Tomorrow is the college entrance exam.
Hibiscus lay on her back on the hotel bed, gazing at the orange-yellow chandelier. Her jet-black waist-length hair was spread out, one hand holding a wrinkled copy of "Essential Passages to Memorize" while the other pressed against her forehead, feeling slightly feverish. Her slender legs were pressed together restlessly, her delicate body rising and falling as she panted.
She glanced at the perpetual calendar clock on the wall: July 6, 1990.
No matter how much she reminded herself to concentrate, she couldn't forget accidentally discovering her parents' signed divorce papers, dated for the day after the college entrance exam.
Although the two had always maintained a marriage of convenience while each fooling around separately, leaving their child to live alone without giving her an ounce of care, they were finally taking this step.
A child had lost her home.
Hibiscus was already used to this level of family misfortune, but the worst part was that she had also contracted a "strange illness" with symptoms of extremely acute senses, inability to sleep or concentrate, accompanied by hallucinations. After discovering the divorce papers, the symptoms worsened and she even staggered when walking. Although she had booked a hotel next to the exam site in advance, her current condition made it difficult to guarantee she could safely enter the examination room, and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to lift her pen, let alone get into her desired medical university.
"...Is my life's turning point ending before it even begins?"
Hibiscus couldn't accept it. She clenched her pink fists and repeatedly gave herself mental suggestions that she must pull herself together. Tomorrow's first exam was Chinese, and she needed to continue memorizing until she knew it by heart.
Just as she was about to read, she saw white powder flowing from her fingertips and scattering on the ground. The thick little booklet had been crushed into fragments in her grip.
Another hallucination.
It seemed that forcing herself was useless. She should replenish her energy first. It was getting dark and time to eat.
The black-haired girl took out her cold boxed meal and turned on the TV to the news channel: "According to reports from frontline correspondents, the 5th Disaster Beast of this year in the Western Pacific region has landed in Australia, causing economic losses exceeding $1 billion. Various civilian religious groups' so-called millennium doomsday theories are becoming increasingly rampant..."
Let it all be destroyed, just let everything be destroyed. She thought viciously.
Beep!
[Congratulations on loading the Persuasion System. As the saying goes, listen to advice and you'll eat your fill. Ask questions, seek advice, and execute it to earn points for lottery draws or attribute improvements]
Hearing the voice in her head, Hibiscus felt her heart grow cold, convinced that she was not only feverish but also suffering from multiple personality disorder.
However, the next moment a forum interface appeared in her field of vision, with several icons flashing. She clicked on the first one, which boldly claimed "If there's a question, there's an answer," filled with incomprehensible topics like "How do you evaluate," "What anonymous things do you dare to say," and "What if Zhuge Liang had 100,000 hamburgers."
At a glance, it seemed like thousands of people were actively posting and commenting together. Could personality disorder split to this extent?
She couldn't tell, she really couldn't tell anymore.
With her heart hardened and adopting a devil-may-care attitude, the girl mentally composed a message and posted a question:
"Hello everyone, I'm Hibiscus. I have to take the college entrance exam tomorrow, but my family is divorcing and I'm sick. Maybe I'll be worse after sleeping. What should I do? Should I persist with the exam or repeat for another year?"
[Beep! System pushes and manages inappropriate community speech]
The answer interface flickered constantly before the girl's eyes:
【You're Hibiscus? I'm still Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Wire me 50 and I'll make you a general】
【Someone actually remembers the most popular villain from the "Magical Girl of Light" series. I'm so moved, this old veteran is in tears】
【Don't make it sound like Magical Girl of Light is finished. It can continue for another 50 years. A billion-dollar IP isn't joking with you】
【Everyone stop fooling around. The OP is playing role-playing simulation. Or this kid is asking questions under the guise of an anime character with similar experiences to her own. I'll treat you as a nervous high school student and answer seriously: try not to repeat a year】
【According to what the OP said, this attempt is probably hopeless. Realistically speaking, repeating a year isn't without opportunity. According to Magical Girl of Light's plot, the Great Catastrophe is coming, and in times of war and chaos, what exam is there to speak of?】
Wait!
Hibiscus widened her beautiful eyes in shock. She filtered out other random comments as nonsense, but the words "Great Catastrophe" made the entire Planet Gaia tremble with fear—it was comparable to doomsday. As the name literally implied, it was comparable to the biological extinctions in geological history. When that time came, Disaster Beasts would attack human cities in wave after wave, causing death and suffering, with people unable to make a living.
Just as she was about to continue questioning, she saw the forum interface's style suddenly change:
【Prove you're Hibiscus, and after it's done I'll send you a guaranteed college entrance exam strategy】
【No pics, what are you talking about】
【Don't you know that attaching images to questions is basic etiquette?】
【Request photo reveal】
Hibiscus didn't dare delay. Actually, she was starting to believe it a little, because the strong individual characteristics revealed between the lines couldn't possibly be from just one person. They seemed like prophets—could they be the mysterious entities from those religious groups' legends? She shouldn't miss this opportunity. At worst, her mental illness would just get a bit more severe. Worth a try.
She tried clicking on the "rectangle containing a circle" icon that looked like a camera, and she guessed right—her own image and a photography frame appeared on the page.
Although her family's financial difficulties meant she'd never used a camera, she at least understood she should be more formal.
Hibiscus stood up and posed sideways, combed her hair, chose what seemed like a good angle, and focused her mind.
Click!
The poster's interface was updated with an additional image: a girl with fair skin and delicate features, with bright blood-colored pupils. She wore shoulder-length black hair with a pair of red ribbons, dressed in a gray female school uniform blazer with a blue tie and embroidered badge with academy-style metal buttons. Her lower body wore a smoky gray plaid skirt, and her slender thighs were wrapped in white pantyhose that accentuated her well-proportioned curves. Tall at an estimated 170cm or more with model-like proportions, she had outstanding temperament that stood out from the crowd.
【I've never seen such realistic Magical Girl Hyacinth cosplay, perfectly restoring her base form】
【It's her, it's really her.jpg】
【I clearly downloaded the National Anti-Fraud App but I'm still being deceived by Hyacinth's heart】
【Come back, High Priestess of Time, my proudest BOSS, the doomsday that's vivid in memory】
【I want to be Boss Mu's dog】
The person in question twitched her mouth corner at the forum page, feeling like they were speaking another language. Did everyone really share the same blue sky? She hadn't expected that one photo would generate so much activity, but with such a large user base, some serious voices finally emerged.
She gathered courage to repeat the question again, described her strange illness symptoms and family divorce in detail, and had the system filter out the crazy talk, finally producing some intelligence:
【Take her away】
【According to the plot, you'll miss the college entrance exam due to illness and never recover, becoming a factory girl, harboring antisocial personality traits until awakening as a magical girl makes you completely irredeemable】
【It doesn't matter. Your experience mingling with all walks of life shaped you. A great villain isn't made in a day. We'll always remember Hyacinth's deeds. Hibiscus is great, no need to say more】
The girl's vision went black, feeling she had entrusted herself to the wrong people. The situation was getting even worse.
【Stop going off-topic, okay? The kid needs comfort, not your nonsense. Say something useful. You just need to accept that power, believe that you're chosen, born extraordinary. Don't use illness to reject it. Admit it—the truly transcendent power that overturns eras, a rolling stone from the mountain, has fallen on your shoulders. Whether you become polished jade or sink into decay, ask yourself: do you accept the status quo? Summon the courage to transform it】
"What should I do?"
【Password correct, OP has matched the frequency】
【The respondent opened with the famous quote recited in full. A 20-year veteran fan of the Magical Girl of Light series】
【Reply: Very simple. Take deep breaths, eat your fill, exercise a little, then go to sleep. That's it for now. Your psychological preparation is complete. As long as you don't treat magic as an illness, you might even perform exceptionally. Accept yourself. When you see the test paper, knowledge will jump out from your mind. Simply put, you're transcending humanity—exams are a piece of cake】
Hibiscus read a few more answers with similar meanings, thinking to herself: could it be that I'm about to awaken superpowers? That can't be right? How could supernatural phenomena exist in this world?
Beep!
[You have received valuable initial advice: sleep. Completion reward: 10 free attribute points, ten consecutive lottery draws]
No more struggling, time to rest.
With this thought, the girl could no longer hold on and flopped into bed with a thud, drowsily closing her eyes.