You call this a love game?

One was willing to risk becoming a witch to help him, and the other even vowed to cross time and space to save him. It was impossible for him to give up either of them, but it was also not an easy task for the two of them to live in peace.

Although Tomoe's whitening effect was quite fast, Homura Akemi didn't stick with it for long!

He truly hadn't expected that Homura Akemi would be able to keep him coming back for the next simulation; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so devoted.

Wouldn't it be better to go directly to the kidneys?

However, it seems that would be even worse. If he were to be chased by Homura Akemi to the next simulation, he would definitely not be treated the same way he is now.

It really needs to be explained clearly. Trying to gloss over it like this will only lead to a mess in the end.

"Actually, she traveled back from the future!"

The air suddenly became still, and a cherry blossom slowly drifted down between the three of them.

Mami Tomoe's ribbon froze in mid-air. She slowly tilted her head: "...Huh?"

Seeing that she didn't seem to believe it, Homura Akemi quickly chimed in, "It's true! One of my abilities is time reversal!"

Mami Tomoe's expression shifted from shock to confusion, finally settling on a cold laugh that seemed to say, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Her ribbon tightened slowly. "Baiyu-kun, I'm really angry right now~"

"I knew you wouldn't believe me!" Bai Yu wailed as he hung in mid-air. "Xiao Yan, prove it to her!"

Homura Akemi frantically pulled out the Soul Gem, its purple light standing out conspicuously in the twilight.

"This...this is real! I can stop time!"

Mami Tomoe paused, staring at the gem for a few seconds before suddenly revealing a chilling smile. "Pause time?"

“Yes, yes!” Homura Akemi nodded vigorously.

“That’s perfect.” Mami Tomoe flicked her ribbon, and the white feather swung in the air like a pendulum. “Let him stay here forever.”

"No—!"

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Bai Yu swayed back and forth under the cherry blossom tree like a human-shaped pendant.

Mami's ribbon had been wrapped around his waist three times, looking just like the rope used to tie up a rice dumpling.

"Um..." Bai Yu weakly raised her hand, "Could you put me down first? Talking like this might make my head spin..."

Actually, it won't happen at all.

"Oh? So Shiraha-kun knows to speak properly now?" Mami Tomoe narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint in her golden pupils. She deliberately tugged at the ribbon. "Weren't you having a lot of fun making up stories earlier?"

"It's not made up!" Bai Yu kicked his legs anxiously. "Xiao Yan really can stop time. If you don't believe me, have her demonstrate!"

Upon hearing this, Homura Akemi immediately gripped the Soul Gem tightly, her violet eyes blinking rapidly. "Now...now?"

"Of course!" Bai Yu gestured in the air, "Just pause for three seconds, let Mami-nee witness it."

Mami Tomoe snorted coldly, but loosened her grip a little.

She was also curious about what abilities this suddenly appearing transfer student had, that he possessed the same time-stopping ability as her little white feather. She couldn't believe it at all.

It's one thing to wear the same clothes, but how come some people also have special abilities that allow them to wear the same clothes?

Homura Akemi took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and the Soul Gem emitted a dazzling purple light. The surrounding air seemed to freeze, the shield on the girl's left forearm tilted, the hourglass began to flow, and the world turned grayish-white.

Then--

"Plop——!"

Bai Yu fell face down.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Homura Akemi rushed over to help him up. "I... I forgot you were hanging in the air..."

Mami Tomoe stared in disbelief at the scene.

For a brief moment, she did feel time stand still, but she couldn't do anything and saw nothing.

Her vision blurred, and when her gaze returned, Bai Yu was already on the ground.

"It's...really true?" she murmured, the ribbon unconsciously loosening.

Bai Yu, covered in bits of grass, got up, grimacing and rubbing his nose. "Now do you believe me? Xiao Yan really is from the future... Aww~~!"

Before she could finish speaking, Mami grabbed her ear and said, "Even if it is true, you shouldn't have kept it from me!"

Her voice was clearly aggrieved, "I thought..."

Homura Akemi stood helplessly to the side, wanting to help Shiraha, but something seemed off.

An awkward silence fell over the scene. Bai Yu looked at the sulking Mami Tomoe on his left and then at the tearful Homura Akemi on his right, and suddenly felt like a cheating scumbag.

He only tries to conquer one character in each simulation!

"How about..." he tentatively began, "we find a place to sit down and talk it over?"

Bai Yu looked around. People were still coming out of the school in an endless stream, but they all seemed to ignore what was happening on his side and simply walked past the three of them.

Mami Tomoe seemed to agree to the suggestion, and finally took back the ribbon, her magical girl costume transforming back into her familiar school uniform.

Seeing that Mami Tomoe was no longer 'threatening' Shiraha, Homura Akemi quickly checked him for any injuries, reaching down to feel around his waist.

However, when Mami Tomoe saw this, she glared at Shiraha with great displeasure.

The three of them sat together 'peacefully' in a relatively quiet café in an eerie atmosphere.

"...That's basically how it is..."

After explaining the details of why Homura Akemi was like this, Shiraha finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Verifying Homura Akemi's identity as a magical girl is simple; we already know by showing the Soul Gem. However, the question of her ability to rewind time is completely impossible to verify unless Mami Tomoe can also go back with her memories.

But that's completely impossible.

So whether Mami Tomoe believes it or not is entirely up to her.

She had no choice but to believe it, because this was the only explanation. The two men's testimonies were almost identical, especially regarding the previous timeline before reincarnation, where they said almost exactly the same thing.

Aside from the significant difference in our perception of her image...

In that timeline, her parents had already died, and it was at that time that she made a contract with Kyubey, and lived alone until she met the newly minted magical girl, Madoka Kaname.

But Mami Tomoe preferred to believe it was fake.

She didn't want her parents to die, and she didn't want to live alone, especially now that she knew the truth about the witch. If she were to make a contract to become a magical girl, she would absolutely not make a wish without any other influencing factors.

Although she still couldn't completely believe Homura Akemi's talk of time travel, she had begun to believe it to some extent, and was even grateful that she lived in this timeline.

Here are her loving parents, her beloved Shiroba, and Nagisa, who also joined the family midway through her life. A happy family is the life she wants.

“So,” Mami Tomoe put down her teacup, the porcelain cup clinking against the saucer, “when did Akemi-chan start liking Shiraha-kun? I’m a little curious.”

Homura Akemi's face flushed instantly. She lowered her head and whispered, "During the last...last time in the cycle..."

"Be more specific." Mami Tomoe tapped her knuckles lightly on the table.

"It's just... Shiraha-kun saved me, and then..." Homura Akemi's voice trailed off, until it was almost completely inaudible.

Bai Yu couldn't stand it anymore and interjected, "Sister Mami, how can you ask questions like that? It's like interrogating a criminal..."

"Shut up." Mami Tomoe glared at him. "It's not your turn to speak yet."

Bai Yu immediately made a gesture of pulling her mouth shut.

Mami Tomoe turned to Homura Akemi, her expression softening slightly. "I'm not trying to make things difficult for you, it's just... there are some things that need to be clarified."

Homura Akemi took a deep breath and suddenly looked up. "I understand! Mami-senpai is worried that Shiraha-kun will be deceived, right?"

"But I really didn't mean any harm, I just... wanted to help..."

Seeing the girl's sincere eyes, Mami Tomoe's attitude softened considerably.

She sighed softly, "What a silly child..."

She also learned about the girl's feelings for Bai Yu from the girl's words.

In the previous timeline of the future, she died first in the battle against Witch Night because she was not strong enough. Then came Madoka Kaname and Shiraha. In order to save Shiraha, the girl actually made a wish to Kyubey to protect him, and then time travel occurred, and she returned to the past.

However, the timeline seems to have changed, and the current situation is completely different from last time.

But without a doubt, the girl's sincere love, her desire to go back in time to save Shiraha even if it might fail, is absolutely genuine. As someone who also loves Shiraha, Mami Tomoe can completely feel her emotions in sync.

What a great love! Even she herself felt ashamed of herself for it.

Seeing that the two remained silent, Bai Yu seized the opportunity to raise his hand, "Um, may I speak now?"

The two girls looked at him at the same time and said in unison, "Speak!"

"Actually..." Bai Yu scratched his head, "I don't think things are that complicated. Xiaoyan is a very good person, and Mami is very gentle. We all have the same goal, so why make things so tense?"

Mami Tomoe raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So what does Shiraha-kun mean?"

“What I mean is…” Bai Yu suddenly broke into a bright smile, “How about the three of us team up to take on Witch’s Night? There’s strength in numbers!”

The air solidified again.

Chapter 79 After beating Akemi Homura to her knees, I can enjoy Bai Yujun's teeth all to myself!

Mami Tomoe and Homura Akemi froze simultaneously, their expressions as if they had been paused.

Bai Yu's smile gradually froze, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Um..." he began cautiously, "Did I say something wrong?"

After all, three people are definitely stronger than one, and they have a better chance of winning against Witch Night, so he should be fine... right?

Mami Tomoe picked up her teacup, took a sip, and slowly put it down. The bottom of the cup clinked against the ceramic tray, making a crisp sound. Her lips twitched, and her golden eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at Shiraha, seemingly deep in thought.

"Bai Yu-jun, you don't think...?"

Homura Akemi suddenly chuckled, her purple eyes behind her glasses curving into crescents. "Shiraha-kun's suggestion seems quite good."

Mami Tomoe turned to look at Homura Akemi, who immediately covered her mouth, but her shoulders were still shaking.

“You guys…” Mami Tomoe glanced back and forth between the two of them, then suddenly sighed in frustration, “Never mind, at least it proves that what Akemi-san said was true.”

Homura Akemi asked, looking puzzled, "Eh? Mami-senpai still doesn't believe me?"

“Of course I wouldn’t believe it so easily, after all, it’s such an unreasonable ability as time reversal…” Mami Tomoe rolled her eyes. “Besides, a normal person should be thinking about emotional issues in this situation, right?”

It's like when the wife and the mistress bump into each other at the same time, instead of thinking about who will stay by his side in the end, he thinks about whether they should go for a massage to relax later, or even all three of them together!

Mami Tomoe couldn't quite understand Homura Akemi's thought process.

Shouldn't we be angry in this situation?

From Homura Akemi's perspective, her boyfriend was having affairs, meeting other women, and forming equally intimate relationships with them.

She doesn't seem angry at all. You should at least have some self-awareness as the one who came first!

It made her, the newcomer, feel embarrassed.

Humiliate her! Bully her mercilessly, look at her with contempt—that's what Mami Tomoe wants to see on Homura Akemi's face.

In that case, she wouldn't need to hold back at all. All she needed to do was beat Homura Akemi to her knees so that she could no longer be involved in her relationship with Shiraha, which would fulfill her initial expectations.

but......

Mami Tomoe looked at Homura Akemi sitting opposite her. The girl was resting her chin on her hands, tilting her head to look at the boy beside her. She just kept smiling foolishly, without saying a word or making any inappropriate movements. She just looked at his face and smiled, as if that was enough for her.

That's so stupid, how could anyone be so stupid?

She seemed completely unconcerned that the boy would abandon her and run off with someone else.

Mami Tomoe stared at Homura Akemi's infatuated smile for three seconds, then suddenly sat up, reached out and pinched Shiraha's cheek, pulling hard.

"Ouch! Ouch! What are you doing, Mami-nee?!" Bai Yu protested, grimacing.

"It's nothing." Mami Tomoe released her hand and gracefully adjusted her skirt. "I just suddenly felt like pinching you."

She just felt it was unfair. How could this despicable guy win the heart of such a devoted girl? It was simply too unreasonable.

He's clearly a womanizer! Yet he's so devoted and loyal to both of them.

Homura Akemi quickly came over and touched Shiraha's reddened cheek with concern, "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing..." Bai Yu shook his head and shrank back slightly.

He could smell the faint scent of shampoo in her hair when she was so close.

Mami Tomoe watched this scene, her golden eyes narrowing slightly. Logically, she should have been angry, but looking at Homura Akemi's innocent, almost foolish, appearance, she couldn't muster any anger at all.