Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

When Lin Xiaolu finished getting ready and entered the dining room, two other people were already having breakfast there.

One was Bai Ji, the other was Bai Jingxuan.

Bai Ji, or Qiu Yun's presence wasn't surprising at all, as he always appeared meticulous about his appearance and was extremely strict about personal expectations, so it made sense he wouldn't indulge in staying in bed; as for Bai Jingxuan...actually, it wasn't strange either, she had been the first to leave last night just because Emerald Sparrow had taken her to bed halfway through play.

On the contrary, Lin Xiaolu's arrival surprised the other two.

"Sister Xiao Lu? How come you got up so early today?" Bai Jingxuan asked whatever came to mind without any hesitation.

Next to her, Qiu Yun exchanged a brief look before saying "Good morning," then lowered his head to focus on his own breakfast.

"Just getting up, wasn't I quite lively coming here?"

Lin Xiaolu walked to the table and pulled out a chair, feigning ease: "I've been getting up late not because I couldn't, simply because there was no need."

"Really?" Bai Jingxuan had a spoonful of porridge in her mouth, only muttered two words which made the handle of the spoon flutter beside her lips, prompting Qiu Yun to glance at her side and then discreetly use his hand to cover his own bowl.

"If we're talking about sleepiness, of course, there's still a bit."

Lin Xiaolu thought about it and felt she shouldn't have been so absolute in her statement, so she slightly modified her earlier speech, then continued: "But well...heh heh, today is a rare day."

"A rare day?" Probably feeling it inconvenient to converse that way, Bai Jingxuan removed the spoon from her mouth.

"You don't understand?" Lin Xiaolu raised her eyebrows and then, with a smile, looked away towards the kitchen: "Is that so, you don't understand..."

Just then, Emerald Sparrow came out of the kitchen wearing an apron.

She had come out because of the conversation in the dining room, as she was responsible for cooking this morning, and her first sight was Lin Xiaolu, who was making eye contact with her.

"You're up?"

Her exclamation was similar to everyone else's, but upon noticing Lin Xiaolu's current expression, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes: "What's up? You're smiling so oddly."

"Nothing, good morning."

Lin Xiaolu immediately straightened her face, sitting upright: "Just having a fun chat with Bai Jingxuan."

"I see."

Emerald Sparrow didn't probe further but turned around to fetch a bowl of porridge from the kitchen and brought it over to Lin Xiaolu along with a fried egg: "So why did you get up so early? Couldn't sleep? Stayed up late?"

"I did sleep."

Lin Xiaolu carefully took the bowl of porridge from Emerald Sparrow's hands: "Just that I have important matters this morning, so I got up."

"Hmm?" Emerald Sparrow was puzzled.

"Look, yesterday you said there was nothing else to do today, so you'd be at the base and also handle breakfast, right?" Lin Xiaolu explained.

What she was saying was the truth.

As it was already the fourth day of the New Year, the Abnormal Strategy Bureau's shift rotation followed a three-day cycle, and Lin Yun as the director had ensured the first cycle worked smoothly, she naturally had a reason to give herself a break.

However, she hadn't figured out the connection between her own holiday and Lin Xiaolu getting up early.

"So you see..."

And the words that followed from Lin Xiaolu cleared up her confusion: "Thinking of you making breakfast, I got up early."

Though this statement seemed not to explain much, thinking about it revealed what Lin Xiaolu meant—she got up early because today's breakfast was made by Emerald Sparrow.

"...That's so cheesy."

Having understood this point, Emerald Sparrow could only sigh helplessly, lifting her hand to pat Lin Xiaolu on the back of her head: "Isn't it often enough that I make breakfast for you? Don't suddenly say such strange things."

Lin Xiaolu just smiled and didn't argue.

This interaction, witnessed by Bai Jingxuan and Qiu Yun sitting across the table, naturally seemed very odd to them.

Bai Jingxuan didn't think Lin Xiaolu's behavior was problematic, as she herself always wore her likes and dislikes on her sleeve. It was just that she had never seen her "Sister Xiao Lu" being so affectionate with Emerald Sparrow before.

As for Qiu Yun, her expression went from calm to confused, then from confused to understanding, and finally she lowered her head to glance at the half-eaten porridge in her bowl, signifying a kind of "I shouldn't be here" awkwardness.

Fortunately, this mood didn't last long as Emerald Sparrow returned alone to the kitchen, and the turbulent atmosphere at the table faded like ripples from a pebble in water.

Lin Xiaolu nonchalantly picked up a spoon and began carefully blowing on the scooped porridge, while Bai Jingxuan had already finished her porridge and was leisurely dealing with the egg shells in her hand.

Only Qiu Yun, after a long silence, slowly lifted her head with a complex expression towards Lin Xiaolu:

"How did you manage it, really?"

"Huh?"

Lin Xiaolu, surprised by the remark, initially didn't even realize who was speaking to her. By the time she recognized Qiu Yun was addressing her, several seconds had passed: "Manage what?"

"Just...being able to say that kind of thing so naturally,"

Qiu Yun's thumb rubbed against the rim of her bowl: "Doesn't it feel awkward?"

Though not very familiar with Lin Xiaolu, she prided herself on understanding after spending half a month together, Lin Xiaolu, clearly, was someone who was not very candid, just like herself.