Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 130: Borrowing a Car

Vol 2 Chapter 130: Borrowing a Car

Running toward the exit of the Wetland Park, Veronica gripped her phone tightly as she tried to figure out where to go next.

Staying at the Wetland Park was out of the question. As one of the most distinctive hotels in the Emerald District of Luennore, both its exterior scenery and the design of its scenic-view rooms were way too unique—anyone who had ever been here would immediately recognize it. If she answered a video call here, she'd be exposed for sure.

But not picking up the video call wasn’t an option either. She had just barely mended her relationship with Lin Xiaolu, and her daughter had even planned to bake a cake to celebrate her birthday. If she dodged the call at such a critical moment, all her efforts would be for nothing.

So, she had to find a place—somewhere she could discreetly transform, continue to pass as Lin Yun, and where the video call background wouldn’t raise any suspicion.

The streets of the No-Magic Zone and the Emerald District were no good. Like the Wetland Park, those areas were far too culturally specific to the Kingdom. Ordinary shops and restaurants might work, but it was already late at night—most regular places were likely closed. Nightclubs and bars might be open, but taking a video call in that kind of setting would just create a new kind of trust issue with Lin Xiaolu if she got recognized.

So what now? Should she head into the No-Magic Zone to look for an open store? Or fly straight to the Jade Archive and hope Emerald would lend a hand?

She could only pick one. Lin Xiaolu wouldn’t take long to finish the cake. Even if Xia Liang tried to buy her some time, it wouldn’t be much. She needed to decide quickly.

The research institute? Or the No-Magic Zone?

The benefit of the institute was that Emerald would likely help her out. But then again, was it really appropriate to trouble her with something this trivial? Would it come off as demanding too much from a collaborator? And even if she swallowed her pride and flew there now, it’d take time just to arrive. On top of that, she'd have to deal with the institute's perimeter guards and wait for her request to be relayed through several layers of protocol... Could she really meet Emerald before the cake was done?

The No-Magic Zone, on the other hand, was much closer. If she jumped down from the Emerald District, she’d land there in about five minutes. The problem was, as mentioned before, she wouldn’t be able to use magic there and would have to move around on foot. Finding a building that met her needs in time would be a gamble—unless she could get her hands on a vehicle suitable for the No-Magic Zone.

A car?

A sudden flash of inspiration stopped Veronica in her tracks.

Yes, she did know a way to get a car: Mohe’s car was parked right at the entrance of the Wetland Park, and she was staying here too. Veronica could try borrowing it.

Sure, there were lots of uncertainties—would Mohe even be willing to lend her the car? Had Mohe’s companions already returned to the Wetland Park, and would they be easy to approach? What if Mohe was already asleep?

Still, this plan seemed more reliable than counting on the research institute’s staff to relay messages quickly—or banking on her own luck wandering the No-Magic Zone on foot.

Even if she got turned down, it wouldn’t be a huge loss. Better to ask than run around like a headless chicken. It wouldn't cost her much time.

With that, Veronica turned on her heel and headed toward the location she remembered Mohe staying at.

As it turned out, her luck wasn’t bad. When she arrived at the scenic-view room Mohe had checked into, the lights inside were still on, their glow spilling out through the visual-blocking ward and illuminating the surroundings.

Mohe was still awake—half the communication battle was already won. Veronica stepped up, traced a few Favre runes into the air, and sent the finished spell into a nearby receiving device. Then she stood at the door and waited.

She’d left in such a hurry that she hadn’t grabbed the new jacket she’d bought earlier. All she had on was a thin undershirt. The early spring night breeze, which she hadn’t noticed while running, now made her shiver a little. She pulled her shirt tighter around her.

After a while, the visual-blocking spell lifted, and a figure emerged from inside the room, gradually coming into view.

It was a girl with chestnut curls, about the same age as Lin Xiaolu—or Mohe, for that matter. She was wearing a plush cartoon-animal hoodie pajama set, her face bleary with sleep.

“Who is it?”

She rubbed her eyes as she shuffled to the doorway, a streak of drool still marking her round face, a clear sign she’d just woken up.

There was no doubt—age was a tricky thing to judge with Magical Girls. But this girl had a certain childlike innocence, the kind you only saw in the truly young ones. That made her come across as an actual child.

“Sorry for disturbing you so late. May I ask if Mohe is here?”

Guessing that this might be one of Mohe’s juniors, Veronica bowed politely and asked, “I’m a friend of hers, and I need to speak with her.”

“Mohe... who?”

The curly-haired girl yawned and looked at Veronica with sleepy confusion. “You must have the wrong place. I don’t know anyone named Mohe.”

“You don’t?”

That caught Veronica off guard. She instinctively wondered if she had gotten the wrong place. She thought back to where she’d gone with Mohe yesterday, but after a moment of review, she was sure—this was definitely the right cabin.

So what was going on? Had Mohe made a mistake yesterday? Or had she moved to another room?

Just as Veronica was debating what to say next, another figure appeared behind the girl.

But it still wasn’t Mohe.

It was a slightly older girl with waist-length platinum blonde hair and a pair of sharp, upward-slanting eyes that gave her an unapproachable vibe. She wore a high-end lace nightgown and walked up beside the curly-haired girl, glancing in Veronica’s direction.

“Who is it?” she asked in a slightly raspy voice.

The moment their eyes met, Veronica felt an inexplicable chill from those icy golden irises.

Not that it mattered whether her gaze was pleasant or not—what mattered was that Veronica recognized her. Even though her face had changed quite a bit, there was no mistaking it.

Heidi Abimeer—that was her name. As a Magical Girl, her codename was Tulip.

Veronica knew both her codename and her real name for a very specific reason: twenty years ago, she had met her when she was just a girl.

Because Heidi was the daughter of Myerona Abimeer, codename Lycoris, the former corps commander of the Luennore City Defense Force.