Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

Chapter 107 Chapter 90 The Anniversary of a Death

Another Saturday had come, and Lin Yun was up early as always.

He no longer needed to linger for social obligations or work overtime, but he still had to spend the entire night helping two elementary school underachievers with their studies, followed by lesson planning, which ultimately meant he could only rest around dawn.

Fortunately, at this age, his need for sleep was greatly reduced compared to when he was young; six hours was already enough.

After getting cleaned up as usual, still dressed in a black suit, Lin Yun took out the necklace he had prepared the previous week from An Ya's vanity box and stepped out of the bedroom.

After a quick handling of ingredients from the fridge, he woke Lin Xiaolu, and father and daughter had breakfast together before driving to the cemetery where An Ya was buried.

Since last week's wedding anniversary, when Lin Xiaolu's attempt to follow Lin Yun was unsuccessful but she instead learned the truth about her mother's death, the relationship between her and Lin Yun had basically started to thaw.

Although due to the long period of cold war, even as the estrangement gradually healed, their interactions were still somewhat awkward and stiff. But at least, Lin Xiaolu no longer deliberately showed Lin Yun a cold face, and occasionally she would hesitantly initiate a conversation with Lin Yun, showing an obvious intention to mend their relationship.

For Lin Yun, this mode of relationship was satisfying enough.

As a father, he had not made any further comments about Lin Xiaolu being a Magical Girl; after all, he knew from his identity as Emerald Sparrow that his daughter was already on the right track.

The only thing that may have been unexpected was the battle a few days ago.

According to the descriptions of the three girls afterward, Lin Xiaolu used an unknown type of white Magic Power at a critical juncture and defeated an enemy whose strength was clearly above that of an Inchworm.

The enemy's identity was also very strange, as it turned out to be a Magician capable of transforming into a Remnant Beast.

Lin Yun had never heard of the origins of the latter; however, as for the Magic Power displayed by Lin Xiaolu, his guess actually coincided with the one by the man in black robes from Black Ash Dawn.

Indeed, it was possible that Lin Xiaolu was also a deviant.

Though neither he nor An Ya had shown any qualities of being deviants, just as Bai Jingxuan's parents were ordinary people, the special nature of Magic Power didn't necessarily manifest in every generation.

But all these were still only speculations; the specific details would need further investigation with Lin Xiaolu in the future.

After undergoing an identity check at the entrance of the cemetery, Lin Yun parked the car at the entrance's parking lot and entered the public cemetery with his daughter. After finding An Ya's tombstone, Lin Yun quietly placed the flowers he had prepared in front of An Ya's grave and then hung the prepared necklace next to it.

Actually, in the Donghua Region, every city once had the custom of burning spirit money to commemorate the deceased. However, as cities developed and burials became centralized, this custom gradually faded away.

The evolution of this tradition resulted in the practice of giving gifts.

Anything that the deceased loved in life, be it alcohol or clothing, could be brought to the grave; it could be left there until the next visit, when it could be taken back.

Because the city's public graveyards were under relatively strict management and regulation, with guards patrolling to prevent unauthorized entry, there was no need to worry about left gifts being stolen.

In the past, Lin Yun had come to the cemetery several times, not only on anniversaries but also on significant holidays, for it was his only way to remember An Ya.

Lin Xiaolu, on the other hand, did not come here very often, because as a junior high school student, she neither had time nor the ability to go to the cemetery by herself. Adding to that the two years of cold war with Lin Yun, naturally, there was no chance for them to come together.

Carefully counting, this was only her third visit here since her mother's funeral.

If before, coming here meant bearing pure sadness and remembrance, this visit in front of her mother's tombstone brought with it many different thoughts.

Not just the longing that erupted from learning her mother had been a Magical Girl, but also the reflections from talking to Emerald Sparrow and facing and overcoming a formidable enemy in recent days.

Standing in front of the small tombstone, she felt that if her mother were alive now, they would have so much in common to talk about.

"Mom, I'm here."

So, she slightly opened her mouth and began to share her story.

Starting from when she met Moke and became a Magical Girl to her encounters with Emerald Sparrow and her growth, to gaining comrades—she shared every detail as if she was truly reporting to her mother, a lot, a lot.

If she had come earlier, she probably would have mentioned more of the distant past, including but not limited to her awful experiences during the cold war with her father. But now, she found she no longer wanted to bring up those things.

Instead, compared to her experiences after becoming a Magical Girl, those past grievances seemed much less important.

Listening to Lin Xiaolu's words, Lin Yun stood by silently.

The things he wanted to share with An Ya, he now found inconvenient to speak aloud in front of his daughter, so he could only silently tell her in his heart: he had ultimately chosen to come back.

He had returned to face the things he should have accepted long ago, to face some people he did not wish to see again, and also to face his original desire.

He no longer needed to speak of the more numerous matters; he had thought it through thoroughly, and after resigning, he had already made up his mind.

So the father and daughter lingered by the grave for a long time, until Lin Xiaolu had finished all she wanted to say, then she slowly stood up and looked at Lin Yun.

Lin Yun noticed that the corners of her eyes were slightly reddened.

"Dad."

After inhaling, Lin Xiaolu spoke, "I've made up my mind."

"What decision?" Lin Yun's face showed no emotion, feigning ignorance.

"I will definitely keep going on the path of being a Magical Girl."

"Then eventually become strong enough to uncover all the truths and to protect everything I want to keep safe," Lin Xiaolu said with determination.

"That's a grand idea, but I believe in you," Lin Yun softly agreed.

"I want to find the enemy who killed Mom and defeat her; I also want to protect the people in the city, my companions, and even the Emerald Sparrow..."

She continued, her voice getting softer and her head gradually lowering, until she added in an almost inaudible whisper, "...and you."

Lin Yun, who had been somewhat heavy-hearted moments ago, couldn't help but smile.

He reached out and caressed Lin Xiaolu's head, then gave it a rub and said, "Dad, you know, I'm not that old yet. I've got legs, and I know to run when trouble comes, so you better take care of yourself first."

"Don't mess up my hair." Trying to move his hand away, Lin Xiaolu complained quietly, "And it's an old wives' tale, rubbing the head stops you from growing tall."

"You have to believe in your genes, believe in your potential," Lin Yun replied, drawing back his hand and looking at the nearby gravestone, "Inheriting from me and your mom, you shouldn't be too far off."

"Really?" Lin Xiaolu asked, her eyes wide with skepticism.

"At least that's what I believe."

Turning around, Lin Yun gestured to her, "Alright, let's go back. Have you thought about what you want for lunch?"

"Believe in myself... How come that's what the Emerald Sparrow says too?"

Lin Xiaolu muttered to herself but quickly started walking, catching up with her father's pace, "It doesn't matter, there should still be leftovers from last night."

"You, girl, just talked about wanting to grow taller, how can you grow by eating leftovers?"

"Why can't you grow from eating leftovers?"

"Because they're not nutritious."

"Then what should we eat, go out?"

The sound of their conversation faded away as the father and daughter left the gravestone, chatting about lunch topics while they started on their way home.

Meanwhile, the gravestone in the cemetery stood there quietly, adorned with flowers, a necklace hanging on one side, reflecting a dim glow under the near-noon sunlight, casting a warm hue.