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

The Next Day

“……”

“Huff…”

As usual, Liu Meng woke up an hour before work. She shook her head, gradually regaining clarity, and reached for her phone on the bed beside her to check the time.

“Mm, just on time again. No issues there.”

With that thought, Liu Meng got out of bed and prepared to start her morning routine.

Her habit of waking up so early stemmed from being a light sleeper. Despite that, she had an exceptional ability to recover her energy. Taking advantage of this early morning time, she went to check on YouYu in his room.

Creaaaak—

The door was gently pushed open. YouYu was still sleeping soundly, his breathing steady. Liu Meng watched him for a while, then let out a relaxed sigh. She quietly closed the door, careful not to disturb him.

At least for now, he seemed to be okay.

Her next step was to finish her morning tasks quickly and head out to work.

…

After freshening up, Liu Meng returned to her room to change clothes, tidied up her belongings, and slung her bag over her shoulder, ready to leave. But there was one more thing to do before heading out.

“…It’s been a while since I last cooked, but I think I still have enough time. If I let him eat just bread or snacks, it might not be enough to restore his energy.”

“Besides, having a warm meal might help ease his negative emotions a little.”

With this in mind, Liu Meng headed to the kitchen. Looking at the freshly cleaned space from yesterday, she wasted no time. She pulled out the last remaining noodles from the fridge and got to work.

“……”

About ten minutes later, a bowl of noodles was ready—complete with two eggs, minced meat, and some greens. While it wasn’t visually impressive, the portion was generous.

Given how long it had been since she last cooked, this was the best she could manage.

Clank—

After preparing the noodles, Liu Meng placed them in a container to keep them warm. She took out her phone to let YouYu know about the meal but then realized…

“He doesn’t seem to have a phone right now.”

Remembering this, she made a mental note to get him one later. For now, she went back to her room, tore a piece of paper, and wrote a note.

She placed the note on the living room table where YouYu would see it once he came out. Then, realizing she still had some time left, she added more details to the note—explaining how to use the household items, places he shouldn’t go, things he shouldn’t touch, and a strict reminder not to leave the house.

Finally, to avoid any unexpected incidents, Liu Meng clasped the yellow gem around her neck and activated her mana. She set up a simple structure to monitor negative emotions within the house.

“That should do it.”

With everything in place, Liu Meng checked on YouYu one last time before closing his door gently. She locked the front door securely and headed to her workplace.

Her goal for the day wasn’t just work but also to investigate YouYu’s life before he lost his memory.

…

Soon, she arrived at the cake shop.

Since it was a school day, Bai Yu wasn’t among the morning staff. Liu Meng worked through the morning until noon, planning to talk to Bai Yu during the afternoon shift.

At lunchtime, Liu Meng didn’t forget that YouYu was at home, so she took a quick break to check on him. She made him another meal, gave him a few reminders, and hurried back to work.

Her actions felt like those of a busy mother, trying to juggle work while caring for a child. It reminded YouYu of his elementary school days, filling him with a mix of emotions.

However, Liu Meng didn’t notice the odd expression on YouYu’s face at that moment. She finished her tasks quickly and returned to work, solving her own lunch needs with bread from the shop.

…

As the afternoon rolled around, students began pouring out of schools.

Not long after, Liu Meng spotted a blue-haired girl—Bai Yu—walking into the shop.

Taking a closer look, Liu Meng noticed something was off. While Bai Yu’s expression was its usual indifferent self, her posture and subtle details in her attire hinted at a sense of exhaustion and defeat.

“……”

“It seems this has something to do with YouYu,” Liu Meng thought, masking her curiosity by pretending to retrieve something from the back.

By coincidence, she bumped into Bai Yu, whose mood was clearly sour.

Feigning surprise, Liu Meng exclaimed, “Oh? You’re Bai Yu, right? Haven’t seen you these past few days. The shop’s been overwhelmed without you. Did something happen for you to take such a long leave?”

“Ah… that…” 

Bai Yu hesitated. Hearing Liu Meng call her name, she adjusted her emotions and replied unnaturally, “No, it’s nothing. I just had some trouble with my studies recently and needed a few days to sort it out.”

“I see.” Liu Meng smiled and said warmly, “Make sure to take care of yourself. As a student, studying is the most important thing right now.”

“If there’s anything on your mind, you can talk to me. I’ve been through it myself and might be able to help.”

“…Thanks!” Bai Yu nodded, but it was clear she wasn’t in the mood to chat. She quickly thanked Liu Meng and rushed off to change into her work uniform.

Watching Bai Yu’s retreating figure, Liu Meng dropped her smile, piecing things together.

“Guilt… self-blame. She reminds me of those magical girls I’ve encountered before.”

If her assumptions were correct, the situation was likely this: YouYu had turned into a Negative Beast, and the magical girls were forced to fight him.

However, due to some twist of fate, YouYu had survived. The girls, unaware of this, were still wallowing in the guilt of having “killed” someone.

But this was only Liu Meng’s guess.

Before meeting the other magical girl—the one with pink hair—she wouldn’t jump to conclusions.

Still…

“If my observations were right, YouYu seemed close to WuYue.”

“But… after those days of ordering birthday cakes, he started frequently chatting and joking with Bai Yu here at the shop.”

Frowning, Liu Meng muttered, “YouYu…”

“What’s your relationship with these two magical girls?”

Did he truly follow through on the promise he made so earnestly to the words she had unintentionally spoken back then?