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

Although Ba Qi asked, she didn't expect Qian You to actually say anything, since Qian You was probably fast asleep at that time.

But Qianyou answered with absolute certainty: "No."

"Are you sure?" It wasn't that Yuuki didn't trust Chiyu, but such a resolute answer, especially since it happened at night, would definitely make Yuuki have some doubts.

Fearing that Yuuki Yuki wouldn't believe her, Chiyuu explained earnestly with a serious expression.

“I’m a light sleeper, and with what you mentioned to us before you went to bed, I was worried that Mori would be fighting alone, so I was in a half-asleep, half-awake state all night. If Mori did anything unusual, I would definitely notice.”

This is strange.

Mari was already very sensitive to magic, and with Yuuki Yuki's repeated reminders, she still fell for it in the end, right next to another magical girl, without showing any unusual reaction.

This is truly terrifying.

If Yuuki Eri were to look for the reason, the only possibility would be the new developments regarding her slumber that she mentioned to Mari and the others before going to sleep.

He meant well by giving a friendly reminder, but it made Hong Moli the target of the attack. Wasn't that putting the cart before the horse?

Regardless, Yuuki Yuki felt that Koumori was definitely not the last one.

Chapter Ninety-Five: Dreams

"Xiaoyuan, don't blame yourself. It's normal to remind Hong and Baigui to be careful and to share information with us. It's not Xiaoyuan's fault."

Baqi patted Yuuki Yuuki's shoulder, nudged herself next to Yuuki Yuuki, and finally pulled Yuuki Yuuki into her arms, patting her back a few more times.

“But… if I hadn’t said anything, if I hadn’t dragged you into this, Red wouldn’t have gotten into trouble. You know, Sleep is the original magical girl’s defense mechanism to prevent us from investigating her.”

Yuuki Yui rested her head on Baqi's shoulder, feeling very aggrieved, and muttered, "This time it was Koumori, but what if next time it's Hyakki Senyou, and next time it's you? I don't have the ability to protect you all."

Yuuki Yui is able to openly radiate her negative energy for one reason: these recent events have indeed kept her extremely busy and overwhelmed. Just when she was finally making some progress, she received even more severe retaliation than the progress itself.

On the other hand, the object of her affection is Inuyama Hatsuki, someone who wouldn't take her embarrassing behavior to heart.

After the two of them spent a great deal of effort to calm down Hyakki Chiyuu and also took Koumori to the hospital for an unnecessary check-up, Yuuki Yuuki finally had a chance to vent her emotions.

"Don't think too much about it. What if this has nothing to do with our investigation? Even the blue-haired guy with the expressionless face said that Yuuki's ideas might not be right." Baqi stroked Yuuki's back and comforted her gently.

"But how do you explain these things? When I first learned about the dormancy, other members of Rainbow Society had just contacted me that morning, and someone fainted during my investigation at noon."

Yuuki Yuki sat up straight, placed her hands on her lap, and then, as her head drooped, her straight back bent, and the rest of her words sounded like she was muttering to herself.

"The dormancy here had just entered a new phase, and as soon as I shared it, Hong got into trouble again. It's like someone is manipulating all of this. Isn't this all aimed at me?"

"Then how do you explain Sakura Hanako?" Instead of going along with Yuuki Emi's words, Baqi directly refuted her with facts.

It's common for Tomoe to switch from comforting someone to having a serious discussion, which makes Yuuki feel a little awkward, but this efficient approach is just Tomoe's personality, and Yuuki doesn't dislike it.

“She was only targeted when she was investigating the dormant state. She probably found out something important, so…” Yuuki Yu answered immediately without thinking.

But as they talked, Yuuki Yukino herself realized the contradiction.

Ba Qi went even further and pointed it out: "Look, first of all, the blue-haired, expressionless girl told you everything she knew. Do you think that's right?"

“Indeed…” Yuuki Yui’s voice trailed off, sounding guilty for her misjudgment.

"Besides, Xiaoyuan just said that the slumber was caused by investigating the original magical girl, so how come investigating the slumber also caused it? Even if they are related, it's not this kind of connection, is it?" Baqi continued to criticize.

“That’s right…” Yuuki Yui chimed in.

"And what else! Did they find anything out? Nothing!"

"What they're investigating and what Xiaoyuan is investigating aren't the same thing, and there's been no progress. Even if we don't talk about these things, the dormancy they triggered has nothing to do with Xiaoyuan, so it's not all Xiaoyuan's fault!"

"Finally! Yes! Finally! The effects of slumber on ordinary people and magical girls are completely different. Isn't this clearly aimed at magical girls? Otherwise, what? Ordinary people will wake up in no time. How can it really serve as a warning?"

Yuuki Yui was somewhat bewildered by Tomoe's rapid-fire attack. Not only was she unable to refute it, but even if she did, she couldn't come up with a clear line of reasoning.

So Yuuki Yuuki simply emptied her mind.

"Baqi, what do you mean by all this?"

"Sigh." Baqi sighed loudly. She was very dissatisfied that Yuuki had given up thinking about it. She shook her head in annoyance, but she still had to explain to Yuuki.

"Xiaoyuan, you've fallen into too many misconceptions, connecting unrelated things together! Don't you understand?"

"I don't understand." Yuuki Yuen shook her head repeatedly.

Ba Qi's expression froze again. She slapped her cheeks hard and rubbed her temples in exasperation.

"Alright, alright, Yuuki's been thinking too much lately, her brain might be a bit overloaded. Let me explain to her this time." Baqi held up a finger and shook it in front of Yuuki, looking confident.

"The so-called slumber is not a warning or triggered by an investigation. It's just a unique attack specifically targeting magical girls. It has nothing to do with what Xiaoyuan did or said. Do you understand?"

Yuuki Yui nodded, then shook her head: "So you're saying that all those incredible things are just coincidences?"

“Yes, even if it isn’t, we should treat them as coincidences first, and then look for commonalities after sorting things out. So it’s pointless for Xiaoyuan to blame herself now.” Ba Qi pronounced her words very heavily.

Baqi's statement was mentioned by Yuu Mizuno yesterday, and she personally doesn't quite agree with Yuu Mizuno's statement.

But since Ba Qi said that, she had to reflect on whether she had gone astray while getting stuck on a single point.

Changing one's mindset is actually very difficult. People are generally unwilling to admit their mistakes, especially to admit their own mistakes to themselves.

But Yuuki Yui felt that she really needed to change her perspective on the whole thing.

According to Baqi and Mizuno Yu, the whole thing could actually be explained in just a few words.

It started when a student at Tsukimi Middle School suddenly fell asleep during class, exhibiting the symptoms of deep sleep that Yuuki Enishi and Mizuno Yuu had initially deduced. Then, several more similar incidents occurred over the course of a month.

Then, yesterday Sakura Hanako fell into a deep sleep and never woke up, and today it was Koumari's turn. Apart from not being able to be woken up, it actually has nothing to do with being in a deep sleep.

Another point is that there was no magic or trace at the scene.

Unfortunately, Yuuki Yukari has no way of knowing whether they also had nightmares like ordinary people who have fallen into a deep sleep, since the only two cases have been asleep without any signs of waking up.

Mizuno Yui mentioned this when she was discussing it with Yuuki Yui yesterday; she's practically in a vegetative state.

"Wait, a person in a vegetative state?" Yuuki Yuen suddenly exclaimed.

"What? What vegetative state?" Baqi was just comforting Yuki Yuen, and was quite pleased to see Yuki Yuen's thoughtful expression, when Yuki Yuen suddenly shouted an unrelated remark that startled her.

Yuuki's expression, as if she had suddenly realized something, told Baqi that her words or Yuuki's boundless imagination must have led her to some new discovery.

Baqi already had experience on how to communicate with Yuki Yuki. She just needed to keep quiet and wait for Yuki Yuki to express her thoughts.

As expected, Yuuki Yukino pounded her palms a few times before starting.

"I'm just guessing, just guessing." Yuuki Yui raised her hands, as if she were putting on a thick layer of armor to protect herself from the boomerang-like attack that was about to come.

But after saying all that, Yuuki Yukino fell silent again.

Yuuki Enishi's silent mind was racing, and her memories of various works, which had been unused for many years, began to play an unexpected role.

Yuuki En also knew something about similar plots. For example, in a certain MMORPG she played, the souls of the protagonist's companions were summoned to a parallel world, which is why they fainted one after another.

In another manga where fighting relies on Stands, there are Stands that only function after a person enters a dream, and there are also scenes where a person's soul is used as a gambling chip, and the body faints when the soul is extracted.

There are also some interesting real-life news stories. Because the prefabricated steel houses were of poor quality, workers on the construction site also encountered similar situations. Although knowing the answer would make it a bit boring, the investigation process was still quite mysterious.

Although these ideas are unrelated, they do provide Yuuki Yuuki with a new perspective.

Whether the soul is summoned to another world or used as a bargaining chip, the unconscious body is just an empty shell; but if it is fighting an enemy in a dream, it is simply that one cannot wake up. There is a fundamental difference between them.

Distinguishing them by sight alone might be difficult, but Mizuno Yu's mention of vegetative state is a key to unlocking the mystery.

The power of science can distinguish between poisoning from prefabricated steel buildings and whether a person is still conscious.

“Mizuno Yu said that Sakura Hanako’s condition is like that of a vegetable, or a magical girl who has been judged.” Yuuki Yui took a breath and continued.

"Whether they are in a vegetative state or magical girls on trial, they should both lack self-awareness."

"So, what's that?" Baqi was still completely confused.

“However, those affected by the slumber will have nightmares.” Yuuki Yui said excitedly, but she was met with a puzzled look on Tomoe’s face.

"Exactly!" Yuuki Yuen emphasized her pronunciation even more: "We can find out whether they are dreaming, delirious, or have completely lost consciousness! Using scientific methods!"

……

"Yes, indeed, the patient's abnormally active brain waves indicate that the patient's consciousness should be in a relatively clear state. Under normal circumstances, it is impossible to fall asleep like this. This is a symptom of sleep paralysis, but the actual situation is more complicated."

The doctor adjusted his glasses and answered the question raised by Hyakki Chiyu.

Sure enough, Yuuki Yukino secretly clenched her fist.

But the person you talk to is Bai Gui Qian You, and can only be Bai Gui Qian You. You can only talk about your own issues after the meeting is over.

"I see, thank you." Qianyou politely adjusted the hem of her clothes, then turned and left the doctor's office without looking back.

She walked out of the office, then through the garden where Yuuki Yuki and Sakura Hanako had confronted each other, until she reached the hospital entrance, where she stopped and turned to look at Yuuki Yuki.

Yuuki Yuki and Inuyama Tomoe suddenly returned and then asked Chiyu to ask the doctor about it herself, which puzzled Chiyu.

However, Yuuki Yuki wouldn't suddenly have a whim without a reason, and Chiyu did it without asking why.

Now, she needs Yuuki Yuki to give her an explanation.

"Sleep paralysis, as Mizuno Yu mentioned, is a condition where one is conscious but unable to wake up. It's something like sleep paralysis, somewhat similar to being haunted by a ghost." Yuuki Yui began by mentioning a condition the doctor had just discussed.

"I should have realized this when Mizuno Yu mentioned it yesterday, but it's not too late now." This was Yuuki Yu's monologue, which then grew louder and more confident.

"Abnormally active brainwaves, coupled with a state of being conscious yet unable to wake up, a deep sleep, and those affected have been having nightmares... Yes, that must be what I guessed!"

"The attack method of that unseen enemy is dreams!"

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Pink Devil Girl Strikes!

On Monday morning, chaos erupted at the entrance of St. Eternal Academy.

Indeed, riot, a word so out of place at St. Eternal Academy, is the most fitting adjective to describe the situation on the ground.

A pink-haired girl in a black cheongsam sat casually on top of a huge statue at the entrance of St. Yuu Academy, her white toes hooked on a high heel and swaying precariously.

Her languid expression and casual movements made it seem as if she were not sitting on a statue at the entrance of a prestigious academy, but rather on a sofa in a high-class salon, surrounded by wine glasses.

Regardless of how the pink-haired girl got up there, if she were just an ordinary girl, the security guards responsible for maintaining order would have taken her away from there long ago.

The security at St. Joseph's Academy, a prestigious academy, is second to none. The academy goes to great lengths to protect the young ladies from wealthy families.

However, ordinary security forces were simply insufficient to deal with the pink-haired girl who casually sat on the statue; she was a magical girl who was completely unrestrained by common sense.

And she's not just any ordinary magical girl; almost everyone recognizes the pink-haired girl's face—she's the pink demon who has brought more than one storm to Moonsea City.

Attire? Such trivial matters are insignificant. What matters is that a magical girl is here, and has been here for quite some time.

The fact that an evil magical girl has invaded the St. Yūgyu Academy, which has never been attacked by a magical girl before, and that no one has come forward to stop her after so long, is extremely abnormal from any perspective.