I spend the next morning with Hijiri as well, going out on a witch hunt and then coming back and chatting a bit, even letting Ashley out since she's better at the trivial small talk. But I need to get back to Mitakihara in time to save Inui, so I catch a train about an hour or so before school ends. While on the train, I send an email to Komachi asking her to meet me near the hospital as soon as possible after school is out, adding that Claire's speed may be needed.
When I finally exit the train station in Mitakihara, I make straight for the hospital and find a perch on the roof to wait for the moment. There's no-one there when I arrive, but it's not that long before Sho and Inui show up in a hurry. Then Yu appears, blocking their path like she'd been chasing them but managed to get ahead of them. I hadn't seen this part of the event before, so I watch with some interest as Yu talks to Sho, calmly announcing her plans to murder him, and Inui tells him to run while she holds Yu off. I notice that Sho barely hesitates at the idea of abandoning Inui. The ensuing argument and fight goes pretty well exactly how I remember, and as soon as Yu runs off, I hop down into the alleyway to kneel by Inui's side. Startled, she blinks up at me.
"Ashley-chan… I'm sorry," she says. "I failed… I failed to protect Sho-kun… what am I going to do!?"
She props herself up, panting heavily and bleeding profusely. As before, her skin is deathly pale, and her soul gem approaching its limit, so I try to inject a little hope by echoing my words from the previous timeline.
"Hang in there, Inui-chan," I say. "Help will be here at any moment. We'll have you all healed up as good as new in no time."
Then Ashley bubbles out to add some hope of her own.
"Don't die on us, Inui-chan!" she says. "We haven't even properly chatted yet! I don't want to lose you!"
But then Kyuubey pops out from somewhere to rub salt into the wound.
"Itsumi Inui," it says. "You're in rough shape. Did you fight the Sleepwalking Spectre?"
Ashley shoots a glare at him.
"You, incubator… leave Inui-chan alone!" she shouts. "Get out of our sight!"
Kyuubey doesn't obey, however, It looks at her, tilting its head.
"Ashley Taylor… even you cannot do anything for Inui without a grief seed."
"Fuck off!" Ashley shouts. "We have a grief seed! We're getting to it, okay?"
Kyuubey turns back to face Inui.
"Even with your powers, you couldn't stop Yu, could you? She doesn't listen to common sense or reason. She even has an incredible ability to survive and persevere. If you weren't being targeted by her personally, you should have given up."
Then it looks at me.
"Well, I suppose you are lucky that Ashley Taylor happened to come by," it says. "Otherwise, you would be in deep trouble."
"I said—"
"If you are using a grief seed, you will certainly need me to dispose of it when you are done," Kyuubey cuts in.
Ashley blinks at it, then pulls out one of our grief seeds and holds it to Inui's soul gem, drawing out all the impurities. As Kyuubey predicted, the grief seed is left saturated, and Ashley reluctantly passes it over.
"Now go!" she says.
Kyuubey vanishes, just disappears without trace, and Inui blinks at us.
"Ashley-chan… I didn't know you cared so much," she mutters. "But I don't think even the grief seed will save me now… these wounds are… too much… you shouldn't've wasted one on me…"
"We won't let you die on us again, Inui-chan!" Ashley shouts. "Don't worry! Help is on the way! You'll be healed up as good as new in no time!"
"Even if that's true," Inui mutters. "What's the point, if I can't even be with Sho-kun?"
"Forget about that horrible guy," Ashley says. "I know, I know… you love him so much, he's hard to forget. But you deserve something more than him… you deserve someone who understands just how cute you are… someone who understands what a kind person you are! That man… he's just taking advantage of your kindness. He doesn't care for you one bit. He doesn't deserve a pure, sweet girl like you, Inui-chan!"
Inui blinks. "M-me, pure? D-do you really think so?"
"Yes! And I've known love myself, so I assure you… you can get over it. It takes time, and it's painful, but someday, you'll get over it and find someone else you can love, hopefully someone who'll love you back just as much. And even if you don't have Sho-kun… you still have us, Inui-chan! We'll be there for you when you need us!"
I hadn't planned to let Ashley take over here, but it seems like she's actually doing a better job than I would've. In particular, Ashley's talk of love, which seems to come from genuine experience, seems to have a significant impact on Inui. Someone like me, who has never had a boyfriend, never could've done that. That said… I had no idea she'd had a boyfriend until just now, so I guess she's still holding back a few secrets…
"Yeah… I understand," Inui says, tears running down her cheeks. "I understand what you're saying… but even so… Sho-kun was the only one I wanted! And now… now… he's gone, isn't he?"
"Yeah… I'm afraid so," Ashley says. "By now he's probably dead at Yu's hand, and even if he's not, it's too late for us to save him – we would've had to give up on you in order to save that guy, and between you and him, of course we'd have to choose you. And Yu's too strong, so… even if we'd gone after her, we probably wouldn't've been able to stop her once she found him, even if we tried. Frankly… you did an amazing job holding her back even just for a little bit… even if it wasn't enough in the end… but all that aside, I really get how you feel. A one-sided love that will never be returned… I know what that's like."
Maybe I jumped to conclusions a bit too quickly… maybe Ashley hasn't had a boyfriend. But it sounds like she was in love with someone at some point, which is still more than I can say for myself.
"Sho-kun was the only thing I had," Inui sobs. "He was… he was everything to me… and yet… and yet… I don't know what I'll do without him, but Ashley-chan… you've been so kind to me… even though you thought I was just a nuisance…"
"Yeah… you're right," Ashley says. "You really were just a nuisance to us at first, Inui-chan, but that perky nature of yours quickly grew on us, and before we knew it, we were actually looking forward to the times we fought witches with you…"
Inui giggles a little.
"You know, Ashley-chan… you seem kinda different today…"
"Huh? You noticed!?" Ashley gasps.
"You're not usually quite like this… I don't know how to describe it, but it's like you've got a dual personality or something?"
"Yeah… it's true," Ashley says. "I didn't think you'd notice so quickly…"
"Well, your alter ego isn't quite so, um… passionate?"
That's when Claire lands in the alleyway beside me, with Komachi on her back. Komachi hops off and transforms.
"I'm here!" she shouts. "Where's the patient? W-whoa! Oh my god, it's a wonder you're still alive!"
Komachi kneels beside her and begins to use her healing magic. Whereas last time I backed off to give Komachi space to work, Ashley instead grabs one of Inui's hands and grips it tightly in both of mine. Slowly but surely, Inui's wounds start to close up.
"So, Ashley-chan, how long have you had a dual personality?" Inui asks
"From before we met," Ashley says. "This is just the first time I've been able to come out in place of… of the other personality."
Komachi and Claire both look at me in surprise.
"Huh… is that true?" Claire asks. "You had a dual personality?"
"Why are you so surprised…" Ashley mutters.
Perhaps out of embarrassment, she sinks back into the depths of my mind, and I regain control.
"Yeah, I'm sorry for hiding it from you," I say. "The other personality that came out just now… she's been with me the whole time, but it's only recently she was able to come out so clearly."
"Huh… that's kinda cool," Claire says. "It must be like you're never alone, right? You always have your alter ego with you…"
"Yeah… yeah, I guess you could look at it that way, huh?"
"To be honest," Inui says. "Until just a minute ago, I thought that nothing really mattered anymore. Sho-kun was the only thing I had… no-one at school likes me, either… the girls I occasionally talk to at school always badmouth me behind my back, and even Dad doesn't really care about me, coming home drunk all the time and sometimes even beating me… so with Sho-kun gone, I had nothing left to live for… but you made me understand that I was wrong. Thanks to you, I realized that I have you now, Ashley-chan… in fact, when I thought I was going to die, my only regret was that I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to you… and once you showed up and gave me that pep talk, I realized… I don't even want to die. I want to survive, to live on, all just to get to know you better, Ashley-chan. I've never felt this way about anyone before… is… is this… love? But, that can't be… we're both girls… I love Sho-kun, so I can't be a lesbian, right?"
Oh boy. Is that how she actually felt about me? Was she hiding deeper feelings than I ever realized? Perhaps… is that why she ended up turning into a witch last time?
"You could be bi," Claire points out. "It's actually pretty common from what I've heard."
"Um… to be honest… I don't think I could return that kind of feeling," I say. "Although, I do like you very much, so I'm definitely open to getting to know you better. Just… I'm not sure if I can like you in that way."
Ashley decides to take this moment to seize control again.
"I just wanna add that although she said that, I'm not sure the same is true for me… but we can at least agree on liking you very much, Inui-chan… so let's just work things out slowly!"
Then she sinks back into the depths of my mind.
"Yeah, I'm not even sure if that's what I want in the first place," Inui says. "As long as we're together, we can work things out, right? Come to think of it though… you're an exchange student, aren't you? I don't know what I'll do when you finally return home…"
"Well… you could always come with us," I suggest.
"But I don't have a passport," Inui says. "And I'd need Dad's approval to get one…"
"All we have to do is get his approval, right?"
"That's not gonna be as easy as you're imagining," Inui says.
"No, I'm sure it's not," I say. "But I bet if we could talk to him when he's not drunk… it's worth a try, at least. And if he still refuses… perhaps we could convince him with magic."
"Hmm… well, I suppose it'll be awhile before we have to decide, right? Inui says.
"Yeah, my exchange period lasts until the summer holidays," I say. "And we'll probably stay until the end of the summer holidays, so basically… we don't need to decide until August."
"Well then… let's spend all our time together until then," Inui says.
"Um… I think I'd prefer to be alone every now and then, though. But we certainly don't mind spending lots of time with you."
"Okay, that's fine," Inui says.
"Whew!" Komachi gasps, finally finishing the healing. "Okay… that should do it, I think. That was a lot of work… how the hell'd you get so many wounds?"
"Ah… it was the Sleepwalking Spectre," Inui says.
Komachi gasps. "Oh god, not her again! Is she attacking magical girls too now?"
"No, I was just trying to protect one of her targets," Inui says.
"Komachi-chan, how's your soul gem?" I ask.
Komachi looks at it and blinks. "W-whoa, looks like I used quite a bit of magic… but don't worry, I've got a grief seed here somewhere."
She pulls one out and uses it, purifying her soul gem. There's still another use or two left in that seed, too, so she puts it away again.
"How about you, Claire-chan?" I ask.
"I didn't use that much magic," Claire says. "I'm okay."
"Alright… and where's Elise?"
"I asked her to meet Hiyori for me," Komachi says. "Since I assumed you had a reason for requesting me in particular."
"Did Kyuubey tell you guys about Akemi Homura?" I ask.
"No… he never mentioned her," Komachi says.
"Huh… why would it warn me but not you?" I wonder.
Perhaps it warned me specifically because it detected my disappearance early in the previous timeline? Or… did it actually have proof that Akemi Homura did something to me? Maybe I should question it a bit…
Anyway, at this point, I have a decision to make. It shouldn't be a difficult decision – right here, right now, I'm in a position to save a life, so of course I should do it, right? But I can't get my mind off the consequences that could come to pass if Nagisa survives. How would Homura react when Charlotte never shows? Would she be able to trace it back to me? What would she do if she found out? Would she be pleased, because Mami survives, or would she be angry because her predictions were thrown off?
When it gets right down to it… I think I'm scared. That feeling of deja vu, like I was about to be attacked… seeing Homura casually enter my room… and the knowledge that I mysteriously vanished in so many previous timelines… all that seems to add up to murderous intent on her part, right? I can't think of any other interpretation, and so, I'm scared. She knows she missed me this time, so if something goes out of whack that she can't attribute to Kyuubey, then what will she do? Saving Inui is one thing – Homura couldn't know that she or Uhrmann ever existed. But Charlotte is another story. If I interfere with something that Homura knows about, I'm seriously scared of what she'll do.
Should I just do it, consequences be damned? Maybe I can take countermeasures against her if she decides to kill me? But it's hard to take countermeasures against someone who can stop time. I can think of one or two things that might work, although there's no guarantee they'd work a second time, so it may be better to keep them in reserve. And if I die in this timeline, it'll be wasted, and if that happens… what if she reaches the end before I can notice again, and Madoka wishes to become a god? Basically, I can't let this opportunity to rejoin the flow of events get away.
I want to save Nagisa… I really do… but not at the expense of my own life. I'm just not sure if saving her would spell death for me. I don't even fully understand why Homura would have it out for me, to be honest. After all, I helped Madoka last time, right? But then at the end, she shot me.
So, should I save Nagisa and deal with the consequences? Or should I play it safe and let her die? It's not a foregone conclusion that Homura would kill me… maybe she wouldn't. But the possibility definitely exists. On the other hand, it still exists even if I don't save Nagisa…
"Is something wrong, Ashley-chan?" Komachi asks. "You almost look like you're in pain…?"
"Not exactly," I say. "I just can't decide…"
Ah, I blurted that out…
"What can't you decide?" Komachi asks.
Come to think of it, I don't need to decide right this minute. There's probably at least half an hour before Nagisa dies, maybe even an hour or two if I'm lucky.
"Well… that's not important right now," I say. "Inui-chan… why don't you come and live with us?" I glance at Komachi. "Only if it's okay with your mother, of course."
Komachi nods. "I think she'd be fine with it, but I should ask first. Oh, but you'll probably have to share a bed, since we have only the one guest room."
"That's alright," I say. "Sharing a bed's not really a big deal. And starting now, we can upgrade our witch-hunting partnership from part-time to full-time."
Inui blinks. "So you really did think of me as a partner," she says. "That makes me really happy, Ashley-chan… or actually… can I call you Ashley-nee instead?"
"As long as you use my given name, I don't really care what honorific you attach," I say. "I'm also fine with no honorifics."
Inui blinks. "Are… are you sure?"
"Yeah… if that's what you want."
"I… I see… I'll think about it, but for now… Ashley-nee it is," Inui says.
While we're chatting, it seems like Komachi is calling her mother about my request, and just as Inui settles on how she'll address me for now, Komachi forms a circle with her thumb and forefinger, indicating that it's okay for Inui to stay with us.
"So… would you like to go home to fetch your things, Inui-chan?" I ask.
Inui nods. "Yeah… there are some things I'd miss," she says. "Let's go."
So, just like in the previous timeline, we head home to collect her stuff, and she even writes a note like before. We don't run into her father this time, though. Once we've left the apartment building, I try scrying on Nagisa… but it seems like my decision to postpone the decision has ended up sealing her fate. She's not dead yet, but she's already outside the hospital room, in a grief spiral, so it's no longer possible to reach her in time.
"Ashley-nee… are you okay?" Inui asks.
"No… no I'm not," I mutter. "I'm not okay at all…"
Suddenly she hugs me, startling me out of my thoughts.
"Then let me cheer you up, Ashley-nee!" Inui says. "After all, you saved me earlier, so now it's my turn!"
"Inui-chan…"
I tentatively wrap my arms around her, and we stand there in silence for a minute or two. When we finally separate, I realize that tears had leaked out without me noticing. I quickly wipe them away, hoping Inui didn't notice. She giggles a bit.
"Let's go home, Ashley-nee!"
The next morning, I'm woken by Komachi knocking on the door.
"Huh? What's going on?" I ask, sitting up.
"Hmm? Ashley-nee?" Inui murmurs, also sitting up next to me.
"Um, Ashley-chan, can you get dressed and come down right away?" Komachi says.
"Uhh… sure," I say.
I get up, letting Ashley choose my clothes apart from putting my foot down on the mismatched socks, and once I'm dressed, I open the door. Komachi seems a little panicked.
"Um… what's going on?" I ask.
"So, this might seem like a strange question, Ashley-chan, but… do you know any nuns?"
"No, I can't say I do…"
"Because, um… there's one downstairs," Komachi says. "We can't understand a word she's saying – it's not Japanese and not English either – but she did mention your name, so Mom invited her in…"
Komachi leads me downstairs, and Inui, also fully-dressed now, follows me. Sure enough, just as Komachi had said, there is a nun sitting gracefully in the living room. And by nun, I don't just mean the sort of vaguely nun-like character that shows up in anime now and then, often with a shorter skirt or their hair exposed. No, this is an actual nun, covered in head to toe by a habit, her headdress not letting more than a few stray strands of hair out. I sort of gape at her, and she turns to look at me.
"Good morning," she says in German. "Are you Ashley Taylor?"
Oh! German… does that mean this is Hilda? I didn't expect her to be a nun though…
"Ah!" I gasp, responding in the same language. "Yes… yes, I'm Ashley Taylor."
"S-so you understand this language, Ashley-chan?" Komachi asks.
"Yeah, it's German," I say in Japanese.
"Wow, you know a lot of languages…"
"In that case, I'll leave the two of you together," Mrs Hayashi says.
She gets up and leaves the room, and I step in and take a seat across from the nun.
"So," I say in German. "You asked for me specifically, right?"
"Yes, I have heard about you from Frau Pernelle," she replies. "First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Hildegard von Bingen, but you may call me Hilda."
I blink. I should've known the Hilda that Pernelle was talking about would also be some famous person, but I never expected this… I may not be much of a religious person, but that particular name is one I've heard before. She's well-known as a mystic and early scientist, making her similar to Pernelle in some ways. She's also known for her songs, one of the most prolific composers of her time, long before Mozart and Beethoven. I've never actually heard any of her songs, mind you.
"Seriously? You're really that Saint Hildegard!?"
"Well, I've never once thought of myself as a saint," she replies. "But it's true that the Catholic Church canonized me as one long after I faked my death."
"You faked your death… ah, but you didn't come here to talk about yourself, did you?" I ask. "Um… you mentioned Pernelle, so you must be same the Hilda she mentioned, right?"
"Indeed," she says. "These days, most people call me Hilda. I am here because I sensed something truly alarming, unlike anything I have encountered before. Let me first explain the sequence of events that brought me to your doorstep. Starting at six minutes past ten on Tuesday evening, I have had frequent flashes of deja vu. As the hour progressed, they only got stronger and stronger. At around eleven fifteen, I concluded that there must be more at stake than just a simple case of deja vu, so I gathered up a list of people I knew who might have some inkling, and sent them a generic email asking their opinion. Frau Pernelle responded almost immediately, which was quite a surprise since I have only met her once, nearly a century ago. Her response was startling, as she claimed that a magical girl somewhere has been turning back time. Such a selfish action is worthy of concern, so I decided to pay a visit to that magical girl."
"Tuesday evening in Germany… would be Wednesday morning over here, so that seems to align with the beginning of the time loop," I muse.
"So it is true?" Hilda says. "Time has been turned back?"
"Yes… and what's more, it's happened over a hundred times," I say. "Although I don't remember every one of those myself. And apparently this isn't the first time you've come to check on it, although it is the first time we've met."
"I see," Hilda says. "But I cannot sit back and watch as someone selfishly reverses history over and over again. Are you the person who turns back time?"
I shake my head. "No… it's someone else."
"Then take me to her," Hilda says. "I will give her a talking to."
"Um… I don't think I'd recommend that," I say. "She's a little unstable at the moment…"
Hilda frowns. "All the more reason that she should be dealt with, no?"
"Well… you're not wrong," I admit. "It's just… kind of a delicate matter? She has the power to stop time, you see. Furthermore, she's shown she's willing to kill people who get in her way. However, I'm trying to resolve it and get through to her, so I'd like to ask you to trust me on this."
"You expect me to believe that you have things under control?" Hilda asks dubiously. "From what you've said, it sounds like you're at a heavy disadvantage… although, I have to admit that the power to stop time is certainly something to fear in the wrong hands."
She sighs, tilting her head a little and tucking in a stray strand of blonde hair that has escaped the wimple encircling her face.
"But what exactly is the purpose of turning back time over and over again?" Hilda asks.
"There's a person she wants to save," I say. "And there's a witch that must be defeated in order to save that person. Defeating the witch will also save many, many more people in the future. So even though her underlying reason is selfish, I think the cycle is worthwhile… although it seems she hasn't made much progress even with around a hundred attempts."
"What kind of witch could you be talking about…?"
"I'm talking about Walpurgisnacht. Defeating her is also a major part of my reason for repeatedly going back in time."
"Ah… the current disaster class witch," Hilda says, nodding.
"She's not the first of her kind, right?"
"I have heard of others," Hilda says. "But they predate me, so I cannot give any details. You should speak to Mary or Scheherazade if you wish to learn more. They are both older than Christianity."
"I don't suppose you have any idea how I could meet Scheherazade?"
"I'm afraid not," Hilda says. "She appears when you least expect it, so you must seize the moment when it arrives. I have so far met her seven times, and none of those were foreseen nor planned."
"That's too bad… I really want to have a chat with her."
"If nothing else can summon Scheherazade, I am almost certain that Walpurgis's defeat will," Hilda says. "It is certainly an important enough event for her to appear."
"I see… so I need to defeat Walpurgisnacht before I can meet Scheherazade," I say. "I guess that makes sense."
"So, you're planning to defeat Walpurgis," Hilda says. "Do you think you can do it? From what I've heard, the last two like her were defeated by the so-called Holy Trinity of magical girls… so it seems unlikely that one girl like yourself, or even a small team of average magical girls, could do much against her."
"I get your concerns," I say. "I'm gathering all the advantages I can think of, and as many magical girls as I can find who are willing to help. It'll probably be a few more timelines before I can succeed, though… but I'm confident that when the time comes, I can pull it off. Perhaps I can even count on your support?"
"Hmm, if you want my support… we shall see when the time comes."
"By the way… you mentioned the Holy Trinity earlier. Can you tell me anything about them?"
"Very little," Hilda says. "But I can confirm that they are real people. Nanabuluku saved me from a witch when I was six years old… all I really remember was a big, kindly black woman who was all smiles. I met Chalciuhtlicue by chance when visiting Mexico in the seventeenth century, but as I represented the faith of the conquerors who had invaded her people, I was met with open hostility, and the encounter did not last long."
"Hmm… but that means you have some idea of their powers, doesn't it?"
"Unfortunately, I do not remember Nanabuluku clearly enough to say, and with Chalciuhtlicue I sparred only with words," Hilda says.
"I see… and that means Chalciuhtlicue was still alive in the seventeenth century, and Nanabuluku was still alive in um…"
"The eleventh century," Hilda supplies.
"Ah! So you're even older than Pernelle, huh?"
"Yes, that's correct," Hilda says. "But to get back on topic… if I am to understand correctly, the girl who continually turns back time does so for the sake of a single person, is that correct?"
"Yeah…"
"Whereas you are taking advantage of her actions to gather information in preparation for the defeat of Walpurgis?"
"Pretty much."
"Hmm… at least one of you has a noble goal," Hilda says. "Then… I suppose I will simply observe for the time being. I will write down the address of my hotel. If you are ever in need of grief seeds, come to me. I have amassed a large stash of them over the years, which I often share with the local magical girls in my hometown when they need them."
"You're a lot nicer than Pernelle, aren't you?" I say.
Hilda chuckles. "It may seem that way, but personally, I think Pernelle is a much better person than I am. She may not be very kind, but she is straightforward and doesn't conceal her true self, whereas my kindness stems mostly from my faith."
If I read between the lines here… is Hilda trying to say she's not like that? She's hiding her true self? She's only kind because Christianity preaches it? I don't quite get it, and it doesn't feel right to pry, so I decide not to press the matter. Hilda slides a slip of paper over to me, and I look at the address written there for a moment, then nod.
"Alright… it's been interesting meeting you, Hilda," I say. "Thanks for agreeing to stand back for the time being."
"If that's all, then I will be taking my leave for now," Hilda says. "Goodbye."
With that, she gets up and leaves, after which Inui looks at me.
"So, what was that about?" she asks. "You said you don't know any nuns, but she seemed to know you?"
I shake my head. "No… we just have a mutual acquaintance," I say. "This is the first time I've met her."
"I see, that makes sense. So… what should we do today?" she asks.
"That's a very good question," I say. "Hmm… Komachi-chan, will Elise and Claire be coming over today?"
Komachi looks up from the corner, where she was doing something or other on her phone – maybe playing a game, or browsing the web or something.
"Um, we didn't make any plans," she says. "But it's pretty likely."
"It's just, there's something I'd like to share with all five of you," I explain. "And it's easiest if everyone's here at the same time…"
"Should I call them over?" Komachi asks.
"Hmm… although we could discuss it right here, there's also a place I'd like to go," I muse. "But… I guess we could get the chatty part over with first and then go out…"
"Alright, then I'll call them over," Komachi says. "I expect they'll be here in about ten minutes, unless they can't get away for some reason."
She fiddles with her phone for a bit, presumably sending the messages.
"I'd also like to share this with my friends back home," I muse. "But… how well do you speak English, anyway?"
"Ehh… English?" Komachi says. "Um… I guess I can understand it a little, maybe? I don't think I could hold a complex conversation… I think Elise and Claire speak it a lot better than I do, though. They've both been abroad at least once."
That's an interesting new piece of information. That's all it is though… just interesting. There doesn't seem to be any reason to press for further details.
"I'd rather not have to say it all twice, but… I guess maybe there's no choice this time," I say.
"Yeah… sorry about that," Komachi says.
When Elise and Claire show up a few minutes later, we all gather in the living room, and I make sure Mrs Hayashi won't hear us before I get started. I explain the truth of the soul gem, how it's our true body and will become a grief seed if completely tainted. I explain how Akemi Homura has turned back time over and over, adding that Hiyori shouldn't approach her to be on the safe side, since she seems to be a little unstable in this timeline. I also cover my clairvoyance ability and how I've been using it to save people. I can't use Kyuubey's lack of knowledge of her as proof this time, but apparently the deja vu from earlier, coupled with the knowledge of future events I've already demonstrated, is enough to convince them that I'm telling the truth about the time travel. And finally, I tell them about wraiths. They listen to my whole spiel with varyingly skeptical looks on their faces, interrupting me with their reactions that are very similar to previous timelines.
"So you've been fighting all alone for the sake of magical girls everywhere, Ashley-nee," Inui says once I'm done. "That's so amazing… I had no idea… but I want to share this burden with you as your friend. Will you let me?"
"Of course," I say. "By the way… you were the only one who didn't say anything when I revealed the truth of how witches are born. What are your thoughts on that?"
"Ah? Well… I think Hii-tan is right, in the end," Inui says. "It doesn't change anything about what we do. I don't like that Kyuubey deceived us, and it's sad that my wish was completely wasted, but… I did end up with these awesome powers, and more importantly, it allowed me to meet you, Ashley-nee."
She beams at me, then hugs me all of a sudden.
"So… I don't think I care about it that much. Of course, I don't want to turn into a witch though."
"A-alright… now I need to repeat this whole talk with my friends back home," I say.
"Ah? Are your friends magical girls too?" Komachi asks.
"They don't know I know, because I found out in another timeline, but… yes, they are. I'm not going to share the time-travel stuff with them just yet, though… there's no real point, since I can't use it to help them much anyway."
"I'd like to meet them too," Inui says. "I think my English is pretty good, so can I?"
"Sure… let's go up to my room for a minute."
Before I get up, I scry on Chevonne and Janice, just to make sure they're not in the middle of a witch fight, but it turns out they are. However… I let out an involuntary gasp as I see their magical girl costumes.
"H-huh?" Inui asks. "Is… is something wrong, Ashley-nee?"
Those costumes… I've seen them before! My very last memory before I woke up in Ashley's body… I had just finished a ten-pull in Magia Record and gotten an extra copy of Ashley herself, and of course, once the pull was over, I was returned to the main gacha screen, where Ashley and two other magical girls were featured for the limited-time Summer 2023 event. I had no idea who they were, since after all they were the latest new girls to be added to the game, and it wasn't until now that I was able to put two and two together.
Chevonne O'Keefe, a magical girl of the forest element in a flowing green strapless dress with gossamer wings like a fairy, wielding a gleaming bronze longsword. Janice Hatheway, a magical girl of the fire element in a red miniskirt and strapless bikini top, with a devil-horned hairband and a trident.
If I'd just tried to remember my last moments more clearly… I would've known those two would become magical girls. I could've warned them about this life before I'd even started my exchange trip.
"No… nothing's wrong," I say. "They're just fighting a witch right now, so I'll have to wait until they've beaten her."
"Ah… wait, your clairvoyance can see all the way to the other side of the Earth!?" Inui gasps.
"It takes more magic and I get a somewhat blurry image, and the sound is a little staticky… but yes, I can."
"Huh… that's amazing," Inui says.
I watch the two of them fight as we head up to my room. Janice's power doesn't seem to be fire, despite it being her element. Rather, it seems she's able to heat things up. She melts the floor beneath the witch, causing it to sink and also scorching it. She heats the witch's vaguely sword-like weapon until it's red-hot, causing the witch to drop it. Chevonne's power on the other hand seems similar to Mari's or Kaede's, as she summons creeping vines from the ground that coil about the witch's feet-analogues and lock her in place. The two of them then finish her off with their weapons, and Chevonne snatches the grief seed as the labyrinth collapses. I've been waiting, so I hit the call button right at that exact moment. Janice picks up a moment later, after the two of them have powered down, and I close off the vision since it no longer matters.
"Hey Ashley, what's up?" she asks. "Your timing is uncannily good, you know… we just finished something that couldn't be interrupted…"
I decide to let Ashley bubble up to handle this. After all, these are her friends, not mine. Well, no, they're sort of my friends too, but she knows them better than me.
"Hey Janice, it's been so long!" Ashley says.
"Yeah… it really has, hasn't it?" Janice says. "Have you been having fun in Japan?"
"Oh, well, there've been ups and downs, but on the whole, I'd have to say yeah! I've been having a lot of fun!"
"That's great to hear! Um… Chevonne's with me too, would you like to talk with her? Perhaps we could even find a quiet place and do a video call?"
"I'd like that!" Ashley says.
"Alright… just wait a couple minutes, okay?"
Well, that was completely different from what I'd been planning to say. I intended to reveal myself as a magical girl first thing, but Ashley seems to think it's a bad idea… in any case, I can hear some chatter coming through after a bit, and I suspect they're getting a karaoke booth like last time. Finally, Janice's voice comes through again.
"Alright, I'm going to switch to video now," she says. "So you do the same, okay?"
"I'm on it!"
Ashley props the phone up and sets it to video mode, then grabs a slightly startled Inui and pulls her a little closer to make sure she'll be visible. A moment later, Chevonne and Janice appear on the viewscreen.
"Howdy! Wow, it's been so long since I've seen your face, Ashley," Chevonne says. "And your wardrobe is just as crazy-cute as usual… I love it! But who's that with you?"
"This is one of my new friends from Japan," Ashley says. "She wanted to meet you, so I suggested she join me on this call… is that alright?"
"No, of course it's fine!" Janice says. "Any friend of yours is a friend of ours!"
"Um, hello! Nice to meet you!" Inui says eagerly. "I am Inui Itsumi!"
I guess it's because she's speaking English, but it seems she's decided to reverse the order of her name.
"Whoa, your English is pretty good!" Chevonne says. "I'm Chevonne O'Keefe."
"Janice Hatheway, at your service!" Janice says.
Well, that dispels any slight doubt about whether the Janice and Chevonne I know personally and the two girls from that gacha are the same people. They have the same surnames and the same costumes, so they must be the same people. Not that that changes anything – I know nothing about the Magia Record versions of them, because I transmigrated into Ashley's body before I could pull them from the gacha, and because I hadn't yet gotten through the associated event quests. If I recall correctly, I think I'd played two or three episodes of the event, but they hadn't shown up yet.
Chevonne chuckles a bit at that. "This isn't a service, silly!"
"Yeah, it just felt like the right thing to say," Janice shrugs.
"So the thing is, I owe you two an apology," Ashley says. "I didn't even call or text you once in the last few months… I'm sorry."
"Huh? Is that all you're calling about?" Chevonne asks. "Don't be silly… we know you must've just been caught up in the Japan experience or whatever."
"Yeah, it's fine," Janice says. "I can't deny that I missed you, but I knew you'd call eventually."
Ashley smiles.
"Well… thank you for understanding," she says. "But that's not actually what I called about at all. I'll have to come clean with you… the truth is, I'm a magical girl."
The two of them gasp.
"H-huh!? Since when?" Chevonne asks.
"W-wait a sec, it's not like you to say something like that so seriously," Janice says.
"Since just after I recovered from the illness," Ashley explains. "One of my magic powers is to view faraway events… that's how I saw the two of you fighting a witch just now. That's also why my timing was so uncanny."
"O-oh, that explains it," Janice says, nodding. "If you already knew that we're magical girls, then that makes the difference. Yeah… sounds like you're a veteran compared to us though…"
"I don't feel much like a veteran, but sure… to be honest, I wish I hadn't become a magical girl."
"Eh?" Inui gasps. "Why not?"
"Yeah… it's not such a bad life, is it?" Chevonne asks. "Sure, we've gotta fight witches, but we get these awesome powers too…"
"That's only on the surface," Ashley says. "Being a magical girl isn't what it looks like. Cube manipulates people like us into becoming magical girls for his own ends, and it's actually kind of a rotten deal for us. I mean… it could be worse, I suppose. We're still alive, and we can still go on with our lives, mostly… but there are things he hasn't told you about magical girls. They might even make you wish you hadn't become one…"
"Well, don't keep us hanging, Ashley!" Chevone says. "Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!"
Ashley nods, taking a deep breath.
"Now, listen closely," she says. "I'm only going to say it once."
She pauses for two more deep breaths before continuing in an uncharacteristically bitter tone of voice.
"The truth is that your soul gem is your true form, and your body just a puppet that it controls," she says. "If your soul gem gets more than a hundred metres away from your body, you won't be able to control it anymore – it'll look like you died. Worse, if your soul gem fills up to the brim with impurities, then it will transform into a grief seed and a new witch will be born."
There's a long silence as the two of them digest those words. Then Chevonne speaks up.
"For a few moments there, I thought you were kidding us, but… that look on your face… you've actually seen this happen to someone, haven't you, Ashley?"
Ashley nods, and I feel tears leaking out – she's even crying a little.
"I can't believe it," Janice says. "To think Cube would leave out such crucial information…"
"Then, we've been fighting other magical girls this whole time?" Chevonne asks. "What the fuck is even the point!?"
"Yeah… former magical girls," Ashley mutters. "It's terrible… right? They've lost their will and turned into something like zombies… and all we can do is kill them to give them release. I hate it… I hate it so much…"
"Shit, I'm really starting to regret this now," Chevonne says. "Although I did get my wish granted, so it's not all bad, but…"
"Still, we should be fine as long as we get enough grief seeds," Janice says. "We're doing well so far, after all."
"Y-yeah," Ashley says. "And I've got something else to tell you. There are two more magical girls in the area."
"Huh? We've never run into anyone else, though," Janice says.
"You were probably just lucky," Ashley says. "Or unlucky, depending on how you want to look at it… but they both attend the same school. I've made friends with Sarra – she's nice, and you can trust her. If you need a grief seed, I bet she'll be happy to help out if she can."
"Huh, so that treasurer chick is a magical girl too," Chevonne muses. "I bet she's only treasurer because of her wish…"
"There's no way," Ashley snaps. "She's not the sort of person who'd make that kind of wish… also, she has a name, you know! Don't call her 'treasurer chick' again, okay?"
Chevonne blinks at me. "Geez, lighten up a little, Ashley! I didn't really mean anything by it!"
"If you didn't mean anything, then don't do it again!" she repeats.
Apparently Ashley and I agree on that point, because those were almost the exact same words I said to Chevonne in the previous timeline. Though the way she said it was a little different, and she didn't express any uncertainty about Sarra's wish like I did.
"Fine, fine," Chevonne says. "So, you said there were two… who's the other?"
"The other is Alice Chandler," Ashley says. "She's a nice girl at heart, but… she's a bit difficult to get along with. Try not to get in a fight with her or anything, please?"
"Sure," Janice says. "I'm certainly not interested in picking a fight myself, and if she tries to start something… well, I'll do my best to defuse it."
"One last thing," Ashley says. "You should be able to combine your power for a more powerful attack – it's an ability that I like to call connecting. There's even magical girls who help others to learn the ability, an organization called Puella Care, although I have no idea where you might find them in California. You might be able to figure it out by yourself, though. If not… perhaps Sarra or Alice can help you work it out, or failing that, they could help you find someone affiliated with Puella Care who can teach you. Keep in mind that Puella Care girls take a grief seed for payment."
"That sounds useful," Janice says. "We've been fighting together the whole time, so we'll give it a try tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!"
"Say… is your friend, Inui, a magical girl too?" Chevonne asks.
"Yes!" Inui says.
"And do you regret your wish?" Chevonne asks.
All the emotion drains from Inui's face at that question.
"Absolutely," Inui says flatly. "It was a total waste… the person I wished for is gone now."
"Ah… that's too bad," Janice says. "I guess your case is pretty different from ours, then… say, what did you wish for, Ashley?"
"I just wanted Dad to let me come to Japan," Ashley says. "I wanted that so badly that I'd even become a magical girl to make it possible. I do regret it, but… I've also made so many new friends here simply because I'm a magical girl, so it's not all bad. Would you believe, the house I got placed in for the exchange had two magical girl sisters? And they're in a team of four? And then there's Inui, and some other girls from neighbouring towns… Yuuri, Airi, Honoka, Karin, Riko… oh, and Kanna… maybe I could count Tamura too… and there are many others that I'm not as close with."
"Oh wow," Chevonne says. "So you've been making lots and lots of new friends, huh? You'll have to introduce us sometime! Maybe bring them back with you for a visit in the summer?"
"Or we could come to Japan," Janice says. "Although I don't speak the language, but… I'd be with you pretty much all the time, so it probably doesn't matter."
"Come to think of it, you didn't actually tell us your wish just now, did you?" Chevonne says. "You only told us why you made a wish, not what you actually wished for…"
"Well… the exact wording is a little embarrassing," Ashley says. "Does it really matter?"
"You're right," Chevonne says. "The exact wording isn't important, is it… the spirit of the wish is all I really need to know."
"Alright, well, that's all I specifically wanted to talk about," Ashley says. "But what about you guys? I haven't chatted with you in ages, so I'd like to hear about everything!"
Janice chuckles a little. "Okay, where to start…"
We get into a chat about everyday life that I would've had trouble keeping up with if not for Ashley, and before I know it, lunchtime has arrived and we need to hang up. For Chevonne and Janice, it's probably close to suppertime.
After lunch, I take the quartet and Inui to the hill behind Mitakihara Middle School and show them the wraiths. Since I've already told them about wraiths and grief cubes, they're less startled than they were last time, and they easily defeat the wraiths and gather up all the cubes. This time, I exclude myself from the cube-sharing, which allows Inui to have the share that was mine in the previous timeline.
After defeating the wraiths, the quartet head out on a witch hunt, while I go north with Inui to meet Mari and Noriko. The whole encounter goes pretty much the same as in the previous timeline, including the last-minute meet-up with Koharu. Okay, so some of the conversations are a bit different, and it doesn't take quite so long to defeat the witch, but there's no notable differences.
As I crawl into bed with Inui, I ponder what to do tomorrow, and then I remember something. Tomorrow… if I'm not mistaken, that's the day that Yuuki Sasa first makes her appearance in Kazamino.
It's time to finally save the Kazamino girls.
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.
Hildegard von Bingen (Hilda)
Age: 9½ centuries (approximate)
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Blonde
Origins: Sponheim County, Holy Roman Empire
Symbol: Blue bell
Soul Gem: Unknown
Element: Light
Weapon: Rod of Asclepius
Powers: Clairvoyance
Wish: Unknown
Speed: 3
Magical Stamina: 10
Offensive Power: 3
Defensive Power: 5
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 10
Chevonne O'Keefe
Age: 17
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Red
Origins: Santa Cruz, California, USA
Symbol: Green triquetra
Soul Gem: Oval green gemstone strapped to her left arm
Element: Forest
Weapon: Bronze longsword
Powers: Vines, illusions, healing
Wish: Unknown
Speed: 4
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 8
Initial Power Usability: 8
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)
Janice Hatheway
Age: 17
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Brown
Origins: Santa Cruz, California, USA
Symbol: Red downward-pointing pentacle
Soul Gem: Rectangular red gemstone on her belt buckle
Element: Fire
Weapon: Trident
Powers: Temperature control
Wish: Unknown
Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 6
Defensive Power: 2
Initial Power Usability: 7
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)