You call this a love game?

"You want to make Xiaomei and Nakazawa's relationship better, right?"

Mami Tomoe confirmed with Madoka Kaname again.

"Yes, yes! It would be even better if we could go further." Madoka Kaname nodded.

“Going a step further…” Mami Tomoe frowned slightly, stroking her chin thoughtfully, “Given Akemi’s personality… getting her to take the initiative is indeed not an easy task, but it’s not impossible.”

"What do you mean?" Kaname Madoka quickly asked.

"Recently, Nakazawa has been struggling with how to make a super-powerful explosive, so that at least we'll have some means of attack when dealing with witches."

Mami Tomoe nodded in confirmation. "It would be nice if Akemi could help Nakazawa. It's always better for two people to work together than one, right?"

Chapter Forty-Six: Art is an Explosion!

"It seems like it really works!" Madoka Kaname's eyes lit up instantly. "Mami-senpai is amazing."

She eagerly pulled out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen, "I'll message Xiaoyan right now—"

"Wait a minute." Mami Tomoe held down Madoka Kaname's hand and winked mysteriously. "We need to take it step by step. Besides, Homura probably wouldn't dare to take the initiative on her own, right? It just so happens that Nakazawa is tutoring Homura. Tomorrow, you can 'accidentally' bring it up, so it won't seem too deliberate."

Madoka Kaname suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly, "I understand. It's like wanting to drink the black tea that Mami-senpai brewed herself, but saying that I want to come to Mami-senpai's house to play."

“Ahem… Kaname-san, you don’t need to use yourself as an example.” Mami Tomoe chuckled, then reminded her, “But don’t be too demanding about this kind of thing, or you’ll only make Akemi-san feel uncomfortable, which would be a loss.”

"Don't worry! I'll talk to Homura properly!" Madoka Kaname said confidently.

The next day during lunch break, Kaname Madoka, as planned, took Akemi Homura to the school's chemistry lab.

The original plan was to eat lunch with Sayaka and the others on the rooftop of the school building, then gaze at the sky and daydream until the school bell rang before returning to the classroom.

Since becoming a magical girl, she hasn't walked home from school with them for a long time, and Sayaka even asked her if she had someone else outside.

While it is true... it's definitely not what she meant!

In the past, Shiraha would usually eat his lunch in the classroom, and after finishing, he would take a short nap at the table or tutor Homura Akemi in her weaker subjects.

But lately, the more he fights witches, the more he feels his own inadequacy.

What kind of person relies solely on women? At least they should be like Mami Tomoe, charging to the front lines in battle, instead of hiding in the back, using time-stop to lie back and be carried to victory.

Dipped beans, so cool!

So his first thought was weapons. He initially wanted to go straight to the armory and loot it, but after thinking about it, he gave up.

Even if he could freely enter and leave the armory without being detected, he simply couldn't take away the enormous quantity of weapons inside, let alone openly display them in his own home.

His family is just an ordinary family. If his parents saw the gleaming and genuine weapons sitting in his room, they would probably faint on the spot. It's best not to cause them any trouble.

It would be too foolish to retrieve it before each battle, since he couldn't guarantee how far the witch's location was from the armory.

In addition, if the military were to lose some weapons for no apparent reason, they would definitely conduct a thorough investigation, and it wouldn't be fun if they were caught by accident.

You have to understand, he's not a magical girl and doesn't have the ability to block out perception. Unless he's constantly by Madoka's or Mami's side after they transform, he'll be exposed sooner or later.

So he simply started making his own explosives.

Most of the chemicals needed for explosives are not available at the school and need to be purchased by the students themselves. But if he can use the time-stop function, does he still need to buy them?

Wouldn't it be faster to just grab it directly?

He then used time stop to obtain a lot of reagents, including some that he desperately needed.

Following a tutorial he found online, Bai Yu began to adjust the reagent dosage step by step. After more than ten attempts, he failed.

As expected, this thing wasn't so easy to make. Luckily, he reacted in time and activated time stop to escape the 'crime scene' just as the potion was about to explode. But the classroom was not spared.

The explosive power and the difficulty of preparing it led him to temporarily abandon that explosive—hexanitrohexaazaisowulzane, or RDX for short.

Instead, they chose another more stable and easier-to-prepare common explosive—trinitrotoluene, also known as TNT.

The production method of trinitrotoluene is not complicated. Simply put, it is produced by mixing toluene with nitric acid and sulfuric acid to carry out a nitration reaction. Usually, three nitration reactions are required to finally produce trinitrotoluene.

TNT is significantly less powerful than RDX, and its construction seems much simpler, with countless tutorials available online. However, it was as if he was cursed by fate, as he couldn't succeed no matter what method he tried.

Fortunately, he had prepared for this, so even if it failed, he could remedy the situation in time and prevent it from reacting and exploding immediately.

When Madoka Kaname arrived outside the lab, she saw Shiraha scratching his head, frowning and deep in thought, in front of a pile of bottles and jars.

"Bai Yu, you've worked so hard. Doesn't Xiao Yan want to help?"

Through the half-open door, Akemi Homura curiously peeked inside and saw Shiraha frantically trying to catch a beaker that was about to tip over. She subconsciously took a step forward, then hesitated and stopped.

"We...we shouldn't bother Bai Yu anymore. Although I really want to help him, I can't even understand math formulas right now. That kind of thing is too difficult for me."

However, Madoka Kaname pushed the door open and entered directly. "Shiraha-kun, do you need any help? Homura said she also wants to contribute to Shiraha-kun's battle."

Homura Akemi tried to grab her friend in a panic, but it was too late.

Bai Yu looked up, his face still covered in a bit of suspicious black powder. "Ah, just in time. It's great that Xiao Yan is willing to help."

Homura Akemi was still in a daze. By the time she came to her senses, Madoka Kaname had pulled her to the lab table and had two test tubes stuffed into her hands by Shiraha.

"Help me clean this up, and remember to take a look at the documents over there. If you don't understand anything, you can ask me, although I may not know the answers myself."

While busy with his work, he called on Homura Akemi for help. Seeing that the girl was seriously carrying out his instructions, he felt relieved and continued to think about the proportions.

After cleaning the test tubes and beakers in her hands, Akemi Homura was completely immersed in the information that Shiraha had given her. The chemical equations had been transformed into simple and easy-to-understand symbols, and various failures were also recorded on them, making it relatively easy for her to understand.

After successfully luring Homura Akemi inside, Madoka Kaname left the lab but didn't go far. Instead, she pressed herself against the door to eavesdrop, a sly smile on her face.

Mami Tomoe appeared behind her without her noticing and gently patted her shoulder: "Kaname-san, eavesdropping isn't exactly ladylike behavior~"

"Mami-senpai!" Kaname Madoka jumped up guiltily. "I was just... just worried about Homura..."

Mami Tomoe smiled gently and said, "Don't worry, Akemi isn't that fragile."

"Besides, there are people inside who care about Xiaomei even more than we thought."

Chapter 47 I Don't Want to Be Friends Forever! (4k)

The laboratory fluorescent lights cast their shadows on the wall. Homura Akemi looked down at the lab notebook that Shiraha had given her, her eyelashes casting dappled shadows under the light.

She pretended to be focused on turning the pages, but her eyes were actually glued to the boy beside her. She secretly glanced at Bai Yu, who was frowning at the reagent bottle. The boy's bangs were stuck to his forehead with sweat, and his white coat cuffs were stained with suspicious yellow stains, making him look like a bear that had failed to steal honey.

Although the space that was just the two of them made her feel a little shy, she was mostly delighted and sweet. The two of them were working hard, helping and supporting each other, working together in perfect harmony like soulmates. This was a scene that only appeared in her fantasies.

Although they aren't exactly in sync right now, she's already quite content just being together quietly like this.

"Um... what about the ratio of nitric acid to sulfuric acid..." she suddenly said, then immediately covered her mouth, as if afraid of disturbing the boy who was deep in thought.

Bai Yu turned her head abruptly, almost spilling the liquid in the beaker: "Xiao Yan, what did you just say?"

"I... I mean, is the ratio a bit off..." Homura Akemi frantically flipped through the documents, her glasses reflecting a fluorescent light. "It says here that the nitration reaction should be kept below 30°C..."

Seeing Bai Yu's changing expression, as if afraid of offending the young man, she lowered her voice, until it was almost a mosquito's hum.

"But Bai Yu's beaker... was smoking..."

"what?!"

Bai Yu rushed over and turned off the electric heating plate. The purplish-red liquid in the beaker was bubbling. He subconsciously grabbed Akemi Homura's hand and pulled her back, but did not notice the girl's ears turning red instantly.

The beaker suddenly exploded with a 'pop', creating a small mushroom cloud.

"Smash Varudo!"

The world turned gray instantly. Bai Yu looked at the purple droplet suspended in mid-air and let out a long sigh. Xiao Meiyan stared at her hand, which was tightly clasped with Bai Yu's, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Let's deal with this dangerous material first."

Bai Yu released his grip and used tweezers to cover the beaker with a cloth soaked in ice water. The moment the pause was lifted, the cloth hissed and emitted white smoke with a sweet smell.

Homura Akemi suddenly burst out laughing, then realized it was inappropriate and immediately covered her mouth, but her constantly shaking shoulders betrayed that she still hadn't stopped laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Bai Yu tilted his head, his nose still covered in coal dust-like powder.

"Bai Yu... looks like a tabby cat."

Homura Akemi mustered her courage and pointed to her nose, then immediately withdrew her hand, afraid that he would think she was mocking him.

Looking at him through the reflection of the glass cabinet door, Bai Yu was shocked to see that his face looked like Santa Claus emerging from the chimney after delivering presents. His usually fair face was now covered in black soot. No wonder Akemi Homura was laughing at him.

Seeing Homura Akemi still trying to suppress her laughter, Shiraha deliberately grinned and moved closer, his darkened face revealing a set of bright white teeth.

"Is it funny?"

"puff--!"

Just like in the Darlie toothpaste commercial, seeing Homura Shiraha burst out laughing; she couldn't hold back at all.

"Sorry……"

Although he was apologizing verbally, he couldn't stop smiling.

"Help me wipe it off, or I'll draw a turtle on your face."

Bai Yu rolled her eyes and threatened him in a deliberately fierce manner.

"Ugh..." Homura Akemi shrank back, hurriedly took out her handkerchief, and frantically wiped Shiraha's face, turning the originally even black into an uneven black.

Well, it looks like it's getting worse and funnier.

Bai Yu looked at her increasingly smudged face reflected in the glass and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Xiao Yan, are you wiping your face or smearing the wall?"

Homura Akemi was naturally aware of her 'masterpiece'. She wanted to help but accidentally made things worse, and her handkerchief awkwardly stopped in mid-air.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried, her eyes welling up with tears. "I...I'll go get a wet towel."

"No need." Bai Yu suddenly grabbed her wrist, grinning mischievously as he leaned closer. "I think you, Xiao Yan, would also like to try it out."

As he spoke, he smeared his fingers on his face, which was covered in black ash, and then dabbed it on the girl's cheeks and the tip of her nose.

"Haha, now we're all the same."

Seeing the girl's blank expression with her face covered in graffiti, Bai Yu couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Bullying me~ That's unfair, hmph..."

Akemi Homura pouted and protested quietly, lowering her head to hide her surging emotions, her mouth feeling as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

Compared to the time when her heart would race and she felt like she was about to have a heart attack just by getting close to him, she is now completely used to Bai Yu's brief physical contact and even looks forward to it.

I wish I could pat her head more often; it feels so good.

"Alright, alright, wash your face first. That's enough for today." As she spoke, Bai Yu frowned and sighed, "Sigh, I guess I'm still not good at this kind of thing. If only I could use small, appropriate amounts like when cooking. Too much or too little of this stuff won't do."

He wouldn't be spending so much time in this dull laboratory if he didn't lack offensive means of self-defense.

Going out to play with Madoka and Homura, and then enjoying Mami Tomoe's delicious black tea and snacks, is simply heavenly bliss. Is it that these things aren't appealing anymore, or is doing research just more interesting?

He must at least be able to defeat the witch one-on-one, otherwise when the witch's night arrives, he will still be able to only watch from the sidelines and will not be able to do anything.

He didn't know if Madoka and Mami Tomoe could beat that thing.

Although he had witnessed Mami Tomoe's battles with witches a few times, and it did confirm to him that the opponent's strength was definitely not weak, the super-large witches like Witch Night were not on the same level as ordinary witches at all.

Be careful, if you bomb too many fish ponds (players who intentionally lose their advantage), you won't be able to play well in high-level games.

Seeing Shiraha's troubled expression, Homura Akemi took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and tugged at his sleeve. "Um... we can solve the problem together. I'll try my best not to hold Shiraha back!"

Her voice grew softer and softer, but her eyes shone brightly, like a kitten longing for its owner's touch.

"Thank you so much! It's so great to have Xiaoyan around. It's like I can entrust everything to Xiaoyan without any worries," Bai Yu couldn't help but exclaim.

"Hehe... oh, not really..." Homura Akemi, who was flattered to the point of ecstasy, was completely bewildered and stared at Shiraha with a silly grin.

"Yes, if it weren't for Xiaoyan, the lab might have been blown up again, and I might have been in mortal danger." Bai Yu continued to praise the girl, as if the world wouldn't turn without her.

"Then you can have this notebook, Xiaoyan. You can study it when you have time."

Bai Yu solemnly placed his notebook, which contained the key points he had recorded and the sections on common mistakes, into Akemi Homura's hands, as if it were a priceless treasure.

The girl took the notebook with a serious expression, but the moment their fingertips accidentally touched, Homura Akemi felt as if an electric current was running through her fingers, into her blood vessels, and into her heart, where it exploded into a burst of fireworks.

"I...I will try my best!" she stammered, quickly pulling her hand back as if she had been burned.

……

The afternoon classes felt like they were on fast-forward for Homura Akemi. She mechanically took notes, but the notebook on her desk was the one Shiraha had given her, filled with various simple chemical equations.

When the school bell rang, she practically jumped up to pack her bag, startling Kaname Madoka, who was about to invite her to Mami's house.

"Homura seems quite energetic today." Madoka Kaname tilted her head, sizing her up, then suddenly gave a sly smile and whispered in her ear, "Did you make plans with Shiraha-kun?"