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

Chapter 99 - Stay by your side



“I think I saw YouYu.”

At noon, after school let out, WuYue called out to Bai Yu and said this to her.

“…What did you say?”

Bai Yu froze for a moment, unable to believe WuYue’s words. She stopped unlocking her bike and stood up. Staring into WuYue’s earnest eyes, she stayed silent for a while before speaking.

“You must have mistaken someone else.”

“No, I’m certain.”

WuYue shook her head, her tone resolute.

“This morning, I was running late because of something. Just as I arrived at school and was heading to park my bike, I caught a glimpse of someone’s back…”

“And when I saw that figure, even though I didn’t know who it was, I felt this strange sense of familiarity!”

“I followed that feeling and ran after them! Although I didn’t see anything in the end, the gem on my necklace glowed faintly.”

As she spoke, WuYue lifted the gem around her neck with her hand, took a deep breath, and said:

“So, I’m sure it was YouYu!”

“Although…”

Her voice faltered, uncertainty creeping into her tone as if she had just remembered something.

“Although I don’t know who the blonde girl standing next to him was…”

“But I’m sure it was him!”

After hearing WuYue’s words and watching her expression shift from firm to hesitant, Bai Yu fell silent.

A moment ago, she was so certain, so convinced that YouYu was still out there.

But now… You don’t even sound sure yourself, do you, WuYue?

Could it be that you really haven’t——

“……”

“Is that so…”

“Then maybe you should keep looking.”

After a long pause, Bai Yu couldn’t bring herself to voice what was on her mind.

She had wanted to tell WuYue the “truth” right then and there.

But what if saying it made things even worse?

She didn’t want to see things spiral out of control again, nor could she bear the weight of such a responsibility.

So… It was probably best to just say what she always had before.

“Yeah, I’ll definitely keep looking.”

WuYue nodded, her expression unreadable.

She glanced at Bai Yu’s conflicted face, then sighed softly.

“Bai Yu, can you still keep helping me look?”

“…I can——“

But before Bai Yu could finish, WuYue cut her off.

“But you’ve been working long hours lately, right? And with all the schoolwork piling up, if you keep helping me now, you’ll just exhaust yourself even more.”

“So this time, you should take a proper break. After all, we’ve been looking every day; one day won’t make a difference… If you collapse before we find YouYu, that would be bad.”

Bai Yu hadn’t expected WuYue to say something like this and found herself at a loss for words, standing there dumbfounded.

Seeing that Bai Yu had nothing more to say, WuYue remained silent as well. She climbed onto her bike, ready to leave.

Before leaving, she said to Bai Yu:

“Bai Yu, thank you for helping me search for YouYu all this time.”

“But… If you’re only doing it out of guilt and not because you truly want to, it’s exhausting.”

“If you can, I hope you’ll take some time to rest.”

With that, WuYue left, leaving Bai Yu standing there alone.

Watching WuYue ride off into the distance, Bai Yu finally snapped out of it and sighed deeply.

“So, she noticed after all…”

Bai Yu wasn’t surprised by this turn of events.

If at the very beginning she still held a sliver of hope because of WuYue, that hope had long since disappeared after all this time.

Especially just now… When WuYue told her she saw YouYu.

It only made Bai Yu think that WuYue might be reaching her breaking point.

“……”

“I guess I’ll go look…”

Staring at the ground, Bai Yu deliberated for a long time before making a decision.

Just this once, she’d believe WuYue again and go search for YouYu.

Even though she knew… there was no way to find him.

But regardless of the outcome…

After this search, she’d have to tell WuYue the truth and make her face reality.

If this lie went on any longer… Things could get even worse.

She couldn’t let that happen again.

If YouYu were still here, he wouldn’t want that either.

“……”

With these thoughts, Bai Yu unlocked her bike and wheeled it towards the school gate.

She glanced back at the spot where YouYu used to wait to pick up WuYue when he had the time. Then, sighing deeply, she climbed onto her bike and rode away.

Unbeknownst to her, every move she made after leaving the school was watched from a distance by Liu Meng and YouYu, who stood outside a convenience store.

“Looks like Bai Yu didn’t notice you the way WuYue did…”

Watching Bai Yu ride off, Liu Meng relaxed, her hand falling away from the gem around her neck.

She turned to YouYu and asked:

“So, how about now, YouYu?”

“Have you remembered anything?”

“……”

Earlier that morning, they had taken a preliminary walk around the school, but to no avail. Liu Meng had then decided to take YouYu to other places to jog his memory.

Unfortunately, even after visiting various spots, YouYu still showed no signs of regaining his memories. In the end, he suggested they come back to the school.

Just one more look at Bai Yu and WuYue—seeing them, even from a distance, might help.

Hearing his suggestion, Liu Meng had thought it over and agreed to bring him back.

However, she made sure they didn’t interact directly, to prevent any uncontrollable incidents.

“It feels like… I’ve remembered a few things.”

After a long silence, YouYu lifted his head, covering his face with his hand, his expression pained.

“But it’s all so blurry, unclear! What I see are just fragments!”

“I’ve been trying so hard to remember, but there’s still nothing… nothing substantial.”

“And after going to all those places today…”

“Is that so…”

Watching his agonized expression, Liu Meng stood quietly for a moment. Then, she sighed and stepped forward, placing a hand gently on his head. Her tone was soft as she spoke:

“You’ve worked hard, YouYu. I can tell how much you want to regain your memories… Earlier, when we visited those places, you looked so focused, like you were giving it your all. I know… you’re eager to uncover the truth.”

“But we can’t rush things. If you keep pushing yourself like this, the frustration of not achieving anything will only hold you back.”

“So—let’s take it slow.”

“……”

After a brief pause, seeing that YouYu’s expression had softened slightly, Liu Meng smiled and continued:

“YouYu, we have plenty of time ahead to recover your memories. If you’re tired now, it’s okay to take a break.”

“So… don’t worry.”

“I’ll stay by your side until you get your memories back.”

 


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