Off Work, Then Transform into a Magical Girl

Under normal circumstances, Lin Yun's daily routine was very regular.

He would wake up at 6:30 in the morning and go to bed at 11:30 at night, repeating this cycle to ensure he had enough mental energy to handle his work.

His biological clock was equally precise. Unless he was overly exhausted, he would invariably open his eyes at around six.

But there are always exceptions. The previous night, he first gave lessons to two Magical Girls after work; then he rushed to the sewers and wiped out an entire nest of Pupa-stage Brutal Beasts; finally, he had a long phone call with Hong Siyu to verify some information. By the time his head hit the pillow, it was already five in the morning.

The end result was that he overslept.

When Lin Yun opened his eyes from his drowsiness, it was already 7:05.

He glanced to his side, then picked up his phone from the bedside table. Seeing the time on the lock screen, his eyes widened. He threw off the covers, stepped into his slippers, and hurried towards the wardrobe.

In the bathroom, he quickly washed up, brushing his teeth while combing his hair, buttoning his shirt while rinsing his mouth. Amidst the rush, he couldn't help but think of the phone call that had kept him up so late:

Last night's call yielded no useful information. According to Hong Siyu, during her two years of service in Fangting City, the occurrences of Brutal Beasts were few and far between. Even the only sighting of a Caterpillar was from the time Lin Xiaolu was attacked, let alone a Pupa.

If Lin Yun hadn't personally gone to the sewers to kill that Pupa, it might have developed into a "Molt" without anyone knowing. By then, Fangting City would have faced a catastrophic disaster.

Lin Yun wasn't entirely convinced.

Setting aside whether he trusted Hong Siyu—he didn't want to doubt his former junior if he could help it—even if the information Hong Siyu provided was the best she could find, the Bureau of Special Tactics' database might not have the complete picture.

In fact, Lin Yun's suspicion was directed at the Bureau itself. He always felt they were hiding something. Tu Mi's mention of a successor Seeder, Mo Ke's talk of the missing "Nini," the absence of new Magical Girls for two whole years, and the rapid evolution of Brutal Beasts into Pupas during this time... All these signs indicated that an unknown force was operating in Fangting City, and the Bureau shouldn't be oblivious to it.

There were only two possibilities: either the Bureau was full of incompetent fools, which he could reluctantly accept, or the Bureau actually knew something, but the information was held by a select few, not even recorded in the database.

Lin Yun preferred the latter scenario, so he needed to meet with the local Bureau's high-ranking officials.

However, as an ordinary citizen, requesting a meeting with the high-ranking officials of such a special organization was nothing short of a pipe dream. He needed to present an identity that they couldn't refuse.

He had such an identity, in fact, he had two, but it was hard to choose between them. Should he go as Lin Yun or as the Magical Girl Cui Que? He wasn't sure.

Using his identity as Lin Yun, he was the relative of both the deceased former Magical Girl "Sakura" and the current Magical Girl "Bai Mei."

The Bureau's handling of Magical Girl identities was "mutually confidential." Except for specific high-ranking officials and liaison officers directly connected to the Magical Girls, they wouldn't reveal the true identities of the Magical Girls to others, nor would they disclose information about the magical side to the Magical Girls' families.

They did this quite well. Even at An Ya's funeral, they didn't reveal their origins or share any information with Lin Yun. After all, 19 years had passed, Lin Yun's contact had long since been promoted to headquarters, and the high-ranking officials of that time had retired. The result of mutual confidentiality was that even the local Bureau didn't know Lin Yun's true identity. The true identity of the Magical Girl "Cui Que" had long been classified and filed away in the headquarters' database.

But if Lin Yun revealed that he already knew the true identities of his wife and daughter and had some knowledge of the magical side, the situation would be entirely different. As the relative of a deceased Magical Girl, he had every reason to request a meeting with the Bureau's high-ranking officials and be informed of the relevant truths. The Bureau would have no choice but to have him sign a non-disclosure agreement about the magical side, with no other way to restrain him.

This approach was stable, allowing him to contact the Bureau's high-ranking officials without alarming any potential unknown actors within the Bureau. The downside was that the information he obtained might still be incomplete, as the Bureau might be unwilling to disclose everything to a civilian.

As for using Cui Que's identity, that would be straightforward. The Bureau wouldn't dare to hide anything and would certainly reveal everything they knew.

But doing so would have far-reaching consequences: first, Cui Que's liaison in the Bureau was Hong Siyu, and her information had been processed. The Bureau only knew her as "Bai Mei's partner." Revealing her true origins could alert the mysterious forces lurking in Fangting City; second, she hadn't officially returned to duty and was only operating in a small area of Fangting City. If her return reached the Magic Kingdom, it could cause unnecessary trouble.

Hong Siyu had also suggested that Cui Que persuade Lin Xiaolu to contact the Bureau, but Lin Yun felt that his daughter might be easily fooled by the Bureau, so he ultimately rejected the idea. Besides, he didn't want to deceive his daughter using Cui Que's identity anymore.

Weighing the options, Lin Yun chose to proceed cautiously, meeting with the Bureau as "Lin Yun."@@novelbin@@

After discussing various details and negotiating the division of tasks, Lin Yun and Hong Siyu talked until dawn, only ending the long call after everything was arranged.

What a hassle.

Yawning long, Lin Yun looked at himself in the mirror and self-mockingly noted that, aside from the dark circles under his eyes, he looked somewhat presentable. He didn't bother with further grooming, grabbed the suit jacket draped over the chair, and strode towards the door.

Opening the master bedroom door, he habitually glanced to the left, only to see the door of the adjacent room opening as well. A disheveled Lin Xiaolu, still groggy, walked out, trying to tie her hair with a hair tie. Her gaze shifted and met his.

Father and daughter stood in the hallway, trapped in an awkward silence.

Finally, Lin Xiaolu broke the silence, pretending she hadn't seen anything, stepped back into her room, and closed the door with a "click."

About two minutes later, she opened the door again, acting as if nothing had happened, and peeked out, only to find Lin Yun still standing there.

"Why haven't you left yet?"

After a brief moment of awkwardness, she glared at Lin Yun.

Lin Yun, now wearing his jacket and tying his tie, sighed at her attitude, "I was going to ask you the same thing. You're leaving at this hour? You're going to be late, aren't you?"