However, he was still careful, making sure to create some distinctions in seasoning and heat control to differ from "Emerald Sparrow's methods."
After all, if the tastes were too similar, it would inevitably arouse Lin Xiaolu's suspicion.
Besides, the girls had already prepared some dishes before he returned, so he didn't need to put in much effort—his remaining task was simply to cook the rest of the ingredients.
In this way, after a brief flurry of activity, the festive dinner was ready. The Full Moon Festival, originally planned for two, became much livelier with the addition of others.
Lin Yun had also considered whether or not to invite the other members of the Magical Girl team to his home for the festival. Having only him and Lin Xiaolu celebrating would, after all, create an inevitably dull and awkward atmosphere.
Improving his relationship with his daughter didn't mean that he had much more in common with Lin Xiaolu, in fact, outside of his Magical Girl identity, he still had very little to share with his daughter.
Talk about hobbies? He and his daughter didn't really share any common interests, and he himself could hardly claim any personal hobbies.
Talk about school? It may be fine if he did it as Emerald Sparrow, but asking Lin Xiaolu about her grades in his father's voice would probably only make the conversation more stiff.
Beyond that, the girls of the Fangting City team had undoubtedly become close friends over several months of interaction, and forcefully separating them on such a day didn't seem like a good idea.
If he could get Xia Liang and Bai Jingxuan to come over as well, then undoubtedly the aforementioned issues would be mitigated—let the younger generation mingle by themselves.
The only problem was how to bring it up—making such a request as Lin Yun would seem suspiciously motivated; as Emerald Sparrow, it would be too abrupt.
What he hadn't expected was that before he could decide, Hong Siyu had already brought the entire team to his home, resulting in the current scene.
From this perspective, he had to thank Hong Siyu, who might have acted on a whim but undoubtedly saved him from a bit of trouble.
Additionally, from a safety standpoint, having the Fangting City team gathered in his home was without question the best option.
The unclear call he had received in the evening was like a thorn stuck in Lin Yun's heart.
The person told him to "be careful," but what exactly to be careful about was left unanswered.
Would it be like the night Lin Xiaolu encountered danger, a trap perhaps? Or could powerful Remnant Beasts be preparing to attack Fangting City?
Amidst this joyful atmosphere, Lin Yun's mood remained tinged with concern.
So, after the dinner had gone on for a while, Lin Yun found an excuse to return to his room, where he retrieved the magic mirror used to communicate with the investigation agency. He submitted both the results of his recent investigation in Bai An City and the details of the unclear call to the investigation agency.
Having done this, he rejoined the others for dinner in the dining room.
After some calm reflection, he concluded that what he most needed to do now was to stay alert, watch for any potential enemies that could appear at any time, and keep an eye on the new Magical Girls at home.
No matter what the potential enemies intended to do, ensuring that the kids were under his direct supervision meant there wouldn't be any issues.
Time passed by under Lin Yun's slightly tense mood.
The others present didn't seem to notice anything off with Lin Yun, only Xia Liang seemed to sense that his mood was different than usual.
So, she discreetly made a gesture to Lin Yun before sending a message to Emerald Sparrow's phone, asking if something had happened.
Lin Yun didn't reply to her.
Instead, he logged into the Fangting City team's group chat using Emerald Sparrow's account, and while extending festival wishes to the other Magical Girls, he reminded them to be careful when he wasn't around, as the Donghua Region might not be very peaceful recently.
The girls seemed more focused on the fact that Emerald Sparrow wasn't present for the festival; they didn't pay much attention to the phrase "be careful," which seemed unrelated to Magical Girls.
This made Lin Yun secretly send several more messages, emphasizing the possibility of "danger," before the girls finally took notice.
Thus, after the dinner ended and the girls went to the living room to watch TV, Hong Siyu offered to leave.
"It's a rare holiday, I better go back to catch up on sleep. The recruitment exams these past days have worn me out," she said.
Lin Yun didn't press her to stay and accompanied Hong Siyu to the door, watching her remove her shoe covers and put on her coat.
"You've really been troubled these days, taking care of them at the secret base," he said, choosing his words carefully as they stepped outside: "And thank you for bringing the kids over today."
Hong Siyu swung her bag over her shoulder, her eyes smiling at him: "There's no need for thanks, considering our relationship, right?"
"I don't recall having any strange relationship with you," Lin Yun calmly denied.
"Strange relationship? How come, is a senior-junior relationship strange?"