Chapter 65: Chapter 60 Fulfilling the Promise
Such a Remnant Beast, although more than sufficient to wreak havoc on a shopping center, was somewhat indulging in wishful thinking when faced with the combined efforts of two Magical Girls.
Moreover, both Xia Liang and Lin Xiaolu had grown significantly stronger compared to two months ago.
Not to mention Xia Liang, who had nearly reached seed-level in recent days, even Lin Xiaolu had made rapid progress through hard learning and training. And their cooperation had started to take shape, at least they no longer hindered each other, so the battle carried no suspense from the very beginning.
As Xia Liang unleashed a Magic Power Beam from the tip of her wand, the impaled Remnant Beast collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Emerald Sparrow hid alone in the shadows, quietly watching the entire battle unfold, with a look of satisfaction on her face.
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She felt happy for the growth of the two newcomers, and reassured by the gradual improvement of their relationship.
After confirming that the Remnant Beast had been taken down, and the Echo had been collected, she left secretly once more, heading back to where she had parked her vehicle.
She couldn\'t reveal herself this time because she had already asked Hong Siyu to tell the two newcomers that she was occupied with other matters. Appearing suddenly now, especially in front of Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang, would only complicate the misunderstandings that had not been fully resolved earlier, which she didn\'t want to see.
Therefore, she took the fastest route back to the parking lot and quickly got into the car to change back into Lin Yun\'s appearance.
After driving out of the garage and parking on the roadside, he contacted Hong Siyu, instructing the Abnormal Strategy Bureau to send someone to take care of the aftermath at the scene; then Lin Yun used his phone to open the map and shared his location with Lin Xiaolu. After doing all these things, he stood by the car, waiting.
About ten minutes later, he saw the two girls walking out of the shopping plaza, unharmed.
He cracked a smile and waved to them, with Lin Xiaolu nodding awkwardly while Xia Liang returned a sweet smile.
"Well done, I\'m proud of you," he said.
Following the simple encouragement and praise, he continued, "The Abnormal Strategy Bureau will arrive shortly, get in the car, I\'ll drive you both home."
This had been arranged beforehand, so the two girls got into the car without further delay, and the three of them slowly drove away from the shopping center.
As the car traveled a distance, silence enveloped everyone; nobody spoke.
Lin Yun and Lin Xiaolu remained silent, while Xia Liang just sat with a smile watching the strange atmosphere between the two, not intervening.
——"So, when exactly did you find out? About me becoming a Magical Girl."
Ultimately, it was Lin Xiaolu in the backseat who couldn\'t contain her curiosity any longer, asking first, "Was it the day that woman named Hong Siyu came over? Or even earlier?"
"The day you appeared on TV," Lin Yun said candidly, eyes on the road ahead.
"Huh? Appeared on TV ... So I was discovered within just a few days?"
Lin Xiaolu was momentarily baffled, then realization dawned: "Wait, so that\'s why you started talking all weird that night?"
"You thought I was on a drunken rant?" Lin Yun raised his eyebrows.
"Wasn\'t it?"
"... On that evening at dinner, Hong Siyu found me directly to inform me you had become a Magical Girl."
Not lingering on the topic, Lin Yun glanced at the rearview mirror and explained indifferently, "However, that was only part of the reason. When I said I \'wanted to see you,\' I was also telling the truth."
"To see if your daughter, who had become a Magical Girl, had turned into an alien?" Lin Xiaolu retorted somewhat irritably.
"To see if my daughter, who had become a Magical Girl, was still as cute as ever," Lin Yun joked blandly, "Besides, even if you had turned into an alien, you would still be my daughter, and that wouldn\'t change."
Leaning back, Lin Xiaolu rested against the back of the chair with a snort, "Let\'s just say that\'s the truth."
She chose to let it go, and the issue was left at that.
The silence continued as the car moved on.
"Still, Lulu, I was actually really upset that night," Lin Yun spoke up after a while, turning the conversation, "Seeing you become a Magical Girl, I was genuinely worried, and you could even say a bit sad."
"Why?" Lin Xiaolu furrowed her brow as if she could see the man facing away from her, focusing her gaze on the driver\'s seat.
"Because I was afraid of losing you because of it."
Looking through the windshield, recalling the emotions of that day, Lin Yun\'s voice inadvertently carried a hint of sorrow: "That night, I actually wanted to tell you that being a Magical Girl is a very dangerous identity, but at that time... I found it hard to express."
"You think I wouldn\'t have listened?"
"Probably." Lin Yun didn\'t deny it.
"...Anyway, it\'s all in the past now."
"Yeah, sorry, maybe I should have trusted you a little more."
As he uttered those words, Lin Yun couldn\'t help but reveal a wry smile.
After all, the cost of not being able to tell the truth at that time far exceeded his imagination. To protect his daughter and to communicate with her afterward, he disguised his identity and took a huge detour, telling countless lies to the point where he was now completely at a loss for how to reveal the truth.
"It doesn\'t really matter, does it?"
Lin Xiaolu had no idea what Lin Yun was feeling when he said that. She blinked her eyes, relaxed her brows, and said somewhat bewilderingly, "Are you perhaps being too pessimistic? I remember the number of Magical Girls who actually sacrificed their lives isn\'t that high; most of them retired normally, right?"
Having said that, she became somewhat proud: "And not to brag, but I am actually very safe now; after all, I have really impressive seniors protecting me."
Her demeanor made Lin Yun somewhat at a loss whether to laugh or cry, uncertain if he should continue the conversation.
But some things still had to be said, so he adjusted his emotions and asked lightly, "...Is her name Emerald Sparrow?"
This question caused Lin Xiaolu, who was in the back seat, to freeze.
"So you actually know?"
She murmured to herself, stunned for a few seconds before suddenly sitting up straight. Not bothering to hide it, she grabbed the headrest of the front seat, leaned close to Lin Yun\'s ear, and her tone immediately became fervent, even somewhat excited, "You know her? What is your relationship with her? Did she come to Fangting City because of you?"
Lin Yun didn\'t provide a direct answer to these questions.
He wasn\'t very keen on discussing "Emerald Sparrow" with his daughter as her father because if he wanted to keep his identity hidden, every word he said could constitute a lie.
However, at this moment, explaining the origin of Emerald Sparrow to his daughter, at least part of it, had become imperative.
So he knew that it was time to fulfill the promise he had once made to his daughter.
"Lulu."
Gazing forward, Lin Yun brought up the promise from a month ago, "Do you remember what I told you before, that I would tell you some truths?"
"Ah, the one you mentioned that morning in the car, right?"
As he brought up the matter, Lin Xiaolu calmed down a bit and let go of the front seat, "Is it related to what you\'re going to tell me now?"
"It is related, or rather, this is the answer you want to know."
Releasing one hand from the steering wheel, Lin Yun took his phone with the other, swiped a few times to find the message interface with Lin Xiaolu.
His thumb paused above the screen for a moment, and then, he finally sent the message he had prepared earlier.
Following that, a picture was sent to Lin Xiaolu\'s phone via the message.
He put down his phone and said with a sense of relief, "Take a look, if you see the photo clearly, many of your questions should be answered."
That was the best explanation he could offer.
Lin Xiaolu picked up her phone, filled with puzzlement, and Xia Liang leaned forward with interest to take a look. But when they opened the photo and truly saw what was in it, they both widened their eyes in disbelief.
Because the content of the photo far surpassed their knowledge.
It was of four girls dressed in splendid attire, of varying heights, with striking appearances, yet one could tell they were all in the bloom of youth.
The background of the photo seemed exaggerated as well, apparent at first glance to be taken under a sunset, atop a colossal object that resembled the remains of a Remnant Beast.
From just this detail alone, Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang could guess: they were all actually Magical Girls.
The four girls had very different charms and postures. The one standing on the far left wore a white silk gown with a deep purple robe over it and a round hat on her head, an elegant purple-haired girl looking at the camera with a calm and intelligent smile; the orange-haired girl on the far right was dressed in an ornate golden dance dress, holding her chin up high with a proud and self-satisfied smile on her face.
Lin Xiaolu didn\'t recognize these two Magical Girls, so when she saw them, her gaze merely paused briefly before moving on.
But when her attention shifted to the middle of the photo, the duo in the center, one tall and one short, in a combination of pink and navy blue, made her eyes widen.
The navy blue figure was all too familiar to her because the person in the photo was hardly different from the present; however, the pink figure, although so unfamiliar, still allowed her to recognize the identity of the person in the photo based on the somewhat recognizable features:
"This is... Emerald Sparrow and... Mom?"