Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 108: Xia Liang's Doubts

"It really is still here..."

Muttering to herself, Veronica stopped in front of the sign, her emotions too complex for even her to decipher.

"This is the place?"

Beside her, Xia Liang looked up at the second floor of the small building, but saw nothing of note. She lowered her gaze again. "Why is the café on the second floor?"

"Probably a rent issue," Veronica replied succinctly. She led Xia Liang a few steps into the ground floor interior before setting foot on the stairs. "Anyway, let's go up and see."

Xia Liang didn’t ask further. Instead, she glanced around curiously as she followed Veronica up the stairs.

The moment they reached the second floor, a faint aroma of coffee drifted into the air. A quick glance ahead revealed an open doorway.

And yet, standing at the threshold, Veronica felt a sudden hesitation—a kind of homesickness for a place long gone.

If her information was correct, then the café before her was the same one the old Fangting City squad used to frequent. But… how much of it still resembled the place in her memories?

She hadn’t even known that it had changed locations once. In that sense, the café she remembered no longer existed.

"Something wrong?" Xia Liang asked, noticing Veronica’s momentary stillness.

"…No, it’s nothing." Pulling herself from her thoughts, Veronica shook her head lightly. "Just got a little nostalgic."

She stepped forward, leading Xia Liang inside.

The first thing they saw was a long counter lined with various coffee-making equipment. Behind the counter, an elderly man was busy with his work.

He looked to be in his sixties, with streaks of white in his hair, but he carried himself with an energy that made him seem far from frail.

More importantly, despite the changes in his face, there were still enough familiar features for Veronica to recognize—he was the same owner from twenty years ago.

She could still recall the times when the old squad would flood into this café, laughing and chatting as they entered. Back then, the owner—then in his forties—would always stand behind the counter, personally tending to customers.

Whenever the disguised Magical Girls came in together, he’d grumble at them to keep their voices down before asking, "The usual?"

He always complained about "middle schoolers wasting time here instead of studying," yet he’d reserve a table just for them, ensuring they always had their own spot.

They were never close, nor did they try to learn about each other’s lives. But as a café owner and his regular customers, there had been a silent understanding between them.

After Veronica left the Magical Girl squad, she had never come back with the others. And so, in her memories, the owner remained frozen in time—a man in his forties, not the older man before her now.

But seeing him again made that blurred image in her mind suddenly sharpen, even as reality reminded her how much time had passed.

Noticing the new customers, the old man looked up from his work. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of two very young-looking girls but quickly masked his surprise with professional courtesy.

"Welcome, young ladies. What can I get you?"

"Nothing, we just came to take a look," Veronica answered honestly.

"Just looking? Haha, little girls, we don’t have any fun toys here."

The old man chuckled in amusement, assuming it was some sort of joke or prank. But then his eyes caught sight of Veronica’s blue hair, and his expression froze.

Blue hair wasn’t common.

There were rumors of foreigners with naturally blue hair, but Fangting City, a somewhat remote place in Donghua Province, rarely had long-term foreign residents.

In all his years, the old man had only seen a handful of blue-haired people with his own eyes.

And among his café’s customers, he could only recall one.

"You… Could it be…?"

Adjusting his glasses, he squinted at Veronica as if trying to confirm something. His tone wavered uncertainly at first, but then he gradually became convinced.

"Did your mother send you here?"

Veronica’s faintly wistful expression turned utterly blank in an instant.

"…Something like that."

Still, she knew this misunderstanding worked in her favor.

She couldn't explain to a regular human that she was a Magical Girl, that her transformed appearance was frozen in time.

It was much easier to play along.

Her confirmation made the old man’s eyes light up in realization.

"I knew it!"

As if struck by a memory, he suddenly clapped his hands on the counter and pointed at her.

"I remember now! About… what, ten-something years ago? There was a group of girls who used to come here all the time. There was a little shorty with blue hair—just like you! And… Hmm, I don’t quite remember her face, but I think you two really look alike?"

Saying that, he turned to Xia Liang and gave her a once-over.

"And you—are you the daughter of one of those girls too? But you don’t really resemble them as much."

"My mom never came here, probably," Xia Liang replied with a polite smile, waving her hand. "I’m just here with a friend."

"Haha, guess my memory isn’t that bad after all."

The old man chuckled heartily.

"So, what are you looking for? There should be some old photos of your mom and her friends on that wall over there. Want me to show you?"

"…Thank you, we’ll take a look later." Veronica nodded politely. "We’ll just wander around on our own, don’t trouble yourself."

"Suit yourselves! Your mom and her friends were some of my best customers back in the day, so I won’t charge you kids for anything. Feel free to take a look around."

The old man waved them off with a good-natured grin. "I’ve got some work to do, but if you change your mind and want coffee, just let me know."

With that, he turned back to his tasks, leaving Veronica and Xia Liang to explore the café freely.

They passed through a corner, stepping into the main seating area.

The café was spacious and antique in style, with wooden floors and walls lined with old photos and posters—some dating back thirty to forty years ago.

The atmosphere was steeped in nostalgia.

Round coffee tables, delicate trinkets, high wooden stools—though aged, they exuded a timeless charm.

The air was thick with the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans, the kind that seasoned coffee lovers would recognize as high-quality. It was clear the owner still prioritized genuine craftsmanship over mere aesthetics.

Unfortunately, the café was rather empty—likely due to its inconvenient second-floor location. A few locals sat around, chatting in hushed voices over their drinks.

Veronica walked through the space in silence, brushing her fingers lightly against the old wooden furnishings.

This wasn’t the same café from her past.

The relocation and renovations had altered its exterior and interior, making it entirely different from the one in her memories.

But even so, she still felt a faint sense of familiarity.

Not just because of its similar design, but because some specific furniture pieces still remained.

Eventually, they reached a photo wall, covered in snapshots of customers over the years.

Among them was a picture of four girls with different expressions.

Xia Liang's gaze landed on one figure in particular.

She didn’t recognize three of them.

But the one with blue hair—there was no doubt about who it was.

"Come to think of it, Senior…"

Xia Liang suddenly spoke up, lowering her voice as she leaned closer.

"Your old squad—what kind of people were they?"

Though she spoke softly, Veronica heard the question loud and clear.

Veronica had been staring at the photo, but upon hearing those words, she lowered her gaze.

She remained silent for a few moments before gesturing toward a nearby booth.

"Let’s sit down and talk."

Xia Liang nodded and followed her.

And there, amidst the quiet and nostalgic atmosphere, Veronica began to tell the story of the old Fangting City squad.

"This was where our squad used to gather. Well, the place has changed, but..."

Veronica ran her fingers lightly over the aged wooden table in front of her. "The furniture is still the same. Back then, these round tables were brand new. Now, they’re showing their age."

Xia Liang, listening intently, asked curiously, "Why did you guys choose a café to meet up in the first place?"

"It was because of one particularly troublesome person in our squad," Veronica said, sighing slightly. "Or rather, the most troublesome person insisted on it."

"Xiaolu's mom?"

"No, another pain in the ass," Veronica muttered, her eyelids lowering slightly. "Someone even more troublesome than you."

"I’m a very well-behaved kid, you know," Xia Liang declared with a sweet smile. "Whatever Senior asks, I’ll do."

"Then delete all the photos on your phone."

"…No."

The two of them sat in silence, staring at each other. Veronica's gaze was cold and unmoved, while Xia Liang grinned playfully.

"…Forget it," Veronica exhaled after a while. "Back to the topic."

She folded her hands on the table. "This is actually why I brought you here. Some stories would be too complicated to explain to White Rose and the others, but you already know certain things about me. That makes it easier to tell you."

"Like what?"

"For example, the question you asked—what kind of people were in the old Fangting City squad?"

Veronica slowly lifted her head, looking at Xia Liang.

"If I had to put it simply, at first, there were only four of us who used to meet here."

"And the most self-centered one among them was called Su Shengzi. She was the one who single-handedly decided that this café would be our meeting spot..."

The Old Squad

The first member: Aya, alias ‘Sakura’

She was the heart of the team—the most passionate and lively of them all. Though a bit scatterbrained and lazy, even outright clumsy at times, she had a firm heart and unwavering fighting spirit. Her positivity could infect everyone around her.

The second member: Marika Asou, alias ‘Margaret’

A senior Magical Girl from the Eastern Isles, and the oldest among them by a year. Bold, confident, and flamboyant, but never condescending. She had the wildest battle style in the squad—charging in headfirst and never hesitating.

The third member: Su Shengzi, alias ‘Lanxiang’

A young lady with a mysterious background—arrogant, eccentric, and a certified genius. She had her own way of seeing the world, a logic so uniquely hers that whatever she said often sounded like complete nonsense to others.

In the past, in the now-vanished original version of this café, these four girls sat together at the same round table.

They had distinct personalities and clashed often—sometimes playfully, sometimes more seriously. But amidst their bickering and laughter, they grew together, stepping into the prime of their youth.

Eventually, their squad of four became a squad of five.

The newcomer was a quiet, studious girl named Hong Siyu.

A girl who wore glasses, looked timid, and seemed painfully reserved. She spoke softly and hesitated often, her voice faltering at the slightest hint of impatience from others.

Hong Siyu joined the squad when she was a first-year in high school—just as the others were reaching the end of theirs.

She had been saved by Veronica (then still known as Gladiolus) during a Ravager attack. Later, she was discovered to have the potential to become a Magical Girl herself, and thus, she joined their team.

Perhaps because of how she had been rescued, she idolized Veronica, following her around like a loyal little sidekick.

In that now-lost café, they had laughed together, dreamed together, and lived out their youth.

Until, one day—

Gladiolus announced her retirement.

Like a song suddenly cut short, their story didn’t truly have an ending.

It was as if someone had slammed down an abrupt, awkward rest note, halting the melody mid-flow.

---

"…Senior?"

A soft voice pulled Veronica back to reality.

Only then did she realize that she had already finished her story—but she had fallen silent for a long time afterward, lost in her thoughts.

"Sorry," she coughed lightly. "I must be getting old. I keep drifting into memories."

"You don’t have to be so formal about it." Xia Liang shook her head, propping her chin on her hands.

"But, Senior, after everything you just told me—there’s still something you haven’t explained."

"What?"

"Did I miss something?" Veronica asked.

"Well… I should apologize in advance."

Xia Liang smiled a little awkwardly and lowered her voice again.

"I know this might be a personal question, so if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to."

"But… I’ve always been curious about this."

She hesitated for a moment before finally asking, almost in a whisper—

"I don’t know much about spellcraft, so I was wondering… Is there really a magic that can change someone’s gender?"

"In other words—"

Her amber eyes locked onto Veronica’s with intense curiosity.

"Senior… How do you make yourself look like a man?"