Homecoming

As it approached eight o'clock in the evening, Larkspur, carrying two large plastic shopping bags, crossed the night and returned to her Secret Base. But when she found the key and opened the front door as usual, she suddenly felt that something was missing.

Behind the door was an empty entryway; Lin Xiaolu did not come over.

For the past month, every time Larkspur returned to the base, Lin Xiaolu would come out to greet her immediately. Sometimes she was enthusiastic, sometimes gentle, but she always took the initiative to exchange pleasantries. This slightly intimate behavior initially made Larkspur a little embarrassed, but over time she got used to this way of getting along.

However, today appears to be an exception.

It was already late, and Lin Xiaolu should have finished her patrol by now. Besides, Larkspur had heard a few days ago that she was getting a half-day off today, so there was no reason for her not to be at the base. But the child didn't come out to greet her, which made Larkspur feel a little disappointed.

This feeling of regret didn't last long, because she knew that her child was an independent individual with his own things to do. It was impossible for him to revolve around her all day long, and it was perfectly normal for him to be busy and not answer the door. So she quickly regained her composure, calmly changed into her slippers, and stepped into the living room.

What he saw was Xia Liang sitting on the sofa watching TV, and Bai Jingxuan, who was unusually not training in the basement but accompanying him in the living room.

Have you had dinner yet?

She bent down slightly, preparing to put the shopping bags she was carrying aside. "I went to the supermarket before I came back and bought some extra groceries."

"Ah, you're back, junior? We've already eaten."

Hearing the noise behind her, Xia Liang immediately sat up, ran out of the living room, and helped Larkspur pick up the shopping bags. "Wow, so heavy! Let's put these things in the refrigerator first!"

"I want to help too!" Upon hearing this, Bai Jingxuan quickly stepped between the two and snatched the other shopping bag.

"There's no need to rush... but thank you anyway."

The two bags in her hands were snatched away in an instant, relieving her of the burden. Larkspur blinked, slightly bewildered, and asked, "By the way, where's White Rose Mei?"

Then, she saw the two people in front of her pause simultaneously.

"... My sister said she wanted to go home, so she left alone." Bai Jingxuan's voice lowered slightly.

"We went out together this afternoon, but Xiao Lu didn't come back with us because of something."

Xia Liang chuckled awkwardly, "I wanted to persuade her, but... I just couldn't, haha."

"What happened?"

The two children's ambiguous reactions made Larkspur realize that there seemed to be more to the story, and she subconsciously wanted to raise an eyebrow. However, in order not to put pressure on the children, she deliberately maintained a calm expression. "There was a study session scheduled for tonight, why did she suddenly come home?"

"... Senior."

"Um?"

"After you hear what I'm about to say, you must stay calm." Putting down the plastic bag, Xia Liang stretched out his hand and pressed it down, making a gesture that probably meant "calm."

"Is it something serious? Has she encountered any danger?" Larkspur's expression tightened.

"No, it's nothing dangerous, my life is definitely not in danger. But it's serious... it is indeed quite serious. How should I put it... well, this afternoon we went out together for some reason, and then decided to go out and have some fun, so we ended up going to the shopping mall near the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau."

Xia Liang forced a smile onto her face:

"Then, that evening, I saw Uncle Lin and Sister Hong together."

Because Bai Jingxuan was present, she chose a slightly roundabout way of putting it, using a more objective explanation, but Larkspur still understood the meaning of her words:

The scene of him and Hong Siyu acting together was witnessed.

"Mom! Dad's having an affair!"

Seeing that Xia Liang had revealed the truth, Bai Jingxuan immediately followed up, but her understanding of the matter was clearly from a different perspective. "That's why my sister wants to go back to her own home. She said she wants to confront Dad!"

Standoff?

The moment Bai Jingxuan uttered the word, and it was briefly transmitted through her brain, Larkspur's mind went blank for a moment.

It took her some effort to accept this fact. After regaining her senses, she first looked at Bai Jingxuan, but found that she couldn't find any useful information on the child's face, so she looked at Xia Liang.

Xia Liang, as if understanding what she was thinking, nodded with a dry laugh.

Then, Larkspur understood what was going on: in Lin Xiaolu's mind, although her father was busy with work, he still came home every night, so she chose to wait for "her" at home.

This also means that I definitely have to go back now.

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. After a long silence, she finally spoke, "... I might need to leave for a while. I might not be back tonight."

After saying that, she pointed to the plastic shopping bag in Xia Liang's hand. "You might have to trouble you to pack these things up and put them in the kitchen. Thank you for your trouble."

"Is Mom angry?" Seeing her tense expression, Bai Jingxuan asked softly, "Shouldn't we have told her about this?"

"You two are overthinking things at such a young age. Things might not be that complicated."

She reached out and ruffled her hair, Larkspur tone softening. "Don't worry about it too much. I'm not angry, and I'm not here to argue. I just have some things to do."

"So, young senior, do you know what really happened?"

Xia Liang feigned ignorance, but asked pointedly, "Uncle Lin and Sister Hong were together, even shopping together, doesn't that mean... their relationship is developing?"

The Larkspur couldn't help but glare at her.

"From my current perspective, the answer I give would be neither credible nor meaningful, would it?"

In the end, she sighed helplessly, "But the only answer I can give is no."

Seeing that the two girls still looked unconvinced, she didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer, so she waved her hand and said, "In short, I can tell you with certainty: neither I, Morning Glory, nor... Lin Yun have any intention of changing our relationship. Whether it's getting closer or further apart, that's not something we're considering at this stage."

"Are you coming back tonight?"

Xia Liang put down the bag in her hand and asked with a smile, "Is the study session tonight canceled?"

"It's canceled, but I've already put the assigned exercises in the study."

Knowing what she was up to, Larkspur didn't want to waste any more words on the matter. Instead, she turned and walked towards the front door without looking back. "White Rose has to do her own things and can't participate, so you can finish the corresponding exercises yourself. I'll come back and grade them tomorrow."

"Huh? Do I have to do all these problems?!" Xia Liang exclaimed in a distressed voice.

"After all, you seem a bit restless."

After changing her shoes in the entryway, Larkspur glanced back at her and said, "Focus on your studies. Adult matters are none of a child's business."

And so, leaving Xia Liang's cries of "unfairness" behind, Larkspur left the Secret Base, found a deserted open space, and took to the air. She chose to fly back home to avoid wasting time on the road.

Traveling through the night sky, it only took a few minutes for Larkspur to arrive near the apartment. This time, to maintain her status as an ordinary person, she had to transform back into Lin Yun's appearance and obediently take the elevator back.

Even when their apartment is not in use, a cleaning lady comes regularly to clean it. So even though Lin Yun rarely goes back recently, the house should still be kept reasonably tidy so that Lin Xiaolu wouldn't notice anything amiss.

In the elevator, Lin Yun straightened her clothes in the reflection of the elevator doors to make sure she didn't look travel-worn, then put on a nonchalant expression and naturally returned home.

As soon as I entered, I saw a chair.

For some reason, the chair was placed directly in front of the living room door, facing outwards. Lin Xiaolu was sitting in the chair, with a small blackboard of unknown purpose next to her. She was looking down, wearing headphones, and staring intently at her phone.

Lin Yun glanced over casually and noticed that she was playing a game.

"Cough cough."

He cleared his throat and asked, "Lulu, what are you doing?"

As soon as she said that, Lin Xiaolu looked up. Seeing her father standing in the doorway watching her, she instinctively tried to turn off the game in her hand, but in her haste, she accidentally touched the volume button and turned the volume up to the maximum.

Loud music, accompanied by the shouts of the game characters, immediately reached Lin Xiaolu's ears, and could be heard clearly even from Lin Yun's position.

Almost instinctively, Lin Xiaolu shrank her neck and hurriedly pulled off her earphones. After a moment of panic, she finally remembered where the volume buttons on her phone were. After turning off the sound, she turned off her phone, put it in her coat pocket, adjusted her posture, composed herself, and put on a serious expression... Only then did she consider all her preparations complete and sit down properly again.

Lin Yun watched the whole process unfold before her eyes, feeling both amused and exasperated, but she tried her best to remain calm. She glanced at the small blackboard next to her, as if she hadn't seen anything, and asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to go home today?"

Lin Xiaolu didn't say anything, she just sat in the chair and looked at him with a serious expression.

"... What's wrong?" Lin Yun had no choice but to ask again patiently.

"I saw it!"

Lin Xiaolu suddenly blurted out, "You were shopping with that woman!"

"You saw it?"

Lin Yun pretended to be genuinely surprised, feigning surprise, and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't hide it anymore, I saw it with my own eyes. It was at the shopping plaza near the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, you were chatting and laughing with that woman!"

Holding up a finger, Lin Xiaolu pointed sharply at Lin Yun and shouted, "You can't have your cake and eat it too!"

When she said those words, she was serious and stern, with a menacing air, as if she had come to interrogate someone. If it were anything else, it might have genuinely made the atmosphere tense.

Unfortunately, Lin Yun considered her words to be completely unfounded speculation. Even more regrettably, before Lin Yun could reply, Lin Xiaolu's stomach rumbled first.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

In the entryway where only the two of them were present, the sound was exceptionally clear and piercing, and the source of the sound was so obvious that Lin Xiaolu's outstretched finger immediately bent down.

Looking at her daughter, who seemed inexplicably embarrassed, Lin Yun sighed helplessly, "It's already past eight o'clock. Haven't you eaten?"

"No, don't change the subject!"

Lin Xiaolu pulled her hand back to cover her stomach, her ears burning. "I was talking about your indecisiveness!"

"Have you had lunch yet?" Lin Yun loosened his tie and walked towards the restaurant.

Following Lin Yun's movements with her gaze, Lin Xiaolu subconsciously said, "I didn't eat much... No, that's not what I meant!"

Lin Yun took off her suit jacket and draped it over the back of a dining chair. "We don't usually keep fresh ingredients at home these days, but I just bought some vegetables today. Shall we have meat for dinner?"

"Eating meat... it's eight o'clock, let's forget about it," Lin Xiaolu said thoughtfully.

"It's only eight o'clock, it's good to gain a little weight if I eat this."

As Lin Yun spoke, she took out two food storage containers used for packaging meat. "It seems like you haven't grown much in the past month."

"It's not like I wanted it to be this way, my body just won't grow taller on its own."

Lin Xiaolu muttered as she stood up from her chair and went into the kitchen, saying, "I don't need to eat meat anymore, I'm on a diet."

"Losing weight? You're barely any meat on your stomach, you're as skinny as a bean sprout."

Lin Yun washed her hands and began preparing ingredients in the kitchen. "Besides, you're only fourteen years old, still growing, why are you suddenly thinking about losing weight?"

"I've been eating a bit too much lately."

Lin Xiaolu followed to the edge of the pool, her expression complicated. "You've gained four pounds."

"How much?" Lin Yun turned to look at her.

"... Four jin (2 kg)." Lin Xiaolu struggled with herself before finally saying this. "The food at the Secret Base was too good."

After carefully observing Lin Xiaolu, Lin Yun realized that Lin Xiaolu face had indeed become slightly rounder over the past few days. However, because they had spent so much time together, the change was so subtle that it had been overlooked before.

"It's okay, gaining a little weight is good too."

After a moment's thought, he picked up the food container and then let go, but ultimately tore off the packaging. "He's growing, it's fine."

Even after noticing this change, he didn't mind his daughter gaining a little weight. In fact, Larkspur followed this principle when cooking at the Secret Base. From a father's perspective, his daughter's height development was clearly more important.

Lin Xiaolu opened her mouth slightly, probably realizing she couldn't convince her father on this matter, so she took out several boxes of instant food from the refrigerator next to her. "... I'll prepare the side dishes."

During her time at the Secret Base, she gradually got used to helping out in the kitchen. Although she still wasn't of much use, she understood what she was capable of doing, and naturally had no reason to be idle.

Father and daughter stood side by side by the kitchen stove. Lin Yun, while handling the meat in her hands, still couldn't help but continue talking, "So, why did you put a chair by the door? And why do you have to sit there and play on your phone?"

"I wasn't just sitting there playing on my phone."

Lin Xiaolu immediately raised her head and retorted, "I was waiting for you there!"

"What are you waiting for me for?"

"I'm telling you I've seen you two-timing, and I'm giving you a warning!"

Lin Xiaolu said seriously, "We need to tell you as soon as you get back, so that it will have a deterrent effect!"

"... How did you come up with such a bizarre idea?" Lin Yun was speechless.

"I saw it on TV," Lin Xiaolu said confidently.

"Okay, let's leave it at that. So, what about that little blackboard? If I remember correctly, it was used for tutoring at home. Why was it moved to the doorway?"

Lin Yun soaked the meat in water. "If you don't want it anymore, just throw it away. Don't leave it there like a piece of trash."

"That's not for throwing away trash."

Lin Xiaolu said with some dissatisfaction, "I originally wanted to write a slogan on it!"

"What slogan?"

"Slogans against playing both sides should be severely criticized!" Lin Xiaolu fiercely tore open the packaging of the fast food box.

"... Let's put aside whether what you said is right or wrong, what about your slogan?" Lin Yun asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I couldn't think of anything good, so I wiped it off," Lin Xiaolu said sullenly.

"You won't write anymore after erasing it?"

"No, I want to search online to see if there's anything good."

Lin Xiaolu looked at the package in her hand, her voice growing softer. "I searched for ages but couldn't find it. Then I suddenly remembered I haven't done today's game quests."

"So?"

"Just... playing around for a bit." Lin Xiaolu looked away.

This finally explained what kind of trouble she was causing at the door. However, compared to the absurdity at the door, knowing the truth made Lin Yun feel even more uneasy.

Did I give birth to an idiot?

"I'm not stupid!" Lin Xiaolu retorted immediately.

"I didn't say anything." Lin Yun glanced at her and continued processing the ingredients in her hands.

"You didn't say anything because you wanted to say I'm stupid!"

Lin Xiaolu was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed. "These were just accidents!"

"Okay, okay, it was all an accident." Lin Yun nodded in defeat.

"So that's not what I wanted to talk about! And don't try to change the subject! What I wanted to talk about was you going shopping with that woman!"

"Don't use such an impolite term as 'that woman.' Call me 'Auntie,' 'Sister,' or at least 'Senior.'"

Lin Yun advised, "She's a senior in the magical girl industry, and she's from Fangting City. You don't need to be so hostile towards her."

"She's imitating my mother, how can I not be hostile towards her?"

Lin Xiaolu glared at her. "And don't take her side! She was imitating my mother's way of speaking before, don't tell me you didn't notice!"

"... That's true, but her intentions weren't bad."

"How do you know she doesn't have bad intentions? What if she's acting all gentle in front of you because she likes you, but is actually a bad woman?"

Lin Xiaolu muttered, "Then the bad woman becomes my stepmother, and she might say, 'Your mother stole my man, and now I'm going to get my revenge on you,' and then she'll abuse me, not give me anything to eat, make me sweep chimneys in tattered clothes... and stuff like that."

"Where did you get this from?" Lin Yun asked curiously.

"On TV," Lin Xiaolu stated confidently.

I'll have to ask Xia Liang to keep an eye on this girl from now on; I can't let her watch those weird shows every day.

Lin Yun pondered this in her mind, but her face remained impassive. "Our house doesn't have a chimney."

"It's a metaphor, a metaphor!"

"Even if it's a metaphor, that wouldn't happen. I can assure you, she's not a bad person."

After a slight pause, Lin Yun said earnestly, "Besides, I know what you mean. I miss your mother just like you do, so I won't do anything to betray her."

"I told you, I don't care whether you find me a stepmother or not."

Lin Xiaolu said sullenly, "Your love life is your freedom. I'm just giving you a heads-up. But whether you plan to find someone new or not... being fickle is unacceptable."

Where did I become fickle?

"How can you say you're not being fickle? You're clearly dating Larkspur!"

Lin Xiaolu reached out and grabbed the corner of Lin Yun's shirt. "And then you went shopping with that... Hong Siyu behind her back. Are you trying to say you didn't have any other thoughts in your mind?"

"Are you sure you saw me?" Lin Yun tried to make a last-ditch effort.

"How could it not be? The clothes are the same! And Hong Siyu's too, she even used her magical girl form to seduce you!"

Lin Xiaolu stared wide-eyed. "Men just like young women, right? You're all smitten the moment she looks younger?"

"You really are..."

Lin Yun tossed the meat onto the cutting board, pulled out a knife, and lightly made a cut on it. "First of all, as I've already said, I won't do anything to betray your mother, so I don't plan to find you a stepmother."

"Not planning on finding a stepmother?"

Lin Xiaolu blinked, thought for a moment, and then showed a somewhat frightened expression. "You're planning to shirk responsibility, start something and then abandon it... Ah!"

"What do you know at such a young age?"

Unable to resist, Lin Yun smacked her daughter on the head, then withdrew her hand and gripped the kitchen knife again. "Don't talk like the characters in TV dramas. There aren't that many messy things in real life."

"... What does that even mean?" Lin Xiaolu rubbed her forehead and said sullenly, "You and Larkspur already have feelings for each other, are you just going to leave her hanging like this?"

"That's secondary."

Lin Yun sighed, "Who told you that Larkspur and I are dating and planning to get married?"

"... Moss."

Upon hearing Lin Xiaolu's answer, Lin Yun nearly choked on his own saliva. It took him a while to regain his composure, but he still forced himself to remain calm. "Then who is it?"

"A bad guy." Lin Xiaolu glanced at him sideways. "The one from the night of the Full Moon Festival."

"... oh."

Knowing that he shouldn't comment on this matter given his own identity, Lin Yun continued nonchalantly, "So? A bad person told you this, and you believed it?"

"That's what she told Larkspur! And the evidence is clearly conclusive!"

Lin Xiaolu's voice rose a little. "That night, Larkspur originally said she wasn't going back to Fangting City, but she suddenly came back. Didn't you inform her?"

"Where did you hear that from?"

"I saw it myself, you weren't in the room that night!" Lin Xiaolu declared righteously.

I see.

Lin Yun suddenly realized.

Only at this moment did he finally understand the mystery that had lasted for a month and realize where he had gone wrong.

Because she rushed out on the night of the Full Moon Festival without considering the possibility of her whereabouts being exposed, and because Moss made up some nonsense based on her own subjective assumptions, Lin Xiaolu was completely misled.

Thinking about it this way, I realized that when I was fighting Moss, I didn't want to reveal any unnecessary information, so I didn't explain it clearly, which became a kind of "tacit agreement" in the children's eyes. A series of coincidences came together to lead to the current misunderstanding.

So, is it necessary to explain myself clearly? And how far should I go with the explanation?

Lin Yun pondered in his heart, remaining silent for a moment.

Continuing to let Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan continue this misunderstanding is undoubtedly an awkward situation. Especially since Bai Jingxuan has been calling Larkspur "Mom" every day recently. Although she herself has come to recognize her as "Mom," Larkspur gets a headache every time she calls her that.

However, it must be said that this also seems to be an explanation for covering up the issue of his and Larkspur's identities. The subtle connections and contradictions between Lin Yun and Larkspur's identities in many things can be covered up with this explanation.

However, if he were to admit to this explanation in person, it would only make it more difficult for him to confess his true identity to Lin Xiaolu.

After weighing his options repeatedly in his mind, Lin Yun remained silent for a full half minute. Just when Lin Xiaolu was wondering if she had said something wrong, he finally spoke again:

"You're right, I was the one who called her back that day."

"Real?"

Lin Xiaolu immediately smiled and said, "I knew it! You and Larkspur..."

"But it's not because I have any romantic relationship with her."

Lin Yun narrowed his eyes slightly. "The real connection between her and me is actually you."

"... Me?" Lin Xiaolu was stunned.

"Yes, the reason I was able to contact her is because I am your father, and she is your senior and happens to be your mother's friend."

Lin Yun nodded. "She came back not because of me, but to protect you, to protect all of you."

"Then, how do you know so much about the Magic Side..." Lin Xiaolu whispered.

"Because I'm actually from the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau."

Lin Yun, expressionless, made up her mind and finally decided to lay the truth out on the table. "I have been an employee of the Bureau of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau for a long time, and I have now returned to work there."

However, he slightly altered the facts, omitting the fact that he was "parachuted in" and instead using the story that Chrysoberyl Cat's Eye fabricated his false resume.

This fact was clearly significant enough for Lin Xiaolu that she momentarily forgot to speak.

"You... are from the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau?"

After a long pause, she finally spoke, somewhat belatedly. "How is that possible? I visited your workplace when I was a child, and it wasn't the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau at all..."

"Because I was just an unofficial member before, I registered to assist your mother's actions."

Since he had already started lying, Lin Yun simply made up a story. "Later, the director of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau ran into trouble, and since my qualifications happened to be sufficient, I returned to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau a few days ago and am now the current director."

"... Chief?"

This term clearly left Lin Xiaolu even more bewildered, because she had never seen such a high-ranking official in her life.

"Dad, are you the director of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau?"

Then, she let out a deafening scream.

"Keep your voice down, do you want the neighbors to hear?" Lin Yun quickly reached out and covered her mouth. "This isn't something you can just say to outsiders!"

"But, isn't it... the Director of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau?"

Lin Xiaolu, somewhat dizzy, said, "I'm actually a second-generation official?"

"No, you are not. Our family has no power. I am just me, and you are just you."

Lin Yun tapped the cutting board. "And I think you need to understand that, compared to your position in the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, your identity as a magical girl is actually more important..."

"So that's how you found out I became a magical girl?" Lin Xiaolu interrupted him first.

"That's right." Lin Yun decided to continue making up the story along these lines. "I'm from the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, which is why Hong Siyu contacted me first and told me about things related to you."

"So, that's why you've been ignoring everything I've been doing?"

"Yes, because even the Secret Base you're currently living in is a site provided by our Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau."

"During those first few days when I thought I was keeping my actions a secret from you, you were actually fully aware of my movements?" Lin Xiaolu asked, her expression complicated.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I know you're fighting for this city."

Lin Yun gave a vague answer, "I don't have that much of a controlling nature, and I won't be constantly monitoring what you're doing."

"But you're already the bureau chief, why is our family still so poor?"

Lin Xiaolu asked with some doubt, "Shouldn't one be allowed to drive luxury cars and live in villas just by accepting a small bribe?"

"Your father is an honest official; I do not accept bribes."

Unable to resist, Lin Yun patted her daughter on the head again, and said, "Paying special attention to your news and giving your activities the green light is already me abusing my power. How could I possibly do something like accepting bribes?"

"... So that's how it is."

Lin Xiaolu sighed suddenly, "I thought..."

"I thought it was something else?" Lin Yun glanced at her sideways.

"I thought you and Larkspur were dating, so Larkspur told you all this."

For some reason, after the initial shock subsided, Lin Xiaolu seemed somewhat disappointed. "So it was because you were in the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau."

"In fact, it's precisely because I'm in the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau that I've come into contact with your Senior Larkspur and Hong Siyu."

After chopping the ingredients, Lin Yun lit the stove and started adding oil to the pot, "Including what you saw this afternoon, that was indeed me, but not because I was flirting with anyone, but because I was accompanying Hong Siyu choose clothes."

"Choosing clothes isn't considered flirting?" Lin Xiaolu's eyes widened immediately.

"Work attire, don't overthink it, just normal conversation between friends."

Lin Yun looked away somewhat guiltily. "Anyway, there's no other meaning behind it."

"So that woman really is Hong Siyu, and not her daughter or niece or anything?" Lin Xiaolu continued to ask.

"Yes, that is indeed her."

Lin Yun nodded; "You can ask her or Larkspur for the specific reason, but this is indeed how she looks after regaining her magical girl powers."

Lin Xiaolu inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. I had thought about the worst-case scenario before, what if she was your illegitimate daughter?"

She patted her chest. "If an older sister suddenly appeared out of nowhere, I don't know how I would get along with her."

Lin Yun raised his hand, Lin Xiaolu subconsciously dodged to the side, but found that instead of being hit on the forehead, she was greeted by a palm open in front of her.

"Salt," Lin Yun said succinctly.

"Oh." Lin Xiaolu then realized that she was still helping in the kitchen and picked up a bag of salt from the shelf next to her.

"In short, neither Larkspur nor Hong Siyu have the kind of relationship you're thinking of."

Taking the salt bag, Lin Yun gently measured the amount with a spoon before sprinkling it into the pot. He concluded, "These are all work-related needs. In reality, both I and Larkspur do many things for your sake, so don't make wild guesses."

"But..."

Lin Xiaolu hesitated again. "If you two really have no relationship at all, why would Larkspur consider my sake?"

"... Because she is your senior."

After a moment's thought, Lin Yun replied, "The senior-junior relationship among magical girls will last for ten years if nothing changes. Such a long-term comradeship often surpasses that of family and friends."

He shouldn't actually be the one to give this answer, because the matter concerns magical girls, and he shouldn't show too much knowledge about it. Even if he admits that he now works at the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, "magical girl" is still the main dividing line between his identity and that of Larkspur, and he should avoid that topic.

However, since things have already come to this point tonight, clarifying the situation and clearing up the misunderstanding is the most important thing. That's why Lin Yun chose to speak up after careful consideration.

Of course, this is only the surface-level reason. Although it sounds grand and seems to make some sense, it's not really convincing.

You could tell from Lin Xiaolu's expression that she wasn't very satisfied with the answer.

In fact, Lin Xiaolu was not unaware of Larkspur's previous favoritism. Rather, it was precisely because Bai Jingxuan had diverted Larkspur's attention during this period that she gradually realized that she had been favored.

However, despite Larkspur's repeated explanations, she did not believe that this favoritism stemmed from herself.

Subconsciously, she still felt that this favoritism stemmed from the legacy of her parents. Perhaps this was partly due to her mother's influence as a teammate, but also because of the unusual relationship between Larkspur and her father.

But now, her father was telling her very bluntly that it wasn't because of any of that; there was no romantic relationship between him and Larkspur.

This not only means that her previous guesses were all wrong, but it also means that she had spoken these wrong guesses aloud, even stating them directly to Larkspur herself, and shamelessly calling her "Mom"...

If she really had misunderstood, Lin Xiaolu couldn't help but curl her toes just thinking about it.

But, as she thought, if all of this is wrong, what is the real answer?

The perceived favoritism she felt wasn't a misperception, yet both her father and Larkspur denied any deeper connection between them. Which side should she believe?

Is it because there is another answer besides these opposing facts?

She was destined not to get any other answers from Lin Yun, so after finishing dinner and helping to clear the dishes, Lin Xiaolu fell into deep thought.

She pondered as she took a shower, brushed her teeth, changed her clothes, and finally lay down on the bed.

Then she pondered, opened her phone, clicked on a game, and found a game character named "Dawn Grass" that was supposedly based on her mother.

"When I asked Larkspur, she also said it was because of me."

Recalling a late-night conversation in the summer, Lin Xiaolu murmured, "What's so special about me? I'm not talented, I don't have a good personality, I'm not as cute as Xia Liang and the others, and I'm even starting to fall behind her in my studies..."

"Mom, what exactly is your relationship with Larkspur?"

"If it really has nothing to do with my father, then what was the reason for that dream that night? Why did I dream that Larkspur was holding me when I was a child?"

The virtual character on the screen couldn't possibly answer her question.

No matter how many times Lin Xiaolu checked the game character's voice lines, she could only hear some meaningless greetings and battle-related shouts.

In her increasingly confused state of mind, she eventually gave up on continuing to consider the problem and instead began playing other game levels.

In recent days, her attention has gradually shifted away from "Dawn Grass" and turned to other characters in the game, beginning to nurture other magical girls.

During the character development process, individual storylines for each character will occasionally be triggered, symbolizing a deeper bond between the character and the "Fairy" played by the player.

So, Lin Xiaolu casually clicked on a game character's personal story and quickly flipped through it. Just when she thought the story was rather boring and wanted to fast-forward through it, she was suddenly drawn to a particular scene.

The reason is that the two magical girls in the story have a misunderstanding. One of them mistakenly believes that the other has a homosexual fetish, which leads to a hilarious conversation.

The lighthearted banter and jokes about homosexuality weren't a major part of the plot; they were merely interspersed throughout the story as simple diversions. However, in Lin Xiaolu's eyes, they seemed to become the only key to the door.

This seemingly insignificant scene suddenly opened up a whole new world of possibilities for her, connecting all her questions in an instant and leading her to a completely new answer.

Yes, why didn't I think of that before?

She stared blankly at the screen, savoring the new answer, the excitement in her heart lingering for a long time.

--Why can't the Larkspur's favorite person be my mother?

10,000 words to make up for yesterday's cat