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

Saint Shiyin walked up to the podium, looked up at the huge stained glass window, and gently touched the image of the deity pieced together from the fragments.

"Even the slightest manifestation of a miracle is an ironclad rule that cannot be broken by anyone who is a magical girl. How did that person manage to do it?"

"As a bishop, I know I shouldn't let my mind wander, but I can't control myself. Every time I pray, I think about whether the God we believe in truly has absolute dominion?"

"If so, why was it ruined by that girl named Yuuki Yukino? If not, then where is our faith in Him lacking?"

Saint Hymn paused, and magic began to spread from her fingertips. From the point her fingers touched, the stained glass wall, like scales flipped over, expanded into a huge doorway with a clattering sound.

“Rainbow Leaf City, it just so happens to be Rainbow Leaf City.”

Saint Shiyin muttered to herself as she stepped inside.

"I don't know what to do. Whether it's the rules being broken or the things we believe in, once a crack appears, I don't know how to mend it."

Saint Shion walked in the darkness, and in the pitch blackness, she touched the thing she wanted to touch.

In stark contrast to the pitch black, the snow-white coffin stood silently in the very center of the house.

With a gentle push from Sheng Shiyin's fingers, the coffin was pushed open with a heavy thud.

A young girl, dressed in a nun's habit, lay quietly in the coffin.

The sacred church, the snow-white coffin like a feather, the quietly burning candles—everything should have been incredibly holy.

That's how it should be.

But the girl in the coffin, like the center of a whirlpool, dyed the sanctity that should have existed here into a purer, darker color than the room of ignorance.

Although both are nun's habit, the clothes worn by the young girl have no sense of holiness whatsoever.

Her long, light yellow hair, the same color as the nun's, fell to her legs. The few thin pieces of fabric hanging down barely covered her front, making it almost impossible to tell that she was a nun.

Even though she was lying in a coffin, the girl did not give off a sense of peace.

She herself is alive.

The girl's hands were placed in front of her chest, forced to be there. Wooden handcuffs held her wrists in place, and her snow-white teeth seemed to be embedded in her breasts. Heavy breathing came from between her teeth as her chest rose and fell.

Even with the blindfold covering her eyes, Sheng Shiyin could still feel the icy gaze that seemed to pierce through her.

Most notably, the opening at the abdomen of the nun's habit, below the navel, is decorated with pure gold patterns.

Saint Shion moved closer, wanting to reach out and touch the girl in the coffin, but ultimately shook her head and withdrew her outstretched hand.

"I really don't know what to do anymore. Whether it's the headmaster, the bishop, you, or Mom, they've all dumped all these things on me."

The girl's voice choked with emotion.

"If we go to Rainbow Leaf City, a lot of unpleasant things will probably happen again, right?"

"Please tell me, what should I do, sister?"

Chapter Fifty-Two Check-in

Amidst the rumbling of machinery and the pleasant announcements playing in the carriages, the train slowly pulled into the station.

Apart from the little incident of Saint Siyin's unexpected visit, nothing else went wrong along the way.

The unpleasantness caused by Sheng Shiyin was quickly forgotten due to the enthusiastic discussion among the group of people who were getting to know each other better.

Although the atmosphere between Baki and Helika was still a little strained because of their argument that morning, it hadn't reached the point of irreconcilable conflict.

Although the two of them still bicker occasionally, normal communication is not a problem.

This further convinced Yuuki Yuki that the initial argument between the two was intentionally orchestrated by Tomoe.

Needless to say, the awkward atmosphere that started with no one speaking became more like a harmonious group.

After getting off the train, walking out of the platform, organizing the group, and gathering in the square in front of the train station in Rainbow Leaf City, the school trip officially began after a headcount.

However, it will be some time before everyone is free to move around as they've been hoping for.

First, the head of teaching suddenly appeared out of nowhere and repeatedly announced the precautions that were not only written in the handbook and sent in the class group, but were also mentioned again before departure and before entering the station.

Then, a young teacher whom no one recognized, or perhaps a tour guide hired by the school, who had taken over the position of dean of students, walked at the head of the group of students in Moonsea Middle School uniforms, holding a megaphone and explaining the history of Rainbow Leaf City as they walked.

"Dear students, I believe you are all familiar with Rainbow Leaf City, but there are very few people who can give you a systematic overview of Rainbow Leaf City. When you enter a city, you must first understand it."

The teacher's nagging is an inevitable part of the study tour.

"It's started."

Upon hearing the start of a new long-winded speech, Nishio Reki smiled politely but with a hint of embarrassment at the others.

If we're talking about who performed the best in Yuuki Yuki's team, it has to be Nishio Reki.

Polite, approachable, yet maintaining an appropriate distance, avoiding being overly familiar and making people uncomfortable, and never giving the impression of being pretentious.

The image of the evil, gentle protagonist in that game seems to have returned to Nishio Reki, creating a huge disconnect between her and the mysterious figure who used to spout riddles.

But this is a good thing for Yuuki Yuuki.

"Because of its abundant natural resources and historical sites that require protection, Rainbow Leaf City has an extremely low population density, about one-sixth of the national average. However, its forest coverage accounts for more than 74% of the national average, making it a truly sparsely populated and livable city..."

“It has indeed started.” Helica nodded in agreement.

In just about three hours on the train, Herika and Nishio Reki's relationship had improved considerably.

If she doesn't get along with Inuyama Tomoe, and she also doesn't get along with Nishio Reki, will that leave a bad impression on Yuuki Yuuki? Helica is being particularly careful about this happening.

Surprisingly, the two got along quite well, just like when Helica and Mizuno Yu were together. So, it seemed that Nishio Reki was more like a trio with Helica and the silent Hayashi Mustard.

Moreover, given their shared goal of protecting Yuuki Yuki and the fact that both are magical girls, it's only natural that Helica would feel a sense of identification with Nishio Reki.

"There are countless places worth visiting in Nijigae City, such as the naturally formed Stone Peony Cave, the Azure Vulture Waterfall, and the historically significant Swift Temple and Seiun Taisha Shrine, among others..."

"Seriously, everyone knows about this."

Baqi walked beside Yuuki Yuki with her hands behind her head, listening to the tour guide's narration in a half-hearted manner.

On the contrary, Yuuki Yui listened very attentively when she heard about this.

Perhaps due to her psychological age, Jiecheng Yuan listened with great interest to the content that other students were not interested in, especially when learning about the local customs, culture, and history of an unfamiliar city.

"Isn't this a sign of being thoughtful?" Yuuki Yukina muttered to herself before becoming engrossed in listening to the tour guide's tale of a wolf-like ninja who protected a prince.

Like Yuuki Yuuki, Lin Jiezi was also listening with great interest. True to her word, she adjusted her glasses, put on a serious face, and looked like no one could disturb her. She also nodded along with the tour guide's narration from time to time.

This narration continued until we were almost at the hot spring hotel located halfway up the mountain. For the next part of the journey, the head of the teaching department came out again and gave some instructions on what to pay attention to when checking into the hot spring hotel.

But once the hot spring hotel came into view from afar, hardly anyone was listening anymore.

Along the way, Yuuki Yui was also secretly observing Seishine's things; the group of nuns shouldn't be hard to find.

However, after leaving the station, she never saw Seishin and her group again, which made Yuuki Yuki wonder if Seishin was really just passing by.

No, no, no, you can't think like that. Being vigilant and punctual is always the right thing to do.

Although the hot spring hotel is located halfway up the mountain, it is actually not difficult to get around, and it does not feel remote or desolate.

With wide driveways and guardrails, and various shops of all sizes lined both sides of the mountain road, it resembles a harmonious resort.

It's not just a resemblance; this is a resort.

The hot spring inn only looks retro; once you step into the lobby, it's so luxurious that it makes you wonder, "Can I really live in such a nice place?"

Even after witnessing the terrifyingly large single-level house of the Baqi family, Yuuki Yuen was still shocked by the level of luxury here.

Yuuki En even wondered if the school trip would just feel like a cheap tour group.

For example, it might say there are more than ten kinds of dishes in a meal, but then you find that the cucumbers and boiled greens that were just washed and served are also considered part of it; or it might say there are many meat dishes, but in the end, a plate of scrambled eggs or a dozen people searching for chicken in a pot of potatoes is served.

That's not true at all! The school really spends a lot of money on the study trips they organize.

The lunch set meal alone, held in the hotel's enormous banquet hall, included fried fish, fried pork cutlet, shrimp tempura, shellfish sashimi, as well as dessert and a fruit platter. Yuki Yuki, who usually eats at family restaurants or cooks Chinese food herself, hadn't had such a sumptuous meal in a long time.

As for the rooms they shared, since everyone slept on tatami mats during the school trip, it made perfect sense for a group of four to six people to be together.

But the not-too-luxurious retro decor, the complete infrastructure, the open-air bathtub on the balcony that fills with hot spring water at the touch of a switch, and the separate bathroom—it all looks quite expensive.

The fact that a room has two bathrooms at the same time was just as shocking to Yuuki Yuuki as having three bathrooms in her house.

This is what the school trip at Tsukishima Middle School is like. I can't even imagine how luxurious it would be at Seiyuu Academy.

After entering the hot spring inn, Yuuki Yuuki, as the group leader, reported to the two homeroom teachers that the group was in good condition. The two homeroom teachers then kept her behind and said some caring words such as, "Please take good care of our class's Tenrai Herika," and "If you have any problems, just say so," before letting her go back.

Pack your luggage, collect your lunch with your student ID, take a short rest, and then wait for the afternoon regrouping.

After arriving in Rainbow Leaf City, everyone's mindset underwent a subtle change, and the relationships between the group became more harmonious.

Both Herika and Baki began to immerse themselves in the enthusiastic atmosphere of the school trip. The previous arguments disappeared, replaced by normal conversations that made Yuuki Eri want to cry.

"In the afternoon, we're all required to do the same activities before four o'clock, right? Like visiting nearby attractions or something?" Yuuki Yuen happily confirmed the information with the others while eating lunch.

"That's right, that's right, I'm sure I'm going to get a long lecture again. What's the point of a story that's obviously fictional? Just like that general story that Mizuno Yu told, does anyone really care?"

Helica used her chopsticks to dab at the food on the plate into her bowl and started eating.

"This is an essential part of a school trip. Isn't it great to broaden your horizons while having fun?"

Nishio Reki's reaction made Yuuki Yuuki want to shout "Who are you?" more than once. This natural reaction was almost comparable to the flawless acting she occasionally displayed at Nijisanji.

Although part of my acting was based on how Nishio Reki interacted with everyone in the game.

"Anyway, after we're dismissed this afternoon, it'll be free time. We'll have a whole day to go out and have fun tomorrow," Baqi said excitedly, sitting cross-legged, her eyes always drifting unintentionally towards Yuuki Yukino's direction.

After being noticed by Yuuki Yuki, Baqi not only didn't feel embarrassed, but instead smiled at Yuuki Yuki, revealing her sharp little tiger teeth.

"But, but, you have to be back before eight o'clock." Lin Jiezi reminded them softly, as if afraid that the others would get carried away and forget the return time.

In this atmosphere, even the socially awkward Lin Jiezi was able to have normal conversations. Of course, there was also the recognition and praise she received from others when she introduced herself on the train.

"Indeed! Thanks to Lin's reminder, it really helped a lot." Although everyone knew the rules for the evening, Yuuki Yuen would definitely not miss such a good opportunity to instill more confidence in Lin Jiezi.

“That’s right! Don’t come back late! We can soak in the hot spring tonight!” Herica waved her fist expectantly, while occasionally stealing glances at Yuuki Yukino’s reaction.

Yes, there's still the ultimate problem of the hot springs tonight. Although I'm mentally prepared, Yuuki Enishi hasn't made any actual preparations. It seems I need to find an opportunity to secretly discuss countermeasures with the others.

Throughout the morning, Helica paid little attention to him, clearly completely absorbed in the excitement of the school trip, and had put the matter of testing him out of her mind.

It remains to be seen whether Helica will take any further action later.

But given Helica's easy-going personality, it wouldn't be difficult for her to continue immersing herself in the joy of the school trip.

In that case, maybe I can really enjoy the school trip.

Chapter Fifty-Three: Free Activities