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

"Sakura..."

Although Sakuragawa Nana's attitude is aggressive, Yuuki Yuuki can still sense the wavering in her heart.

What is she afraid of?

Yourself?

No, Sakuragawa Nana doesn't know her own identity; she's afraid of something else.

Was Nana Sakuragawa afraid of saying what she was about to say, or was she afraid of facing her own inner thoughts?

“That’s right, I’m Sakuragawa Aika’s younger sister.” Sakuragawa Nana took a deep breath, but Yuuki Yui knew that she wasn’t ready yet.

But she had already said the words that confirmed Yuuki Yukino's guess, or rather, she forced herself to say them.

His voice was bitter, but his enunciation was clear.

"I am still the same magical girl who just appeared in front of you."

……

Shortly after Sakuragawa Nana was defeated by Yuuki Yuuki.

Even after Sakura Nana had returned to the entrance of the live house where she worked, she still couldn't stop her legs from trembling involuntarily.

She didn't even know how she got back. She only felt that her legs were so weak that they no longer belonged to her. She mechanically did the same thing as she used to take steps, and then in the blink of an eye, she was back here.

Is this the true power of a magical girl?

Having only seen magical girl battles in online videos, Sakuragawa Nana thought they were nothing special.

After she became a magical girl, all the corrupted magical girls in the city seemed to have vanished, and Sakuragawa Nana never had the chance to fight a real corrupted magical girl.

But Sakuragawa Nana never slacked off in her practice. Even though she thought she was already very good, she tried to become stronger every day to deal with more complex situations.

This first real battle, and the first time she appeared in front of the public as a magical girl, ruthlessly destroyed all of Sakuragawa Nana's confidence.

If, just if, the pink demon didn't let her off the hook, she might not be able to return here safely.

The surreal feeling of surviving the ordeal made Sakuragawa Nana feel lightheaded, even though she was standing on solid ground, as if her feet no longer belonged to her.

Did I really come back safely? Did I escape from that pink devil?

Is everything I'm experiencing right now really just a fleeting moment?

When Sakuragawa Nana saw her Platinum Rei standing on the snow outside the live house, leaning against the railing around the descending stairs and looking at her, she suddenly felt a sense of returning to reality.

Yes, it's true.

Although I almost never saw the person who was so important to me again, it was only a close call; the terrible possibility didn't exist.

I'm still alive and standing here safely.

For a moment, Sakura Nana felt like crying. The stinging sensation in her nose made her blink hard several times, holding back the tears welling up in her eyes.

Indeed, it's good to be alive.

Sakuragawa Nana walked quickly toward Shirogane Rei.

Platinum Rei, holding onto the railing, also walked towards Sakuragawa Nana.

Sakuragawa Nana really wanted to give Shirogane Rei a big hug, not for any reason, but just so she could have another chance to hold him.

But Shirogane didn't give Sakuragawa Nana such an opportunity.

Sakuragawa Nana could still do that, but under Shirogane Rei's indifferent gaze, she stopped thinking about it altogether.

She was certain that now was not the time.

"Where did you go?" Shirogane asked, her tone cold and harsh, completely different from the Shirogane that Sakuragawa Nana knew.

"N-nothing."

"to be honest."

"I really didn't do anything."

"to be honest."

"I...I already told you, I really didn't do anything."

"to be honest."

When Shirogane repeated the same sentence for the third time, which was unusual for her, Sakuragawa Nana's mental defenses finally crumbled.

"me……"

Sakuragawa Nana stammered, unsure how to answer Shirogane Rei's question.

"Don't you want to answer?" Bai Jinling looked at her with a very indifferent gaze, no different from the way she usually gave instructions.

"No," Sakuragawa Nana whispered in defense.

“Then I’ll answer for you.” Shirogane did nothing, her expression remained unchanged, but even so, Sakuragawa Nana felt her breathing become even more difficult.

An immense pressure was placed on her head. She had never seen a Platinum Remora like this before. Just standing there made her have to be careful even when she was breathing.

"You went to cause trouble for Minato Nana, and you deliberately chose this time because you were afraid I would find out."

Every word Bai Jinling spoke was so certain. She didn't need to use any kind of imposing manner to prove herself right, nor did she need to use an interrogative tone. She only needed to say it in such an ordinary way.

"No, I just wanted to teach her a lesson. You know, that woman, Minato Nana..."

Sakura Nana tried to explain herself, even though she knew her explanations were so weak, and even though her voice grew softer and softer until she could no longer hear it herself, but in her eyes, a flame of resistance ignited.

But in the end, she still couldn't say a word. Whenever Shirogane Rei stared at her, Sakuragawa Nana felt as if her true colors were being revealed, as if she couldn't hide any secrets or thoughts.

Platinum Reed countered, "Her?"

Sakura Nana lowered her head as if she knew she was wrong, her teeth sinking deep into her lips as she bit down hard to keep herself from making a sound.

Shirogane narrowed her eyes slightly, but Nana Sakuragawa felt a sharp gaze through those slits, making her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

"Come with me." Shirogane took another step, passing by Sakuragawa Nana and stopping a few steps behind her.

"Where are you going?" Sakuragawa Nana turned around, wanting to ask why, but not daring to provoke the White Gold Rei she was seeing for the first time. For a moment, countless words were stuck in her throat.

"I'll take you to find Minato Nana."

"Why would I want to see her! You know perfectly well enough..."

"I didn't consult you." Shirogane only gave Sakuragawa Nana a profile view and a look that terrified her: "Do you know that you did something you absolutely should never have done?"

……

At this moment, in Minato Nana's coffee shop.

Sakuragawa Nana was unconvinced; she was really unconvinced.

She was very unwilling to bow down to that woman, Minato Nana!

Especially since Minato Nana was still giving him that kind of expression.

"You said you're that magical girl?" Minato Nana couldn't hide the disbelief on her face.

"Hmm." Sakuragawa Nana's reply sounded like it was squeezed out of her nose, completely lacking any sense of politeness.

At least Yuuki Yukino was somewhat displeased by what she heard.

The name Sakuragawa Aika might seem puzzling on its own, but once it's connected to other people, Yuuki can easily recall who this person is.

In my sister's band, the drummer who was on good terms with the keyboardist, Shirogane Rei, was the one who carried all those snacks when my sister brought her a huge pile of delicious treats.

Sakuragawa Aika's younger sister is hanging out with Shirogane Rei, and the two have a relationship that clearly goes beyond that of employer and employee—at least they seem to be much closer than she and Minato Nana are, but Sakuragawa Aika is nowhere to be found.

In the past that Yuuki Yukino didn't know, what happened between them was definitely not as simple as Nana and her sister told her.

However, it is not the right time to act rashly without knowing the full story.

Sakuragawa Nana looked at Shirogane Rei standing a little in front of her, trying to glean some information from her expression.

She doesn't know what to do now.

It's like when you've been defeated by the pink devil and are wandering aimlessly back to the entrance of the live house, feeling hesitant and timid no matter what you're doing.

Because Sakura Nana had never experienced anything like this before, every step she took and every word she uttered was a completely new experience.

But a novel experience and a good experience are two completely different things.

If she could, Sakuragawa Nana would never want to experience what she's going through.

Ever since Sakuragawa Nana hummed that syllable, she's not the only one who's felt something's off.

The temperature of the air in the entire room seemed to drop suddenly.

Feeling the awkward and heavy atmosphere firsthand, Yuuki Yuuki began to doubt whether it was a good choice to have Helica by her side.

Even though she, as Nana's employee, and Yuuki Tamaki's sister, hadn't said a word, Helica certainly shouldn't have interfered. But this was something Yuuki Yuuki absolutely didn't want to see.

If Helica loses her temper first, things could get even worse.

I'm so anxious! Yuuki Yukino is about to explode with worry.

Is there no one who can break the awkward atmosphere at this moment?

If this were Nijisanji, they would have already changed the subject by saying something irrelevant or started pushing the conversation forward.

“You have more to say to her than just this, Cai Cai. We already discussed this when we came here.”

Although Yuuki Yuen doesn't yet know whether Shirogane Rei is friend or foe, the timing of Shirogane Rei's words has indeed done Yuuki Yuen a great favor.

At least the awkward atmosphere was forcibly pushed by Shirogane towards a future where Yuuki Yori's fate was still uncertain.

"I know." Sakuragawa Nana swallowed hard. "I know."

It appeared again, that same conflicted and fearful expression.

"But!" Sakuragawa Nana suddenly shouted as if she was about to cry, "But! This woman! It's her! She did this to my sister!"

When did this happen?

Minato Nana gave Sakuragawa Aika...

If this were a fill-in-the-blank question, Yuuki En would rack her brains but still couldn't figure out what she should fill in the blanks.

The few answers she could think of had absolutely nothing to do with Minato Nana. They were too bizarre, and too terrifying.

But Shirogane Rei reminded herself that Minato Nana was a dangerous woman, which made Yuuki Yukino uncontrollably associate the various dark words that surfaced in her mind with this matter.