Magia: A New Hope

by Pentalithia

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

67. Entering the Wings

Have you heard? Has anyone told you?
The Rule of Ending Friendships.
If you don't know, you'll regret it.
If you don't know, bad things will happen.
If you take it back, you'll be called a liar!
And then this scary monster kidnaps you…
You'll be stuck cleaning the stairs forever!
According to the Rumour circulating among the kids in Kamihama,
if you fight with a friend, one of you will disappear…
How scary!

---

April first. Iroha is climbing a hill in Kamihama, following a curved foot path through an aisle of sakura trees, which are already in full bloom. Mokyu sits on her shoulder, looking around and occasionally making a cute noise. She comes to a stop as she nears the top of the hill.

"Ugh, why are smartphones so complicated…" she mutters. "The blue dot is my position, but what's this arrow…? Mokyu, what do you think?"

"Mokyu!" the creature replies.

"The way I'm facing…?"

Iroha turns a quarter turn and blinks. Right in front of her is a building with a sign proclaiming it to be the Satomi Medical Centre.

"This is the place," she murmurs.

She heads inside and makes her way to a specific hospital room, but it proves to be empty, and then she gets in trouble with one of the staff for not getting a visitor pass. She asks them about Ui, who it seems they've never heard of, and also about Touka and Nemu… but since she's not a family member, of course they refuse to tell her anything about those two. In the end, she basically gets kicked out, although she does go willingly.

"Touka-chan, Nemu-chan… I'm sure they existed," Iroha mutters as she walks back the way she came. "They were always fighting… they'd say 'we're not friends anymore'…"

At that moment, Yachiyo appears from somewhere and blinks at her.

"Did you just say 'not friends anymore'?" she asks.

Iroha gasps. "Ah… it's you!"

"I think you just said 'not friends anymore'," Yachiyo says.

"You're… Miss Yachiyo, right?"

"Ah, so you remember me," she says.

"Of course I remember," Iroha says. "After what you tried to do to me last time…"

"I suppose that's understandable," Yachiyo says. "You don't have to be so defensive. I mean you no harm. I just thought I'd give you a warning after overhearing you just now."

"A warning?"

"Yeah… you shouldn't say that in Kamihama."

Iroha blinks. "Huh? What?"

"Especially when you're having a fight with a friend. You'll get trapped by the Rumour of the Rule of Ending Friendships."

Iroha looks confused.

"Trapped by… the rumour?"

"You haven't heard the story yet?" Yachiyo says. "The gist of it is that if you make up after saying you're not friends anymore, there's a rumour that a monster shows up and takes you away to clean stairs forever."

"Um, so… that's the Rule of Ending Friendships?" Iroha asks.

"That's right," Yachiyo says. "Once you speak of ending a friendship, no matter what happens, do not apologize. If you apologize and make up, the monster will come."

"That sounds so ridiculous," Iroha says.

"You should believe it," Yachiyo says. "It's one of the most credible rumours in the Kamihama Rumour Files."

"Kamihama… what?" Iroha blinks.

"Rumour Files!" Yachiyo repeats. "The reports I've compiled of all the strange Rumours that are flooding Kamihama."

"I see…"

"Recently, many rumours have been coming true here," Yachiyo says. "Some people have even gone missing because of them."

"That's—"

"I'm not making this up," Yachiyo says. "They're every bit as unusual as your little Kyuubey."

Iroha gasps. "Miss Yachiyo… are you still going after Mokyu…?"

"That depends on what you tell me," Yachiyo says. "So long as nothing bad happens, I have no reason to hunt it."

"Nothing bad has happened," Iroha says. "The only thing that happened is that I was able to remember my little sister…"

Yachiyo blinks. "Little sister…? You forgot someone that close to you!?"

"Um, yes… but my mom and dad still don't remember her… and there are no traces of her anywhere. I don't have any proof that my memories of her are real…"

"They could be fake memories that were planted in you," Yachiyo says. "Or the whole world could have been modified just for her…"

"Modified…?"

"Perhaps that's a little too ridiculous," Yachiyo says.

"Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't," Iroha says. "I can't really deny anything right now… but, I believe that I had a little sister. When I think of her, I feel so warm inside… so I believe these memories are real, and I want to find her. So… things have been strange, but nothing bad has happened!"

"I see… well in that case, I have nothing more to say," Yachiyo says. "Besides, I kind of understand… how you feel…"

"Eh? How I feel…?"

"Don't worry about it. Well then, I must be going. Be careful of rumours. You've been warned."

With that, Yachiyo continues on her way, and Iroha resumes ambling down the hill on her way back to the station.

"Rumours turning into reality…" she muses. "Mokyu, what do you think?"

"Mokyukyu!" the creature responds.

"Yeah… there's no way to know for sure, is there?"

At that point, a loud voice carries in from a nearby park.

"You should've gotten it!"

"Wha!?" Iroha gasps. "S-such a loud voice…"

A second voice responds, almost just as loud.

"But it was sold out. There's nothing I could've done!"

Iroha hurries in the direction of the voices and finds Rena and Kaede arguing, with Momoko attempting to calm them down.

"Eh? Is that… Momoko!? And that other girl is… the girl I saved in the witch's labyrinth!"

"I'm telling you to calm down!" Momoko says. "What are you even fighting over?"

"It's none of your business, Momoko!" Rena retorts.

"Yeah, keep your mouth shut, Momoko-chan!" Kaede says.

"Oy, oy, I'm the leader here," Momoko says.

"Shut up!" Rena says. "I'm done! I've had enough! We're not friends anymore, Kaede!"

"Aww, now you've said it!" Kaede gasps. "If that's what you want, then fine! We're not friends anymore, Rena-chan!"

"Idiot! You shouldn't say stuff like that so carelessly!" Momoko protests. "And anyway, how many times have you two ended your friendship? Come on, talk to me… what's bothering you two?"

Rena gasps suddenly.

"Stop sticking your nose in everything!" she shouts. "You're so overprotective! It's annoying!"

Then she turns and runs, by coincidence, straight towards Iroha.

"Oy, Rena, don't just yell and run away!"

"Oh no…" Iroha muses. "They said it…"

"Iroha-chan, stop her!" Momoko shouts.

"H-huh? Oh… okay!" Iroha gasps.

"Get outta my way!" Rena shouts.

Iroha shrieks and transforms.

"S-stooooop!"

"You…! I don't care if you're a friend of Momoko or not, y'know…" She transforms too. "I won't go easy on you!"

Iroha fires a bolt or two, but Rena dodges and gets in close with her trident.

"Hmph! Y'know, once I get in close to you, you don't have that long-range advantage!" Rena crows. "Take this!"

Suddenly she transforms into a double of Iroha, startling her.

"Huh!? M-me!?"

Rena takes advantage of her surprise to land a gut punch before returning to her normal form.

"Leave us alone," she says. "You have no idea what's going on, idiot!"

With that, she runs off.

"Ouch," Iroha says, powering down.

"Darn… she got away," Momoko says. She heaves a great big sigh. "Hey… why don't we go grab a McBurger?"

"S-sure…"

So Momoko, Iroha, and Kaede head for a nearby McDonalds and order some food. Kaede doesn't say much, leaving Momoko to do most of the chatting. When it comes time to pay, Momoko forks over the cash.

"It's my treat," she says.

"Oh, you don't have to!" Iroha protests.

"Just think of it as an apology for getting you caught up in our little argument," Momoko says.

"Plus, I haven't properly thanked you for saving me before," Kaede adds.

"Okay… if you insist," Iroha says.

"Oh right… you two have also met before," Momoko says.

"Yeah… we had no time to introduce ourselves though," Iroha says.

"Oh! Th-that's right!" Kaede says. "I'm Akino Kaede."

"I'm Tamaki Iroha," Iroha says. "Nice to meet you, Kaede-chan."

"Y-yeah!"

"So what was that fight about?" Iroha asks.

"Oh, um…" Kaede mutters.

"She's getting all quiet again," Momoko says. "She's been like this ever since Rena left…" She sighs. "Well, there's nothing special about you two getting into a fight like that. I'm not forcing you to talk about it."

"D-do you really fight that often?" Iroha asks.

"Oh yeah," Momoko says. "As often as they stuff themselves with sweets."

"Stop it, Momoko-chan!" Kaede protests. "It's so embarrassing…"

"My bad, my bad," Momoko says. "It usually is Rena who starts it, anyway. I'm guessing that's the case today, too. I bet she'll say sorry tomorrow. She's always like this. Once she calms down, she'll regret what she said."

"Kaede-chan… are you sure it's okay to say 'you're not friends' with Rena?" Iroha asks.

"Huh? Why do you ask?" Kaede asks.

"I heard there's a rumour about the Rule of Ending Friendships and how it's dangerous—"

Momoko gasps. "Iroha-chan, who told you that!?"

"Um… I heard it from Miss Yachiyo," Iroha says.

Momoko chuckles.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she says. "Don't take what she says too seriously. It's just… lately, she's crazy about rumours. It seems she believes just about any rumour she comes across."

"Does she…?" Iroha asks.

"Yeah, try not to worry," Momoko says. "Rumours are just rumours. They're not true, you know."

"Still… I think I'll ask Miss Mitama about it," Iroha says. "Miss Yachiyo sounded so serious, after all…"

"Well, have it your way," Momoko shrugs. "Can you find your own way there?"

Iroha nods. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thank you, Miss Momoko."

She makes her way to the Coordinator's place and heads inside. Mitama is there, transformed as usual, and looks up as she enters.

"Oh, good afternoon, Iroha-chan," she says.

"Good afternoon," Iroha says. "Um… I was wondering about something Miss Yachiyo said to me… something about rumours…"

"Ah, you're interested in the increasing number of rumours in Kamihama?" Mitama asks.

"Yeah, maybe… I thought you might know something about them, Miss Mitama," Iroha says.

"Hmm," Mitama says. "Like the rumour that the Coordinator will give discounts to cute girls?"

"Oh, really?" Iroha says.

Mitama sighs. "Teasing you's no fun when you just believe my jokes like that…"

"Geez!" Iroha protests. "I'm seriously asking here!"

Mitama giggles. "I'm sorry," she says. "Don't get upset like that. Actually, I have been hearing a lot of rumours lately, some of them quite strange. But what makes you ask all of a sudden?"

"Um… I'm just worried about the Rule of Ending Friendships," Iroha says.

"I've heard of that one, too," Mitama says.

"Really!?" Iroha gasps. "I'm asking because Miss Momoko's friends—"

"I take it Rena-chan and Kaede-chan fought again?" Mitama says.

"Oh yeah… they did!" Iroha says. "And they both said 'we're not friends anymore'! I told Miss Momoko about the Rule of Ending Friendships that I heard from Miss Yachiyo, but she didn't believe it, so… I'm just hoping that nothing bad is going to happen."

"Hmm… I doubt you could get Momoko-chan to believe it so easily," Mitama says.

"Does she… dislike rumours?" Iroha wonders.

"No, she won't believe it because it's Yachiyo who's making a big deal about them," Mitama says. "It's sort of like trying to mix oil and water… or adding fuel to a fire… you know, something like that? It's more the source than the information that she doesn't believe."

"So those two really don't get along," Iroha says.

"Well, I heard they used to be good friends when they were younger, though," Mitama says. "But Momoko-chan has a bad attitude lately… 'Yachiyo's been acting strange', she says. 'She's become selfish', she says. 'She acts just like one of those stuck-up fashion models', she says. 'It's unfair for her to be that strong and have such a slim figure', she says. She just keeps going on and on and on like that."

"Hmm… well, okay," Iroha says. "But… what do you think, Miss Mitama? Is the rumour real?"

Mitama shrugs. "Hmm… I have heard that some people actually disappeared because of that rumour," she says. "But it's all third- and fourth-hand accounts, so I don't know the people who allegedly disappeared."

"Oh… that doesn't sound good," Iroha says.

"But like I said, I have no proof," Mitama says. "It's just what I've heard people saying."

"I see," Iroha says. "Well, um… thank you very much, Miss Mitama."

Mitama smiles winningly.

"I hope you don't expect my information to come free," she says.

"W-what!? Y-you're gonna charge me for that!?" Iroha gasps.

"Consider this one a freebie," Mitama says with a wink. "As a sign of good faith, and because you're cute. But next time, be sure to bring a grief seed, okay?"

Iroha nods. "Okay… I'll remember that," she says. "Thank you very much, Miss Mitama."

With that, she leaves Mokyu at the Coordinator's place and heads back to the train station.

---

The next day, I show up at Elise's house after lunch to request her help. Her mother answers the door and shows me into the living room, where Elise appears to be playing a videogame on a device that looks a lot like a Switch but is about thirty percent larger. Perhaps the Switch's successor? Her mother leaves us alone, returning to whatever she was doing when I arrived.

"What is it, Ashley-chan?" Elise asks. "I was just getting to the final boss fight…"

"Um, sorry for springing this on you so suddenly," I say. "But I'd like your help with a little… experiment."

"Um… whoa, hang on, this already sounds ominous," Elise says warily. "What kind of experiment?"

"There's now a system in Kamihama that prevents people from turning into a witch," I say. "And you have a power that can turn a witch back into a magical girl, right?"

Elise blinks. "H-how did you… no, stupid question, you're a time traveller after all." She sighs. "Yes, it's true… I haven't told anyone else, but I do have that power. The reason I've never used it is because of the cost… I think I turn into a witch instead in the other girl's place. I didn't understand at first, but when you told us the truth of witches, I realized that must be it."

I nod. "Right. Now… aren't you interested in what could happen if you used that power in Kamihama, where magical girls don't turn into witches?"

"Um… well… when you put it that way, it does sound interesting," Elise admits. "But I dunno… what if I turn into a witch anyway?"

"I've even thought of that possibility," I say. "Madoka said she'd be willing to become a magical girl to save you if the experiment fails and you turn into a witch."

Elise nods slowly. "Hmm… okay, it sounds risky, but… I dunno," she says. "The idea of a system that prevents you from turning into a witch is crazy in the first place…"

"I realize it sounds crazy," I say. "It even sounds crazy to me. But, it's true. I saw it in action through my clairvoyance."

"Hmm… okay, if you're vouching for it… then yeah, I'm willing to give it a try. Are we going to go today, or…?"

I nod.

"I have to stop by somewhere else first, so could we meet up at the train station? Of course, Inui-chan will be coming too."

Elise nods. "Okay… I'll just let the others know, since we were planning a witch hunt later, and then I'll head that way."

"Then I'll see you soon. Oh right, while I'm here, there's one other thing… I realize you two don't get along, but it might be in your best interest to have a chat with Kaori Sachie. You might learn something new about your lost sister."

Elise blinks. "Eh!? I dunno… we really can't get along… but if she knows something about Liliane… well… I'll think about it?"

"It was just a suggestion," I say. "See you soon."

I head out of school and make my way north, to the apartment complex where Masuyo Mari lives. I already sent her an email alerting her to my plans, so when I get there, I find her waiting for me in the playground where we first met. She holds a grief seed cradled between both hands.

"To be honest… I'm not even sure this is a good idea," Mari admits. "But… even though Mari-chan's memories live inside of me, it's not quite the same as having her with me. So…"

She holds out the grief seed, and I take it, examining it closely. The emblem atop this one is a sunburst, and the sphere of the seed is covered in a grid like a globe, lines of latitude and longitude, with an infinity symbol pasted around the Tropic of Capricorn.

"I will take good care of her," I say.

"See that you do," Mari says. "If you fail to return her… I'll hunt you down and kill you myself."

I chuckle. "It won't come to that, I promise. She'll be back in your hands by the end of the day."

With that, I turn and make for the central train station. When I arrive, the others are all there already – Inui, Kirika, Elise, and Madoka.

"Good, everyone's here!" I say. "Let's get going! By the way… my plan was for Madoka and Elise-chan to come back first while the rest of us head on to meet the Wings of the Magius. Is that okay?"

"I have no idea what these 'Wings of the Magius' are, but I can't say I'm eager to meet them," Elise says.

"They're the ones trying to save magical girls, right?" Madoka says. "So there'd be no point in me meeting them right now, since I'm not a magical girl."

"Exactly," I say. "Okay, now that that's settled…"

I lead the way into the station, and we catch a train headed to Kamihama. However, we don't go straight to the meeting place that Kuroe had sent us. Instead, we get off at the last stop before the train leaves Takarazaki.

"Huh? I thought we were going to Kamihama," Madoka says. "This isn't Kamihama… is it?"

"I know," I say. "But we need to be quite close to the boundary of Kamihama for this experiment. The experiment requires us to be within the doppel field, which will prevent us from turning into witches… but in case the experiment doesn't work, Madoka needs to be able to make her contract as soon as possible. Since Kyuubey can't enter the barrier around Kamihama, that means she'll have to run outside the barrier before she can contract. Therefore… we'll walk across the border. Could I also ask everyone to keep their eyes peeled for magical signatures? Hopefully we can detect the moment we pass through the barrier."

"Okay, sure," Elise says.

We leave the station and head towards the boundary between Takarazaki and Kamihama, and I continue explaining the plan.

"Inui-chan, Miss Kirika, in the event that one or both of Elise-chan and I turn into a witch, please make sure that Madoka escapes," I say. "Even if it costs you your life to do so, please trust that Madoka will be able to bring you back to life as long as she gets out of there."

"I understand," Inui says.

"Also, just to be clear, we'll be performing two separate experiments," I say. "So if Elise-chan turns into a witch, we still need to conduct the second experiment before Madoka can contract. Therefore, the two of you will need to keep her safe until the second experiment is completed."

"Got it," Inui says.

"And finally… if the experiment succeeds, we may unleash our doppels," I say. "In that case, you'll need to protect Madoka from those. It's similar to a witch, but our soul gems will be untouched, and with luck we may even be able to control it a little, but more likely the doppel will simply go on a rampage."

"Alright," Inui says.

"I think I can sense something around here," Elise says. "It's… about thirty metres ahead… and… it's kind of like an invisible wall… or more of a curtain…"

I can sense something too, much like she described – a magical signal that's spread out across a vast surface, forming an invisible wall.

"Perfect," I say. "Let's find a building that straddles the barrier."

We duck into an alleyway, where I transform and summon Teddy Mk II. The others hop on, and we soar up into the sky, Madoka holding on for dear life until we land on the roof of a building some distance away. It has a chain mesh fence surrounding it, and there are several planters filled with what I suspect to be vegetables – a rooftop garden.

"This seems like it'll do," Elise says. "I can sense the barrier crossing right through the middle of the building."

She steps forward to the part of the building that lies on the Kamihama side of the barrier.

"To be honest… I feel a little insecure doing this so close to the edge," I admit. "But… I don't think there's any other option. At least there's a fence, though I doubt it would hold up long against a doppel. Anyway, shall we get started?"

"Yeah, let's do it," Elise says, turning to face me as she transforms. "You have a grief seed for me to restore, right?"

"Of course."

I step forward, taking out the grief seed of the true Masuyo Mari and passing it to her. She takes it, cupping it in her hands and bringing them up to press her thumbnails against her forehead. I watch as the soul gem at her throat starts to rapidly fill with grief, while the grief seed in her hands begins to emit light. Within moments, her soul gem is completely darkened, but it doesn't crack. Instead, that darkness is suddenly pulled out, as if she'd used a grief seed, and is absorbed into her body. Then a familiar dragon erupts from her back, accompanied by an explosion of witch runes that settle down to form the name, Doki Yatsura.

Elise lets out a cry of pain, falling forward on hands and knees as the dragon suddenly lashes out at us. Inui and Kirika immediately transform and attack the dragon, while Elise pants heavily on the ground. After about thirty seconds, however, the dragon loses steam and recedes back within Elise's body, leaving everyone shocked.

"I can't believe it actually worked," Madoka says, finally breaking the silence.

Elise gets to her feet and opens her hands to reveal that the grief seed has turned into a gleaming yellow soul gem. Her own red gem is equally gleaming from the automatic purification system.

"Well… that's the automatic purification system that the Wings of the Magius have created," I say. "Or the doppel system, as I like to call it. Okay… please hold onto that a little longer, Elise-chan. I have one other experiment to perform."

I dig out the single evil nut I brought along for the experiment and try to push it into my own forehead. However, it won't go in, to my surprise. Then I remember that Moe, and Airi in the original manga, chanted a key word when using them. So, I try that.

"Um… abracadabra?"

And just like that, the resistance of my forehead gives way, and the evil nut slides inside me… and then a mixture of inconsolable rage and sadness wells up within me as my consciousness fades.

---

"Ashley-nee! Ashley-nee! Wake up!"

My eyes snap open at the sound of Inui's voice, and I sit up, looking around in confusion.

"So um… what exactly happened?" I ask.

"Well… you kind of… turned into a witch," Elise says. "It wasn't like the doppel… your soul gem…"

"Then Madoka…?"

"No… I brought you back with my power," Elise says. "You didn't even have time to form a labyrinth."

"So I'm not a magical girl yet," Madoka says. "I mean, me making a wish was a last resort, so… as soon as the first half of the experiment succeeded, the need for that was gone, right? And I'd prefer to make a wish that I actually want, after all."

I nod. So basically, whatever the evil nut does, it somehow bypasses the automatic purification system and forces a witch transformation. That means it can't be used as a power-up item to unleash my doppel, as I'd hoped. I'll have to let Hijiri know about this result. However, the other part of the experiment was a success, meaning that we now have a reliable and safe way to reverse a witch transformation.

"Okay… thank you," I say. "Madoka, Elise-chan… if you want, you can head home now. I do have one more thing that I wanted to do before meeting up with the Wings of the Magius, but it won't cause me to turn into a witch. At worst, I might unleash my doppel."

"Alright," Elise says.

She hands me that gleaming yellow soul gem, and I accept it, slipping it safely into my purse. I'm hoping the Magius don't notice I have an extra soul gem on me.

"I'll see you some other time, then," Elise says. "Shall we go, Miss Madoka?"

Madoka nods. "I don't want to get in Ashley-chan's way. Let's go home."

"I'll summon Teddy Mk II to get you down to street level," I say.

I do just that, waiting for the two of them to hop on and then sending Teddy down into the alleyway next to the building we're on. Once they're safely on the ground, I desummon Teddy Mk II.

"So… what's this other thing you wanted to do?" Inui asks.

"Something I promised Ashley a few timelines ago," I say.

"By Ashley you mean… your alter ego, right?"

"Basically, although I don't think 'alter ego' is a good term to describe her. Anyway, be ready to fight, in case I unleash my doppel and can't control it."

"Got it!" Inui says.

"I really hope you don't though," Kirika adds. "If it's like that witch of yours, it seems like it would be a huge pain…"

I chuckle a bit. "Yeah… the witch and the doppel have a similar form, indeed. I'm sorry in advance."

Then I sit down and close my eyes. It's finally time to fulfill my promise to Ashley. I think back to those strange, ethereal creatures that I saw a couple of times in my Coordination-induced visions, and I focus in on a single creature. Then I call on my clairvoyant power to scry on that creature.

Attempting this is frankly something of a long shot. I have no idea whether those beings even exist, nor whether seeing them in my dreams is sufficient to give me the familiarity required to scry on them. So I am pleasantly surprised when the magic activates, and it just works.

---

But I don't understand what I'm seeing. It's not like a witch's labyrinth, an abstraction of the real world. It's even stranger than that, an eldritch conglomeration of impossible angles and perspective splices. Yet as I watch, I begin to get a general sense of the surroundings. I think it's something like a lab, filled with strange equipment, some of which has shapes that are impossible to achieve in the real world, such as a Penrose triangle composed of three right angles. One of the… entities is there in the room, existing as a bright amorphous outline overlaid upon the scene, and it seems to be examining what appears to be a holographic display device showing something that looks suspiciously like a map of Japan. Although I still can't understand its words, the tone of its voice seems to convey consternation… at least, to my human ears. Who knows if these creatures even convey emotions in ways I can understand?

"Den weirc ghax dorruz!?" it says. "Ucuvjghach nox yeach nuff, bucsaphu ghu ximsump weckvompach nagh Hjiimuj… miph ghuz, khu sicr baxorruovub srek ghu phaku zlen."

The voice matches the original male voice I heard in my vision in Paris. Another entity slides into view to respond.

"Ghax ax quj nu tsexu xekuezu que neirc zeph weckvomp," it says. "Muwoixu koyaw sicr wendfawophux ucuvjghach."

It's not the female voice from my second vision of these entities. It seems to be another male voice, but not a very deep one.

"Jux, ghoph ax quj a xufumpub xekuezu que ofvuobj flenx ucuvjghach omeiph Hjiimuj," the first voice says. "A craff wozzeph mufaucu khu weckvompub ucuz flenach ghoph."

"Ehoj, miph mong phe ghu axxiu el duv baxorruovozwu," the second voice says. "Aph ax andexxasmu phe sicr baxorruov uckavufa, vathph? Aph dox phe mu xeku xevph el plozcsevphophaez koyaw."

The impression I get from these two is of a professor and assistant. The second voice seems like it's consoling the other, trying to calm it down, maybe help it work through whatever is troubling it? At least, that's the impression I'm getting from their tone of voice… and given that the display shows Japan, I can't help thinking that they must be discussing me. Maybe that's a silly assumption… maybe they've done similar things to thousands of people. But without any ability to understand their words… I can only guess.

"Miph a docu pfozzub ghu uckavu yofopj," the first voice says. "Ghuvu ax ze xahs el duv ozjquuvu."

"Dkk… quoph al aph ax zeph o csophaof plozxaph?" the second voice suggests.

"Od… o phundevof plozxaph? A xuu… xe a kheirc pfoz lev duv az opzowuck stoztsub vuofaphaux. Ehoj, fuph ku plj ghoph."

Silence falls for a moment, as the view on the display changes to show a single horizontal line, marked with ticks labelled by month kanji. It extends from November on the left to May on the right, and a section from late November to the end of April is highlighted in a different colour. I don't understand why the months are labelled in kanji, but it's convenient that it's something I can understand. Perhaps these beings just don't have words for the months, so they adopt the native words? The kanji for 'month' is omitted, so the only one with two kanji is December; all the others are a single kanji. I suppose October would also be two kanji, though it's not visible here.

"Ehoj, xe ghax ax ghu evayazof phakufazu," it says. "Khu xibbuzfa baxorruovx ez Oklaf ghavphaugh. Fuph ku upromb ghu xuolk phe zuovmj phakufazux…"

The timeline onscreen begins to sprout branches from the middle of March. In most of those timelines, an X is shown just after the branch point, but I can see several where the highlighted section continues all the way to April. Could that be a map of all the parallel realities that Homura, Hijiri, and I have leapt through over and over again? The fact that none of the lines are truncated seems to support the hypothesis that timelines continue on after Homura chooses to abandon them, so I'm glad I worked together with Oriko the last two times to ensure Walpurgisnacht was defeated and Madoka didn't turn into a witch.

"Ed? Ghax ax azblubasmu," the entity says. "Ghuvu ovu ecuv o dimbvub vuofaphaux quuvu khu baub ez ghu boj el stoztsach. Quj neirc ghoph mu? Khu nox zeph az ozj bochuv… miph ozjnoj, bucsaphu off ghoph, ghuvu ovu craff vuofaphaux quuvu khu beux zeph bau."

"Ghuvu kicr mu ezu quuvu khu beux zeph baxorruov," the second voice says.

"Fuph ku xuu… ghuvu orruov phe mu xeku quuvu khu baxorruovx giaphu o maph fophuv, phee, miph… jux, duvu, a leimb ezu quuvu khu beux zeph baxorruov oph off," the first voice says.

A specific timeline is suddenly highlighted in a different colour, and all the other branches fade out, with the selected one becoming the only one displayed as a flat line. The highlighting that seems to show my life span continues beyond April, and as the view scrolls to the right I can see it reaches at least as far as July before being cut off by the edge of the display.

"Den beux aph feeh?" the second voice asks.

There's a delay before the first voice answers.

"Mob," it finally says. "Ghax phakufazu dox oz izkluwubuckub fucuf el bakuzxaezof ackuvluvuzwu."

That voice sounds… defeated, all of a sudden. It looks like whatever the screen is showing, it's not good… at least for these creatures. Perhaps it's good for me, though? I can only hope.

"Bakuzxaezof ackuvluvuzwu?" the second voice asks. "Srek quuvu?"

"Moxub ez ghax koyawof xahsophivu… ghu Phaku-Csowu Obkazachlophaez Mivuoi," the first voice says.

"Miph ghax nelhb ax nuff eivzabu ghuav kifphacuvxof kozalerc!" the second voice says.

"A flen, ghoph ax rovphfa quj nu tsexu aph," the first voice says. "Miph aph xuukx ghoph ghu bakuzxaezof azcromafaphaux bluophub mj Xovod Kavomafax N docu uprombub phe ghu reack ghoph ghuj woz xing az ruecru srek eghuv kozalercx. A woz buphump oph fuocr ezu eghuv woxu el ghax az ghu emxuvcub sroku. Xe… quoph be nu be? Ghu upruvakuck ax klompawoffa viazub…"

"A xirrexu ghu ezfa ghach nu woz be zen ax obz ghu bavumpev," the second voice says.

"Ith, a nox derach aph neircz'ph weku phe ghoph," the first voice says. "Naff jei oph fuocr owwendozj ku?"

"El weivxu a naff."

The two entities begin to move, and the scene shifts around them. It's rather surreal, almost like they're physically fixed in one place while the world itself moves around them. They float down a conduit of some kind, then enter a room that somehow manages to resemble an office, with a desk of sorts at the far end. A third of the entities is there.

"Jux? Quoph ax aph jei nock?" this third entity asks.

That's the female voice I remember from the second vision.

"Vurevphach ghu crophix el Klesump Vazzu," the first voice says. "Nu docu ivyuck zunx omb vugiavu yiabozwu."

"Cuvj nuff," the female voice says. "Quoph xuukx phe mu ghu kophphuv?"

"Ghu ximsump dox ixub xeku levk el phundevof plozxluvuzwu, quats kobu aph ballawifph phe plong," the first voice says. "Ezwu nu lazoffa fewophub ghu lazof vuxifphach phakufazu, nu bapfecuvub oz azwivxaez srek ghu Phaku-Csowu Obkazachlophaez Mivuoi."

"Den?" the female voice asked, sounding surprised. "Ax ghoph nelhb zeph nuff eivzabu ghu kifphacuvxof kozalerc el ghu Phaku-Csowu Obkazchlophaez Mivuoi?"

"Aph ax," the first voice says. "Nu ovu zeph giaphu xivu den ghuj kozoyub phe azwiv, miph nu mufaucu ghu renuv el Xovod Kavomafax N ax fahufa vucsezxasmu."

Silence falls for a moment, as the female one seems to be considering whatever she's just been told.

"A imbuvcromb," the female voice says. "Aph ax izlevphizophu, miph nu naff docu phe phuvkazophu ghu upruvakuck. Ghu Phaku-Csowu Obkazachlophaez Mivuoi ax phee bochuveix – nu wozzeph vabz uzweickuvach ghuk. Al ghuj lamb eiph omeiph eiv upacruzwu, eiv buxahsx weirc mu viazub."

"Imbuvcreeb," the first voice says. "Omb quoph el ghu Klesump Vazzu ximsump? Be nu fuocu duv ofezu, ev kheirc nu bacsexu el duv?"

"Lev quoph aph ax nevgh," the second voice speaks up. "A mufaucu aph ax zeph nevgh ghu vabz phe bacsexu el duv. Nu woz vucrovph ghu upruvakuck nagh o balluvuck ximsump ez o zuovmj phakufazu."

Silence falls for awhile, presumably giving the third voice time to think. Finally, she speaks.

"A mufaucu ghu vabz el zeph beach xe ax ucuz pruophuv," the female voice says. "Bacsexu el duv, batzuuphfa."

"Quuz kheirc nu sthubifu ghu bacsexof az ghu fewof phaku sroku?" the first voice asks.

"A naff fuocu ghoph ir phe jeiv batzuphaez," the female voice says.

"Ghuz, a klerexu Koj vruckj-uathgh," the first voice says. "Aph ax olphuv ghu azwivxaez el ghu Phaku-Csowu Obkazachlophaez Mivuoi, omb ghu fucuf el phundevof bacrevphaez ax fenucr."

"Orklecub," the female voice says. "Xuu phe aph ghoph jei be zeph loaf."

---

I open my eyes, feeling a chill run down my spine. Although I can't understand a word they're saying, something about the tone of those aliens' voices towards the end makes me shiver. It seemed like they were scanning through all the timelines to find the one where I finally succeed in defeating Walpurgisnacht, and then there was something about that timeline that disturbed them? That's the most I can glean from the vision, though, other than that unexplained feeling of dread. Whatever they're planning, I have a feeling it won't be good.

I blink, suddenly noticing the witch runes dancing in front of my face, spelling out Ashley's witch name backwards – if viewed from the other side, it would read Zipzap. Huh? No, wait. From left to right I see a backwards P rune, a backwards I rune, a Z rune which is symmetrical, another backwards P rune, a backwards A rune, and another Z rune. So when read forwards, the A and I have switched places, so it's Zapzip? Weird…

I look around and see Kirika and Inui fighting off an enormous mass of hair, gathered into a plethora of wigs in all different styles and colours. A bundle of wigs in the centre represent the main body, with a large eye surrounded by five smaller ones. From there, additional wigs serve as appendages, lashing out at anything within reach, and each wig also has either a ribbon or a length of lace which extends to further lash out.

But it's far larger than I thought it would be. Excluding the core with the eyes, there must be over twenty wigs flailing around. Most of them lash at nothing, because there's simply nothing around up here on this building, and there are already several tears in the mesh fencing near me. As for Inui and Kirika, they just fend them off as best they can.

I close my eyes and focus, trying to gain control of the doppel, and for a moment I think I've succeeded in making it retreat, but as soon as I open my eyes again, it resumes the attack as if nothing had changed. I try again, and for a brief moment its attack falters, but again, my control over it does not last. But I keep trying, making it falter repeatedly, and bit by bit it feels like my ability to control it is improving. Before I make any significant progress though, the doppel runs out of steam and recedes into my body, and I collapse on the floor with a relieved sigh.

"That… that was way bigger than I expected," I say.

"Actually, it started out smaller," Inui says. "But you were using so much magic… your gem filled up at least two more times while it was still going, and each time it grew bigger…"

I blink. "W-whoa… I really used that much magic for just a few minutes of vision? Although I guess it makes sense, in a way… I was scrying outside of this universe."

Inui blinks. "Huh? How the hell could you possibly do that!? Didn't you say you can only scry on things you know?"

"It's something buried in my memory," I explain. "I didn't actually know it was outside this universe though. I figured it could just be another planet or something… but this vision proves otherwise. I don't know why, but… someone out there is watching me, and I don't like it."

"Huh… that's so weird," Inui says. "Anyway, are you okay? After letting out that… whatever you call it… doppel? It seems like it should've taken quite a toll on you…"

"I'll admit, I'm a little tired," I say. "But at least my soul gem is in good shape. Let's move on to the meeting place."

Inui nods. "Okay. Come on, Kiika-tan!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Kirika grumbles.

We hop down into the alley and return to the train station, catching a train over to Kosho Ward, where we disembark. Kirika suddenly complains about being hungry, so I decide to make a little detour and stop by Chiaki's.

"Oh, long time no see, Miss Taylor!" Mr Chiaki says when he spots me. "You here for a croquette or just to see Riko?"

"I came for the croquettes this time," I say. "But is Riko-chan around?"

"Unfortunately, I'm going to have to disappoint you," Mr Chiaki says. "I'm not quite sure what she's up to, but she left not ten minutes ago. I think she said something about seeing a friend?"

"Well, that's fine," I say. "I had plans anyway… okay, could we have… hmm… three… no, four croquettes each?"

"So, a dozen," Mr Chiaki nods. "Coming right up!"

Once the croquettes are ready and I've forked over the cash, we head towards the park that Kuroe had designated for the meeting, eating as we walk.

"These are incredibly delicious!" Inui says. "By the way… he seemed to know you… have you been there often?"

"Only once, actually," I say. "But I made friends with his daughter… she's a magical girl too, about Nagisa's age I think. Speaking of which… have you met Nagisa?"

"Ohh… so young," Inui says. "I've seen her come meet the others at school a couple times, yeah… complete with her elementary schooler backpack…"

When we arrive at the park, Kuroe's already waiting, sitting on a park bench… and she's not alone.

"Good afternoon, Miss Kuroe!" I call.

She shoots to her feet and turns to face us, waiting for us to reach her.

"G-good afternoon," she says. "Um… let me introduce… Azusa Mifuyu."

The silver-haired girl who had been sitting next to her stands up and bows.

"Nice to meet you," she says. "I am Azusa Mifuyu."

"Nice to meet you too," I say. "I'm Ashley Taylor, an exchange student in Mitakihara."

"I'm Itsumi Inui," Inui says.

Mifuyu looks at the last member of our group, who blinks, looking startled.

"Oh… Kure Kirika."

"Kuroe-chan told me you were interested in what we're doing here in Kamihama," Mifuyu says. "Would you like to join the Wings of the Magius?"

"Well… I guess that depends?" I say. "I'd be a fool to join something when I know nothing about it."

"That's understandable," Mifuyu says. "According to Kuroe-chan, you already know the secret of the soul gem, correct? The cruel fate of magical girls?"

"Yes, that we'll turn into witches," I say.

"We are working on a way to avert that fate," Mifuyu explains. "There is a prototype of an automatic purification system already set up here in Kamihama, and the goal of the Magius is to expand that to the entire planet. That's why we are gathering magical girls here. Strong ones are especially welcome."

"Ashley-nee is pretty strong!" Inui says.

"I don't think I'm all that strong," I protest.

"Well… are you interested?" Mifuyu asks.

"So you're gathering people to help you expand this… purification system?" I ask.

"That's correct," Mifuyu says.

"Well… I don't intend to ever turn into a witch anyway, but having some insurance can't be a bad thing," I say. "Alright… count me in."

Mifuyu looks at Inui and Kirika.

"And what about the two of you?"

"If Ashley-nee is in, then I'm in too," Inui says firmly.

"Um… sure," Kirika says.

"You don't seem very enthusiastic, Miss Kure," Mifuyu says.

"Really? But I'd feel left out if I was the only one who didn't join…"

Mifuyu chuckles. "Alright… in that case, I'll show you to the base we've just set up. By the way… those croquettes you're eating, they wouldn't happen to be from Chiaki's, would they?"

"They are," I say.

"Did you speak with their daughter?"

"Not today, no," I say. "We've met once before, though."

"I see… this is a request from a friend of mine, but we don't wish to bring her into the Wings of the Magius," Mifuyu says. "Because, to do so we would have to tell her the cruel truth…"

"Yeah… I understand," I say. "Let her dream a little or something… right?"

"Yes… thank you for your understanding," Mifuyu says. "We prefer to only recruit magical girls who have already discovered that truth."

She leads us northeast through the city, to an old railway yard. At the entrance, she digs a pendant out of her pocket, the wing symbol of the Magius, and holds it out in front of her. A gate appears in the air, a little like the portal of a labyrinth, and she gestures for us to step through ahead of her.

I head inside first, and find myself on a vast lawn in front of a large building. It's not as large as I remember, though – only three stories instead of six or seven, and there are no annexes. There are only five windows across the top floor.

Kirika, Inui, Kuroe, and lastly Mifuyu step in behind me, and Inui gasps at the sight.

"Oh wow! You've hidden a whole building away here!?"

Mifuyu chuckles. "Welcome to Hotel Fendt Hope," she says. "If you wish, you may stay here, or if you prefer to remain with your family out of town, you are welcome to continue living with them as well. Right now there are only a few of us, but we are recruiting new members every day."

"Do you get a lot from out of town?" Inui asks.

"Actually, most of the magical girls here are from out of town," Mifuyu says.

She and Kuroe flash into Magius robes – a black robe for Kuroe and a white robe for Mifuyu. Kuroe puts her hood up and pulls it forward, hiding her face, but Mifuyu leaves her hood down. Inui blinks.

"Huh? What's this?" she asks.

"These are our feather robes," Mifuyu explains. "We usually wear them when we are here at Fendt Hope, as well as when we are performing duties for the Magius. They are enchanted to store themselves into our soul gems, so we can pull them out at any time."

"Ohh, like Ashley-nee's sword, cool," Inui says.

Mifuyu looks at me in surprise.

"What does she mean by that?"

"Well, as a magical girl, I don't have a real weapon," I explain. "So I asked someone to make me one. It gives me more options in combat."

"Huh… and it's also enchanted to store itself in your soul gem?"

I nod. "Yes, it is."

I pull it out in demonstration, without transforming, and she gasps.

"Amazing! Do you think the person who made your weapon would be interested in joining us?" Mifuyu asks.

I store the weapon away again.

"I think she'd be interested in what you're doing, but I don't think she'd join your organization," I say. "Although I can't be certain without directly asking her."

"Hmm, well, in any case, let's go inside," Mifuyu says. "I should at least introduce you to the Magius. They can give you a better idea of the 'duties' I mentioned earlier."

"I'm kind of excited to see inside," Inui says. "How'd you even make this place…?"

"One of the Magius has the power of manifestation," Mifuyu says. "She created this place as a safe haven for us."

Without further ado, she walks up to the front door and pushes it open, holding it for us to step through. I look around the lobby, which feels kind of small, but more cozy than the version from the game, with a number of couches set out. There are six other magical girls lounging around there, one in white robes and the rest in black robes, all with their hoods up. I scan them, looking for any clues that might reveal their identity. The white feather doesn't seem to be anyone I know, however – there's a lock of green hair escaping the hood, which rules out Midori Ryo, Kagura San, and the Amane twins, and those are the only white feathers I have names for. Two of the black feathers might possibly be Shigure and Hagumu based on their hair colour, and I see one with red hair as well, which could be Megumi Moka, but could also just as easily be someone I don't know. There's nothing familiar about the remaining two.

"Oh, Mifuyu!" the white feather says.

She jumps up and runs over to greet us with a bow.

"Are these more new recruits?" she asks.

"Yes indeed," Mifuyu says.

"Nice to meet you!" the white feather says. "You can call me Sue… it's a nickname, but it helps to have something to address me by, right?"

"Sure… nice to meet you, Sue," I say.

"I'd like to take them to meet the Magius," Mifuyu says. "Do you know if they're in right now?"

"I think Lady Nemu is with the flute sisters," Sue says. "And I haven't seen Lady Alina today… but Lady Touka should be in her office."

"Alright, then that's where we'll be going," Mifuyu says. "Please follow me. Kuroe-chan, you don't need to come if you don't want to."

"Th-then I'll stay here," Kuroe says.

She makes for an unoccupied couch and plops herself down on it with a sigh. Mifuyu makes for the stairs and leads the three of us up to the top floor, where she knocks on one of the doors.

"Come in!" an irate voice says from within.

Mifuyu pushes the door open and steps inside. Satomi Touka sits behind a desk at the far wall, clad in the black and brown dress of her magical girl outfit.

"Good afternoon, Touka," Mifuyu says. "I've brought some new recruits."

"Again?" Touka says. "Excellent! How many does that make now?"

"Um, let me think," Mifuyu says. "I think they'd bring our numbers to twenty-three? Or was it twenty-four? I feel like I'm missing one…"

"That's an average of six per day," Touka says. "At this rate, we could easily reach two hundred members in just a month… so, what do you want from me?"

"I'm still not quite clear on the situation," Mifuyu says. "So I'd like you to handle explaining it again."

"Well, I don't have anything better to do right now," Touka grumbles. "So I guess I can take care of that. You there! Come in and sit down! And you listen in too, Mifuyu. I can't keep explaining this every single time, especially not once we get more people and I become more busy. I need you to grasp it enough to explain it yourself."

"Understood," Mifuyu says.

Inui, Kirika, and I step into the room and take a seat on the various chairs arrayed through the room. Mifuyu also takes a seat, and Touka clears her throat.

"Okay, do I need to explain witches and soul gems this time?" she asks.

"No, we already know about that," I say.

"And as you know, I've already grasped that part years ago," Mifuyu adds.

"Good, that makes things easier," Touka says. "So! The fate of magical girls is to become witches, but I don't like it. Who would want to turn into a witch? So I intend to deny that fate forever. That's why I've created an automatic purification system here in Kamihama! It's ingenious! Let me explain. As long as you're within the city bounds, you will not turn into a witch. Never, ever! It's amazing, right? Instead, when you're about to turn into a witch, the automatic purification system will take those impurities and transfer them from your soul gem into your body. When the impurities merge with your body, you'll unleash something that I call a 'doppel'. It's similar to a witch, but unlike a witch, it is a reversible transformation. Do you follow me so far?"

"Yes, I think that makes sense so far," I say.

"But that's just a prototype of the system," Touka says. "There are some kinks to work out, so we're experimenting with it here in Kamihama. Ultimately the plan is to expand the system to all of Earth, but this will require an immense amount of energy, so that's our other goal as the Wings of the Magius – to gather the energy needed to expand the system."

"Energy, you say…" Inui says.

"Yes, energy," Touka says. "Don't tell me I have to start with something as basic as the nature of energy…?"

"No, I'm just a little surprised that's the only issue you've faced," Inui says.

"It's not the only one," Touka retorts. "Of course, there are tons and tons of little issues to work out! That's science! But it is the biggest issue. Therefore, we have come up with a few methods of generating large amounts of energy."

"Like a nuclear power plant?" Inui asks.

"Don't be stupid," Touka snaps. "A typical nuclear power plant would take at least a century to generate enough energy. No, the only viable source we have if we want to move things along quickly is… human emotions."

Inui blinks. "That doesn't sound very nice, though…"

"You don't want to turn into a witch, do you now?" Touka asks. "The more we delay, the more magical girls will turn into witches. And it's not like we're hurting people to do it," she adds. "We're just siphoning off a little energy here and there. Human emotions generate such a stupendous amount of energy that even just a small fraction of it goes a long way."

"So um… how exactly do you get energy from emotions, anyway?" Inui asks.

"We use magical constructs that Nemu calls 'rumours' to extract energy. We're also considering the viability of witches as an energy source."

"But you said you're not hurting people," Inui says. "Witches hurt people… they kill people… so that's no good, right?"

"Our preliminary experiments suggest that a witch doesn't need to kill its victims to siphon energy off," Touka says. "With care, we can use witches without letting anyone die. Besides, it's not like we're just letting witches run amok in the city. We'll capture them and raise them in captivity."

"Hmm… I still don't like it, though," Inui says. "But I guess as long as no-one dies, I can accept it… I don't really want to turn into a witch either…"

"Raising witches also allows us to give out grief seeds to our members if they leave the city, either on leave or on duty," Touka adds. "So there's that benefit as well. Really, there are almost nooooo downsides at all!"

"So, what will you do once you have enough energy?" Inui asks.

"Once we have enough energy, Eve will hatch and spread the automatic purification system across the entire planet," Touka says. "And then magical girls will never have to turn into witches again."

"Unless they go to another planet," I point out.

Touka blinks at me. "That's true," she says. "Hmm… I hadn't thought of that… but humanity doesn't yet have spaceships capable of taking passengers even to the moon, so I guess we can work that out once Earth is protected. I think the International Space Station should fit within a full-planet doppel field. Are there any more questions?"

"I don't have any," I say.

"None from me, at least right now," Inui says.

"What exactly is a doppel, anyway?" Kirika asks.

"It's formed from the impurities that cloud your soul gem," Touka says. "In that sense it's similar to a witch. However, since the impurities are drawn out of the soul gem and instead fuse with your body, the transformation wears off on its own after a little while, and you return to normal."

"So it's like you turn into a witch but you're still in control?" Kirika asks.

"It's not quite accurate, but I suppose you could describe it like that," Touka says. "Any more questions?"

Kirika shakes her head, and Mifuyu speaks up.

"Then the only remaining issue would be whether you should be white or black feathers," she says.

"The blonde one seems pretty strong," Touka says. "Make her a white feather. The other two… yeah, let's just go with black."

"Understood," Mifuyu says. "Come with me, and I'll assign each of you a robe and a room."

She rises and heads out of Touka's office, and leads us to another room where a whole bunch of feather robes are stored. She takes down two black ones and a white one and hands them out.

"For now, put them on," Mifuyu says. "Then you can practice summoning them whenever you want."

The robes are surprisingly easy to put on. Given how close-fitting they are, at least around the chest area, I'd expected a bit more trouble, but somehow it fits like a glove. Either they're enchanted to be one-size-fits-all or Mifuyu is very good at gauging someone's size at a glance. Once I have my white feather robe on, I focus on the idea of drawing it into my soul gem, and bam, it's gone. Then I focus again, and it's back out.

"Impressive!" Mifuyu says. "You're probably the first to actually master that… I suppose your experience with your custom weapon helps."

"Thank you…"

"Do we have to put our hoods up?" Inui asks.

"It's not required," Mifuyu says. "In fact there isn't even a rule that you must wear the robe. However, the reason we decided to create these robes is that some of the magical girls are… how should I put it… a little shy? They don't want people seeing their faces. It was Nemu's idea actually… she also proposed the basics of the design."

"Okay," Inui says. "For now, I guess I'll leave it up, then…"

With that, she puts her hood up, though without pulling it way forward to conceal her face, and does a twirl.

"How does it look, Ashley-nee?"

"Um, well… it's not exactly supposed to look nice," I point out. "That said, I can't say it looks bad, either. Oh, by the way, Miss Mifuyu… could I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I noticed that Sue referred to the three Magius as 'lady', but you just used their given name?"

"Ah… yes," Mifuyu says. "I was the first one to join, after all… and besides, Touka and Nemu are close to eight years younger than me, so it just doesn't feel right to address them as 'lady'. Alina's only two or three years younger, but using it on only one of them also wouldn't feel right. That said… there's no requirement to address them as 'lady', either. The recruits started doing that on their own, out of respect."

"I see… that makes sense," I say. "Thank you for the detailed explanation. And… there's definitely only three Magius?"

Mifuyu nods. "Yes, there are just the three of them. Okay… next, let me show you to the underground chapel."

Inui blinks. "Huh? A chapel?"

Mifuyu nods. "Yes, it's where Eve is kept," she says. "You'll need to visit the chapel regularly to get used to the environment down there."

"Uhhh… what do you mean by that?" Inui asks.

"You'll see once we get there," Mifuyu says.

She leads us back down to the lobby, and then we take a flight of stairs leading even further down. I thought there would be prisons down here, but perhaps those haven't been constructed yet… the stairs simply spiral downwards for quite some distance with no other openings.

"Ugh… what is this feeling?" Inui asks. "It's like something heavy… pressing down on me…"

I can feel it too. It makes it difficult to walk. Fortunately, there's a railing we can lean on.

"That's what I mean about the environment," Mifuyu says. "This is the centre of the automatic purification system. What that means is that the impurities taken from magical girls across the city are all gathered here in this one place… which leads to that heavy sensation. The reason we'd like you to visit here regularly is to get acclimated to it. The experience should make you stronger."

"Ugh… I don't know if I can," Inui says. "It's so… heavy…"

Kirika however barely seems affected, and Mifuyu comments on that.

"Are you okay, Kirika?"

"Huh? Of course I am," Kirika says. "I can do anything if it's for Oriko!"

Mifuyu blinks. "Who?"

"To avoid getting into complicated explanations, let's just call her Kirika's best friend," I say.

"Just wondering but… is there a reason she didn't come with you?" Mifuyu asks. "Ah, wait… perhaps she's not a magical girl…?"

"There is a reason, but do I have to say it?"

"No… I suppose it doesn't matter," Mifuyu says. "Still, if she's a magical girl, she's more than welcome to join if she wants to."

Finally we emerge into the chapel, and I gaze up at the imposing figure of Eve, a white creature resembling a mothman with various gems embedded in its body. Actually, although in the game she's only an image on the screen, even accounting for that, she seems quite a bit smaller. She's maybe a little over twice my height. I guess she just keeps growing larger and larger as she gathers more impurities?

I use my clairvoyance to zoom in on the huge red gemstone on Eve's chest. Sure enough, there it is – Ui's body, just barely visible, trapped within the stone. That's undeniably the same girl I saw in the dream.

Then I bring my eyes down to take in the rest of this room. It's actually an underground garden of sorts, with a table set out that's perfect for an afternoon tea party. There are three chairs at the table, and one of them is occupied… Alina sits there, in her magical girl form, sipping at a cup of tea and gazing up at Eve.

"Ah, so this is where you were, Alina," Mifuyu says.

Alina turns to face us.

"What's this?" she asks. "More new recruits?"

"That's correct," Mifuyu says.

"Another white feather, huh…"

"Um… what on earth is this?" Inui wonders. "Is that… a witch!?"

"Not exactly," Alina says. "We're calling it a half-witch… its name is Eve, and it's what makes the automatic purification system possible. We discovered it entirely by chance."

"So when you say Eve is going to 'hatch'… it means she'll become… a full witch?" Inui asks.

"Exactly," Alina says. "And when that happens, a truly stupendous amount of energy will be released, enough to expand the system to the entire planet."

"That's so…"

Inui trails off, seemingly lost for words as she stares up at Eve. I reach into my purse and take out the single grief seed that I'm keeping there, separate from the rest. It's Virginia's grief seed. Mifuyu spots it and blinks.

"No! You shouldn't take out a grief seed down here!" she says urgently. "It could—"

But she's too late. The grief seed sucks up the impurities down here like a sponge and overloads, hatching into a witch. A labyrinth forms, and Virginia appears, towering over us. But then, Alina leaps up and raises her hands to emit several green rays that form a box around the witch, like a wireframe cube. Then the faces of the cube fill in and become solid, and it shrinks down to about twice the size of a typical die. She walks over and hands me the green cube.

"It's yours, right?" she says. "You better be careful next time you come here. Grief seeds will hatch almost instantly. You take this one up to the surface and defeat her there… just squeeze the cube really hard and it'll open up again."

"Thank you, Miss Alina," I say. "Just out of curiosity… is the witch completely isolated from the outside now? Or could she… grow stronger inside here?"

Alina shrugs. "Maybe! So don't blame me if you put it off and she kills you!"

"Right…"

This is more than I'd expected, to be honest. I had theorized that a grief seed might be able to absorb the impurities from the air down here, but I hadn't expected it to hatch immediately, nor had I expected Alina to immediately capture it and give the witch back to me.

"Here's a little word of advice," Alina says. "Don't stay down here for more than a few minutes if you have any grief seeds on you. Leave them in your room first."

"Ah… then we should probably leave right now…" I say.

"Yes, you should," Alina says.

"Ah, my apologies," Mifuyu says. "Most of the girls who joined didn't have any grief seeds, so I completely forgot to ask… yes, if you have others, we should get out of here before they too hatch. It won't be as fast if they're not directly exposed to the impure air, and proximity to your body will shield them somewhat, but… they've probably already absorbed some of the impurities here."

So we turn and head back up, and for some reason, Alina decides to join us. She ends up leading the way, stomping up the stairs, and I ponder how she seems different from what I remember in the game. It's like… she's less… how do I put this? She seems a bit nicer?

"Are you planning to gather more witches today, Alina?" Mifuyu asks.

"No, this time I'm checking that Mirror Witch out," Alina says. "It sounds like an incredible witch, so I've just got to see it with my own eyes."

Ah. She hasn't even met the Mirror Witch yet. That… that could explain why she seems different.

"Be careful about that one, Alina," Mifuyu says. "It's a very strong witch, and we've had people get lost forever in there. There are even reports of people who venture inside acting strange."

"I'm sure that will all be a piece of cake for the great Alina," Alina retorts. "But I will exercise a little caution. After all, I cannot allow your perfect body to be marred by worry."

"R-right…"

"Say, um, Alina," I say. "Since I accidentally hatched that seed… do you think I could turn it into two seeds somehow?"

"What?" Alina says. "Well, all you need to do is feed one of the familiars until it matures, so sure. If you give it a whole slew of grief seeds, I guess that would do it… ah, but there's no way you'd have that many, huh?"

"I only have three…"

"Three is pretty impressive though," Mifuyu points out. "Most magical girls don't even have one at any given time."

"There's no way three would be enough," Alina says. "Well then… if you're impatient, I guess you'll just have to check out the Rumour of the Witch Induction Device. You should ask Nemu for more details."

"Okay, thanks," I say. "I'll remember that."

As we reach the ground floor once more, I check on my grief seed stash. There are three of them, all of which seem to have absorbed some of the impurities, but they're all still usable. The grief cubes have absorbed a little too, but none of them look ready to burst. I try not to let Mifuyu and Alina see the cubes, and it seems like my efforts are successful, since they don't comment on them.

"Now come, let me assign you a room," Mifuyu says. "Even if you don't stay in it every night, it will be useful to have."

She leads us back to the stairs, heading up to the second floor.

"Do we each get our own room?" Kirika asks.

"No, we assign two to each room," Mifuyu says. "That means two of you will have to share."

"I'll share with Ashley-nee!" Inui says.

"Well… I don't really have an objection to that," Mifuyu says. "Then, Miss Kure will be placed with the other new member who joined today. I'll give the four of you your first assignment by the end of the week. Normally it would be sooner, but we're still in the early stages of working out what we need you to do, so…"

"Who is this other new member?" I ask.

"Probably no-one you'd know," Mifuyu says. "I believe she said she came all the way from Yukuni."

"Oh, Yukuni…?"

Mifuyu knocks on one of the doors. There's a sound of scrambling from within, and a girl in a black feather robe opens the door moments later. The lock of hair peeking out from under her hood is a dark green that doesn't match any of the four members of Folklore of Zero, which is a bit of a relief.

"Oh… Miss Mifuyu! Did you need something?"

Unexpectedly, her Japanese is a bit strange. I wouldn't go so far as to say she's not fluent, but she has a very noticeable accent that seems to indicate she may not have been living in Japan for very long.

"I have a roommate for you, Tomomi-chan. This is Kirika."

"Oh, um… nice to meet you?" Tomomi says.

"Yeah… I guess," Kirika says.

"By the way… Miss Mifuyu said you're from Yukuni," I say. "I heard rumours about Yukuni recently…"

"Oh… what kind of rumours?" Tomomi asks. "I mean… I can believe it. It's a huge mess there for magical girls… I had to get away."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Mifuyu asks. "Now that you've had a couple of hours to calm down?"

Tomomi heaves a great big sigh, then shrugs.

"Um… well… sure, why not," Tomomi says. "Um… want to… come in?"

"Just for a little while," Mifuyu says.

We all head inside. There's a bunk bed in one corner, and Tomomi takes a seat on the bottom bunk while Kirika climbs up to flop into the top bunk. Inui takes a seat at the desk opposite the bed, and Mifuyu and I remain standing.

"So, yeah… the mess in Yukuni," Tomomi says. "How do I even begin…?"

She falls silent for a bit, thinking.

"Well… I think it all started when a new girl transferred into my class," Tomomi says. "That was… around mid-February, if I recall correctly. Her name was… Amano Suzune. I tried to make friends with her and ended up chatting with her a lot during lunch break, though she didn't really say much."

"Yeah… I actually met Miss Amano once, and she's not exactly the talkative type…"

"Oh wow, what a strange coincidence… anyway! Soon after she transferred in, one of my classmates was murdered… and I heard from my father that there were several others, all young girls between the ages of twelve and eighteen. Not long after that, one of the Yunohana students forgot her smartphone after the community choir practice, so I thought I'd return it to her… and… she'd left it unlocked and I happened to see the chat room she was in. It… it wasn't intentional… it was just sitting there and I couldn't help it…"

I'm not quite sure, because my memory is a little fuzzy when it comes to Folklore of Zero, but I think Yunohana may be the same school that Alexandra Cruise attends.

"So… was there something incriminating there or something?" Inui asks.

"N-no… not exactly," Tomomi says. "I don't remember exact words or anything, but there was someone called 'Lavi' warning them that the murdered girls were all magical girls and they should avoid wearing their rings to be on the safe side… and a couple of people had replied."

"Oh, so it's a chat room for magical girls," Inui says. "That's an awesome idea… why haven't we done that?"

"So this older student… what's her name?" I ask.

"Oh, um, she's Alexandra Cruise," Tomomi says.

So yeah… just as I suspected. And Tomomi's pronunciation of Alexandra's name is also perfect from my perspective – it really comes out as Cruise rather than the Kurusu that most Japanese would produce.

"Anyway, I locked the phone before I could be tempted to read more… and then I returned it to her," Tomomi says. "Um… nothing much happened for the next month or so… other than more murders of young girls. Other than the one classmate, none of them were people I knew. Of course, I had no idea what a magical girl was… I actually thought the chat room was some sort of roleplay thing or something. But then… I heard about magical girls once again."

"Kyuubey showed up?" Inui guesses.

"Ah… that was later," Tomomi says. "No… this was on a podcast called Night Fun Homeroom that's fairly popular in Yukuni. You see… one of the co-hosts, Ulala, claimed she was chased by a witch and saved by magical girls. The other host, Kurara, didn't believe her, but Ulala was pretty insistent, so combined with what I accidentally saw on Cruise-sempai's phone, I thought there must be something to it."

Interestingly, she actually pronounces the L's in Ulala's name differently from the R's in Kurara's name. To a native Japanese ear, they'd sound the same, sort of like the trilled R of Spanish, and the written kana would usually not distinguish them either. So then… Ulala must have deliberately chosen those L's and somehow communicated that to her audience. I wonder if Ulala also has some non-Japanese background or if she just thought it sounded cool…? And Night Fun Homeroom is also in English, which she also pronounces perfectly.

"Do you remember when that was?" I ask.

"I think it was around mid-March," Tomomi says. "It was a Monday, I believe…?"

Huh… so that's rather unfortunate. It sounds like the Yukuni tragedy is already getting started by the time the time loop starts, so it means I can't save some of those girls. With all the stuff I need to deal with at the beginning of a loop, I'm not sure if I can even manage to save any of them… I'll still do whatever I can, though. I wish I'd thought to check on them at the beginning of this loop, though, or even earlier. That was foolish of me. But then, it took me that long to even remember they exist. Even before I was unceremoniously brought to this world, it had been almost a year since I'd finished playing through the second arc of the game, so it wasn't exactly fresh in my memory. If only those creatures could've waited another few months before grabbing me, I could've gotten through the fourth season of the anime, which might've helped… as it was, I'd only seen the first three episodes which were just beginning to set up the new conflict. Heck, the first episode was practically a recap episode, albeit with a twist near the end.

"So anyway… I asked Suzune-chan what she thought about it," Tomomi says. "And she said… she said they sound dangerous. And that's when… I noticed the mark on her fingernail. It reminded me of the similar mark on Miss Cruise's fingernail… it's even the same finger. I didn't quite put it together back then, though…"

She actually says Alexandra's honorific in English, literally "Miss Cruise".

"So you didn't realize Suzune was a magical girl yet," I say.

Tomomi nods. "R-right… that realization didn't come until… until the festival, a few days later."

"What festival?" I ask.

"Um… the Yukuni All-Star Festival," Tomomi says. "Every year on March eighteenth. It's not exactly a well-known festival, but it attracts people from the surrounding towns and villages."

And March eighteenth is so early in the timeline, too… it's the day I need to save Nagisa. That clinches it… if the festival is on the eighteenth, then the Night Fun Homeroom episode falls on the fourteenth at the latest, two days before time started looping. And there's no way I could possibly interfere with the festival at the same time as saving Nagisa… at least, I don't think there is. Maybe the festival starts late enough to get there in time after everything else? But Yukuni is rather far away… and there's only one railway line that passes through it, so I'd have to change trains at least once, possibly twice, in order to get there.

"So, what happened at the festival?" Inui asks.

"The hosts of Night Fun Homeroom were up on stage," Tomomi says. "Meaning, I got to see Ulala and Kurara in person… though only from a distance. And at one point… she said some magical girls would be joining her onstage. However…"

Tomomi trails off.

"It… it was awful," she says. "A truck lost control and swerved into the crowd… and to make things worse, it even exploded. I… I was lucky… I was at the back of the crowd, so I wasn't really hurt, but… several people died… and then… I was swallowed up by a witch's labyrinth."

"Is that when you made a wish?" Inui asks.

Tomomi shakes her head.

"No… although Kyuubey did appear and make the offer, I was saved by Suzune-chan," she says. "She defeated the witch really quickly, but then another magical girl showed up, and they got into a huge fight. She had red hair and a feather headdress…"

That's Himuro Lavi, then. So, it fits with what Suzune told me about facing Lavi and failing to kill her…

"After awhile the other magical girl gave up and ran," Tomomi says. "Then Suzune stalked up to me, killed Kyuubey, and warned me that I should never take him up on it if I value my life. She didn't explain why, though… but I got the feeling she'd kill me if I did. Then she just… turned and ran off."

Tomomi lets out a long sigh.

"So… I didn't really get it, so I questioned Suzune on the next school day," Tomomi says.

"Uh… wait… I thought she transferred to a different school after that?" I say.

"She did," Tomomi says. "The teacher announced that she'd be transferring at the end of the week."

Hmm… I wonder if that's just a difference between this timeline and the one where I met Suzune in Kamihama, because when I met her she clearly said she used to live in Yukuni, not that she still did and was planning to move soon. The event where she visits Kamihama would have been a day or two after the festival in Yukuni. But there were a hundred or more loops between then and now, so perhaps some little things have changed.

"Anyway," Tomomi continues. "I questioned her on the next school day, and she told me her mission was to kill all magical girls. I threatened to report her to the police, but she said they wouldn't believe me, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to catch her, because she's a magical girl. And over the next couple of days, as the rumours that magical girls turn into witches started to appear… Suzune-chan helped them spread. And then… the next week came and she was just gone."

"So she helped the rumours spread, then skipped town," I muse.

"Do you know how the rumours got started?" Inui asks.

Tomomi shakes her head. "I'm not sure… but I think they were blaming that truck accident on a witch, so it probably has something to do with what happened on the day of the festival…"

"So um… what happened after that?" Inui asks.

"W-well… the students somehow discovered that you could identify a magical girl by her ring," Tomomi says. "So… a lot of people started bullying the magical girls…"

"That's horrible," Mifuyu says. "They didn't understand that would just make things worse, I guess…?"

Tomomi nods. "Yeah… they didn't have the full story," she says. "They somehow had the idea that magical girls and witches were the same thing… and when they witched out, they were just… giving up their body and fleeing town… even I believed it at first…"

"Did… did you see it happen to anyone?" Inui asks.

Tomomi shakes her head. "I didn't witness it, no… but… a close friend of mine was targeted… I couldn't do anything about it… that's why… that's why when Kyuubey showed up again, I gave in and made a wish. And then… the next day, I had that dream, so I came here and discovered the Wings of the Magius."

"I vividly remember when you showed up two days ago, desperately asking if we really had a way to save magical girls," Mifuyu says. "But it wasn't the answer you were looking for, was it?"

"Y-yeah… I wanted to save my friend," Tomomi says. "Mana-chan… I wanted to save her… but… Miss Mifuyu said they can't save someone who already became a witch."

"And even if there was a way… we'd at least need the grief seed," Mifuyu says. "I'm sorry we couldn't live up to your expectations."

"So you've only been a magical girl for three days?" I ask. "Does that mean you've never actually fought a witch yet?"

"No… I haven't," Tomomi says.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but… may I ask what you wished for?"

"It was… nothing special," Tomomi says. "I just asked for the power to save people… pretty stupid, right? I could've asked for my friend to come back… but it didn't occur to me then…"

"The power to save people?" I wonder. "What sort of power could that be…?"

"Eh? You want to know about my abilities!?" Tomomi gasps. "W-well… it's kinda embarrassing… sorry…"

"And… just wondering, but did you ever formally meet the girl from the chat room?" I ask.

"Ah, you mean Lavi?" Tomomi says. "Not that I'm aware of…"

I guess it makes sense that Lavi wouldn't have time to introduce herself when she's fighting off Suzune, but I thought perhaps they might've met at another time as well.

"Well, it seems like a lot has happened to you, Tomomi-chan," Mifuyu says. "Thank you for sharing. I thought I had it rough, but it sounds like you've had some pretty bad experiences yourself."

"Y-yeah… that must've been awful," Inui says.

"Okay, let me assign a room for the two of you, Miss Inui, Miss Ashley," Mifuyu says. "Will you be staying tonight?"

"I think I should stay in Mitakihara most nights," I say. "I don't want to make the people I'm staying with worry too much…"

"I'll think about staying over," Inui says. "Not tonight, but… maybe starting next weekend?"

"And what about you, Miss Kirika?"

"Hmm? Me?" Kirika says. "I wasn't listening. What was the question?"

"Will you be staying in this room tonight?"

"Well… I suppose I might as well," Kirika shrugs. "Since I'm already here and all."

"Well, I'll be happy to have company!" Tomomi says eagerly. "I'm Tomomi Thrussel, by the way!"

"Oh… hi?" Kirika says. "I'm Kure Kirika…"

Mifuyu shows the two of us to the room across the hall from Tomomi's room.

"If you'd like, I'll leave you to settle in here," she says. "Feel free to leave whenever you want. When you return, you can use the pendant on your robes to gain access. Think of it as a key."

"Alright, thanks," I say.

I step inside, letting the door swing shut behind me as I stop to take in the room. It's quite cozy in here, actually. I didn't get a good look at Tomomi's room, but this one seems identical as far as I can tell – there's the bunk bed at one end, a desk at the other complete with a desktop computer, a low table in the centre, and two chairs – an office chair at the desk, and a rocking chair in one corner. I take a seat on the office chair, just as Inui follows me inside and flops down on the bottom bunk.

"So, what do you think about them, Inui-chan?" I ask.

"Hmm… they seem a little shady to me," Inui says. "Still… I get the feeling their hearts are in the right place? And Miss Mifuyu at least seems really nice… Miss Touka I'm not sure about. I found it hard to get a read on her… and Miss Alina as well…"

"And you're thinking of staying here, rather than with the Hayashi family?" I ask.

Inui nods. "I can't stay with them forever, right? And I don't want to return to Dad's place. So… I might as well crash here for awhile."

"Are you going to transfer to a school in Kamihama, then?" I ask.

"Well… I can't really do that without Dad's approval," Inui says. "So I guess I'll continue to attend school in Mitakihara…"

"Hmm… I bet there's some way to get his approval," I muse.

"Do you have something in mind?" Inui asks.

"Well… not really," I say. "I mean, unless you're willing to resort to mind control…"

"Huh? Even if I was, we don't know anyone with that kind of power, do we?"

"What? You already met both Yuuki Sasa and Hinata Kagari, didn't you?"

"Um… I mean someone with that kind of power who'd be willing to cooperate," Inui amends. "Of course, I'm aware of those two…"

"Well, I do know of someone," I say. "However, she hasn't yet made a contract in this timeline… and I doubt she ever would without some prodding."

"Yeah… that's no good," Inui says. "I can't ask someone to make a contract just so they can brainwash Dad. Besides, brainwashing is wrong. I don't want to do it if I can possibly avoid it. Not even to Dad."

"In that case… I've got nothing foolproof," I say. "Still… can it hurt to just… try talking to him?"

"Hmm… well… as long as he's not drunk," Inui says. "Yeah, it could be worth a try. He's pretty okay when he's not drunk, mostly? I guess? Tell you what… I'll sneak over and have a chat with him tomorrow morning!"

"Why in the morning?"

"Huh? Weren't you listening, Ashley-nee!?" Inui says. "I said when he's not drunk! So that only leaves the morning!"

I blink at her. "Y-you're basically saying he's always drunk…"

"Well, I'm just saying it like it is," Inui retorts. "Hmm… what's the nearest school to Hotel Fendt Hope? Do you know?"

"Nearest…? Um… I'm not quite sure," I say. "This is in Kosho Ward, so maybe Kosho Academy? But it's the north end of Kosho Ward, so Sankyoin Academy might actually be closer…"

"Eh, you're giving me a choice!?" Inui gasps. "Come on, Ashley-nee! Throw me a bone here!"

"Hmm… well, that's a tough one," I say. "Let me see… the two friends I made in Kamihama are… Misono Karin, who goes to… I think it was Sakae General School…? And then there's Chiaki Riko who goes to… ah! She goes to Kosho Academy…"

"Ohh, the daughter of the croquette guy?" Inui says. "Okay, that decides it! I'll grab some transfer papers from Kosho Academy and see if I can convince Dad to sign them. And if I can't, well… no biggie, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose not…"

I decide to try scrying on Alexandra and Asahi in Yukuni. Unfortunately, they're not up to anything remotely interesting at the moment, which makes it hard to tell what stage they're at in their tragedy. I guess I'll keep checking on them daily. If I can at least pinpoint the day of the avalanche that kills a whole lot of people, that should be a good place to start, coupled with the festival date. It's not sufficient to save every magical girl who died in that tragedy, but I'd be able to save at least the ordinary people who wanted to support magical girls. In fact, there's even a chance that doing so would cut Folklore of Zero out of the equation, permanently.

"So… if you're going to stay here, you might get to know some of the other members, right?" I say.

"Hmm… well, I guess that depends on them," Inui says. "On the one hand, that Sue girl seemed pretty guarded, but Tomo-chan was pretty open…"

"Well… I'll be interested to know who you meet," I say. "Although, of course, I expect I'll get to know some of them too…"

Inui nods. "Yeah, we can share info and everything," she says. "It's why we're here after all, right?"

"Pretty much."

She sits up on the bed.

"So… wanna go home for now?"

"Sure."

We leave the place, heading across the lawn and exiting back into the city. I quickly store the robe in my soul gem, and Inui follows my example. It seems she too got the hang of it pretty quickly. Following Inui's suggestion, we make a detour to Kosho Academy to grab the transfer papers, and then we catch a train back to Mitakihara. On the way, I text Mari to let her know we're coming, and once we've reached Mitakihara, we get off at a stop closer to her place and head over there.

She's sitting in that playground again, waiting for us. Upon spotting us, she jumps up and steps forward.

"So… how did your experiment go?" Mari asks.

"It was a success," I say.

I reach into my purse and take out the original Mari's soul gem.

"That… that's definitely the right colour for Mari-chan's soul gem," she says. "But how can I be sure it's her?"

"Well… you're sort of like a clone of her, right?" I say.

"Um… I suppose you could describe it that way," Mari says.

"I've learned that it's possible for two soul gems to occupy a single body, as long as it's compatible," I say. "To my knowledge, that only works with identical twins or clones, basically two people with identical DNA, but… in this case, that's perfect, right?"

Mari nods slowly. "I suppose… how would I do that?"

I pass her the soul gem, and she takes it, gingerly gripping it as if the slightest force might shatter it.

"If you change it to ring form and put it on your ring-free hand, your little sister should be able to establish a connection to your body," I say. "It may help to attempt to reach her telepathically, as well. Once she's connected… from what I understand, she'll be fully conscious, and the two of you will share control of the body. I've never experienced it myself, only seen it in others – twice, I might add – but I think that's about how it works."

Mari nods. "I see. I'll give that a try. However… I'd like to do it in private."

I nod. "I understand," I say. "It's going to take a lot of explaining to let her know what happened, I'm sure. We'll just head home and let you have that time together. And I promise I won't use my magic to spy on you."

"That's awfully generous of you," Mari says. "In that case, perhaps I'll see you later."

"Yeah, seeya," I say.

And with that, Inui and I turn and head back to the Hayashi house.

---

Inui stares up at the apartment building she used to live in, steeling herself for a moment before heading inside and making her way up to that apartment. Apparently, she'd held onto a key, for she simply unlocks the door and steps inside. She finds her father within, in the middle of breakfast, which appears to basically just toast and coffee. When she enters, he looks up and his jaw literally drops.

"Dad… we need to talk," Inui says.

"Inui… is… is that… really you?"

"Who else would it be?" she retorts.

"I thought… I thought you'd never come back," he says.

"I didn't want to," Inui says.

"Y-you didn't want to…"

"Look… Dad… I'm only here because I need something from you, okay? I'm still a minor, after all…"

"Inui… Inui, dear… I'm sorry… I'll try to be better…"

"I don't want your apology!" she shouts.

Suddenly she starts, looking a tad guilty.

"Ah… I didn't meant to shout… but still…"

"Then… you need something from me because you're a minor…" He suddenly gasps. "D-don't tell me… you're getting married!?"

"Idiot!" Inui shouts. "Don't be stupid! I'm only thirteen, you dumbass!"

"Th-then what?"

"I want to move in with a friend in another city," Inui says. "So I'd like you to set up a school transfer for me, to switch schools starting next week."

"…oh… is that all?" he says. "I see…"

"Oh, and one other thing," Inui adds. "I made a friend who came from abroad, so I want you to get me a passport so I can visit her later."

"Eh… you're asking for an awful lot," he says. "What do I get out of this?"

"Umm… I'll add your number back on my phone?" she offers.

"Huh!? You deleted it!?"

"If you read my letter, then I don't get why you're so surprised," Inui retorts. "I said I disowned you, didn't I?"

He doesn't answer right away, going back to eating for a little while. Inui starts to get impatient.

"Well!?"

He looks at her.

"Alright… let me meet with this… friend of yours," he says.

"Uhh… which one?"

"The one you want to move in with, who else? If it's some rough old guy…"

Inui whips out her phone and dials… huh? Mifuyu? When did she get her number? She only waits a moment for an answer. Was Mifuyu expecting a call?

"Hello, Miss Mifuyu, sorry to bother you! It's Inui…"

"Ah yes, from yesterday… you said you might call… how may I help you?"

"Um… my idiot dad wants to talk to you about me moving in," Inui says.

"I see," Mifuyu says. "Very well. You may pass the phone to him."

She passes her phone to her father, who puts it on speaker and sets it on the table before him.

"Who am I talking to here?" he asks.

"I am Azusa Mifuyu, a friend of your daughter," Mifuyu says.

"Eh? Oh… so your friend's a girl…"

"Yes, you could say that," Mifuyu says.

"Well… Inui says she wants to move in with you. Is that true?"

"Yes, I did make that offer to her," Mifuyu says. "Is there a problem?"

"What kind of place is it?"

"I am currently the manager of a girls-only dorm," Mifuyu says.

"Ohhh… is that so… I see, I see… wait, you're the manager?"

"Yes, that's correct," Mifuyu says. "I can serve as her guardian as long as she's here."

"So you're old enough to be her guardian… okay… well… I know I'm not a very good father, but I want Inui to be happy, so I suppose I'll allow it," he says. "But you'd better take good care of her, or else!"

"Of course," Mifuyu says. "That goes without saying."

Then he stabs the button to hang up and passes the phone back. Inui digs out the transfer papers and wordlessly hands them over. He glances at them for a moment, then nods.

"Guess I can manage this much," he grumbles. "As for the passport… we'll see. Don't get your hopes up."

"Thank you so much, Dad!" she says. "Um… since I promised… what was your number again?"

He recites his phone number from memory, and she adds a contact labeled 'Idiot Dad'. She doesn't ask him for an email. Either she knows he doesn't have one, or more likely she just doesn't care.

"Inui… are you sure about this?" he asks.

"Yes… I can't live with you anymore, Dad. I just can't."

"Fine… I'll call you if anything comes up on the passport thing. See you… sometime."

"We'll see about that…"

With that, she turns and leaves the apartment, not bothering to lock up behind her… in fact, I think she might've left the key on the table. Then she composes an email to me.

"Did you see? Did you see, Ashley!? I was so cool, wasn't I?"

And she stares at the screen until my response comes in.

"I saw the whole thing. You were totally cool. Congratulations."

Then she leaves the building to make her way to the Hayashi house.

---

April fourth. Iroha steps into the Coordinator's office just in time to hear Momoko complaining.

"Aaargh! Why do I have to put up with all this!" she shouts. "I can't take it anymore! I'm gonna step in! You can call me overprotective if you want, but I'm gonna bring them face to face!"

"W-whoa!" Iroha gasps.

She gives the ranting Momoko a wide berth and heads over to converse with Mitama. Mokyu steps out from behind a couch and hops up on her shoulder.

"Ah, I knew it'd come to this," Mitama says with a sigh.

"So… Kaede-chan and Miss Rena still haven't made up?" Iroha asks.

"It seems that way," Mitama says.

"If Momoko goes on a rampage…" Iroha says.

"Well, I don't think it'll make things any better," Mitama says.

"Um, Mitama," Iroha says.

"Yes?"

"If anything happens, please let me know. I'm going to keep looking for Ui."

"Sure, I'll let you know," Mitama says.

Iroha leaves the Coordinator's with Mokyu and heads towards the shopping district, muttering to herself.

"My search has hit a wall though… hmm… I wonder where Touka-chan and Nemu-chan's families live… would their classmates know…? Ah… but they were taking classes at the hospital with Ui… hmm…"

Suddenly she seems to sense something.

"Eh!? There's a witch nearby…"

Mokyu makes a cute noise and hops off her shoulder, and Iroha chases after it. A moment later, she finds the witch's barrier in a park, with a spiral emblem. It's flickering.

"Th-there's someone inside… I hope they're okay… huh? There's something familiar about this signature…"

She transforms and hops inside. Three familiars surround her immediately, shepherds with a protractor for a head and a strange three-pronged weapon. Two of them attempt to stab her with their weapon while the other reaches for a horn from its waist and holds it up to where a mouth would be if it were human. As Iroha leaps into the air to avoid them, the horn emits a sound, deep, ominous, and grating. She fires off a volley of bolts at the three below her, but then she spots five more approaching.

"Eh!? Did it call for help!?"

She lands and finishes off the first three with a volley of bolts, then spins to fire at the new squad, gunning them down before they can get close.

"There must be a magical girl in here somewhere," she muses. "I should be able to feel her magic… there! As I thought… Kaede-chan!"

She spins to shoot at a familiar that almost snuck up on her, backing off until it's dead.

"Kaede-chan! Hang in there! I'm on my way!"

She heads off and quickly finds Kaede surrounded by seven or eight familiars. Most of them are actually entangled in her vines, helpless, but two are still free and attacking her. She lets out a little squeal as one of them stabs her in the side.

"Kaede-chan!" Iroha calls.

"Huh!?" Kaede gasps. "Uh… I-Iroha-chan!?"

"Calm down!" Iroha says. "Let's take them out together!"

"O-okay!" Kaede says.

Iroha starts by gunning down the ones Kaede has already trapped with her vines, then gets behind her as they face the last two. Encouraged by the support, Kaede even manages to take out the one in front of her all by herself, calling up her vines to strangle it to death. With the familiars gone, the two of them manage to safely make it out of the labyrinth, where they power down.

"Are you okay, Kaede-chan?" Iroha asks. "Do you need me to heal you?"

"Y-yeah… I'm alright," Kaede says. "That was only a scratch."

"It's dangerous to fight alone," Iroha says. "Miss Momoko was worried about you."

"Eh!?" Kaede gasps. "W-well… I was… I was running from Momoko-chan!"

"What!? But why!?" Iroha asks.

"Because she was trying to force me to talk to Rena-chan… but this problem is just between us… it means nothing unless Rena-chan is willing to apologize! But she's been avoiding me this whole time…"

Kaede sighs. Mokyu makes a cute noise, and Iroha nods as if somehow understanding what it meant.

"Why don't you leave her alone?" Iroha asks.

"I can't!" Kaede says. "I want to reconcile our differences… Rena-chan is one of my best friends… sure, she's not good at expressing her feelings, but…"

"Kaede-chan… okay, why don't you go and see her yourself?"

"Me, make the first move?" Kaede asks.

"Yeah," Iroha says, nodding. "Maybe she'll change her mind once she sees you in person…"

"If possible, I'd like her to apologize on her own," Kaede says. "Plus, I don't know if I can catch Rena-chan when she's running from me… she can turn into other people, after all…"

"Then… what will you do?" Iroha asks.

"If I knew what to do, I'd be doing it right now!" Kaede says angrily, tears in her eyes.

With that, she turns and runs off.

"Ah!? Kaede-chan…?"

Iroha sighs, watching Kaede's receding back.

"I may not be considered one of Kaede-chan's friends yet," she mutters. "But… but it's okay to get involved… right?"

Mokyu makes one of its cute noises, and Iroha giggles.

"Yeah… you're right!" she says. "Ui can wait a bit. I need to help those two out."

She heads back to the Coordinator's and finds Momoko to still be there.

"Miss Momoko! Please let me help you!" she says.

Momoko blinks. "Huh? You mean you're gonna help Rena and Kaede reconcile?"

"Yeah… I ran into Kaede-chan just now, and she was so frustrated by it," Iroha says. "The three of you remind me of Ui and her friends, with those two constantly fighting and you playing mediator. So that's why I want to help you!"

"Well… after hearing that we remind you of your little sister and her friends… and more than anything, how you're worried about Kaede… I'll gladly accept your help!"

"Thank you very much!" Iroha says.

"No, I should be the one saying thank you," Momoko says. "That said, I can't have you help me without paying you back."

"What!?" Mitama suddenly interjects. "Momoko, what about me!?"

"You always ask for payment," Momoko says. "I can't give you what I don't have."

"Well, you could take out the familiars that often show up around my shop," Mitama points out. "Even just for one year will do."

"That's too long!" Momoko gasps. "Anyway, Iroha, I'll repay you by helping you search for your little sister."

"Really!?" Iroha gasps.

"Yeah," Momoko says. "If there's anything I can do to help, call me anytime."

"Thank you so much!" Iroha says.

"Like I said," Momoko says. "I should be the one saying thank you! You don't need to thank people for letting you help them!"

She sighs.

"So… it might be hard to get those two to meet up," she says. "If we try to force Kaede and Rena to talk, they'll probably just run away… but since there's two of us, we can approach them both at the same time, which should make things easier! Yes, this should work!"

"Really…?" Iroha says. "So… what's your plan?"

"I'll find Kaede," Momoko says. "Iroha-chan, you see if you can find Rena-chan. There's a student council meeting, so she might still be at school. We'll lure them to an abandoned construction site and get them to talk it out."

"W-wait, what?" Iroha says. "I thought I'd be in charge of Kaede-chan… other than that fight in the park, I haven't really talked to Rena-chan…"

"Well, I've been chasing her, so she's really wary of me," Momoko says.

"But won't Kaede-chan also—" Iroha blinks. "Ah, but Rena-chan is—"

"As alert as a wild animal," Momoko finishes. "So I have no choice but to leave her to you, Iroha-chan."

"I dunno," Iroha says. "Do you really think I'll be able to get her to the meeting point…?"

"It'll probably be easiest to lure her there with some surefire bait," Momoko suggests. "Tell her Fumino Sayuki is having an impromptu outdoor concert. That'll get her moving! That's not one of my favourite idols, so she shouldn't suspect anything."

Iroha blinks at Momoko, staring a bit.

"Iroha-chan," Mitama says.

Iroha looks at Mitama.

"Mitama…?"

Mitama leans close to whisper in her ear.

"Momoko-chan is good at looking after others," she whispers. "But that doesn't make her smart. If I were Rena-chan, I'd be really angry if someone used something I love to trick me."

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Momoko asks.

"Oh, nothing!" Mitama says.

So Momoko leads the way to the Kamihama City University-Affiliated School and leaves her there to wait for Rena, while she heads off to search for Kaede. Iroha gazes up at the school while she waits.

"This is it," she murmurs. "The school I'll be attending after next week… I guess it's nice that I already know a few people here, though. I'm actually looking forward to it a bit…"

She's been waiting about half an hour when her phone rings.

"Ah, it's a call from Momoko!"

She quickly answers it.

"S-sorry, Iroha-chan!" Momoko says.

"W-what's wrong?" Iroha asks.

"There was no council meeting!" Momoko says.

"Huh!?"

"I ran into the student council treasurer by chance, and she told me the meeting was cancelled today! So Rena probably left school already!"

"Whaaat!? Th-then what should I do!?"

"Check out the arcade!"

"Arcade? You mean… those places where you can play videogames? I… I've never been to one before… they're kinda scary… I don't even know where one is…"

"I'll send you a map to her favourite arcade," Momoko says.

"I'm really bad with technology, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to use it," Iroha says.

"Well… do your best!" Momoko says.

"What!? Miss Momoko!?"

But it seems like Momoko already hung up.

"She's so disorganized…" Iroha mutters.

Iroha sighs and checks her phone finding an email with an attachment, which she somehow manages to figure out how to open and use. It takes her nearly ten minutes to work that out though. Finally she manages to follow the directions and make her way to an arcade, nervously venturing inside.

"Huh… I expected the arcade to be packed with scary-looking people, but… everyone here looks pretty normal," Iroha muses. "I see quite a few students of my future school here too. Still… this is all a bit overwhelming…"

She wanders through the arcade, looking for Rena. She pauses to blink at a blonde girl in a purple uniform with a red ribbon in her hair, playing a pachinko machine. She doesn't appear to notice the ring on the other girl's finger.

"Ehhh… um… isn't that… basically gambling…?" she mutters. "They even have that kind of game in here!?"

She moves on and suddenly spots Rena, playing what seems to be an idol game.

"Ugh, geez!" Rena complains. "What the hell is up with this machine!? I should've gotten a 'great', not a 'bad'! It must be broken!"

Iroha steps forward and hesitantly calls her name.

"U-um… M-miss Rena!"

Rena turns to face her.

"Huh? Who're you?" Then she blinks. "W-wait, aren't you the one who tried to stop me before!?" She sighs. "What the hell do you want? If Momoko sent you, please just leave me alone."

"Well, that's not it, exactly," Iroha says.

"Then what!?" Rena says.

"U-um… w-well… c-could we… talk a bit?"

"About what?"

"Um… about… Kaede-chan…"

Rena blinks.

"Just as I thought," she says. "Momoko put you up to this, didn't she?"

"W-well… not exactly," Iroha says. "I didn't think Miss Momoko's idea of luring you out to the abandoned construction with a fake Fumino Sayuki concert sounded very nice, so… I'd just like to… talk for a bit."

Rena blinks. "That does sound like some idiotic scheme Momoko would come up with," she says. "But I bet you haven't even heard of Sayu-Sayu, have you?"

"N-no… I haven't…"

"Well, your loss," Rena says. "Anyway, I don't wanna talk about Kaede-chan. Just leave me alone. And there's no way I'll go with you anywhere, either."

"Ugh… but um… the thing is…"

"Um… Rena-chan!"

Rena spins to face the new voice.

"Who is it now!?" she asks.

It's Kaede, who must have had the same idea as Momoko and come to the arcade on her own. Rena gasps.

"Y-you… Kaede…"

"Kaede-chan?" Iroha says. "Why are you here…?"

"Why are you here?" Kaede asks. "I was just… following your advice…"

"Why did you follow me all the way here!?" Rena demands.

"Because! You haven't apologized!" Kaede says. "I wanted to ask you why, but every time I try, you just run away!"

"I said we're not friends anymore," Rena retorts. "Why would I apologize? Why wouldn't I run away? Don't you understand what it means to end a friendship?"

"W-well, yes, but… I want to be friends again," Kaede says. "I want to fight as a trio together with you and Momoko-chan…"

"Well, just because you do doesn't mean I do too," Rena retorts. "I'm not apologizing. Just go away."

"In that case," Kaede says. "Even though I think it's unfair… I'll be the one to apologize."

"W-what!?" Rena gasps. "What are you doing!? Don't apologize, you dummy!"

"W-why!?" Kaede asks.

"You don't know why!?"

"It doesn't matter!" Kaede says. "I've already made up my mind!"

"N-no, no, no, no!" Rene protests. "Stop it! You can't apologize!"

"I can apologize if I want to!" Kaede says.

"Um… Miss Rena…?" Iroha interjects.

"W-what is it!?" Rena asks.

"Are you worried about the Rule of Ending Friendships?" Iroha asks.

Rena gasps. "D-don't be ridiculous!" she shouts, drawing a few stares. "Th-that's just a dumb rumour being spread by little kids! You really think I'd believe that!? I'm not afraid of some monster coming to get us!"

"Well then, Rena-chan—" Kaede begins.

"Ugh!" Rena says. "I told you, we're not friends! I don't want anything to do with you! So don't come looking for me again! I don't want your apology or anything else!"

With that, Rena runs off.

"W-wait, don't go!" Kaede says.

She turns to run after Rena, and Iroha follows as well. However, by the time they get outside, Rena's already nowhere in sight.

"Miss Rena is so fast," Iroha says.

"W-where did she go…?" Kaede wonders.

"What's that about Rena?" Momoko asks.

Iroha blinks, having just noticed she was there.

"What!? M-momoko-chan!?" Kaede gasps.

"I thought you were waiting for us at the abandoned construction site," Iroha says.

"I was, but you never showed up," Momoko says. "I waited, and waited…"

"Ah… I'm sorry, I should have called you," Iroha says.

"Yeah, you should've," Momoko retorts. "How inconsiderate can you be!? Put yourself in my shoes next time and think about how I felt waiting like that!"

"Huh?" Iroha blinks.

"You're so dumb," Momoko retorts.

"Miss M-momoko…?" Iroha says.

"What?" Momoko says, blinking.

"Rena-chan…" Kaede says.

"What?" Momoko says. "I'm Momoko right now… ah! Oops…"

"Momoko-chan doesn't stand with her feet pointed inward like that!" Kaede says.

Momoko, or rather Rena, gasps and transforms back to herself.

"Ugh… I shouldn't've tried to transform in such a rush," she mutters. "So… why are you following me? We're not friends."

"Because… I still want to be friends," Kaede says.

"Stop…"

"No! Let me apologize!"

"I said, stop!"

"I'm sorry, Rena-chan! I won't ask you to apologize for all the things you did, so… won't you fight together with me again?"

"Y-you idiot!" Rena shouts. "Why did you apologize!? What if it comes and gets you!?"

Iroha gasps. "So you do believe in the Rule of Ending Friendships, Miss Rena…"

"Ugh…"

"That's why you've been avoiding Kaede-chan, right? Because you were worried about her, right?"

"Rena-chan… is that true?" Kaede asks.

"Y-yeah…" Rena mutters. "Yes! It's true, okay!? W-what's wrong with that!? Even at my age, I believe in a silly rumour! If Kaede disappeared because I said we're not friends anymore… I wouldn't be able to forgive myself!"

"But nothing's happened to me, see?" Kaede says. "Like Momoko-chan said, rumours are just rumours."

"R-really?" Rena says.

"Yes, it's okay, Rena-chan," Kaede says.

But just as she says that, the three of them are suddenly sucked into a labyrinth that appears out of nowhere. It looks different from a witch's labyrinth, with various ethereal floating kanji in the background. That alone marks it as unusual – witches always use their runic script, never any human script.

"W-what!?" Kaede gasps. "A labyrinth!?"

"No," Iroha says, looking around. "Something's… wrong. This… this isn't a witch's labyrinth. It feels… and looks… different."

"Then… what's that over there?" Rena asks. "Isn't that a familiar?"

She points at a strange creature that looks like a basket wrapped in chain and red rope, with a green bow on the bottom. Within the basket is… a picture frame? But there's no picture in it, just something that vaguely resembles a face.

"H-how should I know!?" Iroha asks.

The creature makes straight for Kaede and attacks her by swinging its chain. She lets out a squeal of pain.

"Kaede-chan!?" Iroha gasps.

Iroha transforms as more of them appear, and Rena also transforms.

"Oh no! It's only after Kaede-chan…?" Iroha says.

They manage to defeat two of the creatures between them, but a third one gets past them and manages to grab Kaede, attempting to drag her off.

"Let me go!" Kaede screams.

"Th-they're trying to take her away…" Rena says. "So the rumour really is true!"

Kaede struggles to break free of the creature's hold, and Iroha makes some attempt to shoot it down, but with Kaede in the way she can't get a good shot on it.

"Ugh! It's so strong!" Kaede yells.

"Th-they're using her a shield," Iroha says. "I don't want to hit Kaede-chan…"

"This is why I hate using projectile weapons!" Rena says.

She charges in and stabs the one holding Kaede with her trident.

"Let Kaede go!"

But then, suddenly, the labyrinth ejects the two of them and collapses. Kaede however is nowhere to be seen. Rena looks around and gasps.

"W-where's Kaede!? N-no way… she's gone…"

"Did they really… take her away?" Iroha wonders.

"If you regret it and apologize," Rena says. "A scary monster will come and get you…" Suddenly she blinks. "Oh! I know!"

She turns and bolts down the street.

"W-wait, Miss Rena!" Iroha says. "Where are you going!?"

She tries to chase Rena for a minute, but Rena is too fast for her, so she gives up at the nearby intersection.

"Um… what should I do…?" Iroha wonders.

Mokyu, who has never left her shoulder this whole time, suddenly interjects with another cute noise.

"Yeah, I've gotta look for Kaede-chan, even if I have to do it alone," Iroha says. "That takes priority… but the magic trail is fading so fast…? But… I can still feel it…"

She heads in a direction, presumably following the magic trail of the creature that took Kaede. However, after just five minutes she stops and looks around.

"Oh no… the magic trail is completely gone," she says. "I can't sense it at all… did I take a wrong turn?"

Mokyu makes a cute noise, and she nods.

"Y-yeah… I should meet up with Miss Momoko…"

She heads towards the river, presumably in the direction of the abandoned construction site where she'd agreed to meet Momoko, but she spots Momoko before she gets there.

"Iroha-chan, over here!" Momoko calls, waving.

Iroha joins her by the riverbank.

"So… you weren't able to get Rena to come, huh?" Momoko says. "And I couldn't find Kaede anywhere…"

"Actually… I saw both of them," Iroha says. "Kaede-chan was taken away by some monsters… they looked like a witch's familiars but they felt… different. And then Miss Rena ran off somewhere…"

Momoko blinks. "I can't believe it… they seriously took Kaede?"

Iroha nods. "Y-yeah… I'm so sorry, I couldn't do anything…"

"No need to apologize," Momoko says. "What bothers me more is that Rena ran off…"

"B-but… isn't it natural that she'd be scared?" Iroha asks. "Especially after seeing the Rule of Ending Friendships come true…"

"You really think that dumb rumour came true?" Momoko asks. "Isn't it just a coincidence that you ran into a familiar that's similar to those stories? Don't go mistaking delusions for reality, Iroha-chan!"

"O-okay… b-but I think Miss Rena had some sort of reason for running away… she was trying to avoid the two of you out of concern for Kaede-chan, after all."

"Yeah, I guess," Momoko says. "She's never really been good at expressing herself… maybe she's doing all this for Kaede."

"So you actually do trust Miss Rena," Iroha says with a smile.

"Of course I do," Momoko says. "We're a team, after all. I don't really think she'd just run away. Anyway… we should do what we can."

"Yes, but… I already lost the magic trail," Iroha says. "It faded so fast… I lost track of so quickly. I think it was moving really fast too…"

"Let's go to where she first disappeared," Momoko suggests. "Maybe I can sense something that you missed."

"A-alright," Iroha says. "It was just outside that arcade you pointed me to…"

They head back to the arcade, where Momoko takes out her soul gem and spends a minute or two trying to sense the magic. Iroha does the same, but doesn't seem to pick up anything.

"I'm not sure whether I'm just imagining this," Momoko says finally. "But I think I can sense the faintest trace… it's just barely there… so faint that I'm not sure it's really real…"

"Well… in that case, let's start by heading the the direction they went," Iroha suggests.

"If only I'd picked up their magical pattern," Momoko laments. "Then we could've split up and covered more ground…"

Iroha continues on to where she originally lost the trail.

"Can you sense anything here?" she asks.

"Hmm… it's about the same as back there," Momoko says.

So they continue forward, following the street they're on for awhile.

"Ah… for a moment… I thought I sensed it," Iroha says suddenly. "Just barely…"

She turns to head left, and after a couple of minutes they arrive at a small park with a playground, where Iroha lets out a sigh.

"Oh no… I think I lost it again," she says.

"There isn't really anyone around here," Momoko points out. "Maybe it went somewhere with more people?"

"Maybe…"

Momoko takes the lead this time, heading for a nearby shopping centre.

"How about here?" she asks. "This is the most crowded place in the area."

Iroha shakes her head. "No… I don't feel anything at all," she says.

They leave the shopping centre and head back out into the streets, taking a foot path that winds through a small park. They've put their soul gems away and don't seem to be attempting to track it anymore.

"Y'know, I've never had this much trouble with them when they fought before," Momoko says. "We've been working together over a year now… they've fought so many times, but this must be the worst of them all."

"Yeah, I remember you said you just leave them alone," Iroha says.

"They're usually pretty silly arguments," Momoko says. "Most of the time, Rena just apologizes and they're back to normal… and y'know, between you and me, the way they always fight and make up all the time… I think the kind of friendship where you can be that honest is really a rare thing. So, I don't think their friendship would actually end like this."

"Um… Miss Momoko… I was thinking, why don't we ask Miss Mitama to help us out?" Iroha suggests. "She might know something."

"She might, but I don't have anything to use as payment," Momoko says. "Unfortunately, I've used up all of my grief seeds."

"I'm all out too," Iroha says with a sigh.

"I could open a tab, I suppose… but I'd rather not owe her money," Momoko muses.

Suddenly Mokyu makes a cute noise, and Iroha blinks at it.

"Huh? What is it?"

The creature makes another noise, flicking its tail and pointing with it. Iroha turns where it's pointing, as does Momoko. It's Rena, out of breath and panting.

"Oh! Rena!" Momoko says.

"Hey, Momoko!" Rena wheezes. "Where the hell have you been!? I've been looking all over for you! I thought you'd be at the abandoned construction site! And you weren't answering your phone!"

"I've been looking for Kaede all over," Momoko says. "Trying to track the familiars that took her. What else would you expect me to do once I heard she was taken? And my phone…" She checks. "Ohhh, whoops, looks like I accidentally turned on do not disturb. My bad!"

"But you were so hard to find!" Rena complains. "I ran all around town!"

"So… what brings you here, anyway?" Momoko asks. "I thought you ran away like a coward when they caught Kaede."

"What?" Rena protests. "Me, run!? Hey, you!" She points at Iroha. "What the hell'd you tell Momoko!?"

"Huh!?" Iroha gasps. "I didn't say that you ran because you were afraid… M-miss Momoko, don't say that!"

"Hmph," Momoko says, then smiles all of a sudden. "Well, judging by your reaction, I guess you didn't just run away."

"Of course I didn't!" Rena says. "I was just trying to find out if there was a way to fix this!"

"A way to fix it?" Iroha says. She blinks. "Ah, I think I get it… did you go to ask Miss Yachiyo?"

"Y-you're such an idiot!" Rena shouts. "I wanted to hide that from Momoko!"

"Huh!? Sorry about that!" Iroha says.

Momoko frowns a little.

"You see?" Rena says. "Now she might not believe what I say!"

Momoko sighs.

"No, I believe you," she says.

"Huh!? R-really!?" Rena gasps.

"Just to be clear, this isn't me trusting whatever Yachiyo had to say," Momoko says. "I trust it because it's coming from you, Rena."

"W-what!? U-um… th-thank you…"

"So, Miss Rena," Iroha says. "What do we do now?"

"Huh!?" Rena says. "This has nothing to do with you! You really don't give up, do you?"

"Hey, she's helping us!" Momoko says. "That's no way to thank her! Don't go taking your anger out on her!"

"I'm sorry," Rena mutters. "You didn't do anything wrong. This is all on Kaede and me…"

"If only you could always admit your faults like that," Momoko says. "Anyway, tell us what to do already, Rena."

"Well… first, let's head back to that abandoned construction site," Rena says. "We don't know what's going to happen, so we should do it where there aren't too many people around."

"Alright," Momoko says.

The three of them head off to the construction site in question, which turns out to be surprisingly far away now. Finally they reach it, and Momoko turns to face the other two.

"Alright, we're here," Momoko says. "What do we do now?"

"D-don't rush me," Rena says. "I need to get things ready…"

"Getting ready for what?" Momoko asks.

"I'm trying to relax here! Shut up for a second!"

"Geez, you don't have to be so…"

Momoko trails off in mid-sentence with a sigh, and Iroha watches curiously as Rena takes a few deep breaths.

"Hey, Momoko," Rena says suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"No matter what happens… you'll definitely protect me and Kaede, right?"

"Of course!" Momoko says. "That's what I've always done, and that's what I'll always do!" She tilts her head. "So? You ready now?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Rena says.

"Um… what's your plan, Miss Rena?" Iroha asks.

"First of all, stop being so stiff," Rena says. "It's throwing me off."

"Okay, then um… Rena…chan?"

"I'm gonna apologize," Rena says.

"Apologize?" Momoko asks. "To who?"

"To Kaede, who else?" Rena says. "I'm counting on you, Momoko."

She takes a couple more deep breaths, then belts out at the top of her voice.

"Kaaaeeedeee! I'm sorry I said we're not friends anymore! I want to go back to being a team with you and Momoko, okay? So let me apologize!"

"I don't get it," Momoko mutters, talking over her. "Why's she apologizing all of a sudden?"

"Um, this is just a guess," Iroha says. "But maybe she's trying to recreate the situation from before… when the familiar took Kaede-chan away. I guess Rena-chan is hoping the labyrinth will reappear if she apologizes."

"I knew it!" Rena continues shouting. "I knew you were mad at me! I'm sorry I made you go to the convenience store for me! And for getting mad at you when my favourite fruit tart was sold out! You were so kind, you even bought me some other sweets I like! But I was in such a bad mood, I just threw them at you! I'm sorry!"

Rena pauses for breath, taking a deep breath, letting it out, and taking one more deep breath before continuing.

"I'm sorry for getting your clothes dirty! I'm sorry for not paying you back what I owe you! I'm also really sorry for making you spend your pet food money! And I'm sorry for calling your pets gross! But I hate reptiles, so I still think they're gross! Sooooorryyy!"

Once again she pauses for breath, panting a little before resuming her litany.

"I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart for everything I did to you, so… come out!"

"W-wow," Iroha murmurs. "If I were Kaede-chan, I think that would've been too much for me to handle…"

"Kaede is… not like most people, yeah," Momoko says.

"Come out right now, Kaede!" Rena shouts. "You're my servant, right?"

"H-hey!" Momoko protests.

"Now she's giving her orders!?" Iroha says.

"Come… come on… come out already!" Rena shouts, starting to cry a little.

"Rena-chan…" Iroha says.

"I'm sorry for always secretly stealing fruit from your kitchen garden!" Rena sobs. "And for thinking both reptiles and bugs are disgusting! I'm sorry… for… for everything… okay!? J-just… come out!"

She pauses for breath, while Momoko and Iroha note the lack of any response.

"It's… not working?" Iroha murmurs.

But just as she says that, the labyrinth from before sucks the three of them in again, eliciting a gasp from Momoko.

"W-what's up with this labyrinth!?" she asks.

"This is the same labyrinth that appeared before!" Iroha says.

"Then does that mean…?" Momoko asks

Suddenly, Kaede appears from around a corner, accompanied by one of the familiars from earlier.

"Rena-chan!" she says. "I've come to get you!"

"Kaede!?" Rena gasps.

"Rena-chan, come over here!" Kaede says. "Let's clean these stairs together!"

"Kaede!? What are you talking about?" Rena asks. "You get over here!"

"Come with me!" Kaede says. "I can take you to a much better place!"

"Stop it, Kaede-chan!" Iroha says.

At Iroha's interjection, the familiar with Kaede suddenly attacks her, and Kaede transforms and joins the attack. Iroha, Rena, and Momoko transform and fend her off without counter-attacking. As before, the familiars seem to be using Kaede as a shield. Kaede suddenly giggles as several more of the familiars show up.

"Rena-chan!" she says. "Hurry up and come with me!"

As she speaks, she nimbly dodges a thrust from Rena's trident.

"She's so fast!" Rena gasps. "That's not how Kaede normally moves!"

"What's with this labyrinth?" Momoko asks. "Are these really just familiars?"

Several familiars slip in between Rena and the others.

"Oh no!" Iroha gasps. "We're getting separated from Rena-chan!"

She carefully fires off a volley of crossbow bolts, aiming each one at the centre of a familiar. Meanwhile Momoko is leaping into the fray with her giant sword and cutting down the familiars attempting to separate them.

"Alright! There's a path clear now!" Iroha says. "Let's go! Miss Momoko, hurry up and get to Rena-chan!"

"Got it!" Momoko says.

But then more of them show up, filling in the path that was just cleared.

"Alright, then!" Kaede announces. "Let's go, Rena-chan!"

"Why!?" Rena shouts. "Why does it have to be Kaede!? It… it's not fair! There's no way I could hurt her!"

A familiar comes up behind Kaede, who addresses it.

"I'll leave the rest up to you!"

The familiar attacks Rena, who lets out a screech.

"Nooooooooo!"

"Rena-chan!" Iroha gasps.

Suddenly, Yachiyo pops into the labyrinth, taking in the situation at a glance.

"Dammit! I was too late!" she groans.

"M-miss Yachiyo!?" Iroha gasps.

"So, the rumour came true after all," Yachiyo says. "Just like it says in the Kamihama Rumour Files…"

"Forget your stupid Rumour Files!" Momoko shouts. "It's just a coincidence that the witch was acting out the rumour!"

"Come to your senses and face reality!" Yachiyo says. "I don't care if you hate me, but don't put your friends in danger because of what you think of me! You're their leader, aren't you?"

Yachiyo gives her a few seconds to respond, but Momoko doesn't seem to have anything to say, so she continues.

"More and more witches and magical girls keep showing up here lately," Yachiyo says. "I've run into at least ten magical girls from out of town in the past few days, including Miss Tamaki. The witches have grown more powerful and numerous than ever before. And there's the small Kyuubey, and… even the Coordinator is unusual. Now rumours are even coming true in Kamihama. Don't you get it!? None of what's going on in this city is normal!"

Momoko sighs.

"Fine… I get it," she grumbles. "I guess I have to believe you."

"So what now?" Iroha asks. "What should we do?"

"Once Rena and Kaede fall into the enemy's hands, I expect it'll make its escape," Yachiyo says. "So we need to either defeat the boss, or prevent them from reaching it. I'll stop Kaede. Can you two try to find the boss?"

"Okay!" Iroha says.

Momoko sighs. "Rena risked herself to create this opportunity for us," she says. "We can't waste it. Alright. Let's get going, Iroha-chan!"

Iroha and Momoko manage to get past the familiars and venture deeper into the labyrinth, leaving Yachiyo, Rena, and Kaede behind.

"Seriously," Momoko says. "What's up with this labyrinth? If I believe rumours are really coming true, then suddenly everything feels different…"

Suddenly she gasps.

"Iroha! Did you feel that magic just now!?"

"Yes… it's pretty strong," Iroha says. "A lot stronger than what I felt from the familiars that took Kaede-chan!"

"Wait, so… does that mean this is the witch?" Momoko wonders. "If that's the case, then this makes even less sense…"

"Yeah," Iroha agrees. "You're talking about how this labyrinth is sort of, well… flat. There's no… um… levels? Is that what you mean?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm getting at," Momoko says.

Iroha gasps. "M-miss Momoko, it's coming!"

"And stop calling me that!" Momoko adds.

"Sorry…?"

The creature that appears is a massive pair of spiral stairways, twisting together like a double helix that's in the middle of uncoiling. At the top, where the two stairways converge, there's a black archway with a large bell. The bell suddenly moves on its own, producing a deep, rich tone with a sort of scratchy undercurrent that grates on the ears. Iroha and Momoko wince, slapping their hands over their ears, and Iroha glances back to see what the others are doing and notices they're getting closer. Momoko swings her sword at the stairway, but it just bounces off.

"Dammit… what's happening?" she wonders. "My attacks aren't working…"

Yachiyo catches up to them at that moment.

"Seems like you could use a little help," she says.

"Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha says. "Weren't you busy?"

"What did you do to Kaede!?" Momoko asks.

"I'm having her take a brief nap," Yachiyo says.

"Oh, okay," Momoko says. "Thanks."

"Oh! Who knew you were capable of gratitude?" Yachiyo wonders.

"I say thank you when it's deserved," Momoko retorts. "You're no exception to that rule. Anyway, about the witch… how do we beat it?"

"I don't know," Yachiyo says.

"W-what!?" Momoko gasps. "I thought rumours were your specialty!"

"That doesn't mean I know everything," Yachiyo retorts. "The Kamihama Rumour Files are just the compilation of what I've learned since I first started hearing these strange rumours. And it wouldn't exactly be a rumour if the whole thing was already resolved, now would it? We'll simply have to find the answers for ourselves."

"Ugh, you're no use," Momoko groans. "I thought you must've fought one of these before…"

"I've fought a couple, but one was quite weak and I had a lot of help for the other," Yachiyo says. "Don't think I can solve all your problems just because I helped you make sense of this. Do you plan on clinging to me like a kid like you used to, Momoko-chan?"

"Th-that's all in the past!" Momoko protests.

The bell sounds again, the three of them wincing at the sound while Rena, just a few steps behind them, suddenly screams. When the sound dies off, Iroha speaks up.

"Momoko-chan, Miss Yachiyo!" she says. "At this rate, Rena-chan will—"

"Yes, I know," Yachiyo says. "But we're really playing it by ear now."

"Maybe we can knock it out if we all attack at once," Momoko suggests.

"That's just wishful thinking," Yachiyo retorts.

"It's still better than just giving up!" Momoko retorts. "Okay, Iroha-chan, let's go!"

"Okay!"

"Yachiyo and I will fight up front," she says. "You support us from behind!"

"Got it!" Iroha says. "I'll cover you two!"

But then, Iroha is suddenly grabbed from behind by some vines.

"W-what!?" she gasps. "H-huh!? This magic is…?"

"Kaede!?" Momoko gasps.

"How can that be!?" Yachiyo gasps. "She's awake already!?"

"I won't let you get in the way of Miss Staircase's plans!" Kaede shouts.

Rena steps up to stand beside her.

"My body… belongs to… Miss Staircase," she mutters.

Momoko gasps. "Rena, too!?"

"Oh no!" Iroha says. "We're too late!"

"Momoko, you're not our leader anymore!" Rena shouts.

"Sorry, Momoko, but Miss Staircase is much better than you!" Kaede says.

"Ugh, I promised I'd protect them, but look at me!" Momoko laments. "I can't even do anything! Yachiyo was right… I didn't take the rumour seriously, and this is the result… I don't even deserve to be their leader… I'm sorry, so you two, please snap out of it!"

"Snap out of it?" Yachiyo says. "You're so naïve…"

"But Yachiyo… I have to protect them…"

"Protecting someone is not always the same thing as not hurting them," Yachiyo says. "You should know that. You just don't want to get hurt by hurting them."

"It's not that easy, though," Momoko says. "I can't hurt them. They're my friends!"

"If you can't, then I will," Yachiyo says. "If anything goes wrong, you can blame me."

She turns to face Kaede and Rena.

"I won't ask you to face me one at a time," she says. "Come attack me all at once, if you dare!"

The pair do just that, Rena attacking with her trident and Kaede attempting to smack Yachiyo with her staff, but Yachiyo fends them off. After simply blocking their attacks for about a minute, she thrusts her halberd into the air, causing the air above her to ripple like a puddle, and suddenly a rain of identical halberds pours down on Rena and Kaede, knocking them off their feet and pinning them down. Yachiyo leans in and smacks each of them on the head to make sure they're unconscious. The vines restraining Iroha crumble into dust.

"This won't take long, so sleep just a little while longer," she says.

"She's amazing," Iroha says. "Taking on two of them at once…"

"I'm sorry, Yachiyo," Momoko says.

"No time for apologies," Yachiyo says. "We have to hurry! Both of their soul gems are pretty tainted."

"Is the witch…?"

"It may be feeding on their magic," Yachiyo says. "Kaede has been possessed for longer… I'm guessing her magic has been drained even more. We're running out of time."

"But now, without Rena-chan and Kaede-chan—" Iroha begins.

"Yeah, no need to hold back anymore," Momoko says. "Time to unleash everything we've got at it!"

"But we still don't know how to bring it down for good," Yachiyo says. "That's the problem."

"Let's try coordinating our attacks," Iroha says. "If we work together…"

"I see," Yachiyo says. "You want to counteract its friendship ending nature by coming together as a group."

"Yes! Exactly!" Iroha says.

"Hmm… connections, trust, friendship, bonds… things like that," Yachiyo muses.

"Well, I guess you and I are sort of connected," Momoko says, looking at Iroha. "But as for Yachiyo… you know…"

"I'm pretty indifferent towards you, Momoko," Yachiyo says.

"Hmm… if you put it that way, I guess I'm pretty indifferent towards you too."

"Indifferent, huh," Iroha says. "Ah, then… what do we have in common!? We all want to save Kaede-chan and Rena-chan, don't we? I think… that's the strongest connection we have right now…"

"I suppose you're right," Yachiyo says. "That would be the strongest tie between us."

"Definitely," Momoko says. "Alright then, let's pool all our desire to help Kaede and Rena into one… no, three shots!"

"Yeah!" Iroha says. "Let's do it!"

The bell tolls again, and Yachiyo winces a bit.

"It seems to be angry," she says. "But this is perfect timing. Let's go!"

Yachiyo and Momoko turn towards the creature, slapping their hands together to connect, and then each of them head up one of the two staircases towards the bell while Iroha lets loose a volley of bolts at the smaller, padlock familiars that are chasing them up. A few familiars get ahead of the pair, but they simply shove them off the staircase instead of wasting time on defeating them.

Before long, the two of them have reached the top, and they both raise their weapons into the air. At the same time, Iroha begins charging power into her bow. Momoko's sword suddenly catches fire as she too charges up.

"I wonder how many children disappeared because of you," Yachiyo says. "I won't punish you, but I will destroy you."

"Friends stay connected even when they have disagreements!" Iroha shouts. "Those kinds of friendships are precious and deserve respect! I'll never forgive you for trying to sever those bonds!"

"I promised to protect them!" Momoko shouts. "This is my last chance to do that! You witch… I'll send you to hell, where you'll pay for what you did! Forever!" She takes a deep breath. "On my maaaaark! Three! Two! One! Taaake this! Universe Edge!"

"Absolute Rain!"

"Strada Futuro!"

A rain of halberds, a massive arrow of light, and Momoko's flame-enhanced downward slash. All of it assaults the bell at the same time, producing another toll as cracks spread through the bell. As the assault of all their ultimate attacks dies down, Yachiyo thrusts with her halberd at the centre of the web of cracks, and the bell suddenly shatters. A moment later, the labyrinth collapses, dumping them back out at the abandoned construction site. Rena and Kaede don't seem to be with them, though.

"Okay, the labyrinth's gone," Momoko says. "Now Kaede and Rena…"

"I hope they're okay," Iroha says.

"They're right over here," Yachiyo says.

Kaede is out cold on the ground a few steps away, and Rena had just woken up and is kneeling beside her.

"Ugh… why am I the only one who woke up?" she asks. "Kaede! You're okay, right!? Open your eyes!" She glances at Momoko, tears in her eyes. "Hey, Momoko, help! Kaede's not waking up! You said you'd protect Kaede and me, right!?"

Momoko blinks.

"Eh? Are we… too late?" Momoko wonders.

"Please!" Rena insists. "I promise I won't make you pay for any arcade games or anything! Please just do something!"

"She must be completely exhausted after being possessed for so long," Yachiyo says.

"Let me try healing her," Iroha suggests.

She kneels beside Kaede and places both hands on her body, channeling magic in and causing her hands to glow a little.

"Also, Momoko-chan, did you get the grief seed from that witch?" Iroha asks.

"That one didn't drop a grief seed," Momoko says. "I'll go get one from another witch!"

"No need," Yachiyo says. "I'll let you have one of my extras."

"Thank you, Yachiyo," Momoko says.

"Good grief… I can't believe I'm taking care of you again," Yachiyo says. "I never thought a day like this would come."

She takes out a grief seed and passes it to Iroha, who uses it to purify Kaede's soul gem. It still has some use left, so she then hands it back to Yachiyo.

"What a relief," Momoko murmurs. "We made it in time after all…"

"Kaede!" Rena says, tears in her eyes. "Kaede, wake up! As a symbol of our reconciliation, I even bought something you like! I wanted to apologize earlier, but I just couldn't… I've been waiting to give it to you! It's been in my bag ever since I got it! I can give it to you anytime! I want to give it to you! Please wake up! Please!"

"Rena…"

Kaede's eyes flutter open.

"Kaede!?"

"Yeah," Kaede says. "It's me…"

"Thank goodness!" Rena says. "I was so… so worried!"

She suddenly grabs Kaede and pulls her close into a hug.

"Oww!" Kaede protests. "Don't squeeze me like that!"

Rena relaxes her grip a little, and Kaede continues.

"I heard you, Rena-chan," she says. "I heard you apologizing before… it really means a lot to me…"

"Yeah… yeah," Rena says, sniffling a little.

"So, you were the one who stole the fruit from my garden," Kaede says.

"Yeah…"

"I didn't know you think my pets are that gross…"

"Yeah…"

"I expect a proper apology later, okay?"

"No, I'm not apologizing again," Rena retorts.

Kaede giggles. "Alright."

Momoko sighs. "I'm so relieved."

Yachiyo turns to leave, but Iroha stops her.

"Don't go yet, Miss Yachiyo!"

"What's wrong?" Yachiyo says. "It's over, right?"

"Yes, but I wanted to ask you something…"

"What is it?"

"What we just defeated… was it really a witch?"

"What do you mean?"

"You never called it a witch, not even once…"

"You're observant," Yachiyo says. "Your suspicions are correct. I don't think it was a witch."

"Then… what was it?" Iroha asks.

"I just call it a rumour," Yachiyo says.

"A rumour?"

"It's neither a witch nor a familiar. It appears for the sake of its rumour. It exists to make the rumour real, and to protect the rumour. So… it is essentially the manifestation of the rumour."

"Ah… sorry… this is a little hard to grasp," Iroha says.

"You just experienced it yourself through the Rule of Ending Friendships," Yachiyo says. "A rumour came to get Kaede and Rena to uphold its rumour. It tried to eliminate us because we tried to stop the rumour from coming true. It existed only for the sake of its rumour. It's clearly different from witches and familiars, right?"

"Rumours," Iroha says. "Could they really…?"

"You don't have to believe it if you don't want to," Yachiyo says. "Just be careful. If you're going to come to Kamihama regularly, you won't be able to avoid them."

And with that, she turns and walks off, powering down as she goes. A few minutes later, after everyone else has also powered down, Momoko notices she's gone.

"Where's Yachiyo?" she asks.

"She left, saying there's nothing else to take care of," Iroha says.

"Darn… I wanted to thank her," Momoko says. "It's the first time in quite awhile that she's helped me this much…" She sighs. "I was a terrible leader… and a terrible magical girl…"

"That's for sure," Rena retorts. "Since you're our leader, you should take responsibility," Rena says.

"It's okay!" Kaede says. "I'm not really mad at her!"

"No! She needs to take responsibility!" Rena insists. "And… so do I… s-so um… share this pudding with me!" Rena says.

She reaches into her bag to withdraw two ramekins of custard pudding. Kaede gasps at the sight.

"W-whaaaaaaat!?"

"K-kaede-chan?" Iroha gasps.

"Th-that mind-blowingly amazing dessert in your hand!" Kaede shouts. "C-could it be… one of only twenty a week that are available at the organic café, The Shady Hovel!? Smooth, silky pudding made with eggs from chickens raised on an all natural diet! R-rena-chan… is this…?"

"Like I said earlier," Rena says. "I prepared this as part of my apology…"

"Then I shouldn't have any," Momoko says. "It's for Kaede, right? And you only got two."

"W-well… that was my original thought," Rena says. "But now… I think I want to share it with everyone… so… eat some with us, okay?"

"Okay."

"I got spoons too," Rena says. "Here."

She pulls out a handful of plastic spoons and distributes them to everyone, including Iroha.

"Huh!? Me too?" Iroha says.

"You helped us out too," Rena says. "So we're… sort of friends, I guess."

"Rena-chan… thank you!" Iroha says.

Kaede giggles. "Alright then, let's eat! I'll share with Rena-chan!"

"Yes, let's!" Momoko says

"Well then…" Iroha says. "Let's dig in!"

Rena passes one of the ramekins to Momoko, and they both open them. Then they take turns taking a spoonful from the ramekin, with Kaede using Rena's and Iroha using Momoko's.

"So delicious!" Kaede says happily.

"Yeah! It's really good!" Iroha says.

Once the pudding is finished, the four of them start heading back the way they came.

"Seriously, Iroha-chan," Momoko says. "I'm sorry for all the trouble."

"It's no problem," Iroha says. "I'm just glad I could help. And I was finally able to pay you back a little for helping me out before."

"No, no," Momoko protests. "In that case, you've already paid way too much! Plus, I promised to help you look for your little sister. So if you need me, just let me know anytime."

"Oh… in that case… I was wondering if I could find the hospital records of her friends somehow," Iroha says. "I already checked for hers, but they weren't there… and they won't tell me anything about anyone who's not family…"

"Hmm, I see," Momoko says. "Hospital records, huh…"

"If I could just get their addresses…"

"That's just as hard!" Momoko says. "I wasn't expecting you to ask for something so difficult!"

"Oh!" Kaede says. "I think Rena-chan could look into those records for you!"

"Huh!? Me?" Rena says. "What do you want me to do…?"

"Oh!" Momoko says. "I get it! Great idea, Kaede!"

"Huh!? What is it?" Rena asks.

"Although… are you sure Rena can do it?" Momoko wonders. "She can be a little tough to deal with—"

"Hey, I don't want to hear that from you!" Rena retorts. "Stop agreeing on stuff behind my back and explain your plan to me!"

"I just thought your transformation ability is perfect for looking into hospital records," Kaede says. "You could transform into a nurse and go inside without anyone realizing."

"W-what!?" Rena gasps. "H-hold on a quick sec there! You're telling me to sneak into the hospital!? Aren't the risks for me a little too high? Nooooo way!"

"Rena-chan…"

"I'm not doing it, no matter what you say!" Rena says.

"I see," Kaede says. "I'm sorry for getting your hopes up, Iroha-chan…"

"No, that's okay," Iroha says. "I'd feel bad making Rena-chan do something crazy like that, anyway."

"Ow… my foot hurts," Kaede says. "I hurt it when Miss Yachiyo attacked me while I was possessed…"

"What!? You're kidding, right…?" Rena says.

"If you hadn't said 'we're not friends anymore' the other day, none of this would've happened," Kaede says.

"A-are you seriously saying that!?" Rena gasps. "Grrr… you play dirty, Kaede! I can't not help you when you put it like that… ugh…"

"Kaede-chan… you've sure toughened up a bit," Momoko says.

"Um, so… if you're going… I'll just wait for you in the park," Iroha says. "I was there earlier, so I'm worried they might remember me…"

"I'll wait with Iroha-chan, since my foot still hurts," Kaede says.

"I've got no reason to go in, so I'll just wait with the others too," Momoko says.

"You're making me go alone!?" Rena gasps. "Ugh! Fine! I'm going!"

She turns and stalks off towards the hospital, and the others head into the park where the fight originally occurred, taking a seat on a bench.

---

I decide not to wait for Rena to get back, as I imagine it could take her an hour or two to get the information. I already know what she'll find, anyway – that Touka and Nemu were there until they were discharged, presumably about a week ago, just a bit after Alina's contract.

So basically, Iroha's steadily making progress towards tracking down her lost sister, and the Magius are slowly building up their forces. It shouldn't be too long before I start to see how the differences here in Mitakihara affect things in Kamihama… I just hope it doesn't derail stuff too much. Although, even if it does… I'm sure I can work things out.

---

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.

Tomomi Thrussel

Age: 13
Eye Colour: Green
Hair Colour: Dark green
Origins: Yukuni, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Blue hourglass
Soul Gem: Blue hourglass-shaped gemstone on her chest
Element: Light
Weapon: Pruning shears
Powers: (redacted)
Wish: "I want the power to save people!"
Affiliation: Wings of the Magius (rank: Black Feather)

Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 2
Defensive Power: 4
Initial Power Usability: 2
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

---

Doppel Corner

Whenever a new magical girl unleashes her doppel, I'll include a doppel description here. Note that most of these are direct quotes from the Magia Record game rather than being written by me; they are simply reproduced here for interest. I'll mark any original doppels with a dagger symbol (†).

Doki Yatsura† (Elise Pierrot)

The Doppel of denial. Its form is a Chinese dragon. The master of this emotion refuses to accept reality, instead hiding away in a fantasy world of cute monsters. This Doppel uses its flaming breath to blast away any reminder of the reality that its master is avoiding, while flying high in search of new monsters to befriend, fleeing further and further from reality with every wing flap.

Zapzip (Ashley Taylor + Chelsea Flanders)

The Doppel of faith. Its form is kawaii. The master of this emotion loves kawaii culture and takes extreme pleasure in promoting it. Her face turns to pure delight when she gazes at this image of herself. This Doppel understands fully its master's desire to spread her interests, so it strives to implant a fondness for manga, anime, yumekawa, and gurokawa in others. If it encounters someone less kawaii than its master, it releases rainbow beams from its six eyes, enveloping them in a plethora of ribbons and lace, altering their hobbies and tastes. Its victims are said to then bow down to it in reverence.

---

So yeah, the main plot of the game is getting well underway finally… with a cameo from Nanase Yukika… and some Magius side stuff is going on as well! Plus some major spoilers hidden behind that cipher…

I even have the next three chapters already drafted out, so I'll post one next week and continue doing so until I run out. If I feel like it, I may even post one mid-week, but I haven't decided yet.

Anyway, besides working on the next few chapters, I've been fixing various errors in earlier chapters over the past couple of weeks. In fact, there's quite a lot of them! Other than trivial typos, I'll list the changes here:

• Chapter 14: Removed a reference to Tsukasa's affiliation, because I decided it didn't make sense for Ashley to be so wary of her when she knows so much about the game. If she hadn't completed Arc 1, that would be a different story, but she's someone who completed everything.
• Chapter 16: There was an early reference to Kohaku's name here, which I'd changed when finally featuring her in chapter 35, so I fixed this reference.
• Chapter 18: Removed an inaccurate reference to Kaede's history (which I think I'd just misremembered when I wrote that)
• Chapter 25: Updated the reference to Umika and Kaoru's age. Interestingly, this is something that's inconsistent between fan translations and the official translation. Not sure how or why that happened, but the official one also matches up with the Magia Record canon so I updated it.
• Chapter 26: I'd misattributed an action to Kaoru when she wasn't even present, so I corrected that.
• Chapter 38: Corrected Momoko's use of honorifics with her teammates.
• Chapter 43: Updated Emiri's profile.
• Chapter 43: Updated a reference to Ulala. I had originally decided to render her name with R's, ie "Urara", because there was no evidence I was aware of to make L's correct (although I am very likely missing something, since I can't play on the Japan server). However, as of this chapter I decided to instead embrace the L's for her name, so I've updated all past references to her name.
• Chapter 46: Updated a reference to Ulala.
• Chapter 52: Updated a reference to Ulala.
• Chapter 60: Updated a reference to Ulala.
• Chapter 65: I accidentally claimed they had classes on Saturday. While apparently this is precedented in Japan at some schools, I'd previously established that all the relevant schools do not have Saturday classes. (To my knowledge, there is nothing in canon to decide this one way or the other, but personally I feel the slightly-futuristic setting renders it unlikely.)
• Chapter 66: Some profile updates – Nemu was missing a symbol and San's wish was incorrect.
• Chapter 66: Fixed one instance of Momoko referring to Iroha incorrectly.

I would like to again thank JAGwin for pointing out some of these errors (though not all of them – I spotted some on my own). I've also been contemplating the case of Kuroe's name. I don't feel that there is a single "right answer" here, but there actually are some advantages to treating it as her surname rather than her given name. I just haven't quite decided whether to make this change. Still, there was definitely some level of intention when I altered the way she and Iroha refer to each other, so I can't just blindly change it back without thinking things over.