Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 114: The Missing Magical Girl

“Things Just Got More Complicated.”

"This idiot. Always bragging about how she's got everything under control—then ends up like this."

A frustrated voice echoed high above Bai’an City.

Floating in the sky, a blue-haired magical girl wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Ugh, she stinks… What the hell did she get herself into?"

—

"M-Mu Baihe said… s-she saw a suspicious person."

A timid voice murmured beside her.

—

"I know that. What I don’t get is why she ended up like this."

The blue-haired girl, Bai Ji, frowned deeply as she carried a limp blonde girl through the air.

"Win or lose, there's no reason for her to be knocked out in a random alley—completely unharmed."

She tried to think it through, but the nauseating stench clinging to the blonde girl kept breaking her focus.

—

"B-Bai Ji…"

The soft voice came again.

—

"What?" Bai Ji raised a brow.

—

"There’s… someone ahead."

—

Bai Ji’s body stiffened.

She quickly focused her vision forward—and sure enough, there was someone waiting for them.

A girl.

Wearing a navy blue dress, with a golden cloak draped over her shoulders.

Veronica.

She had been waiting for them.

—

A Meeting in the Sky

After seeing this magical girl team ascend into the air, Veronica had made a quick decision.

Although her original goal was to reach the Countermeasure Bureau, the missing investigation team was her top priority.

And in this case—local magical girls were far more valuable sources of information than the Bureau.

Her original plan had been to gather intel from the Bureau first, then use their resources to connect with local magical girls and Seeders.

But now, the magical girls were already here.

This saved her a great deal of effort.

—

So she followed them discreetly, then got ahead of them—waiting in their path.

—

Bai Ji slowed her flight and stopped at a cautious distance.

Though she could already guess Veronica’s identity, she remained wary.

—

"Hello. May I ask who you are?"

Her tone was polite, but her posture remained guarded.

—

"Flower Card Certification #41076. Magical Girl Veronica."

Veronica nodded lightly in greeting.

"I’m from the Investigation Bureau, assigned by the highest level. I need to ask you a few questions."

—

"Flower Card?"

Bai Ji’s eyes sharpened slightly at that detail.

Then, upon hearing "Investigation Bureau," some of her wariness eased.

She carefully examined Veronica’s golden cloak, hesitating for a moment.

Then, her expression shifted slightly.

—

"Wait… you’re…?"

—

"I’m an Inspector."

Veronica stated it plainly.

—

"Our investigation team disappeared in your city. I’m here to resolve the matter."

—

"I-Inspector?!"

A shocked gasp came from behind Bai Ji.

The timid, red-dressed magical girl—who had spoken softly before—suddenly raised her voice in surprise.

—

"That’s… that’s a really big deal, isn’t it? I remember even my sister is only—"

—

"Mimosa!"

Bai Ji snapped, shooting her a scolding glare.

—

"Ah! O-Okay…"

Mimosa immediately shrunk back, realizing she had spoken too much.

—

"My apologies, Inspector. My teammate was out of line."

Bai Ji offered a formal bow, though she still kept some distance between them.

Then, her tone turned serious.

—

"However… Bai’an City is in a rather unique situation right now. I hope you won’t mind my caution—could you provide some proof of your identity?"

—

The request was slightly offensive, and Bai Ji seemed aware of it—her body tensed slightly, as if expecting a harsh response.

But Veronica didn’t care about such formalities.

Her priority was efficiency.

Without hesitation, she simply removed her certification badge and held it up.

—

"Here’s my identification."

—

Bai Ji exhaled in relief and carefully examined the badge.

—

"41076. Flower Card… and the Inspector’s insignia. That means… Veronica?"

She froze slightly upon reading the alias.

—

"Personal privacy."

Veronica cut off any further questions about her name, tucking the badge away.

"This should be enough proof. Now—can we get to my questions?"

—

"Ah, I just… alright."

Bai Ji hesitated, but relented.

—

"You’re here about Cat Tail Squad, correct?"

—

Veronica nodded.

—

"They arrived in Bai’an City about ten days ago. Right away, they—"

—

"WAAAHHHH!!!"

—

Before Bai Ji could finish, a loud, panicked scream interrupted her.

—

The blonde girl, who had been limp and unconscious, suddenly flailed violently, kicking herself free from Bai Ji’s grip.

Then, she plummeted from the sky.

—

"Oh, for—"

Bai Ji immediately reached out—

But before she could catch her, the blonde girl activated her floating ability, stopping her fall midair.

Her eyes shot open, filled with sheer terror.

—

"I DON’T WANNA BE KIDNAPPED BY A CREEPY OLD MAN!!!"

—

…

…

Veronica blinked.

—

Then, she sighed.

—

"What… is going on?"

She turned back to Bai Ji.

—

Meanwhile, the blonde girl—Mu Baihe—was still completely confused.

Her panicked eyes darted around.

—

"H-Huh? Bai Ji? Mimosa? Why are you guys here?!"

—

She turned her head.

Then, her eyes landed on Veronica.

—

She froze.

—

Then—

"Ah!!! My savior!!!"

—

…Excuse me?

—

For a moment, everyone just stared at her.

—

Mu Baihe excitedly rushed to Veronica, grabbing her golden cloak like a child clinging to an idol.

—

"Let me tell you what happened!!!"

She dramatically recounted the story—

How she had found a suspicious man, how she had tried to stop him, how he had somehow defeated her without even moving—

And how she was certain he had attacked another magical girl, Dengzhan, the day before.

—

"But just when he was about to do something bad to me—SHE showed up!!!"

Mu Baihe pointed at Veronica, her eyes full of gratitude.

—

"And then I blacked out!"

—

"Wait. What?"

Veronica raised a brow.

—

Bai Ji also looked confused.

—

"You’re saying… she saved you?"

—

"Yes!!!"

Mu Baihe nodded furiously.

—

…Veronica just rubbed her temples.

This girl’s storytelling was a mess.

—

Ignoring her nonsense, Veronica turned back to Bai Ji.

—

"Forget her for a second. Tell me about Dengzhan."

—

Bai Ji’s expression darkened.

—

"That’s why we’ve been so cautious."

She took a deep breath.

—

"Our team has five members—four permanent ones. The most experienced among us was Dengzhan."

"But yesterday… she disappeared."

—

Veronica’s eyes narrowed.

—

"Another disappearance?"

—

This was the third time she had heard that word.

The third case.

—

Something… was terribly wrong.

“Vanishing Acts.”

"She disappeared?"

Veronica’s tone was sharp.

By this point, disappearances had become a pattern—and that was deeply unsettling.

Two years ago, a Seeder vanished in Fangting City.

Not long ago, the Investigation Bureau’s Cat Tail Squad disappeared here in Bai’an City.

And now, a Bai’an magical girl had also gone missing.

—

It was difficult—nearly impossible—to make a magical girl disappear without a trace.

They were powerful, well-trained, and often had layers of backup and security measures.

Yet, cases like these were starting to pile up.

Something—or someone—was out there, targeting magical girls.

—

"Yes."

Bai Ji’s expression grew tense.

—

"She vanished just like Cat Tail Squad. One moment she was here—then she was gone, without a trace."

She took a breath, then added, "But she left us a message before she disappeared."

—

"What message?" Veronica pressed.

—

Bai Ji’s face tightened as she recalled Dengzhan’s last words.

—

"She said… she had found a ‘suspicious man’ and was going to follow him."

—

Veronica’s breath hitched.

—

A suspicious man?

Cat Tail Squad had also disappeared investigating something.

Now, Dengzhan—a completely different magical girl from a different team—had also vanished while following a lead.

And Mu Baihe was just about to be taken down in a similar encounter.

—

This wasn’t a coincidence.

—

"It’s obvious—that guy’s the culprit!" Mu Baihe suddenly exclaimed, still clutching onto Veronica’s cloak.

"I saw him myself! He was lurking around the Ravager attack! And he’s super strong—he took me down without even moving!"

—

Veronica barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

She knew exactly what had happened.

She was the one who knocked Mu Baihe out.

But explaining that wasn’t an option.

So instead, she let the blonde girl ramble on while turning to Bai Ji.

—

"Do you have any leads on him?"

—

"No."

Bai Ji sighed.

—

"We’ve been searching, but we don’t have much information yet. I’m sorry, Inspector—there’s nothing valuable I can give you right now."

—

"What about Cat Tail Squad?"

Veronica continued.

"Did they mention anything before disappearing?"

—

Bai Ji hesitated.

—

"That… I don’t know. Dengzhan was the one who spoke to them directly."

She looked troubled.

—

"And now that she’s missing…"

—

Veronica grimaced.

If Dengzhan had all the key information, then finding out what happened would be even more difficult.

—

"So, if we don’t find Dengzhan, we don’t know what Cat Tail Squad was investigating either?"

—

"That’s right."

Bai Ji’s brows furrowed.

—

For a moment, silence fell.

Veronica crossed her arms, piecing things together in her head.

This wasn’t just about one team going missing anymore.

Something was happening beneath the surface of Bai’an City.

And the sooner she found the link between these cases, the better.

—

Just then—

A soft voice spoke up.

—

"A-Actually… there might be… someone who knows."

—

Veronica turned her head.

The red-dressed magical girl, Mimosa, had finally gathered the courage to speak.

She was still visibly nervous, but she looked at Veronica with determination.

—

"Who?"

Veronica asked immediately.

—

Mimosa hesitated, then fidgeted.

—

"W-Well… it’s… um…"

—

"She means Polly."

Bai Ji answered for her.

Then, realizing she hadn’t been clear, she quickly added:

—

"Polly is our Seeder."

—