You call this a love game?

As it fell to the ground, the pure white, transparent teardrop became stained with filth, turning into a drop of muddy water that flowed down its face and sank deep into the earth's core.

"It's not your fault." Bai Yu knelt down and cupped the girl's tear-streaked face in his hands, the hot tears seeming to burn his palms. "It's never been Xiao Zhu's fault."

Bai Jiangzhu's lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't make a sound.

Bai Yu wiped away her tears with his thumb, only to find that new tears kept welling up.

“Nagisa.” He gazed into the girl’s amber eyes. “Do you remember what I said? True wishes belong to oneself. You should think more about yourself.”

"But...but Nagisa doesn't know..."

Bai Jiangzhu blinked, tears dripping down her eyelashes.

"If you don't know, think about it carefully. If you can't think of anything, think about it slowly. Besides your mother, is there nothing else that you cherish or yearn for?"

She suddenly remembered what Yu had said, the warm embrace of Mami Tomoe, the delicious food of Aunt Masaya, the cozy and warm family, and now the care from Shiraha-nii-san, even though she was so willful.

Is a mother who harms her own child really worth saving with her soul?

Bai Jiangzhu recalled the pain that had struck her body, and her mother's undisguised malice and ferocious face. She knew it; she had always known it.

But at the same time, she held a sliver of hope, hoping that her mother might change her mind one night and never hurt Xiaozhu again, returning to the gentle and sweet mother she used to be.

It is this glimmer of hope that has sustained her to this day, and it is this glimmer of hope that has made her live such a painful life.

So at this moment, should she still entrust this hard-won hope to the person who hurt her many times but also gave her the hope of life?

She thought the answer was already very clear.

She won't.

Xiaozhu doesn't know.

Baijiangzhu will not.

“Nagisa has decided on her wish.” Nagisa wiped away her tears with her sleeve, blinked her slightly red eyes, looked at Kyubey and choked out, “Nagisa’s wish is a cheesecake. I want the best cheesecake in the world.”

"Cheesecake?" Kewpie asked, very puzzled. "Really, this is fine?"

"Yes, I've thought it over carefully. I've made up my mind. I'm going to use this wish to become a magical girl. I want the best cheesecake in the world."

"..."

"The best cheesecake in the world...that feels so abstract."

Although he had made contracts with countless people, even Kyubey himself couldn't understand why anyone would make such a wish.

Without a doubt, in its view, this was a complete waste. Given the girl's karma, curing her mother's illness would not have been a problem at all, nor would it have been achieved in any other distorted way.

Kyubey even glanced at Shiroyu beside him, as if to ask if he should intervene.

But Bai Yu didn't react at all; he just watched quietly.

He had said long ago that he would not interfere with the content of Hyakue Nagisa's wishes or desires, provided that it was all voluntary on her part.

Seeing that Bai Yu did not react, Qiu Bi had no choice but to confirm the content of the wish again.

"How about making your taste buds feel like this?"

“No, that won’t work,” Nagisa Hyakue shook her head, correcting her. “You have to make a wish based on the taste of the person who loves Nagisa the most.”

The lovely apple that fell from the tree rotted and dissolved before it could be found. The end.

The contract has been made, and Nagisa Momoe has officially become a magical girl.

She received a cake with a peculiar flavor, like a jumble of flavors spilled from a bottle, but even the combination of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty couldn't fully describe its taste. Yet, these peculiar flavors combined to create a unique taste.

That's the taste of 'love', or rather, the taste of 'being loved'.

There are still people who love Nagisa; she is not alone.

......

After enjoying the cake of love all by herself, Nagisa Momoe's mood calmed down a little.

She has made up her mind. From now on, she is free. She is not bound by anything. Being loved is a thing of the past. Now it is time for Nagisa to love others.

Just as her brother Baiyu told her, magical girls are beings that spread hope, so she must pass on something called hope to all the people she loves.

Feeling the abundant energy within her, she was already quite impatient.

She looked at Bai Yu excitedly and asked, "Brother Bai Yu, when will we start our first magical girl experience lesson?"

She wanted to say things like punishing evil and promoting good, protecting world peace, and saving humanity, but with her current abilities, she probably couldn't do it yet.

However, Nagisa will definitely work hard in that direction!

Right now, I still need to rely on Brother Baiyu a little, hehe~

Seeing the girl's mood change 180 degrees in an instant, Bai Yu sighed and did not expose the fact that she was trying hard to ignore the pain of the past. Instead, he smiled as well.

"Although I really want to complain about the name 'Magical Girl First Experience Class,' since Nagisa likes it, I'll just go with it."

“Hehe, Nagisa thinks this name is great~” Nagisa Hyakue laughed.

"Okay, but before we begin the first lesson, we need to do some preparation."

"What preparations?" Baijiang asked curiously.

Bai Yu patted his legs, which were a little numb from squatting, and used his hands to support his knees as he struggled to stand up.

"The preparation is... to get a good night's sleep first."

"Huh? Is that all?" Nagisa Hyakue looked somewhat disappointed.

"Of course!"

Bai Yu said in a serious tone, "How can you show your most energetic and lively side without enough energy? How can you sow the seeds of hope on this land?"

"Besides..." He paused, staring at the girl with a mysterious look, "Don't you really want to try my big bed, Nagisa? It's very soft~"

Bai Jiangzhu's face instantly turned bright red, and she lightly stomped her heels on the ground twice.

"Brother Baiyu!" she stammered in protest, "This...this kind of joke isn't funny at all!"

"Who said this was a joke?" Bai Yu chuckled mischievously and ruffled her hair. "But you really need to get a good rest tonight."

He pointed to the faint dark circles under the girl's eyes, "Xiaozhu hasn't been sleeping well lately, has she?"

Bai Jiangzhu subconsciously touched her face.

Indeed, since her mother was hospitalized, she often wakes up in the middle of the night, alone in the empty, dark house. Loneliness, solitude, and fear instantly overwhelm her, making it impossible for her to fall asleep peacefully.

Not only is my sleep quality poor, but my appetite has also decreased significantly.

Firstly, her family wasn't very well-off, so she had to carefully plan how to spend every penny. Secondly, she wanted to save money so she could buy her mother delicious cheese, even if she ate less herself.

But things are different now. Xiaozhu wants to eat delicious food too! Xiaozhu wants to make new friends!

"However, training must begin tomorrow! We can't slack off anymore."

"It's a deal." Bai Yu extended her little finger. "Pinky promise."

“Hang.” Bai Jiangzhu hooked her little finger up.

"No change for a hundred years!" x2

The two spoke in unison, then looked at each other and smiled.

"Boom! Thud—!"

Suddenly, a violent explosion overhead shattered the harmonious atmosphere.

"What happened?"

Not only did Bai Yu and his companion look up, but even passersby in the distance cast curious glances their way.

But while observing, they were also constantly moving away from the place where the explosion came from.

They didn't want to get into any serious trouble.

After exchanging a glance with Bai Jiangzhu and confirming that the girl also wanted to go up and see what was going on, Bai Yu stopped hesitating.

"Let's go see what's going on."

Although I could only vaguely see some of it, the dazzling light seen through the window suggested that only a magical girl could use such a technique.

Since it involves magical girls, Bai Yu has no reason not to check on the situation, especially regarding the newly minted magical girl, Bai Jiang Zhu.

Chapter Seventy-Four: Regret and Rebirth

Entering the inpatient building.

The explosion seemed to have cut off the power to the entire building, and the emergency lights in the corridor came on.

Although there was a backup power supply, the overall lighting inside the building was still somewhat insufficient, especially since the elevator was temporarily out of service, so they had to take the stairs to the fifth floor.

The emergency exit signs on the doors in the stairwell emitted a ghastly green light, making the entire stairwell look somewhat dark and eerie.

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed in the stairwell as they drew closer to the site of the explosion, until they could hear heavy breathing in the hallway.

"...Ha...ha, Cupid..."

The girl, who was leaning against the wall, turned her head to look in the direction the footsteps came from. When she saw that it was someone familiar, she felt relieved and continued to lie down.

"Izu saw Ise, and he was badly injured."

Kyubey jumped off Shiraha's shoulder and came to Izumi Iken, looking her up and down.

"Have you fought the sleepwalking ghosts?"

"..."

Izumi remained silent.

Kyubey noticed the wounds on Itsuki's body, and the fact that he could barely lift his hand showed how fierce the battle had been.

"Can't you stop her even with your power? She's already defying common sense and reason, and she possesses terrifying vitality and a stubborn personality. Since you yourself aren't being targeted, giving up as soon as possible is the best choice."

Itsuki was still just looking at Kyubey, seemingly wanting to say something, but after struggling for a moment, he lay back down.

"Although I want to do something for you, your mental damage is more severe than your physical damage. The Soul Gem is practically completely corrupted. You're beyond saving. Even though this is a hospital, human doctors can't cure everything."

"Oh, I see... It doesn't matter anymore... It's pointless to stay alive now..."

She looked down at the finger she had finally managed to snatch from the sleepwalking ghost—the finger of her beloved Xiang.

But Xiang's body is already...

She witnessed that cruel and desperate scene firsthand, and it was deeply etched in her mind, unforgettable and unforgettable.

"Goo... Kyubey, kill me... give me my Soul Stone..."

"Sister, do you need help? I'm a newly minted magical girl, is there anything I can do to help you?"

Seeing the girl giving up on herself, Nagisa Hyakue couldn't help but ask.

They are beings that spread hope, so why would they want to actively seek death...?

Bai Jiangzhu couldn't understand it.

"Heh... Magical girl... Hahaha... Cough cough..."

Seeing Izumi laughing self-deprecatingly, Izumi's laughter gradually became more unrestrained, and he accidentally aggravated his wound, causing him to cough in pain.

"If you want to help me, then kill me. If you don't hurry... I will..."

“You’ll turn into a witch, right?” Kyubey added as the last sentence. “You’re welcome, Ise, you finally did something useful in the end, thank you.”

"?" Izumi saw the disbelief on Izumi's face. "Kyubi...? Why...why—"

Before she could finish speaking, even the last glimmer of light from her soul gem vanished. The cracked gem shattered instantly, turning into a dark, lifeless piece of charcoal.

"Goooooo...uuuuuu!!!"

A violent storm swept through the entire building, and the familiar gloomy corridor was gone, replaced by a familiar eerie space. Strange graffiti covered the entire space, and colorful lights shimmered in the sky, each one like a beautiful fantasy, waiting for someone to approach and shatter it.

"Oh my, she really has become a very powerful witch. Her energy recovery is perfect."

"Witch?"

Baijiang Zhu was completely dumbfounded.

She never expected that the older sister who had just been talking to her would now turn into that terrifying witch!

real or fake?