquarters.

She had long mastered all the basics.

She was even number one among her peers.

Now that she was back to accompany Ye Yao through the basics, she could probably sleep through every lecture without issue.

The current Luo Jianhua could entirely skip theory classes and jump straight into practical training.

She could either spar with other Espers to sharpen her combat skills or use the headquarters’ facilities to boost her mental power.

With a little more refinement, she could easily become an A-rank Esper.

If this had been the past, Luo Jianhua’s life might have followed that exact trajectory.

After all, her mentors had held her to extremely high standards.

She had the potential to become the second Lou Wei, or perhaps the second Fu Qi.

But that “life” had been ruined the moment she met Ye Yao.

No one could dictate Luo Jianhua’s path anymore.

And she had no desire to return to that numb existence of the past.

“So I’m the only one who has to pretend to take this seriously?”

Ye Yao wondered when the Countermeasures Bureau’s “honey trap” would arrive.

She almost couldn’t stop herself from slacking off every day.

“Sigh.”

With a soft exhale, Ye Yao could only hope that the Bureau had some method to make her decadent.

Tomorrow, she would be attending class for the first time in a long while.

Yu Yayin had already sent the time and location.

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All she had to do was show up.

“Let’s sleep for now. We’ll wake up early for class tomorrow.”

At least the class wasn’t too early in the morning.

No suffering through the hell of 8 a.m. classes.

Had the Bureau adjusted the schedule just for her?

Ye Yao could afford to slack off in bed a little.

But even after she declared it was time to sleep, the other four girls showed no intention of leaving.

Ye Yao shot them a questioning look.

“Why are you all still in my room?”

The girls exchanged glances.

Luo Jianhua was the first to stand up and leave.

“Then I won’t disturb Sister any longer. I hope you sleep well tonight.”

Mo Qiuli nodded thoughtfully before suddenly realizing something.

“Goodnight, Lullaby!”

Wu Mi dragged Fang Tang off the bed.

“See you tomorrow, Ye Yao.”

“Wah! Cat, save me!”

Ye Yao watched as the lolis filed out of the room, then nodded in satisfaction.

“Mhm, that’s more like it. Seems like everyone’s sensible.”

Ye Yao placed a great deal of trust in Luo Jianhua and the others.

She didn’t even bother using her system to read their thoughts.

They were all sweet, well-behaved girls.

There was no need to play mind games like she would with adults.

Just believe in them!

Late at night.

Ye Yao curled up under the blankets, drowsy and half-asleep.

Then…

Click.

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The sound of the door opening jolted her awake.

She sat up and saw a black-haired, short-haired loli tiptoeing in, clutching a pillow.

“Little Luo?”

Luo Jianhua looked slightly embarrassed.

“I was worried that Sister might not sleep well… so I came to be your hug pillow…”

After all, back at home, Luo Jianhua had often served as Ye Yao’s personal cuddle buddy.

The reasoning seemed considerate enough.

But Ye Yao couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t about satisfying her need.

But Luo Jianhua’s.

Still, Ye Yao didn’t point it out.

Might as well indulge her.

After all, she was the first one to be won over.

“Fine, get in the covers.”

Luo Jianhua’s eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly, scrambling under the covers as if afraid that Ye Yao would change her mind.

“Mhm!”

Luo Jianhua slipped under the covers.

The next second, she was enveloped in Ye Yao’s scent and warmth, and her mood became extremely joyful.

The only downside was the faint trace of Fang Tang’s lingering presence.

But that pink-hair wasn’t a real threat, so she could be ignored.

Now, all that was left was to enjoy!

Just as the room settled into silence—

Click.

Another sound came from the door.

It was the extremely familiar sound of the door opening.

Ye Yao: “???”

Author Note

Monday! Bad!

Text: Fire cat three zhang ³ Old Chinese unit of measure that’s around 3.33 meters, so 3 zhang is 10 meters or 32 feet.