April twenty-seventh, evening. Suzune and Arisa are in the middle of a fight. So far, they seem to be about evenly matched.
"Say," Suzune says suddenly during a break in the fighting. "What do you think is the best way for a magical girl to die?"
"The hell's that, out of the blue…?" Arisa asks.
"You know the truth of the magical girl system," Suzune says. "We'll be stricken by despair and become a witch, and then more magical girls like us will appear. It's an endless negative chain… magical girls will never disappear if we continue to let them become witches. So then, I have no choice but to reduce them."
"That's way too selfish!" Arisa shouts. "You're saying it's okay to kill people as long as you have a good reason!?"
"Just think about it. Witches were originally magical girls, right? So killing witches is killing people. Where's the essential difference between your way of doing it and mine?"
Arisa just stares at her, no doubt dumbfounded by her bizarre leaps of logic.
"You don't want to admit it," Suzune says with a shrug. "That's fine. I don't want to add more people like me anyway."
"So that's your resolution, is it?" Arisa says.
"Yes… I'm willing to play the villain," Suzune says. "Even if you call me a murderer, I don't care."
With all that talking out of the way, the fight starts up again, but now, Suzune seems to have a slight edge on her.
"Dammit, I can't let myself get done in," Arisa says. "Alright, I'm gonna go all out! Full Boost!"
Suzune gasps. "That's…"
"Yes, I've enhanced my abilities to the limit!"
"That must take a lot of magical power," Suzune says. "It's dangerous for you as well."
"Well, this is my resolution!" Arisa shouts. "This won't end until one of us is dead!"
With her increased boost, Arisa now has a significant advantage. She continuously pushes Suzune back, knocking her to the ground and batting away her flame swords. But just as she's about to land the finishing blow, a sword emerges from her chest, and her transformation is cancelled.
"Okay, that's enough," the culprit says mockingly. "Oops, looks like I cut your soul gem! Ah, but I guess that's a good thing, right Suzune-chan?"
"W-what?" Suzune gasps.
She stares up at a girl who looks almost exactly like Hinata Matsuri, dressed in a purple dress with a window baring her stomach and a huge butterfly decoration over her chest.
"M-matsuri…? No… Who are you?"
"Aww, did you forget me?" the girl says. "How heartless, when I never forgot you for a second…"
Suzune gets to her feet, glaring at her. "Sorry, but I didn't forget. We've never met."
The girl giggles. "But you remember Tsubaki, right?"
Suzune gasps and raises her sword, holding it to the girl's throat, but she's totally unfazed, looking coolly down the blade at her.
"How do you know Tsubaki?" Suzune shouts. "Did Kyuubey tell you?"
"Bzzzt!" the girl says. "What the heck, you're still not on top of things… are you going to kill me too, like you killed Tsubaki?"
"Answer me!" Suzune shouts.
"Ah, you really don't remember," the girl says. "Well, it's to be expected though. I guess I'll just have to tell you again."
"W-what are you saying…"
Then Suzune gasps and falls to her knees again. After watching her for a few moments, the girl speaks again.
"So you remembered, Suzune-chan?"
"W-what's going on…" Suzune gasps.
"You know, Suzune-chan, it's not like you never met Matsuri or me," the girl says. "You just forgot."
"That's a lie…"
"It's not a lie," the girl says. "To get back at you, who killed Tsubaki, and at Tsubaki, who chose you, I made a contract…" She giggles a bit. "And I tampered with your head!"
She lets Suzune have a few moments for this to sink in.
"Well, I did a bit more than just erase your memories," the girl says. "You're special, Suzune-chan. Back then, you were all holed up all the time, refusing to even fight witches. That's so boooring, so I thought of something fun."
"Stop…" Suzune says.
"Oh, that's no good," the girl sneers. "I can't have you ignoring what you've been doing. You have to properly remember until the end."
"Stop!" Suzune shouts.
The girl suddenly bursts out laughing.
"Oh my, that look on your face is priceless!" she says. "That's what I've been waiting for all this time! You remembered, right? You killed Tsubaki, and then you became a killer after being tricked by false memories!"
"Shut up!" Suzune shouts. "I don't want to hear this!"
"It's painful, right?" the girl says. "It really hurts, right? Oh, how long I've waited for the moment when your sins have piled up and you have to face them like this!" She giggles. "Maybe now you've got a taste of how I felt when I found out I'd never see Tsubaki ever again!" She giggles again. "Alright! Go on then, just turn into a witch!"
"So it was all you!" Suzune shouts.
She suddenly leaps up and attacks the other girl, who dodges easily.
"Turn into a witch!" the girl shouts.
"I refuse!" Suzune shouts back. "I won't do as you please anymore!"
She swings her sword at empty air, then lets out a gasp, and the other girl giggles, standing casually off to the side. She steps behind Suzune and grabs her head.
"Too bad, you missed," she says.
"Huh!?"
"Did you have a lovely vision?"
The girl slams Suzune into the ground and plants a foot on her face.
"Well, if you hate becoming a witch that much, I guess I'll just kill you now," she says.
But then Honoka appears directly in front of her, catching her off guard and forcing her back, knocking her off her feet. A moment later, a laser blast strikes her in the side.
"Oh, so you came after all, Matsuri," the girl says with a grin.
"Of course," Matsuri says. "This is all just too cruel! To drag in people who had nothing to do with it… Chisato, Haruka, Arisa… how could you, Kagari!?"
"Who exactly is dragging in people who aren't involved?" Kagari retorts. "I've never even met this carrot-head before."
"Honoka-chan chose to help me," Matsuri says. "I didn't drag her into this."
She kneels by Suzune and starts using healing magic.
"Suzune-chan, I'm sorry," she says. "It's alright now."
"No… kill me, before…"
"I won't let you die like this," Matsuri says. "Nor will I let you turn into a witch. So don't say something like that. I'm sure Tsubaki would say the same thing!"
She opens Suzune's hand and places a grief seed in it.
"Use this. I kept it in reserve in case of an emergency. As for the rest… I'll do something about it."
"So are you finished with this touching reunion?" Kagari sneers. "I'm getting tired of waiting over here."
Matsuri stands and faces Kagari with a determined expression.
"Kagari… stop this revenge, right now," Matsuri says.
Kagari giggles. "What are you saying, Matsuri? That girl stole Tsubaki from us, right? And then she killed her! If Suzune-chan wasn't around, there would've been no need for any revenge! Your friends wouldn't've died!"
"No, that's wrong," Matsuri says. "There's no way that Tsubaki disliked us, and Suzune-chan had no choice. None of this could ever make Tsubaki happy! Why won't you understand that!?"
"I heard everything from Matsuri-chan," Honoka shouts. "This whole thing is nothing but a pointless farce. There's nothing to get revenge for. You're just wreaking havoc out of your stupid jealousy, because Miss Tsubaki dared to be nice to someone other than you. Just how pathetic can you get!?"
Kagari's face contorts with rage, and she pulls her sword and attacks Honoka; the redhead parries with her daggers.
"You're the ones who don't understand!" Kagari shouts. "You're always, always, always in my way, Matsuri! Why do you hate me so much?"
"That's not it!" Matsuri shouts. "I'm not trying to get in your way because I hate you or anything! I just want everyone to get along!"
"I mean, you are getting in her way though," Honoka corrects her. "When your twin sister is doing something wrong, of course you'd get in her way."
"And don't try to pin the blame on Suzune-chan!" Matsuri shouts. "It's your fault my friends are dead! I can't believe it… onee-chan, since when were you such a vindictive person!?"
"What the hell do you know!?" Kagari screams. "You act like you know me just because we're twins!? Well, you don't know me at all!"
"You're right," Matsuri snaps. "I thought I knew you, but I was wrong. Like Honoka-chan said, you're just a pathetic coward who can't face reality… a real disappointment of an elder sister."
Kagari darts past Honoka to swing her sword at Matsuri, only to have it grasped tightly in the other girl's massive gauntlets.
"Let me go!" Kagari screams.
She transforms the sword into a starknife and flings it at Matsuri, who just barely dodges. However, the weapon then turns and comes back at her like a boomerang. Matsuri realizes too late… it's just about to decapitate her when an explosion stops it in its tracks. The source is Suzune, on her feet once more.
"Suzune-chan!" Matsuri says.
"I'm just… returning the debt," Suzune mutters.
"Ahhh, I give up," Kagari says. "I hate you so much, Suzune-chan… first you steal Tsubaki from me, and now even Matsuri? I thought at least Matsuri would forgive me if I turned you into a witch, but… now, I think I'll just break you all together."
From that point, a full-pitched battle ensues, yet Kagari does not appear to be participating in it. She darts around wearing a smug smile while the others attack only empty air or, sometimes, even each other.
"What's wrong?" Kagari mocks them. "Can't you properly aim?"
At that moment, Honoka appears behind her, slashing with her daggers, but unfortunately Kagari manages to block with her sword.
"Oho, at least one of you can aim a little," she says. "Guess I gotta step up my game!"
Kagari sneaks up behind Suzune without being noticed, even though she's in plain sight, and grabs the girl's shoulder.
"You're no match for me, you know," Kagari says.
Suzune shakes her off and tries to attack, but she's already gone. Moments later, Matsuri comes charging at her, fist extended, and she raises her blade to block.
"Matsuri!?" Suzune says.
"Suzune-chan!?" Matsuri gasps, startled. "J-just now… I'm sure that Kagari was…"
"Aww, you were getting along so well," Kagari mocks. "Are you having a little falling out now?"
Suddenly Honoka pops behind her again, but she's already moving, and Honoka's blades meet only empty air, leaving a baffled look on her face.
"W-what should I do?" Matsuri wonders. "At this rate…"
At that moment, Kyuubey appears from the shadows.
"Are you not forgetting something, Hinata Matsuri?" it asks.
"Kyuu-chan… what do you mean?" Matsuri asks.
"Kagari has the power to manipulate memories and consciousness," Kyuubey says.
"Which means…?"
"Simply put, she is rewriting your consciousness in real time," Kyuubey explains. "For example, even if she is in reality behind you, she can alter your consciousness to make you think she is in front of you. For a complex usage, such as rewriting Suzune's memories, she needs some time and magical power, but at this degree the combat application is not hard. At the moment, you are her puppets."
"That's… what can we even do?" Matsuri asks.
"Well, you stand no chance if you try to follow her with your eyes," Kyuubey says.
Matsuri blinks.
"Wait… what's the range on that power?" she asks.
"I am not sure," Kyuubey says. "With the exception of missiles, most magic only works within about a hundred metres, but there are exceptions."
"Then…"
Matsuri closes her eyes. A moment later, Honoka vanishes, teleporting up to the roof of a nearby building, and then those magical diagrams appear from Matsuri's buns like before. Suzune swings at air while Kagari is actually out of range.
"I wonder how long you can keep this up," Kagari sneers.
Kagari approaches from the right, but Suzune is about to swing to her left.
"Suzune-chan, right!" Matsuri shouts.
Suzune changes mid-swing and attacks Kagari, who gasps and hops back, then tries to attack Suzune from behind. Suzune prepares to lunge at where she was a moment ago, but then Matsuri shouts again.
"Behind you!"
Suzune spins and attacks Kagari, who once again hops back, hesitating for a moment. In that moment of hesitation, an invisible blade slices at her from above, severing one of her hair loops despite a last-second dodge. It must be Honoka's ranged attack.
"Move as I tell you!" Matsuri says.
"Got it!" Suzune replies.
The battle continues like that for several more seconds, with Matsuri telling Suzune how to move and Honoka attacking whenever Kagari backs off and hesitates. Then Kagari sort of snaps, turning to charge at her sister.
"You… you little… don't you dare butt in!" she screams.
Another invisible blade slashes at her, but she seems to mostly side-step it. Matsuri blocks her sister's sword with her right gauntlet, then sends Kagari flying backwards with a left jab.
"Let's stop this already!" Matsuri shouts. "There's no purpose to this… I don't want to fight you anymore!"
Kagari gingerly picks herself up.
"You're full of lies!" she snaps. "Trying to deceive me with things you don't even believe in! I know you think it'd be better if I was gone!"
"That's not true!" Matsuri shouts. "I—"
"Shut up!" Kagari snaps. "I don't want to hear it! Argh, dammit! Because of you, it's all ruined! But… it's not over yet."
Maturi blinks. "W-what?"
"It's simple," Kagari sneers. "I can tamper with my own memories too. If I just insert a sad story, I can turn into a witch at any—"
She's cut off by Honoka's blade held up against her throat. As is her wont, the redhead has suddenly appeared right behind her in that position. Kagari would have gasped, except that the placement of the blade rendered her unable to do even that.
"W-wait! Don't… don't kill her!" Matsuri says.
Somehow, Kagari manages to stammer out a few words.
"N-n-nice try, but… too late. In the end… Matsuri… I really hate you… farewell."
And then her soul gem cracks open, hatching into a witch, a shadowy harlequin emerging from the pages of a massive book. The labyrinth she forms is a room with a checkered floor and grotesque paintings in frames on the walls, and as usual, runes appear to spell out her name – Alpenveilchen.
"Kagari, no!" Matsuri screams.
"Gah!" Honoka gasps, blinking out of the way. "I thought… I thought I'd be able to stop her… sorry, Matsuri-chan…"
"No… it's not your fault," Matsuri mutters. "The blame lies on onee-chan for not listening to others. But… it's not like I'm totally blameless… what should I have done to change things?"
"Matsuri…" Suzune says.
"Suzune-chan, let's take her down together," Honoka says resolutely.
"Right…"
Suzune turns to face the witch towering above them, reaching behind her head to untie the bell charm that she always wears to keep her ponytail in check. Her hair falls free, flaring out behind her, and she flings the charm over towards Matsuri, jingling lightly as it flies through the air.
"Kagari… you will be my final job!"
Honoka blinks at her for a moment, but then Suzune charges at the witch, and Honoka joins her in close combat. They attack the shadowy figure first, but it doesn't seem to have much of an effect. Then Honoka has the idea of stabbing the book itself, and the witch lets out a screech of pain.
"I think the real body is the book!" Honoka shouts.
"Got it!" Suzune says. "Cherry Blossom Fire!"
She unleashes what may be her strongest flame attack, engulfing the witch in a swirling inferno of multiple fireballs as she dives in and stabs with her sword. It seems to work – Alpenveilchen is defeated far faster than in the manga, and without Matsuri being swallowed up by her shadow. However, all three surviving magical girls are nearing their limits. Suzune grabs the grief seed and tosses it to Honoka; she purifies herself and then runs over to Matsuri, who is curled up in the fetal position.
"Matsuri!" Honoka says.
"M-matsuri-chan!?" Suzune says, also hurrying over.
"Suzune-chan," Matsuri sobs. "I can't take it… why did onee-chan have to do all those terrible things!? Maybe I should just… give up and become a witch too…"
Honoka holds the grief seed up to her soul gem to purify it, while Suzune grabs her arm and shakes her. Then Honoka backs away to give them some space.
"No! Don't give in!" Suzune shouts. "Promise me! Promise me you won't become a witch!"
"B-but Suzune-chan…!" Matsuri sobs.
"Just forget about me," Suzune says. "I've absorbed Kagari's powers… I can make you forget about us. You won't have to feel that despair… it's for your own good."
"I can't do that!" Matsuri shouts. "Because you're my precious friend!"
"That's why I want to at least do that for you!" Suzune shouts back. "Just let me do it! Because you're my precious friend too!"
She reaches out to Matsuri and starts to activate some magic, but then she suddenly gasps and buckles up.
"Suzune-chan!" Matsuri gasps, grabbing her in a hug. "Don't tell me to forget everyone! Arisa, everyone… Kagari, Tsubaki, and Suzune-chan… I don't want to forget any of them!"
"Then… promise me," Suzune says. "No matter what happens… live until the end."
"Okay!" Matsuri says, tears running down her cheeks. "I'll do it! I'll live on, no matter what!"
"What I did until now," Suzune says. "It can't… be forgiven, but… would you still be my friend?"
"Of course!" Matsuri sobs. "Forever and ever!"
"Th-thanks…" Suzune says. "Thank you for that… we'll be friends… until the next life."
And with that pronouncement, Suzune grabs her soul gem and crushes it in her hand, cancelling her transformation as she falls limp in Matsuri's sobbing arms. At this point, Honoka ventures forward and hesitantly wraps her arms around Matsuri.
"Kagari… you were so, so stupid," Matsuri mutters. "I wish I could have done something…"
"I'm sorry," Honoka murmurs. "I wish I could've helped too, but it feels like I only got in the way…"
"N-no… you weren't in the way," Matsuri says. "In fact, I'm really happy that I'm not alone after all this."
Powering down, Matsuri picks up the bell charm laying on the ground beside them, gripping it tightly in her hands, wearing an anguished expression.
"You are quite something," Kyuubey notes, trotting up to her. "To endure such an extent of despair… an ordinary girl would turn into a witch within seconds. Quite frankly, I'm surprised."
Honoka points her dagger at it and glares.
"Get out of our sight!" she shouts.
However, Kyuubey ignores her.
"There's no way I'm alright after all that," Matsuri says grimly. "But I made a promise. No matter what, I can't give up until the end."
"That's too bad," the incubator says. "I could collect a lot of energy from you."
"I won't let you," Honoka says fiercely.
With that, she stabs the incubator through the head, then hugs Matsuri again.
"Honoka-chan…" Matsuri says. "Can I… can I stay over at your place? Or can you stay at mine? I just… I don't want to be alone tonight…"
Honoka nods. "I think Dad'll be okay with that," she says. "I'll ask him real quick."
"Thanks," Matsuri murmurs. "I really mean it."
This time, I wake up at the normal time on the last day of April. It's such a relief that neither Hiyori nor Komachi turned into a witch this time, and even Elise and Claire are still alive. I eat breakfast with the whole Hayashi family, and the conversation turns towards the approaching typhoon.
"They're saying an evacuation order will probably be issued soon," Mrs Hayashi says. "So we need to stay home at least until then."
"It looks like it's going to be a really bad one," Mr Hayashi adds.
"Bad enough to level the city, right?" I say.
"Well, maybe not quite that bad," Mr Hayashi says. "But it could take years to rebuild in the worst case."
"Then they're underestimating her," I say. "If she wanted to, she really could level the whole city."
Mr Hayashi blinks at me. "Are you personifying the typhoon, Miss Ashley?"
"I suppose you could say that," I say.
Komachi and Hiyori also look at me in surprise.
«…wait, is this typhoon Walpurgisnacht?» Hiyori asks me telepathically.
«That's right,» I reply.
«Do you think we can win?» Komachi asks.
«I don't think we can,» I say. «I wouldn't blame you if you chose to join your family in the shelter.»
«There's no way we could do that!» Hiyori retorts. «It can't be completely hopeless, right?»
«Well… I can't say there's no hope at all,» I agree. «But the thing is, if you face her, even if she's beaten, you're most likely going to die. Are you prepared for that possibility?»
«If we can weaken her enough for another magical girl to take her down, it's worth it,» Hiyori says resolutely.
«So, um… if we're fighting her, surely we're not going to do it alone, right?» Komachi asks.
«Of course not,» I say. «I figured we could join forces with Miss Mikuni and Miss Asako.»
«Yeah… that sounds good,» Komachi says.
After breakfast, I get on my computer to review all my notes and memorize them as best I can, so I can recreate them after time is turned back. When the evacuation order comes around noon, everyone bundles up in warm clothes and heads outside.
As I step outside, a woman suddenly appears in front of me, forcing me to stop in my tracks. She leans down to peer at my face, frowning a little. Oh… it's Mary again.
"Unstable," Mary says.
"Huh? Where did she come from?" Mrs Hayashi asks, startled. "Do you know her?"
I manage a nod, and Komachi covers for me.
"Um, just wait for us in the car, Mom," she says. "We'll join you in a moment."
"Right…" Mrs Hayashi says.
Mr Hayashi is already in the car, so she climbs into the passenger seat. I tilt my head, waiting to see if Mary has anything more to say. When she finally speaks again, though, it's not to explain her initial enigmatic word.
"Hmm," she says. "Chelsea Flanders… I feel like we've met before, somehow…"
"Um, she is Ashley Taylor," Hiyori says. "You are certain you have correct person?"
Although Mary is speaking English, it seems that Hiyori and Komachi are able to at least partly understand her. Hiyori even manages to question her in the same language. But Mary just ignores her completely and returns to her original topic.
"No, this is just no good. It's certainly unstable." She pauses, tilting her head slightly. "Perhaps it's destabilizing more with every re-run… I feel like it was quite stable the first time we met… although I don't truly remember, yet that meeting is somehow engraved into my soul."
"Okay," I say finally, also in English. "What's unstable, exactly?"
To my surprise, she actually gives me a direct answer.
"Your soul," Mary says. "Even if Chelsea Flanders currently dominates… at this rate, Ashley Taylor might subsume your existence…"
I blink. "W-wait, are you saying Ashley's really still there inside of me!?"
Mary finally stands back and gets out of my face, and I exhale, only now realizing how tense I was from her proximity. She tilts her head thoughtfully, gazing off into space for a few moments, then looks directly at me again.
"Did I mention that you have a composite soul?" Mary asks. "I feel like I may have said that, in another lifetime…"
"You did say that," I say. "The first time we met, you commented on it."
"Ah, so it's true," Mary muses. "We've truly met before. I thought as much."
"So, you're saying Ashley didn't actually die back then?" I ask.
Again, she surprises me by actually answering the question.
"Oh… I wouldn't know about that," Mary shrugs. "Is that how it happened?"
I nod. "Yes… I think so," I say. "Ashley Taylor probably died of covid… and then somehow I inhabited her body."
"W-what the heck are you saying, Ashley-chan!?" Hiyori gasps, in Japanese. "Have you been lying to us all this time about your identity!?"
They must have gotten enough of the conversation to gather that I'm referring to Ashley as if she was a different person… so I shake my head and respond in the same language.
"No… it's complicated, but I truly do consider myself to be Ashley Taylor now," I say. "The name from my previous life is just a thing of the past. But in truth I'm probably a bit of both… partly Ashley Taylor, partly Chelsea Flanders."
"Strange," Mary muses. "Transmigration of the soul… it sounds similar to what they do…"
"Who's they?" Komachi asks.
Mary ignores the comment, just gazing at me thoughtfully, so I venture an answer on her behalf.
"I think she means the incubators," I say. "But I'm not quite sure."
"Incubators… you mean Kyuubey?" Hiyori asks.
I nod.
"And yet… it's also quite different…" Mary muses. "They materialize the soul… transmigration isn't like them… is it… a natural phenomenon? Or…"
Suddenly she leans forward again with a frown.
"Is the body rejecting Chelsea's soul?" she asks. "The compatibility is high, but not perfect…"
I blink. "I really hope that's not the case…"
"But that shouldn't matter if there's harmony," Mary says. "Just take that magical girl from the north as an example… what was her name…"
"By north do you mean north Mitakihara, or like Siberia or something?" I ask. "The girl in north Mitakihara is Masuyo Mari."
"Yes… that's the one," Mary nods. "The secondary soul's compatibility with that body is extremely low, yet the composite is far more stable than yours."
"Huh? Why would Miss Masuyo have a composite soul?" I ask.
Mary just shrugs. "I didn't ask."
Although this conversation is still kinda confusing, Mary's quite a bit more lucid than she was the last two times I saw her. She still jumps around a bit in unexpected ways, but on the whole, the conversation actually makes sense. Suddenly, she seems to come to a decision.
"Very well," Mary says. "I can sense you have a strange but important destiny ahead of you, so I'll make an exception just this once. Even if they detect me, I can still evade them."
"Huh? What's this all of a sudden?" I ask.
But instead of answering, Mary takes two steps back and reaches up to grip one of her earrings. In a flash, both earrings vanish, transformed into an orb the size of her fist encased in a crown-like structure. I gasp, because I've seen something like that in the original anime. No, that's not quite true… it was in the sequel movie, Rebellion. Although the colour scheme and the symbol at its peak are different, its structure is almost identical to the dark orb that Akemi Homura's soul gem evolved into in that movie. However, it would be hard to call this one a dark orb, for the superstructure, instead of being like a black void, is a gleaming copper. The orb within is a deep crimson, almost like blood, and the symbol is a Star of David. I thought she was Christian, but if her symbol is the Star of David, does that mean she's actually Jewish? Though this is pure speculation… I probably shouldn't be drawing conclusions just from one symbol.
Mary raises the orb above her head and transforms. Red feathered wings sprout from her back, and her outfit turns almost pure white with just a few red accents, an elaborate multi-layered dress coupled with copper sandals – surprisingly not high-heeled – and crimson gloves reaching to the elbow. The outfit is completed by a blank mask over her face, with only two slits for her to see through, and a gleaming copper halo resting on her head.
"E-eh!?" Hiyori gasps. "She kinda looks like an angel!"
"Th-though I've never heard of an angel with red wings," Komachi adds nervously.
Mary presses her hands together in the traditional Christian praying posture and starts chanting what sounds like a prayer, or possibly an incantation.
"O great Samael, angel of death, hear my prayer. By the power vested in me, I beseech thee lend a hand to my cause. These lost lambs, Ashley Taylor and Chelsea Flanders, seek thy guidance to avert the worst outcome, that they may find their way together. Amen."
With the chant or prayer or whatever completed, she steps forward and lays a hand on my head, and suddenly, that uneasiness I've felt ever since visiting Mitama starts to fade. It's still there, but it's not as noticeable as before. So does that mean the uneasiness was a sign of discord with Ashley Taylor? In fact… was it caused by the visit to Mitama, or did that just bring the issue to the surface somehow?
"It's only a temporary solution, though," Mary says. "You need to find your own way to stabilize your composite soul. Perhaps Puella Care can help you with that."
"My, my," Kyuubey says, hopping up onto my shoulder. "I thought I sensed an unusual power… who might you be?"
I blink. "You don't know who she is, Kyuubey?" I ask. "I thought you knew all magical girls…"
"That magic power… this woman is more like a witch than a magical girl," Kyuubey says. "But she is not precisely a witch, either… I have never seen something like this before. Even Isabeau of Bavaria did not feel anything like this woman."
Mary powers down, her magical aura returning to her normal muted level as her outfit reverts and her soul returns to its position as earrings. She glares daggers at Kyuubey.
"It doesn't matter," Mary says. "I've interfered with your networking. Any data you gather here will never reach your collective hive mind."
"Oh, now I remember you," Kyuubey says. "Are you not Mary of Magdala? But I thought you turned into a witch over two thousand years ago…"
"I suppose I did," Mary says. "And then I turned into this. Perhaps I was lucky. You, on the other hand…"
She extends a hand, and Kyuubey literally explodes, sending chunks of its flesh flying in all directions.
"Mary of Magdala?" I muse. "Is that your name?"
But she just ignores my question, frowning a little. "What am I even doing here… I should be searching for the Trinity. It's strange… although they defeated Ragnarok Noon and Armageddon Twilight, why have they not come for Walpurgisnacht? Perhaps they truly are no longer of this world…"
As she speaks, she fades away in her typical style, as if something were just rubbing her out of the world with a gigantic eraser.
"The hell was that all about?" Komachi asks. "I couldn't understand it very well… was she a magical girl? Why did her soul gem look so weird?"
"No," I say. "I don't think Mary is a magical girl. She was one, once, but has since evolved to something else… something other than a witch. That huge soul gem, if you can call it that, is evidence of this evolution, I guess."
"Could that be a way to avoid becoming a witch?" Hiyori asks.
I shake my head. "I don't know. I don't know the conditions for it to happen, and I don't know whether it has any negative side-effects. For all I know, Mary could be far more dangerous than any witch… and you heard what she said, right? If she became a witch before she became whatever she is now, then it's not exactly a safe alternative… like she said, she may have just been lucky."
"But she helped you," Komachi points out.
"That's true," I agree. "I'm not saying she is dangerous, only that I don't know. My point is, I don't know anything about what she is. I don't know if whatever happened to her is something that could be reproduced, let alone in a safe way."
"What was all that about a different name or whatever?" Hiyori asks.
I sigh. "Yes… it's true, I've been keeping a secret from you," I say. "But it's not because I didn't trust you… it's because I'm not confident that Kyuubey isn't eavesdropping. You saw how it showed up just now… probably alerted when Mary transformed. She can conceal her presence from the incubators, but I guess transforming is too strong of a signal for her to suppress it."
"I see… so you're not going to talk about it for that reason?" Hiyori asks.
At that moment, Kyuubey appears on top of the car.
"See?" I shrug.
"I sensed a highly unusual presence in this vicinity," Kyuubey says. "Did the three of you see anything?"
I shake my head. "Nothing all that unusual," I reply.
Kyuubey hops down, spotting a chunk of incubator flesh, which it devours in three bites.
"G-gross!" Hiyori gasps.
"Curious," Kyuubey says. "This appears to be the remains of another terminal, yet no memories of its termination have been recorded. Are you quite certain you saw nothing?"
"Like I said," I repeat. "Nothing particularly unusual."
"Hmm… whoever did this appears to have the ability to interfere with the incubator system," Kyuubey says. "You should be extremely wary of that person."
"I'll keep your warning in mind," I say.
After devouring the rest of the remnants of the other incubator, Kyuubey walks off and vanishes. Then the three of us pile into the car. Mr and Mrs Hayashi don't even comment on how long we were chatting, or on the supernatural occurrences that they should have witnessed. Perhaps Mary prevented them from registering what happened.
On the way to the shelter, I receive an uncharacteristically curt email from Yuuri.
"Meet us at the evacuation shelter."
Though I was hoping not to enter the shelter, as there would be a risk of running into Madoka and the others, I suppose if Yuuri expects it, then I must go. I mean, obviously I could reply and set a different meeting place, but the one-sentence message leaves an impression of her being mad at me. That said, what is she even doing in Mitakihara? That's weird in and of itself… well, in any case, I also need to meet up with Elise and Claire, so I guess I need to enter the shelter anyway.
Upon arriving at the shelter, we all pile out of the car and head inside, entering a huge hall filled with sleeping pads. I scan the room, looking for any familiar faces. I can just make out Madoka over on the far side of the room, with Homura by her side. They don't seem to have seen me, and in fact they stand up to leave almost as soon as I notice them. I'm not sure if they're actually leaving to fight Walpurgisnacht already or if they just wanted some privacy to chat, but it doesn't matter either way. Looking around more, I finally spot a head of silver hair accompanied by two blonde girls. Then my eyes slide over a little as I recognize Claire and Elise just a few pads away from them.
Suddenly the taller of the blonde girls turns and spots me. Jumping to her feet, she strides over to me and grabs me by the shoulders. The two girls with her also get up to follow, and the commotion further attracts the attention of Elise and Claire, who spot the Hayashi sisters and get up to join us.
"Ashley Taylor!" she hisses. "I'm going to give you a piece of my mind!"
"Um… hi, Yuuri-chan," I reply. "What's wrong…?"
"Uhh… someone else you know?" Komachi asks.
"This is Asuka Yuuri," I say. "The silver-haired girl with her is Anri Airi, and…"
I peer around Yuuri at the third girl with her. For a second or two I fail to recognize her, because she's let her hair down from her signature twintails, although there's still a barrette keeping her bangs pulled back out of her face. Then the face clicks in my memory.
"Oh… that's Hijiri Kanna," I finish. "Yuuri-chan, these two are the ones I'm staying with here in Kamihama – Hayashi Komachi and Hiyori. And those two are their close friends, Claire Branch and Elise Pierrot."
Yuuri looks around, perhaps a little startled at the scope of the introductions, but then she sighs.
"Can we step out into the hallway for a moment?" she asks.
"Just the two of us? Or everyone?"
"Just the two of us will be fine," Yuuri says.
I accompany her into the hallway, and she suddenly slams me against the wall.
"Okay, what the hell, Ashley?" she says.
"Um… I'm sorry?" I say. "What exactly is the problem?"
"You can't tell me you have no idea!"
"N-no… I suppose I have too many ideas," I reply.
"Ugh," Yuuri grumbles. "Really, you helped me out and gave me chocolates, so I thought we were friends, but bit by bit I've come to realize that you never really trusted me at all!"
"Um… what are you talking about, Yuuri-chan?" I ask.
"There are lots of little things," Yuuri says. "You didn't tell us the truth about witches. You didn't tell us about time being turned back. You didn't tell us about what would happen to Usagi Satomi. You didn't tell us about Pernelle."
"Satomi's death is my mistake," I say. "I thought I'd already prevented her death, but somehow it seems like things always want to veer back to the original timeline… I'm not sure why…"
"When it comes right down to it, you didn't really tell us anything except the bare minimum…"
"Eh… maybe I just didn't want the hassle of explaining things over and over…"
"Yeah, well, from where I'm standing, it feels like you don't trust us at all," Yuuri says. "And then there's all your spying on us… I get that you meant well but did you have to be so creepy about it!?"
"I already apologized for that," I say. "But I'll apologize again, as many times as you want."
"Ugh, so you said before," Yuuri says. "And that last email of yours was probably the worst. Forget the apology… I don't like it, but I get that you just want to save everyone. I want to save everyone too, so I understand how you feel. But what I didn't like is how you were talking about Kanna-chan."
I blink. "Eh? You're calling her Kanna-chan now? Also, you seemed fine with it right after you read it, did something change?"
"I wasn't fine with it," Yuuri retorted. "I just hid my feelings because you had a point, which just made me hate it even more. Look, Kanna-chan's a teenage girl just like you and me. She just learned an unpleasant truth and couldn't handle it. Why do you have to treat her like she might be a dangerous criminal? Still, I couldn't deny that you had a point. Ugh! That's the problem, right there! What the hell are you even making me think!? What the hell are you making me do!?"
"Uhh… I don't quite understand," I say. "I get that you dislike what I said about Hijiri Kanna, but… I'm not making you think or do anything…"
Yuuri takes a couple of deep breaths and sighs.
"Right… you didn't make me do anything," she says. "I get that… but would it kill you to just apologize?"
"R-right… you're right, I'm sorry I didn't place my trust in you more, Yuuri-chan," I say. "I'll make sure to do better next time. I can't apologize for that email, though. I was seriously really paranoid… still am, a little…"
Yuuri rolls her eyes.
"You know, that horrible email of yours was the reason I kept reaching out to her. It's ultimately the reason we've become close friends in the past few weeks. Kanna-chan's been fighting alongside Airi-chan and me more often than she joins the Pleiades Saints. I just can't stop thinking about how you talked about that sweet girl like she's some dangerous serial killer or something. Honestly, every time I think about it, I just get madder and madder. Dammit, she's a sweet and kind person at heart! She's not a deranged lunatic!"
"Oh… huh, I definitely did not expect you to get so close to her," I say. "So, if you've fought alongside her so much, you must know… has she really repented? Did she apologize?"
Yuuri nods. "She didn't apologize to us, but then… we weren't affected by what she did. But Kazumi-chan said she did apologize to them eventually, and I really think she regrets what she's done. So I want you to treat her like a friend, not a suspect in a crime, okay?"
"I'd still like to ask her a few questions, just to be sure," I say. "I mean… I do trust you, Yuuri-chan, despite the impression I seem to have given you, but when I consider how badly things could go wrong if she betrays us…"
"Ugh… alright, but on one condition," Yuuri says. "I gotta let off some steam… can I punch you, just once?"
I blink at her. "Uhh… s-sure?"
Without any further warning, she swings a right hook at me, the force sending me flying down the hallway. I think it may have even broken my neck. I smack into a closed door and fall to the floor, hurting all over. Then Yuuri transforms and strides up to me, holding out a hand to pull me up, looking alarmed. I manage to grasp it, and her healing magic flows into me as I'm dragged back to my feet, fixing up all the injuries she's just inflicted.
"Dammit, Yuuri-chan, you could've given me a bit more warning," I complain.
"Honestly, I didn't expect so much force," Yuuri admits. "I never quite realized just how much stronger I am since I became a magical girl. Sorry… I overdid it a bit there."
"Um… are you still mad at me, Yuuri-chan?" I ask.
"Yes, I'm still mad at you," Yuuri says. "I somewhat understand why you did what you did, but I haven't decided whether to forgive you… though you're going back in time, so it doesn't matter to you, does it?" She sighs. "Speaking of which, while we're here… you said you were open to additional passengers for the time jump. Can you bring me and Airi back too?"
I blink. "Um… I'm pretty sure it's safe for three to jump back, but I have no idea whether a fourth passenger is still viable. If you really want to go that badly, I could give it a shot, but I can't promise anything…"
"And we already decided that Kanna-chan would be returning, huh," Yuuri says. "So that would make five… fine then, forget about it. I'm sure Kanna-chan will contact us on the next loop anyway."
"Honestly, it would be reassuring to have you in the know," I admit. "But having Miss Hijiri on my side is even better. There might not be a limit on the number of passengers Miss Akemi can carry, but if there is and she tries to surpass it, then I'm afraid of what might result."
"I suppose the worst case would be that she turns into a witch, right?" Yuuri says.
"That's definitely one of the possibilities."
"Okay… so, time will be turned back sometime today, right?" Yuuri asks.
"Yeah, assuming Walpurgisnacht is not defeated," I say.
Yuuri blinks. "Huh? Wait, what does Walpurgisnacht have to do with this?" she asks. "I thought you said you didn't know when she'd come, didn't you?"
"That was a half-truth," I reply. "I knew she'd be coming to Mitakihara today, but I have plans to alter her trajectory, which I haven't had a chance to set in motion yet. So basically… at that time, I didn't know for sure that she'd come here today because I wasn't sure if I'd get that chance."
"Wait, she's coming today?" Yuuri says. "Hold on… is that why there's a sudden evacuation order? I thought it seemed strange that there was no sign of this typhoon when I arrived in town yesterday…"
"Yes, the typhoon is Walpurgisnacht," I reply. "Mind if I call the others out? I plan to fight the witch myself, though I don't think there's much chance of winning."
Yuuri nods, so I send a telepathic missive to the others still inside the hall – the quartet, plus Airi and Hijiri.
«Everyone, could you come join us?»
Mere moments later, they all emerge into the hallway together. In fact, they're suspiciously prompt in their arrival…
"Were you eavesdropping?" I ask.
"You're one to talk, Ashley-chan," Airi retorts.
"Eh… I guess you're right," I say. "Um, Miss Hijiri… you wanted to join me when time was turned back, is that correct?"
Hijiri nods. "I'd like the chance to set right my wrongs," she says.
"Have you thought about what you'll do once you've gone back?"
"Um… a little… I'd try to become friends with Yuuri-chan again… maybe apologize to Moe-chan… but I haven't thought much further than that."
She sounds sincere enough to me, and Yuuri seems to trust her, so I guess that's good enough. I'm still a little worried, but I can't be second-guessing her motivations forever.
"Okay… I'll explain the time travel mechanics to you in a bit more detail later," I say.
"Can I go back too?" Komachi asks.
"Weren't you eavesdropping?" I ask. "If so, you should know I'm worried about a limit to Miss Akemi's powers."
"Wait a second," Hiyori says. "By Miss Akemi, do you mean Akemi Homura?"
I blink at her. "Yes… have you met her?"
"No, not exactly, I just saw her with Miss Tomoe a lot, before she died," Hiyori says. "I didn't expect her to have that kind of power… anyway, I guess we'll be helping her fight Walpurgisnacht?"
"I was going to join Mikuni Oriko's group, actually," I say. "Is that alright?"
"Well, sure, it doesn't really matter to me," Hiyori says. "But is it okay to not join forces? I just assumed Miss Akemi would also be joining us with Miss Mikuni…"
"I think it should be fine," I reply. "Both Akemi Homura and Kaname Madoka are quite strong… together they should be able to rival Tomoe Mami's power, I think."
"So basically, the five of you are going to fight Walpurgisnacht?" Yuuri says. "Then count me in too. The more the better, right?"
"And me three," Airi says.
I nod. "That's true, but don't be too hasty. Walpurgisnacht is no ordinary witch. There's a very high chance that you'll die."
"I'm prepared for that," Hiyori says.
"I'll be careful," Yuuri says.
"And I'll protect Yuuri-chan with my life," Airi says fiercely.
"Um… I hate to say this but… is it okay if I avoid the fighting?" Hijiri says. "It's just… I have this chance to redo things… I'm afraid I could die in the battle and lose the chance…"
"It's fine with me," I say. "We're already a pretty big group, anyway. Okay, let's go… our destination is Shirome Middle School on the south side of the city, so it'll take a bit of time to get there."
The eight of us head outside through a back entrance, avoiding the people still trickling into the shelter. With so many people, I don't think flight on Teddy Mk II is likely to work, so instead we transform and roof-hop across the city.
Along the way, a random thought occurs to me, and I transmit a question to Yuuri.
«Say, Yuuri-chan, can I ask you something? Airi-chan too, I guess.»
Yuuri glances at me. «Sure, ask away.»
«Well… I've seen and heard of so many magical girls who had a mental breakdown upon discovering the truth,» I say. «Tomoe Mami, Amano Suzune, Yui Tsuruno, the Pleiades Saints, Komachi-chan, Hiyori-chan… the list goes on and on.»
«Eh? I had a mental break down?» Komachi pipes up.
«In a different timeline, but yes,» I say. «Now, there are also those who didn't, at least as far as I know… Nanami Yachiyo and Togame Momoko in particular come to mind… but what I was wondering is, how were the two of you able to handle the truth so well?»
«Well… I'm not sure I would say we handled it well,» Yuuri replies. «We ended up skipping school for a day to talk about it. But… I think the main reason we were able to handle it better than most is because we had each other.»
«Yeah, Yuuri-chan was there for me to bounce my thoughts off,» Airi agrees, «and she helped me fend off the more negative thoughts…»
«I think the Pleiades Saints handled it fairly well for similar reasons,» Yuuri adds.
«I see… thanks for answering,» I say.
The journey takes longer than flying, but eventually I spot four figures standing atop the roof of the elite middle school.
Wait… four? Komaki, Oriko, Kirika… that's three. Who's the fourth? She's quite a bit shorter than the rest, in a green outfit… it couldn't be…
Oriko turns to face us as we land on the roof of the school, bowing in welcome. The short girl is hiding behind the others, so it's hard to conclusively identify her.
"Good afternoon," Oriko says. "I have been expecting you."
Yuuri blinks. "E-eh?! All of us?"
Oriko nods. "Indeed, all of you were present in my vision… except for that blonde girl in the back. I suppose you do not intend to join in the battle?"
Hijiri blinks, then shakes her head.
"I'm afraid of dying," she mutters.
"As you should be," Oriko says with a smile. "It is the rest of us here who are the strange ones, to not fear death. I cannot blame you for shying from this battle. Now, I do beg your pardon for my lack of manners. Allow me to introduce myself and my companions. I am Mikuni Oriko."
"Eh? Mikuni?" Yuuri says. "I swear I've heard that name somewhere…"
"My relatives are in politics, so you have likely heard or seen their names in the news," Oriko nods. "This is my very close friend, Kure Kirika."
"Howdy!" Kirika says. "Nice to meetcha, I guess."
"This is Asako Komaki," Oriko continues.
Komaki nods curtly.
"And last but not least, the newest member of my team," Oriko says. "Chitose Yuma, to whom I owe my life."
Yuma pokes her head out from behind Komaki and gives a tiny wave. Huh. So Oriko didn't prevent her from contracting this time around? I wonder why… wish I'd been paying more attention to what Oriko was up to. Oh well… actually, if Oriko owes Yuma her life, then it seems likely that Yuma's wish is the same as in the Sadness Prayer timeline, but for Oriko's benefit instead of Kyouko's… but that's just worthless speculation at this point.
"Nice to meet you," Yuuri says. "I'm Asuka Yuuri, and this is my best friend, Anri Airi. The blonde girl at the back is Hijiri Kanna. We're visiting from Asunaro."
"Ah, is that so?" Oriko says. "Asunaro is a delightful little town, to be sure…"
"Ah, you've been there before?" Airi asks.
"Once or twice, when I was little," Oriko says.
"Um, I'm Elise Pierrot," Elise says, taking a step forward. "These are my friends – Hayashi Komachi and Hiyori, and Claire Branch."
Oriko nods. "I expect great things of you… especially Miss Hiyori."
Hiyori blinks. "E-eh? Me?"
"I suppose she means the symphonic attack," I say. "You can produce a very powerful attack when you combine your powers with Oriko… actually, it also works if you combine with me, but I think Oriko's light magic is probably more appropriate than my dark magic against Walpurgisnacht."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ashley-chan," Hiyori says. "But if you say I can do it, then I'll try my best!"
"Anyway, I guess I'm the only one who hasn't introduced myself yet," I say. "I'm Ashley Taylor."
"I am expecting one more ally to arrive," Oriko says. "There are a little more than twenty minutes before Walpurgisnacht arrives, so I hope she appears soon…"
Huh? Who else could possibly be joining this fight? It can't be Madoka or Homura, and it can't be Lina's team because they were all wiped out. Who else was there… Komaki's little sister Koito is out of the question, because if she became a magical girl she would've arrived with her sister. I vaguely remember a gun-wielding girl from Sadness Prayer, but I don't remember her name. Besides them, there's only Masuyo Mari and Kohaku Koharu… oh right, and Yoshida Tamura. I can't think of any reason why Mari or Koharu would join though… they're probably not even in the witch's path.
I don't have long to speculate, for the girl in question shows up soon after, wearing her vaguely shrine maiden outfit and wielding a blowpipe. That's right – it's Koharu. To my surprise, she ignores everyone else and strides up to me specifically.
"Ashley Taylor," she says. "So you really did show up here… I thought this would be a fool's errand, since you're in high school and would have no reason to show yourself at an elite middle school."
"Well, I do have my reasons," I say. "What brings you so far from home?"
"I was asked to deliver a message to you," Koharu says.
I blink. "A message? From who?"
"From Yoshida Tamura," Koharu replies. "She was the one who said I'd be able to find you here… her power truly was quite remarkable."
"Wait… why didn't she deliver the message herself?"
Koharu shakes her head. "Yoshida Tamura is no more. Her soul gem… there was nothing I could do… and then…"
"Ahh… I understand," I say.
Tamura must have turned into a witch right in front of Koharu. Koharu blinks at me.
"Eh? You already knew that could happen?" she asks.
"Ah… I take it that was your first time seeing it?"
Koharu nods. "It was quite a shock… I actually shut myself in my room for three days afterwards. Honestly, probably the only thing that kept me going was the promise I made to Tamura-chan before she… before she…"
"Before she died," Hiyori prompts her. "It may be a little unusual, but it's still a form of death."
"R-right," Koharu says. "Before she died – or more precisely, as she was dying – I promised her I would deliver her message to you today, Miss Taylor."
I nod. "So what's the message?"
"She wanted me to relay the contents of one of her visions," Koharu explains. "She had a vision of two magical girls fighting against a witch. She described the witch's labyrinth as a white expanse with familiars like black snakes."
"Sounds like Elsa Maria," I nod.
Koharu blinks at me. "I beg your pardon?"
"Sorry, I just recognized the witch, please continue," I urge her.
"Right," Koharu says. "The magical girls had good teamwork and defeated the witch quickly. Though they were visible only as silhouettes, Tamura-chan said that one was blue and wielded a sword, while the other was green and wielded a pair of fans. She also noted that they both had magical diagrams with a musical theme."
I nod. "Okay… did she say why she wanted me to know about this? The blue girl sounds like Miki Sayaka, but I have no idea who the other one could be…"
"She didn't say, but I have my own theory on that," Koharu says. "My guess is she asked me to pass it on because she didn't recognize the green magical girl. Perhaps it is intended to be a hint about a girl who has potential but did not make a contract."
"Right… does anyone else know who it could be?"
Oriko shakes her head. "Although Yuma-chan fits the green descriptor, I cannot imagine someone mistaking her kitty hammer for a pair of fans."
"The same goes for my mace," Claire says.
"And I don't know any other girls who wear green around here," I say. "There are some in the neighbouring towns, like Ayumi Mio or Hinata Matsuri, but… I don't think any of them wield fans. There is one girl I can think of who wields fans, but her outfit is orange…"
"I suppose Nico-chan could fit," Hijiri muses. "But it's a stretch… she usually fought bare-handed, anyway…"
"Well, if it really is a girl who didn't contract in this timeline, then it's probably pointless to speculate like this," I say. "Did Tamura-chan give any more details?"
"Um… right, there was one other thing," Koharu says. "The blue girl had short hair and had a tomboyish demeanour, while the green girl appeared to have mid-length hair and held herself like nobility or something."
"Well… I'm still at a loss, but thank you for the information anyway," I say.
No, wait a second… given that the blue girl is probably Miki Sayaka, there is someone near her who seems to fit the description… but could it really be her? I decide to set the possibility aside for now.
"Will you be joining us in the battle against Walpurgisnacht?" I ask.
Koharu blinks. "Huh? Is that what this typhoon is?" she asks. "To tell the truth, I'd almost forgotten about Kyuubey's warning… but sure, it seems like a good opportunity. Since I'm here, I may as well join in." She looks around at the group. "Forgive me my belated introduction. I am Kohaku Koharu."
Oriko initiates a second round of introductions, and once that's done, we all turn to watch the approaching storm. When the massive green elephants start marching through the streets, she begins to talk strategy.
"We should split into two groups," Oriko says. "Kirika, Yuma-chan, Miss Asako, Miss Taylor, Miss Branch, and Miss Komachi, I ask you to hold off the familiars that will spawn on top of the witch's gear. Miss Asuka, Miss Anri, Miss Pierrot, Miss Hiyori, Miss Kohaku, and myself will attack her from the ground."
She has neatly split us up based on the types of weapons we wield. Everyone sent to the gear uses a melee weapon, while everyone remaining on the ground uses a missile weapon. I also note that there's a healer in both groups.
"Miss Anri, do not under any circumstances sic your bull upon the witch," Oriko continues. "Even you cannot stand against a direct attack from Walpurgisnacht, and even if you could, everyone else here would also be caught in the area of effect."
"O-okay…" Airi says. "Um, how did you know about Cole?"
"In one of my premonitions of this battle, I saw you summon him," Oriko replies. "In that vision, we were wiped out in an instant."
"Eh? You can see the future!?" Airi gasps. "Wow… that's amazing!"
"Miss Asuka and Yuma-chan, be sure to heal your allies as necessary," Oriko continues.
"Of course!" Yuuri retorts.
"Y-y-yuma will t-try her b-b-best!" Yuma stammers.
"Uh, what about me?" Komachi asks. "I can heal too…"
"You should focus on attacking, Miss Komachi," Oriko says. "However, use your own discretion – if the chance arises and Yuma-chan cannot, then of course you should use your healing magic."
"G-got it," Komachi says.
"Miss Pierrot, I assume you can summon beings with ranged attacks, yes? If possible, please do. Flying creatures would also be helpful."
Elise nods. "Yes… I think I can manage that."
"Miss Komachi, the familiars are one thing, but do not attempt to drain Walpurgisnacht," Oriko says. "You would be instantly overwhelmed."
"G-got it," Komachi says again.
"And lastly, Miss Hiyori, please stay by my side," Oriko says. "As previously mentioned, we will combine our powers and attack together. Miss Anri, if possible, focus on keeping us and Miss Asuka safe above the others."
Hiyori nods. "O-okay!"
"I'm gonna keep all of you safe," Airi retorts.
"Don't be naïve," Koharu says. "You may find yourself in a situation where you can only protect one person. If that happens, don't choose me or Miss Pierrot. Choose Miss Mikuni or Miss Asuka, or if possible, both. If I die, we have only lost a single fighter. If Miss Asuka dies, we have lost a healer, and everyone else's risk of death greatly increases. If Miss Mikuni dies, we have lost a strategist, and our teamwork is likely to crumble."
"F-fine," Airi grumbles. "But still, I'm gonna protect everyone if I can."
"Of course," Koharu says. "But only if you can. Don't overstretch yourself."
"Um, I have a question," Komaki speaks up. "What was that about a gear?"
"Ah, yes," Oriko says. "Walpurgisnacht flies hanging upside down from a massive gear."
"Wait, if she flies then how do we get up to the gear?" Komaki asks.
"That's where I come in," I speak up. "I can carry you up there on Teddy Mk II."
"You're telling me you can fly, Miss Taylor?" Komaki asks.
"Essentially, yes," I say.
"Okay… got it," Komaki says.
A few minutes later, Walpurgisnacht is upon us. I summon Teddy Mk II, and Kirika, Komaki, Claire, Komachi, and Yuma hop on, squeezing together with some difficulty. As we fly up into the air, the rest take up a sort of formation on the roof, with Airi and Koharu at the front, Yuuri and Elise in the middle, and Oriko and Hiyori at the back. Hijiri by this time has disappeared from sight. Teddy's flight feels sluggish with six people, so I was probably right that he wouldn't have been able to carry all eight of us from the evacuation centre.
We soar through the clouds and land atop the gear of Walpurgisnacht. The familiars appear almost immediately, swarming us. Claire and Komachi pair off, fighting back-to-back, but they're only just barely able to take down the familiars that come at them. Kirika and Komaki similarly pair off, but they're no more effective than Claire and Komachi. And as before, the only reason those four can handle it at all is because I'm swiping at the familiars from the air, destroying a sizable fraction of them as they exit the interior of the gear.
Yuma on the other hand turns out to be surprisingly powerful, facing down the familiars alone and taking them out with only three or four hits each. Now and then she has a moment's opening to slam her bulbous hammer down upon the gear itself, creating and slowly widening a web of cracks beneath her feet. The shockwaves from that ground pound seem to momentarily stun the nearby familiars, which is only the reason why it's not a suicidal action – otherwise the familiars would cut her down while she's recovering.
I keep an eye on the others below, too. As in the last timeline, Oriko and Hiyori charge up the symphonic blast. Elise summons an army of tengu armed with asymmetric Japanese bows, which release a swarm of arrows at the witch. Most of them fall short of the witch herself, but the stray arrows take out several of the ground-based carnival familiars, although those familiars are usually non-hostile, so I don't think there's much point in defeating them. Yuuri's and Koharu's needles are more effective at reaching the witch, studding the underside of the gear and even creating some minuscule cracks. And Airi of course is steadily firing off her twin pistols like there's no tomorrow. Oh… after the first volley, the tengu take to the air in a ring, and now their arrows are mostly reaching the gear, although they don't seem to do as much damage as those needles.
But the witch's reaction is also different from last time. In the previous timeline, she basically ignored the pair on the ground, perhaps interpreting them as not really a threat. This time is very different. After about a minute of the bombardment, the witch stops, rotating in the air to face Oriko's group. Then a nearby house floats into the air, tearing itself from its foundation, and the witch throws it right at the school.
"W-what the hell!?" Airi gasps. "She's throwing a freaking house at me? No wonder you told me not to taunt her! What the hell am I supposed to do with that!?"
Airi projects several layers of barriers between her allies and the falling house. Just before it strikes her barriers though, Oriko and Hiyori finally unleash that orchestral blast, tearing through the house on its way to the witch above. Unfortunately, it's not powerful enough to knock a gear tooth off this time, no doubt because there was a house in the way. However, at least Airi's barriers are able to hold up against all the debris from the shattered house. A few small chunks get through, but they either strike the resilient Airi or are easily dodged. Of course, Oriko and Hiyori immediately begin to charge a second round.
It's difficult for me to track the passage of time while in the middle of a heated battle, but I'm pretty sure we manage to hold out longer than in the previous timeline, and yet, somehow it feels like we're doing less damage. Oriko and Hiyori manage three of their massive blasts, but only break off a single gear tooth. Although Yuma heals our injuries, that's no help when first Komaki's and then Kirika's soul gems are shattered by a lucky blow. What we really need in this fight are Shiina Moe's healing powers.
After losing that gear tooth, Walpurgisnacht throws two more houses at Oriko's group, and unsurprisingly Airi's barrier is not able to hold off an entire building falling on her. I can't see what became of them under the rubble, but it didn't look like anyone tried to get out of the way. And even as the dust is still settling, Komachi and Claire also fall, overwhelmed by the increased familiars since the death of the other two.
"Oh no!" Yuma gasps. "W-what should Yuma do now…?"
"There's no need for you to sacrifice yourself, Yuma-chan," I say. "I think you should retreat. Maybe see if any of the others are still alive."
"H-huh? Is… is Oriko…?"
"I'm not sure," I say. "The witch threw a house at her, so she might be dead, but Airi-chan's also down there, and I bet she could survive a house falling on her, so… why don't you go and see for yourself?"
"A-alright! Yuma will go save Oriko again!"
The two of us hop onto Teddy Mk II, and I fly her over to drop her off at the ruins of Shirome Middle School. While Yuma is searching through the rubble, Hijiri appears from somewhere.
"Oh… there you are, Kanna-chan," I say. "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready," Hijiri says. "I kinda feel bad about not participating, though… but I did do something at the very end. Hopefully it helps some of them to survive."
She hops on Teddy Mk II with me, and we rise up above the clouds once more as I follow the witch. With my clairvoyance, I watch Yuma dig through the rubble, calling Oriko's name. The first one she digs up though is Airi, and it's no surprise to me when the older girl wakes up from Yuma's healing.
"Ugh… wow… looks like I made it," Airi says. "Yuma-chan, was it? Did you save me?"
Yuma nods. "Yuma's looking for Oriko… will onee-san help me?"
"Yeah, of course… I need to find Yuuri-chan, too," Airi says.
The work goes much faster with two of them. They dig up Yuuri, who also seems to be alive, judging by the fact that she's still transformed. Then they discover Koharu and Elise, their transformations cancelled and soul gems shattered. Finally, they locate Hiyori and Oriko, and miraculously Oriko is still alive, though it appears Hiyori has perished. However, when Yuma is about to heal her, Oriko's eyes snap open and she seizes the younger girl's hand.
"Yuma-chan… it's too late for me," she says. "Unless you have a spare grief seed?"
"Yuma doesn't have one… does onee-san have one?"
"I'm sorry," Airi says. "I already used up my grief seed in this battle."
"Miss Anri… and I see Miss Asuka made it out too… can I ask you to take care of Yuma-chan for me?" Oriko asks. "I haven't told her the truth about magical girls, so I'll leave it up to you when to break it to her."
Airi nods. "Of course we can take care of her, but… doesn't she have parents or something?"
"Her parents abused her," Oriko says. "She ran away from home."
"Oh my, that sounds terrible!" Yuuri gasps. "Well, of course I can take her in."
"Huh? Since when were you awake?" Airi asks.
"Almost the whole time," Yuuri says.
"Thank you both," Oriko says. "Now I can rest easy."
"Oriko, Yuma doesn't want you to go!" Yuma sobs. "Don't leave me!"
"I'm sorry, Yuma-chan," Oriko says. "I didn't want to leave you either, but it's out of my control. Farewell."
And with that, she grabs her tainted soul gem and crushes it in her hand, cancelling her transformation. I abandon the vision at that point. No doubt Yuuri and Airi will be doing their best to console a devastated Yuma, but I don't really need to watch that. Just as I cut off the vision, I receive an unexpected telepathic missive.
«Ashley-chan, good luck,» Yuuri says. «Keep Kanna-chan safe for us. I think she saved our lives just now, and I really want her to become friends with me again in the next timeline.»
«I'll do my best,» I reply. «I don't know whether your time with Yuma-chan will be wiped clean by the time travel, but if not, I hope you can make her feel welcome.»
«Of course I will,» Yuuri replies.
«Although, there's something else you should know about Yuma-chan,» I add. «I don't know their names or where they live, but she has living grandparents, possibly in the countryside somewhere, who would be able to take care of her. Unlike their son and his wife, they're good, kind people.»
«Oh, is that so?» Airi pipes up. «Maybe we can ask her about them later… not that I don't want to take care of her, but if she'd rather be with her family, I'm sure that's better for her.»
«Yeah, I imagine they could be located through the family register,» Yuuri says. «So I'll make sure to bring it up in a couple of days – if we still exist, that is.»
"I'm really glad Yuuri-chan and Airi-chan made it out," Hijiri says. "I hope they don't miss me too much…"
"So, Miss Hijiri, I said I'd explain a few things to you," I say. "In order to go back in time, you need a chain of physical contact with Akemi Homura. So far, I've been hitching a ride unnoticed, and I assume you can do the same, right?" Hijiri nods. "I'll tell you my email, so if you want to, you can contact me after time is turned back. I can also vouch for you if you want to get in touch with Yuuri and Airi."
"That… that would be nice," Hijiri says.
"Now that you're aware, you can probably continue to hitch a ride every time Miss Akemi turns back time," I continue. "I'll be joining you too, of course, but if for some reason I'm unable to, you don't need to wait for me – you can just go."
"I have a question," Hijiri says. "More than one, actually."
"Go ahead."
"Why are you sneaking around like this?" she asks. "Why didn't you just make friends with Miss Akemi?"
"Well… you do have a point," I admit. "I'm not sure how to explain it…"
"Also, Yuuri-chan said you're pretty sure that time was only turned back twice," Hijiri says. "That means you must've seen Miss Akemi make her contract, right?"
"That's right."
"So how did you know she'd be able to turn back time?"
"That's… a secret," I say. "Sorry. But maybe I'll explain it once we defeat Walpurgisnacht once and for all. Oh, also, you'll know we're into the end-game if you start seeing visions of a pink-haired magical girl inviting you to Kamihama to be saved. I think they would start around the beginning of April."
Hijiri blinks. "Huh? Saved? Is this something like what the Pleiades Saints were doing?"
"Something like that," I say.
"What do you mean by end-game?"
"I mean having most of the stuff in place to finally defeat Walpurgisnacht without any casualties," I reply. "That girl is the key to the plan."
"Oh… I see."
A few minutes later, I catch sight of Madoka and Homura, already fighting against Walpurgisnacht. Homura must have informed her about the witch's weakness, for nearly every arrow strikes the gear. Already three more teeth have been broken off, and even as I watch, Madoka unleashes her ultimate attack, snapping the gear almost in half. The smaller half falls to the ground, and she avoids being crushed only thanks to Homura's timely rescue. They fend off a wave of the spectral familiars as Madoka builds up for a second ultimate, and then finally, the witch is defeated.
Their enemy defeated, the two of them power down and collapse to the ground, their tainted soul gems falling into their overlapped hands. While they talk, I venture close enough to loop my ribbon around Homura's shoe as always. They turn their heads to look at each other.
"We're also… done for… aren't we, Homura-chan?" Madoka says.
Homura nods. "The grief seed is also finished…"
Madoka looks up, then shakes her head, and then Homura looks up too.
"Yeah… I thought so…" she says. "Now we'll both become monsters like her… we'll ruin the whole world, taking the bad things, the sad things, and wiping it all clean. Destroying everything without end… maybe that too is good in a way, don't you think?"
Tears leak out from her eyes as she talks, and as she finishes, Madoka rolls over, producing a grief seed from somewhere and pressing it against Homura's soul gem. Homura gasps and turns to look at her, and Madoka giggles a bit.
"Sorry, I lied," she says. "I kept one in reserve."
"N-no…" Homura gasps. "How could you… for someone like me…?"
"There's something that I can't do, that only Homura-chan can achieve," Madoka says. "Homura-chan, you can go back in time, right? You can change history and prevent such a sad ending, right?" She starts to cry. "Can you save me before I get deceived by Kyuubey?"
"Y-yes!" Homura says. "I promise, I'll definitely save you! No matter how many times I have to go back… I'll always protect you!"
"I'm glad," Madoka says.
Then she suddenly lets out a cry of pain, and Homura sits up and crouches over her.
"Can… can I ask for one more thing?" Madoka asks. "I don't want to become a witch. I've seen terrible and sad things, but there are still many things I want to protect in this world."
"Madoka…" Homura says.
"Homura-chan… you finally said my name," Madoka says. "I'm so happy…"
She holds up her hand with the soul gem, and Homura transforms, drawing a pistol from her storage and, with great difficulty, shooting the gem. At this point, I take out my phone to check the time… six minutes past six. Then Homura jumps to her feet, transforms, and activates her shield, turning time back once again.
Magical Girl Corner
Whenever a new magical girl is introduced, I'll include a brief profile of her here. Some details may be redacted, or contain minor spoilers. You have been warned! The numeric ranking values are on a scale of 1 to 10.
Amano Suzune
Age: 13
Eye Colour: Red
Hair Colour: Silver
Origins: Hohzuki, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Red four-pointed starburst
Soul Gem: Red diamond gem on a pendant
Element: Null
Weapon: Sword
Powers: Power absorption
Wish: "I want to become a magical girl like Tsubaki."
Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 7
Offensive Power: 8
Defensive Power: 6
Initial Power Usability: 1
Learned Powers: 3
Hinata Kagari
Age: 13
Eye Colour: Purple
Hair Colour: Purple
Origins: Hohzuki, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Purple butterfly
Soul Gem: Circular purple gemstone embedded in the butterfly at her chest
Element: Fire
Weapon: Sword, starknife
Powers: Memory manipulation
Wish: Unknown
Speed: 9
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 6
Defensive Power: 6
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 3
Chitose Yuma
Age: 11
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Green
Origins: Kazamino, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Green cat head
Soul Gem: Green cat head gem on the back of her neck
Element: Forest
Weapon: Hammer shaped like a cat's head
Powers: Repair, seismic shockwaves
Wish: "I wish put her back together!"
Speed: 2
Magical Stamina: 8
Offensive Power: 6
Defensive Power: 4
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 3