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

Not only her short, silver-white hair, but also her woolen trench coat that seemed to blend seamlessly with the snow and her white boots, made the girl standing there appear even more dreamlike.

The only different color was the dark red scarf wrapped around the girl's neck.

Numerous footprints were left on the snow beneath the girl's feet, clearly indicating that she had been restlessly pacing while waiting. Her bright red nose and her red hands, which she was constantly breathing hot air to warm, also reminded Yuuki Yuen that she had been waiting for quite some time.

Upon seeing Yuuki Yukino emerge from the coffee shop, the girl's previously dim, dark red eyes seemed to light up instantly.

"Xiao Yuan!"

The long-awaited Inuyama Tomoe raised her hand high and greeted Yuuki Yuuki.

Although the two were only a few steps apart, Yuuki Yukari could clearly see Baqi's expression at that moment. Even if Baqi didn't make such a big move, she would definitely not be overlooked.

Baqi's purpose in being here could only be one thing: to wait for her part-time job to end.

The thought of someone greeting her after a long day made Yuuki Yukino's lips curl into a secret smile.

Yuuki Yukino strode over and went straight to Baqi's side.

Before Yuuki Yukino could utter the words that were forming in her heart, Baqi preemptively spoke up, like a child eagerly telling her story in kindergarten, boasting:

"You've worked hard!"

"It's alright, it's alright." Yuuki waved her hand, swallowing the words she had originally intended to use to greet him, and her happy smile lifted even higher.

Yuuki Yui waved her hand casually a few times but didn't put it down directly. Instead, she took the hands of Baqi, which she had just noticed were red from the cold.

Upon touching those hands, Yuuki almost shivered; the icy touch dispelled much of the warmth she had accumulated when she left the coffee shop.

Even so, Yuuki Yukino didn't let go of Baqi's hands. Instead, she carefully held Baqi's hands in her own palms and presented the girl's hands to herself with her own hands clasped together.

Baqi's gaze trembled violently, followed by a heartbeat that seemed to skip a beat, making her cheeks, which were already flushed in the cold wind, turn even redder.

Completely unaware of Baqi's actions, Yuuki carefully placed Baqi's hands in front of her lips, warming the coldness in her hands with the warmth of her palms and the breath she exhaled.

After a few times, Yuuki felt that Baqi's hand seemed to have warmed up a bit, so she raised her eyes and met Baqi's eyes, which were unusually tinged with a few drops of shyness.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It didn't take long." Baqi stammered twice, and the hands held by Yuuki Emi tightened their grip, clearly trying to hide her guilty conscience.

There are many ways to cover up a guilty conscience, the simplest of which is to change the subject: "Okay, okay, Xiaoyuan, it's cold outside, isn't it?"

"I think it's fine." Yuuki Yui tapped the snow with the tip of her shoe, leaving another mark on the pure white backdrop.

Although that's what she said, the cold wind still inevitably whistled through her pantyhose and into her long uniform skirt.

"But I feel very cold." Baqi pouted and brought her icy face close to Yuuki Yuen's warm cheek, squeezing her face like a spoiled puppy, rubbing it up and down a couple of times.

"Ouch... It's so cold! Stop it! Stop messing around!"

Yuuki Yukino gasped, trying to avoid Baqi's icy cheek.

But Ba Qi had already grabbed his hand, and no matter how he tried to dodge, she would prank him by sticking to him.

Yuuki struggled for a moment, then reluctantly complied with Baqi's offer of warmth with her face.

But Baqi only rubbed against it twice before moving her face away.

It wasn't just their cheeks, but also their hands clasped together.

One.

With that hand, now much warmer, she untied the three layers of scarf wrapped around Baqi's neck with one hand, and with a slight flick, she threw one side of the scarf onto Yuuki Eri's shoulder.

"Hmph, let's see how Xiao Yuan dodges this time!"

Baqi clumsily wrapped the scarf around Yuki Emi's neck and her own with one hand, tightened it slightly, and then adjusted the excess hem, letting it hang down naturally.

After finishing all that, Inuyama Tomoe chuckled a few times in a low voice, like an evil villain in an anime, but in the end she couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

Baqi's scarf was long enough for two people to share.

Baqi's scarf wasn't long enough, so the two of them had to stick close together.

But being able to feel Baqi's body temperature, which was still like a warm little stove even though she had been standing in the snow for a long time, wasn't so bad.

"I wasn't planning on hiding forever..." Yuuki Yuen muttered, raising her hand to touch the fluffy, warm scarf around her neck, still retaining the warmth and scent of a young girl. "So, is this a little warmer now?"

"Ah."

The girl agreed and tightly clasped the hands that were holding each other's.

Also, I was really feeling unwell with a stomachache yesterday, so I wrote a very poorly written piece and rushed to publish it, which may have caused some readers to have a bad reading experience. I apologize again.

These past few days have indeed been my own fault, but my stomach problems have gotten to a certain extent, and it's true that I'm feeling unwell.

The bowl will learn its lesson.

At night, while enduring stomach problems, having a mental breakdown, and doubting myself, I would write, thinking, "How can someone with such a terrible personality write something that will satisfy my readers?"

This is supposed to be something I want to write well, so why can't I write it well?

So as I wrote, my emotions completely exploded. I cried while writing and deleting, until I couldn't write anything anymore.

Hmm... I still want to write, and I really want to write well.

So I couldn't help but get up and finish writing it. That's about it.

Chapter Six: A Melancholy Girl's Heart

Although it wasn't very late, the sudden heavy snow had reduced the number of pedestrians on the streets to almost nothing. Only occasionally would a slow-moving car pass by the girls and disappear into the distance.

Aside from the roar of engines that came from afar and then receded again, the only sound along the way was the squeaking of the girls' shoes as they walked through the snow.

The girls, without saying a word, simply held hands and walked slowly along the long road, their fingers intertwined and shoulders touching, stirring up a layer of snow mist.

Even the snow was falling silently, and on the glittering snow reflecting the lights of the streetlights that stood silently on both sides of the road, a string of footprints of the girls were imprinted.

Just stepping on the snow, Yuuki Yuki felt her toes go numb from the cold.

It's really cold in winter.

But Baqi's hands and body were very warm.

Maybe it's not that cold?

The road home was long, so long that Yuuki Emi's feet, wrapped in cotton socks, involuntarily curled up inside her small boots, making her wish she could crawl into her warm bed as soon as possible.

But she didn't want this road to have an end; no one could bear to break the tranquil atmosphere.

If she could, Yuuki Yuki would like to hold Tomoe's hand like this forever, and the two of them would walk in the snow forever.

However, everyone knows that it is impossible.

My own house is right in front of me.

Baqi stopped there, reluctantly letting go of the hand she was holding tightly with Yuuki Yuki, and untying the scarf wrapped between them—but taking off her own side.

The scarf was loosely wrapped around Yuuki Yuuki's neck twice before finally draped over her shoulders.

After tying the scarf around Yuuki Yukino's neck, Baqi stepped back two paces and looked at Yuuki Yukino's current appearance with satisfaction.

"Alright!" Baqi clapped her hands in satisfaction. "We've arrived at Xiaoyuan's house! I should head back now!"

Yuuki Yukino raised her hand, touching the scarf that Tomoe had wrapped around her neck. She slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath in the fluffy wool, and smelled the unique wool scent on the scarf, as well as the unavoidable scent of Tomoe Inuyama.

Then, Yuuki Yukina, who had just opened her eyes, buried the lower half of her face in her scarf.

"It's quite cold outside, would you like to come in and warm up?"

"No need. It's getting late, I'd better go back soon." Baqier Jiulingqia 3-stripper SS Yishan put his hands on his hips, revealing his little tiger teeth.

Minato Nana's shop isn't very close to her home, and when Yuuki Yuuki is feeling lazy, she usually just transforms and flies home to her vicinity. But today, the two of them are walking slowly, and the snow has slowed them down. It's getting late.

If it's any later, after Baqi gets home, she might wash up, do her homework, and do other things she likes, which could make it too late.

It's so late, why don't we stay here?

Yuuki Yukino intended to say that, but what came out was completely different from what she thought.

"That's true. Be careful on the road."

"Then I'm leaving?" Baqi tentatively raised the hand that she had just held with Yuuki Yuki's and waved it from side to side.

Baqi always speaks her mind, and if she has an idea, she will tell Yuuki Yuen directly. She almost never plays these kinds of tricks like playing hard to get.

Yuuki Yukina also slightly raised her hand and waved it: "Yeah, be careful on the road."

Baqi nodded, raised her hand to touch the thin layer of snow accumulated on the railing, pushed it aside as she walked, and slowly headed downstairs.

Yuuki Yuki felt something was off.

Even though Baqi didn't say anything, Yuuki Yuuki felt that Baqi seemed to have something on her mind.

One reason is that Baqi is not good at hiding her feelings. Yuuki and Baqi have been in contact for so long, so Yuuki should be very familiar with some of Baqi's little details.

If it's Baqi's troubles...

Before Yuuki Yui, who always tends to overthink, could figure out what was going on, she moved her body first. She threw her schoolbag containing textbooks into the snow by the door and started walking after Baqi's back.

After navigating the winding staircases, on the snow-covered ground below, Yuuki once again saw the back of the girl slowly walking away.

The snow that had fallen for several hours was much harder to run on than usual. Yuki Eri stumbled along the way, kicking up swirling snowflakes.

But Yuuki Yuki continued running in the direction of the girl's back, shouting loudly at the figure.

"Baqi!"

The girl whose name was called turned around in surprise, her eyes lighting up with delight before slowly dimming.

"Xiao Yuan! Didn't you go home?" Ba Qi turned halfway around in the snow, facing Yuki Yuki directly. Her fingers unconsciously twirled a strand of short hair at her side, playing with it in her palm.

"I was worried about you, so I came to see you!" Yuuki Yuen said matter-of-factly.

"Really, what do I have to worry about..." Baqi wrapped her hair around her fingers several more times, and guiltily looked away from Yuuki Yuuki.

"Really..." Baqi's voice softened considerably, as if she wasn't saying this to Yuuki Yuuki: "Nothing can escape Yuuki's eyes."

Yuuki Yukino approached, opened her arms without saying a word, and gestured towards Baqi with her lips.

"Hmph." Baqi gave an awkward hum, opened her arms, and tucked herself into Yuuki Yuki's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around Yuuki Yuki from under her armpits.

"So, what's bothering you?" Yuuki Yuen patted Baqi on the back.

Baqi hesitated for a moment, awkwardly denying it first. After another pause, she buried her head in Yuuki Enishi's shoulder and began to explain softly:

"It's nothing, it's just that before it was just me and Xiaoyuan, but now it seems like Xiaoyuan is... getting further and further away from me."