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

But the girl did not waver in the slightest, standing as straight as a mountain, exhaling hot breath evenly.

Looking at myself, I realized that from the moment I opened my eyes to peek, I had already lost.

Is this my limit?

But I have no resentment at all. Being able to compete with the strong is already a great honor!

This experience can certainly be applied next time.

Mizuno Yui fell into the water with a splash and lost consciousness.

When Mizuno Yu woke up, she was lying in a warm hall, dressed in a loose bathrobe. The girl who had just fought with her was sitting next to her, chugging down an ice-cold soda.

"You're awake?" The girl tossed a can of iced cola at Mizuno Yu without turning her head.

"Yes, I lost, and I accept it wholeheartedly." Mizuno Yu reached out and caught the drink that the other person threw to her.

"You have the potential to become a strong person, but that's not enough! You need more experience!" The girl spoke passionately in her androgynous, handsome voice, completely different from when they first met.

“I understand!” Mizuno Yu replied confidently.

"Very good, I'll be waiting for your next challenge!" The girl stood up and walked towards the changing room.

"Could you tell me your name? So that I can face even more trials in order to defeat you!"

The girl walked into the fitting room without looking back and left her name.

"Molten Mountain Lamp"

Afterwards, when Mizuno Yu shared this unforgettable experience in the group chat, Yuuki Yuuki and Tenrai Herika had surprisingly similar reactions.

The two people sent a message in the group chat at the same time:

"Do you two have some serious illness?"

Chapter Twelve: Carried by a Girl for a Hundred-Meter Run

Summer is an indispensable part of various animations.

Events such as beaches and swimsuits, fireworks festivals, and summer training camps are common, and there are even some stories that are specifically set in summer.

Yuuki Yui loves summer. She loves the chirping of insects that awakens people, the cool breeze on summer evenings, and the starry sky on summer nights.

There were chirping insects, a gentle evening breeze, and countless stars—all the elements she loved were there. Why couldn't she feel happy at all?

This is a long story, and it all started with the message Helica posted in the group chat.

Let's do our homework together!

The day after Mizuno Yu went to the hot spring inn, Helica suddenly made this suggestion in the group chat.

"I have finished all my homework."

Yuuki Yui replied to the message.

This is the most confident Yuuki Emi has ever done. She completed all her assignments during a week-long holiday, which is something to brag about anywhere.

I spent almost the entire first week of summer vacation at Baqi's house. This week of living together was completely different from what Yuuki had imagined.

This week, under Baqi's guidance, she finished all her summer homework, without leaving a single bit behind.

Baqi has excellent grades, and Yuki only needs to review what she has learned to easily answer the questions, so summer homework is a piece of cake for the two of them.

During the time they didn't have to do homework, the two of them would eat, sleep, and have pointless chats, and then go out to do some magical girl-related practice.

Fortunately, no one disturbed me during the training to improve my combat skills.

After consuming a lot of magic power, it is of course necessary to replenish it, but BachiBachi chose the slowest method. At most, she would occasionally ask Yuuki Yuki for a kiss, but she never did anything more outrageous.

"You must not indulge in lust!" These were the words of Ba Qi, and it always felt strangely unconvincing to hear them coming from her.

In short, after staying for a week and finishing her summer homework, Yuuki Yuuki felt a little embarrassed to stay at someone else's house any longer, so she packed her bags and went back to her own home.

Then, on the day I got home, I saw a message from Helica.

Asking about summer homework, huh? Then I'll have to brag a little more.

"It's all done."

Yuuki Yukino added a boastful comment at the end.

"Yuki Yuuki, are you a psychopath? How can someone finish their summer homework in the first week?" Herika couldn't help but complain.

"hey-hey."

“I haven’t finished writing yet.” Then came Mizuno Yu’s reply: “Last night’s trial was too difficult for me, and I cannot pass it alone. I would be very grateful if you would be willing to lend me a hand.”

“Speak like a human,” Helica replied.

"Let me copy your summer homework," Mizuno Yu sent a message.

"No way! Do your own homework. Look at your grades! What are you going to do in the future if you keep going like this!"

Just by reading the text, Yuuki Yukino can already imagine Helica's irritable tone.

“I can inherit the family business in the future,” Mizuno Yu replied.

The other three people sent out three ellipses in no particular order.

"Lin Jiezi! What are you doing here? Do you want to do your homework?" Helica called out to Lin Jiezi, who was peeking at the screen.

Lin Jiezi wasn't actually spying on the screen; she was just nervously typing and deleting words in the input box repeatedly, so she hadn't sent a single message yet.

After repeating an ellipsis, Lin Jiezi began the process again, repeatedly thinking about how to respond to Helica's invitation.

As a result, the four-person discussion group fell silent again.

Seeing that no one replied, Helica turned the conversation back to Mizuno Yu: "No matter what, I am the president of Nijisanji, and it's a real headache for Megumi when the members' grades aren't good. If you really need my help, it wouldn't hurt to give you a little guidance."

“Okay, I’ll do it then, please.” Mizuno Yu replied instantly.

"I'll come." This was Lin Jiezi's belated reply.

"Yuki Yuuki, you're not allowed to run away either!"

Before Yuuki Yukino could even utter her line, "I'll pass," Helica had already anticipated her move.

Thus began the first group activity of the Rainbow Club during the holidays. The four of them gathered together and found a place to do their summer homework.

So why is it a family restaurant again?

Yuuki Yukino held her head in her hands, which were propped up on the table, as countless painful memories flooded her mind.

She could only console herself with this thought: family restaurants aren't actually that bad; at least they're more satisfying than eel rice.

But why would someone do their homework at a family restaurant?

The thought of doing homework in a dining area reminded Yuuki En of the bustling scene during final exam review in college. The library and various empty classrooms were filled with people, and a large number of students who had nowhere to go and did not want to study in their dormitories would flock to the cafeteria to study, storing knowledge in their brains amidst the aroma of food and the clinking of chopsticks against plates.

Ignoring other factors, the cafeteria does sound like a good place, with air conditioning that keeps it warm in winter and cool in summer, away from computers and beds, and spacious and bright.

Yuki once tried studying in the cafeteria. She sat there from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and bought a bowl of spicy hot pot, a plate of fried skewers, two cups of milk tea, a serving of braised pork rice, and a skewer of grilled squid.

Reviewing? What reviewing? Isn't this the cafeteria?

From that moment on, Yuuki Yuen was convinced of one thing: it was impossible to study in a place where she ate, at least it was impossible for her.

So how did the people sitting opposite, writing furiously, manage to remain unmoved by the aroma?

Perhaps it's because everyone had a plate of curry rice in front of them...

Yuuki Yui doesn't need to do homework, so all she can do here is sip her cola through a straw while playing on her phone, aimlessly scrolling through short videos to kill time.

Yuki Yui originally planned not to go with them, but to take some time to come over, bring them a few bottles of soda, chat with them for a bit, and just to make her presence known and gain their favor. She never expected to be dragged over like this.

There's nothing to do but spend a boring day in a family restaurant; I need to find a way to escape.

So she sent a message to Baqi under the table.

"Baqi, danger! Come save me quickly!"

The message included a GPS location.

"Coming right away!" Ba Qi replied to her message instantly.

Yuuki Yukino happily deleted the chat history, waiting for Baqi to come and rescue her from her misery.

Less than half an hour later, Inuyama Tomoe, dressed in military uniform and carrying a matchlock gun, kicked the door open and came in.

Yuuki Yukino's expectant expression froze.

Having spent so much time together, Yuuki Yukino had almost forgotten that Tomoe's thought process was a bit strange.

I asked you to save me, not to save me like this! Wouldn't it have been better to just pretend it was a chance encounter and take me away? Or to say you needed to talk to me and ask me to come with you?

Herika and Mizuno Yu were taken aback, then exchanged glances. Just as they were about to get up and find a secluded spot to transform, they were forced to sit down when Bachi pointed a flintlock pistol at them.

"Don't move!"

Yuuki Yui understands that she cannot transform in public; this is a basic rule for magical girls.

If the transformation is witnessed, the mysterious magic used to obscure perception will fail, revealing the magical girl's identity and triggering a series of problems.

If Ba Qi stops him and he continues to oppose her, not only might his identity be exposed, but he might also endanger those around him.

Everyone has witnessed Baqi's explosive power, and if a battle were to take place indoors, it would definitely cause considerable damage.

Herica and Mizuno Yu had no choice but to sit down and wait for the right opportunity to make their move.

After entering the store, Baqi pointed her matchlock gun at the few customers in the store, scanning each table one by one, and finally stopped at Yuki Yuki's table, giving Yuki Yuki a confident look.

Then, Baqi pointed her gun at Yuuki Eri and gave a thumbs-up to the outside.

"You! Yes! It's you! Come with me!"

"What do you want to do?" Yuuki Yuen still had to read along with Baqi's performance, and at this moment she was so embarrassed that she wished she could turn into a radish and burrow into the ground.

"I want to—" Baqi drawled out the last syllable.

Say your lines! Say your lines! You specially transformed and ran over here, how come you haven't even thought of any lines yet!

"I want to eat eel rice!"

Stop bringing up eel rice! That joke is so outdated!

In short, I deeply regret it. If I had known that Baqi was so unreliable, I would have been better off sitting here and scrolling through my phone all day.

"Before tonight! Take the eel rice to Moonsea Park to exchange for her!" Baqi grabbed Yuki Yuki, who was sitting on the far side, hoisted her onto her shoulder, and ran off.