Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 65: Night Talk

"Other thoughts..."

Though she was still emotionally hesitant, Lin Xiaolu instinctively followed in Veronica’s footsteps.

She began to analyze herself, questioning whether there were other reasons behind the gloom she had been feeling these past few days. As she walked, an answer slowly surfaced in her mind—

"Actually, when I first learned about all of this, I felt a little guilty toward my dad."

Veronica suddenly tripped, nearly falling to the ground.

Lin Xiaolu hurriedly reached out to support her. "What’s wrong?"

"I think there was a hole in the ground." Veronica straightened up, quickly regaining her composure with a straight face. Taking advantage of the dim night, she casually made up an excuse.

"Really?" Lin Xiaolu glanced back in confusion, but under the silver glow of the moonlight, the road was perfectly smooth—there was no sign of the so-called "hole" Veronica had mentioned.

She didn’t dwell on it, though, assuming she simply hadn't seen it properly. Turning back, she continued walking with Veronica.

"You and your father... did something happen between you?" Veronica asked as they walked down the quiet pedestrian path.

She had wanted to ask this for a long time. She was curious—through a daughter's eyes, what exactly had this cold war with her father been like?

Lin Yun had always believed that the conflict between him and his daughter stemmed from a lack of care and communication. That was why, after Lin Xiaolu ran away from home, he made every effort to make amends. But as Veronica spent time with Lin Xiaolu under her current identity, gradually gaining insight into her daughter's true thoughts, she realized—the truth might not be so simple.

"Rather than something happening, I think it was just a one-sided misunderstanding."

Lin Xiaolu followed closely behind Veronica. "Back then, when my mom passed away, he hid the whereabouts of her body from me. And at the same time, he was with other young women. That made me think... that he didn’t love Mom anymore. That he wanted to use this opportunity to leave her—and me—for someone else."

"After that, we fought, and I ran away from home. Things got really tense between us. But I always thought he was the one in the wrong, so I never considered forgiving or understanding him."

"Heh, thinking back now... I was probably judging him too quickly."

"Because when I was little, he was always strict with me—so strict that I even resented him. So when I thought he was at fault, even if I asked him for an explanation, I wasn’t really listening. Deep down, I had already decided it was his fault."

They continued walking, eventually crossing Sunset Bridge, which stretched over Xiting River. The night was hot—it was already midsummer—but the river breeze offered a rare hint of coolness.

At midnight, there were hardly any cars on the bridge. Veronica and Lin Xiaolu walked along the pedestrian path, their crisp footsteps echoing softly.

"...And now?"

Rather than commenting on Lin Xiaolu’s self-reflection, Veronica simply asked another question.

If she were just "Veronica," she could judge Lin Xiaolu’s actions as an outsider. But as someone directly involved in this parent-child conflict, she understood that in such a complicated situation, there was no clear right or wrong.

Both she and her daughter had only wanted to hold their family together. The problem was that they had different pieces of the truth—Lin Xiaolu had never known her mother was a Magical Girl. Their perspectives and emotions were different—Lin Yun, as a father, had failed to understand his daughter's doubts and helplessness. That was why their conflict had grown so irreconcilable.

When it came to parent-child communication, the responsibility should have been on the parent to take the first step. But back then, she had failed to realize that.

On the other side, Lin Xiaolu continued, "Because he showed me photos of you and my mom, I finally understood—he never wanted me to know the truth about her death."

"After all, from what he said, Mom was an incredibly strong Magical Girl. But she died so mysteriously. Even if I knew the truth—even if that truth made me hate her enemy—I still wouldn’t have known what to do about it."

"And yet, because I didn’t know why she died, I assumed it was just an accident... and directed all my resentment toward him instead."

"He must have been trying to protect me. But I responded to him like that..."

"If you told your dad all of this, I think it would make him really happy."

Veronica suddenly spoke. "Rather than telling me, wouldn’t it be better to tell him directly?"

"Wouldn’t it be too late now?" Lin Xiaolu looked troubled.

"It’s never too late."

Veronica shook her head, turning slightly to gaze down at the river, her expression unreadable. "When it comes to family, no one can guarantee they’ll never make mistakes."

"You’re a daughter for the first time. Your dad is a father for the first time. You’re both just beginners in your roles, and making mistakes is inevitable. But if those mistakes are still within the bounds of forgiveness—why not give each other another chance?"

"Besides... your dad probably stopped blaming you a long time ago."

There was a certain unspoken emotion in her words—an implication that she had her own experiences with this sort of thing. Though vague, even the usually oblivious Lin Xiaolu could pick up on it.

She stared at Veronica in surprise and hesitated before asking, "Veronica... do you have a child?"

Veronica halted mid-step and shot her a sidelong glance.

"You guess."

Leaving behind those two words, she resumed walking.

Lin Xiaolu quickly jogged to catch up.

For some reason, Veronica didn’t say anything more. Lin Xiaolu, too, remained silent, following her all the way to the center of the bridge, where they reached the middle of Xiting River.

Lowering her gaze to the side, Lin Xiaolu’s expression grew complicated.

Since she had already chosen to open up about her thoughts, there was one more question she knew she couldn’t avoid.

But this one was different from the things she had mentioned before.

This wasn’t about her mother’s identity. It wasn’t about her conflict with her father. This time, it was about herself.

She had often asked Veronica if she was disappointed in her, but the truth was—she never wanted Veronica to hate her.

If possible, she wanted to be like Xia Liang—always cheerful and endearing, always able to lift the mood, always so outstanding that Veronica could be proud of her.

But right now, none of that mattered.

Because lately, she had started to realize something.

She was losing her courage to fight.

Could she really say this out loud?

If she just kept quiet—if she just acted like everything was fine—then at least, things could stay the way they were now...

Her thoughts came to a halt.

Because at that moment, she suddenly saw Veronica turn back to look at her.

Under the moonlight, Veronica’s deep blue eyes shimmered like the purest sapphire, touched with silver light.

And in those eyes, there was an unmistakable feeling—encouragement.

Lin Xiaolu pressed her lips together.

Then, gathering all her courage, she opened her mouth to speak.