Alright so this chapter kinda came out of nowhere. Ever since I made that twitter segment about Noir fighting a magical girl I've had some people express interest in seeing it, if only for the absurdity of a gritty, gun-toting vigilante squaring off against a freaking magical girl.

And then when I thought about it I remembered the first few chapters when Noir still hadn't acclimated to Earth-65. Seeing supervillains, modern tech, revolving prisons, superheroes etc. Those were really fun to write, but of course he eventually had to get used to all that insanity. By Sin Eater he was completely acclimated.

So basically this is in part for those who wanted to see something silly (Sleeping Beauties didn't end up feeling like that) and because I wanna write genre clash again. Anime tropes and conventions from the perspective of someone who finds said things to be absurd, insane or irrational but either has to play along or find a way around them.

Anyway, enough gabbing. This is the possible first part of the Magical Girl adventure.


He was finally here. Japan.

Peter winced at the bright sunlight overhead and leaned across the edge of the fishing boat. Being who he was he couldn't exactly get a commercial flight so he had to smuggle his way into the country. Thankfully Domino owed him a favor and helped him charter a path to get inland. As far as anyone else on the ship was concerned he was just another guest they wouldn't ask questions about.

He lightly held the half-finished cigarette between his fingers and looked down at the roaring waves. He'd been through a bunch of countries at this point and the routine was always the same: find a way to smuggle himself in, establish a base of operations, then familiarize himself with the legal and not-so-legal elements before tracking the Hand. He'd gotten lucky back in France. He didn't expect to run into Ben, May or Helen in Paris or that Helen would let him stay on for so long.

"Good morning, our mysterious guest." A voice came to his right. Peter looked to the side and smiled lightly at the old captain. They didn't talk much in the few days he switched over to the vessel but the man was friendly enough, "Excited to make landfall?" He offered him a thermos full of coffee that Peter gratefully accepted. Even if he didn't need it the taste was still appreciated.

"I guess so." He took a small sip of the black coffee. Coffee and cigarettes in the morning were always grand, "Thank you for your help."

"It's no problem." The captain's mouth split into a wide grin, which looked odd on the harsh and weathered face, "I've been at sea for years now. A little bit of excitement and a favor repaid is hardly worth mentioning." He brought a hand through his bald head and laughed boisterously. He reminded Peter of Ben somewhat, "Still, this is a lot of effort to get inland. Hopefully what you're looking for is worth it."

"I would say so." After their 'team' split only he and Moon Knight were really tracking the Hand anymore. The Chaste helped, of course, but they weren't exactly swimming in manpower even after Matt was dealt with. That meant they had to pick up the slack, and in his case that meant smuggling himself into Asia so he could track down Murakami.

"Well, good luck then." The captain patted him on his shoulder, "Least you can speak the language. You're already better off than most gaijins."

"Would not be too sure about that..." He picked up language surprisingly quickly but he wasn't exactly what you'd call fluent. He still had an accent and the words didn't come as naturally to him as English did. That and he knew being a foreigner would make him anyway. With France he could at least pass at a glance. Here he'd have to do more to keep a low profile, especially if he didn't want Murakami catching on he was here.

They made landfall at a dock in Tokyo a quarter of an hour later. Peter said his goodbyes to the captain, backpack slung over his right shoulder. Every time he had to leave the country he always made sure to travel light. Some clothes, his phone, the knife, guns he could conceal, and the currency of choice. So far he'd been able to subsist as needed by stealing from organized crime groups or the occasional warlord. Wasn't like they'd go to the cops asking for help.

"By the way!" the captain called after him, "Might want to take a shower before you go to the city! You're not going to get the ladies smelling like fish guts!"

"Whatever you say, old man!" Peter shouted back. He did follow his advice and, a few minutes later, felt more refreshed than he had in days. He changed into another outfit and made sure the pair of Glock 19's were carefully concealed in the folds of his jacket. That was another thing he had to worry about. Back in France or South Africa he could always just steal guns when needed. Not so much here. Most criminals weren't even carrying given the harsh penalties and there was no way he could get any more ammo once the spare magazines were spent. He'd have to be careful.

He trudged along to the dock's exit and looked for his contact. Thankfully the Chaste were nice enough to give him a tour guide, "Reilly-san, I presume." The older man asked. Right, honorifics. Book was pretty clear about how important those wore...along with how you said 'I' for some reason.

"Yes." Peter bowed slightly. That was the correct way, right?

"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Saito Tanaka. I will be your guide and help you acclimate to the city." He offered a hand which Peter took. Saito didn't exactly look like the picture of a Chaste warrior. He was just a few years older than him, maybe mid-20's at most, with long, slicked back dark hair, a neat patch of hair on his chin and harsh brown eyes. His black suit was impeccably styled and he saw the end of a tattoo peeking through his collar. He looked more like a Yakuza member than anything else.

"Nice to meet you too."

"I was told to give you this." He handed him a phone, "The phone cannot be tracked and shall allow you to communicate with us as needed. I was also told to inform you that Spector-san expects you to make contact as soon as possible."

"Of course he does." Good thing his number was already on the phone. It only rang twice before he picked up, "Hey, I'm here," he said in English.

"Good," Spector said, calm as always, "We have reason to believe that Murakami has been causing disturbances, though tracking him has been difficult. I suggest you spend two or three days to familiarize yourself with the city. This is Murakami's home turf and you can't fight him without knowing how to navigate it."

"Yeah, I know the deal."

"Good. I will contact you again in three days time."

"Where are you anyway?"

"China." Peter rolled his eyes. Yeah, that narrowed it down, "I'm tracking Gao. If I don't make contact in three days then assumine I'm either dead or preoccupied and continue your mission."

"I got it."

"Oh, and try to have fun while you're there. Not all of us get a chance to have a worldwide vacation," Grant said before cutting the call.

Peter scoffed and pocketed the phone. Just once he'd love to have a conversation without a switch, "Where do we go first, Saito-san?" He had to study up on the honorifics. Last thing he needed to was to be rude to his contact.

"Getting familiarized with the city would be a good start. Tokyo is not like New York and traversal will be more difficult. I suggest understanding the numerous trains and platforms first before we explore the streets. At your convenience we've already prepared an IC card."

"Feel like you are spoiling me a bit too much." He accepted the offered card with a slight smile. Then again this was a hell of a lot better than his South Africa stint, "Well I will follow your lead, I guess. But first things first, you know any motels or places that do not ask questions?"

"We have a list of viable locations in case safehouses are compromised, but we are prepared to offer you lodgings."

"Maybe, but for now it is probably best if we do not all group up at once. That way if one us gets caught we do not drag down everyone else." He put a hand on his chin. Tokyo was Murakami's haunt and staying still wasn't a good thing. He figured staying two or three days in one place before switching was good enough. Even without their list he figured he could find places that could accomodate him.

It didn't take long from them being in the city proper before he felt...off. Not danger, exactly, but there was an itch on his skin that he found hard to place. Even as the scenery passed by on the train or Saito showed him the different districts he couldn't shake it off. Shinjuku, Harajaku, Asakusa and numerous other streets and places he'd never heard off were places they passed by.

And all the while the itch persisted. He couldn't even light up a coffin nail to take the edge off. Tokyo was pretty strick about smoking out in public and they weren't gonna ignore a foreigner breaking the rules.

They were at Shibuya Crossing (apparently the busiest crosswalk in the world) when he couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Do you feel that?"

"Feel what, Reilly-san?" Saito looked back, worried.

"That...it's hard to describe. Like an itch, maybe? But not a physical one. It's like something gnawing at me ever since we left the docks."

"I do not understand what you-" His eyes widened slightly, "Ah, I believe I understand now. My apologies, I should have considered this possibility."

"Do not keep me in suspense."

"You are foreign in more ways than one. The chi that I and the rest of the Chaste use is both subtle and originates from the energy that flows through all of us. Your bond with your patron, however, is alien under many definitions. Japan has its own magic, its own laws- laws that you do not ascribe to. The magic flows through the land considers you an invader of sorts."

"Great. Five minutes in this place and it already wants me out."

"My apologies once more. I did not consider the possibility of this despite being briefed." He bowed.

"Knock it off. I have had worse than this." He'd get used to it. If he could sleep after the nightmares this was nothing, "But for now we should continue the tour. It is already afternoon and I do not-"

Spider-sense.

Peter winced and look to the source. Nothing at first, at least not that he was used to, and then he saw it: black smoke coming out like noxious fumes "Reilly-san?" He ignored Saito and pushed through the crowd. His spider-sense got louder and louder the closer he got. Danger, but not exactly immediate like every other time. As he got nearer and nearer he felt a tug at the back of his head, like something telling him to run.

What greeted him at the end of the crowd wasn't what he expected. A guy more on the rotund side with indistinct features. He probably wouldn't have been able to pick him out of the crowd if not for the black smoke that emanated from his skin, "What the..." No one else was seeing it, or if they did then they didn't pay it any mind. The guy continued to stand there, completely still aside from the occasional twitch on his hands and shoulders.

A hand landed on his shoulder and pulled him back, "Reilly-san, what's the matter?"

"That guy." Peter nudged his head subtly, "You don't see it?"

"See what?"

"There's...something coming out of him. Spider-sense is going haywire."

"I don't understand what you-"

And then his spider-sense screamed. Peter grit his teeth and stumbled back slightly just as the guy screamed, "HUUUNNNGRRRYYYY!" The shout drew the attention of those closest to him. Peter watched through narrowed eyes as his body...changed. Fat and muscle bulged unevenly, his skin going from a light tan to the same color of the smoke coming from him.

He took one step and his shoes tore, revealing a misshapen hoof in place of a foot. People around him screamed and ran as he continued to transform. Looking closer now Peter realized he looked like a pig, if a grossly misshapen one. His proportions were uneven and his snouted mouth was wide open, exposing an oversized purple tongue that looked way too big for his size. At ten feet tall it easily towered over him and everyone else in the crossing.

Peter moved to attack when Saito grabbed both shoulders and pulled him back, "What are you doing?!" Peter shouted, trying to cut through the crowd's screams.

"That is not a creature we can face." He continued to pull him back.

"What is that thing?"

"The news calls them Inversia, but that doesn't matter now. The designated protectors of this city will handle it themselves. We will only hurt and draw attention to ourselves if we get involved."

He was right, of course. The point of all this was to make sure they didn't draw the attention to themselves. Getting involved with the local politics was the exact opposite of that.

...But then the manpig picked up a guy in a school uniform and opened its wide mouth, exposing its misshapen teeth and drooling jaw.

'...Shit.'

"I will meet you later." He shrugged Saito's hand off, put on a spare mask and ran towards the thing's back. The manpig's back was turned to him, which gave him a chance jump and grab onto his neck, "Hey, ugly!" He smashed the back of his head as hard as he could. Peter wasn't sure if that actually hurt it but it did the job. The manpig dropped the student and let out an ear-piercing squeal.

He had to get this thing somewhere less crowded.

Peter punched the back of its head again then jumped off, "Come on, big boy, let's go!" He made sure to give the running crowds a wide berth and dashed towards the closest alley. Big thing like this the best thing he could do was trap it in a confined space.

Manpig squealed again and charged after him on all fours. For something so big and deformed the thing was fast, 'Barely a day in and trouble already.' He slipped into the alley and turned around. The place was narrow enough that the thing couldn't charge left or right without it impacting the building, 'Gotta finish this quick.' He balled his hands into tight fists. If he was lucky he could get through this without drawing attention.

Peter waited till the manpig was nearly on him before he ran and slipped between its legs, shooting two lines of web at its feet as he passed. He stood up and tried to pull only for his muscles to strain, "What the hell are they feeding you?" He let go of the webs before it could drag him back instead. Alright, so this thing was heavier than he expected. Then again it was a pig so he really shouldn't be surprised.

It spun around, tearing through the webs in the process, and tried to grab for him. Peter dodged the clumsy gesture and punched it in the gut, 'Son of a-' He grit his teeth, dodged and attacked again. Same as before. Felt like he was punching a wall of meat, "Fuck this..." He rolled back, pulled out one of the glocks and fired half the magazine in its misshapen face.

Might as well have been throwing spitballs.

This time he couldn't dodge the next swipe. Peter growled and kicked uselessly as the thing raised him up to its face, mouth wide open, "Let...go!" He aimed his free hand and shot a net of webbing inside. The pig squealed and dropped him, frantically clawing at the web to try and free his mouth. Peter landed with another roll and pulled out the hellfire knife. Desperate times.

He stabbed its right leg first. The blade actually cut through the thick, meaty skin and purple bile flowed from the wounds, 'That's working.' He rolled between his legs again then slashed at the back of his knees. He didn't know just how close the thing's body was to a human's but it went down on its hands and knees all the same. Peter stabbed its back two more times before he used it as a stepping stone to propel himself up, slamming the knife down on its head as he landed.

"...Shit." Peter wiped the knife on the wall then put it back on its sheath. The thing wasn't dead, but it was down for now. He webbed its entire body down till nothing but his head was left. That'd leave evidence, but he didn't have much choice right now. Last thing he expected was for something like this to survive hellfire. Must've been that magic Saito told him about.

"What the hell is this thing...?" He crouched down in front of the glassy-eyed manpig and narrowed his eyes. What did Saito call them before? Inversia? That didn't explain anything. The fact that no one else noticed the smoke coming from the place also made him worry. If this kept up then more people would-

...No, it wasn't his problem. He was here for Murakami and the Hand, not this.

He was about to stand up and leave when his spider-sense blared again, "Stop right there!" a voice shouted from the alley's opening. Still kneeling, Peter grabbed the half-spent glock with his right hand and aimed it at the source...only to almost drop it when he saw exactly who shouted.

He didn't know how to describe them. There were four of them, all girls dressed in impractically fancy and ornate dresses that looked like a nightmare to run around in. Just a quick look at their faces told him they were young. The youngest looked maybe 11 or 12 while the oldest was his age, if not a couple of years younger. Cosplayers? Saito told him those were popular in certain places in the city.

Either way he didn't need them in danger.

"You should get out of here. It is not safe." He stood up slowly and made sure to keep himself between them and the manpig. He didn't know how long that thing would stay down. Something told him it'd heal soon enough.

"That's our line." One of the girls said. She was the one who shouted earlier, "You need to leave this place before you get hurt." She flipped her long, ponytailed red hair somewhat haughtily. She looked mildly more practical than the others, if only because she was wearing pants instead of a skirt.

"Wait," another said. She was the oldest looking one with magenta colored hair that fell all the way down to her back. Her eyes were half-lidded and she looked between him and the tied up manpig, "You were the one who beat the inversia?"

"Guess so." Hm...didn't seem like civilians. Were these the protectors Saito talked about it? He was kind of expecting more than girls who looked like they were one their way from a costume party.

"If he's telling the truth then there's no problem. We can purify the inversia and save the victim," a third one said with a smile. This one had silver-white hair and carried what looked like a bow in her hands. It looked as impractically fancy as the rest of her attire.

They all walked past him and examined the victim(?). Peter stayed behind for just a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders and moving to walk away. Would've been nice if they were there earlier but it wasn't like he had room to talk. He was late more times than we wanted to admit.

"Hold a moment," the magenta haired one said, "These wounds...how did you give these to him?"

"A knife." He wasn't exactly keen on telling people he had concentrated hellfire in his pocket.

"Th-This is...corrupted magic..." The little girl said. She looked the most normal, if only because her hair was a light shade of orange, even if her dress was even frillier than the other three combined, "It'll make the purification more difficult."

"Corrupted magic, huh?" The redhead crossed her arms and looked at him. He had a bad feeling about this, "That knife you used...mind if we take a look at it? Pretty please?" She gave him a cocky grin.

"No."

"Sir, we must insist," the white haired one said, "The fact that you're talking to us now is a good sign, but magic like this is not something anyone should be involved in. Please, let us help you."

Explaining wasn't gonna do anything. He'd seen that look before; the look someone had whenever they thought they were right. Even if he did tell them they didn't seem like they'd be happy if he told them what it was. Best if he just got out of here, "...Sorry." He turned and was about to disappear into mist when the redhead was suddenly in front of him, looking up with that same grin, "How did-"

He felt a tugging on both his arms and suddenly he was forced to on his hands and knees, "What...?" He looked down at his spread eagle hands and winced when he saw there were chains wrapped around both wrists. The metal was made out of a bright red light and and she held both ends with her left hand, "...Let me go." He didn't need this right now. He thought he was over fighting people who weren't criminals.

"Be careful, Valencia. He's likely possessed by that corrupted blade just as this poor man is," Magenta scolded.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, let's just get that knife." The chains moved on their own till his hands were forcefully raised. Peter grit his teeth and tried to disappear again only for the chains to clamp down harder, "Wouldn't do that if I were you- woah, what the!?" She stepped back slightly when she saw the wisps of smoke that came out of his body. He felt the mask of Anansi wrapped around his face, "What the heck are you, some kind of talking inversia?"

"W-We should save him," the little girl said. In any other situation that might've been flattering.

"...Last chance. We can both still walk away," Peter said.

"We're tying to help you. Please understand," Magenta said, "I don't know what you were promised but such corrupted magics can only end in tragedy. Please, let us save you."

"...Sorry." Tugging with all his strength, he managed to grab the knife from its sheath with his left hand and slashed at the chains above his right wrist. It didn't break, but the chains cracked from the impact and the redhead screamed like she'd been stabbed.

The chains' grip on him loosened and pulled harshly, causing the redhead to stumble towards him. Before she could recover her grabbed her head and slammed her to the ground before covering her in a net of webbing. She'd be sore for a couple of hours but she'd be fine.

"Valencia!" Magenta flew towards him, hands outstretched. She was trying to grab the knife, he realized quickly. Still thought he was possessed. He felt bad for what he did next.

He grabbed a clump of dirt and tossed it at her face. Her eyes shut tight in panic and he webbed both her legs. A quick pull later and she was on her back on the ground, "Sorry." He really hoped this wouldn't bite him later.

He felt someone behind him. Peter turned around, right fist raised, and stopped when he saw the little girl looking up at him in wide-eyed panic. The wand she held in her hands looked more like a toy than a weapon.

Peter lowed his hand and stepped back. He wasn't going to hit a 12 year old.

Spider-sense.

He just barely turned to the last remaining girl before she let loose an arrow of bright light straight at him. Peter ducked down in a panic but the arrow still grazed his left shoulder, "Shit!" He held onto the wound tightly with his free hand. There wasn't any blood - hell, the skin didn't even break - but it felt wrong all the same.

He had to leave. Now.

Ignoring any and all instinct to stay and fight, he turned and rushed out of the alley. He just about rounded the corner when another arrow shot past him, breaking and disappearing into light as soon as it made contact with the ground, "Come on, come on..." Ignoring the even worse chill, he forced himself to disappear and ran through a thick crowd till he was sure he wasn't being followed.


"Fuck..." Peter stumbled into the motel room with a slight groan and tossed his backpack at the nearby bed. He actually kept himself concelead for more than a minute and he felt like his skin was gonna crack from the cold, "Come on...gotta focus..." He practically collapsed on the bed before he forced himself up on a meditative position and closed his eyes.

He had to remember what Stick taught him. Even with a month of training he still tried to drill into his head about the benefits of understanding chi. It was better than any spider given powers, he said.

Case in point, regulating the body's temperature.

Peter took a deep breath and focused. Stick's control over his body's energy was exceptional and honed over decades. As much as D&D might have told him that anyone can beat their elders after a few weeks of training, the truth was that real life wasn't so convenient. Even now with putting everything he had into it all he could do was turn the chill from something debilitating to something warm enough to keep him from dying of frostbite.

It took nearly half an hour to get to that point and by the end of it he barely felt any better. Peter opened his eyes and coughed. Least he could move now without feeling like he was stepping in glass, "Ugh..." He stumbled to the bathroom, shucking off his jacket as he did, and rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. No wound, as expected, but still burned with something. If he looked close he could've sworn he saw black smoke occasionally wisping out.

"Shit..." He pushed himself off and lay back down on the bed. He texted a quick update to Saito, which took a lot longer than he wanted given the japanese letters, and closed his eyes. Maybe some sleep would do him good, and if he was lucky then maybe this was all just some kind of bad dream.

He woke up hours later feeling...well, not good, but definitely better. A quick look at his phone told him it was 15 minutes to 7 PM; the night was coming to life, "Mmgh." He sat up and cricked his neck. His first instinct was to go out and see the cracks people fell into. Didn't matter what place it was, there were always things people kept out of sight. Only difference was how hard they tried at it.

The message Saito gave him was short and to the point. He was busy with something tonight so they could continue looking around the city tomorrow. Something told him his contact didn't like him playing vigilante so quickly. Oh well, nothing for it then. If he saved at least one person from becoming pig chow then it was worth it.

He wanted to call Gwen, but knowing the time zone difference she would've been sleeping by now. Just one more annoying thing they had to deal with when it came to keeping contact. That and having to call her on new phones once he left the country. She probably had half a dozen unknown numbers at this point.

He turned on the television to get some white noise going when there was a knock at the door. Wasn't room service. Place was too cheap for that, "Who is it?" he called out. No response. Never a good sign, "Whatever you are selling I am not interested." Back home he didn't really deal with door to door salesmen. The building was bad enough that even desperate people wouldn't try to sell.

"Please open the door." The voice was...familiar, and not in a good way. Peter put on his jacket and debated sneaking out despite the lingering chill on his skin when she spoke up again, "Please don't run." She sounded legitimately pleading despite showing up unannounced, "I didn't come here to fight. I just...want to talk." She wasn't lying, or if she was his spider-sense wasn't ringing.

"...Any of your friends out there?" he asked eventually.

"No." Still no blare, "Please, I really do just want to talk."

"...Fine." He opened the door after a moment's hesitation and looked at the girl on the other side. She looked different without her costume and bow. Instead of a silver-white color her hair was a light brown and she wore a casual blouse, pants and flats that looked a lot more comfortable than that dress. On her face were a pair of glasses covering a pair of hazel colored eyes.

Looked like a normal teenager, but his throbbing shoulder said otherwise.

"Good evening." She bowed (always with the bowing...) and offered him a lunchbox, "I prepared some food as an apology. If you don't mind, that is."

"Sure..."

He stepped aside to let her in and shut the door slowly. If she really came alone then he didn't have to worry about getting jumped, but that just made her coming in even more worrisome. You don't normally meet up with someone you just fought with a few hours ago.

She took a seat on the nearby chair while Peter took the bed. He opened the lunchbox and smiled awkwardly at the filled contents, "Thanks." He set it on the side-table and looked her in the eyes. She wouldn't come her unmasked like this. If he had to guess she was probably wearing contacts and a wig. You'd be surprised at how much that could hide when people were looking for something specific.

"How did you find me?"

"Your magic left a trail. I just followed." Now he was leaving magic trails? He was starting to hate this city and he hadn't even finished the day. A new record, "Um...you look better," she said somewhat awkwardly.

"I guess." He rolled his left shoulder slightly, "Your friends, are they..."

"They're fine. They're tougher than they look." She smiled at that, even if it was small. Peter believed her. He got the feeling that if they didn't think he was just an innocent victim being possessed they would've incinirated him, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm being rude. My name is Haruka Ishikawa." Liar. He didn't hold it against her, "And you are?"

"...Ben Reilly." Wasn't a big loss if she knew. He had other aliases.

"Nice to meet you, Reilly-san."

"Mhm." He took a deep breath. Time to get into it, "You here for the knife? Or you still think I am one of those inversia things?"

"Yes and no." Her smile fell and she bit her lip, "That knife is most definitely corrupted magic of some kind, but I know now that you're not like the Inversia."

"Really? Would've been better if you knew that a few hours ago."

Her cheeks flushed slightly and she nodded, "Yes, you're right. It was only after we got home that I was able to talk with Kuro-chan. She said that she sensed someone new entering the city, someone who had...foreign magic. That's you, right?"

"Guess so?"

"It's him." Peter wasn't an easy person to surprise, but seeing the...thing appear out of nowhere behind the girl's back and drop on her lap was enough to make him jump. It was...cute, he guessed, but what the hell it was supposed to be he had no clue. The black and white fur and long ears made him think rabbit but he definitely saw traces of cat, dog and mouse features. Somehow it looked adorable instead of malformed.

"Kuro-chan! I thought you weren't coming?" 'Haruka' said, holding it gently. It was small enough that she could lift it with both hands.

"I finished my task ahead of time." The voice was definitely feminine but with these kinds of things who the hell knew? Spider-God didn't seem like a man despite the voice it used, "I thought I should be present for this."

"I can take care of myself." 'Haruka' puffed her cheeks up slightly.

"...Not for nothing, but you did go alone in a room with someone who attacked you. Most people would be worried," Peter said.

"I did think about that, but I was sure you wouldn't hurt someone unless you had to."

"How do you figure that?"

"Because you didn't hurt Hikari-chan." Hikari...must've been what they called the kid whenever she was dressed up, "No inversia would ever hesitate regardless of who their victim is. But you did."

"You need to be more careful, kid. One nice thing doesn't excuse a whole lot." Here he was being a cynic again. He promised Gwen he'd work on it, "Look, what did you come here for? If it was just for an apology then you did not need to come inside, and if it is the knife you are not getting it."

"A tainted blade." The rabitt creature hopped onto the bed and sniffed at his side. Peter resisted the urge to bat it away, "You are not an inversia, but this blade is unmistakably corrupted. Holding onto it only invites trouble."

"It is a knife. No matter what kind of magic it has it's a tool. It just depends on what you use it for."

The rabbit creature looked like it wanted to disagree but the look on his face made it clear there wasn't any argument to make. It let out a soft sigh and jumped to the girl's shoulder, "I do not agree, but so long as you do not use it to hurt innocents then a conflict serves neither of us." Hm. More practical than he expected coming from something that looked like a stuffed animal, "Should you change your mind, however, we are all willing to help you."

"Sure..." He scoffed, "...What the hell are you anyway?"

"Me? I am a guardian." Peter raised a brow, "I and others of my kind have many names, but guardian is the most apt. Our role is to safeguard the earth from the threats of the inversia."

"And where does the schoolgirl come in?"

"Hey!" 'Haruka' glared slightly.

"As we can't stop the inversia on our own, we must empower others to do so. We find worthy recepients of power and bless them with their gifts. In exchange they help protect this city from the threat of the inversia."

Teenagers offered powers from an animal? This was sounding too close to the Spider-God for his liking, "And you chose teenagers because...?" Maybe he didn't have room to talk considering how he fought alongside Lana, but he drew the line at 12 year olds.

"Magical power must be developed at an early age. Once enough time passes the potential has faded and they can no longer be Magical Girls." Magical Girls? Even for someone named Spider-Man he found it a bit on the nose.

"You do not think that's dangerous? Giving random teenagers powers?"

"An odd sentiment coming from one who is also empowered by a patron."

"I only know one other guy like me and I would not say he and I are examples to look up to." Mainly because there was always someone worse they were pointed at, "And why only girls anyway?"

"That is a long and difficult story." The rabbit creature sighed. Oh no, "Eons past, in the time when humanity was first taking steps, the kingdom of aeonar was embroiled in a devastating conflict-"

"You know what? I do not actually want to know that bad." Damn it, he had a headache now.

"I know you might have your doubts because our of first meeting, but we all understand the risks and responsibilities when it comes to protecting the city," 'Haruka' said, determination flashing in her eyes.

"...One of your teammates was 12, Ishikawa." And that was that best case scenario. She could've been 10 for all hew knew.

"Her magical potential was the greatest I've seen in centuries. She could possibly stop the inversia at their core if she reaches her full potential," the rabbit creature said.

"W-We do our best to protect her, and just because she's young doesn't mean she doesn't understand." Something told him that wouldn't hold up in a court of law, "I didn't come here to argue, Reilly-san. You have your circumstances and we have ours. Please respect that."

"Funny coming from someone who attacked me cause I had 'foreign magic'." He sighed, "But you are right. I am not here for those inversia things or whatever else you 'magical girls' are fighting. I am here for my own reasons and I doubt we are going to be running into each other after tonight." He'd need to find a new place to stay anyway...assuming they didn't track him down with that magical trail of his.

"Then I guess we're finished. Please accept my apology again and if you change your mind about the knife please don't hesitate to contact us." She put a handwritten number next to the lunchbox, "Throwing it away without purification can only harm others."

"If you say so..." He wasn't gonna call that number.

"This is goodbye then. Take care of yourself, Reilly-san, and don't forget to eat."

She left without another word. Peter just looked at the closed door then picked up the opened lunchbox Some countries had their own heroes but he tried to keep out of their way. This was the first time he got tangled up on the first day. Oh well, at least it was over now and he wouldn't have to see them again.

He sighed and took a small bite of the sausage rolls.

...

It was pretty good.


Good old Noir. One day into the city he already fought a monster of the week, had a 'just talk' fight with the local magical girls and is making an ass of himself by just viewing everything from a gritty comic book perspective. He's gonna have to be more savvy if he's going to stay in the city for more than a few days.

Anyway, like I said above this is the possible first chapter. I kinda just wanted to show Noir having to deal with a city that has different rules/heroes. Possible future chapters will delve more on the anime side of things as Noir is very reluctantly forced to team up with the magical girls, particularly Haruka, and he can't just shoot the monsters of the week.

And as per genre conventions I just picked different archetypes for the magical girls: Haruka is the vanilla nice girl, redhead is the fiery tomboy, magenta hair is the motherly big sis, and the kid is the token child who really shouldn't be risking her life fighting monsters. Makes Noir stick out even more for being the weird, violent foreigner.

By the way, Noir's dialogue is somewhat stiff since I deliberately made him not use contractions to show unfamiliarity with the language. Hopefully it's not too offputting.

Questions:

1. Obvious one, would you guys be interested in more Extra chapters of this story? Some people seemed really interested while others said it's better to leave it to the imagination.

2. If you do want another chapter, is there anything specific you wanna see? While I'm a big anime/manga fan I've really only started reading magical girl stuff the past couple of weeks so I'm kinda rusty.

Review Answers:

Roxasdualwielder - Eh, they're getting harder to write.

Paranormal17 - I love how you said Noir tried to shoot her and then concluded that the relationship's 'not perfect'

titan616 - The issue is that the relationship can feel onesided. Peter tends to bottle up a lot. Likewise whenever they get intimate Gwen initiates the majority of the time while he just reciprocates, making it look unbalanced. Gwen was even surprised when he did a lap pillow last chapter.

Yep, the exact requirements for being takem to heaven or hell is iffy besides 'be nice'. Matt says he's damned since his soul is tainted by the Beast and therefore he can't atone no matter what, for example. Mephisto also says that 65-Noir's soul was previously in hell but acts like it's not slated there anymore despite Noir killing far more people than 65-Peter ever did.

Dr Sugarcakes - Yep. Remember, Noir and Lana are pretty low on the grand scheme of things; they're not gonna beat a god after no preparation.

Dr Crow - Oh hey, new reader :) And yeah, the word count is bloated, isn't it? Kinda surprised myself. As of now I have no plans for future volumes though I wonder about adding some post-story filler arcs for fun. Anyway, what Extras did you skip? Just out of curiosity since I know not all of them appeal to the readers.