Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 119: Discount Coupons

Vol 2 Chapter 119: Discount Coupons

Mo He’s sudden declaration caught Veronica off guard.

Instead of responding immediately, Veronica quietly picked up a napkin and helped Mo He wipe off the mess on her clothes and hair.

Only after the last of the water stains were gone did she speak.

“Why?”

Mo He buried her face in the napkin for a moment. Once she had wiped off the jelly and cream stuck to her cheeks, she looked up.

“Because you’re a hero, Captain. You saved so many people. You shouldn’t be treated like this.”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the way I’m treated,” Veronica replied calmly.

“But...” Mo He clearly couldn’t accept this answer, but just as she opened her mouth to continue, a group of waiters arrived, interrupting her.

Although the commotion hadn’t attracted much attention, the restaurant staff had still noticed something was off, so they hurried over with cleaning supplies.

Mo He found herself surrounded by them, unable to get another word in, though she kept glancing at Veronica, her eyes full of unfinished thoughts.

Only after they’d thoroughly cleaned her clothes and even brought her a new parfait did she finally escape their circle.

But Mo He didn’t touch the parfait.

Her hands rested on either side of the glass, and her gaze stayed locked on Veronica.

“We’ll talk about this on the way back.”

But this time, Veronica refused her.

She tapped her spoon against the rim of her glass and tilted her chin toward the parfait in front of Mo He, her meaning clear.

“I’m not sure what you’re about to say, but I don’t think this is the place for it.”

Mo He’s empty hands clenched slightly, then relaxed again. Her expression barely changed, but her eyes—once wide open—dimmed, returning to their usual lifeless state.

“Got it,” she muttered.

The rest of the meal passed in an awkward silence.

Though both of them seemed to be focused on their desserts, neither of them really tasted much.

Veronica ate only the non-icy parts of her dessert before setting her spoon down. Mo He, on the other hand, drained all the liquid from her parfait in one go, then scooped the remaining jelly, fruit, and ice cream into her mouth like she was shoveling down rice.

Then came the moment to settle the bill.

When the waiter said the total—1,740 fae—Mo He’s face instantly turned white, and for a split second, she actually considered spitting the food back out and eating it again.

“Why is it so expensive?”

Even Veronica sounded surprised by the amount, so she asked.

“Well... the meal itself is 1,170 fae. The rest is for the replacement of the chilled sphere and the Flameleaf Knife. If you compare, we’re actually charging you below market price,” the waiter explained nervously.

“We’re not accusing you of anything, of course—it’s just a restaurant policy. If the equipment isn’t faulty and gets damaged by the customer during the meal, we have to add the replacement cost. That said, since we did mess up and got this guest’s clothes dirty, I’ll check with the manager to see if we can offer you some compensation.”

The waiter’s explanation didn’t make Mo He feel any better. But she didn’t just sit there either—she dug through her bag.

After a while, she pulled out a few crumpled, dirty pieces of paper from a pile of cream-stained bread she had stuffed in earlier.

“...What’s that?”

Not only the waiter but even Veronica was stunned by the sight. They both stared at Mo He in disbelief.

“Di-discount coupons.”

Mo He’s voice wobbled slightly. “A friend gave them to me. Said you could use them here.”

“Uh... but our restaurant hasn’t issued any discount coupons recently.”

The waiter forced a polite smile, took the papers, and examined them carefully.

After a moment, he bowed slightly and said, “I’m sorry. These are indeed our restaurant’s discount coupons... but they were issued seven years ago, and expired three years ago.”

Mo He’s face turned even paler—so pale it was almost bluish.

Veronica noticed and asked, “You don’t have enough money?”

“I spent too much earlier... I didn’t think dinner would be this expensive.”

Mo He lowered her head. “S-sorry, Captain.”

“...Will it help if I lend you a thousand fae?”

Veronica sighed and closed her eyes in exasperation.

“That’s too much. I still have a thousand,” Mo He replied quickly, shaking her head.

“The rest can go toward transportation for the next couple of days.”

Veronica spoke calmly, stood up, and handed the payment to the waiter.

Mo He’s shoulders trembled at those words. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

In the end, the restaurant reduced the total to 1,590 fae as a goodwill gesture, and after multiple apologies from the manager, the two of them finally left.

Outside, as they walked along the street, Mo He kept her head down.

Veronica, seeing she wasn’t going to speak, simply took out her phone and checked for new messages.

When they reached the parking lot and Mo He still hadn’t said a word, Veronica finally broke the silence.

“Whatever you wanted to say in the restaurant, you can say it now.”

Mo He didn’t respond.

Veronica looked away from her screen, puzzled. “What’s wrong? Did you forget?”

“...No, I didn’t forget.”

Mo He’s voice was quiet but firm. “I just... suddenly don’t know how to say it.”

“Suddenly?” Veronica locked her phone screen and looked at her.

“Because what I wanted to say was... the Kingdom shouldn’t treat you like this.”

Mo He stood by the entrance of the parking lot, her bangs falling over her eyes.

“Just because you refused the Royal Scepter’s appointment, just because you embarrassed the court, they banished you to the Material Realm forever, never letting you return to the Magical Kingdom... That’s just not fair to you.”

“So you knew.”

Veronica’s lips parted slightly. Her expression showed a hint of surprise, but not much.

“That information’s supposed to be confidential, you know.”

“I... I heard it from some of the higher-ups and the Seeders. Then I asked around.”

Mo He clutched the strap of her shoulder bag. “I even found your teammates here in the Material Realm to confirm it.”

“Who?”

Now Veronica was genuinely curious.

“Miss Sakura.”

Mo He answered honestly. “She told me it was true. But... she also said you didn’t want to see anyone from the Magical Kingdom anymore, so she didn’t let me meet you.”

“When was this?”

“Fifteen... maybe sixteen years ago?” Mo He wasn’t quite sure.

“I see...”

Veronica’s tone was neutral, her expression unreadable. “Then why did you seem completely unsurprised to see me here today?”

“...Because Captain, you were never in the wrong.” Mo He repeated her conviction without hesitation. “The Kingdom is the one that’s wrong.”

“Maybe I did something wrong without you knowing,” Veronica pointed out.

“No. Absolutely not.”

This time, Mo He’s voice was unusually firm. “You would never do something like that.”

As they spoke, they found themselves standing in front of Mo He’s car.

Veronica hesitated for a few seconds as she eyed the child-sized vehicle.

Her instincts told her not to get in—but in the end, her rational side, thinking this was a chance to get more information out of Mo He, won out.

“So... why did you say earlier that you ‘suddenly didn’t know how to say it’?”

As she opened the door and took her seat, Veronica turned to look at Mo He.

Mo He pressed her lips together, staring at the simple dashboard in front of her.

Her finger hovered over the fingerprint scanner as she started the car.

“Captain.”

She didn’t answer Veronica’s question right away. Instead, she asked her own.

“In your heart... do you still consider us... comrades?”