Tenrai Herika was miserable. She’d messed everything up again.

She’d written out everyone’s sheet music in a way even beginners could understand.

She’d thought that if she put a little pressure on the other members, they’d come back to practice.

She’d even looked forward to performing her new song onstage together, with everyone at their very best. She’d stayed up all night writing it.

But the band had broken up.

Just moments ago, the members—who’d never once stood onstage—had said things like, “Being in a band isn’t fun at all,” then quit the group chat right in front of her and deleted the band account they’d registered on their own.

Then they’d deleted Herika’s contact information, too.

If only she’d softened her tone, things wouldn’t have come to this. If only she’d apologized, she could’ve avoided this ending.

But she hadn’t. She’d messed everything up again.

She hadn’t even managed to properly thank the girl who’d stood up for her.

Herika hid all alone in the storage room behind the school building, curled up behind a stack of old desks and chairs. She held the round roll of bread she’d brought for lunch in both hands and sniffled.

“I really did go too far. Even if there’s no way to save the band now, I should find a chance to apologize to them properly.”

This was Herika’s secret hideout. No one usually came near unless there was a big event coming up, like Sports Day or the Cultural Festival, so no one would hear her talking to herself.

A series of noises came from outside the storage room. It sounded like someone was trying to open the door.

Herika’s heart leaped. Ordinary students weren’t allowed in the storage room without a reason, and if she got caught, she’d be punished again.

Besides, she didn’t want anyone to see her sitting here all alone, munching on bread.

The noises outside stopped. Herika let out a small sigh of relief and ducked her head even lower.

Then the storage room door was yanked open with a bang. Dust piled on top of the doorframe billowed into the sliver of sunlight cutting through the darkness.

A figure stepped inside. Their shoes squeaked on the old floorboards, drowning out Herika’s quiet gasp.

That long, loose pink hair looked strangely familiar.

Herika remembered. This was the girl who’d helped her out in the cafeteria. She was probably from the class next door, and she thought her last name was Jiecheng?

Herika hadn’t been able to thank her properly earlier because of her stupid pride. Wasn’t this the perfect chance?

She knew plenty of students at school hated her. If she hadn’t armed herself with an abrasive attitude and excellent grades, she might not have made it this far.

She hated her own personality. She hated how she always said the opposite of what she meant when she wanted to say something. She hated how she couldn’t express herself properly, even when she tried so hard. And she hated the version of herself who kept repeating that she hated all this, yet never changed.

This was her chance. Make a change! Herika made up her mind and slowly straightened her bent legs. They were trembling a little. Forcing herself to do something that didn’t come naturally was harder than she’d thought.

But that was okay. As long as she took this first step, she could start changing, little by little!

“Xiao Yuan—wait up!”

Someone else came bustling into the storage room. Herika, who’d been slowly rising to her feet, dropped back down in a flash.

Was it really still impossible?

Herika clenched her fists and threw a punch into the air. Then she shrank back into the shadows, hating herself for being so spineless. In the light from the doorway, she could make out the second person’s face.

Wasn’t this the silver-haired girl she’d almost gotten into an argument with? Had Herika really never seen her at school before?

If she couldn’t bring herself to take that first step, she might never change this awkward personality of hers.

Herika steeled herself and stood up again, this time with even more resolve.

A little earlier, on the rooftop.

“Last night at the café, didn’t you…? Why do you need it again?” Jiecheng Yuan grabbed Baki’s hand and dragged her into the hallway leading to the rooftop. Baki watched excitedly as Yuan made sure they were alone before daring to speak.

“I don’t know, either. I just feel empty inside, and I don’t have much energy. I really want something to fill me up.” Baki gripped Yuan’s hand in return, walking beside her.

Why did that sound so suggestive?

Baki wasn’t exactly wrong. When a Magical Girl’s magic was nearly depleted, it could have some effect on her physical condition.

But even now, Yuan still felt like she had plenty of magic. She didn’t feel that emptiness at all.

Baki had fallen to darkness a day before Yuan and had even used several Binding Traps. Could that be why?

Come to think of it, Baki didn’t know any Magical Girls besides Yuan. If she didn’t attack someone else, Yuan really was the only person she could turn to for a recharge.

Baki’s problem had set off alarm bells for Yuan. She’d only thought about purifying herself, but if she needed to recharge magic in the process, she’d face the same problem as Baki: having no one to turn to.

“So you transferred here just so you could find me to recharge your magic?”

“Of course not!” Baki looked at her like she was an idiot.

Thank goodness. At least she wasn’t stupid enough to transfer schools for a reason like that. Yuan’s opinion of her improved a little.

“I did it because I wanted to see you!”

That’s even worse than transferring here to recharge your magic!

Recharging magic wasn’t as simple as transferring magic from one person to another. It made both people’s magic recover quickly at the same time. The more magic they each had, the more effective it was. No one knew exactly how it worked.

And recharging didn’t have to go that far. Just kissing was effective, even if it was a little slower.

Weighing the pros and cons, Yuan could recharge Baki’s magic and keep both of their reserves up. Maybe that would work?

“Well? Well? Can you feel how sincere I am? Can we recharge now?” Baki gleefully swung the hand she and Yuan were holding back and forth.

“Okay, I get it. But not here.” Yuan freed her hand, which had gone a little numb from being shaken, and walked ahead.

Back in the storage room.

Jiecheng Yuan stopped and gently shut the door Baki had yanked open. The storage room fell dark again, but a few stubborn rays still slipped through the gap, revealing a blush on the girl’s face.

She raised a hand and gathered a lock of silver hair from the girl’s forehead. The scorching heat she felt when the back of her hand brushed against the girl made her fingers jerk back as if shocked. The strand of silver slipped quietly from her palm.

Through the gaps between her fingers, she felt the girl’s passionate gaze, dazzling as a diamond.

Jiecheng Yuan lowered her head, drawing closer to the soft lips trembling slightly with excitement.