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

Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Trolley Problem

There was no clock in the room, yet it was as if the second hand was ticking.

Each and every sound seemed to span an eternity.

Yuuki saw the girl's mouth, which was covered by a mask, move slightly, causing the mask to fold more wrinkles, which were then smoothed out as her mouth closed.

Yuuki Yui heard the girl's clear breathing, as if she were sighing helplessly.

Yuuki Yukino had never seen a girl react like this before.

Is she struggling with whether or not she should tell herself?

If the girl really didn't want to tell him, she could have just refused. There was no need to be so conflicted, right?

Yuuki Yukari was somewhat anxious, but the girl's reaction told her that she had touched on the key to the problem, and all she had to do now was wait patiently.

Being too eager to find the answer may backfire.

In the long silence, the girl's breathing gradually became steady, and the confusion in her eyes disappeared without a trace in a few breaths, her eyes becoming clear again.

Yuuki Yukino could guess that the other party had already made up their mind.

Then come on, will you reject me or tell me the truth?

“I can tell you.”

The girl spoke, neither rejecting him nor directly giving Yuuki Yukino the answer she wanted to hear. Instead, she asked, "But are you really ready to hear this? Or, would you like to ask a different question?"

Yuuki Yukino was taken aback; this reaction didn't seem like she was going to tell him the truth.

Could the mysterious person have already figured out how to fob them off or mislead them?

Rather than letting this girl, who has been through countless reincarnations, take the initiative and manipulate him, it's better to compromise and ask her a question that she can answer.

No, is that really the case? She is a time traveler; could she have already guessed that this was her reaction and was deliberately doing this to force herself to avoid the question?

Yuuki knew she wasn't the kind of person like Koumori who liked to think things through too thoroughly, but she also couldn't solve problems in the most direct way like Tomoe.

She hesitated over something that she could have asked casually, after observing the girl's reaction.

In order not to be completely fooled by her, I must be careful.

While Yuuki Yuuki was struggling with her thoughts, she inadvertently glanced up and saw the expression on the face of the girl sitting next to her, who was staring at her through her eyes behind her mask.

This is a psychological game, or it could be a trap where you get stuck in your own thoughts by overthinking.

The other person is already trying to guide you to change the question, which means she wants you to change the question, right?

Then you must do the opposite and get to the bottom of the problem to find the answer.

"What exactly caused me to fall into darkness?" Yuuki Yuen picked up the cola that was now just ice cubes and poured the ice cubes into her mouth.

"Okay, maybe my answer won't satisfy you." The girl shifted her body, straightened her back, and sat on the sofa, crossing her arms.

Is this a preventative measure? Did the other party anticipate my choice?

Since the other party is capable of time travel, they should also know that they will be conflicted because of this, and if they continue to be conflicted, things will really turn out as they wish.

"It's okay. I just want to know why I fell into darkness."

Yuuki En nervously clenched her sweaty hands, chewing on the ice cubes in her mouth.

“Alright.” The girl let out another long breath, the obvious sound of her breathing making Yuuki Yuen even more nervous: “The power of magical girls is idealistic. The essence of power is desire. When you want to realize a wish that you want to realize no matter what, that desire to achieve your goal by any means necessary will become the reason for your corruption.”

This vague answer certainly didn't satisfy Yuuki Yuuki, who swallowed the ice cube in her mouth: "That's not what I want to hear."

"Why don't you think about it yourself? Don't you have any wishes that you absolutely want to fulfill right now?" the girl asked.

My wish is something I must achieve no matter what.

Yuuki Yukino's heart beat even faster after being directly pointed out by the girl.

She does have it.

If I had to pinpoint a wish I've been planning to fulfill, it would be to shed my identity as a corrupted magical girl and clear my name.

But this was the only thing he hadn't told even his closest friend, Inuyama Tomoe.

But if this wish can never be fulfilled, then one's own longing might indeed remain...

"Found the answer?" The girl spoke at just the right moment, interrupting Yuuki Yukino's next thoughts.

Yuuki Yui remained silent, an attitude that seemed to tacitly agree.

"Alright, there's one last thing. Both Koumori and Hyakki Senyou have become your partners. Congratulations! Don't doubt them. Although their joining was somewhat hasty, they are different from other corrupted magical girls. They genuinely want to fight alongside you."

"You don't need to tell me these things."

Based on Yuuki Yukino's experience with others so far, it's unlikely that she would suddenly bring up something like this without a reason.

What is this implying? Or is there some new conspiracy?

Yuuki Yukino began to wonder what kind of bad intentions the other party was hiding.

"But you can't gain two companions, that's inevitable. So now you have a choice: choose Hyakki Senyou or Koumori," the girl continued.

"What does this mean?" Yuuki Yuuki's heart seemed to skip a beat.

The choice between the two options in front of you doesn't sound like choosing a romantic path in a game. So what should you choose?

No, why should I have to choose between the two?

"For example, to me, this timeline is like a train with two tracks. One track has Hyakki Senyou tied to it, and the other has Koumori tied to it. In order to reach the destination, I must choose one to run over." The girl then began to explain.

"Although we may take a detour due to different choices, we will eventually arrive at the same destination. I am the driver of this train, and you are the switchman. To be more precise, you are the switchman on this train who can decide which path the train takes."

"The trolley problem." Yuuki Yui knew this standard sentence structure very well: "But why should I be the one to choose, and why should I have the right to choose between two options?"

“Yes, the trolley problem, because you only have two choices in front of you, and no matter which you choose, I can get it back on the right track.” The girl held up two fingers, then folded one back: “So, there is only one path in front of me.”

"What's the point of telling me this?" Yuuki Yukino's hand twitched uncontrollably.

"To prevent you from misunderstanding my actions later, I'll tell you what you should know first, and also lay out the choices you can make," the girl said. "If you don't choose, or if you want to choose both, the train will derail, and then the victims won't just be one of these two."

"You're not the driver." The girl's condescending attitude annoyed Yuuki Yuuki, and her constant evasiveness only made things worse.

"Oh." The girl nodded.

"If this train called Time has a driver, then once the driver is lost, the entire system of the train will collapse. You can't possibly be that important. So, you're just a self-important switchman on the train, and your purpose is simply to get the train to stop at the station you want to reach."

“Okay, I’m not a driver, so it seems this example wasn’t quite right, but that doesn’t change the fact that you only have these two paths in front of you.” The girl sighed, “Then forget what I just said, and let’s talk about some more practical issues, let’s start from the beginning.”

"Kuroba Laisei already knows that Koumori has joined your side. I said it because, for me, this is the right path."

Yuuki Yui didn't speak, her furrowed brows full of resistance.

"The hospitalized girl you asked about was hiding some things that Kuroba Reisei had to hide. In my opinion, it was a very childish thing to do, but Kuroba Reisei wouldn't allow others to know about such things, so she took care of that girl."

"But don't blame yourself. The girl in the hospital didn't tell you the truth, and the reason why she suddenly cooperated with you and told you everything you wanted to know is because Kuroba Laishi went there once before you arrived, and she ordered the girl to do so."

"Her goal is simple: without Hong Moli, Kuroba Reisei won't be able to pinpoint your location, but since you might go to protect that girl, they can lie in wait and eliminate those who come over one by one."

"Then, here's what happened today. Kuroba asked her vice president to kill the magical girl who was approaching the hospital, and Koumari did go to check on the girl's safety, but I stopped her because Koumari can't leave the scene yet."

"But it's only temporary. Kuroba Reincarnation isn't someone who gives up so easily. She'll make her move on you again, and I can tell you the exact time: on the last day of this summer vacation."

"At this time, either Hong Moli or one of the Hundred Ghosts and Thousand Ghosts will definitely... let's just say they will sacrifice themselves. The remaining one will then cooperate with you wholeheartedly, and take this opportunity to completely defeat Kuroba Reisei someday in the future."

Yuuki Yui gritted her teeth and asked, "Is this also part of your plan?"

"Sort of? But not entirely. I can't control Kuroba Reincarnation's actions, so it was inevitable that she would target you."

“Even if I don’t hint at your danger, she will still order Hong Mori to attack you; even if I don’t tell her that Hong Mori has cooperated with you, she will still know that I only gave you a slight push to achieve the predetermined route faster.”

"It's like in an escape room. You already know the answer to the combination lock. In order to complete the task as quickly as possible, would you still go to great lengths to search the room for clues? All my actions that seem unreasonable to you are shortcuts to passing the game."

He's insane! This guy is a complete lunatic, acting like a gamer while talking about completing tasks and shortcuts to clear levels, completely fooling himself.

There's absolutely no need to get angry with this guy. Yuuki Yukino understands him all too well. The arrogance of a time traveler who thinks he's seen through everything, the arrogance of someone who just transmigrated and had the script in his hands, won't change because of what you say.

Now that the plot has changed drastically, her arrogance has vanished, but the other party is different; she still believes that everything is under her control.

"Isn't there a way to save both of them at the same time?" Yuuki Yui suppressed her frustration.

“Yes,” the girl replied. “You will sacrifice yourself for them, and your sacrifice will also arouse Inuyama Tomoe’s anger. The power of magical girls is idealistic, and the desire for revenge is also a kind of wish, so I think the effect will be the same, right?”

"But you can't do it, Yuuki Yukino. You're not a saint now, you won't sacrifice yourself to save others. I know that's the kind of person you are."

Chapter 80: I'll Change the Future for You

“Yuki Yui, you are not a saint now. You won’t sacrifice yourself to save others. I know that’s the kind of person you are.”

The mysterious man said this.

"I know you, you're someone who only thinks about yourself."

Yuuki Yui couldn't refute this statement.

Perhaps one day in the future, Yuuki Yuuki will face a similar choice. On one side of the scale is herself, and on the other side is the new bonds she has built in this world. Will she one day be willing to sacrifice herself to save others?

Probably not? Her only goal in this world is to clear her name.

When she first came into this world, it was also the time when she first conceived the plan to clear her name.

She believed that everything before her was virtual, that she had merely entered a game world, and that as long as she followed a predetermined path, she could avoid a tragic ending.

When she first came into this world, she truly believed it. However, a few hours later, Inuyama Haki's heart-wrenching cries and the coffee-scented kiss made Yuuki Yuki realize that Inuyama Haki was a living person.

This statement is somewhat strange, but before this, Yuuki Yui only regarded Inuyama Tomoe, Mizuno Yuu who might have been a threat to her at the time, and everyone in this world as rigid NPCs.

Yes, the reason he yelled at Inuyama Tomoe in the coffee shop, saying things like "Is one person's life so insignificant?" was largely because Nishio Reki had been attacked, which would make his future path very difficult.

Even though she kept searching for Reki's whereabouts in the city, was she really worried about Nishio Reki at the beginning?

Later, she played the role she was supposed to play, the fake Yuuki Eri, thinking that having lunch with Helica in the storage room would increase Helica's affection for her; thinking that chatting with Mizuno Yui in the archery club after school would make Mizuno Yui get closer to her as if it were a game.

That's what she thought, and that's exactly how things unfolded.

But Yuuki Yukino felt very awkward.

In her interactions with them, Yuuki Yuuki gradually discovers that each of them is a real person living in this world.

She also realized that all the affection she had gained along the way was not based on petty scheming, but on genuine feelings.

When Helica was sad, she genuinely wanted to help Helica; when Mizuno Yu was sick, she genuinely wanted to visit Mizuno Yu.

From that time on, the fake Yuuki Yuki became the real Yuuki Yuki, living in this world just like them.