Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 48: In the Spotlight

Vol 2 Chapter 48: In the Spotlight

“A fated encounter?”

“Between me and her?”

The sudden comment from the quiet girl was like a stone thrown into still water, sending ripples through everything. Both Lin Xiaolu and the blonde girl gasped in surprise and immediately exchanged bewildered glances.

Staring at the blonde girl who looked vaguely familiar, Lin Xiaolu instinctively shook her head, dismissing such a ridiculous idea. Just as she was about to speak up, a sudden burst of applause and cheers erupted from the venue nearby.

The noise broke their conversation and drew their attention. Both turned toward the open main entrance of the concert hall.

Curious, Lin Xiaolu stepped up to the entrance and peeked inside. She first took in the sea of people, then glanced at the stage under the spotlights—and to her surprise, a familiar figure was standing right there:

—Veronica.

---

Veronica had been called up to the stage under the title of “lucky audience member” after receiving a flower crown.

If she had a choice, she wouldn’t have accepted such an unexpected gift under the spotlight—much less step onto the stage for such an awkward reason. But unfortunately, by the time she realized this might’ve been a premeditated move by Asou Madoka, it was already too late.

The moment she took the flower crown, all eyes turned to her. Everyone wanted to see who this “lucky one” really was.

And when the crowd realized it was just a young girl who had received it, the rowdy atmosphere quickly took a turn—people started joking around. Some asked Veronica if they could take a look at it, others offered to trade it for candy... The frenzy of overly enthusiastic fans surged forward, even scaring Bai Jingxuan a little.

Just as the situation seemed on the verge of chaos, Asou Madoka, having finished her previous song, didn’t move on to the next track or step offstage. Instead, she looked in Veronica’s direction and spoke into the mic with a bright smile:

“Thank you all for coming tonight. This is my first time performing in Fangting City here in Donghua Province, and I didn’t expect the city to be this warm and welcoming. Honestly, I’m a bit overwhelmed!”

“And just now, I noticed the little fan who caught the flower crown seems really excited, like she has something to say. Let’s welcome her on stage, shall we?”

As soon as she said that, the fans below cheered enthusiastically. Even those who had been trying to trade for the crown had no choice but to give up and clap awkwardly after hearing her refer to the girl as a “little fan.”

The center of all this—the so-called “little fan” holding the crown—opened her mouth slightly in disbelief.

“Excited”? Since when had she shown any such emotion?

Veronica had no idea what Asou Madoka was planning, but as someone who had been her teammate for years, she knew full well how offbeat the “pop diva” on stage could be.

If she had to label each original Fangting City Squad member with a personality tag, Madoka’s would definitely be “confident”, or more accurately, “self-centered.”

If something made her happy or benefited her—even if it inconvenienced others—Asou Madoka wouldn’t hesitate to enjoy it first.

Unlike Su Shengzi, another free-spirited teammate who was completely absorbed in her own world and oblivious to outside opinions, Madoka always acted with deliberate intent—she simply chose to go her own way regardless.

That’s why Veronica couldn’t tell what Madoka’s real goal was now.

But with the spotlight on her, there was no room to run. Under the worried gazes of Bai Jingxuan and Xia Liang, she walked onto the stage with drooping eyes and approached Asou Madoka.

Standing under the glaring lights, Veronica raised a hand slightly to block the beam and looked at the woman before her—for the first time in over a decade, she finally saw her old friend up close again.

Yet Margaret wasn’t looking back at her. Still smiling, she kept interacting with the audience instead.

Following her gaze, Veronica looked down at the crowd. The roars of excitement rolled toward the stage like black waves in the night, threatening to engulf the isolated island that was the stage itself. Just standing here would make most timid people’s legs give out.

In the front rows—close enough for Veronica to make out their faces—the fans stared up at her with admiration and hope glowing in their eyes.

Am I being treated like a fan rep? Veronica sighed inwardly.

Clearly, these fans were expecting her to say something on behalf of all of Fangting City’s fans—words of welcome, admiration, enthusiasm...

But the truth was, Veronica wasn’t a fan. If one were to rank fans based on how much they adored “Mary,” she’d be all the way in the back row.

Feeling the weight of their expectations, Veronica glanced at Asou Madoka again—only to see her finally turn and look at her too. With a friendly wave to the crowd, Madoka gestured for them to quiet down, then, like a big sister, handed Veronica the mic. Her movements were perfectly polished, and her signature pop idol smile was still in place—a flawless mask that revealed nothing of her true feelings.

Apparently, Asou Madoka had no intention of saying anything more onstage, or acknowledging their connection. She was even pretending they didn’t know each other—which, oddly enough, made Veronica feel slightly relieved.

So she took a deep breath, composed herself, and quickly made up a speech from a “fan” perspective. After rehearsing it mentally, she opened her mouth and forced herself to say:

“Ma... Mary, welcome to Fangting City. Everyone really... likes you. We hope you’ll like Fangting City too.”

Madoka dramatically took two steps back and covered her mouth as if overjoyed. “Really? You really like me?”

Veronica kept a straight face and grunted, “Mm.”

Madoka turned the mic to the audience, cupped her hand around her ear like a playful girl, and asked:

“Did she mean it?”

“Yes!” the fans shouted in perfect unison.

“Thank you! I’m so happy!”

Flashing a dazzling smile, she winked and added, “Thank you all! I love you the most too! So here’s a special gift for you—your favorite song: Sophia’s Love Letter!”

As the last syllable left her lips, the band kicked off the intro, and the blinding white spotlight softened into a gentle pink.

Then, while the prelude was still playing, Madoka gently took Veronica’s hand and led her to the edge of the stage. Still wearing that insincere, professional smile, she said:

“Of course, I like you too.”

“Huh…”

Veronica barely had time to react. She chuckled awkwardly, pretending to accept it as a polite reply.

But before she could do anything else, Madoka suddenly leaned in—and Veronica felt a soft touch on her forehead.

It only lasted a moment, but she instantly knew what it was. Her entire body stiffened.

It was a kiss.

A kiss on the forehead—an action that looked like a sweet gesture from a big sister to a little sister, so innocent the crowd didn’t think much of it.

Of course, that didn’t stop jealous fans from shouting wildly, or idol-crazed fans from screaming in joy. That single act nearly brought the house down.

The cheers even reached outside the venue, snapping Lin Xiaolu back to reality from her conversation with the mysterious trio.

That was when she saw the whole scene unfold.

---

Eventually, the concert had to end. After several hours of high-energy performances—and three encores—Asou Madoka’s tour in Fangting City finally came to a close.

Even then, many fans lingered in their seats, still basking in the thrill of it all.

That wasn’t surprising. This was the final stop on her tour. Once this concert ended, there wouldn’t be another show for a long time. Everyone here knew that, which made them even more reluctant to leave.

Veronica, however, was not one of those fans.

In fact, she could hardly wait to storm backstage and drag Asou Madoka out to demand an explanation—or at the very least, figure out what the heck was going on in her head.

A simple kiss on the forehead might be nothing... probably nothing—but doing something like that in front of a crowd was a whole different matter. What was the point of it? Just some twisted sense of fun?

Holding onto Bai Jingxuan and Xia Liang, Veronica walked out of the venue with a serious expression. She quickly spotted Lin Xiaolu in the crowd. After Lin Xiaolu had said goodbye to Jiang Yuan, Veronica grabbed her and stormed toward the inner area of the venue.

Having seen everything unfold from the beginning, Xia Liang had already guessed what was going on, so she simply followed Veronica with interest. But Lin Xiaolu, clearly still confused, couldn't help but ask:

"Where are we going?"

"To find someone," Veronica said without even turning her head.

"Who?" Lin Xiaolu blinked in puzzlement.

"The one who was just singing on stage." Veronica’s tone was flat.

"That singer? Why?"

Lin Xiaolu picked up her pace to keep up, catching up to walk beside Veronica. “Did you notice something suspicious on stage?”

"...Sigh."

Veronica let out a soft sigh, though it wasn’t clear what for. “It’s not that there was anything suspicious. It’s just—I know her. Actually, I came to this concert today just to confirm her identity.”

“Huh? Ah! So that’s what this is about?” Lin Xiaolu exclaimed, finally catching on.

“Exactly. The star of today’s concert, that singer named Maruo Asou, is actually our senior.”

Now that Veronica had confirmed it, Xia Liang finally spoke up to explain to Lin Xiaolu: “She used to be a Magical Girl in Fangting City. She was one of our senior’s teammates.”

“So she’s one of Veronica’s teammates… Wait, how do you know that?” Lin Xiaolu looked at her, confused.

“Honestly, it wasn’t hard to guess. Besides, your dad showed us an old photo of the Fangting City squad.”

Unbothered, Xia Liang explained casually, “Didn’t you notice that the singer looked just like one of the girls in that photo?”

“You even remember something like that?”

“Heh. You need to keep your eyes sharp for things around you.”

As the two chatted about these trivial things, they followed Veronica into the inner area of the venue—the backstage zone where staff members were now taking a break.

A narrow corridor stretched toward the rear of the stage. Several labeled dressing room doors were shut, and a few security guards in uniform stood along the hall, looking serious as they kept watch.

“Excuse me, I’m here to see someone.”

Veronica stepped forward and dropped that bombshell of a line.

Seeing a few young girls suddenly show up in the staff area and spout off something that sounded like obsessed fan talk, one of the security guards looked confused and moved to stop them. But before he could say anything, another guard pulled him back and whispered something.

After the whisper, the first guard still looked unsure, but said nothing more. He hesitated for a second, then simply nodded at Veronica and let her through.

With her sharp hearing, Veronica naturally picked up on the whisper: “Miss Mary said if any little girl in a weird outfit comes looking for her, just let them in.”

Not bothering to argue with security, Veronica led the three girls further inside. Soon, they found the door marked with the name “Maruo Asou.”

But even more noticeable than the name on the door were the three girls standing casually by the wall in the hallway.

They looked to be about the same age as Lin Xiaolu and the others, but more importantly—Veronica recognized every single one of them. They were Magical Girls from Bo’an City.

She had briefly worked with them before when investigating the missing Investigation Squad in Bo’an.

Just as Veronica recognized them, they recognized her. One girl in particular—a blonde—instinctively covered her forehead as soon as she saw Veronica, as if recalling a rather unpleasant memory.

Of course, it wasn’t just Veronica who recognized them. Lin Xiaolu also reacted, realizing right away that these were the same three girls she’d encountered earlier in the hallway—no wonder they looked familiar.

“What are you guys doing here?” she blurted out.

“Us? We’re staff here. But what about you? What are you doing here?”

The blonde in the middle shot back, though her confidence faltered the moment she saw Veronica. Her voice weakened as she continued, “Wait, why are you with…”

She trailed off mid-sentence. Whether she forgot Veronica’s name or just didn’t dare say more wasn’t clear.

Seeing her get stuck, the bespectacled girl next to her sighed and stepped forward, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder before addressing Veronica directly.

“Hello, Inspector, long time no see. I’m White Thistle from Bo’an City. Are you here to see our mentor today?”

“Your mentor is?” Veronica asked.

“Our mentor goes by the alias Margaret,” White Thistle replied after a brief pause. “She said you’d be familiar with that name and instructed us to let you know to wait outside if we saw you.”

“She’s a Magical Girl from Bo’an too?” Veronica followed up.

“Our mentor… not exactly,” White Thistle replied respectfully. “But that’s not something we students should speak on. You’ll have to ask her yourself.”

“What’s there to hide? She’s just got her name on the books at Bo’an,” the blonde finally muttered. But she was quickly silenced by a sharp glance from White Thistle.

This seemingly random and disjointed conversation left Lin Xiaolu completely baffled. She had no idea how Veronica suddenly knew these “strangers” so well, nor how they all seemed so familiar with Magical Girl business.

She looked at the three girls in front of her, then turned to Xia Liang for help—only to find that Xia Liang also looked a little lost. Helplessly, she tugged on Veronica’s sleeve.

Veronica glanced at her with a mildly exasperated look.

“All right, let’s shelve the other stuff for now. Introductions first.”

Understanding what Lin Xiaolu was trying to say, Veronica turned and gestured to her companions. “These are the current members of Fangting City’s Magical Girl Squad.”

Then she turned back toward the Bo’an girls and gestured toward them. “And these three are from the neighboring city, Bo’an. I met them when I took a business trip over there.”

With that, the girls finally started to understand what was going on. Not just Lin Xiaolu—even Bai Jingxuan and the quiet girl from Bo’an had that look of sudden realization.

—“Ah, I see now. Nice to meet you.”

“Hi there!”

Naturally, greetings followed. Xia Liang and White Thistle led the way as the girls exchanged polite, if slightly awkward, hellos.

White Thistle was formal, the blonde casual, the quiet girl murmured softly, Xia Liang was friendly, Bai Jingxuan earnest.

Each had her own way of saying hello.

And then there was Lin Xiaolu.

Once she realized these mysterious girls were actually Magical Girls from the neighboring city, it finally clicked—why the blonde had looked so familiar.

She figured out who the girl was, and, without even saying hello, she pointed at the blonde and blurted out:

—“Ah! You’re the one who bathed in Ravager slime!”