Have you heard? Has anyone told you?
The Rumour of the Misery Water!
There's a cooler box resting in the
basket of an old-fashioned bicycle…
Ask the man, "One cup please!"
and get ready to drink up…
Finish it off and you'll feel amazing!
But oh no, that feeling is an illusion…
The water you drank is actually cursed!
After 24 hours, the misery you washed away
with that water will cause a disaster.
A hot rumour spreading throughout Sankyo!
How horrible!

When Inui and I arrive at Pernelle's place with the quartet in tow, I find Oriko and Kirika already there, waiting for me, with the body of Chihiro laid out on one of the couches. Pernelle is fine-tuning a device of some sort in the corner, Oriko is seated primly on another couch, and Kirika is standing in a different corner, leaning against the wall and fidgeting.

"Good evening, Miss Ashley," Oriko says. "And these are…?"

"Elise Pierrot," Elise says. "I'm the one who can turn grief seeds back into soul gems."

"Claire Branch. I'm still shocked you kept that from us for so long," Claire mutters.

"It wasn't even a useful power until now, so why do you care?" Elise retorts.

"Still, it's amazing that you can do that!" Hiyori says. "Oh, I'm Hayashi Hiyori."

"I don't quite get why all of you had to come," Inui says.

"Well, I just wanted to see this doppel thing in action," Komachi says. "I think the others were thinking along similar lines… I'm really surprised that there's a way to not turn into a witch. And I'm Hayashi Komachi by the way."

"I am Mikuni Oriko, and my companion hopping in the corner there is—"

"I know," Hiyori. "She's Miss Kirika… we've met."

"As for the girl on the couch," Oriko finishes. "Her name is Chihiro Karen, the previous student council president from my school."

"So, Miss Hijiri already explained the basics to me," Pernelle speaks up. "Ye had two grief seeds from the witch of that unfortunate girl there on the couch, correct? What was the result when ye used your power, Miss Pierrot?"

Elise pulls out two shining white soul gems and shows them to Pernelle.

"I got two soul gems out of it," she says. "Is that even right? It seems weird… I really thought they'd combine into a single soul gem…"

"Well, that is what this experiment was intended to determine," Pernelle says. "I will perform some tests on them to ascertain whether they are truly identical. Even if these are two separate soul gems, that implies not beyond doubt that everything of Miss Chihiro is in each of them. For example, she could be… fractured."

"Right…"

Pernelle sets the two soul gems on the device she was tinkering with a moment ago and squints at it for a minute.

"Hmm," she says. "Well, my most detailed magical scan reveals no apparent differences between them… then it would seem my only remaining option is to query that woman. Could I ask that ye wait here for a few minutes? I will need to take a quick trip to Sapporo."

"That's really far away!?" Hiyori gasps. "It'll really only take a few minutes?"

There's only one woman I can think of who she'd be talking about, given that this is about soul gems…

"Huh? Is Livia Medeiros in Sapporo right now?" I ask.

"I cannot be certain," Pernelle says. "But that is the last place Miss Patel heard of her from, so it is probable. Please wait here. Miss Ashley, I do not mind if ye watch."

She takes the two soul gems and teleports away. I immediately open a vision on her and watch as she wanders through some unfamiliar streets for a moment. Actually… huh!? She took out her soul gem! That's probably the first time I've ever actually seen her soul gem… she doesn't even wear it as a ring on her finger, usually, and it's not in any obvious prominent location on her magical girl uniform.

After several minutes she steps out into a sizeable park and spots a camper van parked haphazardly out of the way of traffic, tucking her soul gem away again. As she steps out, a couple of girls emerge from the camper. The first has pink hair tied into a topknot and wears a pink pinafore dress over a blue and white striped T-shirt, as well as black tights. She babbles wordlessly, pointing excitedly at Pernelle. The second girl, who steps out just after her, is dressed like a stage magician… so unlike the first, she's in her magical girl form.

"Indeed," the second girl says. "It would appear we have quite the unusual customer tonight."

"What's going on?" a voice asks from within. "What's so unusual?"

"Well, this customer is considerably… older than average," the magician girl says.

An olive-skinned woman pokes her head out from inside the trailer and makes a face.

"Ah… it's the old hag," she says. "Never thought I'd see ya come to me…"

"Do you know this woman, Miss Livia?" the magician girl asks.

"We've had the misfortune of running into each other a few times in the past," Livia says. "Ah! Sudachi, what've I told ya? You need to greet your customers in magical girl form!"

Sudachi, the pink-haired girl, gasps, babbles a bit, and transforms. Her magical girl outfit consists of a very basic white shirt, super-baggy lime green shorts, black tights, a cape that's black on the outside and red on the inside, and a pair of animal-like ears that sort of make her seem like a fox.

"Forgive me for not doing introductions, Pernelle," Livia says. "These are my current students, Sawa Sudachi and Sasame Yozuru."

Sudachi babbles excitedly for a bit, while Yozuru bows low.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," she says. "Sudachi is excited to make your acquaintance as well."

"So… if you're here, I guess you're in need of my services, huh?" Livia asks. "Found something old Nisha can't handle, is that it?"

Although it's not the first language for either of them, they're both still speaking Japanese. I'd expected them to switch to French or Spanish, maybe even Portuguese, but I guess that's not going to happen. Perhaps it's for the benefit of the students?

"Indeed," Pernelle says. "Although Nisha Patel's unique power would under normal circumstances be well-suited to my goal here… there is one problem that renders that an unworkable strategy. After all… she reads thoughts from a person's brain, correct?"

"From what I understand, yeah," Livia says. "And? What's your point?"

Pernelle takes out the two identical soul gems.

"I happen to be in possession of two soul gems that I cannot tell apart," Pernelle says. "I request that ye use your ability to ascertain whether there are any differences between the two of them."

Livia frowns. "Ya know I can't share what I learn when I'm poking about in people's souls," she says. "If I made one exception, then there'd be another… and then another… and there'd be no end to them."

"I understand," Pernelle says. "I ask not that ye share any details of their memories, however. All I require is an indication of whether they are identical or different."

Livia frowns a bit. "You've come up with another weird experiment, huh? Fine, then. I'll adjust them a bit, and let ya know if I discover anything interesting… but I'm not telling ya a single word about what I see, ya hear?"

"That should be satisfactory," Pernelle says.

"So, where's the payment?" Livia says.

"Would two grief seeds be sufficient?" Pernelle asks.

"Hmm… I'm not really doing anything more complicated than an adjustment, so… yeah, two'll do."

Pernelle takes out two grief seeds and passes them over, and Livia sits down on the steps to poke at one of the soul gems. After a bit, she switches over to the other soul gem and blinks in surprise. Finally, she hands the soul gems back to Pernelle.

"Well, I dunno how ya did it," Livia says. "But far's I can tell, those're both the same person. If there're any differences… or if there's anything patchwork, where only one of the two retains some specific memory… then they're only minor things I didn't notice."

"Thank you very much," Pernelle says. "That result is very interesting."

"So… was that within your expectations?" Livia asks.

"It was one of the possible outcomes I was anticipating, yes," Pernelle says.

"Hmm… but I wonder, what's the point of such an experiment?" Livia asks. "Duplicating a person… why would ya even wanna do something like that?"

"Well, to tell the truth, I was not the one who did this experiment," Pernelle says. "However… even then, I believe there could be applications for it. I lack any specific ideas at this time, however."

"By the way," Yozuru says. "You have neglected to introduce yourself, milady."

"Oh, did I? I am Pernelle… Pernelle Flamel. Perhaps we may meet again someday."

And with that, she teleports straight back to us and announces the result for those who weren't watching.

"According to Livia Medeiros, they are identical," Pernelle says. "Now… what shall we do next?"

"Well, I'm not comfortable in just destroying one of them, even if they're identical," I say. "So I guess… we just put a ring on each finger and tell her we accidentally duplicated her?"

"You're going to lie about that?" Inui asks.

"I dunno," I say. "We could just tell her everything, if you think that's better."

"Hmm… I think we should tell her the basics," Inui says. "And then ask if she'd like to hear the full story… and if she says yes, we come clean with her."

"Fine then," I say. "I guess that's the plan."

Pernelle shrugs. "Very well."

She forces both gems to ring form and bends down to slip them onto Karen's middle fingers.

"She has been separated from her soul gem for quite some time, so it may be a few minutes before she awakes," Pernelle says. "I will prepare some tea and snacks to be ready for when that happens."

With that, she steps out of the barrier.

"So, Ashley-chan, can I ask you something?" Hiyori asks.

"Why are you asking if you can ask?" I ask. "Just ask the question…"

"You did this on purpose, right? Duplicating her, I mean…"

"Well… basically, yes," I say. "I wanted to know if it was possible…"

"Okay, so… why?" Hiyori says. "What reason would you have to duplicate someone?"

"Time travel," I say.

Hiyori blinks. "Huh? I don't follow…"

"When Miss Homura travels back in time, she is erased from the timeline she just left," I explain. "The same probably goes for anyone who accompanies her on the journey. That means I've left several versions of Inui-chan unhappy…"

"Um, there's no need to apologize to me about that," Inui pipes up. "As long as you don't do it to this version of me, it's all good."

"Right… so basically, my thought was… if I could duplicate someone's soul gem, then Miss Homura could just take the duplicate soul gem back with her instead. My understanding of her time travel is a little shaky, but I believe the time travel magic destroys the body in the future and carries back only the soul, placing it in the body of the past. So… if the soul was duplicated, one copy could remain with the person's body, and the other copy could travel back with Miss Homura and take over the past version of their body. At least… that was my train of thought that led me here."

"I see," Hiyori says. "So you're thinking of duplicating yourself?"

"Well… no, I wasn't considering that, as I don't feel like I personally have a need to split paths like that," I say. "But I was considering offering to duplicate anyone who wanted to come back with me."

"I think I'll pass," Inui says. "I don't see a point in staying in a world where you don't exist, anyway."

"Well, I said 'offer' for a reason," I say. "You see, the time before last, Madoka refused to travel back in time a second time, because she didn't want to abandon that timeline… but if you could copy someone, they could go back and continue on in the old timeline. Although… I don't think I could do that to Madoka specifically, as her witch is just too powerful."

"So um… I have one other question," Hiyori says. "Are you sure the old timeline even continues to exist? Maybe it's not time travel at all… maybe she rewinds the entire world back to how it was at some point in the past."

"I did consider that possibility," I say. "Until recently I wasn't sure if an abandoned timeline would continue on. But then I found evidence to suggest that it does… I can't explain the evidence itself, as it's extremely sensitive information, but… that's part of why I decided to do this. Although that came after I got Karen's grief seed, I hadn't decided whether to do the copying experiment yet… and if I'd learned that the abandoned timeline definitely ceases to exist, I probably would've just revived her normally."

"I see," Hiyori says. "Well… I mean, your heart was in the right place, but… I think you should've asked one of us to help you in this experiment, instead of doing it on someone you just happened to see turning into a witch."

"Yeah," Inui says. "I wouldn't've even minded if you'd turned me into a witch for this purpose!"

"Well… fine, you're probably right," I say. "But in any case, what's done is done…"

Suddenly Karen stirs on the couch.

"Ah! She's waking up!" Hiyori gasps.

I use my clairvoyance to zoom in on her hands and see that the middle finger of both hands now bears a green kite shield symbol.

"Is it my imagination, or does she seem to be in pain?" Komachi wonders.

Indeed, she's jerking about a little, letting out tiny gasps that could indicate pain.

"Ah, come to think of it, she's been out for a long time," I say. "Perhaps she's in need of some healing…?"

"Leave it to me!" Komachi says.

She transforms and kneels by the couch, placing her hands on Karen's body and channeling her magic in. It seems to work, as Karen stops moving so fitfully and begins to relax. Then her eyes flutter open.

"Uhh… huh? W-where— where am I…?"

There's a slightly weird hiccup in her speech, like she was interrupted by something and then started over. Oriko chooses that moment to speak up.

"Do not worry, Chihiro-sempai," she says. "You are somewhere safe."

"That voice," Karen says. "Is that… —that… Miss Mikuni?"

"Yes, it is I," Oriko says. "I am surprised you recognized my voice, however."

"There are few— are few more reco— recognizable voices than— than yours at s— at school," Karen says.

"Are you feeling okay?" Komachi asks. "Any pain?"

"No, I'm— I'm fine," Karen says. "There was some— was some pain but— pain but now— now it's gone."

Komachi turns to look at me, a little worried, just as Pernelle comes back.

"She seems to be talking funny though," Komachi says. "Why do you think that is?"

"What?" Karen says. "I am not— am not talking funny— talking funny at all! That's— at all! That's so rude!"

"I see," Pernelle says. "I believe I comprehend the situation. First of all… Miss Chihiro, everyone here is a magical girl. Furthermore, I have prepared some tea and cookies for you, in case ye are hungry or thirsty after your long… convalescence."

Karen gasps, propping herself up a bit and looking around. Pernelle sets the tea and cookies down on a table near her, and Kirika darts in to swipe a cookie before anyone can stop her.

"R-really!? Even— even Miss Mi— Miss Mikuni!?"

"Yes, I am a magical girl, Chihiro-sempai," Oriko says.

"Now, due to certain circumstances," Pernelle continues. "Your soul gem has been duplicated. As a result, there are two copies of your mind running in that body, no doubt both experiencing the same emotions and attempting to say the same things. Thus, your speech comes out stuttering as the two copies of your mind vie for control of your body."

Karen blinks at her.

"A-are you quite— quite serious!?"

"I am afraid so," Pernelle says. "If you wish, we could explain in detail how this happened."

"N-no, um… this is— um… this is too— is too sudden," Karen says. "How can I— can I even— even function like— like this?"

"I would suggest ye have a little telepathic discussion amongst the two of you," Pernelle says. "Designate one of you as the primary spokesperson. There is no point in arguing on the basis of merit, of course, so ye should try to decide at random."

Karen nods slowly, closing her eyes and falling silent for a bit.

"I can flip a coin for you," Komachi offers.

"Y-yes… tha— yes… thank you," Karen says.

She opens her eyes and watches as Komachi flips a coin, which comes out heads. Then she takes a deep breath and speaks.

"So, is this working? Am I still stuttering, or is my speech coming out nice and smooth now?"

"Perfect!" Komachi says. "Great! Looks like you've worked things out."

Karen sits up and reaches for the tea, taking a sip. She makes a face, no doubt at the low quality of the tea, but she still takes another sip, so it can't be that bad.

"We decided to give the two copies different names to distinguish us a bit," Karen says. "So, the one speaking now is Kana, and the one currently remaining silent is Rena. Although, mostly the names are for talking amongst ourself, but… it might be helpful for you to know as well."

"I see," Komachi says. "But do you want us to call you Kana, or…?"

"Please call us Miss Karen or Miss Chihiro," Karen says.

"You're taking this surprisingly well," I observe.

"It's not that complicated," Karen says. "I mean, what can we do about it? All we can do is live with it, right? The stuttering was a bit of a problem, but now that it's solved, we don't really see any other major issues arising from this situation…"

"Oh, that reminds me," Pernelle says. "While ye were unconscious, I had your magic enhanced at the Coordinator's. Ye should be able to share magic between the two of you, or with other magical girls, to combine your powers for a stronger attack."

Karen nods. "I see… was there a reason for that? I mean… why would you do that to me?"

"It was a side-effect of the need to determine whether the two of you are, in fact, identical," Pernelle says. "Or, to put it another way, we needed to do that to prove ye were identical."

"Do you remember what happened?" I ask.

"Hmm… so, the last thing we remember was…" Karen turns to me. "You… you came around a corner and startled me… I told you to stay away, because something was wrong… and then… I don't really remember anything after that. Did you save me? May I have your name?"

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose you could say I saved you," I say. "I'm Ashley Taylor… please call me Ashley."

"Then, allow me to express my gratitude, Miss Ashley," Karen says. "I don't think we need to know the full details of how this happened… all that matters is that we're alive and well. Thank you very much, Miss Ashley."

"Well… sure," I say.

"So… how long was I out?" Karen asks.

"It has been ten days since you were found just outside my house," Oriko says.

"Ten days?" Karen says. "Then… that means I haven't missed the final deadline for sending my acceptance letter… although it is unfortunate that I have missed the first week and a half of classes… but I am sure they will understand if I say that I suddenly fell sick."

"Ah, did you get into a prestigious high school?" Oriko asks.

"Indeed," Karen says. "I barely made the cut for St Lilliana's high school division. In fact, I had just received the letter when this happened… the truth is, I was devastated that my marks were not high enough to qualify me for honours."

Well, I guess that could explain why she turned into a witch so suddenly.

"Oh, I had no idea you had applied," Oriko says. "Well… allow me to congratulate you on your success. Even if you did not attain honours, you still made it into quite a prestigious school. It is an accomplishment worthy of pride."

"Was your wish to get into St Lilliana's?" I ask.

"No… I made a wish for the sake of my father," Karen says. "I do not wish to discuss the details, however."

"So I guess you'll be moving to Kamihama?" I say.

"Yes, that was the plan," Karen says.

"St Lilliana, huh," I say. "I actually hate that school with a passion… but I guess it is pretty prestigious, so getting into it is impressive enough…"

"Why do you hate it so much?" Karen asks.

"Um… it's hard to explain," I say.

"I would like you to try…"

"Well… from my perspective it's like this school for snooty high-class girls who don't really get the world?" I say. "Plus I'm just like, morally opposed to girls-only schools in the first place… so I really dislike your middle school too… and it also doesn't help that the daughter of the Kaharu family attends St Lilliana… so hearing the name always seems to remind me of her for some reason…"

"Ehhh, the Kaharu family?" Inui gasps. "They're like, ten times worse than the Mikuni family! Ah… no offense intended to you, Miss Mikuni…"

"None taken," Oriko says. "My father aside, the rest of my family certainly is a piece of work…"

"Are they really that bad?" I ask.

"Well… at least, from what I've heard," Inui says. "A lot of it is unsubstantiated rumours, so it's probably exaggerated at best… but mainly the reason I think they're worse is because the head of the family is a businessman rather than a politician. Slimy politicians are bad enough, but they're in the public eye a lot, so there's a limit to how much they can hide stuff, right?"

"Yeah, I totally get where you're going," I say. "Someone like Mr Yaegashi may be rotten to the core, but he can't do anything too terrible or he'd be outed in an instant. Someone like Mr Kaharu on the other hand… I don't actually know anything about him, but I wouldn't be even slightly surprised if, for example, it was suddenly revealed that he's taking advantage of slave labour in some small country in mainland Asia…"

"He's also filthy rich," Inui adds. "I don't know exactly how much, but I think he's in the top ten richest people in Japan? I don't know how that stacks up worldwide… but I bet he's in the top fifty."

"Right… that's exactly why," I say.

"That is an interesting perspective," Karen says. "Before today, I had never heard a bad word for the Kaharu Group… though I cannot say I'd heard any glowing praise, either."

"I did hear a rumour that they used some leverage to force the failure of the Trilateral Economic Summit awhile back," Oriko says. "Although it is true that those talks were not going well for Japan at the time, I truly believe that backing out entirely was a mistake. We should have instead stood up for ourselves and argued for better terms."

I gasp. "W-wait just a second there!? You're saying that Mr Kaharu may have been the one who bought Shizuka's wish!?"

Oriko blinks at me in confusion.

"I am afraid I have no idea what you are talking about…"

"…buying a wish?" Komachi says. "Um… please tell me you're not talking about what I think you're talking about…"

"No, it's probably exactly what you're thinking," I say. "A shady group that pays for young girls to make a wish and become a magical girl, and forces them to comply, too. And then kills them on top of it all. I just so happen to know that the summit Miss Mikuni mentioned failed because of such a wish… though fortunately that girl is still alive, so far…"

"That's awful!" Hiyori says.

"I am shocked that such a system could even exist," Karen says. "Although I only found out about magical girls recently, I cannot comprehend not even having the opportunity to choose your own wish… or being disposed of like used goods afterwards…"

Oriko shrugs. "It was just a rumour, in any case," she says. "Even if you're certain that a wish caused that outcome, it may not have been Mr Kaharu who paid for it. Perhaps the leverage he used was of a more conventional type, and it was someone else who paid for the wish."

"Yeah… you're right," I admit. "I shouldn't jump to conclusions just because I hate the guy… it's not like he's the only awful person out there."

"Now, enough of this gossip," Pernelle speaks up. "It is getting late, and I wish to sleep."

Komachi blinks. "Come to think of it… didn't we catch the last train of the night to get here? How will we even get back? Is there a night bus from Asunaro to Mitakihara?"

"If that is the sole concern, I will teleport you to the town of your choice," Pernelle says. "It would be a small price to pay for some peace and quiet for my slumber."

"Then, could I request a ride to Mitakihara?" Karen asks. "I need to go to Kamihama, of course, but I should check in with my family first. They have surely been worried about me."

"I'd like to return to Kamihama," Inui says.

"I think the rest of us will be going to Mitakihara," I say.

"Except me," Hijiri speaks up. "Though I guess you knew that already."

"Is there a specific place in Kamihama that you would like me to send you?" Pernelle asks.

"Um… it has to be somewhere you know, right?" Inui asks.

"Of course."

"Well, the place I'm heading is in Kosho Ward," Inui says.

"Hmm," Pernelle says. "The cavalry racecourse is a fairly significant landmark in east Kamihama, would that do?"

Inui whips her phone out to check, then nods.

"Yeah, that seems to be in the right general area," she says. "Thanks."

Pernelle makes for her and lays a hand on her shoulder. After a moment, Inui just vanishes.

"As for the rest of you… is Mitakihara General Hospital acceptable?" Pernelle asks.

"Yes, I should be able to find my way from there," Karen says.

"That would be acceptable for me, as well," Oriko says.

"That's perfect!" Kirika says. "I live pretty close to the hospital anyway!"

"It works for the four of us too," Komachi says. "Should we join hands?"

Pernelle shakes her head. "While physical contact helps, it is not necessary for my magic," she says. "Simply gather together for me."

So we all stand up and huddle together, and after a moment, we're suddenly in an alleyway next to the hospital. After saying goodbye to Oriko, Karen, and Kirika, we head back home.

April eleventh. Iroha steps into Banbanzai, with Mokyu riding on her shoulder as usual and accompanied by Yachiyo. There's no-one there except Tsuruno and her father, who appears to be packing up a black takeout box.

"Iroha-chan! Yachiyo-shishou!" Tsuruno exclaims. "What can I get you?"

"Um…"

Iroha sits down and looks at the menu. Yachiyo also takes a seat but doesn't look at the menu.

"I'm just here to visit," Yachiyo says.

"You sure?" Tsuruno asks. "I'll give you the friends and family discount!"

"Yes, I'm quite sure," Yachiyo says.

"Then what about you, Iroha-chan?"

"I'll try… the vegetable ramen, please!" Iroha says.

"Coming right up!" Tsuruno says.

As she gets to work on the ramen, her father finishes packing up and heads for the door.

"Hey, Tsuruno, I'm heading out for the delivery!" he says.

"Oh right, who was it for again?" she asks.

"Mr Murakoshi on Suitoku Third Street."

"Are you sure?" Tsuruno asks. "I can do it if you want… do you know how to get there?"

"No, no, I'll do it," he says. "This place is empty anyway, and you've got your friends here. Don't worry, I can just look it up."

"Awesome! Thanks a lot, Dad!"

"Keep an eye on the place until I get back, alright?"

"Of course! You know I will!" Tsuruno says.

Then he steps out, leaving the three girls alone. A few minutes later, Tsuruno slams down two bowls of ramen.

"Huh? Two?" Iroha says.

"One for me, of course!"

"Oh… of course…"

They settle down to eat in silence. Once the bowls are empty, Tsuruno questions her as usual.

"Sooo, how was the ramen?" she asks. "You don't have to sugarcoat it! Also! I'm giving you the family and friends and magical girls discount, so don't worry about the price!"

"Ummm…" Iroha thinks a bit.

"Well? What do you think? Let me have it!"

"Maybe a C?" Iroha says.

"What a surprise!" Tsuruno gasps. "Totally average! So… why'd we get a C?"

"Well… the broth's so strong," Iroha says. "I feel like it'll taste the same no matter what's in it… the vegetables do water it down a little though… but it doesn't really have something to make it distinct from other ramen…"

"Nooo! You're making it sound like it deserves an F!" Tsuruno protests. "People always went on about how much they loved it when Grandpa used to make it…"

"It's all well and good grading your food," Yachiyo says with a sigh. "But… does Miss Hiiragi really eat here that often?"

"She sure does! She comes like once a month!"

"What!?" Iroha gasps.

"Oh, but I have no idea when she'll show up though," Tsuruno says.

"How does once a month make her a regular…?" Yachiyo asks.

"It does!" Tsuruno exclaims. "Every month! I'd say that makes her a regular customer!"

"But we're not even sure she's the one Miss Tamaki's looking for…" Yachiyo says.

"So I'd have to wait a whole month, and possibly for nothing," Iroha says.

Yachiyo sighs. "So we haven't found out anything about Hiiragi Nemu, or Mifuyu, or that thing that came out of you, Miss Tamaki."

"The thing that… what?" Iroha says.

"It came out of you the other night at the Séance Shrine, remember?" Yachiyo says.

"Oh… I was only half conscious back then," Iroha says. "So I don't really know what happened… I felt like I'd been plunged into somewhere dark and cold, as if I were on the verge of vanishing, and then… I woke up. So, what was that?"

"I have no idea," Yachiyo says. "Which is precisely why we should be wary of it. I understand that it's something that can occur when the soul gem is completely clouded, but… we don't know what conditions will trigger it, and something even worse could happen if the conditions aren't met. So we should keep using grief seeds to avoid it as much as possible."

"R-right… of course," Iroha says.

At that moment a phone rings somewhere in the back, and Tsuruno leaps up.

"I gotta get that!" she says. "It could be an order!"

She runs into the back room, and her voice emanates through the door, a little muted.

"Hello, Banbanzai here! What can I get you?"

"Hmm… I thought we had a great lead," Iroha says. "But I guess I got a little too excited…"

"It's certainly a lead," Yachiyo says. "But it's a very shaky one…"

"You got it!" Tsuruno's voice exclaims. "It'll be about twenty minutes!"

She rushes out from the back and gets to work on the cooking.

"Come to think of it, maybe Mr Yui was onto something," Yachiyo muses. "We could try looking up those two, right?"

"Eh?" Iroha blinks.

"Did you understand, Assistant Tamaki?" Yachiyo asks.

"Um… no… not really," Iroha says.

"Here's a hint," Yachiyo says. "Earlier, Tsuruno's father mentioned looking up the address."

"Right… um, I don't get it?"

"Can you think of something you can look up an address with?"

"Um… hmm… no, I can't think of anything…"

"Like a phone book," Yachiyo suggests.

"A… a what now?" Iroha says.

"Tsuruno, do you have one here at the restaurant?" Yachiyo asks.

"Hmm, a phone book?" Tsuruno says. "I think there's one around here somewhere. It might be a little on the old side though… about five years ago they stopped automatically distributing them to all businesses, so now we have to place an order in advance and go pick it up at the city hall if we want one… ours is probably at least a year old."

She pauses in her cooking to root around under the counter, surfacing with a thick, greasy tome with a yellow cover.

"Here ya go!" she says.

She takes it over to the table where Yachiyo and Iroha are before returning to the cooking job.

"It's covered in grease…" Yachiyo mutters.

Tsuruno giggles. "Yep, smothered in Banbanzai flavour!"

"It looks like a dictionary," Iroha says.

"Have you never seen one before?" Yachiyo asks.

"Um, no, I don't think so," Iroha says.

"I'm not surprised," Yachiyo admits. "They're not as common as they used to be… nowadays most people use the Internet instead. But you're right – it's like a dictionary for phone numbers. Stores, restaurants, and even residents are listed here, with their names, addresses, and phone numbers."

"Wow… so you think Nemu-chan's house might be in this phone dictionary?"

"Well… it's possible," Yachiyo says. "However, it only lists landlines, and some families don't have one these days."

"I don't think my family has one either," Iroha says.

"Plus, even if they do, they can request not to be listed," Yachiyo continues. "So I can't say for sure that she'll be in here. Still… it's worth a shot."

Iroha nods. "At least it's something! Let's try looking her up!"

Yachiyo flips it open to the Sankyo Ward section, explaining how it works to Iroha as she scans the pages. Suddenly, Iroha spots the name in question.

"Here, look!" she says. "There are some Hiiragis, Miss Yachiyo! Hmm… I don't see any Satomis though…"

"That's great news," Yachiyo says.

"Wow, there's four of them," Iroha says. "But none of them are Hiiragi Nemu… I guess that makes sense. It would only list the head of the house, right? I don't know her father's given name though…"

Yachiyo nods. "With all the concerns about privacy and personal info, I thought there'd be fewer… there are more entries than I expected."

"I'm just glad there's any at all!" Iroha says. "Hmm… these addresses seem like they're all over the place… it'll take some time to visit all of them… but I'll go get started right away!"

"That's a good idea," Yachiyo says.

At that moment, Tsuruno's father returns.

"Oh, good timing, Dad!" Tsuruno exclaims. "We got another order! It's almost done! Iroha-chan's about to leave, so I'll deliver it this time!"

"Great," Mr Yui says. "I could use a bit of a rest, thank you, Tsuruno."

He heads into the back.

"I'd love to help you," Yachiyo continues, still addressing Iroha. "But I have to get to work soon."

Iroha blinks. "Work? Not homework?"

"I didn't tell you? I work part-time as a model sometimes."

"Ehhh!? A model…!?" Iroha blinks, then gasps. "Ah! I think… Miss Mitama might have mentioned it… that Momoko-chan had some gripes about it…"

"Gripes?" Yachiyo says. "Perhaps. Maybe she's jealous, or has some warped preconceptions."

"Now that I think of it… I did see a magazine recently… could that be…?"

"Yes, in fact, today's shoot is for a follow-up article to that one," Yachiyo says.

"Ehhh!? W-w-what… am I supposed to… what should I…"

"What are you getting so worked up about?" Yachiyo asks.

"F-fighting alongside a celebrity like you… I… I can't even believe…"

"I'm not a celebrity really," Yachiyo retorts. "You don't have to act any different. Don't get all worked up about it."

"Y-yeah, um… okay…"

"Anyway, about Miss Hiiragi… if everything goes smoothly I should be done soon, but I can't say exactly when…"

"N-no, that's alright!" Iroha says. "I can look into this on my own!"

"Sorry, I can't go either!" Tsuruno says. "I gotta make this delivery and look after the restaurant!"

"No, it's fine!" Iroha says. "Good luck, Tsuruno-chan!"

"Yep, yep! I've got it all under control!" Suddenly she gasps. "Wait a sec! I just figured it out!"

"W-what!?" Iroha gasps.

"Why Yachiyo didn't order anything!" Tsuruno says. "Even after I offered her the friends and family discount!"

"Okay then, I'll bite," Yachiyo says. "Why didn't I order anything?"

"Your job! Gotta keep up that image!"

"Nope," Yachiyo says. "Too bad. Don't twist things to fit your distorted notions. I just don't want to eat the food here every single day… you brought some over to my place last time, so I want something different today. It doesn't sit well in my stomach if I eat it too often…"

"Rude!" Tsuruno exclaims.

"Besides, I don't need to worry about that," Yachiyo adds. "I don't really gain weight."

"Ehh… I hope Momoko-chan doesn't find out about that…" Iroha mutters.

As I sit up, pushing the vision aside into a corner of my awareness, I notice that there's a missed message on my phone, so I grab it to see what's up. It's from Inui.

"You gonna stop by tonight, Ashley-nee? I miss you… oh! By the way, that girl, Mizuki Rui? Y'know, the chuuni that Ashley played along with before? Turns out she's in my class! And like, I arrived really early and she greeted me all dramatically… it would've been a little embarrassing if there was anyone else around… but she seems like a nice person. And Riko-chan's been really nice to me too – she even brought me a box lunch today from her place, as a sort of welcome present! It was really good!"

So they ended up in the same class, huh? That's nice… I honestly didn't think it was very likely, though I'm also happy to hear it. I compose a message in response.

"Sorry, I probably won't be back there until Friday. I'm happy you're getting along with Mizuki Rui, though! And Riko-chan too, of course. Let me know if anything interesting happens, and I'll see you in a few days. Oh… by the way, is Mihono Seira also in your class?"

Inui's response comes back almost immediately.

"Oh? You know her? Yeah, you can't miss her… she's really nice too! Ah, but she's not a magical girl, if that's what you were wondering…"

Right… so, Iroha's running all over town to check out the various Hiiragi families, which isn't going to be very interesting to watch. Therefore, I decide to see what Kyouko's up to instead. Her promise to Mami lasted only until the end of yesterday, so I'm sure she'll be getting ready to head to Kamihama…

April eleventh. Kyouko is gazing out the window of the hotel room she's been staying in. Yuma sits on a chair in the corner, fiddling with what looks to be a blacksmith's puzzle – a set of intertwined metal rings where the goal is to figure out how to disentangle them without bending them.

Suddenly, Kyouko turns and makes for the door. Yuma looks up, startled by the sudden movement. Then she sets the puzzle down on the table and slides off the chair to run over to Kyouko.

"Kyouko, Kyouko! Are you going out, Kyouko?"

"Hmm? Yeah," Kyouko says.

"Where? To the supermarket?"

"No, kiddo, I'm checking out a place called Kamihama."

"Kamihama…?"

"Yep. It's a little far away, so I gotta take a train."

"Why?" Yuma asks. "What are you going to do there?"

"I'm all outta grief seeds," Kyouko says. "I gotta fight a witch… and uh… possibly explore a little."

"Yuma wants to come too!"

"Nope! No way!" Kyouko says.

"B-but why not!?" Yuma gasps. "Is it because Yuma is weak? If Yuma just became a magical girl, Yuma's sure she could beat the witches…"

"No, it's just too dangerous," Kyouko insists. "There are way more witches in Kamihama than there are in Mitakihara, and they're stronger than usual. Just watch the place while I'm gone, okay?"

"But… Yuma wants to stay with you, Kyouko!" Yuma protests. "Um… w-what if a witch comes by here while you're gone!?"

Kyouko blinks. "Ugh! Don't gimme that look, kiddo! It really is dangerous there!"

"Yuma will be safe if she's with you!" Yuma says staunchly.

"I was planning on being home by dinner, anyway," Kyouko says. "Can't you just wait by yourself for awhile?"

"Nooooo," Yuma says, pouting. "Yuma will get bored and wander around town, and then Yuma might get lost!"

Kyouko blinks again. "Ugh! Dangit, you're just a kid! You're not supposed to argue back like that!" She sighs. "Fine… you can come, okay? But you've gotta wait outside the labyrinth whenever I fight a witch, that clear?"

"Yay!" Yuma says. "Yay! Yuma's coming! Yuma's going on a trip with Kyouko! Yaaay!"

"Promise to wait outside the labyrinth!" Kyouko says sternly.

"Yes! Yuma will sit on a bench or something and wait until the witch is dead!"

"Good," Kyouko says. "Alright then… let's get going."

They head out together and make for the station. Along the way, they run into someone unexpected – Oriko.

"Oh my," Oriko says. "If it isn't Yuma-chan… and who might this be?"

"Ah!" Yuma gasps. "Oriko!"

She runs forward and hugs Oriko, who pats her head and ruffles her hair a little.

"That uniform," Kyouko says. "Ain't it from that snooty all-girls school? How the heck d'you know this person, Yuma?"

"Um… Yuma met her the day before you um… you know," Yuma says. "Yuma had tea and cookies with her and gazed at the moon! It was sort of fun, a little bit…"

"Well, it is pretty much what she said," Oriko says. "And you are correct, I attend Shirome Middle School. My name is Mikuni Oriko…"

"Eh? You're the one that mystery girl mentioned…?"

"And you… could you be the rumoured Sakura Kyouko?"

Kyouko blinks. "You know about me!?"

"Indeed," Oriko says. "I have heard of you from the other magical girls in the area."

"Oh! You're a magical girl too, huh…?" Kyouko says. "Could that be… why you're here?"

"You are smarter than you look, Miss Sakura," Oriko says. "Indeed… I intend to visit Kamihama to obtain a few grief seeds. This will be my second time there, in fact."

"Is that so…" Kyouko says. "Well, don't expect me to get all buddy-buddy with ya just cause you also know Yuma."

"Of course," Oriko says.

They continue the rest of the way to the station together, though maintaining a hefty distance between them. Yuma clings to Oriko until they reach the station, telling her all about how her life has changed since Kyouko rescued her from a witch, but once they reach the station, she latches back onto Kyouko instead.

Kyouko's method of getting through the ticket barrier to the train is a little strange. She doesn't just swipe a card, as a normal person would. Instead, she grabs Yuma in her arms, leaps clear over the barrier, and then… somehow convinces the guards that she should be allowed to enter? It's not clear what even happened, but I think she must have used her unique magic in some way… the same unique magic that she believes she's lost.

The three of them board a train to Kamihama, with Kyouko choosing seats at the opposite end of the train car from Oriko. On the way there, Kyuubey decides to make an appearance.

"You're hunting witches outside of your usual spots too, Sakura Kyouko?"

"Ah! Kyuubey!" Yuma says happily.

She grabs it and hugs it, nuzzling her head against it a little. Kyuubey completely ignores this, simply staring at Kyouko while it awaits a response. Kyouko blinks, turning to look at it.

"Huh? Oh… it's just you. Yeah, sure. Even you must know by now… Mitakihara and Kazamino are both dried up. The pickings are slimmer than slim there."

"So I hear from other magical girls," Kyuubey says. "The witch populations are decreasing in all cities across the island, except one… there is even a noticeable decrease on mainland Japan, although it is far less pronounced there. I have noticed a slight yet noticeable decrease in several big cities in China and the Philippines as well, though not enough to conclude that it is related."

"Oh, look at you," Kyouko says. "Seems like you're in the know. You can guess my next move then, huh? There's one city that's the perfect hunting ground for witches."

"So I see, you're going to Kamihama," Kyuubey says.

"Duh! If you've figured that out, then why are you still bugging me?"

"I spoke with Tomoe Mami recently," Kyuubey says. "She believes Kamihama to be dangerous. She told me of the strange phenomenon she witnessed there, and said she advised you against going. Has she changed her mind?"

"Right… Mami… no, she told me already, or more like lectured me, but so what? I fly solo, anyway. I don't take orders from her. I get that Kamihama is supposedly pretty messed up, but… I'm the one who gets to decide whether I go or not."

"That is true," Kyuubey says. "Tomoe Mami does not have the authority to dictate where you go."

"Right? It's weird she even tried to talk me out of it in the first place. I bet she was just trying to keep all the action for herself…"

"I doubt Tomoe Mami has the goal of collecting as many grief seeds as she can," Kyuubey says. "It does not fit with how she has behaved in the past."

"I don't need you to tell me that…" Kyouko mutters.

"Chitose Yuma, could I ask you to put me down?" Kyuubey says.

"Ah! Um… sure…?"

As Yuma sets it down, Kyuubey turns to face her.

"Have you thought about it?" it asks. "Will you become a magical girl for me?"

"Oy! I told you to drop it!" Kyouko says.

"Hmm… Yuma still isn't quite sure," Yuma says.

"I see… in that case… I will talk to you again later."

Kyuubey then turns to trot down to the opposite end of the car, where Oriko is.

"Oh my, it has been quite some time," Oriko says. "It used to be that I saw you almost every day…"

"You finally started fighting witches on a regular basis," Kyuubey says. "So I spent the time approaching other girls instead, as well as investigating the strange phenomenon around Kamihama."

"Yes, it is strange, indeed," Oriko says. "Why would all the witches be going to Kamihama? Do you have any theories, Kyuubey?"

"I lack sufficient information to formulate a hypothesis," Kyuubey says. "But… one possibility is that someone is intentionally drawing witches to Kamihama. To what end… I do not know. Since I am unable to enter Kamihama, my ability to gather information is more limited than usual."

"I see… wait… you cannot enter Kamihama?" Oriko says. "Why is that?"

"I am unsure," Kyuubey says. "All I know is that if I try to step across the boundary, the connection is terminated and the terminal falls prone and cannot function."

"Interesting," Oriko says. "But I cannot say I have any idea why that would be the case."

"I see… well, it would appear that the border is imminent, so I will leave you now."

"Yes, take care, Kyuubey."

And with that, Kyuubey simply vanishes.

When they disembark, Oriko is greeted by an enthusiastic Kirika, but they don't join up with Kyouko, who goes off on her own with Yuma, locating a witch's trail after just a few minutes and tracking it to a small park with a playground.

"Alright Yuma, wait here," Kyouko says. "You can go play over there if you want.'

"Okay!"

Kyouko steps into the labyrinth, and Yuma runs over to get on one of the swings. A couple of minutes later, someone else comes by, also tracking the witch. She has short purple hair and wears the reddish-brown uniform of Sankyoin Academy. Yuma hops off the swing and runs over to her.

"Hi there!"

"W-whoa…?"

The girl turns to face her, startled at being addressed all of a sudden.

"Ah… hello… what are you doing here?"

"Yuma is waiting for Kyouko!"

"Huh?"

"She went in there a little while ago…"

Yuma points at the witch's labyrinth, and the girl turns to look.

"Oh… so you can see it? But you're not…"

Yuma's face falls, and she fidgets a bit.

"Yeah… Kyouko keeps saying Yuma shouldn't become a magical girl… she probably thinks Yuma is useless… even though Yuma wants to help her…"

"Um… this Kyouko you keep referring to," the girl says. "Could it possibly be… Sakura Kyouko?"

"Ah! Do you know Kyouko!?"

"W-well, I wouldn't say I know her, exactly… but we've met… by the way, I'm Hozumi Shizuku."

"Shizuku-nee!"

"Uh, sure… um… so, this witch is really strong, and… I think even Miss Kyouko could have trouble with it, so… I'm just… going to go check on her," Shizuku says. "Can you wait here, Yuma-chan?"

"Yes… Yuma will wait…"

With that, Shizuku transforms and steps into the labyrinth, while Yuma goes back to the swings. She waits anxiously there for nearly five minutes, kicking off from the ground to get a little motion, sighing the whole time. Then Shizuku and Kyouko pop back into existence in mid-argument.

"—help, dammit!" Kyouko complains. "I was doing just fine!"

"It… didn't look that way to me," Shizuku says.

"Kyouko!"

Yuma jumps off and runs over.

"Yuma…"

"Did you get a grief seed, Kyouko?"

"Sure did! And I ain't giving it up to you, Shizuku!"

"That's fine… I have a couple already," Shizuku says.

"Then why'd you go after the same one as me!?"

"Just… the witches are much stronger here lately… I wasn't sure if… if you could handle it," Shizuku says.

"Who do ya think you're talking to?" Kyouko retorts. "After I beat ya to a pulp when you tried to invade my territory last month!"

"Like I said then… I wasn't invading," Shizuku mutters. "I was just… exploring… and besides… you're exaggerating… you only barely beat me…"

"Well, your power's kinda cheating," Kyouko mutters.

"Kyouko, I think Shizuku-nee is a good person!" Yuma says. "She wouldn't do something like that!"

"You're gonna say that after just meeting her once!? Yuma, that's too naïve!"

"But, but! Yuma really thinks it's really true!" Yuma insists.

"Since when did you… start baby-sitting?" Shizuku asks.

"Since just after I met ya, strangely enough," Kyouko says. "It was just a few days later that I ran across Yuma in a labyrinth…"

At that moment, both Shizuku and Kyouko blink and turn about ninety degrees to their left. Yuma turns to see what they're looking at and spots another portal over on the other side of the playground.

"Great!" Kyouko says. "Another witch! Perfect! But I don't need your help this time, ya hear?"

"N-no!" Shizuku gasps. "That one… you can't fight that one!"

"Why the hell not?" Kyouko retorts.

"That one's… even stronger than the one you just fought!" Shizuku says. "You only barely beat the last one… this one'll definitely be too much for you!"

"I'll be the judge of that," Kyouko retorts. "If it gets hairy, I can always retreat."

And without further ado, she runs across the playground and leaps into the labyrinth.

"Ugh…" Shizuku mutters. "W-what should I do… should I… call Ayaka? But… she's not all that much stronger than I am… still… her unique magic… might be helpful…?"

"U-um, Shizuku-nee… is Kyouko gonna be okay?" Yuma asks.

"I don't know," Shizuku says. "I really don't know. Maybe she'll be fine… or maybe not… in the worst case, she could die…"

"N-no!" Yuma gasps. "Kyouko can't die… Yuma needs her!"

Shizuku suddenly spins one-eighty degrees, and Yuma follows her gaze. A second portal is approaching, and beyond it are a pair of magical girls chasing it – Oriko and Kirika. As Yuma and Shizuku watch, the portal slides across the playground and merges with the one that Kyouko just entered, forming a new melded portal that now shows the emblems of both witches.

"My, my," Oriko says. "I had a feeling this might happen… perhaps I should have tried to warn Miss Sakura… though I doubt she would have listened…"

"Um… will Kyouko be okay, Oriko?" Yuma asks anxiously.

"Not likely," Oriko says. "As things currently stand, she'll probably last about ten minutes in there… at best…"

"N-no way!?" Yuma exclaims. "No… no! Y-you've gotta help her! Oriko, Shizuku-nee… you've gotta do something!"

"There's not a lot I can do," Oriko says. "Even if I stepped in there right now, it wouldn't increase her chances very much… the same goes for this… Miss Shizuku, is it? Although, Kirika… Kirika might be able to make a difference…"

She trails off for a moment, apparently thinking.

"Want me to jump in there?" Kirika suggests.

Oriko nods slowly. "Yes… you're stronger than either of us in close quarters… if you head in there, it should at least buy us some time. Try to engage the second witch, the one we've been chasing, so that Miss Sakura only needs to deal with one witch. I'll join you soon."

"Got it!" Kirika says. "Well then, I'm off!"

And with that, she transforms and leaps into the labyrinth.

"Now then," Oriko muses. "Is there anyone I can call who could get here in time…? It is indeed unfortunate that I have so few acquaintances here in Kamihama… Miss Itsumi is a possibility, but she probably cannot make it here in time from Kosho Ward…"

"If you know someone, I can… portal them in… from almost anywhere in the city," Shizuku says.

"Then I suppose it cannot hurt to try," Oriko says. "I will ask her."

She whips out her phone to compose a message.

"Excuse me, Miss Itsumi. Would you have time to fight a witch right at this moment? If yes, please tell me roughly where you are… a description would be preferable to GPS coordinates. My companion can connect a portal to your location."

The response comes in quite fast.

"Sure, sure, I was actually getting a little bored! I'm at the old railway yard!"

"Can you connect to this… old railway yard, Miss Shizuku?"

Shizuku blinks. "Ah… yes… actually, I've gotten quite a few requests to connect portals between there and various cities lately… Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Shanghai… to name just a few… so I know it quite well."

"Even so, Miss Itsumi's power will help, but it will not be enough to guarantee Miss Sakura survives," Oriko muses.

"Kyuubey!" Yuma says. "If only Kyuubey were here…"

"Oh, um… Kyuubey doesn't come… to Kamihama anymore," Shizuku says.

She focuses a little, forming a new portal right in front of her. This one is smaller than a labyrinth portal and lacks an emblem in the centre.

"W-what!? Th-then… h-how is Yuma supposed to save Kyouko!?" Yuma gasps.

"Yuma-chan… I really think that is not the best option," Oriko says. "Although, I have to admit, you would be strong enough as a magical girl to beat these witches with the help of Kirika, Miss Itsumi, Miss Sakura, and myself… but I cannot ask someone so young to enter this way of life."

"Yuma just wants to be useful to Kyouko!" Yuma protests. "Kyouko thinks Yuma is useless, so Yuma wants to prove her wrong! Yuma wants this, so why can't Yuma do what she wants?"

"I do not believe that Miss Sakura considers you useless," Oriko says. "I believe she is simply worried for your safety. If you were to become a magical girl, you would be putting your life on the line every day."

"B-but then, Yuma can be more useful to Kyouko!" Yuma says. "Yuma can get stronger and protect Kyouko!"

At that moment Inui appears through the portal, already transformed, and gasps at the sight of Yuma. Shizuku relaxes, allowing the portal to vanish.

"Ohh, hey, it's Yuma-chan! What're you doing in Kamihama?"

"Yuma came with Kyouko… but now Kyouko's in trouble!" Yuma says. "Please help me!"

Inui nods. "Sure, that's kinda ironic since she's so strong but… maybe I can even get her to owe me a favour."

"Um… just to get this straight, Yuma," Shizuku says. "Yuma-chan… are you… dead set on becoming a magical girl?"

"Y-yes!"

Inui blinks. "Ehhh? Are you serious? I really don't think you should though… there's more to it than you've been told…"

"Yuma doesn't care!" Yuma insists. "Yuma wants to protect Kyouko!"

"Well, if you're that adamant about it, I'm not gonna try to talk you out of it," Inui shrugs.

"Then… I can actually help you with that," Shizuku says. "Kyuubey won't come here, but… I can send you somewhere where you can call for him."

"Ohh! Please send Yuma there right away, Shizuku-nee!" Yuma says.

"I still don't think—" Oriko begins.

"Regardless of what you think, Miss… Oriko, was it? This is the decision that Yuma-chan has come to, isn't it?"

"As much as I disagree with the decision, I think miss purple hair has a point," Inui says. "It's her decision to make."

"Oh, I'm Hozumi Shizuku…"

"Itsumi Inui! Nice to meet you, Shizu-tan!"

Oriko sighs. "Well… I suppose you both have a point," she says. "Fine… if Yuma-chan is so adamant about it, I will cease my attempts to dissuade her."

Shizuku focuses a little, forming a new portal right in front of her.

"If you step through this portal," Shizuku says, "you'll be in one of my secret places. Kyuubey should appear if you call for him. Once you're finished, you can step back through from the other side."

"Alright!" Yuma says. "Yuma will be right back!"

She steps through and finds herself in a dark forest, with just a few rays of the sinking sun lighting up the small shrine before her. Huh? Wait a second… this shrine… isn't it the same one that rests atop the abandoned Mizuna Hotel? It has the Tokime emblem, as well as the fox statues… but no, the locale is different. It looks like a remote mountain shrine somewhere.

An actual fox suddenly appears out of the woods and trots over to Yuma, wagging its tail.

"Oh! Foxy foxy!" Yuma exclaims.

She kneels down to hug the fox and pat its head for a moment. Then she suddenly gasps and shoots to her feet.

"Ah! Yuma doesn't have time for this! Yuma needs to find Kyuubey!"

Apparently startled by her sudden movement, the fox bolts back into the depths of the forest.

"Kyuubey! Are you there!?"

The incubator trots out from the shadow of the shrine.

"I must say, it is quite a surprise to see you all the way out here, Yuma," Kyuubey says. "Ah… I see, you have borrowed the power of Hozumi Shizuku? Well, in any case… are you ready to make a wish?"

"Y-yes!" Yuma says. "B-before Kyouko dies… Yuma wants to put her back together!"

"Understood," Kyuubey says.

It reaches out its ear appendages to plunge them into Yuma's chest, drawing out her soul gem. To her credit, she barely lets out any sound at the pain.

"Your wish… has surpassed entropy," it says. "Your power… it is even greater than I anticipated…"

"Yay!" Yuma says, immediately transforming. "Now, Yuma can save Kyouko!"

She turns to plunge back through Shizuku's portal and finds Oriko gone and Shizuku on the phone. Inui is still there though, waiting.

"Ohhhh! Your magical girl suit is really cute, Yuma-chan! It's like a kitty costume!"

"Y-yes… it's a strong one," Shizuku says. "You're where? … Um… right, okay… just… give me a second…"

Shizuku hangs up and then grabs Yuma's hand before she can plunge into the labyrinth.

"Yuma-chan, wait a moment longer…"

She turns to the portal, and it vanishes. Then, with a moment of concentration, a new one forms. Almost immediately, someone else plunges through it, a girl dressed like a stage magician wielding a huge toy hammer.

"Where's the witch!?" she shouts. "Where… ah? Hey, hey, who're you? You're cute! Like a kitty!"

She pauses to pat Yuma on the head, giggling.

"Ayaka, right here," Shizuku says, indicating the portal. "Let's go."

"Oho!" Ayaka says. "What's this? Is it a mixture of two witches? Did those witches get together and make a baby!?"

She giggles.

"Where's Oriko?" Yuma asks.

"She went in already…" Shizuku says. "And no, Ayaka, there are actually two witches in there."

"So your friends are already inside?" Ayaka asks. "But man, this witch… is super-strong! Oh! You said there were two, my bad! But they both seem super-strong!"

"By the way, I'm Itsumi Inui, and this is Yuma-chan," Inui says. "Who're you?"

"Oh, Mariko Ayaka, that's me! Yup!"

The four of them enter the labyrinth and are almost immediately surrounded by familiars, both the shepherd familiars of the Sheep Witch and the green pointing hands of the Rooftop Witch. The labyrinth is also a fusion of the two, with a paved, fenced-off pathway leading through rolling hills, and zippers in the bright psychedelic sky of the Rooftop Witch with the eyes of the Sheep Witch labyrinth peering through. The familiars of the two witches are actually fighting amongst themselves, but they seem to temporarily set aside their differences once they have magical girls in front of them.

Yuma slams the ground with her hammer, momentarily stunning the familiars, and Ayaka smacks them one by one with her hammer, which compresses like an accordion whenever it strikes something, then springs back. Meanwhile Shizuku steps through a portal to come out behind them and slashes them with her circular blades, which are like wind and fire wheels – a circular blade similar to a thrown chakram but larger, with a grip on one side and protrusions on the other three sides. Inui summons her flame whip, and Yuma also leaps in to finish off a few with her hammer, and between the four of them they make short work of the familiars, although it's not without difficulty.

"You're right, Shizuku!" Ayaka shouts at the top of her voice. "Man, these things are strong! What a joke!"

They head deeper into the labyrinth at a run, dodging the familiars whenever possible. Sometimes the familiars even just let them go, too locked in combat with the enemy familiars to spare time for magical girls passing through. Other times they set aside their differences to face the quartet. After defeating three batches of familiars, they reach a place where a particularly large pitched battle is occurring, with waves of shepherd familiars streaming in from one direction and waves of pointing hands from another.

"Yuma-chan… let me tell you what Miss Oriko said," Shizuku says. "You should try to determine where those tall familiars are coming from and follow them to the source. It will take you to Kyouko. Ayaka and I… we will follow the pointing hand familiars, and meet up with Miss Oriko."

"And I'll come with you, Yuma-chan," Inui says.

"Okay!" Yuma says. "Yuma will save Kyouko for sure!"

So, after taking out a few familiars that broke free of the battle to face them, they split up and go separate ways. Yuma and Inui's path takes them off the paved section out into the rolling hills, and after defeating a few more familiars they reach the doorway leading to Rebecca's witch chamber. Yuma charges inside with a yell.

"Kyouko!? Are you okay!?"

Kyouko is clearly struggling, but not to the point that she seems to be in danger.

"Yuma!? What the hell're ya doing here!?"

"Yuma came to save you!"

"Well… I'm fine," Kyouko said. "It got a bit hairy for a sec earlier but I'm fine now!"

Yuma jumps into the air and swings her hammer down at the ground, just as Inui steps in and casts her charm magic.

"Lyyyynx Impact!"

"Look at me! I'm over here!"

"Huh!?" Kyouko gasps. "I… can move easier now!? I thought something was weird! You damn witch, how dare you slow me down! Kuuugatachi!"

She rides a gigantic spear straight into the centre of the spherical witch, and though it doesn't seem to be enough to kill her, the witch lets out a keening wail, suggesting it to be effective. Yuma leaps up and slams her hammer down on the witch, and Kyouko pulls a new spear and stabs Rebecca once in each of her four eyes. Finally, it seems like the accumulated damage has gotten to her, and she crumbles into dust. As Kyouko seizes the grief seed, the labyrinth changes, the rolling hills of the Sheep Witch being taken over by the urban setting of the Rooftop Witch.

Kyouko gasps. "Huh!? The labyrinth's… changing!?"

"There's another witch!" Yuma says. "Oriko is fighting it right now!"

"Oriko!?" Kyouko gasps. "She's here too!?"

"And Shizuku-nee as well!"

"Hmm… well… guess I can leave the second witch to them," Kyouko says. "Come on, Yuma… let's go."

"Not even a thank you for me?" Inui asks. "For guiding Yuma-chan or something?"

"No, I didn't need your help!" Kyouko retorts.

"Still, you really did look like you were struggling," Inui says.

"I was not! I had it under control!" Kyouko says.

Inui sighs. "Whatever you say…"

They start to look for a way out of the labyrinth. However, before they can escape, it collapses, depositing all seven magical girls back into the real world. Kyouko spins to face Oriko and the others.

"I didn't need your help!" she says. "I was doing just fine on my own!"

Ayaka giggles. "Ya sure were! Beat that witch almost all by yourself! Incredible!"

"My, my," Oriko says. "Who helped you, exactly? I was merely chasing a witch of my own who happened to fuse its labyrinth with yours. It is pure coincidence."

"Right!" Kyouko says. "It was just coincidence."

Then she rounds on Yuma.

"And Yuma! Why the hell'd you make a contract!? I told you not to become a magical girl!"

"B-b-but, Yuma wants to be useful to you!" Yuma protests.

"Dammit, that's not the point here!" Kyouko shouts. "I'm not the kinda tool who'd abandon you even if you're useless, you damned idiot! Geez… you're such freaking handful!" She sighs. "Well, whatever, what's done is done. I ain't gonna sweat the small stuff." She glances at Oriko as she powers down. "Seeya around, maybe."

With that, Kyouko stalks off, and Yuma quickly powers down to follow her. The two of them wander through the town for some time, fighting and defeating two more witches, but neither of them are quite as powerful as the first two. After snagging her fourth grief seed of the afternoon, Kyouko sighs. The sun is getting low in the sky by now, and the horizon is beginning to turn red.

"Damn… I'm already exhausted," she says. "I could use a drink right around now…"

"Kyouko, Kyouko, look!" Yuma says, pointing.

She points at a small roadside stall nearby, where a man is extolling his merchandise to another girl – Iroha. There is a very subtle wrongness to the stall and the man, like he's just sort of flattened, lacking in depth, but neither of them appear to notice it.

"…Wonder water!" he says. "Guaranteed to quench your thirst and rejuvenate your tired body! Would you like to try a cup?"

"Um, yes please!" Iroha says.

As he pours a cup of water for Iroha, someone else runs up, a blonde twintailed girl.

"Hey, old man, I want some too!" she shouts. "It's free, right!?"

"Yes, of course," he says. "One for you as well."

He pours another cup for the newcomer.

"Whoa, talk about good luck," Kyouko says.

She hurries forward to join them.

"Can I get a cup too?" she asks. "And one for the squirt. We're both pretty beat from walking around out here."

The man chuckles as he grabs two more cups.

"My, my, I've got a lot of cute customers all of a sudden! Just a moment, please."

He fills the two cups and passes one to Kyouko.

"Here you are, miss," he says. "And for the little one…"

He leans forward a little so that Yuma can reach the second cup, and everyone downs their cup at the same time. Kyouko gasps.

"This water is sooo good!" Iroha says.

"Yo, mister, is this really water!?" Kyouko asks. "It almost tastes like soda!"

"Old man!" the blonde girl says. "Gimme another cup! It goes down so easy! I want some more!"

"I'm delighted you liked it so much," the man says. "However, I'm afraid you may only have one cup per day. After all, there may be others waiting who would like to drink some."

"Huh!? What the— cheapskate!" the blonde whines.

"Oh, don't say that," the man says.

"Hey, you wanted more too, right?" the blonde asks, looking at Iroha.

"Huh?" Iroha says. "Me? U-um… yes I did."

"Yuma wants more too," Yuma says. "It's really tasty…"

"Well, if that's how things are, I guess we'll just have to let it go," Kyouko says.

"Yes, I agree," Iroha says. "We don't want to give the nice man trouble."

"Meh," the blonde girl mutters.

"Alright… Yuma, time to head home."

April twelfth. Although it's still fairly early in the morning, Iroha is running through the street, looking rather anxious. She arrives at the Crescent Moon Villa and bursts in without knocking, startling Yachiyo in the middle of her breakfast.

"Miss Yachiyo! Miss Yachiyo!"

"Hm?" Yachiyo says. "What's got you so riled up that you come running all the way here so early in the morning? Shouldn't you be on your way to school?"

"Th-this is more important than school!" Iroha says. "Here, look!"

She presents a pile of papers, each roughly the size of her hand and bearing a single number. The lowest number appears to be 11. Yachiyo blinks at them.

"Are these the same things from yesterday?" she asks.

"Yes, I got up, and there they were," Iroha says. "They were all on my pillow… and I got the last one on the way here… what the heck is going on!?"

"How should I know?" Yachiyo retorts. "It's just… like I said yesterday, I think you must've gotten yourself mixed up in something."

"Something… like what?"

"Oh, don't make such a sad face," Yachiyo says. "I'll help you look into it… I only have an afternoon class today, so if you want we could start right away. Though I don't really think it's a good idea to skip school…"

"I'm transferring at the end of the week anyway," Iroha says. "This is more important."

"Alright," Yachiyo says. "The Kamihama Rumour Files exist for these kinds of situations, you know."

"Oh, Miss Yachiyo… thanks so much!"

Yachiyo pulls out the Rumour Files, which on closer inspection appear to be a ring binder, and flips to the back, scanning the index. She then flips through a little, checking a few other pages while still referencing the index. The pages are all printed, not handwritten, so she must've put quite a lot of work into it.

"Hmm… I don't see anything about pieces of paper falling on you," she says.

"Oh no…"

"Don't make that face at me," Yachiyo says. "It could just be that it's a new rumour that's only popped up recently. Does anything stand out to you, Miss Tamaki? Other than those pieces of paper, have you seen anything else unusual? Anything at all."

"Anything… at all… the water station with the owl sign…?"

"Water station?"

"It showed up in front of me yesterday, right when I was really thirsty," Iroha explains. "They were giving out free water, so I took a cup. These pieces of paper only started appearing after that."

"Huh… I haven't heard about anything like that going on in Sankyo Ward," Yachiyo says. "Though, it would make sense if it's a new rumour we haven't heard of yet."

"I'll try going there again," Iroha says. "To that water station."

"I'll check around too, and see what new rumours are spreading," Yachiyo says.

"Okay! Thank you so much!"

"No need for that," Yachiyo says. "Investigating rumours is what I do. Anyway, contact me if you find anything useful. I'll do the same."

"Right! Got it!"

And just then, a piece of paper appears bearing the number 10.

At that point I turn off the vision so I can get to school. On the way there, I debate whether I should follow Iroha or Yachiyo during first and second period, or even neither of them. Yachiyo should run into Kyouko, while Iroha should run into Felicia, the blonde girl, and from what I remember, they should connect back up around lunchtime.

By the time I reach school and settle down for the bell to go, I've come to a decision. The potential presence of Yuma makes Yachiyo's side of things more interesting.

Morning. Yachiyo heads through the streets from the train station, making her way to a nearby school. It appears to be Sankyoin Academy, with a traditional Japanese-style two-storey building, and students are streaming in for the start of school. She just stands around and watches for a minute or two. Then she spots a rumour spreader mingling with the students. It's a strange creature, vaguely resembling a human in shape, though one with green skin and no arms. It wears baggy, khaki pants that end just below the knee in an elastic hem, and a black hooded shawl with strange, eldritch writing on the white part in the front. It's not witch runes; many of the glyphs resemble symbols that appear on the numeric keys of a computer keyboard, but with enough differences to make it unclear whether it's a stylistic choice or just a coincidental resemblance. There's also a round yellow gemstone on what passes for the creature's chest, and six gemstones that look like diamonds arrayed like buttons on the pants.

The rumour spreader is speaking in an artificial-sounding voice, like a bad voice synthesis program from, say fifty years ago. No… maybe more like sixty or seventy years? They were already pretty decent by the turn of the millennium, after all… when did they start to become a thing, anyway? I don't actually know… in any case, Yachiyo is too far away to make out its words. The other students don't even seem to realize that it's not human, chatting with it like an old friend.

As Yachiyo is staring at the rumour spreader, perhaps debating how to get closer so she can hear, she notices one girl who doesn't seem to be buying into it quite as much. At the same time, Kyouko steps forward from where she's been watching near the school gate. Yuma doesn't appear to be with her.

"Like I'd ever believe something like that," the girl retorts.

Kyouko walks right up to the creature as it starts to repeat its rumour from the beginning.

"Geez, talk about a broken record," she says. "What the hell are ya, anyway?"

"Sorry, is something wrong?" the girl asks. "Do you need to ask my friend something?"

"Friend!?" Kyouko retorts. "That thing ain't anyone's friend. Can't ya see that?"

Suddenly the rumour spreader simply vanishes, and Kyouko gasps. The other girl blinks in confusion.

"It vanished!" Kyouko exclaims.

"Huh? Who was I just talking to?" the girl wonders.

"Are you f'real!?" Kyouko asks.

"Uhh, did you need something?" the girl asks.

Kyouko sighs. "Nah, don't worry about it. Sorry for bothering ya."

As the girl heads on into the school, Kyouko mutters to herself.

"If that ain't a familiar, then… what the hell is it?"

At that moment, Yuma rounds the corner, holding two sodas and beaming.

"Kyouko, Kyouko! I got one!"

Kyouko turns to face her. "Oh, score!" she says. "Nice job, Yuma!"

As she accepts her soda from Yuma, Yachiyo steps forward to approach the two of them.

"Excuse me," Yachiyo says. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Huh? Who're you?" Kyouko asks.

"I'm Nanami Yachiyo, a magical girl."

"Wow, so you just come out and say it?"

"You are too, aren't you?"

"Yup. I'm Sakura Kyouko, and yeah, I'm a magical girl. And the squirt here is Yuma. Well, now that that's all out there, whaddaya want, anyway? This isn't the kind of city where ya hack each other up to steal territory, right?"

"That's correct," Yachiyo says. "I don't intend to do anything so pointless. I'm only interested in the creature that just vanished."

"Oh, that thing?" Kyouko says. "What was that, anyway? It sure wasn't a familiar… other than that, I've no clue."

"I see, so you don't know anything about it," Yachiyo says.

"That was my first time seeing one."

Suddenly, two sheets of paper fall from the sky and land on Kyouko and Yuma. Yachiyo gasps.

"Ah! Dammit, not again!" Kyouko groans.

Yuma looks at her paper and reads out the number on it. "Nine! Or… is it six? No… the last one was ten, so it's nine!"

"Those papers," Yachiyo says. "Have you… the two of you…?"

"Oh yeah, they've been dropping out of thin air since yesterday," Kyouko says. "Regular as clockwork."

"Did you both happen to drink some water…?" Yachiyo asks. "From somewhere with an owl sign on it?"

"Oh yeah, I drank some!" Kyouko says. "It was amazing!"

"Yuma had some too! It was delicious!"

"But how'd ya know that?" Kyouko asks.

"The water could be the reason those pieces of paper are appearing," Yachiyo says.

"Huhhh!? So if ya drink some water, a bunch of paper falls on ya? Yeah, sure. Stop blabbing about random stuff that makes no sense, like that weird creature, and these pieces of paper."

"Alright," Yachiyo says. "Listen carefully and I'll explain. That creature… this is only the second time I've seen one, but it's something I call a rumour spreader. It simply spreads a rumour around town, but there's another monster that enforces the rumour. If you do something to contradict what the rumour says, that monster will attack you or take you away. These monsters are completely different from witches or familiars, and don't drop a grief seed when defeated. I've simply been calling them rumours, because they exist solely to enforce their rumour. So… the reason I knew you drank that water is because I know someone else who drank the same water and is also experiencing those papers falling on her. I believe the water station with the owl sign must be part of some rumour… but it's not one I'm familiar with, so I've been trying to figure out the details."

"Okay, I get it for the most part," Kyouko says. "So you're saying, right now I'm tangled up in this rumour crap, and once the numbers on those papers reach zero, something bad'll prolly happen. But we don't know what that'll be… or if it even is bad."

"Good to see you catch on fast," Yachiyo says. "I have a proposal for you. How about investigating the rumour with me?"

Kyouko blinks at her. "Nah, I'm good," she says.

"Why not!?" Yachiyo gasps.

"It's simple," Kyouko says. "These rumours you're talking about ain't witches. If they were, well, we could do business, no prob. When ya beat a witch, the people they were controlling return to normal. But rumours are nothing like witches, right? So, no guarantee ya can save everyone like ya can with a witch. Ya see, that doesn't put me in the mood to play besties with ya. Wish I could repay ya for the info, but not so much I wanna put my life on the line. Sorry… I'll be going now."

Kyouko grabs Yuma's hand and turns to leave.

"Just a moment, Miss Sakura!" Yachiyo says. "Before you go… could you tell me if you heard what that creature was saying?"

Kyouko pauses to glance back.

"It wasn't anything interesting," she says. "All I heard clearly was something like, 'Have ya heard? Has anyone toldja?'."

Without waiting for any further response, she walks off with Yuma, and Yachiyo sighs.

"Hmm… what should I do…? I still don't know how the rumour goes… and I certainly don't know how to take care of it… so I'll just have to keep searching."

Around lunchtime. Tsuruno bursts into Banbanzai to find Yachiyo already there, waiting. The only other person there is her father, cooking.

"Whoooa! Yachiyo-shishou! You've come to eat lunch with me today! I'm so happy!"

"Hey, Tsuruno!" her father says. "It's just about ready, so just sit down and wait a bit! By the way, are you expecting anyone else? I made extra since Yachiyo was here, but… she said she's not that hungry…"

"Hmm… no, I don't think I'm expecting anyone!" Tsuruno says.

"Actually, I'm expecting Miss Tamaki," Yachiyo says.

"Huh!? What's Iroha-chan doing in Kamihama at this time of day on a school day!?" Tsuruno gasps. "Incredible! I never thought she had it in her to skip school!"

"Says the person with perfect attendance," Yachiyo retorts. "You wouldn't know what it's like to skip school."

Tsuruno giggles. "You got me there, Yachiyo!"

At that moment, Iroha enters the restaurant with Mokyu on her shoulder, accompanied by the blonde girl who had been at the water station the day before. Yachiyo blinks, staring at the girl in question, who just smiles back at her like there's nothing wrong.

"Hey!" the girl says. "You're Yachiyo! You're super-famous!"

"Miss Tamaki," Yachiyo says sternly.

"Y-yes?"

"Cut your ties with this girl, at once!"

"Isn't that a bit drastic!?" Iroha gasps.

"You're quite famous in your own right, Mitsuki Felicia," Yachiyo says.

"I know, right?" Felicia says. "As a super-tough mercenary!"

"No, as a bad one," Yachiyo says. "So horrible there's no point in quantifying it."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Felicia gasps. "D-don't tell me… you've been talking to that mean girl, Miss Tokiwa!?"

"Um… is that true, Miss Yachiyo?" Iroha asks.

"No, it's been awhile since I last spoke with Miss Tokiwa, but I've heard the rumours from several other magical girls in the area," Yachiyo says. "They say your eyes turn red when you see a witch, and you go completely berserk. There's no denying your strength… but that frenzy puts your allies at risk. You're volatile, and should be avoided."

"What the heck!" Felicia exclaims. "So maybe I caused a little bit of a fuss here and there!"

"Also, it's apparently common for her to switch sides if the enemy offers her a better deal," Yacihiyo says. "So she's no good in conflicts amongst magical girls, either. Magical girls have too many enemies as it is to be worth getting involved with her."

Felicia seems to be out of comebacks, and also looks like she's on the verge of tears.

"A frenzy," Iroha says. "Yeah, that part might be true…"

At that moment, Tsuruno's father serves out three plates of fried rice – one for Tsuruno, one for Iroha, and one for Felicia. Felicia gasps and immediately starts eating, no questions asked. Tsuruno also starts to dig in.

"I'll let you girls have some space to chat," he says. "If you need me, I'll be in the back room."

"O-oh! Thank you very much, Mr Yui?" Iroha says. "Uhh… how much?"

"This is on the house!" he says. "Because you're a friend of Tsuruno!"

"T-thanks! I really appreciate it!" Iroha says.

He heads into the back, and Yachiyo picks up the conversation once more.

"It sounds like you witnessed a berserk incident already, Miss Tamaki," she says. "Now, please send her on her way."

"I can't just… what should I do…?" Iroha laments.

Mokyu pipes up with one of its cute noises.

"You're right," Iroha says. "I'd be worried about her. Felicia-chan doesn't know anything about rumours…"

Felicia pauses in devouring the fried rice to pipe up.

"I'm not going anywhere!" she proclaims. "That dinner's got my name on it! This fried rice was from someone else so it doesn't count!"

"Dinner?" Yachiyo asks.

"Yeah, I told her I'd make her something to eat," Iroha says.

"That's quite a low asking price," Yachiyo says.

"Anyway, I'm going to stick with Felicia-chan," Iroha says.

"That's my Iroha!" Felicia exclaims. "Nothing like this close-minded old hag!"

"Oy!" Yachiyo exclaims.

"Hey now, Felicia-chan!" Iroha exclaims. "That's going too far!"

"You can't call Yachiyo an old hag!" Tsuruno pipes up at the top of her voice. "She's not even that old! Just last year she was still in high school, you know!"

Felicia turns to her like she'd just noticed she was there.

"Whaaat? Who the heck're you…?"

"I'm the mightiest magical girl, Yui Tsuruno, in the flesh!"

Felicia snorts. "Never heard of ya! You probably just call yourself that."

"What the!?" Tsuruno gasps, leaping to her feet.

"Huh?" Felicia exclaims, also jumping up. "You wanna go? I'll take ya out like, wham! Bam! Boom!"

"Alright!" Tsuruno says, making a fist. "That's it! I'll smash you good, too!"

"Ugh, this is turning into a headache," Yachiyo mutters. "Alright, alright, alright, you two. That's quite enough. We'll be working in pairs, then. Miss Tamaki, you're the one who found her, so you're responsible for her."

"Don't treat me like a pet, ya jerk!" Felicia exclaims.

"Ah, okay!" Iroha says. "I'll take care of her!"

"Oh, and… I saw something that looked like a familiar spreading some kind of rumour earlier."

"Something 'like' a familiar?" Iroha asks, doing air-quotes.

"Yes, but it's different from normal familiars," Yachiyo says. "I'm pretty sure it wasn't just an ordinary rumour it was spreading. It was most likely a rumour that's being made real. So if you see anything like that… could you tell me right away?"

"Okay, I will," Iroha says.

At that moment, another pair of papers falls on Iroha and Felicia. This one bears the number seven.

"It's still counting down," Iroha says.

"Alright… Tsuruno and I have to head to classes," Yachiyo says. "So we'll meet back up once we're out, okay?"

Iroha nods. "Okay… maybe by then I'll have it figured out!"

"Maybe," Yachiyo says. "Good luck, Miss Tamaki."

Once school gets out, I hurry to a place where I won't be disturbed. This time, I decide to splurge a little and watch both Iroha and Kyouko. I have a grief seed, and my soul gem isn't very muddy right now, so I'm pretty sure I should be fine with two visions for quite some time.

Afternoon. Iroha and Felicia are together, and it seems they've just noticed a rumour spreader nearby.

"Is that what Miss Yachiyo was talking about!?" Iroha gasps. "I have to let her know one's here!"

She whips out her phone and sends Yachiyo a quick email, including a note on where she is. Not being tech-savvy though, she doesn't actually send her location directly.

"Huh, is that a familiar?" Felicia asks.

"It doesn't really feel like one exactly, just like Miss Yachiyo said," Iroha says. "And it doesn't have a labyrinth, either…"

"Then what the heck is it?" Felicia asks.

"Um, I… I don't know!" Iroha says. "Oh, but…?"

The rumour spreader has started speaking, spouting its catchphrase.

"Have you heard? Has anyone told you?"

"Huh? What's up now?" Felicia asks.

"Shhhh!" Iroha hisses. "It's saying something…!"

The rumour spreader continues speaking, spouting the entire text of the Rumour of the Misery Water.

"Hey, is that…?" Felicia says.

"Yeah… it's about that water we drank," Iroha says.

"So that old geezer was a bad guy…!?" Felicia gasps.

"No," Iroha says. "He was just part of the rumour… it's more like he was an illusion…"

"I don't get it," Felicia says.

"Hmm… if the numbers on the pieces of paper indicate hours, then we have less than five hours left," Iroha says.

"Well, I've already had a bunch of bad stuff happen to me," Felicia says. "What do I care at this point?"

While Iroha seems to be lost in thought, the rumour spreader starts to move away,

"Hey!" Felicia says. "It's on the move!"

"We have to chase it!" Iroha gasps.

"What? We do?" Felicia complains.

"We might be able to learn more about the rumour," Iroha says.

But then a pair of black feathers sneak up behind the two of them. It's a little hard to tell, but from the brown and green hair peaking out of their hoods, they could possibly be Hagumu and Shigure respectively… although they might also be someone else.

"I can't let you do that," the green-haired one says.

"W-who's there!?" Iroha gasps.

"Come!" the brown-haired one says.

She grabs Iroha, eliciting a squeal, while her companion grabs Felicia. Before either of them have a chance to resist, they find themselves dragged into a nearby alleyway.

"Hey!" Felicia protests. "Let go of me!"

Recovering from her initial surprise, Iroha transforms and attempts to break free. Felicia similarly transforms and tries to worm her way out of the other girl's grasp. However, both girls manage to hold on.

"Dragging us all the way out here… what do you want with us, anyway!?" Iroha asks. "Let us go!"

"We have no intention of fighting you," the brown-haired girl says.

"Then get outta our way, you creeps!" Felicia shouts.

She summons her hammer and tries to swing it backwards to hit the girl behind her.

"Wait, stop!" the girl protests.

But Felicia doesn't listen, so the green-haired feather is forced to release her to avoid a blow from her hammer. Felicia turns to face her, brandishing her hammer.

"Yo, Iroha!" Felica says. "These guys look like total pushovers! Let's just smash them and move on!"

At that moment, Yachiyo steps into the alleyway, followed by Tsuruno, both of them already powered up.

"That won't be necessary," she says. "You won't be able to catch what you were chasing even if you went after it."

"Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha says.

"We get word from you, only to find you captured by these strange people," Yachiyo says.

"That's right!" Tsuruno says. "What are you guys doing to Iroha-chan!?"

The brown-haired girl nods. "Nanami Yachiyo and Yui Tsuruno… as well as Tamaki Iroha, right? Perfect."

"What's perfect about that?" Tsuruno retorts. "Huh? Wait, do you want to talk to us about something?"

"Yes, that's correct," the brown-haired girl says.

"Wait, wait, I know!" Tsuruno exclaims. "Is it that you want us to leave those weird things alone!?"

"Yes," the brown-haired girl says.

"And you want to discuss this with us to avoid any conflict!?" Tsuruno continues.

The brown-haired girl sighs. "That's exactly what I was going to say…"

"Wow, Tsuruno-chan, you're incredible!" Iroha says.

"Obviously!" Tsuruno says.

"So, what do you want to discuss?" Yachiyo asks.

"We would greatly appreciate it if you refrain from involving yourself in these rumours," the brown-haired girl says.

"That's quite a request," Yachiyo says. "Why should we agree? Also, this isn't really a discussion, is it? You're just telling us your conditions and expecting us to agree."

"Yes… that is true," the brown-haired girl admits. "But nothing good will come from you wiping out these rumours. You must stop…"

"You're wasting our time," Yachiyo retorts. "I'm not about to just sit around and take orders from people who hide behind masks."

"Does your request include the Rumour of the Misery Water?" Iroha asks.

"Yes," the brown-haired girl says.

"But we're already caught up in it," Iroha says. "Telling us that we can't stop something bad happening to us is… cruel…"

"I bet if we keep heading this way, we're gonna run into the rumour," Tsuruno says. "Likely the exact one you're protecting. Am I right? That's why you popped out to stop us!"

This time neither of the feathers have a response. They both simply clam up, and after a moment, Tsuruno giggles. Finally, the brown-haired one speaks up once more.

"So you don't intend to withdraw…"

"Felicia, can you come over here for a moment?" Yachiyo asks.

"Huh? What?" Felicia asks.

Felicia steps over to her, and Yachiyo leans down to whisper in her ear. The brown-haired feather protests.

"You! What are you talking about…?"

"Just discussing how to crush you," Yachiyo says.

The brown-haired girl sighs. "So… we must fight after all…"

"I can't say I understand your motivations," Yachiyo says. "But we can't just let you keep doing this. Protecting rumours, which are an obvious danger to people… there's no justifying such behaviour."

"Yeah! She's right!" Tsuruno says. "I can't just stand by and watch while people are suffering! I just can't!"

"Let's smash them like babam!" Felicia says.

They are no match for the combined might of Yachiyo, Tsuruno, and Felicia, not to mention Iroha. Before long, the two black feathers are on the ground, rubbing at their wounds and groaning, though somehow their hoods are still concealing their faces despite the fight they'd just gotten through. Felicia stands over them, spinning her hammer and giggling.

"Did ya really think you guys could when against me!?" she asks.

"Ugh… no, we didn't," the brown-haired girl says. "That's why we tried to negotiate and avoid fighting…"

"You aren't very skilled negotiators," Yachiyo says.

"Y'know, I just had a thought," Felicia says.

"What were you thinking?" the brown-haired girl asks.

"If I teamed up with you guys, wouldn't that shift the advantage in battle?"

Iroha gasps. "No, Felicia-chan!?"

"What are you getting at…?" the brown-haired girl asks.

"Name me a good price and I might switch over to your side!" Felicia says.

"What are you saying!?" Iroha protests. "We were looking into all of this together!"

"What!?" Felicia says. "I told you, I'm a mercenary."

"I know things are really hard for you," Iroha says. "But that's no reason to do this!"

"Alright," the brown-haired girl says. "We will prepare a reward that meets your demands."

"Yay!" Felicia says. "Oh, yeah, so that means from now on I'm with those guys. Sorry, Iroha!"

Iroha blinks. "Are you serious?"

"Let's retreat," Yachiyo says.

"But Miss Yachiyo…!"

"Fighting here is just a waste of our magic," Yachiyo says. "Our target is the rumour, after all. It isn't forcing these girls out of our way."

"Alright," Iroha says.

"Seeya!" Felicia says. "Have a good one!"

Iroha, Yachiyo, and Tsuruno draw out of the alleyway and power down. After Yachiyo briefly whispers in her ear, Tsuruno takes off on her own.

"Felicia-chan… I can't believe she really went with them," Iroha says.

"Some people know to follow through," Yachiyo says. "Once they take on a job, they see it to the end. They take pride in their work. She just… isn't like that at all."

"But I just can't believe it," Iroha says. "Or maybe I just don't want to believe it…"

"Because you always see the best in people, Miss Tamaki," Yachiyo says.

There's a brief period of awkward silence before Yachiyo speaks up again.

"Well, time to bring down the curtain," she says.

"Huh?" Iroha blinks.

"All of that before was an act," Yachiyo says.

"W-what?"

"I got her to take on a job for me by promising an additional reward," Yachiyo says. "She should be investigating their base as we speak."

"M-miss Yachiyo, y-you… you're so mean!"

"There was no time to tell everyone else," Yachiyo says.

"Yes, but you should've told us right after!" Iroha says.

"I'm sorry," Yachiyo says. "I may have been enjoying myself just a bit."

"No kidding…" Iroha says. "Ah…"

At that moment, another piece of paper falls on her, bearing the number 4.

Felicia and Yuma must have been wandering around town for awhile now, because Yuma is now resting on her shoulders, leaning forward with hands wrapped around her forehead. It also seems like they may have wandered quite some distance, for she happens across Rena and Kaede arguing.

"What the crap!?" Rena shouts. "This is ridiculous! When were we supposed to meet again!? If we'd been on time… we'd be enjoying desserts like fine ladies by now!"

"Yes, but you were the one who was late, Rena-chan," Kaede says.

"Excuuuuuse me for not finding the weird, random meeting place you picked!" Rena exclaims. "That was your bad!"

"B-but! It's on the main road…"

"What did you just say!?"

"Um… ahhh… nothing important," Kaede mutters. "I just said I'm starving too."

"Urgh, whatever!" Rena shouts. "I can't even be bothered right now!"

That's when Kyouko walks up to them and addresses them.

"Hey."

"Huh?" Kaede says.

"Can I ask ya something?" Kyouko asks. "I'm looking for some people."

"Huh!?" Rena gasps. "Where'd you come from!?"

"Hey, Rena-chan, relax!" Kaede says.

"Geez!" Kyouko says. "Whoa there, what's your problem! Getting so angry just from someone asking ya something!"

"She's right," Kaede says nervously.

"Argh! How dare you!" Rena exclaims.

"What's got you so riled up anyway?" Kyouko asks.

"Huh? I'm hungry, duh!"

Yuma chooses this moment to pipe up.

"Yuma is hungry too!"

"Isn't it normal to get annoyed when your stomach starts growling?" Rena continues.

"Yes! It's normal!" Yuma exclaims.

Kyouko blinks. "F'real? Your stomach…?"

"A-ny-way! The important thing here is food!" Rena says. "I don't care about anything else until my belly's full, got it?"

Kyouko sighs.

"So, lemme get this straight," she says. "I'm not gonna get squat out of you unless I do what you say, is that it?"

"Yeah… pretty much," Kaede says.

"Gotcha," Kyouko says. "Food comes first. So would you mind telling me what I need to know while you eat?"

"Ugh… I guess," Rena mutters.

"Know a good place?" Kyouko asks.

Without a word, Rena turns and stalks off, leading the way to Banbanzai, which turns out to be not that far away. Yuma hums along the way, repeating the word "food" over and over.

"Here we are," Kaede says. "But why here?"

"It's the closest place," Rena says. "And also the cheapest."

"Ehhh… I don't really like the food here," Kaede says.

"What? Really?" Rena says. "But… it may not taste great, but it certainly doesn't taste terrible…"

"It's so oily," Kaede says. "It's always got such a heavy flavour. It never sits well in my stomach…"

"I think that's because a certain someone is always eating bland mush," Rena retorts. "You love all that flavourless junk old people eat, don't you?"

"D-don't be mean!" Kaede protests. "That stuff is organic, okay!"

"What's organic?" Yuma asks. "Is it some kind of fruit or vegetable?"

"It's not!" Kaede says. "It means, um—"

"Anyway, food here comes out fast, and that's all I care about right now," Rena interrupts. "Quit whining…"

"Oh, by the way," Kyouko says.

"Yeah?" Rena says.

"Just so ya know, I haven't got a single yen on me."

"What!?" Rena gasps. "You came all this way with us, and you're just saying this now!?"

"I never said I wanted to eat food, did I?" Kyouko retorts.

"But Yuma is hungry!" Yuma repeats. "Yuma is really hungry, Kyouko!"

"No… you didn't," Kaede says. "Though your little sister did…"

Kyouko blinks at her assumption that Yuma is her sister, but apparently decides not to correct the misunderstanding. Likely she really is seeing Yuma like a surrogate sister.

"Yuma, pipe down!" she says. Turning to the pair, she continues, "I'm just here to get information. So I don't need you guys to pay for me or anything. I just wanna get some leads on the people I'm looking for…"

"Argh! Okay, fine!" Rena shouts. "Whatever! Let's just go in! You did put up with me… lemme make it up to you! It's my treat!"

"What!?" Kaede gasps.

Kyouko stares at her for a few seconds, then shrugs.

"Well, if you insist, it's not like I'm gonna turn ya down," she says.

"Rena-chan!" Kaede says. "Is it really okay… for you to treat us!?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rena says. "I'll use the friendship discount anyway. More importantly… standing out here talking is more risky than just paying for you."

"You don't ever hold back, do you…" Kaede mutters.

The three of them step inside, and Kyouko lets Yuma down from her shoulders. Tsuruno is of course out at the moment, but her father is there to greet them.

"Oh! Rena, welcome!" he says.

"Nice to see you again, Mr Yui," Rena says.

"What's this? You brought friends today! That's unusual!"

"Oy, I don't like your insinuation that I have no friends!" Rena protests.

"I didn't mean it that way," he says. "You just normally stop by alone, is all."

"Hey there," Kyouko says.

"Ah! Hello!" Kaede says.

"Hello, mister!" Yuma pipes up.

"Sadly, Tsuruno isn't around today," he says. "She said she was going out with Yachiyo after school."

Kyouko blinks, presumably recognizing Yachiyo's name, but doesn't say anything.

"Eh, no worries," Rena says. "I'll take the vegetable fried rice and gyoza meal."

"You got it!" Mr Yui says.

"You already knew what you wanted!" Kaede gasps.

"Can I get anything for you girls?" Mr Yui asks.

"I'll just take the same as her," Kyouko says. "Yuma can share it with me."

"U-um… I guess I'll have… the mapo tofu?" Kaede says. "W-with plenty of rice… and only mildly spicy if possible… um… and I really, really mean mild, not um… not Tsuruno-chan's mild…"

"Alright!" Mr Yui says. "Coming right up! Does one-quarter spicy sound okay?"

"Uhh… s-sure," Kaede says.

Rena and Kaede take a seat at one of the tables, and Rena starts munching on a dish of free pickles set out on the table. There's a variety of vegetables, not just cucumbers.

"Rena!" Kaede protests. "You shouldn't eat so many of the pickled vegetables!"

"It's fine!" Rena says with her mouth full. "That's why they put them on the table…"

Kyouko and Yuma take a seat too, with Yuma actually climbing into her lap, and they too snag a few pickles as they wait in silence for the food to arrive. Once it comes, everyone starts eating. Mr Yui has helpfully split the second serving of fried rice onto two plates, so that Yuma and Kyouko actually get their own plate of rice. Because of this, Yuma climbs into a separate chair to eat. While Kyouko, Yuma, and Rena ferociously devour their food, Kaede picks at hers. By the time Kyouko's finished her serving of rice and gyoza, Kaede pushes her plate away, having only eaten about half of it. Rena still has about a third of her rice and a couple gyoza left.

"Ya done with that?" Kyouko asks.

"Y-yeah… I've had enough," Kaede says.

"Mind if I finish it off for ya?"

"Ah! Um… s-sure, if you want…"

"Yuma wants to try it too!" Yuma announces.

"Sure, sure," Kyouko says.

She drags Kaede's plate over and pushes about two-fifths of the contents onto Yuma's plate, then devours the rest.

"Huh… it really is mild," Kyouko says.

"Eh? You consider that mild!?" Kaede gasps.

"Never had such a mild mapo tofu in my life," Kyouko says.

"It's really good though!" Yuma says. "Yuma likes the mappy toffee!"

"That's mapo tofu," Kyouko corrects her.

Finally, Rena chomps down on her final gyoza and wolfs down the last of her rice, letting out a satisfied sigh. Then she gulps down the previously-untouched glass of water that Mr Yui had left her before looking at Kyouko.

"Well?" she says. "Who was it you were looking for?"

"Oh yeah," Kyouko says.

"You actually remembered…" Kaede says, startled.

"I'm looking for a coupla girls, one about y'all's age," Kyouko says.

"Our age? Huh…" Rena says. "It's not like we even know everyone in our own school though…"

"The other girl I'm looking for is a bit younger, I think," Kyouko says. "She has blonde pigtails, kinda like this…"

Kyouko gathers her hair into twintails with her hands, mimicking Felicia's hairstyle.

"Height-wise… I think she's about your height," Kyouko says. "And as for what she was wearing… a blue sailor-style thing? I think it was some kinda school uniform?"

Rena hems and haws as Kyouko lists off the traits.

"Do you know which school has something like that?"

"Sailor-style," Rena says. "And you said it was blue? Is there a school near here with that uniform?"

"Umm… let me think," Kaede says. "Ah! Maybe from Chuo?"

"Yeah, you're right," Rena nods. "I think Chuo Academy is the closest place with a uniform like that…"

"Chuo Academy… where is it?" Kyouko asks.

"Oh, Chuo is the next ward over," Rena says. "Hop on the train and you'll be there in no time."

"Hmm… so you don't know her?" Kyouko asks. "She was a pretty noisy, obnoxious kid…"

"Blonde pigtails… a Chuo Academy student?" Rena muses.

"Uh-huh," Kyouko says. "If you need more details, well… she talks, uh… kinda like a punk…"

"Whaaat… she sounds like a real weirdo," Rena says. "Hmm… well, I can definitely say… I don't know anyone like that."

"Okay," Kyouko says. "Then how about the other one?"

"The other one? What's she like?" Rena asks.

"She had on a grey sweater vest… and a black skirt," Kyouko says. "Do you know what school has that uniform?"

"Grey sweater vest?" Rena says. "I can't think of a school around here that has a uniform like that."

"I think she was a little taller than the two of you," Kyouko says. "She wore her hair down, and it was really long… it was pink too… she had pink hair."

"Pink, huh," Rena says. "Hmm… anything else? What kind of vibe did you get from her?"

"Vibe? Uh… hmmm… well, she was smiling, but she seemed kinda worried about something…"

"Smiling, but worried?" Rena says.

"Do you maybe mean… Iroha-chan?" Kaede suggests.

Rena blinks. "Iroha?"

Kyouko repeats the name questioningly.

"We know someone like that," Rena says. "She smiles while looking kind of upset. You said she wore her hair down? But she didn't just wear it down, right? Was it tied together in the back like this?"

Rena gathers together the longer, loose locks of hair that frame her face and gathers them at the back of her head in demonstration.

"Oh, yeah," Kyouko says. "Now that you mention it… well then, that's gotta be her!"

"Well, there's a ton of students around here, so… can't be one hundred percent certain, y'know," Rena says. "But it's pretty likely, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I think so," Kyouko says.

"The thing is, we do know about her," Rena says. "But we don't know how to contact her… we do have a friend that we could ask, though."

"Uh… don't worry about it," Kyouko says. "I'm not even sure we're talking about the same person anyway."

"You sure?" Rena asks.

"If I wanted to go talk to her myself, where should I look?" Kyouko asks.

"Oh… about that," Rena says. "She doesn't go to school in Kamihama… I don't actually know what school she does go to… she seems to be coming here a lot lately, though. You should probably just wait for her to show up around here."

"Yeah…? Thanks for the info. And the food, too. Seriously, thanks."

"You're welcome," Rena says.

Mr Yui brings over the bill, and Rena forks over some cash. Then everyone heads outside, Yuma gripping Kyouko's hand. Suddenly, all four of them blink and turn to look in the same direction.

"Ah, guess I'll be going now," Kyouko says.

When the other two don't respond, Kyouko glances at them.

"Uh? What's up?"

"Huh!?" Kaede blinks.

"Oh… a-ahh… um…" Rena seems to be lost for words for a moment. "R-right! We've got… somewhere to be too…"

"Y-yes!" Kaede says. "We should go…"

They all head in the same direction. At first, Kaede and Rena don't complain, probably figuring it's just a coincidence, but when they continue to move the same way past intersection after intersection, Rena begins to protest.

"Hey, hey! That's not the way to the station!"

"Huh? So what?" Kyouko says.

"B-but, didn't you just say you were looking for Iroha?" Rena asks. "You should look outside of Kamihama…"

"That wasn't what you told me before! Didn't you say I should wait around here for her? That was what ya said, right? I'm just on a walk, working off what I ate, and taking a break from my detective work."

"O-oh! A w-walk!" Kaede says. "In that case… there's a really nice place to go for a walk over there…"

"Y-yeah!" Rena says. "There is! Over there! In the opposite direction!"

"Um!" Yuma pipes up. "If you keep arguing… the witch is going to get away!"

The three of them blink at her in surprise, then look at each other. Kyouko is the first to realize what Yuma must have already noticed. By this time they've almost reached the river.

"Ohh, I get it," she says. "Seriously? So that's what this was about?"

"Huh?" Kaede says.

"Don't worry," Kyouko says. "It's not like I'm gonna put up a barricade. I don't plan on taking it all for myself."

"W-what are you talking about?" Rena asks.

"Let's decide who gets the lion's share with a test of strength!" Kyouko says.

Kaede gasps as first Kyouko and then Yuma transform.

"Let me jump in the mix too," Kyouko says.

"Huh?" Rena says. "You're magical girls!?"

"Yuma could tell!" Yuma says. "Because everyone looked in the exact same direction at the exact same time!"

"Ah…" Rena says. "W-well… we can't exactly stop you from taking on the witch…"

So she and Kaede transform too, and the four of them plunge into the labyrinth. It appears to be another instance of the Rooftop Witch, Stacey. Kyouko and Rena take out most of the familiars in one shot, leaving almost nothing for Kaede or Yuma to deal with.

Then they reach the witch's chamber, and Rena lets out a wordless yell as she charges straight in, stabbing with her trident. At the same time, Kaede grunts and calls up vines to restrict the witch's movement, preventing her from counterattacking against Rena's reckless charge. Kyouko stands and watches for a bit, while Yuma follows Rena's example and runs in to smack Stacey with her hammer.

Then the witch drags one of its many dangling appendages free from the vines and lashes out at Kaede, eliciting a squeal from her as she barely dodges it. Rena hops back to smack the appendage out of the way.

"Kaede!" Rena says. "Let's do it together! I need your backup! Follow up after I attack!"

"Okay!" Kaede says.

Rena goes in for a second attack, counting down as she charges, and just as she lands her hit, Kaede summons a fresh set of vines. Yuma also joins in, smacking the ground at the same time to produce a shockwave that seems to stun the witch. At that point, Kyouko seems to get annoyed for no apparent reason.

"Get your head out of the clouds, Kyouko!" she shouts. "This sucks! I'm gonna finish this in one shot! Kugatachi!"

She enlarges her spear and flings it at the witch, striking dead centre on the portrait and causing it to disintegrate. As the labyrinth collapses, she snatches the grief seed.

"So hey, you guys are local magical girls, right? So… do ya know anything about rumours?"

"A rumour!?" Kaede gasps.

"We don't just know them, we were caught up in one," Rena grumbles.

"So, you guys also got mixed up in one of the weird rumours going around?"

"Yeah," Rena says. "Rumours becoming real, go figure…"

"So do ya know this one?" Kyouko asks. "If ya drink water, papers start dropping from nowhere, counting down from twenty-four."

Kaede blinks. "Water? Twenty-four?"

Almost as if the rumour is desperate to prove to the others that it's real, two papers falls from the sky at that moment, bearing the number 3. It must have been a coincidence though…

"See? Just like that," Kyouko says.

"Hey, weren't you talking about something like that the other day, Kaede?" Rena asks.

"Oh yeah, the rumour I heard from Ayame," Kaede says. "Do you think that was it?"

"What? Can you tell me?" Kyouko asks.

"Um… I don't remember all the details," Kaede says. "And I think what Ayame told me was already distorted, but… basically, there's a guy on a bike who hands out water. It's supposedly really good, but it's actually cursed… twenty-four hours later uhh… I didn't quite get it, but she said something about a disaster?"

Kyouko makes a noise of disgust.

"Well, I was wondering what might happen once the countdown hits zero," she says. "So they hand out this free water… and then if ya drink it, some disaster comes crashing down on ya!? Guess I spoke too soon about being lucky."

"Hey, me and Kaede will help you out," Rena suggests.

"Huh?"

"Y-yes, we haven't seen that water rumour ourselves, but… we fought a different one once!" Kaede says.

"Yeah, what she said," Rena says. "We're not experts, but we do have some experience dealing with rumours."

"What? Why would ya wanna help me?" Kyouko asks. "You really wanna go another round with a monster like that?"

"It's not like we want to do these things," Rena says. "Putting ourselves in danger… but we did get to know you, even if it was just by chance. Besides, if you want to solve a problem, two heads are better than one, y'know…"

"Yuma thinks it's a good idea!" Yuma pipes up. "We could use more help, couldn't we, Kyouko?"

"The more friends you have, the better," Rena says.

"Yes!" Kaede says. "Us magical girls have to look out for one another!"

"Pretending to be righteous little goody-two-shoes… what a pain," Kyouko retorts. "Don't waste my time with that garbage."

Yuma looks at her in surprise, tilting her head with her mouth agape.

"W-what!?" Kaede gasps.

Kyouko flings the grief seed at Kaede, who fumbles the catch but manages to avoid dropping it.

"Take it," she says. "The grief seed from the witch we just fought."

"Huh?" Rena says.

"Um… Kyouko…?" Yuma says.

"It's yours," Kyouko says. "There's only one though. You can split it in half, since you're such good friends and all."

"Hold on!" Rena says. "What are you—"

"This game ends here," Kyouko says. "I'm leaving."

As she turns on her heel and stalks off, Rena calls after her. Yuma stands there staring at her back, looking as confused as the rest of them.

"Wait! What's gotten into you all of a sudden!?" Rena shouts.

But Kyouko ignores her and turns a corner, disappearing from sight.

"And she's gone…" Kaede says.

"What the heck!?" Rena says. "Out of nowhere…"

"Did we say something that made her mad?" Kaede wonders. "Um… Yuma-chan… was it? Are you… going to follow her, or…"

"Yuma doesn't know what to do… Kyouko isn't usually like that," Yuma says. "Should Yuma follow her…? Or should Yuma stay with you and try to find the source of the rumour? Yuma doesn't know…"

"She's your sister, isn't she?" Rena says. "Don't you think you should stick together? Besides, you both got caught up in it, right? So if she finds the source while you're with us, what do you think will happen?"

"R-right! Okay, Yuma will go after her!"

With that, Yuma takes off in the direction Kyouko disappeared in.

Yachiyo and Iroha are waiting together just inside a train station, outside the ticket barrier. The signs in the station note it to be Suitoku Station, which means it's the station closest to Banbanzai, named after the huge Buddhist temple nearby.

"Felicia-chan still hasn't come back," Iroha says.

"She should've returned by now," Yachiyo says.

At that moment, a paper with the number 2 falls on Iroha.

"There's only two hours left," she says.

"Well, we can't just sit and wait for her," Yachiyo says.

"I wonder where she is?" Iroha says.

Mokyu makes one of its cute noises. At about the same moment, a notification is heard from Yachiyo's phone, so she takes it out to check on it and send a response.

"But we don't even know where to go without her!" Iroha protests. "And I want to believe in Felicia-chan…"

"It seems that won't be necessary," Yachiyo says.

"Is she back?" Iroha asks.

But the person who appears a few minutes later isn't Felicia but Tsuruno.

"Hey!" she calls, barging into the station. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Tsuruno-chan! You've been gone so long! Where were you?"

Tsuruno giggles. "I was out tracking Felicia! I couldn't completely trust her, what with her reputation and all. Yachiyo told me to keep an eye on her, too."

"So, where is she?" Iroha asks.

"I lost track of them before they got to their base, so I dunno," Tsuruno says.

"So Tsuruno-chan's back, but Felicia-chan's still out there…" Iroha says with a sigh.

"Perhaps they made too good of an offer for her to turn down," Yachiyo says.

"We still have no idea if she actually switched sides yet!" Iroha says. "Maybe they locked her up…"

"I doubt they'd even be capable of that," Yachiyo says.

"Anyway, we gotta hurry!" Tsuruno says. "We're running outta time!"

"You're right," Yachiyo says. "Tsuruno, take us to where you last saw her."

"Aye-aye, sir!"

As they leave the station, Kyouko spots them, and Yuma points and calls.

"Look, Kyouko! There's one of the girls from yesterday who drank the same water!"

The shout attracts Yachiyo's attention, and she turns to look.

"Ah… Miss Sakura," she says. "And Miss Yuma, too… could it be, you were looking for us?"

"Ah!" Iroha says. "You were both at the water stand too!"

"What!?" Kyouko gasps. "I toldja, I ain't interested in playing buddy-buddy with you!"

"So you'd prefer to suffer whatever misfortune will occur when the countdown expires?" Yachiyo asks.

"No, that's not it!" Yuma exclaims. "Kyouko has been searching for that girl with you! And the other one with blonde hair!"

"Yuma! You didn't have to go and tell her!" Kyouko protests.

"So, you've been searching for… Felicia-chan and me?" Iroha says.

Yuma nods. "Yeah! Kyouko and Yuma have been searching all day! Yuma is getting tired of walking all over…"

"Well, I figured out what was going on pretty quick after running into Yachiyo earlier," Kyouko says. "So I came here thinking I might find you guys. I was just gonna follow ya, but Yuma had to blow my cover…"

"Well then!" Tsuruno says. "We're all going in the same direction, so why don't I carry you, Yuma-chan!"

"Yes! Yuma wants to be carried!"

Before Kyouko can react, Tsuruno bends down to pick Yuma up and somehow flips her up onto her shoulders, the same way she was riding on Kyouko's shoulders earlier.

"Wow, you're even taller than Kyouko!" Yuma exclaims. "Yuma can see really far from up here!"

Tsuruno giggles. "Well then! Let's get going!"

She runs off ahead, and the others follow, Kyouko trailing behind and muttering to herself under her breath. They head roughly east through the streets for awhile, but Iroha seems to become concerned about their progress.

"Are we really going the right way, Tsuruno-chan?" she asks. "We've been zigzagging since we left the station…"

"I was moving across the rooftops when I was following them," Tsuruno explains. "So I only know how to get there in a straight line. Wait, I know! How about we all jump roof-to-roof?"

"I wonder how the passers-by will react to seeing us do that," Yachiyo says.

"Yes… plus I wouldn't want anyone to see… up my skirt," Iroha says.

"Whoa, I didn't even think of that!" Tsuruno gasps, giggling.

Soon they arrive at a small park with a playground. It may actually be the same playground where Kyouko fought two witches the day before and nearly died, though it's hard to be certain… there must be quite a few similar playgrounds scattered around the city.

"Here!" Tsuruno says. "This is right about where I lost track of them! We're going the right way! I don't really know where they went from here… but it should be easy to narrow it down!"

"Good, then let's hurry and figure out where the rumour is," Yachiyo says.

At that point, Felicia pops out from somewhere, eliciting a gasp from Yuma.

"I can't let you do that," Felicia says.

"That's her!" Yuma shouts excitedly. "The blonde girl who drank the water! That's all of us now!"

"Ah! Felicia-chan!" Iroha gasps. "What happened!? We waited so long for you!"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Felicia says.

"You can stop pretending now," Iroha says. "Come back to our side. Tell us where those people are hiding and where the rumour is."

"No can do," Felicia says.

"But why!?"

"I'm not pretending anymore."

"I knew it," Yachiyo says. "They must've offered you quite the reward, then."

"Yeah, you could say that," Felicia says. "Enough for me to make it on my own. Once I get that reward, I won't have to stab anyone else in the back anymore."

"So you really don't have an ounce of pride," Yachiyo says. "It all just comes down to the price for you. I thought I might be able to find some good in you if we worked together… but I see my expectations were far too high."

"Say whatever you want," Felicia retorts. "You're my enemy now."

"Did the promise of a prize sway you so easily?" Iroha asks.

Mokyu makes one of its cute noises, startling Kyouko.

"Huh!? The hell's that thing… a baby Kyuubey!?"

"You're right, there has to be more to the story," Iroha says, nodding.

"…and somehow only this chick can understand it?" Kyouko mutters.

"Something about this feels off," Tsuruno says.

"Hmm, Tsuruno-chan?" Iroha says.

"I feel like Felicia doesn't really understand the situation she's in," Tsuruno says.

"So you think so too?"

"Uh-huh," Tsuruno says. "I can't really blame her for any of this… but it sounds kinda like she's winging it and seeing what works out."

"Yeah, and I definitely don't think she understands the rumour, either," Iroha says.

"What are you guys going on about!" Felicia shouts, transforming. "Come at me already, or babam! I'll get right up in your face!"

"To me it seems she's already made up her mind," Yachiyo says.

"Felicia-chan!" Iroha says. "You have less than two hours left before something really, really bad happens to you! Are you really okay with that?"

"Not that again!" Felicia says. "I already told you, nothing could make my life any worse at this point. Do you think there's any bigger disaster than losing your parents?"

"You know, I lost my little sister, too," Iroha says.

"And? So what?" Felicia retorts.

"That completely wrecked me," Iroha says. "But that doesn't mean other bad things can't happen. A disaster can be all kinds of things. Something could happen to my missing sister… something could happen to Miss Yachiyo or Tsuruno-chan…"

"I don't have any family or friends!" Felicia shouts. "That has nothing to do with me!"

"It's not just that!" Iroha protests. "I think what you consider important changes over the course of your life. Isn't there anything that's super important to you, Felicia-chan…? Please, think… there has to be something!"

"Huh? Well, there's… my stuffed animal," she admits. "Mom and Dad bought it for me at a fair… it's a cow…"

"If you lost that stuffed animal, how would you feel…?" Iroha asks.

"Huh!?" Felicia shouts. "N-no! That would suck so bad! It's my most favourite thing in the world!"

"So you see?" Iroha says. "Losing your stuffed animal could be your personal disaster!"

Felicia gasps but seems to be momentarily lost for words, so Iroha continues.

"Please, I don't want to see you not care about endangering your life!" she says. "If your little cow friend got hurt, then… you'd get hurt again too, Felicia-chan. I don't want to see that happen. I don't want you to get hurt any more than you already have been…"

"Iroha…"

"We can make sure it won't happen again, together!"

Felicia powers down and nods. "Y-yeah… I don't want to lose my stuffed animal… and I don't wanna be friends with guys who'd steal people's treasures, either! I don't wanna be a hassle to anyone anymore! Alright, Iroha, I'll join you!"

"Felicia-chan, thank you!" Iroha says.

Felicia giggles a bit, and Yachiyo sort of sighs.

"So, Felicia… your parents are gone?" she asks.

"Yeah, so what?" Felicia says.

"No… nothing," Yachiyo says.

Tsuruno on the other hand has already broken down in tears, with Yuma patting her on the head as if to console her, though she too is crying.

"Huh, what!?" Felicia gasps. "W-what are you two crying for!?"

"It's just, it must've been so hard for you!" Tsuruno wails. "That's why you're a mercenary now and…"

"It's not really that big of a deal," Felicia says. "I could chat about it all day. Who cares?"

Despite her words though, she tears up as well.

"Yuma…" Kyouko says. "You alright?"

"Yuma just remembered," Yuma sobs. "Yuma remembered Mom and Dad d-dying right in front of her… even though they were bad people… they were still Yuma's Mom and Dad…"

Kyouko sighs. "Dammit… ya just had to make her remember… what a pain…"

Tsuruno steps forward to glomp Felicia, and the three of them just break down sobbing in the middle of the park.

"What's this about, Miss Sakura?" Yachiyo asks, looking at Kyouko.

"Oh, I found Yuma in a labyrinth one day, crying over her parents' corpses," Kyouko explains. "She's been following me around ever since… I just can't seem to get rid of her… not that I've really seriously been trying…"

"S-so your parents were killed by a witch too," Felicia sobs. "Y-you're just like me…"

"Y-yes…" Yuma sobs.

"T-that's so sad!" Tsuruno sobs.

Even Iroha is getting influenced by all of this, as she takes her handkerchief out to wipe away a few tears. But after a few minutes, they finally calm down.

"Are you okay now, Felicia-chan, Yuma-chan, Tsuruno-chan?" Iroha asks.

"Yuma is okay," Yuma says, wiping her tears on her sleeve.

"I think I'm good," Tsuruno says. "That was just so sad…"

"I was fine all along," Felicia grumbles.

Iroha offers Felicia her handkerchief, which she uses to wipe the tears away, while Tsuruno uses her sleeve.

"Okay, Felicia-chan," Iroha says. "We're counting on you to guide us!"

"On it!" Felicia says. "Let's smash them in good like bam! Bajoom! Boom! Oh, and uhh… thanks, Iroha."

"Huh?"

"You stopped me from getting myself hurt. Plus, I didn't turn into an even lousier person than I already am!"

"I… I see… you're welcome, Felicia-chan…"

Felicia leads the way to the school that Yachiyo had been checking out earlier, and Iroha reads out the name from the sign.

"Sankyoin Academy… is this school where their base is?" she asks.

"It's a little ways past it, actually," Felicia says. "But the students have all gone home by now, so it should be a cinch to get inside."

As they cross through the school grounds, Felicia continues explaining.

"There's an entrance to the underground sewers once you pass through the school grounds. That's where their base is."

"Hey, I just thought of something," Tsuruno says. "Couldn't we have just gotten rid of the water station with the owl sign?"

"Don't ask me," Felicia says. "I dunno anything about rumours…"

"If we attacked it, sure, a rumour might come out to fight us," Yachiyo says. "But I'm pretty confident it would be one of the small, insignificant ones. If they have a base around here… well, it's likely that the rumour we're looking for, the actual source of the rumour, is there."

"Who cares about the details?" Felicia says. "We just gotta go and beat the crap outta them, right? Let's go already!"

They leave the Sankyoin Academy grounds via the back gate, and Felicia shows them into a street-level entrance to the sewers. Since the ceiling is kind of low, Tsuruno sets Yuma down so she can walk. As they descend, several bats come flying out, causing Iroha to screech.

"W-what!? There are b-b-bats down here!? Ahh, please, don't come near me!"

"Hey, c'mon!" Felicia retorts. "Don't freak out so much over a stupid little bat!"

But then Tsuruno lets out a squeal instead.

"I felt something hit my face! Gross gross gross!"

"Calm down, Tsuruno," Yachiyo says. "Worse things live in your restaurant!"

"Yachiyooo! You're the worst!"

Iroha squeals again, and Yachiyo sighs.

"Miss Tamaki, please relax!"

"Yuma's not scared at all!" Yuma says bravely.

"Geez," Kyouko mutters. "Someone sure didn't wanna be found in here… how much further is it?" Then she raises her voice. "Pipe down, the lot of ya! There's no excuse for all this crying and wailing! We're running outta time!"

"Um, I'm sorry," Iroha says. "It really scared me…"

"What are you doing, flipping out like that?" Felicia retorts. "Like the red sister said, we don't have time."

"I know that, but…"

As they round a corner, a black feather steps out. It seems to be a different one than they encountered earlier – there are some hints of black hair peeking out from under the hood.

"Who's there!?" the black feather asks.

Yachiyo sighs. "Really, it'd be a miracle if they didn't find us with all that screaming…"

"Felicia Mitsuki…?" the black feather says. "I can't believe you rejected our offer."

"Hah! Like I'd wanna be anything like you losers, stealing stuff from people!" Felicia retorts.

"You have no intention of leaving, do you?" the black feather asks.

"Clearly," Yachiyo says. "We're as determined as you are. You think we'd submit, not knowing anything about you or your goals? Life just isn't that convenient, I'm afraid."

The black feather sighs. "We've been told not to tell this to anyone but a select few… however, in order to try and avoid unnecessary conflict, I'll make an exception."

"Alright then," Yachiyo says. "Let's hear it."

"Yes… we are the Wings of the Magius," the black feather says.

Yachiyo repeats the name, as if sampling it.

"We serve the Magius," the black feather continues. "Our organization acts as their wings so that the Magius can achieve their goals. I am one of the black feathers within that organization. It is… something like a rank."

"So what's your goal?" Yachiyo asks.

"To save all magical girls."

Yachiyo gasps.

"The mission of the Magius in Kamihama is to free all magical girls from their curse," the black feather continues. "Our job is to assist them to that end. For us to succeed in liberating magical girls, rumours absolutely can't be erased.".

"Yuma really, really doesn't get it…"

"When you say you want to free them, what do you mean…?" Iroha asks

"Yeah, there's that," Yachiyo says. "And I don't understand why you have to protect rumours to do it, either."

"Well, um…"

The black feather seems unsure of how to answer.

"You're helping them without even knowing details like that?" Yachiyo says. "That's some impressive loyalty."

"Ugh, I've had enough!" Kyouko announces.

She transforms and smacks the black feather with the butt of her spear.

"What the hell're you all standing around for!? Who has the time to stand around listening to this jerkwad? We've got—"

At that moment, four slips of paper with a number 1 on them fall from above onto the people who drank the water. However, this time it's not just a number but also adds a colon and two zeros, indicating one hour.

"Oh look… we've got exactly one hour left!" Kyouko says. "How thoughtful. It even counts down the minutes for us. I don't know jack about liberating us, but don't we have more pressing problems?"

"Miss Sakura…?" Yachiyo says.

"Y-you…!" the black feather says.

"Yeah, sorry, but I'm not like these guys," Kyouko says. "I don't have the time to waste. If ya wanna talk, leave it till after we take care of that rumour."

The black feather sighs. "So we have no choice but to fight…"

Kyouko nods. "I like people who catch on quick. Alright, ya don't need to go easy on me. Gimme all ya got!"

The others all transform, ready to fight, and a few more black feathers step out of the shadows to back up the first one.

"Miss Sakura, how about we take them out together?" Yachiyo suggests.

"Normally I'd wanna turn ya down, but I don't think I can this time," Kyouko says. "Mind taking care of one or two for me?"

Unfortunately for the black feathers, they are outnumbered and outmatched. Iroha, Yuma, and Tsuruno don't even get a chance to do anything. Kyouko takes down two all by herself, knocking them to the ground and planting her foot on one while pointing her spear at the other. Felicia sends one flying with her hammer, and she slams into a wall where the tunnel bends and falls to the ground, unconscious. Yachiyo knocks the final feather to the ground before she can even react and points her spear at the girl's throat.

"Liberating magical girls," Yachiyo says. "I don't know how good that sounds to you. But I really don't get how you can follow them when you've been told so little… to the point that you can't even answer my simple questions."

The feather on the ground, who's the original one to confront them, sighs.

"Nanami Yachiyo… I expected a magical girl of your experience to know… to know exactly what it means to free a magical girl… and why we would cling to that possibility…"

"Oh, I do know," Yachiyo says. "However, if you have to use rumours and drag innocent bystanders into the mix, well… I'm not interested in being freed."

"How long d'ya plan to keep flapping your mouths with these guys?" Kyouko asks. "If you're gonna waste my time, I'm gonna ditch ya!"

"Miss Yachiyo, let's hurry!" Iroha says.

"Yes, let's," Yachiyo says.

They leave the feathers on the ground and hurry further in.

"We beat up all those Wings of Whatever," Felicia says. "So it should be smooth sailing from here on! An hour should be plenty of time!"

"We have no idea what the rumour's powers are," Yachiyo says. "The rumour at the Séance Shrine was rather difficult to fight…"

"That's just cause you guys are weak," Felicia retorts. "I could obliterate it like, boom!"

Tsuruno giggles. "Felicia, you sure do like your sound effects!"

"So!? You get what I'm saying, right? That's what matters! Right, Iroha?"

Iroha blinks, startled at being addressed. She's been spacing out during the conversation.

"Huh? Oh, uhh, yes! We've got to keep it up and beat that rumour!"

"Hey, it looks like it opens up ahead," Kyouko says. "The main rumour thing might be nearby."

Kyouko charges ahead despite Yachiyo's protest.

"Miss Sakura, wait! Don't you think it's a bit foolish to rush out on your own like that!?"

Everyone else follows her out, emerging into an intersection of several passageways with an opening in the ceiling that seems to be letting in some light. It's a fairly large, vaulted chamber, and Kyouko suddenly stops in the centre of it, peering upward.

"Hey, what'd you stop for?" Felicia asks.

"No good fricking reason, really," Kyouko says. "They were just so kind as to arrange a main boss battle for us here."

"A boss battle…?" Felicia says.

"Whoa!" Tsuruno gasps. "Iroha-chan! Look over there! In the back!"

"Huh? What is it?" Iroha asks. "Oh…"

At the far end of the chamber, two white feathers are waiting quietly in the shadows, both with locks of brown hair poking out from under their hoods. Despite their robes being white, they don't stand out much since what little light filters through from above isn't directly hitting them.

"White… Wings of the Magius," Iroha says.

The two white feathers take three steps forward in sync, and the one on the left speaks up.

"We heard you discussing it," she says. "You said you only have an hour left."

"Yep, we heard you," the other says. "One hour left."

"For sure!" the first says.

For me, their voices and ways of speaking are familiar – they are Tsukuyo and Tsukasa, respectively.

"But that doesn't matter to us," Tsukasa says. "We're gonna stop you here."

"Then all you have to do is sit tight and await all your oncoming misfortune," Tsukuyo says.

"For sure!" Tsukasa says.

"Just so that we don't get in your way…?" Iroha asks.

"Allow me to correct your misunderstanding," Tsukuyo says. "We are doing it for the Magius, and also for the sake of all magical girls."

"I may not get what all this liberation stuff is," Tsuruno says. "But I don't need to be freed from anything if you're gonna make people suffer for it!"

Tsukuyo sighs and shakes her head.

"I do not expect ignorant minds to comprehend what we are doing," she says.

Tsukasa also sighs and shakes her head.

"They just gotta shut their mouths and stay outta our way, right?" she says.

"Right!" Tsukuyo says.

"You seriously think I'm gonna watch quietly from the sidelines?" Kyouko retorts. "These lunkheads'll never change their minds. Let's just hurry up and knock them out."

Felicia giggles. "I was just thinking the same thing," she says. "We don't have time to put up with this!"

"Yes… let's hurry on ahead," Iroha says.

"Yuma thinks it's not gonna be so easy…"

"They're sneaking around like rats," Yachiyo remarks. "I don't imagine they'll pose much threat…"

"Oh, but we are more than happy to reveal ourselves to you, if that is all that concerns you," Tsukuyo says.

She pushes her hood back, fully revealing her face, and her sister does the same thing.

"Yeah, comparing us to those people dressed in black is kinda an insult," Tsukasa says.

"For sure!" Tsukuyo says. "My name is Ak— Amane Tsukuyo, a white feather of the Wings of the Magius."

"And I'm Amane Tsukasa, also a white feather of the Wings of the Magius. Now, if you will…"

"…do give us yourselves over to our enchanting melodies."

The two of them desummon their feather robes entirely and pull out their flutes.

"Their weapons are flutes…?" Yachiyo says. "Everyone, stay on guard! This area gives those girls a huge advantage!"

"Impressive that you noticed," Tsukuyo says.

"Let the performance begin!" Tsukasa says.

And then they start playing their flutes. While the melody itself doesn't sound bad, it echoes through the chamber and rings in their ears, causing everyone other than the twins to wince. Then they pause in their playing to taunt their opponents.

"Going by the looks on your faces, I guess our performance must've captivated you," Tsukasa says.

"Oh, indeed," Tsukuyo says. "I can feel how moved they are, even though they have uttered not a single word."

"We have them outnumbered," Yachiyo says. "But with this situation, it's going to be difficult to get further in…"

"Yes… there's no way of telling which direction the echoes will come from," Iroha says. "If only we could do something about the noise…"

Mokyu pipes up with one of its cute noises, and Iroha nods.

"Maybe if we cover our ears?" she suggests. "Ah, it might work, but we'd have to use both hands…"

"Now, Tsukuyo-chan, don't you think it's about time for us to start playing our second piece?" Tsukasa asks.

"You are correct, Tsukasa-chan," Tsukuyo says. "Please allow our next concert to reverberate through your bodies."

While Yachiyo and Iroha are taking the brunt of the sonic assault, Felicia attempts to sneak around the sides without being noticed. However, Tsuruno spots her and starts shouting at the top of her voice.

"Felicia! You're trying to get all the glory, huh?"

"W-what are you doing!?" Felicia gasps. "You're gonna get me caught, dummy!"

"Right now is when teamwork is important!" Tsuruno shouts.

"What? Teamwork? Don't even bother getting started with that junk!" Felicia shouts. "Isn't it way faster for me to just go baboom and kill it on my own?"

"I dunno, the girl's got a point," Kyouko says. "I think we can just leave this fight to that Yachiyo chick. They can keep them busy while we push on ahead. That's teamwork in itself, right? And anyway, there could be a limit on how many people get to break their curse."

"Ugh, so that's what it is!" Tsuruno shouts. "Me, me, me! That's all you care about! Magical girls are supposed to be the allies of justice! We fight for everyone's sakes! That's why we gotta be mighty!"

"Aw, just shut up!" Felicia shouts, making air quotes. "This has nothing to do with 'everyone'!"

"Hey, what're you getting so loud for, anyway?" Kyouko asks.

"Because it's the right thing to do!" Tsuruno shouts.

Apparently Yuma manages to catch on to Tsuruno's plan, for she too suddenly starts shouting at the top of her voice.

"Yuma thinks so too!"

Kyouko blinks. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Ugh, it doesn't matter!" Tsuruno shouts. "Just, whatever! Make a whole lotta noise!"

"Echo, echo, echo!" Yuma shouts. "Eeechooooo!"

"W-what do you… ahh!" Kyouko gasps. "I get it!" she shouts.

Felicia joins in too, though she doesn't appear to have understood why.

"I betcha can't make more noise than me!" she shouts at the top of her voice.

At that point the four of them don't even bother with the chatter anymore, just screaming wordlessly at the ceiling.

"Why is Tsuruno making such a racket at a time like this!?" Yachiyo wonders.

"Felicia-chan too," Iroha says. "What are they even doing back there…?"

But then they notice how the Amane twins look a little pained, and Iroha gasps in realization. Yachiyo follows suit a second later.

"Did you notice too, my assistant?" Yachiyo asks.

"Yes! Tsuruno-chan saved us!" Iroha says.

"She certainly did!" Yachiyo says.

Kyouko pauses for breath and mutters under her breath.

"What the heck am I even doing, screaming my head off like this…?"

"Now louder!" Tsuruno shouts. "Don't stop! We need constant noise!"

"I get it, I get it!" Kyouko shouts. "Lay off it, will ya!? I get that we're breaking up the echoes from their attacks, okay?"

"Yuma figured it out first!" Yuma shouts. "Yuma wants a cookie! Yuma is thirsty!"

"Let's take care of these two before Tsuruno and the others lose their voices," Yachiyo says. "I'll strike swiftly!"

"And I'll cover you!" Iroha says.

"I'm counting on it!"

"Ugh, we lost our advantage," Tsukasa says.

"It is difficult to believe that such a rough, unimaginative brute-force idea worked." Tsukuyo says.

"W-what should we do?" Tsukasa wonders.

"All we can do is face off against them," Tsukuyo says.

They raise their flutes, but before either of them can release their attack, Yachiyo gets in their face, smacking Tsukuyo in the chest with the butt of her spear and throwing her to the ground. She squeals in pain, and her sister calls her name before turning to glare at Yachiyo.

"Tsukuyo-chan!?"

"You're an easy target once you let go of that flute," Yachiyo says. "Not the fastest weapons, are they?"

"Nanami Yachiyo, you…!"

"Watch out!" Iroha shouts.

As Tsukasa once again raises her flute, Iroha shoots it out of her hands with a carefully-aimed bolt, and Tsukasa lets out a squeal.

"Don't forget I'm here too," Iroha says. "For what it's worth…"

"Now the tables have really turned," Yachiyo says. "First the Rule of Ending Friendships and the Séance Shrine… not to mention the Crossing Street and the Infinite Hospital Bed. Now the Misery Water… we'll keep crushing them."

Tsukasa groans. "W-we can't… let it end this way," she says.

"Y-yes," Tsukuyo says. "This task was entrusted to us by the Magius… there is no way that we can simply abandon it…"

"You need to stop," Iroha says. "Your soul gems are almost out of magic…"

Tsukuyo giggles.

"W-what's so funny?" Iroha gasps.

"That is great news," Tsukuyo says.

"Yeah, great for us!" Tsukasa says.

"For sure!" Tsukuyo says.

Iroha blinks in confusion. "Huh?"

"In what world is a tainted soul gem good?" Yachiyo asks. Then she blinks. "W-wait… could you be…?"

"It is great news for you as well," Tsukuyo says.

"You're really pretty lucky in your misfortune," Tsukasa says. "You'll get to see just why Kamihama is a place of liberation."

"And you shall witness it with your very own eyes," Tsukuyo says.

"Yachiyo!" Tsuruno shouts. "Are they…?"

"Yes, they're going to summon the same power that Miss Tamaki did!" Yachiyo says.

"Well, then! Iroha-chan, you should do yours too!"

"I don't even know how I did it last time!" Iroha protests.

"Even if you did know, you shouldn't use it!" Yachiyo says. "Nothing good can come from a skill that requires your soul gem to become tainted! It's nothing but a bad omen…"

She trails off and watches as the twins' soul gems fill up and their doppels are unleashed. The impurities this time swirl around them, forming three circular layers around each girl.

For Tsukuyo, the innermost layer solidifies into a black ring, from which hangs a swing on which she sits, gently swaying. Around that is a glass half-sphere just barely not enclosing her, the ring with her swing essentially forming the only entrance to a chamber filled with a variety of bizarre-looking vegetation. The outermost ring is a gold ring tilted at an angle from the horizontal. An iron pillar pierces through the whole thing, bearing a five-pointed star at the top, the innermost ring integrated into the pillar as part of its structure. An additional half-ring fills out the missing half of the glass chamber, and something that looks like strange roots emerges from a crack in the bottom.

In its basic layout and structure, Tsukasa's doppel is almost identical. However, it differs in the details. The half-sphere is filled with water and contains various strange kelps and corals. There's no ring or swing, the pillar instead continuing straight through with Tsukasa gripping it upside down, half-immersing her in the water which stubbornly refuses to flow out through the opening on the flat side of the chamber. Several glass bubble-like structures emerge from the top of the glass chamber, and there's a ring around the equator which links up to a large red sphere right in front of Tsukasa where it intersects with the half-ring that completes the sphere.

In fact, the two doppels are shaped similarly enough that it almost seems as though they could fit together into a single cohesive whole, though actually doing so would require some of the common elements of the two to occupy the same space. Still, they give a distinct impression of being two halves of a whole. The witch runes that swirl and hang in the air for a moment also give this impression, as they spell out the doppel names, Dum and Dee.

The doppels rise up into the air and launch an assault on the group. Tsukasa's doppel attacks with those bubble-like structures emerging from the top, flinging them at targets and growing new ones to take their place. Wherever one strikes, it leaves behind a strange growth, like a coral made from frost. Tsukuyo's doppel attacks in a similar way, firing what appear to be seeds from the root-like structures emerging from the bottom, which leave behind a strange plant-like growth wherever they hit.

Both growths appear to cause a paralytic effect on contact – Tsuruno and Kyouko fall prey to this in short order, though a smash of Yuma's hammer manages to free them from the effect, after which they, along with everyone else, just do their best to dodge and fight back. Iroha fires bolts non-stop, but they just keep bouncing off the glass shells. Tsuruno manages to leap into the air and set Tsukuyo's roots on fire, creating a lull in the seed projectiles, but it doesn't last long before a squirt of water from Tsukasa puts it out again. Both Kyouko and Yachiyo attempt to bring the doppels down with their ultimate spear attacks, but while they do create a few cracks in the glass shells, it's not enough to stop them.

By the time the two doppels run out of steam and the twins land gracefully back on the ground, everyone else is looking exhausted. Iroha's soul gem in particular is heavily clouded, and no-one's is less than fifty percent full.

"Miss Tamaki… are you alright?" Yachiyo asks.

"Y-yes, I think so," Iroha says. "Not one of my best days, though…"

"Yuma can still… keep fighting…" Yuma says.

She's leaning on her hammer and clearly as exhausted as everyone else, though.

"That thing saved us all when it came out of you last time," Yachiyo says. "But facing it in battle, you can really feel just how powerful it is…"

"Something like that came out of you, too?" Kyouko asks.

"Y-yeah," Iroha says.

"Aha, I see," Kyouko says. "Ya must be the one Mami was talking about… she thought ya were a witch, apparently. Geez, I sure did figure out how dangerous that thing is now…"

"Mami… Tomoe Mami?" Iroha says. "So you two know each other."

"Well, you could say that," Kyouko says.

"Um… Miss Sakura… do you think I'm a witch too?"

"Nah," Kyouko says. "Honestly, it really didn't seem to be that much like a witch to me at all… but there's no way I'd believe it's just some new technique…"

"Correct," Tsukuyo pipes up. "It is neither a technique, nor a witch."

"Mm-hm," Tsukasa says. "What we just showed you is our evidence that magical girls can be freed. Right here in Kamihama."

"That doesn't make much sense to me either," Kyouko says.

"This is a projection of our emotions," Tsukuyo says. "It is, in a sense, our own selves unleashed."

"That's why we call it a doppel," Tsukasa says.

"Indeed!" Tsukuyo says.

"So unleashing yourself is evidence of liberation?" Yachiyo says.

"You understand, don't you?" Tsukasa says.

"Of all people, Nanami Yachiyo should understand," Tsukuyo agrees.

"Right?" Tsukasa says. "It's really easy to prove, too."

Tsukuyo and Tsukasa point to their soul gems, both hanging on a pendant over their chests.

"Look at how beautifully clear our soul gems have become," Tsukuyo says.

"Oh, like mine was," Iroha says.

"So you unleashed your doppel, like us?" Tsukasa asks.

"Yes… so, with this liberation you're talking about… we wouldn't have to rely on grief seeds to purify our soul gems?" Iroha asks.

"So you understand nothing, after all," Tsukuyo says. "But, that is quite alright."

"We'll fill you in!" Tsukasa says.

Yachiyo gasps. "There's no need for that! Or rather, I should say we don't have time to waste on your nonsense. We're not here to listen to your rambling."

"So, you're still going after the rumour, even after the beating we gave you?" Tsukasa asks.

"A veteran of your calibre, not understanding your situation?" Tsukuyo says. "How amusing!"

"F'real!" Tsukasa says.

"But really, your ridiculous state is a pleasant sight to behold," Tsukuyo adds. "Now, if you wish to get past us, then you must place your life on the line."

As she speaks, several black feathers emerge into the chamber. Four arrive from behind, the ones they defeated earlier, as well as six from other directions.

Two enter from the left, one with pink hair and one with black hair. On closer inspection, the one with pink hair has striped stockings and a heart-shaped soul gem, so she must be Makino Ikumi. The black-haired one doesn't have any other distinguishing features that would allow me to recognize her.

Two enter from the right, one with blonde hair and one with short, wavy brown hair. On closer inspection, the blond-haired one has red diamond-patterned stockings and a chain hanging at her throat, so she must be Nanase Yukika. The brown-haired one doesn't have any other distinguishing features that would allow me to recognize her.

Two enter from the back, one with green hair and one with pretty long, light brown hair. On closer inspection, the one with green hair appears to have loose white socks and an orange diamond-shaped soul gem, while the one with light brown hair doesn't really have any other distinguishing features besides her hair. However, that hair in itself is enough for me to identify her – I'm pretty sure these are Miyabi Shigure and Azumi Hagumu respectively.

I think the two that nabbed Iroha and Felicia on the streets were Shigure and the other unknown brown-haired girl, as none of those arriving from behind have green or brown hair. There's two with black hair, one blonde, and one whose hood doesn't leak any sign of her hair.

"There's more of them still coming!?" Iroha gasps.

She takes a look at that last sheet of paper she received from the rumour, which has now changed to show that there's half an hour left. Then she shows it to Yachiyo, who sighs.

"Only thirty minutes left… we're cutting this very close," she says. "We have to hurry and finish them off!"

"Oh man, this is seriously bad though," Kyouko says. "Who knew one little rumour could get this out of hand? This city is nuts, I'm telling ya…"

"Miss Tamaki, please distract the ones in black!" Yachiyo says. "Tsuruno and I will tackle the twins!"

"Okay!" Iroha says.

"Aye sir!" Tsuruno says.

"Felicia, while Iroha diverts them away from us, you take them out!"

"Leave the slamming to me!" Felicia says. "I'm not so good at holding back though!"

"Hang on a sec," Kyouko says, grabbing Felicia by the arm.

"Ugh! What is it!?" Felicia gasps. "Let go of me you red… sister!"

"Hey, do ya wanna just skip on ahead?" Kyouko suggests.

"Huh?"

"We've only got a half hour left," Kyouko says. "I'm just saying, it's a waste to have us all fighting at the same time."

"But they told me to go slam those ones," Felicia says.

"Yeah, and?" Kyouko says. "Look, we've got our priorities. Ain'tcha worried about something horrible happening to that stuffed animal of yours?"

"Mm, yeah, I'd rather avoid that," Felicia agrees.

"So let's leave this fight to them," Kyouko says. "You and me and Yuma can go together and beat the crap outta that rumour. That was your plan earlier, wasn't it?"

"Oh yeah," Felicia says. "You're right!"

"Strike while the iron's hot," Kyouko says. "Find a gap and just run straight through."

"Yeah, okay!" Felicia says.

While Kyouko and Felicia are chatting, Iroha and Yachiyo are already following the plan – Yachiyo and Tsuruno face down the Amane twins, barely holding them back, while Iroha does her best to keep the ten black feathers off their backs. She starts by knocking Shigure and Hagumu off their feet with a fierce volley of bolts, throwing their hoods back far enough to get a glimpse of their faces before they quickly pull them forward again. She then spins to knock out the four from behind, who were already not in the best shape, with well-placed shots. That just leaves Ikumi, Yukika, and the two unknown ones, although it seems likely that Hagumu and Shigure will recover if they take too long. Unfortunately, Ikumi and Yukika are probably the strongest of the black feathers present…

"Felicia, what are you doing!?" Yachiyo shouts. "Hurry up! Felicia! Huh? She's… with Miss Sakura…?"

Felicia, Yuma, and Kyouko are now making a break for the back, presumed to lead to the rumour. Hagumu and Shigure manage to regain their feet to block their way, but they're already beyond the reach of the next-closest feathers, Ikumi and her unknown partner.

"She's mocking us, Tsukuyo-chan!" Tsukasa shouts. "Taking her eyes off us like that!"

"No, wait just a moment, Tsukasa-chan!" Tsukuyo says.

"Huh?"

"Those three are heading for the rumour!" Tsukuyo says.

"I see," Yachiyo says. "Since you've taken your eyes off of me, that must mean you're mocking me as well."

Yachiyo leaps in with her spear, targeting Tsukuyo.

"That's right, Yachiyo-shishou!" Tsuruno shouts.

"Oh fiddlesticks!" Tsukuyo gasps.

"Tsukuyo-chan!" Tsukasa shouts.

Tsukuyo screams as she's caught off guard and the spear pierces her left thigh, tears leaking from her eyes. Charging in right behind her comes Tsuruno, aiming for Tsukasa, but she has slightly more warning and is able to dodge the initial strike.

"I'm not holding anything back when we fight," Yachiyo says. "It doesn't really matter how much magic you have left if you can't use your legs, does it now?"

Tsukuyo groans. "H-how… b-barbaric…"

"That's very funny coming from a girl who tried to kill me with her doppel," Yachiyo retorts.

Tsukasa squeals as, after dancing around for a bit to avoid Tsuruno's razor-sharp, flaming fans, she finally takes a harsh blow to the stomach.

"Sorry, that hit'll make it hard for you to breathe for awhile," Tsuruno says. "Hang in there!"

Yachiyo turns and steps forward to face Ikumi and her unknown partner, while Tsuruno does the same with Yukika and her partner. At the same time, Felicia smashes Shigure in the face, flinging her back against the wall and rendering her unconscious, while Kyouko stabs Hagumu in the side, causing her to double up in pain and fall to the ground.

"Miss Tamaki, go now while they're weakened!"

"Oh but—"

"Tsuruno and I can handle the fight from here!" Yachiyo says.

"You and the others are the ones at risk!" Tsuruno shouts. "Good luck!"

Felicia turns around to call her too.

"Iroha, come with us!" she shouts.

"Hey, kid, what're you doing!?" Kyouko protests. "Come on!"

"Felicia-chan… alright… Miss Yachiyo, Tsuruno-chan, I'll leave this to you!"

Iroha leaps over the heads of the Amane twins, but is then faced by a desperate Hagumu, who has abandoned San's chain techniques to pull out her sword for a last-ditch swipe at Iroha as she passes. However, in the state she's in, Iroha easily dodges her, joining the others just as they leave the vaulted chamber behind.

The four of them run through the tunnel for a couple of minutes before slowing, Iroha in particular panting heavily.

"Is it really all the way back here?" Felicia wonders.

"I can't say for sure," Iroha says. "But I think it should be here… after all… this is the place they were guarding… those Wings of the Magius people said they protect the rumours."

"It's gonna really stink if it isn't there," Felicia grumbles.

"I don't want to even think about that," Iroha says.

"Yuma can feel some strange magic," Yuma says. "Yuma thinks that's probably the rumour…"

After about a minute, Kyouko growls under her breath, startling Iroha, but before either of them can say anything, a barrier suddenly sucks them in.

"W-what the hell!?" Kyouko gasps. "This feels like a witch's labyrinth, but also not somehow…"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Iroha says. "Felicia-chan, Yuma-chan, Miss Sakura… that means it's here!"

"So this is a rumour's labyrinth?" Kyouko says.

"Yes," Iroha says. "It's the third time I've seen one, so I'm quite sure. Soon it should show itself to protect the Rumour of the Misery Water…"

Kyouko checks her countdown paper, which now shows twenty minutes remaining.

"Man, we finally made it," she says. "But we're running outta time. So… what now?"

"Duh!" Felicia says. "We gotta hurry! C'mon, get your butts in gear!"

"Okay, Felicia-chan! Let's g—" Iroha says.

Then suddenly she trips over something invisible with a squeal and falls flat on her face.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Kyouko asks. "Tripping over thin air like tha—"

Then she too trips with a yell, though she barely manages to avoid landing on her face. Felicia laughs at the two of them.

"You two are hilarious!" she says. "I've never seen anyone so clumsy."

Suddenly something falls from above and lands on Felicia's head. It's a rock, about the size of her fist. Another one falls on Yuma's head. Meanwhile both Iroha and Kyouko regain their feet.

"Owwww! What the heck!? A rock fell on me!"

"Owwwie!" Yuma says. "That hurts!"

"Hold on," Kyouko says. "Could it be…?"

"Are you thinking the same thing I'm thinking, Miss Sakura?" Iroha asks.

"Whatcha thinking?" Kyouko asks.

"If the water we drank came from here… and now we're inside the labyrinth…"

"W-what're you saying!?" Felicia exclaims. "What about being in the labyrinth?"

Yuma pipes up at this moment. "It's a bucket of bad luck!" she shouts.

"R-right, like Yuma-chan said, this place might be full of misfortune," Iroha nods.

"So bad luck is why that rock just fell on my head then?" Felicia says. "How does that make any sense?"

Just then, one of the actual rumours finally shows itself, a small owl-like creature with a bowtie, grasping a bucket in its claws.

"Is that a familiar!?" Felicia gasps.

"No, that's one of the lesser rumours that protect the rumour," Iroha says. "Maybe the bad luck is that you didn't notice it before it attacked…"

Another one appears, and another, and another, and within mere seconds of Iroha's observation they're surrounded by a veritable swarm of them. Then they start flying back and forth across the heads of the girls, dropping rocks from their buckets. However, the familiars don't seem to make any effort to impede their progress, so the four of them continue onwards, doing their best to try and dodge the rocks. But somehow they just can't seem to time their movements right, so nearly all of the rocks actually hit their mark.

"Owie owie owie!" Yuma complains. "That's not nice! Yuma's gonna get really angry if you don't stop dropping rocks, okay!?"

"Stoppit!" Felicia yells. "Why're we getting pummelled with rocks!?"

"Geez, we don't have time for this!" Kyouko shouts. "Why dontcha just leave us alone so we can face down your boss, huh?"

"M-maybe we can take most of them out!" Iroha suggests.

"Yuma will stun them!" Yuma shouts.

She slams her hammer on the ground, but it doesn't seem to have any effect.

"Idiot, they're flying!" Kyouko shouts. "That attack'll only work if they're on the ground!"

"Ah!" Yuma gasps. "Y-you're right! Oh no… w-what can Yuma do then!?"

"Leave it to me!" Felicia shouts.

She grows her hammer to about three times its usual size and leaps into the air while spinning it around, narrowly missing Iroha's head, as she's a hair slower than Kyouko in ducking beneath the effective range. It's surprisingly effective, taking out nearly a quarter of the swarm. While Felicia does that, Iroha pauses to kneel down and charge power into her crossbow, and as soon as Felicia lands back on the ground, she unleashes her ultimate attack.

"Strada Futuro!"

She fires straight up, and the bolts rain down upon girls and familiars indiscriminately… but Kyouko throws up a chain barrier around the four of them.

"W-wait what!?" Felicia gasps. "Is that a net above us?

"I'm not only great at handling spears!" Kyouko says. "I've got a bunch of other tricks up my sleeve too!"

The barrier manages to keep out about half the blinding white bolts that otherwise would've reached them, and they're just barely able to dodge most of those that find their way between the links of the chains. When the rain of light fades, there are only three or four familiars remaining, which Yuma and Kyouko jump upon before they can get away.

"We beat them, somehow," Iroha says. "But I almost panicked when I saw Felicia's hammer get so big all of a sudden… I was afraid it'd drop right on my head…"

"That wasn't my fault!" Felicia shouts. "And besides, it didn't drop, right!?"

"I know, I know," Iroha says. "It's all because we're in the rumour's labyrinth…"

Kyouko sighs. "I was originally thinking I'd just lose you two somewhere and beat this rumour without ya, but it looks like it's gonna take all four of us to even stand a chance. If the small fry are that strong… I don't even wanna think about how strong the boss must be…"

Iroha blinks. "You were going to 'lose us'? You were seriously thinking about that!?"

"Rumours aren't like witches, right?" Kyouko says. "So ya can't say for sure that everyone will wind up fine after ya defeat one."

"Yeah, she's right!" Felicia says.

"Right?" Kyouko nods. "But turns out we don't have the time to worry about that right now."

"So you mean…?" Iroha says.

"Don't matter who gets saved in the end!" Kyouko says. "No regrets! Sorry for saying I'd ditch ya."

"It's okay, I was just surprised," Iroha says. "But I'm good now! Let's take it out together!"

"The countdown's almost at zero, too," Kyouko says.

"Let's go!" Felicia says, followed by a few more vocal sound effects.

They continue onward, simply progressing through the labyrinth, which appears to be a single pathway. Before long they see the tunnel opening out ahead.

"Hey look!" Felicia says. "There's another big area up ahead!"

It's a lot like the place where they faced the Amane twins and their team of black feathers, but this time there's a pedestal in the centre, like a ziggurat, at the top of which sits a massive cup. The cup is at least three times the height of anyone present, filled with a sinister-looking green and orange fluid that sloshes about, and the water frequently splashes out onto the pedestal around them. The base of the cup is styled like an owl with one eye, and the smaller owl rumours are flying about in a flurry, filling bottles with the fluid from what appears to be a spigot in the larger rumour's beak. There are several baskets off to the side, filled with bottles of the fluid, which seems to turn transparent when put in a bottle. However, as the four of them emerge into the room, the smaller owl rumours scatter for a moment, before converging into a swarm to attack.

"Not again!" Kyouko groans.

She throws up another barrier to hold back the ensuing barrage of rocks.

"Is that cup thing… the rumour…?" Iroha asks. "That stuff flowing out of it… that's water… isn't it? But the colour's kinda…"

"Well, if this water's the same stuff we drank," Kyouko says. "Then that's gotta be the rumour we're after."

"So we can just go to town on that thing?" Felicia asks. "Cool. I'll go babam and end it!"

Felicia makes to dodge out from behind Kyouko's barrier, but Iroha grabs her by the arm to stop her.

"Felicia-chan!" she protests. "Don't fight it on your own!"

"Why not?" Felicia asks. "All we gotta do is smash it."

At that moment, Kyouko's barrier crumbles from the onslaught of rocks, and suddenly a much larger one comes flying, almost five times the size of their heads.

"Watch out!" Kyouko shouts.

While Kyouko splits her spear into segments to wrap around that larger rock, snatch it from the air, and smash it up against the wall, everyone is pummelled with the smaller rocks, unable to even dodge, and within seconds they're all on the ground, groaning.

"What was that!?" Felicia shouts. "Chucking rocks again!? And that was a fricking boulder!"

"If Miss Sakura hadn't crushed it in time…" Iroha says. "You would've been a lot flatter than you are now, Felicia-chan."

Felicia growls and shakes her fist at the owls hovering overhead. Fortunately for them, it appears that they've run out of rocks for the time being, giving the girls a brief respite.

"You've got some nerve!" she shouts.

"Yuma will fix everyone!" Yuma shouts.

She smashes her hammer on the ground, emitting a green flash that washes over them all, and Iroha blinks.

"Ah… I really do feel better," she says. "That helps… I'm almost out of magic so I can't really heal everyone right now…"

"Ohh!" Felicia shouts. "That's awesome, Yuma! You're amazing!"

She leaps up and takes a few steps forward, and suddenly another boulder lands not one metre away from her, startling her.

"Give up trying to get close to it!" Kyouko shouts. "It's not gonna work! This sure is a pain…"

"You said it," Iroha says.

"Ugh, if only I could still use Rosso Fantasma," Kyouko mutters under her breath.

"Why can't Kyouko use it?" Yuma asks, apparently hearing what she said.

"It's nothing," Kyouko mutters.

"It might not be nothing!" Yuma protests.

"I lost that power long ago," Kyouko retorts.

"If it's broken, then maybe Yuma can fix it!"

Kyouko blinks at her.

"The hell're ya talking about, ya little squirt!? This ain't something ya can just fix!"

"But Kyouko, you won't know unless Yuma tries!" Yuma shouts.

"Hmm… it looks like the larger rocks come flying whenever we get closer," Iroha says.

"Can you hit it from here with your bow?" Kyouko asks.

"Oh, good idea," Iroha says. "A shot from this distance is easy enough… but I don't think I have enough magic left for a big one like earlier."

Iroha aims and fires a single bolt at the cup. Although it hits right on the mark, it doesn't appear to have any effect on the rumour.

"It… didn't even scratch it!?" Iroha gasps.

"What a pain in the ass," Kyouko says. "What the hell do we do now?"

Felicia shows off her countdown paper, which now shows ten minutes remaining.

"I dunno, what is there to do!?" she shouts. "We've only got ten minutes left!"

"Maybe I can try extending my spear," Kyouko suggests. "Then it might be long enough to reach it. We'll just have to throw any and all ideas we have at it. We'll try Yuma's idea too. Maybe as a last resort you can use that… doppel thingy."

"I don't even know how to make that come out," Iroha says.

"And we're already outta time!" Felicia shouts.

"You got a better plan!?" Kyouko retorts. "Stop complaining and think of something!"

While Felicia lets out her frustration with a wordless yell, Kyouko turns and tries her idea of extending her spear. However, though she's able to get it long enough to reach the rumour, it's too unwieldy at that size, and the most she can manage is trying to nudge the rumour. Unfortunately, the rumour seems to be quite heavy, so she's unable to budge it or even scratch it.

"It doesn't seem like the rumour wants to attack us," Iroha observes.

"It's not like it needs to," Kyouko says. "If we can't take it out, it wins by default, right? So what'll we do now? Yuma, wanna give your idea a shot?"

"Hmm… Yuma needs to know more," Yuma says. "Why'd Kyouko lose that power? And when? How?"

Kyouko blinks. "Ugh… I didn't wanna have to bring up bad memories… but if it might help to beat this damned thing… fine! It was back when my family died, okay?"

"Kyouko's family?" Yuma says.

Iroha blinks. "Y-your whole family died!?"

"So you're like me too!?" Felicia exclaimed. "That makes three of us… what a weird coincidence… did your parents die too, Iroha?"

"Eh!? No, they're just fine… I was eating dinner with them last night…"

"Um… what happened?" Yuma asks. "Um… Yuma thinks she needs to know before she can try fixing it… s-sorry…"

"Yeah… Dad found out about my magic," Kyouko mutters. "He lost his mind, killed Mom and Momo, and committed suicide…"

"Th-that's awful," Iroha says. "I can't even begin to imagine what that was like for you…"

"It's nothing," Kyouko retorts. "I'm long over it now…"

"Alright! Yuma gets it!" Yuma shouts. "Yuma can probably fix your magic, Kyouko!"

"Huh!? What's there to get?" Kyouko asks.

"Kyouko's mother and father and Momo died because of that power, right?" Yuma says.

"Ah, I see where Yuma-chan is going with this," Iroha says, nodding. "If you rejected your own power because it indirectly caused the death of your family… then it's not so surprising you'd be unable use that power…"

"Then Yuma will fix Kyouko's fear!" Yuma shouts.

She slams her hammer on the ground right next to Kyouko, emitting another green flash and startling her.

"How's that?" Yuma asks.

"Th-that's all it takes!?" Iroha gasps. "U-um… t-try it, Miss Sakura… can you use it now?"

"What?" Kyouko says. "Um… lemme give it a try."

She closes her eyes for a second and seems to split in two. Iroha gasps.

"I-is that… illusion magic!? Clones!? You were hiding such an amazing power, Miss Sakura!?"

Kyouko and her duplicate open their eyes and look at each other.

"Well, would ya look at that," one Kyouko says. "You're incredible, Yuma! Simply amazing… to think it'd be that easy to regain my lost power… I never coulda guessed it."

"Then… how do we use this?" Iroha asks.

Mokyu makes a cute noise, and Iroha gasps.

"Th-that seems a bit dangerous for Miss Sakura," she says.

"I'll draw its fire while the rest of ya follow behind me," the other Kyouko says. "If we can get close enough, y'all should be able to take that thing down!"

"Eh? You even suggested the same thing!?" Iroha gasps. "W-well, if you're okay with it, then let's go with that plan!"

Kyouko and her clone both turn to face the rumour, raising their spears to point at the rumour and shouting in unison.

"Ya hear that, ya big bully!? We're coming to getcha! Rosso Fantasma!"

And five… ten… twenty… thirty of her clones pop into existence, all of them charging at the rumour. Iroha is momentarily startled by the quantity, but then she recovers and urges the others on.

"Come on! We can't let her sacrifice go to waste!"

The three of them chase after the clone army, which is already being pummelled by those boulders. However, it seems that the rumour can only field a single boulder at any one time. Every time a boulder lands, one of Kyouko's clones is flattened, but there aren't enough boulders to take out all the clones before they, and the other three girls, reach the top of the stairs. Although the owls attempt to impede their passage, their smaller rocks aren't enough to actually stop the stampede. At most, they cause a few of the clones to trip, but they recover quickly and continue charging.

"I can't believe it! We did it!" Iroha gasps.

"Victory is mine!" Felicia shouts. "Time to bash this thing's skull in!"

Iroha pauses for breath, leaning on the owlish part of the cup, while Yuma and Felicia both swing their hammers as hard as they can at the rumour, and Kyouko and her remaining five clones form a perimeter, erecting a chain barrier to keep off the still-ongoing boulder attack. Iroha checks her countdown paper and finds only five minutes remaining. Despite Yuma and Felicia continuously smacking the thing with their hammers, and Iroha bombarding it with arrows as fast as she dares, given her low magic, it has very little effect on the rumour. That's not to say it has no effect at all – in fact, there are visible cracks appearing and starting to spread – but it's going very slowly. Iroha glances repeatedly at her countdown, watching as it rolls down to four, and then three minutes.

"The hell is taking y'all so long!?" one of the Kyouko copies suddenly shouts. "This barrier ain't gonna hold out much longer!"

"This thing's really tough!" Felicia shouts. "It's really, really, tough! But I'm getting through!"

"Ya really are a powerhouse, huh?" another Kyouko says.

"Say, Miss Sakura," Iroha says. "If you can use illusion magic, can't you just make us invisible?"

"It ain't that simple!" a third Kyouko shouts.

"These illusions don't work that way!" a fourth one says.

"Plus it's all rusty from disuse!" a fifth one adds.

"Anyway, I can only make things appear that ain't there," the sixth and final one says. "Invisibility just ain't in my power set."

"I… I see," Iroha says. "W-we're down to two minutes… any ideas?"

"Yuma will try something!" Yuma shouts. "Felicia, keep it busy!"

"Got it!" Felicia shouts. "I was already doing that anyway!"

Yuma hops back and raises her hammer above her head, charging magic into it. Iroha watches her countdown, and just as it rolls down to one minute, Yuma suddenly leaps into the air and swings her hammer hard at the upper edge of the cup, just below the limits of Kyouko's barrier.

"Lyyyyynx Impact!" Yuma screams.

"What does that even mean?" Iroha wonders. "Oh… is it a lynx because she's a kitty…?"

"Beats me," one of the Kyouko copies shrugs.

The impact causes the entire cup to shake, sloshing water out the side and drenching all of them. Iroha, Felicia, and all but one of the Kyouko clones lose their footing and fall over, and to make matters worse, Iroha and Felicia bang their heads together and Yuma lands right on top of them before rolling off and banging her head on the ground.

"Ugh!" Felicia shouts.

"Ouch!" Iroha says.

"Owie!" Yuma yells.

Felicia flails about as she tries to extricate herself from the heap of clones, which takes a good few seconds. Then she picks herself up and looks at the rumour.

"Ah!" she gasps. "That attack did the trick! Look at all those cracks! We're almost there!"

"A-alright," Iroha says, sitting up a little groggily. "M-maybe I have… just enough for… another big one…"

She aims her crossbow at the rumour and charges magic into it. She doesn't charge it as long as she usually does though, likely because her soul gem is so darkened.

"Strada… Futuro!" Iroha screams.

Unfortunately, even a bombardment of light bolts from above isn't enough to finish off the rumour… and almost at the exact same moment, Kyouko's barrier finally shatters, and one of her clones is flattened by a boulder.

"We're outta time!" another clone shouts. "Now listen, ya little brats! It's counting down the seconds now! Hurry up and take it out already!"

"Easy for you to say!" Felicia shouts. "My hammer isn't doing squat to it!"

"Yuma is… almost at her limit too!" Yuma shouts.

"Whaddaya expect us to do about it!?" all the Kyouko clones shout in unison. "These boulders just keep falling on us!"

"Yeah, but still!" Felicia shouts.

Yuma and Felicia leap up to smack it with their hammers, but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference even with all those new cracks. Another boulder falls, flattening one of Kyouko's clones.

"Y-you're kidding me…" Felicia says. "It didn't even make any of the cracks bigger!? And only one minute left!? Smash, crash, bang!"

She keeps smashing at it in vain, and though it seems to have only minimal effect, Yuma follows her example.

"What is with this thing!?" Felicia screams. "Ummm… okay… ugh, I don't even know what to try anymore!"

A boulder falls down towards Felicia, but one of Kyouko's clones shoves her out of the way at the last second and is flattened.

"O-oh no… I think…" Iroha mutters. "I'm… sinking…"

Then she falls forward on her face, and her doppel comes out. Felicia, Yuma, and the remaining three clones of Kyouko watch with mixed awe and horror as Giovanna rises up, smacks away the remaining owls like flies, and snags the cup with those trailing strips of cloth. Wrapping them firmly around the rumour and lifting it right off the ground, the doppel tips it over to empty it of the fluid within before swinging it bodily at the wall and smashing it to smithereens.

Unlike last time, the doppel doesn't turn on its allies after defeating the enemy in front of it. Instead, it gracefully retreats back into Iroha's body, after which she groggily sits up and notices her hair falling into her face.

"Ugh… w-what…? D-did I… unleash my doppel… again?" she asks. "Th-then… w-we b-beat it…?"

The remaining two Kyouko clones fade away, leaving only the real one, and almost at the same moment, the barrier collapses around them.

"Guess so," Kyouko says. "So that was your doppel, huh? Incredible… but what I can't understand is, why have I never heard of it before?"

"Those sisters suggested it was something new," Iroha says. "And special to Kamihama… maybe you can only use this technique in Kamihama…"

"Yuma really wants to know why that is," Yuma says. "What would happen if you tried to use it somewhere else?"

"Who cares?" Felicia says. "I live in Kamihama, so it's no skin off my back."

"Well spoken," Kyouko says. "Although I'd still like to know, since I don't live here."

"Um… we should check on the others," Iroha says.

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine," Kyouko retorts. "Why don't we just get outta this damp and dreary place first?"

But then, as if on cue, Tsuruno and Yachiyo appear from the tunnel behind them, leaning on each other and limping. Behind them, the Amane twins follow in a similar state, as well as the ten black feathers who'd gotten involved in the battle. The one in the best condition is Yukika, who's limping slightly but otherwise seems mostly okay. Hagumu and Shigure are leaning on each other, two of the feathers are supporting Ikumi who seems to be unconscious, and the remaining four have also paired up to support each other. They do all have their hoods up properly to hide their faces.

"See?" Kyouko says. "Let's get outta here."

"Ugh," Tsukasa says. "There should be an exit… that way…"

She points at one of the several tunnels leading out of the chamber, and Kyouko takes the lead in heading out. As they emerge back out into the streets, four spherical objects fall from the sky onto the ones who'd drunk the water.

"Oh no!" Iroha gasps. "W-wait…?"

But before she can say anything else, each of the spheres pops open in a shower of colourful confetti, leaving behind a sheet of paper with the words "Congratulations!", a two-layer thought bubble drawn in multi-coloured crayon, and a blue crayon teardrop in the bottom left corner. Iroha squeals in surprise, then blinks.

"O-oh! This is… Felicia-chan, Yuma-chan, Miss Sakura!"

"Ah, I see it," Kyouko says. "I got one too. It even drew a teardrop on it… it must've been pretty bummed that we won. Still, that was really close there…"

As Iroha lets out a long, relieved sigh, the rest of the black feathers finish emerging out onto the street and collapse onto the ground with a heavy sigh, all except for Yukika… though even she leans on a nearby lamp post.

"Ugh…" Shigure mutters. "I need… a bath…"

"You can… say that again…" Hagumu mutters.

"What a relief!" Iroha says. "I guess this means we're not going to be cursed anymore…"

"Iroha!" Felicia says. "My stuffed animal's gonna be okay, right!?"

"Yes!" Iroha says. "Nothing's going to happen to it!"

"Yay!" Felicia says. "It'll be alright!"

"Hey, you guys're just too much," Kyouko grumbles. "I've never fought a rumour or anything even close to that before… sure that was really dangerous, but it all feels so surreal."

"You did it, Iroha-chan!" Tsuruno shouts. "You beat the rumour!"

"Yes, we all worked together and brought it down," Iroha says. "And I learned a lot, too…"

"Dontcha dare start pitying me, ya hear?" Kyouko says. "That's all water under the bridge now, got it? Forget ya ever heard it!"

"Ah… I… okay," Iroha says. "But anyway, we were able to defeat the rumour by pooling all our powers together. And then… that thing came out again…"

"So you unleashed your doppel again…" Tsukasa says.

"But Felicia-chan was a great help too!" Iroha says. "She really saved us when we were ambushed! She just jumped into the air and smacked them all down!"

"Wow, that's amazing, Felicia!" Tsuruno says. "My opinion of you's changed a bit now! Yep, yep!"

"I wasn't really giving it much thought," Felicia says. "I just saw them swarming everywhere and got mad…"

"Even so, we beat the rumour because of you, and Miss Sakura, and Yuma-chan," Iroha says. "Our plan wouldn't have worked without all of us… I doubt we could've beaten it if even one of us hadn't been there…" She smiles, turning to Yachiyo and Tsuruno. "And I'm glad the both of you are safe, Miss Yachiyo, Tsuruno-chan."

"Well, you know me!" Tsuruno says. "Me and Yachiyo pinned those guys down real good!"

"We may have been a little rough on them," Yachiyo says. "And that one was unexpectedly strong, so she gave us a little trouble at first…"

She indicates Yukika, currently the only black feather still standing. Then she turns to address the twins, who are barely still standing, supporting each other, both lightly bleeding from leg wounds.

"So, it seems that we succeeded in getting rid of another one of your rumours," Yachiyo says.

"Yes, we failed the Magius," Tsukuyo says forlornly. "Our disgrace is so shameful."

"Now all we can do is…"

"Bring death to those who pose a threat!" Tsukuyo finishes her sister's sentence.

"F-for sure…" Tsukasa says.

"Don't even think about it," Yachiyo retorts. "I'd hate to make you suffer anymore."

"She's right. We should retreat for now."

A new voice joins the conversation, soft, reasonable, friendly, and Yachiyo gasps and freezes up, as if afraid to turn and see the source of the voice.

"That voice…?"

Of course, it is Mifuyu, currently transformed. There's also another white feather with her, fidgeting nervously. I think it may be the same white feather who she promised to give a less dangerous job, but I'm not quite sure.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it, Ya-chan?" Mifuyu says, smiling.

Without turning, Yachiyo hesitantly utters her name.

"M-mifuyu…?"

Unlike Yachiyo, Iroha doesn't hesitate in turning to face the newcomer, and she clearly recognizes her from the Séance Shrine incident, but she doesn't say anything. Felicia and the others also turn, ending with Tsuruno.

"M-mifuyu!" Tsuruno shouts. "Where have you been!? We've been searching everywhere for you! Get over here!"

She leaps forward and glomps Mifuyu, happily nuzzling in against the older girl's neck.

"Wah!" Mifuyu gasps. "Miss Tsuruno, please don't just throw yourself at me like that…"

"This calls for a party!" Tsuruno exclaims, not releasing her at all. "Today's the day we got Mifuyu back!"

"Got me back…?" Mifuyu says. "Hmm…"

While this is all happening, the white feather who accompanied her appears to be going around to the other members, applying healing magic to them one by one.

"Right!" Tsuruno says. "You came back to us! We gotta celebrate at Banbanzai!"

Mifuyu gently but firmly grips Tsuruno by the shoulders, forcing her back, away from her.

"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to go," Mifuyu says.

"Huh? Why not?" Tsuruno asks, startled.

"I can't come back to your team, Miss Tsuruno," Mifuyu says.

"Don't joke like that!" Tsuruno says.

"You must realize the reason why I appeared right now," Mifuyu says.

Tsuruno blinks. "B-but it can't be…"

"I'm afraid so," Mifuyu says. "I am one of the Wings of the Magius. A white feather to be precise, just like those three."

She indicates the twins and the healer.

Tsuruno gasps. "So that means… you're our enemy!?"

"If you insist on taking out rumours, then yes, I am your enemy, Miss Tsuruno," Mifuyu says sadly.

Tears start to appear in Tsuruno's eyes.

"N-no… you've gotta be lying! Yachiyooo!"

"I want to believe she's lying too," Yachiyo says. "Are you really Mifuyu…?"

"I see you visited the Séance Shrine," Mifuyu says. "You went through a lot to find me… and that means you must've met the fake me there. That… makes me really happy, Ya-chan… it's an honour to have a best friend who would search so hard for me."

"Why should I listen to you?" Yachiyo asks. "You must be a fake too, just like that other one…"

Mifuyu sighs.

"Ya-chan, we're not inside a rumour right now," she says. "So everything you see before you is completely real."

"I… I didn't want this!" Yachiyo suddenly shouts. "I didn't want to see you again like this!" She takes a deep breath and continues in a slightly quieter tone. "But it's not too late. Please, Mifuyu, just come back to us!"

"I can't," Mifuyu says. "I have an important role to play as part of the Wings of the Magius. I act as a relay between the Magius and the magical girls who follow them…"

"But what they're preaching can't be anything more than a lie," Yachiyo says.

"Even so, I want to put my faith in it," Mifuyu says. "After all, without the Magius, I wouldn't even be alive right now. And even if you prove to be right about the Magius, I can't just abandon all these girls who're relying on me."

Yachiyo gasps. "Y-you don't mean…!?" She blinks. "You're really placing your faith in… in liberation?"

"Yes," Mifuyu says.

"Didn't you resolve to live your life as a magical girl a long time ago?" Yachiyo asks.

Mifuyu sighs, then suddenly raises her voice in frustration.

"Ya-chan, you're the only one who feels that way anymore!" she shouts.

Yachiyo gasps, perhaps as startled by her sudden outburst as by the actual words.

"Please drop this, Ya-chan," Mifuyu says. "I'm not going to change my mind, no matter what you say."

"So you're willing to hurt people, just for the sake of being saved," Yachiyo says. "Is this because of what happened last year…?"

Tsuruno gasps. "M-mel!?"

"Yes, it is," Mifuyu says. "It… changed you, Ya-chan… and me as well… even Momoko…"

"But I didn't turn out as you did," Yachiyo says. "Even Momoko—"

"That's because we're fundamentally different," Mifuyu interrupts. "I wanted to be saved, no matter the cost. It's in my nature… and always has been… I think you of all people should understand, being my best friend and all, with all the time we've known each other…"

Yachiyo sighs. "I swear I'll make you come to your senses, Mifuyu!" she says fiercely.

Yachiyo hefts her spear, but suddenly Tsukasa and Tsukuyo, who have somewhat recovered from their wounds thanks to the healer, step in between Yachiyo and Mifuyu.

"We shall not permit that!" Tsukuyo says.

"Miss Mifuyu, let us handle this!" Tsukasa says.

"Get out of the way, you twisted birds!" Yachiyo shouts.

"Stop this at once, Miss Tsukasa, Miss Tsukuyo!" Mifuyu says. "There's nothing that will convince me to return to them… not as long as the Magius's hope of salvation remains. Stop all this silly fighting and retreat with grace."

Mifuyu powers down and takes a step back.

"We'll be leaving now," she says. "Miss Tsukasa, Miss Tsukuyo, and everyone else… come on."

"Oh, but—" Tsukuyo starts to protest.

"We can still fight!" Tsukasa interrupts her.

"Come on, now," Mifuyu says. "There's no point in fighting anymore. The rumour has already been erased."

The twins also power down with a sigh, revealing their school uniforms – Tsukasa's Kosho Academy uniform, and Tsukuyo's Mizuna uniform. Iroha lets out a little gasp as she recognizes the latter… or at least, I assume that's the cause. The ten black feathers and the white feather don't power down or dismiss their robes, but they do manage to get to their feet and move to gather near Mifuyu.

"Alright," Tsukuyo says.

Yachiyo just watches as the group turns and walks off.

"Miss Yachiyo, are you okay with this?" Iroha asks. "She's getting away!"

Yachiyo sighs. "It's fine, let her go," she says.

Mokyu pipes up with one of its cute noises, and Iroha suddenly blinks and runs forward.

"W-wait just a second!" she calls. "Um, Miss Mifuyu! I just have one more question for you!"

Mifuyu pauses to look back at her. The twins and feathers don't stop, continuing on without her.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Do you know a girl named… Tamaki Ui?"

"That's your missing little sister, isn't it?" Mifuyu says. "I'm afraid I don't know anything."

"The Ui I saw at the Séance Shrine said the same thing you all do," Iroha says. "She said that in Kamihama City, magical girls can be saved…"

"I don't know anything about that, either," Mifuyu says. "But it's possible that your sister became a member of the Wings of the Magius without me knowing… as unlikely as that sounds…"

Iroha blinks. "Huh…?"

"Well then, goodbye," Mifuyu says.

She turns to follow the rest of the feathers, and before long they've vanished around a corner.

"Ui, a member of the Wings of the Magius…?" Iroha says. "Would Ui do something like that…? I don't think she'd agree to join them…"

She and everyone else powers down, with a round of sighs.

"Miss Tamaki, would it be alright if I alter our plans?" Yachiyo asks.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Iroha says.

"I can't give up on Mifuyu," Yachiyo says. "We experienced seven years of magical girl life together, good and bad, as friends…"

Kyouko gasps. "Seven years as a magical girl!? That's a hell of a long time! I ain't been at this for even two years yet… even Mami's only had bout half a year longer than me…"

Yachiyo ignores the outburst and continues speaking.

"That means I need to keep reaching out to the Wings of the Magius," she says. "I'm going to keep eliminating rumours. Would you like to still accompany me as my assistant, knowing that?"

"Yes, of course!" Iroha says. "It's the same for me… the Wings of the Magius might be connected to Ui…"

"I wanna help too, I wanna help too!" Tsuruno exclaims. "As a friend of both you and her, I wanna help rescue Mifuyu! Yep, yep!"

"We are not friends," Yachiyo retorts.

"Oh why nooooot!?" Tsuruno protests.

"How about joining us as my pupil?" Yachiyo suggests. "Just like the old days."

"That's my Yachiyo-shishou!" Tsuruno exclaims.

She glomps Yachiyo, nuzzling up against her cheek.

"Urk… let go of me!" Yachiyo says.

"Do you guys ever quit?" Felicia asks. "It's over, let's just go home! I'm getting hungry over here!"

"We'll get going now, Felicia-chan!" Iroha says.

"It's getting dark," Kyouko observes. "I suppose I should start making my way back too… the party mood kinda took a turn for the worse, anyway…"

She pats a tired-looking Yuma on the head and hefts her onto her back, not riding on her shoulders this time but in a regular piggy-back position.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sakura," Iroha says.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Kyouko says. "Magical girls end up with baggage like this. Comes with the territory. And I'm sure seven whole years of baggage must be even worse…"

"Hey, before you go, could I ask you for a little favour…?" Iroha asks.

"Whaddaya want?" Kyouko asks.

"If you see Miss Tomoe, could you maybe try to smooth over our misunderstanding?"

"Oh, you mean about your doppel?" Kyouko says. "I dunno when I'll see Mami next, and I think miss mysterious already helped ya out in calming her down – she was pretty uncertain about it when she spoke to me, even asked me if it coulda been an illusion – but hey, if I do run into her, I'll tell her she was just overthinking things."

"Miss mysterious… um… do you mean Miss Akemi?" Iroha asks.

"I think that might've been her name," Kyouko says. "Something like that, anyway. I call her miss mysterious cause even Kyuubey's in the dark about her. If ya ask me, the way she talked, it wouldn't surprise me if she'd already seen a doppel… could be me reading too much into it though."

"I see," Iroha says. "So she might've withdrawn because she already knew what it was… or at least, she was calmer about it… that really makes me feel a bit better. Still… an extra word can't hurt…"

Kyouko nods. "Like I said, I'll put a word in for ya if I see her," she says.

"Thank you," Iroha says.

"How could Kyuubey not know about her though?" Yachiyo wonders. "He must've made her into a magical girl, right?"

Kyouko shrugs. "Beats me. I'm just repeating what he told me," she says. "Seeya."

They watch Kyouko walk off for a minute or two, and then Iroha sighs.

"Ah, I'm so tired," she says.

"I'm thirsty!" Felicia says.

"It's going to be awhile before I can drink regular water without second-guessing it," Iroha says.

As the sun slips beneath the horizon, the four of them walk to the train station and catch a train southwest, stewing over all the new revelations in silence, eventually getting off at Mizuna Station. Though normally they would have transferred to a different line there, they all wordlessly decide to leave the station and follow the main road west, presumably intending to walk the remaining distance back. Perhaps there was a telepathic conversation, or maybe one of them decided on a whim and the rest just automatically followed. As they step out from Mizuna Station into the cool night air, Tsuruno suddenly pipes up with a question.

"So hey, Iroha-chan, are you gonna stop looking for Miss Hiiragi's house?"

"What? Why would I do that?" Iroha asks.

"Well, you've gotten a new clue about where Ui might be, right? I'll let you eat for free at Banbanzai until you rate our food an A! Or, that was my plan, but…"

"If I did that it'd be really rough for your dad, Tsuruno-chan," Iroha says.

Tsuruno chuckles a bit. "Maybe!"

"You don't have to pick between the clues," Yachiyo speaks up. "One might end up being a dead end."

Iroha nods. "Yeah, it's not like it would do any harm to investigate both of the clues," she says.

"Even so," Yachiyo says.

She turns to Felicia, who has stuck with them the whole way, humming to herself.

"Why are you still here?" she asks. "You go to Chuo Academy, so you don't live near here, do you?"

"Huh?" Felicia says, startled.

"Our deal's over," Yachiyo says.

"You still didn't gimme that grief seed yet," Felicia says. "You promised it as a bonus reward!"

"Well, it should be obvious," Yachiyo says. "The moment you double-crossed us… when you decided to join the Wings of the Magius, that voided your contract."

"B-but I came back, didn't I!?" Felicia protests.

"You only came back after Miss Tamaki pleaded with you, correct? After all this, I understand your situation better and have revised my opinion of you. But that has nothing to do with the reward you forfeited. You aren't getting one."

"Stingy old bag," Felicia mutters.

"Listen you!" Yachiyo says.

"Yachiyo isn't even that old yet!" Tsuruno shouts. "She's only nineteen, you know! Nineteen, I'm telling you! That isn't old at all!"

"C-calm down, everyone!" Iroha says.

Yachiyo and Felicia keep glaring at each other, so Iroha speaks up again.

"None of that matters to me, okay?" Iroha says. "I'm still going to make you dinner…"

"For real!?" Felicia says.

"You're too soft on her," Yachiyo says. "Don't say I didn't warn you if she ends up clingy."

"Hey hey, so whatcha gonna make for me!?" Felicia asks.

"Um, well, I was thinking hamburg steak?" Iroha says.

"Really!?" Felicia exclaims. "Meat! Scooooooore! Tonight's gonna be a good night!"

"Oh, but it might be better if you came over after I've moved," Iroha says.

"What, so not tonight?" Felicia asks.

"I still don't know where I'm going to live," Iroha says. "Once I have an address, I'll let you know where it is."

"You promise!?" Felicia says.

"Of course."

As they continue walking, Felicia resumes her happy humming to herself. After some time, they come to a bridge over the river and pause to gaze out at the water.

"Hey, Felicia-chan," Iroha says.

"What's up?" Felicia asks.

"Are you going to keep working as a mercenary?"

"Well, umm… I mean… I guess I gotta?" Felicia says. "I stabbed those Wings of Whatsits in the back, so it's not like I have a choice."

"Um, well… Felicia-chan… this is just my opinion, but… I think maybe you should stop… you managed to restrain yourself today, but you might go on another rampage. When you do that, you don't notice what's around you, and you could hurt someone. Plus, if you just keep swapping sides based on what reward people give you… eventually everyone around you will… turn into your enemies, Felicia-chan."

"So?" Felicia retorts.

"Huh?"

"What can I do about that?" Felicia asks. "Yeah, maybe I go wild when there's a witch, but that's basically my specialty. If I wanna survive, there's nothing else for me to do except mercenary stuff… I'm glad you're gonna make me dinner… but I wish you wouldn't say crap like that…"

"But…"

"Whaddaya want me to do!?" Felicia exclaims. "I know I can't keep doing this forever! Y'know, even when I try not to stab anyone in the back, it happens anyway. Like, I'll help someone out who's on bad terms with someone I helped before. Before I know it everyone's acting like I double-crossed them or something! And that mean girl, Miss Tokiwa, started spreading rumours about me! What'm I s'posed to do about that!?"

"Miss Tokiwa is a smart one," Yachiyo mutters. "You shouldn't have crossed her…"

"Well then, maybe… how about teaming up with me?" Iroha suggests.

"Huh? Are you serious…?"

"Yeah. Let's fight together as friends, and let's eat together too."

"Are you for real?" Felicia asks.

"I am."

"I… I'll have to take a pass, though," Felicia grumbles.

"W-what? Why!?"

"I'd love to just get by without betraying anybody, but I can't pay you for food…"

"Then come stay with me," Yachiyo suggests.

"Miss Yachiyo?" Iroha says, blinking at her.

"You can be my personal mercenary while you live under my roof," Yachiyo says. "My place used to be a boarding house, so there are plenty of rooms."

"Really!?" Felicia gasps.

"Your services will be considered as payment for your rent," Yachiyo says. "If that's alright with you, come stay."

"Thanks a bunch, Yachiyo!"

"Thank you, Miss Yachiyo," Iroha says.

"I just decided on a whim right now, that's all," Yachiyo says.

Tsuruno suddenly giggles. "I just had a great idea," she says.

"What? A new dish for your restaurant?"

"Nope! If you don't have any money, why not come and work at Banbanzai? It might not be easy since you've got no experience. But it should be fine, especially if you're just helping out."

"Why? I'm not working for free," Felicia retorts. "That's for suckers."

"You wouldn't work for free!" Tsuruno says. "It's not much, but you'd get hourly pay. You won't have to pay for food at Yachiyo's place, plus you'll also get staff meals!"

"Free food!?" Felicia gasps. "Wait, what's a staff meal!?"

"After your shift, you can eat something from the restaurant," Tsuruno explains.

"Dinner!" Felicia exclaims.

"We've also started doing deliveries, but we still don't have enough staff to handle them all," Tsuruno says. "Me and Dad have been talking about hiring new people to pick up the slack. My little sister used to help out every now and then, but ever since, well…"

Iroha blinks. "You have a little sister, Tsuruno-chan? Why have I never seen her!?"

"Oh, she's with Mom and Granny," Tsuruno says. "I'm not sure where they're living now, though…"

"Ah… so your family's split up," Iroha says. "That's so sad…"

"She has a big sister too," Yachiyo says. "Who was even on the student council before she graduated."

"Oh, wow…"

"Onee-san is studying overseas!" Tsuruno says. "When she comes back, Banbanzai'll get even bigger! But anyway… come work for us, Felicia!"

"Reeeeeally!?"

"Yup!"

"Nice! Thanks a ton, Tsuruno!"

"You can call me Tsuruno-neesan, if you want!"

"Tsuruno!" Felicia repeats.

"Ah, so just Tsuruno then," she says, a little forlorn.

Iroha giggles. "Good for you, Felicia-chan."

They resume walking, eventually coming to a stop at a street corner near another train station. Someone nearly runs into them from around the corner and pulls up with a squeal.

"W-w-whoa!?" Felicia gasps. "Who's there!?"

"Ah!"

It's a girl with short reddish hair, a single streak dyed bright yellow, wearing the same uniform as Tsuruno.

"Miss Tsuruno!? And even Miss Nanami!?" she gasps. "S-sorry, I wasn't paying attention…"

"Ah!" Tsuruno gasps. "Konomi-chan!?"

"Miss… Haruna, was it?" Yachiyo says. "Don't worry about it… we were just on our way home… which I assume you were too, since you live just over there…"

It's Haruna Konomi, the magical girl from the flower shop. Given how close her workplace is to Yachiyo, it's almost a miracle she hasn't been seen before now.

"Of course," Konomi says. "I was just on my way back from hunting a witch…"

"Oh! You're a magical girl too!?" Iroha gasps. "There are so many in this town…"

Konomi giggles. "That's me, the magical girl of the flower shop, Haruna Konomi! If you ever need flowers, I'm your girl… it's literally just down the street where you came from, you can't miss it during the day!"

"I see," Iroha says. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss Haruna. I'm Tamaki Iroha… come to think of it, I think Kaede-chan may have mentioned you a few days ago…"

"It's always nice to meet another magical girl," Konomi says. "But I'm really surprised to see you with Miss Nanami… I thought she was more of a lone wolf…"

"W-well, um… we've come to an arrangement," Iroha says.

"By the way, since I've run into you anyway, Miss Nanami… do you know where Miss Mitama is?"

Yachiyo blinks. "What do you mean? Was she not in her office?"

"I wanted to get a tune-up, so I stopped by yesterday and again today," Konomi says. "I even checked twice today… but it was completely deserted all three times…"

"That's worrisome," Yachiyo says. "I'll check on her tomorrow and see if I can learn anything… it's possible she was just at home sick, after all."

"That's true," Konomi says.

"Um, so anyway… I'm going to head home now," Iroha speaks up.

She gestures to the train station.

"Ah, right, I'd better get home too!" Konomi says. "See you around!"

With that, she bolts across the street just as the walk light is about to turn, and disappears into the darkness.

"Okay," Yachiyo says. "From now on we'll be facing that enigmatic organization. Things may get a little intense, but let's work together as a team."

"Yes! Once I decide where I'll be staying, I'll let all of you know!" Iroha says.

"That's a promise, right!?" Felicia says.

"Yup, it is," Iroha says.

There's a brief pause before Yachiyo speaks up.

"Listen, Miss Tamaki," Yachiyo says.

"Yes?"

"You'll have to ask your parents, but I was wondering…"

"About what?"

"Would you like to stay at my place too? I feel like it might make things easier if you did. There's more than enough room."

"W-would that really be okay!?" Iroha gasps.

"If we all live together, I can eat that hamburg steak right away!" Felicia says.

"You're just thinking about yourself," Yachiyo retorts. "Miss Tamaki, I'm guessing your parents will be flying out of the country fairly soon, right?"

"Yes, their flight is Sunday morning," Iroha nods. "I'll be seeing them off from the airport down in Minaminagi Ward on that day."

"So I think it's something that you could at least consider."

"You're right," Iroha says. "And we even go to the same school, too, or at least Tsuruno and I do, and Momoko-chan and the others. You convinced my mother to let me stay over that one time…"

"Now that you mention it, I did, didn't I?" Yachiyo says. "Although she didn't really take much convincing…"

"Well, if you're sure I won't be a bother…"

"We are friends, aren't we?" Yachiyo says.

"I thought… I was your assistant," Iroha says.

"You have ten seconds to decide," Yachiyo says. "Ten, nine, eight—"

"Uh, I—" Iroha blinks. "Uhh, um, yes please!"

"It's my pleasure," Yachiyo says.

"Yep yep!" Tsuruno shouts. "Yachiyo-shishou!"

"What?"

"Do you have a room for me?"

"No. You already live really close."

"Whaaaaaaaaat…"

"Don't be selfish. Alright then, now that that's decided, shall we?"

Yachiyo makes for the station.

"Yes! Huh?" Iroha blinks.

"I'll come with you to your house, Miss Tamaki," Yachiyo says. "I'll need to explain this to your parents, so it's best if I talk to them in person."

"Wait, what about me!?" Felicia gasps.

"I'll give Tsuruno the key so she can let you in," Yachiyo says. "Tsuruno… you can stay over, just for tonight, in case I don't make it back today. Just… promise not to make a mess."

"Yay!" Tsuruno shouts. "It'll be just you and me tonight, Felicia! Let's go!"

Yachiyo grabs Tsuruno's arm before she can run off and slaps the key into her palm.

"Don't forget this if you want to get in," Yachiyo says.

"Right!"

And with that, Tsuruno takes off, and Felicia chases after her. Yachiyo and Iroha watch them go for a moment, then head into the station.

Kyouko leaves the station in Mitakihara and almost immediately runs into Mami. Homura isn't with her this time. Yuma appears to be fast asleep, no longer in piggyback and instead resting on one hip with her head on Kyouko's shoulder, a hold really only possible on a child.

"Oh, Mami… on your way home?" Kyouko asks.

"Kyouko? What are you doing here?" Mami asks.

"Nothing much. Doing the same as you, heading home," Kyouko says.

"I see…"

"Oh yeah, since we're both here, there's something I wanted to tell ya," Kyouko says. "Remember what you were going on about last time we met?"

Mami blinks. "W-what about it?"

"That wasn't a witch at all," Kyouko says. "Just something that comes out when your soul gem gets tainted, or something. They said it's like some kinda 'projection of your feelings'. Anyway, it's not a witch. That's all I wanted to tell ya. Later."

As she walks past Mami, the other girl calls out to her.

"Wait! Where did you hear that from?"

Kyouko pauses and half turns to look back.

"I didn't hear it anywhere, I saw it myself," Kyouko says. "Twice, in fact, one the very same girl as you saw."

"You did!?" Mami gasps. "Then… you went to Kamihama!?"

"Yeah, I did," Kyouko says.

"Why!? I made it really clear that you shouldn't get involved! And… to think you'd even drag Yuma-chan into it!"

"Huh? Ya thought I'd really just do what ya told me to?" Kyouko retorts. "As for Yuma, she gave me those eyes I just couldn't refuse… that's my bad… but a warning's just a warning. Thanks for the heads-up, by the way. But what I do with that info is completely up to me, alright?"

"I can't just watch you throw yourself in danger and put yourself at risk," Mami says. "I just can't. And even more for such a small child… she's not even a magical girl, right?"

"Ehh, about that," Kyouko says. "The little idiot went and made a wish yesterday without telling me…"

"Oh… but still, you should consider yourself lucky you made it back. From now on—"

"What? Are you seriously about to lecture me on what to do again?" Kyouko retorts. "What's your deal? You wanna keep me all wrapped up on a tight leash, is that it?"

"I'm worried about you," Mami says. "If there's a way to protect you, I will do everything I can… I don't know what you think of me, but for me, if even just for a moment… you were my friend, who went through all the same highs and lows as I did."

"I've changed," Kyouko retorts.

"What?"

"I'm not the same person I was back then. I'm not drunk on some idiotic idea of justice… eager to protect everyone and keep them happy… I'm not your naïve little magical girl underling anymore! And yet, you still say… you wanna protect me? What a joke… I'm even stronger than I was back then… I ain't in need of any protection."

"And yet… you're looking after Yuma-chan… that's some concept of justice, isn't it?" Mami asks.

"She just latched onto me on her own," Kyouko retorts. "I'm just doing what needs to be done."

"It's true you've gotten stronger since we separated," Mami says. "I was surprised to see your new style of fighting… but what about the magic you lost?"

"Funny you should mention that," Kyouko says. "I don't really get it, but Yuma helped me get it back… my Rosso Fantasma…"

Mamo gasps, but she has no time to compose a proper response, for Kyouko just turns and walks off. Mami stares after her until she disappears around a corner, then sighs.

"I still want to protect you, Kyouko," she says. "I hope someday we can share the same view… the same path, again. There is just no way I can give up on you…"

"Maybe you are the one who's naïve," a new voice pipes up.

Mami spins to see Oriko standing there, smiling at her.

"What a coincidence this is," Oriko says. "We all went to Kamihama to collect grief seeds, and by some chance we all returned at the same time."

"You are…?"

"Mikuni Oriko," Oriko says. "I already know of you, Tomoe Mami… all the magical girls in town know of you."

"Have you… seen one of those… witch things coming out of people, too?" Mami asks.

"Seen one?" Oriko says. "I have unleashed a doppel myself… it saves on grief seeds, after all. But I hope you do not get the wrong idea… it is not like some magic spell that will clear your soul gem on a whim. Unless you intend to move to Kamihama on a long-term basis, you will still need grief seeds to keep your soul gem pure."

"So, to get back to your introductory comment… am I really that naïve?"

"Yes, I believe you are the naïve one, Miss Tomoe," Oriko says. "To protect someone who neither needs nor wants protection is just to be a nuisance, do you not think so?"

"Even if that's true, I can't help how I feel," Mami says.

"My my, I would never ask you not to feel however you please," Oriko says. "But if those feelings are a nuisance to others, would it not be better to keep them to yourself? Do not selfishly force your feelings on others, even if they are altruistic feelings."

"What about you?" Mami asks. "Is there no-one you'd want to protect?"

Oriko shrugs. "I am gathering grief seeds for three, after all… the Asako sisters are counting on me," she says. "But they are also hunting what few witches remain around our school, so it is not a one-way relationship. Though I would not have put it so crudely, I sympathize with Miss Sakura's sentiment. I believe you should rethink your relationship with that girl."

"What is the problem!?" Mami suddenly shouts. "I just care for her, okay!? Why can't I want to protect her!?"

Oriko smiles. "Is not Miss Sakura at least as strong as you?" she says. "It is admirable to wish to protect her, but you are attempting to force those feelings upon her. What if, instead of solely expressing worry, you were to ask her to protect you?"

Mami blinks. "B-but… that's…"

"Give it some thought," Oriko says.

"Um, and… about the… doppel, you called it?" Mami says. "You seem to know a lot about it…"

"I am not the person you should be speaking to about that," Oriko says. "The doppel is a phenomenon created and controlled by the Wings of the Magius. If you wish to learn more, you should speak to them… although, I cannot say I would recommend doing so. Something terrible could happen."

"I… I see… then, thank you very much, Miss Mikuni!"

"I pray that I do not regret telling you that…"

Oriko turns and walks off, and Mami does too, taking the perpendicular street to hers. Before she gets home, however, a small silver-haired figure comes running up to her.

"Mami-nee, Mami-nee, there's trouble!"

"Nagisa-chan!? W-what's going on!?" Mami asks.

Nagisa holds out a soul gem that's so darkened it looks about to hatch into a grief seed… there are just a few pinpricks of light remaining. Mami gasps.

"T-that's… huh? Not your soul gem?"

"It's the rose sister!" Nagisa exclaims. "She came over earlier and collapsed on the doorstep… Homura told me I should take her soul gem far away… I've been running around looking for you ever since…"

"Miss Kaname!?" Mami gasps. "I can't believe it got this bad in just one day…"

She takes out a grief seed and uses it on Madoka's soul gem, but unexpectedly, it's actually not enough to draw out all the grief, leaving it still around ten percent full.

"What about Miss Miki?" Mami asks.

"The sword sister? I haven't seen her today," Nagisa says.

"We should hurry back and see if she's okay," Mami says. "I can use another grief seed once I get there… and Kyuubey!? I need you to dispose of this one!"

Kyuubey leaps down from a lamp post to land on Nagisa's head.

"Of course," it says. "Perhaps you will need to dispose of a second one too?"

"I'm not sure," Mami says.

She flicks the used grief seed into Kyuubey's receiver slot, and then they all head back to Mami's place. The moment she opens the door, Mami calls out to Homura.

"Homura-chan! Is Miss Kaname okay!?"

Homura looks up from where she's been sitting on the couch, her eyes taking in Kyuubey now riding on Nagisa's shoulder and the now-purified soul gem in Mami's hands. Madoka's body is laid out with her head on Madoka's lap, unmoving.

"She's fine," Homura says. "She made it here just in time… I sent Nagisa off with her soul gem so it wouldn't get any worse."

"Oh, thank goodness," Mami says. "That doppel thing…"

"…only works in Kamihama," Homura says coldly.

"So you did know about it…"

"I'm more surprised you do," Homura says.

"I heard it just a little while ago from Miss Mikuni."

"Oriko again!?" Homura gasps. "What on earth is she up to this time…"

"I would like to know about this… doppel thing too," Kyuubey says.

"Huh? Even Kyuubey doesn't know?" Mami says, startled.

"Although I am aware of what normally happens when the soul gem is filled with impurities, the term 'doppel' seems like it refers to something different," Kyuubey says.

Nagisa snatches Kyuubey from her shoulder and shakes it.

"You can talk about it later," she says. "Right now the rose sister is in trouble! There's no time for your rubbish!"

"Nagisa, you shouldn't say words like 'rubbish'!" Mami protests.

"Sure," Nagisa says. "Then how about I say 'crap' instead? Or would you prefer 'shit'?"

Mami blinks. "Ahh… umm… I guess… if it has to be a choice between those three…"

"Yeah, I thought so," Nagisa retorts.

Mami blinks a few times to recover from Nagisa's barbs, then turns to Homura.

"In any case, look, I've already purified her soul gem," Mami says. "She'll need another seed soon enough, but for now…"

She passes Madoka's soul gem to Homura, who takes it and carefully tucks it between Madoka's hands. Homura then takes out a grief seed of her own and uses it to draw the remaining grief out. This fills up the grief seed, so she flicks it at Kyuubey, who uses its tail to smack it into the receptacle on its back.

"What about Miss Miki?" Mami asks. "Have you told her?"

"What would be the point of that?" Homura says. "Then I'd just have two of them on my hands instead of one. If you want to tell her tomorrow though, once Madoka has recovered, then I won't stop you…"

"Well… we really should," Mami says. "But do you have any idea how this even happened?"

"No clue… there was no time to ask," Homura says.

Suddenly Madoka's eyes flutter open, and she sits up with a gasp.

"Madoka!" Homura says urgently. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Madoka turns to sit properly on the couch so she can look at Homura.

"Homura-chan… Miss Mami… even Nagisa-chan… I'm sorry, did I worry you?" Madoka asks. "I'm really sorry… I was attacked… I had to defend myself or I would've died…"

"By who!?" Homura gasps.

"She said she came all the way from Matsumiya," Madoka says. "I don't quite remember her name…"

"What did she want?" Mami asks. "Did she say anything other than where she was from?"

"She was really mad," Madoka says. "She ranted about how we're stealing all the witches… apparently her friend… died… because there were no more witches in Matsumiya…"

"Oh my…" Mami says. "But… what does that have to do with us?"

"Um… this is just me speculating, but… I think maybe she ran into a witch here and just jumped to conclusions," Madoka says. "If she checked several other cities and that was the first witch she found, then…"

"And… what happened to her?" Mami asks.

"W-well… I'm not quite sure," Madoka says. "My arrow tore her in two… but Miss Hayashi was with me, so I think she might be alive still? I really hope so… I hope I didn't kill her… I didn't expect her to be so… fragile…"

"Hayashi Hiyori, you mean?" Mami asks.

Madoka nods.

"Why didn't she take your soul gem?" Homura asks.

"Um… everything moved so fast," Madoka says. "I don't think she even had a chance to realize it was that bad… as soon as I noticed, I somehow made my way here… I actually used my last grief seed on the way over, and I still only barely made it in time. That girl's magic was really strong… it looks like it takes awhile to charge, so maybe not great for fighting witches, but that still makes it perfect for an ambush."

"Did you dispose of that grief seed?" Mami asks.

"I already gave it to Kyuubey," Homura says.

"Okay… I got plenty of grief seeds today, so I'll give you three of them, Miss Kaname," Mami says. "You need more than any of us, after all."

"Thank you, Miss Mami… I'm sorry to be such a burden to you," Madoka says.

"It's quite alright," Mami says. "Do you know if Miss Miki still has any grief seeds?"

"Um, yes, I think she still had one," Madoka says.

"Then I'll wait until tomorrow to give her one… Nagisa-chan, you can have one too. Think of it as thanks for helping Madoka out tonight."

"Okay, Mami-nee…"

"Do you need any, Homura-chan?"

"That was my last one just now," Homura says.

"Then, I'll give you one as well."

"You really got that many!?" Madoka gasps.

"Yes… there really are a lot of witches in Kamihama," Mami says. "I fought so many of them… and some of these are also from yesterday. I just hadn't had a chance to hand them out yet… I wish I had, you wouldn't have had this problem then…"

She passes out three seeds to Madoka, one to Homura, and one to Nagisa, and she appears to have at least three or four left besides.

I sit up in my bed, digesting this new information. For the first time, an entirely new magical girl that I've never heard of? She doesn't fit into any of the factions of the second arc, she's not a former Wing of the Magius, she's not even a crossover character as far as I can tell… just who is she? But… even though she's someone I know literally nothing about, I get the feeling I should've seen this coming, or at least something like it. If witches are declining all across the island, of course that would include Matsumiya, and of course the magical girls there would notice and react. From what I could tell on the map, Matsumiya is a smaller town, like Yukuni or Hohzuki, but still large enough to host several magical girls. Presumably some of the members of the Wings of the Magius have come from there too.

I get out of bed and head into the hall, where I find to my surprise that the lights are still on downstairs. I head down and peek into the living room, startling the sisters who are still there.

"Oh! Ashley-chan!" Hiyori says. "You couldn't sleep?"

"I wasn't sleeping," I say. "If you needed me for something, you could've just knocked."

"Well, it's not like we needed you," Hiyori says. "Though now that you're here… we could use some input…"

"I heard you encountered a magical girl from Matsumiya… is it about that?"

Hiyori blinks. "Y-yeah! How'd you know?"

"I just happened to be watching Miss Tomoe when she went home and found Madoka there," I say. "Madoka told her about it and mentioned you were also there…"

Hiyori blinks. "Huh? She went to Miss Tomoe…?"

"Because her soul gem was in a really bad state," I say.

"Oh my goodness!" Hiyori gasps. "I didn't even notice! Is she… ah, you said she told Miss Tomoe about it, so I guess she has to be okay…"

"It was a really close one," I say. "From what I heard, if she hadn't had a grief seed on her, and if she'd taken a few more seconds to get to Miss Tomoe's place, it would've been too late… she would've turned into a witch."

"I can't believe we were that close to doomsday," Komachi says.

"Miss Homura acted fast and asked Nagisa-chan to take her soul gem to a safe distance," I continue. "And then she found Miss Tomoe, who had a grief seed. So it was just barely safe…"

"Ugh," Hiyori says. "That's all on me… I even had a grief seed on me… and I knew she had stamina issues… I should've checked on her before the other girl… but the other girl was literally torn in two, so she just seemed more urgent at the time…"

"So… is she still alive?" I ask.

"I did some basic healing on her," Komachi says. "But we weren't able to obtain any new grief cubes, so I only did the bare minimum… I couldn't afford to use more magic."

"That's a problem," I say. "So you did try to get the wraiths to spawn again, then?"

Komachi nods. "We've tried it once a day since I spoke to you about it," she says. "Nothing yet… but we intend to keep on trying."

"Hmm… so you're actually in need of grief seeds then, right?" I say.

"Not urgently," Komachi says. "I defeated a witch yesterday… and Elise beat one the day before. I think there are just barely enough witches left for us to scrape by."

"Still, just scraping by isn't good," I say. "I have spares… would you accept one?"

"Um… well… this is an unusual situation, so I guess we can," Komachi says. "Sure… thank you very much."

I take out a grief seed and pass it over.

"Okay… so about this girl from out of town," I say. "If she was torn in two, I can't imagine she was still conscious… where is she now?"

"I didn't want to worry Mom and Dad," Hiyori says. "So I asked Claire-chan if the girl could stay at her place, since her parents are on a business trip until Thursday."

"I see, so she's at Claire-chan's place… and I don't suppose she's woken up yet?"

Hiyori shakes her head. "Definitely not, because I have her soul gem with me here."

"Ah… that would do it," I say. "Okay… so you have her soul gem, and her body's with Claire-chan… and you were debating what to do about her, is that it?"

"That's exactly it," Komachi says.

"I want to talk to her," Hiyori says. "She was clearly grieving for a lost friend, so… I feel kinda sorry for her."

"Yeah… it doesn't seem right to just shove her in the Freezer without even hearing her out," I agree. "Plus, this is intriguing to me as well… other than the Ancients, this is the first time a magical girl outside of my predictions has shown up… so I'd like to know more about her. If I end up abandoning this timeline, perhaps I can even save her friend…"

Komachi nods. "Yeah, so… what do you think? Before school tomorrow? Or maybe after school? We could just have a little chat with her… and with this grief seed, I could heal her properly as well."

I nod. "Right, she's still heavily injured, right?"

Komachi nods. "All I really did was stitch her back together so she wouldn't make a mess… all the internal damage is untouched. She'll probably have a massive bruise by now…"

"Hmm… maybe we should wait until after school to question her then," I say. "But you can go over in the morning to do some of your healing."

Komachi nods. "Yeah okay, that's not a bad idea," she says. "Alright… I guess we'll go with that?"

"And… I think I may be able to call in another magical girl with healing powers," I say.

"You don't mean Miss Kaname, do you?" Hiyori asks. "We can't do that to her… not after this almost caused her to witch out…"

"No, I was thinking about Yuma-chan," I say.

"Huh? The girl following Miss Sakura around? Since when was she a magical girl?" Hiyori asks.

"Since last night when she thought Miss Sakura was about to die," I say. "I have a vague idea of where they can be found… the two of them are staying in some fancy hotel somewhere in town, and it's close to a train station, but I didn't catch which station it was. Do you have any idea where that might be?"

"I thought she was broke," Komachi says. "How can she afford a fancy hotel?"

"Probably the Jedi mind trick," I shrug.

Both of the sisters look confused at the reference.

"The what?" Komachi asks.

"Um… a sort of hypnosis?" I say.

"Does Miss Sakura even have that kind of power?" Hiyori asks.

"That's a really good question," I say. "I don't really get it myself, to be honest, but I did see something weird in action recently… she leapt over the barriers at the train station, but no-one complained about her riding for free… for a moment it seemed they were about to, but then they just didn't…"

"Huh…"

"I don't think she fully realizes she has that power," I say. "She's been using it subconsciously now and then… or that's my theory anyway."

"Anyway, a fancy hotel, you say?" Hiyori says. "Then I think the most obvious place would be the one just down the street from Chuo Station. What was it called again…"

"Hotel Kagura, wasn't it?" Komachi says. "But the first kanji is 'fire' instead of 'god'…"

"Huh… I wonder what the significance of that is," I say.

Komachi shrugs. "No-one seems to remember where it came from…"

I frown a little. "Fire… as in… flame?" That last word is in English. "Flame… Flamel… huh? Could it be a reference to Pernelle!?"

Komachi blinks. "That might be a bit of a stretch…"

"But she was here in Mitakihara for quite awhile back in the early days, right?" I say. "So it's not impossible…"

"Well, you're not wrong," Komachi admits. "It's a stretch, but a plausible one…"

"Well… I don't have any other leads so I guess I'll start there," I say. "In fact… I think I'd have trouble sleeping after this, so I'll go right now."

"Okay… good luck, Ashley-chan," Hiyori says.

I head outside and transform, summoning Teddy Mk II and hopping on to soar up into the night sky. On Teddy, it takes almost no time to reach the central train station – Chuo just means 'centre' in the end – and locate the hotel Hiyori and Komachi were talking about. I then pull out my soul gem and feel for Kyouko's signature… but it turns out she's not in that hotel. However… I can sense her magic just on the edge of my range, so I head in that direction and find another hotel, also fairly close to the station. After some scanning, I locate the window belonging to her room and land on the balcony to tap on the window. I also send her a telepathic message so she knows who it is.

«Miss Sakura, could I have a little chat?»

She suddenly whisks the curtains open and slides open the glass door leading onto the balcony.

"The hell're you doing here so late?" she asks. "How'd ya even find me here, anyway?"

"Well… there's a bit of a situation," I say. "And I was hoping to borrow Yuma-chan for a little while tomorrow morning… is she awake?"

"Is this gonna be your favour?" Kyouko asks.

"Well, I dunno about that," I say. "I'm asking a favour of Yuma-chan, not you… so does that really count?"

"Ugh… I guess not," Kyouko admits. "She was asleep but apparently hunger woke her up, so yeah, she's awake. You can talk with her if you want. I don't really care."

I step inside to find Yuma digging in on some sort of pasta dish, devouring it voraciously. She glances up as I enter, blinking at me.

"Oh… it's the onee-san who helped Yuma when she was lost…" Yuma says.

"Good evening, Yuma-chan," I say. "I heard from Miss Mikuni that you're a magical girl who can heal, right?"

"Y-yeah…" Yuma says. "Yuma can fix almost anything!"

"There's someone who's really badly hurt and needs healing," I say. "She's a magical girl too, from another city… would you be willing to help her out?"

"Um… Yuma will do it!" Yuma says excitedly. "Yuma wants to be useful, so Yuma will do it!"

"Alright… do you know how to get to Mitakihara Middle School?" I ask.

"Um… is that where Yuma met you, onee-san?"

"Yes… that's right," I say.

"Kyouko can show Yuma the way," Yuma says eagerly.

"Oy! You leave me out of this!" Kyouko protests.

"But Kyouko!" Yuma says. "Yuma has a chance to be useful! Yuma can't let this chance go!"

"Ugh…" Kyouko grumbles.

"Okay… starting from Mitakihara Middle School, the way to Claire's house is…"

I give directions as best I can, and Yuma listens eagerly.

"Kyouko, please!" Yuma says. "Take Yuma there!"

"Good grief, ya little squirt," Kyouko grumbles. "What am I even getting myself into…? Alright, I'll take ya to the door, but I ain't coming inside, alright? I'll wait somewhere close by till you're done."

"Yay!" Yuma says, jumping up to hug her. "Thank you! Thank you, Kyouko!"

"Alright… thanks for the help, Yuma-chan," I say. "I probably won't see you there since I have school, but I'll be dropping by after school, so on the off-chance you're still there… I'll thank you again then. If not… I'll come by here later."

"There's no need for that," Kyouko retorts. "But still, I ain't gonna stop ya if that's what ya really want."

"I'll see you then," I say. "Good night."

And with that, I head back out onto the balcony, hop back on Teddy, and zoom back to the Hayashi house. After a brief explanation to the Hayashi sisters, I head to bed and fall fast asleep.

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.

Livia Medeiros

Age: Unknown
Eye Colour: Purple
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Brazil
Symbol: Blue design of concentric circles and diamonds (the Puella Care symbol)
Soul Gem: Oval purple gemstone on her forehead like a third eye
Element: Null
Weapon: Top hat and playing cards
Powers: Soul gem adjustment
Wish: Unknown
Affiliation: Puella Care

Speed: 2
Magical Stamina: 8
Offensive Power: 2
Defensive Power: 1
Initial Power Usability: 0
Learned Powers: 4

Sasame Yozuru
篠目ヨズル

Age: 14
Eye Colour: Yellow
Hair Colour: Brown
Origins: Unknown city in Japan
Symbol: Blue four-pointed starburst
Soul Gem: Blue four-pointed star-shaped gemstone at her throat
Element: Null
Weapon: Cane
Powers: Soul gem adjustment
Wish: "I want to die… so make me so I can go on living."
Affiliation: Puella Care

Speed: 7
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 2
Defensive Power: 3
Initial Power Usability: 1
Learned Powers: 3

Sawa Sudachi
佐和月出里

Age: 12
Eye Colour: Purple
Hair Colour: Pink
Origins: Unknown city in Japan
Symbol: Orange teardrop
Soul Gem: Orange teardrop-shaped gem clipped to her bangs
Element: Null
Weapon: Living cloak
Powers: Soul gem adjustment, hypnosis
Wish: "Help only me!"
Affiliation: Puella Care

Speed: 5
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 1
Defensive Power: 5
Initial Power Usability: 2
Learned Powers: 3

Chihiro Karen
千尋華蓮

Age: 16
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Brown
Origins: Mitakihara, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Green kite shield
Soul Gem: Green shield-shaped gemstone on her chest
Element: Forest
Weapon: Greatsword
Powers: Petrification
Wish: "I want me and my father to be safe from those who slander us."

Speed: 2
Magical Stamina: 2
Offensive Power: 10
Defensive Power: 4
Initial Power Usability: 5
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Hozumi Shizuku
保澄雫

Age: 16
Eye Colour: Purple
Hair Colour: Purple
Origins: Sankyo Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Purple leaf
Soul Gem: Oblong purple gemstone on her hip
Element: Light
Weapon: Wind and fire wheels
Powers: Wormholes, wind manipulation
Wish: "I want to see him! Take me to where he is right this instant!"

Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 7
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 6
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 0 (unkown)

Mariko Ayaka
毬子あやか

Age: 16
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Chuo Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Green four-pointed starburst
Soul Gem: Green four-pointed star-shaped gemstone at her throat
Element: Darkness
Weapon: Hammer
Powers: Make things a joke
Wish: "I want to become a bright person, just like my friend."

Speed: 5
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 5
Defensive Power: 6
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Mitsuki Felicia
深月フェリシア

Age: 13
Eye Colour: Purple
Hair Colour: Blonde
Origins: Minaminagi Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Purple hammer
Soul Gem: Purple lozenge-shaped gemstone on a chain over her stomach
Element: Darkness
Weapon: Hammer
Powers: Memory deletion
Wish: "I want you to make it so that what just happened never happened."

Speed: 5
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 6
Defensive Power: 5
Initial Power Usability: 6
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 (†).

Dum (Amane Tsukuyo)

The Doppel of isolation. Its form is a terrarium. The master of this Doppel isn't swayed by mood or emotion. She does, however, rely on her other half, the only person who truly understands her. Through this, the two of them are capable of completely isolating themselves from the outside. Together in their miniature world, they need only the company of the other to survive. This Doppel shuts out all physical and magical phenomena, allowing its master to perfectly protect herself and her twin. Though doing so causes their memories of anyone but each other to fade away.

Dee (Amane Tsukasa)

The Doppel of disassociation. Its form is an aquarium. The master of this emotion will not bend or break to any situation or circumstance, but she will lose herself utterly in her other half, the only person who truly understands her. Through this, the two are capable of severing their connection to the world outside. No matter the opinion or attitude taken, together in their miniature world they can only trust each other's presence. No one else can understand them. This Doppel shuts out any unknown values in order to keep its master's spirit stable, though doing so causes her sense of ethics to weaken.

Well, there's a ton of stuff in this chapter… the revival of Chihiro, the contract of Yuma, the rumour of the Misery Water, Oriko being all mysterious, and a mysterious new magical girl from Chiharu's hometown… but by and large I would say this is basically Yuma's chapter. I feel like she should've had a bit more presence earlier in the chapter (more precisely, earlier on the second day of these events), but well… I guess her starring role in the climax mostly makes up for that. But both these little kids invading the Holy Quintet sure seem pretty smart, don't they…?

Speaking of Oriko… despite being on Ashley's (and Homura's) side this time around, she's still basically being her old self, isn't she? Just what kind of prophecy might've prompted her to tell Mami about doppels? And was it really a coincidence that she happened to track a witch right on top of the one Kyouko was fighting, right when Shizuku of all people was there with her portal magic?

Aaand then there's Livia. I wasn't originally planning for her to show up this early, but as the most experienced Coordinator she just happens to be the perfect person to compare souls, so… here she is! Together with her two pupils, too.

We also get some information on the missing half of Tsuruno's family. I don't know of any actual primary source that says she has a little sister or where that sister is now, but it seems unlikely the wiki would say she has one if there's no such source, and after pondering it, the mother taking her youngest daughter with her when she left made the most sense to me. Maybe it contradicts established canon, but whatever.

And speaking of Tsuruno… I don't really know Chinese food, so I picked the first thing I thought of for Kaede's order, but I'm not sure it was a good choice… as noted in the narrative, she seems like someone who wouldn't like spicy food… but she does seem like a tofu sort of person, and it's the only thing I could think of that I know is definitely on Banbanzai's menu. But I might change that up later if I think of a better idea.

Once again I haven't posted the profiles of every magical girl who debuted in this chapter. I want to feature the black feather profiles in a chapter that's more Magius-focused, rather than one where they're just enemies facing up against Iroha and her team. It shouldn't be too long before we get there, though. (And of course, Yukika was already featured.) I've also omitted Konomi, for no real good reason.

I've updated the previous chapter to correct three errors.

First, I was inconsistent in the spelling of "senpai / sempai" used in chapter 71. After checking, I noted that in most of the fic I've used "sempai" except for one case in chapter 50, so I updated it all to be consistent. This isn't a question of correctness; an argument could be made for either spelling. However, using both is definitely wrong.

Second, I added a "chan" when Rika and Ren address each other, since this is supported by their voice lines in their Christmas story. I don't really know if they should be that close now during the peak of the Magius, but I'd rather keep things simple.

Third, I revised the reference to the Historical Research Club to note that it's possibly not yet formed. At least, Riko is unaware of it. Though, we now get a hint in this chapter that it really isn't formed yet…

In addition to the errors, I made a few revisions to the Magius's address to their Wings, as I was rushing it a little and forgot to include a few things I was intending to add in there. So, you may want to go back to the previous chapter and reread just that section.