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

A fleeting smirk crossed Helica's face, which was immediately replaced by a smug expression to mask her excitement at successfully devouring Yuuki Yukino's food.

"Hmph, this is the price for not listening to me."

Tsk, she's clearly being arrogant, yet she's making this little brat face.

Helica seems to be constantly trying to change her personality, and she does it occasionally, including the previous little devil incident and the sudden few days of quietness... although she usually gives up halfway through.

"Tenrai-senpai, please don't bully Yuuki-senpai like that." Sakura Hanako tried to smooth things over, picking up a piece of octopus sausage from her lunchbox with the end of her chopsticks: "Yuuki-senpai, would you like to eat this if you don't mind?"

"Ah, thank you," Yuuki Yui replied, taking the takoyaki sausage that Sakura Hanako handed her from her own takeout container.

Even at a time like this, Sakura Hanako was secretly observing her own expression.

It seems that the extra attention people are paying to me lately is not just a figment of my imagination, but a real phenomenon.

The strange atmosphere in Nijisanji has weakened considerably compared to a few days ago, and it seems that they have returned to their usual way of getting along.

Actually, nothing has changed; what has changed is everyone's subconscious attitude towards Yuuki Yuuki.

But with just a little bit of the skill of reading the air, you'll find that the awkwardness hasn't completely dissipated.

The other members were still secretly watching her, just like Sakura Hanako was doing now, as if trying to find something out about her.

Even if Yuuki Yuuki is slow to notice, she should be able to see some clues by now. This matter is not as simple as she thought before.

Have these guys started to doubt themselves?

Be more careful lately, and don't try to be clever anymore.

Herlica stared intently as Yuuki Yuki put the octopus sausage into her mouth, then glared fiercely at Sakura Hanako with her puffed-out cheeks.

Sakura Hanako had already grasped Helica's behavior pattern quite well, so she didn't need to take this senior's behavior to heart at all. She returned Helica's warm smile and lowered her head to continue eating her bento.

Oh, really! I feel like I'm being looked down upon! Helica became even more unhappy.

Yuki didn't even seem angry when he took her food.

Why should I be angry because Sakura Hanako shared her lunch with Yuuki Enishi?

I don't understand this feeling.

But I just don't want to be outdone!

What Sakura Hanako could do, I can do too!

That's all she was thinking; she simply believed it was a feeling of not giving up.

In truth, without a word, a tiny crack silently appeared in something hidden deep within Helica's heart.

“Yuki Yuuki! You can have mine too…” Helica retorted, offering her lunch.

But her lunch consisted of just a sweet bun from a convenience store.

As we all know, round bread is not something that can be easily shared, much less a delicious lunch that is worth sharing.

"Ah...ah!" Impulsiveness once again triumphed over reason, and Helica secretly stomped her foot, making a loud noise to cover up her embarrassment. Her burning cheeks were impossible to deny.

How stupid of me to do something so ridiculous!

I'm sure Yuuki Yukino will retaliate with a wicked grin, getting revenge for stealing her lunch.

Yuuki Yukino is always like this! This time will definitely be the same!

To Helica's surprise, Yuuki Yuuki's reaction today was completely different from what she had expected.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Yuuki Yukari smiled, got up, walked around the table, and went directly behind Herika, bending down towards the round bread in Herika's hand, the lower half of which was wrapped in a plastic bag.

"Huh? Wait..."

Before Helica could even refuse, she felt a tickle on her face, and half of her vision was blocked by the pink bangs hanging down.

A light, refreshing scent entered Helica's nostrils along with the gentle breeze fanned by Yuuki Enishi.

Is this what Yuuki Yukino's hair used to smell like? Have you changed your shampoo?

Sniff, there's also a faint but pleasant scent of carbonated beverage on Yuuki Yuuki.

Unlike other girls who prefer milk tea or juice, Yuuki Yukino always drinks Coca-Cola.

It looks very dignified on the outside, yet it has a slightly mischievous feel to it, but it tastes like a carbonated drink.

Yuuki Yukino's hand came into view. She gently lifted the pink hair that was partially obscuring Helica's view and tucked it behind her ear.

This way, you can see Yuuki Eri's face more clearly.

Yuuki Yuki's long eyelashes, Yuuki Yuki's clear eyes, Yuuki Yuki's soft earlobes.

And there's Yuuki Yuki's slightly upturned lips.

If I were to kiss it myself, would I taste the flavor of a carbonated beverage?

The pink-haired girl's jelly-like lips slowly parted as she lowered her head.

The white teeth pierced the golden-brown toast, and the outermost crispy crust cracked with a snap, tiny crumbs falling onto Helica's fingertips.

Every wrinkle created by the bread being bitten by teeth is so clear at such close range, and the sound of the tender, fluffy bread fibers being torn seems to reach your ears.

The sounds of chewing, swallowing, and Herika's own suddenly quickened heartbeat were all so clear and so calming.

Herlica watched Yuuki slowly remove the bread from her hand, her eyes darting around, and inadvertently met Herlica's gaze.

Then, Yuuki Yukina's long eyelashes swept across, her bright eyes narrowed, and the corners of her mouth, still covered with breadcrumbs, curved into a beautiful smile.

"Thank you, Helica."

“No…you’re welcome…” Helica stammered, pulling her hand back from the bread and bringing it to her lips.

The first bite wasn't of bread, but rather an instinctive act of holding the breadcrumb that had fallen from Yuuki Emi's lips in her mouth.

The warm touch startled Helica, who quickly changed her angle and took a small bite of the bread.

Incidentally, the bread also helped cover her blushing face.

Wait a minute, this is where Yuuki Yuuki just bit me.

Doesn't that mean that this is...?

Indirect kiss?!

It's soft, fragrant, and has a mixed flavor of sugar, malt, and jam.

It seems there's still a lingering scent of Yuuki Yukino.

I've become abnormal, extremely abnormal. How could I be so mesmerized by Yuuki Yuki's face, how could I be thinking about the taste of Yuuki Yuki's lips?

No, I can't think about this kind of thing. It's too strange, it's just too weird no matter how I think about it.

But, but, isn't he indirectly kissing Yuuki Yuuki right now?!

No, no, why is my heart beating so fast? What kind of feeling is this?

The slight crack in her heart was suddenly noticed by a girl named Helica Tenrai.

Herlica shoved Yuuki away abruptly, pushed aside the chair she was sitting on, grabbed the bread in her hand, and ran out.

I ran through the corridor, through the atrium, until I reached a corner where no one could find me.

He carefully flattened the bread that he had kneaded into a ball and which had already flattened.

With a bittersweet feeling, and tears welling up in my eyes, I swallowed the bread with heartfelt relish.

Some feelings don't seem to require any major turning point to be noticed.

All that's missing is a small opportunity.

Even when he confronted Yuuki Yuki in the corridor, and even when he said so many strange things to Yuuki Yuki, it was all just a momentary impulse.

It wasn't a momentary impulse; in fact, the seed of emotion had already taken root and sprouted in my heart long ago.

But what's missing when you're not yet aware of it is just that perfect little opportunity.

"What... this feeling..."

"What... this feeling..."

"I'm not...I'm not..."

"Isn't this because she likes that guy?"

That insignificant feeling, which had somehow taken root and sprouted, was finally noticed by the clumsy girl at this moment.

In the Rainbow Society.

"Yuki, Tenrai must be angry because you took her food without permission."

"Senior Yuuki! Senior Tenrai was just joking! How could you actually eat her bread!"

"I'm worried..."

"How am I supposed to know her bread is inedible?!"

Also, I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter either. I feel like the blond dwarf could have been a bit more awkward.

In short, I'd like to ask for everyone's opinions, suggestions, ratings, subscriptions, and donations, etc.

One last little bit of selfishness: my subscriptions have been incredibly low lately.

Could you give the bowl a little praise to motivate it to keep going?

Chapter Forty-Three: The Determination to Go Further

Yuuki Yukino realized that the situation was now developing in a direction that was even more unfavorable to her.

She can no longer afford to drift through each day aimlessly like before.

No one knew what had gone wrong, but after taking a bite of Herika's bread, Herika seemed like a completely different person.

It felt as if he wasn't biting into bread, but rather taking a bite out of Helica.

Wait a minute? Even if I bit Helica while hugging her, I shouldn't be reacting like this.

Besides, it's not like I haven't bitten them while replenishing mana...

These days, the other members of Nijisanji have been looking at me with scrutinizing eyes, as if trying to dig out some unknown truth from me with a critical eye.

Before, Yuuki Yukino was thinking how great it was that Helica hadn't turned out like this.

However, after taking a bite of Helica's bread, Helica began to secretly join the other members' group.