Chapter 44: Does Being a Magical Girl Count as a Part-Time Job?

As usual, Kexin prepared to get up and head to the cafeteria. On the way, she would most likely run into Bai Xihan and the others, who were going to the same destination, and naturally, they would sit together for lunch.

However, just as Kexin bent down to tidy her desk, Ruolin turned and asked, “Um, Kexin, would you like to have lunch together?”

Hearing this, Kexin looked up and saw a sincere, earnest face.

So close!

“Sure— I guess?”

The F4, led by Ruolin, had a regular-sized clubroom. Since the club only had five members in total—including Kexin, who had nominally joined to prevent the club from being disbanded—the space was very spacious.

Apart from some peculiar items that even Kexin, as a Special Investigation Bureau agent, found strange, the rest of the space was essentially a lounge area. Just one visit had left a strong impression on her.

After all, what regular school club would have a double-door refrigerator, a coffee machine, a microwave, and so on?

Kexin’s gaze moved past Ruolin to the other three members, who had spread out behind her. Their eyes toward Kexin each carried subtle intentions: Violet looked expectantly, Sasaki Ayano maintained a polite smile, and Yume was wearing a face of disdain.

But Yume’s disdain was likely just tsundere behavior; her true feelings were probably quite different.

“Shall we head out then?”

“I’ll go grab some food from the cafeteria first—”

Kexin didn’t finish her sentence before seeing Yume lift an enormous insulated bag—huge compared to her own body.

It’s not uncommon for people to bring homemade meals from home, especially if their parents didn’t fully trust the cafeteria. But that’s usually just a lunchbox.

What Yume carried, however, was far more than a single lunchbox.

“Don’t overthink it, it’s not specially for you,” Yume immediately said, noticing Kexin’s gaze, and made an effort to clarify.

But Ruolin obviously didn’t coordinate with Yume: “Actually, we realized that we never properly welcomed Kexin into the Far East Magical Research Club. So we discussed what to do, and Yume made a little food for everyone.”

“I also ordered a pizza, it should be arriving soon.”

As soon as she said that, Violet’s phone rang. Seeing it was a delivery notification, she had the expected reaction, then hurried off toward the school gate.

Kexin realized for the first time that you could even order delivery at Crescent Moon Academy.

Thinking about it, it might seem unbelievable to many, but Kexin had barely ever used delivery apps growing up. Her small hometown didn’t have the scale to support such services.

Even after moving to Mutsuzhou First High School, the school rules prohibited using mobile phones on campus, let alone ordering food online.

Chatting and chatting, the group passed through the corridors of the teaching building and arrived at the student activity center. Entering the activity room—about the size of a classroom—Kexin still felt a sense of awe.

“There are drinks in the fridge, snacks here; Kexin, take whatever you like,” Ruolin said.

“Oh, thanks.”

As soon as they entered, Ruolin eagerly began explaining the layout of the room to Kexin. She had only just realized that before, she’d only had Kexin sign the application form without explaining anything else.

Kexin’s eyes followed Ruolin. When the fridge opened, rows of drinks were neatly arranged—everything from sodas to juices and milk. The fresh-keeping section even had unopened watermelon slices.

In the freezer, Kexin could almost be certain there were hot pot ingredients, since she saw a pot in the corner.

But what attracted Kexin most was the storage area on the other side, separated by a simple partition. The shelves there held objects that emitted faint magical energy—even without transforming, Kexin could sense them.

According to Ruolin, these were items collected by former club members, related to various anomalies.

Of course, most were clearly just models or props, with no actual supernatural power.

“Did you buy all these with the club funds?”

Kexin assumed that no one would donate these for free.

“Ah, these… Kexin, you know,” Ruolin adjusted her glasses, “the student council barely gives us any activity funds.”

“After all, we don’t have much to show as results,” Sasaki said, quietly drinking tea as Ruolin moved around.

“Hmph, how could the student council understand what we’re doing?” Yume grumbled, clearly resentful.

To be fair, Kexin thought it was reasonable. The Special Investigation Bureau always suppresses information about anomalies to prevent public panic.

Just being interested in anomaly research would already make someone seem strange enough.

If Kexin hadn’t experienced the incidents she had, she might never have believed anomalies were real.

“In short, most of these were collected on-site. See, the labels record detailed dates and locations.”

“Really?”

Kexin approached the shelf and noticed that every item had a laminated label—these people were thorough.

She was even more surprised that they had visited so many locations. Most of the legends were just that—legends—but it was still impressive that nothing had gone wrong so far.

Upon closer inspection, many items were found at sites of so-called paranormal occurrences, though the actual connection to anomalies was unclear.

Anomalous creatures are usually maintained by magical energy, formed from miscellaneous materials, appearing like a fierce beast, but without real flesh.

Once the magic disappears, the object becomes a pile of disgusting sludge.

The labels claiming certain items were remnants of an anomaly’s teeth or other parts showed no magical energy, likely fakes.

Kexin wondered whether she should tell them the truth.

“By the way, with all these items, do you have any concrete evidence of anomalies?” Sitting back down, Kexin asked casually. Immediately, everyone, including Ruolin, went silent.

Apparently, they didn’t have enough solid proof; otherwise, they would have shared it online and been investigated by the Special Investigation Bureau.

Even the Bureau’s previous investigation of the four had found no concrete evidence of supernatural phenomena.

“We’ve encountered anomalies a few times, but cameras never work properly—photos don’t save,” Ruolin said, scratching her head. Behind her cabinet were multiple cameras and lenses, looking quite professional.

They simply couldn’t capture anomalies up close. Long-distance photos, like with UFOs, always turned out blurry.

“There are also magical girls who interfere, instantly making anomalies disappear without a trace,” Yume added, her tone full of resentment.

Kexin realized this didn’t match any reports from her own Bureau experience. According to Special Investigation Bureau protocols, magical girls are supposed to ensure civilian safety during operations.

In the incidents Kexin had encountered, she reported everything in detail. Could previous magical girls have deliberately hidden their presence?

“Magical girls, you say?”

Kexin feigned surprise.

“Yes,” Ruolin confirmed, “just like in the anime—they wear elaborate dresses, use wands to cast flashy spells, and disappear after defeating anomalies.”

“It’s as if something interferes with electronics,” Ayano added.

So, unfortunately, Ruolin still hadn’t captured any photos.

This description was completely different from Kexin’s experience in the Bureau. Bureau magical girls acted more like black-clad agents—arriving at a scene, suppressing threats, erasing witnesses’ memories if needed.

“Too bad, I’d like to see one,” Kexin said.

“Do you admire magical girls too, Kexin?”

“Not really, just curious,” Kexin replied honestly. She was genuinely curious about which magical girl they were talking about—none of her colleagues fit that description.

“I actually think Kexin is like a magical girl,” Violet said as she barged in holding a stack of pizzas.

Kexin immediately became alert—had her true identity been exposed?

This British exchange student was unusual, and Kexin knew she could handle her magic. But being a magical girl wasn’t that simple.

“Me?”

Well, technically—Kexin didn’t bother denying it; arguing would be suspicious.

“Most magical girl protagonists have pink hair, and you have pink hair too,” Violet continued.

“Since anomalies exist, it makes sense that magical girls do too—it keeps things balanced,” Kexin said seriously.

The conversation shifted to Kexin potentially cosplaying as a magical girl at conventions.

Ruolin, scrolling on her phone, raised her hand: “Everyone, look! The big shot sent a message.”

She projected the chat onto the big screen behind them. It was the “Chatting House” group—familiar to Kexin—though now it was the sub-group 2.

If the others found out Kexin was in the main group, she’d probably face more questions.

The big shot’s identity was unknown, even to the Special Investigation Bureau. Even with a subpoena, the app developers couldn’t provide account info or suspend it.

The document Ruolin showed summarized potential anomalous activity in a rural area of Mutsuzhou, along with related rumors and alleged evidence.

Soon, people in the group began discussing it, though many weren’t local. Some seemed interested but didn’t explicitly plan to go.

Some might be hoping to get exclusive photos for themselves—something the Bureau had seen many times. Usually, when Bureau personnel reached the site, they found only broken equipment.

“Why post this if there’s already so much information?” Kexin asked. She thought it was risky—others could beat you to the site, and the Bureau might monitor you. Maybe the post was meant to lure people intentionally.

“This big shot got injured years ago while investigating anomalies. Now he’s in a wheelchair, but he has his information channels, so he shares them with everyone,” Ruolin explained. She had been following his leads since joining the club under the influence of her seniors.

They had even investigated a site with his guidance and discovered some anomalies.

“Really? That’s surprising.”

From a conspiratorial viewpoint, Kexin thought it was like a scam—posting partially true information to lure people to a specific location. Once there, the other party has the advantage.

“At first, yes. So, is anyone interested? The federal holiday break is coming soon.”

Kexin thought about saying no—she already had Bureau training scheduled during the holiday. She couldn’t just wander off with them.

“Count me in,” Violet immediately raised her hand. “There’s nowhere else to go. Ayano, you’re going too, right?”

“….”

“Assume yes if you don’t say anything.”

“….”

Sasaki didn’t object, just continued drinking tea.

All eyes turned to Kexin.

“I’ll pass, I already have plans. But make sure to collect some evidence if you find anything; I’d like to see it.”

If she had no plans, she would have gone—she could even intervene if anomalies appeared. Unfortunately, she couldn’t.

“By the way, Kexin, you’re not from Mutsuzhou, right? Going home first?” Ruolin sounded regretful, as if worse things might happen.

“Yes, I’ll go home and return on the last day of the break.”

Actually, she’d finish training on the last day and return to Mutsuzhou by bus.

“Yume, why haven’t you said anything?” Kexin noticed Yume was typing rapidly on her laptop.

“During the federal holiday, I have some work. I probably can’t join,” Yume said.

“Part-time work?”

“Yeah, the holiday’s the busiest time.”

“That makes sense.”

Everyone seemed to know Yume worked part-time, so no one was surprised. Kexin also thought it made sense—she hadn’t realized Yume had a responsible side.

Part-time work wasn’t easy. In some sense, being a magical girl could be considered a kind of part-time job.

Even after lunch, Kexin kept pondering this question.