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

I have my own solo part to play later, and I can't play it well with a broken guitar string!

If I had to put it back on before my solo performance on stage started, my performance would definitely have to stop.

How long does it take to re-string the guitar? At the fastest, it would take ten to twenty minutes for all six strings. Even if it takes ten minutes, that's about two minutes per string. If I'm faster, I might be able to get it to around one minute...

No, I can't keep thinking about this now. Re-stringing the instrument on stage is not an option. What's done is done, and I have to do my best to make amends and sing the song well.

Even audiences who don't understand music could sense that something was wrong with the performance from such an obvious stage mistake.

"Huh? Is the lead singer's voice trembling a bit? It feels like his breath control isn't as stable as before."

"After singing so many songs in a row, she probably couldn't keep up with the energy. Judging from the lead singer's short height, physical strength might be a big problem for her. Singing and playing instruments at the same time is more tiring than you can imagine."

"Something still seems off? The performance didn't seem as... how should I put it... as passionate as before?"

Among the audience members near the stage, quite a few with good eyesight had already noticed the problem.

"What's that sparkly thing? Wait, that's a guitar string! The lead singer's guitar string is broken!"

Uninformed viewers might not be able to see the problem directly, but those who truly understand musical instruments will.

"The guitar string is broken, and it's obviously out of tune now. Although the guitarist is trying to fix it with adjacent frets, it's just a case of locking the barn door after the horse has bolted." The head of the light music club frowned and quietly instructed his members, "Everyone, check your instruments too, and try your best to prevent this kind of accident from happening when we go on stage."

Hyakki Chiyu's hand, which was holding a package of squid strips, was crumpled into a ball due to a little tension. The girl, who had been stuffing her mouth full of food, was now empty-handed. Her assessment of the current situation was heard very clearly by those nearby.

"The violin's sound got louder, and my older sister is trying her best to help her fix it, but the violin isn't very well-suited to rock bands anyway, so this is just a case of drinking poison to quench thirst."

A dark cloud hung over Nishio Reki's face; even a magical girl who could bring miracles was powerless at this moment.

Moreover, Nishio Reki wasn't a real magical girl; she was only able to use magical girl powers temporarily through some kind of cheating method.

"Isn't there any way to remedy this?" Nishio Reki's voice trembled even more than that of Tenrai Herika on the stage.

"No, unless a miracle happens and her guitar is repaired, even if someone rushes up and gives her an identical one, the performance will still be affected." Hyakki Chiyu shook her head, giving a somewhat cruel answer.

Whether they are knowledgeable girls or clueless audience members, all they can do at this moment is pray for the girls on stage and hope that the performance can be completed as smoothly as possible.

The performance on stage continued, and the girls' chorus of songs still echoed, allowing the small boat, which already had a large hole in it, to barely keep sailing.

Under the spotlight, Helica, drenched in sweat, saw beads of sweat dripping uncontrollably from her forehead, landing on her trembling fingers, and flowing into her singing mouth.

The salty taste spreading in my mouth seemed to make my throat a little dry and hoarse, inevitably affecting my singing voice.

Get back into form quickly! Helika, this is the stage you've been most looking forward to!

Don't you still want to prove to that group of—no, that arrogant little brat—that you are the strongest?

How can you panic over such a small stage mishap? We've survived battles that were far more serious than this one, battles that gambled on the future of magical girls.

What should I do now?

In her extreme panic, Helica's vision began to spin; the flashing lights, the audience below the stage, and the whole world seemed to be getting further and further away from her.

All she could do was mechanically play the instrument, mechanically sing, and mechanically complete her assigned tasks.

Suddenly, a force applied to the girl's back pulled her back to reality.

The music, cheers, moonlight, and twinkling lights all became clearer in Helica's world.

What Tianlei Helica could feel most directly was the girl's back, which was damp with sweat and still slightly warm, as well as the reassuring pink hair and the unique fragrance of shampoo on the girl leaning against her.

Although this did not affect Helica's performance in any way—both positively and negatively—Helica felt that she had found a support, and her hoarse, trembling voice immediately stabilized.

But this only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause; one's persistence can only last until the chorus ends.

The interlude after the chorus, which was originally an irreplaceable highlight for Helica, has now become a finish line that she can hardly cross.

"The threads on your and my fingertips weave a rainbow-colored bond, connecting the present with the past, and extending to every day of the future!"

The chorus continued to build, and the girls' chorus was like a countdown to a bomb. No matter how much everyone tried to delay it, that fatal moment would eventually arrive.

We're doomed, we're completely finished!

Just as Helica was about to give up entirely and play a doomed piece on her violin, which could no longer produce a proper sound, the violin strings suddenly burst forth, taking center stage.

In any situation, such a sudden impromptu performance that steals everyone's attention would infuriate Helica Tenrai, and considering that the person who improvised this was Inuyama Tomoe, her anger would rise even higher.

But Helica never felt that much gratitude towards Inuyama Tomoe.

That was a huge help.

With Inuyama Hatsuki's violin skills, receiving high praise has never been difficult.

"This is... a violin solo!"

"So cool! So awesome!"

"That's right, I've heard this piece before! So it can be played like this?"

On stage, Mizuno Yu and Sakura Hanako were both taken aback when they heard this impromptu performance, which was not part of the planned rendition.

As she looked at Inuyama Tomoe, her peripheral vision inevitably caught sight of the glistening thread hanging from the neck of Tenrai Herika's guitar.

What happened doesn't need to be said.

The girls consciously paused their planned performance, with only a few taps on the strings to set the stage for their solo.

The drumbeats seemed to stop, and without any words, only the melodious notes of the violin remained in the room.

There's also Yuuki Yuki's soft yet reassuring voice.

"Leave the rest to us."

clang.

A soft click of the keyboard landed precisely on the last note of the violin.

Yuuki Yukino perfectly complemented Inuyama Tomoe's impromptu performance with her keyboard.

"Although the distance between hearts varies."

Yuki Yukino's clear voice ushered in the chorus, which shouldn't have started here.

But instead of playing together, the girls put down their instruments, leaving the sound of the keyboard as the only background noise.

The girl was also walking slowly, holding the musical instrument in her arms, playing it, humming softly, and wearing a reassuring smile, as she turned to face Helica.

"I still use sincere language to describe what moves me."

Inuyama Baki took a deep breath, slowly lowered the bow from the strings, and gracefully pointed it at Mizuno Yu, who was holding the bass, as if it were a conductor's baton.

"Share every moment of excitement."

As Mizuno Yu hummed, she lightly swept the bass guitar pick across her and threw it directly at Sakura Hanako.

The pick, symbolizing the passing of the needle, traced an arc in the air.

Sakura Hanako caught the pick that Mizuno Yu threw at her steadily and continued with the next lyric.

"And every smile."

Sakura Hanako tossed her hair back and gave Hayashi Keiko a reassuring smile.

Lin Jiezi was clearly terrified by the sudden attack. From the very beginning, she had no idea what everyone was doing and could only barely keep up with the pace of the others based on her practice over the past few days.

Although they seemed to be cooperating quite well, now...

Now, Lin Jiezi knows what she should sing; she knows the lyrics.

I can't sing it.

If you can't sing it, try shouting it out!

"Record every second of us!"

The drumsticks slammed heavily onto the timpani.

boom.

boom!

A rainbow-colored miniature firework rose onto the stage with a sudden explosion, eliciting a series of gasps and cheers from the audience.

"When did they bring the fireworks up? That's against the rules! Against the rules!" Riko Serizawa was pacing anxiously backstage. After spinning around twice, she sighed to herself, "Oh well, they're not very destructive anyway, and besides, they look pretty good."

Ordinary people would not notice the magical girl's sudden actions, and even some of the magical girls themselves were caught off guard.

But everyone knows that besides Inuyama Tomoe, there is no one else who can do such a thing.

"Are you crazy? What if you don't control it properly and blow the roof off? Who sets off fireworks indoors?!" Nishio Reki's facial muscles were stiff. If there hadn't been someone with her, she would have been even more direct.

Hong Moli and Bai Guiqianyou were very excited and praised Ba Qi's sudden move repeatedly.

"Has my sister's control over magic reached such a refined level? She wasn't this good during our special training."

"But as expected of my elder sister, she easily accomplished what we couldn't."

Although there are indeed magical girls who are completely unaware of the reasons behind it.

Sakuragawa Nana also frowned. From the rainbow that had attracted everyone's attention, she sensed a particularly unsettling and powerful magical energy associated with the corrupted magical girl.

Completely bewildered by what was about to happen, Helica stared blankly as Yuuki Yukino raised her hand, slowly took her hand, and then placed them together on the broken string.

But... what's the point of doing things like fireworks or holding hands?

The red thread ring wrapped around Yuuki En's finger is the best answer to the question that Helica Tenrai is struggling with in her heart.

The red thread quietly flowed through the clasped fingers of the girls, across the piano bridge, and slowly replaced the broken string.

The harp knobs slowly rotated, tightening the bright red silk threads, and the instruments around the girl began to play again, including the interlude that Helica, the Thunder Goddess, should have started dozens of seconds earlier.

Yuuki Yukino slowly lowered Helica's hand, her eyebrows curving slightly: "Helica, now it's your turn."

Herlica's expression gradually shifted from surprise to determination, and she finally nodded firmly.

"Okay! Leave it to me!"

All the instruments resounded together toward the most intense climax, and then slowly faded away, all for the sake of the one and only absolute center on this stage.

The guitar, which had been silent for so long, roared when all the other instruments had reached their lowest point. The ever-changing strings were like a final burst of fire, determined to ignite the entire stage.

That belonged to Helica the Thunder, the final roar of the girl band.

Chapter 109 Padoru! Padoru

"Our last song, Rainbow Silk!"

As the last note faded into silence, everyone on stage bowed deeply to the audience.