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

Hints are often better than setting a target for everyone to attack.

It seems that Mashiro Gyoken not only wants to completely eliminate all magical girls in a practical sense, but also wants to prevent them from continuing to exist in a social sense.

The trouble that this sacred hymn created for her was indeed an opportunity for her.

Yuuki Yukino and her group's ultimate plan for coming here was to act according to circumstances and turn the tables on each other, but Gorgen Mashiro was doing the same thing.

……

Hong Moli and Bai Gui Qianyou are students at St. Yuu Academy. Hong Moli is also the student council president, so it's only natural that she stays to attend the ball.

The others had no reason to stay at St. Eternal Academy, and they all left with the flow of people.

"How come nothing actually happened? We were so nervous and made so many preparations, but it turns out they were completely useless!"

On the way back from the Holy Age Academy, Helica was still complaining about the press conference that seemed so inexplicable to them.

"Isn't it a good thing that nothing happened? We still have a Christmas party performance later. It's a good thing that we weren't delayed from going on stage?" Mizuno Yu asked rhetorically.

Helica pouted awkwardly and muttered, "It's a good thing, but even though our performance is important! Even though it's really meaningful to me, and even though we've all put in a lot of effort for it, it's not like we can't put it aside for a while in the face of potential problems. Even though nothing really happened."

"That's because nothing happened that you can say that, right?" Baki still liked to make Helica unhappy.

"Mind your own business! Just don't mess up the performance later!" Helica glared at Baki with annoyance.

The next problem they faced was much easier: return to St. Yuu Academy, compete against Sakuragawa Nana's band, and enjoy a good Christmas.

But Yuuki Yuuki always felt that the problems at Seiyuu Academy were far from over.

Rather, it hasn't even started yet.

……

The Holy and Eternal Academy, the Great Underground Cathedral.

“Just like I said, nothing will happen today, and you can’t change anything.” As she always did when talking to Seishin, Genki Mashiro leaned back on the bench and looked at the stained glass behind the huge lectern that occupied an entire wall.

"..." The Saintess, who was released from the space created by the real Genji Mashiro, remained silent, her expression so gloomy that even the surrounding candlelight could not illuminate her.

As always, Genji Mashiro did not linger here for long. After leaving behind this sentence, he disappeared at the entrance of the sanctuary.

"Little Shiyin, I can't keep you imprisoned here forever. Take this opportunity to think it over carefully."

Dead silence.

The long silence was broken when the doors of the cathedral were pushed open again.

The black-haired nun walked slowly into the sanctuary through the heavy doors, her steps measured as she approached the ashen-faced Saint Hymn.

The black-haired nun stopped, then lifted the hem of her long nun's dress with both hands and knelt down at the feet of Saint Shiyin, who was sitting on the bench.

"Owner."

"You're back," Seishin replied, the resentment that had been lingering on her face ever since Gen Kenma walked in.

Saint Shiyin turned her gaze to the nun kneeling at her feet and asked, "How are the preparations going?"

“Everything is ready, Master.” The nun lowered her head humbly and respectfully.

"Everything is proceeding according to plan." Seishin took a soft breath, mimicking Gen Urobuchi's gaze at the massive glass window, but she couldn't see the same view. Finally, she sighed and looked away. "Is everything alright?"

“No problem, Master.” The nun lowered her head even further.

"Don't betray my trust again." Saint Shiyin said abruptly, her gaze returning to the nun with even sharper intensity: "So, is everything alright?"

"No problem!"

Suddenly, as if sensing unparalleled terror from that gaze, the nun screamed, curled her body even tighter, and lay prostrate at Saint Shiyin's feet, trembling.

"Keep your voice down. My secret weapon—whether I can regain my freedom and stop Mashiro-neechan—it all depends on you."

Saint Shiyin cupped the nun's cheeks, forcing the nun to look at her.

But her gaze seemed to be directed at someone else—the person who had led her to this state.

"The uneventful daily life you expect will soon vanish."

Chapter Eighty-Four: The Performance Begins!

After returning from St. Yuu Academy, the girls went straight to the activity room of Moonsea Middle School for a final rehearsal and practice session. Then they went to the classroom that had been assigned to their band as a temporary rest room before going on stage.

Nothing happened during their trip to St. Eternal Academy, leaving everyone with only one final task today—to perform their last piece of music on stage without any regrets, music that belongs only to them.

It was precisely because nothing happened during her trip to the Holy Yuu Academy that Yuuki Yuuki always felt something was missing, like a sneeze that she had been holding back for a long time but couldn't finally let out, which was quite unsettling.

It's not exactly heavy, but the atmosphere feels somewhat subtle right now.

The classroom's front door was pushed open while someone was shouting, instantly sweeping away the delicate atmosphere.

"Rainbow Team, are all the members of Rainbow Team here?"

Riko Serizawa, the disciplinary committee member who often stood at the school gate checking for contraband, was someone everyone remembered. She poked her head in through the doorway, comparing the number of people in the room with the program she was holding, while muttering to herself.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven!" Riko Serizawa counted twice, then screamed at everyone, "How come there are seven people in this room!"

“Because this room was originally meant to have seven people.” Baqi, who was sitting closest to the door and giving her violin a final check, stopped what she was doing and looked up at the door.

Riko Serizawa counted again, still not believing it, then slapped the program in her hand: "But the program says there are six!"

“Yes, that’s right, but there are seven of us in total, and all six people who are going on stage are here. I’m in charge of logistics.” Nishio Reki had to patiently explain, feeling that Serizawa Riko had gone too far.

“And also, our band name is—Rainbow Victory Road!” Helica added loudly.

"Oh. Logistics, then that's not surprising, that's not surprising." Riko Serizawa nodded blankly, looking rather dim-witted, then suddenly seemed to realize something:

"The gala will officially begin in half an hour. You can go to the auditorium to watch. We will remind you twenty minutes before you go on stage, so it's best not to wander around before then. Okay, that's it. Does everyone in the Rainbow Troupe understand?"

"It's not the Rainbow Cluster, it's the Rainbow Chaos Path to Victory!" Helica corrected, her anger rising.

"Oh, okay. Looks like everyone understands." Riko Serizawa was still nodding, but now she had a look of sudden realization on her face. Then, as she walked towards the door, she shouted to the other staff, "The Rainbow Team is here! No problem!"

"I already said it's the path to victory, a dazzling rainbow!"

……

With Riko Serizawa, a girl who is silly but somewhat cute, interrupting them, the delicate atmosphere that had been maintained was naturally broken.

Taking this opportunity, Helica suggested, "The Christmas party is about to start, and we still have some time before we go on stage. Shall we go and watch it?"

Helica's suggestion was unanimously agreed upon; whether or not they were interested in the party, watching some entertainment was better than sitting idly in the room.

Moreover, everyone was eager to see their biggest rival of the day—the band led by Sakuragawa Nana—perform.

The auditorium for the Christmas party was already quite crowded. Since the people weren't arranged neatly by class as usual, the large room felt even more cramped.

The girls finally found a good spot to stand, and the final preparations were already underway on the stage over there.

Not long after, the lights in the auditorium went out completely, and then spotlights shone uniformly onto the stage. The long-silent sound system began to rumble after a burst of static.

The performance has officially begun.

To be fair, the opening program was indeed well-made, but it was limited to the category of programs prepared by students in their spare time. It had obvious flaws, but it was very suitable for the current lively atmosphere.

After the opening song and dance, there was a manzai performance to liven up the atmosphere. Even though the jokes were a bit old-fashioned, the girls still enjoyed it.

After that, the main event began.

The girl announcing the program announced the name of the band that Sakuragawa Nana belonged to. After the applause, the venue fell into complete darkness and silence, and the few whispers that were heard grew even fainter.

The sudden burst of string music tore through the silent curtain, descending onto the stage like a bolt of lightning. Dazzling light pillars converged, igniting the venue along with the drumbeats that seemed to grip one's heart.

In that instant, Yuuki Yuuki felt a chill run down her spine.

"That's pretty impressive..."

A word of praise slipped out of Yuuki Yukino's mouth unintentionally.

The girls all looked at Yuuki Yukino because of this praise, but none of them said anything because of Yuuki Yukino's statement.

Because Yuuki Yukina's words expressed their true feelings: the band that Sakuragawa Nana was in was really amazing.

Even Helica, the Thunder Goddess, bit her lip hard after glancing at Yuuki Yuuki and turned her gaze back to the stage in the distance.

However, Helica's brow furrows had become even deeper.

The singing and music were perfectly synchronized. Even though there's still room for improvement, the fact that the band could perform on a live house stage is a testament to their talent. They would be more than capable of handling school performances.

"Wow! That's amazing! Is our school's light music club at this level? No, right? We can't compare."

"Who are these people? Are they first-year students? I don't recognize them at all! They're so amazing!"

"I've heard this song before! My goodness, they even did a cover version, and it's even better than the original!"

One song quietly ended after its climax, while another song suddenly exploded after a brief, almost non-existent interval, making the already boiling atmosphere seem to burn, and taking the enthusiastic atmosphere to a new level.

This is a step that no one will be able to surpass tonight.

The music on stage stopped completely, and the staff had already taken advantage of the intermission to move the instruments, but the excitement of rock music still echoed in the ears of countless students. The heartbeats that had accelerated because of the music and the restlessness in their hearts probably wouldn't be able to calm down for a while.

Even Yuuki Yukino felt the same way. Even though Sakuragawa Nana and the others were rivals she had to surpass, Yuuki Yukino still felt a sense of lingering satisfaction with their singing and music.

Their live music performance was so amazing that it reminded Yuuki Yuki of the heart-fluttering night when she went to a live house with Minato Nana and everyone else.

But after the initial excitement, pressure also came on Yuuki Yukino and her group of challengers.

Yuuki Yukino didn't need to turn her head left or right; she could see from the corner of her eye that the girls' eyes had changed from initial excitement inspired by Kita music to seriousness.

Even those who know little about music can distinguish the differences between different pieces of music, and besides, they are no longer clueless beginners in musical instruments.

The performers following Nana Sakuragawa had already taken the stage. The singer was holding a microphone and singing a pop song, but with the band warming up the crowd in front, her performance seemed a bit lacking.

After the song began, Helica, like a deflated balloon, quietly passed by the girls, leaving behind only this simple sentence.

"I'm going out for some fresh air. I'll bring him back in a bit."

Helica had almost never used such simple and direct sentences before, nor had she ever so obediently avoided crowds.

This is unusual, and Helica must not be in a good mood.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Everyone has worked so hard for so long, but hard work doesn't guarantee results, and the gap between them can't be bridged by such a short period of effort.

Herlica is the one with the smallest gap compared to Sakuragawa Nana and the others, and she may not even be worse than them—but that's because no one can compare to Inuyama Tomoe, who plays the violin.

There's not much difference between Helica and Baki, but it's not necessarily the case for the others.

However, bands always follow the weakest link principle; Helica alone cannot pull the whole band along.

Realizing this reality was indeed a blow to morale, which is why Helica left without saying a word.