Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 81: Hunting

Vol 2 Chapter 81: Hunting

Yuan silently locked eyes with Margaret.

She didn’t press further, only smiled meaningfully, then raised her glass to her lips and downed it in one go—a drink of an eerie hue.

After setting the glass down, she smacked her lips, seemingly savoring the taste, then commented with some disdain, “Awful. Tastes like someone dumped soy sauce in a glass of booze, then watered it down. No aftertaste either—it’s like the drink just vanished down my throat without leaving anything behind.”

Yet despite calling it “awful,” when she saw her empty glass slowly refill with the same liquid, she picked it up again and drained it in one gulp.

This time, the scorn on her face had shifted to understanding. She swirled the now-empty glass and added, “Rotgut.”

“I’ve noted your feedback. My apologies for not providing a beverage to your liking.”

Standing across from her, Margaret nodded gracefully, like a true bartender. “That’s a lapse on my part. Would you be willing to give me another chance to adjust your drink?”

“Oh? You’re offering to tweak it for me? In that case, how could I refuse?”

Yuan blinked, then smiled as if she truly accepted the offer, setting her glass on the bar. “Personally, I’d like something with a bit more kick—and preferably without all that muddled aftertaste...”

But mid-sentence, her tone shifted, the glass was withdrawn, and her voice turned cold: “...Do you really think I’d say that?”

With that question, the previously relaxed air grew taut. The quiet Domain was suddenly filled with only scattered whispers and soft, lingering music. But even the melody couldn’t cut through the cold tension—only amplified the awkwardness.

Margaret maintained her poised smile and didn’t respond.

Yuan didn’t mind the silence. She just kept talking to herself. “I’m not the kind to worry about poison. My insides are filled with Qi—they can isolate anything I drink. Poison has no effect on me.”

“But just now, to test a theory, I drank the liquor while wrapping it in Qi—and found something interesting. The drink never reached my stomach. It simply slid past my throat... and vanished.”

“And once it disappeared, my glass refilled. In other words, this so-called ‘bottomless drink’ has always been the same single cup.”

“That’s quite fascinating. One unchanging glass, in everyone’s hand, created under your Domain’s influence…”

She raised the glass again, letting the warm yellow lighting shimmer through the liquid. Staring at the swirling reflections, Yuan said with certainty, “This drink… isn’t just a symbol. It corresponds directly to my True Form, doesn’t it?”

Margaret’s expression didn’t change. “Or perhaps it’s just a bluff?”

“Bluff? I’ve long pondered what my True Form and magic might look like beyond this body. And the moment I saw this glass—I understood. This is the answer. This is what my True Form looks like.”

Yuan shook her head. “But if that’s true, then wouldn’t any change to this drink affect me in turn? Can you tell me the answer, bartender?”

“A brilliant deduction. You’re very close to the truth.”

Margaret gently waved her hand across the counter, opening her palm next to Yuan’s glass. “Unfortunately, it’s already too late for that answer to help you.”

The bar fell silent.

“Too late...?” Yuan’s eyes widened slightly as she processed the words—but before she could finish speaking, a wave of intense emotion burst from deep within.

Sorrow, pain, regret, despair… a torrent of bitterness flooded her mind, scattering her thoughts.

Unable to suppress the grief, she clutched her chest. Her heart felt like it had been ripped out—only suffocating pain and numbness remained.

At the same time, the drink before her began to change.

At some unknown point, a ghostly blue hue had seeped into the black-red layers of liquid, spreading through the entire glass like ink dropped into water.

For humans, emotions often influence physical response. And in Yuan’s case, the overwhelming sorrow rooted her in place like a binding spell. She couldn’t move.

“—Now.”

The bartender behind the counter withdrew her hand and gave the order.

In the next instant, the bar-like Domain lit up with an array of magical auras.

The first to strike were Veronica and Hong Siyu, both recovered from their injuries.

This was the moment Yuan had made Margaret use her Flourish.

Margaret’s Flourish, “Mix of Emotion and Spirit”, evolved from “Burning Passion”, granted her precise control over the liquid magic within glasses—just like crafting a cocktail.

By infusing emotions into the drink, Margaret could discard her own emotional state and tailor the effects of the drink’s magic as needed.

She could combine healing and defense like mixing potions for optimal positive effects—or stack fire, lightning, and other offensive properties for devastating attacks.

More importantly, this “bartending” wasn’t limited to her own drink.

Using her Domain, Asou Madoka could project everyone’s True Form into a drink—and thus manipulate the magic within their cups.

Once a drink changed, so too would the person’s True Form—regardless of whether they drank it or not. That was the terrifying core of her power.

Earlier, she had “remixed” Yuan’s drink, altering her emotions and plunging her into a storm of sorrow.

The effect wouldn’t last long. The more magic a person had, the shorter the influence. But in battle, even a moment was enough to determine victory.

Veronica’s thread transformed into a dagger-shaped Masterpiece, while Hong Siyu’s spell burst forth—both attacks aimed straight at Yuan, who still hadn’t moved.

Only when the attack was mere inches away did she blink—regaining a sliver of clarity.

Her fingers clenched around the glass. In the span of a heartbeat, she twisted her body, guiding her internal Qi along a familiar path to shield her vital points.

Then, a surge of magic exploded from her body, blasting away both Veronica’s dagger and Hong Siyu’s spell.

Narrowly blocking the assault, she prepared to purge the lingering emotions clouding her mind—only to realize she had no time.

The next wave had already begun.

The bartender tilted her glass, splashing its contents toward Yuan.

Each drop moved with uncanny precision, fanning out into a liquid net that descended from above, covering Yuan’s position.

She had to react instantly.

But her dulled emotions slowed her response. Only at the last second did she surge forward at blinding speed, narrowly escaping the net of liquid.

But she wasn’t safe.

In the paths ahead, she saw them—thin, glowing blue threads, nearly invisible, stretching in every direction like a web.

Veronica’s work, no doubt.

These threads weren’t strong, but their coverage was immense—designed to block Yuan’s escape no matter where she ran.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t threaten her. She could easily slice through them with her weapons—or even her body. Especially in her Flourish form.

But not now.

She had forced her body to move blindly and hadn’t expected the web ahead. Even weak threads, when hit at high speed—

—would feel like being slashed.

That was exactly what Yuan had been trying to avoid—and what Veronica’s team had planned for.

She had to stop it.

She tried to summon her Qi, to weaken the magical threads—channeling internal energy was faster than any physical reaction.

If she succeeded, the threads would soften, and she wouldn’t get hurt…

…Right?

Yuan’s thoughts froze.

Her Qi wasn’t responding.

Then came the realization—the release. Of course. This was exactly the ability she had been wary of all along.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the small blue-haired girl hovering nearby, blank-faced, standing atop the glowing magic web. Her fingers were entwined with countless threads, which wove the trap around Yuan.

More importantly, behind her stood a quiet girl with a massive book open behind her—and in her hand, a faint, spectral Tailoring Scissors.

The moment the threads touched Yuan, she used them as a medium to briefly cut away the concept of Qi from her body.

The trap was sprung.

Like a cornered beast fleeing from guns and spears, Yuan had run headfirst into a snare long prepared by hunters.

The black-red cocktail in her glass looked like it had spilled—a finger’s width disappeared in an instant.

Her magic rose like ashes into the air, the surrounding black mist visibly shrinking. Threads wrapped around Yuan, binding her until she dangled, firmly trapped midair.

Until now, Yuan had relied on speed to avoid injury—she’d barely taken any hits.

Now, she was completely exposed.

The fight wasn’t over yet.

The threads binding her weren’t strong. If she could shake off her emotions, she’d break free instantly.

But she didn’t get the chance.

Beneath the web stood the remaining six Magical Girls—each ready, with magical weapons and spells aimed at her.

This was the moment to finish it.

Whether they could hurt her didn’t matter—Veronica had said it clearly: “Just land a hit.”

Gazing at the colored lights forming below, Yuan blinked—then grinned with wild delight.

“Perfect coordination!”

A roar from her soul erupted alongside the girls’ spells.

Her remaining magic surged. Even without Qi, the momentum alone pushed her power to the limit, outshining the encroaching lights.

As she shouted, she forced down the emotional fog—and swung her weapon.

She accepted being at a disadvantage, but not defeat.

No matter what, she would break out.

Her speed peaked. The mist became afterimages. Countless weapons stabbed from the phantom’s hands—as if they were her own.

Fast. Incredibly fast.

Yuan’s figure overlapped with the storm of weapons. In that instant, they all swung toward the web around her.

SLASH!

It sounded like a storm had descended. A tidal wave of blades. Dozens—hundreds of slashes—in an instant, shredding the threads and even the bar’s roof.

The blue threads burst into fragments. Glowing particles of magic rained like stars, revealing the night sky beyond.

Bathed in that starlit downpour, Yuan held her blade, breathing heavily. She looked toward Veronica and smiled coolly.

Veronica didn’t smile back.

She simply waved her hand, letting the broken threads fall away. Then returned the phantom scissors to Hong Siyu and tidied her hair.

Finally, she raised a hand behind Yuan’s back—and waved.

Yuan suddenly realized something was off.

She turned—and saw six different colored magic trails rising from her feet, stretching toward the mountaintop in the distance.

They had never intended to fight her head-on.

The energy, the charge—it was all for flight.

While Yuan was clearing the web, the young Magical Girls had already bypassed her and were heading to the summit.

“…How did you know which way to go?” Yuan turned back, asking Veronica helplessly.

Veronica simply raised her sleeve, revealing a faintly glowing purple-black crystal.

Yuan recognized it at once—Beast Core, one of her targets.

“I borrowed it for now. Since it’s infused with Ravager magic, it makes a decent tracker.”

Veronica tucked it away and winked, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.