Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 64: Competition Day

Vol 2 Chapter 64: Competition Day

A week quickly passed after the Bo’an City Squad arrived in Fangting City.

Thanks to Veronica and Asou Madoka overseeing everything, there wasn’t much friction between the two squads, and the influence of the newly arrived team quietly dissipated without leaving a ripple.

At least, on the surface.

As for what was going on privately—what thoughts the girls were harboring, and what actions they were taking in preparation for the upcoming match—no one knew.

From Veronica’s perspective, she was only aware of the movements within the Fangting City Squad.

Following Xia Liang’s lead, Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan also expressed their desire to participate in the assessment and agreed to take part in the competition.

However, compared to Xia Liang, communication with these two proved to be a bit trickier. Lin Xiaolu seemed to be caught up in some unknown internal struggle; no matter how kindly or sternly Veronica tried to engage her, she would only bow her head and apologize, refusing any deeper conversation.

Bai Jingxuan, on the other hand, didn’t see anything dangerous about "taking the assessment" at all. And unfortunately, she wasn’t entirely wrong. Given her performance when Black Cinders Dawn went out of control, Veronica was actually more concerned for the safety of the other candidates.

With everyone’s intentions aligned, the only thing left was how to prepare for the match.

Lin Xiaolu, as agreed beforehand with Asou Madoka, was secretly training under Madoka’s guidance, seemingly trying to master a new technique before the competition.

Meanwhile, Xia Liang was learning some basic spell constructs from Veronica, currently focusing on studying Favored Runes. Every other day, she would report her progress.

As for Bai Jingxuan, after her recent birthday party, her obsession with becoming stronger seemed to have softened a little. Taking advantage of this, Veronica slowed down her magic training and instead began tutoring her on academic subjects.

This wasn’t a whim, but rather a plan Veronica devised after carefully evaluating the situation.

She hoped to find an opportunity to send Bai Jingxuan back to school.

On her birthday, Bai Jingxuan had told Lin Yun, "I want more people who care about me."

At the time, it was just an emotional statement, but from an objective standpoint, it gave Veronica another angle for helping Bai Jingxuan with her identity struggles.

Undoubtedly, helping Bai Jingxuan grow up more healthily—having her return to school, take on the identity of a “student,” a “child”—was far better than letting her remain immersed in constant battles with Ravagers.

If she could make friends at school, if she could have more people she cared about in her life, perhaps it would strengthen her sense of humanity and aid in controlling the beastly magic within her.

Of course, all this was contingent on Bai Jingxuan actually being able to enjoy her time at school.

Thinking of Xia Liang’s previous experiences—how she suffered because of her family situation—it was hard not to worry about how badly things could go if Bai Jingxuan faced similar problems.

After all, children's malice and exclusion often came without reason. Sending Bai Jingxuan back to school without any preparation would just be exchanging “battling Ravagers” for “battling social cruelty.”

So caution was necessary—extreme caution. From academic preparation, to investigating the school’s environment, the teachers, the administration’s philosophy, and whether a late enrollment would draw unwanted attention—all of it needed thorough checking.

Luckily, the academic term was already nearing its end. It was the second half of December; the semester was about to conclude, and the students would soon go on break. Now wasn’t a realistic time for enrollment, so Veronica still had time to think and plan carefully.

These considerations remained solely in her mind. She didn’t even explain them to Asou Madoka. And Bai Jingxuan, who was attending Veronica’s nightly academic tutoring, had no idea how much her “mother” was quietly worrying for her.

Time slipped by under this calm surface.

Soon enough, the promised day of the matches arrived.

It was Sunday again, and the location was the underground training room at their base. Considering the relatively limited destruction a match could cause, and the room's design with magic isolation in mind, it was actually safer than finding an outdoor venue.

As for the matchups, they were decided in a fair and impartial way: six slips of paper with numbers written on them were tossed into a box, and a fairy—Moko, who “self-proclaimed” herself as fair and just—acted as the official referee. Each contestant drew their opponent randomly.

The final matchups were:

• Little Viola vs. Mimosa

• White Rose vs. Bai Ji

• Bosetsu vs. Wood Lily

Surprisingly—or maybe unsurprisingly—half of the contestants looked rather displeased once the matchups were announced.

At first glance, Lin Xiaolu facing Bai Ji seemed like pure coincidence. But on second thought, given that at least two members of the Bo’an City Squad had grudges against her, whether they drew Bai Ji or Wood Lily, it would end up being a grudge match. Only a one-third chance would’ve avoided personal grievances bleeding into the duel.

As for the other two matches, there were no objections—well, except maybe from Wood Lily.

“Alright, contestants, take your positions!”

Floating in the center of the underground training arena, Moko held a toy microphone she had conjured from who-knows-where. She dramatically swept her gaze over the crowd and declared in a self-important tone, “Now, as the Seeder of Fangting City Squad and a representative of the Royal Court, I hereby announce: the exchange match between Fangting City Squad and Bo’an City Squad begins now!”

The announcement was met with a sparse scattering of applause.

Not fazed in the slightest, Moko continued at full volume: “Now, let’s go over the rules! Each squad has three members, fighting one-on-one based on the random draw. Three matches total. A win earns one point; a draw earns none. The squad with the most points wins!”

“Victory is judged by the following: if an opponent runs out of magic, becomes physically restrained, or otherwise loses the ability to continue; if an opponent is forced out of bounds; or if an opponent surrenders and the referee confirms it.”

“In addition! Since this is a friendly match, there’s a special rule: if both sides agree, you can limit the contest to a specific field or skill. Victory would then be judged based on technique, by our two senior Magical Girls!”

“Now, let’s welcome our first matchup—Little Viola versus Mimosa!”

This time, whether out of genuine enthusiasm or just politeness, the gathered Magical Girls applauded warmly.

Xia Liang looked relaxed as she smiled and made her way naturally to the center of the arena. On the other side, Mimosa seemed visibly nervous, clutching one sleeve tightly and shuffling over with her mouth pressed into a firm line.

Seeing both contestants ready, Moko wasted no time. She raised one paw high, still clutching the microphone in the other, and announced loudly: “Then, contestants ready—first match, start!”

As her voice fell, everyone’s gaze automatically shifted to the arena.

But strangely, neither contestant moved.

They didn’t transform. They didn’t even shift their stances. It was as if they hadn’t heard the announcement at all.

Of course, not transforming didn’t mean they didn’t want to fight. At least for Xia Liang, she simply didn’t know what to do.

Though she carried herself with confidence and ease, the truth was, this was her first formal duel against another Magical Girl. She wasn’t sure if she should charge straight in or exchange greetings first.

Her plan had been simple: react to whatever her opponent did. If Mimosa transformed, she would transform. If Mimosa greeted her, she would return the gesture before beginning.

But Mimosa… just stood there. Speechless. Motionless. Like a total newbie.

Which left Xia Liang standing frozen too.

After a while, when the two still hadn’t budged, Moko had to speak up again: “Ladies, the match has already started, you know.”

Still no movement.

Realizing this couldn’t go on, Xia Liang finally broke the silence, keeping her smile polite. “Excuse me, would you prefer to settle this under the special rule? Maybe compare skills?”

The timid girl across from her kept her head low, nearly burying her face in her clothes, her gaze darting around. There wasn’t a shred of fighting spirit in her posture.

Xia Liang honestly wasn’t even sure she would get an answer.

But unexpectedly, Mimosa responded immediately, her voice quiet but clear enough: “No need.”

That “no need” meant she was willing to fight.

Getting a direct answer, Xia Liang quickly followed up, “Then how should we start? A simple magic exchange first?”

“No need.”

This time, Mimosa’s voice was louder: “I became a Magical Girl a year before you. I’m your senior. So you can start.”

Everyone heard it clearly.

Even Xia Liang, who had initially been puzzled by Mimosa’s nervousness, now let her smile fade slightly.

Because those words didn’t exactly sound friendly.

Of course, trash talk was part of strategy in a competition, so Xia Liang wasn’t bothered. She simply realized: her opponent wasn’t as simple as she looked.

A Magical Girl constantly faced combat. Most were keenly aware of their own abilities—what enemies they could or couldn’t beat—thanks to accumulated experience.

So if someone dared to “go easy” on their opponent, it usually meant one of two things: either they had a clear measure of the opponent’s strength, or they had a trump card.

They were both Leaf-tier Magical Girls. Mimosa should know this too. There was no way she would drop her guard for no reason.

Which meant—she had something to rely on.

With that thought, Xia Liang silently finished her chant and transformed without fanfare, her wand raised and ready to attack.

Only then did Mimosa finally react, reaching into her pocket for her Heartstone and completing her transformation quietly.

In her transformed state, Mimosa looked completely different.

Normally, she wore long bangs that almost covered her eyes, and baggy gray hoodies with jeans—utterly forgettable.

But post-transformation?

Her outfit was… bold even by Magical Girl standards. A simple crop top with a bow, and a skirt so short it was daring even among Magical Girls, who were known for flashy costumes.

The color saturation was high too—mainly pale red, but with dramatic contrasts that made her look like an animated character.

Her hairstyle had changed as well: her bangs parted neatly to reveal vivid pomegranate-colored eyes, and her hair—now tied into twin tails with silk ribbons—gave her a completely new vibe.

The dramatic contrast made Xia Liang, who had been focused on strategizing her attack, freeze for just a moment.