Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 62: Rule Changes

Vol 2 Chapter 62: Rule Changes

"Anyway, based on what we discussed this morning, the previous agreement is now void."

That evening, at the base’s dining table, the Magical Girls had gathered after dinner. After a brief preface, Asou Madoka made the announcement: “Even if someone loses in the match, neither side will be bound by anything. Winning doesn’t mean you have to take the test, and losing doesn’t mean you can’t. If you want to take the test, take it. If you want to go home, go home. Yeah, sorry for the sudden change, but that’s the new plan.”

No one responded immediately.

Not just the Fangting City Squad—even the Bo’an City Squad, her own team—were staring at her in confusion. Clearly, none of them had figured out what kind of game Asou Madoka was playing.

Still, even if no one understood, someone had to speak up. Eventually, Xia Liang took the initiative and took on that role:

“Then... may I ask, if there's no longer a requirement to beat your squad in order to take the test, is there still a need for the matches?”

“Yes.”

The one who answered wasn’t Madoka, but Veronica, who had stayed quiet until now. “Treat it as a chance to understand the test’s difficulty and gauge the strength of your fellow Magical Girls. You've encountered too few Magical Girls so far. This is an opportunity for real combat—you shouldn’t miss it.”

Xia Liang glanced toward the Bo’an City Squad, thoughtful, then nodded at Veronica. “Got it. I’ll prepare seriously.”

“Good.” Veronica nodded back, then looked around at the others. “That’s pretty much it. No need to be so tense. If you have questions, just ask.”

As soon as she finished, Wood Lily raised her hand.

“Go ahead,” Veronica nodded at her.

“Can I choose my opponent?” Wood Lily blinked innocently.

Veronica neither confirmed nor denied, instead calmly asking, “In theory, I don’t have the authority to force you to fight anyone in particular—but can you explain why?”

“Because I’ve got beef with someone.” Wood Lily tilted her head slightly and glanced toward the Fangting City Squad.

Following her gaze, Veronica quickly figured out who she meant—her own daughter, Lin Xiaolu.

Her expression froze briefly, though the flicker of surprise was soon buried. She looked over at Lin Xiaolu, hoping this was all just a one-sided misunderstanding. But the moment their eyes met, her daughter glared back at Wood Lily just as sharply.

Yeah... definitely not a misunderstanding.

Realizing Wood Lily wasn’t bluffing, Veronica’s lips twitched.

She’d always had a sense that her daughter’s social skills were... lacking. But to not only not make friends in just a few days, but actually end up with two enemies out of three strangers? That was a new record.

Of course, that kind of commentary could only stay in her head. She couldn’t say any of it aloud right now. So she turned to Asou Madoka, hoping for some backup.

“No.”

Madoka’s reply was curt and to the point—two words, and Wood Lily’s proposal was shut down.

“Why not?” Wood Lily puffed up her cheeks in protest.

“Because that’s rude, dummy.”

Madoka sighed. “We’ll draw lots for opponents. No choosing. End of discussion.”

With Wood Lily's request vetoed, the next person to speak was Bai Ji, who had already half-lifted her hand—clearly, she had thoughts of her own about the arrangement.

“May I ask why the original agreement was canceled?” she asked once Veronica gave her the nod. “Based on what our instructor previously said, if next year’s exam is really dangerous, verifying our abilities beforehand should be necessary.”

Her tone was calm. “Of course, I’ll follow the mentor’s arrangements. I’m just asking out of personal curiosity.”

After two days to adjust, Bai Ji had regained the composure she lacked on her first night in Fangting City. If not for the fact that she and Lin Xiaolu still hadn’t exchanged a single word or glance, Veronica might’ve thought their issues had been resolved.

“Because after talking it over with your instructor, we decided that respecting the personal choice of the squad members matters more when it comes to the exam,” Veronica replied, clearly anticipating the question and well prepared.

“As long as you’ve accepted the risk, we have no reason to stop you. As for how dangerous the exam is... I’ll be going with those who take it. So there’s no need to worry too much.”

What Veronica didn’t say out loud was why she’d be going to the Kingdom herself, or how she’d guarantee their safety.

She couldn’t very well tell them she needed a fake identity as a test-taker in order to go along—and that she'd end up taking the test with them under that cover.

Not that she didn’t trust these kids to keep secrets—it just felt pointless to worry them with something they couldn’t help with anyway.

And really, just hearing that Veronica would personally accompany them was enough to reassure everyone. Not even the Fangting City girls questioned it, let alone the Bo’an City Squad.

That matter was dropped, and the last to raise her hand was Lin Xiaolu.

Well—“raise her hand” might be generous. Her forearms were flat on the table, and only one palm was lifted, half-hearted at best. She clearly wasn’t sure whether she actually wanted to ask.

When Veronica looked her way, Xiaolu even lowered her hand and looked away, pretending like nothing happened.

“You got something to ask?” Veronica’s sharp eyes didn’t miss the motion. She immediately sensed Xiaolu’s hesitation.

Caught, Xiaolu froze. Her mouth opened and closed for a moment, then she finally forced out a voice barely louder than a mosquito:

“...Did the agreement get canceled because...”

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that.” Veronica frowned, having only heard a few vague words.

“...It’s nothing.”

Xiaolu shook her head. “It’s not important. I don’t have any other questions.”

She lowered her gaze to the table, staring blankly at it.

Veronica, across from her, seemed like she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start. With no one else raising their hand, she could only sigh softly:

“Alright, that’s it. Meeting dismissed.”

Late into the night, under the high-hanging moon.

It was already 10 p.m., and the Magical Girls at the base were wrapping up their day—washing up, returning to their rooms, drifting into dreams.

For most Magical Girls, sleeping on time was a good habit. Ravagers often appeared at night, sometimes even deep into the night. If they stayed up too late, they’d be forced to fight in a groggy state after an incomplete sleep cycle—not ideal for battle.

Many of the girls lying in bed were troubled, their minds heavy, but exhaustion eventually won out and their eyes closed.

Only two rooms still had their lights on.

One of them belonged to Veronica. The reason she hadn’t slept? Simple—work.

Managing the enormous Countermeasure Bureau was no small task. Even though Lin Yun had delegated as much as possible, passing off the mundane and trivial to trusted staff, there were still plenty of things Veronica had to approve and decide personally.

A lot of it couldn’t be finished during the day. And Lin Yun didn’t dare work overtime at the bureau, so the files had to be brought back to the base and handled in the quiet of night.

The good news: since Hong Siyu’s return, the documents reaching her had already been filtered once, so the workload had lightened considerably.

Right now, Veronica was reviewing the last report for the day.

It was a logistics report detailing the usage and wear of Magical Equipment. As the direct supplier, she needed to verify it before submitting a request to the Investigation Bureau for repairs and replenishments.

Magical Equipment that gave Magicians the power to face Egg-tier Ravagers solo was a critical resource for the Bureau, and Veronica couldn’t afford even a single oversight.

Maybe it was because she was too focused, but she didn’t even notice someone had approached her desk.

There was no hostility, no detectable magic flow—nothing that would’ve triggered her senses. It wasn’t until the figure’s presence grew too obvious to ignore that she finally looked up from her documents.

Standing there was someone she hadn’t expected—Xia Liang.

Since the Moon Festival, and since she’d officially taken over as Director of the Bureau, Veronica had been swamped. Time with the girls had been scarce.

And Xia Liang... had been the one she spent the least time with.

Not by design—Xia Liang was just low-maintenance.

Unlike Lin Xiaolu, who was always stirring up trouble, or Bai Jingxuan, whose silence made her worrying, Xia Liang had been consistently worry-free.

Sure, she occasionally played harmless pranks, but compared to the other two? Practically an angel.

Her learning, her magical progress, her instincts—everything was on point. Veronica barely needed to teach her. So naturally, they didn’t interact much.

Which is why Xia Liang showing up like this now felt oddly nostalgic.

“Is something wrong?” Veronica set her files aside and spoke more seriously. “And next time, give me a heads-up before sneaking in.”

“Here.” Xia Liang pushed a teacup toward her. “Just made with boiling water—it needs a moment to cool.”

Only then did Veronica notice she’d brought tea.

“Thanks.”

She took the cup and lightly rubbed the rim—yep, still too hot to drink. “Having trouble with your training?”

“Nope.” Xia Liang shook her head. “I just felt like dropping by.”

“To see what?”

“Dunno. Do I have to have a reason?”

“...Not really.”

Veronica couldn’t quite get a read on her tone, but pulled out the spare chair from beside the desk. “Sit.”

That chair had once been used for study sessions. But ever since the Bo’an City Squad arrived, the base had seen more guests than lectures.

Xia Liang silently took the seat, sitting down beside her.

Then she just stared.

Veronica glanced at her.

The mood was... weird.

“Don’t you need to keep working, Junior?” Xia Liang eventually broke the silence. “You can ignore me if you want.”

“...Kinda hard to concentrate when someone’s staring at me.”

Veronica tapped the teacup, eyes half-lidded. “It’s late. Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“I’m not sleepy yet.” Xia Liang rested her chin on her hands. “But you look like you’ve got the words ‘I’m tired’ stamped on your face.”

“...Do I?”

Veronica touched her face reflexively. Her Magical Girl body wouldn’t sweat, so her skin still felt smooth.

“I don’t think it’s that bad yet.”

“You’ve been sighing more. You seem kinda down.”

“That’s fair.” Veronica didn’t deny it. “Thanks for your concern. But I’m not really feeling low—just some habits, I guess.”

The room went quiet again.

One girl looking, one looking down. Neither speaking, neither doing anything.

“Is Xiaolu okay?” Xia Liang suddenly asked. “I’ve seen her sneaking off to talk to Miss Asou a lot these days.”

“It’s fine. I’ve discussed it with Madoka.”

Veronica stared into her teacup, watching the blurry reflection ripple. “I need to learn to let go a little, not hold on so tight.”

“What about Xiaoxuan? Making her do one-on-one fights... Her Magical Armor really doesn’t suit that.”

“Bai Jingxuan... her strength isn’t the issue. Just focus on how she performs.”

“Feels like you’re giving her special treatment.”

“...I’m not.”

“Then why are you so confident in her?”

“Just talked with her, saw something special. You’ll understand soon.” Veronica was vague on purpose.

“Hmm? Oh.” Xia Liang could tell she wasn’t getting a real answer and didn’t push.

The tapping on the teacup continued, irregular and light. Outside, the bare trees shivered faintly in the night wind, whispering against the glass.

Xia Liang still cupped her cheeks, smiling faintly at Veronica. Then she asked softly:

“What about me?”

The tapping stopped.

The wall clock ticked on, clear and crisp, but oddly jarring in the suddenly still air.

Veronica finally looked up from her desk.

Now, she had no choice but to face the girl in front of her.