Chapter 3. Princess Kaguya's Whisper with the Girls
The "Natural Cycle Management" module on the course screen faded away like the tide, and then emerged a pattern enveloped in soft light—DNA strands gracefully wrapped around a crescent moon, against a backdrop of blooming virtual cherry blossoms. Teacher Lin's sleeve gently brushed against the holographic projection, stirring up tiny specks of light.
"Class, let's talk about 'Kaguya-sama' now." Her voice took on a gentle solemnity. "This isn't a cold system, but the gentle choice of many Venus mothers."
The projection showed an egg, magnified tens of millions of times, like a piece of amber encasing a nebula, serene and mysterious. A tiny, pearly robot gently approached it, its movements as ethereal as a swimming jellyfish.
"This little assistant will quietly enter the body during ovulation," Teacher Lin said. With a tap of her finger, the robot extended its microscopic tentacles, gently wrapping the egg like a dewdrop. "Its mission isn't to 'seize,' but to 'invite'—inviting the healthiest and most vibrant egg of the month to begin a new journey."
Ruixi watched in fascination as the "invited" egg was placed into a transparent biological capsule. The entire process was like a silent interstellar voyage, elegant and precise.
"The most crucial step is called 'activation,'" Teacher Lin emphasized. "It's not copying, it's not cloning, but..." She considered her words and smiled slightly. "It's like using a specific moonlight to awaken the inner vitality of a dormant seed. This seed will remember its entire origin and grow into a unique individual."
She then briefly outlined two options: artificial womb gestation, which would free up the mother's time to continue deep space exploration or artistic creation, and natural gestation in the body, which is "a significant life experience worthy of respect, but requires special care and nurturing."
"Which path to choose? It's not too late to figure it out slowly after you take the 'Life Guidance' class when you're adults." Teacher Lin winked, and the whole class chuckled knowingly.
As soon as the notification sounded that the course module had ended, the girls' private chat channels exploded with a bunch of small exclamation bubbles, and several voices could not help but rang out at the same time:
“Amazing—!”
"Like an interstellar fairytale!"
On the light screen, the title "Ethical Discussion on Life" flickered gently, like breathing. The girls looked at each other's holographic images, their eyes filled with curiosity and silent understanding of each other's stories.
At this time, a girl sitting diagonally in front of Ruixi raised her hand. A sapphire hairpin was pinned in her long black hair, and her eyes were like blue diamonds tempered by starlight.
"Teacher Lin," her voice was clear and pleasant, "I am a child conceived from the union of two eggs. My mother Ming and mother Qing each contributed an egg, so my hair is like mother Ming's, and my eyes are like mother Qing's." She touched her blue eyes, and a small arc of pride appeared at the corners of her mouth.
Teacher Lin gave her an approving look. "Thank you, Leah, for sharing this. Twin fertility means two mothers have decided to co-conceive a child, a child who inherits their shared life experiences. This often requires them to leave their original families and form a new nuclear family." Her tone softened. "So each such child is a precious testimony of love and commitment, and is incredibly rare."
Leia sat down with a blush on her cheeks. A rotating cherry blossom automatically appeared next to the holographic image and gently fell into her hair.
Ruixi looked at Leah's special blue eyes and found them even more moving than before.
"Then let me tell you something different!" A girl with short silver hair suddenly spoke up, tilting her head and speaking with a teasing tone. "I was born to my great-grandfather through 'Kaguya-hime'. I can be considered as being raised by him. My biological mother..." She shrugged. "Her life motto is probably 'always on the road'—changing jobs and girlfriends all over the planet."
The classroom suddenly erupted in uncontrollable laughter, and even Teacher Lin couldn't help laughing.
The silver-haired girl—Xiao Nuo—continued, her tone light but pointed. "To be honest, if Zuzu hadn't been nearing exhaustion and unable to retrieve eggs to continue her bloodline, she wouldn't have asked my mother to give birth to me. So," she concluded with a clarity beyond her years, "I absolutely don't want to be like my mother... um... someone who loves freedom too much. I want to be a reliable mother like Zuzu."
This frank sharing brings a subtle silence, not sadness, but more like a calm recognition: behind the long life and the choices given by technology, families have such diverse forms.
Teacher Lin nodded gently. "Thank you, Xiaonuo. Every life comes in a unique way. Understanding your own origins and considering how they will impact your future is one of the gifts this course hopes to bring you."
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