NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27 - Pondering
“Are you sure you’ll be fine going back alone? There won’t be any accidents, right?”
Before parting ways with Bai Yu, WuYue asked.
“No, I’m much better now. It’s just that I’m a bit physically and mentally exhausted… A short rest will do the trick.”
As Bai Yu spoke, she glanced at YouYu standing next to WuYue, then quickly averted her eyes and continued,
“Well then, goodbye. As for the medical bill and the money I owe you… I’ll pay them back together.”
“No need to worry about the medical bill… But you still have to repay the debt as agreed. After considering your circumstances, I’ve already given you a 50% discount, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”
“If you can’t, you can pay in installments.”
“…I’m not the type to default on a debt.”
Bai Yu replied, frowning at YouYu’s suggestion.
“It was just a suggestion… You don’t have to take it,” YouYu shrugged.
“Well then, we’ll head back now. If you need any help, give us a call. Goodbye.”
“…Ah! Goodbye!”
Seeing that YouYu had already turned to leave after saying goodbye, WuYue quickly snapped out of her thoughts, hastily echoed the farewell, and ran to catch up to him.
Then, just like they would on their usual strolls, she walked alongside him, casually chatting.
“…”
Looking at their departing figures, Bai Yu stood in place momentarily before heading back home.
Today… could be considered her first collaboration with them, the first time they’d had any meaningful interaction.
She should be happy about it.
“…I shouldn’t dwell on those things anymore.”
But WuYue’s state when they parted reminded Bai Yu of her own past self.
So… just like before, when she saw others, she once again felt that familiar sense of “envy.”
It was a perfectly normal emotion, yet it would only harm her now.
So… she mustn’t overthink things anymore.
————
“Say, YouYu, what should we do next?”
Shortly after, walking side by side with YouYu, WuYue suddenly voiced this question.
And after hearing it, YouYu paused momentarily, feeling a wave of relief in his heart, but he didn’t show it outwardly. Instead, he responded with a puzzled expression,
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Well… I mean about Bai Yu!”
Saying so, WuYue seemed to have remembered something and sighed.
“Actually, while you were helping her with the medical bill, I had a chat with her.”
“I asked her if her past battles were as dangerous as this one and, if so… how she managed to pull through them.”
“Hmm, and what answer did she give you?”
“…She told me that, yes, she did make it through on her own. Although not every battle was as tough as this one… there were also times when she got hurt.”
“And then I asked her what her wish was when she became a magical girl, but she wouldn’t say a word…”
“…Even though she didn’t express herself when talking about her past, I’m certain of one thing, YouYu.”
As she spoke, she turned and fixed her gaze on YouYu’s profile.
“She really, really needs help.”
“But with just me alone, it might be difficult to take care of her…”
“So, I want to ask you to help her too.”
Perhaps it was her intuition, but as she listened to Bai Yu speak so expressionlessly, WuYue couldn’t shake the feeling that Bai Yu had some unspeakable, tragic past.
Though she still found it hard to accept Bai Yu in matters concerning YouYu, but in other aspects…
She still really wanted to help her. After actually interacting and having a proper conversation, she realized that Bai Yu wasn’t that difficult to talk to—she just had a little stubborn character.
Which is why… she made this request to YouYu.
Even if it might make her feel unhappy.
But… maybe it’s just her nature. Even with her inner desires magnified, she could still do this kind of ‘self-sacrifice’ thing.
Of course, it could also be that her desires weren’t strong enough.
“…”
After listening to her, YouYu pondered for a moment before saying:
“…Thank you for bringing this up, WuYue. But you don’t need to make a request. As long as you’ve told me and I’m aware of the situation, I’ll definitely help her.”
“After all, you want to help her too, right?”
“…Well, even though she was pretty annoying before… But thinking about it now, what’s the point of disliking her? After all, it’s those monsters that made her this way…”
“So, if I’m going to dislike someone, it should be those monsters!”
After saying that, WuYue seemed to remember something and started to get angry as she continued.
“YouYu, I just remembered! I haven’t told you this yet, so you might not know, but when I got to Bai Yu’s side, I found… there was this humanoid monster that looked like a snake. It was grabbing Bai Yu and was about to strike her!”
“If I had been even a little later… I don’t know what could have happened…”
“…I see.”
Hearing this information, YouYu nodded thoughtfully and asked, “So what happened to that monster? Did you guys kill it, or did it leave?”
“…”
Hearing YouYu’s question, WuYue’s emotions gradually calmed down, then she sighed and said:
“…It left. Even Bai Yu couldn’t defeat it, so there’s no way I could have either.”
“…I’m not sure what that monster’s goal was. When I arrived, it didn’t do anything and left after saying a bunch of nonsensical things.”
“What did it say?”
“Well, it mentioned something about wanting to fight us two magical girls head-on. Then saw that Bai Yu wasn’t around and left. But she was actually right there, just up in a tree behind me…”
“Anyway, it’s a very strange guy.”
“…I suppose so.”
“Anyway, it’s a good thing there wasn’t a fight.”
YouYu sighed in relief and smiled.
“But if the situation is as you described, we can’t let our guard down.”
“Tomorrow… we should invite her over and discuss a plan to deal with that monster you mentioned.”
“Ugh… Do we really have to invite her?”
Although WuYue felt a little reluctant, she knew it was for the best. Taking a deep breath, she said.
“Alright, YouYu… we’ll do it your way.”
“Once she’s here tomorrow, we’ll discuss our next steps.”
“Okay, let’s head home now. Even though you didn’t fight much today… you’ve studied at home for a long time and ran around because of those monsters. You’ve worked hard, so I’ll take care of dinner tonight.”
Noticing WuYue’s slight sense of disappointment, YouYu said.
“Yay, yay!”
Upon hearing that YouYu would cook dinner for her, WuYue’s sense of disappointment vanished instantly, replaced by excitement. As expected… it was really easy to handle her.
Seeing WuYue’s delighted smile, YouYu thought to himself.
With WuYue’s situation settled it was time for him to think about the next day.
When Bai Yu arrives tomorrow…
What entry point should he take in their conversation?
With these thoughts in mind, YouYu accompanied WuYue back home…