Lin Xiaolu clutched her head and crawled up from the couch, her mind cluttered with memories that almost prevented her from distinguishing where she was.
It was only when she looked at her surroundings and at Lin Yun, who was sitting behind a desk on the phone, that she remembered what had just happened—she had tried to stop the woman who claimed to be "Claw Mark" and then was suddenly knocked out.
—"Yes, the location is Silver Screen Mountain, probably near the top. The opponent should not be hiding, so they should be easy to locate... Hurry over, and I'll arrange the rest."
Almost at the same time, Lin Yun ended the phone call.
He stood up from his seat, putting away his phone, and Lin Yun could only feel a headache coming on. He sighed subconsciously, lifted his head, and just then, locked eyes with Lin Xiaolu.
Seeing that his daughter was indeed alright, his worried heart finally relaxed a little, and he walked straight over to Lin Xiaolu. "How do you feel? Do you have any discomfort?"
"...I should be fine."
Letting go of her head, Lin Xiaolu shook her head and struggled to get up. "What about that woman?"
Lin Yun pointed at the window. "About ten minutes ago, after she knocked you out, she just flew away."
Upon hearing how long she had been unconscious, Lin Xiaolu stiffened, then slumped back down. "Alright, it seems there's no chance of catching up now."
"Stop thinking about chasing her. You're clearly no match for that person."
Lin Yun rubbed Lin Xiaolu's head and said helplessly, "What you should be doing now is taking the time to recover. As for stopping that person, I've already informed the other members of your team. Emerald Sparrow and Hong Siyu will lead the team to handle it."
"Emerald Sparrow's already gone?"
Having just laid down, Lin Xiaolu suddenly bolted upright upon hearing Lin Yun's words. "Where? Silver Screen Mountain? Then I have to go too!"
"I've told you, you can't go."
Lin Yun removed his hand from Lin Xiaolu's head. "This enemy is not the usual kind of dangerous. Based on the intelligence I've received, the opponent is likely more dangerous than the giant Remnant Beast at the Full Moon Festival, and this is not a battle you're ready to fight."
"But Emerald Sparrow went, right? Everyone's going to fight!"
Lin Xiaolu still clung to the key point. "If Emerald Sparrow is going, even if I can only help a little, I must go!"
Lin Yun was at a loss for words. He really wanted to tell Lin Xiaolu, "You might end up being more of a liability if you go now," but that felt too harsh to say.
"Listen to me, Lulu."
After some thought, he felt he had no choice but to play the emotional card. He crouched down and looked into Lin Xiaolu's eyes. "Dad will arrange everything, so please don't do anything to worry me, okay?"
Lin Xiaolu went quiet.
"But I'm the Magical Girl of Fangting City. At times , I can't be the only one to back down from a fight."
After a moment, she spoke again with a conflicted expression. "If I retreat just because the enemy is dangerous, then I can't consider myself a qualified Magical Girl..."
"When you've grown stronger, there will definitely be more opportunities to face even more formidable enemies. When the time comes, I will not stop you."
Lin Yun said earnestly, "But this time, just this once, you really don't need to face this kind of enemy."
Lin Xiaolu lifted her head, and she could see the seriousness in Lin Yun's gaze, as well as the worry beneath that seriousness.
She opened her mouth again, but the words she intended to say, the words of refusal, became somewhat choked up.
She didn't know when, in some moment unnoticed by herself, the words she spoke had become these two.
Then, she saw her father's expression relax considerably.
"Alright, it's settled then. Dad has to arrange other contingency matters, so I might not be able to stay in the office with you. Rest a little longer and then head back to the base by yourself."
Reaching out again, but this time to smooth out Lin Xiaolu's hair, Lin Yun's voice softened. "I'm sorry, we were supposed to spend New Year's together, but it ended up . We can have a proper talk about anything else later."
Lin Xiaolu shook her head, her expression a bit uncomfortable. "When the enemy comes, there's nothing you can do. Go ahead with your work."
For some reason, she suddenly remembered when she was still in elementary school. Back then, her father would often have to work late or entertain clients, but he had never apologized .
Now, she wasn't sure when it started, but she felt like her father had changed a lot.
It wasn't just a change in status or behavior, but also a change in personality.
If the former changes made her feel somewhat estranged, the latter instead brought her a subtle sense of familiarity.
It was this familiarity, even a bit of comfort, that made her subconsciously agree to his plea.
Watching her father smile—an expression that was probably a smile on his usually stern face—then putting on his suit jacket, he walked out of the office. Lin Xiaolu sat obediently on the couch, watching him leave until the office door closed with a "click".
She sat silently for a while, then turned her gaze to the nearby window.