Have you heard? Has anyone told you?
The Rumour of the Ripper Girl!
Wander into a dark back alley, and an echoing
bell reaches your ears! Ring, ring, ring.
That which was lost echoes out, for everyone to hear.
An echoing bell, ring, ring. Ring, ring, an echoing bell.
Where oh where oh where did you go?
I can find neither hide nor hair.
You there, could you please tell me a name?
Oh, but is that name really true?
If not, I'll rip and tear!
I'll tear your memories to shreds, so you'd better beware!
No, no, no, that's even worse!
Not giving an answer is even worse!
In that case, you're the Ripper Girl too!
Welcome aboard, nameless and lost girl!
From now on, you're the Ripper Girl too!
They say the lost name is right there in plain sight.
It's the hottest rumour that the girls lost in abandoned ruins are talking about!
Whooo aaam I?

I wake up early so I can get back to Mitakihara in time for school, trying not to disturb Inui. However, she stirs and wakes up while I'm getting changed.

"Ashley…?"

"Oh… sorry for waking you," I say. "I'm going back to Mitakihara."

"I see… what time is it…?"

"Around six o'clock."

"Right… see you later…"

I don my feather robes and leave the room. Unexpectedly, I run into a black feather on the stairs, heading down at the same time. Several locks of dark brown hair leak out from under her hood.

"Oh my," she says. "I didn't expect anyone else to be up at this hour…"

"Nor did I," I reply.

"Mind if I ask what you could be up to so early in the morning?"

"Oh… you're actually gonna ask?" I say, startled. "Well… I don't mind… if you tell me first."

"Sure thing," she says. "I work at a daycare, and we're planning a flower-viewing picnic tomorrow, so I thought I'd scout out some good spots."

Oh, a daycare… brown hair… then, could this be Yuki Maria? I can't come right out and ask her name though… that might make her suspicious…

"Ah, that's way more interesting than my reason," I say. "I'm still going to school in another town so I want to make sure I'm there on time."

The girl giggles. "Ah, you're right, that is quite boring," she says. "But it's definitely a good reason."

We end up exiting Fendt Hope together, at which point she banishes her feather robes. I blink at her. That white sailor uniform, with a blue skirt and ribbon, appears to be the uniform of Minaminagi Liberty Academy, and the length of her hair and the blue ribbon both also support my identification of her as Yuki Maria.

Since she exposed herself, I decide I may as well do the same, banishing my feather robes. Just as I was startled when she does it, she appears to be startled when I do it.

"Oh… you're different than some of the others," she notes. "Many of the girls around Fendt Hope are pretty shy."

As I head off towards the station, she accompanies me.

"Yeah, I've noticed that too," I say. "But it's not like it's required that we stay anonymous, right?"

"Most of the people I've spoken with would disagree," she says. "Well, if we're going this far, we may as well go all the way." She smiles at me. "I'm Yuki Maria. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Okay then! I totally didn't expect her to just come right out and introduce herself, but I suppose that confirms my theory.

"I'm Ashley Taylor, an exchange student from California currently studying in Mitakihara," I say.

"Huh, an exchange student?" Maria says. "May I ask why you joined the Wings of the Magius?"

"Because they seemed like they had a noble goal," I say. "In fact, it coincidentally matches my own personal goals, though whether or not their method will work out remains to be seen… what about you? Did you join because you regretted making a wish?"

"Well… not really," Maria says. "For the most part, I don't regret my wish, but… ever since I learned the truth, I've had second thoughts now and then. Maybe that is why I joined, in the end."

"I see…"

"Do you regret your wish?" Maria asks.

"No, absolutely not," I say. "In fact, I'm one of the rare ones who knew the truth before making a wish."

"Ahh… I see," Maria says. "So you've always known… ah, I should be going this way."

We have just arrived at an intersection, and she indicates a direction that doesn't lead to the station.

"It was nice talking to you though, Miss Taylor," Maria says.

"Likewise."

We split ways, and I head into the station to catch a train to Mitakihara. During the ride I ponder what I saw yesterday. I met two new girls that I didn't recognize, one from Matsumiya and one all the way from the mainland, that is, the island of Honshu. I don't think there are any magical girls from Honshu in the game… although I don't know where the Monogatari crossover characters are from. Still, she didn't remind me of any of them, and besides I only have one sketchy point of evidence, in the form of Laura of Wallachia, that they even exist in this world.

On more important developments, I obtained a Mirror Witch grief seed and was able to catch sight of Satori Kagome for the first time. I wasn't expecting to see her so early, so it was something of a pleasant surprise. Identifying who Kuro is was also a worthwhile accomplishment, so yesterday was actually a pretty good day, all things considered.

Once I'm off the train, I check the time quickly and notice an email from Komachi. It must've come in while I was lost in thought on the train. I open it up to see what it says.

"Are you okay? You never showed up to the party… even though I told Mom and Dad you'd be there for sure. Everyone stayed the night at Elise-chan's place – it was a lot of fun, actually."

Well… that changes my destination. I head for Elise's place instead of the Hayashi house, where I ring the doorbell. It's answered by Elise… no, wait? That expression isn't like Elise at all… plus she appears not to recognize me, which clinches it.

"Uh… may I help you?" she asks.

"You must be Liliane, right?" I say. "I'm Ashley Taylor."

"Ohh! I heard about you!" Liliane says. "Come in!"

"Sorry to intrude…"

I head inside to find everyone having breakfast. Sachie and Elise appear to be mutually avoiding each others' gaze, which is somewhat amusing.

"Oh! Ashley-chan!" Hiyori says. "Where on earth were you!?"

"I'm sorry," I say. "I went to Kamihama to get some grief seeds, then ended up staying over with Inui-chan and forgot to let everyone know…"

"Oh, so that's what happened," Komachi says. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"As a matter of fact, no, I haven't," I say.

"Then why not join us?" Liliane suggests. "There's plenty for you too, right, Mom?"

She raises her voice at the end, and Mrs Pierrot replies from the kitchen.

"Yes, of course! I'll make another cup of hot cocoa!"

I take a closer look at what they're eating. There's a giant plate in the middle of the table filled with some sort of triangular pastry, and both Claire and Sachie are in the middle of finishing off a ramekin of yogurt. There's also rice and miso soup though, so it's a strange mixture of Japanese and European food. I reach for one of the pastries and take a bite – there's apple in it, so I guess an apple turnover?

"This is good… is it homemade or did it come from a shop?"

"Ah, it's from a shop," Liliane says. "Dad can make them, but this party was pretty short notice so we just bought some. According to Mom, my condition suddenly improved around lunchtime yesterday, so the hospital said I could go home immediately… though I don't remember any of that…"

I nod, taking a seat. "Have you all had the discussion about that?" I ask.

"You mean about how our memories don't match Mom and Dad's memories?" Elise asks. "Wait… did you already know this would happen?"

"Well, this is the second time I've met Liliane," I say.

"I see," Elise says. "We did talk about it a bit last night…"

"So everyone here already knows we're all magical girls?" I say.

Liliane nods. "Yeah, though it really surprised me."

I take out two of the grief seeds I got yesterday.

"Did you talk about the witch shortage?" I ask.

"That came up too," Liliane says. "That's a good thing though, right?"

"Not exactly," I say. "Miss Liliane… did they tell you what really happened after that Christmas party?"

Liliane nods. "I turned into a witch… and must've been defeated by another magical girl…"

"Okay, so you should understand why a shortage of witches is a problem, then," I say.

"W-well… even so, I can't see it as a problem," Liliane says. "After all… the witches aren't hurting people anymore, right?"

"But you'll turn into a witch too if there are no witches," I say. "Which is why, I'd like to offer these two grief seeds, to share between the six of you."

"Oh wow, that's really generous of you," Liliane says. "How did you even manage to get so many!?"

"Actually, I collected eight grief seeds last night," I say.

All six of them gasp, almost in unison.

"Eight!?"

"Yeah," I say. "Kamihama's pretty much swarming with witches. I'm setting aside one for a different purpose, and I handed out four to the girls who teamed up with me yesterday, but that leaves three, and I don't really need that many, especially not when I can just go get another one."

"Well… if you're sure, then we'll gladly accept them," Liliane says. "Um… who should take charge of them…?"

"For us, it's usually Elise-chan or I who hold onto the grief seeds," Komachi says. "So would that do?"

"I'll let onee-san have one," Elise says. "And it's silly for both me and onee-san to have one, so you take the other, Komachi-chan."

"Alright," Komachi says.

I pass them to Liliane and Komachi, who tuck them away. Around that time, Mrs Pierrot enters the room with my hot cocoa.

"Thank you very much, Mrs Pierrot," I say.

"Oh no, this is nothing," she says. "Please enjoy!"

I take a sip. It's quite a rich chocolate flavour, and seems to even have a hint of peppermint.

"It's delicious," I say.

"Thank you very much," Mrs Pierrot says.

With that, she leaves the room once more.

"So… did you confirm that Miss Ayano is Elsa Maria?" Hiyori asks.

"Yes, I did," I say. "And I also discovered that Miss Yoshida is Matasaburo, so… that's the last one we can be certain of."

"Cool, and did you tell Madoka?" Hiyori asks.

"I haven't told her yet," I say. "I guess I'll email her now about it."

I whip out my phone to do just that, simply sending her a message saying that those two girls' witch forms have been confirmed. I don't bother mentioning Chihana's doppel or the Mirror Witch.

Once I've eaten my fill, I check the time on my phone and stand up.

"I need to grab my schoolbag from the Hayashi house, so I'll be going now," I say. "I'll see some of you at school, of course."

"Yes, see you later, Miss Ashley," Sachie says.

"It's too bad I'm in a different class," Liliane says with a sigh. "I have a feeling the school did that on purpose… to keep me apart from Elise."

"I'll see you in class, Ashley-chan," Komachi says.

I leave the Pierrot house and head to the Hayashi house, saying good morning to their parents. They ask how the party was, so I say it was good, and then I head up to grab my schoolbag and leave immediately after.

April fourteenth. Hinata Matsuri is in class, packing up, but something seems off. After a few moments, I manage to figure out what it is. Although Matsuri does have the butterfly marking on her left middle fingernail, Kagari's ring is missing. On the other hand, her right hand bears both the green eye marking and a ring.

Suzune of course is in the same class, but it only takes a few moments for me to recognize that her general attitude towards Matsuri is different from what I would've expected. To be precise, it's about the same as the original manga. I thought they'd be closer by now… what happened?

And Honoka's wariness of Suzune is also similar to the first timeline where I paid attention to the events in Hohzuki. If Suzune had given up on her mission, I would've expected Honoka to be less wary of her.

Near Matsuri, two of her classmates are gossiping.

"Hey, have you heard of the ripper girl?" one of them suddenly asks.

"Oh yeah, I know about that," the other girl replies. "You're walking down a street at night, and all of a sudden you hear a bell, and a woman in a coat steps out and asks for your name. If you tell her, she'll kill you by ripping you to pieces with a knife."

"Yeah, that's the one…" the first girl says.

"Ehhh… that sounds really scary!" Matsuri gasps.

Looking around, she catches Suzune's gaze.

"Ah! Don't you think so too, Suzune-chan?"

Suzune blinks, startled at being addressed, and just nods wordlessly. Honoka blinks too.

"That sounds really familiar," she says, glancing at Suzune.

Suzune shoots her a glare but doesn't say anything.

"Sorry? I didn't quite catch that, Honoka-chan…?" Matsuri says.

"Oh, it's nothing…" Honoka says.

Suddenly Matsuri blinks.

"Ah! I just remembered, we all agreed to meet up on the roof! Sorry Suzune-chan… Honoka-chan… I've gotta go! See you later!"

Matsuri jumps up and leaves the room, just as the two gossiping girls start talking about something else interesting.

"So why'd you even bring it up?" the second girl says.

"Well, because I heard about it from a friend in Kamihama recently," the first girl explains. "But it's a little different…"

"Oh? How so?"

"Instead of killing you, she just takes your memories away? Or something? I didn't really get it, to be honest…"

"…what on earth…?" Suzune mutters. "Why did it change? Should I… risk going back…?"

"Kamihama…?" Honoka says, blinking. "That's where Kyuubey said all the witches are going…"

Suzune turns to look at her, staring. After about thirty seconds, Honoka starts fidgeting a bit.

"Um, uhh… i-is there something on my face?" she asks.

"Kyuubey said the witches are going to Kamihama?" Suzune asks.

Honoka nods. "Wait… hasn't he told you about that too?"

"I don't speak to Kyuubey very often… but could a witch cause the rumour to change…?"

Honoka shrugs. "Beats me…"

"However, I also heard some girls were erased by the ripper girl in Kamihama," the original gossip says.

"What, are you kidding?" her friend says. "Like the serial murders?"

"Huh? No, not like that," the gossip says.

"But I thought the ripper girl rumour was based on the murders," her friend says.

"I don't know about that," the gossip says. "They might just be similar rumours… but my friend in Kamihama says she knows some people who just went missing. No body, no trace, nothing."

"…that could just be witches," Honoka mutters. "I doubt there'd be someone else like…"

She trails off as Suzune shoots her another glare.

"Ah… s-sorry," Honoka says.

"Wow," the gossip's friend says. "So there are no clues where they might've gone?"

"Yeah, that's what I heard," the gossip says. "One of the missing was even an honours student, apparently… what was her name… To…kiwa, I think?"

Suzune blinks, turning to stare at the gossip.

"…do you know this Tokiwa?" Honoka asks.

"Slightly…" Suzune says. "But she should be…"

Honoka blinks. "O-oh… I see… so she was a magical girl…"

"I… should check it out," Suzune says.

"T-then I'm coming with you!" Honoka says.

Suzune turns to look at her.

"Seriously? You got a death-wish or something?"

"No… I'm curious too," Honoka says. "If you don't want me along, I'll just travel separately… and besides, I also need to get some grief seeds. I just used my last one this morning."

"Well… whatever," Suzune mutters. "Do what you like. You already got away once, so I'm not gonna try anything as long as you're aware of my presence."

"Alright!" Honoka says. "Let's go!"

The two of them finish packing up and leave the classroom, at which point I switch the vision back to Matsuri just as she bursts out onto the roof.

"Thanks for waiting!" she says. "Sorry I'm late!"

"Ugh! You know what's coming to you because you kept me waiting, right!?" Arisa says, annoyed.

"Don't be so mean to her," Chisato retorts. "You just got here a minute ago yourself. Besides, who wakes you up every morning?"

"T-that has nothing to do with this!" Arisa protests.

"Now, now, calm down," Haruka says. "Let's get down to business now that we're all here."

"So, what's this meeting about?" Matsuri says. "You called for it so suddenly this morning…"

"Let me guess!" Arisa says. "Is it about the recent ripper girl rumour!?"

"No, of course not," Chisato retorts.

"Arisa is correct," Haruka says.

"What!? Seriously!?" Arisa gasps.

"W-what do you mean!?" Chisato asks.

"Well… at least, Arisa is on the right track," Haruka says. "That rumour is part of the topic I wanted to discuss. To begin with… have you all heard about the recent string of murders here in Hohzuki?"

In fact, that in itself is strange. Matsuri should have connected with Suzune and put a stop to those before they even got started… what happened there? Honoka, the would-be first victim, escaped thanks to my warning, and as far as I know, those five magical girls are the only ones in Hohzuki… although… I admittedly never verified that to be the case. Perhaps Suzune just killed a few more between her encounter with Honoka and her transfer date? Or a few before attacking Honoka? But that doesn't explain her attitude towards Matsuri just earlier…

"Yeah, I saw it on the news," Matsuri says. "Though I feel like I heard it from somewhere even before that… before the graduation ceremony I think?"

Haruka blinks. "Really? I first heard it just about a week ago… do you remember anything else?"

Matsuri shakes her head.

"No… my memories are all fuzzy for some reason," she says. "I don't really get it… but I'll tell you if I do remember anything."

"Okay…"

"So if I recall correctly," Chisato says. "The cause of death in these serial murders was reported to be a slash from a knife, right?"

"Yes, apparently," Haruka says. "But according to what I heard from a reporter who knows my father, it was actually something much bigger than a knife or cleaver. Furthermore, all the victims were teenage girls."

"Hmm, was it really a human who did it?" Chisato wonders. "Could it be a witch…? Although there haven't been many witches around lately…"

"I don't think it was a witch," Matsuri murmurs. "I'm not sure if this is a repressed memory or just a hunch, but… I think it's a human… possibly even a magical girl…"

"I believe both are possible, but we don't know for sure yet," Haruka says.

"Wait, are you saying the ripper girl is behind these cases?" Arisa asks.

"Yes," Haruka says. "The ripper girl rumour seems to have been spread intentionally, and it started spreading even before the murders."

"What!?" Matsuri gasps. "I thought it was triggered by the murders… does that mean someone knew there was going to be an incident, and spread it around in advance?"

"No way," Arisa retorts. "How do you know it was spread intentionally in the first place?"

"Ever since I first heard the rumour, I've spent quite a lot of time tracing it," Haruka says. "And what I discovered was… it seemed to originate from Kamihama. The earliest posts about the ripper girl came from accounts situated in Kamihama, primarily Minaminagi Ward… and some of the accounts even proudly declared their affiliation with the Soukai clan."

Arisa blinks. "Isn't that an ex-yakuza group!? I heard they suddenly came clean a few years ago…"

"I'm not sure about the 'ex' part, but… you are again correct," Haruka says. "That said, I'm not sure they're actually behind this. Even so… the way it's spreading is strange. Whether it's the Soukai clan or someone else, it's like someone is intentionally trying to make it reach beyond the city."

"You mean, it's a rumour designed to be spread to other cities?" Chisato asks.

"That was the conclusion I came to," Haruka says. "But whatever the intentions, I think it's dangerous to ignore it, especially considering the recent serial murders. There's a possibility that they're from someone who heard the rumour and is copying it…"

"You're saying it could be a copycat murder…?" Chisato says.

"I have a feeling that's not what it is…" Matsuri murmurs.

"Maybe not," Haruka says. "But in any case, it's too early to assume it's a witch. Therefore, let's move onto today's topic. Since the rumours seem to originate in Kamihama, I'd like to go there to investigate the source of the ripper girl rumour."

"Speaking of Kamihama," Chisato says.

"Do you know something about it?" Haruka asks.

"Oh no, nothing about the ripper girl, but…"

"Chisato and I have been there before!" Arisa says.

"Ohhh, just the two of you!?" Matsuri gasps. "I wish I could've gone too…"

"It was pretty fun!" Arisa says. "We had some great taiyaki and stuff!"

"Taiyaki, huh?" Matsuri says. "But you can get that here too… wait a sec, didn't you tell me about that trip already, Chisato?"

"Huh?" Chisato says. "I don't remember telling you about it…"

Haruka clears her throat. "You two are getting off track."

"Oh, sorry," Matsuri says.

"Well then," Arisa says.

"Yes, we can't just leave it at that," Chisato says. "And we're getting low on grief seeds anyway, so…"

"Yes, Kyuubey did say all the witches seem to be gathering in Kamihama," Haruka says. "So that's another reason to go."

"Yeah! Let's go to Kamihama!" Matsuri says.

Okay, so as I suspected, Suzune and the Hohzuki quartet are going to go to Kamihama. I wasn't expecting Honoka to go along though, much less with Suzune rather than the quartet. But more importantly, I'm confused at Kagari's role in all of this.

When I spoke to Matsuri earlier, just after having Kagari occupy her body, she said she was going to reconcile with Suzune, but while they clearly know each other, there's nothing to suggest a reconciliation event ever occurred. The only thing I can think of is that Kagari erased Matsuri's memories – and also Chisato's – after I visited them.

And yet, it was the third time I'd done that. Why didn't Kagari re-erase her memories the first two times? What's different this time? It can't just be fate forcing the plot onto the rails of the game. I don't believe in fate. There has to be a factor I didn't consider… something I did differently, or some unexpected byproduct of the Magius… just what could it be?

Still, maybe now is not the time to think about it. It seems they'll be splitting into three groups once they reach Kamihama, which means I'll probably need to decide who to follow. Assuming Honoka sticks with Suzune, I could probably ask her about what happened later, so I guess I should follow the others…? But if it goes like it does in the game, they're only going to be split up twice, both for a short time, so there's probably no need to keep track of both sides.

While I'm pondering this, my phone pings with an unexpected email. I reach for my phone to check who it's from and blink. It's from Madoka of all people…? However, before I can even open the email to read it, my ringtone sounds, startling me. I'm even more startled when I see who it is.

"The heck!?" I say out loud, in English. "Why on earth would Sarra suddenly call me out of the blue…? Plus, I think it should be the middle of the night in California…?"

Regardless, I have no reason not to answer it, so I hit the accept button.

"Hi, Ashley here… what's up?"

"This is Sarra… it's been awhile since we spoke, hasn't it?"

"Yeah… it has," I say.

"I heard from Kyuubey that witches are disappearing over there," Sarra says. "Is everything alright?"

"More or less," I say. "There are enough witches to get by. But surely that's not the real reason you called, is it? It's the middle of the night over there, isn't it?"

"You're right," Sarra says. "But I often stay up this late. Anyway, the reason I called is because I had a strange encounter this morning."

"A strange encounter, you say…?"

Sarra was just leaving her house when she noticed an olive-skinned woman with her brown hair coiled into a bun, standing across the street and muttering to herself. Staying quiet to avoid drawing her attention, Sarra moseyed along the street towards school. However, she had only taken about five steps when the woman suddenly spun to face her.

"You…" she said. "A magical girl…!"

"Huh!?" Sarra gasped. "D-did you just say…?"

The woman swiftly crossed the street and backed Sarra up against a lamppost, scrutinizing her.

"Oy!" Sarra protested. "Personal space, dammit!"

The woman blinked several times before drawing back.

"Ah… the magical girl is angry," she mused. "Well… she's not the one, anyway…"

The woman turned away.

"Hang on just a sec!" Sarra said. "You're seriously gonna get all up in my face and then just walk off!?"

The woman turned to look at her.

"The magical girl is talking to me…?"

"Yes, I'm talking to you, dammit!" Sarra said. "Also, I have a name! It's Sarra!"

The woman turned fully and frowned a little.

"Sarra… Basset…" she said.

Sarra blinked. "Huh? How'd you know my last name…?"

"Names have power, youngling," the woman said sternly, suddenly more lucid. "You shouldn't share them so readily with a crazy old hag like myself."

"You're not even that old…?" Sarra said.

"Fair's fair," the woman said. "They call me Mary Magdalene these days, don't they?"

Sarra blinked. "Huh? You don't mean… the Mary Magdalene?"

"I wonder… could there be another…?" Mary mused, her eyes wandering towards the sky. "Another cursed to walk the earth until God decrees otherwise… if she existed, I'd like to meet her…"

"Forgive me if this seems blunt," Sarra said. "But you don't seem anything like the Mary Magdalene that I know of from the Bible…"

Mary looked sharply at her.

"The Gospels are but an account of my youth," she retorted. "People change."

"Okay," Sarra said. "Supposing I buy your story, even though you seem a little, uhh… loose in the head. Why the hell are you hanging around here bugging me?"

But Mary completely ignored her question and suddenly looked all thoughtful.

"Ashley Taylor… may be in danger," she muttered.

Sarra blinked. "Eh? You know Ashley Taylor!?"

"Watching… they're watching," Mary muttered. "Always watching… but what if they stop just watching? How does one defend from a threat beyond time and space itself…?"

"You've totally lost me…"

"The moon…"

Mary turned to gaze up at the half moon, hanging low in the morning sky.

"If they aren't there… only the wandering ghost could possibly fi—"

As she spoke, she faded away as if someone had grabbed a giant eraser and literally rubbed her out of existence. She vanished in mid-sentence. Sarra stared at the place she'd occupied for almost a full minute.

"W-well… that was weird," she said finally.

"I see," I say. "I have indeed met that person a couple of times… but I don't understand why she'd suddenly talk to you. Mind you, I also never really understood why she suddenly talked to me, either… anyway, thanks for telling me."

"Did all that mean anything to you?" Sarra asks. "It was all Greek to me…"

"Slightly?" I say. "Sometimes she's all over the place, other times she's easy to understand… it seems like this was the first one…"

"And do you think she's truly who she claimed to be?" Sarra asked.

"Well, I don't really have any reason to doubt her," I say. "But I can't say for certain that she's that Mary, either. Anyway, while I have you on the phone, is there any chance the four of you could come visit soon? Say, in about two weeks' time?"

"That's a pretty sudden request," Sarra says. "By 'the four of you', you mean… the four magical girls in this area of town? So me, Alice, Chevonne, and Janice?"

"That's right."

"Is there some particular reason for that?" Sarra asks.

"Yes. Around that time, Walpurgisnacht will arrive here."

Sarra gasps. "Walpurgisnacht!? But… how can you possibly know that?"

"I met a magical girl here who can see the future," I say. "She told me it would be coming… and I want to defeat it."

"With just the five of us?" Sarra asks. "For a witch of that calibre… we might be able to beat it, I suppose… but it would be really tough…"

"Of course not," I reply. "If it was just us five, that'd be too risky. I intend to gather as many magical girls here as possible to fight against Walpurgisnacht together. After all… if she's not stopped, someday she'll become unstoppable. It's not acceptable to just let her keep getting stronger and stronger."

"Yeah, I get your point," Sarra says. "I'll talk to the others for you, but I'm afraid I can't promise anything yet. I'll let you know."

"Thanks," I say. "By the time you get back to me, I can probably get you an exact date that she'll appear on."

"Well then… goodbye for now."

"Yeah, bye."

After hanging up, I open up Madoka's email to see what she wanted.

"Sorry to bother you, Ashley-nee… I was wondering if you could help me out a bit. Miss Mami insists that we shouldn't help her investigate Kamihama… but I'm worried about her going there alone… she just left for the station. I was going to ask Homura-chan to accompany her, but I haven't seen her since school ended."

I think I spent too long on the phone with Sarra to catch up to Mami now, though I suppose I could still try… but is there any reason to? This is most likely the day she's going to get brainwashed… on the other hand, it's silly to give up before I've even checked. I open a vision on Mami and find her already on the train, and furthermore she seems to be already in Kamihama. I compose a response to Madoka.

"Sorry, I only just saw your message and it looks like she's already gone. Otherwise I would've offered to accompany her. That said, it's not like this is the first time she's gone to Kamihama alone, is it?"

Then I open a second vision on Matsuri to see what they're up to. They're still on the train too, so I settle down to wait.

The four of them linger just outside the train station to discuss things.

"Alright," Haruka says. "First, we need to gather information."

"I overheard some interesting things on the train," Chisato says.

"Right, that one about the missing people in Kamihama?" Arisa says.

"Yeah, I heard some kids in uniform talking about it too," Matsuri says.

"That's the one," Chisato says. "Could there be a serial murder case in Kamihama too…?"

"That's a possibility," Haruka says. "It'll be more efficient for the four of us to split up and investigate in pairs."

"It'd be best to split me and Chisato up, right?" Arisa says. "We've been here before, after all, so we can be your guides."

"You're not gonna slack off, are you?" Chisato asks.

"Geez… if you doubt me… then I'll definitely bring back amazing information before you do!"

"Oh, you really think you can?" Chisato retorts.

"Matsuri, who would you like to investigate with?" Haruka asks.

"Hmm… let's play rock paper scissors!" Matsuri suggests.

"Rock-paper-scissors?" Haruka says.

"Yeah! Chisato-chan and Arisa-chan should also play. How about we pair the winners and the losers?"

"I see, that's fine," Haruka says.

"Alright! I'll win!" Arisa proclaims.

So Arisa and Chisato do a round, and Haruka and Matsuri do a round. The winners are Chisato and Haruka.

"Losing right from the get-go," Arisa mutters. "What a bad start… but just wait and see! I've got a special plan up my sleeve!"

"Special plan…?" Matsuri says.

"What is it?" Haruka asks.

"That just worries me," Chisato mutters.

"It'll be fine! Trust me!" Arisa says.

"What about you and Chisato?" Matsuri asks.

"If we want to do research, we should start with the library," Haruka says.

"The library…"

"Nowadays, most information is available on the Internet," Haruka says. "But there could be some information that you can only find at the library. For example, local newspapers that aren't in digital format… they still exist in some places, after all."

"Oh, I see!" Chisato says. "As expected of Haruka!"

Arisa and Matsuri watch as Haruka and Chisato head off, and then Matsuri turns to Arisa.

"So, what was your special plan, Arisa-chan?" Matsuri asks.

"You know, rumours and urban legends… usually happen in back alleys and other deserted places. So we'll explore back alleys and get some solid information! We'll shock Chisato and Haruka!"

Matsuri sighs. "Geez, you're so simple-minded, Arisa-chan."

"Hey!" Arisa protests. "Then, do you have a better idea?"

"Hmm, let me think," Matsuri says. "Haruka and Chisato already went to the library… so we could go to a place with lots of people to ask?"

"Ugh," Arisa says. "I'd rather pass on that slow and steady stuff… come on!"

She runs off, making for a nearby alleyway, and Matsuri gives chase.

"But!" Matsuri protests as they run. "Even at the beginning of the kinds of games you like, there's—"

As they turn into an alleyway, a bell is suddenly heard, and they both gasp and stop.

"Matsuri! Did you hear that?" Arisa says excitedly.

"Yeah," Matsuri says. "The sound of the bell… a sign the ripper girl is about to appear."

"It seems a little far away though," Arisa says.

"Are you going after it?" Matsuri asks.

"Of course!" Arisa says. "We've got a clue, so there's no way we can let it go!"

Matsuri takes out her soul gem to test for the magic response.

"It's not a witch, but I can sense some magic," she says. "Feels a bit like a magical girl… but not quite…"

"You're telling me to be careful, right?" Arisa says. "I know."

She transforms.

"Let's go!"

As she runs off, Matsuri also transforms and follows her. Before long they run into a spectre resembling Tokiwa Nanaka in magical girl form, but shrouded in darkness, her face hidden.

"Is that her!?" Arisa gasps. "She does sorta look dangerous…"

"Seems like it," Matsuri says. "I can sense that she has magic, but… she doesn't seem like a witch or a familiar…?"

At that moment, the sound of a bell is heard again, and the spectre speaks.

"Name…"

"Huh?" Matsuri says.

"Give me a name…"

"A name…?" Arisa says.

"Sounds just like the rumour," Matsuri says. "She asks for your name, and if you answer…"

The spectre starts repeating that one phrase, over and over and over again.

"We managed to find her and everything," Arisa says, "so there's no way we can just turn around and leave."

"Yeah," Matsuri says.

"Brace yourself real well, alright?" Arisa says.

Matsuri nods and grunts affirmatively.

"Give me a name…?" the spectre says.

"I'm Narumi Arisa."

"I'm Hinata Matsuri."

The three of them stare at each other for nearly a minute before the spectre responds.

"…wrong."

Arisa blinks. "Wrong? Excuse me?"

"What do you mean?" Matsuri asks.

There's a sort of dark flash, and the spectre of Nanaka is replaced by a spectre of Natsume Kako.

"Wrong," it says.

Another flash, and it takes on the form of Chun Meiyui.

"Wrong… wrong…"

Another flash, and it takes on the form of Shinobu Akira.

"Wrong… wrong… wrong…"

"S-she's shape-shifting!?" Matsuri gasps.

"Whoa, wait, what the hell!?" Arisa gasps. "What's going on!?"

The spectre flashes back to Nanaka, then suddenly attacks first Arisa and then Matsuri, eliciting a squeal from both as the katana passes through their bodies. Matsuri looks startled for a few seconds before suddenly becoming drowsy and falling over, along with Arisa.

Mami wanders through Sakae Ward, fighting a few witches as she comes across them. Then she seems to sense something else, to judge by her expression.

"This strange magic," she murmurs. "Like that other time… it's faint, but… this way!"

She leaves the main road and heads through a foot tunnel into a sort of island in the middle of the railway lines. There's a large, run-down building there with a faded sign reading "Kamihama Memorial Museum", and she heads in through a broken door without hesitation, finding herself in a grand lobby with a stairway leading up to a balcony on the next level.

"This is it," Mami says. "The source of the magic they called a rumour is most likely… right there!"

She points towards the dim stairway.

"It looks like just a ruined old museum," she says. "But I can't be too careful… anyway, one way or another, I'll get to the bottom of whatever this rumour thing is!"

But before she can go any further, someone steps out from the shadows on the second floor and begins to descend the stairs, stopping about two-thirds of the way down. It's Mifuyu, currently in civilian clothing.

"I must admit I'm surprised," Mifuyu says. "You found this place just by sensing the magic. I see the fame of Mitakihara's veteran magical girl has not been exaggerated."

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

"Please calm down," Mifuyu says, taking a few more steps down. "I'm not your enemy. I'm a magical girl, just like you. My name is Azusa Mifuyu."

"I can't trust you," Mami retorts. "It seems you know all about me, so this just feels like an ambush."

"All I know about you is what I've heard," Mifuyu says. "You're a veteran magical girl from Mitakihara who's been coming to Kamihama lately. You're also quite capable. That's all I know. But it appears that what I was told was no exaggeration."

"So? What are you doing here?" Mami asks. "It certainly doesn't look like you were just passing by or anything."

"Hmm, that's a good question," Mifuyu says. "I suppose you could say I was preparing for the future. And… I just had a feeling that you might come by. So I suppose you could say that I was waiting for you."

"You aren't being very forthcoming," Mami retorts. "If you've got something to say, then just say it."

"I'll get right to the point, then," Mifuyu says. "I came to scout you."

Mami blinks. "Huh? Scout me?"

"From what I can tell… I surmise that you've yet to discover the truth about magical girls," Mifuyu says. "But based on how strong you are, I thought that if you lent us a hand… then we could almost definitely achieve liberation more quickly. So I discussed it with the Magius, and we decided that if you really were that strong, then we'd try to recruit you into our group."

"I don't have any idea what this liberation you speak of is," Mami says. "And as for truths… I already know that the soul gem is really my soul… and I've come to terms with that. However… to me it sounds like whatever you're doing is certainly no good. Tell me just one thing. All the strange things currently happening in Kamihama… are they your doing?"

"Hmm," Mifuyu says. "I can't deny that…"

"I don't have even the slightest intention of allying myself with evil!"

"That's not what this is!" Mifuyu protests. "We're acting on behalf of all magical girls! If you'd just stop to listen to me, I'm sure you'll approve of what we're doing."

"I refuse!" Mami says. "I just can't trust you!"

"Oh, come on now," Mifuyu says. "Don't be like that… it's too soon to refuse anything. How about you look into my memories first, and then decide?"

Suddenly a bell rings out, startling Mami.

"Huh!? What are you doing?"

But before she can say anything else, the magic of the rumour takes effect, forming a barrier encasing them. Mami gasps, looking around.

"W-what's going on? Where am I!?"

"Now, shall we get started?" Mifuyu says. "This is the truth that you don't know about magical girls."

Mami's pupils dilate as the rumour sucks her consciousness into Mifuyu's memories. It seems to take a couple of minutes for the memories to play out, so Mifuyu waits in silence until then. Suddenly, Mami screams, startling her.

"Nooooooo!"

"W-whoa!?"

Mami summons a musket, aiming and firing at Mifuyu. She manages to barely avoid the shot, however.

"They… have to die!" Mami screams. "All magical girls have to die! If magical girls turn into witches… then we have no choice but to die, don't we!?"

She fires several more shots as Mifuyu dodges around.

"Calm down!" Mifuyu shouts. "We're working to prevent that from happening, so we don't turn into witches!"

"No, no, no, no, no," Mami moans. "This… this can't be happening!"

"Ugh… looks like the brainwashing failed," Mifuyu says.

Since she can't hit Mifuyu, Mami apparently decides to turn her musket on herself, aiming at the soul gem in her hair, but Mifuyu darts in to jostle her arm so the shot misses. Mami then breaks down sobbing on the floor.

"Have your feelings changed now that you know the truth?" Mifuyu asks.

But Mami's only response is a wordless scream of anguish. She looks up at Mifuyu, summoning another musket and aiming at her.

"W-wait a second!" Mifuyu gasps. "Calm down and listen!"

Mami screams again and fires the musket, but her aim is off and Mifuyu easily avoids it.

"Ugh… she's not listening!" Mifuyu groans, transforming. "It seems I'll have to knock her out for a bit…"

Mami just keeps screaming and screaming, and Mifuyu leaps in to attempt to knock her unconscious. However, Mami is still sufficiently in command of her faculties to dodge the attack, swinging her musket at Mifuyu's head like a club.

"Why!? Why!? Why!?" Mami screams. "Why is it like this!?"

"Ugh!" Mifuyu groans. "Even though she's not in her right mind, her defenses are impenetrable!"

"Gyaaah!" Mami screams. "I'll become… no… not just me… everyone will…!"

She devolves once again into wordless screams. Now Mifuyu and Mami are engaged in a game of cat and mouse, repeatedly trying and failing to catch each other.

"What the hell!?" a voice screams from above in English.

Alina leaps over the balcony, transforming in mid-leap, and lands a flying kick to Mami's head, sending her skidding across the floor.

"No good!" she gripes in English before switching to Japanese. "How dare she put a mark on Mifuyu's body!?"

Mami stirs, already starting to come to.

"Another… magical girl…?" Mami says, raising her musket to point at Alina.

"You need to cool down!" Alina screams, the emphasized words in English.

She thrusts her hands out in front of her, the portal of Alina's labyrinth appearing and sucking Mami in. Mami screams and fires her musket as she's pulled in, but it doesn't hit anything. After a minute or so, the portal suddenly flickers, and Mami is spat right back out, no longer conscious.

"Shit!" Alina says in English. "She destroyed my witch!"

She vents her anger by kicking the unconscious Mami in the side.

"Is she unconscious?" Mifuyu asks. "What did you do to her, Alina…!?"

"I'm a little taken aback by the accusing tone in your voice right now," Alina retorts. "But anyway… she just fainted after using her doppel." Suddenly she blinks. "More importantly, I, Alina, have a great idea."

Those emphasized words are in English.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Mifuyu says.

At that moment, Touka and Nemu appear from outside, in their school uniforms, and Touka giggles.

"Oh, don't be like that," Touka says. "Let's hear her out."

"Right," Nemu says. "There is no harm in lending her an ear."

"You're late," Alina snaps.

"We have business of our own, you know!" Touka retorts. "Hmmm? Isn't that Mitakihara's famous veteran just snoozing away over there?"

"Apparently the talk about her incredible skills was quite exaggerated," Nemu says.

"No, she's very strong," Mifuyu says. "I would've been in real trouble if Alina hadn't shown up."

"And then, after that, she killed my adorable witch," Alina says. "And I am suuuper angry about that!"

The emphasized word is in English.

"So in the end, she was no match for Alina's pet witch?" Nemu asks.

"No, it's just the backlash from unleashing her doppel for the first time," Mifuyu says. "It looks like she can't move…"

"I see," Nemu says. "She could prove useful as a soldier for our cause. The only thing is…"

"She didn't sympathize with our goals," Touka says. "Isn't that right, Mifuyu?"

"No," Mifuyu says. "The problem is even more severe. She couldn't handle the truth about how we will all become witches… she had a much stronger reaction to it than any of the other magical girls I've told."

"In other words, she couldn't take it and had a little bit of a nervous breakdown," Alina says.

"That's such a shame, considering how powerful she apparently is," Touka says.

"So, Alina?" Nemu says. "Isn't it time for your 'great idea' to make its appearance?"

Mimicking Alina, Nemu also says those two words in English.

"Aha!" Alina says. "If it's her mind that's the problem, we can just use her powers."

"But the brainwashing didn't work," Mifuyu says. "If anything, it caused this problem…"

"That's too soft a technique," Alina retorts. "We'll rewrite 'Tomoe Mami' completely."

"What are you suggesting?" Mifuyu asks.

"It's too bad I couldn't feed her to my witch," Alina says. "But now I can at least feed her to a rumour."

"You're talking about fusing a human with a rumour?" Nemu asks.

"I think it's a super great idea," Alina says, using English for the last three words. "You can do it, right?"

Nemu chuckles. "That really is a fascinating idea," she says. "It would be the first time this is attempted, but I agree. It is not impossible." She chuckles again. "Yes… I just thought of the perfect rumour for her."

Touka giggles. "I'm on board too!" she says. "It'd be such a waste to throw her out now! Let's pool our resources and make the best use of her!"

"Wait!" Mifuyu protests. "Don't you think that's an inhumane thing to do to her?"

"But if we let her go, she'll just get in our way," Touka retorts. "Who knows, she might even attack other magical girls!"

"That's… well…"

Mifuyu seems to be at a loss for words, so Nemu speaks up.

"Then, let's get started," she says. "We'll use the Rumour of the Witch Induction Device…" She transforms. "…to transform Tomoe Mami into the rumour of a saint."

Suzune is currently wandering through a back alley, followed by a slightly nervous Honoka.

"Are you sure this is the best way to find the source of the rumour?" Honoka wonders. "What if it's dangerous?"

"You don't have to come if you're scared," Suzune retorts.

"No, well… I'm more scared of you than the rumour, honestly…"

"If that's the case, then why are you even following me!?"

"That's a very good question," Honoka says. "I suppose I'm just… curious? Why would the rumour change so much…"

"Beats me…"

As they enter an underpass crossing beneath the main road, the bell in Suzune's hair jangling as she walks, they're suddenly accosted by a magical girl in blue.

"Hey, um…!"

"Oh…?" Suzune says. "Who are you? What's your name?"

The girl gasps. "Are you the ripper girl!?"

Suzune stares at her.

"What did you do to Akira!?" the girl asks. "And her friends…?"

"…Akira?" Suzune mutters. "I've heard that name… but I thought she was dead a long time ago…"

It seems like that's not quite loud enough for the other girl to hear, but Honoka shudders a little at the comment.

"C'mon, answer me!" the girl insists. "What happened to her!?" After a pause where Suzune remains silent, she adds, "I kind of need you to actually say something, you know! If you know anything, tell me! Akira is my friend!"

At that moment, Haruka and Chisato join them from behind the still-unknown girl. They're both transformed.

"May we speak to you for a moment?" Haruka asks.

"Huh?" the girl says.

"More new arrivals," Suzune grumbles, tilting her head just enough to cause the bell in her hair to ring.

"A ringing bell, and a coat!?" Chisato gasps.

"Don't tell me… you're the ripper girl!?" Haruka says.

"Ugh…" Suzune grumbles. "This is a pain…"

With that, she vanishes, eliciting a gasp from everyone, particularly Honoka.

"Oh no…" Honoka mutters. "This isn't good…"

"She vanished!?" Haruka gasps.

"I can't sense any trace of her, either," Chisato says.

"Y-yeah… according to Kyuubey, she can hide her presence," Honoka says.

"Um, who are you guys?" the girl in blue asks. "I haven't seen you around here before, but I guess you're magical girls?"

"Yes, I'm Kanade Haruka, from Hohzuki," Haruka says. "This is my friend, Shion Chisato."

"Nice to meet you," Chisato says.

"By the way, I'm Kanami Honoka."

"We're not here to encroach on your territory, so please don't worry," Haruka says.

"Oh, okay," the girl says. "I'm not super worried about that, but… what brings you to Kamihama?"

"We're researching the ripper girl," Haruka says. "Could you tell us anything you might know?"

"Huh!? You too!?" the girl gasps.

She powers down, revealing her maroon Sankyoin Academy uniform.

"Oh, um, sorry," she says. "Lemme introduce myself first. I'm Utsuho Natsuki, a second-year at Sankyoin Academy!"

"Sankyoin!?" Chisato gasps.

"And she even has a ponytail and a black ribbon!?" Haruka says. "I didn't expect her to be a magical girl…"

"Huh? Did you know about me or something?" Natsuki asks.

"You told a couple of kids about the rumour, right?" Haruka says. "We heard about you from them."

"I see… but maybe we should find a better place to talk about it? It's a little noisy here under the road…"

So everyone else powers down. Haruka blinks at Honoka.

"Huh? Wait… that's the same uniform as us? You're from Hohzuki too?"

"Oh… yeah, I am," Honoka says.

"Huh… I didn't even know there was another magical girl at our school," Haruka says.

"It's not like I was trying to hide it," Honoka says.

They make their way out of the tunnel, Natsuki leading the way to a nearby park.

"What were you doing with that girl?" Haruka asks.

"Well, she's a classmate… she ran off and I was curious so I followed her," Honoka explains.

"So she's from Hohzuki too?" Haruka asks.

"Well… yeah, I guess so," Honoka says.

"That's kind of an amazing coincidence," Natsuki says. "Coming to a faraway city but running into someone from your own school…"

"Yeah… it's pretty weird," Chisato says.

"So, the reason we were investigating the ripper girl is because there was a similar rumour in Hohzuki," Haruka explains. "There have been a series of young girls murdered in connection with the rumour… and we heard about the memory ripper girl here in Kamihama and wondered if it was connected. We thought it might be a witch, for example."

"I see," Natsuki says. "So there's been similar incidents in Hohzuki…? And even murders, my gosh… so you came over to see if there were any witches involved."

"Yeah," Chisato says. "Because the rumour of the coat ripper girl circulating in Hohzuki apparently started in Kamihama too."

"We're now investigating whether it's connected to the memory ripper girl," Haruka says. "Could you tell us what you've heard?"

"Yeah!" Natsuki says. "So, my friend went missing. She said that someone really did lose their memory, so she was investigating the ripper girl rumour. The memory ripper girl, to borrow your term."

"Someone lost their memory…?" Honoka says.

"That'd certainly be worrying," Chisato says.

"Yeah… Akira… my friend's name is Shinobu Akira," Natsuki says. "She's a magical girl too."

"Really!?" Chisato says.

"I haven't heard the specifics, but she said she was looking into the ripper girl rumour with the rest of her team," Natsuki says. "So I think something must've happened while she was with Miss Tokiwa and the others… I don't know where her teammates are, either."

"Ah!" Honoka mutters, frowning a bit. "Miss Suzune mentioned Miss Tokiwa earlier… but wait… huh…?"

"I see," Haruka says. "So you're looking into the ripper girl in the hopes of finding Miss Shinobu's whereabouts."

"Yes," Natsuki says. "I've got a couple other friends helping out, too…"

"Ah… then did we interrupt you at a bad time back there?" Chisato asks.

"No, not at all!" Natsuki says.

"Um, I really think it was a bad time," Honoka mutters.

"I just heard the bell ringing, and when I followed the sound, I found those two girls… the one had a coat like in the rumour, so I tried talking to her. But I still don't know how you're supposed to defend yourself… so I might've been in big trouble if you guys hadn't arrived. She asked me my name and everything, too…"

"Does that mean you got attacked?" Chisato asks.

"Thankfully, nope!"

"You said a moment ago that Miss Shinobu and her teammates were investigating the memory ripper girl," Haruka says. "Had they been looking into the coat ripper girl at all?"

"Hmm… nope, haven't heard anything in particular about that," Natsuki says.

Haruka frowns a little, pondering.

"But wait, does the memory ripper girl also have a coat?" Honoka wonders. "If it does, why would you be calling the other one the coat ripper girl?"

"We couldn't find anything concrete on the appearance of the memory ripper girl," Chisato says.

"Then Miss Utsuho knew about both…? Or didn't realize they were separate?" Honoka says.

"Hmm, well, I suppose you could say that," Natsuki says. "Akira didn't say anything about two different rumours, but she was the one who mentioned a coat…" She looks at Haruka. "Say, Miss Kanade, you went silent all of a sudden… is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing," Haruka says. "More importantly, Miss Utsuho… if it's alright with you, would you like to investigate the ripper girl together?"

"Huh!?" Natsuki gasps. "Can I?"

"We're totally new to Kamihama, so we'd love it if you'd help us out," Chisato says.

"Same to you!" Natsuki says. "I'd love it if we could work together!"

"Thank you," Haruka says. "It's a pleasure to be working with you."

"Yes! Nice to meet you guys!" Natsuki says. "And please, just call me Natsuki!"

"Do you mind if I join you too, Kanade-sempai?" Honoka asks.

"Yes, that's fine," Haruka says. "You came here to investigate the rumour too, right?"

"Pretty much," Honoka says. "Even though she ran away for some reason… that was quite a surprise…"

"Oh, yeah, you said she was a classmate," Natsuki says. "So maybe the actual rumour wasn't about her?"

"No, I don't think you can safely conclude she's unrelated," Honoka says. "She does have the bell in her hair, after all, and she does ask people their names out of the blue… there could be a connection, right?"

"But she's also not from Kamihama, right?" Haruka says. "How could a rumour spread from Kamihama about a girl in Hohzuki?"

"She just transferred in recently," Honoka says.

"Oh, I see… if she was in Kamihama before she transferred…" Haruka muses. "But still, even if she is the coat ripper girl, as awful as that sounds, that doesn't get us any closer to the memory ripper girl…"

"So first off, do you want me to call my friends?" Natsuki asks. "There's two more people who I'm investigating with!"

"Yes, we also have a few friends investigating with us," Haruka says. "Let's gather everyone together in one place."

A couple calls and several minutes later, Kanoko, Matsuri, and Arisa appear in the park. They arrive together, not separately.

"Kanoko!" Natsuki calls. "Over here!"

"You know her?" Matsuri says.

"She's one of the friends I mentioned who's after the ripper girl," Kanoko says. "And there's also another one…"

"Ah!" Honoka gasps. "Matsuri-chan!?"

"Huh? It's Honoka-chan…?" Matsuri says.

"Huh? You two know each other?" Haruka says.

"Yeah, we're classmates!" Matsuri says.

"Then… you also know the girl with silver hair, a coat, and a bell in her hair?" Haruka says.

"Huh? A coat, and silver hair with a bell… oh, do you mean Suzune-chan?" Matsuri asks.

"Yeah, I came here with her," Honoka says. "But she ran away when Miss Natsuki accused her of being the ripper girl… she has a coat when transformed…" Honoka blinks. "Ah… sorry Matsuri-chan, I didn't mean to hide that she was a magical girl from you. It's just… I couldn't bring myself to tell you… the truth is, she attacked me a few days before she transferred in, so I was a little scared of her…"

"No, it's fine," Matsuri says. "Actually… I already knew she was a magical girl."

"Huh? How?" Honoka says. "I wouldn't've figured it out if she hadn't attacked me…"

"I think I met her quite awhile ago, before she was… like she is now," Matsuri says. "But also, if you were scared of her, why'd you even come to Kamihama with her?"

"I just sort of followed her," Honoka says. "Because I was also curious about the rumour… and the fact that it changed. I figured I'd be okay as long as I kept her in my sights…"

"So, I can't get in touch with Aimi," Natsuki says. "I'm a little worried… but I've left her a message, so hopefully she'll call when she sees it."

"So, Matsuri… on the phone you said Arisa's in trouble?" Chisato says.

"Yes, that's right!" Matsuri says.

"That's what she says, but… I'm all normal, right?" Arisa says.

Haruka and Chisato both blink at her.

"W-why did you go all quiet!?" Arisa gasps.

"Look!" Matsuri says. "She's acting weird!"

"Your personality has clearly changed," Haruka says.

"W-well, I don't feel any different," Arisa says. "But, umm… Chisato…?"

"Sorry… but those two are right," Chisato says.

"Huh…?"

"What's she originally like?" Kanoko asks.

"More energetic!" Matsuri says.

"I suppose she's the kind of person who would rush head-first into battle?" Haruka says.

"I heard Narumi-sempai was a bit of a delinquent," Honoka says. "Though that was just gossip from the second-years, so I'm not sure how accurate it is…"

"She's much more aggressive," Chisato says. "This is like…"

Chisato trails off, but Matsuri prompts her to continue.

"Like what?" Matsuri asks.

"Sorry, it's nothing, she'll probably get mad at me if I tell you," Chisato says.

"Let's share information with each other so that we can understand the situation," Haruka says. "First of all, we did some research at the library. I've taken notes on the two different ripper girl rumours. First, the coat ripper girl, which originated in Kamihama and spread to Hohzuki. The location is a deserted street at night… the sound of a bell comes from nowhere, and a woman in a coat asks for your name. If you tell her your name, she'll kill you by ripping you to pieces with a knife. It went viral a few weeks ago and seems to be connected to the serial murder case."

Honoka nods. "Yeah… that sounds pretty accurate," she says. "I only barely escaped from her myself…"

"Then there's the memory ripper girl, which is currently spreading in Kamihama," Haruka continues. "The location is a back alley, but there doesn't seem to be a time specified. The sound of a bell is heard from somewhere. As for its appearance, it seems to have multiple forms. It has only spread recently. Regarding names, you will be asked your name. If you answer, the knife will slash you, but you will be unharmed. Your memory will be slashed apart. You shouldn't answer, but you have to."

"Oh, that's some pretty detailed notes," Natsuki says.

"Comparing what I've researched and what you've encountered…" Haruka says.

"The one we met that was in a coat…" Natsuki says.

"The one that went viral awhile ago and then reached Hohzuki… that must be the coat ripper girl," Chisato says.

"Yeah, I think so too," Honoka says. "Though… you said a couple of weeks ago, right? But I heard about it quite awhile before that… though it was less detailed. It was the day I became a magical girl… a couple weeks before Valentine's Day?"

"That long ago!?" Haruka gasps.

Honoka nods. "Yeah, so… there was another magical girl there when I made a contract," she says. "And she told me I should watch out for a silver-haired girl who wields fire… she didn't mention a coat or a bell or being asked my name, but I'm pretty sure it was the same thing. I'm not sure where she heard it from, though…"

"Huh… interesting," Haruka says. "So the coat ripper girl wields fire…? And she's a magical girl?"

"So are we saying Suzune-chan really is the coat ripper girl?" Matsuri sighs. "I can't really believe that…"

"But she does fit all the criteria," Honoka says. "A coat, a bell, fire, asking people's names, a knife… her weapon is a huge orange sword… and she definitely tried to kill me once…"

"Yeah, I get it," Matsuri says. "It sounds vaguely familiar too… so then, the one Arisa-chan and I met was the memory ripper girl? But… she doesn't change people's personalities, does she?"

"But it's possible we just don't know about that," Haruka says.

"Or there's a third ripper girl?" Kanoko muses.

"Did you feel anything, Matsuri?" Haruka asks.

"Hmm," Matsuri says. "Oh… I had a really bad feeling? What about you, Arisa-chan?"

"N-no," Arisa says. "I… I don't want to remember…"

"I'm sorry, you don't have to push yourself," Haruka says.

"Do you think she was really scared?" Natsuki asks.

"Looks like it," Kanoko says. "She doesn't even want to remember…"

"Hey, Arisa," Chisato says.

"What…?" Arisa says.

"Do you remember what you wished for?"

"Huh…?" Arisa says. "Y-yeah… of course… I wished for…" She blinks a few times. "H-huh?"

"Can't remember?" Chisato says.

"Yeah…"

Haruka gasps. "So the rumour about 'ripping memories' means they'll lose part of their memories?"

"I think her personality changed because she lost part of her memory, too," Chisato says.

"If that's the case, then it's not a third ripper girl," Kanoko muses. "It's the memory ripper girl…"

"Yes, that sounds about right," Haruka says.

"Then, what about you, Miss Matsuri?" Kanoko asks.

"Huh?" Matsuri says. "I'm fine though?"

"Maybe you just don't realize it, so think about it," Chisato says.

"Well… even if you say that…"

"If you want, I can cheer you on to remember?" Natsuki suggests.

"Cheer me?" Matsuri says.

"Ah, that's a good idea," Kanoko says. "Natsuki's cheering is amazing, it gives me so much strength!"

"Wow, that sounds interesting!" Matsuri says. "Please do!"

"Yeah! Okay, let's go!" Natsuki says. "Alright! Let's go! Put your mind to it! You can remember this! Come on, Miss Matsuri! You can do it! Go! Fight! Win!"

"Wow!" Matsuri exclaims. "Amazing!"

"So, what do you think?" Chisato asks. "Did you figure out what you forgot?"

"Hmm… not at all, but… I feel so much better now!" Matsuri says. "I feel like I have enough energy to do my best!"

"Um, was that no good?" Natsuki asks.

"It's not fair to ask someone who has no memory what they've forgotten," Haruka says. "It's impossible to remember what you have no memory of."

"Ah, when you put it like that, that's true," Chisato admits.

Suddenly Natsuki's phone rings.

"Ah, my phone! It could be from Aimi!"

She pulls it out and answers, nodding and grunting affirmatively as she listens to whoever's on the other end. Then she says thanks and goodbye and hangs up.

"So how was the call?" Matsuri asks.

"Important intel get!" Natsuki announces. "She said she's waiting for me in the shopping district because there's something of interest."

"Something of interest?" Haruka says. "What is it?"

"She didn't give me any details," Natsuki says.

"Where's the shopping district?" Matsuri asks.

"Aimi's currently in Sankyo Ward, next to Chuo Ward where we are now," Natsuki says. "I'll show you the way!"

"Thank you for your help," Haruka says. "Let's go!"

"Ah!" Kanoko says. "Wait a minute!"

"What's wrong?" Haruka asks.

"Shouldn't we also check the alleyway where Miss Arisa and Miss Matsuri were attacked?"

"I also want to check out the alleyway," Chisato says.

"T-then… m-me too!" Arisa says.

"What?" Chisato says. "Even though you're scared…"

"I'm scared, but… Chisato…"

Chisato sighs. "Okay, but don't overdo it," she says.

"I won't…!"

"Then Haruka-sempai, may we…?" Chisato says.

"As for me, I'd rather wait until we've heard the important information," Haruka says.

"Please!" Chisato says.

"Okay… if you're so adamant about it… then let's split up," Haruka says. "Miss Matsuri, Miss Natsuki, Miss Honoka, and myself will meet up with Miss Natsuki's friend, and Chisato, Arisa, and Miss Kanoko will investigate the alleyway. However… that's where the memory ripper girl showed up, so be careful, alright? Only investigate, and don't make any reckless contact."

"Of course! Thank you very much!" Chisato says.

"Our destinations are set!" Matsuri says.

"Then, we'll be off to meet Aimi in the shopping district," Natsuki says.

"Go! Fight! Win!" Matsuri says.

"I-it's contagious…!?" Arisa gasps.

Arisa, Kanoko, and Chisato head off in one direction, while Natsuki leads them in a different direction. She pauses by an alleyway.

"Oh, it's shorter if we go through the alleyway here," she says. "What do you think?"

"If the memory ripper girl shows up in the back alleys, maybe we can get some information while we're at it?" Matsuri says.

"I suppose you're right," Haruka says. "We can't just leave it to Chisato and the others. Let's go."

"Okay!" Natsuki says.

So the turn into the alleyway in question.

"So, Matsuri, about your memory," Haruka says. "I'm going to ask you some questions, so why don't you see if you can answer them?"

"Questions?" Matsuri says.

"You mean like what Miss Chisato did?" Natsuki says.

"Yes, that's right," Haruka says. "If you don't want to answer something, just answer in your mind."

"Got it!" Matsuri says. "Please do!"

"Okay, first of all… what's your name?" Haruka asks.

"Hinata Matsuri!"

"Your school and year?"

"I'm a first-year student at Akanegasaki Middle School in Hohzuki!"

"What's your family structure?"

"I'm living with my dad now, and my mom's not here anymore, so it's just me…"

"Yes, next…" Haruka begins.

But Matsuri continues speaking over her.

"And my older sister!"

Haruka blinks. "What…?"

"You have a big sister?" Natsuki asks.

"Yeah, she's my older sister, but we're twins," Matsuri says.

"I have an older brother too," Natsuki says.

"I have three younger brothers," Honoka says. "We're two sets of twins."

"Wow!" Matsuri says. "What're they like? Are you close?"

"Yeah! We even played baseball on the same team!" Natsuki says.

"I'm pretty close with Hotaka," Honoka says. "We still share a room since there's not much space – it's got a bunk bed. But Maharo and Matsuki are a bit bratty lately…"

Haruka watches the conversation in bewilderment.

"Haruka… you're an only child, right?" Matsuri says. "Huh? Haruka, what's wrong?"

"Matsuri, you're also supposed to be an only child," Haruka says.

"What!?" Natsuki gasps. "W-what do you mean?"

"I'm an only child?" Matsuri says. "No, of course not! I'm quite sure I have a sister!"

"But up until now you've said you don't have any siblings," Haruka says.

"That's… that's just what I thought," Matsuri says. "I just remembered a little awhile ago that I have a sister! And she's been with us the whole time, too! Onee-chan! You're there, right? Come out and tell them!"

However, Kagari doesn't say anything. Haruka looks around.

"There's no-one here but the four of us," she says.

"You remembered?" Natsuki says. "You mean you forgot?"

"Yeah," Matsuri says.

"So you remembered when the memory ripper girl cut you?" Haruka asks. "Hmm… could she have implanted false memories in you?"

Matsuri shakes her head. "No… I know my memories of my sister aren't fake," she says.

She shows the butterfly mark on her left middle finger.

"See? This is proof that she exists."

Haruka blinks. "That mark… I remember it only appeared a few weeks ago… but you never said it had anything to do with your sister then…"

"That's because… at that point I'd already forgotten," Matsuri says.

"So, where is she now?" Haruka asks.

"She's with me," Matsuri says. "She's right inside me, sharing my body… and I should have her soul gem somewhere on me too…"

"Sharing a body!?" Haruka gasps. "How could that even happen!? And she's even a magical girl?"

"It's kinda a long story, and I don't even remember it all," Matsuri says. "I'm not sure why she's staying silent, but that butterfly mark is proof of her existence… just like this eye is proof of mine."

She shows the green eye mark on her right middle finger.

"And why did you always believe you were an only child?" Haruka asks.

"That's… I'm not quite sure," Matsuri says. "Sorry… I think I got back some of my memories, but not all of them… but I do remember being together all the time when we were little."

"I wonder what that means…?" Natsuki asks. "Sharing bodies and everything… it all sounds pretty far-fetched…"

"I'm not lying!" Matsuri protests. "Onee-chan really does exist!"

"I don't think you're lying, either," Haruka says. "But despite that… no, that's exactly why this is strange. It's very likely you're being influenced by the memory ripper girl."

"That's… probably true," Matsuri says. "I think what must've happened is that it ripped out part of the thing that made me forget about her…"

"Um… are you sure you're okay, Miss Matsuri?" Natsuki asks.

"It's really true," Matsuri says. "I really do have an older sister… and I think I've forgotten other important things too… like Suzune-chan… that's what I feel."

Haruka sighs. "Okay… let's hurry and meet up with Miss Aimi," she says. "Maybe we can figure something out if we listen to the important information she's gotten."

"Yeah, she said to look forward to it," Natsuki says.

"Okay," Matsuri says. "Oh, but if I suddenly transform, please run away, okay?"

Natsuki blinks. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, if I transform into onee-chan…"

"Huh? What does that mean? Oh, we need to turn here," Natsuki says.

However, Haruka is completely spaced out and has come to a stop, while Matsuri just ignores the direction and continues straight on ahead, ducking around the next corner. Only Honoka takes the correct turn, following Natsuki.

"Onee-chan? What are you doing?" Matsuri asks. "This isn't the right way…"

She doesn't seem to be trying to wrest back control of her body though… does she also want to go that way for some reason?

"Oh geez," she says. "Thanks to onee-chan, I got separated from the others… why would she just walk off like that? And she's not talking to me… I don't get it… but I wonder where I am now…?"

The sound of a bell is suddenly heard, and as Matsuri rounds another corner, she comes face-to-face with a shadowy version of Natsume Kako.

"Huh?" Matsuri says.

The spectre of Kako speaks up.

"You…"

But then Suzune steps out of thin air.

"I'm the one you're after, right?" she says.

"Suzune-chan!?" Matsuri gasps.

The spectre suddenly changes forms, taking on the visage of Eri Aimi, a red-haired cowgirl complete with a revolver and the signature hat.

"Miss Matsuri, you should get out of here," Suzune says.

"B-but Suzune-chan… you're in danger too!" Matsuri protests.

"I'll distract it," Suzune says. "You get out of this alleyway."

"But saying that all of a sudden is—"

Again the spectre changes. Now it looks like Chun Meiyui.

"A name… give me a name," the spectre says.

"Here," Suzune says, holding out a torn sheet of paper.

"Huh? A scrap of… notebook paper?"

"Please get this to Utsuho Natsuki from Sankyoin Academy, or Yayoi Kanoko from Mizuna Girls' School."

She forces the sheet into Matsuri's hand and steps forward to confront the spectre, which has been continuously demanding a name this entire time. As Suzune turns to face it, the spectre changes once more, now taking on the form of… huh? Yura Hotaru!?

"W-wait!" Matsuri protests.

"Here I am," Suzune declares. "You want to know my name, right?:

"Name… give me a name," the spectre says.

Suzune backs off, slowing heading deeper into the alleyway, and the spectre turns to follow her. Matsuri watches in confusion until they're out of sight.

"Is that… the memory ripper girl again?" Matsuri wonders. "I wonder why Suzune-chan helped me… she shouldn't remember the old times, right, onee-chan?"

But as always, Kagari stubbornly refuses to respond. Matsuri sighs and turns around, breaking out into a run until she collides head-first with Natsuki.

"Whoa!" Natsuki gasps.

"S-sorry!" Matsuri says.

"Matsuri! I'm so glad we found you!" Haruka says.

"You went missing so suddenly, I was pretty surprised!" Natsuki says.

"Why'd you suddenly walk off like that, Matsuri-chan?" Honoka asks.

"Eh? T-that wasn't me… that was onee-chan… so I don't know," Matsuri says. "She won't answer me when I telepath her… I wonder if something's wrong… sorry for worrying you…"

Suddenly Matsuri blinks.

"Oh! More importantly, Natsuki-chan! Look at this!"

She holds out the torn sheet of paper she got from Suzune.

"Huh? What is this?" Natsuki asks. "Notebook paper?"

"The memory ripper girl showed up again just now," Matsuri says. "Suzune-chan saved me and gave me this, and said to take it to Natsuki-chan or Kanoko-chan…!"

"You met the ripper girl!?" Haruka gasps. "In fact… one ripper girl saved you from the other…? Or was that girl not the coat ripper girl after all…?"

"But this note," Natsuki says. "This is Aimi's handwriting! Why did she have this?"

"What!?" Matsuri gasps.

"May I see?" Haruka asks.

Natsuki shows her the paper.

"Hmm, the edges are torn," Haruka says. "She must've torn it off in a hurry…?"

"But why did Suzune-chan have it?" Matsuri wonders. "What does that mean…?"

"I don't know, but… I have a bad feeling about this," Natsuki says.

"I'll read it," Haruka says.

"Okay," Natsuki says.

Haruka smooths out the page and starts reading.

"Have you heard? Has anyone told you? The rumour of the ripper girl…"

She continues reading out the text of the Rumour of the Ripper Girl, but about halfway through she runs into trouble.

"…so you'd better be… uhh… no, no, no, tha… not giving a… in that ca… welc… fro…"

She looks up at the three girls listening to her words.

"Part of it's torn off, so that's as much as I could make out…"

"That's, uhh… scary?" Matsuri says.

"A little bit…" Honoka agrees.

"Just to make totally sure," Haruka says. "Is Miss Aimi the sort of person who writes things like this?"

"Nope," Natsuki says. "She doesn't write this sort of stuff at all…"

"In which case… this must be the 'important information' she mentioned," Haruka says.

"I'm gonna try calling her!" Natsuki says.

As she whips her phone out, the others continue talking.

"What do you think this means?" Matsuri asks. "It's obviously talking about the ripper girl, but…"

"Yeah…" Haruka says.

At that moment Haruka's phone suddenly rings, and she answers it, setting it to speaker.

"Hello, Arisa? Is something wrong?"

"The ripper girl!" Arisa says, sounding panicked. "She – Chisato – she vanished into the ripper girl!"

"Huh!?" Haruka gasps.

"So did Miss Kanoko!" Arisa says. "I… I couldn't do anything…! What now…? Haruka… what should I do…?"

Haruka takes a deep breath before responding.

"Try to calm down," she says. "I'll be there right away. Do you know where you are?"

"Um, I think it's right near where we were attacked before," Arisa says.

"Alright," Haruka says. "Sit tight and wait for us there!"

As she hangs up, Natsuki lets out a sigh. "Aimi's not answering," she says. "Could the same thing have happened to her…? And Akira and her teammates, too?"

"That does seem pretty likely…" Honoka says.

"M-maybe even Suzune-chan…" Matsuri says.

"We'd better hurry!" Haruka says.

So they all turn around and head back the way they came at a run, Natsuki leading the way at first, with Matsuri taking over the lead once they reach the place they'd originally met up. After several minutes, they catch sight of Arisa collapsed on a bench, with two children leaning on her. The children seem to be unconscious.

"Arisa-chan! Are you alright!?" Matsuri calls.

"Matsuri!" Arisa says. "I'm sorry… I couldn't do anything!"

She wipes some of the tears from her face, but this doesn't really do anything since there's still more leaking out.

"I was right there with them… and I couldn't do anything!" she sobs.

"Arisa-chan, it's not your fault," Matsuri says.

"Yes, the fact that you're alright is already a huge relief," Haruka says.

"Are you hurt…?" Natsuki asks. "Ah, you've got a little scrape… I'll patch you up!"

She digs out a bandage from her purse and applies it to Arisa's scraped knee.

"These children," Haruka says. "They're the ones from the library… did they get lost in a back alley?"

"I think they were looking for the ripper girl," Arisa sobs. "Chisato told me to at least get them to safety… a-and M-miss Kanoko… tried to help me get away, too…"

"Matsuri, you stick with Arisa until she's feeling better," Haruka says.

"Got it," Matsuri says.

"We need to get these kids back home, as well," Haruka says. "Miss Natsuki, can you help us with that?"

"Yes!" Natsuki says.

Natsuki turns to run off and rams straight into a girl who was coming the other way. The impact throws them both backwards, falling to the ground, and… huh? Wait… the other girl is… Misono Karin!? What on earth is she doing in this part of town?

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Natsuki gasps. "I didn't even see you there!"

"Oh, um… that's okay," Karin says. "I wasn't really watching either… otherwise I would've noticed when you suddenly turned around…"

The two of them pick themselves up and dust themselves off, and then Karin blinks, looking around at the people present.

"Huh? Those rings…?"

"Eh?" Honoka says. "Oh… are you a magical girl too?"

"Y-yeah… I didn't expect to run into a whole gang of them though…"

"That uniform," Natsuki says. "Isn't that Sakae General School? That's quite a long way from here… what brings you this way?"

"Well, a sempai from my school went missing," Karin says. "So I was asking people about her here and there, and… the trail led here… oh, that's right! Have you seen her? She has pink hair and looks like she's half asleep!"

"Pink hair… half asleep…?" Haruka says.

"Pink hair… half asleep…" Natsuki muses. "I don't think I've seen someone like that. But… we've also been looking for some missing people. They got swallowed up by a rumour or something… maybe that happened to your sempai, too?"

"A… a rumour?" Karin says. "I don't get it… what does that even mean?"

"I don't really get it myself," Natsuki says. "That's just what Miss Arisa said…"

"I don't get it either," Arisa mutters.

"Alright, let's get back to the plan," Haruka says. "You're also welcome to join us, Miss…?"

"Oh, uhh, I'm Misono Karin. Well… if it might lead me to Yura-chan, I suppose I can come along with you guys for a bit…"

"I'll be right back," Natsuki says. "Actually… maybe I'll carry the kids… that should be a little faster. Let's meet up back at that park – the same one as before."

"Alright," Haruka says.

Natsuki carefully picks up the two children, one in each arm, and heads off, while everyone else makes for the park in question. While waiting for Natsuki to return, they introduce themselves to Karin. Then Natsuki returns, and Haruka begins going over the situation.

"Okay, let's summarize what we know," she says.

For Karin's benefit, she explains everything they've learned about the ripper girl rumours, as well as the events that had led to this point.

"So, Chisato and Miss Kanoko were… assimilated… into the memory ripper girl," she finishes. "And since we can't reach Miss Aimi, she was most likely…"

"Yeah," Natsuki says.

"Maybe Suzune-chan was also sucked in," Matsuri says.

"Hey, Haruka," Arisa says. "Aren't we going to go save Chisato and the others?"

"It's still too early for that," Haruka says firmly.

"W-what!?" Arisa gasps. "But Chisato's one of us, right? And Miss Kanoko and the others were investigating with us, too…!"

"Don't get me wrong," Haruka says. "We're going to save them. I just mean that acting recklessly isn't a good idea."

"B-but still…!" Arisa says.

"I think she's right," Honoka says. "That's how Miss Kanoko and Miss Chisato got assimilated, after all…"

Haruka nods. "Arisa… assessing the situation accurately and taking proper action… that's the best way to resolve the situation and save Chisato and the others."

"Ugh… I know that makes sense, but…" Arisa grumbles.

"I want to look for Aimi and the others too," Natsuki says. "But I think Miss Haruka's right… we're not going to be able to save them just by wanting it really hard."

"What do you think will happen if we get absorbed by the ripper girl too?" Haruka asks.

"Yeah, then there'll be no-one left to save us," Matsuri says.

"This conversation sounds really heavy," Karin sighs.

"Yeah, we need to stop this gloomy stuff right away," Matsuri says. "And then we need to come up with a good method to save them. Right now we're just wasting time!"

"Please try to think about this calmly, Arisa," Haruka says.

"You're the one who's too calm," Arisa grumbles. "I want to go cool my head, so can you guys leave me alone for a bit?"

"Ah!" Karin gasps. "I see where this is going!"

Everyone looks at her in surprise.

"W-what are you talking about?" Honoka asks.

"This is that trope where the hot-headed girl asks for some time alone but then sneaks off to handle things by herself!"

Haruka blinks, glancing at Arisa.

"I'm sure Arisa wasn't planning on doing anything like that…?"

"N-n-no, no, of course not!" Arisa says.

"Are you really sure, Arisa-chan?" Matsuri says. "You mustn't run off on your own! That'll only make things worse!"

"Well, what else am I supposed to do!?" Arisa suddenly shouts. "You guys are all just standing around here yapping while something terrible could be happening to Chisato!"

"Most of that time was your fault," Honoka retorts. "If you hadn't wasted time complaining about how we were wasting time, maybe we would've already found them by now."

"W-what!?" Arisa says. "No! That's not how it is!"

"Ah, I have just the thing for this!" Karin exclaims, her voice overlapping with Arisa's.

Karin digs into a pocket of her skirt.

"Arisa!" Haruka says. "Will you please calm down!? I feel the same way you do!"

"Liar!" Arisa shouts. "You're just standing there like nothing's happening! You—mmph!?"

Arisa blinks, startled by the lollipop that Karin has just stuffed into her mouth, cutting off her tirade.

"Suck on that a bit!" Karin says cheerily. "A mint lolly's guaranteed to calm you down!"

Surprisingly, Arisa does actually suck on it for a little while, during which Haruka launches into her own rant.

"You think that just because I look calm that I'm not worried!?" she shouts. "I'm really worried! I'm just trying to keep it inside so I can think clearly and work out a plan to save everyone! Which is why… I'd like you to take a deep breath, calm down, and let us start discussing an actual plan!"

She and Arisa glare at each other in silence for a couple of seconds, and then Arisa grabs the stick and takes the lollipop out.

"Ugh, fine, you win," she mutters. "Let's get on with the plan…"

"Alright," Haruka says. "Let's organize our information once more…"

Matsuri nods. "Yeah…"

"I could definitely use another recap," Honoka says.

"Me too, as I didn't really understand anything the first time," Karin says.

"Good idea," Natsuki says.

"I think it's safe to say that the one we're dealing with here is the memory ripper girl," Haruka says.

"Yeah," Matsuri says. "The coat ripper girl… is completely different."

"And basically solved," Honoka adds.

"Alright," Haruka says. "I've revised my notes on the memory ripper girl… the location is a back alley. The sound of a bell is heard from somewhere. It seems to have more than one form. The rumour has only spread recently. Regarding names, you will be asked your name. If you answer, the knife will slash you, but you'll be unharmed, and your memory will be ripped apart. You shouldn't answer, but you have to."

"This sounds a bit like a horror story," Karin says.

"When Matsuri and Arisa encountered it," Haruka continues, "giving their names made it change form. The result of being cut was… Arisa lost part of her memory, but Matsuri gained memories she shouldn't have?"

"No, it's not like that!" Matsuri says. "It's more like I regained memories that I'd forgotten!"

"That aside," Haruka says. "Chisato told Arisa that Miss Kanoko had been absorbed, right before being absorbed and assimilated herself."

Matsuri nods. "Yes, this makes it all nice and easy to understand," she says.

"As for other information… there's just Aimi's note, right?" Natsuki says.

"Yes… speaking of which," Haruka says. "Take a look here?"

She takes out the page and indicates a scribbled note at the top that isn't part of the rumour's text.

"Ah!" Natsuki says, reading it out. "Story spread to everyone by some kind of familiar… question mark? Seems to have magic but isn't a familiar?"

Haruka nods. "This could potentially explain why a mere rumour is attacking people in real life."

"So there's a witch behind it?" Natsuki says.

"It seems a bit different from how a witch usually works, though," Honoka says.

"I can't say for sure," Haruka says. "But yes, I'd say it's possible there's a witch behind it."

"Can I see the page?" Karin asks.

"Sure," Haruka says.

She hands the page to Karin, who frowns a little as she reads it.

"Why can't you say for sure?" Matsuri asks.

"Well, she wrote that it's unclear whether or not it's a familiar," Haruka says. "Don't forget, magical girls also have a magical signature… and there could be other possibilities, so I can't be sure yet."

"Ah, I see!" Matsuri says.

"Feels like a riddle…?" Karin murmurs. "But there's a part missing…"

"However," Haruka says, "I believe this note describes something very close to the truth. So next… how about we visit the place where Miss Aimi got this information?"

"The shopping district!" Natsuki says. "Agreed! We were on our way there in the first place, after all."

"I think that'd be good too!" Matsuri says.

"W-what!?" Arisa gasps. "We're gonna take even longer!?"

"Without the part that's been torn off, we could be in big trouble," Haruka says.

"Yeah, you can't solve a riddle without the whole thing!" Karin agrees.

"Ugh! I can't really argue with that!" Arisa grumbles.

"But there's just one thing…" Matsuri says.

"Is something still concerning you?" Haruka asks.

"Yeah, it's about the memories I got back," Matsuri says. "Don't you think the fact that I remembered them now could be important?"

"You mean about your older sister, and Miss Suzune?" Natsuki says.

"Yeah," Matsuri says. "I still don't remember everything Ashley Taylor told me about her though…"

"Ashley Taylor!?" Honoka and Karin gasp in unison.

"Eh? What's this about Ashley Taylor?" Haruka says.

"I… I don't really remember clearly," Matsuri says. "I think I met her a couple of weeks ago… she told me about my sister and helped me regain my memories… and yet… then they disappeared again… so I don't remember why I forgot them in the first place…"

"But we can't be sure those memories are real," Haruka says. "What if Ashley Taylor planted those memories in you?"

"Ashley-chan would never do that!" Karin protests. "She wouldn't do something like that!"

"Yeah!" Honoka says. "She's not that type of person!"

Haruka looks at the two of them in surprise.

"Huh… both of you know her as well?"

"I don't just know her!" Karin huffs. "She's my friend and fellow Kirinite!"

"Fellow… what now…?" Haruka says.

"Oh… do you mean Phantom Thief Magical Kirin?" Arisa says.

"Yes!" Karin says.

"What on earth is that?" Honoka asks.

"It's a manga," Arisa says. "Not one of my favourites, but it's a pretty good one…"

"Anyway! Ashley-chan wouldn't do that!" Karin repeats. "And besides, she doesn't even have that kind of power!"

"Plus, I know the memories are real!" Matsuri says. "I do have an older sister!"

"Do we have any concrete proof beside your own memory?" Haruka asks. "That mark on your finger could be anything…"

"Well… no," Matsuri says. "Besides that mark, I don't have any proof…"

"In that case, it makes more sense to explain those memories as false," Haruka says.

"She does have a point," Natsuki says. "How would your sister suddenly vanish like that? It's not very plausible, right?"

Haruka lets out a slight gasp, then nods.

"Y-yes… that's right," she says.

"You sound like you don't really believe yourself," Honoka says.

"Don't be daft," she retorts.

"But you can't prove these memories are fake, either!" Matsuri says. "Like you said before: there could be other possibilities, so we can't be sure yet! You just said that yourself, Haruka!"

"T-that's… true, yes," Haruka admits.

"So it's still possible these memories are real, right?" Matsuri says.

"Yes," Haruka admits.

"And I feel like I've forgotten something else important," Matsuri says. "But what could it be…? Something super, super important… possibly something Miss Ashley told me…"

"If it's something Ashley-chan told you, I could send her a message," Karin suggests.

"That would be helpful if I just knew the right question to ask," Matsuri says. "What could it be…?"

"I promise you I'll figure out what's going on with your memory," Haruka says. "But right now, we need to follow the clue that Miss Aimi left."

"Alright," Matsuri says. "It's important info, after all!"

"Right," Haruka says.

"Can we get a move on already?" Arisa complains. "I can't stand all this yapping and yapping! Let's hurry up and save Chisato!"

"Right!" Natsuki says. "The shopping district! Right this way!"

They all head for the shopping district together, this time not taking the shortcut through a back alley, and after a few minutes they arrive and stop to survey the crowds.

"She said it was magic, right?" Natsuki says. "So maybe if we try to sense magic…"

"Hey! What's that over there?" Karin asks. "It looks really weird…"

She points at a rumour spreader mingling with a group of students from Chuo and Sankyoin Academy.

"Eh? It's magic," Haruka says. "But not exactly like a familiar… and not exactly like a witch, or a magical girl…?"

"It looks like a familiar, but without a labyrinth?" Matsuri says.

"I think it looks kinda cute and funny," Karin says. "It's just so weird!"

"We need to hear what it's saying!" Natsuki says. "Let's get a little closer…"

As they head into the crowds, I notice Arisa splitting off to disappear alone into a back alley, but no-one else, not even Karin, seems to notice. They approach the rumour spreader, which then suddenly breaks off from the group of Chuo girls and approaches them.

"W-whoa, it's coming over here!?" Karin gasps.

"It doesn't seem dangerous though," Honoka says.

"I agree," Matsuri says. "It seems like all it does is talk…"

The rumour spreader stops in front of then and recites the entire text of the Rumour of the Ripper Girl. Haruka listens especially closely in the second half. Once the rumour spreader has finished speaking, it suddenly vanishes, startling everyone again.

"It's gone!" Natsuki gasps.

"That was so sudden!" Matsuri says. "Did you hear everything, Haruka?"

"Yeah," Haruka says. "It attacks if the name isn't true… and absorbs you if you refuse to answer… but I don't get what it means by 'not true'. You both gave your real names, right, Matsuri? Arisa?"

"Yeah," Matsuri says.

"Huh?" Natsuki says, looking around. "Where is Miss Arisa?"

"Huh!?" Matsuri gasps.

"Ohhh, she left after all…?" Karin says.

"Let me try calling her," Haruka says.

She whips out her phone to dial Arisa's number, but it doesn't even ring, instead going straight to the answering service. While she's doing that, Natsuki steps away to get a good look around the crowds.

"Nothing… it's not going through," Haruka says.

Despite the failure, she keeps trying.

"I took a good look around!" Natsuki says, rejoining them. "I didn't see any sign of her anywhere!"

"Did she… go to find Chisato?" Haruka wonders.

"That seems pretty likely," Honoka says.

"Definitely," Karin says.

"She was really upset about how she couldn't do anything," Matsuri says.

"I should've kept a better eye on her," Haruka sighs.

"Is the call still not going through?" Matsuri asks.

"Yeah, no luck yet," Haruka says.

Suddenly her phone pings.

"Huh? A message?" she says.

"From Arisa-chan!?" Matsuri says.

Haruka checks the message and blinks.

"It's just one word," she says. "Sorry… she says…"

Matsuri sighs. "Arisa-chan…"

"She's so selfish!" Haruka says.

"Haruka!" Matsuri says. "Let's go after her!"

"Yeah," Haruka says. "We need to bring her back… Miss Natsuki, can you lead the way?"

"Ah, um… to where we were just before, right?" Natsuki says. "That's no problem!"

She leads the way into the back alleys that they were in earlier, near where Matsuri ran into Suzune, and they hurry through them until they spot Arisa up ahead.

"There she is!" Karin says.

"I see her!" Matsuri says. "Arisa-chan, wait up!"

"Arisa!" Haruka calls.

But instead of stopping, Arisa speeds up, breaking into a run.

"Ah!" Natsuki gasps. "She's running away!"

"No she's not!" Honoka says.

She transforms, crosses her daggers, and teleports forward, placing herself squarely in Arisa's path just as she's about to turn a corner. Arisa gasps, tries to skid to a halt, and slams into Honoka. The two of them tumble to the ground in a heap, giving everyone else a chance to catch up.

"If we face it without a plan, we'll just be beaten!" Haruka says. "That's why we had to be careful up until now! We learned important information just now, so let's go over it and work out a solution!"

Arisa and Honoka get back to their feet, Honoka rubbing at her side while Arisa dusts herself off. Honoka also powers down again.

"I… I know that!" Arisa says angrily. "I know that, but I'm not like you…! I can't stay calm…! Chisato is gone because of me…"

"Arisa-chan, that's not true!" Matsuri says.

"It is…!" Arisa shouts, starting to cry again. "When Chisato said she was going to investigate the alleyway, because my memory's gone wrong, I think she was trying to find a way to bring it back! But, if it'd take Chisato disappearing to do that, then… I'd rather have no memory…!"

Her rant is met by a round of silence from everyone. Haruka is the first to speak up.

"If that's how you feel, then that's even more reason to keep your cool," she says.

"Don't lump me together with you, miss always-perfect!" Arisa screams. "Just leave me the hell alone!"

"Then what are you going to do!?" Haruka asks.

"I'm going to find Chisato!" Arisa says.

"Uhh, guys, I think we have company," Karin says.

Her voice is accompanied by the sound of a bell. The rumour is nowhere in sight, so she must've sensed its magic before hearing it. It jingles multiple times, slowly coming closer.

"That bell… it's the ripper girl!" Arisa says.

"Oh no!" Haruka says. "We still haven't figured out what to do about it!"

Arisa transforms, looking around wildly before running off around a corner.

"No, Arisa, don't!" Haruka calls. "If you meet the ripper girl, then you'll also be absorbed!"

But her words have absolutely no effect on Arisa, who's already disappeared by the time she finishes speaking, so she transforms as well.

"We're going after her!" she says.

The others also transform in turn.

"Yeah!" Matsuri says.

"Okay!" Natsuki says.

"I'm with you!" Honoka says.

"Sure!" Karin says.

The five of them hurry after Arisa, following the persistent sound of the bell. They round two more corners before catching sight of her.

"Miss Haruka…!" Natsuki says.

"There she is!" Matsuri says.

Arisa is there, confronting the spectre of Chisato. The bell sounds again, and the spectre challenges her as usual.

"Give me a name," the spectre says.

"Chisato!" Arisa gasps.

"Get away!" Haruka says. "It's not too late!"

But Arisa ignores her and steps forward instead. Haruka leaps forward to grab her arm.

"Arisa, don't! If you get too close…!"

"Let go of me!" Arisa shouts.

She wrests her arm free of Haruka's grasp with such force that Haruka goes flying several metres back and smashes into a wall.

"Ah…!" Arisa gasps. "I'm sorry!"

"Are you okay, Miss Haruka?" Natsuki asks.

"That looked painful…" Karin says.

The spectre takes a few steps forward.

"Ah! Arisa-chan! Look out!" Matsuri says.

"Give me a name," the spectre repeats.

"Ugh… this is the worst!" Haruka groans. "Arisa! You have to answer! If you don't answer, you'll be absorbed!"

"Chisato!" Arisa says.

"Chi…sato…?" the spectre asks.

"Get ahold of yourself!" Arisa says. "Come on, Chisato! Please!"

"Chisato… name…?" the spectre asks.

"Yes!" Arisa says. "You're Chisato! Come back to us…!"

"Chi-sa-to… me…?" the spectre asks.

Suddenly the spectre changes forms again, starting with Akira's form.

"Wrong," the spectre of Akira says.

"Wrong," the spectre of Kako says.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong!" the spectre of Nanaka says.

"Why?" Matsuri wonders. "I don't get it…"

"Wrooooong!" the spectre of Nanaka insists.

"It seems different from before," Matsuri muses. "Like it's in pain?"

"Saying your name is wrong," Haruka muses. "Staying silent is wrong… what else is there…?"

"Miss Haruka, are you alright?" Natsuki says.

"Miss Natsuki… yes, I'm fine," Haruka says.

Suddenly Karin steps forward and speaks up.

"Um… you… aren't you Tokiwa Nanaka…?"

The spectre tilts her head.

"Yes… I am… Tokiwa Nanaka," she agrees.

Suddenly there's a flash of light. Nanaka sort of falls out of the spectre and lands prone on the ground, while the spectre itself moves on to Chisato's form.

"Chisato!" Arisa says.

"Urgh… Chisato… me…?" the spectre wonders. "Wrong…? Ugh…"

"Ah!" Haruka gasps. "Arisa, do the same thing! Tell her her own name! Her full name!"

"Her full name…" Arisa says. "Yes! You're Chisato! You're Shion Chisato!"

"Right," the spectre agrees. "I'm… Shion Chisato…"

This time, Chisato falls free of the spectre, leaving it in the form of Aimi. Arisa catches her before she hits the ground.

"Chisato!" Arisa says. "Wake up!"

"Looks like the two of them are just unconscious," Haruka says.

"Thank goodness!" Matsuri says.

"It's hard to believe that Miss Tokiwa got defeated though," Karin says.

"Why, is she supposed to be really strong?" Honoka asks.

"Well, not as strong as Miss Nanami, but… she's one of the stronger magical girls around town," Karin says. "At least, of the ones who've been around for about a year or more… I don't know many of the newer ones like Miss Natsuki…"

"Oh, have you been a magical girl for that long?" Natsuki asks.

"A bit less," Karin says. "I became a magical girl on Halloween."

"But wait, we can't let our guard down yet!" Natsuki says.

"Right," Haruka says. "Looks like it's not over yet…"

Indeed, it seems to be iterating through various forms again.

"Unfair," the spectre of Aimi says. "Why!?"

"Name… unfair, unfair, unfair!" the spectre of Kanoko says.

"Unfair!" the spectre of Hotaru says.

"Unfair!" the spectre of Suzune shouts.

With that shout, they're suddenly drawn into the rumour's labyrinth, including Nanaka and Chisato.

"W-what the!?" Matsuri gasps. "Is this… a labyrinth!?"

"W-whoa!" Karin says. "What a weird labyrinth! And wasn't that Yura-chan just a moment ago…?"

"Indeed, it's rather strange for a labyrinth," Haruka agrees. "It's not quite a witch…? Is it something unique to Kamihama?"

"I've never seen anything like it though," Karin says.

"Nor have I," Natsuki says. "What the heck could be going on here…?"

The spectre resumes cycling forms and shouting at them.

"Unfair! Unfair!" the spectre of Kako says.

"It's not attacking us…?" Haruka says. "Let's pull back and regroup for now! For starters, I want to secure an escape route! Let's find somewhere to stop and rest while we search for the labyrinth's exit."

"Okay!" Matsuri says. "Especially with Chisato and Miss… Tokiwa…? …out cold…"

"Right," Haruka says. "As for them…"

"Oh… I can carry Chisato," Arisa says.

"Yes, thank you." Haruka says.

"I can carry Miss Tokiwa," Natsuki says.

"No, Miss Natsuki, I'd like you and Matsuri to take the lead," Haruka says.

"Then I guess I'll carry her," Karin says.

Haruka nods. "Good… then I'll bring up the rear with Miss Honoka, and the two of you who are carrying someone will keep to the centre."

"Got it!" Natsuki says. "We've just gotta find an exit and a good place to hide!"

"Leave it to us!" Matsuri says.

"Mm-hm," Arisa says.

They pick up the two prone girls and make their way through the labyrinth, away from the spectre, although it seems to follow them slowly, its bell continuously jingling. After a bit they find something that looks like a building, with a door, and they all tumble inside. When the rumour catches up, it starts banging on the door, but to no apparent effect.

"It seems like it can't break in here," Natsuki says.

"So I guess we're safe for now, at least?" Matsuri says.

"Yeah!" Natsuki says. "Too bad we couldn't find an exit, though…"

"Yeah…"

"Also…"

Natsuki lowers her voice and glances at Haruka and Arisa.

"Does it feel kinda… super awkward in here…?"

Suddenly both Haruka and Arisa speak up at once.

"Um…!"

"You go first," Haruka says.

"No, you go ahead," Arisa says.

"Hmm," Matsuri says. "Ah! I know!"

She steps forward and grabs both of them by the hand.

"If you have something to say," she says, "why don't you both say it on the count of three?"

"Huh…?" Arisa says.

"That's too sudden, I—" Haruka says.

"One," Matsuri says. "Two… three!"

"I'm sorry!" Haruka and Arisa shout, almost in unison.

Beaming, Matsuri takes a step back to let them talk.

"I knew you were right, Haruka," Arisa says. "I'm sorry for doing something so selfish…"

"I wasn't considering your feelings at all, either," Haruka says. "And I told you to act calm, but I was far from composed myself… I'm sorry…"

"Ta-da!" Matsuri says. "And now we're all friends again!"

"Whoa!" Natsuki says. "Wonderfully done!"

"You can say that again…" Honoka says.

"Uhh, guys, they're starting to wake up!" Karin says.

"Ugh, I…" Chisato says.

"What… happened to me…?" Nanaka asks.

"The ripper girl, um… assimilated you," Natsuki says.

"Ah, is that you, Miss Utsuho…?"

"Chisatooo!" Arisa gasps.

She kneels down to grab Chisato in a hug, breaking into tears yet again. Nanaka looks around, taking in the surroundings and the people present. She seems particularly wary of Matsuri.

"W-whoa!?" Chisato gasps. "H-hey, don't cry…"

"B-but… but I…!" Arisa sobs.

"Good to see you back with us," Haruka says.

"I'm so sorry for the trouble I caused," Chisato says.

"It's fine," Haruka says. "More importantly, do you feel anything wrong?"

"Anything wrong…?" Chisato says.

"Oh, like your memories!" Natsuki suggests.

"Do you remember who everyone is?" Matsuri asks.

"Yeah, I do," Chisato says. "Other than the witch girl with purple hair…"

"Oh! I'm Misono Karin!"

"Nice to meet you," Chisato says. "And I think my memory is alright."

"I see," Haruka says. "Sorry this is so sudden, but could you tell us what happened?"

"Yes," Chisato says. "When we went to the alley, we saw the children headed towards the ripper girl, so Miss Kanoko and I followed them to bring them back to safety. We resolved to not tell it our names so our memories wouldn't be ripped up… I grabbed the children and ran, but something startled them. When I turned around to see what it was, Miss Kanoko was being absorbed into the ripper girl. After that, I entrusted Arisa with the children who had passed out, and got absorbed myself as I tried to hold it off."

"So what did it say, exactly?" Haruka asks.

"I see… then you're also me," Chisato quotes. "The ripper girl, right?"

"That fits the rumour we heard," Haruka muses.

Chisato sighs. "When the ripper girl trapped me, I could feel myself slowly forgetting who I was… and eventually, I couldn't stay awake anymore."

"So you don't remember anything that happened while you were caught?" Matsuri asks.

"Yeah… I think I don't remember anything until Arisa called my name…?"

"Could you hear my voice?" Arisa asks.

"Loud and clear," Chisato says. "I heard Arisa calling my name, and I… how do I put it… it was like I got myself back?"

"I see," Natsuki says. "And the same happened to Miss Tokiwa… so if we call the other people's names, I assume we can get them back too."

"Yeah, I agree," Karin says. "So all we gotta do is go out there and call everyone's names, right?"

"Though I'm honestly not sure if that will solve the core issue," Haruka says. "So please, just wait a bit longer." Then she turns to Nanaka. "So… what about you, Miss… Tokiwa, was it?"

Nanaka nods. "It seems I've caused you some trouble," she says. "My apologies."

"Don't worry about it," Haruka says. "More importantly, could I ask you to tell me what happened?"

Nanaka looks around at the assembled girls, her eyes lingering suspiciously on Matsuri for several seconds before she turns to face Haruka. The spectre outside is still banging on the door, but they ignore it, as there's no sign of it getting through.

"I don't have much to tell you," Nanaka says. "But I'll say what I can. The reason we were following the ripper girl rumour was because we were the ones who originally started the rumour. Last month, a magical girl suddenly appeared in Kamihama and started attacking magical girls, with clear intent to kill. Fortunately, no-one died, but… I started the rumour in hopes of warning others about her. As time went by, we noted that the rumour was starting to spread beyond the city as we had intended, but at the same time, as is typical of rumours, it became boring and started to be forgotten. But then… this new variation of the rumour suddenly started circulating in Kamihama. We suspected a connection with the previous magical girl and set out to investigate."

"And then you were assimilated," Matsuri says.

"Even Miss Tokiwa couldn't fight it…?" Karin says.

"Yes, that is correct," Nanaka says. "In all likelihood, the previous magical girl had nothing to do with this new rumour. The rumour going around now may have been based on the rumour we spread, but I feel that they're fundamentally different things. I apologize… that's all the information I've gathered."

"The original rumour and the current rumour," Haruka muses. "Just clarifying the relationship between them is helpful."

"Um… that girl you mentioned from last month," Matsuri says. "Does she happen to have silver hair worn in a ponytail, and wear a bell in her hair?"

"And wear a coat and wield fire magic?" Honoka asks.

"Yes, that description appears to fit her," Nanaka says. "Why do you ask?"

"Ah… never mind, it's nothing," Matsuri mutters.

Suddenly a fresh round of banging on the door startles everyone.

"Okay… Chisato, can you move?" Haruka asks.

"Yes, I can move just fine," Chisato says. "Fighting might be a little tough right now, though."

"And… Miss Tokiwa?" Haruka says.

"I am fine," Nanaka says. "I should be able to fight a little, if needed."

"There's no need for that," Haruka says. "You can both leave the fighting to the rest of us."

"I'm sorry," Chisato says.

"I'll fight twice as hard for you, Chisato!" Arisa says.

Karin nods. "Yeah, and I'll get to tell everyone that I protected Miss Tokiwa!"

"You don't need to brag about something like that, Miss… uhh… what did you say your name was, again?" Nanaka says.

"Misono Karin!" Karin says.

"Ah, yes, now I remember you," Nanaka says. "We both became magical girls around the same time, right? I heard quite the rumours about you back then… but they've long since died down, so I suppose you have changed your ways."

"W-what!?" Karin protests. "There was no need to bring up old mistakes at a time like this! Geez!"

The banging on the door becomes more intense.

"I don't think the door's gonna hold out much longer," Honoka says.

"Then let's confront it before it breaks through," Haruka says. "Here we go, everyone!"

Haruka opens the door, apparently startling the spectre outside, which pauses in mid-swing to stare at her. It currently has the form of Yura Hotaru, clutching a crescent-shaped pillow.

"Found… unfair… won't forgive…!" the spectre says.

Haruka, Arisa, and Matsuri step forward as the spectre suddenly attacks, swinging its pillow like a club. Honoka teleports behind the spectre and slashes at it with her blades.

"It's attacking all of a sudden…?" Matsuri says.

"Does this mean it's not trying to assimilate us anymore?" Haruka wonders.

"I'll attack back!" Arisa says.

She leaps forward and puts all her power into swinging her scythe at the spectre of Hotaru, which groans and takes a step back while complaining.

"Unfair… name… name… won't forgive… won't forgive… won't forgive…"

"What…?" Arisa says. "I didn't hold back at all…"

"My attack didn't seem to have much effect either," Honoka says.

"So it's not working?" Natsuki asks.

"I think… it's not completely ineffective," Haruka says. "It does appear to be slowing her down."

"So that means we have an opening!" Matsuri says.

"That's right," Haruka says. "Let's take advantage of the opening and get back those who were assimilated! We'll all attack together!"

The four of them do just that, leaping at the spectre from four sides and attacking.

"Name…" the spectre mutters.

"I think she's faltering!" Matsuri says.

"Does anyone know her name?" Haruka asks.

The remaining two girls, Nanaka and Karin, poke their heads out of the room they'd been hiding in. Chisato also pokes her head out.

"I'm afraid I don't know this girl," Nanaka says.

"Ah!" Karin gasps. "That's the girl I was looking for!"

She steps forward, striding past Haruka and Arisa.

"You're Yura Hotaru!"

"Ah… Yura… Hotaru… yes…"

Hotaru falls to the ground, leaving the spectre in the form of Kako. Arisa, Haruka, and Matsuri continue to attack.

"Ah! It's the girl from the bookstore!" Chisato gasps. "But I don't remember her name…"

Nanaka opens her mouth to say the name, but before she can, the spectre shifts forms again, taking on the form of Akira instead.

"Oh! Bring the unconscious girl back here!" Chisato says. "I can at least protect her!"

"Right!" Karin says.

She drags Hotaru back into the room, behind Chisato.

"Unfair!" the spectre of Akira says. "Why!"

Then the spectre takes on Suzune's form, eliciting a little gasp from Nanaka.

"Name… unfair unfair unfair!"

Then it switches to Aimi's form.

"It's unfair… unfair… me too!"

Next is Meiyui's form.

"Why… name…"

Finally Kanoko's form.

"Ugh… ahhhh… unfair!"

"Miss Kanoko!" Arisa gasps. "I'll save you now! You're Yayoi Kanoko!"

"Ugh… I… am… Yayoi… Kanoko…"

As she peels away from the spectre, leaving it in the form of Aimi, Karin hops in to drag Kanoko into the room. The Hohzuki girls press the attack.

"It's going well!" Matsuri says.

"Don't let yourself get distracted, even when things are going well," Haruka says.

"Yeah, I know!" Matsuri says.

The spectre switches to Akira's form.

"Again… again…! Unfair… won't forgive… won't forgive…!"

"You're Shinobu Akira!" Natsuki says.

"Ahh… I am… Shinobu Akira… how… forget…"

As Akira peels away from the rumour, leaving it with Suzune's form, this time it's Honoka who hops in to get her to the safety of the room.

"Akira! Thank goodness!" Natsuki says.

"Are you okay, Arisa?" Haruka asks.

Arisa appears to be panting heavily, but she nods.

"Yeah! I'm still okay!"

"Don't overdo it," Haruka says. "We could have a lot of fighting ahead of us still… the enemy seems to be getting stronger, little by little."

"Yeah, but… I wanna do my best for Chisato," Arisa says.

"Me too," the spectre of Suzune says. "Name…"

Then it takes on Meiyui's form.

"Name… name… unfair… won't forgive…"

Next up is Aimi's form.

"…I…? Name… unfair unfair…"

Then it takes on Kako's form again.

"Why… name…"

"Huh?" Matsuri says.

"Name name name name name!" the spectre of Kako shouts. "Unfair! Why why why!?"

The spectre suddenly starts lashing out with Kako's spear-like weapon.

"She's going berserk!" Matsuri gasps. "I'll take care of her!"

Matsuri hops in close to block the wild swings with her gauntlets.

"You are Natsume Kako!" Nanaka says.

The spectre freezes in mid-swing.

"…me…? Natsume… Kako… yes… right…"

Kako peels away from the rumour, leaving it in the form of Aimi, and Karin hops in to drag her to safety.

"Me too… name… unfair…" the spectre of Aimi says.

Then it takes on Suzune's form.

"Why… name… me…?"

Then Meiyui's form.

"Cruel… even though you're the same… even though you're me…"

"You are Chun Meiyui!" Nanaka says.

Meiyui peels away from the spectre, leaving it in the form of Aimi, and as Honoka hops in to drag Meiyui to safety, Natsuki calls the name before it can change form again.

"You're Eri Aimi!"

Aimi also peels away, and Karin hops in to drag her to safety. The spectre now takes on the form of Suzune.

"Aimi, thank goodness!" Natsuki says.

"Meiyui's safe, too," Haruka says.

"And we even found Miss Misono's friend," Honoka says. "Is this one the last one…? It doesn't seem to be changing form anymore…"

"Ahhhh!" the spectre of Suzune screams. "Unfair! I… me… ahhhh!"

"So she's still the same?" Arisa says. "Could this be her real form?"

"No, it's not," Matsuri says. "That's Suzune-chan…"

"Yeah, it's definitely Miss Suzune," Honoka says. "I don't remember her surname, though…"

"Ah! She's the girl from that time!" Natsuki says.

"She's also the one who helped me escape from the rumour earlier," Matsuri says. "So it's kinda my fault she got assimilated…"

The spectre of Suzune screams and attacks with her sword, startling everyone. However, Karin raises her hand and the sword suddenly vanishes, reappearing in her hand and causing the spectre to freeze in mid-swing. The stolen sword then crumbles to dust in Karin's hand, startling her as well.

"And… if I'm right… Miss Tokiwa should know her too," Matsuri says.

Nanaka blinks. "It's true that I have seen this girl before," she says. "However… I do not recall her surname either. My apologies."

"We can't help her if we don't know her name," Haruka says.

"It's okay," Matsuri says. "I know it… just give me a minute to remember…"

She frowns a little, pondering.

"Maybe we can just deal with the root of the problem instead…?" Haruka muses. "But I'm not even sure how to do that… then what we should do is draw her off!"

"No, wait!" Matsuri says. "I'm sure I can remember her surname! I definitely know her! I'm certain of it! I think we used to be friends! So that's why, I don't want to leave her like this! I have to save her!"

"Is this another effect of being slashed?" Haruka wonders. "Are you having trouble with your memory?"

Matsuri blinks. "Ah!"

She steps forward, towards the spectre, startling everyone.

"What are you doing!?" Honoka gasps. "That's dangerous!"

"Unfair," the spectre of Suzune says. "Name…"

"My name is… Hinata Matsuri!" Matsuri says.

Haruka gasps. "No, Matsuri! That's such a dangerous gamble!"

"Wrong!" the spectre of Suzune shouts.

It raises a new sword and slashes at Matsuri. She lets out a startled gasp, but doesn't seem to be in pain. However, she does collapse to one knee, then fall prone, unconscious. Arisa, Karin, Honoka, and Haruka step forward to attack the spectre, protecting her. Natsuki joins in with some of her signature cheering. Nanaka and Chisato step forward drag Matsuri back, out of the battle area.

The spectre screams wordlessly and attacks indiscriminately.

"Ugh… I… can't lose here!" Arisa says, swinging her scythe.

"I'm here too!" Haruka says, thrusting with her spear.

"Wow, this thing is tough!" Karin says, swinging her scythe.

"Y-yeah… I can't believe we're attacking it non-stop and it barely even feels it," Honoka says.

"Puuush!" Natsuki cheers. "Keep on pushing! Keep on pushing! It's working! Give it another shot! Go! Fight! Win!"

Matsuri stirs and sits up.

"Ah! You're up!" Natsuki says.

"Yeah, thank you," Matsuri says. "Thanks to you, I was able to remember more of what I had forgotten… tho I still don't remember everything Ashley Taylor told me…"

Nanaka blinks at the mention of my name.

"But Suzune-chan is my precious friend who I've been away from for so long, and I remembered most of our time together, short though it was… so leave this to me!"

"Geez, you're being too reckless!" Haruka complains.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Arisa says.

"Hurry up and call her name!" Honoka says.

"I don't know if I can keep this up much longer!" Karin says.

Matsuri steps forward to face the spectre of Suzune.

"That day, you became friends with me," Matsuri says. "You're… Amano Suzune!"

"…that's… me… Amano… Suzune… I'm…"

As Suzune peels away from the spectre, Matsuri steps in to catch her and pull her back. This time, the form remaining behind is not a recognizable magical girl.

"Suzune-chan!" Matsuri says. "I'm so sorry I forgot about you…"

Matsuri squeezes her hand, and Suzune squeezes back. A moment later, she opens her eyes.

"I… I wonder what… this feeling is," she murmurs. "I feel like… I've known you for a long time…"

"Yes, that's good enough, Suzune-chan," Matsuri says. "It feels like forever ago… but just seeing you again is enough."

"So… does anyone know this latest girl's name?" Honoka asks.

The spectre has now taken on the form of a dark-haired woman with a crown of bluebells and a simple matching blue dress. It carries a katana. The bluebells themselves seem to be the source of the jingling sound.

"Ah… ahhh… name… mine… name… why…" the spectre laments.

A black haze begins to emanate from her. It's similar to the dark haze that has shrouded the spectre this entire time, but now much more intense and clearly emanating from her body.

"Eek…! W-what!?" Arisa gasps.

"A black haze…?" Haruka says.

"T-this… could this be… the ripper girl's true form…?" Natsuki wonders.

"Wrong!" the spectre suddenly screams.

It leaps for Natsuki's throat, slashing with its sword, and Natsuki barely manages to interpose her baton in time to defend herself.

"Miss Natsuki!" Haruka gasps.

"Are you okay!?" Honoka asks.

"Y-yeah!" Natsuki says.

"Don't call me… that name…!" the spectre shouts.

"So… it doesn't like that name…?" Karin muses. "Are we supposed to just… guess its name? Hmm… that can't be right…"

"Name…" the spectre says. "My name… my… real name…!"

"S-she's angry…!" Arisa says.

"My… real… name… tell me…!" the spectre shouts.

"Your real name…?" Haruka says.

The spectre shakes its head violently, jingling all those bells and producing quite a racket.

"Ugh…!" Matsuri says. "T-that's a lot of noise…"

"The… ripper girl," Suzune muses. "It might be a name that was forced on her…"

"Suzune-chan…!" Matsuri gasps. "Are you okay moving around…?"

"Yeah," Suzune says. "You there… are you Utsuho Natsuki from Sankyoin Academy?"

She points at Natsuki.

"Huh… that's right, but… how do you know?" Natsuki asks.

"Because I heard someone call you Natsuki," Suzune says. "Did you get the note from Miss Aimi?"

Natsuki blinks. "A note from Aimi…? Oh! Yeah, I did! Who has it now…?"

"That torn page?" Karin says. "I have it right here…"

She takes it out and waves it around. Nanaka takes it from her and reads through it.

"Then my promise to Miss Aimi is fulfilled," Suzune says.

"Yeah, that note," Matsuri says. "We actually figured out the rest of it too… the torn-off part."

Suzune blinks. "Ah… I see…"

"That note really helped us though!" Matsuri says "Though if Miss Misono hadn't been there to keep Arisa from running off, we probably would've had some trouble figuring everything out."

"Not that we have figured everything out yet," Haruka says.

Karin exchanges blows with the spectre, barely holding it off.

"Guys, she's still attacking!" she calls. "And I think she's even stronger than before!"

"I'm not sure if we can even beat her by force!" Honoka says.

"Just hold on a little longer!" Haruka says.

"So, I take it you know the rest of this text?" Nanaka says. "The torn-off portion may be crucial to understanding it…"

"Yeah, I remember it," Haruka says.

She recites the full text of the Rumour of the Ripper Girl from memory, starting from the third line – that is, skipping the standard intro and the name of the rumour. There are a few small differences from the official text, but nothing significant.

"So that was Aimi's important intel," Natsuki says.

"But I still don't get what it means," Arisa says.

"Haruka, do you get it?" Matsuri asks.

"Hold on, I'll think," Haruka says.

"I think… it might be a riddle," Nanaka muses.

"That's what I thought too!" Karin says.

Haruka blinks. "A riddle…?"

Nanaka nods. "Her name is hidden in the verse, somewhere… not explicitly… but implied…"

As Karin and Honoka continue to hold off the spectre, her bell jingles again, and Haruka gasps.

"The bell…?"

She steps forward to face the rumour, which relaxes its assault on Honoka and Karin to look at her.

"Tell me," the spectre says. "Name… naaame… tell…"

"Not being called by your name," Haruka says. "Not being seen properly… it's hard, I know…"

"Name… name," the spectre insists.

"I'm sorry for getting it wrong up until now," Haruka says. "You're not the ripper girl. Your name is… Suzu. The sound that's been echoing out from you all this time… is the sound of a bell, suzu no ne. That's your name, isn't it?"

The spectre falls silent for a good thirty seconds before responding.

"Thank you."

The black haze around her clears up, allowing them to see her in her full glory. Like the Eternal Sakura, she has a sort of otherworldly quality to her – patterns playing upon her hair that cannot be explained by optical illusions, gloves that look almost painted on, a way of holding herself that makes her appear light as a feather. But they only have a few seconds to take in her appearance before she vanishes in a flash of light.

"Huh? She vanished…" Natsuki says.

"So does that mean this is all over?" Karin wonders.

"Hey, Haruka, how did you know?" Arisa asks.

"Because of the verse," Haruka says. "Specifically, this part… 'They say the lost name is right there in plain sight. It's the hottest rumour that the girls lost in abandoned ruins are talking about!' That was the first clue that it was a riddle… so I figured the answer was in there somewhere."

Nanaka nods. "That line about the lost name is what confirmed it me to it as well."

"I thought it was a riddle from the start," Karin says. "But… I guess that line did make it more obvious…"

"Then I noticed this part… 'an echoing bell reaches your ears, ring ring ring!' And also 'that which was lost echoes out'. Thinking of those two bits together… the thing that echoes is the thing that she lost, in other words, her name. And what's echoing is a bell. That's why I thought the name she was looking for was Suzu."

"I see!" Natsuki says.

"Wow, I didn't even notice," Arisa says.

"The final thing that made me think of it was the lonely ringing of the bell," Haruka says.

"Well, it looks like it's all over," Nanaka says.

"Arisa, Matsuri… are your memories back to normal?" Chisato asks.

"No, it's still the same," Arisa says.

"What!"

"The labyrinth hasn't disappeared yet," Haruka says. "Maybe they'll come back when it does?"

Nanaka looks suspiciously at Suzune, their gazes connecting long enough to suggest that some telepathic communication is going on. Then she turns her gaze upon Matsuri, watching her warily.

"Suzune-chan," Matsuri says. "When we get out of here, can I have a few minutes of your time?"

"Huh, me?"

"Yes, I need to talk to you about the past," Matsuri says.

"Just for a bit," Suzune says.

"Thank you!"

Suddenly the labyrinth collapses, depositing them back in the back alley.

"W-where am I?" Arisa wonders. "Huh? Wait, what am I stuttering for…? And what the heck was I doing just now!?"

"Arisa-chan, you're back!" Matsuri says.

As she speaks, Kagari finally reveals her presence by transforming, melding her outfit with Matsuri's… but although Nanaka gasps at something, no-one else seems to notice, and even Nanaka frowns in confusion a moment later. A few seconds after Kagari transforms, Suzune uses her stealth magic to disappear.

"Seems like it," Arisa says. "Hm? I'm back…?"

"What!?" Matsuri says. "You're… huh?"

"Matsuri, Arisa, what's wrong?" Haruka asks.

"Um… I don't know… something feels weird about this…?" Matsuri says.

"Me too," Arisa says.

"A weird feeling…?" Haruka says.

"Chisato, is there anything weird about me?" Arisa asks.

"What? You're the usual Arisa," Chisato says.

"I guess so," Arisa says. "I feel like I've exposed an embarrassing side of myself, but maybe that's just my imagination…"

While they're discussing, Nanaka half turns towards Karin and Honoka, who other than the still-unconscious girls are the furthest from Matsuri and Kagari. There must have been some telepathic communication, for Honoka blinks and Karin grabs her arm. Then Honoka crosses her blades and vanishes, startling Kagari, who powers down a moment later, leaving only Matsuri's outfit. By this time, most of the unconscious girls have also come to, with the exception of Hotaru.

"So we were sightseeing and were interrupted by a witch," Chisato muses. "Is there something you're still upset about, Arisa?"

"Not really, but… if it's over, I'd like to go back to sightseeing as soon as possible. There was a taiyaki place I wanted to visit!"

"Huh?" Matsuri says. "Were we really… killing witches…?"

"Yes, with the help of all these girls from Kamihama," Haruka says.

"Oh, that's right," Matsuri says.

She powers down, and most of the others follow suit.

"Are you okay?" Natsuki asks. "It doesn't look like you're hurt, but… did the witch do something to you?"

"No, that's not the case," Matsuri says.

"That's good to hear," Nanaka says.

"I've heard that the witches of Kamihama are stronger than others lately," Akira says. "Are you tired? I'd like to take you to a place where you can rest, but…"

"We have a strategy meeting later," Meiyui says.

"I'm sorry," Kako says.

"Then we'll help you out!" Aimi says. "We don't have anything special to do, right?"

"Yeah!" Natsuki says.

"Let's see," Kanoko muses. "Where can we rest around here…"

"What!?" Arisa gasps. "What about sightseeing!?"

"Arisa…" Chisato sighs.

"What should we do?" Haruka asks. "Should we take them up on the offer?"

Matsuri frowns a little.

"Matsuri? What's wrong?" Haruka asks.

"Hmm… it might be nothing…?" Matsuri says. "I just feel like… there's someone missing…"

"And what'll we do with this girl…?" Chisato wonders.

She nudges Hotaru with her foot. Unexpectedly, this is enough to cause Hotaru to stir and open her eyes.

"Huh? Where am I…?" she wonders, sitting up.

"You were passed out in a witch's labyrinth," Haruka says.

Hotaru shakes her head. "That's ridiculous… I would never… sleep in a labyrinth…"

"But that's really where we found you," Haruka says.

"Well… if you… say so," Haruka says.

She gets to her feet and powers down, yawning a bit.

"The same uniform as Miss Misono," Haruka says. "Speaking of which… where did Miss Misono go…?"

"Ah… she was here…?" Hotaru says. "Well… whatever… I can find my own way home…"

"I'm not sure where she went," Nanaka says. "I was talking to her just now and suddenly she ran away…"

Hotaru blinks. "That's… not like her," she says. "Maybe… I'll go look for her…"

With that announcement, she heads off on her own. The others watch her go for a few seconds.

"She seems like a bit of an odd girl," Chisato says. "Didn't even introduce herself or say goodbye or anything…"

But then Matsuri changes the topic.

"More importantly, I want to go sightseeing in Kamihama too!"

"Huh?" Haruka blinks. "Well, if you're okay…"

"Alright, it's official!" Arisa says. "Let's get to that taiyaki place!"

"Right, the one you were talking about before we came!" Matsuri says.

"Since we fought together like this, why don't you guys join us?" Chisato suggests.

"Ohh! Sounds great!" Natsuki says.

"I'd love to join you!" Kanoko says.

"Now that it's all settled, let's get out of this dingy place!" Aimi says.

At that moment, Aimi's notebook slips from her pocket.

"Ah!" Natsuki says, grabbing it before it hits the ground. "Your fantasy notebook!"

"Oh no!" Aimi gasps. "D-did you see anything!?"

"Huh? What would we see…?" Haruka wonders.

"D-don't worry about it!" Aimi says.

She quickly flips through it and blinks.

"Hm? The last page is torn?"

She stares at the torn page for a few seconds.

"What's wrong?" Natsuki asks.

"There's something… weird written on it," Aimi says.

She carefully tears out the remainder of that page.

"I'll throw this away when I get home…"

Then she tucks both the notebook and the torn page back into her pocket. Nanaka's team watch as the four Hohzuki girls and the other three Kamihama girls head off.

"Well then," Nanaka says. "Shall we head to Kako's house for the strategy meeting?"

"Huh? My place?" Kako says. "Don't we usually do it at your place?"

"Yes, but your place is easier to find," Nanaka says.

"Huh? What has that got to do with anything?" Akira asks. "We all know where your place is already…"

Nanaka frowns. "I'm not sure, but… I think there's a reason," she says.

"Is this another of your feelings?" Meiyui asks.

"Yes… it's that girl with the green hair… Miss Matsuri, I think she was called?"

"Huh, her?" Akira says. "You can't be saying she's an enemy or anything…"

"I'm a little confused myself," Nanaka says. "I definitely sensed a strong hostility from her, but there was no such feeling in her words or actions… but let us discuss this in detail at Kako's place."

They leave the alleyway and head to Natsume books, where they find Honoka and Karin waiting for them.

"Finally!" Karin says. "Feels like we've been waiting here for hours!"

They pile inside, and Kako shows them all to her room. It's a little cramped with six people, but they all manage to find a place to sit.

"So um… what did you want with me, anyway?" Karin asks. "Was there really something dangerous there?"

"Miss… sorry, what was your name, again?" Nanaka says.

Karin blinks. "Huh? I just told you a little while ago, didn't I? I'm Misono Karin…"

"You told me a little while ago?" Nanaka says. "Hmm… you have no reason to lie to me… and who's this?"

"I'm Kanami Honoka, from Hohzuki," Honoka says. "I'm a classmate of Matsuri-chan and Miss Suzune."

"…Miss Suzune…?" Nanaka says. "Do you mean… Amano Suzune…? You should stay away from her, she's dangerous…"

Honoka blinks.

"Y-yeah, I know, she attacked me one time," she says. "But why do you seem so uncertain…? She was there too, in that whole mess just now…"

"I see," Nanaka says. "Very well. Then my conclusion is… someone has been meddling with our memories."

Meiyui gasps. "Wait… you don't mean… could it be like I felt when we first encountered Miss Suzune…?"

Nanaka nods. "Indeed… this could be the hidden true culprit behind the ripper girl… behind Amano Suzune," she says. "Miss Misono, Miss Kanami, could I ask you to explain everything that happened to the best of your abilities?"

"I only showed up halfway through," Karin says. "So I don't think I'd be much help… but I'll do my best!"

"I'll start from the beginning," Honoka says.

She explains how they'd overheard the gossiping girls in class, how Suzune had decided to check it out, and how she'd decided to follow Suzune. Apparently nothing much of interested happened before the initial encounter with Natsuki. Honoka continues to describe the sequence of events all the way through to the end, with Karin putting in a few words here and there, and Nanaka listens closely, occasionally asking for clarification of some detail or other. Finally, Honoka reaches the end.

"…and then you suddenly looked at me and said, 'Please trust me… I don't have time to explain, but we all may be in great danger here. I sense something sinister happening. Could I ask you to retreat as fast as you possibly can? Let's meet up at Natsume Books – you should be able to locate it on your phone.' So I teleported away with Miss Misono and came here…"

"Ah… so that's why you wanted to do the meeting at my place," Kako says.

"I see," Nanaka says. "I do not remember saying that… but I did insist on doing the meeting here, so I must have retained some memory of it… if we take what you're saying as the truth, then there was no witch back there, correct?"

"Yeah, it was definitely magical, but nothing like a witch," Honoka confirms.

"I'd never seen anything like it," Karin says. "What was that thing…? So weird…"

"I think I understand," Nanaka says. "That feeling of hostility I felt… that must have been Miss Matsuri's sister, not Miss Matsuri herself. If they are somehow sharing the same body… then that would explain a lot…"

"That's quite a strange power," Akira says. "Sharing people's bodies… I wonder what happened to her original body, though…"

"She never said anything about that," Honoka says.

"And Miss Matsuri used to know Miss Suzune before she started killing people…?" Akira says. "Then she wasn't always like that… she used to be a nice person…?"

"To be honest, today… if I hadn't been attacked by her before… I would've said she's not so bad," Honoka says.

"So um… what should we do about all this?" Kako asks. "We can't just… let Miss Matsuri's sister… keep getting away with it, can we?"

"Hey, why don't we ask Ashley-chan for help?" Karin suggests. "It sounded like she already knows something about it, after all."

"The Ashley Taylor that Miss Kanami mentioned?" Nanaka says. "Hmm… it is a possibility, yes… but let us first think through what needs to be done. I too have met Ashley Taylor, and while I did not perceive any hostility from her, the fact that Miss Nanami displayed hostility towards her gives me pause… plus, the circumstances in which I met her were strange…"

"Huh…?" Karin says. "Did Miss Nanami and Ashley-chan get into a fight or something? I don't think Ashley-chan would do that… though I'm not sure about Miss Nanami…"

"I did not press for details," Nanaka says. "But possibly."

"Should I get the clan to start spreading another rumour?" Meiyui suggests.

Nanaka shakes her head. "At this point, I don't feel like a rumour is the solution we need," she says. "Perhaps it is because I've come to know the girls of Hohzuki, but… I would like to solve the problem once and for all."

"So then… we need to somehow convince Matsuri-chan's sister to stop doing whatever she's doing?" Honoka asks.

"That… would be the general idea," Nanaka says. "Unfortunately… we know too little about what she is doing and why she is doing it… and even if she still remembered, approaching Miss Matsuri to discuss it is too dangerous."

"If anything, the fact that they share a body works to our advantage," Meiyui says. "It means the older sister can't easily try something as long as Miss Matsuri is together with her friends…"

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Kako says. "It would make her friends suspicious if Miss Matsuri suddenly started acting strange…"

"If they didn't share a body… I doubt Miss Kanami could've gotten away," Akira says.

"You might be right," Honoka says. "I guess I was just out of the range of her memory-altering magic, but if she could've moved closer without arousing suspicion…"

"I guess that applies to me, too," Karin says.

"Very well," Nanaka says. "We lack information, and according to the two of you, Miss Taylor may have some of the information we need. Let's give her a call."

"Alright!" Karin says.

She whips out her phone and dials.

I leave my vision active as I reach for my phone and answer it.

"Hello, what's up?"

"That was fast!" Karin gasps. "Um… hi, Karin here! Do you mind if I set the phone to speaker?"

"Go ahead," I say.

She does just that, and Honoka speaks up.

"Hello, Ashley-chan!"

"Isn't that Honoka-chan…?" I say. "It's pretty unusual for the two of you to be together…"

"Yeah, well, some things happened," Honoka says.

"Um, anyway, do you know someone named Hinata Matsuri?" Karin asks.

"Yes, of course," I say.

Karin turns to Nanaka, who leans forward a bit to speak.

"Miss Ashley Taylor, I presume…?"

"Yes…"

"This is Tokiwa Nanaka speaking. The reason we called is because of Hinata Matsuri and her older sister."

"Right… what about them?"

"I will cut to the chase," Nanaka says. "Can you tell me what you know about those two and Miss Amano Suzune? From what I can tell, one of them has altered our memories, and according to Miss Kanami, Miss Matsuri remembered things she had forgotten."

"Given that it touches on the secrets of magical girls, I won't go into the full details," I say. "But I can give you a summary."

"Secrets of magical girls…?" Nanaka says. "Ah… I think I understand. Please proceed."

"Around a year ago, the Hinata nanny left her post in order to adopt Miss Amano," I explain. "Because of that, Hinata Kagari was enraged and wants to get her revenge on Miss Amano."

Nanaka lets out a little gasp, perhaps because her own motivations are also linked to revenge.

"The method of revenge she apparently chose was to force Miss Amano to kill lots of magical girls and later make her face the guilt of those murders. I discovered this and attempted to talk her out of it a couple of weeks ago… I thought that talk was successful, but I guess I was too optimistic."

"So I was right," Meiyui says. "Miss Amano's memories have been altered too…"

"Yes… that's correct," I say. "Miss Kagari altered the memories of at least three people – her sister, her father, and Miss Amano. Possibly teachers or classmates too, but I'm not sure."

"And that must've been what Miss Matsuri was talking about," Honoka says. "The time she remembered talking to you."

"What about the nanny?" Akira asks. "She didn't alter the nanny's memories?"

"Oh, sorry, I left that to keep things simple, but I guess that was a mistake," I say. "The nanny died. Killed by a witch, I suppose you could say… that's also part of Miss Kagari's motivation, because she blames Miss Amano for her death."

"I see," Nanaka says. "It appears that this situation may be more complex than I had anticipated… but nevertheless, thank you for the information, Miss Taylor. Can you tell us anything about how the two sisters came to occupy one body?"

"That also touches on the secrets of magical girls," I say. "I don't mind explaining it, but… are you okay sharing that with everyone there?"

"Hmm," Nanaka says. "Just from that, I think I have a fairly good idea of what may have happened… though I never would have expected it to be possible had I not seen it with my own eyes…"

"Um… what's all this about secrets?" Kako asks. "What secrets are you keeping from us, Miss Nanaka?"

"That… it's less that I'm keeping it from you and more that I cannot decide how to tell it," Nanaka says. "Anyway… Miss Taylor… do you know where Miss Kagari's original body is?"

"It's in a safe place," I reply. "I can take you there, if you want."

"No… that's fine," Nanaka says. "From that, I surmise you are the one responsible for them sharing a body?"

"That's correct."

"Huh?" Akira says. "It's not that girl's unique magic?"

"No, Miss Kagari's unique magic is memory alteration," I say. "And she can use it on the fly to interfere with your perception, similar to illusions."

"It's similar to Sarasa Hanna's power, too," Nanaka muses. "Although it seems even more powerful than hers. If only there were a hard counter to that power…"

"I imagine there are likely a couple of magical girls in Kamihama who could counter it," I say. "But… there's also Shion Chisato, one of Miss Matsuri's friends. Her unique magic is simply… dispelling magic. That's part of how I managed to force Miss Kagari to have a talk with Miss Matsuri a few weeks ago. Presumably Miss Kagari also erased her memories of that event…"

"Ah," Nanaka says. "I see… okay, this has been very enlightening, Miss Taylor. Please excuse us… we would like to discuss the matter to decide how to proceed."

"That's fine with me," I say. "I'll talk to you later… maybe."

"See you later, Ashley-chan!" Karin says.

"Yeah, you should come visit again!" Honoka says.

"Actually, while I've got you on the line, Karin-chan… I was wondering if you've seen much of Miss Alina lately?"

"Eh? Well… here and there, a little," Karin says. "But she hasn't been stopping by the art room every day like she used to… she misses at least two days a week… I wonder if something's up…"

"When you see her, does she seem like her usual self?"

"More or less," Karin says. "Although… she seems even more irritable than usual, if I had to say… do you know what's gotten into her, Ashley-chan?"

"This is just speculation," I say. "But I have a hunch she might've been visiting Endless Mirrors a lot…"

"Endless Mirrors," Nanaka says. "Could visiting it affect someone's personality, though? Many of the veterans of Kamihama have been visiting it regularly since it first appeared, from what I understand, and I have heard nothing like that from them."

"But they visit a few times a month, right?" I say. "They don't go multiple times a week…"

"So you think Alina-sempai's being affected by Mirrors?" Karin asks. "I've never actually seen it myself… maybe I should check it out…"

"Do be careful if you go, though," I say. "It's easy to get lost in there, from what I've heard."

"I suppose Miss Taylor would never get lost there though, given her powers," Nanaka says.

"I haven't entered the actual Mirror Mansion yet," I say. "But you might be right, Miss Tokiwa…"

"What brought this up, though?" Karin says. "You haven't even met Alina-sempai, right?"

"Ah, actually, I've run into her once or twice," I say. "I thought she seemed a bit different the last time, although I can't be certain since I don't really know her well…"

"Well, thanks for telling me," Karin says. "I was starting to get a little worried about her, so… maybe I'll check it out!"

"Alright, seeya!" I say.

"What is this Endless Mirrors, anyway?" Honoka asks.

And then I hang up before the question is answered. I consider watching them discuss things for awhile longer, but… I can always ask Honoka or Karin what happened later, and it seems to be around dinnertime, so it's probably better not to be distracted by things happening in the corner of my awareness.

If I've got my timeline worked out correctly, next week should be when Futaba Sana is released from Endless Solitude, which means that there's nothing in particular to expect this weekend, though I'll be heading to Kamihama regardless just to put in an appearance. I can't be certain that my timeline is correct though, because a lot of events have already happened more quickly than they did in the game. In fact… two of yesterday's events shouldn't've occurred before next week if we were strictly on the game's schedule. So I guess I'll check in with Iroha tomorrow, just in case.

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.

Yuki Maria
由貴真里愛

Age: 17
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Brown
Origins: Minaminagi Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Green five-pointed star
Soul Gem: Light blue circular gemstone on her torso
Element: Water
Weapon: Orca and sea turtle hand puppets
Powers: Healing, adhesion
Wish: "Please save that child!"
Affiliation: Wings of the Magius (rank: Black Feather)

Speed: 6
Magical Stamina: 4
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 5
Initial Power Usability: 2
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Utsuho Natsuki
空穂夏希

Age: 14
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Sky blue
Origins: Sankyo Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Blue pentagon
Soul Gem: Sky blue heart-shaped gemstone on her belt
Element: Water
Weapon: Baton
Powers: Cheering
Wish: "I want to cure my big brother's illness."

Speed: 6
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 2
Defensive Power: 8
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Eri Aimi
江利あいみ

Age: 16
Eye Colour: Orange
Hair Colour: Red
Origins: Chuo Ward, Kamihama, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Yellow eight-pointed starburst
Soul Gem: Orange heart-shaped gem on her chest
Element: Fire
Weapon: Revolver
Powers: Combat foresight
Wish: "I want to know how he feels about me."

Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 5
Defensive Power: 4
Initial Power Usability: 5
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

So I don't really have much to say here… it's a recap of one of the in-game events with a few minor twists and some extra stuff to bookend it (because I need to have some fully-original content in every chapter).

I haven't seen anyone guessing the identity of the unnamed girl in chapter 73, so maybe that means it wasn't as obvious as I thought. She'll come up again every now and then until the end though. Maybe at some point someone will realize who she is.

The next chapter is just barely started, so it'll almost certainly be another week.

I also spotted a minor error in Hoshiko's profile in the last chapter, so I've updated that.