Sakura Emma, ​​I'm going to control you fiercely!

If the gods lent her power (activated her skill permissions), Emma would probably be able to achieve about one-third of the combat power that the gods would have when they controlled her!

Even if it's only a third, Emma knows that it still surpasses that of an ordinary white-level magical girl.

This is the confidence that "divine power" gave her!

And for three hours, Emma also learned to collect the black residue that fell from the wreckage, just like a god.

Whenever the scraps passed through her hands, they disappeared, or were subtly stored somewhere.

The deity seems to call that "residue" "black filth".

Emma was a little worried that she might displease the God by secretly "leveling up" without asking for His permission.

After all, it was outside the God's plan.

Incidentally, "leveling up" is the name Emma gave to her actions during those three hours.

The gods probably wouldn't like this "gamified" name; it's a little bit of overstepping Emma's bounds.

Back to the present. Emma coaxed Hannah out from behind the tree like she was coaxing a cat.

After a standoff of about five minutes, the two finally managed to reach the intersection.

"Well then, senior, I'll go this way..."

Emma wanted to wave to her...

But Hannah called out to her.

Hannah pointed to the brightly lit commercial street on the right side of the intersection.

"A nice new dessert shop recently opened, wanna go?"

"I have some questions I want to ask you"—Hannah didn't say these words aloud.

She glanced sideways at her junior, who had undergone a noticeable change, while touching her own wallet and gritting her teeth...

Hannah smiled "boldly":

"My treat!"

……

……

"Your meal has been served!"

Emma and Hannah took their seats in an elegantly decorated dessert shop.

Hannah stared at the bill, each dessert costing over 2000 yen, and gritted her teeth...

Why is it so expensive?!

Two pieces of broken cake, plus black tea and coffee... that's enough for me to eat several meals of tonkatsu rice bowls!

Hannah clutched her small, flat purse tightly.

"Um... are you sure I don't have to pay?" Emma handed over her wallet with both hands.

Hannah waved her hand casually.

"Need not--"

But before she could finish speaking, Hannah suddenly caught sight of the bulging banknotes in Emma's half-open purse!

If Hannah's wallet is a "lentil," then Emma's wallet is a hamburger stuffed so full it's about to burst, and the zipper can't be closed at all.

It was bulging and stuffed full of... 10,000 yen Fukuzawa Yukichi coins!

Hannah gasped. There were more than 30.

She looked at Emma in horror.

Who goes to school with 30 yen? Are magical girls all that rich?

I want it so badly, I'm so envious, it's so annoying...

Emma was also filled with shame under Hannah's gaze.

The magical girl's allowance arrived today.

But the deity insisted on bringing everything with him, saying that "assets must be carried on one's person."

Not only did he bring 30 yuan, but he also brought along things like Beibei and Huixiang... which led to this awkward situation.

As for Hannah, although her thoughts were turbulent, she still tried to remain calm and shakily picked up the cup handle and took a sip of tea.

Calm down, don't embarrass yourself in front of the younger female students.

She reminded herself of this as she observed Emma across the table.

Seeing that Hannah had started eating, Emma stopped being polite and grabbed a small cake from the plate with shining eyes.

Hannah pondered, and sure enough.

The feeling Emma gave her had changed.

At least not the Ai that Hannah knew—

"Ow~"

A dark shadow darted out of Emma's half-open backpack with lightning speed, opened its gaping maw in mid-air, and swallowed the cake and the mint leaves on top of it clean in one gulp, then "whoosh" it shrank back in.

Only an empty white porcelain plate remained, still spinning slightly on the table.

Emma: "..."

Hannah: "..."

The air suddenly became quiet.

A full three seconds passed before Emma stiffly withdrew the fork from her hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, and patted her flat stomach.

"Oh dear... I'm already a little full after just one!"

"...Little glutton."

"My senior found out!" Emma blushed.

"hehe."

Hannah's fingers trembled as she put down the tea, but the tea still spilled all over the teacup and saucer.

She stared at Emma in shock. Or rather, at the doll in Emma's little backpack.

If I wasn't mistaken, that thing that darted past just now should definitely be the wreckage.

Not only did he take 30 yuan with him, but he also brought along a wrecked animal...

Emma, ​​what are you trying to do?!

"—Um…senior," Emma suddenly spoke up, "Is something the matter? Why do you look so strange?"

After saying that, Emma added a cute, puzzled emoji with her head tilted.

Hannah suddenly realized: Was it me who was strange?

Seeing that Emma seemed determined to continue playing dumb, Hannah didn't investigate further.

The identity of "magical girl" can explain everything.

She returned her question to the original one:

Is the person in front of her the Emma she knows?

Although Hannah didn't know what had happened, and didn't understand why she had such an intuition.

But she knew deep down that she wanted to get an answer from Emma, ​​who was standing right in front of her.

Then, Hannah began to speak softly.

Actually, I'm just worried about you.

"Huh? Worried about me?" Emma asked, puzzled.

Hannah took a sip of her red tea, her words carrying a hidden meaning.

"I just feel that the feeling I get from my junior has changed, which makes me a little worried."

"The feeling has changed... hasn't it?" Emma fell into deep thought.

Hannah was somewhat disappointed to see that Emma's face remained expressionless.

I can't tell what emotion he's feeling...

In terms of being "unfathomable," the Emma before her was no different from the "Emma" she knew.

Little did they know, Emma was panicking at that moment.

'What to do, what to do, what to do...!'

Not only was Beibei almost discovered, but now Hannah has figured something out too!

Why am I so useless?!

It seems that Emma has always maintained a "blank expression," and her only skill in concealing her true feelings is a poker face.

But I have absolutely no experience in lying!

Can I use "period" as an excuse? Or should I say that I've recently fallen in love?

Although the deity did not tell her, Emma did not intend to reveal His story.

Emma used the thin spoon in her coffee cup to dissolve the sugar cubes.

Her mind raced, trying to find an excuse that wouldn't expose the deity.

Suddenly, the girl recalled a short story about the "Law of Cycles" from the library.

Got it!

So, under Hannah's anxious gaze, Emma stopped stirring.

"It's nothing. Perhaps it's because of a book I recently read that changed my mindset."

Emma gave a clear smile.

"A book about [gods]."

Volume 1: Chapter 50 Interlude: Hannah Tono's Confusion

A riverside in Banqiao District.

A few scattered pedestrians strolled along the riverside path, chatting idly.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past the pedestrian's shoulder, carrying with it a strange floral fragrance.

The pedestrians looked back but saw no one, only the moonlight reflecting on the river.

"What's wrong?" asked the friend beside him.

"...It's nothing, you must have misread it."

The pedestrian stared at a purple petal on the stone pavement, shook his head, and continued walking forward.

But in the shadows of the riverside path, a blurry, purplish-black figure was slowly moving.

Her figure resembled an old television screen with a poor signal, sometimes blending into the night, and sometimes flashing with a purplish-black mosaic outline.

Only a shapely body can reveal that "she" is a woman.

She walked slowly across the stone path, occasionally a violet petal would drift down.

"I wonder how well the wreckage collection is going. Thanks to her today, it should yield good results."

The figure simply stood still, a petal drifting off her and flying into the distance...

Finally, they flew to the music hall of Maple Syrup College.

"Hmm?" She was slightly surprised as she remained by the riverbank.

"...Not only are the people gone, but even the remains have disappeared? No, that's not right...it seems like..."

She tapped her forearm.

"The wreckage...was killed?"

His tone was calm and composed, as if he had expected it all along.