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

A school trip should be like a school trip, where everyone has a good time.

I am a student, a third-year student preparing to step into a crossroads in my life, and a good travel companion with someone I like.

Helica's life isn't just about being a magical girl.

Forget about her identity or being a magical girl for now.

"I really can't do anything with you. I don't want to take a picture with an idiot like you because of Yuuki Yuuki... But, I can't just reluctantly accompany you, understand?"

Helika pulled Nishio Reki, who had always been by her side.

"Hey, wanna take a picture together?"

Chapter 88 Even street performance art doesn't have anything like this, does it?

"Look, Xiaoyuan has her eyes closed in this photo! It looks so funny."

On the bumpy bus, Baqi's fingers swiped across the screen of her phone, one photo after another flashing before her eyes, filling an entire photo album.

The others also bent over and gathered around Baqi, admiring the photos taken at the top of the mountain and reminiscing about that short but fulfilling time.

"Weren't you guys moving too fast? You just climbed up and you're already taking pictures. I'm exhausted!"

As the protagonist and the center of the team, Yuuki Yukino couldn't help but scold Baqi when she talked about her appearance in the photos, but there was no hint of complaint in her tone. She was also completely immersed in the joy of climbing the mountain.

"Yuki Yuuki, your stamina is too poor. You should exercise more. You'll get sick if you continue like this." Nishio Reki commented on Yuuki Yuuki's poor stamina, intentionally or unintentionally trying to reduce Helica's suspicions about her.

How could someone with such weak stamina possibly be a magical girl? That's the message Nishio Reki is trying to convey.

"We're so pressed for time today, if we don't hurry up we'll miss the next stop! We still need to see the waterfall."

Unlike when she arrived, Helica also joined the discussion. Although she couldn't suddenly become indifferent to all her previous worries, she was no longer the low-pressure zone in the team.

Herika cannot prove Yuuki Yuki's innocence in a short time, nor can she change the final outcome. Being unhappy for no reason will only make her gain nothing.

This is good. Just enjoy the school trip and leave everything else behind, Helica told herself.

Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, Yuuki Yukino breathed a sigh of relief at the change that began after Helica reached the top of the mountain.

She underestimated Helica's maturity; the real Helica was much stronger than she imagined.

"I'll talk to Helica about the follow-up to my confession later tonight," Yuuki Yuki secretly resolved.

The hour-long drive was over, and the lively discussion about the trip couldn't last long. Soon, the fatigue from the hike overshadowed the excitement of the return, and the carriage gradually quieted down.

Yuuki Yuuki slumped in the chair, letting the music in her headphones and the soft chair soothe the accumulated fatigue, and began to feel her consciousness gradually drifting away from her.

"Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yuan."

Yuuki Yukino felt an elbow touch her arm while someone called her name.

The only person who would do that is Inuyama Tomoe, who is sitting next to him.

"Hmm." Half-asleep, Yuuki Yukari answered vaguely, opening her eyes a crack.

"Yuan, look at this." Baqi called out again, placing the phone in front of Yuuki Yu.

"What are you looking at?" Yuuki Yuen rubbed her sleepy eyes, slumped in her chair a few times, and then sat up straight again.

She thought Ba Qi was showing her some photos or something, and she was a little annoyed that Ba Qi had disturbed her rest.

But no, the news displayed on the phone screen instantly brought Yuuki Yukino back to her senses.

The first thing you see is a live video stream.

In the video, on an unfamiliar street, a girl with short, light blue hair wearing a loose-fitting outfit made of patchwork colors walks by as if no one is around.

Mixed paint dripped down her loose sleeves and onto the grout lines of the sidewalk, like a can of paint spilled on a canvas, leaving water stains that looked like snails crawling across them.

The black magic markings on the other person's face cannot be seen through the video, but that face and that flamboyant magical outfit are undoubtedly those of the magical girl who met Yuuki Yuuki last night and whom Seishine was warning her to stay away from this morning.

"What is this? Performance art?"

"She's been walking like this all morning. Is she mentally ill?"

"Who's going to clean up all that dirt? Shouldn't this be considered vandalism and subject to a fine?"

Am I the only one curious about where she hides all those paints?

"First impression: cute. Definitely a fan."

"The mixed pigments represent complex individuals; although there are many colors, it's ultimately not a work of art. I can't fit all the words in the comments, add me for an exclusive analysis..."

The comments scrolling across the screen were varied and numerous, with some even unfinished, but none of them hit the mark.

It's fortunate that ordinary people in Rainbow Leaf City can't distinguish between strange clothes and magical girl costumes. If this happened in Moonsea City, such strange behavior would have been mistaken for magical girl behavior, and everyone would have run away to take refuge.

"Yuan, what do you think she's doing?" Baqi lowered her voice, rested her head on the back of the seat in front of her, covered her mouth with her hand, and asked Yuuki Yuen's opinion in a low voice.

“Looking for me,” Yuuki Yukino replied immediately.

"Do you believe what Saint said?" Baki looked around, paying special attention to Helica, who was leaning against the car window with her eyes closed and breathing evenly. Only after confirming that she was not awake did she continue to ask.

On the way back from the hotel where Seishin was staying in the morning, pretending nothing had happened, Yuuki had already told Baqi the whole story.

Yuuki Yukino watched the live stream that was still playing on the screen for quite a while. The camera was shaking unsteadily, and it seemed that the person who started the live stream was secretly filming Genki Mashiro.

The streets were unfamiliar, but the road signs indicated that the filming location must be within the city limits of Nijiha City.

"After seeing what she's doing now, I have no reason not to believe her," Yuuki Yu said, taking out her phone and searching for local online forums.

Whether it's performance art or strange attire, the top search results are all related to Mashiro Gorky.

“We just met yesterday, and today he suddenly starts doing this kind of performance art. Don’t blame me for overthinking.” Yuuki showed the pages she had searched to Baqi.

Baqi left the live stream and, following Yuuki Yukino's example, searched for results, getting the same outcome.

But Baqi had a hunch and repeatedly searched using similar terms. Whether it was the way Genki Mashiro dressed or the confusing behavior she was doing, the fact that her best friend's content could be retrieved today was enough to show that this was the first time Genki Mashiro had done this.

After that incident, the next thing they did was start a series of bizarre actions. It's hard to believe that the other party wasn't targeting Yuuki Eri.

"Then what do we do?" Ba Qi turned off her phone screen and brought her face even closer.

Yuuki Yukino pressed her lips to Baqi's ear, glanced warily at Helica who remained motionless, and then spoke:

“She’s not doing anything. I guess she went to Saint Shiyin’s place this morning, so she should know that we haven’t left Rainbow Leaf City, otherwise she wouldn’t do something like this.”

From that live stream, Yuuki Yui had already discerned the other party's pattern of action—walking on the street, leaving behind magical paint of unknown purpose, nothing more.

"Although she knew we hadn't left, she probably didn't know we headed straight for Red Leaf Mountain this morning, which is why she was wandering around the city."

Yuuki Yukino paused for a moment, seemingly preparing her words.

"Fortunately, we are not in the city now, so she will definitely not be able to find us for a while. The longer it goes on, the more advantageous it will be for us. I believe she cannot keep searching without restraint."

This is just Yuuki Yukino's guess, but someone who can transform into a magical girl and walk down the street without a care in the world, and who wants to erase all magical girls, must be a bit mentally unstable.

“That makes sense. She’s in the open, and we’re in the shadows. It won’t be easy for her to find us,” Baqi agreed.

Yuki Yuki hadn't said anything yet, and she was worried that the other party would come directly to the hot spring inn where she was staying, which would be like catching a turtle in a jar.

If Mashiro really comes looking for him, even if he can protect others from harm, it's simply a pipe dream not to reveal his identity to Mizuno Yu and Herika.

So if things really develop to that point, Yuuki Yukino has no choice but to hide, even if it means leaving some new bad rumors at school, she has to avoid being found by Mashiro.

Fighting in a hot spring inn is no joke.

Another important point is that the reason she doesn't plan to meet with Genki Mashiro is because she's worried about getting into trouble during the school trip, but Genki Mashiro won't listen to this reason.

The fact that the other party was making such a fuss must mean that they wanted him to come to them. After hiding for a day and not cooperating, Mashiro Urouge saw it as a clear indication that he had no intention of having anything to do with them.

Will Mashiro Gorgen resort to any coercive measures? Like those magical paints on the ground?

Mashiro Gyoken is also a corrupted magical girl. Corrupted magical girls have no bottom line when it comes to doing things, and she will do anything to force herself to show herself.

In order to force Hong Moli and Bai Gui Qianyou to appear at the festival, Kuroba Laisheng directly attacked the festival crowd.

"My only worry right now is what those things she scattered on the street are, and whether they will cause any harm to ordinary people." Yuuki Yui tapped her fingers rhythmically on her knees, her toes trembling involuntarily as she stood on tiptoe.

“No.” Baqi answered with certainty: “This kind of thing won’t do her any good. She’s not sure we’ll show up if she does it. Using people from the city as hostages might work on the blond dwarfs, but it won’t work on us.”

"But Kuroba Reincarnation did that kind of thing back then."

Seeing the lack of confidence in Yuuki Yuki's eyes, Baqi continued to persuade her: "She is different from Kuroba Laisei. Although she seems to not care about the opinions of those around her, she probably won't attack others on her own initiative. As long as she doesn't find out, nothing will happen."

As Baqi spoke, her gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward the backs of Herika and Nishio Reki.

Yuuki Yukino could guess what Tomoe was thinking.

She spoke for Baqi, saying what Baqi wanted to say.

"The worst-case scenario is that we can find a way to get people together and take care of her before she does anything rash."

Chapter 89 Uncontrollable Factors

The bus slowly made its way towards its next destination with the low hum of its engine.

The bumpy carriage, the gloomy sky, and the refreshing air blowing in through the window all made me feel drowsy.

Yuuki Yuki leaned back in her chair, her eyes slightly closed, but she felt no drowsiness at all.

She was still thinking about Mashiro Gakuen.

The best course of action now is to wait and see. This is the final course of action that Yuuki Yuki and Inuyama Tomoe decided on.

However, Yuuki Yukino can only guarantee that she will not actively contact Utsuki Mashiro. Whether Mashiro will intensify her search for her in Nijiha City is beyond Yuuki Yukino's control.

If Helica and Mizuno Yuu discover that Genki Mashiro is wandering around, it could cause an even bigger crisis.

Mashiro is now wandering around the streets. It's probably because of the chaos caused by Tomoe's transformation this morning that she made contact with Seishin. She did this only after knowing that she hadn't agreed to Seishin's conditions to leave Nijiha City.

Just as Seishion told him about Mashiro Urokin's past, Mashiro Urokin has likely already heard about her glorious deeds.

There's no need for Seishin to hide this from Gen Ken Mashiro, and it's very likely she won't be able to hide it anyway, so it's definitely the right thing to do to treat it as the worst-case scenario.

Now, Mashiro Gorgen can unleash his power on the street without a care in the world—even if those passersby don't know what that power is.

If Mashiro Gorgen couldn't find him all day, Yuuki Yukino couldn't imagine what she might do next, something even more outrageous.

But as long as you promise not to show yourself, the other party will have no way to use their power.

"Hey... Xiaoyuan, look at this..."

Just as Yuuki was thinking about these things, Baqi nudged Yuuki's shoulder again and sent a video directly to Yuuki's account.

This time, Yuuki Yukino was no longer annoyed by the interruption and casually opened the video sent by Baqi.

Yuuki Yui was just worried that Genki Mashiro might escalate her actions, but now those actions have already begun to happen.