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

Such a gaze caused Yuuki Yukino to pause slightly, then she pretended to remain calm and maintained her previous pace, lifting her leg to step onto the next step.

At the second and third levels, under Yuuki Yui's deliberate control, she acted extremely naturally and did not stare intently at Mizuno Yui as she did at herself.

But Yuuki Yui was already starting to wonder why Mizuno Kirizo was waiting for her here.

Many people have approached her wanting to chat, but in Yuuki Yui's memory, this is the first time Mizuno Yui has come to her.

By level seven or eight, Yuuki Eri should have a general idea of ​​what's going on.

The only connection between him and Mizuno Yui is currently with magical girls, so if she approaches him, it's likely that she's also involved with magical girls.

If you want something more specific, Yuuki Yui can't think of anything; she'll need to hear what Mizuno Yuu has to say to make a judgment.

Yuuki stopped a few meters in front of Mizuno Yu and looked up, focusing all her attention and gaze on Mizuno Yu for the first time.

This silent inquiry immediately triggered Mizuno Yu's memory, and she moved as she stared intently at Yuuki Yuuki.

With her weight concentrated on her heels, Mizuno Yu leaned slightly forward, causing her body to sway slightly, as if she were preparing to leave.

She couldn't just leave out of thin air, so before taking a step, she extended an invitation to Yuuki Yukino.

"Yuki, would you mind coming with me for a moment?"

Yuuki Yui, who hadn't said a word, nodded slightly and stopped in her tracks, waiting for Mizuno Yui to give her directions.

After seeing Yuuki Yui's response through actions, Mizuno Yuu also took another step forward.

Yuuki Yui realized halfway there that Mizuno Yui's final destination was the Nijisanji activity room, a route she had walked many times before and wouldn't forget.

As for why she was taken to the Nijisanji activity room, Yuuki Yui didn't plan to ask. She figured Mizuno Yuu would definitely give her an explanation.

The area of ​​Yuehai Middle School is not large, and the activity room is not far from the classroom. It only takes a few minutes to get there at a normal walking pace.

Upon arriving at the entrance, Mizuno Yuu naturally pushed open the classroom door of the activity room and walked in first, without even considering whether Yuuki Yuen would follow or whether she intended to go in with him.

After all, Yuuki Yuki was a fallen magical girl, and after she revealed her identity, there was no direct communication between them.

Of course, even if Mizuno Yu had such worries, they were unnecessary, as Yuuki Yui herself could not possibly have any doubts about Mizuno Yu.

Given Mizuno Yu's natural demeanor, even if Yuuki Yuuki had any doubts, they would be quickly dispelled.

But what Yuuki Enishi saw made her begin to doubt whether it was the right thing to trust Mizuno Yu so much and follow her without any questions.

Three pairs of eyes—Mizuno Yu, who had entered the room and was standing by the table turning to look at him; Sakura Hanako, who was sitting upright by the door; and Tenrai Herika, who had casually put her hands behind her head and her legs up on the table—were all staring at him.

The incongruous feeling, composed entirely of familiar elements, sent a chill down Yuuki Yukino's spine, freezing the natural expression she had when she entered the room onto her face.

If this had happened before Yuuki Yukino revealed her identity, she would have been startled by this move and would have immediately wondered if her identity had been exposed.

With everyone now aware of her identity, this scene only makes Yuuki Yukino feel that things can only get worse.

Simply listing the elements in their most direct form was enough to make Yuuki Yuki's heart pound.

Three magical girls gathered at dawn and invited a corrupted magical girl to a deserted area.

Is Helica the Thunder God up to something new, even dragging other members of Nijisanji into it?

It's probably not that simple. It's unlikely that Mizuno Yu would agree with Tenrai Helica's seemingly joking idea, and she wouldn't openly involve others in matters of her own emotions.

It wasn't Helica's idea, it was Mizuno Yu's?

If three magical girls, including two who possess the power to unleash divine power, tricked him into coming to this place and attacked him while he was isolated and helpless, he would find it very difficult to resist on his own.

And yet, he actually fell into their trap, following them in without any warning.

The more Yuuki Yu thought about it, the more she felt she had fallen into a trap dug by Mizuno Yu herself.

Yuuki Yui almost forgot that, even in the past, the magical girl who first noticed her signs and took the first action against her, and who caused her the most headaches, was Mizuno Yui.

As for the idea that the members of Nijisanji simply wanted to catch up with her, Yuuki Yukino never even considered it.

As for the reason... the whole team was mobilized, and this whole thing started first thing in the morning, this is too much of a show.

Despite her vigilance, Yuuki couldn't hide her wary expression. Ultimately, she needed to understand what these magical girls were planning to do before she could respond accordingly.

Yuuki Yukino pulled a chair from the table and sat down directly in front of them.

"You're giving me such a formal welcome, so what's up? Is there something you need?"

Although Yuuki Yukino appeared neither humble nor arrogant, her heart was pounding with anxiety. It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous about being in a room with several magical girls.

Mizuno Yuu, who was still standing, stared intently at Yuuki Yuuki's expression for a long time before looking away and pulling up a chair to sit down directly opposite Yuuki Yuuki, just like the seats they had when they had lunch together before Yuuki Yuuki left.

After Mizuno Yu sat down, Helica also took her feet off the table. The wobbly metal chair legs, bearing the girl's weight, slammed to the ground with a crisp sound.

It was like a hammer striking, marking the start of a court hearing.

Of course, this wasn't a courtroom scene like Ace Attorney, but Yuuki Yuuki felt that it was no easier than going to court.

"Yuki-senpai, don't be so tense. How about we come back to Nijisanji for lunch once in a while?"

Sakura Hanako spoke first.

If it weren't for the slight flicker in her eyes, and Yuuki Yukino's earlier thought that there was no need for such a grand display if she wanted to say such things, she would have truly believed that this was the magical girls' main purpose.

“Sure, if you don’t mind, I don’t mind either,” Yuuki Yui replied immediately.

"That's great! Senior Tenrai will also be bringing Senior Lin along soon. I believe Rainbow Society will soon be back to what it used to be." Sakura Hanako clenched her fist secretly, her excitement seemed genuine.

Although Yuuki Yui wasn't lying, she felt that it wouldn't be so easy for her to return to her old Nijisan life in the short term.

Yuuki En looked around again, then stood up from the chair she hadn't even warmed yet, speaking as she did so.

“Even if you told me this privately, or sent me a message, I wouldn’t refuse. There’s no need for everyone to get together and specifically call me over.”

By taking the initiative and getting the magical girls to reveal their true intentions in calling her here, even if they didn't stop her from leaving, leaving this unpleasant atmosphere wouldn't be a bad thing for Yuuki Yuuki.

"Wait a minute, Yuki."

Sure enough, before Yuki Yuki could get up completely, Mizuno Yu called out to her.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Yuuki asked knowingly.

This little trick won't fool Mizuno Yuu, and Yuuki Yuuki's meaning is quite clear.

There's no need to beat around the bush when you want to say something.

But Mizuno Yu seemed determined to exchange a few polite words with Yuki Eri first.

"We haven't yet expressed our formal gratitude for what happened before."

"What happened before?" Yuuki asked again, sitting back down in her seat.

“It happened around Halloween,” Mizuno Yu replied.

When Halloween was mentioned, Yuuki Yukino rolled her eyes and glanced at Helica, who remained silent throughout.

Herica, staring at Yuuki Yuuki like that, first widened her eyes, then lowered her head with a slight blush on her face, a stark contrast to her previous assertive demeanor.

Perhaps Herika was a little reserved under the watchful eyes of everyone in Nijisanji, or perhaps being kicked out by Nishio Reki had left a psychological scar on her, but at least this version of Herika made Yuuki Yuuki feel much more at ease.

Yuuki Yui turned her gaze back to Mizuno Yu, looking at her with a knowing look in her eyes, and asked the same question again.

"Halloween? What's wrong?"

“These are just my guesses.” Mizuno Yu swallowed, moistening her dry throat. “Creating a dangerous environment so that Sakura could learn divine liberation and so that Tenrai and we could reconcile—these are all your goals, Yuuki, aren’t they?”

Yuuki Yukino raised her eyelids slightly, neither confirming nor denying.

"I was also fooled by the crisis at the time, but when I was fighting those two corrupted magical girls, the intensity of their attacks was far too mild for their goal of completely defeating me."

Mizuno Yuu, seemingly oblivious to Yuuki Yuuki's gaze, continued to slowly recount her initial assessment to Yuuki Yuuki and the other magical girls from Nijisanji who had heard her explanation.

“I fought that blonde magical girl before, and her power should be more than that. I already sensed something was amiss back then, so it’s my guess that they don’t intend to kill me.”

As Mizuno Yu spoke, her gaze suddenly sharpened.

While not that powerful, it was enough to pierce through Yuuki En's disguise—if Yuuki En was even pretending.

"Although these are all my guesses, I don't think my guesses are wrong."

After a well-timed pause, Mizuno Yuu threw the question back at Yuuki Yuuki.

What do you think, Yuuki?

After a brief eye contact with Mizuno Yu, Yuuki Yui took the initiative to look away, showing weakness.

Mizuno Yuu actually hit the nail on the head regarding her two only objectives, although there were some minor flaws. The magical girl that Yuuki Yuu wanted to draw out the power of the gods' liberation should have been Helica.

But working backward from the result, it's already quite impressive that they were able to deduce this far.

"You're right, but I have my reasons for doing this."

“I know, Yuuki, you wouldn’t do anything unnecessary for no reason,” Mizuno Yu said.

“I know you wouldn’t either.” Yuuki Yui sat even more firmly in her chair. “So what’s the real purpose of calling me here specifically? What is it?”

There had been enough small talk, and if Mizuno Yu didn't reveal her true thoughts soon, Yuuki Yui really wouldn't be able to hold back any longer.

When asked the question, Mizuno Yu closed her eyes, then opened them again a moment later.

His gaze, sharper than ever before, pierced Yuuki Yuki's body, as if he had no intention of giving Yuuki Yuki any room to retreat.

"Alright, I'd like to know, was it you who did that recent incident, Yuuki?"

Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Rebuilt Rainbow Bridge

"Yuki Yuuki, then let me ask you, did you do that?"

Mizuno Yu's piercing gaze fixed on Yuuki Yui, and that scrutinizing look made Yuuki Yui feel very uncomfortable.

The true purpose behind Mizuno Yu's summons had only now suddenly and in a perfectly opportune moment revealed itself.

Mizuno Yu is testing him now. No, Yuuki Yu understands Mizuno Yu's personality. In the original game, Mizuno Yu, who is the brains of the group and whose intelligence sometimes drops out, has been testing him ever since they first met.

From a gamer's perspective, perhaps giving Mizuno Yu such an unpredictable personality is a limitation for her; otherwise, maintaining such keen insight and meticulous thinking at all times would be a devastating blow.

But the occasional burst of intelligence is enough to keep Yuuki Yukino in check.

Yuuki Yui knew nothing about it, which is why she always reacted that way.

But Mizuno Yuu didn't know if Yuuki Yuuki was truly completely unaware.

Therefore, Yuuki Yuuki was unsure whether her fear of the other magical girls would be misinterpreted as something else.

If Mizuno Yuu were smart enough, there wouldn't be any problem if Yuuki Yuuki just did nothing and let things take their course.

What do you mean?