After the trip to Tokime village, I continue to check up on Homura periodically in case she decides to make a move against me, but she doesn't seem interested. Then on Tuesday, Kyuubey appears before me just after I've finished beating a witch with Inui.
"Ashley Taylor, Itsumi Inui," it says. "I would like to give you a warning and ask for your help."
"Oh? That's unusual," I say.
"Recently, there has been a magical girl in black who has been killing magical girls," Kyuubey says. "Her powers are unknown, so it would be beneficial to form a team to defeat her."
"Ah, and just who do you think this girl is?" I ask.
"Her name is Akemi Homura," Kyuubey says. "She is an anomaly that I do not recall forming a contract with, and I know almost nothing about what she is capable of. It appears that she can teleport, however."
"I see… so you want my help to take her down, is that correct?"
"Yes, that is what I am saying," Kyuubey replies.
"Well, sorry, but I'll have to pass," I say. "I have no interest in going up against Akemi Homura. Of course, the quartet will undoubtedly agree with me as well."
"And I'm with Ashley-nee too," Inui says.
"Very well," Kyuubey says. "I shall have to make do with the four I have already assembled."
"Who are they, out of curiosity?" I ask.
"Tomoe Mami, Mikuni Oriko, Kure Kirika, and Masumi Chihana have agreed to join," Kyuubey says.
"Have you asked anyone else?"
"Kohaku Koharu has refused, but I still hope to convince Sakura Kyouko and Chitose Yuma."
Yuma just made her contract two days ago, so she'd probably be easy to convince if not for the fact that she's attached herself to Kyouko this time, instead of Oriko.
"Well, thanks for the warning, at least," I say. "I'll make sure to steer clear of Miss Akemi."
Kyuubey just turns and trots off, and I ponder the situation a little. This… this could be really bad. Oriko really seems to be on track to fulfill the plot of the Oriko Magica manga. Even though I've given Madoka a Teddy Drone, I have a feeling that it won't be enough to protect her from Oriko's machinations.
Dammit… now that I think about it, I should've done something about Oriko earlier. When she attacked Madoka… no, the first sign was when Kirika killed Komaki… no, perhaps even earlier, when the warning about Walpurgisnacht never came. Perhaps it's because I somewhat got to know Oriko in the previous timelines… I hoped she might not go in the direction of the manga. Perhaps it was because I was distracted by Asunaro and Hohzuki and not paying enough attention closer to home. Perhaps it was because Homura scared me a little when she staked out my house…
Ashley's face flashes in my memory. Stop making excuses! That's what she would say, right? Although that might actually be her, yelling at me from inside my soul. What's done is done… I just have to make the best of it. Although I'm inclined to feel there's no point when time will almost certainly just be turned back again, I have to at least try. I have no idea if the world continues without us when we turn back time, after all.
"What's up, Ashley-nee?" Inui asks. "Are you having second thoughts about Kyuubey's request?"
I shake my head. "No… I was thinking of having a chat with Mikuni Oriko."
Inui blinks. "Huh? But what does that have to do with this?"
"Everything," I say. "The magical girl hunter is actually Kure Kirika, and those two are like master and minion."
"B-but if you knew that… why didn't you tell Kyuubey?"
"I was literally just wondering that myself…"
"Hmm, but if what you say is true… then isn't it really dangerous to talk to Miss Mikuni?" Inui asks.
"Probably," I say. "But I also don't think she's the type of person to kill on sight, and Kirika should be relatively safe as long as we don't threaten Oriko."
"Alright, then I'm coming along to keep you safe," Inui says.
"If you're sure, then I'll be glad to have you," I reply.
We head southeast, seeking Shirome Middle School. I don't expect Oriko to still be there, but I only really know the way to her house in reference to the school, so it's a useful starting point. Once we arrive at the school, I pause to take a peek and find that she is indeed at home, so we turn around and head to her house. I gaze up at the small mansion for a few minutes, steeling myself for the meeting. Then I push the gate open, walk up to the door, and knock, Inui staying a step behind me.
There's a sound of running feet from within, and suddenly the door flies open to reveal Kirika, still in her school uniform.
"Oh? Who're you?" she asks. "Oriko, Oriko, we have guests! Should I let them in?"
Inui speaks up. "Um, don't you remember me?" she asks. "We're classmates… although you haven't been to school for awhile, right?"
"Hmm… is that so?" Kirika shrugs. "But I don't remember your face at all. I don't have room in my head for anything not related to Oriko."
Inui blinks. "…the hell?"
«Yeah, that's what she's like since she became a magical girl…» I say.
«Now I kinda get why you were hoping I could stop her,» Inui says.
At that moment, Oriko appears in the hallway.
"Oh my, who do we have here?" she asks. "A classmate of Kirika and… that uniform is Mitakihara High School, is it not? How may I help you?"
"My name is Ashley Taylor," I say. "I'd like to have a chat with you in private, without Miss Kure listening in."
Kirika pouts. "But that means you're eating into my time with Oriko…"
"It's alright, Kirika," Oriko says with a smile. "It can't hurt to listen to what she has to say, now can it? Why don't you go out and get some snacks while we chat?"
Kirika's eyes widen. "Oh! That sounds yummy! I'll go, I'll go!"
Oriko digs out some cash and passes it over, and then Kirika sets off at a run. Once she's gone, the two of us step inside.
"Why is she acting like a small child?" Inui asks. "She was never like that at school…"
"I am not sure myself," Oriko says. "I assumed it was just the way she is… but you did not come here to talk about Kirika, did you?"
"No, that wasn't my intention at all," I say.
"Very well," Oriko says. "I will make some tea, so please wait in this room."
She ushers us into a room with a small round table, a lot like a traditional Japanese living room, except for the wooden floorboards instead of tatami mats. We head inside and take a seat on cushions on the floor. A few minutes later, Oriko joins us with three cups of tea and a plate of madeleines. She passes out a cup to everyone, then takes a seat facing us.
"Please help yourself," she says. "I have more, so do not worry about saving some for myself or Kirika. Now then… what could you wish to talk about with someone like me?"
"I want to ask you to stop targeting a certain pink-haired girl," I say.
Oriko blinks. "Oh my… whatever could you mean?" she asks.
"Don't play dumb," I reply. "I saw everything… well, almost everything. You manipulated Miss Yuuki into that situation, did you not? You predicted that Miss Akemi would mistake you for dead and only kill Miss Yuuki, did you not?"
Oriko raises her eyebrows. "If you know that much, then you must have a power similar to mine… but if you truly know everything, then why would you endanger yourself to pay me a visit?"
I nod. "Yes, my power is clairvoyance… and I just had a feeling that you wouldn't hurt me."
I reach for one of the madeleines and try it… it's a bit dry, but it does taste good. Then I take a sip of my tea.
"I see… so is this blackmail?" Oriko asks.
"Who would I even share this info with?" I retort. "The police? I doubt they'd believe me when I start talking about witches. Ah… I guess there's Miss Ishijima, but Mitakihara's not in her jurisdiction so I don't think that would help."
"That is true, but there are certainly other possibilities besides the police," Oriko says.
"This is a request," I say. "I have no intention of revealing you to Kyuubey or the others… I doubt you'll be able to keep it under wraps for much longer anyway, what with this hunt they're organizing."
"You do have a point there," Oriko says. "So, why would you care so much about this one girl?"
"The only thing I'm interested in is preventing unnecessary deaths," I say. "Of course, that includes a certain girl with pink hair."
"What if I told you her death is necessary to save the world?" Oriko asks.
"W-what!?" Inui gasps. "That's such an awful thing to say…"
"Is that really true though?" I ask. "Why would you think her death is necessary?"
"If that girl makes a contract and becomes a magical girl, she will turn into the worst witch this world has ever known," Oriko says. "The only way to assuredly prevent that from happening is to end her life."
I nod slowly. "I see… so as I thought, you've foreseen Kriemhild Gretchen instead of Walpurgisnacht," I say. "Certainly she's a powerful witch, but I can't accept that killing Miss Kaname is the only way to prevent her from being born. Also, did you ever consider predicting what follows her birth? I bet there are enough powerful magical girls in the prefecture to defeat her, especially since Pernelle is here…"
Oriko narrows her eyes.
"From the way you speak, it almost seems as though you've seen her too… but that should be impossible…"
Then she suddenly gasps.
"No way… I thought Miss Akemi's power was simply to stop time, but… if she can stop time… perhaps it is not such a stretch to suppose that she could turn it back as well…"
"You're pretty smart, Miss Mikuni," I say. "You're the first to work it out on your own. Yes, I too have seen that witch, with my own eyes… although it may have been a less powerful version of her."
"So… you were working with the protector from the shadows?" Oriko says. "Perhaps… you were even the one who gave Miss Kaname that strange weapon?"
"You could say that, and yes, the Teddy Drone is mine."
Oriko nods slowly.
"Still… I understand your point of view, but I have come too far to back down now. If you had spoken to me earlier… perhaps you could have convinced me. You are welcome to try and get in my way, of course, but you had better be prepared for failure. As for what may happen after that witch is born… many people will die even if she is defeated, so I deem it irrelevant to my plans."
"So in other words… you refuse to back down," I say. "You're still going to target Miss Kaname."
Oriko nods.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Mikuni," I say. "You were a valuable ally before… I hate to have to treat you as an enemy now. However… if that's how it's going to be, then I won't back down either. We'll see if your predictions can truly outwit me."
At that moment, the door slams open, heralding the arrival of Kirika.
"Oriko, Oriko, I'm baaaaack!" she calls. "I got your favouritest snacks! Let's eat them together!"
She charges into the room, then backpedals at the sight of us sitting there.
"Oh… you two are still here?" she says.
"It's alright," Oriko says. "They were just leaving… weren't you, Miss Taylor?"
I nod, getting to my feet with a sigh.
"Yes, you're right. Come on, Inui-chan."
We leave Oriko's house together and make our way back towards the Hayashi home.
"That didn't go well at all," Inui grumbles. "But at least I never felt like we were in danger…"
"Okay… since she refused to back down, I'm going to have to explain a couple of things to you, Inui-chan," I say. "Ahh… but Hiyori-chan should probably hear them too, so I guess it can wait until we get home."
"Okay," Inui says.
The sisters are already home when we get there, so I join them in the living room.
"Hey Ashley-chan, is something up?" Komachi asks. "You're looking unusually grim…"
I nod. "Yes… I have a warning to give you," I say.
"Eh? Is… is something bad going to happen?" Hiyori asks.
"You could say that," I say. "I don't know the exact date, but… soon, a witch will be born at Mitakihara Middle School."
"So… you want us to prevent it?" Hiyori says.
"That would be great if you could, but… I don't think it's possible," I reply.
"But if we just used a grief seed…" Hiyori says.
"This is an unusual case," I reply. "I'm pretty sure a grief seed isn't going to help. Rather… I need the two of you to be prepared. Inui-chan, Hiyori-chan… if possible, make sure you have at least one grief seed on you at all times."
Inui nods. "That's easy… if I run out I can just get one from you, right?"
"Yes, just let me know," I agree.
"So um… if the witch is going to be born at school, then she's gotta be a student, right?" Hiyori says. "And if you're warning the two of us, we can't be the ones… so who is it? Miss Tomoe? Miss Akemi? Are there even any other magical girls at Mitakihara Middle School besides us and them?"
I nod. "There's one more… Kure Kirika."
Hiyori blinks. "Oh right! You mentioned that she became a magical girl… but I thought she was skipping… why would she suddenly come to school only to turn into a witch?"
"That doesn't matter," I begin.
"It matters to me!" Hiyori shouts.
I sigh. "Fine… it's an intentional attack," I say. "She's going to turn into a witch on purpose in order to help Miss Mikuni kill someone."
"That's… what the heck!?" Komachi gasps. "Lots of innocent people will die! Why… why would she do that…?"
"That definitely doesn't matter," I grumble. "Can I get to the important part?"
"Uhh… sure, go ahead," Hiyori says.
"The reason I'm warning you is so you can be prepared," I explain. "What I'd like you to do when that happens is to focus on helping the ordinary people – students and teachers and other staff – get out of the labyrinth. Leave the witch up to Miss Tomoe and Miss Akemi – they can handle her on their own, and even if they can't, there's a good chance that Miss Sakura will also show up to help them. I intend to join as well, if possible… it depends if I can get there in time though."
"Then I'll come with you!" Komachi says. "I can't just sit back and watch while my little sister is in danger!"
I nod. "Thanks, Komachi-chan," I say. "If Claire-chan and Elise-chan want to come, they too would be welcome."
"So she's going to turn into a witch," Inui says. "She seemed fine today, but she's going to turn into a witch?"
"Yeah… it's sad, but we already failed to prevent it," I say. "The only one who'd be able to save her is Oriko."
"Can you maybe… explain why that is?" Komachi asks.
"Right… it's because of Kirika's wish," I explain. "She wished to become just what Oriko needed… which means that if Oriko needs her to become a witch, she'll do it without question. That means the only way to save her would be if we had managed to convince Oriko today."
"So she wished away her free will," Inui says. "That's awful…"
"Yeah… it truly is," I say. "The only worse wish I can think of would be whatever Yumeno Yusa wished for that caused her to become the Sleepwalking Spectre."
April fourteenth. Hinata Matsuri has just left school with Amano Suzune when she gets a telepathic call to the roof. After apologizing to Suzune, she runs past Honoka, who looks like she may have been following her, and re-enters the school. Honoka follows her up the stairs but stays inside to eavesdrop. As in the last timeline, they discuss the ripper rumour and speculate that it may be the work of a witch.
That's when Honoka transforms and teleports, appearing behind Matsuri with one of her blades at her throat. Matsuri gasps.
"D-don't move!" Honoka says. "That rumour… it's not a witch killing those people! It's a magical girl! I was attacked by her too! And there's another girl working with her!"
"Hold on a second!" Haruka says. "Sharing that info is one thing, but why must you threaten our friend like that? Who are you?"
"Um!" Matsuri speaks up. "She's actually a classmate…"
"I haven't seen the other girl myself, but a friend saw her, and her description perfectly matches Miss Hinata," Honoka says. "Plus Miss Hinata is friendly with the girl who attacked me, so it seemed like it fit…"
"B-but this is the first I've heard of any of this!" Matsuri protests. "I definitely haven't attacked anyone!"
"Um… but even if you had… you'd still say that, right?" Honoka says.
"Th-that's true…" Matsuri says.
Suddenly Arisa and Chisato transform, and Arisa points the tip of her scythe at Honoka's head while Chisato aims her pistol.
"You'd best let our friend go if you know what's good for you!" Arisa says. "If you hurt a single hair on her head, I ain't gonna hold back!"
Chisato nods. "There's no way we'd believe the word of you, a stranger, over Matsuri's denial."
"Eh!?" Haruka says. "Calm down, you two, you're just making this worse! It has to be a misunderstanding, right?" She looks at Honoka. "Um, can you repeat the description your friend gave you?"
"Um… she said the girl was short," Honoka says. "With her hair dyed in a dark shade… wears twintails or similar… oh, and her magical girl outfit is purple."
Haruka lets out a sigh of relief.
"There, you see? It really was just a misunderstanding. Matsuri, transform and show her."
"R-right…"
Matsuri transforms, revealing that she isn't purple in the slightest.
"Oh…"
Honoka teleports back a few paces and falls to her knees in a bow… not quite a full-on kowtow, but close. She also powers down in mid-drop.
"I'm sorry! I was just scared she might do something if I tried to warn you, so…"
Matsuri turns and leans down to take her hand, also powering down.
"It's okay," she says. "You meant well, right? And you didn't hurt me at all."
"Yeah… um, I'm Kanami Honoka, by the way."
Honoka allows Matsuri to pull her to her feet. Arisa glares at her, but Chisato seems to have holstered her pistol. Haruka, who still hasn't transformed, smiles at her.
"So, you're saying that you were attacked by a magical girl, Miss Kanami?" she asks.
"Yeah… I was only barely able to escape because I could teleport," Honoka says. "And because I didn't let my guard down since my friend had warned me about her before."
"And you said I was friendly with her," Matsuri says. "So that must mean she's also in our class, right?"
"Y-yeah…" Honoka says. "She said she'd kill me if I told anyone though…"
Matsuri ponders a little.
"Hmm… I get along with most of the girls in our class, but I can't imagine any of them doing something like that…"
"Is there anyone who interacts with Miss Kanami?" Haruka suggests.
"Hmm… I don't usually see her chatting with others," Matsuri muses. "She did seem to have a staring contest with Suzune-chan when she first transferred… actually, come to think of it, it almost seemed like she recognized Suzune-chan…"
"This Miss Suzune seems like a prime candidate, then," Haruka says.
"But she seems really nice," Matsuri protests.
"That's got nothing to do with this," Arisa retorts.
"Did you really think a murderer would walk around glaring at everyone all the time?" Chisato says. "No, they're normal people most of the time. You can't identify the culprit based on their attitude or whether they 'seem nice'."
"You gotta look at the evidence," Arisa nods.
"I still can't get past the fact that Miss Hinata matches the description so well," Honoka murmurs.
"Well, it was a pretty vague description," Haruka points out. "It could match any number of girls…"
"Yeah, it's true, I've seen several other girls who match the description," Honoka says. "But none of them were magical girls! Um… this is probably a long shot, but I don't suppose Miss Hinata has a sister or something?"
"No, I—" Matsuri winces slightly and presses a hand to her forehead. "I don't have… an older sister…"
"Um… why do you sound uncertain…?" Honoka wonders. "If you don't have an older sister… maybe a younger sister?"
"Are you all right, Matsuri?" Haruka asks.
"I think so… my head just started hurting when she started talking about a sister…"
"That's some strange timing," Chisato observes. "Although I guess more than likely it's just a coincidence."
"No, I have this strange feeling, like I've forgotten something…" Matsuri murmurs.
She winces again, now pressing both hands to her head.
"Would you like a painkiller?" Haruka offers.
"I… have a feeling… that won't help," Matsuri says. "It's not… exactly… a physical pain…"
"If it hurts that much to remember whatever it is, maybe you should just stop?" Chisato suggests.
"N-no… I think it's… probably important…" Matsuri says.
She grits her teeth and falls to her knees, hunching over and clutching at her head for a few moments. Then, suddenly, she straightens up, blinking, and her eyes go wide.
"I… I remember everything," she gasps. "Tsubaki… Suzune-chan… onee-chan…"
"So you had an older sister after all?" Honoka says.
"Onee-chan… what on earth have you done…?" Matsuri murmurs.
"Maybe you could start from the beginning," Haruka suggests.
"R-right… I don't know the full story though," Matsuri says. "This goes back to around the time I first became a magical girl… or even a bit before."
Chisato and Arisa power down, and everyone sits down in a circle. Arisa sits beside Matsuri and slaps her on the back, causing her to wince again.
"Well, we got plenty of time! Let's hear it!"
"Alright," Matsuri says.
"I guess I'll start there," Matsuri says. "This was about a year ago. There was a woman, Mikoto Tsubaki, who used to be our nanny, but then she left without any explanation… Papa later told me she wanted focus on taking care of someone else… most likely Suzune-chan. It was just a bit after she left that Kyuubey showed up…"
"Tsubaki didn't come," Matsuri said dolefully.
"Yeah…" Kagari replied.
Matsuri was sitting on the bed, with her sister standing, probably facing away from her to judge from the slightly muffled sound of her voice. From the way her sister was breathing, she could tell Kagari was also suppressing her anger, though it wasn't yet clear exactly why she was angry.
"I wonder if she won't come tomorrow either…"
"I'm sure she'll come back," Kagari said resolutely, though the slight waver in her voice gave away the fact that she didn't entirely believe her own words.
"But… Papa said next week a new—"
"She will come back!" Kagari shouted. "Papa was lying! Because… because Tsubaki would never leave us behind!"
Matsuri's acute ears picked up Kagari's heartbeat, a rapid thump-thump as she worked herself up.
"But…"
There was a thud of something soft coming down on the hard floor – presumably Kagari stamping her foot – followed by a soft whoosh of air movement and a rustle of cloth as Kagari suddenly spun in close to her, bringing with her the faint, lingering flowery scent of her shampoo.
"No buts! Something has to be wrong! You think so too, right!?"
Matsuri put her hands to her ears and flinched as Kagari shouted in her face, shutting her eyes tight even though it didn't make any difference whatsoever.
"I'm sure… I'm sure that… something happened," Kagari said.
Her voice was calmer, and Matsuri could hear her heartbeat starting to slow a little too… but only a little. She was clearly forcing herself to suppress her anger, resulting in this artificial and sudden calm.
"But what?" Matsuri asked.
"I don't know… but I have to search for her. I definitely have to go and see her!"
"M-me too! I want to go with you too! I want to meet Tsubaki too!"
"No way," Kagari retorted. "You're blind, so it's dangerous."
"It's fine!" Matsuri said. "Just for a little, I—"
"I said no! You're…"
Kagari trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, as a new, unfamiliar voice cut in – a calm, androgynous voice.
"Hey, what are you doing?" it said. "You seem troubled."
There was another soft whoosh of air and rustle of cloth as Kagari backed off, perhaps to look at the speaker.
"What the hell?" Kagari said. "A stuffed animal is talking?"
"Eh? Eh? A stuffed animal!?" Matsuri gasped, turning to face the source of the mysterious voice. "Where is it? Can I hold it?"
"I am not a stuffed animal," the voice said. "My name is Kyuubey."
There was a soft pitter-patter of tiny feet, and then something small hopped onto Matsuri's lap, fluffy like a cat, and she petted it tentatively while also kind of feeling out its shape. She found the fluffy tail, more like a fox than a cat. She found the ears, reasonably cat-like except for those strange appendages emerging from them. She even found the two rings attached to those appendages. The creature let out a sort of pleased warble or something, so at least she hadn't hurt it.
"What the heck is this?" she wondered. "It's a bit like a cat and a bit like a fox and ultra-fluffy, but what the heck are these rings? They feel metallic…?"
"My name is Kyuubey," the voice repeated. "I would like the two of you to make contracts with me to become magical girls who fight witches. In return, I will grant you any one wish you desire."
"R-really!?" Matsuri gasped. "Any wish at all? Then I wish I could see!"
"Understood," Kyuubey said. "Your wish has surpassed entropy."
Matsuri let out a squeal of pain as Kyuubey plunged those appendages inside her to draw out her soul, but then, for the first time, light filtered into her eyes. She saw, rather than heard, her twin sister standing there watching her. Kagari was looking right at her, though Matsuri was unable to read the expression on her face. Matsuri looked around excitedly, taking in her room's appearance for the first time. Then she picked Kyuubey up and hugged him.
"Thank you so much, Kyuu-chan! This is amazing!" Looking at her sister, she added, "You can't say no now, can you?"
Kagari sighed. "I guess not… let's go," she grumbled.
"Will you be making a wish too, Hinata Kagari?" Kyuubey asked.
"Let me think about it for a bit," Kagari said.
"Very well. In that case, I will accompany you in case you have any questions," Kyuubey said.
With that, he hopped down from Matsuri's lap and trotted out of their room. The girls followed a little more slowly, heading out into the hall to slip their shoes on and step outside, holding hands.
"Look, Kagari, what's that?" Matsuri said.
"That… is just a cloud," Kagari muttered.
"Is that a tree? So that's what a tree looks like… hey, hey, is that a bird?"
"Yeah… I guess it is," Kagari said.
"Woooah, look, look, Kagari, it's so pretty!"
She pointed at a row of cherry trees in bloom.
"I guess it is…"
"Woah, so cool! Seeing is amazing!"
"We didn't come here to play," Kagari muttered.
"It's no use," Kyuubey said. "This is the first time she's been able to see. If that much information is suddenly bursting out in front of your eyes, it's only natural to be astonished."
Kagari looked at him. "You're pretty fishy, suddenly turning up and healing Matsuri's eyes."
"Well, in that sense, it's true that you can think I'm suspicious," Kyuubey said. "But I'm just offering a reward for the contract. You two in particular seem to show magnificent potential, among the ones I was observing recently. If you also have something you want granted, tell me anytime."
"Hmph," Kagari huffed.
They wandered around town with Kyuubey until the sky began to darken. Matsuri gazed up at it.
"Ah… is this… dusk?" she asked. "We couldn't find her at all… if we don't go home soon, Papa will get angry."
"Go on ahead," Kagari said. "I will—"
But then a familiar sound came to Matsuri's ears, the tinkling of a bell. Kagari heard it too.
"Matsuri… that sound just now…"
"Yeah!" Matsuri said. "It's Tsubaki's sound! Let's go!"
The two of them broke into a run, heading for the sound of the bell.
"This way!" Kagari said eagerly.
They finally emerged onto a busier street, but instead of Tsubaki, they found the source of the bell to be a small girl about the same age as them, with silver hair.
"Huh?" Kagari blinked. "Why… is she…?"
"Hey, Kagari, where is Tsubaki?" Matsuri asked.
"She's… not there," Kagari said. "It wasn't Tsubaki at all…"
"But the sound!" Matsuri protests. "Ah! It's her! Maybe she knows Tsubaki! Come on, onee-chan, let's go after her!"
"There's no point," Kagari said. "She's not Tsubaki, so who cares?"
"But maybe she knows where Tsubaki is!" Matsuri protested.
Kagari turned and walked back the way they'd come. Matsuri watched her for a few seconds, then glanced back towards the girl they'd seen, and back at Kagari. Finally, she broke into a run.
"Onee-chan, wait for me!"
"Kyuubey, do you know why that girl has Tsubaki's charm?" Kagari asked.
"That girl? Ah, do you mean Amano Suzune? I cannot say I understand why she has it."
They got a scolding from their father when they got home, though he was suitably awestruck by Matsuri's newfound vision. The next day, Kyuubey took Matsuri out to teach her how to hunt witches. She struggled against her first witch, but finally managed to beat it. After the labyrinth had collapsed and she'd snatched up the grief seed, she spotted the silver-haired girl, who immediately turned and ran off. Matsuri gave chase, following her all across the town, tracking her easily by the sound of the bell. Finally she turned a corner and found the girl sitting on the steps of a particular house.
"Ah! Finally found you!" Matsuri said.
The girl looked up, startled.
"Who… are you?" she asked. "Why… did you follow me?"
"I'm Matsuri! Hinata Matsuri! You're… Amano Suzune, right? Well, let's be friends, Suzune-chan! Let's fight against witches together!"
Over the next few days, the two of them became close friends, teaming up to take down witch after witch. However, all that changed on the third day. When Matsuri got home that day, she found Kagari waiting for her with an unnerving smile on her face.
"Eh? Onee-chan, is something wrong? You look kinda scary…"
"Nothing's wrong," Kagari said. "I just became a magical girl, just like you."
"A-awesome! Then we can fight witches tog—"
"No," Kagari said, laying a hand on Matsuri's shoulder. "I have grander plans… for that, I'll have you forget about me, and about Miss Amano."
"No way!" Matsuri said. "I could never forget about… about… huh?"
She blinked, looking around. Kagari was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh? Who was I even talking to? There wouldn't be anyone home at this time of day, anyway… Papa's still at work. Guess I'll… take a nap or something…"
"Eh!?" Honoka says. "So you were actually friends with Suzune-chan in the past?"
Matsuri nods. "Yeah… which is why I don't understand… why is she even doing this?"
"Maybe your sister did something to her too?" Chisato suggests.
"Sure, but… does that really explain it?" Matsuri asks. "I guess… I don't even know why onee-chan did what she did, so it doesn't help…"
"Well, there's no point in dwelling on it right now," Haruka says. "You can ask her about it tomorrow, but for now, remember that she's not your friend anymore – she's an enemy now. Let's get on with this hunt, shall we?"
"Um… do you mind if… if I come along too?" Honoka asks.
"We will be splitting up for the hunt anyway," Haruka replies. "So just do whatever you please."
"Oh… I thought you were a team," Honoka says.
"Of course we are, but if we split up, we can find witches faster," Haruka says.
"But if you run into Suzune-chan…" Honoka says. "Maybe… maybe it would be smarter not to split up this time?"
"We don't have much of a choice," Haruka says. "We need to cover the entire area, and we don't have an unlimited amount of time. I get what you're saying, but now that we know what to watch out for, I don't think Miss Amano will be able to catch us off guard."
"A-alright, if you insist," Honoka says. "But if you do see her, don't stop to chat… please get out of there as fast as you can."
"And call for backup," Haruka adds. "From what Miss Kanami has said, Miss Amano is quite strong. Even if you think you can face her alone, it's better to have backup to be on the safe side. You should be wary of a girl who looks exactly like Matsuri, too."
"Ah, onee-chan does look a little different, at least typically," Matsuri says. "She wears her hair in loops, rather than pigtails. Although that was a year ago, so I guess she could've changed it."
"But if she chose to mimic your hairstyle and wasn't transformed, we would most likely be doomed," Haruka says. "So, be careful. Everyone choose a different direction, and let's go."
With that, everyone transforms and heads in different directions. Honoka takes a direction about halfway between Chisato and Matsuri. Unlike the others, Honoka travels from rooftop to rooftop, occasionally using her teleportation power when it looks too far to jump. Because of her higher vantage point, she can actually see both Matsuri and Chisato wandering through the streets. Because of that, she notices almost immediately when Chisato looks around wildly. She can even just pick up Chisato's shout.
"Who's there!?"
Honoka leaps into the air, blinking about forty-five yards forward at the peak, then starts to descend.
"…no-one?" Chisato says, just barely audible. "Just now, I'm sure I heard…"
At the same moment that Honoka lands and starts another jump, Suzune suddenly appears behind Chisato.
"Would you tell me your name?" she asks calmly.
Honoka reaches the peak of her jump again and blinks forward another forty-ish yards. She's still quite far away, though. Chisato freezes up, unmoving, and Suzune repeats her question, this time as a demand.
"Tell me your name," she says.
As Honoka enters her third jump, Chisato glances back at Suzune.
"I don't have any obligation to answer you!" she retorts.
"Is that so…" Suzune says. "Too bad…"
As Honoka reaches the peak of her jump and blinks another forty-ish yards forward, Suzune lifts her blade, but Chisato also steps forward and starts to turn. Honoka raises both her blades above her head.
"Please… please let this reach!" she shouts.
She brings the blades slashing down, but she seems to be a second too late – Suzune has already stabbed Chisato in the back. However, before her blade has fully penetrated Chisato's body, Suzune seems to sense Honoka's attack and jumps back as the air blades carve grooves into the pavement. As Suzune looks around for the source of the attack, Chisato falls to her knees, struggling to breath, yet still alive. Then Arisa appears around a corner.
"I'm sure it was somewhere around here," Arisa says. "Ah! There she is… huh? Who is that with her…? She's… she's hurt?" She raises her voice into a shout. "Hey you! What the hell d'you think you're doing to my friend!?"
While she's shouting, Honoka's fourth jump and blink brings her to a rooftop overlooking the scene, and she pauses to catch her breath.
"Looks like… I made it in time," she says.
Her words overlap with Arisa's. When Arisa accosts Suzune, the silver-haired girl glances at her only for a moment before leaping in to finish off the job. But then Honoka blinks in front, raising her blades and crossing them in front of her. Suzune's blade contacts the point where they cross for a second, but then a blast of wind forces Suzune back several feet.
"Kanami Honoka… so you use wind magic," Suzune comments. "That's quite rare…"
"I-is it?" Honoka says.
"Last time you ran away… you won't be so lucky this time," Suzune says.
"Don't count on it," Honoka replies. "This time I'm not alone!"
While they're talking, Chisato manages to roll over and fire her pistol. Suzune hops sideways, the bullet grazing her leg. But Chisato doesn't stop at just one shot. Though she's on the ground, propping herself up with one arm, she pulls the trigger over and over and over again, forcing Suzune to keep moving.
"Don't think I'm gonna let you kill me so easily!" Chisato shouts.
"Chisato! Y-you're okay!" Arisa says.
"You idiot!" Chisato shouts back. "Do I look okay to you!? There's a gaping hole in my back!"
"B-but you're well enough to fight!"
Arisa slaps a fist into her palm and turns to Suzune.
"Right! Let's do this!"
"Heat Haze," Suzune says.
She shimmers and vanishes, probably deciding it wasn't worth fighting three on one. But Chisato won't have any of that.
"You're not getting away so easily!" she shouts. "Cancel!"
With an audible twang, a startled Suzune becomes visible again, just a few feet away from where she disappeared. Realizing she can't run, Suzune puts her back to the wall and turns to face Arisa, who is now advancing on her.
"Guess I can't hold back then," she mutters.
Arisa hefts her scythe, then swings at Suzune, who blocks easily with her sword. They exchange a few blows, and then Arisa hops back a bit.
"Why are you doing this?" Arisa asks. "Why did you try to kill Chisato!?"
"You're better off not knowing," Suzune says immediately.
"Don't cop out!" Arisa shouts. "You must have a reason!"
"Like I said," Suzune repeats. "You're better off not knowing."
"Ugh! Take this! And that!"
Arisa leaps in on the attack once more, but Suzune doesn't seem to have any trouble dodging her wild swings.
"Dammit, stop moving around!" Arisa shouts.
She finally lands a hit, slashing Suzune in half, only to reveal it was a clone made of fire. The real Suzune is behind her, sword raised for the kill, but Arisa catches on at the last second. She manages to spin and raise her scythe just in the nick of time, blocking Suzune's swing with the haft.
"Sh-shit…" Arisa gasps.
"Don't forget about me!" Honoka shouts.
A swing of her knife, and a blade of wind strikes at Suzune, who leaps back to avoid it. It's not enough, however – the moment the blade has passed through, Suzune presses the attack, forcing Arisa off balance and knocking her to the ground. She steps forward and puts her blade to Arisa's throat.
"Would you tell me your name?" Suzune asks.
"W-what's… with you…?" Arisa gasps.
Then Haruka and Matsuri rush around a corner.
"Hold it!" Haruka calls.
"Is everyone alright?" Matsuri asks.
"I'm fine, but Chisato-sempai is…" Honoka trails off.
She steps aside so they can get a better look at Chisato, who has collapsed on the ground, no longer propping herself up. It's not clear whether she's still alive. Matsuri gasps at the sight.
"H-haruka… Chisato is… is she…? Ah! Suzune-chan!"
"So the rumour really was about a magical girl," Haruka says. "Why are you doing this, Miss Suzune!?"
Suzune looks darkly at her free hand, the one not gripping her sword.
"The reason?" she muses.
Then she turns to look directly at Haruka, still keeping her blade pressed to Arisa's throat.
"You're better off not knowing."
"That's not good enough!" Haruka shouts. "Why did you kill Chisato!?"
At that exact moment, the sound of a gunshot rings out, and Suzune stumbles and falls to her knees, having taken a bullet to her leg.
"D-don't… go killing me off… so easily…" Chisato grunts.
"Sh-she's alive!" Matsuri gasps. "We've gotta heal her and get outta here!"
Haruka nods once, then activates her magic.
"Attention!" she shouts.
Suddenly Suzune jerks to her feet and attacks Haruka.
"Charm magic…?" Suzune says. "What is the point of this?"
Haruka splits her double-ended spear in half and blocks with one end while stabbing with the other. However, Suzune manages to barely dodge all her thrusts. While the two of them fight, Matsuri hurries forward and kneels by Chisato, laying a hand on her body and starting to heal her. Arisa also heads over to kneel by Chisato, gripping her friend's hand in both her own as if it would somehow help her recover. Though, all magical girls have at least a tiny bit of healing magic, so perhaps she is helping the healing process slightly.
"I'll get you good as new in no time!" Matsuri says.
As for Honoka, she crosses her blades again and begins charging her magic.
"How can you fight so well with a wounded leg?" Haruka asks.
"It's not hard to ignore the pain once you know how," Suzune replies calmly. "But if you keep this up, sooner or later you'll reach your limit."
"Are you sure about that?" Haruka asks.
"Haruka! I think we're good!" Matsuri calls.
Haruka smirks at Suzune. "Release!"
Suzune instantly freezes, and Haruka hurries over to join the others.
"Take my hands!" Honoka says urgently. "Form a circle or something!"
Haruka glances at her.
"Very well… if you insist."
Matsuri and Arisa help Chisato up and lend her a shoulder. Matsuri and Haruka grab Honoka's wrists, since she's still holding the glowing weapons, and Haruka also grabs Arisa's free hand. Then, before the charm wears off and Suzune can move again, Honoka activates her teleport magic once… twice… thrice… taking them close to two hundred yards down the street, around a corner and out of sight. Although Suzune breaks free from the charm after the first blink, it doesn't give her enough of an edge to catch up with them, and between the first and second blinks, Matsuri releases a blinding flash directly into Suzune's eyes, delaying her even further.
"Okay, now… we should keep running!" Honoka says.
A few minutes later, they make it to a small park with a playground.
"You think this far is alright?" Matsuri asks.
"Probably," Haruka says. "Is Chisato alright?"
They set Chisato down on a bench, and Matsuri checks her.
"She's still breathing, so I guess she just fainted," Matsuri says. "She did lose a lot of blood…"
She lays a hand on Chisato and starts using healing magic a bit more.
"We were in a hurry, so I just healed the worst of it," she says by way of explanation. "I'll finish the job now…"
At that moment, Kyuubey emerges from some nearby bushes.
"I see she has appeared," it says.
"Kyuubey… where have you been at a time like this?" Haruka asks.
"I had something to do," Kyuubey replies. "Since Amano Suzune can hide her presence, I became aware of her too late to warn you. You were fortunate to survive that encounter with no losses."
"Hey, Kyuu-chan," Matsuri says. "Why is Suzune-chan doing this?"
"I can't say I understand her myself," Kyuubey says. "She had a lot of talent, but at one point she started to aim only at magical girls. However, I can say one thing for certain. That girl is your natural enemy… an assassin. Even if you were lucky this time, it is unlikely you will be lucky next time."
"Okay… and do you know why Kagari erased my memories?" Matsuri asks.
"I have made a promise not to reveal Hinata Kagari or her motivations to anyone," Kyuubey says. "You will have to find her and ask her yourself."
"Then… do you know where she is?" Matsuri asks.
"I have seen her now and then around town, but I do not know where she is living," Kyuubey replies.
"So what should we do?" Arisa says. "I'd like to go beat her face in for hurting Chisato!"
"Arisa, please calm down!" Matsuri says. "We don't know why Suzune-chan is doing this…"
"Considering that Ashley-chan referred to your sister as an accomplice of Miss Suzune," Honoka muses. "I suppose there must some sort of link between erasing your memories and what Miss Suzune is doing… but how could those two things be connected?"
Kyuubey looks directly at the camera for a second, then turns to Honoka.
"Did you say it was Ashley Taylor who told you about Hinata Kagari?" Kyuubey asks.
"Y-yeah… she warned me about Miss Suzune back in February, too," Honoka says. "Why do you ask?"
"It is a curious anomaly," Kyuubey says. "As far as I know, Ashley Taylor never met Amano Suzune until the middle of March, and there should be no possible way for her to be aware of Hinata Kagari… so how is it that she knows these things, I wonder?"
"Well, she didn't mention Miss Kagari's name," Honoka admits.
"It's also weird that she never warned us about Miss Suzune," Haruka says. "We saw her back in February too, but the only thing she talked about was Walpurgisnacht…"
"She never even mentioned that to me," Honoka says. "What's Walpurgisnacht?"
"It is a witch so powerful that it does not need to hide in a barrier," Kyuubey says. "It brings destruction and disaster wherever it goes."
"She said she was looking for allies to fight it," Haruka adds.
"Oh… I wonder why she didn't mention it to me, then," Honoka muses. "I totally would've said yes, too…"
"Hmm… I have an idea," Matsuri announces. "I'll need to borrow Chisato tomorrow… guess I'll ask her once she wakes up."
"What's your idea?" Haruka asks.
"Well, I thought we could try Chisato's unique magic and see if anything happens," she explains. "If onee-chan erased Suzune-chan's memories too, then…"
"Ah, I get it," Haruka says. "It's definitely worth a try."
April fifteenth. Suzune packs up her bags and leaves the class despite the teacher's protests, claiming she's not feeling well as an excuse; but as she makes her way through the mostly-empty corridors, Haruka grabs her from behind, forcing her to turn and face her.
"You have to be really carefree to come to school after that," she says, glaring. "Don't play dumb… you tried to kill my friend, no need to keep quiet."
Suzune says nothing, just standing there as if waiting patiently for her to finish.
"Those incidents nearby started a month ago," Haruka says. "That must be around when you moved here, right? Were all those victims magical girls too? I knew that territorial conflicts sometimes occur amongst magical girls… but do you seriously have to kill for that?"
"I already told you," Suzune says calmly. "You're better off not knowing."
"Do you think I would be satisfied with that explanation!?" Haruka asks. "If you're going to keep on hiding, I will—"
"You'll what?" Suzune asks. "Report me to the authorities? Run to the police? You think the adults will believe your ravings?"
"Th-that's… I'm sure there's someone who would…"
Suzune slaps Haruka's hand off her shoulder.
"I'm doing the right thing," she says.
"You're saying it's right to kill people!?" Haruka asks.
"Sometimes, yes," Suzune replies.
Suzune turns to leave.
"Stop!" Haruka says.
Suzune pauses to look back.
"You didn't feel it at least once?" Suzune asks. "Hating someone so much that you want to kill them."
Haruka gasps but seems to be unable to formulate a response.
"If you can't answer me, you aren't qualified to stop me," Suzune says. "Don't get in my way."
Suzune leaves Haruka to stew over that and heads out of school, but instead of making her way home, she wanders through town on patrol. She doesn't encounter any witches or magical girls though, so eventually she arrives at a place called Yunagi Newspaper and steps inside.
"I'm home," she says.
"Oh, Suzune-chan," the woman inside says. "Welcome back! Some friends of yours came over… they're waiting in your room, so you'd better hurry!"
Suzune tilts her head slightly, pressing a finger to her lower lip in thought, then shrugs and makes her way up to her room. She hesitates before opening the door to peek inside. Matsuri is there, sitting on her bed.
"Welcome back, Suzune-chan!" Matsuri says with a smile.
"Hinata Matsuri," Suzune says. "What do you want? Are you going to shout at me like Miss Haruka did?"
Matsuri tilts her head. "Did Haruka do something like that?" she asks. "But that's not what I'm here for. Ah, before we get started…"
She rummages in her bag and pulls out a sheet of paper.
"Here, there you go!"
Suzune takes it, blinking.
"A print-out?"
"You went home in the middle of class today, right?" Matsuri says with a smile. "If you forget them, the teacher will be mad."
"Why?" Suzune asks. "Why are you still nice to me? I was about to kill one of your friends."
"That's right," Matsuri nods. "If I couldn't meet Chisato anymore, I'd be really sad, but… you know, I can't really explain it, but I don't think that you enjoy killing people. You seem to have some sort of conviction…?"
"You don't think I might kill you right here and now?" Suzune asks.
Matsuri stands up to face her properly.
"No… I don't think you would," she says. "It's just a feeling, but… if you actually wanted to do that, you wouldn't've listened to me, right?"
Suzune stares at her, but says nothing. After a couple of seconds of silence, Matsuri changes the topic.
"Suzune-chan… do you remember the first time we met?" she asks.
Suzune blinks. "Eh? That would be… exactly one week ago, when I transferred to this school."
"So you really don't remember," Matsuri says. "Nothing about me seems familiar to you?"
Suzune frowns slightly. "There is one thing," she says. "That wasn't the first time I heard your name… just before I moved here, on March twentieth I think it was, someone asked if I knew you."
Matsuri blinks. "Eh? W-who was that?"
"She was a magical girl with a red lolita dress and a giant flying teddy bear."
Matsuri giggles. "What the heck is that? That's so funny!"
"It's true though…"
"Oh, I don't doubt you, Suzune-chan!" Matsuri says. "But it's sad that you don't remember, so… Chisato, please do it."
"E-eh?"
Suzune looks around wildly, but Chisato is nowhere to be seen… until she shouts out her spell.
"Cancel!"
Suzune looks up, startled, to where Chisato has carefully wedged herself in between the ceiling, the nearby wall, and the top of the door frame. Unlike Matsuri, who's just in her school uniform, Chisato has already transformed into her magical girl form.
"Y-you… what do you…?"
Suzune starts to say something, but before she can finish, she falls to her knees, clutching at her head. Matsuri kneels in front of her and places a hand on her shoulder, while Chisato hops down and takes a seat on Suzune's bed.
"How is it, Suzune-chan?" Matsuri asks. "Did it work? Do you remember when we first met now?"
"W-what… what have you… done to me!?" Suzune gasps.
"All Chisato did was cancel out the magic affecting you," Matsuri says. "Um… are you mad that we did this?"
"I'm actually a little surprised that it actually worked," Chisato admits. "It didn't cancel it when I used my magic on her yesterday to dispel her Heat Haze, right?"
"Maybe because you didn't know it was there," Matsuri says. "Or you can only cancel one layer of magic at a time?"
"What… what have I done…?" Suzune gasps. "I've… I've killed so many people…"
Matsuri blinks. "E-eh!? Wait… you weren't killing people because you wanted to!?" she asks. "It wasn't because of some… some conviction?"
"I… I guess the logic… does sort of make sense," Suzune mutters. "If I kill magical girls, then they won't turn into witches… but how did that idea that even occur to me…?"
"W-what do you mean by that!?" Matsuri asks. "Witches? You're joking… right?"
Suzune shakes her head. "Tsubaki… right in front of me… there was nothing I could do," she mutters. "That's why… since then I haven't taken the magic of the witches I kill… so I can keep using Tsubaki's magic until the end…"
"Eh!? You're saying Tsubaki was a magical girl!?" Matsuri gasps. "But… she wasn't even a girl, really… oh! Th-that must be why she suddenly disappeared…"
"S-slow down a bit here," Chisato says. "Go back to the beginning for a minute. W-what was that about witches?"
Suzune glances at her.
"It really is better if you don't know…"
"You're gonna say that even after you let it slip right in front of me!?" Chisato shouts.
"No… I guess that would be pointless, wouldn't it," Suzune says. "It's my fault for losing my cool. Well… it's exactly like I said. Magical girls are destined to turn into witches. I've seen it happen, several times… starting with Tsubaki…"
"That's awful!" Matsuri says.
"What the hell…?" Chisato says. "Then my wish… what was the point of it… if I'm just going to become a witch?"
"Suzune-chan… under what circumstances would we become witches?" Matsuri asks.
"If your soul gem becomes completely tainted," Suzune says.
"Then there's no problem, Chisato," Matsuri says. "You just have to make sure to keep it purified, right? Which you need to do anyway."
"B-but… my wish wasn't even all that great…" Chisato mutters.
"Even if it didn't work out quite how you wanted… you still got these awesome powers out of it, right?" Matsuri points out.
"Eh… I suppose," Chisato says. "Say, Matsuri… if you'd known back then… would you have still made a wish? Do you regret it at all?"
Matsuri shakes her head without hesitation.
"I don't regret it, not in the slightest," she says. "You know what I wished for, right?"
"To be able to see… because you were blind…"
Matsuri nods. "Even living was hard without help from the people around me, and it was difficult to go outside," she says. "It was always my dream to go to different places, see lots of different things, meet all kinds of people… so no, I don't regret it."
"But… it's not like you can't do all of those things even if you're blind," Chisato points out. "There's ways to deal with that and still live a normal life, aren't there?"
"I suppose," Matsuri says. "But then I wouldn't fully appreciate the beauty of those places. I need to have the use of all five senses to get the full experience."
Chisato nods slowly.
"Yeah… I get it," she says. "But that's your case… I'm different."
"Maybe, but I'm sure your power could be used for lots of good things," Matsuri says.
"Good things you say… but all I can do is break magic spells," Chisato says. "That doesn't seem like it has very many applications…"
"Hmm… well… it would be very useful for fighting magical crime," Matsuri says.
"I remember," Suzune murmurs.
Matsuri blinks at her. "Hmm? What was that, Suzune-chan?"
"I remember… when I first met you," she says. "You introduced yourself… but you already knew my name somehow… and then you said… 'let's be friends'…"
Matsuri seizes Suzune's hands.
"I really meant that!" she says. "Onee-chan may have erased our memories, but now that the spell is broken… can we be friends again?"
Suzune blinks at her. "B-but… it's different now… I've done… so many horrible things… I killed so many people…"
"But… you said you weren't doing it because you want to, right?" Matsuri says.
"Y-yeah… I think so…" Suzune nods.
"Huh… I assumed Kagari's power was just erasing memories," Matsuri says. "Because that's all she did to me… but with you… it seems like she did a bit more than that…"
"I… I have never met Hinata Kagari," Suzune says. "Are you sure it was her?"
"Hmm… I can't be certain, I guess," Matsuri admits. "But it does seem like the same kind of power, so I think it probably was her… maybe she snuck up on you while asleep?"
"But I do remember… fighting witches by your side, Matsuri-chan…"
"Then we should confront onee-chan together and ask her why she did this to us!" Matsuri says.
"Is there even any point in that…?" Suzune asks.
"W-what do you mean?" Matsuri asks.
"Does it… even matter why? Either way… I've still killed so many people… and even if we confronted her, how do you know she won't just… do it again?"
"Ah…" Matsuri says.
"Don't tell me you never even thought of that…" Chisato says.
"M-maybe it's better to avoid onee-chan after all…" Matsuri muses. "But that won't solve anything… we've gotta face her sooner or later…"
She releases Suzune's hands and pulls the startled girl into a hug.
"But about the people you've killed, Suzune-chan… I don't care about that. I know you weren't doing it because you want to, so let's be friends again, okay? As long as you're not going to keep on doing it."
Suzune hesitates for several seconds but finally ventures to put her arms around Matsuri.
"If… if you're sure," she mutters. "If you'll have me… then… then I'd like that… and… I won't kill any more magical girls… unless I'm forced to, in self-defence…"
"That's great!" Matsuri says.
They hold each other for a bit longer, and then Matsuri pulls back with a smile.
"Well then… I should probably get home, cause Papa'll worry," Matsuri says. "I'll see you at school on Monday?"
Suzune nods. "Y-yeah…"
She hugs Suzune again, briefly, then takes Chisato by the hand, waiting a moment while she powers down, and leaves the room with her. After saying goodbye to Suzune's guardian, they head outside and walk together through the shopping district. Suddenly, Chisato stops, and Matsuri turns to look at her.
"You know, I think we should keep the witch thing from Arisa and Haruka," Chisato says.
"But why?" Matsuri asks.
"I just… don't think they'd take it well," Chisato replies. "Heck… I can't say I'm taking it well either… I almost wish I'd never heard the truth. Although I'm still not sure I even quite believe it… that magical girls actually turn into witches when their soul gems get dark…"
"Hmm… well…"
But before Matsuri can offer her opinion, a third voice enters the fray.
"What!? Is that really true?"
The two of them turn to spot Honoka, who chuckles a little and rubs her head. She has a shopping bag in one hand, and for some reason Kyuubey is also with her, perched on her shoulder.
"S-sorry, I wasn't eavesdropping or anything," she says. "I was just grabbing ingredients for tonight's dinner and happened to spot you. I was about to call your names when…"
She trails off, leaving the sentence unfinished.
"Ah… hello, Honoka-chan," Matsuri says. "You surprised us…"
"Never mind that!" Honoka says. "What was that you said about witches just now?"
"Well… we just had a chat with Suzune-chan," Matsuri explains.
"Oh! You were gonna try to break the spell on her or something, right?" Honoka nods. "Did it work?"
"Yeah, and she told us the reason she'd been killing magical girls," Matsuri says. "Or I guess it's more like she let it slip…"
"I dunno if it's the full reason," Chisato adds. "After all, her memories had been manipulated…"
"Right… she didn't even remember me even though we'd met a year ago," Matsuri nods. Then she blinks. "Oh right… there was that other girl who asked her if she knew me… I wonder who that was?"
"Oh right," Chisato says. "The one with… a red lolita dress and a teddy bear, right?"
Honoka gasps. "H-huh? Red lolita… teddy bear… that's gotta be Ashley Taylor!"
Matsuri blinks at her. "For real!?"
Honoka nods. "Yeah… I became a magical girl after she saved me in a labyrinth, so there's no mistaking it. I can't imagine there's another girl out there with such a distinctive outfit and companion…"
"This Ashley Taylor is suspicious," Chisato says. "How the heck does she know so much…? Do you think she's manipulating events behind the scenes?"
Honoka shakes her head. "No, I really don't think she's that kind of person," she says. "To tell the truth, she actually tried to discourage me from becoming a magical girl… but I didn't listen and just pressed right on." She chuckles, then blinks. "Oh right, but what was that about witches?"
"Right," Matsuri says. "According to Suzune-chan, magical girls turn into witches when their soul gem becomes fully tainted. Apparently she saw it happen to Tsubaki."
Honoka blinks. "Uhh… are you serious?" She looks at Kyuubey. "Is… is that true?"
"There are no errors that I see a need to correct," it replies.
"Then… it's really true!?" Chisato gasps. "You knew about this, Kyuubey?"
"Of course," Kyuubey says. "This system was proposed by us. There is no way we wouldn't be aware of it."
"So… you tricked us…?" Honoka asks. "Is that why Ashley-chan discouraged me…?"
"Kyuu-chan… why would you do that?" Matsuri asks.
"There was no need to tell you," Kyuubey says. "Suffice to say, this is all for the long-term preservation of the universe. Over time, the energy of the universe decreases in value, so to cover for this we have to collect energy in a more efficient way. Therefore we invented a process to convert your emotions into energy. That is the magical girl system. The energy we acquire from you surpasses entropy."
"Explaining all this scientific-sounding stuff so suddenly," Matsuri says. "I don't get it…"
"Ah, that is only natural," Kyuubey says. "Few children understand the underlying principals. Telling you the full truth usually creates a rift in our relationship, so purposely informing you holds no value. You understand, right?"
"That's rubbish," Honoka retorts. "That's supposed to be your excuse for dooming us to one day become witches? Get out of my sight."
"As you wish," Kyuubey says.
It looks at the others for a second, perhaps in case they have anything else to add, but when nothing is forthcoming, it hops down from her shoulder and trots off.
"Miss Honoka…" Chisato begins.
"Please, enough with the 'miss'," Honoka protests. "It makes me uncomfortable when you're only a year older than me. Call me Honoka-chan."
"Okay, then Honoka-chan," Chisato says. "After hearing that… do you regret making your wish? Would you have made it if you knew beforehand?"
"What? Are you kidding? I couldn't possibly regret my wish," Honoka says. "If I knew beforehand… maybe I wouldn't've made the wish though. I'm not sure, it's really hard to say… maybe I would've. But I don't regret it, not even hearing about this. Ah… could it be… you regret yours, Chisato-sempai?"
Chisato blinks, but then she nods. "Y-yeah… not only did it not go as I'd hoped, but now I'm doomed to become a witch… it was an all-round bad deal," she says. "The only good thing to come of it is that I was able to become friends with Arisa… and Matsuri and Haruka as well."
"Then, what about you, Matsuri-chan?" Honoka asks. "Do you regret wishing for your eyes to be healed?"
Matsuri shakes her head.
"Not for a second," she says.
Chisato sighs. "Still… I really think Arisa's and Haruka's reactions would be more like mine than yours," she says. "I'm not sure what Haruka wished for, but… Arisa's wish didn't go the way she'd hoped either. At least for now, let's keep the truth from them."
"Well… if that's what you want, Chisato," Matsuri says. "I think it'd be better to clear the air though… compared to seeing it happen in front of them, hearing the truth from you and I would surely be much preferable, right?"
"That's true," Chisato admits. "But I still think we shouldn't… I'll think on it a bit though. Maybe I'll change my mind if I think of a good way to break it to them."
While the two of them are talking about that, Honoka pulls out her phone to compose an email.
"Hey, Ashley-chan, what's with you asking Suzune-chan about Matsuri-chan? Just how much do you know? And why didn't you warn Matsuri-chan about Suzune-chan like you did with me?"
As Chisato finishes promising to think things over, the ping from the response startles Matsuri and Chisato, who turn to look at Honoka.
"Ah, sorry, I was asking Ashley-chan why she's being so mysterious," Honoka says. "Let me see what she said…"
She looks at the email and reads it, but not out loud.
"I didn't warn them about Suzune because I didn't have any existing relationship with them, so I thought they'd never believe me… and I didn't ask for your help with Walpurgisnacht because it simply slipped my mind. I'm sorry about that. Regarding the situation with Suzune and Matsuri… I can't explain how, but I think it's fair to say I know pretty much everything."
Honoka looks up. "She says she knows everything…"
"W-what do you mean by everything?" Matsuri asks.
"I mean about you and Suzune-chan," Honoka says. "And I guess your older sister."
"How is that even possible?" Matsuri asks. "Is it her magic power or something?"
"Hmm… from the time I fought alongside her right after making a wish on the spot," Honoka muses. "I think her magic power is… probably telekinesis? Like, she can make things move around with her mind, like her giant teddy bear. Oh… she also has some magic that makes the enemy stop attacking… I guess charm magic or something?"
"So that's all she can do?" Matsuri says. "That doesn't seem like it would allow her to know all this stuff…"
"Ah, come to think of it," Honoka says. "She never seemed to hesitate whenever we came to a fork in the labyrinth… she'd pause for a moment, then choose a path, and we never had to backtrack. So maybe that was also her magic power…"
"Huh… it's hard to say what that would be though…" Matsuri muses. "Um… let's try an experiment, Honoka-chan."
Honoka blinks at her. "W-what do you mean?"
"Try asking her where onee-chan lives," Matsuri says. "If she gives us an address, and we go there and find onee-chan… or even just evidence that she was there… then we can believe she really does know everything about this."
Honoka nods.
"Oh, how's your sister's name spelled?" she asks.
"My surname uses the standard spelling," Matsuri says. "And onee-chan's name is spelled with 'brilliance' and 'jasmine', using a noma for the middle syllable."
Honoka finishes composing a new email as Matsuri explains the spelling.
"Ashley-chan, do you know where Hinata Kagari lives?"
The ping of a response comes much faster this time, and Honoka looks at the reply.
"She says she's not sure," Honoka says. "But she did give an approximate address… she says your sister was living there at some point but may have moved."
"Huh… okay… I don't think I'm ready to confront onee-chan yet, though," Matsuri muses. "And I'm not even sure whether I should… let me think it over for a bit. I'll call you when I've decided."
Honoka nods. "Then we'd better exchange contact info, right?"
"Oh right, I don't have your email, huh?" Matsuri nods.
She fishes out her phone and taps it against Honoka's, eliciting the beep that indicates a successful transfer.
"Alright… I'm going home now," Matsuri says. "See you later!"
"See you later!" Honoka says.
"Yeah, see you," Chisato says.
And with that, the three of them split up and go their separate ways.
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.
Shion Chisato
詩音千里
Age: 14
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Blue
Origins: Hohzuki, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Blue teardrop
Soul Gem: Blue teardrop-shaped gem on her chest
Element: Water
Weapon: Pistol
Powers: Magic cancel
Wish: "Change Dad into a kind, upstanding man."
Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 8
Defensive Power: 8
Initial Power Usability: 8
Learned Powers: 1