Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

Early in the morning, Lin Xiaolu rarely woke up so early.

The sky outside the small house was still dark, but at some point, Emerald Sparrow had already left alone, while Bai Jingxuan and Xia Liang were still sleeping on the combined bed. Lin Xiaolu quietly crawled down from the bed, yawning as she walked into the bathroom.

With a casual wave in the air, a rune appeared, and the bathroom lights turned on. She half-closed her eyes, picked up her own toothbrush cup from the shelf next to her, and began her morning routine.

Because all four of them lived together and were quite familiar with each other, all of the team's toiletries were centrally placed here. Moreover, since everyone except Emerald Sparrow was a young girl, apart from dental tools, the shelf next to the sink only had some basic items like soap, sunscreen, and facial cleanser. At most, Xia Liang might stuff a few more jars and bottles that Lin Xiaolu didn't recognize, so the space was still fairly adequate.

It's just that one thing that always made Lin Xiaolu a bit curious was that Emerald Sparrow seemed surprisingly unconcerned about this aspect.

Lin Xiaolu still clearly remembered when her mom was around, even though An Ya claimed she didn't care much about beauty or maintenance, there would still be some common skincare products by the sink. Coupled with some knowledge she had heard from classmates, she always felt it was natural for adult women to maintain their skin during their washing routines.

However, after arriving at Colorful Cloud Wetland and living together, it was the first time Lin Xiaolu discovered that Emerald Sparrow's items on the sink shelf were only dental tools, soap, and facial cleanser.

In fact, from her inadvertent observations, only the size of the soap seemed to be shrinking, and that tube of facial cleanser looked hardly used, making Lin Xiaolu doubt whether Emerald Sparrow had ever opened it.

The last time she saw such a scene, she recalled it was back at her own home, where her dad's sink was just as tidy. Moreover, the arrangement of Emerald Sparrow's toiletries was almost identical to her dad's, giving a sense of masculine carelessness.

Although this made Lin Xiaolu a little bit curious, she never asked much, because, in her eyes, Emerald Sparrow's skin was always great, possibly because she could maintain a Magic Body for long periods, eliminating the need to care about such things like ordinary people.

With such thoughts swirling in her mind, Lin Xiaolu slowly stirred the toothbrush in her mouth, and only when she felt the time was about right, did she rinse her mouth clean and begin the next step of washing her face.

Starting today, there would be a seven-day practical assessment, and Lin Xiaolu thought it necessary to groom her appearance a bit.

Not only as a precaution, in case she was noticed by the examiners or even the Queen, but also because from today, all participating Magical Girls in the assessment were required to form new teams to participate in the subsequent assessments as a group.

This means that Lin Xiaolu would meet her temporary teammates today, and to ensure smooth cooperation thereafter, maintaining her appearances was essential.

Of course, not all members of the team would be new faces.

The number of people in an assessment team was generally limited to three, and each Magical Girl could specify at most one other candidate to become her teammate. After this, whether it was the girl specifying another person or the Magical Girl being specified, neither of them could further specify or be specified.

This meant that in a team of three, there could be at most two familiar people, and the remaining one position would have to be randomly assigned by the Exam Institute.

The reason for this rule was to consider that the number of candidates from big cities and small cities often didn't match. If a team of three could all be freely chosen, the Magical Girls from big cities could simply choose to form a team with their existing teammates, while newcomers from small cities might fall into the plight of having no team. Even if they formed a team with other unfamiliar candidates, their cooperation would inevitably be inferior to that of the big-city candidate teams.

On the other hand, if all three members of a team were assigned by the Exam Institute, it seemed very fair, but there would be discrepancies in team levels—some teams might randomly end up with three strong members, while another team might have three relatively weak Magical Girls. Some teams might have members with good personalities who could gel and act together; others could be full of obstinate characters, fighting amongst themselves, leading to complete failure.

Using the 2+1 team forming system ensured that two members of the team had a good relationship, providing a baseline for the team's strength—if two examinees wished to team up, it's rarely purely out of goodwill. Either they recognized each other's strength, or one side was strong enough to believe they could carry the weaker one. The remaining random "1" is a test of the candidates' ability to adapt and integrate.

After a night of discussion within the Fangting City team, a preliminary conclusion was reached regarding the 2+1 selection distribution.

That is, Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan would specify each other, while Xia Liang and Emerald Sparrow would await random allocation by the Exam Institute.

This solution seemed a bit odd but was a necessary compromise. No matter if it was Lin Xiaolu or Bai Jingxuan, Fangting City felt uneasy sending either one out to find a team alone. And for her to specify one of them as a teammate seemed unfair and wasted the chance to train team members.

Upon consideration, even if relying on Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan to look after each other seemed unreliable, allowing these two to form a team together was the more secure option.

As for Xia Liang volunteering for random allocation, that was her own decision.

"I want to comprehensively test my abilities, even if it means things might be tougher."

Leaving the Fangting City team, which was not a typical reference, to verify her capabilities in more ordinary teams was Xia Liang's aim.

Thus, after deciding the group's direction for the four members, the final task before the assessment was complete.

While Lin Xiaolu was still freshening up in the Colorful Cloud Wetland, Emerald Sparrow had already left alone. Early in the morning, she first went to the Magical Affairs Institute to confirm various details of the action plan. Afterward, she hurried to the Silver Corridor.

The first practical exam was still being held in the Silver Corridor. Moreover, the team distribution would also be announced at the square in front of the school gate. Many candidates who came alone and did not have team members from the same city would arrive here early to search for their upcoming teammates.

When Emerald Sparrow arrived, the square was already crowded with quite a number of candidates.

She had no interest in finding teammates, so she didn't engage in conversation with anyone, simply standing silently in a high-elevation corner, observing the crowd.

Amid the many candidates present, it was natural that no one could ignore Emerald Sparrow. Her outstanding appearance alone was enough for many magical girls to glance at her twice. Some individuals attempted to inquire about Emerald Sparrow's willingness to team up, but upon reading the age on her chest's admission ticket, they silently withdrew.

A 10-year-old magical girl might have significant potential for future development, but at this age, her only advantage in participating in the assessment was likely her potential.

In contrast to the lack of inquiries around Emerald Sparrow, another corner of the square noticeably had a gathered crowd.

At the center of that crowd, being the focus of attention, was someone that Emerald Sparrow actually recognized.

It was a girl with long gray-white hair, appearing rather serene, holding a book with a calm expression. If Emerald Sparrow remembered correctly, her code name was Tu Dinggui.

Unlike during their first encounter, Tu Dinggui's hair was no longer half-tied but was neatly tied into twin tails on either side of her head with a hat on top. Her attire was no longer the student uniform from the Kingdom's special train but instead a glamorous and heroic blue-white dress resembling a military band uniform. Judging by the magical power fluctuation, it was undoubtedly her magic clothing as a magical girl.

The magical girls gathered around her lined up as if in a queue, taking turns asking her something, and when Tu Dinggui replied, they would turn around somewhat disappointed and leave.

Even with the frequent inquiries, Tu Dinggui's face showed not a hint of impatience. Her expression remained serene, as if this was all she was meant to do, answering the surrounding candidates methodically.

There was no doubt that those people wanted to have Tu Dinggui as a teammate.

Other groups were undoubtedly gathered as well, but none had as many people as around Tu Dinggui. After dispersing from other groups, quite a few candidates would directly join the group around Tu Dinggui, which was intimidating to watch.

"...It's tough being a celebrity," she remarked.

After taking only a brief glance, Emerald Sparrow voluntarily averted her gaze.

Since the candidates gathered there were courteous and caused no trouble, and the magical girl being surrounded showed no concern, she didn't see the need to interfere.

She took out her cell phone from her satchel to check on work-related information, planning to use this free time to arrange some work for the Abnormal Strategy Bureau. But soon, she sensed someone approaching her.

Looking up, Emerald Sparrow saw two magical girls, about fifteen or sixteen years old, but completely unfamiliar to her.

There was no doubt that she didn't know these two people.

"Is there something you need?" she asked, flipping her phone face down and addressing the two of them.

The two magical girls didn't answer immediately.

Their expressions varied continuously, sometimes appearing conflicted as if struggling with unspoken troubles, sometimes contemplating deeply, and at other times exchanging glances, with mysterious smiles that made Emerald Sparrow feel a bit uneasy.

After a while, one of the magical girls hesitantly spoke:

"Uh, excuse us, little sister, could we ask if the inspiration for your magic clothing...is it perhaps drawn from the magical girl Long Dan in 'Sweet Angel'?"