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

"If you want to win Xiaoyuan's heart, you need to fight for it yourself, instead of begging for our pity. You know the rules of love."

Baqi walked over to Tenrai Herika, who had just regained her composure but was stunned for the second time by Nishio Reki's outburst, and grabbed Herika by the collar, dragging her backwards for several steps like a large golden retriever.

"I'm dragging this guy away. I'll think about what you said when I get back. Alright, walk by yourself, you short, blond guy, do you expect me to carry you back?"

Herlica, like a mummified person, made a swishing sound as her shoes rubbed against the paving stones of the sidewalk until she felt a slight pain from being pulled, at which point she began to thrash about like a small fish.

"What are you doing! Hey! Let go of me!"

"Nothing, let's go back, let's go back." Baqi was lazy, showing none of the energy she had when she was arguing with Helica earlier, and remained unmoved no matter how much Helica played around and struggled.

After fidgeting for a while, Helica realized she was making a fool of herself, straightened up, broke free from Baqi's hand, and walked away from Baqi, keeping a distance of less than half a meter.

Once inside the station, Helica finally spoke.

"What just happened? Why did you deliberately send me away?"

"You noticed? You're not that stupid." Baqi slowed her pace a little and walked side by side with Helica.

"Nonsense! Are you blind or am I blind?"

Helica was just looking for an outlet for her pent-up anger over Nishio Reki when Baki walked right into her trap. Anyway, she felt no guilt about arguing or even fighting with Baki; it was just the execution of justice by a magical girl.

“I’m afraid you’re not thinking straight and might start arguing with her again while she’s angry. I can’t stop both of you.” Baqi walked away, ignoring her, picking at her ear with her little finger as if she were digging out Helica’s trash talk as if it were dirt.

Of course, a beautiful girl would never actually do something so tasteless in the street; Baki was just trying to annoy Helica.

"You...!" Helica actually wanted to argue more, but Baqi's attitude made her feel like she was punching cotton. There was no point in her holding on, so she crossed her arms and remained silent.

Actually, there's another reason. If Baqi hadn't pulled me away, I would have definitely argued with her after I realized what was happening, or offered some words of comfort or asked her a few more questions.

"You actually figured something out?" Helica sighed helplessly, then switched back to a casual tone.

"What do you think?" Baqi raised an eyebrow, which Helica found extremely irritating.

"Hey?" Helica waved her fist in exasperation. "Just say what you have to say. It's just the two of us, why are you being so mysterious?"

"You talk as if we're very close. You were just cursing me over there." Ba Qi put her hands in her pockets: "Fine, I'll only say it once, listen carefully."

"Huh? You actually said that?" Helica was taken aback; she hadn't expected Baqi to be so cooperative today.

"You won't listen?"

"Listen! But wait!"

"how?"

What should I do about the Valentine's Day gift for Yuuki Yuuki?

"Who cares about that!"

……

Nishio Reki was left standing there.

Her brain is no better than a complete mess right now.

Why do I get angry? Why do I get angry? What is my purpose in getting angry? What do I gain from getting angry?

Nishio Reki had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that she felt like she had been hit on a wad of cotton, and the lack of feedback left her feeling empty, as if she were just a spoiled, unreasonable child throwing a tantrum.

Inuyama Tomoe left, leaving behind some ambiguous words, and then dragged Tenrai Herika away, leaving him alone in a daze.

Fortunately, she still knew who she was and where she was, so she wasn't completely lost at the station entrance near Yuuki's house.

So where should I go? And what should I do?

Whatever, I'm not going to think about anything anymore. Right now, all I want to do is get home as soon as possible, lie down on my bed, clear my mind, and get a good night's sleep.

If I walk into the station like this, I might run into Inuyama Tomoe and the other girl.

Then you might as well walk to the next station and catch the train, or just walk home.

Nishio Reki didn't want to take a single step. The tears on his face felt like tiny knives cutting into them when the wind blew, causing him a slight sting.

I was being a bit too immature.

As Nishio Reki walked, he pondered these thoughts.

Both of them are indispensable comrades-in-arms in Xiaoyuan's future battles. Their strength is essential to completing Xiaoyuan's plan.

If I create a rift with them because of my own reasons, then whatever problems arise will be entirely my fault.

I should have acted more calmly...

But why can't they be calm? Why can they do whatever they want? Why are they able to...?

Forget it, forget it. I shouldn't cause Xiaoyuan any more trouble.

But I still felt so wronged.

Nishio Reki sniffed, and tears seemed to well up in his eyes again.

I've always been the most sensible and the least worrisome one, but why does the most sensible child receive the least love, while the squeaky wheel gets the grease?

Nishio Koyomi wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes, but for some reason, the tears kept flowing, more and more, until they seemed to completely drown him.

Nishio Koki sobbed softly as he quickly walked in the opposite direction.

She hadn't decided where she was going, but she just wanted to leave this place and not let anyone see her in this incredibly embarrassing state.

The people who might turn back, such as Inuyama Tomoe and Tenrai Herika, are also like that; so are the passersby who overheard their argument; everyone is like that.

I don't want to become like this in a place like this.

She walked quickly, faster and faster, until she was almost running.

She kept sniffling, more and more frequently, until finally she couldn't hold back her sobs and burst into tears.

Where am I going? Where am I supposed to go?!

Nishio Reki only remembers running for a very, very long time before finally stopping.

Oh, and she remembered something else.

She didn't know when, but the girl following behind her stopped, panting heavily, and took deep breaths of fresh air. Finally, she leaned against the wall, tilting her head back and putting all her weight on it.

"Ha, ha, so tired, I'm exhausted! I'm so tired! If you don't stop, I'm going to die of exhaustion."

The girl raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and casually gathered the few strands of pink hair that were stuck to her forehead with sweat behind her head.

"Hey, Xiao Li, are you so sad that you're crying because you can't go on a date with me?"

Chapter 155 I Want to See You (104)

The pink-haired girl, her forehead already covered in a fine layer of sweat, leaned against the cold wall, using it to support her swaying body. The fact that she could sweat so much even in winter clearly demonstrated Yuuki Yukino's inherently weak stamina.

Yuuki Yui seemed to want to say something more, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she immediately started panting heavily. After a while, she shook her finger at Nishio Reki with a nonchalant air and revealed an extremely cheerful smile.

"Hey, Xiao Li, are you so sad that you're crying because you can't go on a date with me?"

After finishing speaking, Yuuki Yukino raised her hand and, feigning composure, gathered the pink hair that was stuck to her forehead with sweat. She quickly wiped the sweat off her forehead with this action, then blinked innocently.

However, the girl's strained expression and violently heaving chest betrayed that her condition was not optimistic—although she was simply exhausted, it wasn't actually that bad.

Previously, Nishio Reki was completely immersed in inexplicable sadness and only wanted to escape this shameful place. Her body's shielding function made her completely disregard her fatigue while running wildly. Now that she had stopped, she began to feel tired.

Nishio Reki's physical strength is actually quite good; while not outstanding, it's still above average.

Yuki Yuki had been chasing him all the way here. Everyone had seen how weak Yuki's stamina was, especially after this one-sided chase. Nishio Reki was worried that Yuki Yuki might faint on the spot.

Speaking of which, what is Yuuki Yukino doing here?

When she belatedly realized the problem, something seemed to explode in Nishio Reki's heart, and she was once again plunged into confusion.

She couldn't count how many times she had fallen into confusion today. It seemed that the events of the entire night had unfolded in ways she hadn't anticipated, and that she had spent the whole night in a daze.

So, Xiaoyuan saw him at his most embarrassing moment?!

Xiao Yuan saw him crying and desperately running away?!

Judging from Xiaoyuan's current panting, she must have been following behind me for quite a while.

"Xiao...Xiao Yuan...when did you start following me?"

Nishio Ryū asked stammeringly, praying that the other person following behind him was just a chance encounter, rather than a decision made after witnessing the whole thing.

"Ah... well..." Yuuki Yui scratched her chin with her index finger: "From in front of the station? Probably?"

That means you saw everything!

Even though there wasn't a single crack in the ground, Nishio Ryū wished he could transform himself immediately and smash a crack in it so he could crawl inside and never climb out again.

All my embarrassing moments, all my immature behavior, and all the emotions I vented were now impossible to hide.

Nishio Reki stood there stunned for a while, finally realizing that it would be inappropriate if he didn't say something.

"what……"

Nishio Reki opened his mouth for a long time, but could not utter any sound other than an awkward syllable.

When Xiaoyuan struck up a conversation with him, she made lighthearted jokes, her purpose being, of course, to avoid making him feel too awkward.

But what if I can't say anything at all...

Yuuki Yukino's eyes crinkled into a smile, just as she always did, as if she hadn't seen what she had done before, and she gave Nishio Reki an approving smile.

Just like when the neighbor in the orphanage encouraged Xiao Ruoshan to bravely speak out what he wanted to say.

"I didn't cry because of Xiaoyuan."

Nishio Reki couldn't bring himself to answer Yuuki Yukino's question truthfully. He awkwardly sniffed and rubbed his eyes with his fingers like a kitten washing its face, wiping away all the tears with his fingers.

But the redness around her eyes was impossible to hide.

Since everyone has already seen how embarrassing he was, let Xiaoyuan keep watching if she wants to.

Yuuki Yuki actually stared at Nishio Reki's face for two or three seconds, making Nishio Reki feel a little awkward. Nishio Reki could only irresponsibly pray that Yuuki Yuki couldn't see his expression in such a dark environment.

However, Nishio Reki clearly saw Yuuki Yukino's expression, and the meaningful look on her face made it impossible for Yuuki Yukino to understand what she meant.

She had expected her reaction to be stronger and her sadness to be greater, but somehow, whenever she saw Yuuki Yuki's face, she couldn't muster any feelings of sadness or anger.

Unable to cry or get angry, Nishio Reki was at a loss for what to do.

"Hmm—" Yuuki Yui drawled, putting her hands behind her back and leaning half her body toward Nishio Reki. Her enigmatic smile seemed to deepen, and she added a soft "Hmm?" at the end of her sentence.

"W-What are you doing?"