Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 96: Secret Base

“A secret base?”

After dropping Bai Jingxuan off at home, Veronica arrived at Xia Liang’s house and was a little surprised by the two girls’ suggestion. “Why did you suddenly think of that?”

“Well… since our team has grown quite a bit, and everyone is busy with different things, wouldn’t it be better to have a central meeting place? Something like that?”

Lin Xiaolu nervously tugged at her sleeve, trying her best not to avert her gaze and reveal any guilt. “I mean, it’s still summer break now, but once school starts, wouldn’t it be more convenient to have a fixed place to meet? Always gathering outside feels a little…”

To Veronica, Xiaolu’s reaction was full of suspicious signs, but she couldn’t pinpoint the reason. So, she crossed her arms and turned her gaze toward Xia Liang.

Seeing Veronica’s questioning expression, Xia Liang twitched the corner of her mouth involuntarily and instinctively glanced at Lin Xiaolu. But when she saw Xiaolu’s hesitant, shrinking posture, she realized she couldn’t count on her for support.

Retracting her gaze, Xia Liang could only compose herself and feign calmness.

“What we mean is, constantly changing locations wastes a lot of time just traveling back and forth. Xiaolu and I feel like it’s affecting our efficiency.”

“If we had a secret base, we could even live there together. Training, studying—it’d all be much more convenient, right?”

Although this reason was made up on the spot, it wasn’t entirely untrue.

During the summer break, they trained at Lin Xiaolu’s house in the daytime, studied at Xia Liang’s place in the evening, and Veronica occasionally had to pick up Bai Jingxuan. On top of that, they often had to head out at a moment’s notice to hunt down Ravagers. With all these activities stacked together, a significant portion of their time was spent commuting.

It wasn’t a big issue during the holidays, but once school started, this kind of schedule would become a serious problem.

Veronica had actually considered this before, but she hadn’t gotten around to making a plan. She hadn’t expected the two newcomers to propose a solution before she did.

“A secret base, huh…”

Recognizing the validity of Xia Liang’s explanation, Veronica gave it some serious thought, rubbing her smooth chin with one hand as she glanced over. “That’s not impossible… but why not just use one of your homes?”

That question made both girls simultaneously turn their heads away in opposite directions.

“…What’s wrong?” Veronica raised an eyebrow at their odd reaction.

“We actually discussed that already, but, well… hahaha…”

Xia Liang laughed awkwardly. “We couldn’t reach an agreement.”

Lin Xiaolu nodded slightly in silent confirmation.

They had already argued about whether the secret base should be in someone’s home or if they should find a separate location.

Lin Xiaolu insisted that her house was spacious enough and could easily accommodate everyone. Xia Liang, on the other hand, argued that her house was completely private, making it more suitable for the semi-secret activities of Magical Girls.

But the problem was, Lin Xiaolu’s house—while large—was shared with her father, which might make Bai Jingxuan uncomfortable. Xia Liang’s house was practically empty but too small to fit four people comfortably.

Neither was willing to back down. Their argument started at the dining table, carried out the door, continued on the way to Xia Liang’s house, and ultimately ended up in front of Veronica.

Now, they were leaving the decision up to her.

“By the way, where are you staying now, Little Senior?”

Xia Liang asked curiously. “Xiaolu mentioned you came from another city, but you’re living in Fangting City now, right?”

Lin Xiaolu perked up at this.

“Oh, that’s right! Does your place have enough space, Veronica?”

For some reason, Lin Xiaolu seemed oddly excited about the idea of staying at Veronica’s place—even more than setting up the base at her own house. “I haven’t seen your place yet!”

“My place…”

Veronica’s expression stiffened, and she instinctively dragged out the words.

That kind of place didn’t exist—because “Veronica” didn’t need a home, and “Lin Yun” already had one to return to.

Of course, she had a prepared excuse for this situation.

“That probably won’t work. I’m renting a tiny studio apartment—definitely not big enough for four people.”

It was a lie, but Veronica had once genuinely considered doing exactly that.

Back when she first teamed up with Lin Xiaolu, Lin Yun had worried about potential suspicions and thought about renting a small apartment to create the illusion of “Veronica’s residence.”

But as time passed, Lin Xiaolu never brought it up, and she showed no signs of suspicion whatsoever. So the idea was shelved and never put into action.

“I see.” Lin Xiaolu visibly deflated upon hearing the answer.

“Hmm…”

Xia Liang, on the other hand, rubbed her chin with a thoughtful expression. “In that case, we’ll have to find a separate location.”

“Yes, if we really want to set up a secret base, we’ll need a dedicated space.”

Seizing the opportunity to shift the topic away, Veronica sighed in relief. “If we’re considering a training area, it’d be best to look for a standalone building—that kind of environment would be more suitable.”

That suggestion left the two newcomers momentarily speechless.

“A standalone building…” Lin Xiaolu blinked blankly. “Wouldn’t that be a little… extravagant?”

“That’s expensive, isn’t it?” Xia Liang asked, a bit worried. “It’s just a gathering place—do we really need something like that? Besides, we don’t have the money…”

“You’re underestimating the value of being a Magical Girl.”

Veronica raised an eyebrow. “Just from the Egg-tier Ravagers you’ve defeated in the past few months, if you converted all those Echoes into money, how much do you think it’d be worth?”

“Uh… fifty thousand?” Lin Xiaolu guessed hesitantly. “I don’t really have a sense of these things.”

“A hundred thousand?” Xia Liang was more optimistic. “I remember reading online that magical materials are really valuable.”

“You’re both way off.”

Uncrossing her arms, Veronica held out her hand and gestured. “The answer is… over 300,000.”

“In other words, if we converted all those Echoes into cash, we could rent a villa for an entire year in a decent location.”

“Eh?!”

“Seriously?”

Both girls were stunned.

“But I wouldn’t recommend doing that.”

Veronica narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “Like Little Viola said before, magical materials are incredibly valuable, and using Echoes to exchange for materials through The Kingdom is the most cost-effective method.”

She continued explaining, emphasizing the importance of resources for growing stronger.

“No Magical Girl in the middle of a power growth phase would waste Echoes on cash. At most, you’d trade a small portion for daily expenses—the rest should be used to strengthen yourself.”

“So, instead of spending money, we have another option—requesting a base from the Countermeasure Bureau.”

This was the safest approach.

If they rented or bought a property privately, they’d have to deal with renovations, utilities, and security concerns. With the Bureau’s involvement, the location would be more discreet, reducing the risk of exposure to civilians.

Of course, this would mean the Bureau would know the base’s location, making it less “secret.” But sometimes, cooperating with local authorities upfront helped avoid future problems.

“The Bureau can do that?” Lin Xiaolu’s eyes widened. “Wait, we can actually ask them for something like this?”

“Of course. In fact, this is considered an official matter.”

Veronica lifted her chin slightly. “Providing Magical Girls with operational spaces is perfectly normal for the Bureau. And in the end, they benefit more from this arrangement than we do.”

She went on to explain the political dynamics—how cooperation with the Bureau should remain balanced and how relying too much on them could create obligations they might not want.

“Just remember one thing: solve things on your own when you can. But if you ask the Bureau for help, act like it’s completely justified.”

She lifted a finger in emphasis. “We want a secret base, so we should ask for it like it’s no big deal.”

Clap, clap.

“For moments like these, you really seem like an adult, Senior,” Xia Liang remarked with a small applause.

“Yeah… Veronica is amazing!” Lin Xiaolu followed suit, albeit a beat late.

“Ahem, enough chatter.”

Slightly embarrassed by their praise, Veronica coughed and straightened her expression. “Now, take out your textbooks—we’re having class!”