Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 133: Happy Birthday

Vol 2 Chapter 133: Happy Birthday

Lin Xiaolu's second video call came in not long after Lin Yun took his seat.

The bar wasn’t exactly quiet at this hour. It wasn’t deafeningly loud either, but definitely not somewhere you could call peaceful. Still, Lin Yun didn’t have much of a choice. He put on his earphones and tapped the screen to answer the call.

—"Ah, it connected… Hello, hello, can you hear me?"

As soon as the call connected, half the phone screen was covered by a hand blocking the camera, and Lin Xiaolu’s voice came through, “Why didn’t you pick up earlier?”

“Xiaolu?”

Instead of answering her question, Lin Yun pretended to be surprised, as if he had just randomly gotten this call. “Is that you?”

“Of course it’s me!”

Lin Xiaolu didn’t suspect a thing. As far as she was concerned, her surprise plan was flawless—her dad had no idea what she was up to. “So? Why didn’t you answer my call just now?”

“Sorry, Xiaolu. It’s kinda noisy here, I didn’t hear it.”

Lin Yun kept a straight face as he made up an excuse. “I left my phone off to the side and didn’t notice the screen.”

“Eh… It’s this late. Where are you anyway?”

She picked up on the background noise right away. “Still working? Or out socializing?”

“At a bar.”

He didn’t try to hide it—there was no point anyway. Better to be upfront than seem shady. “I was here to talk work with a coworker. But he had something come up and said he’ll be back later.”

“A bar? A coworker?”

That made Lin Xiaolu suspicious. “Don’t tell me it’s Hong Siyu? She asked you out on Valentine’s?”

“No, it’s someone else.”

Lin Yun was a bit stuck. “And it’s got nothing to do with Valentine’s or anything like that. We’re just here to talk work.”

“Not her? Then who is it? A guy or a girl?” Lin Xiaolu pressed on.

“…Obviously a guy.” Lin Yun sighed.

“Really a guy?”

She still seemed unconvinced, but quickly came up with another idea. “Oh! Is your coworker helping you celebrate your birthday?”

“Birthday? Hmm… I guess you could say that.”

Lin Yun figured it was best to go along with her at this point, so he continued to make something up. “Just a quick ‘cheers’ and a birthday wish while drinking. Nothing formal.”

“Hmph, I see.”

Lin Xiaolu nodded. “So, have you guessed why I called?”

“Why?” Lin Yun kept up the clueless act. “Didn’t you say earlier you were gonna send me chocolates? Are you calling to show them off?”

“Not that! It’s something about you! Of course it’s something about you!” she corrected him.

“Then what could it be? You ran into that Magical Girl from Fangting City? Your ex?”

“What? Why would I even run into her? I told you—it’s about you! I’m calling you!’”

Lin Xiaolu sounded exasperated.

“Hmm? Oh.”

Seeing the moment was right, Lin Yun finally acted like he had a realization. “Wait, is it because today’s my birthday?”

“Ding ding ding!”

Her voice jumped an octave. “Look what I got you!”

Lin Yun looked at the screen, but all he saw was the same hand still covering half the view. In fact, it was covering even more of the screen than before.

Even though he already knew it was a cake on the other end, there was no way he could see it through the phone, so he answered truthfully, “I can’t see it.”

“What? How? I turned the camera on!”

She started fiddling with her phone in confusion.

【Your hand’s in the way.】 Xia Liang’s voice chimed in from off-screen.

“Huh? Oh! Right!”

Lin Xiaolu quickly moved her hand off the camera and pointed the phone toward a nearby counter. “There! Should be fine now. Take a look!”

Just like she said, a cake appeared on Lin Yun’s screen.

It looked exactly like the one he’d seen before leaving Caiyun Wetland—except back then, it hadn’t been fully decorated yet. Now, it was the finished version.

The pure white cream was dotted with colorful petals, giving it a vibrant look. The sides were lined with square chocolate pieces that matched the floral patterns around them. On top of the cake were candles shaped like the number “37.”

Just like the number said—this marked Lin Yun’s 37th year in this world.

“The three of us made this together. What do you think? Pretty, right?”

Lin Xiaolu was clearly excited as she explained. “It took way more time than the chocolate. It was super hard!”

“Yeah… It’s great. Really beautiful.”

Even though the surprise had been spoiled ahead of time, seeing the birthday cake his daughter had made with her own hands still brought a wave of joy to Lin Yun’s heart. He stared at the screen, stunned.

Unlike the chocolate crown Veronica had given him, this cake was a gift from Lin Xiaolu, purely as a daughter to her father. That earlier moment had been filled with guilt, nostalgia, and emotion—but now, it was just warmth and comfort.

He could still remember her lying in a crib, or swaddled in his arms. That tiny child had somehow grown up—become thoughtful, and now even made him a birthday cake.

Lin Yun knew he hadn’t been the most qualified father. His own dad was irresponsible, lazy, and died young. So when he became a dad himself, he believed he had to be stricter, even if it cost their closeness—because he had to be responsible for her future.

Back then, he didn’t want her involved with magic at all. He didn’t want her to become a Magical Girl, or face those dangers. Even when Aya gently said, “Being a Magical Girl isn’t all bad—I’ll protect Xiaolu,” Lin Yun stood firm. He was determined to raise her into a model office worker.

So, whenever they were together, their conversations were always about school, grades, tutoring. Over time, even Lin Yun didn’t know how to talk to his daughter anymore, except to ask, “Did you finish your homework?” or “Why did you get such a bad grade?”

Eventually, the little girl who used to cling to him and love to be spoiled began to drift away.

And that—undeniably—was his fault.

He’d taken his own fears and avoidance of the Magical Girl world and dumped them on her. Even if it was for her safety, even if he didn’t want her involved in that life—he shouldn’t have been so forceful, shouldn’t have hurt her feelings like that.

He didn’t even realize it at the time. If it hadn’t been for Aya holding their family together, things would’ve fallen apart much sooner.

Then Aya passed away, and father and daughter hit rock bottom.

Only then—when he realized Lin Xiaolu was all he had left—did he begin to truly reflect. But by then, it felt like it was too late.

No matter how much he regretted it, no matter how sorry he was, the damage had been done. Their bond as family had frayed to the edge, and now, no amount of apologizing or making up could fix it.

He’d even resigned himself to it—to the idea that Lin Xiaolu would never want to be close to him again.

So, compared to those darkest days, this cake—and the glow of its candles—felt almost unreal.

“Thank you, Xiaolu.”

Lin Yun pressed his lips together and forced out a slightly awkward smile. “Dad… I’m sorry. For everything before.”

This had nothing to do with her being a Magical Girl. This was just a father speaking to his daughter.

“Hmm… Huh? What are you apologizing for all of a sudden?”

Lin Xiaolu scratched her head in confusion, then seemed to get it and pouted, “Oh, you mean the past? Well, the past is the past. I wasn’t totally blameless either.”

Just like Lin Yun, she was simply talking as a daughter would.

“I told you before—after actually becoming a Magical Girl, I realized some of the things you said and did weren’t entirely wrong.”

She stopped scratching her head and started twirling her hair. “If I hadn’t been lucky enough to meet Veronica, I might’ve already run into something dangerous… maybe even died. So… I get why you didn’t want to talk about it. Your worry wasn’t unfounded.”

With things said so plainly, both of them went quiet.

They were starting to patch things up, but they weren’t exactly close yet. To keep talking now would mean saying heartfelt, maybe even mushy things—and Lin Xiaolu clearly wasn’t ready for that.

Thankfully, the silence didn’t last long. She quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, by the way, the candles aren’t just regular candles.”

She awkwardly pointed toward the cake. “When we bought them, the shopkeeper said they were magical items. Something like… Heart-Cleaving spell?”

【It’s Astromancy.】 Xia Liang corrected her from off-screen.

“Right! Astromancy, and a bunch of other complicated stuff. Super high-tech. And the coolest part—”

She continued smoothly from Xia Liang’s prompt, “—is that the candles don’t need to be lit. They’ll light themselves and play a birthday song when the birthday person gets close.”

She moved the phone closer to the cake. “Let’s test it now!”

The screen was filled with just the cake.

Right then, a server brought over a tray and gently placed a glass in front of Lin Yun. “Your Silver Moon Spring Butterfly,” he said before walking away.

Lin Yun picked up the drink and took a sip. The mild alcohol carried a fresh lemongrass aroma, followed by a slightly sweet aftertaste that lingered pleasantly.

At the same time, Lin Xiaolu pulled the phone away from the cake and frowned. “It’s not reacting? Did I get scammed?”

【I’m pretty sure it won’t work through the phone…】 This time it was Bai Jingxuan chiming in.

“Won’t work through a phone? Then what’s the point of Astromancy?”

Lin Xiaolu didn’t give up. “Umm… Dad? Want to say something to it through the phone?”

“Heh, no thanks.”

Lin Yun wasn’t about to talk to a cake candle. He chuckled dryly. “I get it, sweetie. That’s enough.”

“But it won’t light up! What do we do now?”

Lin Xiaolu pouted. “You have to blow out a candle on your birthday!”

【You’re mailing it to him anyway. Just leave the candle in it—maybe it’ll light up when he gets it.】 Xia Liang offered a solution.

“Oh! That could work!”

Lin Xiaolu clapped her hands. “Okay, Dad, I’ll send it to Fangting City in a few days. Make sure you pick it up!”

“No need, really.”

Lin Yun gave a wry smile. “Too much trouble. You guys should just go ahead and eat it.”

“What? No way!”

Lin Xiaolu raised a brow. “We made it for you! What’s the point of a birthday if you don’t get any cake? I thought about this a lot—ordering one from a bakery in Fangting City would’ve been easy, but this? This has way more meaning.”

“Really, it’s fine. I’m at the age where I don’t crave cake. It’s a big one, and I wouldn’t finish it alone anyway. Just knowing you made it and called me is more than enough.”

Lin Yun smiled at the screen. “Instead of mailing it, I’d rather watch you all eat it. Seeing your faces while you eat will make me happier.”

“…What do you two think?”

Lin Xiaolu seemed slightly persuaded, so she turned to her teammates for input.

【I think we can leave a slice for Uncle and send it separately.】 Bai Jingxuan offered.

【Yeah, totally. Just make sure to save a piece for Senior. Then everyone gets some.】 Xia Liang added.

“I was already gonna save some for Veronica, duh.”

Lin Xiaolu rolled her eyes at Xia Liang, then turned the phone back to herself. “Okay, Dad. We’re really gonna eat it now, alright?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Lin Yun took another sip and raised his glass toward the screen. “It’s more than enough. Thank you. I’m really happy.”

“Alrighty, just like Dad said. Get the cake knife!”

Lin Xiaolu gave the command without hesitation.

“This one?”

Bai Jingxuan’s voice came closer as she walked into the frame, holding a plastic cake knife. “It was right here.”

“I already pulled it out when Uncle said we’d split the cake.”

Xia Liang appeared from the edge of the screen, slowly leaning in and smiling at Lin Yun. “Though honestly, I figured this would happen.”

Lin Xiaolu took the knife. Bai Jingxuan held the cake tray steady. Xia Liang picked up the phone and flipped it so all three girls were in the frame.

They exchanged glances, and as the knife came down, they smiled, laughed, and shouted in unison:

—“Happy Birthday!”