The completion of the secret base was faster than imagined.
When summer vacation ended and the new magical girls each returned to their school lives, Lin Yun received a call from Hong Siyu: the site was ready.
By then, only ten days had passed since the proposal of the secret base.
Impressed by the Abnormal Strategy Bureau's efficiency with such matters, Lin Yun, who was otherwise unoccupied, drove to the announced location—a villa area on the outskirts of the city—to meet with Hong Siyu.
To avoid being seen by other employees of the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, Lin Yun transformed into Emerald Sparrow after parking her car, before heading to the location Hong Siyu had provided.
The secret base prepared by the Abnormal Strategy Bureau was a four-story standalone villa, which, in addition to the above-ground living area, also came with a basement wrapped in magic-resistant material, designated as the training ground for the magical girls.
With an expressionless face, she entered the villa and, upon Hong Siyu's invitation, carefully toured the entire building—even the interior decoration had been completely refurbished. Emerald Sparrow got some photos from Hong Siyu and sent them to the magical girls' group chat.
Although it was still class time and they were unlikely to see it, that didn't stop Emerald Sparrow from sending them for future reference.
Then she saw a message suddenly pop up in the group chat:
[Xiaojin: It's really luxurious, when can we move in?]
[Emerald Sparrow: Pay attention in class, don't play with your phone.]
[Xiaojin: Got it [emoji].]
The brief exchange ended there.
Emerald Sparrow looked at the screen with slight annoyance, then, after a while, set it aside and shifted back in her seat, settling down on the sofa in the living room.
"Is something the matter?"
Walking beside her, Hong Siyu was curious but quickly dismissed the concern, speaking with a hint of pride, "What do you think? The efficiency of the Abnormal Strategy Bureau!"
"Efficient only in matters such as this." Emerald Sparrow commented coolly.
"Really, senior, you're still as insincere as ever."
Unbothered by Emerald Sparrow's indifference, Hong Siyu rested her chin in her hand and smiled, "By the way, I just remembered, you quit your previous job, right?"
"Indeed, what about it?" Emerald Sparrow raised an eyebrow.
"The newcomers have finished their intensive training and are returning to school, so you'll have free time during the day."
Hong Siyu narrowed her eyes slightly, "So, are you interested in working at the Abnormal Strategy Bureau under your original identity?"
"The Abnormal Strategy Bureau?"
Emerald Sparrow looked at her suspiciously, "What can I do at the Abnormal Strategy Bureau? I can't use spell techniques as an ordinary person."
"It's not that only magicians can work at the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, it's just that most positions are occupied by magicians."
Hong Siyu explained, "Look at me; now I'm just a girl with no magic power, even more ordinary than ordinary people. But there's still suitable work for me at the bureau."
"You mean..." Emerald Sparrow frowned slightly, "a liaison officer?"
"Yes, a liaison officer."
Hong Siyu nodded, "Because of last month's incident, your team has fully come into the view of the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, including Xiaojin, who previously hadn't established official contact. The bureau intends to assign someone to make contact as soon as possible and then appoint a liaison officer responsible for Xiaojin."
"What do you mean?" Emerald Sparrow asked, although she could guess what Hong Siyu was getting at.
"I think, senior, you could use the name Lin Yun as Xiaojin's liaison officer." Hong Siyu spoke earnestly.
However, when she made this constructive suggestion, she noticed that Emerald Sparrow's expression seemed off, although she couldn't quite place what was wrong.
"Is there a problem?" She could only ask that.
Much more than a problem.
Emerald Sparrow thought to herself.
Having her take on the role of Xia Liang's liaison as Lin Yun was one thing, putting aside what Lin Xiaolu might think, but if this were also hidden from her, Xia Liang might become totally unruly.
In fact, even now, that child had already demanded something that left Emerald Sparrow quite helpless.
—To spend a day out together on the weekend as Emerald Sparrow and Xia Liang.
This was the "hush money" Xia Liang had attempted to request the night before but was interrupted by Lin Xiaolu's sudden appearance and didn't finish. Xia Liang even tried to call the act a "date," but Emerald Sparrow had vehemently rejected that term.
No matter how they referred to this arrangement, Emerald Sparrow ultimately agreed to Xia Liang's request, and the two tentatively scheduled their outing for the third weekend after school started.
By then, the school's baseline tests would be over, and even the results would be out, allowing the newbies to relax a bit and partake in more extracurricular activities.
If there was one name that caused Emerald Sparrow the most headache when she heard it recently, it was probably "Xia Liang." Now, with Hong Siyu suggesting that she work at the Abnormal Strategy Bureau as her liaison, it naturally left Emerald Sparrow with complex feelings.
However, the proposition to work at the Abnormal Strategy Bureau seemed somewhat feasible to her.
On one hand, it was a well-known fact—the Abnormal Strategy Bureau's workload wasn't actually busy. Apart from a few civil investigators, most employees didn't even have to go to work every weekday.