I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 27 Small Gathering

Noah led the group to a well-known self-service barbecue restaurant on the commercial street.

"Um...we have so many kids here, isn't it a bit unfair to eat at a buffet?"

Walking down the street, Qin Xiaoling said this, seemingly not having high expectations for the buffet.

In her memory, buffets always seemed to be associated with the word "losing out."

Although she could eat whatever she wanted, after eating a little bit of food, drinking some beverages, and eating some ice cream, she felt like she couldn't eat anymore.

When I left, all that remained in my heart was the regret of "not being able to break even".

"The point of a buffet is the relaxed atmosphere. If you start out with the mindset of 'is it worth it' or 'can I get my money', then you'll miss out on most of the fun."

Noah replied with a smile, "Besides, it's my treat this time, so please don't mind."

Upon hearing this, Lingbo glanced at Noah silently.

Where did Noah get the money?

It's not impossible that she brought money with her when she traveled through time. The time span is only a little over ten years—and normally, banknotes from over ten years ago wouldn't have been withdrawn from circulation.

So it would be normal if Noah had prepared some money for more than ten years in the future and brought it to the present to spend.

With electronic payments so advanced now, the use of paper money is decreasing, and this trend will likely become even more pronounced in the future. Did she really prepare currency from over a decade ago?

Lingbo had a premonition that she had only recently acquired this money.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant, the staff warmly greeted us: "Welcome! How many people are in your party?"

"Five," Noah replied.

The shop assistant's gaze swept over the five girls, finally settling on Ling Bo, who was the smallest of them all.

He walked to the wall, where a cartoon height chart with a giraffe drawn on it stood, next to which was a conspicuous red line.

"Little sister, please come over here to have your height measured," the shop assistant said to Lingbo.

Lingbo was slightly taken aback, but still walked over with somewhat stiff steps.

He Yuran suppressed a laugh, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Lingbo stood expressionlessly in front of the height chart, the red line representing half-price for children hanging mercilessly above her head.

"Yes, you're under 1.4 meters tall, so little girl can enjoy a 50% discount!" The shop assistant smiled.

Lingbo's lips twitched, managing to force out an expression that could only be described as a "smile".

—Damn it… I got a half-price discount, but why do I feel so humiliated…?

After Lingbo paid the bill, the group of five was led by the staff to a six-person table by the window.

The seating arrangement, however, unwittingly stirred up a small ripple.

He Yuran had originally planned to sit next to Lingbo no matter what. However, Qin Xiaoling and Ye Han beat her to it, flanking Lingbo and protecting her in the middle.

"Senior Noah and Sister Yuran are both adults, wouldn't it be better if you sat on the side? The three of us kids can sit here and take care of each other." Qin Xiaoling blinked.

Children do like sitting together.

"Yes... Little Lingbo... she's so young, we... we can take care of her too." Ye Han blushed and agreed, her eyes filled with... uh? a kind of maternal glow as she looked at Lingbo.

He Yuran: "..."

She was speechless for a moment, and in the end, she could only sit opposite the three people, next to Noah.

If I could, I really wouldn't want to sit with this woman.

With that thought in mind, He Yuran stood up. "I'll go get the meat."

"I'll go with you." Noah stood up as well, her face still bearing that calm and serene smile.

Thus, another silent battle unfolded in the food selection area.

Slices of raw meat were neatly arranged on a plate, waiting for customers to take them. He Yuran and Noah reached for the plate of snowflake beef almost simultaneously, each grabbing one side of the plate.

He Yuran raised her head and met Noah's deep red eyes.

Noah smiled slightly and withdrew her hand. "It seems we have similar tastes. You can have this plate; there are so many other ones anyway, there's no need for us to fight over it."

He Yuran snorted inwardly, picked up the plate of beef, but felt no joy of victory whatsoever.

This guy... always seems to be handling things with such ease that it's infuriating.

Before long, Noah and He Yuran brought the selected ingredients and placed them on the baking tray to begin grilling. Of course, the grilling process was naturally left to these two adults.

Meanwhile, Qin Xiaoling and Ye Han transformed into "Lingbo feeders".

"Little Lingbo, this piece of meat is ready! Do you want some? Also, can you handle spicy food? Would you like some chili?"

"Um... Little Lingbo... would you like... something to drink? Or... some condiments? I'll... I'll go get them for you."

Caught in the middle, Lingbo had no choice but to accept whatever was offered. She ate silently, feeling the couple's somewhat excessive concern.

Being cared for by one's own younger sister in such an almost doting way is a feeling that is hard to describe.

And she was somewhat concerned about Ye Han beside her.

Previously, Ye Han's impression of her was that of a shy and timid girl. But unexpectedly, she seemed to have a side that enjoys taking care of people, and even seemed to enjoy it.

"By the way, Senior Noah."

Qin Xiaoling's voice came from behind her. She temporarily stopped "feeding Lingbo" and looked at Noah, who was grilling meat.

"Do we have any other plans for this afternoon?"

"Um?"

Noah looked up, put a piece of grilled meat in her mouth, and only after finishing it did she answer, "The afternoon? There's nothing special planned for the afternoon. Today's classes are over. You have free time now."

"Huh? It's only half a day?" Qin Xiaoling's face showed obvious surprise. She thought today would be all about magical girl training.

"Even when it comes to learning, you have to proceed step by step." Noah used tongs to turn the slices of meat on the grill. "If I teach you too much at once, you won't be able to learn it all."

"Besides, I have already taught you the most important methods of magic training. As for spells, you can do what you are capable of."

Noah seemed to remember something else and added, "Also, next time I'll take you into actual combat."

"Huh? Next time... is it... a real battle?" Ye Han swallowed nervously.

Although she and Qin Xiaoling had encountered the calamity beasts twice before, the first time they won with great difficulty, and the second time they were only able to be saved thanks to the intervention of Senior Noah.

Even with two combat experiences, doubts still lingered in her mind—

Fighting those monsters... can she really do it?

Am I... really suited to be a magical girl?

"Don't worry." Noah saw through her fear and her voice softened. "Since I'm here, I'll absolutely guarantee your safety. So, don't worry."

Her words carried an air of absolute confidence, which reassured Ye Han, who had initially been somewhat timid.