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

Although the official itinerary has not yet been determined, the students who can participate in the school trip are already filled with anticipation, and the atmosphere in the classroom has been much more lively than usual recently.

"That's great. All the seniors are going on a school trip soon. I'll be all alone at school then. I'll miss them."

Sakura Hanako looked on with longing as she sighed.

"If a corrupted magical girl had appeared back then, I might have had a hard time dealing with her by myself."

Sakura Hanako secretly rolled her eyes and glanced in Yuuki Yukino's direction, as if expecting Yuuki Yukino to say something.

Yuuki Yui is very clear about her own position; her words don't carry much weight when it comes to matters related to magical girls.

In the eyes of the others, she is an "ordinary person." Ordinary people should be mindful of the boundaries of ordinary people and avoid putting themselves in the shoes of a magical girl when speaking.

That's what she's always done.

Therefore, Yuuki Yukino avoided Hanako's gaze, which could easily lead to misunderstandings, and continued eating her lunch with her head down.

Yuuki Yukino showed no reaction, while Helica happily comforted Sakura Hanako, who was also unable to attend the school trip:

"School trips are a privilege for third-year students, and there will be other opportunities in the future. The fact that Nijisanji Club wasn't disbanded is already a great thing, isn't it? Right? Right!"

When the crisis of the company's collapse was mentioned, Helica became quite talkative, repeating what she had already said in the Nijisanji group chat.

"Let me tell you, that teacher actually praised our activity report extensively, saying that our actions were very meaningful and that we were much better than those clubs that were all talk and no action! He even told us to keep it up."

Just a few days ago, Nijisanji was also the kind of club that didn't have any specific activities.

Fortunately, a few people went and carried out such a meaningful activity, which saved Nijisanji.

That day was especially meaningful for Yuuki Yuuki.

The conversation with Lava Mountain Lantern was quite convoluted, and it took a lot of effort to finally get the information that Yuuki Yuuki wanted to know.

First, the magical girl mentioned by Hong Moli did indeed exist in the City of the Otherworldly Wonderland, and her whereabouts are currently unknown.

Secondly, Lava Lantern and that magical girl had fought before, and the battle ended in a draw. Before the outcome could be determined, the magical girl ran away. However, she must have had some strength left when she ran away, and even though Lava Lantern tried her best to stop her, she couldn't.

Third, and most importantly, the magical girl's purpose.

"She said she wanted to wipe out all magical girls, leaving none behind."

This is really not funny. Such antisocial remarks, such as "we must drive them out of Moonsea City, leaving none behind," sound extremely dangerous.

Besides, this magical girl is missing, not defeated. Nobody knows if she's still brewing some new plan somewhere.

After hearing her dangerous remarks, Yuuki Yukino felt even more strongly that the person Nishio Reki described as bringing crisis was a perfect match for her.

But there is one thing that Lava Mountain Lamp knows nothing about.

Having fallen into darkness due to some kind of "original sin," Lava Mountain Lantern's face was filled with an expression that said, "What are you talking about, you pig?" when he heard about this.

In short, the information was gathered, the crisis of the abolition of the guild was resolved, and it was definitely a good thing for Yuuki Yuuki.

Unfortunately, I feel like the other members of Nijisanji have been giving me strange looks ever since today.

The atmosphere was different from usual interactions with Nijisanji. It was an atmosphere that couldn't be clearly described in words, as if I had suddenly become the center of attention.

They are still the focus of secret observation.

Sakura Hanako's look was just the beginning; other people would always intentionally or unintentionally throw conversations or glances at her.

Could it be that everyone else was curious about why he suddenly ran away that day?

Yuki Yuki had already prepared an excuse for that matter, and was just waiting for someone to ask her about it so that she could reveal it at the right time, so as not to be seen as trying to cover up the truth.

But no one asked Yuuki about it, which gave Yuuki a strange sense of alienation.

But Yuuki Yukino is no longer the girl who would be sad for a long time if others ignored her. She now interacts with others in a way that she thinks is perfectly natural.

The actual situation was even worse than Yuuki Enishi had anticipated.

A few days ago, on the street.

"Are you hiding something from us? Are you saying that Yuuki Yuuki is also a magical girl?" Helica's golden eyebrows drooped, and she gasped.

"Yuki is a magical girl. That's just one possibility, and it's very unlikely. If Yuki were a magical girl, she wouldn't have just stood by and waited to die when attacked by other magical girls. But she didn't transform during those attacks, so that possibility is actually quite small."

Mizuno Yu shook her head and used her other hand to break off a finger.

“Besides that, it’s also possible that Yuuki made some deals with other magical girls that she can’t tell us about, just like your senior was when she was controlled by Miyashita Mia, and was coerced in some way.” Then came the second finger.

"Or perhaps Yuuki, because of her ability, knows who the magical girls are and actively contacts them. That's also possible. Just like she found us. If that's the case, then Yuuki Yuuki might have some other motives. The worst-case scenario is that she might be using us or the magical girls to achieve some goal." Then came the third finger.

"Other possibilities exist, such as her just being prone to getting caught up in magical girl troubles." (Fourth one)

"She only knew the other magical girls; it was like how she and Lava Lantern didn't know each other were magical girls before confirming their identities." (Fifth one)

Yuuki Yuen clenched her outstretched palm into a fist again: "There are many suspicious points about Yuuki, but it's better not to talk to him about this until we confirm it."

"In the end, this is just my personal conjecture. I don't want my personal suspicion to fill the Nijisanji organization with distrust."

Sakura Hanako agreed: "What you said makes sense."

Mizuno Yuu didn't mention several other examples, such as Yuuki Yuuki on the day of the festival, who seemed to know what was going to happen and deliberately avoided the attack in terms of her route and timing.

Mizuno Yu was the last person who wanted to doubt Yuuki Yui, the girl who suddenly knocked on the door of the archery club, the first person to accept her hobby, listen to her story, and stay with her—she was her first friend.

That's why Mizuno Yuu didn't hesitate to stand in front of Yuuki Yuu when she was attacked.

She wasn't good at expressing her emotions, but Yuuki Yu's actions allowed Mizuno Yu to perceive Yuuki Yu's true feelings.

But recently, Mizuno Yuu could always sense a subtle sense of disharmony about Yuuki Yui. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with her words or actions; Yuuki Yui hadn't changed. What had changed was that something twisted seemed to have appeared on her.

This incongruity seemed to reach its peak in Yuuki Enishi's unusual behavior tonight.

"In short," Mizuno Yu summarized regarding Yuuki Yuuki's situation, "whether Yuuki is hiding something from us, or how much she's hiding, we'll have to be more careful in our interactions with her in the future."

Therefore, the sense of distance that Yuuki Enishi is currently feeling is real, and it is a huge crisis that she is unaware of yet.

Before the crisis erupts, things will be calm.

"By the way, speaking of school trips, have you all found your group members yet?"

Only Helica, as always, would liven up the atmosphere of the entire Nijisanji with her constant chatter.

"I've already thought about this. Niijima Azusa approached me and said that there were still openings in their group, asking if I would like to join their group, so I agreed."

Mizuno Yu's attitude towards herself was not much different from usual, except that she would occasionally glance at Yuuki Yui.

"Niijima Azusa-senpai, you're the current student council president, right? To be invited by the student council president, as expected of Mizuno-senpai."

Although Yuuki Yui could guess that Niijima Azusa was probably afraid that Mizuno Yui would commit suicide again, which was why she kept Mizuno Yui by her side to watch over her.

School trips are different from school trips. If Mizuno Yu did something terrible in the area outside of school, Niijima Azusa would definitely not feel comfortable leaving it to someone else, right?

Ultimately, it all boils down to the spread of all sorts of strange rumors.

"Yuki, what about you?" Mizuno Yuu threw the question at him.

Yes, it's that strange feeling again. Whenever I'm about to speak, everyone's eyes seem to be fixed on me as if they're carrying some other kind of gaze.

"Well, I haven't found them all yet. I should say there are only two of us, including myself." Yuuki Yui pointed a finger to her lips.

The issue of who to go on the school trip with is something that Yuuki En is also struggling with right now. Nishio Reki hasn't given a formal answer yet, and Yuuki En doesn't know whether Nishio Reki will go or not, but he probably won't refuse.

The minimum number of people required for a school trip group is four. With Nishio Reki joining, I only need to find one person at random.

But this last person is the hardest to find. When those students who haven't made any plans yet hear that Yuuki Eri has invited them to join the school trip group, they have only two reactions.

One reason is that they didn't want to be a third wheel, so they refused.

Another theory is that Yuuki En was not satisfied with having Nishio Reki and Inuyama Tomoe on her arms and wanted to expand her harem, so she screamed and refused.

Overall, Yuuki Yuki's group is almost at a standstill, and they can only hope for the teacher's final arrangements.

“Sigh, me too. Up until now, there are only two of us,” Helica said with a sigh.

How come Helica can always find other people to be with?

Having this thought felt a little unfair to Helica, but the surprise of everyone upon hearing the news briefly shifted their attention from Yuuki Yuki, who needed attention, to Helica.

Her surprise vanished instantly when she noticed Lin Jiezi silently eating next to Helica.

“Ah, that’s right, the second person is indeed Lin Jiezi, but the other members are harder to find. Anyway, there’s still time, we can discuss it slowly, right? The school trip won’t be canceled just because the group doesn’t have enough people.”

Helica pointed at Lin Jiezi and leaned her body on the table.

"But speaking of which, wouldn't all the problems be solved if we could team up with other classes?"

It won't be solved, it absolutely won't be solved.

Yuuki Yuuki was quite certain that whether it was Helica, Baki, or Rei, they all had feelings for her. Just the rivalry between Baki and Rei had tormented her quite a bit recently. If Helica were to join in, she didn't know what kind of chaotic scene it would be.

That's not all. During the school trip, everyone will definitely be staying together, and if you have to spend the night with Helica, the probability of your dark magic markings being discovered will greatly increase.

No, no, absolutely not.

At this point, Yuuki Yuuki was unaware of what kind of hell this upcoming school trip would be for her, and how much it would change her future.

In a peaceful, or perhaps not so peaceful, atmosphere, the day of the school trip drew one step closer.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Birdcage

Where exactly is the line between the ordinary daily life and the extraordinary that is taken for granted?

Inuyama Tomoe was completely confused.

"Bachi, it's been a while since I replenished my mana. Are you alright?" As usual, around the time school ended, Yuuki Yuen turned around from her seat and asked this question that she often asked.

"Me? It's okay! Nothing will happen!" Baqi gave the same answer as always.

This kind of conversation has been repeated countless times.

Whether it was the influence of the Black Demon Mark or her own inner turmoil that led her to this state, Inuyama Tomoe was completely confused.

Rebelling against the past, becoming a magical girl, and spending day after day with Yuuki Yuuki—this rebellious life has become Inuyama Tomoe's daily routine.

But it is a wonderful experience that the vast majority of girls, no, no one but themselves, could never have in their entire lives.

Even if she is forgotten someday in the future, even if Inuyama Tomoe's life returns to normal, whether she lives in a daze or experiences ups and downs, she will eventually bring her life to a close.

But Baqi may never have such a happy time again in her life.

You may feel incredibly happy, but what about others?

What about Yuuki Yukino?

Will she feel happy to have her by her side?