Yes, I did all of this!

Thank you to [Sewer Rat] for the 100-coin reward.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Reasons

......

On the other side, Yuhi frowned as she watched the vampire's departing figure, her expression darkening.

She wasn't seriously injured. Looking at Huangyi, she was panting heavily, gripping her katana and standing firmly on the ground.

The vampire monster didn't linger. He was clearly more concerned about the whereabouts of the passersby than fighting the magical girl, so after exchanging blows for a while, he took the initiative to leave the battle.

"—You've had enough of this childish game, haven't you, Huangyi?" Yuhi clenched her fist and turned to look at the relaxed Huangyi.

"...I don't know what I did wrong, Yuhime-san."

Huangyi was mentally prepared for Xi Ri's attitude, but when faced with it, his eyes still darted away before he answered without much confidence.

“Continuing to fight will do you no good. As your reputation grows, you will have more and more enemies—you will eventually be defeated.”

"I......"

"—And that person." Yuhi looked across the street: "As an ordinary person, getting so close to battle every time will eventually bring danger upon us."

Seeing Huangyi's silent expression, Xi Ri turned and left: "Just consider it as keeping your distance from him to protect the people around you, and giving up the power of a magical girl."

After saying that, the thrusters behind Xi Ri burst forth, carrying her away from the place, leaving Huang Yi standing there in a daze.

"..." Huangyi silently deactivated his transformation and took off his helmet.

Looking at the helmet in her hand, Yu Zhi thought of Duanmu Mo, who had gone far away.

"Mr. Duanmu..."

Not knowing what Duanmu Mo's current situation was, Yu Zhi took out her phone and dialed him to inquire.

"Hello, Mr. Duanmu?"

“Yu Zhi ah…”

The phone rang quickly, but to Yu Zhi's surprise, a weak voice came from the other end:

"I'm sorry, could you come pick me up?"

......

Following the road, Yuzhi discovered that the ground showed signs of corrosion, and there were also obvious motorcycle tire tracks nearby.

Feeling uneasy, I hurried into the jungle. The deeper I went, the more I could see the sound of the weeds being trampled.

Finally, Yu Zhi saw Duanmu Mo's figure by the stream in the mountains. He was lying on the ground, his body a mess, and his helmet had horrifying claw marks on it. If they had been any deeper, they would have scratched his face.

The motorcycle was completely totaled, lying in the shallow stream, its once-smooth exterior now covered in mud and scratches.

"—Mr. Duanmu!"

Upon seeing this scene, Yu Zhi couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

At the same time, the voice of the evening sun echoed in her heart—"If I become a magical girl, will the people around me inevitably be in danger sooner or later...?"

Once these feelings of bewilderment arose, they were hard to shake off. Filled with fear, Yu Zhi helped Duanmu Mo up and removed his helmet.

"Hmm..." Duanmu Mo opened his eyes and gave a forced smile: "I was careless. Who knew there was another strange person?"

"I'll go call an ambulance..." In her panic, Yuzhi's voice was choked with sobs, and her face was filled with helplessness.

“That’s not necessary.” Duanmu Mo stood up with her help, a look of pain flashing across his face. “I’ll be fine after resting for a while.”

"This won't do! Mr. Duanmu, please don't force yourself."

"I'm really fine."

Duanmu Mo looked at the wrecked motorcycle, sighed, and shook his head.

After his body was modified, it was almost a completely different species from a human's. If he went to the hospital for a checkup under these circumstances, the doctors would probably call the police on the same day.

"But......"

Yu Zhi wanted to say something more, but Duanmu Mo came to the motorcycle and said, "Help me hold this motorcycle, it's not light."

"......I see."

—After lifting the wrecked motorcycle, Duanmu Mo and Yu Zhi finally made it out of the forest before dark.

They called a car to tow the motorcycle back, and by the time they got back to Duanmu Mo's office, it was already dark.

Pushing her motorcycle into the parking lot on the first floor, Yu Zhi finally had a chance to ask, "Um, Mr. Duanmu, what's the deal with that strange guy you mentioned? Was your situation caused by him?"

"This one?"

Duanmu Mo casually moved a chair over and began inspecting the wrecked motorcycle, shaking his head with a sigh as he pondered how to deal with the werewolf.

"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure what happened, but while chasing the bus, I noticed something popping out of it and rushing towards me. If I hadn't reacted in time, I would probably be like this motorcycle now."

With his back to Yu Zhi, Duanmu Mo looked at the claw marks that tore the engine apart, wondering whether he should break off its claws or knock out its teeth next time.

"Please don't say that. At least you survived, Mr. Duanmu." Watching Duanmu Mo's retreating figure as he inspected the motorcycle, Yu Zhi couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

This car seemed to be very important to Duanmu Mo, but it turned out like this...

The words of the past surfaced in her mind, and Yuzhi couldn't help but let her thoughts wander again.

—If I were stronger, would Mr. Duanmu not have encountered such difficulties...? No, if I were stronger, I would definitely face more dangerous enemies, and Mr. Duanmu's situation might be even worse.

Is it really the right thing to give up this magical girl power for the safety of those around me...?

Watching Duanmu Mo's retreating figure, Yu Zhi hesitated for a long time before finally speaking:

"In that case, Mr. Duanmu, perhaps it's best if you don't travel with me next time. If I transform, it's probably better for you to stay away from me..."

"Of course I would. The car is totaled, I can't possibly ride the train with you, can I?"

However, contrary to Yu Zhi's expectations, Duanmu Mo seemed to have already planned it out and readily agreed.

Duanmu Mo stood up, casually tossed the screwdriver aside, ignored the mangled motorcycle, and sat down on the workbench with tools on the wall.

"No...that's not what I meant."

Facing Duanmu Mo's gaze, Yu Zhi quickly spoke, conveying the conflicting emotions that had been echoing in her heart since the previous day, her face filled with a troubled expression:

"I'm thinking, maybe we should give up. Yuhi said I have no fighting spirit whatsoever, and continuing to fight recklessly will only cause trouble for Yuhi. Perhaps..."

The image of Duanmu Mo lying by the stream was etched in her mind, making it impossible for her to forget. If the price of continuing to fight was to hurt the people around her, was it still necessary to transform?

She raised her eyes and said cautiously, "Perhaps, it would be right for me to give up this power."

"—Then do what you want to do."

"Eh..."

These were still words that surprised Yu Zhi. Duanmu Mo nodded, agreeing with her plan:

"Being an ordinary person is fine too. You should go back first. Don't worry about your classmate's matter for now. I'll investigate it again in a few days."

Yu Zhi's eyes widened: "Mr. Duanmu, do you intend to continue the investigation?"

She hadn't expected that Duanmu Mo would get involved in this matter even though she didn't want to continue fighting.

Duanmu Mo did not answer directly, but instead took out a notebook from his pocket and tossed it to Yuzhi.

"What is this?"

"Take a look. Recently, quite a few people have applied to me for help. As long as I help them find their family members, they will receive a large sum of commission."

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhi opened her notebook, and there were many faces, some young and some mature, pasted inside.

Next to the photo were written information about the missing person and the amount of money requested, which added up to a considerable sum, but that wasn't what Yuzhi was concerned about.

Looking at their photos, Yuzhi was momentarily lost in thought.

The people in these photos were either the pillars of their families or the treasures of their parents, with limitless futures, but with the attack of the monster, all of this disappeared, leaving only broken families.

Strange people wreak havoc, pedestrians disappear... These things happen so frequently in this world that people here don't feel much emotional distress unless they experience them firsthand. But now, looking at these faces, Yu Zhi finds it hard to remain calm.

“I can understand if you give up on this for some reason, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ignore it—I still need to make money, and that’s my reason.”

"The reason...?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhi remained silent for a long time.

py:

A friend's original harem novel.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Lamentation

......

A few days later, Yuzhi sat at her desk, listening to the conversation in the classroom, her gaze occasionally sweeping over the empty seats not far away.

"..."

A jumble of thoughts surfaced in her mind again. Yu Zhi bit her lower lip, countless faces flashing through her mind. What happened to those who had disappeared? And what were their families facing now...?

"Please, please keep looking! My daughter went missing near the school, please help me look for her again!"

During class, a voice suddenly came from the doorway, attracting the attention of many students.

At the entrance, several women surrounded a teacher, pleading with him.

"Dear mothers, I understand your difficulties, but this is ultimately the superintendent's job, so please understand... However, we promise that if there is any news about your children, I will inform you as soon as possible."

"My child...please, no matter what, you must save my child! Please...sob—"

Looking at the empty desks in the classroom, a woman couldn't help but cry. Her sorrow spread and infected the students in the classroom, and the atmosphere became silent.