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

There's a Halloween parade at Moonsea Park tonight. If I weren't so busy today, Yuuki Yuuki would have liked to take Baqi and Reki with her to watch it.

Besides these, we also need to find something different from usual, namely that Minato Nana's attitude today is a bit strange.

Last night, after being mistaken for the mastermind behind everything, Minato Nana became somewhat reserved.

It's just a tiny bit. Minato Nana is a carefree person. Yuuki Yuki said she wouldn't care. Minato Nana isn't the type to always be apologetic and have a sour face.

In short, today was a special and busy day for Yuuki Eri.

This is true for most people as well; after all, it's Halloween tonight.

However, there are also people who don't enjoy holidays.

For example, for Sakura Hanako, today is an extremely important turning point, much more important than Halloween, which happens every year.

Whether my future will diverge from that of my beloved senior or lead to the same destination depends on tonight's conversation.

Sakura Hanako wants to mend the relationship between Tenrai Herika and Nijisanji, but she knows the outcome may not be what she wants.

Although Sakura Hanako was unwilling to see such a shattered situation, she had secretly prepared herself for the possibility that Helica would not return.

She has to try her best at least once; only when she has given everything and still can't salvage the situation can she finally give up.

Maybe I'll give up?

"Are you nervous, Sakura?"

Mizuno Yu, who had been waiting for a long time in the Nijisanji activity room, gently patted Sakura Hanako, who had arrived earlier than her and was sitting in a chair with her whole body tense like a statue.

"A little."

The gentle force spread from Sakura Hanako's shoulder, slowly coursing through her entire body, like water melting snow, slightly easing her tension.

Sakura Hanako took a deep breath, suppressing her anxiety, and placed the coupon that Mizuno Yu had obtained from Lava Mountain Lantern and then given to her on the table.

Because I gripped the coupon so tightly, it's still wrinkled and damp with the fine sweat from my nervous hands.

Sakura Hanako tried to flatten the coupon, just as she wanted to smooth out the crumpled relationship with Nijisanji, which was like the coupon itself.

Sakura Hanako had been doing this somewhat obsessive-compulsive action repeatedly, and time was passing by second by second.

"Mizuno-senpai, is Tenrai-senpai really coming? Has he forgotten our promise?"

After waiting for so long without any news from Helica, Sakura Hanako grew even more anxious, clutching the coupon tightly once again.

It had been a while since the last class ended before school ended, and the students who stayed at school to carry out club activities had begun to leave one after another, but there was still no sign of Helica.

Tenrai Helica never showed up as promised, making Sakura Hanako unable to help but speculate about the possibility that Tenrai Helica had stood her up.

Helica Tenrai mentioned that she didn't want to stay with Nijisanji or continue being a magical girl.

Although Sakura Hanako was prepared for the possibility of being completely rejected by Helica, she had not considered the possibility that Helica might refuse to meet her.

Helica, who has chosen to escape, has even abandoned her identity as a magical girl, so it's not impossible that she would desert now.

"No, she will definitely come."

Mizuno Yu gave Sakura Hanako a shot in the arm.

Hearing what Mizuno Yu said, Sakura Hanako's expression relaxed a bit.

However, the effects of the stimulant would weaken over time, and after not seeing any trace of Helica Tenrai for a long time, Sakura Hanako began to get restless again.

Since Helica has neither a club nor needs tutoring, Sakura Hanako guesses that Helica is almost certainly avoiding her.

Staying here and waiting won't get her the result she wants.

"No, I need to go find my senior."

Unable to bear the awkward atmosphere in the room any longer, Sakura Hanako suddenly slammed her hand on the table and stood up from her chair.

Mizuno Yu glanced in Hanako's direction, said nothing, and quietly watched as Sakura Hanako walked straight to the classroom entrance, pressed the doorknob, and opened the sliding door.

Then Mizuno Yu heard Sakura Hanako let out a scream, and instinctively took two steps back, bent her legs, and put her hands in front of her body in a defensive posture.

Sakura Hanako wasn't the only one who screamed; another person collapsed outside the classroom with a thud.

Although Mizuno Yu didn't see who the other person was, the familiar voice was enough for her to guess who it was.

As Mizuno Yuya got up amidst the creaking of the chair and walked to the classroom door, the frightened girl was getting up from the floor, muttering something and brushing the dust off her body.

Just as she expected, the person lying on the ground was none other than Helica the Thunder.

Mizuno Yu seemed to have seen this scene before.

A few months ago, in the archery club before the Nijisanji was officially established, Yuuki Yukino was about to leave when she opened the door and bumped into Hayashi Keko, who was eavesdropping at the door. The two of them were startled in the same way.

Helica, the Thunder Goddess, must have been hiding by the door just like Lin Jiezi had been, but she never pushed the door open.

Thinking about it this way, Mizuno Yu felt a bit nostalgic.

But of the three original members of Nijisanji, only he remains now.

"Senior Tianlei, if you're here, just come in. I thought you weren't planning on coming."

Startled, Sakura Hanako calmed down a bit and spoke with a hint of reproach.

However, her previous anxiety had long since vanished upon seeing Helica the Thunder.

Sakura Hanako isn't stupid; there's no way she wouldn't have noticed that Helica was hiding by the door.

"I... I didn't say I wasn't going. Besides, I just arrived, didn't I?" Helica's words were like a candy ball rolling around in her mouth, never quite clear.

Helica did arrive early, but she stood at the door, thinking about how to behave after they met tonight, what to say, and how to resolve the problem.

While she was thinking, many students passed by in the corridor. Regardless of what they were doing before, they all quickened their pace and left when they saw Helica's gloomy face.

In short, Herika thought for a long time but couldn't sort out her chaotic thoughts. However, she wasn't without any progress. Just then, she was startled by Sakura Hanako, who pushed open the door, and fell to the ground.

Losing face in front of her juniors deeply hurt Helica's pride, and the words she had prepared were no longer easy to say.

"Alright, since Senior Tianlei has just arrived, let's not delay and set off quickly."

Herlica knew that her story wouldn't fool them, and this hesitation might be the very thing they would seize upon during their conversation that evening.

Sakura Hanako's decision not to delve any deeper was already enough to respect her dignity.

"Where to?" Helica quickly moved on to the next topic, taking advantage of the opportunity presented by Sakura Hanako.

"It's a coffee shop, a bit of a walk away. I have a coupon for it." Sakura Hanako waved the slightly crumpled coupon in her hand.

The road to the coffee shop is long. It takes Yuki Yuki nearly half an hour to get there by tram every day. Since it was getting late and the traffic was congested on Halloween night, the three of them who chose to walk would take even longer.

Just walking down the street, Sakura Hanako could sense the invisible aura of rejection emanating from Tenrai Herika.

It wasn't that Helica said anything specific; in every word and action, Helica always projected an invisible distance between herself and others.

Sakura Hanako then looked at Mizuno Yu, who was the same as usual, walking along the road as if nothing had anything to do with her.

Should I say something?

After careful consideration, Sakura Hanako realized that if this atmosphere continued in the coffee shop, she feared that her last chance tonight would slip through her fingers.

"Senior Tianlei, why exactly are you considering giving up your responsibilities to Nijisanji and magical girls?"

Sakura Hanako's question, which she had finally mustered the courage to ask, did not receive a satisfactory answer.

"Don't rush, let's sit down and talk slowly."

Helica Tenrai shut Sakura Hanako up with such a simple sentence.

Sakura Hanako wants to maintain this relationship, but the key to whether this relationship can be repaired lies in the hands of Tenrai Helica.

Mizuno Yuu had no intention of speaking up for her, and Sakura Hanako knew that continuing to speak her mind would only backfire, so she had no choice but to give up for the time being, leaving the group of people on the noisy street in the usual deathly silence.

If this really is the last time she walks down the street with Tenrai-senpai, then Sakura Hanako wishes time would slow down so she could spend a little more time with this senior.

As if by some unseen force, Sakura Hanako also began to feel pessimistic about the outcome of this conversation.

She hoped everyone could reconcile, but the more she interacted with them, the more Sakura Hanako felt that this might be a pipe dream.

In the silence, the coffee shop we were heading to was now in sight.

Sakura Hanako looked at the address written on the coupon, compared it with the surrounding shops, and after confirming that she hadn't gone to the wrong place, she took a deep breath of the cold night wind to cheer herself up.

This is my own battlefield.

Sakura Hanako cleared her throat, quickly composed herself before heading into battle, and walked into the shop first, asking softly to the bar counter.

"Hello, are there any seats available?"

"Welcome! Please find a seat. We're a bit busy tonight, but our staff will be here shortly."

"Thank you... well..."

Sakura Hanako smiled and nodded toward the direction the sound came from, toward the bar, and then scanned the shop to see which side was suitable for a few people to sit down and chat.

It has to be a spot close to a corner, where you won't be easily disturbed or eavesdropped on.

Wait a minute, did I just see a familiar face?

Sakura Hanako paused for a moment, then quickly turned her head back to look at the female shop assistant standing behind the counter.

Her two companions had already been watching her closely. If Sakura Hanako hadn't been so focused on cheering herself up, she would have noticed these signs much sooner.

It's not too late to notice now.

The girl behind the bar was wearing her usual smiling face and speaking in her standard soft and pleasant voice, her head slightly tilted to the side.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Even though the girl behind the bar was dressed in the typical bartender's uniform, with little devil wings on her back and head for Halloween, her long pink hair styled in a high ponytail, and she wore round-framed glasses, Sakura Hanako could never mistake her face.

That person was a former member of Rainbow Club, the club he wanted to restore, and a senior he used to trust very much.

That's the real Yuuki Yuuki, the corrupted magical girl who's been deceiving the other members of Nijisanji all along.

Even if we don't go into the subtle way of saying that she was the culprit who caused Nijisanji to fall apart, she was still the fuse that directly destroyed the peaceful daily life of the past.

Sakura Hanako's teeth unconsciously clenched together. For a moment, she didn't know what expression to make when facing the other person or the two seniors behind her.

Yuuki Yui, however, seemed completely unconcerned, looking at him with the same gaze a shop assistant would give a customer.

Sakura Hanako's lack of extreme reaction at the moment does not mean that everyone is the same.

"Sakura Hanako?"

These words sounded like they were squeezed out from between his teeth.