UPDATE 08/09/2017: Since this isn't a oneshot anymore (clearly), I've edited the author's notes here to reflect this. The majority of the bottom author's note will be transferred to the third chapter as and when I get that up, though the cast list will remain where it is.
Also, I will be adding some coverart (drawn by me) on Sunday, or possibly Monday depending.

So, I sort of have a thing for chorus battles, in that I like coming across different chorus battles on YouTube and watching their entries and just being wowed at how amazing they look and sound (because seriously there is some amazing stuff out there). It's even more fun when I come across one that has just started or is in progress, because then I sort of get to follow its progress, which is even more fun. The Magia District Battle (MDB) is one such ongoing chorus battle, and my favourite group competing in that battle is called Niðavellir. I have enjoyed both their entries so far, and additionally, both sparked something in my imagination, which made me think I should write a story for them, just for the fun of it.

Hence, this: a fanfic for a chorus battle entry.

Initially this was just a one-shot for their Round 1 entry 'JINGO JUNGLE' , but then the Round 2 entry 'gravityWall' came out and then this spiralled out of control. I say spiralled out of control, because even so it should have still stayed a two-parter but when the document ended up being over double the size this part was I knew I had to split it. I shouldn't be surprised by this anymore but oh well. Here you have it. Part 2B (the third part) should be finished in a week and a bit, possibly two weeks.

Given the central concept of the MDB is mahou shoujo, and I'm not the best at writing fantasy related things or action/fighting scenes, I'm not 100% sure why this was the entry (or even why this was the chorus battle of all the ones I've watched), that I ended up wanting to write a fic for, but somehow I managed. I did focus a little more heavily on more slice-of-life/ character-interaction based things rather than the fantasy or action. So in some places it's not the best thing I've ever written, but I did my best to make sure it was as good quality as I could get it despite that.

I also decided to give the different members of the group character names, partially because I just felt like it would flow better and make more sense, and partially because I like making up names for characters. And I decided on Japanese names, partially because I am assuming Asgard Academy is a Japanese school in a very different Japan, and partially because I particularly happen to like Japanese names. Some names I've made up are sort-of derived from the members' names (aliases? channel names? Whatever.), the rest are just completely made from scratch, so to speak. But in any case, I have put a 'cast list' at the bottom of this so you will know who is who, and their powers are listed too.

Anyway, I do not own anything about Niðavellir's entries, the credit goes to all of the amazing people involved in that (PLEASE go watch them, they are on Arietta's Youtube channel, which is AriettaIsBored). The plot description is also an adaptation of part of the video's description, so I cannot take credit for that either. As for the story's title, that's from a section heading from Neil Gaiman's 'Norse Mythology' (Given the group's name, I figured that refreshing myself on a little Norse mythology would be useful so I was rereading the book around the time I was writing this first part). The point is: All I own here are the results of my overactive imagination, and my writing style.

But anyway, I hope that you will all enjoy this fic! And if you are one of the members of Niðavellir, I wish you luck in the final round-I am so excited to see what you come up with (and who knows, maybe it'll spawn a fourth part to this fic!)

Arisa

Being a mahou shoujo wasn't like being a student, or a nurse, or any other calling a person could have. Those things typically had defined hours and roles, a time to be a student and a nurse and a time to be whoever you were off shift. Being a mahou shoujo was not like that. You either were one, or you weren't, putting aside the spectrum of magical abilities that existed in the world. No matter where you were, or what you were doing, you were always a mahou shoujo. You couldn't clock out of it. That's what Arisa believed, in any case, and it was this belief she lived by.

That was why, two days before she went back to Asgard Academy to start life as a second-year, she was sprawled out on her bedroom floor with her best friend Chika, trying to figure out how to deal with the crisis that the club Niðavellir was currently in.

"Ah, why did they decide to put me in charge?" Arisa burst out, putting down her pen and staring at the piece of paper that she hadn't actually written anything down on. We're going in circles. Chika propped her chin in her hand and regarded her for a minute.

"I didn't know the answer to that the last ten times you asked, Ari." Chika responded eventually, grinning wryly.

"I mean, you'd think that this was one of the situations where the teachers should step in and help but…" Arisa carried on, half-ignoring her. Then, she sighed and sat up.

"Okay, let's try again. There's us, and Kawamura-sempai, and Nishimori-kun too. "

"And Shiho." Chika reminded her. Arisa nodded at that.

"Yep, Shiho." She agreed, though she hadn't really needed reminding. Shiho was always there. Arisa smiled for a moment, thinking of the eccentric alchemist, but the smile soon disappeared as she thought of Niðavellir again.

"That's still only just five of us, that's not enough, is it? We're meant to be an army. Oh, I give up."

They had been an army last year, when she and Chika had been unsure first years newly recruited into Niðavellir. But the 12 other students who had been third years then had now of course graduated, and there had been a few other students in Kawamura's year, but one had died last summer, and the rest had all moved away for a variety of reasons. For some reason, though there were a good many mahou shoujo students and some specialists who had been considered possible new Niðavellir members in Arisa's year, none of them had been recruited by the last leader-only Arisa, Chika and Nishimori.

Arisa sighed, and with a flourish, summoned her magical cat, Riki, and let the little kitten curl up on her lap. Chika grinned and reached out to stroke her.

"Should we go visit Shiho, then?" Chika asked casually.

"No way, can you imagine it-'Just because I live in the school doesn't mean it's term-time all year around'? " Arisa pulled a face at the very thought.

"Hah, I s'pose you're right." Chika drawled and yawned, before also deciding to sit up. "Hey, what about Jeff?"

"Jeff?" Arisa echoed.

"Yes, Jeff." Chika rolled her eyes. "He's mahou shoujo too, remember. We can ask him to join, which'll at least be a start."

Arisa didn't say anything to this, looking down at the magical cat on her lap and absently curling a lock of her long turquoise hair around her finger. Chika grinned and continued.

"Besides, you're going mad worrying in here. Let's at least stretch our legs a little before I go completely bonkers too."

Releasing the lock of her hair, Arisa looked up at her best friend and blinked for a moment before smiling and standing up, clicking her fingers to send Riki back again.

"You know what, that's a good idea. Let's do it."

…

The lunchtime rush had just subsided when they arrived, and so The Sunshine Café was very quiet. Jeff was at the counter, watching the surroundings. When he spotted them, his face brightened ten-fold.

"Hiyama-Chan, Kato-Chan!" he called in greeting.

"Good afternoon, Jeff-kun." Arisa smiled back. She still wasn't entirely sure why they all called him Jeff, except that Chika had started it, when they'd met him almost a year ago, claiming that he just 'looked like a Jeff, y'know?'. I still don't know what a 'Jeff' typically looks like, either, she mused as she remembered.

"Yo, Jeff!" Chika saluted as they both took a seat at the counter. Jeff just grinned at them.

"Yo yourself. I like the t-shirt, Kato-Chan." He replied, pointing. Chika looked down at her white t-shirt with the neon-blue wording of 'Even Magical Girls Wanna Have Fun' and grinned.

"Thanks. Want one yourself?"

"Nope, I'm fine. So, do you ladies want anything to drink? Or to eat?"

"Hmm…." Arisa looked up at the menu boards behind the tills. "I'll go for the hot chocolate. Chi-Chan, what are you having?"

"Ah, maybe the iced coffee with those funky syrups? Which flavour haven't I had for a while?"

"Strawberry." Jeff replied instantly.

"Cool, then I'll have that. I dunno if I'm hungry though, I'll figure that out later."

Arisa chuckled at that, and Jeff smiled, saluting them.

"Well, I'll rustle that right up for you. So, what's the troubled face for, Hiyama-Chan?" he asked as he went to start preparing their drinks. Arisa stared at his back in astonishment.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked.

"Ari, you're practically a walking book." Chika quipped. Arisa turned to mock-glare at her, but Chika just smiled innocently, bright green eyes sparkling mischievously, and she just sighed.

"Niðavellir." She said, simply. Jeff didn't say anything for a moment as he continued working at their drinks, but then eventually he turned, two cups in hand.

"I heard from Nishimori-kun, you're the leader now, right?" he asked as he brought the drinks over and set them down on the counter.

"Yeah." Arisa sighed, picking up her cup and starting to sip from it. As with any drink Jeff made, it was excellent, and for a moment, she felt calm.

"Congratulations. You'll be great at it, I'm sure." Jeff said warmly. "You've always been good at organising things and keeping us together."

"There isn't even much of a club to organise though, that's the problem." Arisa explained.

"Ah." Jeff considered this for a moment, but then noticed another customer waiting and went to serve them. Once he'd whipped up the customer's large cappuccino, given them the slice of carrot cake they'd asked for and rung up the given money on the till, he came back to Arisa and Chika, and leant over.

"Would you like me to join your ranks? That would help, wouldn't it?"

"It would, but…are you absolutely sure? What about your mum?"

Arisa knew that Jeff and his mum Ranko mostly ran The Sunshine Café alone, with only a few part-time staff members to help during the weekdays. And Jeff was all that Ranko had, and vice versa. Plus, Arisa felt an obligation to give Jeff the opportunity to walk away. She could not afford to do that too with every potential recruit, but Jeff was one of her closest friends after Chika. If she owed such a courtesy to anyone, it was him.

"Niðavellir needs help, right? In any case, it might be interesting to see if I can use my spelled drinks for a purpose other than brightening customers' moods." Jeff replied with such ease Arisa was taken aback.

"Well…thanks, Jeff-kun."

"Anything for you. Only thing is, my mum'll skin you alive if I'm unable to do any of my shifts." Jeff smiled. Arisa and Chika took one look at each other and burst out laughing. The idea of sweet, gentle Ranko Takenaka flaying anybody was almost preposterous. On the other hand, she was a mother, and sometimes there was nothing more fearsome than a mother protecting her child.

"So, Jeff, now you're an official member, can I interrogate you for any possibly relevant gossip?" Chika grinned at him once he'd calmed down.

"Relevant gossip, huh….?"

Jeff thought about this for a moment while Arisa and Chika continued to drain their drinks.

"Well, two things come to mind. First one isn't gossip so much. A boy came in with his little sisters a few hours ago, he bought them both chocolate muffins and milkshakes while he took a juice and one of the scones. Anyway, the older of the little sisters got a bit upset, saying to him that she wanted to read his tealeaves-he tried to hush her up pretty quickly but I still heard, but yeah, I went over and told the little girl that I'd drink some tea and then she could read tea-leaves for me, so I did that and talked to the boy a little bit. I didn't learn his name, but I know he's going to be starting at Asgard on Monday, and it seems like precognitive abilities run in his family. "

"Precognitive abilities, huh? That could be useful." There were a wide, wide range of different precognitive abilities a mahou shoujo could have. But it didn't mean that someone showing such abilities was necessarily a mahou shoujo, either, it was just as likely they were a specialist. Some basics were able to master various precognitive magic types, but if the boy had been a basic he wouldn't have been admitted into Asgard. So, that sounds promising.

"What did the kid tell you?" Chika wanted to know.

"A bunch of random things…she was only little after all...but she said 'you're going to be a hero soon'. I'm just going to take that to mean she was referring to Niðavellir, considering I've just joined." Jeff winked at Arisa, and she smiled back, as she sipped the last dregs of her hot chocolate.

"Anyway, the second thing really was just gossip I overheard from two girls our age, while I was clearing plates away. Apparently, Kotone Suzuki's transferring into Asgard this year. "

"Excuse me, what?" Chika coughed violently at this, and Arisa hurriedly slapped her back. "The Kotone Suzuki?"

"Yep. Wild, right? But they say she's a spellsinger mahou shoujo, right?"

"Yes, they do." Arisa confirmed, thinking of the Kotone Suzuki concert that had more or less confirmed this suspicion. Someone who had been able to save the lives of her fans under such pressure was definitely a mahou shoujo, no two ways about that. And if she was transferring to Asgard Academy, she'd definitely have to be a part of Niðavellir.

"Well, that's probably a start, right?" Jeff said. "When Monday comes around, then we can start scouting. I'll woo them over with coffee."

"Ah, that wouldn't be-"

"I don't mean to coerce them. Just to sweeten the deal."

"Well, fair enough then, right?" Chika elbowed Arisa and grinned again. "Hey, can I have a refill? Same flavour?"

"Sure thing. Hiyama-Chan?"

"No, this is fine….can I have a slice of brownie though?"

"Sure? The regular one, fudge, or salted caramel?"

"I'll try salted caramel. That one's new, isn't it?"

"Yeah, Mum decided to try it out and see how it goes. It's hard to tell after only a few days, but people seem to like it. Here you go."

"Thanks." Arisa took a bite as soon as she got it. "Oh, it's really good."

"Mum'll be pleased to know that." Jeff said, looking equally pleased.

For a little while, in between serving customers and occasionally going to collect and clean plates, Jeff chatted to Arisa and Chika about somewhat more mindless things, until the crowd picked up a little and the girls decided they needed to go.

"So, we'll see you in school bright and early on Monday." Arisa told Jeff.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Perfect. Say hello to Ranko-san for me, won't you?"

"Of course-she'll be sorry to have missed you."

"Oh, hey, wait!" Chika burst out unexpectedly. "Jeff, did you spell our drinks?"

Jeff let out a small sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, just a little. For inspiration. I think you'll need a little of it, won't you? The both of you?"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess…" Arisa blinked.

"Ah, don't worry. It's not the inconvenient middle-of-the-night sort of inspiration that isn't any use. This inspiration is the sort that'll come to you when needed, Hiyama-Chan."

"Huh, you can distinguish between the two? That's hardcore." Chika enthused.

"Well, I gave that type of inspiration to Hiyama-Chan. Kato-Chan, you've just got the standard middle-of-the-night sort of inspiration." Jeff teased.

Chika stared for a good, long moment and then laughed.

"Jeff, you're an arsehole, you know that?"

…

Kou

Once Misa and Maki were tucked up in bed and fast asleep, Kou scurried out to the back garden so he could sit outside. It was a clear night, one in which he'd be able to see the stars perfectly, and he didn't want to miss the opportunity. He loved the stars, not just for the information he could glean from them or the stories they contained, but just how beautiful they were.

A hero, huh? The moment he sat down on the back door step, he was thinking of it again-the future that Misa had read for him in his tealeaves. It sounded almost exactly the same as the tealeaves that Misa had read for the kind barista at the coffee shop they'd stopped by yesterday morning, but when he'd pressed Misa she'd said that was because they were both going to be the same sort of hero, that their paths would meet because of it, albeit in more childlike language than that. And he'd more-or-less confirmed it by doing a reading on himself this morning before the girls woke up, using his cards.

Of course, as was the way with all kinds of fortune telling, there were no precise details of what this entailed, or how, exactly, he would be a hero. About all he could tell for sure was that it would not be a one-time thing. It would be a role he carried for life, just as he would now always be the one responsible for his little sisters. But the barista….why would a barista also be a hero? Not that having skill with beverages precluded you from doing good, but it still seemed strange to him that they could possibly have interlinked futures. Unless…..didn't he say he's a student at Asgard Academy?

Ah, alright, let's test it. Steeling himself, he breathed long, slow breaths, in and out as his father had taught him so long ago, letting his mind clear out while he stared up at the stars. And eventually, once he was empty, the images came.

…A girl with red-and-black hair wielding a scythe, while he was using his cards to aim magical attacks at the same enemy the girl was attacking…

…Sitting at a table with the red-and-black-haired girl, the barista, an unusually short woman dressed in an alchemist's typical get up, and a few others, including a friendly girl with very long green-blue hair standing at a whiteboard as they brainstormed a battle plan of some sorts….

…Standing staring out at a flattened piece of land with a group of others, one hand gripping that of the long-haired girl, the other being held by a pretty girl with cat ears, a sense of both pride and regret churning in his chest while the wind ruffled all their clothes and their hair…

…Being down on the ground, winded by a painful blow, while a churlish looking young man wielding different blades stepped in front of him and aimed blows at the same foe who had knocked him down…

…The whole group sitting together in the same café the barista worked at, taking up all the counter seats while the barista alternated between hanging out with them and serving the other customers, a moment of peace after a particularly turbulent week…

The images flickered and switched around with each other, and some were a bit blurry at the edges. And soon after, they disappeared, leaving Kou alone in the night.

But even so, they were clear enough

So…definitely something to do with Asgard Academy He wondered. It has to be. Some sort of club, perhaps? Asgard Academy was sure to have all sorts of clubs out trying to recruit first years, just like any high school did, regardless of how magic-oriented they were. He would make sure to drop in to all of them. Sooner or later, he'd find them. The barista, and all the others he'd just seen in his visions. And then perhaps he'd know what the tealeaves and the reading meant.

But that's not going to work if you don't wake up on time, Kou thought wryly as he yawned. It was pretty late, and he'd be busy enough the next morning anyway. Misa was starting third grade, she could walk to school alone, but Maki needed to be taken to day-care before he could go to school. So, he got up, and after taking one last look at the shining stars, he stepped back inside and went up to bed.

…

Kotone

"Now, this is the floor that Niðavellir occupies. Their main meeting room is the largest one, at the end of the corridor, but you'll see there are other rooms for other purposes as well. Hiyama-san and Murakami-san will most likely give you a proper tour later. "

Kotone strained to keep up with the long-legged, brisk-paced Principal Asakura, but somehow managed it. Niðavellir, huh? From what she understood, it was something of an exclusive club in Asgard Academy, but that was all she'd really absorbed. She hadn't really had any time to absorb anything. It had only been two months ago that her spurned fan had decided to try to get revenge by spraying bullets into her audience, only two months since she'd managed to sing a protective spell over them meaning only four concert-goers had suffered, and only with minor injuries. Only two months since she realised that it meant she wasn't just a specialised magic-user, but a mahou shoujo. Only two months since it had been decided that once the last school year was over, she'd transfer out to Asgard Academy, which was much more magic oriented than her last school had been.

Only two months. That was hardly any time to absorb anything. She just had to hope that she'd actually be of use to the members of Niðavellir. She couldn't imagine quite how she could be, even after that concert. But she supposed that the adults of this world were the experts, so she'd go along with it. And hopefully, make some new friends in the process. Kotone touched her cat ears self-consciously. Hopefully these'll stand out less here, too.

When they reached the door, Principal Asakura knocked loudly on it, and Kotone hurriedly smoothed out her uniform. A moment later, it was opened by a girl with a very friendly looking face. She had long, long turquoise hair done up into two rather cheerful looking ponytails. There were slight bags under her eyes, but she still managed to look bright as she greeted them.

"Come in Principal Asakura. We've just finished renewing the charms and we're talking about recruitment."

"That's good, very good." Principal Asakura said briskly. "I haven't got time to stay, but I wanted to bring you your latest member. I'm sure you'll recognise Kotone Suzuki-san. "

"Ah yes, I do. Welcome to Asgard Academy, and to Niðavellir! I'm Arisa Hiyama. Come in, Suzuki-san."

"Oh, so the note wasn't a prank then?" Kotone heard a voice ask from inside the room.

"Why would the note be a prank?" Another asked, slightly exasperated by the sounds of it.

"Hah, I told you, didn't I?" A third voice proclaimed. "Jeff gets all the best gossip!"

"A-ah, sure, Hiyama-san. " Kotone blocked out the sounds of the conversation to reply to Arisa. Just before she entered the room though, she turned to thank Principal Asakura, but he was already striding back down the corridor, so she just shrugged ruefully. Arisa closed the door behind her, and then went to sit down, while Kotone looked around.

The room was large, but simply furnished, simply boasting a large wooden table with a number of wooden chairs around it, a set of drawers and a filing cabinet leaning against one wall and a cupboard of some sort against another of the walls, next to the only window in the room, which was large enough to let enough light into, making the room seem at least a little welcoming. On the wall opposite the table, there was a large whiteboard with a holder for a number of markers and a board eraser, as well as posters of two maps-one looked like a building plan, and the other was a map of the town. Curiously, for some reason there were a small pile of sleeping bags and large beanbags tucked away in the furthest corner of the room, and a bobble-head toy of the Grim Reaper sitting on the windowsill, currently still.

"Come, Suzuki-san, please do sit down." This came from a boy with slightly tousled blond hair and a sort of softness about him. Even his voice was soft and pleasant, the type that Kotone could keep listening to all day if she was so inclined.

"A-ah, thank you." She stuttered out.

Kotone sat down in a seat next to Arisa, and observed the people who were also members of Niðavellir. There was Arisa, and the soft boy, two other girls, another boy who wore his blazer around his shoulders like a cape. There was another girl as well, but she was the only one not wearing school uniform-having opted instead for an outfit that incorporated a blue cloak drawn together with a bow-and somehow she seemed older and different, but Kotone couldn't quite put her finger on it. What is it? It didn't help that there was also a small beige dog curled up on her head.

"I'm sure Principal Asakura explained everything anyway, but is there anything you need to ask about Niðavellir?" Arisa asked. "We may as well get basic questions out of the way before we get right down to business?"

"Uh…." Kotone thought. I don't know anything! But, they seem nice, I don't want to make them mad…

"What are we going to do, specifically?" Was the best she could come up with eventually. Arisa smiled.

"Well, hopefully nothing for now. Right now, we're trying to get our numbers up so that we can actually function. You see, the bulk of the group last year was all third years, and of course they've graduated now. "

"Of course, the last leader didn't take this into consideration, so that's why there's only Kawamura-san from the current third year now, and then us." The other boy spoke up.

"Naturally, if something comes up, we will fight. But…." Arisa said. "Well, I don't really want to overwhelm you with so much when you've only just started in this school in the first place. But this is the reality."

"if it makes you feel any better, even though I've known these guys for longer, I've only just joined Niðavellir myself, so we're kind of in the same boat." The soft boy spoke up, smiling at her as though he was picking up on her confusion.

"O-oh." Of course, Kotone still wasn't sure what was going on, but she was starting to put the pieces together. What…what do I do? Two months ago was one thing, but….

"Do you not think introductions might be a good idea?" This came from the woman, who stared Kotone down with her very large blue eyes. Arisa clapped her hands to her mouth.

"Yes, of course, Shiho! I'm so sorry, Suzuki-san." Arisa turned and looked apologetically at Kotone, who was only able to shake her head in astonishment.

"Then, I'll go first." The woman said. She jumped off her seat and walked over to Kotone, and that was when she realised what the issue was. The woman was short. Very short. And looked a lot younger than Kotone had realised. She held out her hand and gave Kotone a look that made her seem…well, taller.

"I'm Shiho Murakami." She said matter-of-factly. "It's good to meet you, Suzuki-san. I've heard a lot about you, and I like your music. This is Fen, my dog. He's also a fan."

"A-ah, thank you!"

"And it might also be useful for you to know that I live here. With Fen."

"I-I'm sorry?" Did I hear that right? Shiho didn't appear to notice her new confusion (and the dog did not react either), and simply held out her hand, clearly waiting for a handshake. Swallowing down her confusion, Kotone reached out and gripped her hand to shake it.

"W-well, Murakami-san, I hope we'll get along well."

"Likewise. And please just call me Shiho. 'Murakami-san' makes me remember I'm old."

?

With that, Shiho went back to her seat and went back to observing the proceedings. Fen lifted its-his?-head up for a moment and seemed to smirk at her, before becoming impassive again.

"Okay, so I've already introduced myself, but also I should add that I'm the leader of Niðavellir. That's Chika Kato, essentially my right-hand-man." Arisa started, pointing at the girl whose hair was red on one side, and black on the other. The girl-Chika-grinned, her electric-green eyes sparkling mischievously as she sized Kotone up.

"And best friend, and don't you forget it. But I'm sure we'll get along fine too, especially once we're out slaying people together." Chika proclaimed, grinning as she rubbed her hands together somewhat evilly.

"Uhh…"

"Please don't mind her bloodthirstiness, she's a reaper." The boy with the glasses said, sighing and rolling his purplish-blue eyes, to which Chika only pulled a horrifically silly face. Kotone snuck a look at the bobble-head toy on the windowsill, and looked back at Chika, wide-eyed. Oookay….

"I'm Rei Nishimori, I'm a second year like Hiyama-san and Kato-san. My mahou shoujo power is machinist." The boy continued on. "We're glad to have you on board."

"My name's Kenjiro Takenaka," the soft boy said. "But thanks to Kato-Chan, these days most people call me Jeff, so you can too if you like."

"And to round off, I'm Naoko Kawamura, the sole third year here." The final girl, with short, shaggy sandy hair and serious green eyes stated this bluntly, and didn't smile. Ah, but she seems alright.

"It's good to meet you all." Kotone said, inclining her head slightly. "I really do hope we can get along, and that I'll be able to help…"

"There's no two ways about it, you will be of help." Naoko stated bluntly.

"Yes, of course, but don't worry, Suzuki-san, you'll be fine." Jeff reassured.

"Suzuki-san." Kotone looked over at Shiho. "Whatever doubts you're having, you know the answer to them already."

"I do?" Kotone could only blink for a moment. Then she thought of that day two months ago, of how once she had realised what was happening, her reaction had been instantaneous, instinctive, like breathing. And it worked. I saved them.

"Yes I do. Well, I won't let you down, I promise." She said passionately, looking around at all of them.

"That's what we want to hear!" Arisa exclaimed decisively, before getting up. "I think we ought to move on as quickly as possible, so I'll start on drawing up our gameplan for the next few days. Before that, any more questions, Suzuki-san?"

Kotone pursed her lips and thought about this for a moment, but then shook her head. I'll learn as I go along. And I won't let them down.

I won't.

…

The first part of the morning passed by pretty quickly. Jeff had lent her a notebook and she'd made careful notes of everything Arisa had gone over during the meeting, not wanting to have everything go over her head again. Then, it had been time to start the entrance ceremony and discover what classes they were, so all of them (except, for some reason, Shiho) had gone down for that, upon which she'd been instantly swamped by about fifty girls from all three years wanting to know if she was really Kotone Suzuki, and then asking for autographs. She obliged as much as she could, but after a while it started to get overwhelming, at which point she was thankfully rescued by Chika, who she noticed most of the students seemed to be scared of.

And actually, it seemed that most of the students were scared of all of the Niðavellir members. Except for her, but of course she knew that part of that was down to her status as an idol, and the simple fact they hadn't clocked on to the fact of her membership yet. Understandable, considering she herself had just joined. The fear was mixed in a clear respect, and it was not as if others didn't talk to them at all-Arisa and Jeff in particular seemed to at least be able to make small talk with other students-but all the same, it was there. She wondered what it felt like, but knew she'd discover it for herself soon enough.

Once the entrance ceremony was over, she'd found out that she would be in Class 2-B, the same as Arisa and Rei, which was a relief. Even though she was used to singing for millions at a time, introducing herself to a new class was daunting. Having those two somewhat-familiar faces in the crowd was reassuring. But thankfully, everything else was uneventful until break time, when Arisa took her back to Niðavellir's floor to give her a tour of the rest of the place.

There was a room for practising their fighting and magic skills-with its bright green walls and lack of furnishings it essentially looked like a TV studio's Green Room, and when she pointed this out to Arisa, she laughed and stated that was exactly what they called it. Next door to it, were two small but very clean bathrooms-one for males, one for females-which was apparently for situations which required the club to stay in the school overnight (which was also the reason for the sleeping bags). Right opposite this was what Arisa described as their 'common room', a space with colourful sofas, a small bookshelf, plug sockets for charging phones, and a kitchen area. Much to her amusement, Kotone spotted a magazine tear-out poster that featured her stuck to one of the walls.

The room next door to it was one that Arisa walked straight past, after checking a small tag hung to the doorknob.

"Those are Shiho's quarters." Arisa explained. "She makes up her potions there, but it's also her living space. We're allowed to go in, but only if she's put up her 'Welcome' sign. Right now she's put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign. See?"

"Muraka-I mean, Shiho really lives here, in Asgard Academy? I didn't think that's what she'd meant at all….why?" Kotone couldn't hide her surprise as she examined the sign, and Arisa shrugged heavily.

"I have no idea why. That's how it's always been. Always. For as long as Asgard Academy has been around, Shiho has too, and so has Fen, for that matter. We don't know why, and she won't say a thing, either. But yeah. If there's anything constant about Asgard Academy apart from Niðavellir and the magic-focused curriculum, then it's Shiho herself."

There was real affection in Arisa's voice as she said all of this, so much so that Kotone couldn't think of an appropriate way to respond, so she just waited.

"Okay, well, anyway." Arisa shook her head decisively. "That little door there just leads to a sort of spare storage cupboard, and we don't need that for now, but this is the last significant room…."

Kotone tilted her head curiously at Arisa's suddenly sombre tone, and didn't question it, simply following her into the room…and what she saw took her breath away.

The entire room was a shrine. Not to one person, but to many, many people. Dozens upon dozens of photos stared at her. All of them were of Asgard Academy students, and some of the photographs seemed many, many years old. All of them had their own flowers, bowl of rice, and incense.

"A…are these former Niðavellir students?"

"Yeah. From years past. Most of them are from many years past, before I was even born, let alone before I joined. But here…." Arisa walked up to a photograph of a girl with reddish-brown hair, freckles and very dark brown eyes.

"That's Erina Watanabe. She was in Kawamura-sempai's class. She was a shapeshifter."

Instinctively, Kotone found herself touching the cat ears that were an unfortunate effect of having shapeshifter genes running in the family. This girl didn't appear to have any anthromorphic features from her portrait, so most likely she had actual shapeshifting powers, rather than random genetic quirks.

"I…how did she die?" she almost whispered.

"The same way any one of us could die. On the frontline. A civilian who was trying to kidnap one of the mahou shoujo third years. We saved him, of course. But we didn't notice Watanabe-sempai until it was too late."

"Oh. I…I'm sorry."

Arisa nodded at that distractedly, looking in to the distance for a moment. Then, she seemed to steel herself and walked back to the door, fixing Kotone with a penetrating look. Even despite the dark circles underneath them, her eyes blazed.

"Suzuki-san, if your motivation ever falters, if you need something to remind you of your duty or why you should carry on…come here. Come to this room."

"A-ah, sure."

Kotone was relieved when they left the room and Arisa firmly shut the door.

"So…who looks after…?" Kotone gestured at the door as they started to walk back down to the main door.

"Oh, Shiho does. Every night, or if she doesn't get to in the night, then every morning. Occasionally, Chi-Chan will come in early to help."

In that moment, Kotone made a silent promise to herself. When I can, I will do the same too.

"Hey, Hiyama-san, can I ask a question. Only, it's kind of delicate…"

"Sure, shoot away."

"If…If Kawamura-san is still here, and there's Shiho too, then why were you elected as the leader of Niðavellir?"

"Well….." Arisa blew out a breath and considered this. "I told you, didn't I? Most of the responsibility of Niðavellir is down to us? Most of the staff don't intervene except in the direst of situations."

"Yes…"

"Well….the few times they do involve themselves in the running of Niðavellir and make decisions…..let's just say those decisions should not be questioned. Ever."

"Oh. I see." Kotone scrabbled for something else to say. "From what I'm seeing so far, you'll be a good leader, Hiyama-san."

"Thank you, Suzuki-san." Arisa looked pensive for a few moments longer, and then grinned broadly.

"Okay, now that you're familiar with Niðavellir's quarters, let's go back down. We've got some scouting to do, haven't we?"

"Yes, we do."

…

Kou

Kou had looked in most of the different club rooms hoping for a glimpse of any of the people he had seen in the visions, but he hadn't seen any of them at all. It was a little frustrating, but there were still all the outdoor exhibition stalls on the grounds, not to mention the tennis club and the cricket club, so he wasn't about to give up yet.

"You not found anything interesting yet, Kurosawa?" Just as he was going out the back to see the first of the other club exhibitions, he was joined by one of his new classmates, Atsuya Inoue.

"No, not yet, Inoue-kun." Are you one of the ones? The slightly brushed back dark-blue hair, the rectangular glasses and the electric-blue eyes did all look like one of the people from the vision of what he still reckoned was a strategy meeting. But they were both first-years, so it was impossible.

Unless he's going to be a new joiner like you! The little voice in his head berated him. That, too, was a possibility, but he wasn't sure, so he'd keep it quiet for now.

"Have you found anything interesting?" Kou asked back. Atsuya shook his head.

"A few possibilities, nothing I want to commit to yet. Mind if I join you?"

"No, go for it."

"Thanks."

They fell into step, and remained in silence for a little while as they continued to walk. They reached the tennis court pretty quickly, and Kou scanned the people playing and watching, but didn't see any familiar faces. In any case, tennis was not something that interested either of them, so they quickly moved on. Atsuya lingered by the cricket ground, so Kou again used that to look, but with no results.

"Okay, time for the stalls." Atsuya declared.

They turned a corner to head down in the direction of the sounds of the activity around the stalls, but were stopped short by a classmate leaning against a wall, brooding over something. Another one that Kou recognised vaguely, this one possibly being boy with the blades who had defended him.

"Hey…erm, Nakagawa-kun, was it? Have you found a club to sign up to yet?" Kou asked cheerily.

"It's Nakahara, and no, I'm not interested in clubs." Haru responded gruffly, peering out at them from underneath his messy fringe.

"How come? There isn't any activity that interests you?" Atsuya asked.

"Oh, I have interests, Inoue, just none of them are worth spending more time than necessary in school yet. Therefore, no clubs."

"Oh, but that…..I…." Kou's words failed him. But…that can't be….? Then why did I see him…?

"Oh? That seems to trouble you inordinately, Kurosawa. Why would that be?"

"I, well….." Oh, to hell with it. "Well, you see…."

And instantly, Kou launched into his explanation of what he had seen and who he was looking for, and why. Atsuya and Haru both listened closely, but while Atsuya was impressed and astonished, Haru was regarding him with an expression that couldn't be mistaken for anything but amusement. At least they seem to believe me, though.

"So you're a precognitive mahou shoujo?" Atsuya asked when Kou had finished.

"I'm not sure if I'm specifically mahou shoujo, or just an astrology specialist, but yes."

"Oh. Well, as it happens, I'm mahou shoujo as well. My power is that of a sentinel." Atsuya said.

"How funny. I also happen to be mahou shoujo. I work with metal weaponry, and any type of metal." Even though Haru was smiling, his laugh did not sound particularly like a laugh.

"That…fits." Kou said.

"With your visions, you mean?" Atsuya asked. Kou nodded in confirmation. Haru laughed his not-very-laughter-like laugh again at that.

"Well, that's certainly…intriguing. So…." Haru drew out his words. "So, Kurosawa, how about we make a deal?"

"A….deal?" Kou had to hold back from asking 'a deal with the devil', even though right at this moment the term felt more than apt. Haru grinned, an expression that seemed unnatural on his face, so clearly more suited for moodiness.

"Yes, a deal. I'll tag along with you and Inoue here. If you find any of the key players from your visions and they actually confirm the existence of the type of alliance you claim they're part of, then I'll join that club with you. If not, then, well, I have no problem with simply forgetting that you exist and not getting involved in any club at all. And I'll even be nice, and let you have right until the last student leaves the building for the day. So then, how about it?"

This isn't a game, Kou wanted to retort. You should take this seriously. But still, the more he looked at his grumpy, deep-voiced classmate, the more he was sure that this was the boy who'd had his back in the visions. And the stars never lied. Never. So he nodded.

"It's a deal."

…

Kou wasn't precisely sure how it all happened, but one minute he was standing at the Paranormal Studies Club's crepe stall chatting about poltergeists with the girl manning the stall while he wondered if he should buy a crepe or not-why a magic-oriented school needed a Paranormal Studies club was beyond him, much less why they thought the best way to advertise themselves was via crepes-and the next minute the hob that they were using to make hot caramel sauce had gone up in flames that would spread to the rest of the stall if nothing was done.

"Water! Does anyone have water?" he called out as the girl at the stall backed away in fear and others rushed out of harm's way. He looked around, but couldn't see anything nearby. There were the taps around the back of the school, but the fire would spread in the time he took to go there and grab a bucket…

"Inoue-kun, go to the tap and grab a bucket!" Kou called out. Inoue nodded and rushed away, and in the meantime Kou whipped off his blazer and put it on the fire, while Haru appeared to be starting a spell that cooled the pot down, before he picked it up casually and poured all the sauce from it into a bin-ignoring the astonished protests of the girl-and then put the pot out of harm's way, before taking off his own blazer and putting it over the blaze, which at least seemed to subdue it. For a moment, he wondered how on earth he'd afford a new blazer, but decided that was the least of his problems.

"It's okay," Kou tried to reassure onlookers. "We've got it contained, it'll be fine."

At that point, Atsuya came back with a rickety old bucket that was already spilling water, and without waiting for the command, threw the water over the fire. Some of it caught the girl, who shrieked, and a few drops fell on Kou and Haru, but the water fell where it was meant to, and just like that, the fire was out. The only traces of it were a charred pot and hob, and a somewhat fragile stall, whose wooden supports were now wobbli-Oh, wait.

"Kid, get out of the way!" someone called out. Kou scrambled to do so as the stand started to creak and wobble even more, but then there was a flash of silver-a scythe?-and with a few swift strikes, the stand collapsed in on itself, forming a pile of wood, plastic and metal. Losing his footing, Kou ended up on the ground, and he sat up to see what was going on.

"Holy hell, Kato-san, you didn't need to transform just to deal with a cooking malfunction." A voice from someone out of sight scolded.

"Hey, this is the first thing I get to cut up this year, leave me be. Besides, it's better than flying debris knocking out half the student body, right?"

This reply came from a figure who had come to land gracefully on top of the pile that had once been the Paranormal Studies Club's crepe stall, her boot-clad feet confidently settled on the precarious surface. She grinned and looked around, and as Kou got up and dusted himself off, all he could do was stare.

Because he knew who she was.

"Kurosawa-kun, are you alright?"

Kou ignored Atsuya, and he just stared at the girl. Carrying her scythe casually, and clad in very a revealing leather outfit, she was somewhat taller than he was and very attractive with it. Her pretty face was currently set in a somewhat smug half-smile, and her electric-green eyes were compelling. Half her hair was red, and half of it was black. The girl from his visions. You are real. Noticing him stare, she grinned widely, and jumped down so she was standing in front of him.

"Did you like what you saw?" she teased. You are real. It's all real. I've found you. Even as he blushed and stepped back ever-so-slightly, he could only say one thing.

"It's you."

"Huh? What's me?"

"I…..you fight, don't you? To protect the school. You're part of a group."

"….You know about Niðavellir." The girl said after a beat, looking nonplussed, but still beautiful.

Niðavellir. Kou let the word knock about his mind, to settle and become familiar. Niðavellir.

The girl cleared her throat and grinned at him, and he realised that he had been staring, which made his cheeks heat up once again. Hurriedly, he cleared his throat and tried to compose himself.

"I wouldn't say know, so much as I've seen. In the stars." Kou clarified.

The nonplussed look morphed swiftly, into one that looked very, very pleased. Without taking her eyes off of him, the girl turned out very slightly and called out, and a small group of students emerged from the crowds to join her. He recognised each and every one of them. Atsuya and Haru came to stand by his side, the latter holding onto the charred pot and manipulating it into shapes as though it was a lump of Maki's playdough. And as he learnt their names, and answered their questions and received answers to his own, it all started to fall into place. Niðavellir.

This, Kou thought as he, Atsuya and Haru were eventually led back into the school to meet someone called 'Shiho', this is where it starts.

…

Chika

When Chika came back from collecting the latest round of souls sending them safely onto the other side, she decided to climb back into school through the window, for no other reason than she could not be bothered to walk all the way up to Niðavellir's floor from the school entrance like a normal person. In any case, she had been airborne for most of her expedition, so it was a lot easier.

The window she chose was that of the common room, and to her delight it was already half open, so she just pushed it far enough that she could actually wiggle through.

"Told you she was going to do that, Hiyama-Chan." Jeff said almost instantly from the kitchen area. "Hey, Kato-Chan, do you want something to drink?"

"Yeah, sure, thanks. Don't spell it, just make it is as caffeinated as is physically possible." Chika said gratefully, sinking down next to Arisa. Naoko and Rei, who were sitting opposite having an animated discussion about rifles, looked up to greet her before swiftly returning to their conversation. Emiko, sitting with Arisa, smiled softly but said nothing as she nibbled at biscuits.

"Are you alright, Chi-Chan?" Arisa asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing too taxing." She said flippantly, because it was true. She'd been lucky in that sense. The latest assortment of souls she'd ended up collecting today had been much older people, wracked with terminal illnesses or otherwise just too old. In other words, their time had come at the right time. Of course, collecting all souls of people when they died, regardless of what their age was or the cause of their death was what she did, and gladly so. And of course she relished those moments when she could take the souls of the enemies she had just struck down. She was a reaper, after all.

But it didn't mean she didn't mourn people who died unfairly, or loved ones who died. It didn't mean that sometimes she didn't look into a baby's face and hope to see the reincarnated version of the soul of someone who'd died too soon. This was something that Arisa knew better than anyone. Even better, she sometimes thought, than other reapers she had encountered in her lifetime.

"Thanks for asking though, Ari." She added, thinking of this, grateful for it as always. Arisa smiled.

"No problem."

"Okay, so…two questions: First, what did I miss today? And second, were you and Jeff competing about whether I'd come in through a window?"

"Second question's easier to answer: Yes." Arisa grinned. "I didn't think you would, Jeff-kun was convinced that you would."

"Ahhh."

"So…Kato-san, I take it this is a particular habit you have?" Emiko, who had been sitting next to Arisa silently for all this time, spoke up. Chika grinned at the newest member of Niðavellir, who'd come to their attention by discreetly averting a potential drug scandal in a somewhat unconventional but utterly awesome way. Which of course involved magic.

"Ah, it's just convenient, you know?" she said. Emiko nodded warily.

"S…sure."

"But back to the first question-we had a short meeting, and we were mostly getting Chiba-san and Hamasaki-sempai acquainted with how we work, and the building and stuff, given that we didn't actually have time yesterday thanks to that basics-rights protestor. We also talked about the possibility of adding new fire-protection charms to the school. Shiho's working on them with Kurosawa-kun right now, actually."

Chika grinned at that. For no reason anyone could discern, Shiho had taken to Kou pretty quickly, much, much quicker than she'd taken to any of them (and they all knew full well that Shiho adored each and every one of them).

"So you've decided on which ones to implement?" Chika asked.

"For now, yes. And we've also made sure all the escape routes are cleared just in case all else fails. Kawamura-sempai, Hamasaki-sempai, Inoue-kun and Nishimori-kun have all been put in a schedule of guarding the school, at least until the culprit is caught. I will also be helping on various shifts, and of course Shiho will be keeping an eye on things from the inside."

"I'll help with guarding as well. I mean, I'm zipping around town often enough. Thanks, Jeff." Chika grinned as Jeff came by with her coffee, and she sipped at it, exclaiming at how strong it was. Perfect.

"That's great, Chi-Chan. Right now, we're brushing up on combat skills. Nakahara-kun's testing out Mjollnir against Suzuki-san, and Hamasaki-sempai and Inoue-kun are practising against each other in the Green Room." Arisa continued.

"The three of us, and Kurosawa-kun just finished." Emiko spoke up, gesturing to herself, Arisa and Jeff. Chika nodded.

"Well, that explains why you're all transformed." She quipped.

"Speak for yourself." Came the cheerful response from Jeff.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Chika grinned and downed the rest of her coffee in a few large gulps. "So, he's named the new hammer Mjollnir? Go figure. I wonder how it'll fare against my scythe."

"Why not go try then?" Arisa suggested. Chika grinned and got up, taking her cup over to the kitchen area and giving it a quick rinse-over before leaving it to dry.

"Do you know what, I think I will. Wish me luck, Ari, Jeff, Chiba-san. "

She came back over, picked up her scythe from where she'd left it leaning next to the window, and then after she had done so, she saluted them and left to go to the Green Room, ready for a fight.

…

Arisa

Arisa had never run so fast in her life. Just as they'd half-feared, half-hoped, the culprit behind the spate of arsons that had been targeting specialist and mahou shoujo based organisations had turned up at Asgard Academy. And now they were there to apprehend him.

"Hiyama-san, Kato-san, Takenaka-kun, over here!" Rei was standing by a side entrance, already transformed and somewhat ragged, flagging them down. Atsuya and Hanayo were also waiting, shields and swords up and ready to flank them.

"He came in through this way?" Arisa checked.

"Yes, "Rei confirmed. "Suzuki-san put a spell over the building so that the culprit specifically won't be able to leave through any other possible exit, and she's inside with Shiho and Kawamura-sempai."

"It's true, it's the arson culprit?!" At this point, Emiko came racing around the corner along with Kou and Haru, the latter already transformed but also the only one not actually running. Emiko and Kou stopped to transform as soon as they'd caught up.

"Sorry I didn't come sooner, my youngest sister, I had trouble putting her to bed…"

"It's fine. The most important thing is that you're here now." Arisa said briskly. "Now, Nishimori-kun, lead the way!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Rei whipped around and ran at breakneck pace to lead, and the rest of them continued easily behind, Atsuya going up to join Rei at the front and Hanayo bringing up the rear to make sure they weren't taken down by a surprise attack, in perfect sync. Just like one of the various battle plans they'd worked out since the school year had started a month and a half ago.

Thanks to Jeff offering to join, Emiko being spotted after the drugs-bust incident, Kotone and Hanayo being transferred in specifically to join Niðavellir, Kou seeking them out and somehow managing to find Atsuya and Haru as well, Niðavellir's were now up to twelve. She would not make the same mistake as the last leader had and simply assume that number overall would be sufficient-they would all keep on looking for potential new members, such that Niðavellir would be able to stand alone once she had left the school. That, as much as serving her duties to Asgard Academy and being a good mahou shoujo, was her ultimate goal, one she would see out to the end.

This arsonist is going to get a real shock, Arisa thought wryly as she summoned three of her spirits that she thought would be most appropriate, sending them forward to seek it out. Because even though they were still at the bare minimum number, they were more than fine. They were perfect as they were, doing what needed to be done, by any means necessary.

They were Niðavellir. And they would never, ever back down.

Cast List (please note, the character names are written in Western order):

Arisa Hiyama-Arietta (summoner)
Chika Kato-Ashley (reaper)
Haru Nakahara-Daru (edgesmith)
Kou Kurosawa-Dantenkou (astrologer)
Kenjiro 'Jeff' Takenaka-Jefferz (barista)
Atsuya Inoue-Jordy (sentinel)
Emiko Chiba-pepi (merchant)
Rei Nishimori-Reyzon (machinist)
Kotone Suzuki-SingingSamine (spellsinger)
Hanayo Hamasaki-はな (knight)
Naoko Kawamura-Norma (gunslinger)
Shiho Murakami-Shiwo (alchemist)

True confession-I have absolutely no idea what an edgesmith is supposed to be and couldn't actually find anything that could be relevant when I googled the term, so I decided that an edgesmith would just be a blacksmith, but edgy XD