Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

Xia Liang often wondered if the life she led every day was truly the one she wanted.

She drifted aimlessly through school, laughing and joking with those "friends" who had a bad reputation, and after school, she'd go to the so-called "internet celebrity hotspots" to check in. Then, she'd go home alone, pretending on social media that her life was quite fulfilling and singing praises of it.

Was she happy? Probably.

She had learned to apply makeup, to dress well, to be fashionable. She had made friends and become the focus of the boys' attention. Shouldn't she be happy with such a life?

Yet, she often felt that the smile on her face didn't belong to her. The more she kept up the charade, the more cynical she became, and the more the emptiness inside her grew unbearable.

In her desire to fill that void, she craved attention, craved recognition.

She knew that her "friends" didn't actually like her.

They felt they lost their shine standing next to her, felt she stole the attention that should've been theirs, and more importantly, she wasn't really one of "them."

The reason was simple: Xia Liang refused to partake in "work."

No matter how much they boasted or urged her, Xia Liang was always unwilling to join. She felt that real friends shouldn't be like that.

But this resistance was being eroded over time.

If she accepted the "work," would her "friends" accept her more?

If she accepted the "work," could she seek a closer relationship?

After entertaining such thoughts, Xia Liang's stance became less firm.

So today, after school, upon receiving another invitation from her "friends," she finally figured everything out.

That's that then.

She agreed.

She followed her "friends" to the electronics district, heading to the meeting place they had mentioned.

Giving up meaningless perseverance and pride, forgoing unnecessary principles and illusions, she could pursue a more practical, more real love.

She felt ready, having made up her mind.

—But then she saw a cat.

A pink cat, flying in the air.

It was following a girl who looked somewhat petite, wearing the same uniform as hers, with a ponytail, sneakily trailing behind them.

What was this about?

Her inherent strong curiosity made it impossible for Xia Liang not to pay attention to what was happening behind her.

What was more, as soon as she saw the pink cat, she felt as if she had received some kind of call, a desire to get closer.

In that instant, a voice emerged in her heart, telling her she should go, she should find that pink cat, she could obtain something very important for herself.

So, she stopped in her tracks in the middle of the street.

Walking in the middle of the group, her sudden halt made the other girls immediately notice her unusual behavior, and they asked with some confusion, "What's wrong?".

Xia Liang turned to them, uncertain whether she should mention seeing a flying pink cat and wanting to go check it out.

She noticed the girl walking at the front, the usual center of their little circle, also turning around and glancing at her with a somewhat inexplicable look.

"I..."

She hesitated to speak, but during this process, she slowly made up her mind, "I just remembered I have something to do, I might have to leave first today."

Then she smiled, showing a somewhat apologetic expression, waved her hand, and said to the others, "Have fun, okay!"

Having said that, she was about to trot away.

"Xia Liang."

The girl in front called out to her at that moment.

With her phone in hand, her fingers adorned with long nails tapping rapidly on the screen, her gaze not returning to Xia Liang, she said, "If you leave today, then don't bother coming back afterward."

Xia Liang's steps faltered.

She turned around to look at the girl, then slowly looked to the side at her "friends."

Perhaps she was hoping that everyone would laugh it off with their usual frivolity, cursing and ignoring her, allowing her to leave.

But this time, each of them looked at her with a somewhat strange gaze.

No, it wasn't a strange gaze after all. She knew it well—her daily life at home had long acquainted her with such looks, she couldn't be mistaken.

—That gaze was called indifference.

Maybe she really couldn't blend in with them.

It wasn't until this moment that Xia Liang recognized this reality.

No matter how much she smiled forcibly, no matter how much she flattered, she could never be one of them, she was never meant to be their companion from the start.

The strange call from afar was still intense, as if urging her to come quickly.

The cracks she'd covered and ignored in her daily life now formed a deep chasm, separating her from the girls before her.

Xia Liang finally put away the smile she had always worn, and looked seriously at her "friends." She nodded:

"Okay."

Without any further words, she turned around and left quickly without looking back.

What she hadn't expected was that, ten minutes later, this sentence would take her to the rooftop of a tall building.

Kneeling on the ground, her heart racing, she also had to listen to the girl named "Emerald Sparrow" spouting what sounded like fanciful nonsense.

"Magical Girl?"

She had heard of them, she knew what Magical Girls were.

Magical Girls are a profession often found in children's cartoons, typically representing love and justice, battling various villains.

At the same time, Magical Girls are also the Guardians of this world, fighting against Remnant Beasts that occasionally appear in the city, real warriors indeed.

Perhaps, for many young girls, becoming a Magical Girl was a dream, even though they knew it involved facing dangerous battles, they would still long for the glittering self in gorgeous attire.

But for the general public, Magical Girls are too distant and mysterious.

If it was a normal day, upon hearing someone claim to be a Magical Girl, Xia Liang would likely take them for a fraud or treat the statement as a joke, laugh it off, and swiftly change the subject.

But now was different, she had just been caught by the girl in front of her and experienced the sensation of flying through the sky.

Whether it was the other party's abrupt change of clothes, the ability to ascend into the air, or the anomalous flickering particles when they moved, everything told Xia Liang that she had encountered the real deal.

"So, what do you want from a Magical Girl like me?"

She had never been on a plane before in her life and her very first flight experience turned out to be being carried up into the sky by someone, which was all too much for her heart to bear, causing her to feel somewhat dazed.

Therefore, she could only follow the other person's logic in asking questions, without any reason to object.

Then, she heard something that made her even more bewildered:

"Do you want to be a Magical Girl?"

Become a Magical Girl?

Could she really become a Magical Girl?

Xia Liang had never even considered this question.

She was just an ordinary girl who was never paid attention to, who had never really been noticed; she never thought she could be something so special.

Even during those nights spent relying on fantasy and prayer, she had never thought she could become a Magical Girl.

The term was too dazzling; she felt it would scorch her if she got too close.

"I need to make it clear to you beforehand, becoming a Magical Girl is not as wonderful as the public imagines,"

Emerald Sparrow said seriously, cautioning her: "There will be danger, fatigue, and annoyance. The only advantage is that, compared to ordinary people who can only sit and wait for doom when facing Remnant Beasts, you will have the power to counter the danger."

"...Will the clothes be as cute as yours?" Xia Liang suddenly asked.

Unlike her somewhat whimsical question, no one noticed the sparkle in her eyes.

Her question caught Emerald Sparrow off guard, but she quickly recovered and nodded, replying, "The outfit of a Magical Girl is just as you imagine."

"Can I brag to others that I'm a Magical Girl?" Xia Liang continued to ask.

"Not unless it's an emergency."

"Even though there's danger, at least I'll be taking action with you all, right?"

"Until you grow stronger, I will be responsible for ensuring your safety," Emerald Sparrow nodded in promise.

"Then there's also..."

—"Ah, seriously, despite finally finding someone talented, why does it have to be this frivolous girl!"

Not far away, Lin Xiaolu, who had changed into a pale blue dress and now sported golden twin ponytails, interrupted Xia Liang's question with indignation: "I do not want to be companions with this kind of person at all!"

"Don't be willful, Bai Mei."

Emerald Sparrow glanced at her: "This girl's talent may be very strong and could become a significant asset."

"But..."

Lin Xiaolu paused at those words, looking somewhat aggrieved towards Emerald Sparrow: "Her frivolous attitude doesn't look anything like a Magical Girl—"

—"I want to be one, you know."

Xia Liang suddenly spoke.

After the series of questions before, she had adjusted to the discomfort of suddenly flying up and had gotten to her feet; she was now walking to the edge of the rooftop.

In fact, since she said goodbye to her "friends" and chose to follow the guidance of her heart, she had already made her choice.

She glanced at Lin Xiaolu, lifted her hand to her earlobe, rubbed it vigorously for a moment and then let go, her hand now held two shiny objects that she flung down to the ground without hesitation.

She took out her phone, swiftly selected over a dozen names from her contacts list, and brought up the editing interface. After a moment's hesitation, she resolutely hit "delete."

"I've decided. If everything you've said is the truth, then all these things don't matter at all, and it's fine to let them go."

Setting down her phone, she spread out a smile, her eyes shimmering with expectation as the wind on the rooftop tousled her shoulder-length black hair:

"But anyway, I want to be a Magical Girl!"