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

"will not."

But this is how Nishio Reki answered.

Has your mood remained unchanged?

How could there not be?

On the night Yuuki was controlled by the Black Demon Mark, she once thought about whether to just end it all, whether to just let things slide and experience in this humble and twisted way what she had never done with Yuuki.

But that's wrong, absolutely wrong.

Nishio Reki's feelings had already begun to twist that very night.

Even Nishio Reki's current emotions are starting to twist, as if they have touched something that shouldn't have been touched.

Even so, she maintained a calm and polite demeanor on the surface.

"My liking for Yuuki Yuuki might be a little different from what you think."

"Huh? What does this mean? Don't you like that kind of thing? You mean that kind of thing..."

Herlica's eyes widened in disbelief that such words could come from Nishio Reki's mouth.

"My liking for Yuuki Yuuki isn't the kind of liking that's like being in love."

It's a lie. It's just romantic liking, liking someone so much that you want to date them, liking them so much that you want to be with them.

"I don't have any special feelings for Xiaoyuan. It's enough for me to just be friends with her."

That's a lie! Of course I'd have those kinds of thoughts! Of course I want to go beyond just being friends.

"I think as long as Xiaoyuan is happy, that's all that matters. She can find someone she likes and live a peaceful life, no matter who that person is."

It's a lie! Choose me! Be with me! Whether the future is less than a year or a lifetime, spend it with me!

"So, that's fine. No matter what Xiaoyuan chooses, no matter who Xiaoyuan plans to be with, I will support Xiaoyuan's decision."

Only this statement is not a lie.

Nishio Reki knew that he had already failed.

From the very beginning, he was already disqualified when he donned a cloak of mystery and secretly guided the development of events.

Reuniting with Yuuki Yuuki, being able to talk to her like this, and being able to participate in school trips together like this is already a beautiful dream.

Originally, all of this was a miracle that could never have happened.

But I have already achieved it, and I should be content.

He should be clear that he should bear the responsibility for everything that the girl named Nishio Reki did. Based on this alone, there is no longer any possibility between him and Yuuki Yuki.

may.

Perhaps one day in the future, someone will rescue Yuuki Yuki from the shackles of fate, but that person may not be herself.

All I need to do is witness, support, and cherish this feeling that I will never express again, until the end or a new beginning.

The silence continued for quite some time.

Nishio Reki couldn't fathom what Helica was thinking when she asked these questions, but his own feelings had already become twisted and unbearable because of them.

"sorry."

Helica suddenly stopped, bowed deeply, and then solemnly apologized.

"Tianlei, what's wrong?"

With his mind in complete turmoil, Nishio Reki took a few steps before belatedly realizing that Helica hadn't followed him properly.

She turned around and saw Helica bending over, then realized what Helica had just said.

Then, Nishio Reki was stunned.

The distance between the two, the rapidly deteriorating atmosphere, and the ambiguous apology all seemed incredibly delicate.

"I'm sorry, I came here to argue with you!"

Herlica suddenly raised her voice, speaking in a way that made her even more enigmatic, drawing puzzled glances from the surrounding pedestrians and the few scattered students from Moonsea Middle School.

"No, wait, wait." Nishio Reki looked around at the passersby who were staring at her, feeling uncomfortable being the center of attention.

Herica quickened her pace, almost running to Herica's side, and helped Herica up by the shoulders.

Before he could even process what had just happened, this strange turn of events only made Nishio Reki even more frustrated.

But she still had to be patient and soothe Helica's sudden outburst of unusual emotions.

"I didn't mean to argue with Tianlei. I'm sorry, did I do something to bother Tianlei?"

This is for Yuuki Yuuki, this is a school trip for Yuuki Yuuki, I should do this.

Just like helping Yuuki Yuuki identify the types of souvenirs, these are all trivial matters, all done to safeguard the peace around Yuuki Yuuki.

"No, no, not at all. Nishio-san is very kind to me and accepted me into this group. She is considerate of my feelings from time to time. Nishio-san did nothing wrong!"

With Nishio Reki supporting her shoulders, Helica remained as unyielding as a rock, not moving an inch, maintaining her bowed posture.

"We'll talk about that later. Can you stand up first?" Nishio Reki turned his head from side to side, noticing that even more people were gathering around him.

"No! Nishio-kun hasn't accepted my apology yet." Helica's personality became incredibly stubborn at this moment.

Her personality and her apology are not actually contradictory.

"I accept it! Can you stand up first?" Nishio Reki used even more force, but still couldn't move Helica's shoulder. Helplessly, he whispered a reminder: "There are so many people watching. I accept your apology."

"Don't try to fool me! I haven't finished speaking!" Helica gritted her teeth, stubbornly insisting on her actions.

Herica's stubbornness made Nishio Reki feel a surge of anger rushing to his head, causing him to feel dizzy and sway as if he were about to fall.

Fortunately, she was still supporting Helica's shoulder, otherwise she would have fallen flat on her back.

Nishio Reki ran his fingers through his hair and scratched it hard a couple of times, his clenched teeth feeling a little numb.

Forget about her, let's just leave her be. (How is she doing?)

That's what Nishio Reki thought in his heart, but he still restrained himself in his actions.

She couldn't bring herself to damage anything around Yuuki Yuuki, not even a slight bump.

"Okay, Lei, you can tell me that day."

"I...I love Yuuki Yuuki!"

Nishio Reki felt a sharp pain in his heart, and the anger that had surged to his head and was now subsiding settled in his chest.

Helica Tenrai was aware of her feelings for Yuuki Yuuki.

But why are we suddenly talking about this?

“I’m jealous of you, jealous of Inuyama Tomoe, jealous that you can express your feelings so freely, jealous that you can stay by Yuuki Yuuki’s side so naturally. Actually, I’m doing the same thing. I can also live an ordinary life with Yuuki Yuuki, but… I’m not satisfied.”

No way? No way, really?

Reki Nishio instantly understood Helica's feelings for Yuuki Yukino.

“I can go against Inuyama Tomoe, I can argue with her, and I can use this method to vent my dissatisfaction with her.”

"But Nishio-san is different. I can't find fault with Nishio-san. Even after I've done so many willful things, Nishio-san still... I can deceive myself into thinking you're showing off to me with ease, but I can't. I just am..."

Helica's words became even more incoherent.

Even if she didn't say it, Nishio Reki could understand what Helica was trying to express.

I understood it from the moment she said she liked Yuuki Yuuki.

From the moment she, Helica, directly expressed her affection, the whole thing spiraled out of control like a runaway train.

Those apologies are completely unimportant.

What I meant by misunderstanding Nishio-san, Nishio-san's act of repaying evil with kindness, and his mental journey on the school trip—none of that matters at all.

"I... I'm so glad I can talk to Nishio-kun."

At this point, Helica slowly straightened up.

Fortunately, this was on the street, not on campus where gossip gathers, so the onlookers who gathered only heard the general outline of what happened before turning away.

"Before I came to participate in the school trip, I struggled with my feelings for a long time, wondering what my feelings were and how I should express them."

Herlica's face was slightly flushed.

Don't say anything more, I already understand!

"Isn't that great, Tianlei?"

Nishio Reki clasped his hands together, revealing an expression of strong agreement.

No, I don't want to show that expression at all.

"Nishio-kun, you...you really want Yuuki Yuuki to be happy, and you will support Yuuki Yuuki's happiness, right?"

Helica raised her eyes and looked directly at Nishio Reki for a final confirmation.

This forces Nishio Reki to deny his own feelings.

Say it! Say it out loud! You don't want this to happen, just say it now!

No, that's not it. This is all I can do. I can't even protect Yuuki Yuki, who is right next to me. I'm trusted by Yuuki Yuki, but I don't even trust myself. This is all I can do.

If you entrust Yuki Yuki's happiness to someone else, that's what you should do.

"Of course! As long as Xiaoyuan is happy, that's all that matters."

Nishio Reki narrowed his eyes to hide his trembling pupils as he met Helica's expectant gaze.

They could see it, they could see my wavering, they could see I was lying, and then they denied me, saying I was a liar.

"I understand."

The weight that had been hanging over Nishio Reki's heart was finally lifted.

Herika paused slightly, her throat bobbing several times, and she opened her mouth several times. It took a long time before Nishio Reki heard her emotional voice again.

“I know that I may not be as good as Inuyama Tomoe, whether it is personality, family background or grades... Inuyama Tomoe is excellent.”

The weight that had been hanging over Nishio Reki's heart, as if about to shatter her heart into pieces, finally settled completely.

So, let's stop talking.