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

But at the moment she wanted to speak, all the words she wanted to say got stuck in her throat, like a fishbone that she couldn't pull out or swallow, and remained there forever.

Before the war began, Yuuki Yukino considered many scenarios in order to deal with the various countermeasures that Kuroba Rebirth might take.

Nishio Reki was also present at the discussion and offered many suggestions. At the end of the meeting, everyone was filled with confidence.

If, at that time, after witnessing the hellish scene at the Holy Age Academy, I had had full confidence in Xiaoyuan and believed that she would definitely be able to defeat Kuroba Rebirth, then everything would have truly ended.

Not only would I not need to listen to Sheng Shiyin, but I could also openly expose Sheng Shiyin and bring her to Xiao Yuan's attention, thus bringing this matter to a perfect close.

I betrayed Xiaoyuan's trust and failed to hold on until the very end.

If I had been faster, perhaps Xiaoyuan wouldn't have needed to suffer such severe injuries, and everyone could have worked together to defeat the enemy, instead of me gaining power but being unable to explain its source.

All of this is just hypothetical.

Unable to trust Yuuki Yuki, unable to remember what Yuuki Yuki had once said to him, he gained the power to fight alongside Yuuki Yuki, yet he felt even further away from her.

If Xiaoyuan discovers that she knew Shengshiyin's whereabouts but didn't tell her, if Xiaoyuan discovers that she and Shengshiyin made some kind of deal, if Xiaoyuan finds out that she has become a magical girl...

Nishio Reki was once again thinking about those vague and unrealistic "what ifs".

In reality, there aren't that many "what ifs".

"No, there's nothing there." Nishio Reki shook his head gently, a few strands of long hair falling down and obscuring his gaze.

Nishio Reki held his index finger, flicking his thumb back and forth on the knuckle; his throat bobbed a few times, he swallowed the saliva in his mouth, and finally the breath that had been catching in his chest came out.

"It just feels like everything suddenly ended."

Finally, Nishio Reki let out a sigh, seemingly trying to forcefully put a period to the topic and draw Yuuki Yukino's attention elsewhere.

Yuuki Yukina pouted, seemingly lost in thought. When she opened her mouth again, just as Nishio Reki had hoped, she moved on to the next topic.

"Yes, it's all over."

Through the glass window, Yuuki Yukino gazed out at the dark expanse, but a faint smile lingered on her lips.

"Yes, that's right," Nishio Reki replied, then, feeling that he might have been a bit perfunctory, added, "It's all over now."

Is it really all over? Perhaps not?

Nishio Reki lowered his head, and the hair that was covering his eyes seemed to grow even thicker when he lowered his head.

"Hail!"

Yuuki suddenly stretched and then yanked off the blanket covering her, revealing the pink pajamas she was wearing.

Yuuki Yukino lifted the covers and moved closer to the bed, stepping off the bed with one leg. Her curled toes carefully searched for her fluffy slippers on the floor beside the bed.

Nishio Reki consciously stepped aside and watched as Yuuki Yukino slipped her small feet into the slippers, then stepped down with her other leg and continued searching for slippers, putting them on as well.

At this moment, Yuuki Yui had already sat on the edge of the bed, and moved down the bed frame with her hands until her lower body was completely off the bed frame, and then she stood up after swaying a few times.

The simple act of getting out of bed took Yuuki Yuki a while to complete, and she did it rather clumsily.

But having just gone through a major battle, it's understandable that he would be a little slow doing this kind of thing, even if he was exhausted.

However, what Yuuki Eri said next was even more outrageous.

"Xiao Li."

"Ok?"

"Let's go for a walk."

"But, Xiaoyuan, your injuries..."

Nishio Reki looked at Yuuki Yuki with concern, spreading his arms like a mother hen protecting her chicks, as if afraid that Yuuki Yuki, who was standing and swaying a little, would fall down.

"I wasn't really injured to begin with, and even if I was, Hanako helped me heal. I've been almost fully recovered by now, you see."

As Yuuki Yukari spoke, as if determined to prove something to Nishio Reki, she turned her back and lifted her pajamas with both hands, tucking the hem under her armpits, exposing almost her entire back to Nishio Reki.

Even though Yuuki Yuki and Nishio Reki were childhood friends who often took baths together, Nishio Reki still couldn't help but swallow hard when he saw Yuuki Yuki's fair lower back.

The only drawback is that Yuuki Yukino still has a scar that has not fully healed, which was caused when she took a sword strike from Kuroba Reisei to protect Nishio Ryūki.

But now the scars on her body have faded a lot. This would have been a fatal injury for an ordinary person, but thanks to Sakura Hanako's treatment, Yuuki En was able to go back to school on the third day after resting for a day.

However, what Yuuki Yukino wanted to show was definitely not that, but rather the almost non-existent wounds on her body.

A few seconds later, Yuuki Yui released her hands, and the fallen pajamas once again covered the girl's body.

"See, I told you there were no serious injuries. It's just that I used up too much physical strength and magic power, so my body is a bit weak."

Yuuki Yuki then turned back, and when she saw that Nishio Reki was still in that posture as if he was about to hug her, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"So I already told you, I'm fine, why are you so nervous?"

“Oh…” Nishio Rekiji lowered his hands.

What kind of emotions should I express at this time?

Should it be happiness? Or the distress of being tricked?

However, Nishio Reki's current mood prevented her from interacting with Yuuki Yuuki naturally.

From the moment she began to speculate on Yuuki Yukino's thoughts and consider what kind of expression she should show, she sensed that a thick barrier had formed between her and Yuuki Yukino.

She inadvertently caught a glimpse of the red thread bracelet that Yuuki Yukino had given her on her wrist.

The ring that he had given to Yuuki Yuuki was now safely worn on her hand.

It was Christmas Eve. At that time, Yuuki and I didn't need to care about anything. We could tell each other our truest thoughts without any worries.

At that time, around the same time, I was taken away by Saint Shion...

It seems that the harassment from Sheng Shiyin started from that day.

Thinking about all this, Nishio Reki felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart.

Unaware of the situation, Yuuki Yuki was still urging Nishio Reki to answer: "So, Reki, do you want to go for a walk with me? You finally won, it would be a shame to just go to sleep without sharing your joy with others."

A celebration party for two, and some time alone together—this should make Nishio Reki incredibly happy.

But Nishio Reki simply nodded slightly with a calm expression: "Then let's go for a walk. Where would you like to go, Yuan?"

It wasn't that Nishio Reki was trying to feign indifference like Mizuno Yu; rather, she genuinely didn't know what to do.

Since when did I start having to be careful around Yuuki Eri instead of naturally expressing my emotions?

"Let's just take a stroll. We don't need so many destinations for a walk after a victory!" Yuuki Yuen smugly hummed a few times. "Since we're going, Reki, you can go out first and wait for me to change!"

"Okay, sure." Nishio Reki replied calmly, then turned and walked out of Yuuki Yukino's room.

Leaving the room, you enter the living room of Yuuki Yukino's house.

Since Nishio Reki was very young, she had been invited here by Yuuki Yuki to play. Many things have happened in this living room. She and Yuuki Yuki sat here chatting, discussing matters related to magical girls, and imagining a future that was both certain and full of variables.

Nishio Reki should be very familiar with this place, but the scene shrouded in darkness, as if covered by a veil of mist, made her feel extremely unfamiliar.

The empty scene was like a maze, impossible to get out of or escape from.

Nishio Reki even started to feel dizzy and wanted to sit down on the ground.

And that's exactly what she did. She sat on the ground, leaning her back against Yuuki Eri's door, and let out a heavy sigh.

On this night, many things are quietly changing.

Chapter 184 Returning to Heaven

"Say it again? You did that because you were so lonely and wanted a friend, you... created that bad guy?"

Yuuki Yukino followed behind Yumehara Sumireko, rubbing her head as she slowly processed what Yumehara Sumireko had just told her.

The core of the deal between Yuuki Yukino and Yumehara Sumireko was to "defeat Hanzawa Kuriko, the wild boss and former teammate of her sister who roams the Dream Realm," which can be summarized into three points:

Firstly, Sumireko Yumehara needs to guide Yuuki Enishi and fight alongside her.

Secondly, Sumireko Yumehara needs to tell Yuuki Gen about Hanzawa Kuriko so that Yuuki Gen can obtain more information before the battle.

Thirdly, after Yuuki Eri completes the request, Yumehara Sumireko needs to take Yuuki Eri to see the magical girls who were captured by Yumehara Sumireko, that is, the magical girls who have fallen into a deep sleep.

Yuuki Yukino hasn't returned to the position where she first met Hanzawa Kuriko, so the third option doesn't need to be considered for now.

Sumireko Yumehara is indeed guiding Eri Yuuki, so it seems that she is keeping her word on the first point.

The problem lies in the second point the two people made.

"That's right, because I'm all alone in the Dreamland, and no one plays with me. I'm so lonely by myself, that's why I want lots and lots of friends. If I didn't have any friends, I would be so bored I'd die."

Sumireko Yumehara nodded seriously, agreeing with Eri Yuuki's statement.

Yuki En is simply repeating what Yumehara Sumireko said, and of course Yumehara Sumireko would agree!

This is what Sumireko Yumehara just said.

"Because I was so lonely, I wanted to find friends. At first, I found my first friend, but she was too confused, so she couldn't be friends with me."

"Later, I started looking for a second friend. This time I was much more careful, but the second friend was too flimsy, so he couldn't befriend me either."

"Later, I found my third friend, who is now this bad guy. I became even more careful. Although I made many mistakes, my third friend finally started to move."

"However, this third friend had a terrible personality. She wouldn't listen to me at all and had no intention of being friends with me, so I failed again this time."

"And this third friend, she wouldn't let me get close to her, so I couldn't get rid of her like I did with the other friends."

Yuki En was completely bewildered. Yuki En felt as if Yukihara Sumireko had simply sculpted a little figure out of clay, blew on it, and brought it to life.

It doesn't sound like a fairy tale; it sounds more like a myth about the creation of humankind.

However, Sumireko Yumehara couldn't have created people out of thin air. Instead, she must have stuffed the memories of magical girls into a container to create her so-called "friends."

The reason for the slumber was to collect the memories of the magical girls and then create more friends for herself. Thinking about it this way, Yuuki Yuuki felt that the mystery that had troubled her for so long seemed to have been completely solved.

However, there are some things that Yuuki Yuuki cannot explain so far.

Yuuki Yukino doesn't need to guess entirely on her own. When she can't figure something out, she can simply ask Yumehara Sumireko.

"So, where did this bad person we're going to teach a lesson to come from?"

"You knew perfectly well!" Sumireko Yumehara shouted out of nowhere.

Alas, it is precisely this unpredictable and childlike temperament that makes Yuuki En both able to take advantage of and quite distressed.

"I really don't know," Yuuki Yui said patiently, though from the moment she began to explain, her patience was being rapidly worn down by Yumehara Sumireko, who had somehow turned on her capricious switch.

"You know! You just know! You still lied to me! I knew you were a bad person! A big bad guy! You really knew!"