Raising magical girls, and leave them with eternal regret?!

“So… after school, you brought her back with you?”

“Yep! When I first called her, she didn’t look too reluctant! It took a lot of convincing before she finally agreed to come home with me.”

“I see…”

Nodding, YouYu sort of understood what had happened.

Then, his gaze shifted toward Bai Yu, sitting on the other sofa.

To put it simply… WuYue was delayed after school because she had something to do and didn’t leave school immediately.

And after she finished her task and headed home, she happened to bump into Bai Yu, and was shocked to see her in the same school uniform as hers.

After asking, WuYue learned that Bai Yu was actually a student at the same school. It’s just that she usually kept a low profile; she barely left any impression, which explains why WuYue hadn’t heard of her.

At the time… WuYue had the feeling that Bai Yu was deliberately trying to avoid her. After giving it some thought, she decided to just drag her home by force.

Besides, today they were supposed to discuss future strategies anyway, so pulling her was perfect timing.

“Well then, hurry up if you’ve got something to say. I’ve got other things to take care of.”

Feeling the weight of YouYu and WuYue’s stares, Bai Yu sighed and said.

She had purposely stayed late after school today… yet still ended up running into WuYue.

There was no other choice; she had to come here and discuss the plan with them.

The sooner they finish, the sooner she can leave.

“……”

“So, what exactly is she still so hung up on…?”

Watching Bai Yu’s expression, which wasn’t exactly sour but clearly showed a hint of impatience, YouYu pondered.

She had already achieved her goal—cooperation with WuYue.

Yet, when it came to having her here to discuss their next steps, there was still reluctance and dissatisfaction on her part.

What was causing her to act this way?

“If she keeps this up… the upcoming discussions might not go well.”

In the short term, things should be fine. But if this continues over a longer period, the tension brewing beneath the surface could eventually erupt.

After all, Bai Yu still had her “Heart’s Wall” firmly in place, unable to truly open up to others, remaining guarded.

But that wasn’t surprising. She’d only been in contact with them for three days. Expecting to build any bond in such a short time was, after all, unrealistic.

For now… rushing things wasn’t an option. They have to take their time and find a way to break through Bai Yu’s “Heart’s Wall.”

“…”

“Alright, let’s officially start the discussion.”

After finishing his thoughts, YouYu said.

“First, Bai Yu, I’d like you to share your information on the enemies you’ve encountered before. It’s crucial for planning our next moves. Is that okay?”

“…No problem. I’ve got it all on my phone; I can send it over now.”

Bai Yu nodded in agreement to YouYu’s request.

“Oh? I thought you’d have it written down in a notebook.”

YouYu said in surprise.

“…Who would record important information in something easily damaged like paper? Plus, isn’t using a phone way more convenient?”

“Uh, well, you do have a point.”

“…”

Bai Yu felt speechless at YouYu’s astonishment.

There was so much information about those monsters. How could she possibly record it all on paper?

For convenience, she typically used work software to organize everything, compiling the data into a formatted file on her phone, allowing her to check it anytime needed.

This time, it just so happened to come in handy.

“…I’ve sent the file to both of you. Take a look.”

“Alright.”

“Got it!”

Since they’d exchanged contact information back at the hospital, Bai Yu simply created a group chat and sent the file directly to YouYu and WuYue for them to review.

“…”

“There doesn’t seem to be any particularly useful information here.”

After skimming through the file, YouYu thought to himself.

The information Bai Yu had compiled was mostly about ordinary Negative beasts. The records only detailed their abilities and appearance.

When it came to Negative beasts, YouYu could easily create one himself. He could already guess their abilities before even forming them.

So… it wasn’t of much use to him. But for WuYue, it should be sufficient.

“…”

“The intel on the cadres… seems a bit lacking, huh? Hmm… the most detailed report is actually about that newly appeared Ouja?”

Seeing YouYu’s apparent confusion, Bai Yu remained silent for a moment before sighing and explaining:

“Those cadres-level enemies… even if I happen to run into them, they never engage me directly. They just send enhanced monsters to fight on their behalf.”

“I’ve tried taking the initiative and attacking, but they barely respond; instead, they just use a single move and block my attack.”

“So, the information I can gather from them is extremely limited. At most, I can describe their appearance and the way they defend. I don’t even know their names.”

“…In fact, it’s only this recent encounter with Ouja where I managed to get more information than usual.”

“But… he doesn’t seem to belong to the same faction as the other cadres-level enemies. When he first appeared, he killed all of the Night Demon’s puppets and the Negative beasts it had created.”

“And then… he turned around and attacked me.”

After hearing Bai Yu’s explanation, WuYue, who had been itching to speak, seized the chance and chimed in:

“Yeah! Now that you mention it, Bai Yu, Ouja’s behavior is really strange! First, he attacks the Negative beasts and then comes after us. What could he possibly gain from invoking both sides like that?”

“…I’m not sure, but based on what he said, it seems like he doesn’t want us to die too soon. He must have some other purpose.”

“Purpose… didn’t he mention something about wanting to fight with magical girls? Could that be his purpose?”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.”

YouYu suddenly interjected.

“The reason Ouja didn’t go after you two might be something else entirely.”

“While the idea of him simply ‘wanting to fight’ is possible, it’s still too unlikely. So, let’s consider the most plausible explanation instead.”

“What’s that, YouYu?”

“For instance, the reason he spared you could be because he wants you to keep fighting against that evil organization.”

“And then… once both sides are worn out from battle, he would swoop in and take advantage.”

“If I put myself in his shoes, that’s the only goal that makes sense.”

YouYu explained.

“Oh! So that’s what he’s aiming for! His purpose must be that, then!”

WuYue chimed in, agreeing with excitement.

“…Although your reasoning isn’t without merit, how can you be so sure that’s his only goal? What if he has other plans?”

Feeling that YouYu’s assumption was still too speculative, Bai Yu voiced her disagreement.

However, YouYu wasn’t bothered by her objection. He simply nodded in agreement and responded.

“You’re right. We can’t definitively determine his true purpose, and… even if we knew it now, there’s not much use.”

“After all, from what you’ve said, Ouja is far stronger than you. Without absolute power on our side, we can’t influence his actions.”

“So—”

YouYu said, preparing to move on to the day’s main topic.

“We need a plan to get stronger.”