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

"Furthermore, after that day, a series of events occurred, including a fever. That night, a nurse was injured and remains unconscious, and a patient was also attacked. We conducted a brief investigation and discovered that the patient was the same person who clashed with Tenrai in the courtyard," Mizuno Yu added.

Next, Mizuno Yu made a series of deductions that were similar to those Yuuki Enishi had made in the past. However, since they did not know about the existence of Kuroba Reisen, they pinned all the blame on Yuuki Enishi, making it sound very plausible and leaving no room for defense.

Yuuki Yuen's expression gradually became more and more interesting. She was really just sitting at home when trouble came out of nowhere. She had just made a mistake and caused a series of chaos, and now she was being blamed for such a big mess.

"Senpai, what's wrong?" Sakura Hanako asked with concern, noticing Yuuki Yukina's gloomy expression.

"It's nothing. I'm just a little scared now. I didn't realize how dangerous it was in the hospital those days." Yuuki Yui didn't want to waste too much time here: "And then what happened?"

“Later we checked the hospital’s surveillance footage,” Mizuno Yu said.

Yuuki Yukino wasn't unaware of the surveillance issue; in fact, it was precisely because of the surveillance that she performed that strange disguise.

"We couldn't find anything; the surveillance cameras were broken. The incident occurred between the two times the Pink Devil came to the hospital, around 1 p.m. The hospital didn't fix it immediately, so they couldn't capture anything," Mizuno Yu continued.

Kuroba Laisei was indeed arrogant and overbearing, but he wasn't stupid enough to expose himself to cameras.

"But we did see a figure, then the screen went black, so it can't be used as a reference."

Mizuno Yu dropped another bombshell: "But only one person visited that day. According to the nurse on the next shift, she came to see him because she was worried that her friend had been hurt. She sat in the room for a while and then left."

“Yes, she also left her name in the register, I think it was Hong Moli,” Herika interjected.

Yuuki Yukino's heart skipped a beat.

Did Hong Moli betray Kuroba and return to Kuroba's side?

How could that be? After Yuuki Yuki sent Tanaka Tae, who was pretending to be stupid, back home that day, she went straight to Koumori Masari, and the group stayed together until night.

It's not a clever trick, but it's very useful. Even if it gets exposed, it can still drag Hong Moli, who has the ability to see through other people's true identities, into the mess.

After being beaten up by Lava Lantern, Kuroba Laisheng has really learned a lot and is now using this kind of move.

No, we can't let the conversation continue here.

"So what happened today? I noticed you guys fighting when I was nearby, but by the time I got there it seemed to be over, so I quickly called you because I was a little worried about you."

Yuuki abruptly changed the subject.

But there was really no clear explanation about what happened at the hospital. When Yuuki asked this question, Mizuno Yu gave the same answer. Originally, it didn't matter whether or not Yuuki told her about this.

"Didn't you notice? This morning, that tentacle woman was carrying a broken speaker and wandering around the streets, playing her tasteless recordings everywhere she went. Because of her, there have been several accidents! Speaking of which, what were you doing today, running all this way?" Helica was still fuming when she mentioned what happened this morning.

"Today, um... I have a friend who suddenly stopped coming to school one day for some reason. I've asked the teacher and called her, but there's no trace of her. So, I was thinking of trying my luck or something." Unexpectedly, Helica would ask her a question at this moment, so Yuuki Yukino quickly began to choose her words, bringing out the whole set of things she knew about Nishio Reki.

"Then how could you not know what that pink-haired girl did? She was showing off all morning!"

Why are you still asking?

I understand now. I'm Helica's ticking time bomb. As long as the pink-haired devil is mentioned, Helica will hold onto it relentlessly.

"And it's not like we didn't notice..."

Saying directly that she didn't know would easily arouse suspicion. Right now, other people's suspicions haven't shifted to her, but that might change in the future. Yuuki Yukino can't afford to reveal such a weakness.

“At least I heard some things, like she said she was going to cause a scene at the festival.”

“Wait, Yuuki.” Mizuno Yuu, unusually perceptive, seized upon the loophole in Yuuki Yuu’s words at a time when Yuuki Yuu least wanted her to realize something:

"Did that tentacle woman say she was going to cause a ruckus at the festival?"

Chapter 100 The Legend of the Festival

"Did that tentacle woman say she was going to cause a ruckus at the festival?"

At this crucial moment, Mizuno Yuu displayed her keen intuition, pinpointing the flaw in Yuuki Yuuki's words with a single, incisive remark.

You let it slip!

Yuuki Yuki was filled with regret.

At this point, you shouldn't make it too obvious and let others around you notice your problem.

It is indeed a loss to give rise to suspicion over such a small detail.

"Is there anything else going on this weekend besides the festival? Are you stupid?"

As Yuuki Yukino struggled with her decision, Helica slapped the table, changing the subject. "According to that tentacle woman's 'surprise' or something, instead of going to the festival, she's going to some deserted place to cause trouble? Is that even possible?"

Thank you, Helika, you are my Superman.

“I was too presumptuous, mistakenly thinking these two things were actually the same thing.” Yuuki Yui continued, following Helica’s words: “I can’t think of any other reason for choosing that day besides a festival. Does Mizuno-kun have any different ideas?”

“No, no, what I’m more concerned about is why she specifically chose that particular day.” Mizuno Yuuma pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

"Of course, it's the last day of the holiday, and the festival will definitely have a lot of people attending. It's the perfect time for those despicable, evil, willful, cruel, and heinous corrupted magical girls to make their move!"

Herika spoke through gritted teeth, looking as if she wished she could exterminate all the corrupted magical girls.

It's clear that Helica has a lot of opinions about the corrupted magical girls. Among these corrupted magical girls who give her a lot of complaints, Yuuki Yukino is the one who makes her the angrier the most.

Just listening from the side made Yuuki Yuen feel like she was sitting on pins and needles. Every word felt like it was stabbing her heart. She also had to control her expression so that she wouldn't reveal any flaws at this moment.

Sakura Hanako followed this line of thought, sharing her feelings as she pondered.

"Senior is so concerned about this matter, is there some special meaning to that day? I've heard that there's a custom of releasing lanterns that are said to grant wishes during festivals, and the rest... are probably just ordinary fireworks displays and various festival-related things."

"There is, actually, a little bit of a special meaning," Mizuno said suddenly.

Upon hearing this, the others immediately became interested and all stared at Mizuno Yu, eager to hear what she was going to say.

Especially for Yuuki Yukino, the only information she received from the mysterious person was what Kuroba Laisei planned to do on the day of the festival; she knew nothing more or any other details.

If Kuroba's actions weren't just due to the festival's excitement, but rather some deeper consideration, then Yuuki Yuki might be able to seize this opportunity to obtain some more crucial information.

A few days ago, at the Holy Age Academy.

"You ask me why I chose the day of the festival, and why I personally took action?" Kuroba Ryouse held her teacup, blowing away the rising steam, and looked at the girl opposite her through the misty smoke: "Is this matter important?"

"You've made me do so many things—you can't just leave me with nothing." Sheng Shiyin lay on the sofa as usual, squinting her eyes and stretching out her body.

Kuroba Laishi remained silent for a long while, pondering how to answer Seishin: "I see. I did tell you that a magical girl's power comes from wishes, right?"

Saint Shion, however, seemed to have seized upon a loophole in Kuroba Reisei's words, and instead of giving Kuroba Reisei a direct answer, asked: "Oh, is there anything else the president hasn't told me?"

“The magical girls I tried to recruit before were too weak. They were all defeated in the previous battles because they were too weak, and it was because they were too weak that my plans were hindered.” Kuroba Rise softened her tone, making her anger less obvious: “That’s why I have to create stronger magical girls.”

"Oh—" Sheng Shiyin drawled out the last syllable, looking quite intrigued: "Is this really possible?"

Kuroba Rise's tone softened considerably: "My vice president, do you still remember how you became a magical girl, and how you fell into darkness?"

"That happened so long ago, I can't remember it," Seishine answered Kuroba Reisei's question without even thinking.

“I remember, it was because I wanted to fulfill my own wish.” Kuroba Reisei said, putting down the teacup he had raised. “Back then, I hated my own weakness. I wanted to become a stronger person, to stand above others and guide those ignorant people. That’s what I was thinking. But my power was insufficient, so I gained greater power.”

“Oh—” Sheng Shiyin drawled out the sound, proving that she was still listening.

“You know me. I don’t want others to see me in this embarrassing state, but I’m more willing to open up to you. I’m willing to tell you these things because I trust you, my vice president.”

"Oh~ that's great. I trust you too. I believe you can make our academy better." Saint Shion swayed as she sat up from the sofa, rubbing her eyes, and tilted her head slightly to look at Kuroba Reise through her almost completely closed eyes.

"I've asked many people why they became magical girls, and I've come to a conclusion: as long as you have a strong desire, you can do it, although it's not absolute. Usually, such conditions are very demanding, but I believe that desires can be artificially induced."

"That sounds interesting. How does the president plan to induce them?"

"On the day of the festival, many people will gather. In such a situation, if their lives are threatened, and driven by a strong desire to live, could some of them happen to awaken as magical girls?"

"I see."

"I think it's possible to increase the number of magical girls and then wait for them to fall into darkness, and then..."

Kuroba didn't need to finish speaking; her thoughts had already been conveyed to Seishine.

"How did you know about this?" Sheng Shiyin's eyes narrowed even more.

"I don't know if it will succeed, but it's worth a try."

"Even if it causes massive casualties, it doesn't matter?"

"For the sake of our future, the future of this city, and the future of this country, this level of sacrifice is acceptable."

"Then how did you know that Koumori and Hyakki Senyu would be at the festival?"

"I understand, because I understand them, so I firmly believe they will appear."

Yuuki Yui was unaware that Kuroba Reisei chose to act at the festival time simply because there were enough people to search for possible low-probability events in the massive amount of data. Kuroba Reisei's plan was that simple.

Let's go back to the present.

"Regarding the festival..." Amidst the expectant and curious gazes of the crowd, Mizuno Yu asked, "Have you ever heard this story?"

"Stop!" Helica rudely interrupted Mizuno Yu's story: "If it's your so-called General Yumimoto, I don't want to hear it! I don't care!"

"This time it's not, but a story that happened in Moonsea City much earlier."

"The story should be traced back to the Warring States period, or even earlier. No one knows exactly how early, but at that time, Yuehai City did not exist. There were only ordinary villages where villagers lived a farming life, working from sunrise to sunset, fishing, logging, and being self-sufficient."

"Suddenly one year, natural disasters struck, plagues raged, crops failed, floods raged... There are many versions of such stories. What exactly happened is not so important, but what is certain is that the situation at that time was extremely tragic."

"At this critical moment, a deity appeared. She used her power to calm the natural disaster and save the people affected by it. Hearing of the existence of this deity, people from the surrounding areas rushed to the scene. Gradually, people rebuilt their settlements, which, according to legend, was the predecessor of Moonsea City."

"That deity also remained in the settlement as a guardian. Every year on this day, in order to thank this deity, the people held a grand thanksgiving festival. During the festival, people would thank the deity for his blessings, pray for his good fortune, and so on... This was the prototype of the festival."

"No one remembers the name of this festival anymore; it must have been something like 'Moon'."

"Of course, this is just a legend, and almost no one remembers it now. The thanksgiving festival in the story has become an ordinary festival. Of course, some people say that this festival simply symbolizes the end of summer vacation, since all the schools in Moonsea City start school the day after the festival."

This story itself is not unusual; there are countless stories like it.

Many civilizations originated from myths, such as wielding a giant axe to split the primordial world, killing giants to create heaven and earth, and God saying, "Let there be light," and there was light... There are countless such stories.

Between the fictional era of divine rule and the era of human rule where humans were the masters, such stories served as a transition, and were passed down as local legends.

These local legends are not without meaning; on the contrary, in a certain ignorant era, people just happened to believe these kinds of legends.

A certain leader claimed to have divine protection, thus justifying all his barbaric acts. For some rulers of that era, myths and legends were more like a way of asserting their right to claim power.

Of course, now it's just an ordinary, common legend.

It is also normal for people to forget or not understand the original legends and only remember the festival itself.

A well-known example that comes to mind is Christmas. If you ask a child, they will most likely say that on this day an old man in a red coat riding a reindeer will put presents in stockings, without knowing how the day came about.

"You know so much, senior." Sakura Hanako was still engrossed in the story, nodding vigorously.

Yuki Enishi believes that this legend doesn't mean anything.

Helica clearly thought so too: "Oh, I see. That sounds interesting, but what does it have to do with us?"