Ever since Honoka's run-in with Amano Suzune on Monday, I've been checking on Hinata Matsuri's class every morning to see if she'd be joining the class. My patience is finally rewarded when Friday rolls around. Suzune is introduced to the class as a transfer student by the teacher, and she heads towards the back of the class to take her seat by the window… huh? The student right behind her is Kanami Honoka! Unsurprisingly, the redhead glares at Suzune, prompting her to stop and tilt her head.

Somehow, despite frequently peeking on Matsuri, I hadn't noticed Honoka was in the same class until now. I suppose she just doesn't have a strong presence… or she doesn't tend to interact much with Matsuri, who sits towards the front centre of the class.

Honoka and Suzune must've exchanged some sort of telepathic message, for after a moment Honoka relaxes and Suzune takes her seat. My clairvoyance doesn't allow me to eavesdrop on telepathy, so I can only guess what was communicated between them. Perhaps Suzune simply said she wouldn't try anything with so many people around.

Anyway, with Suzune's appearance, things should start to heat up pretty soon in Hohzuki City, but before that, there's something else I want to deal with. It's the clay tablets I found in Kazura Youha's grave. Although I've transliterated the witch runes into Latin letters, it's still tricky for me to muddle out the exact meaning of the text. There are no spaces between the letters, so it's not clear where words begin and end. I'm unfamiliar with the Romanization used, so it's difficult for me to even recognize many of the words. And even if I could get past those two hurdles, I imagine I'd run into issues of disambiguating synonyms, though it's possible the context would help with that.

After giving it a lot of thought, I've concluded that the best option would be to consult someone with better knowledge of historical Japanese. The logical place to start for such a search is a university, and the only general-purpose university I'm aware of in the prefecture is Kamihama City University. That's why I called to arrange an appointment with a professor whose specialty seemed relevant.

As a result, I catch a train to Kamihama the next morning and head for the university. On my way from the train station to the university, I somehow stumble into a witch's labyrinth, a surreal hilly landscape with fencing extending in random directions and giant wheels littering the place. The night sky zips open to reveal innumerable eyes staring down at me. By zips, I mean there's actual zippers in the sky that are open, with the eyes peering through.

"This seems like… Rebecca's labyrinth, I think?" I muse. "So, the familiars should be shepherds…"

Sure enough, they appear, tall figures in leather tunics and black cloaks, with a protractor as a head and carrying something that looks kind of like a trident. As they surround me, I transform and cut them down with my sword. However, the second wave raises their tridents to block my attack, so I summon Teddy Mk II to stomp on them, then direct the Teddy Drones to zoom amidst them to spread confusion. With the help of Teddy, I defeat four waves of the things before venturing further into the labyrinth.

Soon I arrive at the witch's chamber, but it looks like I'm too late – someone else is already fighting the Sheep Witch. She's girl in a long blue dress with a few stars scattered across it, metal armour covering her upper torso, and a headdress of innumerable bead-tipped white ropes. Just as I step into the chamber, she unleashes a rain of halberds upon Rebecca, finishing her off. Then she snatches the grief seed and turns to face me as the labyrinth comes down around us.

"Oh? There was someone else in the labyrinth?" the girl says.

I nod. "My name is Ashley Taylor." I say. "You're Nanami Yachiyo, right? I've seen you on a magazine cover a few times…"

That's a half truth… I can't say I've never seen her, but I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to that sort of thing, and I can't remember any specific sightings. Still, I know she does modelling, so even if I don't remember…

Yachiyo nods. "I haven't seen you around here before," she says. "Are you newly-contracted?"

I shake my head. "No, I'm visiting," I say. "Actually, I'm an exchange student from America studying in Mitakihara, but today I have an appointment with a Professor Takahashi… there was something I wanted to show her."

Yachiyo blinks. "Oh? What could that be?" she asks.

"A previously undiscovered inscription I found in an old grave in Mitakihara," I say. "I believe it may have something to do with the magical girl who first brought people to this island."

Yachiyo looks even more surprised. "What makes you think a magical girl was involved?" she asks. "I'm familiar with the history of this island, but I don't remember anything that seemed supernatural about it…"

"I spoke to someone who was actually there," I reply.

"But that was the Edo era," Yachiyo says. "No-one from that era could still be alive…"

"It's possible for a magical girl," I reply. "As long as we have enough grief seeds, apparently we can live forever. It's Kyuubey who first told me this, so ask it if you don't believe me."

"Okay, let's set aside the matter of whether what you're saying is true," Yachiyo says. "Professor Takahashi… I haven't really met her, but I think she's in the humanities department. I was on the way to school anyway, so would you like me to show you the way?"

"That would be very helpful," I say. "Thanks, Miss Nanami."

We both power down and continue heading towards the university.

"So you say you really met a magical girl who's old enough to have seen the Edo era?" Yachiyo says.

"That's right," I nod. "Apparently this island was wished into existence back then, by a girl from what would become the Tokime clan? I don't know much about the Tokime clan though…"

"Probably everyone in this prefecture knows the Tokime name, unless they slept through history class," Yachiyo says. "The exact details are shrouded in myth, but they supposedly discovered this island in the Sengoku period and claimed it as their own land… although the Akatsuki clan later displaced them. I don't know what happened to them after that. Their family is said to date back to at least the Heian period, if not further."

I blink. "Huh? Something about that doesn't add up… isn't Sengoku before Edo? How could they discover it before it exists? And the person I spoke to implied that was also the beginning of the Tokime clan… although I suppose it could be a branch of an older clan…"

Yachiyo shrugs. "I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that… but you're right, the Sengoku period is just before the Edo period."

The name Akatsuki also sounds familiar somehow… was there a magical girl by that name? I can't remember one, but why else would it sound familiar? I'm still trying to figure this out when we arrive at my destination.

"So, this is the humanities building," Yachiyo says. "I don't know exactly where Professor Takahashi's office is, but there should be a directory on the first floor. I have somewhere else to be, so I'll have to leave you here."

I nod. "Thanks for showing me the way, and listening to my unbelievable chatter, Miss Nanami," I say.

"I didn't really mind," Yachiyo says. "Whether it's true or not, it was certainly very interesting to listen to. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Taylor."

"And it was nice chatting with you as well, Miss Nanami," I reply.

With that, Yachiyo turns to walk off, but then she pauses and looks back.

"Miss Taylor… by any chance, have you met a magical girl with silver hair?"

Silver hair? Does she mean Amano Suzune? That doesn't seem to make sense though… and she can't possibly mean Anri Airi either… are there other magical girls with silver hair? I decide to deny it, since she can't mean either of the ones I do know.

"No, I can't say I have," I reply. "Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," Yachiyo says. "Just a friend who went missing about a week ago."

A friend of Yachiyo? Wait, then that must mean she's talking about… Azusa Mifuyu!? This is an important clue for me, because Mifuyu's disappearance should coincide with the deployment of the doppel field around Kamihama. Of course, with Tamaki Ui still a normal girl, there is no doppel field in this timeline, so Mifuyu no doubt turned into a witch instead…

"A week ago… so that's… the second?"

"Maybe it was a little more than a week now," Yachiyo says. "The last time I saw her was on March twenty-eighth."

"Yeah… I'm sorry, but I haven't seen her," I reply. "I hate to say this, but… if she's a magical girl, isn't the most likely possibility that she turned into a witch?"

Yachiyo's eyes widen slightly.

"That's… that's true, it is a possibility," she says. "But I want to hang onto the hope we can meet again."

I smile. "Well… one way or another, I'm sure you'll meet again, Miss Nanami," I say.

"Thanks for the thought, Miss Taylor," Yachiyo says.

With that, she goes her own way, and I step into the indicated building, checking the aforementioned directory and then heading up to the professor's office. When I knock on her door, she summons me in immediately. I step inside and introduce myself.

"Hello, I'm Ashley Taylor," I say. "We spoke on the phone a couple days ago?"

The professor is a short woman with a stubby ponytail, sitting behind a desk covered in papers.

"Ah yes, it's you," Professor Takahashi says. "The one who claimed to find a previously-unnoticed inscription on the Kazura tomb. I'm still skeptical that you could've found something missed by an actual archaeologist, but it can't hurt to take a look. To be honest, even if this is a prank, it could be quite an interesting challenge. Let me see the inscription."

I fish out my transcription of it and hand it over.

"You transcribed it onto paper? It would've been better to see the original… there could be subtle differences in some characters that would be a clue to deciphering it…"

I nod. "I'm sorry, but this was necessary," I say. "Can you read it?"

"It's pretty unusual to see an inscription in romaji," she muses. "Especially if as you say it's from the Edo era… there was some contact with Europe back then, but not a lot… is it okay if I mark up this copy?"

I nod. "That's fine, whatever helps you to interpret it."

She grabs a pencil and starts adding lines here and there, perhaps working out word boundaries. At one point, she extracts another blank sheet of paper and begins writing on it, one or two characters at a time. She also references a book from time to time, perhaps a dictionary, though I'm not looking closely. I settle down in a chair to wait for her to finish, which takes an hour or two. Finally, she hands over the two sheets of paper.

"That's the best I can manage," Professor Takahashi says. "You'll notice I marked a few uncertain places. It's a very strange inscription, though… you should get someone from the history department to take a closer look at the original."

"Someone like Professor Satomi?" I say.

She blinks. "Do you mean Professor Satomi Tasuke?" she asks. "It doesn't quite seem to be within his area of expertise… but given where you found it, I could see him being interested."

The reason I singled out that professor in particular is because I happen to know that he has an interest in magical girls specifically. I seem to recall that he goes missing at some point, though… I'm not sure when that is or even if it's during this time loop at all. So there's a chance I can't meet him until after I beat Walpurgisnacht…

"Well, I'll think about it," I reply. "For now, I just wanted to know what it says. Thanks for your time."

"Well, it was indeed an interesting challenge," Professor Takahashi says. "So thank you for showing it to me."

With that, I leave her office and head back outside. To my surprise, I spot Yachiyo walking by, so I run up to her and call her.

"Excuse me, Miss Nanami?"

She stops and turns to face me.

"Oh, Miss Taylor. Was your visit with the professor fruitful?"

I nod. "Yes… but I was wondering if I could ask another favour of you," I say.

"That depends on what it is," Yachiyo says.

"I'd like to pay a visit to the Coordinator."

"Oh? I'm surprised you know about her," Yachiyo says. "I've never known a magical girl to come from outside of the city to see her."

"Well, I've known she was here for awhile," I say. "I met another girl like her in Paris, and it seems they have a mutual acquaintance…"

"That's even more surprising… but in any case, I'd be happy to show you the way, as I was just heading there myself anyway. I assume you have a grief seed to spare?"

"Of course," I reply. "I currently have three grief seeds."

Even though I used up all my spare seeds on the Freezer, thanks to the grief cubes I was able to somewhat replenish my stock.

"That's impressive," Yachiyo says. "Most girls only have one at any given time. Getting a spare to pay Mitama can be a struggle for some."

"But it helps to work as a team, right?" I say.

"That's true," Yachiyo says. "There are quite a few magical girls here in Kamihama that work as a team. Kyuubey tells me it's unusual."

"It's probably trying to discourage us from teaming up," I say. "That little white devil can't be trusted…"

"Do you mind if I ask how you found out the truth?" Yachiyo asks.

"It's nothing interesting," I reply. "I just asked lots of questions before contracting."

"Oh, that's unusual," Yachiyo says. "Does that mean you've never seen a magical girl transform into a witch?"

"No… I've seen it a few times," I say. "Knowing helps, but it was still a bit of a shock the first time…"

"A few times, you say… how long have you been a magical girl?"

"A few months… since November?"

"And you've already seen it a few times? That's some pretty rotten luck… I've only witnessed it twice in seven years."

"Yeah… I guess you're right, huh… it is pretty rotten luck…"

We fall silent for the rest of the journey. Eventually, Yachiyo ducks into a building that appears abandoned from the outside, and upon following I find myself in the familiar room that serves as Yakumo Mitama's office, an inviting space stocked with a couch and armchairs arranged in a circle, backed by a large glass window. It's like a modern yet austere living room.

Mitama herself looks up from where she's sitting in one of the armchairs, a girl in a black and white suit with a long jacket… it's not quite a business suit, but the general cut of the clothing is pretty similar. Or perhaps it could be described as a waitress uniform. The cross-shaped gem on her hair ornament is her soul gem, which means she's currently transformed.

"Good afternoon, Miss Yachiyo," Mitama says with a smile. "Oh? You've brought a friend? That's unusual…"

"She's not a friend," Yachiyo says. "She asked how to find you, so I showed her the way."

Mitama blinks. "Oh my, have you heard of me from somewhere?" she asks.

I nod. "Miss Nisha Patel, the Coordinator of Paris, said there should be a Coordinator here in Kamihama."

"Well, she was right!" Mitama says. "My name is Yakumo Mitama… who might you be?"

"I'm Ashley Taylor," I reply.

"My, it's nice to meet you, Miss Taylor… so now, which of you wants to go first?"

"I'll let Miss Nanami go first," I say.

"In that case, feel free to take a seat while you wait!"

So I sit down on the couch while Mitama and Yachiyo head into the back room. Several minutes later, someone else arrives, this one a familiar face.

"Oh! It's Ashley-chan! What are you doing here?"

Chiaki Riko runs over to join me on the couch.

"It's been quite awhile since we met, hasn't it, Riko-chan?" I say.

"Yeah, it really has," Riko says. "More than a month, I think?"

I nod. "How's your life as a magical girl going these days?"

"Well, it's the same as usual," Riko says.

"That's good."

"And how about you?" she asks.

"Well… let's just say I've been busy," I say. "There aren't as many magical girls in Mitakihara, so of course there are a lot of witches too."

"It sounds like it must be rough," Riko says.

"Well, it's not that bad," I shrug. "I'm managing."

"So, are you going to introduce me, Riko-chan?"

I look up at the new speaker and see a girl with long twintails who's several years older than Riko, maybe even the same age as Ashley Taylor. She's one of the antagonists of the game's first arc, which makes her smiling face feel just a tad incongruous… although none of the antagonists of the first arc are actually bad people and most even change their ways in the second arc, so I shouldn't really be surprised.

"Oh! This is Ashley Taylor!" Riko says. "Ashley-chan, I think I told you about her before, but this is Amane Tsukasa. We've known each other for a long time, but it wasn't until after I met you that I realized she was a magical girl too."

"I have to admit, that was a bit of a surprise," Tsukasa says. "Anyway, it's nice meeting you, Miss Taylor."

I nod. "Same to you, Miss Amane. It's just the two of you here?"

"Yeah," Riko says. "Is that strange?"

The reason I asked is because Tsukasa has a twin sister from whom she was separated at birth but recently reconnected to… but at this point they're probably keeping that relationship secret.

"No… it's not strange," I say.

At that moment, Mitama and Yachiyo return from the back room, and Riko lets out a small squeak.

"I-is that Miss Nanami…?"

"That's her," I say. "Is she that well-known around here?"

"She's kinda scary," Riko mutters. "Eh, she's coming this way!?"

"Oh my, it looks like I'll be busy today," Mitama says. "What can I do for you, Miss Chiaki?"

"U-um, that thing with the soul gem," Riko squeaks.

"And what about you, Miss Amane?" Mitama asks.

"I was thinking of investigating the Mirror Witch, so I've come to see what you know," Tsukasa says.

"Well, it's not much, but I'll share it as long as you pay the price," Mitama says.

"You shouldn't trouble the Mirror Witch," Yachiyo snaps. "Just entering that labyrinth makes her more powerful… it's so deep that no-one has ever seen the witch herself, as far as I know."

Riko visibly shrinks into the couch at Yachiyo's tone. She's right, though – Sarah Mirabilis W, more commonly known as the Mirror Witch, is probably one of the most powerful witches around, excluding natural disaster class witches like Walpurgisnacht or Hyades Daybreak.

"Well, there's not as many witches around recently, so I've got to do something," Tsukasa says. "And it's not like she's bothering anyone, so does it matter if she gets more powerful?"

"How do you know she won't start bothering people once she reaches a certain level?" Yachiyo retorts. "But it's not like I can stop you… just try not to get lost in there. I don't fancy putting together another rescue mission."

"Of course, I wouldn't be alone," Tsukasa says.

"That's just the bare minimum of precautions," Yachiyo replies. "Just… be careful, okay? Make sure you don't get split up."

Tsukasa nods. "I will."

"Just for the record, if there aren't enough witches here in Kamihama, you could always try nearby cities," I say. "Asunaro… no, that's a bad idea actually. But Kazamino and northern Mitakihara both have a lot of witches right now."

The latter suggestion is due to Yuuki Sasa's still-ongoing feud with Lina's group, which unfortunately she seems to be winning, as only Hitomi Lina and Saki Miyako were still alive when I last checked up on them. In addition, Kyouko has joined Mami's team, leaving eastern Kazamino also mostly open.

"Actually, maybe Kazamino is a bad idea too," I say. "You could run into groups of witches, which could be quite a problem…"

"My goodness, that is interesting information," Mitama says. "Well, I suppose you're up next. Follow me, Miss Taylor."

I get up to follow her into the back room, where she shows me to a bed. I hand over a grief seed and my soul gem, then lay down in the bed, feeling that phantom touch as Mitama fiddles with my soul gem. Before long, I drift off.

"Say, have you decided what you're doing for Halloween this year?"

The speaker is… who is that girl, again? She has red hair… oh yeah, Chevonne! But wait… that means…

"I'm sure Ashley will come up with something truly awesome as usual!"

This time it's the brown-haired girl, Janice. But this isn't even my memory… we're sitting in the classroom, probably just before school starts, and other students are chatting as well. They also appear noticeably younger, but I think it looks like the same school, so this must've taken place just a few years earlier, perhaps in grade nine or so.

"You're gonna love it!" I say. "I shouldn't spoil the surprise, though."

"Oh, come on, Ashley!" Janice protests. "Just tell us already!"

"Mmm… should I?" I say teasingly. "I wonder… is that really what you want, Janice?"

"Alright!" the teacher says. "Let's get attendance started!"

And then the scene shifts. I'm in Paris, gazing up at the Arc de Triomphe, holding hands with Ashley's parents, but they seem taller. This must be a memory from when Ashley was even younger still.

"Mommy, can we climb it? I wanna see the whole city!"

"I'm not sure if we have time, dear," Mom says.

"Let me see," Dad says. "We have about an hour, so that should be enough."

"Yay!"

The scene seems to go into fast forward, blurring through the part where we're actually entering and climbing the monument, and then we're all on top of the Arc, gazing down at the city. I run around looking at the panorama from different angles.

"Look! It's the Eiffel Tower!"

Just when I've spotted and pointed out Paris's most iconic landmark, the scene shifts once more. Now I'm sick in bed, with Ashley's mother sitting beside me and a doctor on the opposite side.

"Hmm, it seems to be a case of covid," the doctor says. "A particularly acute one, I'm afraid."

"Even though she was fully vaccinated," Mom gasps. "Will she be okay?"

"Don't worry," the doctor says. "She's nowhere near the point where she'd need to go on life support… as long as that remains true, the chance of recovery is high."

"But it could take a turn for the worse…"

"That's always the case, I'm afraid," the doctor says. "Just make sure she takes her medicine. That's all we can do at this point. She's a young and healthy girl, so she can certainly fight this off."

"Alright… thank you, Dr Schwartz."

"Mom…" I say. "Don't worry… I'll be… fine…"

"Ashley… yes, of course you will," my mother says.

The doctor and Ashley's mother leave my room, perhaps to discuss the sickness further, and she turns off the light on the way out. The silence stretches out, but then I see something. There's something bright against the curtains, sort of an outline of a vaguely human form. I try to sit up, but my body refuses to move. Then a deep male voice speaks. I recognize that voice… it's the same voice I heard at the end of my last tuning-induced vision, and just as comprehensible as it was then.

"Xiaphosmu decr lev Klesump Vazzu fewophub. Azaphaophach xuolk lev wendophasmu ximsump."

But this time, the vision doesn't end there. The scene shifts again, but I don't understand what I'm seeing. I guess it's a room of some sort, filled with strange apparatus, some of which seems positively Escherian. There are two of these entities in the room. They don't seem to have any defined form, just a bright outline. One of the entities is holding a flask filled with a pink puff of smoke, while the other holds a flask with a blue puff. As I watch, the blue puff is poured into the other flask, but it refuses to mix.

"Uspuffuck. Ghax kheirc be zawufa."

Unlike the previous strange voice, this one has more of a feminine quality to it, though it's still pretty deep for a woman's voice. The original male voice responds.

"Ox fech ox khu beux zeph kohu o weckvomp omb muweku o koyawof yalh."

"Ze tsozwu el ghoph. Ghu ximsump xuukx phe mu onovu el off ghu benzxabux."

"Omb al khu beux?"

"Nu naff andvecaxu. Aph kohux ghachx dovbuv, miph aph ax zeph o buof-stuohuv."

"Imbuvcreeb," the male voice says.

"Xuphphach oxabu Klesump Vazzu… be jei docu ozjghach zun phe vurevph srek kezaphevach Xovod Kavomafax N ev Aphsna?" the female voice asks.

"Zuyophacu."

"Mu xivu phe huur ku azlevkub."

"El weivxu."

I wake up feeling a little dizzy, with a strange sense of uneasiness that wasn't there before. It's not directly caused by that strange scene at the end… at least, I don't think it is. That scene certainly was very strange and confusing, as it doesn't appear to correlate to any of my memories, nor to Ashley's, but I think the feeling of uneasiness is more related to the fact that the memories I witnessed this time were not mine, but Ashley's. I'm not sure if it means anything, but it seems like it's not planning to go away. Although the dizziness passes quickly, that uneasiness remains.

"Are you okay, Miss Taylor?" Mitama asks.

"Hmm? Um, yes, I think so," I say. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just common practice after a treatment," Mitama says with a smile.

I frown slightly. "Really? There wasn't anything that went wrong or anything?"

"Well, I wouldn't say anything went wrong," Mitama says. "There was a strange thing that I can't quite describe… but I don't think it's anything to worry about."

"So that's the real reason you asked, huh," I say. "Well, thanks for your concern… I'm sure I'll be back to normal in a few minutes."

"I'm sure you will," Mitama says.

I head back out into the waiting room, where I'm greeted with yet another surprise. Shiina Remi is there with her sister, as well as three other girls – a tall girl with long blonde hair in a ponytail, accompanied by two shorter girls in twintails with red and blue hair respectively. Yachiyo has left, but Riko and Tsukasa are still waiting.

"Eh? Miss Taylor? What are you doing here?" Remi asks.

"Eh!? It's you!?" the blue-haired girl exclaims, pointing at me.

"Huh?" the red-haired girl says. "Do you know her, Rena-chan?"

"She's the one who was badmouthing Sayu-Sayu after the concert awhile ago!" Rena gripes. "I told you about her, remember?"

"I definitely don't remember that," the blonde girl says. "Yo, Mitama! Got another grief seed for ya!"

"So, whose turn will it be today, Momoko?" Mitama asks.

"Today is Kaede's turn," Momoko says. "But man, witches sure are scarce lately. Took us three days to scrounge up a spare seed…"

"At this rate, I suppose there'll be some new ones born before long," I say. "Though I hope I'm wrong…"

"Huh? What's wrong with more witches, Ashley-chan?" Riko asks. "As long as we defeat them before they eat anyone…"

Momoko shoots me a look before responding to Riko.

"I don't want to get into the details," she says. "But I also think preventing their birth is better than defeating them afterwards."

"But then we won't have grief seeds, right?" Riko says.

"Well, it's complicated," Momoko sighs. "There's no right answer, really."

"As far as we know," I add.

"So, you two are up next," Mitama says, looking at Riko and Tsukasa. "Who goes first?"

"I'll go first," Riko says, and Tsukasa nods in agreement.

"Then next is…" She looks at the Shiina sisters. "I haven't seen you two around here before. I'm Yakumo Mitama."

"I'm Shiina Remi, and this is my little sister, Moe."

"So, how may I help you?" Mitama asks.

"Um, well, Miss Taylor recommended this place," Remi says.

"Really?" Mitama says. Turning to me, she adds, "Even though you've never been here before today?"

"Does that matter?" I ask. "I wasn't recommending you personally. I was recommending Puella Care in general. You just happened to be the closest one I knew of."

Mitama looks back at the sisters. "And? What would you like from me?"

"Um, well… I was thinking about new ways to develop my power," Remi explains.

"I see," Mitama says. "I can't promise to be of help, although I can at least help you to unlock the connect ability if you haven't already. It's a very useful ability when working in a team."

"I don't know what that is," Remi says. "So… probably not. But I was thinking more like… new applications of my unique magic?"

"Well, as long as you pay up, I'll give it my best shot," Mitama says with a smile. "Just don't get your hopes up."

Remi looks at me. "Did you know she would say that, Miss Taylor?"

I shake my head. "I recommended her because I truly thought there was a chance she could help with what you wanted."

"I see," Remi says.

"Well then, let's go, Riko-chan," Mitama says.

"Okay! See you later, Ashley-chan!"

"You too," I say.

Riko and Mitama head for the back room, and I'm about to head for the door when Momoko addresses me.

"So, Miss Ashley Taylor, right?" she says. "You seem like you've been at this for quite a long time, but I've never heard of you… are you from out of town?"

"I'm an exchange student studying in Mitakihara," I say. "And I haven't been a magical girl for all that long… um, let me see…" I count it out on my fingers, including the time loop. "…about seven months, I guess?"

"Since September?" Momoko says.

"The end of November," I correct her.

She tilts her head. "You must've miscounted, then… that's only four months."

Remi blinks. "Eh? Is that really a miscount?" She switches to telepathy. «If you're counting loops… it seems to be in the right ballpark?»

I nod to Remi, which serves both to confirm her suspicion and make it look like I'm agreeing that it's a miscount.

"Either way, I'm somewhat new to this," I say. "And I'm certainly from out of town, so it's no surprise you've never heard of me. I'm from California, actually."

"Ohh, you're American?" Momoko says. "Your Japanese is so good though, I thought you'd grown up here!"

"Ah… thanks, I guess?" I say.

"And I guess you're not a fan of Fumino Sayuki, so you got into a fight with Rena, right?"

I shake my head. "No way, Sayu-Sayu's awesome… we just disagree about what makes her awesome, if you must know. Miss Minami got mad at me for suggesting she's not a very good singer, but for me, that's just part of her charm."

Momoko blinks. "Ahh… I take that back," she says. "You're in just as deep as Rena, then."

"W-wait a second," Rena says. "Since when did you know my surname?"

I blink. Did she never actually introduce herself? I can't think of any answer to give, so I say the first thing that comes to mind.

"Huh? You didn't say it earlier? Or maybe the last time we met?"

"I most certainly did not!" Rena says.

"Then… I have no idea?" I shrug.

"Rena-chan, what does it matter if she knows your surname?" Kaede says.

"Miss Akino is right," I point out. "It's just a name, after all?"

But apparently I've just put my foot in my mouth again, for Rena just narrows her eyes at me.

"It's creeping me out," she says. "You never introduced yourself either, Kaede-chan. Maybe she has the power to read minds or something…"

"I assure you, that's not the case," I say.

"Miss Taylor, I think you're digging your hole deeper and deeper," Remi says. "I don't think there's a way out for you anymore…"

"Hey, why are you taking her side?" I protest. "I thought we were friends."

"Well, I'm grateful to you for saving my sister, but I don't think that makes us close friends," Remi says.

"You're right though," I grumble. "I can't think of a good way to talk myself out of this…"

"So you admit to reading our minds?" Rena accuses me.

I decide to just tell the truth in as little detail as possible. I can't think of anything else that they'd buy, and saying nothing at all would just serve to confirm their suspicions.

"No, nothing like that," I reply. "I do have visions, though… perhaps you were in one of them… not that I can remember anything relevant…"

"Huh… is that so," Rena says, her frown relaxing ever so slightly.

It's hard to tell what she's thinking, but my interpretation is that while she's satisfied to have an explanation, that doesn't really change her feelings on the matter.

"Come now, it's not that big a deal, is it?" Momoko says. "Your name's no secret. Pretty much everyone knows it."

"Still creeps me out to hear it from her," Rena retorts. "I literally forgot she even existed until today, after meeting her once, yet somehow she knows my surname. Ugh…"

Rena turns and stalks across the room, putting as much distance as possible between her and me.

"Don't mind her, she's just grumpy," Momoko says.

"No, it's fine," I say. "I think it's true what she's saying. I'd be a little creeped out too if some stranger walked up to me and addressed me by name."

"I didn't think it was that creepy," Kaede murmurs. "Everyone at school calls me that anyway… so it's just normal…"

"Even if you haven't introduced yourself?" I ask.

"W-well, maybe someone else introduced me when I wasn't paying attention…" Kaede says.

"You're not even creeped out if I bring up Pero, Hachi, and Don?" I ask.

Kaede blinks at me several times after I reel off the names of her pets, then just casually slips behind Momoko, peeking nervously out at me.

"U-uh… um… th-that one is kinda creepy…"

"R-right… my bad," I say, facepalming. "Sorry about that, I was just surprised you weren't creeped out and it kinda slipped out…"

Momoko chuckles. "You sure are amusing, Miss Taylor," she says. "So, visions, you say? Do these visions happen to tell you my surname as well?"

"Um… Miss Togame… right?"

"Right…" She looks at Kaede behind her. "Did I introduce myself earlier? I can't remember…"

"I'm not sure either," Kaede says.

"What else do these visions tell you?" Momoko asks.

It sounds like she's genuinely asking out of pure curiosity, but I don't want to dig myself even deeper into this hole, so I decide not to take the bait.

"Um… I'd rather not talk about them in public, Miss Togame," I say.

"Oh… that's too bad," Momoko says.

"If you don't mind… I should get going," I say. "I need to be back in Mitakihara for dinner, and the central train station is quite a ways from here."

"Right… well… see you later," Momoko says.

I escape from the Coordinator's, relieved at getting away from their scrutiny and also feeling a little embarrassed at the terrible first impression I must've left on some of them. On my way out, I pass Tokiwa Nanaka and Chun Meiyui, talking in hushed voices about something that seems to be related to witches, though I only catch a few words. They barely spare me a glance as I head back towards the main roads.

I'm not paying attention when I leave the train station back in Mitakihara. As a result, I end up ramming straight into someone, the impact knocking us both onto our butts.

"Ow!" I complain.

"A-are you okay?"

"Th-that's my line… huh?"

I look up to see Madoka herself, looking a little flustered. She giggles a bit. "Sorry… I wasn't paying attention."

"No, I should be the one to apologize," I reply. "I really wasn't looking where I was going… sorry."

"No, it was totally my fault!" Madoka protests. "I was too focused on… on where I was headed, so…"

I suddenly spot her soul gem on the ground, where it seems to have rolled a couple feet away. She must've had it out when I collided with her, which means she's hunting witches. I raise my hand and point at it.

"You should take better care of yourself," I say.

She looks confused but turns where I'm pointing and gasps.

"O-oh! Th-thank you for noticing!'

She turns to grab it as I get to my feet, and then she too jumps up, bowing a little.

"That could've been pretty bad if you hadn't noticed," I say.

Madoka blinks, but after half a second she nods. "Y-yeah, I suppose so."

At that moment, Mami runs up to us.

"Miss Kaname, please don't run so far ahead!" she says. "Huh? Miss Taylor?"

"Eh? Do you know her, Miss Mami?" Madoka asks.

"Yes, indeed I do, although not terribly well," Mami says. "We met one time in a witch's labyrinth. Later, she gave me chocolates for Valentine's Day…"

"Eh? Wait, does that mean you're a magical girl, Miss Taylor?"

"Guilty as charged," I say. I look around for a moment. "Is it just the two of you today?"

"Kyouko-chan was with us a few minutes ago," Madoka says, looking around. "Where'd she go…?"

"That's why I was telling you not to run so far ahead," Mami says. "Miss Sakura caught the witch's trail and went off in a different direction."

Madoka blinks. "Eh? But I was following the witch too…"

"Unless there's two witches?" I suggest.

"O-oh no… what should we do if that's the case!?" Madoka gasps.

"I wouldn't worry about it," I say. "Miss Tomoe and Miss Sakura are both pretty strong, after all. Just chase the one you can. It's also possible that the one witch left multiple trails, so you might meet back up with Miss Sakura if you follow this one."

Madoka nods. "Ah, that's a good point. Say… would you like to come with us, Miss Taylor?"

"Sorry… I've gotta get home," I say. "Plus I'm sort of trying to avoid magical girls with time-related powers."

Although, considering my relationship with Remi, I suppose I'm not doing a very good job of that. But it's just a cover story, anyway – an excuse to keep away from Homura specifically.

Madoka blinks. "Eh? Are you talking about Homura-chan? Is… is there any magical girl you don't know!?"

I chuckle. "Well, that's a good question," I say. "I've met all the magical girls in Mitakihara at least once, except for Miki Sayaka… unless there's a new one I haven't heard of yet. But I'm sure you could find someone I don't know somewhere."

I finish off with a wink.

"That's too bad though… Homura-chan's a really nice girl," Madoka says. "Um… will I see you again?"

"It's hard to say," I reply. "I don't often have a reason to come to this part of the city, and Miss Masuyo is overwhelmed by witches in the north of the city so I'll need to help her get them under control."

"Ah, that is a nostalgic name," Mami says. "So that samurai girl is still around. I had not heard news of her in quite some time, so it is quite a relief to hear that I am not the only remaining veteran around here."

"Huh? What do you mean by samurai girl?" I ask.

"My apologies," Mami says. "It was a slip of the tongue, because Miss Masuyo's magical girl outfit resembles a samurai. If you've met her, surely you noticed it too?"

What's she talking about? Masuyo Mari had a Tuxedo Mask costume, not a samurai outfit… how could Mami have such a different impression of her? Are we even talking about the same person? Could she have confused Masuyo Mari with someone else? Maybe the deceased Naomi Noriko, or even Akane Mai from Kazamino? Akane Mai doesn't look all that much like a samurai to me, but she does wield a katana, so it seems plausible that someone might call her one.

"Uhh… I see," I say. "That makes sense. Well… I guess I'll see you later… if not earlier, then perhaps when Walpurgisnacht arrives."

"Oh, did you know about that too?" Madoka asks. "I thought that information came from Homura-chan…"

Mami shakes her head, while I head off, leaving the two of them there.

"No, there was another source too," Mami says. "I heard it from Kyuubey before I heard it from Miss Akemi. Didn't Miss Akemi hear it from Kyuubey too?"

And then I'm basically out of earshot. I make my way back to the Hayashi home, where I find the whole gang in the living room for some reason. I can't see the living room from the door, but I can hear them all chatting.

"Oh? Is this a special occasion of some kind?" I ask as I remove my shoes.

"Welcome home!" Komachi calls.

"Oh yeah, I'm back," I respond.

"It's not a special occasion," Elise says. "We just decided to have a sleepover this weekend."

"I see… where's Mr and Mrs Hayashi?"

"Dad's in his study," Hiyori says. "Mom stepped out for some snacks and drinks from the convenience store."

I nod. "Well, since I've got you all together for once, perhaps this is a good time to ask… how were those grief cubes I gave you?"

The four of them exchange glances.

"Well, I don't think a single cube can absorb as much grief as a regular grief seed," Komachi says. "It's about half… no, a little more than half?"

"Maybe as much as two-thirds?" Claire offers. "It's really hard to quantify grief, but… it's somewhere in that range, I think."

"But I mean… five of them… it's just incredible," Elise says. "The thought of seeing five grief seeds in one place is… well, sure, these aren't as effective as a grief seed, but five of them? That's like two or three grief seeds, right? We've rarely had more than one spare between the four of us."

I nod slowly. Their comments roughly line up with my own experience in using them. Individually, they're certainly inferior to a grief seed. However, when you factor in the drop rate, they're far, far better. Grief seeds are one per witch, and if you're unlucky, the witch might not even drop one; plus there are independent familiars, which are sometimes almost as dangerous as the parent witch yet never drop a seed. Occasionally a single witch may drop two, but that's rare… in fact, the only instance I've ever seen that in was Itzli, so for all I know it could be unique to her. Witches also don't normally show up in groups, barring special cases like Yuuki Sasa or the Freezer case. On the other hand, grief cubes drop a few at a time, and lesser wraiths commonly show up in large groups.

"Yeah, I think I'd conclude they're superior to modern grief seeds," I say. "But nowadays they're almost impossible to obtain."

"You got them from that grave, right?" Hiyori says. "Maybe more of those white giants will appear there?"

"Um… I assume you know what happens if Kyuubey doesn't eat a spent grief seed, right?"

Komachi nods. "It'll spawn a new witch, right?"

I nod. "Yeah… so I think that's the only reason the white giants appeared there," I say. "There were a bunch of grief cubes there in the grave, all filled with grief, so I guess they spawned those giants… now there's none left, so I don't expect they'll spawn again."

"That's too bad," Hiyori muses. "But maybe there's another way to get them to spawn?"

I nod. "There is indeed… I talked to a magical girl who knows a bit more about them. If we can eradicate all the witches in the city, eventually those things would start spawning."

"Eh… that seems a bit far-fetched," Elise says. "Especially since magical girls turn into witches… even if we wiped out the existing witches, some new ones would be born, right?"

"Unfortunately, I think you're right," I say. "Witches could also arrive from outside the city… eradicating all witches is actually a pretty daunting task. Another possibility would be herding witches into a single area, so that the giants can spawn elsewhere, but I'm not sure how effective that would be."

"Both would need wide-scale cooperation amongst magical girls," Komachi muses. "But if there's anything that could unite magical girls, I think it's that…"

"Yeah, I'm optimistic about that," I say. "But Walpurgisnacht comes first… with a witch of her caliber wandering the planet, it's pointless to work on locally eradicating witches from a specific area. Walpurgisnacht would just show up and ruin everything."

"Yeah…" Komachi says.

"Let's change the topic," Hiyori says. "Something less depressing. How'd your trip go, Ashley-chan?"

"Oh! It went well… I've got the translation right here."

I pull out the sheet of paper that Professor Takahashi gave me and spread it out on the table. Everyone else looks at it in wonder, for the words written there are far beyond any of our expectations. After several seconds of everyone staring, Hiyori decides to read it out loud.

If you can read this, surely you have heard the lies the little white fox feeds us. You may have even learned some part of the truth yourself. Yet I have discovered that the deception runs far deeper than anyone ever imagined. If you believe that you can stomach the dark secrets of this broken world, then read on.

My great-great-grandmother built this island of Shinriku with her wish, founding the Tokime clan to watch over it and pass on these secrets to later generations. Sadly, that legacy is on the brink of destruction thanks to the fox's machinations. As the last remaining magical girl of the Tokime clan, and one with no attack magic whatsoever, it is up to me to ensure that the legacy is not lost forever. I have erected a barrier around this sacred mountain, and once I place this letter in Lady Youha's grave, I will return to the Mikoshiba and turn into a devil. With luck, that will be the end of her little scheme, but either way, the Tokime clan is done for, and this sacred mountain is the last remaining trace of our legacy.

You may wonder why the little white fox would instigate action to destroy my clan, when usually it sits back and watches as the tragedies unfold. You are not alone, for I wonder the same thing. Perhaps our knowledge poses an existential threat to that fox's system, which only increases the urgency of preserving it. I cannot commit it to writing, for I fear the little white fox would find a way to destroy it. Instead, the clan has created a time capsule that takes advantage of some little-known properties of the human soul, properties that the fox itself may not be aware of. I dare not even explain the mechanism in detail; the most I can say is that this mountain is haunted by the Kazura, and all it takes is a wish to complete the loop. It's certainly ironic that the little white fox will be indirectly responsible for exposing this information after it went to so much trouble to cover it up.

I pray that someone in the future solves this riddle to unlock the truth of this world.

Yours truly,
Tokime no Oyura.

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.

Nanami Yachiyo
七海やちよ

Age: 19
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Blue
Origins: Shinsei ward, Kamihama, Shinriku prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Blue crescent moon
Soul Gem: Blue crescent moon gem below her chest
Element: Water
Weapon: Halberd
Powers: Water manipulation, stockpiling hope
Wish: "I want to survive."

Speed: 5
Magical Stamina: 10
Offensive Power: 8
Defensive Power: 8
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 2

Yakumo Mitama
八雲みたま

Age: 17
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Silver
Origins: Daito ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Blue 4-lobed florette
Soul Gem: Blue florette-shaped gem on her ribbon hair clip
Element: Null
Weapon: Cloths
Powers: Destruction, magic suppression, soul gem adjustment
Wish: "I want to become the existence that destroys Kamihama."
Affiliation: Puella Care

Speed: 4
Magical Stamina: 8
Offensive Power: 3
Defensive Power: 6
Initial Power Usability: 1
Learned Powers: 2

Togame Momoko
十咎ももこ

Age: 16
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Blonde
Origins: Shinsei ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Red shield
Soul Gem: Red shield-shaped gem on her chest
Element: Fire
Weapon: Machete
Powers: Heat aura, encouragement
Wish: "I want the courage to confess my feelings."

Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 7
Offensive Power: 8
Defensive Power: 3
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 1

Akino Kaede
秋野かえで

Age: 14
Eye Colour: Amber
Hair Colour: Red
Origins: Shinsei ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Red almond lens with circular hollow
Soul Gem: Red circular gem on the tip of her hat
Element: Forest
Weapon: Wooden shepherd's cane
Powers: Plant control, erosion, temporary deletion
Wish: "The construction of those apartments… I wish they never started!"

Speed: 4
Magical Stamina: 4
Offensive Power: 5
Defensive Power: 6
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 2

Minami Rena
水波レナ

Age: 15
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Blue
Origins: Shinsei Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Blue musical quaver
Soul Gem: Blue musical quaver shaped gem on her waist
Element: Water
Weapon: Trident
Powers: Water manipulation, ice manipulation, disguise
Wish: "I want to be someone else… give me the power to turn into other people."

Speed: 5
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 8
Defensive Power: 6
Initial Power Usability: 8
Learned Powers: 2

Note: I have updated the single line of gibberish in chapter 9 to match the gibberish in this chapter.