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

"There, the brightest one at the very top is Deneb, and the one a little below it is Altair, and the one opposite it is Vega. This is the famous Summer Triangle, a spectacle that can only be seen in summer."

"Next to Altair, there are two slightly dimmer companion stars, and together with Vega, the four stars form a line, making them very easy to identify."

"Altair is also called the Cowherd Star. According to legend, the Weaver Girl was the daughter of the Jade Emperor. After falling in love with the Cowherd, she gave birth to two children. However, the Weaver Girl angered the Jade Emperor, who only allowed the couple to reunite once a year. So every summer, the Cowherd would carry his children in a load to meet the Weaver Girl."

Yuuki knew all of this about Helica. The day when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet is called the Qixi Festival, also known as the Double Seventh Festival. Some people have even written poems like, "The night sky is as cool as water, I lie watching the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars." Few people are more familiar with these things than Yuuki.

Yuuki Yui did not interrupt Helica, but listened quietly as Helica told the story of the starry sky in a tone that was neither self-deprecating nor irritable, a story that was completely out of character for her.

"The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl still have a chance to meet once a year, and they can reunite."

I heard a long sigh, it must have been Helica sighing.

After sighing, Helica ended her story there.

Upon realizing there was no sound, Yuuki Yukino, who had been gazing at the distant starry sky, turned her head to look at Helica beside her, who seemed even more distant than the starry sky.

Herlica tilted her head back, gently biting her lower lip. The girl's hands were on the ground, and her eyes were gazing at the sky, reflecting the starry heavens.

"That day was the day we decided to have barbecue at Moonsea Park. I originally wanted to bring you all to see this starry sky and this treasure that belongs only to me before we finished."

Chapter Sixteen: The Story I Want You to Know

"That day was the day we decided to have barbecue at Moonsea Park. I originally wanted to bring you all to see this starry sky and this treasure that belongs only to me before we finished."

Herlica curled up her knees in front of Yuuki Yuuki, hugged her knees with her hands and rested her head on them, tilting her head and never taking her eyes off Yuuki Yuuki.

The barbecue mentioned earlier was the one where Helica suddenly went crazy and insisted on having a barbecue in the forest behind Moonsea Park, right?

At that time, Mizuno Yu tried everything to stop it but to no avail. Yuki Yuki also had to take care of Helica's feelings to prevent her from suddenly breaking down. Hayashi Keko was completely useless in persuading people, so in the end she listened to Helica completely.

Oh, so that was the day.

The process was strange and the ending was unpleasant. It was on that day that Yuuki first met Ms. Megumi, who later beat her half to death.

That same day, Helica was kept at home by Yuuki Yuuki, who took the initiative, and the two felt each other's warmth for the first time in such close proximity.

From every angle, that day was an extraordinary one.

"But then, that kind of thing happened."

As Yuuki Yukino reflected on that day, Helica seemed to see right through her once again, and sighed softly.

The girl buried her face even deeper between her knees, her long golden hair cascading down her cheeks like a waterfall, casually covering most of her face, but unable to hide her flushed cheeks.

Herica acted too normally all day, causing Yuuki Yuuki to overlook a very important matter.

I once complained that Helica's fashion sense was like that of an elementary school boy; her everyday clothes always had meaningless decorations and patterns.

However, Helica is just an ordinary girl now, wearing ordinary trousers, an ordinary T-shirt, and ordinary sneakers, without any extra decorations. So ordinary that Yuuki Yuki has become so used to it that she thinks Helica is just an ordinary girl like this.

This ordinary girl abruptly changed the subject from that day and began recounting her ordinary past.

Yuuki Yui is unaware of Helica's past. These kinds of things that are unrelated to the main storyline in the game are deliberately avoided. For example, Mizuno Yu's past is related to the later, somewhat farcical, business war plot, so it is only mentioned briefly. However, Helica's past is not worth mentioning to players who only want to see her CGs and interact with her.

It's embarrassing to admit, but Yuuki Yuuki used to be a player who only cared about CGs and stickers.

Helica recounted the story in a calm, detached tone:

"My family brought me here at first. Back then, Yuehai Park wasn't as big as it is now, and Yuehai City wasn't as prosperous as it is now. But at that time, my family was still together. We would eat together and go out to play together."

This turn of events was quite abrupt, but life doesn't follow a set path that must be followed, and she is free to say whatever she wants.

Yuuki Yui no longer needs to take the initiative, at least not for the time being. Now she just needs to be a listener, listening to all of Helica's troubles and complaints.

"My father, my biological father, in short, that guy, according to the public's judgment, he was an absolute bad person. Before I was born, when he and my mother first went to meet my maternal grandparents, he stole the envelope containing money that my grandmother had put on the table."

There really are people like that.

"That's not all. I've hardly ever seen that guy since I was a child, because less than six months after I was born, he went to jail for drunk driving."

Herlica's expression remained calm, as if she were telling a story rather than recounting her own past.

But when the characters in the story tell their own stories, it is destined that she cannot be a fair bystander. Yuuki Yukino still felt Helica's almost negligible sadness after so many years.

“That man might not be a good person, but he was decent to the family. He often stole odds and ends and brought them home. My mother would always scold him and throw the things he brought back out, but he never changed his ways. I only found out about these things later.”

“He also said he would give me a computer, but then he stole one from somewhere and took it home. When the police came to my door, I cried and begged them not to take it away.” Helica laughed, though it wasn’t funny: “Of course, that man got back in jail because of that computer.”

It's a bit ridiculous, but not really funny. Helica's laughter is probably mostly self-deprecating.

Herika's father was a strange guy. Unlike those guys who boss people around at home, he would come home and act like a good person even when things were incredibly dirty outside.

Humans are contradictory and cannot be simply categorized as good or bad. There may be a few truly good people who live flawless lives, while there may be a few born bad people who can even be hailed as saviors of evil.

But most people are confused individuals who repeatedly teeter on the line between good and bad, doing good deeds in a daze, making mistakes in a daze, and living their lives in a daze.

Helica continued her story.

"After that guy got out of prison, his family hoped he could settle down. But he changed jobs a lot, and he couldn't stay in any of them for more than a month. I don't know what kind of jobs he did. I was young at the time, and my family wouldn't let me get involved in those unpleasant things."

Indeed, all parents in the world will try to protect their children, and Yuuki Eri is willing to believe that beautiful things exist.

“I also grew up slowly during this period, finished kindergarten, and went to primary school. I still remember the day that man came home from prison. He cried and told me that his father would never leave me again. Now, when I think back to that scene, it’s a little funny. What’s even funnier is that I actually believed him.”

Helica paused for a long time, her story was fragmented, but there was still plenty of time tonight, and Yuuki Yuki wasn't in a hurry to understand what happened next: "But later, he still left us, and my mother divorced him, one day when I was in the third grade of elementary school."

"Why they fell in love before, and why they got married despite all the advice, is too complicated to explain. Anyway, they got divorced, and after that, the other person disappeared."

"The last time I saw that man was the night before their divorce. They brought me to this starry sky and told me about the group of witches, Qi Ba (the stories I've told you before).

After another long silence, Helica lowered her hands from her knees and landed lightly on the ground. She stretched out a finger and spun it around, drawing inexplicable patterns on the ground.

"It was only later that I found out that he had also taken out high-interest loans. Most of the money he borrowed was used to support a woman who was about the same age as us now. The rest of the money was used to buy me a lot of good food. At that time, we even thought that he went out at night to work."

Loan sharking and preying on high-achieving girls—he's truly a despicable person.

Yuuki Yui didn't offer any of her own opinions, and continued to listen to this family ethics that was by no means a bitter or resentful affair.

"So debt collectors would come knocking on our door from time to time. My mother moved us many times, but the debt collectors always managed to find us."

“Even though that kind of thing doesn’t happen anymore, I’m still afraid to stay at home, afraid to hear a knock on the door. I’m terrified that when I open the door I’ll see a debt collector in black. I still can’t shake this habit. If I could, I would never want to go home.”

"My mother is probably just as afraid of being harassed by debt collectors, so she almost never comes home. She spends all her time at the company, and she sends me a large sum of money every month, which is more than enough for my studies and living expenses. Maybe she thinks that money can make up for the lack of family support I have?"

"After that day, I secretly came here to see the starry sky many times. I even fantasized that if I made a wish on a shooting star, I could find the beauty of my lost family again, and that the stars could grant my wishes."

"As I've grown older, I've gradually realized that all of this was just unrealistic fantasy. Now I've cast those childish ideas behind me, and all that's left with me now is this unchanging starry sky."

"It might be presumptuous to say that it will remain unchanged; this starry sky only appears on summer nights."

"Ah, I've gone off-topic. After that, I was desperately searching for a place to belong, thinking that going to a family restaurant would bring me the taste of home; thinking that forming a band would give me a group that would accept me; thinking that as long as I protected myself, I would no longer be hurt..."

"But what's lost is lost, and can never be found again."

Herlica stopped tracing her fingers, her fingertips leaving the dusty ground, put her arm back on her knee, and looked up at the starry sky.

"This is the whole department's plan."

"What?" Yuuki asked in a very soft voice.

"This is all my memories of my family; all the imperfect beauty ends here under the starry sky."

"It was only after a long, long time that I slowly realized that what I truly couldn't forget was not the starry sky itself, but the beautiful things that happened under it, and the person who gazed at the stars with me under it."

Herlica's head was tilted to face Yuuki Yuuki. Her eyes no longer reflected the starry sky; Yuuki Yuuki could only see herself in her eyes.

When did it begin? The starry sky was long gone from Yuuki Yukino's eyes; all that remained was the girl sitting beside her, casually discussing topics that were anything but lighthearted.

"Yuki Yuki, no, Yuki, may I call you that?"

Helica asked.

"Mm." Yuuki Yui nodded gently.

"Fate, I..."

"I should thank you. Well, I'm not good at saying mushy things, and I don't know how to thank others. Anyway, I'm very grateful that you were willing to come here with me, and that you've taken the initiative to reach out to me so far."

I feel that if I were with you, even more wonderful things could happen.

"No, I want to be with you... no..."

Helica hesitated, tentatively extending her small, delicate hand and placing it between them, her fingers curled as she struggled with how to say her next words.

As Herika timidly tried to retract her outstretched hand, she felt a warm touch on the back of her hand. Yuuki Yuuki placed her palm on the back of Herika's hand and gently held Herika's trembling hand.

"edge."

"Mm," Yuuki Yukino replied.

Would you like to create more wonderful memories with me?

Helica did not hear Yuuki Yuuki's reply.

The two people held hands even tighter, their fingers clasped together.

Chapter Seventeen: Understanding, Dispersal

How should we describe Yuuki Yukino's feelings for Helica?

Just like the girl who once stirred your heart, you slowly forget her as time goes by, until one day you suddenly meet her again and remember why you were moved back then. Even after a long time, you will still be moved by her.

No matter how much time has passed, the woman who once captivated my heart is still the same person, and has never changed.

Yes, that's how Yuuki Yuki feels, even though she considers herself a die-hard fan of Helica.

Although Helica, who was so charming back then, was still a two-dimensional character to Yuuki Yuuki, the kind of thing where a tsundere suddenly reveals her true feelings is always incredibly touching.

Especially now, the other person will call out my name, hold my hand, sit with me to look at the stars, and make a promise under the starry sky to create all kinds of beautiful memories together in the future.

Ah, girls, how wonderful.

So, taking advantage of the atmosphere, when Helica suggested that they do their homework together the next day, Yuuki Yukino agreed without hesitation.

My relationship with Helica has improved, yay!

But I'm going to be tortured at the family restaurant all day again, oh no.

After much deliberation, Yuuki Yui got up early and went to the shopping street to buy a handheld console and game cartridges, planning to spend the whole day catching Pokémon at a family restaurant.

It seems like I've returned to the days when I stayed at home, except now I'm holding a handheld console instead of a computer.

What's more, the prices at the physical stores are actually cheaper than what I saw on Ama Zongzi (a type of rice dumpling shop), it's a truly amazing place.

Has your relationship gotten better?

On the second day, during the homework session, Mizuno Yu once again demonstrated her keen observation skills, asking Helica and Yuuki Yuuki, who were sitting together, a question.