Raise Magical Girls and Leave Them With Eternal Regret

48. Then, wouldn’t it be better to lock you up?

“A step closer relationship…”

“…”

After hearing Wuyue’s words, Youyu fell silent for a moment, then tried to pull his hand away from hers.

However, at that moment, Wuyue’s grip felt like a vice, holding his hand firmly, rendering him unable to move.

Since Youyu couldn’t reveal his strength here, he tried a few more times, confirming that he truly couldn’t withdraw his hand. He sighed and said to Wuyue:

“Wuyue, could you please let go of my hand for now?”

“Right now… it’s really inconvenient for me to talk, and your grip is hurting my hand.”

“…Ah! Sorry!”

Wuyue hadn’t reacted to the previous statements, but upon hearing the word “hurt,” she instinctively released her grip, allowing Youyu to retract his hand.

Watching Youyu lower his head, shaking his wrist that had turned red from her grip, Wuyue felt a bit embarrassed and said:

“I’m sorry… Yuyu, I just got a bit too excited earlier, and I accidentally…”

“…It’s okay, anyway, it’s not a big deal.”

After pretending to move his wrist that had been pinched, Yuyu lifted his head and looked at Wuyue, who was a bit hesitant to meet his gaze due to her guilt. He sighed.

“At least right now, she really doesn’t have any thoughts of wanting to hurt me… but there was a hint of it just now.”

“…”

He had to keep her steady; if something really went wrong, it would be a disaster for him.

So, after thinking for a while, Yuyu said:

“Ahem!”

“Then, Wuyue, first, I want to ask you some questions.”

“When you talk about a deeper relationship, what do you mean?”

“And… why do you want our relationship to go further?”

Although Yuyu knew these questions might sound a bit strange, it was necessary to clarify her true thoughts.

Only then could he decide how to respond next…

“…”

Upon hearing Yuyu’s questions, Wuyue didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she kept her head down, as if she were pondering something.

After a while, she finally lifted her head, and at that moment, her face was already tinged with a rosy hue.

With a flushed face and a shy tone, Wuyue expressed what she desired:

“A closer relationship… is, um, like…”

“…”

She stumbled over her words for a moment, then took a breath before continuing:

“Like… something similar to being a couple… maybe?”

“…A couple, huh.”

Upon hearing her words, Yuyu didn’t show any signs of shock or surprise; he simply nodded calmly and then asked:

“What about the next question? Why do you want our relationship to be like this?”

“…Why?”

Wuyue fell silent for a moment.

Was there really a reason for that question?

Taking a deep breath, and having already revealed the reason behind her earlier statement, Wuyue let go of her so-called shame and spoke earnestly:

“Because, I like you, Yuyu.”

“No matter in what way… I really like you!”

“So, no matter what, I want to be with you!”

“My reason… that’s it, nothing more.”

“……”

“I see.”

Nodding slightly, Youyu didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked at her with an intensity that Wuyue had never seen before, a seriousness that was almost overwhelming, and said:

“Let me confirm once more, do you really want this?”

“… Yes, yes! Is… is there a problem?”

Seeing Youyu’s reaction—so different from the joy she had anticipated, his face serious—Wuyue felt the excitement she had just experienced being pressed down once again.

“……”

No, it shouldn’t be like this.

The current situation… feels a bit strange, doesn’t it?

Youyu must be trying to joke, just like before.

Wuyue comforted herself with this thought.

Because… perhaps before Youyu even spoke, she would already know the answer.

Yet, holding onto that faint glimmer of hope, Wuyue decided to wait until she heard Youyu’s answer.

“……”

After receiving a definite answer from Wuyue, Youyu took a deep breath, leaned back against the sofa, and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Watching Youyu remain silent for so long was a torment for Wuyue.

However, she suppressed her urge to “express herself,” fearing she might act out in some extreme way.

“……”

So, after what felt like an eternity in this unbearable silence.

Youyu finally gave his answer—

“… I’m sorry, Wuyue, I can’t do this.”

With an apologetic tone, Youyu said this to her.

“……”

“Why not?”

Her eyes vacant, she spoke in a calm voice.

Even though Wuyue now knew that asking at this point was meaningless.

She still wanted to understand why Youyu would refuse.

“Because I can’t give you lasting happiness, and I can’t guarantee anything else.”

Shaking his head, Youyu said casually.

“…You know? Wuyue, you are now… a magical girl. Whether in terms of life levels or the responsibilities you bear, it’s completely different from me, an ordinary person.”

“…Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned, but I believe that once a relationship is confirmed, it must last a lifetime, living together until the end.”

“Although before, I did promise that I would do my utmost to help you all, but… when it comes to being lifelong partners, I must speak frankly, I might not be able to do that.”

Sighing, Youyu looked at Wuyue, whose eyes were vacant, and glanced at the cup of water in front of her that hadn’t moved for a long time, saying:

“If… that incident hadn’t happened, I might have agreed to you, Wuyue.”

“But now, it’s impossible.”

“…”

“Because, I might die.”

“As a magical girl, you will fight, you will battle those monsters, you will confront those higher-ups, always in danger.”

“I can’t just stand there watching you suffer, watching you in pain.”

“Because I am just like you, a fool who disregards everything when helping others.”

“So… it’s precisely because of this reason.”

“Perhaps, sooner or later, I will die because of some accident.”

Aside from the possibility of “dying,” there’s another point: he is not from this world, and sooner or later, he will have to find a way back; he can’t stay here forever.

If he agreed to Wuyue’s request here, not to mention whether he could return or not, just the “conscience” aspect would be hard to bear…

“…”

Seeing Wuyue still in this silent state, Youyu took a sip of water, preparing to finish what he was about to say:

“…Of course, this isn’t your fault, Wuyue.”

“Just think of it as… me being cowardly, being afraid.”

“Under the premise of not knowing if I can accompany you to the end, I cannot give you lasting happiness, nor can I guarantee it.”

“…But you don’t have to worry, before I die, I will always… um?!”

However, just as Youyu was still speaking his “grand principles,” suddenly, Wuyue used her hand to cover his mouth.

Then, her vacant eyes… finally carried a hint of… terrifying emotion.

“Since just now, you’ve been talking about dying…”

“The premise is that you selfishly ran out to ‘help me,’ right?”

“Then… isn’t the solution very simple?”

“Lock you up until you admit your mistakes, wouldn’t that be enough?”

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