Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 41: Late Night Home Visit

On the Day of the Parent-Teacher Meeting

On the day of the parent-teacher meeting, Lin Yun noticed Xia Liang standing alone under the library's porch.

It was purely by chance.

Had he not been thinking about his daughter’s studies after the meeting, prompting him to glance toward the library while passing by, he would never have realized that Xia Liang was standing there alone, wearing an expression completely different from her usual self—one filled with gloom.

That moment made him decide that he needed to find time to properly understand Xia Liang’s situation.

After all, though he had only known Xia Liang for a month as Veronica, he had already sensed that there was something unusual about this child.

Her subtle attitude when they first met in Electric Avenue; her personality, which was completely different from how Lin Xiaolu described her based on school gossip; the way she hesitated when talking about "running away from home"; and the lonely expression she wore while standing alone at the parent-teacher meeting…

All of these signs pointed to a single fact: Xia Liang’s relationship with her family didn’t seem to be ideal.

Thus, today happened. Using the study session as an excuse, Veronica decided to visit Xia Liang’s home.

Xia Liang’s home was also in Fangting City’s Sunset District, located in an old residential complex at the edge of the Third Ring Road. It was said to have been built more than twenty years ago.

She didn’t want to fly, and Veronica didn’t question it—she simply followed behind her in silence.

Once they passed through the community gate and turned a corner, a row of six-story residential buildings, weathered by time, came into view.

The distance between buildings was quite large, and the housing structures were old—perhaps making it convenient to install external elevators for easier maintenance?

As she gazed at the buildings, Veronica found her thoughts drifting and quickly shook her head, pushing those unnecessary ideas away.

Following Xia Liang through the stairway, the two soon arrived at her home.

“Come in.”

Xia Liang opened the door, flicked on the light at the entrance, and gestured toward Veronica.

“There are plenty of slippers at the door that no one uses. Just pick any pair, Little Viola.”

Looking down, Veronica saw that there were indeed several pairs of neatly arranged slippers, varying in size.

No one else lives here?

A sense of doubt crept into her heart, but she didn’t voice it—she simply nodded toward Xia Liang.

After changing into slippers and stepping into the living room, the entire home’s layout became clear.

The space wasn’t large—while it was a typical three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, the overall area was relatively small.

The furniture and decor were somewhat old, but the house was clean and neatly organized, giving off a simple and warm atmosphere.

The only strange thing was that—perhaps due to certain living habits—there were almost no household appliances in the home.

There weren’t even the usual white appliances, and the living room didn’t have a television either. A TV cabinet sat against the wall, but the only thing on top of it was a vase.

The absence of these things made the house feel lifeless, lacking a sense of human presence.

Without voices, the home was engulfed in silence, with only the fluorescent light on the ceiling emitting a faint humming sound.

“Would you like some tea?”

Standing by the dining area’s tea cabinet, Xia Liang asked with a cheerful smile.

“No need.”

Veronica continued to look around absentmindedly, responding casually.

“Then, are you planning to rest right away?”

Xia Liang blinked.

“If so, you’ll need to take a bath first, though heating the water might take some time.”

“It’s not that urgent…”

Veronica remained distracted.

“Where would you like to sleep?”

Before she could finish speaking, Xia Liang interrupted her again.

“There’s an empty room available. The bedding has been washed and changed, but if you want to sleep with me, that’s fine too.”

“I’m used to sleeping alone.”

“Eh? But since you’re already here, wouldn’t it be nice to sleep together? I’d actually really like that, Little Viola.”

“No need to trouble yourself. I’m just staying for the night.”

“Then I’ll go prepare the bed in the empty room?”

“That’s not necessary for now.”

“Ah, then why don’t you sit down first?”

“...Little Viola.”

Cutting off Xia Liang’s string of relentless questions, Veronica looked at her calmly and asked bluntly:

“There’s no one else in your house, is there?”

One sentence plunged Xia Liang into silence.

In truth, her incessant questioning, even interrupting Veronica, was an attempt to change the subject—an escape.

She had already guessed what Veronica was going to ask. She just didn’t want to talk about it.

Her smile didn’t fade, but it became stiff and unnatural. After a long silence, as if resigning herself, that customer-service smile finally collapsed into helplessness.

“They’re not here.”

“What do you mean by ‘not here’?” Veronica frowned.

“‘Not here’ means not here. They don’t live in this house anymore, and they will never come back.”

Her expression was complicated as she gazed at Veronica, who remained silent, watching her closely.

The buzzing of the fluorescent light overhead was still present—so loud that it became irritating.

“Hu—”

After a moment, Xia Liang averted her gaze, leaned against the sofa, and let out a long sigh, as if setting down a burden.

“So, Little Viola, you came here just to confirm this, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

Still processing the meaning of the word "not here," Veronica responded bluntly.

“What made you notice?”

“Was it because of our conversation at Xiaolu’s house?”

“Not entirely.”

Veronica walked over to the sofa and sat along the armrest.

“More than that, it was because… you seem lonely.”

“Lonely?”

Xia Liang touched her cheek, first in a daze, then chuckled bitterly.

“Is it really that obvious?”

“Consider it an adult’s intuition.”

Veronica lowered her gaze, brushing past the topic.

“Since we’re teammates now, I felt that I should get to know you better. As long as you don’t mind me asking.”

Xia Liang was undoubtedly a part of Fangting City’s Magical Girl Team now. Theoretically, they should trust each other and grow closer.

However, Lin Xiaolu harbored hostility toward Xia Liang, preventing their relationship from improving.

At first, Veronica believed that as an elder, she should leave such emotional matters for the kids to work out themselves.

But seeing the situation deteriorate, she realized that doing nothing wasn’t an option.

Now that she had taken the initiative, she had to go deeper—to find the real answer.

“...Little Viola, you’re too sly.”

Hearing Veronica’s explanation, Xia Liang smiled, though her expression grew bitter.

“Saying it like that leaves me with no choice but to answer, doesn’t it?”

Leaning back against the sofa, she closed her eyes for a moment before speaking slowly:

“This is my home, and once, it was where the three of us lived together.”

“But now, I’m the only one left.”

“My father is dead.”

“My mother… is in prison.”

She raised her head and met Veronica’s gaze.

“She killed my father.”

At that moment, even the persistent humming of the fluorescent light seemed to vanish.