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

Everything happened so fast, like a gust of wind that blew away the pink fragrance of the date and threw the girls into the cold reality.

Everyone's brain cells had been mostly used up, and no one wanted to continue the previous topic or think about those headache-inducing possibilities, so they just walked quietly on the sidewalk.

Cars sped past every now and then, and the sparse footsteps had no rhythm whatsoever. All the reasons the girls had for wanting to settle scores later during their date adventure seemed exceptionally childish in the face of the approaching enemy.

Even if everyone is a magical girl, it doesn't mean they will all choose to transform and fly home. On the contrary, the train is the best choice in everyone's mind.

Yuki Yuki's house wasn't far from the tram station, and it was now right in front of her.

"what."

Helica exclaimed softly, her steps halting in place.

"Hmm?" Baqi let out a soft exclamation, turning around to see Tianlei Helika standing there as if she had remembered something.

Nishio Reki also stopped and cast a questioning look at Tenrai Herika.

"I forgot to give Yuuki Yuuki her Valentine's Day gift."

Herlica turned the backpack hanging on her waist to face her, and rummaged through it for a long time, but couldn't find the thing in her backpack.

"I originally planned to give it to her after the date, but I got a little too excited... and forgot about it."

"Then why not just give this to Xiaoyuan at another time? If it's not urgent, tomorrow is fine too. If you feel that it would be more meaningful to give it away today, then let's do it today. It's that simple."

Baki's way of handling things is that simple; upon hearing Helica's question, she immediately gave an answer that anyone could have come up with.

Helica stroked her chin and thought for a moment, then slapped her palm: "That makes sense, let's just go back then!"

Baqi imitated Helica by clapping her hands together: "Yes, indeed! I'll go back with you!"

"I can go back by myself, I don't need you!"

"Who knows if you have ulterior motives towards Xiaoyuan! We need to keep an eye on her! Keep a close watch on her!"

"At a time like this! Who would be in the mood for scheming?"

"You secretly went to see Xiaoyuan at night on Halloween, right?"

"That's different."

Listening to the two arguing, Nishio Reki felt as if his head had swelled up considerably.

Their arguments were actually quite common, and neither of them took them very seriously. A similar thing happened to Nishio Reki when she first returned to school, but later, for Yuuki Emi's sake, Nishio Reki took the initiative to back down.

Nishio Reki could only control himself. Although Tomoe saw that Nishio Reki was no longer arguing with her, she was no longer so enthusiastic about pursuing Yuuki Yuki.

But when Baki and Herika, two natural rivals who have fought countless battles, start arguing, Nishio Reki still gets a headache.

This headache was particularly noticeable to Nishio Reki today.

She couldn't quite explain what she was upset about, but as the two of them argued, a raging fire was constantly leaping and rising in her heart, fueled by their argument, burning ever brighter.

Don't get angry; try to calm your mind.

Nishio Reki told himself this, repeatedly going through the process of inhaling and exhaling, but his usually incredibly effective deep breathing technique somehow failed him today.

"It's just going back together, what's the big deal?"

"I still have something to say to Yuuki Yukino, what do you know?"

"You didn't finish talking during the entire date, why did you have to start now?"

"Didn't I accidentally forget? I'll deliver it before Yuuki Yuki falls asleep, and then we'll be done talking."

"I already told you! I'm afraid you'll have ulterior motives towards Xiaoyuan. Besides, look at Nishio Reki! She didn't even finish her date with Xiaoyuan! What did she say? Nothing!"

That's enough, don't drag yourself into this.

Amidst the repeated urgings from Nishio Reki, who was too preoccupied to listen, the girl finally unleashed her power.

Chapter 152 A desperate cry of longing

"Hey, Nishio Reki, why don't you talk some sense into her? This guy might be planning to do something shady with Kaname again, you know?"

Baqi's urging was the key spark that ignited Nishio Reki's long-suppressed emotions, causing them to erupt instantly.

Nishio Reki couldn't explain why her emotions were erupting so strongly, but she just wanted to do it, and she couldn't think of anything else she could do besides doing it.

"Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yuan, it's Xiao Yuan again!"

Before the station, all was silent, except for the echo of Nishio Reki's voice, which seemed to still linger in one's ears.

Inuyama Tomoe was completely stunned.

How could she have known that a half-joking remark would elicit such a strong reaction from Nishio Reki? Even an outgoing person like her was momentarily at a loss for words.

If it were anyone else, Helica would definitely have fought back fiercely, and at worst, she would have argued her case.

But now she was overwhelmed by Nishio Reki's aura, and at a loss, she let her hands hang down at her sides. But then, as if she felt that this was not appropriate, she put her hands behind her back. Like Baqi, she couldn't say a word.

She didn't even know who Nishio Reki was calling out to—was it Inuyama Tomoe, or herself who insisted on arguing with Tomoe and decided to go back alone, or both, or...

Not only the two people standing near Nishio Reki, but even pedestrians near the station turned their heads and quickened their pace when they saw Nishio Reki at the very center of the sudden storm, as if they were afraid that the storm would affect them.

"We...we're not joking, are we..."

Baqi's words were dry and awkward. Even though they came from her own mouth, she didn't feel like she was really in the wrong.

When it comes to joking, different people have different thresholds. Some people are labeled as not being able to take a joke, while others are said to have no sense of proportion when joking. Finding the right balance is not a simple matter.

Nishio Reki exploded because his joke went too far, according to Inuyama Tomoe.

Baqi's thinking is correct, but not entirely accurate.

Your own joke is just a trigger; perhaps it's the dropping of a freshly bought milk tea, or missing a late-night bus—anything can become the fuse for an outburst.

Baqi just happened to become the fuse.

But as the trigger, she will indeed be subjected to a barrage of attacks.

"A joke, yes, that's right, it's a joke, it's all just a joke, right!"

Nishio Reki's incoherent ramblings are an expression of his emotions.

Baqi made her judgment very quickly.

At this point, Nishio Reki is beyond reasoning with, so we can only let her vent her anger and displeasure, and then try to communicate with her after she calms down.

"Everyone says they're doing this for Xiaoyuan's own good. Everyone likes Xiaoyuan, but has anyone actually considered Xiaoyuan's feelings?"

Nishio Koki stomped his feet heavily, making the stone bricks under his feet rumble loudly.

"So far, haven't we been arbitrarily making Xiaoyuan the absolute center, arbitrarily expressing our feelings to Xiaoyuan, and arbitrarily dragging her into our disputes?"

"Yes, that's right, we all like Xiaoyuan, but does liking someone give us the right to trick her into signing a marriage agreement? Or to use a belt to strangle her and force her to comply?"

"Why? Is it because she's Yuuki Yuuki, the one who's always smiling, who seems indifferent to everything but is always meticulous to the point of being flawless, and who, even when wronged, only resorts to pranks or laughs it off?"

From the fragmented words of Nishio Reki, the girls were able to glean some of her meaning.

As the name suggests, everyone is thinking about Yuuki Yuki, but no one has actually thought about Yuuki Yuki.

Herlica, having caught her breath from Nishio Reki's awe-inspiring aura, was unsure how to comfort others. Often the one venting her emotions, she tried to persuade Nishio Reki with simple and easy-to-understand reasoning.

"No, I know I've done some really bad things in the past, and I've tried hard to change my personality, haven't you seen that? So, I've never really ruled out Yuuki Yukino, have I?"

"You've considered Xiaoyuan?" Nishio Reki asked rhetorically.

Helica felt uncomfortable being looked at by Nishio Reki.

Nishio Reki's eyes were full of conviction, a deep belief in his own words, which made Helica, who was standing here refuting him, lose confidence in her own rebuttal, as if she really was wrong.

I can't let this guy lose in terms of momentum again. I am considering Yuuki Yuki, but I'm not going to just do whatever she says.

Helica thought to herself, raising her voice to mask her unease—something she excelled at and had used for years to protect herself.

She knew it was inappropriate and that she should get rid of this habit of trying to overpower the other person with her presence and volume, but in order to prove her feelings for Yuuki Yuki, she didn't mind doing it again.

"I did consider Yuuki Yukino! Then tell me, when have I ever not considered her feelings?!"

Nishio Reki looked at her with an extremely cold gaze, as if he were a king watching a jester make a fool of himself at the dinner table. This look made Helica even more uncomfortable.

Anger began to build in Helica's heart. She had never had any conflicts with Nishio Reki, and she had always had a good impression of him, but that was not a reason for them to live in peace forever.

Looking at Tenrai Herika, who no longer concealed her anger, Nishio Reki uttered only two words.

"Okay."

These two words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Helica's head, instantly weakening her arrogance to almost imperceptible levels.

Even so, is Nishio Reki still so confident?

"Helika, I'm asking you, did you enjoy your date today?"

The nonsensical question made Helica forget to use anger to cover up her guilty conscience once again.

In that instant, a lot of thoughts raced through Helica's mind.

Was she jealous? Or was she being sarcastic? Or did she change the subject because she couldn't win the argument?

The next second, as her mind was filled with cotton-like thoughts, Helica gave the most reasonable answer.

"So what if I'm happy?"

Nishio Reki was as calm as a volcano about to erupt; everything he was showing at that moment was an illusion.

"Not so good. I mean, if I were Xiaoyuan, I would think this date wasn't very good."

"You're not Yuuki Yukino! What gives you the right to represent her?"

Nishio Reki did not intend to discuss the "how can someone who is not a fish know the joy of a fish" question with Helica; her answer was more direct.

"Because you haven't paid attention to Xiaoyuan's feelings."

Herika was about to retort to why Nishio Reki had brought up another topic from before, but Nishio Reki didn't give her the chance.

Nishio Reki glanced to the side: "It's cold today, isn't it?"

Helica remained silent, still unaware of what Nishio Reki was talking about.

"Your date plan is to take Xiaoyuan around Yuehai City, which will probably take almost two hours, including the time it takes to leave Yanxia Cafe. During these two hours, the entire date will take place outdoors."

"It's a good plan. You prepared it carefully, finding suitable locations and planning the route between them. It must have taken you a lot of time, right?"

"But have you noticed that Xiaoyuan has been shivering with cold right next to you?"

As Nishio Reki spoke, he glanced at Tomoe.