One particularly striking evidence of historical magical girls that I unearthed was the mysterious case of the Nazi officers manning the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. In late February of 1945, they suddenly ceased to respond to radio contact. A squad dispatched to the site found that all the soldiers had simply disappeared, without a single trace. An investigation was conducted, but none of the prisoners even seemed aware of the missing soldiers, and no sign of them could be found, so it was written off as a random paranormal occurrence.

The reason this incident stood out to me was due to how closely it coincided with the recorded death of one famous prisoner at the site, an Anne Frank, who would have been fifteen at the time. Could it be that she had been a magical girl herself? Had she turned into a witch, taken out the soldiers, and gone on her way without harming any of the prisoners? Even if it wasn't her, there could have been someone else at the camp who was a magical girl, with the same outcome.

~Excerpt from "Magical Girls: Their Hope and Despair"~
~by Professor Satomi Tasuke, Ph.D~

Matsuri sat up in bed with a gasp. Being separated from her soul gem had been a strange experience, or more like, a lack thereof, but somehow it seemed she was back with her body again.

She seized her phone and looked at it. March sixteenth… then she really had gone back in time. She got out of bed, got dressed, and headed down for breakfast. Her father was already getting it ready.

"Good morning, Dad!" she said.

He turned to look at her, startled.

"My, you're up early today," he said. "What brought that on?"

"I guess I just had some trouble sleeping," Matsuri said. "Say, I was wondering… did you ever hear anything else about Uncle and Kaede-chan?"

He looked even more surprised at the question.

"No… why would you bring that up all of a sudden?" he asked. "My brother's long dead, and chances are Kaede-chan is too… she's been missing so long that there's not much chance she'll be found."

"What would you do if she was found?" Matsuri asked.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't have much of a choice," Mr Hinata said. "I don't have any other relatives, so I'd have to adopt her."

"You'd do it only because there's no other choice?" Matsuri said.

"What? No, that's not what I meant," Mr Hinata said. "I'd do it because she's my brother's precious child."

"Then, I'll hold you to that!" Matsuri said with a smile. "It'd be fun having four of us in the family, wouldn't it?"

"Four?" Mr Hinata said. "What do you mean?"

"Me, onee-chan, and Kaede-chan, and of course you, Dad," Matsuri said.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about all of a sudden, but you know you're an only child, right?" Mr Hinata said.

"Don't worry about it for now," Matsuri said. "Moving on, is breakfast almost ready? I'm starving…"

"Oh, yes, just about," Mr Hinata said.

On her way to school, her phone pinged. She took it out to find an email from an unrecognized address. Unsure whether it could be something important, she opened it up to view the contents.

[Itsumi Inui here! How are things going so far, Matsuri-chan? By the way, I thought you might find this useful. Don't forget that Hijiri Kanna won't remember the most recent timeline.]

Included in the message was the contact information of several other magical girls, including Inui herself, Ashley, Shizuku, Honoka, Hijiri Kanna, Yuuri, Airi, and Remi. She immediately added them all to her contacts, then composed a response.

[Thank you very much, Inui-chan! I was wondering how I'd get in contact with people. That'll be very helpful!]

Then she composed an email to Hijiri.

[Hello, it's Hinata Matsuri here. I've come back in time with Ashley Taylor this time, so I'll be handling my errant sister myself to save Ashley the trouble. I'd rather not share onee-chan's body again if I can avoid it, but I do have some alternate ideas…]

After elaborating a bit on her ideas, she hurried on to school. It was a little hard to concentrate, due to her excitement. She idly wished Honoka had gone to the same elementary school as her so she could connect with her more easily. Though phones weren't allowed in class, she snuck hers in to keep an eye out for messages, exchanging several messages with Hijiri during school hours.

Eventually school came to an end, and she found the rest of her team waiting outside the school.

"Hello, everyone!" she said.

"Whoa, you're unusually cheerful today!" Arisa gasped. "Did something happen?"

"Hmm… it's a secret!" Matsuri said. "For now, at least."

"Okay then," Arisa said. "Not like I'd want to know anyway…"

"I'll tell you about it soon enough," Matsuri said. "For now, shall we hunt some witches?"

"Well, that is why we've met up," Haruka said.

"Yeah, let's get going," Chisato said.

After taking out a witch, Matsuri noticed a response from Hijiri and unlocked her phone to read it.

[Your ideas sound like they could work. Ashley has also given the green light to not sharing a body, so I'll let you choose which one to carry out. She did have one condition, however – she wants you to be sure you get involved in the two rumours in Kamihama. I don't know what rumours they are, but I assume you know what she's talking about. She said the one called 'Ripper Girl' is the most important. Also, she said it's not as important, but it would be nice if you can still meet Kasumi Ichika.]

She immediately composes a response.

[Thank you! Those conditions shouldn't be an issue. When's a good time to stop by that place you call the Freezer? There's a girl in there who has an ability that should be able to interfere with onee-chan's memory modification. She's also a relative of mine, so I'd really like to save her.]

"Who're you chatting with?" Chisato asked.

"It's a secret," Matsuri said.

"Oh? Same secret as before?" Chisato asked.

"Yeah."

"It's not like you to keep secrets from us," Chisato said.

"Well, there's a good reason for it," Matsuri said. "Please be patient…"

"Alright, I'll wait," Chisato said. "But it better be good!"

"It will be!" Matsuri said.

By the time she got home for dinner, there was a response from Hijiri awaiting her.

[How about Friday after school? I'll meet you at the station in Asunaro and take you to the Freezer, and we can let your relative out.]

She composed a quick response immediately.

[Sounds good! I'll be there! Can't wait!]

Thursday seemed to pass excruciatingly slowly, but eventually Friday came and she was able to hop on a train to Asunaro. She completely forgot to even inform her friends that she was going, though, which meant that halfway there she got a message from Haruka.

[Is everything alright, Matsuri? We were waiting for you after school but you never came out…]

She gasped and composed a response.

[I'm sorry! I had other plans today. I know I should've told you, but it totally slipped my mind! Don't worry, I'm fine! I'll see you tomorrow, okay?]

When she disembarked from the train in Asunaro, she saw Hijiri waiting on the platform and ran over. Hijiri turned and spotted her as well.

"There you are!" she said.

"Huh? Wait, you know what I look like?" Matsuri said. "We've only talked by email until now, right? And you didn't come back in time with us…"

"I've come back in time several times," Hijiri said. "So I've met you in timelines that you don't remember."

"Oh, okay," Matsuri said. "So, which way to the Freezer?"

"Just a moment, let me check where the Pleiades Saints are," Hijiri said.

She closed her eyes for a second, using some sort of magic.

"We'll have to wait a few minutes for them to leave," she said. "But it seems they're getting ready to, so it won't be long."

"Was that similar to Miss Ashley's magic?" Matsuri asked. "It's amazing that you'd have the same power…"

"No, it actually is Ashley-chan's magic," Hijri said. "My magic is the ability to copy other people's magic."

"Ohhh… sort of like Suzune-chan, but with less restrictions!" Matsuri said. "That's even more amazing, actually…"

"Anyway, I'll show you the way," Hijiri said. "Follow me."

She led Matsuri out of the station as she continued talking.

"I've asked Miss Remi to accompany us too… do you know her?"

"Um, yes, a little," Matsuri said. "But where is she?"

"She seems to be running a bit late, which is fine, because the Pleiades Saints are at the Freezer right now," Hijiri said.

"Is there a reason we're avoiding them?" Matsuri asked. "Last time I came here, they were all there and there was no problem…"

"Let's just say there's a bunch of issues that need to be resolved here in Asunaro, too," Hijiri said. "I'm guessing your last time was towards the end of the loop, after those had been resolved."

"Ah, I see what you're saying," Matsuri said. "You're right, it was after Walpurgisnacht was defeated, so… I guess everything had already been worked out."

At that moment, Remi appeared across the street and waved to Hijiri.

"Ah, there she is," Hijiri said. "We need to cross the street anyway, so let's go."

They made for the crossing, waiting for it to turn, and crossed over to join Remi.

"So this is Miss Hinata?" Remi said. "I didn't hear anything about her from my future self, but you said she came back in time too?"

"Yes, I did!" Matsuri said. "You're the one who helped me talk to my mentor who passed on."

"Oh, well, that's certainly something I'm supposed to be able to do," Remi agreed. "Though I haven't tried it out yet."

The three of them headed through the streets, ducking into an alleyway and looping around a building until they found themselves in another alleyway with a view of what appeared to be a museum called Angelica Bears.

"Let me see…" Hijiri said. "Okay… looks like they're just about to leave the building now."

They continued to wait. After a minute or so, six girls exited the building, locking up behind them before heading down the street. Hijiri watched them go until they were out of sight, then took out a key of her own and headed over to unlock the door. Remi and Matsuri followed them.

"So I guess I wasn't needed after all," Remi said.

"Looks like it," Hijiri said. "But I couldn't be sure… their timing seems to vary all over the place from timeline to timeline. I'm not sure why. Anyway, let's go in."

She led the way into the dark museum and activated the teleportation circle to take them to the basement, then opened up the huge double doors leading to the Freezer itself.

"Alright, Matsuri-chan, it's up to you to locate the girl you're trying to release," Hijiri said.

"Right!" Matsuri said. "Let me see…"

She ran into the Freezer, letting out a small sigh at the sight of all those girls being kept in tanks. Even if she'd seen it before and understood what was happening, it wasn't exactly a pleasant sight. Soon she spotted the one she was looking for, a tank bearing the label, Hinata Kaede.

"Here she is!" Matsuri said. "This is the one!"

"Alright," Hijiri said.

She stepped up behind Matsuri and peered at a number written in small print on the name tag.

"Just a minute, I'll fetch her soul gem," Hijiri said.

She headed for the pond in the centre of the facility, where the soul gems were kept behind a barrier. After searching for a minute or two, she selected one particular soul gem and removed it from within the barrier, then headed back to join Matsuri and Remi.

"Here you go," Hijiri said, handing her the soul gem.

"So, this is Kaede-chan's soul gem," Matsuri mused. "I can't believe it's gotten so corrupted…"

She took out a grief seed and purified it, restoring it to a brilliant purple sheen.

"There we go, that's much better," she said. "Now it's such a beautiful deep purple, isn't it? It's been at least three years since I last saw her… I wonder if she'll remember me."

"I'll pull out her body and possessions," Hijri said.

She reached through the glass as if it wasn't even there and pulled Kaede's body out, laying her gently down on the floor. Then she opened the locker at the base of the tank and took out the girl's clothes and other possessions. While she was doing that, Matsuri took the girl's soul gem and tucked it into her hands, then waited for her to wake up, just kneeling there. When Hijiri brought over the girl's clothes, she helped get Kaede dressed as well. Since it was taking some time for her to awaken, they also decided to take her into the next room where there was a lounge, laying her down on one of the couches there.

It must have been several minutes before Kaede's eyes finally fluttered open, and Matsuri called her name.

"Kaede-chan! Are you alright!?"

"Huh?" Kaede said. "I… must be dreaming… is that you, Matsuri?"

"You do remember me!" Matsuri gasped. "That makes me really happy!"

Kaede propped herself up and looked around in confusion.

"Huh? What the… where the hell am I…?"

"Um… do you remember what happened?" Matsuri asked.

"Yeah, there was a girl who attacked me," Kaede said. "She knocked me out, and then… that's the last thing I remember."

"Allow me to apologize on that girl's behalf," Hijiri said.

Kaede gasped. "H-huh!? Y-you're the one… who attacked me…!"

Hijiri shook her head. "It certainly wasn't me. I do have a twin sister, so I guess it must've been her."

"Oh," Kaede said. "Matsuri… is that true?"

"I assume so," Matsuri said. "It's true that she has a twin sister – I've seen them together. Her name is Hijiri Kanna… oh, and the other girl over there is Shiina Remi."

"Ah, nice to meet you," Remi said.

"The truth is, my sister was trying to save you," Hijiri said. "Your soul gem was badly corrupted at the time, right?"

"That's true," Kaede said. "But she could've just offered me a grief seed…"

"Well, it's complicated," Hijiri said.

"But none of that matters anymore," Matsuri said. "The only thing that matters is that you're safe! Kaede-chan… how would you like to come and live with me?"

"Huh?" Kaede said. "B-but I wouldn't want to impose…"

"I already asked Dad," Matsuri said. "He said there'd be no way for him to turn away his brother's precious child, to use his exact words."

"W-well… if that's the case, then I guess," Kaede said. "By the way… you're alone? What happened to Kagari?"

Matsuri nodded. "Well yes, that's the other issue," she said. "Kaede-chan, I need your powers to bring her back to us."

Kaede tilted her head. "Huh? Powers…?"

"Onee-chan's magic is the power to rewrite memories," Matsuri said. "You're the only one I know of who can defend against that magic, which is why I need you!"

"Ah," Kaede said. "That's true… huh? Wait, you said magic? And come to think of it, weren't you blind? Are you both magical girls…?"

"For about a year now," Matsuri said. "I wished for my eyes to be healed, so I'm not blind anymore. I'm happy I can finally see you properly – you know, your hair is really pretty. Of course, Remi-chan and Kanna-chi are magical girls too."

"Oh…"

"So, how are you feeling?" Matsuri asked. "Apparently you've been on ice for about a year and a half."

"On ice?"

"Um, you know, like cryonics," Matsuri said. "I mean, it wasn't literally that, but that's what I was referencing…"

"Oh," Kaede said. "How on earth did that happen?"

"Like I said, that was my sister's way of saving your life," Hijiri said. "If you're unconscious, your soul gem won't be able to gather more grief, right?"

"Ah… I see," Kaede said. "Well… how am I supposed to bring Kagari back, exactly?"

"That's simple," Matsuri said. "We just have to find her and drag her home, using your powers as insurance that she won't try anything."

"But… do you even know where she is?" Kaede asked. "How much searching is this going to take?"

"Actually, I already know where she is," Hijiri said.

"T-that's awfully convenient!" Kaede gasped.

"It's okay," Matsuri said. "So all that's left then is dragging her home, right?"

"Y-yeah, I guess so," Kaede said.

"Then with that settled, let's go!" Matsuri said. "Oh, are you coming too, Kanna-chi? Or do you just want to give me the address?"

"Can the two of you handle her between you?" Hijiri asked.

"Hmm… yes, I think we should be able to manage," Matsuri said.

"Then I'll just give you the address," Hijiri said. "I'll email it to you."

"Okay, thanks for the help!" Matsuri said. "Kaede-chan, let's go!"

"Yeah," Kaede said. "Miss Shiina, Miss Hijiri, thank you."

"I didn't actually do anything," Remi said.

"It's no problem," Hijiri said.

They all returned to the surface using the teleportation circle, and Hijiri locked up the museum behind them as Kaede and Matsuri headed back to the train station.

The two girls gazed up at the building where Kagari had been hiding out in.

"…are you really sure she's here?" Kaede asked.

"There's no doubt about it," Matsuri said. "I can sense her magic."

"Well then, how are we going to go about this?" Kaede asked.

"We fly up and barge in through the window," Matsuri said. "You stun her and I'll blind her. If she resists, you'll predict her moves and transmit them to me via telepathy, and one way or another we'll pin her down."

"Got it," Kaede said. "But one of these days you'll have to explain to me how you knew what my powers are."

"Sorry, no can do," Matsuri said. "That's a secret that I promised someone never to reveal."

"Aww, come on!"

Kaede sighed and took Matsuri's hand.

"Whatever, let's do this."

The two of them transformed at the same time. Kaede's costume was basically like a dark purple catsuit with with bright orange lines down the sides. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a bun, held in place by a pair of chopsticks, one bearing her soul gem while the other's visible end was shaped into the form of the Greek letter psi. Her weapon was something like a gymnastic ribbon, but made out of woven metal wire, with the edges sharpened.

They floated up into the air and landed on the balcony of the unoccupied apartment that Kagari was hiding out in. It seemed like she'd detected their approach, for she was already on her feet and transformed.

"Huh?" Kagari gasped. "Matsuri? And… it can't be… Kaede!?"

She didn't have a chance to say anything else before Matsuri and Kaede both unleashed their magic. Kagari raised her hand in vain to shield against Matsuri's blinding light, then fell to her knees Kaede's mind blast hit her. They gave her no time to resist as the two of them pinned her to the ground, Matsuri settling on her legs while Kaede held her arms in place.

Kagari quickly recovered from the mind blast and started shouting.

"What the hell is going on here!?" she asked. "How did you know I was here, Matsuri? Come to think of it, you shouldn't even remember I exist? Wait, was it Kaede who told you? Actually, how are you even alive, Kaede? I thought you died along with Uncle!"

"Onee-chan, you're in no position to be asking questions," Matsuri said. "I've come to bring you back home, and I won't take no for an answer!"

"W-what the hell!?" Kagari gasped. "How can you be so damn dense! I left because I couldn't stand being with you, Matsuri!"

"I don't think that's true!" Matsuri shouted. "Come back! Give Dad his memories back, and don't you dare do something like that to him again! Nor to me, you understand!?"

"How did you even remember?" Kagari asked.

"Didn't I say I'm not answering questions?" Matsuri snapped. "I'm very, very angry right now, onee-chan! Do you know why I'm angry!?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea," Kagari retorted.

"I'm angry because you forced my best friend to murder people!" Matsuri shouted. "How could you do that, onee-chan!? What's your problem!? It's not Suzune-chan's fault that Tsubaki died!"

"How would you know!?" Kagari shouted back. "You don't know what happened! Kyuubey himself told me it was true!"

"You're a fool to believe what Kyuubey tells you at face value!" Matsuri shouted. "Even if Suzune-chan technically killed Tsubaki, it wasn't her fault! There wasn't anything else she could've done! You know you would've done the same if you'd been in her place! I would've too!"

"I'm not so sure about that," Kagari said.

"Really?" Matsuri said. "You'd prefer to let a witch run wild just out of sentiment? I thought you were smarter than that, onee-chan. But I won't let you continue with this stupid revenge of yours. Maybe if it was something that only affected Suzune-chan, I would let it pass, somewhat, but just how many magical girls have died because of you? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? Have you been counting? Do you realize how much blood you have on your hands, onee-chan!?"

"I-it wasn't me!" Kagari gasped. "I… I haven't killed anyone!"

"Don't split hairs with me!" Matsuri said. "You forced Suzune-chan to do it with your magic! That's no different from killing them yourself! You're the one responsible for their deaths, and I won't ever let you forget it!"

"I…!" Kagari began, but the remaining words caught in her throat before she could let them out.

At this point, Kaede decided to chime in.

"So um, I have no idea what you're talking about, but wow, Kagari, I can't believe you managed to get Matsuri so mad. I've never seen her like this before, you know? I bet you haven't either."

"Y-you're right," Kagari muttered.

"That just shows how awful of a thing you've done, onee-chan," Matsuri said. "Now come home and reflect on your misdeeds. I'll forgive you, as long as you promise not to do it again."

"You're not even leaving me much choice," Kagari muttered. "Why is it that my magic doesn't work on either of you!?"

"Ah, I have mental shielding magic," Kaede said. "So I guess I'm a perfect counter for you…"

"As for me, I guess I must've built up a resistance since you already did it to me once," Matsuri said.

"Fine then!" Kagari said. "Drag me back if you must, but I'm not going back to school!"

"Well… I guess that'll do for now," Matsuri said. "School can come later. At least you'll be living with us. Oh, and don't think of running away, okay? Kaede-chan also has a power that'll let her find you no matter where you go."

«Huh? You've been right about my powers until now, but that's definitely not one of them,» Kaede said.

«Don't worry, it's a half truth,» Matsuri said. «I know someone else with that power, but I want onee-chan to think it's yours. Although, I bet you could do it if you put your mind to it, with some training.»

«Ah, okay, I'll play it up then,» Kaede said.

"Yeah, I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth," Kaede said, grinning a little. "So there's no escaping from me!"

"Ugh," Kagari said. "I can't believe you suddenly showed up after being missing for what, a year and a half? And you just so happen to have the opposite power from me…"

"I know, it's quite the coincidence, isn't it?" Kaede said.

"Isn't it?" Matsuri agreed. "I'd call it a stroke of luck… for me, that is."

The two of them got off Kagari's legs and arms and allowed her to stand up. They powered down, and then Matsuri seized one of Kagari's hands. After allowing Kagari to gather up a few possessions she'd brought with her, the three of them left the place via the window and made their way to the Hinata house.

"It sure has been awhile since I've been here," Kaede said. "How long was it? I think I was around ten years old? Dad brought me for the New Year's visit, if I recall correctly…"

"Dad should be home already," Matsuri said. "Onee-chan, the first thing you're going to do is march in there and restore his memories! Kaede-chan, the two of us will go ahead first, and I'll call you in a bit later."

Kaede nodded. "Okay…"

Matsuri pushed the door open and slipped her shoes off. Kagari and Kaede both followed her example. Then she called out.

"Dad, I'm home!"

Her father responded from the living room.

"Welcome back!"

The twins marched into the living room, Kagari transforming in preparation, and as he looked up at them, Kagari stepped forward and extended her hand for a moment. Then she powered down again.

"Ah, you're both here," Mr Hinata said. "I didn't expect you to be together."

"Matsuri dragged me along, I had no choice," Kagari grumbled.

Mr Hinata laughed. "Well, I guess that's quite like her though."

"Um, so Dad, we brought someone else too," Matsuri said.

"Huh? A guest?" Mr Hinata said.

"No, not exactly," Matsuri said. "Um… come in now!"

Kaede stepped into the room, and Mr Hinata gasped.

"What!? No way! How on earth… is that Kaede-chan!?"

"H-hello, Uncle…" Kaede said. "It's been… a long time, hasn't it?"

Mr Hinata leapt to his feet and stepped over to embrace her.

"Where on earth have you been all this time!?" he asked. "I thought you were dead! I was so worried when I heard you went missing… come to think of it, why are you showing up now all of a sudden?"

"Matsuri-chan found me," Kaede said. "I don't know how she did it, though… the reason I disappeared was… something like a kidnapping, I guess?"

Mr Hinata turned to look at Matsuri.

"You found her all by yourself?" he asked.

"Um, well, someone I knew mentioned something," Matsuri said. "It sounded like it might be her, so I took a trip and… well… there she was."

"You should've told a grown-up instead of taking it all upon yourself," Mr Hinata said.

"You don't have to worry about that, Dad," Matsuri said. "There isn't a grown-up who could've found her the way I did. Even if I'd told someone, it would've made no difference. And there wasn't any actual danger. I was with friends the whole time."

"You mean Haruka and the others?" Mr Hinata asked.

"No, other friends," Matsuri said.

"I didn't even know you had other friends," Mr Hinata said. "You should introduce them to me sometime."

Matsuri nodded. "Sometime! It's not like I was intentionally hiding them from you or anything. It just sorta never came up."

"Alright, so you'll be living with us from now on, right Kaede-chan?" Mr Hinata said.

"H-huh!? Are you sure about that?" Kaede gasped.

"Where else would you go?" Mr Hinata asked. "How could I turn away my own niece? Come to think of it, I should go get the adoption papers prepared…"

"Y-you're going to adopt me!?" Kaede gasped.

"It's the best way to be made your legal guardian, isn't it?" Mr Hinata said. "Besides. we're already family, this just changes the labels."

"Um… well… I guess… I don't… mind," Kaede said.

"And I'll have to get you enrolled in school," Mr Hinata said. "I guess I might as well time that for the upcoming new term… maybe I can even convince Kagari to go back at the same time."

"No!" Kagari said. "I hate school! I'm not going!"

Mr Hinata sighed. "You're such a problem child, aren't you? Fine… but I can't just let your education go any longer, so I'll bring in a private tutor once a week."

"I don't want a tutor either," Kagari complained.

"I know, I know, but you'd be entering middle school if you were actually attending," Mr Hinata said. "You can't afford to keep skipping out on your education. I'll make sure you learn all the essentials you'd learn if you'd actually attended school. I'll even register you as a homeschooled student with Matsuri's school, so if you want to join her on class trips or events like the culture festival, you'll be allowed to."

"Ugh… whatever," Kagari grumbled. "I won't join those things anyway."

"You say that now, but I bet you'll change your mind soon enough," Mr Hinata said. "Alright… I'll be heading out now. Be back soon."

He released Kaede and headed to his office to gather a couple of things, then made for the door and put his shoes on.

"I'm off!"

"See you later!" Matsuri said.

Once he was gone, Kaede turned to the twins.

"So, I mostly kept quiet earlier, but could one of you fill me in on what that was all about earlier?" she asked. "Something about killing people and witches, and someone named Suzune…"

"I'll explain everything," Matsuri said. "But before that… Kagari, what exactly did you do to Dad's memories right now?"

"Nothing much," Kagari said. "I just made him think I've been shutting myself up in my room the whole time."

"So you weren't eating?"

"I guess I left the room for meals occasionally, but usually he took the food to my room," Kagari said. "That's the setting."

"Got it," Matsuri said. "Alright, now how should I begin…"

She told the whole story from start to finish. How Tsubaki had come across Suzune and taken her in, leaving her post as the twins' nanny to focus on taking care of Suzune. How Tsubaki had been careless and skimped out on grief seeds. How Tsubaki had turned into a witch, and Suzune had defeated her as a witch. How Suzune had ended up living on the streets. How Matsuri and Kagari had met Kyuubey, and Matsuri had wished for her eyes to be healed. How Matsuri had met Suzune on the streets, drawn by the bell charm she'd inherited from Tsubaki, and made friends with her. How Kagari had suddenly made a contract and erased her memories. How Kagari had modified Suzune's memories to put her on a path of destruction, murdering magical girls before they could turn into witches. She also covered the truths about the soul gem, about how it houses your consciousness and can turn into a grief seed.

"And the rest, is basically what happened today," Matsuri finished. "There was a long period of time in the middle, but nothing much happened in there, just Suzune-chan travelling around and… and murdering magical girls…"

"What on earth…?" Kagari said. "You've talked about things that even I didn't know… did you hear them from Suzune? I didn't know you'd met her…"

"Hmm… some of it I heard from Tsubaki herself," Matsuri said. "Some of it I heard from Tsubaki's childhood friend. And some of it I heard from Suzune-chan."

Kagari blinked. "Childhood friend…?"

"Yeah, I'll introduce you to her later," Matsuri said. "She's a really nice person."

"Wait, how could you hear it from Miss Tsubaki if she's dead?" Kaede asked.

"That's a secret for now!" Matsuri said. "I'll tell you about it later."

"But the most shocking part has to be the thing about turning into witches," Kaede said. "I can't believe Kyuubey left out such an important detail…"

"Yeah, me too," Matsuri said. "I'll never forgive him."

"It's your own fault for not properly questioning him first," Kagari retorted.

"No it's not," Matsuri said. "It's the fault of the person omitting information, not the person who didn't think to ask for the missing information. Omitting important information is a form of dishonesty. Kyuubey intentionally misled us by not mentioning the truth about the origin of witches."

"Yeah, I guess he wouldn't get as many takers if he told them about that," Kaede said. "But why couldn't he just fix the system so we don't turn into witches? I mean, he designed it in the first place…"

"Yeah, he designed it as a system to create witches," Matsuri said. "I talked to him about it one time. It's functioning exactly as intended."

"But… why would he want to create witches…?" Kaede asked.

"Apparently, they're a source of energy or something," Matsuri said. "I didn't really understand the details…"

"…so we're like hamsters being forced to run in a wheel?" Kaede said.

Matsuri giggled. "I guess that's one way of looking at it. But unfortunately for Kyuubey, we're a bit more intelligent than hamsters."

"You said it!" Kaede said. "But even so, there's no way to stop being a magical girl, right? We just have to live with it…"

"That's right," Matsuri said. "We just have to live with our mistakes. Although, I still don't regret making my wish. Do you regret it, Kaede-chan?"

"Hmm… maybe a little bit," Kaede said. "Unlike you, my wish wasn't anything special. I was just watching some anime about psychics and thought it was cool, so I wished for psychic powers."

"I bet that's why you have such a variety of powers though," Matsuri said.

"Could be," Kaede said. "And I'll admit, it really is cool to be able to fly."

"Okay, so tomorrow I'll introduce you two to my other friends," Matsuri said. "I'm not going to make you fight witches together with them or anything, but I want to make sure they at least know who you are."

"I'll fight witches alone, thanks," Kagari said. "Or maybe I won't bother and just let myself turn into a witch."

"I won't let you do that, onee-chan," Matsuri said. "Well, if you still really want to by the time you're of age, maybe I'll let you, but right now you need to atone for your sins. You can't do that if you're dead! Still, I'd be really sad if you turned into a witch, you know."

"That's just another reason to do it," Kagari muttered.

Just as she'd promised, Matsuri took Kagari and Kaede with her the next day at her appointed meeting with the others. Haruka, Arisa, and Chisato were already waiting at the park when they arrived.

"I'm here!" Matsuri called.

They turned to face her and blinked.

"Huh? There are two of Matsuri?" Haruka said.

"Did you duplicate yourself somehow?" Arisa asked.

"Don't be silly, Arisa-chan," Matsuri said. "This is my older twin sister, Kagari."

"Didn't you say you were an only child?" Haruka asked.

"Well… let's just say that was a lie," Matsuri said. "Onee-chan's a bit of a shut-in, so I think you won't see much of her, but I wanted you to meet her at least once. See, she ties her hair different from me, most of the time. If that's not enough, you can always tell her apart from me by our magic, right?"

"You're right, you have completely different magic despite being twins," Haruka said.

"And who's the other girl?"

"She's my cousin, Kaede-chan," Matsuri said. "She went missing about a year and a half ago. I just happened to hear a rumour that I thought might be her, and I followed it and found her, so now she's living with me."

"Um, it's nice to meet you!" Kaede said, bowing. "My name is Hinata Kaede… I'll be in your care…"

"Well, it's nice to meet you too, Miss Kaede," Haruka said. "I'm Kanade Haruka, the team leader."

"I'm Shion Chisato."

"Narumi Arisa."

"Do the two of you intend to join our team?" Haruka asked.

"Not on your life!" Kagari snapped. "I fight alone!"

"Um… if you'll have me," Kaede said. "At least sometimes…?"

"I'm sure we can accommodate another member," Haruka said.

"You don't need to be so testy about it, Kagari," Arisa said. "You coulda just said no."

"I don't want to associate with you guys," Kagari said. "You make me sick."

With that, she turned and stalked off, and Matsuri sighed.

"Well… as you can see, onee-chan is a little difficult," she said. "But I hope she'll start to get used to you, bit by bit…"

"If she doesn't wanna be associated with us, then why would we wanna be associated with her?" Arisa retorted. "Just let her fight alone like she wants."

"Well, I guess so," Matsuri said. "But even so…"

"Setting that aside," Haruka said. "We met up today to hunt witches, after all, so let's get started. Although, before that… Miss Kaede, what kind of magic power do you have?"

"Um… psychic powers, basically," Kaede said. "Telekinesis, stun, flight, telepathy, mental shielding, foresight, second sight…"

"Um… the first half are fairly self-explanatory," Haruka said. "But what do you mean by telepathy? All magical girls can use telepathy."

"Oh, really?" Kaede said. "I actually haven't met very many magical girls before today, so I didn't know that. Um… what're the normal limits on magical girl telepathy?"

"We can communicate with any magical girl within range," Haruka said. "I believe the range is around one hundred metres. If multiple magical girls are in range, we can pick and choose which ones hear our messages and which ones are excluded. We can contact anyone in range even if they're not visible,"

"I see," Kaede said. "That's a bit different from my telepathy. For starters, I think my range is… probably around ten kilometres? It's much easier if they're closer though. If they're further than about a hundred metres it takes some effort to make the connection. But basically I just open a channel, and then I can talk with them whenever, even if they move out of range. Also, it's not limited to magical girls – I can send messages to ordinary people, and if they have magical potential they can even respond. Most of this hasn't been tested out, but… I simply know how it works."

"Oh wow, that's incredible," Haruka said. "Then what about foresight? Are you saying you can see the future?"

"Only about five seconds or so, but yes," Kaede said.

"Even five seconds is a lot in combat, though," Haruka said. "And what's second sight?"

"It's like three-sixty vision even with my eyes closed," Kaede said. "It's not very effective in darkness though, or in smoky places for example. It's also vulnerable to bright light just like regular vision."

"Well, with such a wide array of powers, you'll be quite an addition to the team," Haruka said. "Will you be attending Matsuri's school?"

"Um… yes, I think so," Kaede said.

"And I assume your sister will be as well?" Haruka said.

"Um… onee-chan is being difficult, so Dad's hiring a private tutor instead of forcing her to go to school," Matsuri said. "But I'm hoping I can convince her to change her mind at some point."

"Well, now that we've learned of Miss Kaede's power, let's get started," Haruka said. "Since there are five of us now, let's split into two teams today. Chisato and Arisa, you take the east. The rest of us will take the west."

"Alright!" Chisato said.

"Remember, if you sense a witch, call us over!" Haruka said.

On Friday the eighth of April, Suzune finally transferred into Matsuri's class. As soon as the teacher finished introducing her, Matsuri shot to her feet, startling Kaede who was sitting next to her.

"Suzune-chan!" she said. "It's great to see you again!"

Suzune blinked at her. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"Aww… you don't remember me?" Matsuri said. "Well, I'm sure you'll remember soon enough!"

"…if you say so?" Suzune said doubtfully.

Matsuri sat down, and Honoka shot her a look from across the class.

«Um… I hate to say this about someone who you used to know,» Honoka said. «But it's probably better to stay away from her…»

«Don't worry, Honoka-chan!» Matsuri replied. «I already heard all about it from Ashley Taylor.»

«Y-you know Ashley Taylor!?» Honoka said. «I see… so she told you about Suzune too… but you're still trying to be friends with her?»

«Of course,» Matsuri said.

«Well… I guess I won't try to stop you then. Good luck.»

«Thanks!»

It looked like Honoka had something to say to Suzune as well, to judge from their expressions as Suzune took the seat behind her, but Matsuri was excluded from that conversation.

After school, Matsuri hopped up and went to block Suzune as she was about to leave, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning forward a little as she gave the invitation.

"Suzune-chan! Let's walk home together!"

Suzune stared at her for a few seconds before shrugging.

"Sure," she said.

"You coming, Kaede-chan?" Matsuri asked, turning to look at her cousin.

"Yeah, yeah, just a sec," Kaede said.

She finished packing up and came over to join Matsuri and Suzune.

"And how about you, Honoka-chan?" Matsuri asked.

Honoka blinked at her in surprise.

"M-me!? Ah, um… well, sure, I suppose I could join you…"

"…you're really inviting her?" Suzune muttered.

Matsuri nodded. "Yeah, why not?"

"No reason," Suzune muttered.

Matsuri led them all to her home, where they went inside and kicked their shoes off.

"I'm home!" Matsuri called.

However, there was no response. Kagari should've been home, though. Matsuri sighed.

"I guess onee-chan went out," she said. "But I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"Oh… you have an older sister?" Honoka said. "I'm the eldest in my family, so I don't really know what that's like…"

"Actually, we're twins," Matsuri said. "But onee-chan is refusing to go to school…"

"Oh… so that's how it is," Honoka said. "I'm a twin too, actually."

"So, Suzune-chan, I believe you owe Honoka-chan an apology, don't you?" Matsuri said, beaming at her.

Suzune blinked. "Huh? What for?"

"For trying to kill her the other day," Matsuri said. "I don't think that was a very nice thing to do."

Honoka and Suzune gasped in unison. Kaede just looked confused.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" she asked. "Do you mean like in an online game or something…?"

"H-how did you know about that?" Honoka asked. "I haven't told anyone…"

"I heard it from Ashley Taylor," Matsuri said.

Honoka tilted her head. "Huh? But how did she know?"

"That's a question you should ask her yourself," Matsuri said.

"Yeah… maybe I will," Honoka said.

"So Suzune-chan, will you apologize and make up?" Matsuri said.

"W-why should I?" Suzune muttered.

Matsuri stepped forward to take Suzune's hands.

"Please! I'd like you all to be friends!" she said.

And as she said that, she slipped Suzune's ring off her finger before the other girl realized what was happening.

"G-give that back!" Suzune said.

"After you apologize," Matsuri said.

Suzune glared at her.

"Do you even understand how precious that is!?" she shouted.

Matsuri nodded, showing off the ring on her own finger. "Yes, I understand perfectly," she said.

Suzune gasped. "W-was this all a ploy to lure me here!? You heard about me so you decided to take me out?"

Matsuri sighed. "No, Suzune-chan, I really do just want to be friends with you again," she said. "Really. That's all I want. I was hoping I could convince with just words, but I guess that's not going to work, is it? I'm sorry, Suzune-chan. I should've just called Chisato-chan from the start. Come… let's go into the living room. I'll make tea for everyone."

She turned and made for the kitchen, still clutching Suzune's soul gem in her hands. Behind her, she heard Kaede ushering the other two into the living room.

«So um… mind explaining what that was all about?» Kaede said.

«Didn't I already tell you all about it?» Matsuri replied. «If nothing else, you were there when I got mad at onee-chan…»

«Oh! This is the girl you were talking about back then?» Kaede said. «I'm sorry, I'd forgotten her name, and somehow my brain failed to make the connection. So, she's your childhood friend who Kagari was forcing to kill magical girls, right?»

«That's right,» Matsuri said.

«And I guess she tried to kill Miss Honoka and failed?»

«From what I heard, yes,» Matsuri said.

«Which also means that Miss Honoka is a magical girl,» Kaede said.

«Yes, she is,» Matsuri said.

Before getting the tea started, Matsuri composed an email to Chisato.

[Sorry for the short notice, but I need your magic as soon as possible! Please come over to my place!]

Then she got the water started, prepared the tea, and started searching for some snacks, eventually unearthing a week-old unopened box of assorted cookies and emptying it out onto a plate.

Once the water was ready, she poured it into the mugs and put everything onto a tray, carrying it out into the living room. Suzune was sulking in a corner, while Honoka and Kaede were talking about the former's family. They stopped as Matsuri appeared.

"I've got cookies!" Matsuri said. "Suzune-chan, come and have some!"

"Give back my soul gem!" Suzune said.

"I promise I'll give it back soon," Matsuri said. "But first, have some cookies and enjoy the tea."

"Ugh," Suzune grumbled. "Fine…"

As she, Kaede, and Honoka chatted, Suzune sat off to the side looking sullen, but she did sip her tea and try several cookies. After a bit there was a knock on the door, and Matsuri raised her voice.

"Come in! It's open!"

The door opened, and Chisato's voice could be heard.

"Sorry to intrude!" she said.

"Chisato-chan! You're here!" Matsuri said. "Could you use your magic for me?"

"Sure, I…?"

Chisato began to respond, but then stepped into the room and spotted the two unfamiliar faces there.

"Huh? Who are they?" she asked.

"This is Honoka-chan, from my class," Matsuri said. "And that girl over there is my childhood friend, Suzune-chan. They're both magical girls. Suzune-chan's the one I want you to use your magic on."

"Okay? I don't really get it, but if you're sure…" Chisato said.

She transformed, and Suzune looked up, startled, backing away. Then Chisato shouted her spell.

"Cancel!"

Suzune gasped, her eyes going wide, and she turned to stare at Matsuri.

"Remember me now, Suzune-chan?" Matsuri asked. "Don't worry – I'll forgive you for everything, okay? I just want to be friends with you again."

"I… I…" Suzune stuttered.

"I think it would be good if the two of us could be alone for a little while," Matsuri said.

"Well, in that case, would you two like to join our witch hunt?" Chisato asked. "I was technically in the middle of it when I stopped by. Arisa's even waiting outside."

"Oh, sure," Kaede said.

"Um… if you'll have me!" Honoka said.

The three of them left the house, and Matsuri darted forward, taking Suzune's hand to slip the ring back on, then hugging her.

"It's okay, you don't have to speak," Matsuri said. "It's been hard… hasn't it? I'm here for you now… we're back together at last, free of onee-chan's lies. We can work things out together, can't we?"

"B-but I… I did so many… horrible things," Suzune sobbed. "I don't know…"

"I can only imagine how you feel," Matsuri said. "But no matter what you've done, I forgive you. I just want to be your friend again like before."

"I… I want to be… your friend too…"

"Then we're in agreement!" Matsuri said. "That's a good start!"

Some time later, Matsuri was woken by someone groaning, or maybe growling. She opened her eyes to find Kagari glaring at her. As soon as Kagari noticed she was awake, she started shouting.

"The hell is she doing here!?"

"I invited her, onee-chan," Matsuri said. "It's my house too. I can invite whoever I want to."

"Except her!" Kagari shouted.

"Onee-chan, just stop," Matsuri said. "I'm not going to let you bring up your stupid petty grudge anymore. Suzune-chan never did anything wrong, at least until you forced her to. Drop it."

"How dare—"

At that moment Kaede stepped up and slapped a hand over Kagari's mouth.

"Can't you see the poor girl's trying to sleep?" she said. "Stop shouting for no reason. Geez…"

She released Kagari, who then flung herself down on the floor with a grunt.

"How did this even happen, anyway…?" she muttered. "It's awfully convenient that you were found right now and just so happened to have a certain power… I can't believe it's a coincidence."

"I don't think I ever tried to claim it was a coincidence?" Matsuri said. "I mean, it was a coincidence that Kaede-chan had the right power, but when did I ever say the timing was a coincidence?"

"Huh? It wasn't?" Kaede said. "Oh right, come to think of it, you already knew about my powers before I even said anything… which means you came to find me because of Kagari…?"

"Anyway, where's Dad?" Matsuri asks. "Shouldn't he be home by now?"

"He called half an hour ago to say he'd be home late," Kaede said.

"Oh… what about dinner?"

"He said we could take care of it," Kaede said.

"Okay, I guess I'll get something started then," Matsuri said. "Onee-chan, how are you doing? Do you have enough grief seeds?"

"I got one today," Kagari muttered.

"So you're fine, that's good," Matsuri said. "As for Suzune-chan… maybe I should walk her home… but then I can't get dinner started…"

"What about if I walked her home for you?" Kaede suggested.

"But you don't know where she lives, right?" Matsuri said.

"Nor do you, right?" Kaede pointed out. "Either way, she knows where she lives, so she can just lead me there."

"Ah… r-right," Matsuri said. "Alright, then I'll go get started."

Another five days passed by, and as much as Kagari kept grumbling, it seemed like she was finally starting to get used to her new living arrangements. She was even mostly getting along with the new tutor Mr Hinata had hired at the beginning of the month, and even almost having fun with her studies. As for her relationship with Suzune and the others, it didn't change much, but she also didn't see much of them, so it was to be expected.

Finally, on Thursday, April the fourteenth, Matsuri heard the girls in her class talking about the ripper girl rumour.

"It sounds really scary!" she said. "Don't you think so, Suzune-chan?"

"Sure…?" Suzune said. "Why are you asking me?"

"It sounds really familiar, actually," Honoka said, glancing at Suzune.

"Oh, shut up," Suzune muttered.

The girls who'd been gossiping continued their conversation.

"So, why'd you bring it up?" Watanabe said.

"Well, because I heard about it from a friend in Kamihama recently," Uchimura explained. "But it's a little different…"

"Oh? How so?" Watanabe said.

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

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

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

Suzune turned to stare at her. After about thirty seconds, Honoka started fidgeting a bit.

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

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

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

"I don't speak to Kyuubey very often," Suzune said. "But could a witch cause the rumour to change…?"

Honoka shrugged. "Beats me…"

"However, I also heard some girls were erased by the ripper girl in Kamihama," Uchimura said.

"What, are you kidding?" Watanabe said. "Like the serial murders?"

"Huh? No, not like that," Uchimura said.

"But I thought the ripper girl rumour was based on the murders," Watanabe said.

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

"…that could just be witches," Honoka muttered. "I doubt there'd be another person like that…"

Suzune shot her a glare, and Honoka sighed.

"Ah, sorry, Suzune-chan," she said.

"Wow," Watanabe said. "So there are no clues where they might've gone?"

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

Suzune blinked, turning to stare at Uchimura.

"…wait, do you know this Tokiwa?" Honoka asked.

"Slightly…" Suzune said. "But I thought she was… dead…"

Honoka blinked. "O-oh… I see… but it sounds like she's not…?"

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

"Then I'm coming with you!" Honoka said. "I'm curious about this too, after all… plus I used my last grief seed this morning, so I need to get more. What about you, Matsuri-chan? Kaede-chan?"

"Hmm? What?" Kaede said, blinking in surprise. "Sorry… I missed the entire conversation… what were we talking about?"

Matsuri sighed. "Kaede-chan, you really should pay more attention," she said. "They were talking about rumours of a ripper girl in Kamihama."

"Huh? Wait, that sounds familiar somehow," Kaede said.

"Right?" Matsuri said. "Actually, could you find onee-chan and drag her along? I think she'd actually find this interesting. Use Tsubaki's name to tempt her if you have to."

"Alright," Kaede said.

"So that means you're both coming?" Honoka said.

"Yes," Matsuri said. "And I'll talk to Haruka-chan and the others too. They'll probably want to join us."

"Is this going to work out?" Kaede said dubiously. "I mean, Kagari and Arisa-sempai are like cats and dogs…"

"We'll make it work somehow," Matsuri said.

"Alright," Kaede said. "I'll go search for Kagari."

"Then, Honoka-chan and Suzune-chan, would you like to wait by the front gate?"

"Sure," Honoka said. "Come on, Suzune-chan, let's go."

"Ugh… to be honest, I'd really rather go alone," Suzune grumbled. "There's no need to drag all of you into this…"

"But we have our own reasons to want to go," Matsuri said. "So we might as well just all go together."

"Fine," Suzune said. "I'll wait for you, but don't take too long or I might leave without you."

"Alright, then I'd better hurry!" Matsuri said.

With that, she leapt up and left the room, heading for the rooftop, bursting through the door and startling the three waiting girls.

"Thanks for waiting!" she said. "Sorry I'm late! I got chatting with Suzune-chan and Honoka-chan."

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

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

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

"Now, now, calm down," Haruka said. "But where's Kaede?"

"She's not coming," Matsuri said. "I asked her to do something for me, so we can start without her."

Haruka nodded. "Then let's get down to business now that we're all here."

"So you suddenly called a meeting this morning," Matsuri said. "Should we guess what it's about?"

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

"No, of course not," Chisato retorted.

"Arisa is correct," Haruka said.

"What!? Seriously!?" Arisa gasped.

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

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

"I saw it on the news," Matsuri said. "And I actually heard rumours about it even before the graduation ceremony."

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

"Hmm… it's probably no more than you know, really?" Matsuri said. "Like I said, it was just rumours? I mean, it was even more vague than the report on the news."

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

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

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

"No, when have you ever seen a witch with a sword?" Matsuri retorted. "It's more likely a magical girl, isn't it? Besides, if a witch killed them, the bodies would be gone."

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

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

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

"Wait, that can't be right," Matsuri said. "Surely the rumour is based on the murders…?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Or the rumour was a warning," Matsuri suggested. "Like… 'look out, there's a serial killer on the loose', something like that."

"Maybe," Haruka said. "But in any case, it's too early to assume it's a witch. Therefore, let's move on to today's topic. Since the rumours seem to originate in Kamihama, I'd like to go there to investigate the source of the ripper girl rumour."

"Speaking of Kamihama," Chisato said.

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

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

"Chisato and I have been there before!" Arisa said. "It was pretty fun! We had some great taiyaki and stuff!"

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

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

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

After Matsuri left the room, Kaede, Suzune, and Honoka made their way leisurely to the school gate.

"Is it going to be difficult to find Miss Kagari?" Honoka asked.

"Hopefully not," Kaede said. "By now, I've figured out most of the places she likes to hide when she doesn't want to be found. If she's fighting a witch or just lazing around somewhere it should be even easier to find her. I'll check the house first, then the likely hiding places."

"Huh… you're really getting used to this, Kaede-chan," Honoka said with a little giggle. "Well, good luck. Suzune-chan and I will be waiting for you right here."

"Thanks," Kaede said.

With that, she took off at a run, heading for what was now her house. But the door was locked, and she couldn't sense Kagari's presence, so she didn't even bother looking inside. Next she headed for the apartment building where they'd originally found her, but she wasn't there either, so Kaede headed for the main bridge – there was a grassy bank underneath it that Kagari liked to nap on. Sure enough, there she was, sprawled out on the ground in casual clothes, fast asleep and drooling slightly.

Kaede knelt on the ground beside her and reached out to gently shake her. When that had no effect, she tried poking Kagari's cheek. This elicited more of a reaction, a sort of annoyed moan, so she did it again. After a few more pokes, and nearly being punched in the face by a half-asleep Kagari, she managed to get the other girl to open her eyes.

"…Kaede… what the hell d'you want…?"

"We're going to Kamihama to hunt witches and investigate something," Kaede said. "You're coming too."

"Why do I have to come!?" Kagari protested. "I don't wanna."

"Matsuri thinks you'd find it interesting," Kaede said. "She mentioned Tsubaki. I don't know how it's related though."

Just as Matsuri had predicted, the mention of Tsubaki instantly got Kagari's attention, and she sat up with a gasp.

"W-what about Tsubaki…? Is there something related to her in Kamihama!?"

"Like I said… she didn't explain it to me," Kaede said. "So you'll just have to come along and see for yourself."

"Ugh," Kagari muttered. "I guess I can at least come with you and grill Matsuri about it… but I'm not making any promises beyond that!"

"I guess that's good enough for now," Kaede said. "Come on, she should be waiting in front of our school."

She stood up, offering a hand to Kagari, but Kagari ignored it, leaping to her feet on her own. Then the two of them made their way back to Akanegasaki Middle School, where they found everyone else already waiting. Kagari gasped.

"W-wha— you tricked me, didn't you!? You never said Suzune or that idiot Arisa would be here!"

Matsuri heard her complaint and waved.

"Onee-chan! Over here! Let's all go to Kamihama together!"

Kagari stomped over to them, glaring daggers at Arisa, who returned as good as she got.

"Why should I?" she retorted. "There's actually nothing to do with Tsubaki, is there? You just used that to get my attention, didn't you?"

"Hmm, well, I can't say that there's definitely nothing related to Tsubaki here," Matsuri said. "I didn't use her name just to get your attention. I really think that you'd be interested in what we're investigating today. Weren't you and Kaede-chan both wondering how I could've heard something from Tsubaki? Maybe you'll find out if you come with us today."

Kagari looked at Haruka, who she seemed to get along with a bit better compared to Chisato and Arisa.

"And? Do you think so too, miss student council president?"

"Um, well… to tell the truth, I don't know what Matsuri is talking about," Haruka said. "The reason I wanted to go to Kamihama doesn't seem like it could have anything to do with your former nanny… but I think Matsuri might have something else in mind."

"And why does Suzune have to come?" Kagari asked.

"Don't ask stupid questions," Matsuri said. "She loved Tsubaki as much as you or I did. Why shouldn't she come?"

Kagari let out a low growl, but said nothing else.

"So anyway, now that everyone's here, let's get going," Haruka said.

Despite her apparent misgivings, Kagari still stayed with the group as they headed for the train station. For perhaps the first time ever, all the magical girls of Hohzuki were together – the Hinata twins, Kaede, Suzune, Honoka, Arisa, Chisato, and Haruka.

Upon arriving in Kamihama, the eight of them lingered outside the train station to discuss things.

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

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

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

"Yeah, there were several kids in uniform talking about it," Matsuri said. "It's the same thing I overheard in class earlier."

"It was impossible to miss," Kaede said. "Is that related to why we came to Kamihama?"

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

"That's a possibility," Haruka said. "It'll be more efficient for us to split up and investigate in groups of two or three."

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

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

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

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

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

"Hmm… I think I'd like to go with Arisa-chan and onee-chan," Matsuri said. "Suzune-chan, you've also been here before, so why don't you go with Honoka-chan?"

Suzune shrugged. "Fine with me," she said.

"Then the last group would be me, Kaede, and Chisato," Haruka said. "Okay, that sounds good."

"Just wait and see!" Arisa boasted. "I've got a special plan up my sleeve!"

"Special plan…?" Matsuri said.

"What is it?" Haruka said.

"That just worries me," Chisato muttered.

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

"What about you and Chisato and Kaede-chan?" Matsuri asks.

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

"The library… that sounds like a good idea," Matsuri said.

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

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

"As for me, I'll just wander around town and gather information," Suzune said.

"Yeah, maybe we can find some local magical girls to question!" Honoka said.

As Haruka, Kaede, Chisato, Suzune, and Honoka headed off, Matsuri turned to Arisa.

"So, are you going to share your special plan with us, Arisa-chan?" Matsuri asked.

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

Matsuri sighed. "I thought it would be like that… you're so simple-minded, Arisa-chan. Geez…"

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

"Well, I think it would be good to find a place with lots of people to ask," Matsuri said.

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

She turned and ran off, and Matsuri grabbed her sister's hand and gave chase. Unlike last time, she didn't bother bringing up her protest based on Arisa's games, since she knew it would just be cut off. They turned into an alleyway and almost immediately heard the sound of bells, similar to the one Suzune wore in her hair, but several of them instead of just one.

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

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

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

"Are you going after it?" Matsuri asked.

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

Matsuri took out her soul gem to test for a reaction.

"There's a magic response," she said. "It's not a witch, but it's not a magical girl either. It's closer to a magical girl than a witch, though."

"You're telling me to be careful, right?" Arisa said. "I know, so let's go!"

She transformed, and Matsuri and Kagari both followed suit before running in the direction of the bells. Before long, they encountered the rumour, a spectre taking on the form of Tokiwa Nanaka in magical girl form, shrouded in darkness with her face hidden.

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

"Must be," Matsuri said. "There's definitely a magic signature. It's not like a witch or familiar."

The bells rang again, and the spectre spoke.

"Name… give me a name…"

"A name…?" Arisa said.

"That's what the rumour said," Matsuri said. "She asks for your name, and if you answer…"

"We managed to find her and everything," Arisa said, "so there's no way we can just turn around and leave. Brace yourself real well, alright?"

Matsuri nodded. She briefly considered whether she should just state the correct name now, but she knew that giving her own name wouldn't result in any harm, and solving it herself from the start wouldn't allow her to meet with Natsuki and the others. So she decided to do the same as in the last timeline.

"Give me a name…?" the spectre said.

"I'm Narumi Arisa."

"I'm Hinata Matsuri."

The two of them looked at Kagari, who shook her head.

"Why should I have to play along with this stupid game?" she retorted. "I'm not telling this thing my name, no matter what!"

"Wrong," the spectre said.

It began to flash between the forms of the various imprisoned people, repeating that one word over and over again. Matsuri recognized Chun Meiyui, Natsume Kako, Shinobu Akira, and even Yura Hotaru. Then it returned to Nanaka's form and suddenly attacked the three of them. As before, Matsuri felt drowsy and passed out for a moment.

When she awoke again, Kagari was gone, and Arisa was still passed out on the ground. Since Kagari had refused to answer, Matsuri assumed she must've been swallowed up by the rumour. With a sigh, she knelt by Arisa to gently shake her.

Both transformed, Suzune and Honoka also wandered through some back alleys, Honoka looking around a bit nervously, but they didn't run into the rumour no matter how far they walked. Eventually, as they entered an underpass crossing beneath the main road, the bell in Suzune's hair jangling as she walked, they were suddenly accosted by Natsuki.

"Hey, um…!"

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

Natsuki gasped. "Are you the ripper girl!? What did you do to Akira!? And her friends…?"

Suzune stared at her.

"Akira…? Where did I hear that name before…"

«…is that another girl you thought you'd killed?» Honoka asked.

«…I think so,» Suzune said.

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

Then Chisato, Haruka, and Kaede joined the fray, all three of them also transformed.

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

"Huh?" Natsuki said.

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

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

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

"Ugh, seriously? What a pain," Suzune grumbled.

With that, she simply vanished, eliciting a groan from Honoka.

"Didn't you recognize her?" Kaede pointed out. "That was Suzune-chan, wasn't she? See, Honoka-chan is here too, so that proves it."

"Ah!" Haruka gasped. "I jumped to conclusions…"

"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever actually seen Suzune transformed before," Chisato said.

"Me neither," Haruka said. "Have you seen her, Kaede?"

"Once or twice," Kaede said.

"Well, I can't sense any trace of her now," Chisato said.

"Yeah, apparently she can hide her presence," Honoka said. "I hope she comes back…"

"Um, who are you guys?" Natsuki asked. "I haven't seen you around here before, but I guess you're magical girls?"

"Yes, I'm Kanade Haruka, from Hohzuki," Haruka said. "These are my friends, Shion Chisato, Hinata Kaede, and Kanami Honoka."

"So that girl in the coat was also one of your friends?" Natsuki said. "Then she's not the ripper girl…?"

"Not exactly, but we're acquainted," Haruka said. "You could say she's a friend of a friend. We're not here to encroach on your territory, so please don't worry."

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

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

"Huh!? You too!?" Natsuki gasped.

She powered down, revealing her school uniform.

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

"Sankyoin!?" Chisato gasped.

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

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

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

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

They made their way out of the tunnel, and Natsuki led them to a nearby park. Haruka explained why they'd come to Kamihama.

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

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

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

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

"Someone lost their memory…?" Honoka said.

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

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

"Really!?" Chisato said.

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

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

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

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

"No, not at all!" Natsuki said. "I just heard the bell ringing, and when I followed the sound, I found those two girls… the one had a coat like in the rumour, so I tried talking to her. She asked me my name, so I thought it was really the rumour… but it turned out it was just you and your friend…"

She nodded in Honoka's direction.

"And then we ended up scaring Suzune-chan away," Kaede said.

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

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

Haruka frowned a little, pondering.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Alright, Natsuki!" Chisato said.

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

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

A few minutes and several calls later, Kanoko, Matsuri, and Arisa joined them in the park, arriving all at the same time.

"Kanoko!" Natsuki called. "Over here!"

"You know her?" Matsuri said.

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

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

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

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

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

Haruka and Chisato both blinked at her.

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

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

"Your personality has clearly changed," Haruka said.

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

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

"Huh…?" Arisa said.

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

"More energetic!" Matsuri said.

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

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

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

Chisato trailed off, but Matsuri prompted her to continue.

"Like what?" Matsuri asked.

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

"And what happened to Kagari?" Haruka asked. "She should have been with you too."

"Um… who?" Arisa said.

"Onee-chan disappeared," Matsuri said. "I think the rumour got her, but I'm not sure."

"That sounds bad," Kanoko said.

"Like how Miss Tokiwa went missing…?" Natsuki mused.

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

Honoka nodded. "Yeah… that sounds pretty accurate," she said.

"It matches up with the rumour I heard," Kaede said.

"Same here," Matsuri said. "I first heard that rumour quite awhile ago, actually…"

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

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

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

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

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

"That long ago!?" Haruka gasped.

"T-that's even earlier than when I first heard it," Matsuri said.

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

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

"Um, just a quick question, but… that girl who told you about it, could she have been Ashley Taylor?" Matsuri asked.

"Huh? Y-yeah, how'd you know?" Honoka asked.

"Ashley Taylor!?" Chisato gasped. "You mean that girl who was talking about Walpurgisnacht out of the blue…?"

"Um… yes, that's her," Matsuri said. "So anyway, the one we met earlier must've been the memory ripper girl, right? But… the rumour doesn't say anything about changing people's personalities, does it?"

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

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

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

"Well, I suppose I had a really bad feeling," Matsuri said. "What about you, Arisa-chan?"

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

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

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

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

"Hey, Arisa," Chisato said.

"What…?" Arisa said.

"Do you remember what you wished for?" Chisato asked

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

"Can't remember?" Chisato said.

"Yeah…"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Well… even if you say that…" Matsuri said. "I was protected by Kaede-chan's magic, so I'm pretty sure my memories should be fine."

"What magic is that?" Natsuki asked.

"Oh, she's referring to my mental shielding magic," Kaede explained. "I can't guarantee there's no way to get around it, but… I think it's a good bet that she came out unaffected."

"If you want, just in case, I can cheer you on to remember?" Natsuki suggested.

"Cheer me?" Matsuri said. "Um… thanks for the thought, but I really don't think that would help."

"No, that's actually a good idea," Kanoko said. "Natsuki's cheering is amazing, it gives me so much strength!"

"I mean, I'd still like to see it," Matsuri said. "I really don't think it'll help right now, but if you want to do it, then go right ahead."

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

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

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

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

"It's not fair to ask someone who has no memory what they've forgotten," Haruka said. "It's impossible to remember what you have no memory of. Besides, there's no guarantee she did forget something, considering Kaede's magic."

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

Suddenly Natsuki's phone rang.

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

She pulled it out and answered, mostly just grunting affirmatively to the person on the other end. Then she hung up and stowed her phone away with a grin.

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

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

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

"Where's the shopping district?" Kaede asked.

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

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

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

"What's wrong?" Haruka asked.

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

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

"T-then… m-me too!" Arisa said.

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

"I'm scared, but… Chisato…"

Chisato sighed. "Okay, but don't overdo it," she said.

"I won't…!"

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

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

"I agree with Haruka," Matsuri said. "If you go alone now, you're just asking for trouble…"

"Please!" Chisato said.

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

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

"Our destinations are set!" Matsuri said.

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

"Go! Fight! Win!" Matsuri said.

"I-it's contagious…!?" Arisa gasped.

While Arisa, Kanoko, and Chisato headed off by themselves, Natsuki led the rest of them across town. As before, she hesitated before entering an alleyway.

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

"I think it's fine," Matsuri said. "Maybe we could gather some more information if the memory ripper showed up, right?"

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

"Okay!" Natsuki said.

So as they turned into the alleyway, Haruka began to question Matsuri about her memory.

"I'm going to ask you some questions, so why don't you see if you can answer them?"

"Sure!" Matsuri said.

"If you don't want to answer something, just answer in your mind."

"Got it!"

"Okay, first of all, what's your name?"

"Hinata Matsuri!"

"Your school and year?"

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

"What's your family structure?"

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

"You have a big sister?" Natsuki said.

"Yeah, she's my older sister, but we're twins," Matsuri said. "Kaede-chan is also the same age so it's almost like we're triplets."

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

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

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

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

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

"Haruka… you're an only child, right?" Matsuri said.

Haruka blinked. "Ah… essentially, yes. Though I used to have an older sister…"

"Ah, what happened?" Matsuri asked.

"I… I'd rather not talk about it," Haruka said.

"Oh, sorry for asking," Matsuri said.

"No, it's okay," Haruka said.

She asked a few more questions that never came up in the previous timeline, then nodded in satisfaction.

"I can't be certain of course, but it doesn't seem like you've been influenced by the memory ripper," Haruka said. "Kaede's magic must have protected you as you thought."

"Yeah, I'm sure it did!" Matsuri said. "Kaede-chan's magic is amazing!"

"Ah, t-thank you very much," Kaede gasped.

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

"Yeah, she said to look forward to it," Natsuki said. "Oh, we need to turn here."

"No, wait a second," Matsuri said. "Let's go that way instead."

"But that's not the right way…?" Natsuki said.

"I know, but… I think I sense something over there," Matsuri said. "Or maybe I'm imagining it?"

"Well, we can check it out quickly," Natsuki said dubiously.

So they bypassed the turn that Natsuki was aiming for and instead took the next turn. Then the sound of a bell was heard.

"That's it!" Matsuri gasped. "That's the same sound I heard earlier!"

The spectre of the memory ripper appeared at the exact same moment, this time taking on the visage of Natsume Kako.

"W-whoa!?" Natsuki gasped. "It really came out!"

Then Suzune stepped out of thin air, startling everyone. She pressed a sheet of paper into Matsuri's hand and then stepped between her and the rumour.

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

"Suzune-chan!?" Matsuri gasped.

The spectre suddenly changed forms, adopting the shape of Eri Aimi, and Natsuki gasped.

"W-why does it look like Aimi!?"

"Matsuri-chan, you should get out of here," Suzune said.

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

"I'll distract it," Suzune said. "All of you, get out of this alleyway."

"But saying that all of a sudden is—"

Again the spectre changed, now taking the form of Chun Meiyui.

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

"Please get that paper to Utsuho Natsuki from Sankyoin Academy, or Yayoi Kanoko from Mizuna Girls' School," Suzune said

"O-oh, that's me!" Natsuki gasped.

"Then that's perfect!" Suzune said. "Hurry and get out of here!"

Then the spectre adopted the form of Kagari.

"A-as I thought, onee-chan really was captured!" Matsuri gasped. "Everyone… we should do as Suzune-chan said!"

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

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

As the others retreated back the way they came, Suzune lured the rumour in the opposite direction. They went back and took the route Natsuki had originally intended, emerging back onto the busy streets.

"So, what did Suzune-chan give you?" Kaede asked.

Matsuri passed the torn sheet of paper to Natsuki, who took it and smoothed it out.

"This note," Natsuki said. "This is Aimi's handwriting! Why did Miss Suzune have this?"

"She must've run into Aimi-chan before she got caught by the rumour," Matsuri said.

"May I see?" Haruka asked.

Natsuki showed her the paper.

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

"I have a bad feeling about this," Natsuki said.

"I'll read it," Haruka said.

"Okay," Natsuki said.

So she read it out loud, just like last time. The torn part was about the same as before too.

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

"That's a little bit scary…" Honoka said.

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

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

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

"I'm gonna try calling her!" Natsuki said, whipping out her phone.

"Hmm," Haruka mused. "This is clearly about the ripper girl, but…"

At that moment, her phone rang, and she answered it and set it to speaker mode. Arisa's voice issued from the phone.

"Hello, Arisa? Is something wrong?"

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

"Huh!?" Haruka gasped.

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

Haruka took a deep breath before responding.

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

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

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

Natsuki sighed as the call ended.

"Aimi's not answering," she said. "Could the same thing have happened to her…? And Akira and her teammates, too?"

"That does seem pretty likely…" Honoka said.

"We'd better hurry!" Haruka said.

"Yes!" Matsuri said.

Natsuki led them back to the park where they'd originally met up, and from there, Matsuri led the way to the alleyway where they'd first found the ripper girl. As before, Arisa was sitting on a bench quite close by, with the two children sleeping on her.

"Arisa-chan! Are you okay!?" Matsuri called.

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

She tried in vain to wipe the tears from her face.

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

"Arisa-chan, it's not your fault," Matsuri said. "It's the rumour's fault!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I'll stick to her like a leech!" Matsuri said.

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

"Yes!" Natsuki said.

She was about to run off when Karin stepped out of nowhere and they rammed into each other, the impact throwing both of them to the ground.

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

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

Once the two of them had picked themselves up and dusted themselves off, Karin noticed that everyone was wearing a ring.

"Huh? Those rings…?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Oh yeah, when we encountered the rumour earlier, one of the forms it took had pink hair," Matsuri said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Alright," Haruka said.

Natsuki carefully picked up the two children and left, while everyone else made for the park in question. Matsuri took Arisa's hand and squeezed it a little. While waiting for Natsuki to return, they all introduced themselves to Karin. Then Natsuki returned, and Haruka began going over the situation.

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

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

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

"Yeah," Natsuki said. "The rumour looked like her for a moment, so probably that means she was assimilated too."

"Suzune-chan was probably sucked in too," Matsuri said. "She lured it away for us, but…"

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

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

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

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

"B-but still…!" Arisa said.

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

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

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

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

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

"If that happened, there'd be no-one left to save us!" Matsuri said.

"This conversation sounds really heavy," Karin sighed.

"I know!" Matsuri said. "There's no point talking about all this gloomy stuff! We need to stop wasting time and come up with a good method to save them!"

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

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

"Nothing doing!" Matsuri retorted. "If we let you go, you're just gonna go run off on your own!"

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

"Are you sure Arisa was planning on doing something like that…?" Haruka said.

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

"Don't lie to us, Arisa!" Matsuri said. "You were planning to ditch us and run off on your own! You mustn't do that! You'll only make things worse!"

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

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

"Yeah, the one who's been wasting the most time is you, Arisa-chan!" Matsuri said.

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

"Ah, I have just the thing for this!" Karin exclaimed, her voice overlapping with Arisa's, digging into a pocket of her skirt.

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

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

Arisa blinked in surprise as Karin cut off her tirade by stuffing a lollipop into her mouth.

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

Haruka took the chance to launch on her own rant.

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

She and Arisa glared at each other in silence for several seconds. Then Arisa took out the lollipop so she could respond.

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

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

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

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

"Good idea," Natsuki said.

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

"Yeah, we don't need to worry about the coat ripper girl," Matsuri said. "That's completely different, and a thing of the past."

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

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

"When Matsuri and Arisa encountered it," Haruka continued, "giving their names made it change form. The result of being cut was… Arisa lost part of her memory. Matsuri was apparently unaffected thanks to Kaede's magic that had been cast beforehand. Kagari disappeared, perhaps assimilated… can you explain why she was assimilated and you weren't, Matsuri?"

"Well, the only difference I can think of is that onee-chan didn't give her name," Matsuri said. "She refused to answer at all."

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

Matsuri nodded. "Yes, this makes it all nice and easy to understand," she said.

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

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

She took out the page and indicated a scribbled note at the top that wasn't part of the rumour's text.

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

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

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

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

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

"Can I see the page?" Karin asked.

"Sure," Haruka said, handing it over.

Matsuri elected not to question Haruka's conclusion, and since no-one else thought of challenging her either, they ended up waiting in silence while Karin read through the torn page.

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

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

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

"Let's hurry!" Matsuri said.

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

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

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

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

"Although, there was one part I didn't really get," Karin said.

"What's that?" Haruka asked.

"Why was that protection magic cast on Miss Matsuri but not on Miss Arisa?"

"Ah," Kaede said. "I renew it every morning on Matsuri and me. It's a long story, but… it wasn't meant to protect against the rumour. That was just a lucky coincidence."

"Hmm… well, alright then," Karin said.

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

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

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

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

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

"It's kinda like a familiar," Kaede said. "But there's no labyrinth…"

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

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

As they headed closer to listen to what it was saying, Matsuri maintained her iron grip on Arisa's hand, preventing her from slipping away. They approached the rumour spreader, which suddenly broke off from the group it was talking with and slid towards them.

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

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

"It seems like it just wants to talk," Matsuri said.

The rumour spreader stopped in front of them and began reciting the entire text of the rumour. Haruka listened especially closely to the second half, which was missing from Aimi's notes. She even took out a pen and jotted it down on the back of Aimi's note paper. Once the rumour spreader had recited the full text twice over, it suddenly vanished.

"It's gone!" Natsuki gasped.

"All of a sudden!?" Kaede gasped.

"Did you get everything, Haruka?" Matsuri asked.

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

"Yeah," Matsuri said.

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

"Yes… I think we're almost ready to save her now," Haruka said. "If we face it without a plan, we'll just be beaten. That's why we had to be careful up until now. We learned important information just now, so let's go over it and work out a solution."

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

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

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

An awkward silence fell, broken by Haruka.

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

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

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

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

"And what? Be absorbed by the rumour?" Haruka asked.

"N-no, that's…"

"Because that's what's probably going to happen if you face it without a plan!" Haruka said.

Arisa transformed and tore her hand free of Matsuri's grip. Matsuri let out a yelp of pain.

"I've had enough of your goody two-shoes act and your time-wasting!"

Before Matsuri had a chance to grab her again, she turned and ran into the alleyways.

Matsuri sighed. "Arisa-chan…"

"She's so selfish!" Haruka said.

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

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

"No problem!" Natsuki said.

They followed Arisa into the alleyways they'd used as a shortcut earlier. They could see Arisa ahead of them for a moment before she ducked around a corner. A moment later, the sound of bells was heard.

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

Everyone else also transformed and followed Arisa around the corner, where they found her confronting the spectre of Chisato. The bell sounded again, and the spectre challenged her as usual.

"Give me a name," the spectre said.

"Chisato!" Arisa gasped.

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

But Arisa ignored her and stepped forward instead. Haruka leapt forward to grab her arm.

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

"Let go of me!" Arisa shouted.

She wrested her arm free of Haruka's grasp with such force that Haruka went flying several metres back and smashed into a wall.

"Ah…!" Arisa gasped. "I'm sorry!"

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

"That looked painful…" Karin said.

As Matsuri hurried over to Haruka to apply some healing magic, the spectre took a few steps forward.

"Give me a name," the spectre repeated.

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

"Chisato!" Arisa said.

"Chi…sato…?" the spectre asked.

"Get ahold of yourself!" Arisa said. "Come on, Chisato! Please!"

"Chisato… name…?" the spectre asked.

"Yes!" Arisa said. "You're Chisato! Come back to us…!"

"Chi-sa-to… me…?" the spectre asked.

"Shion Chisato!" Matsuri said.

"Shion… Chisato…?" the spectre repeated.

"Right," the spectre agreed. "I'm… Shion Chisato…"

There was a flash, and Chisato separated from the spectre of the rumour and fell to the ground, while the rumour went on to take Aimi's form. It cycled through several other forms – Kako, Hotaru, Kagari – before finally settling on Nanaka's form.

"I get it!" Haruka gasped. "It's asking not for your name, but its own name…!"

Karin stepped forward to face the spectre.

"Um… you, aren't you… Tokiwa Nanaka?" she asked.

"Yes… I am… Tokiwa Nanaka," she agreed.

There was another flash of light, and Nanaka also fell out of the spectre to lie prone on the ground. The spectre moved on to Kako's form.

"Chisato!" Arisa said. "Wake up!"

"Looks like the two of them are just unconscious," Haruka said.

"Thank goodness!" Matsuri said.

"It's hard to believe that Miss Tokiwa got defeated though," Karin said.

"Why, is she supposed to be really strong?" Honoka asked.

"Well, not as strong as Miss Nanami, but… she's one of the stronger magical girls around town," Karin said. "At least, of the ones who've been around for about a year or more… I don't know many of the newer ones like Miss Natsuki…"

"Oh, have you been a magical girl for that long?" Natsuki asked.

"A bit less," Karin said. "I became a magical girl on Halloween."

"But wait, we can't let our guard down yet!" Natsuki said.

"Right," Haruka said. "Looks like it's not over yet…"

The spectre had begun iterating through its various forms while they spoke.

"Unfair," the spectre of Kako said. "Why!?"

"Name… unfair, unfair, unfair!" the spectre of Kanoko said.

"Unfair!" the spectre of Hotaru said.

"Unfair!" the spectre of Suzune shouted.

And with that shout, everyone was suddenly drawn into its barrier.

"W-whoa!" Karin said. "What a weird labyrinth! And wasn't that Yura-chan just a moment ago…?"

"That was the second time she appeared, right?" Matsuri said.

"Oh, maybe," Karin said. "I wasn't paying close attention until I saw Miss Tokiwa…"

"Indeed, it's rather strange for a labyrinth," Haruka agreed. "It's not quite a witch…? Is it something unique to Kamihama?"

"I've never seen anything like it though," Karin said.

"Nor have I," Natsuki said. "What the heck could be going on here…?"

The spectre continued to cycle forms and shout at them.

"Unfair! Unfair!" the spectre of Aimi said.

"It's not attacking us…?" Haruka said. "Let's pull back and regroup for now! For starters, I want to secure an escape route! Let's find somewhere to stop and rest while we search for the labyrinth's exit."

"Especially since Chisato and Miss Tokiwa are out cold," Matsuri said.

"Oh, I'll carry Chisato!" Arisa said.

"Yes, thank you." Haruka said.

"I can carry Miss Tokiwa," Natsuki said.

"No, Miss Natsuki, I'd like you and Matsuri to take the lead," Haruka said.

"Then I guess I'll carry her," Karin said.

Haruka nodded. "Good… then I'll bring up the rear with Kaede and Miss Honoka, and the two of you who are carrying someone will keep to the centre."

"Got it!" Natsuki said. "We've just gotta find an exit and a good place to hide!"

"Leave it to us!" Matsuri said.

"Mm-hm," Arisa said.

They picked up the two prone girls and wandered through the labyrinth until they came across the strange building with a door. Heading inside, they set Nanaka and Chisato down. As before, the spectre followed them, but only slowly. A bit after they'd settled down, it started banging on the door, but it seemed like it would hold.

"It seems like it can't break in here," Natsuki said.

"Looks like we're safe for now," Matsuri said.

"Yeah!" Natsuki said. "Too bad we couldn't find an exit, though… also…"

She lowered her voice and leaned towards Matsuri, glancing towards Arisa and Haruka.

"Does it feel kinda… super awkward in here…?"

Matsuri giggled a bit, nervously. "I get what you mean…"

Then she stepped forward to grab Arisa's and Haruka's hands.

"Alright, how about you each say what you're thinking on the count of three?" she said.

"Huh…?" Arisa said.

"That's too sudden, I—" Haruka said.

"One," Matsuri said. "Two… three!"

"I'm sorry!" Haruka and Arisa shouted, almost in unison.

Beaming, Matsuri took a step back to let them talk.

"I knew you were right, Haruka," Arisa said. "I'm sorry for being so selfish…"

"I wasn't considering your feelings at all, either," Haruka said. "And I told you to act calm, but I was far from composed myself… I'm sorry…"

"Ta-da!" Matsuri said. "Now we're all friends again!"

"Whoa!" Natsuki said. "Wonderfully done!"

"You can say that again…" Honoka said.

"Uhh, guys, they're starting to wake up!" Karin said.

"Ugh, I…" Chisato said.

"What… happened to me…?" Nanaka asked.

"The ripper girl, um… assimilated you," Natsuki said.

"Ah, is that you, Miss Utsuho…?" Nanaka said.

"Chisatooo!" Arisa gasped.

She threw herself forward and glomped Chisato, starting to cry a little. Meanwhile, Nanaka took a look around, taking in the surroundings. Unlike last time, she didn't seem to be wary of anyone.

"Good to see you back with us, Chisato," Haruka said.

"I'm so sorry for the trouble I caused," Chisato said.

"It's fine," Haruka said. "More importantly, do you feel anything wrong?"

"Anything wrong…?" Chisato said.

"Oh, like your memories!" Natsuki suggested.

"Do you remember who everyone is?" Matsuri asked.

"Yeah, I do," Chisato said. "Other than the witch girl with purple hair…"

"Oh! I'm Misono Karin!"

"Nice to meet you," Chisato said. "And I think my memory is alright."

"I see," Haruka said. "Sorry this is so sudden, but could you tell us what happened?"

Chisato nodded, explaining the details of what had happened, which was pretty much identical to last time.

"So what did it say, exactly?" Haruka asked.

"I see… then you're also me," Chisato quoted. "The ripper girl, right?"

"That fits the rumour we heard," Haruka mused.

Chisato sighed. "When the ripper girl trapped me, I could feel myself slowly forgetting who I was… and eventually, I couldn't stay awake anymore."

"So you really remember nothing that happened while you were caught?" Matsuri asked.

"Yeah… I think I don't remember anything until Arisa called my name…?"

"Could you hear my voice?" Arisa asked.

"Loud and clear," Chisato said. "I heard Arisa calling my name, and I… how do I put it… it was like I got myself back?"

"I see," Natsuki said. "And the same happened to Miss Tokiwa… so if we call the other people's names, I assume we can get them back too."

"Yeah, I agree," Karin said. "So all we gotta do is go out there and call everyone's names, right?"

"Though I'm honestly not sure if that will solve the core issue," Haruka said. "So please, just wait a bit longer." Then she turned to Nanaka. "So… what about you, Miss… Tokiwa, was it?"

Nanaka nodded. "It seems I've caused you some trouble," she said. "My apologies."

"Don't worry about it," Haruka said. "More importantly, could I ask you to tell me what happened?"

Nanaka looked around at the assembled girls and nodded.

"I don't have much to tell you," she said. "But I'll say what I can. The reason we were following the ripper girl rumour was because we were the ones who originally started the rumour. Last month, a magical girl suddenly appeared in Kamihama and started attacking magical girls, with clear intent to kill. Fortunately, no-one died, but… I started the rumour in hopes of warning others about her. As time went by, we noted that the rumour was starting to spread beyond the city as we had intended, but at the same time, as is typical of rumours, it became boring and started to be forgotten. But then… this new variation of the rumour suddenly started circulating in Kamihama. We suspected a connection with the previous magical girl and set out to investigate."

"So you were assimilated while investigating it," Matsuri said.

"Even Miss Tokiwa couldn't fight it…?" Karin said.

"Yes, that is correct," Nanaka said. "In all likelihood, the previous magical girl had nothing to do with this new rumour. The rumour going around now may have been based on the rumour we spread, but I feel that they're fundamentally different things. I apologize… that's all the information I've gathered."

"The original rumour and the current rumour," Haruka mused. "Just clarifying the relationship between them is helpful."

Suddenly the banging on the door intensified, startling everyone.

"Okay… Chisato, can you move?" Haruka asked.

"Yes, I can move just fine," Chisato said. "Fighting might be a little tough right now, though."

"And… Miss Tokiwa?" Haruka said.

"I am fine," Nanaka said. "I should be able to fight a little, if needed."

"There's no need for that," Haruka said. "You can both leave the fighting to the rest of us."

"I'm sorry," Chisato said.

"I'll fight twice as hard for you, Chisato!" Arisa said.

Karin nodded. "Yeah, and I'll get to tell everyone that I protected Miss Tokiwa!"

"You don't need to brag about something like that, Miss… uhh… what did you say your name was, again?" Nanaka said.

"Misono Karin!" Karin said.

"Ah, yes, now I remember you," Nanaka said. "We both became magical girls around the same time, right? I heard quite the rumours about you back then… but they've long since died down, so I suppose you have changed your ways."

"W-what!?" Karin protested. "There was no need to bring up old mistakes at a time like this! Geez!"

"I don't think the door's gonna hold out much longer," Honoka said.

"Then let's confront it before it breaks through," Haruka said. "Here we go, everyone!"

So Haruka yanked the door open, startling the spectre outside, and everyone other than Chisato and Nanaka piled out to attack it, pushing it back until it finally began to flag. Nanaka and Chisato watched from inside the room.

"Does anyone know her name?" Haruka asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know this girl," Nanaka said.

"She's the one I was looking for!" Karin said. "Yura Hotaru!"

As Hotaru was separated from the rumour, Karin dragged her back to the room where Chisato and Nanaka were waiting. The spectre then began to cycle between forms, screaming about unfairness. Still, they continued to attack the rumour, separating out the magical girls they knew, one by one. They pulled out Yayoi Kanoko, then Shinobu Akira, then Natsume Kako, Chun Meiyui, and Eri Aimi. Then, finally, they extracted Kagari and Suzune, leaving only the rumour's original base form behind. Since Matsuri's memories hadn't been messed with, it all went more smoothly than last time.

Finally, the spectre took on the form of a dark-haired woman with a crown of bluebells and a simple matching blue dress, carrying a katana.

"So is this the last one?" Honoka wondered. "It doesn't seem to be changing form anymore…"

"Ahhhh!" the spectre screamed. "Unfair! I… me… ahhhh!"

"So she's still the same?" Arisa said. "Could this be her real form?"

"I think so," Matsuri said.

"Ah… ahhh… name… mine… name… why…" the spectre lamented.

Then the black haze surrounding her form expanded, just like the last time.

"Eek…! W-what!?" Arisa gasped

"A black haze…?" Haruka said.

"T-this… could this be… the ripper girl's true form…?" Natsuki wondered.

"Wrong!" the spectre suddenly screamed.

It leapt for Natsuki's throat, slashing with its sword, and Natsuki barely managed to defend herself with her baton.

"Miss Natsuki!" Haruka gasped.

"Are you okay!?" Honoka asked.

"Y-yeah!" Natsuki said.

"Don't call me… that name…!" the spectre shouted.

"So… it doesn't like that name…?" Karin mused. "Are we supposed to just… guess its name? Hmm… that can't be right…"

"Name…" the spectre said. "My name… my… real name…!"

"S-she's angry…!" Arisa said.

"My… real… name… tell me…!" the spectre shouted.

"Your real name…?" Haruka said.

The spectre shook its head violently, bells ringing endlessly.

"The… ripper girl," Suzune mused. "It might be a name that was forced on her…"

"Oh, you're already awake, Suzune-chan!" Matsuri said.

"Yeah," Suzune said. "You there… you're Utsuho Natsuki from Sankyoin Academy, right?"

"Yeah… that's right," Natsuki said.

"What happened to the note from Miss Aimi?" Suzune asked.

Natsuki blinked. "Oh, the note from Aimi! Who has it now…?"

"That torn page?" Karin said. "I have it right here…"

"Then my promise to Miss Aimi is fulfilled," Suzune said.

"Ah, do you mind if I see it?" Nanaka asked.

"Sure," Karin said, handing it over.

A moment later the spectre attacked again, and Karin raised her scythe to block its katana.

"Guys, she's still attacking, and I think she's getting stronger!" Karin said.

"Can we even beat her by force…?" Honoka wondered.

"Just hold on a little longer!" Haruka said.

"This appears to be a riddle," Nanaka said.

"I thought so too!" Karin said.

"Perhaps the ripper girl's true name is the answer to the riddle," Nanaka continued. "Her name is hidden in the verse, somewhere… not explicitly… but implied…"

Suddenly Haruka gasped and stepped forward. The spectre noticed her and turned to face her, halting its attacks on Karin and Honoka.

"Tell me," the spectre said. "Name… naaame… tell…"

"Not being called by your name," Haruka said. "Not being seen properly… it's hard, I know…"

"Name… name," the spectre insisted.

"I'm sorry for getting it wrong up until now," Haruka said. "You're not the ripper girl. Your name is… Suzu. The sound that's been echoing out from you all this time… is the sound of a bell, suzu no ne. That's your name, isn't it?"

The spectre fell silent for a good thirty seconds before responding.

"Thank you."

The black haze around her cleared up, allowing them to see her in her full glory for a few seconds before vanishing in a flash of light.

"Huh? She vanished…" Natsuki said.

"So does that mean this is all over?" Karin wondered.

"Hey, Haruka, how did you know?" Arisa asked.

Haruka took the torn page from Nanaka and pointed to a specific section of the text she'd written on the reverse side.

"Because of the verse," Haruka said. "Specifically, this part… 'They say the lost name is right there in plain sight. It's the hottest rumour that the girls lost in abandoned ruins are talking about!' That was the first clue that it was a riddle… so I figured the answer was in there somewhere."

Nanaka nodded. "That line about the lost name is what confirmed it me to it as well."

"I thought it was a riddle from the start," Karin said. "But… I guess that line did make it more obvious…"

"Then I noticed this part… 'an echoing bell reaches your ears, ring ring ring!' And also 'that which was lost echoes out'. Thinking of those two bits together… the thing that echoes is the thing that she lost, in other words, her name. And what's echoing is a bell. That's why I thought the name she was looking for was Suzu."

"I see!" Natsuki said.

"Wow, I didn't even notice," Arisa said.

"The final thing that made me think of it was the lonely ringing of the bell," Haruka said.

"Well, it looks like it's all over," Nanaka said.

"Arisa… are your memories back to normal?" Chisato asked.

"No, it's still the same," Arisa said.

"What!"

"The labyrinth hasn't disappeared yet," Haruka said. "Maybe they'll come back when it does?"

Nanaka turned to look suspiciously at Suzune, meeting her gaze,

«Do you want something from me… Miss Tokiwa?» Suzune asked.

«Not exactly, but… I never thought I would see you again, and I'm sure you thought the same about me.»

«That's… true,» Suzune said. «Um, allow me to… apologize for that time. I was… not myself…»

«Hmm, so as Meiyui suspected, there was someone else pulling the strings,» Nanaka said.

«Huh, you even guessed that much?» Suzune said.

«Yes, Meiyui noticed a discrepancy when we put on that act for you,» Nanaka said. «In any case, I am happy that you are yourself once more.»

«Um… thank you?» Suzune said

Then Nanaka turned her gaze upon Kagari who had just woken up, watching her warily. So it was as Matsuri had suspected – both last time and now, it had been Kagari she was wary of, not Matsuri.

"Onee-chan, you're awake!" Matsuri said.

"Shut up," Kagari said. "Ugh… why did something so incomprehensible have to happen to me… I have all the bad luck recently…"

Suddenly the labyrinth collapsed, depositing them back in the back alley.

"W-where am I?" Arisa wondered. "Huh? Wait, what am I stuttering for…? And what the heck was I doing just now!?"

"Arisa-chan, you're back!" Matsuri said.

"I'm back?" Arisa said.

"You're back!" Chisato said.

"Seems like it!" Arisa said.

"Chisato, is there anything weird about me?" Arisa asked.

"What? You're the usual Arisa," Chisato said.

"I guess so," Arisa said. "I feel like I've exposed an embarrassing side of myself, but maybe that's just my imagination…"

"It's not your imagination," Kaede said. "I thought it was rather amusing, actually."

"Hey!" Arisa protested. "Have you been laughing at me!? Take that back!"

Matsuri giggled. "I'm glad you're back to yourself, though," she said.

"Anyway, if it's all over, I'd like to go back to sightseeing as soon as possible," Arisa said. "There was a taiyaki place I wanted to visit!"

"Oh, that's right," Matsuri said. "I wanted to try the taiyaki too!"

She powered down, and everyone else followed her example. The last to do so was Kagari, responding to a pointed look from Kaede.

"Are you okay?" Natsuki asked. "It doesn't look like you're hurt, but… did the rumour do something to you?"

"No, that's not the case," Matsuri said.

"Are you tired?" Akira asked. "I'd like to take you to a place where you can rest, but…"

"The four of us have a few things to discuss," Nanaka said.

"I'm sorry!" Kako said. "However… before that… I was pretty surprised to find out that you're magical girls… Miss Arisa, Miss Chisato."

Nanaka blinked. "Have you met these two before, Kako?"

"Ah, right," Akira said. "They visited Natsume Books a couple of weeks ago – I know because I showed them the way there."

"Well, it surprised me too," Arisa said.

"Yeah, me too," Chisato said.

"Um… I just wanted to say… if you ever want help locating another of your father's books, or any other book, I'll be happy to help you like before," Kako said.

Chisato blinked. "Ah, um… thank you very much, Kako-chan," she said. "I'll… keep your offer in mind."

"Alright! If Miss Tokiwa and the others are too busy, then we'll help you out!" Aimi said. "We don't have anything special to do, right?"

"Yeah!" Natsuki said.

"Let's see," Kanoko mused. "Where can we rest around here…"

"What!?" Arisa gasped. "What about sightseeing!?"

"Arisa…" Chisato sighed.

"What should we do?" Haruka asked. "Should we take them up on the offer?"

"Yes, I'd like to," Matsuri said. "Although I think onee-chan would prefer to go home and sleep…"

Kagari blinked. "H-how did you know…?"

"Because you're my onee-chan, of course," Matsuri said, giggling.

"Then should we split up?" Haruka suggested. "Those who want to go home can go with Miss Kagari, and those who want to do some sightseeing can go with Arisa."

"Is that okay with you though, Kaede-chan?" Matsuri asked. "Did you want to do some sightseeing?"

"Hmm… well, I guess I wasn't all that interested," Kaede said. "I can take Kagari home."

"Maybe I'll go with you too, actually," Honoka said. "I need to go shopping for dinner…"

"And what'll we do with this girl…?" Chisato wondered.

She nudged Hotaru with her foot, causing her to stir and open her eyes.

"Huh? Where am I…?" she wondered, sitting up. "Oh. It's Karin-chan. Fancy seeing you here."

"I was looking all over for you, Yura-chan!" Karin exclaimed.

Hotaru got to her feet and powered down, tilting her head at Karin.

"Really? Did you need something from me?"

"No, but you missed school, so I was worried," Karin said.

"I… missed school?" Hotaru said. "Don't be silly… I might be lazy but I've always gotten to school on time."

"But you really did miss it!" Karin said. "I went to your class to invite you for dinner but your friends said you never showed up!"

"Huh, if you say so," Hotaru said. "So is that invitation still open, then?"

"Ah… yes!" Karin said. "Do you want to go now? Um… Walnut's is a bit expensive, so how about… Banbanzai?"

Hotaru yawned. "Chinese sounds good," she said. "Let's go. I'm starving. Feels like I haven't eaten all day."

"You probably haven't, actually…"

Karin and Hotaru headed off together, and as Nanaka's team was also about to turn and leave, Matsuri decided that now was the time to bring up Ichika.

«Um, by the way… Miss Tokiwa?» she said. «I actually have a request for you, if you wouldn't mind…»

«What is it?» Nanaka asked.

«It's about Suzune-chan and onee-chan,» Matsuri said.

«Are you aware of what that girl has done?» Nanaka asked.

«Yes… it was onee-chan who forced her to do it,» Matsuri said.

«So the mastermind behind her… was your sister?» Nanaka said. «That explains why I thought she seemed… untrustworthy…»

«Um… I'll keep this brief, but… the whole thing is related to the death of my old nanny, a woman named Mikoto Tsubaki who moved to my hometown from a place called Sazanka. The reason I bring this up is that she apparently had a childhood friend, and I wanted to see if I could get in contact with her.»

«So, you are asking me to help you locate your nanny's childhood friend?» Nanaka said. «Why would you ask me, of all people, to help you in that?»

«Well, you were the one who spread the original rumour of the ripper girl, weren't you?» Matsuri said. «Haruka noticed that a lot of accounts associated with the Soukai clan had been posting about it, so that means you have a connection to them, right? And who better to find someone than them?»

«I see your point,» Nanaka said. «But even so… what is in it for me? Why should I help you, who I only just met, find someone I have never even heard of?»

«That's a fair question,» Matsuri said. «Right now, Suzune-chan has changed, you must have noticed, right?»

«It is true that I no longer get the sense that she is an enemy,» Nanaka said. «Your sister, on the other hand…»

«Right, so I managed to put things right, sort of,» Matsuri said. «I have onee-chan on a leash, so to speak. But it's in a really fragile state right now. I don't think she's given up on her vengeance. If something happened to me or to Kaede-chan, I'm sure onee-chan would go back to what she was doing and force Suzune-chan to kill magical girls all over again. That's why I wanted to find someone who knew Tsubaki well. I thought maybe she'd be able to convince onee-chan to give up for good. And I know you were affected by onee-chan's actions here in Kamihama, so it's not like you're completely unrelated, right?»

«I see,» Nanaka said. «You make a convincing argument. Very well, I shall ask Meiyui to see if she can locate the woman. Do you know anything about her other than her hometown? A name would be best, if you have it.»

«Yes!» Matsuri said. «I do have her name. It's Kasumi Ichika.»

«Perfect,» Nanaka said. «Do you want me to contact you with the details?»

«No, I think you can tell me next time we meet,» Matsuri said. «That is, if you've found anything by then.»

«Then I will see you later,» Nanaka said.

«Yeah… see you, Miss Tokiwa.»

So the group split up and all went their own ways – Kagari, Kaede, and Honoka headed back to Hohzuki; Nanaka, Meiyui, Akira, and Kako went to their strategy meeting; Karin and Hotaru went for an early dinner; and everyone else went for taiyaki and sightseeing.

The next day, Kagari stayed in bed and refused to wake up for breakfast. However, Matsuri and Kaede went to school as usual, though Matsuri kept checking her phone at every opportunity. She'd sent a message to Kagari and was looking for a response that never came.

The moment the bell rang for the end of class, she broadcasted to the other magical girls in the room.

«Come on! We're going back to Kamihama!»

«Huh? But why…?» Kaede asked.

«Because I'm worried about onee-chan,» Matsuri replied.

«What does that have to do with Kamihama?» Honoka asked.

«The rumours there,» Matsuri said. «Aren't they strange? What else can they do? What other kinds of rumours are there? I'm sure onee-chan will be thinking these kinds of things… and if there's just one thing she's obsessed with, it's Tsubaki. I'm sure she wants to know more about the promises rumours hold.»

«I don't really get it,» Suzune said. «But I don't mind going. It was… fun, last time. Even despite the rumour.»

«Well, I guess there shouldn't be a problem,» Honoka said. «I'll just have to let Dad know…»

«Sure, if it's about Kagari, then you know I'm in,» Kaede said. «To tell the truth, I'm really worried about her. This is the first time she actually refused to eat…»

So the four of them piled out of the classroom together, only to be hailed by a boy Matsuri had never met, who showed up out of nowhere accompanied by two others.

"Oy, nee-san!" he shouted.

"Oh, Hotaka, is something up?" Honoka asked.

"I'm gonna be in the shopping district anyway, so I figured I'd ask if you need any ingredients for dinner…"

"Ah, about that," Honoka said. "I was just about to send a message to Dad too, but… could you ask him to do the cooking today? I'm going out with my friends and I might be back late. I wouldn't want you to have to wait for me…"

"Ah… in that case, I guess I'll ask Dad that question," Hotaka said. "Seeya later, then, nee-san."

"Yeah!" Honoka said.

As they left the school, Kaede commented on the encounter.

"I know you said yesterday that you had a twin brother, but it didn't really sink in until I saw him in person," she said. "He looks almost exactly like you."

"Oh come on, we're not that similar," Honoka retorted. "Sure, we both have red hair, but that's about it, really…"

As they approached the train station, Matsuri took out her soul gem, frowning at it a little.

"Um… what are you doing, Matsuri-chan?" Honoka asked.

"Checking if onee-chan is nearby," she said.

"Ah…"

There was no trace of her, however. Matsuri had no way of knowing whether Kagari had left earlier or later compared to the previous timeline, so she decided they'd better hurry. After all, given that she wasn't attending school this time, leaving earlier was very much a possibility.

So, they all hopped on a train to Kamihama. However, knowing Kagari's final destination, she decided to get off at a different station from last time. To be precise, instead of getting off at Kamihama Central Station, they got off several stops before that, closer to Chuo Academy.

"Is there a reason for getting off early?" Kaede asked.

"Um… call it a hunch," Matsuri said.

She took her soul gem out again as she made her way towards Chuo Academy, and as she drew near the school, she finally picked up the magical trace she was looking for – Kagari was meandering in from the south.

"Okay, she's coming this way," Matsuri said. "That's a relief… I was worried I might have missed her completely. It seems onee-chan got a bit of a head start on us… um, so, Kaede-chan, could I ask you to wait for a bit while we go on ahead?"

"Huh? Why all of a sudden?" Kaede asked.

"Um… call it a hunch," Matsuri said. "Oh, and just for now, could you dispel your magic?"

"Are you crazy…?" Kaede asked. "Isn't that your only defence against Kagari?"

"It's not my only defence," Matsuri said. "And besides, by now onee-chan is so used to it being there that I doubt she'd try anything. I just think it'd be better not to have it right now."

"Alright," Kaede said. "If you say so… alright, it's dispelled."

"Suzune-chan too, right?" Matsuri said.

"Yeah, and Honoka," Kaede said.

"Oh, you cast it on Honoka-chan too?" Matsuri said. "I didn't even know that… um, so, could you wait in that park over there? However, if something happens, you can come over."

"Got it," Kaede said. "I'll open a telepathic channel to you though, just in case."

"Sure," Matsuri said. "And Suzune-chan, could you hide us with your magic?"

"Okay," Suzune said.

With that, all four of them transformed.

«Testing, testing… can you all hear me?» Kaede asked.

«Yes, I can hear you,» Honoka said.

«Loud and clear,» Matsuri said.

Then the three of them disappeared from sight. Kaede made for the indicated park with a sigh, checking on her own soul gem for Kagari's progress. Suzune's magic seemed to mask not only their physical forms but also their magic signatures, for the only magical girls Kaede could sense nearby were Kagari, Aimi, and two more unfamiliar ones from within the school. There was however another magical signature from the school, which had the feel of a rumour.

Just as Matsuri had said, her sister was rapidly approaching. For some reason, she seemed to be making for the school itself. Given Matsuri's comment about Kagari being interested in rumours, perhaps the rumour was indeed her target.

«There she is!» Honoka said.

«You found her, huh?» Kaede said.

«Is she headed for the rumour in the school?» Suzune asked.

«Oh, you realized?» Matsuri said.

«…what do you mean, she realized?» Honoka said. «Weren't you the one who suggested it first?»

«Well, I guess I did, huh,» Matsuri said. «Alright, we're following her in.»

«Wait, are you sure that's safe!?» Kaede asked.

«I'm pretty sure!» Matsuri said. «Please trust me on this one, Kaede-chan!»

But to Kaede, it seemed as though her trust was misplaced, for just a few moments after Kagari arrived at the school and headed inside, the rumour's signature suddenly increased in magnitude and the signatures of both Kagari and the other magical girls winked out. No… winked out wasn't quite right. She could still sense them, just barely. And on top of that, something cut her telepathic channel, so she couldn't even contact Matsuri and the others anymore.

"I warned her," Kaede muttered. "My goodness… what am I going to do now…?"

While she was weighing the pros and cons of jumping in, a new magical girl signature entered her range from the northeast. This one was familiar, however – it was Utsuho Natsuki. Kaede opened a channel to her.

«Good afternoon, Miss Natsuki,» she said.

«W-whoa, you startled me!» Natsuki gasped. «You're… Hinata Kaede, right? What are you doing here?»

«Well… it's a long story,» Kaede said. «What about you? This isn't your school, right?»

«No, I was supposed to hang out with Aimi, but she never showed up,» Natsuki said. «So I got worried and came looking… huh? Where are all the students…?»

«What do you mean?»

«Well, at this time of day there would usually be students trickling out of the school,» Natsuki said. «But I don't see a single soul around…»

«Would you mind waiting for a moment? I'll be right there…»

«Oh… sure,» Natsuki said.

Kaede powered down and made for the front gate of the school where Natsuki was waiting.

"Hey… can you sense that?" Natsuki asked. "There's something strange in the school…"

"Yeah, it seems pretty strong," Kaede said. "Similar to the one yesterday…"

"Let's go check it out," Natsuki said.

The two of them entered the school grounds and ventured into the main building. The interior of the school was eerily quiet, and Natsuki led the way to the stairs. They headed up to the rooftop, which doubled as a sports field, and there they saw the rumour in all its glory. It was something like a tree, with chalk-white bark and bluebells hanging from the branches. Whenever the wind jostled the blossoms, they tinkled, like a bell – the same sound as the rumour from the previous day. And entangled at the base of the tree were a large number of students. There must have been at least thirty of them. Strangely, the rumour didn't seem to have a labyrinth… no, that wasn't quite true. In fact, space in the vicinity of the tree was oddly distorted, and the ground took on a strange bluish hue. Though the far side of the sports field was visible if you peered around the tree, looking through its branches revealed only a clear pink sky which didn't match up to the real sky. So it was more like its labyrinth was fused into the real world, rather than closed off. It was an open labyrinth.

"Ah! Aimi's there!" Natsuki said.

Sure enough, Aimi was one of the students entangled in the tree's roots. They hurried forward, and as they stepped onto the bluish ground, it became clear that the tree visible from the outside was just the first of many. There were more students trapped further in, and Kaede could even see Matsuri, Kagari, Honoka, and Suzune among them.

Natsuki stepped up to Aimi and tried to pull her free, calling out her name. However, she couldn't get the roots to budge at all.

"Oh… Natsuki," Aimi murmured.

"Aimi! Wake up!" Natsuki said.

"…huh…? Where'd you go…? Natsuki…?" Aimi murmured.

Natsuki tried calling her a couple more times, then sighed.

"It's no good… she's not responding at all anymore," she said. "I thought for sure I was onto something, but… alright, I guess this is a little beyond me. You don't mind if I call in some help, do you?"

"No, of course not," Kaede said.

Natsuki whipped out her phone and dialled someone, putting it to her ear. While she was talking, Kaede tried opening a telepathic channel to the unconscious girls, but she couldn't get it to stick.

"Hello, Akira! No, actually this is a bit of an emergency… yes, I'm at Chuo Academy, and there's a something weird happening, I think it's another rumour… and it's got Aimi… I can't get her free. … Oh, you will? Thank you very much! They don't call you the problem solver for nothing! I'm on the roof, so it'll be easy to find me. Alright… I'll see you soon."

Natsuki sighed. "Well, all we can do for now is call their names and hope they respond," she said.

"I guess so," Kaede said.

She tried calling out Matsuri's name, and also Suzune's and Honoka's, but unlike Aimi, they never responded even once. Even Kagari was stubbornly unresponsive.

After a few minutes, Akira showed up.

"My goodness, you weren't kidding!" she said. "What on earth is this…?"

"Ah, Akira, you made it!" Natsuki said.

"I already contacted Nanaka and the others," Akira said. "They should be here soon. Oh… who's this with you?"

"Ah, we never properly introduced ourselves yesterday, did we?" Kaede said.

"Ah, right, you were one of the ones who helped get us out of that rumour," Akira said. "Thanks for that, by the way. I'm Shinobu Akira."

"My name is Hinata Kaede," Kaede said.

"Kaede… man, that's gonna be confusing," Akira said. "There's another magical girl named Kaede in Kamihama… though I don't actually see her that often. I suppose I could call you Hinata?"

"That would be confusing too," Kaede said. "As those two over there are my cousins with the same surname."

"I'm worried that Aimi's not responding," Natsuki said. "And we don't know the rumour this time… will everything go okay?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Akira said. "We just have to sit tight and wait for now. Keep calling out to her. Maybe your voice will help keep her anchored even if she can't respond."

"Ohh, that's a good point," Natsuki said.

She spent several minutes just tirelessly calling Aimi's name. Kaede also called out to the others now and then, but Natsuki took it to another level, not letting up even for a moment.

Eventually, Nanaka arrived, but contrary to what Akira had said, she was alone.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting," Nanaka said.

"Miss Tokiwa…!" Natsuki said.

"Sorry for the short notice, but this is an emergency," Akira said.

"Meiyui and Kako will be here shortly," Nanaka said.

"So you're Miss Tokiwa," Kaede said. "I'm Hinata Kaede. We met yesterday, but we never got a chance to properly introduce ourselves."

Nanaka nodded. "My name is Tokiwa Nanaka. I see that Amano Suzune is caught in this too…"

"Huh? Do you know Suzune-chan?" Kaede asked.

"Unfortunately, we have had an unpleasant experience with her, haven't we, Akira?"

"Ah, that girl… yes," Akira said. "Come to think of it, is this going to be okay…? I can see Miss Awane and Miss Kagami in there too…"

"Ah, I don't think you need to worry about that," Kaede said. "Suzune-chan isn't like that anymore."

Nanaka blinked. "So you were already aware of her nature," she said. "In any case, to return to the current circumstances… it certainly does not appear to be a simple matter. May I ask the two of you to explain to us what you know?"

"Y-yes!" Natsuki said. "Well, uhh…"

"Calm down," Akira said. "Just take your time and start from the beginning."

So Natsuki explained how she'd come to this point. Nanaka and Akira nodded as they listened.

"Right, you said there was an emergency and something weird was happening, so I came running as fast as I could," Akira said. "Then I contacted you and the others, and reassured Natsuki."

Then Kaede explained her side of things, which was met with a somewhat different response.

"I understand the situation," Nanaka said. "Miss Utsuho, please continue calling out."

"To Aimi…?"

"Yes," Nanaka said. "If she reacted to it once, then it must be having some sort of effect on her."

"Oh, I see… got it…! I'll keep calling out to her!"

While Natsuki continued calling out to Aimi, Nanaka turned to Kaede.

"Something about your story seems strange," she said.

"Yeah, it's very strange, isn't it?" Akira said. "Did Miss Matsuri really just drag you all along on a hunch? Is she the sort of person to act on a whim like that?"

"Ah, now that you mention it," Kaede said. "To tell the truth, until recently, we'd only met each other a few times a year, so I can't say that she absolutely, definitely wouldn't, but… based on what I've seen of her in the past month or so, it doesn't seem like she would."

"So then why did she leap right into the rumour?" Akira asked.

"That… is what I've been asking myself this whole time," Kaede said. "Actually, I've been wondering if she has the ability to see the future or something…"

"See the future…?" Nanaka said. "Hmm… if she had such a power, it could certainly explain her strange behaviours. Still… this is something of a distraction. Let us return to the main issue at hand."

Akira nodded. "So, this isn't the work of a witch, is it?"

"Yes, it does not seem like it," Nanaka said. "The magical signature is similar to the rumour from yesterday. In fact… I believe it is almost identical?"

"Then there's that girl," Akira said.

"Amano Suzune… a magical girl who targets other magical girls," Nanaka said. "For now, pay her no mind. There are civilians involved, so our focus should be on getting the situation under control. Besides, Miss Hinata here has vouched for her."

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about her," Kaede said. "If anyone, it's Kagari you should be worried about – the girl in purple with hair loops. She's a real handful…"

"That fits with my instinct also," Nanaka said.

"Alright, I get your point," Akira said.

At that point, Aimi suddenly reacted again.

"Wait…!" she exclaimed. "Don't disappear…! Miss Tsubaki! Everyone…!"

Then her eyes snapped open.

"Aimi…?" Natsuki said.

"Huh…?" Aimi said. "Ugh… am I at school…? How…?"

"Aimi!"

"Natsuki… huh? I can see you so clearly…"

"Thank goodness…!" Natsuki said. "You woke up…!"

"Or perhaps… it would be more accurate to say, 'she has returned'?" Nanaka suggested.

"Returned?" Akira said.

"It did not appear to be a mere state of sleep," Nanaka said. "It felt as though her consciousness was taken elsewhere… however, that is simply my theory… no, perhaps nothing more than a hunch."

"Umm… you're from Natsuki's school," Aimi said. "Miss Tokiwa, and uhh… Natsuki's friend who loves girly stuff… Miss Akira…? Ah, and you're one of the ones we met yesterday… Hinata Kaede, right?"

"You didn't have to add such an embarrassing description," Akira protested.

"Oh, yeah," Aimi said. "Anyway, why are you three here…? I mean, I was supposed to be at Miss Tsubaki's house, but… where is everyone…?"

"Um, by Tsubaki, could you perhaps mean Mikoto Tsubaki?" Kaede asked.

"Ah, maybe, I didn't catch her surname," Aimi said. "Do you know her, Miss Kaede?"

"Ah, no, I only heard about her from Matsuri," Kaede said. "But I was told she died…?"

"Ah," Aimi said. "Well, somehow, we've been interacting with her even though she's dead… I don't fully understand it yet. Anyway, where's everyone else?"

"The others are over there," Nanaka said.

Aimi turned around and gasped, transforming. "What the heck!? Is it a witch's labyrinth…? No… a rumour…?"

"You were like that just a minute ago," Natsuki said. "But you can relax, it's not showing any signs of hostile intent… not yet at least…"

"Seriously…?"

"We called out to you, but you barely reacted," Akira said.

"Would you mind explaining to us what happened?" Nanaka asked.

"We were just… living a normal, peaceful life," Aimi said. "Or, so we thought."

"You thought?" Natsuki said. "What do you mean…?"

"Well… there were some magical girls who had just moved to Kamihama," Aimi said. "Um… those four that are wearing a different uniform… they're actually some of the girls we met yesterday… and their guardian was even an adult magical girl. We were just… living with them… and then I heard Natsuki's voice… after that, we smelled some sweet flowers, and followed the scent. It was something like May Bells, but it wilted when I touched it… that's when I heard your voice the second time…"

"So you were living with magical girls who aren't supposed to be in Kamihama," Akira said.

"But my voice made you feel something was wrong," Natsuki said. "And by following the smell of flowers… you found a flower that seemed like May Bells, and when you touched it… you started to perceive my voice and appearance, little by little."

"So you perceived things in a distorted manner," Nanaka noted. "However, you are currently able to perceive your surroundings properly. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, something like that!" Aimi said.

"And then, when you made contact with the flower at the gates of Chuo Academy…"

"Yeah," Aimi said. "I found out that Miss Tsubaki… is already dead… and there was a girl's voice saying that was the only place they could be together… 'Tsubaki's gone,' the voice said… 'She's not coming back… Tsubaki died a long time ago… so now, this is the only place we can be together.' I felt like I had to talk to Miss Tsubaki about it. But when I tried to, everything disappeared…"

"Perhaps… you were removed due to realizing something you were not meant to," Nanaka said. "Or perhaps for drawing attention to it."

"The fact that a person named Mikoto Tsubaki is dead," Akira said.

"I get it," Aimi said. "But I'm glad that everyone didn't actually disappear…"

Aimi gazed at the barrier and all the people inside, and suddenly gasped.

"Ohhh, I see!"

"What's the matter?" Natsuki asked.

"I felt like I kept seeing the same people all around town," Aimi said. "I've been wondering what was wrong. I guess it's because there's only a limited number of people trapped in there…"

"I suppose they merely serve as extras to maintain a sense of reality," Nanaka mused.

"Huh?" Aimi said. "Where's Miss Tsubaki…? She's missing too…"

"So, she's not here?" Natsuki said.

"I don't see her," Aimi said.

"If she has already died, then it would be natural that she is not present here," Nanaka said.

"Then, Miss Tsubaki is an illusion…?" Aimi asked. "No, a ghost…!?"

"That is a possibility," Nanaka said. "Or perhaps… an individual brought forth from the past…"

"Huh…? What do you mean…?" Aimi asked.

"Wait… from the past?" Kaede said. "So it's Miss Mikoto from before she died…?"

"This location is currently subject to a strong magical influence, much like a witch's labyrinth," Nanaka explained. "Through a certain form of magic, it may be possible that… the consciousness of that woman has been brought to that space, from across time…"

"So you're saying her body was left in the past, and only her mind came to the present?" Akira said.

"Yes, that is what I believe," Nanaka said.

"What makes you think that?" Aimi asked.

"You heard someone say the following: 'Tsubaki's gone… she's not coming back… Tsubaki died a long time ago… so now, this is the only place we can be together.' That is to say, you 'perceived' those thoughts of theirs, thereby learning of Miss Tsubaki's death, correct?"

"Yeah…"

"I believe those thoughts induced by the flower have a connection to the cause of this incident," Nanaka said. "Therefore, the person who had those thoughts is likely to be at the centre of this incident. And… what does that individual consider necessary?"

"Oh, I see," Aimi said. "What that person wants is the real Miss Tsubaki…"

"Yes," Nanaka said. "The real Mikoto Tsubaki, before her death. This is merely my speculation, but I believe it is a strong possibility."

"So what that means is that Kagari is the one at the centre of the incident," Kaede said. "Since she's the one obsessing over Tsubaki… Matsuri and Suzune-chan both loved her very much as well, but they're not obsessing over her."

"So this was all caused by Kagari-chan?" Aimi asked.

"Or, to be more precise, it was Miss Kagari's wish that the rumour granted," Nanaka said.

"If Matsuri knew or suspected that this would happen, it's no wonder she was worried about Kagari," Kaede said. "How would things have changed if it was just Kagari and the three of you in there, without the others?"

"Ah, um… without Matsuri-chan, I think I might not have gotten free," Aimi admitted. "Although, she wasn't the only one saying we should investigate the anomalies… but I probably wouldn't have gotten free as quickly?"

"Then… does that mean if other people point out Miss Tsubaki's death… they'll be able to come back…?" Akira asked.

"That seems very likely," Nanaka said. "But it will be difficult to save everyone that way…"

"Do you think we can communicate with the people over there…?" Natsuki asked.

"I could hear your voices while I was there," Aimi said. "If they realize this side is reality, maybe we'll have a chance…? I think Honoka-chan is closest to realizing it…"

"Oh, you did react after I kept calling out to you for awhile," Natsuki said.

"Okay!" Aimi said. "I'll call out to them! Heeey! Can you hear me? Kokoro, Miss Masara! Honoka-chan!"

However, there was no response from any of them, and they were starting to become slightly transparent around the edges, especially Suzune and Kagari. There was even some force that seemed to be attempting to divert her attention from them, meaning it took effort to actually look at them. Aimi sighed.

"Well, I guess it didn't work… hmm… if only I could talk to them…"

Suddenly Kokoro spoke, though her eyes remained closed.

"Aimi, are you there?"

"Are you alright…?" Masara asked.

"No way!" Aimi gasped. "They spoke to me…!"

"Aimi…?" Kokoro said. "It's Aimi! I can hear her voice!"

"I'm doing just fine out here!" Aimi said.

"What do you mean by 'out there'?" Masara asked.

"Um, well…"

Aimi explained everything Nanaka and the others had told her since she woke up. Masara and sometimes Kokoro chimed in with a question now and then.

"Okay," Masara said finally. "We understand the situation on your side."

"And as for where we need to go from here," Kokoro said. "I've got a pretty good idea…"

"If we're aware of it, we can 'perceive' it," Masara said. "So tell us if you discover something."

"And we'll let you know as soon as we learn anything, too," Kokoro said.

"Yeah… we don't quite know what's going on though, so be careful," Aimi said. "And please take care of Kagari-chan and Suzune-chan… I don't know what happened between them, but… I don't want them to be sad…"

"Yeah, I don't want that either," Kokoro said.

"Ah, if you really want to know what happened between them, I can tell you," Kaede spoke up.

"No, I don't think the details are all that important right now," Kokoro said. "Although, I don't recognize your voice… who are you?"

"I'm Matsuri's cousin, Hinata Kaede."

"I see, that explains how you'd know," Kokoro said. "I'll be sure to ask you later if it seems like we need the information."

"There is one more thing that I must inform you of," Nanaka spoke up. "Regarding Miss Suzune and Miss Kagari… and also Miss Matsuri… it has become particularly difficult to perceive them from our side."

"What do you mean…?" Kokoro asked.

"Do you mean they're like Miss Aimi when she disappeared?" Masara asked.

"As far as I can determine… unless we make a conscious effort to focus on them, it is as if they have vanished from sight."

"Compared to when we first saw them," Akira said. "It feels like everyone's presence is gradually fading…"

"This is also purely my speculation," Nanaka said. "But… if you continue to remain over on that side for too long… you may become imperceptible to people in reality."

"Which means… we got really lucky that Natsuki and Miss Kaede noticed us before that happened," Aimi said.

"I'll take that as a warning," Masara said.

"Although, I don't think that was entirely luck," Kaede said. "After all, Matsuri explicitly told me to hold back… I think it must've been in case something like this happened."

"Do you mean that Matsuri knew we'd all get trapped in here?" Kokoro asked.

"I don't know if she knew or only suspected," Kaede said. "Or, maybe I'm reading too much into it and she was just being cautious. Either way… I don't like how you guys seem to be fading away…"

"Thank you for the warning," Kokoro said. "We'll see you later."

"Yes, please take care," Nanaka said. "And finally, please make your way to Chuo Academy's campus. Considering the fact that all of you are located here in reality, I believe it is safe to assume that there may be some important clues there."

"Understood," Masara said.

"So I guess all we can do now is wait for them to work things out?" Kaede said.

"And support them as needed," Nanaka said.

"Right, we can't just sit around here doing nothing," Aimi said.

"The others are only getting a little harder to perceive," Natsuki said.

"But, those two… Miss Kagari and Miss Suzune," Akira said. "It's very obvious with them. They're much harder to perceive than before."

"Why are these two the only ones…?" Natsuki wondered.

"Maybe it's because they don't want Miss Tsubaki to disappear," Aimi suggested. "Since they think that world is better than our world… maybe they're trying to disappear from reality…?"

"That is a strong possibility," Nanaka said.

"Yes, while Kagari's the most obsessed with Miss Mikoto, I think Suzune-chan was also pretty attached," Kaede said. "She was the one who… ah, wait, maybe it's not good to bring that up…"

"What are you talking about?" Akira asked.

"Ah, the thing is, it relates to some things about the nature of magical girls that aren't really common knowledge, and I don't think it's a good idea to share them freely," Kaede said.

Nanaka raised her eyebrows. "Truths about magical girls that are not common knowledge?" she said. "So, you are saying that you know these truths?"

"Um… yes, I heard about it from Matsuri," Kaede said. "She kind of had to tell me in order to explain what Kagari was up to…"

«Then, you know what would happen if the soul gem was separated from the body?» Nanaka asked.

«Yes… though I've never seen or experienced it, apparently you black out and look like you've died.»

«And if the soul gem breaks?»

«Game over,» Kaede said.

«Are those the truths you were alluding to?»

«Ah, no, there's another one as well,» Kaede said. «Do you want me to tell just you…?»

Nanaka considered for a moment, then nodded.

«Yes, if you believe there is any chance that it would help the situation, then please tell me,» she said.

«Alright, but try not to look too startled,» Kaede said. «The truth is that when a magical girl's soul gem becomes filled with grief, it turns into a grief seed and a new witch is born.»

Nanaka's eyes widened for a moment.

«I see,» she said. «So that is the truth that Kyuubey has been keeping from us… that magical girls will turn into witches. And how does it related to this case?»

«According to Matsuri, Miss Mikoto didn't actually die in the conventional sense,» Kaede said. «Apparently she turned into witch while out hunting with Suzune-chan, forcing Suzune-chan to fight and defeat her. From Kagari's perspective, even though she knows the truth about witches, it's as if Suzune-chan killed Miss Mikoto. That's the source of the friction between those two.»

«I see, that makes sense,» Nanaka said. «Miss Amano may have had no choice, but to Miss Kagari, she is still the one who ultimately ended Miss Mikoto's existence.»

«So her response was to get revenge on Suzune-chan by brainwashing her to kill magical girls on sight, and then someday return her memories so she's filled with guilt and turns into a witch herself,» Kaede said. «Which is the little plot that Matsuri and I put a stop to last month… at least, mostly put a stop to. I think Kagari's still looking for a chance to get revenge.»

«I see… thank you for the information,» Nanaka said.

At that moment, Kako and Meiyui joined them.

"I'm sorry we're late," Kako said.

"However, we aren't simply late," Meiyui said. "We've acquired some information."

"Thank you," Nanaka said. "I greatly appreciate it. I apologize for the haste, but could you please share with us what you have learned?"

"We encountered an odd creature," Meiyui said.

And without further ado, she recited the entire text of the Rumour of the May Bells of Happiness.

"I felt a strange type of power, different from witches and familiars," Kako explained. "It was so similar to the rumour from yesterday that I thought it could be related."

"I've heard there has been similar trouble in Kamihama lately involving those creatures," Meiyui said. "Not just yesterday's encounter, but many others as well. For example, Miss Miyako described a strange encounter in a chocolate shop recently, and Miss Yayoi spoke of some strange mushrooms. Does that give you any clues?"

"Maybe," Aimi said. "There's a flower on that side that looks like May Bells, but it's a little different… that flower gave off a scent… if you touched it, the flower would wither and the scent would fade."

"That is to say, each time one of the flowers withered, the aroma of the flowers weakened," Nanaka said. "And you gradually became more aware of reality…"

"Yeah!" Aimi said. "Yeah, I think that's how it works!"

That was when Tsubaki's voice was heard.

"That voice… is that Aimi…!?"

"Huh!?" Aimi gasped. "Miss Tsubaki!? W-where are you…!?"

"Um, was that a woman's voice just now?" Natsuki asked.

"I heard it as well," Nanaka said.

"Same here," Akira said.

"Ditto," Meiyui said.

"Me, too," Kako said.

"Is that really Miss Mikoto…?" Kaede asked.

"I'm here too!" Honoka chimed in, though her eyes remained closed.

"Yes, I'm really Mikoto Tsubaki!" Tsubaki's voice said. "I can't see you, Aimi, but… you're there, correct? You're safe, I hope?"

"Yes! I'm fine!" Aimi said. "In fact, you're the one I'm worried about…"

"Yes, I can see that now," Tsubaki's voice said. "This isn't real, right? I wasn't able to watch Suzune, Kagari, or Matsuri grow up… and I'm sure all this happened because I left Kagari feeling lonely…"

"Tsubaki…" Aimi said.

"I apologize for interrupting your reunion," Nanaka said. "But there appears to be a difference in the information we have, compared to Miss Mikoto's. There is no time to spare, so let us exchange information quickly. There is a barrier of sorts here which is containing the people who were sucked into the illusion, excluding you. They appear to be asleep, but they do not respond to stimuli and will not budge if we attempt to move them. Furthermore, they are gradually becoming harder to perceive. Unless we make a conscious effort to focus on them, it is as if they have vanished from sight. Miss Kagari and Miss Suzune are especially hard to perceive."

"As for the information on my side," Tsubaki's voice said. "The following is a summary of what I've learned from making contact with the flowers. First, I apparently died awhile ago. I don't know all the details, but Kagari believed that Suzune was the cause of my death… and wants to take revenge on Suzune… but, her desire for revenge was born out of the loneliness that she felt after my death. Second, this incident was caused by an… entity… creating commotions in Kamihama by taking advantage of Kagari's feelings of loneliness… and, in light of what I've learned from the school grounds… the thing responsible for this incident, Kagari's power, and most of all, her desire to see me… came together to bring my consciousness from the past, from a time before I died, to the present day. That's what I heard."

"Yes, I believe your account of the matter is close to the truth," Nanaka said. "I have heard the story of Miss Kagari's intent for revenge from another party already – at least the basic outline."

"Huh? You have!?" Aimi gasped.

"Yeah, I explained it all to her just now," Kaede said. "Just before those two showed up."

"Why didn't you tell everyone?" Aimi asked.

"Um… I thought it was something that shouldn't be shared freely," Kaede said. "I'm sorry… I only told Miss Tokiwa because it seemed like it could be important, and she seemed like she could handle it."

"Handle it…?" Aimi said.

"Let us get back on topic," Nanaka said. "Miss Mikoto, your story appears to line up with Miss Kaede's explanation, which lends additional credence to both of you. Furthermore, if the happiness that Miss Kagari longed for was to be reunited with you… then if you can persuade her to return you to the past… I believe that the illusionary world will collapse."

"What if I stay here…?" Tsubaki's voice asked.

"As I mentioned, Miss Suzune, Miss Kagari, and the others who have yet to wake up… are gradually fading from our perception," Nanaka said. "Therefore, I speculate… that if they continue to remain in that illusionary world… they will never wake up on this side again. And, those of us in reality will no longer be able to perceive them. In other words… they will essentially disappear."

"I see," Tsubaki's voice said. "Then there's only one thing to do. I'll convince Kagari to return me to the past, where I belong."

"Tsubaki, doesn't that mean that… you'll…" Aimi began.

"Please don't be so sad," Tsubaki's voice said. "I'll be fine. After all—"

Suddenly her voice cut off with a gasp.

"W-what is this…!?" she asked.

"O-oh!" Honoka said. "It's her! The entity we encountered yesterday! It's the rumour, Suzu!"

As she said that, the labyrinthine space containing Suzune and the others suddenly expanded to encompass the entire roof. Or, to put it another way, the previously-open labyrinth expanded and closed itself off, sucking them all in.

"W-what's going on!?" Aimi gasped. "Why is the weird space expanding!?"

"Since Miss Tsubaki has refused to stay in that world…" Nanaka said.

"It's angry!" Honoka said. "It's just like yesterday… it's trying to force the rumour to come true!"

Nanaka nodded. "It appears that it intends to keep Miss Tsubaki there by force."

At that moment, Suzu herself appeared from amidst the trees, the bluebell crown upon her head jingling as she shook her head, as if they were actual bells. However, despite gripping her katana, she made no move to attack. Instead, the black mist enshrouding her expanded, spawning cartoonish miniatures of herself that attacked in her stead. These familiars leapt out from amidst the trees, attacking Nanaka and the others. Natsuki jumped in front of Kako as she shrieked, blocking the first two with her baton.

"Something's coming!" Natsuki said.

"Those look dangerous!" Akira said.

"It seems intent on eliminating us for assisting her," Meiyui said.

"Doesn't that mean we're in trouble…?" Kako asked.

"This is an opportunity," Nanaka mused. "It is down to its final throes. Let us take them out!"

"Okay!" Natsuki said. "We'll handle things on this side!"

She wielded her baton like a staff, fending off two chibi-Suzu familiars at once, and the others leapt into action as well. Kaede sent several of them flying with her telekinesis, then sliced them up in midair with her gymnastic ribbon.

"Miss Tsubaki! Honoka-chan!" Aimi said.

"I'm here!" Tsubaki's voice said. "Please don't worry about me!"

"We're fine over here!" Honoka said, eyes still shut tight. "Suzu is no match for Miss Tsubaki!"

"Indeed!" Tsubaki's voice said. "If this is the turning point, then I'll overcome it!"

"Tsubaki!"

Suzune and Kagari both suddenly called Tsubaki's name at the same time.

"Suzune, Kagari," Tsubaki said.

"Tsubaki!" Kagari said. "Have you found out everything…?"

"Yes," Tsubaki said. "And I can't stay here."

"Why not…?" Suzune asked. "If you just pretend that you didn't notice the painful reality… can't we just stay here together forever?"

"I'm sorry," Tsubaki. "But you should know as well as I do that that's not possible, Suzune."

"Huh?" Suzune said.

"W-why?" Kagari asked. "I've been so lonely… I've missed you so much…"

"So you're still determined to leave," Suzune said.

"Yes," Tsubaki said. "I've been hearing a child's voice all this time, calling for me… and I've finally realized who it is. Suzune… that child is the you from the past."

Suzune gasped.

"Do you remember the time I suddenly collapsed and you kept calling my name?" Tsubaki asked. "I have to go back to that time. It's not a matter of whether I want to… there is simply no other option. I have to do it, because it's what I've already done."

"You can't," Kagari said desperately.

"B-but we finally got to meet you…!" Suzune said.

"I will not back down," Tsubaki said.

"Then we'll make you stay!" Kagari said.

"Do you want some help…?" Honoka asked.

"No… I can handle the two of them myself," Tsubaki said.

"Okay then…"

The talking subsided at that point, leaving only the sounds of battle as everyone on the outside fended off the familiars. They couldn't hear the sounds of fighting from inside, so all they could do was hope.

Kaede wielded her gymnastic ribbon like a whip, honing the edge into a sharp blade and manipulating it freely with her telekinesis, slicing up any familiars who dared step within range before they could even get close. After a few minutes, the voices from the other side started up again.

"I believe the outcome is clear," Tsubaki said firmly.

"N-not yet…" Suzune said.

"Please, Tsubaki!" Kagari pleaded.

"I cannot," Tsubaki said firmly.

"Why…!?" Suzune pleaded.

"I believe I explained it already," Tsubaki said. "But I believe in you, Suzune, and in you, Kagari. You don't have to rely on false happiness. I know you can achieve real happiness even on your own, without me by your side. I believe in you… and in Matsuri too. You should treasure her more, both of you."

"Apparently Suzune-chan and Matsuri-chan were friends for a little while… or so I heard," Honoka said. "That was before Kagari-chan became a magical girl… but after Matsuri-chan did…"

"I'm glad to hear it," Tsubaki said. "You can lean on her, instead of me."

"T-that's unfair," Suzune said. "If you say that… t-then I can't tell you… how badly I want you to stay here…"

"Ugh," Kagari grumbled. "You're a useless piece of trash, Suzune… even though Tsubaki is gone because of you…"

"Actually, I don't think that's quite true…?" Honoka said. "At least, Ashley Taylor said it was more like an accident…"

"Who…?" Tsubaki said.

"Ah… just a friend of mine," Honoka said.

"An accident is probably an apt description of what happened!" Kaede called.

Suddenly, Tsubaki gasped. "W-what…!?"

"Tsubaki's… form…?" Suzune said.

"I seeee…" Kagari said. "So that's how it is. You know, Tsubaki… the being who lent me its strength has told me… the reason it's taken on your form… is because you're what I need the most to be happy. That's what it's saying."

"Kagari…" Tsubaki said.

"It's pretty embarrassing," Kagari said. "It knows everything in my mind… so then, won't you stay, Tsubaki?"

"That scent…!?" Tsubaki gasped.

"I'm… feeling dizzy…" Suzune muttered.

"Surrender yourself to the fragrance of flowers," the fake Tsubaki said. "Let's continue our happy life."

Though the voice was Tsubaki's, it spoke in almost a monotone. It was clearly distinguishable from the real thing.

"We can't be trapped here," the real Tsubaki said. "Even if I'm not here, they'll be able to find real happiness. That's what I believe."'

There was a pause, during which presumably the two of them were fighting, and then Tsubaki shouted.

"This is the end…!" she said.

Then Kagari spoke up.

"Are you abandoning me again?" she asked. "Tsubaki, don't abandon me. If you abandon me here, I'll never find happiness…"

"Kagari… that's not true. You can, with your own strength…"

"I've been so lonely…!" Kagari shouted. "Hey, Tsubaki… do you not want me? Am I worthless to you? Is that why you're abandoning me?"

"That's wrong…!" Tsubaki gasped. "It's not like that! I just… don't have a choice!"

"Then, stay here with me… together… forever!"

"Kagari, let's stop this," Suzune said suddenly.

"Suzune, just shut up!" Kagari shouted.

That was when the others finally entered the conversation, though surely there was more going on than just words.

"Tsubaki!" Matsuri called.

"What…?" Kagari said.

"Ow…" Matsuri said.

"Are you really okay?" Kokoro asked.

"Don't strain yourself," Masara said. "You're hurt all over…"

"I'm fine," Matsuri said. "Because, I'm not the one who's actually in pain right now… onee-chan and Suzune-chan are the ones whose hearts are in pain… and Tsubaki needs help… which means I have to try and help her!"

"Matsuri…" Kokoro said.

"Tsubaki, I finally remembered!" Matsuri said. "The last time I saw you… you told me… 'There may come a time when things won't always be happy. But… no matter what happens, don't ever give up, okay?' Those words…"

"I said that…?" Tsubaki said.

"Or, I guess you haven't said it yet, right?" Honoka said.

"That's why, even if there are times when I'm not happy, I believe in the happiness that lies ahead," Matsuri said. "I won't ever give up!"

"Ahh, I see…" Tsubaki said. "Suzune… did I give you a proper goodbye?"

"No…" Suzune said. "You just… right in front of me…"

"Suzune," Tsubaki said. "Matsuri, Kagari… please. Show me that you can overcome your hardships without giving up. Show me that you can live for the future."

"Of course, that's what I plan to do!" Matsuri said.

Suzune sighed. "Yeah, I understand," she said.

"Kagari, please," Tsubaki said.

"Is that what you want from me?" Kagari asked testily.

"Yes."

"I see," Kagari said. "Then, I guess I'll just have to live up to your expectations… is that what you expect me to say!? There's no way I'm letting you go after coming all this way! Tsubaki… we're going to be together here, forever!"

At that point, the fake Tsubaki re-entered the conversation.

"Surrender yourself… to the fragrance of flowers. Let's be happy… let's be happy here… let's be happy here… let's be happy let's be happy let's be happy…"

"Uhhh… I think she just broke…" Honoka said.

"I will hesitate no longer," Tsubaki said. "I will end it this time. To convey what must be conveyed…!"

There was another break in the conversation, presumably filled with fighting.

"It's gone!" Kokoro said.

"So it's finally over," Masara said.

But then Kagari let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Onee-chan!" Matsuri called.

"Leave me alone!" Kagari screamed.

"Kagari, I love you," Tsubaki said. "I care about you from the bottom of my heart."

"Liar," Kagari retorted.

"I'm not lying," Tsubaki said. "I'm telling the truth. Because I truly care about you. I want you to stay strong. I want you to be a child who can overcome whatever hardships come your way."

"Why…?" Kagari muttered. "Why didn't you… tell me this… earlier…"

"I'm really sorry," Tsubaki said. "Suzune, Matsuri, why don't you come here too?"

There was a pause as the two of them presumably did as she asked.

"I can't be with you. but… I will always be thinking of you," Tsubaki said.

At that moment, the familiars that Kaede and the others were fighting disintegrated, followed by Suzu herself – it must have been just a fake Suzu. Tsubaki had been fighting the real thing. Then the labyrinth began to collapse, just like when a witch was defeated.

"The space is collapsing!" Kokoro said.

"No… it's going back to the way it was," Masara said. "The way it should be…"

"This is goodbye," Tsubaki said. "I'm sure your path will be full of obstacles. You may fall and struggle to get back up… but, don't ever give up."

"Yeah, I'll be fine!" Matsuri said.

"I guess I'll be okay, probably," Suzune said.

"There's no way," Kagari muttered.

"I'm glad I got to meet you again," Tsubaki said. "Farewell."

The magical girls who had been trapped inside the rumour all opened their eyes at the same moment. Honoka, Kagari, Matsuri, Suzune, Masara, and Kokoro sat up and looked around. The rest of the students and teachers who'd been trapped weren't so fortunate – they continued to sleep.

"Where are we…?" Suzune asked.

"This is the school building of Chuo Academy," Masara said.

"Looks like we're back!" Kokoro said.

Aimi grabbed Kokoro and Masara in a hug.

"Everyone… thank goodness! You're awake…!" Aimi said.

"Wait, hold on," Masara protested.

Kokoro giggled. "We're okay now!"

"Looks like everyone is safe," Nanaka said.

"Thank goodness!" Akira said.

"I hate you all," Kagari said. "I could've been with Tsubaki forever, and you just had to ruin it."

"Don't be so ornery," Matsuri said. "It's not like you'll never speak to her ever again."

"Don't be stupid!" Kagari shouted. "There's no other way to speak to her!"

"What are you talking about?" Matsuri said. "If magic could cause Tsubaki's consciousness to be connected to the present once, then why couldn't it cause that twice?"

Kagari let out a little gasp.

"W-what on earth…? B-but even if that's true, none of us can do that kind of magic!"

"Don't worry," Matsuri said. "I know a magical girl with time magic. Shall I introduce you? With her help, we can talk to Tsubaki again."

Kagari stared at her. "Are… are you really telling the truth…?"

"I really, really am telling the truth," Matsuri said. "Kaede-chan, back me up here, will you?"

"Huh?" Kaede said. "Which magical girl are we talking about?"

"You know, Remi-chan?" Matsuri said.

"Oh, her?" Kaede said. "I didn't know she could do that, but I can at least confirm that she exists."

"I'm sorry for all the trouble, Miss Tokiwa," Natsuki said.

"Please do not worry about it," Nanaka said. "We should help each other out in times of trouble."

"Well… we should move on to the next step," Matsuri said. "I'm sure the others will be worried about me… I didn't even tell them I was coming to Kamihama today. So I'd like to wrap things up as soon as possible."

"Let's exchange numbers first," Kokoro said.

"I suppose we could," Masara said.

"I think it's a great idea!" Natsuki said.

This time, Natsuki and Aimi were already aware that they had everyone's numbers, so it was only Kokoro, Masara, and the girls from Hohzuki who whipped out their phones to exchange contact info.

"So then, Miss Tokiwa," Matsuri said. "Did you make any progress on my request from yesterday?"

"Huh? What request?" Kaede asked.

"About that," Nanaka said. "Meiyui, could you explain your findings on Miss Kasumi?"

"Ah, yes," Meiyui said. "Thanks to a contact in a neighbouring village and some online sleuthing, my people were able to confirm that Miss Kasumi indeed resides in the village known as Sazanka,"

"Um… how exactly did this contact of yours confirm that?" Matsuri asked.

"He drove to Sazanka and wandered around town all day, asking a few questions here and there," Meiyui said. "He did not see her directly, but he did locate her address – a place known as the Yanagi dojo."

"Yanagi," Matsuri said. "I think that was the name of Tsubaki's mentor…"

"Huh?" Kagari said. "W-wait, what does this Miss Kasumi have to do with Tsubaki…?"

"The two of them were childhood friends," Matsuri said. "That's why I wanted to meet her, if possible."

"This is… the first I've heard of it," Kagari said. "Tsubaki's childhood friend…"

"Huh? Didn't I mention her to you before?" Matsuri said.

"Ah, maybe you did, actually," Kagari said.

"So, um… if possible, I'd like to pay her a visit," Matsuri said. "In fact, if possible, I'd like to go right now."

"However, Sazanka is quite the distance from here," Nanaka said. "You won't be able to reach it by nightfall."

"I heard from Ashley Taylor that there's a magical girl in Kamihama who can create portals," Matsuri said. "Couldn't we rely on her for this?"

"Ah," Nanaka said. "I am unaware of such a magical girl in Kamihama, but I am not fully apprised on everyone's magic powers, so it is possible. Do you know her name?"

"I believe it was… Hozumi Shizuku," Matsuri said.

"I see," Nanaka said. "I know her very well, as my team frequents the café that her family runs. If what you say is true, then I suppose you could indeed visit Sazanka this afternoon and be back before nightfall."

"However, does anyone have some spare grief seeds?" Matsuri asked. "According to Miss Taylor, Miss Hozumi accepts grief seeds as payment for creating portals. However, I don't have any on me…"

"Ah, I have two, will that be enough?" Kaede said.

"I have one too," Suzune said.

"That should be plenty," Matsuri said. "No, actually… we should probably have a few extra just to be on the safe side…"

"Oh, I also have one," Honoka said.

"Hmm… four should be fine, I guess," Matsuri said. "Though, to be honest, I'd prefer to have one each after paying Miss Hozumi… I believe Haruka said yesterday that she had three, so they're covered, but that means we should really get three more…"

"Three more… so you expect to require two to pay Miss Hozumi?" Nanaka asked.

"Yes, I need her to make two portals," Matsuri said. "So that's two grief seeds."

"Why two?" Kaede asked.

"One to Sazanka, and one to Hohzuki," Matsuri said. "Because I'd like to invite Haruka and the others as well, and if they just took a train here…"

"Ah, I see," Kaede said.

"Although, I'm not sure if she can open two portals at once," Matsuri mused. "Maybe I'll need to pay her three grief seeds…? Actually… no, we can take the train home from Kamihama afterwards."

"It's getting to be a pretty big group, so maybe some of us should stay out of it," Natsuki said. "I'm sure Miss Kasumi would be a bit put out to receive a sudden visit from a huge group of magical girls."

"Ah… hmm, you actually have a point there," Matsuri mused. "Yeah… what am I thinking? It's not like there's any hurry to introduce the others to her. We can meet with her as many times as we like. So then… let's limit it to the absolute essential people. Me, onee-chan, Suzune-chan… Kaede-chan?"

"I don't think you can count me as essential," Kaede said. "I didn't know Tsubaki at all."

"Then, I need to bring Remi-chan along for her magic, which makes four," Matsuri said.

"Ah, so you're doing the magic thing at the same time?" Aimi asked. "Is it okay if I come too, then? At least, I'd like to speak to Tsubaki one last time."

"Me too," Kokoro said.

"I don't mind," Matsuri said. "Then that's six… it's getting a bit big despite all our efforts to keep the numbers down…"

"I would like to accompany you as well," Nanaka said. "And Meiyui is essential to finding the place. So that makes eight… I believe that should be plenty. It is a little on the large side, but quite a bit reduced from your initial plan. Are there any objections?"

Masara shook her head. "I'm okay with that," she said.

"Yeah, I don't see a need to meet her myself," Natsuki said. "Or to talk to Miss Mikoto."

"I'm fine with that plan," Akira said.

"I'm… slightly disappointed, but… I can live with it," Kako said. "Besides… like Miss Matsuri said, there may be other chances to meet her."

"I'm fine with staying behind too," Honoka said.

"And I already said my piece," Kaede said.

"Okay, then we only need one grief seed as payment, and one for each of the three of us," Matsuri said. "Which means… we actually have enough already, just barely. Still, if we happen to find a witch, let's take it out."

"In that case, follow me," Nanaka said. "I will show you to Miss Hozumi's café."

"I'll stay here to make sure everyone is okay," Natsuki said.

"I will stay as well," Masara said.

"Oh, then me too," Akira said.

So everyone except Masara, Akira, and Natsuki left the roof, heading through the empty corridors to the school's entrance, and then Nanaka led them towards Shizuku's café. Along the way, as Matsuri had been hoping, they encountered a witch and took it out, giving them an extra grief seed to pay Shizuku with.

When they arrived at Shizuku's shop, they found Shiina Remi waiting there for them, sipping at a cup of coffee. Shizuku was there too, acting as a waitress, as well as another girl that must have been Remi's little sister, who appeared to be absorbed in a smartphone game.

"Remi-chan!" Matsuri said. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting! Have you been here long?"

"Nearly an hour, if you must know," Remi said. "But it's alright, because I had fun chatting with Miss Hozumi. She's been to a lot of interesting places, apparently."

"I'm really sorry," Matsuri said. "I didn't know the exact timing… and to make matters worse, onee-chan left earlier than I expected…"

"No, it's really fine," Remi said. "Really. I'm not saying it just to be nice."

"Matsuri… from the way you're talking, did you plan this whole thing out?" Kaede asked.

"No, I didn't plan it," Matsuri said. "It's more like I knew what would happen ahead of time?"

"So do you have an ability to see the future?" Kaede asked.

"That's not it," Matsuri said. "I can't tell you the details, because I promised to keep it a secret. I'm sorry. So, Remi-chan, that's your little sister, right? Was there a reason for bringing her along?"

"Well… there was a reason, but it wasn't related to you at all," Remi said. "Mom asked me to keep an eye on her since she had to go somewhere, so I figured I'd just bring her along."

"Ah, I see," Matsuri said. "You haven't discussed matters with Shi— with Miss Hozumi yet, have you?"

"No, I thought that should come from you," Remi said.

"Hmm?" Shizuku said. "What matters…?"

"Um, first of all, you're Hozumi Shizuku, right?" Matsuri said. "Is it alright if I call you Shizuku-chan?"

"Ah… sure," Shizuku said.

"Then, Shizuku-chan, I'd like to ask you to make a portal to Sazanka," Matsuri said.

Shizuku blinked. "How… did you know I could do that?"

"I heard it from Ashley Taylor," Matsuri said.

"I see," Shizuku said. "Certainly she is a previous client of mine, so that makes sense. If you pay me with cash or a grief seed, then I'll open a portal anywhere you want, within my range."

"What is your range, anyway?" Matsuri asked.

"I'm not sure the exact range," Shizuku said. "The furthest I've ever been able to travel in one jump was about… forty-five degrees."

Nanaka's eyes widened. "That is actually quite an impressive distance," she said. "I do not know exactly what it translates to in kilometres, but that is one-eighth of the Earth's circumference…"

"Um… to get a better idea… for example, from here to Singapore is about that far," Shizuku said.

"Oh, that really is impressive!" Matsuri said. "But we're staying in Japan for this trip, so no worries."

Shizuku nodded. "Yes… anywhere within Japan is well within my range. Um… so… what was the place you wanted to go to?"

"Sazanka… um, what prefecture was it in, again?" Matsuri said.

"It is in Shiga Prefecture," Meiyui said.

"And, um… will you want to return through the same portal?" Shizuku asked.

"Yes, please," Matsuri said.

"Okay, and, um, are all of you going?"

"Not all of us are gong," Nanaka said. "Is there some limit to how many can go?"

Shizuku shook her head. "No… I'm just checking," she said.

"It'll be me, onee-chan, Suzune-chan, Remi-chan, Aimi-chan, Kokoro-chan, Miss Tokiwa, and Miss Meiyui," Matsuri said.

"I see… and, um… where do you want to place the portal on this end?" Shizuku asked.

"Um, it doesn't really matter to me…?" Matsuri said. "Miss Tokiwa, Miss Meiyui, do you have any suggestions?"

"If we do it at my place, we can be sure this end will be secure," Meiyui said.

"That sounds like a good idea," Nanaka said. "Let us do that. As for everyone else…"

She looked at the four who would be staying behind – Kako, Kaede, Honoka, and Remi's sister.

"Would you like to wait here, or…?"

"I'm fine with that," Kaede said.

"I'll wait with her," Honoka said.

"Um… I guess I'll wait, too," Kako said.

"That's helpful, could I get you three to keep an eye on Moe-chan until I return?" Remi asked.

"Y-yes, that'll be no problem!" Kako said.

"Before I go… can I get you anything?" Shizuku asked.

"Ah… no thanks," Kako said.

"Ah, sure…" Kaede said.

She and Honoka both ordered drinks, and Shizuku went to get them ready before joining the others as Meiyui led them to her place.

"So… who is this girl, exactly?" Nanaka asked.

"Ah, I'm Shiina Remi, the necromancer," Remi said. "Nice to meet you"

"Divination of the dead?" Meiyui said. "Ah… I see. That explains what Miss Matsuri was saying earlier…"

She led everyone to a room at her place and asked not to be disturbed. Then Shizuku sat down on a chair, Matsuri handed over the grief seed as payment, and Shizuku opened the portal. The visiting group stepped through, emerging into the forest and making their way out to the road and from there heading into town. Matsuri looked around curiously, taking in all the sights of Tsubaki's hometown, and even Kagari seemed to show some interest. Meiyui led them to the Yanagi dojo, and Matsuri took Kagari's hand and stepped up to knock on the door. They could sense the presence of a magical girl within, so it was obvious that the woman was home.

It was almost a minute before a woman opened the door. Upon seeing Matsuri, Kagari, and Suzune, her eyes went wide.

"My goodness… are my eyes deceiving me?" she wondered. "Matsuri… Kagari… even Suzune? Though you all have grown a bit…"

"Huh? Wait, you recognize us?" Matsuri said.

"But of course," the woman said. "Tsubaki sent photos. I was looking forward to meeting you one day, but then… well, you know what happened."

"Would you mind if we came inside for a little while?" Nanaka asked. "There are some things we would like to discuss."

"Oh, where are my manners?" the woman said, taking a step back so they could enter. "Of course, come on in. I'm Kasumi Ichika, heiress of the Yanagi dojo and Tsubaki's friend and rival. Though, I guess you know that already, eh? Aren't you the ones who've been asking around about me? Or at least you hired them?"

"Hired is not entirely accurate," Meiyui said. "The man is a distant relative of mine. He was simply doing me a favour."

"A favour, huh?" Ichika said. "And that favour was…?"

"I wanted to find someone who knew Tsubaki," Matsuri said.

"So you're the one who hired them," Ichika said. "Well… alright, we can talk in the living room. It's short notice though, so the most I can offer you is a cup of tea."

"That'll be more than enough!" Matsuri said.

As she stepped inside and slipped her shoes off, Ichika looked at the others.

"So, I know these three from Tsubaki's photos, but who are all the rest of you?" she asked.

"I am Tokiwa Nanaka of the Kashin-ryu," Nanaka said.

Ichika raised eyebrows. "Flower-arranging, huh?"

"It flatters me that you have heard of the school," Nanaka said.

"I am Chun Meiyui of the Soukai clan."

"Figured as much," Ichika said. "Your… relative screamed yakuza with every move… though I guess the Soukai clan technically aren't yakuza anymore, are they?"

Meiyui nodded. "Indeed, we have gone clean in recent years," she said. "But I suppose the old habits die hard."

"My name is Shiina Remi," Remi said.

"I'm Eri Aimi… I'm just a friend of Matsuri's."

"Same… I'm Awane Kokoro."

"Alright… nice to meet you all," Ichika said. "You can wait in there while I prepare some tea."

She gestured into the living room, so everyone removed their shoes and headed into that room to take a seat on the floor. There weren't enough cushions for everyone, so some of them had to sit directly on the tatami mats. Ichika joined them several minutes later with eight cups of tea and handed them out, leaving none for herself.

"So, you're the Hinata twins, are you?" Ichika said. "Tsubaki said you were like the daughters she never had."

"T-then why did she abandon us!?" Kagari blurted out.

"Now where on earth did you get that idea from?" Ichika asked. "Just because she happened to go missing after deciding to adopt Suzune… you think she abandoned you? What do you think would've happened if she hadn't disappeared? Do you really think Tsubaki would've just left you by yourself? She's not that kind of person. She definitely would've visited."

"B-but…!" Kagari said.

"From what I have been told, Miss Mikoto did not simply go missing," Nanaka said. "She passed away last year."

Ichika sighed. "I figured as much… it's amazing enough that we survived as long as we did, given our line of work…"

Nanaka nodded. "Indeed, one must accept that one can die at any time," she said.

Ichika looked around the table, and her eyes narrowed a little.

"Speaking of which, it seems all of you here are in that line of work," she said.

"Yes!" Matsuri said. "Did Tsubaki tell you about how I was blind? Thanks to my wish, I can now see."

"Oh, to tell the truth, I was wondering about that," Ichika said. "I see…"

"But we didn't just come here on a social call," Matsuri said. "There was a reason we needed to speak with you, and with Tsubaki. It's about onee-chan. She blames Suzune-chan for Tsubaki's death, and has done some truly awful things because of that…"

"Is that so," Ichika said. "What kind of awful things are we talking about…?"

"From what I hear, many magical girls have died as a result of Miss Kagari's actions," Nanaka said. "In particular, a number in my hometown narrowly avoided death, including one of my allies as well as Miss Kokoro. It is a situation I wish to see resolved at any and all costs, and I will take whatever means I can discover to do so."

Ichika raised eyebrows. "Died? Now that's not something you can walk back, Kagari… what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I-it wasn't me who killed them," Kagari muttered. "It was Suzune…"

"Ugh," Suzune said. "I can't argue with that…"

"You're still saying that, onee-chan?" Matsuri asked. "You're still dodging responsibility for your actions? Come on, now. Whose magic was it that really caused all of this?"

"Ah, I think I get the picture," Ichika said. "It's even worse than I'd imagined…? When you said people died, I assumed there was an accident, but we're talking about straight-up murder, aren't we?"

"W-well… y-yeah," Suzune muttered. "T-that's basically what it was…"

"And Kagari used her magic to manipulate Suzune into doing it?" Ichika said. "I don't understand what that was even supposed to accomplish."

"Ah, I can answer that," Matsuri said. "She wanted to make Suzune-chan feel the guilt of killing those people… which as you can see, worked like a charm…"

"Damn, this really is crazy," Ichika said. "To think that Kagari came up with such a stupid and convoluted plan and even put it into action…"

"Remi-chan, I think now's a good time for that," Matsuri said.

"Ah, alright," Remi said. "What do I use for a link?"

Matsuri turned to Suzune.

"Suzune-chan, could we borrow Tsubaki's charm for a moment?" she asked.

"Huh? Why?" Suzune asked.

"Wait and see," Matsuri said. "Don't worry, the charm won't be damaged."

"Ah… well, okay then," Suzune said.

She untied the bell charm from her hair and passed it to Matsuri, who passed it to Remi.

"So this is my link?" Remi said. "And the name was… Tsubaki, right? What was her surname?"

"Mikoto," Matsuri said.

She transformed, closing her eyes and focusing. A sort of strange distortion formed in the air before her, like a miniature version of Shizuku's portals. After a moment, Remi spoke.

"Excuse me!" she said. "Can you hear me?"

"Huh!?" a startled voice said, issuing from the distortion. "Is someone there…?"

Suzune gasped. "Tsubaki!? That's… that's Tsubaki's voice!"

"Yes, it really is her!" Matsuri said.

"Impossible!" Kagari said. "This must be some sort of trick!"

"Huh? Suzune? Matsuri? Kagari? Is that you?" Tsubaki's voice asked. "Am I… hearing things? You twins have never met Suzune though…"

"Well, I'll be damned," Ichika said. "I never thought I'd hear that voice again."

"That's… Ichika's voice?" Tsubaki said. "Why am I hearing everyone's voices all of a sudden…? Am I seeing my life flash before my eyes as I die…?"

"No, that's not it!" Matsuri said eagerly. "It's not your imagination! You're really speaking to us! Um… where are you, Tsubaki?"

"I'm… not sure," Tsubaki says. "The last thing I remember is fighting a witch with Suzune…"

"Um, you're on the final second of your life," Remi said. "I don't know the details of why or how you've died… maybe the witch is just about to kill you or something? But I've connected to that moment and stretched it out so that we can talk."

"To think magic can do such a thing," Tsubaki marvelled. "Though it's sad to hear that I'm about to die… but I did lead a happy life, so the only thing I'd really regret will be leaving Suzune all alone. So, you wanted to talk, right? What is this about?"

"Do you remember the time you collapsed and had a strange dream?" Matsuri asked. "You really worried Suzune-chan at the time, apparently."

"Yes, I do remember that dream," Tsubaki said. "You were in it, and Kagari, and Suzune, and we were all happily living together…"

"That wasn't a dream!" Kokoro spoke up. "It really happened!"

"Huh!? That can't be… Kokoro!?" Tsubaki gasped. "You're saying I really did somehow visit the future that time?"

"Yes! I remember it clearly!" Kokoro said. "Aimi is here with me too! Masara and Honoka stayed behind, though."

"Yes, I remember it too!" Aimi said.

"I see… Aimi, Kokoro, and the others?" Tsubaki said. "If that dream was in fact real… then I believe I can figure out why you'd want to talk with me. Kagari… are you still causing problems for everyone?"

"Oh, shut up!" Kagari shouted. "All I wanted was to be with you! If you'd just let me, I could have let everything else lapse, but you just couldn't do that, could you!?"

Ichika sighed.

"I can't believe you had the nerve to die before me, Tsubaki," she retorted. "How could you?"

"That's not the way to speak to someone on their deathbed, Ichika," Tsubaki retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, as if you'd actually care," Ichika said. "Well, today has been a series of surprises. First Suzune and the Hinata twins suddenly show up on my doorstep, and now I find myself talking to a dead friend. If you'd asked me yesterday what I thought I'd be doing today, none of those things would've even brushed my consciousness."

"I am sorry for keeping the plan from you, Miss Kasumi," Nanaka says.

"It's probably better this way," Ichika said. "If you'd just told me, I would've never believed you."

"I recognize that voice too," Tsubaki said.

"Indeed," Nanaka says. "It has been only an hour or so since last we spoke."

"For me it has been quite a bit longer," Tsubaki said. "A couple of months, I believe. I don't recall the exact date of that dream, however. My memory of the events are a little fuzzy as well."

"You know, I think I actually saw Miss Kasumi's picture in that dream," Kokoro said. "Although she looks so different now that I didn't recognize her at all."

"Ah, you must mean the photo of us in high school with Yanagi-shishou, right?" Ichika said. "I guess I've changed a lot since then."

"Yeah, you really have!" Kokoro said.

"Anyway, if I'm not mistaken, we're here to address the problem of Miss Kagari's… aberrant behaviour," Ichika said. "But I still don't know exactly what she's been doing, so how about everyone starts by filling me in? You alluded to the details earlier but I'd like to hear the whole thing without any holding back."

Matsuri nodded, explaining everything she knew about Kagari's plan while avoiding the topic of how magical girls turn into witches. Once she was done, Ichika nodded firmly.

"Alright, I get it," she said. "We can't have that, Miss Kagari."

"Indeed, I'm shocked that you'd consider such an awful thing," Tsubaki said.

"B-b-but…!" Kagari said.

"Look here," Ichika said. "If you wanna get revenge on Suzune-chan, that's one thing. I ain't got no right to stop ya, even if I think it's stupid. But as soon as you start dragging in innocent magical girls who have nothing to do with your quarrel, that's where I draw the line."

"I don't want to see you two fight, though," Tsubaki said.

"But you fought with me hundreds of times, didn't you?" Ichika said.

"Well, that's different," Tsubaki said. "We weren't seriously trying to kill each other…"

"You got a point there," Ichika said. "Even so, if Kagari-chan had confronted Suzune-chan directly, I am certain that they would be fast friends by now. The way a person fights betrays their character, and by fighting them repeatedly, you can gain great insight into their mind. It may be paradoxical, but sometimes this is actually more effective than logic when befriending someone. I know that because it's how we became friends, Tsubaki."

"As for me, I've had quite enough of letting onee-chan walk over me," Matsuri said. "That's why I brought in my cousin who had the power to counteract Kagari's magic… although I've already built up a resistance to it myself, it's not enough for just me to resist it."

"Y-you little…!" Kagari gasped.

"Kagari, promise me," Tsubaki said. "Promise me you'll make up for what you've done."

"What the hell are you even talking about!?" Kagari shouted.

"Countless magical girls have died because of you, Kagari," Tsubaki said. "You can't just brush that off!"

"I-I didn't do anything!" Kagari protested. "It was all Suzune's doing!"

"Don't try to push the blame," Tsubaki said. "You made Suzune-chan do it with your magic, so the blame falls squarely on you. You and no-one else. You'd better take responsibility for what you've done!"

"I… I… even Tsubaki has turned against me…!" Kagari gasped. "T-then… what do I even…"

Matsuri grabbed Kagari's soul gem hand and pressed a grief seed up against her gem.

"No, onee-chan," she said. "I'm not going to let you choose the path of despair and grief, so don't even think about it."

"A-as if you could stop me!" Kagari said.

"I can stop you," Matsuri said. "All I need to to is take this and run."

Before Kagari could stop her, she'd slid the ring off of her finger.

"G-give that back!" Kagari gasped.

"But you know I'm right, onee-chan," Matsuri said. "So take a few deep breaths and calm down."

"Wow, Matsuri, you've really grown up since I last saw you," Tsubaki said. "Back then I never saw you stand up for yourself like that."

"Oh, thank you very much, Tsubaki!" Matsuri said.

"W-why'd you have to go and do that…?" Kagari muttered darkly. "There's no point in living anymore anyway…"

"How could you even think of throwing everything away, Kagari-chan!" Kokoro suddenly exclaimed. "Think of your sister, and your father, and your cousin! They'd miss you very much, you know!"

"I don't care!" Kagari screamed. "I don't want to live in a world without Tsubaki in it!"

"Well, Ichika, I suppose I'll leave this up to you," Tsubaki said. "After all, I am just a disembodied voice, so there's not a lot I can do. Please discipline Kagari for her transgressions."

Ichika nodded, turning to face Kagari.

"Listen up, Kagari," she said. "Because I'll only say this once."

"Huh? Why should I listen to you…?" Kagari asked.

Ichika got to her feet and transformed, pointing her katana at Kagari.

"Don't you dare die before you've found happiness without sacrificing others!" she shouted.

Kagari gasped as a wave of magic washed over her.

"W-what the hell have you done, you old hag!?" she screamed.

Ichika powered down with a grin, and sat down again.

"Oh, nothing bad," she said. "Just put a little geas on ya. Next time we meet, I wanna have a proper chat with you, okay? All three of you. Don't you dare let me down!"

"When was the last time you even used that magic?" Tsubaki wondered. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you use it. I only know about it because you told me."

"Well, it's completely useless against witches, after all," Ichika said. "That's probably, oh, at most the fourth time I've ever used it."

"Well, in any case… Matsuri, Kagari, Suzune, listen up," Tsubaki said. "Please be friends, for my sake. Kokoro, Aimi – I'm glad I got another chance to speak to you. Please let the others know I said hi – Honoka, Masara, Kaede, even Natsuki. And with that… farewell, all of you. I wish you the best of luck and a life full of happiness."

"Alright," Remi said. "I'm closing the connection."

Her little distortion vanished, and she passed the charm back to Suzune, who immediately tied it back into her hair. Matsuri also returned Kagari's soul gem ring to her.

"Then I suppose our work here is done," Nanaka said. "Thank you for the help, Miss Kasumi, Miss Shiina."

"I'm always happy to help," Remi said. "I'm really glad I learned how to do that – it wasn't my original power, but I figured that since I can manipulate time…"

"I'll come see you guys sometime soon," Ichika said. "I need to tie up Tsubaki's affairs, anyway – I've been putting it off too long. Say, perhaps during Golden Week?"

"That would be great!" Matsuri said. "I'll look forward to it! And I can introduce you to Kaede-chan and all my friends, too!"

"Then I'll be looking forward to it as well!" Ichika said.

With that, everyone got to their feet and filed out of the dojo, except Ichika of course. She waved as they headed towards the edge of town, and Matsuri and Suzune both waved back. Kagari however just muttered darkly under her breath.

Before they left the town, however, an unexpected guest popped out. Kyuubey hopped up onto a fence and turned to face the group.

"Tokiwa Nanaka," it said. "It has been awhile."

"Sir Kyuubey," Nanaka said, frowning slightly. "I cannot say I have missed you."

"Chun Meiyui… Eri Aimi… Awane Kokoro. It is unusual to see the four of you so far from Kamihama," Kyuubey said.

"Well, we have business here," Nanaka said. "The details are… none of your business, really."

"Is that so?" Kyuubey said. "I have my own business here, however. I am unable to enter Kamihama, so I am as yet unclear on what's happening there. Perhaps you can give me some information."

"Even if I had such information, why would you assume I would be willing to share?" Nanaka asked.

"The only way to know is to ask," Kyuubey replied. "If you are uninterested in sharing, then I will ask others who have recently visited the city."

"Please do that," Nanaka said. "Was that all you needed from me?"

"Yes," Kyuubey said.

With that, it hopped off the fence and disappeared.

"That startled me," Kokoro said. "I don't think I've seen Kyuubey for… almost a month now?"

"Indeed, me too," Meiyui said. "It never occurred to me that he was actually unable to enter Kamihama…"

"I wonder why he can't enter," Aimi said. "Is there something keeping him out? Like a barrier? But who would do such a thing…?"

"If I knew who it was, I would like to thank them," Nanaka said. "It has been a relief not to have to see his face all the time."

"You dislike Kyuubey that much, Miss Tokiwa?" Kokoro said. "Even though he's the one who granted our wishes?"

"I would simply say that I do not believe he has been entirely honest with us," Nanaka says. "I do not trust him. We still do not know why he grants wishes. He may have ulterior motives of his own that he has not shared with us."

"It is certainly possible," Meiyui said.

"Yeah," Matsuri said. "I'll never forgive Kyuubey."

They continued on out of town and returned through Shizuku's portal, then followed her back to her café. After a round of goodbyes, the Hohzuki girls left the café and took a train back, where they found Haruka, Chisato, and Arisa waiting for them at the station, worried. Matsuri reassured them that everything was fine, and they all went home.

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.

Hinata Kaede
日向楓

Age: 13
Eye Colour: Green
Hair Colour: Brown
Origins: Asunaro, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Purple serifed Greek letter ψ enclosed in a hexagon
Soul Gem: Circular purple gem on her hair ornament
Element: Darkness
Weapon: Gymnastic ribbon
Powers: Telekinesis, mind blast, telepathic channel, combat foresight, second sight
Wish: "I wish for psychic powers!"

Speed: 6
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 7
Defensive Power: 3
Initial Power Usability: 9
Learned Powers: 1

If anyone was wondering why Matsuri's story was glossed over in chapter 93, this is the reason – I needed a full chapter to tell it. Dropping this monstrosity into the middle of another chapter would be crazy – it's a single chapter covering the same span of time as the previous six chapters, after all. I didn't cleanly split up the viewpoints here – it's mostly from Matsuri's viewpoint, with a bit of Suzune's and Kaede's viewpoints mixed in, sometimes switching viewpoints without a section break when both characters are present. For example, the May Bells section slides from Matsuri's to Kaede's and back.

We see here the formal introduction of Matsuri's long-lost cousin from Asunaro who briefly appeared in the previous chapter, a character derived from a single panel in Kazumi Magica showing her in one of the tanks in the Freezer – less personality than even Shiina Remi, who also only appeared on two pages. The coincidence was just too good to pass up, so I had to make use of her somehow. Naturally, there's no colour art of such a non-character, but as she was depicted with wavy hair, I went with brown. The green eyes are to match Matsuri and Kagari (who in my canon would've had green eyes too until she became a magical girl).

Matsky was asking and it's relevant here and now, so: the excerpt at the top of this chapter is likely the only time I'll ever reference Anne Frank. Certainly, there's no chance that she would appear in the future, being dead and everything, though it's not impossible I'd find a reason to mention her at some point… but it's very unlikely.

While referencing past chapters for this, I found quite a few things that needed fixing.

I updated chapter 74 to correct two rather significant errors. First, there was a reference to Karin and Hotaru being classmates, which is necessarily false since they are in different years. I had made this mistake before and thought I'd updated all references, but apparently I missed this one. Secondly, one of Arisa's lines, about exposing an embarrassing side of herself, had been misattributed to Haruka.

In addition to that, I corrected Matsuri's way of addressing her sister in chapters 74 and 76. Somehow I'd already switched over to the correct form in chapter 77, though. While I was at it I also addressed the way that Nanaka's team members refer to each other and a couple of other similar issues. In particular, making Nanaka use "Sir Kyuubey". This covers only chapters 74, 76, and 77, though there are probably similar errors in other chapters where they appear. I was focusing more on making addressing forms consistent, rather than correct, as in some cases I'm not sure what correct is. I've probably still missed some. This is a very complicated topic with tons of little details to remember, after all.

Since I was touching chapter 76 anyway, I also made two other small corrections – I made Aimi refer to her crush by his surname instead of his given name, and I replaced Tsuruno's "d'oh" with "d'aw". They are pronounced more or less the same, or at least very similarly, but the two spellings have very different connotations, and the second one fits the context better in my opinion. I don't remember if I saw the official North American translation or the Magia Union translation, but it's my opinion that it was in error on this point.

Now, as to the status of upcoming chapters… the next chapter after this is largely complete, other than proof-reading. It was planned to cover the Memory Museum, but it got really long so I decided to split it in two. That means the next two chapters are basically complete other than proof-reading, so there could be a chapter posted next week and the week after. After that, I'll see how it goes for chapters 97 and 98, which should bring us up to the next Walpurgisnacht battle. It's entirely possible that I'll have 97 already drafted by the time 96 is posted.

I will probably include the next review response session in chapter 100, assuming no more chapters expand more than I anticipated.