Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

The driver drove very steadily, and Xiangzi barely felt the car moving, just like when he was in the coffee shop.

The car drove through the bustling new city center, the headlights on both sides shining on the glass, creating streaks of colorful light shadows that swept past.

Xiangzi only spoke his mind after getting on the bus.

She looked at the passing lights outside the window, her back to Mu, and asked softly.

Are you free tomorrow afternoon?

"I have a piano lesson tomorrow afternoon," Mu said softly.

"Feel sorry."

She felt an inexplicable sense of guilt towards Mu. In front of others, she could present herself as Mu's good older sister, but when speaking in private, she would always unconsciously put herself in a subordinate position.

“But I can come.” Mu looked out the car window.

Mu was the same; she always accommodated Xiangzi.

Even though they aren't sisters, the two sisters always accommodate each other like this.

It was bright outside the window, and the reflection on the window was not clear, blending into the scenery outside. But after driving out of the new city center and onto the overpass, the scenery outside suddenly became much darker, and some reflections could barely be seen.

Mu was actually looking at Xiangzi's reflection.

Xiangzi was also looking at Mu in the same way. She lowered her eyes, not daring to look into Mu's eyes, not even her eyes in the reflection.

“...Thank you for your hard work,” Xiangzi said.

======

P.S.: No publication tomorrow!

The Tale of Nirvana: Staying True to One's Heart: Chapter 109 - A Pincer Attack (Part 2)

The next day, Monday.

On a sunny Monday, sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the warm-toned floor of Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy and making the entire 3-room classroom cozy and inviting.

—"The terrain visible along the coastline is called coastal terraces..."

Shiina Riki kept his head down absentmindedly, the pen flying up and down between his fingers.

She didn't hear a word the teacher was saying; her mind was filled with information about the witch and how to deal with her.

[Hard-grade Flower Shop]

Witch name: Hanayashiki

Difficulty level: Hard

Briefing: The location is an abandoned amusement park in the suburbs. Due to the remoteness and sparse population of the area, the surrounding area has been controlled, and the hunting time is relatively free.

Status of acceptance: Accepted

Successor: (Unnamed)

Based on yesterday's scouting trip, Hanayashiki is a very standard Hard-class witch, possessing her own boss familiar and subordinate familiars. The difficulty of defeating her is quite challenging for their cobbled-together team.

It's not that it can't be solved, but rather that it's unstable.

There are two unstable factors: Chihaya Aine, who is a complete novice, and Kaname Rakuna, who is unpredictable.

Chihaya Aine is nothing to write home about; she's both incompetent and pretentious. If it weren't for Akari's special regard for her and the fact that she's the only one in Akari's school, Ritsuki would have kicked her out long ago. Yesterday, when she entered the barrier for the first time, she was actually startled by a lower-level familiar. What kind of magical girl would be startled by the least threatening familiar?

However, her decision not to continue running away showed Lixi that she wanted to be serious.

Let's forgive the pink-haired girl for now.

Lixi rested her chin on her hand, her cherry blossom-colored pupils drifting towards the blackboard covered with writing, and sighed softly.

If Lenai had the ability, Lixi was indeed surprised that she took the initiative to join. But the problem was that she was unreliable and sometimes she didn't show up at all. Lixi didn't dare to include her in the tactical arrangements, fearing that she would be like this in the witch's barrier, which would be disastrous.

Really...

She took out her silent phone from the drawer, and just then a message popped up on the screen from a group chat.

[Aiyin]: Are you going to scout locations again today?

[Lixi]: Of course, if possible, I hope to take care of the witch before the live performance.

[Aine]: Eh... Is it really possible to do that?

[Li Xi]: If you take it seriously, it's not difficult.

[Aiyin]: I've been really serious!

[Aine]: By the way, speaking of live performances, why is it necessary to hold live performances? What does it have to do with witches?

[Li Xi]: Why do you care so much? We're just going to open it anyway.

【Su Shi】: The live schedule actually corresponds to the witches in high-difficulty quests. The day of the live is the deadline for hunting down that witch.

[Aiyin]: Couldn't you have presented it in a simpler way? Why did you have to perform on stage? I wouldn't mind if you asked me to play the guitar, but I'm still confused. (I guess I still really care about the guitarist/vocalist.)

[Su Shi]:......

【Aiyin】：(Emoji)

【Aiyin】：(Emoji)

【Aiyin】：(Emoji)

[Aiyin]: Why is no one replying to me?

[Su Shi]: Aren't we in class right now?

[Aiyin]: Yes.

[Su Shi]: I'm not too clear on the specifics either. I heard that magical girl associations in other cities don't require us to perform on stage like we do.

Li Xi stared at the string of words that popped up on the screen, her eyes twitching wildly.

She opened the keyboard and started typing rapidly with one hand.

[Li Xi]: Have you heard of the era of big girl bands?

[Aiyin]: What is that?

【Li Xi】: It was a trend that started when the older generation was in school, and this trend is still going strong now. Everyone is forming bands without prior arrangement, and the rules of the gatherings are an extension of the girl band trend.

[Li Xi]: Simply put, performances are not necessary; they are a hobby of the predecessors who created the gatherings.

[Li Xi]: The day of the live performance is the deadline for the show. It can be used as a celebration or a pre-battle mobilization. It is a way to unite people's hearts.

[Aiyin]: Wow, Lixi, how do you know so much?

[Li Xi]: Senior Sha Ling told me that, isn't that where I work?

[Aiyin]: Wow~~~

[Li Xi]: Instead of thinking about these irrelevant things, let's think about what's in front of us. We can't be late this afternoon.

[Aiyin]: I know... Is Lixi my mom?

[Li Xi]: Huh?!

[Su Shi]: Alright, alright, isn't this class time? Everyone focus on class. We can talk about it this afternoon, okay?

[Aine]: Su Shi-san is still the best~

Lixi turned off the screen, shoved the phone back in, rolled her eyes, and slumped onto the table.

Her beautiful, sharp, upturned eyes were lifeless at the moment, surrounded by thick dark circles. Li Xi's eyelids opened and closed uncontrollably, wanting to close completely.

She pursed her lips, forced herself to keep her eyes open, and looked at the blackboard.

I didn't sleep last night, and I didn't sleep well the night before either. I also stayed up very late the night before that.

I only get about three or four hours of sleep a day.

Being a team leader is really tiring.

The others don't need to consider how to counter the witch, gather intelligence, analyze the internal structure of the barrier, devise tactics against familiars and witches, plan retreats, or have backup plans. They just need to follow orders and execute them, even though very few people actually complete the execution on time...

Lixi only realized what pressure was when all the thinking fell on her shoulders. When there wasn't a single competent intelligence officer in their team, the pressure was amplified to the point that it made her feel suffocated.

Why didn't I feel this pressure when I was using Crychic...?

....栮9漆liu揪亦厁liu..

Boom!

The dragon armor's flames clung to Lixi's skin, scorching it and triggering a violent explosion that blasted the group of familiars in front of her into dust.

"Well--!"

Li Xi clutched his forearm, which he had blown off, and took a few steps back.

The puppet controlled by Mu used the bulletproof shield that Xiangzi had recreated to fill the gap in Lixi's arm. Su Shi's staff lit up with green light and was placed on Lixi's severed arm. The severed arm, which was already regenerating, regenerated even faster after being illuminated by the green light. In less than thirty seconds, Lixi's arm had completely grown back.

"Sorry." Lixi moved back to the front row, and the output of the dragon-shaped flames decreased by more than half.

Xiangzi glanced at Lixi, abandoned the low-consumption shotgun, and directly pulled out a light machine gun, spraying bullets indiscriminately at the group of familiars and the witch hiding among them.

The increased mana consumption of the bullets caused the Soul Gem's taint to rise even faster.

But Xiangzi didn't care at all. She went to the front row and helped Lixi share some of the pressure.

"Your magic is hard to control, and you can easily hurt yourself if you don't control your strength properly," Xiangzi said with a light laugh. "If you're under a lot of pressure, just let me know."

Xiangzi's face always seemed to wear a faint smile of complete control, which was reflected in Lixi's eyes.

Even now, that figure still lingers in her eyes, as if she could see it as soon as she turned her head.

Lixi couldn't say he liked Xiangzi, and even started to dislike her the day she inexplicably left the team. Even after he found out that Xiangzi left the team because of a major family incident that could make the news, he still couldn't get a good impression of her.

Before this nameless team was formed, she always thought that Xiangzi's behavior of disappearing without a word was despicable. Why couldn't he just say he had a problem? Why did he just disappear and never show up again? This caused Crychic to slowly fall apart.

Why don't you just say it? Everyone would understand if you just spoke up, and they would all help you find a solution.

What's the point of carrying everything on your shoulders without saying a word?

At that time, Lixi didn't understand Xiangzi, nor did she want to. She thought that Xiangzi's behavior was that of a coward who dared not face reality.

But now, Lixi himself seems to have become a coward.

Is it useful to say it?

Chihaya Aine is useless, Akari hasn't become a magical girl because she hasn't decided what to wish for, Souyo seems to have other ideas, and the stray cat can't be seen at all. Would it be helpful to tell them about your troubles?

Xiangzi probably kept quiet because he felt it was pointless to speak out.

Even if I try to confide in someone, no one will understand.

Maybe......

There are still some...

But let's wait until after class...

Lixi lay on the desk, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier until finally they closed completely, and her breathing became more and more even.

All of this was observed by Hailing, who was sitting two seats behind Lixi.

==========

Moon Forest, Back Garden.

This is the activity area of ​​the Moon Forest Horticulture Club. Mutsu has her own little plot of land here, where she grows cucumbers.

Planting some vegetables is probably the only thing that Mutsuka Wakaba does voluntarily without being asked. Loosening the soil, sowing seeds, setting up trellises, watering—Mutsuka does all the steps by herself.

Speaking of which, why did I join the horticulture department? No one asked me to.

why......

Mu poured water from the watering can, and the scattered water droplets shimmered with iridescent colors in the bright sunlight.

Perhaps a long, long time ago, when Xiang's family went out to play together, Xiang once said that she liked the rural scenery.

Did it start from that time?

Water droplets fell on cucumber leaves, slid down the vines, and disappeared into the black soil.

Mu was like a puppet, mechanically repeating the action of pouring water.