Volume 1 Chapter 39: So-Called Artificial Respiration
Although Amber was also dragged into the water, her mind was still mostly clear.
Relying on the tiny bit of magic power she had left, she did not panic too much.
Instead, she swam with effort to Bai Muxue’s side and pulled the girl tightly against herself.
The two of them were still sinking.
Amber, whose body still gave off a faint light, kicked her legs hard, trying to use the remaining magic power to push them upward.
But just as she was struggling to rise while holding Bai Muxue, she suddenly felt a huge pulling force from below the water.
It tightly wrapped around her legs and took away her strength to struggle.
Damn it... Don’t tell me there’s a whirlpool down there!?
Exhausted, Amber cursed in her heart.
It was already strange enough that so much water had flooded the tunnel.
And now there was a whirlpool underwater too?
What kind of ridiculous joke was this!?
Amber suddenly realized that Bai Muxue’s earlier doubt had been correct.
Even though she had destroyed the disaster beast, this place was still full of strange and unnatural things.
But Amber no longer had the energy to think about it.
Growing weaker and weaker, she felt herself and Bai Muxue continuing to sink.
Darkness slowly covered her vision.
Their powerless bodies were completely swallowed by the water.
She felt as if she were drifting through the tunnel with the current.
At the same time, there was also a strange feeling of floating in empty air.
She reached out around her by instinct, trying to grab something. But there was nothing to hold.
The downward force still showed no sign of stopping.
Amber felt as if she were floating in midair, with no chance to use any strength.
What was at the bottom of the water?
Why had this children’s attraction become a real underwater tunnel?
Had someone targeted them?
Or was the disaster beast not truly dead?
Amber did not know.
But she felt that she was about to die.
When she first signed the contract and became a magical girl, she had already prepared herself.
If she died fighting a disaster beast or a monster...
At least she would die protecting the world.
That would count as living freely and dying for a worthy cause.
But she had never imagined that her death would be by drowning.
What a frustrating way to go.
A magical girl who drowned...
If others heard about it, the other magical girls would probably laugh themselves silly.
Amber turned her head with difficulty.
Even though her whole body was weak and her mind was heavy, she still did not let go of Bai Muxue with her right arm.
But the girl in her arms had her eyes tightly closed, and Amber had no idea how she was doing.
What a pity for Xiao Xue...
I said I would protect her and send her home safely.
Her family must be heartbroken.
Losing such a cute and sensible daughter.
“Actually, Xiao Xue... you’re really cute. You’re the type I would like.”
“What a shame... If... if I had met you somewhere else, I definitely would have dated you and won your heart...”
Amber’s mind became more and more blurry. Her thoughts began to wander out of control.
She remembered many things from the past…
Her childhood.
Her strict mother.
The nervousness of her first transformation battle.
But for some reason, the person she thought about most right now was still the girl in her arms.
The young girl who acted far older than her age.
Amber gently moved the corner of her lips into a weak smile.
She hugged Bai Muxue tightly and felt the girl’s body, cold and without warmth.
Suddenly, a feeling of acceptance rose in her heart.
Forget it.
If I die, then I die.
At worst... I’ll start over in the next life…
Amber’s mind was becoming more and more blurry. The last bit of light on her body quietly faded away, and her transformation silently ended.
It seemed she was about to close her eyes like Bai Muxue.
But just as her breathing was about to stop, she heard a girl’s sigh beside her.
“Ah...”
That soft voice, half-laughing and half-sighing, sounded strangely clear in the silent water.
Amber slowly opened her eyes again.
Not far away in the water, she could vaguely see the figure of a girl wearing a black dress.
In the hazy darkness, the girl seemed completely unaffected by the water.
She lightly lifted the edge of her skirt and gave Amber a small polite bow.
Eh? A girl?
Underwater?
Amber suddenly became alert.
But when she looked again, there was nothing around her except endless water.
There was no sign of the girl at all.
Was it just a hallucination...?
The moment that thought appeared in Amber’s mind, she suddenly felt the violent water become much gentler.
The pulling force from below also disappeared.
And far away in her sight, she could vaguely see a small light shining.
Was that... the entrance?
Or the exit from before?
No matter where that light led, it gave hope to Amber, who had already planned to give up.
That’s right!
How can I die in a place like this?!
How can I let Xiao Xue die here with me?!
Dating her and all that…
Why wait for the next life when I can do it in this life?!
The girl gritted her teeth.
Her body, which had already lost all strength, suddenly seemed full of power again. She grabbed Bai Muxue and swam desperately toward the light.
It was a small opening. The flowing water gently carried them through it, like waves pushing someone onto a beach.
Amber did not know what was outside the hole, but she still struggled to crawl out.
Splash!
Water scattered everywhere.
Amber dragged Bai Muxue’s body as she swam up from the water. Holding the girl, she rolled across the ground several times.
In the end, Bai Muxue was on top, and Amber was underneath her.
Luckily, Bai Muxue was light, so she did not hurt the completely exhausted Amber.
Amber weakly pushed Bai Muxue off herself and lay on the ground in total exhaustion.
At this moment, Bai Muxue had completely fallen unconscious.
After being pushed aside, she showed no reaction at all.
Her wet bangs rested on her forehead. Her slightly purple fingers were weakly curled. Her flat chest and stomach did not rise or fall. She had stopped breathing.
“Xiao Xue? Xiao Xue?!”
“It’s okay! I’m here... cough cough... I’m here... You’ll be fine!”
Amber struggled to crawl up.
She did not care that she had already lost her transformation.
She moved directly to Bai Muxue’s side.
The girl’s pale lips, drained of all color, came into view.
They gave her already delicate face an even more fragile beauty.
Looking at the lovely face so close to her, Amber bit her lower lip hard.
She shyly turned her head away. Her pretty face instantly turned red.
“Tch... I didn’t think I’d give away mine here...”
It seemed she went through a fierce inner struggle.
When Amber turned back again, her eyes were full of determination.
“You’d better wake up soon and take responsibility...”
“Otherwise, I definitely won’t forgive you!”
She stopped hesitating.
Pinching Bai Muxue’s small nose shut, Amber lowered her head and directly pressed her lips against the girl’s cold lips.