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

When asked the same question again, Nishio Reki's tone sounded calmer, or rather, colder.

The cold frightened Helica.

The coldness was so intense that even the usually assertive Helica didn't have the courage to bluff.

"I... confessed my feelings to her, and... kissed her..."

Herika stammered, looking as helpless as a child being interrogated.

"You confessed to Xiaoyuan? Wasn't it supposed to be tomorrow?" Nishio Reki's pupils contracted. "How dare you?"

"what happens?"

Helica gradually realized that things seemed to be far more serious than she had imagined.

"Ugh……"

Nishio Reki gradually loosened his grip, but his murderous gaze did not diminish.

"Let's go inside and talk."

Several tens of minutes ago.

"Seriously! Seriously! One thing after another, what are they all doing?" Ba Qi rolled over, sat up from the floor, and threw off the blanket, looking as if she was about to go out and find out for herself.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t go out.” Nishio Reki opened one eye, glanced at the anxious Tomoe, and then closed his eyes again.

Baqi also turned her head and glanced at Nishio Reki. She stopped getting up from the ground, but her mouth didn't stop.

"why?"

Nishio Reki didn't even open his eyes this time: "Because of autism."

"What autism? What are you talking about? Tell me quickly!" Ba Qi was completely confused.

Who do you think wrote the final punishment game?

Nishio Ryaku let out a long sigh, sat up from the ground, and draped the blanket over his lap.

She asked that question because she already knew the answer.

Each person set three punishment games. The most boring game must have been set by Lin Jiezi. The games that brought everyone together were written by Yuki Yuki and herself. Baqi's orders were a bit messy, but she definitely wouldn't write something like "couples for an hour".

Adding to the fact that Helica had told him about the confession during the day, and Helica's very unusual behavior after being chosen, even by process of elimination, it's possible to conclude that the final punishment game was Helica's doing.

Based on Nishio Reki's memory of each person, this conclusion is not difficult to draw.

"That shorty. Who else could it be but her? I even compared the handwriting." Ba Qi lay down on her side, seemingly having temporarily given up on the idea of ​​going out.

Baqi's method was even more direct: she picked up the slips of paper one by one and compared the handwriting on the last one. That would leave only one answer.

Although their methods differed, both reached the same conclusion.

"She wanted to prank someone, but ended up picking herself, so she can't take the joke anymore. It's nothing, is it? Is it really worth getting so depressed? Tch." Ba Qi snorted disdainfully and stretched. "It's a shame Xiao Yuan was planning to comfort her after she found out. If you ask me, it was completely unnecessary."

"Hmm." Nishio Reki responded noncommittally, leaving one wondering what she was thinking.

"Wait a minute?" Ba Qi rolled her eyes, her expression turning serious. "Why would she be withdrawn over something so trivial..."

She was saying something similar to what she had just said, but Baki was beginning to realize Helica's true intentions.

It's not hard to guess what Helica is thinking, even for someone like Baki who doesn't know Helica at all.

With a whoosh, Baqi sprang up from the ground and walked to the semi-open wardrobe where her casual clothes were hanging. She then pulled down the small trench coat that was similar in style to the magical outfit she wore when she was in her divine liberation.

Nishio Reki remained seated, motionless.

"Aren't you worried? Xiaoyuan is alone with that guy. What if something happens between them..."

Tomoe knew perfectly well what kind of feelings Nishio Reki had for Yuuki Yuuki. The brief period of jealousy and rivalry during that time made Tomoe completely understand that Nishio Reki's feelings were definitely not just empty talk.

She seems a bit too calm right now.

Nothing will happen between them.

Nishio Ryūichi's statement was made with absolute certainty.

“That’s not what I meant! I meant, that guy is…”

Since there was still Lin Jiezi in the room who hadn't spoken, Inuyama Baqi didn't dare to be completely direct, so she could only let Nishio Reki understand her meaning through tacit understanding.

“That’s exactly what I meant.” Nishio Reki’s tone became even more certain.

Helica herself said that she would confess her feelings at the Nebula Grand Society the next day.

So nothing will happen tonight, absolutely.

"Okay, sure, no problem." Ba Qi seemed unsure how to answer, offering a series of perfunctory replies.

But eventually, she completely removed her hand from the coat and, as if in a fit of pique, sat cross-legged in the spot where Yuuki had been lying, her hands resting on her knees, staring intently at Helica's position in the darkness with a huffy gaze.

Nishio Reki turned around and remained seated, waiting for Helica and Yuuki Yuuki to return.

Like a harmonious group, ask them what happened, and then let them rest, that's what Nishio Reki thought.

"How long do we have to wait?" After a while, Baqi glanced at Nishio Reki and asked.

"I don't know how long it will take for this to end."

Aren't you afraid something might go wrong?

"Didn't you say that Xiaoyuan trusts me, and I also believe in Xiaoyuan, that there won't be any problems? Besides, if there really is a problem, we will both be aware of it?"

"That's true, there won't be any problems..."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the door to the hotel room was flung open, and Yuuki Yuuki's stumbling figure came into view.

A blast of cold wind blew into the room through the wide-open door, making one instinctively hug their shoulders. The hinges opened and closed in the cold air, making a teeth-grinding sound.

After a long while, Helica Tianlei still did not appear at the door.

Something must have happened.

"Xiao Yuan?"

"Xiaoyuan, what's wrong! What happened?"

Yuuki Yui completely ignored any of them, and with unsteady steps, walked to the wardrobe and unbuttoned her pajamas without saying a word.

Inuyama Tomoe and Nishio Reki looked at Yuuki Yuuki's unusual appearance, exchanged glances, and saw endless confusion in each other's eyes.

Yuuki Yukino silently took off her pajamas and landed on the tatami mats on the floor. The moonlight shone on the girl's curves and her unpredictable expression, and even the black magic markings branded on her body were clearly visible.

But the girl's body only remained in sight for a few seconds before the beige knitted sweater covered her body.

Then, Yuuki bent down and took off her pajama bottoms as well. Under the puzzled gazes of the others, she quickly changed into black pantyhose and a button-down dress.

Finally, Yuuki Yukino picked up the hair tie, put her hands behind her back, and smoothly tied a ponytail behind her head.

No one dared to utter a single word throughout the entire process.

However, the claim that there would be no problems has already fallen apart in the face of Yuuki Yukino's unusual behavior.

Finally, Yuuki Yukino spoke.

He left behind a simple sentence, turned around, and disappeared into the night.

I need to be alone for a while.

Chapter Seventy-Two: Comfortable Coexistence

The rustling sound of shoes scraping against the carpet in the hotel corridor created a series of noises.

If you listen carefully, you can also distinguish two frequencies that are similar yet completely different and appear in the corridor at the same time.

"Don't follow me, I want to be alone."

Yuuki Yui walked quickly with her head down, clenching her fists and trying her best to control her voice so as not to disturb others' rest or appear too indifferent.

The promise of forming a bond between the two cities had no effect whatsoever.

"No."

While refusing, Inuyama Tomoe lifted her foot and put her deformed shoes, which had been stepped on, back on her heel. She then jogged a couple of steps to catch up with Yuuki Yuki.

"I already told you not to follow me."

Yuki walked even faster, her feet moving quickly and alternating, making a thumping sound on the stairs.

"I said, I don't want to!"

After putting on her shoes, Baqi ran down the stairs, reached out and buttoned up her coat, covering the pajamas she hadn't had time to change out of underneath.

"Why are you following me? It's not like I'm not coming back. I just want to be alone right now!"

Yuuki Yukino couldn't bear to give Baqi a harsh rejection, but she really needed some space to deal with her psychological issues.

At this moment, the person she least knows how to face is Inuyama Tomoe.

However, Baqi did not think so.

Yuuki Yukino definitely needs herself right now, Tomoe firmly believes.

"Absolutely not! Problems need to be solved! I won't let Xiaoyuan escape alone!"

The soft rustling sound turned into the stomping sound of footsteps on the floor tiles. After a while, the stomping sound stopped, leaving only a helpless sigh.

"Ugh."

Deliberately avoiding the front staircase where Helica was, Yuuki stopped at the back door of the inn, swallowed hard, and sighed helplessly.

"Let's talk somewhere else."

On the streets of Rainbow Leaf City.

Baqi seemed surprised that Yuki was so easy to talk to, and that Yuki agreed so readily to let her stay by her side, which made Baqi feel uneasy.

Looking around and shaking my head, all I could see was the sleeping street scene illuminated by the yellowish streetlights.

Immediately, Baqi spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

"I didn't expect it to be so easy to sneak out. Was no one going to stop me?"

As the cold wind blew, Yuuki Yukino's heart, which had been agitated by that scalding kiss, gradually began to calm down.

The girl wrinkled her nose, exhaled a breath of stale air, and the heavy feeling that had been pressing down on her chest eased slightly.

"Teachers also need to sleep. It's not like we're camping in the wild. Because of the potential dangers, someone has to stay and keep watch at night. You could say that sneaking out during a school trip is an unavoidable part of the experience."