Chapter 445

It's clear that my life wasn't entirely clear or fulfilling to begin with.

But this still happened.

She reached out and wiped her already tear-stained eyes, and at that moment, she felt her hand being gently grasped. It was a long, slender hand, somewhat similar to Haihara's, wiping away her tears.

"I know... I heard you say that Lily had already planned it out, didn't she?"

Although Ryo can be confusing at times, when you pay attention, she's always by Haihara Kazama Kiriori's side, listening to what they have to say.

That's why Kazama Kiriori can't understand it.

Since Liang acted as if he genuinely cared about them.

But even in situations like this, she chooses to stand by and do nothing.

Because Kazama didn't want to lose respect for Ryo, he never asked her why.

She lowered her head, and the other person's cold hand was stroking her face, wiping away tears.

In the silence, her voice was low and hoarse:

"So you knew this would happen all along... You knew about it on Christmas Day, and you've been watching what's happening today too."

"If they had known all along, why... didn't they do anything?"

This is not an interrogation.

She didn't think it was Liang's fault.

However, she felt that the person in front of her was also feeling sad at this moment.

If it's the law of R'lyeh, then it's far too pale for the person before him.

Normally, Liang might have said something like that, just to be perfunctory.

She opened her mouth.

"..."

For once, Liang's gaze lingered for a moment, flickering uncertainly. His usually cold and handsome face seemed less intelligent now, tinged with an immature melancholy.

She doesn't need me to do that.

Her tone was calm yet certain.

Despite Kazama Kiriori's confusion, Ryo's gaze remained unwavering.

"... What?"

Ryo's gaze drifted elsewhere, looking at the objects in the room that were related to Haihara.

Among these are many mementos belonging to Haihara and others.

But there wasn't a single thing related to coolness.

It's not that Haihara would throw those things away.

Instead, Ryo rarely gave Haihara anything that she could keep as a memento.

"That means, in her eyes, I should be no longer relevant to her affairs."

She repeated herself in a different way.

"She rejected me, abandoned me, and loathed me."

"Although I can still be by her side in this way, she no longer needs me."

She narrated it naturally, as if it were a self-evident fact.

After he finished speaking, the living room fell silent.

In Liang's view, it was never that she didn't want to do something.

Rather, she doesn't need to do that.

Because in her eyes, Haihara wouldn't need her to do anything, nor would she want her help.

Therefore, she has never interfered with anything except what Haihara specifically asked her to do.

"I still don't understand..."

Kazama Kiriori did not recognize the person Ryo was referring to.

This sounds completely unrelated to the Haihara that Kazama Kiriori knows.

Even if you've heard the preceding words, you still won't know who they're talking about.

This puzzled her and gave her an uncomfortable sense of unease.

But it felt strangely familiar.

I've experienced this feeling before with the Flower Demon King...

How should I describe it?

---They all treated their mother as someone else, someone they didn't know or understand.

Furthermore, she used her impression of that person to convey her mother's thoughts.

Isn't this also considered... part of the mistake?

So you're doing nothing? Even if you feel you could do something?

She asked, surprised.

Kazama Kiriori seems to understand a little.

It's not just her who doesn't know the correct way to do things; sometimes, even asking others doesn't guarantee a correct conclusion.

But then she heard the woman say---

"So, I chose you."

Kazama Kiriori was puzzled for a moment, then naturally lowered her gaze. At that moment, she could see the silver ring that was exposed after the sleeve of her clothes was torn on her arm.

It was Magic Armament that Ryo had given her before.

It's also Magic Armament for cooling oneself down.

This Magic Armament connects the two of them. If Kazama Kiriori possesses this Magic Armament, it means that Ryo cannot transform. If Ryo takes it back, it means that Kazama Kiriori loses her qualification as Magic girl.

Suddenly, Kazama Kiriori realized that Ryo hadn't actually done nothing.

"I hope you can be an extension of me, a continuation of my relationship with her."

But I also hope that you are you.

The woman's hand stroked Kazama Kiriori's wet hair; snow and blood mingled together, melting and dripping through the cold strands of hair.

Kazama Kiriori will become a different person from Ryo.

In Ryo's eyes, Kazama Kiriori is a good child who always thinks of others. Although she makes mistakes occasionally, she always makes the right choice in the end.

"You can do the right thing that I can't do."

This time is no different.

Kazama Kiriori must make the right choice herself.

Inside Doctor Hong Shang's research institute.

Kuroki Yuka was standing guard at the door, observing his surroundings intently but out of boredom, wary of another sudden enemy attack.

Meanwhile, Takanashi and Sakaki Chika, who are skilled in Magic, stayed together in the laboratory, studying the Crystal left behind by the Doctor that prevented the absorption of Snake-Type Magic.

They are working hard to improve the Magic Spell on these unfinished products, hoping to make them more durable in battle and buy more time.

Both of them were very serious and focused, and since the room was warm, Sakaki Chika even had beads of sweat on her forehead.

But suddenly, while she was focused and attentive, Sakaki Chika heard some sounds that caught her attention.

At first, she couldn't quite tell what the sound was.

When she looked up, Sakaki Chika was stunned and realized what that sound was.

It was a soft sobbing sound.

She held back her tears.

Sakaki Chika was very familiar with this sound, because she herself had often had to endure it in the past.

However, the sound came from...

"... Shiori?"

Sakaki Chika's face initially showed confusion, followed by worry.

The Takanashi Shiori, standing before her, was still diligently inscribing Magic Spell on the Crystal, but her usually aloof and adorable face now looked somewhat disheveled and pitiful.

To be honest, Sakaki Chika was completely dumbfounded.

Are they crying? Is it their Takanashi Shiori -san?

After being discovered, Takanashi looked panicked and embarrassed, and turned her face away.

"I'm sorry, I..."

She probably felt weak and ashamed of herself for looking like that.

Sakaki Chika's mind was in complete chaos; she never expected that it would be Takanashi who would be crying at this moment.

Although she could understand that at a time like this... the entire city was in danger, and even the teachers had been arrested because of their mistakes.

Sakaki Chika put down her work carving Magic Crystal and rushed to Takanashi's side, wiping away the tears that Takanashi could no longer hold back.

"Shiori, are you alright? What happened?"

She tried her best to comfort her in the gentlest voice.

She was always the one crying in the past.

Takanashi tried to avoid wasting time and continued carving the Magic Spell in this state, but worried that she would carve it crookedly in this condition, so she had to put down the quill. Then, as if she finally couldn't hold back anymore, she looked somewhat broken down.

"I... I don't know, I don't know what happened."

Takanashi doesn't want Sakaki Chika to see her current appearance, but the laboratory is quite spacious.

"I just don't understand... why I'm always so useless."

That usually aloof and enigmatic girl lowered her head, awkwardly wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"I used to be weak and stupid, completely useless. I was always a burden when you were fighting..."

"Now... now... I finally became a little stronger, thinking I could be of some help."

"I've been trying my best to find a solution, and I've also been conducting thorough research. I've been learning new Magic from Professor Roland lately, hoping to put it to good use and help out..."

When she cried, she was more unable to hold back her tears than anyone else.

Takanashi was now crying incessantly and clumsily, just like a little child, her nose twitching pathetically and tears streaming down her face.

"In the end, I'm still so useless... I couldn't help at all. Someone got hurt, so many people are in danger now, and I couldn't even protect the teacher..."

Why can't I do anything right?

It seems that Takanashi is not as calm as she appeared before, nor as indifferent to everyone as she seemed on the surface.

She cares more than anyone else about whether she can help others.

She was also very concerned, as she had been very weak before and seemed to be a useless character among the group.

It was only then that Sakaki Chika realized that Takanashi seemed to have been bearing the pressure and responsibility of the group of girls treating her as their leader.

Because Takanashi is the only Magic girl from R'lyeh and carries a mission from there, their actions have been decided by Takanashi until now.

This plan to deal with the Flower Demon King is also part of that.

But as it turned out, their plans were completely out of sync with the ensuing changes.

It's impossible not to feel helpless.

Thinking of this, Sakaki Chika wiped away Takanashi 'Takanashi tears, comforting him as if he were a child.

She's not exactly a good talker either.

At times like this, she couldn't say anything particularly reasonable, but she immediately comforted Takanashi.