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

Minato Nana listened intently and couldn't help but ask, "So, you went for so long, and in the end you came back empty-handed?"

“No.” Herlica shook her head: “I really found Yuuki Yuki’s location using this seemingly joking method.”

Chapter 259 You've Found Me

Having just stepped off the train bound for another city, Helica sensed something unusual in the otherwise calm air around her.

It was the aura of magic. Since Helica left Moonsea City, she hadn't felt this familiar yet strange aura in the air for a long time.

The current Helica is no longer the same person she used to be. Her ability to perceive magic has undergone a qualitative leap, which is why she was able to detect this abnormality.

Although it was very faint, almost imperceptible, Herika still felt as if she had grasped something in her hand.

"Alas, it's a pity that I still can't do what Hong Moli can do. If she were here, she might already be able to sense who the owner of this magic is."

Helica muttered to herself, then gently shook her head.

Koumori's abilities are, after all, innate and cannot be acquired through training, just as Hyakki Senyu's "death" attribute can restrain most other magical girls.

It seems that it is precisely because the two of them possess such extraordinary abilities that their combat power is slightly inferior to that of the top-tier magical girls. However, what Helica wants now is not powerful combat strength, but rather to find Yuuki Yukino's location.

There were many magical girls awakened by Asahimi before, and no one can guarantee that they are all active in Tsukimi City. Hoshimi City is not far from Tsukimi City, so it is reasonable for someone to come here to avoid trouble or for some other reason.

"Forget it, since there's magic in this city, maybe I've actually found the right place?" Helica shook her head again, quickened her pace, and slowly moved towards the exit with the flow of people.

This is not a big city, and it can't compare to Moonsea City at all. In less than five minutes, Herika had already walked out of the station.

"Hoshimi City, I hope I can get what I want here."

Herlica turned back to look at the large words "Hoshimi City" written above the station, and resolutely stepped into this city she had never set foot in before.

Although Helica had just said that, she still couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the magical girl in Hoshimi City. She could only search around, hoping to find some clues from the slightest traces in the city.

Magic fades over time, but Hoshimi City doesn't have the original magical girl's massive cycle, so the traces of magic here won't disappear completely due to being absorbed by the cycle. Otherwise, Helica really wouldn't be able to find any clues.

But this is the only clue Helica can rely on; everything else awaits Helica to discover for herself.

The day passed just like that, with Helica spending most of it on the city's circular bus.

Magic does indeed spread, like ripples spreading when a pebble is dropped into calm water. However, magical girls can move, and the ripples can fade. Furthermore, if many ripples bloom at the same time, it is extremely difficult to find the pattern.

Moreover, Herika had no idea when these ripples started appearing, so she could only ride the bus from stop to stop and experience the changes in the magic of the city.

Herlica knew there might be clues here, but searching aimlessly was as difficult as finding the right piece among a thousand puzzle pieces—no, it might actually be even more difficult.

Herlica casually inquired about whether there were any traces of magical girls in the city, and the answer was surprisingly consistent—no one had ever heard of a magical girl appearing in the city.

This question was indeed somewhat inappropriate, but given the special circumstances, Helica had no choice but to ask it directly.

As evening approached, the intervals between bus services became much longer. After this trip, Herika had not found any clues about Yuuki Yuuki, so she had no choice but to give up for the time being.

Throughout this journey, Helica repeatedly lamented that she was ultimately unable to accurately grasp every wisp of magic from Koumori, and even considered bringing Koumori from Moonsea City to help.

But Hong Moli probably won't agree to it, right?

After all that commotion, Helica was starting to get tired and needed to find a place to rest.

Health is the foundation of everything. It wouldn't be good if Helica couldn't maintain her energy and missed some clues that were already on her face.

Of course, preparing things like charging the phone is also important, in case Herika gets any useful information, whether it's to contact someone or to write it down, she'll need the phone.

Herlica touched her flat wallet. She was just an ordinary high school girl. Her family didn't have a dog (like Tsubasa or Mizuno), nor did she work part-time like Yuuki. Most of the money she could get was just pocket money. After struggling for a few days, she didn't have much left.

If I can't find Yuuki Yuuki again, I might really be pushed back by uncontrollable forces.

In the past, Helica would only stay in a city for a day at most, but this time was different; she had found a clue.

"If there were hourly rooms available, it might be better. As long as I sleep less and make sure I'm not too tired, the most important thing is to fully charge my phone. Otherwise, spending the night in a private internet cafe would be nice, with free ice cream and water. I just don't know if there are any rooms left."

Helica muttered to herself as she aimlessly searched the streets for a hotel that might be cheaper.

"Otherwise, let's try again tomorrow. If there are still no clues by tomorrow, we can just go back."

Even though Helica was trying to convince herself by saying this, after wandering alone for so many days, her initial enthusiasm had been worn down, and now she was only holding on because she felt ashamed to face others if she came up empty-handed.

The faint rumble of thunder had already begun to sound on the horizon. Although it was only dusk, the sky was darker than usual, as if foreshadowing a heavy rain that would soon follow.

Helica quickened her pace, searching the streets for a possible place to stay for the night.

After walking for a while, Helica found it.

It's not about where we'll stay tonight, but something far more important—ten times, a hundred times, or even a thousand times more important.

Or rather, it's about people.

A familiar figure stood just half a street away, hands behind his back, a pair of eyes piercing through the crowd and fixed on him.

Even though Helica couldn't see clearly, she was absolutely certain of her purpose for this trip, the figure of the person she was looking for, and her signature pink hair.

Moreover, the other party had been watching him the whole time, as if they had been waiting for him.

Helica adjusted the shoulder bag on her shoulder, squinted to examine the figure carefully, rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, and then walked towards the figure.

The other person neither dodged nor flinched, simply standing there as the distance between them continued to shrink.

The closer the two were, the clearer Helica could see.

Herlica's intuition was correct; the other party was indeed waiting for her.

That person was indeed the Yuuki Yori he was looking for.

Upon arriving here, Herika could hardly believe her eyes. After searching so painstakingly for so long, Yuuki Yuuki had actually appeared right in front of her. Such an abnormal event must be a miracle if it wasn't an attack launched by some kind of illusion-type magical girl.

Helica's pace quickened until she started running.

Herlica had traveled an unknown distance in her search for Yuuki Eri, but those last hundred meters seemed to stretch on forever, longer than any stretch of road she had walked in the past few days.

In the end, Helica managed to stop beside Yuuki Yuuki, looking with trembling eyes at the girl before her who was exactly the same as the one in her memory.

"It's been a while since we last met." Yuuki Yui raised her hand, ostensibly to greet Helica.

Yuuki Yuuki seemed to have lost some weight. Her long pink hair was tied into a low ponytail. The clothes she was wearing were ones that Helica had never seen before. Although it was also a shirt paired with a long skirt and a coat, it looked more casual and didn't quite match Yuuki Yuuki's usual style.

But nothing else has changed: his expression, demeanor, voice, and the inexplicable sense of security he felt when standing in front of her.

Helica was certain that the other party was the real Yuuki Yuki, whom she was looking for.

Or perhaps, the Yuuki Yuki in front of me is just a hallucination caused by my own exhaustion.

"Yuan?" Herica raised her arm toward Yuuki Yu in disbelief, but her hand ultimately did not land on Yuuki Yu.

Herika was afraid. What would happen to her three masters if she touched nothingness?

“Yes, it’s me.” Yuuki Yui said, and also reached out and took Herika’s hand, which was about to fall, into her palm.

Helica was completely convinced from the warmth of Yuuki Yuki's palm that the other person was indeed Yuuki Yuki.

Herlica had also imagined what it would be like if she and Yuuki Yuuki met again.

Yuuki Yukino might still be going berserk, she might resolutely resist, and there are many more, even worse possibilities...

But none of them appeared, and Yuuki Enishi just stood there, holding her own hands.

Everything was so ordinary yet beautiful, yet it felt like a miracle.

"Fate, you..."

Herlica called out to Yuuki Yuuki, her joy making her momentarily speechless.

Herika stammered for a while. She had so much to say to Yuuki, and so many things she needed to confirm with him, but now she didn't know where to begin.

In the end, Helica settled on a topic.

"What exactly have you been doing all this time?"

"Shh." Yuuki Yuki held up a finger and put it on Helica's lips, silencing her before she could say anything. "Let's talk somewhere else."

Even though it was just a fleeting intuition, Helica sensed something was amiss, and her words became stammered: "Where...where to?"

“Come with me, let’s find a place where we can talk,” Yuuki said, taking Herika’s hand in hers and leading her toward the end of the street without further ado.

Although Yuuki Yuki wasn't very strong, Herika's feet still followed automatically.

This is a busy area, so it's not really appropriate to talk about magical girls here. It would be better to find a quieter place.

Herika immediately accepted Yuuki Yuuki's suggestion, quickened her pace, and walked alongside her.

The unease of arriving in an unfamiliar city, the unease of having gained nothing in the past few days, and the unease of not seeing Yuuki Yuki for over a month were all melted away by the warmth of Yuuki Yuki's palm and the faint heartbeat that could be felt from her hand.

Herica felt she should say something, but the sensation of Yuuki's touch on her lips didn't disappear, leaving Herica silent as if under a spell that silenced her.

After navigating the winding streets, the sounds of people and car horns became quieter, and the number of normal street facilities decreased, replaced by small industrial shops and unmarked buildings whose purpose was unclear.

This is already close to the suburbs, isn't it?

Herlica thought about it, and her doubts seemed to grow stronger, but she still didn't say it directly to Yuuki Yuki.

Yuuki Yukino is no ordinary person; she would never harm herself. If she really wanted to, she would have done it already, and there would be no need for her to trick herself into coming to a place like this.

Helica told herself this, but the feeling of unease kept growing.

Because this place was so remote, there were no signs of human activity in the row of buildings, which looked rather eerie under the gloomy sky. Herika couldn't tell whether Yuuki Yuki intended to take her to a quiet place to talk, or to some strange space that didn't exist in this world.

Herika had been to the Dreamland before, but this place felt much more terrifying to her than the Dreamland itself, as if Yuuki Yuki, who was walking beside her, might turn around and reveal some sinister face.

"Yuan, where are you taking me?" Helica couldn't bear the silence and fear she felt along the way any longer, so she asked Yuuki Yuan directly.

Yuuki Yuki remained silent for a moment, and just when Helica thought that Yuuki Yuki was not going to answer her, Yuuki Yuki suddenly stopped walking.

“That’s about it.” Yuuki Yuu muttered to herself, without any intention of hiding it from Helica, making Helica feel that Yuuki Yuu’s words were meant for her.

Hearing Yuuki Yukino's words, Helica's brows furrowed unconsciously.

She also felt the warmth in her palms disappear.

Fortunately, it was Yuuki Yukino who let go of his hand, rather than Yuuki Yukino suddenly disappearing from his sight.

After releasing Helica's hand, Yuuki Yuki took a few more steps forward and stopped a few steps away from Helica.

Helica didn't follow; her gut feeling told her she shouldn't.

It was as if they were from two different worlds.

Yuuki Yuuki turned back to face Helica, put her hands behind her back, and her expression changed slightly. She was a little surprised, but her tone was more affectionate.

"Herika, how did you know I was here?"

“I didn’t know you were here,” Helica replied, shaking her head.