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

After the picnic mats were removed and Helica was told not to interfere, Yuuki Yu and Mizuno Yu took over the work together. Although progress was slow, it proceeded in an orderly manner.

The food the group had brought had been reduced by more than half. In addition to the crackling of the charcoal fire in the stove and the rustling of leaves in the forest at night, a new sound appeared.

The sound was far away; it was the sound of something moving through the woods. The leaves and grass only make that rustling sound when something passes by.

"Did you hear anything?" Herika asked in a low voice, putting down the plate in her hand and looking around to find the source of the sound.

' _ 1 Lin Meng Lin Jiezi stammered for a long time, unable to say a word, clenching his fists and shaking his head like a rattle drum.

Yuuki Yui and Mizuno Yui, who were positioned near the grill, noticed that things were naturally a bit slower, and they joined the search for the source of the sound.

During their brief exchange, the voice seemed to get closer. If a voice could be heard in the dark, its source must not be far away.

As the sound drew closer, even those without wilderness experience could tell that it was made by some creature moving and was slowly approaching them.

Smoke, smells, and firelight—it's no wonder that any creature would be attracted to these things.

"There aren't any wild animals here, are there?" Yuuki asked, somewhat jokingly.

“It’s possible. Judging from the sound, it should indeed be some kind of animal,” Mizuno Yu answered her question seriously.

"Is it possible that it's a person?" Yuuki asked.

“It’s possible, but it’s unlikely to be a human at this time of day, especially in such a deep place. Even a forest ranger would have a flashlight on,” Mizuno Yu said. “But it’s more likely to be a snake or a squirrel.”

"A snake?! Why didn't you say so earlier!" Helica exclaimed in surprise, complaining somewhat angrily.

The sound was closer, close enough to be seen clearly.

For Yuuki Yuuki, it was indeed a snake, but it was not quite the same type as the one Mizuno Yuu described.

Under the moonlight, two girls appeared before them, maintaining a delicate distance as they moved through the woods one after the other, finally coming into view.

Yuuki Yuuki recognized the person in the lead at a glance.

"Miyashita Miya?"

Yuuki Yukino wasn't the only one to discover their identities; Herika's voice rang out around the same time, but it was higher in pitch and more surprised or astonished.

Helica didn't recognize Miyashita Mia, but she recognized another girl.

"S-senpai?"

Also, since it's being released... I'm begging for first-time subscriptions! Please!

Testimonials

Hi everyone, this is Wanwanmao, a new author who's writing out of interest but is giving it my all!

This book is actually going to be available for purchase without us even realizing it!

The process of getting the book published was quite bumpy, as some readers may already know. Starting last Thursday, November 2nd, the author received a whole package of hepatitis B symptoms, including insomnia, fever, and eye pain. Because of this, the author even timidly asked readers for comfort in the comments section.

I did think about taking a break from writing for the next few days and getting some rest. But then I thought, with so many people watching me now, I should give it my best!

As you all know, the book was successfully released! Congratulations!

I wouldn't have been able to get this far without the support of all my dear readers. Although I'm a little shy, I still want to sincerely thank you all for your support!

What I really want to say to all my readers has never changed: whether it's criticism or encouragement, it's all my motivation to move forward.

So in the days to come, please give us all your opinions, suggestions, encouragement, subscriptions, monthly tickets, and tips! We will do our best to create better stories for all our readers!

Chapter Seventy: Senior, you're not mine!

"S-senpai?"

It wasn't just Yuuki Yukino and her group who were surprised by the two people appearing there. Miyashita Mia, who was nearby, also showed a moment of surprise when she looked over, and without thinking, she turned her head to look at the girl whom Helica called her senpai in the shadows behind her.

Yuuki En noticed that Hayashi Keiko also showed a moment of excitement when she saw Miyashita Mia's face.

Mizuno Yu reacted even more directly, taking a few steps towards the two opposite her and shielding Lin Jiezi behind her.

The only person who didn't move was the girl whom Helica called her senior.

Amidst the rustling sound of her footsteps on the grass, the girl slowly emerged from the darkness and approached Miyashita Mia from behind, silently and listlessly raising her eyes to gaze at them.

The girl was barefoot, with long brown hair cascading down her back. Despite the sweltering summer heat, she wore a white coat that reached her ankles. The beads of sweat on her neck and cheeks were clearly visible in the moonlight.

The girl's figure could not be described as petite, but standing next to Miyashita Mia, she gave off a delicate and frail feeling.

What Yuuki En should pay the most attention to is the girl's expression.

If she had to describe it, it would be calm, as calm as a stagnant pool, without any ripples.

It might even give people the question: Is this person still alive?

Could it be that this senior has been completely "defeated"?

After the magical girl in the game becomes unable to recover, she stops performing as she does in the story, making it impossible for Yuuki Yuki to make a judgment based on her past experience.

The girl remained calm, but Helica was anything but. Her voice trembled with disbelief as she took steps toward the two of them.

"Senior, what have you been doing? Why haven't you come to school these past few days?"

Then, she belatedly realized that she had heard the name Yuuki Yui had said. Because of the magical girl's protective mechanism, she hadn't been able to connect the untransformed Miyashita Mia with the exposed corrupted magical girl at first, but now it was enough for her to realize who was standing with her senior.

"Miyashita Mia?" The surprise on Helica's face froze, gradually replaced by doubt, and then pure anger rose up.

At least her senior was alright, that was what she had been thinking.

But can this appearance really be considered as being fine?

"Why were you there? What did you do to your senior? You..." Helica's voice quickly turned cold: "Senior! Why were you with that person!"

"Calm down, Tenrai." Mizuno Yu pulled Helica back from rushing forward.

"What do you expect me to do...!" Helica turned around angrily, but her other companions did not move.

Someone else moved. Mizuno Yu grabbed Helica's hand and pulled her to the spot. This simple action was like a bucket of cold water, washing away Helica's rising anger and leaving only bewildered sorrow.

Her lips moved, and she stiffly turned her neck back as if deflated, looking at the two people again.

"Miyashita-senpai, we meet again." It was impossible to expect Helica to be in this state, so Yuuki Yuuki felt it was necessary to take on the responsibility of communicating with her.

“Yes, what a coincidence.” Miyashita Miya’s gaze drifted elsewhere for a moment.

This reaction is a bit unusual? Yuuki Yukino sensed something was off and turned her eyes to look at the girl next to Mia:

"Is that the companion that Miyashita-senpai found?"

"What do you mean?" Helica interrupted again urgently, but still no one answered her question.

Meiya didn't say anything at first, and turned around to take a step back in the direction she came from, but she pulled back before she could take that step.

Then, her shoulders inexplicably trembled and she shivered, whispering something that Yuuki Yuen couldn't hear. She then turned around abruptly, her voice rising: "She's mine!"

"Senior is not yours!" Herika and Yuuki Yuuki had similar speculations that their senior had been completely defeated. Their clenched fists cracked, and if Mizuno Yuu hadn't been holding their arms, they probably would have rushed forward already.

“She is mine! You want to prove it? Then prove it to them! Hey! Did you hear me?” Meiya suddenly raised her arm, revealing the object she had been holding in her hand, the same color as the night.

In Mia's hand was a black, linear object somewhat similar to her wand, but since Mia wasn't transformed, it was impossible for her to be holding her wand.

It was just an ordinary leash. The other end of the leash reached the collar of the girl's white coat, which was being pulled straight by Meiya.

Meiya waved the object in her hand as if to show it off, and with the help of the moonlight, the object became even clearer to the others.

"This is…"

"This is our relationship! Do you understand? Do you get it?" Meiya spoke very urgently, her chest heaving unnaturally. She kicked the girl in the back, and the reaction force made her stagger a few steps.

The girl, being led by Meiya, raised her hands to the collar of her white coat and began to unbutton the plastic buttons one by one. With each button she unbuttoned, the coat would open a little wider until the button at her waist was also undone.

The ill-fitting white coat fell silently onto the grass, and of all the things the girl could be called clothing, only a touch of black remained around her neck.

"What..." Herica's pupils trembled violently a few times. Unable to suppress the anger rising in her heart any longer, she broke free from Mizuno Yu's hand and swung her fist at Miyashita Mia.

Her fist stopped abruptly in mid-air. If it had fallen a few centimeters further, it wouldn't have hit Miyashita Mia, but rather the girl who had deliberately shielded Miyashita Mia with her body.

The girl stared intently at Herika with her eyes, as if a sharp knife had pierced Herika's heart, tearing her most vulnerable parts to pieces.

"Calm down!"

In the instant Herika hesitated, Mizuno Yu pounced on her from behind, pinning her to the grass and pinning Herika's wrist down with his hand.

"Senior! What are you doing?!" Helica's voice was clearly shaken.

Since their arrival, Helica's problems have been ignored, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

The more this happened, the harder it became for Helica to control herself.

"That's it, can you please stop bothering us?" Meiya picked up the piece of clothing that had fallen to the ground, draped it over the girl's shoulders, and pulled her into her arms like a child protecting a toy, wrapping the girl's body tightly in the clothing.

This is so unlike Mia! Yuuki Yuuki felt a strong sense of incongruity.

The whole thing felt very jarring.

What could have startled this venomous snake, making her so cautious?

"Don't touch her! Let her go!" Helica's roars seemed never to stop, but they all turned into background noise of impotent rage.

"Miyashita-senpai's hobby is quite unique, isn't it?" Yuuki Yukina rubbed her palms together gently and smiled.

"Yes, everyone has one or two little secrets they don't want others to know. Can you keep them for me?" Miyashita Miya said, sounding a little reluctant.

Yuuki Yukino had a vague premonition that now was the best time to attack.

“Of course, what was your secret again, senpai?” Yuuki Yui feigned a thoughtful expression: “Is it the magic we talked about before?”

Chapter 71 Provocation and a Sense of Dislocation

"Is your secret, senior, the magic we talked about before?" Yuuki asked, her piercing gaze sweeping over Mia.

Yuuki knew that this was a dangerous provocation, and the consequences could be unimaginable.

Yuuki Yui's blatant provocation has only one purpose—to start a fight, to see blood flow like a river.

Yuuki Yukino dared to do this largely because Mia and Helica's predecessors appeared together at this time—a corrupted magical girl and a semi-retired magical girl. This was enough to indirectly prove that Helica's identity as a magical girl had been exposed, and with a little deduction, it could be inferred that Mizuno Yu was also a magical girl.

Aside from Lin Jiezi, since the others present are all magical girls, they will definitely have to solve the problem in a magical girl way, so someone will definitely have to transform first.

This person cannot be Helica Tenryu. Mizuno Yu realized this first and held Helica down firmly.

Besides, Mia has clashed with them more than once. The first time ended with Mia running away, and the second time it was Mizuno Yu who ran away. Anyway, this problem has to be solved sooner or later, or I might as well solve it by stirring things up myself.

Even a two-on-one confrontation might not be enough to defeat Mia, a fact that Yuuki Yuen was well aware of, yet she still did it anyway.

Wherever there's a fight, there will be others rushing to break it up; the magical girls in this world are all people who love to join in the fun.