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

The blonde girl heard the voice behind the bar, looked up, and saw Yuuki Yukino's welcoming speech get stuck halfway through.

The girl squinted her eyes and pursed her lips, giving Yuuki a look that Yuuki couldn't quite understand.

"Hey! What brings you all here?!"

Before Yuuki could finish speaking, Baqi, who was in charge of reception, exclaimed in surprise and ran to the newly entered customers with even lighter steps than when the store was open that evening.

"It's hard to believe that my older sister actually works," the blonde girl replied, holding her companion's hand.

“It’s a win-win situation: we can visit our different older sister and get some food.” Hyakki Chiyu continued, “Our older sister’s outfit is so cute.”

"Yuki's is good too, and the store has a festive atmosphere." Hong Moli's gaze swept around the store, and she praised it.

She and Yuuki Yuuki bought all those decorations together. Although she was just helping out, seeing the decorations being put to good use gave Koumori a great sense of accomplishment.

When Kou Mari's gaze swept over Nishio Reki, who was tidying up the tables left by guests on the other side, her expression changed slightly, but she didn't say anything and simply looked away.

Nishio Reki also noticed the commotion at the shop entrance. Even if she wasn't required to greet the customers, keeping an eye on what was happening inside the shop was a basic responsibility of her part-time job.

Upon seeing Hong Moli, Li raised his eyebrows, lowered his head, and consciously continued with his work.

Yuuki En caught a glimpse of lingering resistance in Kou Mari's eyes. It seemed that they were still holding a grudge about the fight between Reki and Kou Mari when Reki tried to stop Mari from running into Seishin, who was waiting to catch fish at the hospital.

Yuuki Yuki and Reki's relationship has been largely repaired, and because of Yuuki Yuki, Tomoe is no longer as strict with Reki, so the three of them get along quite well.

However, Hong Moli and Bai Gui Qianyou are different. A friend's friend is not necessarily a friend. The conflict between the two of them and Li is not so easy to resolve. Now that they have some grudges against each other, Yuki En can't say much.

If conflicts were so easily resolved, the world would be a wonderful place.

Fortunately, the blonde girl who came was Kou Mari. If it had been another girl that Yuuki Yuuki knew very well, she really wouldn't know what to do.

Forget it, that kind of person isn't the type to come to coffee alone.

Nijisanji's "Pickpocketing" order to bring others along? That's even more impossible. It's questionable whether they can even get back together. Yuuki Yui thinks it's her who has a problem thinking about these things.

Because of Hong Moli's glance, the originally cheerful atmosphere subtly changed, and the group stood still for a moment without speaking.

The customer and Baqi were standing dumbfounded in front of the bar, and this unusual behavior caught the attention of the store manager, Minato Nana.

"acquaintance?"

Minato Nana, who was busy finishing up her work at the store, also temporarily stopped what she was doing. When she noticed the face that had just come to the store a couple of days ago, she immediately understood what was going on.

Although these two people were dressed casually, they were both students of St. Yuu Academy and were juniors of Baqi before she transferred. Minato Nana remembered this very clearly, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to cultivate so many regular customers like the owner of a late-night diner.

"Oh, it's you? Welcome, welcome. Thank you for helping Yuuki buy things before."

"Not at all, I'm very happy to see the shop filled with the decorations that Yuuki-senpai and I bought together." Koumori nodded slightly and replied politely.

Hearing Koumori's answer, Minato Nana seemed even happier and waved her hand, granting the group a day off.

"It just so happens that things haven't been as busy as before, so you guys can take a break. I'll keep an eye on things for now, and I'll call you if things get too hectic."

The evening rush hour has passed. Normally, when Yuki Emi works, she would be getting ready to leave, but because of the popularity of the Halloween event, there are still a few tables of customers in the store, though it's not really necessary for many people to be there.

"Okay, thank you, Ms. Minato."

"Thank you, store manager."

Baqi thanked Yuuki and led Hong Moli to a quiet corner and towards their seats.

Just then, Li, who had finished tidying up the cups, returned to the bar area with the stacked plates. He went straight to the sink, soaked the cups in the sink, and rolled up his sleeves to start washing them.

"This job should have been done by Yuuki Yuuki. Even if you did it, I won't give you a raise."

Minato Nana moved to Reki's side, looking approvingly at the work Reki was doing. Then, with her back to Reki, she checked tonight's sales figures and asked in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Aren't you going to rest for a bit and stay with them?"

"No, I'm not very familiar with those two."

When asked this question, Li was taken aback for a moment, his hands paused for a second, and then the rustling sound of the cup brush rubbing against the cup wall rang out again.

There was a reason for Li's dazed look; in her mind, Minato Nana was probably the kind of person who didn't really consider other people's feelings.

But the fact that she took the opportunity to let a few people rest early while pretending to do other things and asking herself this question shows that Minato Nana is actually quite meticulous despite her rough exterior.

"Are those two Inuyama Tomoe's juniors? Yuuki Yuuki probably wasn't very familiar with them at first, but now they're close enough that she can ask them for help individually. Relationships are built up little by little."

Minato Nana adopted a very unusual attitude, like an elder advising a younger person.

“I know, but…” Li swallowed hard. “I had some conflicts with them before, not just with Inuyama Tomoe’s two junior classmates, but also with Inuyama Tomoe herself.”

"So how did you two make up with Inuyama Tomoe?" Minato Nana couldn't help but ask, sensing the gossip.

“We haven’t made up. We’ve never explicitly said we’d make up. She probably still harbors resentment towards me, right?” Li sighed, turning the washed cup upside down on the drying rack and picking up the next cup.

"I can't believe it. Didn't you two study together before? She was quite attentive when she taught you. Really, I couldn't tell at all that you two had any conflicts before."

Minato Nana glanced at the four people who were already seated. Tomoe, who had taken off her hood, was leaning against the sofa and talking about something.

Minato Nana turned to look at Reki, who was engrossed in washing cups, and her questions deepened.

"People with conflicts would study or work together? If I were someone who wanted to never speak to another person again and cursed them to be hit by a car the moment they stepped out the door, I wouldn't be a very forgiving person."

Nana's childish complaint, which seemed out of place for her age, made Reki chuckle.

"I have no prejudice against Inuyama Tomoe. It's just me, I think, who did some excessive things to her, so there's nothing I can do about her holding a grudge."

"A matter of feelings? You two were fighting over Yuuki?"

"No, it's something more serious."

Although there were a few days of jealousy and rivalry over Yuuki Yuuki.

"Who says matters of the heart are unreliable? If not handled properly, anything terrible can happen."

As she spoke, Minato blinked hard and cleared her throat, letting this seemingly casual suggestion, which she herself deeply understood, slip by, and its impact on her was concealed in her subtle movements.

"I didn't say that relationships are inappropriate, but the conflicts between us are for other reasons," Li explained, sighing. "Anyway, it's just that she has some issues with me, but she's willing to spend time with me. It's probably still because of Xiao Yuan, right?"

"Because Xiaoyuan always has a strange power that can bring all sorts of people together."

"Maybe it's because she's a magical girl?"

Minato Nana casually rambled on about nonsensical things.

wow——

The water gushing from the tap overflowed the coffee cup in Nishio Ryū's hand, creating a small whirlpool. The excess water flowed down Nishio Ryū's fingers into the sink below, forming an even larger whirlpool.

"If she's not a magical girl, how could she have such amazing power? Or is it... her charisma?" Minato Nana continued, when she suddenly heard an unnatural sound of running water behind her. She turned around abruptly and looked at Nishio Reki, who was holding a coffee cup and standing there in a daze.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly spacing out?"

"Huh? Oh, I was thinking, if Xiaoyuan were a magical girl, what kind of magical outfit would she wear? Something as pink and delicate as her hair? Or something as cool and stylish as her current outfit, which contrasts sharply with her personality?"

Once Li came to her senses, the symphony of flowing water was now accompanied by the sound of scrubbing.

As if piqued by the topic she had unintentionally mentioned and the reverie that had been running through her mind, Minato Nana continued to daydream.

"Maybe there's some kind of mind-reading magic? That way I can instantly know what others are thinking? Or even manipulate their minds and turn everyone in the world into my customers. No, if I had that kind of magic, wouldn't it be better to just lie around and collect money?"

"I don't think it's that kind of magic. Even if it were, it wouldn't matter. Interpersonal relationships have nothing to do with whether she's a magical girl or not. Although magic is amazing, it can't solve our emotional problems."

"Nishio, do you think ordinary people and magical girls can be friends? Or lovers?"

"OK."

"Because it's cool? Having a magical girl as a friend sounds really impressive?"

"No, it's the same reason I just mentioned. Whether it's between people, between magical girls, or between people and magical girls, it's all the same. The connections between them may have all sorts of reasons. Magical girl is just an identity."

"Oh?"

"The purest relationship should be one that doesn't consider each other's identities, but is established simply because you feel happy and comfortable together. Making friends just because someone is a magical girl seems a bit too utilitarian, doesn't it?"

Li paused for a moment: "Besides, aren't magical girls just ordinary people with mysterious powers?"

"So that's what you were thinking? That's rare." Minato Nana muttered to herself, and this time, it was her hands that stopped moving.

The scars that time has left on her do not seem to heal so easily.

Or perhaps, by accident, she got a minor scrape, causing her to feel the pain again.

"Hmm?" This time, it was Nishio Reki who felt puzzled.

“It’s nothing.” Minato Nana shook her head, then nodded gently. “Because that’s what I think too. A relationship is a relationship. There’s no need to ruin the relationship between two people because of messy identities.”

"But I have another question, Nishio. If your friend, or the person you like, were an evil magical girl who destroys the city, would you still hold onto this idea?"

Minato Nana shouldn't have asked that question. It's like an escape, a way for her to find some psychological justification for her past actions that have no standard of judgment to evaluate as good or evil.

However, this behavior is shameful. Seeking validation from a teenage girl makes her feel embarrassed to talk about it.

Although she was around the same age when she made that decision.

When Minato Nana asked that question, she wanted to hear the answer.

She knew all too well the heavy price that answer might come with.

Therefore, she stopped asking this question.

"Forget it, evil magical girls should be defeated by righteous magical girls. Once they're defeated, they can't be friends anymore."

And she did hear it, and heard Li give an answer that was almost identical to her own back then.

"No way, right?"

"Whether it's justice or evil, feelings are feelings. Isn't it only natural to correct the mistakes of your friends or lovers?"

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Coffee Party of the Fallen Magical Girl

"I'm saying, you still haven't told me why you suddenly came? And it's so late, is there really nothing else important?"

After settling into her seat, Baqi, who had just taken off her red hood, wiped her sweat with a wet wipe provided by the coffee shop and asked in disbelief.

Baqi's current reaction looked extremely familiar to Hong Moli, just like the day Yuki called Hong Moli out, when Hong Moli felt that Yuki might be about to tell her some special information.

"I heard from Yuuki that your activities will continue until the end of Halloween..." As magical girls who had gone through life-and-death battles together, and with such a personality advantage, Kurenai explained to Baqi without any hesitation.

Just as Komari started speaking, Baqi interrupted her, indignantly defending Komari against Yuuki Yuuki's rudeness.

"What Yuuki? Call him Yuuki-senpai."

“It’s alright, I told her to call me that. If she calls me ‘senpai,’ I’ll always think of Sakura Hanako.” Yuuki Yuen waved her hand, letting Koumari continue.

Hongmo cleared her throat and continued explaining what she hadn't finished saying: "Your event will continue until the end of Halloween, and there are a lot of guests. If they come during peak season, it will increase your workload."