Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

Standing in front of the claw machine at the entrance of the store, Xia Liang couldn't help but lean toward the glass case in front of her, gazing at her own blurred reflection on its surface as she awaited the return of Emerald Sparrow from the counter.

To her, the arcade was a place very familiar, yet somewhat foreign.

As a former "bad girl" known throughout the school, Xia Liang, under the influence of her so-called "friends," had actually frequented the electronics district's arcade shops quite a few times. One might even say that the arcades were one of the favorite hangouts of her "friends," aside from their occasional "part-time jobs."

Being the group's essential ATM, Xia Liang was mainly brought here to settle the bill.

They would never consult Xia Liang for her opinion; they'd merely inform her of the plans as if announcing the schedule. Once Xia Liang had paid for them, they would no longer care about her whereabouts, often just playing games and laughing among themselves as if unaware of the person trailing behind them.

Xia Liang knew this was a deliberate act of coldness and exclusion, but she didn't mind it at the time.

After all, she had no other friends, and the fact that these girls would accept her, letting her stay by their side, was already enough for her.

Even when she did come to the arcade, her focus was never on the games therein, nor could she understand the joy of gaming. Most of the time, she just followed along, politely offering cheers and applause when appropriate.

Of course, the claw machine was an exception. Even back then, Xia Liang, brought by her friends to the arcade, noticed the claw machine at the shop's entrance. It was placed in the most conspicuous location, but among the bustling crowd, barely anyone chose to stop in front of it.

The plush toys inside the machine were cute enough, and it cost only two Game Coins to play, but for some reason, this claw machine simply couldn't attract customers.

Back then, Xia Liang felt that the claw machine was rather like herself.

Now, months later, returning to the arcade and seeing the claw machine still unchanged, never having been moved, Xia Liang felt as if worlds apart. A few months weren't really that long, but those gloomy days now seemed like a distant dream.

And just as she was staring at the claw machine in front of her, she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Little..."

Assuming it was Emerald Sparrow, she put on a smile and looked toward the person, but her expression froze when she saw who it was.

Although the person was an acquaintance, it wasn't the expected Emerald Sparrow, but her old "friends."

—— "Hey, long time no see, Xia Liang."

One of the flashy girls spoke up, "What brings you here all by yourself all of a sudden?"

"Feeling lonely after being alone for so long?"

The blonde girl following her chuckled, "I heard you lately decided to be a goody-goody girl? From the look of your outfit, seems like it's true, huh?"

"No way, seriously? That's so lame, hahaha!"

Talking about this, all the "friends" burst into laughter together, as if what the girl had said was a hilariously good joke, not even considering that Xia Liang was right before them.

Surrounded by the laughter, Xia Liang looked at those familiar yet alien faces and didn't know what to say for a moment.

This silence didn't stem from the malicious mockery of the others but because she found that in the face of these girls' provocations, her heart was not stirring any waves.

If she had to choose the most intense feeling, then perhaps it would be "boredom."

When she decided to become the Magical Girl, she had already severed ties with these friends. Now, these girls were to her like strangers, their very presence or absence seemed inconsequential. Explore stories on empire

She didn't care what the girls in front of her said, how they saw her, or what they wanted to do; she could only feel boredom.

Rather than waste words with them here, Xia Liang was more concerned about when Emerald Sparrow would return. After all, she had been at the counter for quite some time.

Having laughed their fill and noticing Xia Liang's detached demeanor, the girls suddenly found it all very dull.

"We haven't even settled the score for the last time you ditched us out of the blue!" the blonde bad girl spoke up, "You've got some nerve showing up. Qing should have told you. Once you're gone, don't come back."

The person referred to as "Qing" was the girl standing in the center of the group, seemingly the highest-ranking of them all. At the moment, she was looking at Xia Liang with some arrogance, not saying a word.

Xia Liang glanced up at the bad girl called "Qing" and then at the others before, after a long pause, smiling apologetically:

"Sorry, I'm waiting for someone. Can you get out of the way, please?"

That single sentence suddenly enveloped her group in an eerie silence.

"Huh?" It didn't take long for one of the bad girls to grasp the meaning of her words: "You're asking us to get out of the way?"

"What's with that attitude? Are you trying to disrespect us?"

The bad girls immediately exploded, their words carrying a tinge of irritation.

"I can't believe you're actually saying things like that now."

The girl called "Qing" raised her eyebrow, seemingly surprised by Xia Liang's words. She quickly smirked and stepped forward, "If you're not here to find us, then I'm actually quite curious, who are you looking for?"