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

Click.

As the sound of the key turning echoed, WuYue pushed open the door to her home and stepped inside.

“I’m back.”

She called out to the empty living room.

“Hm… looks like YouYu isn’t home yet.”

Receiving no response for a while, WuYue let out a faint sigh of melancholy. After putting her belongings away, she headed toward YouYu’s room.

When she opened the door, there was nothing out of the ordinary inside—no clutter, no mess. Just a simple and tidy space, plain and unremarkable, with hardly anything that stood out.

Except for the desk.

As she had done over the past few days, WuYue pulled out the chair tucked beneath the desk, sat down, and stared at the collection of small potted flowers arranged on the surface.

Her thoughts drifted.

“So, you really listened to me back then, didn’t you, YouYu?”

“I only said it casually, yet you actually went and bought some flowers to grow… even though you didn’t know a thing about it.”

Murmuring softly, WuYue rested her head on the desk, gazing at the tiny flowers as she fell into a daze.

In truth, over these past few days, during YouYu’s absence, it would have been impossible to claim she hadn’t been affected. Every time she came home, she felt as if she could still hear YouYu calling her name, or see him bustling about in the kitchen.

But with just a blink or a fleeting moment of distraction, his “presence” would vanish.

Since his disappearance, the house was filled with traces of him, yet he was nowhere to be seen.

There was only one place—just one—that made her feel as if he was still there.

And that was his room.

So every day after school and training, WuYue would rush home and sit in his room, leaning on the desk, staring at the little potted flowers he had grown, doing nothing else.

Because only here could she feel that YouYu still existed.

That YouYu was still alive.

“Every time I came home, I could hear you welcoming me back and see a big bowl of food already prepared on the table.”

“Every time, I could see the smile you always showed me…”

“I really want to see you again soon, YouYu.”

“This time, when I bring you back—”

“I’ll definitely protect you properly.”

WuYue murmured the same words she had repeated countless times over the past few days as she gazed at the flowers.

She wasn’t aware of the expression on her face at that moment, but the emotions in her heart—the love, the longing, and a strange mix of feelings—were entirely unhidden, plainly etched onto her face.

It was an expression that anyone who saw it would describe as unsettling.

WuYue kept reminding herself, kept telling herself to grow up, to learn to be independent, to stop relying on YouYu for everything.

But it seemed she had overestimated her own strength.

Because after just a few days of YouYu’s absence—

The desire to “protect” him had only grown stronger in her heart.

Especially after the experience of losing and almost regaining him.

As expected, the rain began to pour.

“Looks like tomorrow’s training might have to be postponed. Of all times, it had to rain now.”

Bai Yu glanced at the heavy rain outside the window and sighed.

“…I should finish my things quickly,” she thought to herself.

After staring at the rain for a while, Bai Yu lowered her head and glanced at her phone. The screen still displayed the brief call log from a few days ago—her last conversation with YouYu. She sighed softly.

Swiping away the call history, she opened the chat app she always used for work. The quiet group chat stared back at her, leaving her in silence.

Ever since YouYu disappeared, the group chat—once lively with her, WuYue, and YouYu—had fallen eerily silent.

Normally, around this time, YouYu would have been the first to message the group, letting them know it was about to rain and reminding them to stay safe.

WuYue would typically follow up with a “thank you” or a cheerful sticker to show her gratitude.

Even on ordinary days, YouYu would frequently pop into the chat, sharing amusing anecdotes or calling on them to join him in conversation.

It was during moments like those that Bai Yu would truly realize this app wasn’t just a tool for work communication—it was also a space for connection.

But now?

It felt like it had reverted to being just another cold, utilitarian platform.

“…I’m so sorry, WuYue, YouYu.”

After a long silence, Bai Yu shook her head bitterly as she stared at the empty chat screen. Turning off her phone, she set it aside.

Apologizing for her mistakes wasn’t something Bai Yu bothered with anymore—it had become meaningless. The only thing left for her now was to find a way to rescue YouYu from Ouja’s clutches.

Then, after pouring everything she had into training and battle—once she brought YouYu back—

She would dedicate herself to helping YouYu and WuYue in any way she could.

For as long as she could remember, Bai Yu had felt like she owed them too much. She had been the one who insisted on helping them, yet, in the end, her actions had brought them harm instead.

No matter what it took, she wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. Even if they never realized it, she would find a way to make amends.

“Even if WuYue really wants to lock YouYu up, I suppose I’ll have to help her, won’t I…?”

“…”

She had seriously considered the possibility.

But thinking back on it now, WuYue’s remark at the time seemed to have been more of a joke.

Even so, Bai Yu knew she’d need to personally investigate both WuYue and YouYu at some point to figure out where they stood.

Beep beep! Beep beep!

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone vibrating beside her.

Snapped out of her daze, Bai Yu grabbed her phone and looked at the screen.

An “Unknown Caller” was displayed.

After a brief hesitation, she chose to answer.

And then, upon hearing that all-too-familiar voice—

Her eyes widened in shock.

“Yo~! Hello there, Magical Girl Blue Night~”

“So… how have you all been these past few days?”