Ichika went home, feeling miserable. Today was just a horrible day for her. Witches gave her lots of trouble, Chrysler was home sick, and Zain was off witch hunting with Peyton. Ichika was all alone, practically sinking into her bed. She had her face buried in her pillow, hardly making a sound. She wanted to just sleep the day away and wait until night to see the rest of the Morrigna gang, minus Chrysler. Unfortunately, she could never get to sleep. Her thoughts were just nipping at her all day. Her brain was telling her that Chrysler might not make it, and her heart was just racing. She felt heavy, both physically and mentally, and she hated it. Suddenly, it all boiled over.
"FUCK! FUCK MY FUCKING LIFE!" Ichika screamed into her pillow. Then she threw it at the wall. She looked in her mirror and hated what she saw. Her face was dirty, her stomach was more plump than usual, and the scar on her cheek just wouldn't go away. She shook her head and sighed.
"Who the hell even wants to look at me like this? I'm a total wreck." Ichika spoke. "I'm fucking stunned that the gang even wants to look at me. I'm dirty and I'm outta shape. Nobody in their right mind would like someone like me." Ichika put on a green crop top and a pair of tight black shorts as she walked downstairs and began heating up some water. Since her mother only bought food for herself, Ichika had to buy her own dinners, which usually consisted of instant ramen. Once the water heated up, she added the noodles and separated them from each other before draining the water. Then she added the flavour packets and mixed it around until all the noodles had a lovely shrimp based flavour. Ichika then added some red onion slivers, broccoli, and some cooked chicken bits to go with her noodles. She then ate her finished product, which slowly began to improve her mood. Once she was done, she rinsed her pot and put it in the sink. Ichika then decided to leave the house for a bit to take a walk and burn off some of that extra stomach fat she accumulated. Instead of going the usual way towards the hideout, she instead walked towards the train station. She was most curious about what was beyond the train station, for she had never gone that way before. She walked past the train station and came across empty streets, with nothing but small suburban shacks for houses. Ichika walked down the street until she found a corner that led into an alleyway. The alleyway was dark and dingy, not much different from the one she frequented with the gang. She walked in and looked around, keeping an eye out for suspicious figures. The houses around the alleyway only got more dilapidated and broken down. A rustling noise could be heard from a bush nearby. Ichika turned to her right, where the noise came from. She saw nothing, but she kept her guard up. Her soul gem began to glow, detecting another magical girl.
"Who's there? Come out and face me, ya coward!" Ichika shouted to get the magical girl's attention. Sure enough, a small magical girl popped out. She had twintailed white hair and a tattered outfit that revealed her midriff and her upper thighs. Just then, two more girls emerged from behind her. One had short blue hair and the other had frizzy green hair that covered her right eye.
"Nyahaha! You dare to trespass on the territory of the little devils? You shall pay with your blood!" The green haired girl cackled deviously. Ichika shot her an unfriendly glare.
"I was just passing through until y'all decided to ambush me." Ichika responded. The white haired girl recognized a patch on Ichika's jacket.
"Hey, you're one of Chrysler's gangmates! Anyone who associates with that chainsmoking bastard is not welcome here!" The white haired girl screamed.
"Don't talk about Chrysler like that! He's not some mindless chainsmoker! He's a nice guy with a shit life! Who are you to add on to his problems?!" Ichika walked closer to the girls and glared down at them. She was clearly pissed.
"Well I'll tell you who I am! I'm Brianna Patterson! But you're gonna call me Bree!" Brianna shouted, spitting as she spoke. Ichika was unfazed by the spit and stomped at Brianna, scaring her a bit.
"So you're that Bree person he talked about! YOU GANGED UP ON KEANU IN THE GYM! YOU TRIED TO DROWN CHRYSLER IN SUFURIC ACID! YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU'RE NOT HURTING ANY OF MY FRIENDS EVER AGAIN!" Ichika completely snapped. She had a grudge to settle. Brianna shot her a little glare before transforming. Her new outfit consisted of a white baron shirt with a long pink bow and a pair of tight black pants. The remaining light from her transformation turned into a pair of pink, glittery nunchuks. She smirked as she glared at Ichika.
"You're lucky we're shorthanded tonight. Otherwise you wouldn't live to see another day!" Brianna made a bold proclamation. Just then, Ichika transformed and pointed her twin assault rifles at Brianna.
"I'm a magical girl too. If you assumed I wasn't one, then how would I have found out you were tryna ambush me?" Ichika sniped. Brianna giggled a little bit.
"Well that's even better! If I kill you here, I'll get more grief seeds for my collection! You're on, missy!" Brianna licked her lips and rushed at Ichika. She pulled back her nunchuks as Ichika put one of her guns behind her, preparing to throw a punch. Brianna whipped Ichika's leg with a nunchuk before striking her in the nose. Ichika wobbled a bit from the impact, but she recovered her footing. She was now a bit light headed from the strike to the nose, but she had enough energy to drop kick Brianna in the chest. Then she took out her other gun and opened fire, shooting all over Brianna's body. Brianna was sent careening backwards, rolling on the rocky road before stopping near a trash can, scaring away some nearby cats. Ichika stopped shooting, but she kept her guns pointed at Brianna as she slowly got up. Her friends went up to challenge Ichika, but she kicked them both in the legs, knocking them over like bowling pins. Turns out they were a good distraction, as Brianna snuck up behind Ichika and whipped her in the back with her twin nunchuks, knocking her on her front. Once the whipping stopped, Ichika rolled over and pointed her guns straight at Brianna's eyes.
"You have ten seconds to pull out and leave me alone. Strike me now and you lose an eye." Ichika gave Brianna an ultimatum. Brianna scowled and walked away.
"Alright, I'll let you go this time. If ya come round here again, you're gonna get FUCKED! And if I see you hangin' out with Chrysler or any of his asshole friends, I'LL KILL YA WHERE YOU STAND!" Brianna made a serious threat as she walked down the alley with the rest of her gang. Ichika's nose was bloodied, her knees stung, and her back was injured, but she found a way to get up and stumble out of the alleyway. She had to kneel down for a bit to catch her breath, since her newfound injuries limited her energy. Just then, Trevor was driving down the street in his repaired white dodge truck. He noticed Ichika limping across the sidewalk and stopped beside her.
"Need a lift, Ichika?" Trevor offered to drive Ichika to the hideout. Ichika smiled softly.
"Yeah… I'd really appreciate it. Thanks, Trev." Ichika gave a thumbs up and limped over to the front passenger door. She opened the door and climbed into the truck before sitting down on the red seat. Then she closed the door and Trevor got back on the road. Trevor noticed Ichika's nose and her slouching position and grew concerned.
"So what were you doing in the territory of the little devils?" Trevor asked.
"I didn't know that anyone lived there. It looked like a new place I haven't been to before. Thought I'd check it out." Ichika explained.
"I'm surprised you haven't heard the rumors, knowing that you're in on most of the gossip in these parts." Trevor responded.
"Yeah, I'm surprised too. I heard rustling in the bushes. Then Bree and two other girls ambushed me. I escaped, but they fucked up my nose, knees, and back." Ichika told the rest of the story.
"So Bree's part of the little devils? I'm sure Chrysler would be worried about you if he saw what they did to you." Trevor expressed concern for his friend.
"Well he's not fucking here, is he now? Fuck, I hate my life." Ichika grumbled as the truck stopped. Trevor opened his door and walked out into the familiar alleyway. Ichika followed him. Trevor went and unlocked the door of the hideout, inviting Ichika in before shutting the door behind them. They needed some comfort for the night, and the best source was their friends.