Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 37: Second Tracking

Vol 2 Chapter 37 Second Tracking

Two days later, an ordinary midday.

Since the teaching building at Xizhao Middle School was scheduled for a public exam in the afternoon, Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang were unexpectedly granted a rare half-day off, even though it was a weekday.

Normally, a free afternoon like this would have vanished into the mundane idleness of the girls’ daily lives. But today was different—Lin Xiaolu had a plan.

“Well then, I’m off. See you later.”

As Hong Siyu’s voice rang out from the entryway, the girls turned toward the door of their secret base and watched her leave. When a dull bang sounded from the entrance, they exchanged glances.

“Let’s go.”

Lin Xiaolu solemnly waved toward the door. “We’re following her.”

“You’re seriously doing this?”

Feeling a wave of unease, Xia Liang was visibly reluctant. “Didn’t your last attempt at tailing your dad end in total failure? Can’t we just let it go this time?”

Xia Liang was the type to keep her thoughts to herself, so the fact that she openly showed resistance and wore her objection on her face meant she truly thought this was a lost cause.

Her pessimism wasn’t just because the plan seemed flaky—it was because she was actually in the know.

She knew Veronica’s real identity. And she could guess the nature of the connection between Veronica and Hong Siyu.

After spending months around Hong Siyu, even Lin Xiaolu could see what was in her heart—so of course Xia Liang wasn’t oblivious either.

That “Hong Siyu likes Lin Yun” had already become an unspoken truth among the girls.

And because of that, Lin Xiaolu had always kept a wary distance from Hong Siyu, while Xia Liang had watched it all unfold out of curiosity.

Things had hit a standstill since November, though, when Hong Siyu abruptly took sick leave and vanished from their sight.

Now, she had returned to Fangting City, restored with the power of a Magical Girl—and in doing so, stepped back into Veronica’s world. From Xia Liang’s point of view, this was a golden window of opportunity for Hong Siyu.

If she were Hong Siyu and wanted to pursue “Lin Yun,” now was the time to make her feelings known—by demonstrating her importance and devotion while she had the chance.

Xia Liang didn’t have any strong feelings about the tangled emotions between Hong Siyu and Veronica. After all, she wasn’t Lin Xiaolu—she didn’t have to worry about the potential “stepmom.” If anything, she was just observing from the sidelines.

She had no standing to interfere, and frankly, it didn’t seem like a bad thing.

If Hong Siyu’s feelings could blossom into something real, it wouldn’t just be good for her—but for “Lin Yun” as well. It might be a tough pill for Lin Xiaolu to swallow, but in the long run, it could benefit everyone.

However, if Lin Xiaolu insisted on butting in and tailing Hong Siyu, there was a high chance she’d mess things up.

Veronica’s doting on her daughter was something she herself had no awareness of, but Xia Liang could see it plainly.

If Lin Xiaolu uncovered something during her little stakeout and blew the lid off things, then even if things had been warming up between Veronica and Hong Siyu, Veronica would likely back off—purely because of her daughter’s opinion. At that point, the relationship between Hong Siyu and Lin Xiaolu might also sour.

And that was exactly what Xia Liang didn’t want to see.

She wouldn’t mind if their squad got closer over time, but she absolutely didn’t want anyone drifting apart.

If this so-called “tailing mission” led to Lin Xiaolu falling out with Hong Siyu, the two of them becoming mutually hostile, and Veronica caught awkwardly in the middle—it would be a complete loss.

But Xia Liang couldn’t say any of that out loud.

If she laid out the truth, sure, it might convince Lin Xiaolu to give up on the whole idea. But doing so would mean betraying Veronica’s confidence—and Xia Liang didn’t want to end up as the one caught in the middle.

So, all she could do was make her opposition crystal clear.

“Failure is the mother of success. Where I fall, I shall rise again.”

Unfortunately, Lin Xiaolu had no idea what Xia Liang was thinking. She just gave her a sidelong glance, then declared righteously, “I’ve reflected deeply on last time’s failure and reviewed every detail. I’ve identified the root cause. This time, I definitely won’t make the same mistake.”

“And the root cause was…?”

“Moko.” Lin Xiaolu answered firmly.

—“Huh?”

Originally eavesdropping from the side, Moko immediately bristled. “You were the ones who got too close and got spotted! How is that my fault?!”

“You failed to warn us in time! And worse—you bailed at the critical moment, leaving us without our key intel!”

Lin Xiaolu pointed accusingly at her. “So this time, you stay home. We’ll go without you!”

“Hmph! Like I want to play your little spy games anyway!”

Moko snorted and turned away. “The Seeder has more important things to do. Knock yourselves out.”

Their bickering didn’t bother them in the slightest—even if the words they flung around were far from appropriate. On the side, Bai Jingxuan silently listened to the exchange, a different thought already forming in her mind.

She had to find a chance to tell Dad.

That was her conclusion.

The reason was simple: “Mom and Dad said so.”

Lin Yun had once told her not to talk about his job at the Countermeasure Bureau, especially not to “Big Sis.” Veronica had also privately told her not to reveal anything about what happened at Spring by the Lake.

Bai Jingxuan didn’t quite understand why—but that didn’t stop her from being an obedient child. Lately, she had been unusually quiet in front of Lin Xiaolu. Even though it was obvious she was hiding something, Lin Xiaolu just couldn’t get it out of her.

Now that Lin Xiaolu had decided to tail Hong Siyu, there was a real risk that Lin Yun’s job at the Bureau would be exposed. To Bai Jingxuan, that could put her dad in a tough spot.

So she had to give him a heads-up. Let him be ready. Make sure he didn’t get found out.

She waited silently for her chance. When Moko finally walked away, Bai Jingxuan quickly seized the opening and awkwardly chimed in, “Um… Sis, I don’t really feel like going out today. Since you said Moko’s staying, I’ll just stay with—”

“You’re coming with us.” Lin Xiaolu said, expressionless.

“Eh?”

Bai Jingxuan flinched, her shoulder twitching as guilt flashed in her eyes. “But… Moko’ll be lonely all by herself...”

“That one’s cunning. If there’s no one home, she’ll sneak out and go fool around. You don’t have to worry about her being bored.”

Lin Xiaolu walked over, placing both hands firmly on Bai Jingxuan’s shoulders. “Right now, out of the three of us, you’re the most suspicious. You knew something about what happened in Lixing District and didn’t say anything. I’m watching you.”

“I really don’t know anything,” Bai Jingxuan protested weakly.

“No problem. You don’t have to know anything. But you’re still coming.”

Lin Xiaolu flicked her on the forehead. “I’m keeping an eye on you, little traitor.”

“I’m not a traitor…” Bai Jingxuan muttered, but in the end, she still couldn’t resist as Lin Xiaolu dragged her toward the front door.

“She left about a minute ago. If we head out now, we can stay just outside her field of view.”

At the entrance to their secret base, Lin Xiaolu changed her shoes while briefing her teammates. “Since the target is a Magical Girl—Flower-tier, no less—magic use is strictly forbidden. That includes transformation. Her magic perception is definitely stronger than ours. If anyone transforms and we get caught, I’m marking you.”

“What if she decides to fly? If we don’t transform, we’ll lose her. But if we do, she’ll notice. Either way, we’ll blow our cover.”

Xia Liang sighed, arms crossed, making no move to change her shoes. “Honestly, it’s a rare day off. Wouldn’t it be nicer to stay home and watch some TV? Didn’t you say there was an anime you were dying to see? You’ll miss it if we go out.”

“I can catch the recording later.”

Lin Xiaolu pressed her lips together, her gaze dropping slightly, clearly resolute. “But the chance to tail that woman doesn’t come often. Weekends are out of the question!”

“Um… my stomach suddenly hurts.”

Still clutching the shoes Lin Xiaolu had thrust into her hands, Bai Jingxuan stalled and stammered. “Maybe you two go on ahead… I’ll catch up…”

“Foot. Out.” Lin Xiaolu said sharply.

“Eh?”

“Stick out your foot. I’ll help you put your shoes on.”

She knelt down and grabbed Bai Jingxuan’s ankle. “If your stomach hurts, I’ll carry you. But you’re coming. Don’t even think about slipping away and ratting us out.”

“I—I’m not gonna rat anyone out.”

Bai Jingxuan avoided eye contact. “I really do have a stomachache…”

“Oh yeah? Where does it hurt?”

Lin Xiaolu took the shoe from her hands and started fitting it on her foot. “Transform and heal yourself. It only takes ten seconds. I’ll wait.”

“T-Transform to cure a stomachache?!”

Bai Jingxuan’s voice shot up an octave, almost cracking. She clearly hadn’t expected that response. “I… I don’t think that’ll work…”

“Where was it that you healed me when I got hurt during patrol last month?”

“…Stomach…” Bai Jingxuan mumbled.

“Any other excuses?”

“…No.”

“Alright then! Unanimous vote—Fangting City Magical Girl Squad, Operation Follow-Up, Round Two: commence!”

With a triumphant look, Lin Xiaolu flung the door open and marched out. “This time, I will get to the bottom of this!”