Magia: A New Hope

by Pentalithia

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

111. After the Storm -- Act 3 Start --

The origin of the Matsuyama clan itself is shrouded in mystery. Though it's closely associated with the Tsukimachi clan, which as previously mentioned were the original ruling family of the town but were later relegated to controlling only the shrine, there exists no evidence to link the two families genealogically. It's almost as though the family sprung up out of nowhere.

Regardless of their origin, they rapidly rose to power after the Mikoshiba Massacre. Just six years after that horrific event, the head of the family, one Matsuyama Setsuko, took up a position that could be considered roughly equivalent to mayor. Though she only held the position for a mere three years before passing away at a young age, her husband took up the mantle, eventually passing the position on to their son.

Of course, their sudden rise to power did raise some eyebrows, wondering if some kind of clandestine deal had been undertaken to put them in that position. However, the results they showed spoke for themselves, and the rumours had already calmed down by the time Setsuko died.

~Excerpt from "History of Matsumiya: The Town of Foxes amidst Pines"~
~by Hiroe Chinatsu ~

---

"Seems like everyone else is here already."

Having just stepped into Shizuku's café, I find her waiting there with Yuuri and Airi, who are chatting between themselves while Shizuku just waits in silence. Yuuri breaks off her conversation to wave at me. Inui is with me, and we have Sana with us as well.

"Ashley-chan!" she says. "You're a bit late!"

"Well, I had to get the payment after all," I say. "Sorry to drag you into that as well, Miss Futaba."

"Ah, no, it was fine," Sana mutters. "I didn't really do much anyway…"

"So then, let's get going!" Inui exclaims.

"Um… r-right," Shizuku says. "Let's… go to my room for now."

She gets up and leads us all into the back, taking the stairs to the second floor and ushering us into her bedroom. It feels a little cramped with six of us in here, but it's not like we'll be here very long. She opens her wardrobe to grab a sweater and pull it on, then turns to face me.

"So, um… do you have the exact destination?" Shizuku asks.

"Yes, I'll email you the coordinates," I say.

Whipping out my phone, I open my email app and press send. The email I'd composed on the way over specifies the coordinates of the house in my neighbourhood that's viewed as haunted – the place where I once encountered Alice struggling against a witch named Marigold Z Ritter. I watch as Shizuku pulls out her phone and opens my message, bringing up the location in the maps app and zooming out so that Shinriku Prefecture is visible across the Pacific Ocean. She scrolls and zooms around, working things out. After a minute or two, she nods.

"Okay," she says. "I've worked it out. Our waypoint will be an uninhabited island called Amlia… it's one of the Aleutian Islands."

"Where are those?" Yuuri asks. "I don't think I've heard of them…"

"If I recall correctly, they're a string of islands ranging off the tip of Alaska," I say. "I think they reach all the way across the Pacific Ocean, actually… they'd be the route that ancient people took to cross over to the Americas when the sea level was much lower."

"Oh, I've actually heard of that," Yuuri says. "They call it the Pacific land bridge… so the Aleutian Islands are basically the remaining unflooded peaks of that bridge, are they?"

"I think so," I say. "I'm not that familiar with them either, but I think that's about right."

"Um… it's a lot further north, so it might be a little cold there at this time of year," Shizuku says. "But we'll only be there for a minute or so… please bear with it."

With that warning, she closes her eyes and opens a portal. She steps through onto a grassy cliff overlooking the sea, and everyone else follows her through. Just like she'd warned us, the wind coming in off the sea is quite chilly, and Sana in particular shivers. Shizuku doesn't hesitate at all though, closing her eyes and opening another portal. The sun is getting low in the sky, but not enough that sunset would be coming anytime soon.

"I will… wait for you here," Shizuku says.

So I take the lead through the portal this time. We emerge into the entrance hall of the abandoned house, and I wait for everyone else to follow me through. They look around with some interest.

"What is this place?" Yuuri asks. "Is it your house?"

"No, even my house isn't this much of a monster," I say. "It's an abandoned house in my neighbourhood. There've been lots of proposals to tear it down and build some more affordable places, but nothing has come of it yet. There are also rumours that it's haunted. The kids around here occasionally come by on a dare."

"I see," Yuuri says. "So we're really in America, and it only took a few minutes… Miss Hozumi's power is amazing, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah… it's really amazing," Sana says.

"Okay, so… are all four of you coming with me?" I ask. "Technically, I only need Yuuri-chan and Miss Futaba, but… if Miss Futaba is confident that she can also conceal Airi-chan and Inui, I don't mind if you all come."

"Um… four should be fine for awhile," Sana says. "But what about you?"

"I'm just going to march into the hospital and ask them to take me to Dad," I say. "All you need to do is follow me and try not to get in anyone's way."

"A-alright," Sana says. "So… should I start right now…?"

"Please," I say.

"T-then… let's all join hands," Sana says.

"Gotcha!" Yuuri says.

She grabs Airi's hand and reaches for Sana's, but I stop her.

"You should keep one hand free, Yuuri-chan," I say. "Don't you need to touch Dad to heal him?"

"Ah… you have a point," Yuuri says. "I technically don't need to, but it would be more effective if I do."

So Airi takes Sana's hand, and then Inui takes her other hand. After that, they all vanish from my perception.

"I won't speak to you much from now on, but please make sure to keep up," I say. "If you're having trouble, contact me by telepathy."

Without waiting for a response, I head outside and take my phone out, using the GPS to guide me to the hospital. It's the first time I've been there, so I don't want to get lost. Though Ashley has been there before, so perhaps her memory would've guided me, but I prefer to be certain. The local time is after eight o'clock in the evening, so it's already dark out.

Finally I arrive at the hospital, which is busier than I expected for the time of night, but not overly crowded. I wait about fifteen minutes for my turn at the reception counter.

"Hello, how may I help you, miss?" the man behind the counter asks.

"I was hoping I could visit a Mr Kevin Taylor," I say. "I'm his daughter."

Without waiting to be asked, I show my student card as proof of my identity.

"Just a minute," the man says. "Let me see… ah, it looks like he already has a visitor, so it should be fine to add another. The room is…"

I nod as he reads it out, committing it to memory. If he already has a visitor, it's probably Mom, right? Though it could also be a friend – he has quite a few friends in the show business, after all.

"Thank you very much," I say.

I head for the stairs and make my way to the room. Once I arrive there, I pause to gaze at it for a few moments.

«Yuuri-chan, can you start healing him as soon as you're inside?» I ask.

«Of course,» Yuuri responds immediately. «Don't worry.»

«About how long do you think it'll take?»

«It's hard to say, but… most of the time when I use my power on illnesses in a hospital, it's around ten to fifteen minutes.»

I nod slowly, taking a deep breath. Then I knock on the door.

"Yes? Who is it?"

A familiar woman's voice is heard from the other side. A few moments later, the door is opened by a man dressed as a nurse.

"You may come in, but please keep quiet," he says in a low voice.

"Thanks," I say.

He backs away and I step in, pausing in the doorway to take in the scene and also to let the others get in while the door is still open. Once Yuuri has alerted me that they're all inside, I step forward to approach the bed. As expected, the other visitor is Mom. She gasps on seeing me. I sense Ashley surfacing within me, but she doesn't seem to be taking over the body this time.

"Ashley!?" Mrs Taylor says. "I was expecting Mr Torrez… what on earth are you doing here!?"

"Mr Torrez…?"

"Ah, have you not met him before?" Mrs Taylor asks. "He's providing most of the funding for your father's latest film. I think they were going to discuss what to do in case… well…"

"That won't happen," I say. "That's why I'm here. I can't just let Dad die, now can I?"

"Still… why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Mrs Taylor asks. "I would've paid for your plane ticket if I knew you wanted to see your Dad that badly…"

"Let's just say it was a spur-of-the-moment decision," I say. "May I talk to Dad for a bit?"

"Ah… yes, of course," Mrs Taylor says.

The nurse brings over a chair and sets it beside the bed, and I take a seat, reaching out to touch Dad's hand. Perhaps because of Ashley's ego mingling with mine, it really feels like I'm looking at my father, and I find tears silently leaking from my eyes. He's clearly lost a lot of weight since I left for Japan, no doubt because of this illness. It's not at the level of being malnourished – obviously the hospital would feed him enough to avoid that – but nor does he have that nice, well-fed, ever-so-slightly pudgy look that I remember.

"Dad…"

"Ashley," he responds, turning to look at me.

"Dad… I'm sorry," I say.

"There's nothing… to apologize for," he says.

"That's what you think," I say. "I wanted you to see how I feel about Japan, but I got so caught up in my everyday life over there that I forgot to update my video blog."

"Ah… I see," Mr Taylor says. "But you already expressed… your passion to me, back then… so, it's okay, Ashley…"

"However," I say. "Starting now, I have a whole week off from school."

"Ah, that's right!" Mrs Taylor gasps. "It's Japan's Golden Week, right?"

"That's right," I say. "So I'll make a video and send you the link, alright? I want you to watch it, Dad."

"Okay," Mr Taylor said. "I'll… do my best."

"So that means you have to survive," I say. "Get better and watch the video I send you, alright?"

"I'll… try very hard," Mr Taylor says. "Thank you… for coming to see me."

«Yuuri-chan, how's it going?» I ask.

«I think I'm almost done,» Yuuri replies. «Give me another minute… no, a minute and a half.»

"So what do you think, Dad?" I ask. "Has seeing me made you feel better?"

To my surprise, he chuckles a bit.

"Well… as a matter of fact… I think it has, just a little," he says.

"I'll be back in September," I say. "So I hope you're out of the hospital by then."

"I don't know," he says. "I guess though… I'd hope for… the same thing. I've only been here… about a week… I'm already tired of the place…"

"Well, I'm sure no-one actually likes being in a hospital," I say. "I'll continue to call twice a week as well, so try to make time to speak with me, alright?"

"I'll… do my best," Mr Taylor says.

At that moment, there's another knock on the door, and the nurse heads over to see who it is.

"This time it's probably Mr Torrez," Mrs Taylor says. "So we should let him and your father chat privately."

"Alright," I say.

«Don't worry,» Yuuri says. «I've just finished… unless I missed something, your dad should be fit as a fiddle now. He'll probably be a little sleepy though.»

«Thank you very much, Yuuri-chan,» I say. «I'll definitely introduce you properly to my parents later.»

«I'll look forward to that,» Yuuri says.

«Me too!» Airi says.

«Of course, and Inui as well,» I say.

I get up and follow my mother to the door, stepping aside for the new visitor to enter. I don't recognize this man, but he looks like a relatively genial Hispanic man in a business suit.

"Good evening, Mr Torrez," Mrs Taylor says. "I don't believe you've met our daughter, Ashley?"

"Ah… no, I believe this is the first time," he says. "I'm Miguel Torrez, nice to meet you."

He holds out his hand, and I blink at him for a moment before realizing he means to shake it. Though a little reluctant, I decide to allow it, holding out my own hand for him to grab it and shake. He releases it quickly, though – perhaps he even noticed my uneasiness at the gesture.

"So you're the Ashley I've heard so much about," he says. "Sorry we couldn't meet at a better time. I heard you were overseas… will you be in town for long? We could have dinner afterwards…"

I shake my head.

"Sorry… I only came over on a whim because I missed Dad so badly," I say. "I'll be heading straight back after this. Perhaps another time."

"Ah, too bad," Mr Torrez says with a shrug. "Perhaps another time then. See you later."

With that, he heads in to take a seat. I watch for a minute to give the others time to file outside. My mother also heads outside, then turns to wait for me.

"Ashley… you coming?"

"Ah… yes, sorry," I say.

«Is everyone out already?»

«Yes, we're all out,» Inui says.

I follow my mother to the elevator, holding the door open until my invisible friends confirm they've gotten on, and Mom punches the button for the first basement floor.

"Are you okay, Ashley?" she asks. "You seem a bit… distracted…"

"I'm fine," I say. "Please, don't worry about me."

"Are you really going straight back?" she asks. "Can't you stop for even a quick snack?"

"Well… I really think that would be a bad idea," I say.

"Well, I could at least drive you to the airport," she offers. "We'd also have more time for a snack if I were to drive you…"

"Um… I really don't want to trouble you…"

"It's no trouble!" she says.

I sigh. "Mom… if you're going to be so insistent… it's really going to trouble me, you know?"

"Really…?" Mrs Taylor says. "I don't quite get it…"

We reach the destination floor and head out into the underground parking area. I follow her to her car.

"The truth is… I have… a friend waiting for me," I say. "I don't want to keep her waiting, so that's why I have to turn down your offer."

"Huh… you even brought a friend back too?" Mrs Taylor says. "You should have just introduced me…"

"I'll introduce you next time," I say. "Is that alright? I don't mind if you give me a ride just as far as the house."

"Is that really alright though?" Mrs Taylor says. "The house is probably further from the airport than here…"

"It's fine," I say. «Can all of you squeeze into the back seat?»

«Probably, but it'll be tight,» Yuuri says.

«Yeah, definitely a tight fit,» Inui says. «But it looks wider than the cars I've seen in Japan, so I think we should be able to manage…»

«I'll… do my best,» Sana says.

Once Mrs Taylor has unlocked the car, I open up the back seat.

"Huh? Aren't you sitting in the front seat?" she asks me.

"Ah… good point," I say. "Sorry… I was a little distracted."

«We're in!» Yuuri announces. «Just barely, though… I don't know if we'll be able to buckle up properly…»

«Try your best,» I say.

I head around to enter the front passenger seat.

"Actually, there's something I want to talk to you both about, once Dad's all better," I say. "Probably when I come back in September."

My mother maneuvers the car out of the parking garage, nodding in response.

"It sort of relates to my sudden appearance today as well… but I wanted to wait until I could talk to both of you together," I continue. "I'm sure you'll be surprised…"

"I'll look forward to it then," she says.

After driving through the streets of Santa Cruz for a few more minutes, she suddenly brings up another topic.

"Ah, come to think of it… didn't Janice and the others go to Japan a few days ago?" she asks. "Did you leave them all alone…?"

"Ah… I guess so," I say. "But don't worry, I'll spend some time with them in the next few days. There's also another friend with them who speaks English, so I'm sure they'll be okay until I get back."

They fell silent again for a bit, and before long they were at Ashley's house. My mother and I get out, and I follow her as far as the door, pausing for a hug before she unlocks it and goes inside. Then I turn around and return to the abandoned house. Yuuri and the others appear as soon as I'm inside.

"We're back," Yuuri says. "Looks like it went well, didn't it? You definitely have to introduce us properly next time!"

"Though I'm not sure when next time will be," I say. "If I'm in Japan all summer, then maybe… winter break…? Although, there's also a chance they decide to come see me over the summer… if that happens, I could introduce you to them then."

"Um… let's go back," Sana says.

"Right," I say with a nod.

We step through the portal, and I pause to gaze out at the sea. It was dark in California, but out here the sun still hasn't set, though it seems like it won't be too long now. Shizuku gets to her feet without a word and holds out her hand.

"Oh right, the payment," I say.

I fish out the three grief seeds I obtained on the way to her café and hand them over. Then we all pile through the second portal back to her room, Shizuku taking up the rear and closing the portal behind her. She purifies her soul gem with one of the seeds, then stows them away. We head downstairs and make our way back outside.

"Well, we'll be heading back to Asunaro," Yuuri says. "Are you gonna take the same train?"

"I thought I could walk Miss Futaba back first," I say. "Unless you'd prefer to go back alone, Miss Futaba?"

"Ah… I don't mind," Sana says.

"What about you, Inui?" I ask. "Are you returning to Fendt Hope?"

Inui shakes her head. "Since it's Golden Week, I'll stay with you in Mitakihara… assuming Mrs Hayashi is okay with that."

"I don't think she'd have a problem, but we can ask when we get back," I say. "Alright, let's go."

So Yuuri and Airi head towards the train station while the rest of us walk back to Crescent Moon Villa in silence. Iroha opens the door and gasps.

"Sana-chan! Is everything okay?"

"H-huh?" Sana says, blinking. "Y-yes, everything's… fine…"

I think what Iroha is reacting to is Sana's current facial expression and attitude. Now that she's brought my attention to it, I notice that Sana looks a little down. Iroha steps forward to hug Sana, who gasps.

"I'm really… fine," Sana mutters.

"Are you really okay?" Iroha asks. "Was it dangerous after all?"

"It's not that," Sana says. "It wasn't dangerous… it's just… just…"

"Why don't you come in and tell me about it?" Iroha suggests.

"Okay…"

Releasing Sana, Iroha turns to me and Inui.

"Would you two like to come in for a bit too?" she asks. "I'll offer you some hot cocoa."

I look at Inui, who shrugs.

"I'm fine with it if you are," she says.

"Then we'll accept your offer, Miss Iroha," I say.

She ushers us inside. Felicia and Ui are lying on the floor in a corner, apparently playing a game together. Yachiyo is sitting on one of the couches, sipping at her drink. I don't see Tsuruno anywhere – perhaps she went home. Iroha's mug is also set on the coffee table, implying that she had been drinking as well before she answered the door. While Sana, Inui, and I slip off our shoes, Iroha hurries into the kitchen to get to work on the hot chocolate she promised.

Yachiyo looks at me as I take a seat facing her on the other couch. Inui plops down beside me, and Sana sits on the same couch as Yachiyo but with a good distance between them.

"Now that the crisis is over, perhaps you'd be willing to answer some of my questions, Miss Taylor?" Yachiyo says.

"I'm not sure I'd say it's over," I say. "But I guess it'll be awhile before anything else happens, so I could consider answering some questions."

"Why did you save Sarasa Hanna?" she asks.

I blink at her. "Huh? How do you know about that?"

"Iroha told me about it, the morning after the Memory Museum," Yachiyo says.

I sigh. "Well… I guess I felt a little bit sorry for her," I say. "That girl attended Mizuna Girls' School, you know? Even though she lived in Daito Ward, she somehow managed to get in. However… I'm sure you can imagine how that went over. It was probably even worse than it was for Miss Mitama…"

Yachiyo nods. "You mean she was bullied, I suppose? But what does that have to do with what she's done since then?"

"Well, I can't say she's a good person," I say. "Since she wished for her bullies to disappear, and even before losing her sanity, she probably killed a lot of magical girls… but despite that, she did manage to make one friend. I think you've heard of her, haven't you? Sena Mikoto."

"That's… the girl who Mitama suspects turned into the Mirror Witch," Yachiyo says. "Kanagi seems to be the only other person who actually met her…"

"Correct," I say. "She might not have been a good person, but seeing her only friend turn into a witch right in front of her must have broken her. That's why… even though she's definitely not a good person, I felt a little sorry for her. Enough to give her a second chance."

"And… why did you want the grief seed from the duplicate Mirror Witch?" Yachiyo asks.

"That… I'd prefer not to answer," I say.

At that point, Iroha comes over with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, passing one to me and one to Inui.

"You don't have to answer, Miss Ashley," she says. "Though I can't imagine what you'd want to do with it… but I don't believe you'd intentionally do something to harm people."

"You trust her that much, Iroha…?" Yachiyo says.

"I'm not sure quite how far I can trust her," Iroha says. "But I believe in her kindness. Someone who'd save even a girl like Miss Sarasa wouldn't be the type of person to hurt others."

"Well… if you say so, I'll back off," Yachiyo says.

"Since I'm here, I'm a bit curious as to how you found out about that," I say. "What exactly happened after the Memory Museum…? I was busy arguing with Miss Tamaki at that time, so I wasn't watching anything that happened over here… and after she returned I went straight to bed, so I didn't see any of that either."

"Well… we could tell you about it, right, Miss Yachiyo?" Iroha says.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," Yachiyo says.

Iroha takes a seat on the couch between Yachiyo and Sana, and Yachiyo begins to relate how things went after they escaped from the Memory Museum.

---

As told by Nanami Yachiyo, very early morning of last Sunday…

Yachiyo had decided to walk all the way home so she could ponder all the things that Iroha had said to her, but when she finally arrived back at Crescent Moon Villa, she was surprised to see a light on. She was certain she hadn't left the lights on when she left. Wondering if it could possibly be Felicia, Yachiyo hurried forward and thrust the door open.

"Felicia? Sana?"

But neither Felicia nor Sana were there. Instead there were three girls who Yachiyo had rarely if ever seen together before now. Momoko was sitting on the couch facing the door, so she was the first one Yachiyo spotted.

"Um, sorry, it's just me, Momoko," she said. "And a couple others…"

"Momoko…" Yachiyo said. "I definitely didn't expect to see you today… but…"

She made for the unoccupied armchair and sank into it.

"…I'm even more surprised to see the other two," she said. "Misono Karin… and Haruna Konomi… as far as I know, you've never worked together before, have you?"

"That's true," Konomi said. "But there can always be a first time, can't there?"

"So, what's going on?" Yachiyo asked. "Barging into my house like this…"

"I had business here, so I let myself in," Momoko said. "By the way, you should switch the hiding spot for your spare keys every once in a while."

"That's none of your concern," Yachiyo said. "Anyway, I'd wager you're here about us, aren't you? Though that doesn't explain why Miss Misono and Miss Haruna tagged along…"

"Oh, so you could tell?" Momoko said.

"Yes," Yachiyo said. "I'm sure once you told Rena and Kaede the truth… it was only natural that you also told them about my decision to break up the team."

"Yep, that's it," Momoko said. "I wanted to take care of my baggage too, like I should have done a long time ago. So I figured I'd come and confront you about it and I wouldn't give up this time."

Yachiyo sighed. "You don't need to confront me about it," she said. "I'll tell you everything… after all that's happened, you deserve that much."

"What made you change your mind so suddenly?" Momoko asked.

"Iroha pushed herself to the limit to convince me I was wrong," Yachiyo said.

"Iroha-chan did that!?" Momoko gasped. "Huh? But then… where is she now?"

"It's a long story," Yachiyo said. "Maybe I'll get to that afterwards. But she was very persistent when I tried to tell her I was breaking up the team…"

Momoko chuckled a bit. "I figured things might go that way, but wow," she said. "Can't tell if that's good timing or bad timing…" She sighed. "Anyway, putting that aside for a sec. You said you'd explain yourself?"

"Yes," Yachiyo said. "I'm not sure if you'll be satisfied with the answer. But yes, I'm ready to tell you… I'll tell you why I split us up… and what I was thinking back then…"

"I'm listening," Momoko said.

Yachiyo explained to Momoko the same thing she'd explained to Iroha about her wish, and how she'd come to blame herself for the deaths of Kanae and Mel. Momoko listened to the whole thing in silence until she was finished.

"So I've chosen to stop doubting myself," Yachiyo concluded. "I'm giving myself one final chance… I'm so sorry, Momoko… I can't even imagine how much you worried over this. Even if my wish wasn't the reason behind what happened… I'm responsible for what you went through. Whatever you want to say or do to punish me, I'll gladly accept it."

"You can't take those words back, Miss Yachiyo," Momoko said sternly.

"I know…"

"Okay," Momoko said. "It might be kinda painful, but… you asked for it. Forgive me, okay?"

But rather than doing something violent, Momoko jumped up from the couch and glomped Yachiyo, squeezing her.

"Ugh, Momoko… don't hug me so hard…"

"I'm so happy," Momoko said, her voice shaking a little. "I was always wondering, did we do something wrong? And if we didn't, maybe you really had changed? I've been thinking that for so long… I'm so happy to hear your real reasoning, straight from your own mouth. Nothing changed. You're still the same. That's great news!"

"Momoko… I'm really sorry…"

Once the two of them calmed down, Momoko settled back down on the couch, and Yachiyo explained her side of what had happened at the Memory Museum.

"Hold on a second!" Momoko said. "You've been mentioning stuff about brainwashing here and there. Did that really happen?"

"It's not something I'd joke about," Yachiyo said. "Felicia, Sana, even Tsuruno… they all got brainwashed and joined the Wings of the Magius."

"Unbelievable," Konomi said. "I only heard about the Wings of the Magius a few hours ago, and already they seem pretty awful…"

"I still can't believe Alina-sempai would do those sorts of things," Karin said. "Something must have happened to her… she was never like that before…"

"So what about Iroha-chan then?" Momoko asked.

"I was getting to that," Yachiyo said. "She said she was going to… pretend to join them… which I guess means she's infiltrating them."

"Huh… you let her do something that dangerous?" Momoko said.

"She didn't leave me much choice," Yachiyo said. "We were all out of magic, and facing Miss Tomoe…"

"Seriously?" Momoko said. "I got all weepy talking about what happened to us… now I feel real dumb for getting all caught up in my problems… sorry guys."

"That's nothing to apologize for," Yachiyo said.

"So what're you gonna do now?" Momoko asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Yachiyo said. "But I'm pretty sure Iroha has some kind of plan to save everyone. I'm sure she'll show up here soon… but before she arrives, I'd like to know why Miss Haruna and Miss Misono are here."

"Well, when Ashley-chan told me that Miss Momoko was planning to tell Kaede-chan all about witches and everything, I wanted to be there with her to support her," Karin said. "Rena is one thing, but I thought Kaede-chan wouldn't take the revelation well."

"Huh?" Momoko said. "I don't know this Ashley person… how would she know what I was going to do?"

"You definitely heard it from Miss Taylor?" Yachiyo asked.

"Yes… she's the one who told me," Karin said. "That's why I went to the arcade to see if I could find Rena… and then I tagged along with her."

"But I didn't even tell anyone about it," Momoko said. "Ah, I suppose Iroha-chan might've realized though…"

"She must've been watching you with her magic when you talked about it," Yachiyo said. "I remember her doing that when I got involved in the search for that deranged girl, Sarasa Hanna…"

"Ah, the girl who attacked Emily, right?" Konomi said. "I remember hearing a bit about that…"

"Yeah, I guess that must be how she knew," Karin said.

"Anyway, that explains why you were with Momoko," Yachiyo said. "But why'd you come all the way here with her?"

"I'm not really sure," Karin said. "I guess I just felt like I was sick of standing around and watching things just happen again. I know I made a promise, but I just can't stand it anymore. I want to do something to fix things. Something more than just stopping Kaede-chan from joining the Wings of the Magius… something to help Alina-sempai go back to her old self… like, what's the point in going back in time if you're not going to change anything, right?"

Everyone stared at her.

"What…?" Konomi said. "Are my ears deceiving me? I thought I heard you say something about time travel…"

"And what was that about Kaede-chan joining the Wings of the Magius?" Momoko said. "I'm pretty sure I would know if that had happened…"

"Ah, it's that witch we fought last time," Karin said. "If I hadn't been there, Kaede-chan would've unleashed her doppel and ended up joining them… apparently…"

"Huh," Momoko said. "To tell the truth, that does seem like a believable thing that could've happened… it even knocked me out for a bit, so without Karin-chan there, Kaede-chan definitely would've been in a pickle…"

"So you're saying you came back in time?" Yachiyo said. "Is that really possible…?"

"It's possible!" Karin exclaimed. "I wouldn't lie about this! Miss Momoko even died in that future, you know! I wanted to save her too!"

"I died!?" Momoko gasped. "What on earth…"

"Miss Mifuyu died too," Karin said. "There were a few other people too who I didn't really know very well… and Alina-sempai was reduced to nothing but a soul gem."

"Well… fine," Yachiyo said. "Let's set that aside for now. You've answered my original question, which is the main thing. So then… Miss Haruna, how did you end up coming here?"

"Well… since it was raining, Miss Togame happened to choose Flower Shop Blossom as the location to tell Kaede-chan everything," Konomi said. "And I just happened to stop by while they were talking and overhear, well… most of it. So since Kaede-chan had taken it really badly, I wanted to help her…"

"That doesn't explain why you tagged along with Momoko afterwards though," Yachiyo said.

"Well, I mean… I thought you might know more about the situation," Konomi said. "That, and I just sort of went with the flow…"

Yachiyo sighed.

"Alright, well… I suppose I might as well just explain everything that's happened since I first encountered a rumour," she said.

"Sounds good!" Momoko said.

And that was how they'd talked late into the night until they passed out from exhaustion.

---

As told by Tamaki Iroha, morning of last Sunday…

When Iroha finally arrived back at Crescent Moon Villa that morning, she found the four of them sleeping on the couches and armchair. Smiling a bit, she headed for the kitchen to get breakfast going, and once it was almost ready, she went out to wake Yachiyo.

"Miss Yachiyo! Please wake up! I made breakfast!"

Yachiyo stirred and opened her eyes, blinking.

"Iroha…? You really came…"

"Of course I came!" Iroha said. "I said I'd come back, didn't I? I wouldn't break my promise! Um… could you wake the others for me?"

"Ah… sure," Yachiyo said.

Iroha returned to the kitchen to finish cooking. Once it was done, she carried out the plates and passed them around, along with mugs of hot cocoa for everyone – she used Momoko's personal mug for her, but gave Karin and Konomi guest mugs.

"Huh?" Momoko said. "How'd you know which mug was mine?"

"It was sort of a guess," Iroha said. "Because it was the one next to Miss Mifuyu's, I figured it was most likely yours. I knew hers because she used it when she visited."

Iroha took a seat, looking around at the people present.

"So, um… Karin-chan and um… Miss Haruna, if I recall correctly?"

"I'm surprised you remembered my name after meeting me just once!" Konomi said. "That's right, I'm Haruna Konomi."

Iroha nodded. "I'm Tamaki Iroha. It's nice to meet you."

"Since when did you know Karin-chan though?" Momoko asked.

"Even though we saw her crash through the battle at the helipad, I don't think I ever mentioned her name," Yachiyo said. "Plus, you addressed her like you're close…"

"Of course," Iroha said. "I met her at the huge battle against Eve and Walpurgisnacht."

"Walpurgisnacht!?" Momoko gasped.

"Um… I'll explain in a bit," Iroha said. "But let's eat before the food gets cold, okay?"

So they all dug in, wolfing down the food in record time, and then Iroha gathered the plates to set them in the sink before taking a seat beside Momoko.

"Miss Yachiyo… what exactly happened last night after we split up?" she asked. "I wasn't expecting to find Karin-chan, Momoko-chan, and Miss Haruna here…"

"It was nothing much really," Yachiyo said.

She summarized the conversation from the previous night, and Iroha nodded.

"That's a lot like me, then," she said. "I too was up all night talking… arguing with Miss Ashley about the plan going forward. I got her to make quite a few concessions, so I'd say I'm a little proud of myself…"

"Wait… what does Miss Taylor have to do with this…?" Yachiyo asked.

"Right," Iroha said. "Um, where should I start…? Actually, Miss Ashley has been manipulating things behind the scenes for quite awhile now… probably going all the way back to around the time I made my wish. Maybe even further… I haven't really pressed her for details."

"Wait… what kind of manipulating…?" Karin said.

"Well… for example, she indirectly caused the Wings of the Magius to form in the first place," Iroha said.

Yachiyo blinked. "Huh? That doesn't add up… if she caused them to form, then why isn't she one of the Magius? And why is she working against them if she propped them up to begin with?"

"It's… complicated," Iroha said. "I think she was scared… her goal was to create the automatic purification system, and she was afraid that would fail without the Wings of the Magius. The Magius aren't even aware of the role she played though."

"How can they not know…?" Momoko asked. "What exactly did Miss Taylor do?"

"I think the only thing Miss Ashley actually did was to tell Kyuubey that Ui had a high potential as a magical girl," Iroha said. "Apparently Kyuubey is far from omniscient… it's not hard for him to overlook a girl who can make a wish. Somehow, despite granting my wish, Kyuubey hadn't noticed Ui's potential… or maybe Ui only gained potential because of my wish? I don't claim to understand how that works…"

"Okay, so she sicced Kyuubey on your sister," Yachiyo says. "That's bad enough on its own, but… how on earth does it lead to the Wings of the Magius?"

"Apparently, Touka-chan had somehow heard of Kyuubey even before I made my wish," Iroha said. "So… after finding out that I'd become a magical girl, she sought him out herself, and he actually responded. Apparently she grilled him deeply on the contract and got him to spill all the secrets he usually kept to himself. Then, when she learned that Ui had also been approached by Kyuubey, the three of them formulated a plan to create the automatic purification system – all to save me from the fate of one day becoming a witch."

"By 'the three of them', you mean… your sister, Touka, and…?" Momoko said.

"The third is Nemu-chan," Iroha said. "The automatic purification system was all Touka-chan's idea, but she couldn't do it by herself. Anyway… the main point to all this is that Ui, Nemu-chan, and Touka-chan all became magical girls because Miss Ashley told Kyuubey that Ui had high potential."

"I still don't understand how that leads to the Wings of the Magius, however," Momoko said. "I get that two of those girls became the Magius, but… how did it even get to that point?"

"Although those three carefully chose their wishes so that they'd gain the powers they needed to create the automatic purification system, it didn't quite go as planned," Iroha said. "Ui's wish went wrong, and she almost turned into a witch as a result. It was actually thanks to Alina that she was saved."

"Alina saved her…?" Yachiyo said. "I can't believe that girl would do something like that…"

"Alina-sempai's not a bad person!" Karin protested. "She's never been the friendly type, but she's always been kind to me! She helps me a lot with my manga… ah, I draw it as a hobby, you see…"

"Ohh, that's amazing, Karin-chan!" Iroha said. "You'll have to show me sometime!"

"Um… I'll… think about it," Karin said.

"Anyway… please continue the story, Iroha," Yachiyo said.

"Ah, right," Iroha said. "By a stroke of luck, Alina happened to be nearby when the three of them contracted, and she saw how Ui's harvesting power was going out of control, drawing in impurities from all over the city. She saved Ui, or at least created the opportunity for her to be saved, by erecting a barrier around the hospital that could keep the impurities out – the same barrier that was later expanded to cover all of Kamihama."

"So Ui's power is to draw in impurities?" Yachiyo said. "And it was going out of control… so she would've definitely turned into a witch if she gathered enough of them…"

"That's right," Iroha said. "And the barrier only slowed the process, buying her more time… but that was exactly what Nemu-chan needed. She crafted a rumour that would save Ui's life by separating her consciousness out from her soul. The idea was that, without emotions, the soul gem wouldn't transform into a grief seed. However… the rumour erased all trace of Ui's existence from the world, which caused Touka-chan's and Nemu-chan's personalities to change, and resulted in the creation of the Wings of the Magius. But the main point of this is… Miss Ashley's actions set all that in motion."

"Could that have caused Alina-sempai's personality to change too?" Karin asked.

"Um… I'm not sure," Iroha said. "I think you probably wouldn't've realized if that was the cause, though – you would've just thought she was always like that. At least in the previous timeline… maybe you could've remembered in this one?"

"I see," Karin said. "I was hoping that could be it, but it sounds like a long shot…"

"And… you learned of all of this from Miss Taylor?" Yachiyo asked.

Iroha shook her head. "No… most of that… I experienced it," she said. "At the moment when Ui's fate was reconstructed last time, the whole thing flitted through my mind, like memories. Miss Ashley did mention it to me as well, but not in so much detail, though she's the one who told me what she said to Kyuubey. That part wasn't in the memories from the reconstruction. However… that was only after Walpurgisnacht had killed Madoka-chan and several others… which is why I decided to come back in time to look for a happier end."

"Eh?" Yachiyo said. "You're saying you came back in time too, Iroha?"

"Too…?" Iroha said. "Oh, did Karin-chan already tell you about it? Yes, there were six of us altogether. Miss Ashley and Homura-chan too… I'm not sure who the other two were, as I wasn't conscious at the moment time was turned back. Ah… it sounds bad if I say it that way, but I did agree to it beforehand!"

"If Miss Taylor has experienced this time at least once before, it could explain some of her strange actions," Yachiyo mused. "Perhaps she even knew when and where Sarasa Hanna would strike…"

"Speaking of Miss Sarasa, I only learned this about an hour ago, but apparently Miss Ashley saved her life," Iroha said.

"W-what!?" Yachiyo gasped. "But that girl is extremely dangerous… what on earth was she thinking!?"

"I don't really understand it myself," Iroha said. "I think she didn't mean to let it slip… but it sounded like she has Miss Sarasa locked up somewhere, and has some kind of plan to bring her around… to tell the truth, I somewhat agree with her actions on this matter. I really don't like the idea of killing someone… but this isn't the time to discuss Miss Sarasa. We should be talking about the Wings of the Magius."

Yachiyo nodded. "Right… so, what's the plan?"

"Well… it's really convoluted," Iroha said. "Do you mind if I just give you the key details… the things you'll have to do? It might not make sense sometimes, but between Miss Oriko and Miss Aki, I have assurances that doing these things will lead to a happy outcome where no-one dies and things in Kamihama change on average for the better. Of course, they're not bad things individually, either. I'm not the sort of person who believes that the end justifies the means."

Yachiyo nodded. "You might as well start with the details that we absolutely need to know," she said. "But if it really makes no sense at all, I'm going to probe further, okay?"

Iroha nodded. "Of course. If there's anything you don't understand, or if you feel you need more information on any point at all, I'll be happy to answer questions."

With that, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

"Okay… so, we have a few things that we need to do in the next couple of days, before Walpurgisnacht gets here," Iroha said. "The top priority is to find Sana-chan and Felicia-chan. The next priority is to save Tsuruno-chan."

"Wait… why aren't those both the same thing?" Yachiyo asked.

"That one's an easy one," Iroha said. "Sana-chan and Felicia-chan were already freed from the brainwashing by Miss Mifuyu. We just have to wait a bit and meet up with them."

"Huh!" Momoko said. "Miss Mifuyu did that…? I thought she was with them…"

"I think she doesn't fully agree with their methods," Iroha said. "She didn't like the idea of forcing people to join."

"That does seem like her, though," Momoko said. "That's a relief… she hasn't changed as much as I thought…"

"However, when it comes to Tsuruno-chan… not only did Miss Mifuyu's attempt to undo the brainwashing fail, they're also planning to fuse her with a rumour," Iroha said. "I'm going to see if I can put a stop to it once I return to Fendt Hope, but I think it's probably too late already."

"I see, that does explain why they're two different things," Yachiyo said. "But… they're fusing Tsuruno with a rumour?"

"That sounds really dangerous," Momoko said.

"So I was thinking… Momoko, perhaps you and Rena could investigate the rumour about an amusement park," Iroha said. "We'll need to know where it is in order to save Tsuruno-chan. And perhaps you could gather some grief seeds while you're at it – we'll need a lot for the final battle."

Momoko nodded. "Yeah, that's fine," she said. "I'll ask around about the rumour, and gather grief seeds while I'm at it."

"Then Miss Yachiyo and Miss Haruna could raise a ruckus around town to attract attention," Iroha said. "I think if you do that, Sana-chan and Felicia-chan will practically fall back into our laps."

"I'm a little curious about why you recommended me for that role," Konomi said.

"Well… there isn't really a reason," Iroha said. "But you did join Miss Yachiyo for that last time, drawn by a search for Kaede-chan, who had apparently disappeared after joining the Wings of the Magius. It's a flimsy one, but that's the only reason I have. Actually, I also joined you in that last time, but this time I have something else I have to do. But either way, it's only a request, so if you don't want to do it…"

"No, it's fine," Konomi said. "If it's fine with Miss Nanami, then I'll help out."

"Come to think of it," Yachiyo said. "If you'd come back in time… why did you wait so long to tell me?"

"There are two reasons," Iroha said. "The first is… I promised Miss Ashley that I'd wait until after the Memory Museum before I tried to change the course of events. It was a condition she set for joining her to come back in time. As for the second reason… when I lost my memories of Ui, the memories of coming back in time disappeared along with them. I didn't remember everything until the Memory Museum's rumour managed to draw those memories back out when it was trying to brainwash me."

"Also, what is Fendt Hope?" Momoko asked.

"Right now, it's the home base of the Wings of the Magius," Iroha said.

"If you say it that way, it sounds like it's not always going to be," Momoko said.

"Yes… I'm going to try and turn it against the Magius," Iroha said. "Miss Aki said it's plausible, so I'm pretty sure it'll work."

"And who is Miss Aki?" Yachiyo asked. "You also mentioned someone else I haven't heard of earlier… Miss Oriko, I think it was?"

"Miss Aki is Kuroe-chan's sempai at her school," Iroha says. "She has a rather unique magical ability… I suppose it's a bit like Tsuruno-chan's luck, or even Mel-chan's fortunes, but she can consciously direct it."

"Huh? How do you know about Mel's fortunes?" Momoko asked.

"Ah, the Memory Museum showed me Miss Mifuyu's memories of that time," Iroha explained.

"Oh, that makes sense," Momoko said.

"Anyway, Miss Aki is the trump card in our plan," Iroha said. "As long as we create an opportunity, a scenario where the outcome we want is at least plausible, she can make almost anything come true. As for Miss Oriko, she's a magical girl from Mitakihara who can see visions of the future."

"So… what about me?" Karin asked. "You gave the others something to do, but…"

"Um… I don't actually have anything specifically for you at the moment, Karin-chan," Iroha said. "Though you're definitely welcome to work with either Momoko-chan or Miss Yachiyo. And I'll definitely have something for you a bit later… I could tell you about that now, if you want."

Karin shook her head. "I don't want to fight the Wings of the Magius," she said. "And I'm sure I'd just get in the way if I went with Miss Momoko…"

"What, that's not true!" Momoko said. "I'd be very happy to have you!"

"Thanks, but… no thanks," Karin said. "What is it that you have for me later, Iroha-chan?"

"On Thursday, it'll be up to you to gather all the magical girls from your school at the Coordinator's," Iroha said. "After that you'll do the same thing you did last time."

"The witch spotting, huh?" Karin said. "That was actually a little bit fun, so I guess I don't mind doing it again."

"Why just the magical girls from Sakae…?" Yachiyo said.

"No, we're going to gather all the magical girls from all across Kamihama at the Coordinator's, after school on Thursday," Iroha said. "Momoko-chan and Miss Haruna, could I ask one of you to talk to everyone at our school?"

"Ah, yes, of course," Konomi said. "I'll take care of that. You can count on me."

"And if any of you see Miss Miyako or Miss Kanagi later, please ask them to tell everyone from their schools to drop by on Thursday," Iroha said. "And don't forget Mikage-chan and Miss Miwa."

"I don't know girls by those names," Yachiyo said.

"That's fine, Miss Kanagi and Miss Miyako know them, respectively," Iroha said. "I think Miss Ashley said she'd find people to cover all the other schools. Though I guess I could ask Sana-chan and Felicia-chan to cover Mizuna and Chuo."

"Hmm… considering the other schools… I'm not sure if there are any magical girls at St Lilliana's or Kamihama Future Academy," Momoko said. "Does she have those schools covered too?"

"I'm not sure – you'd have to ask her," Iroha said. "But if there are magical girls there, I think it's very likely that Miss Ashley knows about them and has arranged something."

---

"I think that's about it," Iroha says. "I think the only other thing of note was that I annotated the map with all the rumour data. Miss Yachiyo and Miss Haruna helped with that, but Karin-chan left before then – she got a call from her dad asking where she'd been last night. Oh, and Rena-chan did show up later on, and we checked in on Tsuruno-chan's dad… if I recall correctly, I got back to Fendt Hope around ten or eleven o'clock."

"I don't think I remember saying it was okay to share the time travel thing," I say. "But I guess it's too late to complain now…"

"Ah… I apologize if I overstepped my bounds with that," Iroha says. "Although, I wasn't even the first one to mention it…"

"That's true… Miss Nanami said that Karin-chan brought it up first," I say. "Well, as I said… it's a bit late to complain about it now… let's just leave it at that. Anyway… how are Nemu and Alina doing after the battle?"

"Nemu-chan is sleeping in the other room," Iroha says. "She still hasn't woken up, but Mitama says it should just be a matter of time. Touka-chan is with her right now, though she'd dozed off when I last checked."

"That sounds about right," I say. "And Alina…?"

"Alina's injuries were pretty severe," Iroha says. "Because of that, and because everyone was exhausted and no-one volunteered to heal her, we sent her to the hospital. I assume she's still there."

"Ah, I see… I guess that makes sense," I say.

"Speaking of Alina, I also heard Karin-chan was rather flummoxed to find her painting on her doorstep when she got home," Iroha says. "I haven't seen the painting myself, but Karin-chan couldn't decide whether to call it 'genius' or 'horrible'…"

"Ah… that must be the painting she made while we were fighting Eve," I say. "Right when Ui was restored, she suddenly started painting. It was a bit uncanny how that happened so precisely… almost as though she'd been waiting for her memories to return…"

Iroha shrugs. "The timing does seem strange, but… this is Alina we're talking about, so I can't even begin to guess what she was thinking…"

"Nothing that girl does makes any sense," Yachiyo says. "And she just spouts off nonsense like it's common sense… it's a little baffling, to tell the truth…"

"And how's the Eternal Sakura?" I ask. "I realize it hasn't been that long since the battle, but… did you take her to meet Kyuubey?"

Iroha shakes her head. "I never even thought of that… do you think Sakurako can become a magical girl like Miss Ai did?"

I shrug. "Beats me… I don't know if Miss Ai's case is rare or typical for a rumour. Can't really judge from a single sample…"

At that point, one of the interior doors slams open and Touka bursts into the room.

"I heard that!" she exclaims.

"Ah, Touka-chan, you're awake!" Iroha gasps. "How's Nemu-chan…?"

"Still sleeping like a log," Touka says. "But more importantly… I have to know the answer! Can the Eternal Sakura become a magical girl?"

"Well… we could take her to meet Kyuubey later," Iroha says. "Shouldn't we at least wait for Nemu-chan to wake up first?"

"Hmm… it might be best if Nemu accompanies us too," Touka says. "Fine, I guess I can wait a bit longer… wait, what is Miss Taylor doing here, anyway?"

"It took you that long to realize who was speaking?" I say.

"Ugh! Never mind!" Touka grumbles. "I was only asking a simple question…"

With that, she turns and stalks out of the room again.

"Touka-chan!" Iroha calls. "Do you want some hot cocoa, or a snack?"

"I don't need it!" Touka shouts.

"Alright…"

Ui gets to her feet and heads towards the place where Touka vanished.

"I'll go talk to her, onee-chan," she says. "Since you're busy with Miss Taylor."

"Ah, thank you, Ui," Iroha says.

As she disappears from the room, Felicia looks up from her game.

"Huh!?" she gasps. "Since when did we have guests? And it's that girl from the Wings of the Magius…?"

"Miss Ashley has been here awhile," Iroha says. "I guess you were too engrossed in your game to notice…"

"Well, whatever," Felicia says. "I'm almost finished converting the entire town to farmland. Just you watch – it'll be the best milk-producing town on the server!"

"I don't think you can even call that a town anymore," I say.

"Shut up!" Felicia retorts. "It's none of your business!"

"Well, as long as the cows don't go on a stampede, I'm sure you'll be fine," I say.

"That actually happened last time she tried that, though," Iroha says with a sigh. "When we were playing together, my town got completely trampled by the runaway cows from her town…"

"That sounds familiar somehow," I say. "I'm not sure if I was watching when that happened, or…"

"W-were you really!?" Iroha gasps.

"Like I said, I'm not sure… it's not as though my clairvoyance is my sole source of information," I say.

"I guess that makes sense," Iroha says. "I mean, I could've even told you about it in a different timeline, for example…"

"Say, um, Miss A— um, Miss Taylor," Sana speaks up.

"Ah, I don't mind if you want to call me by my given name," I say. "I'm from America, so everyone calls me Ashley back home, even if we're not that close. It feels a little weird to be called Miss Taylor, to be honest."

"Ah… okay," Sana says. "But, I was thinking… um… you really get along well with your parents… don't you?"

"Eh? Do you think so?" I say.

"Well… it seemed that way to me," Sana says.

"I think so too!" Inui says. "I'm a little jealous… I wish I had a dad like that…"

"Y-yeah… me… me too," Sana murmurs.

"Oh… that's right, your father's pretty awful, isn't he, Miss Futaba?" I say. "I'd say he's probably worse than yours, Inui…"

"So that's why you were looking a bit down when you came back," Iroha says. "I'm sorry I didn't realize…"

"To… to tell the truth… what I wished for… that… wasn't what I really wanted," Sana murmurs. "I just wanted them… to acknowledge me…"

"I see," Iroha says. "That makes sense…"

"But there's no way that could ever happen," Sana says. "They don't even think of me as part of their family…"

"That's awful…!" Iroha says. "I didn't realize you had things quite so bad… but you have me and Miss Yachiyo now, right? And Miss Ai and the others…"

"Not to mention… what was her name again…?" I say. "Um… right, Nakai Hibiki."

Sana blinks at me. "H-how do you know that name…!?"

"Ah!" Iroha gasps. "Were you watching when we were searching for Endless Solitude!?"

"Huh…?" Sana says. "You also know her, Miss Iroha?"

"W-well… we ran into her when we were investigating the rumour," Iroha says. "She seemed to recognize your voice, and thought you might be a classmate, but she wasn't sure. She was so worried that she might've hurt you…"

"It… it sounds like… she doesn't even remember," Sana says. "How can that be…? A-although… it has been quite awhile since we last talked…"

"So that means, Miss Nakai really was your classmate, Sana-chan?" Iroha asks.

"Y-yeah… we used to talk about our favourite show sometimes," Sana says. "But then we sort of… broke up… I hadn't spoken to her for quite some time even before I became a magical girl."

"There's also Miss Kurumi," I say.

"T-that's true," Sana says. "Her special lunchbox is sooooo good…"

"Anyway… I'm still pretty tired, so if you don't mind, I'd like to head back to Mitakihara," I say.

"Ah, then I'll see you later… on Wednesday, right?" Iroha says.

"I'll be there, not sure if we'll get a chance to talk though," I say. "By the way, where are you going to hold the meeting? In Minaminagi Seaside Park like last time?"

Iroha shakes her head. "No… I thought I'd do it in Fendt Hope," she says. "We should make use of that place, since we still have it this time."

"Alright, I'll let the girls in Mitakihara know about the location," I say. "See you then."

With that, Inui and I get up and leave, heading for the nearest train station to catch a ride back to Mitakihara. We ride in silence, probably due to the exhaustion that a mere few hours' nap wasn't sufficient to fully dispel.

When we finally arrive back at the Hayashi house, we find the sisters are out, so after confirming with Mrs Hayashi that it's okay for Inui to stay over for Golden Week, the two of us head upstairs, where I flop down on the bed. Inui lays down besides me and tries to cuddle up a bit.

Though I'd talked about sleep, there is one other thing I'd like to pay attention to, if I can maintain the concentration for it. I already told Chika a little about the situation in the Tokime village. She said she was planning to head back today, so she's likely arrived by now. How will her presence alter the plot? I'd like to see what happens, so I open a vision focusing in on her.

---

Chika hikes alone up the mountain trail leading to the Tokime village. When she finally emerges from the forest, she sees not the ruins of the old village but the activity of the real one, as if the barrier enclosing the village had become transparent and replaced the real world.

Her entry into the village doesn't draw any undue attention – the villagers know her already, after all. She does avoid the main street though, perhaps so as not to attract the Mikoshiba's attention. After a few minutes, she arrives at the house she shares with her parents and steps inside.

"I'm back!" she calls.

"Welcome back!"

Both of her parents respond simultaneously.

"You'll never guess who I met in Kamihama recently!" Chika says.

Mrs Aoba pokes her head out of the kitchen.

"What's this… did you make a new friend?"

"No… well, maybe, but that's not who I'm talking about," Chika says. "Miss Ashley came back."

"Ah, that's wonderful news!" Mrs Aoba says.

"Has there been anything interesting happening here in the village?" Chika asks.

"Hmm… actually, there was something," Mrs Aoba says. "Just before Valentine's Day, the Mikoshiba suddenly brought in a new diviner to serve as Lady Shizuka's escort… and then there was a ceremony a week or two ago as a third one was initiated."

"I see," Chika says. "So there were two new diviners in such a short time…"

"That's right," Mr Aoba said, stepping out of his study. "So you should keep your head down while you're here. I thought Lady Mikoshiba would leave you alone since you've already made a wish, but… given what happened to Miss Toki, it seems I might have been wrong…"

"Father… I promise I will take every precaution," Chika says, nodding.

"In any case, why don't you come in and set the table?" Mrs Aoba says. "Dinner is almost ready."

After the meal, Chika decides to go out for a walk, stopping to greet each of the cats of the village. I count at least fifteen of them, and she seems to have a name for each one. The grumpy smoky tom she calls Abe appears to be a de facto leader, if the reaction of other cats when he hisses at them is any indication… though some of them give as good as they get.

At the river, surrounded by the six cats who have chosen to follow her, she pauses to watch the sunset, the brilliant golden rays washing over her and slowly fading into red.

She must have been standing there for nearly half an hour when her attention is drawn by a cat pawing at her leg, a grey tom with a patch of white fur on his chin. He's not one of the six who had arrived with her, who have already wandered off by this time, and in fact, I think she hasn't greeted this one yet. With a chuckle, she kneels down to pet him and scratch under his chin.

"Good evening, Mr Yoda," she says. "Did you miss me?"

The cat responds with a yowl, and Chika blinks, though she doesn't draw her hand back.

"Monsters, you say? I should go inside to avoid them?"

The cat meows, and Chika nods.

"I understand," she says. "I'll head back now. Thank you for the warning, Mr Yoda."

She straightens up and walks back the way she came, but before making it all the way to her house, a distant scream is heard. For a moment, she hesitates. The cat, which has been following her, also meows at her urgently. Finally, she sighs.

"Sorry, Mr Yoda, why don't you go on ahead?" she says. "I want to at least check that out. I think I can probably hold my own against a monster or two."

Yoda meows and darts off between two of the houses. As Chika heads out towards the edge of the village, it begins to rain, slowly at first, but by the time she spots the source of the commotion, it has become a veritable downpour. Hiroe Chiharu and Tokime Shizuka are engaged in battle against a horde of the kagura dancer familiars.

Without hesitation, Chika transforms and spins her twin hatchets, building up a vortex of wind.

"Geez, enough, give up already!" Chiharu screeches.

"H-huh?" Shizuka gasps. "My power…"

"Shizuka-chan!" Chiharu gasps.

Shizuka stumbles and falls, allowing one of the familiars to strike her in the head. At the same moment, Chika finishes building up power and flings her vortex into the horde. It carries a flurry of leaves with it and slices the familiars into ribbons, even avoiding Chiharu and Shizuka at the centre of it all.

"Nooooo!" Chiharu screams. "H-huh…?"

Chika hurries over to the pair. Shizuka's transformation has come undone, but it doesn't look like her soul gem is damaged.

"Are you okay?" Chika asks.

"Ah… you… are you… also a diviner?" Chiharu says.

"Ah… well, something like that," Chika says. "Though, could I ask you not to say anything about it to Lady Mikoshiba?"

"Huh… why not?" Chiharu asks.

"Well, maybe this isn't the best time to discuss that," Chika says.

"Ah… right!" Chiharu gasps. "Shizuka-chan is badly hurt! She's bleeding…"

She kneels by Shizuka to examine her injury more closely.

"No, no, why… it won't stop…!" she gasps. "Stop already… stooop! If I don't take her back… she's gonna bleed out soon…"

Whipping out a bunch of ropes, Chiharu forms them into a makeshift stretcher. Without a word, Chika grabs the other end and helps Chiharu to carry the unconscious girl further into the village. She also powers down, but Chiharu remains powered up.

"We're g-gonna take you back home!" Chiharu says. "Right now…!"

At that point, she bursts into tears.

"M-mooom…!"

After a minute or two, a couple of men from the village appear through the rain. There's a woman with them as well – I recognize her as Chiharu's mother. Chiharu gently sets the makeshift stretcher down and waves.

"O-over here!" she calls.

"Oh my goodness!" one of the men says. "Isn't that the head family's daughter?"

"Don't move her recklessly!" the other man says.

"That house over there is empty!" the first man says. "Take down the door and use it as a stretcher!"

"Chiharu…" Ms Hiroe says.

"Mom!" Chiharu explains. "Shizuka-chan, she's…!"

Another woman appears through the rain at that moment. It's Shizuka's mother, Tokime Kaguya.

"Shizuka!" Mrs Tokime calls.

It takes no time at all for the two men to get Shizuka onto the makeshift stretcher and ferried off, with both Chiharu and Ms Hiroe following in evident concern. However, Mrs Tokime pauses to look at Chika, who makes no move to follow.

"Excuse me," she says. "If I'm not mistaken, aren't you the daughter of the Aoba couple? I heard you were living outside the village… but I suppose you returned to visit your parents?"

Chika blinks at her.

"H-huh…? You know who I am!? That's all correct…"

"Of course," Mrs Tokime says. "I know everyone who lives in this village… though I didn't realize that you had secretly become a diviner."

"Ah…? M-my cover's already blown!?"

"I can tell because of the ring that you're wearing," Mrs Tokime says. "If you don't want people to know, you shouldn't wear it openly. Did you… did you help my daughter and her friend out? Could I ask what happened?"

"Ah, um… there was a horde of familiars," Chika says. "They were having a lot of trouble, so I did step in a little… though it was too late to save that girl. I'm sorry…"

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Mrs Tokime says. "She's my daughter, so I can't say I'm not worried, but… diviners are tougher than you'd expect."

"You're right," Chika says. "Still… familiars don't normally appear outside of a labyrinth like that…"

"Hmm… you're referring to the minions of a devil, right?" Mrs Tokime says. "It's true, they don't normally appear outside a labyrinth… but this village is a bit different. We see them wandering around from time to time. Usually not in great numbers, however…"

"Huh…"

"Anyway, aren't you coming?" Mrs Tokime says. "You want to see how she's doing too, right?"

"Ah… but is it really okay?" Chika asks.

"I'm the head of the family, and I say it's okay," Mrs Tokime says.

"I see… in that case, I will take you up on your offer," Chika says.

With that, the two of them hurry after the stretcher. Chika slips her ring off and tries to find a good place to hide it. Unfortunately, she doesn't have her purse, nor is she wearing her school uniform which would have pockets. After some hesitation, she decides to slip it down the neck of her blouse, tucking it into her bra.

Before long, everyone has gathered in the head family's house. While Chiharu's mother performs first aid on Shizuka, everyone else sits around, waiting anxiously. Chiharu glances at Chika once or twice, but doesn't say anything. It doesn't look like they're chatting telepathically, either.

---

At that point, I decide there's no point waiting any longer. There probably won't be anything else of interest until the morning, so I might as well sleep for a bit.

After breakfast the next morning, I check in on Chika again.

---

Chika steps past the house with the missing door and comes to a stop, looking around for a moment.

"There's… no trace of them," she mutters. "Where did they come from…?"

At that moment, Chiharu ambles up behind her.

"This is where the devil attacked her, huh…?" she mutters. "The blood's all been washed away in the rain…" She sighs. "Mr Todoroki… why am I feeling this way…?"

"Um… I'm not sure who you mean by Mr Todoroki…?" Chika says. "But, aren't you just worried about your friend? Her soul gem was in a terrible state last night, wasn't it?"

"Her jewel's almost completely darkened, yeah," Chiharu says.

"Oh, that's not good," Chika says.

"She should be doing the coming-of-age ceremony right around now," Chiharu continues, mostly drowning out Chika's comment. "Huh? Did you just say something?"

"Ah… well…"

"I'm sorry," Chiharu says. "I want to see Miss Shizuka off properly! No, actually…!"

She pauses to close her eyes and focus.

"Just a little… I'll watch from far away, and that'll be enough!" Chiharu declares.

"Well, it seems like you've come to a decision," Chika says, chuckling. "Good luck."

She watches as Chiharu hurries away to the other side of the village.

"That said… I think it's about time for me to act too," Chika mutters. "If what Miss Ashley told me is true… then those two are in danger. Knowing that, how can I just stand by?"

With that declaration, she takes off after Chiharu, catching up to her about halfway through the village.

"Huh? Are you coming too?" Chiharu asks.

"If that's okay with you," Chika says.

"Yes… it's okay," Chiharu says. "Um, my name is Hiroe Chiharu. Thank you for helping us last night…"

"I'm Aoba Chika… I'm also technically a member of the Tokime clan, though I've been attending school in a big city."

"Oh, wow… I thought this place was all hidden away, but they even allow you to attend school outside?"

"I don't think it's technically allowed," Chika says. "I haven't even told Lady Mikoshiba… Mrs Tokime seemed to be okay with it, though."

"Ah, we're getting closer," Chiharu says. "Please… I have to get there on time… I want to see her departing safely… because I don't feel okay about this… I can't feel okay about it with this smell filling the whole place…"

"Smell?" Chika says.

"Yes… this whole village stinks!" Chiharu says. "It's especially bad around the shrine…"

"Huh…"

Before long, the roar of the river, swollen by the previous night's rain, becomes audible. Then the pair of them spot their target.

"Ah! There she is!" Chiharu exclaims. "She's with Granny… Shizuka-chan… what are they talking about…?"

"I wonder," Chika says.

They watch as Shizuka and the Mikoshiba chat, but the voices are too faint to make out any words even with their enhanced magical girl hearing. After watching for a few minutes, Shizuka suddenly lets out a shout.

"Mikoshibaaaaaaa!"

And at almost the same moment, the Mikoshiba pushes the girl off the edge of the cliff, into the roaring river below. Chiharu gasps and transforms.

"Shizuka-chaaaaan!" she shouts.

Racing for the riverbank, she pauses only to ask one question.

"Why!?"

Then she leaps into the river after Shizuka. The Mikoshiba watches for a minute, then turns to head for the bridge. Meanwhile, Chika dodges out of sight behind a large boulder and starts to imitate various birdcalls. Before long, she's surrounded by about a dozen songbirds of various kinds.

"Could I ask you guys to keep an eye on the river?" she asks. "You can ask your friends for help, too. If you see any girls around my age, let me know at once."

With that, the birds fly off downstream, while Chika walks up to the river and gazes down at the water for a moment. There's no sign of Shizuka or Chiharu, so she turns and follows the river out of the village and into the woods. The Mikoshiba has also disappeared, possibly across the bridge to the grand shrine.

"At least I can still sense their magic," Chika muses. "It doesn't seem like that girl turned into a witch, either… but there should've been three of them based on what Mother said. I wonder where the third one is…?"

She turns to head downstream. After walking briskly for a couple of minutes, two birds stream in from ahead and flutter around her, chittering.

"Oh my!" she says. "That's odd… you said it's like she's waiting for something…?"

The birds chitter a little more, and Chika nods.

"Yes, yes, thanks for your help," she says. "Just wait a bit more, I'll give you a little treat."

She hurries onwards, and soon the sound of the waterfall reaches her ears. Though she's forced to head away from the river a bit and thus unable to see the waterfall directly, the sound of the rushing water serves as her guide as she descends the rough terrain. Before long, she arrives at the base of the waterfall, pausing to gaze out across the deep basin at its base. It's not a particularly high fall, only about twice her height, perhaps a bit more – it would be no worse than jumping out of a second-storey window.

One of the trees on the other side of the basin catches her eye, due to having a length of sacred rope tied around its trunk. Ropes of that kind, complete with the attached folded paper streamers, were only usually seen either at sacred places, such as shrines, or at places where folklore said some monster had been sealed. This didn't look like a shrine to here, so… was there something sealed there…?

One of the birds guiding her apparently recognizes the direction of her gaze and twitters at her.

"Huh?" she says. "That tree is cursed…? Really?"

The bird twitters at her again. Two others join in as well this time, raising a bit of a racket.

"It's just oddly dark…? That doesn't sound like much of a curse," she says. "But now's not the time to be talking about curses…"

She continues a bit further down the river, arriving at a small clearing just in time to see Toki Sunao fishing the other two girls out of the river, sobbing as she does so.

"I never thought Charu would come to help," Sunao mutters. "Without you, Shizuka would've sunk to the bottom of the river… but you helped her… if so, if so… I have to do this… please, don't make me do this! Charu… you acquired such a troublesome power… Shizuka, you tried to protect Charu too much… thank you for being with me so far… I wanted to keep being your friend, too… but if I don't do this, I'll…!"

She's so engrossed in her own misery that she doesn't even notice Chika's approach. As a result, when she reaches for Shizuka and Chiharu's soul gems, it's easy for Chika to grab her from behind and restrain her.

"W-what!?" Sunao gasps. "W-who's there…? T-this strength… a magical girl!?"

"I can't just stand back and watch, can I?" Chika says. "Especially when you're so obviously acting against your own will…"

"Who are you?" Sunao asks. "How did you end up in such a remote place?"

"I was visiting my parents for the holidays," Chika says.

"Your… parents…?" Sunao says.

"Yes, they live in the village up here," Chika says.

"Then you're… like me?" Sunao says. "You made a wish on your own…"

"That's right," Chika says.

"I'm… going to be another corpse… down in those waters…!" Shizuka suddenly gasps.

Sunao blinks. "W-what… is she…? No, she's not awake… that startled me…"

"Corpse…? What's she talking about?" Chika asks.

"That river… could it be… the graveyard of the Tokime diviners!?" Sunao gasps.

"A… graveyard…?" Chika says.

Sunao sighs.

"Ugh… come on… they'll catch a cold out here," she says. "Let's get them someplace warm."

"Do you have somewhere in mind?" Chika asks.

"I thought… we could go to my place," Sunao says.

"In the village…?"

"No… I live in the town at the foot of the mountain," Sunao says. "It's not that much further… will you help me carry one of them?"

"So… you've decided to let them live?"

"Y-yeah… after hearing that, I can't bring myself to…"

So Chika releases her and gathers up Chiharu on her back, while Sunao does the same for Shizuka. They head down the mountain and enter the small town there. Sunao leads the way to a house on the outskirts, where both of her parents greet them in surprise.

"Sunao!? What on earth happened!?" Mrs Toki asks.

"Are you okay?" Mr Toki asks. "Are these girls your friends?"

"Um… the two we're carrying are my friends," Sunao says. "This girl just happened to pass by and helped me out, so I don't really know her…"

"Well, she might as well be a friend then," Mrs Toki says. "Come in, come in."

She ushers Chika and Sunao into the house.

"Um… I'll take them to my room for now," Sunao suggests.

"Good idea," Mrs Toki says. "Let me help you get their shoes off first…"

Once everyone's shoes are removed, Sunao leads the way to her room, and they gently lay the other two girls out on the bed.

"By the way, we never properly introduced ourselves," Chika says. "I'm Aoba Chika."

"Oh… I'm Toki Sunao…"

"It's a bit cramped in here… mind if I wait out in the other room?" Chika asks. "I also wanted to feed the birds who helped me out…"

"Sure," Sunao says. "Then I'll help Mother prepare some food…"

With that, the two of them both leave the room, leaving Shizuka and Chiharu sleeping alone on the bed.

After a few minutes, Shizuka wakes, sits up, and looks around in surprise. Then she turns to gently shake Chiharu awake. The other girl groans and opens her eyes, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling. She blinks three times slowly, then sits up with a yell.

"Where am I!?"

"Charu!" Shizuka says. "You woke up?"

"Shizuka-chan!" Chiharu exclaims. "Thank goodness you're safe!"

Shizuka's face goes sombre, frowning a little.

"Given what you just said, I suppose all of that was real," she says. "How I almost sank to the bottom of the river, how you purified my jewel…"

Without warning, Chiharu reaches out to viciously pinch Shizuka's cheek, eliciting a slight squeak.

"Does that hurt?" Chiharu asks.

"It… hurts…!" Shizuka complains.

Chiharu releases her, and Shizuka shuffles away a bit, rubbing her cheek.

"Then this is real," Chiharu says. "That's the rule, after all!"

"S-seems so," Shizuka says.

"But, where are we…?" Chiharu asks.

"I don't know either," Shizuka says. "I'm unsure that we're alive, though…"

"This is a girl's room, right?" Chiharu says.

"It could also be an afterlife that's simply disguised as a girl's room?" Shizuka suggests.

"Nooooo, no way!" Chiharu complains. "C'mon, let's at least agree that we're alive!"

At that point, Sunao steps into the room.

"You are both alive," she says.

"Sunao," Shizuka says.

"It's Sunao-chan!" Chiharu says.

"And this is my home," Sunao says. "I've prepared breakfast, so please come and eat before it gets cold."

She leads the two of them out into the next room, where Chika is waiting for them.

"Ah, it's her!" Chiharu gasps.

"Do you know this girl, Charu?" Shizuka asks.

"Ah… she helped us out last night," Chiharu says. "You know, when the minions suddenly attacked…"

"Huh?" Shizuka says. "Now that I think of it, you seem a little familiar, miss…?"

"I'm Aoba Chika… we haven't been formally introduced, but perhaps you might have caught a glimpse of me at the New Year's celebration back in January?"

"Then… you're also a member of the clan?" Shizuka says.

"I would have to agree on that point," Chika says.

"I am Tokime Shizuka… however, I do not recall you becoming a diviner."

"It can't be helped," Chika says, shrugging.

While they were talking, Chiharu has already started eating. Sunao on the other hand doesn't seem to have much appetite.

"So Sunao-chan and Chika-chan must have saved us!" Chiharu exclaims.

"Yes… that's right," Sunao says with a sigh.

"I didn't do much," Chika says. "But I did help to carry you here."

"Thank you!" Chiharu says.

"I would like to express my gratitude too," Shizuka says. "Thank you very much."

"Mm-hmm," Sunao says.

"Sunao, you're acting a little weird," Shizuka says.

"I could say the same of you two," Sunao says. "You came floating down the river, of all places…"

"If you put it that way…"

"I'm sorry," Sunao says. "I didn't. I haven't really saved you at all… Miss Aoba really deserves all the credit. In fact, I attempted to… to kill you…"

"Huh!?" Shizuka gasps. "W-what are you talking about…?"

"Well… I have quite a lot to tell you, and quite a lot I'd like to ask," Sunao says. "So let's just take a moment to talk things over for now…"

"Sure…" Shizuka says. "But I've quite lost my appetite now…"

"Is that really true…?" Chiharu asks. "Sunao-chan was going to…? Sunao-chan… Chika-chan… tell me it's not true!"

"I cannot," Chika says. "Miss Toki certainly expressed her… intention to end your lives after fishing you out of the river. That I cannot deny."

"So that's how it is," Sunao says. "It's true that I attempted to kill you both."

"But why…?" Chiharu asks. "I don't understand!"

"However," Chika speaks up. "I also wish to add that Miss Toki did not appear to possess any desire to kill either of you."

"My role is… to eliminate… anyone who… goes against the village's will," Sunao explains. "Therefore, I was attempting to kill you. Mainly… Charu…"

"Me…?" Chiharu says.

"If Charu wavered over the contract or said she wanted to go back… if she tried to eliminate the holy Wavering Deity… or went too deep into the shrine's central building…"

Chiharu gasps at the mention of the shrine building.

"I certainly didn't expect you to come floating down the river with Shizuka," Sunao continues, "but there were many times when you met the conditions that Lady Mikoshiba gave me. But Charu narrowly escaped from those moments, because of Shizuka's intervention…"

"In short, Sunao is Mikoshiba's pawn," Shizuka says. "An assassin that executes those who go against her will. So you targeted Charu, because she went against Mikoshiba's expectations, and me, because I tried to protect her."

"Yes," Sunao says.

"So you were her hunting dog…?" Shizuka says. "I can't bring myself to believe this…"

"But, it's the truth," Sunao says. "I didn't want to do it either. I thought of the two of you as friends, so I swear I didn't want to hurt you. But something unexpected happened… Charu became sensitive to some sort of mysterious scent, and Shizuka tried to protect her, which raised Lady Mikoshiba's suspicions…"

"But you didn't kill us," Chiharu says.

Sunao closes her eyes, hugging herself, and doesn't respond.

"You didn't," Chiharu repeats. "You helped us, Sunao-chan."

"Why is that…?" Shizuka asks.

"Well… besides Miss Aoba stopping me… I also wavered when I heard what Shizuka said beside the river," Sunao says. "That took away all the will I'd mustered up to carry it out…"

"What did I say…?" Shizuka asks.

"You said… 'I'm going to be another corpse down in those waters'."

"Why would that make you reconsider…?" Shizuka asks.

"As you said… I am a pawn," Sunao says. "All I know is that I'm meant to aid Nippon and its people, and that I've been ordered to deal with situations that threaten the village. I didn't know what would happen when I no longer fought as a diviner… or rather, I had doubts about it, but I put them out of my mind…"

"Doubts…?" Chiharu says.

"Yes," Sunao says. "I did know that diviners have to leave someday. But even though I live outside the village… in the closest town to the village… I had never seen another diviner…"

"And so my words…" Shizuka muses.

"Yes," Sunao says. "An awful scene suddenly flashed through my mind… could all the diviners who 'left' be those corpses down in the water…?"

"So that's the reason you decided to save us," Shizuka says.

"Yes," Sunao says. "I needed to ask you directly about what happened…"

"Then, it's my turn to talk," Shizuka says. "About what I heard during the coming-of-age ceremony."

"Ah… you mean that conversation I saw?" Chiharu says. "Oh, that's right… Chika-chan saw it too, didn't you?"

"Indeed, I did witness your conversation with Lady Mikoshiba from a distance," Chika says. "But I could not make out the words."

"Yeah," Shizuka says. "Mikoshiba said this to me, without an ounce of shame…"

---

"Let me tell you the truth before your departure," Mikoshiba said.

"The… truth?" Shizuka said.

"Indeed," Mikoshiba said. "The truth about the diviners."

Shizuka blinked at her, then nodded. "Please tell me."

"Diviners are the beings that shatter devils," Mikoshiba said.

"Yes."

"Yet at the same time, they are the beings that will become devils in the future as well."

Shizuka gasped. "Eh, that means…"

"It's quite literal," Mikoshiba said. "You will all transform into devils one day."

"You… must be joking, right?" Shizuka said. "If that's true, why did you withhold something so important?"

"I'm sure you're aware that such a harsh topic can't be discussed easily."

"Does my mother or anyone in the village know this? Did they know this, and still make us into diviners?"

"No," Mikoshiba said. "This knowledge is limited to myself as the head priestess, and the dancers."

"I don't understand… if we, who shatter devils, are going to become devils… then that's just a vicious cycle. There's no point in us becoming diviners…"

"However, the fact remains that you can grant wishes to save Nippon," Mikoshiba said.

Shizuka gasped. "So what are we after that…!?"

"Used-up dregs," Mikoshiba said with a smile.

Shizuka sighed. "This is too cruel… we just literally sacrificed our souls, didn't we…!?"

"Exactly," Mikoshiba said.

Shizuka took a few deep breaths and wiped away her tears.

"Yeah… no… this isn't the time to cry…!" she said. "If I literally sacrificed my soul for the sake of Nippon… my honour can be maintained…! Even if I become a devil, it won't erase anything that I've achieved. I can be proud of that, and so I can fight till I eventually fall…! So that's what the last ceremony was about. Acknowledging this truth, and enduring it…"

"No," Mikoshiba said.

"T-then why did you tell me that truth!?" Shizuka gasped.

"You shall become a devil very soon," Mikoshiba said. "Why? Because it occurs when your jewel loses its shine."

Shizuka blinked. "Wait… what is this 'coming-of-age ceremony'…?"

"Discarding a diviner who already fulfilled her wish and protected the village, and turning her into a devil," Mikoshiba said. "No diviner has ever left the village."

Shizuka gasped, shouting her name, but Mikoshiba was already moving, and before Shizuka realized, she was already falling into the river.

"Go on, now," Mikoshiba said. "Sink in the waterfall basin, struggle in agony… and become feed for the next diviner."

---

"That's all of what I heard," Shizuka says.

"That's all?" Chika says.

"Yes…"

"So she didn't tell you about the other secret of the soul gem… or jewel, whatever you call it," Chika says.

"Wait… did you… already know about all that, Miss Chika?" Shizuka asks.

"Actually, I myself only found out a few days ago," Chika says. "Though that was just the basic facts, nothing about the village's customs. That part was new to me."

"What's the other secret…?" Chiharu asks. "Ah, never mind, we can talk about that later…"

"Anyway… I've told you what you want to know, Sunao," Shizuka says. "Just as you feared, no-one has ever gone outside. They've all been trapped beneath the water to this day… now that you've heard this… will you kill me?"

"I don't want to," Sunao mutters. "I don't want to be a pawn either, having everything hidden from me…"

"Then, join us," Shizuka says.

"But… Mikoshiba might kill Dad and Mom!" Sunao exclaims.

"What…?" Shizuka says. "You mean she's blackmailing you…?"

"Mm-hm… so I had to choose who to kill… Shizuka and Charu… or Dad and Mom… I moved into Mikoshiba's house and tried searching through it, hoping to find some weak point I could use against her… some kind of documentation, a passbook somewhere, absolutely anything I could use to threaten her back… but I couldn't find anything…"

"I knew you couldn't kill me," Shizuka says. "I know how kind you are, Sunao… factually speaking, you haven't killed anyone. And I wouldn't know anything about whether you tried to or not."

"Yeah!" Chiharu says. "The only Sunao-chan I know is our kind friend, too!"

"I'm sorry, Shizuka… Charu…" Sunao says.

"Plus, us diviners would've gotten killed at some point anyway, right?" Chiharu says. "So let's launch a preemptive strike!"

Sunao blinks. "Charu?"

"Granny doesn't know that Shizuka-chan and I are alive, right?" Chiharu says. "And she doesn't know about Chika-chan either, right?"

"If she knew about Miss Aoba… I'm sure she would've treated her the same as me," Sunao mutters.

"So let's sneak back up there and give her a piece of our mind!" Chiharu proclaims. "And then we'll get her to cough up everything! About diviners and devils, why she's been drowning diviners, and about Sunao-chan! Everything! Presto! We'll have saved everyone!"

"Straight to the point," Sunao says. "But that's only if she doesn't know…"

"Wait," Shizuka says. "I agree that we should give her a piece of our mind, but this time, I think the full picture is a bit more complex."

"How so…?" Chiharu asks.

"Charu, do you remember those minions we fought…?" Shizuka asks.

"Yeah… the ones without a labyrinth, right?" Chiharu says.

"Without a labyrinth…?" Sunao says.

"Right," Shizuka says. "That's what I thought they were during our previous battle… but now I think it's the opposite. They might have had a labyrinth after all."

"They didn't have one, but they did…?" Chiharu says. "Ah… somewhere very close by… Shizuka-chan… you mean… the whole village…!"

"The entire village lies within a labyrinth," Chika says. "I did wonder if that was the case… based on some of the things the cats have said to me…"

"That's… impossible!" Sunao gasps.

"No, Charu and Miss Aoba are exactly correct," Shizuka says. "At some point, a devil swallowed the entirety of Tokime Village, and it's been feeding off us diviners' power while influencing Mikoshiba and the others… I think that would explain everything. The setup where we're all killed eventually, the villainous acts of blackmailing Sunao and eliminating anyone undesirable, and how minions could appear without a labyrinth."

"Indeed, it does explain everything," Sunao muses. "But if that's the case, the smart thing to do would be to keep the cycle contained within the village… luring in people who're unfamiliar with the conventions, like Charu and I, is exactly what would cause unexpected incidents like the one that's happening now."

"We could chalk that up to the devil not being intelligent enough," Shizuka says. "Or perhaps it became impatient for some reason. Of course, it's all no more than guesswork…"

"But… I feel that it fits a little too well," Chika muses. "Almost as if we've been guided towards this conclusion… and also, I would like to add that it is in fact possible to encounter familiars outside of a labyrinth. It's rare, but I have seen some myself a few days ago."

"Really!?" Shizuka gasps. "But you said yourself that the village is in a labyrinth…"

"Yes… I suspected it when I arrived back in the village yesterday, due to the cats as I previously mentioned, but I also confirmed it when I followed the river after the two of you fell in," Chika says. "There is a point where, if you pay attention, you can see a slight discontinuity in the forest. I am sure that is the edge of the barrier."

"So that's why you said the village was in a barrier," Chiharu says. "You had different reasons for concluding that…"

"There's one more problem with Miss Shizuka's theory," Chika says. "That labyrinth is completely different from any other wi— I mean, devil's labyrinth, right? If it was created by a w— a devil, why is the interior so accurate to the real world?"

"You do have a point," Shizuka admits. "But we have only fought a few devils, so I thought maybe this one was just like that…"

"I have also never seen a… devil… with such a coherent labyrinth," Chika says. "It has been nearly a year, and I have fought quite a variety… never have I seen one that is seamless with the outside world, where you cannot even tell that you're inside a labyrinth. I believe it's possible that the labyrinth is not created by a devil…"

"What else could create a labyrinth…?" Shizuka asks.

"I have heard of a magical girl who can create labyrinths," Chika says.

"Magical… girl…?"

"Ah, um, that's what people outside the Tokime village call the diviners," Sunao says. "Miss Aoba must have contracted outside the village as well…"

"Ah… yes, I did," Chika says.

"But none of us can create barriers, and there are no other diviners in the village," Shizuka says. "Even if you say it was created by a diviner… who could it be?"

"I have also heard of magical girls who can enchant objects," Chika says. "Could it be possible to enchant an object to generate a barrier?"

"Maybe…" Shizuka says.

"But hold on a minute," Chiharu says. "If the barrier wasn't created by a devil, then why are there minions wandering around?"

"Um… this is just speculation, but… what if there are multiple barriers?" Chika suggests. "I've seen that happen once before – when two devils approached each other, their labyrinths fused together and mingled."

"I see," Shizuka says. "So it could be that there was a barrier set up to protect the village, and then a devil came along and its barrier fused with the village's barrier…?"

"Still though, there's lots of evidence that a devil is involved!" Chiharu exclaims. "And here's another piece of evidence…"

She waves her smartphone, which is displaying the maps app with a satellite view of the Tokime village.

"What's this plate?" Shizuka asks, confused.

"My smartphone," Chiharu says.

"So this is one of those 'telephones' I've heard about," Shizuka says.

"See, this is a map," Chiharu says. "But Tokime village doesn't show up, even on any of the photos. The closest I can find is this, but it looks like a ruined village."

"So that means the village really has fallen into a devil's hands…?" Sunao muses.

"At least it means it's invisible from above," Chika says. "So I suppose it's more proof of the existence of the labyrinth."

"So yeah… there must be an enemy to defeat!" Chiharu says.

"I don't entirely understand the smartphone part," Shizuka says. "But if you three believe it, then so do I. Let's hurry…! You're with us too, right, Sunao?"

"Yeah…!" Sunao says. "We don't know what'll happen once it detects our powers and realizes we're alive…"

"Yeah!" Chiharu exclaims. "Let's go beat the village's devil before anyone else gets involved!"

"Right, let's hurry to the village!" Shizuka says.

"I'll tell my Dad and Mom that they should escape, too," Sunao says.

---

"Ashley-chan! There's someone here to see you!"

I sit up with a start. It's Hiyori's voice. Inui, who had apparently dozed off beside me, also stirs and sits up.

"What's happening…?" she asks.

"Apparently I have a visitor," I say.

Leaving the vision active in the corner of my mind, I get up and drag a brush through my hair before heading downstairs. There's nothing interesting happening in the vision at the moment, in any case – the four of them are simply preparing to return to the village. When Inui and I enter the living room, we find Madoka and Homura sitting there.

"Ashley-chan!" Madoka says. "When you didn't drop by, I thought you must've forgotten, so I thought we'd come over…"

"Forgotten… huh?" I say. "What did I forget…?"

"You really did forget," Homura mutters. "Incredible…"

"Huh? No really… just tell me…" I say.

"Um… about Homura-chan's shield," Madoka says.

"Ahhh! Right! Yes… yes, I totally forgot about that… I'm really sorry," I say. "But I can go right now if you'd like."

"Well, that is why we came over," Madoka says. "Though we probably could've gone without you if you were busy. Do you need to get anything else ready?"

I consider the question. Is there anything else I need to do in Asunaro? None of the girls I stored in the Freezer are ready to be revived, and I currently don't have any pressing reason to meet with any of the girls who live there. The only other thing I'd like to do in Asunaro is to discuss my new magic with Pernelle.

"No… I can't think of anything," I say. "So let's just head out."

"Alright," Madoka says. "I'm starting to get a little excited to think we might learn more about Homura-chan's powers…"

"In that case, I'll see you later, Ashley-chan," Hiyori says. "Do you think you'll be back for dinner?"

"That's a good question," I say. "Hmm… I guess there's a pretty good chance I won't be? I'll contact you later when I'm more sure. By the way… is our anti-witch barrier still okay? It didn't get hacked by Kyuubey while everyone was in Kamihama or anything, did it?"

"No, it's still functioning," Hiyori says. "Kyuubey probably just wasn't able to find where we hid it in that short time. I think we shouldn't leave it unattended again, though. The artifact itself is still in Miss Mikuni's possession, I believe."

"Alright, then I'll see you later," I say.

With that, the four of us – me, Inui, Madoka, and Homura – head outside and make our way to the nearest train station. Once we've gotten on a train, Madoka brings up a new topic.

"By the way, did Sayaka-chan tell you?" she asks.

"I haven't spoken to any of you since the battle," I reply.

"Ah… well, she just heard it from her aunt this morning," Madoka says. "There was a sudden cancellation at her inn for Monday and Tuesday night, so we decided to take a seaside trip. The forecast still says it'll be nice and hot, even though it's only May."

"I wonder about the 'nice' part," I say. "It feels kinda ominous when you consider global warming… but more importantly, is there even enough space to accommodate Inui and I? I guess you'll be taking the whole Holy Brigade, so that's… eight people, I think?"

"Um, there's me and Homura-chan," Madoka says. "Sayaka-chan and Hitomi-chan… Miss Mami and Nagisa-chan… Kyouko-chan and Yuma-chan… and Mabayu-chan."

"Huh?" I say. "How'd Miss Aki end up joining you?"

"She said something about nostalgia," Madoka says. "It seems like we were close in some timelines… though Homura-chan says she's lying, so I'm a bit conflicted."

"I see… did she tell you any details about it?" I ask.

"No, she hasn't said much," Madoka says.

"Anyway, if you add me and Inui, that makes eleven… how many rooms does Miss Miki's aunt even have available?"

"The party that cancelled was a family of five with two boys and a girl," Madoka says. "So they had one room for the guys and one for the girls. The rooms are big enough for about four people each to fit comfortably."

"So even before adding the two of us, you're already squeezing in there," I say. "It probably works only because Yuma-chan and Nagisa-chan are quite young… though isn't it possible that Yuma-chan stays with her grandparents?"

"We're planning under the assumption that she won't, but you could be right," Madoka says. "If Yuma-chan stayed with her grandparents… then we might be able to squeeze the two of you in. That would be five people to a room, so it might be a bit tight, but…"

"Well… if it won't work, we can return the same day," I say. "Or if it turns out I really need to stay the night, we can find a different place to stay."

Since the trip to the beach is now settled, I should also decide how to resurrect Akatsuki Youha. I'd prefer to do it with the Tokime trio, but supposedly any descendant of the Tokime is sufficient, so if the Tokime trio can't get here in time I could rely on Hiraku Yumiko or Natsu Ryoko. The others I can think of probably live too far away to be worth calling in for this. Admittedly, the Tokime trio also lives pretty far away though…

In any case, I decide to take out my phone and send Chika a quick email.

[Hello, Miss Chika. Is there any chance that you could come to Mitakihara with the diviner trio no later than Monday morning? It's about the thing I mentioned before… if you can't make it though, I do have someone else in mind, so just let me know.]

"What's your reason for wanting to go there?" Madoka asks. "I understand Yuma-chan's grandparents are the reason you wanted us to go, though I don't know if that explains sending the whole team, but… you have a different reason, right?"

"I have reason to believe there's a ghost haunting that place," I say. "I want to meet that person and talk to them."

"A g-ghost!?" Madoka gasps.

"Why would you think something like that?" Homura asks.

"That's… not something I can explain right now," I say. "Anyway… assuming I'm not mistaken, the ghost was a friend of that Sleepwalking Spectre before she became a magical girl. That's the reason I want to meet her."

"Ah… that girl," Homura says. "But I can't imagine her having a friend…"

"I second that," Inui says.

"She really doesn't seem like the type, does she?" I agree. "But I think she also changed a lot when she became a magical girl…"

"I hope she can be saved," Madoka says. "It might be wishful thinking, but…"

"You're so naïve," Homura mutters. "But that's fine…"

---

This is the beginning of Act 3, and with the primary set of loops over and done with, the subdivision of acts by timeline index no longer applies. I'm not sure yet whether I'll introduce a new form of subdivision – if I do, it'll likely be retroactively applied starting from this chapter. It's possible that Homura will travel back in time again at some point, but I also haven't decided whether to increment the timeline index again if that happens.

But the side-effect of not having a subdivision is that I can't post comment responses at the end of a timeline anymore. Because of that, I'm planning to respond to comments about once every three chapters. Since 111 is a multiple of 3, I decided to start in this chapter.

It has recently come to my attention that, while never explicitly stated, Homura has very likely been enchanting her weapons since well before the near-miss Madokami, perhaps as early as the very first loop after she contracted. As such, I'm considering updating the chapters which reference that.

I also made a big blunder in the timeline 8 segment in chapter 110, in that Momoko was supposed to be dead in that timeline. Because of that, I've rewritten the segment to exclude her. Most of the things she said have been transferred to either Kaede or Rena, and in some cases lines have been passed from Rena to Kaede as well. The overall events of the section were not altered.

I also decided to slip in a completely new segment just after the one with Mabayu and Homura, numbered (approximately) 4⁹⁹⁄₁₀₀, which covers a timeline where Madoka went nuclear (so to speak). Besides the new segment and the rewritten timeline 8 segment, I also altered the numbering on the Mabayu/Homura segment from 4⁷⁄₁₂ to 3¾.

So basically what that means is that I would recommend that you go back to chapter 110 and read at least that one new segment, and potentially the revised timeline 8 segment as well.

The draft of this chapter from last week ended up being primarily about the Tokime, and they certainly still take up a big part of the runtime, but then I decided to throw in the flashback to just after the Memory Museum, and I felt the chapter was getting a bit long, so I decided to split it into two parts. Thus, it won't be until next week that we get to see Pernelle's analysis of Homura's shield and the next part of the Tokime arc. However, splitting it in two parts was what allowed me to post it now at all, so the split basically means you get a bonus of two chapters within the span of a week.

So here we have Ashley saving her father, and then chatting with Crescent Moon Villa about the recent events, and most of the rest is the Tokime. Although Ashley's interference in timeline 4 brought about the Mikoshiba's downfall just a few days after Chiharu contracted, in subsequent timelines she didn't interfere, and at one point she noticed that the downfall of the Mikoshiba roughly coincided with the battle against Walpurgisnacht. Thus, the Tokime are the first big block to resolve now that they've escaped the loop.

---

Review Responses

Here I'm going to respond to a the reviews from the previous chapter. I'm not going to respond to each and every comment, and I'll avoid any responses that give heavy spoilers, so apologies if I don't mention your review (and thanks for commenting regardless). As before, I will quote the text that I'm responding to for each review, in addition to noting the commenter and time. I'll also note that there could be some mild spoilers in these responses, so read on at your own risk.

Farsight21 (chapter 110, Feb 9, 2024)

› Oh what is the name for Ashley's organization you decided upon?

Puella Magiae Mundo Magico.

UrWishy (chapter 110, Feb 9, 2024)

› Ah so thats why Yaduhiro Rin is familiar (to me too) but with the introduction of Kuroi Kana, I connected the dots. Both of them are founders of MSY in the fic To The Stars. Along with Hinata Aina existance and Coeurl's future well it gonna be fun.

Kuroi Kana is also the reason I changed Kuroe's given name from Kana to Asaka. Imagine the confusion if there's a character called Kuroe Kana and also one called Kuroi Kana…

JAGwin (chapter 110, Feb 9, 2024)

› This is a contradiction with a statement from the creators (might've been Urobuchi himself, I don't remember) rather than anything directly shown and it doesn't really change anything as far as this fic concerned (at least as far as I'm aware), but the number of timelines was actually "approaching one hundred" at the time of the original series.

I fail to see how this is a contradiction? Ten dozen is 120, which seems like it qualifies as close enough to "approaching one hundred". Furthermore, Scene 0 covers 12 timelines, and chapter 108 noted that Mabayu erased several timelines from the continuum.

It was mentioned by Hijiri in timeline 5 that there had been approximately 100 timelines since timeline 4. I can't remember if I noted that there were missed timelines between the 5th and 6th, but let's assume for simplicity that there weren't. If you assume that all of Scene 0 is either canon (in this fic) or almost canon, then that adds another 12 timelines, and if you take Hijiri's 100 as the exact number of timelines between 4 and 5, that gives a total of 121 (12 Mabayu-exclusive + 100 Hijiri without Ashley + 9 with Ashley). That already exceeds 10 dozen!

And that's just a minimum, albeit with a few shaky assumptions. We have evidence right out of Mabayu's mouth that there may have been at least one more Magia Record timeline that she erased from the continuum – she claims that she's fought "this battle" (presumably referring to the Walpurgisnacht battle alongside Iroha) "a couple times before", specifically "when Homura still wore her hair in pigtails". (Though that's assuming I don't decide that that's a plothole and revise it. The jury's still out on that one.)

Plus, we don't know that Hijiri was able to accompany Homura back in time in every timeline between the 4th and 5th, meaning there could be even more than 100 timelines in that gap. We also don't know how accurate Hijiri's count of 100 is in the first place; she might've overcounted or undercounted. It's also not entirely clear if her count includes any of the numbered timelines before that gap. She might've been including timelines 3 and 4 in that count, since she first goes back in time from timeline 3.

And we also don't know exactly how many timelines Mabayu erased; we can only guess that it was at least 12 (the Scene 0 ones) plus probably at least one more. She might've erased many more timelines than that. It's also possible that there were in fact more timelines between the 5th and 6th timelines. So there's plenty of wiggle room in the fic on the exact number of timelines that have passed.

Anyway, I don't consider a "statement from the creators" to be canon. That doesn't mean I'll ignore it (if I like it, I'll use it, and indeed I already did use it in this case when Hijiri mentioned it had been around 100 timelines), but it does mean I won't bend my plot around it.

› Arisa's weapon is a scythe, so why is she fighting with her fists and feet?

Good question. The meta reason is that I forgot, but maybe she thought bludgeoning damage would be more effective, given that it's like a gigantic chunk of stone.

› Wait a minute, Momoko died helping Mifuyu cure the Doppel Syndrome patients in Timeline Eight!

Wow, that's a pretty big blunder. It wasn't too difficult to salvage – most of what Momoko did there could be attributed to Rena instead, and Rena's "not really your fault" line could be shifted to Kaede (who kinda suits it better anyway). There were a few other changes to who said things as well, which also meant things were rephrased to suit the different speaker, but the general content hasn't really changed.

› Hang on. I don't remember Ruri's family name being mentioned in canon. Granted, it's been a long time since I watched Rondo of Oblivion, so I could easily have forgotten if it was.

A quick search through a translated transcript of the event yields the following quote:

"Disgraced or no, Ruri is still a daughter of our proud Mizuna house...!"

I suppose you could interpret that of "our house that lives in Mizuna Ward" and not conclude that Mizuna is her surname, but that seems like a stretch to me… I also don't have the original Japanese handy to determine which interpretation seems to fit better.

› not to mention, I haven't seen Puella Historia yet, so it's entirely possible my theory was already out the window in canon anyway

I haven't seen Pillars of Tomorrow in full yet (the translation is apparently done but the video is being very slow to release), but I based my choice of the Symbol Witch's identity on two factors. The first factor is the very angelic theme of her witch forms, and the second is a reference in a summary of Pillars of Tomorrow that appeared to refer to her original wish (and other editors on the wiki seem to agree, given that the wish is right at the top of her page). I'm not sure if the authors had the same girl in mind as her source that I picked, but the evidence seemed pretty strong to me, so I went with it.

I don't know what your theory was, so I couldn't say whether it also fits the evidence.

› If you're looking at the map I THINK you are, then I think it's from either Arc 1 or the Interim Arc, either of which would put it before Himena and Kamihama Future were introduced. Alternatively, and still assuming you're looking at the map I think you are, it might be the same reason that Minaminagi Liberty and St. Lilliana's are missing (whatever that reason is). Sankyo getting an extra school, on the other hand, I have no explanation for.

The map I've mostly been looking at is the main map featured on the wiki page for Kamihama. There's one school marking in or near Sankyo Ward that's unaccounted for (the ㉆ symbol). There are two of them in Sankyo Ward – one right on the railway track north of the river (confirmed by the anime map to be Sankyoin), and the other in a yellow area just south of the river (across the road from Kamihama Athletics Field).

St Lilliana's is on that map, but only just barely. You can see the tip of a ㉆ symbol north of the railway track, a little west from Walnut's (marked by the chef's hat). Though that alone doesn't prove it to be St Lilliana's (you can't even tell if it's really a ㉆), it matches up with the location of the school marked on some of the other maps.

Minaminagi Liberty Academy is not marked on that map. The map from the anime confirms it to be on the section jutting out to the south (near the airport), but there's nothing marked there on the primary map.

Kamihama Future Academy does not appear to be marked on any map, as far as I can see.