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

Moreover, by shifting the issue onto Yuuki Tamaki, who has no way to obtain evidence, Yuuki Yuki can fabricate whatever she wants the whole story.

Even a complete set of yukatas sent by Nishio Reki could be excused by the fact that he and his sister bought them together.

Yuki Enishi believed that this explanation was perfect.

"Oh... I see. Okay then." Helica didn't press the matter further, and the topic ended there. She moved on to other things.

This topic should end here.

The fact that Herika would find her alone after class and ask her this question bluntly is enough to prove that Herika does not believe what Yuuki Yuki said before.

The problem is, Yuuki Yuki can't figure out where she slipped up.

Was it during the conversation with Helica? Or at the hotel? Or did Nishio Reki reveal something?

It can't be a reason like "the feeling when you and I replenish mana is exactly the same as that of the pink-haired tentacle woman," right?

"Didn't I already say? I was with my sister that day." Even if she felt guilty, Yuuki Yui couldn't admit it and could only stick to her original story.

"Did you go to the festival with Huan-jie?" Helica asked.

"Yes, we set off when my sister got off work, but because of that accident, we had to turn back halfway..."

“Liar,” Helica whispered.

After waking up in the hotel that day, Yuuki Yuuki made sure to check on her safety with others in the Nijisanji group at a different time to make her words more credible.

Yuuki Yui did everything she could. Dealing with Kuroba Reisen, who was already targeting her, kept her extremely busy. She was powerless to forge another perfect alibi.

“You’re not even home!” Herica’s voice was still very soft, but every word sounded like a thunderclap to Yuuki Yuuki’s ears.

Has Helica been to her own home?

when?

That night, Yuuki and her friends had a wild time, then went straight home with Baqi and slept soundly until noon the next day.

Yuuki Yuuki staying out all night wasn't a one-off thing, but the fact that Helica caught her doing it on the day of the festival made all the difference.

Is it possible that such a trivial matter will lead to the exposure of my identity?

Otherwise, just say you stayed overnight at Baqi's house. Even if it's a bit shameful, it's better than having your identity exposed.

No, if Helica already suspects more, doing this would be tantamount to dragging Baki down with her.

We need to find a new excuse.

“That day…” Yuuki Yui had just started to speak when she immediately shut her mouth again.

She almost used Nishio Reki as a shield. If she hadn't suddenly realized that Nishio Reki and Helica had met that day, she would have said that she had visited Nishio Reki because he had just recovered from his illness.

What other excuses are there?

Yuuki Yukino's rapidly working brain didn't have time to come up with a more plausible excuse.

“There were other things going on that day.”

Yuuki Yukino's answer was dry and uninspired; she was already mentally planning how to explain to Helica after her identity was exposed.

No, that doesn't make sense; the worst outcome would be war.

He hoped that the experience that night would make Helica feel more favorably toward him.

As a fallen magical girl who had done so many strange things to Helica, her feelings for her were utterly insignificant.

While Yuuki Yukino was thinking about how to make amends if her identity were exposed, Herika was thinking about something else entirely.

Helica was thinking—did Yuuki Yukino sneak out on a date with someone else that day?!

Chapter Fifteen: Is this some kind of strange tacit understanding?

Helica still remembers clearly what happened on the day of the festival.

First, Yuuki Yui had already declined Nijisanji's invitation to participate in the festival on the originally scheduled day several days ago.

Yuuki Enishi never explained the specific reasons.

Given Herika's personality, she should have gone to find out what was going on. Even if she didn't drag Yuuki Yuuki over by force, she should at least have pestered Yuuki Yuuki to explain the reason.

But the pink-haired tentacle woman's appearance in the city center, and her declaration of war-like words, made it hard for Helica not to prioritize this matter.

No matter what, she is a magical girl with a responsibility to maintain peace.

Therefore, Helica slightly delayed interrogating Yuuki Yukino.

If something really happens at the festival, it wouldn't be a good choice to drag Yuuki Yuki along.

It was impossible for Helica not to worry about Yuuki Eri, especially after Kuroba Reisei's attack. Even though she knew there were no casualties at the scene, Helica would still feel uneasy if she didn't confirm it with her own eyes.

So after being stopped by Nishio Reki, Helica immediately flew to Yuuki Yuuki's house to check on her safety and send her her best wishes.

Helica was met with an empty room.

Herlica waited nearby for a long time, even dragging Lin Jiezi out from next door to accompany her on several rounds of walking around the area, but still couldn't find any trace of Yuuki Yuki.

Could Yuuki Yukino have been caught up in some kind of danger?

Herlica immediately felt a strong sense of crisis.

But when I glanced at my phone, Yuuki Yuki was still sending messages as usual.

The initial concern for Yuuki Eri's safety gradually transformed into a concern in a different sense.

Yuuki Yukino, did she go out on a date with someone?!

What convinced Herika of her suspicions was the day of the belated festival.

Herica clearly remembers that Yuuki Yuki didn't have a yukata. On the day when Nijisanji and Inuyama Tomoe were choosing yukatas together, Yuuki Yuki mentioned this.

But on the day of the belated festival, Yuuki Enishi wore a yukata that looked brand new.

It's obvious at a glance that the outfit was meticulously prepared.

But Yuuki Eri is definitely not wearing this outfit for the first time. It's not that hard to tell a new outfit from one that has been worn before.

Of course, it's also possible that Yuuki Enishi doesn't know how to dress, which is why she wore such an outfit the first time she wore it—but considering this idea is just self-deception.

The first day of the festival was temporarily postponed because the winged, corrupted magical girl suddenly launched an inexplicable attack.

If there are plans on the day of the festival, things that are not completed will usually be postponed to the next day.

Helica dialed Yuuki Yuki's number on a whim, and Yuuki Yuki appeared on time as requested, without uttering a single word of refusal or excuse.

This led Herica to a hunch that Yuuki Yuuki had likely already completed what she had planned to do on the day of the festival.

The yukata I wore, staying out all night, decisively agreeing to my request—if you connect all these things together…

It's hard for Helica not to think that Yuuki Yuuki rejected her because she was going on a date!

Especially staying out all night, that's suspicious, very suspicious...

Helica had always wanted to ask about this, but she couldn't find the opportunity.

Opportunities are actually plentiful. In the Rainbow Society's activity room, Herika can simply open her mouth and ask a question.

The important thing is that Helica didn't have the courage to ask.

What if Yuuki Yukino really did go on a date that day? What if Yuuki Yukino actually has someone she likes?

Helica couldn't quite explain how she felt about Yuuki, but deep down she just didn't want Yuuki to like anyone else.

These past two days, rumors about Yuuki Yuuki being two-timing have been circulating wildly at school, and Helica has always treated them as rumors.

There have been many rumors about Helica herself over the past two years. Helica is aware that many people are prejudiced against her, and she knows that her personality is problematic.

Therefore, Helica had a good idea of ​​how many of the rumors circulating among her classmates were credible and how many were fabrications.

However, rumors can spread like wildfire, and it's no secret that Yuuki Yukino and Inuyama Tomoe are very close.

Moreover, Herika has never forgotten the day she first met Yuuki Yuuki, when Yuuki Yuuki secretly went to the storage room and kissed Inuyama Tomoe.

Herlica's initial impression of Yuuki Yuuki was not very good, largely due to that incident.

She felt that anyone who targeted a transfer student on the first day of school must be a bad person.

But as they spent more time together, Herika discovered that Yuuki Yuuki wasn't as despicable as she had thought; at least when it came to the members of Nijisanji, Yuuki Yuuki was genuinely kind.

Moreover, he did not harm anyone in that sense.

The only time she and Yuuki Yuki replenished their mana was because she was provoked by Miyashita Mia, and in a moment of impulsiveness and self-abandonment.

It was quite comfortable, though.

When it comes to Miyashita Mia, especially regarding her senior Tsukimi Rie, whom she cares about, Yuuki Yukino is definitely the one who has done her best.

It was only after that that Herlica's attitude towards Yuuki Yuuki began to change completely.

However, Yuuki Yuki's stammering now rekindled Helica's past feelings, and her doubts deepened.

The decisive evidence is that it's impossible for Tamaki Yuuki and Yuuki Yuuki to have gone out and spend the night instead of going home.

Whether it's because she's a loving older sister or a corporate slave who hasn't been able to go home for a long time, it's highly illogical for Tamaki Yuuki to do something like this.

Herlica also wanted to ask indirectly, but firstly, Herlica was not good at beating around the bush, and secondly, even if she did ask, she was worried that Yuuki would find a way to interrupt her.

Since we've already cornered Yuuki Yuki here, let's just bite the bullet and get to the bottom of it.

"You said you have other things to do, so what are those other things? Do you have some secret that you absolutely cannot let anyone know?"

Herlica's burning gaze seemed to want to scorch Yuuki Eri.

Bathed in Helica's gaze, Yuuki Yuuki felt completely at a loss.

Stared at by Helica, Yuuki Yuuki suddenly felt that her hands were superfluous, and she felt extremely awkward no matter where she put them.

Herlica's confident gaze made Yuuki Yuuki feel even more uneasy.

Has Helica already obtained some decisive evidence that proves she is a corrupted magical girl?

It's very likely that he met me in this deserted corner of the school, deliberately avoiding Lin Jiezi, because he wanted to settle things with me.

No, no, no, you can't think like that. Helica is very likely just suspicious.

Even if one cannot appear in both the transformed state and the transformed state simultaneously, there are many people who meet this condition.

Chihaya Aine and Goto Ichiri have never appeared together before. Besides, both of them are guitarists, and some of their bandmates have even said things like "ending the band." Can we really say that these two characters are the same person just because of that?

Therefore, if he were to show weakness first, it would only confirm Helica's suspicions.