Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

Yan, who was sitting in the first row, turned around and looked around the classroom.

This seemed to be the world she had always dreamed of, a place where only those she truly knew could truly be herself. Perhaps because they had fought all night, Sayaka and Kyoko were both dozing off. The difference was that Sayaka at least maintained the self-awareness of a student, keeping her head nodding as she took notes; while Kyoko, without any restraint, was fast asleep, resting her head on one arm and lying on her desk.

Xiao Yuan wasn't paying attention in class either. She put her textbook up in front of her, took a small notebook, and started writing and drawing on it.

Hitomi would occasionally glance in Kamijou Kyosuke's direction, but her boyfriend was diligently taking notes; well, it seems not everyone whose face she could recognize was slacking off, at least Kamijou Kyosuke and another boy whose name Homura couldn't recall were paying attention in class.

She turned her head back, forcing herself to focus her attention on the teacher whose face she couldn't see.

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"Ugh... Chew, I'm saying... Does this school only have two classes?"

Not far from Homura's classroom, in an empty classroom, Homura and Ori were monitoring the target classroom through layers of floor-to-ceiling glass.

The so-called "layers upon layers" refers to the fact that all the classrooms between the two classrooms were empty, which allowed them to monitor each other from such a distance through the glass.

"How could that be? The school I remember was very lively."

Xiaoyan was sipping her iced coffee, while Zhi was finishing off the extra bento she had bought that morning as props.

In the world of fire and flame, there is no food or drink, so the coffee from the vending machine and the bento box from the convenience store are rare treats for them.

"Hmm... So what's the situation now? Only that girl named Tomoe Mami, and students from your original class are still attending classes."

"There are probably two guesses. One is that the situation is within my understanding and that's the conclusion I've drawn from my analysis. The other is that the situation has exceeded my understanding and that's just a wild guess... Which one do you want to believe?"

"Let's hear the second one first. I have a feeling that if I explain the first one, you'll start going on and on."

"...Are you implying that I'm a chatterbox?"

"Ahem, no way~ Xiaoyan is clearly a calm and rational girl with no expression, how could she be a chatterbox~ You just accurately analyzed the causes and rationally deduced the consequences, which is why you came to a rather long conclusion~"

"...If you don't want to spit out your food, then shut up and listen properly." Xiaoyan waved her fist.

“Yes, sir!” Zhi immediately lowered her head and started eating.

"Let's start with speculation. The situation is beyond my understanding. It's based on the nightmare. Since the enemy here is no longer a witch, it's very likely that everything in this world has taken a completely different path from what I remember. In other words, my information is completely inapplicable. So there may have only been two classes here originally."

"...That's it?"

"It's over."

"...Isn't this just blaming everything on the shift in the world line...?"

"That's why I said it was beyond my comprehension. If I don't even have that comprehension, how can I give a reasonable explanation?"

"Okay... let me chew... I'd better listen to a reliable analysis."

"You won't find me too talkative?"

"Of course not! Please speak, Princess. I am all ears!"

“I have a feeling that after we came back, our roles were reversed. Before, it seemed like you were the one providing intelligence and analysis.”

"After all, this is your world~ Okay, okay, tell me already, let me get to know your world properly~"

"Okay, then I'll begin..."

Xiaoyan's true deduction is based on a detailed analysis of the current phenomenon. The key details are as follows: 1. A month that passed in a flash in the arcade; 2. Only being able to see the faces of a few key people; 3. An overly idealized life situation; 4. The omnipresent familiars.

Regarding the first point, they discovered it when they came to school today, because the duty roster for the two classes currently in session clearly showed the dates.

In short, based on the details above, they are practically in a closed, chaotic space-time barrier, operating according to some kind of will... This is remarkably similar to the characteristics of witches that Xiaoyan knows. Not to mention, the fourth point is simply a footnote to this conclusion.

Even now, a blonde familiar girl is pacing back and forth in the classroom, using a knitting needle to outline a deep purple barrier around the French windows.

However, compared to this guy with whom she had a strange connection, what really bothered Xiaoyan was the bus driver she had met earlier. The feeling she gave Xiaoyan was similar to arrogance, but they were definitely malicious. And even now, the figures of those dolls were still swaying in this world.

In the park in front of the school gate, there was a girl with long brown hair, tied with a black ribbon and decorated with white flowers, looking up at the sky.

Therefore, the conclusion is that they are currently within a witch's barrier, and this witch has included the entire Mitakihara within the barrier, and it is unknown what she is planning to do.

"Then the subsequent deductions are quite interesting. Based on the characteristics of witches, people inside the barrier are very likely to have their memories interfered with, and the only one who will not be affected can only be the witch herself. Now it seems that those magical girls are all engrossed in the game of purifying nightmares, and the only one who remembers that the witch once existed, and who can barely be considered a magical girl, is..."

"Wait, if this logic holds true, doesn't that mean you, Xiaoyan, are the witch?"

"That's right, I'm the most suspicious person, but I'm also the least suspicious person. Because, if I were the witch controlling this barrier, wouldn't I be able to easily take Madoka away? But as you've seen, I still need your help to get close to them."

"Phew... Xiaoyan, don't scare me. You always say that witches are the embodiment of despair. If you really become a witch, I don't know what I'll do."

"Don't worry, I am now ashes without fire. Whether I will turn into a witch out of despair is still unknown."

As Zhi An calmed down, Xiao Yan glanced at Zi Da but didn't reveal any further speculation.

"So there are only a few possibilities left. First, one of them is hiding their memories; second, for some reason, the witch herself has also lost her memories; third, the witch is simply Charlotte, after all, she is the only one who has shown her witch form."

In fact, after hearing the conclusion that Xiaoyan was not a witch, Zhi simply let the subsequent deductions go in one ear and out the other. This guy, who could solve everything with a dagger, is really not good at reasoning with many mysteries.

"...Well, forget it. You don't seem to be listening anyway. And even if we find the witch, what can we do to her? We just need to take Madoka away. It seems that the witch, whose purpose is unknown, hasn't made a move yet, which is a huge help. So! We still need to finish this as soon as possible and complete our goal before the witch goes completely berserk."

"Ooh!"

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Meanwhile, in the classroom on the other side, facing the same scene, Yan also grasped the key point.

She felt there were three things that felt most out of place: one was that month that passed in the blink of an eye, another was the battle with the nightmare, and the last was Kyoko, who had been with them all along.

No, after careful consideration, she added another suspect: the short-haired girl who had fallen in front of them that morning. She remembered the girl's cheerful, almost silly face, which she had clearly seen at the time. She was certain she had never seen her before, so perhaps she could find a breakthrough from her.

"Tsk, turning down her offer to have dinner with me back then might have been a mistake now."

The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch break. She took out her lunchbox from her bag, intending to go to the rooftop to eat with the other four people, as agreed.

"Huh? Kyoko, you've already finished your bento! Wow, that's so typical of you~"

"What does it matter! I'll just go to the convenience store and buy some bread later!"

"I'm just so sorry that the bento I prepared was ruined by some glutton before I could even fulfill my duty~"

"It's just a bento box, right? I'll prepare it tomorrow!"

As always, Red and Blue were noisy, and as always, Little Round smiled gently. They set off together towards the rooftop.

The small white creature, resembling both a cat and a rabbit, followed them as always.

PS: Yunxi: 744486102 Hmm, this chapter doesn't have 【】, so I won't use PS~

Nine Fated Demonesses

Elegantly finishing her last note in her notebook, Mami closed it, stacked it alongside the other textbooks, took out her and Beibei's lunch from her bag, and headed towards the rooftop.

It seems she arrived a bit early today. After she opened the door, she found that the other four magical girls had not yet arrived.

She didn't mind and leisurely walked to the bench on the rooftop. She took a square towel from the lunchbox, carefully spread it on the chair, then put Beibei on it, handed her her favorite cheese, and then rested her chin on her hand, watching Beibei happily enjoy the cheese, quietly waiting for the others to arrive.

Not long after, the rooftop door made a noise.

"Oh dear, you're a bit late today. In a little while, the black tea I brought will be cold... Huh?"

At first, Mami thought it was one of the other girls who had come, so she didn't look closely. Instead, she picked up the black tea she had brought and shook it. But when she looked up, she realized that the people who came were not the familiar girls.

"Arno..."

Zhi, carrying a bottle of mineral water, stood at the entrance to the rooftop, scratching her head somewhat awkwardly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else... You must be the classmate from this morning?"

"Haha, that's right, I didn't expect to run into you here again... You guys are having a meal here, right? Then I won't disturb you."

She hid the bottled water behind her back, placed one hand on the doorknob, and made as if to open the door and leave.

"Wait a minute!"

Mami glanced at Beibei and interrupted her actions. Just as she was thinking of an excuse to keep her there and ask her some questions, she noticed a corner of a bottle of mineral water peeking out from behind her.

“I remember you spilled your lunchbox this morning, and I brought some extra cheese with me. Would you like to have some with us if you don’t mind?”

Upon hearing the word "cheese," Zhi instinctively looked at Beibei to the side, and Mami confirmed her guess at that moment, deciding to keep her there to observe her.

"Hmph... Haha, I can't accept that. I'll just go to the convenience store and buy some bread to tide me over."

As she spoke, Zhi opened the door.

"If you still had money, you wouldn't have brought a bottle of mineral water to the rooftop, would you?"

A golden ribbon flashed by, and the rooftop door was closed again.

"This...this is because..."

"He rushed out early in the morning but forgot his wallet. When he met us on the way, he spilled his lunchbox. He was too embarrassed to eat lunch with his classmates because he didn't have a lunchbox, so he planned to hide on the rooftop. He even used his last coin to buy a bottle of mineral water to see if he could suppress his hunger by drinking water... That's about it."

"...No, I did bring my wallet, but the money inside is gone."

Hearing Mami recount the character's experiences that Homura had designed for her almost flawlessly, Ori couldn't help but wonder to herself, "Do I really look that unlucky?"

But Homura is amazing! She only let her bring a bottle of mineral water, and yet Mami imagined a whole series of tragic events. She doesn't even need to find a chance to explain anymore. Now she just needs Mami to ask her to stay again, and then she can stay legitimately.

It's not that Homura is particularly powerful; she's just become too familiar with Mami's personality through countless reincarnations. In any case, behind Mami's noblewoman persona lies a girl who longs for more companions, isn't particularly strong, and is even somewhat timid.

So, once she knows that Zhi can see Beibei, there are only a few choices she will make.

"Sigh... As a girl, you should be more considerate. Don't refuse, just eat with us."

Regardless of the choice, more opportunities to interact with the weaving are needed.

She stood up, walked over to Zhi, took the bottled water from her hand, and then pulled her towards the bench.

"Haha, then I shall gladly accept your offer..."

However, the two had only gone halfway when the door to the rooftop opened again.

"Hello~ Sorry, senior, that idiot Kyoko finished her bento first, so we went with her to buy bread, which made us a little late... Oh, isn't this the classmate from this morning?"

Hello...

Mami subtly released Zhi's hand and then explained why she was there.

"this……"

"Just call me Liangyi, haha."

"This Ryougi, as we saw, spilled her lunchbox in the morning, and when she went to buy bread, she found that she had lost her money. She just happened to run into me, so I invited her to come with me."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you all."