Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

"So all I could think of was to take you to places I loved when I was young, where I played happily and enjoyed my youth. So I hoped these places could also bring you joy."

"Looking at it now, although the process was a bit convoluted, the effect isn't too bad."

Emerald Sparrow spoke these words with her usual calm and cool tone, but the meaning behind them was sincere enough that Xia Liang, huddled in the back seat, lifted her head to look at her through the rearview mirror.

"...Little Junior, you've done well enough."

She slowly started, trying to appear nonchalant: "I actually knew it all along, that you were accommodating me throughout the day. Rather, though it was I who suggested this 'date,' it was actually you who cared most about it."

"This morning when we were caught in the downpour and I couldn't make up my mind, it was you who didn't mind the imposed agreement and changed our plans to take me out."

"When we encountered my... former friends this morning and I didn't want to deal with them, it was also you who accepted my somewhat unreasonable demand and drove them away."

"And this afternoon's activities were simply me indulging in my own fun. I could sense that you weren't really interested, but still, you accompanied me in my foolishness."

"So today I'm actually really happy and very grateful that you would do such things for me, Little Junior."

"The reason I'm feeling a bit down right now isn't because you said 'enough is enough,' but because I realize that I truly haven't grown or changed at all."

At these words, Emerald Sparrow slightly furrowed her brow and turned her head to ask, "Should I report those kids' issue to the juvenile guidance? That would be fair to you and ensure at least they don't continue down the wrong path."

"No, it's not that! It's enough as it is now!"

Xia Liang raised her voice and waved her hands frantically, then her tone dropped dejectedly: "What I meant was, it's actually about me."

"Because I've realized that I'm still the same, always indulging in self-satisfaction."

"I used to indulge in the fantasy of playing the 'good child,' never changing anything, just deluding myself that 'good behavior' would solve everything, using 'I am a good child' to escape reality and shirk my responsibilities."

"Now, because you, Little Junior, said I could be capricious and I discovered some of your secrets, I thought I could use that as an excuse to demand something, turning 'capriciousness' into a pretext for 'misbehaving.'

"Indeed, I've messed up again."

"Although I wanted to use this opportunity to become closer and better with Little Junior, as soon as I thought about these things I lost all sense of proportion and couldn't control my thoughts, inadvertently going too far."

"I'm always like this, repeating the same behavior excessively if it brings me happiness and satisfaction."

"Taking chicken feathers for a token of authority, that saying must be about someone like me, right?"

After saying all this, she looked somewhat hesitantly at Emerald Sparrow like a child waiting for a teacher's reprimand.

Clearly, she hoped her self-criticism would act as an "admission of wrongdoing," aiming to salvage her image in Emerald Sparrow's eyes.

But she didn't know that Emerald Sparrow had no judgments about Xia Liang's somewhat unruly behavior today.

In fact, she felt there was no need to judge.

No one is perfect, and everyone in the world has their own personality flaws. Even Emerald Sparrow herself has countless things she regrets and blames herself for, so how could she expect a child not to make mistakes?

Even true saints don't become that way overnight; there is always a process of growth and introspection. Xia Liang's self-awareness was clear enough, which already put her ahead of many of her peers.

At least, her own daughter wasn't able to do this yet.

In such moments, what she should do is not to criticize or even to evaluate, for Xia Liang had already done this by herself, and rightly so. There was no need for repetition.

To continuously criticize and resent a child who knows their mistake is a manifestation of an elder's incompetence.

Emerald Sparrow did not wish to be that incompetent person, so what she needed to do remained just one thing—guidance.

She needed to tell Xia Liang what the right way was.

"...You always mention 'love,' but what exactly is the love that you seek?"

Emerald Sparrow asked softly, "Or rather, when you speak of this word, have you ever thought about its meaning?"

"What is love?"

Xia Liang looked up, puzzled: "Isn't love just love?"

"Love is differentiated."

As they passed a vehicle on the narrow road, Emerald Sparrow handled the steering wheel while adding calmly, "Romantic love, family love, friendship, philanthropy—love is a very complicated thing. When you're yearning for 'love,' have you really considered what kind you want?"

"I've never thought about it."

Xia Liang shook her head: "Little Junior, I've told you before. To me, the differences in love are very small. As long as it's love, it's all good for me."

"Any kind of love is fine, as long as it's love that belongs to me, I don't mind what kind it is or why it exists."

"Because I'm a child who lacks love, if I start being picky about something I already lack, I might end up with nothing at all."