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

How should Yuuki Yuuki answer this question?

Just the fact that Herika confessed her feelings to her caused such a strong reaction from Baki. If the truth were told to Baki that Herika suddenly kissed her or something like that, then Baki would probably actually fight with Herika.

It might even escalate into a magical girl war.

But since Baqi has already asked, I can't keep quiet about it.

"Please don't get angry about what I'm about to say," Yuuki Yuen said, giving him a heads-up.

"No, I'm mentally prepared. I won't get angry no matter what Yuuki says," Baqi assured Yuuki confidently.

Lies! Baqi just said you'd stay calm, but you're furious just because of the confession.

Never mind, let's just say what we mean.

Yuuki Yukina recounted to Baqi from her own perspective how she went out to find Helica, how she chatted with Helica, how Helica forcibly kissed and confessed her feelings to her before she could even mention the wish ticket, and how she finally escaped back.

As expected, Baqi flew into a rage upon hearing this.

Fortunately, Baqi didn't impulsively go back to confront Helica, otherwise Yuuki Yuki would have faced even more trouble.

Baqi was well aware that she was unhappy after hearing these things, and that venting her feelings would be enough.

Because it was wrong to cause trouble for Yuuki Yukino, he only verbally expressed his displeasure with Helica.

After Yuki finished recounting the whole story, only the events that had transpired, Baqi composed herself and asked a question.

"So, Xiaoyuan, what are your thoughts on this?"

Yuuki Yui replied, "At least I know that her sudden offer to join us wasn't because she suspected me, nor did she intend to monitor our every move to find any flaws in us. That should be considered good news, right? In any case, we don't need to be so wary of her tomorrow."

“You know that’s not what I’m asking about,” Baqi frowned.

“Yes, but that’s what I think.” Yuuki Yuka said in a hoarse, dry voice:

"When someone confesses their feelings to me, my first thought isn't how to respond to their feelings, but rather that I'm safe and don't need to be so nervous anymore. She really didn't doubt me, so I breathed a sigh of relief."

"After that, when I felt safe, I gradually began to understand the motivations behind everything Helica had done before. It was all because she liked me. And what did I do? I ignored her and trampled on her feelings, unable to even give her a single response."

"You and Hong Moli are actually very close, aren't you?" Ba Qi suddenly asked a question that had nothing to do with the current situation.

Hyakki Senyou had actually asked Hong Moli the same question before.

One second she's expressing self-loathing, the next she's asking this kind of question. It's either a way of changing the subject, or she has her own agenda, or both.

Yuuki Yukino honestly replied, "I'm alright?"

“Otherwise, why would Xiaoyuan go to Hong to talk about it as soon as she realized there was something wrong with her body?” Baqi said with great certainty as she turned her head.

Isn't the reason why she sought out Hong Mari to discuss this matter because Hong Mari is the only normal person among the fallen magical girls on Yuuki Yuuki's side?

Although her tendency to overthink is not very normal.

“Indeed.” Yuuki Yui didn’t know how to answer Baqi.

"Xiaoyuan and Hong are actually the same kind of people, right? They always carry a lot of messy things on their shoulders, they always overthink and scare themselves, and they always want to solve problems by themselves. Xiaoyuan and Hong are almost exactly the same in these aspects."

Yuuki Yukina thought about her past actions and realized that it really was true.

When she was isolated while being protected by Nijisanji, when she was being targeted by Koumori, when she was preparing to fight against Kuroba Reisei, and most of all when she was with Nijisanji, she was always trembling with fear, bound by those terrible possibilities.

"I thought things would get better for Xiaoyuan after the Black Feather Reincarnation was dealt with, but it didn't at all! Xiaoyuan always seems to find new ways to scare herself, and then she starts worrying unnecessarily. Although Xiaoyuan's worries are all based on some evidence."

"I know, I know. Xiaoyuan is very troubled by the Black Demon Mark and wants to find a way to get rid of it once and for all, so she is under a lot of psychological pressure. But the result of doing so is just scaring herself, isn't it?"

Baqi stopped talking, seemingly waiting for Yuki Yuki's response.

“I know what you’re saying, and I also want to enjoy this school trip, but sometimes I just can’t help thinking about random things. I tell myself it’s better to be prepared than not… but I don’t know if I’m being too nervous.”

Like Helica, Yuuki looked up at the starry sky she didn't recognize, took a deep breath, and then shouted it out with all her might.

"Ugh, so annoying!"

It must be said that this method did make Yuuki Eri much better.

Hearing Yuuki Yuuki's shouts, Baqi's expression softened considerably: "Can't we take it slow? I'll help Yuuki solve the problems step by step. After all, I love Yuuki so much."

"Hachi." Yuuki Yuuki suddenly became serious, calling out Hachi's name, and asked very solemnly, "Is this considered a confession?"

"If Xiaoyuan thinks it counts, then let's count it. But if it counts, I've already confessed to Xiaoyuan countless times." Ba Qi laughed, showing her teeth.

Is that so? Does this count as a confession?

This puts Yuuki Yukino in the same situation as when she faced Helica.

She wasn't sure how to face Inuyama Tomoe, who liked her.

Because she lacks the ability to give a clear response to this affection.

Liking this kind of thing is really too heavy.

But she could explain her feelings to Baki, something she couldn't do with Helica.

"However, I can't give a clear response to this feeling of affection. I don't know what to do. You've done so much for me, but I can't do anything in return."

Because she had promised Baqi that she wouldn't hide anything from her, Yuuki Yukino said this.

No, promising Baqi that he would say such a thing was just an excuse; his words would only hurt Baqi.

What Yuuki Yukino is doing is using this excuse to find an outlet for her emotions and to allow herself to speak her true feelings.

Yuki Yuki also knew in her heart that it was a cruel thing for her to know that her feelings for Tomoe could not be reciprocated.

Does the response matter?

Yuuki Yukino never expected that Baqi would say such a thing, shattering her perception of Baqi.

"Isn't it important?" Yuuki Yuen retorted.

"Important?" Baqi answered the question with a question, like a wheel pushing the topic back to its starting point.

"Doesn't Baqi want to... date me?" Yuuki Yuuki's expression clearly wavered when she mentioned the word "date."

"To say I don't want to date would be a lie, but I really feel that whether we date or not isn't that important, as long as I'm by Xiaoyuan's side. We'll just let things take their course from here on out."

"Let nature take its course." Yuuki Yuki was even more surprised that Baqi would say such a thing.

“Yes, let nature take its course. If Xiaoyuan wants to be with me, nothing can separate us. If Xiaoyuan doesn't want to, no matter how hard I try, I may not be able to change her mind.” Ba Qi pouted and thought for a moment before asking, “Doesn't Xiaoyuan want me to stay by her side?”

"How could that be!" Yuuki Yuen vehemently denied.

Ba Qi snapped her fingers: "That's good then. Isn't my relationship with Xiao Yuan just fine like this?"

"What's so good about staying by my side?" Yuuki asked sullenly, then hurriedly explained, "I'm not throwing a tantrum, I'm just curious what I can get by staying by my side? I'm still in danger of being corrupted by the Black Magic Mark."

"Look, look! It's started again! It's become a giant version of Red Jasmine!" Bakina shouted, pointing at Yuuki Yukina with her fingers still out of her hand after snapping them.

"No, I didn't!" Yuuki Yuki's rebuttal seemed so weak in the face of her reaction just now.

"I'm not staying by Xiaoyuan's side because I want any response. Replenishing mana or fighting together are some of the reasons, but the most fundamental reason I'm staying here is that I want to stay by Xiaoyuan's side."

Baqi shook her head.

"Okay, seriously, do you need a reason to like someone and want to be by their side?"

"Hmm..." Yuuki Yui seemed to be convinced.

"If you want to give me a reason, I can! Because of that guy Nishio Reki, I inexplicably became a corrupted magical girl, and at that time, Yui lent me a helping hand. Ah, I've said this many times."

"Although that guy later said that he did it because Xiaoyuan would definitely come to help me, doesn't that also mean that no matter how many times, Xiaoyuan will definitely lend a helping hand to me?"

"If we're going to elaborate further, when Xiaoyuan helped me, did she expect anything in return? No, right? After she found out that I was actually the daughter of a wealthy family, did Xiaoyuan ask me for anything? No, right?"

"So I just wanted to do it, that's why I did it. We don't necessarily need to be bound by any kind of relationship. As long as we are happy to be by each other's side, that's the best thing."

"Maybe one day in the future, Xiaoyuan will leave me for some reason? But I feel that I am very happy to have met Xiaoyuan."

"I am indeed very greedy, so greedy that I want to dominate Xiaoyuan's entire future, but I will not force Xiaoyuan's future to be entirely mine."

"I also hope that Xiaoyuan can find happiness and have a good future. If I am in Xiaoyuan's happy future, that would be even better."

Indeed, that's just Baqi's personality—somewhat willful, somewhat straightforward—and she never forces herself to do anything.

That's why I feel so comfortable when I'm with Baqi.

This kind of relationship is good.

This is enough for me and Baqi.

"Oh right, there's one more thing I need to make clear to Xiaoyuan."

Baqi suddenly spoke.

"If Xiaoyuan were to date someone else, I might get really angry and kill that person, right?" Baqi said this with a serious expression: "Who told me to be a fallen magical girl?"

"Hey! Don't just kill people like that!"

Yuuki Yukino jokingly scolded him.

The knot in my heart that had been accumulating for so long seems to have been untied a little.

Chapter Seventy-Four Gradient Colors

"Don't move! Don't come any closer! I told you not to come any closer! If you... if you move even a little bit more, I'll... I'll..."

Taiga Oki had his arm wrapped around Tomoe Inuyama's neck, his other hand, which was in a cast and was draped in front of his neck by bandages. He was loudly ordering Yuuki Yukino not to come any closer with a trembling voice and a frightened look in his eyes.

“That’s right, we’re not pushovers. If you make a move, we’ll take her down faster than you.” Ono Kogure frowned, hiding behind Taiga, his eyes fixed warily on Yuuki Yuki.

"I didn't move." Yuuki Yuen raised her hands, indicating that she had no intention of making a move at all, while giving Baqi a look, signaling Baqi not to act rashly.

Baqi looked back listlessly, standing motionless like an oak log, showing neither fear of being held hostage nor any intention to take action.

So why did things turn out this way?

This all started not long ago when Yuuki Yuki and Tomoe were chatting by the roadside.

After having a heart-to-heart talk with Baqi by the roadside, Yuuki Yukina finally understood the most comfortable way for her and Baqi to get along—to let things take their natural course.

The same applies to Helica's situation. Since I can't give her a clear answer, I can only let things take their course.

If Helica doesn't bring it up again, then he'll pretend it never happened. Otherwise, he'll tell Helica, just like he told Baki, that he has no intention of dating her.

It sounds a bit cheesy.

But at least it resolved Yuuki Yuuki's dilemma tonight, or rather, it temporarily put the dilemma aside.

Constantly keeping one's nerves on edge seems to be very taxing, and the moment Yuuki Yuuki relaxed, her stomach growled.