Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 60: A Promise Fulfilled

The Ravager that attacked the shopping mall was massive, but not particularly strong.

According to Veronica’s observations, this Ravager was a relatively common Ruptured Skin Type, and she had taught many techniques for dealing with this kind before. As for its individual strength, it was only considered formidable among Egg-tier Ravagers.

A Ravager like this was more than enough to wreak havoc in a shopping mall, but thinking it could withstand a joint attack from two Magical Girls was nothing more than wishful thinking.

What’s more, Xia Liang and Lin Xiaolu were no longer the rookies they had been two months ago.

Not to mention Xia Liang, who was now on the verge of reaching Bud-tier, even Lin Xiaolu had made rapid progress through diligent study and training. On top of that, their teamwork had started to take shape—at the very least, they were no longer getting in each other’s way. From the very beginning, this battle had no suspense.

As Xia Liang fired a Magic Thread Blast from the tip of her wand, the Ravager was pierced through and crashed heavily to the ground.

Veronica remained hidden in the shadows, silently watching the entire fight. A faint look of satisfaction appeared on her face.

She was pleased to see the growth of these two newcomers and relieved that their teamwork was finally coming together.

Once she confirmed that the Ravager had been taken down and the Echo had been retrieved, she quietly left again, heading back to the parking area.

She couldn’t show herself—she had already asked Hong Siyu to inform the two newcomers that she wouldn’t be able to make it due to other matters. If she suddenly appeared now and met with Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang, it would only make the unresolved misunderstandings even harder to clear up. That was something she didn’t want to happen.

So, she took the shortest route back to the parking lot, immediately got into her car, and reverted to Lin Yun’s appearance.

Driving out of the garage, he pulled over to the side of the road. First, he contacted Hong Siyu to have the Countermeasure Bureau send personnel to handle the aftermath. Then, using Lin Yun’s phone, he opened the map and shared his location with Lin Xiaolu.

After handling everything, he leaned against the car and waited.

About ten minutes later, he saw the two girls emerge from the shopping mall, completely unscathed.

He lifted a hand in greeting with a slight smile. Lin Xiaolu gave a somewhat awkward nod, while Xia Liang responded with a bright, sweet smile.

“Well done. I’m proud of you.”

After a brief word of encouragement, he continued,

“The Countermeasure Bureau will be arriving soon. Get in, I’ll take you home.”

Since this had already been discussed beforehand, the two girls got into the car without hesitation. Without lingering any longer, the three of them drove away from the shopping mall.

---

The car moved steadily along the road, but inside, no one spoke.

Lin Yun and Lin Xiaolu remained silent, while Xia Liang simply observed their strange atmosphere with an amused smile, making no effort to mediate.

Then—

“So, when exactly did you find out?”

From the back seat, Lin Xiaolu finally gave in to curiosity and broke the silence.

“That I became a Magical Girl?”

“Was it the day that woman, Hong Siyu, came? Or was it even earlier?”

“The day you were on TV.” Lin Yun kept his eyes on the road, answering truthfully.

“Huh? When I was on TV…? That means I got found out in just a few days?”

Lin Xiaolu was momentarily stunned before realization dawned on her.

“Wait a minute. So that night, when you started saying all those weird things out of nowhere, was that because of this?”

“Did you think I was just drunk and rambling nonsense?” Lin Yun raised an eyebrow.

“Wasn’t that the case?”

“…That night at dinner, Hong Siyu came straight to me and told me you had become a Magical Girl.”

Not wanting to dwell on this topic, Lin Yun glanced at the rearview mirror and added casually,

“But that was only part of it. When I said I wanted to see you, I really meant it.”

“To check if your daughter, now a Magical Girl, had turned into an alien?” Lin Xiaolu said, unimpressed.

“To see if my daughter, now a Magical Girl, was still just as cute.”

Lin Yun quipped lightly,

“And even if you did turn into an alien, you’d still be my daughter. That will never change.”

Leaning back against the seat, Lin Xiaolu let out a soft hum.

“I’ll just pretend that was the truth.”

She decided to let it go, and the conversation ended there.

---

The car continued moving forward, the silence lingering once more.

“But, Xiaolu, to be honest, I was really angry that night.”

After a while, Lin Yun suddenly spoke up again.

“When I found out you had become a Magical Girl, I was really worried. Honestly, I felt a little sad.”

“Why?”

Staring at the back of the driver’s seat as if she could see through it to the man behind the wheel, Lin Xiaolu frowned.

“Because I was afraid of losing you.”

Lin Yun gazed at the road ahead, recalling his emotions from that night. His voice carried an unintentional trace of sorrow.

“That night, I actually wanted to tell you… being a Magical Girl is dangerous. But at the time… I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.”

“You thought I wouldn’t listen?”

“Probably.” Lin Yun didn’t deny it.

“…Forget it. It’s in the past now.”

“Yeah. Sorry. I probably should have trusted you more.”

A bitter smile crept onto Lin Yun’s lips as he spoke.

After all, failing to speak up that night had cost him far more than he had anticipated. In his attempts to protect his daughter and communicate with her, he had gone to great lengths to disguise his identity and fabricate countless lies. Now, he had no idea how to unravel them.

“Does it really matter that much?”

Unaware of his thoughts, Lin Xiaolu blinked, then relaxed her brows slightly.

“Aren’t you being too pessimistic? From what I remember, not that many Magical Girls actually die in battle. Most of them just retire normally.”

As she spoke, a trace of pride slipped into her tone.

“Besides, if I do say so myself, I’m actually pretty safe. I’ve got some really strong seniors looking out for me.”

Her attitude made Lin Yun unsure whether to laugh or sigh. He hesitated over whether to continue the conversation.

But some things had to be said.

Adjusting his mood, he asked lightly,

“…Are you talking about Veronica?”

At that, Lin Xiaolu’s expression froze.

“So… you actually knew?”

She muttered in disbelief, staring blankly for a few seconds before suddenly leaning forward, her excitement unrestrained.

“You know her? What’s your relationship with her? Did she come to Fangting City because of you?”

Lin Yun didn’t answer immediately.

“Xiaolu.”

Keeping his gaze forward, he brought up a promise he had made a month ago.

“Do you remember what I said before? That I’d tell you the truth?”

“Yeah, you mentioned that in the car that morning.”

Hearing him bring it up again, Lin Xiaolu calmed down slightly, loosening her grip on the seat.

“Does this have something to do with that?”

“Yes. Or rather, this is the answer you’ve been looking for.”

With one hand on the steering wheel, Lin Yun reached for his phone with the other, swiped a few times, then hit send.

A photo appeared in Lin Xiaolu’s chat window.

“Take a look.”

Lin Xiaolu picked up her phone, full of curiosity, while Xia Liang also leaned in with interest. But the moment they tapped on the image and saw what was in the photo, their eyes widened in shock.

Because what was captured in the image completely defied their expectations.

It was a picture of four young girls dressed in exquisite outfits. They varied in height and appearance, but all of them were undeniably beautiful and clearly in their early teens.

The background of the photo was just as striking—a colossal structure, resembling the corpse of a Ravager, basked in the golden glow of the setting sun.

At a glance, Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang could tell that these girls were Magical Girls.

Each of them had a distinct presence.

Standing on the far left was a girl with elegant purple hair, wearing a white silk dress draped in a deep violet robe. A round hat sat atop her head, and she gazed into the camera with a serene, intellectual smile.

On the far right was an orange-haired girl in a dazzling golden ballroom dress. She held her chin high, her face full of pride and self-satisfaction.

Lin Xiaolu didn’t recognize these two, so her gaze lingered on them only briefly before moving to the two girls in the center.

One of them wore navy blue, the other a soft pink—their contrasting colors drew the eye immediately.

The navy-blue figure was one Lin Xiaolu knew all too well.

She had barely changed at all since then.

And the pink figure beside her—though unfamiliar at first—bore a face that Lin Xiaolu could still recognize.

She blinked in disbelief, her voice barely above a whisper.

“This is… Veronica and… Mom?”