There is no need to remain stuck in sorrow, grief, and doubt! For His grace will be with you all; it will guide you, comfort you, shelter, and protect you.

Rather, let us be thankful and praise His greatness, for He has brought us together and prepared us for this. Through Him, we too can become fully human.

~Excerpt from "The Gospel of Mary"~
~attributed to Mary Magdalene (apocryphal)~

Teddy is completely immolated by the beam, but at least that means I'm barely saved. I hit the ground and take off with as much force as I can muster, leaving a crater on the pavement and cracks on the walls as I wall-jump up towards the roof.

"Don't think you can run!" the woman shouts. "You're the one who sicced that little white devil on me, aren't you!? Suddenly I have like fifty new magical girls to contend with!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I retort.

There's a witch up there. I had sensed it earlier and briefly considered whether I should challenge it, but with this unknown woman on my tail, the witch becomes a potential sanctuary. If I can just lose her in the labyrinth, maybe I can make it out of this encounter with my soul gem intact.

Glancing back, I see her mirror charging up another attack, and summon Teddy Mk II again as a foothold to dodge. This time the beam carves off a massive corner of the building, which subsequently slides down into the alleyway in a pile of rubble. I can hear the screams of people caught up in it – not only does this woman have it out for me, she also doesn't care who else she steps on in her rampage.

There it is – the witch's portal. It's an instance of Rebecca, the sheep witch. Without even a second thought, I hop inside the labyrinth and let out a small sigh of relief… but it proves to be premature, for no sooner have I relaxed than the entire labyrinth pops open like a balloon, depositing not only me but also the witch and her familiars out into the real world. A ring of familiars surrounds her defensively, aiming their spears at me.

"As if I'd let you hide behind a witch!" the woman shouts. "You're going to pay for what you've done!"

"Couldn't we just sit down and talk about this like civilized people?" I ask.

I glance at Rebecca, quivering in midair, and summon Teddy to form a foothold as I leap high, dodging a second beam and leaping off Teddy again to vault right over the witch. No, wait… I didn't quite dodge it, apparently. It looks like I lost my left foot to that beam. Still, all is not lost – the third beam tears right through Rebecca, and I summon Teddy as a foothold to propel myself to the side, avoiding the shot. Then all that's left is to draw Rebecca's grief seed to me with my telekinesis. The woman seems to realize what I've done, and it enrages her even more as I purify my soul gem.

"How dare you!?" she screams. "I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget! You'll rue the day you crossed Eris!"

Sirens can already be heard below. I glance down for a second, wondering if anyone is looking up, but I can't see anyone pointing at us, at least. Landing on the roof across from the ruined building, I roll to avoid her next attack. I know there's massive collateral damage, but I can't spare a moment to think about that – just dodging her attack takes everything I have. It's painfully obvious that there's no way I can defeat this woman with her overwhelming power. It's all I can do just to keep dodging her attacks, but it's clear that my luck won't hold out forever, and I can't see any way to give her the slip. That means there's only one real option open to me.

"Miryam Migdal!"

"W-what on earth are you saying?" Eris taunts, firing another beam. "Your spells won't help you!"

I somehow dodge by turning on a dime and reversing direction so fast it feels like my brain is shaking.

"Miryam Migdal! Miryam Migdal!"

I keep dodging and weaving, just barely avoiding all her attacks and hoping the collateral damage won't be too extensive. She bursts out laughing when my incantation has no effect, giving me a few moments of leeway to catch my breath.

"Nothing! That's hilarious! What did you expect to happen?"

Then she fires three beams at once, forcing me to leap into the air and use multiple teddies to avoid her subsequent barrage. Even that's not enough – I lose most of my right leg and arm to her beams. Eris charges up a new beam, and with only one arm, half a leg, and a Teddy to propel myself, it seems like this is it for me.

And then Mary is suddenly there, fully powered up in her red-winged angelic form.

"Helene," she says calmly. "You're up to your old tricks again, I see. How many have you killed this time?"

She pronounces the name Helene as three syllables, clearly enunciating the final E though leaving the emphasis on the middle syllable. I land on one of the remaining relatively stable areas of the roof and collapse in a heap, taking my time to really take in the damage she'd done while trying to kill me. Nearly half of the building has been blasted away from multiple directions. Even the section I'm currently resting on is only barely stable – a heavy shock would probably cause it to collapse. The opposite building is in just as bad shape, with a huge chunk carved out of the corner and multiple craters in the remaining rooftop.

"That's none of your business," Eris retorts. "And how many times have I told you not to use that name?"

"Helene, I asked you a question," Mary repeats. "How many people have you killed here?"

"Are you stupid?" Eris asks. "Do you pay attention to how many ants you step on?"

"How. Many. Did. You. Kill!?"

As Mary's voice booms out across the rooftops, I cover my ears as best I can with only the one arm. Even Eris, who was overwhelming me just a moment ago, stumbles from the sheer force of the sound.

"Don't play dumb with me, Helene," Mary says. "I know you can sense the souls dispersing. So… how many did you kill?"

"Dangit, this is why I hate you!" Eris grumbles. "You never listen to people! It was only about thirty or forty, okay? Nothing worth getting your panties in a twist about."

"I see," Mary says. "You're right. That's nothing worth losing sleep over."

Eris seems as startled as me by her unexpected agreement.

"Y-yes, I'm glad we agree for once," she says. "So then…"

"Forty is a good number," Mary says. "Forty years is about the length of a generation. Did you know? Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai." Suddenly her expression turns grim, and her voice cold. "Forty lashes was the maximum sentence that could be imposed by the courts of Israel. Isn't that interesting?"

"I don't get what you're saying," Eris says. "As usual, you just babble on with meaningless drivel…"

Mary presses her hands together in the traditional Christian praying posture and starts chanting what sounds like a prayer, or possibly an incantation.

"O great Raguel, angel of justice, hear my prayer. By the power vested in me, I beseech thee lend a hand to my cause. The lost lamb before me, Helene, has slaughtered forty citizens in cold blood. I seek thy judgement upon her poor, tortured soul. Amen."

Eris lets out a yelp of pain, as if struck by something invisible. Then she yelps again. She continues to twitch in pain at regular intervals as she speaks.

"Dangit, are you freaking serious!?" Eris exclaims. "You'd actually stoop so low as to whip someone?"

"Well, I realize it's rather crass," Mary says. "But we can't have you thinking your actions don't have consequences, Helene. Wouldn't you agree?"

"You do realize I'm twice your age, right?" Eris says.

"Don't lie," Mary replies. "You're nowhere near four millennia."

"Whatever, close enough," Eris says. "I'm still far older than you. You should respect your elders."

"When you get to my age, a few hundred years make no difference," Mary says with a shrug. "For all intents and purposes, we might as well be the same age. And the thing about respect is, it has to be earned. Yeshua earned my respect, and the respect of thousands, millions of followers. It was nothing short of a miracle. But you, Helene… you have earned nothing but contempt. When your time is finally up, you will be confined to the darkest depths of Sheol for the rest of eternity. Even if Yeshua forgives you your sins, I don't believe the Almighty God would pardon you. Your sins are deeper even than those of Shemhazai themself, the angel who abandoned God. How could He ever forgive you?"

"You can't scare me with your religious nonsense," Eris retorts. "Sheol, Shemhazai, even Raguel… those are all just fantasies from your dark and disturbed mind, aren't they? And Yeshua is dead. The dead don't speak."

"And the Lord said unto Michael," Mary intones. "Go, bind Shemhazai and his associates who have united themselves with the women of Earth, who have defiled themselves in all their impurities."

Mary pronounces the name Michael with three syllables and a hiss, rather than the more common English pronunciation. Eris gasps, perhaps sensing something in the magic that activates with the chant.

"N-no… nooo! Y-you can't do this to me!" she screams. "I won't be bound to this boring planet!"

"And when their sons the Nephilim have slain one another," Mary continues, "and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of Earth, until the day that Raguel comes to judge them for their sins and consummate their sentence."

Eris lets out a growl that sounds more like a wild animal than any sound a human would ever make.

"If you thought this was enough to confine me, then you'd better think again," she says defiantly. "I've more or less got the measure of your magic now. I've almost worked out a countermeasure, too."

Mary utterly ignores her and continues her chant.

"On that day, they shall be led into the abyss of fire, to the torment of the prison in which they shall be confined forever. And whosoever shall be condemned and destroyed will from thenceforth be bound together with them until the end of time."

Suddenly, chains of fire erupt from the ground around Eris, wrapping around her until she can't move. She struggles to get free, but in vain.

"And destroy all the spirits of the reprobate and the wretched Nephilim, children of the Watchers, because they have wronged Mankind. Destroy all wrong from the face of Earth and let every work of evil come to an end. Let the seeds of righteousness and truth appear and spread, and it shall prove a blessing of joy forevermore."

The earth cracks open beneath Eris's feet, and the fiery chains drag her down into the ground. When she's been pulled so deep that the light of those chains is no longer visible, the chasm snaps shut as if it had never been.

"So shall it be, according to the words of Enoch the Great," Mary concludes. "Amen."

And with that, she turns to face me, landing on the unsteady rooftop.

"What a mess you got yourself into, Chelsea Flanders," she says. "I know not how you earned the ire of Helene, but it would seem you bit off quite a bit more than you could chew."

"You can say that again," I say. "Thank you very much for the save. Um… what exactly has happened to Eris… Helene… whatever her name is?"

"I bound her in the Earth's mantle for a time," Mary says. "With her power, it probably won't hold for long, a few days at most, but it should be long enough for her to cool off. With any luck, she'll run away once she gets loose, instead of coming back for revenge again."

"Alright, so… is there any chance you can restore my body?" I ask. "It's kinda hard to move with only one intact limb…"

"I suppose I can do that," Mary says. "O great Raphael, angel of healing, hear my prayer. By the power vested in me, I beseech thee lend a hand to my cause. These lost lambs, Ashley Taylor and Chelsea Flanders, seek the relief of thine utmost mercy, that they may resume their journey towards salvation. Amen."

The effect is almost immediate. A bright flash of light fills my vision, and once it clears, my body is whole again. It's at least as fast as Tsukihi's regeneration, maybe even faster. I get to my feet and dust myself off.

"Thank you very much," I say. "But… the thirty or forty people who died because of this…"

"Do not blame yourself for that, Chelsea Flanders," Mary says sternly. "It was Helene who made the choice to fire without concern for bystanders. Even if you provoked her in the first place, you don't bear the blame for those people's death."

"Well… if you say so," I say reluctantly. "By the way, while I have you here, I was wondering if you could tell me something. Do you know if there are any negative side-effects to duplicating a person's soul?"

Mary blinks. "How would you achieve such a feat?" she asks.

"Turn them into a witch, cause a familiar to mature, defeat both witches, then turn the two grief seeds back into soul gems using the power of Elise Pierrot."

Mary frowns. "I see… it is truly a dangerous proposition, but assuming you do it only once on a given soul, I cannot foresee anything that could not be addressed by magic. The soul would most likely destabilize from repeated splitting, but I would not anticipate any issues arising from a single split. You should not take my word as absolute however, for this is untrodden territory."

"I see, thank you very much," I say. "Now I just have to figure out how to get out of here without the police spotting me…"

Without a word, Mary grabs my hand and flaps her wings. Within moments we're high above the city, and I spot the area of town where Mitama has her office down below. Mary drops me off gently on the ground, fading out of existence at the same time, as if someone had grabbed an eraser and rubbed her right out of the world.

"Well… that was harrowing, but somehow I made it through," I mutter. "She mentioned siccing Kyuubey on her… was this caused by what I said to Kyuubey when I was in Matsumiya? Maybe I'd better keep quiet about that next time…"

With that decided, I step into the Coordinator's office.

"Oh, oh, there's a customer, onee-chan!"

Mikage leaps up from the couch where she'd been sitting and waves.

"Good afternoon, Mikage-chan," I say.

"Eh? Mii doesn't remember telling you her name?" Mikage says.

"I was the one who organized all those magical girls, so naturally your name came up once or twice," I say. "And then you showed up at the very end, so therefore I also know what you look like."

"Hmm, if you say so, but Mii is veeery suspicious," Mikage says. "Onee-chan, aren't you coming?"

"Just a minute!" Mitama's voice is heard from the next room.

I approach the couches and discover that the other one is also occupied – Homura lays there, sleeping peacefully. So I take a seat on the couch that Mikage had been occupying when I entered. She plops down beside me.

"So what's your name, onee-san?" she asks. "It's unfair that you know Mii's name but Mii doesn't know yours."

"Ashley Taylor," I say.

"Oh! It's you!" Mikage gasps. "Nagi-tan and onee-chan were both talking about you a lot…"

"I'm sure… by the way, do you know where Kanna-chi is?"

"That nee-san stepped out for lunch a few minutes ago," Mikage says. "She promised to bring something for Mii, too. Onee-chan is making me lunch, but Mii isn't sure how much of it she can stomach."

"Has her cooking improved even a little recently?" I ask.

"Hmmmm… hmm… Mii wants to say it's baaarely palatable now," Mikage says. "Y'know, Mii hasn't fainted from onee-chan's cooking for a few weeks now! That's a new record, so Mii thinks onee-chan must have improved a teensy bit! That's why, Mii has to try at least a little bit of onee-chan's cooking, y'know?"

"You're awfully ruthless to your only sister," I say.

"Mii just wants onee-chan to be happy!" Mikage declares, pouting a bit. "Onee-chan has had enough horrible things happen to her already! Mii really hates that! Mii doesn't want onee-chan to feel like that again! That's why, Mii will support onee-chan with all her might!"

I chuckle. "Well, one thing's for sure, your sister's lucky to have you, Mikage-chan," I say. "If it wasn't for you, and Kanagi, and Miss Medeiros, and Miss Togame, it wouldn't've surprised me to see Mitama go down a dark path like Sarasa Hanna."

"Y'know, Mii didn't really like Livia-sensei that much," Mikage admits. "Mii thought she was hiding something… but she did help onee-chan out a lot, so she can't be all that bad…"

"I'm surprised you even met her," I say.

"Mii only saw her a few times," Mikage says. "Onee-chan didn't know Mii was watching. It was when Kyuubey was trying to get Mii to make a wish… and not long before Livia-sensei left."

At that moment, Mitama suddenly emerges from the back room carrying a platter filled with what looks like some kind of multicoloured slime, emitting a rank smell… though admittedly it wasn't wholly unpleasant, akin to an extremely sharp cheese.

"W-what on earth is that unholy monstrosity!?" I gasp.

"Huh?" Mitama says. "Have you never seen scrambled eggs before…?"

"Never in such iridescent colours!" I say. "I dread to even ask what you put in to make it that colour…"

"Well, there's spinach and mustard and daikon radish and chocolate sprinkles and blueberry sauce and green pepper and ketchup and natto and—"

"Enough, enough!" I interrupt. "I'm already getting a stomachache just from hearing about it!"

"So rude!" Mitama huffs. "Well, Mii will have some, right?"

"Mii will try some!" Mikage says. "It smells… interesting, so Mii is sure it can't be too bad!"

With that, Mitama whips out a second plate and splits off a generous portion, which she then passes to Mikage along with chopsticks. Mikage sniffs it gingerly, grimaces a little, then cuts off the tiniest morsel with her chopsticks and samples it. Then she splits off a larger portion, placing it in her mouth and chewing for a few seconds.

"Well, how is it, Mii?" Mitama asks.

"It's… not bad," Mikage says. "It has… a unique flavour…"

Mitama watches as her little sister eats it up, slowly but surely. Once the plate is cleaned off, she holds out the platter.

"Would you like some more, Mii?" she asks.

"Ah, n-no, Mii is reeeally full," Mikage says. "Onee-chan can have the rest."

"Are you sure?" Mitama asks.

"Mii couldn't possibly eat another bite!" Mikage says.

"Well then, don't mind if I do," Mitama says.

And with that, she wolfs down the remainder of the so-called scrambled eggs, eating them with apparent relish. It seems Inui's worry from the previous timeline was totally warranted – Mitama's tastebuds are so messed up that she couldn't even be trusted to taste-test her food. Although, it's not like I hadn't expected that, considering the cheesecake with ketchup, chocolate sprinkles, and pickled Japanese plums that she consumed in the anime adaptation.

Just as she's finishing off the scrambled eggs of hell, Hijiri walks in with a paper bag emitting a heavenly smell.

"Oh, you're here, Ashley-chan," she says. "I got lots of croquettes from Chiaki's. Who wants one?"

"Mii wants one!" Mikage exclaims.

"Huh? Didn't you say you couldn't eat another bite a moment ago?" Mitama asks.

"Mii always has room for Chiaki's croquettes!" Mikage retorts.

"Is that how it works…?" Mitama wonders.

"That's how it works!" Mikage says.

"Well, as for me, I truly don't think I could eat another bite, so I'll pass," Mitama says.

"I'll save a couple for Miss Homura as well," Hijiri says. "But there should be enough for both of you to have two or three."

She holds out the bag, and both Mikage and I claim a piping-hot croquette.

"Hey, did you learn to teleport or something?" I ask. "These are so hot it's like you literally just bought them a moment ago…"

"I haven't had any success copying teleportation magic," Hijiri says. "I tried it with Miss Mayoi, Miss Shizuku, Miss Kanami, Coeurl, and even Pernelle, but aside from Miss Kanami, whose power is already quite short-range, I can't achieve anything near their original range, so it's almost useless for travel. I actually copied Remi's power to get these here as fast as possible."

"Ah, time slow, that makes sense," I say. "Well, they're just as good as usual, so thank you very much. I'll definitely take one or two more."

Hijiri sets the bag down on the table and claims one for herself.

"Take as many as you want," she says. "I'll probably have enough for breakfast tomorrow even if you eat a lot."

Sure enough, even after Mikage and I have both polished off three of them, there are still at least five left in the bag, maybe six or seven. She really got a lot. I lick the grease off my fingers with a sigh.

"That was really delicious," I say. "Alright… so, you know why I stopped by, right Kanna-chi?"

Hijiri nods. "Of course, this is about your email, right?" she says. "I've got about thirty-five of them now. Will that be enough?"

"I think I need seven or eight to promote a familiar to a witch," I muse. "And I need to do that twice, so that's sixteen… yeah, I think twenty should be plenty. I won't need the whole thirty-five."

"Well, I'll give you the extras anyway, just in case," Hijiri says. "By the way, these are the original model, not the modified version that can cause a doppel unleash. Just a heads-up."

I nod. "I already set the meeting-place in Mitakihara so it doesn't matter so much, but it's good to know, at least," I say. "So… think it's worth waiting around to see if Miss Homura wakes up?"

"I'm expecting her to wake up within an hour or two," Hijiri says. "Hence why I got so many croquettes. So if you'd like to wait, then I have no objection."

"Feel free to stay as long as you like, Miss Taylor," Mitama says. "However, in case a client shows up, I would prefer you to be quiet."

"I'll keep that in mind," I say.

"And Mii, would you please go home now?" Mitama adds. "I can't babysit you and do my job at the same time…"

"Aww, but Mii wanted to see onee-san do a Coordination!" Mikage says, pouting.

"I already gave you a Coordination yesterday," Mitama says. "That's the only way you'll see me do one. It's a very private affair, you know. Now run along, Mii. Tell you what… I'll give you a little money to buy some sweets from the Tomorrow Shop, how does that sound?"

"Ooh, Mii wants it!" Mikage exclaims. "Mii will go home for sweets!"

Mitama reaches into a pocket and extracts a few coins, probably amounting to a measly two or three hundred yen, and hands them all over. Mikage takes them gleefully.

"Mii will see onee-chan later!" she says.

And with that, she runs out of the office at top speed.

"Speaking of the Tomorrow Shop, I wonder if Kazari Jun is back yet," I muse.

"Is she a magical girl?" Mitama asks. "I haven't heard of her before… is she from Kamihama?"

"She is, but she moved away," I say. "She's from before your time, I think… you were probably attending Mizuna when she was active. But I figure she should be moving back pretty soon… I just thought of her because I know she also liked the Tomorrow Shop's snacks… she was also friends with the shut-in, Miwa Mitsune."

"Ah, the girl that Hinano-chan introduced," Mitama says. "I hadn't heard of her either, until Hinano-chan brought her up."

At that moment, two girls walk in, perhaps the last people I'd expected to see today – Kozue Mayu and Fumino Sayuki.

"Ohhh, it's Sayu-Sayu," I say.

"P-please don't call me that in public!" Sayuki protests. "It's a little embarrassing… um… are you… a fan… or something?"

"Absolutely," I say. "I'd rank your song as, oh, probably my fifth favourite of all time."

"T-that's way too high!" Sayuki gasps. "I'm not even a good singer… everyone in the studio tells me I'm out of tune all the time…"

"I think that's actually part of the charm of your song," I say. "It wouldn't have the same impact if you were perfectly in tune."

"Aren't you being a little unreasonable?" Sayuki asks, giggling a bit.

"Can't I be unreasonable?" I retort. "I just love the song, is all."

"Um… out of curiosity… might I ask what are the four songs that beat mine on your chart?" Sayuki asks.

"You may!" I exclaim. "From best to worst, they are: Magia, by Kalafina; Connect, by ClariS; Kakawari, by TrySail… and a song by Kajiura Yuki that I can't seem to find any recordings of. I know it by the name Sis Puella Magica, but maybe that's wrong…"

"Kajiura Yuki, huh?" Mayu muses. "I feel like I've heard that name before… isn't she the soundtrack composer for a lot of popular anime series?"

"Yeah, that's true," I say. "I'm actually surprised you've heard of her, as she'd be in her eighties and probably retired by now, if she's even still alive…"

"Ah, well… there's someone in my class who's into classic anime, so I guess I've picked up a thing or two," Mayu says. "I think I first heard the name in connection to an anime called Fate something or other…?"

I nod. "That is indeed one of her more well-known contributions," I say. "The other one that comes to mind when I think of her is a quaint little steampunk anime called Princess Principal… but there are quite a few more as well."

"A-anyway, I came here for a Coordination," Sayuki says. "Um, is that okay, Miss Mitama?"

"As long as you have a grief seed for me," Mitama says.

Sayuki pulls one out and hands it over.

"Perfect," Mitama says. "What about you, Mayu-chan?"

"Not today, thank you," Mayu says. "I only came to keep Sayuki-san company."

"Then, come right this way, Sayuki-chan," Mitama says.

She leads Sayuki into the next room, and Mayu takes a seat on my couch to wait for her friend. We wait in silence, and eventually Sayuki emerges again and the two of them head back out.

Eventually, Homura's eyes flicker open, and moments later, she sits up with a gasp.

"Ohh, our sleeping beauty is finally awake," Mitama says. "Did you have a nice dream?"

Homura shoots her a glare, then looks around, spotting me and Hijiri.

"How are you feeling, Miss Homura?" I ask.

"I… I have to go back," Homura says. "I need to turn back time… where's my soul gem!?"

"Another day or so won't hurt, will it?" I say. "I'd like to avoid having to redo every little thing after we go back this time… it really is a pain. You'll still be able to prevent Madoka from becoming a magical girl if you want to, though. Well… you'll have the opportunity to try, at least. I honestly don't think you'll ever be able to talk her out of it."

Homura glares at me for a moment, but then sighs, her expression softening a little.

"I promised this her that I wouldn't do that anymore," Homura mutters. "Why did I do such a thing…?"

"Anyway, how are you feeling?" I repeat.

"Strange," Homura says. "I feel so strange… it's like, even though I know she's gone, there's some part of her still with me…"

"That's… probably just a feeling… right?" I say.

"No, um… it's similar to how I felt when I first made my wish," Homura says. "How I instinctively knew I could turn back time…"

I tilt my head. "I can't say I understand what you're saying…"

"I… I can feel her… right here…" Homura says, prodding herself in the throat. "It's… like she left… some part of herself behind… and… because of that… I've gotten… stronger…?"

"Are you saying you've gained new powers or something?" I ask.

"It… feels like it," Homura says, nodding.

To tell the truth, it's not just that she's feeling strange. She's acting pretty strange too. This isn't the cool and confident Homura that I've been following up until now. She's not the extremely shy girl from the initial timeline either, nor the slightly shy girl from the second and third timelines or the Magia Record game timeline. Whether it's the experience of her doppel going out of control or something else, she's changed.

"I want to verify it but…"

Homura looks at her hands, neither of which have a ring on them.

"…where's my soul gem?"

"My apologies," I say. "If you'd woken up and gone back in time without a word, my plans would've been totally thrown out of whack, so I asked Kanna-chi to keep your gem safe until I could come by…"

Homura glares at me, pouting a little.

"Rude," she retorted. "That's not… actually… it's precisely what I would've done if not for… a-anyway, can I just… try it out a little?"

I summon my sword.

"Go ahead and give it back, Kanna-chi," I say. "I'm a little curious too, but if she reaches for her shield, well…"

Hijiri nods.

"Alright. Here you go, Miss Homura," she says.

She hands over Homura's soul in gem form, and Homura takes it and transforms. I gasp, for her magical form has changed – she now has black-feathered wings and a red ribbon in her hair, and has apparently gained a new weapon, a black rose bow. All of those are features of post-rewrite Homura, the Homura who fought wraiths in the manga interquel filling in the time before the Rebellion movie. However, unlike that manga version of Homura, this one still has her shield of time.

Homura blinks at her bow, examining it closely.

"It's… almost exactly like Madoka's bow," she says. "Only the colour is different…"

"Can you fly with those wings, like Madoka?" I ask.

"I think so," Homura says.

She closes her eyes for a moment and concentrates. The bow and the wings disappear, leaving the colour of her hair ribbon as the only noticeable difference from her original form.

"Anything else new?" I ask.

"Hmm," Homura muses. "My instinct tells me… I have a counterpart for all of Madoka's abilities…"

"So… healing?" I say.

Homura nods. "Um, it's not like I suddenly gained healing magic," she says. "I think you've said it yourself – Madoka is the light, while I… am the darkness. So I guess it's only natural that healing taken from light into darkness would turn into something… different. It's a magic that saps the enemy's strength."

"I see, and… anything else?" I say.

"Barriers… I suppose that's unaffected by the element," Homura muses. "Then… there's the aura, and the feathers… I'm not sure what effect those have, though…"

"You have an aura ability like Madoka now?" I say.

"N-not exactly," Homura says. "I'm not sure of the exact effect, but… whereas Madoka's aura targets her allies, mine… targets the enemy. It's probably… something like a fear or weakness aura… b-but I don't know exactly yet."

"…come to think of it… why are you being so open about this all of a sudden?" I ask.

"Eh… no reason in particular," Homura says. "Forget I said anything. I'm going back to sleep."

With that, she powers down, flops onto the couch, and rolls over on her side to face the back. I put my sword away and let out a nervous chuckle, and Hijiri takes Homura's soul gem from her again.

"W-well, I'll leave you alone for now, then," I say. "See you later, Miss Homura."

"Whatever."

"See you later, Kanna-chi. And Miss Mitama too."

"Yeah, seeya."

"I will see you at the meeting, Miss Ashley."

And with that, I get up and leave.

When I get off the train in Mitakihara, the East Mitakihara trio are standing around outside the station. Chihana spots me and waves.

"Miss Ashley!"

I approach them, wondering what this was about.

"Don't tell me you were waiting for me here…?" I say. "It's not like you knew I'd be going somewhere…"

"Well, Mrs Hayashi said you went out, so I figured it was prolly Kamihama," Chihana says. "So yeah, we thought you'd show up here sooner or later. If it was wrong we could've just gone back to the Hayashi house later."

"You really don't have anything better to do, huh?" I say.

"Obviously! It's Golden Week after all," Chihana says. "Now then, Tamura-chan, it's your turn!'

"R-r-r-right!" Tamura stutters. "Ah, uhhh, um…"

She takes a few deep breaths, then apparently decides to continue via telepathy.

«So um, I had another vision,» she says. «Actually more than one, but there was one in particular that, um… disturbed me…»

"I'll hear any vision you have," I say. "Any little thing could be a hint."

«Ah, um… do you want to hear… all of them?»

"If that's not too much trouble," I reply.

«…it kind of is,» Tamura says. «I've had almost a hundred visions since I contracted…»

"Ah, that many, huh?" I say. "Well… that's fine. Let me at least hear the most interesting ones."

«I'll start with the disturbing one,» she says. «Everyone died.»

I blink at her in surprise.

"Um… you'll have to be more specific than that," I say.

«There isn't a lot to say,» Tamura says. «It was during the Walpurgisnacht battle… I didn't have a good view of what happened, but… magical girls were dropping like flies. It… it wasn't the witch… but there was fire everywhere… blue fire… and… Eve was coming closer… everything was freezing cold… and then the vision ends. I probably died too.»

"It was freezing cold even though everything was on fire?" I say.

«Ah… yes… I know that sounds contradictory, but… that's how it was.»

"So can you usually feel sensations like temperature in these visions of yours?" I ask.

«Well… now and then,» Tamura says. «There have been others… it's not like this is the only time I felt hot or cold in a vision.»

But blue flames that burn cold actually make me think of something I witnessed recently. The flames used by that woman, Martha, were also blue… and I recall them not giving off any heat. But something still doesn't add up about it. Why would Martha or anyone like her be in Kamihama at that particular time?

"Do you know what happened to the witch?" I ask.

«No… I have no idea,» Tamura says.

"But you said Eve and Walpurgisnacht were approaching each other?" I say. "So it's a world in which we failed to prevent them from meeting…"

«Yes… yes, that's true,» Tamura says.

Still, I doubt those two meeting is directly a condition to unlock that ending. It wouldn't make sense for that to be connected… I suppose I should just be wary of unexpected interference in the future.

"Alright… I guess that's enough for that vision," I say. "Got anything else interesting?"

«Well… there was the one where you died,» Tamura says.

"That's definitely interesting!" I say. "What happened?"

«You were with Miss Inui and a girl I didn't recognize,» Tamura says. "Um… she had brown hair… and I remember her eyes were red, because it's an unusual colour… her magical outfit was like a kimono. I was with Chiina-chi and Hika-tan… we were were going to call out, but… suddenly a girl in green attacked the three of you, out of nowhere. She had yo-yos, I think? I also remember… there was something strange about her eyes… but I'm not sure how to describe it… anyway, she killed you and Miss Inui, but the other girl managed to get away. The three of us stayed hidden the whole time and weren't spotted.»

"Do you remember if you saw that girl in green at the Walpurgisnacht fight?" I ask.

«Hmm… possibly,» Tamura says. «I might have.»

So it's another vision of Ulala killing me, but this time she gets Inui as well. However, there's an extra detail that make me wonder… what was up with her eyes? Does that have some significance? Was it the case in the previous vision and Tamura just didn't notice that time, or is it a difference from the previous vision? I also don't know who the other magical girl is.

"Alright… anything else?"

She relates a couple more visions, but they're all ones I already heard in previous timelines. One of them though is the same vision of a blue and a red magical girl saving the trio and heading into an antique shop. There are a few additional details to the vision this time, which makes me almost certain that Melissa de Vignolles and Elisa Celjska must be alive. It was always a mystery how the magic candles ended up in Kamihama, but if those two are still alive and remember everything, that neatly explains it. Still… I've only received evidence of them through Tamura's alt-universe vision. Is that really enough to conclude that they're alive…? Or is it possible that she's seeing some distant alternate universe where they're alive, while in this one they're not?

"Thank you very much," I say. "I'll do my best to make use of this information in the next timeline."

"U-um… I'm… j-just h-h-happy I c-can… b-be of h-help," Tamura stammers.

"Seeya at the meeting, Miss Ashley," Chihana says.

"Yeah, at the meeting," Hikari echoes.

"Yeah, I'll be there," I say.

I head back to the Hayashi house, pondering what I've heard… and once I'm back in my room, I add everything to my notes document.

On Sunday morning, a brilliant idea comes to me, so I sit down at my laptop and start a new document, which I fill with a summary of the events of the game's main plot, including Main Story, Another Story, and some key events such as Wings in the Wind, Cherry Blossom Dreams, the Tanabata trio of events, and the faction backstory events. Since the time frame of the game story is several months, I avoid mentioning time as much as possible, making it ambiguous exactly how long the predicted events were supposed to take. Since Momoko died, and Scheherazade seemed to consider that significant, I decide not to cover Puella Historia. I save the file by the name 'Original Prediction', then start adding more details here and there as I think of them. By the time lunch rolls around, I have at least three paragraphs for each event, counting each chapter as an event for the main story.

After lunch, I head out to see if there are any witches around. They may be no use to me, who intends to go back in time, but it can't hurt to gather a few on behalf of the people who are staying behind, right? If I'm lucky, I might even wander across a wraith spawn. It's been about a month since witches were banished from Mitakihara, and we still haven't seen any spawns at all apart from the forced one on the hill behind the school, which was just a day or so before the big battle. Surely they'll have to start spawning soon…

But I don't find any signs of wraiths or witches in the area covered by the barrier, so I wander further southwest, into Kazamino. I sense Lina and her team in the vicinity at one point, but I ignore them, as I have a particular place I want to go. Finally, I end up in the western residential district and start to search for a specific house. Before I can find it however, someone lays a hand on my shoulder from behind, eliciting a little gasp from me. The culprit is clearly a magical girl, yet I never sensed their presence… that implies stealth powers on par with Sana's!

"Excuse me," the girl says. "I'm not the sorta person who likes to make a big deal of this kinda thing, but… I'm told it's a bit rude to step on someone else's turf as a magical girl."

I turn to face her. She has sky blue hair tied in twintails, and sparkling blue eyes to match. Her soul gem is in ring form on her finger, and she doesn't actually seem all that angry.

"That's a common sentiment," I say. "But it's not like I came here hunting witches or anything."

"Hmm… that so?" the girl says. "Well, s'not like there's any around here anyway. I already killed three of them this morning."

"Huh… you killed three in one morning?" I say. "That's actually kind of impressive… how long have you been a magical girl?"

"Huh, what was it now," the girl says. "Like a week or something? Bit less actually. Today's only the second time I saw a witch… seems they're damn sparse around here."

"Well… the cause of them being sparse has been resolved, so hopefully there'll be more soon," I say.

"Oh, some good news for once," the girl says. "So if it ain't witch hunting, what could possibly bring you to this quaint little neighbourhood of mine?"

"I was looking for the Yuuki family house," I say.

"Ah, I can take you there," the girl says. "Y'know, I feel like I've been there before, for some reason, but I can't for the life of me remember why…"

She takes the lead, and I follow her through the streets.

"Could it be that you used to know Yuuki Sasa?" I ask.

"Dunno," the girl says. "The name doesn't sound familiar… I thought the family only had a single daughter? Her name ain't Sasa, I'm pretty sure. There's a son too, but his name definitely ain't Sasa."

"Yeah, well… Yuuki Sasa is a magical girl who can control minds and alter memories," I say. "So not remembering her doesn't mean you didn't know her…"

"That so?" the girl says, shrugging. "Well, if she thought it worthwhile to erase herself from my mind, she ain't worth squat to me. Even if I were to suddenly remember we used to be best friends? Sorry, that friendship ended the moment you decided you had the right to choose who I can remember. Ah, there, that's the Yuuki house, just across from the playground. And whaddaya know, there's little Mina-chan playing with her friends, too."

The trio of grade-school girls playing in the playground are quite familiar to me, for this is the second time we've met. While the new girl hangs back at the edge of the playground, I approach the three of them.

"Excuse me," I say. "Do any of you know anything about Yuuki Sasa?"

Mina jumps to her feet with a gasp.

"Y-you… have you seen onee-chan!?" she asks. "Onii-chan and Mom and Dad don't seem to remember her at all, though…"

"Well… it was a few weeks or a month ago, but yes, I've seen her," I say.

"Are… are you a friend of onee-chan?" Mina asks.

"No… I don't think I'd call myself a friend," I say.

"Then…"

For a moment Mina glances at her two friends, who are now standing next to her for support, but they just shrug.

"Even if they're not friends, she still seems to know about this mysterious sister of yours, right?" the short-haired girl says. "Until now, I didn't think she even existed."

The long-haired girl nods. "Yeah, isn't this good news? It shows she wasn't all in your imagination."

Mina nods and turns back to me.

"Um… if you're not friends, then… what's your relationship to onee-chan?"

"Well, I'm afraid your sister tried to do some awful things," I say. "Maybe she did even more awful things before that, too…"

Mina blinks. "E-eh!? H-how awful?"

"So you're not going to defend her and say she'd never do something like that, huh?

"W-well… that depends on what it is…"

"In other words… you think your sister is the type of person who might do awful things," I say.

"It's… it's possible, maybe," Mina admits. "B-but… she's always been kind to me! W-well… most of the time, at least…"

"Knowing what I know of her, that's honestly kinda surprising," I say.

"It's true!" Mina says. "Um… are you… looking for onee-chan?"

"No, it's not like that," I say. "Actually, I was thinking I should let someone know where she is…"

Mina blinks at me. "H-huh!? You know where she is? C-can you take me there? Please?"

"Wait, Mina-chan!" her short-haired friend protests. "You only just met her! It's not safe!"

"I don't care!" Mina says. "I just want to see onee-chan again!"

Her long-haired friend wordlessly takes out her phone during that exchange and snaps a photo of me. Though I was expecting it, I don't attempt to avoid it. I'll be gone from this world soon enough, anyway.

"If Mina-chan doesn't come back, at least I can show this photo," she says.

"Well… I suppose I can show you where she is," I say. "Come on."

I turn back to where the blue-haired girl is still waiting.

"What about you?" I ask. "Were you waiting for something in particular? Or did you want to come too?"

"Hmm, well… I got nothing to do anyway, and it's about time I show myself to Lina's gang," the girl says. "So what the hell. Guess I should introduce myself… Yasuhiro Rin's the name, but just call me Rin."

Given that everyone I know from the Madoka franchise has already appeared, with the exception of Aika Himena, I shouldn't be surprised that the name is unfamiliar… but I am surprised. Not that it's unfamiliar, but that it's somehow familiar. I can't quite put a finger on it though. I feel like I must have heard it somewhere… but surely it can't be important if it wasn't somewhere related to the Madoka franchise, so I decide not to dwell on it.

With Mina and Rin in tow, I head for Futaba's apartment, but before making it all the way there, we run into Futaba and Mio on a street corner. It's just the two of them. They blink at us.

"Ashley Taylor…!" Mio says. "I didn't expect to see you… huh? Who's the other magical girl with you?"

"Yasuhiro Rin, nice to meet you… I already know, you're Youko Futaba and Ayumi Mio, right?"

"E-ehh? H-how d'you know?" Futaba asks.

"Sorry, sorry," Rin says. "Actually, I'm pretty new to all this. I just wanted to get the measure of the local magical girls before I made myself known. I've been all over town, so I know it's just the five of you here in central Kazamino, and the Kimiko sisters over in the east… so if it ain't too much of a bother, I'd be grateful if you left the west to me."

"Well… I don't think Lina will have a problem with that," Mio says. "And who's the kid…?"

"This is Yuuki Mina," I say. "She's Sasa's little sister."

Mio and Futaba both gasp.

"T-that girl has a little sister?" Mio says.

"Oh my, oh my, um… is… is she gonna be angry at us?" Futaba asks, her voice shaking. "B-because… we did something awful to Sasa-chan… didn't we?"

"I think if you weigh what Miss Sasa did against what you did, the scales would weigh in your favour," I retort. "She tried to kill all of you, after all. What we've done is nothing compared to that."

Rin blinks several times.

"Yuuki Sasa tried to kill Lina's group?" she asks. "I never heard anything about that…"

"It's not like we talk about that girl very often," Mio says.

"S-so um… what… what exactly did you do to… to onee-chan?" Mina asks. "Oh, um… I'm… not going to get angry… not after hearing that onee-chan tried to kill you… was onee-chan a magical girl?"

"Huh? You know about magical girls?" Mio asks.

"Ah, no, um… Mio-neesan and Rin-neesan just mentioned it a minute ago," Mina says. "That was the first time I'd heard of it…"

"Ah, my bad," Mio says. "I probably shouldn't have brought it up in front of you… well, now the cat's out of the bag, so yeah, your sister was a magical girl too."

"I… I see," Mina says.

"I think… since you're her little sister, I should hand her over to you," Futaba says. "Come on, my place is just over here…"

We head to her place, but she gets us to wait outside while she runs upstairs, returning with Sasa's soul gem. Mina takes it and blinks at it.

"Huh? I thought… you were bringing onee-chan…?"

"That's her," I say. "When you become a magical girl, you turn into a rock, just like that. The body is just extra."

"Huh… ain't that an interesting little factoid," Rin says. "You'd think that creature woulda mentioned something like that at the start… I thought something seemed shady about him."

She doesn't seem particularly perturbed by the revelation though. If anything, I'd say she just doesn't care.

"I… I see…?" Mina says. "So then… where is… onee-chan's body?"

I fish out a scrap of paper and a pen, and write down the address of Angelica Bears in Asunaro, then pass it to her. She looks at it, frowning slightly. Rin also peers over her shoulder at it.

"Is that… where she is?" Mina asks.

I nod. "You'll need to talk to the people who run that place," I say. "But if you show them Miss Sasa's soul gem, they should understand what you're after, I think."

Mina nods. "Okay… okay… then if I go here… I can see onee-chan again… right?"

"That's right," I say.

"Thank you very much," Mina says. "I'll take very good care of her… and go there as soon as I can."

"If you want an escort, I can go with you," Rin says. "I figure it'd be interesting visiting Asunaro for once. It's on the north coast, right? I bet the sea looks a bit different over there."

"Ah… yes please!" Mina says.

"Well, if that's the case though, it's gotta be on my schedule," Rin says. "I'll let you know… but prolly before the end of Golden Week. Keep your schedule open for me, okay?"

Mina nods. "Okay!"

After that, we all split up again. Rin escorts Mina back home, Mio and Futaba head up to the latter's apartment, and I meander northeast until I end up at a familiar arcade. Out of curiosity, I check inside and sure enough, she's there – Kyouko is playing that Dance Dance Revolution knockoff. Technically it's called Dog Drug Reinforcement, but no-one is buying that bluff – it's clearly Dance Dance Revolution. What's less expected is that Yuma is also there, cheering her on. I step up beside Yuma without a word.

Without turning around or pausing her dancing, Kyouko calls out to me.

"Yo, what's up?" she says.

"Nothing much," I say. "I just happened to remember that I owe you some ramen."

Kyouko chuckles, biting a stick of pocky in half before she responds.

"Is that all?" she says. "Well, ain't it a good thing I haven't had lunch yet."

"Ooh, lunchtime!" Yuma exclaims. "Yuma is hungry too!"

"Don't worry, I'll get you some ramen as well, Yuma-chan," I say.

Soon after that, Kyouko gets to the end of her game, achieving a perfect score, and turns to face me.

"Well, I ain't one for standing around on ceremony," she says. "Got a place in mind, or should I pick?"

"You can pick," I say.

"Sweet! I can get something a little expensive for once!" Kyouko says. "Alright, lemme think… yes, it's gotta be that one. This way!"

She leads me and Yuma to a ramen place not far from the hotel she's staying at with Yuma. I was a little worried when she said expensive, but I guess it was for nothing – sure, the place is a cut above your typical cheap ramen joint, but it's still very reasonably-priced. I get a bowl for each of us, and we slurp it down without a word. Once the food is finally done, and I've handed over the money, Kyouko hops up… but I stop her before she runs off.

"There's one other thing I'd like to say to you, Miss Sakura," I say. "Two things, actually."

"What is it now?" Kyouko asks.

"I don't know where she is now, or how she got there," I say. "But your little sister is probably alive."

Kyouko blinks at me.

"Come on, stop pulling my leg," she retorts. "I guess Mami must've blabbed about Momo, but don't try to pull the wool over my eyes. I saw her body in those flames. There's no way she could've survived a fire like that."

"Did you actually check if she was dead?" I ask. "If her body was still in one piece, wasn't there a chance she had just passed out from the smoke?"

"Eh…? Well… it's… not impossible," Kyouko admits. "But even if that's the case… there's no way she could've survived a fire like that."

"Yeah, to tell the truth, I can't explain it either," I say. "But when I asked Scheherazade about your sister, she refused to tell me anything, because she has a policy of not giving information on the living. Which means… Momo must be alive somewhere."

Kyouko falls silent for a few moments, then sighs.

"Even if you tell me that, what good's it do?" she retorts. "Even if Momo's alive, I ain't got a clue where to start looking for her. If she's really alive, she'll just have to get on with her life on her own. Nothing I can do about that, short of sheer luck."

"True enough," I say. "Now, as for the second thing I wanted to say… this one's more for Yuma-chan than you, really. I heard Yuma-chan's grandparents live out on the peninsula, to the southwest."

"That so?" Kyouko says. "Not that it has anything to do with me, but I guess it's good to know."

"Yuma wants to see Grandpa," Yuma speaks up. "Grandpa was worried about Yuma, so Yuma is sure he must be a good person!"

"Well, I ain't stopping you," Kyouko says. "Do what you want."

"Yuma wants to go with Kyouko though!" Yuma protests.

"Well, I don't feel like it," Kyouko retorts. "Deal with it. Seeya, Miss Taylor. Or… guess I prolly won't seeya again, actually. Whatever. Farewell."

"Farewell, Miss Sakura."

Though I guess we might still see each other at the meeting, but whatever…

Monday finds me meeting up at the central train station in Mitakihara together with a bunch of people – Elise, Liliane, and Sachie have shown themselves, as well as Iroha and Karin, and for some reason Mari is here too. The only strange thing is that Karin and Iroha don't emerge from the station but instead appear from across the street.

"Oh, sorry," I say. "Did we keep you waiting?

"No, no, not at all," Iroha says. "Since there was time, I met up with Madoka-chan's friends, and her parents."

"Oh, I see," I say. "Alright then… you want to lead the way, Miss Masuyo?"

Mari nods. "Sure."

We head north towards Noriko's place.

"Speaking of her parents, though," Iroha says. "Tatsuya greeted me by name, like he already knew me. I was pretty surprised… but it seems like he remembers Homura-chan's doppel release from a dream."

"Huh… that makes two who remember," I say. "Miss Hayasaka also remembered… oh, did Miss Shizuki or Miss Miki mention if Sir Kamijou remembered it?"

"That did come up, actually," Iroha says. "Apparently Sir Kamijou didn't remember anything. Miss Hitomi also ran into Miss Asano yesterday, and she didn't remember anything either."

"I don't know who Miss Asano is," I say.

"Ah, apparently she's the class rep or something…?" Iroha says. "I don't really know either, but Miss Hitomi said she was in the doppel barrier… oh, and Amy seemed to remember me too!"

"That's the cat, right?" I say. "Did you meet the cat in the doppel barrier?"

"Yes, she was there too," Iroha says. "I was more distracted by Tatsuya, but I remember seeing the cat."

"So the only ones who remember are Tatsuya, Amy, and Miss Hayasaka," I say. "Tatsuya… maybe because he's really young? For Amy… I wonder if cats just have a sense for that sort of thing. I've heard of a girl who can talk to animals using cats to help track witches. And Miss Hayasaka… I bet she actually has magical potential…"

"Well, in any case, it was… not fun, exactly, but I'm glad I took the time to visit," Iroha says. "They were already worried thanks to Tatsuya saying Madoka-chan wasn't coming back, so giving them some sort of explanation… I think it really helped. And I got to keep my promise, even if Mr and Mrs Kaname didn't remember it."

Soon we arrive at Noriko's house. Mari walks right up to the door and opens it without even knocking.

"W-wait a moment, shouldn't we knock!?" Iroha protests.

"Nah, we're pretty close, so she expects me to just come in," Mari says. "Come on, I bet I'll have to drag her… off… huh?"

As she steps inside, she finds Noriko actually waiting for her. She's even wearing actual stylish clothes.

"Eh? Did I interrupt a session or something?" Mari says. "Did you have a session today?"

"Y-yeah, it… just finished," Noriko says. "T-they're just cleaning up, so… please come into the living room for a moment."

We step into the living room and all sit down on the couches.

"This is a pretty nice house, Miss Naomi," Iroha says. "But do you live here all alone? Isn't it hard to take care of such a big house?"

"Ah, um… I h-hire someone to c-clean it… once a week…"

"Ehhh? Isn't that expensive?"

"Y-yeah but… I still have a l-lot of money left over f-from… w-when I won the l-lottery… and a decent income too…"

"Ohhh, just like Tsuruno-chan!" Iroha exclaims.

"Ah… um… m-maybe," Noriko says.

"She actually won it twice in a row," Mari adds.

"If I recall correctly, Tsuruno-chan also won the lottery twice," Iroha says. "Though I'm not sure if it was twice in a row…"

"So, what was that about a session?" Karin asks.

"Ah, um… m-modelling," Noriko says.

"Oh! Miss Yachiyo's a model too!" Iroha says. "That's really incredible… I don't suppose you've met her? Um, before the other day, that is…"

Noriko shakes her head. "N-no, um… I d-don't think we're the same type of m-model…"

"Nano-chan mostly does lingerie," Mari says. "They have a tough time finding models for their plus sizes, you see."

"Ah, is that so…?" Iroha says.

"B-but I d-do model n-normal clothes too sometimes," Noriko says. "L-like today… these ones…"

"Oh… do they let you keep what you model?" Iroha asks.

"N-not usually… only the lingerie," Noriko says. "N-normal clothes… like these… I could buy them on the spot, b-but… usually I don't… actually I'm supposed to be changing right now…"

"Well, then don't let us hold you up," I say. "Could you make a labyrinth that's divided into four distinct rooms with doors we can either open or seal?"

Noriko nods. "S-sure," she says.

With that, she transforms, raising her strange weapon above her head, and the labyrinth forms around us. The room is about the same size as her living room, and contains matching furniture, but adds a second door that the original room didn't have.

"U-um… if you'll excuse me," Noriko says. "I need to… take these off…"

"I'll go with her," Mari says. "You guys do whatever you need to do."

"We shouldn't be long," I say. "But be careful if you step back in here – you must be prepared to defend yourselves."

"Got it," Mari says.

With that, the two of them simply vanish.

"Before I do this, I have one last request for both of you," I say.

"What's that?" Iroha asks.

"It's a request for the version of you who goes back in time," I say. "Please don't get a Coordination from Mitama, at least until after the Wings of the Magius disband."

"But if I don't get a Coordination… how will I fight the Kamihama witches? Iroha asks.

"You don't have to worry about that," I say. "The effect of the Coordinations you received in this timeline should carry through, so even without a Coordination you should be able to connect."

"I see," Iroha says. "In that case, I guess it's fine."

"I haven't gotten one for awhile, anyway," Karin says. "I don't think I really need one…"

"What about the versions of us who stay in this timeline?" Iroha asks.

"Since the ability to go back in time is locked away, and you don't know all that much about prior timelines, it should be fine to get one," I say. "Do try to be at least a teensy bit wary of Mitama, though. Anyway, that's all I had to say."

"S-so um… now we… t-turn into a witch… right?" Iroha says. "Um… is that going to be difficult? It's not like my soul gem is especially clouded right now…"

"I've got an easy way to force the transformation," I say. "So, which of you wants to go first?"

"I'll go!" Karin says.

"Alright then," I say. "Stand up."

I take out an evil nut and stand up at the same time, stepping over to her and pressing it into her forehead.

"Abracadabra."

With that trigger word, the nut slides into Karin's forehead, and she lets out a shocked gasp as her soul transforms into gem form before cracking open and becoming a grief seed. The witch that spawns takes the form of a gigantic skeleton wearing a massive helmet, the visor large enough to be called a portcullis. There are two burning chariot wheels attached to the sides of the helmet, and instead of a skull, there's an orb within the helmet that has blue lights flickering across its surface. A single tentacle tipped with a heart-shaped lantern extends through the bars of the portcullis, like a lure to draw people in. In one skeletal hand, the witch grips a gigantic scythe. In the other, it holds a jack'o'lantern dangling from a chain, with flames gushing out from the comical face carved into the pumpkin. The skeleton doesn't look human at all – it's more like the giant skeleton monster from Japanese folklore, the gashadokuro, though with its head replaced by that weird helmet, and feet resembling a crow's. That impression is strengthened by the dark orb encased within the witch's ribcage, constantly oozing purple smoke. The witch runes hovering near her head spell out her name, McDougal. The skeleton also wears a black cloak that billows oddly, as if it has a life of its own.

"W-whoa… s-she really turned into a witch…" Iroha gasps.

Even as Iroha speaks, a few familiars spawn. The familiars are like little scarecrows with a jack'o'lantern for a head. I catch Karin's body before the witch can do anything to it.

"Let's go into the next room, Miss Tamaki," I say. "Sachie-chan… can you please try to isolate one of the familiars in that room?"

I point at one of the doors, and Sachie nods.

"I'll do my best," she says.

"Once you've done that, join us in the other room," I say.

I head for the other door, Iroha following me. After a moment of hesitation, the Pierrot twins also follow us into the next room.

"N-n-now it's… m-my turn, right?" Iroha says. "After seeing it in person… I'm not sure if… I'm up for this, after all…"

"We can call it off if you don't want to," I say. "I'd still let you come back if you want, or stay if you prefer. Up to you."

Iroha falls silent for a moment, then shakes her head.

"N-no, no, um… I'll do it," she says. "P-please be gentle…"

With that, she closes her eyes, and I take out another evil nut and press it into her forehead.

"Abracadabra."

Again, the trigger word causes it to be absorbed into her body, her soul entering gem form before cracking open into a grief seed. Iroha's witch looks almost the same as her doppel, but the point where the doppel would attach to her body instead has a pair of eagle-like claws attached, one of which grips a rope noose that seems to have a life of its own. The witch runes spell out Giovanna, of course, and as before I secure Iroha's body before the witch can consume it. The witch spawns some familiars as well – apparently they take the form of that misshapen teddy bear that served as a stand-in for Ui in her out-of-control doppel barrier.

"Is Sachie-chan done yet…?" I ask.

At that exact moment she appears from the other door, which leads to the remaining empty room.

"I've got to isolate another familiar, right?" Sachie says. "I'm ready. Come on!"

She shakes her bell staff, and one of the little teddies turns to look at her, then trots towards her. Sachie leads it into the next room, and the Pierrot twins and I follow her, closing the door behind us.

"Perfect so far," I say. "Now, I'll feed this one… please just hold it in place for now, Sachie-chan."

Sachie nods, shaking her bell staff again, and I take out several evil nuts, tossing them at the teddy one at a time. It opens its mouth to swallow each one, growing a little larger with every nut. After consuming seven evil nuts, it suddenly glows and transforms into a duplicate of Giovanna, including the witch runes spelling out her name.

"Alright, Elise-chan, Miss Liliane, you're up," I say. "Destroy this one. If it drops a grief seed, destroy the one in the previous room too. Then come join Sachie-chan and I in the next room. If it doesn't drop a grief seed we'll need to draw in another familiar, so don't destroy the original witch in that case."

"You got it!" Liliane says.

I head into the next room with Sachie, where a single jack'o'lantern scarecrow is looking around in confusion. Sachie shakes her bell staff, causing it to stop in its tracks, and I fling an evil nut at it. It flips open its lid, catching the nut within its pumpkin head, and grows a little larger. I toss more and more evil nuts at it, and each time it grows a little larger. Apparently this familiar is greedier, for it takes nine evil nuts before it glows and evolves into another giant skeletal McDougal.

«How's it going, Elise, Liliane?» I ask.

«Almost… got… the first one… beat!» Elise says.

«In that case, I'll help you out as well,»

«Please!» Liliane says.

"Do you want to help defeat them now too?" I ask. "We don't really need you to hold it in place now that it's evolved."

Sachie nods. "Let's go."

We return to the previous room, where she shakes her bell staff to stop Giovanna in its tracks, allowing Elise and Liliane to land their combination attack. After making sure a grief seed was dropped, we head to defeat the other Giovanna, then both copies of McDougal, ending up with four grief seeds in total.

«We're finished, Miss Naomi,» I say. «You can bring your barrier down now.»

«Okay!»

And just like that, we find ourselves back in the living room. Noriko is now wearing pyjamas for some reason.

"Eh? W-what happened to those two…?" Noriko says, indicating the two bodies on my back.

"Oh, right, I didn't explain what we were doing here, did I?" I say. "The idea was to make an identical copy of each of those two by turning them into witches… so the plan now is to turn them back into magical girls."

"Oh… um… I really wish y-you'd explained it f-first," Noriko complains. "I might not have agreed… if I'd known…"

"What on earth possessed you to try something so dangerous…?" Mari asks.

"It's not the first time I've done it though," I say. "And they both asked for it. Okay… I need to get them to Kamihama now…"

"Um… I d-don't have… anything to do right now," Noriko says. "And… it'd be a bit… suspicious, carrying those guys on the train. S-s-so… I'll take you to K-kamihama… in my barrier…"

"Oh… would you?" I ask.

"Y-yes…"

"Thank you very much!"

So with that declaration, Noriko transforms again and creates a new barrier, a duplicate of her living room but with two extra couches. I lay Iroha and Karin down on the two extra couches, Noriko takes the armchair, and everyone else sits on the remaining couches.

"W-where… in Kamihama?" Noriko asks.

"I think the helipad would be a good place," I say.

"O-okay," Noriko says.

Thanks to Noriko's barrier, we reach Kamihama sooner than I'd expected. We leave her barrier, stepping out onto the helipad. Mari and Noriko leave us there, travelling back the way they came in her barrier. Then I hand Elise the grief seeds, one at a time. Each time, we fight her doppel off until it dissipates – I don't want to risk a doppel syndrome if I can help it. Once all four soul gems are restored, I set one down on each of Iroha's and Karin's chests. Of course, I also make sure both are the correct soul gem. After about a minute, they wake up at the same time, sitting up with a gasp.

"T-that was…!" Karin says.

"I… I felt like… like my life was over!" Iroha says.

"Well… you're back," I say. "You'll be the ones who stay in this timeline. I'll hold onto the copies I've made and take them back in time with me."

Iroha nods. "O-okay… thank you for this," she says.

"Alright, then from now on I've gotta focus on finding a way to revive Alina!" Karin says.

"R-right!" Iroha says. "I also need to find a way to revive Touka-chan and Nemu-chan, so let's work together, Miss Karin!"

"Hell yeah!" Karin exclaims.

"Alright," I say. "I'll let the two of you talk this out, but if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to Mitakihara now."

"Yes, but allow me to thank you one more time, Miss Taylor," Iroha says.

"No problem."

And with that, the others accompany me back to Mitakihara, and once I return to the Hayashi house, I flop down on my bed to rest.

Finally, it's almost time for the epilogue of the first arc… though I'll get to experience it a second time, but still. I shall see if there's anything else important I might want to change for the next time.

On Tuesday, I meet Chevonne, Janice, Sarra, Alice, and the François sisters at the station and give them a little tour of Mitakihara, introducing them to some of the people here as well. I don't talk about how I plan to go back in time… I don't even know what I should say. Around noon, we all head to Kamihama, where I see them off at the airport. Once they're gone, I head back to the Hayashi house and spend some more time adding little details to the 'Original Prediction' document. I also create a couple of documents addressed to specific people, containing information unrelated to the main game storyline that I think they would be interested in, entitled 'Letter for' plus the person's name. So far there's letters for Matsuri, Karin, Mami, and Yuuri. Not all the information is predictive based on my memories.

On Wednesday, the Hayashi sisters and I join the Holy Brigade at the station, heading to Kamihama. Mami has even managed to drag Kyouko along, presumably despite her complaints, and she and Yuma are each restraining one of Kyouko's hands.

"So, we're all gathering at the lakeside park in Hokuyo Ward, right?" Hitomi says.

"The same place we beat Walpurgisnacht, yes," I say.

"How fitting," Hitomi says. "They'll tell us the whole story, right where our battle ended."

Though we arrive a little early, there's already a huge crowd there. Yukika and the Amane twins are at the centre of it all, along with Mitama. But despite the large number of girls who're already present, several key groups still haven't arrived yet. I don't see Crescent Moon Villa anywhere, nor Nanaka's team or the Pleiades Saints. On the other hand, there are also a few unexpected guests – the Tokime trio have somehow found their way here and are chatting with Chika. I guess it must've been Chika who invited him, but it's still a little bit strange that she'd make it to the Tokime village and back, plus befriending those three, in the four days since the battle. I also spot Chizu Ranka together with Chiyoko and Sakuya. It's a little hard to understand why she'd be with those two when they were supposed to be on opposing sides, but… I guess they must've made amends already? Though both Chiyoko and Sakuya do look a little uncomfortable at her presence. I thought their conflict should've lasted at least another week, but maybe something accelerated it. Sakuya has apparently brought along a video camera. I guess she's planning to film the event to show it to Yuna and the others?

Leaving the Holy Brigade and Liliane's group alone, I step up to the Tokime group to address them.

"Good afternoon, Miss Chika, Miss Tokime, Miss Hiroe, Miss Toki."

The three of them look at me in surprise, while Chika responds to my greeting.

"Good afternoon, Miss Ashley," Chika says. "Allow me to introduce you. This is my first friend, Ashley Taylor."

"H-how do you know our names?" Chiharu asks.

"Well, I went to your village before," I say.

"Huuuh!?" Shizuka gasps. "B-but it's supposed to be hidden…"

"Inside a barrier, yes," I say. "Which means magical girls can easily reach it, right?"

"Magical… oh, diviners, right," Shizuka says. "But I don't remember seeing you before…"

"That's because it never happened from your point of view," I say. "After visiting you and helping you to defeat the Mikoshiba, some things happened, and I ended up going back in time."

"Um… is that… really true…?" Sunao asks doubtfully.

"Although this is the first I've heard of it myself, I trust Miss Ashley," Chika says. "I don't believe she would lie about that."

"So, may we help you with something?" Shizuka asks.

"Yes, you may," I say. "First of all…"

I take a look around to see if Folklore of Zero are here. After scanning a little, I find them grouped a short distance away. Asahi is wearing shorts with fur lining the hems, and a denim jacket.

"See that girl over there? The one with short red hair and bangs."

"Yes… what about her?" Shizuka asks.

"You should consider asking her about the monument she discovered near Yukuni," I say. "I think Miss Hiroe would find something very interesting if you went to see it in person. Oh… but maybe don't let them know you're from the Tokime clan. I've heard some of the villages near Yukuni hate the Tokime, despite being related to them."

"Ah… I… I see," Shizuka says.

"Secondly, do you see that girl with short purple hair?"

I point at Shizuku, who's wearing jeans and a loose lavender shirt and standing with Ayaka.

"Um… I think so, yes," Shizuka says.

"Try asking her about a secluded mountain shrine," I say. "If she's not sure which one you mean, mention the name Yuma. The shrine is probably interesting in its own right, but… if I'm not mistaken, there should be a fox living there. I haven't verified this, so it might be wishful thinking on my part, but… if you talk to that fox, you might learn more about your clan."

"Huh? Talking to a fox?" Sunao retorts. "What nonsense…"

"U-um, perhaps she means to use my power?" Chika says. "After all, I can talk to animals… ah, come to think of that, I hadn't mentioned that yet, had I?"

"Ah, no, you never did say what your magic was," Shizuka says. "So that's what it was…"

"I wasn't thinking of Miss Chika's power, actually," I say. "If my guess is right, that fox is not a fox but a magical girl who has taken the form of a fox. It's just a guess, so I could be wrong, but… if I'm right, I'm sure you'll learn a lot."

"Okay… thank you for the tip," Shizuka says.

"And lastly—"

"T-there's still more!?" Chiharu gasps.

"One more thing, yes," I say. "In Mitakihara, on the hill behind Mitakihara Middle School, there is a solitary tomb. Miss Hiroe should be able to read the inscription on the tomb… and that person's spirit is haunting the place as well. Take Kyuubey with you, and talk to her. Tell her you're from the Tokime. You might just witness a miracle."

"I… okay, I sort of understand," Shizuka says.

"Why on earth are you telling us all this?" Chiharu asks. "For that matter, how do you even know…?"

"Well, I've gathered a lot of information by going back in time multiple times and using my clairvoyance magic," I say. "And I'm telling you all this because it relates to the Tokime clan, so I thought you would be interested. If you're not interested, feel free to disregard everything I said."

"Well, I for one am interested!" Chiharu says. "I think it can't hurt to check all those places out!"

"Yes, I would also like to learn more about my clan," Shizuka says. "I wonder why the villages near Yukuni hate us so much…?"

"Those aren't the only places around that are related to the Tokime clan, of course," I say. "I think there's some seaside villages, and the big shrine in Matsumiya, and… oh right, I almost forgot – if you go to Suitoku Temple here in Kamihama, they should have a sunburst emblem which is the missing piece of an old Tokime sword."

"The one I used to defeat the Wandering Witch?" Shizuka ask. "The one which all my ancestors have been storing their power in?"

I shake my head. "No, this is a different one, a ceremonial sword," I say. "The emblem was broken off, causing it to lose most of its power, but you'll want to repair it in time for the New Year's ceremony."

"Which means we have plenty of time," Chiharu says. "It's only May!"

"In any case, it seems that there are many traces of my family all across the island," Shizuka says. "I would definitely like to find them all and learn as much as I can. Perhaps we can find more and more comrades!"

"Yes, that would be wonderful!" Chiharu says.

"I don't… understand why we would need so many comrades," Chika admits. "But I suppose… it may be nice to meet new people…"

"Um, so… maybe I should write all this down," Shizuka says. "What was it again? Um… the monument in Yukuni… the fox at the secluded mountain shrine… the haunted tomb in Mitakihara… the big shrine in Matsumiya… and the sunburst emblem at Suitoku Temple?"

"Yeah, I think that's everything," I say.

"What's so special about Matsumiya Shrine, by the way?" Chiharu asks. "I've gone there every New Year's… the shrine maiden was even in my class last year. In fact, I thought I spotted her somewhere around here…?"

She looks around, and I do as well, but I can't see Kotone anywhere. However, I can't see who's on the far side very well, so she could be over there.

"Oh, it's not widely known, but apparently they're linked to the Tokime clan," I say. "And yeah, Miss Tsukimachi is probably around here somewhere…"

"Huh… I had no idea," Chiharu says.

"The world is a small place," Sunao muses.

"Alright, after this, we'll go mystery hunting!" Chiharu declares. "I can't wait to see what we might find in all those places!"

I notice Mayoi and the fire sisters arrive through a portal, together with a young woman with short black hair streaked with silver, and a young blonde girl who looks no older than twelve. The woman wears skinny jeans and a pink sweater with a collar shirt just visible beneath it, while the kid wears a worn-out yellow T-shirt and torn-off denim shorts. Mayoi spots me and calls my name, waving me over, so I work through through the crowd to meet her.

"Ashley-chan!" she exclaims. "This is the cat sempai I talked about now and then!"

"Ehhh!?" the young woman exclaims. "Is that what you've been calling me? Geez, Mayoi-chan, I wouldn't mind if you used my name?" She turns to me with a smile. "I'm Hanekawa Tsubasa, nice to meet you."

"I'm Ashley Taylor," I say. "If I'm not mistaken… there should also be a magical girl in your town called Oshino Shinobu, right?"

Tsubasa nods. "Yes… I suppose Mayoi-chan must have told you…?"

"Also, this one is Epi-chan," Mayoi says. "She showed up all of a sudden so I dragged her along."

"I didn't want to come!" the young girl complains. "And stop calling me Epi-chan! My name is Episode! Episode! It's not that complicated! Geez… what the heck is with all these magical girls, anyway…? I've never seen so many in one place before…"

"Mayoi-chan, Episode-chan, I was in the middle of an important conversation," Tsubasa scolds them. "Please don't interrupt. Now then, Miss Taylor… what was that about Shinobu-chan?"

"I'll answer your question with a question of my own," I say. "Has she ever spoken of someone called Pernelle?"

"Ah yes, Shinobu-chan mentions that name now and then," Tsubasa says. "I looked her up, and apparently she was some famous alchemist or something. Shinobu-chan really wants to meet her again."

"Well, if that's the case, I imagine she'd be interested to hear that Pernelle is currently staying in Asunaro," I say.

Tsubasa blinks. "Huh? So she really is still alive… I was wondering if she could be! Then I'll tell her when I get back! Oh, do you know anything about Kuzunoha? Shinobu-chan mentions her now and then, too."

"I have a theory that Kuzunoha might be on this island," I say. "See that person with purple hair?"

I indicate Shizuku again, and Tsubasa nods.

"If you ask her about a certain secluded mountain shrine where she helped a girl named Yuma recently… I'm not sure, but I think there's a chance you'll find her there."

"Huh… I came here expecting only bad news, but this is a pleasant surprise," Tsubasa says. "Thank you very much, Miss Taylor."

"So, Episode-chan, was it?" I say. "That's an… unusual name, to say the least…"

"You shut the hell up," Episode retorts. "I don't want to talk to you. Beat it."

I glance at Tsubasa.

"Is she usually this hostile to strangers…?"

"Well… it varies," Tsubasa says. "Come to think of it… why were you even in town in the first place, Episode-chan? I thought you said you were going home for good… and that was about two years ago. Don't tell me you got lost for two whole years?"

"I-it's not my fault this country won't allow minors to ride on a plane alone!" Episode complains. "I was able to come to this country because Lady Dramaturgy was accompanying me, but then she went home ahead of me, and now they won't even let me back on no matter how much I beg them! They won't even believe me when I tell them I'm fifteen years old! It's not my fault my body won't grow!"

"Ah, actually… since you're a magical girl… it probably is your fault," I say.

"Oh, then you're just like me!" Mayoi says. "I was stuck at that age for several years too…"

"And I can't seem to contact Lady Dramaturgy ever since then…" Episode laments.

"Come to think of it, I heard from Hilda that Miss Dramaturgy died fighting Walpurgisnacht about two years ago," I say.

"E-ehhh!?" Episode gasps, suddenly beginning to cry. "N-no way… t-then will I be stuck here forever!?"

"Come on, don't cry, Episode-chan," Tsubasa says. "I'm sure they'll let you on the plan if Hitagi and I accompany you. Will that be acceptable to you?"

"Ehh… I guess," Episode says, reluctantly. "T-thank you… I suppose…"

"I'm more surprised that it took you two whole years to get to this point," I say. "What on earth were you doing for all that time?"

"I-I was barely scraping by, okay?" Episode mutters. "Scavenging for scraps and grief seeds in a bunch of different cities… i-it's not like I came here with Lady Dramaturgy because we were close or anything… it was just a convenient arrangement because we happened to pick up the same job from the Vatican…"

I blink. "Huh? A job from the Vatican? What kind of job would the Vatican be giving out…?"

"Well, they wanted us to slay the vampire progenitor, Laura of Wallachia," Episode says. "I know, it's ironic they chose the likes of us for the task, but I guess they do what they can…"

"Sorry, um… why is that ironic…?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Episode says. "Lady Dramaturgy was a vampire too, you know. Even I am half vampire. My mother was one of Lady Dramaturgy's followers for awhile."

"Laura of Wallachia… so you killed her, then?" I say.

"No, we almost finished her off, but then everything went wrong," Episode says. "The creepy priest guy who hired us dumped us and went back to the Vatican, and I got separated from Lady Dramaturgy, and she went home and stranded me here."

"Laura and Shinobu-chan are the same person," Tsubasa says. "She's been living with us ever since."

"Ah, right, I knew that, but it slipped my mind for a moment, I guess," I say. "Or I somehow thought there'd be two people with the exact same name."

Tsubasa giggles. "Really, that's such a stupid thing to forget," she says.

"Yeah, well… by the way, I heard you were a Coordinator, Miss Hanekawa?"

Her mood abruptly goes sombre.

"And where did you hear that?" she asks.

"From Miss Mayoi…"

Tsubasa shakes her head.

"No… I don't have any right to call myself a Coordinator."

I detect a note of regret in her voice.

"But… Miss Mayoi said you've poked at her soul gem…? Did… did something happen…?"

"It really is none of your business," Tsubasa says. "But I suppose it suffices to say that Livia-sensei was… not satisfied with my conduct. It is true that I have been taught the art of Coordination, and I do use that ability from time to time on my friends at their request, but… I'm barred from openly practicing. My apologies, but I would prefer not to discuss it further."

"I… I see…"

Huh. I'm not sure what to think of that. What could Tsubasa have done that would cause Livia to abandon her? She didn't even abandon Sudachi after her little… episode in Takarazaki, though perhaps Sudachi's younger age was a factor there too.

At that moment I saw a brown-haired girl with a ponytail wave to me and call my name, so I excused myself from the Jouetsu crew and worked my way over to her.

"Good afternoon, uhhh… are you… Nene…?"

The girl nods. "Yes… my full name is Negishi Nekoha, but… all my friends call me Nene," she says.

"I think I forgot to thank you for keeping an eye on Eve while everyone else took out Walpurgisnacht…"

"Ah, don't worry about it," Nene says. "It's probably Scheherazade you should be thanking, for making that stone cage… though I guess it was actually the girl she summoned, um… Tokime Sakuya, I think she called her…"

"Right… anyway, did you want to talk to me? Or just say hi?"

"Ah, um… I suppose I just wanted to say hi," Nene says. "There's a lot of people coming from pretty far away though, isn't there?"

"Yes, that's true," I say. "There are people from every big city on this island… ah, wait, I don't think there's anyone from Kanitomi…"

"Well, that's practically part of Kamihama anyway," Nene says. "Close enough. Actually, I'm from a little seaside village just over there."

She points to the northwest, across the lake.

"Oh, on the bay?" I say. "Isn't that one of the villages Miss Kusch sometimes fights witches in?"

"Ah, yes, she was the first magical girl I ever met," Nene says. "She saved me from a witch… I really can't fight worth beans… although, I'll admit that I've improved since that first time. Back then, my spinner was completely blank, so I couldn't do anything at all to the witch except punch it…"

I tilt my head. "From what I remember of the post-battle meeting… your magic is copy magic, right?"

Nene nods. "But I think I can only copy magic of people nearby, or magic that I've seen in action… so back then I had nothing to copy, so I couldn't do anything. I'm grateful to Miss Kusch for both saving me and giving me something I could copy. The random aspect is still annoying, but… most of the time I can fight witches with this."

At that point, Tsukuyo raises her voice to get the attention of all the gathered girls. I suppose that must mean that basically everyone is here now? I listen to the explanation of what the Magius did, but there's nothing new about it. It's basically the same explanation that Mitama gave to the girls of Kamihama in the previous timeline. In fact, Mitama helps with the explanation as well. Quite a few magical girls have follow-up questions. Strangely, most of them are from Kamihama.

Once all the questions have dried up, Iroha takes the stage.

"What the Wings of the Magius were doing may have been wrong," she says. "But their ultimate goals were noble. I too wish to save magical girls from that terrible fate, and I think the first step towards that goal is cooperation. Magical girls should help one another, instead of fighting amongst themselves. To that end, I've decided to create an organization to foster that spirit of cooperativity – the Kamihama Magia Union. It will be a mutual aid organization with two key goals. Firstly, we will work to ensure that our members get as many grief seeds as they need, and if necessary, help weaker members to fight witches. Secondly, if hostile magical girls appear from outside, we will leap to the defence of our members, to negotiate and, if absolutely necessary, even fight by their side. I'll accept anyone who wishes to join the union, even if you're not from Kamihama, and for those of you who came from far away, I'd like to encourage you to create similar local unions. Thank you for listening."

Then Mitama steps up to say a few more words before indicating that the meeting is over. All around us, girls start to disperse. I make my way towards Iroha, and Nene comes with me.

"Oh, Miss Taylor," Iroha says. "I wasn't sure if you'd come… and you are…?"

"I'm Negishi Nekoha, but my friends all call me Nene," Nene says. "I live pretty close to here – just over the mountain, on the bay. So… if it's alright with you, I think I'd like to join this union of yours…"

"Oh! Thank you very much!" Iroha says. "Other than the founding members, you'll be the first one to join."

Iroha takes out a clipboard and pencil.

"Ah, how do you spell your name, Miss Negishi?" Iroha asks.

"My surname is spelled with 'root' and 'beach', and my given name uses 'cat' and 'feather'," Nene says. "By the way, you can feel free to call me Nene. Basically everyone I know calls me that."

"Okay, thank you, Miss Nene."

"Who are the founding members, by the way?" I ask.

"There are quite a few," Iroha says. "Myself, obviously… Tsuruno-chan, Sana-chan, Felicia-chan, Ui, Miss Yachiyo, Ai-chan, Rena-chan, Kaede-chan, Karin-chan, Miss Kanagi, Tsukuyo-chan, Tsukasa-chan, Miss Mitama, Miss Midori, Miss Makino, and Miss Miyako. Um… did I miss anyone, Tsukuyo-chan?"

"Did you not say that Miss Minagi and Miss Tatsuki also agreed to join?" Tsukuyo says.

"And Miss Yuki as well," Tsukasa adds.

"And don't forget me!" Yukika pipes up.

"Ah, yes, them as well," Iroha says.

"That's quite a line-up for founding members," I say. "And I'm pretty surprised to see Karin-chan in there too…"

"Ah, well… she agreed last time, just after you left us," Iroha says. "She's also agreed to team up with Rena-chan and Kaede-chan… I'm sure she'll never be a replacement for Momoko-chan, but it seems to set Kaede-chan's mind at ease to have her with them."

"You're not counting Touka-chan and Nemu-chan as founding members?" I ask.

"I wanted to," Iroha says. "But it didn't seem right to include them when I can't even ask them."

"I see," I say. "By the way, there's one thing I forgot to mention to you earlier, Miss Tamaki. It's about the automatic purification system."

"Ah? What about it?" Iroha asks.

"Do you remember how a bunch of chunks flew off of Eve when Mokyu took over?" I ask.

"Yes, I remember that," Iroha says.

"If you can find them, it may be possible to use those chunks of emotional energy to expand the automatic purification system so that it covers the entire planet," I say. "However, it's possible they might have a sort of will of their own, so be careful. You should be able to sense them if you're nearby and experiencing a similar emotion. Ui-chan should also be able to sense them if she's close to one, regardless of how she's feeling, because they're partially built from her own magic."

"I see," Iroha says. "Well… thank you for the information. I'll talk to Ui and the others about that later."

Looking around, I see most of the girls have already dispersed. A couple more come by to join the union, and I leave Iroha to take down their names and contact info. Then Sakuya hails me.

"Ah, Miss Suzuka, can I help you?" I ask.

"I'd like to have a chat with you," Sakuya says. "In private, preferably."

She glances at Chiyoko and Ranka, who are still with her.

"Is it something that we can't hear?" Ranka retorts. "Don't be silly. Did you think I'd let you out of my sight?"

"Eh, what?" Chiyoko says nervously. "A-are you two fighting again…?"

"Ugh… fine, I guess you can come," Sakuya grumbles. "Is there a good café nearby…?"

"Hmm… let's go with Miss Hozumi's café," I say.

So I lead the three of them there, and we order drinks. Sakuya speaks up once the orders have been placed.

"To tell the truth… I wanted to talk to you because Yuna-sempai is starting to scare me," Sakuya says.

"Are you an idiot?" Ranka says. "That girl has always been scary. It's just how she is. I can't believe you're not used to it already."

"You're missing the point completely!" Sakuya says. "You were with Ryuugasaki, so of course she'd seem scary to you, but she's always been kind to the girls of Torayamachi… and to weaker girls in general."

"By the way, I guess I forgot to introduce myself," Ranka says. "I'm Chizu Ranka. You must be Ashley Taylor, right?"

"Yes, that's right," I say. "Nice to meet you, Miss Chizu."

"I heard that you were the one who sent Miss Hilda to our town, so I must thank you for that," Ranka says. "Because of the grief seeds that she provided, we haven't lost as many girls as we otherwise could have from this fiasco."

"I'm glad to hear that," I say. "So, Miss Suzuka… what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Um… it's a little hard to put into words," Sakuya says. "Maybe I should start by explaining what actually happened in Futatsugi after Chiyoko-chan ran off… that should be fine, right, Miss Ranka?"

"Well… if it's just Miss Taylor, I suppose it would be okay," Ranka says.

"…so that's what happened," Sakuya concludes. "After that, they did a ritual of sisterhood and then sent the three of us here to hear all the details from the meeting."

"It sounds like you've been through quite a lot," I say. "Even after Walpurgisnacht… I never expected you to go back to Futatsugi, get into a huge battle, and then return here."

"Well, on the bright side, Torayamachi and Ryuugasaki have formed a truce… no, more than that, an alliance," Chiyoko says. "Before I left Futatsugi to join the Wings of the Magius, I never would've thought that could be possible. Yuna-sempai and Miss Juri are just… too different. I'm shocked they managed to find any common ground for this alliance…"

"Well, you don't know Miss Juri as well as I do," Ranka says. "I'm not all that surprised by this alliance myself."

"I'm not really surprised either," Sakuya says. "I'd say it fits pretty well with Juri's personality."

"What I am surprised by is that Miss Sakuya decided to tell you all this stuff, Miss Taylor," Ranka says.

"Well… I just wanted to get it off my chest," Sakuya mutters. «Actually… I'm talking to you alone now, Miss Taylor. The real reason I wanted to talk to you was because I heard a rumour that you were planning to go back in time.»

«Ah, that's true, but where did you hear it from?» I ask.

«It was actually Hilda who mentioned it… anyway, can you take me with you?» Sakuya asks. «Yuna-sempai really is scaring me… I don't know if I can keep facing her with how she's changed. I kinda don't even want to go back to Futatsugi… I don't want to transfer to Kamihama and spy on the girls here, either. I don't know what to do… but if I go back in time, I thought maybe I can change things.»

«To tell the truth, I kinda think there won't be a lot you can change,» I say. «Though I suppose maybe you could save a few more lives. Also… that scary version of Miss Yuna is probably not as bad as she seems at first glance. There's at least one way to break through that anger of hers without giving in to it.»

«Really?» Sakuya says. «Because she's saying she wants to kill everyone who deprived Futatsugi of witches… and since the Magius are gone, her target will probably end up on the new Kamihama Magia Union… who haven't even done anything wrong.»

«Miss Tamaki may be naïve, so it would take some time, but I think she has the ability to break through Miss Yuna's anger,» I say. «I can't promise you'd get to that point without any losses – in fact, I had a prediction that you and two of the founding union members would die in the attempt – but you can definitely get there without the entire union perishing, as long as Miss Tamaki survives. Ah, and Ui-chan would probably need to survive too… I can't predict what Miss Tamaki would do if Ui-chan were to die, but I could see her losing control in some way.»

«Hmm… but still,» Sakuya says. «Hilda managed to greatly reduce our casualties, but there's still Misa who died in the battle… and a few more besides… I could probably save them, if nothing else. Maybe Shouko and Yuki too…»

«Well… there's still one more slot for time-travellers, so you could definitely take it if you really want,» I say. «Do keep in mind that if you go back in time, it'll be like you've vanished from this world.»

«I don't care,» Sakuya says. «Like I said… I don't want to face Yuna-sempai again. Please take me with you! When will you be going?»

I suppose this is a good time to pin down exactly when I want to return. Homura's time travel takes us back exactly forty-five and a half days. The main event I want to avoid repeating is saving Nagisa, and I think I'd also prefer not to needing to repeat the Yukuni All-Star Festival or the subjugation of Yuuki Sasa. And if I could avoid having to reveal the truth to the quartet yet again, that would be a nice bonus. So, that would mean I should aim for no earlier than Monday afternoon, on March twenty-first – the day I told Hilda about the situation in Futatsugi. However, it would be more convenient to get back in the morning, so I know I'll be able to update my information document before the details fade from my mind, so Tuesday morning… is probably fine too. The only problem is, that's also the day I failed to save the girl who turned into Nikola, so we would be cutting things close on that front, but… I think I should be able to manage. I probably just need to make it really early in the morning so as to get extra time to find the place.

«We leave at roughly four o'clock on Friday afternoon,» I say. «We'll be returning to the morning of Tuesday, March twenty-second. Meet me at the Coordinator's shop here in Kamihama. If you're not sure how to get there, you can ask any local magical girl. If you're expecting to be a little bit late, let me know and we'll wait – you can get my contact info from Chiyoko. I can't wait forever though, because the time hop is a fixed duration and I need to get back in time to save a certain person from turning into a witch.»

«Got it,» Sakuya says. «I'll be there for sure. Thank you for listening to my selfish request.»

"Well, if that's all you wanted to talk about, shall we get going?" I ask.

"Ah, yes," Sakuya says.

"Finally!" Ranka says. "I was beginning to think we'd be here all day… see you later, Miss Taylor."

"Farewell," I say.

We exit the café together, but go our separate ways – apparently they're not taking the same train as me. Well, I shouldn't be surprised by that, as we're going in almost opposite directions. I ride the train back to Mitakihara in silence and return to the Hayashi house, where I find that the sisters are already back.

"Oh, you're back, Ashley-chan!" Hiyori calls. "Come into the living room!"

I enter the living room to find the sisters there, together with Claire and Shiori. The Pierrot twins and Sachie are oddly missing, and there is a small box in the middle of the room.

"A package arrived for you a little while ago," Hiyori says. "Why don't you open it?"

"Eh…?" I say.

I have a feeling I know what this is. I'm not sure I even want to open it, but… I steel myself and step forward. They've already gotten out a pair of scissors, so I use that to puncture the tape and open up the box. Within, sitting on top of what looks like folded clothing, is a very familiar-looking teddy bear. It's about one-sixth the size of Teddy Mk II, but otherwise looks completely identical.

"Huh?" Komachi says. "Isn't that the bear you use in battle? Or a smaller version of it."

Tears start to flow down my face. I can't stop them. Even though they are technically not my parents, I still think of them as my own. It's probably thanks to the way my soul and Ashley's have mixed together. Even though we retain separate wills, we basically share all of our memories.

"N-no," I say. "This… is not Teddy Mk II. D-did you n-never wonder why… why it was… Mk II in the first place?"

Everyone looks at me in surprise.

"Y-you're crying!?" Claire gasps. "Is this really something worth crying over!?"

"That's actually a good question," Komachi says. "Why was it Mk II?"

"Because… I already… knew," I say, trying to hold back the sobs. "I knew… one day… Dad would send me this… but… but…"

"What are you saying…?" Hiyori asks. "You knew your father would give you this teddy bear?"

I nod. "The bear… t-that I summon with m-my magic… is p-probably based on t-this one," I say. "S-so if anything… t-this is… Teddy Mk I… t-though… his actual n-name is… Kumanosuke…"

"W-well, that's very interesting, but… what I don't understand is… why it's something to cry about," Claire says.

"B-because… if Kumanosuke is here… that means… Dad is… Dad is already… gone…"

I seize Kumanosuke and hug him close. I don't care if it seems childish, I just want something to hug. The others seem to realize what I mean and huddle around me as well, hugging me. Well… Shiori stays back uncertainly, but that's fine. She's a little shy, after all.

"How can you… be so sure?" Hiyori asks hesitantly. "Didn't you talk to him recently?"

"S-several days ago… yes," I say. "I… I knew this was coming but… even though I knew…"

"Just knowing isn't enough to prepare yourself, huh?" Komachi says. "I can't say I really understand, but…"

"Um, I just have… one question," Claire says. "S-sorry if… if this sounds insensitive, but… aren't you planning to go back in time again? So you can still… save your father… maybe… can't you?"

I nod. "Y-yes, and… I was p-planning to, but… t-that doesn't… change anything… knowing that he's… dead… is still… so sad… just like how… I cried in the the timelines… where some of you guys died…"

I can't even stop the tears. They just keep coming no matter how much I try to wipe them away. Eventually though, they dry up on their own.

"Sorry about that," I say. "I didn't expect…"

"There's nothing to apologize for," Claire says.

"Anyway… I guess I should call Mom," I say. "It's probably around midnight in California, but… I'd rather get this over with sooner rather than later…"

I reach into the box and locate the card that was included with the teddy bear, reading it in silence. It's the exact same words I saw in the game, right before the game version of Ashley found out her father had died. In a way, I have it better than her – she didn't even see it coming. She hadn't even known he was sick.

"You should probably wait if it's the middle of the night," Hiyori says.

But just then, to everyone's surprise, my phone rings, and when I look at it I see it's from home.

"Huh? She must've stayed up late to make sure she didn't catch me at a bad time…!" I gasp. "It's a video call… I'm going to take it in my room."

I seize my phone and run upstairs, answering it as I flop down on my bed. As expected, it's Ashley's mother calling.

"Ashley," she says.

"Mom," Ashley responds, abruptly taking over for me.

"Huh…? Have you been crying, Ashley?"

"Well, yeah," Ashley says. "We just opened the gift from Dad…"

"Ah… what awful timing," Mrs Taylor says. "Ashley, I have to tell you something, so please, stay calm. Your father… your father has passed away."

"So it's true…" Ashley says. "It's really true, right? Y-you're not kidding with us or anything…?"

"No, it's not a joke," Mrs Taylor says. "You know I wouldn't joke about this."

"Y-yeah… that was just… wishful thinking," Ashley says, starting to cry again. "We knew this was coming… but that doesn't make it any easier to bear… it's been just over a week since we last talked to him, right? We even m-missed a check-in because we were so busy… and… we n-never got to show him… our video…"

"Ashley dear, don't take it so hard," Mrs Taylor says. "Your father didn't want to get in your way. He knew how much you were looking forward to this exchange program. Missing just one check-in… he definitely understood. He was so happy for you. He loved hearing about all the fun you've been having, but it was only one little check-in, after all. Actually, he would've had me wait until you come back to find out, but… I just couldn't do that."

"Y-yeah… I suppose," Ashley says.

"Ashley, listen to me," Mrs Taylor says. "Your father was happy until the very end. He said he was glad he didn't stop you."

"Dad… Daddy…"

"And… and so, Ashley… about his funeral," Mrs Taylor says.

"R-right," Ashley says. "Right, the funeral… yeah, there's no way it would be tomorrow, right?"

"Huh? Of course not… it takes quite awhile to arrange for everything."

"Yeah… of course not… which means… I'm sorry, Mom, but we won't be able to make it."

"Huh? What are you saying, dear?" Mrs Taylor says.

"Really, I'm really sorry, Mom. I never really thought about this before, but you've been left all alone so many times… losing your husband and daughter at the same time… I'm really sorry…"

"W-what on earth are you talking about!?" Mrs Taylor gasps. "I don't understand…"

"Hey… have Chevonne and the others gotten back yet?" Ashley asks.

"What? Oh, um… I think they got back early this morning," Mrs Taylor says.

"Tell them… tell them we said goodbye," Ashley says. "Tell them we said they should keep in touch with… ah, most of them don't speak English though… hmm… Chika's probably the best choice, though we're not sure how good her English is, and definitely Karin as well. That's Misono Karin, not Chiharu Karen."

"Ashley dear, w-why are you suddenly talking like you won't be coming back?" Mrs Taylor asks.

Ashley sinks back down inside me, forcing me to pick up where she left off. I wipe away the tears and take a few breaths to help myself calm down.

"Because we won't be," I say. "We can't just change our plans all of a sudden… there's too much riding on this. We're going to turn back time, and this time we're going to save Dad as well. All we need from you, Mom, is… the date of death."

"What do you mean, turn back time?" Mrs Taylor gasps. "Have you taken leave of your senses!?"

"You can get the full explanation from Chevonne and Janice, if they're willing to talk," I say. "Well, it might not be completely the full explanation, but… I think they know most of it. Karin should also know most of it. We just need to know when Dad died so we can make sure we get back to the USA in time."

Mrs Taylor falls silent for a few moments.

"Well… setting the time travel issue aside, I guess it's a reasonable question," she says. "Your father went into critical condition on Saturday morning, but he managed to hold out until around noon on Monday."

"Thank you, and I'm sorry we're leaving you," I say. "This'll probably be the last time we leave you behind, though. Next time, all three of us can get together after our trip comes to an end. This time we'll leave it to Chevonne and the others to fill you in, but next time we'll tell you all about it ourself, I promise."

"I still don't know what you're talking about," Mrs Taylor says.

"We'll still be here tomorrow if you want to talk," I say. "After Friday, we'll no longer exist in this world. Even if you call the house of our exchange family, we won't be here anymore. Goodbye, Mom… and I'm sorry to make you worry."

"Well… goodbye, I guess," Mrs Taylor says. "If what you say is true, then I'm really going to miss you… but, it sounds like whatever it is, it's something very important to you, so I'll support you. Goodbye."

And with that, she hangs up, and I flop back down on my bed to cry a little more. The loss of Ashley's father also gets me to thinking about Inui's death, which had affected me more than I thought it would. I'd managed to shove it to the back of my mind until now by focusing on everything I needed to do before turning back time again, but with my focus already shot by the death of Ashley's father, that distraction no longer works, and all the feelings I'd been suppressing are coming back in a rush. I end up crying myself to sleep and missing dinner.

I don't have anything in particular to do on Thursday, so I spend most of the day at home, adding more details to the 'Original Prediction' document. I also make a note about Yasuhiro Rin in my main notes document, since I forgot to do that earlier. Apart from that, the only notable event is a brief visit from Kyuubey. It hops up on my desk without even a word of warning and turns to face me.

"Ashley Taylor," it says. "So you plan to abandon this temporal axis."

"That's right," I say. "Got a problem with that?"

"It will be of benefit to us for you to be removed from the picture, as your actions defy all logic and cannot be predicted," Kyuubey says.

"Figured you'd say something like that," I say. "Hey… what exactly did you do to Eris to get her to attack me like that?"

"It was nothing unusual," Kyuubey says. "When that woman asked me how the Incubators discovered the presence of humans on the planet she calls Wilussa, I mentioned your name as the source of information."

"Just my name? Nothing about where to find me?"

"There was no chance to say anything more," Kyuubey says. "Eris destroyed the terminal immediately after that."

"Can you tell me anything about Eris and her planet?" I ask.

"Her karmic destiny appears to be second only to that of Kaname Madoka," Kyuubey says. "Her magic is overwhelmingly powerful. Judging from the humanoid population on her planet, it is possible that she possesses powers similar to a Coordinator. There are no witches there, although I detected a small number of magical girls. I do not recall contracting with any of those girls, however. The level of technology there is similar to what you call the Middle Ages of Europe here on Earth, with feudalism being the predominant structure of governance. After losing thirty terminals on investigation, it was judged that the place is too hostile, and it has been marked as a red zone. There is no other information of note that I can provide you."

Which probably means there's more information that it judged not to be notable. Or there's notable information that for one reason or another it can't tell me. In particular, I notice that it never mentioned making contracts with new girls there, yet Eris said there were around fifty new ones. But it's not like asking is likely to draw out that information, so I decide to let it go.

"Do you know anything about a magical girl named Helene who's from, oh, around three thousand years ago?" I ask. "Or, between four and two thousand years."

"That query is too broad to give a clear answer," Kyuubey says. "There are a few potential candidates. Is there a reason behind the question?"

"Oh, according to Mary of Magdala, that's Eris's real name," I say.

"That narrows the search query considerably," Kyuubey says. "Given the name and appearance parameters… there are no matches."

"What if you expand it to any girls who had magical potential, even if you don't have a record of a contract?" I suggest.

"With those revised parameters… the only notable match is Helene, Queen of Sparta. However, while she certainly had unusually high magical potential, there is no record of a contract with her, nor with any namesake from the same time period."

"I see… thanks for the information, Kyuubey," I say. "But I'm sure you didn't just come here to chat. Did you want something from me?"

"It is a matter regarding Coeurl's and Kiriha Kosane's accounts of a potential future path," Kyuubey says. "I have discussed the matter with both of them in more detail since that day. There is one aspect of their accounts that is especially concerning to the Edalon."

"And what is that?" I say.

"It is the mention of a temporal railroad," Kyuubey says.

Indeed… when I first heard that, it made me nervous as well. It implies there is some kind of infrastructure for travelling through time. Even if we manage to avoid the events that lead to that future, is there a chance that the magical virus could still reach us through the temporal railroad?

"I found that concerning as well, actually," I say. "So let's hear what you have to say on the matter."

"The Edalon have made some efforts to verify the existence of the railroad," Kyuubey says. "The efforts have yet to bear fruit, but as this could make the difference between life and death of the universe, the Edalon are pouring every resource they have into the investigation. If Coeurl came to this time by way of this temporal railroad, and Kiriha Kosane similarly travelled to her time and back by the same means, the implication is that a stable connection exists between this time and Coeurl's future. What is to prevent something else from following Coeurl back to this time?"

I nod. "Right, it seems like we're on the same page for once, Kyuubey," I say. "Although, if they were going to come, why haven't they come already?"

"In Kiriha Kosane's account, she mentions the destruction of a terminal on the temporal railroad," Kyuubey says. "However, it is not clear whether that solves the issue, or merely buys time."

"But, you know… if there's such a thing as a temporal railroad… how could it have been built in the first place?" I wonder. "It's so confusing… and does it have any relationship to Homura's time travel, or that of the Mirror Witch, or that of Amaryllis of Pompey? Or even Remi's necromancy for that matter?"

"I lack experience from which to form an answer to your query," Kyuubey says. "However, this brings me to the request that the Edalon wish to make of you, who plans to abandon this temporal axis. If you could inform the Edalon of your new time axis about the existence of the temporal railroad, and explain that the Edalon of this time axis are already investigating it, perhaps the combined investigative action of both time axes will be able to bear fruit."

"I think I see what you're saying," I say. "It's like saying you're more likely to find the secret passage out of the castle if you have people looking around on the inside and outside at the same time. Well… I can't promise I'll definitely let them know about that in the next timeline. However… I will give it some consideration. Though even if I do tell them, it probably won't be for about another year."

"Thank you," Kyuubey says. "A time lag of one year should pose no issue."

Without further ado, the creature leaps off my desk and disappears, and after noting down some of the new info I learned in my document, I go back to filling out the 'Original Prediction' document.

When Friday arrives, I have breakfast, collect Iroha's and Karin's duplicate soul gems, Kumanosuke, and my laptop, say farewell to the Hayashi sisters, and head out. I arrive at the Coordinator's well ahead of the scheduled time. It's not even midday yet.

"Good morning, Miss Ashley," Mitama says. "If you're here for Homura-chan and Kanna-chi, they stepped out for a moment, but they should be back soon."

"That's fine," I say. "I still have plenty of time."

I take hold of Kumanosuke and start charging my magic into him, seeing if I can make him move of his own accord. I'm actually surprised at how well it works – within maybe half an hour he's learned to stand up, bow, nod, and shake his head, though all those only happen on command. It's not like he can understand human language or anything.

Once I'm satisfied with the result, I take my laptop and open it up, going into settings and disabling the authentication requirements so that anyone can just access it whenever. Then after rebooting to make sure that worked, I bring up my notes document and start reviewing all the new stuff so I can remember to add it after going back in time.

By the time I'm finished with that, Hijiri and Homura have returned.

"Good morning, Ashley-chan," Hijiri said.

"Good morning, Kanna-chi, Miss Homura," I said.

"Hey, um… can you stop addressing me more formally than you address Madoka…?" Homura mutters.

"Sure, then… I'll call you Homura from now on, okay?" I say.

Homura rolls her eyes and looks away, saying nothing. Maybe that was supposed to be a hint to address Madoka more formally rather than Homura less formally, but since I already have Madoka's approval, I'm not going to give that up. Then again, her protest at my interpretation is awfully weak. Maybe she did mean to ask me to refer to her by just her name? I guess it doesn't matter, beyond being a little amusing.

"So… Kanna-chi, could I ask you to destroy the leftover evil nuts?" I ask. "I don't want them to fall into malicious hands in this timeline."

Hijiri nods. "Sure."

I hand over the bag containing the evil nuts, and while Hijiri settles down on the couch to take care of the request, I turn to Mitama.

"Miss Mitama, can I trust you to pass Kumanosuke and my laptop on to Karin-chan?" I ask, pointing at the teddy. "Oh, and Kensei as well."

I take out my sword as I name it, laying it down on the low table between the couches.

"I can do that," Mitama says. "I expect she'll stop by soon enough, especially since she's teaming up with Kaede-chan and Rena-chan now."

"So, are we going back already?" Hijiri asks.

I shake my head.

"I want to arrive back in the morning, which means we need to leave in the afternoon," I say. "We've got about… five more hours before we need to go. We're also expecting one more person, though if she doesn't show up on time, we'll leave without her."

"Okay," Hijiri says. "If we've got that much time, I'll go get some croquettes from Chiaki's… or would you prefer Chinese from Banbanzai?"

"I think I'd prefer the croquettes," I say. "Thanks."

"I'll be back within the hour," Hijiri says.

With that, she heads back out. Homura takes a seat, clearly avoiding my gaze, and I decide to take another look over my document.

"Hey," Homura says suddenly. "Do you… really believe… there's a way out?"

I look up at her and nod.

"Yes… the previous timeline was almost a match for the future I've seen," I say.

Homura frowns. "The future you've seen…? Not Oriko? I thought Oriko was the only magical girl who could see the future…"

"I'm the one who saw it, yes, but it wasn't thanks to my power, nor Oriko's, nor any magical girl I am aware of," I say. "But the important thing is that, in that future, Madoka survived the battle with Walpurgisnacht. If we can steer events in that direction again, we should have a good chance of victory."

"Even if you say that… how do I even know that future is reachable?" Homura asks. "Maybe we've already crossed a point where it can never be reached."

"You do have a point," I say. "After all, you were still wearing braids and glasses in that future, and neither Nagisa nor Yuma were there. Hitomi wasn't a magical girl either. However… I think most of these differences will actually increase the chance of reaching that future, rather than being a point of no return like you suggest. We'll probably need Araragi Tsukihi and Aki Mabayu as well, as insurance to avoid the chance of a last-minute tragedy."

"But that girl… Aki whatever… she was there this time and Madoka still died," Homura says.

"But she wasn't there last time," I say. "Which means, she had no prior experience of fighting Walpurgisnacht and winning. Next time, she'll surely remember that Walpurgisnacht likes to fire off a dying volley, and act accordingly."

Homura blinks. "From how you're talking… it sounds like she remembers the other timelines…?"

"Yes… apparently she turned into a witch in most timelines, though," I say. "A couple times she was killed by Walpurgisnacht when it passed over Takarazaki… presumably while on its way to Mitakihara."

"How?" Homura asks.

I shrug. "I don't really know how exactly… some quirk of her magic… but I'll make use of any advantage I can find."

"Sometimes… every so often, you sound a bit like me from about five years ago," Homura mutters.

Hijiri returns a little later with the croquettes and a rather forlorn Riko.

"Ashley-nee… you're really leaving?" Riko asks. "I'll… I'll never see you again… right?"

"Well… I can't say there's absolutely no chance, but… yeah, you probably won't see me again," I say.

"That's so sad," Riko says.

"Would it help if you had something to remember me by?" I ask.

I reach out to grab Kumanosuke, which I'd left resting on the couch beside me.

"I was thinking of giving this to Karin-chan, but it's not like I promised or anything," I say. "If you want, you can have him. I even put my magic into him."

"Eh?" Riko says. "It's a toy version of your magic teddy…?"

"More like my magic teddy is a magic version of him, but it comes to the same thing," I say. "You can call him Teddy Mk I or Kumanosuke… or if you don't like those, feel free to give him a different name."

Riko picks up Kumanosuke and fluffs him up a bit.

"You're sure I can have him?" Riko says. "I think Karin-chan would like him too…"

"Well, even if he's yours, you're welcome to share him with her if you want," I say.

"I see!" Riko says. "You're right. Thank you very much, Ashley-nee. I'll treasure Kumanosuke forever!"

She hugs the bear close, then takes a seat where he had previously been resting.

"Even if it's an impossible hope, I hope I'll see you again, Ashley-nee," Riko says. "I'm allowed to hope, right?"

I reach out and lightly pat her on the head.

"No-one has the right to tell you not to hope," I say. "You go ahead and hope with all your might. You never know – it might even come true."

"Alright!" Riko says. "But even so… it's still sad… but at least I get to say goodbye. Maybe I should call Karin-chan and the others over to say goodbye too…"

"Please, don't trouble yourself over that," I say. "If they want to say goodbye that badly, I'm sure they'll turn up on their own, and for me, it's… easier if I don't have to say goodbye."

"That sounds a little bit mean, but… if you insist, Ashley-nee," Riko says. "Um, so… when are you leaving exactly?"

I glance at the time on my laptop. It's just a little after midday.

"In about four more hours."

Riko nods. "Then I'll keep you company until then!"

"Alright, sounds good," I say.

As Hijiri offers me a piping hot croquette, I set my laptop aside so as to avoid getting grease on it. Riko takes one as well, and even Mitama accepts one, and we all eat in silence.

In fact, even once the croquettes are all gone, it seems no-one has anything much to say. Mitama doesn't seem to be getting any customers today, either. So in the end, the one to break the silence is Sakuya. She walks in, blinks, and looks around. I glance at the clock on my computer – it's only three twenty-seven.

"Whoa… it's almost like a funeral in here," she says.

"Ah, you're here, Miss Suzuka," I say. "In that case, we can head back whenever… looks like you're a little early, but the exact timing doesn't matter. Just give me a few minutes to finish reviewing my notes…"

"Ah, sure," Sakuya says. "I won't bother you, then…"

"Would you like a tune-up while you wait?" Mitama asks.

"Ah… well… what does that mean?" Sakuya asks.

"You can unlock latent powers and grow stronger," Mitama says. "The cost is one grief seed."

"Does that really work?" Sakuya wonders.

"It does, surprisingly," I say. "Though it does mean Miss Mitama can see your memories."

"Then, I guess I'll give it a try," Sakuya says.

She produces a grief seed and heads into the next room with Mitama. I keep reading through my notes until I've reached the end, around which time Sakuya and Mitama re-enter the room. Then I scan over the notes one more time and finally close the laptop.

"Alright, I'm ready," I say. "One last thing before we go back, Miss Suzuka… oh, but before that, were you aware that one Janomiya girl turned into a witch after Juri caught her stealing grief seeds?"

"Ah, I did hear about that actually," Sakuya said. "Ao was grumbling about it… but how did you know?"

I ignore her query and move on with the main thing I wanted to say..

"In case we don't get a chance to talk after going back in time, I'd like you to stay away from Kamihama until Chiyoko contacts you."

"Well, I have no reason to come here before then anyway," Sakuya says.

"The one other thing I'd like to point out, in case you hadn't thought of it, is that it might be better not to announce to everyone the moment Juri declares war," I say. "Because she's going to wait around, drawing out the tension, only to get impatient and declare her intentions again. I just thought that not having that tension could save some girls' lives, perhaps?"

"I see," Sakuya says. "You make a good point… you're right that I hadn't thought of that. I'll give it some consideration. Thank you for the suggestion."

"Alright, I guess we're all ready to go now," I say.

"Finally," Homura says. "All this waiting has been killing me…"

She and Hijiri get to their feet, and Sakuya hops up as well, followed by Riko. I'm the last one to stand up, as I need to make sure I have the two extra soul gems, for Iroha and Karin. I grab them carefully and force them into ring form with a little mental effort, slipping them both onto the same finger before getting to my feet.

"Let's go," I say. "Riko-chan, this is goodbye now."

She steps forward and hugs me, and I pat her on the head a little.

"I'll miss you, Ashley-nee!" she says. "I'll really, really miss you!"

I let her hold me for almost a minute, at which point Mitama seems to decide it's enough and steps forward to gently pull Riko away.

"You're troubling Miss Ashley there," Mitama says. "Come on… don't cry so much."

"Y-yeah… you're right," Riko says. "Farewell, Ashley-nee."

"Farewell, Riko-chan."

I seize Hijiri's and Sakuya's hands, and then Homura transforms and allows Hijiri to place her free hand on her shoulder. I take a quick look around to make sure no-one else is touching and there's definitely no Kyuubey in sight.

"All clear," I say.

Without further ado, Homura reaches for her shield and spins it one-eighty degrees.

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.

Yasuhiro Rin
安央凛

Age: 16
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Sky blue
Origins: Kazamino, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Blue snowflake
Soul Gem: Transparent hexagonal gemstone with rainbow highlights on her chest
Element: Water
Weapon: Ice axe
Powers: Stealth, mental resistance, ice manipulation
Wish: "I just want some peace and quiet away from Dad's constant nagging."

Speed: 7
Magical Stamina: 8
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 9
Initial Power Usability: 8
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Hanekawa Tsubasa
羽川翼

Age: 20
Eye Colour: Purple
Hair Colour: Black with silver streaks
Origins: Jouetsu, Niigata Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Red cat face (with ears, eyes, and mouth)
Soul Gem: Spherical orange gem inside the bell on her choker
Element: Fire
Weapon: Molotov cocktails
Powers: Memory burn, energy drain, soul binding, soul gem adjustment
Wish: "I want to forget it all. Not everything, just the things I want to forget. Let me forget how weak I am."

Speed: 9
Magical Stamina: 7
Offensive Power: 6
Defensive Power: 7
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 4

Episode

Age: 15 (appears 12)
Eye Colour: Golden
Hair Colour: Blonde
Origins: Unknown
Symbol: Green crucifix
Soul Gem: Sky blue circular gem half-exposed in her breast pocket
Element: Water
Weapon: Giant crucifix
Powers: Mist form
Wish: "Give me the power to slay vampires!"

Speed: 10
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 7
Defensive Power: 7
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 2

Chizu Ranka
智珠らんか

Age: 15
Eye Colour: Pink
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Futatsugi, Shinriku Prefecture, Japan
Symbol: Blue triangle, pink square, red circle, blue X arranged in a diamond formation with touching corners
Soul Gem: Pink circular gemstone on her chest
Element: Fire
Weapon: Remote-controlled claw drone
Powers: Heat ray, radio waves
Wish: "Make this arcade a holy land so it doesn't go out of business."

Speed: 4
Magical Stamina: 5
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 6
Initial Power Usability: 2
Learned Powers: 4

We get to really see Mary in action here for the first time ever! This is only the second time she has been seen transformed, after all (unless I forgot one). Still, overwhelming as her power may be, it sure doesn't look like it's on the level of Devil Homura, does it?

It's been a long time coming, but we finally get confirmation of why Ashley called her weapon "Teddy Mk II" – because Kumanosuke is the "Mk I". It may have been obvious to some people, though.

This one was getting long, so I decided to do split out the flashback into a separate chapter, which I'll post tomorrow – similar to how I split chapter 94 out from chapter 93. Tomorrow I'll also post some responses to reviews from the current timeline.

There are a few errors and inconsistencies that I've fixed in earlier chapters. The very first line of chapter 20 said "grief seed" when it meant to say "soul gem", so I corrected that. I spotted a reference to Sue's full name in the narration of chapter 86, but she has never formally introduced herself to Ashley, so Ashley shouldn't be aware of that name. Therefore, I changed it to reference her by nickname instead. I also spotted inconsistencies in how the narration in chapter 90 referred to Chihiro Karen sometimes by surname and sometimes by given name, so I changed them all to use her given name.

Other than that, I also added an extra "Affiliation" section to a lot of profiles that were missing them in chapters as far back as chapter 29 (where I decided to note that Kazumi is affiliated with the Pleiades Saints). 21 profiles in 10 chapters were affected. These are mostly feathers or Tokime Clan members. Although Folklore of Zero and Promised Blood members have also appeared prior to now, I chose not to identify their affiliation because neither organization has actually formed yet in the present time (although Folklore of Zero did form in some of the previous timelines). I also added Shigure's canonical power to her profile in chapter 80.

A full list of profiles with updated affiliation:

• Subaru Kazumi (29): Pleiades Saints
• Akatsuki Youha (51): Tokime Clan
• Tokime Sakuya (62): Tokime Clan
• Asano Aiko (62): Tokime Clan
• Tomomi Thrussel (67): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Nanase Yukika (71): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Hifumi Chiyoko (71): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Ayano Hikari (71): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Masumi Chihana (71): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Natsu Ryoko (71): Tokime Clan
• Yuuki Yumi (76): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Megumi Moka (76): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Makino Ikumi (77): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Subaru Michika (82): Pleiades Saints
• Aoba Chika (82): Tokime Clan
• Matsuyama Mayumi (92): Tokime Clan
• Tsukimachi Kotone (92): Tokime Clan
• Kurosawa Chifuru (100): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Sano Haruyo (100): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Nakasone Noa (100): Wings of the Magius (black feather)
• Nakasone Ayanusa (100): Wings of the Magius (black feather)