Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

"Mr. Lin Yun, employees of the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, although they are more remarkable than common civilians and many have even mastered magic power as ordinary people, such level of power is, to the nation, no different from an ant trying to shake a tree."

"The Remnant Beasts that require several, or even a dozen, of our personnel with equipment to barely handle are but the most common prey for the Magical Girls."

"After giving so much, we end up being just a tool between the nation and the material world. Removing the trivial obstructions the Magical Girls might encounter in their actions, swaying between multiple forces, striving to soothe the public's emotions—this is the true situation of the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, and its real function."

"We are merely gloves for the nation, and the protection a glove provides is so fragile."

"Therefore, I cannot promise you that we have the ability to protect your daughter. But I hope you can believe that I will do everything possible to help her and her companions avoid dangers they might encounter."

"I feel your pain."

Mosi's words, Lin Yun etched them into his heart.

Even if the conversation that followed revolved only around some minor Q&A, he would still find himself recalling the content of this dialogue from time to time in the following days.

One simple conversation was not enough for him to discern Mosi's stance and thoughts, but he had no choice but to take seriously the information she had provided. It was not just about the nation and the "Claw Marks," but also about her own matters.

"My daughter was a Magical Girl before her death."

That sentence made him think about a lot, both about the present and concerning the future.

Mosi said she would find a suitable opportunity in the future to pass on the information she had about Claw Marks to Lin Xiaolu.

She only hoped that Lin Yun would keep a mutual secrecy between them, Lin Yun should not divulge her statements about Claw Marks and the views of the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, and she would not reveal the fact of their conversation to Lin Xiaolu.

"Miss Bai Mei seems to be unaware of her mother's matters, and in keeping with the principle of mutual confidentiality, we have not informed her either. You may have your own arrangements regarding this, but in my opinion, you should tell her the truth yourself as soon as possible."

This was what Mosi said at that time:

"Children eventually grow up, and a child who becomes a Magical Girl may grow up even faster than you imagine."

Days later, on the tram, Lin Yun looked at his phone.

It was a short text from Lin Xiaolu, consisting of just three words:

[Remember to come].

Leaning back in his seat and enjoying the rare chance to sit down on the tram, his mood lightened as he responded with two words, [Definitely].

Time passed quickly, and ever since he had made a promise about the truth to his daughter in the car on the day he took her to school, he could feel that Lin Xiaolu's attitude softened a bit more.

Although the change was just slight, from being unwilling to communicate, and mostly negative and resistant when talking, with barbs in her words, to occasionally having a calm everyday conversation. However, the very fact that his relationship with his daughter had shifted at all was already the most valuable experience.

Therefore, facing the parent-teacher meeting he had spoken of before, he was thoroughly prepared.

When work required him to do overtime, he switched shifts with someone else; when colleagues invited him out, he excused himself with the promise to treat them another day; when clients made requests, he arranged well in advance for a specialist to deal with them. All work-related matters were pushed aside, and nothing could stop him from attending the parent-teacher meeting.

Now, he took an early tram to Lin Xiaolu's school in the afternoon.

Without notice, a fine rain began to fall outside the window, and the persistent threads of rain streaked across the glass, leaving trails behind. Lin Yun leaned quietly in the tram, cradling his rare excitement as he waited for the moment of arrival.

To ensure his work was complete and he carried no extra burden today, the many days of overtime work had left him somewhat tired. As he sat for a long time in his seat, sleepiness crept up, and he struggled to keep awake, lest he miss his stop.

Just as he was fighting his drowsiness, he was startled by a scream in a moment of haze.

——"Ah!"

It was such a sound that jolted him to full alertness.

Immediately after, the carriage began to shake violently.

Lin Yun, sitting in his seat, managed to grab the handrail just in time to keep himself from being thrown about, but he saw several passengers tumbling from the front to the back of the carriage.

Amidst the chaos, piercing screams rose and fell, and the lights in the carriage flickered on and off, squinting his eyes in annoyance.

The tram was still moving He first looked outside through the window behind him and, seeing nothing, struggled to get up from his seat. He grabbed the handrail across the aisle and staggered towards the window, looking in the direction from where the impact came—

A huge beastly Remnant Beast was clinging to the top of the tram, with a passenger impaled on its claws, blood spilling profusely from the wound in the passenger's abdomen. His head hung motionless, most likely dead already.

"Damn, at a time like this?"

Lin Yun couldn't help but curse under his breath, but the ringing of his phone at his waist quickly brought him back to his senses.

He took the phone out of his pocket and sure enough, it was Emerald Sparrow's phone, and the incoming call on the screen was from "Bai Mei".

Glancing around, he saw that many passengers were lying on the ground, wailing inconsolably, but a few seemed less affected, merely sitting in their seats with faces full of terror. His heart tightened as he realized he couldn't transform here.

So, he ignored the call and left his seat once more, stumbling toward the front of the violently shaking carriage, where he found a safety hammer on the side wall.

Clutching the safety hammer, he clenched his teeth, steadied himself, and started to smash it heavily against the window.

At first, the people inside didn't realize what he was doing, but when they did, they all started to shout words of dissuasion.

"Don't do that," "Stop it," "Are you trying to kill yourself?" Their cries came one after another, but Lin Yun didn't stop his movements, continuing to pound the window with the hammer until cracks appeared in the corners of the glass, until he had shattered all four corners, and then the entire window broke apart.

The exploding glass shards flew about in the shaking vehicle, some sweeping across Lin Yun's face, even leaving behind thin lines of blood. Lin Yun changed his position from kneeling to standing on the seat.

He looked through the window at the rapidly passing scenery, his hand gripping the vibrating phone, paused, and his expression became resolute.

Then, amid the shocked cries around him, he jumped out of the window.

The rail tracks of the light rail train were set at a certain height above the ground, but not too high, leaving Lin Yun with limited time. Jumping out of the window, he was thrown into the air by the strong inertia, tumbling continually.

He gripped his heart shard, and the light swirled.

Azure blue magic power radiated in all directions, and Emerald Sparrow emerged from the brilliance of the magic. From the moment she appeared, the magic power surging from behind her propelled her to fly after the train.

She took out the phone, which had stopped vibrating, and hit the redial button. Moments later, the call connected.

—"Emerald Sparrow, Mosi said there's been a Remnant Beast attack in the direction of Luo Ming Line 4!"

Lin Xiaolu's voice immediately came through the phone, urgent, "I'm still at school, it will take me a while to get there, but I'll hurry, and I'll send you the exact location right away, and Xia Liang, we should be able to..."

"No need."

Emerald Sparrow cut her off, "I'll be there soon, don't come."

"Why?" Lin Xiaolu asked.

"I remember you mentioned there's a parent-teacher meeting at school today, right?"

"But..." Lin Xiaolu still wanted to argue.

"The Remnant Beast this time is an Inchworm, do not come over."

Emerald Sparrow sped up her speech, replying calmly amidst the howling wind, "I happen to be nearby, not far from the scene now, and I can see what the Remnant Beast looks like. No doubt, it will be dangerous for you to come. Let me handle this one alone."

"So do your own thing, don't get distracted, and if your parents arrive at school and find you're not there, it would be hard to explain, right?"

"Um..." Lin Xiaolu's response was noticeably hesitant.

"Leave it to me then. Don't worry, I'm strong."

Emerald Sparrow said this and then pressed the end call button, ending the conversation.

The azure blue magic power followed the train, flying along, and after a few brief accelerations, it surged forward a distance, with Emerald Sparrow catching up to the Remnant Beast's carriage in just a handful of seconds.

At that moment, the Remnant Beast was savagely tearing at the carriage, and the section of the carriage under its claws was completely ripped open. Passengers were screaming as they were plucked out and sent into its tooth-filled maw.

And just as a young man was wailing, struggling to free himself from its claws, the movements of the Remnant Beast's paw halted. It was as if it had been hit by the legendary Binding Spell, seemingly bound by something—its forearm trembling, appearing to exert force, yet unable to lift even a fraction of an inch.

The brief respite allowed the young man to catch his breath, and in his terror, he opened his eyes as if realizing something and looked not far away.

Where his gaze landed, there stood a girl in a dark blue dress with a grim expression on her face atop the carriage. The howling wind blew her blue hair under her hat backwards, and the rain did not hide the almost murderous expression on her face:

"If you're looking to die, could you pick another time, and not stand in my way of attending a parent-teacher meeting, beast."