Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

She began to try to analyze herself, pondering whether there were other factors contributing to her low spirits these days, and as she walked on, an answer gradually emerged in her mind:

"Actually, when I first learned about these matters, I felt somewhat sorry for my dad."

Emerald Sparrow suddenly stumbled next to her, almost falling to the ground.

Lin Xiaolu quickly extended her hand to support her, "What's wrong?"

"There seems to be a hole in the ground." Emerald Sparrow, having regained her footing, put on a stern face, pretended to be calm to show she was alright, and on the basis that vision was unclear at night, made up an excuse on the spot.

"Really?" Lin Xiaolu looked back in confusion, only to see the road under the moon's silvery light smooth and even, without any sign of the "hole" mentioned by Emerald Sparrow.

But she didn't give it much thought and didn't try to investigate further, assuming she just couldn't see it, and turned around to continue following Emerald Sparrow.

"You and your father... Did something happen before?" Walking on a somewhat quiet sidewalk and to change the subject, Emerald Sparrow asked.

The thought of asking this question had lingered for a long time; she really wanted to know, from the daughter's perspective, what exactly the standoff with her father was all about.

Lin Yun had always felt that the conflict with his daughter mainly stemmed from a lack of care and poor communication, so after Lin Xiaolu ran away from home, he had been trying to make amends. However, as he began to interact with his daughter in the guise of Emerald Sparrow and gradually understood some of her true thoughts, he realized that the truth might not be so simple.

"Rather than saying something happened, it should be more like a one-sided misunderstanding,"

Lin Xiaolu followed closely behind Emerald Sparrow, "Back then, when my mom died, he hid the whereabouts of her body on the one hand, and on the other hand, he was with another younger woman. That made me think that he didn't love my mom anymore and wanted to abandon her and me to be with other women."

"Later, after arguing with him and running away from home, many things became very rigid, but I've always felt it was his fault, so I never thought about forgiving or understanding him."

"Hah, thinking about it now, it might have also been my own arbitrary judgments."

"Because he was very strict with me when I was young, so harsh that it was almost detestable, so when I thought he was in the wrong, even though I asked him for reasons on the surface, I didn't really want to hear an answer; I had already judged him in my heart."

The two walked along, slowly crossing the Xizhao Bridge spanning the Xiting River. It was nearly midsummer, and in the hot night, only the breeze over the water remained cool.

There wasn't much traffic on the bridge at midnight, and Emerald Sparrow and Lin Xiaolu walked one after the other on the sidewalk, their crisp footsteps echoing on the bridge.

"...And now?" Instead of expressing her own opinion on Lin Xiaolu's "self-reflection," Emerald Sparrow simply continued to ask.

If she were just "Emerald Sparrow," she could judge Lin Xiaolu's right and wrong from the perspective of a bystander; but as a party to this parent-child standoff, she actually knew that under those complex circumstances back then, it couldn't be said who was right or wrong between her and Lin Xiaolu.

Both she and her daughter's initial intentions were to maintain the existence of their family, but due to different information known: the daughter didn't know her mother was a Magical Girl; different identities and feelings: as a father, she hadn't understood her daughter's doubts and helplessness at the time. In the end, these led to a significant rift.

When it came to communicating with the child, herself as a parent should have been more proactive, but back then, she hadn't realized that.

On the other side, Lin Xiaolu continued, "Because he showed me the photos of you and mom before, I know now that he did not want me to know the true nature of mom's death at the time."

"After all, according to him, my mom was actually a very powerful Magical Girl, but died under mysterious circumstances. Facing an enemy capable of killing my mom, even if I knew the truth and even harbored hatred because of it, I probably wouldn't know what I could do."

"As a result, because I didn't know why my mom died, I always thought it was a simple accident and focused all my resentment and hostility on him."

"He must have had good intentions by doing that, but I responded to him in such a way..."

——"If you could just tell your dad what you're thinking, he might be really happy, right?"

Emerald Sparrow suddenly spoke up, "Instead of telling me here, it would be more effective to tell him directly."

"Isn't it a bit late to say that now?" Lin Xiaolu's face showed a look of worry.

"It's never too late."

Emerald Sparrow shook her head, turned her face to the side, and looked expressionlessly at the river under the bridge, leaving one to wonder what she was thinking, "When it comes to family relationships, no one can guarantee they won't make mistakes."

"You are being a daughter for the first time, and your dad is being a father for the first time. You're both novices in your roles, so it's inevitable that you'll make all kinds of mistakes. If the error is still within the realm of what can be forgiven, why not give each other another chance?"

"Besides, when it comes to this matter, your dad may have already stopped blaming you."

In her words about this matter, there was an indistinct emotion, as if she had her own experience regarding it. Although it was vague, even the slow Lin Xiaolu could feel a bit of it.

So she looked at Emerald Sparrow somewhat blankly and asked subconsciously, "Emerald Sparrow, do you... do you have children?"

Emerald Sparrow stopped in her tracks and gave her a sidelong glance.

"Guess."

After dropping those two words, she continued to walk ahead.

Lin Xiaolu quickly jogged to catch up.

For some reason, Emerald Sparrow didn't ask anymore, and Lin Xiaolu just followed her silently. In this way, the two of them walked to the middle of the bridge, reaching the center of the Xiting River.

Looking down, her gaze flicked to one side, Lin Xiaolu's expression was complicated.

Because she felt that since she had already decided to voice the doubts in her heart, there were some issues she shouldn't avoid.

This matter was different from everything she had spoken of before. As a Magical Girl, what she was about to say could truly disappoint Emerald Sparrow.

It had nothing to do with her mother's identity or her conflicts with her father, but was about disappointment in Lin Xiaolu herself.

Although she kept asking Emerald Sparrow if she was disappointed in her, in reality, she didn't want Emerald Sparrow to dislike her at all.

If possible, she also hoped to be like Xia Liang, always able to behave affectionately in front of others; always able to liven up the atmosphere and make others happy; and always to be so outstanding that Emerald Sparrow would be satisfied with her.

But now, not to mention those things, it seemed she had even lost the very basic qualities of a Magical Girl.

Because these days, she had gradually started to feel like she was losing the courage to fight.

Should she really speak of such things? If she kept silent about it, if she just pretended everything was fine, at least she could continue like now...

At that thought, Lin Xiaolu's train of thought stalled.

Because she suddenly saw Emerald Sparrow turn her head and look at her with those clear, deep blue eyes.

In the moonlight, those eyes were like the purest sapphires, touched with a hint of silver, and seemed as if they could speak, looking at her with encouragement.

Lin Xiaolu pursed her lips and then, gathering all her courage, opened her mouth.