The cafeteria was tense and oppressive, filled with the girls’ heated argument. It didn’t take much attention to realize that, at its core, the whole commotion was just one person venting her anger.

Most people in the cafeteria had their eyes fixed on the center of the argument. Quite a few stopped eating and focused on watching the drama unfold. Others, worried they might get caught in the crossfire, kept their distance. But most were curious girls who’d come running at the first sign of gossip, eager to witness the spectacle.

It seemed that, for the moment, everyone had dropped their discussion about Jiecheng Yuan and turned their attention to the new entertainment.

The moment Jiecheng Yuan realized what was really behind the commotion, she understood that this wasn’t a coincidence at all. It was the inevitable result of pent-up emotions—and a scene that was bound to happen in the game.

At the start of the game, each of the three main characters had a first-meeting scene with Xiwei Li, giving the player a chance to build up some initial affection. If the player deliberately avoided all three, they’d reach an ending that read: “The three Magical Girls continue to fight together today, but that has nothing to do with you anymore.”

In the game, the three Magical Girls at the same school were bound to meet sooner or later. They were Jiecheng Yuan, Shuiye You, and the main character in the cafeteria commotion—Tenrai Herika.

What was happening in the cafeteria now was Herika’s first-meeting scene, with Xiwei Li absent.

With Xiwei Li taking a leave of absence, the game’s story was bound to veer away from the original. Trying to earn everyone’s trust by following the original route had become unrealistic.

But that didn’t mean knowing the original story was useless to Jiecheng Yuan. On the contrary, looking at what was happening from an all-knowing perspective could always reveal something new.

Jiecheng Yuan clearly remembered what had sparked the commotion: long-standing tensions in Herika’s band had finally boiled over.

“How many times have I told you? The drummer is the soul of the band! You’ve practiced for ages and still can’t play it right. Did you just grow those hands? Still getting used to this new body, are you? Then practice harder! How is that not obvious?”

“And you. You say the bass has no presence onstage, but you don’t even practice seriously. At this rate, we might as well have every band get rid of the bass player!”

“You’re the worst of all. They’re either bad at it or don’t take it seriously, but you skipped practice altogether. Now you can’t even memorize the songs you’re supposed to play!”

“Don’t get smug just because I haven’t called you out. You say going to karaoke is practice on your own—is going to a love hotel part of being a vocalist, too? Maybe you should hear how awful you sound with your voice all hoarse.”

“One after another, all of you! Starting a band isn’t playing house. If you’re going to do it, then put your whole heart into it. Do you get that?!”

Herika wasn’t a bad person, but she was a super sharp-tongued tsundere. Short, with golden curls and bright yellow eyes, and a chest that heaved—though it had little curve to it—whenever she got angry. It was a character type that tended to be popular.

Unfortunately, that appeal only worked on the players. To the people watching, Herika was just an overbearing jerk who didn’t care about sparing anyone’s feelings.

Jiecheng Yuan also thought the original game’s writing made Herika’s words a little too harsh here. But later scenes would confirm that everything she said was true: the other band members had only gotten together because they wanted to fool around and make a big splash at the cultural festival.

Apart from being unable to force the others to practice, Herika had taken care of everything herself, from the lyrics and music to booking the practice room. It turned out that no matter how much you did, without proper communication, all that effort could still go to waste.

The argument was still going.

The vocalist who’d been criticized muttered under her breath, annoyed: “Where I go is none of your business.”

As a side note, this good-looking vocalist was named Band Member A in the game. Even her portrait was just the same faceless sailor-uniform girl used for background characters.

“Huh? What did you say?” Herika had been looking for somewhere to unleash all that pent-up anger, and the vocalist’s muttering gave her the perfect opening to turn her ire on the outspoken rebel.

Herika glared at the vocalist with a murderous look. The girl’s shoulders jerked, and she instinctively backed away a few steps, her heel knocking into a cafeteria chair. The chair crashed to the floor, and the sound seemed to hit a mute button. The huge, crowded room fell completely silent.

“I said, where I go is none of your business!”

Whoosh—

It was like a bucket of water had been thrown into a pan of boiling oil. The whole cafeteria erupted.

Herika’s pupils flickered. Her mouth hung slightly open, but for a long moment she couldn’t close it. The corners of her mouth twitched; her lips opened and shut a few times, but no sound came out. Her teeth were clenched tight.

“Say that again?”

The girl facing off against Herika seemed to find her courage. She stepped right up to Herika, nearly pressing against her, and looked down at her from her greater height. She clearly had the upper hand now. “I can say it as many times as you want. Wherever I go is none of your business. We just happened to form a band together! You have no right to interfere in my private life!”

Once someone had lit the fire of defiance, others were bound to follow. The remaining members found their courage, too, and began talking back one after another.

“That’s right! I’ve been practicing hard, too! Drumming isn’t as simple as just holding a guitar or bass and moving your fingers. What gives you the right to say that about me?”

“The bass player isn’t important anyway! Maybe you don’t realize that because you’re the guitarist, Tianlei. The audience only cares about the vocalist and the guitar!”

“My life isn’t just the band, either. School, friends, family—there are all kinds of places I need to be! I don’t want the band taking up all my time!”

Herika had become the target of everyone’s anger. Whatever she said now sounded like a desperate excuse. Already at a disadvantage because of her height, she seemed even smaller, and could only raise her voice to hold on to what little standing she had left.

“Since the day we formed the band, I’ve done everything. You… what have you done? Taken a few photos of your instruments and desserts to build your image? Spent more time picking out outfits and a band name than practicing? If you don’t want to be in a band, then don’t start one!”

After a brief silence, quiet murmurs rose through the room again.

“All that buzzing—it’s so annoying! If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face!”

Herika’s final shout cracked, and it set everyone off. People stopped hiding their hostility; it was like a row of spikes, piercing her fragile defenses and pinning her to the bonfire of public opinion.

Jiecheng Yuan knew that, according to the original story, this was where Xiwei Li was supposed to show up and help Herika out.

Since Xiao Li wasn’t here, Jiecheng Yuan supposed she’d just have to step in and help Herika herself if she wanted to get on her good side.