Chapter 966: A Peaceful Night

In another room in Lingyun's house, Sayaka was once again lying on the same bed as Kyoko.

"Hey, Sayaka, what do you think about what your friend said?" Kyoko asked Sayaka, a Pocky stick made by Lingyun dangling from her mouth.

"I don't know either," Sayaka said, shaking her head.

Today, Sayaka had once again asked her parents for leave. Because so many things had happened, she couldn't quite control her emotions and was afraid her parents would notice something unusual. But Lingyun's place was different; here, everyone knew her identity as a Magical Girl and knew what had happened to her, so if she did anything strange, they would be able to understand.

As for Sayaka's parents, they were quite at ease with Lingyun, as his reputation at school was quite high. Although he hadn't been a teacher for long, almost all his colleagues spoke of him with praise whenever he was mentioned.

Most importantly, Kaname Madoka's home was right next to Lingyun's, so even if something were to happen, given the friendship between Kaname Madoka and Sayaka, her parents would certainly not stand idly by.

"Can't sleep?" Kyoko said to Sayaka.

Looking at Kyoko, Sayaka nodded slightly. Too many things had truly happened today; during the final battle with the Shadow Witch, under Lingyun's guidance, she had even engaged in a battle that was like dancing on the edge of a blade.

In that battle, she had felt the Shadow Witch's attacks graze past her countless times. That feeling of walking on the edge of a blade had completely masked the complex feelings she had today after hearing Shizuki Hitomi's declaration.

Moreover, she suddenly discovered that Kamijou Kyousuke seemed to have become less important in her heart. It seemed as if some other presence in her heart had obscured Kamijou Kyousuke's figure.

"Since you can't sleep, how about an all-night party?" Sakura Kyoko, not knowing what she had thought of, suddenly jumped up from the bed.

Sayaka looked at Sakura Kyoko's movements with some confusion, only to find Sakura Kyoko excitedly dragging a large box out of the closet and placing it in front of her.

"What is this?"

"A dance machine! This is the latest model, it was so hard for me to buy it!" Sakura Kyoko began to unbox it with an excited expression.

"You bought it?" Sayaka looked toward Sakura Kyoko with some doubt.

She knew that Sakura Kyoko was, in a sense, a pauper; how could she have the money to buy a dance machine? Moreover, judging by the style and packaging of this dance machine, it must have been quite expensive.

"Uh, well, this, this... I borrowed money from Lingyun to buy it, I'll work hard to pay him back!" Sakura Kyoko said, scratching the back of her head, feeling a bit embarrassed under Sayaka's gaze.

"But, if we play this, will it disturb others?" Sayaka asked with some concern.

"It won't! I asked Lingyun before; he has already set up an Array around this room to lower the volume, ensuring we won't disturb anyone else!" Sakura Kyoko said.

"An Array to lower the volume, what is that?" Sayaka asked.

"I don't know either. After all, are there few strange things from that Teachers Association?" Sakura Kyoko curled her lips and said. "Alright, alright, come and play with me!"

"It looks like we don't need to worry; Kyoko is still quite good to Sayaka!" Standing outside the door, Tomoe Mami's face revealed a relaxed expression.

As a senior, Tomoe Mami was still very worried about Sayaka's situation. However, seeing that she could now hear the sounds of Sayaka and Kyoko competing in the room, she breathed a sigh of relief. She was most worried that Sayaka would look as if nothing had happened. That kind of situation was the most dangerous; after all, it was like burying a bomb in one's own heart, not knowing when it would blow oneself and one's companions to smithereens.

"Phew, it seems the decision to cooperate with the teacher was correct!" Akemi Homura also breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, in previous Cycles, whenever it reached this point, Sayaka's breakdown and rampage, eventually turning into a witch, was a foregone conclusion. This was the first time she had encountered a situation where Sayaka did not break down. Although Sayaka's mood was still very low, this situation was much better than in previous Cycles.

Now it seemed that many problems within their team had been resolved. Whether it was the incident where Sayaka broke down because of Kamijou Kyousuke, or the incident where Tomoe Mami went on a rampage after learning that Magical Girls would turn into witches, both had been suppressed by Lingyun. Now, adding Momoe Nagisa to their side, there were five Magical Girls in total, which was something that had never happened before; surely, the chances of dealing with Walpurgisnacht would be much higher.

"Counting the time, the moment for Walpurgisnacht to appear is almost here! This time, definitely, we must defeat Walpurgisnacht and end that endless Cycle!" Akemi Homura looked at the pitch-black sky in the distance, a flash of deep thought in her eyes.

"I won!"

In the room, Sayaka looked at the score on the screen and gave Sakura Kyoko a provocative smile.

Sakura Kyoko looked at the score on the screen, a trace of disbelief in her eyes. One had to know that as a Magical Girl, she was a master at dance machine challenges; now, she had actually been surpassed by someone, and she had been beaten by a novice who looked like she hadn't played the dance machine many times. This kind of thing was simply incomprehensible to her.

"This feeling, it's so magical!" Sayaka looked at her own hands, a trace of astonishment still in her eyes.

In that moment just now, she felt as if her body had been guided by some mysterious force, allowing her to make the most correct moves at the very last second. And this kind of situation, she had only experienced it before during the battle with the Shadow Witch.

"Is it the teacher's power?" Sayaka whispered, looking at her hands; she felt as if she could still feel the sensation of dancing under Lingyun's guidance.

That's right, the battle with the Shadow Witch was not a real battle in Sayaka's eyes, but a magnificent dance—a magnificent dance under Lingyun's manipulation.

"Teacher? Did that strange teacher do something to you again?" Sakura Kyoko heard Sayaka's words and suddenly looked in her direction.

"I won't tell you!" Sayaka hummed lightly at Sakura Kyoko.

"Tch, I don't believe you can keep winning! Again!" Sakura Kyoko said to Sayaka.

"Bring it on, who's afraid of whom!" Sayaka glared back without any hesitation.

Along with the sound of their bickering, the music of the dance machine in the room started up once again.