Signs of Trouble (8k)

"Yes, I'm back."

Lin Yun raised the corners of her mouth as kindly as possible, pretending to be meeting Bai Jingxuan for the first time, and asked, "I already know the student on the left. What about the one on the right? Is she also your friend?"

He ignored Xia Liang's little actions because he didn't want to figure out what this troublesome girl was up to again, or rather, he could guess what Xia Liang was secretly shouting.

Bai Jingxuan and Lin Xiaolu were watching from the side. He needed to maintain the secrecy of his identity in front of these two people, so putting on a proper elder's demeanor was definitely the safest course of action.

As for Bai Jingxuan's identity as a magical girl, he didn't intend to reveal it. Even from Lin Yun's perspective alone, he had every reason to deduce that, but continuing to play dumb was also reasonable.

"... Stop asking questions in such roundabout ways."

However, Lin Xiaolu couldn't understand Lin Yun's thoughts. She wiped her hands with a rag, looked up at her father, and replied bluntly, "This child, like Xia Liang, was also my companion when I was a magical girl."

In her opinion, since she had brought outsiders to her home for the holiday, it was best to clarify their identities and circumstances to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Besides, although it was indeed her father's first time meeting Bai Jingxuan, all the people present today— Xia Liang and Hong Siyu— were related to magical girls, so he had no reason not to guess Bai Jingxuan's identity.

Anyway, she had long since given up on hiding the fact that she was a magical girl from her father, so she could say whatever she wanted without any mental burden.

"My name is Bai Jingxuan." Bai Jingxuan, who was standing next to her, quickly followed suit and introduced herself.

"... Oh, so this child is also a magical girl. So young, that's amazing."

Lin Xiaolu's abrupt revelation only surprised Lin Yun for a moment before he quickly devised a response. He feigned understanding, acting completely like an ordinary person unaware of the situation. "Hello, hello, Lulu, thank you all for taking care of me."

"No! Actually, it's Sister Xiao Lu who's been taking care of me..."

The two exchanged pleasantries; the elder was kind and amiable, while the younger was reserved but polite, creating a harmonious scene. To an outsider, there was absolutely no idea what the real story was behind it all.

As for those who knew the inside story, both Xia Liang and Hong Siyu had somewhat subtle expressions, looking like they were smiling but not smiling, which made Lin Xiaolu look at them strangely.

The two people here were repeating useless Ornate Script, while the others nearby were preoccupied with their own thoughts. Of all the people present, only the Fairy's mind was still on the stove in the kitchen.

When Moko ignored Lin Yun and Bai Jingxuan's pointless pleasantries and turned his attention to the wok beside them, he immediately glared and shouted, "You lot! The wok is burnt!"

Only then did everyone present realize that the smell of burning permeated the entire kitchen. The girls, who had put down what they were doing, were stunned to see smoke billowing from the wok and quickly gathered around.

However, the incident happened suddenly and the action was rushed, so they were not prepared. They went to the stove without any preparation, which caused a series of more troubles.

"Whoa! It's breathing fire!"

"The shovel... the shovel... the shovel is so hot!"

"I'll go get some water!"

Bai Jingxuan picked up an empty bowl and tried to reach the edge of the sink, but she was too small and didn't watch her step. She had only taken two steps to the side when she tripped over Lin Xiaolu's foot and lost her balance.

Seeing the bowl slip from her hand and she about to fall, Lin Yun reacted quickly, grabbing the back of her collar and catching the bowl as it flew through the air. This prevented a potential kitchen tragedy.

"I'm sorry..." Bai Jingxuan, who had been lifted up by Lin Yun, stared blankly at the ground. After a long while, she looked up at the bowl he was holding and stammered.

"It's alright, I'm just glad you're okay."

Lin Yun released Bai Jingxuan's collar and put the bowl back into her hands. "Don't rush, be careful."

He didn't let Bai Jingxuan go back to cook, because looking at the chaotic scene, he knew it was time for him to take over dinner himself. Now that they were back in their own home, there was no reason for him to let a group of younger people run around in the kitchen. It would be disrespectful to adults, and it wouldn't be safe either.

"But what about you?"

Before stepping onto the stove, he glanced back at Hong Siyu: "I could let the kids do the cooking before, but now you're just standing around doing nothing? Is this how you take care of people?"

"You're asking me?"

Hong Siyu blinked innocently twice. "You're wronging me. It's not that I don't want to, it's just a long story..."

"Make it quick," Lin Yun interrupted her.

Hong Siyu grinned, pointing to herself with her thumb. "I'm forbidden from entering the kitchen."

Lin Yun remained silent, but couldn't help rolling her eyes at her.

Of the two adults present, one was practically unreliable, and he was too lazy to say anything more to Hong Siyu. He stepped forward, took over the girls' work, and personally picked up the kitchen utensils.

"Alright, I'll cook. You guys go have fun."

He said this, thus freeing the girls from the kitchen.

He had cooked a lot of meals himself when he was at the Secret Base. Although he had been away on business for many days, he was quite familiar with the kitchen when he returned. Unlike the 139cm height of the Larkspur, the familiar height made it much easier for him to move his hands.

However, he still paid attention to making some differences from "Larkspur's method" in terms of seasoning and cooking time.

After all, if their tastes are too similar, it's bound to arouse Lin Xiaolu's suspicion.

Besides, the girls had already prepared some dishes before he returned, so he didn't need to put in much effort; the remaining task was simply to cook the remaining ingredients into finished products.

And so, after a brief flurry of activity, the festive dinner was complete. What was originally planned as Full Moon Festival for just the two of them became much more lively with the addition of the others.

Lin Yun had previously considered whether or not to invite the rest of the Magical Girl Squad to his home for the holiday. After all, if it were just him and Lin Xiaolu celebrating, the atmosphere would inevitably become somewhat dull and awkward.

The improved relationship with his daughter did not mean that he and Lin Xiaolu had more in common. In fact, even after shedding his magical girl persona, he still didn't have much to share with his daughter.

Talking about hobbies? He and his daughter don't have any common hobbies, and he himself can hardly say that he has any personal hobbies.

Talking about studies? It's fine if he acts like Larkspur normally, but asking Lin Xiaolu about her grades in a fatherly tone will probably only make the conversation more awkward.

Besides, the girls in the Fangting City Squad had undoubtedly become quite good friends after spending several months together, and forcibly separating them on such a day didn't seem like a good idea.

If Xia Liang and Bai Jingxuan were to be invited over together, the aforementioned problems would undoubtedly be alleviated, allowing the younger generation to communicate among themselves.

The only problem is how he should bring it up—as Lin Yun's identity, making such a request would seem suspicious; as Larkspur's identity, it would seem too abrupt.

To his surprise, before he could even make a decision, Hong Siyu had already led her entire team to his house, leading to the current situation.

From this perspective, he also had to Hong Siyu, even though it might have been just a passing fancy, she undoubtedly solved a problem for him that wasn't insignificant.

Besides, from a safety perspective, it is undoubtedly the best option for the Fangting City team to gather at their own homes.

The unknown phone call he received in the evening was like a thorn, constantly stuck in Lin Yun's heart.

The other party told me to "be careful," but didn't give a specific answer as to what I should be careful about.

Could it be a trap, like the night Lin Xiaolu was in danger? Or will a powerful Aberrant Beast attack Fangting City next?

Amidst this joyful atmosphere, Lin Yun's heart remained tinged with a hint of unease.

So, after dinner lasted a while, Lin Yun made an excuse and went back to his room first, where he took out the Magic Mirror he used to contact the Investigation Institute. He submitted the results of his investigation in Bai'an City over the past few days, as well as the matter of the mysterious phone call, to the Investigation Institute.

After doing all this, he returned to the restaurant to have dinner with the others.

After calm reflection, he concluded that his most important task was to remain vigilant, guarding against potential enemies while keeping a close eye on the new magical girls in his household.

Whatever potential enemies might want to do, as long as these children are under our watchful eyes, there won't be any problems.

Time passed gradually amidst Lin Yun's slightly tense emotions.

The others present didn't seem to notice anything amiss with Lin Yun, except for Xia Liang, who seemed to sense that Lin Yun's emotions were somewhat different from usual.

So she secretly winked at Lin Yun and sent a message to Larkspur's phone, asking if anything had happened.

Lin Yun did not reply to her.

He simply logged into the Fangting City Squad's group chat using the Larkspur's account, extending holiday greetings to the other magical girls while reminding them to be careful in his absence, Eastern Hua Prefecture might not be very peaceful lately.

The girls seemed primarily concerned with the fact that Larkspur hadn't returned from the holiday. They didn't seem to pay much attention to phrases like "be careful," which had little to do with magical girls.

This forced Lin Yun to secretly send several more group messages, repeatedly emphasizing the possibility of danger, before the girls finally took it seriously.

And so, after dinner, once the girls had all run to the living room to watch TV, Hong Siyu took the initiative to suggest leaving.

"It's a rare holiday, I'd better go home and catch up on my sleep. The job interview a few days ago really exhausted me," she said.

Lin Yun didn't try to stop her any longer. He saw Hong Siyu to the door and watched her take off her shoe covers and put on her coat.

"Thank you so much for taking care of them at the Secret Base these past few days."

After stepping out of the entrance hall, he carefully chose his words and said, "Thank you very much for bringing those children over today."

"Just for something like that?"

Hong Siyu her shoulder and looked at him with a smile, "Then there's no need for thanks, after all, given our relationship, right?"

"I don't recall having any strange relationship with you," Lin Yun calmly denied.

"A strange relationship? How could that be? Is the relationship between senior and junior colleagues strange?"

Hong Siyu's eyes widened. "What I meant to say was 'it's only natural for magical girls to help each other,' but what are you saying, Senpai? I don't understand at all."

"... Yeah."

"What kind of lukewarm response is this? I even seized the opportunity to turn the tables on you, shouldn't you at least give me some feedback?"

No, you're right.

Lin Yun walked alongside her down the stairwell, saying, "Helping each other is only natural, I apologize."

"Ugh, here we go again, suddenly acting all serious at a time like this! Clearly..."

Hong Siyu started grumbling somewhat discontentedly, but then suddenly paused halfway through her sentence.

Her gaze suddenly swept past Lin Yun's shoulder and looked behind him, as if she had seen something, and she pursed her lips inexplicably.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Yun followed her gaze and looked back, only to see an empty corridor and black garbage bags placed next to the public trash can.

"Um... no, it's nothing."

Hong Siyu's gaze was slightly unfocused, but after a moment she regained her composure and laughed heartily, "I just suddenly felt like sneezing, but I've already held it in."

"... Don't act so scary about something like this."

Lin Yun, with drooping eyelids, said, "Besides, is it necessary to hold it in? It's not like it's anything embarrassing."

"It's very embarrassing and damaging to a woman's image."

Hong Siyu shook her finger. "Senior, you need to be careful. Constantly making such comments about women of marriageable age won't help Xiao Lu find a stepmother."

"I'm too old for that kind of ability."

Lin Yun said nonchalantly, "I didn't have that idea, Lulu doesn't seem to like it either. It's fine as it is now."

"Just like that, still single?" Hong Siyu tilted her head.

"Otherwise what?" Lin Yun asked, puzzled.

"No, I meant to say... oh well, it's fine this way too."

After a brief pause Hong Siyu breathed a sigh of relief, "That's fine then. Being single isn't so bad, after all, I've always been single too."

"Then why don't you go and get married?" Lin Yun glanced at her. "You have the retirement allowance from being a magical girl, you have a job at the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau in terms of social connections, and you're considered a beauty. If you really wanted to, wouldn't you find someone?"

All that followed was silence.

"What's wrong?"

"Senior, do you think... I'm considered beautiful?"

"Is it strange? I wouldn't go so far as to deny something that objectively exists."

"That's strange! I feel like you've never treated me like a member of the opposite sex at all!"

"..."

"Why aren't you saying anything, senior?"

"I'm thinking about how to express myself in a way that won't hurt anyone."

"Having this kind of thinking is already very hurtful!"

"Then I'm sorry, as you said, yes."

"Huh? Be careful, I might just pretend to cry and complain about a jerk in the hallway right now!"

"Where did you come from, this con artist trying to scam people?"

"Scammers want your money, I'll give it to you for free, want to try?"

"Don't make such tasteless jokes."

With a helpless sigh, Lin Yun Hong Siyu to the elevator, then suddenly asked, "Are you sure you want to leave? Actually, I suggest you stay."

"Huh? Senior, what do you mean? Do you want me to stay overnight?" Hong Siyu covered her mouth.

"I'm just a little worried, after all, things might not be very safe going forward."

"Not safe? Why?"

Do you remember the unknown phone number I told you about?

Lin Yun glanced back slightly to make sure no one else was around, then lowered her voice and said expressionlessly, "I received another one this afternoon."

"A strange phone call... Ah, that one? Really?"

Hong Siyu stared wide-eyed in surprise. "Did they tell you there might be some danger on the other end?"

"That's right."

Lin Yun said with a somewhat serious expression, "It's almost exactly the same as last time."

"You mean, the one at the Wetland Park?"

"That's right."

Lin Yun nodded. "So I'll have to trouble you to inform the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, and it would be best if you stayed..."

Bite--

The sound of the elevator interrupted his instructions. The apartment building's elevator stopped in front of the two of them, and then slowly opened its doors.

The two people standing at the elevator door fell silent for a moment, neither of them speaking.

"... Well then, I'll be going now."

In the end, Hong Siyu spoke first, stepped into the elevator, and waved back at him. "I already know what you're talking about."

Are you sure?

Lin Yun frowned. "What if you encounter a very dangerous Aberrant Beast on the way..."

"It's okay."

The elevator doors began to close slowly. Hong Siyu shook her head, then looked up at Lin Yun: "Anyway, no matter what kind of Aberrant Beast we encounter, you can eliminate it, right, senior?"

"I will do my best." Standing in the hallway, Lin Yun nodded.

"Really? Then I'm relieved."

Hong Siyu let out a slight sigh of relief, looked at him with a smile, and her voice gradually softened:

"I'll leave it to you, senior."

Her voice echoed out of the elevator, only to be cut off in the hallway with a sharp "bang".

Lin Yun stood in the deserted corridor, staring at the closing elevator doors in front of him, lost in thought.

He wasn't stupid; in fact, he knew exactly what Hong Siyu was thinking. It's just that these thoughts were somewhat out of place for them at the moment.

Even if he did have feelings for her, there are too many unsolvable practical problems between them.

Hong Siyu was clearly aware of this, so despite all the teasing, she never explicitly stated it.

This is actually a tacit understanding between them.

Their relationship is that of former comrades, seniors and juniors among magical girls, and it's best if it's just that, it can only be that.

Any further changes could easily destroy this connection, corrupt it, and ultimately turn it into something no one wants to see.

He initially didn't care and even tried to refuse Hong Siyu and Ming Yan, but since she was unwilling to make it clear or admit it, he wisely stopped bringing it up.

They're no longer children. Interactions between adults are always like this; you need to carefully manage the distance between you. Everyone has unspoken truths hidden in their hearts; there's no need to pry. Insisting on making everything completely unreserved is impossible.

Ultimately, between two adults, as long as they can maintain the personas they've created for each other until the end, their true feelings don't really matter. Rushing into more intimate topics will only disrupt the already delicate distance between them.

That's enough for now.

This was a consensus reached tacitly between Hong Siyu and Lin Yun.

After watching the elevator floor display show that it had gone to the first floor, Lin Yun silently turned around and walked back home.

Hong Siyu didn't want to stay, but he had to get back as soon as possible. The warning from the unknown phone call still seemed to echo in his ears. He had to be vigilant enough to ensure that the new people in his family were under his protection.

Fortunately, no accidents or crises occurred afterward.

The three newlywed magical girls and the Fairy stayed at home, chatting and playing together; the full moon hung high outside the window, pure white and bright, its silvery light illuminating the entire city; occasionally, dazzling fireworks would flash in the night sky, adding a touch of warmth to this festival of family reunion, and everything seemed peaceful and serene.

Just like any ordinary Full Moon Festival, there was nothing unusual about it.

Time passed slowly, until it was almost ten o'clock. The girls were still gathered in the living room watching a movie they had found somewhere, and even Moko sat down with them with great interest.

Lin Yun carried the washed fruit out of the kitchen, intending to bring it to the living room. Hearing the various loud noises coming from not far away, just as Lin Yun was wondering what time to get them to bed, the conversation in the living room suddenly caught his attention.

"Don't try to get away with it! You're still the one taking out the trash tomorrow!"

"No means no! I've been doing this for three days straight, I'm going on strike, I'm going on strike! Making Fairy do this kind of work is torture!"

Those were Lin Xiaolu and Moko's voices.

"This is the punishment you paid for sneaking food last time! You said you'd have to take out the trash for a whole week straight."

"I now think your request is excessive! I want to back out!"

The two continued their usual elementary school-level bickering, saying completely pointless things. However, after hearing the content of their conversation, Lin Yun suddenly let go of their hands.

Thump.

He quickly reached out and grabbed the fruit plate, keeping most of the fruit, but the remaining oranges and pears still spilled onto the ground.

The fruit that had fallen to the ground scattered and rolled around as if out of control, spreading everywhere in an instant, but Lin Yun remained standing still, showing no intention of chasing after them.

"The fruit has spilled!"

Moko the first to be distracted from the argument and see what was happening. Several girls immediately gathered around, wanting to help clean up the fruit that had fallen to the ground.

"It's okay, I can take them to wash again..."

After a dry explanation, Lin Yun picked up a few oranges from the ground and looked at the girls in front of him. "What was that about littering you were talking about earlier?"

"Throwing away trash?"

Lin Xiaolu paused for a moment, then replied, "It doesn't mean anything. It's just that we have a chore schedule, and the order is usually determined by rock-paper-scissors."

This was the first time Lin Yun had heard of this matter, which showed that the three little ones had caused quite a stir in their life at the Secret Base after he left Fangting City.

"Rock-paper-scissors to take out the trash?"

Lin Yun looked at Lin Xiaolu with some confusion. "So, who were you talking to just now?"

"... If you're talking about this, it's related to it."

Lin Xiaolu pointed to Moko floating to the side. "They are the Fairy who make us magical girls, usually called the Seeder."

"There's nothing there." Lin Yun ignored Xia Liang's teasing smile and continued to maintain his persona as an ordinary person.

"Yes, because ordinary people can't see Fairy."

Lin Xiaolu, unsuspecting, honestly explained, "But they really exist; you can touch them if you reach out your hand."

"Can you touch it even though you can't see it?"

To complete the act, Lin Yun reached out and touched Moko again, expressing her surprise before asking again:

"So you mean, you just had the Fairy... take out the trash?"

"Hmm." Lin Xiaolu nodded. "Actually, there's no problem. It already went out to throw it once earlier."

"Is that so...?"

Lin Yun felt like she was almost speechless, and could only mechanically make sounds.

Since his comeback as a magical girl, apart from the night Lin Xiaolu encountered danger, he had never felt so cold inside.

His brain felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, leaving only a buzzing sound that made his thinking somewhat sluggish.

The statement that "ordinary people cannot see Fairy" is actually a relatively broad description.

This description is not absolute. In fact, the reason why ordinary people cannot see Fairy is that they do not have enough magic power.

Generally speaking, to see Fairy, one must at least be a novice Mage; only then can one possess the magic to see Fairy.

As for magical girls, even those who are not yet signed as candidates, most of them already possessed magical power levels close to that of Mage when they were still mortals, so it is easy for them to see Fairy.

However, retired magical girls do not possess this ability.

To prevent retired magical girls from abusing their power after leaving the Kingdom, the Kingdom will reclaim and seal their magical abilities, reducing them to the level of ordinary people.

In other words, a retired magical girl wouldn't have much more magical power than an ordinary person. Under such circumstances, they naturally wouldn't be able to see Fairy.

As a magical girl who retired through the conventional process, Hong Siyu was no exception. In fact, according to her own words and previous performance, she had already lost her magic and could no longer see Fairy.

But just now, through Lin Xiaolu's conversation with Moko, he finally realized what Hong Siyu had been looking at when she was at the door.

Hong Siyu looked behind him, at the trash can behind him, the trash bag beside him, and, at that moment, someone was struggling to carry a bag of trash and fly over...

... Moko.

Impossible.

This was the first judgment Lin Yun could make.

His reason told him it was impossible, because this was something that could neither be explained nor understood.

Once the Mana Source is resealed, it can no longer provide magical power to magical girls. Just like a car without a fuel tank, without a source of energy, a magical girl's magical power won't be much better than that of an ordinary person.

This change is almost irreversible, because he has never heard of a magical girl being able to regain the right to use her powers from the Kingdom after retiring.

So, given this, why did Hong Siyu see Moko?

Lin Yun mechanically picked up the fruit from the ground and brought it back to the kitchen. Standing by the sink, she appeared calm on the surface, but her mind was racing.

Just then, he suddenly heard his phone ring again.

He took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen. The number on it made his eyes freeze: it was the same unfamiliar number that had contacted him that afternoon.

Almost instantly, Lin Yun pressed the button to answer the call, held the phone to his ear, adjusted his breathing, and asked as calmly as possible, "Hello?"

"... Hiss."

The signal noise came through again from the other end.

"Hurry... go..."

What followed was an even fainter voice than before.

"What?"

"... Go find her quickly."

"Who?"

"Go find... go find..."

The jumbled noise grew louder and louder, even drowning out the already faint human voice, making it even fainter. Just when Lin Yun thought that this phone call was going to end inconclusively like before, the jumbled signal suddenly disappeared.

Almost at the same instant, an incredibly clear yet weak voice came to Lin Yun's ears from the other end of the call.

"Lady Cornflower, hurry and find Morning Glory, it's too late!"

I asked for leave in the pinned post in the book review section yesterday, but the post isn't showing up for some reason...

I can only apologize for this, so I'm posting 7k6k updates today to catch up on yesterday's update.