Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 68: The Competition Ends

Vol 2 Chapter 68: The Competition Ends

The blinding white light lasted for several seconds. During that time, except for Veronica and Asou Madoka, no one could make out what was happening inside the training field.

What happened within that light? What kind of clash took place between the two? Most people had no idea.

All they saw when the light faded was Lin Xiaolu still standing, and Bai Ji kneeling on the ground.

The Magical Armor in Bai Ji’s hand had unknowingly dropped to the side. Her magical outfit was charred and torn in several places, clearly showing that her magic had nearly been depleted.

But even so, she continued to glare at Lin Xiaolu with unwavering fighting spirit in her eyes.

Lin Xiaolu wasn’t in great shape either. She was still standing only because she had some magic left. The magic particles drifting around her body showed she had also been injured in the clash.

She rubbed her cheek with her glove, brushing away the lingering particles, and glared back at Bai Ji, expressionless.

Was the battle still going? Or had it already ended?

As the magical girls watching on whispered in confusion, Moko, standing at the center of the field, slowly raised a paw and declared loudly:

—“Second match, White Rose wins! We’ll now enter the intermission break!”

And so, this surprising upset match came to an end.

Even Asou Madoka, who had personally taught Lin Xiaolu the technique of Corruption, probably hadn’t expected such a result.

Maybe others couldn’t see what happened, but she had seen everything clearly through the white light—Lin Xiaolu had thrown her white magic like a projectile, and Bai Ji, after a brief hesitation, began to counter it immediately, using both spells and Magical Armor corruption to full effect. Her defense was airtight.

Yet she still got caught off guard.

Because Lin Xiaolu’s white magic seemed to pierce through space itself, passing straight through Bai Ji’s carefully prepared defenses and striking her directly.

It didn’t damage the Magical Armor, nor did it destroy the magic barrier. It just passed right through, as if those spells didn’t even exist.

That was why Bai Ji was defeated in a single blow. Her final magic reserves had gone into defenses that failed, and she took Lin Xiaolu’s corrupted attack head-on.

“What was that, sis?”

This time, it was her turn to ask Veronica, “Did you teach her that?”

“I don’t know that move. She figured it out on her own.”

Veronica shook her head. “She’s actually used it a couple times before, but it’s always been unstable, so we never factored it into her regular combat ability.”

“So… this is the ‘uniqueness’ you mentioned to me before about that kid?”

Holding her chin in thought, Asou Madoka scrutinized Lin Xiaolu in the distance. “A Deviant?”

“No idea,” Veronica replied flatly.

“That’s not the answer I want, sis. I shared everything about my ‘Corruption’ with you.”

Asou Madoka raised an eyebrow in dissatisfaction. “The match is over, no more holding back. With our relationship, is there really a need to hide something like this from me?”

“I’m telling the truth. I really don’t know.”

Veronica rolled her eyes at her. “I can’t confirm whether she’s a Deviant or not. Didn’t you sense it? That white magic didn’t show any signs of having a non–Magical Girl base color.”

“True, the base color does still seem like a Magical Girl’s… but it doesn’t feel like simple Corruption either. Were there different conditions involved? So strange.”

The troubled look on Asou Madoka’s face only lingered for a moment before it gave way to a smile. “Well, whatever. At least things are getting interesting.”

“Let me remind you—it’s fine to find things interesting, but don’t get any funny ideas about that kid,” Veronica warned.

“Of course not. I’m not Su Shengzi, after all. Besides, she’s Aya and…’s daughter, right?” Asou Madoka said teasingly.

As they chatted, Lin Xiaolu and Bai Ji, having finished their duel, finally released their transformations and walked out of the training field together.

Bai Ji walked ahead.

In her regular form, Bai Ji looked like a quiet and composed girl. Slim figure, calm expression, shoulder-length black hair, and neatly dressed—she fit the textbook image of a “model student.”

This “model student” kept her eyes downcast the whole way, staring at the floor. Only when she reached Asou Madoka did she hesitate and stop, slowly raising her head to look at her mentor.

“I’m very sorry, Mentor,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I lost.”

“Yes, you lost.”

Asou Madoka nodded. “So what?”

“I’ve disappointed you. I’m sorry.” Bai Ji lowered her head again.

“Then what do you think I should do now?”

“…Please reprimand me,” Bai Ji answered quietly.

“Well, you’re not wrong to say that… but I’m not disappointed, so I won’t criticize you.”

Asou Madoka smiled. “You did everything within your power. You weren’t careless, and you didn’t make any mistakes. You lost simply because your opponent was beyond your capabilities. I have no reason to blame you.”

“Then… for using Corruption against an unknown opponent, against principle, please reprimand me.”

“We already talked about that, didn’t we? So let’s call it water under the bridge. Just be careful next time.”

“Then…”

For some reason, Bai Ji trailed off.

Her shoulders trembled slightly.

Asou Madoka looked at her student helplessly and reached out to lift her head. But as soon as her hand touched Bai Ji’s shoulder, her smile froze—there was a flicker of surprise in her expression.

She realized—Bai Ji was crying.

“Sigh… why are you crying? Is it really that upsetting? Let me see.”

That surprise didn’t last long. She quickly recovered, smiling as she cupped Bai Ji’s face. “It’s just a loss, no one’s blaming you. Don’t take it so hard.”

But to her surprise, that only made Bai Ji cry harder.

If earlier it had just been quiet sobbing, now it was full-on wailing.

“So I’m… sob… really not worth your expectations…”

She cried as she spoke. “So you… sob sob sob… never expected me to win… You’ve been biased toward White Rose from the start… waaahhh!”

Her cries were heartbreaking—loud, raw, and miserable.

The other magical girls turned toward the commotion. The girls from Fangting City weren’t too surprised, but the two from Bo’an City were stunned.

To them, Bai Ji had always been mature and composed, a pillar of the younger generation. She never cried, never complained, always helping Wood Lily and Mimosa with their emotional struggles.

And now, here she was, sobbing uncontrollably in front of everyone?

Even Asou Madoka was momentarily stunned.

Instinctively, she reached out and patted Bai Ji’s back, trying to say something. But realizing it was probably her own words that triggered this, she froze completely.

After thinking for a while, she blinked and looked over at Veronica.

“Apologize,” Veronica said, arms crossed, her tone firm.

“Why?” Asou Madoka forced a laugh.

“No reason. It’s karma for trampling on someone’s feelings.”

Veronica lowered her eyes and said, “To her, your words sounded like, ‘I never believed in you to begin with. I thought your opponent was stronger. Losing is perfectly reasonable, so there’s no need for criticism.’”

“And you even gave her opponent extra tips before the match. You’re her mentor, yet you helped her rival. Of course she feels wronged.”

After laying it out clearly, Veronica nodded in satisfaction. “So, apologize.”

“Waaahhh—!”

Just as she finished speaking, Bai Ji’s wailing grew louder, as if to confirm everything Veronica had just said.

At this point, even Asou Madoka had to accept it—if not because Veronica convinced her, then because she’d realized it herself.

Rather than being persuaded by Veronica, it was more that Asou Madoka had come to realize it herself.

In her mind, Bai Ji had always been the well-behaved, dependable student—someone who understood things better than her peers and never caused trouble. So she never imagined this kind of emotional outburst would happen over something like this.

From the very start of the duel, Asou Madoka had thought that way.

Although Corruption was a technique she created, it was never kept secret. She taught it to many others, and it had basically become semi-public knowledge. Sharing it with others was, to her, just a small favor.

Even though she was the mentor of Bo’an City’s squad, letting the opposing team get a little edge wasn’t entirely unreasonable—it added challenge and helped with growth. From her perspective, this was a “rational” thing to do.

And given that their opponent was a Magical Girl with an unconventional, out-of-spec ability, it wasn’t shameful at all to lose. There was nothing wrong with laying out that fact.

All of her reasoning was “normal.” All her actions were “logical.” But she had completely overlooked one thing.

“You… really care about me that much?”

That was the one thing Asou Madoka had failed to notice.

To her, she had simply convinced Bai Ji to become a Magical Girl under a “hired mentor” arrangement and then taught her how to fight. Their relationship, as Bai Ji often said, was that of “mentor and student.” Friendly, trustworthy comrades perhaps, but not something that warranted such deep emotion.

It was that misperception that had shaped their interactions—a professional and detached style that lacked warmth.

In a way, she had overlooked Bai Ji’s feelings.

So she pursed her lips, reached out, and hugged Bai Ji, gently patting her head as she whispered, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

And this time, her apology came from the bottom of her heart.

Then, Bai Ji started crying even louder.

But this time, it wasn’t because of sadness—it was the long-buried emotions finally breaking free. The release of a deeply held grievance.

Now, it was up to Asou Madoka to comfort her. Veronica couldn’t help with that.

After all, she had her own little ticking time bomb to deal with.

“What a disgrace. Crying like that just because you lost. So embarrassing.” Lin Xiaolu, standing beside Veronica, commented coldly. She seemed to have forgotten that just a week ago, she’d locked herself in her room for an entire night after losing to Bai Ji.

Veronica hadn’t forgotten. But she also wasn’t about to rub salt in the wound, so she responded with a bland explanation, “It’s not really about losing. It’s more that she was ignored by someone she admires. That kind of hurt—it’s understandable.”

“Even so, getting that emotional in public…”

Maybe it was the thrill of her revenge victory, but Lin Xiaolu was getting a little carried away. She continued criticizing Bai Ji from a high horse—until she suddenly realized what she was saying. “…You’re right, I guess. I can sort of understand.”

“Feeling a little happier now? Beating the opponent who defeated you last time?” Veronica asked.

“Happy…?”

Lin Xiaolu looked toward Bai Ji, who was still sobbing her heart out in the distance. Whatever smugness had been on her face earlier seemed to fade a little. She paused, then let out a breath. “I guess I am happy? I mean, she was really arrogant before…”

Veronica turned her head slightly, watching her daughter intently.

It had been days since they last had a proper conversation—whether as Veronica, or as Lin Yun.

Lin Xiaolu had just scored a rare win. Though she looked tired from the fight, she clearly seemed more energetic than the moody, discouraged version of her from days ago.

Her usual anxiety over failing to awaken her Magical Armor… her fear of falling behind her teammates… those emotions hadn’t disappeared entirely, but for now, they had faded.

Still, Veronica couldn’t shake the feeling that, beneath all that, Lin Xiaolu was still deeply confused.

And somehow, that confusion had only grown stronger after this victory.

“…Veronica, I did it. Everything I’ve learned these past few days, everything I’ve trained for—I showed it all in that battle just now.”

After a long silence, Lin Xiaolu finally spoke again. “A lot of it is still pretty rough, but I hope you saw it all.”

“I did. Thank you. I saw it very clearly.”

Veronica spoke gently. “You’ve made huge progress. You fought really well today.”

“Really? That’s good.” Lin Xiaolu replied with a sigh of relief.

Then, after a moment’s hesitation and internal struggle, she asked, “So… can I ask you something? Veronica, how do you really see me?”

“How do I see you?”

The sudden, ambiguous question caught Veronica off guard. “I think you’re doing great.”

“R-Really?”

Lin Xiaolu’s voice suddenly jumped in pitch. “You really think I’m great? Th-then… great how?”

For some reason, her words were completely jumbled. She even seemed to trip over a few syllables like she bit her own tongue.

“Great how? Your control over magic has clearly improved. Your use and transition between basic techniques has gotten smoother. You’re reading your opponent’s attacks better and predicting some of their moves. Your dodges are lighter now—not as heavy-handed as before. All of that is clear improvement.”

Veronica listed her observations in a sincere tone. Even saying it out loud filled her with pride. “You’ve really worked hard. I’m proud of you.”

“…Oh.”

But somehow, instead of being happy, Lin Xiaolu suddenly looked deflated.

Did something go wrong? Veronica was momentarily confused.

Regardless, with Bai Ji’s sobs echoing in the background and Asou Madoka fumbling through her attempts at comfort, the inter-city match between the Bo’an and Fangting City Magical Girl squads had officially come to an end.

The final score was 2–1. Two points for Fangting City, one for Bo’an City. The winner: Fangting City.

The final point had been earned by Bai Jingxuan.

The last competitor from Bo’an—Wood Lily—was the only member of her team who hadn’t learned Corruption and was still at the Bud-tier. She had lasted barely a minute before Bai Jingxuan’s all-out, life-on-the-line fighting style and overwhelming magical power steamrolled her. She ended up lying flat on the ground, trembling, as she shakily raised the white flag.