Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 17: Magical Girl Xiaojin

By the time Veronica arrived at the scene, the area where the Ravager had appeared was already sealed off. The civilians who had originally planned to pass through were redirected, and those within the affected zone were being guided to safety by official personnel.

Since it was midday and the Ravager had emerged at an intersection, there were very few casualties in the initial encounter. Most people managed to escape in time, so the crowd’s mood remained relatively stable, with no panic breaking out.

Veronica didn’t linger by the blockade for long. After confirming that the Countermeasure Bureau was already taking action, she kicked off the ground and shot through the gaps between buildings, heading straight for the Ravager’s location—the very center of the affected area.

Upon arrival, she realized she was the first one there.

Which, thinking about it, made sense. Her top-speed flight was bound to be faster than the other two, and the distance she had to cover wasn’t too far. Given that they had all set out at the same time, it was only natural that she would arrive first.

"It hasn’t fully formed yet… just a low-tier Egg-stage creature."

Landing at the roadside, Veronica looked at the Ravager—a massive, fleshy, egg-shaped monstrosity that was thrashing around in frustration, destroying nearby buildings after failing to find any prey.

She raised a hand, and the magic staff she had been holding floated into the air.

"Magic Construct: Materialization."

As her words fell, the staff dissolved into scattered particles of light, reforming into a pair of small but exquisitely decorated tailoring scissors. Azure magical energy gathered around her, strands of glowing threads swirling at her sides, emanating an almost imperceptible but deadly aura.

To Veronica’s eyes, the entire battlefield was already webbed with blue magical threads. The Ravager in the center was no different from a struggling insect caught in a spider’s trap—completely unable to escape.

She reached out, hooking two fingers—thumb and ring finger—onto separate strands of thread and slowly pulled them in the same direction.

As she moved the threads, the web tightened around the Ravager. In the span of a single breath, its movement was completely restricted, and soon, it was bound in place.

Despite its immobilization, the Ravager had no understanding of its predicament. Even though its body was incapable of moving, it still struggled desperately, letting out earth-shaking roars in an attempt to intimidate Veronica.

The force of its howls sent violent gusts of wind rolling outward, causing Veronica’s outfit to ripple. Even from ten meters away, she could catch the thick stench of blood in the air.

But her expression remained unchanged.

Normally, after restraining a Ravager, she would finish it off immediately.

But not this time.

She had only bound it, as if her job was already done. Standing at the roadside with one hand on her hip, she simply waited.

She was waiting for Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang.

Both of them were new Magical Girls, and they needed real combat experience. This Egg-stage Ravager was the perfect training dummy—slow in movement and not lethally dangerous to Magical Girls. Even if something went wrong, Veronica was there to ensure their safety.

So, she had no intention of personally delivering the finishing blow. Her role was only to contain the Ravager—to stop it from causing further destruction—while leaving the actual fight to the two newcomers.

Before long, a streak of soft violet light shot across the sky. A figure descended rapidly, landing near the Ravager and Veronica. Upon impact, the ground rippled like water, sending gentle waves of purple magic outward.

The figure straightened up from the shimmer of magic, shaking her head to let her hair fall neatly back into place. Then, she turned to Veronica with a bright smile.

"Ah, I made it! Using magic to cushion landings really speeds things up, huh, junior~?"

"The ‘junior’ part is unnecessary," Veronica deadpanned.

The newcomer was none other than Xia Liang.

Her Magical Girl transformation consisted of a fitted amethyst-colored dress with wavy lace trim, a separate pale-yellow bolero, and a half-open vest of matching violet hues. A massive bow adorned her chest, giving her outfit a balance of mystery and elegance.

Her now purple hair curled slightly at the ends, floating lightly against gravity. On her head sat a soft beret wrapped in a golden ribbon, and her ears were adorned with crescent-shaped earrings, adding a refined yet stylish touch.

This was Xia Liang’s Magical Girl form, perfectly suited to her alias—Little Viola.

Magical Girls’ outfits reflected their personalities, and Xia Liang’s attire was the most mature-looking among the three of them. Ironically, she was the youngest.

Veronica’s face remained as unreadable as ever, but inwardly, she was impressed.

She had expected Xia Liang to be talented from the moment she recruited her. But now that she was seeing it firsthand, the girl’s progress still exceeded her expectations.

Just yesterday, Veronica had briefly taught her about "magic landing"—a technique that allowed Magical Girls to land without slowing down, enabling them to move at full speed even while descending.

And now, Xia Liang had already mastered it.

Considering that just a few days ago, she had been afraid of flying, but had since adapted to aerial movement and even picked up advanced techniques, her growth was astonishing.

"You learned magic landing this quickly. Well done."

"Heh heh."

Xia Liang beamed, pleased by the praise. She took quick steps toward Veronica, then turned to look at the restrained Ravager, a hint of amazement in her voice.

"So that’s a Ravager?"

Then, after a brief pause—

"Ew—so gross up close! Huge and disgusting!"

She wrinkled her nose, but despite her words, her expression was filled more with curiosity than repulsion.

"But why isn’t it moving? Did you already finish it off, junior?"

"I told you, drop the ‘junior’ part."

Veronica corrected her, though she didn’t push the issue. Instead, she lightly flicked her fingers, revealing several glowing blue magic threads around the Ravager.

"Be careful. That thing is still alive. It’s just not moving because I’ve tied it down."

Xia Liang’s attention immediately shifted to the threads. She widened her eyes in fascination, stepping closer.

"So pretty! This is your magic construct? Are these strings like harp strings?"

"My construct is threads and scissors."

Veronica explained simply. "Don’t get too close. These threads can bind enemies, but they can also become razor-sharp. I’d rather not accidentally cut you."

"Oh? Are you worried about me?"

Xia Liang grinned mischievously, though she obediently stepped back. She seemed to be in an unusually good mood.

"You act all cold, but you’re actually pretty considerate, huh, junior~?"

"Don’t say such nauseating things." Veronica remained as stoic as ever.

—"You two! You’ve only known each other for a few days, don’t start acting all buddy-buddy behind my back!"

A voice suddenly rang out from above, making both of them look up.

A streak of pale blue light was descending from the sky.

Nearly ten minutes had passed since Veronica had subdued the Ravager.

Finally, Lin Xiaolu had arrived.