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

Her own heartbeat, her own trembling, were all accurately transmitted to the other person through the finger that Yuuki Eri extended.

"Although that's what Xiao Li said, it's telling me that you're still struggling with something, so what Xiao Li said must not be the correct answer."

"Then what should I do?" Nishio Reki asked. "What does Yui think I should do?"

By bypassing all the procedures and directly seeking an answer from Yuuki Eri is itself an incomprehensible act.

It's as absurd as walking into a hospital and asking yourself how to get rid of pain before the doctor has even asked you where you feel unwell.

The thought that Nishio Reki asked this question had already thrown him into a state of confusion.

"I want to understand Xiao Li's heart, I want to know Xiao Li's struggles, I want to help Xiao Li untangle the knots in her heart." Yuki Yu said, placing her hand on Xiao Li's chest, feeling the rhythm of the other's body.

"So, I want Xiaoli to tell me her true thoughts."

Yuuki Yukino wasn't a doctor, but she did what a doctor should do: try to listen to the heart of a patient suffering from heart disease.

"So, Xiao Li likes me, right?"

Yuuki asked the same question again and received the same answer.

"Um……"

But she didn't give up. Instead, she went a step further, not aggressively, but still gradually breaking down Nishio Reki's defenses.

With her hands behind her back, Yuuki Yuki moved even closer, taking a step that compressed the distance between the two, who were already facing each other, to almost nothing.

"The kind of liking that makes you want to kiss?"

Under Yuuki Yuki's piercing gaze and burning with emotion, Nishio Reki seemed to have lost his soul, unable to come up with any excuse to evade the situation.

"Ah."

I want to kiss you.

Cheeks, nose, forehead, lips...anywhere is fine, I want to kiss them.

She waited expectantly, then slowly closed her eyes.

Since Yuuki Yukino has already asked this question, she should give herself a light peck, right?

She waited, but her wish was not fulfilled.

The girl's warmth seemed to have moved further away from him, and the midday breeze dispersed some of the heat, making Nishio Reki blush even more, like a fool.

Yuuki Yukino's eyes narrowed to slits, it was hard to tell whether it was the joy of receiving a positive answer or the suppressed laughter at seeing her own embarrassing state.

But her next problem arose.

"The kind of liking that involves wanting to spend the night together?"

"Ah."

Nishio Reki had learned her lesson; she simply nodded.

It's noon now, not yet time to spend the night together.

"The kind of liking where you want to be together?" Yuuki Yuen asked again.

The blunt and direct questioning led Nishio Reki to confront his own inner thoughts.

"Ah."

"Isn't that just liking someone?" Yuuki Yuuki chuckled.

Even though he knew Yuuki Yukino couldn't possibly have that intention, Nishio Reki still felt like he'd been tricked.

"So what if it is?"

Yuuki Yukino's brow relaxed: "If you clearly like me, why are you hiding from me?"

"I didn't! I just..." Nishio Reki instinctively retorted, but bathed in Yuuki Yuki's gaze, she couldn't say anything more.

Humans are very emotional creatures.

Sentiment is like an irrational number with no discernible rules; it is unpredictable, erratic, and constantly accompanied by endless noise and floating points.

Trying to understand human emotions with reason is a foolish idea; doing so will only lead to the conclusion that "human emotions cannot be understood with reason."

Even the person who possessed this emotion, Nishio Reki himself, didn't know what he was doing.

All those harassments and overtures she made to Yuuki were like a forced smile on her face.

They are all wrong, false, uncontrollable, and incomprehensible.

None of them were sincere.

It seems that only by doing those things can Yuuki Enishi notice her existence.

What exactly should I do to get Yuuki Yukino's attention?

The person who was acting on impulse, Nishio Reki, had no idea what he should do.

Being with Yuuki Yuki made her seem like she was drunk—even though she had never actually been drunk and had never even touched a drop of alcohol.

Taking advantage of his drunkenness, Nishio Ryū let out a soft sigh.

"I just don't know how to face you."

"Why?" Yuuki Yuuki's eyes seemed to light up.

"Because I don't know how to face you..."

It was just a pointless statement, simply repeating what she had already said.

"I let Xiaoyuan down. I failed to do what I was supposed to do and instead indulged in the present. I was the worst one. I made a mess of things."

Yuuki Yukino's eyes flickered again, but Nishio Reki's attention was no longer on Yuuki Yukino.

"I like Xiaoyuan, the kind of liking that Xiaoyuan talked about. I like her so much that I want to be with her forever, I like her so much that I want to go beyond friendship, and I like her so much that I want to spend the rest of my life with her, whether it's just one day left or a lifetime."

A heartfelt confession that should never have been uttered broke through the dam of reason at that moment.

"But this affection won't help Xiaoyuan; it will only cause distress to Xiaoyuan and the people around her. My very existence will bring distress to those around me."

"Whether it's a school trip, a Halloween job, or a group activity, as long as I'm there, I'm the discordant note, and everyone will feel down because of me."

"Clearly, clearly it was because I liked Xiaoyuan that I did these things, but... but it turned out like this..."

"In the end, I not only couldn't help Xiaoyuan, but I also couldn't be there for her... Honestly, what am I doing?"

Nishio Reki spoke softly, rambling on and on, her thoughts as chaotic as her emotions.

She gradually transitioned from not paying attention to Yuuki Yukino's expression to not daring to pay attention to it.

humble.

Yes, Nishio Reki finally figured out how to use a rational word to summarize his feelings.

Humblely hiding in the shadows, humbly wanting to get closer, yet too humbly afraid to approach.

"So?" Yuuki Yuki raised an eyebrow and asked in the same casual tone she used when asking Nishio Reki if he liked her.

"So? What is Xiaoyuan talking about?" Nishio Reki asked, puzzled.

"Just because of these reasons that I don't understand a single word? So Rei has become inexplicable?" Yuuki blinked a few more times, revealing an expression that showed she genuinely thought Rei was inexplicable.

Even Li himself felt that his behavior was completely unreasonable, but he still wanted to say a few words in his defense.

"But that's because..."

"Why?" Yuuki Yui interrupted Reki's words with an impatient question.

According to Nishio Reki, Yuuki Yuuki doesn't seem to be willing to listen to his explanation.

"Because what I did was what I expected—or rather, what another part of me expected? And you disappointed that other part of me? You made a mess of things? Because the world is no longer under your control?"

Yuuki Yukino was merely repeating what Nishio Reki had just said, but those same words sounded like torture to her.

"Xiao Li, I've said it before, you're just a passenger on this train, and the trolley problem is none of your business."

"And those expectations of my other self..." Yuuki Yui stopped mid-sentence, seemingly brewing an intense emotion like a volcanic eruption.

But she didn't pause for long; a flurry of intense output followed.

"Similarly! If I have any expectations, it's that Xiao Li can stop dwelling on those messy things! Is Xiao Li going to care about what another version of me said to you, and ignore the real me standing in front of you right now?"

Just as Nishio Reki felt that Yuuki Yuuki's emotions seemed to have reached their peak, unexpectedly, Yuuki Yuuki's tone suddenly softened.

"Perhaps you have things you must do, but you don't need to shoulder so many responsibilities, at least you don't have to shoulder them all alone."

“I know. Xiao Li has done a lot for me. She has been working hard on her own in places I don’t know about. I’ve always known that.”

"Thank you for your hard work all this time."

"I don't find it hard," Li stubbornly retorted, only to find that his voice had a very heavy nasal tone.

"I...I don't feel tired at all...but I have to..."

Li clenched his fists, momentarily unsure of what to say to Yuuki Yuki.

"I've already said, Xiao Li doesn't need to force herself."

Nishio Reki could feel a soft body pulling him into its embrace, a hand gently patting his back, soothing the restlessness in his heart.

The two embraced tightly, their emotions, which should have intensified, now felt surprisingly calm.

When did Yuuki Yui start calling herself "Koyori"?

Li couldn't recall it; this title, which should have been a source of joy, was overlooked due to her inner turmoil.

It seems that in his pursuit of that distant goal, and in his anger at the inability to achieve it, he neglected the woman who should have been by his side, and even more so, he ignored his irreparable mistake.

Yuuki Yukino trusts herself.

She knew, she always knew, and not only she, but even Inuyama Tomoe, who came to her door, knew.

Nishio Reki has always taken Yuuki Yuki’s trust for granted.

She has never reciprocated Yuuki Yukino's trust enough.

She herself didn't believe in Yuuki Yuki, and didn't believe that Yuuki Yuki could completely accept her as she was.

The person who makes a mistake is always the one who considers themselves inferior.

But do I really deserve this kind of self...?

As if knowing what Yuki was thinking, Yuuki tightened her embrace.