Uchiura. How long had it been since Hanamaru was in Uchiura? She discovered she was a weapon at twelve, went to DWMA a few weeks after, met Ruby and her friends over the course of the two years she spent in NOT, and one year spent so far in EAT. Three years since Hanamaru had seen the quaint little town. With its sandy beaches, sunny skies, and beautiful mountain views, Uchiura was a paradise hidden away in the countryside. Or at least that's how it was when Hanamaru left it three years ago. Hanamaru, Ruby, Chika, Riko, Yōu, Kanan, Mari, and Dia arrived in Numazu to see that the train station looked abandoned. The lights were out, there was nobody to be seen, and there was trash, scraps, and broken glass all over the floor. There was no telling how Uchiura was going to look.
"No, it can't be!" Chika wailed, first to run out from the train. Hanamaru felt Ruby grab at her hand. She whimpered a bit, her hand trembling. If someone had seen the duo, they'd probably have no clue Ruby was the meister.
"It's abandoned, zura," Hanamaru said. Dia turned on a flashlight and began to sweep the area with it, taking a few cautious steps out as she went. And making sure she kept Chika in her sights.
"How?" she asked. "Numazu was such a bustling city district when Ruby and I left the area last."
"They weren't kidding when they said this witch was dangerous," Yōu added. "Should we go ahead and go down to Uchiura?"
"I'm not sure," Kanan replied.
"Sure, it was where the witch was last spotted, but we should probably check and see if the rest of Numazu is abandoned first," Riko said, turning on a flashlight of her own. "Chika-chan!" she called out, running up to her girlfriend. Yōu soon ran out to follow Chika and Riko, then Kanan, then Dia, then Mari, Ruby and Hanamaru bringing up the rear.
"Hanamaru-chan, please transform," Ruby said, her voice shaking with fright. Hanamaru nodded, squeezing on to her best friend's hand for a second, before glowing with golden light and transforming into a halberd. Ruby's soft hands grasped on to Hanamaru, soon becoming just as shaky as her voice was.
"Out here, girls!" Yōu called out from outside. How did she get this far already? Hanamaru thought to herself. Hanamaru reflected out on the axe blade, looking out to see what was left of Numazu. Thankfully, it wasn't destroyed, only abandoned. Since the trains were still running, Hanamaru had this unsettling feeling that Numazu might not have been fully evacuated, and that there were still survivors around.
"Ruby-chan, can you use your Soul Perception?" Hanamaru asked.
"I... I can try," Ruby replied, closing her eyes. "I... I only see two or three around here, and they're all animal souls, not humans."
"Same here," Yōu added.
"Have any of you noticed the sky?" Chika asked. "Look at it, it's all cloudy, but the clouds don't look normal. They're a kind of purply-black."
"Maybe the witch is close by," Riko replied.
"I faintly sense a witch's soul over there down in Uchiura," Dia said. "Mari-san, transform, I need your scope."
"Okay-dokey!" Mari exclaimed, glowing purple for a second before transforming into a rifle. Dia looked down Mari's scope, trying to find the witch. She stared ever so intently at this one patch of woods, before taking a shot. A purple bolt shot out from Mari's barrel, the loud noise startling Ruby. Dia looked through Mari's scope again.
"No good," Dia said. "I did see a young witch dressed in something frilly and monochrome, but she was too fast for me, even from that distance. She must be very powerful."
"Which explains what happened to Numazu, zura," Hanamaru replied.
"Come on, Aqours, let's move out!" Chika exclaimed, taking charge. Hanamaru and Mari returned to their human forms, to join the circle Chika was creating. Everyone extended their thumb and index finger to put their hand in the circle to form a zero with everyone. Even as a complete zero, being made with eight hands made it feel like it was missing a link, but there was nobody to fill it. "Aqours..." Chika began.
"SUNSHINE!" everyone else shouted with her. They all put their hands up in the air so their zero turned into a bunch of ones.
Since most forms of transit were down, Aqours had to go down to Uchiura on foot. Hanamaru and Ruby brought up the rear, watching the familiar yet horribly unsettling scenery alongside the pathways. It wasn't like how Uchiura normally was at night at all, thanks to the witch's influence.
"Numazu was abandoned, and it seems like Uchiura is the same," Kanan said.
"Yeah, I haven't seen a single person around," Riko added. "I hope all your families are okay." Hanamaru remembered that this was Riko's first time in Uchiura, since she was a Tokyo native. She didn't know where Riko could have gone to school if she hadn't been a weapon. UTX was the only high school she could think of from there that was still active.
"Our families," Ruby muttered. "Sis, I'm scared. I don't know if our parents are okay."
"Don't worry, Ruby," Dia replied, smiling with that smile she used exclusively to comfort her little sister. "Our mother and father have certainly been evacuated."
"Now I'm kinda worried whether my parents have been evacuated too, zura," Hanamaru said to herself. The thought of the witch having done something to her family made her almost sick to her stomach. She watched and listened as the rest of Aqours voiced their concerns about their own family and friends they left here until everyone had said their worries and the conversation died out. So they kept walking, hoping to catch sight of the witch's body or soul as they made their way down towards the beaches, and past a school building. Yōu stopped to point it out.
"Hey, there's Uranohoshi!" Yōu exclaimed. "Chika-chan, remember how we wanted to go to this school?"
"Yeah, before we decided to become meisters instead, that takes me back," Chika replied.
"Something really clicked with you at DWMA, didn't it?" Yōu asked.
"Maybe it did," Chika replied. "But I'm pretty sure it resonated more than it clicked."
Several of the other girls groaned at Chika's bad joke.
"I was going to become the director at Uranohoshi this year," Mari said. "But I declined, wanting to complete my studies at DWMA with Dia. Plus the school's being merged with another school at the end of the year anyway."
"You just hoped the new Lord Death would make an exception to the treaty and you could become a Death Scythe," Dia replied.
"Maybeeee," Mari said.
"It's kind of shocking that he was able to get that treaty done when he took over," Yōu added. "Eight hundred years of hostility between DWMA and the witches, and it finally ended not too long ago."
"If that treaty weren't in place, I would have called dibs on the witch's soul so I could become a Death Scythe," Kanan said. "Thanks to Yōu-chan's skill, I already have the ninety-nine Kishin eggs. But I'm glad the treaty's there. If it means that humanity won't be in danger of any more witch attacks, I'm all for it."
"Speaking of the treaty, we have to make sure we don't kill this witch unless it's absolutely necessary," Riko reminded everyone. "We're already treading dangerous ground just by going on this mission to capture her in the first place."
"Didn't the witches just want this to be an internal affair?" Chika asked.
"Yes, but DWMA sent us, so we must carry out this missi-" Dia began, before she got distracted by a bright grayish-purple flash out in the distance.
"Oh, SHINY!" Mari exclaimed.
"It's magic!" Chika replied. "Everyone, transform!"
Hanamaru transformed into a halberd, Mari into a rifle. Blue-green light glowed around Kanan, and pink around Riko, and they both became a spear and axe, respectively. Ruby held Hanamaru, Dia held Mari, Yōu held Kanan, and Chika held Riko. The four meisters cautiously pointed their weapons around. Hanamaru could feel herself clattering in Ruby's hands.
"Show yourself!" Dia exclaimed.
"Dia-san, the flash was by the beach," Yōu said. "We should probably head down there."
"Alright, but very carefully," Dia replied. "Ruby, make sure you stay close, okay?"
Ruby nodded, whimpering slightly. Hanamaru knew how scared Ruby was. She would have been more content just staying in NOT, but Dia had insisted her little sister join her in EAT. Ruby did pass the exams, but she never took any missions, so she and Hanamaru had collected zero souls. Come to think of it, this was the two's first ever mission. And how the heck were they picked for it? Chalking it up to Chika or Dia's recommendation, Hanamaru just hoped she and Ruby would survive. Rogue witches were supposed to be dangerous, after all.
Down at the beach, the members of Aqours were stunned at what they saw. Almost the entire population of Uchiura was down there, tottering about like zombies. No, scratch that. Aqours wasn't stunned. They were absolutely HORRIFIED.
"D...D... Dad?" Yōu asked, noticing her father among the crowd.
"I see my parents, too," Hanamaru replied.
"And my grandfather," Kanan added.
"No way!" Chika exclaimed. "Mom, my older sisters... even Shiitake's down there?!"
Apparently saying his name got Shiitake's attention, and he began barking, surprising the people on the beach, and the witch that was with them. Hanamaru couldn't see what the witch looked like from where she was, and Riko's fearful muttering from in her weapon form was distracting her.
"What's wrong, dog?" the witch asked. Her voice kind of sounded familiar, but Hanamaru couldn't place it. "Oh, are those... DWMA students? Damn it. Attack them, my little demons!"
Every single person on that beach (and Shiitake) stared directly at Aqours, and began to run towards them.
"Eep!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Mari, non-lethal mode!" Dia said.
"Remember, we can't kill anyone here," Chika said. "These are our friends, our family, our community! We have to do our best to subdue them without hurting them."
"I'll do my Rubesty," Ruby said.
"Aye aye!" Yōu exclaimed. She and Chika ran right in to the group of people. Dia started taking a few shots from the distance as Ruby joined the fray. Being a halberd, Hanamaru had the most sharp edges of any of the Aqours weapons. Unlike Riko whose blade was on only one side, or Kanan who was only pointy at the tip, Hanamaru didn't really have much of a non-dangerous end. Except for her two flat sides, which Ruby aimed right towards the first human, a complete stranger. Perhaps Ruby-chan thinks it's easier to attack someone she doesn't know, Hanamaru thought.
Ruby let out a small peep as she hit the stranger with the flat end. Apparently, she didn't hit hard enough, and he picked her up and threw her into the sand before going for Yōu.
"Ruby!" Dia wailed.
"Ruby-chan!" Hanamaru gasped.
"I'm okay," Ruby sniffled. "Hanamaru-chan, I don't like fighting..."
"You can do it, Ruby-chan!" Hanamaru replied, as another stranger, this time younger and smaller, ran right up to her. "Do your Rubesty, zura!"
Ruby nodded, and got back up to her feet. She swung Hanamaru at the stranger, smacking him straight in the stomach. He fell to the ground, and Ruby ran off to try and find the next person. Or the witch. She was nowhere in Ruby or Hanamaru's sight. Or anywhere on the beach. Hanamaru stayed reflected on her axe blade as Ruby feebly tried to fend people off. Ruby kept her attacks focused only on the brainwashed who were younger or smaller than her, but not so young and small she'd feel too guilty about it. It wasn't the most glorious of battle strategies, but it was all Ruby could manage. While Ruby kept fighting, Hanamaru caught something out of the corner of her eye.
"Ruby-chan!" Hanamaru exclaimed, looking out past the path to see a figure running away. The figure couldn't be one of the brainwashed Uchiura citizens, judging by Ruby's expression. "Was that the witch, zura?"
"Mhm," Ruby replied, whacking another person down. "Everyone, the witch got off the beach!"
"I can see her, she's heading up towards that small temple on top of Awashima Mountain!" Dia exclaimed, taking another shot.
An ominous black crow emerged from the trees, flying up to the top of the hill. Dia took a few shots at it, before going back to knocking out the brainwashed. Since Dia-san took shots at it, the crow must be the witch, Hanamaru thought, knowing that witches could transform into animals from her reading.
"Everyone, let's follow that crow!" Chika shouted, starting to walk back through the crowd and away from the beach. Yōu, Dia, and Ruby followed her, Dia trying for a few more shots before she had to follow the other meisters to the steps.
"Come on everybody, let's run right up!" Yōu said. Easier said than done, Hanamaru thought. At least all the meisters are fit enough to run back up thanks to how many stairs they had to climb at DWMA every day for years.
Yōu led the charge up the stairs, the other three meisters not far behind her. Though Hanamaru was in weapon form and not running, her heart was still pounding. Ruby could barely take down some unarmed people on the beach, how could she possibly stand to go against a witch? Hanamaru trembled at the thought. No, if it comes down to it, she'd protect Ruby with her life, like any weapon would do for their meister. But the sight of seeing her best friend die in front of her might put Ruby in so much shock she'd be unable to move. And then she'd be finished, and Hanamaru's sacrifice would be worthless. So Hanamaru would keep sacrifice out of her plans unless it was the very, very, VERY last resort.
"Okay, Chika-chan, keep your eyes out for a crow," Riko said, as the Aqours meisters reached the top of the stairs. Chika nodded in understanding, as Dia aimed Mari around to check. All she could see was the temple. It was a fairly small wooden temple, nothing remarkable. A red herring? No, the witch definitely had to be up here, Hanamaru thought.
"Heh, heh, heh," laughed a voice from in the trees. "Perhaps it is time for me to descend, and deal with you myself."
The crow flew out from the tree and into the middle of the clearing. In a puff of purplish-gray smoke, she transformed into a girl. A girl about Hanamaru and Ruby's age, with deep blue hair and sharp reddish-purple eyes. She had a feather stuck in a bun on the top right side of her hair, and her dress ensemble was both monochromatic and frilly. There was something about her that seemed familiar to Hanamaru, something from long ago.
"DWMA scum, why must you interfere in the plans of a fallen angel?" the witch asked. "Unless you're here to become Yohane's little demons and join her descent, I have no interest in petty humans. Oops, I accidentally said my name." Yohane, where have I heard that before? Yohane, yo... yo... Yoshi-
"Yoshiko-chan?" Hanamaru asked, leaving her weapon form. Yohane seemed taken aback. "From kindergarten? I'm Hanamaru, remember?"
"Ha...na...ma...ru?" Yohane asked.
"Hanamaru-san, why have you left weapon form?" Dia asked.
"If this really is the Yoshiko-chan I know from kindergarten, I might be able to reason with her, zura," Hanamaru replied, approaching Yohane. Now, to prove once and for all... "Rock, paper, scissors!"
Hanamaru threw rock, and Yohane played along, throwing scissors. But she threw no ordinary scissors. With her index finger, ring finger, and thumb extended; and her middle finger and pinky curled up, there was no doubt in Hanamaru's mind that was Yoshiko. Her way of throwing scissors was like no other.
"I knew it, you really are Yoshiko-chan," Hanamaru said with a smile. "Now, if you'd just come quietly into custody before you hurt someone, zura..."
Yohane wanted no part of this, plucking the feather out from her bun and using her magic to enhance it. It grew until it became the size of a sword, shining like it was made of steel. She whacked Hanamaru in the face with the flat end. Ruby caught Hanamaru before she fell to the ground.
"I'm okay, Ruby-cha-"
"Stupid human! My name isn't Yoshiko, it's Yohane! YO. HA. NE." Yohane snapped. "You are all obviously not here to become my little demons," she pouted, before her face turned to a malicious grin. "So I guess I'll have to send you, along with the rest of Uchiura, all to hell another way."
The sky turned darker as wind blew around the mountaintop and and Yohane's eyes began to glow. She began to laugh.
"Fuck!" Mari exclaimed. Dia gasped.
"Mari-san," she said. "Don't swear in front of Ruby."
"Tenshi Datenshi Daten Tenshi," Yohane began to chant. "Tenshi Datenshi Daten Tenshi. Tenshi Datenshi Daten Tenshi! TENSHI DATENSHI DATEN TENSHI!"
The water from the sea began to grow choppier and more chaotic. Larger and larger waves were beginning to form.
"Now, witness the power of a fallen ang-"
BANG! Dia took another shot, hitting Yohane's feather sword, which she used to block the shot right before she would have been hit herself. It was enough to block her concentration on her spell, and Hanamaru knew what to do. She transformed back into her weapon form. Yohane had made up her mind, and was incapable of being reasoned with. In order to take her into DWMA's custody, the meisters had to use force.
"Everyone, this is a stronger-than-average witch we're dealing with," Dia said. "Excersise the utmost amount of cau-"
"I am not a witch! I am a fallen angel," Yohane corrected. "I have fallen from grace and must turn the populace into my little demons so I can rule in hell."
"Correction, she is not only a witch, but she's still in a middle school phase," Dia said. Someone like that being such a powerful witch... Hanamaru thought. What happened to the Yoshiko-chan I knew in kindergarten?
Chika and Yōu both let out their battle cries and ran in to fight Yoshiko. Dia ran to find some cover so she could make her best shots. And Ruby... Ruby just stood there holding Hanamaru, unsure at what to do. Hanamaru reflected on her blade so Ruby could see her face.
"Hanamaru-chan, what do I do?" Ruby asked. "I didn't know the witch we're fighting was your childhood friend."
"Don't worry about it, zura," Hanamaru replied. "Just make sure you don't use lethal force, okay? I'd like to see if I can become friends with Yoshiko-chan again after the battle."
"Okay," Ruby said. She looked at Yohane, who was already trying to hold back Chika and Yōu with her feather sword. "I'll do my Rubesty."
Ruby ran in to join the fight, trying to draw Yohane away from Chika and Yōu and towards Dia. Yohane's sword was fast, swinging like it was still light as a feather. But as she accidentally hit a stone pillar while going for Chika, the sword proved to be much, much sharper. The top of the pillar was sliced clean off, hitting the ground with a soft thud. Ruby screamed. If Yoshiko-chan's sword could cut through stone... Hanamaru thought, as Yohane sharply turned around, glaring right at Ruby and Hanamaru. ...what's that sword gonna do to us?
"Sis, take the shot! Take the shot!" Ruby screeched. Yohane ran towards her. "We're gonna get sliced in two!"
Dia shot, and Yohane blocked it again. This time she ran right towards where the shot came from. Right towards Dia.
"Demonic Slash!" Yohane shouted. Yohane managed a direct hit on the little wooden temple Dia was using as cover, toppling it over on Dia and Mari with no way out. Dia and Mari both screamed in surprise.
"Oh no you don't," Ruby said, running over to try and hack at the walls to get her sister free.
"Yohane!" Chika shouted, waving Riko around.
"Over here!" Yōu added, jabbing Kanan in Yohane's direction as a taunt.
"Is it a fight you want, you petty humans?" Yohane asked, falling for the taunts and running back to Chika and Yōu. Come on, Ruby-chan, you only have a little bit of time while she's distracted, Hanamaru thought, watching as Ruby used her axe blade to try and cut through the wall. But Dia shook her head no, as if to urge Ruby not to.
"Ruby, it's fine," Dia said. "Mari-san and I will be safe in here, don't worry."
"But, Dia, it's not gonna hold for long," Mari said. "We're gonna-"
"Then stay in weapon form!" Dia replied. "Ruby, help Chika-san and the others take down the witch. If you keep whacking at the walls, you could cause the roof to fall and crush me. Once the fight is over, everyone can help us out and I'll be free. Don't worry, your big sister's going to be okay."
"Sis," Ruby sniffled, looking up at the stone roof. It didn't look like long before it would fall.
"What's the matter, meister of Zuramaru?" Yohane asked, trying to hold off Chika and Yōu. "Worried about your sister? She's lucky her weapon's sturdy enough to act as a temporary support."
Chika then knocked Yohane back, and Yōu pointed Kanan right at her throat.
"Surrender, witch of fallen angels," Chika said. "And let Dia-san go."
"You're foolish to think I'd surrender," Yohane said. She kicked Kanan right out of Yōu's hands and touched the middle of Chika's forehead. A tiny glow of magic came from Yohane's finger, making Chika drop Riko to the ground and the look in her eyes go blank. "Attack your friend, my newest little demon."
"Chika-chan, come on, it's me! Yōu!" Yōu said, trying to pick Kanan up. Yohane touched Yōu's forehead as well, and the look in her eyes soon matched Chika's.
"Ah, ah, ah, not that friend, little demons," Yohane said. "The tiny one."
Ruby froze up for a second as the unarmed Chika and Yōu ran right towards her. This isn't good at all, Hanamaru thought.
"As long as you stay at least an arms distance away from Yoshiko-chan, you'll be fine, zura," Hanamaru said.
"It's Yohane!" Yohane snapped, right as the brainwashed Chika and Yōu approached Ruby. Ruby started using Hanamaru to fend off and knock back Chika, but Yōu grabbed her from behind.
"Agh!" Ruby exclaimed. "She's got me, she's got me! Hanamaru-chan, help me!" Hanamaru went out of weapon form, transforming her right hand into the axe, scythe, and spear of her halberd. She tried to pull Yōu off of Ruby, but then Chika grabbed her, leaving both of them restrained.
"It's no use, zura!" Hanamaru replied. Yohane smiled in the background, and stepped back out to the center of the mountaintop.
"Then slip away from Chika-san and try to defeat Yohane yourself!" Ruby said. "Yōu-san's too strong for me to escape, so Hanamaru-chan, you're Aqours's last hope!"
Hanamaru looked at the others. All of the meisters and Mari were either brainwashed or trapped, and Riko and Kanan were on the ground, still fully transformed. Yohane seemed satisfied, like she had defeated Aqours. The sky began to darken again, as Riko and Kanan returned to human form, both of them, like Hanamaru, still keeping their right hands transformed. Hanamaru gave a silent nod to her two friends, and reached up her hand to tickle Chika's side. Chika laughed, and nearly broke the brainwashing. It was enough for Hanamaru to rejoin Riko and Kanan, so she slipped out. Hanamaru approached Yohane from the front, while Riko and Kanan approached from the back.
"Seems the weapons are just as tough as their meisters," Yohane said.
"A good weapon always is," Kanan replied.
"Release Chika-chan, now!" Riko exclaimed, swinging her axe hand right at Yohane. There were tears in Riko's eyes, much like the ones in Ruby's. "I don't care what I have to do, just let Chika-chan and everyone go."
"Then become my little demon to replace her," Yohane said, snapping her fingers. Chika collapsed, and Yohane extended her hand towards Riko.
"I'm not letting you capture any more of Aqours, zura!" Hanamaru said, smacking Yohane's hand. Yohane picked up her feather sword, and knocked Kanan back. Hanamaru tackled Yohane over.
"Kanan-san, Riko-san, go save everyone else!" Hanamaru said. "I've got this, zura."
"What makes you think you've 'got this'?" Yohane asked, throwing Hanamaru back off her. "And telling your friends to go back to their meisters, what makes you think a lone weapon could defeat Yohane?"
Hanamaru then grabbed Yohane's hands, and smiled.
"I don't want to defeat you, zura," she said. "Yoshiko-chan, I know you're trying to act tough, but deep down, I know you're just scared. I dunno why exactly you want to turn Uchiura into your gate to hell, but there's got to be a better way. You don't need a gate to hell or little demons to be a fallen angel. You just need..."
"Tenshi Datenshi Daten Tenshi," Yohane began to mutter. Was she even listening to me? Hanamaru thought. "Tenshi Datenshi Daten Tenshi." The sky and clouds grew darker. "Tenshi Datenshi Daten Tenshi." Hanamaru could hear all the water in the sea around Uchiura grow more restless.
"Yoshiko-chan, what are you doing?" Hanamaru asked. Yohane laughed.
"TENSHI DATENSHI DATEN TENSHI!" she shouted. Hanamaru could hear the roaring water behind her grow even louder. "You're right, Zuramaru. I don't need to brainwash my little demons," Yohane said, snapping her fingers again. Yōu's brainwashing broke, and Chika began to stir. "Besides, in mere seconds, we will all. SOON. DESCEND!"
Yohane broke free from Hanamaru's grasp and transformed into a crow, flying up to the sky. Hanamaru turned around behind her to see the ocean forming a giant gray wave. The fight was just a distraction! she thought, as all of Aqours looked up to see a glow forming in the wave. Kanan and Riko helped Yōu and Chika to their feet. And as the wave approached, Kanan and Yōu held up the stone roof so Ruby, Chika, and Riko could get Dia and Mari out of the rubble.
"Everyone, follow me, zura!" Hanamaru shouted.
"Ruuuuuuuunnn!" Chika and Mari yelled.
But it was too late. The wave crashed over Uchiura and Aqours along with it.
Hanamaru expected to drown, but she woke up on the beach. Uchiura was devastated by the waves. All around Hanamaru, it looked like the end of the world. Maybe Yohane did make her gate to hell after all. Hanamaru began to stir, seeing Ruby lying in the wet sand beside her. Hanamaru grabbed Ruby's shoulders and turned her around so she'd see her face.
"Hanamaru-chan," Ruby said with a slight smile. "We're alive."
"I'm so glad, zura," Hanamaru replied, tearing up. She didn't know what she would do if Ruby had drowned. Looking around, Hanamaru saw the rest of Aqours coming around, only Mari still in weapon form. She returned to human form and shook Dia awake. Chika, Riko, Yōu, and Kanan got up to their feet and started looking around for more survivors.
"Ruby!" Dia exclaimed, getting up and running to her little sister. "Thank goodness you're okay," she said, hugging Ruby.
"Sis, I'm glad you're okay, too," Ruby replied.
Other people began to stir on the beach and swim back from the water, all of them alive. Almost like some kind of miracle. Hanamaru walked up to the shore and helped Kanan pull people back on land. Yōu, Mari, Chika, and Riko were pulling people out from rubble. And as many people as were able began to help Aqours with the rescue. Once all the survivors were accounted for, Chika and Dia gathered everyone together on the beach.
"So?" Chika asked. "What do we do next?"
"I don't know," Dia replied. "I was thinking we could call Lord Death for a report on the mission, but..." She looked out at what was left of Uchiura. "I'm not sure how to explain this."
"Let's call him right now!" Mari said. "It'll be fine, I'll have my family pay for the damages."
"Your family can pay for all this?" Ruby and Hanamaru asked.
"Most of it, probably," Mari replied, as Riko pulled out a hand mirror. She breathed on it, writing 42-42-564 into the fog. The mirror no longer reflected Riko's face, but showed Lord Death's room. A young shinigami who looked to be in his early twenties stood in front of the mirror, wearing a suit. This young shinigami was the son of the original Lord Death, and had inherited his title not too long ago.
"Hello there, Miss Sakurauchi," he said. "How is the mission?"
"We've, um, run into some complications," Riko replied. "The witch got away, and most of Uchiura is severely damaged by a magic-induced tsunami. So far there haven't been any deaths."
"At least there's that," the young shinigami said. "You girls should stay for extra security in case the witch comes back. I'll have the East Asia branch send aid to Uchiura and make any necessary evacuations as soon as possible."
"Thank you so much, Lord Death," Riko replied. "We'll keep our eyes out and help rebuild as we can."
"That's great to hear," the young shinigami said. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to make the call for aid. If you see that witch again, do not hesitate in bringing her to custody."
The mirror returned to normal, and Riko sighed. Hanamaru looked around at the beach surrounding them, to see Ruby sitting by the shore. Hanamaru walked over to her.
"Hanamaru-chan," Ruby said, "what are we going to do if we find Yohane again?"
"Well, we'll know what we'll be facing this time, zura, so we might not be caught so off guard," Hanamaru replied, sitting down next to Ruby. "I'm not sure whether I was a fool to think about kindergarten, and catching up, and the possibility of being friends again. She's completely changed. Yoshiko-chan and I might become friends again, we might not, but either way, it feels...bittersweet."
Hanamaru watched as the waves crashed and the clouds began to part. A few rays of sunlight began to break throught the clouds. It was the dawn of a new day for what was left of Uchiura. Yoshiko-chan, I know you're out there, Hanamaru thought. And I hope I find you again.