Raising magical girls, and leave them with eternal regret?!

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the holiday season had arrived again.

“Boom!”

“Thud!”

“…Alright, that’s enough for today.”

“Okay.”

“Mm.”

During this period, nothing particularly unusual had happened on their end. They continued with their daily training as usual.

However, as time passed and they trained together more, their relationship with Bai Yu gradually shifted. At first, Bai Yu was distant, but now, they could communicate normally.

At the very least, Bai Yu no longer felt so bored and impatient, trying to run off at every opportunity.

As usual, YouYu walked over and handed each of them a bottle of water, saying, “You girls really worked hard lately, making time to fight every day after school.”

“Well, it’s not that big of a deal!” WuYue smiled as she took the water from YouYu’s hand. “After all, this not only strengthens my combat abilities, but it’s also a way to achieve my wish!”

“…A way to achieve your wish, huh?”

…Suddenly, YouYu couldn’t help but think that, from a certain perspective, WuYue’s approach might be a bit concerning. It could increase the likelihood of developing certain ‘yandere’ tendencies.

But YouYu reasoned that, at least for now, the effects wouldn’t show up too quickly.

Besides, by the time WuYue reached the point of fulfilling her “wish,” a few more training sessions wouldn’t make much of a difference.

With that thought, YouYu stopped worrying and instead turned to Bai Yu, saying, “We’re planning to grab a bite at that restaurant later… Why don’t you come with us? My treat, no need to worry about it.”

“…Me? I don’t really see the need,” Bai Yu responded. Bai Yu was a bit hesitant at first, but in the end, she frowned and refused his invitation.

“…Is that so?”

After thinking for a moment, YouYu continued, “Hmm, WuYue, what do you think?”

Hearing her name mentioned, WuYue, who was still immersed in joy, suddenly remembered the plans they had and deliberately put on a disappointed expression. She sighed dramatically,

“Sigh—Bai Yu, are you really not going to come? Lately, the only time we’ve talked has been during combat training. At school… it’s so rare even to catch a glimpse of you.”

“It’s such a rare occasion today… and during the holiday, no less. Why not spare some time to eat with us? We really want to chat with you, please?”

“…”

Seeing WuYue “plead” like that, even someone as thick-skinned as Bai Yu couldn’t hold her ground any longer. With a sigh, she finally relented, “Alright, alright, I’ll go. It’s just one meal… It’s not a big deal.”

After all, it wasn’t like there was any harm in it. Her previous reluctance stemmed from some strange feelings inside her, but now that she was starting to accept things, going this once shouldn’t be a problem.

Besides, it might even help her achieve her “wish.”

Bai Yu reassured herself with these thoughts.

Seeing Bai Yu finally agree, YouYu let out a breath of relief and said, “Alright then, let’s head out right now. If we’re late, there might not be any seats left.”

He was eager to get going. After all, after days of effort, they had finally managed to improve their relationship with Bai Yu.

So now… he wanted to seize this opportunity and see if they could grow even closer.

And so, with each of them harbouring their own thoughts, the three of them made their way to the restaurant…

————

Once again, they arrived at that familiar restaurant. YouYu led them to the usual spot where he and WuYue often dined together and sat down.

How should he put it… He had a feeling that, from now on, no matter what happened, they might end up discussing things here. Just like in those anime where the main characters always have a go-to meeting spot, right?

Amused by his own thoughts, YouYu glanced over at WuYue and Bai Yu, who had also taken their seats. After clearing his throat a few times, he turned to Bai Yu and said, “Order whatever you want. It’s on me, so don’t worry about it.”

“…Alright,” Bai Yu nodded, acknowledging YouYu’s offer.

She picked up the small menu booklet and started browsing, though her movements were still a bit restrained, much like when he first brought WuYue here. It was kind of nostalgic.

“Speaking of which, Bai Yu.”

“Hmm?”

Noticing the array of vegetarian dishes Bai Yu had selected, WuYue couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Are you… a vegetarian?”

“…Not exactly. It’s just that I’ve been eating mostly vegetarian food lately, so I ended up ordering these today, too.”

“Ah, I see…”

For some reason, Bai Yu felt that WuYue’s gaze had suddenly shifted, softening with an inexplicable hint of pity.

It was probably just her imagination.

“Well, it’s no big deal. Everyone has their own tastes. It’s totally normal.”

YouYu, however, didn’t think much of it and chose not to say anything further.

He quickly shifted the topic, saying,

“By the way, Bai Yu, what have you been up to lately? When I tried to reach you on your phone, you always seemed busy and didn’t reply.”

“…That’s because I’ve been working part-time. Besides school, I need to earn money. Otherwise… relying on my family’s savings, although it can also last for some time, It won’t be forever.”

“Hmm, it sounds like your situation is pretty similar to what WuYue went through before, right?”

“You could say that,” Bai Yu nodded in agreement.

Although she wasn’t particularly eager to discuss this topic, after a moment’s thought, she decided it wasn’t a big deal to talk about.

After all, over the past few weeks, she had come to know them better, so perhaps sharing a little could help alleviate the unease she’d been feeling.

Maybe, just maybe, this would help her hold out until the day she finally realized her wish.

“I see… that must be tough. If you ever need help with anything, just let us know. We’re here for you,” YouYu replied after listening to her.

He decided not to press further on this subject for now, instead steering the conversation toward lighter topics—life, entertainment, and other casual matters.

At the moment, it wasn’t the right time to dig deeper into her situation.

He decided to wait for later, hoping an opportunity would present itself. Maybe, during the course of their conversation, he could find a way to approach Bai Yu’s family situation more naturally and dig a little deeper into the topic.