Kissing the back of the hand, regardless of in the Material Realm or the Magic Kingdom, has always been an ancient form of etiquette.
This manner of greeting, known in the Material Realm as the "hand-kissing ritual," is often reserved for very formal occasions, where it is used either to express respect for a distinguished lady or demonstrate loyalty from a subordinate to a superior. However, as times have changed and society in the Material Realm has moved towards modernization, such customs have gradually faded from everyday life.
Nowadays, the hand-kissing ritual is mostly found in various films, literary works, and the like, becoming a rather romantic gesture. Therefore, among the younger generation, it's perceived as a gesture of intimacy and romance. So when this form of greeting was displayed, regardless of what Asou Haruka herself thought, the young Magical Girls from Fangting City and Bai'an City were all abuzz, spontaneously letting out exclamations of various pitches.
While the girls from Bai'an City might have just been driven by a gossipy curiosity, over in Fangting City, and particularly for Lin Xiaolu, her gaze towards Asou Haruka was as if she could devour someone alive. She nearly charged forward in two steps and threw out a serious question, "What are you doing?"
"This is just a way to express an intimate greeting, Xiaolu," that was Asou Haruka's response at that time.
"Expressing intimacy is clearly just a handshake or a hug, not... not like you, like you..."
Lin Xiaolu stuttered for a while, unable to come up with how to summarize the other's action, but after she gradually processed the words, she quickly spotted another issue: "Wait, why do you know my name?"
"I once was the Magical Girl of this city, naturally, I was also a friend of your mother."
Asou Haruka kept her composure, glanced at Emerald Sparrow beside her, and after seeing no reaction, she continued quite at ease, "Although you might not remember, but when you were just born, I even held you in my arms."
"Huh? Held me? What..."; these statements, which nearly amounted to announcing "I am your elder," suddenly suppressed Lin Xiaolu's momentum. Although she was still rather displeased, her tone became much weaker, "You're lying, right? I've never known this..."
"You can confirm with Emerald Sparrow, or you can go back and ask your father."
With a gentle smile, Asou Haruka watched Lin Xiaolu with interest, "Neither of them, nor your mother, mentioned me to you before, but our relationship back then was very close. Even the name 'Xiaolu' was set in my presence."
Lin Xiaolu opened her mouth wordlessly, as the other's words seemed trustworthy, but she still found it hard to believe and could only look towards Emerald Sparrow.
Emerald Sparrow, who had been silent due to the sudden hand-kissing, also came back to her senses, looked at Asou Haruka with a complex expression, then sighed and looked squarely at her daughter, nodding, "That's right. In addition to Hong Siyu, when you were born, the Magical Girls of Fangting City, your mother's teammates, were actually all there. From that perspective, you were a child who was the center of attention from birth."
"See," Asou Haruka said with a laugh, spreading her hands.
"Hmm... Since Emerald Sparrow has acknowledged it, then... then let's take it as the truth," Lin Xiaolu reluctantly accepted, pursing her lips in a nod, but soon glared again and continued, "But then, what does it mean for you to kiss Emerald Sparrow's hand! To kiss hands in such a public place!"
"Between adults, hand-kiss greetings are no big deal," Asou Haruka continued calmly, "It's just a kiss on the hand, not a kiss on the lips, though you kids should refrain from imitating it."
At the mention of the word "kiss on the lips," Xia Liang, Bai Jingxuan, and the blonde girl all showed a glint of interest in the gossip, while Lin Xiaolu's ears turned red, unable to help but point accusingly, "How can you say such a word here, it's simply hooliganism!"
Upon hearing this, Asou Haruka fell silent, stared at Lin Xiaolu for a while, then suddenly broke into a barely contained chuckle, laughing heartily.
"Hahaha, this is too funny!"
She exclaimed a bit loudly, then bent down slightly from the waist, whispering to Emerald Sparrow, "Your daughter is so cute, have you really not taught her anything before?"
"Is it so strange? She's only 14," Emerald Sparrow glared back at her, "Don't go teaching her anything weird. Be serious."
"Alright, alright, I'll be mindful," Asou Haruka gestured with her hand to show she understood, simultaneously ignoring Lin Xiaolu's disgruntled huff. She straightened up and walked directly to Lin Xiaolu, then extended her hand elegantly, "Sorry, if my words made you uncomfortable, then I take them back, and I hope you can accept my apology, Xiaolu."
"It's just seeing the child of my teammate has grown up so much makes me want to tease you a bit, I hope you don't mind."
Seeing that Lin Xiaolu not only had no intentions of shaking hands, but actually moved back a bit warily, Asou Haruka's smile deepened and, without feeling any embarrassment, withdrew her hand, "Anyhow, I hope we can get along well for the time coming."
"For the time coming?" Xia Liang, who had been quietly observing the scene, sharp picked up on the key word, immediately repeating it.