NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72 - Ciao~
“YouYu… was killed by WuYue?”
The weight of Ouja’s words was overwhelming. Bai Yu sat frozen in disbelief, her thoughts tangled for what felt like an eternity before she finally processed what he had said.
She turned her gaze to the fallen “YouYu,” then to WuYue. Her eyes filled with confusion as she slowly walked toward him, kneeling down by his side.
Ouja, seemingly amused, made no move to stop her. He simply watched as she knelt beside “YouYu,” her expression blank and unfocused.
“What a shame, truly a shame…”
It wasn’t until Ouja’s casual remark broke the silence that Bai Yu snapped out of her daze.
She extended a trembling hand toward YouYu, her fingertips brushing against his skin. It was cold—lifeless—but faintly retained a trace of warmth.
“…”
Before she could fully comprehend the situation, Ouja’s voice interrupted her thoughts again.
“What’s a shame is that you didn’t get to witness the scene where the magical girl killed this man~.”
“Well… shall I paint you a picture? Let me describe just how dramatic it was.”
Ouja strolled leisurely to her side, crouching down with a tone of exaggerated lament, as if savoring a bittersweet memory.
“Ah, it was quite the sight. That man was ambushed, caught off guard. By the time the magical girl realized what was happening, it was too late~”
“And then… oh, let me tell you. That man—he died right in front of her. She saw it all with her own eyes, every agonizing detail. Night Demon plunged its hand into his chest, turning him into a negative beast.”
“Oh, and here’s the kicker—after Night Demon ‘killed’ him, the cake he was carrying dropped to the ground. Completely ruined, smeared everywhere, stained red. Such a pity, really.”
“Oh, and as she tried to save him, that magical girl said—”
“Stop it…”
“Hmm?”
“I said stop talking!”
Bai Yu’s voice rose sharply, cutting through Ouja’s mocking tone.
Hearing his gleeful recounting of events, the guilt, self-blame, and powerlessness in Bai Yu’s heart surged like a tidal wave.
Why hadn’t she dealt with the negative beasts blocking her path more quickly?
Why had she stubbornly refused to join them today, clinging to the idea that going alone would be better?
If only she’d accepted their invitation, would today’s outcome have been different?
If she had been stronger, and not let WuYue’s words affect her mindset, could things have turned out better?
Or…
If she’d been more sensitive to WuYue’s emotions from the start, cutting back on her interactions with YouYu…
Would it have prevented their petty arguments, and stopped this downward spiral altogether?
The more she thought, the more the fury and regret in her heart boiled over. In the end, her emotions erupted like flames, spilling out in her words:
“You saw all of this happen—and you just stood there?! You can still laugh about it?!”
“You just stood there… and let WuYue…”
“…”
Bai Yu took a deep breath, her anger reaching its peak as she roared:
“Do you even see human lives as anything more than a joke?!”
“…Honestly, Blue Night, there’s no need to take your frustrations out on me.”
Ouja shook his head, feigning helplessness. Rising to his full height, he looked down at her and said:
“Their lives have nothing to do with me. And besides… I’m a negative being. Isn’t it perfectly normal for me not to care about something as trivial as ‘human lives’?”
“And… from the way you’re talking, it sounds like you’re blaming me for this? But if you were just a little stronger, if you’d arrived here sooner, wouldn’t all of this have been avoided?”
“…You—!”
“Alright, alright~ Spare me your protests. I’m really not interested in hearing your rebuttals, magical girl.”
As Bai Yu’s eyes widened in shock, her body trembling as she scrambled to counter his words, Ouja waved dismissively, cutting her off mid-thought.
After all, he had already pushed things far enough. Forcing her to dwell any longer on this would only lead to needless mental exhaustion.
It was time to let up.
“Your current strength is far too weak… Blue Night, if you considered changing your wish, you might actually become stronger.”
“If you stay this fragile, forget about catching my interest—you won’t even be able to protect what’s important to you.”
As he spoke, Ouja crouched down once more and extended his hand toward “YouYu.”
“What are you doing to him?!”
Slap!
“Argh!”
The moment Bai Yu saw his movement, she panicked and prepared to transform a second time to stop him.
But before her hand could even touch the sapphire around her neck, a burst of energy struck her arm.
It didn’t hurt, but the energy left her hand paralyzed for a short time, and the numbness quickly spread throughout her body, rendering her completely immobile.
Falling back to the ground, she glared at Ouja with fiery resentment.
Ouja, unperturbed, hoisted “YouYu” onto his shoulder and smirked.
“Actually, instead of hating me, I think you should be thanking me.”
“After all… although this man was killed, he isn’t completely dead yet. I wouldn’t bother carrying a corpse back with me just for fun~”
“What?! What do you mean? What are you planning to do with him? I know he’s not fully dead—you lied to me! Are you going to turn him into another negative beast?!”
“Oh? Haha… That’s an interesting suggestion, but no, I have no intention of doing that.”
Shaking his head, Ouja drew his rapier with his right hand and slashed through the air. The fabric of space seemed to split open, revealing a swirling purple portal.
Carrying “YouYu,” he walked toward the portal. Just before stepping through, he turned back to deliver one final remark:
“The reason I’m taking him with me is simple—I’m giving you a target strong enough to fight against.”
“Mm~ After all, I’m quite looking forward to battling you all.”
“Well then… until next time, magical girl.”
“Ciao~”
With those words, Ouja and “YouYu” vanished into the portal, leaving behind a battlefield littered with wreckage. Slowly, the shattered scene began its quiet process of self-repair.