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

To be precise, Yuuki Yuki had not considered the situation where the other party was so cooperative yet still remained confident.

"Since you've asked me this, let me ask you a question too. How did you come to this conclusion?" Murakami-sensei steered the conversation back a little, taking the initiative to hand over the reins of the conversation to Yuuki Yukino.

Although Yuuki felt that the other party was using a feigned retreat as a tactic, she had already taken this step and had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

Besides, others also need their own explanation.

Yuuki Yuen said in a deep voice, "I came here alone once before. Was it Murakami-sensei who deliberately told me those things back then?"

But Murakami's words left Yuuki somewhat dumbfounded: "What do you mean by 'all'?"

Yuuki Yuuki always felt that Murakami-sensei was pretending to be stupid, but it wouldn't affect anything. She would answer as if he really didn't know, which was the best option for now.

"The news of Dean Hojo's death, the children being adopted by St. Yuu Academy, and so on and so forth, that's all we talked about last time."

"Of course, I didn't say those things on purpose. No matter who comes, if they ask about what happened back then, I will answer like that. But they are truly my honest thoughts." Murakami-sensei said very naturally, just as convincingly as when he told Yuuki Eri about the previous incident.

Yuuki Yukino's eyes suddenly sharpened: "But there's a part of your truth that's lying."

"Adults have made lying a habit," Murakami replied casually.

Murakami's words left Yuki Yukino speechless.

The other person was clearly telling me, "So what if I'm lying?"

Murakami smiled and asked another question.

"Furthermore, Yuuki, you who came here with ulterior motives, are you also going to accuse me of that undeniable lie?"

His purpose in staying was too obvious. Murakami was absolutely right about that. Even Helica could see that his offer to stay for lunch was not what it seemed.

"So, you still haven't answered me. How did you come to this conclusion?" Murakami-sensei continued with a smile. "Is my statement really that full of flaws? Not necessarily, is it?"

Indeed, Murakami's previous statements seem full of loopholes, but if it were an ordinary person, they would definitely believe what Murakami said.

Even if there are any doubts, ordinary people have no way to verify them.

Finding flaws in Murakami's words requires extremely stringent conditions.

They must be magical girls, or have sufficient knowledge of magical girls; they must know about the Grand Cathedral beneath the Holy Age Academy and the selection process for the nuns; and they must also know about the existence of that interview.

Leaving aside the last point, which Yuuki Yuuki just learned, if the first two conditions are to be met, such a person can only be from the St. Yuuki Academy—otherwise, such an existence would most likely not be allowed to exist.

Therefore, it was quite a coincidence that Yuuki Yukino was able to see through Murakami's flawless lie.

And even if they figured it out, it wouldn't make much difference; at most, they'd just know that Murakami-sensei was also an insider when it came to magical girls.

"The teachers here keep changing. Before it was Lungyama, then it was that auntie, and the teacher we had this time was a new face. Apart from Teacher Murakami, no one has stayed here for very long."

"Yes, as I said, funds are very tight here, and that's no lie."

“Okay, even so, it’s quite strange that the Holy Yuu Academy didn’t send a new administrator, but instead let Mr. Murakami stay here to manage things for so long.”

Is there anything else?

"Also, at the time when Dean Kitazawa was murdered, there were no magical girl cases. And according to Koyukiyama, after the dean left, there were almost no changes here. If Dean Kitazawa was the actual administrator, it's impossible that there would be such little change, right?"

"That's true."

"So, Mr. Murakami, you are the real manager here, and the dean is just a figurehead for the general public. The dean's death was because Mashiro Genken mistakenly made her your scapegoat."

"A brilliant deduction, but not entirely correct." Murakami clapped his hands lightly. "Is it really okay for you to say these things to me without any hesitation, especially since you're with your other companions?"

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Yuuki Yukino replied.

"So, they already know who you are, right?"

call.

Hearing Murakami-sensei say that, Yuuki Yukino was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The other party had no idea of ​​his true identity, nor did they know the true identities of anyone else. Although Murakami seemed confident, it was actually just a process of mutual probing.

When Murakami asked me about the reasons for my reasoning, it wasn't entirely to hand over the power of discourse to me; he also wanted to know how much information I had gathered.

Anyway, when I pointed this out, I had already decided to be frank and open, and it was perfectly acceptable to tell Mr. Murakami.

When asked this question by Murakami-sensei, Yuuki Yukino answered with even more confidence: "What do you mean by my identity, sir?"

Do you really want me to say it?

"Tell me about it?"

Murakami-sensei glanced at the faces of the girls around him, probably secretly observing their reactions. This did not escape the eyes of Yuuki Yuki, who was also observing Murakami-sensei.

Perhaps because everyone's reactions were so ordinary, like a riddle with no suspense, Murakami couldn't create any mystery this time.

Her identity as a magical girl could never be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with others.

"You are a magical girl."

“That’s right.” Yuuki Yui answered very quickly and cheerfully: “Everyone does.”

Murakami-sensei's expression clearly changed, and although she quickly adjusted her expression, it could not escape Yuuki Yukino's eyes.

She looked at all the girls' faces again, trying to find flaws in the others' expressions, but everyone's normal expressions left Murakami-sensei with nothing to show for it.

When Murakami looked at Yuuki Yuuki again, he was clearly no longer so calm.

“Murakami-sensei.” Yuuki pushed her plate away slightly, placed her hands on the table, and straightened her back. “Let’s get straight to the point.”

"Okay. What do you want to say?" Murakami's expression returned to normal.

"The teacher just said I was wrong, but what exactly was wrong with me?"

“I am indeed the de facto administrator here now, and this orphanage is indeed, as you think, established under the jurisdiction of the Holy Eternal Academy, and has been for a long time. But the director is neither a scapegoat for me, nor has he died, nor is he an innocent person.”

As he spoke, Mr. Murakami unconsciously straightened his posture.

"This is just an ordinary power transition. The old dean has lost control of the power. In order to protect himself from Genki Mashiro, he pushed everything onto me and ran away alone."

what?

Yuuki Yukino's thinking was indeed a bit simplistic.

She had known for a long time that the world was not simply black and white, but she forgot that when considering this matter.

The truth that Murakami-sensei spoke of is actually not complicated.

Headmaster Hojo is the owner of the orphanage and has been training magical girls for the church of Seiyuu Academy. As long as a child is selected by Seiyuu Academy in the interview, the headmaster will find a way to get them into Seiyuu Academy.

Although no coercive measures were used, the words of a kind old headmaster carried great weight in the children's hearts.

Every year was like this, everyone went through it this way, and this continued for a very long time.

Mr. Murakami did indeed work here as a support staff member and an assistant to the dean.

However, her identity was already quite interesting before that.

The nuns of the Holy Temple, the private armed forces of the Holy Eternal Academy, can handle almost all the problems of magical girls in Moonsea City and are the military guarantee for the continued existence of the Holy Eternal Academy.

Of course, all of this is in the past and will not affect Mr. Murakami's normal work.

Until Genki Mashiro, who was then known as Sei Mashiro, did something earth-shattering.

“She touched a taboo.” That’s what Murakami-sensei said: “A taboo that no one knew exactly what it was, and no one even thought of touching, was touched by St. Mashiro, and after that, the entire church of St. Yuu Academy began to collapse.”

Even though Mr. Murakami was no longer at the church, he didn't know what had happened, but Mashiro Gorokami had undoubtedly caused a great commotion, to the point that Ms. Hojo, who had once been the director of the orphanage, fled out of fear of Mashiro Gorokami's retaliation.

Meanwhile, Murakami-sensei, who knew the truth, became Hojo-san's scapegoat, waiting unknowingly for Gon Mashiro's arrival.

That's right, the story of Mashiro Urokin coming to see the dean never happened. The dean had already disappeared at that time, but Murakami-sensei, who hadn't realized it yet, was unaware of it. That's why he told everyone about the dean's retirement the day after Mashiro Urokin arrived.

The so-called news of the dean's death was deliberately released to make the dean disappear completely.

A dead person can't come back, and Ms. Murakami doesn't want the director to return either; she feels that the orphanage is good enough as it is now.

"Why would Mashiro let you go? She destroyed the nuns of St. Yuu Academy and caused the entire church of St. Shion to collapse. As for those organizations associated with St. Yuu Academy, I don't think she would let go of a place that specifically supplies power to the church."

"Why would Mashiro let me go?" Murakami blinked, making the curve of his eyes even more pronounced.

Is it possible that we were on the same side from the very beginning?

Chapter Fifty-Four: Walking in the Dark

Is it possible that Mashiro and I are on the same side?

As Murakami-sensei spoke, Yuuki En, who had been listening intently to his story, broke out in a cold sweat from every pore of her body.

Yuuki Yukino feigned composure, glancing at Murakami-sensei, who was also looking at her.

This teacher, who is so considerate to the children, still acts so calmly, as if it wouldn't matter if she told Yuuki Enishi all of this.

Murakami-sensei was of course indifferent, but Yuki Eri only learned the reason why the other party did this later.

However, Yuuki Yukino couldn't help but feel uneasy when faced with such an expression.

When it's time to be firm, Yuuki En will naturally not allow herself to appear too weak, lest she lose control; but if being overly firm will only have the opposite effect, Yuuki En will not insist on it.

Yuuki Yukino softened her tone, like a humble student.

"Murakami-sensei, I want to know what you mean by standing on the same side as Genki Mashiro."

"Mashiro's thoughts coincide with mine, so I support Mashiro's actions. That's all."

Murakami replied.

……

"I want to eradicate this cancer of magical girls from Moonsea City forever."

Genken Mashiro stood in the orphanage principal's office with a cold expression, right in front of Murakami. After saying those words, he looked at Murakami without saying a word.

Even though Murakami has now lost the ability to see the Black Marks, her past experience as a nun in the Sanctuary tells her that the dangerous aura emanating from Genken Mashiro is definitely that of a corrupted being.

While talking about aura might be a bit abstract, the expressions, tone, and personality that Genki Mashiro is currently displaying clearly tell Murakami that his guess cannot be wrong.

Having dealt with and fought many corrupted magical girls, Murakami has become able to judge them by these seemingly insignificant details.

“Your memories haven’t disappeared; that’s a privilege of every nun in the Holy Church. But you’re no longer a magical girl, so you’re not included in the list of those who should be excluded. But these children, these future magical girls, I can’t just leave them like this.”

“You can’t just leave them alone. It’s not like you’re the one who can protect these children.” Murakami, sitting at the desk in the director’s office, raised his eyes and glanced at Urouge Mashiro, who was now completely different from the Mashiro he knew. “So?”

"so!"

Murakami's words struck a chord with her, and the words that Mashiro Gorgen wanted to say were stuck in her throat like a fishbone, leaving her speechless for a moment.

"So, you want to take these children's lives? Like every fallen magical girl has done? If I stop you, will you take mine too? Like we've witnessed countless times?"