Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

Perhaps because of the recent events, when Hitomi Tono saw Mayumi Haga, even though she still had a cold expression, large swathes of white skin and pink cherry blossoms and red plum blossoms would still flash before her eyes from time to time.

The moment the other person speaks, I remember that slightly breathless voice, how it could make my bones melt.

Tono Hitomi only looked for a while before blushing and looking away, but her body was silently moving closer.

His fingers brushed against Mayumi Haga's fingertips, wanting to grasp her.

Mayumi Haga replied, "It's from Sugiyama."

"Rika's clothes...it's definitely her style. But, Mayumi, didn't she tell you that calling her that makes you feel too distant?" Tono Hitomi changed the subject again, this time purely out of curiosity.

After all, Sugiyama Rika had wanted Haga Mayumi to call her "older sister" for a long time, but Haga Mayumi had always insisted on calling her that. Now that Haga Mayumi's real age has been revealed, even Sugiyama Rika can no longer insist that Haga Mayumi call her "older sister."

Faced with this question, Mayumi Haga remained silent for a moment.

"...She said I could just call her Rihanna, since we're practically the same age anyway." Mayumi Haga seemed a bit of a headache as she said this, "but I refused."

While Mayumi Haga could indeed call Rika Sugiyama by her first name in terms of psychological age, thus being considered an elder, doing so in this society would be considered rude for addressing an elder by their first name.

Therefore, Mayumi Haga still maintained the honorific title and addressed the other party as Ms. Sugiyama.

This made Sugiyama Rika depressed for a while, but her emotions came and went quickly, so she soon cheered up again.

Hitomi Tono said "Oh," and the two walked silently under the summer shade of the trees, falling into silence once again.

Then, Mayumi Haga, unusually, spoke up first: "Hitomi."

"Huh?" Tohno Hitomi looked up, her eyes filled with anticipation. "What? What?"

"Are you alright?" Mayumi Haga asked with concern.

The transformation ban on Tohno Hitomi was forcibly broken because of her, and according to Sugiyama Rika, it still had a considerable impact on Tohno Hitomi herself. Haga Mayumi felt very guilty towards Tohno Hitomi and only hoped that she could recover quickly.

After all, the magical girl Crimson hasn't appeared in this city for a long time.

"..." Tono Hitomi's eyes widened, hesitating whether to tell Haga Mayumi the truth, "Um... this..."

Mayumi Haga stopped and did not continue forward.

The Guardian's gaze, hidden behind her glasses, was gentle yet filled with guilt as she intently watched Tohno Hitomi, awaiting her answer.

"It's nothing serious, hahaha..." Tono Hitomi scratched her cheek, her eyes darting away, avoiding eye contact with Haga Mayumi.

Mayumi Haga was still staring at her, her gaze seemingly possessing power, pulling Hitomi Tono back from her initial intention to laugh it off.

After a moment's thought, the pink-haired girl gave a slightly mischievous smile: "Hold my hand and I'll tell you."

Main text: Chapter 164 Following Desires or Self-Harm?

“Hold my hand and I’ll tell you,” Hitomi Tono said.

Mayumi Haga's pointed ears trembled slightly, whether from surprise or shyness.

She looked a little surprised, not expecting Hitomi Tono to make such a request.

But they still held hands.

It's not the kind of hand-holding between ordinary good friends, but a hand-holding style where the other person squeezes their five fingers together, holding them tightly, with their palms touching.

This is how lovers hold hands.

Actually, Mayumi Haga's hands are a size larger than Hitomi Tono's, given the difference in body size. Her fingers are also longer, and her palms are warmer, but very dry.

Hitomi Tono's hands are even smaller, so when their fingers are interlocked, it's as if she's being enveloped inside them.

She couldn't help but look up at Mayumi Haga, whose gaze was still fixed on her, and the two stared at each other.

Even though Mayumi Haga didn't speak, Hitomi Tono could still see the "can you speak now?" meaning in her eyes.

After succeeding, she chuckled and said, "It's all over now."

Mayumi Haga was a little confused, tilting her head slightly as she waited for Hitomi Tono's explanation.

Hitomi Tono really likes Mayumi Haga's expression; even though she doesn't say anything, it's still incredibly cute.

"I don't know why, but while helping Mayumi, my problem was also solved," said Hitomi Tono.

The mysterious ritual performed in the spiritual space not only benefited Mayumi Haga, but also seemed to have a side effect on Hitomi Tono, restoring her body that had been damaged by the forced release.

This was naturally a good thing for Hitomi Tono. She had originally wanted to share her joy with Mayumi Haga from the beginning, but the joy was later put aside after she became shy.

Mayumi Haga's expression relaxed for a moment: "I see."

That's great.

"So you can transform now?" Mayumi Haga asked.

Hitomi Tono gave an affirmative answer.

Her transformation ban was broken some time ago, and her body has fully recovered. There is no reason not to let her return to her identity as the magical girl Crimson.

Magical Girl Crimson has not been seen in public for a long time.

"Soon I'll be able to turn into Crimson Strike Monster again!" Hitomi Tohno said with a smile, raising her arm to show off her muscles.

Seeing Tono Hitomi so energetic, Haga Mayumi was finally relieved.

.................................................. .................................................. .

...Although it's fast, don't go this fast.

A sense of despair swept through Hitomi Tono's heart the moment the mall alarm sounded.

The two of them went to the nearest large shopping mall to pick out summer clothes for Mayumi Haga.

As mentioned before, large shopping malls are one of the places that strange people like to attack, and they visit almost every few days.

It seems that some time ago, due to a major event, the monsters tacitly chose to disappear in front of the magical girls when the event occurred, and then continued to do evil after the event ended.

To call it evil is really just a prank.

He never goes too far astray; that's the kind of amazing creature a weirdo is.

While waiting for Mayumi Haga to come out of the fitting room, Hitomi Tono heard an alarm suddenly go off.

The next second, she instinctively turned around, wanting to find a secluded place to transform.

But this area is full of people, and if I go against the flow of people now, I will definitely stand out.

So she had a sudden inspiration, grabbed a piece of clothing, and slipped into the fitting room while the sales assistant wasn't looking.

As soon as she entered the fitting room, Hitomi Tono and Mayumi Haga, who had already changed into the Guardian outfit in that instant, stared at each other in disbelief.

The former's hand was already on the jeweled beast hair clip on his head, and his hair color changed from pink to deep red in the blink of an eye.

The latter was dressed in a full-body Guardian outfit with a small cape, her hair now completely white, and her bright golden vertical pupils silently watching Tono Hitomi.

Hitomi Tono couldn't stop in time and crashed into Mayumi Haga's arms.

She subconsciously swallowed.

Compared to Mayumi Haga seen in the spiritual space, Mayumi Haga in her guardian form is more mature, and her features appear more heroic and reserved.

—Does the Guardian's peak form also include appearance?

Because of her dragon transformation and the slight resolution of her previous inner conflict, the scars on the Guardian's face have faded considerably, leaving only a horizontal line next to her left eye that extends to the bridge of her nose.

Not only is it not ferocious, but it's also inexplicably a bit... well.

The perfectly placed scars only added to the mystery and danger of the Guardian, at least in Hitomi Tono's eyes, making Mayumi Haga's face even more striking.

Mayumi has transformed into her adult form... That's really impressive.

However, Mayumi Haga noticed something in Hitomi Tono's stunned expression, turned to look in the mirror next to her, and confirmed that her face had recovered considerably.

In this way, acquaintances will be able to recognize them.

She, after all, had no magical concealment.

Then we need to find a way to cover it up a bit... Hopefully, the mask hasn't been lost.

Mayumi Haga had no choice but to take out the Hundred Transformations Mask from her backpack.

It's called a mask, but it's actually a half-face mask made of metal, somewhat similar to a bite blocker, covering the area from the bridge of the nose down. It's entirely black with dark gold patterns, and the protrusions around the mouth look like canine teeth.

This mask neither increases attack power nor defense; it has only one function: to cover the lower half of the face.

However, it can be changed in color, pattern and style to match the outfit, making it very versatile. You could say that if you have this mask, you don't really need any other masks.

Therefore, Mayumi Haga kept it as a collectible.

However, she rarely used it in the later stages of the Guardian series, and it just sat there collecting dust. When one-tenth of the contents of her backpack exploded, Mayumi Haga was very worried that it would also disappear. Fortunately, it was still destined to be with her.

After putting on the mask, Mayumi Haga felt that Hitomi Tono's gaze was even more intense. She was a little confused for a moment, but she still decided to deal with the strange man who attacked the mall first.

At this moment, the magical girl Crimson has also completed her transformation.

The two exchanged a glance and then prepared to leave the fitting room.

Suddenly, through the dressing room, the little girl's cheerful, clear voice rang out from outside: "Got you, Magical Girl Crimson~!"

Hitomi Tono: "...A prankster?"

Mayumi Haga also recognized the overly familiar voice. She and Hitomi Tono exchanged a helpless glance, their eyes saying, "Why is it an old acquaintance again?"

Having already been trapped in the other's prank space once before, and knowing it was best to follow the rules, the two were prepared to listen to the rules and break through in one go. However, they heard the prankster's voice change from leisurely at the beginning to confused, and finally to an incredulous scream:

"Hmph, this is a room where you can only leave by consuming a sufficient amount of blood or confronting your desires. You two... wait? How did this rule come about... how did you become new Despair Monsters?! Huh? Why are you two huddled together?"

Before Hitomi Tono could react, she noticed that Mayumi Haga's body seemed to stiffen.

After transforming into a dragon, Mayumi Haga, who had been burning with inexplicable rage, remained expressionless.

Chapter 165 It's your turn to hug me, Mayumi

"Enough blood...or confront desire?" Tono Hitomi and Haga Mayumi were still a little stunned when they entered the room set up by the prankster.

She didn't quite understand what that sentence meant.

Even though these oddballs are all relatively kind-hearted individuals, why would such a room be set up? What does the blood represent? And what is desire?

Has the mischievous monster also been corrupted by something like calamity...?

In this respect, Hitomi Tono actually misunderstood the prankster.

Although the prankster's space can set its own rules, there are exceptions.

For example, when Little Bear was caught up in this situation with them, Little Bear was able to use his higher-level [Sadness] attribute to forcibly make this space his own domain.

In other words, although this space cannot be overwritten or rewritten by other magical beings, it is still very easy for other monsters to influence it from within the monster's body.

The stronger the monster's main body is, the easier it is for it to interfere with the magic of other monsters. This can be considered a form of level suppression among monsters.

Now, Mayumi Haga can be considered a "despair monster".

Although she herself does not use magic, her identity as the Despair Monster still unconsciously influences this space. Before the Prankster Monster could even react, she had easily seized control, changing the theme of the room to her own color. Even the Prankster Monster outside could not see or interfere with what was happening inside.

In other words, it has become an isolated island from which one cannot leave without achieving one's goal.

Blood—corresponds to Mayumi Haga's self-destructive tendencies.

Desire is as simple as it gets.

After transforming into a dragon, Mayumi Haga always felt an unnamed fire burning in her heart.

This was a feeling she had never experienced before; her blood was hotter, she was more easily aroused, and more... well, she was starting to get hooked.

During this period of time, Mayumi Haga consulted a large amount of information, and all the relevant records proved that those who possess dragon blood, whether human or animal, have desires that surpass those of their kind.

This is not a good thing for her.

Mayumi Haga hates being dominated by anything other than reason, and the fact that her body is becoming unruly also makes her feel terrible.

Rather than finding someone who also likes her to help relieve her desires, she prefers to suppress them herself as long as it doesn't affect her life.

But she underestimated the excitement of the first time.

Normally, if it were a first time within the normal range, Mayumi Haga would have been able to suppress the lingering aftertaste. However, due to the special circumstances, the special method used, and the very special stimulation, which even raised her threshold to an excessive level, things became quite tricky.

After just two days, I was already craving physical contact.

Mayumi Haga could conceal everything behind a seemingly unchanging, indifferent expression, but the way this space interpreted her thoughts didn't lie; she did indeed want to hug someone... not even sex was enough, she just wanted to hug.

Yumi Haga was still a little stiff and felt bad that her thoughts had been exposed so easily.

If she hadn't suppressed her emotions to this extent, perhaps the space she and Hitomi Tono ended up in would have just been an ordinary game room, but because of her presence, things became very difficult to resolve.

If it were just blood, that would be fine. In this room with Mayumi Haga's interference rules, her blood wouldn't turn into orange juice so quickly. As long as her self-destruction or resurrection speed is fast enough, she should be able to fill the pool in the center of the room with enough blood.