Upon hearing Yang Mo mention the term “Wishing Right,” Lin Qingwen replied after a brief hesitation, “If you’re using your Wishing Right, that’s a different matter.”
Before Yang Mo could respond, Gan Ling cut in first. “Wait a minute!” She turned to face Yang Mo. Yang Mo also turned to meet Gan Ling’s gaze; her eyes were as firm as ever, and her voice remained resolute.
“It’s no use even if you disagree, Gan Ling. This is my Wishing Right.”
“That’s exactly why…” Gan Ling said, her hands on the table tightening. Her gaze lowered for a moment before quickly snapping back to Yang Mo. “That is precisely why you should save it for yourself, shouldn’t you? What if you encounter a situation in the future where you absolutely must use it? Will you regret it then?”
To get Yang Mo to give up, she even went as far as saying some harsh words. This was because she knew the Wishing Right was an extremely precious thing. In the Original Work, after becoming a Magical Girl, one was granted a single opportunity to have the government behind the Support Association fulfill any wish within its power. Whether it was money, status, or even taking someone’s life, anything was possible.
A significant number of Magical Girls agreed to sign a Contract with a Contract Beast specifically for this right. There are times in a person’s life when they encounter problems that cannot be solved by conventional means, and such occasions require unconventional methods like the Wishing Right. Gan Ling worried about what Yang Mo would do if that day ever came for her.
However, Yang Mo actually flashed a smile at her. “Isn’t now the time when I absolutely must use it? Besides… if you ended up on the streets because of your identity, the future me would definitely regret it.”
Hearing Yang Mo’s sincere words, Gan Ling fell into silence for a moment. Yang Mo then feigned a thinking expression, stroking her chin as she continued, “Ah… or is this some kind of strategy, and you’re actually trying to make me feel indebted to you?”
“What on earth are you thinking?” Gan Ling finally couldn’t help but interrupt her, letting out a long sigh. “Fine, do whatever you want… I won’t interfere anymore.”
Receiving this answer, Yang Mo’s eyes immediately lit up as she looked toward Lin Qingwen. “Then… is it okay now?”
Lin Qingwen calmly told her, “I have to report this first. After that, it will enter an approval process. I can’t guarantee that the wish will be granted yet.”
“How can that be… I finally managed to convince Gan Ling…” Seeing Yang Mo’s dejected expression, Lin Qingwen added, “Though, in my opinion, it’s unlikely to be rejected.”
“Really?”
“Yes. If it’s a Wishing Right, no one will have an objection. After all — this is something earned in exchange for a Magical Girl’s duties.” At this point, Lin Qingwen’s expression remained unchanged, but her eyes flickered elsewhere for a moment. Yang Mo didn’t notice, beaming with joy because she had received a clear answer.
“Gan Ling, that’s great! How do you feel now?”
Gan Ling gave Yang Mo a forced smile. Because Yang Mo had used up her one and only wish, she didn’t know whether she should be happy about it.
Lin Qingwen suddenly called their names. When they turned their heads, she held out a flat palm and said, “Since we’re mostly finished with business, I’d like to apologize for taking up your time. Would you like something to drink? It’s on me.”
As soon as she finished, Yang Mo replied with a smile, “Wow, thank you, Ms. Lin!” Lin Qingwen then pushed the menu on the table toward her and beckoned a waiter over. Yang Mo immediately began picking things out with great enthusiasm.
‘You really aren’t being polite at all,’ Gan Ling thought as she watched Yang Mo, but she soon leaned in as well, pointing to a line on the menu. “I’ll have this.” She was even faster than Yang Mo in making her choice.
After ordering, Gan Ling and Yang Mo wanted to bring the cats in the shop to their seats, but every time Yang Mo approached, the cats would flee in terror. After several failures, she struck a clawing pose while trying to catch one, which naturally had the opposite effect.
Gan Ling, for some reason, got along exceptionally well with the cats. “Here.” She squatted down listlessly and waved her hand toward a cat. The cat naturally walked over and rubbed against her hand. A moment later, Gan Ling held a cat in her arms as she rejoined Yang Mo. Several other cats followed at her feet, while Yang Mo only ended up with scratches on the back of her hand.
Looking at the two completely different scenes, Yang Mo wailed with teary eyes, “Why!?”
The cats’ flight was entirely because of Yang Mo. Gan Ling finally realized that the reason the cats had run away when they met Lin Qingwen earlier was because of Yang Mo. However, she wasn’t particularly happy about being popular with cats, as one had already started climbing onto her skirt. After freeing a hand to push the cat away, Gan Ling returned to the seat with Yang Mo.
Taking the opportunity, she asked Lin Qingwen a few things about the Support Association. First was the structure of the association. Lin Qingwen’s answer was as follows: “We are divided into several departments: the Intelligence Department, the Investigation Department, the Operations Department, and the Logistics Department. However, a person doesn’t necessarily belong to just one department. For example, in addition to the Investigation Department responsible for field visits, I am also a member of the Logistics Department.”
This wasn’t too far from what Gan Ling had imagined. It had been mentioned in the Original Work that maintaining Permanent Magic was a very labor-intensive task. Lin Qingwen’s answer, to some extent, confirmed that the Support Association was likely short-staffed. As for what specific work those departments did, her answer was, “Sorry, I’m not at liberty to disclose that.”
‘I couldn’t help but ask since she’s from the Logistics Department, but I guess it won’t work…’ While thinking this, Gan Ling decided to set the matter aside for now as she realized most of the information she wanted could not be pried from Lin Qingwen’s mouth.
Gan Ling and Yang Mo enjoyed a pleasant time at the cat cafe. Ms. Lin from the Support Association said she had to stay a bit longer, so Gan Ling and Yang Mo left first.
After walking out the door, Gan Ling suddenly called out to Yang Mo. Yang Mo turned back and asked, “What is it?”
“About what happened just now… thank you.” Gan Ling stood there, looking at her as she spoke solemnly.
Hearing this, Yang Mo put her hands on her hips and told her crossly, “Haven’t I said it many times? You don’t need to say thank you to me, Gan Ling.” Seeing Gan Ling’s serious face, Yang Mo used her usual gesture, raising an index finger as she continued, “Besides, this is just balancing the scales. Do you understand what that means?”
After a bit of thought, Gan Ling remembered. “Ah… could it be from the time we came back from the Aquarium…” She didn’t know how to respond and just stared blankly at Yang Mo.
Yang Mo seemed to read Gan Ling’s reaction. “It’s good that you understand!” She narrowed her eyes, appearing both relieved and as if she were giving Gan Ling a mischievous grin — the kind of grin one has when a prank is successful.