Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

As twilight soaked the cobblestone streets, the roadside scenery of Luennolay seemed to be bathed in a thin layer of blue.

The props store by the road had already turned its sign around to "Closed," warm yellow glows seeping through the display windows, where the busy figure of the shop owner could be seen; at the street corner café, the last order of the day was being placed, and a few Magical Girls walked out, holding their coffee cups, chatting and laughing, making the place quite lively.

Sitting in the slowly moving Fairy Carriage, Emerald Sparrow was fiddling with the pair of gloves that made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

The body of the gloves was cyan, with white lace at the wrists fitting snugly onto her hands, a few strands of starlight slipping through the gaps, and the pearl buttons occasionally reflecting the passing lights. The hem of her princess gown nearly touched her heels, and the taffeta, drenched in twilight, flowed like solidified milk on the Yingwood seat.

Such overly lavish attire was obviously not Emerald Sparrow's style. Her intent was to find a relatively fitted female suit, but upon telling this idea to the Emerald, she promptly rejected it, stubbornly picking out this outfit for her instead.

Since the other party made the choice, Emerald Sparrow went along with it.

She had her own philosophy in choosing clothes, but it didn't mean she held steadfast to it. Rather, Emerald Sparrow didn't really care much about what she wore. Unless it was too revealing or overly complicated to hinder movement, most clothing to her was much the same.

The princess gown draped on her right now hadn't crossed those two lines. Though its structure was somewhat complex, it was still within Emerald Sparrow's acceptable range. Moreover, the "gathering" she was attending was initiated by the Emerald herself, who was undoubtedly more familiar with the etiquette and requirements, so following her lead should be fine.

As for the mastermind behind all this—the Emerald herself, she was sitting opposite, draped in the same cape-like coat she wore when she first met Emerald Sparrow. Her head leaned slightly back on the headrest, her body slightly tilted to the right, half reclining on the armrest. The subtle yet even breathing and the slight rise and fall of her chest indicated she had fallen into a slumber.

The Emerald had given no indication of what kind of occasion they were heading to.

Even when asked, she merely referred to it as "a gathering of a few friends," "a place to casually eat and chat," without mentioning anything specific about the other parties involved.

Thus, at this moment, Emerald Sparrow had no idea who she was about to meet, and the necessary social etiquette prevented her from interrupting the Emerald's sleep. With all work correspondence handled via her phone, which there was now no reason to check, Emerald Sparrow turned her head to look at the scenery passing by outside the carriage.

The suspense left by the Emerald lasted until the carriage traversed the Magic-free Zone, coming to a stop at a secluded launch site. As Emerald Sparrow looked at this site, the first thing she saw was a Flying Airship docked there.

"Ah… yes, it looks like we're here."

The Emerald awoke at some point, stretched and yawned. With one hand on the carriage door, she took in the outer scenery before straightening up and lazily walked onto the grassy take-off area.

"Get off, our destination is over there." After a while, she seemed to suddenly remember the person following her and turned to speak to Emerald Sparrow.

"Destination? Do you mean this…"

Emerald Sparrow, following her off the carriage, looked at the Flying Airship before her, momentarily at a loss for words, "Are you saying the so-called gathering is on this ship?"

"Yes, though I'm not too clear on the details, it seems to be something the young folks came up with.

The Emerald rubbed her eyes to wipe away the tears brought by yawning, mumbling drowsily, "They call it something like 'Flying Kitchen' or a chain restaurant. Anyway, a few Flying Airships carrying a cooking team claiming to be from the Royal Court fly around, making dishes that aren't all that remarkable, but it seems quite famous among some rich folks? It's all about novelty anyway."

"Chefs from the Royal Court?" thought Emerald Sparrow out loud as she walked forward, taking care to lift her overly long skirt to avoid tripping. The Emerald's mention of these keywords had caught her attention: "That must be expensive, right?"

"I think it's all hype. I've been invited to eat there twice, and their food isn't comparable to that of the Rose Palace,"

said the Emerald, walking ahead and tidying her collar, which had gotten a bit wrinkled from sleeping, "As for whether it's expensive, it indeed is, but since someone else is treating us today, we don't need to worry about that."

"Ordinary friends inviting us to such an upscale restaurant?"

Emerald Sparrow, having gauged the level of expenditure for this Flying Airship, couldn't help but ask, "So, who exactly am I going to meet?"

"Of course, fulfilling my previous promise to you."

Casually arriving at the Airship's boarding gate, just showing her face to the waiters at the entrance earned a respectful greeting, ushering the Emerald and Emerald Sparrow in. While they walked ahead, the Emerald restored her appearance, adopting a rarely seen, somewhat dignified demeanor:

"After all, as we agreed in our transaction, apart from resolving the Heart's Gem issue for you, there is one more condition."

"...Oh, I see."

Emerald Sparrow understood the Emerald's intent with just that sentence.

At the same time, she realized why the Emerald wanted to present this "dignified" posture and have her dressed this way.

Several months ago, during their transaction with the Source of Beasts as a bargaining chip, the Emerald had mentioned that she had some "friends" in the Magical Affairs Institute of the Magic Kingdom.

The so-called friends were, of course, a euphemism. The position of the Sapphire Wand had been vacant for years, and the Magical Affairs Institute, though nominally under the Royal Court, had been slowly divided among a few Royal Court nobles and the other four Gemstone Scepter holders.

In the power struggles, most members of the Magical Affairs Institute couldn't remain neutral. Whether willingly or unwillingly, they had to align with a certain faction.

As the head of the Research Institute, holding the Green Emerald Scepter, the Emerald must have her own network of "contacts" within the Magical Affairs Institute.

Following the entrance of the Flying Airship, Emerald Sparrow and the Emerald arrived in front of a large door after passing through a short but luxurious corridor meant more for display than function).

Even from outside the door, the sounds of laughter and chatter were audible, indicating a sizable group of guests inside.

Without needing any commands, the waiters standing by the sides bowed to these clearly most honored guests before gently pushing open the door.

Inside, in that relatively spacious "restaurant," a dozen or so Magical Girls of various appearances were seated in a circle.

Unlike the notion of "banquets" in the Material Realm, none of the Magical Girls gathered here were dressed in formal evening or banquet outfits. Most of them wore stylish, girlish dresses, or cute yet appropriate common attire.

Before the door opened, they were still chatting away, the room filled with a lively atmosphere and the sweetness of pre-dinner desserts, painting a picture more like an innocent girls' soirée than anything else.

But as soon as the door opened and the Emerald entered, the magical girls quickly ceased their conversations, curbing their slightly frivolous demeanor and standing up in unison.

As the Emerald took her position and Emerald Sparrow stately stepped into the restaurant with her skirt lifted, the last bits of sound died away, leaving an absolute silence.

Emerald Sparrow looked at the magical girls and they in turn looked at her.

No words needed to be exchanged. At a certain moment, the tallest among them, who stood closest to the head seat, took the lead, prompting everyone to step away from their seats.

They performed a standard curtsy towards Emerald Sparrow. The curtsy included a modification, not merely a bowing but gradually kneeling, their skirts fanning out on the wooden floor like radiant blossoms.

No words were needed, no explanations required.

This was the most solemn gesture of allegiance from the subordinates to their superior in the Magic Kingdom.