Audio Brainwashing

Luo You answers the WeChat call.

– “Youyou! I suddenly feel like my acting’s on point!”

“…”

– “Haha!”

– “Don’t believe me? I’ll send you a video I recorded at home!”

“…”

File received successfully!

In the video, Liyun acts like a lunatic. Alone in her room, she rolls her eyes back, sticks out her tongue in a fawning manner, licking at… something.

“Oh, great master, please ○○ my %*…”

“Whoa?!”

“…”

“The lines are delivered well. You’ve got some skill.”

‘This girl… she acts so naturally when no one’s around,’ Luo You nods approvingly.

But so what?

She can’t just perform solo during filming, can she? Would Luo You only get to enjoy Little Aunt? Would Liyun slip through her grasp like that?

No way!

“Big Sister, you can pull it off, so why can’t you do it when we rehearse?”

– “Uh, b-because you brainwashed me, Youyou?”

“Brainwashed?”

– “You sent me that birthday gift audio. After listening, it’s like Youyou’s growing in my brain!”

“Don’t describe it so weirdly.”

Luo You gets it. Liyun didn’t nail it on her own.

She only got this good after listening to that strange audio Luo You sent.

– “So, we meeting today? I’m dying to prove myself!” Liyun says eagerly.

“Alright, alright. Head to the usual spot now.”

After hanging up, Luo You muses.

[Is my voice *that* powerful?]

Even that useless big sister transformed after hearing it.

Today’s post… might as well include another voice clip.

Snap a photo, record a voice message.

Post.

“Whoa, the likes are skyrocketing.”

Her followers have already broken past 20,000. Even without showing her face for a month, she’s still dominating.

Soon, the comment section floods with hundreds asking for her location.

[“Got me acting unwise, Youyou!”]

You lot can only look!

Luo You gets dressed and drives to the studio.

****

“Hm? Youyou posted again.”

Liyun’s in the middle of getting ready when her phone pings. Seeing Luo You’s post, she clicks curiously.

It’s an audio clip.

She plays it.

– “Morning, my little trash fish! Your fitness influencer’s bursting with energy today~ Joining Big Sister for some high-spirited shouting! Forced to wear ankle socks by Miss High-and-Mighty today—ugh, so *her*! But you trash fish following my account can only ogle online,

right? If I’m in a good mood, maybe you’ll get some pics of soaked stockings~~”

The audio ends, and Liyun’s trembling, hands shaking.

This girl is—! Too much!

Posting spicy pics was one thing, but now audio like this? Isn’t she afraid of getting doxxed?

There was a female influencer who posted risqué pics and trashed her fans in comments. Hackers doxxed her address, and a group kidnapped her. By the time police found her, she was a wreck, barely functional, sent to a mental hospital by her family!

At this rate, Youyou’s audio posts could bring even worse consequences!

But as Liyun starts to warn her, she notices something else.

The “Big Sister” in the post… that’s me!

Liyun’s heart races.

It’s like being written as the heroine in a novel!

[Jealous, huh? The Big Sister about to enjoy this spicy little thing is me! None of you would dare!]

But I didn’t force her to wear those ankle socks—she chose them herself! It’s not my fault! …Would the police believe that?

“Liyun, you up?” Ji Yue opens the door.

“Eek! Y-yeah, I’m up!”

“Going out in that outfit again?”

“Yup. Are you heading back to Jiuming Sea, Sis?”

“The situation there’s still unstable. Don’t forget, in a few days, we’re going to Sidheim to imprint your Heart Manifestation Pillar.”

“Got it!”

Liyun rushes to the bathroom.

…What’s with all the secrecy? What’s she up to?

Ji Yue notices Liyun’s phone on the bed. Respecting her privacy, she doesn’t pick it up but glimpses the screen.

“Famous fitness influencer? What’s this… whoa!?”

Famous fitness influencer?!

The term sparks bad thoughts.

Fitness… so, a muscle bro?

Ji Yue’s heard rumors of shady fitness coaches—polished on the surface but posting muscle pics online to lure young women, scamming their bodies and money, then vanishing when the victims catch on.

“Liyun wouldn’t—!”

Ji Yue’s eyes narrow, memorizing the name. She steps out, pulls out her own phone, and searches it.

One look at the posts.

“…Completely different from what I imagined.”

It’s all suggestive girl pics—just shoulders or feet, but enough to tell this influencer’s a total stunner. Some photos even make Ji Yue’s heart flutter.

Scrolling to the latest post, she finds an audio clip paired with eight shots of delicate feet in ankle socks, racking up ten times the likes of previous posts!

The comment section makes Ji Yue dizzy.

[“Take me to the store, spicy cup!”] [“Cream puff!”]

Someone even wrote a steamy fanfic below. Another photoshopped a blonde girl crawling toward those socked feet!

“Shameless!” Ji Yue blushes. “Liyun wouldn’t post this filth, would she?”

After checking, she’s relieved—Liyun’s account isn’t in the comments.

This audio…

Curiosity wins, and she plays it.

– “Trash fi—”

Pause!

Her hand’s faster than a pro gamer’s macro.

Ji Yue waits until Liyun leaves before daring to replay it.

As she listens, she unknowingly transforms into her magical girl form.

“What a cheeky brat!” Ji Yue—no, Xingyu—shouts.

“Huh?! Why’d I transform?”

Xingyu stares at her outfit. Did her body sense something and transform instinctively?

That voice… it subconsciously reminded her of that woman, triggering her crisis instincts.

“No… just my imagination.” Xingyu shakes her head.

On closer listen, the voice is distinctly different from Elera’s—just similar in tone, all spice, no oppressive aura.

I’m too paranoid, all because of that wretched Elera!

But at least Liyun’s not being scammed by some sleazy muscle bro.

“Alright, mystery solved. Time to go…”

Half a minute later, Xingyu freezes.

“…Being tricked by a woman might be worse?”

“No way…” Xingyu chuckles at her own neurosis. “Liyun just stumbled across this influencer. I’m overthinking like an idiot.”

Another half-minute passes.

“Wait!” Xingyu’s pupils quake.

“That voice felt a bit like Elera’s. Is Liyun using this influencer as a substitute for her?”

“No… it can’t be that bad. Liyun wouldn’t be that desperate, especially since she was so firm about her dream.”

Speaking of dreams, Xingyu’s foot twitches involuntarily.

She’d feel bad for Liyun if she kept talking, unable to just stand by.

Two dreams?

What kind of dream is that!

More like raw desire.

Defeating Elera and chaining her up as a pet for the sisters to tame… Is that really okay for a magical girl?

It’s… probably fine?

Barely within the rules for magical girls, right?

It’s just Liyun’s weird wording! Her real goal is to lock Elera up, make her feel the humiliation of the magical girls she toyed with, and force her to reform!

Yes! That’s it!

Xingyu’s been hypnotizing herself with this logic, searching for flaws.

She can’t accept a magical girl having such a dream—it’s too un-magical!

But she also knows this un-magical dream is the spark that pulled her sister out of her slump.

And the kicker—

“Heh… why did I feel a tiny urge to do the same?” Xingyu gives a bitter laugh.

Maybe she didn’t correct Liyun seriously because of that little thought nagging at her.

She wants the same thing as her sister.

Bring her to justice? Try her by the Magical Alliance’s rules?

Those rote phrases she spouts feel hollow. After the humiliation Elera inflicted, how could she face her with a calm heart?

Her phone rings.

– “Lady Xingyu, a peak King-class dimensional beast has appeared. We need your support!”

“Got it. I’m preparing a teleportation spell now. Try to restrict its movements.”

Hanging up, Xingyu has no time to dwell on her sister.

As long as Liyun isn’t being scammed out of her underwear by some bad woman, there’s no need to worry.

Liyun’s an adult! She can judge for herself!

Emerging from her low point, Liyun’s future is bright.

****

At the studio:

“Whoa, this is way better than before. Unreal.”

One take!

Luo You can’t believe her eyes.

This is the hardest scene in the script, yet Liyun nailed it with stunningly precise acting in a single take!