At this moment, Eriri was glaring fiercely at her keyboard and computer screen with her signature dead-fish eyes. Two slender fingers were furiously tapping away at the keys.
Through every possible contact method—an email address, blog, game forum posts, online games—all registered under the name "Kiryu Yazuki," she was sending message after message filled with vicious declarations about gouging out his eyes.
Smack—!
With one final hard press of the "send" button, she finally stopped.
She really wanted to storm over to his place and beat him up.
He even had a nosebleed—what a pervert.
Wait a minute... Doesn't that mean he was actually captivated by her? Hmph, of course—she is quite charming, after all.
A tiny wave of joy and bashfulness welled up in Eriri's heart.
"No, no, what the hell is wrong with my brain?"
Bashful? Seriously? Eriri, are you stupid? Acting like she was excited and hoping he liked her—who would fall for an idiot like him?!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
That was Eriri slamming her forehead against the desk, trying to calm herself down.
Just then, a sheet of paper slid off the stack of books piled beside her. She grabbed it instinctively to put it back, but a casual glance at the contents made her frown deeply.
This year, due to certain circumstances, the fireworks festival—which was usually held on a fixed date—was rescheduled to next week. Eriri's house, built on a hill, was a prime viewing spot for fireworks.
Every year, they invited friends and relatives over for a party and fireworks viewing, including various high-society types.
And on the guest list now in her hand, one name stood out and made her blink in surprise.
Shinomiya Kaguya—the daughter of the Shinomiya conglomerate.
"What the hell is she coming for?"
She had never accepted the invitation in past years, so why was she suddenly coming this time?
Eriri's impression of Kaguya was of an emotionless heiress raised strictly by the Shinomiya family—someone destined to be used as a pawn in political and economic marriages.
Frankly, it was a bit sad and pitiful.
But Eriri had never seen her rebel against her family.
She simply accepted their heartless upbringing and even adopted their self-serving mindset, which irritated Eriri greatly.
Just look at Yazuki—his past situation was no less harsh than Kaguya's, yet he dared to resist and broke free from those shackles.
In fact, the mothers of the three—Eriri, Yazuki, and Kaguya—all knew each other. The three of them had even met once or twice when they were little... though Eriri barely remembered.
They could have grown up as childhood friends, but due to the self-serving nature of the Shinomiya family and the general dislike both the Spencer and Kiryu families had for them, they never really got close.
Although Kaguya's mother wasn't like the rest—she was gentle and kind—she couldn't escape the family vortex.
To avoid causing trouble for the other two families, and because of her own delicate position, she rarely reached out to them afterward.
"Could it be—!"
A realization suddenly struck Eriri, making her face darken.
Could it be that Kaguya found out about Yazuki's true identity? Sure, her dad had helped cover up Yazuki's background, but if the Shinomiya conglomerate really dug deep, they'd definitely find something suspicious.
So… was her visit about that engagement arrangement?
"Humph, too bad. Your wishful thinking is going to end in disappointment~"
It'd be one-sided on her part anyway.
If she really approached him, she'd definitely be met with a cold shoulder. No doubt she'd leave with a bruised ego and a dirt-smeared face.
"Huh?"
Eriri casually opened a website—it was a fan artist site—and noticed the forums were lively again, this time all about Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
"What's this? Episode four is different?"
Reading through, she saw that a leaked version of episode four had spread, but it wasn't actually from the original author.
It was a fan-made version by some talented individual. The real episode four hadn't taken the expected dark turn.
No, no! She couldn't keep reading the comments! If the story was different, she didn't want spoilers.
But... she really hoped the version with the big twist was the real one.
Immediately, she opened the manga website. It was still dominating the top charts in terms of popularity.
She clicked on episode four.
"No way—! It is real?!"
Just three pages in, it was confirmed. It began the next day, reflecting on a traumatic event that had already occurred. The brutal truth was undeniable.
At that moment, Eriri really wanted to drag the author out and beat them up.
As the story unfolded, the once-suspicious Homura Akemi now seemed like someone who knew all too well the cruel fate awaiting magical girls. She'd probably seen it happen many times.
Her attempts to stop Madoka before had actually been acts of kindness.
Maybe in some timeline, Madoka had become a magical girl and witnessed too many tragedies... and so gave up the role?
But it seemed like once you become a magical girl, there's no going back. So how did she revert?
Homura Akemi? Her expressions in this chapter hinted at how much she cared for Madoka. She clearly carried an unimaginably heavy burden.
Could it be that Madoka's return to normal life was thanks to some sacrifice Homura made?
Was Homura just silently protecting Madoka all along?
Page after page, the story darkened. Madoka got caught in a witch incident—the ominous, eerie tone of the artwork had Eriri sweating just from holding the mouse.
"Phew~~"
At the last second, Madoka's friend Sayaka appeared—she had become a magical girl to save the boy she secretly liked. This development was somewhat expected due to previous foreshadowing.
However, the final page of episode four dropped a new bombshell.
A magical girl from another city, who had known the deceased Mami-senpai, arrived and ominously declared she would eliminate the new magical girls in this city.
She said this while smiling, as if killing someone was no big deal—totally indifferent to human life. It was clear this magical girl had probably already slaughtered many of her peers.
She hadn't dared set foot in this city before because Mami had been protecting it. But now, with Mami dead, her true fangs were finally revealed.
"This bastard!!!"
Getting killed by monsters was one thing—but showing magical girls killing each other in such gory detail?!?!
How many little girls' fantasies about magical girls were just completely shattered by this grotesque betrayal!?
Honestly, if magical girls were real, this story might actually reflect the truth. But the magical girl genre in the market was typically cheerful, family-friendly, and filled with cute elements.
With such a firmly established tone, who the hell would come up with a plot like this?!
It's basically blasphemy!
She gulped.
Apparently, two chapters had been released this time, which meant episode five might be even more gut-wrenching.
She didn't want to look. She really didn't. She couldn't take more pain. But—why was her hand moving the mouse again?
No, stop! Don't click! Don't look!
She should just close her eyes! But—why wouldn't they shut? Why was she staring even harder?!
This story is poison!!!
Uuuuuu~~
Eriri felt like she was about to break apart all over again.