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

Yuki Yuki didn't think that Riku would hide anything from her, and she listened to every word Riku said as if it were the truth.

"Xiaoyuan, what makes me most uncomfortable is the relationship between the two of you."

"What's wrong with our relationship?" Yuuki asked rhetorically.

Is Nishio Koki jealous?

This was the first thing Yuuki Yukino thought of.

Yuuki still vividly remembers the time when she didn't know how to get along with herself and the jealous rivalry between her and Baqi.

Although Li later realized his mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, and occasionally doing impulsive, thoughtless things is part of youth.

No matter what, they are all just teenage girls. Yuuki Yuki could easily give a bunch of examples of Helica acting impulsively without thinking.

Moreover, putting aside Inuyama Tomoe, after all, she and he were both on the side of the corrupted magical girls, and the two of them had truly gone through thick and thin together.

When she was at her most helpless, it was Baqi who stayed by her side and helped her get to where she is now. When Baqi was completely unaware, it was she who helped Baqi step by step. Therefore, Yuuki felt that even if she had some resentment, she would not show it too obviously.

But Helica is different; she has gotten herself into trouble more than once, and she is also an enemy of those who stand on the opposite side of her theory.

Although the two sides are not currently at war, it is only natural that Li would be jealous if he and Helica had some interaction.

Wait a minute, Yuuki Yuki is reasoning from her own perspective, while Reki shouldn't know so much, and therefore shouldn't have such a strong reaction.

If Riku gets jealous, wouldn't that mean Riku knows about what happened between him and Helica on Halloween?

Thinking of this, Yuuki Yuuki couldn't sit still any longer. She opened her mouth awkwardly, looked away with a troubled expression, and after a moment, she timidly looked at Nishio Reki: "You... know?"

"Know what?"

They were talking about other things when Yuuki Yukina suddenly asked this question after thinking for a long time, and Nishio Reki didn't react for a moment.

But he just hadn't realized it yet; Nishio Reki's knowing expression was more effective than any answer.

Moreover, Nishio Reki answered openly and honestly, so there was no need for Yuuki Yukina to guess based on her expression.

"I know, it was Helica the Thunder who told me."

What's done is done, and there's no use in Yuuki Yuuki feeling embarrassed.

Besides, this kind of thing can't be kept secret; Nishio Reki will definitely find out about his reconciliation with Helica.

“So…” Yuuki Yui wanted to raise her hand to scratch her head, but she was still holding the chopsticks she used for lunch, so she picked up a fried pork cutlet and stuffed it into her mouth, unable to say the rest of her sentence.

Even if Yuki Yuki didn't say anything, Nishio Reki could guess pretty much what she was thinking.

“It’s not what Xiaoyuan thinks. I don’t care about this that much.” Nishio Reki sighed, his expression somewhat helpless. “I think your relationship is abnormal and shouldn’t be maintained like this.”

"Why?" Yuuki asked immediately.

After asking, Yuuki Yukina realized that her question was indeed a bit thoughtless.

In other words, Yuuki Yukina was not on guard when she was with Nishio Reki, which is why she spoke her mind without thinking. Although this is a sign of trust, it can sometimes lead to awkward situations like this.

"This answer... how should I put it? Sigh, there's still plenty of time, so I'll explain it to Xiaoyuan."

Nishio Reki seemed to genuinely believe that Yuuki En didn't understand, and his sigh became heavier. He shifted his body in the chair, making his relaxed posture during lunch much more formal.

"The relationship between Xiaoyuan and Inuyama Baqi is that kind of ambiguous, but not a romantic one, right?"

"Yes." Yuuki Yui nodded in acknowledgment and sat up straight.

He wasn't a promiscuous guy, nor would he casually make a move on girls, and his relationship with Baqi was obvious to everyone, so there was nothing he was hiding from Nishio Reki—of course, he couldn't hide it anyway.

“Although Yuuki and Inuyama Tomoe, you two can sometimes go a little too far…” Nishio Reki said, giving Yuuki a meaningful look.

Yuuki Yukina was stunned by the stare for a moment, then realized what Nishio Reki meant by "excessive".

Sometimes he would limp to school, and Nishio Reki would look utterly hopeless throughout the day...

Even though things between him and Baqi were sometimes a bit too much, as Nishio Reki said, he was still restrained!

Besides! Being directly called out would definitely make me shy.

Bathed in Nishio Reki's meaningful gaze, Yuuki Yukino could guess that she was referring to the indescribable life the two of them had shared in the neighboring Nijiha City a couple of days ago.

However, nothing really happened between her and Baqi during that trip to Rainbow Leaf City. But this is not something that can be explained away, and even if she said it herself, it would sound like she was trying to cover it up.

Fortunately, Nishio Reki's gaze didn't last long before he lowered his head and closed his eyes, concealing the look that made Yuuki Yukino blush.

“Even so,” Nishio Reki repeated, this time using a pronoun, but still only briefly, “your relationship is fine, and you won’t need anything to communicate.”

Nothing is needed to make contact?

After thinking for a moment, Yuuki En understood what Nishio Reki was trying to say.

Even if the magical girl identity and classmates are severed, the relationship between herself and Baqi will not become complicated because of this.

The two of them didn't need any kind of relationship to be forcibly bound together; their relationship was ambiguous yet unbreakable, transcending mere ambiguity.

"But Tianlei Helica is different. Is her relationship with Xiaoyuan really appropriate right now?"

If it were someone else, Yuuki Yukino could reasonably suspect that this was an attempt to sow discord, but Nishio Reki wasn't that kind of person, so Yuuki Yukino simply tilted her head and conveyed her confusion to the other person with her facial expression.

"Helica Tianlei genuinely likes Xiaoyuan, and she sincerely wants to build a good relationship with her. Being able to restore her relationship with Xiaoyuan—although I don't think it can be called a restoration—is something Helica Tianlei is very happy about."

"But Xiaoyuan, have you ever thought about how Tianlei Helica interacted with you? You used a coercive approach, taking advantage of her assertiveness, right?"

Yuuki Yui nodded slightly, beginning to notice things she hadn't paid much attention to before.

But Yuuki Enishi's discovery wasn't too late.

"Helica has put on a mask to get along with Xiaoyuan, creating a persona that none of you would like. Is this really a suitable relationship?"

"Helica is just using this method to get along with Xiaoyuan. She feels that it is enough to be able to do that kind of thing with Xiaoyuan, replenish Xiaoyuan's mana, and talk to Xiaoyuan."

"How can we have a heart-to-heart communication with Xiaoyuan if I can't even convey my truest feelings to her?"

"If you like someone, shouldn't you show them your true feelings?"

Nishio Reki's words came out like a machine gun. Ostensibly he was talking about Tenrai Herika who wasn't there, but every word he said was actually an attack on Yuuki Yukino for indulging Tenrai Herika.

"When you were talking to me before, were you genuinely trying to connect with me?" Yuuki Yuen muttered.

Not long ago, she always tried to avoid him. If he hadn't rushed to Nishio Reki's house and dragged her out, they probably wouldn't be able to have such an open and honest conversation now. Yuuki Eri's complaints are also reasonable.

Of course, Yuuki Yukino mentioned this not to criticize Nishio Reki, but simply to ease the embarrassment of having been bombarded with so much information.

"You're so nosy! Wasn't I in a special situation back then?" Nishio Reki blushed, and his tone was much softer than when he had been criticizing her so forcefully.

Then Nishio Reki's voice became even softer: "Right now, am I not genuinely communicating with Yui?"

“I know, Koyomi is the best.” Yuuki picked up a piece of fried pork cutlet and stuffed it into Nishio Koyomi’s mouth, watching him chew it awkwardly.

"Hmm." Helica swallowed the fried pork cutlet in her mouth, but she didn't go along with Yuuki Yuki's wishes just because Yuuki Yuki changed the topic to her. She stubbornly insisted on Yuuki Yuki's idea.

"So, Xiaoyuan, do you understand? Do you get what I'm saying?"

Nishio Reki's words were quite clear: Yuuki Yukino herself wasn't stupid; she had already realized that there was something wrong with her in this relationship.

On Halloween night, Helica took advantage of her strength and went directly to Yuuki Yuki's door, overwhelming him with her presence.

At that time, Yuuki Yukino's plan was exposed again, and coupled with her genuine concern about a conflict occurring in her own home, she was completely suppressed by Helica.

In short, Yuuki Yuuki was already exhausted, both physically and mentally. First, she had overworked her brain, then she had a simple fight, and she also had to consider the matter of Urobuchi Mashiro. Herika's visit at this time was taking advantage of her vulnerability.

So Yuuki Yukino was just fooled at that time, and given the atmosphere, there was nothing that could be done about what happened.

At this point, Yuuki Yuki still didn't think Helica had gone too far. Although the situation was a bit strange, the two of them had reconciled in the end.

The second time was at the shop where I worked. Because Nana was there, and I wasn't as well-prepared as I was for Halloween, I was already at a slight disadvantage.

In addition, Helica's attack was sudden and she did things in ways that were unpredictable, so Yuuki Yukino couldn't remain calm.

These things aren't that important; the main thing is that I can't reveal my magical girl identity in front of Minato Nana.

Unfortunately, Yuuki Yuki and Helika's biggest similarity is that they are both magical girls, so Yuuki Yuki naturally cannot talk to Helika about these things related to magical girls.

If the location where they interacted were changed, instead of their own homes or the shops where they worked—meaning people who weren't part of the magical girl's social circle wouldn't be involved—Yuki wouldn't feel so constrained.

Even at school, Yuuki Yuuki has the chance to transform and use magical girl techniques to teach the shrewish Helica a lesson.

However, Helica's two successes were precisely due to her targeting Yuuki Yuuki's weaknesses, giving Yuuki Yuuki the feeling of being completely suppressed by Helica.

Therefore, both times Yuuki Yukino was unable to resist Helica, who openly dominated her, due to her status.

Of course, the constraints imposed on her by her identity were shackles that Yuuki herself had placed on herself, and she subconsciously felt that Helica might do something if she resisted, but in reality, it was all just needless worry.

"Hmm? Xiaoyuan? Do you understand?"

Seeing that Yuuki Yuki was lost in thought and did not answer his question for a long time, Nishio Reki couldn't help but urge her a couple more times.

“Okay, okay!” Yuuki Yui replied.

"So, what should Xiaoyuan do after she finds out? Although, although I don't really want to interfere with Xiaoyuan's social life, that guy is really too infuriating!"

Nishio Reki only acts so forcefully when it comes to things related to himself.

“Mm.” Yuuki Yui nodded again.

"That……"

Nishio Reki tentatively looked at Yuuki Yukino, his voice trailing off, as if he had come to her on his own initiative and was asking why she had kicked Helica out. Yuuki Yukino wouldn't give up until she gave him a suitable solution.

“Yes!” Yuuki nodded even more vigorously: “If she dares to come again, I’ll bully her back hard.”

"What kind of method is this?"

Chapter Seventy-Five Recently

Although Yuuki Yukino kept saying she was going to teach Helica a lesson, she never actually found a suitable opportunity.

He told Inuyama Tomoe about his plan to teach Helica a lesson, and Inuyama Tomoe naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

It wasn't that Yuuki Yuki intentionally told Inuyama Tomoe about her plans; she just mentioned it casually, but Tomoe remembered it.

The course of events is roughly as follows:

After Yuuki and Nishio talked about Heracles during lunch break, as soon as she returned to the classroom, Baqi couldn't wait to turn around from her seat, straddle her chair, and lie on Yuuki's desk, who was sitting behind her.

"Xiaoyuan, Xiaoyuan, what did you talk about with Nishio Reki at noon? You two ate for so long, I'm so lonely!"

Baqi addresses everyone differently. For example, she calls Tenrai Herika "yellow-haired dwarf" and Mizuno Yu "blue-haired stoic." Sakura Hanako is much better; she simply calls her "your junior."

Originally, Baqi had given Nishio Reki a nickname that wasn't very friendly but wasn't too aggressive either, but she still called him by his name directly, which also meant that her hostility towards Nishio Reki wasn't so great.

“Around noon… Yesterday when I was working, the manager mentioned to me that Xiao Li kicked Helica out, so I went to ask Xiao Li about it,” Yuuki Yui answered truthfully.