Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 41: Homecoming

Vol 2 Chapter 41 Homecoming

Around 8 p.m., Veronica carried two large plastic grocery bags through the evening haze and returned to the secret base. But when she found the key and opened the front door as usual, she suddenly felt like something was off.

Behind the door was an empty entryway—Lin Xiaolu hadn’t come out to greet her.

For nearly a month now, every time Veronica returned to the base, Lin Xiaolu would always come to greet her right away. Sometimes enthusiastically, sometimes calmly, but always proactively. This slightly intimate gesture had made Veronica a little awkward at first, but she’d gotten used to the routine over time.

But tonight was an exception.

It was already quite late. Logically, Lin Xiaolu should’ve finished her patrol by now. Besides, Veronica had heard a few days ago that she was only working a half-day today—so there was no reason for her not to be at the base. Yet the kid hadn’t come out to greet her, leaving Veronica with a faint sense of disappointment.

That feeling didn’t last long, though. She reminded herself that the girl was her own person, with her own life—she couldn’t expect her to revolve around her all the time. It was perfectly normal for her to be busy with something and not make it to the door. So she quickly returned to a calm mindset, changed into her slippers, and strolled into the living room.

There, she saw Xia Liang sitting on the couch watching TV, and Bai Jingxuan—who, for once, wasn’t training in the basement but was instead sitting with her.

“Have you two eaten yet?”

She bent down slightly, getting ready to set the shopping bags aside. “I stopped by the supermarket before coming back and picked up a few extra groceries.”

“Ah, you're back, Junior!” Xia Liang perked up instantly, jumping up from the couch and running over to grab one of the bags. “Whoa, heavy! Let’s get this stuff into the fridge first!”

“I wanna help too!” Bai Jingxuan quickly stepped between them and snatched the other bag.

“You really don’t have to rush... but thank you.”

With both bags whisked away in an instant, Veronica blinked, slightly caught off guard. “By the way, where’s White Rose?”

The two girls paused in unison.

“...She said she wanted to go home for a bit, so she left on her own,” Bai Jingxuan said, her tone dropping slightly.

“We all went out together this afternoon, but... something happened, and Xiaolu didn’t come back with us,” Xia Liang added with a sheepish chuckle. “I tried to talk her out of it, but, well... she wasn’t having it. Haha.”

“Did something happen?”

Their cryptic responses made Veronica raise an eyebrow—though she kept her expression even so the girls wouldn’t feel pressured. “We had a study session planned for tonight. Why would she suddenly go home?”

“...Junior.”

“Yeah?”

“What I’m about to say—you’ve got to stay calm, okay?” Xia Liang set the bag down and held her hands out, making a "calm down" gesture.

“It’s something serious? Is she in danger?” Veronica's expression tightened.

“No, no danger. Her safety’s not a concern. But serious? Yeah... I guess it kind of is. So... we went out this afternoon for a few things, and we ended up deciding to hang out at the shopping plaza near the Countermeasure Bureau.”

Xia Liang kept a forced smile on her face.

“And then... in the evening... we saw Uncle Lin and Sister Hong together.”

Since Bai Jingxuan was there, she tried to keep her words neutral and objective—but Veronica understood the implication:

They had seen her and Hong Siyu together in public.

—“Mom! Dad’s having an affair!”

As soon as Xia Liang spilled the truth, Bai Jingxuan followed up immediately, though from a clearly different perspective: “So that’s why Sis went home! She said she was going to confront Dad!”

Confront?

That word echoed in Veronica’s mind and stunned her thoughts momentarily.

It took a bit of effort to digest it all. Once she snapped back, she glanced at Bai Jingxuan—though there was no useful info on her face—then turned to Xia Liang.

And Xia Liang, seeming to know exactly what Veronica was thinking, gave a small, awkward nod.

So now she understood the situation: in Lin Xiaolu’s mind, her father was still coming home every night after work. That meant she was likely sitting at home right now... waiting for “her.”

Which meant Veronica had no choice but to go back.

She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and after a long silence, finally spoke up. “...I might need to step out for a while. I probably won’t be back tonight.”

Then she pointed to the bags in Xia Liang’s hands. “Could you two take care of putting those away in the kitchen? Thanks.”

“Is Mom mad?” Bai Jingxuan whispered, seeing her tense face. “Should we not have told you?”

“You two are overthinking it. Things aren't always that complicated.”

Veronica reached out and ruffled her hair, her tone softening. “Don’t worry, I’m not angry. I’m not going to fight either—there’s just something I need to handle.”

“So... Junior, do you actually know what’s going on?”

Xia Liang pretended to ask casually, but her words carried a hint of implication. “Uncle Lin and Sister Hong... even went shopping together. Doesn’t that kind of suggest something?”

Veronica shot her a look.

“From where I stand right now, whatever answer I give you wouldn’t be reliable or meaningful, right?”

In the end, she could only sigh. “But what I can tell you is that there’s nothing going on.”

Seeing that the two girls still didn’t quite believe her, she waved it off. “Anyway, I can say this for sure: I, Morning Glory, and... Lin Yun have no intention of changing the nature of our relationships. Whether it’s getting closer or further apart, it’s not something we’re considering right now.”

“So are you coming back tonight?”

Xia Liang set the bags down, smiling sweetly. “Is tonight’s study session canceled?”

“It’s canceled. But I already put the exercises in the study room.”

She saw right through Xia Liang’s scheming and didn’t bother wasting time arguing. She just turned and walked toward the door. “Since White Rose had something to do and can’t join, you’ll just have to finish those exercises yourself. I’ll check them when I get back tomorrow.”

“Eh? I still have to do them?” Xia Liang whined.

“Your mind’s clearly a bit scattered lately.”

Changing into outdoor shoes at the entryway, Veronica glanced back. “Focus on your studies. Grown-up stuff is none of your business.”

Leaving Xia Liang’s protests behind, she stepped out of the base and found an empty spot, then launched into the air. She chose to fly home to save time.

Gliding through the night sky, it only took a few minutes before she reached the apartment. This time, to keep up appearances, she transformed back into Lin Yun, took the elevator up, and returned to the apartment naturally.

Even though Lin Yun hadn’t been home much lately, a housekeeper still came by to clean regularly. So the place stayed presentable enough to avoid arousing Xiaolu’s suspicion.

In the elevator, he tidied his clothes using the reflective door, making sure he didn’t look too windblown. Once everything looked normal, he put on a neutral expression and stepped inside his home.

Right away, he saw a chair.

For some reason, it was placed directly in front of the living room doorway, facing the entrance. Lin Xiaolu was sitting on it, with a small blackboard beside her. Head down, headphones on, eyes glued to her phone.

A quick glance told Lin Yun she was playing a game.

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat, he called out, “Lulu, what are you doing?”

She looked up immediately. The moment she saw her father standing in the doorway, she tried to shut off the game. But in her flustered panic, her hand hit the volume button instead—blasting the sound to max volume.

Game music and character voices echoed loudly from her earbuds—so loud Lin Yun could hear everything from where he stood.

Startled, Xiaolu hunched up instinctively, yanked off her headphones, and fumbled with the volume control. Once the sound was off, she closed the app, shoved her phone into her coat pocket, straightened her posture, and adopted a serious expression... finally ready.

Watching this whole thing unfold, Lin Yun almost laughed out loud, but he kept a straight face and glanced at the blackboard like he hadn’t seen anything. “So, what made you decide to come home tonight?”

Xiaolu said nothing—just stared at him solemnly from her chair.

“...What’s wrong?” he asked again, this time with more patience.

“I saw you!”

She blurted it out: “You were out shopping with that woman!”

“You saw?”

Lin Yun pretended to be caught off guard, playing dumb. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t try to lie! I saw it with my own eyes! You two were smiling and talking together at the shopping plaza near the Countermeasure Bureau!”

She jabbed a finger at him. “Two-timing is not okay!”

The way she said it was full of righteousness, her tone dead serious—like she was about to deliver judgment. If it were about anything else, the mood might’ve actually turned heavy.

Unfortunately, to Lin Yun, her accusations were pure fantasy. And even more unfortunate... her stomach growled before he could even respond.

Grrrrumble...

With just the two of them there, the sound was especially loud—and clearly came from her. Her outstretched finger drooped immediately.

Lin Yun sighed. “It’s already past eight. Did you not eat?”

“D-Don’t change the subject!”

Clutching her stomach with one hand, her ears turning red, she protested: “We’re talking about your cheating!”

“Did you eat lunch?”

Loosening his tie, Lin Yun walked toward the kitchen.

Following him with her eyes, she muttered, “Not much... wait, that’s not the point!”

Lin Yun took off his suit jacket and draped it over a chair. “There usually aren’t fresh groceries at home... but I did pick up a few things today. Want meat for dinner?”

“Meat... it’s already eight. Maybe not,” Xiaolu hesitated.

“Eight’s not that late. Besides, putting on a little weight wouldn’t hurt.”

He pulled out two vacuum-sealed packs of meat. “Seems like you haven’t grown at all this past month.”

“It’s not like I don’t want to! My body just won’t grow.”

Grumbling, she got up and wandered into the kitchen. “Forget the meat, I’m on a diet.”

“Diet? You weigh next to nothing already—you’re all bones.”

Lin Yun washed his hands and began prepping the ingredients. “You’re only fourteen. Still growing. Why are you thinking about dieting?”

“I’ve been eating too much lately.”

Standing beside the sink, Xiaolu looked conflicted. “I gained four pounds.”

“How much?” Lin Yun looked back at her.

“...Four pounds,” she admitted after a mental struggle. “The food at the secret base’s too good.”

Giving her a serious once-over, Lin Yun realized her face had gotten just a little rounder. But it was such a subtle change from their daily routine, he hadn’t noticed before.

“It’s fine. A little weight’s good.”

After thinking for a moment, he hesitated over the meat... then peeled off the packaging anyway. “You’re growing. It’s okay.”

Even if she had changed, he didn’t mind at all. In fact, Veronica’s cooking had followed this very same principle at the base. From a dad’s point of view, height and growth mattered more.

Xiaolu opened her mouth, then closed it—clearly realizing she wasn’t going to win this one. She pulled some prepackaged food from the fridge. “...I’ll prep the side dishes.”

In her time at the base, she’d gotten used to helping in the kitchen. She wasn’t that useful, but she knew her limits—and now, there was no reason to just stand around.

The two stood side by side at the kitchen counter. Lin Yun sliced meat while continuing the conversation. “So, what’s with the chair by the door? And sitting there playing on your phone?”

“I wasn’t playing on my phone!”

She immediately looked up and protested. “I was waiting for you!”

“Waiting for me? What for?”

"I’m telling you—I saw you two-timing and I’m giving you a warning!"

Lin Xiaolu was dead serious. "You’ve gotta say it the moment he walks in. That’s how you make it impactful!"

"...How did you even come up with this ridiculous idea?" Lin Yun was a bit speechless.

"I saw it on TV," Lin Xiaolu said with conviction.

"Fine, let’s go with that. But that little chalkboard—if I’m not wrong, that’s the one you use for tutoring at home? Why’d you move it to the front door?"

Lin Yun dipped the meat into water. "If you don’t want it, just toss it. Don’t dump it there like it’s a pile of bulk trash."

"It’s not trash!"

Lin Xiaolu looked a little disgruntled. "I was gonna write a slogan on it!"

"What kind of slogan?"

"A slogan against two-timing! I was gonna give a full-blown public condemnation!" Lin Xiaolu ripped open the lid of her instant meal with dramatic flair.

"...Not arguing whether you’re right or wrong, but—where’s the slogan then?" Lin Yun asked, a bit curious.

"I couldn’t think of anything good, so I erased it," Lin Xiaolu muttered.

"You erased it and then gave up?"

"No, I wanted to look online for ideas."

She stared down at the packaging in her hand, her voice getting smaller and smaller. "But I couldn’t find anything... then I remembered I hadn’t done the daily quest in my game."

"So?"

"So... I played a little." Lin Xiaolu looked off to the side.

Well, that finally explained her antics at the front door. But rather than the ridiculousness from earlier, knowing the full truth made Lin Yun feel a bit uneasy.

Did I seriously raise an idiot?

"I'm not an idiot!" Lin Xiaolu fired back immediately.

"I didn’t say anything." Lin Yun gave her a sideways glance and went back to prepping food.

"You didn’t say anything because you wanted to say it!"

Flustered, Lin Xiaolu insisted, "It was just an accident!"

"Okay, okay, it was all an accident," Lin Yun nodded in surrender.

"But that’s not what I wanted to say! Don’t change the subject! What I really want to talk about is you going shopping with that woman!"

"Don’t say ‘that woman’ like that—it’s rude. Call her Auntie, or Miss, or at the very least, Senior."

Lin Yun lectured her, "She’s a senior in the Magical Girl field, and she’s from Fangting City. You don’t need to be so hostile toward her."

"She was mimicking my mom! How can I not be hostile?"

Lin Xiaolu’s eyes widened. "And stop taking her side! She was imitating the way my mom talks. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice!"

"...You’re not wrong. But she didn’t mean any harm."

"How do you know she didn’t mean harm? What if she likes you and pretends to be sweet just to fool you—and she’s actually a terrible person?"

She grumbled, "Then she becomes my stepmom, and says something like, ‘Your mom stole my man, now it’s time to pay,’ and starts abusing me—doesn’t feed me, makes me clean chimneys in rags... or something."

"Where are you getting this stuff?" Lin Yun asked, baffled.

"TV." Lin Xiaolu stood by her claim with pride.

He made a mental note to ask Xia Liang to help keep an eye on this girl’s TV habits. Can’t let her watch so much nonsense.

But he didn’t show it on his face. "We don’t have a chimney."

"It’s a metaphor!"

"Even so, that kind of thing won’t happen. I can promise you—she’s not a bad person."

He paused for a beat, then said with a bit more weight, "And I know what you mean. I miss your mom too. That’s why I’d never do anything to betray her."

"I told you—I don’t care if you date or not."

Lin Xiaolu pouted. "Your love life is your business. I just wanted to warn you. But regardless of whether or not you’re looking for someone new… cheating is still not okay."

"When did I cheat?"

"You so cheated! You’re clearly dating Veronica, and then you go out shopping with that... Hong Siyu behind her back! You can’t seriously say you weren’t up to something!"

"Are you sure you saw me?" Lin Yun tried one last dodge.

"Of course it was you! Same clothes! And Hong Siyu was using her Magical Girl form to flirt with you too!"

Lin Xiaolu glared at him. "Men just like younger women, don’t they? She got all young and pretty and you couldn’t help yourself!"

"You little..." Lin Yun sighed, tossing the meat onto the cutting board and picking up a kitchen knife. He lightly drew a line across it. "First off, I already said—I’d never do anything to betray your mom. So no, I’m not looking for a stepmom for you."

"Not looking for a stepmom?"

Lin Xiaolu blinked, then suddenly looked horrified. "Then you’re just gonna use her and dump her?!"

"You’re too young to be saying stuff like that."

Unable to hold back, Lin Yun gave her head a light smack and resumed chopping. "Stop parroting TV dramas. Real life isn’t full of those trashy tropes."

"...Then what’s the deal?" Lin Xiaolu rubbed her forehead, still moody. "You and Veronica clearly have feelings for each other. Are you just going to leave her hanging?"

"That’s another matter."

Lin Yun sighed. "Who told you I was dating Veronica? Planning to marry her?"

"...Mors."

That name made Lin Yun nearly choke on his own spit. Took him a while to recover his breath, but he forced himself to stay calm. "Who?"

"A bad person." Lin Xiaolu shot him a look. "The one from the Moon Festival night."

"...Oh."

Realizing he shouldn’t comment on that too much, Lin Yun casually continued, "So a bad person told you, and you believed it?"

"She said it to Veronica! And the evidence was so obvious!"

Lin Xiaolu raised her voice. "Veronica said she wasn’t going back to Fangting City that night—but suddenly she did. Who else could’ve called her back except you?"

"Where’d you hear that?"

"I saw it myself! You weren’t in your room that night!" she said with conviction.

Ah. That explained everything.

It finally all clicked for Lin Yun. So that’s where the misunderstanding had started. He’d rushed out on Moon Festival night without thinking about how it might look, and then Mors went spouting nonsense based on her own assumptions—so Lin Xiaolu got the wrong idea.

And because he hadn’t explained anything during the fight with Mors, it looked like he was silently confirming it. It was a perfect storm of miscommunications.

Now the question was—should he explain? And if so, how much?

If he didn’t clear it up, this misunderstanding would keep snowballing. Especially since Bai Jingxuan had been calling Veronica “Mom” lately. Even if he’d half-jokingly accepted it, Veronica clearly found it awkward.

But ironically, that misunderstanding also provided a convenient excuse to cover the inconsistencies in his and Veronica’s identities. So admitting to it outright would only dig him deeper.

He thought for a long time, staying quiet for over half a minute. Lin Xiaolu even started wondering if she’d said something wrong, when he finally opened his mouth:

"You’re right. That night—it was me who called her back."

"Really?"

Lin Xiaolu’s eyes lit up. "I knew it! You and Veronica are—"

"But not because we’re a couple."

Lin Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly. "The real connection between us... is you."

"...Me?" Lin Xiaolu was stunned.

"Yes. I was able to contact her because I’m your father, and she’s your senior. Plus, she used to be friends with your mom."

He nodded. "She came back that night to protect you. To protect you all."

"Then... why do you know so much about the magic world?" Lin Xiaolu whispered.

"Because I’m actually part of the Countermeasure Bureau."

Lin Yun kept a straight face, steeling himself internally. He’d decided to come clean—well, mostly. He left out the detail about being parachuted in, instead sticking to the fake resume that Chrysoberyl Cat’s Eye had set up for him.

And for Lin Xiaolu, that was heavy enough. She stood there in stunned silence.

"You... you’re with the Countermeasure Bureau?"

She finally spoke after a long pause. "That’s impossible. I went to your office when I was a kid. It definitely wasn’t the Bureau..."

"That’s because I was just an external consultant then. I registered only to assist your mom’s missions."

Since he was already spinning this tale, Lin Yun just kept going. "Later on, something happened with the Bureau Director, and my qualifications happened to be just right, so I returned to the Bureau a few days ago. I’m now the current Director."

"...Director?"

That word seemed to hit her like a truck. She’d never even met anyone that high up.

"You’re the Director of the Countermeasure Bureau?!"

Then came the earsplitting scream.

"Keep it down! You want the neighbors to hear?" Lin Yun rushed to cover her mouth. "This isn’t something you can just blab about!"

"But... the Bureau... Director?"

Lin Xiaolu looked dazed. "So I’m actually a high official’s daughter?"

"No, you’re not. We’re just regular people. I’m me. You’re you."

He knocked on the cutting board. "And frankly, I think being a Magical Girl means more than any Bureau title—"

"—So that’s how you knew I became a Magical Girl?" she cut him off.

"Exactly." Lin Yun decided to roll with it. "Since I’m with the Bureau, Hong Siyu came to me immediately with everything about you."

"So that’s why you never questioned what I was doing?"

"Yeah. Even that secret base you’re using—that’s actually provided by us."

"So the days when I thought I was keeping it from you... you actually knew the whole time?" Lin Xiaolu looked conflicted.

"Not exactly, but I knew you were fighting to protect the city."

Lin Yun kept it vague. "I’m not some control freak. I wasn’t watching your every move."

"But if you’re the Director, why are we still so broke?"

She frowned. "Shouldn’t you be able to accept a little bribe or two and buy a fancy house or something?"

"Your dad’s clean. No bribes."

He couldn’t help giving her head another gentle smack. "I already bent the rules enough by keeping tabs on you and greenlighting your missions. You think I’d take it a step further and start accepting bribes?"

"...So that’s how it is."

Lin Xiaolu let out a small sigh. "I thought..."

"You thought what?" Lin Yun gave her a look.

"I thought you and Veronica were dating. And she told you everything."

For some reason, once the shock wore off, she actually seemed a little disappointed. "So it’s just because of the Bureau."

"Actually, it’s because of the Bureau that I’ve been in contact with your Senior Veronica and Hong Siyu."

He finished prepping the ingredients, turned on the stove, and started adding oil to the pan. "Even what you saw this afternoon—that was me, yes. But I wasn’t flirting. I was helping Hong Siyu pick out work clothes."

"Helping pick clothes isn’t flirting?" Lin Xiaolu’s eyes widened again.

"Business outfits. Stop overthinking it. It was just friendly."

Lin Yun averted his eyes a little guiltily. "There’s nothing more to it."

"So that was Hong Siyu? Not her daughter or niece or something?"

"Yes, that was her."

He nodded. "If you want the full explanation, you can ask her or Veronica. But that’s how she looks after regaining her Magical Girl powers."

Lin Xiaolu let out an inexplicable sigh of relief.

"Good. I was imagining the worst-case scenario... like, what if that was your secret daughter?"

She patted her chest. "If a surprise big sister just popped up out of nowhere, I wouldn’t even know how to deal with her."

Lin Yun raised his hand, and Xiaolu instinctively flinched—but instead of a flick to the forehead, an open palm appeared in front of her.

"Salt," Lin Yun said concisely.

"Oh." Xiaolu finally remembered she was supposed to be helping in the kitchen and grabbed the salt bag from the shelf.

"Anyway, there’s nothing romantic between me and Veronica, or me and Hong Siyu."

Taking the salt, Lin Yun carefully measured it with a spoon and sprinkled it into the pot. He concluded, "It’s all for work. Everything Veronica and I do, and even things with Hong Siyu—they’re all with you in mind. So stop jumping to conclusions."

"But..."

Xiaolu still hesitated. "If there’s really nothing going on, why would Veronica care so much about me?"

"...Because she’s your senior."

Lin Yun paused, then gave his answer after a brief moment of thought. "The relationship between seniors and juniors in the Magical Girl world lasts ten years, as long as it doesn’t shift. After fighting side by side for that long, it’s often even deeper than family."

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t something he should be saying. Since it concerned Magical Girls, and given the divide between his identity and Veronica’s, even as someone now working in the Countermeasure Bureau, he shouldn’t show this level of familiarity. “Magical Girl” was still the main line separating their identities.

But since things had come this far tonight, the most important thing now was to clear up misunderstandings. So Lin Yun made the call to just say it.

Of course, that was just the official reason. It sounded decent and kind of logical, but it wasn’t exactly convincing.

One look at Xiaolu’s face and it was clear she wasn’t buying it.

In truth, Xiaolu wasn’t unaware of Veronica’s past favoritism. On the contrary, it was only because Bai Jingxuan had recently drawn Veronica’s attention away that Xiaolu started realizing she’d once been the favorite.

But even though Veronica had explained it many times, Xiaolu still didn’t believe it was really because of her.

Deep down, she believed that favoritism came from the lingering influence of her parents—maybe because her mother had been Veronica’s teammate, or maybe because there was something unusual between Veronica and her dad.

And now, her dad had told her outright: there was nothing romantic between them. Not only did that mean her guesses were all wrong, but she’d even said those guesses out loud—right in front of Veronica—and had gone as far as calling her “Mom”...

If she’d misunderstood all of it, just thinking about it made Xiaolu want to curl up her toes in shame.

But if all of that was wrong—then what was the truth?

She knew the favoritism she felt wasn’t just her imagination. But if both her father and Veronica insisted there was no special relationship between them, who was she supposed to believe?

Was there... some other answer?

She knew she wouldn’t get any more from Lin Yun. So after dinner, after helping clean up the dishes, Xiaolu quietly slipped into her own thoughts.

She stayed lost in thought while she showered. And while she brushed her teeth. And changed into her pajamas. And climbed into bed.

She was still thinking when she unlocked her phone, still thinking when she opened her game, still thinking when she tapped on the character named "Shucao"—a character she had long suspected was based on her mother.

"When I asked Veronica... she said it was because of me."

Murmuring to herself in the quiet night, Xiaolu whispered, "What’s so special about me anyway? I’m not talented, my personality’s a mess, I’m not as cute as Xia Liang, and now even my grades are worse..."

"Mom... what was your relationship with Veronica really like?"

"If it really has nothing to do with Dad, then why did I dream of Veronica holding me as a child that night?"

But no matter how many times she tapped the in-game voice lines, the virtual character wouldn’t answer her questions. All she got were generic greetings and battle shouts.

Her thoughts slowly spiraled into a blur. Eventually, she gave up trying to find answers and shifted her focus to other game stages.

Lately, her attention had begun drifting from Shucao to other characters. She’d even started nurturing different Magical Girls in the game.

And during those upgrades, she’d occasionally unlock special character stories—little personal side plots that marked deeper connections between the character and the player’s role as a “Fairy.”

So that night, Xiaolu casually tapped into a character’s story arc, skimming through it absentmindedly—until one specific scene caught her attention.

Two Magical Girls had a misunderstanding. One mistakenly believed the other had a crush on girls. What followed was an awkward and hilarious conversation.

The light teasing about same-sex attraction wasn’t important to the story. It was just comic relief.

But to Xiaolu, it was like she’d found the key to a locked door.

A scene that should’ve meant nothing suddenly connected all the dots in her mind. In that one moment, everything fell into place. A completely new possibility emerged.

Right. Why hadn’t she thought of it before?

She stared blankly at the screen, her heart still racing as the realization echoed inside her.

—What if the person Veronica liked was my mom?