Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 136: The Journey Home

At 33 years old, Hong Siyu had almost forgotten the word “miracle.”

Just as she had hoped during her student days, she had become an ordinary worker, living and working in a strange city.

Of course, saying she was a worker might be a bit of a stretch. The place she worked was slightly more special. It wasn’t just an ordinary civilian enterprise or institution; she worked at the Countermeasure Bureau.

At 22, she had run away from Fangting City.

After graduating from university and receiving her degree, she left the city without even saying goodbye to her teammates. She only sent a group message and disappeared quietly at the harbor.

She didn’t attend Anya and Lin Yun’s wedding, nor did she attend the celebration for the birth of their child.

It wasn’t her original intention. She had tried to maintain a calm relationship with Anya, but eventually, she realized she couldn’t do it. So, she ran away, to a city where no one knew her, and where she didn’t know anyone.

She moved to the central city of Donghua Province, the farthest city from Fangting City—Tiandu City. There, she registered and spent the rest of her time as a Magical Girl.

Later, Anya tried calling her several times, hoping she would return to Fangting City, but she always politely declined.

Anya hadn’t done anything wrong. She was only pursuing her own love, and it had been reciprocated. Hong Siyu understood that, and she wasn’t in the right to get in the way of it.

That’s how Hong Siyu saw it.

She knew Anya was a seemingly naive, yet sensitive person. Her tolerance and kindness toward her friends were the reasons why she became the leader of the Fangting City team. Even though Hong Siyu’s attitude in this matter had been harsh, Anya still hoped they could repair their relationship.

In contrast, Hong Siyu’s own behavior had been so heartless, and she felt disappointed in herself for acting that way.

But she couldn’t help it.

Perhaps it was because of this that she never made any breakthroughs in her ability blooming, always staying at the Leaf-tier level. After all, when she became a Magical Girl, her wish had been to be happy.

Later, Hong Siyu settled in Tiandu City. She brought her mother there and completely settled down. After her ten-year service as a Magical Girl ended, she retired and joined the Countermeasure Bureau in Tiandu City. Apart from returning home to see her distant relatives during holidays, Fangting City had completely disappeared from her life.

Then, when her mother passed away, she never returned to Fangting City.

Anya still occasionally called her, and Hong Siyu sometimes answered, listening to Anya tell her what was happening in Fangting City.

After getting married, Anya had obviously matured a bit. While she still occasionally acted foolishly, she had become much more worldly-wise. She would tell Hong Siyu about the new recruits in the Fangting City team, and even try to introduce them to Hong Siyu, but she no longer mentioned asking her to return, merely expressing her thoughts silently.

Hong Siyu didn’t respond to this, as if she didn’t hear Anya’s unspoken words.

Time flew by, until one day, Anya stopped calling her altogether.

At first, Hong Siyu felt relieved, thinking that Anya had finally given up on persuading her and had let go of the past. But soon, a message from inside the Countermeasure Bureau left her stunned.

—The Magic Kingdom’s strongest Flower Card, Sakura, had sacrificed herself.

When Hong Siyu heard the news of Anya’s death, she didn’t know how to describe her feelings.

Was she happy? Relieved? Satisfied?

She couldn’t deny that these feelings, which made her disgusted with herself, flooded uncontrollably from her heart at that moment.

The person she had envied and avoided for so many years had disappeared from the world.

But she knew that this dark thought wasn’t the whole picture.

After that, she actively requested to be transferred back to Fangting City from the Tiandu City Countermeasure Bureau, hoping to assist with the training and communication of new Magical Girls, while also investigating the cause of Anya’s death.

The Bureau agreed to her request, sending her back to Fangting City.

This also meant that after so many years, she would finally have the chance to see the person she cared about again.

How should she face her senior now? She thought about this, and on the first day after returning to Fangting City, she couldn’t wait to visit Anya and Lin Yun’s house. And she finally got to see Lin Yun.

But she never expected that the Lin Yun she saw again would be like this.

He was a middle-aged man with dull eyes and a scruffy beard, looking weary and lost. His clothes were still neat, but no matter how sharp his suit was, it couldn’t hide the man’s worn-out spirit. He looked nothing like the handsome young man from the past.

Even when he saw her, there was no particular reaction. He merely greeted her casually.

This was the man she had been thinking about for so many years, the one she had run away from in another city, the one she had come all the way back to see?

At that moment, all Hong Siyu felt was absurdity.

But the next words that came from the man’s mouth made her feel as though something deep inside her heart was tugged.

“Go back. Go back to your own life.”

He stood in the doorway, his dim eyes showing no emotion. “Don’t get involved in this. There’s nothing here for you anymore.”

Hong Siyu didn’t know what mindset the man had when he said those words, but when she heard them, she felt like she had to do something.

Whether for him or for herself, she had to do something.

But what could she do?

She was just a coward, an unlucky fool who ran away to a strange city for eleven years after the person she liked married someone else. What could she possibly do for the man in front of her?

She had never been good with words and wasn’t someone skilled at interacting with others. Her personality meant she could never be the one to comfort anyone.

At 33, she no longer had the youth of her teenage years, no longer had the power of a Magical Girl, and no longer had the connections with her former teammates. She stood there, but she and the man in front of her were no longer on the same path. He was an innocent victim of his wife’s death, and she was an official employee of the Countermeasure Bureau.

Never had she felt such a distance between herself and this man.

Time had silently transformed everything. All the innocence and naive beauty of the past were gone, leaving behind two people distorted by life, looking so helpless and ugly.

Miracles and magic had once embraced them, but for some reason, they had failed to leave any trace on them. The shining, dazzling career of a Magical Girl now felt like a dream. When the dream ended, only the remnants remained in reality.

This shouldn’t have been the case.

Hong Siyu thought so.

She knew the man in front of her had once been granted the title of “Lifetime Magical Girl.” Even though he had suffered heavy injuries and couldn’t use that power anymore, he still carried the spark of a miracle inside him.

He shouldn’t be like this. He couldn’t be like this.

But could someone like her, someone who was always bad with words, really convey her feelings properly?

Was there any way to break down the barrier between them and loudly tell him the things she had never dared to say?

Even she didn’t know why, but in that moment, she unconsciously chose a course of action. She forced herself to wear a smile she had never shown before, and in a bold tone, she said to the man:

“What’s with you? It’s been so many years, and you’re acting all gloomy when you finally see your junior?”

She wasn’t someone who would show this kind of smile, nor would she say such things. She was always used to hiding her thoughts. But now, she was forcing herself to speak, being open like someone else.

Because, deep down, she knew she had always envied that person.

She envied their honesty, their optimism, their perseverance. Everything she couldn’t do, that person had done.

That’s why that person had succeeded in love. That’s why they were together.

If it were her, what would she say if she saw her husband like this? If it were her, what would she think if she knew she had already died? If it were her, what would she do to encourage someone?

Thinking this way, Hong Siyu started to laugh, started to joke around, and started to make light of the situation.

She knew she was mimicking someone.

She really didn’t want that person to die. Even though her death had given her the chance to stand here, if she could, she would have preferred it to be that person standing here instead.

But at this point, a lost life could never be reclaimed. All she could do now was imitate.

She wanted to become Anya.

---

Hong Siyu, 33 years old, wanted to find a miracle.

And in order to summon the courage to confront “Lin Yun,” she first had to uncover the cause of Anya’s death.

The Fangting City team from 18 years ago had become history. The Magical Girls stationed there had left to investigate the true culprit. As the only person still in the city, many tasks now rested on Hong Siyu’s shoulders.

She had to liaise with the local Countermeasure Bureau; assist with the training and recruitment of new Magical Girls; and investigate what had happened before Anya’s death. For this, she had to work closely with the local Countermeasure Bureau.

After remote consultations with the local higher-ups and setting a time, she went to the local Countermeasure Bureau building the next day.

Returning from Tiandu City and seeing the grandeur of the Bureau’s headquarters, Hong Siyu was surprised to find that the once impressive Countermeasure Bureau she remembered now seemed like an ordinary building.

Passing through the hall, she noticed a few familiar faces among the staff, probably people she had met years ago, but she couldn’t recall clearly.

It was the new faces that seemed to notice her. Some of them kept glancing at her as she walked by.

For some reason, these looks made Hong Siyu feel uncomfortable.

It didn’t feel like the usual colleague glances, nor was it the typical scrutiny from the opposite sex. There was something else hidden in those gazes, a kind of indefinable malice.

But she didn’t dwell on it. She quickened her pace to leave their line of sight and shook off the discomfort. She walked through the elevator and the busy crowd before arriving at the Bureau Director’s office.

After a soft knock, she heard a voice from within:

“Please come in.”

Hong Siyu entered to see a refined, somewhat elderly blonde woman sitting at the desk, smiling and nodding politely.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Mors.”

She greeted warmly: “Hello, comrade from Tiandu City.”

Perhaps due to her tone and gestures, Mors’s words had a refreshing, pleasant quality to them.

She wasn’t the Bureau Director Hong Siyu remembered. Eleven years ago, when she left Fangting City, the Bureau Director had been an older, balding man.

A change in leadership, perhaps.

Hong Siyu didn’t think much of it and walked forward to shake Mors’s hand: “Hello, I’m Hong Siyu.”

“Thank you for coming to assist us. It’s an honor for Fangting City.”

Mors, who had introduced herself, gave a slight shake of Hong Siyu’s hand and released it gently: “I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation moving forward.”

Hong Siyu noticed her hands—delicate and smooth, not at all matching her age.

This lady seemed very skilled in maintaining her appearance.

As she thought this, a sense of unease began to creep in. Something about this interaction felt off.

The two of them sat down across from each other at the desk. After a brief pause, Mors spoke first:

“Well, although this may be a bit forward, I’d like to confirm—has your higher-ups assigned you any tasks in Fangting City?”

Her tone was calm, but to Hong Siyu, it felt subtly uncomfortable. She began to scrutinize her surroundings, but still couldn’t pinpoint the source of the discomfort.

But this was the Countermeasure Bureau. During the day, what could be making her feel so uneasy?

“Sorry, I can’t reveal that for now.”

Hong Siyu thought this in her mind, then shook her head and politely responded: “But it’s just a task requirement. When the time is right, I’ll let you know.”

“I see. Well, I won’t press,” Mors smiled kindly, “I’ll just wish that the Bureau’s secret mission goes smoothly. If you need any assistance, we can help at any time.”

The two continued chatting aimlessly. Mors occasionally asked Hong Siyu random questions, and she carefully responded, trying to be cautious with her answers.

But as time went on, Hong Siyu began to feel more and more uncomfortable.

It was a strange discomfort, like being tickled from the inside with a feather. A sensation of soreness and numbness spread from her arms, making it harder for her to focus.

Her head began to feel dizzy.

Something seemed to be ringing in her mind—rustling, clicking, like something was moving in her brain, disturbing her thoughts and making her feel more and more sluggish.

“By the way, I’ve heard a rumor before. Apparently, in big cities like Tiandu, there are quite a few retired Magical Girls in the Countermeasure Bureau. Have you heard about this, Miss Hong?”

Mors suddenly brought up this topic, her gaze lingering on Hong Siyu with interest: “It’s quite an interesting rumor, don’t you think?”

It seemed like she should answer.

Hong Siyu told herself so.

But at this moment, she realized she couldn’t speak. Her body no longer seemed to obey her, and her consciousness seemed to be splitting in two.

She began to feel her vision darkening.

How... strange...

Her head was spinning.

What’s wrong with me?

She started to feel lighter.

Who... am I?

She felt like she wanted to fly.

She tried to lift her hand, reaching for the weapon she had been given by the Bureau to help ordinary people fight against magic users. Hong Siyu tried to take it out because she felt she was facing an enemy.

But she couldn’t.

Her legs gave way, and her feet lacked the strength to walk forward. She stumbled and fell heavily onto the floor.

As her consciousness faded, she seemed to see Mors standing from behind the desk, walking toward her. Slowly, she reached out her hand.

The image froze at that moment.

On the fingertip of that hand, a moth quietly rested.