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

Thankfully, the operation to rescue Mizuno Yu was successfully completed without any major incidents.

Although all the surprises today were brought by Mizuno Yu.

What caused Yuuki Eri immense pain was that as she and Hayashi Keko carried Mizuno Yui into the school gate, they immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.

The girl who attempted suicide was ordered to suspend her studies and reflect on her actions that morning, but within half a day she was carried back to school covered in injuries. It's hard not to speculate.

Although Helica followed behind Yuuki Yuki, puffing up like a giant golden mushroom, she didn't actually have any direct contact with Mizuno Yu.

In addition, Helica's intimidating personality made it impossible for anyone to approach her and learn the whole story from her.

If you ask Helica, she'll probably give you a good scolding.

Ask about Hayashi Mustard, who was responsible for carrying Mizuno Yuu along with Yuuki Yuuki.

Lin Jiezi's classmates were generally aware of her situation, and getting information out of this socially awkward person was no easier than asking Helica directly.

If you were to ask Lin Jiezi, she certainly wouldn't refuse.

However, if Lin Jiezi were to start telling this story during the current lunch break, it would likely take until the next day's lunch break to finish describing the whole story.

Who would dare to provoke Mizuno Yu, the person involved? This icy beauty who attempted suicide twice in one day is said to be exhausted both physically and mentally by various events. Who would dare to further agitate her with this incident?

What if Mizuno Yu tries to commit suicide again? Although the classmates are gossipy, none of them want their classmate to suffer any misfortune.

Sakura Hanako? The students at Tsukimi Middle School had no idea who Sakura Hanako was.

As a result, Yuki Eri became the subject of their gossip.

"Yuki, do you know what's going on with Mizuno-san?"

"Even if it's something I can't say, could you reveal just a little bit, just a tiny bit?"

"You could tell me where you found Mizuno-kun, that would be great too!"

"Is there anything we can do to help Mizuno-san? We'll definitely do everything we can to help!"

What can Yuuki Yukino do? She's desperate too, knowing this has happened.

The original events involved magical girls, which Yuuki Yukino definitely couldn't reveal.

Fabricating stories would damage Mizuno Yu's image at school, leaving Yuuki Yui, who had been pestered with questions all afternoon, with no choice but to keep quiet.

Until school ended, Yuuki Yuuki was indeed no longer subjected to the repeated attacks by Inuyama Tomoe and Nishio Reki.

Being surrounded by a group of gossipy classmates asking all sorts of questions isn't any better!

Finally, the version of the story circulating in the school was supplemented with a DLC: "The Ice Queen, overwhelmed by the punishment, attempted suicide again, but the scumbag with three boyfriends tried to win her back with true love."

Incidentally, since there was no romantic interaction between Yuuki Yu and Mizuno Yu, the storyline was later changed to: Mizuno Yu attempts suicide, and Nijisanji rushes over shouting about friendship and bonds to save her.

Mizuno Yuya has successfully evolved from an ice queen into a melancholic ice queen with a closed heart and a story to tell.

Are there too many adjectives?

In short, this has nothing to do with the current Yuuki Yuuki.

Yuuki Yukino faces an even more serious and realistic problem than being bombarded by her classmates and being relentlessly pursued by two suitors.

Less than half a minute after the school bell rang, before the teacher on the podium had finished tidying up her lesson plan and left the classroom, Herika, carrying a shoulder bag, burst open the classroom door with a thud and strode to Yuuki Yukino's seat amidst everyone's frightened gazes.

"Yuki Yui, there's something I want to ask you. Let's go outside and talk alone."

"Ah, okay, wait a minute..." Startled and bewildered, Yuuki Yuuki hadn't even put her textbooks back into her bag when she felt a lightness under her feet. Helica had picked her up around the waist and carried her out of the classroom at top speed.

Before most people could even process what had happened, the classroom door slammed shut again, leaving everyone bewildered and confused.

The black-haired girl and the white-haired girl, who were packing their schoolbags and preparing to rush up to capture Yuuki Yuki at any moment, were both stunned by their actions and stared in disbelief as Yuuki Yuki was dragged away by Herika—although Inuyama Tomoe immediately shut her mouth for fear of exposing her Black Magic Mark.

Why does this scene seem so familiar?

Did Helica also carry Mizuno Yu through this?

Before Yuuki could process the familiar feeling of déjà vu, Herika had already stopped at the end of the corridor on the first floor of the school.

Compared to the often crowded rooftop, this dusty corner with tables and chairs is the real no-man's land.

No, the important thing is that right now it's just me and Helica here.

"What happened... Helica..."

"Yuki Yuuki, I have something to ask you!" Helica blocked Yuki Yuuki's path by blocking her way towards the stairwell.

"Where were you on the night of the first day of the festival, Sunday night?"

Chapter Fourteen: Excuses

"Where were you on the night of the first day of the festival, Sunday night?"

As soon as school was over, Tenrai Herika cornered Yuuki behind the rarely visited staircase of the school building.

With her body, Helica separated the dusty, decaying corner where Yuuki Enishi lived from the bustling girls who had just finished school into two different worlds.

Yuuki Yuuki's location was actually only a few meters away from the crowd, but because of Helica's presence, it became impossibly far away.

Although it could be said that Helica was blocking Yuuki's way, Helica was actually just standing there, but her petite figure made it difficult for Yuuki to resist.

Herica's calm tone only made Yuuki Yuki more uneasy.

Why is Helica asking this question again?

Even before the festival began, Yuuki Yui had already considered what she would say if she didn't go to the festival with Helica that evening.

Yuuki Yukino also said these things to Helica.

And just today, a little earlier, Yuuki Yui and Hayashi Keko were talking about it on their way back to school with Mizuno Yui on their backs.

It was noon, on my way back to school.

"Hey, why do you smell weird?" Herica, who was walking behind, suddenly sniffed and took a few steps closer with an incredulous expression, almost pressing her nose against Mizuno Yu's back to sniff.

"Yes, senpai, you smell so good." Sakura Hanako took a few steps forward and sniffed Mizuno Yu as well. Then, her face suddenly turned red, and she waved her hands frantically, explaining incoherently, "No, that's not what I meant. I meant that senpai smells so good, no..."

Yuuki Yui was closest to them, and could faintly smell another scent emanating from Mizuno Yui, besides the pungent smell of dust.

It has a pleasant, burnt smell of plant fiber, mixed with a strong aroma of fat and spices.

Doesn't that taste like barbecue?

"Because I ate barbecue at noon," Mizuno Yu answered truthfully. "It was the presence of barbecue that dispelled my confusion."

silence.

After nearly half a minute of silence, Helica exploded.

"Dump her! Get rid of this idiot right now! We didn't even have a proper lunch because of you, and you went out for barbecue?! If I were in the student council, I'd fire you right now! Never hire you again!"

While angrily arguing, Helica took a few steps forward, looking as if she was going to snatch Mizuno Yuu from Yuuki Yuuki and throw her aside.

However, it was just a joke between the girls, and there was no real pulling or tugging.

After nearly arguing, Helica calmed down a bit and continued the conversation about the barbecue, suggesting, "Hey, didn't Yuuki Yukina suggest doing something after school? How about we go get some barbecue too! To celebrate Sakura Hanako joining us. Oh, and don't bring that idiot along!"

"This... it's not really appropriate to leave Mizuno-senpai out, is it?" Sakura Hanako glanced at Mizuno Yu worriedly, feeling indignant on Mizuno Yu's behalf.

"She's already eaten! We're not taking her!" Helica stubbornly insisted, but she didn't hold on too long. After a few symbolic refusals, she said something like, "It's not impossible to take you," thus pulling the conversation back.

Up to this point, it was all just the daily interactions between members of the same club, and Yuuki Yuki had already gotten used to it.

The event sounded good, but Yuuki Yukino wasn't really keen on going.

"Well, I'll pass on that..."

When Helica began to ask for her opinion, Yuuki reluctantly said...

Yukichi still remembered that Helica insisted on going to Moonsea Park for barbecue, which really put the group through a lot of trouble.

But after witnessing Helica's treasure, that boundless starry sky, one can somewhat understand Helica's secrecy and persistence.

But this time, refusing Helica's suggestion was unrelated to that matter.

"You're the only one who didn't eat lunch! And now you don't want to go out for barbecue! You were the one who said you wanted to go out together! What's going on?!"

Herlica shifted her focus, launching a less intense attack, or rather, a complaint, against Yuuki Yuuki.

"I ate a bit too much this morning, so I'm not hungry at all," Yuuki Yui said.

"Liar! That sounds like an excuse! Are you trying to lose weight? Are you starting to pay attention to your figure? Do you have someone you like?" Helica jumped in front of Yuuki Yuuki, keeping a distance of less than two meters as she walked backwards, staring at Yuuki Yuuki's face and launching a barrage of questions.

Lian Jiecheng didn't really notice the fleeting serious expression on Helica's face as she bombarded him with a barrage of questions.

Yuuki Yukino wasn't making excuses; she genuinely couldn't eat any more.

When Yuki Yuen woke up in the morning, she cooked herself a big bowl of beef noodles, ate her fill, and prepared to go out.

As soon as he stepped out, he ran into Inuyama Tomoe, who was waiting at the door with rice balls in his hand. After turning a couple of corners, he encountered Nishio Reki, who was carrying a bag of steaming hot meat buns.

What followed was a forced feeding play between the two of them, and no matter which side ate less, the other side would show a victorious expression.

Finally, under duress from the two men, Yuuki Yukino ate enough breakfast for three people. After a morning of classes and a walk around, she still felt bloated.

“That’s not an excuse,” Yuuki Yui muttered.

"Okay, by the way, what did you do on the day of the festival?"

Helica didn't dwell on the topic of whether or not to go eat barbecue, but instead asked a question that made Yuuki Yukino even more difficult to answer.

Did you actually get the answer?

Yuuki Yukina could tell that Helica was just using some trivial questions as a way to change the subject.

But this issue seems too sensitive for Yuuki Enishi.

Fortunately, Yuuki Yuki had already prepared her explanation.

If you proactively tell everyone what you did that night as soon as school starts, it might seem like you're trying to cover something up and could easily arouse suspicion from others.

But when someone else asks the question and you answer it, everything seems very natural.

Instead of rushing to prove one's innocence, it's better to release some relevant clues at the right time.

"That day, because it was a festival, my sister's company was closed, so my sister and I made a promise to spend it together."

This excuse was the safest one that Yuuki Enishi could think of.

Herlica had met Tamaki Yuuki and knew that Tamaki Yuuki was very busy with work and rarely had the chance to go home.

Given the choice between friends she sees every day and family members she can only visit occasionally, it's only natural that Yuuki Yukino wants to spend time with her family, and it's also reasonable for her to refuse Helica's invitation.