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

“……”

“Boom!”

“Thud!”

“Ugh!”

The vines whipped through the air, splintering the ground beneath them.

Time after time, WuYue found herself unable to mount any real counterattack. She could only raise her arms before her, absorbing the blows from the plant-like Negative Beast.

Despite her current strength, this plant creature shouldn’t have posed any serious threat to her. And yet, she had no intention of retaliating—only defending against its relentless attacks.

At last, during one of her defenses, her focus slipped, and the Negative Beast’s vine struck her square in the stomach.

She was sent flying, hurtling through the air until she finally came to a stop.

“Cough!”

She clutched her abdomen as she collided with an energy barrier, looking up at the plant beast before her. She stood there, frozen in place, her gaze lost, unsure what to do.

“……”

“Why… YouYu, why did you have to become like this?”

After a long pause, she bit her lip, slowly pushing herself up from her crouched position, her voice trembling with a hint of a sob.

“How could I ever… bring myself to hurt you…”

The creature before her was none other than YouYu.

For some unknown reason, by some terrible means, Night Demon had turned him into this beast.

Since the moment she realized it was him, her heart had plummeted, spiraling into despair so deep it felt as if she’d lost all hope.

But… she couldn’t shake the thought that if she could somehow capture Night Demon, maybe—just maybe—YouYu could return.

But… with things as they were now…

“……”

She forced her gaze away from “YouYu” and looked behind him—to Night Demon, who was tightly guarded by three massive ants.

In a situation like this, trying to break through layer upon layer of protection to get to Night Demon was nothing short of a hopeless dream.

But clinging to that one thin possibility, she had fought on, over and over.

Each time, she tried to slip past “YouYu’s” attacks, hoping to get close to Night Demon.

And each time… she was forced back by “YouYu’s” merciless strikes.

Gradually… time dragged on.

And WuYue’s resolve began to wear down, her hope slowly giving way to a numb kind of despair.

“……So, have you made up your mind yet, magical girl?”

Watching her struggle to her feet, Night Demon asked in a calm tone:

“Have you decided yet? To kill the enemy standing before you.”

“If you keep stalling, it won’t end well for you…”

“You understand that, don’t you? Magical girl.”

“……”

Of course, she understood…

Seeing the black barriers around them gradually fade, WuYue thought to herself.

This Night Demon… for the sake of its so-called “experiment results,” had devised a way to steadily weaken the black barriers, forcing her to make a decision.

Before long, those barriers would disappear completely, allowing the outside world—previously isolated from this fight—to be exposed.

Simply put, once these barriers vanished, ordinary people who should never have been involved would be dragged into this battle with “YouYu.”

“……”

“What should I do… YouYu?”

Staring at the plant-like Negative Beast raging before her, WuYue fell into a deep silence.

Right now, she truly didn’t know what to do.

She had tried speaking of memories, hoping to bring “YouYu’s” mind back, but the only response she received was an even fiercer attack. She also attempted to purify him with light attacks infused with a trace of mana, hoping he might return to himself, but the result was only a pained, agonizing scream.

Gradually, her actions became timid and hesitant. Now, she could do nothing but defensively block his attacks, unable to bring herself to strike back…

She knew it couldn’t go on like this.

For now, the barrier still surrounded them, meaning “YouYu,” no matter how wildly he lashed out, could only hurt her.

But soon, once those barriers were gone, his attacks wouldn’t be limited to her alone.

If it were solely for her own selfish reasons, she might continue letting him strike her, refusing to retaliate.

But once that barrier disappeared, once he’d threaten to harm innocent people… she couldn’t afford to indulge her desires any longer.

Because…

“YouYu wouldn’t… want that either.”

With a bitter smile, WuYue shook her head.

At this moment, she remembered a question she had once asked YouYu, back when she’d only just become a magical girl, driven by curiosity.

…

“YouYu, do you think it’s possible that Negative Beasts were once ordinary animals? If that’s true, could humans eventually become them too?”

“Hm? About your question… I think it’s possible. Humans are part of nature too, so turning into a Negative Beast—well, there’s always a chance it could happen!”

“Ugh, really? I was hoping it couldn’t be true. If it were, it would mean that someone might be beyond saving, and I… I don’t want to be forced to take one life to protect others.”

“I understand how you feel, WuYue. Honestly, if I were in your place, I probably wouldn’t be able to go through with it either.”

“But… if I were the one who became a Negative Beast, I’d want you to put an end to it.”

“Huh? Why are you saying something like that, YouYu? Isn’t this topic kind of strange right now?!”

“Well… don’t overthink it. You could just say I’m being dramatic or having a moment of teenage angst or something. But anyway, what I wanted to say is—”

“Compared to my own life, I care more about others.”

“…If my actions ended up hurting innocent people, I think I’d regret it forever.”

“So—if, and I mean ‘if’, that ever happens.”

“Please, WuYue, stop me yourself!”

“Even if it means you have to… kill me.”

“Also, if it ever comes to that, don’t despair. Remember, there’s still a bright future waiting ahead…”

“…Seriously, what are you even talking about?”

“That would never happen! No matter what, I’d protect you—and everyone else, too!”

…

The memory faded.

Returning to the present, WuYue looked at the black barrier that had completely vanished and at “YouYu,” who seemed ready to lash out. She clenched her fist tightly and took a deep, steadying breath.

Then, she used her right arm to wipe away the tears from her face.

“I’m sorry… YouYu.”

She looked at the ruined cake on the ground, barely recognizable, and the withered, broken flowers scattered nearby.

In a quiet voice, she said, “The current me… can’t keep the promises I made back then.”

Once again, she was breaking a promise.

She had vowed to protect YouYu and celebrate her birthday today.

She had promised that no one would get hurt, that everyone would find a happy ending.

But… it had come to this.

So now… the only promise she could keep was the one she made with YouYu that day.

Even if it was a promise she hated… a promise she wished she’d never have to fulfill.

But…

“…”

“Maybe… this is all I can do now.”

With that, WuYue slowly raised her right fist, flames blazing around it.

Then, she leaped forward, landing directly in front of “YouYu”—

And then…

“I’m sorry, YouYu.”

With her flaming fist, she struck.