Lin Yun drove Hong Siyu back to her apartment in her car, then took the subway back to his own home. When he entered the foyer, he noticed that his daughter's shoes were haphazardly left on the floor. He straightened them out and walked towards the living room.

If Hong Siyu was right, there should be a TV interview about the new Magical Girl tonight. Lin Yun turned on the TV and saw that the local channel was airing a late-night idol drama. Realizing that he had missed the news, he opened his communicator and searched online for the content of tonight's broadcast on the local channel.

Soon, he found the replay of the evening news on the official website.

One of the news reports was about the brutal beast attack in the downtown area that morning. The news reported the damage and casualties caused by the brutal beast in that area, and then shifted focus to the new Magical Girl who had defeated the brutal beast. Although she was a novice, she had already made outstanding contributions to public safety.

Then, the footage shifted to the scene, and the reporter stated that they had already seen the new Magical Girl and would conduct an on-site interview with her.

Before long, this previously mysterious Magical Girl made her debut in the news interview.

What caught the eye was a girl who gave off a fairy tale-like impression.

She had golden twin tails, a light blue dress, a bright yellow waistband tied into an exaggerated bow at her waist, a round gemstone pinned to her chest, and a small hat on her head.

"Hello, um, I'm the new Magical Girl, called Bai Mei..."

Judging solely from her outfit, she didn't give off the impression of a "combatant," but rather made people wonder if she had just come out of a ballroom.

However, this kind of outfit was the norm for Magical Girls.

Most Magical Girls fought in such attire, and what was even more counterintuitive was that no matter how restrictive their clothes seemed, their movements were not affected by these gorgeous outfits.

Naturally, the first impression that these Magical Girls gave people was not "powerful," but "adorable."

But as Lin Yun watched the Magical Girl in the news video, he couldn't help but feel that something was off.

This "off" feeling had no source, but it was so strong that he quickly realized the nature of this feeling - it was familiarity.

He felt familiar with the Magical Girl on the screen.

Had he seen this girl somewhere before? This thought arose in his mind, and he subconsciously compared the Magical Girl in front of him with his memories.

He had actually faintly felt it in his heart, but he had been unwilling to associate it with the direction he least wanted to accept.

But if he didn't think in that direction, this familiar feeling couldn't be explained, and there would be no answer.

So, when he hesitated and put the least desirable answer on the table, Lin Yun froze.

Because he couldn't accept it.

How could it be her? Why would it be her? How could it be her?

Countless questions arose in his mind, and the questions turned into confusion, the confusion turned into restlessness, and then transformed into anger.

Approaching middle age, Lin Yun rarely felt such intense anger in his life, as if it was about to burst out of his chest, burning his brain to a blank.

He couldn't understand.

Why was this Magical Girl Lin Xiaolu? His daughter?

With no mood to continue watching the news, Lin Yun put down his communicator, feeling his thoughts in chaos and his emotions difficult to calm.

- I need to talk to her.

This thought emerged in his mind.

Even though he and his daughter Lin Xiaolu had been cold war for a long time, barely speaking to each other on a daily basis, he still needed to fulfill his duty as a father and have a good talk with her.

If she willingly became a Magical Girl, he needed to tell her the pros and cons and let her weigh her options again.

If she was deceived into becoming a Magical Girl, he would never forgive the existence that did such a thing.

With this thought in mind, Lin Yun suddenly stood up and walked straight to his daughter's room.

【Knock on the door first】.

A note was posted on the door.

Familiar handwriting. When did this note start appearing on his daughter's room door?

In the two years since his wife's death, there had been too many conflicts between father and daughter, and he was always not good at expressing himself, resulting in their relationship reaching this point.

They were clearly family members who relied on each other in the world, but they barely spoke to each other all day long. Even if they did, it was only the most basic daily arrangements, without any heartfelt conversations.

Lin Yun paused his finger on the door, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door:

"Are you asleep? Lu Lu?"

There was no response from the room.

His heart sank slightly, and Lin Yun waited for a while, quickly calming his emotions, and knocked on the door again.

However, there was still no response.

The sound of the gentle knocking on the door disappeared without a trace, like a stone sinking into a deep pool.

Lin Yun lowered his head, his expression slightly gloomy.

If it were any other day, he would probably have given up by now. He would feel that things were irreparable and that they should keep their distance from each other and let time heal the gap.

But not this time. Even if it would further deteriorate his relationship with his child, he had to convey the words he wanted to say.

So he wouldn't stop.

Click.Just as he was about to knock for the third time, the door in front of him suddenly swung open.

A young girl, dressed in pajamas and looking rather displeased, stared at him and said:

"Awake? What do you want?"

With a cautious expression, she resembled an angry cat.

Seeing his daughter in this uncooperative state again, and thinking that he had come to talk to her out of concern, Lin Yun felt a wave of annoyance and frustration. He couldn't help but feel that this girl was so annoying, and he should really scold her properly.

But as the words reached his lips, they stopped.

He suddenly didn't know what to say.

Should he directly ask his daughter if she had become a magical girl? And then scold her for this act that was considered good by anyone's standards?

Or should he start by telling her about the dangers of being a magical girl, and urge her to give it up?

Setting aside how he would present evidence to support his arguments, would such a direct and straightforward approach trigger his daughter's fragile and sensitive nerves?

Taking a step back, after a long time without having a proper conversation, would it be appropriate for him, as a father, to deny his child as soon as they met? He wanted to understand his daughter's true thoughts, but would she really be willing to confide in him? Would he really be able to achieve his goal through such a stern conversation?

As for himself now, how could he make his daughter believe in him?

No matter how he thought about it, the answer seemed impossible.

Lin Yun couldn't help but start to think about what he really wanted to say to her. Setting aside these external contradictions, disregarding the distance that had accumulated between them, what did he really want to know about his daughter's true thoughts? And how sincere was he?

Lost in his daughter's gaze, he felt that all his thoughts had turned into nothingness, leaving only one voice:

"It's been a few days since we last saw each other, and Dad just wanted to see you."

This was the only sincerity he had left, after discarding anger, anxiety, worry, and guilt.

He might not be able to make his daughter happy, and he might not be able to solve the problems between them, but at least for now, he wanted to see her.

Knowing that his daughter had become a magical girl, he wanted to see if she was safe, if she was scared, if she was emotionally stable.

Upon hearing these words, the girl standing at the door raised an eyebrow, and her previously furrowed brow relaxed, causing her expression to become complicated.

"Now? Just for this?"

"Yes, because I called you this morning and was afraid you would be angry."

A smile appeared on Lin Yun's somewhat wooden face. "Now that I see you, I feel much more relieved."

The girl with black hair raised her nose and sniffed, pursed her lips, and after a while, hesitantly said:

"Are you drunk?"

"Maybe? After all, I did drink quite a bit tonight."

Lin Yun followed his inner feelings and said honestly, "I'm really glad you opened the door."

"...And now that you've seen me, what's next?" His daughter still frowned.

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask how you've been lately, if you're happy at school."

Lin Yun stood in place, waved his hand, and said, "I won't ask about your studies, you handle that yourself, I have no right to lecture you."

The conversation between the two paused once again.

Seemingly surprised that her father asked such questions, the daughter looked at him with a puzzled expression. After a short while, her expression became hesitant, as if she had thought of something, and she answered with a casual tone:

"Oh, it's ordinary, nothing special."

"Has there been any dangerous incidents near your school?"

"Dangerous... nothing, I can handle it."

"Do you need me to pick you up?"

"You're busy with your own things."

"How's the phone I bought you for your birthday last month?"

"It's good."

"Is the dinner cooked by the housekeeper okay?"

"No problem, Aunt Liu is a great cook."

"Has anything good happened recently?"

"Good things?"

The daughter raised her eyebrows, seeming a bit puzzled, but soon, as if she had thought of something, her expression became hesitant.

"I don't know, but there haven't been any bad things."

No bad things...

Lin Yun's heart stirred slightly.

"Is that so? Then I don't have anything else to ask."

Listening to his daughter's somewhat ambiguous answer, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, took a step back, and said, "Lu Lu, I'm sorry."

This sentence was met with a brief silence.

"...It's too late to say these things now."

The girl behind the door spoke softly, glanced at him, lowered her head, and began to push the door.

"Go to sleep, don't bother me anymore."

Click.

The door in front of him closed.

Standing outside the door, Lin Yun didn't know what he was thinking. He stood still for a long time before walking towards his own bedroom.

In the end, he still couldn't bring up the topic of "magical girl."

He couldn't say it, he couldn't ask, whenever he wanted to mention those words, his throat would become incredibly dry.

But not saying it now didn't mean he had given up.

Between the conversation just now, Lin Yun had already thought of another way in his heart. Perhaps, with that method, he could tell his daughter some information about being a magical girl and have enough confidence to make her take these words seriously.

Opening the door to his own bedroom, he took off his formal attire, put down his briefcase, and with a burning gaze, walked towards the corner of the room where the closet was.

The master bedroom had two closets, each for the clothes of the two owners. One was large and placed against the wall, while the other was small and tucked in the corner.Lin Yun didn't have many clothes. Apart from a few sets of casual men's wear that he often wore, he only had formal attire for office scenarios.

He opened one of the drawers, which was filled with old clothes, many of which he used to wear when he was young. Now, their styles no longer matched his age or the current trends.

Removing the clothing item on top, he slowly reached in and pulled out a palm-sized gift box.

"...19 years."

He sighed in a daze.

He, who had once stashed this box away against his wife's objections, never thought there would come a day when he would take it out again. Back then, he felt that his life was already fulfilled, everything was settled, and he had no reason to take out the contents of the box anymore.

However, after so many years, it was not until today, when he found out that his daughter had become a Magical Girl, that he realized running away could never solve problems.

Gently unfastening the clasp of the box and lifting the somewhat stiff lid, he looked at the item inside, speechless for a long time.

It was a gemstone flower with shattered patterns.

A gemstone that was covered in fine cracks and had already been stained with dust.

It had another name, people often referred to it as the "Flower of the Heart".

And in this world, there was only one kind of person who would possess such a peculiar treasure.

— A Magical Girl.