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

Hongmoli doesn't need anything.

Hong Moli was the first girl Qianyou encountered who proactively and enthusiastically praised her, even though it was for something trivial like how high her sandcastle was.

But the praise was directed at himself, at Hyakki Senyou, not at Senyou of the "Hyakki Family".

When Hong Moli uttered those words, her eyes were so clear that they could only reflect Qian You herself.

In reality, that was just a trigger for Hyakki Chiyu to notice Koumori.

Normally, such trivial matters would fade into forgotten memories with a polite greeting between two people.

Hong Moli is not the first person to do such a thing to Qianyou, nor will she be the last.

But those people changed their attitudes after they learned Qianyou's identity.

In fact, Hong Moli's attitude towards herself has also changed, but it has become different from that of other people.

After entering elementary school, although Hong Moli hardly spoke a few words to her, Qianyou could notice that Hong Moli was always looking at her, but only "looking" at her.

There was no purpose, no interaction whatsoever; I was simply looking at her.

This is the first time that Hyakki Chiyu has felt the urge to understand someone.

Countless times after that, Hyakki Chiyu reached out her hand to Koumori, and countless times, Koumori refused Hyakki Chiyu's outstretched hand.

Even though the two became friends in middle school, Qianyou always felt that there was something between her and Hongmoli.

Finally, on graduation day, under the cherry blossom tree, with her back to Hyakki Senyu, Koumori sobbed as she made that twisted confession.

Hyakki Chiyu used a light kiss through the petals to bring their previous relationship to a close - Dream (Ultimate Spirit Zero).

Even without a formally established relationship—or rather, without the need for formal confirmation—the two naturally came together on the day Hong Moli received her university acceptance letter.

Hong Moli's inner conflict has been resolved. She has also successfully entered the prestigious St. Yūkyū Academy, a dream school for many others.

Hyakki Senyou's questions were answered, and the last missing piece of the puzzle in her heart was completed with Koumori's confession.

Later, Hyakki Chiyu revealed her identity as a magical girl to Koumori.

After that, everything seemed to be moving in a better direction.

Listening to Koumori recount her story from their first meeting to her middle school graduation, even though this content has nothing to do with what Yuuki Eri wants to know, understanding a magical girl's feelings and wishes allows one to better understand her magical girl side.

After all, magical girls are the embodiment of wishes; they are what girls look like after being given the ability to fulfill those wishes.

"And then? After the Hundred Demons confessed to you, did you also become a magical girl?"

"If only it were that easy." Hong Moli aligned the stack of documents on the table, tapped them, and put them into the table drawer.

"As you know, Senior Yuuki, Kuroba Rei is the pinnacle of corrupted magical girls in Tsukimi City. Apart from her and the mysteriously powerful Seishine, I would say that the strongest corrupted magical girls are me and Hyakki, right?"

If we disregard the lava mountain lantern, then that seems to be the case.

At this point, Yuuki Yukari saw no need to interrupt Koumori by bringing up the matter of the Lava Mountain Lamp, so she nodded in agreement and let Koumori continue.

"There's been a gap in the power of magical girls. The current magical girls, including the corrupted magical girls, are too weak. Almost none of them have mastered the release of gods. Their strength is completely disproportionate to ours."

"Yuuki-senpai, it's an extremely special case that you can master the release of gods. We don't even take Nishio Reki, who traveled back from who-knows-when, into account. Don't you find that strange, Yuuki-senpai?"

"Isn't it because of the cleansing by Kuroba's reincarnation?" Yuuki asked.

"It's a little embarrassing to say, but that's part of the reason. I did some really bad things in the past, following the advice of Kuroba Reisei. But that's not entirely true. Our purge was more targeted at the magical girls who had fallen from grace."

"The main reason is that before Kuroba's reign, there was an extremely powerful magical girl in Moonsea City. Her existence allowed most magical girls to live peacefully without having to fulfill their duties."

"I didn't realize that Chiyu had become a magical girl for so long, and that's because of that magical girl's existence."

"But one day... that magical girl was controlled by the black magic mark and bared her fangs at us."

"That day was the turning point for me to become a magical girl."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Night the Miracle Was Born

Hong Moli never imagined that such a day would actually come.

Looking back on everything that has happened recently, it feels like a dream.

It was as if my life had suddenly accelerated and gone completely mad. When I came to my senses, everything around me had changed dramatically.

Not long ago, Hong Moli was feeling lost because she had lost her goal and was troubled by the myriad ghosts and spirits.

Now, not only has she received an acceptance letter from St. Eternal Academy, which she never imagined before, but she has also clarified her own feelings and found a path she wants to take.

Moreover, she could hold Qianyou's hand and walk together in the bustling crowd.

Tomorrow is the official start of the new semester at St. Eternal Academy.

Today is the last summer celebration in the entire Yuehai City.

There are fireworks, mask stalls, goldfish scooping, and all kinds of delicious food. It's the grand annual celebration of Moonsea City.

Hong Moli lowered her head, her gaze inadvertently lingering on her usual casual attire.

This was the first time that Koumori had strolled through a festival; for the past few years, such leisure and entertainment had been something she had never experienced.

Like an ascetic, he constantly tempers himself by eliminating unnecessary desires, as if only in this way can he find the meaning of life.

Over time, even Hong Moli herself subconsciously felt that she didn't like festivals or such lively places.

But the reality seems to be different.

Perhaps I don't dislike this at all; on the contrary, I'm quite happy about it.

Whether it was because she didn't dislike him to begin with, or because Hyakki Senyou was by her side, Hong Moli had no idea.

But she was genuinely happy.

But Hong Moli was still worried. She was worried about her ordinariness, her weakness, and that all her past persistence and efforts to defeat Bai Gui Qian You were in vain.

Although I now hold the hand of Hundred Ghosts and Thousand Ghosts, have I done enough? Do I really deserve all that I have now?

Although he was holding Bai Gui Qianyou's hand, he felt that he and Qianyou were from two different worlds.

Although he is currently holding the hand of Bai Gui Qian You, how long can he hold onto that hand?

Just thinking about these things is like a bucket of cold water being poured over my head, extinguishing my high spirits.

Such emotions cannot be kept from showing on one's face.

Oh dear, this dreamlike scene is going to be ruined by my own low spirits.

"I'm sorry." Hong Moli lowered her voice and apologized to Qian You abruptly.

Hong Moli's voice was drowned out by the noise on both sides and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"What?" The girl, dressed in a gray-white yukata and wearing a tanuki mask on her head, was happily eating a potato tower and blinked her clear eyes as she looked at Koumori with confusion.

"nothing."

Hong Moli swallowed the saliva that rose in her throat, shook her head vigorously, clenched her slightly sweaty hands even tighter, glanced quickly at the two interlocking fingers out of the corner of her eye, and quickened her pace.

"Really?" Qianyou peeked over from below, blinked her eyes with concern, and asked in a voice as soft as cotton candy.

"Really?" Hong Moli forced a smile, managing to lift the corners of her mouth.

"Let's go watch the fireworks."

Hyakki Senyou's shimmering eyes swept across Koumori's gloomy face, and he gave Koumori his answer with a reassuring force in his hand.

In an instant, the noise in Hong Moli's mind seemed to stop, replaced by the sound of her own rapid heartbeat.

My heart was pounding so fast, it felt like it was going to drown out the noise of the crowd and the bursts of fireworks around me.

But I feel at ease.

With a hundred ghosts and a thousand spirits around, I feel very at ease.

If only time could stand still here forever.

The two of us should work together to create a brighter future.

The experiences of this period left Hong Moli with a lingering sense of unreality.

Like a dream floating in pure white clouds, it made Hong Moli feel light and carefree.

But dreams, perhaps one day will end, and even if you're floating in mid-air, there will come a day when you land.

Am I happy or troubled?

Having the opportunity to spend time with Hyakki Yagyō, wouldn't it be too extravagant to worry about these things?

Until the last firework faded into the night sky, Hong Moli still hadn't found the answer.

That indescribable sense of oppression constantly surrounded Hong Moli.

See you at school tomorrow.

"Okay, see you at school, Bai... Qianyou."

Even after Hyakki Senyou and she parted ways at the exit of the festival, Koumori still hadn't found the answer.

Hong Moli took a few steps in the direction she came from, then turned back.

She knows very well what she wants to do.

It might be a bit naive, but all she wanted to know was whether she liked the festival itself, or if she liked the noisy festival because of Chiyou.

In the short time it took to go back and forth, most of the tourists had already left, leaving only a few scattered tourists, most of whom were heading towards the exit.

The stall owners, dressed in haori bearing festival symbols, began tidying up their stalls in unison, like fireworks after a curtain falls, casting their last sparks in the night sky called the festival.

Even the streetlights gradually dimmed, leaving only a few to guide pedestrians home.

I don't feel happy at all.

After buying a glass of juice from a still-open stall, Hong Moli wandered around and eventually returned to the high ground where she had first watched the fireworks.

The night sky, which had been illuminated by fireworks not long ago, is now slowly falling asleep, showing no sign that a grand performance has just ended on this stage.

I really don't feel happy.

Hong Moli bit down on the straw, sipped some cold juice through the flattened plastic opening, and shifted her gaze from the night sky back to her knees, which she was holding in her arms.

Are you alone?

An unfamiliar voice rang in Hong Moli's ears.

Hong Moli tilted her head back and glanced at the source of the sound out of the corner of her eye.