NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26 - Hesitate
“Mm… Mm, okay, no problem, I’ll head over right away.”
“Then, I’ll hang up now.”
“Beep-”
After hanging up the phone, YouYu let out a long sigh and looked up at the sky, a smile slowly spreading across his face.
“The plan… was flawlessly completed~”
Ouja’s first appearance was complete.
Ouja’s first battle had also come to an end.
He had thought that something might go wrong during the execution of the first step of his plan.
He was even prepared to summon the “Contract Monster” if necessary.
But now, it seemed that his worries had been completely unnecessary.
“Mm, you really did a good job, YouYu.”
Nodding its head, Mamba’s voice resonated from within YouYu.
“Although I don’t understand the reason for your appearance, the fact that you taught that guy a lesson is more than enough.”
“… So, in the end, I still have to explain it to you again?”
Well, he didn’t expect Mamba to understand everything.
After all, in this world, he’s probably the only one doing things this way, so… the logic behind his actions could be somewhat abstract.
Well, let’s explain it slowly, then.
There’s no rush in terms of time, anyway.
“I want to ask you a question, Mamba.”
“? What is it?”
“Is there an expression of ‘neither good nor evil’ where you’re from?”
“To neither do righteous deeds nor evil ones, but instead to act according to my own ideas, to follow my own principles, flipping back and forth between the two.”
“That’s the kind of existence I plan to portray as Ouja.”
“…I see, so you’re going to keep switching between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ while giving both sides a ‘lesson’? YouYu, you’re a genius!”
“So you’re saying the setting of ‘Ouja’ is finally complete?!”
After hearing his explanation, Mamba exclaimed excitedly.
“Well, you could say that. The main point is, I will use this identity to occasionally do things that benefit both the ‘good’ and the ‘evil.'”
“And then, at some point, when I confront the magical girls… or stand alongside them.”
“They discover my true identity and misunderstand me—”
“At that point, the feeling of despair at being deceived, or regret and anger, those emotions will erupt.”
“And then, I’ll be able to harvest a significant amount of negative emotions.”
Actually, there were deeper layers of reasoning behind his plan, but for Mamba to understand, what he said was enough.
Though, doing so was a bit of a thankless task. There were obviously other options available, yet he chose this one—a method that could potentially turn relationships and emotions into a tangled mess.
But …… this might be because.
He’s kind of enjoying it?
Enjoying the feeling of others’ “eternal regret” and finding pleasure in it?
Well… He is a villain, after all, so it was perfectly reasonable!
Of course, even so, he would still exercise restraint. He wouldn’t do anything that would truly harm them.
After all, he only wanted to gather negative emotions to strengthen himself, not to kill anyone.
However, as for what might happen in the future, he would need to consider many things carefully.
For now, he’ll just play it by ear.
“Okay! But… aren’t you concerned about that thing called ‘yandere’ or something? YouYu, from what you’ve said, this method might lead to a yandere situation, which could seriously hinder your plans, right?”
“……”
“That’s why I said we’ll see how things go!”
Well, after a brief moment of seizure in his mind, he still remembered that this was indeed a problem.
However… from what he could tell, the only one with potential yandere tendencies should only be WuYue.
So, as long as he could ensure that his actions weren’t too extreme and didn’t provoke too much, it should be fine.
With this in mind, YouYu headed towards WuYue and Bai Yu…
———
Then… he arrived at the hospital.
“How’s the situation?”
Looking at Bai Yu, who was frowning with her eyes closed and clearly unwilling to speak, YouYu turned to ask WuYue, who was standing nearby.
“I’m not really sure.”
WuYue shook her head and replied, “This girl… after she ended her transformation, she suddenly seemed completely drained, almost collapsing.”
“I also tried using my abilities to heal her… but it seems like my power can only heal physical wounds, not her mental ones.”
“So, I had no choice but to bring her here.”
“…I see.”
Nodding, YouYu now understood what had happened.
Hmm… truth to be told, he hadn’t gone all out during their fight. He didn’t specifically target any weak spots, and his attacks were more like casual hits paired with some trash talk. He had even given her plenty of breathing room.
It couldn’t be because of their fight that she ended up like this, right?
Ugh, that would be seriously guilt-inducing…
But if he had to pinpoint the main reason, it was probably because he had hesitated to act sooner, which led to her getting hurt. After all, at the time, he thought Bai Yu could handle those guys easily, so he just stood by and watched.
Next time, it’s better not to hesitate for too long.
With that in mind, YouYu looked at her current state, then at the medical bills beside her, and said:
“Alright, I’ll go ahead and pay the bills for you. You just focus on resting.”
“?! Wait…”
Hearing YouYu’s words, Bai Yu, who had been keeping her eyes closed, could no longer stay silent. She opened her eyes and said,
“This is just a small amount of money. I can still afford it! You don’t need to help me!”
“…? What are you talking about, Bai Yu?”
Hearing her response, YouYu said, slightly speechless,
“You can’t even pay me back the money you owe, and you’re talking about paying yourself?”
“Besides, you ended up like this because of the fight with those monsters, right?”
“Although I can’t help you in battle, I can at least support you financially and logistically. If you have to pay for your own medical bills after getting hurt, then I’d be utterly useless.”
“So, stop resisting and just accept my help.”
YouYu picked up the bill as he spoke and headed towards the door.
“If you need anything afterwards, just call me or WuYue; either of us is fine.”
“Oh, and I’ll also give you a 50% discount on the money you owe me.”
Without waiting for her to respond, YouYu left the room to settle the medical bills, leaving only WuYue and Bai Yu behind.
“Sigh~ It’s always like this with him, huh, YouYu?”
Watching YouYu leave, WuYue remarked with a sigh.
“Don’t be surprised, Bai Yu. That’s just how he is—once he’s made up his mind about something, it’s hard to stop him. Just like me~.”
“……”
After a moment of silence, Bai Yu said,
“But… do you all really have a reason to help me? Does he have a reason to help me? No matter what happens to me, it shouldn’t affect you, right?”
“…Huh? What are you talking about? Did you hit your head or something?”
“First of all! None of us are cold-hearted people. When we see someone in trouble, it’s natural for us to help, no matter who they are!”
“Secondly, you’re also a magical girl, one of our allies. Helping you is the normal thing to do.”
WuYue stared at Bai Yu, dumbfounded by her question.
“Or is it that you have some… psychological issues you can’t talk about? That would explain why you’re asking such questions. That’s indeed a bit dangerous; I can understand you!”
“…No.”
Bai Yu shook her head helplessly, denying it.
It wasn’t that she wanted to reject their kindness.
Becoming allies and fighting against those negative beasts was part of her goal from the start.
But… she was unsure whether she should let YouYu get involved.
“YouYu…”
She murmured the name to herself.
Perhaps WuYue’s words weren’t entirely wrong.
At least now, after a brief encounter, she could somewhat understand why WuYue didn’t want to leave him.
But thinking back to what had happened before, she still hesitated.
Should she involve an ordinary person in a battle that wasn’t supposed to be his?