Kyouko and Yuma are just walking through a park when suddenly Kyuubey emerges from the bushes.

"Sakura Kyouko," it says. "Are you sure you will not join the hunt for the black magical girl?"

"That again?" Kyouko says, giving it a little kick. "You know that I don't care about that."

"Hi, Kyuubey," Yuma says, kneeling down to pick it up. "Long time no see."

"It's only been three days," Kyouko mutters. "Anyway, once we finish things up here, we'll be going back to Kazamino. We got no time for any magical girl hunting expeditions. Mami can handle this alone, no problem."

"I intend to call in some more girls for backup," Kyuubey says. "But since they are new, I feel uneasy."

"Oh?" Kyouko says disinterestedly.

"I don't think you know them, Kyouko," Kyuubey says. "They are Masumi Chihana, Kure Kirika, and Mikuni Oriko."

Kyouko's face abruptly changes at the mention of Oriko.

"Got that right," she retorts. "Never heard of any of 'em. But if it's gotta be done… I guess I'll help you out a little."

Kyuubey squirms free of Yuma's grasp, prompting a startled squeal from her, and lands nimbly on the ground like a cat.

"In that case, we will meet at the observation tower this evening," Kyuubey says. "Try not to be late."

With that, it turns and trots off.

"…how'm I s'posed to be on time when you didn't even give me a time?" Kyouko grumbles.

"Kyouko-nee," Yuma says. "Did you lie to Kyuubey?"

"I didn't tell no lies," Kyouko retorts. "I'll help hunt on the way to meet Oriko. Now come, let's get some grub."

The two of them head to a nearby fast-food restaurant, where Kyouko goes to place an order while Yuma wanders around. By coincidence, Mami is there too, a laptop out on the table and a cup of tea by her side.

"Oh, for pity's sake," Mami sighs. "I don't have a single clue to go on… this makes things difficult."

She ponders the situation in silence for a bit, then resumes her out loud ruminations.

"It'd be nice if there were someone available to help me, but… of the magical girls I know…" She trails off. "Should I… ask for help from Miss Hayashi and her team? No, I shouldn't bother them with this… and Itsumi Inui hates me…" She sighs and closes the laptop. "What a headache…"

"Hey, onee-chan!" Yuma says, approaching her table. "Does your head hurt? Are you alright? Do you want Yuma to ask a grown-up for some medicine?"

Mami looks at her in surprise.

"No… the headache I mentioned was just a figure of speech," she says.

"Then it really doesn't hurt?" Yuma asks anxiously.

Mami smiles at her.

"It doesn't, but thank you," she says.

"Thank goodness!" Yuma says. "Yuma's so glad you aren't hurting!"

"Hey, Yuma!" Kyouko says, coming up behind her. "What're you doing here? Our seat's over there!"

She grabs Yuma by the collar, but then she spots Mami.

"Huh?" Kyouko blinks.

"Ah!" Mami gasps. "It's been a long time, Miss Sakura."

"Kyouko-nee, do you know this onee-san?" Yuma asks.

"Guess so," Kyouko says.

"Miss Sakura, since you're here, why don't we have a little chat?" Mami suggests. "There's a problem facing Mitakihara right now…"

"Fine," Kyouko says.

She slides into the seat across from Mami, plopping down a tray containing four burgers and two milkshakes, and takes a massive bite of her burger. Yuma sits beside her and digs in as well.

"I know about it," Kyouko says. "The magical girl hunter, right?"

"Oh?" Mami says. "Do you know what she's like? Kyuubey thinks it is Miss Akemi, but I'm not so sure…"

"Hey, don't get me wrong," Kyouko says. "It's not like I've seen her or nothing. I just heard of her from Kyuubey."

"Is that so…" Mami muses.

"While we're on the topic, do you know anything about a magical girl in white?" Kyouko asks. "Her name's Oriko."

"A magical girl in white?" Mami muses. "Not one of the magical girls I know wear white… Miss Hayashi's pale yellow would come closest…"

Kyouko shakes her head. "Not yellow. It's white, pure white. If you don't know, then forget it. I just got a beef with her."

"Ah, come to think of it, Mikuni Oriko is one of the magical girls who Kyuubey gathered together to confront the magical girl hunter," Mami says. "So if you join us, you can meet her."

"What's with this magical girl hunter, anyway?" Kyouko gripes, starting on her second burger. "I don't get it… it's a waste of magic to go after other magical girls who aren't even bothering you."

"Yeah, you're right," Mami says. "And it's causing trouble for all the other magical girls too… it's harder to go out on patrol with police everywhere. Which is why I'm so baffled that Kohaku Koharu and Ashley Taylor refused to join the hunt…"

Kyouko blinks. "Eh? Ashley and that old shrine chick refused?" she asks. "Now that is interesting, almost like they know something we don't… say, you sure we got the right person, Mami?"

Mami blinks at her. "Well… I'm not certain," she says. "But I hear Miss Masumi was attacked by Miss Akemi, but then she just disappeared…"

Kyouko blinks. "They hell're you talkin' about?" she asks. "If she's the killer and she can just disappear like that, then why'd she leave this Masumi chick alive?"

Mami blinks. "Y-you're right!" she gasps. "I think we might really have the wrong person…" She frowns slightly, then nods decisively. "We're not scheduled to meet until eight o'clock, so there's plenty of time. I think I'll see if I can find Miss Taylor and have a little chat with her. Miss Sakura… why don't you find Miss Kohaku and ask her why she refused?"

"Why'd I gotta do something like that?" Kyouko complains. "What a damn pain… but it's true I got time. If I get bored, maybe I'll hit her up."

"Kyouko-nee, Yuma's all done!" Yuma announced.

Kyouko looks at her. Sure enough, there's not a trace of her two burgers left, and her milkshake has been sucked dry as well.

"Well then, looks like it's time to go," Kyouko says.

She stuffs the last of her burger into her mouth, then adds something with her mouth full that's incomprehensible but is most likely a goodbye of some kind. Grabbing her milkshake, she leaves the place with Yuma while Mami packs up her laptop and drains the last bit of her tea.

I let out a sigh, but I don't close off the vision. In fact, I figure now is a good time to see if I can watch two people at once… and it turns out the answer is yes, but both visions seem to dramatically suffer in quality. It's fine though, as both of them are just travelling. I don't even pay attention to the visions – I'm really just keeping them active so I can be alerted if Kyouko really does meet up with Koharu, and the only real reason to watch Mami at the same time is to see if I can.

"Oh! You're awake!"

I blink at Inui, who is apparently sitting beside me on the bench. She wasn't there when I sat down, so she must've shown up some time ago.

"We weren't asleep though," I say. "Are you sure you want to be here? It seems Miss Tomoe is looking for us… and I thought we'd meet her halfway."

"W-well… you did say I should give her a second chance," Inui says. "So I guess… I'll stay with you."

"Alright, if that's what you want. Let's go."

We get up and head south. I keep tabs on Mami in the vision, adjusting my route on the fly with the intention of intercepting her. It's not exactly easy, but after several minutes, we walk into a park, and Inui spots her.

"Miss Tomoe!" she calls.

Mami turns and spots us, joining us in the park.

"What a coincidence," she says. "I was just looking for you, Miss Taylor. I have a question for you."

"Go ahead," I say.

"Kyuubey must have mentioned it… the magical girl in black who is killing other magical girls, right?" Mami asks.

"Yeah, Kyuubey did mention it," I nod.

"And you know about Akemi Homura, correct?"

"Probably more than anyone else, except the girl herself," I say.

Mami blinks. "Are you saying… you know more about her than Kyuubey?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying."

"It's strange," Mami says. "Kyuubey must have made her a magical girl, and yet he doesn't know anything about her… but that's why we have concluded that she must be the magical girl killer. What do you think, Miss Taylor? I hear you refused to join the team…"

"I think Miss Akemi is capable of killing," I say. "But I don't think she'd do it willy-nilly without a reason. What I've heard of this magical girl killer doesn't fit her at all."

"Is that so… so you really think we have the wrong person?" Mami asks. "Is that why you refused to join?"

I nod. "That, and… Miss Akemi and I sort of have some common goals."

"I see," Mami says. "If it's not her… then do you have any idea who the killer might be?"

"Well… if we're talking about a girl in black, the only others I can think of are Masuyo Mari or Kure Kirika," I say.

Mami blinks. "Huh? Miss Masuyo doesn't wear black… she's like a samurai…"

"That aside, she's also no longer in this world," I say. "She and Naomi Noriko sadly perished on the same day…"

"Ah… that explains why there have been more witches than usual lately," Mami nods. "It's sad to hear that those two are gone, though… but it's far from the first time I've had to deal with the death of a colleague. Then… that leaves only Kure Kirika… do you really think it could be her? Kyuubey has said she agreed to join the hunt…"

"Well… she definitely killed Asako Komaki, although I'm not sure how intentional it was."

"Still… it's a very serious accusation," Mami says. "Do you have any proof that she is the killer?"

"I suppose that depends on whether you're willing to trust in my power," I say. "I don't think I've ever told you what it is, right?"

"No… I don't recall hearing that from you," Mami says.

"My power is clairvoyance," I say. "I can see things that are happening far away. For example… it was no coincidence that we met up here."

Mami nods. "So… you're saying that you used that power and saw Miss Kure kill Miss Asako?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," I reply.

"Still… I can't just believe you so easily, Miss Taylor," Mami says. "We barely even know each other… I will have to speak with Miss Kure myself."

I nod. "I understand," I say. "Do whatever you need to do."

"I wish you well, Miss Taylor."

"See you later, Miss Tomoe."

And with that, we go our separate ways once again, heading for the Hayashi house.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Sakura Kyouko… it's been a long time since I've seen you."

"Shut it," Kyouko snaps. "Just answer the damn question already!"

She and Koharu are facing each other down, fully powered up, weapons pointed at each other. They're on some rooftop somewhere, and an anxious-looking Yuma is watching, looking like she wants to stop them but not sure how to go about it.

"You're asking why I refused to join the hunt for the magical girl killer, right?" Koharu says.

"Yeah, stop beating around the bush already!" Kyouko says.

"Well… I suppose I have no reason to keep it to myself," Koharu says.

She powers down, and after a few seconds' hesitation, Kyouko follows suit. Yuma lets out a sigh of relief and collapses to her knees.

"Thank goodness," she says. "Yuma was afraid you were gonna get into a huge fight…"

"Well, I suppose I have two reasons," Koharu says. "The first is Yoshida Tamura."

"Who the hell's that?" Kyouko asks.

"Of course, you wouldn't know her," Koharu says. "She was a new magical girl in this region, until the magical girl killer finished her off. She has a strange power which seems to let her predict the future a little, and for a week or two before she died, she was getting pretty jumpy, even afraid of shadows. It's almost like she knew she was going to die, but wasn't exactly sure when or where. She's saved my life more than once with that power… and sometimes she talks about her visions. For example, when she heard about the magical girl killer, she said something interesting."

"Which is?"

"She has seen Akemi Homura in a vision, and apparently she is a dead ringer for Tamura-chan, as if they're twins who were separated at birth. Ashley Taylor apparently said the same thing when they met. However, when she talked about visions of her death, she always mentioned the killer's short hair. So, I'm certain Miss Akemi is not the one who killed her."

"That… you're refusing based on such a flimsy reason?" Kyouko asks.

"Who are you to talk?" Koharu retorts. "I bet you refused on an even flimsier reason."

"Okay, okay, I gotta give you that one," Kyoyko admits. "Fine… but I have a bone to pick with that Oriko chick, so I'll be going to the meeting anyway."

"Oriko, you say?" Koharu says. "Tamura-chan mentioned her once, too. She said… 'beware of a girl in white'. Ah, she mentioned her name too, of course…"

"You're way late on that warning," Kyouko grumbles.

"Is that so?" Koharu says. "Well, if that's all you needed, may I get back on the witch's trail?"

"Yeah, just go," Kyouko says.

Koharu takes off and leaps to the next roof, and Kyouko ponders what she's learned.

"Well… in the end it doesn't matter who it is," she says finally. "All I gotta do is give Oriko a piece of my mind."

"Yuma doesn't think Oriko is a bad person, though," Yuma says.

"She's bad enough," Kyouko retorts. "Come on, let's go to the observation tower."

When Kyouko finally shows up at the observation tower, it's well after eight o'clock, and the only one there is Kyuubey.

"Hey!" Kyouko shouts. "What the hell is this!?"

"What do you mean?" Kyuubey asks.

"Don't give me that, you little jerk!" Kyouko shouts. "You said everyone was rallying to crush that black magical girl, right? I don't see anybody!"

"Whoa!" Yuma gasps, peering out over the balcony. "It's so high up!"

"Yuma, watch where you're going!" Kyouko says. "Don't go falling off!"

"I cannot speak for Kirika and Chihana," Kyuubey says. "But it is unusual for Oriko or Mami to be this late."

"So you're saying something got them?" Kyouko asks.

"We can't ignore the possibility," Kyuubey says. "The black magical girl has managed to make other magical girls vanish while evading observation thus far."

"Let's go help them!" Yuma says eagerly.

"Huh!?" Kyouko says.

"Yuma and Kyouko-nee fight the bad guys together, right?" Yuma says, determined.

Kyouko grabs Yuma and brings her head close, addressing her in a low voice.

"What are you talking about?" she hisses. "You've forgotten what we came here for, haven't you? What good could possibly come from saving Oriko!?"

"We came here to 'settle things', right?" Yuma says.

"That's right!" Kyouko nods.

"Doesn't that mean to get her to say she's sorry?" Yuma asks. "She can't say she's sorry if she's dead!"

Kyouko blinks. "Well yeah, that's true, but… is that really all you want, Yuma?"

"It is!" Yuma says happily.

"Ugh, for crying out loud!" Kyouko grumbles. "That's what pisses me off about you! Now I look like a fool!"

"You're not a fool, Kyouko-nee!" Yuma protests.

"Well, I know that, dummy!"

"So," Kyuubey cuts in. "Are you two finished?

"Yeah," Kyouko says. "We're gonna go look for Mami and the others… and if it's just that they're late, they're gonna get a good smack! You wait here, Kyuubey, got it?"

"There will be no need for that."

Kyouko gasps, turning towards the speaker.

"Mami!" Kyouko says. "So you actually are just late. Am I justified if I slap you?"

"Huh!?" Mami protests. "How do you come to that conclusion!?"

"It is unusual for you to be late," Kyuubey says.

"True," Mami admits. "I had a little chat with Ashley Taylor… and after that, I was attacked by the magical girl in black."

"Did you finish her off?" Kyouko asks.

"No… she got away," Mami says. "Kyuubey's plan is a no-go. It seems that Miss Taylor was already aware of this, but… Miss Akemi is not the magical girl killer."

"Ashley Taylor knew!?" Kyouko says. "I don't believe it… why wouldn't she tell us if she knew?"

"Well… I don't know why she didn't tell us earlier, but she let it all out during our chat," Mami says. "It's possible she only recently realized it?"

"It is plausible that Ashley Taylor could have access to information that none of us could know," Kyuubey says. "Her power allows her to view distant events… I have often sensed her gaze, not just in Mitakihara, but in the neighbouring cities as well."

Kyouko blinks. "She can see things that far away…?"

"In fact, it seems she is watching us at this very moment," Kyuubey adds.

"Interesting," Mami says. "I wonder why, though… surely it can't be all that interesting…"

"She could just be bored," Kyouko suggests. "Watching us yatter on about this could be quite entertaining if you're not in the thick of it, right?"

"Huh… do you think she is that sort of person?" Mami says. "From the way you speak, it seems as though you've met her as well…"

"Yeah, she creamed me that one time," Kyouko grumbles. "It was a dirty trick, but y'know, all's fair in love and war, right?"

"I'm surprised," Mami says. "To think that she actually beat you… even if it was a dirty trick… even if you can't use Rosso Fantasma anymore… she must be pretty capable."

"D-don't bring that up now!" Kyouko protests. "I don't need no phantoms to win, capisce?"

"Fine, fine," Mami says. "Now… you were looking for the magical girl in white, right?"

"Yeah… Oriko," Kyouko says. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Mikuni Oriko, yes," Mami says. "I met her. She's a more intimidating magical girl than you can imagine."

"Mami," Kyuubey says. "Didn't you intend to come here with Oriko?"

"No, how could I?" Mami asked, looking at it. "After all, she is the black magical girl's partner. Mikuni Oriko, the white magical girl, and Kure Kirika, the black magical girl… these two are the enemies we must defeat."

"Wasn't there another girl who was supposed to join us?" Kyouko asks.

"Masumi Chihana?" Mami says. "I fear she has already been killed… but we could wait a little longer if you want."

"Nah… the three of us should be enough," Kyouko says. "And you were already really late. If she's not here by now, she ain't comin'."

At that moment, on a whim, I jump off the bed, startling Inui.

"Eh? What's up, Ashley-nee?" she asks.

I jumped up on a whim, but I suddenly realize I have no idea where I'm going… but it should be available online, right?

"Just a sec…" I say.

I wake my computer and do a web search for 'Yaegashi'. At the same time, I quickly peek on Oriko with my clairvoyance – as I expected, she's on a roof somewhere.

"There's just something I feel like witnessing for myself," I say. "Instead of through clairvoyance… could I ask you to stay behind this time? Teddy can't fly as fast with two people."

"S-sure…"

"It also means you can cover for me if Mrs Hayashi calls or something," I say.

"Right… okay… if that's what you want, Ashley-nee."

Inui clearly sounds disappointed, but I push that aside, opening the window and leaping out. I transform, summon Teddy Mk II, and land on him in midair, zooming away into the evening sky towards my destination. As I draw close, I spot her, hopping from roof to roof, and I start tracking her movements. She seems to be alone this time, without Kirika by her side, and not even transformed. She lands on a particular rooftop, gazing across the street at a window that had been left open for a moment, but then she turns to face me as I come in to land behind her.

"I saw you chasing me, Miss Taylor," she accuses me. "Have you come to stop me?"

I shake my head. "No… whatever you're planning to do tonight, I won't stop you," I say. "But I do have a question for that man…"

Oriko blinks. "By 'that man'… do you mean Yaegashi Kenzaburo?"

"Who else would I mean?" I ask.

Oriko falls silent for a few moments, then nods.

"I think it's best if I ask on your behalf, then," she says. "What's the question?"

"I was wondering if he has heard of the Tokime clan," I reply.

"The Tokime clan…" Oriko muses. "I've heard the name in history books, but somehow I get the impression that you're not talking about that…"

"Yes… the modern Tokime clan, and the Mikoshiba," I clarify.

"Could it be… you somehow know the truth of my father's downfall, too?" Oriko asks.

"Yeah, at least roughly," I say. "It's not thanks to my magic power, though… there's another reason, which I don't fully understand, so I'd rather not talk about it too much."

"Then I'm going," Oriko says.

She leaps across the street to land in the open window she had been gazing at before, and I follow, keeping just out of the line of sight through the window. The room's sole occupant, Yaegashi Kenzaburo, is sitting alone in the darkness, sipping from a glass of sake. Although his back is to the window, somehow he seems to sense her presence anyway, and his deep voice issues from within the room.

"Oh? It's rare I have a guest at this time of night," Yaegashi says. "Though… I can't say I appreciate one who comes in through the window. Didn't your father teach you any manners?"

Just like I remember from the Sadness Prayer manga, he's incredibly unfazed by the encounter… almost as if he has had some experience with magic in the past.

"Have you come here to censure me?" Yaegashi asks. "But you should be too intelligent not to realize that it will do you no good. You're acting like an abandoned puppy. Did you lose something you feel is important?"

That lightly mocking voice gets my nerves on edge, and I struggle to resist my urge to intervene. A high-profile politician like him shouldn't act like that. How did he even get into power in the first place? Is it possible that he cheated his way there? Those are the thoughts racing through my mind at this very moment.

"Silence!" Oriko says, hopping down from the windowsill.

The man just chuckles and says nothing.

"Aren't you going to call someone, Mr Yaegashi?" Oriko asks. "After all, I have come to kill you."

"Yes, I figured that," Yaegashi says.

"You think I'm joking!?" Oriko gasps.

"No," Yaegashi says. "You're simply that kind of person. I knew it from the start. Compared to his other siblings, Mikuni Hisaomi was a man with neither the ambition nor the capacity for the political world. Even so, he quietly desired a seat in the National Diet. I was happy to oblige, but… I couldn't understand. I thought, 'Why that man?'. But from a certain point of view, I could understand it."

"What do you mean?" Oriko asks.

"Mikuni Shuuichiro… he's your grandfather, though I don't think you two have ever met. He has a true gift for politics, but what makes him popular is his personality. He was a calm, elegant presence that made everyone fall in love with him. Still… those closest to him, especially his children, knew that wasn't his true self. He set traps for anyone who got in his way, and ruthlessly cut off the incompetent. Actually… that was one of his skills, but it made him quite frightening."

Yeah… this man really isn't suited for power. Oriko's father would've made a far better… wait… I just thought of an incredibly brilliant idea. Mikuni Hisaomi may have hanged himself out of regret, but… there is someone who cares enough about Oriko that she may be convinced into making a wish on her behalf. I wonder if that's worth a try…

"Your story isn't making sense," Oriko says. "What is the connection between my grandfather and what happened to my father?"

"Among the incompetents he cut off, one was his own child, Mikuni Hisaomi," Yaegashi replies. "I am not surprised that you never met Shuuichiro. None of your family would have been allowed even beyond the front door of the main Mikuni estate. Though I understand that your aunt, Sumi-kun, objected to the treatment. It seems that even into adulthood, Hisaomi still lived in fear of his father. Whenever I would tell my stories of Shuuichirou-shi… I could see the change in Hisaomi's face."

"Didn't I just say your story doesn't make sense!?" Oriko shouts. "I've heard enough! You brought down my father and drove him to an early grave! I will never forgive you for it!"

Yaegashi half turns towards her. "I did? What are you talking about? The one who killed your father is you, Mikuni Oriko!"

«That's ridiculous,» I transmit. «How could a small child be to blame for an unrelated politician's wrongdoing?»

«No… I can see where he's coming from,» Oriko replied. «It may be because of me that he… that he…»

"He hated to see you cut off as well," Yaegashi says. "I suppose he did not want you to learn of his incompetence as a Mikuni, so instead, he tried national politics, trying to grow out of his incompetence. But of everyone in the family… you, Oriko, are the most like Shuuichirou."

"No!" Oriko shouts. "Die! I'll kill you! I'll avenge my father's death and uphold his ideals!"

Yaegashi just smiles at her, or at least I imagine he's smiling from his tone of voice – it's too dark to see well.

"You're my type of person, Oriko," he says. "You act on your ideals, and you think nothing of cutting down anyone who blocks your path. That's why I truly think… if you were to try the life of politics, it would be very interesting indeed."

Oriko takes a few moments to calm her breathing.

"So that's how you think of me… how you think of my father," she says softly. "Now that I think about it… I suppose my father wouldn't want me to kill you, would he? So… just answer one more question. Mr Yaegashi… do you know anything about the modern Tokime clan and the Mikoshiba?"

"Ah, you're surprisingly well-informed," Yaegashi. "But if you were wondering whether I made use of a miracle to get my position, well… I'm afraid you're following the wrong train of though. Miracles are too rare to squander on some petty squabble, don't you think?"

"So you're saying… you do know about them," Oriko says.

"Of course," Yaegashi says. "I have sadly not had an opportunity to make use of their services, but… perhaps you remember the Trilateral Economic Summit from a year or two ago? I hear it was the Tokime who caused the breakdown of negotiations… but then, if you've done your research, you probably already know that much, right?"

"I see," Oriko says. "You really are the scum of the earth… but…"

At that moment, a noise is heard from outside the door, like someone running.

"…killing you would mean descending to your level. Count yourself lucky that you'll live to see another day."

"I see… well, I wish you luck, Mikuni Oriko."

Oriko turns and exits via the window, and I move Teddy into position to catch her. Behind us, we hear someone else burst into the room.

"Sir, was someone else here in the room with you?" a female voice asks.

"No, I've been alone with my glass," Yaegashi says.

"Truly? I could've sworn I heard voices," the woman replies doubtfully.

"I'm sure it was just the sound of the wind," Yaegashi says.

I land Teddy back on the roof across the street.

"That man…" Oriko mutters. "Why couldn't I kill him…"

"I can't say I wasn't rooting for you even a little," I note. "He really is the scum of the earth…"

"It seems that, regardless of our differences, we agree on at least one thing, Miss Taylor." Oriko says. "By the way… did you understand all that stuff he said about the Tokime clan? The talk of miracles was… rather disconcerting…"

"Oh, but you know exactly how a miracle can occur, right?" I say.

"Um… you mean when a magical girl makes a wish, right?"

"Yeah… that's what the Mikoshiba was," I say. "They sold the wishes of young girls at a high price to high-ranking politicians… I was curious if Mr Yaegashi had used them, but I guess not, huh…"

"That's… that's horrible," Oriko says. "Given the fate of all magical girls… it's not so bad if you wished for something you truly want, but to force someone to make a wish…"

"It's even worse than that," I say. "The girls were murdered before they even had a chance to become witches."

"Well, that's a given if someone were to go into that kind of business," Oriko says. "But… you seem to be talking about this like it was in the past."

"Yeah, because I tracked down their village myself and murdered the Mikoshiba," I reply.

"If even you can do that…"

"Ah, actually I'm exaggerating," I say. "I couldn't just go and kill her. She tried to commit suicide, but I wouldn't even let her do that. Death is too good for someone like her."

"Ah… I beg of you not to do that, lifting my spirits only to dash them over the rocks," Oriko complains.

"Sorry, sorry… but say, Oriko…"

"Since when were we so close that you can address me by my given name?" she asks.

"Sorry, um… Miss Mikuni, then… what would you do if your father came back to life? Just hypothetically."

"Well… I suppose I would support his political career with all my might, if he still wanted it," she muses. "Or if not… I guess I would support that too… but why would you ask such a question?" Suddenly her eyes go wide. "W-wait… you've travelled back in time once… surely you don't mean…"

I shrug. "It's no more than a half-formed idea," I say.

Oriko smiles. "Well, the me of today is too far gone, but if the me of a month ago was suddenly reunited with Father… then I would be forever grateful to the one responsible."

"Is that so…"

"Of course, that does not mean that I would do anything at all for them, like Kirika," Oriko says. "Still…"

"So… I still can't talk you out of what you're planning?"

Oriko shakes her head. "If anything… that conversation has steadied my resolve. Come Monday, we will no doubt be enemies."

"Oh? You're gonna let me know the timing?" I ask. "Isn't that a little risky? I might actually be able to stop you, y'know?"

"I'm afraid my plan is perfect," Oriko replies. "I have already accounted for everything you might do. Even if you show up earlier, it will make no difference."

"Well… we'll see about that," I reply. "But regardless of what Mr Yaegashi says… I don't think you can be blamed for your father's death. He just wanted to see you succeed, right? To blame it on you… that's gaslighting. You didn't force your father to take up politics, right? Even if he did in some sense do it for your sake."

"No… you're right," Oriko says. "Mr Yaegashi… he is truly the one to blame for my father's death, along with my grandfather. Thank you for joining me tonight, Miss Taylor. Farewell."

And with one last smile, she hops off of Teddy Mk II and soars through the night sky. I watch until she's out of sight, and then I hop back on Teddy Mk II and fly back to the Hayashi house, climbing in through the window.

"Welcome back, Ashley-nee," Inui says. "What happened? Did it go well? Did you speak to that Mr Yaegashi?"

"I didn't speak to him myself," I say. "But Miss Mikuni asked a question on my behalf… he knows about the Tokime clan, but he's never used their services… though there's always the chance he was lying."

"So he's just your normal run-of-the-mill corrupt politician," Inui nods. "You should've just killed him while you had the chance…"

I blink at her. "You really feel that way?" I ask. "I know I killed Yu, but… I don't think I can bring myself to murder someone in cold blood without a very good reason…"

"Isn't that a very good reason, though?" Inui asks.

"No… besides the fact that I don't think I could… it's also too good of a fate for him," I say. "He should be publicly shamed and metaphorically dragged through the streets. Although… I have a feeling he doesn't even know what shame is…"

Inui hugs me, and I absently ruffle her hair a little… wait… why did I do that? Inui giggles a bit though, so I guess she didn't mind…

"I think you're taking on too much by yourself, Ashley-nee," Inui murmurs. "Can't you share even more of the burden with me? Even with the quartet…"

"Hmm… I'm trying, honestly," I say. "Ashley really wants me to do that too… she'll probably be mad at when we next have a chat, won't she…"

"I can't say I know her well enough to answer that," Inui says. "I only spoke with her that one time, after all…"

I sigh. "Alright… let's have a nice quiet weekend… it'll be the calm before the storm, but at least we can enjoy it while it lasts."

On Monday morning, as the four of us leave the house, I bring up the subject.

"So… remember what I told you before?" I ask. "About a witch appearing at Mitakihara Middle School."

Komachi nods. "You said you weren't sure when, though…"

"Well… that was true at the time, but now I'm pretty sure today's the day," I say. "So… I'm gonna skip school today. Who's with me?"

"I'm in, of course," Komachi says. "I already said so before. Gimme a sec, I'll ask Claire and Elise too."

She composes messages to them on her phone, and we continue on until we get to the place where we would normally to split up to our separate schools. We find Elise and Claire already there, waiting, which is quite unusual.

"So, what's up?" I ask them. "Are you two also joining me in truancy today?"

"I can't bear to think of so many students falling prey to a witch, so I guess I'll come," Elise says.

"If Elise is going… I'll go too," Claire says.

So we all head towards the middle school together.

"You know… now that I think of it, I don't think Elise and Claire have ever told me what their wish was," I say.

"Pretty sure I never told you either," Komachi says.

"Nor have I," Hiyori says.

"Ah… well… in another timeline, Hiyori-chan, you told me both your wishes," I say. "So I already know what you two wished for…"

"Oh… is that so," Komachi says. "It's a little embarrassing though…"

"And I gather that Elise's wish has something to do with her sister… and Claire's wish has something to do with her parents… but I don't know exactly what."

"Ah, my wish was really stupid, honestly," Claire says. "My parents were so busy all the time, it felt like they were ignoring me… so I just wished they'd pay attention to me. That's all. Stupid, right?"

"It's not all that bad, honestly," I say. "Maybe not the best use of a wish, but not the worst either."

"As for me… I had a twin sister," Elise says. "Onee-san was only a couple minutes older than me, but she was like, totally opposite… kind to everyone, liked by everyone… but then one day, she died from unknown causes. My parents were devastated… me too, honestly… so I wished they could overcome their grief. Yeah… you can laugh at me all you want… I should've wished for her to come back instead, right? But I'm not like onee-san… I'm the selfish one… I just wanted… I wanted…"

"It's okay," I say. "If you don't want to say it… that's fine. I think I roughly get it, anyway… but you say they couldn't figure out why she died?"

Elise nods. "Yeah… she was found dead in an alleyway, and it was like she'd just gone to sleep and suddenly expired…"

"So then, she was a magical girl too?" I ask.

Elise stops and blinks at me. "H-huh? Why would you say that?"

"Eh? Um… I mean… isn't that exactly the symptoms of a magical girl who's been separated from her soul gem?" I point out.

Elise stares at me. "Are you saying… my sister might actually be alive still, as a gem?"

I nod. "That's one possibility… but it's also possible she turned into a witch. Usually the witch swallows up their body, but if for some reason it couldn't… it would look the same."

"I… I never even considered that possibility," Elise says.

Silence reigns for a few minutes as we resume walking, but then Elise suddenly speaks up again.

"You know… there's a secret I've been keeping from all of you," she says.

"Eh!?" Komachi says. "You, keeping a secret!? Don't joke with me…"

"Hey! It's not like I'm that poor of a secret keeper!" Elise protests. "I know not to blab when it's important!"

"So… what's the secret?" Claire asks.

"Well… you know how when you make a contract and become a magical girl, you instinctively understand what your magic power is?"

Everyone nods.

"Of course," I say. "Yours is… summoning familiars, right?"

"Uhh… I've never thought of them as familiars, but sure," Elise says. "But actually… that's not the only power I gained from my wish. I've never used the other power, because… it just seemed useless. But… if onee-san truly became a witch… if we could actually track her down and find her…"

"Stop beating about the bush," I say. "What's the power?"

"Just once, I can turn a witch back into a magical girl," Elise says.

Everyone gapes at her.

"Are… are you serious!?" I gasp. "That's incredible…"

"I didn't know that magical girls became witches at the time, so I didn't understand the significance of that power," Elise says. "Even after I learned the truth, it didn't seem worth the cost. But if you're right… if onee-san truly became a witch, and we were able to find her… maybe I would consider using it then…"

"Why is it only once?" Komachi asks. "That part seems awfully suspicious if you ask me…"

"Oh… I'd have to sacrifice myself to activate the power," Elise says. "I didn't know back then what was meant by 'sacrifice'… I guess I just thought I'd die… but knowing what I know now, I bet it's transferring all the grief from the witch directly into my soul gem, so I'd become a witch in her place."

"No!" Claire gasps. "Y-you can't do that… not even for Liliane… I couldn't bear to lose you too, Elise!"

"Well… even if onee-san did become a witch, it's been such a long time since it happened," Elise says. "So… I doubt there's actually a chance of finding her, you know? Don't worry, Claire… I wouldn't do it on the spur of the moment… I'd at least think it over first."

"You know… there might be a way to use that power more than once," I muse. "If you were in a doppel field… transferring the grief from the witch's grief seed would trigger the automatic purification system and you'd merely unleash your doppel instead of becoming a witch…"

"Uhh… I didn't understand a single word of that," Elise says.

"Then again, there's no guarantee it would interact so conveniently with the doppel field…" I muse. "Probably not something worth experimenting with, then… and as amazing as it sounds, it's not gonna be a get out of jail free card if it can only be used once…"

"Ashley-nee, the way you're mumbling sounds kinda scary," Inui says.

"A-ah… sorry about that… I was just speculating on whether there's a way to make use of that power without sacrificing Elise," I say.

"Well… if I didn't have to sacrifice myself, perhaps I'd be more willing to use it," Elise says. "But I wonder what would happen if it was used on an offspring witch… you know, a witch who matured from a familiar… and what if it was used on two of the same witch… would you end up with two of the same girl?"

"That's a good question," I say. "It's too bad we can't just try it and see…"

"Don't you dare use that power today, Elise," Claire says. "I'll never forgive you if you turn into a witch…"

"Ah, don't worry, I wasn't planning to use it," Elise says. "I mean… we'll be in a school, with lots of people around, so… it wouldn't solve anything to replace one witch with another, right?"

"Especially since she could probably just turn right back into a witch," I add.

"Y-yeah, that too," Elise says. "There probably isn't a worse place to use that power…"

We arrive at the front gate of Mitakihara Middle School, and Inui and Hiyori split off to head inside. Then we make our way to a nearby café to wait until the time is right.

"Ashley Taylor, get your ass over here!"

A familiar voice addresses me immediately on entering, and I look over to see Kyouko and Yuma sitting at one of the tables. I raise my eyebrows as I head over to join her.

"Ugh, it's Miss Sakura," Elise mutters. "Great… just great…"

"Try saying that to my face, jester-brain!" Kyouko snaps at her.

"I just did," Elise retorts. "Or can't you get that through your thick skull, you spear maniac?"

"Guys, stop it!" Hiyori protests. "This isn't the time to be fighting!"

"Hmph! She started it!" Kyouko and Elise say in perfect unison.

"Good morning, Miss Sakura," I say. "Have I done something to offend you?"

"Right, that!" Kyouko says. "The hell's with you, anyway? Just how much did you know about that Oriko chick and her plans?"

"I'm really sorry," I say. "I knew pretty much everything… but I naïvely held out hope that she might not go ahead with it. It was stupid of me… I should've let everyone know what she was up to sooner. Perhaps this could've been avoided if I had… although, given the nature of Oriko's magic, I suppose she would've seen through it anyway… it's truly hard to fight a seer who can predict your every move."

Kyouko blinks. "You're saying she really can see the future?" she asks.

"I don't see why you're so surprised," I say. "Isn't magic capable of pretty much anything?"

"Well… I suppose that's true," Kyouko admits.

"Yuma still doesn't like this," Yuma says. "Yuma thinks Oriko is really hurting inside…"

"Yeah… you're probably right, Yuma-chan," I say. "But unfortunately, she's decided to deal with her pain by hurting others. Actually… I already tried to talk her out of it twice, but both times she said she's 'too far gone' to back out now. It really is a shame…"

"Yuma understands," Yuma says. "That's too bad…"

"Why are you even here?" Elise asks. "You never come around this part of town…"

"What's it to you?" Kyouko retorts.

"Cut it out, you two," I say. "She's here for the same reason as us."

Kyouko narrows her eyes at me.

"And what would that be, smarty-pants?"

"For backup when Oriko attacks the school," I reply.

Kyouko blinks. "Huh? You say that like it's certain…"

"Well, Oriko was kind enough to tell me of her plans," I say. "She said I wouldn't be able to stop them even if I knew… but we'll see about that."

"You've been getting oddly buddy-buddy with Oriko for someone who's supposedly gonna fight against her," Kyouko says. "How'm I s'posed to trust you? Maybe you're here as a double agent or something!"

"Well, I can't even be bothered to respond to that," I say. "The best way to prove myself will be on the battlefield, don't you think?"

"If you say so," Kyouko says doubtfully. "But—"

Suddenly her eyes go wide, and I turn my head as I sense it too. A witch has suddenly appeared. I open a vision focused on Madoka to see what's going on, just in time to see Homura gasp in shock.

"No way… how!?" Homura blurts out. She looks around wildly. "Madoka! Where are you?"

Familiars spring up around the edges of what used to be the classroom, blobby creatures with hats that open gaping maws as they attack, and several have popped up in the middle as well, separating Madoka from the rest of her friend group, Homura included. She doesn't transform, perhaps due to being around so many people, but she does try to make her way towards Madoka, without much success.

"Looks like I was lulled into complacency this time," she mutters. "But if I can still save Madoka… then I can live with it."

Back in the café, Kyouko has a similar reaction to Homura.

"The hell's a witch doing, appearing at a time like this!?" Kyouko gasps.

"It's not just any witch," I say calmly. "This one's loyal only to Oriko."

Kyouko stares at me. "Y-you're saying… she can control witches?"

"Only this one," I reply.

"Sayaka-chan!" Madoka calls. "I don't like the feeling I'm getting here!"

"Me neither!" Sayaka calls back.

Several of the students have already been swallowed up by the familiars, and even as Madoka and Sayaka have that exchange, one rises up behind Ms Saotome as well.

"O-oh no… Ms Saotome!?" Madoka gasps. Then she blinks. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot, I have that!"

She pulls out the Teddy Drone from her pocket and aims carefully at the familiar behind Ms Saotome. The beam clips off a portion of Ms Saotome's hair and destroys the familiar, eliciting a shocked scream from the teacher but saving her life. With the teacher saved, Madoka begins firing at the familiars separating her from her friends, each shot putting an end to one of them.

"W-what the heck was that, Madoka!?" Sayaka asks.

"Ah… just… a good luck charm from someone I met?" Madoka says.

"Are you sure that's a good luck charm?" Sayaka says. "Seems more like a weapon to me…"

"So this witch… is Oriko's attack?" Kyouko asks.

Kyuubey pops up at that moment, hopping onto the table.

"Kyouko, Yuma, gather up! Oriko and Kirika have shown themselves!"

It then looks at the rest of us.

"Ashley Taylor… I thought you said you would not participate in this?"

"That was when the enemy was declared to be Miss Akemi," I say. "If it's Miss Mikuni we're up against… that's a different story."

"Then we should hurry," Elise says. "There's gotta be a lot of students panicking… and teachers too… we've gotta save as many as we can!"

Homura suddenly hugs Madoka.

"S-stop, Homura-chan!" Madoka protests. "This is no time for that! We've gotta save everyone!"

Homura quickly lets her go again, shaking her head.

"You can't save everyone," she says.

"Ugh… if only I had a weapon too…" Sayaka groans.

"I don't care if I can't save everyone!" Madoka says. "We've gotta at least save as many as we can!"

She turns and begins blasting the familiars throughout the room. After a moment, Sayaka spots one of the diamond-chain spikes littering the room and tries breaking one off… it turns out to make a pretty decent weapon, so she's able to fight against familiars too… it's not a one-hit kill like the Teddy Drone, but she's still able to protect a few people.

"Madoka… I have to go now," Homura says. "I have to go destroy the thing that has done this to you… please, be safe…"

"Don't worry, Homura-chan!" Madoka says. "I've got this thing, whatever it is, so I'll be fine!"

"Don't overdo it," Homura says. "If you find a way out of here… take it."

Madoka smiles at her.

"Go on, Homura-chan," she says. "This is something only you can do, right? So you'd better go and do it!"

"R-right…"

Homura turns to Sayaka, who's defending a scared Hitomi from a familiar.

"Miss Miki, Miss Shizuki… farewell."

Then she heads out of the room.

We step into the school building, which is eerily silent due to everyone having been sucked into the labyrinth.

"The hell is Oriko thinking?" Elise mutters. "Attacking the school like this… does she even realize how many innocent people are getting caught up in her plan? Why the hell would she do this?"

"An act of desperation," I say. "It all revolves around a single girl… one of them only wants to save her, the other has decided she must die."

"You seem awfully knowledgable on this topic, Ashley Taylor," Kyuubey says.

"Do you think so?" I say. "Weren't you the one who said my power can explain that, though?"

"To a certain extent," Kyuubey says. "But there is a limit to what even your clairvoyance can discover…"

The portal appears before us, and we all transform and hop inside.

"Alright, the three of us will focus on rescuing people," Elise says. "You guys hurry to the centre and deal with the witch."

"You don't gotta tell me twice," Kyouko retorts. "We're comin' for ya, ya damned witch!"

"One more thing," I say. "I'm going to give each of you a Teddy Drone… feel free to use it yourself, or pass it on to a student who seems willing to fight back."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Komachi asks.

"The more people who can fight, the better," I say. "Even a regular person can activate the Teddy Drone using the button on the back, but be careful… it's some sort of beam weapon. Can't be a laser, since my element is darkness, but… maybe a particle beam or something?"

I summon three Teddy Drones and hand one each to Komachi, Elise, and Claire. Then we leave the three of them behind and head further into the labyrinth. We pass a few students as we race through the halls, destroying familiars whenever we encounter them, and aim for the deepest point of the labyrinth, which proves to be a dark doorway in a bright expanse. The witch's name, Latria, is emblazoned above the doorway in witch runes. Kyouko charges in through the doorway, and Yuma and I follow right behind her, only to see Mami, captured by what looks like a mass of checkerboard ribbons.

"Oh no!" Yuma gasps. "She's been caught!"

"Aw, geez," Kyouko groans. "What does she think she's doing!?"

The two of them leap at the ribbons, Yuma smashing them with her hammer while Kyouko slashes them with her spear. Freed from the ribbons, Mami lands gracefully and looks at them.

"You two… what are you doing here?" she asks. "And… even Ashley Taylor too?"

"Are you hurt?" Yuma asks. "Yuma can fix it!"

"I'm only here cause Kyuubey said Oriko's on a rampage," Kyouko retorts. "But I got a score to settle with Oriko."

"Okay, but are you sure it was a good idea to bring such a young girl?" Mami asks.

"Eh? Yuma can fight just as well as anybody!" Yuma protests. "Yuma can help a lot!"

Mami chuckles. "Then I'll expect great things from you," she says. "Do your best."

"Grr! Onee-san doesn't trust Yuma at all, does she!?" Yuma grumbles.

"Oy, cut the chit-chat!" Kyouko shouts. "We gotta get in there stat!"

But before anyone else can make a move, Homura appears out of nowhere. Literally out of nowhere – one moment there's nothing, the next, there she is.

"Mami… Kyouko… this is unexpected," she mutters. "Since when did you two get on so well? And you're even dragging a kid along."

"That's none of your damned business!" Kyouko shouts. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"I am Akemi Homura," she retorts. "Not that it's any of your business…"

Then she glances at me.

"And another one I've never met before…"

"Huh?" Mami says. "Didn't you visit her house to ask about that teddy bear thing?"

Homura blinks. "Ah… so that makes you… Ashley Taylor… there are so many anomalies this time…" Glancing at Mami, she adds, "Sadly, she was not home when I visited."

I smile at her.

"What do you mean by anomalies?" I ask. "Are you hiding something from us, Miss Akemi?"

"It's none of your business," she retorts. "Come or stay, I don't care, but I'm going to end this witch with or without you."

With that, she strides forward through the central chamber, and the rest of us fall in step behind her.

"Hey, we make a pretty good team, don't we, Madoka?" Sayaka says.

The two of them are fighting back-to-back now, with an anxious Hitomi next to them, just watching. Ms Saotome and the rest of the students, minus a few who got swallowed up, have gathered in the centre of the chamber, mostly out of harm's way.

"Y-yeah, I guess we do," Madoka says.

At that moment, Hiyori steps in. "Anyone still alive in here?" She blinks. "Oh my! You two are amazing, to hold off the familiars on your own!"

She strums her harp, destroying all the remaining familiars in a single blast, and Madoka and Sayaka both let out a gasp.

"W-whoa… those things that took us so much effort to destroy… you finished them off in a second!" Sayaka gasps.

"Well, it is my job, after all," Hiyori says. "But I'm sure it's only thanks to Ashley-chan's Teddy Drone that you were able to do this well. You should thank her later."

"Y-yeah, perhaps I will," Madoka says. "So it was called a Teddy Drone, huh… and you even know Miss Taylor?"

"Well yeah," Hiyori says. "She's been staying at my house the past few months. Now, come on… let's get everyone out of here! Follow me!"

"Um, wait a second!" Madoka says. "Homura-chan is still inside!"

"Do you mean Miss Akemi?" Hiyori asks. "You needn't to worry about her. She's probably even stronger than I am…"

"But even so… I can't just leave her!" Madoka protests.

"Y-yeah, she's our friend!" Hitomi cuts in. "We couldn't possibly let her go alone."

"What Hitomi said!" Sayaka says.

«Hiyori-chan, if Kaname Madoka goes in any deeper, she will die,» I transmit. «Her friends may survive, but she undoubtedly will not. Killing her is Oriko's primary goal here.»

"Miss Kaname… are you prepared to give up your life?" Hiyori asks.

Madoka blinks. "H-huh!?"

"Listen… I don't really get why, but those girls you saw before on the broadcast? The entire reason they're doing this is to kill you. If you follow Miss Akemi… you won't make it out of here."

"That's crazy!" Madoka protests. "I've never done anything to hurt anyone! Why would they want to kill me!?"

"Yeah, Miss Madoka is undoubtedly the kindest person I know!" Hitomi says.

"It's ridiculous to think someone would go to all these lengths just to kill her," Sayaka says.

"Look… I'm not going to try and stop you," Hiyori says. "Just… if you're not prepared to die… then you certainly shouldn't go."

Madoka falls silent for a bit.

"I don't want to die," she says finally. "But if by doing so I could save Homura-chan… or even Sayaka-chan or Hitomi-chan… then I would give up my life in a heartbeat."

Hiyori smiles a little.

"You're pretty brave, Miss Kaname," she says. "I bet you'd make a fine magical girl. Go on, then. I'll help your classmates and your teacher escape from here. Oh, and by the way… they won't really remember what happened by tomorrow… it'll be like a vague, distant memory, or a dream. Just keep that in mind."

With that, Hiyori begins to direct the students towards an exit, while Madoka and her two friends head deeper inside, Hitomi anxiously hanging behind them at all times.

We reach the centre of the room and see two thrones, one black, one white. Oriko stands in front of the white one, while Kirika stands in front of the black one. The witch transformation has not quite completed yet – her soul gem is full of cracks, but it has not yet undergone the transformation into a grief seed. It seems to be happening in slow motion even as I watch.

"Welcome to the graveyard," Oriko says with a smile.

"Take down this labyrinth," Homura demands. "You're the ones who put it up in the first place, right?"

She seems to glitch a little, and a moment later, something explodes right next to the thrones… but Oriko easily dodges it. I'm not quite sure how she manages it, but she seems to literally outrun the shockwave of the explosion, returning to her place in front of the throne as soon as it's safe.

"Well, aren't you a scary one," she says with a smile. "I suppose you never intended to talk in the first place."

"You say this is a graveyard," Kyouko cuts in. "Just whose graveyard is it supposed to be?"

"It is the graveyard for all those poor souls who come to rest here," Oriko replies. "The souls of the innocent. The poor girls who have been lied to by Kyuubey. As well as…"

She turns to carefully help Kirika into a sitting position on the black throne.

"…my very closest friend," she finishes. "The least I can do is pray for them."

At that moment, Kirika's soul gem cracks open, and the witch emerges from it, a tall, towering creature the colour of midnight, resembling three or four girls stacked one on top of the other, then fused together into a single entity. Instead of arms, there are spikes jutting out from the shoulders, except for the topmost torso which boasts super-long scythe-like arms. There is no face, but she does wear a round sun hat with an eyeball attached to the crown.

"W-what!?" Kyouko gasps.

Homura spins to face Mami, watching her warily. She draws a pistol, but does not aim it at the blonde girl.

"Y-you're kidding…" Mami says.

Suddenly, Oriko summons some orbs and assaults us with laser beams. Kyouko and I hop aside, but Mami is a little too distracted by the revelation, forcing Yuma to push her out of the way.

"I know all about you!" Oriko shouts, pointing at Homura. "You were there, at the end of the world!"

Homura gasps, forgetting about the potential danger from Mami and spinning to face Oriko.

"I have seen it over and over again," Oriko says. "It's fast approaching, and I've been searching for a way to save the world from it. Also, I know what the thing actually is."

"Is that really a reason to create a labyrinth at the school?" Homura retorts.

"I'm surprised," Oriko says. "You are the same you who was in that place, are you not? If you are… then you should understand what I'm talking about. I wish to avoid that end and save the world. Kaname Madoka must be eliminated."

"Not as long as I'm here," Homura replies.

Homura attacks, a swarm of bullets materializing out of nowhere… but Latria swings her scythes down and cuts the bullets right out of the air.

"A… a witch… allied with a magical girl…" Mami gasps. "Is… is that even… possible!?"

"There's no time to ask questions!" Yuma says.

She jumps into the fray, smashing her hammer on the ground and producing a shockwave, but Oriko anticipates it, jumping into the air at just the right moment to avoid it. Then the witch blocks another bullet swarm from Homura.

"Kirika did not break and turn into a witch," Oriko explains. "She turned herself into a witch on purpose… thus, the witch's instincts haven't taken control of her."

"Quit spouting all your shit that makes no sense!" Kyouko shouts. "The only reason I'm here is to give you a beating!"

"Is that what you think, Oriko?" I chime in. "I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you… just because she's defending you, doesn't mean it's not a witch's instinct."

Kyouko and Mami swing their heads to look at me.

"Ah, before you ask, yeah, I already knew magical girls can turn into witches," I say with a smile. "I notice Miss Akemi didn't seem all that surprised either."

Kyouko and Mami turn to look at Homura.

"That's none of your business," Homura retorts.

After another second of hesitation, Kyouko and Mami start attacking Latria, but they keep getting in each other's way. I summon some Teddy Drones, but I don't find a good opening to fire those beams, so they just hover there, waiting their chance.

"Mami!? The hell're you doing!? You're in my way!"

"You're the one who keeps jumping into my line of sight!" Mami shouts back.

The battle is further hindered by Latria's crazy speed, or to be more precise, her perception-slowing magic. I'm holding back enough that it doesn't affect me, but I can tell that everyone's movements are sluggish as a result of that magic. It's not enough to prevent Kyouko from getting in the way of my Teddy Drones though.

"Are you going to simply leave your friends to their fate, Miss Akemi?" Oriko asks.

Much like me, Homura is standing off to the side, currently just watching the battle.

"I fight alone," Homura replies. "My job is to take you down and save Madoka."

"I see," Oriko says, "What about you, Miss Taylor?"

"Oh, don't mind me," I say with a smile. "With how Miss Tomoe and Miss Sakura are performing, another person jumping in would just make things worse, don't you think? So I'll just bide my time and wait for a good opportunity."

"Very well," Oriko says. "You cannot defeat us, Miss Akemi."

A volley of lasers from Oriko, followed up by a scythe attack from Latria, forces both Kyouko and Mami to retreat. As Yuma leaps in for an attack, Homura grabs her in midair and throws her back.

"Oww!" Yuma complains, though she lands nimbly on her feet like a cat.

"I'll take them on," Homura says, stepping forward. "All of you are just in the way, so stay out of it."

"What!?" Kyouko shouts. "Don't give me that shit!"

"I see none of you are willing to accept the truth, other than Miss Taylor," Oriko notes. "I know the face of real horror, so this truth holds no fear for me, but you… I pity you girls who refuse to understand and simply stand and fight, so I will at least grant you a speedy death."

Despite Homura's warning, Mami and Kyouko step forward, clearly intending to rejoin the fight. That's when Yuma speaks up, grabbing them both by the hands.

"No!" she shouts. "Kyouko… Mami… everyone… you can't do this! You can't! You can't!"

"Yuma, if you're gonna get scared, then just get outta the fight!" Kyouko snaps.

"You're wrong!" Yuma shouts. "It's everybody! Everybody is afraid! Nobody's working together! If it's like this… then you're all… going to die! No… no… Yuma doesn't want this!"

Madoka, Sayaka, and Hitomi work their way deeper and deeper into the labyrinth. Between the Teddy Drone and Sayaka's improvised weapon, they are doing a pretty good job of killing all the familiars, and it looks like they're even getting close to the central chamber. Sayaka has swapped out her diamond weapon for a giant candy cane.

"Why, you little… die! Die!" Sayaka shouts, trying to land a blow on a familiar that keeps jumping around.

"I've got it, Sayaka-chan!" Madoka shouts.

She aims the Teddy Drone and fires, reducing the familiar to cinders.

"Okay, let's run, Hitomi, Madoka!" Sayaka says.

They break into a run without any clear destination in mind.

"But I wonder what these things are," Hitomi muses. "They are quite—"

Suddenly she gasps as they spot the body of a student.

"No!" Hitomi says. "No… I can't take this anymore!"

A few more familiars pop out of the woodwork.

"Hitomi, you can't stop here!" Sayaka shouts.

"Yeah! We're doing pretty well so far!" Madoka says.

"I don't care anymore!" Hitomi sobs. "I'd rather die than go through any more of this!"

Sayaka swipes at a familiar that seems to be targeting Hitomi.

"S-stop that!" she shouts. "Get away… get away from me! Get away from Hitomi!"

"Sayaka-chan, look up!" Madoka shouts.

Above them is a doorway, with a blobby chain or rope hanging down.

"Maybe if we climb up there…" Madoka suggests.

"Good idea!" Sayaka says. "Hitomi… get up! We've gotta get outta here!"

"R-right!" Hitomi says.

Sayaka and Madoka help her to her feet, and they get her started climbing up the chain. Sayaka goes next, while Madoka holds off the familiars with the Teddy Drone, and once they're most of the way up, she too begins the climb.

"How many times have you repeated this?" Oriko wonders. "And how many times do you intend to repeat it after this? All those dark paths you have walked… did you find anything close to what you were searching for?"

"Stop talking!" Homura says. "Shut up!"

"I am different from you," Oriko says. "When the road is dark, I bring out my own light. Someone like you, who does nothing but run away to darker and darker paths, could never defeat me."

She unleashes a volley of lasers, and although Homura manages to dodge, Kyouko and Mami are caught up in the thick of it and knocked off their feet.

"Dammit!" Kyouko groans.

"Is this… the end?" Mami wonders.

Yuma gasps in fear for a moment, but then steels herself and steps forward.

"H-hold on! Yuma will fix you!"

"Don't!" Kyouko says. "Yuma, just run away… save yourself!"

"E-eh!?" Yuma gasps.

"She's right," Mami says. "What's the point of healing us? You saw, right? One day, a witch will be born from our soul gems… if I'm going to end up as a witch, then I'd rather die right here…"

Yuma looks around… at me, mostly just watching, occasionally firing a beam from a Teddy Drone… at Oriko and Homura, locked in intense combat… and at Mami and Kyouko, lying prone on the ground. Then she swings her hammer and brings it down on the ground. Instead of a shockwave, a flash of light envelopes the three of them.

"H-huh!?" Mami gasps, sitting up. "I'm cured…"

"Yuma…?" Kyouko says, also sitting up.

"You know," Yuma says. "Whenever Mama picked on Yuma… Yuma often felt that she would rather be dead. But then that witch attacked us, and Yuma thought she was going to die… at that time, Yuma did everything she could to stay alive. Someday… maybe we will become witches. But someday is not now! Everybody's going to die someday! So are you, Kyouko… and you, Mami-oneesan… really going to die right now?"

She stomps her foot and glares at the two of them.

"Are you really going to abandon Yuma!?" she shouts. "Yuma won't let you! Yuma will fix how scared everyone is!"

At that moment, Oriko finally manages to land a direct blow on Homura – an omni-directional attack from every direction that not even time stop can dodge. If her ability had been teleportation, then perhaps that would have been another matter, of course. She goes flying, landing on the ground near Mami and Kyouko.

"It seems this contest is over…" Oriko begins.

But then Yuma smashes the ground once more with her hammer, producing another flash of light. At the same time, I cover them by firing my Teddy Drones, holding Latria back for a bit.

"So get up and fight!" Yuma shouts. "You owe it to Yuma, don't you?

"Geez, here I am getting pep talk from a kid," Kyouko grumbles. "I'm losin' my touch! That ain't like me!"

"Well, I suppose we cannot let ourselves look bad in front of a junior," Mami says. "We must take down the labyrinth or more students will be sacrificed… I'll leave any other thoughts for afterward."

The two of them get to their feet and join up with Yuma. Mami fires shot after shot after shot, and Yuma smashes the ground, producing a shockwave that perturbs the bullets' path, making them trickier to avoid. As for Kyouko, she times her leaps perfectly, darting amongst the hail of bullets like threading a needle, plunging that spear of hers deep into the witch's body at every opportunity.

"Alright!" Kyouko shouts. "I feel like I can do it! Rosso Phantasma!"

And sure enough… she can. She splits into about twenty copies of herself, each of them darting through the bullets just as expertly to stab Latria from twenty directions at once, and Mami gasps.

"Y-you did it, Kyouko!" she shouts. "You finally got your old magic back! I'm so happy for you!"

Oriko gasps too. "Th-this… goes beyond even my predictions," she says. "To think Sakura Kyouko was keeping an ability like this in reserve…"

"Well, I think Yuma-chan's the star player here, don't you, Oriko?" I say.

"Yes… this must be her retribution for me forcing her to become a magical girl in Miss Kaname's stead," Oriko says.

That's the moment when Mami pulls out her ultimate attack.

"Tiro Finale!"

The massive cannon blast utterly destroys Latria, her grief seed floating down to the ground.

"N-no! Kirika!" Oriko gasps.

At the same moment, I summon Teddy Mk II and a fresh batch of Teddy Drones, beginning to charge my own ultimate. Homura also gets to her feet, her wounds apparently healed, and strides towards Oriko.

"Oriko… you brought this on yourself," I say. "You saw the terrible future and just decided on the path to prevent it, without even considering any alternatives."

"I suppose you're right, Miss Taylor," she replies bitterly. "But I still do not recall being on a first-name basis with you."

"What's the point of being polite in the middle of a fight?" I retort.

"Stop," Homura says, addressing Oriko. "If you keep using your magic like that, you'll become a witch as well."

"You don't know when to give up, do ya?" Kyouko retorts. "Surrender now!"

"There is nothing left for you," Mami says.

"Don't worry," Yuma says. "We aren't going to do anything bad to you."

"It's over, Mikuni Oriko," Homura says.

"It's not over yet!" Oriko says desperately. "I can see… there's still a chance!"

At that moment, Kyuubey shows up.

"You really are a problem child, Oriko," it says. "You did all of this just to take my eye off that girl, didn't you? That's why you told me about Yuma and started this whole ruckus about a magical girl hunter, right? Then you created this confusion to finish her off before she could become a magical girl… but she had a protector you weren't expecting, and that resulted in this desperate attack. What a shame, huh? I found her anyway."

Oriko and Homura both glare at it.

"Incubator!" they shout in near-perfect unison.

Then Oriko seizes one of the diamond-shaped growths coiling about the thrones and flings it directly at Kyuubey's face. It penetrates the incubator's head and continues onward, smashing right through the wall behind it.

"Phew!" Madoka gasps.

The three of them are safely through the door, in a room with a checkerboard floor – either the central chamber or another similar chamber.

"At least there are no monsters here…" Hitomi says, shuddering.

"Y-yeah, that sure was tough," Sayaka says. "But we made it through! Still, though… I wonder where Homura-chan went?"

"Y-yeah," Madoka says. "Homura-chan is still fighting those monsters… and we still haven't found her… so we need to keep moving."

She turns to run off.

"Miss Madoka!?" Hitomi gasps.

But Sayaka tackles her before she can get very far, and the two of them fall to the ground.

"Oh my! Miss Madoka… are you okay!?" Hitomi gasps.

"Sayaka-chan, that hurt!" Madoka wails.

"Madoka… I've been thinking the whole time, but… what are you even planning to do once you find Homura?" Sayaka asks. "I have no idea why Homura is fighting, but… she has incredible powers like that girl in yellow with the harp, right? So you can't actually do a thing to help her, can you? You'd just end up getting in her way."

"Miss Sayaka, you're being too harsh!" Hitomi protests.

"Y-yeah! I've got the Teddy Drone, don't I?"

"Don't get me wrong," Sayaka says. "I don't like it either, you know… but your Teddy Drone and this candy cane… they're just barely enough to defend ourselves and Hitomi. Do you really think we can help Homura with just that?"

"But even if that's the case," Madoka says. "I can't just wait here! Even if I can help just a little… I have to go!"

Sayaka sighs. "I figured you'd say that. Alright, fine… let's go."

So the three of them hurry along, looking for another exit. That's when a diamond-shaped missile suddenly emerges from a nearby wall and plunges straight through Madoka's head. The other two girls let out gasps of horror.

"N-no… Madoka!?" Sayaka says. "We were doing so well… why now!?"

"Miss Madoka… no, d-don't leave us!" Hitomi sobs.

But it's too late. Madoka's lifeless body simply collapses to the ground in a heap.

At the same moment that Oriko throws the diamond-shaped missile, Kyouko darts in, aiming her spear at Kirika's corpse, but Oriko jumps in front and takes the blow.

"Why would you take the attack to protect a corpse?" Homura wonders.

"Because she's my precious friend," Oriko replies.

"If she was truly a friend you wouldn't've turned her into a witch, Oriko," I retort. "That's not how you treat a friend."

Homura aims a pistol at Oriko's soul gem.

"Just answer one question," Homura says. "Why are you so hell-bent on fighting?"

Oriko smirks. "It's to save my world," she says. "And you're too late. I've alre—"

Homura pulls the trigger, shattering Oriko's soul gem and cancelling her transformation. Then, as the labyrinth begins to collapse, Hitomi's scream is heard from nearby.

"Of all the luck," Kyuubey says, appearing from somewhere. "Oriko really messed up my plans… it turns out Oriko wasn't aiming at me at all. She was aiming at that girl just beyond the wall."

Homura hurries to check and spots Madoka lying on the floor of the labyrinth, utterly motionless. At the same moment, I finally unleash the ultimate attack that I've been charging all this time, aiming at Homura. She gasps, twisting her head to glance back at me.

"Ashley Taylor… what are you doing?" she asks.

"Well… I don't intend to harm you or anything," I say with a smile.

I whip out the ribbon I always carry around with me, coiling it around her leg.

"So, Miss Akemi… what will you do now, I wonder?"

Homura narrows her eyes. "What's your deal, really?" she asks.

"Oh? It's quite simple," I say. "If the saviour of all magical girls were to die… then I guess I just need to redo things."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Homura asks.

"I think you already know the answer to that," I reply.

That's when my charm wears off, and Homura spins to face me, grabbing her shield to spin it… but to my surprise, it won't move. She looks at it, blinking. Then she spins it in the other direction, as if testing something, and the world around us goes grey, everyone else freezing in place.

"Please believe me when I say I mean no harm to either you or Miss Kaname," I say.

She stares at me, then aims her pistol at my soul gem, which I reflexively cover with my hands… as if that'll do any good against a speeding bullet. Still, she can't aim as well if she can't see it, I guess…

"H-how… how did you…?"

"How am I still moving?" I ask. "Or how did I know the weakness of your magic? That aside, it seems you can't turn back time yet, huh? That's too bad… I thought it was a possibility but I was hoping it wouldn't be the case."

"How… how the hell do you know about that!?" Homura shouts. "Even Oriko was only guessing, but you sound like you're certain!"

"I'm not ready to share that secret just yet, I'm afraid," I say. "Sorry. I promise I'll tell you someday. But… could you please answer my question, Miss Akemi? What do you plan to do now that Miss Kaname has perished?"

"There's no question of that," Homura says. "Of course, I'm going to save her."

"I see… so you'll wait until the timer expires so you can turn back time," I nod.

Homura narrows her eyes at me.

"How the hell is it that you know so much about me?" she asks. "It's almost like you know even more about my magic than I do…"

"I'm sorry… didn't I just say that was a secret?" I point out. "I guess I can at least explain why it's a secret. Even though Kyuubey can't hear us while time is stopped… can I truly trust you not to let it slip to the incubator in an emotionally high moment? It's something that Kyuubey must never find out until it's too late for it to do anything about it."

"So your deal is… you want to go with me when I turn back time?" Homura says.

"I'm glad you catch on quick," I say. "That's exactly what I want."

"Why should I?" Homura retorts. "You're a wildcard… you're dangerous."

"I said it already, and I'll say it again," I say. "I mean no harm whatsoever to either you or Miss Kaname. Believe me, I'm also really sad that she died. You could even think of me as a potential ally, you know?"

"I have no reason to trust your words," Homura retorts.

"Is that so?" I say. "I'm really sorry to hear that, although I would think the fact that I lent Miss Kaname a Teddy Drone for self-defense should count for something… but well, I suppose this discussion is over for now. I'll drop by your place later for another chat, though. See you later, Miss Akemi."

With that, I uncoil the ribbon from her leg, and she vanishes from sight as colour returns to the world. I suppose I should be thankful she didn't shoot me, at least.

"Huh? Where the hell'd she go?" Kyouko asks, noticing her disappearance.

I shrug. "Guess she's not interested in mingling…"

"Speaking of, why didn't you help out more?" Kyouko asks accusingly. "We had a pretty tough time against that witch, you know!"

"That was only because you couldn't work together," I retort. "Even if I'd helped, it wouldn't've made a difference. Might've even made things worse. At least I covered for you while you were all on the ground, right? And at the end, things moved so fast that I didn't have much of a chance to step in."

"Miss Sakura, you shouldn't take that tone with someone who came to help us," Mami says. "Even if she didn't do much, the fact that she was there surely made some small difference."

"Plus, I brought the others along too," I add. "They helped get everyone out of the labyrinth."

"The others…?" Mami asks. "You mean Miss Hayashi's friends?"

"Yeah."

The labyrinth is fully down now. I can hear but not see Sayaka and Hitomi sobbing over Madoka's death. It's likely that even the body has vanished too… and just as I'm thinking about that, an unfamiliar girl's voice rings through the corridor.

"Somebody! Anybody! Answer me! Has anybody seen Mikuni-sempai?"

There's a pause and a pattering of running feet.

"Ugh, not this again… I hate not being able to do anything… please, somebody! Please say something!"

Another unfamiliar girl's voice joins in.

"Koito-chan…"

"Calm yourself," a man's voice chimes in.

"Seems we've got company," Kyouko mutters. "We should like… you know…"

She powers down, and Mami and I follow suit. A moment later, so does Yuma. We all head for the sound of voices together, even Kyuubey trotting along beside us.

"My friend, Madoka, she… she's still in there somewhere!" Sayaka sobs.

"Saegusa-kun, send for the police and an ambulance immediately!" the man calls.

"Yes, sir!" The speaker is another new voice, a woman.

We round the corner and see them. I don't recognize the man or the woman, but I'm quite sure that they are Oriko's uncle and his secretary. Komaki's last remaining friend, Nagatsuki Miyuki, is attempting to comfort Sayaka and Hitomi while her little sister, Asako Koito, looks on in horror. Koito glances over at us as we appear.

"W-what… what happened here?" she asks, wavering. "Where… where's Mikuni-sempai?"

Mami shakes her head. "I'm afraid Miss Mikuni… didn't make it," she says sadly. "She is no longer of this world."

Koito falls to her knees and starts to cry.

"No…"

A teacher shows up, and Sayaka and Hitomi start to tell him about how Madoka is missing; before long, they and Miyuki have left to look for her, and Oriko's uncle and his secretary also accompany them.

"No… why… why did this happen?" Koito finally asks. "First onee-san and Akira-sempai… and now Mikuni-sempai…"

"Oriko acted on her convictions, and this is the result," I say quietly. "She truly believed she was saving the world."

Koito looks at me.

"And… did she save it?"

"Well… I suppose, technically she did avert a certain disaster," I shrug. "Thanks to her actions, a certain terrible fate that could have befallen the world is no longer possible. I think there were better ways to do it, though…"

"Asako Koito," Kyuubey says. "If it saddens you, why not make a contract with me and become a magical girl? You can have any one wish granted."

Koito stares at it, and Mami gasps.

"N-no… you shouldn't…!"

"The stuffed animal… it talked…" Koito says, awed.

"How rude," Kyuubey says. "I am not a stuffed animal. My name is Kyuubey."

"Can you really… make my wish come true?" Koito asks.

"Of course," Kyuubey says. "I would not lie."

"Then… I want to… to understand why Mikuni-sempai would do something so horrible," Koito says.

"What!? Are you freaking serious, you dumbass!?" Kyouko shouts.

Kyouko leaps forward to try and stop her, but she's too late.

"Understood," Kyuubey says as it draws out her soul gem. "Your wish has surpassed entropy."

Koito gasps, and then her eyes narrow as she looks at Kyuubey.

"You… you deceived me…!"

Kyuubey tilts its head slightly.

"I do not lie," it says. "Everything I said was true."

Koito sighs. "Get out of my sight, incubator," she snaps. "I don't want to see you more than I absolutely have to."

"If you insist," Kyuubey says.

It trots off and disappears around a corner.

"Since you went ahead with it despite our warnings," Mami says with a sigh. "I may as well ask… what is your magic power?"

Koito looks up at her.

"It seems I can read minds," she says. "Although it doesn't seem to be working right now…"

"It's easier to use your magic when you're transformed," I say. "I think some magic can only be used while transformed."

"Ah…"

Koito glances around for a moment, but there is currently no-one else around besides us magical girls.

"Um… is it okay if I… try it? I don't want to intrude on someone's private thoughts…"

"I definitely have thoughts I wouldn't want anyone else to see," I say.

"Ah… m-maybe I'll try it some other time then," Koito says.

"Is that your only magic though?" I ask.

"Well… I can also cloud the enemy's vision with feathers," Koito says. "Or use them as missiles, like arrows…"

"Feathers…?" Mami says, blinking.

Koito nods. "Yeah… basically, other than the mind-reading, I can just make a whole bunch of feathers and do whatever with them."

"So it's a bit like my ribbons, then," Mami says. "There's a lot of potential in that kind of magic…"

Koito blinks. "Ah! I just realized! We haven't introduced ourselves!"

She shoots to her feet and bows. "I'm Asako Koito… it's nice to meet you!"

"I'm Tomoe Mami," Mami says. "It is a pleasure to meet you, and if you wish for it, I will be happy to teach you the ins and outs of being a magical girl."

"The name's Kyouko," Kyouko says. "Sakura Kyouko."

"I'm Ashley Taylor," I say.

"Yuma is Chitose Yuma!" Yuma says.

"Asako… are you related to Asako Komaki?" Mami asks.

Koito nods. "Yeah… she was my older sister," she says. "But you probably heard what happened to her… it seems Mikuni-sempai was responsible for her death."

"Oh? You know about that already?" I ask.

Koito nods. "I think it's because of my wish, but… I seem to know everything Oriko did. It's really quite horrible… did you know that she killed a whole group of magical girls who came here from Kazamino?"

"W-what!?" Kyouko gasps. "Don't tell me, that Lina chick and her gang?"

"Y-yeah…" Koito says.

"I knew about that," I say.

"And just a couple of days ago… there was a magical girl with a gun, and she killed her as well," Koito says. "She didn't even look at her… the girl called out to her, and she just rammed an orb through her heart without even looking…"

"That must have been Masumi Chihana," Mami says. "So she did die… how tragic…"

"And… she forced Yuma-chan to become a magical girl by leaving a spent grief seed near where Miss Sakura was staying," Koito says.

Kyouko gasps. "W-what!? Y-you're saying… she summoned that witch there on purpose!?"

Koito nods.

"Dammit… I shoulda done something about her sooner," Kyouko grumbles. "What a pain in the ass she was…"

"But I don't just know what she did," Koito says. "I'm privy to all her thoughts and reasoning as well, and… it's quite something. She believed that girl, Kaname Madoka, would become the worst witch ever seen… so she had to kill Madoka to guarantee that would never happen. It's terrible twisted logic, I know, but I can sort of understand it…"

"She was right about one thing though," I say. "Kriemhild Gretchen is a far worse witch than Walpurgisnacht. If she did appear… the entire planet would most likely be sucked into her labyrinth."

Mami gasps. "W-what!? How can such a powerful witch exist!?"

"Thanks to the accumulated karmic destiny of multiple timelines, where time has been turned back repeatedly for the sole purpose of saving a single girl," I say. "A different sort of tragedy, you could say. Originally Miss Kaname was a pretty average magical girl, but now… it seems like she's already off the charts…"

"You really expect us to believe that time can be turned back?" Kyouko retorts. "How ridiculous…"

Koito shakes her head. "No… Mikuni-sempai was certain of it too," she says. "Just from observing Miss Akemi… she deduced that Miss Akemi was not from this time flow."

I nod. "Yeah… if you watch her for long enough, it becomes obvious," I say. "Even Kyuubey would catch on eventually."

Suddenly an announcement blares out over the loudspeaker.

"Attention all students and teachers! Due to the incident, school will be closed for the day! Take time to mourn for those who have passed on, and be ready to resume your studies tomorrow!"

As that's playing, Inui rounds the corner and calls my name.

"Ashley-nee! You're okay!"

She runs up to me and hugs me. It looks like she's already powered down. The quartet is with her too.

"Hello Inui-chan, everyone."

Mami bows a little. "Thank you all for your help in this emergency," she says. "If it wasn't for you, I am certain many more people would have perished."

"Oh, it was nothing," Komachi says. "Fighting witches is our job, after all!"

"So… you're all magical girls too?" Koito asks.

They all blink at her, apparently noticing her for the first time.

"Oh? Are you a magical girl?" Elise asks.

"Y-yeah, since just now…" Koito says.

"I should add, everyone here also knows the dark secrets of magical girls," I say. "At least… I'm pretty sure Miss Asako does? Based on how she said Kyuubey deceived her earlier…"

"Um… you mean how magical girls turn into witches?" Koito says. "Yeah… that was also in Mikuni-sempai's memories that I inherited."

There's another round of introductions, and then Mami invites everyone over for tea and cake, so we head over her house and dig into some delicious cake. That's where I drop a bombshell.

"By the way… we mentioned Walpurgisnacht earlier, but… she's going to show up here in Mitakihara at the end of April."

Mami looks at me in surprise.

"How is it that you know this, Miss Taylor?" she asks. "I have not heard any news of that…"

"Because she has appeared every time," I say.

"What Ashley-nee is trying to say is, Miss Akemi isn't the only one who went back in time," Inui explains. "She's fought against Walpurgisnacht several times already."

"Well… I'm still not sold on the time travel aspect," Mami says. "But it is quite plausible that Walpurgisnacht could appear in the city, so I suppose we should prepare. Miss Asako… do you wish to become my disciple?"

Koito nods. "Y-yes, if you'll have me!"

"Aw, geez," Kyouko says. "I guess if it's to bring down a super-powerful witch, I can work with Mami for a bit."

"All of us will definitely be there when Walpurgisnacht shows," Elise says. "There's not much point working together for regular witch hunts, but for a huge witch like that…"

"Allow me to contradict what Elise just said," I say. "I will not be joining the fight against Walpurgisnacht this time."

There are several gasps as everyone looks at me.

"W-why not?" Claire asks.

"Because with Miss Kaname dead, Miss Akemi will also have no reason to participate," I reply. "And if I were to fight against the witch, I would miss my chance to join Miss Akemi when she turns back time again."

"Is that so…" Komachi says. "You'll be missed, though, for sure…"

"However… I'm willing to lend… or I guess, give someone my sword for the battle," I add. "The sword was specifically designed to counter Walpurgisnacht's weak points, so it should be a valuable asset in the fight."

"Even that is plenty," Mami says. "I cannot ask you to risk your life for our sakes."

"Also… I suggest you ask Kohaku Koharu to help as well," I say. "I'm not sure if she'll be willing, but she did join us last time, so there's a possibility."

Mami nods. "I will take that under consideration."

"And by the way… please don't lose hope, Miss Tomoe," I say. "Even if you may turn into a witch one day… it's not as though all is lost, right?"

"I can't say I'm okay with that," Mami admits. "But I have a junior now, and I can't let her down, now can I, Miss Asako?"

"Uh… s-sure," Koito says.

"Actually, there's more hope than you might think," I say. "There's things even Kyuubey doesn't understand about the magical girl system… not that I'm saying I understand them either, but there's a theoretical way to avoid becoming a witch. That said… the method requires the convergence of three very unusual magical powers, so the chance of it actually coming fruition in your lifetime is slim, but…"

"If the chance is so slim, why even bring it up?" Mami asks.

"Because the chance exists," I say. "There are three girls in this world who could make a wish and obtain the needed powers to pull it off, and they are even close friends… but if they don't make those wishes, then I have no idea how much longer it might be until such an opportunity arises. That said, there's something else that might be a bit more obtainable."

"And what might that be?" Kyouko asks.

"Wraiths," I say.

"The hell's that?"

"They're a type of monster, different from a witch, that spawns naturally in areas where humans are abundant," I explain.

"Hold it right there," Kyouko says. "If they spawn naturally, why have I never seen one, huh?"

"That would be because of witches," I reply. "Witches absorb the energies that allow wraiths to spawn. In other words, as long as there are witches in an area, you will not be able to encounter wraiths."

"It's not like we can just exterminate all the witches though, ain't that right?" Kyouko says. "Even driving them out of the city would be a no-go. We need grief seeds to survive, after all."

"That's the thing!" Komachi speaks up. "Wraiths drop grief seeds too! You can get way more grief seeds from fighting wraiths than you can get from fighting witches!"

Kyouko's eyes go wide, and I nod.

"Yes, a witch usually only drops a single grief seed, and familiars don't even drop any," I say. "But a single wraith drops multiple grief cubes."

"That… that sounds too good to be true," Kyouko says. "You sure these things exist?"

"I'm quite certain," I reply. "If you don't believe me, there's a woman in Asunaro who can back up my story and even show you a wraith's grief seed – it looks completely different from a witch's grief seed, which is why I call them grief cubes instead, to distinguish them."

"The tricky part would be keeping the witches out of the city," Mami muses. "But if we could come up with a way to do that…"

"Then you'd be able to easily harvest as many grief seeds as you need," I say. "Assuming they spawn frequently enough, but I have no reason to think that would be an issue. The only other problem is dealing with Kyuubey… if you actually pulled that off, you can bet it would try to do something to stop you… probably drag you into a magical girl war or something."

"Yuma doesn't think a war is a good idea," Yuma says. "Yuma thinks magical girls should all get along…"

"You got that right," I say with a grin. "But unfortunately, Kyuubey doesn't share our way of thinking. Its only concern is to make as many witches as possible in order to gather as much energy as possible."

"So, about that sword," Kyouko says. "Who's gonna take it? What weapons do you lot use? I'm a spear gal through and through."

"Yuma uses a cute kitty hammer!" Yuma shouts.

"I don't really use a weapon," Elise says. "But I do have a staff that I could whack someone with if I had to."

"My weapon is a mace," Claire says.

"And I use a naginata," Komachi says.

"I'm not sure if it counts as a weapon, but all I have is my harp," Hiyori says.

"I've got a cute wand," Inui says. "I can whack people with it, or attach a trail of fire and use it as a whip."

"Most of you probably already know this, but I use muskets," Mami says.

"I guess I don't really need to say, since I'm the one offering the sword," I say. "My original weapon is actually the teddy bear though."

"I'm not sure what my weapon is," Koito says. "I think I'd have to transform to find out… but Miss Taylor didn't want to risk me reading her mind…"

"Eh? You can read minds?" Elise asks.

"Y-yeah… but only when I'm transformed, apparently," she says. "And I think I need to be looking at the person?"

"If that's the case, why don't you just transform and keep your eyes closed?" Komachi suggests.

"That seems kinda silly," Koito says. "Since the reason for transforming is to see my weapon…"

"Then, look away from us and transform," Hiyori says.

"Alright," Koito says.

She gets to her feet and heads over to look out the window. Then she transforms into her magical girl form, a pure white dress and cap with a feathery cape and headdress. In one hand she grips a compass, the tool used for drawing perfect circles. She holds it by the handle, just below where the two legs separate, and stares at it, confused. Although it's undeniably a compass, the spike on the one leg is a good three feet in length, so it would certainly serve as a spear in a pinch. The other leg doesn't seem equipped to hold a pencil, but she did mention feathers earlier, so perhaps a quill could fit?

"What even is this…?" she asks.

"Even if you don't have a name for it, you should know how to use it," Mami says.

"Yeah… of course I can stab things with it, but also…"

She takes a step back from the window, reversing the compass and planting the spike into the wooden floorboards. A feather spawns, sticking itself into the other leg as she separates them and draws an arc on the floor. However, instead of a physical line drawn on the floorboards, a shimmering transparent wall springs up wherever the quill tip touches the floor. Koito banishes her weapon, pressing a hand to the wall and blinking in surprise as it passes through… then she steps right through it, turning with eyes closed to press a hand up against it.

"So, it's a one-way barrier," Mami says. "Objects can leave, but they cannot enter."

Koito powers down and opens her eyes, dispelling the barrier as she returns to join us.

"It would seem that way," she says. "Any idea what the weapon is called?"

"It's called a compass," I say. "I know, there's a compass used to determine which way is north, but this is completely different… I don't really know why both things have the same name. It's used to draw perfect circles."

"That doesn't sound like a weapon…"

"Nor does a giant teddy bear, but that's what I got as my weapon," I shrug.

"And most people wouldn't consider a harp to be a weapon either," Hiyori adds.

"I see…"

"Well, anyway, discuss it amongst yourselves and decide who'd be the best person to use my sword," I say. "You can let me know on the day, and I'll hand it over."

"Understood," Mami says.

We end up spending the entire day at her place, playing games, eating sweets, and just generally chatting.

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.

Asako Koito
浅古小糸

Age: 13
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Purple
Origins: Mitakihara, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Purple feather
Soul Gem: Lavender oval soul gem on her tie
Element: Light
Weapon: Pair of compasses
Powers: Mind-reading, summoning and manipulating feathers, barriers
Wish: "I want to understand why Mikuni-sempai would do something so horrible."

Speed: 3
Magical Stamina: 4
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 5
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Notes

There exists only a single, low-res image of Koito's weapon. Even on the physical page, it's blurry and difficult to make out. The common consensus appears to be that it's some sort of firearm, but I can't see any way to actually parse it as a gun, so I've gone with my own interpretation. Even this is a bit of a stretch, but I think it fits better than the gun theory.

I spotted a plothole in chapter 46, where I wrote that Komaki's soul gem was shattered. This isn't possible, since she's also the one who let Kyuubey know about her killer as she was dying. Thus, I altered that one sentence showing how she died in chapter 46.