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

In such a critical moment, missing even one day of practice would make Yuuki feel like she'd lose a bit of confidence.

It's great to see myself making progress, but even after all that progress, I still feel there's a gap between myself and Koumori, not to mention Kuroba Reisei, who is definitely stronger than Koumori.

When Lin Jiezi was called out, she could only respond with "Aba aba". After leaving the ward, Yuki Yuki just wanted to quickly find Hong Moli and the others to meet up, and she wasn't very interested in continuing to drink and chat with Helica.

After all, they had already chatted for quite a while in the ward.

But Helica acted as if she hadn't noticed any of this and continued to chatter on and on.

At one point, Helica suddenly stopped talking.

"Yuan, Lin Jiezi, you two go first, I have some things to do."

Yuuki was still lost in thought about how to find Hong Moli and the others to practice with when she realized what Helica had said. By the time she realized what Helica had said, Helica had already abandoned the two of them and run away in the opposite direction.

From the small corner of the hospital where Helica disappeared, intense magical fluctuations and crackling electrical sounds emanated.

Did Helica suddenly run away and transform?

What made Yuuki Yuuki even more confused was that after the transformation, Helica, who had already completed her transformation, ran out from around the corner. Like lightning, she dragged her yellow figure and a long trail of lightning to a spot on the side of the garden, and picked up the girl sitting on the garden bench with one hand.

At this point, Yuuki Yukino should understand.

There was no need to understand anything. Herlica's reason for suddenly taking action at this moment was very simple: the girl in the hospital gown, who was being lifted up by Herlica with one hand, had patterns on her neck that symbolized corruption flashing.

Chapter Sixty-Three: Let's take the girl away first.

From the moment Helica suddenly transformed and rushed into the hospital garden to the moment she picked up the corrupted magical girl in the hospital gown, the entire process took no more than five seconds, thanks to her lightning speed.

Most of the people sitting in the hospital garden were inpatients, along with some family members accompanying them. Everyone was busy with their own things, but at this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Herika.

After Helica made her move, the deafening thunder and her swift, decisive actions momentarily silenced the noisy environment before it erupted into chaos.

The peaceful atmosphere was shattered by Helica's thunderbolt. The people in the garden were only stunned for a moment before they began to scream and scatter in all directions, shouting words of danger and horror as they quickly hid in the surrounding buildings. The once lively little garden was now left with only Helica and the girl she controlled.

Ordinary people cannot distinguish whether a magical girl has fallen into darkness. They cannot see the black magic markings on a magical girl's body, nor can they sense her magic power. In their eyes, any magical girl who disrupts the order is evil.

The look in their eyes as they fled from Helica made no attempt to hide their fear of her.

At this moment, Helica appeared to them no different from an evil magical girl.

But Helica ignored all of that and raised the hand holding the corrupted magical girl even higher.

The magical girl in the hospital gown gripped Helica's wrists with both hands, clenching her teeth as a little saliva seeped from the corner of her mouth, unable to be swallowed as her throat was choked. In the suffocating state of having her neck choked, the magical girl's cheeks turned redder and redder, and her legs kicked incessantly, emitting low whimpering sounds.

"Aren't you going to transform?" Helica, who was holding the girl, felt the girl's reaction most directly. She saw all the girl's pain. Even though she had forced the girl like this, she still had no intention of transforming, which made Helica begin to doubt whether she was doing the right thing.

When her gaze shifted to the black magic markings on the girl's neck, Helica made up her mind again, and her eyes became even more determined.

"Let her go! She's my patient!" At the entrance to the inpatient department, a middle-aged woman in a white coat stepped out of the automatic glass door, speaking hesitantly as she trembled and tried to suppress her fear as she approached Herika.

In Moonsea City, everyone knows how powerful magical girls are, and no one who is smart would provoke one.

But the doctor did just that, walking towards the magical girl surrounded by lightning under the oppressive weight of fear.

This gave Helica a way out, allowing her to release the girl and let her fall to the ground. She knew she had gone too far, not in terms of the corrupted magical girl—nothing she did to the corrupted magical girl was excessive—but in the negative impact her actions had on others.

With that thought in mind, Helica released the magical girl from her grasp.

She let go immediately, and the magical girl, who had just been lifted into the air, fell to the ground, clutching her neck and panting heavily. Her hospital gown, disheveled from the struggle, was almost soaked with sweat.

After releasing the girl, Helica turned to look at the doctor who was walking shakily toward her. The doctor misunderstood and let out a soft "ooh," then froze in mid-air, unable to take another step.

All of this was witnessed by Yuuki Yuki, who was pulling Lin Jiezi away into the distance.

This is the third magical girl, besides the mysterious man and Baki, who hasn't appeared in the original work, right?

It's hard not to be bothered by the sight of a corrupted magical girl sitting in a hospital garden wearing a hospital gown.

If the girl had transformed, it would have been fine, as she could have obtained more information. However, since she didn't transform, Herlica's behavior appeared to ordinary people as simply bullying the weak.

This can't go on; this development isn't good for either Helica or herself.

However, with Hayashi Keiko by her side, it was difficult for Yuuki Yuuki to find a suitable opportunity to transform.

Lin Jiezi never really stood out, but that didn't stop Yuki Yuen from always being wary of this person she couldn't see through at all. Just the fact that she had read the script was enough to make Yuki Yuen careful.

Unfortunately, Lin Jiezi's social anxiety was too perfect, so perfect that it didn't seem like an act. This natural protective shell blocked all of Yuki Yuen's attempts to test her. That night, when Lin Jiezi came to see Yuki Yuen alone, she felt that she had been direct enough in her tests of Lin Jiezi, and any more might have gotten her into trouble.

Lin Jiezi is socially awkward but not stupid. If I deliberately sent her away, there's no way she wouldn't have any suspicions.

On one hand, she has to outwit and outmaneuver Lin Jiezi, and on the other hand, she has to worry about whether Helica will do something even more terrible. All of this is because Mizuno Yu sulked at a buffet and ate and drank to excess. Everyone in Nijisanji is a real handful.

Relax, it's not a big problem.

Yuki Yuki comforted herself with this thought, and quickly pulled Lin Jiezi, who kept turning back to watch the show, away.

The two left the hospital and said goodbye to Lin Jiezi, explaining that they had other places to go and parted ways in opposite directions. After walking for a while, they found a secluded spot and transformed.

These things proceeded very naturally and smoothly, but they also took up a lot of Yuuki Emi's time. Under these circumstances, the safest approach was to let things take their natural course and part ways with Hayashi Mustard.

The one who is least safe is the corrupted magical girl that Helica threw on the ground. In the few minutes between her leaving the hospital and transforming, no one knows what Helica might do to her.

After transforming, Yuuki Yukino immediately summoned her magic wand and stepped on it. The grimoire carried her body and flew towards the hospital garden.

As Yuuki Yuuki rushed back to the hospital's small garden, Helica's magic began to move as well.

It didn't disappear, but rather began to move, which at least indicates that Helica hadn't yet reverted to her transformation.

Whether to go to greet Helica or go back to the garden, Yuuki Yukino made a decision without hesitation.

Let's go check on Helica first.

In such a short time, Helica probably wouldn't do anything to that unfamiliar magical girl. Firstly, there wasn't enough time, and secondly, battles between magical girls usually end in a stalemate; she wouldn't go so far as to kill someone who couldn't fight back.

As Yuuki Yuki moved toward Helica's magic, Helica's magic also rushed toward her.

Magical girls' perception of magic is mutual, so it's understandable that Helica took the initiative to approach him.

Yuuki Yuki and Herika headed towards the top of the hospital building at the same time, landing there almost simultaneously.

Helica saw Yuuki Yui hovering in mid-air, stepping on a magic book, while Yuuki Yui saw Helica carrying the girl in the hospital gown with one hand.

In those few minutes, Yuuki Yuuki didn't know what had happened, but she was sure that she hadn't arrived too late, and the girl being carried on Helica's shoulder was still conscious.

Why bother with Helica? Just kidnap the girl, isn't that enough?

"Oh my, what a coincidence, to run into each other in a place like this."

Yuuki crossed her arms and greeted Helica.

"Tsk." When Helica saw Yuuki Yuuki, a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes. She gently placed the girl, who had no obvious injuries except for her slightly disheveled clothes, on the ground, raised her arm, spread her five fingers and pointed them straight to the sky. As if in response to her movement, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.

The lightning struck the girl's palm, transforming into a golden warhammer within Helica's clenched fist. The hammerhead slammed heavily onto the ground.

"It's been so long, aren't you going to say hello?" Yuuki Yui continued to act out her pink devilish personality, rhythmically tapping her arm with her fingers, and with a mischievous smile, she let the magic book carry her even closer.

"Say hello, huh?" Herlica weighed the hammer in her hand and swung it with a whoosh towards Yuuki Yuuki's face, which was already close enough to her.

Tentacles, seemingly appearing from nowhere, formed a writhing wall in front of Yuuki Yuki. The moment the hammerhead sank into the wall, the soft tentacles dissipated the hammer's force.

Then the wall exploded, and the tendrils that made up the wall climbed up the hammerhead, sweeping up as if to engulf the warhammer and its owner.

Even Yuuki Yuuki herself felt a bit physically uncomfortable looking at this. Fortunately, these translucent purple tentacles were made of lines. If they were more realistic, they might have caused a stronger mental attack.

As the overwhelming tentacles spread from Helica's wand, Helica calmly twirled the handle of her hammer, and the rolling lightning swept away the tentacles that were about to approach her, both on her body and her weapon.

Herlica's special training naturally included how to deal with the pink-haired magical girl's tentacles. She easily neutralized the pink-haired magical girl's counterattack and gave a proud snort.

"Humph."

However, there was complete silence all around, with neither the next round of attacks nor the pink-haired magical girl's response.

The tentacle woman who stepped on the book is gone.

He just came to annoy me for a bit and then ran away? That's not like him at all, is it?

In less than half a second, Helica guessed the guy's purpose.

Although it's unclear how she found out, that guy knew she had captured one of her companions, so it was obvious what he wanted to do.

Helica turned to look beside her, and as expected, the magical girl in the hospital gown that she had just thrown on the ground had also disappeared.

In the distance, the pink-haired creature, stepping on a magic book, wrapped the girl in a hospital gown tightly with its tentacles before disappearing into the horizon like a shooting star.

Hmm...something's a bit strange.

Chapter Sixty-Four: The Remnants of the Defeated Magical Girl

"Phew, this should be about it, right?"

After dragging the unknown magical girl across several blocks, Yuuki lowered the grimoire even further. Only after confirming that Helica was not chasing after them did she stop in a deserted place, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

In the past few days, in order to find a suitable place for her special training that would not be easily discovered by other magical girls, Yuuki Yui has traveled to many places. With the experience she gained from searching for Nishio Reki before, she knows exactly which places in the entire Moonsea City are the most secluded.

Although we can't say we're very familiar with Moonsea City right now, finding a safe place for the two of us to chat shouldn't be a problem.

Upon landing, Yuuki Yui didn't rush to deactivate her transformation. After all, her opponent was a fallen magical girl. Although she didn't know why Yuuki hadn't transformed despite being forced into that situation by Helica, she still needed to be on guard.

In particular, the black magic mark on this magical girl's neck is flashing very brightly. Usually, this happens when she is being eroded by the black magic mark. A typical example is Inuyama Tomoe, who transformed into the berserk Raepo Wolf for the first time.

After setting the girl down, Yuuki Yukino lifted her chin and examined her closely once more.

Besides the dark circles under her eyes, her deep dark circles and sickly sallow skin are the most prominent features of the young girl.

From her appearance, Yuuki Enishi couldn't tell why she was hospitalized, at least not because of any external injury.

However, Yuuki Yukino could somewhat guess that the other party's unhealthy complexion meant that he was indeed hospitalized for some reason, rather than secretly plotting something.

Another point worth noting for Yuuki is that from the moment the girl was captured by Helica, apart from painful groans, Yuuki did not hear the girl make any other sound.

Is it that you can't speak?

Normally, Kyoka shouldn't meddle in such matters, but there's a character who doesn't exist in the original work, and she's not willing to let go of this new information that's come to her doorstep.

What if we could get some useful information from them?

Therefore, after snatching the girl from Helica's hands, Yuuki immediately found a secluded place to talk to her.

However, if the girl cannot speak, then all efforts will be in vain.

"Tell me, what's your name?" Yuuki carefully squatted down in front of the girl, hugging her knees and leaning her face towards her.

The girl blinked, looked at Yuuki Yuki, and didn't say a word.

"Can you hear me?" Yuuki Yui was not discouraged by the girl's indifference and continued to ask softly.

The girl still didn't react.