Chapter 58: Lin Xiaolu's Confession

"Hurry up, the Remnant Beasts should have already started moving; there's no time!" Amidst the chaos, Moke beside them urged.

The customers in the restaurant had all crowded at the entrance; a stampede had almost occurred in the corridor outside. Just amidst this clamor, Xia Liang spoke.

"I'm sorry, Uncle, Lin Xiaolu."

A look of apology on her face, she smiled politely: "I... might not be able to just run away like this."

"Don't be willful, you now..." Lin Yun was about to persuade her, but his words were forced to stop at his lips because Xia Liang's next move was beyond his expectation.

Right before the two of them, without any hesitation, she pulled a round gemstone from her pocket.

That gemstone emitted a misty, magenta-purple glow; perfectly round and flawless, it flickered uncertainly in the gaze of the few of them.

And everyone present knew this was her Heart Seed.

"Uncle, I am a Magical Girl."

Xia Liang spread her palm, placing the Heart Seed right in the center, and looked at him seriously: "If I leave now, no one will be here to repel the Remnant Beasts."

Lin Xiaolu beside them looked at her in shock, struggling hard to realize Xia Liang's intention, and then wanted to say something, but saw Xia Liang wink at her.

—It is enough for only me to confess.

She understood; this was the meaning Xia Liang wanted to convey.

"Is this a toy? This is not the time for jokes!"

Lin Yun continued to pretend ignorance, wanting to help her cover it up, but Xia Liang did not give him another chance. With a flash of light, the Heart Seed in her hand flew up, accompanied by scattered mana flows visible even to ordinary people.

She did not transform on the spot; there were simply other crowds around.

"You... are actually a Magical Girl..."

Now, even Lin Yun did not know how to react, and could only mechanically recite some dull lines.

In the current situation, Xia Liang's behavior was actually not problematic: one of the three must strike immediately, and since neither Lin Xiaolu nor Lin Yun wanted to expose their identities, it had to be her who voluntarily clarified everything.

She indeed had no need to hide her identity from Lin Yun; after all, Lin Yun was Lin Xiaolu's father and had no deep ties with her; in this situation, even revealing her true form would not be a problem.

It was just that, logically speaking, her making such a decision so quickly still caught Lin Yun off guard.

In fact, this was also a cognitive bias on his part.

Based on his own experience, exposing one's true form was indeed a very serious matter, but he subconsciously overlooked one point: regarding the matter of true identity, other Magical Girls were different from him.

They hid their identities only to protect personal privacy, not like him, who was completely afraid to let strangers know his true form.

Xia Liang confessed her identity and prevented Lin Xiaolu from speaking it out, intending to solve the Remnant Beasts herself, thereby creating a cover for Lin Xiaolu.

Lin Yun could also guess her thoughts and knew there was no need to persuade further.

So he turned to look at Lin Xiaolu: "Then, Little Lulu, we..."

"Dad."

Not picking up his thread of conversation, Lin Xiaolu first glared at Xia Liang, then took a deep breath and suddenly shouted out.

Since the father and daughter had been deeply in conflict two years ago, this was the first time she had properly uttered this title.

For Lin Yun, this was also a long-lost title.

If he heard his daughter call him like this on an ordinary day, he would certainly feel very happy—and actually, he felt the same now—but at this critical juncture, he knew what it meant for his daughter to say this word.

"Thank you for always pretending not to know, but now it is no longer needed."

She turned to look at Lin Yun and said calmly: "I must go, because I am also a Magical Girl."

Having said that, she also extended her hand and spread her palm.

A pale blue Heart Seed lay there; except for the color, its form was exactly the same as Xia Liang's.

Long before this, she had already understood that her identity as a Magical Girl might not be a secret. The reason she had not admitted this to Lin Yun was simply because she felt the time was not yet right and she still needed courage.

And now, at such a moment, she had made her decision.

Lin Yun sat back down on the chair.

The Remnant Beasts' attack location was some distance away from here, so there was actually no need to rush to escape. The Evacuation Bureau's evacuation notice was merely to prevent potential disasters, and the panic of other customers was solely out of fear of the Remnant Beasts.

Two Magical Girls were right before his eyes; even if he were truly just an ordinary person, there was no need to consider matters of "prevention," and acting so terrified would be unreasonable.

His gaze swept over the two girls before him, and the remaining tension on his face faded, turning into helplessness: "... Decided?"

"Mm." Lin Xiaolu nodded seriously.

"It can only be us." Xia Liang repeated again.

"... Sigh, you two..."

Lin Yun was somewhat amused and exasperated: "Why not just go out with me and pretend to get separated? It clearly hasn't reached a point where there are no options at all. You hid your identity for so long; is it really good to give it up so easily now?"

"What? You actually knew all along, didn't you?"

Lin Xiaolu lowered her eyelids and muttered: "You acted so well, making me work so hard to act."

Shaking his head, Lin Yun did not reply.

"Do you need one of us to stay and send you out first?" Xia Liang suddenly proposed, "It is not safe to just walk out like this."

"You are both going to fight monsters; what danger could there be for me?"

Lin Yun waved his hand at her: "We adults rely on young ladies to defend against enemies; how could we possibly ask you to specially protect us?"

"Go ahead; aren't you in a hurry? Save any words for after you return. I have only one request for you."

He turned his face, looking seriously at Lin Xiaolu, and earnestly instructed: "No matter what, stay safe."

This was not spoken through Senior Cuique's mouth, but for the first time as a father, to Lin Xiaolu.

However, compared to when he first learned that Lin Xiaolu had become a Magical Girl, both sides' mindsets had already changed.

His daughter had been a Magical Girl for nearly two months; during these two months, he had seen all the efforts she made to become stronger.

Perhaps the identity of a Magical Girl is indeed very dangerous, but it is also the only means for ordinary people to obtain true magical power, and a precious opportunity sought after by countless magicians.

Since she has already embarked on this path, then his choice is only to help her walk more steadily and go further.

Lin Xiaolu did not answer again.

She looked deeply at Lin Yun, her gaze sweeping over Mo Ke and Xia Liang, then turned and ran out of the restaurant.

Mo Ke followed closely behind, while Xia Liang smiled at Lin Yun before catching up with them.

Lin Yun returned the gesture with a wave of goodbye and remained seated, unmoving. He intended to wait until they left, then find a secluded corner to transform into Senior Cuique, ensuring someone would cover the two newcomers.

Yet, just as he was plotting this in his mind, Xia Liang in front of him suddenly stopped.

— "Ah, I almost forgot."

Standing at the restaurant entrance, as if remembering something, she took out her phone and began searching through her contacts:

"Just in case, I should call the junior senior first."

She spoke these words lightly, but at that very moment, Lin Yun, still pretending, recalled a crucial matter he had consistently forgotten: Senior Cuique's phone was on his person, and...

It was not powered off.

Realizing disaster was imminent, he instinctively reached for his inner coat pocket, but he could no longer match Xia Liang's speed.

Before his hand could even touch the outline of the phone, he saw Xia Liang lift her eyelids slightly, clearly having found Senior Cuique's number.

He wanted to shout, but he knew even his voice could no longer stop Xia Liang.

She smiled sweetly; he could only offer a bitter, silent grimace. Then, as she pressed the call button on the screen, a few seconds later, Lin Yun stiffly looked down at his chest.

A melodious ringtone sounded from there, clear and graceful, echoing through the now empty restaurant.