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

Yuuki Yukari knew she was using a fallacy, so she paused before continuing.

"Furthermore, secondly, I don't care whether magic exists or not. Things that can be known with just a little effort don't require relying on ethereal magic."

After saying this, Yuuki glanced at the area in front of Mia's chest, pushed past Mia who was blocking her way, and walked towards the classroom door.

The snake's fangs did not fall.

“Yuki-kun doesn’t believe in magic, yet he keeps talking about it.” Mia tilted her head back, twisting her neck at an odd angle and grinning. “The fact that the magical spell failed is a little secret between the two of us. I’ll be better prepared next time.”

"I don't believe in magic." Yuuki Yuuki paused, her hand on the doorknob ready to open the door, then pressed down hard on the doorknob, but the door didn't open.

"Hehe." Mia chuckled, walked to Yuuki Yuuki's side, and turned the lock on the door. She placed her hand on the back of Yuuki Yuuki's hand, and held her hand as she opened the door: "If anyone else makes you believe in magic, don't forget to tell me their name."

"I've said it before, I don't believe in magic. If Miyashita-senpai wants to find companions, I'm afraid I can't help you, can I?" Yuuki Yui was trying her best to control her wavering so that no one would notice.

"Hasn't Yuuki already become my comrade?"

A chill ran from the top of my head to the soles of my feet, and my back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. I hadn't just slipped away from the snake; I had been inside its pupils long before.

Yuuki En left the classroom without looking back, leaving Miyashita Mia alone.

"What an interesting child." Mia closed the door, sat back in her chair, put her hands between her legs, and looked up at the empty ceiling. "Was I tricked just so I could see this child again?"

At the same time, Helica, who was sitting on a bench at the entrance of the teaching building, was munching on a cream-filled bread. As she watched Yuuki Yuuki walk out of the building with a livid face, she waved to her and said, "Judging from your expression, you've definitely lost. You're just a nobody. Not everyone can be a magical girl."

Yuuki Yui had no time to put on a fake smile and bicker with Helica today. She sat down next to Helica, leaned back in her chair, and stretched out her arms: "Yeah, Miyashita Mia-senpai didn't say anything."

"Wait." Helica's tone changed, and her next words sent Yuuki Yukino plummeting into an icy abyss.

"Who is Miyashita Mia?"

Chapter 44 Even Small Things Are Cute

Yuuki Yukina originally thought that the senior Helica mentioned was Miyashita Mia.

Melia fell into darkness without Helica's knowledge. Melia's new form after transformation was not recognized by Helica because of the cognitive obscuration. Because the two knew each other, Melia fled the battlefield immediately after Helica appeared yesterday... All of this seems to make sense.

Helica asked her, "Who is Miyashita Mia?"

This reaction is enough to show that reality is very different from what she thought.

Yuuki Yuuki's conversation began with Helica telling Mia everything about herself. Under the unspoken understanding between the two, she forcefully revealed to the other that she had decided not to step into the world of magical girls.

This move was not clever, and even somewhat foolish, but in desperation, Yuuki En could only come up with this method to save herself.

But Meiya wasn't that so-called senior, so the message she conveyed in this conversation became: "I know who you are."

"The person I met was named Miyashita Mia." Yuuki Yuu felt her throat was a little dry and hoarse, her mind filled with the words Mia had left her before she left.

Yuki-kun has already become my comrade, hasn't he?

Even this sentence was misunderstood; she thought that Mia meant, "You already know we are magical girls, so don't think you can get away unscathed."

However, given the current situation, these words spoken by a fallen magical girl can be interpreted in many more, and even more terrifying ways...

As she pondered, Yuuki Yuuki's vision began to blur, her ears could barely hear the sounds around her, and a buzzing sound like electricity echoed in her mind.

"Yuki Yuuki! What are you spacing out for! Are you stupid? I'm asking you a question!" Helica punched Yuki Yuuki on the head, and the pain brought the world back into Yuki Yuuki's view.

Yuuki Yukino's public persona should be that of a gentle, pure, cute, and slightly cunning innocent girl. She certainly can't keep putting on this kind of expression in front of Helica.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Yuuki Yu took several deep breaths to calm her turbulent emotions.

"What is it? Wait, you haven't answered my question yet. Who is Miyashita Mia?" Helica asked.

“Let’s talk somewhere else.” Yuuki looked up at the room she had just been in, stood up from the chair, and moved out of the view from the teaching building.

Back in the storage room, Yuuki Yukino recounted the entire conversation to Helica, though she deliberately kept Mia's last meaningful remark to herself.

As for the reason why Mia was the fallen magical girl from yesterday, she also wouldn't reveal the information she obtained through God's perspective, but instead made up an excuse to cover it up.

"So, you judged her to be the one who attacked you yesterday just because of the size of her breasts? Although that guy's size was indeed a bit exaggerated yesterday, this is just too far-fetched." Helica clearly didn't agree with this statement.

"Have you ever seen one that big at school?" Yuuki asked in return.

Helica's expression was complicated: "That's true, but it's still too far-fetched. There are plenty of big-breasted girls, and they're not necessarily from our school... Why are you looking at me like that! I'm still growing!"

"It's okay, small ones are cute too." Yuuki Yui casually remarked, which made her feel a little lighter.

"You! I'll strangle you!" Helica said, making a gesture of rolling up her sleeves as she was about to pounce on her.

Yuuki quickly got back to the point, using the same excuse Helica had given her: "Actually, it's more of an intuition. Just like when I recognized Mizuno-san, I just felt that she was the same person who attacked me yesterday. So I really didn't ask her anything."

"Mizuno? Blue hair, right?" Seeing Yuuki Yukino escape after her attack, Helica didn't intend to make a fool of herself. She sat back down and pondered for a moment, her expression showing a slight hint of agreement, but she still wouldn't let it go: "I did say before that you seemed to be very sensitive to magic, so let's assume you were right. It's good that you didn't say anything more, but! You spent so much time with her doing this riddle-telling thing, isn't that the same as saying everything? Idiot! Fool!"

“She kept steering the conversation towards magic, and I even thought she was the senior you were talking about.” Yuuki Yui’s expression was innocent, yet she got straight to the point. “If she knew nothing about magic, this conversation shouldn’t even be happening, don’t you think?”

"Alright, as an outsider, you're not completely hopeless. Your judgment is correct, so you've most likely run into a magical girl. Sigh, I wanted you to stay away from magical girls, but now it seems you're completely involved. How pathetic." Helica hadn't grasped the main point Yuuki Yuuki was trying to make.

"So, does anyone else know about my meeting with your senior?" Yuuki Yuen intended to give a slight reminder.

"That's impossible. The fact that my senior agreed to see you, and the address for today, were all sent to me by her phone. I didn't tell anyone. As for you, you didn't even know where to go before I took you to the classroom." Helica stopped there, realizing something, and shut her mouth, the mockery on her face gone.

Yuuki nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

"That classroom is in a very secluded location; normally, no one goes there. The fact that she appeared just minutes after I left is too much of a coincidence to call it a mere coincidence. If neither of us leaked it, then it could only have been leaked from a senior. Damn it, why didn't I think of that sooner?"

Helica hadn't finished speaking, but she had already reached a conclusion. She hurriedly pulled her phone out of her uniform, fiddled with the screen for a bit, and dialed a number.

Yuuki Yuen remained silent. Through the leaked sound from the phone, only a series of busy tones could be heard, followed by the sound of the call being disconnected without being answered.

"No answer." Helica dialed again, explaining to Yuuki Yuuki, "It was a call to my senior."

This time, there were no surprises; after a long busy signal, the call ended.

Just as Helica was about to dial the number for the third time, Yuuki stopped her.

"What are you doing! Senior might be in danger! Her power is not what it used to be! What if something happens to me..." Helica shook off Yuuki Yuki's hand and pressed the dial button again. She took full responsibility for the matter, which showed how much she valued it.

"There is another possibility, the worst-case scenario."

"Stop talking!" Helica shouted, trying to interrupt Yuuki Yuki, but she failed.

Amidst the background noise of busy signals, Yuuki Yukino struggled to utter the answer Helica didn't want to hear in a dry voice:

"The whole thing was deliberately planned by your senior."

Chapter 45 Carrying the Girl in a 100-Meter Sprint

Wednesday is Mizuno Yu's least favorite day of the week. With only half of the week's classes over, it's easy to feel bored and tedious.

But Wednesday is also Mizuno Yu's favorite day of the week. She believes that she can better train her willpower on such a boring day and that she can only grow in such adversity.

Today was no exception. Everyone in the classroom was drowsy in the afternoon. The teacher behind the lectern was still lecturing on the boring text in a flat tone. Everyone was forcing themselves to stay awake and scribbling down the content of the class in their notebooks.

This is a trial, Mizuno Yu thought to herself, silently pinching her thigh to fight off sleepiness; the pain would help her concentrate better.

At this moment, Mizuno Yu had no idea what would happen on this ordinary afternoon.

"Excuse me!"

An unfamiliar voice rang out, and at the same time, the classroom door was pushed open forcefully, and a blonde girl strode in.

Mizuno Yu, who was already so exhausted that she was barely conscious, didn't even realize what was happening when she felt her body lighten as the blonde girl swept her up in her arms.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire class, the girl hoisted Mizuno Yu onto her shoulder and ran out of the classroom, causing Mizuno Yu's head to slam against the door frame.

"I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry to bother you!"

The girl with long pink hair kept bowing and closing the classroom door again, shutting out the astonished gazes of the teachers and students in the room.

Then, Mizuno Yu heard a commotion erupt in the classroom, but her body was already being carried away into the distance.

After carrying her for a long time, Herika finally stopped on the rooftop and put Mizuno Ai down from her shoulder: "Mizuno Ai, I need you to do me a favor."

Mizuno Yu didn't show the slightest displeasure at being called by the wrong name. At the same time, she recognized the person who came and calmly corrected him, "My name is Mizuno Yu, Tenrai-kun."

“Okay, Mizuno Yu, you have to help me find someone.” Helica changed her mind perfunctorily.

"Excuse me, it's class time now, I should go back to the classroom." Mizuno Yu ignored Helica and walked slowly past her.

"Wait!" Herica's shouts couldn't stop her from leaving.

Mizuno Yu saw another person, the one who would come to the archery club to chat with her every day, appear at the entrance of the stairs leading to the rooftop.

"Yuki-kun? What's going on?"

"Well, it's a long story, let us explain slowly." Having been forced by Helika to do something like carrying Mizuno Yu out, Yuuki Yui embarrassedly gathered her hair and looked away.

Ten minutes later.

"Your senior didn't come to school today, so I suspect that the cow girl kidnapped her and then met with Yuuki Yukino. Do you understand?"

“It’s also possible that the senior Helica mentioned reached some kind of cooperation with that person named Miyashita Mia,” Yuuki Yuki added.

Herlica glared at Yuuki Yuuki but didn't refute her.

"Then why did you bring Yuuki along?" Mizuno asked.

"Are you stupid? Yuuki Yuki is being targeted, and you're just going to let her go back to die?" Helica said.

“No matter how arrogant they are, they wouldn’t dare to make a move in broad daylight at school. It’s only because Yuuki was with us that she was in danger. If we were to repeat yesterday’s situation, could you protect her?” Mizuno Yu argued logically.

“That was you! You were the one who got whipped and spun around like a top yesterday!” Helica retorted.

"Spinning top..." Upon hearing this, Mizuno Yu's icy face revealed a look of longing, before she remembered to retort, "Aren't you the same?"

"Don't fight." Yuuki Yui felt she should lighten the mood, and as soon as she spoke, the two of them immediately shut up.

Yuuki Yui looked at the two of them with satisfaction, then said, "If my intuition is right, then Miyashita Mia..."

“It’s that cowgirl. She’s probably a magical girl too, and very likely the one who’s fallen from grace,” Helica interjected.

Yu Mizuno continued Helica's words: "If Yuuki knows her identity, then she will definitely be targeting Yuuki. So Yuuki is in danger."

“So,” Helica said, “we have to strike first. We need to find either the senior or that cow girl to clear the senior’s name. You have to help me with this.”

“You said your senior didn’t come to school today, and it’s indeed difficult to find her. What about Miyashita Mia, who met with Yuuki at noon…” Mizuno Yu suggested another possibility.

“She’s gone too.” The person who answered was Yuuki Yui: “Before the lunch break ended, the two of us looked up the name Miyashita Mia and found out that she was a third-year student at our school, but she didn’t come back to class that afternoon.”

Yuuki knew all about Miyashita Mia, but the reason she went to the trouble of verifying it was to share information with Helica.

Mizuno Yu pondered for a moment: "I think I understand, but why did you come to me?"

“Because Mizuno-san is not only my friend, but also the person I trust the most.” Yuuki Yukari’s eyes were full of genuine emotion, which surprised Helica, who was originally going to answer.

“But…this is too dangerous.” Mizuno Yuu still hesitated.