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

The battle ended inconclusively, with no one showing any signs of defeat. However, the fact that Yuuki Yuki, who simultaneously wielded the Three Pillars, could fight with ease and hold her own against Lava Lantern, a magical girl who could not withstand any direct confrontation, already proved a great deal.

The battle ended with Yuuki Yuki being shot down by Lava Lantern's sword and then quickly leaving the battlefield.

The magical girls at the time had no idea where Yuuki Yuuki was going. Even though they rushed after her, they couldn't find any trace of her.

Their first target was Lin Jiezi, but surprisingly, Lin Jiezi had already taken advantage of the time when Yuki En, Helika, and Baki were fighting to make a big detour and then safely returned home.

Even though it was dangerous for Lin Jiezi to go home—after all, she lived right next door to Yuuki Yuen's house, and it would have been incredibly easy for Yuuki Yuen to find her if she wanted to—they couldn't offer Lin Jiezi any clear directions given the circumstances.

In short, Lin Jiezi was fine, and the primordial power in her hands was also fine, but she still couldn't absorb it or use it.

Meanwhile, Yumehara Sumireko, who had been overlooked due to her previous nervousness, appeared before them on her own initiative. At that time, Yumehara Sumireko had forcibly pulled Yuuki Yui into a new dream world, but Yuuki Yui subdued her on the spot, which is why she was unable to appear with Yuuki Yui.

Although Sumireko Yumehara was seriously injured, her body was, after all, made of magical energy. Despite consuming a large amount of magical energy, she did not suffer any fatal damage, and in the end, Yuuki Yui showed mercy.

After discovering that Hayashi Mustard and Yumehara Sumireko were both alright, the three of them began to focus on searching for Yuuki Yuki. However, Yuuki Yuki's magic seemed to have suddenly disappeared, and no matter how they searched, they could not find any trace of it.

During this time, Nishio Reki recounted what had happened to the two of them and told them that he could no longer use the magical girl's powers.

The search for Yuuki Yuki continued until the morning, ultimately ending in nothing.

After all, the battle had lasted all night, and even if everyone still wanted to find Yuuki Yuki, they were so exhausted that they could no longer continue, so they had to temporarily disband.

The three members didn't stay idle after the group disbanded.

Nishio Reki turned a corner and knocked directly on Yuuki Yukino's door.

The person who came out to greet them was Yuuki Yuki's older sister. She was startled to see Nishio Reki appearing at her door with dark circles under his eyes at this time, and immediately welcomed him inside.

After Nishio Reki entered Yuuki Yuuki's house, he belatedly realized something.

"Sister Huan, has Xiaoyuan come back?"

"No, Xiaoyuan went out last night and hasn't come back yet." Yuki Tamaki shook his head: "Come sit on the sofa first. We can talk about it after you've rested for a while."

At first, Nishio Reki didn't understand why Yuuki Tamaki was so calm, nor did he understand the look in her eyes that seemed to carry some hidden meaning. But before searching for Yuuki Yuki, none of that mattered anymore.

So Nishio Reki directly refused: "No, I'll go back first."

When Nishio Reki uttered that similar word again, she realized what she had just said.

"Is Xiaoyuan back?" That's what I just asked myself.

By asking this question, you are essentially acknowledging that you know the reason why Yuuki Yukino didn't return home that night.

When she met Yuuki Tamaki's gaze again, she suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

“Okay.” Nishio Reki changed his mind at the last minute: “Then I’ll come in and sit for a while.”

……

On the other side, Yuuki Enishi appeared directly at the doorstep of the Minister of Hyakki Yagyō's house.

Baqi didn't know any of the Hundred Demon Ministers, nor was she there to find Hundred Demon Thousand You. Her only goal was to find Hong Moli, who had the strongest ability to sense magic.

If one wants to find Yuki Yuki and trace her magic, then Koumori is undoubtedly the only and most suitable candidate.

However, the answer given by Hong Moli left Baqi extremely disappointed.

"No, I can't sense Yuuki Yukino's magic at all, not even a little bit."

Wearing pajamas and sporting dark circles under her eyes, Hong Moli sat on the sofa, one hand pressing down on Bai Gui Qianyou's small hand resting on her knee, while the other hand restlessly rubbing the sofa cushion beneath her.

Baqi was anxiously trying to find the reason for Hong Moli's distress. She was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but for the sake of Yuki, she had to calm herself down as much as possible. Even though she couldn't sit still at all, she still had to try not to cause trouble for Hong Moli.

"Sense it more carefully. Is there something wrong with the magic in Moonsea City? I can feel it too. The magic is much thinner than before. Also, is it possible that the filth released by Asahimi last night is hindering your senses? Like eating chili peppers, it's making your senses less accurate. Or maybe..."

Baqi was only halfway through her sentence when Hong Moli raised her hand to stop her.

"It has nothing to do with those things. The filth has had a negligible effect on me. Even if it clouded my senses at the time, they have almost recovered now. The magic in Moonsea City has become thinner, and the interfering factors have also decreased. I can sense the magic more clearly now. Not to mention my sister, I can sense the magic of all the magical girls who fought alongside us last night and those who were our enemies."

Baqi was still a little unwilling to give up, and swallowed hard, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated: "Then... could it be that Yuuki Yuen absorbed the remaining two wands, so her magic started to change? That's why you can't recognize her?"

"No, when it comes to fighting, I'm definitely not as good as my older sister right now, but when it comes to the perception abilities that my wand gives me, I'm absolutely confident. Everyone's magic has a unique aura, and I can even sense whether someone is a corrupted magical girl or not. But there's no Yuuki Yuki among these magical auras, absolutely none."

"No, no, I don't believe it. Try to sense it again. Is there something you've overlooked? Or maybe... is... Anyway, she definitely wouldn't just disappear like that." Ba Qi grabbed her hair, no longer caring about her image in front of her female classmates.

“Big sister.” Hong Moli’s tone became earnest: “If you wish, I can go with you right now to find every magical aura and every magical girl that I can sense. But if I can’t sense it, I can’t sense it. I can’t fool you just because I’m afraid of trouble or too tired.”

After Hong Moli said that, Ba Qi felt a little embarrassed: "I didn't mean that..."

Seeing Inuyama Tomoe become so anxious, Hyakki Chiyu, who is usually not very talkative, also asked Tomoe a question that Tomoe was also curious about: "Mari, tell my sister, what exactly is going on that makes you unable to sense Yuuki Yukino's presence?"

“I can roughly divide it into three situations. The first is that Yuuki Yuuki is no longer a magical girl. It’s really hard to identify the magic of an ordinary person who is not a magical girl. A magical girl is like a kernel of corn in a pile of rice grains. You can see it at a glance. But although the shapes of rice grains are different, it is really too difficult to find a specific one,” Koumori replied.

"What about the second one?" Bai Gui Qian You pressed.

"The second possibility is that Yuuki En has somehow blocked my knowledge of her. It could be Nyarlathotep's ability, or it could be the kind of barrier that Nishio Reki created that can conceal magic. Both are possible, but if we look carefully, we should still be able to find some clues."

"And then?" Baqi continued to ask.

"The last possibility is that Yuuki Yuuki has hidden somewhere I can't find. Although it's somewhat similar to the second possibility, the situation is also slightly different. In the former case, I might be able to find her, but in the latter case, I simply can't find her no matter what."

Hearing Hong Moli say that she might never be able to find out about Yuuki Yuuki, Baqi's heart raced again: "For example?"

There was no need for Hong Moli to beat around the bush with Baqi: "For example, she hid in a space similar to a dream world, or... she left my detection range."

"Outside the detection range? How big is your detection range?" Baqi asked.

“It’s not huge, but it can cover the entire Moonsea City,” Mori replied.

Chapter 247 After the Weather Cleared

In the end, Inuyama Tomoe still dragged Koumori around to every corner of Moonsea City, allowing them to see most of the magical girls that Koumori could sense. However, just to be on the safe side, they didn't disturb the gathered nuns.

After all, just a few hours ago they were life-or-death opponents, so it's bound to be awkward for them to meet again now.

After spending the whole morning, they still came up empty-handed and couldn't find any trace of Yuuki Yuki.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Inuyama Tomoe lowered her head in embarrassment, her canine teeth digging deep into her lips as if she were about to bite them until they bled, and she apologized in a low but clear voice.

"Hong, I'm sorry, so many things happened last night, and I'm sorry to have troubled you to come with me to so many places so early this morning."

Hong Mali shook her head repeatedly and grabbed Baqi's hand: "No, I can understand how much my sister wants to find Yuuki Yukino. If Chiyuu were missing, I would be just as anxious, so don't say anything apologetic."

Hyakki Chiyu followed behind the two women the whole time, acting alongside them. Although Baqi and Moli wanted her to rest and didn't want her to have to come along, Chiyu refused their concern.

At this moment, Qianyou also grabbed Baqi's other hand tightly: "That's right, the most important thing for you right now is to get some rest. Don't be too anxious. Maybe Yuuki Yukino will come back on her own sometime?"

Although Ba Qi couldn't sleep well at all and wasn't sleepy at all, she reluctantly agreed after hearing what the two of them said.

So, Baqi temporarily abandoned the search for Yuuki Yuki. Although Baqi went out again a few hours later after resting for a while, that was a later story.

……

Tenrai Herika also sensed the unusual disappearance of Yuuki Eri, but since she had neither Koumori to help her nor was she as familiar with Yuuki Tamaki as Nishio Reki, she could only wander aimlessly in mid-air above Tsukimi City.

Their battle lasted almost all night, and the commotion among the crowd continued for most of the night before finally ending. Although there were no pedestrians left on the streets, the shadows of everything that happened last night still lingered there.

Overturned vending machines, broken entrance and exit gates, remnants of some unknown drinks and food scattered on the ground, and rubble from buildings affected by the aftershocks of the battle—there was so much of it, it was a complete mess.

Just looking at the mess in the city, Helica felt a mix of emotions, as if a fire was burning in her chest.

Previous defeats were of no concern to her. She had lost to Yuuki En many times and had been bullied by Yuuki En intentionally or unintentionally. These things were of no consequence to her.

But when she couldn't find Yuuki Yuki, she began to feel as if something was missing from her chest, which made her steps become unsteady.

When she turned to the sun overhead, and the staff responsible for repairing the facilities in Moonsea City damaged by the turmoil came and went, and the whole city seemed to have returned to its former hustle and bustle, yet there seemed to be a faint sense of disharmony, Helica finally had no choice but to give up.

She didn't want to give up, but her body couldn't take it anymore.

Normally, Helica might have gotten stuck on this and kept searching.

However, finding Yuuki Yuki may be a long battle, and if Yuuki Yuki does not want to be found by everyone, it will not be so easy for them to find any clues.

Health is the foundation of everything. Only with sufficient rest can you return to work with a clearer mind.

This isn't for myself, it's for Yuki Yuki.

……

Shortly before Helica returned, the conversation between Nishio Reki and Yuuki Tamaki finally came to an end.

Although Nishio Reki was indeed very tired, and no longer a magical girl, she simply didn't have that much energy, she seemed to forget her fatigue in front of Yuuki Tamaki, and told Yuuki Tamaki everything she knew in one go.

Originally, Nishio Reki didn't want to talk about it, but from the moment she let it slip, it was already destined that she could no longer keep these secrets.

Yuuki Yukino's rampage, the loss of his own power, the intense tension and exhaustion of a night of battle, Yuuki Yukino's current whereabouts, and Yuuki Tamaki's patient persuasion... Nishio Reki couldn't pinpoint exactly which factor ultimately broke down his defenses, or perhaps all of them.

In short, the final result was that Nishio Reki revealed everything about Yuuki Yuuki.

Nishio Reki may have been crying or sharing, but she poured out all the hard work and grievances she had endured over the years.

However, she chose the wrong person.

Tamaki Yuuki is Yuuki Yuuki's older sister. Her dedication and care for Yuuki Yuuki, and the emotional and future impact that Yuuki Yuuki might have on her, are no less than her own.

The only difference is that Tamaki Yuuki is probably a bit more mature than me.

"Ran-nee." Nishio Reki wiped his sore eyes with the back of his hand. "Why aren't you surprised at all?"

Tamaki Yuuki gently swayed her head from side to side a few times: "To be honest, I'm really surprised. I never knew that so many unbelievable things had happened to Yuuki, and I never imagined that the world of magical girls was so cruel."

Nishio Reki knew all about Yuuki Tamaki's situation. If it weren't for the magical girl, things wouldn't have turned out this way. Nishio Reki was not only curious about Yuuki Tamaki's attitude, but also afraid that his words might have been too harsh and hurt Yuuki Tamaki. So, after a long while, he cautiously asked.

"Then why are you still acting so calm, Sister Huan..."

Tamaki Yuuki slowly let out a sigh of relief.

"It would be impossible for me to say that I didn't notice anything at all. Yuan is my younger sister. I've watched her grow up since she was little. Even though I don't come home often, wouldn't it be a bit irresponsible of me as her older sister if I didn't notice the changes in her?"

"But you know about my family situation. After what happened when I was little, Yuan was like a different person. She suddenly showed a maturity that a girl her age shouldn't have. I felt heartbroken, but I also felt gratified because of her maturity. Yuan still chose to be a magical girl after experiencing those things, so there must be a reason for it."

"And since Xiaoyuan chose to keep it from me, she must have had her reasons for doing so. Maybe she was worried that I would be in danger, or maybe she was worried that if I found out about this, she would stop her from continuing her activities as a magical girl, or maybe she was worried that it would bring back unpleasant memories from our past?"

"Perhaps it's because my family always interfered with my choices in the past, so I don't want to be that kind of parent and interfere excessively with Xiaoyuan's choices. Everyone has their own secrets and lifestyle, and I will choose to respect Xiaoyuan, not only treating her as my own sister, but also as an adult who can communicate with me normally."

"There's another reason why I don't ask or try to find out: I'm worried that if I knew how dangerous magical girls really are, I wouldn't be able to resist interfering with Yui. But Yui is no longer the little girl who needs my protection. Since Yui has chosen this path, even if I don't understand magical girls, I believe my sister has enough wisdom and strength to handle her responsibilities."

Nishio Reki gently bit her lower lip, focusing her gaze on her toes. She herself didn't know what she was listening to or thinking about.

"And also, Koyomi." Yuuki Tamaki's hand silently landed on Koyomi's head, slowly moving along Koyomi's hair towards the back of his head, stroking Koyomi's head several times.

Then, Yuuki Tamaki put his hand behind Nishio Reki and patted him on the back.

“You’re also worried about Xiaoyuan, which is why you told me all these things, right? If I can’t accept it, it will only add pressure to you.”

She had already guessed Yuuki Tamaki's possible reaction before Nishio Reki said all of this.