Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

Appearing here at this time and being called "Chief" by Lin Yun under such circumstances, it naturally couldn't be anyone else but the Research Institute's Gemstone Scepter—Molu.

"Huh? Did you say 'disgusting'?"

The fluffy and round Fairy doll walked out from behind Lin Yun, its tone revealing a hint of surprise: "Seeing you address each other like that in this situation, I thought it was some sort of fetish."

"Please don't imagine others' relationships to be so filthy."

"Ah, sorry, I thought our... It seems your life has been quite colorful lately."

"If you're just here to tease me, you could go and do something more serious."

Lin Yun's tone was flat: "So, why did you come here today, Your Excellency the Chief?"

"Nothing much, just to remind you that my private research facility is now complete."

The Fairy doll twisted its body and hopped onto the desk in front of Lin Yun: "I've prepared some interesting little gadgets over there, want to come and see?"

"It's finished?"

Lin Yun was slightly taken aback: "I remember it's only been three days since the address was decided..."

"In fact, it was completed the day after we chose the location. Please don't doubt the technical strength of our Magical Girls at the Research Institute, young man."

The doll hugged its claws, its lazy electronic voice carrying a hint of pride: "As early as ten years ago, we had already completed the iterations of matter shaping and transfer technologies. Mere interior decoration is a piece of cake."

"Is that so, well congratulations."

After receiving the reply, Lin Yun lost the corresponding interest. He responded perfunctorily and continued to lower his head to pick up the documents on the desk: "But I'm sorry, I still have work to do now. I'll go after work."

"Hmm... this is an invitation from an elder and superior. Your attitude could be a little better."

Molu's voice paused, clearly choked by Lin Yun's attitude: "Moreover, I am a non-overtime believer. If you're off work, it would be rest time for me already."

"Then let's talk about it some other time."

Unperturbed by the criticism, Lin Yun said: "My work has already accumulated enough for today, I don't have time to wander elsewhere."

"I see, then I respect your decision."

The doll by the desk nodded: "It's just a pity, I was actually looking forward to chatting with you about that child on the way."

"It's okay, I'm not really..."

Lin Yun cut himself off, suddenly feeling something was amiss, he lifted his head and looked at the doll in front of him: "Which child are you talking about?"

"Of course, the child that just left, the Magical Girl."

Extending its claws toward the Director's Office door and the direction Bai Jingxuan had left, the doll's voice echoed in the room with only two people:

——"After all, that child has the scent of a 'beast'. Didn't you notice it?"

The office fell silent for a moment.

"...Are you talking about Bo Xue?"

After a long while, Lin Yun frowned: "A beast's scent? On her? Could you be mistaken?"

"That's an unfounded doubt, young man. As the Gemstone Scepter of the Magic Kingdom and the Chief Researcher of the Research Institute, if I couldn't distinguish the scent of Remnant Beasts, I should be retiring to live out my final years."

The round Fairy doll tilted its neckless head: "The scent of a beast is the scent of a beast, it can't be hidden no matter the form."

"...But I haven't felt anything like that."

Lin Yun averted his gaze, looking in the direction Bai Jingxuan had left: "I've been with that child for a while, and I've never sensed what you're talking about, the Magic Power of Remnant Beasts."

"The scent of a 'beast' doesn't have to manifest through a beast's Magic Power."

Molu's languid voice was steady but seemed to carry underlying meaning: "Besides, even if it's not the Magic Power of a beast, that child's Magic Power is special, isn't it?"

"Are you referring to her healing ability?" Lin Yun suddenly remembered his previous conversation with Tian Sheng.

Tian Sheng had said on the tram that the reason he benefited from the disaster during the Full Moon Festival was likely because he had come into contact with Bai Jingxuan's Magic Power.

In fact, Bai Jingxuan's Magic Power was indeed outside the realm of Lin Yun's understanding.

He had already thought that he should take the opportunity to ask Molu about it, and now, the opportunity was laid out before him. The other party had even placed the truth on the table as a bargaining chip, waiting for his decision.

"What do you need this time?" he asked.

"Oh, have you finally taken an interest?"

The doll's eyes slightly brightened, looking lifelike at this moment: "It seems my efforts in advance were not in vain. There are not many in this world who would let me spend extra thought just for them. You should feel grateful, young man."

"Whether I am grateful or not depends on the price you offer."

Lin Yun stared into the doll's eyes, "Nothing is coincidental to this extent; I am not a fool."

"What if I told you these were indeed coincidences, and I merely took advantage of them at the right time? It's sad that my noble and virtuous intentions are being so misunderstood. Even someone as indifferent to fame and fortune as I would feel hurt."

Molu seemed to sigh sorrowfully, but seeing that Lin Yun had no reaction, it had the doll spread its hands, "Nevermind, you only need to visit my research institute."

"Just like that?" Lin Yun raised an eyebrow.

"Just like that," Molu said succinctly.

"Are you planning to deceive me into going there to be a test subject?"

Lin Yun puzzled, "Or is there something there you can use to threaten me?"

"There's no such thing, what kind of person do you take me for?"

"Gemstone Scepter."

"Young man, if you use that term to attack me again, I might consider adding an entry explicitly into the Magic Kingdom's legal code that 'the term Gemstone Scepter must not be misrepresented or misused.'

Molu expressed dissatisfaction, "I have come to you with enough goodwill, so hurry up and come over. Otherwise, I really won't tell you."

Lin Yun silently locked eyes with the doll for several seconds, then finally sighed with resignation and took out his phone.

He contacted the personnel and general affairs department of the Abnormal Strategy Bureau through his phone and conveyed the information that he would be momentarily leaving the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, then put on his coat and stood up from behind the desk.

"Let's go."

He spoke thus.

One man and one fairy strolled out of the Director's Office, and because the fairy doll was not recognized by others, to the other employees passing by, Lin Yun appeared to be leaving alone, ordinarily.

Once it was confirmed that they were far enough from the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, Molu's voice came out of the fairy doll again:

"Well then, since you've agreed, I might as well pay you a portion of the reward in advance, young man."

"You want to know the special thing about that child; you need to understand some preliminary concepts, like, do you even know what 'Shifters' are?"

"...I only know it has something to do with magic power attributes," Lin Yun admitted truthfully.

"Yes, it has to do with the attributes of magic power, but do you know what 'attributes' really mean?" Molu pressed on.

"Attributes... are they not self-explanatory? Like fire attributes, water attributes, right?" Lin Yun said uncertainly.

"What are you talking about? This is the real world, not a game. There's no such simple division of attributes."

Molu sighed, "What's called 'attributes' is actually 'the underlying color of magic power', referring collectively to the source and expression of your power."

"Put simply?"

"Put simply, 'attributes', or 'underlying color', actually depend on your identity. It's even your 'faction' in the realm of magic power."

Molu spoke leisurely, "The magic power of a Magical Girl is the underlying color of a Magical Girl; the magic power of Remnant Beasts is the underlying color of Remnant Beasts; even the magic power of fairies has its own underlying color; only the ordinary lives of the material world, like humans, have magic power without any underlying color."

"Dependent on identity, a 'faction' of magic power?"

Lin Yun murmured to himself, "Then, the 'shift' of Shifters is actually..."

"Yes, 'Shifters', their underlying color of magic power has shifted. Instead of their original attributes, they possess traits of other attributes."

Molu raised her voice, "In other words, in terms of magic power attributes, their identity is not simple, not pure – each Shifter belongs to more than one faction."

"Underlying color of magic power... has shifted?"

This was the first time Lin Yun had heard of such a thing.

In his understanding, the beings of this world, whether humans, Remnant Beasts, or Magical Girls, were clearly defined, with sharp differences between them.

However, using this concept to explain the various differences exhibited by "Shifters" seemed so reasonable.

"The Shifters we normally define, their magic power tends to shift towards more amiable directions."

Molu continued explaining, "For instance, shifting from the underlying color of a Magical Girl to the colorlessness of humans, or from the underlying color of a Magical Girl towards that of a fairy; or even showing a shift towards a Magical Girl while being human, thereby possessing the innate talent of a Magical Girl, akin to a born Magical Girl..."

Upon reaching this point in the explanation, Lin Yun finally understood what Molu meant, and also began to grasp the unusual aspects of Bai Jingxuan: "You mean, that child's magic power..."

"Right, and that child we're talking about, the one codenamed Bo Xue, must be shifting towards the direction of Remnant Beasts. Her magic power naturally tends towards the 'beast' faction."

Molu's voice was very casual, but when she said these words, that nonchalance was exceptionally erratic:

——"If she hadn't become a Magical Girl, her future would have been as a born 'Beast Shifter'."