Chapter Thirty-Five: The Golden Circle

Kyouko stared blankly at the hotel television, paying minimal attention to the news. She wasn't interested, but there was nothing else to do.

Homura was lying down on her bed, hands over her head. For a time she'd pretended to work at the table in the corner, but after an hour and a half of that she'd given up silently. There were too many variables beyond her control. In the end, her plan was desperately simple. Just find Kahoru and kill her, that was all.

The silence was broken by Kyouko's phone ringing. She sat up and answered. "Hello?"

"Hello. This is Mami."

"Ah. Hi." Kyouko glanced nervously at Homura, who looked away. "What is it?"

"I'm in Kyoto right now."

"Why?" Kyouko said. "You're playing a dangerous game."

"I wanted to speak to Kahoru. In the end, nothing came of it, though." Mami sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't know whether it's because she has a death-wish, or because she's a fanatic, but she won't stop. And no one will stop her. Everyone there just assumes she'll win."

"Just as long as you're safe," Kyouko said. "I don't think any of us thought we could stop Kahoru with words. She's just crazy."

"Is she, though? She's arrogant, but she can't be mad," Mami said. "That's just a way to dismiss her. If we do that, we'll underestimate her, because no matter what she may be trying to achieve, she's smart about it."

"I know," Kyouko said. "We'll be careful. But there's nothing more you can do, regardless."

"Maybe. I need to think. I don't know what I should do next, but I don't want to just go home. I don't want to just give up."

"If it's impossible, it's impossible," Kyouko said. "You know that, right?"

"I know. But you don't know until you try."

"I guess, but you gotta stay safe," Kyouko said. "Who knows when Kahoru will turn around and use you as a hostage?"

"I think I'm fine. Frankly, I don't think she believes taking me as a hostage would stop Homura."

Kyouko blinked. "That's wrong, though, and you know it."

"Is it wrong? If Madoka is on the line?"

Kyouko gritted her teeth. "That's definitely wrong. But that's not surprising. Kahoru knows a bunch of nonsense but she doesn't know anything about people."

Mami paused for a moment. "Well, quite. In any case, I seem to be fine. I called to tell you that Kahoru intends to fight. Kyoto will stand with her, if her officers are anything to judge by. Kahoru told me quite bluntly she's fighting because she can win."

"Figures, I guess. But I'm not sure it changes anything," Kyouko said. "We're betting on being able to win regardless of any trick she throws at us. That's all."

"I would advise against it, but I'm tired of arguing with the world." Mami sighed. "Aiko is there and Kahoru says Chiaki will be there soon enough. Bear that in mind."

"Okay. Thanks." Kyouko scowled. "Why Chiaki? That makes no sense."

"I don't know. Maybe Kahoru was just bluffing. But she has her knowledge magic," Mami said. "So be careful. Chiaki beat you before, right?"

"Yeah. She still has her wish magic, one way or the other," Kyouko said. "Frankly, I'm jealous of that. It means she still has hope."

Mami paused for a second. "Maybe one day you'll be able to use that magic again. But if you want that to happen, we all need to come home safely, right?"

"Yeah." Kyouko fell backwards onto her bed, looking up at the ceiling. "We'll do that, so you look after yourself."

"I will. But just remember I'd rather everyone went home alive."

"Sorry," Kyouko said. "I don't think we'll manage that."

"I know. Good-bye."

"Bye." Kyouko closed her eyes as Mami hung up.

"How is she?" Homura asked quietly.

Kyouko tilted her head, looking at Homura. The dark haired girl was facing away from Kyouko, but her tight white shirt was wrinkled from the tension in her shoulders. "She's okay. No one's attacked her or anything, but she didn't get anywhere, either."

"I see," Homura said. "She should go home and stay safe."

"I hope she does," Kyouko said. "But I'm not sure she will."

"There's nothing more she can do," Homura said.

"Yeah, she knows that. But she isn't happy about it," Kyouko said.

Homura closed her eyes. "If it comes to it, can I leave her to you?"

Kyouko smiled. "Yeah. You want to go after Kahoru, right? I'll handle it."

"Thank you."

"She's ready to fight, and Aiko and Chiaki might be on her side," Kyouko said. "Of course, Kyoto will be fighting as well."

"That's all within my expectations. Even her sister is within my expectations." Homura balled her right hand into a fist. "As long as Ritsuko doesn't get in my way, I will win. And Ritsuko may already be dead."

Kyouko nodded. "Yeah. Just remember, we gotta come home alive."

"I will. I'll live." Homura frowned. "I promised myself I'd show her my life, as long and as happy as I could manage. I'm not going to die for Kahoru's stupid plan, or anything else."

Kyouko watched Homura in silence. She almost felt like arguing. Life was something you should live for yourself. Even now, she still believed that. But she didn't know if Homura would care.

Days slipped away, one after the other. Before Mami knew it, it was the night before the battle. She followed her restless instincts, clutching her thin jacket tightly to her body as she sought to shut out the cold night air. The shrine was still and silent. The wind through the trees was the only sound that could be heard.

Yurino was waiting at the shrine. She smiled as Mami approached. "So you came."

"That doesn't mean I'm going along with your plan," Mami said. "I'm just taking a walk, that's all."

"Then why are you still here?" Yurino asked. "Tomorrow, there won't be a place for words."

"Kyoto is a nice city. I'm just a tourist," Mami said. She met Yurino's gaze. "Do you really think I can make a difference?"

"I don't know," Yurino said. "Do you want to try?"

Mami clutched her blouse tightly. "I think you're all wrong. Homura, Kahoru, and everyone in between. But at this point, I don't know if there's anything I can do."

"If you want to try, you'll have to fight." Yurino opened her backpack and pulled out a hard black diamond. "I'll lend you something nice." She threw it towards Mami.

Mami caught it, her eyes widening. "One of the prince's remnants? Why?"

"It's one of Kahoru's remnants," Yurino said. "If you use that, you can go completely overboard using your magic to prepare for the battle ahead. I'll want it back after that, of course."

"So she took some of them, after all. And if you can give me this, that means Kahoru knows everything," Mami said. She gripped the black diamond tightly. "You really do want me to become one of her pawns."

"I love my sister," Yurino said. "Of course I want you to be useful to her. But it's okay. If you don't want it, you can give it back."

"So this is another bet. I'm betting I can stop the battle with my own power, and she's betting she can use me as a shield and then throw me away," Mami said. "It's just like her match with Homura. Your sister has some twisted hobbies."

"Don't bad-mouth my sister," Yurino said. She gripped the straps of her bag, ignoring it as it moved slightly. "What will you do?"

Mami breathed out, a smile playing about her lips. "If you're sister's that all-knowing, she'd know my answer from the start, right?"

The battle began on a cold and stern morning. The sky was thick with brooding grey clouds. But to the outside world, the mass of teenage girls in casual clothes looked entirely innocent. No one else knew their intentions or fact some of them would die before the day was out. Homura frowned as they approached the Fushimi Inari Taisha. Normally, the approach to a major shrine like this should be swarming with tourists and visitors. But apart from the magical girls, it was silent as the grave. She glanced down at Kyubey as he walked by her side. "Where is everyone?"

"Riko's field of rejection is sealing the shrine," Kyubey said. "For as long as that magic lasts, the Fushimi Inari Taisha doesn't exist in the minds of ordinary humans. There's no need for anyone to hold back, as long as Riko is alive."

"That's a convenient power," Homura said. "But it makes it easier for us to attack head-on. I wonder why Kahoru would do something like that."

"Who knows or cares what that witch is thinking?" Tai snapped. Her eyes were focused on the shrine.

"If we don't try to out-think her, we'll take unnecessary casualties," Homura said. "It's important to try and grasp what she's planning."

"Mind games is her thing," Tai said. She glared at Homura. "Trust me, forget it. We're just gonna smash her head-on, that's all. If you start getting clever and playing what-if, she'll fuck you over."

"Or so she says, but in reality Tai just hates thinking," Setsuko said. She fiddled absently with her phone.

Another large group of girls was waiting by the shops. Oriko and Kirika stood at the head of the group. Oriko stepped forwards as Tai approached, smirking at Homura before concentrating on the purple-haired girl. "Good morning. Tai Ajibana, I assume? I'm Oriko Mikuni. I've been given command of the enforcer contingent for the purpose of today's fun and games."

"Ritsuko ain't with you?" Tai said shortly.

"The head enforcer won't be with us," Oriko said. "I don't think that will present a major problem, though."

"Yeah, sure. I don't even like her." Tai stepped closer to Oriko, scowling at the blonde-haired girl. "Just remember I'm in charge here."

"You're in charge? Not Homura?" Oriko said innocently. "I would think Homura would be the obvious candidate."

"This brat is just tagging along," Tai said. "I'm the one bringing the most people, so I'm in charge. Simple as that."

"I see. Well, it's all the same to me," Oriko said. "What's the plan?"

"Kahoru's in there somewhere, right?" Tai said, pointing to the mountain. "We're going to charge in and do whatever it takes to reach her and kill her. Simple is best against her."

"Well, I suppose that's easy to understand," Oriko said. "Any comments, Homura?"

"Given Kahoru has chosen to make a stand at a location like this, I assume she will have prepared defences," Homura said. "Rather than a frontal assault, wouldn't siege tactics be better?"

"We don't have the logistics for that," Oriko said. "Food and school and so on. Even the lofty Tai Ajibana doesn't have ten thousand peasants farming rice to feed her army."

"That's a good one," Setsuko said. "Why don't we find a patsy and make her wish for ten thousand peasants farming rice, Tai? You've always wanted to be a samurai."

"Hah. Later," Tai said.

Setsuko opened her mouth to say something more but she interrupted by her phone ringing. She blinked at the number displayed before answering. "Hello?" Her expression shifted, her eyes widening.

"We don't have time for this, damn it," Tai said.

Setsuko moved the phone away from her face. "It's one of my boyfriends. I'll sort this out, so feel free to kick off without me. Not like I want to be here." She turned and walked away from Tai and Homura, raising her phone to her face again.

Tai sighed. "Hurry the hell up, god damn it. You're a fucking embarrassment."

"Now, don't be hard on her," Oriko said. "Love is the most important thing for teenage girls, right?" She smirked at Tai's disgusted expression.

Homura coughed. "We should get started."

Tai shrugged. "Sure. Let's go." She released her magic, light flowing over her body as she formed her black armour and great-sword. Then she turned to face her subordinates, her expression cold. "For a long time now, Kyoto has been a thorn in Osaka's side. Kahoru meddles in whatever she pleases and messes with our territory, just to amuse herself. We went to war with Kyoto to stop her from doing that in the past, but she just used that as a pretext to take control of Kyoto and then invaded Osaka with her lackeys. It wasn't so easy to drive them out, but we did. After that, though, Kahoru still meddled and provoked us. Raids and spies and theft, that's the kind of crap we've endured from her. And now we're gonna settle the score once and for all. This is the final battle. Once the day's out, no one will be able to threaten us. That's how it should be. So if you wanna live in peace, win today. It's the only way we'll be rid of the threat Kahoru represents. You get it, scum? Then let's go!" She raised her sword high and turned around, walking up the stone steps towards the shrine.

The air blurred, shimmering with light as over thirty magical girls released their power as one, transforming.

"Stay with your squads and follow orders," Emiko said. "If you do that, everyone goes home safely."

"Then I guess we'll go as well," Oriko said. Her costume formed smoothly around her body, her long, heavy skirt trailing across the stone pavement. "We enforcers are mercenaries by nature. I won't patronise you with any speeches. We will complete the assigned task in return for the offered reward."

Kirika licked her long black claws, grinning. "I know, Oriko. But it's okay if I have fun, right?"

"Of course," Oriko said. She smiled. "Your happiness is my happiness. So cut anyone who gets in our way."

Kyouko sighed, crimson light flickering as she transformed and grasped her spear with both hands. "Ready, Homura? It's a bit late for second thoughts."

"I'm fine." Homura transformed as well. She raised her bow. "I'll take care of Kahoru. Just be careful. Aiko and Chiaki are dangerous, so if you can, leave them to others."

"I'll see how things go," Kyouko said. She walked forwards. "If I can't handle them, I doubt most of these damn kids could."

"I suppose so," Homura admitted.

They were closing on the main shrine when Setsuko caught up to the others at a run, panting for breath. She had already transformed into a skimpy pink costume. In her right hand she held a pink baton with a heart motif. "Wait up, for fuck's sake."

Kyouko smirked as she saw Setsuko's costume. "Seriously? That's so precious. What's your wish magic, a beam of hearts?"

"Fuck you," Setsuko said. "Everyone here looks just as ridiculous, you know. These costumes would only impress nerds."

"Maybe, but there's limits, you know," Kyouko said. "That's the opposite of dignified. What the hell is that weapon?"

"I don't want to hear that from the girl showing off an unnecessary amount of thigh," Setsuko said. She gritted her teeth, averting her gaze from Kyouko. "Let's just get on with this."

"Now you're talking," Kyouko said. "Tai's ahead if you want to hide behind her."

"Okay. I'll leave you to hide behind Homura, then," Setsuko said. She ran past them, scowling.

The whole vast group came to a halt in front of the main shrine. The red and gold arch loomed overhead, crowned by a curved green roof. Homura narrowed her eyes at the sudden stop, trying to make sense of the tangle of magical presences overlapping each other in the crowd. She forced her way forwards, shoving her way through the crowd. She drew level with Tai, her eyes widening.

Mami faced the horde of magical girls, standing alone. She stood at the centre of a circle of golden ribbons embracing the stone pavement in front of the shrine. A sea of muskets had been arranged throughout the circle, connected by overlapping, twisting ribbons. She faced the crowd with a slight frown. "People will die if you continue, so please turn back. All of you."

"You shouldn't be here," Homura said.

Tai shouldered the flat side of her great-sword, frowning. "Who are you? One of Kahoru's lackeys?"

"I'm a neutral party," Mami said. She breathed out slightly. "I don't believe it's right for us to kill each other or to die. So I'll stop anyone from dying today."

Tai snorted. "All I see is someone protecting Kahoru."

"I know her," Homura said urgently. "She's my responsibility. I'll clear the way, so don't kill her."

"Then hurry up," Tai said. "I'll give you one minute. The rest of you, go around and begin the assault. We don't have time to waste."

"I won't let you." Mami raised her hands, her fingers gripping six golden ribbons. She pulled them taut, sending several muskets flying towards her. She caught them in mid-air, taking aim at the first girls trying to run around the golden circle and firing. Golden ribbons gripped them tightly, sealing their arms and legs. They collapsed forwards onto the cold stone, struggling to move.

"Get out of the way!" Tai yelled, charging straight through the golden circle. Ribbons rose to trip her, ensnaring her legs, but Tai charged straight through with sheer force, tearing the ribbons binding her and slashing through others with her great-sword as they rose before her. She jumped as Mami took aim at her with a musket, landing behind the blonde girl in an instant. She twisted her grip on her great-sword, stabbing towards Mami's back without looking.

Mami twisted her right arm back, parrying the thrust with the butt of one of her muskets. The elegant silver weapon cracked from the impact. She spun, taking aim at Tai's back with her second weapon. "I won't let you through!"

Homura raised her right hand, white light rippling as she distorted the shot away from Tai.

Tai jumped out of the golden circle in a single bound, landing on top of the shrine. She turned back for a brief moment, scowling down at the others. "If that girl isn't out of the way in one minute, take her down. I'm going on ahead." She jumped away again, heading towards the mountain peak.

Emiko gritted her teeth. "That idiot. Everyone, follow the Captain! But keep to your formations and don't leave anyone behind!" She breathed out. "Hoshi, with regards to that matter, I'm counting on you."

"Leave it to me," Hoshi said.

Homura raised her bow as the Osaka group charged. Several girls were brought down by Mami's muskets or snared when they neared the golden circle, brought to their knees by crushing golden ribbons. "Kyouko, I'm counting in you. Watch my back."

Kyouko sighed. "Yeah, I know. Let's go."

Homura's white wings sprouted as she flew forwards, pulling her bow back. The moment she entered the circle golden ribbons snapped towards her, forcing her to teleport away. She took flight to try and gain some space, ribbons racing after her.

"I won't let you through. You, more than anyone else." Mami fired two muskets at Homura. She tugged the golden ribbons wrapped around her fingers as the shots were reflected away from Homura, pulling more guns towards her. She was surrounded by flying muskets as she took aim, fired and threw the spent weapons aside, creating an unrelenting barrage of fire that reached for Homura again and again.

Homura gritted her teeth. Tai had probably sensed it, as well. If a genius like Mami was given the time to produce a defensive space with her magic, the results were formidable. "Why are you fighting?" she asked, firing an arrow. She aimed the bolt towards Mami's leg, guiding it through the air with her magic.

Golden ribbons criss-crossed in front of Mami's leg, forming a circular magical barrier that blocked the arrow. "I'm fighting to stop people from dying," Mami said. "What about you? Why are you fighting?" She adjusted her stance as Kyouko charged into the circle, sending one shot flying towards the red-haired girl.

Kyouko gritted her teeth as the golden ribbons snared her legs, lowering her centre of gravity and barely managing to remain standing. She slashed through the incoming shot with her spear, letting her spear erupt and spiral outwards. The extended blades cut through the ribbons binding her feet, nearly cutting her own skin in the process.

Mami's eyes darted from position to position as she followed the girls moving around the circle as well as her friends. She picked them off whenever she could with a quick musket shot or a flying ribbon, always binding her targets and bringing them down without inflicting serious injury. She moved with incredible dexterity, empty muskets piling up around her feet.

Homura gritted her teeth as her second and third shot were blocked by swift barriers, however forcefully she bent and twisted the arrows. "You know why." She teleported, materialising behind Mami and unleashing an arrow at point blank range. Ribbons sprang up to block the shot but she had anticipated that. Her wings swept towards Mami, closing on the blonde girl.

The spent muskets around Mami's feet unwound, becoming a great mass of golden ribbons. They sprang upwards, crossing over each other and wrapping around Homura's wings, stopping them a few inches from Mami's back. Golden light bled from the ribbons as Mami forced her magic into them, forcibly suppressing Homura's wings. Yet more ribbons erupted, wrapping around Homura's arms and legs. Mami turned, raising her right hand and pulling another musket to her. "I'll seal you here."

Homura struggled against the binds, pouring magic into her wings. There was enough magic in this circle that Mami could overpower her.

"I won't let you!" Kyouko swung her extended spear again, the blade curving around Mami and cutting through the ribbons binding Homura's left wing.

Homura hastily thrust her wing in front of her, blocking the point-blank musket shot. She wrapped the glowing white wing around her body, destroying the ribbons that bound her outright. "I know what you're trying to achieve, but right now, you're just Kahoru's shield!" She took flight, putting distance between them as more golden ribbons plunged after her. "If you had this much time to prepare, it was done with her consent, right?"

Mami turned her head away, whipping the golden ribbons she gripped outwards and sending them flying towards several more girls from Osaka. They tripped and fell as the golden threads bound their legs. "Maybe. But that's nothing to do with me. I'll stop Kyoto from coming down and Osaka from going up. To the limit of my powers, I won't let anyone die!"

"You can't do anything alone," Kyouko said. She charged forwards, struggling through the sea of ribbons assailing her. She retracted her flying spear, hacking through the ribbons.

"I didn't choose to fight alone. But I'll do everything I can." Mami turned on Kyouko, firing two muskets straight at the red-haired girl. "If you two get to fight for your beliefs, I'll do the same thing."

Kyouko struggled to block the shots, but the second one hit the haft of her spear, erupting into a golden ribbon that bound her weapon to her hands. She gritted her teeth as the ribbons around her feet snaked upwards and ensnared her. "Why are you fighting us for the lives of strangers?"

Homura reached down with her wings, the white light rushing towards Mami from above. She took aim with her bow as Mami rolled away from the centre of the circle, avoiding the crushing wings. She breathed out as she fired, her arrow snapping sharply as it twisted through the ribbons that curved to block it. This shot would hit.

"Why not? It's worth doing." Mami caught a musket with her right hand as she rolled, twisting and firing at point-blank range. The bright arrow shattered into light and dissolved. "And if I beat you here, you two will live!" She threw the spent musket at Homura, picking up another golden ribbon from the ground and pulling another musket towards her grasp.

Kyouko struggled against her binds, unable to move. "We'll live! We'll live anyway, so get out of our way!"

Homura dodged away from the musket, drawing back another arrow, but the silver weapon erupted in mid-air, becoming a golden ribbon that erupted towards Homura and bound her hand to the shaft of her arrow. She narrowed her eyes, her white wings spreading outwards and changing form. "I'll settle this now, Mami." Her white wings became a gigantic bow, taking aim directly at Mami.

"That's my line, Homura," Mami said. Her golden musket shimmered as it grew, becoming a great white cannon. "This can even seal you! Tiro Finale!" The cannon barked, a thick line of gold flying upwards like a shooting star.

Homura's giant white bow quivered as it fired, sending an arrow crashing down towards Mami. The two attacks collided in mid-air, erupting in a storm of light and air that cracked the ground.

Homura vanished in a flash of light, materialising behind Mami in an instant. She struck Mami in the back of the neck with a single smooth blow from her free hand, watching as the blonde girl crumpled. "I'm sorry. That's as far as this goes."

Mami fell to her knees, her eyes swimming as she struggled to retain consciousness. "It's not over yet. Not yet."

Homura's eyes widened in shock as she felt a great wave of magic. She looked up at the sky.

A rain, a storm of flying swords descended like meteors. They crashed down in a line, shattering the green roof of the shrine and piercing the red wooden posts supporting it, then raked forwards in an unrelenting barrage. Homura reacted on instinct, her wings blazing and spreading out to shield Mami and Kyouko. She raised her hand, desperately redirecting the swords that came closest to them. Blades crashed down around her and her friends, piercing the stone flooring, while more than a dozen struck her wings head-on and broke into pieces. Screams tore through the air as the girls Mami had snared with her magic were impaled by the falling swords. The barrage swept past the golden circle as the remaining magical girls outside the shrine scattered in a panicked wave. Not all of them managed to escape the descending wave of steel. Homura's eyes widened as she took in the scene around her, a mess of blood and pain.

Kyouko snarled as the barrage slackened, pulling the ribbons binding her apart. Her eyes settled on the still forest of two-sided swords. "Damn that brat. What the hell is this?"

Mami tried to look up. Her head was still ringing from the pain of Homura's blow. But she couldn't make sense of the scene before her eyes. She couldn't understand anything at all.

Silence fell, broken only by sobs of pain. Homura stepped forwards, her eyes as cold as ice. "I'll be going on ahead."

Kyouko closed her eyes. "Okay."

Homura vanished in a flash of purple light.

Kahoru sat on top of the small private shrine at the very apex of the mountain. She wrote in the records with a swift, confident hand, narrowing her eyes as she studied the answer as it wrote itself. "Fifteen, then. I'll praise you, Chiaki. That was impressive."

Chiaki sat on the cold grey cobblestones, clutching her chest. "It hurts."

Aiko knelt in front of the pink-haired girl, pressing a black diamond against Chiaki's soul gem. "You're fine. You can handle pain, right?"

Riko stood a few meters away, surrounded by overlapping lines of white light as she released her magic outwards. She frowned in concentration. Toku and Tsuya waited in silence. Yurino sat on the ground next to them, watching her sister with a smile playing about her lips.

"We really can overdo it and survive when we have the prince's remnants to fall back on," Kahoru said. "I'm glad that theory panned out."

Chiaki panted for breath, sweat beading her brow. "That was a theory?"

"I was right, as I usually am. There's no problem here." Kahoru looked down from the roof of the shrine, smirking at Chiaki's expression. "You didn't die. Isn't that the important thing?"

"What did you make me do?" Chiaki asked.

"There's no need for you to think. Nothing good comes of an idiot like you thinking about something," Kahoru said. She jumped down from her high perch, landing deftly. "I'll honour our promise. I can't hold back my troops, but I won't kill Oriko and Kirika myself. Aiko and my other reliable friends here won't do so either, unless it's clear-cut self-defence."

Chiaki nodded, closing her eyes.

"All your life, you've brought misfortune to the people who care about you," Kahoru said to Chiaki. She banished her book and knelt, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders from behind. "You're trying to be a good girl, so that thought's oppressed you for so long. But guilt never changed anything or saved anyone. Nor are those feelings of guilt your true self."

"You don't know me," Chiaki said.

"I don't know you well, but I still know you better than you know yourself. You're not like me at all. You're closer to Tai." Kahoru moved her head, whispering in Chiaki's ear. "When you defeated Kyouko, wasn't that enjoyable? Didn't you relish the sensation of finally besting her? Of proving your strength and skill to the world?"

Chiaki shook her head. "You're wrong."

"Wasn't just now the same? Without questioning me, you released all your magic. Like a god throwing bolts of lightning from heaven, you smote the earth with raw power alone. Didn't you enjoy that sensation?" Kahoru smiled. "You hit fifteen people with those swords. Fifteen targets disabled within ten seconds. That's an incredible power for one girl to hold."

Chiaki broke away from Kahoru's grip, turning and punching the older girl in the face. "Shut the hell up!"

Tsuya and Toku ran forwards, eyes sharp. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tsuya demanded.

"It's fine." Kahoru clutched her cheek, blinking through the pain. "I deserved that one." She smirked at Chiaki's infuriated expression. "They say there's no smoke without fire, though."

Aiko stepped around Chiaki, offering Kahoru her hand. "You really did deserve that one."

"Yeah, I know. I apologise, already." Kahoru stood up. She nursed her bruised cheek as she looked down at Chiaki. "Your magic aside, your punch hurts like hell, you know. Well, take your time thinking about it. I won't need you again until you're ready for another barrage."

Chiaki stared down at the floor, her cheeks flushed bright red. "I'm just doing this for my friends. That's all."

"If you say so." Kahoru summoned her book again, liquid silver pouring from her fingers and forming the bright red tome. "I think it's time for us to move. Toku, Tsuya, join the battle. Do whatever you can to rally our forces. Just avoid conflict with Homura Akemi, no matter what."

The two magical girls nodded. Toku slammed her right fist into her left palm. "Count on us, Miss Hoshino."

"Aiko, you're to remain here on standby for now. There are good and bad opponents for you, so I want to wait for the right moment," Kahoru said.

Aiko nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Kahoru forced a grin, ignoring the pain twisting her bruised cheek. "But I should praise Mami as well as Chiaki, when I think about it. I'm amazed she could go that far against Homura without using the prince's remnants to prepare."

"Mami's no slouch," Aiko said. "I knew that since long ago."

"Well, quite. If she hadn't been so stubborn about it, she'd have done much better," Kahoru said. "And I'd have eliminated that many more targets right from the start."

"You can't get your way every time," Aiko said. She scowled. "I wish we were being more straight-forwards, though. We don't need tricks to beat Homura and Tai."

"Don't be sentimental." Kahoru turned, meeting Aiko's gaze. "This is war, Aiko. I'm going to do everything I can to win."

"I know," Aiko said. "Mami's the idiot for going for it. It's just-"

"It's just what?" Kahoru asked lightly.

"Nothing." Aiko looked away.

Kahoru sighed. "We're a point ahead now, but this is far from over. Concentrate."

"Yeah. Sorry." Aiko breathed out, staring at her right hand. She didn't know why it was trembling.