Magia: A New Hope

by Pentalithia

A Madoka / Magia Record fan suddenly wakes up in the world of magical girls, as a side character. Features Ashley Taylor. Note: In case it's not obvious, you should expect massive spoilers here for nearly everything in the franchise.

43. Diving into the Soul

The day after meeting with Naomi Noriko, I decide I should get the soul thing dealt with as soon as possible. I won't be able to do it next weekend, because I plan to go to Asunaro to deal with some business there, and while it's possible to take a train to Kamihama after school and get back at a reasonable hour, I'd prefer to have the extra time to be on the safe side. So Inui and I catch a train to Kamihama first thing in the morning.

We get off the train, and Inui marvels at the novel surroundings. Apparently she's never been out of Mitakihara before. Remembering the way from the previous timeline, I head for the place where Yakumo Mitama does business. Unfortunately, it seems that I've arrived too early in the day, for although all the furniture and everything is there, there's no-one around. I suppose I should have expected this on a Sunday.

"Huh, this is a really nice place," Inui muses. "So warm and inviting, I really like it…"

I look around to see if there's any indication of when she might show up, like office hours or something, but I can't find anything. Then I try scrying on her, but all I learn is that she's fast asleep in bed. It's not even all that early in the morning, but I guess she's a late riser… I'm just trying to decide what to do next when someone else pops inside.

"Yoohoo, Mitama!" the girl shouts. "You here?"

It's Togame Momoko, dressed in dark shorts, tights, and halter top, with a thin white sweater on top for added warmth.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Miss Yakumo," I say. "It seems she's still in bed."

Momoko blinks at me. "Oh? I haven't met you before. I'm Togame Momoko, nice to meet you! What're you doing here so early?"

"Well, I was hoping to find Miss Yakumo… but as you can see, she's not here. Oh, I'm Ashley Taylor… nice to meet you too."

Momoko's eyes slide over to Inui, who promptly introduces herself as well.

"I'm Itsumi Inui," she says. "You're quite pretty, Miss Togame… are you a model?"

Momoko stares for a moment, then bursts out laughing. Once she calms down, she responds properly.

"No, I'm no model, although one of my friends is – Nanami Yachiyo. Perhaps you've even heard of her?"

Inui gasps. "Oh my god, you're friends with the Nanami Yachiyo?" she asks. "That's so awesome! I'm so jealous! Can I meet her?"

"Well, I suppose I could drag you over to the Crescent Moon Villa and see if she's home, but we've lately drifted apart a bit, so I don't even know if she'd be happy to see us," Momoko admits. Then she blinks. "Wait a sec, a minute ago you said Mitama was in bed… how would you know something like that?"

"Well, she wasn't here, so I kinda… peeked," I say. "It's my magic power."

"Huh, so you can see things far away, is that it?" Momoko asks, and I nod. "That's a pretty awesome power, but you shouldn't use it for things like that, you know."

"Well… I suppose you have a point," I admit. "But I really wasn't expecting her to still be in bed…"

"So to sum things up, you're both looking for Miss Yakumo," Inui says. "Do you know where she lives?"

"Well, I do, but I think she'd be mad at me if I showed up at her place and woke her," Momoko says. "It's probably better to come back later. I'm sure she'll stop by here after lunch, if not earlier."

"Then we need something to do until then," Inui muses. "Is there anything fun to do in Kamihama, like an amusement park or something?"

"Hmm, I can't think of anything like that," Momoko says. "There's a big ferris wheel up north, but I don't think it's operational… never seen it turning."

"We could always just go shopping or something," I suggest.

"Hmm, that could be fun too," Inui nods. "Picking out clothes or knick-knacks with Ashley-nee seems like a nice idea… wanna tag along, Momo-chan?"

Momoko blinks. "Momo-chan you say… you're a bit like Emily, aren't you…"

"Now that you mention it, she really is," I say. "She started calling me first Ashley-chan and later Ashley-nee without so much as a by your leave… not that I mind though."

"Oh, you know Emily?" Momoko asks.

"Sort of," I say. "It'd be more accurate to say I've heard of her. We've never actually met."

"Huh, she's that famous?" Momoko asks.

"I don't think so? I just have a few other friends in Kamihama, that's all."

Inui blinks. "Oh! Then you should introduce us! I'd like to meet all of Ashley-nee's friends!"

"Alright, then I'll tag along too," Momoko says cheerfully. "Not like I got anything else to do! Unless you don't want me?"

I shrug. "Well, I'm fine with it."

Inui nods. "If Ashley-nee is okay with it, then so am I!"

So I whip out my phone and compose emails to Karin and Riko. Then I lead the way out of Mitama's shop, heading towards one of the shopping districts, the one where Ikumi's maid idol café is located.

"Eh? There was a maid café here?" Momoko asks, a little startled.

I push the door open. "Yup, I guess so. You didn't know?"

"I just don't come to this part of town very often," Momoko says.

It seems to be busy but not overflowing, and one of the maids – not Ikumi – pops up almost immediately to greet us and show us to a table. We settle down to have tea and snacks while we wait – I know they're coming, because responses to my emails popped up on the way here. Momoko and Inui strike up a conversation, but I choose to sit back and listen. It's strange, though… when they talk about things like fashion, I should be totally lost, but I find myself almost understanding some of it… is that Ashley's memories surfacing again? I don't see Ikumi around at all today, so maybe it's her day off… I would've liked to chat with her a bit this time, but oh well.

Riko and Karin show up much faster than I expected, and what's more, they're together. Riko spots me and waves as soon as she steps into the café.

"Ashley-chan!" she calls.

They head over to join us, and Karin blinks.

"Eh!? Momoko-sempai, what're you doing here…?"

"Oh, it's Karin! You were friends with Miss Taylor? We just ran into each other at the Coordinator's, that's all."

"We're waiting for her to wake up," I add.

Riko giggles. "I do hear she's a late riser on weekends…"

"Wait, where'd you hear that from?" I ask.

"Um, I don't quite remember," Riko says. "Probably someone said it when I was at her place…"

"I expect it can be traced back to Kanagi," Momoko says. "Those two are pretty close after all… the other possibility is her little sister, but last I checked, she's not a magical girl, so it's not likely…"

That could be useful information. I knew she had a little sister because she's a playable character in the game, but she doesn't participate at all in the first arc, so I had no idea when she might have made a contract.

"Oh, she has a little sister?" Riko says. "I had no idea…"

"Ah… please don't tell her I said that," Momoko says quickly. "She'd probably get mad at me… she's a pretty private person. Really shouldn't've let that slip…"

"Oh uh, sure…" Riko says.

"So you said something about shopping?" Karin says.

"Unless you have a better idea," I say. "I mean, we could just sit around and chat if you prefer…"

"Well, I did hear something about a place that sells cute and quirky stuff in Sakae Ward," Riko says. "I thought it might be nice to check it out…"

"Cute and quirky, you say," Inui cuts in. "You've got my interest!"

Riko blinks at her, apparently noticing her for the first time, then looks questioningly at me. I suppose she's asking for an introduction, but I don't even get a chance.

"Oh, my name is Itsumi Inui!" the girl says. "I'm just a friend of Ashley-nee from Mitakihara!"

Riko blinks. "Ashley…nee… say, is it alright if I call you that too?"

"Uh, sure," I nod. "Right, I guess I should introduce the two of you as well… Chiaki Riko, Misono Karin. I guess both of you already know Miss Togame?"

Riko nods. "A little bit. She uhh, has a bit of a reputation in town? N-nothing bad or anything though! Um, it's nice to meet you, Inui-nee!"

"Oh my god that's so cute!" Inui squeals. "Say it again, Rii-chan!"

"Um… Inui-nee?" Riko repeats hesitantly.

"Yes! That's me, Inui-nee!" She giggles a bit before turning to Karin. "And Karin-chi, it's nice to meet you as well."

"I'm getting a sense of deja vu here," Momoko mutters.

"Hmm?"

I glance at her, but Momoko doesn't seem to feel like elaborating.

"Karin-chi…" Karin blinks. "Um… yes, nice to meet you, Miss Inui."

---

Eventually we make it to Sakae ward, where Inui looks around wildly at all the shops we pass by.

"Oh my god, there's so much cute stuff around here!" she gasps. "This is incredible! It's like some sort of cuteness hotspot!"

Soon we locate the shop that Riko was talking about.

"There, that's the place!" Riko says, pointing at a particular store. "This shop sells all sorts of unique, cute accessories. I heard about it from two girls who stopped by my shop awhile ago!"

"The outside is so adorbs!" Inui gasps. "I can hardly imagine what the inside would be like!"

I chuckle. "Come on, let's take a look inside."

"Yes, let's!" Riko says eagerly.

We step inside, and immediately Riko and Inui are all over the place looking at everything. Though Riko had mentioned accessories, the place also sells clothes, and although they're more cutesy than I'm used to wearing, I have to admit I wouldn't feel out of place in some of them. Of course, I've already been using Ashley's cutesy wardrobe ever since I woke up in her body, but there were still a few articles that I avoided, and I don't really see a lot like them in this shop.

"Whoa, this place is amazing," Riko says.

"Yeah, it's just overflowing with cuteness!" Inui agrees. "You've got a good eye there, Rii-chan!"

"I-it wasn't me, it was these two girls who stopped by my shop," Riko says.

I spot a weird-looking hairclip, and something sort of flickers inside me. Riko spots my gaze and blinks.

"Eh? Um… do you like that hairclip, Ashley-nee?" she asks.

"U-um, maybe a bit?" I say. "I guess it's sort of cute in a way…"

"But it's all covered in bandages," Riko says. "I think it's kinda creepy…"

"Yeah… that can be an appeal in itself though," I muse. "Mixing a bit of grotesque into the cuteness… Ashley could probably go on for hours about it… not really my thing though…"

Riko blinks at me in confusion. "Huh? But you're Ashley-nee… what are you even talking about?"

"Ah, I'm sorry," I say. "Just ignore what I said."

I spot a skirt that somehow seems like it would really suit Riko. I suspect that also comes from Ashley's sensibilities, but what does that matter? If Riko likes it, it doesn't matter how it caught my attention.

"Say, Riko-chan, what do you think of this skirt?" I ask.

"Oh! It's super-cute!" Riko says. "I love the soft and fuzzy pastel colours!"

"Ashley would call it dreamy…" I muse.

"There you go again," Riko says. "Is there something wrong, Ashley-nee? You're acting weird today…"

"Well… I guess so," I say. "I don't want to get into details, but…" I lean close to whisper to her. "I might sort of have something like a split personality…"

"Oh… is that all?" Riko says. "I was worried for nothing then…"

Huh. I didn't expect that to be her reaction. Isn't a split personality usually associated with insanity? Not that I'm bothered by her interpretation… although in my case it is something to worry about, but I shouldn't share that burden with her.

"I guess I can let Ashley pick out a few things for me," I mutter.

Riko giggles. "It's still weird hearing you talk like that though…"

Our conversation is interrupted by a sudden outburst from Inui.

"Oh my god, you two are so fashionable!? Are you models?"

I turn to see what's up. Karin too glances up from where she was examining some of the clothes. Inui has come face-to-face with a pair of blonde girls, one with short hair, the other extremely long hair, both of them tied in twintails. I can kind of sense Ashley's reaction bubbling inside me, but I fight it down and head over to join them. Inui's filling that role well enough, we don't need two of them.

"Um… are you talking about us?" the short-haired girl asks, startled.

I said they were face-to-face, but that's only barely true. I'm pretty sure the two of them turned to look at Inui at about the same moment I did.

"Do you see anyone else here?" Inui asks.

"N-no… I… I guess not…" the short-haired girl replies.

"So are you?" Inui insists.

"Oh, no way," the short-haired girl says. "I don't think I could handle that…"

"Me, a model?" the other girl giggles. "I'm like, totally not, sorry!"

"Huh… but you're so cute…?" Inui muses.

The long-haired girl's eyes slide past Inui and land on me.

"Whoa! A foreigner!? I'm not too good at English…" Despite that claim, she switches to English anyway. "I'm… Emily!"

If she's Emily, then that would mean the short-haired girl must be Ayano Rika. This scene is actually a little familiar – the side story for Ashley Taylor in the Magia Record game featured a similar encounter with Rika and Emily, although Inui, Momoko, and Karin weren't there in the game version. In fact, game Ashley hadn't even met Karin yet at that point. In any case, I'd have to agree with Emily's statement about her English. I chuckle a bit and reply in Japanese.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Emily!" I say. "My name is Ashley… Ashley Taylor."

Emily gasps. "W-whoa, her Japanese is really good!"

Rika nods. "Yeah, she's so fluent… oh, I'm Ayano Rika, but you can call me Rikki like Emily does."

Inui giggles. "That's Ashley-nee for you! She's good at everything!"

"Hey, hey, stop spreading lies, Inui-chan," I say. "I have plenty of things that I'm bad at."

Inui giggles. "Sure, sure. I'm Itsumi Inui, by the way."

"Well, in that case, welcome to Japan!" Emily says.

"Thanks, but you're a little late," I say. "I've been here for about two months already."

"U-um… I think we're being a bit too loud," Riko pipes up nervously.

I hadn't even noticed her following me. Glancing around, I can even see Momoko discreetly distancing herself from us… or maybe I'm imagining it.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I just couldn't help myself," Inui says.

"I just can't believe it!" Emily says. "You're like, really fluent! What was your name again? Ashley?"

She muses a little, repeating my name a couple of times, and I brace for impact.

"Ash!" Emily suddenly announces.

"Please pick something else," I say instantly, even beating Riko to the punch.

"Oh, you don't like it?" Emily asks. "But you really seem like an Ash to me… are you really totally sure you don't like it?"

"I'm sorry, but I really hate it," I say.

"Hmmm…" Emily looks like she's thinking really hard for bit. "Then how about Lita-chan?"

I blink at her. "Um… where'd you even pull that from?" I ask.

"Just take the middle!" Emily says. "Ashley Taylor, right? Chop off the beginning and end and you get Lita, then tack on -chan to make it cuter!"

"Well… alright, I don't mind that one quite so much," I say.

"So, you've been here for two whole months already, Lita-chan?" Rika asks.

"Huh? Now you're calling me that too? Um… yes, about that… since January eighth, to be exact."

"So more like two and a half months," she nods. "Are you a student? Surely you're not a tourist if you've been here that long…"

I nod. "I'm an exchange student in Mitakihara. I'm studying abroad in search of cute— ack, I mean, in search of answers to the mysteries of magical girls."

My offhand reference to magical girls seems to fly right over their head, no doubt because Emily latches onto my Ashley-driven slip-up and talks over my correction.

"Cute things, you say?" Emily exclaims. "So like maid cafés and stuff?"

"Hmm? I was at one of those earlier, yes… though I hear there's another interesting one somewhere in the city that I'd like to check out sometime…"

"Huh," Rika says. "If you've already been to a maid café, then… oh, I heard something about a sacred spot for manga fans somewhere in town?"

I nod. "I've actually been there already too."

"Oh… then I'm out of ideas," Rika says. "Unless you're interested in the local idol… what was her name again…"

I chuckle. "Yeah, I've already been to one of Sayu-Sayu's lives, too… sorry all your suggestions ended up as duds."

"Oh no, it's fine," Rika says. "It's bound to happen now and then, right?"

"Yeah…"

Perhaps sensing that the trail of conversation has petered out, Inui chooses that moment to chime in again.

"So yeah, why are you so freaking cute?" she asks.

"Don't ask stupid questions, Inui-chan," I say. "They're cute because they're cute, isn't that enough?"

"I guess," Inui shrugs. "But I just gotta wonder if becoming cute was part of their wish…"

Huh, so Inui also noticed that the two of them were magical girls. This time, the reference doesn't fly past them.

"Um… what? A wish? What are you talking about?" Rika asks.

I guess Rika on the other hand hasn't yet noticed that we're magical girls. I try to think back and remember what their wishes were, but it's not coming to me… still, I'm quite certain it wasn't to be pretty or anything like that. No, the girl who wished for beauty would be Ami Ria.

"Oh shucks, I never even thought of that!" Emily gasps. "Ah, but I prolly still woulda stuck to the same wish in the end. It's just like, the only one worth wishing for, you know?"

I nod. "Yeah, I'm sure there are plenty of people who regret their wish, but there's just as many who are totally satisfied with it."

Rika is looking more and more confused by the second.

"Um… just what exactly are we talking about…?" she asks.

"Like, totally!" Emily nods. "The moment Kyuubey said I could make a wish, I was like, it's gotta be that! Right?"

"Can't say I relate," I say. "It took me a whole day to decide."

Rika and Emily both blink at me in surprise, then blurt out the question at the same time.

"Huh? Lita-chan's a magical girl too?"

"Wait, you're also a magical girl?"

I just nod in response, and Inui looks surprised in turn.

"You were talking about that stuff and you didn't even realize?" she asks.

"And Nui-tan too?" Emily says.

Inui nods. "Yup, guilty as charged!"

"Wait a second, we never said we were…"

Rika trails off, looking at me suspiciously.

"It's not hard to tell if you know how though," I say.

I show off my ring and fingernail mark, and Rika blinks.

"O-oh, somehow I never even thought of that…"

"Say, Lita-chan, what are foreign witches like?" Emily asks curiously.

I blink at her. "Um… they're not really any different? I mean… they're totally different but also exactly the same, if you catch my drift."

Emily nods along, as if totally understanding what I'm getting at, but she seems to be the only one. Both Inui and Rika give me confused looks.

"Well then, we should totally hang out sometime!" Emily says. "It could be like, totally rad!"

She waves her phone in my face, and I readily tap mine to it to exchange contact info.

"Maybe," I say. "I'm pretty busy, to be honest, but I'm sure I could squeeze some fun in somewhere."

As I speak, the rest of the four of us tap phones to exchange info as well.

"What's keeping you so busy?" Emily asks.

"I'm trying to unearth all the mysteries of magical girls, and also there's a really, really powerful witch that I want to defeat."

"Huh…" Emily says. "I don't think we're all that mysterious though?"

I shrug. "Just sit down and have a long chat with Kyuubey… you'll probably be able to come up with at least one mystery if you really pay attention to what that little white devil says."

Rika tilts her head. "Why are you calling him a devil? He's so nice to us…"

"I just don't like the way it does things," I say.

"Well, it's true my wish didn't really go as I'd hoped," Rika says. "But I think that's my fault, not his…"

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that," I say.

"Anyway, gotta go now… we'll see you around!" Emily says.

"Yeah, perhaps," I say.

And then the two of them leave the shop.

---

We arrive back at Mitama's place with a couple of shopping bags filled with the clothes that Ashley recommended… or at least, I think that strange feeling inside of me when I looked at them was from her. Momoko darts in ahead of us.

"Yoohoo, Mitama! You in here?"

Mitama looks up from one of the chairs, startled.

"Whoever said you have bad timing?" Mitama teases. "I literally just got here!"

Momoko shrugs. "Guess today's a good timing day, then… ahh, but I stopped by in the morning and you were out, so maybe it's bad timing after all? Anyway, I got another grief seed for you."

"Since Rena-chan and Kaede-chan aren't with you, I assume it's for you this time?"

Momoko nods. "You got it!"

"The heck are they talking about, Ashley-nee?" Inui asks, confused. "Is the grief seed a payment for something?"

Mitama leans around Momoko to see the other guests.

"Oh, it's Riko-chan and Karin-chan and two new faces!" she says.

"I'm Itsumi Inui!" Inui says. "Nice to meet you!"

"My name is Ashley Taylor," I add.

Mitama stands up and does a little bow.

"Yakumo Mitama, at your service. I'm the Coordinator of Kamihama. Since my powers aren't suited for combat, I get all the grief seeds I need by trading for services. The most popular service is the magical girl tune-up! Just let me poke at your soul gem for a bit, and you should get a little bit stronger! In particular, the treatment lets you unlock the little-known connect skill."

Inui blinks. "Huh? It can't be that hard to learn to connect, can it? I figured it out like, five seconds after Ashley-nee connected with me."

Mitama looks surprised. "It's true that there are magical girls who manage to unlock it on their own, but it's actually pretty uncommon from what I'm told," she says. "You're saying both of you can already do it?"

I nod. "Yeah, I figured it out fairly quickly too, but even I was impressed at how naturally it came to Inui-chan. Almost like it was unlocked from the start and she just didn't realize because she always fought solo…"

"It's true, I did always fight solo before meeting Ashley-nee," Inui admits. "And even on the one or two occasions someone helped me out, it never even occurred to me to try pooling our magic like that…"

"Well, the procedure can still help you to grow stronger even if you've already unlocked connect," Mitama says.

"I'm actually here for a different reason," I say. "There's something strange about my soul gem. I'm worried it might become a problem in the future, so I'd like you to take a look and see if you can help me fix it."

Mitama blinks. "Strange, you say… what exactly is strange about it?"

Everyone else also looks at me in surprise. Of course they would – this is the first time I've told this to anyone.

"It's kinda hard to describe," I say. "Sort of like having two souls in one body… but that's not exactly right. I mean, I only have one soul gem, after all. Um… right, I also met a woman who said my soul is unstable because of this."

"A woman?" Mitama asks. "Did she by any chance have dark skin?"

I'm guessing she's thinking of Livia Medeiros, but I resist the urge to say that name.

"Um… no, I wouldn't say she does," I say. "She's um… how should I put this… a former magical girl?"

Momoko lets out a little gasp at that statement. I suppose she must have made the leap to witches. Inui also looks startled, likely for the same reason.

"Huh? What do you mean, former?" Karin chimes in. "Once a magical girl, always a magical girl, right?"

"Not exactly," I say. "You certainly can't go back to being a normal human, but I guess you can become something else entirely. It's not what Miss Togame is thinking of, or at least, I'm pretty sure it's not."

Momoko seems to let out a small sigh of relief, and I continue.

"Seems like there's a rare alternate path of evolution… she had a soul gem that was like a big orb. I don't really understand it myself though."

I indicate the size of the soul orb with my hands.

"But that's all beside the point… the point is that she said my soul is unstable, and I think she may be right. I've got this weird uneasy feeling at the back of my consciousness that I can't get rid of. You're the only person I could think of who might be able to do something about it."

Mitama nods. "Very well, but this is well outside my comfort zone. Could I convince you to part with two grief seeds, instead of one?"

I nod without hesitation. After all, I still have four grief seeds, plus the grief cubes from the wraiths.

"In that case, I'll try my best," Mitama says. Turning to Riko and Karin, she adds. "Are the two of you also here for a tune-up?" When they both shake their heads, she continues. "I think Miss Taylor will be staying for awhile, so you might want to head home." Then she turns to Inui. "What about you? Would you like to try the tune-up procedure?"

"Well, I don't have a spare grief seed on me," Inui says. "So I guess the choice has been made for me…"

"I could lend you one if you really want to try it," I say.

Mitama blinks at me. "But you need to keep at least one in reserve…"

"It's fine," I say. "Even if I give you three, I still have one left, plus some grief cubes."

"Grief… cubes?" Mitama blinks.

"Just think of them as a rare type of grief seed," I say. "They're not quite as effective as regular grief seeds, but they're still useful."

"You'd think they'd be more effective if they're that rare," Karin says.

"Well, that's just one of the mysteries of magical girls, right?" I shrug.

"But to think you had that many grief seeds," Momoko says. "Are you actually really strong?"

I shake my head. "I don't think I'm all that strong… I managed to build up that stash by working in a team with another magical girl."

"There are a lot of magical girl teams here in Kamihama, but even so, I don't think anyone ever builds up a stash of four," Momoko says.

"I mean, of course they don't," I say. "There's a lot of teams, right? There's just not enough witches to go around. Back in Santa Cruz it was just the two of us and one other… well, I mean, in the immediate area. I'm sure there were more further from home, but I never encountered them."

"Hmm, if you don't mind, Ashley-nee, I'd like to take you up on your offer," Inui pipes up. "I'll be sure to pay you back tomorrow!"

"In that case, I should do Momoko and Miss Inui first," Mitama says. "Momoko, do you mind if I start with the newbie?"

"Sure, fine with me," Momoko says.

"And put up the closed sign for me, will you?" she adds.

"Right…"

So I take a seat on one of the couches with Karin and Riko, while Inui heads into the back room with Mitama. We chat a little – about Rika and Emily, about Tsukasa, about family, about Alina, and finally about Phantom Thief Magical Kirin. I'm admittedly a little startled to hear Alina Grey pop up in the conversation – I'd totally forgotten she and Karin were in the same club at school. But neither of them seem to notice my reaction. Most likely, Alina hasn't even made a contract yet.

Eventually, Inui comes back out, beaming.

"That felt awesome!" she says. "I could totally get used to that!"

She flops down on the couch beside Riko, and Momoko heads into the back room. Then finally Momoko comes back out, and it's my turn. Riko and Karin get up to leave, and I say goodbye. However, before following Mitama into the back, I contact Momoko telepathically.

«Sorry, Miss Togame, but could I ask you a question?»

«If it's in my power to answer, sure thing!» she replies.

«Do you know any girls with silver hair?»

«Hmm… the first one that comes to mind would be Mifuyu,» she replies. «I can think of a couple others too, though… why do you ask?»

«Has Mifuyu turned into a witch?»

«H-huh!? So you do know about that witch stuff? Um… she was fine when I saw her two days ago, so hopefully she hasn't…? D-do you think… that she might?»

«I couldn't say,» I reply. «But I had a vision where Yachiyo said she'd suddenly disappeared, so… I thought it could mean that.»

«You mean like a vision of the future?» Momoko asks. «Is that… even possible?»

«I think almost anything is possible with magic,» I reply.

«Yeah, I suppose you have a point… I'll see if she's seeming down and try to cheer her up if she is!»

Heading into the back with Mitama, I take out three grief seeds and hand them over to her, and she gestures for me to lie down on the bed. I take a seat instead.

"So you're saying you think your soul is unstable somehow?" Mitama says.

I nod. "What I said about two souls still holds," I say. "Except it's more like, it used to be two souls and now it's one…"

"Is this a result of your wish?" she asks.

"No… it happened before I became a magical girl."

She blinks. "How!?"

"I wish I knew," I say. "I certainly have memories of two completely different lives, but both are kinda fragmented."

"Maybe someone else's wish?" she suggests.

"I can't rule that out," I say. "But I have a feeling Kyuubey doesn't have anything to do with whatever's going on in my soul."

"Huh… well, as promised, I'll take a look," she says. "Hand it over and lie down."

I hand over my soul gem and lie down on the bed. She starts poking at it a little, frowning a bit.

"Hmm… I probably would've missed it if you hadn't said something, but there does seem to be a subtle divide in here," she says. "I don't think I can heal this on my own, but perhaps I can guide you to heal the rift yourself."

"As long as it's healed in the end, that's just fine with me," I say. "If it takes more than one session, I'm okay with that too."

---

It's different from the last two times. This doesn't seem like a memory from my childhood, nor from Ashley's. I'm in bed, staring up at a strangely familiar ceiling, and I sit up to look around. I seem to have control of my movement this time, as well. Huh? This… this is my room back in the other world? No wait, it's not the same. There are some strong similarities – the bed is identical, for starters – but the layout is unfamiliar. I never had a huge floor-length mirror in the corner, for example.

I get out of bed, feeling strangely awkward in this body, and look in the mirror. Ashley's face stares back at me, startling me a little. Since this was kinda like my room in the other world, I expected to have my original face too. But then I look down at myself and blink. The clothes I'm wearing aren't the same as what I'm seeing in the mirror, and my hair is brown, not blonde, so I probably do have my original face. I look in the mirror again, and the Ashley in the mirror tilts her head at me. Then she speaks.

"So it's you, the one who invaded my life and started doing all these crazy things," she says.

"Um… it's not like I chose to invade your life," I say.

"It's not like you gave much thought to me, though," she retorts. "You haven't updated my vlog even once since then."

"…that's what you're gonna complain about now?"

"It's only an example!" she says. "You also turned me into a monster… a magical girl!"

"Oh come on, don't kid yourself," I retort. "You would've made a contract too if Cube had come calling."

"How would you know?" Ashley shouts. "All you have is memories of some stupid game! That's not me, that's some old man writing a stupid cliché character!"

I blink at her. Even if my memories don't perfectly reflect the reality, they've nevertheless been sufficiently accurate to use as a prediction. Also, I haven't memorized the Magia Record credits, but I don't think the writer was an old man?

"Cliché characters exist because they work, because people really do act that way," I say. "You wanted to go to Japan really badly, didn't you? Your father was totally against it. If Cube had shown up at that time, and you didn't know the truth about magical girls, can you really say you wouldn't've taken the bait?"

"I… I can't deny that," Ashley mutters, looking down towards the floor. "Maybe… but no… I suppose you're right. I hate to admit it, but if I didn't know the truth… I probably would've bought Cube's deception, hook, line and sinker."

Then she meets my eyes again, glaring at me.

"But that doesn't mean this is okay! You did know the truth and yet you did it anyway! I never would've made a contract if I knew the truth!"

"But you never would've asked the right questions without me," I say. "And besides, it's not all that bad, is it? We're immortal, after all."

"Why the hell would anyone want to be immortal?" Ashley retorts.

"Well, I see your point, living forever might not be great," I admit.

"Exactly! You've turned my entire life upside down! We've gotta kill creepy witches all the time, and you're manipulating people however you see fit! You're stuck in this horrible, horrible time loop for who knows how long!"

"Eh? What's so horrible about it?" I ask. "I mean… yeah, it was awful seeing people turn into witches, but… wait, what do you mean, I'm manipulating people?"

"I… I… it's just… the way you… the way you act when… when touching on the time travel stuff with others," Ashley says. "You… you always withhold information… it… it reminds me of how Cube deceives people…"

"I don't think I'm withholding information that's relevant though…" I say.

"Isn't that exactly what Cube says when you ask him why he didn't tell the full truth about witches?" Ashley retorts.

I blink. "Th-that's true…"

"And then I find out that even my friends have made a contract!" Ashley shouts. "So not only have you ruined my life, but also that of my best friends!"

"W-what!? H-how could you… possibly… blame that on me?" I ask. "I wasn't even there when they made a contract!"

"You never even contacted them!" Ashley shouts. "You don't even know what they wished for! You can't possibly tell me that you ghosting them had zero impact on their wish, can you?"

"W-what are you even… I didn't ghost them!" I protest. "They never contacted me, either!"

Ashley throws up her hands and shakes her head.

"Oh, for the love of god!" she says. "You don't understand our relationship at all! I'm the most outgoing one of my friend group! I'm the one who most often initiates contact! They were waiting for you, for two whole months, and you never contacted them even once! Don't you think that would make them start to feel like they're unwanted, like maybe they inadvertently did something to offend me and I didn't want to talk to them?"

"L-look… it makes perfect sense when you spell it out like that, but… I didn't know you that well," I say. "I didn't know them, either. You and I have different personalities, after all. I've never been all that outgoing… I think you're rubbing off on me ever since this happened, mind you, but still. I'm more used to being invited than inviting people. So… I hate to say it, but this was pretty much an inevitable misunderstanding…"

Ashley's eyes narrow a little, and I get the impression that she's about to explode on me, but then she instead changes the topic.

"And how many times are we gonna go through this fucking time loop and watch people die over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again!?"

"W-well… I have no idea," I admit. "But I think I've made a lot of progress towards saving everyone? So if all goes well, next time might even be the last time…"

Ashley narrows her eyes a bit more.

"There's your other problem," she says. "Do you have some sort of hero complex or something? Must you save everyone?"

"B-but if I know someone's going to die, why wouldn't I try to save them?" I protest. "B-besides, I've kinda gotten close to some of them…"

"Don't get me wrong, if it was Inui-chan or Yuuri-chan or Kanna-chan, I'd totally want to save them too, because of the relationships you've built with them," Ashley says. "Riko-chan and Karin-chan too, and the quartet. That's not the issue. The issue is that you're going out of your way to hunt down everyone imaginable to save them all. How can you bear such a burden? I feel like it's crushing me, and I'm not even the one at the helm!"

I fall silent for a bit, pondering the question. It's true, I've taken a lot on my plate, haven't I? And it seems to be slowly building up more and more, too. Originally it was just Madoka and her friends and maybe Nagisa… then I decided to also save Kazumi's and Matsuri's groups once I was sure they existed… and then the quartet and Inui were added to the list, and now Noriko… and there's also Mifuyu and Ryo and Ikumi… not to mention the people who I already saved and now seem to be stable, including Yuuri, Airi, and Honoka… I'd still want to save them if something were to happen to them.

"I can't say I don't feel the burden," I say finally. "I'm not sure how I deal with it… I think I try not to dwell on it? It's not like I'm actively seeking out people to save though… I'm only using the knowledge I have to save who I can. It's knowledge no-one else in this world has, right? So I'm the only one who can do this. Once the doppel field is finally expanded… all that knowledge will be exhausted, and I won't be able to save anyone anymore other than those within my direct reach, so… there's an end in sight, right?"

"You idiot!" Ashley shouts. "Why the hell do you have to take all that on yourself? How can you call it fine just because there's an end in sight? Plus, that's a bald-faced lie! There's no end in sight! Oh sure, there's an end somewhere, but it's around hundreds of thousands of twisty little corners and you have no idea how to get there! It could take ten tries, or a thousand tries! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"B-but things have… have been going… well…"

"The loop's barely gotten started," Ashley retorts. "And there's already one girl you failed to save. How exactly does that qualify as 'going well'? Which reminds me… you even murdered that one girl… how can you live with yourself after that?"

"That decision wasn't easy, honestly," I say. "She may be an unfeeling killing machine, but she still looks like a human, after all… but someone had to stop her. I guess it didn't have to be me…"

"Oh, shut the fuck up already!" Ashley shouts. "Shut up, shut up, shut up, and fuck the hell off! It's all just excuses, excuses, excuses with you! You haven't even said a single word of apology! What the fucking hell is wrong with you!?"

I'm shocked by the level of profanity in her words. It's contrary to the Ashley I know from the game, who's a bubbly, energetic girl who loves cute things and never says a bad word. Of course, it's also partly that the game is a game and thus just… doesn't use profanity, at least not much. The fact that it's coming out right now may be a sign of how much I've inadvertently pushed her to the breaking point…

"B-but I thought they were good reasons…"

"Rationality, logic, I don't give a fuck!" Ashley shouts. "I want my life back! I don't care how, just… just…"

Suddenly she breaks down in tears, sobbing. I reach out, meaning to comfort her, but my hand contacts only the cool surface of the mirror.

"G-give it b-back!" she says desperately. "I h-hate this! I f-fucking hate it! Everyth-thing's in shambles since you c-c-came along!"

"I'm sorry," I reply softly. "I don't think that's even within my power to grant."

Ashley glares at me through the tears, trying in vain to wipe them away. It kinda ruins the effect a little.

"Y-you're an adult, aren't you?" she sobs. "Y-you're s-supposed to treat k-kids like m-me better, aren't you? W-what's wrong with y-you? Why can't you just… j-just…"

She almost chokes as her sobs redouble, falling to her hands and knees. I also kneel down, in order to stay roughly level with her.

"Ashley… I do feel a little guilty about it," I admit. "Yeah, I set a lofty goal for myself, and I'll do almost anything to reach that goal, but… I could've honoured your wishes a bit more…"

"Even if you say that, I can't even do anything!" she wails. "I'm just stuck in here, watching everything! Maybe this isn't even really me… maybe it's just like, some fragment of my personality, or an echo of the real Ashley, but… it hurts! I can't stand it anymore!"

I want to reach out and comfort her, but she's inside the mirror and I'm outside. I tap experimentally on the mirror to see if maybe I can pass through, but it's totally solid. Then I bang on the mirror, grabbing her attention.

"Ashley…" I say. "It hurts me too… I hate to see anyone turning into a witch… I hate to see people dying… I hate to see Walpurgisnacht devastating the city."

Ashley stares at me, the tears still flowing. Then she startles me by saying my name for the first time.

"Chelsea… is that… is that… really true?" she asks.

I blink. "W-why would you… doubt me?"

"B-because you've watched them die over and over and never done anything!" she shouts.

"I can't very well help people when I'm on the opposite side of town, or not even in the same town!" I protest.

"Why weren't you in the same town? You knew they were going to die, so you should've been more prepared! And the first time you faced Walpurgisnacht, both Mami and Madoka were still alive when you arrived, but you didn't even try to help!"

I bang on the mirror again, wishing I could just get past that glass and hold her. I can't bear to see her in tears any longer.

"I knew they were going to die, but I didn't know when!" I shout back. "I can't be everywhere at once! I'm doing my best here!"

I bang the mirror again, and this time, to my surprise, a crack forms. My eyes widen, and I draw back and punch the crack. It rapidly spreads across the mirror, and to my shock, it even spreads beyond the border of the mirror, into the surrounding world. I punch it twice more, and each time the cracks spread further. Finally, the world itself shatters, leaving me alone with the distraught Ashley in a featureless void. I stride forward and throw my arms around her, holding her close and awkwardly patting her head, and her sobbing redoubles as she buries her head in my chest and clings to me.

"There, there," I say. "W-we're in this together, right? I know how you feel, because I'm f-feeling the same way."

She sobs into my chest, not saying anything, and I can't think of anything else to say either, so I just remain quiet. Slowly, the featureless darkness around us seems to grow brighter, starting with a bright red spot directly above and slowly, very slowly, cascading down in a dome-like structure, but I'm in no state to pay attention to whatever that is. Eventually, after what seems like an eternity, Ashley's sobbing subsides, and silence stretches on for what seems like a second eternity. Then she suddenly speaks, her voice muffled by my chest.

"Chelsea…"

I'm not sure how to respond to that, so I just say her name.

"Ashley?"

She lifts her head, looking at me, then reaches out to wipe the tears from my eyes. That startles me, because I hadn't even realized I was crying.

"Chelsea… so it's true, you were hurting too… I can tell… you were trying to comfort me, but actually you're shaking too… and you were crying…"

"I wouldn't've said I was hurting if I wasn't," I retort.

"Liar," Ashley retorts. "I've seen you lie time and time again. You're pretty good at it, too. I can't believe you that easily!"

"Hey, I only lie because I don't think they can handle the truth so suddenly!" I protest. "Or because they'd never believe the truth…"

"More excuses," Ashley mutters.

Then she puts both her hands on my shoulders to look me in the eye. It's very unnerving, so I look away after like, two seconds.

"T-too close," I say.

"Ah… s-sorry…" she says.

She removes her hands and backs off a bit more, and I try to meet her eyes once again, since it seems like she wants eye contact for whatever she's planning.

"Chelsea… no excuses this time," Ashley says. "What have you got to say for yourself for invading my life?"

"I don't think it's fair to pin that one on me," I protest.

"Fine, fine, I guess you have half a point," Ashley grumbles. "But only half a point. Everything you've done since you transmigrated into my body is still on you."

"I'm sorry," I say. "I'm not sorry for doing all that stuff, but I am sorry that I didn't make more of an effort to connect with you and work things out with you and keep your hobbies and relationships up."

For the first time since we've met here in this place, Ashley cracks a slight smile.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Although I still wish you hadn't done all that crazy stuff at all, like becoming a magical girl and everything…"

I nod. "I somewhat understand how you feel," I say. "But I stand by what I've done, at least in a broad sense. I'm not saying I made all the right decisions or anything…"

"You've turned my whole life upside down, though," she grumbles.

"That's true, but I wouldn't say it's unsalvageable," I say. "Still, maybe I went a little too far in some ways? I still refuse to apologize for my actions collectively, but if there are any specific things…"

"Forget it," Ashley says. "And the lies and withheld information? No, on second thoughts, there's no point in apologizing to me about that… I'm not the one you've been lying to…"

"I'll try to do better though," I say. "I've already been trying to do better in this timeline, what with revealing everything to the quartet on the first day, but…"

"Everything except us, you mean," Ashley retorts.

"R-right… okay, yeah, you have a point…"

Ashley looks around, taking in the view, and for the first time I too look around. It's like we're inside a giant birdcage or greenhouse with red glass panes all around.

"By the way, what the heck is this place?" she asks.

"Huh… kinda feels like the inside of a soul gem," I say. "I think we might be literally inside our soul gem."

"So if there's only one soul, how is it we can still be two different personalities?" Ashley asks.

"Don't ask me," I shrug. "I have no idea how any of this works."

"Hmm… alright… truce?" she says.

"Yeah… let's work together," I agree.

We shake hands, and then she hugs me.

"Chelsea… can I ask a favour?" she asks, her voice low since it's right by my ear.

"Anything, as long as it's in my power," I reply.

"The assholes who did this to us… those weird freaky light-show creatures," she says. "Can you help me track them down? I want to give them a piece of my mind."

"I'm not sure if that's within my power," I say. "But I can certainly try… perhaps the Mirror Witch could help us find them."

"Isn't your… our power perfect for that?" Ashley says. "You… we could try scrying on them."

"Uhh… that's a scary thought," I say. "But maybe once I have a doppel field as a safety net… sure."

Ashley pulls back from the hug and gives me a stern look. "Chelsea, I'd like you to stop that," she says.

I blink at her. "Uhh… stop what, exactly?"

"Your pronouns," she says. "It's not your power. It's our power. We're sharing this body, right? Once we have a doppel field as a safety net… that's when we will try scrying on them. Capisce?"

I nod. "I get it… uhh… should that be we get it?"

Ashley shakes her head. "I'm not saying you've gotta use it everywhere. If it's about your thoughts, it's totally appropriate to use the singular. See? Just like I did just now."

"R-right, okay," I say. "It makes sense. Thoughts are singular, but actions are plural… that's the gist of it, right?"

Ashley nods. "Pretty much!"

"Say, um… you were really saying that you hate this a little while ago… are you sure you're gonna be alright?"

"Eh… I don't know," Ashley says. "But I've gotta make the best of things, don't I?"

"I see… I'm sorry for putting you in that situation," I say. "It's no excuse, but I honestly didn't realize how intact your consciousness was until recently… but I really should've given it more thought and noticed on my own."

"At least dear old Mary came along to slap some sense into you," Ashley says with a giggle.

"Yeah, she's weird, but I'm honestly glad I met her too," I say. "By the way… I didn't realize you had such a foul mouth."

Ashley blinks at me.

"N-normally I don't," she mutters. "It's a bit embarrassing that you saw that side of me…"

She glances up, where a bright light has begun to shine down through the top of the cage-like structure.

"Guess our time's up for now," she says. "Don't make me yell at you again next time, you hear me?"

"If you put it that way, I'm gonna dread coming back here," I say with a wink.

Ashley shakes her head, though she doesn't seem mad anymore.

"Don't even say that as a joke."

---

That's when the surreal world fades away, and I wake up in reality, blinking in confusion at the ceiling above me.

"Ah…"

"How did it go?" Mitama asks.

"Well… it seemed to go well," I say. "But wait, shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

Mitama giggles. "I think your soul gem has stabilized, but… it seems like a very delicate balance. I can't tell if this will last."

I nod slowly. "Okay… guess I'll… we'll need to be careful, then," I say. "And maybe we'll have to stop by your place again. Which might get complicated if you don't remember all this…"

"How could I possibly forget?" Mitama asks.

"If time is turned back again, you definitely will."

Mitama blinks. "You expect me to believe that time can be turned back?"

"No, I… we don't really expect you to believe it," I reply. "I'll work something out if and when that happens. For now… I guess we'll head home."

"If you feel anything is off, come and see me again," Mitama says. "The current delicate balance in your soul worries me… I have no idea what it could take to upset it again, and if that happens, who knows what could result…"

"I understand."

I head back out into the waiting room, where I find Inui still waiting for me. She jumps to her feet and greets me with a hug, startling me.

"Is your soul all fixed up, Ashley-nee?" she asks.

"For now," I say. "But it could destabilize again, so I've gotta be careful."

"Hmm… why didn't you tell me about this before, Ashley-nee?" she asks. "I don't like finding out about it in a place like this…"

"I just… didn't think it was important, I guess?"

"Sure, but you came here today specifically for that reason, didn't you?" Inui says. "You could've at least told me before we left!"

"I guess you're right… sorry. Let's go home now."

But just as I say that, someone else barges in, a girl with shoulder-length crimson hair, mostly loose but with a pair of small braids linked behind her head to keep the edges of her bangs away from her face. She wears a pink skirt and a white blouse with rose-themed embroidery. Inui releases me and steps back as she enters, turning to face her.

"I know it says closed, but I can see the light from outside, so I know you are here, Miss Yakumo!" the girl calls. Spotting us, she blinks. "Ah, I beg your pardon… was I disturbing something?"

"No… we were just about to leave, actually," I say. "What's up?"

"I am Tokiwa Nanaka," she says. "And you are?"

"I'm Ashley Taylor," I reply. "This is Itsumi Inui."

Nanaka nods. "I wanted to report something to Miss Yakumo… where is she?"

"I'm right here," Mitama says, emerging from the back room. "What seems to be the matter, Nanaka-chan?"

"I have unpleasant news, and I simply wish to ensure that it reaches as far as possible," Nanaka says. "Naturally, you gossip with the magical girls who stop by for your services, right? So I thought you would be a perfect person to spread the rumour."

Mitama blinks. "And what exactly is this rumour?" she asks.

"I will begin with the facts," Nanaka says. "Last night, a magical girl named Awane Kokoro was attacked."

Mitama nods. "I know her, of course… but who would do something like that? I can't imagine anyone having a grudge against her…"

"Apparently, it was another magical girl," Nanaka says. "A girl with silver hair and flame magic. She introduced herself as—"

"Amano Suzune," I interrupt.

Nanaka looks at me in surprise. "That is correct… have you encountered Miss Suzune before?"

I shake my head. "Not exactly… it's complicated."

"So you just want me to warn people to look out for a girl with silver hair?" Mitama asks.

Nanaka nods. "Yes, if it is not too much trouble," she says.

"There are quite a few girls with silver hair, though, so is there anything else you can add?"

"Hmm… from what Miss Awane has said, she was on the shorter side, and wore her hair in a ponytail," Nanaka says.

"Also, she wears charm pouch with a bell in her hair," I add. "Might be audible if you meet her."

"Ah yes, Miss Taylor is correct – I recall hearing it when I encountered her myself," Nanaka says. "I have worked out a plan with Meiyui to hopefully drive her out of town by spreading rumours on the Internet, but I believe it is better to also spread information with a greater accuracy, as a secondary plan in case she decides to return at a later date."

Mitama nods. "I'll just say I heard someone was attacked by a magical girl with silver hair and a bell, or something like that," she says. "There's no need to bring up her name, right?"

"I suppose not," Nanaka agrees.

Then she turns to look at Inui and I, scanning us appraisingly.

"Unlike Miss Suzune, you do not give off a dangerous aura," she says. "But how is it that you know of her?"

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you how I know of Suzune."

Nanaka raises her eyes. "Oh? I shall be the judge of that."

I shrug. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you," I say. "One of my… our magic powers is the ability to view things from a distance – clairvoyance, basically. On the fourth of April this year, we used this power and witnessed her attacking a magical girl in Hohzuki. The girl barely managed to escape with her life."

Nanaka blinks. "April fourth of this year?" she says. "But it's only March… surely you don't expect me to believe you can travel back in time?"

"No, I don't expect you to believe it," I shrug. "But it's the truth."

Nanaka narrows her eyes a little. "Hmm… just supposing I were to believe you, what else could you tell me about Miss Suzune?"

"That she herself is also a victim," I say. "Someone else has forced her to do what she does. Also, she knows some truths about magical girls that few are aware of."

Nanaka blinks. "You are aware of these truths as well, Miss Taylor?"

"Both of us are," I say, indicating Inui.

Nanaka glances at Mitama. "Do you know the truths of which Miss Taylor speaks?"

Mitama shakes her head. "I'm not sure what she's referring to," she says.

"Hmm…"

Nanaka looks at me for a few seconds, then contacts me via telepathy.

«Tell me, what happens if a magical girl is separated from her soul gem?» she asks.

«If the soul gem is moved more than a hundred metres away, she will appear to die, but if the soul gem is returned, she will come back to life,» I reply.

She looks a little startled, but doesn't follow up with a second question about grief, which makes sense. Unlike Yachiyo, Nanaka has not discovered the full truth behind the magical girl system.

«So it's a hundred metres, is it… I did not know the precise limit myself,» she says. «Thank you for the information.»

Oh… is that why she was startled? Because I knew more than her? Well, whatever.

Then Nanaka nods. "So you say someone else is forcing her… but even if that is true, I cannot let her continue what she is doing here in Kamihama. If anything, it leads me to feel better about my current plan. Killing her would be simple, but I would not be able to live with myself, and that goes tenfold if she herself is a victim." She bows slightly. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Taylor. If you will excuse me, I must leave now to set my plan in motion."

After she leaves, Inui looks up at me.

"She only asked about the soul gem thing," she says. "Do you think she knows about witches?"

Oh, Inui had been included in that telepathy? I thought she would've aimed at me alone. I shake my head.

"No… I don't think she does."

Mitama gives us a strange look and sighs.

"Alright, your treatment is over," she says. "Your Coordinator needs to have a nice long break, so…"

"Of course, we'll be off now," I say. "Let's go home, Inui-chan."

But after heading outside, I contradict myself while opening a vision to watch Nanaka's progress away from the Coordinator's office.

"Actually, on second thoughts… I'd like to try talking to this Suzune girl," I say. "Inui-chan… will you help me?"

"Of course!" Inui says with a smile. "I'll do almost anything you ask."

I raise my eyebrows, for that reminds me of the attitude of a certain other magical girl… Kure Kirika's blind devotion to Mikuni Oriko, which may even prove to be troublesome in this timeline.

"Never say you'll do anything I ask," I say with a wink. "But almost anything… that's fine."

Inui giggles. "Of course, I'm not that stupid, Ashley-nee," she says. "I can think for myself, you know!"

I sigh. "Yeah… which reminds me… do you know Kure Kirika?"

She blinks. "N-not well… she's supposed to be my classmate, but she's absent a whole lot… so I can't say I know her very well… why are we talking about her all of a sudden?"

Oh… they're even in the same class? Now that's something of a stroke of luck! I knew Kirika was in the same year as Madoka, but with her being in a different class, it made it hard to keep an eye on her other than through my clairvoyance. Instead of answering her question, I ask another of my own.

"Does she know you're a magical girl?" I ask.

"Um… I don't think so? Why… is she a magical girl too?"

"Um… I'm not sure," I reply. "Actually, if she comes to school tomorrow, could you check if she's a magical girl? She definitely has potential, I just don't know if she's made a wish yet."

Inui nods. "Yeah, sure… but how should I do that?"

"Just see if she's wearing a ring and has a mark on her fingernail," I say.

"Sure, but that might be hard…"

I shrug. "Well… just do your best. And if she's not a magical girl… try to approach her and see if you can be friends."

"What if she is a magical girl?" Inui asks.

I sigh. "If she's already made her wish… then it's too late for her," I reply. "It can't hurt to try getting close to her anyway, but… be very careful in that case, and try not to let her know you're also a magical girl."

Inui nods. "O-okay, got it. But how'd we even get on this topic?"

"Oh… when you said you'd do almost anything, it made me think of her," I say. "Cause she'll do anything for Oriko…"

"Eh… I don't like the sound of that," Inui mutters darkly.

As we talk, I follow in Nanaka's footsteps for a bit more than fifteen minutes, up until we reach a small park, where I take a seat on one of the benches.

"Give me a few minutes to figure out what's going on," I say. "Then we'll try to locate Suzune and intercept her."

Inui nods. "Okay."

---

Nanaka arrives at what looks like an unloading area for a commercial building, a garage-like space at the building's base that was open to the air on one side. On the opposite side, there were stairs leading up into the building proper, and there were a few stacks of supplies that perhaps were waiting to be transferred.

As she steps inside, a blue-haired girl with pigtails and side buns stands up from where she's been sitting on a stack of boards. It's Chun Meiyui, one of Nanaka's close allies. Next to her is a girl with short silver hair in a boyish cut – Shinobu Akira, another member of Nanaka's team. Akira wears baggy jeans and a T-shirt, and could almost be mistaken for a boy if you only saw her from behind. Meiyui on the other hand wears a flared blue skirt and a long-sleeved blue shirt with baggy sleeves.

"Ah, you're already here," Nanaka says. "Where are the others?"

"They haven't arrived yet," Akira says. "Are you sure you don't want to call Kako?"

She refers to Natsume Kako, the final member of Nanaka's team… who is likely helping Shion Chisato track down one of her father's books at this very moment. After all, this seems to be the scenario of the first Suzune crossover event in the Magia Record game. That said, Nanaka's visit to Mitama doesn't quite fit, so things could be a little different from the in-game event.

"There's no need to endanger her for this," Nanaka says.

"When will you explain what this is all about?" Meiyui asks.

"When the others arrive," Nanaka says. "Although I'm sure Akira already gave you the basics, right?"

"A little bit," Meiyui concedes.

At that moment, two more girls arrive – a brown-haired girl with hair loops similar to Hinata Kagari's, wearing blue shorts and a red plaid button shirt left untucked, and another silver-haired girl, her hair left down except for a braid that starts at the right side of her head but falls to the left, wearing beige shorts over black tights and a teal light jacket over a white T-shirt. The silver-haired girl seems to be utterly expressionless, but the brown-haired girl looks concerned.

"Ah, you've arrived," Nanaka says. "This is a friend of mine, Chun Meiyui."

The brown-haired girl nods. "Nice to meet you, Miss Meiyui. I'm Awane Kokoro, and this is Kagami Masara."

Masara nods. "What is this plan you had in mind?" she asks, her voice soft yet clear.

"First of all, let's explain the situation to Meiyui," Nanaka says. "Miss Kokoro, would you like to go first?"

Kokoro nods. "Well, um… I was just fighting a witch last night with Masara, when this silver-haired girl came up and finished it off for me. Then she introduced herself and asked my name, but all of a sudden she attacked me out of nowhere. I tried to dodge, but she was too fast… thanks to my magic power, I managed to endure the first strike, but she just kept coming… I was only able to get away thanks to Masara providing a distraction. She never saw Masara, for the record."

Nanaka nods. "And then, what about earlier today?"

"Right… I wanted to ask her why she did it," Kokoro explains. "So I asked Masara to help me again… we tracked down a witch, figuring we'd find her there, and sure enough she was there. But she attacked me again and refused to explain herself… that was when Miss Nanaka showed up."

"I'll go next," Akira speaks up. "I was also tracking a witch after showing some girls the way to Natsume Books, when I ran into this girl who was hurt, so I helped her out… she said she'd just gotten dizzy and fallen, but now that I think about it, I guess it must've been the witch that injured her, especially since the labyrinth had disappeared by the time I got there. But anyway… I took her to the Counselling Tent and we chatted a bit. Oh, Emily was off today, so it was just the two of us. She said she goes to Akanegasaki Middle School in Hohzuki… um, anyway, after chatting for awhile, Nanaka showed up and started grilling her something fierce."

"I will take over from here," Nanaka says. "Miss Suzune became uncomfortable with my questioning and ran off. After that, I explained to Akira the hostile intent I had sensed from her. Since my magic had identified her as an enemy, I speculated that she must be a magical girl, so we decided to look for a witch to see if we ran into her. Fortune favoured us, and we came upon Miss Suzune and Miss Kokoro engaged in battle, so I stepped in and revealed myself. Apparently, she had already deduced from my questioning that I was a magical girl. However, Miss Suzune refused to answer any questions, and fled using some kind of teleportation or invisibility magic. And that pretty much brings us to where we are now. I came up with a plan, called you in, and also dropped by the Coordinator's to let Miss Yakumo know of the dangerous magical girl."

"Is that so… I understand now," Meiyui says. "So… Awane Kokoro and… Kagami Masara, yes? You can just call me Meiyui." She turns to Nanaka. "It seems you saw right through her, Nanaka – that magical girl, Suzune."

Nanaka nods. "Yes… as I said, I used my magic."

Meiyui frowns slightly. "I thought your magic allows you to sense the target of your vengeance?"

For a merest fraction of a second, Nanaka looks startled, as if caught in a lie or half-truth, but she recovers almost instantly.

"That is correct," she says. "But it is not quite as specific as you imagined… it can sense similar, related problems as well… anything that gets in the way of my vengeance."

"Ah, so she could have obstructed your goals," Meiyui nods. "Yes, I understand."

Kokoro looks confused. "What's all this about vengeance…?"

"Ah… you were unaware of that… but we can discuss it later," Meiyui says. "For now, I must ask… was she really attempting to kill you?"

Kokoro nods. "Yeah, there's no doubt about it. All her attacks were vicious, and she was aiming for my throat each time."

"I turned invisible and moved in close, looking for an opening," Masara says. "But I was only able to assist Kokoro a little…"

"I also got a strange feeling from her," Kokoro muses. "A strange, scary feeling… like someone out for blood… you know?"

"And you have no idea why?" Meiyui asks.

"Nope," Kokoro says. "Not a clue. That's why Masara and I thought we should try to ask her why she did it."

"So that is why you went looking for the nearest witch," Nanaka says with a nod.

"It was the only way we could think of to find her," Masara says.

"Now that I've heard the full story, I think you were on the right track," Nanaka says. "She's killing magical girls who hunt down witches. That appears to be her basic goal."

"So what are you gonna do about her, Nanaka?" Akira asks dispiritedly. "That's why you called Meiyui here, right?"

"Yes, you are correct," Nanaka confirms. "I have no idea why she is targeting magical girls, but she must be stopped. She clearly poses a great threat to us… she is our enemy."

"A fair point," Meiyui nods. "I see what you're saying… she's like an evil shooting star."

Nanaka nods. "We must remove all obstacles in our path. If not, we will undoubtedly suffer the consequences. In a sense, Suzune is… a disaster for the city."

"So basically… she's kinda like a witch," Akira says with a sigh.

"Indeed," Nanaka says.

"Maybe so," Masara agrees.

"Yeah…" Kokoro says, though she seems reluctant.

Akira lets out a long sigh.

"I wish I could try getting through to her again…"

"Akira, this may be just my opinion, but I do not believe you will make much progress by trying to talk to that girl," Nanaka says. "There was a fearsome determination in her eyes. If we give her even the slightest opening, who knows what she might do?"

"I get that," Akira says. "But could I just have enough time to ask her a question? Just give me that one chance, please!"

"And if she refuses to listen again?" Nanaka asks.

"Then I'll take her on with everything I've got!" Akira declares.

Nanaka sighs. "Alright, I shall allow it," she says. "Kokoro and Masara, what do you think? Do you also wish to ask her reasons one more time?"

Kokoro and Masara exchange glances, and Kokoro lets out a sigh.

"Let's drop it, Kokoro," Masara says.

"Yeah… that's probably best," Kokoro agrees. "Above all else, we have to keep ourselves safe… and this is a really dangerous situation…"

"Are you going to be alright?" Masara asks.

"Uh, yeah!" Kokoro says. "I just need to gather myself."

Masara stares at her for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Okay, so do you have a strategy in mind?" she asks.

"Yes, I do," Nanaka says. "My plan involves the three of us who are already acquainted with her – Kokoro, Akira, and myself. Meiyui, I will need you on board to make this work."

"Yes, understood," Meiyui says. "You wish me to deceive her, yes?"

Nanaka nods. "I will also need you, Masara."

"What do I need to do?" Masara asks.

"She likely already suspects that you exist," Nanaka says. "Your job is to allay her suspicions by revealing yourself at the end."

"Understood," Masara says.

"So, what deception do you wish to create?" Meiyui says.

"Let us create a scenario where she defeats all of us," Nanaka says. "If she believes she has killed everyone who found out about her, then she will be more likely to simply cut her losses and leave."

Meiyui nods. "That should be simple."

Kokoro however looks worried. "Are… are you sure this will be safe?" she asks.

"Never fear," Meiyui says. "Your lives will not be in danger as long as my magic is active. All you need to do is fall to the ground after she hits you and play dead until she is gone. Even if it does not seem like a hit that could kill."

"O-okay, that sounds easy," Kokoro.

"To be clear, that applies to you as well, Masara," Nanaka says. "And Akira and myself too."

"Okay… then let's do this," Akira says. "Um… shall I go to the Counselling Tent? Maybe she'll come looking for me there."

Nanaka nods. "That sounds good… then you can lead her into our trap. We will allow you to fight it out with her before setting the plan in motion. Wearing her down first makes the plan easier, after all."

Akira goes off on her own, while the others head to a nearby alleyway. Meiyui transforms and wall-hops up to the roof, and the others hide inside one of the buildings, which is apparently derelict. Several minutes later, Akira and Suzune enter the alleyway together.

"Alright then, let's end this," Suzune says as she transforms.

Akira transforms as well.

"End it?" she retorts. "I'm the one who's going to put an end to what you're doing, once and for all!"

"It has begun," Nanaka notes.

Nanaka is the only one watching the fight from within their hiding place; Kokoro and Masara nod from behind her. Suzune and Akira exchange blows, and Akira seems to have an upper hand in speed, prompting Suzune to fall back and try her Flame Dance spell, which summons an array of fire swords that all fly at Akira. However, Akira manages to punch every single sword to smithereens.

"Um… how is it going out there?" Kokoro asks nervously.

"They are quite evenly matched," Nanaka says. "But it is not yet time to show ourselves… we must wait until Akira is nearing her limit."

Akira and Suzune continue fighting for quite some time, at least five or ten minutes and maybe more, each giving as good as they get. What Nanaka said seems true, that they are evenly matched – for every blow Akira takes from Suzune's sword, she lands an equally powerful punch; and even though Akira doesn't seem to use any flashy spells, it doesn't leave her at a disadvantage, because she can just punch right through Suzune's fire magic. But after some time, it seems clear that Akira is starting to tire out, her soul gem slowly becoming more and more filled with grief. That's when Nanaka suddenly transforms and steps out of the hiding place to attack Suzune.

"Akira! That's enough," Nanaka says.

"Y-you!?" Suzune gasps.

"Nanaka…" Akira says, letting out a small sigh of relief.

Then Kokoro and Masara transform too. Masara vanishes from sight immediately afterwards, but Kokoro steps out and attacks Suzune.

"Another one!?" Suzune gasps.

"Third time's the charm, Amano Suzune!" Kokoro says.

"So… you've teamed up with Tokiwa Nanaka," Suzune says.

"That is correct," Nanaka confirms. "So would you consider stopping this?"

"It's not over yet," Akira says, gritting her teeth.

"Akira?" Nanaka blinks at her.

"I'm not finished with her!" Akira shouts.

She winds up and punches Suzune one more time, but then Nanaka grabs her and pulls her back.

"That's enough, Akira!" she says.

Suzune seems to see this as a chance, and darts in to stab Akira through the stomach, the blade barely missing the soul gem on Akira's gauntlet. Akira immediately lets out a groan and collapses to the ground. She does not cancel her transformation though, which should have been a dead giveaway that she's still alive; yet it seems as though no-one notices this.

"No…!" Nanaka gasps. "A-akira? Akira!"

"This… this can't be happening," Kokoro gasps.

"Tokiwa Nanaka, I've already memorized your name!" Suzune says.

She darts in to stab her as well, this time aiming for the head. The attack barely misses the hair ornament that holds Nanaka's soul gem. It also doesn't really penetrate the skull, merely slicing through above her ear.

"Ack… I was… careless," Nanaka groans as she collapses to the ground.

"N-no… both of you!?" Kokoro gasps.

"And finally, you, Awane Kokoro!" Suzune says.

She slashes at Kokoro's throat, missing her soul gem by a hair's breadth and not even cutting all that deep, and Kokoro groans and collapses to the ground.

"That makes three," Suzune says. "But then there's…"

She slashes at empty air, and suddenly Masara appears out of nowhere with a gasp.

"I knew there had to be another one," Suzune says.

"How could you… how could you do this to Kokoro!?"

Masara's normally flat, emotionless voice actually wavers, and a hint of anger shows forth. Suzune ignores the question, however.

"Magic that cloaks your body… it was faint, but I could still sense it," she says. "It was easy enough to tell, since I also use a similar magic."

"What are you talking about!?" Masara says, her voice still wavering a little.

"Heat Haze!" Suzune intones.

She vanishes from sight, and Masara gasps. "The magic she used before…?"

Suzune appears behind her, placing her blade against Masara's throat.

"What is your name?"

"How did you get behind me!?" Masara gasps, her normally unfazed face now thoroughly startled.

"Don't move," Suzune says coldly. "I can kill you in an instant. What is your name?"

"I'm so sorry, Kokoro," Masara says dolefully.

"Tell me your name," Suzune insists.

"Kagami… Masara," she replies after a few seconds' hesitation.

"Now… I can say goodbye to you, Kagami Masara," Suzune says.

With that declaration, she slits the other girl's throat. Masara gasps and falls to the ground, and Suzune stabs her left thigh, but once again, she misses the soul gem strapped to Masara's leg.

"Now… that's everyone," Suzune says. "Alright… their soul gems are all shattered. Farewell…"

She turns and walks off, and about a minute later, Meiyui hops down from the roof where she was watching the whole thing.

"I think she's gone now," she says. "We have succeeded… right, Nanaka?"

The four girls who had seemingly been killed off all get to their feet. Of course, despite what Suzune had apparently believed, none of their soul gems had been damaged. In fact, even the physical wounds she dealt them seem to be far less serious than they first appeared. Perhaps they were never actually wounded in the first place? None of the girls present are known to have healing magic, after all.

"It certainly seems that way," Nanaka says.

"Wow," Kokoro says.

"So that's how your magic works?" Masara says, emotionless once more. Maybe that emotion in her voice before was also fake…

"Yes," Meiyui says. "I have the power to disguise the truth."

"It's a useful magic for someone in your position, Meiyui," Nanaka observes.

"What are you implying?" Meiyui asks indignantly.

"Did it really work, though?" Kokoro asks nervously.

"My ability to distort perception can only affect people or things close to me," Meiyui says. "That's one of the conditions for its use. It can be bothersome… but very effective. It's not an illusion, exactly… more like altering one's perception of what is considered truth. Miss Suzune will undoubtedly never realize that the four of you are still alive… unless of course you encounter each other again."

"Furthermore," Nanaka notes. "She seemed to sense that Masara was present, as we suspected she might."

"She did," Masara nods.

"Instead of three magical girls, we brought along Masara to make four," Nanaka says. "That seemed to dispel her doubts about it being false and added to the authenticity. She also used up a great deal of magic in her fight with Akira. In her panic, she may have lost some of her better judgement. Meiyui, how are your other preparations proceeding?"

"Ah, yes, see for yourself," Meiyui says.

She takes out her smartphone and shows everyone a local social media page, which appears to talk about a girl of Suzune's description.

"A Kamihama social media page?" Kokoro gasps.

"It was set up by Meiyui's friends," Nanaka nods.

"The Soukai clan," Meiyui nods. "We got this post up with their cooperation."

"So you're going to back Suzune into a corner?" Masara asks.

"No, the very opposite," Nanaka says. "We plan to have everyone in the Soukai clan search for her… but not so thoroughly that they catch her."

"What do you mean?" Masara asks.

"We will cast our net wide, but leave a gap for her to wriggle free," Nanaka replies.

"So you mean…" Kokoro begins, but then she trails off.

"If we challenge her face-to-face, someone will end up dead," Nanaka replies. "Don't you agree, Akira? You were the one who fought her, after all."

"She was something else," Akira agrees. "Really, really strong… and her attacks were ruthless. I could tell right away that she was trying to kill me with everything she had."

"We want to minimize casualties on our end," Nanaka explains. "But that being said… killing her would be the last thing we want to do."

"But if we had no other choice…" Kokoro begins, but then she backpedals. "No… I don't think I could, even then. I couldn't… kill someone…"

"So letting her leave is the best solution," Meiyui says. "That's your conclusion."

"Precisely," Nanaka says. "I am sorry, Akira. I took advantage of your feelings towards Suzune to accomplish this."

"No, no, it's cool," Akira says. "I made all these rash excuses for her, just because I'd known her for a couple of hours. It was rough, thinking Suzune could do those kinds of things. But I was wrong. If I continued to believe in her… I could've gotten us all killed. Is that why you didn't call Kako? To keep her safe?"

"The less Suzune knows about us, the better," Nanaka says, nodding.

"You're always so calm, Nanaka," Akira says. "Unlike me, you think of the big picture… I really messed up. I'm terrible at this."

"Akira, no," Nanaka begins.

"It won't help for you to moan about how awful you are in comparison to her," Masara chimes in, as expressionless as usual.

"Huh?" Akira blinks at her.

"You can only be yourself," Masara says. "Don't spend all your time wishing you were more like someone else. Look at the facts and decide what you can do as yourself. Only that should matter."

Akira stares at her for a few seconds, and then Kokoro pipes up.

"Um, I think that was her trying to comfort you," she says.

"That was rather a cold way to do so," Meiyui says.

"It was because you fought with Suzune," Masara says. "The plan succeeded because you wore her down in the first fight. It's because of you that Kokoro is alive. So… thank you."

Kokoro blinks, then beams at Akira. "She's right! Thanks a bunch!"

"Masara… Kokoro…" Akira says.

"They're right, Akira," Nanaka says. "Also… I fear this may not be the last we see of that girl. We need to be on guard from now on."

"That's true," Akira says.

"So we're only okay for now," Masara says.

Kokoro's face falls, and she lets out a sort of whimpering sound. Akira tries to comfort her, and once she's feeling better, the group powers down and splits up. However, Meiyui sticks to Nanaka a little longer.

"By the way, Nanaka," Meiyui says. "Something has been bothering me. A couple of things, actually."

"Oh?" Nanaka says.

"You see… Suzune was aiming very deliberately each time she went in for the kill," Meiyui says.

"What was she striking at?" Nanaka asks.

"Your… soul gems," Meiyui replies.

"Interesting…" Nanaka muses.

"My magic distorts the perceptions of the target, so it moves in sync with her will," Meiyui explains. "Even if I lead her one way, the actions she takes are her own. And one thing was certain. She was aiming for the soul gem each time. The one exception was with Masara… but even then, she still aimed for the soul gem after targeting her throat."

"I see," Nanaka says.

"Well, perhaps it's only because she is so thorough," Meiyui says. "Our soul gems prove we are magical girls. They are the source of our magic." After a pause, she continues. "The second thing is… I used more magic on this than I expected."

"What do you mean?" Nanaka asks.

"Normally my use of magic is quite consistent," Meiyui says. "It's directly proportional to the number of people affected and the duration of the effect. However… I seem to have used more magic than would be expected for first two, then five people over the span of the effect."

"Maybe you just calculated wrong?" Nanaka suggests.

"Perhaps, and yet… the amount of magic used is consistent with an extra observer," Meiyui says. "For example, if Suzune had a friend who was watching from hiding, or if there was a bystander who somehow witnessed the event, it would explain this."

"I did not sense any other presences, though," Nanaka says. "In particular, if it had been a friend of Suzune, surely my magic would have detected her…"

"It makes me suspect that there was someone else around, although perhaps it doesn't matter," Meiyui nods. "Oh, and there is one other thing… though I have no evidence for this one. I believe someone already altered her memories once before."

Nanaka blinks, her eyes going wide, her unflappable demeanour shattered for a moment.

"What!?"

"As I mentioned, it is just a feeling," Meiyui says. "Nothing more. I felt as though I could sense some sort of interference… so I thought it was worth mentioning to you."

"Yes, thank you," Nanaka says. "Now that you've mentioned it, there was something strange when I stopped by to pass the warning to Miss Yakumo…"

Meiyui tilts her head. "What was it?"

"There were two magical girls there who I'd never met before," Nanaka says. "And one of them seemed to know Amano Suzune, and it didn't seem like pure hearsay… she seemed to know quite a lot. She also claimed that someone else is forcing Miss Suzune to do these things. I am not sure how she knew… although I asked her, the explanation she gave is too incredible to believe."

"I see," Meiyui says. "Still, this seems like it supports my feeling, yes?"

Nanaka nods. "Yes, it does seem that way… and actually… it could perhaps explain the mysterious observer, too… anyway, I have one more favour to ask of you, Meiyui."

---

I blink and sit up as I close off the vision. I basically know what they're talking about now – it's the genesis of the ripper rumour that Matsuri's team react to in Hohzuku – but there's no need for me to listen in on that. I kinda already lingered around longer than I intended to, so I hope I haven't missed Suzune… as I open my eyes, Inui looks at me.

"That was a bit more than a few minutes," she says. "It was more like, two hours or so!"

"Ah… I'm sorry," I say. "Was it really that long? Guess I kinda lost track of time… we should hurry, otherwise we could miss her."

I check up on where Suzune is, examining street signs in her vicinity, and after a few moments I realize I recognize the area. She's not far from the central train station. I facepalm – of course she'd be heading there, since she needs to catch the train back to Hohzuki. She's walking slowly though and seems to be lost in thought. In fact, I even see Chisato and Arisa walk by, totally oblivious to her. So they were in town today, huh?

"She's near the train station," I say. "I think we can still catch her though… let's go!"

We get up and start running.

"What do we do when we find her?" Inui asks.

"You stay out of sight, in case she decides to attack me," I say. "If that happens, you can charm her, and we'll get away on Teddy Mk II. However, I'm going to try and get her to talk first."

Inui nods. "Got it."

Although Mitama's office is pretty far from the train station, fortunately the park we were sitting in was a fair bit closer, and it's not long before I spot the train tracks. Checking on Suzune again, I find her waiting at a crosswalk. I identify a street sign and look around wildly, trying to cross-reference her location with mine, then bolt in the direction that seems right. It seems like we actually overshot her by a couple of streets, and we arrive at the street in question just as the walk light turns green and she starts crossing towards us.

«Make yourself scarce, Inui-chan!»

I'm not sure whether Suzune is aware enough to understand that a ring on the middle finger, coupled with a fingernail mark, is a sure sign of a magical girl. On the other hand, I couldn't see a ring on her finger just now, so it's possible she does know. Either way though… just in case, I slip my own ring off and tuck it into my purse, making sure it's secure and can't fall out.

«Okay!» Inui says.

I sense rather than see Inui backing away and retreating into a nearby alleyway, where my clairvoyance catches her transforming and wall-hopping up to the roof. As Suzune reaches my side of the street, I address her.

"Amano Suzune."

She looks at me in surprise.

"Um… who are you?" she asks. "Have we met before?"

"I just want to talk to you for a bit," I say.

She frowns a bit. "Why?"

"I have a few questions about your… questionable activities," I reply. "We can chat just over there, in the alleyway. Don't worry, I won't bite… unless you bite first, that is."

Suzune eyes me, sizing me up.

"I don't see why I should do what you say," she says.

"Because I know what you are and what you're doing," I reply.

She blinks at me, then sighs.

"I suppose you're not going to give me any choice," Suzune says. "Very well… I will humour you."

We head into the same alleyway that Inui ducked into a moment ago.

"So… what's this all about?" Suzune asks. "How do you know my name?"

"I heard about you from Tokiwa Nanaka," I say.

Suzune gasps. "W-what exactly did she tell you?"

"That you're hunting magical girls."

"Are you… a magical girl?" Suzune asks.

"However, unlike Miss Tokiwa, I know why you're doing it," I say.

Suzune blinks. "So you know about magical girls turning into witches?"

"That's right," I say.

"I see," Suzune says. "Even if you're a magical girl, if you already know, there's not much point in killing you."

"I just have a couple of things to ask," I say. "Where were you hunting before you came here?"

Suzune tilts her head. "Why does it matter?"

"I just want to know," I say. "Call it curiosity, if you like."

"Well… I suppose it can't hurt to say. Until recently, I was living in Yukuni."

Oh? Now that is highly unexpected. Yukuni is the hometown of one of the antagonists in the second arc of Magia Record, and it's said to be highly inhospitable to magical girls. From the sounds of it, Suzune may have been at least part of the reason for that, although from what I recall, most of it was brought upon themselves by the girls there. I only vaguely remember its location on the map… was it the city that kinda lay between Kamihama and Hohzuki? I can't quite remember.

"Why'd you come to Kamihama?"

"I killed all the magical girls there, at least all the ones I could find, so I decided to move to Hohzuki… however, Kyuubey told me there was an unusually high number of magical girls in Kamihama, so I stopped by to scope it out."

"Do you know a girl named Himuro Lavi?"

Suzune makes a noise of disgust.

"She was… as far as I know, the only one I failed to kill. I fought her many times… but she always got away. Strangely though, she never seemed to warn others about me…"

Well, that's interesting. That question was a long shot to be honest – I didn't expect to actually find a connection between them. Just in case, I decide to ask about Lavi's friends as well.

"So you never met magical girls named Asahi or Alexandra? Or um… Ulala?"

"No… there were no magical girls by those names in Yukuni," Suzune says.

"Did you know a woman named Tsubaki?" I ask.

Suzune blinks. "Yes… how do you know about her?"

"Do you know a girl named Hinata Matsuri?" I ask.

"Eh? Um… I… I don't… think so?" Suzune says, frowning a little.

"Hmm… you really don't know her?" I ask.

"It… it does seem… slightly familiar," Suzune admits. "Is she a magical girl?"

I shrug. "Who knows? My last question is… do you truly understand why you're hunting magical girls?"

Suzune blinks. "Huh? You said you already know that… it's because they turn into witches."

"Really?" I ask. "Is that the real reason? Think hard about it… I think you may find the real reason is something far more…" I trail off for a moment as I select a word. "…sinister."

Suzune frowns. "I don't get what you're talking about…"

"Hmm… I guess it's not that easy to break the spell," I sigh. "Oh well… it was worth a try."

Suzune suddenly transforms, holding her sword to my throat, and I blink in surprise.

"What the hell was this all about, then?" she asks. "Are you making fun of me!?"

I hear a soft thump as Inui hops down from the roof, and Suzune also turns to see her.

"Look at me!" Inui shouts.

"Ch-charm magic!?" Suzune gasps. "Y-you had a friend watching your back…?"

I casually step away from Suzune's blade and transform.

"S-so you were a magical girl…"

"Think about what I said today, Suzune-chan," I say. "Is killing other magical girls really what you want to do?"

Then I summon Teddy Mk II, and Inui and I hop on and soar up into the air. Suzune stares after us as we get away. Once I'm sure we're out of sight, I land in a different alleyway closer to the station, and we power down and head inside to catch the train back to Mitakihara.

---

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.

Kisaki Emiri
木崎衣美里

Age: 13
Eye Colour: Red
Hair Colour: Blonde
Origins: Sakae Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Red circle with horns and tail
Soul Gem: Orange heart earring on her left ear
Element: Darkness
Weapon: Spade tip on her tail
Powers: Charm, Illusions
Wish: "I wanna get closer to the person I admire."

Speed: 4
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 5
Defensive Power: 5
Initial Power Usability: 5
Learned Powers: 1

Ayano Rika
綾野梨花

Age: 14
Eye Colour: Red
Hair Colour: Blonde
Origins: Chuo Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Red fleur-de-lis
Soul Gem: Red lily-shaped gem at her throat
Element: Fire
Weapon: Mirror compact
Powers: Attention manipulation, laser beams
Wish: "I want her to fall in love with me."

Speed: 3
Magical Stamina: 3
Offensive Power: 5
Defensive Power: 4
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 1

Tokiwa Nanaka
常盤ななか

Age: 15
Eye Colour: Pink
Hair Colour: Crimson
Origins: Sankyo Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Blue 5-petalled florette
Soul Gem: Oval pink gem in her hair
Element: Water
Weapon: Katanas
Powers: Detecting enmity, magic dispel
Wish: "I want the power to accomplish my revenge by my own hand."

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

Chun Meiyui
純美雨

Age: 17
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Blue
Origins: Minaminagi Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Two blue parallel wavy lines
Soul Gem: Blue oval gem at her throat
Element: Water
Weapon: Claws
Powers: Altering perception of truth, ninja substitution, water manipulation
Wish: "I want to protect the Soukai clan."
Affiliation: Soukai clan

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

Shinobu Akira
志伸あきら

Age: 15
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Ash blonde
Origins: Sankyo Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Grey spiral
Soul Gem: Blue diamond on her left gauntlet
Element: Water
Weapon: Open-finger gauntlets
Powers: Identifying weak points, strength boost
Wish: "All those people… save them!"

Speed: 5
Magical Stamina: 7
Offensive Power: 5
Defensive Power: 4
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 2

Awane Kokoro
粟根こころ

Age: 15
Eye Colour: Green
Hair Colour: Brown
Origins: Chuo Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Yellow heart
Soul Gem: Round green gem at her throat
Element: Light
Weapon: Pneumatic tonfas
Powers: Endurance, magic reflect
Wish: "I want my mom to come back."

Speed: 2
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 7
Defensive Power: 9
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 2

Kagami Masara
加賀見まさら

Age: 16
Eye Colour: Grey
Hair Colour: Silver
Origins: Chuo Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Sky blue teardrop
Soul Gem: Blue diamond on her left thigh
Element: Light
Weapon: Short sword
Powers: Invisibility, crystals
Wish: "I want money."

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