Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Interlude: A Guest Returns to Bai'an

Interlude: A Guest Returns to Bai'an

Bo’an City was a renowned hub of music and tourism, drawing in a steady stream of visitors year-round. Naturally, the Landcruiser Port—being the city’s sole transportation link to the outside world—was always bustling with traffic.

A Landcruiser from Tiandu City had docked just five minutes ago. A dense crowd surged out of the ship, hurrying toward the checkpoint, anxious to avoid ending up at the back of the line.

Of course, not everyone was in a rush. Some travelers strolled leisurely, taking the attitude that there was no point in hurrying. One woman in sunglasses embodied this mindset. Carrying no luggage, she wandered lazily at the rear of the crowd.

“Hey, look over there—doesn’t that girl look familiar?”

In the waiting hall, a couple chatting casually happened to glance toward the people disembarking from the Landcruiser. The woman squinted and pointed toward the tail end of the crowd.

“Who?” The man followed her gaze, a bit slow on the uptake.

“That girl with the sunglasses. She’s tall!”

The woman patted his arm. “Doesn’t she look like that super famous singer—your friend’s favorite, the one from Dongying Province?”

“Still, you should know her! She’s on TV all the time. I think her name was… Ma… Mari?”

As the woman racked her brain, she suddenly blurted, “Ah, she turned the corner! I can’t see her anymore!”

“I told you, I don’t know her—and now I can’t even see who you’re talking about.”

The man scanned the crowd but gave up after failing to spot her. With a helpless shrug, he said, “Alright, alright. If we didn’t see her, we didn’t see her. It’s not like she’d be prettier than you anyway.”

The woman, momentarily disappointed, instantly perked up. “Aww, I like that. Say it again?”

And just like that, the couple slipped back into their flirty bubble.

Such little episodes played out constantly at the port. Many people noticed the woman in sunglasses, who looked fairly ordinary at first glance. But despite not recognizing her behind the shades, a sense of familiarity tugged at them.

The woman strolled out of the port with ease and slipped into a car that had been waiting at the curb. The vehicle sped off toward the heart of Bo’an City.

Eventually, the car arrived in the old district. With brisk energy, the woman hopped out in front of an old music shop. She turned back and waved lightly at the driver, then strode inside.

Behind the counter, a girl with soft, golden curls was dozing soundly, face resting on her arms.

The woman smiled, a touch indulgently, and approached to gently pat the girl’s cheek.

The girl stirred, her eyes blinking open sleepily. Upon recognizing the visitor, she paused and blinked a few more times before saying with uncertainty:

“Marigold? What are you doing here?”

The name “Marigold” made the woman’s brow twitch. She lifted a hand and smacked the girl lightly on her forehead. “Is that how you greet someone?”

“Wah!” The girl jolted awake. “Why’d you hit me?!”

“I’ve told you a million times, haven’t I? If you won’t call me ‘Teacher,’ at least go with ‘Margaret’ or ‘Sister Yuanxiang.’” The woman twirled a finger, looking serious behind her sunglasses.

“But Margaret is Marigold... That’s the alias The Kingdom gave you, right?”

“It sounds way too rustic. A name like ‘Margaret’ suits my charm and beauty much better.”

She removed her sunglasses, revealing her eyes. “Come now, my dear disciple, I’m giving you one more chance to change how you address me.”

Strangely enough, the woman—who had seemed cool and mature with her shades on—suddenly looked much younger without them. She appeared barely older than the girl behind the counter. Her striking crimson eyes were nothing short of mesmerizing.

“Ugh, so cringe!”

But the blonde girl showed her no mercy. “Why are you even here?”

“Why else would I come back?” Margaret crossed her arms. “I heard my hometown was practically getting torn apart. Had to come check for myself.”

“Hometown? But… Sister Yuanxiang, aren’t you from The Kingdom?”

“Wherever there’s music, that’s my hometown!”

Busted instantly, Margaret showed no hint of shame. “So, why are you here alone? Where’s Deng Zhan and the others?”

“They’re out on patrol.”

“Patrol, huh? And you stayed behind?”

“I’m guarding the place…”

The blonde girl fiddled with her fingers, guilt creeping into her voice. “Just in case something happens in the old district.”

“Really?”

“...Actually, it’s because I caused a mess the other day. Caught the wrong person while chasing a Ravager, so now Sister Deng Zhan put me on house arrest.”

“You really are a magnet for trouble, aren’t you?” Margaret chuckled brightly.

“Ugh.” The girl pouted in protest.

“Whatever. I can make do with just you. Do you know if anything’s happened recently in Bo’an City?”

“Recently? Not really.”

She thought for a moment. “Well, Sister Deng Zhan went missing for a few days, but everyone made it back safely in the end.”

“That definitely counts as something.”

Margaret corrected her. “What happened to Deng Zhan? Where did she go?”

“No idea.”

The blonde girl shook her head, puzzled. “She just said she got lost in a Ravager nest. Took a few days, but she beat it and made it out.”

“A nest? You mean there was a Chrysalis in Bo’an?”

“Probably?” The girl rested her chin on her hand.

“Probably?” Margaret pressed.

“Probably.” She nodded again.

“…Forget it. Your airheadedness is kind of cute.”

Margaret sighed, a little helpless, then smiled. “Trying to get information out of you is clearly a mistake. I’ll wait till Deng Zhan gets back.”

“Why do I feel like you’re looking down on me now?”

“I’m not.”

“I do know stuff! Like, during the time Deng Zhan went missing, someone from The Kingdom showed up!”

Trying to prove her worth, the girl racked her brain. “What was their title again… Inspector?”

“Inspector? Whoa, a big shot.”

Margaret twirled her hair with interest. “Then things must’ve been pretty serious. Do you remember which Inspector it was?”

“Which one… I think the name was Kingfisher?”

“I’ve never heard of an Inspector with that alias.”

“Maybe you just haven’t heard of them.” The girl pouted, defensive. “Anyway, they were clearly legit—came to help and everything.”

“Then you probably got the name wrong. Kingfisher… Kingfisher… Which Inspector name sounds like that…”

Muttering, Margaret’s expression slowly froze. She let go of her hair and stared at the girl, speaking slowly:

“Veronica?”

“—Ah, right! Veronica!”

The girl slapped the counter. “That’s it! Totally right!”

“You’re sure it was Veronica? What did she look like?”

“She’s even shorter than me. Wears all blue—hair and clothes. And she had this really huge hat on her head... Huh? Sister Yuanxiang? Why are you smiling like that?”

Before she could finish, she saw a rare, dazzling smile spread across Margaret’s face. Even her deep red eyes seemed to sparkle with light.

“Heh… Mokuhana.” Margaret called the girl by her alias, her tone oddly cheerful. “I just had a great idea.”

“...I get the feeling I won’t like this.”

“What? My mood’s fantastic today! I was just wondering… have you ever wanted to travel to another city?”

“Where to?” Mokuhana perked up, a little curious.

Then Margaret leaned in and lightly said:

—“Like, say… Fangting City?”