Positive little sun, magical girl, I am awesome

"Look, this is a female lanternfish."

Amidst the floating water, a strange, ugly-looking fish was calmly swaying its tail fin, attracting the attention of everyone on both sides of the long table.

"The males are very small, and when they find a strong female, they bite the female's body with their teeth."

Its lips and the female's skin will soon heal together, their bloodlines will be connected, and the male's body will gradually degenerate, eventually becoming completely dependent on the female for nutrition, becoming a permanent appendage on the female's body.

"This is too, too..."

"The male lanternfish didn't die; it simply fused with the female, living in symbiosis. The deep sea is darker and more vast than you can imagine, and finding a mate is almost a miracle."

"What do you want to prove, Lady Goddess?"

"I just want to prove that this is just a normal way of reproduction in the ocean, and many species do it this way! Including some merfolk groups."

The female mermaid, Theresa, was not a murderer. She merely followed ancient tradition and completely merged with her husband. She committed no crime.

The young mermaid turned and stared intently at the head of the council table: "I think a wise emperor should be able to judge this case fairly, shouldn't he?"

"But her husband is not a mermaid! Your Majesty!"

"—That makes sense and is well-founded, doesn't it?"

A dignified female voice rang out from the end of the long table, and all the arguments and discussions vanished.

“I will order a retrial of Ms. Theresa’s case. But for Goredia, the soon-to-be-promulgated Imperial Law will not be changed; interracial marriage will be explicitly prohibited, and mermaids will be no exception.”

Defending her people in front of everyone had exhausted all of Goredia's courage, and now, hearing this unquestionable verdict, her face flushed red.

"I don't understand, I've already made myself very clear—"

"Land is not the ocean. In order to resist danger, most humans choose to live in groups and are closely bound by blood ties. Behind each person, there is often the whole family. They can only live in society by supporting and providing for each other."

“For example, in the case of Ms. Theresa, her husband’s mother was unable to accept her son’s current situation and went insane on the spot. Her elderly father was unable to bear the heavy spring plowing alone and soon collapsed from exhaustion. A perfectly good family collapsed. They didn’t have to suffer like this.”

"...Her husband was willing; it was love witnessed by their marriage vows."

"Yes, love is love." The woman's voice was extremely calm: "But it's just love. It's only one part of emotions. Whether you're human, mermaid, or any other race, there will be many other things in your life."

I respect the differences between races, I respect the choices they make for love, and I respect you, Goredia.

But interracial marriage has brought far too much unhappiness, and I think I don't need to list them all. As the ruler of the empire, I have a responsibility to help the people avoid these risks. I think we should conclude our meeting here today.

"And what about you!"

Goredia's angry question stopped the woman in her tracks.

"Will you yourself abide by this new law, Zora?"

The council chamber was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"of course."

…………

"What's wrong with your gargoyles? They're falling all over the rooftops of the royal city."

"Oh, it was I who left them here to guard you."

"...Aren't you even taking them with you?"

"Alas, I can't take anything with me. Let them bear witness to how you build the new world, as if I'm watching over you!"

…………

"Lilith? Ha, why haven't you left yet?"

"...Lilith?"

…………

"Lilith, Lilith..."

The call seemed to come from the very depths of the water, echoing, and was gradually replaced by a monotonous, continuous buzzing sound.

Lilith suddenly opened her eyes in the blinding white light.

Cold and hard.

The touch doesn't feel right.

Beneath me wasn't the soft bedding of a dormitory room, but the texture of some kind of artificial leather, with a slight elasticity. The air that filled my nostrils was no longer the lingering scent of incense, but a dry and stuffy mixture of disinfectant, cheap fragrance, and the scents of countless strangers.

Lilith blinked, adjusting to the bright, almost cold light pouring down from above. She looked up, her mouth agape in bewilderment—

The slender light tubes were arranged densely overhead, one after another, illuminating everything around them in a stark, blinding white light, revealing every detail.

This is... an electric light?

She looked down at herself again, and her comfortable cotton and linen nightgown was gone, replaced by a slightly stiff black suit dress made of ordinary material.

A transparent file bag rested on her lap, containing several sheets of A4 paper. On the top right corner of the top page was a half-body photo of her with a stiff expression.

"Where...where am I?!"

Her vocal cords seemed to have rusted from being soaked in water, and the words she spoke were strange and broken. She could only breathe deeply and repeatedly, like a drowning person who had just been pulled ashore. She turned her head urgently, wanting to seek answers from those around her.

She was sitting on a silver metal bench, with an endless corridor on both sides. People were sitting on either side of her, most of them with their heads down, their fingers sliding rapidly across the glowing cubes in their palms, or staring blankly ahead, muttering to themselves.

After hearing Lilith's question, someone turned around, but only gave her a wary look before turning back.

No one spoke; the only sounds were the rustling of papers, the occasional electronic notification, and the ubiquitous, unsettling hum of the air conditioning system.

"A07, please proceed to conference room 805."

A mechanical electronic voice suddenly came from above, startling Lilith. She instinctively tried to stand up, but found her legs weak and powerless.

A young girl sitting opposite her immediately picked up her bag, stood up, and walked to the right side of the corridor. Lilith's gaze unconsciously followed her.

Following the girl's direction, Lilith noticed a printed sheet of paper pasted on a frosted glass door across the street. It bore several square characters that seemed both familiar and utterly foreign to her. She squinted, trying to decipher them—

[Interview Waiting Area]

Lilith trembled with disbelief.