Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 132: I'm Sorry

Boom!

In the dead of night, a violent explosion erupted from the center of the city, its deafening sound waking Lin Xiaolu from her sleep.

“...What’s going on?”

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she climbed out of bed and looked out of her room’s window. When she saw what was happening outside, she experienced a brief moment of confusion, followed by her eyes slowly widening in shock.

“Wake up, Xia Liang! Bai Jingxuan!”

She turned and quickly woke the other two girls, pointing at the window. “Something’s wrong. There’s something strange going on!”

Both girls, still half-asleep, rubbed their eyes and stumbled to the window, standing speechless.

A massive purple-black pillar of light rose from the city’s center, stretching straight into the sky and piercing the clouds. Even the surrounding clouds were dyed purple, swirling around the pillar, flashing an ominous glow.

Still groggy, Bai Jingxuan took a couple of steps forward, trying to get a closer look at the scene outside. But as she approached the window, a giant moth suddenly collided with the glass, making a loud “thud.”

Startled by the sudden movement, Bai Jingxuan jumped back, and her sleepiness was instantly shaken off.

“Really, why does this stuff always get in the way at the worst time?”

Seeing Bai Jingxuan startled by the moth, Lin Xiaolu angrily slapped the window to shoo it away. Then, she walked over to the wardrobe, pulling the door open. “Hurry up and change! I don’t know what’s happening, but we have to get out there!”

“Can’t we just transform and go?” Xia Liang yawned, asking, “Why bother with changing clothes at a time like this? Seems like a waste of time.”

“Just put on some shoes! It’ll be fine,” Bai Jingxuan suggested.

“You two...”

Lin Xiaolu shot them an annoyed glance, crossing her arms. But before she could finish, she felt the purple light outside intensify, growing stronger.

The unfinished words stuck in her throat.

“It’s a Ravager!”

Moko, who had just woken up, rushed over and pointed out the window. “Xiaolu! I can sense the Ravager’s aura! And it’s stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before! This is definitely a big one!”

Unfortunately, no one paid much attention to her. Even Bai Jingxuan, who was closest to Moko, only gave a token nod in agreement.

After all, the scene outside was too obvious. Even a fool could tell that the massive purple pillar of light stretching into the sky was far from normal.

Lin Xiaolu realized that if she insisted on changing into a full set of clothes, they’d probably arrive too late. Reluctantly, she grabbed a jacket from the wardrobe and threw it on. “Forget it, let’s just go quickly.”

The other two girls knew the urgency of the situation, so they followed her out of the room. The three of them, along with Moko, hurried out the door, not even bothering to turn on the lights. They dashed toward the front door.

Lin Xiaolu had planned to remind them to be quiet and not wake her father, but when she saw the others had already reached the entrance, she decided against saying anything. She glanced nervously at her father’s bedroom door, feeling guilty.

She wouldn’t have thought much of it, but when she actually looked, she noticed that the door was wide open.

Her father’s door... was open?

This made her pause for a moment.

“What are you standing there for?”

Before she could think more about it, Xia Liang whispered, “No time to waste, let’s go!”

“Mm... oh.”

Lin Xiaolu quickly suppressed her brief moment of doubt and hurried after the others toward the entrance.

She didn’t have time to confirm if her father was in the room or not. Maybe he had just forgotten to close the door while sleeping?

She convinced herself with that thought and left the house with her companions.

“Senior.”

The voice calling from behind Veronica confirmed her identity: it was Hong Siyu.

But as Veronica heard that call, she only felt a slight weight in her chest.

She stood still for a moment, staring at the floor. Before long, she couldn’t hold back her thoughts any longer and turned her head, intending to glance back.

“Don’t look back yet, Senior.”

However, Hong Siyu stopped her.

Her voice was soft and clear, with no obvious urgency: “Just listen to me and respond when I’m done.”

“I hate people who are all mysterious.”

Without responding to her request, Veronica lowered her head, staring at the shadow on the ground. She sighed, feeling the weight of the words in her chest. “Why not just tell me directly? Why all the disappearing acts and ignoring my calls? When did the Countermeasure Bureau turn into this?”

“Hmm... Who knows? I’ve forgotten.”

Hong Siyu’s tone was playful, almost teasing: “And as for ‘mysterious,’ you’re the most dishonest person here. How many things from the past are you still hiding? I’ve been in the dark the whole time.”

“If you want to know, after this is over, I’ll tell you,” Veronica continued, still looking down, her voice low. “So, tell me, do you have a plan? A way to turn them back?”

“I don’t know, but I’d guess there’s no way.”

Hong Siyu dragged out the last word as if she were contemplating: “The person behind this never intended to turn these people back. They’re just experiments, fodder.”

“Who’s behind this?”

“You know. I can’t say, Senior.”

“Then what’s your stance now?”

Veronica’s voice grew more serious: “Are you still a retired Magical Girl? An employee of the Countermeasure Bureau? Or have you already joined the Black Ash Dawn?”

After Veronica asked, Hong Siyu fell silent.

A moment later, she spoke again, her tone tinged with a hint of sadness: “You really think I’d be the kind of person who would just betray everyone? Ten years as a Magical Girl, only to join that disgusting organization and do their dirty work?”

Hong Siyu’s voice held dissatisfaction, almost angry: “Even now, I’m still hoping you’ll take care of the Ravager here. If I really had betrayed, why would I be telling you this?”

“...I see.”

Veronica bit her lip, her eyes shifting. She sighed deeply, her expression complex. “I really shouldn’t have doubted you.”

“I can’t tell you who did this, not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t.”

Hong Siyu’s voice had a touch of frustration: “Otherwise, I would’ve told you about Xiaolu’s ambush long ago. Why wait until now?”

“Xiaolu? You mean the Wetland Park incident? That started back then?”

Veronica paused. “So, I guess I really did arrive too late.”

“Not too late, actually. I’d say you came too early, Senior.”

Hong Siyu suddenly smiled. “Don’t you get it? Do you really think I wanted you to rush over so urgently? I would’ve been a bit upset if you’d come so quickly at this time.”

“If I didn’t come now, how would I meet you?”

Veronica asked in confusion. “You really think if I waited until later, or even tomorrow, you wouldn’t be saying all this?”

“...True,” Hong Siyu sighed. “It’s nice to have a conversation, even if I don’t want to chat with you under these circumstances. Wouldn’t it have been better if I just said goodbye to you in the elevator?”

**“‘Leave it to you’—those careless words?” Veronica retorted. “You’d leave me with that and expect me to handle this mess?”

“I couldn’t help it.” Hong Siyu chuckled awkwardly. “You saw for yourself, I’ve already messed things up.”

“There’s still room to fix it.” Veronica’s gaze fixed on the shadow on the floor, her voice low. “It’s not too late. We can still salvage everything.”

“Yeah, it’s not too late.” Hong Siyu agreed. “We clean up all the monsters here, then go defeat the mastermind in style. Everything can still be fixed.”

“I’m not talking about that.”

“Senior, you still have Leaf-tier combat strength, right? Though it might be a stretch to win... Seems like it’s a bit of a reach? But that’s fine. I believe in you. After all, you’re always the one who makes miracles happen.”

“I’m not talking about that.”

“Xiaolu and the others have grown a lot. They shouldn’t be just dead weight anymore. Maybe when you join them, there’ll be a surprise! But I won’t spoil it.”

“Hong Siyu.” Veronica spoke, her voice serious. “You know I’m not talking about that.”

“...But you have to do it my way, Senior.”

Hong Siyu’s voice softened, carrying a hint of encouragement. “Can you see it? Over there, at the center of the city.”

As she spoke, a beam of moonlight pierced the boundless darkness, illuminating the dim hall. The glass wall revealed its original form.

Beyond the wall, the night view of Fangting City stretched out. Even from this great distance, Veronica could see the purple-black pillar of light shooting up from the city’s center, lighting up the clouds along the way.

It was far from the Countermeasure Bureau, yet Veronica could feel a thick, ominous aura even from this distance.

“...What is that?” Veronica asked calmly.

“A Ravager... I think?”

“Why ‘I think’?”

“Because compared to a regular Ravager, it might not be as ‘pure.’”

“What do you mean by ‘pure’?”

“Senior, you know what I mean.”

Hong Siyu’s voice carried a suppressed emotion: “That Ravager... do you know what it’s been feeding on?”

“...Do you have something to do with this?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t know?”

“Yeah,” Hong Siyu replied softly. “This is the one thing I really don’t know. But if I did, I wouldn’t have done it.”

Veronica turned her face, staring at the distant purple-black pillar of light, her expression grim. She knew that this beam was likely the result of the long, painstaking efforts of Black Ash Dawn.

What Hong Siyu said about “the Ravager feeding on something” – they both knew the answer but couldn’t speak it.

Before Spider’s death in Bo’an City, he had mentioned that Black Ash Dawn was looking for “food” for the Ravagers. And this food had no restrictions—it could be humans, other Ravagers, fairies, even Magical Girls.

So, Hong Siyu’s statement of “I wouldn’t have done it” was a kind of declaration.

She was saying that even though she was involved with the people behind this, she hadn’t betrayed anyone.

“...You didn’t need to make that promise.” Veronica spoke again, her voice dry.

“I had to, Senior.” Hong Siyu’s tone was earnest. “There are things I don’t want you to misunderstand.”

“I won’t misunderstand.”

“You already did, didn’t you?”

“I just need to know if you’re with Black Ash Dawn. As long as you’re not, then there’s no misunderstanding.”

“I’m not.” Hong Siyu’s answer was clear and calm.

“...That’s good.” Veronica wasn’t sure how she felt when she said that.

“So, Senior, even though you came early, there’s no time left.”

Hong Siyu didn’t dwell on the topic anymore. She gently reminded Veronica: “The real mastermind is over there. The Magical Girl should clear the Ravager in the way and face the real enemy.”