March twenty-seventh. Kazumi is still at Lepa Macha, but spotting Nico walking by with Juubey, she runs out to greet her.
"Oh, hey, good morning, Kazumi," Nico says.
"What are you up to so early?" Kazumi asks.
"Um… witch hunting?" Nico says.
"It's dangerous by yourself!" Kazumi says anxiously. "I'll come with you!"
"Sure," Nico says.
They wander through the city, eventually ending up at La Vie Land, the local amusement park. It's not yet open for the season, but they just jump over the wall and wander through the deserted park, chatting about the events of the previous night and Kazumi's missing memories. Then Nico spots someone else approaching.
"Let's talk about this later with everyone," Nico says with a smile.
She turns to the newcomer, a younger girl dressed in a warm coat, but wearing only shorts underneath, leaving her legs bare. It's pretty similar to the sort of clothes Sakura Kyouko usually wears.
"Did you get separated from your mommy, little girl?" Nico asks.
Her tone is more mocking than concerned.
"Stop playing dumb," the girl retorts, showing off a soul gem. "I'm Souju Ayase, and I have something super-cool to show you."
She raises her hands, and a whole host of soul gems appears from somewhere, floating in the air around her.
"I'm collecting them, you see," Ayase explains. "These gems are unmatched in beauty, because they shine with the light of life!"
"What a disgusting hobby," Nico retorts.
"Oh my, but weren't you Pleiades Saints doing the same thing earlier?" Ayase points out. "I clearly saw you gem picking. That girl was only slightly dirtied and didn't bother anyone, but you girls really wanted her, right?"
The host of soul gems vanishes, and Ayase turns to the pair with a smile.
"So, tell me your names."
"H-huh?" Kazumi finally manages to speak.
Ayase shows off a box of labelled soul gems, which once again she pulls out of nowhere.
"Gems need names, right?" she says, smiling winningly.
"Y-you!" Kazumi gasps.
Nico steps forward. "The only thing that needs a name is your gravestone," she retorts.
"Ugh… I knew it," Ayase groans. "I really don't like you."
The two of them transform and start attacking each other, with Nico transforming her fingers into missiles and making clones of herself, while Ayase fights with her sword and fire. But the battle doesn't last very long. Just when it seems like Ayase has won, Nico pops up behind her.
"Tocco del Mare," Nico intones.
The spell separates the soul gem from Ayase's body and forcibly cancels her transformation, and she falls limp in Nico's arms.
"D-did you kill her?" Kazumi asks.
"No, I simply stunned her," Nico replies.
Looking at Ayase, who appears to have lost consciousness, Nico addresses her.
"Let me tell you a fairy tale as you fall asleep," she says. "My name is Kanna Nico…"
But whatever she was going to say is interrupted by the girl herself, who opens her eyes with a smirk.
"Kanna Nico… how interesting!"
She grabs Nico's arm and transforms, sending her flying and retrieving the soul gem. Her outfit is different this time, though. Rather than the white dress of before, she now wears a red dress, although the style is pretty much the same.
"That's punishment for laying your hands on Ayase's soul gem!" the girl shouts. "This is my treasure, you know!"
Kazumi runs over to check up on Nico. Though she looks like she's in bad shape, she doesn't seem worried about her condition, so Kazumi looks at Juubey instead.
"Um, hey, Juubey… are there magical girls who can transform twice?" Kazumi asks.
"She didn't transform twice," Juubey replies. "There are two of her."
"Yes!" the girl says. "I am Souju Luca. We live in the same body, as two souls."
"A magical girl with a split personality…" Kazumi gasps.
"Now, before I take your gems," Luca says. "What is your name, little one?"
"Are you also trying to collect soul gems?" Kazumi asks.
"Of course… how else could I coexist with Ayase?" Luca replies.
"Juubey… what happens when a magical girl's soul gem is stolen?"
"She loses her magic," Juubey says. "And can potentially die."
"You two knew this and stole them anyway!?" Kazumi asks.
"That's exactly what makes life so beautiful!" Luca shouts. "You understand?"
"Not in the slightest!" Kazumi shouts, transforming. "You two don't have the right to be magical girls!"
She attacks Luca, who retaliates by freezing her in place with her ice magic. Kazumi's bell earring jingles.
"Oh, how rare!" Luca gasps. "Your soul gem is separated from your body!"
"D-don't touch it!" Kazumi gasps.
Kazumi punches Luca's soul gem, and she hops back, her transformation undone once more.
"Ugh," Luca groans. "Fine. Collecting your gem so easily wouldn't feel rewarding, anyway. I'll show you what we're capable of!"
She grabs both her soul gem and Ayase's and transforms a third time. Now she's in a dress that's half red and half white.
"Limiti Esterni!" Kazumi shouts.
"Picchi Gemellati!" the Souju twins shout.
Incredibly, their beam of flame and ice twisted together seems to be stronger than Kazumi's destructive energy blast. They exchange several blasts, but every time, Kazumi is sent flying. But then, Nico suddenly jumps in and catches her.
"Let's get out of here!" Nico says.
"As if we'd let you!" Souju shouts.
But they jump onto a rollercoaster and set off, going through a tunnel, and Souju apparently decides to wait for them to reappear from the other direction. Before long, that's exactly what happens.
"You fools!" Souju shouts. "Picchi Gemellati!"
"Limiti Esterni!" Kazumi shouts.
"Rendere o Romperlo!" Nico shouts.
But even Kazumi and Nico's combined attack isn't quite enough to overwhelm the Souju twins' ultimate. Then they try a combined attack, twisting the beams together in the same way Souju does, but even that's not quite enough.
"I see you've figured out how our technique works, but you can't beat us with a cheap knock-off!" Souju shouts. "Eat this!"
Their ultimate attack explodes in a cloud of steam, and they step into it, brushing it aside.
"With this, they should be…"
But then they see an open manhole cover, indicating that Kazumi and Nico have escaped once more. She glares at it for a second, then hops down.
"How long are you going to keep running away, Pleiades!?" Souju shouts.
"We're done with running!" Kazumi says.
Nico and Kazumi are standing in the darkness, holding hands.
"Ha! What's that supposed to mean?" Souju crows. "Did you decided to commit a double suicide? If that's what you want… Picchi Gemellati!"
But this time, Nico and Kazumi's counter-beam manages to overwhelm them, blasting a hole back to the surface. Nico catches Kazumi and lands next to the fallen twins.
"I'll protect Luca's gem," the girl says. "I won't let you have Ayase's gem…"
"Luca and Ayase!" Kazumi announces. "Admit it! You've lost!"
"N-not yet!" Souju says. "Take this!"
She grabs a box and takes out some evil nuts, flinging them at the pair.
"Now the tables have turned!" Souju crows.
But Saki comes out of nowhere to catch the evil nuts before they can hit their targets. The rest of the Pleiades Saints show up as well.
"Where did you get these?" Saki asks, turning to the Souju twins.
"Ugh, fine," Souju grumbles, ignoring the question. "I guess this is it. We've lost, Pleiades Saints. Go ahead and kill us, you magical girl hunters."
"We're not murderers," Kaoru says, stepping forward. "But we can't just let demons like you go, so we'll be holding on to your gems for awhile."
"Kaoru!" Saki hisses. "Not in front of Kazumi!"
"Sorry," Nico adds. "She saw me doing it…"
"Their gems are at their limits," Kaoru says. "I'm doing it. Tocco del Mare."
As before, the spell forcibly cancels the transformation and returns the two soul gems to gem form. Kazumi powers down.
"Why are we taking their soul gems?" she asks. "What does she mean by magical girl hunters? Didn't I say we'd bear the burden together!? Please tell me!"
"Alright," Umika says.
"Umika!" Saki protests.
"It's not something we can hide from her now, Saki," Umika says. "We'll tell you the entire truth behind the Pleiades Saints."
But before she can begin, Nico's soul gem cracks. Even though there's only a little visible corruption, it shatters and transforms into a grief seed.
That's where I stop watching. There's not much point going any further, because I basically know what's going to happen next. The witch Weiße Königin will be defeated by Mirai, Hijiri will substitute herself for Nico without anyone realizing, and then Kazumi will be introduced to the Freezer. Even if there are little differences in how that plays out, I don't think it will matter. The crucial point is that I know the time limit to prevent Nico from turning into a witch. I check the time and jot it down in my document.
However, I do take another peek later that day, after supper. I see Kazumi fighting against her other clones and absorbing them, and then Satomi turns into a witch and is swiftly defeated by Kazumi. This means the plot is still very much on the rails despite the switch of the early antagonist. After purifying my soul gem, I go to bed with a heavy heart… I hope I can save them…
I wake up the next morning from a nightmare where I'm being chased by Charlotte, Uhrmann, and Kazumi. Sitting up in bed with a sigh, I check the time on my phone. It's still early in the morning, just a little before six o'clock. I decide to peek on Kazumi once again. At least this time there's no expectation that I'll see someone turn into a witch… I've seen quite enough of that for one timeline. Maybe even enough for a lifetime.
March twenty-eighth, just before six o'clock in the morning. Kazumi stands in an observation tower overlooking the sea, muttering to herself. There's one of those coin-operated telescopes next to her, and she's watching the sun rise.
"What am I… am I even human?" she mutters. "No… I'm really not human, am I… I'm not even a magical girl really, am I…"
Suddenly, a hand lands on her shoulder, and she spins to face the culprit.
"Huh? Who are you?" she asks.
The woman in question grins at her.
"My name is Pernelle," she says. "Though ye may know me not, Lady Kazumi, I know you well, for ye be the homunculus created by the Pleiades Saints."
"I'm a… a… a what now?" Kazumi asks, confused.
"A homunculus," Pernelle says. "It is an artificial life form created in imitation of a human."
"Why…" Kazumi mutters. "Why did I have to be born like this and made to think I was human!? I even have Michiru's memories, or at least some of them!"
Pernelle shrugs. "I beg your pardon, but I cannot answer your question," she says. "Only the Pleiades Saints can speak of their own motivations."
"Who are you really?" Kazumi asks. "Are… surely not, but… are you a… a magical girl?"
Pernelle grins. "Oh? Ye deduced my secret? Yes, I am indeed a magical girl."
"What are you doing here? Why didn't you help the Pleiades Saints when they were in trouble?" Kazumi asks.
"I beg you to ask one question at a time," Pernelle says. "The second question is but a trifle, so I will answer that first. Lady Kazumi, unfortunately I am neither omnipotent, nor omniscient. On Saturday, I happened upon an unusually powerful witch, which proved too great for even my strength. Since such a powerful witch will grow ever stronger if left unchecked, I enlisted Asuka Yuuri and Anri Airi to assist me in the extermination thereof."
"Oh! So there are other magical girls in the city?" Kazumi gasps. "I never knew…"
"Yes indeed," Pernelle says. "I chose those two because they are an exceptionally strong team, perchance even stronger than the Pleiades Saints. We passed the better part of Sunday tracking the witch down and engaging it in battle. That, Lady Kazumi, is the reason why I was unable to help the Pleiades Saints. It is only about an hour since I learned from Kyuubey that Nico had become a witch. It is such a pity… I had considered taking her on as my pupil."
Kazumi blinks at her. "Huh? But Nico is alive," she says. "I saw her just last night…"
"Is that right?" Pernelle says. "Are ye certain you truly saw Nico, rather than her double?"
"U-um… I can't be certain, I guess," Kazumi says hesitantly.
"Then allow me to return to your first question," Pernelle says. "Ye wish to know why I am here. The answer is simple. I came to investigate a magical spell placed upon this city."
"A… a spell?" Kazumi blinks. "What kind of spell?"
"I believe Lady Misaki is the best person to query on that matter," Pernelle says. "But that is enough about me. Have ye no questions about yourself?"
"R-right… you called me a homunculus," Kazumi says. "That means… that means I'm less than human, right?"
"Oh? Whatever gave you that idea, my dear?" Pernelle says. "A homunculus is neither more nor less than human. It is merely… a homunculus. It is a different kind of being, similar to a human, yet also different."
"Why was I able to absorb all my clones?" Kazumi asks.
"I presume that ye refer to the other twelve homunculi created by the Pleiades Saints," Pernelle says. "Ye say that ye absorbed them? Now that is quite intriguing indeed… tell me more forthwith!"
Kazumi haltingly gives a brief account of the ordeal, with Pernelle nodding along and occasionally asking for an extra detail here and there.
"I understand," she says. "This is but a hypothesis, so please forgive any error in advance. From your account, I believe it occurred because the thirteen homunculi were all made of the same material. On account of the genetic similarity, when your blood mixed with that of the others, the homunculus cells lost the ability to distinguish one body from another. The homunculus regeneration then took effect, morphing the multiple damaged bodies into a single complete one."
"So what you're saying is… it's because they were me, right?" Kazumi says.
"In a certain sense… hmm, yes, I believe that would indeed be a reasonable description," Pernelle says.
"But I don't think I got any of their memories or anything…"
Pernelle shrugs. "That merely means that the brain cells of the other homunculi did not survive the transformation. The time they spent in storage most probably weakened what will remained in them."
"S-so… am I a monster?" Kazumi asks.
"That is a highly subjective question," Pernelle says. "It depends on your definition of 'monster'. By my standards, ye are no monster, but I speak not for the average human, and I know not your personal standards."
"I see… um, thanks for the chat, Pernelle," Kazumi says. "I'm not sure why, but I feel a bit better now."
"Oh, is that so?" Pernelle says. "Though that was not my intention, I am happy that I could improve your spirits. In any case… since Nico is no more, I intend to return to Paris. Farewell, Lady Kazumi."
"Y-yeah… farewell," Kazumi says.
"Although… it feels as though we have had this conversation before," Pernelle adds. "Mayhaps time has already turned back at least once. If that is indeed the case, we may yet speak again."
As she walks off, leaving Kazumi utterly baffled by her final comment, she passes by another woman, this one familiar. Kazumi blinks.
"Huh? It's her…?"
The woman blinks on spotting her. "Eh? Aren't you the girl from that bomb threat incident…?"
"O-oh… sorry about that," Kazumi says, bowing. "Um… was your body alright after that?"
"I'm not sure what you're talking about," the woman says. "But I haven't gotten sick or injured recently."
"Right… I guess you don't remember," Kazumi mutters.
"Anyway, you'll catch a cold staying out here," the woman says. "Why don't you come with me? I could give you a lift. Oh, my name is Ishijima Misako, by the way."
Misako leads her to a parked car nearby, and they climb in. They start talking, and somehow the conversation turns to Misako's work as a detective.
"You see, I've been looking for missing girls," Misako explains.
"Missing girls, you say…?"
"Yeah, there have been more than twenty of them over the past few months," Misako says. "The most recent was just reported last night, so I was on my way to question her parents. These girls don't seem to have any behavioural problems or a reason to run away. We're not sure what's happening, but it's definitely different from typical runaway cases. I almost get the feeling there's something out there hunting girls…"
"Hunting girls, huh…" Kazumi mutters.
She flips through a book of case files and spots a word that jumps out at her.
"Hyades?" she muses. "Isn't that… something related to the Pleiades?"
"Oh, do you know your Greek mythology, Kazumi?" Misako asks. "You're right… both the Pleiades and the Hyades are a group of seven sisters. The two groups are also half-sisters, so there's certainly a relation…"
"Why's something like that in here?" Kazumi asks.
"Well, we checked the message logs on some of the missing girls' phones and found evidence of messages from an account called Hyades."
"So… did the culprit send those messages?" Kazumi asks.
"I don't know," Misako says. "We didn't find the messages themselves, only the log that says a message was received. The message body had been deleted, and the phone company has no records of such an account. Why, have you ever received a message from that account?"
"No…"
"Oh, here we are," Misako says. "Wow… this is somehow nostalgic, actually… I used to come to this house all the time. It looks just how I remember it…"
She pulls up in front of a small house with a shed outside, and Kazumi blinks at it.
"Huh? I've seen this house before…"
"Oh? Do you know the family that lives here? Want to come in?" Misako asks.
"W-well… I'm not sure if she'd be happy to see me," Kazumi says hesitantly. "B-but I guess I could…"
The two of them walk up to the house, and Misako rings the bell. A few moments later, the door is answered by the older sister, Remi.
"Hi, is this about… huh!?"
Misako stares at her. "N-no way… that's impossible… you can't possibly be…"
"Oh my god, it really is you, Misako-chan!" Remi gasps, hugging her. "I wondered if I'd see you again… Mom never mentioned you, after all."
"B-but wait… how is it…"
"Why don't the both of you come in?" Mrs Shiina says, appearing in the hallway. "It'll be more comfortable discussing matters in the living room. It has been a long time, Miss Ishijima."
As Misako steps inside, Remi's eyes slide past her and spot Kazumi cowering behind her.
"Ah! It's you! Are you the one who kidnapped Moe-chan!?" she shouts.
"I told you, it's not like that!" Kazumi squeaks. "She was the one who kidnapped me!"
"Oh? You two know each other?" Misako says, startled.
"N-not exactly," Kazumi says. "But this is what I meant about not being happy to see me…"
"Y-you really didn't…?" Remi asks desperately.
"No… I didn't," Kazumi says.
The two of them head inside, where the mother serves some tea and snacks.
"So you decided to join the police force, huh Misako-chan?" Remi says. "Honestly, I never would've imagined it, but it kinda suits you."
"Well, to be honest, it was your disappearance that inspired me to join," Misako admits. "I wanted to help find missing girls like you…"
"There's no way that's possible," Remi sighs. "At least, not when it comes to girls like me…"
"So… care to give me an explanation, Remi-chan?" Misako asks. "You look like you're still fourteen… how is that possible?"
"Well, um… that's a tough question," Remi says. "Honestly, I basically woke up about a month ago, just like this."
"It was the week after Valentine's Day," Mrs Shiina adds. "The… twenty-second of February, if my memory serves."
"Yeah, what Mom said," Remi says.
"You know, when you disappeared eight years ago, your little sister made some rather outlandish claims," Misako says.
Remi blinks. "U-um… say, Mom, would you mind if I have some time alone with Misako-chan?" She pauses to look at Kazumi. "Oh… you can stay too, I guess."
"If that's what you want, dear," Mrs Shiina says.
With that, she takes her teacup and leaves the room. Remi then looks at Misako.
"So um… what kind of claims?"
"Well… this might sound crazy, but she said you were a magical girl who fights witches that bring disaster to the world," Misako says.
Remi lets out a nervous laugh. "Y-yeah, that sure does sound crazy…"
"Eh?" Kazumi says. "But you are, right? I saw you transformed… and your speed was incredible…"
Remi shoots her a glare. "It's supposed to be a secret, you idiot!"
"O-oh, I'm sorry…"
"So you're saying your little sister was telling the truth?" Misako says.
"W-well, it's true that Moe-chan found out by accident one day," Remi admits. "I thought she'd never remember, so I just told her I fight evil witches for love and justice, or something along those lines… I don't remember the exact words."
"I find it hard to believe," Misako groans. "You're seriously expecting me to believe that magic is real?"
"D-do you want me to… to show you, Misako-chan?" Remi asks nervously.
"No… no, I'm not sure if I can handle that right now," Misako says. "Um… should we get to the main reason I came, Remi-chan? It's about your little sister, after all."
"R-right, she didn't come back after going out to hunt witches last night," Remi muses.
"Huh? Wait a second… are you saying… she's a magical girl too?" Misako asks. "Since when?"
"I'm not entirely sure, because she refused to say outright, but I'm fairly sure I came back because she became a magical girl," Remi says. "So, since February twenty-second, I guess."
"Uhh… why would you think the two events are related?" Misako asks, confused.
"W-well, that's because… when you become a magical girl, you can get any wish granted," Remi replies.
Misako blinks incredulously and seems like she's about to ask more, but then she closes her mouth. A few seconds later, she changes the topic.
"R-right… so, to get back on topic… she went out late at night and didn't come back?"
Remi nods. "Yeah… that's right…"
"She won't come back," Kazumi murmurs. "She can't…"
The two of them blink at Kazumi, who has suddenly started crying.
"Um… what's wrong, Miss Kazumi?" Misako asks.
"I saw it," Kazumi says. "I couldn't do anything. It happened right there in front of my eyes. Hey, um, Miss Shiina… do… do you know what happens when you run out of magic?"
Remi blinks. "Well, kind of… I… I think… that's what happened to me eight years ago," she says. "I remember running out of magic, and then… just a surge of… of… some emotion I can't describe, and then everything went blank… there are a few hazy memories of people trying to kill me… and then I woke up to find my sister suddenly much older and a magical girl." She pauses. "Um… I've thought about it a lot since I revived, and… I suspect I may have turned into a witch…"
"Yeah… sounds like you did, Miss Shiina," Kazumi says. "It must have been Moe-chan's wish that revived you… and yet… and yet… I couldn't stop her from suffering the same fate… I'm sorry!"
Remi casts her eyes downwards. "I… I see… is that what happened…"
"Remi-chan, this could be important," Misako says. "Did Moe-chan receive messages from Hyades? Do you have any idea who they are?"
"Hyades?" Remi says. "Oh, her… I have a photo of her on my phone. I thought she was kinda fishy, so I snuck a photo… let me find it."
Misako blinks. "R-really? That's incredible! You're awesome, Remi-chan!"
Remi digs out her phone and shows a blurry photo of a girl, and Kazumi blinks at it.
"Huh? B-but that's… that's Nico-chan… I think? Although the outfit is different…"
"You know this girl?" Misako says urgently. "Do you know where she lives?"
"U-um… I'm not certain," Kazumi says hesitantly. "It's so blurry… it could just be someone who looks similar. I've never seen Nico-chan wear anything like that, either…"
"Can you think of anything else that might be relevant?" Misako asks.
"Um… other than that Moe-chan seemed to have a grudge against some 'Pleiades Saints'… not really," Remi says. "She wouldn't talk to me about it, but I could hear her mumbling to herself now and then, and there was that one time she came crying to me. I'm sorry, Misako-chan… I wish I could be of more help."
"Moe-chan said they killed a girl named Mura Fumiko," Kazumi explains. "But she's actually still alive…"
"Mura Fumiko, you say!?" Misako gasps. "That's another of the missing girls on my list… do you know where she is?"
"I'm sorry…" Kazumi says. "I need to think things over before I can talk about that. Please… please give me some time, okay?"
"But what if she dies in that time?" Misako says.
"I'm pretty confident she won't," Kazumi says.
"Well… if you're sure…" Misako says hesitantly. "Alright then. When you're ready to chat, just call me… here's my personal number."
"Or you can call me, if you'd prefer," Remi adds. "You're a magical girl too, right? It might be easier for you to talk to another magical girl… though I guess I'm younger than you, huh? Even so, if you want to, I'm willing to chat."
The three of them tap phones, and the beep of exchanged info sounds. Remi and Misako chat a little more, and then Misako and Kazumi leave, heading back to the car. Once they're well on the road, Misako suddenly questions her.
"So by the way, I was wondering… have you gotten your memories back yet?"
Kazumi blinks, and tears suddenly start flowing down her face.
"Miss Ishijima… I don't have anything of my own!" she sobs. "No memories, no home, no friends, nothing!"
"Huh? What about those two from before?" Misako asks, startled. "The two young ladies who you seemed to be friendly with…"
"They're… they're not my friends," Kazumi sobs. "They're Kazusa Michiru's friends. I'm… I'm just… a substitute…"
Suddenly Kazumi lets out a bloodcurdling wail, and the car screeches to a stop.
"W-what's wrong!?" Misako asks, startled.
"I'm hungry!" Kazumi wails.
"That's… not good…" Misako sighs.
Then she spots a sign indicating a café nearby, so she drives there. By some incredible coincidence, it seems to be Café Lepa Macha again. After her meal, she curls up on the bench and falls asleep. Souichirou even puts a blanket over her, then serves Misako some coffee.
"Thanks… huh? It tastes a bit different…"
"I added a bit of butter," Souichirou says. "Got the idea from an old manga… it gives you some strength."
Misako takes out a photo of herself and Remi from middle school.
"Say… have you ever seen this girl? We'd just become seniors, and then she suddenly disappeared without a trace. There were no leads at all…"
"No, can't say I've ever seen her. Is this why you're so passionate about searching for the lost girls?" Souichirou asks.
Misako nods. "But there was one clue…" she muses. "Mr Tachibana, do you believe in magic? Moe-chan, Remi's little sister, said she had become a magical girl who fought witches that bring disaster to the world. Obviously nobody believed her, but in my investigations, I found things that just made no sense… I couldn't explain them without magic or miracles. My bosses laughed at me, but…"
"A magical girl, you say," Souichirou, deadpan.
"But there really are pieces of evidence that can't be explained by modern science!" Misako says, slamming the table and standing up. Then she blinks. "S-sorry, I couldn't help myself…"
"It's fine, but… why are you telling me all this?" Souichirou asks.
"Because Remi loves that manga too," Misako says. "The one where they put butter in coffee. But, get this… you might not believe me, but I saw her today, and it's like no time has passed for her, like she was never gone! It shouldn't be possible, and yet… it's like a miracle."
"That's incredible…" Souichirou muses. Then he smiles. "Well… I think it's fine to believe in magic and miracles, don't you?"
I guess this is the point where the plot goes well off the rails. It's sort of impressive that it kept on track for this long, given the massive changes my interference induced, but I can't imagine the climactic scenes going the same way with the extra information Kazumi has gotten from Pernelle and Remi. Between the two of them, the mastermind's identity has been blown wide open already. Honestly, I was pretty surprised to see Pernelle there at all, and even more surprised to hear that she actually teamed up with Yuuri and Airi to bring down an especially strong witch. She didn't seem like the sort of person to work in a team, after all…
And the conversation between Misako and Mr Tachibana finally jogged my memory on where I'd heard of Shiina Remi. That scene is basically right out of the manga… the only difference is that Remi wasn't miraculously revived, so the conversation went a little differently. Of course, the visit to her house never happened in the manga either.
But the mystery of Remi's resurrection has been basically solved. It's still speculative at this point, but I imagine the sequence of events was something like this. Because Pernelle peeled away Umika's barrier, Kyuubey was able to create more magical girls in Asunaro than he had in the manga. One of those was probably Mura Fumiko, who was a friend of Shiina Moe. That relationship could have dragged Moe into the world of magical girls, allowing her to wish for her sister to be revived. That said, I can't help wondering how she managed to remember her sister well enough after eight years, given that she'd been only three years old when her sister died.
The other thing that leapt out at me is that Pernelle was somehow able to tell that time was already reversed once. I wonder how she managed it? Did she get a sense of deja vu or something? Or does she have some skill that can transcend the timelines? It reminds me of Mary, who also seems to be able to remember things from previous timelines. I'm a little worried that there could be others as well…
April first. Mami, Madoka, and Homura leave school together to patrol for witches. Like in the last timeline, they soon happen upon Patricia's trail and follow it until they find the portal. The three of them then transform and step inside.
As Homura clings to one of the clotheslines, Mami and Madoka nimbly target the familiars. Mami is able to defeat them in a single shot from her musket, or two at the most, and Madoka usually needs only two shots from her bow to take down a single familiar. However, unlike Mami, she can fire several shots at the same time, so on average, she is slightly more effective than Mami.
"L-let me help too!" Homura gasps, struggling to stand on the swaying clothesline.
"Don't worry about us, Homura-chan!" Madoka says. "Save your strength for the witch!"
"We can easily take care of these familiars," Mami adds. "But the witch will certainly be tougher. You don't have ranged precision attacks, so just sit tight and let us clear the way for you."
The three of them slowly work their way up through the web of clotheslines, with Mami helping Homura up with her ribbons whenever the familiars become sparse. Finally they emerge from the top of the snarl to gaze up at the clear sky, and then the shower of chairs and desks heralds the arrival of Patricia herself. Some of the furniture narrowly misses Homura, and she falls over, clinging to the clothesline. A new horde of familiars appears, and Madoka focuses a barrage of arrows on them, holding them off.
"Miss Mami, make a path for Homura-chan!" Madoka calls.
"I'm on it!" Mami replies.
She pulls out a massive length of ribbon, whipping it high into the air and snagging several of the clotheslines. Some of the lines even snap, clearing a path through the snarl to where Homura still clings to one of the lines, and then the ribbon weaves itself into a pathway leading from Homura straight up towards the witch.
"Miss Akemi, now's your chance!" Mami calls.
"R-right!" Homura says.
Homura drops down onto the ribbon path, and then an instant later she's in free fall close to the witch. An explosion at her back accelerates her fall, and then Mami's ribbons whip up to form a sort of trampoline thing to break her fall.
"D-did we do it?" Homura asks, turning to look upwards.
Even as she asks, the barrier finishes collapsing and Madoka hugs her.
"We did it!"
"You did an excellent job, Miss Akemi," Mami says.
"Yeah, that was incredible, Homura-chan!" Madoka says.
"Hey, you ready to go witch hunting?"
I open my eyes to see Komachi and Hiyori.
"Sure… let's head north towards the gym and bathhouse today," I say.
As before, we follow Nikola's trail all the way to the haunted house, but just as we're about to enter the house, Kuroe shows up.
"O-oh… are you…?"
"Hunting this witch?" I say. "That's right, but you're welcome to join us if you want."
Kuroe blinks. "Oh! Um… sure!"
So the four of us fight the witch together… but this time, I don't ask her about Iroha. I suspect I'll stop seeing her here at all once I manage to get Iroha to contract, but I've already gotten all the information I need from her.
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.
Souju Ayase
双樹あやせ
Age: 12
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Brown
Origins: Unknown
Symbol: Red pawn
Soul Gem: Red pawn gem on her left shoulder
Element: Fire, telekinesis
Weapon: Katana
Powers: Fire
Wish: Unknown
Speed: 4
Magical Stamina: 7
Offensive Power: 6
Defensive Power: 4
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 3
Souju Luca
双樹ルカ
Age: 12
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Brown
Origins: Unknown
Symbol: White reverse teardrop
Soul Gem: White reverse teardrop gem on her right shoulder
Element: Water
Weapon: Sword
Powers: Ice, dimensional pocket
Wish: Unknown
Speed: 4
Magical Stamina: 7
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 6
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 3
Kanna Nico
神流ニコ
Age: 16
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Blonde
Origins: Asunaro, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Green Hexagon
Soul Gem: Green hexagonal gem on the back of her neck
Element: Null
Weapon: Crowbar
Powers: Alchemical reconstruction, spatial compaction
Wish: "I want to create another version of myself as I would have been without the traumatic incident in my past. I want her to be happy with her family."
Affiliation: Pleiades Saints
Speed: 3
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 6
Defensive Power:6
Initial Power Usability: 7
Learned Powers: 5