Tokyo, there are too many defeated magical girls.

To her surprise, the rope that had been binding her ankles was untied.

Lin Chun gently lifted up both of her slender, jade-like feet.

Just by pressing the sole of the foot with my thumb, it immediately produced a soft, elastic deformation.

"No need for any octopus; next, I'll personally reward your honesty~"

*

|??ω?` ) Mina-san's blades, modo modo~ arigato!

Volume 1: Chapter 208. Sleeping Blood Cherry

—A week has passed since the Tokyo Dome battle.

As the original form of the Fallen Blood Cherry, Kimishima Aoi works at a convenience store during the day and wanders the streets and alleys at night.

To find the villainous organization's monsters, you need to cut off their hands and feet, cut off their flesh, and interrogate them to find out the location of their lair.

But it seems the other side has also noticed something.

For a whole week, they did nothing, as if they had vanished without a trace.

"How cunning!"

Kimishima Aoi bit her lower lip in resentment.

It was midnight, another fruitless night; he hadn't discovered anything.

Moreover, about half an hour ago, it started to drizzle in the night sky.

The temperature was already quite low on a late autumn night in Tokyo.

Now, the cold wind, mixed with water mist, howls past, bringing an even more biting chill.

She had given up on tonight's search mission and just wanted to find a warm place to take shelter from the rain.

Walking hurriedly through the alley, a few minutes later, I arrived at a familiar sign.

——[Kirao Izakaya].

"what……"

Even she didn't expect that the warmest place in her subconscious was actually here.

Coincidentally, they were searching the area again tonight.

After going around in circles, it finally came back, somewhat like the homing instinct of small animals.

To avoid being reminded of her loved one by seeing these objects, Kimishima Aoi bit her lower lip, wanting to turn around and leave.

But suddenly, she realized a problem.

Even though Mr. Atsuo Sasaki has passed away...

The izakaya was still lit with warm orange lights, exuding a lively atmosphere, and was open for business as always.

Filled with doubt, Kimishima Aoi took a deep breath and carefully opened the wooden door.

"——Welcome!"

Although the Xilao Izakaya is operating normally.

But in the middle of the night, with rain and wind blowing, there wasn't a single customer.

A cute-looking girl wearing a headscarf and apron stood behind the kitchen counter.

Upon seeing Kimishima Aoi, she bowed enthusiastically in welcome.

"You are... Ms. Rinko Sasaki?"

"Oh? You know me, sir?"

The true form of the Magic Rose, Rinko Mizushiro, tilted her head slightly, feigning surprise.

Her single ponytail, combed back, swayed adorably.

After being mentored by Lin Chun for several months, her acting skills have already made a qualitative leap.

In contrast, the Fallen Blood Cherry only became stronger, but its intelligence remained unchanged, making it impossible to detect any flaws.

"Uh……"

Standing at the entrance of the Kiryu Izakaya, Kimishima Aoi awkwardly scratched her neck.

I met Mr. Chunnan's sister twice before, both times in the form of Magical Cherry Blossom, no wonder she didn't recognize me.

She hesitated for several seconds, until her red lips became moist, before she finally had to speak:

“Um, I’m Mr. Junnan’s friend… ah…”

I regretted it halfway through my sentence.

—Mr. Jun'o Sasaki was brutally murdered.

Mentioning that name in front of his sister was like tearing open a wound and rubbing salt into it.

Surprisingly, the other party's reaction was not very strong.

When she heard her older brother's name, she was only slightly taken aback.

Then, a somewhat complicated smile appeared on his face.

"I see. It seems you're also worried about my brother. Thank you so much for your concern."

"……Eh?"

"You've heard, haven't you? Just last week, when Tokyo was at its most chaotic, my brother mysteriously disappeared."

Rinko Mizushiro paused deliberately, took a deep breath, and pretended to calm her flustered emotions.

"I believe my brother will definitely come back."

"This……"

Kimishima Aoi hesitated to speak, yet remained silent, seemingly wanting to speak.

As a magical girl, she knew very well that it was incredibly easy for a villainous organization to kidnap an ordinary person.

It truly leaves no trace.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department alone could not possibly investigate this.

Looking at the lovely girl in front of her who still held onto hope, she simply couldn't bring herself to tell her about Chun's death.

In the end, he could only lower his head helplessly.

"Rinko, you're right, your brother will definitely come back... Sorry to bother you."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around, intending to leave this sad izakaya.

Although it was still raining outside, the temperature was freezing cold...

But compared to the sorrow it brings, it's nothing at all.

"Please wait!"

"what?"

Just as Aoi Kimishima was about to open the wooden door, Rinko, who was burdened with a heavy responsibility, quickly called out to her.

Perform the pre-arranged lines to persuade them to stay:

"Since he's my brother's friend, I should definitely treat him well. It's free, just grab something to eat, okay?"

"How about that..."

"Well, actually, business has been slow these past few days. There are too few customers, and if we don't use the ingredients soon, we'll have to throw them away."

Rinko gave a slightly annoyed but helpless smile.

Both she and Aoi Kimishima had experienced very difficult times, so they naturally cherished food and would never tolerate any waste.

Moreover, there is another reason that is hard to refuse.

"It's still raining outside, and the trams and buses have stopped running. If it were your brother, he would definitely try to keep you here too."

"what……"

The tenderness conveyed by Jun's sister was like an arrow, piercing through the heart that Kimishima Aoi had painstakingly pieced back together.

Her eyes stung, and she almost shed embarrassing tears.

He withdrew his hand from the sliding door, turned around, and obediently sat down in front of the counter.

"Thank you for the hospitality. Any food is fine with me, I will pay for it."

"No, really no—tempura with ramen, and sake, is that alright?"

"sorry to bother you."

Kimishima Aoi nodded slightly.

The pretty girl, about the same age, standing behind the counter smiled happily and then began to cook.

In less than ten minutes, a steaming bowl of ramen, accompanied by two large, crispy fried shrimp, was served.