Get off work and become a magical girl

Chapter 238 Leisurely Day
——【Stop arguing! 】

[It’s Chinese New Year, and we should be having fun and having a blast, but you’re here haggling over a few red envelopes. How ridiculous!]

[We are a family gathered here, we should be living in harmony, but we have ended up in this situation just for such a small gain, don't you think it's embarrassing? ]

In the Magical Girls' Base in Fangting City, the melodious "New Year Overture" was playing on the TV in the living room. Along with the music, the skit actors' earnest recitation could be heard.

Opposite the TV, Delphinium was sitting on the central sofa, expressionless, with the light from the TV screen reflected in her deep blue eyes.

This is the New Year's Eve party organized by Tiandu City in Donghua Prefecture every year. Famous artists from Donghua Prefecture and other prefectures are invited to perform and celebrate. The program is usually recorded in December of the previous year and then distributed to many cities, large and small, and finally broadcasted uniformly on the night of the New Year.

Such celebrations have been continuing since television became popular in Donghua Province. They are held once a year and have a history of nearly a hundred years. For a considerable number of families in Donghua Province, the New Year's Eve Party has long become an integral part of the New Year holiday.

The magical girls from Donghua Province would not deny this, and Aso Yuanxiang from Dongying Province had long been accustomed to it. On New Year's Eve, the magical girls' original plan was to eat hot pot together and then watch the New Year's Eve party together, but all the plans were disrupted by the sudden attack of Claw Mark, and in the end, nothing was accomplished.

As for Delphinium, she had not originally expected to be able to watch the premiere of the show on New Year's Eve, and she was not completely free in the days before the New Year holiday. As a result, on the morning of the fifth day of the holiday, she only had time to sit on the sofa and take a good look at what was broadcast on this year's New Year's Eve Gala.

She had only watched half of the show and she was no longer in the mood to listen to what the sketch actors on TV were saying.

It was not only because the programs this year were lackluster, except for a few singing and dancing performances, most of the language programs were quite boring, and some skits could even be guessed at the end after watching the beginning. It was also because she was really uncomfortable at the moment and could not concentrate on the TV program at all.

She could only sit as straight as possible, because on her left was Lin Xiaolu, who was sleeping soundly with her shoulder leaning on her side, and on her right was Bai Jingxuan, who was lying on her thighs, half asleep and half awake.

Lin Xiaolu's behavior of forcing herself to get up early in the morning just to have breakfast was not without cost after all - when the boring program that was of no interest to her was played on TV, her already limited energy flew away with the canned laughter on TV. She originally just wanted to watch TV with Delphinium shoulder to shoulder, but soon she turned the other's shoulder into her pillow.

Bai Jingxuan didn't have a problem with lack of sleep, but seeing Lin Xiaolu sleeping so soundly leaning on the lapis lazuli, she wanted to do the same. However, the lapis lazuli didn't have much flesh on its body, and its shoulders were stiff, so Lin Xiaolu could only lean on it to sleep when she was very sleepy. Bai Jingxuan felt uncomfortable after leaning on it, and her head kept spinning. In the end, the lapis lazuli had no choice but to let her lie on his thighs.

So the scene became what it is now, two people sleeping soundly while one suffers.

[Big sister, you are right. I was thinking wrongly before. What's the point of arguing? Why don't we make dumplings together?]

[Hey, have you forgotten something? We are not just a family celebrating the New Year! ]

[Oh, look at my poor memory. Everyone in front of the TV is waiting for us to wish them a happy new year!]

【How to say? 】

[Then we wish everyone in front of the TV a smooth, perfect, prosperous, auspicious and everything goes well in the new year. Let's all - Happy New Year! ]

"It's not interesting... but at least it's festive."

Delphinium in front of the TV gave such a comment.

The drowsy show came to an end, but the replay of the New Year's Eve party did not end there. After a brief round of canned applause, the subsequent shows came one after another. Delphinium could only sit there motionless, wondering whether to use the magic suit to create a substitute to continue to serve as a pillow for the two children.

This was not a difficult task for her. She used the magic silk thread to weave a substitute with a body shape similar to her own, and there would not be too many abnormalities in terms of vision or touch. Even if the inside of the substitute was an empty shell and could not perform precise movements or speak, such a scene did not require such complex functions.

However, she put this thought aside after her eyes fell on the calm faces of Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan.

Lin Xiaolu leaned on her shoulder, breathing calmly and comfortably, with a little saliva flowing from the corners of her slightly opened mouth, obviously sleeping soundly. Bai Jingxuan was as quiet as a puppy, with her eyes closed and a satisfied smile on her face.

At least the kids were happy.

Delphinium thought.

It's vacation time anyway, and she has nothing to do. Being able to spend time peacefully with the children like this must be a rare experience for her, right?
Thinking about it this way, the current scene is actually a rare moment of peace and tranquility for the magical girls who are usually very busy.

So she stopped thinking about getting away and sat up as straight as possible to make sure Lin Xiaolu wouldn't slip off her shoulders, and then she watched TV peacefully.

Just like that, time soon approached noon.

As the winter sun climbed high into the sky, the girls who had not gotten up last night because they played too late came out of their bedrooms one after another. Because of the holiday, everyone was a little lazy.

Among them, Aso Madoka was the most casual. She didn't even bother to comb her long hair, and walked into the restaurant in her slippers with her hair in a mess. When she passed by the living room, she looked towards the sofa because of the sound of the TV, and saw the delphinium being used as a pillow by the two children, and laughed out loud in a rather tasteless way.

Not wanting to speak loudly, Delphinium could only glare at her silently.

By the way, at the board game party last night, after Bai Jingxuan was taken to bed early, it was Aso Yuanxiang who filled in. This person had no modesty to play games with children. Not only did she make trouble when she lost, but she also mocked her when she won. In the end, she was targeted by several juniors of her own team and became the person with the fewest wins throughout the night.

As for Cuiqiao at that time, she and Hong Si were in the study, working overtime with the noise from the living room as background music.

Also, because it was Hong Siyu's turn to be on duty at the Strategy Bureau today, she was also responsible for making breakfast in the morning. In fact, her sleep time was only one or two hours longer than Lin Xiaolu and the others.

No wonder she was not in a good mood towards the unruly Aso Yuanxiang.

After a while, Xia Liang also walked out of the room leisurely. Her hair, which had grown a little longer recently, was braided into a side ponytail on the side of her face, hanging down along her shoulders. She stretched lazily as she passed by the living room, and then, because of the sound of the TV, she noticed the three people huddled together in the living room, and her eyes froze slightly.

"What are you doing?" She opened her mouth slightly and asked with her mouth.

"They got up too early and are sleeping." Delphinium answered in the same way using lip language.

This answer made Xia Liang stunned for a while, then he turned around and walked into the living room with no intention of going to the restaurant.

She first looked at Lin Xiaolu, who was leaning on Cuiqiao's left shoulder with her saliva almost dripping, and then looked at Bai Jingxuan, who was sitting on Cuiqiao's right side, lying on her thighs, and had fallen asleep at some point. She couldn't help but grin helplessly.

"What about me?" She pointed at herself and asked with her mouth.

"Let's eat first." Delphinium replied helplessly.

Then she saw Xia Liang showing a cunning smile like a little fox.

Without waiting for Delphinium to respond, she simply sat down on the ground with her legs hugged, then lay back, leaning her whole body on Delphinium's calves.

At this point, the delphinium was completely squeezed out and had no room to move at all.

Such a bizarre scene naturally did not escape the eyes of other team members. Not long after, Aso Yuanxiang walked out of the kitchen with boiled water in one hand and half an egg in the other. Seeing another person beside Delphinium's legs, she whistled maliciously.

"What a great relationship." She exclaimed with a smile.

Unable to even move his feet, Delphinium could only respond with an even more ferocious glare.

……

……

The lazy and leisurely morning passed quickly.

At noon, the task of cooking naturally fell on Aso Yuanxiang, who had slept for half the day.

However, because most people woke up very late today, lunch was not very formal, and there were still only three or five people gathered at the table. For the others, such as Mimosa, who woke up last, brunch was almost a combined meal, so they didn't have to eat. At this time, because Mu Baihe had snatched the TV remote control, he was alone in the corner of the living room, silently browsing his phone.

Delphinium stretched her sore shoulders, picked up the vegetables on the table, put them into her mouth and chewed them slowly.

However, before she could taste the flavor, she saw Aso Yuanxiang on the opposite side of the table, holding her chin with one hand, looking at her with sharp eyes.

"How is it?" she asked.

"...Not bad." Delphinium swallowed the food in its mouth, savored it for a while, and answered truthfully.

"The seasonings that Hongsi and this guy used to cook are too common, which prevents me from fully exerting my strength."

Aso Yuanxiang picked up her bowl and said, "If you can buy more seasonings for me, I can cook you the most authentic Toyosu cuisine."

Upon hearing this, Delphinium didn't react much, but the girls beside her all raised their heads and looked at Aso Yuanxiang.

"Japanese cuisine..." Lin Xiaolu exerted a little force on the rice bowl.

"I've never eaten it..." Bai Jingxuan's eyes lit up.

"My mentor has never done this for me before..." Qiu Yun widened his eyes.

"Even if I buy it for you, you won't go into the kitchen very often, right?"

Without letting her appetite affect her judgment, Kuei-jae said expressionlessly, "She usually lies on the sofa and orders Hong Si-yu to do this and that." "After all, I think Hong Si-yu really likes to do housework."

Aso Yuanxiang was not ashamed but proud: "So I took the initiative to let her do the housework."

"Isn't it just because of laziness?"

"Sister, do you expect someone who has been treated like a ancestor by her agent and life assistant for ten years to do it herself?"

Aso Yuanxiang pointed at herself and said: "I still have these basic life skills, which means that my will has not been completely corrupted by capital."

Delphinium rolled her eyes, indicating that she had nothing to say.

"...But if you want me to do housework for you all the time, that's fine."

Halfway through the conversation, Aso Yuanxiang suddenly changed the subject and smiled somewhat ambiguously: "You can even stop the singer's activities, you know, right?"

She smiled teasingly, and the slippers under the table touched the tip of Delphinium's shoe intentionally or unintentionally, with a hint of meaning.

Lin Xiaolu on the side raised her head alertly for some reason, and her eyes swept between Cuiqiao and Aso Yuanxiang. Cuiqiao understood what she said, but had no intention of responding. She just hummed casually to show that she heard it, and just lowered her head to pick up the food.

To be honest, although she usually seems to dislike housework, Aso Yuanxiang's cooking skills are indeed not bad.

As a native of Dongying who grew up in Donghua Province, Aso Yuanxiang inherited the strengths of Dongying women who are generally good at housework. At the same time, she also has the cheerfulness and generosity of Donghua Province. In addition, she has the aura she has developed as a singer for more than ten years, and her beautiful appearance that does not show her age at all because she joined the magical kingdom. She is undoubtedly a very outstanding woman.

Delphinium had no doubt that such a person would meet many suitors.

As a friend of twenty years, she also hopes that the other party can find his own happiness. Even though Aso Yuanxiang had made a somewhat vague "confession" to Lin Yun more than ten years ago, she never felt that it was necessary for the other party to remain single because of this.

However, judging from the current results, as a singer, a profession that involves daily activities in the entertainment industry and where she often meets all kinds of handsome men and beautiful women, Aso Yuuka has indeed never been married.

Cuiqiao is not a stupid person. She knows that this abnormal phenomenon must have its internal cause. As for what this cause is, she knows a little bit from Aso Yuanxiang's explicit and implicit suggestions.

This is certainly due to her lifestyle - Aso Madoka is a very free person and doesn't like to be restricted by a relationship. Also, the only person who made her think about taking the relationship to the next level, now has no possibility for her to be with him.

Just like her relationship with Hong Siyu, Cuiqiao can continue to treat Aso Yuanxiang as a very good and important friend, but friends are already the best relationship model between the two.

Aso Yuanxiang also understood this, so she would only occasionally make some teasing remarks, but would never bring these topics up for discussion in a formal manner.

This can be considered a kind of tacit understanding between her and Delphinium.

The simultaneous silence of the two naturally brought the topic to an end. Except for Bai Jingxuan, whose heart was still beating fast because of the "authentic Japanese cuisine", everyone else began to concentrate on eating.

Lin Xiaolu, who had been alert to the conversation between the two, gradually let down her strange vigilance as the conversation ended. She continued to pick up food with her head down, but her sitting position secretly moved a little closer to the direction of the delphinium.

Delphinium noticed Lin Xiaolu's little action, but pretended not to see it.

Since she has decided to let Cuiqiao take on more reliance from Lin Xiaolu, she will not regret it, and she will also respond appropriately to some simple intimate behaviors of Lin Xiaolu.

However, this scene made her involuntarily think of the previous conversation with Emerald.

Because he chose to accept Lin Xiaolu's request and become closer to her, the identity conflict between Lin Yun and Cuique in future activities is bound to become more difficult to handle.

It was not just because her identity as "Colourbird" meant she could no longer act as cold and hard as before. She often had to give more specific answers to Lin Xiaolu's questions about her whereabouts. It was also because her current relationship with Lin Xiaolu was equivalent to "adopting a goddaughter" in the tradition of Donghua Prefecture. This kind of thing could not be agreed upon by only her and Lin Xiaolu.

There is no doubt that this still requires discussion between "Delphinium" and "Lin Yun".

Although Lin Xiaolu doesn't seem to notice anything about this at the moment, if this process is not completed formally, when Lin Xiaolu becomes more sensible in the future, she may notice the strangeness of it.

However, in order to allow "Curret" and "Lin Yun" to complete this "negotiation" under the witness of Lin Xiaolu, it is actually impossible to do so with the substitutes that can be created by Cucurbita's magic suit.

That's why she approached Emerald earlier to ask if there was such a functional prop.

As for Delphinium’s needs at the time, Emerald’s answer was simple—nothing.

Although it is well known that Emerald has unique experience in manipulating doubles, the cost of tailor-made doubles that are human-like and have no defects is still too huge. According to Emerald herself, "Even if you kill me now, I can't afford so much private money."

As for further improving the ability of Delphinium's magic suit and increasing the accuracy of manipulation, it is possible to a certain extent, but the matter ultimately comes back to the problem that Delphinium is currently facing: her true form's injuries have not healed, so it is inconvenient for her to tamper with the magic suit.

So on this issue, Delphinium finally returned empty-handed.

Of course, the so-called empty-handed return does not mean that there was no gain from the meeting with Emerald. In fact, before parting, Emerald gave Delphinium something.

——A completely new counterfeit heart gem.

This fake Heart Gem does not possess any of the functions of a normal Heart Gem. It cannot allow people to transform, nor can it serve as a source of magic power. However, it has the ability to forge magic fluctuations, allowing Delphinium to disguise itself at the level of magic fluctuations.

And the fluctuation of magic power is exactly what the magical girls focus on monitoring when they pass through the border of the country.

"I've already arranged your fake identity. It just so happened that a while ago, a retired magical girl's code name was recalled. My friend saw it in the file and helped you keep this code name."

Emerald explained: "The code name is 'Longdan'. I will have someone prepare the relevant information. If anyone goes to the Magic Affairs Institute to check, they will find that after the previous 'Longdan' retired, a new magical girl in Fangting City got this code name."

"You mean, when I go to the country, I will pass the border inspection under the code name 'Gentian'?"

Delphinium looked at the heart gem in her hand and said, "Then, my identity at that time was the same as the other team members. We were all 'magical girls who came from Fangting City to take the test'."

"Yes, I will help you with some simple disguises to ensure that you will not be easily recognized from your appearance."

Emerald nodded. "Although the face cannot be changed, the surgery to change the appearance is a key investigation project. Disguise on the face will be easily detected, and then the border guards will be suspicious. It is better not to do it."

"How else can we disguise ourselves?" Delphinium felt a little strange.

"Well, through hairstyle and clothing, of course."

The fairy doll on the chair puffed out its belly and said, "As the saying goes, clothes make the man. As long as you dress to change your temperament, and then use the fake heart gem to fake your own magic fluctuations, you can easily pass the test. Don't worry, the magic fluctuations in the fake gem have been entered as Longdan's personal information, so it will be absolutely flawless by then."

"It sounds like there's no problem..."

Delphinium thought for a moment and said, "But if it is true as you said, then the code name 'Gentian' has not actually been used, right? If during this period, a new magical girl is born and gets the code name Gentian..."

"It's okay, it's okay. My other friend has already said hello. The research institute launched a new research project last month to investigate the relationship between magical girl code names and the nature of magic. So they drew a batch of temporarily unoccupied code names from the Magic Affairs Institute to conduct related research."

Emerald shook her paw. “So these code names are naturally frozen, and will not be given to any new magical girls for the time being.”

Delphinium couldn't help but narrow her eyes: "You mean, the code name Gentian was also sent to that research project..."

"Watch your words, young man."

Emerald knocked on the table. "To be clear, the code name 'Longdan' is not on the list of code names we have selected. After all, Fangting City now has a new magical girl Longdan. How could we use a code name that already has an owner to conduct research?"

"...Magical Girl Codenames are very important resources for magic affairs. This kind of project should not be able to be carried out for too long." Delphinium pursed her lips.

"Indeed, so our research project can only last for one year. At least before Her Majesty the Queen closes the Rose Palace again, we have to finish this project and provide effective research results."

Emerald nodded: "Of course, I'll tell you privately, since I'm an academic genius that only appears once in a thousand years, this achievement actually took shape decades ago."

"What should we do after a year?" Delphinium continued to confirm.

"After a year? Of course, the project will be completed normally, the research results will be reported, and the seconded magical girl code name will be returned."

Emerald stood up and suddenly raised her voice, as if trying to imitate the tone of recitation, but it still sounded flat as always: "As for our poor new magical girl Longdan, not long after the project ended, she was 'sacrificed' because of her heroic battle with the remnant beasts. The Institute of Magic recycled this code name in sorrow. As the chief researcher of the institute, I express my deepest condolences."

Delphinium finally no longer has any problems.

It is worthy of being called a jeweled scepter.

She didn't say this out loud because she knew that even if she said this, the other party would probably only reply:
"Thanks for the compliment."

(End of this chapter)