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

But in Yang Wen's line of sight.

The upgrade message for "[Parting Ways]" is simple, with no fancy words, just a few:

Your magic is now effective against witch-like traits.

A counter attribute?

Isn't this a passive skill specifically designed to counter witches?

It looks like the upcoming boss battle is going to be tougher.

Noticing the time limit for the mission, Yang Wen simply headed towards the main entrance of the music hall.

Anyway, there will definitely be a boss battle today.

Then we can try out the magic's effects.

Book 1: Chapter 70 Concert Prelude

Inside the music hall.

Through the backstage curtain, Hannah Tono looked at the performers on stage who were still performing and at the audience below, where the sound was so faint you could hear a pin drop.

The audience seemed to be taking the situation very seriously, but several people were already yawning.

Seeing this, Hannah became even more nervous.

She pulled her head back and leaned against the wall backstage.

Each person will play two pieces at this concert.

What if an audience member yawns while you're playing?

What if... the performance turns out terribly?

"Please... this isn't the first time this has happened!"

Hannah patted her cheeks, leaving two red marks.

Actually, she understood the reason for her anxiety before the performance: it was because there was a new audience member this time.

Sakura Emma.

Or rather, the "bad Emma".

Yes, Hannah tagged the different Emmas.

The Emma who occasionally teases her is "bad Emma," while the Emma who talked with her late into the night the other day is "good Emma." This is how she distinguishes herself.

For some reason, what Hannah was most worried about at that moment was not the audience's reaction, but "Bad Emma's" reaction.

She took several deep breaths to try to calm her anxiety, but her heart continued to pound wildly.

"In short, good luck... Tono Hannah."

……

……

I don't think I dreamed at all last night or the night before.

Emma sighed inwardly.

Usually, after a dream, her worries would disappear without a trace.

However, I still feel depressed after waking up the last two nights.

Although it was just a matter of one or two dreams, Emma still felt uneasy. It was as if something was missing from her daily life. It was as if "that person" had abandoned her and would no longer help her with her problems.

Mingming has so many worries...

If I never dream again...

Thinking about this, Emma felt a little irritated.

Just then, a series of whispers drifted over from the side.

"Hey, is that Sakura Emma?"

"The one who has a really bad relationship with Hiro?"

"Should we go over and warn her not to go near Hiro again?"

"Huh? Hasn't she stopped bothering Hiro lately?"

"Then... should we ignore it as usual?"

"This kind of person... is really useless except for being a little pretty. Doesn't she know that Hiro hates her?"

"Yeah, yeah~"

Emma saw through her own eyes that the students were pointing and whispering at her.

Emma sighed softly.

She didn't have any friends at school except for Hannah.

The reason... is naturally because of Hero's indifference.

As a popular student, Hero has a certain appeal.

But Hero hated himself, and his followers followed suit. They even developed a sense of superiority over Emma.

Over time, at least in the classes near Emma's school, a certain atmosphere developed:

Ignore Emma Sakura.

Although it didn't reach the level of bullying, it still made Emma feel very bad.

'All I need is God and Senior Hannah.'

Emma silently tried to convince herself.

Thinking of the bonds that the gods had helped her build, Emma felt a little better.

Yang Wen completely ignored the whispers and maneuvered Emma to stand hesitantly in front of the music hall's entrance.

You thwarted the witch's numerous schemes, even thwarting her dual plans. Now, the Phantom Witch has no choice but to make a desperate gamble at the concert, and you will face an unprecedented challenge...

Huh? Both plans have been thwarted?

me?

Yang Wen, looking completely bewildered, pointed to himself in front of the screen.

Could it be... that the Phantom Witch had some kind of plan that he managed to defeat as a minor monster in [Eclipse]?

At this point, a pop-up window updates:

[Ahead of you lies the end of Chapter One—the Concert Hall Incident. This incident will employ a "red vs. blue" format.]

What came into Yang Wen's view was a progress bar.

The progress bar is blue on the left and red on the right, with each color occupying half of the screen. This should be what the pop-up window refers to as "red vs. blue".

Blue represents audience satisfaction. Red represents audience dissatisfaction.

Yang Wen immediately understood what this mechanism was.

When viewers are satisfied, the proportion of blue on the progress bar will gradually increase; conversely, if they are not satisfied, it will decrease.

This event has been documented in games such as Overwatch, Battlefield, and even Detroit: Become Human.

In this type of game, there is usually a circle or bar at the top of the screen. Blue represents the friendly side, and red represents the enemy side. When the enemy side has the upper hand, the progress bar is swallowed by the red bar; when the friendly side has the upper hand, the blue progress bar starts to move backward.

[Mission Objectives: 1. In the red-blue battle, the blue bar reaches 100% coverage. 2. Hannah's concert ends safely. 3. Defeat the Phantom Witch (optional)]

[Complete at least two mission objectives to transform Hannah into a magical girl!]

She's here! Her first magical girl teammate, given as a story bonus!

In gacha games, you'll usually receive an SR or SSR character on your first draw or during the main storyline.

In Yang Wen's view, Hannah was the one who was given away!

Moreover, generally speaking, if the "mission objective" contains an "optional" option, it's a hint from the game developers to the player.

[Optional Objective] Although difficult, the rewards are generous!

Therefore, if Yang Wen wants to achieve all the goals, he has no choice but to do it!

However, he had already reviewed the mission objectives several times.

What truly made Yang Wen hesitate at the entrance of the concert hall was—

The moment he pressed the [W] key and tried to move inside the door, a pop-up window appeared:

Are you ready to enter the concert hall?

【whether】

Seeing the huge, glaring red exclamation mark pop up in the center of the screen, Yang Wen's index finger, which was originally on the left mouse button, instantly retracted as if he had been electrocuted.

This is... a classic "irreversible plot point" warning box!

If a highly open-ended game gives it this kind of hint, it means that this is a "plot node".

Yang Wen knew all too well the terrifying aspect of this prompt. Once he clicked "Yes," it meant that this plot point had passed, and all unfinished side quests, uncollected hidden items, and untriggered NPC dialogues would be permanently lost!

Yang Wen pondered for a long time, scrutinizing almost every corner of the minimap, but still couldn't figure out what side quests he hadn't completed.

He controlled Emma, ​​pinning her to the entrance of the music hall like a wooden stake, as she engaged in a five-minute brainstorming session:

Did I really loot everything?

Are there any unopened treasure chests? Oh wait, I don't think there are any treasure chests in this game.

Has Hannah's affection level been maxed out?

What if I go in and can't beat the BOSS, and can't get out? Wouldn't that mean my save file is doomed?

Emma noticed that "she" was blocking the doorway without any regard for others, which had already attracted the attention and suspicion of those around her.

Even Hiro's little follower, who had previously disliked her, was now giving her strange looks.

It was as if they had found a reason to bully her...

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

Emma thought to herself.

Why are you just standing here? Why not just take one step forward and you'll be at the concert hall?

After much deliberation, Yang Wen finally came up with the final preparations he should make.

Since the concert is a progress bar format of a "red vs. blue" competition, the completion requirement is "audience satisfaction".

So... could I ask some [support] characters to help me farm mana?

Moreover, these aids might even be helpful in the witch extermination.

Lost in thought, Yang Wen manipulated Emma to take out her phone and send a message to the [Tokyo New Magical Girl Mutual Aid Group]:

[Witch, Maple Sugar, come quickly. 】

[Magical Girl Opal: Minion, Minion, Minion, Emma! Noah's here to help—]

Emma ignored her and walked into the music hall on her way to halftime.

Just then, Emma noticed that several classmates who had been talking about her were walking over.

“If it were Hiro, he would definitely say, ‘Blocking the doorway is not the right thing to do!’”

"In that case, we need to correct Sakura Emma."

One of them stood aggressively in front of her, as if about to speak.

Emma: 'Oh no, oh no…'

If someone were to be bullied in such a public place... they would definitely become "famous" throughout the entire academy!

"Sakura Emma," already in a precarious position at the bottom of the school hierarchy, will continue to fall even further...

Moreover, if the gods were to witness this scene, I wonder what they would think...

Don't you think Emma is actually a very weak person...?

Even after becoming a magical girl, she doesn't dare to fight back when bullied by her classmates...