Magia: A New Hope

by Pentalithia

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

106. Tearing up the Rails of Fate

When I was in Naples for a conference, I happened across a friendly but enigmatic older magical girl with striking reddish-gold hair. Though she agreed to answer a few questions, she refused to divulge her name. Therefore, I have referred to her by an alias, Amy.

Me: Nice to meet you. You're a local, I assume?
Amy: I was born not too far from here, so yes, I believe I would be considered a local.
Me: So, you've been a magical girl for quite awhile, yes?
Amy: I suppose you could say that.
Me: About how long?
Amy: Too long. I barely even remember a time before I was a magical girl.
Me: Could it be… you're actually older than you look?
Amy: My, my, isn't it rude to ask a lady her age?
Me: I suppose it is… my apologies. Have you ever wished you could just stop being a magical girl?
Amy: Maybe I wished for it once or twice, but that would've been a long time ago.
Me: Do you fight alone, or team up with others?
Amy: Whatever I feel like. I guess most of the time I'm alone, but once in awhile I step in to help a newbie, if I feel like it.
Me: How often does that happen? Does your help allow those newbies to survive longer?
Amy: It's really hard to say. They come and go like flies. There are even some who'll attack me on sight, too. That gets really old, really fast.
Me: Oh, I can imagine… especially if you've been around longer than them. How do you deal with such occurrences?
Amy: I give them a stern warning. If they persist in picking a fight though… I won't hold back.
Me: Alright… I'll wrap this up with one final question. Do you have anything general you'd like to say about life as a magical girl?
Amy: Hmm… well, two things. The first is, for me at least, it's been really fun. I got to do a lot of things I couldn't do before, and see a lot of places. And secondly… I've noticed there's a stark divide between those who make it and those who don't. If you can survive as a magical girl to the age of, oh, twenty or so… then you'll probably be able to look forward to a long life.
Me: Well, thanks for your time, and let me just wish you luck in your magical girl endeavours.
Amy: Thank you very much. I'll certainly need that luck someday.

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

---

Things calm down again in the week following Endless Solitude. I watch as the Crescent Moon Villa team encounters Shizuku and invites her back, only for her to run away again and join the Wings of the Magius. Then Iroha has her conversation with Tsukuyo after school, asking about Nemu. The actual words are significantly changed from last time, perhaps a consequence of the camping trip, but the overall outcome of the conversation seems to be the same. Then they fight Gertud without Yachiyo while shopping for coasters. And as Friday rolls around, we reach that one event that I've managed to actually look forward to repeating.

As I'm leaving the house in the morning with the Hayashi siblings, Hiyori addresses me.

"Hey, Ashley-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Could I ask you something? I've already asked the others, so now it's your turn."

"Sure, if it's something I can answer," I say.

"Oh, well, I was just wondering something," Hiyori says. "It's pretty silly, so please don't laugh at me."

"I won't laugh," I say. "Go ahead."

"I was thinking about songs I could learn to play that are fitting for magical girls," Hiyori says. "I've found a bunch on my own time, and the others suggested a few, but I wanted to know if you had any ideas."

"Like I thought," I say. "My three top picks would be Connect by ClariS, Magia by Kalafina, and Kakawari by TrySail. I could probably come up with a bunch more though."

Hiyori blinks as always. "Those are… much older songs than I expected from you," she says.

"Maybe so," I say. "I'm also especially fond of Amanda Lee's English cover of Magia. You should definitely watch the music video on Youtube – it'll shock you. She also has a cover of Connect up there. And I'll throw in an honourable mention to Fumino Sayuki's Blade-Bearing Beauty."

"Have you heard of those songs before, Hiyori-chan?" Komachi asks.

Hiyori shakes her head. "Not the songs, no, but the group names are familiar. Mom even has a couple of ClariS singles, I think."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember that," Komachi says. "She hasn't put them on in quite awhile, though."

Hiyori searches around on her phone and finds a video of Kalafina doing a live performance of Magia. She sticks earbuds in so she can hear it without disturbing the neighbours, but I'm close enough that I can just barely hear it too. After listening to it for about a minute, she nods.

"Ooooh, this is a great find," she says. "It's really spot-on! I wonder if someone in Kalafina was actually a magical girl…"

"Most of the other songs I can think of are from those three groups," I say. "I could look up the titles for you later, or you could just comb through all their works."

"Um, thank you for the suggestions, Ashley-chan!"

"No problem," I reply.

"So you also mentioned… Amanda Lee, was it?" Hiyori said. "Let me search for her too…"

She looks up that one as well and soon has the music video up on her screen. After watching for a few seconds, she blinks in surprise.

"Huh? Wait… it's an anime style so I can't be certain, but… isn't that… Miss Kaname? And Miss Akemi? Though Miss Kaname has a different outfit… and I can't place the silver-haired girl."

"You understand now, right?" I say. "That's why I said you'd be shocked – I was too when I first saw it. If you pay attention, you'll also spot Miss Miki, Miss Sakura, and Miss Tomoe later on. The entire Holy Quintet, in other words. You should also see Walpurgisnacht and the original form of Homura. And in her Connect cover there's a depiction of goddess-form Madoka – though it's a bit more elaborate, you should recognize it as pretty close to her actual costume."

Hiyori nods. "Yeah… it seems too accurate to be a mere coincidence," she says. "Whoa, that was clearly Kyuubey just then, too… how could she have known all this? I wonder if we can contact her and ask about it…"

"Unfortunately, it seems she went missing over twenty-five years ago," I say. "Her Youtube account is even marked as posthumous, so she's been presumed dead for that long."

"Oh… that's too bad," Hiyori says. "You know… the sixth magical girl depicted here, with the silver hair… I wonder if that could be her…"

"It's quite possible," I say. "I think a few of her videos are live performances, so you can see that at least the hair colour matches. But there are other possible explanations too. Maybe she only knew a magical girl, rather than being one herself."

"Good point," Hiyori says. "I guess we'll never know. Um… if you go back in time again… can I ask you to make those suggestions again? I'm sure I'll ask you again, as long as I find out the truth, so please humour me."

"Of course," I say. "Though I'm planning to make this the final time, most likely, but if something goes wrong and I can't, my answer will be pretty much the same every time."

"Thank you!"

When I peek in at Iroha during lunch break, the conversation matches more closely with the timeline before last, since Kaede is with them. They talk about the Memory Museum and Mifuyu's visit to Crescent Moon Villa, and Momoko promises to tell Kaede and Rena what she's been hiding from them. Listening in on that gives me an idea, so I whip out my phone and compose an email.

[Hello! I just thought of another way that you could possibly help Kaede, if you want to. Momoko is planning to tell her and Rena about her past with Yachiyo and the full truth about soul gems tomorrow, so I'm sure it couldn't hurt for her to have an extra source of moral support.]

I read through it to make sure I don't have any obvious typos, then send it to Karin.

After school, I head to Mitakihara Middle School to meet up with the Holy Brigade. Just like last time, I find Nagisa there, waiting for them to come out. I fall back on more or less repeating my words from the last two times.

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

"Oh, it's you," she says. "What do you want?"

"Hey, couldn't you be a little bit less rude?" I retort.

"You're here to see Homura-nee, aren't you?" she says. "Or perhaps the rose sister."

"Seems I can't hide anything from you, huh?" I say.

"Of course not," she says. "Because I'm really smart. My teacher says so too."

"Well, I'm glad at least your teacher is a kind person, unlike that mother of yours," I say. "Speaking of which, how is she doing?"

"Oh, her," Nagisa mutters. "She still refuses to die. It's awful. I think she's doing it just to spite me. But the doctors say it won't be long now…"

Then Madoka and her friends exit the school gates, Hitomi and Sayaka still chatting about their recent trip together while Homura is holding Madoka's hand. The latter two step towards me.

"Good afternoon, Ashley-chan," Madoka says. "Is there something up?"

"You're having a meeting about Miss Tomoe, right?" I say.

"Ah, yes," Madoka says. "Would you like to join us?

"Sure," I say.

With Sayaka and Hitomi still chatting, we all head for the café where they usually meet up. It's not until they arrive that Sayaka notices me.

"Huh? When did you get here!?" she gasps.

"Good afternoon to you too, Miss Miki," I say.

"Good afternoon, Miss Taylor," Hitomi says.

"So what are you doing here?" Sayaka asks.

"Madoka invited me to your meeting," I say. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all," Sayaka says. "I was just surprised…"

"Anyway, we have something important to discuss," Madoka says. "And Ashley-chan may have something to add to the discussion."

We head inside and order drinks, or rather, everyone except me orders them.

"By the way, do you not have a lesson to get to, Miss Shizuki?" I ask.

"I have cancelled all my lessons for the rest of the month," Hitomi says. "I shall be picking up piano again after Golden Week, though, because I actually really enjoy it… but I am finished with all the other lessons."

"So… what's this important thing we have to discuss, anyway?" Sayaka asks.

"Well, it's about Miss Mami," Madoka says. "To put it lightly… she's missing."

"Miss Mami's missing!?" Sayaka gasps.

"Mami-sempai is missing!?" Hitomi gasps at the same time.

"That's right," Madoka says.

"So that's why she was absent from school today!?" Sayaka says.

"And the past few days as well," Madoka says.

"W-what!?" Sayaka gasps.

"Not only is she missing, but even for several days!?" Hitomi says.

"She went to Kamihama," Madoka says. "And… she never came back…"

"Kamihama?" Sayaka says. "That's where we flew in from the mainland this morning… but why would Miss Mami go there?"

"Well… Sayaka-chan, Hitomi-chan, you both went to Kamijou-kun's concert, right? You were gone for a few days…"

"Yeah," Sayaka says. "What about it? Are you saying something happened while we were gone!?"

"Well, technically, it was just before you left," Madoka says. "We just didn't want to worry you when you were about to leave on a trip, so we didn't tell you. I'm sorry…"

"Oh… I'm not sure how to feel about that," Sayaka says.

"I understand that you were thinking of us," Hitomi says. "But I wish you had said something."

"But basically, the point is, Miss Mami is missing, right?" Sayaka says.

Madoka nods. "We went to Kamihama to look for her on Friday," she says. "So, while you were sitting on your plane, we were already hunting for her…"

"But you didn't find her," Sayaka says.

"No, we didn't find her," Madoka says. "Though, we did uncover a clue. Um… I'm just going to explain everything that happened from beginning to end, so… Sayaka-chan, Hitomi-chan, please be patient."

Madoka tells them about the Rumour of the Anonymous AI, about how Nagisa unleashed her doppel, and about the Wings of the Magius. Her account includes my involvement as well. When she's finished, Sayaka lets out a great big sigh.

"Rumours… doppels… the Wings of the Magius… seems like there's a lot of stuff going on in Kamihama," she says. "But at least you got a clue to Miss Mami's whereabouts, right?"

"That's… true, but… it's a pretty weak clue," Madoka says. "I don't know how helpful it is…"

Sayaka turns to me.

"You, you're a member of that organization, right?" she says. "You've gotta have more info."

"I'm afraid not," I say. "They're largely anonymous – the members don't even know each other for the most part. I never saw Miss Tomoe while I was there. Inui did spot her recently though."

"Who…?" Sayaka says.

"Ah, she's a magical girl who used to be in Kirika-chan's class," Madoka says. "But she recently moved to Kamihama. And she's really close with Ashley-chan."

"Ah, I see," Sayaka says. "So it sounds like Miss Mami might really be there…"

"There is one thing that I did not quite understand about the story," Hitomi says. "Miss Taylor, your participation does not add up. What was your purpose there?"

"Ah, do you really want to know?" I ask.

"I don't really wanna know!" Sayaka says.

"I am quite curious, however," Hitomi says.

"I wanted to find out if a rumour had the capacity to become a magical girl."

Hitomi and Madoka gasp at the same time.

"A-are you serious!?" Madoka says. "But they're… not really human, right? So I wouldn't think they could become a magical girl…"

"What was the result of your… experiment?" Hitomi asks.

"Overwhelming success," I say. "Kyuubey offered her a contract almost the moment it saw her. Even though I was half expecting it might work out, I was surprised at how quickly it went."

"D-did she make a wish, then?" Sayaka asks.

"She did."

"Hey, we're off topic," Nagisa points out. "We're supposed to be talking about Mami-nee!"

"R-right," Sayaka says. "You said it was this Alina chick who mentioned her… maybe she was lying to get you riled up. Can you really trust what she says?"

"You do have a point," Madoka says. "I'm not sure what to believe…"

"But it's also a fact that Inui saw her on the base," I repeat. "Still, Alina was likely lying about the particulars."

"So, it sounds like she's at least safe," Madoka says. "I might not trust Alina, but I do trust Ashley-chan."

"Then they could be blackmailing Miss Mami or something," Sayaka says. "We've got to find her and ask her ourselves… would that magical girl from Kamihama be able to help us?"

"You mean Iroha-chan?" Madoka says.

"Yeah," Sayaka says. "Have you gotten any news back from her?"

"She hasn't found any trace of Miss Mami's magic," Madoka says.

"Dammit! What the hell is going on!?" Sayaka gasps.

"I may not have known her long, but I find it hard to believe that Mami-sempai would be blackmailed so easily," Hitomi muses.

"We knew we had to tell you about it as soon as you got back," Madoka says. "Also, there's a favour we need to ask you, Sayaka-chan."

"A favour?"

"Please don't go to Kamihama alone," Madoka says. "There are so many things there that we don't understand… so we should go together or not at all."

"I get it," Sayaka says. "I haven't been a magical girl all that long… so I don't think there'd be much I could do even if I did go alone."

"Don't say that, Sayaka-chan!" Madoka says.

"I'm still not that great at fighting or using magic yet," Sayaka says. "Even after that Coordination thing, I still have trouble sometimes when fighting stronger witches. So I won't go by myself. But I do have a favour to ask of you in return."

"What is it?" Madoka asks.

"Well… please take me to Kamihama!"

"Why would you ask that!?" Madoka gasps.

"I know it's a weird thing to ask!" Sayaka says. "Yeah, we should probably wait until we get word from that Iroha girl… but, but… I just can't stand sitting around like this!"

"Well, I don't really mind going, but… do you mean right now?" Madoka asks.

"That's what I'm saying!" Sayaka says. "I get that it's dangerous. Learning about witches and familiars has been one surprise after another. Now you're talking about doppels? And rumours? And then there's some ongoing conflict between magical girls there? My mind's all a jumble trying to sort it all out, honestly…"

"Me too," Madoka says.

"I don't see what's so confusing about it," Nagisa mutters.

"But even knowing all that," Sayaka says. "I don't think I can just wait around."

"Sayaka-chan… but why?" Madoka asks.

"Well… that'd be because of my wish!" Sayaka says.

"Huh? But didn't you wish to heal Kamijou-kun's arm?" Madoka asks.

"Well yes, but that wasn't all there was to it," Sayaka says. "I wanted to be able to protect those who are dear to me… I wanna protect you, Madoka, Homura, Hitomi… and Miss Mami, too."

"Aren't you forgetting Miss Sakura?" I ask.

"Who'd wanna protect her!?" Sayaka gasps. "Besides, Kyouko doesn't need my protection… she's already really strong."

"Or Yuma-chan?" I add.

"Well, yes, if Kyouko's not around to protect her sometime," Sayaka agrees.

"Sayaka-chan…" Madoka says.

Sayaka giggles. "Look at me, a rookie, talking big about saving everyone… anyway, that's how I feel about all this. So, please! Lemme at least see what's happening in Kamihama for myself! I can't stand just sitting here and doing nothing!"

"Alright!" Madoka says.

"Really!?" Sayaka gasps.

"Yes!" Madoka says. "We can't just sit around, after all! If something were to happen to Miss Mami in the Wings of the Magius… I'd forever regret just waiting around! If we go and investigate it ourselves, maybe we can find some clues! Maybe we can even talk to her directly!"

"Thank you, Madoka!" Sayaka says.

"Even so, it's awfully short notice to go right now," Hitomi says.

"In fact, I think you're more likely to find something useful if you wait until tomorrow," I add.

"Huh!? What makes you think that?" Sayaka asks.

"Hmm… call it intuition?" I say.

"If you're suggesting it, then I think we can wait," Madoka says. "You actually know quite a bit about all of this, after all…"

"You are a member of those Wings of the Magius, right?" Hitomi says. "Although, if that is the case… then why are you helping us?"

"I joined to see what they were up to," I say. "But I don't have any loyalty towards them."

"Well, I suppose sleeping on it can't hurt," Sayaka says. "Then we should go first thing in the morning… how does that sound?"

"I think I would prefer that too," Hitomi says.

Madoka nods. "Yes, let's do that! What about you, Ashley-chan?"

"Sorry, I have something to do in Yukuni tomorrow," I say.

"Huh? Yukuni is quite the distance from here," Hitomi says. "What reason could you have to go there?"

"It's probably best if I don't say," I say.

"U-um, I'm sure she has some really good reason," Madoka says. "Like I said, Ashley-chan actually knows quite a bit about all of this… probably more than anyone else, except maybe Homura-chan…"

"…it's possible she knows even more than me," Homura says. "But she's keeping most of it to herself so it's hard to say… that's why I still can't completely trust her."

"Well, that's settled, then," Madoka says. "Unless Nagisa-chan or Homura-chan has something to add…?"

"Yes, tomorrow is the day we should go," Homura says. "If all goes well, perhaps we'll even run into Mami herself."

"I want to find Mami-nee too," Nagisa says. "We shouldn't put it off any longer."

"Let me know how it goes," I say. "Though there's a good chance I'll see it for myself."

"Huh? Didn't you say you were going to be in Yukuni?" Hitomi asks.

"Sure, but I can still watch from a distance, as long as I'm not too busy at the time."

"Y-you can watch from that far away!?" Hitomi gasps. "I thought there would be a limit on your range…"

"I haven't hit a hard limit yet," I say. "But it takes more magic for a greater distance. Also, I can only focus in on something I'm already familiar with. Still… the distance to Yukuni isn't that great so I should be fine if I choose to do that. And I also have a way to get to Yukuni and back really fast."

"Oh, I see…"

"Okay," Madoka says. "I'll mail you when we get back, then."

With the meeting concluded, I head for Kamihama to meet up with Inui. On the way, I check up on Iroha, who's now asking Mitama about the Memory Museum as expected. Then she receives a call from Rena and heads out to meet her in Sakae Ward. I stop watching there, however.

When I arrive at the old railway yard, Yuki Maria is there like last time. She stares at me for several seconds.

"Ah… s-sorry, I didn't expect to run into someone back here," she says. "So you startled me a bit."

"Don't worry," I say. "I'm sure we're both here for the same reason."

"Ah! Good point," Maria says. "I suppose I should have thought of that."

She smiles at me.

"I'm Yuki Maria, a black feather. It's a pleasure to meet you."

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

"Huh, you're not as shy as most of the other girls I've run into at Fendt Hope," Maria says. "So you're an exchange student? May I ask why you joined the Wings of the Magius?"

"Well, it's a long story," I say. "But their goal does coincidentally align with mine. Their methods seem a little lacklustre though so I'm not sure they can actually pull it off. What about you? What made you join?"

"Well… it's hard to explain," Maria says. "It's not like I regret my wish, exactly, but… ever since I learned the truth, I've had second thoughts now and then. Maybe that is why I joined, in the end."

"Come to think of it, how did you learn the truth?" I ask.

"I unleashed my doppel a couple of weeks ago," Maria says. "After that, Miss Mifuyu explained everything to me. I didn't join on the spot, but after going home and thinking it over for awhile, I decided to join."

"I see…"

"Do you regret your wish, Miss Taylor?" Maria asks.

"Not even one bit," I say. "I'm a rare one who grilled Kyuubey before contracting and still made a wish even knowing the full story."

"Ah, I see," Maria says. "So you've always known… anyway, shouldn't we head inside?"

"Ah, right."

I flash my robes on, and she follows my example. Then we step into Fendt Hope's barrier and cross the gardens.

"You know, sometimes I stop by here just for the food," Maria says. "Don't you think it's really good?"

"It is pretty good actually," I say. "Is that the only reason you stopped by today?"

"Yeah, pretty much," she says. "I've been on standby ever since the rumour I was guarding was destroyed by Miss Izumi, so other than periodically checking in with Miss Mifuyu, I don't have much to do around here at the moment."

"Does that mean Miss Mifuyu is out of rumours that need guarding?" I ask.

"When I asked her last, she said she's still working out which ones are most worth guarding," Maria says. "Oh, would you like to join me in the cafeteria, Miss Taylor? Then we could continue this conversation."

"I was thinking of food anyway, so I might as well," I say.

When we reach the cafeteria, Inui is already there, eating with Coeurl and Mayoi. The girls on serving duty right now are Maya and Kuroe, just like last time. Inui spots us and waves, and after getting some food, I head over to join them.

"I didn't expect you to be with Kimari-chi," Inui says.

"I see the two of you have already met," I say.

"We have spoken a few times, yes," Maria says. "Inui is like you in that she's not shy to expose her identity… I suppose it makes sense, given how close the two of you are. She has mentioned you to me a few times."

"By the way, have any of you seen Miss Tomoe?" I say. "Oh, I already heard from Inui, I mean anyone else."

"Ah… they were calling her a saint or something, right?" Maria says. "I saw her once, briefly… it was an unsettling experience."

"Oh, her," Coeurl speaks up. "From what I can tell, they fused her with one of those rumour things to brainwash her. Pathetic, if you ask me."

Maria blinks. "A-are you serious!? I can't believe they would do something like that…"

"Did you figure that out just from seeing her, Coeurl?" I ask.

"Of course," Coeurl says. "I could sense her magic mixed in with the magic of one of those rumours. Since I'm living inside one, I've grown really familiar with the unique spectra of a rumour. There's no doubt about it."

"Isn't that like… all sorts of bad?" Mayoi pipes up. "Could it be… we're actually the bad guys!? B-but we're trying to save magical girls… so we can't be the bad guys… or can we…?"

"Well, what Coeurl said is true," I say. "Miss Tomoe refused to join them, and even tried to kill them, so they used the rumour to brainwash and pacify her. The Magius didn't expect that learning the truth would break her… even though I'm pretty sure they've seen similar reactions before. Maybe not quite as extreme, but still. Actually, they tried to brainwash her before that with a different rumour, but that one didn't work."

"I'm starting to regret joining these guys," Mayoi mutters. "Maybe I should give the fire sisters a call and tell them to come rampaging in… I'm sure they'd just love it!"

"I'd actually be interested in meeting those fire sisters," I say. "There's a really, really strong witch I want to defeat, and I can't do it on my own, or even in a small team. So I'm sure they'd be a strong addition."

"Ah, Tsukihi-chan is really strong!" Mayoi says. "Karen-chan is pretty strong too, but she doesn't hold a candle to Tsukihi-chan… maybe I will send them an email then… should I ask them to come now, or…?"

"Probably on the twenty-eighth, unless something unexpected happens," I say.

"Okay, I'll do that then," Mayoi says. Suddenly she blinks. "Hey, I just realized… there's nothing wrong with the Wings of the Magius in concept, right? The problem is just the Magius themselves. So if we don't like what they're doing… we just have to replace them, right?"

"You're technically correct," I say. "But there's two major flaws in that plan. Nemu has absolute control over the terrain here in Fendt Hope, and Touka can easily draw upon the prodigious amounts of energy that Eve has gathered. I don't suppose you – or anyone else for that matter – has any idea to get around that?"

"Ah, right, you have a point," Mayoi says.

"Even so," Maria says. "I can't just sit back and watch them brainwash people… we have to resist somehow… even if it's in small ways…"

"Do you have a suggestion, then?" I ask.

"Well… no, I don't," Maria admits.

"What about you, Coeurl?" I ask.

"I'm used to open warfare," Coeurl says. "Subterfuge isn't my thing. If it were up to me, I'd charge in like this young lady here was saying… but only if I thought I had a chance to win. I'm pretty confident that I'm more powerful than each of the Magius individually, but if the three of them faced me together, even on neutral ground, I would probably lose. And that's assuming no doppels. If they use their doppels, I'd be steamrolled, no question about it – even if I also used mine."

"Still, there are only three of them," Maria says. "If you really think you're strong enough to face one of them individually… then surely something could be done…?"

"Maybe," Coeurl muses. "The main problem is the terrain advantage… it doesn't seem likely that they'd venture out of Fendt Hope too easily, especially alone…"

While she ponders the problem, I turn to the servers.

"I notice you two have been quiet all this time," I say. "But what do you think about all of this?"

"Ehhh?" Kuroe gasps. "Y-you're asking us? B-but what if the place is bugged…?"

"A fair question," I say. "I can't be certain… this is just my intuition talking at best, but I think it's not bugged, though I actually find that a little strange, so who knows. So Miss Kuroe… what's your opinion on Miss Tomoe's brainwashing?"

"U-um, w-well…" Kuroe mutters.

"Um… do you know her?" Maya asks.

"Oh… yes, I was the one who recruited her, actually," Kuroe says.

"Oh… wow," Maya says.

"T-to be honest… I guess… I don't really like the idea of brainwashing people," Kuroe mutters. "Even if it's the only way to achieve liberation… I don't want to hurt people…"

"M-me too," Maya says. "It doesn't sit right with me… they could've just let her go. Why did they have to brainwash her? I don't think that's right…"

"Well then, it seems you're all in luck," Inui pipes up. "Maria, Coeurl, Maimai… and Maya and Kuroe too… guess who does have ideas on how to resist? Lita does!"

Kuroe blinks. "Lita… is that… your alias?" she asks.

"Yeah, I guess it might be obvious to you, but it's actually part of my full name."

Kuroe nods. "Right… you took the centre… it's a good choice," she says.

"Anyway, Inui is exaggerating a little," I say. "I do have some ideas, but… I can't decide which ones are good. Still… we could always meet up the day after tomorrow to discuss things. Maybe bouncing the ideas off of you guys would help."

"I think there might be a way to disrupt Nemu's control over the rumour," Coeurl says. "So negating the terrain advantage may actually be possible."

"Eh? Really?" I say. "What makes you think that?"

"It's the fact that the spectra of a rumour are more complex than those of a Mirror clone," Coeurl says.

"Huh? Wait, you've been to the Mirror Mansion, Coeurl?"

"A couple of times, yes," Coeurl says. "Don't worry, I didn't let them copy me. They might still throw together a low-quality copy at some point, but they didn't get a brain scan of me."

"So what does it mean that the spectra are more complex?" I ask.

"Ignoring corruption harmonics, the complexity of a magical spectra is correlated with the level of independent will the entity possesses," Coeurl says. "A familiar has the simplest spectra. The Mirror clones also have a very simple spectra, though it's a fair bit more complex than that of a regular familiar."

"What about a witch?" I ask.

"What? A witch has the same base spectra as the magical girl it came from," Coeurl says. "Obviously it's modified by the corruption harmonics overlaid on it, though."

"Okay, sorry for interrupting," I say. "Please continue."

"Right, what I was saying is that a rumour's magical spectra is quite complex," Coeurl says. "It's not quite at the level of a human's or witch's spectra, but it comes close. So I think the rumour probably has its own will and can be reasoned with. We could attempt to convince Fendt Hope that what Nemu is doing is wrong, so it won't listen to her anymore."

"That sounds like a stretch," I say. "Even if she has her own will, what reason would she have to believe us over Nemu?"

"You're not wrong," Coeurl says. "I never said it would be easy, but I think it would be possible."

Even if what Coeurl says is true, I really doubt the rumour would have a reason to listen to me. Maybe if there were someone else that it had a predisposition to trust, other than Nemu…? But even then, there are a lot of assumptions here that might turn out to be mistaken.

"Hmm… it seems like too much of a long shot to bet on though," I say. "But I'll keep this information in mind. Thanks."

"It's nothing," Coeurl says. "So then, who's in on the idea of rebellion?"

"Oh, I'm definitely in," Maria says.

"Absolutely!" Mayoi says.

"Um… if it's not too much trouble… I'm interested," Maya says.

"I didn't want to oppose the Wings of the Magius," Kuroe says. "But, just to be clear… even if we do this, can we still be saved?"

"Yes, we don't have to give up on the idea of liberation," I say.

"Then I'm in," Kuroe says. "I don't like the idea of people getting hurt just so I can be saved… even though I'd still do it if it's the only way, but you're saying it's not the only way, right?"

"That's right."

"Looks like that makes all of us," Coeurl says. "Have you all been tuned by Miss Yakumo?"

"I haven't," Mayoi says. "But the cat sempai has poked at my soul gem a number of times before I came here. I think that's the same thing as what you call Coordination."

"I've seen her twice," Kuroe says.

"Several times," Maria says. "I'm a native of Kamihama, after all."

"Same here," Maya says. "I'm actually in the same class as Miss Izumi's brother. Ah… perhaps I should introduce myself? I'm Maya… it's nice to meet you all."

"Actually, I was thinking," I say. "Maybe we should share our real names, as a sign of trust. Or… is that asking too much?"

Kuroe and Maya exchange glances and shrug.

"That actually is my real name," Maya says. "My full name is Hino Maya."

"I'm Yuki Maria."

"Ashley Taylor."

"Itsumi Inui."

"I'm sorry, I don't have two names like all of you guys," Coeurl says. "I'm just Coeurl."

"I'm Kuroe Asaka."

"I'm Hachikuji Mayoi! But I've been going by Maimai around here, so you should probably call me that in public."

"Alright," I say. "I have a few other people in mind who I think would be interested in joining us. Do any of you know the white feather named Sue?"

"Oh, I know her," Kuroe says. "She's one of the healers, right?"

"Y-yeah, she's pretty well-known," Maya says.

"I think she'd be open to helping us," I say. "Then there's my team – I think most of them would be open, though I have one in particular in mind. And finally there's the girl who calls herself Tori, who's on Coeurl's team. Hmm… is that everyone…?"

I ponder for a bit.

"Oh right, there's also the white feather known as Nene," I say. "Those are the only ones I can think of, though if you know of someone else, feel free to carefully probe their intentions."

"I know Nene too," Kuroe says. "She's often on cafeteria duty, like I am right now."

Coeurl nods. "I'll have a chat with Tori later. I'll try not to let things slip until she's agreed, though like I mentioned, subterfuge isn't my forte… so if one of you'd like to be there to watch my back in case I slip up, I'd be grateful."

"I'll volunteer for that," Maria says. "Just let me know when."

"I'll talk to my team members," I say. "Starting with Chiyoko."

"T-then, I'll talk to Sue," Maya says. "Kuroe, will you come with me too?"

"Okay," Kuroe says. "I might not say much though…"

"Then what about me?" Mayoi asks. "Should I talk to Nene? I think I know which one that is… of course, I'll make sure it's really her before saying anything dangerous."

"Yes, that would be helpful, thanks," I say. "I also have Miss Izumi's contact info, for the record."

"S-seriously!?" Maya gasps. "If I really wanted to, I could contact her at school, or through Sougetsu-kun, but… to think you actually had her number!?"

"Why are you bringing this up though?" Maria asks.

"I agreed to share information with her," I say. "So I should probably let her know about our little coalition here. I'm not sure if I'll do more than just inform her… we'll see. Actually, probably we'll decide at the meeting."

"Ah, I see," Maria says. "Certainly, it would be quite reassuring to have her support…"

"You can say that again!" Maya says. "Miss Izumi has been the second biggest thorn in our sides, after Miss Nanami and Miss Tamaki… so if we're going to…betray the Magius… it would be a great help to have her with us."

"So about the time for the meeting… I was thinking Sunday, right after lunch," I say. "I'll let you know the place before then, so could we all exchange contact info?"

Maya nods. "That's fine with me."

"I still don't have a phone," Coeurl says. "But I don't have any plans on Sunday. I'll probably be in my room all day. If I'm not there, check here or the training grounds."

"Sure, I'll give you my contact info," Mayoi says.

"You already have mine," Kuroe says. "But I suppose I can share it with everyone else too…"

"Yeah, I'll share mine too," Maria says.

We all take out our phones and tap them together to share info, resulting in a series of beeps.

"My team's going witch hunting after dinner, so I'll see Tori then," Coeurl says. "I'll talk to her afterwards, so can you wait in the ground floor lounge or something, Maria?"

Maria nods. "I'll let my family know I'll be out late," she says.

"Sue's easy to find," Maya says. "So I'll go with Miss Kuroe right after I get off of serving duty… it won't be for another couple of hours, though."

"I'll start looking for Nene as soon as I've finished eating," Mayoi says. "I'll even ask Miss Mifuyu if I have to."

"Perfect," I say. "Then we'll discuss the details of what we should do the day after tomorrow."

After finishing off our food, I leave the cafeteria with Inui and head for the training grounds. Just in case she's not there after all, I scry on Chiyoko briefly, but she's definitely among the crowd of mostly black feathers practicing their chain techniques under San's supervision.

"Oh, by the way," I say. "Did Miss Tamura and the others go back to Mitakihara?"

"Yeah, but I told them to make sure they're back for Sunday," Inui says.

"And you mentioned that to the others as well, right?" I say.

"Yes, all three of them," Inui says.

Once the training session is over, Chiyoko accosts me as expected, and I have my little chat with her where I recruit her to the resistance movement. I'm sure my words aren't quite the same as last time, because I did a lot of talking and can't quite remember exactly what I said, but I think I cover all the same points, and the impression on Chiyoko seems to be about the same. Then I rejoin Inui, and we head up to our room.

---

When I wake up the next morning, I realize I'd forgotten to ask Mayoi for her help to transport us to Yukuni, so I scry on her to see where she is. I seem to be in luck, for it looks like she fell asleep in the third-floor lounge.

"…what's going on, Ashley?" Inui asks. "It's so early…"

"Sorry, I forgot to mention this yesterday," I say. "But we need to pay a visit to Yukuni today."

"Ah… okay," Inui says.

Without even questioning it, she gets out of bed and pulls on some track pants, since it's raining. I lead the way to the third-floor lounge, where I gently shake Mayoi. Her eyes snap open almost immediately, startling me.

"Ah! Oh, it's only Lita," she says. "Is something going on?"

"I was hoping I could borrow your magic for a bit," I say. "Say, a few hours?"

"Oh, I guess," Mayoi says. "But can I ask what this is about?"

"There's some people I have to save," I say. "But it takes hours to get there, so I don't have time."

"Then you've come to the right girl!" Mayoi says. "I'll get you wherever you want in a jiffy!"

"By the way… I was wondering, how far can you go in one jump?" I ask.

"I got here from Jouetsu in one hop," Mayoi says. "That's the furthest I've ever gone, so I don't know what my limit is."

"It seems like it might be close to Shizuku's range then," I say. "Though I guess here to Jouetsu is probably a bit less than here to Singapore."

"Um… yes, I think so," Mayoi says. "That's like, ten times further or something, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure," I say. "But probably something like that. Anyway, that's not important, because the location I have in mind is in Shinriku Prefecture."

"Then there's no problem," Mayoi says.

I scry on Sana, and find her once again waking up for an early-morning cup of tea. Then I pull out my phone and show Mayoi the location of Crescent Moon Villa.

"Huh? That's in Kamihama," Mayoi says. "I thought you'd be going somewhere a lot further…"

"I am," I say. "But I have to pick someone else up first."

"Alright," she says.

Mayoi hops to her feet and transforms, punching a portal to the street just outside Crescent Moon Villa. The three of us hop through, and she shuts it behind us. I tiptoe around to the side, where Sana has the side door open and is gazing out at the rain. She spots me almost immediately and gasps.

"Ah… it's you…!" she says. "Miss… Ashley Taylor… was it?"

"Yes, that's me," I say.

"Um… actually… I've been wanting to thank you," Sana says. "I thought… I thought there really was no way out other than to destroy Ai-chan… but you found a way. Even if I can't be with her… I'm happy to know that she's probably still alive, somewhere."

"Ah… I had my own reasons for doing that, but I'm glad it made you happy as well," I say. "Actually, I came here today to ask you a favour."

"Y-yes!" Sana says. "I'll do anything! A-as long as you're not asking me to betray Miss Iroha and the others… or work for the Wings of the Magius…"

"This has nothing to do with the Wings of the Magius," I say. "All I want to do is borrow your power of concealment."

"Oh, alright," Sana says. "Um… do you mean… right now?"

"Yes, ideally," I say.

"B-but… I have an appointment with the Wings of the Magius," Sana says. "Will it be okay…?"

"I should be back before noon, so you'll have no problem making it to your appointment," I say.

Sana lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good, then…"

"You're really planning to go to that appointment, then?" I say.

"Um… yes, all of us are going," Sana says.

"That's… interesting," I say. "Since Miss Tamaki should already know everything they're going to tell her… but I guess it has nothing to do with me. Could I also ask you not to tell Miss Tamaki about our little outing this morning?"

"E-eh? Why not?" Sana asks.

"It's just a request," I say. "In particular, I think it's something that should be known to as few people as possible. But I'll leave the final decision up to you."

"Ah… okay," Sana says. "Um… if you wait just a second, I'll come out the front door…"

"Alright."

She heads inside, finishes off her tea, and scribbles a note that she'll be back by noon. Then she puts on shoes and a raincoat and leaves via the front door. Mayoi already has the portal to Yukuni opened, so we hop through it before Iroha, who had apparently heard the sound of the door closing, peeks out to check on it. We find ourself on a side street in Yukuni.

"W-whoa!? What was that just now!?" Sana gasps. "It's just like Miss Shizuku's magic! U-um… where on earth are we…?"

"We're in a town called Yukuni," I say.

"T-that's really far away!" Sana gasps. "W-what are you planning to do here?"

"Since we're running a little early, I think the first thing would be to go for a hike in the mountains," I say.

"W-what!?" Sana gasps.

"Okay, that's a slight exaggeration," I say. "We'll be walking on an actual road and heading for the scenic lookout point. So it only barely qualifies as a hike."

"Oh, okay," Sana says.

"So um… do we all go?" Mayoi asks.

"We're going to be fighting at some point," I say. "I don't mind if you come along, but what I really needed from you was your portal skill, so if you prefer to wait for us here, that's fine."

"Gotcha!" Mayoi says. "I don't like fighting, so maybe I'll explore the town a bit."

"Um… I'm not sure about fighting either," Sana says.

"I won't ask you to fight either, Miss Futaba," I say. "Just stay hidden and follow my instructions, okay?"

"Ah… okay," she says.

"Oh, and Maimai – try to stay away from magical girls, and hide your ring so that people can't see it," I say.

"Alright," Mayoi says.

"Now, Miss Futaba, could you conceal the three of us with your magic?"

"A-alright," Sana says.

She transforms and seizes my hand and Inui's.

"W-we're hidden now," she says.

"Then let's go," I say.

"I'm actually looking forward to this a bit!" Inui says. "A scenic lookout… I bet it has a really great view!"

It takes us quite awhile to reach the scenic lookout. When we finally arrive, we see a number of students gathered, all in uniform despite it being a weekend. They come from at least three different schools, and more are still trickling in, bit by bit. I direct Sana and Inui away from the crowd as before, where we can see the cars coming around the bend. After waiting awhile, I scry on Lavi. They still haven't met up yet, but a little later they finally gather for their meeting with Tasuke, where they discuss the 'will of the universe'.

Then they split up, the magical girls taking a shortcut to reach the scenic lookout in record time. As they arrive at the peak, the clouds part and the sun shines through. It looks like the rain has stopped, too. The girls talk a little with the gathered students like before. From what I can hear of their conversations, the anti-magical-girl faction didn't gain much traction, much like the previous timeline. However, there were still some girls who turned into witches due to bullying.

Eventually, I sense the distant activation of what must be Martha's magic, followed soon after by the presence of a witch at the edge of my range. Asahi gasps and turns towards it.

"A… a witch!?" she gasps. "Up this mountain… at this time of day!? It's even the same one that caused the explosion at the festival… the same one that taught us our fate…"

"It's like the one who started all this is coming back for us," Lavi notes.

"To bring things to an end, as one might say," Asahi says.

"W-will things be okay?" the boy they were talking to asks.

"Well, a witch that's lived this long could be a dangerous opponent," Asahi says. "But there's three of us, so I'm sure we'll return safe and sound."

"Indeed," Lavi says. "We are not playthings of the universe's volition."

As the three girls transform, I pass my entire grief seed and cube stash to Inui. Then I transform and detach my soul gem, passing that to her too in gem form.

"I'm counting on you to keep my soul gem clean, Inui," I say. "If things go as I anticipate, I'll need to use an enormous amount of magic to throw a bus around."

"O-okay," Inui says.

"Um… what are all those square things?" Sana asks.

"Grief seeds," I say.

"B-but they're not like any grief seeds I've ever seen!" Sana gasps.

"That's what they are though," I say.

I release Sana's hand and run over to the three Yukuni girls. They spot me almost immediately.

"Huh?" Asahi says. "You're… Ashley Taylor? What on earth are you doing here?"

"Miss Cruise, Miss Miura, do you think you can handle that witch by yourselves?" I ask.

"Huh?" Alexandra says. "Hmm… it's not that strong of a witch, so probably?"

"We could call in the others if we really had to," Asahi says. "They didn't want to publicly show themselves, so they stayed home today."

"That's perfect," I say. "Because I think the witch is a distraction. If all of you go to fight it, you'll be playing right into their hands… so I'd like Miss Himuro to stay back here."

The three of them exchange glances. After a second or two, Lavi nods.

"I don't really understand," she says. "But this does somewhat resemble what happened at the festival, and you helped us out back then, so I'll humour you."

She uses her reinforcement magic on Alexandra and Asahi, and then the two of them continue heading towards the witch while I lead Lavi back down the road, scrying on the bus that's now fast approaching. Technically, I'm scrying on Shirogane, as it seems I can't target a vehicle for some reason.

«Inui, Miss Futaba, make sure you stay within range,» I say.

«Yeah… a hundred metres, right?» Inui says. «I'll be careful. We're practically right behind you at the moment.»

I break into a run as the bus continues to approach the location of the landslide. Then my vision cuts out again, filling my head with static for a second, and I increase my pace, rounding the corner in time to see the landslide in the middle of unfolding. The magical threads glint in the sunlight as they tear out another chunk of the road, and the bus goes right over the edge.

"Oh no!" Lavi gasps. "What on earth!?"

"No time for gawking!" I say. "Use your magic on me!"

I reach out with my telekinesis to grab hold of the bus, but I'm unable to budge it until Lavi presses a hand to my back, boosting my magic. Suddenly it feels almost effortless to lift the bus and swing it around. I can hear screams from inside, but even with Lavi's boost, I have just barely enough power to fling the bus. If it lost its momentum, I would probably lose control and it would slip from my grasp. I manage to set it down on the road behind us, but as before, the driver and many of the people within have blacked out. The bus starts moving forward again, looking like it's about to plunge into the crowd of people in the parking lot, but then the silver-haired figure of Shirogane races up to the front of the bus, shoving her foot in and slamming down on the brakes.

"Thanks for the boost, Miss Himuro," I say. "I couldn't've done that without your help… but it's not over yet. I think the engine is rigged to explode."

"I see," Lavi says. "That landslide did not look like a mere accident, so I could definitely believe there's also sabotage involved."

As before, the threads flick out again from somewhere further up, one of them slicing into the bus's engine while another beheads Kurara, who had the bad luck to poke her head out at that exact moment. Several people within the bus scream at the sight, but Shirogane urges them to remain calm while corralling everyone to the back of the bus, dragging the driver there herself. Haitani and Kuroda are also helping to move those who are unconscious. The engine has caught fire by now, after all. I run up and smash all the windows on the far side of the bus with my telekinesis, making sure to flick the shards into a neat pile on the ground.

"Thank you very much, whoever you are!" Shirogane calls.

Kuroda and Haitani are the first to emerge from the window, and then Shirogane and a couple of boys start passing down the students who are unconscious. For some reason, the engine isn't exploding. Ulala has exited the bus at the front, where she's sobbing over Kurara's body. Has the explosion been averted?

But just as the thought occurs to me, it happens. The engine explodes, causing the bus to shake. A boy slips from Shirogane's grasp, and Kuroda barely manages to catch him before he breaks his neck. No-one is hurt, however, thanks to Sana shielding Ulala and Kurara.

«Thanks for that, Miss Futaba,» I say. «You shouldn't stay there for long though, in case the enemy realizes there's someone invisible.»

«A-alright,» Sana says.

I round the now-ruined front of the bus just in time to see Ulala make a contract with Kyuubey, restoring Kurara to life.

"W-what on earth happened?" Kurara asks. "Wasn't I… dead?"

"Yes… I'm sorry," Ulala says, hugging her. "I didn't… I didn't want to lose you!"

"Ulala!" Lavi says, running up. "You ended up becoming a magical girl too…"

"Lavi! What's going on?" Ulala gasps. "And… isn't that the same girl from the festival? What was her name again?"

"I'm Ashley Taylor," I say.

«Inui, you can show yourself now,» I say. «But Miss Futaba, please stay concealed and follow us.»

«Alright,» Sana says.

Inui appears next to Ulala, startling her, and I take back my soul gem and grief seeds from her. Two of the cubes are completely filled, so I toss them at Kyuubey, who catches them in its back without a word and consumes them. Then I stow the rest away and put my soul gem back where it belongs on my choker.

"I'm a friend of hers, Itsumi Inui."

"W-where did you come from?" Ulala asks.

"It's not complicated," I say. "Just invisibility."

"Ulala, do you think you could go back up Asahi and Lexy?" Lavi asks. "I'm going to see if I can discover who did this to us. Someone tried to murder the entire protector group, and I want to know who it was."

"Got it!" Ulala says. "Um… where are they?"

"Can't you sense the witch nearby?" Lavi asks. "They're fighting it."

"Ah! Okay!" Ulala says. "I think I can feel it, yeah… I'll go right away! Kurara-chan, I'll be right back!"

"Um… good luck!" Kurara says.

Lavi uses her reinforcement magic on Ulala, then follows Inui and I as we hop up into the mountains towards the source of the threads. After several seconds, a new round of threads appears, aiming straight for our soul gems. I flick aside the threads aimed at Inui and me, while Sana protects Lavi with her shield, or so I assume – I can't see her.

"There!" Lavi shouts, pointing.

She points at Martha, who stands on a long yet narrow ledge above us. I summon Teddy Mk II.

«Miss Futaba, please hang on tight to the teddy's leg and let me know when you're secure – we're going up,» I say.

"Hop on," I say.

I jump onto Teddy's head and Inui climbs onto one of his arms. After a moment of hesitation, Lavi mounts the other arm.

«Um… I'm ready,» Sana says.

We lift off and zoom towards the woman, who attacks with more of those threads, but I sweep them all aside with my telekinesis. Then we're right upon her, so she backs off, giving us the chance to hop off back on solid ground.

«You okay, Miss Futaba?» I ask.

«Y-yeah… I'm fine,» Sana says. «I used some chains to make sure I wouldn't fall off. I'm back on solid ground now.»

"Dammit!" Martha says. "How dare you mere witches challenge me!?"

"Witches…?" Lavi says. "Huh? But we're not witches…"

"Don't play dumb with me," Martha says. "You made a deal with the devil in exchange for your soul, didn't you? That's the very definition of a witch!"

"Ah… I get it," Lavi says. "I suppose, with that definition, you could call us witches."

"More to the point, how dare you drag innocent civilians into this fight?" I ask. "They haven't done anything wrong. It's one thing to hunt us, but what do all the ordinary people have to do with anything?"

"Don't make me laugh," Martha scoffs. "Innocent? They're aiding and abetting a witch. That makes them guilty by association. That, and letting the existence of witches become known to the public would undermine trust in the Church."

"The Church…?" Lavi says. "Just who are you?"

"Well, you managed to find me, so I suppose I can reward you with a name," she says. "My code-name is Bloody Martha, scourge of witches, an agent of the Vatican. My only goal is to see your kind exterminated for good."

"If you want us to be gone for good, shouldn't you be aiming for that so-called devil instead of us?" I point out. "It'll just keep on making more, no matter how many of us you kill."

"Don't you think I know that?" Martha retorts. "Of course we're working on that as well, but the little bugger hides too well. We still haven't been able to find him."

"I understand. So you're saying that you've thrown my town into chaos just because you hate us out of religious zealotry," Lavi says. "And you somehow believe that doesn't make you the villain here. I have no words. I should just cut you down right here."

"Don't think I came alone," Martha says. "I have backup on the way, so I just have to hold out until they arrive!"

She whips out some more threads, using them to pull herself up to a rocky spur above us. However, it's not that high for a magical girl – I leap up onto the spur, and the others follow me as well. It's a wider plateau with considerably more room to maneuver, which is probably better for her since she can't fly.

Lavi uses her boost magic on Inui, and the two of us step forward, Inui brandishing her flame whip while I pull out my sword. Martha tries to block our way with a glistening web, but we cut it down in a single swipe. Lavi flings her boomerang, and Martha ducks into a roll to avoid it, then flings her threads at our feet. I jump to avoid them, as does Inui, so instead they end up catching Lavi.

"Heart-throbbing Passionate Inferno!" Inui shouts.

The threads that captured Lavi's feet go slack, and she picks herself up. Meanwhile, I summon a single teddy drone and fire at Martha. However, she blocks it with some kind of barrier.

"Just how many powers do you have?" I ask.

"I've mastered nine of the ten divine powers," Martha retorts.

"Don't make me laugh," I retort. "Your jealous god probably doesn't even exist. There's no actual difference between your magic and mine."

"Believe what you like," Martha says. "It's obvious that I'd never believe the word of a filthy witch."

She summons the cold blue flames of last time.

«Those flames have an ominous quality to them,» I say, transmitting to Lavi, Inui, and Sana. «They remind me of a girl I know who can obliterate souls, so I suggest taking extra care to protect your soul gem from them.»

I block the flames with Teddy Mk II, but at the cost of him getting burnt to a crisp. Lavi similarly uses her boomerang to gather up several pockets of flame before it too is immolated. Then Inui stows her wand away and unleashes a veritable torrent of her signature pink flames. The two types of fire vie for dominance, forming an impenetrable wall, and Martha cackles.

"You're pretty quick on your feet, dealing with Smite in such a creative way," she says. "But don't get too cocky. That's not gonna work for long."

As she says, Inui's flames are slowly but surely losing the battle. But then a section of the flames are simply snuffed out… then another section… and another.

"W-what just happened…?" Martha gasps.

Before long, all the flames are gone.

"H-how on earth did you…?" Martha says. "No… which of you did it?"

«That was you, right, Miss Futaba?» I ask. «Did the flames touch you at all? How's your shield?»

«They didn't touch me. I'm fine. My shield melted a little, but that's it.»

"…well, it doesn't matter," Martha shrugs. "I've still got lots of tricks up my sleeve."

She smacks her hands together, producing a clanging of church bells that rapidly grows in volume until it's like we're standing right underneath a pair of bells at the top of a bell tower, the sound making it difficult to move. However, I can still use my telekinesis, so I easily cut down the threads that Martha aims at our soul gems by remotely manipulating Kensei. Then I give her a little remote shove, causing her to trip and fall flat on her face.

"Y-you…!" she gasps.

That's when a portal opens and Anna pokes her head through.

"Wow," Anna says. "I thought you were kidding when you called for backup for the first time ever, but… you've actually been cornered?"

As before, she's speaking Italian, so that's what I think she's saying, but there's a small chance I'm wrong.

"Stop gloating, Anna! This is a serious matter!" Martha says in the same language.

She picks herself up and dusts herself off, shooting a glare at Anna, who turns to survey us thoughtfully.

"I don't know if you've realized it, but you're facing two very strong witches here," Anna says. "It's no wonder they were able to fight you to a standstill. Even the third one isn't all that weak. And… I sense something else as well. There may even be another witch here, unseen. I think you've got to admit defeat this time."

"Dammit… I won't forget this!" Martha says in Japanese. "I'll end the three of you if it's the last thing I do!"

With that, she escapes through the portal, which closes up behind her.

"So she got away," Lavi says. "But still… in a way, this is good news… it means that there was someone behind all the stuff that's been happening here lately."

"Hopefully she'll stay away for awhile," I say. "And it should be harder for her to manipulate things even if she does, since you now know about her, right?"

"Yes… thank you for this, Miss Taylor," Lavi says. "Will you be staying for the ceremony?"

"I don't think I really have a place there," I say. "Besides, I have other things I need to do. By the way, Miss Futaba, I think you can show yourself now."

Sana appears right beside me, startling Lavi.

"Huh? Were you there the entire time?" she asks.

"Y-yes!" Sana says. "Um, I was protecting you with my shield earlier, too… and I smothered the fire… t-though that woman looked right at me for a second… it really startled me…"

"Actually, it sounded like she noticed your presence somehow," I say, "Though I'm not sure if she figured out your exact location…"

"But she wasn't even a magical girl, right?" Sana says. "And yet she somehow figured out that I was there…? Though it was only for a second… so it might have been a coincidence…"

I shrug and summon Teddy Mk II.

"Yeah, I'm not sure," I say. "Miss Himuro, hop on. I'll take you back to the lookout point. Everyone else too, of course."

The four of us climb on, and I make Teddy Mk II descend back to the scenic lookout parking lot, where Lavi hops off. Ulala, Asahi, and Alexandra look like they've just gotten back as well. There's also two other magical girls who I've never seen before. They definitely weren't there in the previous timeline.

"Could you hide us again, Miss Futaba?" I ask. "I'd rather not have random people see us flying around."

"R-right…"

After locating Mayoi, I fly over to meet her, and Sana dispels her magic while Inui and I power down. Then Mayoi punches a hole back to Kamihama. We step through, emerging in front of Crescent Moon Villa, where it's still raining hard.

"Thank you very much for the help, Miss Futaba," I say.

"Ah… i-it's not… really necessary… to thank me," Sana says. "I did it because I was grateful that Ai-chan is still out there somewhere thanks to you…"

I shrug. "I heard you're going to meet the Magius today, so good luck."

"Ah… t-thank you…?"

"And remember, I'd prefer if you don't tell Miss Tamaki about what happened this morning," I say.

"Um… s-she does have a lot on her mind right now," Sana admits. "Okay…"

She heads inside, where I can hear Iroha and the others greeting her and asking where she'd been. I check the time.

"Alright, I think we'll be meeting up with a friend now," I say. "Isn't that right, Inui?"

"Ah, yes, you didn't say anything about it so I assumed you'd want to meet with Karin-chan again," Inui says. "She even said she'd invite Riko-chan too."

"Alright, then Miss Mayoi, you can go do whatever you want for the rest of the day."

"Gotcha!" Mayoi says.

She punches a new portal and hops through, leaving Inui and I alone in front of the Crescent Moon Villa.

"Is there still time before we meet Karin-chan?" Inui asks. "I'd like to get changed…"

"Sure, I think there's time," I agree.

We head for Fendt Hope, and like last time, we find an instance of Lucy along the way, with the portal flickering as if someone's fighting inside.

"We've got to help them!" Inui says. "Come on!"

"Right!"

I try to use my clairvoyance to locate the girl who's in trouble, and to my surprise, I actually find her this time. It's not Riko, or at least, she's not the one I find – Utsuho Natsuki is in the witch's chamber, desperately fighting the witch alone. I lead the way through the labyrinth at a run, taking down the brainy signposts as they pop out, and Inui follows me. As we burst into the witch's chamber, I see Natsuki collapsed on the ground, barely able to move, as the witch charges up her beam attack… so I summon Teddy Mk II and leap in front of her. She lets out a gasp as the beam strikes Teddy instead of her.

"H-huh!? M-more magical girls…?"

"I'm over here!" Inui shouts. "Look at me!"

The witch diverts her attention to Inui, and I turn to check on Natsuki. Her soul gem is in a dangerous state.

"Are you okay?" I ask. "Do you have a grief seed?"

"N-no I…" Natsuki says. "I don't… I didn't expect it… to be so strong… usually I can defeat a witch on my own if I have to, but… this one…"

"Don't try to talk," I say. "Your soul gem is very full."

I reach for my grief seed stash, but Natsuki doesn't seem to want to listen to my advice. She uses her gymnastic baton like a cane to get to her feet.

"No… I can't just… let you…!" she exclaims.

"Please, before you start trying to play the hero, at least purify your soul gem!" I say.

But before I can pass her the grief seed, her gem overflows, and I'm forced to throw myself aside as her doppel comes out, like a gigantic megaphone projected in front of her, connected to her waist by a loop of cable. Three floodlights are arrayed around the megaphone, and it also sports two mechanical arms gripping pom-poms in an eye-shattering combination of blue and bright orange. The witch runes spell out the name, Aodamo.

"Inui, get back!" I shout.

Natsuki gasps, apparently still conscious. "W-what on earth is this!? S-something weird came out of me…?"

Her head is right in place for the megaphone to pick up her voice, so her words boom out from the other end at a level that leaves my ears ringing. The witch seems to be stunned by the sound as well, so the doppel charges forward, dragging Natsuki along with it, and beats the witch into submission with its mechanical arms. It looks like the witch is so strong that even a beating from a doppel isn't quite enough to finish it off, but that doesn't matter – Inui and I take the opportunity to unleash our ultimate attacks. There's no need to take care not to destroy the doppel – we need both of them gone anyway.

"Heart-throbbing Passionate Inferno!"

"Great Teddy's Ionic Bombardment!"

As the doppel recedes into Natsuki's body, and the labyrinth collapses around us, Natsuki falls to her knees, gasping for breath. I manage to catch the grief seed.

"W-what on earth just happened?" Natsuki asks. "I've never… heard of anything like that before…"

"It's something called a doppel," I say. "I strongly recommend you visit Miss Mitama about it."

"Eh… so is it not a good thing?" Natsuki asks.

"It's not particularly a good or bad thing," I say. "But there can be negative side-effects."

"I see," Natsuki says. "Alright… thanks… I'll go see Miss Mitama right away."

She gets to her feet, taking a few deep breaths.

"Thank you for your help," she says. "Though I don't know who you are, but… feel free to keep the grief seed."

With that, she turns and runs off. Inui and I return to the base so she can get changed. On our way out we run into Mifuyu and the twins on their way to the Memory Museum, so on a whim I decide to invite them too.

"Ah, good morning, Lita," Mifuyu says.

"Good morning, Miss Mifuyu," I say. "Actually… since I ran into the two of you, would you like to join me? I'm going to see Alina's exhibit, and I believe Riko-chan is coming too."

"Ah," Tsukasa says. "Riko-chan is coming? I'd like to, but we're a bit busy right now…"

"Actually, we have plenty of time before the lecture," Mifuyu says. "I think Alina's also at her exhibit right now, so there should still be enough time to pay a visit and still make it to the Memory Museum on time."

"Oh, are you really sure, Miss Mifuyu!?" Tsukasa gasps. "Is it really okay if we go…?"

"Yes, you should have some fun now and then too," Mifuyu says. "Touka's been awfully harsh on you lately. Go take a short break."

"If you put it that way, it makes it hard to refuse," Tsukuyo says. "Very well… we will accompany Miss Lita and rejoin you later at the Memory Museum."

We leave the base, flashing our robes off, and make our way over to the art museum. Karin and Riko are already waiting for us when we arrive.

"Ashley-chan, over here!" Karin shouts.

"Huh?" Riko says. "Is that you, Tsukasa-chan!? B-but there are two of you…?"

Tsukasa giggles. "No, silly, this is my sister," she says. "I've mentioned her to you before, haven't I?"

"Ah, now that you mention it," Riko says. "You might've said something like that… but I didn't know you knew Ashley-nee…"

"We have recently become acquainted," Tsukuyo says. "Let us all introduce ourselves. I am Ama… I mean, Akatsuki Tsukuyo."

"I'm Amane Tsukasa… nice to meet you."

"Oh, nice to meet you… I'm Misono Karin… but wait, you're twins but have a different surname?"

"Our parents are divorced," Tsukasa says.

"Oh, so that's how it is," Karin says.

"And I'm Ashley Taylor," I say. "I'm not sure if the twins knew that yet…?"

"Ah… you're right, we only knew your nickname, Miss Lita," Tsukasa says. "Is Miss Inui also a nickname…?"

"No, that's my real name," Inui says. "Itsumi Inui."

Karin glances at Riko, then looks at the twins.

«Hey, um… weren't the two of you at that battle on the helipad last week?» she asks.

The twins gasp in unison as it suddenly dawns on them who she is.

«Y-you're the one who tackled Lady Alina off the roof!?» Tsukasa says.

«Ah… yes, that happened,» Karin says. «Sorry for barging in like that… I had my own things going on with Alina-sempai…»

«Miss Taylor… just how much does Miss Misono know…?» Tsukuyo asks.

«She knows that Alina and the four of us are in the Wings of the Magius,» I reply. «She's not a member herself, obviously.»

«So she knows about us yet decided not to join,» Tsukuyo says. «What are you doing meeting with someone like that?»

«What, should I drop my friends just because they decided not to join?» I ask. «I knew her before the Wings of the Magius even existed. I'm not going to do something like that.»

«Ah, I see,» Tsukuyo says. «But I have to admit… knowing Miss Misono's relationship with Lady Alina allows me to see her in a different light… she almost seems more human.»

«Alina-sempai is human!» Karin protests. «It's you guys who're denying her by calling her 'lady' all the time…»

"Anyway, let's get inside," I say. "It's a little cold out here with all this rain."

"Right!" Riko says.

The visit to the museum goes pretty much the same as in the last timeline, with the minor exception of Karin not being surprised that I already know Alina. After we've left, Inui and I turn down the offer to visit Karin's place tomorrow, but Riko takes her up on it, promising to ask her parents for permission. Unlike last time, Karin doesn't make the offer for today. Instead, she offers to walk Riko home, which means we split up three ways – Karin and Riko heading for Chiaki's, the twins for the Memory Museum, and Inui and I back to Fendt Hope. Once we've gotten up to our room and settled down, I scry on Iroha and Momoko simultaneously. Momoko seems to be just getting ready to leave her house, dealing with her younger brother pestering her with questions, so I focus on Iroha first.

---

There's a knock on the door, and Tsuruno opens it, stepping inside and folding up her umbrella but leaving her shoes on, just standing there in the entryway.

"I'm here!" Tsuruno says.

Felicia sneaks up beside her and peers out the front door.

"Man, it's really coming down," she says.

"Yeah, everyone got an umbrella?" Tsuruno asks.

"I have a raincoat, so I'm good," Felicia says.

"Me too," Sana says.

"Sana-chan, do you have the key?" Iroha asks.

"Yeah, it's here," Sana says, passing it to her.

"I'm not sure where I put my raincoat," Iroha says as she stows the key in her purse. "May I borrow your umbrella, Miss Yachiyo?"

"Sure," Yachiyo says. "See you later."

"Huh? What about Yachiyo?" Tsuruno asks.

"I'm not going," Yachiyo says. "I'm not walking right into the enemy's hands like that. It's reckless and self-destructive. No thank you, I'll pass."

"What's bothering you, anyway?" Tsuruno asks. "I didn't really understand what Mifuyu said to you, but you're acting… really off."

"And how am I acting off, exactly?" Yachiyo asks.

"You told me something a long time ago," Tsuruno says. "Back when I was making a big deal about what great things I'd do someday… you said, 'Don't try to accomplish something big if you can't accomplish the small. Don't expect results when you aren't even protecting your allies.'"

"What's your point?" Yachiyo asks.

"If the shishou I know thought some place was really dangerous… she wouldn't let us go. Or, at the very least, she'd go with us. That's what's bothering me."

"You don't know me," Yachiyo says. "Get out of here."

Tsuruno sighs. "You've got some stuff going on, huh?"

She turns and leaves the house, putting her umbrella up once more. Felicia and Sana step out right behind her. Iroha slips her shoes on, then turns to Yachiyo for a moment.

"Miss Yachiyo, I've sent the location to your phone," Iroha says. "So if you change your mind, please let us know."

"Yes, alright," Yachiyo says.

As the door closes on the four girls, Yachiyo murmurs one more thing, barely audible.

"Take care of yourselves."

"Iroha, we'll leave you behind!" Felicia calls.

She's already crossed the street and is standing there waving at Iroha. Tsuruno is with her too, and Sana is just starting to cross herself – it looks like she'd been waiting for Iroha to come out first.

"Wait, I'm coming!" Iroha calls.

She puts up her umbrella and hurries across the street, holding it at an angle to minimize the amount of water that gets on her clothes. Mokyu has perched on her head to avoid getting wet from the spray. Sana lets out a sigh.

"What a downpour," she says. "Say… do you think we did something to upset her?"

"Do you think it's a bug, like ya said before?" Felicia asks. "Maybe we just gotta wait for it to buzz off?"

"Yes, maybe," Sana says.

"She cut corners with breakfast this morning, too," Felicia says. "She's giving us the cold shoulder."

"She might be older than all of us, but she's still a human being," Iroha says. "She has her own worries. I'm sure she's carrying more burdens than any of us. She's been a magical girl for far longer than any of us, after all."

"You're right," Tsuruno says. "That settles it. While Yachiyo's in that funk of hers, we'll just have to make our mission a big success. That'll cheer her up for sure!"

"That's the spirit!" Iroha says.

"So, um, what was the way to the museum?" Tsuruno asks.

Iroha points the way without even taking out her phone.

"It's this way," she says.

"Huh, you've already memorized it, Iroha-chan?" Tsuruno says.

"That's the funny thing," Iroha says. "I get a feeling like I did all this before… I don't really understand, but…"

"If we did it before, did it go well?" Felicia asks.

"That… I don't know," Iroha says. "I'm probably just imagining it, anyway… I mean, none of you remember doing this before, right? Maybe I just had a dream about it or something…"

"Y-yeah," Sana nods. "I've never been to this Memory Museum before…"

Thanks to her directions, the four of them soon arrive at the Kamihama Memorial Museum, stepping into the shelter of the building's main entrance hall. Tsuruno and Iroha fold their umbrellas up and lean them against the wall, while Felicia and Sana shed their raincoats.

"So this is it," Iroha says. "The Kamihama Memorial Museum."

"Man, this place is a dump," Felicia says.

Mokyu makes one of its cute noises from Iroha's shoulder, and she giggles in response.

"Huh? What's so funny, Iroha?" Felicia asks.

"A-ah… it's nothing much," Iroha says. "Mokyu just said something…"

"How can you understand what it's saying, anyway?" Sana asks. "All I hear are weird, cute noises…"

"That's all I hear too," Iroha admits. "But somehow, I sort of… just know what it means. I really can't explain it…"

Mokyu makes another cute noise, and Iroha nods.

"Yeah… we could just be on the same wavelength or something," she says.

"Oh, ew, there's spiderwebs everywhere!" Sana squeals.

"A-are you okay?" Iroha asks.

"I'm fine… sorry," Sana says.

"Looks like they just left it as it was instead of knocking it down," Tsuruno says.

"Is this really the place?" Felicia asks. Suddenly she gasps. "Oh! It is!"

"I just sensed some magic too," Iroha says.

They start to ascend the stairs while they discuss the identity of the magical presence.

"It doesn't feel like a magical girl," Sana says. "It's almost similar to Ai-chan's presence… it must be a rumour!"

"No, there's some magical girls too," Iroha says. "I think I can sense Miss Mifuyu… and there's another presence that seems oddly familiar, but I can't place it… the twins are here too, and…"

Sana gasps. "I-is that Miss Shizuku!?"

"I think so," Tsuruno says.

"Yeah, it's Shizuku," Felicia agrees. "What the heck is she doing here?"

"I guess she must've joined the Wings of the Magius after she disappeared on us," Iroha says. "Though I wonder why she would do that…"

"But who's the other presence?" Tsuruno wonders.

Mokyu makes one of its cute noises, but Iroha shakes her head.

"That doesn't feel like Alina's magic," she says.

"Yeah, it's not Alina," Sana agrees.

As they reach the top of the stairs, they see the twins and Shizuku in their robes, waiting off to the side. There are a couple of other black feathers present too – looks like Amu and Yaeko Mana.

"Um… excuse me…?" Iroha says.

"Please, do not worry about us," Tsukuyo says. "The lecture will be in the room down the hall."

"Ah… okay then," Iroha says. "So… who's holding the lecture…?"

Mokyu makes one of its cute noises, and Iroha gasps.

"Ah… of course!" she says. "It's not Alina, but… it's another of the Magius… right?"

"Yes… please proceed to the lecture room," Tsukuyo says.

They enter the indicated room and find Touka sitting there on her throne, just like last time. Mifuyu is also there with her, standing next to her in silence.

"The appointment was at the Memory Museum at three o'clock PM," Touka says. "I'm amazed you managed to get here on time." She giggles. "Well, I guess that means it's worth holding this lecture after all."

"Touka-chan!" Iroha gasps. "Is… is this a joke…?"

"So you really do know me," Touka says. "Nice to meet you, Tamaki Iroha. My name is Satomi Touka. This is no joke. I'm one of the Magius."

"Nice to meet you!?" Iroha gasps. "Touka-chan, it's me, Tamaki Iroha! Don't you remember me?"

"Miss Iroha," Sana says. "She's…"

"Yeah," Iroha says.

"Isn't she one of your sister's friends?" Felicia says. "Like that Nemu girl you were looking for?"

"Yes, she is," Iroha says.

"Wow," Tsuruno says. "Of all things, she's one of the Magius?"

"I can hardly believe it," Iroha says. "It would be one thing if she were just another member, but to be one of the Magius themselves…!"

"Iroha-chan…" Tsuruno says.

Touka giggles. "So you really have been looking for me all this time. I did hear that you were looking for Nemu, too. I'm still a little surprised!"

"Touka-chan… you really don't remember?" Iroha asks. "What about Ui? You were in the hospital together, right?"

"I don't even know what you're talking about to begin with," Touka says. "Didn't you hear what I said?"

"Huh?"

"Okay then, I'll say it again," Touka says. "Nice to meet you."

She pauses to give the meaning of those words a chance to sink in. During that pause, Iroha strides forward, but whatever she had been thinking of doing, Mifuyu steps forward to stop her with an outstretched hand.

"Please restrain yourself," she says. "As Touka said, she is one of the Magius."

"The Magius," Felicia says. "Then she's the boss of the black feathers and white feathers?"

"There has to be a misunderstanding!" Iroha exclaims. "Touka-chan isn't the kind of girl who would hurt people like that! Isn't that right, Touka-chan!? You were really close friends with Ui! With Tamaki Ui, my little sister!"

"Tamaki Ui?" Touka says. "Just like I was told. You're full of crazy talk, Tamaki Iroha. I don't have memories of Tamaki Ui in my neocortex, hippocampus, or anywhere."

"I see," Iroha says with a sigh. "So you forgot about Ui too…"

"Listen, my brilliant brain cells would never forget a friend," Touka retorts. "If I say I don't know her, that means we've never met."

Iroha shakes her head. "I remember it clearly," she says. "You, Nemu-chan, Ui, and I were great friends!"

"I was admitted to the hospital with Nemu, that much is true," Touka says. "But I've never heard of Tamaki Ui, or you either, I'm afraid. That is, before you started destroying rumours all over the place."

"Then… then what are my memories…?" Iroha asks.

"It's quite possible that you're the only one with those memories right now," Touka says. "Though I don't know about Nemu."

"Nemu-chan… what's she doing now?" Iroha asks.

"Who knows?" Touka says. "I don't keep track of her or anything. She does her own thing and I do mine."

"Oh, I see," Iroha says. "But if you're one of the Magius… then she must be the third one, right?"

"A brilliant deduction," Touka says. "Anyway, to put it simply, I don't remember anything the way you remember it. So don't think of me as the Satomi Touka that you know. I'm Satomi Touka, the Magius. Please treat me as such."

"I never expected to learn something like this by coming to this lecture," Iroha says. "Are you really sure you don't even remember her a little bit!?"

"You don't give up, do you?" Touka says. "I'm entirely blameless on this matter. If I say I don't know her, I don't know her. Pull yourself together, Tamaki Iroha. If you keep being a pest, a rumour will carry you off."

"Touka," Mifuyu says sternly. "You promised to give a lecture today. Miss Iroha and the rest of you will all be good listeners too, won't you?"

Iroha sighs and nods. "Alright," she says.

Touka snaps her fingers, and a light comes on, revealing the tea party set out in the room.

"Whoa, what the hell's this!?" Felicia gasps.

"Before we get started," Touka says. "Take this as a token of my peaceful intentions. Let's enjoy some tea together while the lecture proceeds. I've prepared some cakes as well, so please help yourself."

"Awesome!" Felicia says.

"I've recently been getting tips from someone who's very skilled at making sweets," Touka says.

"I swear, if this is some kind of trap…" Tsuruno begins.

"Y-yes, I won't stand for it either," Sana says.

"Touka-chan…" Iroha says.

"No need to be so wary," Touka says. "I promise, I won't do anything to you. Come on, relax. You'll never learn anything if you stay all tense like that."

So everyone takes a seat, and Felicia tries one of the cakes.

"Oh!" she says. "These are really good!"

"Did you… make all of this, Touka-chan?" Iroha asks.

"Do I look like I have time for that?" Touka retorts. "I made the cupcakes. The sandwiches are just bought from a store… I hear they're quite good, but I've never tried them. And the Amane twins made the cookies."

"A store, you say…?" Iroha says. "What's it called?"

"Chiaki's," Touka says.

"Ohhh, I know that place," Tsuruno says. "Their croquettes are to die for! But it's in the east, so I can't go there very often."

"So at least the sandwiches can be trusted," Iroha says.

She takes one and tries it.

"Oh! It really is very good!" she says.

"Well, if you're having one…"

Tsuruno takes one of the sandwiches too. Before long, everyone is digging in – even Mifuyu tries one of the cupcakes. Once the food is mostly gone, Touka speaks up again.

"There," she says. "Feeling a bit more at ease? The more anxious you are, the harder it will be for me to do my lecture."

"Iroha-chan… you okay?" Tsuruno asks.

"Yes, I'm fine," Iroha says. "I've accepted that she might be a different Touka-chan then the one I knew. There's no use moping about it. It would be way too convenient if Touka-chan was the only one who remembered Ui, after all… so for now, I'm going to concentrate on the lecture."

"I'm glad you see it that way," Touka says. "I guess we can start then. Is everyone alright with that?"

"It's boring just sitting here and waiting," Felicia says. "If you're gonna start, then start."

"Same here," Tsuruno says. "I'm all ears."

"Yes, whenever you're ready," Sana says.

"Wonderful!" Touka says. "Let's start the lecture!"

---

Momoko stands on one of the bridges over the river between Mizuna and Shinsei Wards, probably the one down the road from Flower Shop Blossom. She's wearing black pants, a white shirt, and a greyish-brown jacket, and has her umbrella tilted downwards, hiding her face. Perhaps due to the rain, the bridge is almost completely deserted.

On the other side of the bridge, Rena approaches, also with an umbrella, wearing a red hoody with some character on it and a short plaid skirt. She's not alone, however – unexpectedly, Karin is with her, wearing a white skirt and dark purple T-shirt that vaguely evokes her magical girl costume. The shirt has a depiction of Phantom Thief Magical Kirin on the front.

Suddenly, Rena catches sight of Momoko standing there and breaks into a run. Karin doesn't run, sticking to a walk as she follows Rena.

"Geez, I'm soaking wet!" she complains. "I thought you'd postpone it because of the rain… I get that I'm the one who asked for it, but is it really that important that it can't wait one more day?"

But then she trails off as Momoko raises her umbrella a little, unveiling the serious look on her face.

"Momoko?" Rena says, suddenly in a softer tone of voice.

"It is important," Momoko says, her voice carefully scrubbed of emotion. "The longer I put it off, the harder it'll be. I thought I'd better tell you about what happened with Miss Yachiyo and the others last year."

"Is that the thing you were hiding?" Rena asks. "But that has nothing to do with me…"

"But it does," Momoko says.

Rena tilts her head in confusion, then frowns a bit and narrows her eyes.

"It has something to do with every single magical girl," Momoko says.

At this point, she finally fails to keep the emotion out, her voice starting to waver towards the end of the sentence. She also raises the umbrella enough that she can look Rena in the eye. That's when she spots Karin, who has just caught up.

"But I wasn't expecting Karin-chan to be here," she says.

"Ah… I just ran into her at the arcade again, and she followed me on her own," Rena says.

"I heard you were planning to share the dark secrets of magical girls," Karin explains. "So I thought I'd come to support Kaede-chan…"

Momoko blinks. "Huh? From the way you're speaking… could it be you already know about it, Karin-chan?"

"Ah… yes, I heard about it from someone else," Karin says. "Not the part about Miss Nanami's past, though. But… where's Kaede-chan…?'

"I'm here!" Kaede calls.

Momoko turns to face her – she's just arrived from the Shinsei side of the bridge. Like Momoko and Rena, Kaede is wearing casual clothing – a blue pinafore dress over a yellow long-sleeved shirt. Her umbrella is decked with little teddy bears, swaying as she walks.

"Um… what's this all about?" Kaede asks. "And why is Karin-chan here? I thought it was just going to be the three of us…"

"Well… I was going to explain things right here," Momoko says. "But Rena has a point… it really is coming down. Why don't we find a drier place to chat?"

"How about Flower Shop Blossom?" Kaede suggests. "It's just down the road, and I'm sure the owner won't mind."

"Sure," Momoko says.

So they head towards the flower shop that Konomi works at. Konomi herself apparently isn't there today, but the old lady who runs the place is indeed perfectly fine with allowing them to take shelter at her place. She even serves them tea before returning to watch the shop.

"So… what is it that you wanted to tell us?" Kaede asks. "Wasn't this supposed to be about the things you're hiding from us…?"

"I'm going to tell you about what happened between me and Miss Yachiyo last year," Momoko says. "And I'm also going to tell you about what Miss Mifuyu and Miss Yachiyo told me back then, about what happened to a friend of theirs before I met them."

"I don't really get it, but can you get on with it?" Rena asks. "We don't have all day."

So Momoko proceeds to relate the tragic stories of Anna Mel and Yukino Kanae, in that order. Kaede and Rena hang on to every word, gasping in shock at the revelation of Mel turning into a witch, and the fact that Kanae died when her soul gem broke. Rena takes the revelations pretty well, but as expected, Kaede pretty much breaks down in tears by the end, so Karin and Rena take turns doing their best to comfort her.

Then, unexpectedly, Konomi enters the room.

"Um… I'm sorry for eavesdropping," she says.

"Miss Haruna!?" Momoko gasps. "Um… how much did you hear…?"

"Um… since around the point where you said Miss Anna… turned into a witch," Konomi says. "After that… I just couldn't find a good time to enter… I'm sorry…"

"You're taking this awfully calmly," Rena points out.

"Eh, well… I wouldn't quite say that," Konomi says. "It really shocked me… but, I mean, if Miss Togame can handle it, I think I can too. Kaede-chan, on the other hand…"

"Konomi-chan, I don't know what I should do now!" Kaede wails. "I don't know if I can fight knowing this…! Knowing that… that witches were once… magical girls… how can I hurt them!?"

Konomi kneels beside her as well, patting her on the head.

"I sort of get what you mean," Konomi says. "I was thinking the same thing myself… and yet… it can't be denied that witches hurt people, so… I can't just let them be…"

"M-maybe," Kaede says.

"By the way…" Konomi says. "I know you three already, since we all go to the same school, but… who's the girl with purple hair…?"

"Ah, I'm Misono Karin!"

"She worked with us for a short time, several months ago," Momoko says. "So she's a friend… we reconnected with her recently, after not seeing her for awhile."

"I see," Konomi says. "I'm Haruna Konomi… nice to meet you, Miss Misono."

"Ah, you too…" Karin says.

"I really don't want to turn into a witch though!" Kaede wails.

"Don't worry, Kaede-chan!" Karin says. "The automatic purification system is active in Kamihama, so you won't turn into a witch here!"

Everyone looks at her in surprise.

"Huh? What on earth are you talking about?" Momoko asks.

"That… can't be real, right?" Rena says.

"Is… is that really true?" Kaede asks. "I won't… turn into a witch… as long as I stay in Kamihama?"

"That sounds a bit too good to be true," Konomi says.

"Ah, um… it's true," Karin says. "Though I wouldn't say it's all sunshine and rainbows… because you unleash a doppel instead, and apparently there are side-effects… but it's still better than turning into a witch!"

"Where did you hear about this?" Momoko asks.

"It's what the Wings of the Magius have been working on," Karin says.

"I thought you said you didn't join them?" Momoko asks.

"I didn't, but I do know a little about what they're doing," Karin says.

"I heard those guys were saying they can save magical girls," Momoko says. "So that's what they meant… wait, but if it already works, then why are they still doing shady things?"

"Um… I'm not too sure on the details," Karin says. "But maybe it's because it only works in Kamihama…?"

"Ah, that's true," Konomi says. "If they want to save all magical girls, they'd have to make it work worldwide… but I've never even heard of these guys before. How long have they been around?"

"About a month, I think?" Karin says.

"Huh… this really is the first I've heard of them," Konomi says.

"But even if all of that's true, Karin-chan," Kaede says. "Can you really say it's safe…?"

"Ah, um… I don't know," Karin says. "I've never unleashed a doppel myself, so I don't know what it's like firsthand…"

"It sounds like it's not something we should rely on," Momoko says.

"Yeah, sounds really shady to me," Rena says.

"Y-yeah…" Kaede says. "B-but… it does make me feel… a little bit better…"

---

"Does that mean that this doppel technique is the work of the Wings of the Magius?" Iroha asks.

"It does, yes," Touka says. "Well? Aren't I incredible? Wouldn't you say the Wings of the Magius is a wonderful group? You must all be eager to join us now, aren't you?"

"Well, I…" Iroha begins.

At this point, Mokyu pipes up with one of its cute noises, and Iroha tilts her head.

"It's true that it's difficult to trust them," she says. "I mean… no matter how many times you explain it, I don't want it to make sense… that stuff about soul gems… about us becoming witches… and yet… I get this strange feeling that I heard all of it before somewhere… that it's all true…"

"If it's true, maybe their goals are good," Sana says. "Ah, um… it's not like I trust them… Ai-chan told me all about them. They're doing very dangerous things…"

"What's that?" Touka says. "You'd trust a rumour's word over that of a magical girl?"

"But… but… if this all ends up working, there won't be any more witches… right?" Felicia says.

"Yes!" Touka says. "That's right!"

"So there won't be as many people who end up like Mom and Dad," Felicia says.

"No, don't talk like that, Felicia!" Tsuruno exclaims.

"But Tsuruno!"

"She could be telling us the truth," Tsuruno says. "But she could also be making stuff up to get us to join her…"

"Making stuff up?" Felicia says.

"It's… possible," Iroha says. "It wouldn't be that weird for them to lie… Touka-chan has always been smart, ever since I first met her. I'm sure she could come up with something that would fit the facts… though I'm inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt… but still, we can't be certain it's all true."

"Hmph," Touka grumbles. "Wow! I can't believe Tamaki Iroha's memories are interfering now, of all times! If that's how you see me, there's nothing I can say to change your minds! Though we did anticipate this outcome. Don't worry, that's why we chose this place."

Iroha suddenly jumps to her feet.

"W-wait a second!" she says. "What if we don't want to?"

With that, she reaches for the bell sitting on the table near Touka, but Touka is faster and seizes it before Iroha can get close. Touka immediately rings it, and their surroundings abruptly change as the rumour's labyrinth sucks them in. It looks a bit like some futuristic library, with shelves and display screens arrayed in a regular pattern around a central shaft.

"What is this place…?" Sana asks.

"I knew this was a trap from the start!" Tsuruno says.

"It's not a trap," Mifuyu says. "It's 'practical learning'."

"The rumour here allows you to see a person's memories," Touka explains.

"What she means is that you'll be able to witness all the tales from the lecture for yourself," Mifuyu says. "If what we told you just now isn't enough to make you believe, it's time for step two."

"Are you talking about… brainwashing us?" Sana asks. "They said that in the Memory Museum, you can be influenced by others' memories…"

"So you really were planning to brainwash us if talking didn't work!" Iroha says. "I won't take one step inside the Memory Museum. The talk we had was enough for me. I'm going home – even if it means I have to fight the rumour to get out of here!"

"As if I would allow that," Touka retorts. "Just be a good girl and listen to the second part of the lecture."

"Besides, you're already in the Memory Museum," Mifuyu says.

She holds up a book she'd recently plucked from one of the nearby shelves.

"What's that book you've got there?" Felicia asks. "Where'd it even come from?"

"This is one of my memories," Mifuyu says. "You heard about it in the lecture…"

"Miss Mifuyu… I know you can't possibly agree with what Touka-chan is doing here," Iroha says. "Please stop…"

Mifuyu sighs but otherwise ignores her.

"Now see the truth for yourselves," Mifuyu says. "We'll talk after that."

"I'll be waiting!" Touka says cheerfully.

As soon as Mifuyu opens the book, the four Crescent Moon Villa girls fall fast asleep. Mifuyu catches them and gently lays them down, Mokyu taking up a vigil on Iroha's stomach.

"Touka… is this… really necessary?" Mifuyu asks.

"You heard them," Touka says. "They refused to join even after hearing everything, so what choice do we have? We can't just let them keep destroying rumours all over the place."

"Still… this won't actually solve that problem," Mifuyu says. "After all, there's still Ya-chan and Miss Kanagi…"

"I can't believe we have two veteran magical girls fighting against us," Touka grumbles. "What a pain this is… you're right, we'll still have to come up with a plan for Miss Kanagi. Any suggestions?"

"Well… we could send the twins to talk with her," Mifuyu says. "Tsukasa-chan and Miss Kanagi have a prior relationship, so she might listen…"

"Then do it," Touka says. "We have to try everything."

"Alright…"

They watch the sleeping girls for awhile, but then Touka decides to head outside.

"There's no point in me waiting around here," she says. "I'll leave this in your hands, Mifuyu."

"Very well," Mifuyu says.

Touka exits the rumour's barrier and steps out of the room where she'd shown the slideshow. As she reaches the top of the stairs, so does Yachiyo. Shizuku and the Amane twins are also waiting there as before.

"Oh, aren't you the veteran?" Touka says.

"And you are…"

"Nice to meet you, Nanami Yachiyo," Touka says. "I'm Satomi Touka, one of the Magius."

"Satomi Touka… the one Miss Tamaki's been looking for!?" Yachiyo gasps. "Wait, that doesn't matter right now. Where are they!? If you're one of the Magius, then this must have been where the lecture was, right!?"

"That's long finished," Touka says.

"Then where are they now!?" Yachiyo asks.

Touka giggles. "They're in the Memory Museum," she says. "They're doing a little practical learning."

"I knew it," Yachiyo says. "Let me in."

"I can't let you interfere," Touka says. "No… actually, you can. Go on."

Yachiyo gasps. "What are you planning!?"

"If you want to interfere with their lesson, go right ahead," Touka says.

"I don't understand," Yachiyo says.

"You're right, there certainly is a hidden meaning behind my words," Touka says. "Do you still want to go?"

"Yes," Yachiyo says.

"Wow!" Touka says. "Just like that!"

"I don't care what tricks you're trying to play," Yachiyo says. "I'll blow through whatever traps you lay."

Touka shrugs. "The bell to open the Memory Museum is in front of that very door," she says, indicating the door to the room she just exited.

"I see," Yachiyo says. "You'll regret telling me that."

Yachiyo makes for the door and seizes the bell, ringing it without hesitation. The labyrinth sucks her in, and she almost immediately spots Mifuyu and the others.

"Please," Mifuyu murmurs. "Please, see the truth for yourselves… the truth about magical girls, that I saw with my own eyes… I'm excited about how this will all turn out."

"I knew you'd try something like this," Yachiyo says.

"Ya-chan!?" Mifuyu gasps. "You never learn, do you? I warned you."

"I'm just here to help out some innocent magical girls," Yachiyo says.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Mifuyu says. "Why don't you take another look at what happened? Back then, this time from my perspective…"

Yachiyo's eyes widen.

"That book…!?"

Then the book opens, and Yachiyo falls asleep just like the others. Mifuyu catches her before she hits the ground and gently lays her flat beside the others.

Some time later, Sana, Felicia, and Tsuruno wake up all at once.

"How do you feel?" Mifuyu asks.

"I feel… amazing," Sana says.

"I need to make up for what I've done," Felicia mutters.

"I think… I think I killed her," Tsuruno says. "Mel-chan… or her witch, rather…"

Mifuyu blinks. "O-oh… I'm glad she didn't have to suffer, then…"

She sighs.

"So, are the three of you interested in joining the Wings of the Magius?" Mifuyu asks.

"I think I can be safe there," Tsuruno says. "So I'll join."

Mifuyu blinks. "Safe…? Well… you're not wrong about that…"

"The Wings of the Magius can help me atone, right?" Felicia says. "So sure, I'll join you guys."

"There must be many more magical girls out there who regret their wish," Sana says. "If I join the Wings of the Magius, perhaps I can help some of them."

"So, you'll all join?" Mifuyu says. "That's… that's great…"

"Um… what about… Miss Iroha?" Sana asks. "Why is she still asleep? I want to join the Wings of the Magius with her… and what about Miss Yachiyo?"

"Yeah, if we don't have Iroha with us, then what's the point?" Felicia asks. "I can do without Yachiyo, though."

Mifuyu blinks. "Oh, um… I'm not sure why she hasn't woken up," she says. "But I'm sure she'll be ready to join us once she does."

"Oh… then we should wait for her," Sana says.

"Yes," Mifuyu says. "But I think she might take awhile longer. Let's wait for her outside. When she wakes up, I'll show you all back to the base."

"Oh… okay," Sana says.

"Yep, let's go!" Tsuruno says eagerly. "I can't wait!"

Mifuyu leads the three of them away, and then Iroha sits up. It almost looks like she'd woken up earlier and had just been faking it.

"She's gone," Iroha murmurs. "And Miss Yachiyo is here… looks like I made it back safely… but I can't believe everyone else really left… and why is Miss Yachiyo sleeping too…?"

Noticing the state of her soul gem, she takes out a grief seed and uses it. The seed looks like it's now spent, though she has no way to dispose of it right now, so she stows it away again. Then she watches Yachiyo for a few minutes until the older girl also opens her eyes.

"Huh?" Yachiyo says. "Where… am I?"

"Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha says. "Thank goodness you're awake!"

Yachiyo gasps. "Miss Tamaki…"

"Miss Yachiyo, we have to get out of here!" Iroha says. "Before someone else comes!"

"Are you with the Wings of the Magius?" Yachiyo asks coldly.

"Huh!? No, of course not!" Iroha says. "I turned them down in that dream, obviously!"

"Then that means… you saw everything," Yachiyo says.

"Yes," Iroha says. "I saw what happened to Miss Kanae, and Mel-chan too… it wasn't like I was just 'seeing' it, I felt like I was there…"

"Interesting," Yachiyo says.

"But I get it now," Iroha says. "I understand why you said my doppel was dangerous, and why you tried so hard to protect me at the Séance Shrine. I was a bit surprised to wake up and see you lying there, though."

"Of course I was lying there," Yachiyo says. "I was shown the same dream."

"So you saw Miss Mifuyu's memories too," Iroha says. "Thank you for coming to help us."

"Don't get me wrong," Yachiyo says. "I didn't come here to help you."

"We don't have time for that nonsense!" Iroha exclaims. "Don't play dumb, Miss Yachiyo!"

"But it's true," Yachiyo says. "I came to see Mifuyu's memories and reassess my current way of thinking… and I managed to do that. Now I'm in line with how I was a year ago."

"Miss Yachiyo, you're wrong!" Iroha says. "You've let the rumour brainwash you after all!"

"Miss Tamaki," Yachiyo says. "I'm breaking up the team."

"No! I refuse!" Iroha exclaims. "Absolutely not!"

"This is not negotiable," Yachiyo retorts.

"I can be as stubborn as you!" Iroha says. "And I absolutely won't accept breaking up the team without so much as a reason!"

"Your thoughts on the matter are irrelevant," Yachiyo says. "I said I'm breaking it up, so that's what I'm doing."

With that, she gets to her feet and walks off to start looking for an exit. Iroha follows her. Before long, they run into several of the rumour's familiars, which attack on sight.

"Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha says. "Let's beat this rumour together!"

"We have nothing to do with each other," Yachiyo says. "We're not even a team anymore."

"But I told you I wouldn't accept you breaking up the team!" Iroha says.

Yachiyo ignores her, taking down the familiars without much difficulty.

"Miss Yachiyo, please explain yourself!" Iroha insists.

Suddenly Yachiyo stops, causing Iroha to run into her from behind. Then Touka steps out from behind one of the shelves, giggling a bit. She's now powered up.

"You finally made it," she says. "Hello Tamaki Iroha, miss veteran."

"Touka-chan," Iroha says. "I was wondering how long it would be before you popped out…"

Alina and Mifuyu step out as well.

"We've been waiting with bated breath for awhile, wondering when you might wake up," Touka says.

"Keeping I, Alina, and my comrades waiting so long… the world is lost without us," Alina says.

"Now, now, it was a necessary step," Mifuyu says.

"Alina… and Mifuyu, too," Yachiyo says.

"So what did you think of my memories?" Mifuyu asks.

"You asked the same question in the dream," Yachiyo says. "How was it? It was awful. I feel terrible…"

"Yes… Touka-chan was there, too," Iroha says.

"I was part of it?" Touka says. "The rumour must have done that on its own to better brainwash you, I guess."

"So it was brainwashing," Yachiyo says.

"You're awful," Iroha says. "After saying you didn't want to fight, you went and dropped this rumour on us… and I even believed you."

"I meant it when I said I didn't want any more pointless fighting, though," Touka says. "It would be much better for us if you just joined us instead of fighting us. That way no-one needs to get hurt. It's much more peaceful that way."

She giggles.

"But how did this happen?" Alina asks. "You were supposed to be brainwashed, but it looks like it didn't work."

"Yes, you're right," Mifuyu says. "Ya-chan, you don't plan on joining us either, do you?"

"Of course not," Yachiyo says. "Your memories may have brought me back to how I was a year ago… but that doesn't mean I have any reason to join the Wings of the Magius."

"Please move out of the way," Iroha says. "We need to unbrainwash the others!"

"Don't be silly," Touka says. "After they listened to the lecture and did their practical learning, they joined us."

"Really?" Iroha says. "All of them joined you?"

"Every last one," Touka says.

She makes a beckoning gesture, and Tsuruno, Sana, and Felicia step out into the aisle as well.

"Tsuruno-chan… Felicia-chan… Sana-chan…" Iroha says.

Touka giggles. "They all joined us. You understand how important it is for us to liberate magical girls now, don't you?"

She addresses herself at the three of them.

"Yeah," Tsuruno says. "Only the Wings of the Magius can help me protect everyone. I will do great things with them."

Her voice isn't as energetic as it usually is, though it's not exactly flat or dead either.

"Me too," Felicia mutters. "Only the Wings of the Magius can help me atone for what I've done…"

"I will save those who suffer from their own wishes with the Wings of the Magius," Sana says.

"I feel like I've had a divine revelation," Tsuruno says.

"It's like a higher power told me joining was the right thing to do," Felicia says.

"Right," Sana says. "Now it feels as though the world is a little bit brighter."

"Can you even hear yourselves…?" Iroha says. "What you're saying doesn't even make any sense!"

"You didn't hear them?" Touka asks. "There's no need for brainwashing now. They reached this conclusion on their own."

"Indeed!" Alina says. "Welcome to the Wings of the Magius!"

"No, you're wrong, Touka-chan," Iroha exclaims. "They haven't chosen this! None of them have!"

"But alas, this emotional reunion must come to an end," Alina says. "Touka, I think you should take them outside. We need not bother with the two that we couldn't persuade."

She steps forward, blocking the path so that Yachiyo and Iroha can't reach the others.

"Miss Iroha…" Sana murmurs, looking a bit disappointed.

"Stop!" Iroha says.

"You're right," Mifuyu says. "Shall we go, then? We need to go over all of our policies with them…"

"No!" Iroha says.

"Ah, good point," Touka says. She turns back to Iroha. "As you can see, we have things to do, so…"

"Please, Touka-chan! Please don't take them away!" Iroha exclaims.

"Hm? Nooope!" Touka says, giggling. "Goodbye, Tamaki Iroha, miss veteran. Miss mighty and friends, come along with Mifuyu and me…"

"Okay," Tsuruno says.

"Will do," Felicia says.

"I… I'm coming," Sana says, sounding a touch reluctant.

Everyone except Alina turns to leave, and Alina thrusts an arm out to stop Iroha as she tries to duck around and follow them.

"No… don't go!" Iroha says.

Both Sana and Felicia briefly glance back at Iroha as they round a corner. Tsuruno does not.

"Oh! One last thing," Touka says, pausing to look back. "It seems I differ from how you remember me. But don't you think your memories might be wrong, not the other way around?"

Iroha just glares at her, and Touka giggles.

"That's all," she says. "Bye-bye, now!"

Everyone else has already disappeared from sight. Before Iroha can do or say anything else, Touka disappears as well.

"I can't let them get away with this," Iroha says, her voice shaking.

"Aha!" Alina says. "So you still have fight left in you? Your foolishness is amusing."

"Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha says. "Miss Yachiyo, we have to save them!"

But Yachiyo just stands there, showing no response at all, and Alina bursts out laughing.

"You think I'd just let you do that?" she asks.

She opens up her labyrinth, a flowery portal appearing before them.

"This… must be Alina's…" Iroha says.

Alina drags out one of her witches out, popping its labyrinth like a bubble and dumping it into the rumour's labyrinth directly. From the portal emblem, it's clearly an instance of Teresa, the pendulum witch.

"T-the labyrinth collapsed… and now there's a witch!?"

"Ahhh, so beautiful I could cry!" Alina says. "I am afraid that I, Alina, must gift only one of my masterpieces to you today."

"Why… I thought you treasured witches," Iroha says.

"Of course I do," Alina says. "But I also want to pulverize the two of you. If I do, you won't stand a chance against the rumour… and the two of you will be trapped inside this barrier."

"But that means you and the others shouldn't be able to get out easily either," Iroha says.

"I didn't look at any books in here," Alina says. "Neither did Touka or Mifuyu. So you two will be the only ones trapped here. Worry not. I'll come back to check on you, to retrieve your freshly made death masks!"

Alina turns to walk off, giggling.

"She just produces one disgusting thing after another," Yachiyo says.

"Miss Yachiyo… everyone's leaving… we have to move quickly!" Iroha says.

"They have nothing to do with me," Yachiyo says.

"Oh, for goodness's sake!" Iroha says. "What on earth did Miss Mifuyu say to you?"

"There's no need for me to answer that," Yachiyo says.

"Yes there is!" Iroha says. "But first… we need to—"

"No, I can take care of this alone," Yachiyo says. "Don't even think about interfering."

"Why!?" Iroha gasps.

"There's no need for me to answer that, either," Yachiyo says.

"Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha protests. "Please, stop acting like this!"

"This is not the time to just stand here and chat!" Yachiyo says.

She brandishes her halberd and attacks the witch.

"Miss Yachiyo, just let me help!" Iroha says.

"I told you, stay back!" Yachiyo snaps.

"Why… Miss Yachiyo, please tell me what's going on!?" Iroha exclaims.

But Yachiyo ignores her and focuses on attacking the witch. After a minute or so, she starts to charge her ultimate attack.

"I'm ending this… here!" she shouts. "Absolute Rain!"

The rain of spears finishes off the witch, leaving Yachiyo breathing heavily.

"Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha says. "Why must you insist on fighting it alone!? If you keep this up you're going to wear yourself out…"

She approaches Yachiyo, but Yachiyo holds out a hand to stop her.

"Stay away," Yachiyo says. "There's no reason for you to worry about me."

She starts walking at a pretty fast pace. Iroha has to run a little to keep up.

"Yes there is!" Iroha says. "We're on the same team, Miss Yachiyo! We're friends!"

"No, we aren't," Yachiyo says.

"Please, talk to me, Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha says. "The others have been brainwashed! Are you just going to leave them? Please tell me your reason! Just say something!"

"It has nothing to do with you," Yachiyo says.

"Yes it does!" Iroha says. "It has to do with both of us! I thought you had let us in… you even bought us mugs… I thought we were really friends… please… don't talk about breaking up the team! Let's beat this rumour together, get out of here, and rescue everyone… we should work together in a time like this!"

"No," Yachiyo says stubbornly.

"Are you saying that because we're allegedly not teammates anymore?" Iroha asks.

"Obviously," Yachiyo says.

"It's just all so baffling!" Iroha says. "You've been acting strange ever since Miss Mifuyu came to visit, keeping your distance and everything. Then all of a sudden you say you're breaking up the team? Saying there's nothing you can do to help Tsuruno-chan and the others… it makes me feel so sad… so lonely… after all, we've fought together all this time!"

"I have no intention of continuing as a team," Yachiyo says. "We are no longer teammates. I don't need your help, and I won't be helping you either. I work alone. That is all."

Iroha sighs and shakes her head, her expression suddenly hardening.

"But more than that, I'm angry," she says. "I'm so angry with you, Miss Yachiyo."

"Miss Tamaki…"

"It's not good enough!" Iroha declares. "Just saying we won't be a team anymore… I can't accept such a half-hearted declaration! If you won't give me your reason, then I won't accept your decision to break up the team! You can ignore me if you want. I don't care. No matter how hard you try to push me away, I'm not going to leave your side, Miss Yachiyo! Even if I have to grab your hand and drag you along, we're leaving together! We're going to get out of here and save everyone!"

"You're a thorn in my side," Yachiyo says. "Please, stop. My determination will crumble if you say those things…"

"I just think you're being selfish, Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha says.

Yachiyo suddenly comes to a stop.

"If you're with me, you're going to die," she says. "In exchange for becoming a magical girl, my wish was to survive. For the selfish wish of 'I want to survive', I became a magical girl. But in exchange for my own survival, the people around me die."

Iroha lets out a small sigh, as if she's been relieved of some burden. Then she shakes her head.

"What on earth is that?" Iroha says. "That simply can't be."

She darts around Yachiyo to face her.

"Is that really your reason for breaking up the team!?"

"I don't want anyone else to die!" Yachiyo shouts.

Suddenly, another witch shows up, this time an instance of Box Wood. It slams into Yachiyo and sends her flying. She appears to black out from the impact.

"Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha says. "I swear I'll help you!"

As Box Wood comes around for another pass, this time aiming for Iroha, she throws herself to the side to dodge, then leaps to her feet, firing a volley of arrows at the witch. Box Wood circles above, now wary of her.

"Miss… Tamaki…?" Yachiyo mutters.

Yachiyo struggles to her feet as she watches Iroha fight. Finally Iroha shoots an arrow right down the witch's throat, and it dissolves into nothingness. Unfortunately, this one doesn't drop a grief seed, but she barely even notices that, running over to hug Yachiyo.

"Miss Yachiyo, thank goodness! Let's get out of here!"

She takes Yachiyo's hand and tries to continue down the hall, but Yachiyo won't budge. Iroha stops and turns back.

"Miss Yachiyo… I understand your wish, but I can't believe that's why Mel-chan and Miss Kanae died," Iroha says. "How you could ever think that!?"

"Miss Tamaki… I don't even understand what my unique power is, or why I always manage to survive. When I made my wish, I was part of a group of models. I only wished for what I did because I needed to keep going, to survive, as their leader… but if the power within me is linked to Mel and Kanae's deaths… it all starts to make sense…"

"But you don't know that for sure!" Iroha says.

"No, listen to me," Yachiyo insists. "Kanae and Mel told me… 'Bring me with you… show me the future… I feel like you can do it… because you're vital to the team.' …and… 'No, it is lucky… I managed to save you… I saved the leader I look up to so much… I'm really happy I did.' When I started to consider why I always managed to survive, I remembered their words… you could interpret it all to mean this… I wished to survive, so I could continue being a leader… so their lives were offered up in order for me to live. If that's the case, similar to how you have healing powers… and similar to Tsuruno's good luck, or Mifuyu's ability to create illusions… my unique power is this… the power to survive by sacrificing someone else."

"No!" Iroha says. "I know that's not true!"

"You see?" Yachiyo says. "If we stay together, my wish will eventually kill you…"

"But this is all a guess!" Iroha says. "Your wish being the cause of their deaths, your unique power… you still don't know for sure!"

"It's dangerous enough as a guess…"

"I still won't accept it!" Iroha shouts.

"You have to!" Yachiyo shouts. "How do you think I feel!?" She sighs. "I'm sorry. All of this is my fault! I made Momoko angry! I worried Tsuruno! Now the same thing is happening all over again! I've brought misery to everyone! I was only trying to help a little back when I first met you but… I don't know if it's a facet of my personality that was born with my wish… or perhaps it's just my own loneliness. I can't say for sure… I just know that as soon as I loosen my hold on my feelings, I'll go back to my old self. The feelings I have for all of you got so strong… I kept telling myself we are only together because of our common interests… that we weren't friends… and I wasn't your leader… but that… didn't work out… Mifuyu's words cut me right through to the core. I realized how much I'd changed… so, I'm sorry… I don't want to be the cause of your deaths. Please let me disband the team."

"Okay, I finally understand now," Iroha says.

"I'm so sorry," Yachiyo says.

"Miss Yachiyo, I've become strong thanks to you and everyone else," Iroha says. "Tsuruno-chan, Felicia-chan, Sana-chan… Momoko-chan, Kaede-chan, Rena-chan… Miss Mitama, Miss Miyako, Miss Ami, Miss Kurumi, even Kuroe-chan and the flute sisters…"

Yachiyo blinks. "When did you have the chance to meet all of those people…?"

"I've been wandering all over the city looking for Ui," Iroha says. "Why is it so surprising that I'd meet a lot of people? But that's beside the point. Miss Yachiyo! If you think people die because of you, then I'll prove you wrong! I'll become the precedent to show that it's a lie! I'll prove to you that this is all in your imagination! If your wish has become twisted… at least I can be there to brush it aside!"

"But…!" Yachiyo says.

"I'm not going to die that easily!" Iroha declares. "I promise you that, Miss Yachiyo. I'm your friend, and as your friend, I'm going to take out this rumour, all on my own! I'm going to be the one to protect you. I'll smash this made-up idea you have of me sacrificing myself for you!"

As if responding to her intentions, the main rumour decides to show itself at that moment.

"W-what are you saying!?" Yachiyo exclaims. "You can't!"

"I can and I will!" Iroha shouts. "I'm really angry with you right now! Everyone has suffered because of this idea that you came up in your head! Not only me, but Tsuruno-chan and Momoko-chan too have really suffered! I'm really angry with you for that! So… please wait until I die before you decide if that hypothesis of yours is true!"

She fires off a volley of bolts at the rumour, and it retaliates with its signature paper swarm, but she dodges in a roll and continues talking.

"I'd be so lonely without you, Miss Yachiyo!" she shouts. "I'd be so sad I wouldn't be able to bear it! Therefore! I'll beat this rumour alone! Then the two of us will get out of here together! So just stay out of my way!"

Yachiyo gets to her feet, flinging her halberd at the rumour.

"That's enough, Miss Tamaki!" Yachiyo says. "The more you try to save me, and the more I try to save you… the closer my wish gets to killing you… please, I'll be okay on my own. I'll fight by myself! Just leave me alone…"

But Iroha shakes her head, dodging the rumour's attacks and firing a continuous stream of arrows, as if she were using a repeating crossbow.

"I refuse!" Iroha says stubbornly. "I won't leave you alone, and I won't compromise on this! No matter what happens, I'll stay by your side! I won't accept that your wish will make everyone die, and I won't hear a word from you about breaking up the team! I'm putting my foot down!"

She starts to build up magic for her ultimate attack.

"This time, I'm going to protect you, Miss Yachiyo," Iroha says. "I'll save you, and then I'll save everyone else. Then we'll bring Miss Mifuyu and Ui back! I'll show you!"

She dodges as the rumour fires a fresh paper swarm at her.

"We'll all go back together!" she shouts. "So I want you to trust me, Miss Yachiyo! No matter what happens, I'll definitely return home to you! Remember that!"

With that, she aims and lets loose.

"Strada Futuro!"

Her ultimate attack overwhelms the rumour, and it crumbles into dust. Iroha collapses to her knees, breathing heavily.

"I… did it," she says.

"You…"

"Look, Miss Yachiyo," Iroha says. "I didn't die! Even though you were all bruised and bloody and in huge danger, I'm still alive!"

Her soul gem is around ninety percent corrupted, but somehow she manages to stay on her feet.

"Miss Tamaki! Why did you push yourself so hard…?"

"Of course I'd push myself," Iroha says. "I don't want to lose everyone. So, Miss Yachiyo… could you give yourself one more chance?"

"One more chance?"

"That's right," Iroha says. "A chance to believe that your wish and their deaths are unrelated."

"But… but I…"

"Well, if that's not enough, I have another suggestion," Iroha says.

"What is it now?"

"From now on, I'll be the leader!"

"What!?"

"Then there's no problem, right?" Iroha says.

Yachiyo blinks several times, not so much in surprise as trying to hold back tears.

"You… really are stubborn…"

"Yes, I am," Iroha says, smiling. "Sorry about that."

"I'm sorry, too," Yachiyo says.

"Miss Yachiyo… let's save the others, together," Iroha says. "And all go back home… to your house, Miss Yachiyo… to Crescent Moon Villa…"

Finally Yachiyo manages to smile, just a little.

"Thank you… Iroha," she says.

Iroha smiles too.

"This is the first time you've called me by my given name," she says. "So, um… Miss Yachiyo… I'm going to pretend to join the Wings of the Magius, so… please just go home like normal, and I'll see you there soon."

Yachiyo gasps. "Y-you can't be serious! That's too dangerous!"

"It can't be that bad," Iroha says. "Miss Ashley is there, after all, and Miss Mifuyu and the Amane twins are also good people. There's also Kuroe-chan. I think it's… the only sure way to find Ui."

"Then I'll come with you!" Yachiyo says.

Iroha shakes her head. "They might buy me suddenly changing my mind," she says. "But for you… I think that would be a tough sell…"

"I suppose you have a point," Yachiyo mutters.

"Please, don't worry about me," Iroha says. "I'll see you tomorrow for sure. Joining them doesn't mean I can't return to Crescent Moon Villa, right?"

"A-alright," Yachiyo says. "But… be careful… and good luck."

As they're talking, the barrier collapses, and they end up in the room with the slide show and the tea party. Someone has cleared away the remnants of the food. At that moment, Iroha suddenly loses her balance and almost falls, but Yachiyo catches her. Then she gasps at the sight of Iroha's soul gem.

"Iroha… your soul gem!" she says.

"Don't worry," Iroha says. "I'll be fine. In the worst case… I can use my doppel, though I'd prefer to avoid that if possible…"

"Maybe I can get you a grief seed from the Coordinator if we can get out of here," Yachiyo says.

"That would be nice," Iroha says. "Unfortunately… it seems like we have someone waiting for us."

Yachiyo blinks. "T-this magic… isn't that…?"

"Miss Tomoe, right?" Iroha says.

"Y-yeah… I remember her magic clearly," Yachiyo says.

They fall silent for a minute or so, and then Yachiyo speaks up again.

"After my talk with Mifuyu, I tried to keep my distance from you and the others, just like you noticed," Yachiyo says. "I'd made it up in my mind that I was going to break up the team… now… it all feels kind of strange…"

"Yeah, doesn't it?" Iroha says. "I said some really intense things just now…"

"But you changed my mind because you said them," Yachiyo says.

"Yes… I'm really glad I said them," Iroha says. "That's one thing I'll never regret."

"Ugh…"

"A-are you alright?" Iroha asks.

"Yes… are you, Iroha?"

"More or less… aren't we quite the pair right now?"

"We are… first, we need to heal ourselves, or we aren't going to rescue anyone…"

"You're right… but with Miss Tomoe waiting for us out there, I don't think we'll have that chance," Iroha says. "We'll have to rely on Madoka-chan and her friends…"

"I don't sense them here, though," Yachiyo says.

"They should be somewhere around here," Iroha says. "Maybe they're just out of range… or they haven't arrived yet…"

Yachiyo gathers Iroha up on her back, then exits the room and heads for the stairs. Mami is standing at the top of the stairs, leaning on the balcony overlooking the lobby below. She turns as they exit the room. Since she's standing on the opposite side of the stairwell, she's not blocking their access to the stairs themselves, but Yachiyo stops just before taking a step down, facing her. Mami isn't the only one there, either – Touka, Alina, and Mifuyu are sitting at a table just beyond her, drinking tea, and Shizuku and the Amane twins are also there, standing behind Touka's chair. Even Sana, Tsuruno, and Felicia are there, wearing black feather robes and standing behind Mifuyu's chair. Amu and Yaeko Mana are standing behind Alina's chair. Mifuyu was speaking when they exited the room, but her voice cuts off in mid-sentence as the pair appear.

"The gospel was delivered to you two as well, wasn't it?" Mami says.

"Gospel?" Yachiyo says.

"The gospel that as a member of the Wings of the Magius, there is no higher honour than devotion to the liberation of magical girls," Mami says.

"Sorry, but there's no way I'd join the Wings of the Magius," Yachiyo says. "And I'm sure Iroha feels the same way!"

"Why do you refuse to face grief?" Mami asks. "Even though therein lies a way to overcome grief?"

"Miss Tomoe… how could you leave your friends without so much as a word?" Iroha asks. "Madoka-chan and the others have been looking for you. You haven't contacted them even once."

"Ah, yes," Mami says. "I suppose you're right… I mean, I haven't even gone back to Mitakihara since I joined the Wings of the Magius! I've just been so busy…"

"I've been wondering about that too," Iroha says. "Why did you join the Wings of the Magius?"

"It was clearly the correct choice," Mami says. "I received a divine message… I know my true purpose now…!"

"Your purpose?" Yachiyo says.

"To liberate all magical girls," Mami says. "By following the guidance of the Magius, we will all be saved. To that end, I must eliminate anything that gets in the way… with force, if necessary. Even if you are Miss Kaname's friends and you're badly injured…" Mami smiles. "You know, this is just like when we first met at that shrine, isn't it?"

"So they even went to the effort of preparing a pawn to ensure we were crushed," Yachiyo mutters.

Mami summons one of her muskets and leaps at Yachiyo, swinging it like a club. Yachiyo summons her halberd and blocks it, the two of them exchanging several blows back and forth.

"Miss Tomoe, just listen to me!" Yachiyo says.

"She doesn't have to listen," Touka interjects. "After all, you didn't listen to us."

"You…!" Yachiyo gasps.

"However, I have other things to be doing now," Touka continues. "Since it seems the two of you still won't be joining up, and we were just about finished with initiating the others… miss saint, you can take care of the rest."

Shizuku opens a portal, and Touka and Alina head through, followed by the black feathers including the new 'recruits'. Again, Felicia and Sana both pause briefly to glance back at them. Finally Mifuyu and the Amane sisters step through the portal, which then closes behind them.

"Yes!" Mami says. "By following the guidance of the Magius… we will all be saved! We have a clear vision. Although I do admit there are also some bad eggs in our ranks…" She smiles. "You must not struggle. Come… join us! If you won't… then you can just die!"

"I've had quite enough of being invited to join your little cult," Yachiyo says.

"Then I must do as the Magius commanded," Mami says.

She aims her musket at the pair of them, but then a new voice enters the scene.

"Hooooooold it right there!"

Sayaka charges into the lobby, mounts the stairs in three giant bounds, and places herself between Mami and Yachiyo. Hitomi also follows her into the lobby, but she doesn't climb the stairs. The startled Mami unsummons her musket.

"This isn't like you, Mami," Sayaka says. "Bullying the weak…"

"What on earth has come over you, Mami-sempai?" Hitomi asks.

Mami blinks, staring at them for several seconds.

"Miss Miki… Miss Shizuki…"

"Geez, I've been looking all over for you, Miss Mami," Sayaka says.

"Miss Madoka and the others have been searching too," Hitomi says.

"We sure didn't expect to find you in an abandoned building like this," Sayaka says.

Yachiyo takes advantage of their discussion to quietly descend the stairs without Mami noticing, using her halberd a bit to prop herself up.

"Miss Miki… is that really you? Miss Shizuki… are my eyes deceiving me?" Mami wonders. "You came to condemn me, huh? There's nothing I could do to make up for what I did to you."

"Miss Mami… what are you talking about?" Sayaka asks. "Why on earth would we condemn you?"

"Go ahead, hurl abuse at me," Mami says. "I deserve it. But it's okay now. We can avoid the worst-case scenario. We've found a way!"

"Worst-case…?" Hitomi says. "Could it be that… you are talking about… witches…?"

"No way… did Mami find out too!?" Sayaka gasps. "Madoka and Homura both said she must never find out… c-could that be why she didn't come back…?"

"Tell me, where's Miss Kaname?" Mami asks. "Is she here too? What about Homura-chan? Nagisa-chan?"

Mami looks around as if expecting them to suddenly pop out.

"Ahhhh… there was nothing beyond that hope I'd grasped," Mami laments. "Were you fooling us? At this rate, everyone… we'll all become witches who scatter despair!"

"S-she really did find out…?" Hitomi gasps. "T-this doesn't look good…"

"I can't believe it…" Sayaka says. "It's true, what they said… Mami really can't handle the truth…"

Then Mami transforms again, donning the Saint of Kamihama rumour and unleashing her doppel.

"That's right!" Mami gasps. "I have to call them to Kamihama too! If they come to Kamihama, magical girls will be saved!"

By this time, Yachiyo has almost made it to the bottom of the stairs, but then Mami suddenly summons an array of muskets orbiting her and opens fire without hesitation. Hitomi immediately summons her fans, deflecting the bullets away from the region containing herself and Yachiyo, but it's a narrow safe zone, so one step outside would spell certain doom. Sayaka leaps at Mami, but Mami dodges and kicks her down the stairs. As she falls, she rolls up into a ball to protect her soul gem, and there's an unpleasant crunch as Sayaka lands on the ground just behind them.

"T-that didn't sound good!" Yachiyo says. "Is your friend going to be okay…?"

"Don't worry," Hitomi says. "For Miss Sayaka, that kind of injury is nothing."

So Yachiyo summons her halberds and starts flinging them at Mami. After about thirty seconds, Sayaka steps up alongside her, completely healed, and does the same with her swords. The room becomes a veritable maelstrom of cross-fire, bullets flying one direction, swords and halberds the other.

Then Mami fires a cannonball. It's clearly too much for Hitomi's deflection magic or whatever that is, so Sayaka leaps in front to catch it with her crossed swords. Though it shatters her arms, she heals them almost instantaneously, and with a gargantuan effort she manages to divert the path of the cannonball, flinging it off to the side.

Then Yachiyo builds a path of halberds which Sayaka uses to get close to Mami by avoiding the worst of the gunfire filling the stairwell and instead climbing up the sides. As she draws close, Hitomi unleashes her ultimate attack.

"Bewitching Faerie Sonata!"

The swarm of summoned fairies spread out, some of them harrying Mami while the others just attack the missiles in mid-flight. The distraction allows Sayaka to get close enough to land a clean hit on Mami. However, once again Mami spins and gives Sayaka a good kick, this time sending her flying off the side of the stairwell. Still, while she's distracted by Sayaka, Yachiyo and Hitomi have a chance to find shelter below the stairwell.

"What should we do, Miss Sayaka?" Hitomi asks. "Mami-sempai clearly isn't herself… I'd like to help her, but if I'm honest, I don't even know what's wrong with her…"

"I'm… not sure either," Sayaka says. "But it… doesn't look like she's… open to reason right now, so… I think our priority should be… to get out of here safely."

"Yeah, I think I agree, actually," Hitomi says. "To think we found her, but she was like this… and she even found out the truth about witches…"

"Then I guess it's… time to call them," Sayaka says.

"I agree," Hitomi.

A moment later, Madoka and Homura swoop in through the main entrance, their wings spread. Nagisa is with them too, holding on to Madoka's hand. Mami lets out a little gasp, and the gunfire falters.

"Homura-chan… those wings…! Miss Kaname…? Nagisa-chan!"

"Miss Mami!" Madoka shouts. "I don't want to see you like this!"

"Miss Kaname… but… b-but they…" Mami stammers.

"I know you're not the type of person who would kill people just for disagreeing with you!" Madoka says.

"T-that's… true," Mami admits.

"This… is my chance," Iroha groans. "Miss Yachiyo… let me speak to her."

"But you can barely even move!" Yachiyo protests.

"T-that's true… um, I don't suppose one of you… has a grief seed?" Iroha says. "I'll give you… another one in return later… if you let me use it now…"

"Ah… I do have one," Hitomi says. "It's my only one though… but I think the others have a couple as well, so I should be fine without it."

She takes it out and offers it to Yachiyo, who takes it and purifies Iroha's soul gem. Iroha lets out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you very much, um… what was your name again? You're a friend of Madoka-chan, right?"

Hitomi nods. "I'm Shizuki Hitomi. The girl moaning in pain on the ground over there is Miki Sayaka."

"I am so not moaning in pain!" Sayaka protests, sitting up.

"Ah, I see your wounds have already healed, Miss Sayaka," Hitomi says.

Iroha gets to her feet and walks back out into Mami's line of sight. Mami aims a musket at her, but Iroha simply stands there, staring up at her. With Madoka and Homura present, Mami likely lacks the nerve to actually fire.

"Miss Tomoe!" Iroha says. "I'd like to discuss a ceasefire!"

Mami blinks, then lowers her musket.

"Very well, I must at least listen," she says. "What is your proposal?"

"I want you to let everyone here go," Iroha says.

"And why should I do that?" Mami says.

"In return… I'll join you!" Iroha says.

Mami blinks. "You'll join the Wings of the Magius?" she says. "But you said earlier that you weren't interested… when Lady Touka was here, you clearly said it!"

Iroha shakes her head. "Miss Yachiyo was the one who said that, remember?"

Mami blinks. "Ah… you're right…!"

"So… will you agree?" Iroha asks.

Mami nods slowly. "Very well," she says. "I'll let everyone else go, for now. Miss Tamaki… you'll come with me."

As Mami descends the steps, Candeloro dissipating as she moves, Madoka lands next to Iroha and grabs her hands.

"Iroha-chan, you don't have to do this!" she says. "If we had to, I'm sure we could even defeat Miss Mami!"

Iroha shakes her head, and understanding dawns on Madoka's face – she must've received a telepathic explanation of some kind.

"I have to do this," Iroha says. "I'm sorry, Madoka-chan…"

"A-alright, if you're sure," Madoka says. "Good luck, Iroha-chan…"

"Miss Kaname… I'm sure I'll see you again soon," Mami says. "We can talk things over then."

"Y-yes… okay," Madoka says.

With that, Mami leaves via the front door, then pauses to make sure Iroha is following. After briefly communicating with Mokyu, Iroha exits as well, the little creature not accompanying her. Mami leads her to the old railway yard, using her Magius emblem to reveal the portal, and Iroha gasps.

"Ah… so this is where you've been hiding," she says.

"Come," Mami says.

---

I sit up in bed, and Inui turns to look at me in surprise. She's seated at the desk, though I'm not sure what she's doing there.

"Ah, is it all over?" Inui asks.

"Well, yes and no," I say. "Let's go meet them."

"Huh? Meet who?" Inui asks.

"Just come," I say.

I flash my robes on and exit the room, and Inui does the same and follows me. I descend the stairs to the main lobby. The Amane twins are still there, so I address them.

"Excuse me… could you two call Miss Mifuyu for me?" I ask. "Or maybe one of the Magius. Though Miss Mifuyu would be preferable."

"Ah, sure," Tsukasa says.

"Um… what's going on…?" Inui asks.

"You'll see in a minute," I say.

It seems Iroha has gotten distracted by the garden, so they're delayed a bit longer than I expected. As a result, Mifuyu arrives a few moments before Mami enters the building.

"I came as fast as I could," Mifuyu says. "What's going… on…?"

Iroha follows Mami in, looking around. Both of them are still powered up, Mami even in her holy form.

"Ah, Miss Mifuyu," Mami says. "I have a new recruit for you."

The Amane twins gasp in unison.

"Y-you can't be serious!?" Tsukasa says.

"There is no way!" Tsukuyo says.

"Ah… hello Tsukuyo-chan, Tsukasa-chan," Iroha says. "Sorry to barge in like this…"

"Miss Tamaki… are you really planning to join us?" Mifuyu asks.

"Um… is that so strange?" Iroha asks.

"Quite frankly, yes it is… but I won't ask questions, other than this one," Mifuyu says. "Are you really sure about joining us?"

"I'm sure," Iroha says.

Mifuyu sighs. "Alright… come with me, and I'll get you a robe," she says. "I think neither Touka nor Nemu would object if I made you a white feather… after all, you managed to drag Ya-chan out of her shell, not once but twice."

Iroha gasps. "So Nemu-chan really is here!" she says.

"Yes, she is the third Magius," Mifuyu says.

"I see," Iroha says. "I thought she might be, when I saw Touka-chan. And… sorry, Miss Ashley… it seems I forgot about a lot more than just Ui…"

"Don't worry about it," I say. "It all worked out in the end, so that's what matters most, right? But you should call me Lita when we're on the base."

"Ah, okay… Lita," Iroha says.

Iroha and Mifuyu head upstairs, Mami trailing behind them, and Inui collapses on a couch.

"I can't believe she actually joined," Inui says.

"Me too," Tsukasa says. "What on earth convinced her to change her mind…? After fighting us for so long…"

"I know that Lady Touka was hoping for it, but I never entertained it as a genuine possibility," Tsukuyo says.

"I know what you guys mean," I say. "I was really surprised when she said that…"

I sit down next to Inui and take out my phone, composing a message to Madoka.

[I only have two questions for you and Homura. Did you meet Utsuho Natsuki today? And did Nagisa find out the truth about witches and the soul gem?]

I re-read it three times, because I feel like I'm missing something, but I can't think of what it could be, so I finally hit send. By that time, Mifuyu and Iroha have returned. Iroha is now wearing a white feather robe, though she has the hood pushed back. It looks like she's also powered down.

"Miss Lita, would you mind escorting Miss Tamaki to the chapel?" Mifuyu says. "She expressed that she'd like to see it."

"Ah, sure," I say. "It's okay if Inui comes, right?"

"That's up to you," Mifuyu says.

Inui and I get up and approach Iroha.

"The chapel is just over here," I say, pointing to the stairwell's entrance.

"Okay, show me the way," Iroha says.

I lead the way in, and we descend the spiral staircase.

"That's strange," Iroha says. "It wasn't a spiral staircase before…"

"The Magius unwound the stairs for the final confrontation," I say. "It was originally a spiral staircase."

"Huh, I see," Iroha says.

"By the way… where's Mokyu?" I ask.

Indeed, the little creature isn't riding on Iroha's shoulder like usual.

"I asked her to stay with Miss Yachiyo," Iroha says. "Though I did think that if something happened to me, she'd be able to show Miss Yachiyo the way to the base.… but I decided it was better for her to keep Miss Yachiyo company."

"That wouldn't help actually," I say. "You can't get in without the Magius emblem… and even if you do have it, we're not physically located in the old railway yard. The entrance can be moved wherever the Magius wish."

"It's such an incredible place though, isn't it?" Iroha says. "I know the Magius are our enemies, but… it's so sad to think that this place will be destroyed…"

"You have a point," Inui says. "So many people are living here… and the Magius just plan to trample on their belongings like so much trash… I wonder if Culu-chan's idea to turn Fendt Hope against them can really work?"

Iroha blinks. "Huh? What are you talking about?" she asks.

"Well, consider Miss Ai," I say.

Iroha gasps. "Ah! You're saying that a rumour can rebel against its master… but I thought Miss Ai was an exception…?"

"I'm not sure," I say. "Anyway… here we are. Luckily for you, it seems Alina isn't here right now."

We emerge into the underground chapel garden, and Iroha looks up at Eve, her face hardening.

"I can't believe they've done that to Ui…"

"It's awful," Inui agrees. "Wait, did you come here just so you could free her…?"

"I was considering it," Iroha says. "But I think I would need Mokyu here for that… and would it even solve anything? Still… I want to free her as soon as I can… but for now, Miss Ashley, could you at least let me see her?"

I nod and summon Teddy Mk II.

"Sure. Hop on."

The three of us climb on. I let Iroha perch on the head this time. Then we all rise up into the air and zoom up close to the red gemstone containing Ui. Iroha peers at it.

"It's true!" she gasps. "It's really Ui! I can't believe it… I can't believe I've finally found her!"

"Didn't you already know she'd be here?" I ask.

"Well… yes, but… I only remembered a little while ago," Iroha says. "Until they tried to use the rumour on me to brainwash me, I didn't even remember that I'd come back in time with you… I suppose it worked out, sort of, since I did promise not to do anything before the Memory Museum. Though there were some things that were different… like the camping trip with Kuroe-chan…"

"That one was planned out by me and Miss Aki, so don't worry about it," I say. "It was a gamble to reduce her chance of giving up and turning into a witch like last time."

"I see," Iroha says. "So you did that to save Kuroe-chan… alright. Then I think we need to have a long talk, Miss Ashley. Um… should we do it here, or somewhere else?"

"Probably somewhere not on the base would be best," I say.

"Do you have a place in mind?" Iroha asks.

"The helipad is usually the go-to place for a private chat," Inui says.

"That works," Iroha says. "Is it okay if I call Miss Aki? Um… if possible, I'd also like the girl who can see the future to come, but that might be a bit much on such short notice… her name was Miss Oriko, right?"

I nod. "That's right, but why do you want the two of them?" I ask. "Not that I mind… I'll give her a call."

"Alright, then I'll call Miss Aki, and you can call Miss Oriko," Iroha says.

"But first, let's get out of the base," I say. "And Inui, I need you to take care of Miss Futaba and Miss Mitsuki… you more or less know what to do, right?"

Inui nods. "Yes, I understand… basically the same as last time," she says. "But I guess you won't be showing them Eve this time?"

I nod. "Yeah, that's correct."

The three of us head back up, and Inui heads upstairs while Iroha and I leave the base together. Mifuyu and the twins are no longer in the lobby when we pass through. I spend a minute or so teaching Iroha how to flash her robes on and off, and then she and I both make our calls. By some strange stroke of luck, or perhaps due to Oriko's own foresight, it turns out that Oriko and Kirika are already in Kamihama to get some grief seeds, so inside of half an hour we have all the members assembled at the helipad – Oriko, Iroha, Mabayu, and me, plus Kirika as an extra.

And that's the start of a long, long night. Iroha starts by asking me what kind of vision I have for the flow of events, so I describe the plot of the game's first arc in as much detail as I can, even though things have already diverged quite a bit from that. Iroha listens quietly, nodding along until I reach the end. Of course, I don't mention the fact that it was a game.

Then she starts to question almost every aspect of that vision. Why does this have to be this way? Why does that have to be that way? Do those people really need to suffer? Does Fendt Hope really need to be destroyed? Perhaps a little less devastation would still get the same point across? Maybe Alina's bout of insanity can be prevented entirely?

And though I start by defending my stances, I quickly find that I can't find an actual reason for many of them, other than it being the vision I saw which makes it almost certain to work. In fact, many of my choices have been motivated by a simple fear of failure.

Certainly, there is reason to allow Kamihama to be devastated, and even Iroha seems to buy my explanation eventually. But her mountain of questions forces me work out which parts of the vision are truly essential for long-term success. She makes many proposals of her own. Some of them I reject outright. Some of them I make a weak argument against, without completely rejecting them. There are even a few that I accept with little or no discussion.

And it very quickly becomes clear why she wanted Oriko and Mabayu to be present. Though the two of them aren't exactly taking sides, Iroha makes full use of their abilities in asking if this plan could work, or that plan could work. She pushes them so hard that at one point Oriko overexerts herself, unleashing her doppel – a white gossamer ballroom dress atop eight dancing legs, with witch runes spelling out the name, Sotria. Iroha quickly apologizes after that, and they're both more careful to keep track of Oriko's soul gem from then on.

We talk and talk and talk and talk, but eventually we settle on a course of action. By that time the sun is beginning to rise – we've literally been discussing the plan all night long. Iroha yawns and stretches.

"Alright," she says. "I need to keep my promise to Miss Yachiyo, but I'll see you again in a few hours. I'm glad we had such a productive talk."

"You too," I say.

"I would say you owe me about five grief seeds for all the work I put in, Miss Tamaki," Oriko says.

"Okay," Iroha says. "I'll get them for you as soon as I can. I'll also need to get one to pay back Miss Shizuki. Do you want some too, Miss Aki…?"

"I didn't exert my power that much today," Mabayu says. "I'll settle for just one. As for the ones required to actually splice the outcomes you desire, I can gather them myself, so please don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Iroha asks.

"While I am sure, I won't turn down one or two extra seeds if you truly want to give them to me," Mabayu says. "But no, I really can gather the ones I need by myself. Kamihama is teeming with witches, so it should be pretty easy."

"Alright," Iroha says. "Then I'll wish you luck, Miss Aki."

With that, we all go our separate ways. For me, that means heading back to the base. Without even bothering to change into my pyjamas, I slip into bed next to the sleeping Inui and fall fast asleep the moment my head hits the pillow.

---

Inui wakes me around noon. Thanks to spending all night talking and arguing and debating with Iroha, it seems I've slept for several hours.

"Hey, good morning," I say. "Or I suppose it should be good afternoon. How'd things go with Miss Futaba and Miss Mitsuki?"

"Everything's good to go," Inui says. "They left a couple of hours ago with Sorashi."

"Which means Miss Nanami could go pick them up whenever," I say. "Alright, and speaking of which, how are things with Miss Nanami?"

"Well, it looks like she's going around destroying rumours together with a girl called Haruna Konomi," Inui says.

"Huh… do you know what led Miss Haruna to team up with Miss Nanami?" I ask. "I wasn't expecting that… last time it was because Kaede-chan was missing, but this time she's not…"

"I heard a bit about it from Iro-iro," Inui says. "When Miss Nanami got home, they were waiting for her there – Miss Togame, Miss Haruna, and Karin-chan."

"Huh, I see," I say. "Then I guess Rena took Kaede-chan home, and the others decided to visit Miss Nanami together instead of just Miss Togame going alone."

"So, apparently the three of them talked all night about things," Inui says. "Then when Iro-iro showed up, they were all passed out on the couches, so she made them all breakfast and they told her a bit about what happened. That's about all I heard."

"But Karin-chan's not joining them?" I ask.

"She declined, apparently," Inui says. "Iro-iro didn't say anything about her reasons, and I haven't heard from Karin-chan either. Maybe she just didn't want to go directly up against the Wings of the Magius because Alina is here? That's just my speculation though."

"And what's Miss Togame up to?" I ask.

"She's looking for Runo-chi," Inui says.

I'm pretty sure that means Tsuruno.

"Wait… that's not what Miss Nanami is doing then?" I ask. "Also, doesn't Miss Tamaki already know where Miss Yui is?"

"Ah, I explained that badly," Inui says. "You're right, Iro-iro already knows a little about Chelation Land, but it seems she doesn't actually know where it is… nor does she know exactly when Runo-chi will be sent there. I didn't know either, so I couldn't tell her… I told her that you probably knew, but she didn't want to wake you just for that."

"Oh, because I was the one who defeated it last time, I guess," I say. "I might have forgotten to mention its location last night… oh well. She's guaranteed to find it anyway. She could've just asked me for the location, but I guess when it comes to timing, it's better to find it yourself, because there's a chance things could happen a little differently from my prediction."

"So basically, Momo-chan's searching for traces of that rumour," Inui says.

"Alright… what's the status on the Puzzle Tile Lock?" I ask.

"That's why I woke you," Inui says. "I just got the call from Tamu-chan. It looks like Miss Nanami is getting close."

"Ah, I see," I say. "Might have to postpone the meeting slightly then… alright, let's go!"

"I've got a Chiaki's sandwich for you," Inui says. "I wasn't sure quite what you'd like, so I picked something simple."

She proffers the sandwich, which looks like just a slight variation on a BLT, but I'll take it. I've only ever had the croquettes from Chiaki's before, but I'm sure their sandwiches are good too. The two of us head out at a run towards the centre of the city, and I do my best to eat as I go. When we arrive at the lookout location, Tamura waves and Chihana calls me. Hikari is with them too, and it looks like Chiyoko, Tomomi, and Manatsu are watching from a different vantage point across the street. I stick the last of the sandwich into my mouth as I land on the rooftop.

"Lita!" Chihana says. "You got here just in time! Miss Nanami and her friends just went inside!"

"Wait… you said friends?" I say. "More than one friend?"

Chihana nods. "Yes, there were three of them."

I look at Inui, who shakes her head.

"This is the first I've heard of a third," she says.

"Okay, well… I bet it's Miss Miyako again," I say. "Regardless, it doesn't really matter too much, so let's just go!"

We all hop down and dive into the rumour labyrinth. As I predicted, the third is Hinano, who must have joined up with them at some point. Broadly speaking, the battle goes the same way as last time, even up to the point where Konomi unleashes her doppel.

As the rumour's barrier collapses, Heidesommer also runs out of steam, retreating back into Konomi's body. She tries to get to her feet, but apparently she's too weak to stand. I transmit a message to the other feathers, then address Yachiyo and her two companions.

«Since the rumour's been defeated, you're free to go or stay as you wish.»

Tamura, Chihana, and Hikari run off immediately. Tomomi and Manatsu hesitate for a few moments before also departing. Inui and Chiyoko stay with me.

"As promised, I'll answer some of your questions," I say. "I believe you wanted to know where your teammates are, right? I can't speak for Miss Yui, but the other two are currently with a particularly extreme white feather near Satomi Medical Centre."

"I see," Yachiyo says. "Thank you for that information… you're Miss Taylor, aren't you?"

"Yes, indeed I am," I say. "Did you have any other questions?"

"I have a lot of questions," Yachiyo says. "But to be quite honest, I don't think I have time for them right now."

"Hey, um… is it true?" Konomi asks. "Miss Tamaki said the Wings of the Magius are planning to summon Walpurgisnacht to this city… is that really true?"

"It's true," I say.

"Y-you can't be serious!" Hinano gasps. "Have they gone mad!?"

"I think they might have," I say. "The Magius lost their memories, and it changed them. Anyway… did Miss Tamaki tell you about the Rumour of the Eternal Sakura?"

"She mentioned it briefly," Yachiyo says. "But I got the impression it wasn't all that important to the plan…"

"Well, it's actually very important to a certain part of the plan," I say. "But in a sense you're right, as Miss Tamaki's the one who intends to negotiate with the Eternal Sakura. Anyway, even if it's not that important, I thought you should know that it's near the Kamihama Observatory, if you weren't already aware."

Yachiyo nods. "I'm not sure how useful it is, but thank you for that information."

"Lastly, I'm sure Miss Tamaki mentioned this too, but I want to emphasize that Miss Futaba and Miss Mitsuki are completely free of the brainwashing," I say. "You don't have to be cautious of them. Oh, and Miss Haruna – since you unleashed a doppel, you should probably get a checkup from Miss Mitama, just to be on the safe side."

"R-right," Konomi says. "Okay then… wait, are you saying Miss Mitama knows what a doppel is?"

"Why wouldn't she?" I ask. "Did you think the feathers and the Magius wouldn't go to her for a tune-up?"

"Ah… I see your point," Konomi says.

"And also, at least for the next few days, all of you should dispose of your used grief seeds with Isuzu Ren, instead of Miss Mitama," I say. "It might not be much, but it could weaken the Wings of the Magius just a little bit."

"Huh?" Konomi says. "I don't understand… how could not giving Miss Mitama used grief seeds weaken the Wings of the Magius…?"

"Hang on," Hinano says. "You can't possibly mean what I think you mean…!? Is Miss Mitama a member of the Wings of the Magius!?"

"Ah… I wouldn't quite go so far as to call her a member," I say. "But let me just say that her neutrality has been compromised for quite awhile now."

"I see," Yachiyo says. "So you're saying Miss Mitama was feeding them used grief seeds, right? And they must have been using those to raise their witches…"

"I can hardly believe it," Hinano says. "Raising witches… and to think even Miss Mitama was helping them…"

"That's about the size of it," I say. "Do you have any other questions…?"

"No… I think that's plenty for now," Yachiyo says. "I do have a lot of questions for you, but I have bigger things to worry about at the moment."

"Alright."

With that, I turn and walk off, Inui and Chiyoko following me. Once we're out of sight of Yachiyo, Hinano, and Konomi, the three of us drop our robes. Then I pull out my phone to compose an email to Kanagi.

[I trust you got my previous email. We have settled on a course of action to ruin the Magius's plans. I'll probably see you soon to discuss some of the details.]

It looks like I also have a response to my email from Madoka the previous night, so I check on that.

[Hello, Ashley-chan! We did tell Nagisa-chan about everything, but we never met a girl named Utsuho Natsuki.]

I send her a quick response.

[Then how did you find the Memory Museum? Did Homura lead you there?]

Then I compose an email to all the dissidents, giving them a place to meet – the conference room in the helipad tower, as usual. The three of us stop off at Fendt Hope to pick up Coeurl, then head to the room in question. Before long, everyone has arrived, except for one. Iroha arrives a couple of minutes late, out of breath. She's not wearing her feather robe.

"M-miss Iroha!?" Kuroe gasps.

"Kuroe-chan!?" Iroha gasps.

"Yes, yes, I know you know each other," I say. "Let's get down to business. First of all, I think we should drop the anonymity. Does anyone object?"

Several of the girls look at each other, but no-one seems to have any objections.

"Then please drop your robes and introduce yourselves one at a time," I say.

"I'm Hino Maya!"

"Kuroe Asaka!"

"Y-yuzuki H-hotori!"

"Coeurl!"

"Hifumi Chiyoko!"

"Hachikuji Mayoi… you can call me Maimai!"

"Yuki Maria!"

"I'm Suou Mikan," Sue says.

"Um, well… I'm Negishi Nekoha…"

"Itsumi Inui!"

"And I'm Ashley Taylor," I conclude. "Now… the plan is too complicated to get into all the little details with everyone, so what I'm going to do is explain the entire plan in broad strokes, then go into detail on what I need each of you to do… is that acceptable?"

"I don't have a problem with that," Sue says.

"Seems reasonable to me," Coeurl says.

For some reason, everyone else looks at Nene, who blinks and nods.

"Ah, yes!" she says. "Sure, that sounds good!"

So that's exactly what I do. The meeting lasts about two hours, after which most of us return to Fendt Hope. Iroha in particular needs to spend as much time there as possible over the next few days, so she has asked Yachiyo to tell the school that she's sick. I've asked Komachi to do the same for me, so I can stay in Kamihama and monitor things.

Once I'm back in my room, I check my email again to see Madoka's response.

[No, Homura-chan didn't lead us there. After we fought a witch in or near Sakae Ward, we ran into your friends, Karin-chan and Riko-chan. Riko-chan had heard the rumour, so she pointed us in the right direction.]

Huh. So a few things have been flipped around here… Natsuki fought Lucy and unleashed her doppel instead of Riko, while Riko was the one who gave Madoka and the others the clue leading to the Memory Museum. Something about my and Karin's interference caused the two of them to switch their roles in the plot. But I suppose it doesn't matter as long as things work out in the end.

I'm a little nervous about the direction things are headed in now, but… if all of Oriko's predictions pan out, and the plan is carried out without a hitch… or at least no major hitches… then I think this will definitely be the final timeline. And Mabayu's power should theoretically be able to guarantee the lack of hitches, from what I understand of it.

It most likely won't avert the war of the second arc though… whether that's good or bad, I'm not sure. That said, there are some other things that changed which might heavily affect the second arc, so I'm not sure to what extent my predictions will continue to be worth anything.

Once I've finished pondering the way things are going, I spend some time emailing various people in other cities to ask them to show up on the twenty-eighth, all as part of the plan I worked out with Iroha. I've chosen not to invite the Folklore of Zero, Nayuta, or Sakuya this time, but I'm inviting all the other people who came last time.

Once all of that is done, I contact Tamura and Maya… because there's something I want to look into on the east side of Kamihama.

---

Doppel Corner

Whenever a new magical girl unleashes her doppel, I'll include a doppel description here. Note that most of these are direct quotes from the Magia Record game rather than being written by me; they are simply reproduced here for interest. I'll mark any original doppels with a dagger symbol (†).

Aodamo (Natsuki Utsuho)

The Doppel of invigoration. Its form is a megaphone. The master of this emotion believes her Doppel to be a beneficial presence that embodies her personal qualities, and doesn't yet know that it's a dangerous being that wrings every bit of use it can get out of those it cheers on. The Doppel's main body is surrounded by hovering ghosts, meant to mesmerize those it cheers on and force them to fight until they drop dead. Once someone is possessed by a ghost, they will serve as a meat shield to guard the Doppel's master until death.

Sotria (Mikuni Oriko)

The Doppel of anguish. Its form is a ballroom dancer. The master of this emotion has been given the duty of changing the fortold future. A strong wind blows, scattering flowers, the petals of which drift into another world. When the mist at last accumulates, the time comes. It intermingles with the fluttering flower petals, and the festivities begin. The Doppel starts to dance, and at the dance's climax, the enemy shadows vanish like flowers in a storm as an offering to the festivities.

---

I don't have much to say on this chapter, but I'll note that there are two more weekly chapters scheduled, after which I'll be taking a break to work on the interludes and planning out Act 3. I'll respond to some of the reader comments in the author's notes on chapter 108.