Even if you're a corrupted magical girl, you still have to try to redeem yourself.

Hong Mali immediately saw through Yuuki Yukino's feigned innocence, which infuriated her. Her prepared words were forgotten, and she gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and trembled slightly. After a long while, she loudly questioned Yuuki Yukino.

"What exactly did you do to Qianyou?!"

Ah, the child finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

But Baqi's assessment of Hong Moli was absolutely correct; this child was indeed ridiculously stupid in everything except studying.

If you switch the positions of Koumori and Inuyama Tomoe, Tomoe will definitely say something like, "It's just a photo. After I defeat you, I'll go ask Yui myself, right?" and then continue fighting in a relaxed manner.

Hong Moli's worry about Bai Gui Qianyou stems from her overthinking. Faced with uncertainty, instead of verifying things herself, she torments herself with wild imaginations, conjuring up a whole bunch of scenarios that might cause her unease. That's what makes Hong Moli so incredibly foolish.

If Koumori had been a little smarter, or if she hadn't been so meticulous and hadn't made such thorough plans, Yuuki Yukino's plan really wouldn't have been able to succeed.

"It's quite simple to figure out the specific reason. If they don't take the initiative to contact us, then I should just take the initiative to contact them, right?"

The plan devised by Yuuki Yuki and Inuyama Tomoe, which Yuuki Yuki is now only one step away from completing, was initiated by the words Tomoe suddenly uttered while they were dining at the Chinese restaurant that day.

The ultimate goal of this plan is very simple, so simple it's unbelievable—just get Hyakki Chiyu and Koumori to sit down and have a calm talk with us.

Yes, we don't plan to launch a sneak attack, nor do we want to use any tricks to wipe them out. We just want to have a chat.

But completing this seemingly simple plan is by no means simple.

After saying that, Baqi clapped her hands a few times in front of Yuuki Yuki's astonished gaze, displaying her straightforward and absurd thought process.

"Right now, there's a mountain of messy things piling up. If I keep thinking about this, I'll forget about that one. If I don't sort things out properly, it'll only get more chaotic, and I won't be able to sort them out later. So let's keep it simple and sit down and ask about all these things clearly and thoroughly!"

“But…this…” Yuuki Yui didn’t know how to refute Inuyama Tomoe for a moment.

How could he possibly sit down and have a clear talk with those two, who were clearly stating they wanted to stand against him? They were corrupted magical girls who were clamoring to kill him; how could he possibly do that?

No, Baqi's straightforward personality might actually be an excellent starting point for solving the problem, and doing so might save her a lot of effort.

"So, Baqi, what do you think is the best course of action?"

“I have Hyakki’s contact information. Why don’t we just ask her out?” Baqi flipped through her phone a couple of times, found Hyakki Chiyu’s contact information, and waved her phone in front of Yuuki Yuki.

"What about Komuri?" Yuuki asked again.

"Let's call them all!" Baqi then picked up her phone again, seemingly looking for Hong Moli's contact information.

"It's not that simple," Yuuki Yuki sighed, explaining to Baqi.

Putting aside Hyakki Senyou, the fact that Koumori has already set her sights on Yuuki En makes it difficult to guarantee that she and Yuuki En can get along peacefully. Even if the two of them sit together, they might both be secretly wary of each other. Under such circumstances of mutual reservations, it's impossible for them to have a proper conversation.

After listening to Yuuki Yukino's explanation, Baqi also fell into deep thought.

"Then... what should we do?"

So far, Hyakki Senyou hasn't had any conflict with him, but figuring out how to get Koumori to negotiate with him without any conflict is a huge problem.

At the time, the two of them were troubled by this matter for a long time.

However, the final result of the discussion was a complete plan that was entirely aimed at Hong Mali, combining Yuuki Yuki's understanding of Hong Mali in the game and Tomoe's understanding of Hong Mali in reality.

Hong Moli's weakness is Bai Gui Qian You, so we'll use Bai Gui Qian You to blackmail her. Based on our previous failed attempt to kidnap Bai Gui Qian You, direct kidnapping won't work.

"Then why not just summon all the demons?" Baqi was as direct as ever.

And she actually succeeded. She simply asked Hyakki Chiyu if she wanted to go out for a nice meal together, and Hyakki Chiyu agreed immediately, even replying instantly.

"Don't worry about whether Hong can find me if she intends to attack me. I'm sure Hong has a way to pinpoint my location. She can accurately locate every corrupted magical girl."

“Miya Miya hadn’t been to school for a long time, and as soon as she returned, she was found by Koumori and the others; the day she went to buy a swimsuit wasn’t planned either, but Koumori still showed up; and on the day of the Moon Sea Tower, if it weren’t for what that mysterious person said, I wouldn’t have known that Tsukimi Rie was at the Moon Sea Tower, but they still came looking for her.”

"So don't worry, if Baqi can guarantee that Hong will definitely appear, she will definitely be able to find my location."

And just as Baqi had said, Hong Moli appeared before her.

"If Hong really shows up, for safety's sake, Xiaoyuan must not have any conflict with her. I don't want Xiaoyuan to encounter any danger. Didn't Xiaoyuan agree to go out together with Huangmao and Aizi? If the situation allows, let Huangmao and Aizi stop Hong, and Xiaoyuan can take the opportunity to leave the scene as soon as possible."

As a result, Koumori, who was blocked by Tenrai Helika and Mizuno Yu, spent a lot of magic power and even activated her divine release, which made it much easier for Yuuki Yui to block Koumori's attacks.

“Hong is an idiot. Xiaoyuan was able to fool her with information gaps last time, and she can do it again this time. As long as she knows that we invited the Hundred Ghosts, she will definitely start to overthink and think that we secretly did something to the Hundred Ghosts. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll secretly take a picture of the Hundred Ghosts every time we go to a place, and you can show it to her at the appropriate time. But don’t say anything. The less you say, the more suspicious Hong will become, given her thoughtful and meticulous nature.”

"Baqi, what if something goes wrong on your end?"

"If there are any problems, I will transform immediately. Can't Xiaoyuan sense the scent of magic? If she senses the magic emanating from me after I transform, it means the plan has failed, so just run away as soon as possible. Uh, if the Hundred Demons are chasing me, Xiaoyuan, it would be better if you could help me if you have the ability."

Even this was predicted correctly. After Yuuki Enishi showed the new photos sent by Tomoe, Koumori hesitated in her attack because she was worried about Hyakki Senyu. Tomoe also showed no signs of transforming. So far, everything is going smoothly.

"In the end, it doesn't matter whether Kurenai comes directly to Hyakki or Yuri uses some method to get her to go to Hyakki, as long as we can create an environment where the four of us can sit down and chat slowly. Before Kurenai appears, I will never tell Hyakki anything about magical girls. Yuri can't say anything about Hyakki either! If Kurenai finds out that we're just eating normally, she definitely won't come over... Well, although I don't think Kurenai will believe that I'm not planning to do anything by going to Hyakki."

Yuuki Yuen had just thought that by pulling out her phone and putting on a show of bravado, Koumori would be suspicious and worried, and would obediently de-transform and run off to find Hyakki Senyu.

When Hong Moli swung her chainsaw at him again, and even tried to unleash her divine power, Yuuki Yuuki was genuinely startled. If she hadn't reacted quickly, she would never have seen the sun again.

Thankfully, Hong Moli didn't continue her attack. Instead, she glared at herself angrily and questioned her.

Now only the last step remains.

"What exactly did you do to Qianyou?!"

Even in her anger, Koumori controlled her tone and remained calm without roaring out. However, the fact that she did not launch another attack was enough to prove that a breakthrough had been made in Koumori's heart.

I should give this kid a little push and make this breakthrough even bigger.

"I didn't do anything. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself." Yuuki Yukino dismissed the worm that even she found strange, took a few steps closer, and placed herself within Koumori's attack range.

"And then let you go?" Koumori's tone became even more hesitant due to Yuuki Yuki's unusually erratic behavior.

On one side is Hyakki Senyu, who is likely to be in danger; on the other side is Yuuki Yukino, whom he may not be able to defeat in a short time and who even knows the secrets related to his abilities. The choice he has to make is obvious.

Hong Moli was very worried about Bai Gui Qianyou, but she also knew that if she lost this opportunity, it would be even more difficult to find another chance to defeat Yuki Yuki.

The guild leader could also pose a threat to Qianyou.

"If you don't believe me, let's go together," Yuuki Yuki suddenly said.

"Huh?" Hong Moli couldn't understand what Yuuki Yuki was talking about for a moment.

"I mean, if you're worried I'll pull some tricks, why don't I just come with you?"

Yuuki Yui didn't dare to revert to her transformation this time. If Koumori changed her mind again and swung her chainsaw at her, Yuuki Yui didn't think she would have the same luck and quick reaction to stop that attack.

"Ah, of course, you can't use me as a hostage. I don't have the habit of threatening others with hostages, nor do I want to be used as a hostage. If you want to use me as a hostage, you'd better finish this match first."

While expressing her sincerity, Yuuki Yui also took the opportunity to criticize the student council president who used Hyakki Senyu as a hostage to threaten Koumori, as well as Koumori who had recently used her friend as a hostage to threaten her.

Hong Moli gritted her teeth and swallowed hard, still struggling with her inner conflict.

"never mind."

Hong Moli finally sighed and deactivated her transformation.

Yuuki Yui felt that thinking about such things at a time like this was not a good idea.

However, the swimsuit version of Koumori that I haven't seen in the game is really cute.

When she was ambushed at the beginning, Yuuki Yuki's view was blocked by her straw hat, so she didn't get a good look at her. So, looking at Koumori in her swimsuit is quite a sight to behold.

Feeling Yuuki Yuki's strange gaze, Koumori opened and closed her lips a few times, but ultimately said nothing.

"Lead the way."

When Hong Moli finally saw Hyakki Chiyuu sitting unharmed in a dessert shop eating a whole chocolate mousse cake, her heart finally settled down.

"So, do you believe what I said?"

Following closely behind Koumori into the dessert shop, Yuki Yuki also entered.

Yuuki Yukino's outfit—a semi-transparent jacket over a form-fitting black swimsuit and hot pants—was already quite eye-catching. Adding to the mix, Koumori Momiji was also dressed in a swimsuit, hot pants, and a jacket, instantly drawing the attention of many diners as soon as she entered the restaurant.

Completely ignoring the gazes of those around her, Hong Moli breathed a long sigh of relief, glanced at Yuuki Yuki with a complicated look, and walked straight to sit down next to Hyakki Chiyu without saying a word.

Hyakki Chiyu raised her head and blinked. When she saw that Hong Moli had suddenly appeared there, a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes.

But Bai Gui Qianyou didn't ask anything. She lowered her head, cut off a small piece of cake with a fork, and brought that small piece of cake to Hong Moli's mouth, who was sitting next to her.

Hong Moli was about to say something when she saw the cake being served to her. She opened her mouth and bit the cake on the fork, then silently moved her half-sitting body back, getting closer to Bai Gui Qianyou.

After Koumori took her seat, Yuuki Yuki sat down right next to Inuyama Tomoe, opposite them.

Compared to the loving couple over there, Yuuki Yukino never got her share of the pie.

Where is my food?

"Xiaoyuan is too slow. If she were any later, we would have had to go to the next shop." Inuyama Baqi pointed to the plate under the cake that Hyakki Chiyu was eating. There were already three identical plates stacked up, and with the one in front of Baqi that had been eaten, there should have been four in total.

It was obvious at a glance that Hyakki Chiyu had eaten a cake meant for three people all by herself.

Moreover, before Hyakki Senyu ate the cake, Inuyama Tomoe had taken her to eat a proper meal, and the photo that Yuuki Eri showed to Koumori was taken at that time.

"Do you know how much effort I put into bringing her here?!"

Yuki En risked her life to get Hong Moli to come with her.

So you can't even get a slice of cake?!

Alright, the most important task is done. We can talk about the cake next time.

To reiterate, the purpose of this plan is very simple: just to have a brief chat with Hong Moli.

Ultimately, the plan has come to a complete end.

But getting a few people to sit down and chat was the real beginning for Yuuki Yuki.

Chapter 45 Don't bully that child

Several people have taken their seats, but who should speak first, and how should they begin?

While Yuuki Eri was struggling with her dilemma, Koumori was the first to speak. She didn't speak to everyone, but rather to Hyakki Senyu in a quiet and concerned voice.

"Qianyou, did she do anything to you?"

Although Hong Moli's voice wasn't loud, she didn't whisper in Bai Gui Qianyou's ear. Instead, she spoke at a normal conversational volume, making sure everyone could hear their conversation.

"No, we were just having a normal meal," Hyakki Chiyu replied after swallowing the cake in her mouth completely.

Hong Moli's wariness lessened considerably, but it didn't completely disappear. Her suspicious gaze swept over the two people sitting opposite her, secretly wondering what other schemes they might have up their sleeves.

"Why do you ask that? Nothing could possibly happen between us." Noticing Hong Moli's gaze, Bai Gui Qianyou added.

"It's nothing, I was just a little worried about you," Hong Moli replied awkwardly, brushing the topic aside.

Hong Mo thought to herself, "Qian You misunderstood that I was jealous."

The fact that Chiyuki could have such a misunderstanding also shows that Inuyama Tomoe really didn't say anything to Chiyuki.