Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 82: Wang Tengfei

Wang Tengfei gripped his jacket tightly as he hurried out of the office building, jogging toward the source of the flickering azure light.

At forty years old, burdened by years of sedentary work and endless social engagements, neither his physique nor stamina allowed him to run like he did in his youth. After just a few hundred meters, he was already gasping for breath.

From his frantic sprint, no one would have guessed that this middle-aged man was once a track and field star in his university’s sprinting team.

Even Wang Tengfei himself had nearly forgotten.

After graduating, he stepped into society, using his family’s connections to climb the corporate ladder. Within the Gaosheng Group, he steadily rose through the ranks, reaching the position of branch general manager before the age of forty. To most, he was a success.

In terms of career, he was poised for promotion to headquarters, possibly securing a key management role. Financially, even without considering his family's wealth, his personal assets placed him comfortably in the upper middle class, and his fortune would only grow.

Was this a successful life? Of course, it was.

But humans are greedy. Or rather, they always long for what they never had—or what they’ve lost.

For Wang Tengfei, that longing was for his youth.

Memories of youth were like a treasure chest—perhaps the things inside no longer held any real value, but every time he took them out to examine them, he found pure and simple joy.

And as he aged, as small ailments began creeping into his body, his nostalgia for those days only grew stronger.

But time had passed for too long.

Aside from a few unforgettable moments, his memories of his younger self were fading.

What did he love back then? What was he thinking about? What did he want? What had he truly pursued? Some answers he could still recall, but others—he couldn’t even begin to say.

Yet, among the things he did remember, there was always a splash of color against the blue sky.

Pink, blue, purple, orange…

The colors that belonged to the skies of Fangting City—the colors of the Magical Girls.

In his youth, Wang Tengfei had been a die-hard Magical Girl fan.

And above all, he admired the one who had saved him during a Ravager attack—the one who dispersed the crowd and left behind only a glimpse of a blue figure retreating into the distance.

That shade of blue had long vanished from his world.

Whether on television, in newspapers, or online, no one had seen that blue figure again.

People speculated endlessly about the disappearance of that Magical Girl—of Veronica. Yet none of those theories were ever confirmed. No one knew the truth.

Those who loved that Magical Girl, who loved Veronica, simply stopped seeing her one day.

And so did Wang Tengfei.

From initial confusion, to worry and anxiety, to sorrow and resignation—years passed, and the world changed. What remained of his feelings was only a faint nostalgia.

So faint that it existed only as a lingering shade of blue in his heart, something he never deliberately thought about anymore.

Which was why, when that exact shade of blue appeared in the corner of his vision—

He began to doubt his own eyes.

Could it be her?

Was it really her?

With emotions even he couldn't define, he followed the blue and black streaks clashing in the sky, chasing the light to its source.

On the way, he saw shattered roads, displaced crowds, buildings protected by glowing blue magic threads—and the stronger his premonition became.

And when he finally arrived at the battlefield, that premonition was confirmed.

A boundless tide of blue magic roared through the air, shining with an almost blinding radiance.

At the center of that surging magic, a single black figure desperately fled.

——“Are you kidding me?!”

Dodging the seemingly endless threads chasing her, Sparrow darted between buildings. She had pushed her magic output to the limit, flying as fast as she could—yet she couldn’t outrun the blue tide behind her.

And within that tide, a small figure shrouded in blue light followed close behind, agile and relentless.

“This magic… this sheer amount of magic…”

Sparrow swung her Magical Armor, slicing away threads that nearly wrapped around her ankles. Furious, she shouted:

“Are you messing with me?!”

But behind her, Veronica remained silent, simply pursuing her with cold determination.

As the distance between them shrank, Veronica knew the moment was right. She reached out, grasping several magic threads, and slowly pulled them taut as they soared through the air.

The tide of threads responded to her will.

Softly, she whispered:

"Masterpiece, First Form—Gladius of Sharpness."

The surrounding threads vibrated.

Within the tide, they separated, gathered—forming hollowed blades woven from magic threads, floating in the air.

Then, the tide of threads transformed into a tide of swords.

This was a technique Veronica had previously used against an Egg-tier Ravager in the sewers—back then, she had only unleashed it for the final blow, instantly killing her target.

Now, wielding more magic, stronger magic, she invoked the same technique—only this time, it was even more overwhelming.

"Veronica—!"

Faced with the approaching storm of countless swords, Sparrow finally stopped running.

She turned to face Veronica, screaming in anger as she unfurled her black magic wings, releasing a barrage of feather-like blades in return.

Black blades clashed against blue swords in the sky.

At first, they contended, but then—

Sparrow's black magic was swiftly crushed.

Despite its potent corrosion, it collapsed under the sheer force of Veronica’s attack.

Like a bird struck in midair, Sparrow's magic wings disintegrated, dissolving into a sky filled with scattered feathers—signaling the end of the battle.

The blue tide swallowed the last trace of black magic before finally retreating.

A single figure fell from the sky, crashing powerlessly to the ground.

Lying there was a woman in her twenties, slender and dressed in plain loungewear—she looked no different from an ordinary pedestrian who had just stepped out for a walk.

And yet, there was no doubt—

This was Sparrow’s true form.

A Magical Girl does not die unless her true form is completely destroyed.

No matter how severe the injuries sustained in transformation, as long as the true form remains intact, she will eventually recover over time.

With Sparrow now unconscious on the ground, the blue figure that had pursued her finally halted.

Then, with effortless grace, she descended from the air—her feet landing lightly upon the earth.