Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Xiangzi paused, then tightened his grip on Yan's shoulder slightly and whispered something in her ear. After listening, Yan gently patted Xiangzi's hand on her shoulder.

"With you like this, I feel relieved," Yan said with a smile.

"Ah."

Xiangzi took her hand.

"Speaking of which, how did you transfer your memories to your past self?"

"It's a secret~" Yan winked at her. "This is something only I can do, so please leave me with a little mystery, senior."

Xiangzi shrugged helplessly, turned around and went behind Yan, gently pushing her back.

"Are you ready to go?" Xiangzi whispered in her ear. "Go quickly and come back quickly, so you can have a celebration banquet when you return."

"Make sure to complete the mission."

Yan turned around, gave her a thumbs-up, then turned and walked through the golden door.

Xiangzi watched her disappear behind the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Miaomeng walked to her side and patted her on the shoulder.

"It's time to relax a bit."

“Next, once Yan returns, we should start the additional plan.” Xiangzi shook his head. “I still have one last promise to keep.”

She looked at the three machines in the lab. The first was the MK, which she used to travel back thirty years and save Chu Hua. The second was the MKIV, which Yan used to go to the world of Fairy Tale Town and leave the cassette tape behind. And the last one was the MKII, a time-travel machine that Del had never used since it was built, with a failure rate as high as 30%.

"Bring Chu Hua back?"

"Ah."

"Then we'll wait for you to come back and have a celebration party," Miaomeng said. "I wish you all the best."

Xiangzi turned around and gave Miaomeng a bright, sunny smile.

"I accept your good advice."

.......

.......

.......

Time and location unknown. Weather: Sunny.

The night sky was a vast expanse of white.

Chu Hua walked across the deserted snowfield, with a telephone booth behind her that had lost all its power.

She indeed ended up in a place where she didn't even know the time or place, and she didn't know if she would ever have the chance to go back in this lifetime.

Chu Hua stood in the snow, looked up at the starry sky above. A shooting star streaked across the sky, and she watched the direction in which it disappeared before closing her eyes.

If making a wish upon a shooting star could make it come true...

She hoped that person could come right now—

boom----!

Suddenly, something smashed a large crater in the snow in front of her, and snowflakes flew in all directions, landing all over Chu Hua's head.

Xiangzi climbed out of the MKII's cabin, brushed the snow off his body, and gave Chu Hua an apologetic smile.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Desuwa."

Chu Hua gazed at the figure emerging from the MKII's cabin, a glimmer of starlight sliding down her cheeks.

"My wish... has come true."

"Senior, which ending do you hope for for us?"

"In the past, I would have hoped this ravaged world would never have existed, or that it had never happened at all. This world is undoubtedly a tragedy. But, after experiencing so many ups and downs with everyone, I've seen your passion, your desires, and your bonds..."

"I hope that if the plan really succeeds, I can create a completely new, independent world where there is no suffering like ours."

"But... this beautiful yet cruel world should continue to move forward."

Beyond the Time: The Stars and Us - Ending E (Part 1)

Xiangzi, clutching the notebook left behind by the lamp, squatted in the rain and sobbed loudly. The rain gradually subsided, and Xiangzi's cries grew fainter and fainter.

Homura Akemi, holding a Walkman that had just been soaked by the rain, walked up to Shoko and lowered her head.

"senior."

She raised her hand and handed the Walkman to Xiangzi.

“Senior…” Flame called out again, “I know you can’t accept that you’ve been replaced by Lamp-senpai as the new core, but we still have a chance.”

She extended her hand forward.

"This is the future—"

"--enough!"

Snapped!

The Walkman was knocked aside. Luckily, Flame caught it before it hit the ground.

But then she became even more furious.

"Senior!" Yan glared at Xiangzi, "You still had a chance! Why did you give up!"

"It's all because of me that things have turned out this way..." Xiangzi's muffled voice drifted out from between his knees.

"Shouldn't we give it a try?"

"But I can't do it!"

Xiangzi raised his head and shouted at Yan in despair.

Then, she became dejected, hanging her head listlessly and burying it between her knees. In despair, she told Yan everything she had experienced, only to be met with his incomprehension.

"I'm so tired, so tired, I don't want to move anymore," Xiangzi said dejectedly.

"You want to achieve this so-called 'new possibility' by exchanging a complete stranger?!" Flame gritted her teeth, raising her arm, ready to slap her. "What kind of person are you?! At a time like this, you're going to cower like a coward?! Are you really the senior I know?!"

The hand that was about to slap was stopped by another person.

"That's enough," Mu said softly, grasping Yan's wrist. "That's enough."

"Senior Mu." Yan turned her head, looking at her in disbelief, "Even you..."

"That's not what I meant." Mu glanced at Yan on the other side.

"It's alright." At that moment, another person patted her on the shoulder and walked up from behind. "Leave the rest to me."

Strands of hair, still carrying the scent of rain, brushed against Yan's cheek. She abruptly turned her head and saw a dazzling golden figure pass over her shoulder and walk forward. Watching that retreating figure, the anger she was about to unleash suddenly subsided for some reason.

Mu released his grip, and Yan did not make any further moves. He simply stood there, watching the figure walk towards Xiangzi.

"What does she want to do?" Yan asked.

"I don't know," Mu said. "But she said to give it to her."

"......"

Chu Hua took a deep breath and, step by step, waded through the rainwater that had accumulated on the rooftop, came to Xiangzi. She took a deep breath and shouted loudly at Xiangzi.

"Xiao Xiang!"

Hearing Chu Hua's call, Xiangzi suddenly raised his head.

brush--

A fierce whooshing sound.

The next moment, everyone present stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

The sounds seemed to disappear for a moment, even the sound of raindrops could no longer be heard, but then, when Chu Hua's outstretched arm touched Xiang Zi, all the sounds seemed to return.

The sound of wind, rain, and the dull thud of fists hitting faces.

Boom-!

【PUNISH COUNT!】

A punch landed squarely on Xiangzi's face, so powerful that it sent Xiangzi flying. Chu Hua watched as Xiangzi crashed to the ground, then continued walking towards where she had landed.

Xiangzi is a proud yet awkward person.

If one day Xiangzi becomes broken, vulnerable, and distraught, what she needs is not boundless tolerance, nor someone telling her, "You've already tried your best; you don't need to try anymore." That would actually be her cry for help; she's pleading, pleading for someone close enough to tell her, "You can't give up yet," "You can do it," so that she has the strength to keep going.

This is what my future self said.

Xiao Xiang has forgotten why she should keep going, which is why she needs someone to tell her and encourage her.

Yiling abandoned??ba 4 strange filth-& Lu——"Goodbye, past me. When that day really comes, remember what I said."

Now... that should be the time.

Chu Hua stood before Xiangzi, his tall figure obscuring the moon in the sky.

Xiangzi covered her face, staring blankly at Chuhua's face, which appeared hazy in the moonlight, clearly still not understanding what had happened. In her memory, Chuhua had never done anything like this before.

In the end what happened?

She looked up and saw Chu Hua bend down, grab her collar, and lift her up.

Xiangzi panicked.

"Chu... Chu Hua... Hmm—?!"

However, the trembling voice was blocked by something. As Xiangzi's voice was silenced, the rooftop fell into a second silence, and this silence was quite long.

A familiar scene.

Chu Hua silenced Xiangzi's lips with her own, preventing him from saying anything. Their lips were pressed tightly together.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

The second hand of the clock completed a full rotation. Xiangzi's grievances turned into shock and bewilderment, then her face flushed red. She began to feel short of breath, but Chuhua still didn't budge or take any further steps.

Tick, tick, tick.

The rain fell rhythmically from the eaves, like the ticking of a clock's second hand.

Tick-tock, tick-tock. The second hand had almost completed another full rotation, and it was nearly two minutes past the hour. Xiangzi's consciousness was beginning to waver, and just as she was about to faint, Chuhua finally relented.

A long 120 seconds of silence followed, and then the end.

Their lips parted, leaving a thin, transparent thread between them. Chu Hua's cheeks were flushed, and she wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth with her forearm, panting as she looked at Xiangzi.

"My intuition tells me this is the most effective way," Chu Hua said. "Alright, are you willing to listen to others now, Xiao Xiang?"

This must be the boldest thing she's ever done in her life. Look at the looks on the faces of those around her; she's completely gone all out.

There's no turning back now.

"WOW." Miaomeng crossed her arms and hummed in an indescribable tone, "So youthful and bold, so enviable—Pfft!"

Hailing retracted her elbow.

"Learn how to read the air." She glanced at Miaomeng.

"I just wanted to... liven things up a bit."

"You don't need to be so active." Hailing tilted her head towards Chuhua's direction. "You'd better just watch quietly."

Miao Meng shrugged and looked in the direction Hai Ling's head was tilting.

Over there, Chu Hua was still holding Xiangzi by the collar, the two of them very close. Her face was as red as a boiling kettle, her eyes turning into rings of mosquito coil-like pores.

Xiangzi was clearly also stunned, and still looked completely out of sorts.

Little Xiang is so cute.

Chu Hua couldn't help but think of it and wanted to kiss him again.

But! But! Mitsukasa! You didn't come here for this! You have something more important to tell her, don't you?!

That's what my inner voice said.

Chu Hua closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm her pounding heart.

"Xiao Xiang." She released her grip on Xiangzi's collar.