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

However, now was clearly not the time to be lost in thought.

So, while keeping a nervous eye on the distant Ouja, WuYue took a moment to dash over to Bai Yu’s side. Without taking her gaze off the Ouja, she asked:

“Are you holding up okay? Are you hurt anywhere? I might be able to heal you!”

“…It’s just the pain for now, no real injuries yet…”

Bai Yu shook her head and replied.

Then she continued:

“Be careful. That strange person is called the Ouja. I’ve never seen him before… and he’s really strong.”

“…If possible, we should avoid fighting him.”

“Huh? Even with the two of us, we can’t take him on?”

“…”

“…When he appeared, he killed both the Negative beast and the Cadre Puppet.”

After a moment of silence, Bai Yu said.

“With our current strength… it might be difficult to deal with him.”

“Plus, I fought the Negative beast before he arrived, and I was ambushed.”

“So… I’m not in the best condition.”

“…”

The situation was more dire than WuYue had thought.

…If only she had arrived a little earlier, things might not have turned out this way.

With a bitter feeling in her heart, WuYue lead Bai Yu backward while turning her head to speak:

“Then, let me take you to a safe place first! I’ll bring you to YouYu… he can look after you there… or, if you can, you can head there yourself!”

“…Alright.”

Bai Yu nodded, agreeing to WuYue’s plan, though she didn’t notice the change in WuYue’s expression.

Then, something else crossed her mind, and she asked:

“What about you? What will you do afterward?”

“…I have to stay here and defeat him.”

After glancing at Ouja, WuYue said firmly.

After all, she wasn’t naive enough to believe that Ouja would just give them time to catch their breath without attacking.

What if, after escaping with Bai Yu, Ouja went on a rampage and attacked innocent people?

She didn’t want to see that happen.

So… even if he was incredibly powerful, she had to stay and fight.

As long as there was even the slightest chance of victory, she would fight for it.

“…”

“Then I should also—”

“I won’t let you stay.”

Before Bai Yu could finish, WuYue interrupted her.

“Even though you’re… pretty annoying, it’s because of them that you ended up like this, right?”

“Before, YouYu advised me… to talk to and work with you.”

“And then… to fight side by side. That’s better than fighting alone.”

“If possible, it would be best to become friends.”

WuYue glanced at Ouja as she spoke, who was also watching them from afar.

“That day… after thinking it over for a long time, out of my personal will, I decided.”

“To become friends with you, even though you seem pretty annoying.”

“…”

“So, if it’s because of them that you’re so annoying…”

“I’ll help you defeat them.”

“But if you die… then defeating them would be meaningless.”

“But…”

“No buts!”

Seeing Bai Yu frowning, about to argue, WuYue became a bit flustered and said:

“I just don’t want to see anyone get hurt or anyone… die, even if it’s someone annoying like you. Got it!”

“If you understand… then hurry up and leave! Go to YouYu!”

“Otherwise… I might change my mind…”

“…”

“Alright.”

After a moment of silence, Bai Yu looked at WuYue standing protectively before her, nodded, then turned and “escaped” without hesitation, moving at lightning speed.

Watching this, Ouja, who had been silently observing the entire exchange without interrupting, clicked his tongue with a mix of regret and barely noticeable relief. He said:

“Tsk tsk tsk… What a selfless act. You’re that newly appeared magical girl, aren’t you? And you’ve already found your ‘ideal’? Protecting everyone?”

“Hmm… With that ‘wish,’ you might indeed become quite powerful. I hope you don’t disappoint me…”

“…Tsk! What’s with your character? Some kind of ‘battle freak’? Disappointed or not… if you want to fight, then stop talking and just get on with it!”

Hearing what Ouja said, WuYue snapped back to reality, turning her gaze sharply toward him.

As she stared him down, she began to think carefully about her next move, planning her attack.

She was a bit nervous, but she could still keep her calm!

After all, in the days after becoming a magical girl, WuYue had studied her combat techniques with YouYu. They had discussed strategies for different enemies—how to fight against massive or similarly-sized opponents.

And now, this was the perfect opportunity to test the results of their discussions!

“Whoo—”

Since this was her first time fighting a humanoid monster, WuYue took a defensive stance for safety. She didn’t take the initiative to attack but waited to spot a flaw in his offense.

Although she wasn’t entirely sure if this approach would work… at least the risk wouldn’t be too high.

“Alright then… bring it on!”

She steeled herself, gathered her courage, and stood her ground without retreating.

“…”

But…

Even after holding this stance, tense for what felt like ages, Ouja across from her still made no move.

He just stood there, watching her like she was some strange creature, without lifting a finger.

“…Tsk!”

Just as she was about to lose her patience and make the first move, Ouja sheathed his sword and said:

“Well… it seems that now is still not the time.”

As he spoke, he glanced to the side—toward a distant tree.

Then, he turned his gaze back to WuYue, laughing as he continued:

“Since all the magical girls are now gathered… I’d prefer to face you all together in a proper fight~”

“If it’s a series of one-on-one battles or sneak attacks… those tactics would just bother me…”

“And besides… it might not be the best thing for you girls either.”

With that, Ouja turned around, summoning a purple portal before him and heading inside.

Before disappearing, he left with one final remark:

“I hope that the next time we meet…”

“You’re capable of being a little more clear-headed, Blue Night.”

“When it’s time to run, just run~ Leave it to your companions. Don’t you understand that simple thing~?”

“Otherwise, if you die too early, my expectations will be all for nothing~.”

Laughing heartily, Ouja disappeared before them, leaving behind a dumbfounded WuYue.

And… Bai Yu, who was hiding up a tree, her face flushed red with anger, feeling utterly humiliated.

“Ouja…”

She spat out the name through gritted teeth.

What exactly is this guy’s motive…?

What is he after?!