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

But a casual glance at Herica stunned Yuuki.

Herlica remained lying face down on the edge of the hot spring, her long blonde hair, which almost reached her legs, was unusually piled on top of her head, and her cheeks were pressed against the rocks, making her look slightly distorted as if she were pouting.

Herlica's body was rather slender, but under the night lights, her petite frame revealed an undisguised curve from her shoulders beneath her blonde hair to her toes.

Although the pose looks a little casual, it surprisingly doesn't expose any part of the body.

Even though Helica, the Thunder Goddess, didn't expose any parts that shouldn't be exposed, she became even more attractive because she was holding something to cover herself.

It has an appeal that makes people want to explore it even more.

Although Yuuki Yukino did have a few experiences replenishing mana with Tenrai Helica, most of the time she still saw Helica as a troublesome blonde tsundere short girl who was her only crush.

At this moment, Yuuki Yuuki suddenly realized that her reasons for single-mindedly supporting Helica were not so complicated from the beginning. Her pride and determination as a magical girl were just additional factors.

The main reason she developed feelings for Helica was that Helica was really cute.

Moreover, this scene seems somewhat familiar.

In my dream—no, in the dream I had when Tenrai Herika was attacked by Yumehara Sumireko, when I fell into darkness for some reason—I was also sitting by the hot spring with Tenrai Herika.

That memory, which should have been ignored by Yuuki Enishi, suddenly became exceptionally clear.

Herlica's embrace, Herlica's caresses, Herlica's panting—everything began to become incredibly vivid in my mind.

Although there was a later scene where Helica rode on his back while shouting "Ora Ora" and performing Iron Fist Judgment, Yuuki Yuuki selectively ignored it.

No, no, no, what strange things am I imagining while looking at Helica?

Doesn't this sound like a complete psychopath?

We need to get out of here quickly.

thump.

Yuuki Yukina stood up directly from the water and grabbed the towel she had been holding above her head.

"I think I'm getting a little dizzy from all the soaking..."

Just as Yuuki Yuki took a step, a gentle force from her bath towel stopped her from leaving.

Yuuki Yui lowered her eyes and saw Tenrai Herika, with wet hair, clutching the corner of her towel, looking up at her.

At this moment, Helica, the Thunder Goddess, no longer displayed her usual arrogant and domineering demeanor. Instead, she resembled a girl next door who needed care and attention.

When they look at the stars together, when they talk about the past, and when they touch on Helica's heart, that ordinary yet unusually peaceful expression appears, befitting a girl of that age.

Under that gaze, Yuuki Yukina subconsciously swallowed, her mind instantly blank.

All she knew was that Herika asked her gently with that expression and in a very soft tone.

"Won't you two spend a little more time together?"

Chapter Forty-Two Lost Star

After entering the store, she changed her clothes, and then spent most of the time in the hot spring that Mizuno Yu had mentioned. Tenrai Herika was so hot that she was quite dizzy.

Having endured such temperatures for so long, let alone maintaining her usual assertive demeanor, Helica felt it was already an achievement that she had survived.

I really admire Mizuno Yu and the legendary Lava Mountain Lantern, who is no less impressive than Mizuno Yu. Are these two old ladies who could soak in a hot spring all day without any problem?!

Having finally escaped the sweltering heat—though her persistence was partly due to her stubbornness and desire to linger a little longer—Helica also longed to calm down and properly enjoy the hot springs.

In particular, the time she spent alone with Yuuki Yuuki in the hot spring made Tenrai Herika feel especially at ease.

That is, assuming that Yuuki Yuki isn't in a hurry to leave.

Yuuki suddenly changed her mind and stood up from the hot spring to leave. Her intention was too obvious and too stiff. Tenrai Helica wasn't stupid. She could tell that Yuuki wanted to avoid her.

To be honest, Helica was actually a little annoyed.

Firstly, Helica was too hot to make a fuss, and secondly, she had done some really bad things to Yuuki Yui in a moment of anger, otherwise she definitely wouldn't have been able to control herself and would have made a big fuss and complained.

Without realizing it, Helica had started to frequently find herself in situations where she "definitely couldn't control herself."

Finally, Herika simply reached out and grabbed the corner of Yuuki Yuki's towel, raised her head, and softly asked that one question.

"Won't you two spend a little more time together?"

Before she asked that question, she hadn't had any other thoughts or feelings, even though the two of them had been honest with each other for a long time and Helica could freely see scenery that would normally be taboo for her.

It wasn't until Herlica raised her arm and her eyes that she caught a glimpse of Yuuki Yui holding a towel to cover her body, allowing her gaze to pass through her wet pink hair and shoulders covered in hot water droplets, directly reaching Yuuki Yui's panicked eyes.

Herlica's hand unconsciously relaxed, resting only on the corner of the towel. If Yuuki wanted to leave, she could simply walk away at any time.

She saw Yuuki Yukino raise her chin slightly, and her cheeks, already flushed from the steam of the hot spring, seemed to darken even more. Her lips, like cherry blossom jelly, were squeezed together when she pursed them.

"Then let's stay a little longer."

……

How embarrassing.

Helica now regrets more and more that she had stopped Yuuki Yukino back then.

While it was nice to be alone with Yuuki Yuuki, I felt that the more intimate atmosphere created by the hot spring was a bit too much for the two of them.

It was almost like foreplay before something was about to happen.

But what about myself and Yuuki Yuuki?

Inuyama Tomoe is Yuuki Yuuki's accomplice who grew up together, and Nishio Reki is Yuuki Yuuki's childhood friend. If they had a more advanced relationship with Yuuki Yuuki, Helica wouldn't be surprised.

Herika couldn't understand why Yuuki Yuki would agree to replenish her mana, and why she was the only one who would agree to do so.

Herika wanted to sigh to release the frustration bubbling in her chest, but she was already too shy to move, so she curled up in the water with a towel over her head, with only her eyes showing. She could only gurgle and exhale a series of bubbles from the hot spring.

But Yuuki Yuuki didn't react much. Ever since she agreed to let Herika stay a little longer, Yuuki Yuuki hadn't shown any reaction.

Yuuki Yui simply sat on a rock on the shore, covering her lower body with a towel, immersing her calves in the water, her eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought.

Was Yuuki Yukino thinking about something? Helica didn't know; all she knew was that she didn't even know how to break the current awkwardness.

It's all very complicated, isn't it? A girl's thoughts are always like a tangled ball of yarn, with a mischievous kitten occasionally coming over to scratch at them.

At first, she became somewhat self-destructive because of her senior, Tsukimi Rie, and tried to forget everything by doing something extreme like replenishing her mana with someone she liked.

Later, because he needed to replenish his magic power, he fought with Yuuki Eri, whose identity he didn't know at the time, in bed.

Later, during a school trip, she became another form of self-destructive behavior after learning about Yuuki Yukino's true identity.

And finally, in his morbidly defiant act, he frantically possessed Yuuki Eri.

Have two people ever had a magical exchange of hearts that resonated with each other?

No, not at all, never. Every time the two of them reached that point, their feelings were mixed with many impurities.

Herlica's feelings for Yuuki Yuuki were most genuine when nothing had happened between them; they were simply lying on the grass in Tsukimi Park, looking at the stars.

Helica lifted her chin out of the water and looked up at the even more ethereal sky above the rising mist.

"Speaking of which, it seems like we can see stars tonight too."

Yuuki Yui agreed, "That's right, although it looks a little unclear, you can definitely see it."

“It’s clearer than the last time we looked at the stars like this, right? That was during our school trip, when we were still in Rainbow Leaf City.” Helica chimed in, searching for familiar constellations in the sky and pointing them out to Yuuki Yuuki one by one.

"Look, you can see Sagittarius very clearly from here, and Ophiuchus over there. If we're lucky, we should be able to see the Geminid meteor shower soon, but we might not be so lucky tonight."

"Helica really loves stars. It's not easy for me to remember the locations and names of so many stars."

I like you a little more.

Helica answered immediately.

Then, Helica immediately regretted it.

I'm still the same outspoken and unrestrained person.

The last time I couldn't help but confess my feelings, it was the same, and it's the same every time I mess things up.

Even though she knew that Yuuki Yuki wouldn't reciprocate her feelings, she still couldn't help but have unrealistic fantasies after experiencing Nishio Reki's dream.

That unrealistic fantasy became the hope that kept Helica from giving up.

At least she now knows that although Yuuki Yui has many secrets, she is also an ordinary girl with ordinary feelings.

"Don't say things that are so easy to misunderstand..."

Yuuki Yui panicked for a moment. She knew perfectly well that she hadn't misunderstood anything, but in her shyness, she could only say such things.

That's right, Yuuki Yukino is just an ordinary girl, and she's also just as shy.

And Helica herself was also able to take another step forward, albeit in an ordinary way.

Even if it was just bravado, even if it was impulsive, Helica couldn't think of a better opportunity than this.

Helica moved closer to Yuuki Yuuki and pressed her smooth genitals against Yuuki Yuuki's legs, which were submerged in water.

Yuuki Yuki's legs were soft and hot. Even in the hot spring, Helica could feel the temperature of the other person and Yuuki Yuki's slight trembling as she leaned against her.

Herlica raised her head, resting her long golden hair and the back of her head on Yuuki Yuki's knees and thighs, looking up at the sky, half of which was blocked by the curve of the bath towel.

“Yuan Ke didn’t misunderstand anything.” Helica blinked quickly. “That’s exactly what I meant.”

Yuuki Yukino's lips seemed to tighten even more, and no sound came out from between her tightly closed lips.

Before the atmosphere between the two could become even more awkward, Helica naturally changed the subject.

"Actually, stars aren't that hard to find. They're right there, they don't move or run away. They just hide with the changing seasons. Over time, you'll gradually be able to tell them apart."

"Because of my personality, I don't make many good friends. The only things that keep me company are playing music, studying, and looking at the stars. That's all."

"Sometimes, I feel like I am a lost star in this starry sky. Although I am crowded among the bustling stars, I am the only one wandering aimlessly, not knowing where my home is. I have spent thousands of nights like this."

"But all that is in the past. I have found something more precious now."

As Helica spoke, she opened her arms wide towards the sky as if to embrace the entire sky.

Those burning hot hands finally landed on Yuuki Yukino's cheek.

Herica's hand didn't exert any force, but Yuuki Yuuki's gaze still couldn't help but fall on the face of the blonde girl lying on his lap.

She saw the girl looking at her with a satisfied smile, but it seemed as if she was looking not only at herself, but also at the whole world behind her.

"The people who make me no longer feel lonely... the person who stands with me under this starry sky, is my true treasure."

"So, from now on, can you look at me just like you look at the starry sky?"