Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 72: On Duty

Vol 2 Chapter 72: On Duty

The Countermeasure Bureau was noticeably quieter on New Year’s Eve than usual.

Per the request of the current Bureau Director, Lin Yun, a good number of staff were scheduled to remain on duty this year. Still, Lin Yun wasn’t the type of leader who couldn’t stand to see his employees relax, so most people were allowed to go home and celebrate the New Year.

Those who stayed behind were mostly combat personnel. Even if they weren’t high-ranking Magicians, they at least had some spellcasting ability. A handful of administrative staff were also kept on hand to maintain minimum operations—just enough to respond to any emergency.

Of course, to reward these staff and somewhat make up for their sacrifices, working the night shift on New Year’s Eve came with a bonus equal to a full week’s salary. On top of that, they were treated to a rather lavish dinner in the cafeteria—a small comfort for missing a family meal.

Whether that compensation actually worked or if people were still quietly grumbling about it—Lin Yun didn’t really have time to worry.

Because right now, he was eating his dinner in the Countermeasure Bureau too.

With a blank expression, he bit into the fish on his tray, chewing as he mentally reviewed the night’s schedule.

According to his plan, the first thing he needed to do was make the rounds as Bureau Director—check that all departments were operating smoothly, staff were present, and show that he too was on duty.

After that, he had to temporarily leave the Bureau and return to the Fangting City Magical Girl base as Veronica, to fulfill the expectation that “Veronica attends the New Year gathering.”

Then he had to rush right back and be in his office as Lin Yun when the clock struck midnight. The reason was simple: Lin Xiaolu was still here. There was no way he could be gone for long.

Yes—he had ultimately failed to come up with an excuse to turn down Lin Xiaolu.

Or rather, deep down, he was happy she asked in the first place, no matter what the reason behind it was.

After finishing his meal, Lin Yun returned his tray and utensils to the cleaning window, then headed back to the food counter. He received several stacked takeout boxes from a smiling chef and neatly packed them into a tote bag he’d prepared ahead of time. Without delay, he left the cafeteria.

On the way, a few passing staff greeted him with nods, and he returned each one. Among them was a now-familiar employee—Tian Sheng.

Compared to when he first joined two months ago, Tian Sheng no longer had the green air of a rookie. Probably because of the intense battle experience he’d gained, there was now a noticeable edge to him.

That wasn’t a bad thing. In such a dangerous field, only those who could adapt to combat would last.

After a brief chat with Tian Sheng—no more than half a minute—Lin Yun stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the floor of the Director’s Office.

A few minutes later, he pushed open the office door, the heavy tote in hand.

Inside, a girl in a puffer jacket was lounging in a chair, one arm raised as she tapped away on her phone. Her cheeks were puffed slightly, clearly chewing something, and she mumbled unintelligibly from time to time.

Even when the door opened, she didn’t stop. Only when Lin Yun set the bag down on the desk with a loud thump did she reluctantly tear her eyes from the screen.

“You’re so slow.” Her first words were blunt as ever.

Hearing that, Lin Yun didn’t hold back. He reached out and smacked her lightly on the head. “I got here fast. Now eat, before it gets cold.”

Just like he’d told Lin Xiaolu at home, in order to avoid showing up in the Bureau with family, he didn’t bring her to the cafeteria. Instead, he brought the food back to the Director’s Office.

There were three reasons for this. Aside from the obvious need to be cautious in case the Bureau had been infiltrated again, he also didn’t want rumors like “the Director’s celebrating New Year with his daughter” spreading among employees.

More importantly, many in the Bureau had previously seen the Director’s “daughter”—a quiet little girl with shoulder-length hair who looked like she was still in elementary school.

Yes, Bai Jingxuan had nothing better to do than wander into the Bureau, yelling “Dad!” at Lin Yun without restraint. The word had, unsurprisingly, gotten around—albeit in limited circles.

Even though everyone who knew the truth told others not to spread it, those others would inevitably pass the story on to their closest coworkers.

This technically violated Bureau rules about bringing family on-site, but no one could actually stop Bai Jingxuan from entering. Even Lin Yun couldn’t do much about it after her birthday—he’d ended up just turning a blind eye.

Which led to a serious problem: if Lin Yun were to bring Lin Xiaolu into the Bureau, anyone with eyes would notice the “Director’s daughter” wasn’t the same person they’d seen before. That could spark all kinds of misunderstandings.

To avoid that headache, Lin Yun told Lin Xiaolu to stay put in the office. If she wanted a tour, she’d need an escort he could arrange later.

And that brought them to the present scene.

After taking the boxed meals, Lin Xiaolu turned off her phone and set it aside, but didn’t start eating.

“What’s wrong? No appetite?” Lin Yun asked.

“Nope. Eating candy,” Lin Xiaolu mumbled, puffing her cheek and pushing the candy to one side so he could see it.

“Where’d you get that?”

“From the drawer.”

She sounded completely justified. “I like this brand. One of my squadmates always gives it to me.”

“Bai Jingxuan?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“She gets it from me.”

“Oh, she gets it from you... Wait, what?”

Lin Xiaolu looked up in surprise. “Why from you?”

“Well, I have a lovely daughter who kept pestering me to adopt her teammate. Did you forget?”

Lin Yun said flatly, “So she found her way to me.”

He didn’t need to hide this. It was, after all, something Lin Xiaolu had started. And Bai Jingxuan had long since let it slip herself.

“Ah... that.” Lin Xiaolu immediately remembered spreading those wild rumors around the Fangting Squad—that “Veronica and my dad are a thing.” Her toes curled from secondhand embarrassment. Her voice dropped.

Back then, she was convinced that Veronica’s kindness meant she was trying to be her stepmom. That belief had spawned a whole series of ridiculous conclusions. Now that she’d cooled off, she realized how absurd it all was.

Veronica was way too perfect—a regal, aloof Magical Girl who carried herself like a princess. No way she was some love-struck airhead making sacrifices for romance.

In fact, with her constant “the world owes me” expression, it was hard to imagine what Veronica being in love would even look like.

So why would someone like that stay for her?

Thinking that, Lin Xiaolu visibly sank.

Across from her, seeing his daughter retreat into some silent, moody internal spiral, Lin Yun tapped her food container. “What now? I told you—eat before it gets cold.”

“...Oh.”

Jolted out of her thoughts, she looked up at Lin Yun, then slowly nodded.

As she reached for her meal, she bit down and crunched through the candy in her mouth.

Crack.

The faint snap of sugar echoed in her mouth. The sharp-edged candy dissolved on her tongue and slid down her throat. As she savored the lingering sweetness, her glazed eyes slowly regained focus.

Then she suddenly remembered something.

“She brings this candy every few days,” she murmured.

“Yeah, she stops by pretty often.”

“Huh?”

Lin Xiaolu’s voice shot up several octaves. “Every few days?”

“Yeah. I haven’t adopted her, but as Bureau Director, I can still give her some life advice and talk Magical Girl stuff.”

Lin Yun nodded. “She’s usually polite. Chatting with her isn’t a big deal.”

“You’re my dad!”

Lin Xiaolu stared at him in disbelief.

“I am your dad. What’s the problem?” Lin Yun looked confused.

“I don’t even get to visit the Bureau every few days!”

She grabbed her chopsticks and banged them on the desk. “You’re always saying no family in the Bureau, but she gets to come around all the time and act all cutesy? She’s totally clinging to you!”

“...That’s a little subjective.”

Lin Yun looked away. “She just drops by now and then to chat, that’s all…”

“You think I don’t know what she’s up to?”

Lin Xiaolu glared. “She’s the same at the base! Always hanging off Veronica, saying stuff that makes everyone jealous, hugging and calling her ‘Mom’—it’s sickening! Now she’s doing the same to you?!”

This time, Lin Yun turned his face all the way away.

Because yes—she was right.

Bai Jingxuan had been extra clingy lately.

If Veronica was around, she stuck to her like glue. Helping with everything, politely asking for hugs or head pats... and when Veronica was gone and she had no patrols, she’d come hang out in the Director’s office, talking about random little things.

If that wasn’t spoiled behavior, then Lin Yun would really be lying to himself.

But he knew where it came from.

For Bai Jingxuan’s emotional well-being, he’d promised to be someone she could rely on—someone she cared about.

And because of that promise, both he and Veronica had become people she could act spoiled with. This was the natural result.

“...You could come too, if you wanted.”

Thinking of this, Lin Yun couldn’t bring himself to argue anymore. He changed the subject awkwardly. “I didn’t know you were interested in the Bureau.”

“I’m not interested. I just don’t have time to visit like she does.”

Lin Xiaolu huffed. “Between working as a Magical Girl and going to school, where would I find the time?”

“Well, maybe during holidays—”

“Holiday? I’d rather be at the base.”

She widened her eyes. “You know if this keeps up, Veronica’s gonna get completely stolen by her! There’ll be no place for me in the squad!”

“Cough, cough...” Lin Yun choked.

He really should have known.

Because that’s what Lin Xiaolu told him the other night, under the pretense of asking for advice.

To her, Bai Jingxuan was a massive threat—constantly drawing Veronica’s attention, leaving less and less room for her.

She’d felt this crisis brewing ever since Bai Jingxuan joined the squad, but only recently had it reached the point where she couldn’t stay silent.

Not only was Bai Jingxuan improving at an insane pace, but she had one huge advantage over her—she could shamelessly demand love and affection.

Compared to Bai Jingxuan’s constant hugging and pampering, Lin Xiaolu was envious but didn’t dare to mimic her.

Because deep down, she worried that Veronica’s care came from a sense of obligation—a legacy of her mother, Aya.

That worry had grown stronger since her victory in the match against Bo’an City.

If Veronica’s love came from maternal duty, then demanding more of it might only push her away.

So instead, she thought: maybe she should be stronger and more independent—more like Aya. That might make Veronica proud.

She’d asked Lin Yun about it, but he couldn’t give her a clear answer.

He couldn’t very well say, “You’re my real daughter, so stop worrying.”

Unable to speak the truth, he could only play the neutral counselor role—offering vague advice like “maybe you should talk to her directly” or “try to be more confident.”

All of which completely missed the point.

“It’s New Year’s. No point going over this again. Just eat.”

In the end, he could only steer the topic away again.

Of course, that didn’t mean he had no ideas—but the real work had to be done by Veronica.

To Lin Yun, the key was helping his daughter regain confidence.

If Lin Xiaolu didn’t believe in herself, even hearing “you’re special” from Veronica would mean nothing.

After all, Veronica had said that before.

Winning that match against Bo’an City had been the starting point. It gave her the courage to confront this insecurity.

Now, she just needed more victories—more moments to feel seen.

That would be Veronica’s next job: to help her believe she was worthy of being chosen.

And so, silence returned to the Director’s office.

Lin Xiaolu quietly ate her meal, lost in thought. Lin Yun remained deep in planning. Their shared silence became a kind of unspoken understanding.

This atmosphere lasted until Lin Xiaolu finished eating. After a while, she was the first to break the stillness:

——“Where’s the restroom?”

She stacked the empty boxes and stood, clearly planning to take them with her.

“Restroom? Closest one’s out the door, turn right, go to the end, then left, walk about 30 meters and look to your right,” Lin Yun answered instinctively.

“Got it.” Without another word, she picked up the boxes and walked out. Her footsteps echoed down the hall, slowly fading.

The tense atmosphere finally eased.

Without the pressure of a tough conversation, Lin Yun let out a long breath. After tidying the desk, he returned to his seat.

Being on duty didn’t mean no work. He could definitely handle another batch of files.

——Knock knock.

Just as he picked up a stack of papers, the door to the Director’s Office was knocked.

Was Lin Xiaolu back already? That was fast.

The thought crossed his mind, but he didn’t dwell on it. A quick scan with his Magic Threads detected no abnormal magical presence.

“Come in,” he called out.

The door opened.

And the person who walked in was neither unfamiliar nor entirely known to Lin Yun.

One thing was certain—it wasn’t Lin Xiaolu, and this visitor had no reason—or right—to be here.

“Hey, happy New Year, Director Lin.”

The one who entered was none other than Yuan, the Claw Mark officer who had previously met—and even fought—both Lin Yun and Veronica.