After get off work, I become a magical girl

Emerald shook her head, completely forgetting what she had said a few words ago, "young people who don't understand the material world," and commented pointedly, "Fantasy is based on reality, and the legends of the kingdom are often the source of people's fantasy."

“What about feasibility?”

In line with the principle of being as cautious as possible, Kuiqi further asked: "Is the technology mature and how big are the risks?"

"Is it mature? You don't have to worry about that. The technology for creating life forms has been mature for decades, and there have been many successful application cases. Not to mention humans, we can even imitate the bodies of fairies to a certain extent."

Emerald pointed to her current fairy doll body: "The only thing we can't do is create a soul out of thin air. All the life forms we create are just unconscious dead things. But this is a good thing for us - just creating a spare body without self-awareness, we don't need to bear any moral and ethical psychological burdens."

"It sounds like you've had this plan for a long time."

"I do not deny."

Emerald nodded: "Because you also know that Chao Yan's condition is not good, and your condition will only be worse than hers. Fangting City is currently lacking in deterrent high-end combat power. To be honest, as the next owner of the Source of Beasts, I am not assured of the safety situation here.

"So you want a wounded soldier to make more sacrifices for this?" Delphinium couldn't help but frowned.

"Don't worry, young man. I never said this was a 'sacrifice'. The technology of artificial bodies is very mature and will not cause any burden or harm to the user."

Emerald extended her claws and said simply, "I can assure you that Chao Yan will not suffer any adverse effects from this decision. She will only gain benefits - for example, she can immediately start training to consolidate her Flower-level strength, and she can also return to her original life."

"What is your own wish?" Cuiqiao looked at Hong Siyu.

"I proposed it myself and agreed to it."

In response to this question, Hong Siyu raised his head and looked at Kuei-ja seriously: "I told you, Senior. Even if it's only for a short period of time, I want to protect this city, the younger generations, and you."

Delphinium looked at her quietly.

After a while, she closed her eyes and opened them again, sighing, "Thank you, I'm sorry."

"Senior, there is nothing to apologize for. You have saved me three times."

Hong Siyu subconsciously wiped the cover of the notebook in his hand: "And, you know, it's mainly for you."

The second half of her words were spoken in a very low voice, but Delphinium and Emerald still heard them clearly. Delphinium pursed her lips and looked away for some reason, while Emerald whistled maliciously.

"Young people, young people." She couldn't help but sigh, "It's good to be young."

"So? Tell me about this now, what else do you want?"

Delphinium looked at Emerald expressionlessly and forced the topic back on track: "If you just want to ask for my opinion, there seems to be no need to call me with the magic mirror halfway."

"Oh, that one."

The fairy doll leaned back slightly. "It's actually very simple. It's still about the artificial body. In order to achieve the best fit, we will make her body based on Chaogao's true appearance. However, as you know, her age and appearance are nearly twenty years different from her true appearance. In order to make the spare body consistent with the original body, it may require some additional adjustment costs."

"'Extra cost', does that mean we still have to charge you?" Delphinium immediately understood what she meant.

"Yes, but it can be included in the transaction of the source of beasts."

The fairy doll shook her head: "The main reason is that Chao Yan made another suggestion."

"...What suggestions?" Cuiqiao turned her head and looked at Hong Siyu again.

"What I'm saying is, otherwise, let's save some costs."

Hong Siyu started to play with the notebook in his hand again: "I think it's okay not to adjust it, just use the original appearance as a backup body..."

"If you want to return to normal work and life, there is no need to save this kind of cost."

Delphinium thought about it and suggested seriously: "Since the Chief has promised that there will be no additional fees, there is no need for you to worry about this issue."

“It’s not a cost consideration.”

Hong Siyu's voice became smaller and smaller as he spoke: "That is to say, I really hope that I can still look like my original appearance after I change back."

Now Delphinium understood what she meant.

In fact, this is not difficult to understand, because the ideas expressed by Hong Siyu have also been expressed by other magical girls in history.

As one ages, the appearance of the original body begins to enter a stage called "aging", and it becomes more and more difficult to let go of the original youthful appearance.

The true appearance of magical girls, although not necessarily at their prime, is full of youthful vigor and vitality. Even women in their thirties or forties have their own charm, but most women still hope to stay young forever, and magical girls are no exception.

In fact, there are indeed some magical girls who join the magic kingdom for such nonsensical reasons. They simply cannot accept the fact that they will gradually grow old after retiring, and choose to live as magical girls forever.

Although Hong Siyu is not that obsessed, it is understandable that she wants to look younger... right?

Thinking of this, Cuiqiao saw Hong Siyu glancing at her with a slightly strange look, and for a moment she was not sure of her answer.

"It's not impossible."

So she nodded and expressed her thoughts: "However, if the backup body is your appearance when you are sixteen, do you still plan to go back to work at the Strategy Bureau?"

There was silence again.

"I want to go back." After a while, Hong Siyu said slowly.

"…Are you going to work like this?"

"Senior, you promised me, right?"

Hong Siyu said softly: "I'm back, let me be your secretary."

"I did promise."

Cuique swallowed inexplicably: "But you use your 16-year-old appearance to come to the Strategy Bureau to be my secretary, isn't it a little bit..."

At this point, she finally realized why these two people called her with the magic mirror on the way she came.

It turns out that all the things said before were just foreshadowing and background introduction. What she really needed to accept and decide was never Hong Si and whether to accept a spare body, but "whether Director Lin Yun of the Strategy Bureau should hire a secretary who looks only 16 years old."

"...That won't work." She denied it almost subconsciously.

"I think it's great, a 16-year-old high school girl who is the secretary of the director."

Emerald on the side said leisurely, ignoring Delphinium's rolling eyes: "It just so happens that you often transform into a magical girl, don't you? Just use your current appearance to be the director. An elementary school student director and a high school student secretary. With the two of you working together like this, I believe the employees of the Strategy Bureau will be much more motivated."

"What the Strategy Bureau needs is guidance on the direction of its mission, not flashy idols."

Cuique looked at her indifferently and rejected this unreliable opinion without hesitation: "Let's take a step back. Even if I don't mind causing a few more rumors in the Strategy Bureau, what about Hong Siyu's identity? She can't go back to work under her original name, right?"

"This is quite simple."

The fairy doll gently closed its claws. "You can just make up a resume. Just say she is 'Hong Siyu's niece'. Because her aunt was injured, she took the initiative to transfer from Tiandu City to take over her aunt's job. As for the problem of her looking too young, just fill in 25 years old on the resume. No matter how others ask, it's just 25 years old."

Delphinium was completely speechless now.

"Okay, if you don't have any objections, then lie down. Asagao's problem has been almost settled, but you still have a bigger problem. We need to do more physical therapy to stabilize your injuries."

Patting the treatment bed in front of her, Emerald urged, "Finish this as soon as possible. I still have to study the origin of the beast next."

Of course, it turns out that the previous treatment required "taking off clothes" was a complete lie, and this treatment did not require being naked at all. Therefore, Delphinium did not need to make any extra preparations, just lie down on the treatment bed, and be unconscious for a while, and the whole process was completed.

So much so that when she left the institute and walked into the corridor with Hong Siyu, she still couldn't figure out how to reject the two people's ridiculous proposal.

While thinking, she cancelled her transformation and returned to Lin Yun's appearance. She and Hong Si walked into the elevator of the office building one after another.

The two of them stood in an empty elevator car. Just as Lin Yun was still thinking about the question of "how to refuse", Hong Siyu beside him suddenly spoke in a low voice:

"Senior, if I want to go to work with my new spare body, the work clothes I wore before may not be suitable. I may need to change them."

"Not the right size?"

Lin Yun came back to his senses, took a look at Hong Siyu now, and nodded subconsciously: "I think I should buy a few new ones."

"Yes, I need to buy some new clothes that suit my true appearance."

Hong Siyu continued speaking along with his words, and finally whispered: "So, can you please give me some reference advice?"

The elevator was silent. The bright white light flickered slightly as the floors changed, and the light in the car was somewhat dim.

After a while, Lin Yun understood what she wanted to express, and also understood the emotions contained in this sentence. For a moment, his expression was a little complicated.

"...I can go with you."

He lowered his voice: "But, there are some things, thank you, I'm sorry."

"…I said, no need to apologize."

Hong Siyu looked at the blurred reflection on the elevator door with a calm expression: "Senior, it will be fine if you can go with me."

After another period of silence, the display on the elevator counted to one floor. With a light prompt sound, the elevator door slowly opened in front of the two people.

Outside the office building is the largest shopping mall in the vicinity. Just by looking out through the elevator and the glass curtain wall of the office building, you can see the flashing neon lights.

"Going there?" Lin Yun looked straight ahead and suddenly asked.

"Well, let's go there." Hong Siyuye looked forward and answered.

The two of them walked out of the elevator door in unison. The distance between them had never seemed as close as it was at this moment in the twenty years since they met.

The two people's hands were also facing away from each other, and because of the height difference, the hands were also higher and lower. The hand at the lower position was slightly raised in the process of moving forward, and the back of the hand touched the other person, but in the end, the owner of the hand put it down, grabbed the hem of his clothes again, and pretended to be natural and walked out of the office building side by side with the other person.

There are bright lights and feasting ahead, and there is quiet and desolateness behind.

Human urban civilization has been developing in this world for more than a thousand years. In modern cities, people can be close to each other, yet at the same time far away.

……

……

Also in the neon lights, walking in the cold wind of the winter night, Lin Xiaolu, who had just left the shopping mall with her companions, suddenly stopped and turned back as if she felt something.

She first looked towards the entrance of the shopping mall with some confusion, then, as if to confirm, she took two steps back and walked to the entrance.

As she stared at the two familiar figures, her expression became increasingly confused.

"What's wrong?" Xia Liang, who was carrying a lot of bags in his hands and was satisfied with the results of his shopping, suddenly turned around and asked after noticing Lin Xiaolu's strange behavior.

Lin Xiaolu did not answer Xia Liang's question.

She first took two steps closer to the door, then rubbed her eyes as if she was worried that she had seen something wrong. After finally confirming what she saw, she stood there in a daze.

Then, she stared and slowly opened her mouth.

Today's is 6k words, let's just consider it as making up for yesterday's 2k. Thank you all for your support during the recent unstable update period. I am very touched, ashamed, and grateful.

Chapter 187 Returning Home

2023-07-05

It was almost eight o'clock in the evening, and Delphinium carried two large plastic shopping bags and walked through the night back to the secret base. But when she found the key and opened the door of the house as usual, she suddenly felt that something was missing.