Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 31: Morning Trivia

“None of your business.”

Lin Xiaolu turned her face away, seeming somewhat resistant to Lin Yun’s questioning. After a brief pause, she glanced back at him.

“And speaking of being late—aren’t you the same?”

“This time was just an accident.” Lin Yun fastened his tie and picked up his briefcase. “I was working until the early hours of the morning. Normally, I wouldn’t let this happen.”

“Then it was just an accident for me too.”

Lin Xiaolu mumbled, “I got home late, and then I had to train… I mean, do my homework. I just slept too late, that’s all.”

Lin Yun simply stared at her, and Lin Xiaolu side-eyed him in return. The father and daughter locked into an awkward standoff for a long moment—until, ultimately, the father was the one to back down.

“…At least go brush your hair properly.”

With a helpless expression, Lin Yun turned and walked toward the kitchen, carrying his briefcase.

“What do you want for breakfast? Instant noodles? Bread? Or should I just boil a couple of eggs?”

“Huh? Breakfast?”

Lin Xiaolu raised an eyebrow in surprise, then frowned in confusion.

“At this hour?”

“I’ll drive you to school.” Lin Yun shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of a dining chair.

“No way, I don’t need you to. Just go by yourself.”

“What if you’re late?”

“…Then I’m late.” Lin Xiaolu sounded a little guilty but remained stubborn.

Is this kid seriously planning to fly to school?

Does she even realize how flashy her magic looks when she flies? It’s practically a fireworks show.

Lin Yun put down his things and simply looked at his daughter for a while before shrugging expressionlessly.

“Fine. But at least brush your hair first. I’ll boil the eggs.”

“I said I don’t—”

Lin Xiaolu was about to refuse again, but then her eyes widened as if realizing something. Her grip on the doorframe tightened slightly, and her tone softened.

“…Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll go, alright?”

Reluctantly, she turned and walked toward the bathroom.

From Lin Yun’s perspective, Moko suddenly flew out of her room and hovered by her ear, whispering something in a low voice. Almost instantly, Lin Xiaolu’s attitude softened.

Looks like Moko understands her better than she does herself.

That guess wasn’t wrong. In fact, it was spot on.

“Moko, what did you mean just now?”

As soon as she entered the bathroom, Lin Xiaolu lowered her voice, her expression dark as she glared at the floating Seeder beside her.

“What do you mean ‘even a frivolous girl could fly to school, but not me’?”

Last night, even after her Magical Girl training session had ended, Lin Xiaolu’s responsibilities weren’t over—she still had homework to finish.

Normally, that was just her problem. But ever since she met Xia Liang, there had been another idle presence beside her whenever she tried to study—one who constantly tried to convince her to ditch her work and play video games instead.

Ever since that night when Xia Liang had declared she was running away from home and ended up crashing at Lin Xiaolu’s place, she had gotten into the habit of shamelessly showing up at dinner time. According to her, the meals cooked by their housekeeper, Auntie Liu, were way better than the ones at her own home.

Judging by how things were going, if she weren’t worried about leaving a bad impression on Lin Xiaolu’s parents, she probably would’ve tried to sleep over more often too.

Lin Xiaolu didn’t exactly like studying, but she refused to associate with the kind of “frivolous girl” she imagined Xia Liang to be. So the more Xia Liang pestered her, the more determined she became to finish her homework.

And when she was done, she even grabbed her untouched review materials out of sheer spite, preparing herself for the upcoming finals.

Regardless of the results, she had studied all the way until dawn.

The consequence? She had overslept, bumped into Lin Yun, and was now standing in the bathroom, yawning nonstop as she combed her hair.

“It’s your own fault for not learning Magic Landing yet.”

Hearing Lin Xiaolu’s irritated question, Moko’s feline face twisted into a teasing smirk.

“Xia Liang mastered it in two days. And someone—someone—hasn’t managed to learn it in two weeks!”

“…Xia Liang?”

Lin Xiaolu’s grip on the comb tightened instinctively. Her expression turned odd as she looked at Moko.

“You two sure are getting along lately.”

“Meow-haha! Of course! Xia Liang is sweet, adorable, and a genius. We were meant to be best friends from the start!”

Moko clutched its chest dramatically.

“She even says I’m smart and reliable!”

“…I get the feeling you’ve just been completely taken in by her sweet-talking.”

Lin Xiaolu half-lowered her eyelids, unimpressed.

It wasn’t surprising, really. Xia Liang loved Moko’s adorable appearance and often treated it like a pet—holding it in her arms and showering it with compliments.

Meanwhile, even though Lin Xiaolu had been with Moko for much longer, their relationship had been strained ever since that night when Veronica had cornered Moko and forced it to admit it had lied to her.

Since then, she had never given Moko any friendly treatment.

And so, all the affection Moko had missed from her had been more than made up for by Xia Liang—perhaps even excessively so.

No wonder it was always “Xia Liang this” and “Xia Liang that” now.

“That’s just jealousy and bias talking!”

Moko shook its head, trying to set the record straight.

“Building a good relationship with your Magical Girl is a core part of being a Seeder!”

Then, it smirked triumphantly.

“Wait, Xiaolu… are you jealous? Do you feel threatened by Xia Liang’s talent? Do you want me to come back to you instead?”

“Jealous? Of what?”

Lin Xiaolu clicked her tongue and turned her attention back to the mirror, trying to fix the stubborn cowlick sticking up on her head.

“Jealous of a clueless dimwit like you?”

“D-Dimwit?!”

Moko stiffened, then flew behind her and smacked her with its paw.

“That’s a terrible thing to say! And I did teach you a lot of things, okay?! I just don’t know much about how Magical Girls train or fight, that’s all!”

“Would an ordinary Seeder be that clueless?”

Lin Xiaolu side-eyed it.

“Of course, they—uh…” Moko paused. “I mean, they do know, but my case is a little… special…”

“So you’re basically a fraud who got thrown into this last minute?”

“Can you not use such harsh words?”

“Oh, right. A runaway refugee from the Magic Kingdom, then.”

“Wait, that sounds even worse—”

“You tricked me into becoming a Magical Girl and called me a genius, and now you insult me for being slow?”

“…Ugh.”

Overwhelmed by the sheer resentment in her voice, Moko finally backed down.

“Okay, okay, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that. Don’t be mad, alright?”

“A perverted little fairy that rubs its face against girls’ chests when they hold it.”

“HEY!”

“A suspected fugitive wanted for corruption and embezzlement.”

“That’s defamation! Xiaolu, you’re a mathematically illiterate science dunce!”

“What—! A deceptive little fraudster of a fairy!”

“A flat-chested, stunted midget!”

Not far away, in the dining room, Lin Yun retrieved the boiled eggs from the pot, cooling them in water.

Grabbing a glass, he reached into the fridge for a carton of milk.

As he set breakfast on the table, he turned his head toward the bathroom, listening to the muffled sounds of bickering inside.

“…What the hell is going on in there?”