April twelfth. Miki Sayaka is out hunting for witches with Madoka, but Kyuubey doesn't seem to be with them this time. They seem to have tracked a witch to a rundown warehouse right at the river's edge, with a nearby loading dock and even a massive crane. It actually looks like they may have unwittingly ventured into Koharu's territory.
The two of them step into the labyrinth, which is a vast mostly-white expanse, reducing both of them to mere silhouettes as if there were some very strong back-lighting. The familiars are snake-like shadows, which both of them take out without much trouble, reaching the main witch's chamber before long.
"Okay Madoka, leave the witch to me, okay?" Sayaka says. "No matter what, don't help me! I want to prove I can beat a witch by myself!"
"B-but why?" Madoka protests. "We should work together!"
"Because I'm dragging you guys down!" Sayaka says. "I need to get stronger!"
The witch, Elsa Maria, looks like some sort of weird plant, with a red sunburst set atop a thick, dark trunk, and the motionless silhouette of a girl at its base, kneeling as if praying to the sunburst. As Sayaka charges at the witch, more familiars pop out to attack her, but she slices them down easily. However, there are too many of them, and she barely makes any progress towards the witch's main body.
Then she leaps high into the air, generating some sort of magical circle that propels her back down to the ground at high speed, aiming for the silhouette of a girl. However, as she approaches her target, something grows up from the silhouette's back, like branches from a tree, wrapping up and encasing Sayaka.
"Sayaka-chan!" Madoka gasps.
She draws her bow, aiming at the bundle of branches, but someone else beats her to the punch. With several swings of her spear, Kyouko leaps in to cut apart the wooden cage, setting Sayaka free.
"Ugh, I can't bear to watch this anymore," Kyouko gripes. "Why don't you rest a bit and let me show you how it's done, Sayaka?"
"I can't," Sayaka says, picking herself up. "I need to… get stronger… why am I so weak!?"
"What? You're new, so it's only natural!" Kyouko says.
"But Madoka's also new, and she's so strong!" Sayaka says. "It's just me who's weak! Why is it only me!?"
"Sayaka-chan! Th-the witch is getting away!" Madoka says.
Sure enough, that tree-like structure is moving away, perhaps scared off by Kyouko's entry.
"Ugh! I've had enough!" Sayaka suddenly shouts. "There's no meaning to being such a weak magical girl!"
She rips the soul gem off her stomach and throws it away.
"No, what the hell are you doing!?" Kyouko shouts. "That's the source of your magic!"
But before she has a chance to retrieve the soul gem, the barrier suddenly collapses… or perhaps it would be more accurate to say they were ejected from it.
"The witch escaped…" Kyouko says. "Sayaka, you idiot! Why did you let it get away!?"
"Who cares," Sayaka retorts. "I haven't beaten a single witch since I became a magical girl. I'm just a burden to everyone else! I quit!"
"Sayaka-chan, you're not a burden!" Madoka says. "You're my most precious friend! What does it matter if you can't defeat a witch on your own? That's why we fight as a team!"
"It matters to me," Sayaka says bitterly. "I feel like you're all making a fool of—"
She suddenly collapses in mid-sentence, crumpling up and falling to the ground.
"S-sayaka-chan!?" Madoka gasps.
Kyouko kneels by her and gasps as well.
"What the hell is this?" she asks. "She ain't breathing!? Is she dead?"
"O-oh no!" Madoka says, also kneeling. "W-what's wrong with her?"
At that moment, Kyuubey decides to show up, stepping out of the shadows and trotting up to them.
"A magical girl can only control her body within a radius of one hundred metres," it says.
"What the hell's that s'posed to mean?" Kyouko snaps.
Madoka looks at it. "W-what do you mean, Kyuubey?"
"Normally, you would keep your body nearby," Kyuubey says. "So this sort of thing rarely happens."
"Kyuubey… what are you saying?" Madoka asks. "What can we do for Sayaka-chan!? I don't want her to die!"
"Madoka, that person is not your friend," the incubator explains. "It is merely an empty shell. Miki Sayaka is still in the witch's labyrinth. If you want to save your friend, you should hurry and chase after the witch."
"Wait… her soul gem," Kyouko says. "She threw it away. Are you trying to say that the soul gem is…"
"Yes," Kyuubey says. "That is the real Miki Sayaka."
Madoka jumps to her feet.
"Kyouko-chan, you watch over her!" she says. "I'll chase the witch and get back her soul gem! Whatever you do, keep her safe, promise me!"
"O-okay, sure," Kyouko says.
Without waiting for any further response, Madoka runs off, tracking Elsa Maria via the resonance with her soul gem. The witch hasn't gone far, so after about ten minutes she finally catches up and re-enters the labyrinth. The snake-like familiars are no trouble for her even on her own, and she returns to the central chamber in record time.
Looking around, she spots Sayaka's soul gem on the ground not far from the witch. Apparently, Elsa Maria hasn't yet noticed it, so Madoka runs in, taking out the familiars with her arrows, and manages to snatch it up. Transforming it into ring form, she places it on her finger next to her own ring, then turns to face the witch once more.
Madoka beheads the girl-shaped silhouette with a single arrow, but of course, that's not the witch's true body, and it simple grows new tentacles to attack her again, growing into a tree-like structure. However, several more volleys of arrows shred that structure, and some of those arrows even make it further, striking the red sunburst behind. Then the labyrinth collapses, and Madoka snatches up the grief seed before turning to run back to where she left Kyouko with Sayaka's body.
When Madoka returns, Kyouko shoots her a glare.
"What took ya so long! I've been waiting here forever!"
"Sorry," Madoka says. "I found her as fast as I could."
She takes Sayaka's hand and presses the soul gem into it. A few seconds later, Sayaka draws breath, and her eyes snap open.
"W-what happened?" she gasps.
"W-well, um," Madoka says. "How should I explain it…"
"You idiot!" Kyouko shouts. "Don't ever do that again! I was worried!"
"W-what!?" Sayaka retorts. "You were worried? Don't joke with me!"
Madoka hugs her. "Just… don't throw your soul gem away again, Sayaka-chan," she says. "I don't want to lose you…"
"O-okay, I promise," Sayaka mutters.
April fourteenth. Hinata Matsuri has just left school with Amano Suzune when she gets a telepathic call to the roof. After apologizing to Suzune, she runs past Honoka, who looks like she may have been following her, and re-enters the school. Honoka follows her up the stairs but stays inside, presumably listening in.
Matsuri is the last to arrive, and Kanade Haruka turns to face them.
"Good, everyone is here," she says.
"So what did you want to discuss?" Matsuri asks.
"Don't tell me it's that ripper rumour," Narumi Arisa says.
"There's no way," Shion Chisato says.
"That's right, Arisa," Haruka replies.
"Wait, really?" Arisa gasps.
"What do you mean?" Chisato asks.
"Well, to be precise," Haruka muses. "It's more like a story that's linked to it… you already know, right? The serial murders that started about a month ago?"
"Yes, I saw it on the news," Matsuri says.
"Yeah, and this rumour that's going around," Arisa says. "Wait… you don't mean the ripper could be…?"
"There could be a correlation with the rumours, certainly," Chisato says. "Is something bothering you?"
"It's just someone I heard from a journalist my father knows," Haruka says. "The news only said they were killed by a knife, but in reality the wound seems to be from a much bigger weapon… like a sword. And another thing… this was covered in the news… all the victims were teenage girls."
"That does feel like too many inexplicable factors," Chisato muses.
"Yes, assuming the culprit is a human," Haruka says.
"I bet it's one of those gloomy dudes who snapped because he couldn't deal with girls!" Arisa announces.
"That's definitely not it," Matsuri counters. "You're really silly, Arisa."
"I don't want to hear that from you!" Arisa protests.
"So it has to be a witch, right?" Chisato says.
At this point, Honoka bursts out onto the roof.
"It's not a witch!"
The others turn to her in surprise.
"Who the hell're you?" Arisa asks.
"Um… she's… one of my classmates," Matsuri says. "But I haven't spoken with her before…"
"Um… I'm Kanami Honoka," Honoka says breathlessly. "N-nice to meet you?"
"Miss Kanami, why do you say it's not a witch?" Haruka asks. "Do you know something about this matter?"
Honoka blinks at her. "W-wait… a-aren't you the student council president!?"
Haruka nods. "Yes… now can you answer my questions?"
"Um… because… last week, I was attacked," Honoka says. "It was a magical girl with a big sword… I think she's probably the culprit?"
Matsuri gasps, but Haruka and Chisato look skeptical.
"Really? But why would a magical girl do something like that?" Chisato asks.
"It's one thing if it was a conflict over territory, but that doesn't explain a string of murders across at least two different cities," Haruka says. "That friend also mentioned the ripper rumour has been spreading in Kamihama too, you know."
"R-really? W-well… I… I don't know why!" Honoka says. "But she just… she just attacked me out of nowhere… right after finishing off the witch I was fighting… at first she acted friendly, but then she attacked out of nowhere. A-and she's attending this school too… but I'm afraid to identify her…"
"Are you serious!?" Arisa exclaims. "You're saying the murderer is right here at this school!?"
"Y-yes… that's right," Honoka says.
"Can you prove that happened?" Haruka asks. "I can't believe a magical girl would just attack you without warning."
"I didn't think so either," Honoka admits. "When Ashley-chan warned me about it, I didn't entirely believe her myself… but it really happened! You've gotta believe me!"
"Ashley-chan… do you mean Ashley Taylor?" Haruka asks.
"Y-yeah, her! You met her too, then? Didn't she warn you too?"
"No… all she said is that she wanted allies to help her fight Walpurgisnacht," Haruka says. "Nothing about a magical girl assassin."
"She never mentioned that to me," Honoka muses. "What's Walpurgisnacht?"
"It's a terrible witch, probably the most powerful one in the whole world," Haruka says. "It's so terrible that natural disasters follow it whenever it appears."
"Oh my…" Honoka says.
"Even supposing there's a magical girl out there killing other magical girls," Haruka says. "Can you prove it's not you?"
Honoka blinks. "E-eh!? W-why would I be warning you if it was me?"
"To throw off the scent?" Haruka shrugs. "Can you prove it?"
"U-um… I guess… I guess not, actually…" Honoka admits. "My weapon is a knife after all… and I made my contract more than a month ago… and I don't know when any of the girls were murdered… so I can't prove I was somewhere else… although I don't know when the rumours started…"
"I think we should believe her," Matsuri says.
"You can't be so quick to believe people!" Haruka protests.
"But if she was the culprit, she wouldn't be admitting she can't prove it!" Matsuri protests. "And she doesn't sound like she's lying… she even admitted she uses a knife. If she was the culprit, why would she do that?"
"I don't think it makes any sense," Chisato says. "First of all, it defies belief that a magical girl would just kill other magical girls for no reason. On top of that, Miss Taylor's behaviour is also suspicious, telling one thing to us and a different thing to Miss Kanami… how do we know she's not the culprit, or at least an accomplice? How else could she have known to warn her? Admittedly the two things she said don't conflict, so it's not like proof she was lying, but it's still suspicious…"
"W-well, Ashley-chan definitely isn't the one who attacked me," Honoka says. "I could never make that mistake. And I'm sure she's not the sort of person to do that… she's a good person. She probably just forgot to mention it to you… and why would she warn me if she was an accomplice?"
"Even if Miss Kanami isn't telling the truth," Matsuri says. "And I still think she is, but even if she isn't… it can't hurt to act as if it's true, right? If we see a magical girl we don't know… we should be careful, right? Just in case it's true…"
"That sounds like good advice," Chisato muses. "But Miss Kanami is also a magical girl we don't know…"
Haruka nods. "Yes, it's better if we're careful," she says. "If nothing else, Miss Kanami presents a possibility I hadn't considered. Even if it sounds unlikely, I can't deny that it's possible those girls were killed by a magical girl. So… let's be careful. However, I don't think we need to worry too much."
"Right, we're talking about us, after all!" Arisa says with a nod. "If we meet that magical girl, I'll just smash her head in!"
"Arisa, that's too violent!" Matsuri protests.
"Th-thank you… for listening," Honoka says, bowing.
"Well, I still don't entirely believe you," Haruka says. "And I have no intention of working with you. That's okay, right?"
Honoka nods. "Yeah… I've been fighting alone for the past month anyway… so I'll be fine."
Haruka turns to the others. "Well then, let's start our patrol," she says. "If you find a witch's barrier, contact the others immediately, understood?"
"Roger that!" Arisa says. "Just like always, right?"
"Yes," Haruka says. "But be sure to be careful about what we discussed here."
"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to worry about that," Arisa says. "Let's get this over with."
The four of them transform and leap off the roof in different directions, leaving Honoka there alone.
Despite Honoka's gallant attempt to warn them, it does no good. On their witch hunt that night, Chisato is killed by Suzune, and Arisa goes into a rage and attempts to defeat her, only to be defeated. That's when Haruka and Matsuri show up.
"Hold it!" Haruka shouts.
"Are you two alright?" Matsuri asks anxiously.
Then she spots Chisato on the ground and gasps.
"H-haruka, Chisato… Chisato is…"
"W-what's going on?" Haruka gasps. Spotting the culprit, she continues, "So it's true, the rumour really was about a magical girl," she says. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
Matsuri turns and sees Suzune too, letting out another gasp.
"Suzune-chan!?" she gasps.
Haruka shoots her a look. "Y-you know this girl!?"
Matsuri nods, and Suzune just gives them a look.
"You're better off not knowing the reason," she says darkly.
Haruka and Matsuri exchange a long glance, no doubt filled with telepathic missives, then leap into action.
"Attention!" Haruka shouts.
Suzune gasps as her whole body freezes up.
"Charm magic…" she murmurs.
But then she breaks free of the charm and charges at Haruka.
"This is pointless," she says.
The two of them exchange several blows.
"This is all pointless," Suzune repeats. "Sooner or later, you'll reach your limit."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Haruka retorts.
While Haruka is holding off Suzune, Matsuri heads in to gather up Arisa, slinging her over her shoulder. Once she's secured, Matsuri calls out.
"Haruka! I have Arisa!"
"Release!" Haruka shouts, partially overlapping.
Suzune freezes in mid-swing, her head turned to look at Matsuri. Oh… that was actually taunt, not charm, wasn't it? And just now was charm.
"Let's escape while we have the chance!" Matsuri says.
"I won't let you!" Suzune shouts.
The charm doesn't seem to last very long, for Suzune turns away from Haruka and charges at Matsuri, but the other girl extends her hand and emits a blinding flash of light. The distraction gives them enough time to escape. Eventually they reach a playground in the neighbourhood.
"Think this is far enough?" Matsuri asks.
"Probably," Haruka says. "Is Arisa alright?"
Matsuri sets Arisa down on a bench and checks her.
"Yes… she's breathing," Matsuri says. "She just fainted, I guess…"
"That's good," Haruka says. "Anyway, we have a lot to think about… about Chisato, and Kanami Honoka, and this girl… oh, that's right, you recognized her, didn't you, Matsuri?"
Matsuri nods. "She's… my classmate," she says.
"What!? That means… she's from our school?" Haruka gasps.
"Yeah… she transferred in last week… to think she was a magical girl… and the ripper, at that…"
Kyuubey emerges from some nearby bushes.
"I see she has appeared," it says.
"Kyuubey… where have you been at a time like this?" Haruka asks.
"I had something to do," Kyuubey replies. "Since Amano Suzune can hide her presence, I became aware of her too late to warn you."
"Hey, Kyuu-chan," Matsuri says. "Why is Suzune-chan doing this?"
"I can't say I understand her myself," Kyuubey says. "She had a lot of talent, but at one point she started to aim only at magical girls. However, I can say one thing for certain. That girl is your natural enemy… an assassin."
"Hmm… and what can you tell us about Kanami Honoka?" Haruka asks.
"Kanami Honoka?" Kyuubey says. "There is nothing special about her. She is a perfectly average magical girl. Why do you ask?"
"Well, apparently she managed to escape from Suzune-chan when attacked," Matsuri explains.
"Hmm… that is believable," Kyuubey says. "Kanami Honoka's powers are well-suited for running away, so if she did not let her guard down, it is plausible that she could escape from Amano Suzune."
"So you think she's telling the truth?" Haruka asks.
"I have no evidence to draw a conclusion from," Kyuubey says. "All I can say is that it could be true."
"What about Ashley Taylor?" Haruka asks.
Kyuubey tilts its head. "Ashley Taylor is a very strange girl," it says. "You might call her an anomaly among magical girls… at first I thought she was more rational than the average human, but it seems I was mistaken. I cannot fathom what goes through her mind. I have no reason to believe she harbours ill will towards any of you, but even so I cannot recommend placing your trust in her. Her actions are unpredictable and do not appear to follow any logic that I can discern."
"So… she's something of a wildcard," Haruka muses. "She could be dangerous but she could also be an unexpected ally…"
"Haruka… maybe we should ask Miss Kanami to join our team after all," Matsuri says. "Especially since she was able to survive Suzune-chan's attack all on her own…"
"Well… I have to admit that she was right about the culprit," Haruka mutters. "But I'm still not sure I want to work with her… let me think it over, okay?"
"Sure," Matsuri says. "Why don't we all discuss it tomorrow?"
"Yeah…"
April twentieth. Once again, Miki Sayaka heads out alone to hunt witches, as she has been doing every day since she discovered the truth about her soul gem. Her gem is more than half tainted, a sign of how she's been avoiding the use of grief seeds.
After destroying two familiars, Sayaka unexpectedly happens upon someone she knows in a small plaza – Kamijou Kyousuke. She freezes, powering down as she watches him approach, perhaps debating what to say to him… but he walks right past her with dull eyes, and she lets out a gasp as she spots the witch's kiss on his neck. She turns and grabs him by the shoulder, but he blinks at her and shakes the hand off.
"Don't touch me, you monster," he says.
Sayaka gasps and takes a step back in shock. "W-what!? D-don't you remember me, Kyousuke-kun?"
Kyousuke tilts his head. "What? Who told you my name? There's no way I'd forget encountering such a repulsive creature…"
"W-what exactly is repulsive…"
"Everything really, but I suppose the worst part is all those tentacles… d-don't come any closer!"
Sayaka blinks. "H-huh?"
But Kyousuke seems to be finished talking. He turns and continues walking.
"W-what was that all about?" Sayaka wonders out loud. "What exactly was he seeing…? It was almost like he didn't even see me at all…"
Since he has a witch's kiss, she follows him halfway across town, eventually passing the hospital. Just a short distance beyond there, Kyousuke turns into the train station, where Sayaka discovers the entrance to the labyrinth. Before she can stop him, Kyousuke steps inside, and she transforms and follows.
There are a few more people inside, but she ignores them, charging through the dog-like familiars and reaching the witch's chamber, where some sort of dark mass hides inside a jungle gym. It's Suleika… one of her familiars must have matured. Unfortunately, Sayaka seems to be unable to touch her. Every time she tries to attack, the witch retreats into the jungle gym, and Sayaka's sword clangs against the metal bars. Even when she tries a thrust, it can't quite reach the witch's body. Throwing her sword doesn't seem to be very effective either, as the witch appears to be pretty good at dodging.
She's been fighting in vain for close to ten minutes, becoming more and more frustrated, when help suddenly arrives.
"Tiro Finale!"
Mami's finisher fails to finish the witch off, but it does cause Suleika to cower even deeper inside her jungle gym. Kyouko darts in to stab her, the spear allowing her to reach where Sayaka's sword could not. A volley of arrows penetrates the jungle gym from multiple angles, causing Suleika to let out a high-pitched squeal. And then Kyouko leaps back, and the whole jungle gym suddenly just explodes, no doubt thanks to Homura's bombs.
"What the hell!?" Sayaka shouts. "I never asked for your help!"
"Don't be an idiot," Kyouko says. "Everyone's been worried 'bout you the past few days! What the hell've you been doing?"
"That's none of your business!" Sayaka shouts. "That's—"
She interrupts herself as she spots someone on the ground. The barrier has collapsed by now, and the people rescued from the labyrinth are lying unconscious on the ground. Sayaka's eyes focus on two in particular – Kyousuke lies facing upwards, while Shizuki Hitomi clings to him like a pillow.
At the same moment, Kyouko spots the state of Sayaka's soul gem and gasps.
"Sayaka! Your soul gem's at its limit! You need a grief seed!"
But she's too late. The sight of Kyousuke and Hitomi together must have been the trigger that pushed her over the limit; and hearing Kyousuke call her a monster, even if he was hallucinating, couldn't have helped either. She turns to Kyouko as cracks start to run through her soul gem, tears now running down her face.
"I'm sorry I wasted your time," Sayaka mutters.
"Eh? That's not like you…" Kyouko says.
"I don't even know what I wanted to protect anymore," Sayaka says. "It's like you said… hope and despair balance out… I get it now… every wish is balanced by a curse… I'm such an idiot!"
"Sayaka, we've got to—"
But before Kyouko can finish her sentence, Sayaka's soul gem cracks open, hatching into a grief seed. All the onlookers are shocked as Oktavia von Seckendorff looms over them, and a new labyrinth forms. Kyouko gazes up at her for a few seconds, then shouts.
"You bastard! What the hell are you? What have you done to Sayaka?"
Oktavia bombards them with cart wheels, and the four of them are forced to dodge.
"Sayaka-chan, stop it!" Madoka shouts. "Please, I beg you! Sayaka-chan wouldn't want to do something like this!"
Madoka dodges wheels while shouting, but then a particular large quantity flies towards her. However, before they can hit her, they burst apart. A couple of seconds later, Oktavia herself explodes in a sea of flames. The four magical girls watch as the barrier collapses, swallowing up Sayaka's body along with it. No doubt that explosion was also Homura's doing.
"Dammit, Sayaka!" Kyouko shouts, slamming her fist down on one of the benches. "The hell is this…"
"It's so cruel," Madoka sobs. "This is just too much…"
Then, suddenly, yellow ribbons wrap themselves around Homura. Moments later, a shot is fired, striking Kyouko's soul gem and shattering it instantly. She falls to the ground, her transformation cancelled, and Homura gasps and turns to Mami, who is now aiming her musket at her.
"I-if soul gems breed witches," Mami says. "Then we have no choice but to die!"
Homura struggles, trying to get free of the ribbons.
"You're just like me, right?" Mami says, sobbing.
"No, stop!" Homura cries.
But then an arrow strikes the soul gem on Mami's head, and she too falls to the ground, her transformation cancelled. Homura stands up, but Madoka collapses to the ground, sobbing.
"No… I didn't want this," she sobs. "I've had enough!"
Homura walks up and kneels in front of her.
"I-it's okay," she says. "L-let's keep working hard together… let's beat Walpurgisnacht together!"
After a few moments, Madoka raises her head to meet Madoka's eyes, then nods. Although Homura is smiling, perhaps to try and put her friend at ease, tears begin to leak from her eyes.
"You're crying," Hiyori says.
I blink at her, startled. I didn't even realize she'd come in. I'm currently on my bed, resting on top of the covers as I witness the demise of the holy quintet. The light is still on, though. I sit up and look at her, wiping away the tears… she's right, I was crying.
"What happened?" Hiyori asks. "Were you watching people again? You should really stop doing that, especially if it's just going to hurt you…"
I nod. "Yeah… Tomoe Mami and Sakura Kyouko are dead," I say. "Along with Miki Sayaka."
Hiyori gasps. "N-no way… they're both so strong though!? I… I can't believe they're actually gone… I mean, I never liked Miss Sakura that much, but Miss Mami was pretty cool… and for both the veterans to die at the same time…"
"You're wrong about one thing," I say. "There's two more veterans in the city – Masuyo Mari and Kohaku Koharu."
"Well sure, but they're on the outskirts," Hiyori says. "So I've never gotten a chance to meet them. But Miss Mami… I see her almost every day at school, so it really hits close to home…"
Suddenly she blinks.
"O-oh no, I just realized, what's going to happen to the witches?" she asks.
"Well, there are still two more magical girls in central Mitakihara," I say. "And one of them is quite strong, so I imagine they should be fine."
"Hmm… I'm worried, though," Hiyori says. "What if they die too…"
"I hate to say it, but in the long run it probably doesn't matter that much if we all die," I say. "Kyuubey will find new magical girls to contract here in Mitakihara. And don't forget that Miss Mikuni's team is still around too."
"Oh right, I forgot all about them," Hiyori says. "Okay. That makes me feel a bit better."
"So anyway… did you need anything from me, Hiyori-chan?" I ask. "It's rare for you to pop into my room like that…"
"Oh, well, I was just wondering something," Hiyori says. "It's pretty silly, so please don't laugh at me."
I nod. "I promise."
"I was thinking about songs I could learn that are fitting for magical girls," Hiyori says. "I've found a bunch on my own time but I wanted to know if you had any ideas."
"Hmm, magical girl theme songs? That's easy," I say. "It's gotta be Connect by ClariS and Magia by Kalafina. Oh, and an honourable mention goes to Fumino Sayaka's Blade-Bearing Beauty."
Hiyori blinks. "Those are… much older songs than I expected from you," she says.
I blink at her in turn. "Wait… do you know the songs already?"
Hiyori shakes her head. "Not the songs, but the group names. Mom even has a couple of ClariS singles, I think."
Come to think of it, those are the theme songs from the Madoka opening and closing credits, so there's no reason why they'd even exist in this world, even if the groups themselves do. No… wait, at least Connect has to exist, because the dancing game in the arcade offers it as one of the available songs. I've heard it a few times when venturing in there to search for witches. Why does it exist, though? Wasn't it created specifically for the anime? While I'm pondering this, the familiar opening of Magia issues from Hiyori's phone… she must've done a search for it while I was spacing out. So that means they both exist… that's so weird.
"Ooooh, this is a great find," Hiyori says after listening for a minute or so. "It's really spot-on! I wonder if someone in Kalafina was actually a magical girl…"
Oh. That's true, I hadn't even thought of that possibility. If both groups by chance contained a magical girl, then that could provide an alternative impetus to create the songs. Of course, I have no proof, one way or another, and I doubt I'll ever find proof – Kalafina probably broke up and retired long ago.
"Um, thank you for the suggestions, Ashley-chan! Do you have any others?"
"No problem," I reply. "Um… I think there's one other ClariS song that might fit… what was it again… Colourful or something?"
Hiyori nods in acknowledgement. If I'm remembering correctly, that's the opening theme for the Madoka Rebellion movie.
"Um… can I ask you to make those suggestions again in the next time loop?" Hiyori says. "I'm sure I'll ask you again, as long as I find out the truth, so please humour me."
I nod. "Well, no matter how many times you ask, my answer won't change."
"Thank you!"
With that, she turns to leave the room.
April twenty-fifth. After school, Matsuri packs up her things and slings her bag across her shoulder, then looks over at Honoka. Suzune has already disappeared, slipping out the door almost as soon as the bell went, but Honoka is still there, copying down the last of the teacher's notes. A moment later, she finishes and starts packing up. It seems Matsuri has decided to wait for her. Finally Honoka finishes packing up, and Matsuri heads her off as she leaves. They're the only ones left in the classroom by this time.
"Eh?" Honoka blinks. "O-oh… it's you… um, Miss Hinata, right?"
"Please call me Matsuri-chan," Matsuri says.
"Um… sure," Honoka says. "What's up? I thought Kanade-sempai didn't want to…"
"It's fine," Matsuri says. "We're not doing that today. I just thought we could walk home together or something. Were you at Chisato's funeral?"
Honoka shakes her head. "It didn't feel right showing up when I've never even met her," she says. "I'm sorry. Of course, I was at the school assembly in her memory, though. Um… was it her, do you know?"
"Suzune-chan? Yeah… I was shocked," Matsuri says. "I don't understand why she's doing this… she seems like such a nice girl…"
Suddenly the door slams open, startling them.
"Yo, what's taking you so long, Matsuri!?" Arisa shouts. "Eh? Oh, it's that other magical girl… what was your name again?"
"I'm Kanami Honoka," Honoka says. "Nice to meet you, um…"
"Arisa," she replies. "Narumi Arisa. Matsuri, I need your help… Haruka has disappeared!"
Matsuri blinks. "Eh? That's not like her… what do you mean, disappeared?"
"Apparently she left suddenly just before the student council meeting," Arisa says. "And she was seen leaving the school just a minute ago… if we hurry, we can catch her!"
"Um… so, not walking home together, I guess?" Honoka says.
"I'd still like to," Matsuri says. "If you don't mind coming along, that is?"
"Um… sure, if Miss Narumi's okay with it…"
"There's no time!" Arisa says. "I don't care, just hurry up before the trail goes cold!"
The three of them hurry out of the school, asking a group of students idling by the gate, who apparently saw her heading towards the shopping district. They continue in the indicated direction, chatting as they go.
"So why are you chasing after Haruka so frantically?" Matsuri asks. "Are you planning to make up? That would be nice…"
"No, it's not really like that," Arisa says. "I just thought I might've said a bit too much…"
"Oh, come on," Matsuri retorts. "You've gotta me more honest with yourself, Arisa!"
"Oh shut up!" Arisa protests. "A-anyway, I wanna apologize, so I'm gonna apologize, and that's that." After a pause, she adds. "Besides… what happened to Chisato isn't her fault. If I'd noticed it sooner… if I'd been stronger… then maybe… after all, I was the closest…"
"Arisa…"
Honoka trails a couple of steps behind the pair, looking like she feels a littler awkward from the conversation. After they fall silent for a few moments, she decides to speak up.
"It looks like Kanade-sempai isn't here," Honoka says.
"Yeah, she suddenly left so we don't have much info," Arisa says. "Oh right, Matsuri, maybe your magic can help?"
"Um, it's possible, but it's more useful in combat," Matsuri says. "Like this it would be hard to pick her out of the crowds… besides, I think it's better to search for her on our own at a time like this."
"Yeah, probably," Arisa says. Then she blinks. "Huh? Isn't that our uniform?"
She has just caught sight of Suzune, slipping off the main street into an alleyway.
Honoka gasps. "It's her…!"
"Suzune-chan!" Matsuri gasps.
Arisa suddenly breaks into a run.
"No, Arisa, wait!" Matsuri calls.
Arisa rounds the corner and transforms, grabbing her scythe and swinging it with full force at Suzune. Suzune seems to detect her presence at the last minute, transforming as well and blocking the swing with her strange sword.
"Amano Suzune!" Arisa shouts. "I'll make you pay!"
The two of them hop back, eyeing each other warily for a few moments. Then Arisa speaks again.
"I heard about you from Matsuri," she says. "So don't think you'll get off easy!"
At that moment, Matsuri and Honoka also round the corner and enter the alleyway.
"Arisa! We finally caught up!" Matsuri says.
Arisa ignores her and continues talking to Suzune.
"I don't know why you're doing the whole mystery transfer student schtick, but I don't really care. You're Chisato's enemy, and this time I'll crush you!"
She swings her scythe and strikes a pose, but Suzune looks unimpressed.
"You still can't win against me," she says. "And I have some business with Kanade Haruka."
"I see," Arisa says. "So this time you're after Haruka, is that it? I won't let you! Matsuri!"
"Got it!" Matsuri says.
She transforms and strikes a fighting pose. Behind them, Honoka transforms too.
"Suzune-chan, I'm sorry."
"No matter how many times you try, it'll be the same," Suzune says. "None of you can beat me. This is foolish. You may be able to escape though, if you're lucky like Miss Kanami was. In fact, just this once, I'm willing to let you go."
Honoka stands back and watches as Matsuri and Arisa attack Suzune, holding her daggers ready. Suzune's claim that they can't beat her appears to hold, though – they exchange a number of blows but are never able to land a clean hit on her. After a minute or two, Arisa seems to come to a conclusion.
"Ugh… last time I didn't have a chance to use it, but since it's come to this…"
"Wait, Arisa, that's—"
"I have to or we're all done for!" Arisa says. "So let's do it! Boost! Here I come!"
They exchange a few more blows, and then Arisa goes for a powerful swing.
"Now, Matsuri!"
"Got it!"
Matsuri is just about to punch Suzune from behind when she speaks.
"Too late, your time's up," Suzune says. "Heat Haze."
With that spell, she vanishes into thin air.
"W-what?" Arisa asks.
"Sh-she disappeared?" Matsuri gasps.
"Shit, she must be on her way to Haruka!" Arisa says. "Either way, she's out of sight so we can't chase after her…"
"I don't think she went very far," Honoka speaks up. "The air's still disturbed from her movement…"
For some reason, Honoka decides to cross her blades, charging up a blink burst.
"Do you have anything, Matsuri?" Arisa asks.
"No…" Matsuri says. "Wait! That's it… if she's still nearby, I might be able to pick up her presence! Although Kyuu-chan said he can't perceive her, so it might be impossible…"
"Try it!" Arisa urges her. "It's better than standing around and doing nothing!"
"Yeah, you're right!"
Matsuri closes her eyes, and the two bulbs on her head emit small magical diagrams.
"How is it?" Arisa asks.
"Give me a moment," Matsuri says.
There's a pause of a few seconds, and then Matsuri gasps.
"I found her! She went that way!"
Without waiting for any further information, Honoka desummons her daggers and grabs Arisa's and Matsuri's hands, activating her magic at the same moment and teleporting them about forty metres forward, ending up near an intersection.
"Which way?" Honoka asks.
Matsuri points, and Honoka teleports again, heading left down the intersection. Then, after teleporting one more time, she releases their hands, and they break into a run. Suddenly Matsuri seems to notice something.
"W-what was that just now!?" she gasps.
"Is something wrong?" Arisa asks. "Are they close?"
"They're just ahead," Matsuri says. "I can sense two presences… I think one of them is Suzune-chan, but the other… it suddenly gave me a bad feeling…"
Just as those words leave her mouth, Suzune's voice is heard around the corner.
"I finally found you," she says. "So this is where you were… but I guess I don't have to ask for your name anymore, Kanade Haruka."
The others round the corner while she's speaking and see Haruka on her knees about ten metres ahead of Suzune, facing away from her.
"Th-thank goodness!" Matsuri says. "Haruka seems to be fine… Suzune-chan, wait!"
Suzune half turns to look at them.
"You again…" she says.
Arisa steps forward.
"Before I crush you, Amano Suzune, I have something to say to Haruka," she says. "Haruka… at that time, I… how should I put it… I didn't know what to do, so I took out my anger on you. So… let's fight together as a team again."
Haruka laboriously gets to her feet, avoiding Arisa's eyes.
"No, the blame all lies on me," she says.
Arisa blinks. "H-haruka?"
"I was only ever thinking about myself," Haruka says. "I never considered other people's feelings." She turns to face them, revealing that she's been crying. "So, I'm sorry. I guess I was a failure after all."
Her soul gem is at her limit. By rights, she should have turned into a witch right then and there. However, as that final sentence comes out of her mouth, Honoka suddenly appears right on front of her, grabbing her arm and pressing a grief seed against the ring on her middle finger. It should have been too late to prevent Haruka from turning into a witch, but perhaps Honoka's teleportation had bought them a few precious extra seconds. However it worked out, the grief seed draws out about ten percent of the grief in Haruka's soul gem, leaving her still heavily tainted but with a decent safety margin.
Suzune gasps. "W-what!? It wasn't too late?"
"Eh? H-how'd you know…?" Matsuri asks. "Honoka-chan…?"
Honoka turns to face them with a smile.
"I just got the feeling that I'd seen this happen before," she says. "Like a sense of deja vu… and then I moved without thinking."
Arisa stomps forward and hugs Haruka.
"Don't be an idiot, Haruka!" she says. "It's not all your fault! I'm the one to blame! I was closest, and I couldn't even do anything!"
Unfortunately for everyone, it seems Haruka isn't going to be convinced that easily, and grief is slowly seeping back into her soul gem.
"Shut up!" she says. "I'm not the perfect saint you think I am! I'm… I'm not a good person! My older sister… she's gone forever, because of me!"
"W-what?" Arisa says, stepping back in confusion. "The hell're ya talking about?"
But Haruka is still in the spiral feedback that occurs when you become heavily tainted – taint fuels emotions, which adds more taint, and so on. If she'd been fully purified, perhaps they could've broken her out of it, but as it currently stands, it doesn't look good.
"You don't know me at all!" Haruka shouts. "Onee-san was a good person, but I'm just… just trash!"
"Th-that's not true!" Matsuri gasps. "You're the student council president, after all!"
"I don't deserve such a prestigious position!" Haruka shouts. "That's not the true me!"
"Ugh, this is going nowhere," Suzune says. "You shouldn't have wasted your grief seed, Miss Kanami."
She steps in, hefting her sword to stab Haruka. Unfortunately for her, Arisa is right there, and steps in to block the thrust with her scythe.
"So now you're showing your true colours, huh?" Arisa says. "Then I guess it's time to end you!"
"There's no time!" Suzune shouts. "Miss Kanade is about to—"
That's when it happens – Haruka's soul gem once more hits its limit. This time, there's no last-second grief seed to purify her, so the gem hatches into a grief seed and a witch comes out. Something about it must have attracted Arisa's attention, perhaps a magical sense, for she turns at exactly the right moment to witness it.
A flash of light engulfs them, leaving them momentarily blinded, and by the time the light clears, the witch has already devoured her original body. A labyrinth materializes around them, consisting of a pair of lopsided Greek pillars; massive curtains thrust open to reveal a deep blackness studded with ominous lights, like miniature moons; and leafless trees in a enclosure of wrought-iron fencing, which the four magical girls stand within. And on a pedestal at the far end of the enclosure stands the witch herself, looking like a perfectly normal woman in a floor-length cocktail dress, or possibly a ballgown… that is, if you ignore the monstrosity that serves as a head. It's a gigantic mouth with massive lips, but instead of teeth inside, there's a single massive eye, surrounded by what looks like a ring of much smaller eyes, or maybe even tiny extra heads. At least five massive arms emerge from behind those lips, and behind that, glimpses of a shower of blonde hair can be seen. Multiple orbs float near the witch, resembling disco orbs. The witch runes that pop up spell out her name, Odette.
"I was too late," Suzune laments.
"W-why is there a witch?" Arisa asks. "What do you mean by too late? What happened to Haruka?"
Suzune glances back at Arisa.
"She's over there," she says, pointing at the witch.
"N-no way…" Honoka gasps.
"W-what are you talking about?" Arisa gasps. "Are you crazy? That's a witch, after all… we always kill…"
"That's right, so you should kill it," Suzune says. "Just. Like. Always. But that would mean you've killed your friend with your own hands."
"So…" Matsuri says. "Did… did Haruka really turn into…"
At that moment, the witch attacks with some sort of beam from one of the floating orbs, and Suzune dodges it.
"It's up to you whether to believe it," Suzune says. "But if you can't fight, you're in the way. Stand back."
Suzune strides forward, dodging several more beams, then raises her sword.
"Flame dance!" she intones.
A swarm of flame swords materializes, flying at the floating orbs and slicing every single one in half. Then Suzune leaps in close. However, just as she's about to stab the witch in her massive eye, Odette lets out a rattling cry, and suddenly Suzune freezes in place.
"W-what?" she gasps. "I can't move…"
Some sort of magical diagram forms around the witch's eye, probably telegraphing an upcoming attack, but before Odette can unleash whatever it is, Honoka pops into existence right in front of her, stabbing both of her daggers into the centre of the witch's eye and dragging them apart, opening a massive gash in the eye. Light emerges from within the wound, tearing apart first the eye and then the entire witch's body. Honoka teleports backwards, landing on the ground as Odette almost literally goes up in smoke. For a moment, the outline of Haruka's human body is just visible within the light display. Honoka glances back at Matsuri and Arisa.
"I'm sorry…" Honoka says.
"Haruka…" Matsuri gasps.
"H-hey… that's gotta be a lie, right?" Arisa says, dropping to a sitting position, as if her legs had just given out. "That couldn't've been Haruka… right?"
Suzune turns to face the three of them.
"It's the truth," she says flatly. "The witches you killed also used to be magical girls. When our soul gems become completely black, we transform into witches forever. There's no turning back at that point."
She lifts the pendant at her neck that houses her soul gem, as if showing it off.
"And this soul gem is a magical girl's true form."
"Huh?" Arisa says. "Wait a minute… what do you mean when you say true form?"
"Quite literally, it's our soul," Suzune says. "Let me demonstrate."
She summons a dagger, far smaller than Honoka's daggers, and unceremoniously stabs herself in the stomach.
"Suzune-chan!?" Matsuri gasps.
"W-what are you doing!?" Arisa shouts.
"If you cut off your sense of pain, this is nothing," Suzune says. "Even if you were to be stabbed in the heart, you wouldn't die… but if our soul gems break, it's all over for us."
"Th-that's…" Matsuri begins.
"What the hell?" Arisa says. "I… I don't get it… if the soul gem is my soul, then what the hell is this body? Is it… is it just… a puppet? An empty shell?"
"In a nutshell, you could say so," an emotionless voice responds.
Kyuubey as usual shows up right when an explanation is needed, materializing from somewhere in the shadows of the alleyway. Suzune turns to look at it.
"Incubator…"
"Amano Suzune," Kyuubey says. "So we meet again. It has been awhile. How many does this make now?"
"Kyuubey…" Arisa says. "What's all this about? You knew about this?"
"Of course," Kyuubey says. "We proposed this system in the first place. There is no way we wouldn't be aware of it."
"Kyuu-chan… why… why didn't you tell us?" Matsuri asks.
"There was no need," Kyuubey replies. "This is all for the sake of the universe," it explains. "To adjust to the loss of useful energy to entropy, we need to collect energy in a more efficient way. For that purpose, we invented a way to convert emotions to energy. That is the magical girl system. The energy we acquire from the system far surpasses entropy."
"Explaining all this scientific-sounding stuff so suddenly," Matsuri says. "I don't get it…"
"Ah, that is only natural," Kyuubey says. "Few children understand the underlying principals. Telling you the full truth usually creates a rift in our relationship, so purposely informing you holds no value. You understand, right?"
Suzune turns to walk away, attracting the incubator's attention.
"Anyway, Suzune, are you going already? Those three…"
"I don't recall taking orders from you," Suzune says. "I'm done for today."
With that, she vanishes once more using her heat haze spell.
"I don't really get it either," Honoka says, walking up to the two of them. "What even is this entropy stuff? It kinda sounds like a delicious cake…"
Arisa blinks up at her in confusion.
"The hell're ya talking about?" she retorts.
"I'm saying I don't really understand anything that Kyuubey and Miss Amano have been saying. I get that Miss Kanade turned into a witch, and roughly why that happened, but other than that… it's all too complicated for me."
She produces a grief seed from somewhere.
"Miss Kanade was your friend," she says. "So I thought… I should let you have her remains, if you want them."
Matsuri gasps. "Th-that's… the grief seed from the witch just now?"
Honoka giggles. "I snagged it while Miss Amano wasn't paying attention… she stole my kill last time, so this was a little bit of payback."
As Matsuri falls silent, seemingly considering Honoka's offer, Arisa quietly gets back to her feet and stomps over to the incubator.
"You bastard!" she shouts suddenly, seizing the incubator by the head and startling both Matsuri and Honoka. "You deceived us… Chisato… Haruka… all for this? For some stupid scheme to generate energy? You asshole!"
Then she crushes the incubator's head, eliciting a squeak from the other two girls. Almost immediately afterwards, a new incubator pops out of the shadows.
"It's not like that," Kyuubey says. "Our choices are entirely reasonable. Can't you think of it as a proper trade-off? Although, I am not sure if your wish was worth it, Narumi Arisa…"
The three girls turn to stare at him.
"By the way, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from taking out your anger on me like that," Kyuubey adds. "Replacement terminals may be abundant, but it is still such a waste."
With that last comment, the incubator fades back into the shadows. Then Arisa turns and stalks off, powering down as she goes..
"U-um… Honoka-chan… is your offer still open?" Matsuri asks.
Honoka nods. "Of course."
She hands over the grief seed, and then Matsuri powers down…
I was planning to watch for a bit longer, but a repetitive sound penetrates my awareness, jerking me out of the vision. It's a sound I don't hear very often, because these days I communicate mainly via email and telepathy – Ashley's ringtone. Incredibly, someone is actually calling me. I am sitting on a bench in the park, so I fish out my phone to look at it. It's Mom… that's strange. She never called me in the last two timelines. I've been sure to call home twice a week as promised, and I definitely haven't missed one. Why would she suddenly decide to call me? It can't be Dad's death, because that wouldn't change from timeline to timeline… it looks like his time is later than the end of April.
Well, it does no good to speculate. I answer the phone and hold it up to my ear.
"Hey Mom, I wasn't expecting a call from you… what's up?" I ask.
"Well, there was something I thought you should know," Mom says on the other end. "It's bad news, so brace yourself."
"Huh? It's not about Dad, is it?"
"No, he's still doing fine," Mom says. "It's one of your friends, Chevonne."
That's… the one with red hair, right? What could've happened to her? And more importantly, why didn't it happen in the last two times?
"Is something wrong with her?" I ask.
"Well… the truth is, she went missing about two weeks ago," Mom says. "I didn't want to worry you… I thought she'd just run away or something, and would show up a few days later… but there's been no sign of her since."
"The heck? Why would Chevonne just up and run away all of a sudden…"
"There's another thing," Mom adds. "Janice… she says she doesn't know anything, but I've known her almost as long as I've known you. I'm certain she's hiding something from us."
"W-what? But Janice is one of the most honest people I know… why would she lie…"
Though the words flow out naturally, I hadn't thought of Janice as an honest person until that very moment. It must be a fragment of Ashley's memories surfacing.
"Well, I can't explain it," Mom says. "Anyway, I just thought you should know. It's not like you can do anything about it, after all…"
"Yeah… thanks for letting me know, Mom," I say. "Maybe I'll see if I can get something out of Janice… if it's me, she might open up."
"Well, I'll admit that I was hoping the same thing," Mom says. "Anyway, I hope I'm not interrupting anything… have fun!"
"Bye!"
She hangs up the phone, and I open up the clock app to check the time in California. It's around two in the afternoon there, so she'll still be in school for a couple more hours. Hmm… now may be as good a time as any to test if my clairvoyance actually has a range limit. I take out a grief seed, just in case it takes an enormous amount of power, and close my eyes to try and scry on Janice in Santa Cruz.
To my surprise, it actually works. The image is blurry, and the audio breaks up a little as if it's on a bad connection, but I can easily make out shapes and physical features. As expected, she's in the middle of a class. I watch for about a minute as she takes notes on… I think it looks like math or physics.
I'm about to close off the vision when something strikes me as out of place. After checking my soul gem to make sure I can handle the power consumption, I try to bring the vision into better focus. It works, a little, though it's still distinctly blurry, but the added focus is just enough for me to figure out what it was that I'd spotted.
Janice wears a ring on the middle finger of her right hand, and there's a splash of colour on the same fingernail.
Everything instantly falls into place. I cancel the vision, purify my soul gem, and compose a text message to Janice.
"Call me as soon as school's out."
With that figured out, I hop to my feet and head north. It's time to hunt some witches.
The return call comes just as I'm entering the Hayashi house.
"I'm back!" I call.
"Welcome back!" the sisters chorus from the living room.
Then I answer the phone.
"Hello, Janice."
Of course, I'm speaking English. That goes without saying.
"Ashley… what's up?" she asks. "Is something wrong? That was an unusually curt message for you… and you've barely contacted me at all since the new year, so why so suddenly?"
I start to make my way upstairs.
"Well, Mom called and told me about Chevonne," I say.
Janice gasps. "She told you to get something out of me, didn't she?" she says.
"I won't deny it," I say.
"I really don't know anything, I swear!" she insists.
"But that wasn't quite why I wanted to speak with you."
"Huh? W-what is it, then?"
"Janice… please tell it to me straight. Actually, you can just answer yes or no… Chevonne turned into a witch, didn't she?"
Janice gasps.
"H-how the… w-wait, if you know that, then…"
"Yeah, I'm a magical girl too," I say.
"Since when?" Janice asks.
"Around when I recovered," I reply. "A day or two after that."
"W-what!? For so long? I never even suspected anything… and nor did Chevonne…"
"So, did I guess right?"
"W-well… yeah," Janice mutters. "It's true… I saw it happen right in front of me. Ashley… I don't know what to do. How can I go on after seeing such an awful thing?"
"Well, that's a really hard question to answer," I say. "I guess you could continue fighting to carry on her memory or something…"
"I don't even know if I can keep fighting," Janice says. "To tell the truth, my soul gem is almost at its limit right now, and I don't even have a grief seed… when that happened, I completely froze up and couldn't even attack her."
"Huh? If that's the case, how'd you survive?"
"Um… there was another magical girl," Janice says. "I never saw her face, but she looked like a princess… as soon as she jumped in, I turned and ran."
"Ohh, that must've been Sarra Basset," I say. "Good to know she's still around."
"Huh? You're kidding… Sarra too?"
"Yeah, and Alice Chandler. They were already magical girls before me. Do you know if Alice is still okay?"
"Huh… I never knew," Janice says. "I have no idea if Alice is okay, but I think I haven't seen her for about a week now… it could just be that we haven't crossed paths, though."
"So at least, she was fine about a week ago, then."
"Y-yeah, something like that," Janice says.
"Why not ask Sarra to lend you a grief seed?" I suggest. "Then you can help her defeat a witch to make up for it."
"D-do you think she'd be willing to do that, though?" Janice asks. "Cube says most magical girls fight alone… and sometimes amongst themselves… that's why we didn't try to seek out more allies…"
"I fought with her quite a bit before I left for Paris," I say. "I think she'd be okay with it. I can't be certain, of course…"
"Still, that brings me back to the beginning," Janice says. "How can I even fight after seeing what will become of it? Ashley… you clearly know about it too… how do you handle it?"
"I refuse to give into despair," I say. "I won't let myself become a witch. As long as I can hang onto the slightest hope, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine… and even if all else fails, all I need to to is crush my soul gem."
"Huh? W-what does that do?" Janice asks. "If you crush your soul gem, do you go back to being a normal girl?"
"Ah, no," I say. "If you crush your soul gem, you'll die… but at least you won't become a witch."
"O-oh… okay. I… I doubt I could gather that much resolve though…"
"Um, Janice, I have one other thing to ask you, if you don't mind?"
"S-sure, go ahead, Ashley," Janice says. "As long as it's something I can answer."
"You and Chevonne… when exactly did you become magical girls?"
"Uhh… I'm not quite sure," Janice says. "I think it was around the beginning of March? Maybe a little before that. We both contracted at the same time."
So that means they contracted before the time loop began. Preventing them from contracting is not an option… not that I would've taken it if it was.
"Huh… I thought you'd be practically brand-new contractees, but it's been about a month already? Well… thanks."
"You know, Ashley, we should chat like this more often," Janice says. "I've missed you so much these past few months…"
"Yeah, you have a good point," I say. "I've been busy, so it kinda slipped my mind. I'm sorry… I'll do better next time."
"W-what do you mean, next time?"
"I mean I'll call more often from now on," I reply. "Or at least text."
Come to think of it, I don't think I've contacted them even once since Paris. I vaguely remember responding to their text messages a couple times, but for the most part I only texted Sarra, Alice, and the François sisters, and even then I haven't made contact since the time loop began. Or did I contact them in the first loop? I can't remember… I might have.
"Um, do you mind if I call you sometimes, too?" Janice asks. "If I need someone I trust to talk to about magical girl stuff…"
"You can trust Sarra," I say. "But… yes, you can call me, just be careful of the time difference. Also, I might not answer if I'm in the middle of battle."
Well, there probably won't be a chance for her to actually take me up on that offer, given that April is almost at an end, but whatever. The offer stands across timelines, anyway. I'll call her up after time is turned back and make the offer again.
"Thank you so much, Ashley. It's a bit of a relief to know that you're in this with me. I wish I'd known earlier, though."
"Me too."
"Well… I'll talk to you later. Bye."
"Bye!"
Well… there's two more on my list of people to protect. Seriously, will it ever end? It's starting to get a little exhausting… I sit down at my computer and put on some music before flopping down on my bed to rest a bit before dinner.
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.
Kanade Haruka
奏遥香
Age: 15
Eye Colour: Amber
Hair Colour: Blonde
Origins: Hohzuki, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Yellow eye with heart-shaped pupil
Soul Gem: Yellow hexagonal gem on her neck
Element: Light
Weapon: Double-ended spear
Powers: Charm, taunt, bewitch
Wish: "I want my sister to disappear!"
Speed: 3
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 5
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 1
Hinata Matsuri
日向茉莉
Age: 13
Eye Colour: Green
Hair Colour: Green
Origins: Hohzuki, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Green eye
Soul Gem: Green oval gem as a hair accessory
Element: Forest
Weapon: Gauntlets
Powers: Detection, blinding, healing
Wish: "I wish I could see."
Speed: 6
Magical Stamina: 9
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 7
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 2
Narumi Arisa
成見亜里紗
Age: 14
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Pink
Origins: Hohzuki, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Pink heart
Soul Gem: Pink heart-shaped gem on her back
Element: Darkness
Weapon: Scythe
Powers: Body reinforcement
Wish: "I want to become stronger! Strong enough to stand up to everyone!"
Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 10
Defensive Power: 8
Initial Power Usability: 8
Learned Powers: 1
Note: I have corrected a minor plothole at the very start of chapter 35 where Ashley says she doesn't know a magical girl before the others have even told her who they're talking about.