Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 87: Liu Wenqin

The Countermeasure Bureau’s support always arrived late, but when it came to handling the aftermath, they were at least competent. From Luoming District to Lixing District, both incident sites were swiftly secured and isolated by Bureau personnel.

Of the two locations, the damage in Luoming District was more widespread, with roads and infrastructure suffering the most. Fortunately, casualties were minimal. In contrast, the destruction in Lixing District was concentrated around Fangting City First Orphanage, but it resulted in significant civilian deaths.

The workload surrounding this short-lived yet intense crisis was enormous: repairing and rebuilding the affected areas, evacuating and resettling survivors, gathering witness testimonies and providing psychological support, and arresting and transporting the terrorists involved.

The self-proclaimed "Black Cinders Dawn" magicians would be sent to the Countermeasure Bureau for further interrogation, where their punishments would depend on the severity of their crimes and their cooperation—ranging from the revocation of their ability to use spells to the death penalty. As for the black-robed man who perished, his corpse would be transported to the Bureau’s central city branch and then sent to the research institute in the Magic Kingdom.

And then, there was the final and most troublesome case: Scarred Claw, the Magical Girl known as Sparrow. She would be detained in Fangting City’s special containment facility, awaiting the arrival of the Magic Kingdom’s Investigation Bureau.

This was Veronica’s own decision, and it was strongly supported by the Fangting City Countermeasure Bureau.

According to Bureau Director Mors, this wasn’t just about resolving a single case—it was also an opportunity to reestablish contact with the Magic Kingdom.

Thus, through the Seeder network in the neighboring city of Qingyan, the Fangting City Countermeasure Bureau relayed the information to the Kingdom’s Investigation Bureau at the first opportunity. A few days later, they received a response: the Investigation Bureau would dispatch a team to Fangting City.

Unlike their previous indifference, they now seemed highly concerned about members of "Scarred Claw."

Before the Kingdom’s officials arrived, Lin Yun—who had successfully resigned—had a few tasks left to complete.

He needed to help integrate Bai Jingxuan, the newly recruited Magical Girl, into their squad; assist the Countermeasure Bureau with final cleanup efforts; and most importantly, prepare for a significant day he had long been ready for—Aya’s memorial.

Lin Yun knew almost nothing about Bai Jingxuan, a child who had unexpectedly become a Magical Girl due to the recent crisis. Aside from noticing that her magic had a unique quality during their first meeting, all he knew was that she was an orphan living in the orphanage.

But even orphans, unless abandoned at birth, once had families. Wanting to understand her better, Lin Yun decided to meet with the orphanage director—Ms. Liu Wenqin.

Of course, he wouldn't go as Lin Yun. Instead, he would meet her as Veronica.

To facilitate this, the Countermeasure Bureau made an exception for Veronica. Normally, when civilians learned of a Magical Girl’s true identity, they were subjected to a psychological suggestion to make them forget. But in this case, the Bureau deliberately refrained from erasing Director Liu’s memories, allowing her to retain full awareness of the incident so she could communicate more effectively with Veronica.

Thus, on the morning of the second day after the crisis, Veronica met with Liu Wenqin in the director’s office.

“I already know why you’re here. To be honest… I never expected to experience something like this at my age.”

Sitting behind her desk with an arm in a cast, Liu Wenqin spoke with a helpless sigh. “I’ve always known magic exists in this world, but having it happen so close to me still feels unreal.”

“I apologize. We failed to detect the situation in time, and we didn’t arrive soon enough to help.”

Seated in a chair across the desk, Veronica held the cup of tea that Liu Wenqin had prepared. “Eliminating Ravagers promptly is supposed to be our duty as Magical Girls. As the captain of the Fangting City squad, I take full responsibility.”

Liu Wenqin blinked in mild surprise at Veronica’s sincerity, then hesitated before asking, “Before we talk about Xiaoxuan, could I ask you something first?”

“Please,” Veronica replied calmly, looking directly at her.

“I don’t remember very clearly, but… aren’t you called Veronica?”

Liu Wenqin studied her outfit carefully, hesitant. “I hope I’m not being rude. If you don’t know who Veronica is, just pretend I never asked.”

The office fell into silence.

“…I am.”

Veronica quietly polished the surface of her teacup, pausing for a moment before nodding. “If you’re referring to the Magical Girl called Veronica, then yes, that’s me.”

“Hah, no wonder! The moment I saw you, I thought you looked familiar.”

Liu Wenqin chuckled, visibly relieved. Something in her memories seemed to amuse her, and she relaxed considerably. “If I recall correctly, you were one of Fangting City’s Magical Girls twenty years ago. I used to see you on the news sometimes, and my daughter was a big fan.”

“Twenty years ago?” Veronica caught a key detail in her words. “Then your daughter must be…”

“Yes, she already has a child of her own now.”

Liu Wenqin covered her mouth as she laughed, clearly delighted by the topic. “She even considered volunteering at the orphanage for a while, but in the end, she got lazy and never went through with it. Looks like she missed her chance to meet her childhood idol.”

Veronica shook her head. “After all these years, even if she paid attention to Magical Girls as a child, she must have long forgotten by now.”

“How could she? Even now, whenever she sees news about Magical Girls, she still brings up your name.”

Liu Wenqin smiled warmly. “Back then, you were the heroes of this city. People who admired you wouldn’t just forget your name.”

Veronica had heard similar words from Wang Tengfei not long ago.

Since coming out of retirement, she had done her best to stay hidden, avoiding any interaction with ordinary people. She had never expected that when she finally appeared in public again as a Magical Girl, so many still remembered her.

“By the way, have you been in Fangting City as a Magical Girl for the past twenty years? You mentioned being the current squad captain—what about the others from back then? I remember there was someone named Sakura, and another named Lanchang… and one with a really long name?”

Veronica remained silent, and Liu Wenqin continued speaking. Midway through, however, she realized her words might have been inappropriate. She waved her hand apologetically. “Ah, sorry, I subconsciously still think of you all as the kids from back then.”

“It’s amazing, really—Magical Girls don’t seem to age at all. Even after so many years, you still look just as young, like a child.”