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

"Let's go, the matter has been resolved." Mayumi Haga didn't put the head into her backpack. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to hold it in her arms and go to report back to Ayasa Terasaki.

Magical Girl Sky Blue asked, a little bewildered, "Is this a sculpture from somewhere in the aquarium? Should we put it back?"

“No,” Mayumi Haga said calmly, “this is the head of a water demon.”

"Oh, the head of a water demon...?! What is that?! What are you holding so casually in your arms?!" The magical girl, Sky Blue, was a beat slow to react. Her face turned deathly pale. "Wait, wait, you're killing someone..."

She caught her words halfway through her sentence.

She suddenly realized that, based on the information she had vaguely revealed before and the fact that the Guardian herself had admitted it, this Guardian and the enemy seemed to be friends.

Magical Girl Sky Blue stared at the Guardian in disbelief, but the latter didn't seem to care, simply lowering her eyes and saying, "Excuse me, I'm going back. The Orange Juice Monster's core is still inside; go find it."

She carried Megragne's head, wading through the water, and walked past Tianlan.

Tian Lan didn't stop her; in fact, she subconsciously took a step back.

Her gaze toward Mayumi Haga was tinged with an inexplicable fear.

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

Mayumi Haga simply reported the situation to Ayasa Terasaki, showed her the severed head, and said that she had taken care of everything before turning around and going home.

Startled, Terasaki Ayasa hesitated, but ultimately remained silent.

On her way back, she brushed past Tianlan, who had just finished dealing with the chaos in the reflection space. The latter subconsciously avoided her, as if he had developed a psychological trauma.

She didn't care, and just walked away quickly without looking to the side, wanting to get home as soon as possible to take a shower.

But that makes sense.

These magic users have always dealt with freakish enemies and have never personally taken anyone's life. It's normal for them to feel fear and distance when they suddenly encounter someone like Mayumi Haga, whose methods are too aggressive.

Moreover, Tianlan had only just met her.

For a magical girl living in such a happy world, it must be quite terrifying that someone she has only met once could kill an acquaintance without batting an eye and then carry off the severed head around.

He's practically a serial killer.

However, Mayumi Haga did not intend to explain anything further to herself.

Maintaining one's image in front of magical girls is meaningless.

Someone like me has to resort to any means to achieve victory.

She suddenly realized this when she was torn apart by Megaranie, her core ripped out, and resurrected inside his belly.

She has faced this dilemma countless times... Someone like her, who has always struggled through this, why should she save face now?

Yes.

Why does she pretend to be someone she's not?

Does she need to maintain this ridiculous facade to allow herself to live a false life of peace?

Those souls who were not saved by me, those friends who placed their hopes in me, have not yet found peace because of my inaction, have they?

Ultimately, the reason I considered having the magical girls present was because I felt I could do my best to protect their mental well-being.

but.

After Mayumi Haga, she may have to kill these familiar or unfamiliar faces again and again.

She felt tired.

As she collected her deceased friend's belongings, she was filled with endless regret and sorrow, blaming herself for not being able to protect anything.

When her resurrected friend was killed by her once again, she was left with only exhaustion.

I'm so tired, I don't have the energy to think about anything else.

Mayumi Haga has probably gotten used to this sadness, so much so that she no longer sheds tears for it, but instead feels weary inside.

So be it.

She sighed.

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

Back home, Mayumi Haga hesitated for a moment, but still placed Megaran's head on the table in her bedroom.

Her backpack was too messy right now, and she was worried that the head would also disappear in the sea of ​​monster materials. It would be safer to put it in a place where it could be seen first.

To be honest, because the crystal has a very good texture, it seems like it would be a pretty good decoration.

I'll take a shower first, and then find a suitable place for it when I come back... The bookshelf is fine, I just need to make some more room for the books.

Thinking this, Mayumi Haga stared at Crystal's face, not moving immediately, but lost in thought for a long time.

I always feel like I don't know when the other person will open their eyes and start talking to me.

I'm really not used to Megragne being so quiet...

Mayumi Haga looked away.

It's too late to think about this now; Megaran has already ended her life.

Although they brought back the blessing left by Megrana, they didn't know what effect it would have.

Mayumi Haga currently has no intention of exploring the specific content of the blessing; her thoughts are still quite chaotic, and she doesn't really want to do anything.

Never mind, I'll go take a shower first.

The water in the fish tank where she fought with Megaran wasn't actually very clear, and it was mixed with blood and a lot of bodily fluids... In short, if it weren't for the filter of this world, Mayumi Haga felt that she definitely didn't smell very good.

Despite her clean appearance, she always felt that her nasal cavity was filled with a strong odor.

...This is my friend's blood.

Thinking of this, Mayumi Haga found it even more unbearable.

So she spent ten minutes carefully washing off the things that had gotten on her body before she finally felt a little warmer, as if she had come back to her senses from that cold hell.

She returned to her room wrapped in a bath towel and casually picked out a nightgown.

Mayumi Haga's pajamas are mostly loose-fitting; she doesn't usually choose dresses, so her pajamas are usually a combination of tops and pants. She stood with her back to the desk, putting on her underwear and then slipping on the loose top.

While I was putting on my pants, I suddenly heard a flirtatious whistle.

Haga Mayumi: "?"

She turned around alertly, but found no one else in the room. Behind her was only a desk with Megaran's head on it.

If there's anything new that appeared today, it's only Megaran's head.

"..." Could it be that this thing is making strange noises?

Mayumi Haga frowned, put on her pants, and walked over.

She picked up the head and examined it closely, but the thing fell silent again.

"Could it be my imagination..." she murmured, leaning closer to examine it more closely.

There was no reaction; the smile on that head remained exactly the same as before.

Yumi Haga was a little disappointed. She put her head on the bookshelf and decided to rest first.

She usually has difficulty falling asleep.

Even if you manage to fall asleep in bed, you'll be trapped in a nightmare from which you can't escape.

But this time, as the back of her head touched the pillow and she grew sleepy, she vaguely heard some sound.

That was the chanting of a water spirit, softly humming an ancient melody that Mayumi Haga had heard in her mother's arms when she was a child, a melody that had been passed down on that land.

There are no lyrics; the simple melody is both gentle and sad.

Moonlight streamed into the room, and soon, the breathing became steady.

Main text: Chapter 88 Avant-garde Decorations

At 11 p.m., Hitomi Tono stood in front of Mayumi Haga's house.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to knock on the door. It was already very late, and she shouldn't have come to see Mayumi at this time. But after learning about what had happened to Mayumi Haga that night, Hitomi Tono couldn't suppress her worry.

Even for a magical girl, sneaking out late at night without transforming is a difficult task, bypassing her parents' curfew. When she transforms, she can fly through her bedroom window, but without transforming, she's stuck facing her father, who always likes to stay in the living room watching TV late at night.

Having finally managed to slip out while her father was in the bathroom, Tono Hitomi hurriedly came out, only to realize that at this time, Haga Mayumi might already be asleep.

She should have checked on her phone first to see if Mayumi was awake; it wouldn't have been good to wake her. Besides, if she knocked here, Mayumi might be inside and wouldn't hear her.

If she could transform now, Tohno Hitomi would have already visited Mayumi's window the moment she heard about her. But she can't transform now…

Looking at the doorplate with the words "Shanshan" written on it, she took a deep breath.

Actually, this apartment was purchased in the name of the guardian, Sugiyama Rika, so the address plate says "Sugiyama" instead of "Haga".

Although Sugiyama Rika is unreliable, at least she knows to ask someone to look after Haga Mayumi. It is precisely because the guardian of this house has been absent that Tono Hitomi has the key to this apartment.

As she left, Hitomi Tohno, though her thoughts were in turmoil due to worry for Mayumi Haga, still managed to slip the item into her pocket. It just so happened to come in handy now.

Just a quick glance...

Hitomi Tohno planned to open the door as quietly as possible to see if Mayumi was sound asleep. If she was, that would be good; she could have a proper talk with Mayumi tomorrow. If she wasn't asleep yet, she would talk to her tonight.

The key was inserted into the lock and turned gently, and the door opened with a click.

The room was pitch black. Tono Hitomi could smell the faint fragrance of the shower gel that Haga Mayumi usually used, so she must have already taken a shower and was probably in the bedroom now.

Hitomi Tono changed into slippers without being told to.

Because I occasionally visit the Mayumi family... or rather, apart from Mayumi Haga herself, only Hitomi Tono has come the most times in recent years. Even Rika Sugiyama, who should have lived here, hasn't come back this many times.

So, there are actually slippers in this house that Hitomi Tono uses.

She walked as quietly as possible, following the layout she remembered, toward Mayumi Haga's bedroom.

However, after entering the room, she sensed that something was amiss.

A woman's humming came from somewhere, a simple and unnamed melodious tune, her voice magnetic and captivating, which immediately piqued her curiosity.

However, this curiosity is also related to Mayumi Haga.

The voice doesn't sound like Mayumi... Could it be Mayumi listening to music?

Mayumi Haga has never seemed to show the slightest interest in music, nor has she ever sung a song. The only time we saw Mayumi Haga showing interest in music was in that strange dream not long ago.

In that dream, Mayumi played the accordion with exquisite skill and great enthusiasm.

To be honest, because the person was so different from the Mayumi Haga that Hitomi Tono knew, she once thought that she could only believe half of what she saw in the dream.

Apart from that one time, Tono Hitomi never encountered Mayumi Haga again who actively got involved with music.

She was somewhat interested in the music style that Mayumi Haga would like.

With that thought in mind, Hitomi Tono approached Mayumi Haga's room, and sure enough, she heard the music getting clearer and clearer.

However, the clearer the sound, the less it felt like a recording.

It feels like there's actually someone singing inside.

Hitomi Tono was confused.

It's this late, did Mayumi invite someone over to sing karaoke...? Wait, it's 11 o'clock, and the two of them are alone in one room?!

Hitomi Tono sensed something was wrong.

She almost immediately wanted to push open the door to see who was in Mayumi's room, but as her hand touched the doorknob, she suddenly realized something.

The lights were off in the room.

That means Mayumi has already gone to sleep.

The person singing in Mayumi's room while she was already asleep... could they be a weirdo with hypnotic abilities?

Feeling that things were getting increasingly strange, Hitomi Tono finally made up her mind and pushed open the door.

The lights inside were off, and the curtains were drawn tightly.

However, there is a light source.

It was a human head emitting a faint blue light.

It was the head of a strange woman, only the head and a section of the neck remained. Her blue hair had also been cut off when she was beheaded. At this moment, she was eerily opening her eyes, which should have been tightly closed. The singing that had just been heard came from her mouth.

The scene was so terrifying that Hitomi Tono's mind went completely blank for a moment.

“Head, head, head…” she stammered, pointing at the head.