There's still a week and a half to go after Oriko's terrible attack on Madoka's school, and I make use of the time to check up on Matsuri and her friends about once a day. It seems that the Hohzuki crew has split into two teams of three, with Matsuri defecting to join Suzune and Honoka, though the two teams remain mostly on friendly terms with each other, barring some animosity between Arisa and Suzune. With Suzune straying from the path that Kagari had set her on, it's hardly a surprise when that angry girl finally shows herself.
April twenty-second. Matsuri, Suzune, and Honoka leave school together and head out on a witch hunt. They track a witch into an alleyway, but before they can step into the portal, Kagari hops down from the roof to confront them.
"The hell's going on here?" she asks. "Why are you three getting all buddy-buddy all of a sudden?"
"Onee-chan… so you've decided to show yourself," Matsuri says, glaring at her. "Tell me… why did you do it?"
Kagari blinks. "Ohh, I get it… so that's how it is," she says, glaring at Suzune. "First you steal Tsubaki from us, and now you even steal Matsuri!?"
"What are you talking about, onee-chan?" Matsuri asks. "No-one has stolen anyone!"
"But what I'd really like to know is… how the hell did you break the spell so easily?" Kagari asks. "It should've lasted another few weeks at least!"
"I had help," Matsuri replies. "Someone who already knew what you were up to, onee-chan. But you still haven't answered my question… why did you steal my memories away? Why did you force Suzune-chan to kill so many people?"
"There's no way you'd ever understand," Kagari retorts.
"Try me," Matsuri insists.
"Revenge," Kagari says.
Matsuri blinks. "H-huh? On… on who?"
"Who do you think!?" she shouts. "Who was it who stole Tsubaki away from us and then killed her!? How can you be friends with a murderer, huh!?"
"She's only a murderer because you forced it upon her!" Matsuri shouts back. "Suzune-chan didn't want to be a magical girl assassin! You put the idea in her head and made her do it! That makes you the murderer!"
"But she murdered Tsubaki long before that!" Kagari shouts.
"Tsubaki had turned into a witch!" Matsuri shouts. "She had no choice! She would've died if she didn't kill her!"
Kagari glares at them for a few seconds, then transforms.
"Since it's come to this… since all my plans have gone to pieces, I guess I'll just have to take my revenge personally," she says. "And I might as well kill the lot of you…"
Matsuri, Honoka, and Suzune transform too.
"I won't let you, onee-chan," she says. "I'll never let you steal away my precious memories ever again!"
"Ugh, I really, really hate you, Matsuri," Kagari says.
The ensuing battle goes much as it did in the previous timeline. At first, it seems like everyone is confused and unable to see Kagari's true position, but then Matsuri breaks out her detection magic and turns the tide of the battle. Before long, Kagari is beaten to the ground and deprived of her weapon. Suzune and Honoka both point their blades at her throat.
"Ugh," Kagari says. "You just had to ruin everything, didn't you, Matsuri?"
"The only one who ruined anything is you, onee-chan," Matsuri retorts.
"Well… there's still one last chance," Kagari sneers. "It's not over yet."
"You're still saying that even when you're cornered?" Honoka asks.
Kagari giggles. "It's simple," she says. "I can tamper with my own memories, too. If I just insert a sad story, I can turn into a witch at—"
Suddenly Suzune lunges, burying her blade between Kagari's eyes, and Matsuri gasps.
"S-suzune-chan, why'd you kill her!?" she asks. "I was trying to make up with her… how can I do that if she's dead!?
"It's not like that," Suzune says. "I just saved her life. This kind of head wound isn't enough to kill a magical girl… see, she's still transformed, too."
Suzune appears to be correct – not only is she still transformed, but it's clear she's even still breathing. Her body twitches, then goes limp as Suzune withdraws her blade. Matsuri hurries to her side to heal the wound, while Suzune leans in to tear the soul gem out from the butterfly on her chest. This seems to have the side-effect of forcibly cancelling Kagari's transformation, or perhaps Suzune simultaneously does some magic to cancel her transformation.
"W-what are you doing, Suzune-chan?" Matsuri asks.
"As a precaution, I'll hold onto her soul gem until she wakes up," Suzune says. "Honoka-chan… will you finish off the witch with me?"
"Y-yes… sure," Honoka says.
"What does it mean if you hold onto her soul gem, though?" Matsuri asks. "I know you already explained the hundred metre limit, but is there something else?"
"She won't be able to use her magic as easily if I'm holding onto it," Suzune replies. "I don't think we'll go out of range just fighting the witch though."
"I… I see," Matsuri says. "Alright… I'll stay here with onee-chan… you two go take out the witch."
So the two of them dive into the labyrinth, leaving the twins there in the alleyway. After a few minutes, Kagari opens her eyes and looks up at Matsuri.
"I really hate you," she says. "I hate you so, so much."
"I know, onee-chan," Matsuri says. "But I love you with all my heart."
"You're the biggest idiot I know!" Kagari says. "Always all goody-goody, nice to everyone, can do no wrong! I hate it!"
Matsuri giggles. "Well, isn't that ironic? Because you're the biggest idiot I know, Kagari. Putting together this whole elaborate plan just because you were jealous that Tsubaki paid attention to someone else? Trying to kill yourself when you failed? You should treasure yourself more, onee-chan… you may be an idiot, and argumentative, and vindictive, and an idiot, but I'd be really sad if you were gone."
"You said idiot twice, you idiot," Kagari retorts.
"Oh? I thought it was necessary to drive home how much of an idiot you were though?"
Kagari raises a hand, intending to backhand her in the face, but Matsuri easily dodges.
"Besides, that's a lie," Kagari says. "You weren't sad at all this past year since I made you forget me."
"That's not true," Matsuri says. "That sadness was there inside me, just hidden away."
Kagari doesn't respond, just turning her head to avoid Matsuri's gaze.
"Onee-chan… can't you give up on this stupid revenge?" Matsuri asks. "Just come back home… Papa may not remember you right now, but I'm sure, deep down, he misses you."
"I can't," Kagari retorts. "I'm going to turn into a witch and fulfill my promise to Kyuubey. It's too bad that I can't take the two of you with me, but at least my passing will tear you apart."
Matsuri gathers her sister up in a hug, starting her.
"W-what are you d-d-doing!?" Kagari gasps.
"You can't become a witch if you're happy, right?" Matsuri says. "So I'm going to do everything in my power to make you happy. Of course, that doesn't include abandoning Suzune-chan, though."
"Th-this is what I hate about you!" Kagari protests. "Y-you're always so… stupidly bright and optimistic! It gets on my nerves every minute I'm with you!"
Matsuri chuckles. "I'm a little sad that you think that way, onee-chan, but I'm happy you feel you can share your feelings with me now," she says. "You used to always play it cool and hide your feelings, right? I could tell you weren't being honest back then… just from your breathing and heartbeat. Ironic, isn't it? It's because I couldn't see that I could tell you were hurting inside."
"H-how the hell can you make even that into a good thing!?" Kagari gasps. "G-get… l-let go of me! I… I can't stand being around you any longer!"
But as much as she struggles, Kagari can't seem to escape from Matsuri's grasp.
"Tell you what," Matsuri says. "Do you really want to become a witch that badly?"
"W-well… it's not like I want to, but… I did promise," Kagari mutters.
Matsuri giggles. "That's so out-of-place, wanting to keep a promise to Kyuu-chan after all that you've done," she says. "Then, I want you to make a promise to me as well… promise me you won't turn into a witch before you graduate from high school. And promise me you'll live with me until then."
"Th-that's… that's too selfish!" Kagari gasps. "That's five whole years!"
"Promise me, or I'll tell Suzune-chan not to give your soul gem back," Matsuri says.
"Y-you… you little d-devil…!" Kagari says.
"Well?" Matsuri asks. "Will you promise, or will you spend the rest of your life as a corpse under my bed?"
"W-what the hell!?" Kagari gasps. "F-fine, fine, I promise, I promise!"
Matsuri sits back and beams at her.
"There! That wasn't so hard, was it?" she says. "I'm so excited! Ah, by the way, there's no way I could've ever stuffed you under the bed. That was just a bluff."
Kagari blinks. "W-why you conniving little vixen! H-how dare you trick me like that!?"
"Aww, that's mean," Matsuri says. "But… somehow, it's also kinda refreshing. I'm so glad to have you back, onee-chan!"
"You're the only one who feels that way," Kagari mutters darkly.
"You'll make Papa remember you too, right?" Matsuri says.
"Guess I have no choice," Kagari mutters.
"Yay!" Matsuri says, hugging her again. "I'm so happy we can live together again and go to school together again!"
"Gyah! Get off me!" Kagari protests.
"She's a tsundere…" Honoka says.
She and Suzune have at some point returned from the labyrinth with the witch's grief seed.
"A… what?" Suzune is confused by the term.
"Shut up, idiots!" Kagari shouts. "Your commentary is unwanted!"
"Definitely a tsundere," Honoka nods.
"…if you say so?" Suzune says.
"I said, shut the hell up!"
The day after the Hinata twins sort of reconciled, something unexpected happens. I find an email waiting for me when I wake up, and it's from Chiharu.
"Hi! Sorry to bother you, but we've decided to come to Mitakihara to check out that grave. If you'd like, we'd be happy to have you show us the way! I realize it's on super short notice though, so if you don't have time, that's fine – I'm sure Sunao-chan and I will be able to track it down on our own! Our train comes in around eight o'clock in the morning, so if you agree, we can meet at the station."
I think they must've caught the first bus of the morning and perhaps lucked out with their transfer onto the train, to be able to arrive so early. I honestly wasn't expecting to see them again in this timeline, either, so it's sort of a pleasant surprise. I send a quick response assuring them that I'll be there, then head down to breakfast.
"Ah, you're up, Ashley-nee," Inui says.
"Yeah… you're up unusually early, too," I say. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Inui says.
"I'm going out after breakfast," I say. "I suppose you'll be joining me?"
"Hmm… that sounds nice," Inui says. "But no… I think I'll pass this time."
I blink. "Huh… that's unusual," I say. "Are you sure everything's alright?"
"I already said I'm fine!" she says.
So I end up making my way to the train station on my own. I find a place to sit and wait around, and while I wait, I check up on a few people. Matsuri and Kagari are having breakfast with their father. Koito is out practicing her magic with Mami. Sayaka and Hitomi are attending a memorial for Madoka and the other students who got swallowed up by Latria's labyrinth. Strangely, there's no sign that Kyuubey has approached Sayaka at all. I would've thought losing Madoka would be reason enough for it to approach her, but I guess magical potential doesn't work in such an obvious way…
Eventually, I spot the Tokime trio exiting the train station, and they even have Kyuubey with them. Chiharu spots me first and waves, but it's Shizuka who gives the first greeting.
"Miss Ashley, it is nice to see you again!" Shizuka says.
"It feels like it's been forever!" Chiharu says.
"Charu's right, it does feel like a long time," Sunao says.
"But you are alone today?" Shizuka asks. "Where are all your friends?"
"Inui-chan… I'm not sure what's up with her," I say. "I invited her, but she turned me down for some reason. As for the quartet… the Hayashi sisters had already left the house by the time I woke up, so I've no idea where they got to. Probably out hunting witches."
"So, let us see this mysterious grave," Shizuka says.
"Right, it's this way," I say.
"Is that why you asked me to accompany you?" Kyuubey asks.
"Just wait and see, Lord Kyuubey," Shizuka says. "I don't want to spoil the surprise!"
"It's gonna be just as much of a surprise to us, silly," Chiharu says.
I lead them to the hill behind Mitakihara Middle School, and we climb up to the top, where I show them the grave. Chiharu reads out the witch runes inscribed on the gravestone, and they even shift the stone to peek inside, but of course there's nothing else there – I already took both the tablets and the grief cubes. So they respectfully put it back where it came from.
"Curious," Kyuubey says. "I can sense someone with very high magical potential in the vicinity."
The four of us exchange glances. We're clearly the only ones here.
"Who is it, Lord Kyuubey?" Shizuka asks.
"I am not certain," Kyuubey says. "But they are coming closer…"
"Is this the first time you've visited this hill, Kyuubey?" I ask.
"Of course not," Kyuubey says. "However, I do not come here very often."
That's when I see it, a barely visible outline of a young girl with short hair, phasing through the gravestone in front of us. I would've probably thought it was just my imagination if not for the reaction of the others.
"A ghost!" Chiharu gasps.
"So ghosts really do exist…" Sunao says.
"Oh my… so my guess was correct," Shizuka says.
Kyuubey looks at her. "What were you guessing?" it asks.
"I hardly think that's important," I say. "You're saying a ghost has magical potential? How is that possible?"
"I am not sure," Kyuubey says. "We have encountered these entities you refer to as ghosts every now and then, but this is the first time I have seen one with significant magical potential. As they are essentially disembodied coherent souls, it is normal for them to have a small degree of magical potential, but this level is abnormal."
It turns to the gravestone and addresses the ghost directly.
"Why don't you make a wish and become a magical girl?"
The ghost's response is barely audible, a whisper so soft that only a magical girl's acute hearing would be able to distinguish it from the ambient background noises.
"R-really… I… I can?"
"Yes," Kyuubey says. "Of course, if you make a wish, then you will have to fight witches. What do you say?"
Again, that barely audible voice wafts through the air.
"Th-then… I want to… open the Tokime time capsule."
"Is that the wish that will light up your soul gem?" Kyuubey asks.
"Y-yes… p-please…"
The process is a little different from usual. Kyuubey's appendages seem to gather up that indistinct form and compress it down into a soul gem. Once the soul gem has been formed, a body seems to grow out from it. She's quite short, even shorter than Hiyori or Inui, and her hair is jet black in a bob cut, but I suspect her physical age is closer to Ashley than to Inui, perhaps even a bit older. Her outfit is based on a kimono, a purple affair with gold trim, but it's modified for combat, ending just above the knees with the sleeves only reaching to the elbow. She has a flower in her hair that I don't recognize, a floppy purple thing. Her soul gem is set in the centre of the waist band, which means this is her magical girl form, and that interpretation is further supported by the slim spear she grips in one hand, with an ankh just below the spearhead. And strangely, her feet are bare, something I've never seen before in a magical girl, although she does have anklets of coloured beads on both feet. Her hands are also bare, which in my experience is unusual for a magical girl, though not unheard of – after all, Yui Tsuruno has bare hands, for example. Actually, come to think of it, Tsuruno almost has bare feet – she wears sandals.
The girl lands daintily on the ground, and in one swift movement, she impales Kyuubey with her spear, flicking its corpse away down the hill. Then, ignoring the gasps of shock from the Tokime trio, she bows low and introduces herself.
"Many thanks to you," she says. "I am Akatsuki no Youha, guardian of the time capsule. May I have the honour of learning your names?"
"Y-y-y-you just… you just k-killed Lord Kyuubey!?" Shizuka gasps. "H-h-how could you do that!?"
Youha straightens up and smiles.
"Never fear," she says. "It would take a lot more than that to kill the incubator."
I decide to keep the introductions rolling.
"I'm Ashley Taylor," I say. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Um… I'm Hiroe Chiharu," Chiharu says. "I really think you shouldn't've done that though…"
"It was a bit cruel," Sunao says. "Ah, I'm Toki Sunao."
Shizuka clears her throat. "R-right… I'm Tokime Shizuka," she says. "You mentioned earlier… something about a Tokime time capsule? But your surname is Akatsuki, not Tokime…?"
"Oh yeah, that's right," I say. "Weren't those two clans adversaries, though?"
"That's not true at all," Youha says. "At least, not in my time. Of course, there were always exceptions, and there were some in both families who were dissatisfied with the choice of leaders. But the Akatsuki family only took control on a mere technicality, really. It just so happened that the Akatsuki family head at the time was older than the Tokime family head. There were some in my family who later argued we should cut the Tokime off… I did my best to console them, but perhaps the true history got distorted by them after I died."
"So… just what is this time capsule?" Shizuka asks.
Youha's smile rapidly fades.
"Are you sure you wish to learn the deep truths of this world?" she asks. "Now that the time capsule has been opened, it is my duty to see it will never again be shut, so if needs be, you can wait until you are ready to face it."
"How do you plan to ensure that?" I ask. "After all, according to that letter, Kyuubey went to great lengths to bury whatever's in there."
Youha smiles again.
"Yes, I can understand your concern," she says. "But never fear… I already have a contingency plan in place. If the incubator tries its little tricks again, then I will have quite the surprise in store for it."
"Is this time capsule a physical object?" Shizuka asks.
Youha tilts her head, considering the answer.
"Not exactly," she says. "There is a physical portion, which should have been buried and sealed in the Tokime village after my death. It contains a few artifacts of our ancestors, as well as written records containing the most basic information. However, the true nature of the time capsule is the records engraved into my memories. It is not a regular human memory – that would be too unreliable. No, it is something more precise, a record that will not be changed by time and emotions. As the keeper of the record, my task is to share it with all who wish to know."
"Hmm… regardless of whether we choose to learn this information now, what do you plan to do from now on?" Sunao asks.
"I will meditate in preparation for my evolution," Youha says. "And then, once that is complete, I will embark on a journey around the world to share the truth with magical girls everywhere."
"Evolution?" I blink. "D-don't tell me… the soul gem will turn into an orb…?"
Youha shakes her head.
"Nay, the path of lust is right neither for my personality nor for my mission," she says. "If I were to attempt that evolution, nothing good would come of it. The evolution I aim for is greed."
"Could it be… is this a way to avoid turning into a devil… I mean, a witch?" Shizuka asks.
"Certainly, to my knowledge the evolutions are mutually exclusive, meaning that by awakening to lust or greed, for example, you would close off the path of grief," Youha says. "However, that is based entirely on theory and has never been tested, so I am not confident in that assertion. Therefore, if your goal is simply to avoid the path of grief, then I would recommend other measures instead."
"What would you recommend, then?" Shizuka asks.
"One measure is to simply assure an abundant supply of grief seeds," Youha says. "You could breed witches, for example. Oh, fear not, you need not sacrifice humans in order to breed witches. It takes longer, but familiars can absorb emotional energy without killing, and they will still eventually mature into a witch. All you would need is some means of containing them. Another option would be to eradicate witches, allowing spectres to spawn in their place. These monsters appear in groups and drop grief seeds in abundance."
"I've seen them right here on this hill," I nod. "Although I called them wraiths… I guess both words basically mean the same thing though."
"But all that does is make it less likely," Shizuka says. "Even if we have hundreds of grief seeds, there's still a chance to turn into a witch, right?"
"Yes, of course," Youha says. "Certainly there are additional measures that could be taken, but they are still entirely theoretical and have never been tested. For example, we have theorized that the very process of evolution itself may be interfered with, cancelling an attempted evolution and releasing the grief energy as a burst."
I blink. "You already thought up the doppel system hundreds of years ago…?"
"But the means of interference was never fully settled on," Youha finishes. "So more work would be needed to even attempt to put it into practice."
"So basically what you're saying is, there's probably a way, but more research is needed, is that accurate?" Shizuka asks.
"Yes, and I would be happy to share what I know to further that research."
Shizuka nods.
"Perhaps I will take you up on that later."
"Well… I'd love to chat about this in more detail," I say. "But maybe we should find a better place… and I bet you have a lot of questions yourself, considering how you've come from three hundred years ago."
"Indeed," Youha says.
She powers down, all her clothes disappearing entirely.
"Perhaps we could start with some clothing from your modern era," she suggests.
Fortunately, the trio came with suitcases packed for a multi-day stay, so Chiharu is able to dig out some clothes to lend her. We then head to the mall to buy some better-fitting clothing, including underwear. I let Ashley bubble out, startling the Tokime trio a little, and by the time noon has come and gone, Youha is equipped with a stylish wardrobe of five complete outfits. She is wearing one and has the rest stuffed into shopping bags.
We grab some burgers for lunch, and she marvels at the unusual flavours of modern cuisine. From there we spend most of the remainder of the day just talking about how times have changed since the Edo period.
As April comes to an end, I once more have the dreaded experience of waking up in a labyrinth. It's a dark expanse filled with colourful lights, a labyrinth that I recognize. I'm not the only one who's awake, either.
«Ashley, what's going on? Why's there a labyrinth here!?»
Komachi's voice sounds in my head as I look around. I seem to be in the central chamber, with the dog-like witch absently pawing at the ground as if to dig itself into a hole. I spot the witch runes spelling out her name, Uhrmann, which confirms my suspicion – it's Inui. In retrospect, I feel like I should've seen this coming. She's stuck to my side like glue this whole timeline, exuding her bubbly cheeriness, but perhaps that itself was a mask to hide her feelings behind, feelings which had started to leak out in the last week. I knew she'd been acting strange, but I'd had so much stuff to think about that I hadn't said anything.
«I'll explain later,» I say. «I seem to be in the witch's chamber, so I'll probably have to fight.»
«Okay, we'll be there as soon as possible!» Komachi responds.
I dodge as the witch tries to pounce on me, transforming and pulling out my sword. Uhrmann raises her head and howls, which seems to create a swarm of small tornadoes throughout the room. I dodge and weave amongst them, getting close to the witch's hind legs and managing to land a blow with my sword. Luck must be with me today, for Uhrmann suddenly turns away, the tornados dying off, and resumes pawing at the ground. The sword must have transmitted my charm effect for once.
I hop up onto Uhrmann's back and and stab her from above, and she rears up from the pain, forcing me to somersault backwards off of her. I summon Teddy Mk II as a foothold to propel me even higher, landing on the bizarre morass that passes as her head and planting my sword right in the thick of it. Then she flicks that head, sending me flying right up at the ceiling.
As I flip in midair to put my feet under me, Uhrmann returns to all fours and howls again, restoring those tornadoes. Unfortunately, one of them ends up right underneath me. I'm just about to resign myself to being flung back up into the air when a sonic blast tears the tornado apart. Komachi and Hiyori run up beneath me, and I land just behind them. Hiyori rips the strings off her harp, coiling them around the witch's legs, while Komachi jumps in to attack with her naginata. I follow suit, connecting with her so my charm can be transmitted via her weapon. With the witch no longer resisting, we rapidly carve her up until she sort of bursts, leaving just a grief seed behind.
The barrier collapses, and I snatch up the grief seed with a sigh.
"So… where'd the witch come from?" Komachi asks.
"It was Inui-chan," I say. "I didn't see it happen, but I've seen her turn into a witch before, so I know it was her."
"I thought so," Hiyori says. "Inui-chan never showed up, so I figured she had to be the witch…"
We seem to have ended up in my room together, and I check the time – around five-thirty in the morning.
"It's pretty early, so I guess we might as well get a bit more sleep," Komachi says.
"Good idea," I say.
As they leave the room and flop down on my bed, I suddenly realize that I never met Mary in this timeline. I wonder what happened to her? There's still a chance she shows up as I leave for the evacuation shelter though…
But that does not happen. Several hours later, five of us pile including the parents into the Hayashi car and head to the evacuation shelter. We head inside and look around.
"There you are!" Claire calls. "Over here!"
She's with Elise. We head over to meet them.
"What happened to Inui-chan?" Elise asks.
"I'm afraid she turned into a witch," I say.
"Oh wow… I never saw that one coming," Elise gasps.
"I did notice she seemed a little down lately," Hiyori says. "But she didn't seem to want to talk about it…"
Mami comes up to join us at that moment, accompanied by Koito.
"Good afternoon, Miss Taylor," she says.
"Hello, Miss Tomoe, Miss Asako," I reply. "Where are Miss Sakura and Yuma-chan?"
"I haven't seen them since the day before yesterday," Mami says. "But I'm sure they'll show up for the battle."
"Did you get Miss Kohaku's cooperation as well?" I ask.
"Indeed, she was more than willing to join," Mami says.
"And… did you speak to anyone else?"
Mami tilts her head. "I'm not sure who you could mean…?"
"Maybe they decided to go back home then," I muse.
But just as I'm thinking that, a familiar voice calls me.
"Miss Taylor! Over here!"
I turn to see Chiharu waving.
"Ahh, there they are," I say. "Why don't you come too, and I can introduce you?"
"Is that girl also a magical girl?" Koito asks. "I've never seen her before…"
"Oh, they were in town?" Komachi says, startled.
"They're from out of town," I say. "She and her friends came here for an unrelated reason, and I guess they decided to stay when I said Walpurgisnacht would be here soon."
We head over to find Chiharu, Shizuka and Sunao all together. They get to their feet, and Shizuka bows.
"I don't believe we have met," Shizuka says. "I am Tokime Shizuka."
Koito blinks. "Did you say… Tokime? That's a pretty famous name… there were still some of you around? Oh, um, I'm Asako Koito… nice to meet you!"
"I am Tomoe Mami."
"My name is Toki Sunao."
"The name's Hiroe Chiharu!"
"It's true, there aren't many remaining who bear the Tokime name," Shizuka says. "Although there are many who descend from our clan, the main family has been hidden away in a remote village for hundreds of years. It is no wonder that you thought the name to be dead."
"But that means you're directly descended from the ones who discovered the island, which is pretty awesome!" Koito says.
"Apparently, it's even more awesome than you're thinking!" Chiharu says. "Her ancestor wished the island into existence!"
"Y-you're kidding!" Koito gasps.
"Not at all!" Chiharu says. "We spoke to someone who actually saw it happen!"
"But someone like that would have to be hundreds, even thousands of years old," Mami says. "How is that possible?"
"Ah, so you met with Pernelle Flamel, then," I say. "She is a magical girl, Miss Tomoe, and she has amassed enough grief seeds that she never needs to worry about turning into a witch. It turns out that things normal people die from just aren't usually an issue for magical girls, so with enough grief seeds, you can live essentially forever."
"That's amazing," Mami says. "I'm not sure if I'd want to live forever, but… it's enough to make me wonder if maybe this life is worth the risk of one day becoming a witch…"
"There you are, Ashley-chan," a new voice pipes up.
I turn to see Hijiri Kanna approaching.
"Ah, I was waiting for you, Kanna-chi," I say.
"So, there are more unfamiliar faces this time," Hijiri says. "I'm Hijiri Kanna, a friend of Ashley's."
"I am Tokime Shizuka," Shizuka says.
"Oh, the Tokime girl!" Hijiri says. "Pernelle mentioned you…"
"Ah? You know Lady Pernelle as well?" Shizuka asks.
"Yeah, I'm from Asunaro too," Hijiri says. "If you're Miss Tokime, then those two with you must be Toki Sunao and Hiroe Chiharu, right?"
"You got it!" Chiharu says.
"Yes, that's right," Sunao says.
"And my name is Asako Koito."
"I am Tomoe Mami," Mami says. "Will the four of you be joining us for the battle against Walpurgisnacht?"
"Of course!" Shizuka says. "It is our duty to defeat that devil… I mean, that witch for the sake of our country!"
"I'm sorry, but I won't be joining you," Hijiri says. "I will be heading back in time with Miss Taylor and Miss Akemi."
"Is that so… well then, I wish the three of you luck," Mami says.
Chiharu blinks. "Y-you can't be serious… you can go back in time!?"
"That is Miss Akemi's power, yes," I say. "I've already joined her three times, and Kanna-chi once. But it's fine if you don't believe me. Oh, right, did we decide who's going to use my sword?"
"Yes, I believe we agreed that Miss Asako would use it," Mami says.
"Huh? You're giving away your sword?" Chiharu asks. "Why?"
"It was forged to defeat Walpurgisnacht, after all," I say. "Since I won't be joining the battle, I should give it to someone who is. It should increase your chances a little."
"I guess that makes sense…" Chiharu says.
"By the way," I say. "I have a couple of questions for you three…"
"For us?" Shizuka asks.
"Yeah… when you met Pernelle, did you ask about that sword of yours?" I ask.
Shizuka nods. "As you suspected, she was the one who forged it," she says.
"And how's the barrier around your village? Is it still there or has it finally collapsed?"
"When we left, it was still there," Shizuka says. "We actually asked Lady Pernelle about that too, and she said it was likely stuck because there were overlapping structures in the real world. In other words… we would need to destroy the old shrine and bridge and pull out all the old foundations before it can fully collapse. Probably need to clear away some of the trees around the old shrine, too."
"I see… I was wondering if it could be something like that," I say. "But it's not unstable or anything, is it?"
"It seemed mostly stable when we left," Shizuka says.
"That's good to know."
"Was that all your questions?" Shizuka asks.
"One more… where did Miss Akatsuki go?"
"I am afraid I have not seen her for several days," Shizuka says.
"But didn't she go with you three?" I ask.
"Yes, she accompanied us for awhile, but then she parted from us, and I do not know where she went after that."
"Who is this Miss Akatsuki?" Koito asks. "Isn't that the rich family from Kamihama who used to live in the castle?"
"Yes, you're right," I say. "Akatsuki Youha is one of their ancestors, who lingered on as a ghost and just recently made a contract to become a magical girl."
"W-what!?" Elise gasps. "Ghosts can even make contracts!?"
"Wait, you're saying ghosts actually exist!?" Hiyori gasps.
"Well, I totally understand your surprise," I say. "I was pretty surprised too. But apparently… yes to both? Although according to Kyuubey, this is actually the first time a ghost has become a magical girl."
"Well, we should start heading out," Mami says. "Walpurgisnacht should be arriving soon, right?"
I nod. "Yes… it should enter Mitakihara not far from Miss Asako's school. That's why we waited at her school to intercept it the last two times."
"Then let's do the same this time," Mami says. "Is that okay, Miss Asako?"
"Y-yes!" Koito says. "It doesn't really matter if the school is ruined… there won't be anyone there right now, and they certainly wouldn't spare any expense to rebuild. It only took a bit more than a week to get back to school after the fire."
So we all head out into the hallway.
"A fire?" Chiharu asks.
"Yeah, there was a pretty bad fire a few months ago," Koito says. "I'm a first-year so I was still in elementary school then, but onee-san was caught up in it and even saved a few people…"
"That's actually when she become a magical girl," I add.
"Eh!? Really?" Koito gasps. "That's further back than I thought…"
"If your sister is a magical girl, why is she not here with us?" Shizuka asks.
"Um… she… she died," Koito says.
Shizuka blinks. "Ah! I'm sorry… I didn't know…"
Koito shakes her head. "There's no way you could've known," she says. "Don't worry about it."
"Would I be overstepping my bounds to ask how she died?" Shizuka asks.
Koito frowns a little. "She… she was murdered, by another magical girl," she says.
The Tokime trio all gasp in sync.
"Oh, that's awful!" Chiharu says. "Why would she do that!?"
"Not all magical girls are like you three," I say. "There are many who are selfish or even deranged. Conflicts between magical girls are actually quite common… seeing this many working together for a common cause is pretty unusual."
"Lord Kyuubey did mention that," Shizuka says. "But hearing the direct evidence of it is quite another thing…"
"In this case, her reason was really convoluted," Koito says. "There was one girl with amazing magical potential. If she had become a witch, it would have swallowed the entire planet. Killing my sister and many other magical girls was just part of an elaborate plan to distract Kyuubey so he wouldn't notice that girl."
Chiharu blinks. "That's so horrible…"
"But onee-chan, Yuma thinks that maybe what Oriko was trying to do was right after all."
I turn to look in surprise, for I hadn't even noticed Kyouko and Yuma sneak up on us. Actually, it looks like Kyouko is just waiting impatiently by the door leading outside, so I guess it was only Yuma who snuck up.
"Th-there's no way it's right to kill lots of people just for that!" Chiharu says indignantly.
Koito shrugs. "Honestly, it's really hard to say," she admits. "Knowing her wish and her motives… knowing she was the one who caused my sister's death… knowing how she deceived me… I still can't really say if she is an enemy I should hate or a saviour of this world."
"I don't see what's so difficult about this," Chiharu says. "She killed innocent people as a distraction!"
"Yeah… I don't condone her methods in any way," Koito says. "And yet… I think her heart was in the right place… and as tragic as these events were, she did prevent the birth of that witch."
"Then onee-chan, let's go save the city together!" Yuma says. "Kyouko-nee is getting impatient!"
Koito blinks. "Eh? Yeah, sure, that's why we're all here…"
"This city isn't as big as the whole world," Yuma says. "But Yuma thinks she can understand a little about how Oriko felt…"
Koito giggles a little. "Yeah… me too."
"So… if I'm getting this right, Oriko is the one who killed your sister?" Chiharu asks.
"It was Oriko's partner, Kirika," Koito says. "But close enough."
"By the way, Kanna-chi… are Yuuri-chan and Airi-chan not joining us this time?" I ask.
"They wanted to, but things came up," Hijiri says. "So it's just me this time."
"Alright, Miss Asako, please transform," I say.
I transform as well, turning to face her as I pull my sword out.
"E-eh!?" Koito gasps. "Ah… sure!"
She transforms, trying not to look at me, and I hand over the sword. She takes it, looking at it and doing a few experimental swings.
"I think this will work nicely," she says. "Thank you, Miss Taylor."
"Okay, now power down for a second," I say.
"Huh? O-okay…?"
Koito powers down, and the sword disappears.
"Ah! It's gone!"
I nod. "That's one of its features," I explain. "It can store itself in your soul gem when you're not using it. It automatically stores itself when you power down and pulls itself out when you power up, but you can also pull it out or stow it away without transforming, I think… or if you need it while not transformed, you can set it down and it won't be sucked into your soul gem when you power down."
Koito nods. "Okay, I've got it," she says.
"It's supposed to transmit your magic to the enemy when you hit them," I say. "Although, that feature probably won't work if your magic is of the light element. Unfortunately I have no way to tell someone's element, so I can't say if this ability will work at all. You should also be able to extend the blade to about twice its normal length."
"Oh wow, it's got quite a few cool features," Koito says.
"Um… I think the only other thing is that it's really sharp, so be careful with it," I say. "Oh, and… I haven't really used it, but I did give the sword a name – Kensei, written with the character for 'truth'."
Koito nods. "Kensei… the sword of truth, huh? It's not a bad name. I'll take really good care of it."
We all head out of the evacuation shelter, Kyouko grumbling about what took us so long, and then we transform and split up – the main group follows Koito towards Shirome Middle School, while Hijiri and I make for Homura's house.
"Where are we going, by the way?" Hijiri asks. "You're not going to join the battle this time?"
"No, because Miss Akemi has also chosen not to," I say. "The person she's trying to save has already died, and the only reason she hasn't already turned back time is because of the limitations of her power."
"I see," Hijiri says. "So does that mean you're going to reveal yourself to her this time?"
"Well, it's a bit late for that," I say. "She already found out that I exist. I'm going to have a chat with her, though. Ah, but… could I ask you to sit it out? Just in case things go bad, you know?"
Hijiri nods. "Sure, that's fine…"
"And… could you also hold onto my soul gem for me?" I add. "Just to be on the safe side."
Hijiri frowns a little. "Are… are you expecting her to get violent or something?"
"I'm really not sure," I say. "I'm probably just being paranoid, huh?"
"Well, it can't hurt, though," Hijiri says. "I'll hold onto your soul gem and make sure I don't miss it when she turns back time."
"Also… could you make me a sword?" I ask. "It doesn't even need to be a good one, just a quick thing I can use in case it's needed."
"S-sure," Hijiri nods.
We finally arrive in front of the door to Homura's house. I know it's the right one, because there's a name plate that says 'Akemi' right next to the door. Hijiri transforms and kneels down, drawing a sword up from the pavement and handing it to me. I pass over my soul gem ring to her, and she slips it on her finger along with her own ring. I pause to peek on how the battle is going against Walpurgisnacht.
Twelve magical girls stand on the roof of Shirome Middle school, gazing up at the huge witch looming above them. In one corner is the quartet – Elise, Claire, and the Hayashi sisters. In another corner are Mami, Koito, Kyouko, and Yuma, clustered less closely than the quartet. In the centre is the Tokime trio – Shizuka, Sunao, and Chiharu. And hanging back on her own is Koharu.
"Okay, we've gone over what everyone's powers are," Mami says. "Miss Komachi and Yuma-chan will need to focus on healing above all else. I believe Miss Sakura, Miss Kohaku, Miss Pierrot, and Miss Hiroe are best suited to focusing on keeping the familiars away from us. Do not waste your energy on the ones that just walk by – we can deal with them after the witch is dead, if necessary. Only attack the ones that attack us first."
Mami pauses, looking around at the assembled group.
"Miss Tokime, Miss Toki, and myself will need to pull out all the stops and target the witch directly," she continues. "According to Miss Taylor, the gears are her weak points, so aim there instead of at her body. Miss Branch and Miss Hiyori, you said you can produce a powerful attack if you work together, so you will target the witch as well. That leaves Miss Asako… I'm sorry I have to ask this of you, but could you try to focus on deflecting direct attacks on our position?"
Koito nods. "You want me to use my barriers, right? I can do that."
"You can also be the last line of defence against the familiars. However, if we manage to drag the witch to the ground, you will press the attack on it with Miss Taylor's sword."
Koito nods. "I understand."
"Does anyone have any questions or complaints?" Mami asks.
"No complaints from me," Koharu says. "It's pretty close to what I was thinking too."
They spring into action, starting with a bombardment of the witch using Mami's muskets, Sunao's and Claire's lightning, and Hiyori's sonic blasts. Before long, the familiars start to appear, and Elise summons her monsters while Kyouko splits herself into about ten copies to hold them off. Koharu provides ranged support while Chiharu summons ropes to bind them, making it easier for the others to pick them off.
When Walpurgisnacht throws a building at them, Koito jumps in front and deploys a multi-layered barrier. The barrier doesn't hold up against a building – of course thousands of tons of steel and concrete would overpower a flimsy barrier – but just the act of breaking through the barrier deflects the falling building's path enough that the bulk of the rubble doesn't land on any of the fighters, except for one of Kyouko's clones and most of Elise's monsters. A few stray chunks of concrete do get through, but Yuma and Komachi jump forward to heal any injuries as fast as they can.
Then Mami, Shizuka, and Sunao let loose their ultimate attacks, while Claire and Hiyori release a combined attack. Shizuka is using both her branched sword and the sword of Tokime.
"Tiro Finale!"
"Heaven's Ray!"
"Tomorrow's Commandment!"
"Thunderous Symphonic Blast!"
The combined attack strikes Walpurgisnacht, spreading cracks through the gear and even breaking off a rather large chunk, perhaps about one-fifth or one-sixth of the largest gear.
"We hurt it!" Shizuka says. "It may be even more powerful than the witch of our ancestors, but I think we can win this!"
Satisfied that the battle is going well, I grip Hijiri's makeshift sword behind my back with telekinesis, then reach for Homura's doorbell… but before I can press it, someone grabs me by the wrist. I turn, startled, as the culprit essentially grows from that hand. It's Akatsuki Youha, wearing one of the outfits Ashley picked out for her.
"Did you want something, Miss Akatsuki?" I ask.
"Huh? Is this the… former ghost you mentioned?" Hijiri asks.
"Yes, this is her," I say.
"I sensed that you wanted to see me, so I came," Youha says. "Was I wrong?"
"You weren't wrong, but… what do you mean you sensed it?" I ask.
"The power I gained from that wish is the ability to discern truth from lies," Youha says. "And apparently, the evolution has enhanced that power into an ability to sense truth in general."
I look at her hands, and note that there's no ring on either of them. However, unlike Mary, she does have a fingernail mark, a blue triangle interlocked with a red circle.
"You wanted to check something before you went back in time, right?" Youha continues. "And I am the only means to check it."
She smiles and reaches for a choker at her throat, which I don't recognize. It transforms into a purple octahedral gemstone about the size of my fist, with some gold metallic structure along the edges that seems to be solely decorative, in particular an interlocked circle and triangle at the top that matches the mark on her fingernail.
"After all, you mentioned the orb," Youha says. "Have you met someone who awakened to lust? Mary of Magdala, perhaps? Or is there another? The diamond is the sign of awakening to greed, just as the orb signifies awakening to lust."
"Thank you… I'm afraid I don't have much time for questions though," I say.
So she's even met Mary. I definitely have quite a few questions for her, but there's not much time before the timeline will be reset, so there's no point getting into a long conversation only to have to suddenly cut it short.
"Of course, you can question me in another timeline, anyway," Youha says. "But please be aware of this. Even if Kyuubey discovers me, I will only make the wish if someone of the Tokime bloodline is present."
"Ah… that's useful information," I say. "Thank you… but what would you have done if the Tokime bloodline had been wiped out?"
"It is not so easy to wipe out a bloodline," Youha says. "But if it had happened, then I may yet have been convinced to make a wish if presented with proof. Proof that the bloodline was no more, and proof that the person in front of me bore me no ill will."
With a smile, she vanishes once more.
I sigh, then reach out again to ring Homura's doorbell. When she doesn't answer within about thirty seconds, I scry on her to check if she's home… she is, just sitting on a couch waiting, wearing her school uniform for some reason. Since she shows no sign of moving to answer the door, I take a step back, then spin and kick the door down in a single blow, the momentum carrying me right through the doorway into her living room.
Startled, Homura shoots to her feet and transforms, reaching for her shield, but I'm having none of that – it's the entire reason I asked for a sword, after all. I whip the sword around and stab it right into the clockwork mechanisms of her shield, jamming it so she can't stop time. A few seconds later, I catch up with the sword, gripping the hilt with one hand to keep it in place and bowing. At the same time, I surreptitiously whip out my ribbon and use it to tie my foot to hers. I think it shouldn't matter, since Hijiri has my soul, but it can't hurt to be safe.
"Sorry for the overly dynamic entry, Miss Akemi," I say. "But I'd like to have a little chat with you."
"We have nothing to talk about," Homura retorts. "I have no reason to take you with me."
"Don't say that," I say. "I helped you out, didn't I? Do you think Miss Kaname would've been any better off if she didn't have the Teddy Drone?"
"Maybe she would've been less reckless," Homura retorts. "And then Oriko might've failed to kill her."
"I think you may be underestimating both her and Oriko," I say. "Oriko's predictions are pretty powerful… she clearly predicted that Madoka would head for the inner chamber, and I don't think it was because she had a Teddy Drone. It's just the kind of person Kaname Madoka is, don't you think?"
"Still, this timeline was just an anomaly," Homura says. "I don't need your help… you're unwanted. Leave me alone and just go."
I sigh.
"With that sort of attitude, you're never going to make any progress," I say. "You're saying it's an anomaly because you met Oriko and me this time, but we were both there in the previous timelines too, you know. You just never noticed because we didn't interact with you."
Suddenly Homura pulls out a pistol from the storage in her shield and points it at me.
"I said… leave!" she insists.
"I'm not going anywhere," I reply. "I came here to chat with you, after all."
"I already said we have nothing to talk about," Homura says coldly. "Leave now, or I will kill you."
"The hell is that?" I ask. "You'd kill someone just becau—"
That's when she pulls the trigger, planting a bullet right in the middle of my forehead. My thoughts become fuzzy, and I fall to my knees, overcome with the intense pain. I can sense rather than see a slight crack forming in my soul gem as my body tries to shut down… but I grit my teeth and try to focus on anything other than that pain. After a second or two that feels like an eternity, the pain suddenly shuts off entirely, and I gasp for breath.
Throughout that ordeal, it seems I've managed to retain my grip on the sword, so Homura still cannot stop time. I raise my head and glare at her, and her eyes widen.
"That wasn't very nice!" I shout. "Why don't you put that thing away and—"
But instead of letting me finish speaking, she fires several more shots, most of them inflicting wounds that would be fatal for an ordinary human. However, I don't feel a thing and just continue to glare at her.
"H-how… how are you… still alive!?" Homura gasps.
"What? I thought you already knew that this body is nothing but a puppet," I say.
"R-right… I did learn about that thanks to Miss Miki…" Her eyes dart to my hand, where the ring would normally be worn, and she narrows them. "Your soul gem… where is it?" Her eyes dart to my purse on the floor next to me. "In there?"
"Nope," I say. "Look, I'll dump everything out to prove it."
I grab the purse and telekinetically unzip and upend it, everything falling out onto the floor, including my smartphone.
"Then… where is it?" Homura asks.
"Did you think I'd be stupid enough to tell someone who's trying to kill me the location of my soul gem?" I retort.
"You make a good point," Homura says. "But I still have nothing to talk about with you."
I notice that the sand timer on Homura's shield has emptied while we've been having this confrontation. I guess that means this negotiation was a failure. I'll have to convince her after time has been turned back, then.
«Kanna-chi… are you ready?» I ask.
«Yes… I've already formed a connection,» she says.
«A physical connection, right? I don't see anything though…»
«It's an almost-invisible wire, so it's expected that you won't see it,» Hijiri says. «Don't worry – I'm sure it'll work.»
«Alright… then I'm going to let her turn back time now. I'll see you in the next timeline.»
I float my phone into the air to check the time… fourteen minutes past six. Close enough.
"Well, that's too bad, Miss Akemi," I say. "Perhaps you'll be more open to a conversation after you've failed a few more times… I'll be waiting."
I pull the sword free of her shield and step back, showing that we're not connected. The ribbon tying our feet together is smothered in the pool of my blood on the ground, and it's not likely she'd be able to spot it in the darkness.
"Don't bother," Homura says. "After all, I'm the only one who's going back."
With that, she spins her shield a half turn, and time turns back.
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.
Akatsuki Youha
暁葉葉
Age: 21 (at death)
Eye Colour: Amber
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Mitakihara, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Intertwined blue triangle and red circle
Soul Gem: Purple oval gem on her waistband
Element: Null
Weapon: Ankh spear
Powers: Discerning truth from falsehood
Wish: "I want to open the Tokime time capsule."
Affiliation: Tokime Clan
Speed: 2
Magical Stamina: 10
Offensive Power: 1
Defensive Power: 4
Initial Power Usability: 1
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)