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

After saying all that, Minato Nana led the girls to push open the very old-fashioned wooden door.

The wooden door was completely unlocked. With a gentle push from Minato Nana, it creaked open, revealing the corridor inside.

“Live houses are generally quite loud, and even with soundproofing, they can still disturb the surroundings, so they are usually set up in the basement.” Minato Nana said as she walked, poking the thick soundproofing material on the corridor wall with her hand.

The wall covered with soundproofing cotton was only a small part at the entrance. After passing through that short corridor, another heavy security door came into view.

The security door was wide open, and everyone could clearly see the small room behind it with two benches.

In one corner of the room, there was a heavy counter with a small blackboard in front of it listing the bands that would be performing that day. Behind the counter, on the wall, were several posters and some simple musical instrument accessories and related items.

Behind the counter, there was a young girl wearing an apron with a logo on it standing there; you could tell that was the ticket office.

Although I hadn't seen many people along the way, the room was already quite full of people.

Next to the counter, there is a double sliding door, behind which should be the main body of the live house.

"Wait here for me," Minato Nana said, walking to the counter first.

Helica saw what Minato Nana was doing and immediately followed.

Herlica's idea was very simple: Yuuki En had asked Minato Nana to bring everyone here, and if Minato Nana had to pay for everyone's tickets by herself, she, as the initiator, would feel embarrassed.

After all, this was her own business, and Minato Nana was her idol. She couldn't bear to let Minato Nana spend money on her.

The girl behind the counter smiled warmly and held out her palm to Minato Nana: "Hello, how many tickets do you need?"

"Is Platinum here?" Minato asked, leaning on the counter, a completely unrelated question.

"Are you looking for the store manager?" The girl's smile remained unchanged.

"Could you please tell Platinum later... never mind, I'll go and talk to her in person myself?" Minato Nana was about to say something when she suddenly changed her mind.

"Hmm?" The girl smiled and tilted her head. Before she could react, she saw Minato Nana take a step and rush into the room.

The girl, with a smile, suddenly stepped in front of Minato Nana: "This guest, you haven't bought a ticket yet."

"I just want to meet your store manager." Minato Nana said earnestly.

"No problem, but you need to buy a ticket to go in." The girl smiled and took two steps forward, forcing Minato Nana to step back a little.

"Your store manager will give it to me for free."

"You'll need to talk to our store manager about this."

“I can’t even see Platinum, how can I talk to her?”

"The store manager is inside right now."

"Then let me meet her!"

"You'll need to buy a ticket to get in."

"But if I see the store manager... then I won't need to buy a ticket, right?"

"You'll need to talk to our store manager first; I can't make that decision myself."

"You! You!" Minato Nana's face turned red, and she uttered "you" several times, but that was the end of her sentence.

Herica looked around in confusion and found that Yuuki Yuki, who had followed, also looked bewildered and was clearly unaware of this development.

The situation unfolded quite simply. Helica planned to take everyone to see the sights, so Yuuki Yukina decided to ask for leave and also to ask Minato Nana if she had any recommendations. Then, Minato Nana appeared right after school.

So what's going on here this time?

Herlica glanced at Yuuki Yukino again, deciding it would be better for her to end this farce herself. So, touching her wallet, she moved closer to Minato Nana. "Um... Minato-san? Should I..."

“It’s nothing, just a small problem, it’s alright.” Minato Nana gave a thumbs up and pushed Helica back a little: “It’s just a small problem, you guys wait there.”

“Uh…” Helica’s hand trembled slightly as she touched her wallet, and she asked in a low voice, “Really, is it okay?”

"Even if you ask me this, I don't know either," Yuuki Yui said, equally confused. "But... maybe? perhaps? possibly? There's something wrong, isn't there?"

“But there’s still a problem!” Helica sighed, rubbing her forehead.

It's unclear what Nana Minato said to the receptionist, but the receptionist simply opened the door and went inside, leaving Nana Minato standing there alone.

It can't be considered leaving her there unattended, can it? Yuuki Yuki thought the girl had gone to find someone.

Not long after, the door was pushed open again, and two people came out.

"Oh!" Minato Nana immediately became much more excited: "Rei! Are you happy to see me?"

Nana's object of interest was clearly not the girl who had just left, but a young woman standing behind the girl who looked to be about the same age as her older sister.

It was quite ordinary; that was Yuuki Yukino's first impression of that woman.

Whether it's their clothing or their demeanor, you could even say they're ordinary to the point of being extraordinary.

But she's also a very beautiful person.

However, Yuuki Yukino felt like she had heard this name somewhere before.

As Yuuki Yukina pondered this, she glanced at Tenrai Helica beside her.

Helica, however, was already stunned in place, her lips moving slightly, her heartfelt excitement overflowing.

"Of course, Nana, it's so great to see you. There's no need to go through all that trouble to find me."

The woman called Rei opened her arms and gave Minato Nana a big hug, a gesture that left the girl who had initially blocked Minato Nana from entering somewhat stunned.

"So, Nana, what brings you here after all this trouble?"

"Well, it's nothing serious." Minato Nana patted Rei after hugging her before slowly separating from her. "I just brought a few kids who are interested in bands and wanted to support your business."

"Ah~ I see." Ryou smiled knowingly, then rubbed her fingers together: "Let's buy tickets first."

Chapter Fourteen: A Big Argument

Listening to the conversation between Minato Nana and the young woman who was clearly the store manager, Yuuki Yuuki suddenly remembered who this person named Shirogane Rei was.

My older sister used to form a band. Besides Nana, whom I was somewhat familiar with, and Hanzawa Kuriko, who caused me a lot of trouble in the Dream Realm, there were two other people I had never met before.

It seems that one of them is named Platinum Rider.

This was something Yuuki Yukino only realized after overhearing the conversation between Minato Nana and Shirogane Rei, and noticing Tenrai Herika's incredibly adoring expression.

The debate over there seems to be continuing, and it's even showing signs of escalating.

"Don't joke around, Rei. Even I need to buy a ticket? I was planning to have a good chat with Rei."

"Yes, I am now the store manager. When I took over the store from the previous manager, I was determined to make it a success."

"But isn't this a bit too cold-hearted? I came all this way to support you."

"As a store manager, you have to treat everyone equally. If I give you preferential treatment today, what will happen when other people come tomorrow? If I give preferential treatment to others, what will happen to even more people?"

From Rei's tone, Yuuki Yukina could tell the difference between this person's and Minato Nana's business philosophy.

Minato Nana has a very easygoing personality. She does whatever she wants, whether it's with her own employees or other customers. This is evident from the fact that she closed the coffee shop and came over as soon as she heard that everyone was planning to go to a show.

However, Rei is the kind of person who is very rigid and methodical. At first, Yuuki was wondering why the waiter was so insistent on stopping Minato Nana and acting so cold-hearted. But after seeing Rei's behavior, Yuuki understood the style of their restaurant.

Yuki Yuki couldn't definitively say which was better, but the conflict between the two was no longer limited to differences in business philosophies.

The situation escalated even further after Ling said something.

"Nana, the reason I allowed you in is because as the manager of this store, I must treat all customers equally. From my personal point of view, I should have turned you away directly."

"Shirogane Rei, what do you mean by that?" Minato Nana's tone suddenly turned cold, addressing the other person by their full name, her eyes as sharp as the howling snowstorm that had struck when Yuuki Yukino walked out of the coffee shop two days ago.

“It means exactly what it says.” Shirogane Rei was not intimidated by Minato Nana’s coldness at all. Instead, she took two steps forward and confronted Minato Nana, who was clenching her fists, head-on: “Don’t you want to think about what you’ve done? And what are you doing here now?”

"What have I done? Platinum Rei, if you have something to say, then explain it to me clearly, right here, now, immediately! Explain yourself!"

Minato's forehead veins bulged noticeably as she continued to walk towards Shirogane Rei, almost touching her body, her clenched fists looking like they might be about to swing at any moment.

Now that things have developed to this point, Yuuki Yukino can no longer just stand by and watch.

Whether Minato Nana was really planning to skip the ticket or simply wanted to call Rei out for a chat, it doesn't matter anymore.

What conflicts exist between them, what "鸰" refers to, and how they managed to provoke the good-tempered Minato Nana with just a few words—it doesn't matter at all.

Minato Nana's shouts had already attracted a lot of attention. Whether it was the surrounding guests or the magical girls who came here with Yuuki Yukino, they all looked over curiously. If they didn't stop it, things would only get more serious.

Yuuki abandoned Tenrai Helica beside her and forced her shoulder between the two people who were almost touching. She grabbed Minato Nana's arm with one hand and stopped Shirogane Rei, who seemed to be about to say something, with the other.

"Alright! Manager! Don't argue here, everyone's watching!" Yuuki Yui shouted at the top of her lungs, drowning out what Shirogane Rei was about to say, and pulled Minato Nana back a few steps with all her might.

Seeing that Yuuki Yuki had already taken action, Helica felt bad if she just stood there and watched.

It all started with my sudden idea to form a temporary band. How did it escalate to the point where two members of my favorite band got into a fight because of me?

I don't want to think about it too much anymore, let's separate the two of them first.

Herlica took two steps to the other side of Minato Nana's body, grabbed Minato Nana's waist, and took two steps back while holding Minato Nana.

Minato gritted her teeth, wanting to say something, but the force of the two pulling her at the same time made her involuntarily take several steps back, getting further and further away from Shirogane Rei.

The other members of Rainbow Club, who were asked to wait aside, also gathered around, but none of them understood the cause and effect, let alone what they should do. The scene immediately became chaotic.

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly chaotic, Yuuki Yukino shoved the arm of Minato Nana in her arms into the hand of Hayashi Keiko, who was closest to her, and ordered everyone, "Take Minato-san away first."

With Yuuki Yukino's instructions, the girls suddenly felt reassured. They quickly lifted Minato Nana above their heads and carried her out in the direction they had come from, still cursing.

"I'm so sorry! My manager has caused you trouble. I'm really sorry!" Yuuki Yuki bowed deeply to Shirogane Rei, who was still standing at the door, watching in astonishment as a group of girls carried Minato Nana away with great speed.

After quickly bowing, Yuuki Yukino quickly stood up, preparing to leave with the others.

"Wait a moment."

To Yuuki Yukino's surprise, Shirogane Rei called out to her at this moment.

We're doomed!

Minato Nana just caused a huge scene here, and now she's been dragged out, but I haven't.

He acted like the person in charge of the team, so if anyone were to hold him accountable, it would definitely be him.

Shirogane Rei's words were indeed very harsh, and Minato Nana's initial behavior was also problematic. Both of them share responsibility for their argument.

But... if Shirogane can't catch Minato Nana and instead takes her anger out on her, Yuuki Yukino will be really upset.

Thinking about the worst-case scenario, but unable to show it on the surface, Yuuki Eri's limbs were stiff as if they had not been tamed. She turned around.

"Excuse me--"

She didn't intentionally leave her words unfinished; she genuinely didn't know what Bai Jinling's purpose was in calling her back at this moment.