The true Way of Arcanum is not to rely on divine power, but to utilize our knowledge. The people's livelihoods are supported as a matter of course. I read the situation, set policies for the land, and then convey them as divine will. That, too, is my role.
~Queen Himiko of Yamatai~

Shinriku Island, Souma Province, Mizuna Domain. Year 10 of the Genroku Era, as the cherry blossoms began to bloom.

"No, Kiku, you mustn't."

"But, Mother…! If Sumire can do it for the good of the clan, then why not me?"

The woman sighed, patting her daughter lightly on the head. She'd grown up well over the past ten or so years, and shared her mother's round face, wide grey eyes, and straight black hair. Only their heights remained to distinguish Kiku as her child rather than her sister, standing nearly two heads shorter than her. But even that difference would eventually be bridged…

"Kiku, you're my successor," she said. "So you must keep yourself pure. You can't allow yourself to be sullied by a wish. The main line of succession must not stray from the Way of Arcanum."

Kiku sighed. "F-fine… but can I at least see Sumire?"

"Not right now," Kiku's mother said. "But soon. After the ceremony is over, you can spend time with her until her coming of age."

"And then… I'll never see her again after that…?" Kiku said.

Her mother blinked. "Who did you hear that from…?" she asked.

"Nobody really," Kiku said. "It's just, the other priestesses were talking about how we finally have a new sacrifice…"

Suddenly her mother hugged her, holding her tightly enough that it became difficult to breathe.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But Sumire made the choice for herself, to help the land of the rising sun. You should be happy for her. Thanks to the wish she'll make, the last obstacle to the emperor will finally be removed soon… Sumire will be honoured by our descendants as the priestess who brought Shinriku into the Empire."

"But I don't understand," Kiku said. "Once the wish is made… why can't she just stay on as a priestess? Why must she be the sacrifice?"

"It is the will of our god, as communicated through Lord Kyuubey," her mother said. "Those who make a wish will be dragged into darkness. The ceremonial sacrifice is thus carried out to release her soul from torment."

"I just… don't want that," Kiku muttered. "I don't want to lose her…"

"One day, my dear Kiku, you'll understand," her mother said. "Now… is that all you wanted me for? I had an appointment with that young monk novice, Gen'un…"

"Ah… g-go on then," Kiku said. "I… I'll wait for you, Mother…"

"I'll be back as soon as I can, my dear Kiku," her mother said.

As her mother released her, Kiku collapsed by the wall, crying. Her mother hesitated, watching her with concern for a couple of seconds, but then took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry… I really am," she said. "I'll be right back, so please wait for me!"

With that, she turned to enter the audience chamber. A moment later, Kiku heard the soft patter of tiny paws on the stone floor next to her, and turned to face the culprit.

"Your dedication to your mother's will is strong," Kyuubey said.

"I… I won't make a wish," Kiku said. "As long as I have Mother… I… I can do without a god's power, Lord Kyuubey."

"I see," Kyuubey said. "Then that means that you might take up the offer if you were to lose your mother, correct?"

Kiku gasped. "W-what…!?" she said. "Lord Kyuubey… y-you wouldn't…?"

Kyuubey tilted its head. "I wouldn't… what?" it asked.

"T-there's no way… right?" Kiku said. "Y-you wouldn't… kill Mother… right…?"

"Why would I do something as illogical as that?" Kyuubey asked. "I only meant that I would return in the event that you lost her. Is that not acceptable?"

"Ah," Kiku said. "W-well… I suppose that would be fine…"

"Then I will leave you be for the time being," Kyuubey said.

With that, the creature padded away down the dark corridor, and after a moment, Kiku's tears continued to flow. It wasn't fair. Just because she was from a branch family, her cousin and best friend, Hiroe Sumire, was allowed to make a wish for the good of the clan and the land of the rising sun; yet she, Mikoshiba Kiku, a descendant of the main family line, was not allowed to. But she didn't want to disappoint her mother, so she decided to hold herself back.

Gen'un looked even younger than she'd expected. Mikoshiba eyed him as he entered the audience room, but he was barely more than a boy. A novice of a temple would normally be eighteen years old, but he looked like he could be younger still.

"I am the high priestess of the Sacred Tree sect," Mikoshiba said. "I believe they said your name was Gen'un, is that correct?"

"Ah… yes, Your Excellency," Gen'un replied. "I'm grateful you agreed to take the time to meet with me. I realize it may seem strange for me, who has chosen to dedicate his life to the Buddha, to come ask a favour of you, who venerates your own strange gods."

"Indeed, it is unusual," Mikoshiba said. "But there is something that you desperately seek, is that not so? It's not as though our god is in conflict with the Buddha, so there's no reason we can't get along. How can I help you, Gen'un?"

"Well, you see… I have a younger sister, Shion," Gen'un said. "She's extremely weak, so I and my older brother have our hands full just taking care of her. Recently, she became very sick and can barely even get out of bed. I've asked all the doctors I could find, but they all say there's nothing they can do. The Tokime have no time to see me, given recent developments, and all my prayers to the Buddha have been for naught, so far. I'm seriously at my wit's end…"

"Unfortunately, I don't believe we can help you," Mikoshiba said. "What led you to come to us to begin with?"

"I heard rumours that your sect is capable of working miracles," Gen'un said. "So I thought, maybe… is there really nothing you can do…?"

Mikoshiba fell silent for a moment, considering the request. There was actually one thing she might be able to do, but the question was whether it was worth their while to allow it. Finally, she decided to float the idea and see what could come of it.

"There… might be something," she said, cautiously.

"R-really!?" Gen'un gasped. "What is it?"

"How old is your sister?" Mikoshiba asked.

"I don't know exactly, but she should be around fourteen years old," Gen'un said.

Mikoshiba nodded slowly.

"You might not like it," Mikoshiba said. "But if Shion were offered up to our god as a sacrifice, she could at least live out the remainder of her days in good health. However, it's only possible if our god accepts her as a sacrifice. If he does not favour her, there's nothing we can do."

Gen'un blinked. "A… sacrifice…? Doesn't that mean… she would die…?"

"Of course," Mikoshiba said. "But I don't mean to suggest that she would be sacrificed and killed immediately. You've said she's already on her deathbed, is that not so? If she were to join us as a sacrificial priestess, she could have as many as five years ahead of her… although one or two is more likely."

"I see," Gen'un said. "It's not the cure I was hoping for, but… if that's the best I can get, it still seems better than watching her waste away in agony. But may I speak with Shion directly about this?"

"Of course," Mikoshiba said. "There's no time limit on this offer. Just know that if you decide to take up the offer, you must bring your sister here, to this sanctuary. But if our god doesn't favour her…"

"I understand," Gen'un said. "Thank you for making the time to meet you, and even offering a sliver of hope."

Half a month later found a reluctant Kiku joining her mother and Sumire to receive Gen'un and his sister. Rather than the audience chamber, they had gathered at the kagura stage, where the dancers were preparing for the ritual to summon Kyuubey.

"Why do I have to be here?" Kiku complained. "It's not like it has anything to do with me…"

"You'll be the head of the sect in the future, so you need to know how to anoint a new sacrificial priestess," her mother said. "Now, straighten up. Gen'un will be arriving shortly."

The man appeared a minute later, escorted by two other priestesses. He was carrying a girl in a princess carry, evidently his sister Shion. She clung desperately to his neck, as if afraid that she might fall. For a moment, Kiku met Shion's eyes, and she blinked. Those lifeless grey eyes were those of a person who had lost all hope.

Gen'un carefully set Shion down on the chair that had been prepared for the occasion, and then stepped back. Kiku and her mother took up positions on either side of the chair, while Sumire casually leaned on the back, smiling.

"Don't worry," Sumire whispered. "Lord Kyuubey isn't scary at all. He's actually kind of cute."

"I-is that so…?" Shion said.

But any chance for Sumire to reply was lost when Kiku's mother spoke up.

"Let the ceremony begin," she declared.

The music and dance began, and Kiku fidgeted a bit while she waited for it to end. Those who'd actually met Kyuubey knew that none of this pomp and ceremony was needed to summon him, but there was no way that they'd skip it, even knowing that. It was needed to give the normal people something to latch onto, or something.

But eventually the song and dance came to an end, and Kyuubey appeared right there on the cushion reserved for him.

"I'm surprised that the Mikoshibas would call me again," he remarked. "I could swear that they'd only just called me recently."

The creature looked at Shion, sitting in the chair, and she looked back at him, her jaw slightly agape.

"Are you perhaps the girl who wants a wish granted, Shion?" Kyuubey asked.

"W-wow…!" Shion gasped. "T-the god…? Is that him…? He… he talked to me…!"

"That is Lord Kyuubey, the god's envoy," Mikoshiba said. "Only the chosen can see him. Even I, the high priestess, am unable to perceive his presence. That you can see him, Shion, means that you are qualified to become a diviner. You should be able to speak with him as well, so have him grant your wish."

"I… I see," Shion said. "So you're the god's envoy?"

"The Mikoshibas have called me that for quite a long time, yes," Kyuubey said. "I suppose it's fitting enough, considering how many wishes were granted to quell famines and floods."

"Then… can you really grant my wish?" Shion asked.

"Indeed," Kyuubey said. "It seems that you have enough potential for your wish to be granted."

"And… if I have a wish granted, I would become… a diviner, right?"

"That is what the Mikoshibas call it, yes," Kyuubey said. "Since you've summoned me like this, I take it that you want to become a diviner?"

"Um… I'm not sure about that," Shion said. "But if it's the only way I can get a wish granted…?"

"Of course," Kyuubey said. "I can only grant your wish by turning you into a diviner, as you call it."

"T-then… I'll become a diviner," Shion said.

"In that case, I shall grant your wish," Kyuubey said. "What wish are you going to make?"

Shion fell silent for a few seconds, pondering, but then she nodded firmly. At some point during the conversation, the light of hope had returned to her eyes.

"I wish ani-ue had the strength to protect me properly," she said.

Kyuubey leapt at her to extract her soul gem, and Shion let out a cry of pain. Gen'un gasped and leapt to his feet.

"Shion…!" he exclaimed.

But Kiku's mother raised a hand.

"Fear not," she said. "Your sister is fine. A little pain is expected from the ritual."

"O-oh… right… you did mention that…"

He settled down again, while Shion marvelled at the new soul gem resting between her hands.

"Your wish has surpassed entropy," Kyuubey said. "You can now transform."

Shion slid forward off the chair and stood up, transforming into her magical girl form. Kiku didn't look at it too closely, but it was broadly based around the concept of a hakama, with flowery decorations suited to her name.

"Huh…?" she said. "I… I can move… so easily…!"

She did a twirl, but then tripped and fell. Gen'un jumped up to check on her, and she chuckled.

"I'm fine, ani-ue," she said. "Better than fine… I haven't felt so good since Mother died…"

She accepted the hand Gen'un offered and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"But now I'll have to stay here, right?" Shion said. "I won't be able to live with ani-ue anymore…"

"Yes, but I'll come see you as often as I can," Gen'un said. "And I'm sure the people here will treat you well too."

"Of course!" Sumire said. "I'll give you a crash course in hunting devils a bit later."

Shion blinked. "Hunting… devils…?"

"Yes, it's the duty of a diviner," Sumire said.

"Alright… I'm not sure how well I'll do," Shion said. "But I'll be in your care! Um…?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sumire said. "My name is Sumire. You're Shion, right?"

"Y-yeah," Shion said. "Nice to meet you, Sumire!"

Kiku sighed inwardly as she watched the two of them become acquainted. They seemed to get along well. She'd been secretly hoping they wouldn't, so she could have more time alone with Sumire. But Sumire was too kind for that to actually happen… Kiku tried to push down the feelings of jealousy, but…

"Why's that girl glaring…?" Shion asked in a low voice.

Yeah, it looked like she'd failed to suppress it.

"Oh, that's Kiku, the next high priestess," Shion said. "She's a bit touchy sometimes, but she's really nice once you get to know her. I'm sure you'll get along just fine."

"I hope so too," Shion said.

Shinriku Island, Souma Province, Mizuna Domain. Year 13 of the Genroku Era, when the wind from the east began to melt the winter ice.

"Gyaaaaaaaaargh! When did things all go wrong!?"

Kiku screamed in frustration in her private quarters. In just three years, she had lost not only her best friend but also her mother, pushing her into the position of the sect's high priestess. And the one to kill her mother had been none other than the devil of that monk's little sister? She hated the fact that Gen'un had had to protect her, that Shion's wish to make him strong was what had ended up saving her. She hated the fact that Shion's devil had been the one to kill her mother. She hated that Gen'un and Shion had ever entered her life. If she had lost Sumire but still had her mother, she probably would've been able to bear with it, eventually… but to lose both at the same time was just plain torture.

"Sumire… mother…!" Kiku groaned. "Why did it have to end like this…!"

"It seems you are not in a good mood, Mikoshiba Kiku."

Kiku spun to see Kyuubey, perched on her dressing table with his head slightly tilted to one side.

"If you miss your mother, you could wish for her to come back to life," Kyuubey suggested. "Why not make a contract with me and become a diviner?"

"You…!" Kiku exclaimed. "How dare you… you're the cause of all this! Lord Kyuubey… if only you hadn't made a contract with Sumire…"

In a moment of rage, she seized Kyuubey in both hands and twisted. The little creature's body was far more fragile than she'd expected – as she poured all her strength into the action, his body tore apart in her hands within seconds. She stared at the remains of the creature who had ruined her life, panting a little from the exertion. How could a god be so fragile? She turned and threw the corpse against the far wall.

"Take that!" she shouted.

But then she realized that Kyuubey sat there on her bed, unperturbed by the sight of his own corpse hitting the wall just behind him. Without a word, he turned and gobbled up the remnants of his corpse before turning to face her again.

"I wish you had not done that," he said. "It is such a waste."

"Y-you… are you really a god's envoy…?" Kiku said. "Could it be you're actually… a demon…?"

Kyuubey tilted his head.

"I do not understand what you mean by god or demon," he said. "I am Kyuubey. Have I ever said I was a god's envoy? Your family started calling me that all on your own."

She stared at the small creature. Even if that thing wasn't a god's envoy, it was clearly immortal in some sense. It seemed reasonable to call him a demon, then. Suddenly her knees gave way. To think the god they'd worshipped for hundreds of years was no god, but an evil demon… it was too horrible to contemplate. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, her eyes wide in horror from the thought.

But eventually her shock was replaced by anger at how that demon had casually ruined her life, and she started to rack her brain on a way to get revenge. That was when Kyuubey's voice reached her ears again.

"Are you still sitting there like a statue?" the creature asked her. "Will you not make a contract with me?"

On impulse, she leapt to her feet. Anyone else would have been startled by the sudden movement, but Kyuubey, perched on her bed, just looked at her unperturbed.

"I'll do it!" she shouted. "I want to honour Mother's memory! That's my one and only wish!"

"Is that the wish that will make your soul gem shine, Mikoshiba Kiku?" Kyuubey asked.

"Yes!"

Without another word, Kyuubey reached out with its ear appendages and extracted the soul jewel from her body. She let out a gasp of pain as it materialized before her.

"Your wish has surpassed entropy," Kyuubey said.

But Kiku stood there, blankly looking at the soul jewel in her hands, confused. What had just happened? Was that her own soul jewel? She couldn't remember the reason why she'd made a wish, or what she'd even wished for. All she knew for sure was that she had to make use of her newfound power to keep her mother's sect alive. Yes, that must have been it. She must have made a wish for the sake of her lost mother.

"Lord Kyuubey," she said. "Tell me… is there a good way to find more priestesses? With Mother's death, we only have a few left, and all are too old to contract with you."

"If you wish to increase the number of girls with potential under your employ, you could consider consolidating your forces with another bloodline that has produced many diviners," Kyuubey suggested. "Although magical potential does not appear to be inherited for the most part, there is ample data to suggest that the daughter of a diviner has a slightly higher chance of gaining potential."

"I see," Kiku said. "Another magical bloodline… the only one around here would be the Tokime. If I were to absorb them… will you help me, Lord Kyuubey?"

"I have no intention of getting involved in the power struggles of humans," Kyuubey said. "But if you wish to talk to me on any subject, you are welcome to summon me whenever you wish."

"Thank you very much, Lord Kyuubey," Kiku said. "Now… leave me for now. I need to decide on my next actions."

When she turned to look at her bed next, Kyuubey was already gone.

Shinriku Island, Souma Province, Mizuna Domain. Year 13 of the Genroku Era, when the bamboo shoots began to sprout.

"And that's that," Kiku said with a sigh. "Is the carriage ready?"

"Yes, Lady Kiku," the priestess with her said, an older woman in her forties. "All the branch family members have already arrived at the residences granted to us by His Imperial Majesty. You and your entourage are the last to leave."

"Of course," Kiku said. "I had to make sure that I hadn't missed anything. However, are you sure you're okay staying by yourself to guard Mizuna's sacred tree?"

"Even if you're moving the centre of the sect to Matsumiya, we can't just abandon this sacred tree," the priestess said. "Please, don't worry about me. I will write to you if I have need of anything. That monk, Gen'un, has also promised that he will check with me on a regular basis."

"Very well," Kiku said. "In case you're unable to contact me, I will also send someone to check on you once a year."

"Thank you very much for your consideration," the priestess said.

With that, Kiku picked up the bag containing the last of her belongings and headed outside to where the carriage was waiting. With her efforts, she had finally managed to obtain the Emperor's support, and she had found a new sacred tree as well. It was a fair distance, to be sure – it would be at least a month-long journey east through the mountains from Matsumiya, or a several day journey south from Yukuni – but her magic rendered that distance meaningless. And it was even in a very nice location, next to a small yet beautiful waterfall. It was also helpful that the tree was close to a village of Tokime devotees, as the proximity would help when it came time to take over that village.

But, unbeknownst to her, there was one unexpected bump in the road that she would have to overcome. About half a day after leaving the interior farming village of Hohzuki, they found the road blocked by an unknown diviner. She simply stood there, arms outstretched to indicate that she wanted them to stop. Since she didn't seem to be immediately hostile, Kiku transformed and disembarked from the carriage to face her.

Up close, she noticed that the girl's garb closely resembled the ceremonial attire of the high priestess of her sect – the overgarment was similar to a yukata, but with the front cut open from the waist down. It was pure white with red lozenge-shaped decorations on the arms and a blue trim with fine gold patterns. A narrow strip of cloth, yellow with a green zigzag pattern and red borders, was tied just below her bust, and a similar strip with the zigzag in red floofed around her shoulders like a poor man's hagoromo. There were red ropes dangling across her shoulders and belly, with three red tassels hanging off the latter. Under the kimono-type garment, she wore an odd sort of wrap, red with pleated folds, which covered her from waist to mid-thigh. She thought she'd heard that it was called a skirt. Below that, the girl's legs were covered in white stockings.

But most notable about the ensemble was what adorned her head. Around her neck was a necklace of many golden magatamas, and perched upon her head was the very symbol of the Sect of the Sacred Tree – a golden sunburst with a ring and three rays, the ring enclosing a golden magatama, and three red tassels hanging off the ring. From up close, Kiku realized that the girl must be several years younger than her, no older than fifteen.

Before Kiku could address the unknown girl, she spoke up on her own.

"So, you've come, as I expected."

"Um… what do you mean?" Kiku asked. "How did you know I would be here?"

"It's obvious," the girl retorted. "You came because I called for you. That's all there is to it."

"But… I am sure you and I have never met before," Kiku said. "May I at least have the honour of learning your name? I am the local high priestess, Mikoshiba Kiku. From your attire, you must also be a priestess of the sect, correct?"

"Me, a priestess of your awful cult?" the girl retorted. "You insult me. Someone like you has no need to know who I am."

"Huh? But your attire is very similar to the garb of the high priestess…?" Kiku said. "And the very symbol of the sect is right there upon your forehead."

"Well, unfortunately you're right," the girl said with a sigh. "But your cult is the one that coopted this symbol for their own disgusting use. I can't believe you've turned into cold-blooded murderers after all this time, twisting our Way of Arcanum into a bloody tool to control people. How could it come to this? Damn you, Kyuubey…"

"Um… excuse me, but… from the way you're talking, it seems as though you have a bad history with the Sect of the Sacred Tree," Kiku said. "If that's the case, assuming what you said earlier is true, why would you choose to summon the sect's high priestess?"

"I wanted to talk to you," the girl said. "I thought maybe if we talked, I might be able to sway you… but it seems I shouldn't have bothered. In which case, all that remains is to eliminate you."

"Do you really think I'd go down so easily?" Kiku retorted.

"Well, I have to at least try," the girl said.

With that, the symbol on her forehead glowed, and the magatamas on her necklace followed suit, exploding out and hovering around her head. As the unknown girl flung the glowing magatamas at her, Kiku tried to dodge by retreating into the world of shadows. However, somehow that bright light penetrated the shadows, searing her eyes. For a few seconds she was completely unable to see. The only saving grace was that a follow-up attack did not come.

When her vision returned, she could see the girl looking around, presumably surprised at her disappearance. At first, Kiku thought to appear from the girl's own shadow as a surprise attack. Unfortunately, her plan was foiled when she realized that, somehow, the girl did not cast a shadow. Instead, she chose the shadow of a nearby tree, emerging from it and thrusting with her iron fans. The other girl apparently detected her however, spinning to face her and raising two of the magatamas to intercept the attack.

They battled back and forth for what must have been at least an hour, but then, it came to a standstill, the two of them glaring at each other. Suddenly, the unknown girl sighed.

"It seems I underestimated you a little," she said. "You and I are really a bad match, aren't we? My light magic and your dark magic… never mind. I'll have to let you go for now, but we'll certainly meet again."

With that, the girl glowed brightly and was gone, leaving Kiku wondering who on earth she was and what she had against the sect.

All humans wish for freedom. Therefore, it is ultimately futile to confine them. But even so, those of ambition and greed will continue to curb our freedom, not realizing the futility of the act. Thus, our duty is to let them know – to fight back with all of our might until our freedom can truly be assured.
~Lady Sakuya of Shinriku~

Shinriku Island, Nishiwan Province, Mitakihara Domain. Year 14 of the Genroku Era, when the plums ripened and turned yellow.

"I've said it once, and I'll say it again."

The speaker was a woman dressed in formal attire with her hair pinned up by a decorated chopstick. She addressed a man who was similarly dressed formally.

"But the shogun—" the man began.

"—has authority in Japan," the woman said. "I am sorry, Lord Sumiya, but we are not in Japan. You cannot get your way simply by pulling rank. If you want Shinriku to become a vassal of Japan, then by all means make an offer that we can actually accept. However, dismantling the Tokime matriarchy is not a reasonable request."

"But Lady Akatsuki, the lord of a domain can only be a man according to the law laid down by the shogun," Lord Sumiya said.

"That has nothing to do with me," Lady Akatsuki said. "But Shinriku will not become a vassal of Japan as long as that law is in place."

"The thing is, if you continue to refuse, Lord Tokugawa will send the army," Sumiya said. "I only received word of his intention this morning…"

"I see," Lady Akatsuki said. "But if the shogun does send the army, then I hope he is prepared for a surprise."

"I know as well as you that the Kazura have superhuman powers," Lord Sumiya said. "But their numbers are small. Surely even they would quail against the full might of army."

"Did the missive from this morning also explain why the shogun is so desperate to take control of our island that he would even send the army?" Lady Akatsuki asked.

"It was not stated directly," Lord Sumiya said. "But I believe he seeks the power of the Kazura for himself."

Lady Akatsuki sighed. "Well… then you should tell him that he will never have the power of the Kazura," she said. "Even if he brings the army and successfully overwhelms us, he still will not gain access to our magic. We would rather die than submit to following his orders."

"I fully understand your passion and loyalty," Sumiya said. "To tell the truth, I am not sure myself why the shogun is so insistent…"

"I see," Youha said. "However, if he were to allow the Tokime clan to retain their present role, then I don't think many of us would not be opposed to joining the empire. Even if his law states that a woman cannot be the lord, surely he can make an exception if he wants us to join the empire so badly. Can I ask you to convey my words to the shogun?"

"I will tell him," Lord Sumiya said. "However, I can make no promises that he will listen. Of late, Lord Tokugawa has been in a strange mood… ever since he appointed the new domain lord of Matsumiya… in any case, I wish you a pleasant evening."

With that, the man got to his feet and bowed before turning to leave the room. Lady Akatsuki got to her feet as well, just as a maid stepped into the room.

"Lady Akatsuki," the maid said. "The Matriarch has summoned you."

"Great-grandmother…?" Lady Akatsuki said. "That's unusual… did she mention what she wants?"

"No," the maid said. "However, it sounded important."

"I see," Lady Akatsuki said. "Then I will go see her immediately."

She followed the maid out of the room and made her way to the Matriarch's chambers, pondering the situation as she went.

As the second-eldest woman of the ruling family, Akatsuki Youha had been given the task of negotiating with the emperor's delegates, while her older sister, Kasumi, held the role of governor over the Nishiwan Region where Mitakihara was situated. The Matriarch was the head of the clan, making her nominally the leader of the island as a whole, but she left most of the governing work to Kasumi and the other clan heads.

However, the empire had already seized control of Matsumiya and Yukuni in the north, and at the rate things were going, it was only a matter of time before Shinriku fell entirely into the empire's hands. It was quite the difficult situation, which Youha found she was rather ill-prepared for.

At first, it had seemed that negotiations were going well. The shogun wanted vassalage of the territory, but were willing to let the pre-existing rulers continue to manage it. However, as soon as they learned that the current rulers were all women, they suddenly changed their tunes for some reason.

Before she knew it, Youha had arrived at the chambers of the Akatsuki matriarch, Akatsuki Aiko. With a sigh, she stepped forward and rapped on the door.

"Come in!" a woman's voice said from within.

Sliding the door open, Youha stepped into the chamber and looked around. The matriarch sat primly on a chair, with her hands folded in her lap. Her pure white hair was the only sign of her advanced age, more than a century old. Apart from that hair, she looked as spry as a woman in her forties. Even her face was barely wrinkled at all.

Also present was Youha's older sister, Kasumi, sitting in a second chair facing towards Aiko. She smiled at Youha, gesturing to the empty chair next to her, and Youha gratefully took the offered seat.

"You called for me, great-grandmother?" Youha asked.

"That I did, child," Aiko said. "I called the two of you here for one reason, and one reason only."

"And, what is that reason, great-grandmother?" Kasumi asked.

Aiko sighed. "We live in troubling times… as things currently stand, we appear to be on the verge of losing the very thing that Saki wished for."

"You mean… this place where we can be free, correct?" Youha said. "That is what you've mentioned before, after all. But why do you believe we're on the verge of losing? If the empire attacks, our magical girls should be more than capable of holding off the entire army by themselves, if it comes to that."

Aiko shook her head. "It's not as simple as you think," she said. "Certainly magical girls have superhuman strength. If our magical girls faced the empire's armies in open combat, the army would probably lose. But we cannot assume the empire will use honourable means to gain what they want."

"You do have a point," Kasumi said. "Plus, magical girls also have a huge weakness. If the Empire learned of that… we could be in trouble."

"Lady Aiko, are you saying there is something they're hiding from us?" Youha asked.

"I've spent the last twenty days infiltrating their bases in Matsumiya," Aiko said. "And I ran into something quite… troubling."

"What's that?" Youha asked.

"The empire appears to have a magical girl on their side too," Aiko said. "And she appears to be quite skilled in infiltration… even I almost missed her presence."

"A magical girl!?" Youha gasped. "But… but how…? Is not Lord Kyuubey—"

"Kyuubey does whatever he wants," Aiko interrupted. "He is not on our side, nor on the empire's. If there is a girl with the potential to become a magical girl, he will offer her a contract, no matter who she is. So it's hardly surprising that the empire has a magical girl. The problem isn't that she exists, but that she's capable of hiding even from me."

"I see," Youha said. "If it's like that, I suppose we're lucky you managed to detect her at all… we have more warning than the empire intended. So… who is this girl?"

"Unfortunately, I was unable to uncover her identity," Aiko said. "I never saw her directly. I only sensed her magic for a brief moment. Even Mieko wasn't aware of her."

"Lady Mieko wasn't aware…?" Kasumi said. "I mean, obviously she wasn't, or she would've informed us well before now, but…"

Though still young, Tsukimachi Mieko was the primary shrine maiden of Matsumiya Shrine, who had been secretly working as an inside informant for the Tokime clan ever since Matsumiya was occupied.

"I spoke to her briefly on the topic before returning here," Aiko said. "She said very clearly that she hadn't sensed another magical girl in the city for at least half a year."

"Then, should we be suspicious of any unfamiliar face?" Youha asked.

"That would be the minimum of precaution required," Aiko said. "However… I also wish to set up a contingency plan, in case she proves to be an assassin and events spiral out of our control. Thus, I have decided to summon the council."

The council referred to a meeting of the heads of all the families who owned land in Shinriku – the Tokime, Akatsuki, Mizuna, Hiraku, Koushou, Sakae, Sango, Yukuni, and Tsukimachi clans. Due to the occupation of Matsumiya by the empire, the Tsukimachi head was currently residing in exile in Mizuna Domain. The occupation forces in Yukuni were considerably smaller, so the Yukuni head had merely fled to a nearby mountain village.

"A meeting of the council…?" Kasumi said.

"Is the situation truly that urgent…?" Youha asked.

"I believe so," Aiko said. "Furthermore, this meeting shall be done in absolute secrecy. I will personally bring each of the heads here, to avoid the chance of an assassin on the road. Can I trust the two of you to arrange the council chamber?"

Kasumi nodded. "Of course, great-grandmother. When will the meeting be?"

"In three days' time," Aiko said.

"Understood," Kasumi said. "Is that all you needed of us?"

"Yes, you may go now," Aiko said.

Kasumi and Youha both got to their feet and bowed, then left the room. Youha let out another sigh once she got outside. It had been nothing but bad news today. If only the Kazura Research Group could make a breakthrough to make up for it… in any case, she figured she should check up on them.

"Youha… can I ask you to rearrange everyone's schedules so that no-one comes near the council chamber on that day?" Kasumi asked.

"I can take care of that, ane-ue," Youha agreed. "Though won't that hint that the chamber will be used?"

"I believe that if you're the one to do it, you can limit that impression," Kasumi said. "Use your magic if you must."

"Alright, ane-ue… and what will you be doing?"

"I must make sure the council chamber is ready for use," she said. "It has not been used in over a year, after all. Anyway… I'll see you later, probably at dinner."

With that, Kasumi headed off, and Youha watched her go for a moment before heading her own way. Making her way through the halls, she soon arrived at the research room. There she found her closest friend and two other researchers, crowding around an unfamiliar woman. With a gasp, she leapt into the room.

"W-who is that?" she asked. "Yura, what's going on here?"

Her friend, Tokime Oyura, third daughter of the previous Tokime matriarch and the wife of Lord Mizuna, turned to look at her. She was accompanied by two of the magical girls from the Kazura Research Group – Hiraku Ayame, Youha's cousin and the group's leader, and Mizuna Sayuri, Oyura's sister-in-law. Oyura herself was not a magical girl, despite also being a member of the research group.

"Oh, Youha!" she said. "Actually, Lady Sayuri picked up this woman in the fields a few hours ago. She was out cold and seemed to be starved, so we fed her, and then Lady Ayame noticed that she had a magic aura… but she doesn't seem to speak Japanese, so we've just been examining her."

It would be very strange for the empire to send an assassin who didn't even know the language, but it was still possible she was faking it… Youha approached the group to get a closer look at the woman in question. She had the look of a foreigner, with brown hair and blue eyes. That made it hard for Youha to judge her age, but she figured middle-aged was a good estimate.

"So, she's a magical girl?" Youha asked.

"Hmm, well… that's what I thought too," Ayame mused. "But she doesn't seem to have a soul gem ring… instead, her soul resides in her earring. So I don't know if she's a magical girl or something different."

"We thought to ask Kyuubey, but he hasn't been responding ever since we met her," Sayuri said.

"If she can't understand Japanese, did anyone try telepathy?" Youha asked.

"Ah… I never thought of that," Oyura said. "Miss Ayame, could I ask you to try it?"

"Of course!" Ayame said.

Ayame closed her eyes, as was her wont when using telepathy, and a moment later, Youha heard the girl's voice in her head.

«Excuse me, could I ask for your name? My name is Ayame.»

The foreign woman tilted her head.

«Miryam.»

«Your name is Miryam?» Ayame asked.

«I think so,» Miryam said.

«You're… not sure?» Ayame asked.

«I don't know,» Miryam said. «Is this even real? I think I might be dreaming.»

«Huh? It's real, it's real!» Ayame protested.

«Hmm… I wonder,» Miryam said. «But how did I end up here?»

«You don't remember what happened before Miss Sayuri found you out in the field?» Ayame asked.

«I wonder,» Miryam said. «Maybe I was fighting someone… no, no, that can't be. I haven't fought anyone for hundreds of years…»

«Hundreds!?» Sayuri interjected. «Just… just how old are you…?»

Miryam shrugged. «Older than all of you,» she said.

That didn't help much, since no-one present was over thirty years old.

"Can you ask her if she's a magical girl?" Oyura asked.

Thanks to a magical artifact she wore around her neck, Oyura was able to listen in on telepathy within a certain range, but she couldn't initiate telepathy herself. Someone aware of the artifact could exclude it from the channel, though.

«Are you a magical girl?» Ayame asked.

«Probably not,» Miryam said. «Not anymore.»

«Then you're saying you used to be a magical girl?» Youha asked.

«Probably,» Miryam said.

«Have you… lost your memories or something?» Youha asked.

«Memories? What's the point in a memory anyway?» Miryam asked. «It brings me nothing but pain, knowing I can never see him again.»

«Who can you never see again?» Ayame asked.

But for some reason, the woman ignored the question and abruptly changed the topic.

«You people are strange,» she said. «You've dared to make a deal with them to gain power. It's rare to see so many magical girls in one place…»

«By 'them' do you mean Lord Kyuubey…?» Ayame asked.

«Don't say their name!» Miryam said, looking around in a sudden panic. «Even they might be able to penetrate this veil if they are summoned!»

Sayuri and Ayame exchanged puzzled glances.

«Why do you fear… uhh… them?» Ayame asked.

«They have their own agenda,» Miryam said. «If they learn what you're doing here… they most likely won't just stand by.»

«Huh?» Youha said. «What on earth do you mean…? Those guys have never had a problem with our research before… why would they suddenly turn on us now?»

But once again the woman ignored the question, abruptly shifting gears again.

«When my beloved died upon the cross, and I tried to bring him back to life, my soul gem filled up to the brim,» Miryam said.

«Huh? Are you trying to say you're actually a witch…?» Sayuri asked.

«I should have become a witch,» Miryam said. «But somehow… I didn't. What filled my soul gem wasn't the grief of his loss, but something else.»

She reached up to touch the earring that Ayame had indicated earlier, and it came loose, transforming into a strange crown-like orb in a deep shade of red.

«Is that… your soul gem…?» Ayame asked.

«I don't know,» Miryam said. «Maybe.»

"By the gods…!" Oyura gasped. "This could be huge! If by some means her soul gem transformed into this instead of a grief seed… perhaps it's a means to permanently avoid the witch transformation! Can you ask her if she'd be willing to let us study the phenomenon?"

«Miryam, would you mind staying with us for awhile so we can study this… soul orb?» Ayame asked.

«It makes no difference,» Miryam said. «Whether I stay here or go elsewhere, it makes no difference. Either way, I can't die. Is it a punishment from God for daring to try to bring back the dead? If only I could die, at least I could be with my beloved in the afterlife…»

«You can't die?» Ayame said. «What if you crush this orb?»

Miryam placed the orb down on the table next to her, then raised her fist and swung down at it with such force and speed that there was a loud crack like a whip from the sudden movement. The table almost exploded from the force, but the soul orb ended up embedded in the floor, none the worse for wear.

«Maybe… maybe we can find a way to destroy it,» Sayuri said. «Surely it can't be completely invulnerable, right? If we take some time to study it… then perhaps…»

«I'll stay for a few days,» Miryam suddenly announced. «Do your best.»

And with that, she curled up right there on the floor, apparently falling asleep in an instant.

"Well… she's quite the find," Youha said. "Please keep me informed about anything new you learn from her. Besides Miryam… do you have any other progress to report?"

"Ah, I think I'm starting to understand where magical potential comes from," Sayuri said. "I've managed to create an artifact that seems able to measure the magical potential of a human. One interesting thing I've noticed is that, contrary to what Lord Kyuubey has told us, men and boys do not seem to be completely bereft of potential."

"Ah, didn't Lady Pernelle mention the same thing once?" Ayame asked.

"Hmm… you're from the Hiraku clan after all, so if you say so, then I assume it probably happened," Oyura mused.

"However, if I express the potential numerically… I would say a middle-aged man is around one or two, a middle-aged woman around five, a young boy between ten and four hundred… while a young girl ranges from one hundred to a few thousand," Sayuri said. "I believe the threshold for Lord Kyuubey to consider a contract viable lies around a thousand."

"I see… so it's not that boys have no potential," Oyura said. "It's just that their potential is generally far lower than that of a girl…"

"Now that I have this measuring device, we can start to investigate how magical potential changes," Sayuri said. "Wouldn't it be convenient if there was a way to induce magical potential in someone?"

"Although I agree it could be convenient, I'm a little dubious," Ayame said. "After all… magical potential is usually associated with people who are missing something in their life, right? They may be living a life of boredom, or they may have a harsh life, but one way or another, there is something they desire that they don't have… if inducing magic potential is equivalent to torture, then it's not useful, right?"

"Yeah, you're right," Sayuri agreed. "But that's only a worst case scenario. We should investigate how various stimuli affect one's magical potential."

"Feel free to use me as a test subject," Oyura said. "That's part of the reason I'm in the research group, right?"

"Thank you, I will," Sayuri said. "Don't worry, I won't do anything cruel as part of the experiments."

"Well, that's great news," Youha said. "Unfortunately, I'll be very busy for the next few days, so can you manage without me for awhile longer?"

"Of course," Oyura said.

"Mother!" "Auntie!"

When Oyura arrived back at her quarters a few hours later, she found her son, eight-year-old Masatsuna, playing board games with her niece, twelve-year-old Hatsu. Hatsu was the daughter of her eldest sister, the current head of the Tokime family. Her other older sister had become a magical girl nearly ten years ago, and had been killed by a witch three years later. That was probably a big part of the reason why Oyura herself had not become a magical girl when Kyuubey later offered her a contract.

"Good evening, Hatsu," Oyura said. "But it's quite late, won't ane-ue be worried about you?"

"It'll be fine!" Hatsu said enthusiastically. "I told her I might stay the night, and if not I'd get Auntie to escort me back!"

As a member of the head family of the Tokime clan, Hatsu lived in a different house about half an hour's walk from the manor. Though the Tokime were nominally the ruling family, due to Aiko's seniority they had ceded the manor to the Akatsuki clan a few decades earlier. Normally, the Tokime would have regained control of the manor before Oyura was even born, but Aiko had lived on for far longer than anyone could have anticipated, leading to the current state of affairs.

"Hmm… I suppose you can stay the night then," Oyura said. "Have you two eaten yet?"

"No, I'm really hungry," Masatsuna said. "Is it almost dinnertime?"

"Ah, I'm famished too," Hatsu said.

"If you're that hungry, let's go to the kitchen and see if they have a snack to whet your appetites," Oyura suggested. "By the way, is it just you today, Hatsu? Or is that little brother of yours around here too somewhere? Usually he's stuck to you like a limpet."

"Kousuke was feeling blurry today, so he stayed home," Hatsu said.

"Blurry…?" Oyura said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, um, how do I say it," Hatsu mused. "Like he was half asleep… or something…? He was the one who said he felt blurry though… I don't quite get it either."

Oyura sighed. "Never mind, I'll just ask ane-ue when I see her later," she said.

It was only a few days after the council meeting when a maid burst into Youha's chambers, just as she was preparing for bed.

"Terrible news, milady!" the maid exclaimed, gasping for breath. "Lady Aiko, she… she's…

"Calm down, and take a few deep breaths," Youha said. "What happened to Lady Aiko?"

The maid took a few moments to catch her breath as instructed, then delivered the message.

"Lady Aiko has passed away!" she said.

"W-what!?" Youha gasped. "So suddenly…? What happened?"

"Um, I believe… it's best for you to see for yourself," the maid said. "Ah, um… it's not a gruesome sight, so please don't worry…"

"Alright," Youha said. "Lead the way."

The maid took her to Aiko's bedchambers, where Aiko was laying out on her bed as if she were sleeping. At first, Youha wondered whether it had been a false alarm, but then she spotted a telling sign right next to Aiko's head – a pile of crystal shards. The shards of a broken soul gem!

"Oh my goodness," Youha said. "This is bad… how many people already know of the situation?"

"Ah, um… I already informed Lady Kasumi and Lady Oyura," the maid said. "I was planning to inform Lady Momoka next…"

"So you started off with ane-ue and then went to the closest Tokime," Youha said. "But how many people do you think noticed you running around to inform us?"

"Ah, um… not that many?" the maid said hesitantly. "I'm not sure…"

"Alright, well… try to keep it quiet when you inform Lady Momoka, alright?"

"Understood," the maid said.

With that, she left the room. Youha sank down in a nearby chair with a sigh. This really was bad… it was clearly an assassination. But who could have snuck into the heart of Mitakihara Manor to assassinate Aiko without anyone noticing anything? The only possibility Youha could think of was the unknown magical girl Aiko had barely detected in Matsumiya.

It was only a few minutes before Kasumi burst into the room. Looking around wildly, she first spotted Youha sitting on the chair.

"Youha! Is it really true…!? Is great-grandmother really dead!?"

"Ane-ue… it's even worse than that," Youha said. "It looks like an assassination… look, you can see how her soul gem was shattered."

Kasumi walked over to the bed, gingerly poking at the shards of Aiko's soul gem.

"The weaknesses of a magical girl… they're not something an ordinary person would know," Kasumi mused. "Does that mean the assassin was a magical girl?"

Oyura stepped into the room at that moment. For some reason, she was followed by Miryam.

"I don't think that's the only possibility," Oyura said. "This woman, Miryam, has said that there exist people who can use magical powers even without making a contract."

«There's a stench of dark magic in the room,» Miryam said. «Is it… shadow walk…?»

«Shadow walk…?» Youha said.

«A method of transporting oneself to a distant location by passing through shadows.»

«Are you saying that's how the assassin got in…?» Youha asked.

«Assassin…?»

«Did you not even notice that someone has been killed here…?»

«Ahaha, you're right! She's dead as a doornail… too bad we couldn't've swapped places…»

«I don't think this is something to laugh about,» Youha said.

"Youha, can you ask her for more information about those who can use magic without contracting?" Oyura asked. "Ah, and Lady Kasumi, I apologize for leaving you out of the conversation. Miryam doesn't understand our language very well, so we've been communicating by telepathy. She just now said that she detected traces of teleportation magic."

"Teleportation!?" Kasumi said. "That's hardly a common type of magic…"

«Miryam, could you tell us more about the people you mentioned earlier who can use magic even though they are not magical girls?» Youha asked.

«Those people…!» Miryam said. «That fool Flavia's self-proclaimed followers… I warned her not to trust them, but she didn't listen! And look what happened to her!? Where on earth are you, Flavia…!»

Oyura continued to translate out loud for Kasumi's benefit.

«Um… is Flavia a magical girl you used to know?» Youha asked. «Did those followers get their powers from Flavia…?»

«They branded her a witch,» Miryam said. «But she wasn't burned at the stake… she just vanished… how could they do such a thing to the one who taught them?»

«Flavia… taught them…? Does that mean… it's possible for a magical girl to pass their powers on to an ordinary person…?»

«Hmm… I suppose it must be,» Miryam said. «There were also the rumours of the vampire queen, Laura… maybe that's similar too…»

"Laura!?" Kasumi exclaimed, responding to Oyura's voicing of Miryam's words. "Could that possibly be… Laura of Wallachia…?"

Miryam responded to that without waiting for Youha to interpret.

«Does that woman know Laura?» she asked.

"Do you know this Laura, Lady Kasumi?" Oyura asked.

"No… not personally," Kasumi said. "I only heard of her from Lady Aiko's tale of the founding… she only played a minor role, and she never even arrived here on Shinriku Island, but she was such a strange character that I remember her clearly."

Youha took a moment to pass the information on to Miryam.

"Hmm… this is quite interesting, however," Kasumi said. "Youha, would you say it would be difficult for a magical girl to sneak in here unnoticed?"

"Yes, I think it would be," Youha said. "There are more than ten magical girls in the manor. Unless it was a girl whose magic was specialized in stealth, I think it would be almost impossible to avoid being detected by at least one of us… and even if she made it to Lady Aiko's chambers, I think Lady Aiko herself would most likely have detected her."

"Then… what if it's a person who has been passed powers from a magical girl?" Kasumi said.

"It's impossible to say for sure without seeing an example," Youha said. "However… if you assume they don't have a soul gem… I think they'd be detectible only when actively using magic. A magical girl is subconsciously using magic at all times, so with care it's possible to detect her even in civilian form… but that might not be true for an ordinary person, even if they can use a little magic."

"I see," Kasumi mused. "Perhaps that also explains why Lady Aiko was unable to detect her in Matsumiya… perhaps what she detected was someone using borrowed power…"

«The situation stinks of their influence,» Miryam noted. «They might be actively interfering this time… it might not be common, but they have done so before. I have seen small kingdoms fall to ruin based on their whisperings… and… though Helene normally cannot be trusted, her claim that they brought about the downfall of Troy is one of her few claims that I can believe… though that doesn't mean it's definitely true…»

"Um… she's saying that she thinks Ky—" Oyura began.

Miryam shot her a glare, and she caught herself in mid-word, starting over.

"I mean, she thinks the incubators might have been involved in this," Oyura said. "I thought it was against their policy to interfere, but… maybe there are exceptions? Can you ask her why she thinks he'd interfere?"

«Miryam, if the incubators are interfering, do you have any idea what their motive might be?» Youha asked.

«They have but one motive,» Miryam said. «To maintain the system. Anything and everything they do is to keep the magical girl cycle running smoothly. The only thing I can think of around here that could plausibly be a threat to the system is… your research group.»

"W-what!?" Oyura gasped.

"Huh? What is it?" Kasumi said.

"Oh, she just said that she thinks the incubators don't like our research," Oyura explained. "I don't really understand why it would be a problem, but… maybe you should ask him later, Youha?"

"I'll keep that in mind," Youha said.

«If they are meddling, it's about time I left,» Miryam said. «They may have realized that I am here… even if they are unsure of my identity, they would be able to discern it eventually were I to stay. Still… you helped me recover after I was dazed from Helene's horrible powers, so I would like to repay you. If you are in a situation from which you see no escape, chant my full name, Miryam Migdal, three times over. No matter where I am, I will hear, and if I can, I shall come.»

"Miryam… Migdal…?" Youha said out loud. «Did I pronounce that correctly?»

«It'll do,» Miryam said. «Hmm… this conversation has brought up a sudden feeling of nostalgia… where on earth did Flavia go? Perhaps I sha—»

The rest was cut off, as Miryam had teleported away in mid-thought.

"Um… what was that all about…?" Kasumi asked.

"Miryam seems to be oddly frightened of Kyuubey," Oyura said. "That's why we avoided directly naming him… and since she thinks he might be interfering with the current situation, she decided to make a run for it. However… apparently we can summon her by chanting her name three times…?"

"Let's hope we never need to," Kasumi said. "We already have a lead thanks to her, right?"

"Technically it's a lead," Youha said. "The assassin got in via teleporting through shadows, and may be something like a minion or disciple of a magical girl rather than being a magical girl herself. I can't say it's not a lead, and yet… I'm still at a loss as to how to make use of this information…"

"Do you think the assassin was after Lady Aiko alone?" Kasumi mused.

"You have a good point," Oyura said. "We did develop an artifact that can react to a magical presence, so why don't we deploy them in the rooms of all magical girls and major officials? That includes you, Lady Kasumi, and probably myself as well. Ane-ue too, of course. If nothing else, perhaps we can at least avoid any further losses."

Kasumi nodded. "See to it," she said. "And if you can come up with any means to locate the culprit based on that lead… let me know at once."

Oyura nodded. "We'll do just that," she said.

"In the meantime, we should probably recruit a few more guards, to be on the safe side," Kasumi said. "Youha, I'd like to ask you to take charge of selecting them."

"Alright," Youha said. "Shall I consult with Captain Hayahiko on the matter as well? I imagine he would be more able to select skilled guards."

Kasumi nodded. "Yes, do what you must," she said.

Shinriku Island, Nishiwan Province, Mitakihara Domain. Year 14 of the Genroku Era, when the cool winds began to blow.

"Lady Youha, the new prospective guards have arrived."

Youha looked up from her desk, setting down the brush pen she had been using to compose a letter. The speaker was Captain Hayahiko, who had been appointed as the head of Mitakihara's military forces. Thanks to his grandfather, the famous Black Samurai, he was unusually tall, with dark skin and frizzy hair that set him apart from the bulk of the other warriors, but there were no doubts about his loyalty.

"Ah, you've finally finished the preliminary screenings, then?" Youha asked. "How many candidates are left?"

"Milady, of the one hundred and twenty-three candidates, I have pared it down to a mere thirty-four," Hayahiko said.

"That's quite the paring," Youha said. "Were there that many bad applicants?"

"There were a large number of people who had no-one to vouch for them," Hayahiko said. "Normally that would be but a minor issue when recruiting, but as the intent is to increase security in light of the recent assassination, we cannot afford to hire people of unknown provenance. That said, there are an additional twenty-one applicants who seemed promising enough to be worth investigating their background in detail."

Youha nodded. "Well, I'll hear from these thirty-four first," she said. "If it seems we'll need more, I'll ask you to investigate the other twenty-one."

"I'll show the first one in, then," Hayahiko said.

She took her time talking to all the applicants, checking who had recommended them and probing a little into their motivations. The most promising ones she found were Banshu San'emon, a young samurai recommended by the Koushou clan, and Mikoshiba Kiku, a female samurai recommended by Suitoku Temple.

Kiku was a tall and beautiful woman with clear blue eyes, a sharp chin, and wavy black hair tied in a ponytail. Youha was briefly suspicious of her on account of her being a woman, but upon meeting her, it turned out she wasn't even a magical girl, so at least the most obvious flag was averted. When it came to someone who had somehow gained powers from a magical girl, she didn't even know of a way to detect that or indeed if it was restricted to women, so there wasn't much point in factoring the possibility in for the interview. The plan was to keep an eye out for signs of that during the one month probationary period.

San'emon on the other hand was a young man, almost a boy, who wore his long brown hair tied messily into a ponytail. She could see the beginnings of fuzz growing on his cheeks, and he had quite impressively bushy eyebrows. More importantly, his passion and dedication to the way of the sword greatly impressed her, and she felt that his professed loyalty to the Kousho clan and by extension the Tokime seemed quite sincere. The final thing that sealed the deal was his brazen request that his younger sister Suwe should be allowed to live with him at the manor, should he be accepted for the position.

In the end, she decided to accept nearly all of the thirty-four applicants that Hayahiko had chosen. The two she rejected were mainly because they seemed a little shifty when probing their motivations and loyalty.

When she was finally finished, she made her way to the dining hall, where she found a pleasant surprise – her eldest brother, Kyoutaro, was there. Of course, Kasumi was present too, along with Oyura. The younger children – Masatsuna, Youha and Kyoutaro's three younger siblings, and Hatsu and Kousuke when they were visiting – usually ate separately since it was boring for children at the adult's table.

"Ani-ue, you've returned?" Youha said.

"Just this morning," Kyoutaro said. "I won't be staying long, but I wanted to make this report in person."

"Shall we hear what you have to say now, then?" Kasumi suggested.

"If ane-ue says so, then I suppose I must," Kyoutaro said. "The troops of the Empire have occupied nearly all of northern Shinriku now. If there's any saving grace, it's that they don't seem interested in venturing deep into the mountains. The Yukuni family has apparently retreated further from home though, to a small village a few days' ride from the east coast… Futatsugi, I think it was called?"

"If memory serves, that was one of the villages founded by migrants from Kyushu and the Ryukyu islands in the past forty or fifty years," Youha mused. "So they're not as loyal to the Tokime, yet they carry strong resentment towards the Empire… many of them don't even speak Japanese. It's probably a good place for the Yukuni family to hide."

"So does that mean the Empire's troops haven't reached Kirimine Shrine?" Kasumi asked.

The village near Kirimine Shrine was the one that Aiko and the council had selected to become the Tokime hidden village, where they could keep their traditions alive even if the empire took over. It was one of several shrines that had been built near the peaks of the mountain range running across the northeast stretch of the island.

"Correct," Kyoutaro said. "In fact, none of the seven shrines of the peaks have been discovered by their armies. But they've occupied all the villages at the base of Mount Kirimine, among others. They also seem to be building a new town on the northwest shore. That must be because it's a more convenient landing place than Matsumiya when sailing from Honshu…"

"And what of Hohzuki?" Kasumi asked. "There's a lot of farmland in that area, so it could be bad for us if we lost control of it…"

"It's still in our hands for the time being," Kyoutaro said. "But I think they're getting ready to seize it. Which is why I wanted to request your help, ane-ue. I think we may need more than just pure military power against the numbers they're now prepared to field."

"I was afraid it might come to that," Kasumi said. "Oyura, do you think Hiraku Ayame and Mizuna Sayuri would be okay with deploying?"

"Actually, I think they've been waiting for it for awhile now," Oyura said.

"Indeed, they've been complaining that they have nothing to do ever since Miryam disappeared," Youha said.

"Will two be enough, Kyoutaro?" Kasumi asked.

"It's hard to say," Kyoutaro said. "The enemy does have firearms, and I'm not sure how much they know about a magical girl's weaknesses…"

"Hmm," Kasumi said. "We don't have that many magical girls who are able and willing to deploy, and I'd prefer to keep a few back, just in case. I also know of at least two girls currently pondering whether to make a wish, but I don't want to pressure them. Let me think… yes, I think the most I can give you is five girls."

"Then I suppose I will have to make do with that many," Kyoutaro said.

"Ane-ue, are you sure you want to deploy Ayame?" Youha asked. "After all, she's the leader of the research group…"

"She's also one of the most capable fighters, is she not?" Kasumi said. "I don't think we can afford to hold back right now. Plus, that shield of hers can probably save a lot of people."

"I see," Youha said. "You're right, of course… it's just, I have a bad feeling about all this, ane-ue. There's this strange sensation I've been having lately, like… like fate itself is tugging at us to give up. I think we're missing some very important detail, but…"

"Hmm… your hunches are usually right," Kasumi mused. "That intuition might be your unique magic… I'll keep my eyes open for anything that seems inconsistent."

Youha nodded. "Of course, I will do the same."

"Me too," Oyura said.

"Well then, I have much to prepare before I head out to Hohzuki," Kyoutaro said. "So I shall take my leave for now."

"Thank you for the report," Kasumi said.

Shinriku Island, Nishiwan Province, Mitakihara Domain. Year 14 of the Genroku Era, when the salmon swam upstream in droves.

"You must be joking with me!?" Kasumi gasped. "How could regular soldiers take out not one but four magical girls!?"

She'd been in a private meeting with Oyura when her brother, Kyoutaro, had barged in with an alarming report, accompanied by Hiraku Ayame.

"I'm very sorry, ane-ue," Kyoutaro said. "I didn't take proper care of the girls you sent… please feel free to punish me as you see fit."

"That's not what I'm most interested in," Kasumi said. "I want to know how they managed to do it. Ayame, do you have anything to say on the matter?"

"Yes, milady," Ayame said. "I was only able to avoid death thanks to my nearly impenetrable shield. The others were taken out by snipers wielding muskets. Their soul gems were shattered before they even realized they were targeted."

Kasumi frowned. "If you said they used a bow, I might believe it, but… can a musket really hit that accurately from such a distance that they'd go unnoticed?"

"Normally, you'd be correct," Ayame said. "But it seems they possess a new type of musket with much better accuracy. The silver lining is that I was able to obtain one of them, so it should be possible for my family to manufacture them too, if only in small quantities."

"As expected of the family who inherited Lady Pernelle's smithing techniques," Kasumi said. "But, that said… how did they know to target your soul gems? Is there an information leak? Or… do they have a magical girl on their side as well?"

"We never saw an enemy magical girl, ane-ue," Kyoutaro said. "Although we can't rule out that they have one in a non-combatant position."

"I never sensed any magic other than that of our comrades," Ayame said. "If they have a magical girl, she wasn't on that battlefield."

"The other possibility would be that someone from our side leaked their weakness," Kasumi mused. "There aren't that many people who know it, though… there's the four of us here in this room, the remaining members of the research group, the two girls with potential, and of course Lady Momoka…"

"My mother as well," Ayame said. "And Lady Mizuna must know as well, right?"

"Ah, yes, my mother-in-law would definitely know," Oyura said, nodding.

"Yes, of course," Kasumi said. "And Lady Tsukimachi and her daughter, Mieko, would know. I think that should be everyone…?"

"Yes, I think so too," Oyura said. "But the thought of any of those people betraying us is…"

"You're right," Kasumi mused. "Nearly all of those people are fiercely loyal to the Tokime… we could question the research group as the weakest link, but I doubt we'd find anything even there. Mieko is still behind enemy lines with her father, so at first glance she'd seem like the most likely culprit, but… I really can't envision her betraying us. Hmm…" She tilted her head slightly, considering other options. "One of the potential contractees is your younger sister, right, Oyura?"

"I'm sorry, I haven't heard much about that," Oyura said. "Since I'm always at the manor, I'm not really up-to-date on the state of my family… but it wouldn't surprise me if one of my younger sisters was offered a contract."

"And I think the other was a member of the Koushou clan," Kasumi said. "Lady Akane's niece, if I'm not mistaken. My point here is neither of them seem like candidates for the leak…"

"About the questioning, would you like me to handle it, ane-ue?" Kyoutaro asked.

"No… Ayame, could I leave it to you?" Kasumi asked. "Try not to make it sound like you're interrogating them. You should ask Youha to help you as well."

"Understood," Ayame said. "Can I get started in four days? I'd like to finish the investigation of the new weapon first."

Kasumi nodded. "That's fine, but don't take too long," she said. "The sooner you can complete the questioning, the better. Just to be on the safe side, you should also question the ladies of the other houses as well, if you can – even though I'm certain of their loyalty, they may yet know something that can help."

"Understood," Ayame said. "I'll let Lady Youha know as well."

"Kyoutaro… what's the state of Hohzuki now?" Kasumi asked. "Has it been destroyed, or merely occupied?"

"It looked like a mostly peaceful occupation from the citizens' standpoint," Kyoutaro said. "Some of them are suffering, to be sure, but they're all still alive as far as I know."

"That's a relief," Kasumi said. "But it means our only major food source now is eastern Hokuyo… so could I ask you to protect that area from now on? Whatever happens, we can't let the emperor's troops seize Hokuyo. To be sure, there's farmland even further east as well, but it's not enough to provide for the entirety of the Souma and Nishiwan regions. If we were to lose Hokuyo, we'd have little choice but to surrender… or else retreat to a government in exile somewhere."

"Understood," Kyoutaro said. "I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"The two of you may leave now," Kasumi said.

She watched Kyoutaro and Ayame leave the room, then turned to Oyura.

"Have you heard from your husband lately?" she asked.

"I have not," Oyura said. "The last letter I received from him was about a month ago, but it seemed like there was nothing wrong at that time. I'm sure he'll be devastated to hear of his little sister's death, however."

"Alright… then let's return to the topic we were discussing before my brother interrupted us," Kasumi said. "What's left to transfer to the hidden village, again?"

"The biggest thing is the research notes and materials," Oyura said. "All of the Tokime's most precious possessions have been moved already. They're now at the head family's new village mansion."

"You built an entire house in just a month…?" Kasumi said, startled.

"Thanks to Youha, Lady Asora, and Lady Akane providing labour, the work went unexpectedly quickly," Oyura said.

"So essentially… the only thing left is to move the research notes and materials, right?" Kasumi said.

"That's correct," Oyura said. "The spear that your mother bequeathed to the Hiraku family has also been left in Mitakihara, as planned."

Kasumi nodded. "Should something happen to the Tokime, we'll have the Hiraku family step up to represent their interests," she mused. "It's not a good plan, but… it's just in case something bad happens, so hopefully we'll never need to rely on it."

"Losing four magical girls all at once hurts a lot though," Oyura said.

"That's true," Kasumi said. "And it's about half of our total forces."

"Furthermore, they're the strongest and most experienced of our magical girls," Oyura pointed out. "Lady Sayuri in particular will be sorely missed… and if Lady Ayame were to fall too, we'd be unable to field any capable magic fighters. All of them would win one-on-one against a normal human, but when faced with an army, it's another story."

"Your concern is noted," Kasumi said. "And I share it, to a degree. But it would not pay to be pessimistic. Let us not give up before we've tried everything we can."

"You're right," Oyura said. "My apologies."

Kasumi got to her feet.

"It's getting late," she noted. "So I will bid you good night."

"Of course… good night, Lady Kasumi."

Shinriku Island, Nishiwan Province, Mitakihara Domain. Year 15 of the Genroku Era, when the ice cracked and allowed the fish to emerge.

"Hatsu!"

Thirteen-year-old Tokime Hatsu, the youngest daughter of Momoka, the Tokime family head, looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. It was the friend she'd made in the past year, Banshu Suwe, the younger sister of one of the new guards that the head families had hired.

"Suwe, you're here!" Hatsu said.

"It's Suwe!" ten-year-old Kousuke, her younger brother, exclaimed.

"Suwe, Suwe!" nine-year-old Masatsuna piped up. "Let's all play together today!"

Eleven-year-old Suwe seized the three of them in a hug.

"I'm looking forward to it!" she said. "My brother should be coming back today, so I'll finally get to see him again!"

"Oh right, he was sent to the war, wasn't he?" Hatsu said. "I heard it's not going so well… but at least he made it back."

The four of them were in one of the lounges, where Hatsu had been showing Kousuke the basics of embroidery while Masatsuna carefully carved shavings off of a chunk of wood, trying to shape it into something that was as yet unrecognizable. Both Hatsu and Masatsuna had set down their work upon spotting Suwe, however.

"So, what should we do today?" Suwe asked.

"Let's play hide and seek!" Masatsuna said.

"Then, who'll be the ogre?" Suwe asked.

The two of them hemmed and hawed for a few moments, until Hatsu volunteered herself. As the eldest among them, she felt it was her duty to step up for the less desirable role.

"I'll do it," she said. "But you have to hide in the manor only, okay?"

"Alright!" Masatsuna said

"I'll find a really good hiding spot!" Kousuke said.

With that, the three others ran off while Hatsu waited to give them some time. Once she thought they'd had enough time, she headed out of the room and began to explore the manor.

After searching for a little while, she heard voices while passing by the main audience chamber. The door was ajar, which wouldn't normally be the case if Kasumi was actually holding an audience, so she quietly slipped inside, thinking that perhaps one of her targets was hiding there.

However, what she found was something completely different. The voices were those of Kasumi and Momoka. Though the room within was dark, it looked like they were being confronted by a man. The atmosphere seemed tense, so Hatsu dived behind a potted plant in the corner of the room. For a moment, she caught a glint of metal from the little light seeping in through the closed curtains – the man had a sword drawn.

"Do you really think you'll get away with this!?" Kasumi said.

"Have you lost your mind?" Momoka said. "Neither of our clans will let things stand if the two heads suddenly die!"

"If you lower your sword and back away now, we can pretend this never happened," Kasumi said.

The man chuckled.

"You really are naïve," he retorted.

There was something familiar about that voice, but Hatsu couldn't quite place it.

"Back down, you say?" he continued. "After coming this far? In your dreams."

"At least tell us what led you to this!" Kasumi begged. "Why are you doing this!?"

"Are you trying to stall for time in the hope someone comes?" the man asked. "Well, whatever. The Mikoshiba promised me that I can be lord of this domain when the emperor takes over. That's really all there is to it. You're an obstacle in my path, so you have to go… just like that idiotic Mizuna girl."

"Mizuna… do you mean Mizuna Sayuri?" Kasumi gasped. "Don't tell me you killed her too…!"

"There was no need for me to dirty my hands for that one," the man retorted. "Well, whatever. Enough of this farce. It's time to end this."

"Wait a—" Momoka began.

But the man swung his sword twice, followed up by a pair of thumps. Then he turned and marched out of the room, not even sparing a glance in Hatsu's direction. She hunched up there, shivering, until the sound of the man's boots had completely receded away. Then she spent more time working up the courage to stand up and behold the gruesome scene before her.

It was a little hard to make out in the darkness, but both of the women lay motionless on the ground. After gazing at them for a short time, Hatsu further realized that their heads were in the wrong place – they had both been decapitated. Her mind raced, wondering what she should do, but somehow the sight of the corpses had her frozen in fear again.

"M-mother…" she gasped, her voice barely audible even in the quiet room.

She wasn't sure how long she'd stood there, frozen in shock, before a new voice entered her awareness. It couldn't have been all that long though.

"Hatsu…? What are you doing in the audience chamber?"

With a concerted effort, Hatsu managed to tear her gaze away from the awful sight before her. The speaker was her aunt, Oyura.

"A-auntie," she said. "M-mother is… t-that man… he… to M-mother… she's…!"

She raised her arm, trying to point at them, but then her knees gave away. Oyura gasped, catching her.

"Oh my goodness…!" she said. "Ane-ue…? And is that… Lady Kasumi too…?"

Hatsu nodded mutely, bursting into tears, and Oyura knelt to comfort her. Though this was an emergency situation, it couldn't hurt to spend a little time to console the young girl who had accidentally discovered, or perhaps even witnessed, the murder.

Eventually, she managed to calm Hatsu down, and after helping her to her feet, she steered her niece out of the audience chamber and into a sitting room, plopping her down on a chair.

"Hatsu," Oyura said once the girl was seated.

"…w-what…?" Hatsu said.

"I need to do something, but I'll be right back," she said. "Can you wait here for me?"

"Yes…" Hatsu said.

Oyura then left the room, and despite the sunlight streaming in from outside, Hatsu suddenly felt intensely lonely. She burst into tears again, trying not to remember the sight of her mother in that state, trying to remember her smiling face instead.

"Hatsu…?"

That was Masatsuna's voice.

"Hatsu, what's wrong?"

Hatsu looked around in surprise, just in time to see the boy emerging from a nearby cabinet.

"It's… Mother," Hatsu said. "But I don't want to talk about it… were you hiding in here?"

"Yeah, but I was starting to get bored," Masatsuna said. "I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"Well… I sort of did though," Hatsu said.

Masatsuna ran over to her and hugged her. Hatsu hugged back, squeezing her eyes shut as if that would somehow stem the tears.

"I don't know what happened, but cheer up!" he said.

"Thank you… but… I don't know if I can," Hatsu muttered.

"Hmm… well then, I'll stay with you until you feel better," Masatsuna said.

"Tokime Hatsu, you seem to be in quite the state of distress."

Hatsu gasped at the unexpected voice, opening her eyes to see a strange white creature sitting on the low table before her. She recognized it from others' descriptions – it must be the creature that granted the Tokime magical girls their power.

"Kyuubey… what do you want?" Hatsu said. "I don't really want to talk right now…"

"Huh…?" Masatsuna said. "Is Kyuubey there…?"

Kyuubey tilted his head.

"Is now a bad time?" he asked. "I thought it seemed appropriate. Is there not something you desire? If you make a contract with me and become a magical girl, I can fulfil your wish."

"What would be the point of that?" Hatsu retorted. "I don't think I'd be able to fight on the battlefield like Lady Sayuri and Lady Ayame."

"There are many other ways to use the powers you obtain," Kyuubey said. "There is no reason you would have to fight."

"Speaking of Lady Sayuri, I heard a rumour that it was your fault she died," Hatsu said. "Is that true?"

Kyuubey tilted his head again. "Are you referring to Mizuna Sayuri? I am not sure how someone would have connected her death to me. Who was it who suggested such a thing?"

"I don't know," Hatsu said. "It was just a rumour I heard…"

"I hadn't heard that rumour," Masatsuna said. "Is it true…?"

"Kyuubey doesn't seem to know either," Hatsu said. "Maybe it's not true…"

"Will you consider my offer, Tokime Hatsu?" Kyuubey asked.

"Maybe, but not right now," Hatsu said. "Please leave me alone."

"Very well," Kyuubey said. "I shall see you again later."

Just as he hopped off the table and disappeared from sight, Oyura and Youha appeared, the former carrying a sobbing Suwe. There was also a maid with them, who was carrying Kousuke. Hatsu gasped.

"W-what happened to Suwe…?" she asked.

"Hatsu…!" Suwe wailed. "It's ani-ue… he's…!"

She broke down in tears without finishing her sentence, so Youha finished it for her.

"It seems her older brother died on the way home in a bandit attack," Youha explained. "Although, his body wasn't found, so we're not quite sure he's truly dead. But he was definitely badly wounded, so there's not much hope."

"T-that…that's awful," Hatsu said. "Suwe… I know exactly how you feel…"

When Youha set Suwe down, she climbed on Hatsu, and the two girls broke down in tears together, with Masatsuna trying to comfort them. Kousuke also squirmed until the maid set him down, then clung wordlessly to his sister's arm.

"Will you keep an eye on the kids for us?" Oyura asked. "We have some important things to discuss."

"Of course, milady," the maid said.

He raced through the woods, branches whipping across his body, exacerbating the many wounds all over his body. The belly wound was especially bad, and he knew he was doomed if he didn't find a settlement soon. But worse than that, he still hadn't lost his pursuers. Bandits? No, these were no ordinary bandits. If they were bandits, they would've given up hours ago.

Gasping for breath, Banshu San'emon forced himself to place one leg in front of the other, despite the burning cramps in his muscles. Slim as it might be, his survival hinged on this desperate flight. If he could just find a settlement, or even a traveller… but he had a feeling he was going away from settled areas, rather than towards them. His pursuers were somehow herding him further and further into the wilderness. He could even sense the upward gradient of the ground beneath his feet, but there was no other way he could go, lest he be caught by his pursuers.

He could still hear his pursuers as well, the soft footfalls on the forest floor behind him, the occasional snap of a twig. Why was he being targeted? He didn't understand. He wasn't even all that important of a person. What reason was there to assassinate him? Sure, he was a guard for the Akatsuki house, but that hardly put a mark on his forehead!

Suddenly he emerged into a clearing around a small pond. There was a fox there, drinking from the pond, and it looked up as he burst out from the woods. However, instead of fleeing, it just looked at him, tilting its head, and yipped twice, as if asking what he was doing here. That was a problem, because the fox stood directly ahead in his path, and he was moving too quickly to change course on such short notice. As a result, his legs became tangled up, and he plunged forward, faceplanting in the soft grass.

"Damn… looks like… this is the end," he grunted.

Hoping to at least see his pursuers, he managed to roll over onto his back. The pursuers emerged from the woods as he did so. As he thought, they were clearly no bandits, wearing the typical garb of the shinobi and moving like trained warriors. There were three of them.

"You really gave us a run for our money," the lead one said.

"A girl…?" San'emon groaned.

"But it looks like you've finally exhausted your stamina, so now's the time to finish you off," the woman continued.

"No… please no… I don't want… to die…!" San'emon pleaded. "At least… tell me… tell me why! What have… I done!?"

"It's nothing personal," the woman said. "You were just in the way, so we had to remove you. Don't worry – our master will take very good care of your little sister."

Suddenly the fox hopped up onto his chest, growling at the three assassins.

"Huh?" the woman said. "What's with this fox…?"

"I… have no idea… either," San'emon said.

It was then that the fox suddenly transformed into a girl wearing a hakama similar to that of a miko, but cut off at the knees. She had her black hair tied up in a bun and pinned in place with bright crimson chopsticks with red ribbons trailing off them. She planted her bare feet on either side of San'emon's body and her fists on her hips. Though San'emon couldn't see properly from his vantage point, he imagined her glaring at the assassins.

"A diviner!?" the lead woman gasped. "What on earth… the fox was a diviner…? Is that… even possible…?"

"What do you want with us?" the second assassin asked.

Apparently, the second one was a man, to judge from that deep voice.

"Leave!" the unknown diviner said.

"I'm sorry, but we can't do that," the female assassin said. "Not until we've taken the life of that man."

"No!" the diviner said, throwing her arms wide, as if that would somehow stop them. "Forbidden!"

"What does it matter to you if he dies?" the man asked. "You haven't met before now, have you?"

"Reminders," the diviner said. "Yasuna. Similar meeting. Nostalgia."

"Huh…?" the woman said. "I don't understand what you're saying."

"Yasuna saved me," the diviner said. "I save this man."

"I don't know who Yasuna is, but that man is definitely not him," the man said.

"No matter," the diviner said with a shrug. "No reason. Whimsy."

"You're saying you're going to face us down on a whim?" the woman said. "What a strange diviner you are… but don't mistake us as ordinary humans. Even if you're a diviner, you might have trouble facing off against three of is."

"If I die, no matter," the diviner said. "But not ordinary… magical girl… or diviner."

"Alright… let's get her!" the woman said.

The three of them sank into the shadows of the trees to emerge in a circle around the unknown diviner, but she conjured up bright yellow balls of sparkling energy and flung them at the assassins, knocking them off their feet.

"Warned you," the diviner said. "You run… I spare. Otherwise… you dead."

As the assassins picked themselves up, she summoned an old-fashioned doubled-edged sword, a tsurugi, and leapt forward at the female assassin. The woman dodged into shadows, yet the sword was faster, cutting into her side before she had completely disappeared. The diviner then leapt for the next assassin, repeating the process, and finally the third one, who hadn't spoken even once. As she was attacking the third one, the other two leapt up behind her, so she spun and beheaded them both in a single swing, then thrust right through the remaining assassin's chest.

"That… was amazing…!" San'emon gasped.

"Enough," the girl said. "Let me see."

She knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his belly.

"Badly hurt," she said.

"Can you… heal it…?" he asked.

"Not well," the girl said. "But enough."

He felt a coolness spread through his body, and the pain began to subside. Before long he was able to sit up on his own.

"Need more treatment," the girl said. "Let's go. Riding okay?"

"Um… you're asking if I can ride…?" San'emon said. "Hmm… I could probably manage now, yeah."

"Then climb on," the girl said. "Don't fall off."

With that, she transformed into a huge black bear, startling San'emon. The bear nudged him with its nose until he got to his feet, then settled down low to make it as easy as possible for him to climb on. He never would've thought of a bear as a beast that could be ridden, but as it turned out, it wasn't too hard to find a hold in the bear's thick fur.

"Alright, I think I'm secure," he said.

And with that, the bear took off at such a pace that it took all he had to maintain his grip.

Hatsu stood there in the large audience room in her own house, the droning of the speaker washing over her. No matter how much they praised her mother, it didn't change the fact that Hatsu would never see her again. Only the pressure of Masatsuna's and Kousuke's hands in hers prevented her from screaming and running out of the room.

She hadn't wanted to attend the funeral at all, but Oyura had insisted, saying that skipping it would give the wrong impression. So here she was, sitting through it and struggling not to cry. At least she had her friends with her. On the opposite side from Masatsuna, squeezed between her and Kousuke, Suwe clung to her arm, weeping openly. Suwe wouldn't have known the two heads of house very well, but she would surely be aware how much the people adored them, and besides she'd also recently lost someone. Oyura herself was with them too, sitting next to Masatsuna. Hatsu's other siblings, including the eldest, Kaguya, were lined up on the other side of Oyura. Her uncle and other aunts, Oyura and Momoka's younger siblings, were in the row behind her.

It seemed like forever, but eventually everyone had said what they wanted to say, and Hatsu steeled herself for the final ordeal. She nodded numbly every time someone walked up to her to offer condolences, certain that if she were to open her mouth she'd say something she regretted. She didn't even know any of these people, after all. Why were they pretending to care about her?

Then an actual familiar face came over – Akatsuki Youha, accompanied by a man who looked vaguely familiar.

"Yura, Kaguya, Hatsu, Masatsuna, Suwe," Youha said, nodding in greeting.

Her other siblings were off talking to other attendees. Only the eldest had chosen to stay with her. It wasn't like they were close, but Kaguya was just a kind person by nature. She must've noticed that Hatsu was taking it worse than the others.

"Youha, Lord Kyoutaro," Oyura responded, also nodding.

"How are the kids taking this?" Youha asked.

"Hmm… not too well, if you ask me," Oyura said.

"Well, why don't we ask them directly?" Kyoutaro said.

Hatsu froze, for that voice was familiar. She stared at the man named Kyoutaro as he stepped forward and leaned over to meet her eyes.

"It must be hard, losing your mother all of a sudden," he continued.

"Y-y-yes…!" Hatsu gasped.

"Is there anything we can do to help you through it?" he asked.

"N-n-no…!" Hatsu gasped.

Kyoutaro smiled.

"Well… you can come to me if you need anything," he said. "I'm sure my sister would agree as well."

With one hand he gestured towards Youha, while the other began to descend upon Hatsu's head. Terrified, Hatsu finally managed to get her body to respond, dodging the headpat and cowering behind Oyura.

"Oh…?" Kyoutaro said. "What's wrong…?"

"You seem to be scaring her, Lord Kyoutaro," Oyura said.

"My, my, is my face that scary?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Well… it's definitely a little scary," Youha said. "That scar on your face, in particular…"

Kyoutaro raised a hand to trace the scar on his left cheek.

"Ah… this old thing," he said. "Well… Kaguya, Hatsu, Kousuke, Masatsuna, Suwe, I'll be there for you if you need me, alright?"

"Sure," Masatsuna said.

"Thank you for your generosity, Lord Kyoutaro," Kaguya said with a slight bow.

After exchanging a few more words with Oyura, Youha and her companion went on their way. Eventually, Oyura led the kids off the premises, leaving Hatsu's older siblings, including Kaguya, to mingle a little longer with the guests. She escorted them all the way back to their rooms in the Tokime mansion, one after the other in order of age. Hatsu waited while Masatsuna, Kousuke, and Suwe were dropped off and tucked in, then decided she had to say something.

"Um… Auntie…?" she said.

"Yes?" Oyura said. "What is it, Hatsu?"

"Um… that man… the one with the scar… who is he?"

"Oh, that's Youha's older brother, Lord Kyoutaro," Oyura said.

"Really…?" Hatsu said, startled. But she couldn't let that discovery put her off. "But… um… well… he did it…"

"Did what…?" Oyura said.

"Mother, and Lady Kasumi," Hatsu said. "I… I saw it… I couldn't see his face, but… the voice… I'd know it anywhere… he's the one who k-killed them!"

Oyura blinked. "W-what!? Surely not… his own sister…? I can't believe Lord Kyoutaro would do such a thing…"

"But I saw it!" Hatsu insisted. "I heard it! I'm certain of it! It was definitely him! He said he was going to be lord of the domain! H-how could he attend Mother's funeral like n-nothing happened!?"

"Domain lord…?" Oyura said. "Certainly, if the emperor were to take over, Kyoutaro would be a candidate for that position…" She fell silent for a few moments, pondering, then leaned down to meet her niece's eyes. "Hatsu, you mustn't speak of this to anyone else, alright? I'll look into it myself. I'll ask Youha to help me as well, but don't speak of it to anyone other than the two of us. We might have a few more questions for you later."

"A-alright," Hatsu said. "Thank you… for not saying I was crazy…"

"Even if you're crazy, we can't overlook the possibility," Oyura said. "I promise you that if you're right, Lord Kyoutaro will definitely pay for his crime. And if you're wrong…"

"I'm not wrong," Hatsu said confidently. "It's him. I know it is."

"Well, we'll see," Oyura said. "For now, get to bed. You've been crying so much today, you must be exhausted."

"T-that's true," Hatsu said. "I am pretty tired… though I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep, but… good night, Auntie."

Oyura tucked Hatsu in, then left the room and went outside to ask the Tokime family's coachman to drive her over to Mitakihara Manor. The guards recognized her and let her through without any challenges, and once inside she made straight for Youha's office in the hope that she'd be there. As luck would have it, Youha was indeed there, but she wasn't working, just sitting in the chair, deep in thought. As Oyura stepped in, she started, looking up at the intruder.

"Ah… Yura," she said. "Have you put the kids to bed? What brings you here all of a sudden? I wasn't expecting to see you again tonight."

"Yes, the kids are in bed," Oyura said. "But a matter of great urgency has come up."

"What is it?" Youha asked.

"We shouldn't speak of it here," Oyura said. "What's a good place to avoid being overheard? Somewhere outside the manor would be best. I don't know if we can trust everyone here."

Youha blinked in surprise, but then her face turned serious as she considered the question.

"How about the church?" she suggested. "At this time of night, there wouldn't be anyone there other than the old priest, and I'm certain he's trustworthy."

"The church, huh?" Oyura said. "It's a bit unorthodox, and kind of far, but… I'll take it."

"I also had things to discuss with the priest anyway, so it won't be a wasted journey," Youha said. "It's actually good timing, as tomorrow is their day of worship. He may wish to discuss the matter with the followers during or after the sermon."

So, the two of them departed from the manor, ordering a carriage to take them to the Christian church on the other side of town. They rode in silence, giving Oyura plenty of time to ponder the words she'd heard from Hatsu.

Finally, they disembarked from the carriage, instructing the coachman to wait for them, and made for the main entrance of the imposing church building. The bell tower with the cross atop it was almost as high as Mitakihara Manor, and one of the key landmarks of the city. The door, as always, was not locked, so they simply went inside and entered the main sanctuary. A ray of moonlight shone through a window high up on the wall, bathing the altar in light.

"I'm amazed every time I see it," Oyura mused. "The way it's arranged so that the light always falls upon the altar… it's breathtaking."

"I've occasionally come to pray here," Youha said. "Though if you think about it logically, there's not much point… their god is a jealous one, so I'm sure he doesn't like sharing me with the other gods… but even so, it's calming. Anyway… what was it you had to tell me that was so important it couldn't wait?"

"It's about the murder of ane-ue and Lady Kasumi," Oyura said. "You remember Hatsu's role in the matter, right?"

"Yes… I was told she was the one to discover the bodies," Youha said. "It must've been awful for her to see that at her age… I can hardly imagine it…"

"I'm sorry… I didn't tell you the full story," Oyura said. "It seems she witnessed the deed herself. I didn't want to pressure her on the details, so I simplified things a bit for the report."

"Does that mean… she knows who did it?" Youha asked.

"Of course, I did ask her that before I submitted my written report," Oyura said. "She only said it was a man who seemed vaguely familiar, and it was too dark to make much out. However… tonight she said she'd identified him by his voice."

"And… who did she say it was?" Youha asked.

"Lord Kyoutaro."

"W-what!?" Youha gasped. "How could ani-ue do such a thing…? Couldn't Hatsu have mistaken the voice? There are many men in the manor with similarly deep voices…"

"She also said she heard the man say he intended to become the lord of this domain," Oyura said.

"Domain… does that mean if the emperor wins?" Youha mused.

"There aren't many people who could be seen as a candidate for that position, right?" Oyura said.

"Let me think… besides ani-ue, there's my younger brother, your younger brother, and the son of the Hiraku family," Youha mused. "Those are probably the only candidates for Mitakihara. And Captain Hayahiko… probably wouldn't be considered a candidate, but there might be a slim chance. Of course, that's assuming they don't just install one of their own… Lord Sumiya is also a strong candidate, for example."

"So… my thought was that we can't ignore the possibility," Oyura said.

"I hate to say it, but you're right," Youha said. "We should investigate your brother and Lord Hiraku too, just to be on the safe side. My little brother, on the other hand… Nobuyuki's swordplay isn't good enough for him to be the murderer, and his voice isn't that deep, so I think we can discount him as a suspect. As for Lord Sumiya, he left for Matsumiya last month, so he wasn't even in town when the murder occurred. I think we can rule out Captain Hayahiko too, both for his low chance of being considered a candidate and for his distinctive build. Hatsu probably would've recognized him immediately."

"I agree, on all points," Oyura said, nodding. "But how should we go about the investigation?"

"I think… this is a very serious matter," Youha said. "So I'll use my charm. I never thought I'd ever use it on ani-ue, but… I have to know. Even if we do lose to the emperor, there's no way I could ever allow someone who'd kill their own sister take power!"

"Alright… then shall I leave the investigation to you?" Oyura said.

"Yes… I'll take charge of it," Youha said. "But I may call on you if I need something, so be sure to stay in town for awhile longer. You were planning on returning to Mizuna, right?"

"I was, but… I'll hold off until the beginning of summer," Oyura said. "Though I might return earlier if you settle this quickly."

Youha nodded. "That should be plenty of time," she said. "Alright… now that we've finished that unpleasant business, let's see if we can find that old priest. He and his kind have the most to lose if the empire takes over, after all – we must prepare everything we can to protect them in case that comes to pass."

"So that's what your business was with him," Oyura said. "I know the practice of Christianity is illegal by the laws of the shogunate, but I honestly can't understand why. Most of them are completely harmless. The rebellion in Shimabara may have been led by Christians, sure, but it was clearly caused by the weak policies of the shogunate and overtaxation from the domain lords…"

Youha shrugged. "Well… people like Lord Tokugawa love to have a scapegoat," she said. "It gives them someone to punish, and also sets an example. That's my best guess as to his reasoning… I could be way off."

"Anyway, shall I wait out in the carriage?" Oyura asked.

"If you wish," Youha said. "I won't need you for this, though I wouldn't mind your presence."

"Then, I'll wait outside," Oyura said. "I'll see you soon."

With that, she headed outside and climbed back into the carriage.

Shinriku Island, Nishiwan Province, Mitakihara Domain. Year 15 of the Genroku Era, when the cabbage whites emerged from their cocoons.

"Hatsu… are you really sure you're okay?" Oyura said.

"I've said it nearly a hundred times now," Hatsu said. "I'm fine, okay?"

She wasn't sure if she was really fine. Her mother was dead, murdered by her distant cousin – Kyoutaro and Youha's great-grandfather, Aiko's late husband, was the clan founder's older brother, and of course Hatsu was descended directly from Sakuya. Sure, the investigation had proven Kyoutaro's guilt, and he had been executed in the public square, but none of that changed the fact that her mother was gone. She had been tempted several times to wish her mother back to life, but something tugged at the edge of her memory each time, stopping her.

"I'm fine," she repeated, as if saying it would eventually make it so.

"Well… if you insist," Oyura said. "The emperor's troops are becoming more and more aggressive, but you should be safe in the hidden village, at least. I still have a few loose ends to tie up here, but Kousuke and your older sisters and brothers will be with you, after all. I'll visit you by the end of summer."

"Yes, you keep saying that over and over again," Hatsu said with a sigh. "Can I go now, seriously?"

"Yes, of course," Oyura said. "I'm sorry for keeping you, Hatsu. Have a nice trip."

"I don't know about that," Hatsu said. "I don't like this at all… something feels off about it. I hope we make it there in one piece…"

"Don't say that!" Oyura protested. "You'll be fine, trust me! We know this island far better than the empire, so of course we know how to travel without being seen. You're being far too paranoid."

"In any case, Auntie, you be careful too," Hatsu said. "I won't forgive you if I never see you again, okay?"

"Of course," Oyura said. "Like I said, I'll visit you around the end of summer."

"Then I'll see you then," Hatsu said. "It's a promise, Auntie!"

"Yes, of course!"

Oyura hugged her briefly, and then Hatsu turned her back on her aunt, heading out into the manor courtyard to climb onto one of the wagons heading out of town. This convoy was almost the last one to be sent to the hidden village, which meant Hatsu's entire family was present. She wasn't interested in chatting with her siblings though, instead huddling up in a corner. Her siblings seemed to understand how she felt, leaving her be after a few aborted attempts at conversation. The only exception was Kousuke, who snuggled up to her without a word and ended up falling asleep. Her uncle and aunts were fortunately in a different wagon, so she didn't have to deal with them.

With nothing but her thoughts for company, she wasn't sure how long she had huddled up there, but at some point, a familiar yet unexpected voice broke through her reverie.

"Hatsu! Hatsu, wake up! Dinner is ready!"

Hatsu blinked up at the face of her friend, Suwe. By this time, Kousuke had vanished – she and Suwe were the only ones in the wagon.

"Suwe…? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Oh, did I not tell you?" Suwe said. "I was adopted by one of the guards. My name is Mikoshiba Suwe now! Doesn't it sound cool?"

"Mikoshiba…?" Hatsu said. "Was there a guard by that name?"

"Yeah," Suwe said. "I think her given name was… Kiku…? She's been really nice to me, so…"

That name brought up bad memories for Hatsu. Kyoutaro had said the name before he killed her mother. She'd almost forgotten, until she heard the name again. Was that the thing that had been gnawing at the corner of her mind? She felt she was still missing a piece of it though.

"Is she the only one with that name?" Hatsu asked.

"Hmm?" Suwe said. "Hmm… oh, I heard it's also the name of the ruling family in Matsumiya…"

So it was a large family… then it was possible that Kiku was not directly connected to Kyoutaro. Still… Hatsu decided she'd better keep an eye on the guard, at least.

"I see… well… you should introduce me to her later," Hatsu said.

"Of course I will!" Suwe said. "But for now, come eat dinner with us before it gets cold!"

"Ah… right," Hatsu said. "Okay, I'm coming…"

Shinriku Island, Kirimine Province, Tokime Hidden Village. Year 15 of the Genroku Era, when the frogs began to croak.

At least she kept her promise. That was the first thing Hatsu thought when she saw Oyura enter the hidden village. She broke into a run, glomping the older woman so suddenly that she almost lost her balance.

"Hatsu!?" Oyura gasped. "I never expected you to come meet me…"

"I've been waiting for you every single day for the past month," Hatsu said.

"Whatever for…?" Oyura said.

"Because…"

Hatsu paused, looking around to check if anyone else was in earshot. The only ones were the two attendants who had arrived with Oyura, but just to be on the safe side, she leaned in close and lowered her voice.

"I think… we walked straight into a trap," she whispered.

Oyura blinked. "Huh…? What are you talking about?" she asked. "Ah, let's talk about it inside, actually. Shall we go to the Tokime mansion?"

The Tokime mansion, where she'd been living since arriving in the village, was occupied only by her and her siblings – her uncle and aunts each had their own residence. It only made sense, since they had families of their own as well. There wasn't a residence for Oyura, as she counted Mizuna Castle as her primary home. She was only here to visit this time.

Hatsu nodded. "Yes… at least, I'm pretty sure all of my siblings can be trusted," she said.

She accompanied Oyura back to the mansion, and after preparing some tea and snacks, the two of them settled down in the living room. There was no-one else around at the moment.

"So… what's this about a trap?" Oyura asked.

"Well… it's been bugging me for awhile," Hatsu said. "Ever since Lady Aiko died, I think. On the surface, it seemed like everything was going well, but… first Lady Aiko, then Lady Sayuri and the others, and then Mother and Lady Kasumi… not to mention Suwe's brother…"

"Do you think those three tragedies are linked somehow?" Oyura asked. "Setting aside Sir Banshu for now…"

"Um… I'm not sure," Hatsu said. "Actually, I was going to ask you the same question… do you know anything? I never heard exactly how Lady Aiko died…"

"According to the guest who was helping us with research at that time, an assassin snuck in with shadow magic and crushed Lady Aiko's soul gem," Oyura said. "But we suspected the assassin was not a magical girl herself, but rather someone who was granted power by a magical girl."

"Shadow magic…?" Hatsu said. "That's… probably the clincher…"

"How so…?" Oyura asked.

"Um, so… there was one little detail I forgot to tell you, about how Mother died," Hatsu said. "Specifically, about what that man said at that time. I told you he'd been promised a position as the domain lord, but… he also said who'd promised that to him."

Oyura nodded. "I do wish you'd said so earlier… why didn't you?"

"I'm sorry," Hatsu said. "I actually forgot about it until I heard the name again recently."

"So… who was it?" Oyura asked.

"Mikoshiba," Hatsu said. "Although, from the way he said it, it wasn't clear whether he was referring to a specific person or an entire family…"

"Mikoshiba," Oyura mused. "I heard that family was the head of a cult in the Mizuna area… there were rumours that they practice human sacrifice, but an investigation several years ago didn't uncover any evidence. Oh, and we recently employed a member of the family, Mikoshiba Kiku, as a guard. She was vouched for by Suitoku Temple. Our relations with that temple are reasonably good, so I wouldn't expect them to vouch for someone who they knew to possess ill feelings towards us."

"Did you also know that the Mikoshiba family had been instated as the domain lords of Matsumiya?" Hatsu asked.

"What…?" Oyura said. "This is the first I've heard of it… but still, that would fit with what you heard Lord Kyoutaro say. He was probably referring to those Mikoshiba. Mikoshiba Kiku could be an outcast from that family, right?"

Hatsu shook her head. "That's a reasonable conclusion to draw, except for the detail of that shadow magic. By the way… Mikoshiba Kiku, is she a magical girl?"

"Youha confirmed she wasn't," Oyura said.

"But she does possess some kind of shadow magic," Hatsu said. "I've been watching her a lot lately, and I caught her using it a couple of times when she didn't know I was there. In other words… I think she might be the one who killed Lady Aiko."

"Lady Aiko's death occurred before she joined us as a guard," Oyura said. "Though, that doesn't prove anything… you could perhaps argue that she used Lady Aiko's death to get her current position…"

"I don't have any proof, but… I'd be willing to bet that she also killed Lady Sayuri on the battlefield," Hatsu said.

"According to Lady Ayame's report, Sayuri was killed by musket fire from a sniper," Oyura said. "Not by a magical girl. It was suspicious that they knew to aim for the soul gem, though."

"Oh… I see… maybe she told them about that weakness, then," Hatsu said. "But that man also mentioned Lady Sayuri just before he killed Mother… I'm sure he must have somehow arranged things so that she and the other magical girls would die on the battlefield."

"So what you're saying is Mikoshiba Kiku is the mastermind behind it all…?" Oyura said. "Then, shouldn't we confront her about it?"

Hatsu shook her head. "What are you saying? There are no magical girls here in the village, you know. Lady Youha and Lady Ayame are the only ones left, right? And they're both in Mitakihara right now."

"You're not entirely correct," Oyura said. "There's Tsukimachi Mieko who stayed behind in Matsumiya to manage the shrine – she occasionally sends us valuable intel. We also still have two more magical girl members of the Kazura Research Group who you likely haven't met before – Koushou Akane and Yukuni Asora. Neither of them are strong in combat, so they weren't sent to the front where Lady Sayuri died."

"But neither of them are here in the village, right?" Hatsu said.

"That's right – they were sent back to their families," Oyura said.

Hatsu nodded. "What do you think would happen if we confronted her when she can use magic and we can't?"

"You have a good point," Oyura said. "Hmm… but if I'm not mistaken, didn't Kyuubey display an interest in you? Is there a reason you haven't made a wish? If you did, wouldn't you have the power to confront her?"

"That's because… there's been something bugging me all along," Hatsu said. "I have this feeling like we're missing a very important piece of the puzzle… and if I make a wish before I know what that is, it could end in disaster… and yet, if there were only a magical girl here, I bet she'd figure it out in no time."

"I more or less understand the situation now," Oyura said. "This is the time to watch and wait, and hopefully we can figure out that missing piece that you think you're sensing."

"Auntie… thank you for listening to me so seriously," Hatsu said. "Being able to get that all off my chest really makes me feel a bit better."

"Well, if that's all you have to say, why don't you go outside and have some fun?" Oyura said. "I still have to unpack, after all."

"Will you be staying long?" Hatsu asked.

"The plan was to stay at least until the new year," Oyura said. "I've left Masatsuna with his father in Mizuna, so he's surely missing me by now… I'd like to return to him soon. I'll likely remain in Mizuna after that, and change my surname to match so as to throw off the empire's scent."

"So, you're going to be Mizuna Oyura in the future," Hatsu said.

"Most likely," Oyura said.

"Alright, then I'll go see if I can find Suwe," Hatsu said.

She leapt up and headed outside, wandering towards the river. The Mikoshiba house where Suwe lived was closer to the river, so there was a good chance she'd find her friend there, and sure enough, Suwe was sitting near the bridge, gazing down at the rushing waters.

"Suwe!" Hatsu called.

Suwe heard her and turned, jumping to her feet.

"Hatsu!" she said. "I was waiting for you! I thought you'd be here earlier!"

"I ran into Aunt Oyura," Hatsu said. "She just arrived back, so I had tea and cookies with her."

Suddenly Hatsu blinked, noticing a ring on Suwe's finger that hadn't been there yesterday.

"Huh? Suwe… that ring…!" she said.

"Oh… this?" Suwe said. "Well, you see… I made a wish!"

"Then… you're a magical girl!?" Hatsu gasped. "I don't know how to feel about that…"

"Shouldn't you be happy?" Suwe retorted.

"Hmm… maybe you're right," Hatsu said. "Did Kyuubey just talk to you recently? I wish you'd told me earlier…"

"Ah… the first time was… I think about ten days before my brother died," Suwe said. "It took me this long to decide on a wish…"

That meant Suwe had been approached even before Hatsu. Was ten days enough time to send a message from Mitakihara to the Souma region…? But Hatsu shook her head roughly to clear her head of that paranoid thought.

"Then… as a magical girl, can you tell if there's anything weird going on in the village?"

Suwe tilted her head. "Weird…? What do you mean?"

"Well… it's hard to explain," Hatsu said. "It's like… things don't quite fit together, but I don't quite get it…? Um, you can sense magic, right? I thought there might be something magical at work…"

"Hmm… I haven't noticed anything," Suwe said. "But I only just became a diviner, after all…"

"Have you been all around the village since you became a magical girl?" Hatsu asked.

"More or less," Suwe said. "I think I've been everywhere except the grand shrine… Lady Mikoshiba said I'm not allowed over there."

A part of her mind noted that it was strange for Suwe to refer to the woman as Lady Mikoshiba, rather than Mother. Then again, she'd only been recently adopted… and anyway it wasn't the most important matter right now.

"Then, let's go check it out right now!" Hatsu said.

"Huh? Didn't you hear me…?" Suwe said. "Lady Mikoshiba said I'm not allowed in there…"

"Where is she right now?" Hatsu asked.

"I think she's over there now… at least, I saw her cross the bridge earlier, and I haven't seen her return."

"I see," Hatsu said. "Then would it be better to go at night so she won't see us…? No, wait… that could be a bad idea…"

Approaching someone who could control shadows at night would put them at a huge disadvantage, after all.

"Um… Hatsu, you're starting to scare me a little," Suwe said. "What's going on…?"

"Suwe… have you ever seen Mikoshiba using magic…?"

"What are you saying?" Suwe scoffed. "Of course not. She's not a diviner… I am one myself, so I can tell, you know!"

"So she really isn't a magical girl," Hatsu mused. "Alright… may I ask what kind of wish you made, then?"

"Of course!" Suwe said smugly. "I was careful about it, you know! I talked it over with Lady Mikoshiba first, and finally decided on this one wish!"

Hatsu blinked. "Y-you… you talked about it… with Mikoshiba…?"

"That's right!" Suwe said. "My wish was… to create a Grail of Calamity."

"That sounds… awfully ominous…?" Hatsu said. "Why would you want something like that? An item that brings calamity… what good could it possibly do?"

"How rude!" Suwe said. "It's an item that draws calamity into itself, so it actually brings good fortune!"

"And… it was Mikoshiba's idea…?" Hatsu asked.

"Yeah! I never would have thought of it!" Suwe said.

Hatsu sighed. How could she have been convinced to make such a strange wish? It must've taken a lot of work to talk her out of wishing her brother back to life, too. But what was Mikoshiba Kiku planning to do with such an item? Even if it really drew in calamities as Suwe claimed… Hatsu was willing to bet it could also expel them.

"Suwe… this is hard to say at a time like this but… I've been thinking about it for awhile. Don't you think it's suspicious how your brother was done in by normal bandits?"

"Huh?" Suwe said. "What's this all of a sudden…? That was ages ago… but now that you mention it, I suppose it is a little strange… he was pretty strong, you know."

"Remember who he was travelling with when the bandits attacked?" Hatsu said.

"Um… it was that guy, right?" Suwe said. "The one who killed your mother…"

"Yes, Lord Kyoutaro," Hatsu said.

"Are you trying to say he killed my brother and said it was bandits…?" Suwe asked.

"No… that wouldn't be so easy to do," Hatsu said. "Most of the soldiers were loyal to Tokime, so someone probably would've reported it if that were the case. However… I happen to know Kyoutaro was also working with someone else. If that person sent those bandits specifically to kill your brother, then…"

"…that would mean my brother was indirectly killed by that person," Suwe agreed. "That makes sense, but…"

"Well, I know who that person is," Hatsu said. "I'm certain of it now."

Given what she knew about Kiku now, coupled with the fact that Kiku had worked with Suwe on her wish… the evidence was admittedly tenuous, but if Kiku's goal all along had been to get Suwe to make a specific wish, and San'emon had been feared as a voice of reason counteracting her…

"That person is Mikoshiba Kiku," Hatsu said.

Suwe gaped at her for a few seconds, then shook her head vehemently.

"No, that can't be right!" she protested. "Lady Mikoshiba is a good person, I'm sure of it!"

Perhaps it had been a mistake to reveal her suspicion. It looked like Suwe was on the verge of tears, and if she pressed too hard, her friend would probably just stop listening. But now that she'd already slipped up, she didn't want to waste the opportunity to lay it all out there.

"Suwe… please listen to me!" Hatsu pleaded.

"No… you're lying to me, Hatsu!" Suwe said.

"I'm not lying," Hatsu said. "You were tricked by Mikoshiba, Suwe! Because… that Grail of Calamity… it only came about because you wished for Kyuubey to conjure it for you… didn't you?"

"You're wrong!" Suwe exclaimed.

"Suwe!" Hatsu shouted.

"I only did it for the sake of the village," Suwe said.

"What did she say to you?" Hatsu asked.

"That the connection between the Tokime clan and Lady Mikoshiba will bring peace to the village…!" Suwe said. "To do this, she said, I was to wish for a Grail of Calamity for the sake of the clan."

"It's impossible for something made to summon misfortune to bring about peace," Hatsu retorted. "I knew it, you were tricked…"

"Y-you're wrong…!" Suwe exclaimed. "I wasn't tricked!"

"Suwe… before anything else, you must admit the truth," Hatsu said. "Mikoshiba used you for her own gain, not for the sake of our clan. You created the source of our misfortune. You made it so that under the guise of quelling it, we would need the Mikoshiba family's knowledge forever…"

"S-stop it!" Suwe exclaimed. "Lady Mikoshiba is raising me as her own… she would never deceive me like that!"

Hatsu sighed. Clearly she'd expected too much, dropping that truth on Suwe so suddenly. Would it have been better to stay quiet about it for a bit longer? Should she have backed off at the first sign of resistance? It was too late to change her mind now, however.

But… Suwe's contract had made her certain of one thing. If there was a missing piece to the puzzle, it had to lie in the grand shrine. What could be lurking within that shrine? Perhaps this was the best moment to make use of her wish after all.

"I'm sure she needs that grail for the good of the world," Suwe said.

"Alright," Hatsu said, getting to her feet. "I won't say anything anymore."

"Hatsu…"

"Don't worry," Hatsu said. "I'll fix it all with my wish to Kyuubey. I'll make a wish for the sake of our village, not one forced on me by Mikoshiba… I'll make a wish for both of us."

"Hatsu…"

Hatsu hesitated for a bit. If she alienated Suwe too much, it was likely that she'd end up turning into a witch, and she didn't want that. She decided to try and make it clear that this didn't hurt their friendship.

"I hope you don't place too much trust in Mikoshiba," Hatsu said. "But you'll always be my friend, Suwe… I don't want to fight you."

"Hatsu…! Please…!"

"I'll see you later," Hatsu said. "Maybe we can have dinner together tomorrow."

"Y-yes… I'd like that," Suwe said.

Hatsu managed a smile.

"Then I'll look forward to it," she said.

With that, Hatsu turned and ran off. Tears began to flow, and she dragged her sleeve across her face in an attempt to cut them off. Arriving at the edge of the village, she raised her voice and called.

"Kyuubey!"

The strange creature stepped out from behind a tree, tilting his head at her.

"Are you ready to make a wish, Tokime Hatsu?" Kyuubey asked.

"Not quite," Hatsu said. "I have a few questions first."

"I will answer if I am able," Kyuubey said.

"Tell me about the grail that Suwe summoned," Hatsu said.

"It appears to be a vessel that draws in impurities," Kyuubey said. "But once it fills up, it will release the stored impurities all at once."

"What exactly happens when they're released?"

"Without observing the phenomenon at least once, I cannot tell you what it would mean for the impurities to be released," Kyuubey said. "However, it is possible that it would result in the formation of one of the creatures that you Tokime refer to as spectres."

Hatsu had no idea what a spectre was, but if the Tokime knew about it, she could probably get an answer from Oyura, so she moved on to the most important question.

"How long does it take to fill up?"

"I have insufficient data to provide a solid estimate to that question," Kyuubey said. "However, at the present rate of accretion, it would take no less than eight months. I do not know if the current rate is typical, so in practice it may take much longer, or even fill up much sooner."

"Can it be destroyed?" Hatsu asked.

"To the best of my knowledge, there is no means to damage the object," Kyuubey said. "The material from which it is made rebuffs all force applied to it."

"It's really indestructible!?" Hatsu gasped. "What on earth… alright. Then, it's clear what I must wish for."

Kyuubey nodded. "What is the wish that will make your soul gem shine, Tokime Hatsu?"

"I wish for a weapon that can destroy the Grail of Calamities," Hatsu said.

As Kyuubey drew out her soul gem, the weapon she imagined materialized in her hands. It was an old-fashioned tsurugi sword, similar to the one that Lady Pernelle had left them. However, this one had a decorative hand guard fashioned after the rising sun – a golden half-sunburst. Ironically, that sunburst was apparently the seal of the Mikoshiba clan, though that was probably just a coincidence.

"So this is the weapon that can defeat the Mikoshiba," Hatsu mused. "In that case… I'll end things tonight."

After dinner, Hatsu snuck out of the house and crossed the bridge, intending to investigate the grand shrine. There seemed to be no-one around to stop her, so she quietly entered the shrine and looked around the interior. Before long, she found a set of stairs that shouldn't exist, which led underground to a winding stone tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel, she found the missing piece of the puzzle that she'd been looking for. There was a witch sleeping there. In its sleeping form it looked a lot like a shrine, but she could sense its presence. It lay at the back of a large cave which had wooden structures built along the side walls, like a secondary shrine building enclosing the witch.

And right in the centre of that building's courtyard was a large vat that appeared to be made of some sort of dark stone. Hatsu could see wisps of black stuff being sucked into the vat from the surrounding air. It must be the Grail of Calamities that Suwe had wished into being. She transformed, donning her magical outfit – it resembled a kimono, mostly white but fading into first red and then orange at the hem. The obi was a deep green, and her soul gem was pinned to it, a gleaming yellow orb. There was also something holding her hair up. By exploring briefly with her fingers, she concluded it was probably a half-sunburst ornament.

However, as she leapt forward and swung her sword, intending to cleave the grail in half, the witch suddenly woke up, lurching into a standing position and lunging forward to interpose part of its body between sword and grail.

"Huh…!?" Hatsu gasped. "The witch… protected the grail…?"

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk," a familiar voice said from behind her.

Hatsu spun to see Mikoshiba leaning against the wall by the entrance. The woman definitely hadn't been there when she first arrived.

"I never expected you to catch on, but you're too late," Mikoshiba said. "This village is already under my control."

"All I have to do is take you out!" Hatsu shouted.

She turned to leap at the Mikoshiba, but the woman sank into the shadows and reappeared on the other side of the room.

"If you could, then I suppose you'd be able to escape my net," Mikoshiba said. "But you're no match for this devil. It has already swallowed up nine other devils. It's a devil beyond compare, and it obeys me completely. Naturally, it'll obey not just me, but my chosen successor as well. Of course, I'll have it swallow your devil too, one day. Suwe's as well. Within a generation or two it'll be too strong for any diviner to take on alone, and of course, with the Tokime head family here in the village, there won't be any shortage of potential diviners, now will there?"

"So that's your plan!" Hatsu said. "But the Tokime won't let things go your way! First of all, I'll destroy the Grail of Calamities!"

She ducked low, sliding underneath the huge witch to reach the grail, but suddenly Mikoshiba was in front of her, rising up from the shadow of the grail itself. She now wielded a sword, with which she met Hatsu's swing full-on. The woman's strength was no match for Hatsu's, and she lost her footing and fell to the ground, sinking into shadows… but not before her sword struck the hand guard of Hatsu's sword, breaking it off entirely. Hatsu then carried through with her charge, landing a blow on the grail.

Contrary to her expectations, however, the sword did no damage whatsoever. Mikoshiba emerged from the shadows, brandishing the broken-off decoration.

"I already heard about your wish from Kyuubey," Mikoshiba said. "Your weapon is supposed to be able to destroy the grail, right? But there was nothing in your wish to make the weapon itself indestructible, so what happens if I break it…? Well… it seems we've just found out, haven't we? It's checkmate for you, little Hatsu… but if you wish to retreat, I won't kill you. Of course…"

Suddenly, Hatsu was surrounded by familiars, bizarre creatures vaguely resembling kagura dancers.

"If you talk about what happened here, some of these familiars might just decide to make a snack of your family," she said. "So I do hope you'll maintain proper discretion."

Hatsu groaned. Much as she wanted to end the Mikoshiba here and now, that awful woman had a point – facing a witch and the Mikoshiba at the same time was too much for her. It was more important for her to escape with the new information she'd gathered. Of course, Mikoshiba's threat was worrisome, but as long as that woman didn't find out, it should be fine to tell at least Oyura, right?

"Alright… I surrender," Hatsu said. "I'll leave peacefully, and I won't tell anyone about your little hideout down here. Is that acceptable?"

"Then go, before I change my mind," Mikoshiba said.

Hatsu got to her feet and made for the exit without hesitation. Once outside, she powered down and broke into a run, and she didn't stop running until she was outside the Tokime house.

Pushing the door open, she found there were still lights burning within. Oyura was in the living room with Hatsu's eldest sister, Kaguya, chatting over a cup of tea. Remembering how Mikoshiba's power was based on shadows, Hatsu drew upon her newfound power to expand the light from the lamps, banishing all shadows from the room. If Mikoshiba could only move through shadows, eliminating shadows would hopefully reduce the chance of her eavesdropping. Then, as the two women blinked at her in confusion and looked around in surprise at the oddly bright room, she addressed them.

"Auntie… ane-ue… we might be doomed," she said.

The two of them looked at her in surprise.

"What on earth are you saying, Hatsu…?" Kaguya asked.

"Could this be about what we discussed earlier?" Oyura asked.

"Yes… I ended up making a wish," Hatsu said. "Thanks to that, I figured out the missing piece of the puzzle that had been bugging me. The missing piece was… a witch."

"A witch…?" Oyura said.

"Yes," Hatsu said. "Please, don't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you, or we might not survive, okay?"

Oyura and Kaguya nodded, their faces turning serious, even a touch grim.

"There's a witch right here in this village, lurking underground," Hatsu said. "It's an old one that's grown strong from swallowing up other witches. I could never hope to beat it by myself… I'm sure it would take at least three magical girls to defeat it."

"That's not good," Oyura said. "But it's far too late to move the village… we could always summon Youha and Lady Ayame here to defeat it…"

Hatsu shook her head. "That's not all," she said. "It's not just an ordinary witch… it seems to be spending most of its time simply sleeping. The worst thing is, it obeys Mikoshiba Kiku completely. I saw her control it with my own eyes. If her words can be trusted, it'll also obey whoever she selects as her successor."

The two women gasped.

"Then… t-that means…!" Kaguya said.

"Yes! Mikoshiba's holding the entire village hostage!" Hatsu said. "So it's hard to act even if we wanted to!"

"Couldn't we just take out Mikoshiba herself?" Kaguya suggested. "She's just an ordinary human, isn't she? Although, I guess she's not quite ordinary if a witch obeys her…"

"It might be worth trying if we could think of a foolproof way to take her down," Hatsu said. "But the problem is, what if we fail? She could use the witch to retaliate however she pleases. Also… she's not just an ordinary human. Did Auntie not tell you about that, ane-ue…?"

"Ah, I hadn't gotten the chance," Oyura said.

"What is it…?" Kaguya asked.

"Mikoshiba can use magic to travel between shadows," Hatsu said.

"We also think she might've been behind the assassination of Lady Aiko," Oyura said.

"Ah," Kaguya said. "Now I understand why you said we might be doomed… and also why you made the room so bright all of a sudden."

"The worst part is, Mikoshiba intends to make that witch of hers even stronger," Hatsu said. "Any girl of this village who makes a wish and turns into a witch… she plans to feed them to her pet witch until it's totally unbeatable."

"Doesn't that risk the witch becoming too strong for her to control?" Oyura pointed out.

"I don't know," Hatsu said. "Maybe she's confident she won't lose control no matter how strong it gets…? I don't even know how she can control it, so… I can't even guess how that would work…"

"Hmm… so, we basically can't do anything against Mikoshiba's witch directly right now," Kaguya mused. "But… if Mikoshiba can control a witch… maybe we can too?"

Oyura and Hatsu blinked at her in surprise.

"W-what on earth are you saying…?" Oyura asked.

"Hear me out," Kaguya said. "It's probably a long shot, but… it's not like a witch is a tangible thing you can just hand over. It's not like feeding a horse. It can't be a trivial matter to feed a bunch of witches to the witch she controls, right? So… what if there was another powerful witch that worked for us Tokime, instead of the Mikoshiba? That witch could prey upon any of the lesser witches that spring up around here before the Mikoshiba's witch has a chance to get at them. It's still bad, in a certain sense, but… surely it's at least better than letting Mikoshiba's witch grow without limit? At least that second witch wouldn't be under her control."

"Surprisingly, it actually seems like almost a good idea," Oyura mused. "The only problem is… this other witch would grow so much as to become unbeatable. We'd be creating the same problem that the Mikoshiba is planning, except it's free to act as it pleases. Is there anything we can do about that?"

"That's a good point," Kaguya admitted. "Maybe it's not such a good idea after all…"

The three of them fell silent for a little while, pondering the issue. Then Oyura's face suddenly lit up.

"I thought of an idea," she said. "If we're going to raise a terrible witch over the years, all we need to do is raise an equally powerful weapon that can take it down when the time comes. We still have the sword that Lady Pernelle forged for the founder. It's a very high-quality sword, and also has sentimental value, so I think it would be perfect for this plan."

"So… what are you proposing?" Hatsu asked.

"Have you heard of enchanting?" Oyura asked. "It's a phenomenon where a magical girl imbues her magic into an object, enhancing its properties. Let's make imbuing magic into this sword a Tokime tradition from now on. Any Tokime who becomes a magical girl in this village will imbue some of their magic into the sword. We won't tell Mikoshiba or her successors about it… we'll just quietly keep the sword here in this house, letting it grow stronger with each new magical girl we produce. Then, if someone is able to defeat Mikoshiba's line and the witch she controls, that person can take up the Tokime sword and strike down our witch. With the powers imbued in it by all the magical girls whose witches it has swallowed, surely the sword will be able to slay that terrible witch."

"Then… all that remains is, who could become a witch that satisfies all the necessary constraints?" Kaguya asked.

"It probably needs to be someone new," Oyura said. "The wish would need to be carefully crafted in a way that constrains the witch that's eventually produced. Perhaps… I was once offered a contract by Kyuubey myself. It's a stretch, but maybe it's not too late for me to accept it."

"If you talk to Kyuubey, be careful," Hatsu said. "I lost tonight in part because Kyuubey told Mikoshiba about my power before I even went in there."

"Huh…? That's unlike Kyuubey," Oyura said.

"At least, make sure you're alone when you talk to him, and don't let on that I told you anything," Hatsu said. "Try not to let on how much you know in general."

"Alright," Oyura said. "I'll give it a shot tonight… if that doesn't work out, we'll find someone else."

She finished off her tea and got to her feet.

"Well then… I wish the two of you a good night," she said.

Leaving the living room, she made her way to the private quarters that had been assigned to her. After sitting crosslegged on her futon, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"Kyuubey… are you there? Would you mind speaking with me for awhile?"

There was no response, however. That wasn't enough to make Oyura give up though.

"Please, Kyuubey, I'd really like to speak with you," she said. "Would you mind showing yourself?"

Again, there was no response, but she continued calling out to Kyuubey in various ways, hopeful that he might yet respond. She was in the middle of her ninth attempt when that emotionless voice cut her off in mid-sentence.

"You're unusually noisy, Tokime Oyura," Kyuubey said.

The creature sat there right in front of her, on the floor.

"What do you want with me? You already declined my offer to become a magical girl."

"I guess that offer is no longer open, huh?" Oyura said.

"At your age, the energy expended to make you a magical girl would only barely be earned back if you were to turn into a witch," Kyuubey said. "There is no benefit to me in making you a magical girl anymore."

"I see," Oyura said. "But that also means there's no loss to you, correct?"

"At this point in time, you are half correct," Kyuubey said. "There is a possibility that there would be no loss to me if I made you a magical girl. The chance is too low to be worth the risk, however."

"Right… besides, I guess you wouldn't be willing to do it just because you don't lose anything," Oyura said.

"That would be correct," Kyuubey said.

"What if you stood to gain something else, other than energy?" Oyura suggested. "For example, information?"

"There is little chance that you would be privy to information that I do not already know," Kyuubey said. "However, if there is indeed such information, I may be willing to negotiate."

"Hmm… do you know of a girl named Miryam Migdal?" Oyura asked.

"Indeed," Kyuubey said. "That girl made a wish nearly two thousand years ago, but when it was time for her soul gem to turn into a grief seed, it became something else instead. I do not know whether she still lives. Have you met her?"

"I have," Oyura said. "Would information about her be worth something?"

"If you're considering information about Miryam, there's only one thing that could be worth anything," Kyuubey said. "That is information that sheds some light on why her transformation went awry. It need not be a full theory. Any hint or clue as to the cause would suffice."

"I see… so that's probably no good, then," Oyura mused.

Although the research group had studied Miryam's soul orb and come up with some theories, she didn't want to share them with Kyuubey. There was no proof that any of them were true, anyway, though it seemed Kyuubey wouldn't mind even if they weren't.

Oyura thought back to all the other things the research group had discovered. They'd studied spectres, witches, magical girls, and even spirits… surely there had to be some nugget in there that Kyuubey was unaware of? But she couldn't think of anything that stood out that she'd be okay with telling Kyuubey. Perhaps there was another approach besides information… she considered what the research group had learned about the nature of magical potential.

"To be honest, I can't think of much else that would interest you," Oyura said. "However… if I'm not mistaken, the energy you can obtain from a magical girl turning into a witch depends on more than just the girl's potential, does it not?"

"Certainly," Kyuubey said. "The wish itself plays a significant role. Even a girl with extremely high potential could become a weak magical girl if she makes a weak wish. However, my measurement of potential represents the maximum possible that a girl could attain. This is just another reason not to grant you a wish, as there would be a loss if your wish does not meet your maximum potential. We typically approach girls who present a negligible chance of a loss in the event that she fails to meet her maximum potential."

"Is there no way for the wish to exceed the measured potential?" Oyura asked.

There was a brief pause before Kyuubey responded.

"It has happened on rare occasions," he said. "There have usually been extenuating circumstances for it, however. For example, interference from another wish that bent fate, such as how Liz Hawkwood's wish once boosted Jeanne Tart's magic power."

Oyura had no idea who those people were, but it wasn't important right now, so she decided to let it slide.

"If I told you what I wanted to wish for, can you tell if that would attain my maximum potential?" Oyura asked. "Would you be able to tell if it could exceed your measurement?"

"Unfortunately, I can only guess how a given wish will manifest," Kyuubey said. "You are welcome to state your wish, but I can make no promises."

Though it was only an untested theory, based on the research group's findings, Oyura was pretty sure that the key to exceeding one's potential was to make a wish that creates fate – a wish for something that will come true in the future, for example, or a wish for something to stay the same. A wish that only affects the past and present would not create excess power. It had to be a wish that specified the future to some degree.

"Alright, then I'll say it," Oyura said. "My wish is that anyone who turns into a witch in this village will not be devoured by the witch currently hiding in the village."

"What makes you think there is a witch currently hiding in this village?" Kyuubey asked.

"Call it a hunch," Oyura said. "Since I arrived, I thought some of the residents were acting a little strange."

"If your hunch were wrong, such a wish would most likely result in the formation of a witch hiding in this village," Kyuubey said.

"That's fine," Oyura said.

"I estimate that such a wish would come close to attaining your full potential," Kyuubey said. "However, you still have not provided a sufficient incentive to take the risk of making you into a magical girl. Given the wish, the chance of a loss is lower than previously estimated, but still too high to be worth taking the risk without receiving something in return."

Oyura fell silent for a bit, pondering. The only information she had to barter with was the findings of the research group. Was there anything in there that was safe to share with Kyuubey? Actually… in fact, might it be possible to use the information for barter without actually sharing it? Oyura was reasonably confident, based on the research findings, that the wish she chose would maximize or even exceed her magical potential. If Kyuubey could be certain of that, she didn't think he'd have an issue with making her a magical girl. That was the impression she'd gotten from their conversation so far. In that case… if she offered information as a compensation in case the contract went badly…?

"I'm pretty confident that the wish I chose won't undersell my magic potential," Oyura said. "In addition, I promise to turn into a witch in the future. I can't say that with absolute certainty, as something unforeseen could occur, but I'll at least aim strongly for that outcome."

"Your confidence in your wish does not appear to have any logical basis," Kyuubey said. "If it did, perhaps I could accept your offer."

"I do have a logical basis for my confidence," Oyura said. "However, it is admittedly a little shaky and has not been decidedly proven, so I'm kind of reluctant to share it. However, should my assertion prove to be incorrect, I'm willing to share with you both that reasoning and what my research group was able to learn from studying Miryam's soul orb. In other words… if the contract turns out to be bad, I'll offer that information as compensation."

"Then, you will not share the information if the contract unfolds as you anticipate?" Kyuubey said.

"The truth is, I'd rather not share the information with you, the incubators," Oyura said. "Your technological prowess is unknown, and you might be able to make better sense of the data than we could, but I also feel that we can't completely trust you. I hope you understand."

"Giving compensation in the event of a bad contract does help to alleviate the risk," Kyuubey said. "However, the compensation does not match the loss if your contract's potential is not met. Do you have anything else to offer?"

"I do have more information that was gathered by our research group," Oyura said. "Though I'm not sure how valuable it would be to you… beyond that, perhaps I could help you locate another girl whose magic potential balances out the possible loss…?"

There was a delay before Kyuubey responded, staring at her with his head tilted.

"Do you have a specific girl in mind already?"

"Um… I have a few possibilities, yes," Oyura said.

Kyuubey fell silent for some time. Oyura was about to prompt him again when suddenly he spoke up once more.

"Could I convince you to reveal just one piece of information even if the contract unfolds as you anticipate?" he asked. "I would like to hear why you thought it would unfold in that way."

Oyura considered a few moments. All things considered, she decided, that wasn't among the least sensitive information she was privy to thanks to the Kazura.

"Fine, I'll accept that," she said.

"Very well," Kyuubey said. "I will make a contract with you if you agree to the following terms. Term One: you must point me to at least one girl with potential. Term Two: you must endeavour to become a witch in the future. Term Three: you must share your logical reasoning for believing that your wish will attain or exceed your measured potential. Term Four: should your contract be deemed by me to be underwhelming, you must share all the information you learned in your research group."

"Can I reduce that to about half the information?" Oyura asked. "We have quite a lot of data and theorizing, so I think it's probably worth more than the compensation for a bad contract…"

"I will accept that, provided that the information about Miryam is included," Kyuubey said.

"Then, it's a deal!" Oyura said.

"Tell me again, Tokime Oyura, what is the wish that will make your soul gem shine?"

It was time to properly envision her wish. The Kazura Research Group had determined early on that wish fulfillment was not necessarily based on a literal interpretation of the actual wording of the wish. There were known cases where that had in fact occurred, yet there were other known cases of vaguely-worded wishes being granted exactly how the girl imagined. The research group had proposed two factors that determined how a wish was granted. The first was the girl's magical potential – if a girl made a wish that exceeded her potential, it wouldn't be granted in the way she imagined it. The second was the girl's own vision of the wish. There appeared to be a trend that girls who made a shallow wish without thinking it through typically had their wish fulfilled in an equally shallow way, while girls who made a wish while envisioning the full import of it usually got their wish granted exactly as they envisioned it.

So, Oyura focused on the concept that Kaguya had come up with. She wanted to be someone who, upon turning into a witch, could linger around the village and suck up the witches of the girls here before they could be consumed by the Mikoshiba witch. The ultimate goal was to steal that witch's food from right under her nose. But she also wanted to ensure that the witch she became would not be a direct threat to the village. It would simply hover around, waiting. Once she felt that she had the concept firmly worked out in her mind, she spoke the words of her wish.

"I wish for any witch born of this village to not be devoured by the witch currently hiding in this village."

Kyuubey raised his ear appendages to draw out her soul gem, and Oyura gritted her teeth against the intense pain. As she cupped her newfound soul gem in her hands, Kyuubey spoke again.

"Your wish has slightly surpassed entropy. As such, I will honour our agreement and refrain from asking you for the information you offered on Miryam and other topics. I will now hear your reasoning for believing that your wish would attain the measured potential."

"Thank you very much, Kyuubey," Oyura said.

She explained the theory as best she could to the creature, about how a wish that directly shaped the future in some way seemed to produce greater magical power on average.

"I understand," Kyuubey said. "Your reasoning is not without merit. When taking into account the volume of data that I possess, excluding outliers such as Tart or Darinu, there does appear to be a slight statistical margin in favour of the theory."

Oyura nodded. It felt sort of nice for the creature to acknowledge that there was even a chance the Kazura's theory was correct. She just hoped it didn't cause problems for future magical girls… though from the creature's reaction, she suspected it wasn't likely to change how they did things. Who would change their process just because of a slight statistical margin?

"Then, I will call for you again on the matter of offering another girl with magical potential," Oyura said. "I can't promise that that girl will turn into a witch, however. I can only make that promise for myself."

"Understood," Kyuubey said. "Then, I will see you later."

With that, the creature turned and left the room, leaving Oyura to flop back down on her futon with a sigh. Becoming a magical girl at twenty-five… it had been a long shot, but somehow she'd managed to convince that creature. With this, they could at least avert the worst outcome.

However… she couldn't turn into a witch just yet. After all… it was too early to be certain, but she was pretty confident there was a child growing inside her. If that were true, she had to at least deliver the child back to her husband before she died. It would be unfortunate for the child to have to grow up without a mother, but that couldn't be helped. At least it would have a reliable older brother in Masatsuna. She hoped it would be a daughter…

Shinriku Island, Souma Province, Mizuna Domain. Year 16 of the Genroku Era, when the bush warblers sang in the countryside.

"I see," Youha said. "So the mastermind behind everything was Mikoshiba Kiku… it seems I made a huge mistake in hiring her as a guard."

"It's not something you could've known," Oyura said. "We had no way to even detect that she was capable of using magic. Really, you don't have to feel bad about it."

"I never thought you'd be able to become a magical girl at such an age though, Yura," Youha said. "I suppose there's always something new to learn… and not only that, you even brought back a beautiful baby daughter…"

Oyura chuckled. "Well… things somehow worked out that way," she said. "Masatsuna's happy to have a little sister as well. I hope they get along well, but I'm afraid I won't be around to see it…"

"To tell the truth, I've been considering submitting my surrender to the empire," Youha said. "That little brother of mine is quite smart, so I'm confident the empire would accept him as the domain lord – if I surrender, I could make that a condition of the surrender. The empire's emissary, Lord Sumiya, also believes the emperor would find that acceptable. It also helps that Nobuyuki recently came of age according to the empire's standards."

"Then I suppose my husband would become the domain lord here in Mizuna," Oyura said. "And Masatsuna would be the successor…"

"That's about right," Youha said. "If only one of our remaining magical girls excelled in attack magic, we might still be able to win against the empire… but while the strongest of them, Lady Ayame, has a powerful defence, her attack magic isn't very strong… she's still pretty strong on the attack thanks to her martial arts training, but that's not enough to take on an entire army. We'd need someone who can pull off large-scale attacks to decimate the foot soldiers."

"I too wish that we could have everything," Oyura said. "But at this point, we're up against a wall. We need to do the best we can to survive one way or another, rather than allowing ourselves to be wiped out."

"But there's still one thing that worries me after hearing your report," Youha said. "If Kyuubey is after our research…"

Oyura nodded. "Yes, which is why I asked you to gather all documents pertaining to the research," she said. "When I return to the village, I'll bury them there and seal them with my magic. We'll also leave a message for our descendants in your grave, and I was thinking that we could arrange to have your spirit haunt that grave after you die. If we place an anti-witch barrier on the graveyard, and drop in those leftover grief cubes we have in storage, then it should be possible for the you in spirit form to make a wish in the future to become a magical girl. With some practice, I think I should be able to construct such a barrier myself with my magic… or better yet, enchant an artifact to produce the barrier."

"Having my spirit accumulate potential from the spectres," Youha said. "So that's your plan? But Yura… there's just one flaw in that setup. According to the Kazura's findings, a magical girl can't become a spirit."

"Then, why don't we make you not be a magical girl?" Oyura said.

"Is that even possible, though?" Youha asked.

"We won't know unless we try," Oyura said. "There are still a couple of girls with magical potential, right? If we ask one of them to wish for you to return to being a normal human…"

"Yura… I couldn't possibly ask that of them…!" Youha gasped.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to force it on them either," Oyura said. "But I imagine they would see it as an honour, rather than a burden. It can't hurt to at least ask. Anyway, if that doesn't work out, we can always select someone else to haunt the graveyard instead. It's not like it absolutely has to be you."

Youha nodded. "Alright, I'll approve the plan then. Make sure to take all the measures needed."

"Okay, so the last thing we need for that plan is to decide on the message to leave to our descendants," Oyura said.

"Yes… alright," Youha said. "Let's redefine the Kazura as an order of holy priestesses, rather than a research group. I'll make any needed adjustments to the public record, and we'll mention the Kazura in the message as well… in fact, let's put my name on the gravestone as Youha of the Kazura, instead of using my surname. Or if it's someone else rather than me, we'll do the same with her name."

"To appeal to magical girls specifically, we should use the runic writing system for the message," Oyura said. "We'll also leave a hint in runes on the gravestone."

"That sounds good," Youha said. "What wish should I make as a spirit, by the way?"

"Hmm… let's call what we're doing a 'time capsule'," Oyura said. "So, your wish should be to open that time capsule."

"Okay… then all that's left is to decide the exact wording of the message…"

If you can read this, surely you have heard the lies the little white fox feeds us. You may have even learned some part of the truth yourself. Yet I have discovered that the deception runs far deeper than anyone ever imagined. If you believe that you can stomach the dark secrets of this broken world, then read on.

My great-great-grandmother built this island of Shinriku with her wish, founding the Tokime clan to watch over it and pass on these secrets to later generations. Sadly, that legacy is on the brink of destruction thanks to the fox's machinations. As the last remaining diviner of the Tokime clan, and one with no attack magic whatsoever, it is up to me to ensure that the legacy is not lost forever. I have erected a barrier around this sacred mountain, and once I place this letter in Lady Youha's grave, I will return to the Mikoshiba and turn into a devil. With luck, that will be the end of her little scheme, but either way, the Tokime clan is done for, and this sacred mountain is the last remaining trace of our legacy.

You may wonder why the little white fox would instigate action to destroy my clan, when usually it sits back and watches as the tragedies unfold. You are not alone, for I wonder the same thing. Perhaps our knowledge poses an existential threat to that fox's system, which only increases the urgency of preserving it. I cannot commit it to writing, for I fear the little white fox would find a way to destroy it. Instead, the clan has created a time capsule that takes advantage of some little-known properties of the human soul, properties that the fox itself may not be aware of. I dare not even explain the mechanism in detail; the most I can say is that this mountain is haunted by the Kazura, and all it takes is a wish to complete the loop. It's certainly ironic that the little white fox will be indirectly responsible for exposing this information after it went to so much trouble to cover it up.

I pray that someone in the future solves this riddle to unlock the truth of this world.

Yours truly,

Tokime no Oyura.

Shinriku Island, Kirimine Province, Matsumiya Domain. Year 5 of the Houei Era, when the cool winds began to blow.

"I hate this," the girl muttered.

She had climbed a tree and was lounging on one of the branches, kicking the trunk in anger.

"They only look at ane-ue. Why can't they pay attention to me once in awhile? I'm also a young lady of the Mikoshiba household!"

She gave the trunk another good kick.

"And I'm already twelve years old!" she added. "It's about time they stopped treating me like a brat!"

At that moment, a voice wafted up from below.

"Lady Setsuko! Please come down from the tree! Dinner is almost ready!"

It was the young man who'd been appointed as her personal guard. She hated him. He always treated her as a problem child and constantly scolded her. If anything, he was even worse than her personal maid, whom she also hated.

"Leave me alone!" Setsuko shouted. "I'm not hungry! Just let me sleep!"

"But milady, if you sleep in a tree you'll fall to the ground and die," the man said.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Setsuko retorted. "I'm not so stupid as to fall out of a tree in my sleep."

"Even so, milady, I can't allow it," the man said. "Please wait there. I will bring a ladder to help you down."

"Did you not listen to what I said!?" Setsuko protested.

But no reply came. Peering over the edge of the branch, she saw that her guard had already disappeared. With a sigh, she began to climb down herself. At this point, the best thing she could do for her sanity was to get away from that spot before he returned.

She made it just in time, dodging behind some bushes as he emerged back into the courtyard, carrying a ladder just like he'd promised.

"Milady!" he said. "I have brought a ladder… huh? She's gone…"

He left the ladder leaning against a nearby wall and approached the tree. At the same time, Setsuko crawled along behind the bushes, doing her best to avoid detection. Unfortunately, after some perfect stealth, she accidentally stepped on a twig. The guard instantly turned towards her and parted the bushes.

"Milady, please come for dinner," he said.

Setsuko leapt up and glared at him.

"I said, I'm not hungry!" she said.

Sticking her tongue out, she turned and ran around the side of the mansion. With a sigh, the man pursued her, but she managed to lose him by ducking under the bridge by the pond. Once he'd passed by, she decided to head back inside, but made for her bedroom instead of the dining hall. She really didn't feel like eating at that table. Just the atmosphere was enough to take away all her appetite. It would be better to sneak down to the kitchen in the middle of the night to get a snack.

Barely managing to reach her room undetected, she flopped down on her bed with a sigh. Before long, she ended up falling asleep.

When she woke, it was already the middle of the night, and her stomach was grumbling. With a sigh, she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Apparently, a maid had changed her into her pyjamas while she was sleeping, but she didn't bother changing back into outdoor clothes, since she was only heading down to the kitchen.

It was late enough that even the maids had gone to bed, which meant Setsuko had free rein of the sweets that had been set out for the next day. She grabbed a plate and picked out an assortment of flavoured daifuku mochi, then tracked down a knife to cut a thick slice of youkan. Satisfied with her selections, she settled down to enjoy the food.

She was almost finished eating when a distant voice reached her ear.

«It's hard, isn't it?»

She looked around in surprise, but there was no-one around. Perhaps she'd only imagined it. She shoved the last bite of youkan down her throat, and then the voice came again.

«They don't look at you, do they? They only look at your older sister.»

That was strange. It was almost like the voice knew exactly what she was thinking. Frowning, she looked around, but there was still no sign of the speaker.

«Why not make them notice you?»

As if she hadn't tried that already. No matter what she did, no matter how much she acted out, they wouldn't look at her. She'd even tried acting prim and proper a few times, but it made no difference whatsoever. It was a pain, so she'd quickly given up on that approach.

«So you do want to make them notice you.»

Well, that was obvious. The trouble was how to do it.

«Here's an idea to make them notice.»

The voice felt like it was starting to draw closer, yet at the same time it still sounded distant and whispering. Still, she was starting to like some of what it was saying…

«It'll definitely make everyone notice. Trust me.»

She found herself intensely curious about what the voice was going to suggest.

«Not just your mother and father, but the whole town will talk of you.»

Of course! That would be wonderful, if it could ever happen!

«All you have to do is pick up that knife.»

Setsuko looked to the side at the knife she'd used to cut the youkan. There were a lot of things that could be done with a knife, to be sure. With a shrug, she seized the knife from the table, just as the voice had said.

«Now, I'm sure you know where to go next.»

Somehow, she did know. She exited the kitchen and plodded silently through the mansion. Though she couldn't see it, a mark had appeared on her neck, a purple splotch with a pair of feet cut out of it, set atop a balance scale.

Before she could comprehend exactly what she was doing, she found herself at her older sister's bedroom. She quietly opened the door and ventured inside, gazing down at the sleeping face of her sister for a few moments.

Then, her blank expression not shifting one iota, she reached out and dragged the knife blade across her sister's throat. The woman never knew what happened to her – after a brief gurgle, her body fell still, lifeless, as blood splattered out from the wound and stained Setsuko's clothes.

Setsuko listlessly watched her sister's dead body for a minute or two, then turned and left the room without a sound.

She was in a daze, not truly understanding what was happening. Through a misty haze, she could only glimpse what she did. Her sister, both of her brothers, her mother and father. Her uncle, his wife and two daughters. Her aunt, her grandmother, her great-uncle, a great bevy of cousins… the list went on and on, more than she could count. Each one, murdered by a single slash across the throat while they slept. None of them ever knew what hit them.

Eventually, even reality seemed to break down. Somehow – she wasn't sure how – she found herself ambling down a sunny country lane, lined with sunflowers on one side and beautiful green trees on the other. Dragonflies the size of carriages buzzed around, the sound somehow soothing her mind. She was being escorted by a line of signposts, each one with a brain perched on top. But no, that couldn't be real. She must've fallen asleep and started dreaming.

"Hiyah!"

A foreign sound penetrated the misty haze encasing her mind, threatening to rouse her from her daze. She wasn't sure where it came from, but it seemed somehow more real than the buzzing of the dragonflies.

"Please hang on for a minute longer!"

It was a person's voice. Not one she recognized. A young woman, probably.

"I'm sorry I can't protect you and fight at the same time, but I'll definitely beat this witch and save you!"

It was that one word that wormed its way into her consciousness. A witch. Something snapped within her, and she suddenly blinked as the haze was lifted from her consciousness. She looked around in confusion, taking in the bizarre surroundings. The mark on her neck that she'd never even noticed faded away, and she realized that the surreal surroundings from her daze were, in fact, very real. However, the lane was not sunny but horribly overcast, the buzzing of the dragonflies quickly became menacing, and the leaves of the trees were white as ash.

Straight ahead, the lane came to an end, opening up into a small clearing. Within that clearing, a truly bizarre creature fought with a woman dressed in some garment akin to a kimono, with a great variety of fluttering lengths of cloth that made her look almost like an angel. She gripped a biwa in her left hand, which seemed to serve as a multipurpose tool more than a musical instrument. To be sure, at times she held it against her chest, forming a chord and strumming the strings with her plectrum. But more often she swung it around like a club, or raised it above her head like a shield. Somehow, the strings never snapped, no matter how brutally she handled it.

"W-what on earth…!?" Setsuko gasped. "W-where am I? How'd I… get here…?"

The woman turned, glancing back at her.

"What!?" she gasped. "You broke free of the witch's kiss on your own!?"

"I… I don't understand!" Setsuko wailed. "What's going on!? What is that… that monster…?"

"I'm sorry!" the woman said. "I don't have time to chat right now!"

She raised her biwa to guard against some sort of beam attack from the monster, then gripped it against her chest and strummed with the plectrum. A wave of something was emitted from the instrument, sending the monster reeling, and she took advantage of that to leap up and smash the instrument against the closest thing that passed for a head on the monster, though its eyes were replaced by feet. Then she reversed her grip, dragging the head of the biwa downwards, slicing a huge gash in the monster's body, which looked like a huge travel bag. An assortment of junk spilled out, mostly worthless rocks and chunks of metal. The woman then made a second swing at the head, and this time the head exploded into a cloud of black ash upon impact. The rest of the monster's body quickly followed suit, crumbling into dust and disappearing. Barely a few seconds later, the entire lane around them buckled and warped, collapsing and dumping the two of them out onto a dark street.

The woman turned to face her with a sigh, gripping a tiny black object in one of her fists.

"Sorry it took so long," she said. "But you're free now. Would you like me to escort you somewhere?"

"I still don't get it," Setsuko said. "What was all that…?"

"Well, that was a witch, and I'm a magical girl… the name's Tsukimachi Mieko."

"Tsukimachi…!?" Setsuko gasped. "D-doesn't that make us… enemies…?"

"Why would you say that?" Mieko asked.

"Since I'm a Mikoshiba," Setsuko said. "Um… Mikoshiba Setsuko, to be precise…"

"Ah, I see what you mean," Mieko said. "But there's no point in that now. Haven't you heard what happened to the Mikoshiba family?"

"Huh…?" Setsuko said.

A sudden feeling of dread filled her, and vague half-formed memories filled with blood tried to surface.

"W-what happened…?"

"Well… other than you, they're all dead," Mieko said. "Every single one was found yesterday morning with their throats cut. They were killed in their sleep without anyone noticing."

Those half-formed memories, too, had clearly been very real. In fact, Setsuko realized, she still gripped the murder weapon tightly in one hand, which only clinched the matter. Plus… Setsuko couldn't bring herself to look down, but even just out of the corner of her vision, she could tell that her pyjamas were not the colour they were supposed to be.

"Oh no…!" she gasped. "I… I never wanted… I didn't mean for…!"

Mieko raised her eyebrows.

"And… judging from your reaction and all that blood on your clothes… not to mention the bloody knife in your hands… I suppose you're the one who did it, huh? While under the influence of the witch's kiss, I surmise…"

"No!" Setsuko wailed. "No, I didn't mean to! I didn't… I never wanted… I just wanted them to look at me…! I never wanted them to die…"

"Well… what's done is done," Mieko said. "Anyway, you weren't in control of yourself. It was the witch that made you do it, right?"

"B-but…"

"Look… it seems you don't have a place to return to, right?" Mieko said. "For now, why don't you come back with me to the shrine, take a bath, and calm down a bit?"

"Ah… o-okay…" Setsuko said.

The knife felt like a leaden weight in her hand, yet she squeezed it tightly, unable to let go. She didn't want anything to do with that knife, and yet, it was the only thing left to link her with the family she'd wanted to impress. Her vision seemed to narrow down to only the woman walking ahead of her, and she plodded along without taking her eyes off that flamboyant outfit. She barely registered as she climbed the stairs to the shrine. She didn't even notice that they'd taken a side path that hooked around behind the sanctuary. The warmth of the hot spring as they stepped into the wooden changing room didn't reach her, and it wasn't until the woman before her had powered down and stripped off her clothes that she even realized they'd come to a stop.

"Um… you can't go in like that," Mieko said. "Come… let's get you out of those filthy clothes, okay?"

"Why…?" Setsuko said.

"Don't you want to clean off all that blood?" Mieko said.

"Why are you… trying to help me?" Setsuko muttered. "It's not like washing it'll make it go away… wouldn't it better if I just… expired…?"

Mieko shook her head. "It wouldn't be fair to blame you for what happened while you were kissed by a witch," she said. "Come on now… to start with, how about you put down the knife?"

Mieko stepped forward, gingerly touching the hand holding the knife and trying to gently pry it free, but Setsuko only gripped the hilt even more tightly.

"Come on," Mieko said. "It's not like there's any need to hold onto this knife, is there? Wouldn't you prefer if the reminder of what you did was gone?"

"Don't be absurd," Setsuko muttered. "As if it could ever be gone!"

Suddenly, she jerked her hand, stabbing the woman in the abdomen. Mieko let out a cry of pain, but then gritted her teeth, seizing the hand holding the knife and holding it in an iron grip. Setsuko tried to struggle, but she couldn't move her hand even a little.

"Setsuko," Mieko said.

Setsuko twitched at the sound of her name. It was the first time that Mieko had called her by name.

"Let go of the knife," Mieko said calmly. "Just relax your fingers, one by one. It'll be easy."

With her free hand, Mieko stroked Setsuko's clenched fist, causing her to twitch again. The woman's fingers felt like ice against her own, and for some reason her eyes began to water. Perhaps it was from the pain, or perhaps it was something else. She was too confused to even guess.

"That's right," Mieko said. "Just three more fingers to go… relax, Setsuko."

Without realizing it, apparently Setsuko had allowed her middle and forefinger to relax the grip a little. Tears running down her face, she turned her head upwards for the first time, scared at what she might see, but Mieko's face wore no fear or reproach, just pure concern.

"I… I…!"

Setsuko choked back the tears.

"I don't know… what to do…!" she said.

"For now… just let go of the knife," Mieko said calmly. "We can talk about the rest after that."

"Y-yes… well…"

Suddenly the feeling of the wooden handle between her fingers slid away, and she found herself staring in confusion at her now-empty hand.

"…huh…?" she said.

Mieko quietly set the knife down on the floor, then began to help her undress.

"Now, let's get these bloody clothes off of you," she said.

Setsuko burst into tears, sobbing and wailing, and all resistance to the woman melted away. Before she knew it, she'd been stripped of those bloody pyjamas and dragged over to the washing area, where Mieko drew a bucket of water from the hot spring and thoroughly scrubbed her down. Setsuko couldn't stop crying the entire time. Flashes of her family flickered through her mind – her father and mother smiling, even if not at her… her older sister concentrating as she played the koto… her little brother frolicking in the pond, a worried maid looking on… her older brother giving her a severe look after she'd thrown a tantrum. But almost every time, the vaguely sweet vision was interrupted by a splash of blood as if she'd cut the other person's throat, and she just kept on crying.

She wasn't sure how long she cried, but eventually, the icy cold surrounding her started to thaw. Wiping away her tears, she realized she was already in the hot spring with Mieko, leaning up against her ample chest with the woman's arms wrapped around her.

"Oh, have you finally cried yourself out?" Mieko said. "I thought you'd cry all night… but that's good. We've been in here awhile, so I was just thinking it was about time to get back to bed."

"B-bed…?" Setsuko said.

The very thought of sleeping terrified her. If she slept, she was sure those visions of blood would return immediately.

"Ah, you can sleep with me tonight," Mieko said. "By the way… about how old are you? I might look younger, but I'm already twenty-six years old."

She was right – Setsuko wouldn't've pegged her as any older than eighteen, just judging from her height and build.

"Ah, um… I'm t-twelve," Setsuko said. "Is it… really okay…?"

"To sleep with me?" Mieko said. "Of course… I couldn't possibly leave you to sleep alone after what you've experienced."

"Oh… um, what about… your wound?"

"Huh?" Mieko said.

"Didn't I… stab you…?"

"Oh, that," Mieko said. "It's already healed. I've been a magical girl for quite awhile, so I've picked up a few things, and healing minor cuts like that is one of them."

"…was it… really that minor…?"

Mieko just smiled.

"Come on… let's dry off and go," she said.

The two of them emerged from the hot spring, and after towelling herself and Setsuko down, Mieko dressed the both of them in yukatas and gently steered Setsuko out of the hot spring and into a nearby house. Setsuko stood blankly the entire time, trying her best not to think about anything.

By the next morning, Setsuko had recovered enough to swallow the miso soup served to her by Mieko's father, albeit slowly. After a bit, she and Mieko were the only ones left at the table, at which point a strange white creature hopped up onto the table.

"Mikoshiba Setsuko," the creature said.

Setsuko gasped. "N-no way… L-lord Kyuubey!?"

"Huh…?" Mieko said. "How do you know about Kyuubey?"

"Oh… um, well… that's a long story," Setsuko muttered. "He's like… our god's envoy…? Or something?"

Mieko chuckled. "Kyuubey, a god's envoy? Really? That's pretty funny…"

"D-don't laugh!" Setsuko protests.

"Mikoshiba Setsuko," Kyuubey repeated. "Will you make a contract with me and become a magical girl?"

"Huh…?" Setsuko said. "Wasn't it a diviner…?"

"It is just another term for the same thing," Kyuubey said.

"I don't know," Setsuko muttered. "What's the point, anyway…? There's nothing I can do… I've lost everything…"

"You could wish to have everything returned to you," Kyuubey said.

"Huh…? T-there's no way… right…?"

"There is almost no limit to what you can wish for."

Setsuko fell silent for a bit. It felt wrong to ask for everyone to be brought back to life, and besides, even if she made such a wish, she'd just be going back to have things were before. It wasn't the most pleasant thought.

"Um… Mieko… what do you think…?" she asked finally.

"Hey, it's not up to me," Mieko said. "This is your decision alone, Setsuko. But you're the same age as I was when I became a magical girl, so… if you want to do it, then I think you should."

"Yes, but, um… if I do this, I'd become a sacrificial priestess, right?"

"Huh…?" Mieko said.

"And then I'd turn into a devil as a sacrifice to the sacred tree…"

"…do you know what she's talking about, Kyuubey…?" Mieko asked.

"It appears to be the custom in the Mikoshiba family," Kyuubey said. "The term devil is another word for witch. They treat the devil transformation as a sacrifice in the name of their sacred tree. I must admit, I do not fully understand the way they think."

Setsuko was distinctly surprised to hear that the being who was supposed to be an envoy of their god couldn't even understand the rituals that were supposed to honour them. She wasn't sure what to think about that revelation, though.

Mieko shook her head. "You wouldn't have to become a sacrificial priestess," she said. "You might eventually turn into a witch, though. But you'd get a wish granted. You can live on like this, or you can make a wish and gain something you desire, in exchange for fighting witches for the rest of your possibly short life."

"I… I see," Setsuko said. "This is… quite hard… um, are there any other advantages?"

"Well, as a magical girl you'd be much stronger than an ordinary person," Mieko said. "And, hmm… ah, maybe you could live a lot longer? Lady Aiko lived for more than a hundred years, they say. But that's only if you're lucky and skilled enough to survive."

"I… I don't know," Setsuko muttered. "It doesn't sound… so bad… but… how can I… no, can I ever… atone for… for…?"

Mieko fell silent for a good while before letting out a sigh.

"Maybe I shouldn't say this," she said. "But… you remember how your family and mine used to be enemies, right?"

"Well… yeah," Setsuko said. "My family drove yours out of this town…"

"Most of us, yeah," Mieko said. "Just me and my dad and older brother stayed behind to maintain the shrine. But your family has done much worse to the main clan that my family is a part of, the Tokime. If you wanted to become a magical girl, but you don't have anything to wish for… I might have something for you that would help make up for what your family did to us."

"R-really…!?" Setsuko gasped. "T-that… I think… that'd be the best thing for me…!"

"In that case, I'll have to contact Lady Youha," Mieko said. "Could you please wait for a bit?"

"Ah, um… okay," Setsuko said.

Mieko shuffled back a bit, then transformed while still sitting, closing her eyes and concentrating. Setsuko finished off the last of her soup while she waited, watching the woman curiously. After a bit, Mieko opened her eyes again.

"Sorry for the wait," Mieko said. "I was just checking that no-one else had already done what I was going to propose to you. It's something that can only be done once, after all."

"So, um… what is it…?" Setsuko asked.

"You can change your mind once I've explained it," Mieko said. "Basically… what I had in mind was that I'd tell you what to wish for, and you'd become a magical girl from that wish. The wish is something that will help the Tokime, not to mention my family. You're free to decline if you don't like the wish, or if you think of something else you'd rather wish for, or even if you change your mind about becoming a magical girl at all."

Setsuko nodded. "Okay… I'm listening," she said.

"The wish goes like this," Mieko said. "You'll wish to seal the Tokime time capsule by turning Akatsuki Youha back into an ordinary human."

Setsuko frowned a bit.

"I… I don't really get it…?"

"Well… to tell the truth, I don't fully understand either," Mieko said. "All I know for sure is that Lady Youha has been looking for a girl willing to make that wish. If you don't want to, it's fine – I'm sure she'll find someone else."

"N-no, um… that's not quite what I meant," Setsuko said. "I mean, what would I actually be wishing for if I did that…?"

"Oh," Mieko said. "Well, I can at least repeat the basic explanation that Lady Youha gave me. I don't entirely understand what a time capsule is, but Lady Youha said she has some secret documents that she wishes to be sealed within one. As for the second half… Lady Youha is currently a magical girl. The main goal of the wish is to make her not be one any more, almost as if she'd never made a wish in the first place. I also don't understand how the two things are linked…"

"Ah… okay, I think I understand," Setsuko said. "Fine then… I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Mieko said.

"Yeah… I want to atone, and this seems like a good start," Setsuko said firmly. "Kyuubey… can you make that my wish?"

Kuubey nodded. "Please state it in your own words, and we can form the contract."

"R-right," Setsuko said. "Um… I wish to seal the… the Tokime time capsule… by turning Lady Youha back into a normal woman."

Kyuubey reached out with his ear appendages, sinking them into Setsuko's body. She let out a scream of agony from the intense pain, but it passed almost immediately, and she found herself staring at her new soul gem, gleaming in her hands.

"Your wish has greatly surpassed entropy," Kyuubey said. "You will become a very powerful witch someday. Please try to stay alive until then."

"I… um… okay…?" Setsuko said, confused at the statement.

"Well then, I suppose I should take you out to give you an introduction to the job," Mieko said, getting to her feet. "Come along, Setsuko."

"Y-yes, um… I'll be in your care!" Setsuko said.

As they left the shrine and descended the steps, Setsuko spoke up again.

"Say… was everyone who died a Mikoshiba?" Setsuko asked. "What about the Hiroe family…?"

"Is there some connection between Hiroe and Mikoshiba?" Mieko wondered. "All the dead were Mikoshiba from what I heard… no Hiroe were among them."

So it was only the main family line that had been wiped out – the more distant branch families were still alive.

"Ah… I'm glad to hear it," Setsuko said. "Come to think of it… maybe I should drop the Mikoshiba name. What do you think… Mieko…?"

Mieko shrugged. "It's up to you," she said. "There are no Mikoshibas left now, except for the head priestess in the hidden village. Do you want to break the association with her?"

"Well… I guess… maybe I'll make up a new name for myself," Setsuko mused. "I sort of like these mountains, with all those beautiful pine trees, so… how about… Matsuyama…?"

"I like it," Mieko said. "Nice to meet you, Matsuyama Setsuko."

Divination is not a power beyond human understanding. To divine the future is to observe the present, missing no detail, coupled with a simple understanding of how things work. And yet there are many things beyond human understanding, hidden within the cracks of the world. So how can one truly divine the future? Indeed, it is impossible – a mere illusion of prophecy.
~Diviner Seimei of Heian-Kyo~

Shinriku Island, Souma Province, Mizuna Domain. Year 13 of the Kyouhou Era, when the sparrows were beginning to build their nests.

"Daddy, Daddy! There's a castle!"

"Yes, there sure is!"

The rough-looking man trudged along the road, heading towards the castle in the distance, his three-year-old daughter riding on his shoulder and pointing delightedly at anything new.

"There's sooooo many people!" the girl said. "I wish Mommy could see them too!"

"Well… your mother doesn't like being around so many people," the man said. "So leaving her behind is unavoidable. I truly hope you can see her again…"

The man's worn-out tunic and leather armour drew a few looks from passers-by, but none of them dared to challenge a man with a sword strapped to his hip. With every step, the castle drew closer and closer.

"Been awhile since I was here," the man said with a sigh. "Mizuna Castle… a lot of things have changed around here, but that castle is the same as ever."

"Daddy, are we going to the castle?" the girl asked.

"Didn't I tell you?" the man said. "I happen to know the man who lives there… though he was but a young boy when I last saw him, so I hope we don't get turned away."

"Ohhh! Daddy knows someone in the castle!?" the girl gasped. "Amazing, amazing! Chizuru wants to see eeeeeverything about the castle!"

The man chuckled. "Calm down, let's first see if they'll even let us in," he said.

They continued in that vein until finally they were standing in front of the castle gate, gazing up at it. One of the guards stepped forward.

"State your purpose, sir!" he said.

"I'd like to meet with the lord," the man said. "I have a letter of introduction from Suitoku Temple."

He dug out a scrap of paper that he'd obtained from that monk Gen'un the day before and showed it to the guard, who scanned it briefly.

"This is certainly the seal of Suitoku," the guard said. "Please wait here, I'll ask for instructions."

The guard disappeared inside, leaving them waiting out front with the other guards. They didn't have long to wait, however. The guard soon returned, looking excited.

"The lord said he'll meet with you!" he said. "Follow me!"

"Yaaay!" Chizuru exclaimed. "Chizuru gets to see inside the castle! This is sooooo exciting!"

They followed the guard inside, Chizuru looking around excitedly and pointing at every little thing. Soon the guard ushered them into one of the rooms, where they found a man sitting on a cushion, awaiting them. Off to the side, a young girl the same age as Chizuru was playing with an assortment of wooden blocks. The man set his daughter down, and she immediately ran over to the other girl.

"Hello!" she exclaimed. "I'm Chizuru! Who might you be?"

The other girl looked at her haughtily.

"I'm Tsuyu! I'm the young lady of the castle, so you gotta be polite!"

Chizuru grabbed her hands, giggling.

"Nice to meet you, Tsuyu!" she said. "How old are you? Chizuru's three!"

"E-eh…? Ah, um… I'm three, too," Tsuyu said.

At that point, the young man cleared his throat.

"Based on the message from the temple, you claim to be the man who was lost to a bandit attack around twenty-five years ago, is that correct?" he said. "A former guard at Mitakihara Manor, Banshu San'emon."

"Yes, that's correct," the rough man said. "And you'd be Lord Mizuna Masatsuna, son of Tokime Oyura, correct?"

"Yes, indeed," Masatsuna said. "I was very surprised to see your name… I thought you died back then."

"So did I," San'emon said. "But I was rescued by a woman who lived in the mountains. However… I tarried too long at her place, and before I knew it, so much time had passed. There were two reasons why I finally made the decision to return, however."

Masatsuna nodded. "And what might they be?"

"The first is… those were no ordinary bandits," San'emon said. "They were clearly trained assassins. I don't know why I was targeted in particular, but…"

Masatsuna nodded slowly. "Mother suspected as much too," he said. "What was your second reason?"

"I was wondering if I could learn what became of my younger sister, Suwe," San'emon said. "Does she still live? I was thinking how I'd like Chizuru to meet her aunt, if possible…"

"Hmm… I'm afraid I'm unsure about that," Masatsuna said. "What I do know is that she went to the hidden village, and I heard she had made a contract to become a magical girl."

"So, are you saying she might still be in the hidden village?" San'emon asked.

"To tell you the truth, I think it's unlikely," Masatsuna said. "It has been twenty-five years or more, after all. The life expectancy for a magical girl is around five years, from my understanding."

"I see," San'emon said. "It seems my journey was wasted, then…"

"Don't say that," Masatsuna said. "You've come this far, after all. Why not join my faction as a new noble? There's some land east of Koushou that I could give you."

"I'm probably not cut out to be a noble," San'emon said. "Although my family is technically a branch of Koushou, but… I think I just don't have a head for politics."

"Well… you're welcome to settle on that land anyway, as no-one seems to want it," Masatsuna said. "It's mostly dense forest and hard to develop. I know your combat prowess is quite extensive… if you could use your knowledge to train others, it would definitely be worth my while to let you use the land."

"Your offer is incredibly enticing," San'emon said. "I'll give it some thought."

"Feel free to stay here in the castle for a few days while you think it over," Masatsuna said.

San'emon nodded. "Thank you for your generosity," he said. "I'll take you up on that offer, and I really will give it some serious thought."

"If you still wanted to try contacting the hidden village to make certain of Suwe's fate… hmm," Masatsuna said. "I think Lady Akane of the Koushou family would be your best bet. The only other possibility would be to speak with Lady Ayame in Mitakihara, but it would be tough to get an audience with her, given the current state of that city."

"Both of those seem like a stretch," San'emon said. "Though I suppose there's a good chance the Koushou family would see me… but are they really the only options for getting news out of the village?"

"I think those are the only two magical girls left outside the hidden village, yes," Masatsuna said. "There were a few more until about ten years ago, but… the three new ones only lasted a couple years, from what I heard, and then news came from Futatsugi that Lady Asora of Yukuni had died as well. Lady Youha's still alive, mind you, but she lost her powers somehow, so she wouldn't be able to help you contact the hidden village."

"Guess I'll take my chances with Lady Akane," San'emon said. "But it can wait a little while. I've already been missing more than twenty years… another few months won't make much of a difference. Thanks for the info."

"It was my pleasure," Masatsuna said.

"Well then… Chizuru! It's time to go!"

"Aww, Daddy, can't Chizuru play with Tsuyu a little longer?" Chizuru complained.

San'emon looked at Masatsuna, who shrugged.

"I don't mind," he said.

"Well then… I'll just head out on my own," San'emon said. "Chizuru, when you're done playing, someone will show you where I am, you got that?"

"Yes!" Chizuru said. "Chizuru gets it!"

With that, San'emon got to his feet and followed a servant to the room that would be assigned to the two of them for the duration of their stay in the castle.

Magical Girl Corner

Whenever a new magical girl is introduced, I'll include a brief profile of her here. Some details may be redacted, or contain minor spoilers. You have been warned! The numeric ranking values are on a scale of 1 to 10. Unless otherwise specified, all magical girl ages in this interlude will be given as of the year of Akatsuki Aiko's death, ie Genroku 14.

Mikoshiba Kiku
神子柴菊

Age: 16 (at time of contract)
Eye Colour: Grey
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Mizuna Domain, Souma Region, Shinriku
Symbol: Blue encircled half-sunburst
Soul Gem: Purple oblong crystal nestled on her obi
Element: Darkness
Weapon: Iron fans
Powers: Shadow walk, (redacted)
Wish: "I want to honour Mother's memory! That's my one and only wish!"
Affiliation: Sacred Tree Sect

Speed: 3
Magical Stamina: 8
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 6
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Akatsuki Aiko (born Asano Aiko)
暁愛子

Age: 128
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Kishuu Domain, Japan
Symbol: Violet half-sun
Soul Gem: Deep blue oval gem on her headscarf
Element: Darkness
Weapon: Katana, throwing stars, sickle and chain
Powers: Shadow manipulation
Wish: "I want a school where the arts of combat can be taught to anyone interested in learning."
Affiliation: Tokime Clan

Speed: 7
Magical Stamina: 8
Offensive Power: 7
Defensive Power: 5
Initial Power Usability: 9
Learned Powers: 6

Akatsuki Youha
暁葉葉

Age: 24
Eye Colour: Amber
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Mitakihara Domain, Nishiwan Region, Shinriku
Symbol: Intertwined blue triangle and red circle
Soul Gem: Purple oval gem clasped on her left upper arm
Element: Forest
Weapon: Spear
Powers: Charm, intuition
Wish: "I wish for the power to protect our freedom from the Empire."
Affiliation: Tokime Clan

Speed: 2
Magical Stamina: 8
Offensive Power: 1
Defensive Power: 3
Initial Power Usability: 1
Learned Powers: 5

Hiraku Ayame
火楽菖蒲

Age: 17
Eye Colour: Green
Hair Colour: Brown
Origins: Mitakihara, Nishiwan Region, Shinriku
Symbol: Red hammer
Soul Gem: Red lozenge-shaped gemstone on her navel
Element: Fire
Weapon: Heavy shield
Powers: Physical Reinforcement, healing
Wish: "I wish to be a person who protects others, rather than being protected by others."
Affiliation: Tokime Clan

Speed: 4
Magical Stamina: 7
Offensive Power: 3
Defensive Power: 10
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 7

Mikoshiba Suwe (born Banshu Suwe)
神子柴椎衞

Age: 10 (contracted at 11)
Eye Colour: Red
Hair Colour: Brown
Origins: Koushou Domain, Souma Region, Shinriku
Symbol: Green lozenge-shaped gemstone just beneath her chest
Soul Gem: Orange circular gemstone on her right hip
Element: Darkness
Weapon: Wooden spoon
Powers: Luck manipulation
Wish: "I wish to create a Grail of Calamity for the sake of the clan."
Affiliation: Tokime Clan

Speed: 3
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 4
Defensive Power: 4
Initial Power Usability: 5
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Tokime Hatsu
時女初

Age: 12 (contracted at 13)
Eye Colour: Grey
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Mitakihara, Nishiwan Region, Shinriku
Symbol: Yellow four-leafed clover
Soul Gem: Yellow circular gemstone on her obi
Element: Light
Weapon: Tsurugi sword
Powers: Light manipulation
Wish: "I wish for a weapon that can destroy the Grail of Calamities."
Affiliation: Tokime Clan

Speed: 6
Magical Stamina: 8
Offensive Power: 7
Defensive Power: 3
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Tokime Oyura
時女尾揺良

Age: 24 (contracted at 25)
Eye Colour: Grey
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Mitakihara, Nishiwan Region, Shinriku
Symbol: Purple balance scale
Soul Gem: Yellow hexagonal gemstone at her throat
Element: Null
Weapon: Fork
Powers: Manipulation of impurities
Wish: "I wish for any witch born of this village to not be devoured by the witch currently hiding in this village."
Affiliation: Tokime Clan

Speed: 8
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 0
Defensive Power: 3
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Tsukimachi Mieko
女松美恵子

Age: 19 (contracted at 12)
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Matsumiya, Kirimine Region, Shinriku
Symbol: Three blue concentric 225° arcs
Soul Gem: Blue circular gemstone on her chest
Element: Water
Weapon: Biwa
Powers: Sound manipulation, long-range telepathic channel
Wish: "I wish I could talk to the head family whenever I want."
Affiliation: Tokime Clan

Speed: 9
Magical Stamina: 7
Offensive Power: 6
Defensive Power: 3
Initial Power Usability: 6
Learned Powers: 2

Matsuyama Setsuko (born Mikoshiba Setsuko)
松山節子

Age: 5 (contracted at 12)
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Black
Origins: Matsumiya, Kirimine Region, Shinriku
Symbol: Dark blue crescent moon over a two-peak mountain
Soul Gem: Dark blue circular gemstone on her chest
Element: Darkness
Weapon: Broomstick
Powers: Concealment, magic seal, flight
Wish: "I wish to seal the Tokime time capsule by turning Lady Youha back into a normal woman."
Affiliation: Sacred Tree Sect

Speed: 6
Magical Stamina: 6
Offensive Power: 2
Defensive Power: 7
Initial Power Usability: 4
Learned Powers: 0 (unknown)

Originally, this interlude was meant to be the story of the person who became the Wavering Deity, Lucy, making it a tale focusing solely on Tokime Oyura; but as time went on the scope slowly expanded.

After watching Tokime Clan Tale, I thought it would be nice to work in the story of Suwe and Hatsu, the ones who created the Grail of Calamity and the sword that would destroy it, respectively. As they're known only from a single brief dream scene, I chose to link them to other characters, making Hatsu the daughter of Oyura. Much later on, I decided that Suwe would be the sister of Banshu San'emon, Chizuru's father.

Then I watched the Battle Shamaness arc in Puella Historia, and realized that the Tokime timeline established by my fic meant it couldn't be too far off temporally from Tsuyu's story, so I added some threads to tie into it. In fact, the game's timeline for that event placed it before the date that the Tokime clan was established in my timeline, so to correct for that I also pushed Tsuyu's story forward by two centuries. This means that Tsuyu's story is no longer part of the Sengoku period by most reckonings and is instead squarely in the Edo period. However, given that Shinriku was pulled into the unified empire later than other regions, one could perhaps argue that the Sengoku period lingered awhile longer on that island, with Tsuyu's story essentially being the final war before it was fully unified.

And then I was thinking about the inconsistency I'd established between the modern-day Tokime and the Edo-era Tokime, particularly in the point that the modern-day ones have a belief that their family dates back to the Heian Era. I'd clearly established that that was not true, both in the previous interlude and in other chapters that touched upon the Tokime, but… even if it wasn't true, I realized it could still be based on a kernel of truth. And thus, this also became the story of the original Mikoshiba herself.

Now, as to what comes next in this fic. there will be a second interlude chapter before Act 3 begins with chapter 111. The interlude will probably be posted next week, but since it's not yet fully drafted out, there's a chance I'll decide to delay it by up to one week.

There are a whole lot of new magical girls in this episode, but I've chosen to give full profiles only for the most important of them. As a compensation of sorts, here's a list of the named ones who didn't get full profiles (kanji are supplied for given names only):

• Mizuna Sayuri (小百合) – the little sister of Oyura's husband
• Hiroe Sumire (菫) – a cousin of Mikoshiba Kiku who she was particularly close to
• Shion (紫苑; no surname) – Gen'un's sickly little sister
• Yukuni Asora (空昊)
• Koushou Akane (茜)

Also, no doubt you've spotted the appearance of a couple of magical girls who were left unnamed, but perhaps some readers will already recognize them? I think I've made it obvious enough that they could be recognized. I'm not referring to the 3-year-olds in the final segment, by the way.

This chapter also hints at the extent of the Tokime family tree. Of the nine clans with a seat on the council, only two of them (Sakae and Sango) have no direct connection to the Tokime. The Akatsuki line descends from Aiko and Sakuya's brother, while the main Tokime line descends from Sakuya and Aiko's brother. The Hiraku is then an offshoot from the Akatsuki line, while the Mizuna is an offshoot from the Tokime line. And the Koushou line come from Sakuya's mother and her second husband. I haven't worked out where Yukuni and Tsukimachi fit in, but they too are probably offshoots of one of those three lines.

Lastly, because I spent the time to choose kanji for them, here's a list of the most important players in the story who aren't magical girls (kanji are supplied for given names only):

• Tokime Momoka (桃花) – the head of the Tokime clan until her death in Genroku 15
• Tokime Kaguya (赫映) – Momoka's eldest daughter, and her successor as the clan head
• Tokime Kousuke (康介), Momoka's youngest; Hatsu's younger brother
• Akatsuki Kasumi (花澄) – eldest child of the Akatsuki head family, and the successor as the Akatsuki clan head after the death of Akatsuki Aiko in Genroku 14; succeeded after her death a year later by her younger sister, Youha
• Akatsuki Kyoutaro (恭太郎) – Kasumi's eldest younger brother (kanji chosen for the irony)
• Akatsuki Nobuyuki (信幸) – Kasumi's second-eldest younger brother (younger than Youha), who would eventually become Lord of Mitakihara Domain under the empire
• Hayahiko (剣彦; no surname) – grandson of Yasuke who held a leadership position in Mitakihara's military
• Sumiya (澄也) – a delegate sent from the Empire to negotiate; though it's normally a given name, I'm taking it as a family name, which seems to fit with the name's appearance in the Battle Shamaness arc. It's probably this guy's grandson who Tsuyu refused to marry, resulting in the family's exile to Hokuyo.
• Banshu San'emon (山右衛門) – this name should be familiar to some readers, so I'll skip the explanation
• Gen'un (玄雲) – likewise, many of you will already know who this is