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

"Alright, alright, after my examination, Senior Yuki is mostly fine, but the injury was a bit too serious. Senior Yuki still needs to rest in bed for a couple of days. Everyone, please stop crowding around here and making a ruckus."

Before the atmosphere could get any worse, Sakura Hanako interjected, then tugged at Mizuno Yu's sleeve with her left hand and nudged Helica, who was a head shorter than her, with her right, urging everyone to end the conversation quickly.

Sakura Hanako deliberately didn't remind Nishio Reki.

She also knew that Nishio Reki and Yuuki Yuuki had an extraordinary relationship. They had known each other before they became magical girls, so even if she urged them, Nishio Reki probably wouldn't leave with her.

Let Yuuki Yuki and Nishio Reki be alone for a while, maybe they can untangle their knots and say things that are easier to say when no one else is around.

Nishio Rekiya really didn't intend to leave with the others.

Nishio Reki stopped where he was, standing beside Yuuki Yuki's bed. He watched as the others were pushed a couple of steps away by Sakura Hanako, and then said...

"Then I'll stay and take care of Xiaoyuan. I can't tell Huan-jie about Xiaoyuan's injury, and I'm not comfortable leaving her alone at home."

When Sakura Hanako was able to push Tenrai Helica away, the argument could no longer continue. So Sakura Hanako let go of her hand and stopped at the doorway where they were about to leave the room with the other two.

However, she wasn't the one who should speak up. Sakura Hanako would only intervene if her seniors had nothing to say or if the conversation went off-topic. Otherwise, she was very careful about her words and actions, not wanting to leave a bad impression or memory on her seniors.

"Nishio, I'll leave it to you. Contact us if you need any help," Mizuno Yu said seriously.

“Yes, it’s all yours now. We’ll come back when we have time.” Helica also said goodbye.

"If you feel unwell, please contact me immediately. I will get there as soon as possible. Not only do I have the ability, but I also know a little about how to treat wounds."

Finally, reminded by Sakura Hanako, the three of them left Yuuki Yukino's room with mixed feelings of unease and reluctance.

After the three people left, the room immediately fell silent.

"Why are you making such a sad face? I already told you, Xiao Li, as long as you're alright, I'm fine. The God of Fate treated my wounds a long time ago, and with Sakura's treatment, I'll be alive and kicking again tomorrow, or at the latest the day after."

Yuuki Enishi's slightly pale face wore a smile no less radiant than Maki's, comforting the self-reproaching Nishio Reki as if she weren't the one who was hurt.

“But Yuuki got hurt protecting me.” Nishio Reki choked up again when he heard Yuuki comforting him despite her own injuries.

"It's alright, it's alright. Protecting Koyomi is my duty. If I can't even protect Koyomi, then I, as a magical girl, would be too derelict in my duty, right?" Yuuki Yuki raised her wrist and gently wiped Koyomi's eyes with the back of her hand, wiping away a few tears that had just welled up in Koyomi's eyes.

Nishio Reki swayed slightly, then stepped back from Yuuki Yuki's bedside, covered his eyes with his hands, and wiped away the tears with his palms.

"If I had the power, things would never have come to this."

Seeing Nishio Reki's somewhat childish, almost childlike behavior, Yuuki Yukina couldn't help but purse her lips with a smile.

"Xiao Li is fine as she is now. Hmm... there's a movie that says, with great power comes great responsibility. Being an ordinary person is a kind of happiness too. After all, the responsibilities of a magical girl are really heavy. Although I don't mind."

"But if I could share some of the burden with Xiaoyuan, then Xiaoyuan wouldn't..."

"Pfft, I've thought about many similar things, whether it's like this or that."

Yuuki closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she looked at the ceiling above her head.

"If I could travel back in time, if I could be super rich, if I could save the world... But that's just wishful thinking. If these 'what ifs' actually came true, would I really be happy?"

Nishio Reki immediately replied, "Isn't that obvious?"

Yuuki Yui shook her head: "No, Kotori is thinking too much. Kotori probably doesn't play video games much. I once played a game where the story often required me to make difficult choices. After making a choice, I felt that the result was not good, so I loaded the save file to see what would happen on another timeline."

"And then?" Nishio Reki pressed.

"Then, I successfully saw what another option would bring, an even worse outcome than the current one. That's just a game, not reality—so, Xiao Li, a perfect ending doesn't exist. What we need to do is choose the lesser of two evils. It's worth it to exchange my injury for Xiao Li's safety."

“Even so, but…” Nishio Reki still wanted to refute, but suddenly realized that he had been led back by Yuuki Yuki: “No! That’s not what we’re talking about!”

"Pfft, Koyomi found out." The weakened Yuuki Yukina laughed happily: "So, why does Koyomi want power?"

"Because I want to help Xiaoyuan."

"Xiao Li is already helping me now."

"I want to help more, much more, I want to fight alongside Xiaoyuan, and I want Xiaoyuan not to get hurt while protecting me."

"Xiao Li is really greedy."

"I……"

Nishio Reki lowered his head guiltily, as if Yuuki Yuki had seen right through him.

After returning from his New Year's shrine visit, Nishio Reki's mood worsened rather than improved.

Why did I stay here?

Tenrai Helica, Mizuno Yu, and Sakura Hanako are magical girls who can fight alongside Yui to defeat the corrupted magical girls who bring calamity to Tsukimi City.

Although Inuyama Tomoe is not in the same school as everyone else, she is able to secretly investigate clues that are only available at St. Yuu Academy, providing information to help everyone.

The only time she was saved by Yuuki Yuki was because they were childhood friends. Apart from that, she just stayed by everyone's side and shared her opinions. When battles occurred, she was taken care of by everyone and couldn't help at all.

So why am I staying here?

If I could become a magical girl, I could fight alongside Yui and realize my own value.

Instead of existing as it is now, merely as a pendant or mascot, following everyone around and becoming a burden.

Although no one says it, it's hard for Nishio Reki not to think it.

At first, she dismissed these vague thoughts as mere noise in her mind, unrealistic and pointless.

But now that Yuuki Yukino was injured while protecting herself, this noise filled Nishio Reki's entire mind.

Even though he knew it was wrong, Nishio Reki couldn't stop himself from thinking that way.

She's afraid of so many things now: death, getting hurt, becoming a burden, being abandoned, and most of all, Yuuki Yukino seeing through her current thoughts.

Yuuki Yuki stared at Nishio Reki thoughtfully for a long time, then seemed to want to stretch, but hesitated because of her injuries, and raised her arms high.

Then, Yuuki Yukina seemed to be talking to herself, or perhaps admonishing Nishio Reki.

"Power, desire, and wish are not necessarily good things. How many magical girls have fallen into darkness because of unrealistic desires? In anime and movies, how many villains have become twisted because of their pursuit of power?"

"What are you saying, Xiaoyuan! I would never become like that!" Nishio Reki muttered guiltily from the side.

Yuuki Yukina pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment: "Alright, let's change the subject. If Koyomi could really go back to the past, what would she want to do?"

"As for me, I would go back to before everything started, before Yui told me you were a magical girl, and use our shared memories to ensure Yui doesn't get hurt, so that everyone can better defeat the enemy!"

As Nishio Reki thought about it, he clenched his fist.

"Also, let's experience all the beauty of this summer, this autumn, this winter, and everything we've experienced and haven't yet experienced, together again."

Yuuki Yukino couldn't help but laugh out loud again: "It's very much in Kotori's style."

"Yuan! Don't make fun of me!" Nishio Reki punched the bed sheet. "So, Yuan? When does Yuan want to go back to?"

"I have no desire to return to the past," Yuuki Yui said after a moment's thought.

"Doesn't Xiaoyuan want to meet everyone again and experience all of this with everyone again?" Nishio Reki asked in confusion.

"No, I'm already very content. Like I said, our future may be better or it may not, so I'd rather look at the present, at Xiao Li in front of me, and at my other companions."

Nishio Calendar was speechless for a moment.

After saying all this, Yuuki Yukina fell into a long silence, closed her eyes again, and breathed evenly.

"Xiaoyuan, are you still awake?"

"Ah."

Nishio Reki took a deep breath:

"As expected, Xiaoyuan and I have different ideas. I still want to help Xiaoyuan and do more for her. If I could travel through time, I would definitely protect Xiaoyuan in my own way."

"If, as Xiaoyuan said, our future might get better, or it might not, then I'll eliminate all the wrong answers and prepare the most perfect ending for Xiaoyuan."

"If that day ever comes..."

“If that day ever comes,” Yuuki Yuki continued, picking up where Nishio Reki left off, “Reki, you must keep your promise and protect me well, okay? Of course, I will protect you too.”

"Of course!" Nishio Reki stammered.

"So, Xiao Li, is that settled between us?"

Yuuki Yui slightly opened her eyes, a sly yet gentle glint in them. Then, she stretched her hand out from under the covers and hooked her little finger at Nishio Reki.

Nishio Reki hooked his little finger around Yuuki Yukina's finger.

"Yes, it's settled."

Chapter 176 Snowflake Screen

"Nishio Reki, have you thought this through?"

Under the dim streetlights, a girl with light yellow hair leaned against the wall with her hands behind her back and asked a question.

The girl's shoulders were covered with a thin layer of snow that had fallen overnight, indicating that she had been waiting for a long time on the path that Nishio Reki would take when leaving Yuuki's house.

"I told you, I'm not interested."

Nishio Ryū gripped the strap of his shoulder bag tightly and walked quickly past the girl without even glancing at her.

Despite being ignored by Nishio Ryū, the girl persisted and followed him, keeping a distance of less than a meter from him and chattering incessantly behind him.

"Think about it carefully. There's something I can do to help you. If you agree to my request, you'll have the power to change everything, fight alongside your comrades, and no one will get hurt anymore. Isn't that what you want?"

"I'm already very satisfied." Nishio Reki continued walking without looking back, quickening his pace and leaving the girl who was catching up behind.

"Listen to me, you don't want this kind of helpless situation to happen again, do you?"

That simple sentence made Nishio Reki abruptly stop in her tracks. The girl behind her couldn't stop in time and bumped into Nishio Reki's back.

Nishio Reki slowly turned his head, his gaze sharper than the biting winter wind that seemed to cut one's cheek.

How did you know about this?

The girl rubbed her nose, which was throbbing from the impact, took two steps back, creating a short distance between herself and Nishio Reki. She frowned and cast a glance over her hand, which was rubbing her nose, at Nishio Reki, whose expression had become even more unfriendly.

"With such a commotion, how could I not notice it?"

“No!” Nishio Reki took a step closer, leaving an even deeper footprint in the snow. “You knew everything all along, you witnessed the whole thing from beginning to end… or rather, you orchestrated it all?!”

Even if they really started fighting, it wouldn't take the other party even ten seconds to deal with Nishio Reki, but Nishio Reki's aura overwhelmed the girl standing opposite her, forcing the girl who had been waiting for Nishio Reki for a long time to take two steps back.

The girl waved her hand, her expression a little flustered as she explained, "Don't... don't say such harsh things."

But Nishio Reki wasn't having any of it and kept pressing, "Yes or no?"

“We have different positions, and I can’t just stay inactive forever, can I? But you have to understand, I didn’t want that to happen! I didn’t know the president would suddenly attack you, and I certainly didn’t know your childhood sweetheart would take that sword for you.”

The girl gave a vague explanation, but what she said was tantamount to admitting that what happened today was indeed related to her.