Huang Yijun was momentarily speechless after being scolded. Usually, the three of them would gather for meals and joke about crude topics.
In the past, it was all laughs.
But today, Song Wuli seemed… serious?
Huang Yijun propped his chin, staring at Song Wuli, making him uneasy, clenching his legs and glutes.
Huang Yijun: “Old Song, don’t tell me… you’ve got a thing for her?”
Song Wuli shook his head vigorously.
They continued eating lunch, joking around.
The topic turned to magical girls.
This world was relatively peaceful, and the reason was intriguing. Decades ago, creatures called demons appeared.
Some said they came from outer space, others from alternate dimensions—lots of theories.
Demons emerged from portals, appearing anywhere, anytime.
Low-level demons were impossible to reason with; they killed on sight, driven by bloodlust.
Human small-caliber firearms couldn’t pierce their skin.
Back then, demons pushed humanity back, claiming much of their land.
To this day, humans hold only a third of their original territory.
Surviving humans banded together in massive cities, protected by the military.
By shrinking their defensive perimeter, humans finally held their ground.
Small-caliber weapons were useless, so large-caliber weapons became mainstream.
Firearms and vehicle-mounted weapons advanced significantly.
With demons as a common enemy, human wars were rare; they supported each other against the threat.
The Human Alliance was formed, an organization dedicated to fighting demons, with authority to mobilize global resources.
Humanity’s survival wasn’t just due to unity—magical girls played a huge role.
They appeared around the same time as demons, decades ago.
Young girls who could fly, teleport, and wield unbelievable magic to fight demons.
Over decades, no magical elementary schoolers, no magical moms or aunties—only magical girls, appearing like meteors and vanishing just as fast.
Their active period was short, just a few years.
Whether they died or aged out of being magical girls was unclear.
The Human Alliance was slightly hostile toward magical girls, issuing multiple calls for them to submit, but few complied.
Thus, the Alliance’s primary enemy was demons; their secondary enemy was magical girls.
The midnight incident was, of course, heavily broadcast by the Alliance, decrying the dangers of magical girls.
That silver-haired magical girl, appearing for the first time, was a mystery with unknown origins.
She possessed immense magical power and destructive potential, ranking among the most dangerous and destructive magical girls in history.
Watching the Alliance’s spokesperson denounce the silver-haired girl, labeling her a terrorist, Song Wuli broke into a cold sweat.
If his true identity was exposed, the consequences would be dire.
If he were shot dead, it might be painless.
But being captured and subjected to unspeakable things?
That would be worse than death, more terrifying than dying.
After lunch, his two older colleagues napped.
Song Wuli didn’t rest; he started planning his future.
Avoid transforming and fighting if possible—steer clear of being a magical girl for now to lay low.
He needed a codename for his activities.
After much thought, he settled on “Yinlin.”
Beyond a codename, he crafted Yinlin’s personality.
He was about to start acting.
Everything about Yinlin had to be fake—no playing for real.
No one could connect Song Wuli to the magical girl Yinlin.
So, he meticulously designed Yinlin’s persona to ensure no one suspected her true identity.
He spent the entire lunch break thinking it over.
He ruled out any tough-guy traits that could link to him.
A perfect persona emerged: green tea girl!
No one would ever imagine that the manipulative, delicate Yinlin was the office drone Song Wuli.
The green tea persona would be one of his best defenses.
He scoured the internet for quotes and found a good one.
Glancing at it, he scrolled to the bottom, where a line read:
*Excerpt from: From Green Tea to Femme…*
“Hey, Old Song.”
A sudden pat on his shoulder startled him before he could finish reading, and he quickly swiped the screen away.
It was Huang Yijun, talking about work.
Song Wuli brushed him off.
During the afternoon shift, he worked with earphones in, looping green tea catchphrases, studying to become the ultimate green tea girl.
Something felt off, like he was turning into some kind of gremlin.
It gave him goosebumps.
He kept questioning himself.
Did he really have to act like this?
Wasn’t it too difficult?
Another colleague suddenly patted his shoulder.
He muted the audio and removed his earphones.
The colleague pointed to a file sent to his computer: “Old Song, you’re in charge of this side quest. Requirements are in there. No problem, right?”
Song Wuli blurted: “You’re okay making a thirty-something old man do this much work?”
The colleague got goosebumps and was about to back off.
Song Wuli slapped his own mouth, laughing it off: “Just kidding. I can handle it.”
He worked until 8 p.m., when most of the office had cleared out.
He and Huang Yijun left together.
“Wanna… grab a bite?” Huang Yijun offered.
“Nah, got stuff to do.”
Song Wuli left alone.
He did have things to do—practice his acting and learn basic magical girl skills.
Back home, he found Diamond on the sofa, eating chips and watching TV.
Talk about living it up.
“You’re back? You’re famous now,” Diamond said, pointing at the TV.
A late-night variety show was airing news about the silver-haired girl.
They brought in experts to analyze her name, origin, abilities, age, measurements, hobbies, and whether she’d accept the Alliance’s surrender demands.
Song Wuli grabbed Diamond, pedaled his bike ten kilometers to a deserted area.
“Teach me to fly.”
He had a perfect plan.
Since high heels were unwalkable, why walk? Flying would solve it.
Magical girls always fly.
Stripping to his underwear, he took out the wand, mentally willing the transformation. Oddly, it didn’t work.
Diamond: “You have to say it out loud—the magical girl transformation phrase.”
“No way!”
Song Wuli’s face flushed. “How can I say that? It’s too embarrassing.”
Diamond: “Then you can’t transform.”
Song Wuli: “Why do I have to say it?”
Diamond: “To prevent accidental transformations. You don’t want to transform in a crowd while shopping, do you?”
Song Wuli: “Then why don’t I need to say anything to undo it?”
Diamond: “I don’t know.”
“Seriously, can I skip the shouting? I’m begging you. It’s too embarrassing for a 34-year-old man to say.”
“You have to say it.”
After three minutes of mental struggle, he gave in.
Holding the wand, he whispered barely audibly: “Magical girl, transform.”
His other hand covered his face, blushing from cheeks to ears.
Nothing happened.
Diamond: “Too quiet.”
Song Wuli raised his voice to normal speaking volume: “Magical girl, transform.”
This time, it worked.
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