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

"I won't hold a grudge against Xiaoli for what she did in the past, but in my eyes, Xiaoli is Xiaoli, whether she was right or wrong, she is still part of Xiaoli's existence."

"I'm willing to accept anything that belongs to Xiao Li."

"So, Xiao Li, don't let those meaningless worries stifle your feelings. I don't want those responsibilities to create an insurmountable gap between Xiao Li, who is so close to me."

"Xiao Li has done so much for me, and I want to help her in return. Besides, Xiao Li did this all for me. Wouldn't it be better if we faced those challenges together?"

"So, Xiao Li, can you open your heart to me, trust me a little more, and accept me a little more?"

The sobbing black-haired girl buried her face in Yuuki Yukino's shoulder, just as she had done in the middle of the morning when she was half asleep.

Then, she nodded vigorously.

Another water stain spread across the girl's chest.

Behind the girl, the hand gently patted her again, helping her to smooth out the turmoil churning within her.

She, named Yuuki Eri, personally untied the knot that she had tied in her past and in her future.

Chapter Thirty: Can I Kiss You?

The temperature in late autumn is not very warm, and there is always a faint chill in the air. When sitting in the room, you often have to curl your toes to avoid the chill that climbs from the soles of your feet all the way to the top of your head, making you shiver involuntarily.

But noon is different; the midday sun can dispel the unpleasant chill in the air.

At this time of day, Yuuki Enishi usually prefers to stay snuggled in bed, basking in the warm sun, and passing the time with her phone in hand.

She still remembers the midday sun during the autumn long weekend when she was in high school before she traveled back in time, and how she was basking in the sun, full of daydreams about the future.

Especially since Yuuki Yuen had just gone out for a walk in the morning and bought her own costume for Halloween, she should take a good rest before the midday warmth fades.

However, the current situation does not allow for this.

The black-haired girl was sitting next to him on his bed, just as she had when he first transmigrated.

Li stared at her knees, where her hands were entangled, weaving a tale of inner turmoil.

The tear stains and red eyes hadn't faded from her face, and her slightly bitten lower lip made her look like an ordinary girl, completely different from her usual strong self.

No, Li was just an ordinary girl; it's just that I sometimes had too high expectations of her.

However, the current situation is completely reversed from when he traveled through time.

Back then, Yuuki Yukino's personality wasn't as chaotic as it is now. She was preoccupied with avoiding strange situations, so she decisively rejected Arata.

But if I had hardened my heart and wanted to experience the intimate moments between girls, wouldn't the story—no, reality—have changed drastically?

Thinking about all this now is just wishful thinking; let's get back to the present situation.

Why did things develop this way?

More than ten minutes ago, I felt it wasn't right to just let Li leave alone, so I called Li back and asked her how she really felt about me.

At the time, Li was still being vague, but I couldn't stand it any longer, so I directly exposed Li and pressed her to tell me what was going on, and told her that I also wanted to help share her burden.

Then, Li first felt inexplicably shy, and then, after her persistent pleading, she confessed what she was struggling with.

Then Li started crying, confessing to herself as she cried, revealing her true feelings to herself as she cried.

Seeing Li crying so hard, I was worried about letting her go back like this, and I couldn't bear to do it, so I took Li upstairs.

Everything was normal up to this point, and there was nothing abnormal about what happened next. What was abnormal was the current atmosphere and Yuuki Yukino, who was affected by the atmosphere.

If it were Ba Qi, she probably would have pounced on him already; it's impossible for the two of them to just sit there like idiots.

"I...I'm sorry..." Li's voice was a little hoarse, but her emotions had stabilized after she had just finished crying.

Yuuki Yukino gently shook her head.

The warm sunlight streaming through the window seemed to be subtly raising the temperature between the two of them.

Although the atmosphere was a bit ambiguous, Yuuki Yuki wasn't the type to become completely rational just because the atmosphere was a little ambiguous.

But Baqi is, she definitely is, being alone with Baqi in any enclosed space is dangerous.

"It's okay. I'm happy to hear Xiao Li's honest opinion... because it shows that Xiao Li trusts me, right?"

As Yuuki Yuki spoke, she gently placed her hand on the back of Nishio Reki's hand, conveying a reassuring warmth.

"Um……"

Li was startled at first, but didn't cry out. Instead, he lowered his head to himself.

She still seemed somewhat reserved, a stark contrast to her previous appearance as a mysterious figure who met with Yuuki Eri as a confidante.

The real Yuki wasn't the arrogant and meddlesome person she was during that mysterious period; those traits were all to prevent Yuki Yuki and all the magical girls involved from suspecting the disguise she was wearing.

Although Li's chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) tendencies were activated, she still enjoyed playing the role.

But to repay Yuuki Yuki's trust, all that pretense is no longer needed.

If I stop pretending and stop running away, what should I give Yuuki Yukino?

Is it a frank expression of feelings?

The girl's knuckles, which were burning hot from being held in her palm, twitched slightly, reminding her that she seemed to have been holding the other's hand for far too long.

Yuuki Yukino slowly moved her hand away, as if afraid of disturbing the delicate nerves of Reki who had just cried, and softened her tone even more.

"Xiao Li, go wash your face first, otherwise if others see you, they'll say I'm bullying you."

In a half-joking tone, Yuuki Yukino tried to break the current atmosphere.

"Ah."

Li agreed again, stood up from the bed, shrugged his shoulders, straightened his back, and stretched his slightly sore body.

Li, who had straightened up, did not leave the room as Yuuki had hoped. Instead, he turned to face Yuuki and cast a somewhat conflicted look down at her.

"Xiaoyuan, that..."

"Hmm?" Yuuki Yuki raised her head, looking puzzled.

Even knowing that my feelings are that kind of love...won't Xiaoyuan feel... troubled?

Nishio Reki spoke cautiously, afraid that he might say something wrong that would upset Yuuki Yuuki.

But Yuuki Yuuki wasn't upset at all. In fact, when Yuki took the initiative to talk to her about these things and ask for her thoughts, Yuuki Yuuki was overjoyed.

This is the first step in a positive direction.

"Of course I'm not bothered at all. I'm happy that Koyomi likes me." Yuuki Yukino gently narrowed her eyes. "On the contrary, Koyomi doesn't need to be so reserved. Aren't we childhood friends? Wouldn't it be better to be more frank and relaxed?"

But then, Yuuki Yukina heard an unexpected name from Nishio Reki.

"Then... what about Helica the Thunder... she also told you she liked you, right?"

Yuuki Yukino's smile froze on her face.

Everyone knows that Helica confessed her feelings to him. If it weren't for that incident, he probably wouldn't have met Mashiro Urouge by chance, and there wouldn't have been the series of events that followed the school trip.

But does Nishio Reki's mention of Helica now mean he wants an answer from him?

If Li could truly travel through time, her personality wouldn't be too different across different timelines. She should already know what kind of personality she has, and the other person should also know what kind of response she would give.

Or perhaps Li felt she was a special case and wanted to give it a try?

"I did not mean that!"

As Yuuki Yukina was trying to figure out what Nishio Reki was thinking, Nishio Reki suddenly interrupted her reverie with a loud voice.

"I mean……"

But then, Li couldn't say anything more.

Because that's exactly what she meant—she wanted to know if there was any possibility between her and Yuuki Yuuki now.

This idea was somewhat out of the ordinary, yet it held a certain degree of hope.

It seems that the ambiguous atmosphere in the room at that moment influenced Li's boldness.

But at the last moment, Li still hesitated.

Or, in a moment of desperation, they changed their statement and went even further down an even more outrageous path.

"I just want to get closer to Xiaoyuan..."

She stammered as she spoke of her inner thoughts.

"Because you see, Xiaoyuan, Inuyama Baqi, and Tenrai Helica all replenished their mana... right..."

Yuuki Yukino already understood what Reki was talking about.

These are words that Jiecheng Yuan cannot say to Li: Don't dwell on it, just say what you mean.

It would be out of character for me to be able to speak frankly.

"No! That's not what I meant!" Li repeated what he had just said: "It's not because Xiaoyuan had anything with them that I... I don't think Xiaoyuan is a promiscuous woman... but..."

Nishio Reki swallowed hard, unaware of how many more words she swallowed with each swallow.

After much deliberation, Nishio Reki finally made up his mind.

"My feelings for Xiaoyuan are just like what she said: I want to be together, I want to date, I want to kiss, I want to hold you and spend the night together. I... I know some of my requests might be a bit excessive, but I still..."

The game's timeline actually feels quite disjointed in some aspects of the storyline.

Aside from a few specific CGs related to the main storyline where the emotions develop naturally, in most other CG scenes, it's as if Li's personality has undergone a complete 180-degree turn, engaging in intimacy in ways that don't fit her character.

This is understandable, since the CG wouldn't be able to proceed without it, and players wouldn't be able to see the content they want to see.

But the real story is just like her now, standing in front of Yuuki Yuuki, hesitating and stammering as she says these words.

"Anyway, so...so, can Xiaoyuan kiss me?"

Yuuki Yukino did not answer Nishio Reki's question.

In fact, she has already given her own answer through her actions.

Yuuki Yukino lifted a strand of black hair that had fallen from Reki's head, letting the soft, dark hair wrap around her ring finger a few times before being held in her palm.

Pulled by his own hair, Nishio Reki was pulled down by Yuuki Yuki and bent over.

The ring finger was placed in front of Nishio Reki's lips.

The strand of hair twirling around her fingers was brought to Yuuki Yukino's lips.

Through her hair, the pink-haired girl gently closed her eyes and left a light peck on them.