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

Mayumi Haga took out her schoolbag, connected it to her backpack space, and reached inside to organize her belongings.

Touching something warm and soft, Mayumi Haga clasped her hands together with her other hand... It seemed like she was missing two fingers, so it was an eight-finger clasp.

Touching again, I felt soft lips. My finger accidentally slipped into my mouth, where the warmth still lingered, and my tongue felt slippery.

And there's the tangled hair, the head with half of its skull missing... um.

This is the area where fragments of the real bow are stored.

These odds and ends buried deep inside the backpack hadn't seen the light of day for who knows how many years. Just by roughly calculating the number, Mayumi Haga realized that this was not a task she could complete today.

Forget it, I'll deal with it later.

First, tidy up the keel and other such items.

Feeling a sense of escapism regarding her hoarded supplies, Mayumi Haga abandoned the effort to organize them and instead turned her attention to another area.

She stored the suits and weapons she needed in the preparation area, but it seemed like something was missing.

"...It seems like something is missing." She murmured, her expression serious, but as her gaze swept over the items placed in the important items area, she couldn't figure out what had silently disappeared from her backpack.

The [Spark] is still there, Lania's legacy is still well preserved, all the amulets given by her friends are still there, the books her mother left her are piled up in the box, and the few Guardian Cores that she finally managed to find in the previous world are still lying quietly in her backpack.

—Guardian Core.

Haga Mayumi counted.

Has Urzana-senpai's disappeared...?

Since it was the only one in the jar, it was actually quite conspicuous.

But Mayumi Haga didn't see it when she glanced over.

Upon realizing this, Mayumi Haga's usually indifferent face froze instantly, and she panicked, frantically searching around.

However, the consequences of not organizing her backpack backfired at this moment. Mayumi Haga searched the surroundings all night in near despair, but found no trace of the core of the guardian, Urzana.

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Sugiyama Rika finally decided to go home.

She had been so busy recently that she finally had some free time to catch up with Ayasa, so she stayed at Ayasa Terasaki's house for several nights instead of going home.

Sugiyama Rika is not a particularly competent guardian. In fact, she is only in her early twenties, single and unmarried, and doesn't know how to take good care of a child.

Mayumi Haga has never needed her care since she was little. When she found her, the child was about ten years old. Her speech and manners were no different from an adult's. She was also very well-mannered and had a strong ability to take care of herself.

Sugiyama Rika was initially worried about her, but instead advised her not to change her life plans because of her.

“Traveling is wonderful,” was all Mayumi Haga’s words at the time. “Don’t let me make you miss the scenery along the way.”

So Sugiyama Rika was flattered and accepted the other party's advice, and the next day she packed her bags and went on a round-the-world trip.

Mayumi Haga was so sensible that Rika Sugiyama forgot she was still a child.

So, when she peeked through the crack in the door and saw Mayumi Haga rummaging through her schoolbag, her eyes red with worry as if she were about to shed tears, Sugiyama Rika gasped.

What happened?

The guardian was very careful.

Chapter Sixty-Three: Actually, I didn't really want to go (4k)

Sugiyama Rika, 28 years old, is a single mother... no, she's a free spirit mage.

The plan to travel around the world has been suspended, and I have returned to Miracle City to deal with the upcoming monster tide.

In reality, the monster tides themselves aren't the biggest problem; the real issue is the otherworldly calamity that triggers them.

Because something strange invaded the spiritual veins and damaged them, the magical elemental creatures began to act strangely. After that dark, rotten dragon managed to bypass the spiritual veins' censorship mechanism and enter the mortal world through the interdimensional portal, Sugiyama Rika noticed that the spiritual veins had begun to seal off the world's passageways.

In other words, it is no longer possible for calamities to swagger into the present world.

However, with the gods now asleep, the spiritual veins can only act on their instincts to seek advantage and avoid harm. They cannot fully distinguish between calamities and ordinary demons, and there are certain minor hidden dangers.

In any case, the threat of calamity has temporarily subsided, and attention should now turn to the negative effects of the calamity's invasion.

For example, the massive monster uprising was triggered by the dragon gnawing on one of the roots of the spiritual vein.

Although Sugiyama Rika possesses exceptional combat prowess, she is not particularly strategic. She could only rely on Terasaki Ayasa's help to calculate the timing of the monster rampages, and the values ​​she obtained were highly inconsistent.

However, with the reflection space, she was no longer too worried about the losses caused by the monster riots.

Furthermore, Hitomi Tohno has also grown somewhat—meaning she has broken through another layer of magical seal. When she fights in the reflection space, she will be able to unleash attacks without worrying about harming ordinary people.

Although it might be a bit tiring, it was definitely an incident that Hitomi Tono could handle.

Because the seal was broken earlier, Hitomi Tohno's magic power has been unstable recently.

The magical items that Sugiyama Rika originally intended to give her had to be further adjusted.

However, Yuri Takajo's version has already been proofread by Ayasa Terasaki. If she can use the items skillfully, she should be able to keep up with Hitomi Tono's fighting pace.

As long as the two continue to cooperate, there's nothing to worry about. Young people need to get practice too.

Aside from the monster uprising, what we really need to worry about is the [Fire Seed].

Sugiyama Rika had no intention of getting involved in the struggle for the spark; initially, she didn't want to get too involved. But strange people might keep coming to Miracle City, and the city would likely descend into an extraordinary chaotic battle.

For the safety of the [Fire Seed] holder, Sugiyama Rika actually preferred to protect the other party... But apart from the cooperation in fighting the calamity, that guardian lady had no intention of asking them for help in protecting the Fire Seed, it was as if she had "stay away" written on her face.

Fortunately, the other party was also very good at concealing their whereabouts, so even Sugiyama Rika had no way to find them.

What a proud and protective young lady...

Unless the Guardian is foolish enough to flaunt the flame in public, the monster has no chance of finding her. Sugiyama Rika believes the other party is a cautious person, so generally speaking, the possibility of the flame's location being exposed is almost nonexistent.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about this for the time being.

After resolving the two most important issues at hand, Sugiyama Rika finally got her bearings and could breathe a sigh of relief for a while.

It was only then that she realized she had neglected Mayumi Haga for a long time.

To be honest, she wasn't a competent guardian. Beyond the role of guardian, as an adult, Sugiyama Rika also lacked a certain level of care for minors.

Sugiyama Rika's key words in life are "doing things her own way," "freedom," and "love." She has a somewhat endearing self and can be a very carefree person. She is always enthusiastic and considerate, but she is definitely not suitable for raising a child who needs her care.

She still has a very youthful mindset.

In contrast to the Abyss Gentleman, despite possessing great strength, he remains an independent, romantic, and optimistic, but unreliable adult.

After she finished dealing with the overwhelming tasks at hand and came to her senses, she realized that she hadn't exchanged more than ten sentences with Mayumi Haga in the past few days.

This is not good...

Sugiyama Rikka nervously peeked through the crack in the door at Haga Mayumi frantically searching for her schoolbag, probably because she had lost something very important.

The usually composed and self-possessed Mayumi Haga was so anxious that the tips of her fair ears and neck turned red, not to mention the tear at the corner of her eye, which struck Sugiyama Rika like a thunderbolt.

...What did Mayumi lose? Did she lose her wallet? Or is it that her assignment due tomorrow is missing?

Sugiyama Rika was getting a little anxious, and worried that if she went in, it would embarrass Haga Mayumi.

...Sigh, it's all my fault. It's fine when I'm not home, but even when I am, I haven't spent much time with Mayumi. Now that she's in trouble, I don't know anything about it...

The sign that read "Unqualified guardian" slammed into Sugiyama Rika's head, and she scratched her head, trying to figure out how to appease Mayumi.

Should I go in and ask at this moment...?

Just as she was thinking this, she saw Mayumi Haga raise the back of her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, rub her eyes, and then carefully rummage through her backpack, looking extremely pitiful.

Sugiyama Rika's heart was immediately shattered.

When they first found Mayumi Haga, she seemed emotionally stable, but she would secretly shed tears while gazing at the moon or something else.

—The truth is, at first, Mayumi Haga hadn't gotten used to the world's overly bright filter; it was too dazzling.

"I'm so stupid," Sugiyama Rika scolded herself, "I've never noticed Mayumi's loneliness."

At first, Mayumi Haga was actually quite clingy to her. She would follow her around when she went out, didn't want to stay home alone, always tried to talk to her, and would often move closer to her.

—Actually, it's rare for Mayumi Haga to be able to talk to humans again, and Rika Sugiyama becomes quite talkative when she gets excited, so you can learn a lot about this world through her.

Recalling Mayumi Haga's fragility, Rika Sugiyama suddenly felt like she was a complete idiot.

"Mayumi!" Realizing what was happening, Sugiyama Rika found herself already pushing open the slightly ajar door. "Do you need help, sister?"

Mayumi Haga looked startled: "...Ms. Sugiyama? When did you arrive?"

She knew that Sugiyama Rika was outside the door, but she usually didn't notice what she was doing inside, so she assumed that he wouldn't just come in like that.

With tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes, irritated by the pungent smell of the materials, Mayumi Haga blankly raised her head from her backpack, looking rather pitiful, a stark contrast to her usual strong demeanor.

What kind of crazy thing is this guardian going to do now...?

"What are you looking for? Is something very important missing?" Sugiyama Rika felt a pang of sympathy seeing the child so upset that tears were streaming down her face. "Sister will help you look for it."

Tell her?

What should I tell her?

Should I tell her that I'm looking for the core of my predecessor Urzana that was corrupted by the calamity?

That kind of thing is absolutely impossible.

Unable to force a smile that suggested nothing had happened, Mayumi Haga could only manage a brief, dismissive remark: "It's nothing."

Where did Senior Urzana's core go...? Even if her soul dissipated due to the calamity, there should still be a glass jar containing the core.

Perhaps it's because I haven't organized my backpack in so long that it rolled deeper and got buried under layers of materials, which is why I couldn't find it.

Distracted by Sugiyama Rika, Haga Mayumi's anxious mood eased slightly.

In short, keep looking...

Sugiyama Rika noticed her furrowed brows and the anxiety in her eyes, and felt even more guilty, but she also knew that the other person did not want to be disturbed by her.

So she compromised and suggested, "Tomorrow's the weekend, how about we go out together?"

...Another invitation like this.

Such invitations have been extended countless times by Hitomi Tono and Yuri Takajo, and the time Mayumi Haga accepted and went out together, there was an 80% chance that they would run into all sorts of magical girl-related incidents.

Mayumi Haga once thought it was some kind of magical curse from a magical girl, which would cause everyone around the magical girl to be involved in accidents.

But she's the type who can't say no to people, so she always agrees.

The guardian hasn't been a magical girl for several years... she should be alright, right?

Mayumi Haga felt a little uncertain, but she still nodded under Rika Sugiyama's expectant gaze.

Sugiyama Rika breathed a sigh of relief and left Haga Mayumi's room, planning to take the child out for a good walk the next day.

How do you explain this using parenting knowledge...? Right, it's a family activity day to enhance the bond between parents and children!

I need to plan this out properly so that Mayumi can have a good time and relax all day.

Since Mayumi Haga didn't intend to tell Rika Sugiyama about her troubles, her guardian didn't insist. After all, Mayumi Haga was always very opinionated, and if she kept pressing her for answers, the child would feel uncomfortable.

All she could do was take him out for a walk to clear his head.

A rare holiday is also a good time to strengthen relationships.

And so, the Sugiyama family's first family activity day was set. Although the guardian would still be running around the world and forget about time afterward, this family activity day might very well be the last, but it was still a crucial step forward.

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[So, you contacted me telepathically in the middle of the night just to discuss tomorrow's plans?] Terasaki Ayasa rubbed her temples, took a sip of her coffee, and started spinning in her computer chair. She found it a little amusing. [What new mom, huh?]

In other words, isn't it a bit too late to start thinking about building a good relationship with the ward now? Fortunately, Mayumi Haga is indeed a very good-tempered child, otherwise she would have harbored any resentment towards Rika Sugiyama.

...Wait, maybe it has already happened.

Terasaki Ayasa herself doesn't like being clingy with her lover, and she doesn't contact Sugiyama Rika at all except for necessary matters.

She is too busy with work to maintain unnecessary interpersonal relationships.

Even after reuniting with Sugiyama Rika and inexplicably ending up drinking and sleeping together, shattering her long-held "adult child" image of her and leading to their current relationship in a daze, Terasaki Ayasa had no intention of getting attached to Sugiyama Rika.

However, very few people share her thoughts. An ordinary person would definitely feel sad if constantly neglected by important family members. Besides, Mayumi Haga was adopted by Rika Sugiyama… she's still a child. How could anyone just leave her alone at home like that?

Therefore, Ayasa Terasaki believes that Rika Sugiyama's family activity day tomorrow is indeed necessary.

[Also, don't forget about Tianlan.] Terasaki Ayasa reminded her, [You promised her you'd go see her performance.]

[...Ah.] Sugiyama Rikka has a headache.

Magical Girl Sky Blue is also considered a student of Sugiyama Rika.