I sit up in my bed and check the time on my phone. It's March sixteenth once more, a few minutes after six in the morning… but wait. I don't remember clearly, but I think last time my phone when I woke up said only three minutes after six. However, this time, it's five minutes. It may be only a small difference, but it gives me pause, because it suggests that what I thought I understood about Homura's time-travel power may not be entirely correct.
I had assumed it was a checkpoint-based power, where she can only jump back in time to her checkpoint. I'd even speculated that, if she successfully saved Madoka and chose not to reverse time, it would be possible for her to set a new checkpoint. But if it's checkpoint-based, then there should be no way for different timelines to have a different starting point. The other alternative I can think of is that her power takes her back by a fixed time period, so if she waited an additional two minutes before reversing time on the last loop, that could explain this discrepancy. Of course, the third possibility is that I just remembered wrong, and the clock actually read five minutes past six at the start of the last loop.
Anyway, I don't have time to ponder it right now. I get out of bed and recreate the document with information from the first loop, then add everything new I learned in the second loop. I also make a note on the possible starting time discrepancy, so I don't forget. Once I've finished with that, I start pondering how I should interfere with the timeline this time. Last time, I didn't do that much, other than trying to make sure that Elise and Claire survived… which wasn't as successful as I'd hoped. I'll have to do better this time. I'd also like to try saving Inui and Nagisa this time around, and perhaps I'll try to save Nico as well. Since Nico's transformation into a witch apparently prompted Pernelle to leave town, I wonder what effect saving her will have.
If things go as they do in the anime, this will also be the timeline where Sayaka joins the team, so I'll have to keep an eye on her a bit. I also want to monitor events in Hohzuki so I can figure out when I need to travel there to prevent the tragedy that's going to unfold. At minimum, I need to determine when Suzune transfers to Akanegasaki Middle School.
When I go down for breakfast, I warn the sisters about Itzli, using telepathy since the parents are also present.
«Hey, I ran across a witch yesterday that seemed very strong,» I say. «I don't think the four of you could beat it by yourselves… even with my help I think it would be difficult, so please don't even try it, okay?»
«Sure, but how can we identify this witch?» Komachi asks.
«Its labyrinth looks like a theatre,» I reply.
«Okay… I'll keep that in mind,» Komachi says. «Think we could call someone else in for backup?»
«Not sure… I'll think about it,» I reply.
March seventeenth. Kaname Madoka exits the school gate together with Hitomi and Sayaka. As in the first timeline, she wears her hair in a ponytail instead of her signature twin bunches. Hitomi heads off to her music lesson, and then Sayaka poses her question.
"So, what're you gonna do, Madoka?" she asks.
"I didn't really have any plans," Madoka replies. "How about you?"
Didn't she have errands from her mother? What happened to those?
"Well, I was gonna see if I can find some interesting CDs at the shopping mall," Sayaka says. "Wanna come with?"
"Sure!" Madoka says.
They head to the music store and spend a few minutes listening to sample tracks. Then Madoka spots Kyuubey weaving its way through the crowd for some reason and, being the cat lover that she is, decides to go chasing it. Sayaka spots her leaving and runs after her, and Kyuubey leads them into a section of the mall that's undergoing renovation. Then it seems to notice that it's being followed and hops out in front of them… or was this all just a ploy to lure them out? It's impossible to tell what an incubator is thinking…
"It seems the two of you have the potential," Kyuubey says.
Madoka blinks at it. "Huh!? A talking rabbit!? I thought it was a cat…"
"It does look a bit like a cat too," Sayaka admits.
"I am neither a rabbit nor a cat," Kyuubey says. "My name is Kyuubey. I would like you to make contracts with me and become magical girls."
As it says that, Gertrud's labyrinth forms around them, sucking them in, and Sayaka looks around in surprise.
"Huh!? Where are we? How did we get here?"
"This is a witch's labyrinth," Kyuubey says. "Witches are monsters that spread curses and disaster throughout the world. A magical girl's duty is to defeat witches."
"You said we can become magical girls?" Madoka asks.
"You have the potential within you," Kyuubey says. "If you make a contract with me, I can grant you any one wish that you desire."
Madoka blinks. "Uhh… a wish? Um… I'm not sure…"
"That's a tough one," Sayaka says. "What would I even wish for…"
Some of the familiars start to take notice of them and move towards them, showing their teeth menacingly. Madoka takes a step back in fear, and Sayaka steps in front, shielding her.
"If you wish to live, you should decide quickly," Kyuubey says. "Otherwise, these familiars will–"
But then the sound of gunfire rings out, and the familiars approaching the two girls explode into clouds of confetti. Tomoe Mami lands next to them.
"Are you alright?" she asks.
"Eh? Eh?" Madoka looks at her in confusion. "Are you…?"
"That's right," Mami says with a smile. "I am a magical girl who fights witches. Please, give me a moment. We can talk after I deal with these familiars."
After that, they go to Mami's house to chat, which ends up pretty similar to the first episode of the anime. There are some differences, but nothing noteworthy.
The next day is Friday, the day I need to save Inui. As we pack up after school, I ask Komachi for help.
"Hey, Komachi-chan, could you do me a favour?" I ask.
"Uhh… sure, what do you want?" she asks. "If it's something within my power…"
"I noticed the Sleepwalking Spectre patrolling in the hospital district, and it seems she ran into Inui-chan," I explain. "It looks like it's gonna come to blows, and I don't like Inui-chan's chances… could you sprint there with me? I'm asking you because you can heal."
Komachi nods. "Sure, no problem!"
So we leave school at a run, making for the hospital district, and I monitor Yu and Inui as we go. Technically, my words earlier were a lie – I hadn't yet spotted those two talking. However, the meeting occurs just as we leave the school gate, so it's close enough to the truth. The conversation itself, if you can call it that, goes exactly as I remember it, followed by the battle and Kyuubey's arrival. Just as Komachi and I round the corner, Kyuubey strikes the finishing blow.
"I appreciate it, Inui," it says. "Thank you for finally being useful to us in the end."
Inui gasps, raising her head to look at us.
"Ashley-chan… Ashley-chan… I'm sorry… fare…well…"
I already have a grief seed out, but it looks like I'm a few seconds too late. As I lean down to use it, her soul gem cracks open, and the dog witch emerges with a baleful howl.
"Oh, hello, Ashley Taylor," Kyuubey says. "I knew you were watching, but I did not expect you to arrive so quickly. Do you intend to fight this witch?"
Ugh. Does it have to rub salt in the wound? I just tried to save her, damn it! But it seems I just wasn't fast enough. Is there a way to be even faster, I wonder?
"I-if only we'd taken the time to ask Claire," Komachi says.
Ohhh… I'd forgotten that Claire is fast. Alright, that should work for next time, hopefully.
"Oh… I'm so stupid," I groan. "I wish I'd thought of that… I wish you'd thought of it sooner…" Glaring at Kyuubey, I continue. "You bet I'll be fighting this witch, but don't you have somewhere else to be right now?"
"While true, I do not understand how you would know that," Kyuubey says.
Kyuubey trots off, and I turn to Komachi.
"Are you okay, Komachi-chan?" I ask.
"I… I can't say I'm okay," Komachi says. "B-but, we can talk about that later… right? W-we need to do something about this, otherwise we'll die…"
I transform and summon Teddy Mk II. Komachi also transforms, taking a stance with her naginata. In effect, that makes three of us here to fight off the witch. I also want to see how this changes Nagisa's fate, so I start monitoring her with clairvoyance in one corner of my mind. Currently, she's just looking around in confusion and hasn't transformed.
"Okay… let's see," I say. "I think our strategy should be connect, attack until it wears off, then you keep her busy while I charge my ultimate. Does that sound good?"
Komachi nods. "Alright, let's go!"
We slap hands, then leap forward to slash at the witch's legs, while Teddy Mk II zooms into the air to attack her head. Uhrmann dodges the first few swipes and tries to stomp on Komachi, but she dodges and uses it as a chance to get a clean hit in. With the charm taking effect, we're able to spend a good twenty seconds or so just attacking with abandon, enough to completely mangle her front legs.
Then she suddenly recovers and rears onto her hind legs, howling again. The stars which had previously seemed like nothing more than background decorations suddenly zoom into the foreground as missiles, forcing both me and Komachi to focus on dodging. Fortunately, that attack only lasts a few seconds, after which I grab Teddy Mk II to begin charging while Komachi keeps her busy. While I charge, I can hear Kyuubey's conversation with Nagisa.
"What's happening?" Nagisa asks, surprisingly calm given the situation. "Why is there a witch's labyrinth at the hospital!?"
"The entire hospital has been swallowed up by a witch's labyrinth," Kyuubey says. "We need to escape, before the witch finds us."
"E-escape?" Nagisa protests. "But what about the hospital? What about the patients?"
"Naturally, some patients could become the witch's prey," Kyuubey replies.
"But don't I have to fight it?" Nagisa says. "I'm a magical girl now, after all."
"This witch is too strong for you as you are now," Kyuubey says. "Fortunately, another magical girl has already arrived on the scene. All you need to do is get to safety."
"N-no!" Nagisa says stubbornly. "That's not enough!"
"Are you worried about your mother?" Kyuubey asks. "I thought you gave up on curing her. She doesn't have much longer. It won't make any difference how she dies."
"No… that's not it," Nagisa says. "I… I decided I won't hold myself back anymore! I won't listen to anyone, and I won't do what they ask me to! I'm only going to act for myself!"
With that declaration, she transforms and runs off, presumably looking for the witch. It's around this time that my attack is ready, so I let loose.
"Ultimate Teddy Glittering Gunk!"
The glittering beam stops the witch in her tracks once more, and Komachi and I jump forward to target her rear legs. Unfortunately, she has no intention of making things easy for us. Before either of us can land a blow, she jumps right over us and runs off.
"H-huh? I thought your charm made her see us as friends?" Komachi asks.
"It does," I say. "It does, but… but if there's another magical girl, perhaps she's become the new target…"
"Th-then we've got to hurry after the witch!" Komachi says.
"You don't have to tell me twice!"
We both run after the retreating dog witch, and after a minute or two I hear a trumpet blast, followed by a cloud of bubbles that engulfs both us and the witch.
"Guess you were right about another magical girl," Komachi says.
I can hear Nagisa's voice through the cloud of bubbles.
"Because she ignores me, I won't let you take Mom from me!" Nagisa shouts.
Another trumpet clarion is swiftly followed by a squeal of pain from the witch.
"Because she hates me, I won't let you take Mom from me!" Nagisa continues.
«Be ready for the witch to go on a rampage,» I transmit to Komachi. «When she's trying to find that other magical girl, that's our chance to take advantage of this… this mist and finish her off.»
Another trumpet clarion lands a blow on Uhrmann.
"I won't let you take Mom from me!" Nagisa shouts. "Because she pushes all her problems on me, I'll force her to be in my debt!"
«This girl seems to have problems,» Komachi observes. «Like, severe family problems, but also a bad personality…»
I don't bother to respond, but privately I agree with her. Nagisa does seem a little unhinged. Once again, one of her trumpet clarions sounds, landing another blow to the witch.
"I'll do anything to make her regret how she treated me! So you can't have her! Mom can only die because I chose not to save her with my wish!"
This time, she sounds two clarions in succession, and Uhrmann raises her head to howl briefly before starting to stampede around the area.
«Now's our chance! Stay sharp!»
Komachi and I ready our weapons, and sure enough, in Uhrmann's stampede she just happens to land upon our location. We dodge in opposite directions and slash at her leg. It seems her front legs have recovered enough that she can use them again. As she squeals in pain, I take advantage of the proximity to dart beneath her and attack her stomach, and I think I glimpse Komachi jumping up onto her back. As I target the dog's belly, I can hear Nagisa's trumpet clarions coming at irregular intervals, and once or twice I'm forced to dodge one, but then the witch finally evaporates into a cloud of black smoke, leaving behind… no grief seed, apparently. That's too bad… I would've offered it to Nagisa. Oh well.
"Huh? It's you," Nagisa says accusingly. "I remember you… you're the onee-san from the candy shop."
"Guilty as charged," I reply. "I see you decided to become a magical girl after all."
"Eh? You've even met her before?" Komachi asks, surprised.
"Only once, very briefly, but yes," I reply.
Nagisa pouts a little. "Who said you could beat this witch!? I wanted to do it all by myself!"
"I did tell you another magical girl was handling it," Kyuubey says.
Komachi looks at it and growls. "You… you have some explaining to do!"
Kyuubey tilts its head. "Do I?"
Before Komachi can question it any further, Nagisa suddenly seems to realize something.
"Ah! I need to go check on Mom!"
She powers down and runs off.
"What was that back there!?" Komachi asks. "I swear I saw Inui's soul gem turn into a grief seed!?"
"Yes, that would be correct," Kyuubey says.
"Why didn't you tell us what would happen when our soul gems turned black!?" Komachi asks.
"You never asked," Kyuubey replies.
"What the hell do you mean, we never asked!?" Komachi screeches. "That's something you should say without being asked!"
I think she's handling it a bit better than the last two times, actually. It probably helps that it's not coming on the heels of a friend dying. Maybe it also helps that she didn't know Inui as well.
"I really do not understand humans," Kyuubey says. "Why is it that you become angry when you make a decision that you later come to regret? Besides, you did have your wish granted."
Komachi glares at it. "So you're telling me we've been killing former magical girls all this time!?" she asks. "What's the point in fighting, then? If witches used to be magical girls… aren't we just murderers?"
Before Kyuubey has a chance to respond, I jump into the conversation.
"It's not like that, Komachi-chan," I say."A witch doesn't retain any of her personalities or memories as a magical girl… or if there is anything, it's just a few scattered fragments at best. It's better to think of witchification as a form of death that leaves a monster behind in the girl's place."
Komachi gapes at me. "Huh? W-wait… did you already know about this, Ashley-chan!? Why didn't you tell us?"
I nod. "Yeah… I'm sorry," I say. "I just didn't think you'd believe me."
"Y-you might be right about that," Komachi admits. "If you'd told us back when we first met, I probably would've said you were crazy… and if I didn't, Elise certainly would've… but look, Ashley-chan, it's not like that anymore. We've already known you for more than a month now! We're friends, aren't we? You should understand by now that we trust you! We wouldn't dismiss what you say that easily!"
"I'm sorry," I say. "Maybe there was a chance to bring it up before now. To be honest though, I also don't think about it very often, so that might've been a factor too… I'm sorry."
I use my clairvoyance to check on what Mami and Madoka are up to. They've both left school, it seems. Mami has her soul gem out, so she must be on patrol, while Madoka is walking home with Kyuubey. I blink in surprise, looking at the Kyuubey still with us. It tilts its head at me.
"Did you think there was only one of me, Ashley Taylor?" it asks.
"N-no, I knew there were more, it's just seeing two of you at the same time is… startling."
Komachi looks at me weirdly.
"What the heck are you talking about now…?"
Then she lets out a long sigh.
"I have another question, but I guess it can wait," she says. "Let's go pick up Hiyori-chan, okay?"
"Sure," I say.
We head for Mitakihara Middle School, but Komachi takes an unexpected turn on the way. I follow her, confused.
"Is this the right way?" I ask.
"It's a shortcut," Komachi replies. "Trust me, I've been this way before… and I don't like keeping Hiyori-chan waiting."
"Alright then."
Komachi jumps over a fence into a forested area in the middle of the city, and races up a narrow trail heading uphill. As we go, the narrow trail joins a much larger one, and Komachi proceeds along it towards the top of the hill. It's a large enough hill that one might even call it a small mountain if they weren't used to seeing real mountains like I am. Compared to the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada or even the Alps, this is just a tiny lump of rock with a few trees on it.
As we near the peak of the hill, I catch sight of something manmade off to one side. What's that? It kinda looks like a tombstone? Why would there be a tombstone out here in the middle of the city? Komachi runs by without even looking at it, but I decide to question her.
"Hey… was that a tombstone?" I ask.
"Think so," Komachi says. "I don't know much about it, but it does make this place popular for a summer test of courage. If you're interested, you should ask Elise."
"I see…"
This new information is dredging up new memories from my time as Chelsea. In one of the non-canon spin-off mangas, the Mitakihara team once came on a test of courage to what I assume is this very location. Of course, since a test of courage is seen as a summer event and the time loop only encompasses a portion of the spring, there's no way that that event could be canon, but apparently the location at least is real. What was the name of that manga, again? Mitakihara something-or-other… I think it was something kinda weird, but the actual name refuses to come to me.
We race down the other side of the hill and emerge near the rear entrance to the school. Komachi dashes around the side and waves to Hiyori, who appears to be waiting by the front gate. From the way she seems to expect us, I suppose Komachi must've alerted her by telepathy.
"There you are, onee-san!" she calls. "Why'd you come through the mountain?"
"I wouldn't call it a mountain," I protest. "It's barely taller than the school building…"
"Well, it's kinda a long story," Komachi says. "I don't really want to say it twice, so can it wait until we're all together?"
Hiyori nods. "Okay, sure."
We head back towards the high school and enter the park where I sat a lot in the first loop to spy on people. Elise is already there when we arrive, and Claire shows up just a few minutes later.
"W-what's going on?" Claire asks, out of breath from running. "You said there was something important, so I left the club early… this had better be good…"
"Yeah," Komachi says. "Elise, you probably heard me and Ashley-chan talking earlier, right?"
Elise nods. "Something about saving Miss Inui from the Sleepwalking Spectre, right? Um… how'd that go?"
"It… didn't," Komachi says. "Um… Ashley-chan… can I let you explain?"
I nod. "Yeah… we were a few seconds too late," I say. "Even though I had a grief seed ready, there was nothing I could do. Inui-chan… she turned into a witch. We were forced to fight her and destroy her."
Elise, Claire, and Hiyori gape at me, then look at Komachi who nods to back me up.
"A-are you serious!?" Elise shouts. "What the hell does that mean!?"
"It means Kyuubey deceived us, right?" Hiyori muses. "He lied to us…"
"R-right!" Elise nods. "He lied to us! We've been killing magical girls all this time!"
I sigh. "I already said this to Komachi-chan, but it's not like that," I explain. "A witch doesn't retain her personalities and memories, except maybe as fragments. It's like…"
"Zombification…" Elise muses.
I blink at her.
"Y-yeah, actually that's not a bad analogy," I agree. "The witch is no longer human, so killing her is doing her a mercy. The magical girl she used to be would probably ask for it, if she could. I know I would, in her place."
"How do you know all of that, Ashley-chan?" Claire asks. "Were you keeping it a secret from all of us, too?"
"I'm sorry, I just didn't think you'd believe me," I say. "As for how I knew… well, like Kyuubey said earlier, you didn't ask, right? I did. I questioned it about all the details before I even made a contract."
Komachi and Elise gape at me.
"Y-you… you knew you might become a witch," Komachi says. "And yet, you made a contract anyway!? How stupid can you get!?"
"For me, it felt like a risk worth taking," I reply. "Believe me, I have no plans to let myself become a witch. I'll crush my soul gem first if it comes to that… but as long as there's hope, I'm confident I'll be fine."
"As long as there's hope…" Hiyori muses. "Yeah… it's not like knowing this changes anything, right?"
The others look at her in astonishment. I'd started to notice this in the previous loop, but Hiyori… I'm beginning to think she's actually the strongest of the quartet, in an emotional sense. It makes me wonder if she might've avoided becoming a witch in the first loop if we hadn't decided to keep the truth from her… if she'd known the danger of letting her soul gem darken.
"I… I mean, we did get our wishes granted and gain these awesome powers, right?" Hiyori says. "And even though he didn't explain why, Kyuubey did warn us not to let our soul gems become completely black!"
"I think you're giving it a bit too much credit with that last one…" I say. "It wants us to become witches."
"W-well, still…" Hiyori says. "He did warn us… and like Ashley-chan says, it's not like witches are conscious anymore, right? They're more like… like… like vengeful ghosts… so I don't see how this new knowledge changes anything about what we do…"
"If you'd known before you made a contract, Hiyori-chan," Elise asks. "Would you have still made your wish?"
Hiyori considers the question. "W-well… I can't say that I would have… but I can't say I wouldn't have…" she says. "It's really hard to say what I might have done but I guess… I probably would've put it off awhile longer but eventually made a wish anyway…"
Claire nods. "Yeah… I see what you mean," she says. "I think… I would've tried talking to Mom and Dad, but… in the end, I probably still would've made my wish."
"Well, I would've died if I didn't make the wish," Komachi muses. "So I guess I would've still made a wish… but maybe a slightly different one."
Elise becomes very interested in the ground for a few minutes, while the others all look at her expectantly.
"I guess…" Elise says finally. "In my case… I would've toughed it out for another month or two… and then if nothing had changed, I probably would've made the same wish. Or, actually, I might've wished for onee-san to come back to life instead… every so often I wish onee-san were here with me."
"You're all taking this better than I expected," I observe. "And I think we have Hiyori-chan to thank for it…" I give Hiyori a smile. "You're really okay with it, Hiyori-chan?"
Hiyori tilts her head.
"Well… I wouldn't say I'm okay with it," she says. "Kyuubey still deceived us, and I'm really mad about that… but I don't think I regret my wish."
The other three nod in agreement.
"Well, that's good," I say. "Sometimes when you regret your wish, you can lose your power entirely. That would be pretty bad. That happened to Sakura Kyouko, you know."
"Eh? How'd you know?" Elise asks, startled.
I can't tell her the real reason, so I'll just give her something plausible. It's unlikely she'd confirm my source, after all.
"I heard it from Tomoe Mami, who used to partner with her," I reply. "Back then, she used illusion magic, but now… it seems she can't use it anymore."
"Huh, that's kinda sad," Claire says. "So… I just realized, but… you said Itsumi Inui turned into a witch, right? That must've been rough…"
"Y-yeah," I nod. "Particularly since I went there expressly to prevent that outcome…"
"You should've asked me for help," Claire says. "I could've gotten you there in record time!"
"Yeah, Komachi-chan said the same thing," I say. "I'm definitely regretting that now, believe me…" I pause, turning to Elise. "By the way, earlier we went over the hill behind Mitakihara Middle School, and I spotted what looks like a tombstone there," I say. "Komachi-chan said you would know more about it, Elise?"
Elise blinks. "Ohh, that tombstone," she says, nodding. "Um… yeah, there are a lot of stories about that tombstone. Apparently it's really old… it dates back to the end of the Edo era, when Mitakihara was no more than a small farming village. It seems there used to be more than one tombstone there, but over time they were removed to reuse the stone for building projects… however, when they attempted to remove that final tombstone, the legend says ten men dropped dead."
I blink. "H-huh? What do you mean, they dropped dead? That's so vague…"
"Well… these are just legends after all," Elise says. "But the stories say that one man survived to tell the tale. He said he had a vision of a vast wasteland where the group was attacked by white giants, and he fainted from the sight… and when he awoke, everyone else was dead. That's why the place has a reputation for being haunted."
"…white giants, you say?" I muse.
"There's a name on the tombstone," Elise adds. "I think it was… Kazura Youha? It's kinda a weird name, so I don't know whether they were a man or a woman…"
"Have you ever sensed magic around there?" I ask. "Not that I'm expecting anything, but if it's got a reputation for being haunted, I thought there could be an explanation…"
Elise blinks. "I… I never even thought of that, to be honest. Still, if there is, it must be very faint, because otherwise I would've sensed it just passing through, right?"
I nod. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe I'll take a look myself later…"
"Well… if that's all, I think we should go hunt some witches," Elise says. "If that's okay with everyone?"
Hiyori nods. "Yeah… let's go."
"I… I think I'm ready," Komachi says.
"I'm not sure, but… I'll come," Claire says.
"Want me to come too?" I ask. "Either to help out, or just to keep an eye on you."
"W-would you?" Elise asks. "That… that might be…"
She looks around at the others. The Hayashi sisters nod, and after tilting her head thoughtfully for a moment, Claire responds verbally.
"I think I would appreciate that, Ashley-chan."
"Then I guess that's settled," Elise says. "Let's go!"
After returning home from a successful witch hunt, I check in on Mami and Madoka again, and find them gathered at her place along with Miki Sayaka. From the way their conversation is going, it sounds like Sayaka has already made her contract… it's a lot earlier than I expected. I guess in this timeline she had fewer reasons not to contract, so she gave in sooner. It's not like it matters, though. Probably.
I also try to check up on Nagisa, but the vision won't activate. Does that mean she still turned into a witch like last time? And yet, based on the conversation at Mami's place, it sounded like they'd only fought familiars today. Did Yu survive and beat Charlotte, then? But trying to peek on Yu also comes up blank. So what exactly happened to Nagisa? I wish I'd paid more attention to her after defeating Uhrmann… I have a feeling I'm going to regret this later.
Note: In chapter 19, I stated that Amano Suzune had already transferred into Akanegasaki Middle School, which is contradicted in this chapter. Thus, I've revised chapter 19 to state the opposite instead.