Chapter 4: Chapter Four: Unknown Call

Lin Yun and Anya were childhood friends.

Since they were very young, they had been in the same class and become friends. Anya was a very lively and mischievous girl, so their gender difference never hindered their friendship—they were extremely close, inseparable.

Later, for a short while, they grew older, entered adolescence, and began to notice their gender differences; their way of interacting became strange. And because they went to different schools after promotion, their relationship began to grow distant.

Until one day, an event brought Anya back into Lin Yun's life—and turned everything upside down.

——Anya became a Magic Girl.

She appeared before him like a stern angel, rescuing Lin Yun and the surrounding civilians from sudden danger.

Powerful, resilient, beautiful.

His childhood companion had become unattainable, nothing like the mischievous tomboy of his memories—so different he felt almost unfamiliar with her.

But Anya was delighted, because she now had a friend she could share her secrets with—and that friend was her once-distant childhood companion. Their reconciliation was, in effect, two birds with one stone.

But being a Magic Girl was not an easy role; the Remnant Beasts in the city grew more numerous and stronger, until one day Anya could no longer handle the endless stream of enemies.

At that moment, Lin Yun stepped forward—and he, too, became a Magic Girl.

Later, after many experiences, they met more companions, endured more dangerous battles, yet ultimately held on—and even became heroes who saved the city.

Eventually, as an adult, Lin Yun gave up the power and identity of the Magic Girl, returning to an ordinary life.

He called it ordinary, but it wasn't entirely ordinary—after all, his wife was a Magic Girl.

He married Anya.

They lived a deeply affectionate life, raised a lovely daughter, and enjoyed family bliss. Everything seemed natural: the hero who saved others from crisis had laid down his arms, returning to peace and happiness.

It should have been like this.

"It should have been…"

In the crowded, hectic morning, Lin Yun was squeezed in the train crowd, staring blankly out the window as usual.

It had been a week since he discovered his daughter had become a Magic Girl.

Perhaps because he had, for the first time in a long while, opened his heart that night, Lin Yun felt the atmosphere between him and Lin Xiaolu had improved slightly—at least now, when they were together at home, their daughter would occasionally glance at him, instead of ignoring him completely as she had during their worst period.

This, at least, was a small step toward mending their father-daughter relationship.

He was somewhat relieved.

As for his daughter's safety as a Magic Girl, he chose to stay in contact with Hong Siyu, asking her to monitor the situation under her official capacity, prioritizing Lin Xiaolu's safety above all.

Lin Yun had also sensed that Hong Siyu might have romantic feelings for him, so now, by initiating contact while deliberately avoiding mention of the matter, he risked appearing like a jerk—he wanted to clarify this relationship.

But Hong Siyu repeatedly denied it, saying she couldn't even remember what nonsense she'd spoken while drunk, and told him not to take it seriously.

The matter was left unresolved.

As for what Lin Yun had done after pulling out the Heart Flower that night—

He had tried to transform.

The identity of Magic Girl had long become a distant memory to him; the sensation of fighting and even killing the Remnant Beasts had faded from his mind—he could barely recall what battle had felt like.

Had his past self really fought those monsters so casually?

Such thoughts arose unconsciously in his mind.

In truth, though he had retired, he had not, strictly speaking, completely lost his Magic Girl power. Whatever the reason, he should still be able to transform.

But that night, his attempt to transform failed.

When he touched the Heart Flower, he received no response.

The dusty Heart Flower remained lifeless, like an ordinary dead object, showing no change whatsoever.

This left Lin Yun unsure whether to feel relieved or worried.

He felt relieved because it seemed he had truly lost his power—many thoughts that had tormented him in his mind were somewhat eased. But he was worried that without power, he might be unable to help his daughter when she faced an unsolvable crisis.

Thus, he could not use the identity of Magic Girl to convey certain things to his daughter.

Yes, he had once wanted to approach his daughter as a Magic Girl.

As a father, he could not speak these words aloud—words she might not believe—but as a "former Magic Girl," he had sufficient standing and reason to say them.

Tell her of the dangers of being a Magic Girl.

Tell her what this power truly meant.

Tell her who their enemies really were.

Tell her how to grow stronger, to better protect herself.

If these truths came from a fellow Magic Girl, a senior, she would have no reason to dismiss them.

He had so much he wanted to say to his daughter, but didn't know how to begin.

The silence of the Heart Flower extinguished this idea.

Whether he had truly lost his power, lost the qualification to become a Magic Girl, or whether some other reason was at play—none of it mattered anymore.

During this week, another Remnant Beast appeared in the city; fortunately, Lin Xiaolu eliminated it without incident, and the aftermath damage was kept minimal.

The only thing that surprised Lin Yun was that, unlike the previous TV interview, media response to this Remnant Beast attack was negligible.

Whether it was because times had changed and the Special Affairs Bureau had begun favoring discretion, or because public attention had shifted, the fact remained: though Remnant Beast appearances had grown more frequent and a new Magic Girl had emerged, they failed to spark widespread public discussion.

The previous TV interview had sunk without a trace; even the video he found online was quickly replaced by newer content posted on the TV station's official site.

In his own era as a Magic Girl, both media and the public had loved to center Magic Girls in every topic.

Lost in thought, Lin Yun followed the crowd to his company and began another day of work.

Still the familiar, tedious tasks—but perhaps because his mindset had shifted, he felt the previous sense of restlessness had greatly diminished.

He worked busily until noon, ate his lunch, and was sitting in his office processing unfinished paperwork when he suddenly received a call.

The caller ID showed an unknown number.

Though he didn't know who it was, he still pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear:

"Hello?"

All he received was a steady "hiss-hiss" of static.

Slightly frowning, Lin Yun waited two seconds and asked again:

"Hello? Who's this?"

"... Be careful."

"What did you say?"

"Hiss-hiss"

"Hello?"

"Be careful of the residual beasts tonight."

Those words made Lin Yun's eyes widen.

"What do you mean? Who are you?"

He couldn't help pressing further, but after uttering just those words, the other end fell utterly silent.

Soon after, the "hiss-hiss" of static turned into the dial tone of a disconnected call.