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

Yuuki Yukina turned her head to look at Inuyama Tomoe, who had forcefully pulled her over and had remained unusually silent since the conversation began.

Baqi also tilted her head to look at Yuuki Yuki, her expression half of watching the drama unfold and half of sympathy for her own childhood experiences.

The surprise only lingered on Yuuki Yukino's face for a brief moment before she quickly realized that she still had one question that hadn't been answered.

Yuuki Yukino then asked, "Then why did you keep it from me?"

"I'll answer this question." After a long silence, Tamaki Yuuki finally spoke.

“Yuan went through so many painful things when she was young, and I don’t want her to know the truth. It would only make her suffer more and make her resent me as an incompetent older sister. I have kept this secret for so many years.”

The difference between genuine feelings and perfunctory actions is obvious to the naked eye. Yuuki Tamaki's words are flawless, both emotionally and logically.

"Then why did you suddenly decide to speak up?"

“Yuan is not a child anymore. There are some things Yuan should know. Even if Yuan resents me, it is what I deserve.”

Tamaki Yuuki spoke frankly, and her determined expression showed she was prepared to be scolded by Yuuki Yuuki.

Yuuki Yui never intended to lose her temper; she simply wanted to ask all her questions one by one and find the answers to them.

"Then why did you keep your relationship with your sister a secret, Miss Minato?"

“That’s because if you knew about our relationship, you would likely know the truth about what I just said. Tamaki Yuuki doesn’t want you to know; she’s afraid it will hurt you,” Minato Nana replied.

“That’s all in the past. How could I be so easily hurt?” Yuuki asked again.

“Yuan, do you remember? During your school trip, you went to Nijiba City, and the hotel you stayed at was attacked by magical girls. After you came back from Nijiba City, you had nightmares. I was very worried about you, afraid that you would recall bad memories from your childhood, which is why I was even more reluctant to tell you the truth.”

Yuki Tamaki definitely doesn't know that she personally demolished the hot spring inn, and Yuki Eri definitely can't tell anyone about it.

"Yes, I told you your sister protected you too well. She didn't know how to comfort you. After so many years, she called me to ask how I got through it. Do you think she's crazy?"

Seeing that Yuuki Yuki's reaction was much less than expected, Minato Nana gradually relaxed a bit.

"The position I interviewed for..."

"Speaking of which, you came to my shop by recommendation, it was purely by chance." Realizing she'd relaxed too much, Minato Nana composed herself and cleared her throat:

“I rejected you before because I heard your name and thought it was your sister who wanted to reconnect with me. That’s why she called again using the excuse that her sister was having nightmares and asked her sister to work at my shop. I think your sister is very unreasonable.”

"She even called me in the middle of the night and yelled at me, but the truth is it was all a coincidence," Yuki Tamaki added.

“I do need to hire someone to help. You can see how busy the store is. The sister of a bandmate I used to get along with is more reliable than a stranger.”

“I feel more at ease letting my younger sister work in a shop owned by an acquaintance. I can also keep up with her situation through her.”

“It’s not just about your current situation, your sister asks me about your friends too. I just tell her that your sister has protected you too well.”

The two of them took turns speaking, bringing up one thing after another that Yuuki Yukino cared about.

Is there anything else I haven't asked?

No, those things don't matter anymore. Even if I asked, I wouldn't get any meaningful answers.

Yuuki Yui felt like she had punched a cotton ball, a feeling of having the strength but being unable to exert it.

There were no conspiracies, no bizarre experiences she imagined, and she had absolutely nothing to do with the corrupted magical girl.

It was because her sister's protection and care for her was expressed in a way that was not actually correct and was then exposed by her that led to this series of events.

Thinking back to how she had brooded and been angry with her sister just a few hours earlier because she doubted her, Yuuki Yukino suddenly realized how childish she had been.

After being troubled for so long, running away from home and trying to become self-reliant, it turned out to be all just wishful thinking. From the very beginning, the whole thing was incredibly pure.

"Uh, so it was a false alarm for Xiaoyuan; the older sister and the shop manager didn't say anything because they were worried that Xiaoyuan would overthink things?"

In the strange and awkward atmosphere after the truth came out, Baqi finally spoke, calling Yuuki Tamaki-neechan very naturally.

None of the three spoke, their guilty expressions betraying their thoughts.

"First of all, Xiaoyuan isn't as fragile as you think. She's strong and gentle, and can perfectly solve any problem. So there's no need to hide anything out of worry. Wouldn't it be better to just speak openly and honestly?"

As soon as Baqi finished speaking, Yuuki Tamaki and Minato Nana blushed even more.

Two women who had been working for many years were severely criticized and educated by a high school girl. Not only were the girl right, but she also solved their problem in the simplest way, which made them feel very embarrassed.

Before Yuuki Yuki returned, the two who knew they had caused trouble were still repenting and planning how to appease Yuuki Yuki.

They hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.

"And Xiaoyuan, what are you thinking about all this time? Things aren't as you think."

Just moments after being praised by Baqi for being strong, gentle, and outstanding, Yuuki Eri was immediately subjected to merciless criticism, so she simply covered her face.

"So now, everything's fine, right?" Baqi clapped her hands.

"No."

"Nothing."

"Yes."

"What does Xiaoyuan think? Will she continue working at Miss Cou's shop?"

As Baqi said this, Minako's eyes lit up.

"Of course, I have no grudge against Minato-san. What's past is past, and it's not Minato-san's fault," Yuuki Yui muttered somewhat embarrassedly.

"Alright! Problem solved!" Ba Qi clapped her hands a few more times, stood up from the sofa, and said, "Xiao Yuan, let's go!"

Yuuki Yuuki's opinion remained unchanged. Compared to her past behavior, Baqi's behavior today was indeed impolite and unbecoming of a former student of St. Yuuki Academy.

However, this method of directly driving things forward solved the problem in the simplest way.

It not only solved the problem, but also taught Yuuki En a valuable lesson, showing that she could write an elementary school essay on a self-chosen topic.

Wait a minute? The problem has already been solved, so why are you still holding on to yourself?

"Go? Go...go where?" Yuuki Yuen stammered, just like when Baqi dragged her out of her house before.

“Where to? Come home with me.” Baqi answered with even more certainty and energy than before she came.

"I helped Xiaoyuan solve such a big problem, it's not too much for Xiaoyuan to give me a reward, is it?"

Yuuki Yukino certainly knew what Tomoe's so-called reward was.

"This one……"

While Yuuki was still wavering, Baqi suddenly leaned close to Yuuki's ear and whispered something.

"Didn't Xiaoyuan say she wanted to forget everything for a while?"

"Hey!!!" Yuuki screamed and took a few steps back, but was unable to escape because she was being held by the hand by Baqi.

“Omitted.” Ba Qi stuck out her tongue as if she had successfully pulled off a prank.

Yuuki Tamaki glanced at Tomoe, who was sticking out her tongue, raised her eyebrows, and curled her lips into a smile.

Yuuki Yukino met Tomoe's ambiguous gaze, and thinking back to the strange and embarrassing things she had done in a moment of impulse, Yuuki Yukino really wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it.

How shameful! How incredibly shameful!

That's what they think in their hearts, but what they do in their actions is another matter entirely.

"Um, sister, I'm going to stay at her house tonight..." Yuuki Yuen, who had just entered the house, blushed as she was led out of the entrance by Baqi.

A moment later, the room fell silent again, just as it had been when Tamaki Yuuki and Nana Minato sat on the sofa, waiting for Yuuki Yuki to return.

But the atmosphere now is much more lively than it was back then.

Minato Nana first stared at the door that had been closed but had a slight opening, then turned her head to look at Yuuki Tamaki.

The tension in my heart eased, and my alcohol-numbed brain returned to calm.

"Youth is wonderful, your sister is really having a blast."

“The time you were dating Chestnut was much worse than this.”

The weight of that name they had been avoiding, the name that felt awkward even when spoken aloud, seemed to have become lighter.

"Should we also..."

Get out of my house!

Chapter Forty-Two: Nightfall

Yuuki Yuuki was really looking forward to Halloween, wondering what unforgettable experiences she would have that night.

But now, Yuuki Yukino wants to seriously ask herself this question.

Is Halloween really as heart-pounding and unforgettable as I imagined?

Yes, the answer is yes, but it's in a different sense—a heart-pounding and unforgettable experience.

From the moment Yuki walked into the store, she barely had a moment to rest. Before long, she was covered in sweat, and she would probably remember how busy she was for the rest of her life.

Being busy and happy is how it should be, but quantitative change leads to qualitative change. When you're busy to a certain extent, you can't even think about anything else.

Her job remains unchanged: standing behind the bar preparing the day's dishes, recording each customer's order on the computer, handing small gifts to customers who come to the counter to collect their raffle prizes, and completing any remaining tasks that are missed.

The problem is that today's workload is too heavy.

There are way too many guests!

In particular, the lottery event held by Minato Nana was incredibly successful today. Some customers even came to the coffee shop to get a coffee to go just to try their luck.

While most of the prizes aren't particularly attractive, the chance to win a Halloween-themed drink voucher that allows you to have a free drink at the store is quite tempting.

The event lasts only three days, and there is only one drink voucher per day.

No one won the coupon on the second day, but after winning today's coupon, the customer drank four iced mochas in one go, and there is still one coupon left to redeem.

Minato Nana set the first prize to be redeemable only on Halloween night, in order to make Halloween night less deserted.

But it's not quiet at all today!

After all, it's Halloween, and many people who don't usually like to go out will take advantage of the festive atmosphere to come out and experience the city's unknown side on this special day.

And so this happened: Huh? What's this? A coffee shop! There's a pretty girl dressed up for Halloween, come in and have a drink!

On the contrary, the Halloween atmosphere in the store was not much better than the previous two days.

Firstly, the Halloween atmosphere was already very strong a few days prior, making it difficult to break through no matter what we did.

Secondly, customers who walk into the shop won't be dressed in strange Halloween costumes to drink coffee; the Halloween parade and the shop where Yuuki Eri works are completely different.

The only people who would actually choose to dress up are young couples who want to add some spice to their relationship, young people participating in the Halloween parade at Moonsea Park, and Yuuki and her friends who work at the shop.