Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 99: New Home and Pranks

The completion of the secret base happened even faster than expected.

By the time summer break ended and the new magical girls returned to their school routines, Lin Yun received a call from Hong Siyu: the site was ready.

It had only been ten days since they first proposed the idea of the secret base.

Impressed by the Countermeasure Bureau’s efficiency in such matters, and with nothing else on his plate, Lin Yun drove to the designated location—a villa district on the city’s outer ring—to meet up with Hong Siyu.

To avoid being recognized by other Countermeasure Bureau staff, Lin Yun transformed into Veronica before stepping out of the car and heading to the given location.

The secret base prepared by the Bureau was a four-story standalone villa. The above-ground levels served as living spaces, while the basement—wrapped in anti-magic materials—was specifically designed as a training area for magical girls.

Expressionless, Veronica walked into the villa and, under Hong Siyu’s guidance, took a thorough tour of the entire building. Even the interior decor had been completed. After the tour, she requested some photos from Hong Siyu and sent them to the magical girls’ group chat.

Though it was still school hours and they likely wouldn’t see it immediately, it didn’t hurt to send it for future reference.

Not long after, a message popped up in the chat:

[Veronica: Pay attention in class. No phones.]

[Little Viola: Got it~ [emoji]]

And that was the end of the brief exchange.

Veronica stared at the screen for a moment, feeling slightly irritated, before setting the phone aside and shifting back onto the sofa in the living room.

"Something wrong?"

Hong Siyu, walking beside her, looked curious but quickly let it go. Instead, she grinned smugly. "So? How’s the Bureau’s efficiency?"

"They only work this fast on things like this," Veronica remarked coolly.

"Geez, you’re still as reserved as ever, Senior."

Unbothered by Veronica’s indifferent attitude, Hong Siyu propped her chin on her hand and smiled. "By the way, I just remembered—you quit your previous job, didn’t you?"

"That’s right. Why?" Veronica raised an eyebrow.

"The newbies' special training period is over, and now that school’s back, you have free time during the day."

Hong Siyu narrowed her eyes. "So… are you interested in working for the Countermeasure Bureau under your original identity?"

"The Countermeasure Bureau?"

Veronica gave her a skeptical look. "What exactly would I do there? I can’t use magic as a regular civilian."

"You don’t have to be a mage to work at the Bureau," Hong Siyu explained. "Most positions are filled by mages, sure, but not all of them. Look at me—I have zero magic, I’m weaker than the average person, and I still have a job here."

"You mean… as a liaison?"

"Exactly." Hong Siyu nodded. "After last month’s incident, your squad is now fully on the Bureau’s radar—including Little Viola, who previously had no official contact channel. The Bureau wants to assign her a liaison as soon as possible."

"So what you’re saying is…?"

Veronica had already guessed where this was going, but she asked anyway.

"I think you should take the role of Little Viola’s liaison under the name Lin Yun."

Hong Siyu spoke with genuine seriousness, believing this was a solid suggestion. However, she quickly noticed Veronica’s expression shift into something… off.

"Is there a problem?"

A problem? More like a disaster.

Veronica thought to herself.

Having her act as Little Viola’s liaison under her real name? Never mind what Lin Xiaolu would think—if they kept it a secret from her, Viola would become completely uncontrollable.

Honestly, even now, that girl was already pushing Veronica’s patience with her demands.

Like how, just the other night, Viola had suggested “as a hush fee,” they should spend a whole day together on the weekend—with Veronica in her magical girl form.

Viola had even tried calling it a “date.” Veronica had firmly shut that down.

But regardless of what they called it, Veronica had agreed to the outing, and they tentatively set the third weekend after school started as their day out.

By then, the school’s placement tests would be over, and the results would be out. The new recruits would be able to relax a little, making it a good time for extracurricular activities.

If there was one name that gave Veronica the biggest headache these days, it was Viola.

So hearing Hong Siyu suggest she become her official liaison stirred all kinds of complicated feelings.

That said, the idea of working for the Bureau did seem… viable.

For one, it was well-known that Bureau jobs weren’t particularly demanding. Except for a few civil investigators, most employees didn’t even have to show up to work daily.

That explained why Hong Siyu seemed so free all the time.

And as a liaison, all she had to do was relay messages between the Bureau and the magical girls—not exactly a heavy workload.

If she really needed a new job, this was a cushy one worth considering.

Since she hadn’t made up her mind yet, Veronica didn’t give an immediate answer. Instead, she casually replied, "I’ll think about it."

"Just remember, if you decide to join, you have to submit your application by the end of the month."

Hong Siyu added, "Of course, if you come in, you won’t have to take next month’s entrance exam like everyone else. But you still need to sign up."

"Got it. I’ll consider it."

And with that, their meeting ended.

Thanks to the Bureau’s help, ownership of the villa was smoothly transferred to Fangting City’s Magical Girl Squad with zero red tape.

Moving In

After handling the final cleanup, the first weekend after school started marked the squad’s official move-in day.

"Wow, this place is amazing!"

Dragging her suitcase through the entrance, Bai Jingxuan gasped. "Is this really ours?"

"Yep, and if you want, you can even take two rooms for yourself."

Behind her, carrying several large suitcases, Xia Liang’s eyes sparkled as she took in the brightly lit villa.

The decor was clean and modern, with white walls as the base, accented by black and gray furniture. The open-concept living room, dining area, and kitchen made the space feel even more expansive. A black leather sofa set sat in the center of the living room, with a glass coffee table in front of it. Large floor-to-ceiling windows led to the backyard, and soft LED lights illuminated the space with a warm ambiance.

The squad members trickled inside, each claiming their own space—Moko even shouted, "I want my own room too!" as she dashed in.

Veronica and Lin Xiaolu, walking side by side, entered last.

"Feeling nervous about the new place?"

Noticing Lin Xiaolu’s tense expression, Veronica tilted her head slightly. "If you’re not comfortable, you don’t have to stay overnight right away. Take some time to adjust first."

She knew better than anyone—her daughter wasn’t good with unfamiliar environments.

But after a moment of hesitation, Lin Xiaolu shook her head. "I’ll be fine."

She wanted to prove herself. If she wanted to stand alongside Veronica one day, she had to stop acting like a child.

Stealing a glance at Veronica, Lin Xiaolu quietly gathered her courage and went to unpack her things.

Once everyone settled in, they gathered in the living room to discuss room assignments.

After a chaotic debate—mainly between Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang—the final arrangement was decided:

• Lin Xiaolu, Xia Liang, and Bai Jingxuan took the second floor.
• Veronica and Moko stayed on the third floor.
• The fourth floor remained vacant for future use.

The dispute had been ridiculous.

Lin Xiaolu had insisted on staying next to Veronica. Then Xia Liang had also insisted on staying next to Veronica. Neither wanted to leave Bai Jingxuan alone on a separate floor, so they kept arguing over who should move upstairs.

At first, they attempted to reason with each other logically. But as time went on and all valid arguments were exhausted, their discussion devolved into a childish back-and-forth.

Veronica, who had been downstairs cleaning the training room, finally reached her limit. She walked out, broom in hand, and coldly announced that she would move to the third floor while all three newbies would stay on the second—end of discussion.

Under Xia Liang and Lin Xiaolu’s resentful gazes, she turned and walked back downstairs without another word.

Despite it being the weekend, the girls still had school exams coming up. So, after getting settled, they stuck to their usual study session that evening.

This time, Bai Jingxuan joined them.

Due to her chronic health issues and the loss of her left eye, she had spent a long time in the hospital and was currently on a leave of absence from school. Before becoming a magical girl, she had been staying at the orphanage for recovery instead of attending elementary classes.

However, her newfound magic had improved her condition significantly. The strange illness that caused sporadic limb dysfunction was actually a result of her exceptionally strong soul and magic output. Now that she had awakened as a magical girl and was gradually learning to control her magic, her body had started stabilizing.

Her goal was to return to school once she was fully recovered. But first, she had to catch up on three years' worth of missed coursework.

And so, the nightly study session grew to include four people.

(If they counted the little fairy napping on the side, then it was a full squad gathering.)

"For this factorization problem, if you can’t find the common factor, try using the formula first. If that doesn’t work, then group the terms separately…"

Seated at the desk, Veronica slid a worksheet toward Lin Xiaolu, explaining as she went. She instinctively tried to pick up a pen with her right hand to demonstrate the solution—

But her wrist was caught.

Veronica’s gaze shifted slightly to the culprit.

Xia Liang.

Without a word, Veronica tried to pull her hand free. She managed to slip halfway out, only for Xia Liang to clasp her fingers instead.

Veronica glanced at her again. Xia Liang was staring at her textbook with a perfectly innocent expression, as if nothing was happening under the table.

"Something wrong?"

Lin Xiaolu, waiting for Veronica to write, looked up in confusion.

Veronica paused for a beat before replying calmly, "Actually, I changed my mind. Try solving it on your own first. I don’t think it’s too difficult."

With her right hand trapped and using her left hand feeling awkward, she had no choice but to push the problem back to Lin Xiaolu.

"Oh, okay."

Lin Xiaolu, unaware of the situation, simply nodded and began working through the problem.

Veronica exhaled quietly in relief.

Then—

A light scratch ran across the back of her hand.

A sudden ticklish sensation crawled up her skin, making her shiver.

She whipped her head toward Xia Liang, only to see the girl flick out the tip of her tongue playfully before retracting it.

Clearly, she had done that on purpose.

And this wasn’t even the first time she had pulled something like this.