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

It's not time to make jokes like this with myself. When things get tough, it's my duty to comfort her.

Yuuki Yukino patted Helica's body with the hand that was around her shoulder, as if she were soothing a child to sleep.

"Actually, I should also thank Helica."

Herlica climbed off Yuuki Yuuki. She didn't need to say anything; the surprise in her eyes was enough for Yuuki Yuuki to understand the emotion Herlica wanted to express.

"Herika has been working very hard all along."

Yuuki Yukino patted Helica's shoulder again and felt Helica's body tremble slightly.

"If you feel tired, take a short rest. There are things to do tomorrow. Helica can't always be like this."

Helica took a few deep breaths and lowered her eyes, which were quickly dimming.

"Yuan, I haven't told you, but the magical girl who attacked you a few days ago has reappeared. I don't know if you know about this." Then, Helica forcefully changed the subject, leaving Yuuki Yu's words unfinished.

Helica's words also caught Yuuki Yuuki's attention. Was the magical girl who attacked her Miyashita Mia or Koumori? How come she didn't know about this?

Yuuki Yukino didn't immediately realize what Helica was referring to.

"It was that tentacle woman who can control her tentacles, and that woman with the musket. They just suddenly appeared, did nothing, and seemed to be waiting for me to come out." Herica's explanation put Yuuki Yuuki at ease.

So that's what you meant by this? It was the day Yuuki was in a really bad mood and, out of boredom, decided to bully Helica.

At the time, Yuuki Yuuki's purpose was really just to bully Helica a little. She couldn't possibly bully Helica to the point of becoming withdrawn because of this, could she?

"Actually, they came for me, to show me up, but... I couldn't resist their provocation. They said a few bad things about me, and I couldn't control myself and rushed out."

There's no denying that Yuuki Yuuki was indeed after Helica. Teasing her favorite idol would make her feel better. Don't take this strange thought process too seriously, but that's definitely what she was thinking.

"Then, I couldn't beat them... They just left without doing anything to me, as if they were humiliating me."

You're not Mizuno Yu, so why would you expect me to do anything to her?

And isn't being swallowed by tentacles considered as something being done to you?

Since it's not unsuitable for children, let's just leave it at that.

"It was then that I realized I was too weak; I couldn't stop everything like my seniors..."

Herika blinked much faster, as if a few more blinks would bring tears to her eyes.

Senior?

Yuuki asked, uttering a name that was familiar to her: "Tsukimi Rie?"

“Hmm…” Helica hummed softly, “I don’t have the same strength as you, senior, and I can’t easily win when fighting enemies.”

"I don't have the gentle personality of my seniors, nor can I take care of the feelings of those around me. People who want to be with me have all left because of my personality."

"Furthermore, I can't learn your composure or your determination. When fighting the enemy, I always lose control of my emotions. When important people are in danger, I can never protect them from the enemy. I... don't even have the courage to perish with the enemy like you did..."

Helica deeply respected and admired her senior, a fact that Yuuki Yukino clearly understood. But was the person Helica was referring to really Tsukimi Rie? From her perspective, Tsukimi Rie hadn't done any of the things Helica described.

In terms of strength, Tsukimi Rie couldn't easily defeat herself; even her divine liberation was delayed for a long time, so let's just call her strong.

Rie Tsukimi has no gentle side; she keeps saying she wants to be shameless with Miya Miya. Calmness is even more impossible for her. Whenever I mention Miya Miya, Rie Tsukimi will scream and pounce on me in a fit of jealousy.

As for the idea of ​​dying together, that was something he made up to fool Helica and the others. Right now, those two are probably somewhere in some indescribable dream.

Yuuki Yuki didn't know what Tsukimi Rie was like before she fell into darkness, but from her interactions with Tsukimi Rie, she could only be a kind-hearted person before, and definitely not the kind of person Herlica described.

So, which parallel universe's Rie Tsukimi is Helica chasing after?

“I can’t become that strong… Even though I try to imitate my senior, imitate your gentleness, imitate your calmness, I revert to my original form when the enemy attacks.” Helica continued speaking, her voice trembling with sobs, deliberately trying to keep herself from crying.

Imitation?

Yuuki Yukino roughly understood what Helica meant.

That strange reaction was just Helica's clumsy imitation. She thought that by imitating, she could become like her senior.

To idealize the person you admire in your mind and then chase after their shadow sounds pretty good.

But this also became a burden that Helica unconsciously added to herself.

Otherwise, Helica wouldn't be crying to me like this now.

"I've already tried my best!!"

"I want to solve all the problems through my own efforts. I also want to work with everyone to overcome all obstacles, just like my seniors have guided me. Even if I am not understood, I am thinking of many ways to change the status quo."

Finally unable to hold back her tears, Herika gripped Yuuki Yuki's clothes with both hands and sobbed softly.

"I... I really tried my best."

Chapter 55 Won't the Black Demon Mark be discovered in this way?

Regarding the incident where Yuuki Yukino beat Helica to the point of depression, let's hear what Yuuki Yukino herself has to say.

I regret it, I really regret it. If I had known that Helica would also be beaten into a state of depression, I would never have gone to beat her up for fun just because I wanted to bully her.

Does bullying Helica really bring you pleasure?

It's not just pleasurable; watching the arrogant one get humiliated is pure bliss.

So, if given the chance, would you bully Helica again?

Don't give us a chance, we haven't won Helica over yet!

This should be an extremely serious scene, but Yuuki Yuki is anything but serious.

Who would have thought that Helica would end up like this because of one of her rather excessive jokes?

On that day, Yuuki Yui specifically instructed Tomoe not to interfere in her side's battle. She said that as long as she tied up Mizuno Yui with a restraint trap and whipped her around like a top, she would obediently follow orders.

During her battle with Helica, Yuuki Yuuki was very careful to hold back, focusing only on raw power. She felt that she was quite strong before the God's release, and as long as she was careful, she wouldn't be defeated by Helica.

There was no physical harm caused, but it seems that I have caused indelible damage to Herika's mind.

He realized his impulsiveness because he was provoked by Yuuki Yuki's words, and he realized his weakness because he was defeated by Yuuki Yuki's strength.

It's good to be able to recognize one's shortcomings and correct them. If today weren't the day Yuuki Yuki was implementing her plan against Koumori, Herika's change might have been abandoned halfway through someday—or it might have continued until it yielded results. No one knows what the future holds.

But on the very next day after Helica decided to make a change, fate and cruel reality played a cruel trick on her, shattering her confidence in making the change.

Indeed, it was a series of coincidences, one seemingly insignificant incident after another, that gradually eroded Yuuki Enishi's heart, leaving it riddled with holes, without her even realizing it.

Everyone knows that it's possible to hurt others unintentionally, but when it actually happens to you, Yuuki Yukina has a very strange feeling.

Well, I'll take responsibility for the mess I made and the person I bullied.

Yuuki placed her hand on Helica's head, gently stroking her long golden hair. Her palm followed the hair's trail down her back, and she raised her hand again, repeating the gentle motion.

The stronger one's outward aggression, the more fragile and prone to crying one is inside. As Yuuki Yuuki stroked her like that, Herika sniffed and bent her arm to wipe away the tears on her face.

But soon, Yuuki Yuuki discovered that Herika's movements of wiping away tears couldn't keep up with the speed at which the tears were flowing.

Yuuki Yuuki had no idea what Helica was thinking. She actually lay down on Yuuki Yuuki and wiped her tears on Yuuki Yuuki's clothes like a small animal.

It seemed that simply rubbing against her face wasn't enough to satisfy Helica's needs, so Helica reached out and lifted the hem of Yuuki Yuki's pajamas, rubbing it against her face like a towel.

Yuuki Yuuki didn't care at all about wiping her tears with her own clothes. Heruka, who had cried so much, probably had lost all her own judgment. Moreover, this willful behavior, which disregarded other people's opinions, was very much in line with Heruka's personality.

The problem is that lifting up your clothes might reveal things you shouldn't see.

It wasn't something that shouldn't be seen in a vulgar way, but something that, for my own safety, Helica absolutely couldn't see.

It's Black Magic Pattern!

"Um, Helica?" Yuuki Yuuki stroked Helica's long hair a few more times before asking tentatively.

"Hmm..." Herika sniffled and replied, but her grip on Yuuki Yuki's pajamas showed no sign of loosening. She held the clothes in both hands, sobbing and wiping her face.

Yuuki En really wanted to just pull her clothes off, but with her clothes slightly lifted, her stomach was completely exposed. Although not much skin was exposed, the black magic patterns that were different from her skin color were immediately visible.

What if I make a mistake—no, what do you mean by mistake right now!—and Helica accidentally sees the black magic mark on my stomach? Then my life and Helica's trust will be ruined.

Yuuki Yuuki remembers how Helica chased her everywhere in her dream. If Helica saw the Black Magic Mark, it wouldn't be a dream, but reality.

We can't just let her keep clutching her clothes and crying like that.

"How about I get you some tissues?"

Yuuki Yuki lifted her lower body off the sofa and stretched out her arms with all her might to reach the tissues on the coffee table without disturbing Herika.

The only possibility that it wouldn't affect Helica is Yuuki Yuuki's imagination. The moment she stood up, her stomach directly touched Helica's fingers, and Helica, who was originally lying on Yuuki Yuuki crying, also moved down a small distance.

If I could stop Helica from wiping her tears with my clothes—so she wouldn't accidentally see the dark magic markings on my body—I wouldn't mind ruining the atmosphere.

Herlica wasn't about to let Yuuki get to the tissues on the coffee table so easily. She released Yuuki's clothes and pulled her into a tight embrace, pressing her body back down onto the sofa.

"Let's hug a little longer..."

Helica murmured and buried her head.

If it weren't for this scenario, Yuuki Yuuki would have been excited for a long time because of Helica's coquettish remark. But unfortunately, in this situation, Yuuki Yuuki couldn't even picture the cute image of Helica clinging to her softly. All she could think about was making sure Helica didn't discover the black magic mark on her stomach.

The worst part is that Helica is currently lying on her stomach, and if she rubs against it a little more, her eyes will definitely be able to see the bright black magic patterns through the gaps in her pajamas buttons.

Both are worried about their dark magic patterns being discovered, but Yuuki Yuuki was able to use other methods to deceive them just now. Even if she had forcefully shaken off Helica, she would have had something to say. But now, Yuuki Yuuki really doesn't dare to move an inch.

There is magic flowing within the black magic runes. Could Helica feel the flow of magic because her face is pressed against them?

Oh no, even my brain is starting to get messed up, and I'm starting to think about all sorts of random things.

Not long ago, Yuuki Yuuki was complaining that such a small thing was enough to make Helica so withdrawn. Now she is about to lose everything because of the same small thing.

Is this the butterfly effect? ​​If any link were missing, Helica wouldn't have come over and cried to me in the middle of the night.

孽 孽!

We can't give up yet; there are still ways. For example, we can comfort Helica and calm her down.

As Yuuki Yuki was thinking this, she suddenly realized that she couldn't remember a single word she had prepared to say to Helica.

Let me just make up a few lines.

"Herika," Yuuki Yuuki whispered Herika's name.

"Hmm..." Helica was still muffled, her nose pressed against her soft belly. The hot breath she exhaled made Yuuki's belly itch as she spoke, though she didn't know if it was psychological or if she was just more sensitive from being too nervous.

"You've already done your best, take a good rest." Yuuki placed her hand on Helica's back, repeating what Helica had said, the gentle touch becoming even more tender.

No! That's not what I meant! Isn't this like saying something tough on the battlefield and then backing down?

Although it seemed to work well, Herika cried even louder.