Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

Emerald Sparrow asked her why, and her response was "Out of the three of us, I'm the only one who hasn't awakened to my magic attire, so I'm a bit anxious."

This answer sounded reasonable and thus Emerald Sparrow didn't feel it was right to ask any further. After all, the thoughts of an adolescent girl are truly hard to guess, and as long as Lin Xiaolu's overall behavior was improving, there should be no cause for much concern.

However, if one could say Lin Xiaolu's condition was only puzzling, the attitude of Bai Jingxuan was somewhat worrisome.

Before this incident, following the attack on Lakeside Spring, Bai Jingxuan had evidently become much more expressive at the secret base. She would make an effort to speak up on various occasions, to maintain her presence and ensure that Emerald Sparrow did not overlook her existence.

But that night, after Emerald Sparrow chose to explain the situation and return to her own home, Bai Jingxuan seemed to speak less.

She did not always remain silent, but she rarely initiated conversation. If anyone asked her something, she would still respond, but that was about it; there was no further communication.

Had Emerald Sparrow not been paying more attention to Bai Jingxuan in recent days, she might not have noticed this at all. After all, this child had always been quiet and never spoke out of turn.

Of course, even noticing it was of no help, because by this time, Bai Jingxuan had once again started calling Emerald Sparrow "Teacher."

Asking her why, she could only get a somewhat naive response:

—— "If Uncle and Teacher don't plan on getting married, then you won't adopt me, right?"

This was a naive response that made Emerald Sparrow's heart sink. It was too casual and too logical.

"Lin Yun" and "Emerald Sparrow" getting married and forming a family was merely Lin Xiaolu's imagination; Lin Yun had no intention of remarrying for the time being.

Since the premise was wrong, the subsequent reasoning was also incorrect. Built upon this foundation, the idea that "Lin Xiaolu's family would adopt Bai Jingxuan" was equally fantastical. Derived from this logic, Bai Jingxuan's current answer was not hard to fathom.

Her answer was not an issue, but coming from Bai Jingxuan herself, it represented a completely different state of affairs.
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Given her previous attitude towards this matter, it wasn't something so trivial for her. Her response shouldn't have been like this.

Emerald Sparrow had anticipated that Bai Jingxuan might harbor doubts and seek confirmation of the promise; she also considered that Bai Jingxuan might feel dissatisfied, believing that she was being placated and deceived; yet she had not expected it to be neither—Bai Jingxuan showed no signs of doubt or dissatisfaction, instead she easily convinced herself and readily accepted it.

And this was the worst possible development.

It meant that Bai Jingxuan had not only failed to resolve her emotional issues but didn't even believe they could be resolved. She began to conceal the problem, internalizing it as part of herself.

After several unsuccessful attempts at a conversation, Emerald Sparrow had no choice but to enlist Xia Liang's help, proactively clarifying the whole story, including but not limited to the previous allowance for Bai Jingxuan to call her "mom." Then, under Xia Liang's somewhat peculiar gaze, they set aside these premises for a discussion and came up with a plan:

That was to use Bai Jingxuan's birthday as an opportunity, to seize the moment for a heartfelt conversation in the ambiance of the birthday party.

Thus today's situation arose, with Bai Jingxuan specifically coming to the Director's Office of Abnormal Strategy Bureau to ask if he would participate.

Clearly, the "birthday party" was a long-missed experience for Bai Jingxuan. Regardless of past problems, the current her wanted to share this joy with everyone she knew.

But, regrettably, Lin Yun's response was bound to be negative.

"...Sorry."

After a struggle in his heart, he finally spoke, "I have something very important to do tonight. I might... not be able to make it."

If possible, he wished he could split himself in two and attend the birthday party in both capacities; sadly, he could not.

In this birthday party, only either Emerald Sparrow or Lin Yun could be present.

After uttering that sentence, his mind was already considering remedial measures, thinking of ways to slightly improve Bai Jingxuan's mood with his words, but before he could continue, he heard a soft chuckle.

"Hehe."

Bai Jingxuan closed the book in her hand and, for some reason, revealed a small smile, "I knew it because Sister Xiaolu told me that you, Uncle, have even missed her birthdays before."

Lin Yun didn't know what to say for a moment and could only manage a bitter twist of his lips.

"Looks like I really did come at the right time," Bai Jingxuan suddenly said.

"...What?"

The sudden change caught Lin Yun off guard. He looked up in astonishment, only to find Bai Jingxuan squinting her eyes, her face wearing an innocent smile:

—— "Everyone is celebrating the birthday together, and if you, Uncle, are the only one who can't go, isn't that very lonely? So I decided to keep you company before my birthday, to talk to you and share some of the birthday luck with you."

This light-hearted remark left no trace in the office but rendered Lin Yun speechless.

He looked at the girl before him, who seemed to be smiling happily, and for some reason, his throat worked, but he couldn't utter a single word.