Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 8: Little Visitor

Vol 2 Chapter 8: Little Visitor

"That’s seriously amazing, Director! Where on earth did you get this high-grade 'Magical Armor' from?"

10 a.m., the following morning.

Li Yingwei was practically bouncing with excitement as he clung tightly to Tian Sheng, pouring out praise for the sets of gear laid out nearby. His compliments were so over-the-top, it was borderline cringe-inducing.

"I just passed the qualification check, then went to try it out in the battle chamber—it felt like my magic itself had fundamentally changed!"

He waved his arms around excitedly. "I feel like I could take on a Ravager head-on and win!"

The distribution of Magical Armor had officially begun within the Countermeasure Bureau. At Lin Yun’s insistence, every employee who received a set was required to report to the Director’s office so he could personally vet them.

Right now, it was the Special Operations Division’s Third Squad’s turn.

Three members of the Third Squad had received the Magical Armor quota: Squad Captain Li Yingwei, Vice Captain Mu Bensheng, and the up-and-coming rising star Tian Sheng, who the others had been raving about. All three were now gathered in the Director’s office, awaiting Lin Yun’s personal inspection.

The so-called “personal inspection” was, in essence, a precaution against spies.

Even though Lin Yun had already rooted out quite a few infiltrators during his speech yesterday, there was no way to be sure he’d gotten them all. And Magical Armor, capable of drastically boosting combat effectiveness, could be devastating if even one set ended up in the hands of Black Cinders Dawn.

Hence, the situation as it stood.

Whether Li Yingwei’s flattery was genuine or not didn’t really matter to Lin Yun. As soon as all three were in front of his desk, he quietly gripped his Heartstone, secretly using it to sense their magic fluctuations—searching for any trace of a Beast’s aura.

Li Yingwei and Mu Bensheng were both clean—pure human Magicians.

But Tian Sheng was different.

Lin Yun could clearly sense that sickening, all-too-familiar Beast-type magic from him. As someone who had hunted countless Ravagers as a Magical Girl, there was no mistaking that kind of magic signature.

That was what made him hesitate—because even though he knew Tian Sheng’s condition was linked to Beast magic, and the man had never hidden his past, Lin Yun couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be more going on beneath the surface.

Should he approve it now? Or put it on hold?

Just as Lin Yun was lost in thought, a sudden commotion erupted outside the Director’s office.

"Hold on—wait! Little girl, you can’t go in there!" came the receptionist’s panicked voice from the hallway.

The noise immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room. The squad members fell silent, and Lin Yun glanced at the door in confusion.

A moment later, the wooden double doors were pushed open.

In walked a girl in a stage-style dress—white top, green skirt, with mismatched eyes. She looked like she had just dashed over from a live performance. Her appearance was both cute and striking, like a child star off the set. She burst in with gusto, only to falter when she saw four grown men inside. Then she bowed stiffly.

"Hello, uncles! Is the Director of the Countermeasure Bureau here?"

The contrast between her entrance and greeting was utterly jarring.

The receptionist, out of breath and clearly exhausted, offered an apologetic explanation. “I’m sorry, Director, I tried to stop her, but she insisted she’s a Magical Girl…”

Of course Lin Yun recognized her—this girl was none other than his very familiar junior and relative: Bai Jingxuan.

Last night, Veronica had planned to talk with the girl at the Secret Base, but she hadn’t shown up. And now, here she was, barging straight into the Bureau.

So… what was she doing here?

Maintaining a calm expression, Lin Yun said, “Hello, I’m the one you’re looking for. Did you come to see me?”

“Yes, I’m looking for the Director of the Bureau… huh? Aren’t you Sister Xiaolu’s—”

Bai Jingxuan started to answer reflexively, but upon getting a good look at the middle-aged man behind the desk, she froze, then quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. “Ah—no, I was mistaken!”

Clearly, she had recognized Lin Yun as Lin Xiaolu’s father. But with unfamiliar faces in the room, she knew better than to bring up Xiaolu’s identity, so she stopped herself.

Before she could say more, Tian Sheng, who had been watching her intently, murmured as if in a daze, “Xuan?”

“Yes! May I ask… huh? Uncle Tian!”

Bai Jingxuan was once again startled by the people present. Recognizing Tian Sheng as a former caretaker at the orphanage, she momentarily fell into a state of confusion. When she had barged in, she seemed full of resolve, but her confidence wavered now that she realized she knew everyone.

She fumbled for words, then bowed again. “I’m sorry for the disturbance!”

“Wait, you haven’t even said anything yet…” muttered Li Yingwei, utterly baffled, before his deputy nudged him sharply in the ribs, silencing him.

The receptionist at the door, sensing the awkward atmosphere, opened her mouth as if to explain again, but then closed it without a word.

As everyone sank into a moment of silence, Lin Yun looked around and let out a helpless sigh. “Tian Sheng, stay. The Magical Girl too. Everyone else, wait outside.”

At his order, the rest moved without a word. The receptionist exited first, followed by Li Yingwei, dragged along by the vice captain. Soon, only Tian Sheng and Bai Jingxuan remained with Lin Yun.

Gazing at Bai Jingxuan, Lin Yun spoke after a brief pause. “Alright. Take a deep breath and speak slowly. You’re a Magical Girl—I’ve read your file. Your alias is Bosetsu, correct?”

“Yes,” Bai Jingxuan nodded politely. “I’m Bosetsu.”

“Alright then. What brings you here?”

Lin Yun kept his tone gentle, trying not to intimidate her. “Is there something you need the Bureau’s help with?”

“Yes!”

At the word “purpose,” Bai Jingxuan immediately perked up. Her eyes sparkled with determination, and there was a strange hint of dreamy admiration in her expression.

“I want to take part in the slaughter of Black Cinders Dawn!”

Silence.

Lin Yun sat perfectly upright, expression blank, then asked calmly, “Sorry, I didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

“I want to take part in the slaughter of Black Cinders Dawn!” Bai Jingxuan repeated, her little fist clenched, her face comically serious.

“To be precise, I want to torture them to death!”

“…Why are you coming to us?” Lin Yun asked, deadpan.

“I saw it while on patrol! The Countermeasure Bureau was fighting Black Cinders Dawn!”

Bai Jingxuan replied earnestly, “I asked one of the uncles there, and they said it was under the Director’s orders! The Director ordered them to kill every last Black Cinders Dawn member in the city!”

“…That’s what she said,” Tian Sheng muttered, glancing at Lin Yun.

“I heard her the first time.”

Lin Yun massaged his forehead, suddenly developing a headache. “So, Bosetsu, you’re saying you want to assist in the elimination and capture of the remaining members of Black Cinders Dawn…”

“I said torture!“ Bai Jingxuan corrected seriously.

The cuter she looked, the more terrifying her words became.

“That’s… not a word you should be throwing around—especially as a Magical Girl.”

Lin Yun sighed and tried to steer the conversation back onto safer ground. “You look young—maybe you don’t fully understand what ‘torture’ means. Let me explain. It’s something that isn’t acceptable morally or legally, and—”

“You mean like beating them until they’re a bloody mess and then killing them?” Bai Jingxuan tilted her head, confused.

“…Yes. But that’s not the point. The point is, that kind of behavior, and even the language itself, is absolutely forbidden.”

Lin Yun went on, “You’re a Magical Girl. You represent hope and light for this city. Magical Girls are meant to fight Ravagers—not harm ordinary humans or weaker Magicians. And the word you just used—‘torture’—is something no Magical Girl should ever say, much less act on.”

“But that’s what my teacher did!”

Clearly struggling to find the right words, Bai Jingxuan thought hard with every sentence.

“My teacher tortured Black Cinders Dawn’s leader in the coolest way—and everyone praised her for it! I admire her so much!”

Lin Yun went silent again.

He wanted nothing more than to take the hefty dictionary on his desk and slam it against his own forehead.

“Your teacher? She’s…” Tian Sheng trailed off, suspecting something.

“My teacher is Magical Girl Veronica! The one who saved everyone last month!”

Bai Jingxuan announced loudly, “She totally wrecked that bad guy—turned their face into a pig’s—and then sliced them to pieces!”

“Nice one!”

Tian Sheng smacked his thigh. “I’m with your teacher! That’s exactly how scum like that should be handled! You should follow her example!”

“Tian Sheng.”

Lin Yun lowered his voice in warning.

“...Sorry, Director,” Tian Sheng mumbled sheepishly. “Got a bit carried away…”

“You’re an adult. Don’t let yourself get riled up by a child.”

Lin Yun tapped the desk, voice calm, though his fidgeting legs under the table said otherwise. “Regardless of the reason—or who she’s imitating—it’s wrong to encourage a kid to go torture people.”

“But she’s talking about those Black Cinders Dawn scumbags, right?” Tian Sheng muttered. “I think they’re no better than Ravagers. No need for moral high ground.”

“…You’re not wrong. Those Black Cinders Dawn bastards deserve death.”

Lin Yun nodded. “But let’s not forget why we’re here—why the Countermeasure Bureau was founded. Magical Girls handle Ravagers. We deal with human traitors. We exist to protect these girls from the burden of killing their own kind.”

“Maybe killing bad humans won’t affect them now—but who’s to say it won’t haunt them as they grow older?”

“Her teacher is indeed a Magical Girl, but an adult one, active for over 20 years. She has a mature worldview. When she chose to kill, it was a conscious decision—not some mindless imitation…”

“I’m not imitating!”

Bai Jingxuan interrupted anxiously.

She raised her hand like a student answering a question—then didn’t wait for permission.

“I’m not copying her! I really admire her, yes—but I made the decision myself. I want to torture those monsters!”

“Why?”

Lin Yun asked, baffled.

“Because I want revenge!”

Bai Jingxuan pressed a hand to her chest and declared loudly, “They got my parents killed by a Ravager! They killed that Magical Girl—Senior Sakura! I hate them! I want them to suffer! I want them to regret everything they’ve done!”

Lin Yun had never seen her this emotional before.

In his memory, Bai Jingxuan had always been sweet, thoughtful, and quiet. She never made a scene or burdened others. She was so low-key that people barely noticed her presence.

Sure, her combat style was a bit brutal during missions, but with Veronica’s persistent guidance, she’d become more stable. Lately, she’d been fighting just like any normal Magical Girl.

Had this not happened, Lin Yun probably would’ve never heard the word “revenge” from her mouth.

And yet, given what she’d been through, the word sounded too heavy, and somehow… heartbreakingly justified.

When she spoke of “torture” and “revenge,” her tone was so innocent and sincere, the contradiction sent a chill down his spine.

“…I can’t approve this. I’m not letting a kid like you do something like that.”

In the end, Lin Yun could only speak with bitterness in his voice. He didn’t try to reason with her anymore—just turned to Tian Sheng and pointed at the door.

“Tian Sheng, take her out.”