Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 113: Lin Xiaolu’s “Plot”

Vol 2 Chapter 113: Lin Xiaolu’s “Plot”

“So, everyone, I’m sure you’re all clear on today’s main task, right?”

Standing in the small cottage’s open kitchen, Lin Xiaolu struck what she thought was an imposing pose, her hands on the cutting board, as she said, “Before Veronica gets back, we have to spend the whole day finishing all the desserts we need to make! Are you confident or not?”

“...I guess we are?” Xia Liang forced a weak grin.

“Of course we are!” Bai Jingxuan, on the other hand, chimed in enthusiastically.

It was already the next day. After buying the chocolate ingredients and magical tools the previous evening, and stashing the haul in secret from Veronica overnight, the three of them could finally discuss the plan openly.

Veronica had left a bit later than usual that day. She’d spent the morning making the three rookies review their written test materials, then sat alone at the desk poking at her phone for a good while, before finally tossing out a line: “I’ll be back later tonight, so make sure you get to the dining hall early,” and left the Caiyun Wetlands.

This setup meant the trio only had the afternoon and evening to prepare, but that clearly wasn’t going to dampen their enthusiasm.

They dragged out the stashed supplies from under the bed—these were what Xia Liang had hidden while Lin Xiaolu was goofing around during their return trip. There was the so-called “Universal Dessert Maker” magical tool from that dessert shop, along with a few vacuum-sealed ingredient packs.

Lin Xiaolu read the labels on the packages one by one, lining them up on the kitchen counter. Finally, from the very back under the bed, she pulled out a package that looked a bit different from the rest.

Unlike the chocolate ingredients, this package wasn’t just better sealed—it also felt cool to the touch, like it was kept at a stable temperature with some special technology.

Written on the outer layer of this package, in the same font but with completely different wording, were the words:

—Fresh Flower and Cream Mille-Feuille Cake.

Yes, this wasn’t chocolate, but a set of ingredients for making a cake, meant to be used with a magical tool.

And the reason they bought this package was because yesterday at the shop, Bai Jingxuan had secretly asked Lin Xiaolu a question:

“Sister Xiaolu, aren’t you going to send something to Uncle too?”

“My dad? Why?”

Lin Xiaolu, who’d been picking out a dessert maker at the time, hadn’t caught Bai Jingxuan’s meaning and just glanced at her in confusion. “Didn’t the shop say this holiday is Valentine’s Day?”

“Ah, no, I wasn’t talking about Valentine’s Day...”

Bai Jingxuan waved her hands, then hesitated before saying, “It’s just... tomorrow is also Uncle’s birthday, I think.”

“...Huh?”

My dad has a birthday? How come I have no memory of that?

That was Lin Xiaolu’s first reaction.

Oh, right, back when Mom was around, the two of them probably spent Valentine’s Day having their own romantic time together—nothing to do with me.

That was her second reaction.

Wait, so my dad didn’t just pop out of a rock or something, huh?

That was her third reaction.

Her mind raced like lightning, thoughts spinning a mile a minute. Lin Xiaolu felt like her brain had never worked so fast. And then, at the end of her mental rollercoaster, she finally landed on the real question:

“How do you know that?”

Yes, that was the question she ultimately asked.

Because she really couldn’t figure it out—how was it that her own dad’s birthday, something she herself didn’t even know, was known by a teammate in the same squad?

“Um... Uncle mentioned it to me before.” Bai Jingxuan lowered her head.

“Why the h*ck would he tell you that?” Lin Xiaolu’s eyes went wide.

Bai Jingxuan didn’t answer.

But her silence didn’t stop Lin Xiaolu from piecing things together. After all, she still remembered the nonsense she’d spouted at the end of last year—like how she’d tried to convince her dad to marry Veronica, or adopt Bai Jingxuan and even Xia Liang, so they could turn the Fangting City squad into her own little sisters’ club, and she could become the legal big sister, holding all the power...

It was just that, in hindsight, the whole thing was so embarrassing and cringe-worthy that she’d already decided to lock those memories deep away.

And from her perspective, she’d always thought it was just her running her mouth, and the other two had just listened without getting involved.

...Right?

But then, she remembered how Bai Jingxuan always seemed to have those random candies in her pockets—she’d often shared them with Lin Xiaolu, and the taste was actually pretty good.

The truth about those candies had come out on New Year’s Eve, when Lin Xiaolu had visited her dad’s office at the Bureau of Anomalous Attack Countermeasures, and realized that those candies were actually from Bai Jingxuan raiding her dad’s stash.

And it wasn’t just once or twice—just yesterday, when they went to the exam registration office, she’d seen Bai Jingxuan sneakily open a wrapper in line, clearly trying to hide it from her.

But Lin Xiaolu, being the magnanimous person she was, hadn’t bothered to make a fuss.

Now, adding in the fact that Bai Jingxuan knew her dad’s birthday, it was all too obvious.

With that, Lin Xiaolu reached out and pinched Bai Jingxuan’s cheeks.

—“So, I really do have a ‘good little sister’ who knows how to butter people up, huh...”

She gave a twisted grin as she tugged at Bai Jingxuan’s cheeks from side to side.

“Uuugh...” Bai Jingxuan knew full well that what she’d done wasn’t exactly proper from the perspective of Lin Xiaolu, the actual daughter, so she didn’t dare put up much of a fight.

“Sigh.”

But Lin Xiaolu didn’t push it too far. When she noticed the tears welling up in Bai Jingxuan’s eyes, and how she genuinely looked a bit upset, she let go of her and sighed.

“If I really had a little sister like you, I’d probably lose my place in the family in less than two years.”

“Uncle still really likes Sister Xiaolu,” Bai Jingxuan mumbled, rubbing her cheeks in relief. “He often asks me about you.”

“...Yeah, I know.”

Lin Xiaolu didn’t press her any further. Instead of choosing a dessert maker model, she turned her head and looked at another shelf by the entrance. There, on display, were ingredients for making desserts other than chocolate.

They’d glanced at these when they came in, but since their pocket money was limited and they were focused on chocolate at the time, they hadn’t grabbed anything else.

“How about we make a cake?” she suggested to Bai Jingxuan.

“A cake... why?” Bai Jingxuan looked confused.

“To celebrate my dad’s birthday, of course. Once it’s done, we’ll video call him and all wish him a happy birthday.” Lin Xiaolu said this like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“But... Uncle won’t actually get to eat the cake, right?” Bai Jingxuan looked a bit unsure.

“Eat, eat, eat—your brain is full of food, huh.”

Lin Xiaolu crossed her arms. “Listen up—birthdays are about blessings and celebration, not just eating cake! Once we celebrate over video, we’ll just mail the cake to the material world or something.”

“...Wouldn’t it be spoiled by then?” Bai Jingxuan still seemed fixated on whether Lin Yun would actually get to eat the cake.

Lin Xiaolu was momentarily at a loss for words.

Afterward, the two of them consulted with a shop assistant and learned that, actually, there was a service for that. Since the desserts from the magic realm were famous across multiple worlds, they were often exported to the material realm. To maintain their reputation, the magic realm even had specialized cold-chain logistics to ensure these desserts arrived on external tables in near-perfect condition.

With that, the technical problem was solved.

“So, tomorrow is Uncle Lin’s birthday, and you’re planning to make him a cake and celebrate over video?”

Xia Liang was the last to hear about the plan. Unlike Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan, she wasn’t too surprised when she found out about Lin Yun’s birthday. Instead, her reaction was a mix of mild surprise and a barely contained smirk—like she was enjoying the show.

“Pfft... I think it’s a great idea. Let’s do it!”

She half-covered her mouth, looking like she was about to burst out laughing.

“Let’s send chocolates to the little senior and make a cake for Uncle Lin. I’m sure they’ll both be touched.”