Prologue
At the break of dawn, the pristine silence in the meadow of the Silver Garden was broken by intermittent thuds of unusually heavy footsteps that parted away the blades of silvered grass, followed by a muffled thump of wood against earth. A long, tired yawn then sailed from the far edge of the meadow near the wooden arches of the Holy Barrier Forest where the tall, short-haired Serafina Larivenko proceeded to stretch beside a large wooden crate laid out on the grass. The Ukrainian rapier-fighter never saw herself as much of a morning person, so being able to march out of her bed at her hour, let alone out of her own personal, comfortable realm of heaven, was an accomplishment she took a little bit of pride from. Serafina then sat down on the crate and looked out to the sky as she watched the entrancing silver sheen of the night give way to the budding colors of the day.
From where she sat, Serafina saw the countless wisps of light that hung around the meadow's gazebo slowly retreat down to the grass as their lights fizzled away. The vast sea of stars and summertime constellations that had adorned the heavens were slowly swallowed by the cordial meeting of a benevolent purple and a gentle blue.
"Time really flies, huh? It's been more than a month already since then." Serafina mused to herself in between a relaxed sigh as she felt a gentle breeze blow through her hair, "At least things have started to settle down somehow."
As she said this, Serafina heard numerous footsteps from the side coming her way. She turned towards the sounds and saw a group of six Magi of the Interior led by the Chief of the Interior herself, Anne-Marie Doucette.
"Dobry ranok, Anne-Marie tovarysh." Serafina greeted mellowly like a yawning cat who wasn't quite sure if she wanted to stir from her sleep just yet, "Are you all going out for a stroll this beautiful morning?"
"Sacre bleu, Serafina! Our Magni Domina Lorelei inherited the role of Archangel of the Interior now. What would she say if she saw you lazing about?" The stern Anne-Marie placed her hands on her hips and lectured the Ukrainian, "What happened to la meilleure Maultier of Salvae who never missed her deliveries to la Ville de Quebec back in the day?"
"I'm kidding, i'm kidding, tovarysh!" Serafina laughed heartily and stood up from the crate to face Anne-Marie, "Of course I remember the schedules, you crazy Quebecer!" The Ukrainian then tapped the crate at her feet with her boot and said, "Why else would I be out by the Barrier Forest this early in the morning lugging around a heavy box of firearms?"
"Sacre bleu…" Anne-Marie sighed lightheartedly, before flashing a friendly smile at her new superior, "You haven't changed at all since then, mon ami Serafina."
"And neither have you, Anne-Marie tovarysh. I'm glad." Serafina smiled back, patting the French Canadian magi's shoulder encouragingly, "Times have changed so much since the 1940's, so it's good to see something familiar every once in a while." She then bent down to open the crate at her feet and brought out one of the M16A1 rifles for Anne-Marie to see, "I mean, look at these things! They're practically as light as paper and look like toys, but one of these things can mow down a platoon faster than a whole rifle squad could!"
"The modern age is an strange yet exciting time." Anne-Marie noted as she took one of the assault rifles as well, "The year 2088 brought all of these changes - who knows what wonders 2089 will bring?"
"I'd like to know the answer to that as well, tovarysh! It's a shame we can't see into the future." Serafina looked up to the now periwinkle sky and sighed. She then turned back to Anne-Marie and her troupe and grinned at them, "For now, let me show you guys how to use these new beauties of yours!"
With that, the Ukrainian proceeded to show Anne-Marie and her small troupe of volunteers how to use the newly made carbine rifles point by point under the soft dawn sky. She pointed out the differences of the old M1917 rifles they used with the M16A1's and taught them how to maintain their new weapons. When she had taught them all they needed to know, Serafina handed off the crate of rifles's to Anne-Marie and her troupe.
"Won't you come patrol the Barrier Forest with us today, Serafina?" Anne-Marie offered as she slung her M16A1 rifle over her shoulder, "You've been building these new-age rifles for us without rest, even before the Goddess Madoka descended to Mitakihara." She then tilted her head kindly and smiled, "It'll be a nice change of pace - like watching the Northern Lights from la Ville de Quebec."
"You know I'd love to go with you Anne-Marie tovarysh, more than anything, but you know how things are." Serafina wore a small, regretful smile as she politely refused. She then picked up the last gun in the crate, an aged, wood-framed long rifle distinct from the new M16A1 rifles and slung it over her shoulder, "I still have one more delivery to do before I head back to the workshop. I've still got quite a few goodies left to make for the Interior in this tranche after all - being the Archangel of the Interior is no joke!" The Ukrainian faced the gazebo at the heart of the meadow but then turned her head to Anne-Marie, "But definitely, when the Goddess comes back, let's watch the stars again like we used to."
"Of course." Anne-Marie nodded, sending off her dear friend with a smile, "I'll be looking forward to it, mon ami."
And so, as Anne-Marie led her newly-armed troupe through the wooden arch to the Barrier Forest, Serafina made her way through the meadow towards the gazebo. Serafina's eyes were set on a large cumulonimbus cloud forming in the now periwinkle sky, hoping for the Goddess to return soon. It was a wish that she and everyone there in the Silver Garden shared, especially among the Archangels who remained in paradise. In particular, Serafina knew that the person who wanted to see the Goddess return the most was none other than the new Caretaker of the Silver Garden, Michi Hideyoshi. It was only natural, Serafina thought. Michi was the one burdened with the heaviest responsibility in the Garden - to take the place of the Goddess Madoka.
When Serafina approached the wooden gazebo, she spotted the lone figure of Michi who stood at the balustrades in complete silence. Michi was resting her hands on the wooden balustrades of the gazebo and looked up to the periwinkle sky as it crept ever so slowly into a lighter shade of blue. In Michi's deep brown eyes, Serafina saw many things: anxiety, fear and longing. More than anything, though, the naginata-wielder's eyes were filled with a sense of confusion. Michi looked up to the summertime constellations that quickly faded away into the blue, searching for elusive answers to questions that she couldn't even fully grasp.
Before long, Michi noticed Serafina headed towards the gazebo. The Caretaker let go of the balustrades and put on a small smile as she waved to her friend. Serafina waved back and raised up the wood-framed Arisaka rifle for Michi to see. The Ukrainian then dashed excitedly up the gazebo's staircase and joined Michi at the East-facing side.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Serafina-san." Michi greeted her friend with a gracious bow and her small smile.
"Dobry ranok, Michi tovarysh." Serafina took a closer look at the Caretaker's face then tilted her head with a look of concern, "Say… you've been spending a whole lot of time here in the gazebo." The Ukrainian then grinned and added a lighthearted," We can't have the Garden's Caretaker having rings in her eyes, you know!"
"Hah, you're right about that, Serafina-san! And good morning to you too." Michi chuckled, her smile growing ever so slightly wider before waning into a thoughtful lull, "I do want to get some rest, but there's still too much for us to do." The naginata-wielder then joined her hands together behind her back and said, "Sometimes I wonder how the Goddess can take all of these responsibilities on her shoulders and still manage to smile as brightly as she does."
"The Goddess Madoka really is amazing person, what with how big her heart is and all." Serafina agreed with Michi wholeheartedly, "Where she gets that strength to do what she does, I'll never know... But I do know one thing." The Ukrainian them spoke warmly as she handed Michi the long Arisaka rifle, "She chose you to lead us."
The naginata-wielder took the rifle, pulled on the bolt empathically as she aimed the gun outside at the sun rising in the east. With the sweeping orange sunrise in her sights, Michi said, "I'm a relic, though - in every sense of the word."
"But you still aim true, tovarysh." Serafina added as she too watched the sunrise, "I think that's what matters."
Michi then squeezed the trigger and a dry, metallic click resounded in the Arisaka Type 97 long rifle that had served Michi for more than a quarter of a century felt and sounded new again. A satisfied smile formed on Michi's lips as she set the gun down on the table. She then faced Serafina and gave her a thankful bow.
"Don't mention it, Michi tovarysh!" Serafina winked confidently, proud of her own handiwork. She then laid a hand on Michi's shoulder, "And while we're on the subject, it's New Year's eve today! Why don't you take it easy for a bit today? We've already organized the ranks and the missions have all been successful so far. Everything's ahead of schedule - even the new guns for the Interior!"
"But I can't be lax, even for a moment…" Michi lowered her gun as she tried to stand her ground, but her flimsy resolve spilled into her voice, "Who knows when the Goddess Madoka will return?"
"That's all the more reason for you to take a break, tovarysh!" Serafina grinned, emphatically patting Michi's shoulder twice, "When the Goddess comes back, do you want her to see that mug on your face and that frown on your lips? That'd make the Goddess sad, no?"
"That may be so…" Michi argued one last time, but she couldn't get herself to finish her sentence. The Caretaker sighed, turned her head to the side and sheepishly mumbled, "What could I possibly do?"
"You're the Caretaker of the Silver Garden - the vicar of the Goddess Madoka herself. You can go anywhere you want and do anything you want, can't you?" Serafina laughed lightheartedly before mellowing down into a knowing smile, "Though I feel that you already know where you want to go, Michi." She then extended her hand to Michi and said, "Leave the rest to us for today, Michi tovarysh. A little rest can do wonders for the soul!"
"I guess you're right, Serafina-san." Michi finally managed to smile. She returned the Type 97 rifle to the Ukrainian's hands and spoke in a fond tone, "I'm sure she would appreciate it too." She then gave Serafina a deep, respectful bow, "I'll be off then. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."
Magia, Pacem, Bellum Terrarum - Those Fallen
Fallen Too Soon
Act MMXCVIII - A Mirror In Oil
December 31, 1936
The cool, pleasant breeze of the late December Amihan winds blew through the short stretch of the Calle Escolta in the Binondo district of pre-war Manila, rustling the vibrantly green canopies of young Acacia trees that lined the Escolta's sidewalks. At the foot of one of those Acacia trees, a white portafinestra door appeared in a flash of magical light with its doors wide open. Michi Hideyoshi emerged from the white threshold with her hands behind her back holding onto a small, turquoise blue pouch as she looked upon the ever so familiar street with nostalgic eyes. In that street, she was greeted by the corridor of brick-and-mortar buildings of banks, post offices, small department stores adorned with facades of American Art Deco alongside more traditional houses made of stone and wood with sliding screen windows and wrought iron grills. All around the Japanese girl, she saw throngs of families going to and fro as they browsed through the stores and their post-Christmas sales and as popular Christmas songs of the time played on the residents' radio sets and it brought a smile to Michi's lips.
As much as Michi wanted to stay at the Escolta and immerse herself in its lively cheer, there was someone she wanted to see at the end of the road. She sighed as she brought the turquoise blue pouch to her side and started to walk down the Acacia-lined street. At the intersection of the Calle Escolta and Calle Tomas Pinpin, Michi stopped and took a deep breath as she came face-to-face with the Edificio Gumamela. The mother of pearl windows on the upper floors had been opened and the shades were propped up to shield the occupants from the intense sunlight, meanwhile allowing the cool December breeze in. The clean adobe arches on the streetside holding up the upper floors led into a generous shaded alcove where a heavyset pair of doors stood guard. Every stone on the wall of that four-story building roused memories in Michi's mind and mellowed her heart, so she couldn't help but glance and appreciate the building that brought her and her friends together. When she had had her fill, she carried on to the heavy double doors of the Edificio Gumamela to knock. After a moment or so, the heavy doors finally opened for her and the authoritative, albeit charming presence of Elise de Lamarliere appeared before Michi.
The former Carissima of Salvae, as usual, had her wavy red hair in a French braid without a lock out of place and there was not a wrinkle on the lilac-sashed, traditional Filipino terno she wore. However, there were traces of haggardness on her otherwise refined figure. The beginnings of rings were forming beneath her eyes and there was a small yet noticeable wrinkle on her brow. When she saw Michi at her doorstep, however, her tired eyes seemed to regain their life twofold and a faint yet earnest smile formed on her lips.
"Bonjour, Michi." Elise greeted in a charming tone, her wavy red hair bobbing gracefully as she gave Michi a curtsy. Her smile then grew sly and she teased probingly, "It's not often that I see you outside of the Gazebo lately. To what do I owe the honor, moi gardien du Jardin?"
"Ohayou, Elise." Michi returned the curtsy with a respectful nod, before giving a lighthearted chuckle as she explained herself, "Let's just say that Serafina chased me out of the Gazebo this morning and had me take it easy for today. Though, I don't mind it at all." The naginata-wielder then tucked a lock of her straight black hair behind her ear and smiled at the French knight, "I wanted to come and see you after all."
"Is that so?" Elise's smile grew ever so slightly wider when she heard this, "Then come on inside then, Michi, you're just in time for lunch." She then rested a hand on her hip and added, "Knowing you, you probably skipped breakfast yet again."
Michi chuckled at herself and gave off a defeated sigh as she conceded, "You know me too well, Elise."
Elise smirked proudly then gestured her guest to come on inside. She then led Michi through the halls of the Gumamela side by side as they chatted with comfortable, trusted ease. Throughout the seven weeks of Michi's tenure as the Caretaker of the Silver Garden, Michi often came over to the Edificio Gumamela to pay Elise de Lamarliere a visit. In their talks, Michi laid bare her thoughts about anything and everything to the French knight who listened to her carefully before offering her honest and unfiltered opinions. It was only natural after all since Elise, the fourth-in-command of the Goddess, inherited the role of Chief Archangel - the Exemplar pro tempore
In that light, Michi and Elise were the ones who had to shoulder the heaviest burdens in the Silver Garden, taking the place of the Goddess Madoka and Sayaka Miki respectively. Throughout those seven fateful weeks, all eyes were on them and they grew to rely on each other with each passing day. Though the two of them had more than their fair share of bad blood in the past, the two of them understood each other better than anyone else in the Garden. In those seven weeks, their old wounds started to heal.
As the two of them walked and talked leisurely through the halls, the numerous oil paintings that hung from the walls drew Michi's fond attention. Many of them were European landscapes painted in sets of four - one for each season - and drew heavy inspiration from Rembrandt works. There was a story behind every painting, Elise told Michi with her own brand of subtle pride. All of those paintings bore Elise's refined cursive signatures after all, and Michi quite eagerly asked to hear the story of each one.
That early afternoon, when Michi and Elise sat for lunch at the dining hall of the Edificio Gumamela, Elise humored her guest's curiosity and picked a muse for the day. She soon settled on a large rectangular painting that hung by the door of the dining hall. It was a painting that showed a scene of a girl standing by the banks of the river and looking into the river. There, the girl in the painting could see her own blurred reflection in the vivid blue.
'La Fille et la Mirrior,' Elise introduced as she served pan de sal bread rolls and butter onto Michi's plate then onto hers, "It's the first painting in a new series I'm starting - another quartet set, hopefully." The French girl then flourished both of their plates with generous helpings of fiddlehead fern and tomato salad and tenderloin beef salpicado, "The story starts with la Fille, let's call her… say, Francine, and she looks at her own reflection in the river - or rather she tries to. The river is restless, after all, so la petite Francine cannot quite accurately tell who she can see in the blue."
Elise then joined Michi again at the table and added, "In essence, Francine is searching for herself, but the world - represented by the river - constantly distorts that image and tries to dictate who she is."
"Self discovery." Michi mused, watching fine details of the painting with a close, appreciative eye. She then turned to her host and smiled, "I'm looking forward to the next one, Elise. I can't wait to see what happens to Francine next!"
"In due time, Michi - self discovery is a journey, after all!" Elise cleverly teased. She then set her hands on the table and said, "For now, let's eat before the food gets cold!"
The two girls said their respective graces and started to dig into their meals, with the hungry Michi eating her first meal of the day with particular gusto. Once they finished with their meals, the two of them cleared the table and Elise brought out a bottle of 1916 Bordeaux wine and had Michi carry a pair of wine glasses. Together, they then climbed up to the fourth floor of the Edificio Gumamela and into the elegant, marble-tiled room of Elise de Lamarliere. There, they sat face to face on elegantly carved narra benches and poured each other wine. Looking over the pair was a large painting that didn't come from Elise's hand - a masterful reproduction of Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People dated February 1945.
As Elise poured Michi's glass, she noticed her guest's curious eyes fixed on the painting.
"That painting brings back memories, doesn't it?" Elise posed a rhetorical question as she passed the bottle over to Michi, "All of those painful, fateful years we walked searching for hope, only to find despair that we brought upon ourselves. You remember it too, don't you, Michi?"
"How could I forget?" Michi said as she took the bottle from her host, "Our fates were sealed in this very room - Audrey's, Ligaya's, Serafina's, Lorelei's, yours and mine." Still wrapped up in her thoughts, she poured Elise's glass and said, "Every day, I wonder how things would have been if all six of us had met in different times… different circumstances."
"I think of the same things as you mon ami." Elise was sympathetic as her glass filled with wine, "We probably wouldn't have had to have our blades at each other's throats… or we wouldn't have had to carry blades at all - or spill any of the blood we spilled, for that matter. I wouldn't have been the cold-blooded shadow Carissima who lead the subversive Incognitas." Her ash-grey eyes then rose up and met with Michi's as she added, "And you wouldn't have had to sacrifice yourself to become die Dreadnaughthexe Walpurgisnacht."
"Mm…" Michi said with listless agreement as she set down the wine glass and sat before Elise once more. She looked into her own reflection in the crimson mirror of her wineglass and the twisted memories of her time as the chaotic Dreadnaught Witch surfaced.
The French girl, however, picked up her wineglass and caught the attention of her dazed guest, "But this is the reality that brought all six of us together. It's what made us who we are - and it's why we're here now in the Silver Garden. That's the reason why I keep that picture here." She then smiled at Michi and said, "I wouldn't have had it any other way."
"Elise…" A tender voice escaped from Michi's lips, followed by a mellow smile and an appreciative nod.
"So let us put the past aside, Michi. I am no longer the shadow Carissima, and you are no longer Walpurgisnacht. I am Elise de Lamarliere, the Exemplar pro tempore, and you are Michi Hideyoshi, the Caretaker of the Silver Garden." Elise raised her wineglass to Michi for a toast, "Here's to the future."
Michi also raised up her glass and said, "To the future."
Their glasses clinked and the two girls happily drank their Bordeaux. The two of them then continued their chat over the afternoon wine. As Elise finished her drink, though, she noticed the turquoise blue pouch that Michi had been lugging around since she got to the Gumamela. Michi noticed Elise's searching eyes and smiled as she put the pouch on the table for Elise to see.
"It's a gift that I brought here for you, Elise." Michi said as she opened the pouch, revealing an intricate, porcelain sake jug with a matching sake cup, "This is Oshimahana amazake, a specialty drink from my hometown often shared during celebrations - especially the summertime hanabi festivals."
She then gently lifted Oshimahana jug and bowed as she offered it to Elise, "Please accept this humble gift of mine as thanks for the 1916 Bordeaux and everything you've done for me so far, late as it may be."
"It's always summertime in the Silver Garden, Michi, so it's not late in the slightest." Elise reminded as she stood up and graciously took the jug and the mug, "Nonetheless, merci beaucoup. I gladly accept your gift. If this amazake is for celebrations, then perhaps we can share this with the others for the New Year, no?"
"That would be a great idea!" Michi agreed wholeheartedly as she straightened herself up, "We've been so wrapped up in work that we haven't been able to plan anything for the New Year. We ought to invite everyone to the meadow and prepare food and gifts… and fireworks!" Michi's brown eyes seemed to glow as she hatched up idea after idea, "That would surely raise everyone's spirits here in the Garden, no?"
"Of course!" The French girl nodded enthusiastically, "And if the Caretaker of the Silver Garden goes about this with a smile as bright as that, then the Garden would smile with you."
"That would be a wonderful story to tell the Goddess when she returns." Michi's smile mellowed as she felt the outline of Madoka Kaname's sketchpad in the folds of her kimono, "Let's do it - Elise. We will have have a New Year's party at the meadow tonight, and I will pour the amazake for everyone."
"If that is your will, moi gardien du Jardin, we shall begin the preparations right away." Elise said as she fondly brought the jug and the cup to her heart, "We shall greet the year 2089 with smiles."
First Interlude
It was late afternoon by the time Michi and Elise finished drafting their plans for the evening and the Caretaker of the Silver Garden had to leave the Edificio Gumamela to return to her post in the Gazebo. The sun had already begun to set over Manila Bay to the West as Elise walked with her guest up to the portafinestra door at the foot of an acacia tree along the stretch of the Calle Escolta. There, they bid each other farewell - a respectful bow from Michi and a graceful curtsy from Elise. Michi then opened the portafinestra door and stepped into a vast plane of soft, cloudlike whiteness in stark contrast to the brick-and-mortar and concrete facades of pre-war Manila from where she had come from. She closed the windowed door behind her and waved to Elise on the other side of the glass who returned the gesture.
'I'll be fine.' Elise seemed to say with her wave, urging Michi to carry on to the Gazebo. The Caretaker of the Silver Garden soon conceded to her Exemplar's assurance and then walked leisurely on through the hall of cloudy white.
The hall was called the Cloister of Clouds, Michi thought as she ran a hand through the cloudy wall and traced a long ribbon in the white as she walked on by. It was a peaceful hall of white clouds where the floors, walls and ceilings were soft to the touch and absorbed the sounds of her footsteps. Scattered around the cloudy hall were scores of portafinestra doors similar to the one that led to Elise de Lamarliere's Edificio Gumamela. The portafinestras to Lorelei's Tiergartenhaus and Serafina's Romashka budivlya stood roughly beside Elise's door while the doors to Audrey's Mariveles House, Ligaya's Bahay Taysan and Michi's Oshima-ya were only a few paces away. She stole glances of the scenes behind their windows in passing, wondering what her friends were all up to, before carrying on through the cloister in her steady, thoughtful pace.
In that quiet, cloudy hall of portafinestra doors, Michi found herself alone with her thoughts as she strolled through. From where she walked, she could see multitudes of portafinestra doors scattered around the hall. There were eight million portafinestras in the Cloister of Clouds and counting and these doors housed the realms of the eight million Puella Magi saved thus far by the Goddess Madoka's Law of Cycles. As an Archangel, she was glad that she and her friends were able to help the Goddess save so many souls from despair. As the Caretaker of the Silver Garden, however, she couldn't help but wonder what lay at the end of the road for all of those hopes and dreams that lay before her.
After all, she, more than anyone else left in the Garden, understood that this heaven of theirs was a fleeting dream. In that dream, every dreamer including herself, was waiting - dreaming - for the true miracle that the Goddess Madoka sought to bring. Just what could this 'true miracle' be? What sort of future would greet them once they all came to? Where was the Goddess Madoka taking them?
Unable to answer her questions, she lowered her head and hurried her pace, leaving the ribbon she had drawn in the clouds behind. Moments later, the crisp sound broke the silence of the Cloister of Clouds and reached Michi's ears. It was the sound of a distinct trumpet that rang true and clear and played a heartfelt tune that Michi heard roughly seven weeks ago in Mitakihara.
"That song… it's Dvorak's 9th." Michi gasped as she jolted up to face the source of the sound, "And it's coming from the Meadow! Then that must mean…!"
Like a wound spring, Michi burst into stride through the cloudy hall with hope rising in her heart. Green grass started to appear in the cloudy white ground beneath her, growing thicker and more verdant as she reached the threshold to the Goddess' Meadow and the deep orange light of the setting sun filled her surroundings. Fragrant summertime flowers soon sprung up at the edges of the white corridors as the blades of grass were warmed to the colors of the sunset. A cool gust then swept through the coppered expanse of fields and flowers and the cloudy ceiling of the Cloister was replaced by the rich orange of the late afternoon sky over the Meadow. Gold-tinted leaves and petals blew by Michi in the wind and brushed by the Caretaker's straight, long black hair. Then, she soon arrived at the foot of the stairs to the Gazebo of the Silver Garden.
Against the brilliant colors of the sunset, the gazebo was a like a mere silhouette against the orange and a shelter from the lively winds. Beads of sweat were forming on the naginata-wielder's brow and she fought to catch her breath but the rousing song of the trumpet that rang clear in spite of the breeze came from that silhouette and urged the tired Michi onwards. She raised her eyes up to the gazebo and found two familiar figures looking out from the Gazebo's balustrades - the cheerful Sayaka whose fortissimo hairpin shimmered in the sunset and the bright white-haired Nagisa who lowered her trumpet to wave to Michi.
"Hey-yo, Mi-chan!" Sayaka greeted as Michi finally climbed up the stairs, "It's been a while."
"Sayaka-senpai! Nagisa-chan!" Michi cried out in between her panting as thankful tears formed in her eyes, "Hah… hah… I-it's been... too long!"
"Michi-neechan!" Nagisa cheered this time as she dissolved her trumpet in an orange flash of magic and charged straight towards Michi like a freight train. The little girl leapt up and caught Michi in an affectionate flying embrace that nearly knocked the naginata-wielder off of her feet. Holding Michi tight, the little girl was ecstatic as she repeated her greeting, "We're home, Michi-neechan!"
"Welcome home, you two." Michi returned the embrace fondly then spun around with Nagisa in her arms, much to the little girl's delight. As she danced with the child, Michi happily said, "You've all returned… you've finally done it!"
"Indeed we have." Sayaka spoke proudly as she placed a hand on her hip, "My, you should have been there, Michi! The transfer student was as stubborn as a rock, but Madoka got through to her in the end, thank goodness. Madoka's already gone on ahead and Nagi-chan and I are gonna follow soon." She then turned to Michi with a knowing smile, "Now, it's time for us to bring Homura Akemi to the Silver Garden."
Michi then lowered Nagisa back down to the ground and then turned to Sayaka with an air of firm, albeit winded determination.
"These are the orders that Madoka asked me and Nagisa-chan to tell you." Sayaka then said with a rare flourish of formality, "'Gather everyone here at the Gazebo and then come and follow us', she said." The swordswoman then added with a small smile, "After that, things can go back to the way they were."
"Of course, Sayaka-senpai." Michi said, dutifully placing her hand over her heart before Sayaka. As she did so, she then felt the outline of Madoka's sketchpad in the folds of her kimono. She pulled it out and added, "There is something I would like you to give to the Goddess for me though, senpai." The naginata-wielder placed the pink sketchpad into Sayaka's hands and then said, "Tell her that this is the story I promised to tell her."
"Gotcha, Mi-chan! I'll make sure she gets it." Sayaka smiled as she cradled the sketchpad in one hand and patted Michi's shoulder with the other, "You and your friends have done well, so I'm sure Madoka will be proud." She then grinned innocently and said, "See you all on the other side!"
With that, Sayaka and Nagisa excused themselves and bade Michi farewell as they started to make their way to the arch of the Barrier Forest. Michi gave the two of them a deep, thankful bow then also got going herself. With wings in her feet and a spring in her step, she walked briskly through the grassy meadows back towards the threshold to the Cloister of Clouds. Tremendous joy and excitement filled her heart as she looked forward to tell her friends the good news. The Goddess was finally returning, and Homura Akemi was coming to the Silver Garden!
As Michi crossed into the cloudy hall, she imagined how happy her friends would be. All of them had been waiting for that moment, after all - for nearly eight weeks, to be exact. For the Goddess to return on New Year's eve was another auspicious blessing. She and Elise would be able to share the Oshimahana Amazake with everyone at the Gazebo when all of it was over, and they would truly be able to greet 2089 with bright smiles.
'Gather everyone here in the Gazebo and then come and follow us.'
That was going to be Michi's last mission as the Caretaker of the Silver Garden, and she was going to perform it with meticulous care. As she walked through the cloudy hall, she reached into the folds of her kimono, drew out a colorless cube and filled it with a sliver of her turquoise blue magic. She then tossed it up to the Cloister's cloudy ceiling and floated there like a shining beacon of turquoise blue for all to see. Portafinestra doors from all around the Cloister opened as their tenants poked their heads out to look at Michi's beacon.
"The Goddess Madoka is returning!" Michi declared in a resolute voice that echoed all throughout the vast expanse of the Cloister, "Our long weeks of waiting are finally coming to an end!"
Cheers then started to erupt in the once quiet hall as the eight million magi of the Silver Garden rejoiced at the news. Seeing and hearing this euphoria brew around her brought a smile to Michi's lips. In the midst of that cheering, however, the ominous sounds of cracking reached Michi's ears. The fanfare in the Cloister died down in sparse intervals as the cracking grew more and more prominent all around them. It seemed to be coming from every direction.
Slowly but surely, the cracking started to sound like glass shattering under pressure from an incredible, ungodly weight. With each chilling crack, the sound of a full concert orchestra crept into the supposedly silent Cloister, growing louder by the second. What's more, the music of the orchestra was a familiar one - the Largo movement of Dvorak's 9th Symphony.
This wasn't normal, Michi thought. Beads of cold sweat dripped down her cheek as her hair cast a shadow over her eyes. The music swelled all around her with raw, unbridled emotion and as Michi listened, she felt her head spin and grow light. Everything around Michi then started to fade away as she plunged into a depthless darkness that sucked her into nothingness to the tune of the phantom band.
Slowly, softly, Michi fell into a strange abyss where unfathomably long red ribbons hung from unseen ceilings. A devious creature - a salamander of obsidian black with a tail that shone pale purple lurked around in the darkness and gnawed at the ribbons viciously until they snapped one after another. With every string that snapped, great pangs of pain assaulted Michi that threatened to rip her very being apart. However, she could not move and she could not scream. She was absolutely powerless as the black salamander cut string after string until there was one left.
Michi, with what little strength she had mustered, managed to stir and reach for the salamander, but it was too late. The last red ribbon snapped and Michi's consciousness left her, leaving her to sink into the depthless darkness.
Until the sharp, rousing sound of a train horn awakened her.
.
...
…
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Mitakihara City. The train is now approaching… Mitakihara Central Station in the 8th District of Mitakihara City. Our estimated time of arrival is, 8:00AM sharp. Please ensure to gather all of your belongings and to leave no baggage behind onboard the train. Thank you very much for your patronage, and we hope that you would choose to ride with us on your next journey again."
…
…
.
Prologue
March 21, 2088 - Sunday
The announcement chimed through the speakers of the PA system of a twelve-car E8 Series Shinkansen train that zipped down the southbound rail of Mitakihara City. In the third car of the train, Michi Hideyoshi slowly stirred and found herself seated in a posh, windowside seat in a spacious, purple-carpeted private room. She opened her eyes and saw that for some reason, she had that third-car private room all to herself. Could she have been in the wrong room, perhaps? The fourteen-year old girl quickly glanced to her side and saw her large, turquoise blue trolley bag stowed by the private room's door. The bag bore her nametag where her name, address and cellphone number were filled in with her little sister Matsuri's barely-legible penmanship, along with a paper copy of her trip itinerary.
She was definitely in the right room, Michi reassured herself. And so, she she stretched pleasantly with a light yawn and let herself sink into the gentle embrace of her spacious seat. Some way, somehow, Michi felt completely refreshed she savored the comfort of her chair in the purple-carpeted private room. It was as if she had just awoken from the best sleep that she's had for years.
With a satisfied smile on her face, she then turned to the window pane to her left where she saw the majestic skyline of Mitakihara City under the backdrop of the orange sky in the rising sun. It was an awe-inspiring sight for a Hokkaido native like herself to see so many clusters of tall buildings so close together, reflecting the scene of the sunrise like rows of giant mirrors. Like Michi, the metropolis too was awakening as cars and busses started to fill Mitakihara's many avenues and as the city trains plied through the ribbon of tracks. What's more, the cherry blossom trees all around the city were in full bloom, casting a soft tint of pink that delighted Michi's eye.
The Shinkansen train she rode then ran into a tunnel and replaced the colorful scene with a hollow, howling darkness. In that brief absence of color beyond the window, wisps of a long, vivid dream she had before she awoke floated around in the back of Michi's mind. Those wisps brought many things to mind - the fresh smell of green grass, the sensation of strong, blowing wind caressing her face and her hair and… snow? That fragmented dream was painted in the colors of the summer, but it all seemed awfully cold. Then, she remembered hearing the voices of girls scattered about her, talking in a myriad of languages that she couldn't hope to comprehend. Her recollection grew stranger and stranger as the howl of the train zipping through the tunnel roused her imagination and she remembered a great struggle, with blades and gunfire and unearthly flame… and a wicked smile that seemed to relish in mischief.
All of the sudden, her her head started to ache. She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands and the pain gradually subsided. However, so did the fragments of the dream. Those wisps of memories slipped like sand through her fingers and her headache came to pass.
Michi groaned as she shook her head then leaned back into her comfortable seat with her eyes closed as she tried to regain her composure. This was her first day out of Hokkaido, she reminded herself, so she had to make the most of it. She didn't have time to be bogged down by a little headache like that. Browsing for something to do, she reached over to her trolley and pulled out the paper itinerary to read. As she diligently read through the paper again, the train slowed down to a gentle halt at the platform of the main platform of the Mitakihara Central Train Station.
Michi rose up from her seat, collected her trolley then made her way out of the train as she continued to read through her itinerary. Stepping out of the platform, though, she noticed that she was the only passenger who disembarked from the whole twelve-car train. The windows of the train were tinted, so she couldn't really make out how many passengers were still on the train - or if there were any passengers at all.
It was at this time that a gust of wind blew through the open-air train station and plucked the itinerary out of the distracted Michi's hand. The sheet sailed gracefully through the station and Michi gave chase, pulling her trolley behind her as fast as she could all the way to the turnstiles. However, the sheet landed on the white-tiled floor of the station at the feet of a young girl with bright purple eyes and long, straight black hair adorned with a thick, red cloth ribbon.
The girl bent down to pick up the sheet and her long hair cascaded down after her, revealing an intricate purple earring that she wore on her left ear. When she straightened up, handed the paper over to Michi and spoke with a kind smile on her lips, "I believe this is yours."
Michi's eyes met with this girl's and she soon found herself at a loss for words, quickly and completely captivated by the girl at the other end of the turnstiles. As Michi crossed through the turnstile and approached the girl, she felt a certain inexplicable gravity towards her - as if she were a moth drawn so helplessly to a flame. She returned the girl's smile and then gave her a deep, thankful bow as she finally replied, "Yes, that is mine - thank you."
The smile on lips the girl with the ribbon in her hair seemed to grow ever so slightly and she handed the itinerary back to Michi. She then returned the Hokkaido native's bow with one of her own and said,
"I was actually sent here by the Mitakihara Junior High School to meet you when you arrived." The girl then straightened up and ran a hand through her hair, "My name is Homura Akemi. Welcome to Mitakihara, Hideyoshi-san."
"Akemi-san…" Michi repeated her name thoughtfully. The name sounded familiar to her and seemed to ring a distant bell in the depths of her mind, but wasn't this the first time that the two of them met?
"'Homura' is fine." Homura then reassured, waving away Michi's confusion with a chuckle, "We will be seeing each other a lot more often from now on, so let's do away with formalities."
"Homura-san, then." Michi corrected herself with a hint of relief in her tone, "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." She then faced her host confidently and said, "If you don't mind, you can also call me 'Michi'."
"'Michi' it is." Homura smiled warmly at the newcomer warmly and asked, "By the by, have you had breakfast yet, Michi?" She then tucked a lock of her hair behind her left ear, making the purple gem of her earring sway like a small pendulum, "You've come all the way from Hokkaido on the midnight train so you must be hungry."
As Homura said all of this, Michi's stomach grumbled and the newcomer grew embarrassed. Michi's host, however, just chuckled lightly and took the grumble as a 'yes'.
"Allow me to treat you to something then," Homura insisted with sympathetic flourish, "There's a really good breakfast place at the mall nearby - and it's not far from your dormitory, the Hanasou."
"Is that so?" Michi considered her offer, but it didn't take her long to decide. She faced her host eagerly and gave her a thankful nod, "I'll be in your care then, Homura-san."
With that, Michi and Homura walked together out of the train station and Homura talked in length about Mitakihara City for the newcomer's sake. Michi, on the other hand, listened attentively and felt herself warm up to her gracious host. All the while, the purple gem of Homura's earing swayed in tune with their steps and the sly smile on her lips grew once more and the trusting Michi was none the wiser.
While the two girls made their way out of the station gates, however, a mousy, bespectacled teacher with a head of short, light brown hair entered the station and proceeded over to the turnstiles. She wore a lanyard ID card that read 'Kazuko Saotome' and she stood guard at the outer side of the turnstiles for a good few minutes or so. Bobbing her head around like a child, she eyed the Shinkansen train stopped at the platform, waiting for Michi - the girl she was supposed to pick up - to disembark. The train, however, shut its doors and rattled on towards Kasamino, startling the teacher.
"Oh no…" Kazuko whimpered like a lost puppy, "Where could she have gone?"
Magia, Pacem, Bellum Terrarum - Those Fallen
From The New World
First Act - Nice To Meet You!
Towards the north end of the Eighth Mitakihara District, on a small rolling hill alongside the long, flagstone path to the Mitakihara Junior High School stood the pristine structure of the Hanasou Girl's Dormitory. It was a three story building with a harmonious facade of modern steel and glass and accents of brick and mortar fenced by the low concrete walls of a tiered flower garden and a small forest of cherry blossom trees in full bloom. A simple stone arch bridge connected the Hanasou grounds to the flagstone path and crossed over a pleasant stream that ran parallel to the path.
The Hanasou was a new building that opened earlier in March and, for all intents and purposes, was seen as an extension of the Mitakihara Junior High School. That bright, cloudless Sunday morning, the first batch of residents of the Hanasou - seventy or so soon-to-be students of Mitakihara Junior High - crossed the bridge together to the Hanasou grounds and looked up to their new home with awe. More fascinating than the design of the building, however, was the fact that all of those students were setting foot in Mitakihara City for the first time and that roughly fifty of them were foreigners. Among those foreign new residents was a young Filipina girl - Ligaya de la Cruz - who wore her curly, shoulder-length hair with a white floral headband and wrapped herself in a light, olive green jacket.
"Ka lamig…" Ligaya muttered to herself in her native language as she shivered, "I didn't think it'd be cold in March." Her eyes settled on the harmonious face of the Hanasou, however, and she managed to shore up her excitement as she added, "But I'm very lucky to be here."
The Filipina carried a khaki knapsack and pulled a large, olive green trolley bag behind her, both of which still had their tags and stickers from Philippine Airlines. She followed the rest of her fellow dorm-mates up the gentle slope of the paved path through the tiered garden and to the doors of the Hanasou where the mousy teacher, Kazuko Saotome, was trying to gather the seventy new students.
On her way up the slope, Ligaya found herself walking alongside a petite German girl with bright blue eyes whose locks of curly golden hair spilled out of the cloth hat she wore. 'Lorelei Sankt', read the ID lanyard that she wore. 'Whoa… she looks like a doll, sorta!' Ligaya said with awe. That was the first time she saw someone with golden hair, blue eyes and fair white skin up close. It made her feel a little bit conscious of her brown 'kayumanggi' skintone somewhat so she averted her eyes from the German girl's gaze.
It was at that time, though, that Ligaya noticed that Lorelei's knapsack had its zipper open and the edge of a magazine was peeking out of the hole. The German girl then tripped in an unceremonious jolt, but she managed to regain her balance and composure. The contents of her open knapsack, however, spilled out onto the grass of the tiered garden.
"Ah…!" Ligaya quickly rushed over to Lorelei's side and helped the German girl gather her things. Most of the thing that fell out were magazines, Ligaya found - specifically, the January, February and March 2088 editions of Popular Mechanics Deutschland. She picked up the three magazines and handed them to the startled Lorelei and then tried to practice her Japanese, "You… read… Popular Mechanics?"
It all came out though with a thick, Filipino accent that made it hard - even for her - to understand what she just said. Ligaya quickly grew flustered at her own gaffe and felt herself shrink in the presence of the golden-haired German. Lorelei, however, graciously took the magazines and beamed at Ligaya.
"Yes, I love Popular Mechanics!" Lorelei replied with poised, confident Japanese. The bright smile she wore on her lips dispelled Ligaya's fear and her near-immaculate Japanese with only barely a trace of a light German accent was an awe inspiring sound for the Filipina. The German girl then tilted her head with a friendly flourish and asked, "Do you like it too?"
In a rush to reply, Ligaya started a sentence in Japanese that she just couldn't finish. She knew what she wanted to say and it was as clear as a bell to her in her mind, but it was in her native Tagalog. Ligaya still had to process those words into English and only then would she be able to say it in Japanese. She was left in an awkward bind - trying to limp on forward with hesitant hand gestures that would have made a deaf person laugh. Thus, after a few seconds of struggle, she settled on a simple nod and an apology in Japanese,
"Sorry… my Japanese… not good."
"Ah, I see." Lorelei spoke with an empathetic tone. She then renewed her smile for Ligaya and offered, "We can speak in English if you want."
"Y-yes please!" Ligaya spoke in straight English now, albeit accented English. This time around, though, she could understand what she was saying and speak with much, much more confidence, "I love Popular Mechanics too! My dad and I have a subscription to Popular Mechanics Pilipinas back home!"
"Is that so? Sehr gut! We'll get along well then!" Lorelei sounded rather glad. She put the magazines back into her bag, made sure to zip it shut this time then extended her hand to Ligaya, "My name is Lorelei Sankt and I'm from Berlin, Deutschland - it's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you, Lorelei. My name's Ligaya de la Cruz!" Ligaya firmly shook Lorelei's hand, happy to have someone she can speak to in straight English, "I'm from Taysan, Batangas in the Philippines!"
In their little exchange, Ligaya found it rather easy to talk with this Lorelei girl. After the first gaffe and the change in language, words came naturally to the Filipina and she grew comfortable with her new acquaintance. The German girl's friendliness and her casual demeanor helped, of course, but Ligaya felt a sense of camaraderie with her - as if the two of them had met before. That'd be absurd, however, Ligaya thought. She had never ventured out of the Philippines her whole life after all, let alone traveled to Germany.
Before Ligaya could follow her train of thought, however, Kazuko Saotome called their attention in a voice that couldn't quite decide if it was lecturing sternly or asking nicely, "Derakuruzu-san, Sankuto-san, I've been looking for you two! I've already given out the room assignments to the others and talked about the Hanasou house rules too…"
"We're sorry about that, sensei." Lorelei spoke on behalf of them both, "Ligaya and I got caught up in something, you see - we didn't mean to cause you trouble!"
The German gave a polite bow of apology and, after a moment of hesitation, Ligaya did the same. To the two girls' relief, however, Kazuko's sternness retreated like the ebb of the sea.
"It's alright, you two." Kazuko said as she fished out a pair of dormitory keys, "I had the two of you assigned to the same room, after all - Room 108, right beside the elevator." The teacher then smiled, "And, the two of you are also classmates in Class 1-2, so it's good that the two of you are getting along already!"
Lorelei and Ligaya looked at each other with eyes shining in delight, unable to believe what they just heard. 'This must be fate!' the two of them thought as the teacher handed them their keys. The two of them promptly thanked the teacher and then made their way into the Hanasou proper with their bags in tow.
The Hanasou was rather well equipped, the girls would find, with a large common living room with floating formless screen televisions, a spacious kitchen with a state of the art stoves and ovens, a joint private bath for the residents, weekly cleaning services, 24/7 security and free internet - the works! By amenities alone, the Hanasou could pass for a small hotel. In that brief tour of theirs, Lorelei and Ligaya promptly made mental notes of the things they wanted to do around the Hanasou, but a good, long hot bath was on the top of both of their lists.
The two of them soon cleared the common area then found the door to Room 108, tried their new keys out and entered for the very first time. It was a pleasant thirty square meter studio unit with polished wooden floors supplemented with cozy area rugs, neutral-colored stucco walls and a pair of curtained windows that looked out to the cherry blossom trees that lined the flagstone path to the Mitakihara Junior High School. In one corner of the room, there was a pair of mahogany desks and chairs that sat beside the shared sliding-door closet and a smaller floating formless television screen like the one in the living room. At the other corner, there were two single beds furnished with an olive green blanket for Ligaya and a pearly white blanket for Lorelei.
This was going to be their new home for the next three years or so, the two girls thought, and they liked the place already. This new chapter in their lives was getting off to a good start.
"I hope that we can make new memories here in Mitakihara." Ligaya mused as she looked around the room.
"So do I, Ligaya." Lorelei agreed with a happy smile, "So do I."
The two girls had a quick lunch in the Hanasou kitchen - welcome bento boxes sent by the Mitakihara Junior High School - then spent the first half of the afternoon unpacking their things together. Once they were finished, the two girls decided to go around town and explore. It was their last weekend before school starts, after all - they both wanted to make the most out of it.
Second Act - I Have A Knack For It, I Guess
Lorelei and Ligaya ventured out of the Hanasou grounds together at half past three and, guided by a tourist map Lorelei downloaded into her smartphone, wandered around the Eighth Mitakihara District and talked spiritedly the whole way through. The two of them would talk about their hometowns, their favorite foods and festivals and, by some strange tangent of conversation, their favorite passenger locomotives - and their grievances about public transport in general.
In the midst of their lively talk, they boarded a Mitakihara Municipal Bus that took them to the most recommended place on Lorelei's electronic tourist map - the Mirai 812 Mall at the south end of the Eighth District. When Lorelei and Ligaya stepped out of the bus as the mall's stop, they were greeted by an ultra-modern, twelve-story mall styled after the great malls of Singapore. Each floor brought countless stores, restaurants and diversions from all over the world, just as the tourist map highlighted. The selection of mall's delicatessen alone was unbelievably plentiful, stocked with specialty food and drinks from Ligaya's and Lorelei's hometowns and made the girls wonder what other pieces of home they might find in the rest of the mall.
As the two were browsing around the third floor of the mall to look for a place to eat their dinner, though, they came across a small, younger girl with a head of white hair and bright orange eyes. The little girl was holding her hands close to her heart in fear and seemed to be on the verge of tears. Seeing this frightened girl made Ligaya's heart skip a beat and she was immediately drawn to the child's side. Her feet were guided by some unknown force within her that told her that this child needed her help. Without a second thought, Ligaya yielded and obliged.
"Umm… little girl, what's wrong?" Ligaya asked in Japanese with a tender tone, kneeling down at the girl's side to bring her face to the level of the child's, "Are you lost?"
The girl raised her tearful eyes to meet Ligaya's and a complex expression grew on the little girl's face. Ligaya tilted her head innocently, unable to read through the expression, so the little girl lowered her head and gave Ligaya a sheepish nod.
"I was with a group from my school, oneesan." The girl explained between sobs as her tears started to trickle down her cheeks now, "I went off on my own to look at some cheesecakes for a second, but now I can't find my friends!" She then buried her tearful face on Ligaya's shoulder and said, "I don't know where they are anymore… or what happened to them…"
"There, there…" Ligaya said naturally, embracing the little girl and patting her head, "Don't you worry, okay? We'll help you find your friends." She then turned over to her German companion and added, "We can help her out, can't we, Lorelei?"
"Y-yes of course!" Lorelei had a rare stammer as it took her a little time for the whole situation to sink in. She too knelt before the little girl and asked, "You were here with people from your school, you said… does that mean that you have a teacher who was accompanying you?"
The little girl paused for a moment, as if she was still mulling over the question, but she soon gave another simple nod.
"Alright then, leave it to us, okay?" Lorelei said and patted the little girl's head too. The German girl then started going around the mall, talking to mall security guards and shop owners as she looked for the little girl's group. Meanwhile, Ligaya brought the little girl over to a bench and sat together with her to calm her down.
"Say, what's your name?" Ligaya asked once the little girl had managed to wipe off her tears and gathered herself.
"Nagisa Momoe… I'm eleven years old." The little girl said with a cautious tone as she turned towards Ligaya with puppy eyes, as if she were asking for a reply.
"My name's Ligaya de la Cruz, and that girl with me earlier was Lorelei Sankt." Ligaya introduced with a smile, "We'll find your friends for sure, so sit tight, Nagisa!"
A small frown formed on the little girl's lips, but she gave Ligaya a weak, albeit appreciative nod. The Filipina girl blinked with confusion. Was Nagisa hoping for a different answer from her? Ligaya wanted to ask that to the little girl, but her limited grasp of Japanese kept her from finding the words to say.
Moments later, Lorelei returned to the third floor along with an elementary school teacher and a group of elementary school children. A wave of relief swept through the teacher's face once she saw that the little, white-haired girl was safe and sound.
"Momoe-san, I'm sorry!" The stocky elementary school teacher apologized wholehearted, "I didn't mean to leave you behind!"
"Sensei…!" The little girl looked up to her teacher with a bright expression, "I thought I lost all of you!"
Nagisa's words contrasted her searching silence just moments ago, Ligaya thought, as she watched the little girl reunite with her class. The teacher's emotional apology continued while Nagisa assured that she was alright now. Then, the teacher gave a deep, thankful bow to Lorelei and Ligaya and apologized to them as well for taking up so much of their time.
"We're just glad we could help!" Lorelei said with a relieved smile, "That's what Arch… uhm… Arch…" The German girl's brow then furrowed, "What was the word for that again…?"
Lorelei's fumbled attempt also started to rouse something in Ligaya's memory. The Filipina girl's jaw dropped as she too seemed to have a gist of what Lorelei was trying to say, but she also couldn't quite finish the sentence. Ligaya's Japanese vocabulary was limited, of course, but she couldn't even find the words in English or in Filipino. It was almost as if that word was erased from their memories.
Nagisa's eyes grew wide as both the German and the Filipina struggled to piece their words together somehow. Grave concern swept over the little girl's heart and she mused beneath her breath, "Lorelei-neesan… Ligaya-neesan… don't tell me, the two of you still…"
The little girl then turned to her teacher who now looked at Lorelei and Ligaya with an indifferent expression. Nagisa, from where she stood, saw wisps of her teacher's displeasure brewing behind a mask. The teacher then managed a smile and approached Lorelei and Ligaya and said,
"It's alright, I understand what the two of you are trying to say." The teacher's sugarcoated words yanked the German and the Filipina from their aimless recollection, "Thank you again for helping me find Momoe-san. I really appreciate it, noi!"
Lorelei and Ligaya smiled innocently at the teacher's remark and they both gave her a gracious bow. When the turned to bid Nagisa farewell, however, they saw that the little girl didn't seem to want to leave just yet. There was something that she wanted to say, but she was holding her tongue and was shying away from the foreigners' gazes. Thus, Ligaya broke the ice, squatted before the little girl and happily patted her head.
"You be a good girl now, Nagisa." Ligaya said with a motherly tone, "Take care of yourself and don't stray too far from the path."
Hearing this from Ligaya, Nagisa was at awe as the Filipina's hand gently stroked her head of white hair. The little girl finally stopped fidgeting and wore a small smile this time around as she responded with a solemn, "Mm."
With that, Nagisa joined her classmates and was shepherded off by their stocky teacher as Lorelei and Ligaya waved goodbye. The two girls then found themselves alone once more.
"Ah… wasn't that tiring?" Ligaya groaned as she sat on the mall bench once more, "We spend most of the afternoon helping Nagisa out."
"It was worth it though, wasn't it?" Lorelei said, joining Ligaya on the bench with a happy expression, "Seeing little children smile, even just a little, is quite fulfilling. Besides, Nagisa-chan was pretty cute wasn't she?"
"I know, right!" Ligaya doted enthusiastically, "I know what you mean, Lorelei! I wanted to pinch her cheeks, you know!" The Filipina then rested her back on the bench and thoughtfully looked up to the glass roof of the Mirai 812 mall saying, "But for a while… I felt like Nagisa was trying to tell me something. I don't know what exactly, but she really was trying..."
As Ligaya was trying to look back into their encounter with the little girl, though, the PA system of the mall came on and chimed eight times like a bell, marking the eighth hour. The Filipina promptly hopped off of the bench as a panic swept her,
"It's already eight o'clock and we haven't had our dinner yet!"
"Schielse! You're right!" Lorelei gasped then frowned, "We haven't been able to check out the other nine floors either, and all we managed to buy were bread and sausages." She then glanced at the myriad of other stores and restaurants of the mall and then slowly grew a defeated smile, "Well, at least we'll have plenty to do the next time we're here!"
"That's a good way to look at it!" Ligaya concurred happily, "Now let's get going - we don't want to miss the dinner service at the Hanasou tonight. I heard we're having hotpot!"
With that, the two girls made their way out of the mall to catch a bus back to the Hanasou, talking excitedly about the hotpot that was waiting for them back home. Slowly but surely, in the midst of their hungry rambles, their curiosity about their encounter was swept aside by like a mere afterthought. By the time they reached the entrance to the mall, the both of them had already forgotten why they were so curious in the first place.
Third Act - Cheers To Us!
It was ten minutes past eight in the evening when the doors of an express elevator at the ground floor of the Mirai 812 mall opened. A single, plucky, bespectacled woman in her mid thirties - Kazuko Saotome - entered the elevator, wearing one of her best, albeit modest purple dresses, meticulously polished flat-heeled shoes and a simple set of a white-gold necklace with a matching watch and matching earrings. All of which, together, shaved almost a decade off of her age. The haggard air that the woman gave off that evening, however, wiped out those gains and made her seem dangerously closer to forty than she would like to admit.
"Oh no… I'm in for it now…" Kazuko mused with worry as she pressed the button, calling for the twelfth floor, "Nearly nothing went right today… jeez."
She leaned back against the wall of the elevator and looked out the window as she was pulled up to the twelfth floor. Watching the illuminated skyline of Mitakihara City in the midst of the starless sky grow smaller and smaller below her, she recounted the strange and tiring details of her day and sighed.
"I need a drink." Kazuko muttered, followed by an unrefined groan, "If it wasn't a Monday tomorrow, I'd get soooo wasted…" She then caught a sliver of her reflection in the mirror and frowned, "But I'm getting too old for that."
Moments later, the elevator doors opened and Kazuko stepped into her destination - a cool, dimly lit jazz bar at the top of the Mirai 812 called the 'Eden Loft Bar'. Pictures of famous jazz artists from around the world with framed copies of autographed vinyl records, instruments and all sorts of memorabilia hung from the walls alongside contemporary reproductions of famous pieces of art. A fedora hat supposedly worn by Thelonius Monk sat atop the head of a dark-colored mannequin dressed in the sharp suit of the late jazz man that stood beside a framed print of the scene where Saint Peter was entrusted with the keys to heaven. Kazuko always found herself amused by the bar owner's peculiar tastes in decor as she passed them by. There was a subtle blend of harmony and contrast in those pieces that, tied together with the soft jazz music playing through the bar's speakers, breathed a unique air of life into the space. That was why the Eden Loft Bar was her favorite weekend retreat - as well as her dear friend Junko's.
When she stepped into the bar proper, she saw her friend, Junko Kaname, seated at the bar counter and nursing a glass of Cutty Sark whiskey on the rocks. Junko was wearing a sharp-looking blazer over a light pink blouse with a matching skirt that, all together, could very well pass for business attire. Though Junko was roughly the same age as Kazuko, the way she dressed and her lively demeanor made it easy to mistake her for a yuppie in her late twenties. As Kazuko approached the bar counter, Junko turned around on the barstool and greeted her friend with a youthful grin,
"Welcome home, Kazuko!" Junko said with conviction as she set down her glass of Cutty Sark and embraced her friend tightly, "I've missed you!"
"Jeez… the Eden Loft Bar isn't my home, you know." Kazuko chuckled as she hugged Junko as well, "I should be the one welcoming you back to Japan, Junko. You've finally come back after three years in the US!" A warm smile then grew on Kazuko's lips, "And I've missed you too… so, welcome home."
With that, Junko brought Kazuko over to the counter and had the bartender make the teacher's favorite drink - a dry blue vodka martini with a wedge of lemon - as well as another Cutty Sark on the rocks for herself. As the bartender got started on the drinks, the two ladies caught up on the three years they were separated.
Once their drinks arrived and Kazuko was finally up to speed, they shared a toast and the teacher finally started to vent.
"It's been really tough at Mitakihara Junior High lately, Junko…" Kazuko whimpered as she sipped her blue martini, "I don't know what went on in last January's Board of Directors meeting, but they suddenly decided to roll out their great big International Student Program."
"I heard from the emails you sent me…" Junko sighed sympathetically, taking a large sip of her whiskey, "Though, then again, you will be getting quite a pay hike for this job and a pretty nice title too! 'Program Coordinator Kazuko Saotome' sounds pretty snazzy, doesn't it?"
"But that means I'm going to be in charge of seventy-two transfer students from all around the world!" Kazuko argued with great frustration, "Not to mention, i've got direct reports now, and the principal's going to be watching my every move from hereon out!" The teacher sipped her martini again then continued her seemingly endless litany, "Handling three classes on top of all of that too is going to be tough… How do you handle these sorts of things, Junko?"
"Ah, well…" Junko said as she gave her friend's situation some thought, "The first thing I keep in mind in situations like those are that I'm not alone. I have people who report to me, and I have people who I report to - and all of us have the same goals!" She then rested her elbow on the counter and held her cheek in her hand, "What's important is how you send that message across, really. Once you all start working together - bam! It's like the stars aligned and you're kicking ass left and right!"
"Is that so…?" Kazuko lowered her head as she considered her friend's advice, "Then what about this…? Earlier this morning, I was supposed to pick up one of my new students from the program - a Michi Hideyoshi-san coming from Oshima in Hokkaido. I went there on time and all, but I missed my student! Apparently, the class president of my homeroom class - Homura Akemi-san - picked her up on my behalf!"
"That doesn't sound like a bad thing, Kazuko." Junko honestly reassured, "There must have been some miscommunication down the line, but that shows you have people you can rely on." The businesswoman then grinned, "You're lucky that you have someone as proactive as that Akemi-san helping you out in this task, you know! You'll be hard pressed to find motivated people for projects like those, so count your blessings!"
"I see…" Kazuko spoke in a mellower tone this time as she swirled the contents of her martini glass, "You always seem to know what to say, Junko… thanks." She then turned to her friend and asked, "What about you? Do you have problems at work too?"
"I'd be lying if I said that Elysian Fashion is perfect…" Junko groaned as she eyed her glass of whiskey, "We've been losing market share all over the world - it's why people are getting cross-posted left and right. Our good talents are getting pirated off by our rivals and the ones that get left behind are just waiting for their next paycheck." She then downed her glass and gave her honest assessment, "2088 will be the make-or-break year for Elysian Fashion, and our Mitakihara HQ will be on the frontlines."
"Sounds tough." Kazuko gave her sympathy this time around as she finished her martini. The two ladies then ordered another round of their drinks from the bartender. Meanwhile, a soulful jazz cover of Earth, Wind & Fire's 'That's The Way of the World' filled the bar through the speakers alongside the din of chatter and clinking glasses.
"I'm not too worried, though!" Junko quickly recovered her smile as the bartender came by with their next round of drinks, "After all, I've got people I can entrust my life to working with me on this case! I moved mountains over at Elysian HR just to get the two of them on board with me here in Mitakihara."
"Ah, those two! The American and the Ukrainian." Kazuko said with familiarity, "You've been singing praises about those two in your emails, Junko!"
"Those two deserve every word of it, Kazuko." Junko said with a little bit of a tipsy slur as she started on her third glass of Cutty Sark, "Not only are they the most engaged young girls i've seen in the company in recent years, but the two of them get along really well with my little Madoka too!" The businesswoman took a second swig then added, "Whenever we have a bring-your-kid-to-work day, Madoka loves it when those two are around! She always goes 'Auntie Audrey and Auntie Serafina are so nice!' Isn't that cute!?"
Kazuko chuckled at her friend's developing ramble. Whether it be at work or at the bar, Junko was always thinking about her daughter.
"But seriously speaking…" Junko finally reined in her train of thought, "With Audrey and Serafina in my department here in Mitakihara, we'll be able to turn things around - i'm sure of it. Those two came from heaven, I swear… and together, we'll be able to find the true miracle that gets Elysian Fashion back on its feet!" She then smiled at her friend and said, "I should introduce you to them sometime, Kazuko - I think you'll like them too."
"I'll look forward to that, Junko." Kazuko said, reflecting Junko's smile, "For now, the two of us have mountains to climb at work - it's just like school all over again, huh?"
"I know, right?" Junko grinned merrily, "And the two of us will pull through. We always have!"
The businesswoman then raised up her glass of whiskey and gave a toast to her friend, "Here's to us!"
"Yeah!" Kazuko said eagerly as she brought up her martini glass. The two glasses clinked and the ladies finished the rest of their drinks with gusto, looking forward to the day that lay ahead of them.
Epilogue
It was a quarter past nine in the evening at the west bank of the Mitakihara River when a tall, Elise de Lamarliere, with her head of wavy red hair and ash grey eyes sat down on the gentle grassy slope. The foreigner wore a white shawl that she readjusted over her shoulders as the chilly nighttime winds of Spring blew by. The girl sat there on the banks in pensive silence with her ash grey eyes fixed upon the pitch black of the sky in the midst of Mitakihara City's bright lights.
"Ou sont les etoiles?" Elise mused as the city lights shimmered all around her, "It's too bright."
Unable to see the stars, the French girl sighed and stood up from where she sat and her eyes naturally fell down to the restless waters of the Mitakihara River. It's like a mirror, the girl thought, as she watched her own blurred reflection distorted in the dark flow. The figure in the water closely resembled her as it was supposed to, but the girl couldn't quite say that she could see herself in the river. The starless sky and the imperfect mirror in the river bothered her to no end and she couldn't tell why at first.
Was she homesick, perhaps? That was probably it, Elise thought. She was used to seeing the stars from the banks of the gentle Rhine river in Strasbourg, after all. A starless sky and a restless river wouldn't make for a good painting, she told herself. Thus, the French girl dug her hands in the pockets of her light coat and briskly made her way down the paved riverside path.
On that same path, a tomboyish blue-haired girl was walking briskly down the opposite direction. The sparse moonlight illuminated her figure in faint silver and the fortissimo pin she wore in her hair shimmered for a moment like a small star. The light off of Sayaka's pin caught the Elise's attention as they approached each other on the path. That blue-haired girl seemed awfully familiar, but she couldn't quite figure out why.
The two girls crossed paths and the crisp sound of paper falling onto blades of grass reached Elise's ear. She turned towards the sound and saw a small sheet of paper that, if she were to guess, fell from the blue-haired girl's pocket. After a moment of thought, she picked up the piece of paper then called after the girl in near-perfect Japanese and said,
"Sumimasen. I think you dropped something."
The blue-haired girl whirled around, patted her now empty pocket and gasped.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry about that!' The girl apologized to Elise then hurried over to her, "Thanks for calling me about this - I appreciate it!"
"No problem." Elise said as she handed over the paper, "Try to be more careful next time, though. It can be very windy in the riverbanks, after all."
"I'll keep that in mind." The girl said thankfully as she took the paper. She then looked at Elise in the eye and smiled as she asked, "You wouldn't happen to be a transfer student to Mitakihara Junior High, would you?"
Elise's brow promptly rose as she asked with a cautious tone, "I am a student there… but how did you know?"
"I'm a Mitakihara Junior High student too, you see. Our teachers have been talking to us about the International Student Program for a while now, so we know all about it!" The blue-haired girl introduced herself with a lively grin and extended her hand to Elise, "My name's Sayaka Miki and i'm an incoming sophomore!"
"Elise de Lamarliere." Elise conceded as she shook Sayaka's hand, "I'm an incoming third year student."
"Is that so?" Sayaka smiled at her new upperclassman, "I hope that you enjoy your stay here in Mitakihara then, Duramayue-senpai! There's lots of things to do here in the city so I'm sure you won't get bored." The sophomore then showed Elise the paper that she had dropped and said, "If you're interested, this was a newspaper ad I was carrying around with me for an art exposition coming to town. They hold it at the new Minato-ku Gallery too - a really nice place that opened recently!"
"An art exposition?" Elise asked with keen interest, "Do you mind if I take a look at the ad?"
Sayaka happily obliged and let Elise read the advertisement. The French girl read through it with odd intensity that would have put some people off, but Sayaka didn't seem to mind.
"Their theme…" Elise said, almost as if she were in a trance, "Mirrors…" She then caught herself in the middle of her ramble and quickly apologized, "Sorry about that… for a moment, I... I just…"
Sayaka's eyes grew sharp as Elise fished for words to say. The blue-haired girl opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but Elise shook her head and sighed instead.
"I don't know…" Elise turned away with embarrassment, "My mind is a mess right now. Perhaps I'm still jetlagged."
Sayaka simply wore a supportive smile in response and held the words she wanted to say back. There was a sliver of disappointment in the blue-haired girl's eyes, however. After all, the sophomore was starting to confirm that her worst fears had come true.
'So that's the transfer student's game...' Sayaka thought as she furrowed her brow, 'What in the hell have you done, Homura?'
"Is something the matter?" Elise asked as she noticed Sayaka's soured expression.
"Ah, nothing!" Sayaka quickly hid behind a happy-go-lucky grin, "I was just thinking that I have to get going soon." She then fished out her smartphone and handed it over to Elise, "Before that, why don't we exchange numbers for now? If ever you decide to go to one of those exhibitions, let me know!"
Elise nodded and the girls gave each other their cellphone numbers. The two of them then bid each other farewell then carried on down their respective paths. Sayaka was headed south to her apartment in the Fourth Mitakihara District while Elise went north towards the Hanasou Girl's Dormitory in the Eighth.
The French girl took her time and strolled thoughtfully through the city streets, still looking up to the starless sky. Ever since she arrived in Mitakihara that morning, she felt terribly uneasy about something - as if she had forgotten something important. Some way, somehow, she could sense that that Sayaka person she met might know more than she was letting on. After all, Elise knew that Sayaka dropped the newspaper ad intentionally and that she only played along.
A little while later, Elise found her way to the doors of the Hanasou dormitory just minutes before ten in the evening. The teacher prefect of the Hanasou, a stern middle-aged lady who wore her greying hair in a bun, gave Elise a judging glance that seemed to say, 'You nearly missed curfew, young lady!'
Elise simply nodded without paying the prefect much heed and carried on through the common hall to the stairwell. As she climbed the steps all the way up to the third floor quarters, she stole glances at her wisp of a reflection on the glass of the stairwell windows that she passed by. For a moment, she thought she saw her reflection turn away from her, but Elise thought that it was probably her tired mind playing tricks on her.
She needed a long, hot bath and a good night's sleep to clear her mind, Elise told herself. Maybe then, she can start making sense of her scattered thoughts.
Elise soon reached her room - Room 308 at the middle of the third floor hall opposite the stairwell - then drew out her keys to unlock the door. When she entered, she saw a fourteen year old girl seated before the vanity dresser in the middle of combing her straight, long black hair. The girl saw Elise in the dresser's mirror and she turned around to face the French girl. Her deep, dark brown eyes met with Elise's ash-grey ones in a long moment of meaningful silence.
This girl seemed familiar, Elise thought - but she couldn't be too sure. In that moment, Elise thought that she had met this girl somewhere before - but she couldn't tell when or where. Something deep in her heart told her that the girl seated before her was not a stranger, but Elise couldn't even begin to guess this girl's name.
The girl, on the other hand, put on an amiable smile and asked, "Would you happen to be Elise de Lamarliere?"
Dazed, Elise could only manage a small nod.
"My name is Michi Hideyoshi, an incoming freshman from Hokkaido." The girl set aside her comb as she stood up and introduced herself cordially, "The two of us are going to be roommates, it seems. I hope the two of us can get along!"
To Be Continued