Magia: A New Hope

by Pentalithia

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

87. Akashic Records Unleashed

Have you heard? Has anyone told you?
The Rumour of the Ghost of History.
She wanders near and far across the expanses of time.
There for a moment, gone in an instant, like a wandering ghost.
Her true purpose unknown, her origin shrouded in mystery.
She appears in times of turmoil, yet her name is written not in history.
A guardian of stories, bringing with her the stories of the past.
A minstrel of eternity, shaping the future with her own hands.
A bard of the ages, watching and recording all from the shadows.
Will you be added to her history book?
Will you usher in a paradigm shift?
Only time will tell.
Only history will report.
She is the harbinger of fate, past, present and future.
She is the teller of tales: Scheherazade.

---

Splish, sploosh… sploosh, splish… splash splosh…

As Walpurgisnacht's baleful fire bores through Teddy Mk II, I manage to convince my body to roll over at the last second, just as Teddy Mk II is consumed by the flames, and at that moment, notwithstanding Inui's scream, my ears pick up a sound from somewhere behind me.

Splosh, sploosh… splish, splash… splish, sploosh…

It's like… footsteps, splashing through puddles.

I'm already blocking out the pain, so I barely notice as that baleful fire incinerates my left arm, leaving a scorch mark on the ground where I was resting just a moment ago. Seems I didn't roll quite far enough…

Splish, sploosh… sploosh, splish… splash splosh…

Inui glomps me, sobbing with relief, but I'm more interested in those footsteps. Propping myself up with my remaining arm, I take a look around to find the source.

A tall woman with dark skin strides through the rain, her midnight hair gathered into a ponytail so long it's actually brushing against the ground, dressed like a belly-dancer and spinning a chakram on one of her fingers, with several more on each wrist ready for use. These are real chakrams, not melee weapons similar to a chakram such as those used by Mifuyu or Shizuku – they are a single continuous ring of metal, sharpened on the outer edge, intended for throwing. The woman steps past me and the collapsed magical girls who had fired off that last round of attacks and stops, peering up into the sky at the witch.

For a moment, it almost seems like time has stopped. Other than the girls sobbing over their lost friends, everyone's eyes are on the newcomer, but the sound of the rain feels distant. Then she speaks, her voice strangely deep and melodious, with a hint of an accent that I can't place.

"Well, well, well," she says. "Now, what do we have here?"

The air is rife with tension. No-one dares to answer her. Surely, everyone is wondering who on earth this woman is, although in my case… I think I have a pretty good idea already.

"This is quite the find," the woman continues. "It was the recent paradigm in history that brought me to this place, but… I show up to witness it firsthand, as is my wont, and what do I find but old Walpurgis herself?"

She pauses, looking around at the battlefield, her eyes taking in and noting the casualties in particular.

The pristine body of Kaname Madoka, clutched between the arms of Homura and Sayaka, who are sobbing their eyes out.

"Kaname Madoka… the most powerful magical girl ever to be born. I had looked forward to meeting you, even if just once, so I greatly regret that the opportunity is now lost to me."

The equally pristine body of Subaru Kazumi, laid out in the midst of the Pleiades Saints with Mirai in particular crying profusely.

"Subaru Kazumi… a new, experimental type of being, yet also one of the most powerful magical girls of all time. What's more, that power of yours was especially unusual… it's too bad I could not witness it for myself."

The forlorn, crumpled body of Irina Kusch, who gave her life to buy us the time to unleash one final round of attacks, and did an impressive amount of damage in the process.

"Irina Kusch… I will remember your sacrifice this day," the woman says. "I shall not let your death be in vain… and that goes equally for all the brave magical girls who fell to the might of Walpurgis today."

She lets out a long sigh. The wind whips at her hair, and the rain is yet unabated, but somehow her presence has a calming effect.

"Well, it seems I'll have to apologize for my late arrival," she says. "If I had arrived but a few minutes sooner, perhaps I could have saved more lives. I deeply regret my tardiness, but there was simply no way I could arrive here faster than I did."

She turns her gaze back up the witch, still floating up above and, for some reason, neither attacking nor moving to head further into the city or back out to sea. It was just hovering there, as if waiting for something.

"It is no wonder you have had such trouble taking her down, though," the woman says. "Compared to the last time I glimpsed Walpurgis, around seventy years ago, she has grown nearly six times more powerful. Under normal circumstances, that simply shouldn't be possible… it should have taken at least three or four hundred years to amass such a quantity of impurities, and I would have roused my friends to help me take her down long before then."

Looking around the battlefield again, she nods as if realizing something.

"Ah, I suppose she has been feasting upon the remains of Shitori Egumo, hasn't she? That would certainly explain her dramatic and sudden increase in power… but this really isn't good. She now appears to be far stronger than even Armageddon and Ragnarok were, when I defeated them with the help of my friends. I feel that the world cannot afford her to survive this battle. To make matters worse, they're not here to aid me today…"

She lets out another long sigh, then shrugs.

"But no matter. I must make do with the cards I have been dealt. Besides, I too have gained power since the last time we encountered each other, and plus, Walpurgis has already been quite weakened from fighting your magical girl army, so we'll see how this goes…" Suddenly she giggles. "Magical girl army… now there's a phrase I never thought I'd say! Seriously, you have my heartfelt congratulations for bringing so many together. I think this is quite literally the first time in all of history when more than fifty magical girls worked together for a common goal."

As she falls silent, seemingly pondering something, some of the other magical girls who are still conscious manage to find the courage to butt in.

"Um, just… just who are you?" Iroha asks. "Where on earth did you come from?"

"Well, I was in Yemen when my sense for history detected the paradigm shift here in Kamihama, about one month ago," the woman says. "I've been working my way over ever since then."

Mitama suddenly gasps. "No… it c-couldn't be…? Are you… the one sensei told me about? The wandering ghost… guardian of stories… eternal minstrel… could you possibly be… Scheherazade!?"

The woman glances at her.

"Your teacher…?" she says. "Who might that… ahhh… that unpleasant magic, that digs deep into the soul… you're a Coordinator?"

"W-what's so unpleasant about it!?" Mitama gasps.

There's something subtly strange here. I'm quite certain I'm hearing Scheherazade speaking in English, yet Mitama and Iroha just now both clearly spoke in Japanese, and her response was still in English. Normally, you'd expect two people conversing to both use the same language… and do Iroha and Mitama really understand English that well?

"A magic gained by wishing to curse the world," the woman says. "By rights, wishes and curses should be opposites, yet those such as yourself somehow combine them without contradiction. On top of that, you're using those powers to manipulate the soul, which I just don't like the sound of."

"I… I see…?" Mitama says uncertainly.

"So… you heard about me from old Livia, did you?" the woman continues. "Good to hear that woman's still around, I suppose… for a loose definition of 'good'. Yes, you are correct. I am indeed Scheherazade, but you don't need to give me all those grand titles. I'm just a wanderer who can't seem to die, after all."

I point up at Walpurgisnacht, still floating above us for some reason, unmoving. Even though it had finally broken free of its restraints, it still wasn't making any moves at all.

"Um… what's going on?" I ask. "Why'd she stop attacking?"

"That would be the mesmerizing power of my voice," Scheherazade explains. "It's one of my abilities. My enemies are forced to listen to me monologue before they can attack. Still… it's not all-powerful. If I waffle on too long, the effect may wear off. So, without further ado…"

She catches the twirling chakram on her wrist and presses her hands together.

"Akashic Records, invoke!"

A glowing book appears before her, flipping through the pages at incredible speed. It's like there's an infinite amount of pages, for it never reaches the end.

"I call upon the woman who shone brightly across the land, the saviour of France," she intones. "I summon Jeanne d'Arc!"

A ghostly, translucent figure appears before Scheherazade, surrounded in bright white light, which starts to clear up the darkness on this stormy evening, or I suppose it might be morning by now. From my perspective, it's clearly recognizable as Tart, with her short silvery hair, her white clothes that resemble battle armour, even the sword that Pernelle made for her. She wears a look of surprise on her face, as if she's startled to be conscious even though she's been dead for hundreds of years. After looking around for a moment and spotting Walpurgisnacht above her, realization seems to dawn, and she nods in understanding.

"Oh, I see… so I guess I must slay this witch too," Tart says. "Alright! I'll do my best!"

"I call upon the beauty who ruled this land and spread peace and prosperity, the Queen of Wa!" Scheherazade intoned. "I summon Himiko of Wa!"

Another ghostly figure appears, this one with long black hair tumbling to the ground, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing.

"Such a horrible witch," Himiko says. "I must exterminate it so that peace can return to the Land of Wa!"

"I call upon the Frankish high king's younger sister, the shadow behind the Merovingian dynasty, the dreaded and respected witch of Samara," Scheherazade intones. "I summon Pernelle of Samara!"

Yet another ghostly figure appears. Although this Pernelle looks a lot like the one I know in Asunaro, her outfit is entirely different – she's all in black, with a pointed hat, well-suited to the nickname of "witch". She also hefts a sword very similar to the one Tart wields… you might almost think they were the same weapon.

"My goodness," Pernelle says. "Has the night of Walpurgis come again? It seems stronger than I remember… very well, this time she will not get the better of me. This is a rare opportunity. With the sword of my dear brother, Clovis, I shall get my revenge!"

"I call upon the famed shieldmaiden of old, the Queen of Austrasia," Scheherazade intones. "I summon Brunhildr of the Goths!"

The next ghostly figure is dressed in a green fur-lined dress with a horned helmet like a Viking, and wields a short sword and spiked shield. There's something familiar about her, too, but I can't quite put my finger on it… in any case, she gazes up at Walpurgisnacht in awe.

"Such a powerful witch," Brunhildr says. "Even Ragnarok pales in comparison! She must be brought down!"

Apparently Pernelle decides to respond to that statement.

"Though I did not have the honour of facing the fearsome noon of Ragnarok," she muses. "From the contemporary tales I heard it was said to be stronger even than the night of Walpurgis… has it already gained such strength as to surpass the greatest catastrophe in known history?"

Ignoring her, Scheherazade starts another chant.

"I call upon she who subdued a demon of the valley, the peacemaker of Monyul! I summon Yeshe Semba!"

The next ghostly figure appears to be dressed in leather, with beaded bracelets and her black hair tied in twintails. She grips a staff wrapped in leather and decorated with beads and feathers. She also looks vaguely familiar somehow…

"So this is the legendary catastrophe class witch," Yeshe Semba says. "But it seems even stronger than Armageddon… I hope we can beat it…"

"I call upon the omphalos of the garden, the betrayed traitor who trickled through time to an unfair end," Scheherazade intones. "I summon Lilith of Eridu!"

This ghostly girl's outfit appears to be made from foliage, stitched together to form a skirt and breastband. It's hard to tell what type of leaves are used, but they seem to be somewhat large ones. Her brown hair is tied into three bunches with ties that resemble snakes, and is so long that it almost drags on the ground.

"Incredible," Lilith says. "What manner of monster is that? Never have I seen a wraith so huge…"

"I call upon the warden of the hope that all magical girls cherish, the founder of this island," Scheherazade intones. "I summon Tokime Sakuya!"

The Tokime clan founder wears a forest green kimono cut short at the knees, with black stockings, silver sandals, forest green gloves, and a clover leaf hair ornament gathering her black hair into a side tail.

"Is this that legendary witch Pernelle mentioned?" Sakuya wonders. "It's even bigger than I imagined… are witches usually that huge?"

Pernelle looks at her in surprise.

"I do not know you… who is this Pernelle you refer to? Could she be the wayward daughter I lost?"

"Huh?" Sakuya says. "I have no idea… she's just Pernelle Flamel, the alchemist…"

The seven summoned spirits, if that's truly what they are, have appeared in an arc roughly centred on Scheherazade, and are now gazing up at the witch as if awaiting orders.

"So this is what it's like to summon the echoes of the departed," Scheherazade muses. "This is the first time I've been able to access the full depths of the Akashic Records… I knew this power was available to me, but it has been sealed all this time."

She pauses to seize her soul gem from her navel and examine it.

"Hmm… that took a lot of magic," she says. "But no matter… in the worst case, I'll simply unleash my doppel."

"How… how do you know about doppels?" Touka asks, startled.

"They are already recorded in the Akashic Records," Scheherazade says. "As I mentioned earlier, it was the automatic purification system that initially drew me to this city. It represents such a paradigm shift in magical history that it would be impossible for them to escape my eyes."

She pauses and stretches a little, then sighs.

"Well, it's thanks to the paradigm shift that the seals on my powers have been peeling away over the past few weeks, one at a time," Scheherazade continues. "I have been watching what you're doing here from afar. You have used methods that are in many cases crude and dishonourable, and yet, I cannot deny that you've achieved what everyone believed to be impossible. Yes, even Kyuubey is shocked by the situation in Kamihama. Ah… I suppose shocked is the wrong word, because that implies emotions. Still, even I never dared hope that there would be a way to prevent the witch transformation entirely."

"So you've been watching…" Touka says. "But how did you even know…?"

"Because I am Scheherazade," she says simply. "When I made a wish to become a magical girl, the power I obtained was the ability to witness the turning points of history. If there's a paradigm shift, then of course I will know about it. And once I know, observing is a simple matter of perusing my Akashic Records."

At that moment, Walpurgisnacht suddenly shudders, as if shaking herself free from a spell, and begins to rotate in place.

"Well… it looks like the reprieve is up," Scheherazade says. "Walpurgis is beginning to recover from my mesmerism. Let's all attack at once!"

"This is only my second time fighting a witch," Sakuya says. "So here's hoping it goes well!

Pernelle nods, raising her sword and summoning three fiery spheres orbiting it.

"Let us get started," she says.

"I'll open the labyrinth," Sakuya says. "The witch is extremely powerful, but if I can contain her… we should stand a better chance of beating her."

She raises both hands above her head and closes her eyes for a moment. Her labyrinth expands outward to encompass everyone who had been fighting Walpurgisnacht – the surviving girls of Kamihama, Mitakihara, Kazamino, Hohzuki, and Asunaro, combined with the great quantity of white and black feathers from the Wings of the Magius. Of course, Scheherazade and her apparitions are also sucked in. The landscape within the barrier isn't much different from the real landscape, depicting something like a town square with a fountain in the middle, with the texture of an oil painting on canvas.

"W-whoa!" Noriko gasps. "W-w-what I was unable to do… you d-did so easily!?"

"The barrier is… not quite stable," Sakuya says. "I fear she may break out if this is dragged on too long…"

"Well then," Lilith says. "All I need do is use my power of temptation to turn this into a paradise for the creature. Then it will not want to leave."

She raises a hand and summons an apple, then flicks her wrist upward to fling it at Walpurgisnacht. It explodes on impact, the juice forming streaks in the air as it expands into a sticky web.

"That helped," Sakuya says. "I can sense the barrier stabilizing. I think the witch may be reinforcing it on her own now."

"Is everyone ready to attack?" Tart shouts. "Like the lady said, we need to time it!"

"I've been ready for awhile now," Pernelle says.

Brunhildr grips her sword and twirls it, producing a watery vortex about the blade.

"I'm ready," she says.

Himiko nods grimly, wreathing herself in flames.

"Just say the word," she says.

Yeshe Semba grips her staff and taps it on the ground, then nods.

"This location is suitable," she says. "I shall attack on command."

"I am also ready," Sakuya says.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lilith says.

"Then on the count of three!" Tart says. "One… two… three… La Lumière!"

As Tart unleashes her light magic, Pernelle and Himiko simultaneously unleash their flames. Lilith claps her hands together, then forms them into a nozzle which seems to emit a jet of some brownish fluid. Sakuya and Yeshe Semba attack by drawing up columns of earth from the ground, narrowing towards the top like spikes, and ramming them into the witch's underside. Brunhildr flings her watery vortex at the witch, expanding it in size until it strikes her, tearing at her body. And Scheherazade herself also attacks, spinning her many chakrams on her arms and letting them fly one after another.

But as impressive as their display of power is, it's nowhere near enough to bring down the strengthened Walpurgisnacht, even despite the level of damage she has suffered in the battle so far. To be sure, it does deal some noticeable damage, but it's nothing compared to what the magical girl army has already inflicted. And the witch retaliates as well, firing several beams of baleful fire. However, the beams pass right through the apparitions as if they aren't there. Scheherazade easily dodges the one aimed at her.

"I can't believe it," Tart says. "Even my light barely affected her!? What kind of monster is this witch? Is she even worse than Isabeau!?"

"Ah, you must mean the Queen's Twilight, right?" Scheherazade says. "Until recently, Isabeau was the worst catastrophe class witch I had ever witnessed, although that's from a sample size of just six, so it's not saying much. Walpurgis was much weaker than this when I last saw her, much weaker than the Queen's Twilight… but now, she's at least twice, maybe thrice as strong. Still… at least she doesn't have an enchantment rendering her immune to everything, requiring a liminal cheat to overcome."

Tart blinks. "When did you see Isabeau? I would have noticed if you were there during my battle with her…"

"The situation in France during your time also marked a turning point in history," Scheherazade says. "Indeed, it was more significant than you could possibly imagine, with effects felt well beyond the borders of France and even reaching across time itself. It's even inextricably linked to the current situation in Kamihama, to the extent that you could say we're on the crux of a time paradox here. If Walpurgis is not defeated here today, then your defeat of Isabeau back during the Hundred Years War becomes impossible. That is one of the reasons why you were my first choice for the summons."

"I… what?" Tart says. "I don't get it…"

"But enough about that," Scheherazade continues. "Let's attack again. If we can bring her down by attrition, that would be great… and if not, I am confident that my doppel can finish her off. Therefore, the strategy is exceedingly simple: pummel it until we run out of magic."

"Right!" Tart says. "Let's attack again! One… two… three… La Lumière!"

The second attack is more effective than the first, carving off two whole gear teeth, and this seems to give them some courage, so they keep throwing everything they have at it until nearly all the gear teeth are broken off and the misshapen gear faces are riddled with cracks. Even the witch's main body seems to have stopped regenerating, for she's now missing an arm. It desperately tries to defend itself, but none of its attacks are able to connect with the apparitions, and Scheherazade is too nimble for it to pin down.

"How's it look?" Pernelle asks.

"I think… we're almost there!" Tart says. "Being able to use our magic repeatedly like this is pretty helpful! One more time!"

"I'm just about at my limit," Scheherazade says. "You've actually been using my magic this whole time, you know. But yes… one more time should suffice."

"Then, on three!" Tart says.

For what must be about the tenth time, the seven apparitions unleash all the power they can muster on the witch. It's still not enough, however. Scheharazade's voice rings out, commanding.

"Everyone, fall back!" she calls. "That means everyone! Those who can move, help the ones who can't!"

I can barely move, but I do manage to use my telekinesis to shift back several unconscious girls near me. The seven apparitions also help drag people back, as commanded.

"Now, let's see how this doppel thing works," Scheherazade says.

"Wait!" Touka shouts. "Are you even sure the automatic purification system is still active!?"

"Oh?" Scheherazade says. "You, the creator of the system, cannot sense its presence…? Ah, no, I see how it is. The true creator, the one who can sense it, is that girl in your arms, right?"

Touka blinks, looking at the unconscious Ui that she was cradling in her lap.

"Fear not," Scheherazade says. "I too can sense its presence. It is still functioning."

She looks up at the witch, mesmerized once more by the conversation, and nods.

"Now… come!" she shouts.

The impurities are sucked out of her soul gem and balloon around her, taking on the form of a massive lotus flower which unfolds, though her body remains trapped in the centre. The flower sprouts numerous arms from its base, which lash out at random at objects within range. Witch letters floating in the air spell out the name, Vishnu.

Then the doppel leaps into the air, grabs Walpurgisnacht by the throat with one hand while it uses the rest to tear the witch's body apart, ultimately crushing what remains of the gears. It's not unlike the time when Iroha's doppel tore the Rumour of the Séance Shrine apart. All the magical girls on the ground watch in awe… and with the witch finally defeated, Vishnu loses steam and vanishes. Scheherazade lands nimbly on the ground, brandishing four grief seeds.

"I think this must be a new record," she says. "Even Ragnarok and Armageddon only dropped three seeds… I heard the Queen's Twilight didn't even drop one, though."

"Then, I shall destroy the barrier," Sakuya says.

She raises her hands for a moment, and the barrier collapses, the painting of a town square vanishing as everyone is dumped back into Minaminagi Seaside Park. By this time, the rain has already let up and the wind has died down, and though there are still clouds overhead, there are a few openings letting the morning sun shine through, and those openings are slowly widening. The typhoon is over, the clouds clearing up.

Scheherazade looks at her apparitions.

"Thanks for your help today," she says. "You're dismissed. I can't promise I'll ever call on you again… it's possible this could be the only time that my powers ever fully unlock like this."

"I'd actually like to thank you," Tart says. "I never thought I'd have a chance to save the world again after being burned to death…"

"There's no point in thanking me," Scheherazade says. "But even so, I am happy that you enjoyed it."

Then the apparitions vanish, one by one, in the same order they appeared in. Scheherazade turns to look at the assembled magical girls.

"Well, since I'm here anyway, I do not mind listening to anything you have to say," she says. "Once I've left this place, the chance that we'll meet again is extremely low… unless you manage to live at least two hundred years. If you have anything you want to say to me, ask of me, or even do to me, now is the time."

"Um, excuse me!" Yachiyo speaks up. "If you can summon the dead… can you call on… Kanae?"

"Or Mel!" Tsuruno adds.

Scheherazade shakes her head.

"I'm sorry I have to disappoint you," she says. "I can only summon people who satisfy certain criteria – people whose karma has been fully severed from this world, and even then, only if their karma was sufficiently powerful in the first place. They do not even need to be magical girls… but I would be a fool to summon anything else when facing a witch. Additionally, they must have a karmic connection to me, which essentially means I can only summon people I once encountered. The seven deceased magical girls you saw satisfied all three of those criteria, but I'm afraid your lost friends do not satisfy any of them."

"What does it mean for their karma to be fully severed?" Yachiyo asks.

"Roughly speaking, it means they have no remaining chance to influence the world in any way," Scheherazade says. "There is no chance for them to come back to life. There is no-one alive in the world who knew them and wishes to meet them again. As harsh as it may sound, simply the fact that you wish to meet them again is enough to guarantee that I cannot summon them."

"Um, hold on," I say. "Based on this description, you shouldn't have been able to summon Pernelle of Samara, assuming her daughter is Pernelle Flamel, nor Tokime Sakuya or Jeanne d'Arc, who both knew the alchemist. Furthermore… the girl named Lilith referred to wraiths, but doesn't that mean she died thousands of years before you even contracted? How could she possibly have a karmic connection to you?"

"You have a fine attention to detail," Scheherazade says. "Indeed, there are several people alive still who remember Jeanne d'Arc fondly, and that number will soon increase. In truth, I am uncertain exactly why her karmic destiny has been fully severed despite that. Perhaps it relates to how she willingly accepted her death, which means that those who know her are in turn more likely to accept it."

"Several…?" I say. "Isn't it just Pernelle though…?"

"Next is the case of Tokime Sakuya," Scheherazade continues, ignoring my query. "I believe the situation is similar. Even though there are several people alive who remember her fondly, she died at a ripe age after living a full life and was reportedly satisfied, which may explain her severed karma."

"I see," I say. "So severed karma doesn't simply mean they have no connections with the living… rather, it's more like they have no regrets…"

"Then there is Pernelle of Samara," Scheherazade says. "The situation with her is far simpler. Her daughter is her only remaining link to life, but they were estranged for nearly a century before the elder Pernelle fell against the might of Walpurgis. I imagine the younger Pernelle has no desire to meet her again."

"So again, it's not any connection with the living, but a specific category of connection," I muse.

"Lastly is Lilith of Eridu," Scheherazade says. "You are correct that she was born many centuries before me, perhaps even many millennia. Her body was also destroyed long before I was born. However, her soul gem remained intact and became an object of worship passed down through many generations. I first came across her in the temple to Apollo at Delphi… I do not remember exactly when, but it was some time before the rise of the Roman Republic. By the time I next visited, however, her soul gem had broken. I learned of her name and role thanks to my Akashic Records."

"Oh, I see," I say. "So she lost her body but somehow survived as an artifact… ah, and that must be what you meant by an unfair end. She was reduced to nothing more than an object for such a long time…"

"I don't quite understand everything you've been saying," Yachiyo says. "But, it sounds like… there's a still chance for Mel and Kanae to come back to life?"

"Certainly the chance exists," Scheherazade says.

"How could that be possible?" Yachiyo asks.

"Who knows?" Scheherazade shrugs. "For bringing a person back to life, the method with the highest chance of success would be a contract with Kyuubey. However, that method is obviously not within your grasp. Even so, there may be other methods that I am unaware of, though they cannot be considered reliable, and would likely require either a ghost or an intact soul gem for any chance of success. All things considered, the chance is very slim, and it is very unlikely that you yourself could influence it, so you should not get your hopes up."

"You can't use your… Akashic Records… to find out?" Yachiyo asks.

Scheherazade shakes her head and gestures towards Oriko.

"Unlike Mikuni Oriko, I cannot see the future. I cannot predict what may yet happen. Even if I read your friends' information from the Akashic Records, it is extremely unlikely that it could help in bringing them back to life. Would you like me to try nonetheless?"

"If there's even the slimmest chance, we gotta try it!" Tsuruno says. "Please!"

Scheherazade nods.

"Very well," she says. "I will need the full name and a descriptor."

"Anna Mel, umm… the unfortunate fortune-teller?" Tsuruno suggests.

"For Yukino Kanae, perhaps… an ex-delinquent singer?" Yachiyo suggests.

"Akashic Records, invoke!" Scheherazade says.

Once again, that book appears before her, its pages eternally flipping.

"Extract status for Anna Mel, the unfortunate fortune-teller," Scheherazade says.

She closes her eyes for a few moments as red streams of light flow from the book into her head. Then she opens her eyes once more. The ghostly form of a witch appeared before her, a sort of green hair-octopus with a triangle and sunburst on her head.

"Anna Mel turned into the witch Etteila," Scheherazade says. "It does not appear that any of Etteila's familiars were able to mature before she was defeated by… Yui Tsuruno. And the grief seed… oh my…"

"I… remember that witch," Tsuruno says. "I had no idea it was Mel at the time, though… but the grief seed was stolen… so I have no idea what happened to it…"

"It was taken into the labyrinth of Sarah Mirabilis Winchester, the Mirror Witch," Scheherazade says. "I cannot say what happened to it after that, but the Akashic Records do not record that it was consumed."

"Could it still be in there somewhere?" Tsuruno asks.

"No," Scheherazade says. "If it was left in there, the Mirror Witch would have eaten it in short order. There is a possibility that it merely passed through… but the Akashic Records do not account for its exit."

"So… what does that mean?" Tsuruno asks.

"I cannot say with any certainty," Scheherazade says. "The Mirror Witch is a highly irregular existence, like a magical singularity. That grief seed could have emerged at almost any place and time."

"Is that even possible!?" Tsuruno gasps.

"Almost anything is possible with magic," Scheherazade says.

"So, it's like that bunk theory of black holes and white holes?" Touka asks.

"That is an apt comparison," Scheherazade agrees. "Of course, the Mirror Witch is not a spatial singularity, but a magical one, so naturally it's not quite the same."

"Then, what about Kanae?" Yachiyo asks.

"Akashic Records, invoke!" Scheherazade says. "Extract status for Yukino Kanae, an ex-delinquent singer."

Once again she closes her eyes as red streamers are transferred from the book into her forehead.

"Ah, her soul gem shattered from overexertion," Scheherazade says. "Hmm… the shards… are still in your possession, Nanami Yachiyo, are they not? But there is no light remaining in them. A broken soul gem cannot be put back together once the light of the soul has dispersed from it. Even to me, holding someone's broken soul gem would not count as meeting them for the purpose of my summoning skill."

"Then… she can't be brought back to life," Yachiyo says.

"Short of someone wishing for it… probably not," Scheherazade says.

"But Mel… there might be a chance?" Yachiyo says.

"Maybe," Scheherazade says. "If you find her grief seed, then there may be a chance."

"While we're looking up people anyway," I speak up. "What about Sakura Momo, the victim of a fire?"

There had been some slight irregularities to the story as told to Sayaka earlier in this timeline, after all, so it can't hurt to verify them. Of course, that name catches Kyouko's attention.

"W-what the hell!?" she says. "How the hell d'ya know that name!? Has Mami been blabbing about me?"

"No, no, I haven't!" Mami says quickly. "I never mentioned Momo-chan to anyone, much less Miss Taylor…"

"Akashic Records, invoke!" Scheherazade says. "Extract status for Sakura Momo, the victim of a fire."

Once again she closes her eyes as red streamers are transferred from the book into her forehead.

"My apologies," Scheherazade says after a few seconds. "Many centuries ago I made a policy not to give out information on the living. Unless there is a very good reason to break that rule, I'm afraid you will have to learn the truth for yourself."

Kyouko gapes at her for a few moments before spluttering a response.

"W-w-w-what the hell!?" she shouts. "Ya musta got the wrong person!"

"I cannot rule out that possibility," Scheherazade agrees. "The designation was a little ambiguous. There could have been two girls in history named Sakura Momo who fell victim to a fire."

"I don't think I have a good reason to give you," I say. "But even just knowing that she might be alive is helpful."

"What a foolish question," Kyouko mutters. "Ya had to get my hopes up for a second there… dammit!"

"And… what about Sana-chan?" Iroha asks, indicating the girl's lifeless body.

"Looks like her soul gem was broken, so she should be in the same situation as Yukino Kanae," Scheherazade says. "Huh…? No, wait… there is some shine still remaining…!?"

"Eh!?" Iroha says, examining Sana's soul gem closely. "Huh? It's true… it's not completely darkened… I think… can she still be saved!?"

"If there were someone with sufficient healing power… possibly," Scheherazade says. "But it may be too late…"

"I'll try my healing!" Iroha says.

"Your power is insufficient," Scheherazade says. "If you were fully-rested, it might be possible, but in your current state, there is no chance whatsoever."

"Then if I unleashed my doppel?" Iroha suggests.

"After unleashing my own doppel, I can tell you it is not a power to be used frivolously," Scheherazade says. "You should reserve it for a last resort when all other options are exhausted."

Come to think of it, that reminds me. In the second arc of the Magia Record game, the true nature of Iroha's power was revealed… but what exactly was it again? Was it repair, like Yuma? I wonder if Yuma could repair a broken soul gem… but no, Iroha's power shouldn't be repair, because from what I recall, there are several other consequences of that revelation. Like Elise, I think she should also be able to turn a grief seed back into a soul gem. On top of that, I can't quite remember, but she might even be able to regenerate a new body from a soul gem. And also… I vaguely recall her using her power to cancel out the age-related weakening of Yachiyo and Mifuyu's magic? So taking all those abilities into account… her true ability should be… reversal, right? The ability to rewind the state of a person, in a certain sense.

"Then, let my sister try!" Remi suggests. "She can repair a broken soul gem too! The only problem is, she's still out cold…"

"Or let me try!" Yuuri volunteers.

"Me too!" Matsuri speaks up. "I'd like to try healing her too!"

"Oh? Shiina Moe has a similar power," Scheherazade says. "If the two of you were to work together with another healer…"

"Then, what if all the healers here pooled our power?" Yuuri suggests. "The main issue is that we're drained from a long battle, so if we all work together…"

"But first, she needs to wake up," Remi says.

"Who else can heal?" Yuuri asks, raising her voice.

Several girls raise their hands. I look around and identify each one. Sachie is one of them, over by the rest of her team, but Komachi, who can also heal, appears to be unconscious. Then there's Konoha, who's currently cradling Ayame on her lap. Leila waves, looking less exhausted than most of the other magical girls here. Asuka, Maria, and Sue raise their hands as well. Lastly, there's Manaka and Ikumi. I think Chevonne can heal as well, but she seems to be out cold.

"Let me try healing her," Matsuri says.

With some difficulty due to her wounds, Matsuri manages to make her way over to the Shiina sisters. She lays a hand on Moe and closes her eyes for a few moments, channeling some of her magic in.

"By the way, is there any chance to save Suzune-chan?" Matsuri asks, indicating that girl's lifeless body.

"Or Kirika?" Oriko asks.

"No… neither of those two have any remaining spark of life," Scheherazade says. "The same goes for all the other casualties I can see among you. I am sorry."

Moe's eyes flutter open, and she looks up at her sister.

"Eh? Onee-san? W-what happened… is the witch dead…?"

"She's dead," Remi says. "But we'd like to borrow your power one more time… can you manage that, Moe-chan? We need your power of healing."

"Oh… of course," Moe says.

Yuuri and Remi help Moe and Matsuri over to Iroha and Sana, and Moe blinks at the girl now lying on Iroha's lap.

"I… I think it might be too late," she says. "But… if you want… I'll try."

"Take some of my power too," Iroha says.

"M-mine too!" Matsuri says.

"And mine," Yuuri says. "Maybe if we all share our power, there'll be a chance? Could I ask everyone who raised their hand to contribute a little?"

Other than Konoha, everyone who raised their hand earlier approaches Iroha.

"I'm afraid I can't move right now," Konoha says. "But if you were to come to me…"

"Okay," Moe says.

Yuuri and Remi help her over to where Konoha is sitting, allowing Konoha to slap her hand, sending some power through the connection. Then they help her back to Iroha, where she slaps the hands of Leila, Sue, Matsuri, and Ikumi. Meanwhile, Yuuri, Asuka, Manaka, and Maria slap Iroha's hand.

With the power-sharing complete, she joins hands with Iroha, then reaches out and takes Sana's soul gem, cupping it in their combined hands and bringing them up to her forehead, closing her eyes and moving her lips soundlessly as if praying. She maintains that stance for quite some time, while Iroha, Touka, Felicia, Yachiyo, Tsuruno, Remi, Matsuri, and Yuuri all look on anxiously.

Finally, she opens her hands to reveal a soul gem with the cracks all sealed up, though it seems to shine less brightly than it should. Iroha gasps.

"Did… did it… work…?"

"I'm… not sure," Moe says. "It looks like it's whole again…? But the shine seems… odd…"

"Isn't that just the impurities?" Iroha asks.

"I'm really not sure," Moe says.

"Only way to find out is to attempt to wake her," Scheherazade says.

"R-right," Moe says.

She passes the soul gem to Iroha, who tucks it into Sana's hands. Everyone watches for maybe another minute more, at which point Sana's eyes flutter open.

"Iroha…chan…?" she says.

"Sana-chan! You're alive!" Iroha says, hugging her.

"Iroha-chan…" Sana says. "Um… I am… Sana…chan…?"

"Huh?" Iroha says, pulling back out of the hug so she can see Sana's face. "Is something wrong, Sana-chan…?"

"I… maybe," Sana says. "I… I don't understand. What… where am I…? Who… am I…? I can remember… Iroha-chan… and… a mug… with a cute kitty… and… that's… about everything… are you really Iroha-chan?"

"Yes!" Iroha says. "I'm Tamaki Iroha!" She looks at Scheherazade. "Miss Scheherazade… what happened to Sana-chan?"

Scheherazade shrugs. "It's hard to say," she says. "Perhaps her soul fragmented, or was otherwise damaged."

"So it's like she suffered from brain damage and has amnesia as a result?" Iroha asks.

"That comparison is valid," Scheherazade says. "Though it's not a perfect comparison. The human soul is more fragile than the brain, yet more resilient than rubber. Even I don't fully understand it."

"Will she ever… remember…?"

"If it's minor damage to the soul, that should eventually heal," Scheherazade says. "I imagine her memories would be restored as it heals. If the soul was fragmented… if she's lost a part of her soul, then I can't predict what might happen. It's still possible she'll regain at least some of her memories, since they're also stored in her brain, but I would suggest preparing for the worst. There is also a chance that a Coordinator could repair the damage. After all, manipulating the soul is their speciality. But whether that would restore her memories, I cannot say."

"I'd be willing to take a look at her once I've rested up," Mitama says. "For a suitable price, of course."

"The final opportunity I can envision which lies within your means would be to use a manifestation of Hiiragi Nemu," Scheherazade says. "Of course, a contract with Kyuubey could also cure her."

"Do you mean… a rumour might be able to cure Sana?" Iroha asks

"There is a chance," Scheherazade says. "But manifestation takes a toll on the human body. There is no telling what might happen to the manifester even if it succeeds."

"I won't allow it!" Touka speaks up. "Nemu has sacrificed a slice of her life every time she manifested a rumour! I can't allow her to keep doing that without a really good reason! If there's any other possibility at all, no matter how small, that has to be exhausted first!"

"I see," Iroha says. "Sana-chan… will you come live with us again?"

"Iroha-chan… yes, I think that's where I belong," Sana says.

"Okay," Iroha says.

She looks around and spots the Amane twins leaning on each other, half-asleep.

"Um… Miss Tsukuyo? Miss Tsukasa?"

They rouse with a start, staring at her.

"W-what!?" Tsukasa gasps. "Did something… huh!? Where'd the witch go!?"

"It would appear that she has been defeated," Tsukuyo says. "Miss Tamaki… do you need something from us?"

"Yes," Iroha says. "I'd like you to inform everyone, both here on the battlefield and elsewhere, that Walpurgisnacht has been defeated. Let's also schedule a meeting… perhaps on Wednesday? Anyone who wants to hear the full story of the Magius will be invited to attend. Even the feathers who abandoned us before the final battle will be welcome, if they wish to come."

"I understand," Tsukuyo says.

"Yes, we'll do it," Tsukasa says.

"I still have the Instructor's number, so I can send her an invite myself," Tsukuyo says. "I am unsure if I can contact the others who abandoned us, but I shall do my best."

Once the announcement has been made, many of the assembled girls begin to disperse, little by little, especially the feathers. It seems the announcement has roused many of the girls who passed out, too. Yuuri comes over to me.

"Ashley-chan, I'll heal you too," she says.

"Oh, thanks," I say.

With my arm in the process of being restored, I turn to the main players of this battle.

"Miss Tamaki, Miss Nanami, Miss Tomoe… could I meet with you before the meeting?" I ask. "I'd like to discuss the events of the last week in detail."

"Eh?" Mami says, startled at being addressed. "You want me to be there?"

"Yes," I say. "I'd like to speak with your team, the Crescent Moon Villa team, and… hmm… probably Miss Togame's team as well," I say. "I would also welcome input from Miss Izumi, Miss Tokiwa, Miss Yakumo, and Miss Miyako, if they are so inclined, though I believe I can gather all the information I need with just the three aforementioned teams. Ideally it would be as soon as possible, either this afternoon or early tomorrow."

"Um, what's this all about?" Iroha asks. "Is there a reason you can't wait until the meeting with everyone?"

"I won't be able to make that meeting," I reply. "If we can meet up as soon as possible, I'll even explain why I can't make it."

Iroha nods. "Um, Yachiyo, what do you think?" she asks. "Can we trust her? Should we do as she asks?"

"Miss Taylor and her allies are the only reason we were able to coordinate the attack on Walpurgisnacht so well," Nanaka speaks up. "Thanks to the communicators they provided."

"If it'll help you to trust me, I'm willing to let Miss Yakumo give me a tune-up," I say. "Actually, I could probably use one regardless…"

"Huh?" Mitama says. "You're saying you'd want me to… share what I see?"

"Or Miss Izumi could read my mind," I add.

"Um… you don't have to do that," Iroha says. "Just the fact that you're willing to do it speaks volumes…"

"Um!" Matsuri speaks up. "Onee-san has something to say…"

She closes her eyes for a moment, allowing Kagari to take control.

"If you're going to explain your whole deal, I wanna be there," Kagari says. "I want to know how the hell you saw through me so easily. And I want my damn body back!"

"Well, for your body, you'll have to negotiate with those six," I say.

I point to where Nico, Mirai, Satomi, Umika, Kaoru, and Michika are still mourning the demise of Saki and Kazumi.

"And also Kanna-chi," I add, pointing out Hijiri.

"Huh?" Kagari says. "What have they got to do with anything…?"

"I entrusted your body to their care," I say. "But that aside… if you want to attend this meeting tomorrow, I'm okay with that, as long as you promise not to try anything with your magic."

"Fine," Kagari says. "I won't try anything."

"I'll hold you to that," Mitama says. "I'll attend this meeting too."

"Okay," Iroha says. "Do you want to meet at Crescent Moon Villa? Is that okay, Miss Yachiyo?"

"Well… considering how many people want to attend, it might be a bit small," Yachiyo says.

"Um! If you need a bigger meeting place, you can use my dojo!" Asuka speaks up. "That is, if you don't mind me being there too… although I guess I could step outside if it's something you don't want me to hear…"

"Oh!" I say. "That would be very helpful, actually. Thank you, Miss Tatsuki. I don't have any problem with you joining the meeting. If that's okay with everyone else…?"

"Yes, that's fine," Yachiyo says.

"As long as you give me directions," Mami says.

"The Tatsuki dojo would indeed be a good meeting place," Nanaka agrees.

"Perfect," I say. "Please make sure Miss Togame knows about the meeting, since she appears to be… less than alert right now."

Momoko, Kaede, and Rena appear to have fallen fast asleep, leaning on each other. Like Ui and several others, they apparently weren't roused by the Amane twins' announcement.

"I'll let them know," Iroha says.

"What time will this meeting be at?" Nanaka asks. "It sounds interesting, so I would like to attend too… and do you mind if I also bring my whole team?"

"That's fine with me," I say. "I don't think there's any reason to bring your team, but I can't think of any reason not to allow it. If possible, I'd like to meet later today. Let's meet in the afternoon, say around two o'clock? Is that okay for everyone?"

"I think so," Iroha says. "It's a holiday after all…"

"That time works for me," Nanaka says.

"I wonder if we could push it a little later?" Yachiyo says. "It's around five thirty in the morning, and most of us have been up all night. Two o'clock is just barely enough to get in eight hours of sleep… could we at least push it to three o'clock?"

"Sure," I agree.

"That is also acceptable," Nanaka says.

"And as for you…"

I turn to Scheherazade, who has just been standing around and listening.

"Do you mind if we have a little chat right now?" I ask. "In private?"

"Sure," Scheherazade says. "But before that, is there anyone else who wishes to say something to me?"

"Um! I have something to say!"

One of the black feathers still around speaks up. I'm pretty sure it's Megumi Moka, who surprisingly helped out in the final last-ditch attack on Walpurgisnacht.

"Um… you defeated the witch so easily," Moka continues. "So um… in that case… was there even any point in all of us being here? Did Tori-chan and everyone else die for nothing?"

"Well, that's a matter of perspective," Scheherazade says. "It's true that I likely would have been able to defeat Walpurgis even without the help of this magical girl army. All I would need to do is summon some apparitions, then alternate between all-out attack and unleashing my doppel. But it's not as if that makes the battle easy. It likely would have taken at least an hour of whittling her down bit by bit. Furthermore… let us consider what would have happened if this magical girl army had not appeared."

"If… if we hadn't been here…" Moka murmurs. "Then… no-one would've died… right?"

"That's not necessarily true," Scheherazade says. "Because the magical girl army was here, Walpurgis was detained at this park for quite some time. If the army had not been here, she would have penetrated much further into the city, at least as far as Chuo Ward and likely even beyond that. She would have left a trail of wreckage in her wake and, most relevant for this comparison, eventually targeted the evacuation centres. At least one evacuation centre would have probably been lost before I could reach her. So, by gathering this army to hold her back, you have effectively exchanged the lives of nine magical girls for those of likely a few hundred ordinary civilians."

"Ah… I… I see," Moka says. "It's… it wasn't for nothing… they didn't die for nothing… their deaths… truly saved lives… that's what you're saying?"

"Yes," Scheherazade says. "It wasn't meaningless for you to fight here. You did good, Megumi Moka."

"I… I see," Moka says.

It seems that speech has also gotten through to Sayaka, for she too speaks up for the first time since Madoka's death, wiping away the tears from her eyes.

"Y-yeah, you're right," she says. "Madoka died protecting the people of Kamihama. I… I should be… proud of her, right?"

"Yes, you should," Mami says. "She was a model magical girl. We'll all miss her very much."

"Y-yeah…"

Silence falls, and Scheherazade looks around to see if anyone else has anything to say. Since nothing seems to be forthcoming, I leave an exhausted Inui in Hijiri's care and step into a nearby alleyway with her.

"So… you're really Scheherazade, right?" I say. "I've heard about you from Nisha Patel and Pernelle. Mary mentioned you too, I think."

She nods. "I am certainly Scheherazade. Whatever you've heard about me though, it's probably exaggerated," she says.

"Well yeah… so, just based on what you said before defeating the witch, I guess you're the Clarisse van Rossum of this world…" I muse.

She gasps.

"I'm sorry… I believe I didn't quite catch that," she says. "Could you please say it again?"

"Hmm? Oh… it's nothing important, just me rambling to myself…"

"No, I beg of you to repeat it," Scheherazade insists.

"Eh? I just said you're like Clarisse van Rossum…?"

"Then I didn't mishear you," Scheherazade says. "How do you know that name? It should not be possible for you to know that name."

I blink at her. "H-huh? W-why not? It's just… s-something I… read somewhere…?"

"That's not possible," Scheherazade says. "Any written record of Clarisse would be erased by the karma of her wish."

"Huh!? Wait, you're saying she actually exists!?"

Scheherazade blinks. "You know the name, yet…"

"W-well, I was thinking of her as just a fictional character…"

Clarisse isn't even a character from the Madoka Magica franchise. She's an original character from one of the longer Madoka fanfics circulating on the Internet. There should be no reason for her to actually exist in a world based on the franchise… what on earth is going on here? Why would she exist in this world…? It's not like any of the other characters from that fanfic exist here. There were around ten or so original girls from Mitakihara in that fanfic who were supposed to have been active around the same time as Mami, but none of them exist here in this world, so why would Clarisse alone be here?

Scheherazade nods slowly. "I see… you bear a rare karma not of this world," she says. "The Clarisse you know is not one and the same with the one I know, so her karma cannot erase your knowledge. It is as if you remember a different person who happens to share the same name. Perhaps that fact can even allow you to dodge the effect of her karma, by associating knowledge of her real self with your concept of the character you read about…"

"So basically… you're saying this Clarisse is someone who no-one can remember?" I say. "But wait… if that's the case, then how do you remember her?"

"My Akashic Records apparently exceeds her karma, thus allowing me to remember her," Scheherazade says. "To my knowledge, I am the only one. I've been searching for her for quite some time, but it is difficult… though I've recruited a few others to help me search, they can't remember her either, so it takes some work to let them know exactly what they're looking for."

"So… what are they looking for?" I ask. "Heck, maybe I can even help find her…"

"Clarisse's grief seed," Scheherazade says. "It bears a scroll and quill emblem on it."

"A scroll and quill!?"

"Yes… does that ring a bell?"

One of Tamura's visions mentioned two people who were apparently searching for that grief seed. They must have been among those Scheherazade mentioned, who were helping her search for Clarisse.

"Ah, no, unfortunately not… sorry," I say. "I heard about someone else searching for what sounds like the same grief seed, but I don't have any leads on the seed itself. However… have you considered asking Kyuubey?"

"Of course," Scheherazade says. "To date I've asked that snake five times, but each time its answer has been a definite no. I don't know if it's lying, if it just doesn't pay attention to individual grief seeds, or if it actually hasn't disposed of that specific seed yet."

"But… when was the last time you asked?" I ask.

"About thirty years ago," Scheherazade says. "I would normally ask again in about seventy years – once a century, that is."

"So if you've asked five times, once a century… she must be from about five hundred years ago…?"

"That is correct," Scheherazade says.

"And… have you asked the other Ancients?" I ask. "Like Pernelle and Hilda… I mean, if the grief seed has been floating around for that long without being passed on to Kyuubey, it makes sense that it would be with someone who has a huge hoard, right?"

Scheherazade nods. "I have asked the various ancient magical girls a few times," she says. "Neither Pernelle Flamel nor Hildegard von Bingen have seen it, for example. It can be difficult to locate some of the older girls, however, so I may have missed someone."

"Hmm… is there a chance that someone fought her witch more recently?" I ask. "Like, say, within the past… oh, five years."

"It's not impossible," Scheherazade says. "Clarisse has the power of rebirth, so it's possible she has not been in the form of a grief seed for the entire time I've been searching."

I blink at her. "Rebirth… wait, do you mean the same power as Lapine!?"

"Lapine… ahh, you must mean Jeanne de Valois, Princess of France and Duchess of Brittany," Scheherazade says. "Yes, it is in fact almost the exact same power. The only difference is that the rebirth occurs when the grief seed would normally hatch, rather than when it would normally spawn after the witch is defeated."

Huh!? Did she just drop a huge bombshell!? Lapine actually has a real name!? I thought she was just an orphan who Isabeau picked up off the streets or something…? Well, maybe not the streets, but still, I always assumed she was adopted. But from the sounds of it, she was an actual legitimate daughter… an orphan wouldn't be referred to as a princess, nor married off to a duke, right? Well… I guess it's not totally unheard of, but still… and it's also kinda funny that her real name is the same as Tart's. But that said, come to think of it… as much of a bombshell as it might be… it actually has zero bearing on anything I need to care about, doesn't it…? So I guess I'll just file it away as interesting trivia that doesn't really matter.

"A-alright, so… enough about Clarisse," I say. "My next question is, what do you know of the ancient magical girls and where to find them?"

"I can name all those that yet live," Scheherazade says. "But finding them is another story. The only exceptions are Nanabuluku and Chalciuhtlicue, my close friends, who have been placed in a secret resting place until such time as I deem they are needed once more. I did that upon their request, as they had become bored with their long lives yet did not wish to pass on."

"From what I've heard, Nanabuluku is pretty old too, right?" I say. "Pernelle speculated that she might be one of the oldest magical girls. Also, were you aware Mary is searching for those two?"

Scheherazade shakes her head. "Nay, Nanabuluku is many centuries ahead of Lilith," she says. "And she is not even the oldest magical girl still living… there is one yet alive who is perhaps even more ancient than Lilith. Mary's search did come to my attention, but even if she were to find them, my magic is required to undo the seal… though it would also come undone if I died."

I blink at her. "T-then… that magical girl who's older than Lilith… she should know about wraiths too, right!?"

Scheherazade shrugs. "Who can tell?" she says. "It's a span of time so vast as to defy all logic. Who knows if human memory can even survive that long?"

"What do you know about her?" I ask.

"Only what is written in my Akashic Records," Scheherazade says. "She was born somewhere in the Middle East and given the name Darinu at birth, but has gone by many names over the ages. She has inspired legends of the phoenix and similar creatures around the world."

"So you literally know nothing besides her name?" I say. "What about her current name?"

Scheherazade raises her eyebrows. "Come now, you can't expect me to spoil the surprise, now can you?" she says. "I believe the chance that you and she will one day meet is quite high. After all, you have already spoken with someone who is friends with her… though it appears she did not survive this timeline. And besides, giving her current name would violate my policy."

I sigh. It's helpful to know that one of this timeline's casualties knows her, but I would've preferred to just have a name.

"So you do know, but just don't want to say. Alright… are there any other living ancient magical girls that I don't know about yet?"

"Hmm," Scheherazade says. "Between the ones you heard of from Pernelle, those you already heard of from me, and the ones you're aware of through mysterious means… I can think of only one other. However, you should count yourself lucky that you haven't met her. Most likely, only I or Mary could face her in a one-on-one confrontation. If she were to come to Kamihama… your little experiment would collapse like a house of cards. Though even if she does come, there's a slim chance she won't be hostile, but you shouldn't count on that either."

"What about Madoka? Wouldn't she be even stronger?"

"Kaname Madoka would far outclass her in raw power, but in terms of skill and experience, Madoka would be outdone by her. I think that confrontation could easily go either way, but regardless of who the winner might be, there is also a high chance of Madoka turning into a witch. Therefore, even if she did appear, I would not recommend relying on Madoka."

Still, Mary gave me a way to summon her if I need to, so if this girl did show up and attack, hopefully I could resort to calling Mary's name.

"O-okay, and… her name…? Maybe a description, in case she does show up…?"

"She is generally known as Eris. She defies all descriptors, but you'll know her if you see her. And, another word of warning. If you keep on turning back time over and over… she won't be able to keep away."

"Wait, what!? You don't mean she knows about that, do you? Wait, how do you know about it?"

"I know about it because it is written in the Akashic Records," Scheherazade says. "I cannot say whether or not Eris knows yet, only that if she did, she'd definitely be interested."

So, there could be a time limit of sorts…? If we turn back time too many times, a new monster will show up? At least, that's the impression I'm getting. And come to think of it, even Hildegard von Bingen was able to infer that something was happening with time, so if she could do it, then surely this Eris could too.

"I see… well, thanks for the warning," I say. "You're sure she's alive?"

"As far as I am aware, her death has not been recorded in the Akashic Records, nor her witchification," Scheherazade says. "So I'm fairly sure she must be alive, somewhere in the universe. Where that might be, I cannot say."

"Somewhere… in the universe? You're suggesting she might not even be on Earth? Or even in the solar system!?"

Scheherazade shrugs. "I cannot say. Remember, I have a policy not to give information on the living. I only made an exception in this case because she could pose a major threat to you and the paradigm shift of doppels."

"Okay, so would you mind listing all the living magical girls, just to make sure we haven't missed any?" I ask.

Scheherazade smiles. "You wish to confirm which ones Pernelle mentioned are actually still alive, right? As well as whether any of the ones you know of through mysterious means are still alive. It would be within my power to do so, but do you really think it would help with whatever you're planning? For the most part, you already possess the means to test whether each of them is alive, so I don't think me listing them would make any difference, except to remove the elation of discovery."

"I… I see," I say. "So let me think… Pernelle gave me two lists. The first consisted of you, Hildegard von Bingen, Nanabuluku, Chalciuhtlicue, and Mary. I already know all of those are still alive."

"Mary is an anomaly however," Scheherazade notes. "She is no longer a being that can be referred to as a magical girl… she is something… different."

"That's fine, close enough," I say. "By the way, is she the only one like that?"

"As far as I am aware," Scheherazade says. "Despite how it may sound, my Akashic Records does not offer me all the knowledge that exists in the world. Even if it has the potential to do so, it is limited by the need for me to have some inkling of what I am searching for."

So basically, it's like Google? If she doesn't know the right search terms, she can't find information on a subject. So in the case of Mary, if she doesn't have a term for what Mary is, then she can't search for others like her.

"Pernelle's second list added Kuzunoha, Laura of Wallachia, and Eleni of Zeil," I say. "Ah, and she also mentioned Pernelle of Samara, who we've already established as dead. If my guess is right, Laura of Wallachia is probably now in Jouetsu, going by the alias Shinobu… so I guess I just need to go there to test that theory. As for Kuzunoha… from what I've learned, there appears to be some link between her and the Tokime clan… I've found a shrine dedicated to her, and the tomb in Mitakihara has her name written on it. Though the furigana indicate a different pronunciation and make it clear that it refers to a different person, there could also be meaning in the use of the same kanji. There's also Hotel Kagura, which is written with the 'fire' kanji so I thought was a reference to Pernelle, who also has a connection to the Tokime clan, but… foxes are associated with the will-o-the-wisp in Japanese folklore, so maybe it could instead be a reference to Kuzunoha…"

Come to think of it, is there a link between Hotel Kagura and Kagura San? I believe San spells her surname in the conventional way, using the kanji for 'god' instead of 'fire', but there might still be some meaning behind them having the same pronunciation… or it could just be a coincidence, since kagura refers to a traditional style of Japanese dance.

"And the last is Eleni of Zeil," I say. "But I've never even heard of her. Where even is Zeil?"

"I believe it refers to modern-day Zayla, a port town in Somaliland," Scheherazade says.

"Ah, so it's somewhere in Africa," I say. "Then I have no idea what I could possibly do to determine if she's still alive… finally, that leaves the 'mysterious means' you refer to, but I can only think of two that might fit that criteria, which are Melissa de Vignolles and Elisa Celjska. I did hear a rumour of some girls who vaguely resemble them lurking here in Kamihama, so if that's true maybe I can actually find them… ah, hold on a second, there might also be Mizuna Tsuyu's friend. I think her name was… Chizuru? But I don't know her surname…"

"By the way," Scheherazade says. "This is a loophole of sorts, but I feel like it could be worth mentioning. There is a magical girl who you may wish to seek out after you turn back time. It appears that she was fully aware of time being turned back repeatedly. In this timeline, she contracted on March 25 and turned into a witch on April 7, in Takarazaki's Cape Ward."

"Ah? You think she'd be both willing and able to help me out?"

Scheherazade shrugs. "Able, yes. Willing… it's hard to say. But it cannot hurt to try, right?"

I nod. "Yeah, thanks for the tip," I say.

"If there is nothing else you need from me, then I shall take my leave," Scheherazade says.

"Hmm… yeah, I can't think of anything else to ask," I say.

"Farewell, Ashley Taylor."

"Goodbye."

Scheherazade wall-jumps up to the roof and heads off towards the city centre, and then I emerge from the alleyway to join the magical girls cheering in the park, or in some cases, mourning for their deceased loved ones. Many of the magical girls have already dispersed, but most of the girls from Mitakihara, as well as those I know as founding members of the Kamihama Magia Union, are still there.

Inui waves to me as soon as she spots me. She has already powered down, and I follow her example as I wave back, but instead of heading over to join her, I make my way over to my friends from America. I have to thank them properly, and also say goodbye.

It seems Chevonne has woken up by this time. She grins at me as I approach.

"That was a pretty incredible battle, Ashley," she says, in English of course. "I feel like I've made history, you know?"

"Yes, you certainly have," I say. "Sarra, Chevonne, Janice, Alice… thank you very much for coming."

"I didn't come for you," Alice retorts. "I just thought it might be fun to fight a really strong witch."

Sarra chuckles. "I'm happy I could help out a friend, and save the world at the same time," she says. "Well, not that this witch would have destroyed the entire world, but I'm sure it would've caused a lot of damage if we hadn't stopped it right here."

"You got that right!" Janice says. "Walpurgisnacht, huh? Guess I can tell my kids about how I killed the worst witch ever known."

"Are you seriously already thinking about kids?" I ask.

"Nah, not really," Janice says. "Still, I kinda want to have some one day."

"So, what were your plans from here on?" I ask. "The airport isn't that far from here, so I'm not sure how much it would've been affected by the witch, but… Japanese structures are built to weather a typhoon, so I bet it'll be up and running again in short order as long as it didn't take major damage."

"We were scheduled to return tomorrow afternoon," Janice says. "I don't suppose you could show us around until then?"

"I'm really sorry," I say. "I have lots of things to do before then, and from the sounds of it, I'm going to disappear from this world around the same time you take off. I'd like you to apologize to my parents for me, and tell them that, even though they'll never see me again, I still love them."

"What's this all about, Ashley?" Chevonne says angrily. "What do you mean, you'll disappear from this world?"

"Well, it was always a possibility," I say. "I didn't achieve my goal, so I'm going to try again. I'll travel back in time and fight Walpurgisnacht all over again."

"Huh? But it was defeated," Janice says. "Wasn't that your goal?"

"Not quite," I say. "My goal was to defeat it with zero casualties."

"O-ohh… that's…" Janice muses.

"But why does that mean we'll never see you again!?" Chevonne asks.

"Because I can't be in two places at once," I say. "In order to travel back in time, I need to disappear from this time."

"I understand," Sarra says. "I can tell that you've already made up your mind, Ashley. I might not have known you long, but it was fun knowing you, and I wish you luck with this… time travel business."

"Well… yeah, I guess," Janice says reluctantly. "I'm sad we won't be able to meet again, though."

"I still don't like it," Chevonne grumbles. "But I can tell you're not going to be convinced no matter what I say, so…"

"Alright. Then, this is the last time we'll see each other," I say. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Ashley," Janice says.

"Bye…" Chevonne says.

"Farewell, Ashley," Sarra says.

"Yeah, goodbye or whatever," Alice mutters.

Then I turn to the François sisters, who are sitting nearby, and address them in French.

"Well… I'm not sure how much of that you understood, but…"

"We understood it all," Adèle said. "But it seemed wrong to barge in on a parting of friends."

"Yes, thank you for that," I say. "And thank you for coming all the way to Japan to join this battle."

"I just thought it would be an interesting experience," Adèle says.

"And I felt like I could use the challenge," Gisèle adds.

"So, it seems we won't see you ever again," Adèle says.

"It's a little sad, but I suppose that's how it goes," Gisèle says.

"Yeah, pretty much," I say. "Farewell, you two."

"Farewell," they both say in unison.

With my goodbyes finished, I walk over to join Inui. The Pierrot and Hayashi team are with her, as well as Hijiri. Come to think of it, I feel like I need a nickname for that team, similar to Mami's Holy Quintet… hmm… I can't really think of anything though. Maybe I'll ask Inui for some ideas later.

"Ashley!" Inui says. "Since I don't have a place to stay, and we're probably gonna be redoing things now, I was thinking I'd stay with you until the end. Koma-chin and Hii-tan already approved it, pending Mrs Hayashi's response."

"That's fine with me," I say. "Once we have the final approval, shall we head back? It's not like there's anything left to do, and I'd like to have a long, long nap."

"Yeah," Inui says. "I agree. Although, before that, I'd like to take a bath."

"Oh yeah, that might be nice too," I say.

---

After breakfast and a bath at the Hayashi house, Inui and I climb into bed for about six hours. That means we wake up again around noon. After getting dressed and heading downstairs, we find that the Pierrot twins are there, as well as Claire and Sachie.

"Oh, you're up already?" Komachi says.

"Yeah," I say. "Is something happening here?"

"No, we just couldn't sleep so we decided to drop by," Liliane says. "What's up with you?"

"We were going to go look for Miss Homura," I say.

I check and find that she's returned to her house, rather than staying with Mami who'd be able to somewhat comfort her. I don't think that was a good idea. I suppose it's in-character for her, though.

"And we're supposed to be back in Kamihama by three o'clock, so maybe we should get going right now," I say. "The plan is to go back in time tomorrow afternoon."

"So this could be the last time we see each other," Liliane says.

"It's possible," I say.

"Well, in case it is, goodbye and good luck," Liliane says.

"Same here," Claire says. "I hope you're even more successful next time."

"I didn't know you that well, but I'll wish you luck too," Sachie says.

"Well, hope it all goes well," Komachi says. "Seeya!"

"Yeah, at least onee-san and I will see you once more tonight, right?" Hiyori says.

"Yeah, we'll sleep here tonight," I agree. "See you later, then. To everyone else, goodbye."

With that, Inui and I leave the house and make for Homura's place. After dragging her out and paying a brief visit to Oriko, where we find she's handling the death of Kirika surprisingly well, we head to Mami's place to meet up with her and Kyouko before finally catching a train to Kamihama and making our way to the Crescent Moon Villa.

At Crescent Moon Villa, we have a brief discussion, during which I hand over the Mirror Witch's grief seed, which had been left at the Hayashi house during the battle. Then we accompany them to Asuka's family dojo and begin the meeting. We chat a little about small things while waiting for everyone to arrive, with Irina Kusch being a particular topic of interest for some reason. I'm surprised to see Hijiri show up with the Hinata twins, but it's not an issue for her to be here, since she already knows almost everything.

Once everyone has arrived, I start by explaining the situation with Homura's time travel. However, I try to phrase it in such a way that all my knowledge of the game could potentially be attributed at least in part to the time travel. In order to prove that time travel is possible, I track down the painting of Jeanne d'Arc with Yachiyo and Iroha, which does wonders to convince them.

So then we get down to business and start talking about what happened the previous day. During that time, there are several interruptions. At one point, I interrupt the flow to show off the existence of grief cubes, and talk about their origin a little and the Tokime clan. Later on, we segue into a digression about the abilities of the Mirror Witch, or about how magical girls weaken as they get older. Then out of nowhere Iroha decides to thank Kyouko for showing up out of nowhere in Fendt Hope at just the right moment.

We must have been talking for a few hours by the time Asuka proposes serving tea and snacks, so we take that as an opportunity to introduce everyone to everyone. Come to think of it, there are quite a few people at this meeting. We have the Crescent Moon Villa group, represented by Iroha, Yachiyo, Tsuruno, and Felicia. The other members of that group, Ui and Sana, stayed behind at their place. We have the Momoko trio, which includes Rena and Kaede. We have the Tokiwa quartet, consisting of Nanaka, Meiyui, Akira, and Kako. We have Kanagi, Mitama, and Hinano, rounding out the representation of Kamihama veterans. We have Mami, Kyouko, and Homura, representing the Holy Quintet of Mitakihara. And as special guests, we have Hijiri, Matsuri, and Kagari, the twins now back in separate bodies. That just leaves me and Inui to round out the cast… and Asuka, who hasn't really spoken much at all and has even dozed off a couple of times.

Then, not long after the snacks arrive, Mifuyu shows up unexpectedly, leading into a discussion of the casualties of the previous day. Saki was one of the victims, so also branches off to a brief digression on the topic of Michiru, as well as the possibility of turning a grief seed back into a soul gem. Since Mifuyu is there anyway, she then joins in as we talk about what happened on the grounds of Fendt Hope after the building was sealed. I also get contact info for Mana from her while I'm at it. Once we reach the end of that battle, Mifuyu takes her leave again, saying she has things to do.

After covering the battle against Eve and briefly describing the encounter with Kagome, we finish off by discussing the preparation and eventually the battle against Walpurgisnacht. Though everyone was there for the battle, so we could have skipped the full explanation, they apparently want to discuss it anyway.

"By the way, Miss Taylor," Iroha says at one point. "What was all that about a miracle earlier? Just before Miss Misono arrived, it seemed like you were expecting something to happen…"

"Right," I say. "You remember the pink feathers that Madoka created?"

"Ah, yes, that was an incredible feeling," Iroha says.

"I was expecting them to show up spontaneously, but on an even larger scale," I say. "After all, that's what happened in the future I saw. But… I've come to realize that my actions so far have likely already rendered that future impossible to reach…"

"Um… I more or less get what you mean," Iroha says. "But those feathers were one of Madoka-chan's powers, right? Why would they just show up all of a sudden? And why would it be impossible?"

"Suppose there was another universe where Madoka is even more powerful than the one you knew," I say. "She could be powerful enough to look into other universes, so she'd be able to see what was happening. And, using the Mirror Witch as a conduit, she'd be able to funnel some of her power through to help us out. That was the situation I was predicting."

"That all seems very far-fetched," Iroha says. "But that aside, what made you think it's not possible after all?"

"That version of Madoka who's powerful enough to be called a goddess… if it weren't for my intervention, she would've been born in the previous timeline," I say. "Although that doesn't necessarily mean there couldn't be another timeline where she still made that wish, the fact that I personally prevented it does seem like a reason to doubt that that version of her can help us here in this timeline. Of course… most of what I'm saying here is speculation. You shouldn't think too much on it. In the end, the Madoka we knew used that power for us of her own will, and we still reaped the benefits, more or less… it did fall a little short of what was needed, though."

"Yeah… it's so sad," Iroha says. "I'll never be able to talk with Madoka-chan again… and Miss Tomoe and the others must be feeling it even more than I am."

"And another thing," Mitama speaks up. "Around when the effect of the pink feathers wore off, you said an oddly familiar name…"

"Ah, right," I say. "At that moment, I saw two figures on the roof, but it seemed they noticed when I spotted them, and disappeared immediately…"

"But it sounded like you recognized them?" Mitama says.

"Yes, a rather odd combination," I say. "Kirino Sae and Mikage-chan… or at least, that's who it looked like."

"Mikage… could it be…?" Kanagi says. "Yakumo, is your little sister a magical girl?"

"But Mii hasn't said anything to me about that," Mitama says. "I think I should know if she was one…"

"Now that I think of it, I did see a glimpse of silver hair on a rooftop in Daito Ward yesterday," Kanagi muses.

"Miss Mitama, you had a little sister?" Iroha says.

"Yes… and her name certainly is Mikage," Mitama says. "We're usually very close, and yet, this really is the first I've heard of this…"

"Even I did not know you had a little sister," Nanaka says.

"Huh? You didn't know, Miss Tokiwa?" Asuka says, startled.

"No, this is the first I've heard of it," Nanaka says.

"Well, Mitama's a pretty private person," Momoko says. "But it's not like it's a secret… I and a few other people knew about her too… I only met her once or twice by chance, though. When I saw her last, she definitely wasn't a magical girl, but I think that was almost half a year ago…"

"I was expecting her to be one," I say. "The only thing I wasn't sure of was whether she'd contract before or after the battle with Walpurgisnacht… this seems to point to the former."

"Huh? You knew about her too, Miss Taylor?" Momoko says.

"Yes," I say. "Actually, you even told me about her yourself in a previous timeline… though I already knew about her by then."

"I see," Mitama says. "I'll have to have a talk with Mii when I get home…"

Eventually, everyone runs out of things to discuss, and I move towards closing the discussion.

"Well, this has all been very interesting," I say. "But we are somewhat short on time, after all. We'll be turning back time tomorrow afternoon, and there are a few things we need to do before then."

"Alright," Iroha says. "I suppose you're assuming that we get to live on in this timeline after you've gone back in time?"

"I don't really have a strong reason to believe you will or won't live on in this timeline," I say. "But it certainly can't hurt to act as though you do. I do have a weak reason to suspect you do, anyway."

"Um, if you could wait a little longer," Matsuri speaks up. "After everyone else is gone, I'd like to speak to you in private. Ah, um… I mean, it doesn't have to be private as in just the two of us, but I just think it's better if fewer people listen in…"

"I mean, it's the entire reason my idiot sister wanted to come here, so you'd better listen to her," Kagari says. "Though I did have my own reasons for wanting to come, but we already dealt with all that crap right at the beginning."

"Sure," I say. "Um, hmm… I think we'll probably be heading home together with Mami and the others, is it okay if they hear about it?"

"I guess so," Matsuri says.

"Well, I need to get back to Sana-chan anyway," Iroha says, getting to her feet. "Miss Mifuyu said she's wondering where I am, right? And I'm sure whatever Miss Hinata wants to talk about isn't something I need to know, though I am a little curious. So um… farewell, Ashley Taylor, and thanks for all your help yesterday. I don't think we could've done so well without you."

"You're not giving yourself enough credit," I say. "But you're welcome regardless, and farewell."

"Farewell, Miss Taylor," Nanaka says. "I would have liked to meet again, but it seems as though that will not come to pass."

"Farewell, Miss Tokiwa," I reply.

"Farewell, Taylor-kun," Kanagi says. "I hope one day you will explain yourself to another me."

"Perhaps," I say. "Farewell, Miss Izumi."

Nearly everyone at this point is getting to their feet and either saying goodbyes or heading for the door. Those of us staying behind wait patiently for the others to leave. That's me, Inui, the three from the Holy Quintet, the Hinata twins, Hijiri, and apparently Asuka. Eventually, the commotion dies down.

"So, um, there are only a few cookies left," Asuka says. "We might as well finish them off, right?"

"Sure," Inui says, taking one.

Kyouko also snags two of them without a word.

"Ah, um, is it fine if I stay to listen?" Asuka says. "I mean, I can step outside if it's something you don't want me to hear."

"Oh, um… I don't think it matters that much," Matsuri says. "Alright, so, Miss Taylor… I have just one thing to request of you."

She turns to me and prostrates before me, pressing her forehead against the floor.

"Please let me go back in time with you!"

Silence falls for a few seconds, but then I speak up.

"Um, I'm quite surprised you're asking that," I say. "After all, I turned down Miss Tamaki's request earlier today. You must have heard that, right?"

Matsuri straightens up and nods.

"Yes, I did, but I was just hoping you might reconsider," she says. "Do you mind if I explain why?"

"Uhh… well, I guess it can't hurt to listen," I say.

"You see, I want to save onee-san as soon as I possibly can," Matsuri says. "And the same goes for Suzune-chan. I want to save them before they get caught up in anything bad…"

"Well, if you're talking about how Miss Amano has killed a lot of people, then I'm afraid it's too late to change that," I say. "Miss Homura can only go back as far as March 16 of this year."

"Right, I think you mentioned something like that before," Matsuri says. "But at least all the bad things that happened in the last month…"

"While I sympathize with you, if you're not careful, that could end up making things worse for those in Kamihama," I say. "For example, if you prevented Miss Amano and your friends from visiting Kamihama to investigate the ripper girl rumour, then who would free Nanaka and her friends from that rumour? I realize there were others also searching for them, but what if they end up trapped inside too, because you weren't there? And… while it would technically be possible to prevent Miss Amano's earlier visit that led to the creation of the ripper girl rumour in the first place, I'm not sure what kind of cascading effects that would have in the timeline… I have a feeling it could mess a lot of things up. Besides, because of all those events, you were able to meet Miss Mikoto's childhood friend, right? Although, now that you know she exists, I suppose you could find a different way to meet her."

"Um… I guess you make a good point," Matsuri admits. "Um… now that I think of it… it's not like onee-san or Suzune-chan actually killed anyone in the last month or so, right?"

She turns to her sister, who blinks.

"Ah, um, a-are you asking me?" Kagari says. "When I followed her to Kamihama the first time, she tried to kill the girl with the weird hair loop, and the girl with the scruffy hair, and the girl who turns invisible, and the camellia girl with two swords. At the time I thought she actually succeeded, but all of them showed up later, still alive, so I guess they tricked us somehow… then, after moving back to Hohzuki, she tried to kill the teleporter girl with orange hair, but after that I don't think she even tried to kill anyone else…"

"What about between those two times?" I ask.

"Huh?" Kagari says.

"Between the time she attacked Miss Awane, the girl with the hair loops, and the time she attacked Miss Kanami, the teleporter," I say.

"Oh, well, I think there might have been two or three," Kagari says. "It's not like I paid attention to every little thing she did…"

"Then I'd at least like to save those two or three people," Matsuri says. "That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Yeah, okay, you're quite right about that," I say.

"The other reason I want to go back is that I feel so pathetic for being caught repeatedly by onee-san's memory alterations," Matsuri says. "But as a result of that, I have a feeling I've built up a resistance. So, I should be able to deal with her better even if everything else were to play out exactly the same as this time."

"Well, you've more or less convinced me that there would be no harm in letting you accompany us," I say. "But there's still the problem that we simply have no room to fit you in."

"Ah… I see," Matsuri says. "So no matter how much I beg you, there's nothing you can do…?"

At this point, Hijiri speaks up. "Basically, in order for you to return to the past, someone else would have to give up their seat," she says.

"R-right, I see," Matsuri says, nodding.

"But the good news for you is, there's an obvious candidate right here," Hijiri continues. "I've already gone back countless times. Surely it couldn't hurt for me to take a miss just once? I get that a lot of important things happened this time around, but I can hear about those from everyone else. Besides, most of them don't directly relate to me… that is to say, I'm not the one who most needs to know those things."

"S-so then…!?" Matsuri gasps. "Miss, um… Hijiri, was it? Are you saying that you'd give up your spot for me?"

"If it's okay with Ashley-chan and Miss Akemi, then yes," Hijiri says.

"Do whatever you want," Homura mutters. "As long as it doesn't get in the way of saving Madoka, I don't really care."

"Well… I can't really think of a reason why you absolutely need to return," I say. "What do you think, Inui?"

"I think we might as well just do it," Inui says. "That is, assuming Matsu-chi is okay with abandoning her family."

"Huh?" Matsuri says. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, it's what Miss Tamaki was talking about earlier," I say. "If you suppose that this timeline continues on after we go back to the past, it'll be without you in it. Therefore, your family and friends in this timeline would never see you again."

"Oh right, you did mention that right at the very beginning," Matsuri says. "But at the same time, if I recall correctly, you said there was a way to have both, to stay in this timeline but also return to the past."

"Oh… did I really mention that?" I say.

Matsuri nods. "You said it would mean turning the person into a witch though."

"Right, I do have a method in mind," I say. "There's a way to duplicate your soul. The process is simple – first, you turn into a witch. Then, we isolate one of your familiars and feed it until it matures into a witch. Now we have two identical witches. If we kill both of them, with luck we should end up with two grief seeds. If both of those grief seeds are turned back into a soul gem, we now have two identical copies of your soul."

Kyouko gasps. "You… you're utterly insane, did you know that?" she says. "No-one in their right mind would come up with such a hare-brained scheme!"

"It certainly does sound quite dangerous," Mami agrees. "But if everyone involved consents, I can't think of a reason to oppose it…"

"I see," Matsuri says. "Now that I'm hearing the full details of the plan, I can see that Miss Nanami was right to assume it's dangerous. The first problem is that witches don't always drop grief seeds, so there's a slim chance that I'd be lost completely…"

"That's true," I say. "That said, I've never heard of a newly-spawned witch not dropping a grief seed…? I thought it was only witches that matured from a familiar who had a chance of not dropping one."

"No, actually, that's not entirely true," Hijiri speaks up. "If you remember, when Kazumi-chan challenged me at the Freezer in my first timeline, I forced all the soul gems there to hatch, right? And then several of them failed to drop grief seeds when killed."

"Oh right, now that you mention it," I say. "I still haven't heard of any other cases than that, though… could that have been caused by the evil nuts somehow? Though I was fine when I experimented with an evil nut… thankfully…"

"And on top of that, there's the difficulty of turning a grief seed back into a soul gem," Matsuri continues. "You only know one person who can do it, right? And if not for the automatic purification system, they'd turn into a witch instead, right? Is the automatic purification system really something we can rely on after what happened yesterday?"

"Well, you did see Scheherazade unleash her doppel, didn't you?" I say. "I think that's enough evidence to prove that it's fine, at least for the time being."

"And lastly there's the danger of feeding a witch," Matsuri says. "It's like trying to raise a baby tiger… but if you're willing to brave all those dangers, then… so am I. Let's give it a try."

"Alright," I say. "We should have someone who can create a labyrinth, and someone who can control witches… Alina is probably the best for the first one, but she's out of commission, so Naomi Noriko should do fine in her stead, and as for the second, I guess Kaori Sachie is the easiest to get ahold of. Then Elise Pierrot for the reversal… and lastly we'll need something to feed the familiar with. Kanna-chi, could you make, oh, let's say eight evil nuts?"

Hijiri nods. "Sure," she says.

"I didn't quite follow everything you were talking about," Asuka says. "But I'd just like to ask one question. After you've done all this crazy-sounding stuff, there won't be any new witches wandering around or anything, right?"

"No, of course not," I say.

"Then I guess I'll turn a blind eye," Asuka says. "Just this once, because you helped save the city."

Ah. Come to think of it, Asuke has a fairly strong sense of justice, doesn't she? Maybe the idea of deliberately turning someone into a witch, even temporarily, doesn't sit well with her. I probably should have asked her to sit outside after all. Oh well… at least she didn't declare that she'd stop us or anything. That's actually kind of out-of-character for her. She's usually the one who jumps to conclusions before she has all the information… so for her to step back like this must indicate that she's making an effort not to do that. I'd better thank her for her effort.

"Thank you for that, Miss Tatsuki," I say. "With that, I think this discussion is over, so let's head back."

"Do you mind if we come with you?" Matsuri says. "I told Dad I'd probably be staying over at a friend's place today."

"He still doesn't remember you're twins?" I ask.

"Not yet," Matsuri says. "There was a chance that I go back and leave onee-san to pretend to be me. But, I prefer this plan. I'm pretty sure onee-san prefers it too."

We all leave the Tatsuki dojo and make our way back to the station to catch a train to Mitakihara. Mami seems oddly subdued, Homura is still little more than a silent shadow, and even Kyouko is less energetic than usual. Hijiri and the twins also accompany us, Kagari clinging to her younger sister's arm like a lost child.

"There sure was a lot going on, huh?" Inui says after we've been walking for a little while. "I never realized quite how much…"

"You got that right," Kyouko says. "And now they want me to go to another meeting? No way, I'm skipping out on that one."

"Well, you can do what you want," I say.

"So, um… I realize I already agreed to it, but… are you really sure that the… duplication will work?" Matsuri speaks up.

"Ah, are you worried?" I ask. "I could take you to meet someone who was duplicated, if that would help."

Matsuri blinks. "Wait… you've already done it!?"

"Half by accident, but… yes, I duplicated a Miss Chihiro Karen. Although… I don't actually know where she lives… but perhaps Touka could help me find her. Wait, come to think of it… I should really have a chat with Aoba Chika, too…"

"Oh yeah, because they attend the same school!" Inui says. "Ah, but there won't be another school day before we go back, so that might not work out…"

"School's out for a whole week, in fact," Mami speaks up.

"Right, next week is Golden Week," Inui says.

"Is it really necessary to duplicate her?" Kagari speaks up. "Like she said earlier, I can just erase everyone's memory of her… or even make them think I'm her…"

"But you don't want to be separated from me, right, onee-san?" Matsuri says. "Plus, you promised Miss Kasumi."

"Ugh… well, yeah," Kagari mutters. "Plus it's not like I could ever pretend to be you…"

"Anyway, just knowing you've done it before makes me feel a lot better about this," Matsuri says. "I won't ask to meet her… I'll trust you."

Silence falls for a time, and I don't have anything else to say, so I say nothing. Inui makes a few attempts to get conversation going again, with limited success. The only one who responds favourably to her attempts is Matsuri, after all, but even she is somewhat lost in thought, so the conversations mostly taper out after a few sentences. By the time the train rolls into the central station in Mitakihara, she's already given up. I take the time to compose messages to Noriko, Sachie, and Elise, requesting their assistance tomorrow morning.

As we step out of the train station, I'm accosted from a wholly unexpected source.

"You there!" a green-haired girl exclaims. "I demand an explanation!"

I blink at her. It's Hitomi. What on earth is she doing here? She just leapt out from behind a lamp post… that's also rather unlike her…

"Ahh… Miss Shizuki, yes? It has been quite awhile since… huh?"

All of a sudden, Sayaka appears behind Hitomi and grabs her. It seems she'd been hiding behind the lamp post too.

"Please forgive Hitomi!" Sayaka says. "She's not thinking straight!"

"What are you talking about, Miss Sayaka!?" Hitomi exclaims. "What do you mean, I'm not thinking straight? After all, Miss Madoka is gone, right? She's never coming back, right!?"

"Y-yes, well, t-that's true, but…" Sayaka stammers.

"And this… this… foreigner is to blame, right!?"

"N-no!" Sayaka protests. "I mean, Miss Taylor isn't blameless, but it's not like it's all her fault or anything!"

"But that still means she's to blame!" Hitomi says.

"How about we go have some tea?" I suggest. "Or a burger or something. It'll be my treat."

Hitomi blinks at me, startled. "Huh? W-why are you being so nice…?"

"Would you prefer me to shout at you?" I retort. "This way, I can explain everything to you." Seeing Kyouko's intense stare, I add. "And all of you are welcome to join us too, including Miss Sakura."

"Sweet!" Kyouko exclaims. "Free food!"

"I'm afraid I must turn down the offer," Mami says. "After all, I have to cook for Nagisa-chan and Yuma-chan… Miss Sakura, if you want, I can have Yuma-chan stay the night too."

"Oh, um… yeah, sure?" Kyouko says.

So Mami heads off on her own while everyone else follows Sayaka to a nearby fast food place. Once we've all got our food, I turn to Hitomi, who is sitting diagonally across from me at the table. There is something I've noticed since she appeared, an unfamiliar magical signature. There's only one possible explanation I can think of.

"So, Miss Shizuki… how long have you been a magical girl?"

Everyone stares at me, including Hitomi herself. She's not wearing a ring, after all.

"W-whaaat!?" Sayaka gasps. "B-but… she's not… is she…? Wait…"

I reach out a finger pointing at Hitomi's neck, where there's a cord visible. With a little application of telekinesis, I flick the pendant out into the open. It's clearly a magical girl ring.

"W-w-wait a second!" Hitomi stammers. "I… it's not… um… I d-d-didn't mean to hide it from you, Miss Sayaka, it's just…"

"You seemed awfully convinced that I was the one responsible for Madoka's death," I say.

Hitomi starts at that name.

"I wonder… could it be that Kyuubey said something?" I ask.

"W-what!? N-not exactly," Hitomi says.

"Well, of course not exactly," I retort. "Kyuubey doesn't lie… it just misleads. So, let me ask again… how long? When did you make a wish, Miss Shizuki?""

"U-um… just last night," Hitomi mutters.

"Hope ya wished for yourself, not someone else," Kyouko says. "Unlike that fool friend of yours…"

"W-well… I guess I'd say that I did," Hitomi says. "B-but Miss Sayaka is not a fool…"

"I'll call it like it is," Kyouko retorts.

"Kyouko, stop it already!" Sayaka says. "We've already agreed to drop that, so don't go bringing it up again on your own!"

"Whatever," Kyouko mutters.

"So you were wearing your ring around your neck like that because you wanted to hide it from me, is that correct?" I ask.

"Y-yeah… and the transfer student…"

I glance at Homura, but she's totally absorbed in her food and doesn't seem to be paying attention to anything else. It's curious that Hitomi referred to her as the transfer student now, when just yesterday she was calling her 'Miss Homura'.

"So basically, it sounds like Kyuubey was trying to turn you against us," I say. "Little does it know how pointless that is, because we won't be around much longer."

"Huh?" Hitomi says. "W-what do you mean…?"

"Well… let's set that aside for now," I say. "You want to know why Madoka died, right? Did Kyuubey at least tell you that she was a magical girl too?"

"Um… y-yeah… but I heard of her death from Miss Sayaka, not Sir Kyuubey."

"Maybe we should start at the beginning," I say. "Would you like to tell me exactly what Kyuubey said about me and Miss Homura?"

"Um, well… he just said there was no reason to trust you," Hitomi mutters. "Because you act in ways that he can't predict, and as for Miss Homura, apparently he doesn't even remember making a contract with her… so he's suspicious of both of your motives."

"Well, Miss Homura's motive is actually quite simple," I say. "All she wants is for Madoka to survive."

"B-but that means she failed," Hitomi says. "Miss Madoka… she's… she's no longer with us…"

"Yes, but also no," I say. "Because Madoka died, Miss Homura will soon go back in time to try and save her again."

Hitomi blinks. "Ah… then that's why… Sir Kyuubey doesn't remember making a contract…"

"I'm glad you catch on quick, Miss Shizuki," I say. "And my motives are quite similar, if a little more grand. I suppose Miss Miki didn't explain how Madoka died yet, right?"

"Ah, yes," Hitomi says. "That's true… she just said Miss Madoka is dead, but… how did it even happen?"

"Right, since I didn't know you were a magical girl yet, I didn't give you the full story," Sayaka says. "She was killed fighting Walpurgisnacht… ah, that's a really, really strong witch."

"Madoka died protecting the people of Kamihama," I say. "It's sad that she's gone, and of course it won't stop me from trying to save her, but at least her death had meaning. But she didn't fight on her own in that battle. That's where I come in. My primary goal is simply to defeat that witch, so to that end, I gathered magical girls from all over this island to fight her."

"So what you're saying is… Miss Madoka's death had meaning only because you went to all that effort to help her," Hitomi says. "If not for you, she would have died a meaningless death, and Kamihama would have been… um…"

"Ravaged," Sayaka supplies.

"Y-yeah, that works," Hitomi says.

"I think that's a good summation," I say. "Because of my efforts and her efforts and everyone's help, we defeated it and minimized casualties… but even so, she and a few others didn't make it. That's the gist of it. And before you ask… Madoka wanted to fight that witch. I wasn't forcing it on her."

"I… I see," Hitomi says. "That does seem very like Miss Madoka…"

"She was really, really strong, too," Sayaka adds. "Way stronger than me! I couldn't even scratch that witch, but she blew bits of it off over and over…"

"Huh? Are you a magical girl too, Miss Sayaka!?" Hitomi asks.

"Actually, everyone here at this table is a magical girl," I say.

"Well, I already knew from Sir Kyuubey that Miss Homura is one," Hitomi says. "So everyone else with you today is also a magical girl? What about Miss Mami, and the two children she mentioned?"

"Also magical girls," I say. "So, have you calmed down now, Miss Shizuki?"

"Yes," Hitomi says. "I apologize for jumping to conclusions… I did not expect Sir Kyuubey's words to be so misleading."

"Just to be clear, you can't trust Kyuubey," I say. "Kyuubey does not have your best interests at heart. Its ultimate aim is your downfall. It may not lie outright very often, if at all, but it readily misleads you by false association or other forms of deception."

"I don't quite understand," Hitomi says. "You're saying Sir Kyuubey, who gave me my power, actually wants to kill me? That doesn't make any sense…"

"Well… it's a bit complicated," I say. "If you really want to know, I think it would be better to hear it from your friends. But… you might prefer not to hear the truth. It's a dark secret that has caused magical girls to go insane in the past."

"T-then, I'll think on it," Hitomi says.

"By the way, while I have you here, Miss Shizuki… I heard you stayed at Oriko's place last night. Did anything interesting happen when she returned?"

"Huh? So you also know Miss Mikuni?" Hitomi says. "Um… I ended up falling asleep on the floor, even though it was a bit uncomfortable. Then I was woken up by the door opening, but all she said was 'good morning' like she'd expected me there. She even made me breakfast… after that, I went home to have a talk with Mother, and when it didn't go well, I went back to Miss Mikuni's place, and she offered me lunch. Actually, I was there when you knocked on the door… and then, a bit later Miss Miki came by and told me Madoka had died."

"And you were already a magical girl during all that," I say.

"Yes."

"Doesn't sound like there was anything interesting, then," I say. "Well, if you're satisfied, shall we break up now? I have some things to do tomorrow, so I'd like to be up early."

Hitomi nods. "In fact, Miss Mikuni offered to house me until I have worked things out with Mother, so if by some chance you need me for something, that is likely where I will be."

"I don't think I'll need you, but thanks for the information," I say.

"Alright," Sayaka says. "So, Miss Homura is going back in time, right? I don't suppose you could bring me along too…?"

"Absolutely not," I say. "It's suspicious enough having one magical girl that Kyuubey doesn't remember contracting with. Having two such magical girls would be even worse."

"I see," Sayaka says. "Well, at least I'll wish you good luck… come on, Hitomi, I'll stay with you tonight, alright?"

"Ah, thank you for the offer, Miss Sayaka, but you don't have to do that," Hitomi says.

"But I want to do it," Sayaka replies.

"In that case, I shall be grateful for the company," Hitomi says.

The two of them leave together, and then I turn to Homura.

"Miss Homura, please stay with Miss Tomoe tonight, instead of at your place," I say.

"Why should I?" Homura retorts.

"Because if you turn into a witch, everything will be for nothing," I say. "You still wish to save Madoka, do you not? You haven't lost hope, have you?"

"…fine," Homura says. "It's true there's still hope. My soul gem is already terribly corrupted, yet somehow it's not getting any worse, so I guess that's because I have hope."

"Yes, so please stay with the people who care for you," I say.

"I guess," Homura says. "I'll think about it."

With that, she gets up and stalks off.

"I'll get a hotel room for the three of us," Hijiri says, indicating the Hinata twins. "Then we can all be ready first thing tomorrow."

"Alright," I say. "First thing tomorrow, let's meet at the old factory where the Box Witch holed up. I can give you the address – it's the same address I sent to the others."

"Okay," Hijiri says.

I quickly compose an email to her, containing the address in question.

"Got it," she says.

"Perfect… then we'll see you soon."

So they go one way, and Inui and I head back to the Hayashi house.

---

I wake up the next morning and pack up my laptop, then have breakfast with Inui and the Hayashi sisters. After some final words of farewell with the Hayashi sisters, we head out to meet up with the team intending to duplicate Matsuri. We find our way to the abandoned factory, where I find that we're the last to arrive. Noriko, Elise, Liliane, Sachie, Hijiri, and the Hinata twins are all there.

"You're finally here," Elise says. "But I don't see why I have to work with her…"

"Well, you're not needed until the final stage, so if you want, you're welcome to wait outside," I say.

"Don't be stupid," Elise retorts.

"So, you said you intend to duplicate Miss Hinata's soul, and need our help," Sachie says. "But you didn't mention the means you intend to use to do that, or how exactly we would be needed…"

"Right," I say. "Matsuri-chan, how's your soul gem looking?"

"Not so great," Matsuri says. "I haven't used a grief seed since the battle. It hasn't gotten much worse since then though… or rather, it hasn't gotten any worse at all since I healed myself."

"Alright. First of all, allow me to explain the plan," I say. "Miss Naomi, could you create a barrier with isolated sections, so something won't be able to get from one section to another unless you allow it?"

«Yes, that should be quite easy,» Noriko says.

"Eh? Why the hell're you talking in telepathy all of a sudden?" Kagari asks.

"Kagari, shut up," I say. "Miss Noriko, for now, I'd like to ask you to create an empty labyrinth."

Noriko nods. «Got it.»

She closes her eyes for a moment, and we're quickly sucked into a labyrinth. It's a featureless white room, similar to the stereotypical padded room you see in mental institutes.

"This looks just about perfect," I say. "Alright, so the plan is quite simple. Step one is for Miss Naomi to isolate a single familiar in a separate room, along with me and Kanna-chi. Once that's done, Miss Kaori and Kagari will work to keep the witch docile so she doesn't attack. Any other familiars besides the isolated one can be killed."

Perhaps in anticipation of the described tasks, Sachie and Noriko both transform.

"Okay, I get the outline," Sachie says. "But… what witch are we talking about? There's no sign of a witch here…"

"I'm getting to that," I say. "Matsuri-chan, are you ready?"

"Yes," Matsuri says.

"Do you think you can manage by yourself?" I ask.

"That… might be difficult…" she says.

"Then Kagari can tweak your memories a little," I say. "Remember not to resist it this time… and Kagari, be sure to protect the body."

"W-wait a sec, you can't mean…!" Elise gasps.

"Oh, so now I get a part to play after all?" Kagari says. "Fine, if my adorable little sister really wants me to turn her into a witch that badly, I guess I can do it."

She transforms and points her sword at Matsuri, who suddenly gasps in shock, and barely a second later her soul gem cracks open and transforms into a grief seed. Kagari catches Matsuri's body and drags it out of harm's way before the witch can swallow it.

The witch takes on the form of a golden curtain rod forming a circle, bearing curtains with a generic night city scene upon them. Floating up just above the curtain rod is something best described as a ghost with an angelic halo. The ghost is essentially a black cape with yellow edging and a green circle bearing two closed eyes, which seems to serve as a face. The witch runes pop out as usual, spelling out the witch's name, Elise.

"Damn!" Elise says. "I can't believe I actually guessed right… Ashley-chan, you're utterly insane!"

«No familiars yet,» Noriko notes.

"Yeah, that's a bit of a problem," I agree. "We can't get started until she spawns some familiars…"

Fortunately, Elise the witch doesn't seem to be interested in attacking just yet, so we simply wait around. It feels like forever, but I don't think it's actually more than a minute before a familiar finally shows up. The witch decides to start attacking at the same time, using some sort of laser beam type of attack, but Sachie shakes her bell staff, and the witch stops in mid-attack. Then Noriko steps forward, the labyrinth changing form to split the room in two, with Sachie, Kagari, Liliane, and the two Elises on one side, and me, Inui, Hijiri, Noriko, and the familiar on the other.

"Okay, you're up, Kanna-chi," I say.

Hijiri steps forward and takes out some evil nuts, tossing them at the familiar, which catches and swallows them with glee. After feeding it several of the nuts, it glows brightly before maturing into an identical copy of the witch.

"Miss Naomi, do you think we can defeat this witch, or should we get the others to help too?" I ask.

«It… might be a bit tough,» she replies. «I think it's better with more people.»

"Then let's merge the rooms together again."

Noriko nods, and the labyrinth changes form again, returning to the previous format but with a somewhat larger room now. Liliane and Elise both gasp at the sight of a second witch.

"W-what on earth did you do just now!?" Liliane asks. "Did that familiar already mature…? How on earth…!?"

"Well, we fed it some concentrated impurities," I say. "But that's not the important thing right now. We need to defeat these two witches and get the grief seeds."

"R-right," Liliane says. "Fortunately, we hunted a witch last night, so the three of us should be fine for stamina. Let's do this."

"Do you have any tips on how to fight this witch, Ashley-chan?" Hijiri asks.

"Um… I've never encountered this witch before," I say. "But… I feel like it looks oddly different from Matsuri-chan's doppel. I'm pretty sure I remember a patchwork heart…?"

"Could it be hidden behind those curtains?" Hijiri suggests.

"Maybe," I say. "I would hazard a guess that it's the weak point, but I can't be sure."

"Well, it's a mite better than just trying things at random," Hijiri says. "Let's try to get past those curtains!"

While Sachie forces one of the witches to remain idle, everyone else, even me, moves to attack the other one. Inui stops it in its tracks for a moment with her charm, and Liliane leaps forward to slash at the curtain, but her sword sort of sinks in. Noriko tries too, with the same effect, but when I slash with Kensei, it actually opens a gash in the curtains.

"Huh? Why's mine so different?" I wonder.

"This isn't the time to speculate," Liliane says. "Can you make the gap wider?"

"Right…"

I slash a few more times until there's a huge opening in the curtains. The inside of the curtains has the same city scene as the outside, only depicted during the day instead of at night, and, just like I'd predicted, there's a heart at the very centre, sewn together from scraps of cloth. To be clear, it's shaped like the heart symbol, not an anatomical heart.

"I'll try damaging the core," Liliane says.

She points at the heart, zapping it with a bolt of lightning, and the ghost part of the witch shudders as the entire thing jumps back.

"Looks like that hurt it quite a bit," Liliane says. "Then all we need to do is focus all our attacks there!"

By doing exactly that, the witch is taken down quite quickly. Fortunately, my fears of a grief seed failing to drop are not realized, and we move straight on to taking down the other witch with the same basic strategy. Inui charms it, I slash open the curtains, and then everyone targets the heart.

Once both witches are defeated, and I've claimed both grief seeds, Noriko lets the barrier fall again.

"Alright, from here on, I only need Elise-chan," I say. "Though I don't mind if Kagari wants to come too. Everyone else is free to go."

"Alright," Liliane says. "Would you like me to come, Elise?"

"Nah," Elise says. "The only reason you came was to stop us from fighting after all…"

"Then I'll see you later," Liliane says. "I assume you're going to use your power to restore that girl, right?"

"Yeah, presumably," Elise says.

"Then, this will be the last time we see each other," I say. "Farewell!"

So, everyone goes off in their own direction, leaving only me, Inui, Elise, and Kagari, who seems to have decided it's her job to carry Matsuri's body. We catch a train to Kamihama and get off at a junction stop just inside Kamihama, the one where you would need to switch lines if heading for the hospital. Instead of switching lines, however, we head out of the train station, and I lead the way to the abandoned construction site, the place where the Rumour of the Friendship Ending Staircase was drawn out before being defeated.

"Alright, this should be a good place," I say. "You already know why I asked for your help."

"Yeah, yeah," Elise says. "Hand over the grief seeds already…"

Two invocations of her doppel later, the two grief seeds dropped from the two instances of the witch Elise have been transformed back into Matsuri's soul gems.

"So, I can go now, right?" Elise says.

"Yeah, if you want," I say. "Thank you very much for your help, and farewell, Elise-chan."

"It's alright," Elise says. "I mean, I helped out because I wanted to, anyway… I'll even miss you a little."

Suddenly she blushes and turns to run away. Inui giggles.

"Elise-chan has trouble being honest, it seems," she says.

"So, what now?" Kagari asks. "Do we wait for her to wake up? But there are two of her…?"

"Well… my thought is, we should probably still have a meeting before we go back in time," I say. "And it might be good for Matsuri-chan to be present… so, this is my proposal, and keep in mind, it's really just a proposal. Why don't you leave one of the soul gems here and take the other back to Hohzuki? Then you can meet back up with us in Mitakihara, and we'll keep the other soul gem while you take her body home."

"I guess that sounds okay," Kagari says. "Though it means I'm the one running all over the place…"

"Well, it's not the only possibility," I say. "Do you have a different proposal?"

"Hmm… that blonde girl booked the hotel for two nights," Kagari says. "So I guess there's no need to go all the way home. I could just wait in the hotel instead."

"Sure, if that's what you'd prefer," I say. "Then I'll see you later."

"Whatever," Kagari says.

She takes one of the soul gems and heads off, while we tuck the other into Matsuri's hands and wait for her to wake up, which she does with a start several seconds later.

"D-dad!?" she exclaims. "Is… is it true…? Miss Tsubaki…"

"Whatever you're thinking of, it's probably just Kagari's false memories," I say.

"Ah… yes, I think you're right," Matsuri says. "But whoa, that really scared me… so did it work? I mean, I guess at least part of it worked, since I'm here, but…"

"I left the other you with Kagari," I say. "It worked. There's two soul gems."

"So, I guess I'll be the one going back with you?" Matsuri says.

"Yeah… we'll have a meeting with Miss Homura a bit later, and then you'll turn this body over to the other you."

"Got it," Matsuri says. "So then, I guess I might as well just come along with you until then, right?"

"You have a choice though," I say. "You can come along if you want, or you can go wait at Miss Homura's place. Yuuri-chan and Airi-chan will show up there at some point, too."

"So they're the other people going back with us?" Matsuri says. "One of them is the girl who helped provide power to repair that other girl's soul gem, right? And the other girl is her friend."

"Yeah, that's right," I say.

"So it's you two, those two, me, and Miss Homura," Matsuri says. "Okay. I think it would be boring just waiting around, so if you don't mind, I'll stick with you."

"Alright," I say.

"So, what else were you planning on doing, Ashley?" Inui says. "It sounds like you've got something in mind…"

"I'd like to meet up with Aoba Chika," I say. "I want to get her contact info, and I also want to hear her story of how she apparently met me, in case there's some useful clue in there that I can use."

"Huh? Oh, right, the thing Mitamin mentioned at yesterday's meeting… she seemed to know you even though you didn't remember meeting her, right?" Inui says. "It's the same thing that happened with Nagi-tan…"

"Yeah," I say. "The only problem is, I don't know how to find her…"

"Well, she knows Chihiro Karen, right?" Inui says. "And Chihiro Karen knows Ori-chan. So why not start by asking Ori-chan?"

"Uhh… yes, that makes sense," I say.

So, I whip out my phone and compose an email to Oriko.

[Hello, sorry to bother you. I was wondering if you might know Chihiro Karen's email? I want to get in contact with someone else she knows.]

"Aaand sent," I say. "While we wait for a response, why don't we go eat at Walnut's?"

"Sure," Inui says.

"I could definitely eat something right now," Matsuri agrees.

So, we head over to the next train station and catch the train over to the stop nearest Walnut's. When we arrive, we find both Manaka and Tsumugi there. It looks like Tsumugi is acting as a waitress today. The place is also surprisingly busy though, so we don't really get a chance to chat.

Oriko's response comes before our food.

[I am happy to help. I just so happened to obtain Chihiro-sempai's email after we returned from Miss Pernelle's place.]

So, I immediately compose a new email to Karen.

[Hello, sorry to bother you. This is Ashley Taylor. I was hoping to have a chat with Aoba Chika, but I don't know her contact info. Would you be able to help me get in touch with her? I'm only available today. For the record, I'm currently at Walnut's, though I'm not sure how long I'll be here.]

I send the message, then start on the food that has just arrived. There's no response throughout the meal, but after I pay Manaka and we head outside, I'm startled to find Chika waiting there.

"Good afternoon, Miss Ashley," she says. "Miss Chihiro informed you that you were looking for me, and I happened to be in the area, so I decided to stop by."

"Good afternoon, Miss Chika," I say. "How long have you been waiting?"

"I just got here," Chika says. "I was in the midst of deciding whether to enter the premises. How may I help you?"

"I realize that this might sound like a strange request," I say. "But I wanted you to tell me about the time we met."

"You still have not remembered?" Chika says.

"Well, it's not really a question of memory," I say. "That day in the Coordinator's was literally the first time I'd met you. On the other hand, the time you remember was most likely not my first time meeting you."

"I am not sure I quite follow," Chika says.

"It might be hard to believe," I say. "But I think the me you met had come back from the future."

"Time travel?" Chika says. "That certainly is hard to believe, but as a magical girl, I suppose I should keep an open mind. In fact, some of the things you said back then make a lot more sense if taking that possibility into account. Very well. If you wish to talk about that time, let us find a good location."

"Sounds good. Do you have somewhere in mind?"

"I believe I have just the place."

She leads us north into Hokuyo Ward and takes us to a park with a lot of trees, selecting a bench shaded by a large cherry tree. Taking a seat, she gestures to the space beside her.

"Now, perhaps we should start with introductions," Chika says. "I have met you, but I do not know your companions."

"Ah!" Matsuri says. "I'm Hinata Matsuri, nice to meet you! Oh, but um… if you ever see me again, please treat it like our first meeting."

"I'm Itsumi Inui," Inui says. "Nice to meet you!"

"I am Aoba Chika. The pleasure is all mine."

I take a seat next to Chika, and Inui sits down beside me. Matsuri claims the remaining space on the other side of Chika. It's a little cramped with four people on one bench, but whatever.

"So… I suppose it all started around two years ago," Chika says. "I went on a camping trip with Mom, Dad, and an old childhood friend of Dad's…"

---

"Eh, we're out of firewood," Mr Aoba said.

"Oh, I can go get some!" Chika said.

"Can you go by yourself?" Mrs Aoba asked. "My hands are full at the moment."

"I'd really like to go with you," Chika said. "But, I can do it."

Her father's friend laughed. He was only a little older than her father but already had a few gray hairs visible.

"You're always so energetic, Chika," he said. "Do you do this all the time?"

"Not all the time," Mr Aoba said. "Only about four times a month."

"Almost every week then!" the friend said. "That's how you keep yourself in shape!"

"What about you?" Mr Aoba said. "You're starting to put on some weight!"

"Then, let's go get the firewood together, gramps!" Chika suggested. "It can start your new routine!"

"Go for it," Mr Aoba said. "Go on!"

"Eh," the friend said.

However, he did get up and accompany her and her father despite his apparent misgivings. He wasn't much use though, trailing behind and panting the whole way. On the way back they started chatting.

"So you two were old friends, right Dad?" Chika asked.

"We were just neighbours who were close in age," Mr Aoba said.

"Oh!" Chika said.

"I never thought we would be working together in Kamihama," the friend said. "No… living in that little village on the edge of the mountains, this was inevitable."

"That was a pretty nice place to live though," Mr Aoba said.

"The village where Dad grew up?" Chika said. "I'm curious about it…"

"That's right," the friend said. "Say, Chika, did you ever hear the story of how your mother and father met?"

"Oh!" Chika said.

"Hey, Chika!" Mrs Aoba said.

By this time they had returned to the campsite, enabling Chika's mother to cut in.

"Don't you have a lot of homework that you need to be doing!?" she continued. "Why don't you go finish it before dinner?"

"Fine," Chika said.

"If I remember correctly, Chika goes to St Lilliana's Academy, right?" the friend said.

"Yes!" Chika said. "But I only got in there from a recommendation. I wrote an essay on the environment and passed an interview."

"That's still impressive," the friend said. "But you're going to have to keep studying hard. And so, I will hold off on the story until you finish your homework!"

"I'll do my best!" Chika said.

"Eh, hold on!" Mrs Aoba protested.

"Hey, after dinner, can I talk to you for a bit?" the friend asked, addressing her father. "Just the two of us."

"Oh, yeah, that's fine," Mr Aoba said.

So after dinner, with Chika's homework now completed, she and her mother went out looking for edible mushrooms while the guys headed off separately. After several minutes, they heard a loud peal of laughter from the direction of the river.

"What even is that!?" Mr Aoba's voice carried through.

"Hmm? Dad's voice is coming from the river," Chika said. "He's with his old friend, right?"

"It must be quite a story to hear him all the way over here," Mrs Aoba said.

"Don't be shy!" Mr Aoba shouted. "You know we're pals! Don't worry, I'll take care of everything! You ain't gotta worry about anything, you hear!"

They heard his friend thanking him profusely in response.

"Sounds like they're done," Mrs Aoba said.

"Yeah," Chika said.

"Shall we go?" Mrs Aoba said.

Chika giggled. "Yeah, let's hurry and go!"

---

Roughly one year had passed since that fateful camping trip, and Chika hadn't seen that friend of her father's again since that day. On her way to school just after summer break, Chika spotted someone laying out on one of the benches in a park she always passed by. It caught her attention because it was very rare to see homeless people sleeping in that park – if they were caught, they'd be kicked out immediately and there would be a huge scandal. Since she was early and had plenty of time, she decided to venture in and check it out.

It was a foreign girl with abundant blonde hair, with a few streaks dyed pink for accent. She wore a dress that was sort of like a lolita style with a bit of traditional Japanese flair. What's more, she wasn't asleep as Chika first thought. Upon Chika's approach, the girl sat up and turned to look at her.

"O-oh, um… I'm sorry for disturbing you!" Chika said.

"No… that's toootally fine!" the girl said. "Y'know, I'm prolly not s'posed to be here anyway, so… even if you hadn't come by, I was juuust thinking about leaving."

"Yeah… I'm a little surprise no-one asked you to leave already," Chika admitted. "Um… do you not have a place to sleep?"

"Yeah!" the girl said, giggling a bit. "Yeah, you could say I'm in a bit of a pickle here! It's a bit of a unique situation though, fraid I can't get into all the details."

"And I suppose you have no money either, right?" Chika said.

"Nah, I've totally got money," the girl said. "Only problem is, I can't get at it right now due to certain circumstances! So I gotta make do with what's still in my wallet, which isn't all that much. I can sleep pretty much anywhere, so I'm saving the money in case there's an emergency."

"It's true you can sleep anywhere, at least right now when the weather's good," Chika said. "But what about food?"

The girl laughed. "You got a good point there! I haven't eaten for like, two weeks! Oh, I mean, there might've been a small snack here and there, but nothing sustaining."

"Two weeks!?" Chika gasps. "T-that's dangerous… that puts you into starvation territory! Isn't that enough of an emergency to use your money?"

"Well yeah, you'd be right, normally," the girl said. "But I'm not exactly a normal gal anymore, y'know?"

"Is… is that so…?" Chika said. "B-but well… at least let me invite you over for dinner! I can't just let someone starve to death for no reason!"

"Oh, are you sure?" the girl said. "Actually, I'd be really, really grateful to you for that! But is it okay with your parents?"

Chika gasped. "Ah! I… I'd have to ask them first… though I don't think they'd mind me bringing a friend home."

The girl grinned and winked, making a peace sign over her open eye.

"So then, I s'pose that makes us friends now, right?"

"Oh, um… I… I guess so!" Chika said. "But come to think of it, I forgot to introduce myself… I'm really sorry! I'm Aoba Chika. Please just call me Miss Chika."

"Miss Chika, huh?" the girl said. "Well, I'm Ashley Taylor. Please call me Ashley."

"Then, it's nice to meet you, Miss Ashley," Chika said. "Um, what school do you go to?"

"For various reasons, I'm currently skipping school," Ashley said.

"Eh?" Chika said. "T-that's not good…"

"Well normally, yeah!" Ashley said, giggling. "But you heard me before, right? I'm not exactly a normal gal! Don't worry about me. My school's in a whooole different country, anyway, so even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to go right now. I s'pose you could say I got lost during summer vacation."

"If you say so," Chika said reluctantly. "Okay, if you meet me here after school, then I'll show you the way to my place."

"Got it!" Ashley said. "I'll be looking forward to it!"

So, after school, she returned to the same park and found Ashley sitting on the same bench, humming a little. She had changed clothes and was now wearing a simple skirt and blouse.

"Miss Ashley!" Chika called.

"Ah! Miss Chika!" Ashley said, jumping to her feet.

"How was your day, Miss Ashley?" Chika asked.

"Oh, well I did everything I needed to," Ashley said. "Actually, I was thinking it's almost time to find a way out of my current predicament. But I'll wait a few more days just in case."

"Say, can you tell me a little about this predicament?" Chika asked. "Maybe I can help…"

"I'm really, really sorry!" Ashley said. "I don't think you can help me right now, Miss Chika. But I don't mind telling you a little. Y'see, I've lost something important to me, and also don't have a way to get back home."

"Then maybe I can help you find what you lost?" Chika said.

"It's not something that can be found by looking," Ashley said. "If it was, I toootally woulda found it two weeks ago, or even more."

"Or, I could help you find your way home?" Chika suggested. "Don't you know an address or something?"

"It's a bit more complicated than you're thinking," Ashley said. "But actually, I do have someone I could ask for help… I've just been putting it off for various reasons."

"Ah… what sorts of reasons?" Chika asked.

"Well, first of all, she's kinda scary," Ashley said. "Honestly, I hoped I'd be able to handle my situation without asking for her help, but I'm almost out of ideas. And she's also pretty wacko, to be honest."

"What do you mean?" Chika asked.

"Wacko, y'know?" Ashley said. "Mad, batty, nuts, bonkers, insane, demented, gaga, crazy… d'you get the picture?"

"W-w-why would you deal with someone like that!?" Chika gasped.

"Well that's the thing," Ashley said. "I wanted to avoid it if possible, yeah? But even though she's cuckoo, she does know a lotta stuff, so I think there's a pretty good chance she could help me outta here."

"I see," Chika said. "Well, at least the part about why you'd talk to a crazy person. I still don't get why you won't let me help, though…"

"Like I've been saying, I'm not a regular gal," Ashley said. "But you are, right? So, the most you could possibly do to help is with brainstorming solutions, and that's only if I told you everything. And I can't just tell you everything, because Chelsea would get mad at me, and besides, I have no idea what might get thrown outta whack if you knew that stuff."

"Who is… Chelsea?" Chika asked.

"I said I'd lost something important to me, right?" Ashley said.

"A-ah, so the something important you lost was… a person?" Chika said.

"Not quite," Ashley said, giggling a little. "But close enough!"

"I don't get it," Chika said. "How can this Chelsea be… not quite a person? Is she a dog or a cat or something?"

"Well, she should be something like my alter ego," Ashley said. "But I haven't been able to converse with her since I arrived here."

"So you're saying you originally had a dual personality?" Chika said.

"Yeah, you catch on quick, Miss Chika!" Ashley said. "Though we've actually only been together for about half a year, so 'originally' doesn't quite sound right. Still… I miss her."

"Well, even if I can't help, I hope you find a solution to your problems," Chika says.

They arrived at Chika's house, and she pushed the door open.

"I'm home!" she said, slipping her shoes off.

"Sorry to intrude!" Ashley said, also removing her shoes.

"Oh my!" Mrs Aoba said, coming out into the hall. "You've brought a friend home, Chika!"

"W-well… yeah, I guess so," Chika admitted. "Actually, I was wondering if she could stay for dinner…?"

"That's fine," Mrs Aoba said. "Until then, I'll leave the two of you be. Have fun!"

"So… I suppose we should go to my room," Chika said.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Ashley said.

---

After dinner, Ashley took her leave and left, and Chika headed back to her room to do her homework. However, she hadn't gotten very far when she was disturbed by someone banging at the door.

"Mr Aoba, you're home, aren't you?" a male voice called from outside.

"Dear, what are you doing?" Mrs Aoba could be heard shouting.

"Why isn't he answering his phone!?" Mr Aoba lamented.

Chika got up and ran out to the living room, where she found her father trying to call someone on the phone, while her mother appeared to be comforting him or trying to keep him calm. She stood in the doorway, unnoticed by her parents.

"Since no-one can get ahold of him, the guarantor will need to pay, Mr Aoba!" the voice from outside shouted.

Chika opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't think of anything to say.

"It's useless to run and hide!" the debt collector shouted. "I will chase you to the ends of the earth!"

"He lied!" Mr Aoba lamented. "He used me! I can't believe he did this. I trusted him!"

Feeling tears beginning to leak from her eyes, Chika left and exited the house via the back door, running out into the forest behind their property. After a minute or two, she stopped and leaned against a tree.

"I-I'm… sorry…" she sobbed.

But then a strange white creature emerged from behind the same tree.

"Has something bad happened to you?" the creature asked.

"Eh…?" Chika gasped. "Are you… a squirrel?"

"I am not a squirrel," the creature said. "I am Kyuubey."

"Kyuu…bey…?" Chika said. "Hey, when I was little… I met you once, didn't I?"

"So you remember that," Kyuubey said. "That makes things easier."

Chika wiped her tears on her sleeve before turning to face Kyuubey.

"If I make a contract with you, I will become a magical girl, right?" Chika said. "And I can get one wish granted."

"That is correct," Kyuubey said.

Chika nodded. "Okay, then I will become a magical girl," she said.

"Have you decided on your wish?" Kyuubey asked.

"Yeah," Chika said. "I… I don't really like other people… even if they seem like a good person, you don't know what they are really thinking. Even a really nice person. They still might betray their friends for some reason. So my wish… I wish to live quietly with my family, surrounded by nature. That's my wish."

"Understood," Kyuubey said.

The creature reached out with those appendages emerging from its ears and drew a soul gem out of her body, and Chika transformed, looking over her new outfit and marvelling a little at it. Then she spotted a squirrel on a nearby tree and reached out a hand.

"Hello, little one," she said.

The squirrel turned to look at her, startled at being addressed. It had been grasping a nut in both paws and nibbling at it.

"This nut is mine," the squirrel said. "You can't have it."

"I don't want it," Chika replied. "I just wanted to say hi."

"You're weird," the squirrel replied, going back to nibbling.

Chika giggled. "It's true… I really am a magical girl," she said. "And I can speak with animals… it's incredible!"

"Now that you have made a contract, perhaps it would be a good time to try fighting a witch," Kyuubey suggested. "There is one not far from here."

"Alright," Chika said. "Show me the way."

"You should locate it yourself," Kyuubey said. "But I will explain how you can do that."

"Understood."

---

Having hunted a witch and obtained a grief seed, Chika finally returned to her house. The debt collector was gone, so she simply pushed open the front door and stepped inside.

"I'm home!" she said.

She entered the living room and found her mother there, sitting on the couch and looking worried. She jumped up upon seeing Chika and hugged her.

"Hey!" Mrs Aoba said. "Chika, where were you!?"

"Because of all the scary people here, I wanted to be in the forest," Chika said.

"That's dangerous!" Mrs Aoba said. "What if they found you!"

"Dammit!" Mr Aoba said, entering the room. "In the end, it looks like our only choice is to go back to the village! No, but… if we go back there, then Chika will…"

"Dad…" Chika said.

"Oh, Chika, you're back," Mr Aoba said. "Eh? That ring?"

Chika blinked. "Eh?" she said. "Uh… ohhh…"

"No way," Mr Aoba said. "You met Kyuubey again!?"

"Ehhhh?" Mrs Aoba gasped. "Ch-chika! Tell us honestly! Did you meet with Kyuubey!?"

"Wait a minute!?" Chika said. "Why do you both know about Kyuubey!?"

"It's just as I thought," Mr Aoba said. "Then let's go home…"

"Yeah, there's no point in running away now," Mrs Aoba said.

"Eh, home?" Chika said. "Where?"

"To our parents' house," Mrs Aoba said.

"Grandpa's house?" Chika said. "I haven't even been there in years…"

"You see, we are distant relatives of the old Tokime clan," Mrs Aoba explained.

"And my family's house is one of the branches of the clan," Mr Aoba said. "You can think of it as a hidden village in the modern world."

"Then there…"

"Yeah, the debt collectors won't be able to find us there," Mr Aoba said.

"T-that's amazing," Chika said. "But, then why…? Why didn't we go back to this village sooner?"

"That's because…"

"Ohh, is it because you didn't want me to become a magical girl!?" Chika gasped. "If we went to the village they would've made me sign the contract?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Mrs Aoba said. "Now that this has happened, we should tell you everything! Ever since you saw that white squirrel at Grandpa's house… I've always been so scared that this would happen."

"I knew it," Chika said. "I'm so stupid… we haven't been home in years. Even when we needed to run away, we didn't go back there. And then, I go and sign a contract myself…"

"But, I know what I have to do now," Mr Aoba said. "If we use this house as collateral, the debt collectors will calm down. Let's use that to escape."

"Yeah," Mrs Aoba said.

"Eh…"

At that point, there was a knock on the door, causing everyone to freeze. However, it wasn't an incessant banging, nor was it followed by an angry male voice. Instead, after a short delay, a different voice was heard.

"It's Ashley Taylor! Could I come in?"

"I suppose it's fine," Mr Aoba said. "You can let her in, Chika."

"Alright," Chika said.

She left the living room to answer the door, and Ashley entered, removing her shoes like last time. She wasn't smiling at all, though.

"Sorry for intruding," she said.

"It… it's alright," Chika said.

The two of them entered the living room.

"So, I see Miss Chika became a magical girl," Ashley said.

"Ehh?" Chika said. "You know about magical girls too?"

"Well, you see… I was also a magical girl," Ashley said.

She showed off the ring on her finger, which was just like Chika's ring that her father had noticed.

"First of all, I'd like to apologize," Ashley said. "I'm really sorry… I used my magic just a little while ago and heard everything you just said. That's actually why I came. You're in a bit of a pickle, aren't you?"

"Well, even so, it's not like you'd be able to do anything about it," Mr Aoba said. "Even if you're a magical girl…"

"Well, I'm not saying I definitely can help," Ashley said. "But why would you assume that? Magic can do a lot of things, y'know?"

"I wouldn't know," Mr Aoba said.

"I'm lucky enough to have several types of magic," Ashley said. "I can see things far away and move things without touching them. I also have charm magic and something like a particle beam. I think it's totally possible I could find a way to help you guys with the yakuza chasing you."

"Huh?" Mr Aoba said. "What makes you think they're yakuza?"

"I'm pretty sure a normal debt collector wouldn't say something like, 'I will chase you to the ends of the earth!' y'know?" Ashley said. "I mean, like, is that even legal? Like there are legal procedures in place for people who can't pay back a legitimate loan, after all! And are they expecting you to pay back the entire loan all at once without even a payment plan? I'll admit I don't know for sure they're yakuza… just seemed likely, given that line. Guess there could be unscrupulous money-lenders who aren't involved with yakuza…"

"Well, regardless of that, I really don't see how you could help," Mr Aoba said.

"To tell the truth, I'm not sure either," Ashley said. "I just saw that Miss Chika and her family was in trouble and felt like I had to try something."

"But you only just met her, right?" Mrs Aoba said. "Why go so far for someone you just met?"

"What, do I really need a reason!?" Ashley gasped. "But well, if you gotta have one, how's this?" She winked and made a peace sign over her open eye. "Miss Chika's clearly a good person, since she offered to help a stranger who was starving in the park. Why wouldn't I want to return the favour, y'know?"

Mr Aoba chuckled.

"I have to say, that's a pretty good argument," he said. "Even so… I'm still not convinced you actually can help."

"Well, if nothing else, maybe I could help you come up with a solution that makes everyone happy!" Ashley said. "First of all, your solution was to leave Kamihama and return to the hidden Tokime village, right? Is that the one in the northeast mountains near Yukuni, that looks like a ruin from the satellite imagery?"

"Huh? You know about it?" Mr Aoba said. "Yes, that's where my father lives. I thought we'd stay with him for at least a year or two."

"Then, what about Miss Chika's schooling?" Ashley pointed out. "Isn't St Lilliana's a pretty prestigious school? Whereas out in the sticks like that, wouldn't you have to homeschool her?"

"You're not wrong about that," Mr Aoba said. "I admit, I am a bit worried about Chika's future if we just run away like that…"

"Presumably one or both of you have a job here in Kamihama, right?" Ashley said.

"Yes, but I could just quit it," Mr Aoba said. "If I'm going to be living in Dad's house, I don't really need the money."

"And you mentioned you could use this house as collateral," Ashley said. "Would it cover the debt completely, or just make them back off for awhile?"

"It's hard to say, but it likely doesn't quite cover the debt," Mr Aoba said. "But I'm sure it would make them back off for awhile. If I were to remain in Kamihama, I could probably scrounge up enough to pay off the rest in that time, but I'd need a place to stay…"

"A place to stay, huh," Ashley said. "I wonder how much you'd need to pay to rent out a really cheap apartment in Daito Ward…"

"T-that might be pushing things a bit," Mr Aoba said. "If a girl wearing a St Lilliana's uniform was spotted in Daito Ward, I have a feeling it could cause all sorts of bad rumours…"

"Or even Kosho Ward," Ashley suggested.

"You're suggesting we let the debt collectors have the house and move into a cheap place until I can earn back enough money to buy the house back?" Mr Aoba said. "Or a similar house."

"Something like that," Ashley said.

"Hmm… it varies wildly of course, but for a cheap apartment in Kosho or Daito, I think it would be around…"

He cited a price.

"Hmm," Ashley said. "Then… what about a small plot of land in the hills north of Hokuyo? Maybe you could build a cabin there."

"Ooh, that sounds nice!" Chika exclaimed.

"That would probably be two to three times as much," Mr Aoba said. "Even almost useless land near Hokuyo goes at a premium, after all. But… if we could actually pay the entire cost up front, that would be it, whereas an apartment would require monthly rent. We might also need a building permit too, which would up the price a little more."

"You could probably have a payment plan that splits it into seven or eight monthly payments, right?" Ashley said. "In which case, I could probably barely cover the first payment myself, if that helps…"

Mr Aoba blinked. "Do you really have that much money!? No, even if you did, we can't just accept it like that!"

"Also, you said you can't access your money right now, didn't you?" Chika added.

"What?" Ashley said. "Yes, I can't access most of my money, but didn't I say I have a little bit on me in cash?"

"T-that's not just a little bit!" Mrs Aoba said. "Are you actually some rich girl or something?"

"I don't think I'm all that rich?" Ashley said.

"Also, didn't you say you were saving that for emergencies?" Chika said. "I can't ask you to use it on my behalf, Miss Taylor!"

"But isn't this an emergency?" Ashley said. "You've got debt collectors coming after you and are force to sell your house. How is that not an emergency?"

"I mean yes it's an emergency, but it's not your emergency!" Chika says. "You should save that for a personal emergency, right?"

"I never specified it had to be for personal emergencies," Ashley said. "Besides, it's my money, so I can use it for whatever I want, can't I? But if you don't want to accept it, then I won't try to force you. I'm sure there are other options we could come up with. Hmm… I could take Miss Chika with me and just go beat the debt collectors up…"

"Miss Ashley, how could you suggest something so barbaric!?" Chika gasped.

Ashley giggled. "Calm down, calm down! It was just a joke. I wouldn't do something like that!"

"You sounded serious to me!" Chika said.

"Well, that's part of the joke!" Ashley retorted. "Saying it with a straight face is important! Anyway, violence aside, I'm sure there are other options if you don't want to accept my money. One possibility would be to get a loan from a reputable source and use that to pay off this loan, then slowly pay back the other loan."

"It's not like you can just go out to a bank and get a loan," Mr Aoba said. "There are all sorts of terms and conditions and hoops to jump through."

"Yeah, I'm toootally aware of that," Ashley said. "But it's still something that could work, isn't it?"

"You're not wrong," Mr Aoba said. "It doesn't feel right to get a loan to pay off a different loan, but… if they actually allow it, it would certainly work."

"What do you think, dear?" Mrs Aoba spoke up. "Do any of Miss Ashley's ideas sound like they could work? I do think it would be better for Chika to continue her education here in Kamihama…"

"Frankly, the most realistic idea was building a cabin in the mountains," Mr Aoba said. "But that still comes with a whole host of problems… we could live in a tent while it was being built, but who would we hire to build it? Plus it puts us in debt to Miss Ashley."

"Why would you need to hire anyone?" Ashley said. "You have a daughter with superhuman strength, don't you? I bet she could build the thing all by herself in a day, if she set her mind to it. Well I guess maybe you'd need to still bring in some specialized people like a plumber or an electrician, but all the grunt work should be a cinch for a magical girl."

"I really think that's pushing it a bit!" Chika gasped. "B-but I wouldn't mind giving it a try… it sounds like fun!"

"I could help out too," Ashley said. "If you want me to."

"Yes, I think it would be even more fun building it together!" Chika said.

"We'd also need to buy materials," Mr Aoba said. "The forests up there aren't under protection, so chopping trees to obtain wood would probably be fine, but there are still plenty of other materials that would be required to build a cabin."

"If it was a log cabin, we wouldn't need anything else," Chika countered. "At least for the main structure of the house. Once that's done, we could buy additional materials and bring people in to finish off the interior bit by bit."

"I see… and I'd still have an income, so we'd probably be able to afford those things before too long," Mr Aoba said. "What do you think of this plan, dear? Don't forget that it relies on Miss Ashley for the downpayment… that still doesn't sit right with me…"

"Yes, I know what you mean," Mrs Aoba said. "But Chika seems so excited by the idea, and it'll be good that she can continue attending St Lilliana's, so… why don't we try it? If worst comes to worst, we can always abandon it and go back the village after all."

"Alright, then I'll start looking for a location," Mr Aoba said. "We can get started in the morning. Miss Ashley, would you like to stay the night?"

"I don't mind, if it's okay with you, Miss Chika," Ashley said.

"Yes, I think that might be fun," Chika said.

"Then I guess I'll stay," Ashley said.

---

"Huh," I say. "That's interesting. So then, Ashley helped you build the cabin as promised?"

"That is correct," Chika says. "Wait, huh? You referred to yourself in the third person?"

"Yes, because it sounds like you met the other me back then," I say. "Right now you're talking to the one she referred to as Chelsea, though in actual fact I prefer to also be called Ashley."

"I see," Chika says. "So you're the alter ego she mentioned. May I speak with Ashley herself?"

"I think Ashley's a little busy right now," I say. "Besides, it's not like she'd remember you either. After all, that event is still in our future, I think. So, how long did Ashley stay with you?"

"It was about three weeks," Chika says. "Once Dad had obtained a property, she helped us build the cabin and stayed with us until it was fully livable. Her magic was especially helpful when we needed to dig for the plumbing and stuff like that. We also managed to pay back the downpayment she lent us. But then one day she said goodbye and never returned."

"Well, thanks for telling the story," I say. "I'm glad I was able… will be able to help you out. I do have a couple of questions. Is this park the same one as where you first met me?"

"Yes," Chika says. "That's why I chose this place to talk."

"Did you ever go visit your grandfather?" I ask.

"Just once, for New Year's," Chika says. "But as a matter of fact, I was going to head there tomorrow, since it's Golden Week."

"Did you meet the daughter of the head family?" I ask.

"W-what? No, of course not, why would I?" she says. "I did see her from afar during the New Year's festival, though."

"Was she a magical girl?" I ask.

"I'm not sure," Chika said. "I didn't get close enough to tell."

"Okay… since you're going there tomorrow, I have a message you can deliver to the daughter of the head family," I say. "If she's interested in learning more about the Tokime family, there are several places she can visit."

Chika nods. "I suppose I can try to deliver the message," she says. "But that's only if Lady Mikoshiba allows me to meet her…"

"Ah, you won't have to worry about that," I say. "Anyway, do you have a scrap of paper and something to write with? It's probably easier if I write this down…"

"Yes, I should have that somewhere," Chika says.

She extracts a pen and a sticky note pad from her purse and passes it to me. I note down the information I want to pass on.

[On the hill behind Mitakihara Middle School, there is a tomb linked to the Tokime clan. Visit with Kyuubey.]

[On the top of an abandoned hotel in Kamihama called Mizuna Hotel, building 3, there is an old shrine bearing the Tokime crest. A girl called Natsu Ryoko visits it every so often. Ask her for more details.]

"There, that's about it," I say.

"Mind if I read it?" Chika says.

"Go ahead."

Chika reads what I wrote and blinks.

"Huh… to think there was something like that so close," she says. "So, you think the daughter of the head family would be interested in this information?"

"Yes, I think there's a good chance of that," I say. "By the way, the girl I mentioned there is also descended from a branch of the Tokime clan, just like you."

"And you said I wouldn't have to worry about Lady Mikoshiba, but does that mean you have some suggestion on how to avoid her?" Chika asks.

"No, that's not it," I say. "She should have died recently. The clan is probably led by the Tokime matriarch now."

"Ah, I see… wait, how can you know that!?"

"Time travel," I say. "I saw it happen before I went back in time."

"O-oh, I see," Chika says. "Okay, if what you say is true, then it might be a lot easier to speak to her… I'll do my best to pass this information on!"

"I'll be going back in time today, so you won't see me again," I say. "But could I at least get your contact info? Then I could get in touch with you in the next timeline if I feel there's a need to.

"I see," Chika says. "I am sorry to hear that… but I wish you luck. And of course I will give you my contact info."

She writes down her name, email, and phone number on the next note of the sticky pad, then removes the top two and puts the top one back, passing me the one with her info.

"There you go," she says. "Farewell, Miss Ashley."

"Farewell, Miss Chika."

She gets up and walks off, leaving the three of us behind on the bench. As I open up my phone to enter her contact info Inui looks at me.

"That story just made me like you even more, Ashley," she says.

I'm not sure how to respond to that, so I decide to just ignore it.

"I'll give you this," I say. "It's probably better if we both know it."

Inui accepts the sticky note with a nod.

"I'll make sure to memorize it!" she says.

I check the clock and notice that it's well past noon.

"We should probably hurry back," I say. "I want to have a meeting with Miss Homura before returning, but if by some chance we're not with her by around six o'clock, there's always the chance she'll decide to go without us, which would basically ruin everything."

"Why six o'clock?" Matsuri asks.

"To be precise, I believe it's seventeen minutes past six," I say. "Miss Homura's time travel isn't something she can just use whenever she wants. It takes her back by a fixed amount, and can't take her further back than the starting point, which means that she needs to wait for that fixed amount of time after the starting point before she can activate it. The starting point was six seventeen on March 16, and from what I can tell, the fixed duration is exactly a certain number of days plus twelve hours, which ends at six seventeen this afternoon."

"Does she have to go back at exactly that time?" Matsuri asks.

"No. In fact, I think it's better if she doesn't," I say. "We'll talk about that a bit more when everyone's together."

"Alright," Matsuri says.

"Let's go!" Inui says.

We take the train back to Mitakihara. While on the train, I send a message to Hijiri and Yuuri to let them know I'm on the way. As a result, the three of them meet us at the train station.

"I suppose Kagari is still in the hotel room?" I say.

"Yeah," Hijiri says.

"And Homura… apparently went back to her place," I say. "So let's go there."

The six of us head for Homura's place, where I knock on the door. This time, she yanks it open almost immediately and glares at me.

"What took you so long?" she retorts.

"I had a few things to take care of," I say. "But don't worry, you still have a few hours, right?"

"I'm not sure," Homura says. "It's still not unlocked yet though…"

"For now, let's all sit down," I say. "We should discuss at least briefly what needs to be done after we go back in time."

"Fine," Homura mutters. "I guess you can come in."

Everyone heads inside and finds a seat on one of Homura's avant-garde couches. Then I speak up again.

"Okay, we'll probably have another meeting in the afternoon just after going back," I say. "So we don't need to discuss everything in detail right now. However… Matsuri-chan, Yuuri-chan, and Airi-chan probably won't be at that meeting, right? It'd be a bit tough to suddenly go to another town out of the blue in the middle of the week, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, I have work that day," Yuuri says. "So I definitely can't make it."

"I might be able to make it," Matsuri says. "But it's probably easier if I don't have to…"

"So then, this meeting should probably focus on things the three of you might need to know or deal with once you go back," I say. "That is, if there is anything that can't wait until we do get a chance to meet in person."

"Well, my main reason for wanting to join you is just because I don't like being kept in the dark," Yuuri says. "I don't think there's anything major I would need to do…?"

"There is one thing," Hijiri says. "I won't be coming back with you guys, so the me in the next timeline won't remember any of the stuff that happened. So, you could let me know about it, if there's anything you think I should know."

"Is there anything you think you should know in the next timeline?" Yuuri asks.

"Hmm… I can't think of anything major," Hijiri says. "Most of what I would need is things I'll already remember from the timeline before this one… but I think it couldn't hurt to hear a basic outline of what happened in this timeline. Plus, I'll be happy that you remember me, since usually I've been the one to seek you out, right?"

"Okay," Yuuri says. "Then I'll pay you a visit as soon as possible, maybe after work."

"And I'll come visit too!" Airi says. "I'll be meeting up with Yuuri-chan after work anyway."

"Then, what about you, Matsuri-chan?" I ask. "What'll you do once we go back in time?"

"Hmm," Matsuri says. "I'm not exactly sure, but… the main thing I want to do is make sure Suzune-chan doesn't kill anyone else."

"Yeah, and if you meet her would-be victims, maybe you can even recruit them for the final battle," I muse. "Still, I wouldn't be able to lend you any help in finding those people."

"That's fine," Matsuri says. "After the battle, I went home and checked all the local newspapers from the last month or so for suspicious teenage girl deaths, so I think that should be enough information to protect them. And in the worst case, I could use my detection magic to follow her around everywhere until she shows up in class."

"But Suzune-chan does have stealth magic," I point out.

"Hmm, you have a point, but I have a feeling I'll be fine with my detection magic," Matsuri says.

"So, you know where she lives, right?"

"Yeah, the Yanagi newspaper," Matsuri says.

"Right… and I suppose you're not going to do anything while she's in Yukuni?"

"Wait, she was in Yukuni?" Matsuri says.

"Until the end of the first full week, I think," I say. "So that's… the twenty-fifth, I believe. I genuinely have no idea if she killed anyone in that time. I do know she failed to kill at least one person though. But Yukuni's gonna be rather dangerous for magical girls, so I wouldn't recommend going… though I probably shouldn't say that, since I'm planning to go on the first Friday, which is the eighteenth."

"I'll think about it," Matsuri says. "We should be able to get a chance to meet by around that time, right? So we can talk about it in more detail then."

"Alright, then the next order on the agenda is… Miss Homura, I don't want you to go back in time the moment it becomes unlocked."

"W-what!?" Homura gasps. "I don't want to wait a single second more than I have to before meeting Madoka again!"

"To be honest, I'd prefer you to wait several days," I say. "But I'm sure there's no way you'd agree to that all of a sudden, right?"

"Of… of course not," Homura says.

"So, instead, I'm asking you to wait just an hour or so," I say. "There will be a benefit to that. If you wait just one hour, then it'll mean Miss Tomoe has already accepted you as a housemate, so you won't have to redo that meeting."

Homura blinks. "Huh? No, that's not true," she says. "I always return to the hospital bed no matter what!"

"Isn't that only because you always went back as soon as possible?" I say. "At most, you delayed your return by a few minutes. A few minutes wouldn't make much of a difference to your experience."

"What?" Homura says. "What are you saying?"

"I said this before when talking about your power, but I'm pretty sure the only reason I'm still able to remember your power is because you delayed your return by a few minutes in some of the earlier timelines," I say. "Surely waiting just one hour isn't too much of a price to pay just to see whether or not I'm right?"

"Alright, fine," Homura grumbles. "I guess… I can wait just one hour."

"In that case, we'll head back around seven o'clock," I say. "No, make that quarter after seven. I think that gives us two or three hours? Does anyone have anything they'd like to use that time for?"

Yuuri and Airi shake their heads, but Inui pipes up.

"I'd like to memorize a few things," she says.

"Yeah, me too," I agree.

"I'll just take a nap," Homura says. "I'll set my phone alarm for seven fifteen."

"I don't think I have anything I'd like to do in that time," Matsuri says.

"Then, would you mind passing on your body to your clone now?" I ask.

"Sure, that's fine," Matsuri says.

"In that case, I'll carry your body," Hijiri says.

"Alright," Matsuri says.

She takes off her soul gem ring and hands it to me, and I place it on my other hand. Then Matsuri climbs onto Hijiri's back, and they leave the place together. I take out my laptop and start to review all the new notes I wrote during this timeline.

We'd been there for quite some time, Yuuri and Airi quietly chatting while I review my notes and Inui does whatever she's doing, when suddenly someone knocks on the door. Yuuri jumps up to answer it, and lets in three magical girls. It's the East Mitakihara trio – Tamura, Chihana, and Hikari.

"Oh good, we're not too late!" Chihana says.

"Miss Masumi!?" I say. "And Tamura-chan… what brings you here all of a sudden?"

"Tamu-chan had a really scary vision just a little while ago," Chihana says. "She wanted to tell you about it."

"Oh, I see," I say. "Well, I'd certainly like to hear it."

"R-right, um…" Tamura began. "It was… so different, it's… hard to describe… there was no rumour that brainwashed everyone. Fendt Hope was destroyed in a huge battle… Miss Nanami and Miss Izumi were there, and Miss Mifuyu died… but then Eve came out… everyone fought to contain her, and it seemed to be going well, until Lady Alina… merged with her… after that… I was killed by the witch, so I don't know how it ended…"

"I understand," I say. "I get the gist of what you've seen… it's precisely the outcome I've most dreaded. Did you see Walpurgisnacht?"

"No… she never appeared in that vision," Tamura says.

"What about the girls from Mitakihara?" I ask. "Miss Tomoe's friends."

"They were there… the red-haired girl freed Miss Tomoe from the Saint rumour…"

"Did they stay the whole time?"

"Um… I'm not sure," Tamura says. "I didn't see them leave…"

"Can you think back to the early parts of the vision?" I ask. "Can you pinpoint anything that's different early on compared to what happened in this timeline?"

"Hmm… um… the Puzzle Tile Lock rumour… I think it might not have been defeated," Tamura says. "At least… I don't remember seeing that fight."

"What about Chelation Land?" I ask.

"I don't know," Tamura says. "I didn't see it in this timeline, or in the vision, so I have no idea…"

"Hmm… did it seem like the date of the battle with Eve was earlier?" I ask.

"That… I can't be sure," Tamura says. "There was a lot in the vision, so… I wasn't sure which day was which…"

"This is less helpful than I'd hoped," I say. "But it's still helpful. Thank you very much, Tamura-chan. Was that the only vision?"

"There was… one other," Tamura says. "I saw the girls who asked about a scroll and quill grief seed. Mostly the vision was the same, but… the one with blonde hair became impatient while the other one was asking about the seed, and told her to hurry up… which means I now know the blue-haired girl is called Meru."

"Meru…? Could it have been Mel?"

"U-um… maybe," Tamura says.

Mel could be short for Melissa. I hesitate to draw any conclusions from this, but… so far, there's nothing to contradict the theory. Is it possible that Melissa de Vignolles and Elisa Celsjka are actually in Kamihama right now? Still, even if they are, it's not really something I should be worrying about until after I know we're not going to reset the timeline again.

"Alright, thanks for the information, Tamura-chan," I say. "Feel free to go back to whatever else you needed to do."

"Y-yeah… farewell," Tamura says.

Hikari and Chihana echo the farewells, then leave the place. Hijiri then arrives back at the same moment.

"Huh? What brings you here, Kanna-chi?" I ask.

"Nothing in particular," Hijiri says. "I was just wondering if you'd left yet… looks like you haven't?"

I check the time on my laptop.

"Yeah, still over half an hour left," I say. "Actually… now that you're here… I actually have something I could offer you. You can mimic Misaki Umika's ability to copy memories, right?"

"Yes, that's true," Hijiri says.

"Then, you could copy my memories," I say. "There's a vast amount of information there about what's likely to happen in the near future which you could use, if you wanted to."

"Oh," Hijiri says. "Well, does any of that pertain to Asunaro though?"

"Uhh, no, it's mostly about Kamihama," I say.

"Hmm… but well, I suppose it can't hurt," Hijiri says. "Maybe I could have a lock of your hair too?"

"Huh? What for?" I ask. "Although… I guess it's fine if you want it…"

"Because dumping all your memories into my own brain might cause it to overload," Hijiri says. "It's better to put them into an empty vessel."

"Oh, so that's what you meant," I say. "Well, let's do this then."

"Hold on," Hijiri says. "First I'll need to create a temporary container for the memories. Umika uses her book, but I don't have an equivalent to that. I'll need something to use as raw materials…"

She looks around the room and grabs a wooden chair that was sitting in the corner.

"This will do nicely," she says.

Using Nico's transmutation magic, she transforms the chair into a large, heavy book.

"Okay, now I'll need to make physical contact," Hijiri says.

"Forehead to forehead, right?" I say.

"That's probably best, yes," Hijiri says.

She comes over to me, and we bring our faces together until our foreheads touch, at which point she activates Umika's magic and then pulls back.

"W-what?" Hijiri gasps. "I only got a glimpse of it, but… no wonder you've been ahead of anyone else, with the amount of information you have."

"Anyway, you also wanted a DNA sample, right?" I say.

"Yes," Hijiri says.

She reaches up and pulls out a lock of my hair, transmuting her fingers into blades and snipping it off.

"Well, good luck, Ashley-chan," Hijiri says. "Perhaps we may yet meet again, but in case we don't… farewell."

Huh? How would we meet again, exactly…? I don't have an opportunity to ask that though, as Hijiri heads outside without waiting for my response. With a sigh, I go back to my laptop to continue reviewing my notes, since there's still a little time left.

Eventually, Homura's phone alarm rings, rousing her with a start. The five of us gather together, forming a chain with me holding onto Matsuri's soul gem. Then Homura transforms and rotates her shield by half a turn, and time turns back yet again.

---

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.

Shizuki Hitomi
志筑仁美

Age: 14
Eye Colour: Green
Hair Colour: Green
Origins: Mitakihara, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Blue heart
Soul Gem: Inverted blue heart gemstone on her navel
Element: Forest
Weapon: Twin fans
Powers: Bewitch, confusion
Wish: "I want Mother to get off my back already so I can just be myself."

Speed: 4
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 3
Defensive Power: 3
Initial Power Usability: 5
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Scheherazade
شهرزاد

Age: Unknown
Eye Colour: Grey
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Shush, Khuzestan Province, Iran
Symbol: Orange eye within a sunburst
Soul Gem: Orange oval gemstone at her navel
Element: Null
Weapon: Chakrams
Powers: Akashic Records, talking is a free action, universal translation
Wish: Unknown

Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 10
Offensive Power: 9
Defensive Power: 3
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 9

---

Doppel Corner

Whenever a new magical girl unleashes her doppel, I'll include a doppel description here. Note that most of these are direct quotes from the Magia Record game rather than being written by me; they are simply reproduced here for interest. I'll mark any original doppels with a dagger symbol (†).

Vishnu† (Scheherazade)

The Doppel of preservation. Its form is a lotus flower. Though the master of this Doppel continually seeks out new and exciting things to preserve, the Doppel wants nothing more than to preserve its master for all eternity. When it emerges, it unfolds its petals and restrains its master in the centre, while lashing out at anything that gets close to discourage its master from wishing to break free.

---

Well, that was quite something. This timeline has been 25 chapters long, longer than any other timeline, and about half as long as all the preceding timelines combined (the whole of act 1 is only 43 chapters). It draws from the entirety of the main Magia Record storyline while also incorporating the whole Mirrors storyline, numerous magical girl side stories, and several events, including all the Suzune and Kazumi crossover events to date. (Though, the influence of the second Kazumi crossover event on this timeline is only minor, in the existence of Subaru Michika.) So it's not a surprise it grew so large with such a variety of content stuffed into it. I don't expect the next timeline will be anywhere near this long, though it's not as though I've fully planned it out so I can't be certain.

Many things were already irreparably altered even before the Magius was formed, and that had significant effects on the progression of the events. Homura was in her post-glasses form, Nagisa was saved, Yuma was there, Karin already realized that all magical girls have a ring, and so on. Yet despite all the differences, from a broad perspective, things didn't go all that differently from the game. A lot of things were learned, and plans are already being made to do better in the next run.

The new magical girls who Scheherazade manifests from the memories in the Akashic Records, as well as the ones she talks about later with Ashley, are nearly all canon characters who appeared in the original anime in episodes 11 and 12 or in Magia Record episode 24, but of course, they have never been named before. There are three exceptions. Only one is a fully-original character.

• The Witch of Samara, Pernelle, is my way of correcting for the fact that Magia Record suggests Pernelle Flamel to be far older than history says – the idea is that there were a series of people who bore the name. This also gives an explanation for Pernelle Flamel coming into possession of the sword of Clovis I, which was reforged into the sword given to Tart – he's actually her uncle.
• The magical girl referred to as "Darinu" is not an original character, but she doesn't appear in any work in the Madoka franchise. Also, the name "Darinu" is original, so you won't be able to figure out her true identity from her name.
• The last magical girl mentioned but not named is one that there's no canon info about at all, so all I have to go on is a name and her visual design. As far as I'm aware, she has appeared only in promotional material.

Feel free to speculate on their identities in the comments. I won't confirm or deny any of the speculations except in the actual text though.

Anyway, chapter 88 is basically done, but nothing beyond that has been started. I will likely post chapter 88 around the end of the week. After that, I have no estimate at this time.

---

Review Responses

Here I'm going to respond to a few specific reviews from over the runtime of Act 2, Timeline 7. I'm not going to respond to each and every comment, and I'll avoid any responses that give heavy spoiliers, so apologies if I don't mention your review (and thanks for commenting regardless). This time, I will quote the text that I'm responding to for each review, in addition to noting the commenter and time. I'll also note that there could be some mild spoilers in these responses.

Also, while I'm here, I'd like to give special thanks to JAGwin for the detailed analysis in their early reviews, as well as consistently pointing out all the minor grammatical errors that escaped my proofreading in each chapter. I've usually made any necessary corrections and updated the chapter as soon as possible after seeing the review, so anyone who reads after JAGwin's review is posted will very likely already see the corrections.

Farsight21 (chapter 61, Mar 5, 2022)

› Are you going to have Nagisa with the Holy Quintet? It seems like the staple nowadays, after all, every Mami needs a Bebe.

In fact, as shown in the latest timeline, the Holy Quintet is essentially amended to substitute Kyouko with Nagisa. I haven't yet decided whether I'll fully merge said quintet with the Kyouko-Yuma duo. There also exists the possibility that Kyouko and Yuma could end up joining Oriko's team, since Oriko and Yuma get along quite well.

Leviathan1914 (chapter 61, Mar 5, 2022)

› Will Hijiri Kanna's Doppel be also named Hyades or will you make a different one as you can argue that her connection to the Soul Gems that created Hyades Daybreak stems from her emotions and influence since she is connected to it while it was being born.

Where did you get the idea that Hijiri Kanna's doppel would be named Hyades? The witch Hyades Daybreak isn't Hijiri's witch. It's a conglomerate witch formed from all the magical girls who had been stored away in the Freezer.

That said, I nevertheless chose the name of Hijiri's doppel based on the witch she created. After all, since she created Hyades Daybreak, it stands to reason that her doppel be named after the mother of the Hyades, right?

The Unknow User (chapter 61, Mar 6, 2022)

› Oh? References to Mitakihara anti-materials? I like it!

Yep! There are several small references to it in this fic. The entire scenario regarding the hill behind Mitakihara Middle School and the ghost haunting it was inspired by Mitakihara Anti-Materials. There's also Homura rooming with Mami, Ashley's mention of body-swapping in one chapter, and another reference slated to land near the beginning of Act 3. (Naturally, Chelsea has read at least some of Mitakihara Anti-Materials. She's thorough in her fanaticism.)

› That aside, it's a great pleasure seeing someone pointing out all the mistakes of Homura and Madoka in her faces.
› ESPECIALLY Madoka's ones. Honestly, it botters me a little that the people never talks about Madokas mistakes and portray her wish as the best outcome, something that shouldn't be change and ignore all its flaws (this one botters me the most).

Indeed. Madoka did the best she could with what she knew, but she was under pressure and made a decision that was far from the best thing she could have thought of.

Leviathan1914 (chapter 18, Mar 21, 2022)

› There was actually an Easter Egg I saw while re-watching the Puella Magi Madoka Magica Anime

› During the Train Scene in Episode 8 of the anime, the scene before Sayaka turned into a witch, the two guys who were conversing with each other mentioned the name Sho-kun referring to one of the guys and they also call the girl (that is likely Itsumi Inui) they were insulting as a dog and a B*tch which is also the word used to refer to a female dog. which is also the form that Itsumi Inui 's witch form takes.

› I checked both of their dialogue with both the English Dub and the English Subbed versions and their conversation are more or less the same in which they all spoke about the same insults, the name Sho-kun, etc.

Yeah, I was well aware of that. I even worked in a mention of it in one chapter… though, it might be in chapter 88, so you'll have to wait and see if so.

Leviathan1914 (chapter 32, Mar 26, 2022)

› Will you add the Doppel name after the Doppel Field activates?

I won't be adding the doppel name to the profiles in the Magical Girl Corner, because I'd have to make something up for the girls who don't yet have a doppel unlock, and then I'd have to go back and update it when they finally get a doppel unlock.

But I will continue to post the Doppel Corner whenever someone new unleashes their doppel. I highly doubt every doppel in the game will make an appearance though.

Farsight21 (chapter 64, Apr 3, 2022)

› I really hope you go with the game's version and not the anime.

As is probably clear by now, I'm drawing from both the game and the anime. But I think the final outcome is going to differ significantly from both. As you can see, even the outcome here in this latest timeline is fairly different from the game's outcome.

Leviathan1914 (chapter 64, Apr 3, 2022)

› Will Ashley/Chelsea also interfere with Futatsugi City and the Tokime Clan?

› Tokime Clan is obvious and the Futatsugi City to prevent a civil war between the three gangs that will form The Promised Blood

She did already interfere with both of those. She visited the Tokime Clan in an earlier timeline, but determined her intervention probably wasn't needed and let them work things out on their own in subsequent timelines. As for Futatsugi, she recommended Hilda go there, hoping it would make a difference. Of course, you'll have to wait and see what kind of a difference that actually makes.

KadinaruDess (chapter 62, Apr 4, 2022)

› Pernelle really is quite the solid character, with her apparent selective generosity still apparent to those that interest her still being apparent so way back in the past. I'm willing to believe that this is not the first nor the last time Pernelle massively changed histories in her travels, and that alone is quite the food for thought.

Certainly. Her interactions with Tart and Elisa are of course another example of that, wouldn't you agree? Her mention of Eleni of Zeil in an earlier chapter might also suggest that she interfered in Ethiopian politics during that time period, and don't forget that she had a prior relationship with Yasuke in the Tokime origin story, and stated that she knew Vlad Dracul, the father of both Laura and the famous Vlad the Impaler.

› Now I have to wonder, did Saki experiment more on her powers later on? Some random new islands here and there, and maybe she even learned how mountains explode with just her own power? Or is such powerful geomancy limited to the island that is directly tied to her wish, and trying to replicate another isle do not work out?

I think actually raising a new island would just take so much magic that she'd run the risk of turning into a witch. Maybe she did do some other powerful geomancy, but nothing quite on the scale of summoning a new island out from the sea. Still, I haven't worked out much detail about her life.

› Also theres not!Shinobu Laura, with her wish sending her to coma instead of witchifying. If this wasn't too suprising to Pernelle (from her lack of reaction like she did on grief cubes, but then again the latter can't easily be topped), you have to wonder how much the long lived magical girls know of the intricacies of the contract at their era. I wonder if there's other instances of a Doppel-like loopholes done before, and if they did last.

I see you recognized the source for Laura, yep. Don't forget that, at this point, Pernelle has already encountered (or at least heard about) Lapine, which I think should be quite a bit more shocking than a magical girl who simply doesn't witch out at all. She has also encountered Mary, though it's an open question how much she knows about Mary.

Observadorcha (chapter 62, Apr 12, 2022)

› La historia es probablemente una de las mejores que haya leido

Why, thank you! I'm glad you like it!

JordanGrail (chapter 65, Apr 20, 2022)

› The amount of names is giving me a headache at this point I think I'll give up on trying to understand

Haha, you're quite right. Even I get overwhelmed at times. There are names that differ only by one character (Shizuka / Shizuku / Shizuki), names that are one person's surname but another's given name (Satomi Touka / Usagi Satomi, Hijiri Kanna / Kanna Nico), and an insane number of characters.

Still, there are only a few very limited cases of two characters having the exact same name, and all of those cases involve two characters from different works. Even with its crazy large cast, no two characters in Magia Record have the same given name or the same surname. I've mostly tried to preserve this property by not creating original characters who have the same name as an existing one, though there were a few slip-ups (like the deceased Manami Momoko). And where two girls from different works coincidentally have the same surname, I've manufactured a familial connection between them. Most recently you've seen this with Ayano Hikari (a throwaway character from Oriko Magica) and Ayano Rika (one of the side characters from Magia Record).

JAGwin (chapter 65, Apr 23, 2022)

› "The crossover event with Kazumi Magica does not feature any rumour witches..." ~ Chapter 10

› This is blatantly false, as the plot of Another Daze HEAVILY features an Uwasa: Subtitute Street/Crossing Path (depending on which translation you're using).

This is entirely true. I'm not sure why I had Chelsea make that claim to herself in chapter 10, when that was definitely one of the events I saw before the NA server shut down (as all event stories were unlocked at the end). Still, I think that can be put down to Chelsea's spotty memory. Heck, maybe I even intentionally made her be wrong on the basis that she shouldn't have perfect memory… but I can't remember if I actually thought that.

› And while we're on the topic, I'm pretty sure you got Asunaro's position relative to Kamihama wrong, since the same event is caused by Kazumi, Umika and Kaoru chasing a Witch into Kamihama ON FOOT, which heavily implies (if not outright confirms) that Asunaro and Kamihama are contiguous cities and directly adjacent to each other.

I find that Magia Record in particular seems to play pretty loosely with geography. I had a relatively strong reason for placing Asunaro where it is – Mami and Kyouko have both been there in the past, so it should be near Mitakihara – and that does, in fact, preclude making it contiguous to Kamihama.

Why?

Because Takarazaki is contiguous to Kamihama to the west, and Hokuyo Ward (comprising north Kamihama) is sparsely populated with forests, mountainous terrain, and even a farm, while south of Kamihama is just ocean, so the only other way for Kamihama to be contiguous with Asunaro would be for it to be to the east, which contradicts the tenet of it being close to Mitakihara, which canonically lies northwest of Kamihama.

(It does fit the fact that Asunaro has a waterfront, though. Perhaps the creator of Kazumi Magica imagined it to be contiguous to Mitakihara, for example to the west. I chose otherwise, placing its waterfront to the north instead, but I don't think there's any evidence to contradict the other theory.)

It's very likely that the writers of Another Daze intended Asunaro to be contiguous to Kamihama, but just didn't do the work to make that properly fit with Kazumi Magica canon and the geography of Kamihama itself.

› "The first crossover event with Suzune Magica ... is squarely prior to the events of the manga..." ~ Chapter 10

› Technically true, but you missed that Suzune's MGS has Kyubey pointing her to Kamihama because of the Magius and leads directly into her half of Cross Connection, which means she never went to Kamihama outside of the MagiReco Timeline. Additionally, Rumors in Disguise features Matsuri's group having their meeting about the Ripper Girl rumor (which incidentally also helps determine when the Magius formed, because Suzune fought Mifuyu, Alina and several Black Feathers during her MGS), but with the addition that the rumors started in Kamihama, which causes them to go to Kamihama to investigate, which obviously never happened in their orginal manga, further proving that Suzune never went there outside the MagiReco Timeline.

This one is true. I think I hadn't seen Suzune's magical girl story yet when I wrote chapter 10, and unfortunately I still hadn't seen Rumours in Disguise when you posted that review. That said, Cross Connection does not appear to feature any signs of the Wings of the Magius, and Kamihama having an above-average number of magical girls seems like a reasonable reason for her to go check the place out. There's nothing to prove that she didn't go to Kamihama outside of the Magia Record timeline; it's possible that in other timelines the others just didn't realize the source of the rumours, for example, or they didn't think it was worth going all the way to another city to investigate the rumours.

› On a related note, it is directly stated in Madokami's MGS that the MagiReco Timeline is the ONLY Timeline where Iroha becomes a Magical Girl. On every other Timeline, the Hospital Trio die from their illnesses.

› Also on a related note, MadoIro's MGS established that Iroha died in a traffic accident on non-MagiReco Timelines, although I'm willing to let that one slide because the fic started right around when that was released and I have no idea when it was translated.

It's not like I'm the first to suggest that Iroha (or one of the hospital trio!) became a magical girl in a Magius-free timeline. There are infinite timelines, and the idea that the Magia Record timeline is a unique, singular one is simply nonsense in my opinion. Plus, that's established in the framework of a multiverse where Madokami exists at all, but Chelsea's manipulations in this fic have entirely prevented the birth of Madokami, as shown in this and the previous chapter. Even if there's a bundle of timelines containing Madokami, they do not seem to overlap with the bundle of timelines containing Chelsea. So… yeah, the Madokami story (and probably that detail in the MadoIro story) can't be taken as canon from my fic's perspective.

› Another error is Kagari having contracted one year ago when Memorable Flower refers to it as having been "several years ago", although again, I don't know when that was translated, so I'm willing to let that slide too.

The dream world in Memorable Flower cannot be used as reference, since Tsubaki is alive and the Hinata twins are living with Tsubaki. Anything it says about the time of Kagari's contract is probably irrelevant. A "several years sgo" statement could easily just be a form of wishful thinking on Kagari's part, like "I wish it could've been like this for several years".

› Continuing with errors related to MagiReco events, you placed It's Okay to Be Clumsy before the formation of the Magius and attributed it to Riko getting hit by a Witch, but reading the event makes it clear that Riko is going through a more elaborate version of the Doppel Confrontation scenes from the Mitama's Special Training events (aside from Mitama's own), which means this event takes place sometime during Arc 1, and which also means that this is the point where, on any other Timeline, Riko would have either become a Witch or been taken by the Law of Cycles.

I think you're probably correct on this one, that It's Okay To Be Clumsy was intended as a doppel release. I never actually made this connection (despite watching the event's story before the NA server went down), so I think I can just say "my bad" here and suppose that things with Riko just went a lot differently in this fic, for unknown reasons.

› On a related note, while Kuroe's age is unconfirmed, I would not put her as being less than thirteen considering her Wish was to go out with someone, although that might just be me. Regardless, all signs point to her being roughly the same age as Iroha, not twelve.

I had to guess for her. I don't remember why I chose twelve, though; but it's probably "twelve going on thirteen" rather than "recently twelve", meaning she'd be entering her first year of middle school during the time loop. That makes the age difference with Iroha more than a year but less than two years, and places her one grade below Iroha.

Or maybe I took her as twelve because that means her uniform isn't from a middle school in Takarazaki, which means the minimum number of middle schools in Takarazaki is three instead of four (thus reducing the minimum bound on its size).

And I think sixth-graders dating is precedented even if it might be a little unusual.

That said, her canonical age was eventually revealed in Magia Record, so I'm considering updating the fic to use that. Originally I thought she seemed less mature than Iroha and thus younger, but some of the details I worked in during the last few chapters require her to have been a magical girl since around Breakpoint. So that makes a slightly older age (the same age as Iroha) more plausible.

› Yet another issue I take with the fic comes from this chapter, although it is (mostly) not a confirmed continuity error; you attributed FAR too much human malice to Sarasa's influence. As far as I'm concerned, you should have stuck to the script and left her explanation regarding her actions as it was in canon, because making her responsible for ALL of the Wishes of the characters involved with catching her (aside from Yachiyo) takes away from their backstories. Also, she COULDN'T have caused Meiyui's Wish, since Meiyui mentions in her MGS that she's been a Magical Girl for three years, while Sarasa didn't start causing trouble until Sena Mikoto became the Mirror Witch, which was two years prior to the Main Story. With that said, there are two Magical Girls that I believe Sarasa DID cause to contract (the circumstances of their Wishes match her MO and the timeline fits) and another that I suspect she might have contributed to (there was Witch involved that was not acting normally, which could be explained by Sarasa's influence but doesn't NEED to be, and in any case it almost certainly wasn't the root cause of what happened), but none of them were involved in this event, so that's somewhat beside the point.

› Continuing with you attributing too much to Sarasa's influence, I also disagree with her having caused the Apartment Trio's contracts, since 1) there is absolutely no evidence of her involvement (Witch-Kissing people into killing themselves is standard behavior for Witches, no need for Sarasa to do anything to make that happen), and 2) it makes them victims of Sarasa's malice rather than the MG System itself, although that feels more like a pet-peeve to me than an actual problem with the fic.

I think it's a stretch to say that most of the things she claimed responsibility for were intentional. I think she probably just throws witches around at random to see what happens. While it's totally plausible that the witch who kissed Leila had nothing to do with her, I don't think it's at all implausible that it did. The same applies to her claims relative to Tsuruno, I believe; and I'm pretty sure all her other claims (her involvement with the Azalea trio and Nanaka's team, and making her responsible for Breakpoint) are directly backed up by canon. You're also right about Meiyui – Hanna definitely isn't responsible for her contract. I think I'll just write that off as "she made a grand claim that wasn't quite accurate" though.

› With all of that said, to avoid having this review be completely negative, I would like to praise you for coming up with the idea of the major cities from the series being on an island that doesn't exist in the real world and was created by a Wish, since that neatly solves the problem of figuring out where in Japan any of them (especially Mitakihara and Kamihama) are supposed to be, since what we know of them (Mitakihara is on the coast and Walpurgisnacht attacks from the sea, meaning there aren't any other landmasses in the way, and that's without getting into Kamihama's map) makes it EXTREMELY difficult to fit them anywhere that exists in real life. Although I do have to take issue with the idea that this happened shortly after Oda Nobunaga died, because Rondo of Oblivion goes into how the West-East divide in Kamihama started (apparently, Daito betrayed Mizuna at some point during the Sengoku period) and I really don't see there being enough time for both Kamihama (or whatever it would have been at the time) to be founded and for the relevant incident to occur after Nobunaga's death (although I can see the incident happening if Kamihama or its precursors had already been well established by the time Nobunaga died, but that's a bit off-topic).

There are around two hundred years between Nobunaga's death and the Meiji Restoration, so while I've yet to see the Rondo of Oblivion event, I think there's still a chance for it to fit into my altered timeline. In fact, I don't think it takes that long for a grudge like that to be engrained, so the betrayal could easily be shifted as far as the late Edo and still work, I suspect.

I'm more surprised you didn't complain about the slight contradiction with Tokime Clan Tale and the history of the Tokime in general.

JAGwin (chapter 66, Apr 24, 2022)

› Well, I hope Chelsea remembers the mind control function of those pendants, otherwise I expect she's in for a nasty surprise when we get to the Magius's Purge (assuming she's still infiltrating them when that happens, of course).

As shown a few chapters ago, she was quite ready for that! Even if she hadn't aced the interview, she would've taken the pendant off anyway, and told Inui and Kirika (at minimum) to do the same.

› Also, something I'd like to mention is that according to the credits for S3E3, the girl from Kuroe's backstory is none other than KURO, which means she might actually still be alive at this point. What are the odds?

I'd already settled on her identity before Season 3 even came out, so I'm afraid that even if she is canonically the girl Kuroe met, that doesn't apply to this fic… which of course has already been made clear in the fic itself, but I just wanted to make clear why this happened.

Basically, at least in this fic, Kuro is Yoshida Tamura (as shown by her doppel), while the girl from Kuroe's backstory is a different magical girl who lived in Takarazaki and most likely turned into a witch not long after that meeting.

That said, even with that name in the credits, it's not clear that the Kuro from A la Carte Valentine is the same girl who Kuroe encounters in Season 3 even in canon.

› Starting with this chapter, Iroha only ever calls Kuroe "Kuroe-san" in canon, never "Kuroe-chan". Likewise, Kuroe only calls Iroha "Tamaki-san", she never uses Iroha's given name.

There's some intentionality here. In the timeline where Kuroe, Iroha, Ashley, and Inui teamed up to fight Nikola, Kuroe and Iroha have actually grown closer than they were in the Magia Record anime (and the current timeline as well), so I adjusted how they refer to each other to reflect that. I think I then blindly carried that change over in chapter 66, which I guess was just an oversight on my part.

I think I might have mentioned this in the author's notes on an earlier chapter, but just in case, I'm mentioning it again now.

› On another related note, as far as I'm aware, neither "Kana" nor "Kanami" are valid as family names, although I would be pleasantly surprised if I'm wrong about the latter. In Kuroe's case, this is, as I mentioned, easily fixed, but Honoka would almost certainly be much more difficult, if not impossible.

I don't see why you couldn't use literally anything as a surname if you really wanted to. Those two may be unprecedented in real life, but it's just a name, right? If you can pick out kanji for it, why can't it be a surname?

Anyway, the Madoka franchise seems to have a habit of using surnames that sound like given names, so I've mostly continued that trend by choosing both given name and surname from a generator for given names. If one of them comes out sounding exceptionally weird… oh well.

(That said, about Honoka, supposedly the order of her name was an error on the wiki which I just picked up and ran with, and once it was corrected on the wiki I just decided it wasn't worth fixing. From what I understand, her name is actually printed in kanji in a newspaper article in the first chapter, but I can't confirm this since the article was left untranslated in the official English translation.)

› Speaking of Chapter 38, Momoko's comment on how Ashley is "in just as deep as Rena" feels to me like you're trying to say she's not a fan of Sayuki, which is incorrect because that's how she met Rena in the first place. Although that might just be me reading too deeply into her comment, since I BELIEVE she's not as... passionate... about idols as Rena is. Regardless, her absence during the concert where Chelsea and Riko met Rena is another thing I'm willing to let slide since there could be any number of reasons she couldn't make even if she wanted to.

I think that's somewhat subjective. The impression I get from chapter 2 is that Momoko is not a die-hard fan of Sayuki – she may like Sayuki, but she has other idols she prefers. So given that assumption, I think her comment in chapter 38 makes sense?

That said… I think Rena meeting Momoko at a Sayuki concert would actually be a continuity error in the source material… at least, as far as I know, we have nothing to suggest that Sayuki was a magical girl during Breakpoint (although, admittedly, I don't know of anything to suggest she wasn't, either). I didn't think it was ever established that Rena and Momoko met specifically at a Sayuki concert though? I thought it was just a generic unspecified idol concert. There are many other idols besides Sayuki, after all.

UrWishy (chapter 65, Apr 26, 2022)

› "But you need to get over it, or else you will die," I say. "So, talk to people. Work something out."

› In short: "Just stop being depressed lmao"
› (that's indeed a very weird thing to say, forcing someone to get over it or else they'll die especially to non-MGs but oh well)

Yeah, I guess it is very weird, and probably not the most effective thing to say, but it's also very true in context.

Farsight21 (chapter 66, Apr 28, 2022)

› If you are looking for side events to do how about "The Great Banquet that Transcends Time?"

Maybe. It could make an appearance in Act 3 or 4.

Farsight21 (chapter 67, May 7, 2022)

› 'Even if Ashley finds out the time of the Avalanche, how will she be able to save all the regular people if she going to be in a different city altogether? Will you have her use the space girl to warp her there, or are you trashing this timeline?

Well, I guess this question is answered now, right? Using the space warp girl is still a really good guess though.

(I assume you mean Hozumi Shizuku, not Hachikuji Mayoi, but either should work.)

JAGwin (chapter 67, May 8, 2022)

› "the fourth season of the anime"

› So I guess we're just ignoring how the anime turned out in the real world, huh?

On the contrary, that offhand comment factors in how the anime turned out in the real world. That's why I noted that the first episode of said fictional fourth season was a recap episode "with a twist". The twist would be that while the first half of the episode is an accurate recap of season 1, the second half is still presented like a recap yet describes a less tragic version of events that hews closer to the game's arc 1 ending. From there, the fourth season would continue with some interlude events (such as the trial).

I have no idea if this is a realistic thing that could happen if a fourth season were actually greenlit. It's just what I imagine happened in the near-future Chelsea was seized from.

› "And Tomomi's pronunciation of Alexandra's name is also perfect from my perspective - it really comes out as Cruz rather than the Kurusu that most Japanese would produce."

› And here I thought Alexandra just had a multi-ethnic name. TV Tropes does say she's PART-Russian, after all.

I don't think her name is canonically intended to be "Cruz", unless it's normal to pick kanji for your Western name. I just happened to notice that her canonical surname exactly matches the syllables that would be used to render "Cruz" in katakana and decided to run with it and present that as her surname. This doesn't affect her ability to be part-Russian, of course.

› Speaking of, that reminds me, her nickname in canon is "Sasha", not "Lexy".

I'm aware. I think I just changed this on a whim. That said, the Sasha nickname will still see use later – Himena will call her by that name once she eventually appears.

› I'm guessing you're using the anime's version of Fendt Hope where it moves around, since the game's version was up in Hokuyo.

I don't remember anything in Arc 1 to strongly indicate where Fendt Hope was. However, that "eye of the storm" in the rumour map was proposed as a possible place for their base, and I think I recall someone also mentioning in arc 2 that their base used to be there. So, I just decided to run with that and suppose their base is indeed there.

Then for some reason (perhaps after I watched more of arc 2) I realized that it was supposed to be in the hills of Hokuyo (where they fought the Fendt Hope kimochi), so I introduced the multiple exits theory.

› "I accidentally claimed they had classes on Saturday. While apparently this is precedented in Japan at some schools, I'd previously established that all the relevant schools do not have Saturday classes. (To my knowledge, there is nothing in canon to decide this one way or the other, but personally i feel the slightly-futuristic setting renders it unlikely.)"

› Actually, looking at Homura's calendar, April 30th would fall on a Saturday, and Magia Record Chapters 8-10 establish that it was a school day when the Magius's purge began, and Walpurgisnacht does arrive during that same 24 hour period. Granted, since the Magius were actively drawing Walpurgisnacht to Kamihama, it's possible that it arrived before the 30th, which would render this point moot. It should also probably be noted that AniReco states that Iroha has Saturday off during S1 (I think it was at the start of the Lucky Owl Water arc).

Sure, but the calendars of Magia Record and Madoka Magica are irreconcilable in the first place. Since I'm running with the Madoka Magica timeline, I've had to compress the events from Magia Record into a half to a quarter of the time they spanned in the game.

› Also, I'm curious about why you decided to have Iroha not go through with Momoko's plan, since in the game, she DID try that and failed because she didn't know enough about Sayuki to see through Rena's bluff.

Well, this strikes me as something where Iroha would've been really on the fence. She can obviously tell that it doesn't seem very nice, and Mitama even warned her against it, so… it feels like it should be basically a toss-up whether she decides to try it. I chose to make her not try it, in part just to make things different, and in part because, well… it really isn't a nice idea and I figure Iroha would realize this.

› Moving on, the Magius seem to be being much more open with the Feathers about how they intend to achieve Liberation than they were in canon, since in canon it's a recurring point that the Feathers are kept as out of the loop as possible on WHY they're gathering energy and how that helps them achieve their goal. In fact, I don't think anyone aside from Mifuyu, the Magius themselves, and MAYBE the Amane twins even knew about Eve before the events of Chapters 8-10.

I already covered this in the notes on a previous chapter, but I think it's not so much that they were trying to keep secrets and more that they just don't volunteer information unless asked. So that makes Ashley the unusual one, in that she actually asked some questions that most of the other recruitees didn't.

› Also, it's a shame the experiment with the Evil Nut didn't work out. I wonder why it was able to bypass the APS.

I think the mechanics of how it works are a little different from a straightforward injection of grief into the soul gem. When Hijiri first created them, turning magical girls into witches was an intended feature, so I think what they do is actually trigger a witchification without muddying the soul gem, sort of similar to how Nico and Satomi turned into witches in the actual manga. (Okay, there the explanation was that the soul gem was muddier than it looked, but still…)

In short: the APS doesn't actually prevent the witch transformation. All it does is extract grief. The evil nut triggers a witch transformation using a mechanism that doesn't directly involve grief, and thus bypasses the APS. Or something like that.

› And another thing, I wonder when Chelsea will think to swing by Futatsugi to try to mitigate the fallout from the Magius stealing their Witches. That strikes me as pretty important, not just for the sake of saving lives, but also for the sake of preventing Promised Blood from forming.

Yeah, if she can find the time to get all the way over there. I don't remember if it's been mentioned in the text, but the rough island map I sketched out places Kamihama and Futatsugi on almost opposite sides of the island (the only further city is Matsumiya), so can she spare the time to make it there? I'm sure she's thought about it and has just continually put it off.

Farsight21 (chapter 68, May 11, 2022)

› Is the original Ashley alright her not responding worries me.

JordanGrail (chapter 68, May 12, 2022)

› I'm deprived of Ashley energy, what happened to origin Ashley?

She's just busy. She'll be back next chapter.

Leviathan1914 (chapter 68, May 12, 2022)

› Guess What, I Managed to Crack Pentalithia's Cipher enough to read the Alien Language of those Mysterious Aliens on chapter 38. Oh Yeah, I'm Awesome...

Congratulations! I didn't really put in effort to make it hard to crack, but thought it might be a little tricky to since it's not a one-to-one letter mapping – some letters map to clusters and some clusters map to single letters, and I think there are a few ambiguities when reversing the cipher as well. The primary goal was to make something that kinda looked like you could pronounce it without having to build a whole grammar and vocabulary.

KadinaruDess (chapter 68, May 12, 2022)

› I'm still very curious at what pushed Madoka to wish -maybe it's seeing the Doppel field, but finally she can get started on actually learning how to reduce her abhorrent magic efficiency. Let's call the Madokami of the previous timelines for some tutoring.

Madoka had already decided to wish at the end of the previous timeline. Ashley convinced her not to make a specific wish, but the argument didn't convince her not to make a wish at all (and Ashley never even intended to argue that). So, it was only a matter of time before she thought things through and came up with a better wish.

› Speaking of Madokami, by using her dress like that, its like you're teasing that this is the final timeline already. Not that I'd wish them the hell of trying to recreate these perfect conditions in another timeline, I'm not that much a sadist.

This comment has not aged well! But the new outfit is because she's changed her way of thinking thanks to Ashley's, uhh, scolding.

› Thanks for these many chapters. Question to end this review, what happens when Chelsea and Taylor's doppel meet something more Kawaii?

Um, I suppose Zapzip would attack it or something. I don't really know. I didn't write that doppel description, after all.

JAGwin (chapter 68, May 12, 2022)

› Moving on, it's nice to see Chelsea trying to get ahead of the Futatsugi situation before it becomes a crisis, and also kind of funny considering I JUST asked about that last chapter.

Yeah, uhh, her solution to that is like, "Let's just throw Hilda at the problem and hope something good happens", because she already has too much on her plate. We'll see how successful that is, eventually…

› I'm also guessing that one of the reasons Chelsea is hesitant to rely on the Doppel Barrier for cleansing is that there's a possibility Doppel Syndrome is a thing in this continuity.

Yeah, pretty much. After all, she's seen the anime too.

› And now that I've thought about it a bit, I wonder why Madoka decided to Contract. I don't recall anything in the previous chapter or two that would have prompted this, and Chelsea seems to be as in the dark about it as I am.

She decided to contract at the end of the previous timeline, and no-one actually offered her a convincing argument not to. Ashley (or Chelsea rather) argued against the specific wish she'd chosen, but not against the idea of contracting at all. Homura didn't want her to contract, but didn't have much of an argument for it.

So, basically… her contract was an inevitability once she figured out a good way to phrase her wish. I don't think Chelsea's all that in the dark about it, either. She may not completely grasp why Madoka contracted specifically when she did, but she was at least half expecting her to do so at some point.

UrWishy (chapter 68, May 13, 2022)

› I just realized, where does the magical girls in Kamihama dispose grief seeds now that kyuubey is gone? They could just go outside but eh.

As mentioned a couple chapters back, Isuzu Ren is their ideal new grief seed disposal system. Her magic possesses the unusual quality of being able to disintegrate the very soul of its target, which is perfect for things like Mirrors copies and spent grief seeds.

Leviathan1914 (chapter 67, May 14, 2022)

› I just thought of something if ChelseaAshley ever need to unleash their Doppel they just need to look at those mysterious aliens and then instant Doppel.

Hah, I suppose you're right!

› Furthermore, by continuously using her Clairvoyance they can essentially make their Doppel bigger, stronger, and deadlier; Which makes her Doppel dangerous as they can continuously increase their own strength multiple times as long as they are spying on those mysterious aliens.

Sure, but that's also dangerous to her, so I don't think she'd attempt that unless she was in a truly desperate situation.

› And Finally since their technically two souls in one soul gem their Doppel increases by a factor of two instead of one everytime they both continuously unleash their Doppel (or probably 1/2 since Chelsea is an adult and at the peak of strength if she turned into a Magical Girl instead of Ashley).

I'm afraid not. There may be two personalities in the body, but there's only one soul. Remember, Ashley died before Chelsea inhabited the body, so the soul is primarily Chelsea's but with some fragments of Ashley's soul mixed in. The memories of Ashley's life come more from the body than from the soul.

JAGwin (chapter 69, May 15, 2022)

› That aside, there's something I should have brought up in my last review, but I forgot to; you keep saying that only IDENTICAL twins can share a body, but if that's the case then the Hinata twins wouldn't be able to do it, since even if you consider their hair colors to be a case of Hair Color Dissonance, they have different eye colors.

It's not Hair Colour Dissonance.

Green and purple are not natural hair colours. Green can be a natural eye colour (though rare), but to my knowledge, purple cannot be.

So, the hair and eye colour difference between Matsuri and Kagari is not natural. It's artificial. Their natural hair colour is probably black, and their natural eye colour is green. Both of them dye their hair, and Kagari either wears colour contacts or has used magic to modify her eye colour.

I go into more detail about this at the bottom of this responses section, but I'm positing a future here where such minor alterations to appearance have become commonplace and widely accepted, even in Japanese schools. Therefore, Madoka dyes her hair pink, and Sayaka dyes her hair blue, but in both cases their natural hair colour is actually black. All the other girls with unnatural hair colours similarly dye it. Many girls also wear colour contacts to adjust their eye colour. The only place where Hair Colour Dissonance could plausibly come into play, then, would be with Melissa de Vignolles, who for very obvious reasons has not made an appearance anyway.

And this is also why Ashley's eye colour differs from canon. Prior to her illness, the original Ashley used to wear colour contacts to turn her eyes pink. Once Chelsea took over the body, she stopped wearing those contacts, so her profile notes her natural eye colour instead. This is similar to how she stopped wearing mismatched stockings.

› And speaking of hair colors, unless something is wrong with my eyes, Sasara's hair is brown, not black.

Looking at her sprites, I can't see her hair as anything other than black. The wiki seems to half agree with me too, noting her hair colour as "dark brown / black", suggesting that people aren't quite sure. This could perhaps be a case of Hair Colour Dissonance, where a very dark shade of brown is used to represent black. It's hard to say, but for this fic, I've decided it's black.

UrWishy (chapter 64, May 18, 2022)

› I just read a completely random comment in Youtube from 5 years ago, describing the theorized outfit of hitomi being magical girl being royal looking and having a fan as a weapon (like this fanfic is alluding to). But the images I can find in google says otherwise, I can't find I single one fitting that description!

That doesn't sound familiar to me, but I did find a fanart of her on Pixiv that depicts her as a piano-themed magical girl with a fan.

Observadorcha (chapter 69, May 18, 2022)

› Sabes, no sé si alguien ya habrá sugerido esto, pero tal vez Ashley pueda ir a futatsugi a hablar con las chicas de allí y hacerles saber que la escases de brujas es culpa de magius. Así pueda haber una especie de alianza con las chicas de allí, o algo así.

(Rough translation: Ashley should tell the Futatsugi girls that the witch shortage is the Magius's fault and form an alliance.)

There's no need for her to inform the girls of Futatsugi about who's responsible for dragging the witches away. Hifumi Chiyoko, the black feather from Futatsugi, was going to give them that information anyway. She's effectively a canon character who appears in Crimson Resolve with exactly that role, though in the game she was never given a name or much personality.

But that does mean Ashley will be in a pretty good position with respect to Futatsugi. After all, she recruited Chiyoko to overthrow the Magius, so the Futatsugi girls' initial impression of her would be as something like "the one who helped overthrow the tyrant".

JAGwin (chapter 70, May 21, 2022)

› you established something like twenty to forty chapters ago that MGs don't get fat if they don't want to, but this is contradicted by Mifuyu's Swimsuit Costume Story, where she finds out that she's gained weight from eating too many sweets and freaks out about it. Then again, Mifuyu has a track record of forgoing the perks of being an MG for the sake of "feeling more human", so this might not be an error.

1. I wouldn't say it's some sort of automatic thing based solely on desire.

a] To begin with, the type of person who worries that much about their weight a lot is also, I think, the type of person who, not realizing this is an option, would tend to project extra weight onto themselves if they think they've overeaten. Under that explanation, such a person might actually get fat much more easily than a normal person would.

b] Secondly, it's not as if what I established is an ability that magical girls use subconsciously at all times. Some might subconsciously stumble onto it, while others might not. Some might need to have the possibility pointed out to them first, like Airi (presumably) did.

2. I haven't watched a single costume story, so it's probably easiest to just assume that anything in them isn't considered canon for this fic. That doesn't mean I never will, but there's so much stuff to go through already that finding time for those too might be difficult… and I'm sure they're also the least likely to contain crucial plot details.

3. Your own explanation for that is also perfectly valid, as "wanting to be more human" could extend into wanting their body to react as they perceive a normal human would, including weight gain and loss.

JordanGrail (chapter 70, May 23, 2022)

› Iroha's mom be like: Don't worry about it! Stay as long as you like! In fact, don't come home!

I guess she's just happy that her daughter has finally made friends for the first time (that she remembers – her memory of Touka and Nemu was wiped) in 15 years.

UrWishy (chapter 71, May 25, 2022)

› Ashley back in time
› Either done by "Upgraded" Homura or Endless Mirror(directly) or "The Bureau". We and Kanagi may even have saved ourselves?

…I don't think time travel is canonically one of the things "The Bureau" is capable of?

› Or just watching and playing Madoka franchise inside us. (she is not bored at all)

:)

JAGwin (chapter 71, May 25, 2022)

› I don't recall Sakae General even HAVING a Manga Club, let alone Karin being a member. As I understand it, she and Alina just use the Art Room because no one else does.

Maybe it's not an official club, but I don't think it's too unreasonable to call it that way. I guess if there is an official club it's probably just called the "art club" though.

› Don't know enough about Hotaru or Kushu to really comment on them, although I will note that I got the impression that the reason Hotaru sleeps so much in canon is because she likes to, not because she has trouble staying awake.

While it may be true that she likes sleeping, with her wish being to sleep longer, I don't think it's a stretch to suppose it causes her to have difficulty staying awake. I may have slightly mixed her up with Irina Kusch in that respect, but I still think it makes sense.

› Another thing I'm wondering about is who that unidentified White Feather is, and WHY she's a White Feather for that matter, since the way she acted certainly seemed more appropriate for a Black Feather if you ask me.

I didn't have anyone specific in mind for that white feather at the time (just didn't want to have only known characters there). It's possible that she was made a white feather because she has some minor leadership history (a class president?) or because her magic was something Touka deemed particularly useful, but I haven't given her any thought really.

However, I've since decided that she's the white feather who appears in Makino Ikumi's side story (after Yumi unleashes her doppel), which is why I also had her show up after the Misery Water battle. That makes her similar to Suou Mikan (Sue), someone whose primary magic is healing. From what I recall, I don't think her attitude fits her being the same person as Sue though. Presumably Mifuyu has a team of several healing specialists, including Sue, that girl, and one or two others.

Observadorcha (chapter 71, May 25, 2022)

› No sé porque, pero de alguna espero que Ashley se enfrente al equipo Iroha como una pluma.

:o

(I'm not 100% sure, but I think this is a suggestion for Iroha to join the WoM undercover like Ashley did.)

Farsight21 (chapter 72, May 29, 2022)

› A new magical girl from a different area. I do have a question though are you going to make the whole battle in arc 2 international as in are we going to see magical girl organizations from different countries?

I don't think so. Even the magical girls that came from quite some distance to join the Wings of the Magius were still all from Japan, so there's no reason to suspect the situation has spread further than that.

Also, given the chapter this was in response to, I presume it was prompted by the introduction of Livia Medeiros? But she's a canon character that comes to Kamihama in arc 2, so there's no real reason to expect her presence to spread the word further abroad, at least not during arc 2.

That said, we do have the François sisters and Ashley's friends back in California, so it's not completely impossible that some people in France or California will hear things.

JAGwin (chapter 72, May 30, 2022)

› I personally think Yozuru looks more like a butler, but that might just be me.

Hmm, yeah, I suppose she does. But she does kinda look magician-ish to me too…

› If the green haired one is Shigure, it would be pretty easy to tell, since her Soul Gem is still visible even when she's wearing her Black Feather robe.

Yeah, but maybe Chelsea wasn't paying as close attention at that point… or perhaps at the time Shigure wasn't powered up under her robe, so it wasn't visible.

› the Amane twins have RED hair, not brown.

Technically true, but I look at the twins and can only see brown hair. Sure, it may be technically red – a reddish-brown if you will – but once you make your red dark enough, it becomes a shade of brown. This combined with the fact that I'm naturalizing any hair colours that are at least almost natural means that brown is the obvious choice here. The wiki also backs me up on this one.

So at least in this case, I don't think it's necessarily a case of us perceiving the colours differently.

› I personally would say that Konomi's hair qualifies as orange, not red

I definitely agree, which is why I said "reddish" instead of just "red".

› Also, quick question, but why do you have Tsuruno call Yachiyo "shisho" instead of "Master"? You translated "san" and "sama", so I don't get why you leave that of all honorifics untranslated.

It's a good question, and I don't exactly have a strong answer for it. I'm pretty on the fence about this one. I suppose at one point I felt that "master" had slightly different connotations, but… in context I guess that's not really true.

› Moving on to my thoughts on the chapter, I'm surprised the experiment wound up cloning Karen. I'd have expected Elise's power to either not work on the one that used to be a Familiar or just erase the Grief Seed since it was never a Magical Girl, but I guess not.

I don't remember if this influenced my choice or if it's retroactive justification, but I think there's support for this outcome in canon, with Nanaka sensing two identical presences in the Mirrors Story.

› Back on topic, I'm going to assume Chelsea's opinion of the Kaharu family is based on things that happened later in Arc 2 than I've gotten.

Nope. Chelsea's poor opinion on Kaharu Yuuna herself is based on the event where she goes after Kimochi, which paints her as a very naïve sheltered princess (but tries to portray it in a mostly positive light). But her opinion on the Kaharu family isn't based on any canon and is just a kneejerk "assume all ultra-rich guys are bad" reaction on her part.

› Firstly, I'm guessing you're running with the interpretation that Kyoko losing access to her personal magic was psychosomatic, not a direct result of her rejecting her Wish, because I HIGHLY DOUBT that Yuma can actually restore lost abilities, and a much more likely explanation here is that her attempt was a placebo for Kyoko.

I don't quite get how you take "psychosomatic" to be different from "a result of her rejecting her wish". To me, those sound like the same thing described in different ways. But yes, it is effectively a "mental block" on Kyouko's part. This is actually the second time in this fic that Yuma has unlocked Kyouko's lost power (the first time was in the middle of the big battle against Oriko). As mentioned in recent chapters, Yuma's ability is not healing but more generally fixing or repairing, and the concept is that she can "fix" Kyouko's mind by breaking down the mental block. So… no, it's not just a placebo.

If Kyouko had truly lost her power…? Then maybe Yuma wouldn't be able to fix it. But the truth is that Kyouko has even been using some aspects of that power subconsciously even since she supposedly lost it (her Jedi mind trick to get free lodging at a hotel or free passage on public transit, probably also handy when shoplifting), so all Yuma needs to do is "fix" her belief that she can't use it anymore.

Something like that, anyway!

› I suspect the encounter with Shizuku is taken more from Yuma's MGS than anything else.

Indeed! It's very loosely based on a portion of Yuma's magical girl story.

› Although, I do have to ask how Mami didn't learn the Soul Gem reveal during this

Madoka somehow convinced Homura to divulge that in chapter 65 and almost caused quite an issue as a result… if not for Nagisa, things might have gone quite sour. Basically… Mami already knows that truth in this scene, and has managed to accept it. (It's an easier-to-accept truth than turning into witches, at least for her.)

› Another thing I'd like to know is why this happened in this Timeline but not the canon MagiReco Timeline

Even if it had happened in canon, Madoka didn't have her stamina issue there so she wouldn't've come so close to witching out. But also, Hoshiko is a girl who probably would've become a black feather in canon Magia Record but by some fluke ended up in Mitakihara first in this timeline.

JAGwin (chapter 73, Jun 4, 2022)

› Now I'm starting to wonder if we just perceive colors differently, because Sankyoin's uniform is pretty clearly red, not brown.

Similarly to the case with the Amane twins' hair, the Sankyoin uniform is a shade that is both red and brown. Perhaps it would've been more accurate to say "reddish-brown" but that doesn't flow as well. So what I'd say is that we're both describing the colour imprecisely but "rounding" in a different direction.

So at least in these two cases, I don't think it's necessarily a case of us perceiving the colours differently.

› Moving on to my thoughts on the chapter, I was actually expecting Chelsea to point Hoshiko towards Mitama when the possibility of her having potential as a Coordinator came up.

Ashley has no reason to believe that Mitama can teach or is interested in doing so, whereas she knows that Livia taught Mitama and currently has two more students, so to me Livia is the obvious choice for her.

› And now Yachiyo knows Chelsea has joined the WotM. Wonderful.

Even at this point, if you were reading closely, you probably would've realized that Yachiyo would definitely discover this eventually (well, unless Ashley quit the organization halfway through). After all, the rumour she was assigned to guard (the Puzzle Tile Lock) is one of minor ones destroyed in chapter 7.

› I'm surprised Mitama considered that Chelsea might be looking to resurrect Mikoto, considering she isn't aware of Elise at this point,

I think it's a stretch to say she thought it might be Chelsea's goals. It was more of a hypothetical, as that was the only other thing she could think of that could possibly call for a specific grief seed. She explicitly said she didn't think it was possible, after all, and Chelsea never suggested she had it in mind, so she has no reason to actually believe that's her motivation.

In other words: lacking any other reasonable ideas, she's basically caught on to Chelsea's plan but is confused at how that could avoid harming anyone.

› And now the Mirror Witch is trying to get normal people to agree to kill all Magical Girls... not good, although I wonder what prompted this. I don't think that's happened in canon... yet, anyway.

Did you forget? That scene is straight out of the Arc 2 prologue. The "normal girl" is Satori Kagome. I clarified that in chapter 86, but who knows whether you still remembered what I was referring back to by that point…

› For what it's worth, according to TV Tropes, Japanese School Festivals are usually in October, so it seems odd to me that Seira would be planning for it this far in advance. Not to mention it's a rather slow solution to Himika's problem.

I was thinking of late September for the festiva, but I wouldn't say Seira is actively planning for it at this point. She probably just mentioned she'd like to make a movie and from there the idea of screening it at the festival somehow arose. (Note that the school festival is not a fixed date – they're deliberately staggered among schools in a region so that students from different schools can attend each others' festivals.)

Also, you're right that it's a slow solution, but unlike Ashley, Inui is poor, so she can't make the offer that Ashley did in the actual game. I would say it's an objectively worse solution in this case, but fortunately Himika is even poorer than Inui and probably used to that sort of compromise, so it still works. Plus, it's not like Himika's problem actually specified a time frame; she wanted to watch a movie with her family, but I didn't feel it was implied that she wanted to do so asap or by a certain date or anything like that.

› though, if Chelsea is still concerned about how she's going to get Komachi into the hospital to see Mr. Taylor, it might be worth considering trying to get Sana involved, since she can spread her invisibility to people she's in contact with, which would handily solve that problem.

I was thinking of Masara rather than Sana for invisibility, but I suppose Sana works too. That said, I also hadn't decided whether invisibility was necessary at all, so we'll see what happens with that when we get there, I suppose.

› Cut to Mitama putting ketchup and a dried plum on a cheesecake, using vitamins as sprinkles, and ENJOYING the result. No, seriously, that actually happened in the anime adaption.

That scene was at least part of why I added that line for Inui.

› "[Inui] opened her eyes and sat up to find Riko kneeling beside her, also in pyjamas."

› That sounds adorable and I'm surprised Inui didn't comment on it. I guess the circumstances meant she had other things on her mind.

That and by this point I was getting a little lazy and couldn't be bothered to work up a description of Riko's pyjamas. (She doesn't have a pyjamas sprite in the game, so I would've had to get creative, which I wasn't prepared for at that time.)

› Also, I wonder if Nemu thinks she and Chelsea are a couple now.

Totally seems plausible for Nemu to have this impression.

› Inui was TOTALLY planning to do more than just share a bed with Chelsea this time.

But did Ashley/Chelsea even notice…?

Farsight21 (chapter 73, Jun 7, 2022)

› Hey quick question if Mel's body is still intact and Ashley found her witch would you turn her back from a witch into a magical girl? I think Yachiyo's reaction would be priceless.

I suppose it would be. I guess you'll just have to wait and see if that actually happens.

Leviathan1914 (chapter 71, Jun 8, 2022)

› What Kanagi spoke of sounds ominous, speaking of which will there be a sort of fighting in which OG Ashley fights a witch for training in the event that Chelsea won't be able to assume control because if that ever happened then OG Ashley will really need the combat experience.

You're supposing a stronger separation between Ashley and Chelsea than what actually exists. They fully share memories and experience. Chelsea's experience with fighting witches is also Ashley's experience. If Ashley suddenly had to fight a witch with Chelsea somehow knocked out of the picture, she shouldn't really have any issues beyond maybe a moment of getting used to being back in control of her body again.

JAGwin (chapter 74, Jun 11, 2022)

› I'm pretty sure Nanaka made her Wish after Breakpoint, which would mean she's been a Magical Girl for LESS than a year.

Karin is just being super imprecise. Nanaka has been a magical girl for "about a year" now. Given they contracted around the same time, it's actually only been six months since Karin contracted, but if you assume Nanaka contracted like a month earlier, and Karin considers anything over six months to be "close enough" to a year… it just barely checks out.

› IOn a related note, I'm pretty sure Karin became a Magical Girl the year BEFORE the one immediately prior to the Main Story, because her ladder dialogue from Breakpoint implies that she was pulling her Phantom Thief shenanigans when that incident happened, Karin always says that she became a Magical Girl on Halloween, Yachiyo says during Karin's MGS that she's a little early for the whole "Trick-or-Treat" routine, and it's during Karin's MGS that she STOPS with the Phantom Thief shenanigans.

This is one thing where I decided to possibly diverge from canon (although canon itself is vague on this point). I didn't feel that having Karin directly experience Breakpoint fit, so what I'm presuming is that she took awhile to decide on her wish (or just thought she should wait until Halloween), and Breakpoint happened after she met Kyuubey but before she contracted.

Then her MGS event under this interpretation would have Yachiyo saying she's a bit late for trick-or-treat, rather than early, but I don't think that's a crucial point in the event, so whatever.

› I'm pretty sure that in canon, Karin didn't find out Alina was a Magical Girl until after Arc 1, and I don't recall her finding out in an earlier chapter either.

You're correct that until chapter 74 there was no indication that Karin knew Alina had become a magical girl. I'm not 100% sure if you're correct about canon but it sounds about right.

However, we learn in chapter 60 that Karin realized Alina had made a contract when she visited her in the hospital. Though that's the previous timeline, there's no real reason to expect that would have gone differently in the new timeline.

So that particular development is actually something caused by Ashley's initial meeting with Karin back in chapter 14 – by drawing her attention to the fact that all magical girls have rings, she enabled her to realize Alina was a magical girl almost immediately.

Long story short: this Karin is slightly less out of the loop than in canon.

› Erm, hang on, when did this happen? I don't remember anything about Kagome in the last chapter.

Even if the description of her school uniform wasn't enough to give it away, I thought for sure the mandrake plushy would be a dead giveaway… or am I the only one who even realized that Aru is a mandrake? Surely not?

› Now, moving onto my thoughts regarding the chapter, I did not expect Chelsea to run into Maria like that (or at all, really). I wonder what she was doing at Fendt Hope so early in the morning...

I think you're asking the wrong question. The only likely reason she could have to be there so early in the morning is because she stayed the night, so the question should be… why did she stay the night when her house is in Kamihama anyway? I haven't worked out the answer though, because it didn't really matter to that scene.

› And now Mary Magdalene is wandering around in California. WHY is she wandering around in California?

We've already established that she's not quite right in the head… there may not really be a reason. And we also established she was searching everywhere for those two magical girls, so by that standard she's about as likely to be in California as Timbuktu.

Farsight21 (chapter 75, Jun 21, 2022)

› Good chapter today, I wonder if Nagisa doppel would increase her love for cheese.

Uhh. Dunno. Nagisa does state in her MGS that she doesn't actually like cheese that much; rather, she has the impression that her mother loves cheese. And the doppel is more into sweets than cheese.

Akagami Lilith (chapter 75, Jun 22, 2022)

› Maimai Hachikuji isnt it?

Indeed, you called it long before I officially revealed it just a few chapters ago.

UrWishy (chapter 67, Jun 22, 2022)

› By accident I randomly discovered something about the contents in the cipher. Are we seeing some sort of Lyrical Nanoha crossover here since it seems like it. :/
› But for now it seems more likely to be a cameo.

:)

› I wonder what those alien "haze" are? I might be into something.

Not sure what you're referring to here…

Guest (chapter 75, Jul 2, 2022)

› Just finished reading, everything seem to come along the story. My current favorite timeline is timeline 5 btw.

That timeline is based on Homura's Revenge, an actual published manga. Of course, there are a lot of changes from how things went in the manga though…

JAGwin (chapter 76, Jul 25, 2022)

› I'm pretty sure the official term for Tsubaki's hairstyle is "side plait"... of course, the unofficial term is "dead anime mom hair".

Tsubaki is never depicted with braided hair, so no, "side plait" does not describe her hairstyle. (The word "plait" is the British English word for "braid".) The normal term for that sort of hairstyle is either a "bunch" or a "tail" – it would be appropriate to call it a "ponytail", but I wanted to emphasize that it's not centred at the back of her head but instead positioned to the side. (There's a catch here though, which is that "pigtail" typically implies braids, which is why I usually say "twintail" instead.)

› The flashback-within-a-flashback was distinctly... AWKWARD. I would recommend either not doing it again or doing something to make the two flashbacks more distinct from each other.

Sure, I guess it's a little awkward. I definitely wouldn't have done it that way if it had gotten longer than a few paragraphs. On the other hand, since it's only a few paragraphs, I was reluctant to cordon it off with dividers the way I usually do.

› Also, unless I'm mistaken, you didn't leave any room for Tsubaki's MGS, which takes place between everyone getting caught up in the Uwasa and Memorable Flower actually starting, although I do like the nod to Ichika.

I think the time passed within the illusion prior to touching the flowers is somewhat ambiguous. It's also ambiguous whether they actually experienced that prior time or if it was merely written into their memory.

So… I would say that they likely have some memory of the side story events, regardless of whether they truly occurred or not. I felt it wasn't important enough to justify including it in the chapter, however.

JAGwin (chapter 75, Jul 28, 2022)

› Actually, it's implied by Manaka's MGS and Breakpoint's ladder dialogue that Sana has been a Magical Girl for over a year (the former shows that she became a Magical Girl either before or very shortly after Manaka, while the latter indicates that Manaka was a Magical Girl when Breakpoint happened).
› Addendum after Chapter 76: Seems you're aware of how long Manaka has been a Magical Girl, so I'm not sure if this is still relevant, but I'm leaving it in because the text I'm responding to is still in the chapter.

As far as I know, the only thing definitely known about when Sana became a magical girl is that it's in the same school year as Manaka. We also know Manaka was a magical girl by the time of Breakpoint and that she became a magical girl soon after entering Mizuna (so probably April), so I think Sana contracting in the following January or February is still consistent with what we know.

Sana contracting a whole year before the main story begins (in particular, before Breakpoint) doesn't fit with her characterization in the main story, and although she's reasonably powerful, she doesn't seem like she has the personality to last a whole year as a solo fighter, so that's why I made her contract a lot more recent.

› Not necessarily an error, but I would like to point out that Tsumugi had to have become a Magical Girl prior to the Doppel Barrier being set up, so it's possible that Sana met her too. Granted, what their relationship would've been like is currently unknown as far as I'm aware, since their only canon interactions (that I know of) are in Trick Touble Festival and First Sunrise!Shizuka's MGS, both of which are during Arc 2.

I was actually wondering about where Tsumugi fits in. Still, Sana not mentioning her there doesn't mean she doesn't know her. She didn't mention Ria either, and it would be hard not to have some familiarity with her when she knows Manaka. Basically she was listing people she felt somewhat close to, not everyone she knows.

› For the record, it's a nodachi.

I'm not really sure what makes it a nodachi, because to my eyes it just looks like someone took any old Japanese sword (could even be a katana) and scaled it up like 10x.

So because I wasn't sure the claims of it being a nodachi were reliable, I decided to just call it a sword. There's no chance of that being wrong, after all.

› "'Ware ye of the splash effect"
› Erm, hang on, is this a form of Olde Englishe that I'm unware of, or was this supposed to be "Were ye aware of"?

Yup, it's an obsolete usage meaning basically "aware" or "beware".

› I would like to note for the record that I strongly disagree with this sentiment, even if the Magius are indeed not ideal leadership material.

Well, it's certainly possible for someone to be a genius and have leadership abilities, but just genius alone does not a good leader make.

› Shigure: "Someone just insulted Touka-sama and Nemu-sama."

To be honest, of the three Magius, Nemu is probably the least bad as a leader. Not that that's saying much…

› Rereading the scene where Iroha and Madoka's groups are discussing what Ai could be, I can't help but wonder when Madoka and co. are going to hear about what Kazumi is and how she was created.

Pretty sure that came up when Madoka visited Pernelle, though I think she hasn't heard the full story…

› I'm kind of starting to dislike Nagisa in this fic. Was she this much of a brat in Nagisa's Wish and I've just forgotten, or is this something that happened after that went off the rails?

The "I'll do whatever I want" mentality is based on Nagisa's Wish, yes. I may be playing it up a bit more than the event did, but we also hadn't seen that much of her at the time of this comment, so you can expect that to mellow out a bit later on. I think I did manage to convey that in the later chapters? I think she sort of evolved into a tsundere.

› "shoulda dragged along the fire dancer, hammer girl, or serenity spear...'"
› Who's "serenity spear"?

Yachiyo. Because "spear sister" was already taken (for Kyouko) and "halberd sister" seemed a bit strange.

› Although, speaking of Karin, does Alina ever actually use her name instead of calling her "fool girl/idiota"?

Good question. It's true she calls Karin "idiot" a lot. Given that they see each other almost every day though, I think it'd be hard to never use her name… but I suppose it should be something that draws Karin's attention as an unusual event.

I don't plan on revising chapter 75 in that light right now though. More interested in getting through timeline 8.

Observadorcha (chapter 76, Jul 30, 2022)

› Sabes, ¿hasta donde llega el conocimiento de Ashley?
› Me refiero sobre el arco 2, que en teoría Ashley no debería haberlo visto finalizado.

Roughly, this comment is asking how much Ashley knows about arc 2, which "in theory" she should not have seen completed. But the answer is, she did see it completed. I'm not sure if the latest chapter 11 is the end of the arc here and now, but Ashley is not from here and now. She's from a couple of years in the future, relative to when I started posting the fic. Part of the reason for that was so that she'd know about the entirety of arc 2, which means Ashley actually knows more than I do about it (since I'm still waiting for translations and haven't watched most of it yet).

If you read carefully, and also pay attention to the exact day the fic began on, I believe you should be able to figure out the exact year that Chelsea lived in, or at least pretty close, as well as the exact year the fic takes place in. You can certainly rule out a number of years just based on the day of week and day of month.

phosphophillite49 (chapter 8, Aug 9, 2022)

› They should at least keep in touch with scientific advancement. Cuz even if they do it themselves, they surely won't research the exact same things.

Pernelle thinks of herself as a scientist. Of course she's keeping herself up-to-date with scientific advancement. I'm pretty sure she's already said some things that imply this.

MiharuTousaka (chapter 34, Sep 14, 2022)

› I have no idea what grief cubes are, but that sounded like a big reveal and even without full context was kinda cool lol (google doesn't know what they are either .)

They are the little black cubes that Homura tosses at Kyuubey in the anime's epilogue, at the very end of the final episode. It's never outright stated in the anime as far as I recall, but the implication seems to be that they replace the role of grief seeds in the rewritten universe. From there comes the name "grief cubes".

So, given that they're supposed to exist post-rewrite, it's certainly notable to find one pre-rewrite.

MiharuTousaka (chapter 42, Sep 15, 2022)

› Is it just me or did Inui's cuteness factor increase by at least a few multiples since being saved? XD

Hmm, I wonder? She also seems to be getting more clingy, which I have a feeling is gonna cause some problems eventually…

KadinaruDess (chapter 77, Sep 26, 2022)

› We still don't know what Ashley is researching, except that it prolly relates to the out of context entities they had dreamt about. Curious and curiouser with every chapter closer to the end, is it a surprise for the Wally fight or is it the 'post-game' questline?

Well, not a bad guess. You'll find out next chapter whether you guessed correctly.

Akagami Lilith (chapter 77, Sep 27, 2022)

› thank you for updating it, and also don't forget to back up your drafts, in case one day you might lose the files for some reason, because I know some writers who lost their drafts and ended up retiring

Of course, I have all the chapters saved on my computer, and also backed up here on FanFiction, and potentially on AO3 in the future, so that's already 2-3 redundant copies.

JAGwin (chapter 77, Sep 27, 2022)

› As far as I'm aware, Japan doesn't do grade skipping, although I might be wrong about that.

Ashley is attempting to reconcile two things that she thinks she knows that seem to contradict each other.

1. As you say, skipping grades isn't really a thing in Japan.
2. Normally, private schools only cover secondary education.

But she's probably wrong on both counts.

Even if skipping grades isn't common in Japan, that doesn't mean it can never happen. In fact, the 3rd season of Kaguya: Love is War posits the main characters skipping grade 12. (Admittedly, that's a little different from skipping grade 6, and of course anime is only a loose reflection of real life; but it does suggest that skipping grades may not be completely unheard of.)

I don't know how common private elementary schools are, but I suppose it does make sense that they would exist, for the same reason that private secondary schools do. And one is depicted in Spy x Family after all. (Though that's set in almost-Germany, rather than Japan.)

› Okay, hold on. Unless I'm misremembering, Ryoko lives in a TOWN, not a village, and while it's within commute distance of Kamihama, I don't recall anything being mentioned about it being near St. Lilliana's (although if this was mentioned in Irina's event or MGS, then nevermind, because that would explain why I hadn't heard about it). Also, no mention of Chika? She attends St. Lilliana's too.

Maybe Ashley/Chelsea just doesn't really understand the difference between town and village… I may consider revising that comment someday though.

I don't think I'd say Ryoko's town is especially near St Lilliana's, but from the slight hints we get about its location, it's at least in the same general direction if you start from central Kamihama. Keeping in mind that Irina is said to do most of her hunting north of Kamihama, it stands to reason that some of that time might have been spent in Ryoko's town.

I haven't actually seen Irina's event or story. The chapter was based on a summary of the event posted on the wiki. That means I wrote all/most of the dialogue myself based on the summary.

As for Chika, I did consider mentioning her but ultimately decided that Ashley didn't want to risk having to explain how on earth she knew of this person she'd never met or technically even heard of. She has in-universe reasons to know of Touka (since she's one of the Wings of the Magius) and Karen (who was duplicated as a result of her actions). With Hotori being a member of the Wings of the Magius, she also has a tenuous reason that she could know of her. However, she would be hard pressed to explain how she knows of Chika. Thus she kept it vague, referencing her without naming her.

Of course, this was before Ashley discovered that Chika already knew about her…

› Okay, first, I'm pretty sure you mean her Wish, not her Magic. Second, Rui's Wish was to cure her cat's blindness, not save its life.

No, I definitely mean her magic. Besides, a magical girl's wish and her magic are generally related. And I'm just going to chalk up that inaccuracy to Ashley either misremembering or misinterpreting. (Though it's the cat's eyes that are healed by Rui's wish, the blindness is a result of a "rare hereditary disease", which might be misinterpreted as something that's also life-threatening.)

Also, thanks to you mentioning this, I remembered that the cat's name was supposed to be Paracelsus…

› On a related note, [Rui's] Magic is to see how close someone is to death (natural or otherwise), not altering fate.

Though her profile the wiki does state that she merely perceives fate rather than changing it, the more detailed information about her abilities suggests otherwise, which is why I altered her profile to say that she can alter fate as well. It also fits better with her wish, which states that her cat's eyes were healed, thus altering its fate.

› Not technically an error, but I believe that "big" and "fat" should be swapped around here. I'm also pretty sure there should be a comma between those words.

Actually, this is a grammatical error. There is a little-known rule about what order different classes of adjectives must appear in when multiple are chained together modifying the same head noun. As I see it, the word "big" indicates size while "fat" indicates shape, so under that assumption the only correct form is "big fat", without a comma. On the other hand, if you interpret "fat" as also indicating size, a comma would be required but the order of the words does not matter.

Regardless of the details, thanks for spotting it.

Incidentally, the position of the word "ugly" in that phrase could also be seen as a violation of the rule. The correct order should be "ugly big fat witch". However, "big fat ugly witch" sounds better to me. I'm not sure what the reason for that is. Is "ugly witch" a unit that cannot be separated for some reason, similar to "vampire bat" or "pickup truck"? That doesn't seem to make sense though…

› I distinctly remember pointing out this typo before. It's "Futuro", not "Futura".

I probably keep messing this up because the source material itself is in error. The correct way to say "the future path" in Italian is "Strada Futura", but Iroha herself has erroneously named her attack "Strada Futuro" which keeps tripping me up.

› That makes me wonder how Minaminagi fits into this, since (aside from a small bit on the eastern edge of the city) it's not part Yachiyo's or Kanagi's spheres of influence.

I was considering it as divided between the east and west. The southern part of the city isn't really covered by either Yachiyo or Kanagi anyway, not just Minaminagi, but even Sakae Ward isn't really in Yachiyo's territory.

› Has Kyubey EVER gone out of his way to drop the Witch reveal in canon? I know he'll confirm it if questioned, but it seems VERY strange to me for him to bring it up without being prompted.

I think Kyuubey did it when Inui turned into a witch in the Nagisa's Wish event. More to the point, my impression of Kyuubey is that if it thinks a slight nudge will induce a witch transformation, it will show up to rub salt in the wound in any way it can think of. I believe that's what's happening here – that's why I noted that Irina's soul gem was ninety percent corrupted. Obviously in this instance Kyuubey failed, and she managed to purify herself in time.

› Yeah, Chelsea's got a point with those questions.

It wasn't clear from your comment, but if you mean her questions about the resurrected Aneka, yeah, there are a lot of unknowns there.

› Ahhh, I am SO happy to see Tsubaki call Kagari on her bullshit. And of course, Kagari completely misses the point. Still don't get why she went back to the revenge scheme on THIS Timeline but not the one before it. Am I missing something?

My interpretation is that she simply thought she could get away with continuing on her revenge plan since Chisato and Matsuri were the only ones who had the truth revealed to them. In previous timelines, all four were present when the schemes were revealed. Interactions with Arisa and Haruka in prior timelines may have also influenced her to give up more easily.

On a meta level though, it was just because I wanted to do all three Magia Record crossover events, and they all presume she's still set on her revenge.

› I think Homura is SEVERELY underestimating how Magical Girls can coexist in a given amount of space under normal circumstances

Well, her experience is admittedly quite limited. She basically only has Mitakihara as a reference point. Still, I think it's clear that Kamihama is abnormal in terms of the number of magical girls there. I'm not sure that Futatsugi can be considered normal, either – it is, after all, only a single additional data point. Perhaps something happened there that artificially increased the number of magical girls, making the witch shortage even worse than it would have been in a normal city. There's also the fact that teamwork can likely enhance the density that an area can support – even if the total number of grief seeds is the same, each girl in the team uses less magic, so the same number of grief seeds can actually support more girls.

› Regarding Shizuku's MGS, while it's more or less impossible to tell from the localization (because the idiots in charge of it had a PHOBIA of the characters being on anything other than a given-name basis with each other), it actually IS supposed to take place after Chapter 7 of the Main Story (as evidenced by Yachiyo using Iroha's given name in the original Japanese version, which she didn't start doing until the Memory Museum fight).

I would disagree that it's impossible to tell from the official localization. After all, I was able to figure it out just based on the way Yachiyo talks. It's unfortunate that the localization didn't find a way to reflect Yachiyo suddenly switching to a given-name basis (even if they didn't want to use surnames, they could've invented a pet-name for her or something), but that's not the sole way to tell when it's supposed to occur.

Still, as mentioned, that simply doesn't work for this fic. Chapter 8 occurs the day after chapter 7. There is literally no time to squeeze Shizuku's story in. So, I pushed it back a little and tweaked Yachiyo's behaviour to be a little colder than in the source material.

› Fourth, while MUT's translation of Kuroe's MGS isn't done yet, there is a summary of it on the wiki, which confirms that she is indeed in her third year of middle school (I doubt I will ever understand why you assumed she was twelve)

It wasn't really an assumption. There was no data at the time to point to her age, so I just picked something. Twelve in this case probably makes her a first-year middle-school student, soon to turn thirteen. I felt that the way she acted in the anime suggested that she was younger than Iroha, but that doesn't leave many options given that Iroha is fourteen.

I don't plan to adjust Kuroe's name again regardless of what the game might reveal about her. As I mentioned earlier in the responses section, though, I do plan to revise her age to the canonical 15, the same as Iroha.

JAGwin (chapter 78, Oct 1, 2022)

› I'm not sure if this is deliberate or if you just haven't listened to the voice clips from that conversation, but it's pretty clear that "socks" was a crappy attempt at censorship by the localizers. As for what it actually was... I think it's better if I don't say here.

It must have been intentional on my part, because as you said it's very obvious if you listen to the voice track that Mitama isn't talking about socks (assuming you know at least a few scraps of Japanese like I do), and I was definitely listening to the voice track to figure out how everyone refers to each other.

› For what it's worth, unless there were some temporal shenanigans going on during Girls in the Hood that we never heard about, that event actually puts Kanae's death around two years prior to Walpurgisnacht at most, because she was in that event and it ends with Jun returning to Kamihama in the aftermath of Arc 1 after what is explicitly a two year timeskip.

Oh cool. I hadn't watched Girls in the Hood yet, but it sounds like here we have another inconsistency in the timeline. The placement of Kanae 4 years ago is on the basis that Momoko, who apparently contracted 3 years ago, doesn't know her. This obviously contradicts the 2 year timeskip at the end of Girls in the Hood.

Buuut, whatever. It doesn't seem like anything really depends heavily on that timeskip being 2 years instead of 4, so I'll probably just run with that.

› Well now, this is INTERESTING. Who would have both the motive and the MEANS to not only sink Folklore's attempt at revealing the MG system, but also block Chelsea's clairvoyance? Hmm... I suspect those aliens that Chelsea saw back in Chapter 68 have something to do with this.

Good guess! Too bad it's wrong… ;)

› I wonder who Natsuki was meeting, and why she was meeting them in SAKAE of all places.

I guess I was pretty vague about it, but I imagined that Madoka and friends arrived at the central station in Chuo Ward, so the library they visited was also in Chuo Ward. Although it's true that they would have to head into Sakae Ward to reach the Memory Museum, my interpretation was that they hadn't yet crossed that border when Nagisa detected a witch.

So, in summary, they ran into Natsuki in Chuo Ward, not Sakae Ward. Presumably, she was on her way to meet Aimi.

plowplum (chapter 60, Oct 2, 2022)

› It's ironic that Chelsea could befriend or at least gain the respect of Airi, Moe, Kanna, and Oriko who were villains who's goals contrasted with hers but cant get along with Homura despite Chelsea also wanting to save Madoka.

Well…

• Moe was not a magical girl in the Kazumi Magica manga. She didn't even have a name, her older sister Remi was long dead, and she never met Kyuubey at all. In this fic, all she wanted was for her friend to be returned to her; Kanna played on that desire to turn her into a pawn, just as she played on Airi's desire for revenge in the actual manga.
• Airi's reason for becoming a villain was the death of Yuuri, which never happened in this fic.
• Oriko may have been a villain, but her goal was still noble.
• Kanna may have respect for Ashley, but that's only after being convinced by Kazumi to stop what she was doing. She felt kinship with Kazumi due to them both being artificial beings. That led to her befriending Yuuri and Airi, which led to her current state.

So there are good reasons why she was able to befriend each of them.

But you're quite right that Homura is short-sighted, in the figurative sense. This is true in the original anime, as well. When her first attempts failed, instead of trying new things and searching for a path, she got tunnel vision and laser-focused on keeping Madoka and only Madoka alive and uncontracted. But that's a fool's errand when you factor in Madoka's personality, and she couldn't even realize that.

› It's interesting that Folklore of Zero would choose to go straight to their eliminate magical girls plan instead of observing Kamihama like they did in game though it could be that the Wings of the Magius werent formed in this timeline so Kyubey wouldnt have directed them towards there though that doesnt explain Folklore attacking Asunaro this time when they didnt in other timelimes. It just seems like a diabolous ex machina to make sure the Kazumi storyline gets FUBAR'd due to every antagonist from the manga being taken cared of.

The reason they went to Asunaro is the same as the reason they went to Kamihama in the game – it was a place where someone was making an attempt to save magical girls from their fate. The Asunaro attempt was entirely unsuccessful however, which likely explains why Folklore didn't decide to wait and see as they did in Kamihama. Perhaps the failure of the Pleiade Saints' experiment led them to conclude that there was in fact no way to save magical girls.

rxliuli (chapter 78, Oct 4, 2022)

› I have also seen some concepts borrowed from the novel, such as the setting of keeping the soul gem as far away as possible when a magical girl is dying (*_*)

Not sure what you mean by "the novel" here, but I likely got that idea from To The Stars.

plowplum (chapter 61, Oct 5, 2022)

› Honesty and open communication. It works wonders! Seriously, though I feel this is a conversation that Homura, Madoka and Chelsea should've had long before, probably at the earlier beginning of the loops.

Yeah, Ashley was a little short-sighted too. She probably could've had a bit more success if she'd talked to Homura before she abandoned the braids and glasses.

plowplum (chapter 62, Oct 5, 2022)

› Interesting story to know how the Tokime Clan was formed. There's also the irony of Sakuya making her wish for her family to live freely yet in time the Tokime would be ousted from power by the Akatsuki clan and later eventually be trafficked around by the Mitoshiba clan for making wishes though that would go in hand under exact words where Laura only wished for *her* and her family to live freely and not for her family to be free forever.

Yeah, there certainly is a level of irony there.

› About the other two characters/ Laura's wish sounds like it could be categorized as a Void wish which could classify Laura as a Coordinator type.

Yes, you're quite right that Laura's wish fits the typical criteria to create a "void" Coordinator girl. However, she ended up with the light element instead, which is honestly more than a little strange given that she's a vampire archetype, but Laura is an actual playable character in the Magia Record game, and I didn't have any strong reason to change her element, so I didn't.

That said, I also recall reading somewhere that wishes of that kind don't necessarily create a Coordinator-type magical girl. I think there are even a couple of other characters in Magia Record that have despair-like wishes yet are not void. It's not just the wording of the wish but something about the character and mindset of the girl herself – why she made the wish she did, how she was feeling at the time, her general outlook on the world, and probably more factors besides.

It's also not necessarily the case that a "void" girl has the potential to be a Coordinator. In the actual game, Pernelle is listed as void but has never displayed any Coordinator-like characteristics (though she also doesn't appear in the present day as far as I know). Sena Mikoto is also listed as void (but is darkness in this fic). I don't know if she's described as having Coordinator powers though.

› As for Kuzunoha, despite being quite long lived and accompanying the Tokimes to Shinjuku, she's nowhere to be found in current day which could mean that sometime she perished, turned witch or left the Tokime clan for some reason

It's not like she ever was a member of the Tokime clan, though. But yes, I wonder where she migh have ended up?

Farsight21 (chapter 79, Oct 6, 2022)

› The Fact Momo's body wasn't found, and that magical girls can survive something like that sent warning bells around me. If it's true Kyoko is going to lose it.

And now you have Scheherazade's words in this chapter…

JAGwin (chapter 79, Oct 7, 2022)

› Oh, and as a last note, I'm pretty sure Ui's hair is fair bit paler than Iroha's.

They are somewhat different shades, sure, but they are both unambiguously pink, so I don't think it's that much of a stretch to refer to them as "the same colour".

› I would like to remind you that White Feathers use telekinetically controlled swords, not chains.

I have no clear way to verify this statement, as the wiki doesn't appear to show the sprites for the white feathers, and my memory isn't good enough to confirm that way. I also think it seems easier for San to stick to one set of techniques for everyone, rather than one set for black feathers and a different set for white feathers. I'm pretty sure this also isn't the first time I've mentioned (or at least implied) that white feathers are learning the same chain techniques.

So, in summary: Fine, whatever. Let's just say that's another way in which this fic differs from canon.

Or maybe all feathers learn chain techniques first and move onto sword techniques only once they've master the chain techniques…?

In any case, I factored the idea into later chapters by suggesting that some (but not necessarily all) white feathers attach blades to their chains. That makes them a minor variation on the same chain techniques, rather than a whole new technique.

Guest (chapter 79, Oct 9, 2022)

› 'Even dyed her hair the same color, huh?'

› 'Oh, yeah, cause we both like pink,' Iroha says, nodding. 'Though, now that you mention it... I haven't dyed it since I became a magical girl...'

› Personally I think that the rainbow of different hair & eye colors in Madoka Magica are the result of wishes. The Incubators have been offering wishes for 10,000 years? It's not that outrageous to think at least one girl might have made a wish like 'I wish that people were more colorful!' out of potentially millions of magical girls across thousands of years of history.

It's not a bad idea, but it's not the kind of explanation I've chosen for this fic.

Dyed hair retaining its colour after contracting is another application of the tendency that also prevents some magical girls from getting fat and keeps Pernelle from aging. Dyed hair before contracting is just dyed hair.

plowplum (chapter 67, Nov 3, 2022)

› And Chelsea and co finally manage to infiltrate the Wings of the Magius. Honestly, I'm surprised the Magius would just show some newcomers Eve since I assumed they were keeping their cards close to their chest; not every magical girl is going to be comfortable knowing a giant super witch is being incubated inside their city.

I'm pretty sure it's their policy to show Eve to everyone, so they can get used to the thick impurities in the chapel. They may wait longer for some girls than others, though.

› One Chelsea's end, hopefully she remembers or comes up with some plan regarding the Pendant rumors lest she, Inui and Kirika wind up being brainwashed by the Magius

Yup, that's all taken care of!

› So this chapter expanded more on the Ashen Revolution event from a non-Folklore of Zero magical girl though that does leave me with some questions. Lavi warning girls not to wear their rings out to avoid being detected by the magical girl serial killer doesn't seem to match how the eradicators would target girls based on their rings.

Well, it's always possible that some girls didn't see the warning or ignored it. Or they forgot.

› Also why would Suzune allow the rumors about magical girls turning into witches to spread?

That's actually a good question. Perhaps she assumed she'd be able to quickly kill any resulting witches, or that it would deter further contracts. Or perhaps Kagari decided to interfere a little.

pucelleanon (chapter 81, Nov 7, 2022)

› Also something else that bugs me is that Ashely seems to not acknowledge the possibility that resetting the timeline again might cause a shift in things that overrides the whole Magia Record timeline just like how a reset caused it in the first place. She can't rely on things happening the same way.

I think you're missing the fact that things developed in the Magia Record direction because Ashley explicitly and intentionally nudged them in that direction, by getting Oriko to draw Kyuubey's attention to Ui, Touka, and Nemu. If that worked once, it's reasonable to suppose it'll work again… especially since it primarily relies on Kyuubey's behaviour.

JAGwin (chapter 80, Nov 7, 2022)

› Since when is Mokyu considered female?

I've described Mokyu as female in that section for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's from Iroha's point of view, so I don't think it's a stretch to suggest that Iroha may think of Mokyu as a girl. Secondly, Mokyu contains a portion of Ui's soul, and narrator-Iroha already knows this.

› Okay, hold on. The way Mifuyu is talking here makes it sound like she thinks Kyouko CAN win against them, but then everything after makes it sound like both she and Kyouko think that Kyouko CAN'T.

Oh, nice spotting that. This exists in the source material as well, I think (as in, the NA server translation). The phrase "I'm sure you can" is meant to reference back to "Can you tell", not "whether you would win", but I can certainly see how you might be confused by the phrasing.

Guest (chapter 81, Nov 7, 2022)

› I think you already told them about what happen in chapter 8 to chapter 9 in Magia Record story that will happen to them of course most of us reader feel dissapoint. But there will be some surprise and twist that you will give us in that spoiler for next chapter that will shock us with interest. So good luck :)

Certainly there have been a lot of things that I'd like to think came as a surprise, despite already knowing that they failed. Who could have predicted that Irina would get a starring role in the battle against Walpurgisnacht? Or that the pink feathers phenomenon could occur without the intervention of Madokami?

Although, you can have an e-cookie if you did anticipate those.

And then there's Scheherazade, though I'm pretty sure I already hinted in a conversation with Mary that she might show up.

pepper12097 (chapter 82, Nov 13, 2022)

› Really i can't remember any magical girl except for main cast

Well, that's probably good enough for most purposes, so…

JAGwin (chapter 81, Nov 14, 2022)

› *spit-take* Why did they make another Kazumi!?

They didn't. Don't forget that Kazumi is the 13th clone of Michiru, and the previous 12 were kept in stasis because Saki couldn't bear to kill them. In the Kazumi Magica manga they all died when Satomi went crazy (and were subsequently absorbed by Kazumi), but since Hijiri is no longer going on a rampage, they're no longer doomed to die. As I'm pretty sure I mentioned in passing at some point, Kazumi decided to speak to all the past clones individually. Thanks to that conversation, one of them decided to become a magical girl with her, and that's Michika.

In other words, Michika is actually several months older than Kazumi. That's also shown in the profiles – Kazumi's says 1mo while Michika's says 6mo.

› Could someone refresh my memory? Since when is the Counseling Room in Sankyo?

My understanding is that it's in the Suitoku Shopping Mall, close to Banbanzai. I'm not quite sure if that's in Sankyo but, if not, it's at least not far from Sankyo. It's not that close to the Sankyo high school, though, being roughly at the opposite end of the ward.

› Also, quick note, Yukika's hair isn't actually short; She has a pretty long ponytail. Granted, I guess it's reasonable if Yachiyo and Kanagi couldn't see it under her hood.

Yeah, Yukika is one of a few girls who looks like she has short hair if you only see her directly from the front, or if she's wearing a hood. (Irina and Natsuki also come to mind.)

JAGwin (chapter 83, Dec 26, 2022)

› Also, Yachiyo's questioning of what the Magius have done and the reactions to hearing that Walpurgisnacht is coming feel like a railroaded script, because Chelsea already commented on Walpurgisnacht in response to Mami saying that their plans were about to succeed and no one reacted.

There was so much going on in these chapters that I kept forgetting what Chelsea had already said to change people's awareness of the situation, so that's probably what happened there as well – I simply forgot that she'd said something earlier that should have changed their reactions.

There were other places where I spotted the issue and did some work to correct it, but I probably just missed this place.

Maybe someday I'll go back and correct that, but right now I'm more interested in getting to the next stage of this act.

› I don't remember anything about the Magius trying to make Walpurgisnacht stronger. Are you sure you aren't conflating the "summon Walpurgisnacht" plan with something else they did?

It's likely Ashley treating a side-effect of their plan as intentional. As she explains, all the impurities being carried by the Oscars are in fact going to have the effect of powering up Walpurgisnacht to a degree, and as I recall, this was even mentioned by the magical girls fighting in the city during chapter 10. But whether the Magius actually intended for that to happen is an open question.

› Wait until Konoha the White Feather winds up in the same scene as Shizumi Konoha. That'll get confusing...

Though you're right, it's also likely that Konoha the feather would be using her real name (Kazuha) instead of her white feather alias when that happened, which would avoid the issue.

› I'm gonna assume Mana's sister is meant to be a completely different character from the canon Kuro, since you've already established her as being Tamura in this fic.

You're right that I've established the Valentine's Kuro to be Tamura, but you're forgetting that there are (potentially) two different canon characters referred to as Kuro.

› "'Well, to be fair, I'm not recommending you use your doppel,' Ashley said. 'I don't think it's as safe as the Magius believe.'
› 'Hmph,' Kanagi said. 'I'm surprised to hear you say you think I'm not feeling anything. I may not look it, but I am well past my boiling point.'"
› *tilts-head* I feel like something is missing here, because I don't see anyone saying they think Kanagi isn't feeling anything.

It looks like this is something that was lost in the official North American translation. The exact lines from the game are:

Kanagi: Something as huge as Eve will leave the city in ruins…
Kanagi: We all know how that will end.
Tsuruno: Ugh…
Tsuruno: You're not wrong, but how can you say it like that?
Tsuruno: I'm about as mad as the Mightiest Magical Girl can get!
Tsuruno: And now that I know I can hit Eve with all my might and it doesn't even budge her…
Tsuruno: I'm gonna unleash all my power on her! No holding back!
Kanagi: Hmph. I'm surprised to hear you say you think I'm not feeling anything.
Kanagi: I may not look it, but I am well past my boiling point.

So, the confusion you're seeing is present in the original too (at least in the official translation), but it's pretty clear upon close reading that Tsuruno is objecting to Kanagi's emotionless way of speaking, and Kanagi is in turn objecting to being thought of as emotionless because of her way of speaking.

I adjusted the dialogue a little in the fic to hopefully make the associations more clear. Ashley interposing her own lines into the middle already made it less clear than it was in the original, and it already was a bit confusing there, so clearly some clarification was necessary.

Matsky (chapter 83, Dec 26, 2022)

› I noticed that one of the Puella Magi is from Georgia ( as in, one of the Former Soviet Republics, not the State of Georgia in United States America).

If you mean Nami, the profile clearly states that she's from Kushimoto. Still, given that she has an Armenian name, it's quite possible that her parents or grandparents are from Georgia, and even if that's not the case, she definitely has some not-too-distant ancestor from either Georgia or somewhere close.

KadinaruDess (chapter 85, Dec 29, 2022)

› Wow that was a doozy, yet so wonderful. I now appreciate why the "retelling of the past" format is used to cover the last parts of this timeline because oh dear its a mess. So many POVs happening in parallel, squeezed in a flashy final confrontation.

Yes! It was the only way I could think of to both maintain a (broadly) first-person perspective while at the same time squeezing in as much as I could. With all that was going on, it would have dramatically overtaxed Ashley's clairvoyance to keep track of it all on her own (plus that would've required me to reason more closely about the relative timing of things in different threads).

Of course, I could have instead chosen to temporarily break out of the first-person perspective… but I wanted to avoid that.

› What will Madoka of the next time recall this time, maybe she will recall more considering that she's already time travelled?

What? She'll recall precisely what she recalled at the beginning of this timeline.

› (i'm still questioning how Ashley remembered beyond her first time travel when Homura cut off her time travelling priviledges)

Well, that's already explained in this chapter, but basically it's a direct result of the clock at the beginning of the timeline sliding forward by a few minutes.

› And then there's also the suspicious sleeping other half of Chelsea (yeah, i know I'm a broken record at this point).

Yeah, not much longer until that's answered.

A literal Fan (chapter 61, Dec 29, 2022)

› Seems to me that Walpurgis is as strong as the plot needs it to be, which does make sense actually with her nature and all.

It's true that Walpurgis's strength is not consistent from timeline to timeline. I've tried my best to explain it in the fic, but I'm not sure how well that went.

JAGwin (chapter 85, Dec 31, 2022)

› "There were barely fifteen seconds left before Madoka's boost wore off."

› It sure felt like all that talking everyone did between this and Homura pointing out the feathers were gone took more than fifteen seconds. Heck, it felt like more than a minute would've passed between the last time Madoka said how long they had and this line.

I did do a very, very rough attempt at timing that dialogue, and I might've also run with the assumption that some of it was semi-simultaneous. It does feel a little squeezed for just fifteen seconds, as you say.

› What in the name of Urobutcher was that- wait... is that a KIMOCHI!?

I really want to know what triggered this reaction in the previous chapter. Was there something that resembled a kimochi? Is this just a response to the cliffhanger at the end, or was there something else that triggered it?

Normally I would ask this by private message, but in this case the mere act of asking would've been proof that the guess was wrong, and I didn't want to spoil the surprise if it was a response to the cliffhanger. So I decided to roll it into the comment responses instead.

A note on hair colours:

Some people (well, mainly one person) have been calling me out repeatedly on what they consider to be inaccurate hair colours. While they're correct from a technical viewpoint, I'm working from the point of view that all hair colours that could possibly be natural are in fact natural. That means any shade of orange or light red is "red hair", any shade of yellow is "blonde hair", grey or white are "silver" (also called "platinum blonde") or "ash blonde", dark red is "brown hair", anything really close to black (dark blue, dark purple, extremely dark brown) is "black hair", and so on.

I've somewhat done this with eye colours too, though perhaps less aggressively. I figure many of the girls with weird eye colours are either actually wearing colour contacts, or their magic has altered their eye colour. I mentioned this somewhere above as well, but the former explanation is also why Ashley's eye colour in the fic is completely different from in the game – I posit that the original Ashley habitually wore colour contacts, but when Chelsea took over she stopped wearing them.

"But most people in Japan have black hair!" you might say. "The colours are just a convenient way to aid in telling them apart in anime!"

Yeah? Really? Have you actually been to Japan? (Disclaimer: I haven't either.) Admittedly you might not find hair quite as colourful as the girls in Madoka Magica, but I seriously doubt everyone you see will have black hair, assuming you're in a moderately populated area. If you go to a rural village, then sure, it might be almost entirely black or grey hair.

But more importantly, this is set ~30 years in the future. There's already a significant presence of non-Japanese people in Japan, so why wouldn't that increase even further?

"Haven't you heard that schools require you to dye your hair black?" you might say.

Some schools. But again, what's true in the present day is not necessarily still going to be true in ~30 years later. Even if it were still true, only some schools require that, and there's no reason the schools in Shinriku Prefecture need to be among those.

"But dyed hair is seen as a sign of being a delinquent in Japan," you might say.

Sure. In the present day, that might be the case. But a lot of things can change in ~30 years. Even now, in the present, some people are beginning to challenge the taboo against tattoos. It doesn't seem like a stretch for the same thing to happen with hair dye.

"Actually, those weird hair colours are all natural in this world," one person claimed.

This is such a ridiculous statement that the only way I could believe it to be canon would be if someone had explicitly said so (and word of god does not count – it has to be actually in the source material somewhere).

And feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not recall a single instance where someone in the original anime made any sort of reference to another character's hair colour. This indicates that there was nothing unusual about it, but it doesn't give any indication of why it was normal. The normal assumption would be that the colours are not "real" – they're merely a narrative device to aid in distinguishing characters. I believe the game, however, does directly reference a character's hair colour at least once (describing Iroha as having pink hair), so that denies the narrative device theory. It's still clearly normal for someone to have pink hair, though. But the game still doesn't give any indication of why that would be normal.

To put it another way: in the lack of any direct evidence in the source material, it seems like less of a stretch to suppose that the culture differs a little from modern-day Japan than to suppose that those hair colours are all natural.

While it's not technically impossible for an unusual hair colour to be encoded in genes (after all, plenty of animals use such colouration), there's likely some evolutionary reason why it's not the case in real life, and there's no reason to suppose that that reason no longer holds in the Madokaverse.

On the other hand, culture is always changing and evolving, much faster than genes do. It's entirely possible for cultural values to change dramatically over the course of a decade or two.

So, while it would be totally valid for a fic writer to decide that "technicolour hair" is just a scientific fact in the Madokaverse, I chose to apply Occam's Razor and choose cultural variation as the more likely explanation.

"Maybe a girl wished for people to have natural technicolour hair," one person suggested.

I can't deny that there's some measure of plausibility in that idea. However, it's not like wishes are omnipotent, despite what Kyuubey might try to say to the contrary at times. They do have limits, and I think a magical girl who could fully realize such a wish would be rather uncommon. Plus, I don't actually need such a far-reaching wish to explain it in-universe. I've already established that a magical girl unconsciously maintains her body in what she sees as her "ideal form". If her ideal form includes colourful hair, then it just makes sense that her hair would grow in as an unusual colour.

Still… if someone did want to take the "natural technicolour hair" approach, a wish of this calibre from someone particularly strong (perhaps on the order of Homura or Jeanne d'Arc) would be a decent explanation.