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

As usual, after a tiring day at work, Liu Meng packed up her things early, opened her umbrella, and began her journey home.

But… she hadn’t expected that this time, she would encounter someone completely unexpected on her way home.

Someone she’d only met once and should have had no further connection with—

“…Is that…?”

Her eyes widened as she stared at the man slumped against the alley wall, head bowed, blood streaming down his body, washed away by the pouring rain. Liu Meng furrowed her brows, staring in disbelief for a long moment.

This alley was typically deserted, her private shortcut home.

Why was someone here? And in such a condition…

After pondering for a moment, she stepped forward, crouched down, and got a good look at the man’s face.

One glance was enough to confirm it.

No mistake—this man was someone she’d seen at work once before. The person who had ordered a custom birthday cake for a magical girl.

If she recalled correctly, his name was YouYu.

But why was he here?

And how did he end up in such a battered state?

As she contemplated, Liu Meng shifted her gaze over his body, searching for clues. That’s when she noticed the black cracks on his arm, faintly emitting a purple glow.

The sight made Liu Meng jump in shock. Something seemed to dawn on her, and she immediately stood up, taking a few steps back. Breathing heavily, she appeared momentarily frightened.

After a pause to calm herself, she looked back at the cracks on YouYu’s arm, her expression darkening. She couldn’t stop herself from murmuring under her breath:

“Why… is this happening again?”

“Did those two magical girls fail?”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Liu Meng tried to suppress her thoughts, turned her head, and continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

But after a few steps, her pace felt unbearably slow.

She sighed, turned back, and glanced at where YouYu lay collapsed.

He was still there, motionless.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Quickly, Liu Meng walked to his side, holding the umbrella over him. 

Yet, even after a long pause, YouYu didn’t respond, his head still drooping as he remained unconscious.

“…Tch.”

Helpless, Liu Meng glanced at the yellow gem on her necklace, which glowed faintly. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing it.

“Shh—!”

The yellow light spread across her body in an instant before fading away.

Feeling the power coursing through her, Liu Meng crouched down again. Grabbing one of YouYu’s arms, she slung it over her shoulder, lifting him into a barely-standing position.

Then, holding up the umbrella, she began dragging him, step by step, toward her home.

…

“…”

“Where… am I?”

In the darkness.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the unconscious YouYu finally opened his eyes, groggily taking in his surroundings.

He was in a nearly empty room with only a single door.

The room was pitch-black except for a lone overhead lamp that barely illuminated the space around him.

Perplexed, YouYu tried to move toward the door but quickly discovered that he couldn’t leave the chair he was seated in, no matter how much he tried.

Looking down, he realized his legs were shackled with iron cuffs, and his hands were bound behind the chair.

“I’ve been kidnapped?!”

Realizing how dire his situation was, YouYu’s first reaction was panic, but he quickly calmed himself and began thinking of ways to escape.

Just then—

Creaaak—

The door to the room suddenly opened.

Alerted by the sound, YouYu looked up to see a blonde-haired, red-eyed girl with twin tails entering, holding a bottle of water.

“…Oh? You’re awake?”

Noticing YouYu’s open eyes, the girl froze momentarily before walking over to him. She placed the water bottle against his lips.

“I know you have a lot of questions, but first, drink this. You’ve gone a long time without water, and dehydration can be dangerous.”

“…”

Seeing that YouYu remained silent, staring at her cautiously, the girl clicked her tongue in annoyance. Her tone grew impatient.

“Hurry up. Don’t waste my time.”

“…”

Perhaps intimidated, or perhaps realizing he had no alternative, YouYu hesitated briefly before opening his mouth to drink the water she offered.

As he finished, her irritated expression softened slightly. After a moment, she brought in a chair from outside, placed it in front of him, and sat down.

Just as YouYu opened his mouth to speak, the girl interrupted him.

“Wait! Let me ask my questions first, then you can talk.”

“What questions?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. Look at your arm and see for yourself.”

Following her words, YouYu turned to examine his arm. His gaze landed on the black crack, and his frown deepened.

He thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out what it was.

Helpless, he turned back to the girl and said, “I really don’t know what this crack is, but I can feel that it’s dangerous… Do you know what it is?”

“Hah? You’ve been hanging around those two magical girls all this time, and you’re telling me you have no idea?”

“…Magical girls? What are you even talking about? I don’t understand?”

“Wait…”

Watching YouYu’s furrowed brows and his utterly confused expression, the girl’s demeanor shifted to one of seriousness.

She remained silent for a moment before pulling out her phone and showing him a photo—a picture of a cake.

“Do you recognize this?”

“That? It’s just a regular birthday cake. Of course I recognize it.”

“This is the birthday cake you custom-ordered at the shop I work at. I was the one who served you. Don’t you remember?”

“…I don’t recall ever doing such a thing.”

After thinking for a moment, YouYu shook his head.

Seeing his response, the girl was finally certain.

“Tch! It had to be this kind of mess.”

“What mess?”

Sighing, the girl looked at him and said:

“In short, you’ve lost your memory.”