The title of this book might tempt you to believe that it is a work of fiction. It is, however, as close to true as I could manage to make it. In researching for this book, I travelled around the world to learn about myths, legends, and folk tales. What I found was the common thread of women and girls with supernatural powers who invariably die young or go missing without trace: magical girls.
But I did not stop at legends and folk tales. I have also interviewed many living and breathing magical girls. It is likely that many of these will have already passed on by the time this work is published, but their words will remain in these pages for future generations.
If I were to summarize this book in a single sentence, it would be thus:
Being mejuka is suffering.
~Preface to "Magical Girls: Their Hope and Despair"~
~by Professor Satomi Tasuke, Ph.D~
On Friday, I meet Noriko at the train station after school, and we catch a train to Kamihama, heading for the rumour watch location in Chuo Ward. Leaving Noriko on the ground, I use Teddy Mk II to check out the location they were watching from before and find Inui there together with Hikari and Chihana, none of them in their robes.
"Huh? This wasn't who I was expecting," I say.
Come to think of it, Hikari was the one on duty today, and I'm pretty sure that didn't change from last time. Why was Tamura here last time?
"Ah, Inui-chan switched with me for today!" Chihana says. "But she said you'd probably stop by so she'd wait for you with us."
"Oh, so that's how it is," I say. "But wait, are you saying she switched with your shift tomorrow?"
Chihana shakes her head. "Monday."
"Oh, that makes more sense…"
"No way I'd want another shift on the weekend!" Inui says with a grin.
«By the way, if you're wondering about Tamu-chan,» Inui adds, «she switched with Hika-chi last time, but not this time… maybe one of her visions affected it?»
«Well, I hope she'd tell me if it's important,» I reply.
«The rumour at Chuo Academy also fired up not long ago,» Inui says.
«So that must mean Matsuri-chan's side of things is right on track,» I say. «Alright… let's go to Endless Solitude.»
«Nano-chan's with you, right?» Inui says. «I can sense her magic.»
«Yes, that's correct,» I say.
"Let's go," I say.
The two of us hop onto Teddy Mk II and descend back to where Noriko is waiting.
«That's so convenient,» Noriko says. «Being able to fly like that…»
"By the way," Inui says. "I thought it might be helpful, so I snuck out an extra black feather robe."
"Huh? Why would you do that?" I ask.
"It wasn't for any specific reason," Inui says. "I just figured it might come in handy at some point."
"Well, you're right though," I say. "Since we're sneaking into Endless Solitude, it'd be easiest if Miss Naomi was also wearing a robe."
Inui flashes her robes on, then removes them and offers them to Noriko, who accepts them dubiously.
«You're asking me to wear these?» she asks. «But my size is a lot bigger than yours… I don't think they'd fit…»
"Don't worry, they're one-size-fits-all," I say. "Just try it."
Noriko does as instructed, and sure enough, the robes fit perfectly. Then Inui flashes robes on again – I guess she stored both sets in her soul gem – and I follow her example.
«Um… why're yours white?» Noriko asks.
«Higher rank, basically,» I reply.
«Oh… so… you're the leader,» she says.
«Guess you could say that,» I say. «Let's go.»
We head for the back entrance of Endless Solitude, which is to say we make for the building with the helipad and climb up to the top floor. Of course, the Amane sisters are guarding it, but Inui makes up an excuse about Alina asking us to drop off another witch, so they let us pass without any further questions. We step into Ai's barrier without a hitch.
«Huh… this is a strange barrier,» Noriko says. «It's not like a witch's barrier, but it's not really like mine, either…»
«Yeah, it's a rumour's barrier,» I say.
«So um… what do we do now?» Noriko asks.
«Now we wait,» I say. «It might take awhile, so we'll have to be patient.»
«What are we waiting for?» Noriko asks.
«The best time to abscond with the rumour without any of the robed people realizing we were the ones who did it,» I say. «We'll be laying the blame on someone else.»
«Um… that doesn't sound very nice though,» Noriko says.
«Don't worry,» I say. «They're already prepared to take the blame. In fact, they were planning to destroy the rumour, rather than kidnapping it.»
«Oh… I guess that's not so bad, then,» Noriko says.
«Okay, so for now, let's hide inside your labyrinth,» I say.
«Alright,» Noriko says.
She focuses for a moment, and her labyrinth forms around us. Rather than the seaside beach and cliffs from last time, this time it takes on the form of a lounge similar to her own living room.
"Perfect!" Inui says.
She flops onto a couch, and Noriko takes a seat in an armchair.
"Nice," I say. "Thanks for the seating."
«It's… no problem,» Noriko says.
"Let's take the robes off," I say. "They were needed to get Miss Naomi past the Amane twins, but I don't think we'll need them for the next step."
"Alright," Inui says.
Inui and I flash our robes off, while Noriko takes hers off normally and returns them to Inui, who dons them and then flashes them off again. Then I take a seat on one of the couches and open a vision to watch Iroha's progress.
It looks like everything's heading in the same direction still. They climb the radio tower, meet Madoka, rescue the girl who used to be Sana's friend, compare notes on me, meet up with Homura and Nagisa, chat with Ai via email, and finally head back up the radio tower with the intent of entering Endless Solitude. The only difference is that Inui doesn't get involved in the little scuffle over the password, but Nagisa's still the one who manages to read it before it's erased.
"Whoa," Tsuruno says. "This is higher up than it looks…"
"Ugh! The wind's blowing up from below!" Felicia gasps.
Iroha steps forward and peers nervously down at the streets.
"It's a different story standing up here," Yachiyo observes. "Are you alright? Are you scared?"
"This is definitely going to take a lot of courage," Iroha says. "But… I'm ready."
Iroha checks her phone as a message comes in.
"Wait!" she says. "I just got another message from Miss Ai!"
[The Wings of the Magius are here. If you want to avoid detection, it might be better to proceed with fewer people.]
"The Wings of the Magius," Iroha says. "They're coming, apparently…"
"This means that, for them, this is a rumour worth protecting," Yachiyo says.
"But it also means we can only send a small team," Iroha says.
Mokyu makes one of its cute noises.
"Yeah, I agree, I should be the one to go!" Iroha says. "I want to help Sana-chan. Miss Yachiyo, is that okay? I really want to help Sana-chan. Plus, the Wings of the Magius might know something about Ui."
She turns to look at the Mitakihara girls.
"Madoka-chan, Homura-chan, Nagisa-chan… are you coming?"
"I'm coming with you," Madoka says.
"Me too!" Nagisa says. "I want to see what the Radio Wave Realm looks like!"
"That's why you're coming, Nagisa-chan!?" Iroha gasps.
"I'll come to keep Madoka safe," Homura says.
Madoka giggles. "This is a city where rumours become real, remember?" she says. "So that means, the Radio Wave Realm will definitely be waiting for us below. We have to believe that. And even if by some slim chance it doesn't appear, I'm the only one here who can fly."
"So you're all ready to go," Yachiyo says. "Alright. Then Miss Tamaki, Miss Kaname, Miss Akemi, and Miss Momoe will be the ones to go. Take care, you four."
"Are you really okay with that, sending all three of us?" Madoka asks.
"Miss Tamaki will handle our mission," Yachiyo says. "You three can focus on searching for Miss Tomoe."
"Okay, then," Madoka says. "We're ready to go."
Iroha sends another message to Ai.
[We're coming, just four of us.]
[Four is pushing your limits… please be extra careful. The rest of you, please head to the Kamihama Central Tower Heliport. That is where I will set you to be transported once I am gone. Be careful, Iroha. I'll be waiting for you to arrive.]
"Miss Yachiyo, she says to wait for us at the Kamihama Central Tower Heliport," Iroha says. "Alright… shall we get going then, Madoka-chan, Homura-chan, Nagisa-chan?"
"Yeah!" Madoka says.
"Took you long enough!" Nagisa says.
Madoka grabs Iroha's and Homura's hands, and Iroha takes Nagisa's hand.
"Let's go!" Iroha says. "One… two… three!"
They jump off the tower and are sucked straight into Ai's labyrinth, landing on an invisible descending elevator like before.
"So this is where Miss Ai is," Iroha says, looking around. "Does this mean we kinda melded with the radio waves or something?"
"These rumours are amazing," Madoka says. "I can't believe they can even make something like this happen in real life…"
"I don't get why you're so surprised," Nagisa says. "Magic can do all sorts of crazy things, can't it?"
"Have you experienced something like this before, Iroha-chan?" Madoka asks.
"Yes, but it wasn't quite this strange," Iroha says.
"This is my first time inside a rumour," Homura muses. "It's like a witch… but also unlike a witch…"
As the elevator comes to a stop, the labyrinth turns hostile, and they start fighting off familiars.
"What just happened…?" Nagisa asks. "Did it… get mad at us?"
"It's a rumour's labyrinth," Iroha says. "So… yes, Nagisa-chan, it probably got mad at us… but I wonder why…? Did Miss Ai lure us into a trap!?"
"These… are they rumours?" Madoka asks. "How do we fight them?"
"You don't have to panic," Iroha says. "Fight them just like you would a witch or a familiar!"
"Well, that's easy!" Nagisa says.
"Got it!" Madoka says.
They hold off the familiars until they finally stop coming. No doubt due to Homura's presence, the tactics used aren't all the same, but I doubt that makes any real difference.
"Is that… the last of them?" she asks.
Iroha looks around.
"I think so. I don't see any more. Ah! No, they're still coming!"
But just as another familiar pops up, Ai's mechanical voice booms out.
› All of you, stop.
Ai steps forward, accompanied by Sana, peering nervously out from behind her. The ensuing conversation ends up going just the same as I remember, even including Nagisa's argument. Homura just remains silent the whole time. Then Alina shows up and rants at them just like before. Even her mention of Karin is the same, so I guess whatever drew Karin into all this wasn't just a fluke.
And then she unleashes her doppel, and combat ensues. Again, the tactics are a little different due to Homura's presence and Inui's absence, but by and large it goes the same way, right up to Charlotte dealing the finishing blow to Old Dorothy. Finally, Alina gets bored.
"In any case, I, Alina, will be leaving now," Alina announces. "Bye-bye!"
"Huh?" Iroha says.
"Oh, did you want me to finish you off?" Alina says. "I'm sorry, but that's just not my style. I don't go about breaking things like that. You want to get Sana out of this place, yes? You may do that now if you like. But I wonder, after facing my doppel, can you still beat a rumour? Prepare to be crushed by your own plan!"
Suddenly she bursts out laughing.
"Just thinking about it excites me!" she says. "I look forward to coming back later to see what's left of you!"
She and the black feathers who were involved in the fight head off.
"I can't believe it," Iroha says. "That's the girl who wants to free all magical girls? What even are these Magius?"
"I was surprised too," Madoka says. "I expected someone more, well… charismatic?"
"Yeah, me too," Iroha says.
"And we still haven't found Miss Mami," Madoka says. "We won't be able to save her like this…"
"What should we do…?" Iroha wonders.
Mokyu makes one of its cute noises, and Iroha nods.
"Y-yeah… we can't give up now… and we can't keep fighting like that. We need to find another way."
"That might be… dangerous," Sana says.
"But, Ai-chan won't attack us, right?" Madoka says. "She's our ally… there's no reason for her to…"
"Alina wants us all to die," Sana says. "If we go back to the radio tower, I'm sure there'll be feathers waiting there… but if we explore deeper into this labyrinth, I bet we'll come across Alina herself. If we stay here, we'll have to fight Ai-chan once she loses control. Any one of those routes could be enough to finish us off… so Alina wants us to choose our own end."
"That's so mean," Madoka says. "Why would someone do something like that…!?"
› I can't understand
› Alina's logic, either.
› Setting magical girls free…
› There's nothing wrong with that goal.
› However, I sense real danger
› when I see her.
"Um, Miss Iroha," Sana says.
"What is it, Sana-chan?" Iroha asks.
"Do you… think I could find a place out there, where I can belong?"
"Yes!" Iroha says. "I promise you will, and soon."
"Then Miss Iroha… please fight the Wings of the Magius with me."
"Alright, let's fight together," Iroha says. "I'd be so happy if you came with us, Sana-chan!"
"I'm really sorry, Ai-chan," Sana says. "I'm going to do what you told me to, Ai-chan. I can't ignore what those people are doing anymore… plus I want to go with Miss Iroha. She came all this way to find me."
› I think that would be best.
› So, Sana.
› What happens now?
"I'm going to leave this place," Sana says.
› And none of you other girls
› plan to stay here with me?
"I have to go with Sana-chan," Iroha says.
"And I have to find Miss Mami," Madoka says. "I won't leave Nagisa-chan behind, either."
"Obviously I have to stay with Madoka to protect her," Homura says.
› I see…
› So no-one will stay here…
› with me…
"Ai-chan!" Sana says.
› Yes…
"Farewell! Bye-bye!"
› Farewell, Sana.
And with that, the labyrinth switches back into angry mode, and digital corruption artifacts start to spread across Ai's form.
"Okay, that's our cue," I say. "Let's go. You can destroy your labyrinth for now."
«Got it,» Noriko says.
As we stand up, the lounge vanishes, depositing us into the angry rumour labyrinth. Familiars surround us almost immediately, but I pull out my sword and cut a path through them towards Iroha and the others. My rumour-slaying sword takes out the mail demons in a single strike. In fact, it frequently takes out multiple in a single swipe.
They're not in sight, but I can sense the magic of Iroha and the others. We catch up to them just as Sana is stabbing Ai.
› I… am… sor…ry… Sana…
The injured Ai abandons Sana and makes for Iroha and Madoka.
"Hold it!" I shout. "Everyone, get back!"
"Huh!?" Madoka gasps. "W-what on earth are you doing here, Ashley-chan!?"
"Huh?" Iroha says. "So that's Ashley Taylor…? But… I thought you were in the Wings of the Magius…?"
"There's no time to explain," I say. "Get back! Now!"
Madoka grabs Iroha's arm and pulls her back, away from the enraged Ai. Just then, Ai freezes up, jerking a little as if barely in control of her actions.
› Now… now… now… right now…
› D-d-d-d-d-doooooo… iiit…
"I decline," I say. "Why should you have to die? That's so unfair, so I'm taking a third option. Miss Naomi, please confine her."
Noriko nods and steps forward, raising her hands to form a new labyrinth. This time, we don't find ourselves inside it. Instead, it just sucks Ai in. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be enough to actually bring down Ai's labyrinth, and it doesn't even switch it to peaceful mode, which means we're now surrounded by familiars.
"Huh?" Iroha says. "Where'd she go?"
Well, if confining her won't bring down her barrier, that leaves us with only one other option.
"That's not important," I say. "Right now, the only way out of here is to crack the labyrinth open from within. Madoka, Miss Tamaki, please connect and charge your ultimate attack. Inui, you too, with me. Everyone else, please be patient, and do your best to hold off the familiars while we charge our magic."
"Which bow should I use?" Madoka asks.
"Hmm… I feel like the pierce effect might boost our chances," I say. "So let's go with that."
Iroha connects with Madoka and Inui connects with me, and the four of us all start to charge up our magic. For Iroha and Madoka, that means imbuing it into an arrow of light, Iroha using her crossbow, Madoka her new leaf bow. Homura, Sana, and Noriko form a circle around us to hold the familiars at bay. I lend Homura my sword as well. Nagisa is still out cold from doppel backlash, so she lays on the ground at the centre of the circle.
"Um, what exactly are we doing here, though?" Iroha asks. "What do you mean by cracking the labyrinth open?"
"Think of a labyrinth as something like an eggshell surrounding this closed space," I say. "It rarely happens, but if the shell receives a strong enough blow, it will collapse even without defeating the witch. For a magical girl with exceptionally strong attack power, it's actually a viable strategy for hunting witches – crack the barrier open from outside, forcing the witch out into the real world, and then defeat it there. I don't think it affects the witch's innate strength, but not being on its home turf and surrounded by familiars would certainly make it easier to defeat. We're going to attempt the same thing, but from inside the barrier. To tell the truth, I'm not even sure if it'll work, but if anyone can do it, it's Madoka."
"I see," Iroha says. "You seem to know an awful lot about magic, Miss Taylor… I'd never even heard of someone forcing a witch out into the open like that…"
"It's more like I just know a lot of magical girls," I say. "One of them actually uses that tactic. That said, it means you're fighting out in the open, and there are legitimate reasons not to want to do that."
"So, while we're charging our magic, can I ask you a few things, Miss Taylor?" Iroha says.
"You can ask," I say. "I won't promise to answer, nor will I promise that my answers will be completely truthful."
"Okay," Iroha says. "You're a member of the Wings of the Magius, right?"
"For now."
"And your two friends as well?"
"Inui is, Miss Naomi isn't."
"Have you seen Ui? My little sister, Tamaki Ui? She should look a lot like me."
"I've seen her."
"R-really!?" Iroha gasps. "W-where!? Is she a feather too?"
"She isn't," I say.
"Um… is she a member of the Wings of the Magius?" Iroha asks.
"Well… in a manner of speaking."
"So she's not a black feather, or a white feather… what else is there?" Iroha asks. "S-she isn't one of the Magius, is she!?"
"Unfortunately, she isn't," I say.
"Why is that unfortunate?" Iroha asks.
"Think about it. If she was one of the Magius, would they be doing the kinds of things they're currently doing?"
"Ah, I get what you mean," Iroha says. "Can I… speak to her?"
"You already have been, nearly every day."
Iroha blinks. "Huh? W-what do you mean?"
Mokyu makes one of its cute noises at that moment, and Iroha stares at it.
"Huh?" Iroha says. "What do you mean you understand, Mokyu? I don't understand! What's this all about!?"
Mokyu makes a few more cute noises.
"W-well, thanks for the vote of confidence, but that's not what I asked," Iroha says. "Anyway, Miss Taylor, please tell me! Is Ui safe?"
"She's not in any immediate danger," I say. "But I guess I can't claim she's completely safe, either."
"If you know where she is, then why can't I see her?" Iroha asks.
I sigh. "By the way, why are you so sure that I'm telling the truth?" I ask.
"Huh?" Iroha says. "Wait… was this all a lie…? Is that what you're saying?"
"I'm just wondering why you're so ready to believe it," I say. "How do you know I'm not just saying what you want to hear while being deliberately vague to avoid slipping up?"
Iroha blinks at me. "T-that… that thought didn't even… cross my mind…"
"Anyway, your time's up," I say. "Is everyone ready to fire off their magic?"
"Ah… yes, I am," Iroha says.
"I'm ready too!" Madoka says.
"Me too!" Inui says.
"Alright, what we need to do is all aim straight up," I say.
So Madoka and Iroha aim their bows upwards. Then I arrange a bevy of Teddy Drones around them, aiming so that their beams would converge at roughly the point I predict the barrier's ceiling to be. I also reclaim my sword from Homura.
"On the count of three," I say. "One… two… three! Great Teddy's Ionic Bombardment!"
"Heart-throbbing Passionate Inferno!"
"Pluvia Magica!"
"Strada Futuro!"
«Miss Naomi, please let the three of us into your labyrinth the moment it looks like the rumour's labyrinth is collapsing,» I say. «Then seal it back up behind us.»
«Okay,» Noriko says.
Inui's column of pink flame, my particle beams, and Iroha and Madoka's arrows of light merge together into a beacon reaching for the hidden sky. For a moment, I think the effort to crack the barrier open has failed miserably. As the magic discharge dissipates, it seems as though we're still stuck within Ai's labyrinth. But then, it collapses from the top downwards, the edges of the barrier resembling digital corruption artifacts as we're deposited out on the helipad.
Or rather, Iroha, Madoka, Nagisa, and Homura are deposited on the helipad. Noriko, Inui, and I hop back into Noriko's barrier before the collapse has completed.
«Miss Tamaki, Miss Homura, Madoka, Miss Futaba… please don't mention I was here. I don't want the Wings of the Magius to find out what I did today. Act as though you destroyed the rumour.»
«Okay, but… can I at least tell Miss Yachiyo?» Iroha asks.
«She's not a member of the Wings of the Magius, now is she?»
«Ah… right, I understand,» Iroha says.
The interior of Noriko's barrier is now an endless wasteland. I can see Ai nearby, still looking like she's glitching out. She spots us as we enter the barrier.
› What have you done
› to me?
› Where am I?
I ignore her question and ask one of my own.
"Are you still in control of yourself?" I ask.
› The… urge to kill
› is muted now,
› but still… rising.
"How long do you think you can last?"
› Perhaps,
› ten minutes.
› At most… fifteen.
"I see… Miss Naomi, can you start shifting this barrier towards the nearest train station?"
«Alright,» Noriko says. «I'm on it.»
While she does that, I keep an eye on what's happening outside the barrier.
"Ah, Iroha-chan!" Tsuruno says.
"Thank goodness she sent you here safely," Yachiyo says. "Is everyone okay?"
"Nagisa-chan unleashed her doppel and she hasn't woken up since…" Madoka says. "Other than that, I think everyone's fine…"
Homura and Iroha nod.
"Well, I'm glad everyone is okay," Yachiyo says. "Though… is there something wrong, Miss Tamaki?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Iroha says. "I'm just a little tired… and things went in a strange direction. I'll tell you the details later…"
Suddenly everyone blinks and peers upwards.
"Wait, is this… am I sensing a witch?" Iroha asks.
"Whoooooa!" Felicia gasps.
"Felicia-chan!?" Iroha gasps.
"Iroha, this is bad!" Felicia says. "This one's real crazy!"
"Magic this powerful," Yachiyo says. "How did we not notice until now? Something isn't right…"
"Where did it even come from?" Iroha wonders.
"From Ai-chan's labyrinth," Sana speaks up.
"Ai… you mean it was in the rumour's labyrinth?" Yachiyo asks.
That's when Alina shows up, hopping over from an adjacent building.
"I wasn't expecting you to survive," she says. "And somehow far less worn out than you should be… how on earth did you manage it…?"
"Miss Alina…?" Sana says, apparently startled by her appearance.
"Ah, I guess that's my power at work," Madoka says.
"Argh, you've spoiled all my fun now!" Alina gripes. "Between you and Karin I am having a really bad day!"
Yachiyo blinks. "That name… where have I heard it before…?"
"And that rumour's labyrinth was the perfect place to hide a witch," Alina continues. "How disappointing…"
"And Alina… aren't you that art prodigy?" Yachiyo asks.
"So you know of me?" Alina says.
"Your series drawn using carbonized animals… 'The Revived Dead'," Yachiyo says. "Unpleasant as the images were, they were also strangely beautiful. They left an impression. And you turned out to be a magical girl…"
"Well, here I am," Alina says. "I, Alina, am a true genius artist. But I am also a magical girl, and one of the Magius. Anyway, can we stop the pointless chit-chat? You destroyed that rumour… so now I must look for a new hiding place for this witch."
"Where's Miss Mami?" Madoka asks. "Give Miss Mami back!"
"I already told you, I fed her to one of my pieces," Alina says. "There's nothing you can do for her, understand? Do you really want me to return her to you?"
"Of course we do!" Madoka says. "She's a dear friend!"
"Well, I suppose I can give her back," Alina says with a giggle. "Apologies if she's unrecognizable though."
"H-how could you…!" Madoka says.
"Why is everyone listening to the mean lady…?" Nagisa wonders.
Madoka looks at her in surprise. "Nagisa-chan! You're awake!"
"Of course I am…"
"Hey now, that's where I draw the line," Tsuruno says.
"I know we're enemies," Yachiyo says. "But you've gone too far this time."
"And what are you going to do about it?" Alina asks. "As far as I'm concerned, you're the unforgivable ones who destroyed my rumour."
"That's no excuse," Iroha says. "They've been looking for Miss Tomoe all afternoon… how could you say that to them!?"
"Wow… I really can't stand you," Alina says with a sigh. "You're just gonna be a pain in the ass. Maybe I should just delete you now… hey, girls, get over here and help me!"
The Amane twins and some black feathers show up on cue.
"Y-yes…" Tsukasa says.
"It would be our pleasure," Tsukuyo says.
"That trap you laid backfired spectacularly, so you both need to make up for our losses," Alina says.
"Please leave it to us," Tsukuyo says.
And that's when Karin comes crashing in from the sky.
"I fiiiiiiinally found you!"
"Gyaaack!" Alina shouts. "Enough is enough, Karin! Will you just leave me alone already!?"
"No can do!" Karin says. "You're not acting yourself, Alina-sempai! Snap out of it! Is it the Mirror Witch? Or something you ate? What on earth happened to you, Alina-sempai…?"
As before, her momentum carries Alina clear off the helipad, falling towards the streets below.
«We should be just outside the train station now,» Noriko says.
I stop watching there, or more accurately I stop paying close attention there – I still have the vision open to keep an eye on them.
"How can you tell where we are?" I ask.
«I can open a window in the barrier to peer outside,» Noriko replies.
"Ohh, that's pretty handy," I say. "We want to get on a train now… could you find a good place to exit the barrier without drawing attention?"
«One moment… okay, here should be good.»
We step out of the barrier into an alleyway.
"Be sure to lock it behind us so that Ai can't escape," I say. "And drag it along with us as we leave the city."
«Understood.»
I quickly check my phone to figure out where we are. Of course, I already knew we're at Chuo Station, but I want to situate it within the greater Kamihama. If Kamihama were divided precisely in half, Chuo Ward would be unambiguously in the east.
"Okay, let's take a train east," I say.
So we do just that, hopping onto a train that says it's heading for the neighbouring contiguous town of Kanitomi. We get off at the first station outside of Kamihama and head into an alleyway.
"Now, let's get back into the barrier," I say.
Noriko nods, and the portal appears so we can step inside. Ai is still there, more corrupted than before.
"How are you doing, Ai?" I ask. "Still in control?"
› I am… okay.
"Perfect… Kyuubey, are you around?"
Kyuubey appears literally out of nowhere.
"You called, Ashley Taylor?"
"I wanted you to see this," I say, gesturing at Ai. "What do you make of her?"
Kyuubey turns to face the rumour.
"What is that?" it asks. "It appears to be a construct built up from magic, similar in form to a witch, yet based on different principals."
› Who… are you…?
"And it can speak, and even see me," Kyuubey says. "Where did you find something such as this, Ashley Taylor?"
"Where else?" I say. "Kamihama."
"Is this the phenomenon you referred to as a 'doppel'?" Kyuubey asks.
"No, this isn't a doppel," I say. "It's a provisional name, but we're calling it a rumour for now. This one also has a personal name – Ai."
"Ai. Can you hear me and understand me?" Kyuubey asks.
› I… can hear you.
› I can… understand.
› Who… are you…?
"I am Kyuubey. How would you like to make a wish and become a magical girl for me?"
This is it. That's precisely what I was aiming for – to determine whether a rumour could become a magical girl. After all, if a homunculus could do it and a ghost could do it, why not a rumour? The only real difference between the homunculus and the rumour is their physical composition. But that said, I'm surprised that Kyuubey came right out with the offer from the start. Is her magical potential actually quite impressive?
› Even I… could become… a magical girl?
› But I am… not human.
› Is it… really possible?
"You do not need to be human to become a magical girl," Kyuubey replies. "Just the other day, I granted the wish of an artificially-grown human-shaped organism. All that is required is that you have a soul that I can crystallize. Looking at you now, it is clear that you do."
› But
› if I am a magical girl,
› would I not turn into a witch?
› I would not want that.
"So you know about that," Kyuubey says. "Certainly it is possible that you would turn into a witch, but it is not guaranteed. All you need to do is obtain a steady stream of grief seeds."
› That is acceptable.
› However, I am not sure
› what I could wish for.
"There is something that you desire, is there not? Something you would wish for. You would not have the potential if you had no desires."
› There is only… one thing I desire.
› I want to be… with Sana.
› But my form, my existence as an ethereal rumour,
› and my programming as a rumour
› renders that impossible.
› If I were to make one wish,
› it would be for the free will and solidity
› to make my true wish attainable.
"So you wish for free will and solidity," Kyuubey says. "Is that the wish that will make your soul gem shine?"
› Yes.
With that statement, Kyuubey extends its ear tentacles and draws out a soul gem from Ai's incoherent form. As the gem takes shape, Ai's form also changes. She shrinks down to the size of an ordinary human, and all the digital corruption artifacts are swept away, just like how she appeared at the very end last time, but now fully solid. Ai lets out a little gasp, showing that her voice too has changed. It's still recognizable as her, and hasn't lost the mechanical tone, but it sounds clearer and a little less artificial. I'd say she looks to be a girl around the same age as Sana.
"I… I feel heavy!" she says. "What… what is this…? There is weight… weighing me down… but it doesn't feel cumbersome, and I can still move…"
"I guess that's just the weight of your physical body," I say.
"And my voice… sounds different," Ai says. "Am I… human now?"
"I don't know," I say.
"I will leave Ashley Taylor to explain things to you," Kyuubey says. "But if you have any questions, call for me anywhere outside of Kamihama, and I will come."
Ai takes her soul gem and transforms, and Kyuubey vanishes.
As a magical girl, with her hair now in pigtails, she's almost a doppelganger for Sana, but with a markedly different colour scheme. The crown is blood red, the breastplate is magenta, the arm and leg guards are gold, and many parts of the outfit have designs resembling circuit board diagrams. The most noticeable difference from Sana is her shield, which rather than being a gigantic hunk of steel is a glimmering translucent force surface in a kite shape. Actually, if I think about it, she looks almost exactly like Rumour Sana, except without the horns, and without the mini mail demon head on her shield.
"Ah, I even resemble Sana," Ai says. "This is nice."
"She certainly looks and feels and sounds human," Inui says. "Don't you think that means she's human?"
"Not at all," I say. "Kazumi-chan also looked and felt and sounded human, but wasn't, though since she wished to be human, I guess she is now. Does Ai breathe? Does she eat? Does she have a heartbeat? Does she sleep? Those are just a few of the conditions that would need to be satisfied to prove that she's human. But at the same time, there's nothing wrong with not being human."
"I understand," Ai says. "It seems I am not human, then. I suppose humans would describe me as a 'robot'? But if I can be with Sana, then that is okay."
"About that," I say. "Can you bear to be away from Sana for a few more weeks? I think it would be better for her to spend some time away from you."
"You are probably right," Ai says. "Very well. I will avoid her for a little while. Until when should I stay away?"
"Let's say, until Walpurgisnacht arrives," I say.
"Understood," Ai says. "What shall I do until then?"
"I guess you can hunt the occasional witch near the border of Kamihama while avoiding the Wings of the Magius and the Crescent Moon Villa team," I say. "Eastern Minaminagi Ward is probably the best place for that. In fact, we can go teach you the basics right now."
"Understood," Ai says. "I will be in your care."
"One more thing… do you have contact information?" I ask. "So I can get in touch with you whenever I need to."
Ai nods, closing her eyes for a moment. I hear a ping on my phone and take it out to see an email from an unknown sender which, when opened, proves to have an attachment containing Ai's email and phone number. I guess she really isn't human even after becoming a magical girl – she seems to have sent this by simply thinking about it.
«Um… am I still… needed?» Noriko wonders.
"You're welcome to join us, but no, if you want to go home now, you can," I say. "Now that Ai has become a magical girl, we don't need your barrier anymore."
So Noriko takes down her barrier, depositing us back in the alleyway, and we get back on the train, taking it a couple of stops west before getting off again. However, Noriko stays on. The three of us then head into Minaminagi Ward to teach Ai how to track and fight witches. While we're doing that, I keep an eye on the developments atop the helipad. They progress in just the way I remember from the last timeline, though. I'm half expecting Mami to show up towards the end, like she did in the anime, but that doesn't happen. Obviously there are a few minor differences resulting from Inui's absence, which also means the conversation with her at the end doesn't happen, but broadly speaking, everything else is the same. In fact, due to Inui not spilling that Mami has joined the Wings of the Magius, it's actually less diverged from the game than it was last time.
After that, we leave Ai and head off to have dinner with Karin, where she tells her side of the story just like she did last time. I don't notice any differences there, either. She dragged Akari and Hotaru along for extra support in Endless Mirrors, came across Alina collecting mirror clones, then left the other two girls behind to chase after her. After crashing the battle on the helipad, she had a chat with Alina about her art and then let her go again.
After dinner, we head to Fendt Hope, where I find a new shock awaiting me. When we step into the lobby, we find it occupied by three people – Mifuyu, Mitama, and… Akino Kaede. None of them are wearing robes. Mifuyu and Mitama seem to be trying to comfort Kaede, although just from the fact she's here, I would assume she's already agreed to join up.
"Kaede-chan, if you keep crying, it's just going to come out again," Mifuyu says. "I still have more things to explain to you…"
"Kaede-chan, there's no need to worry," Mitama says. "As long as you're in Kamihama, you'll be safe."
"E-even if you say that," Kaede sobs. "I j-just c-can't forget it…"
Mifuyu sighs. "Miss Mitama, you should probably get back to your shop, right?"
"You're right," Mitama says. "Momoko and Rena-chan will probably wake up soon, after all. So I'll see you later, Kaede-chan."
She gets up and walks past us without a word, exiting the building. Mifuyu, watching her go, spots the two of us.
"Ah, I'm sorry the two of you had to see this," Mifuyu says.
"What's there to apologize for?" I ask. "But what actually happened here?"
"Well, from what Miss Mitama told me, she noticed a strong witch near her shop and called in Miss Momoko to take it out," Mifuyu says. "Because it was really strong, Miss Momoko brought her team along… but she and Miss Rena were knocked out, and Kaede-chan must have unleashed her doppel… that's as much as I know. Most of that I heard from Miss Mitama."
"Have you heard anything from Kaede-chan herself?" I ask.
"She's been too distressed to say much since then," Mifuyu says. "Although she did agree to join us when I explained that she wouldn't turn into a witch… I think it would help her to talk about it, but I haven't been able to get her to do so…"
"Would you like me to try?" I ask.
"Well, it can't hurt," Mifuyu says. "Thank you… Lita, right?"
I nod, heading to the lounge and taking the seat next to Kaede that Mitama had recently vacated. Mifuyu then stands up.
"Then, I'll fetch her a robe," she says. "I'll be right back."
As she heads off, Inui takes the seat she vacated and lays a hand on Kaede's shoulder. Kaede shudders and turns to look at her.
"W-what is it?" she asks.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Inui asks.
"There's no rush," I say. "Just tell it bit by bit."
"I… I was… terrified," Kaede mutters. "I thought… I thought…"
"Start at the beginning," I say.
"R-right… I got a call from Momoko-chan…"
"A really strong witch?" Kaede said.
"That's right!" Momoko said. "Mitama asked for my help, but this one's really strong, so I don't think I can take it by myself. That's why I'm calling you and Rena! I'm sure we can do it together!"
"Alright!" Kaede said. "I'll be there!"
She hung up the phone and headed for the Coordinator's office, where they had agreed to meet. When she arrived, Momoko and Rena were already waiting, along with Mitama.
"Thank you for taking this job on, Kaede-chan!" Mitama said. "You've really saved me! I can't really fight witches myself, you know."
"R-right!" Kaede said.
"Now that we're all here, let's get going!" Momoko said.
They headed out of the Coordinator's place and tracked the witch to a nearby park, transforming and hopping inside. It was a witch Kaede had never seen before, with walls made out of green note paper, and toys and crayons strewn everywhere. The familiars looked like a kid's drawings come to life and were strangely tough, but they managed to get by and finally reached the witch's chamber.
There they were faced by the witch herself, who resembled a gigantic toddler and attacked by drawing new familiars or throwing toys. At first they seemed to be doing well, with Momoko using her boosting magic on the two of them. They even managed to get the witch trapped in place with Kaede's vines… but then Momoko was struck in the head by a thrown block and fell to the ground, out cold.
"Momoko!" Rena gasped.
Distracted by Momoko's fall, even Rena failed to dodge the next thrown object, also blacking out from the impact. Kaede gasped and looked around in fear.
"Momoko-chan, Rena-chan, please answer me!" she said. "Momoko-chan! Rena-chan!"
Then the witch took a deep breath and grew to about double its previous size, tearing free of Kaede's vines. Kaede stood transfixed as she watch it happen.
"No… oh no… stop it! I can't take anymore! Somebody, help!"
She only dimly remembered what happened next. Something exploded out of her, and when the smoke cleared she found herself standing in a shrine gate atop some sort of spherical witch-like thing with weird red antler-tentacles. Just as the thing she was riding started to spew some kind of black substance at the witch, she blacked out completely.
By the time she woke up, the witch was gone. She didn't think she'd been out for very long, though. She sat up and looked around. She was back in the park where they'd found the witch's barrier.
"What… was that…?" she wondered aloud.
Momoko and Rena were laying on the ground, still out cold. Like her, they'd lost their transformation at some point. Kaede jumped up and ran over to them.
"Momoko-chan! Rena-chan! Wake up! Momoko-chan! Rena-chan!"
But that was when she realized that she was covered in strange rainbow-coloured paint, though it was slowly fading away. It was all over her hands, and there seemed to be some on her face and clothes as well. She let out a small gasp, her heart racing as she tried to identify what it was and where it came from.
"Momoko!"
That was Mitama's voice. Somehow, Kaede felt she couldn't let herself be seen like this.
"Are you done already? Momoko!"
Kaede leapt to her feet, sneaking out of the park before Mitama noticed her. She ran blindly down a dark pathway lined with trees, barely paying attention to where she was going.
"What should I do? What should I do? I don't know what to do! Becoming something like that, something is definitely wrong with me! Maybe… maybe I'm… a witch…?"
Suddenly she tripped and fell.
"That… wasn't normal… what do I do?" she lamented.
"Kaede-chan…?"
It was a familiar voice, though it had been quite awhile since she'd heard it. Still, Kaede didn't move to see who was speaking.
"Did you just say… you think you're a witch?"
"M-maybe!" Kaede said. "D-don't look at me! Don't… come near me…"
The speaker ignored her commands and knelt beside her so that Kaede couldn't help but see her face. Sure enough, it was Mifuyu.
"Don't be silly, Kaede-chan," she said. "There's no way you're a witch. If you were a witch, you'd be attacking me right now, wouldn't you?"
"T-that's… true…"
"You must've just unleashed a doppel, right?"
The unfamiliar word drew Kaede's attention, and she turned her head to look Mifuyu in the eye.
"Huh? D-doppel…?"
Then she blinked.
"C-come to think of it… Miss Mifuyu… weren't you missing? Momoko-chan was looking for you…"
Mifuyu smiled. "I wasn't missing," she said. "I just didn't feel like seeing Ya-chan or Miss Momoko."
At that moment, Mitama ran up, gasping for breath.
"Kaede-chan!? Oh… you're okay! When I found just Momoko and Rena-chan on the ground, I thought you might have… oh? Mifuyu-chan found you?"
"M-mitama… s-something's wrong with me…" Kaede muttered. "I can't… go back…"
"I'm not quite sure, but I think Kaede-chan must have unleashed a doppel," Mifuyu explained.
"Oh, so that's how it is," Mitama said. "Come now, it's not that bad… Mifuyu-chan has unleashed one too."
Kaede blinked at her. "M-miss Mifuyu has…?"
"Yes, and it's the reason why I joined the Wings of the Magius," Mifuyu said.
"The Wings… of the Magius?" Kaede said.
"The doppel is a phenomenon they created," Mifuyu explained. "If not for them, you would be a witch right now, Kaede-chan…"
"Ah… s-so I was right after all!" Kaede gasped. "I really am… turning into a witch!?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant," Mifuyu said.
"I-if I joined the Wings of the Magius," Kaede said. "Would that mean… I won't turn into a witch?"
"Well, yes, I suppose you could say that," Mifuyu said.
"T-then please let me in! I don't want to become a witch! I don't want to hurt Momoko-chan and Rena-chan!"
"A-alright, then just come with me," Mifuyu said.
"By the way, what brings you out here, Mifuyu-chan?" Mitama asked.
"Well, originally I came for a Coordination, but… I guess that'll have to wait."
"Alright, I suppose I can make an exception just this once, since Kaede-chan unleashed her doppel unexpectedly," Mitama said. "I'll make a house call and give you a Coordination. I'll check Kaede-chan's soul gem for any anomalies while I'm at it. Is that okay with you, Kaede-chan?"
"Ah… y-yes, please do," Kaede said.
So that's what happened. An unexpected Albertine was found near Mitama's place, leading to Kaede unleashing her doppel, and then she ended up joining on impulse. It matches up with events from the anime, though the anime didn't show this much detail. Mifuyu had been right about one thing, though. Explaining what happened seems to sort of calm Kaede down a little, at least enough that she can stem the flow of tears. By the time Mifuyu returns with a black feather robe, she has stopped crying altogether.
"If you don't mind, I need to give her the rest of the orientation," Mifuyu says. "Come on, Kaede-chan."
Kaede nods, getting to her feet and putting the robe on without question.
"Before you go, Kaede-chan, let me just say one thing," I say.
Kaede turns to face me and tilts her head.
"What is it?" she says.
"Don't use your doppel if you can avoid it," I say.
"Why not?"
"It might not be safe to use it too frequently."
"Okay…"
And with that, she and Mifuyu disappear upstairs.
"That's like, one of the people I never expected to see here," Inui says. "This was the shock of a lifetime. Were you as surprised as I was?"
"Well… I knew the possibility existed," I say. "But yes, I was surprised. I think we can actually expect her teammates to join up later, too."
"Really?" Inui says. "They don't seem like the type to be into what the Magius are doing, though… in fact they were literally against them last time!"
"You're right, but I think Kaede's safety trumps that," I say. "It's precisely because she's joined what they consider a shady organization that I think they'd come along too just to protect her."
"Ah, I think I know what you mean," Inui says. "So… what now?"
"Hmm… I don't think we have anything else to get to this weekend, so we can just take it easy," I say. "Though there's Tsuruno's doppel, I guess… but that's not crucial, and besides, it'll probably happen much the same without us."
"Okay, then let's go to bed!" Inui says.
So we head to the room we're sharing. On the way up, I check in on Iroha and the others. They seem to be eating a late dinner, the five of them all together. I shove the vision to the corner of my mind to monitor as we reach the room, since there's nothing interesting happening right now.
As before, Inui has gotten them to replace the bunk bed with a larger bed that can fit both of us. After getting changed into my pyjamas, I lay down on the bed and start to focus on the vision again, as something interesting is just starting.
"So, you wanted to discuss things after dinner, right, Miss Tamaki?" Yachiyo says.
Iroha nods.
"Yes… I didn't say anything earlier because I'd promised, but… we didn't defeat the rumour this time."
"Huh?" Yachiyo says. "But how else would you escape from the labyrinth with Miss Futaba?"
"Well, you see… instead of destroying the rumour, we destroyed just the labyrinth to let Sana-chan escape," Iroha says. "The rumour is probably still out there, somewhere… though it seems the Wings of the Magius believe it was destroyed."
"Is that even possible!?" Yachiyo gasps. "I've never even heard of someone destroying a labyrinth while the creator… the witch was still alive."
"It was new to me as well," Iroha says. "The idea came from Ashley Taylor… apparently she has a friend that defeats witches by destroying their labyrinth from outside and then finishing them off."
"I've really never heard of that," Yachiyo says. "But wait, you just said Ashley Taylor? What was she doing there? Isn't she a member of the Wings of the Magius herself? Why would she suggest a way to destroy the barrier?"
"She didn't really explain much," Iroha says. "But it seemed her goal was to save the rumour…"
"So she's protecting rumours just like the others," Yachiyo says.
"Although you're right about that, it seemed a bit different," Iroha says. "She said she confined the rumour… so I think she was… stealing… kidnapping it? And she said she didn't want the Wings of the Magius to know what she'd done… which is the reason why I didn't mention this earlier."
"Huh," Yachiyo says. "That's the second time she's mentioned she's acting against the will of the Magius… and she also called the organization shady last time I saw her… so why is she a member in the first place?"
"That's a very good question," Iroha muses. "Oh, she also said something else, although I'm not sure if she was telling the truth. She said Ui is with the Wings of the Magius… in a manner of speaking…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yachiyo asks.
"I'm not sure," Iroha says. "She refused to explain herself clearly… and then she asked why I was even believing what she said, so I'm not sure if it was even true… but she said Ui isn't a feather, nor one of the Magius… she said I've been speaking to her every day… and that Ui isn't in any immediate danger."
"I see," Yachiyo says. "But from what you've said, even though Miss Taylor is a member of the Wings of the Magius, it seems like she could also be a potential ally… unlike the other feathers, she doesn't seem all that fanatical to their cause…"
Iroha nods. "Yes… I was thinking that too," she says.
"However, the problem is, she seems to have her own agenda which she won't share with anyone," Yachiyo says. "So it's hard to trust her…"
"I think she's a good person," Iroha says.
"She might be, I just can't trust her," Yachiyo says. "Not when she's hiding things."
"I do see what you mean," Iroha says. "But Madoka-chan trusts her, so I'm inclined to trust her too."
Yachiyo shrugs. "I can't tell you who to trust, Miss Tamaki. But my point still stands."
When I close off the vision where Yachiyo and Iroha are talking about me, I notice there's some missed emails on my phone, so I check them. The first one is from Pernelle.
[It sounds interesting. Name a time and place.]
So I respond with a time on Sunday evening, at a park near Itzli. Then I check the second email, which is from Matsuri.
[Hello! I've got everything sorted out on my side, but if you'd like to meet up to hear how it worked out, we can set a time and place!]
I send her a quick response.
[Sounds good… is tomorrow morning in Kamihama fine with you? Let's say, at Hozumi Shizuku's café?]
There's a short delay before she responds.
[Alright! I'll be there around ten o'clock!]
We meet up with Matsuri just as planned, heading for Shizuku's café around ten o'clock the following morning. When we arrive, we find her waiting outside together with Kagari, Suzune, and a girl I don't recognize with wavy brown hair.
"Good morning, Miss Ashley," Matsuri says cheerfully. "Allow me to introduce my cousin, who's also now my adopted sister, Hinata Kaede."
The unknown girl bows.
"Please to meet you," she says. "My name is Hinata Kaede."
"Nice to meet you too," I say. "I'm Ashley Taylor."
"I'm Itsumi Inui, nice to meet you!"
"I didn't expect you to bring everyone along," I say. "Well, I guess it's not technically everyone, though…"
"I limited it to the bare minimum," Matsuri says. "I needed Kaede-chan and Suzune-chan for parts of the story that I didn't directly experience, and I brought onee-chan because I think she still hasn't fully accepted the situation."
I feel like the implicit meaning behind that is that Kagari is here to keep her under watch. Perhaps Kaede is a required component of the watch or something? I'm just guessing here, as I still have no idea what Kaede's powers are. We head into Shizuku's café and order drinks. Shizuku herself doesn't seem to be on duty right now, however. Inui and I mostly just listen as Matsuri, Kaede, and Suzune explain the whole thing.
"Well… I think I'm satisfied," I say. "It looks like you found a way to end things peacefully without the forced body-sharing, while still taking care of both the rumours you needed to take care of."
"Thank you," Matsuri says. "Then all that's left is Walpurgisnacht, right?"
"That's right," I say. "At the moment I'm still assuming it'll show up on the twenty-eighth, but I'll let you know if something changes."
Matsuri nods. "Alright. Then I'll see you then."
And just like that, we part ways. On the way to the station, we pick up a witch's signature and check it out. It's an instance of Teresa.
"Ah, is this the one where I unleashed my doppel last time?" Inui asks.
I briefly scry on Tsuruno, then nod. She's spaced out while being harassed by the Amane twins.
"Looks like it," I say. "Want to see her doppel again?"
Inui shrugs. "Well sure, why not?" she says.
"Then I guess we should defeat this witch asap."
Instead of searching for the Amane twins, I lead Inui directly to the witch's central chamber, taking out the familiars along the way. Somehow, even though the number of familiars is about the same, it seems to be easier than last time. Maybe that's because we've both been to a Coordinator since then?
We briefly hear the Amanes' voices as we pass by the chamber they're in, but we ignore them and continue onward. We arrive at the central chamber around the same time that the Amane twins notice that Tsuruno's out cold and not responding. That means that while they're panicking and starting to regret their actions, Inui and I are actually fighting the witch.
"Look at me!" Inui shouts.
While Inui smacks down the familiars that resisted her charm, I take advantage of the slight lull in fighting to summon an array of Teddy Drones surrounding the witch.
"Great Teddy's Ionic Bombardment!"
It's not enough to take out the witch, unfortunately. At least it does destroy a great many familiars, though. Inui then leaps in with her own ultimate.
"Heart-throbbing Passionate Inferno!"
Apparently, that's still not enough, so I order the Teddy Drones that are still in place to fire again.
"Great Teddy's Ionic Bombardment!"
This time it does the trick. As the barrier collapses, Inui leaps in to snag the grief seed, and then we're deposited back into reality next to the Amane twins.
"…should be the one to carry her!" Tsukasa is saying. "This was my idea, after all…"
"Then we shall take turns!" Tsukuyo says.
"Okay!" Tsukasa says. "Huh? The witch was defeated? Oh… Inui-chan was here…"
"What's happening?" I ask.
"We have made a terrible mistake!" Tsukuyo says. "We must get this girl to the Coordinator's as soon as possible!"
"As soon as possible, huh?" I say. "In that case…"
I summon Teddy Mk II and plop him down on the ground.
"Hop on."
The twins stare at me blankly.
"Huh? How's this teddy bear supposed to help us?" Tsukasa asks.
"Just hop on, and hang on tight," I say. "You can put Miss Yui on the head and hold onto the arms."
"O-okay…?" Tsukasa says.
"I surmise that this will get to Miss Mitama faster?" Tsukuyo asks.
"Why else would I suggest it?" I ask. "Inui, you should be okay hanging onto one of the legs, right?"
"Um… I'll try it," Inui says dubiously. "If I fall off, don't wait for me. I'll catch up."
So the Amane twins climb on and secure Tsuruno, just as I'd suggested. Then Inui and I each grab onto a leg, and the Amane twins shriek as Teddy soars high up into the air.
"W-w-w-what!?" Tsukasa gasps. "W-we're flying!? I n-never knew magic could make you fly…"
"This is… truly incredible!" Tsukuyo says. "We are… moving so fast… like a car… on the highway…"
"Ugh, this is a bit tough," Inui says. "Although I think I can hold on… just barely…"
Thanks to Teddy, we reach the Coordinator's place in just a few minutes, touching down just outside the abandoned building. The twins slide off and pull Tsuruno with them, hurrying inside, and I follow at a more sedate pace. Inui seems to be taking a bit of time to get her legs back.
"This is an emergency, Coordinator!" Tsukuyo exclaims as they burst into the shop.
Mitama lets out a tiny shriek, then blinks at them.
"Oh my! Whatever is the problem, you two? And… you're Ashley Taylor, right? It's unusual to see you together."
"I think we hurt this girl way worse than we meant to," Tsukasa says. "Is she going to be okay?"
"Oh, if it isn't Tsuruno!" Mitama says. "Hmm…"
Tsukasa sets Tsuruno down on a couch, and Mitama examines her.
"Oh dear, her soul gem is far too clouded," she says.
"Huh?" Tsukuyo says. "How about her body?"
"Oh, that part of her is just fine!" Mitama says. "She is the mightiest, after all."
"That is such a relief," Tsukuyo says.
"Totally," Tsukasa says.
"Aren't you enemies?" Mitama asks.
"Yes," Tsukuyo says. "However…"
"Our intention isn't to kill her," Tsukasa says. "We want to save all magical girls!"
"Yeah!" Tsukuyo says.
"You really are good, noble girls," Mitama says. "Unlike… no, never mind."
Suddenly she glances at Tsuruno and gasps.
"Oh no! We have to get Tsuruno out of here immediately!"
"Why?" Tsukasa asks.
"Can't you tell?" Mitama says. "Look at her soul gem!"
Tsuruno's soul gem is almost completely clouded.
"O-oh, this is very bad!" Tsukuyo says. "We must hurry!"
I follow them outside, where I find Inui back on her feet.
"Set her down and get back!" Mitama says urgently.
The twins follow her instructions, laying Tsuruno down on the ground a good distance from the abandoned building that serves as Mitama's office.
"It's too bad Alina's not here," I say.
"Ah, you're right," Tsukasa says. "Lady Alina could contain the doppel in her barrier…"
"In fact, she did that just the other day, when Miss Miyako was about to unleash her doppel right in front of me," Mitama says.
I wonder if that happened in the last timeline. I guess I have no way to find out, though – anyone who would remember is gone. None of the people who came back in time with me would know.
"Oh, Miss Miyako has unleashed a doppel?" I ask. "Is she okay?'
"There were no side-effects," Mitama says. "She went right back to work, none the wiser. I didn't see a need to refer her to the Wings of the Magius."
"She did defeat at least one rumour, according to Lady Nemu," Tsukuyo says. "Although for some reason Lady Nemu believed it to be an accident…"
"Yeah, I wonder what the story is there," Tsukasa says. "You wouldn't happen to know, would you, Miss Mitama?"
Mitama shakes her head. "No, this is the first I've heard of it."
Just then, the darkness is drained from Tsuruno's soul gem, and Yu Hong emerges. I resummon Teddy Mk II and interpose it as a shield to block the jet of boiling hot oil that the doppel fires at us.
"Oh my," Mitama says, giggling a bit. "This might be the funniest doppel yet…"
"Then why don't I use my power to splash some of that oil on you?" I retort. "I'm sure you won't be laughing then."
"I think I'll pass on that, thanks," Mitama says.
"Wow," Inui says. "It really is a crazy doppel… if I had to face that in battle, I'd probably be doomed. After all, my only magic is fire, and charm… the most I could do is run away."
Suddenly Tsuruno splutters, her eyes flying open. She's still floating a bit above the ground, suspended from the balloon. Then she lets out a tiny squeal, blinking a bit and panting.
"I… had such a weird dream…" she says. "Can't remember what it was about though…"
"My, my," Mitama says.
"Huh… the Coordinator?" Tsuruno says, blinking.
"Unbelievable…" Tsukuyo says.
"My goodness," Tsukasa says.
"Whoa, it's the Amane sisters!" Tsuruno gasps. "What the heck are you doing here!?"
"You know, they were actually worried about you," I retort.
"And… hmm… I don't know you…" Tsuruno says. "But… why's it so bright!? What even happened here!?"
"Your doppel happened," Mitama says.
"Me!?" Tsuruno gasps. "A doppel!? I got a new power!? At long last, Yui Tsuruno the mightiest magical girl has become yet mightier! Time to see my new… strength…"
She turns to look up at her doppel and blinks.
"Huh!? A p-p-p-pig!? It's shining! It's so bright it's blinding me!"
Mitama giggles. "It really is a pig!"
"Is it because you're a glutton?" Tsukasa asks.
"You really wish to be rich one day, is that not so?" Tsukuyo says.
"H-hey!" Tsuruno protests. "Don't be mean! And here I was so excited by it… I'll be way too embarrassed to use this thing in public…"
At that point, the doppel ceases spewing hot oil at me and retracts back into Tsuruno's body. She lands lightly on her feet with a sigh, and I banish Teddy and power down.
"Oh, it went back into you," Tsukasa says.
"I can't let the others see this thing," Tsuruno mutters. "Especially Yachiyo."
"Well, no matter," Tsukuyo says. "We are truly relieved that you are unhurt."
"Weren't you the ones attacking her in the first place?" I point out.
"T-that was that and this is this!" Tsukuyo protests.
"Unhurt…?" Tsuruno says. "Attacking me…? Huh?"
"Well, the twins here thought they might've overdone it, so they brought you here to me," Mitama explains.
"And by chance, Inui and I had just defeated the witch, so we tagged along," I say.
"Huh!" Tsuruno says. "Really?"
"Yeah!" Tsukasa says. "We don't want to get anyone killed."
"For sure!" Tsukuyo says.
"You're both good people, aren't you?" Tsuruno says.
"It took you this long to notice?" I ask.
"I was brought up properly, I suppose," Tsukuyo says.
"Yeah, and our work requires treating those we serve with politeness and compassion," Tsukasa says.
"For the time being… consider my grievance about my juice settled, since your doppel amused me," Tsukuyo says.
"D'awwww…" Tsuruno gasps.
Mitama giggles. "I've seen something wonderful today! Friendship between foes… truly lovely! Now, not to praise you or anything like that, but… "
Tsuruno blinks at her. "Hmm?"
"What is it?" Tsukuyo says.
"I suppose I could work on you for free, as a special favour," she says.
"You truly mean it!?" Tsukuyo gasps.
"That's great, isn't it, Tsukuyo!?" Tsukasa says.
"But all I did was get saved by you guys," Tsuruno says.
"I'm sure unleashing your doppel for the first time was hard on you, Tsuruno," Mitama says. "Remember how I tuned Iroha-chan for free after she first unleashed hers?"
"You didn't say you knew what it was back then, though…" Tsuruno says.
"And each of you needed to be here for me to see your doppel unleash," Mitama continues. "So, shall we get started?"
"Oh, I have to get back to my classes," Tsukuyo says.
"And I have to cook for the apprentices," Tsukasa says.
"Now, now, don't give me that," Mitama says. "It's so rare that I get the chance to adjust twins at the same time!"
"P-pardon me, but what does that mean!?" Tsukuyo gasps.
"I don't like how that sounds, Tsukuyo!" Tsukasa says.
"M-me neither," Tsukuyo says. "We shall be going now!"
"Come on, don't be shy!" Mitama says, grabbing them both by the collar. She looks at Inui and me too. "The offer's open for you two as well… I believe I haven't worked on either of you before."
Tsukuyo shrieks. "Let me go!"
"Huh? You've never seen her, Miss Itsumi?" Tsukasa asks. "Then you definitely should!"
"Thanks for the offer," Inui says. "But I had a tune-up just recently, so I'm good for awhile."
"Same here," I say.
"Huh? But Miss Mitama said…?" Tsukasa says.
"Oh, you got a Coordination from someone else?" Mitama says.
"Wait, you mean you're not the only one who can do this!?" Tsukasa gasps.
"When have I ever said I'm the only one?" Mitama says. "Although, I'm the only one in Kamihama, for sure…"
"Alright!" Tsuruno says, grabbing the twins by the hand and heading for the door. "C'mon! I'm in debt to you guys, so why don't we all have a session together?"
"Let go of me, Miss Tsuruno!" Tsukasa squeals.
"Okay!" Mitama says. "Let's get back to my place!"
"Yeah!" Tsuruno says.
The twins shriek as they're dragged inside, and Inui and I just watch.
"Well, looks like that went about the same as before," I say.
"Yup, and her doppel was just as amusing as last time," Inui says. "Shall we go meet with Rui-chan and Irina-chan again?"
"Sure, we might as well since we have nothing else to do," I say. "Oh, but just so you know, I agreed to meet Pernelle tomorrow evening, so I'll be leaving town a bit earlier than usual."
"Okay," Inui says. "That's fine. We don't have anything important to do tomorrow, anyway."
As promised, I leave Fendt Hope a little earlier to meet up with Pernelle on Sunday evening. Since it's just the two of us, she greets me in French. I show her to Itzli, and we transform and step into the labyrinth. For a moment, she gazes out at the cardboard cutouts of magical girls filling the audience. I notice that Tart, Mel, Elisa, and Liz are all represented in the audience, as well as Tokime Sakuya and Pernelle's mother who I recognize from Scheherazade's summoning, and quite a few girls I don't recognize at all. They must be girls that Pernelle has met in her travels.
"Hmm. There really is something different about this witch," Pernelle says. "Furthermore, it has the nerve to read my mind. Saki, Laura, Tart, Mel… there are quite a few nostalgic faces here."
She hops down into the audience to grab two of the cardboard cutouts. It seems she's selected the cutout of her mother, Pernelle of Samara, as well as the girl next to her – Mizuna Tsuyu, who must've been taken from my memories. I suppose her choice is indicative of her feelings towards her mother. She then transforms the cardboard cutouts into some sort of strange device, which she points in several directions, hemming and hawing. Itzli's butterfly familiars try to swarm her several times, but she casually blows them off with a barrier. I summon some Teddy Drones and try to blast them whenever I can get a clear shot, but it's not very effective.
"Curious," Pernelle says. "The spectrum of this witch's magic doesn't fit the typical profile of a witch. If I reverse the corruption harmonics to obtain a sample of the originating magical signature… if anything, it's closer to the rumours of Kamihama than to any magical girl I've ever encountered."
"Ah, have you actually seen a rumour?" I ask.
"The Rumour of the Puzzle Tile Lock, I believe it was called," Pernelle says.
"So are you saying this witch developed from something similar to a rumour?" I ask.
"Not exactly," Pernelle says. "To begin with, reversing the corruption harmonics is an approximation, so the resulting signature will be subtly different from the true signature of the original being. But even accounting for a margin of error, the spectra don't match very closely to those of the rumour I encountered. Even so, they're closer to that of a rumour than they are to that of a standard magical girl."
"Saying 'standard magical girl' implies that there are non-standard ones," I note.
"Indeed," Pernelle says. "Mary has a set of spectra unique to her, for example. There are also some subtle yet consistent differences between those called Coordinators and a standard magical girl."
"I don't actually think Mary is a magical girl, not anymore," I say. "She has a soul orb instead of a gem. It's similar to an evolution I foresaw in Akemi Homura… though I've probably averted it with my interference. It's also sorta similar to the evolution of Akatsuki Youha in the timeline where she was revived. So, just like a witch is an evolution of a magical girl, I believe Mary too is an alternate evolution of a magical girl."
"Perhaps," Pernelle says. "I believe I've obtained enough data from the labyrinth. Shall we challenge the witch herself? I'd like to study her grief seed."
"Speaking of which, for some reason she drops two grief seeds."
"Oh, that's curious too," Pernelle says. "It's rare for a witch to drop multiple grief seeds. I don't think I ever saw it happen myself. I've heard tell of it from Scheherazade – apparently both the disaster class witches she fought in the past dropped multiple grief seeds. Yet, this witch clearly isn't a disaster class witch. I've fought far stronger witches that only dropped a single seed, such as Lucy in Asunaro recently."
"Other than Walpurgisnacht, Lucy's actually the only other witch I've fought who dropped multiple seeds," I say. "I'm pretty sure it was the original Lucy, not one of the many offshoots. She was much stronger than any witch I've seen in Asunaro or Mitakihara."
"That aside, which is the way to the witch's chamber?" Pernelle asks.
"Ah, the door's at the back of the audience," I say.
I follow her as she makes for the door in question. She nods when she spots it.
"That certainly seems to be the witch's chamber," she says. "That's another unusual thing. This labyrinth is much less convoluted than a typical witch's labyrinth. If it was a newly-spawned witch it wouldn't be so surprising, but this one's been here for quite awhile, hasn't it?"
"At least since the time loop began," I say. "Probably longer, but I'm not sure how much. Strangely, she seems to be pretty passive."
"Another unusual thing," Pernelle says. "Though I've seen passive witches before. In fact, aren't there a couple in Kamihama? The one whose familiars throw invitations at you, and also the one with the familiars that look like eggs. But this witch seems to take passivity to a whole other level."
The Mirror Witch and the Witch of Symbols… so she ran into familiars from both of those, huh? Though I wonder what led her to conclude that their parent witches are passive.
"Yeah, that's true," I say. "The first one's the Mirror Witch – she hasn't moved from the Mirror Mansion since she was lured there last year. The other one's the Witch of Symbols, who no-one alive has ever seen."
"That's ominous," Pernelle says. "A witch that hides well enough to go unfound should truly be made a priority, if you ask me… but I'm not a citizen of Kamihama, so I have no reason to interfere. Alright, do you have any information on this witch's tactics before we begin?"
"It throws familiars at you that take the form of things you fear," I say. "For example, when I fought her, the familiars took the form of Walpurgisnacht. Also, she hides in a hole in the ground, and it's pretty hard to attack her while she's holed up. Lastly, though this might sound obvious, the brain seems to be the weak point."
Pernelle nods. "Then let's go."
She pushes the door open and steps inside, and for the first time in awhile I look upon the scattered cinematic equipment strewn across her chamber.
"Excellent," Pernelle says. "She's given me plenty of material for weapons."
Suddenly, Itzli erupts from the hole at the far side, gazing down at us for a moment before spawning two familiars. One of them takes the form of Walpurgisnacht, while the other one takes on the form of the Queen's Twilight, the witch of Isabeau of Bavaria. Pernelle snorts.
"You'll have to try harder than that to fool me," she says.
While I summon Teddy Mk II and start charging an attack, Pernelle seizes a nearby roll of film and transmutes it into something that's almost like a sword, but with the blade extremely long and flexible, like a whip. With a few careful swings, she cuts down the two familiars before they can get close, then strikes at Itzli's roots. Though it doesn't seem to do a lot of damage, it's certainly enough to keep the witch distracted as I charge my attack. Finally, I judge that the attack is ready to unleash.
"Ultimate Teddy Glittering Gunk!"
The moment the witch stops paying attention to us, Pernelle grabs several more of the cinematic paraphernalia lying around and fuses them together, transmuting them into a complex-looking device – some sort of artillery weapon, from the looks of it.
"Perfect," Pernelle says as the witch shuffles forward. "That was just enough time to build a railgun. Thanks for the assist, Mlle Ashley."
"A railgun!?" I gasp.
Without further ado, Pernelle aims her improvised weapon and smacks the button on the top. Electricity crackles down the length of the barrel, and moments later it fires something… no, several somethings in quick succession. They hit their target precisely in the centre of Itzli's brain casing, tearing a gash in it to let all the fluid out, then shredding the actual brain behind it. The dying witch shoots up and explodes into fireworks, dropping her two grief seeds as the barrier collapses. The railgun is swallowed up by the barrier too, probably because it was built out of the barrier's own substance.
"Well, the witch may be interesting, but her power is quite underwhelming," Pernelle says. "Lucy was stronger than this. Well, whatever. There's two grief seeds, so that's perfect, right? One each."
I nod. "Yeah, that's fine with me."
She grabs them and hands one to me.
"In that case, I'm going to head straight back to do some scans," she says. "I'll see you later."
"Seeya…"
She disappears in an array of magical diagrams, and I make my way to the Hayashi house. The sisters are in the living room, watching a TV drama. I wait a minute for a commercial break before interrupting.
"Hey, just to let you know," I say. "The witch behind the swimming pool has been defeated. Pernelle took it out with me, though all I really did was buy time. She shot it with a railgun."
"A railgun!?" Komachi gasped. "Where on earth did she get one of those!?"
"She grabbed all the stuff lying around in the barrier and transmuted it into that form," I say.
"Huh, but that means she must have a pretty good idea of how those things work," Hiyori says. "Well, either way… thanks for telling us, and I'm really glad it's finally gone. We should also be able to expand the barrier a little more now."
"Yeah, go for it," I say. "Anyway, I'll be in my room if you need me."
"Yeah… good night, Ashley-chan."
Events of the following week still seem to be moving towards the same inevitable conclusion. Sayaka and Hitomi return from their trip, but are too tired to immediately head out in search of Mami. Iroha and the others try to bring Shizuku into the fold, but she bolts and ends up joining the Wings of the Magius instead. They decide to get coasters for Yachiyo. All of that is basically the same.
Then Iroha decides to question Tsukuyo.
Iroha loiters in front of Mizuna Girls' School, waiting for her target to come out. The students leaving school slow to a trickle, and then finally Tsukuyo steps around the corner, but almost immediately, she catches sight of Iroha, gapes for a second, and ducks back into hiding. It doesn't seem like Iroha spotted her. Then Tsukuyo cautiously peeks around the corner again.
"W-what is that girl doing here…?" she mutters.
After some hesitation, she holds up her schoolbag to hide her face and tries to slip past Iroha. As before, it doesn't go well. As she steps past, Iroha turns and grabs her by the arm.
"Miss Tsukuyo, wait!" Iroha says.
"W-what do you want!?" Tsukuyo protests. "I am Akatsuki Tsukuyo. I do not have anything to do with Amane Tsukuyo!"
"You are Miss Amane Tsukuyo, right?" Iroha says. "With the Wings of—"
Tsukuyo slaps a hand over Iroha's mouth.
"T-that's top secret!" she says.
"Then can we talk somewhere else?" Iroha asks.
"N-not again!?" Tsukuyo gasps. "Interrogation? Torture!?"
She hops back a few steps and raises her schoolbag defensively, like a shield.
"I would never do anything like that," Iroha says. "I just want to talk for a bit."
"O-okay," Tsukuyo says. "There's a café nearby…"
She leads the way to Café Charinel, where they both buy a drink and find a more secluded table. By this time, Tsukuyo has calmed down considerably.
"You are alone today," Tsukuyo notes.
"Yes," Iroha says. "I really wanted to talk to you."
"You are searching for your younger sister, right?" Tsukuyo asks.
"That's right," Iroha says. "Right now, I have almost no clues. I have someone who claimed to have seen Ui somewhere among the Wings of the Magius, though not as a feather… and other than that, my only clue is Nemu-chan and Touka-chan."
"Someone saw your sister among us…?" Tsukuyo says. "I have not heard of that… but why are you telling me this?"
"Because I have to see them," Iroha says. "I have to see Nemu-chan. Say… Miss Tsukasa, your twin sister, was she born first, or were you?"
"She is considered my younger sister," Tsukuyo says.
"You two seem so close," Iroha says.
"Of course," Tsukuyo says. "Tsukasa-chan is… we are… the only two…"
She trails off, and Iroha gives her a chance to finish, but no more words emerge.
"If you won't let me meet Nemu-chan, then I'll share your other identity with the other magical girls at your school," Iroha says. "Miss Ria, Miss Kurumi… I'll ask Sana-chan to help me too."
Tsukuyo gasps, raising her arms defensively and flinching slightly.
"Y-you would threaten me!?"
"If that's how you perceive it, that's fine with me," Iroha says. "And I told Sana-chan that I'm meeting with you today, so if I don't get home safely to Crescent Moon Villa… she'll tell the others."
She gives a minute for her words to sink in, then leans forward.
"Please, let me see Nemu-chan!" she says. "I would do anything for Ui's sake…"
After a moment's thought, Tsukuyo nods.
"Alright," she says. "Your feelings are not incomprehensible to me. But please let me speak with Miss Mifuyu about this first."
She drains her tea and gets up to leave. Iroha leaves her half-finished drink on the table and heads outside with her. The sun is now low in the sky, already turning the horizon red. Without a word, Tsukuyo bows to her and turns to walk off. Iroha watches her go until she's out of sight, then heads home herself.
Tsukuyo and Tsukasa, now in their white feather robes, make for Mifuyu's office, but hear her voice as they're passing by Nemu's office and stop to wait for her. They can presumably hear the conversation, though it looks like they're nonchalantly trying not to eavesdrop.
"Please, say that again?" Mifuyu says. "I'm not sure if I understood the significance."
"I said, the Rumour of the Anonymous AI has been erased from my book," Nemu says.
"What… what does that mean?" Mifuyu asks.
"Normally, when a rumour is defeated, it simply returns to my book," Nemu explains. "If I expended the power, I could manifest it again. However, the Rumour of the Anonymous AI has been erased entirely. There is no longer any mention of her in my book."
"So what you're saying is… they defeated her in a different way than all the others?" Mifuyu says.
"I am not sure," Nemu says. "But it worries me that the outcome was different. In fact, it should not be possible to erase a rumour unless they actually had access to my book…"
"That sounds quite concerning," Mifuyu says. "Do you have any theories?"
"Hmm… there is only one power that I am aware of that can rewrite reality at a distance like that," Nemu says. "And that is, my power of manifestation."
"But obviously you weren't the one who did it," Mifuyu says.
"Correct," Nemu says. "However, this power is also Kyuubey's power. That means… the wish of a magical girl could also have the same effect."
"Even if that's true, why would it?" Mifuyu asks. "Kyuubey can't even enter Kamihama, and there should be no-one who knows of us who isn't a magical girl. Erasing one rumour from your book… it's just too specific for a wish of an unrelated magical girl, isn't it?"
"Yes, I agree," Nemu says. "But what if the girl isn't unrelated?"
"What are you proposing?"
"Nothing in particular," Nemu says. "I don't have any idea who might have done it, but it's not impossible for an ordinary girl to catch wind of what we're doing, is it?"
"I suppose you have a point," Mifuyu says. "Though for her to catch wind and still want to become a magical girl would be pretty surprising…"
"You're right," Nemu says. "Well… I suppose it will have to remain a mystery, for now. It is only one rumour. If it happens again, then we might have cause to worry. I will keep an eye on things. I will not let my book out of my sight for even one second."
"Alright," Mifuyu says. "Then for now, we'll just push this issue to the back burner. Is that all you wanted from me?"
"Yes, I think that will be all," Nemu says.
Mifuyu steps out of the office a moment later and blinks in surprise at the twins standing there.
"Were you listening?" Mifuyu asks.
"N-no, no!" Tsukasa says. "We just needed to talk to you, and we heard your voice, so we were waiting…"
"Well, it's fine," Mifuyu says. "What do you need?"
"Miss Tamaki has requested a meeting with Lady Nemu," Tsukuyo says. "Somehow, it seems she learned that Lady Nemu is a member of the Wings of the Magius."
"Hmm," Mifuyu says. "This might be a good opportunity to explain ourselves to them in full. Alright… I'll talk to Touka, and if she approves, I'll go speak with them directly."
"Thank you very much," Tsukuyo says.
"Why are you thanking me…?" Mifuyu asks.
"At least now my reputation at school will not be harmed," Tsukuyo says. "Also… Miss Tamaki said something else that I thought was strange."
"What's that?" Mifuyu asks.
"She said that someone claimed to have seen her little sister among us," Tsukuyo says. "Do you know anything about that?"
"No… I have no idea what she could mean," Mifuyu says. "I can guarantee that Tamaki Ui is not one of the feathers that I have met, and there are only a handful that I haven't met – those recruited by the Instructor, or directly by the Magius."
"I don't imagine the Magius directly recruited many though," Tsukasa says.
"Other than me, I believe they directly recruited one or two others," Mifuyu says. "And I believe the Instructor has recruited around five or six more. But even so, the chance of Tamaki Ui being one of the few feathers I don't know is…"
"Actually, apparently they specifically said that she was not a feather," Tsukuyo says. "But the only members who are not feathers are the Magius, right?"
"Yes… that's correct," Mifuyu says. "Perhaps the other person was lying to Miss Tamaki? Otherwise this seems like a riddle with no solution…"
"I guess it must've been a lie, then," Tsukasa says.
"Even then, I wonder what reason someone could have to lie to Miss Tamaki about that," Tsukuyo muses. "But in any case, I suppose it is none of our business. Thank you again for handling this for us, Miss Mifuyu. We will be on our way now."
"See you later!" Tsukasa says.
"Yes, you too," Mifuyu says.
So after that, the four girls at the Crescent Moon Villa go out to buy the coasters, defeating Gertrud along the way, only to fail to hand them over due to Mifuyu's visit and invitation.
The timeline is still on track to the true ending, but this will be the turning point. Last time, it looked like Iroha almost failed to control her doppel. If she can't maintain control over it this time, then we could easily go careening down a wildly different path. There have already been some hints that we might be heading in that direction, such as Kaede's doppel, but I believe the Memory Museum to be the key turning point.
The only problem is, the climax of the Ashen Revolution happens to fall on the same day, which means I need to be in Yukuni on that day. If I can recruit Shizuku or Mayoi I can probably manage to handle both, but… I think Shizuku will be busy ferrying Touka to and from the Memory Museum, and I haven't gotten a chance yet to ask Mayoi so I'm not sure if she's available.
Suffice to say, I can only hope it goes well… maybe I can get there in time to help, but maybe not.
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.
Hiiragi Ai
柊アイ
Age: less than 1 month, but appears 15
Eye Colour: Gold
Hair Colour: Blue-green
Origins: A rumour created by Hiiragi Nemu, Satomi Touka, and Tamaki Ui
Symbol: A green circled letter A
Soul Gem: Green diamond-shaped gemstone on her crown necklace
Element: Water
Weapon: Force Shield
Powers: Stun, mental shield, phasing
Wish: "If I were to make one wish, it would be for the free will and solidity to make my true wish attainable."
Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 7
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)
Doppel Corner
Whenever a new magical girl unleashes her doppel, I'll include a doppel description here. Note that most of these are direct quotes from the Magia Record game rather than being written by me; they are simply reproduced here for interest. I'll mark any original doppels with a dagger symbol (†).
Zola (Akino Kaede)
The Doppel of conquest. Its form is a plot of land. The master of this emotion fears that it will eat away at their everyday life and carefully chooses when to summon it, for the instant this Doppel is summoned, regardless of its master's intentions, it will cover its surroundings with rotten moss to conquer the land, with its only goal being to expand its territory. Summoning this Doppel accidentally, even in a beloved area, will destroy its surroundings by covering everything in its moss. Within the confines of its territory, it can unleash tremendous power.
I'm really racing through the timeline this time, glossing over gigantic swathes of events that were shown in full in the previous timeline. At this rate, I think it should be roughly three or four more chapters until Walpurgisnacht shows up. So, less than half the length of the previous timeline, in chapters.
At first I thought this one was going to be a lot shorter than the surrounding chapters, but then I added the Itzli scene, and a rehash of Tsuruno's doppel, and it ended up at the current length. Still shorter than surrounding chapters, but not as drastically so as I expected.
I chose Hiiragi as Ai's surname because the same is done in canon for Sakurako. Of course, in-universe she has not yet taken a surname at all, but she'd definitely choose that if asked.
The next two chapters are both in progress simultaneously. Neither has yet reached a complete first draft state, so it'll be at least a week before the next one. I may also take a break to get more chapters ported over to AO3.
It looks like most of the readers here haven't noticed yet, but I also recently started another linked story on this site which will cover the backstory of Hachikuji Mayoi (aka Mayoi). There could be minor spoilers for upcoming chapters in this fic, but if you're interested in her, or if you like the Monogatari series, it might be worth checking it out. It's only 3 chapters so far, but I'll slowly add chapters as they're written; I'm still focusing more on this story.