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.

115. The Trial of the Magius

While browsing through records in Seoul, I came across a small, little-used place tucked into a corner near the northern palace. Among those records I found a particularly interesting account of the life of one Hwi-bin Gim, who came to be known as the deposed consort. It wasn't a tale that I'd previously been exposed to, so I was at first unaware of the inconsistencies between that account and the one on official historical record. It was a tale of a woman who made a deal with a demon to gain magical powers, which she used in an attempt to gain her husband's affection… but upon being found out, she pinned the deed on one of her maids and got away with just being demoted to commoner, while the unfortunate maid was beheaded. The writer claimed to be that maid's daughter, so there may be good reason to consider her account more reliable than the official record.

It usually gives me a feeling of joy to uncover a little record of someone who must have been a magical girl, but every so often I find one like this, which instead sends a shiver down my spine. It reminds me that magical girls aren't just beings that fight witches and are not always on the side of good. But even still, I wish to let the world know about them, both the good and the bad. Above all else, magical girls are human, and like all humans, they come in many different kinds.

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

---

Though I feel like sleeping in the next morning, given that for once there's basically nothing to do, I do get out of bed eventually to check social media. It's something I've been doing almost every morning, time permitting, but most of the time there's not a lot worth mentioning – I'll like a few posts, retweet a few others, and occasionally add a reply.

But today, Thursday the fifth of May, a post jumps out at me as familiar.

[Waloli_Gurokawa: Breaking news! I'm going to be a judge for the used clothes event at the seaside park in Kamihama three days from now! The winner will receive an original Wa Lolita piece!]

The post is from around four o'clock on Monday, meaning that the time mentioned in the post actually refers to today. And it's pretty much an exact quote from the in-game event that originally introduced Ashley Taylor to the world, though sadly the event was never rerun on the Japanese server after the North American one shut down.

I click and scroll down for more information and find that the event opens at noon and lasts until four o'clock.

"Inui, you up?"

"Eh…?"

Inui rolls over in bed with a groan.

"What is it now?" she asks. "Got someone to save, or an incident to cause?"

"Not exactly," I say. "I thought we could spend the day just having fun, for a change."

"Oh, fun, huh," Inui says with a giggle. "I thought that was a foreign concept to you. So, what've you got in mind?"

"I'm going to take part in a fashion show," I say.

Inui sits up in bed and gapes at me.

"You!? A fashion show!?"

She shakes her head vigourously.

"No, no, there's no way," she says. "The Ashley I know has no fashion sense whatsoever…"

"No, no, no," I say. "That's the Chelsea you know. Ashley's got quite the fashion sense. Well, it might be a little odd at times, but it's not lacking like mine is."

"I see, I see," Inui says. "So that means you'll let out the other you, so I can get to know her better… sounds great! Sign me up!"

"Okay, so I thought we could also invite some other people," I say. "Come over here for a moment, will you?"

Inui gets up and peers over my shoulder at the computer screen, which now displays a website covering the event, rather than the original Twitter post that first caught my attention.

"Ohhh, that's unusual," Inui says. "So it's a special promotion at a flea market, is it? And particularly challenging too… being restricted to used clothes could be quite interesting. Maybe I'll enter it as well, and see if I can beat the other Ashley… y'know, I betcha Koko-wan would be interested too?"

"What a coincidence," I say. "I too was thinking of inviting Miss Awane."

"Who else did you have in mind?" Inui asks.

"Miss Ayano, Emily, and the rescue duo," I say. "And Karin-chan, especially since she might be feeling down due to the results of the first trial. I thought about Riko-chan as well, but…"

"Hmm, yeah, doesn't seem suitable for Rii-chan," Inui says. "She's just a kid, after all."

"That's kinda funny coming from a middle schooler," I say.

"Hey, I'm not a kid anymore!" Inui protests, pouting a bit. Then she blinks. "Huh? Wait a second… the rescue duo… wouldn't that be Asukyan and Sasaran?"

"Huh? Where did you pick up Emily's nicknames for them?" I ask.

"Obviously from Emily herself," Inui retorts.

"But yes, that's the rescue duo," I say.

"They just didn't strike me as the types to be interested in that," Inui says.

"Well, I agree they're the most tenuous ones on the list," I say. "But I think once they get there they're liable to find at least one or two things of interest."

"Hmm, okay," Inui says. "I don't have their contact info, but I can suggest Emily pass the invite along. I can also contact Ricchan and Koko-wan."

"Then I'll contact Karin-chan," I say. "Come to think of it… don't you think your nicknames for Riko-chan and Miss Ayano sound a bit two similar?"

Inui shakes her head. "What are you saying?" she says. "They're very different. Rii-chan has a long i, you see? While Ricchan has a long chu."

"Well… I'm pretty sure you're still going to confuse someone, but… whatever," I say. "Okay, so the next thing is…"

I look around the room and locate where Teddy Mk I had been left last night – on top of the vanity. I get up and transform, picking up the stuffed animal and starting to infuse my magic into it.

"Hmm…?" Inui says. "What're you planning to do with that bear… use it as an additional weapon in combat?"

"I'm not sure about that," I say. "But for today, the intent is to use him as a tracker."

"Oh, that's definitely one use-case for that sort of thing," Inui says.

She grabs her phone and starts composing messages to Kokoro, Rika, and Emily. I keep infusing my magic into Teddy Mk I until I'm satisfied, by which point Inui is finished with her messaging. Then I grab my phone to send a message to Karin about the event, letting Ashley leak out a little.

[Hello! How'd you like to join me at the flea market in Minaminagi Seaside Park today? It'll be a great way to take your mind off the trial for a bit! Come look around and find some cute clothes with me! Oh, and speaking of the trial, I'll be stopping by the second one tomorrow, as I have a plan to make sure no-one receives a death penalty.]

Then I notice that there's an unread email from Touka. I check it quickly, noting that it says the second trial is to be held on Sunday, then send Madoka a quick reminder to have all the surveys for Mitakihara and Kazamino gathered by noon Friday, before turning to Inui and showing her the bear.

"What do you think?" I ask. "Can you sense it?"

Inui nods. "It's quite noticeable," she says. "Should be easy to track."

"Alright then…"

I close my eyes for a moment, letting Ashley emerge.

"Let's get dressed and go!" Ashley exclaims.

---

Ashley and Inui spend the morning touring Kamihama, using Ashley's phone to capture video of her extolling the virtues of this maid café or that attraction – they stop by both Kanagi's café and Ikumi's, as well as Walnut's, Mizuna Shrine, Mizuna Castle, and as many other points of interest as they can squeeze in. On several occasions, Ashley uses shadow step to speed their travel.

As noon approaches, the two of them head for Chiaki's, where they find Riko and her mother watching the store, the family dog laying in a corner with his head hanging out. Ashley greets them enthusiastically.

"Hey Riko-chan, Mameji! Inui and I are here for some chow!" she exclaims.

The dog barks upon hearing his name, and Riko blinks at her, a little startled by Ashley's energy.

"Ah! Um, Ashley-nee, welcome!" she says. "It's nice to see you! Thanks for coming by again!"

"How can I not!?" Ashley exclaims. "The food is great, and you and Mameji are so cute together!"

Riko giggles. "You're embarrassing me… um, will it be croquettes again?"

"No, I thought I'd try one of your sandwiches this time!" Ashley says. "Lemme see, hmm, hmm…"

She peers up at a list of available sandwiches.

"Ah, the Persian chicken sounds amazing!" she exclaims. "Gimme one of those! What'll you have, Inui?"

"Hmm," Inui says. "I think I'll just have the light lunchbox…"

"What?" Ashley says. "Surely that's not enough food for a growing gal like you!"

"Eh?" Inui says. "Ah, um, hmm… do you really think so? I thought I was gaining weight lately though…"

Ashley shakes her head sagely.

"If it's only a little, I wouldn't worry about it!" she says.

"Hmm, how about this?" Inui suggests. "I'll get the light lunchbox after all, but we can supplement it with a croquette each."

"That sounds great!" Ashley says. "Let's go with that! Riko-chan, did you get all that?"

"Ah! Um… one Persian chicken, one light lunchbox, and two croquettes, right?" Riko says.

"You got it!" Ashley says.

Riko's mother chuckles as she pulls out the croquettes to dunk them in the deep fryer. Riko makes for the fridge to pull out the other items.

"Welcome, Ashley! You're more energetic than usual today," she says.

"Good to seeya too, Mrs Chiaki!" Ashley exclaims.

"By the way, it's fortuitous that you showed up today of all days… Riko-chan had something she wanted to show you."

"Ah, right!" Riko exclaims.

She grabs a flyer from somewhere and shoves it at us along with the sandwich and lunchbox. It's a flyer for the very event we're on our way to attend.

"Ah, what a coincidence!" Ashley says. "We were actually on our way there, ya know. I'm even planning to enter the contest!"

"Ah!" Riko says, looking a little crestfallen. "I see… I missed my chance…"

"Nah, it's all good!" Ashley says. "You tried to help, so that's what matters!"

"Y-yes!" Riko says. "And um, good luck in the contest! Show it what you're made of!"

"I sure will!" Ashley exclaims. "And I'll be sure to buy you a souvenir!"

Riko. "Oh… you don't need to do that!" she exclaims. "Anyway, um…"

She cites the price of our lunch, and Ashley hands over the cash. Then we take the food, starting off with the piping-hot croquettes as we make our way towards Minaminagi Seaside Park.

As soon as we arrive, Ashley starts squeeing. There are stalls set up all across the park, each one with a different selection of clothing.

"Awesome!" she exclaims. "Totally awesome! The vibes here are incredible!"

Inui giggles. "I don't entirely get it, but just seeing that look on your face was worth it," she said.

Ashley bounces from one stall to another, peering at the offerings.

"I've only just started looking," she says. "But I can already tell – this place is just buzzing with cuteness energy!"

"As long as it doesn't reach critical mass and turn into a monster," Inui quips.

"Hey, hey," Ashley scolds her. "That's really not funny, you know! I'm sure Homo magica's cuteness isn't worth all that much anyway…"

"S-sorry," Inui says. "Let's keep looking."

"Right!" Ashley says. "Let's look over there!"

She continues bouncing from stall to stall until, somehow, she makes it to the far side of the flea market. Though she hasn't looked at every single stall, I think she only missed two or three of them. She pauses, surveying the market, then lets out a sigh.

"Now that we've had a look around, it's time to go win that contest!" she exclaims.

And with that, she charges back into the market. After scrutinizing a couple of stalls, we turn a corner and run into someone familiar – it's Kokoro, accompanied by not only Masara but also Aimi.

"Oh!" Kokoro exclaims. "Inui-chan, hey! And, um… Lita, was it?"

"Hello!" Inui says, waving. "Glad you could make it!"

"Oh, Miss Kokoro!" Ashley exclaims. "And Miss Masara too of course… and even Miss Aimi tagged along…"

"Thanks for inviting me!" Kokoro says. "This kind of event is really fun."

"I usually only pay attention to my favourite brands," Aimi says. "So this is all so new!"

"Hey, you can say you don't like it if you don't like it," Inui says. "It's okay, we won't bite you!"

"T-that's not what I meant!" Aimi protests.

"Whatever, I'm just happy to hear that you're even a little bit interested!" Ashley says. "How about you, Miss Masara? You having fun too?"

"I'm not sure if 'fun' is the right word," Masara says, her voice as flat as always. "But I don't necessarily want to go home."

"I think that means you're having fun," Kokoro says, giggling.

"If you weren't interested at all, you wouldn't have shown up in the first place," Aimi says.

"What I am really interested in is the meaning of 'cute'," Masara says.

"Oh, alright!" Ashley exclaims. "When I was looking around earlier, I found some cute stuff I could show you! I'll share my unique brand of cuteness with all of you guys!"

With that announcement, she leads them to a nearby stall and starts picking out clothes for them, rattling on about things I don't understand in the slightest… but the girls seem to like her choices, so I guess that's what matters most. After a few minutes during which she composes outfits for Kokoro and Aimi, she finally settles on a white dress for Masara.

"…cause it totally suits you!" Ashley finishes.

"I get what she means," Kokoro says. "Don't you, Aimi-chan?"

Aimi, who has been lost in a daydream for the last minute or so, snaps out of it at the sound of her name.

"Y-yeah!" she says. "Miss Masara would look amazing in a white dress!"

"I see," Masara says. "So this is what everyone thinks of as 'cute'… I suppose I'll try it on."

"By the way, are either of you buying anything for yourselves?" Kokoro asks.

"Ah, I haven't seen anything that really catches my eye yet," Inui says. "But maybe!"

"Of course I am!" Ashley says. "I was thinking I might get a dress from that stall, but… when I was looking around earlier I couldn't choose…"

She hops over to the stall in question, the others following along with her, and pulls out a pair of dresses to show them off.

"You see? They're both pretty nice, right?"

"That one's cute, isn't it?" Aimi says, indicating the one in Ashley's right hand.

"Yeah, I think so too," Kokoro says.

"It's also a nice colour," Inui says.

"You've convinced me!" Ashley exclaims. "If three of you are gonna recommend it, then I'll go with this one!"

Without further ado, she puts back the other one and pays for the chosen dress.

"But I should excuse myself now," she says once the transaction is complete. "I gotta nail my look for the contest if I wanna win!"

"Huh?" Kokoro says. "Oh, are you taking part in that used clothes fashion contest, Miss Lita?"

"Yup!" Ashley says. "And I've got my eyes on the prize!"

"Wow!" Aimi says. "Good luck out there!"

"Thank you!" Ashley says. "Off I go!"

And with that, she skips off, Inui following her.

"You're so energetic, Ashley," Inui says. "I'm not used to this… but I don't dislike it…"

"Really?" Ashley says. "I'm always like this, though…? But I've been sleeping most of the time lately, so I guess you wouldn't know…"

She continues browsing around, picking out a few things both for herself and for Inui. Eventually, she spots a familiar purple-haired head amongst the crowd.

"Heya, Karin-chan!" Ashley exclaims.

Karin turns to spot us, waving. Once Ashley and Inui have made it through the press of people between them, she greets them.

"Ashley-chan, Inui-chan, I'm so glad I ran into you!" Karin says.

"I'm so happy you came!" Ashley says.

"Of course I came!" Karin retorts. "Your message was so peppy, so I just had to see what it was all about!"

"Oh, actually, I had an outfit in mind I wanted to recommend for you, Karin-chan!" Ashley says.

"Huh!? Me?" Karin gasps.

"I swear, you're gonna love it!" Ashley says. "Let me see, where was it… ah yes, over here, over here!"

She grabs Karin's hand and leads her to a stall some distance away, Inui following as always.

"You see?" Ashley says. "This stall right here."

"Oh my!" Karin exclaims. "It's totally packed with cute clothes!"

Ashley blinks. "Huh…? Is it starting already…?"

"Huh? What's up, Ashley?" Inui asks.

"Some of the clothes are gone since I was last here," Ashley says.

"Really?" Karin says. "But they probably just sold it, right?"

"No worries!" Ashley says. "Just gimme a sec!"

And with that, she picks out some items that look similar to one of the casual outfits from Phantom Thief Magical Kirin. As before, she mutters incomprehensible gibberish under her breath while choosing… at least, it's incomprehensible to me. I'm sure someone can understand it.

"There, all done!" she finally says.

Karin gasps. "T-this… this outfit you put together… it's just like Kirin's!"

"Exactly!" Ashley says. "That's what I was going for! It's what Kirin wears in the first ever chapter of Magical Kirin! I created the same type of look! And I even made sure to choose a colour for the skirt that looks good on you!"

"I love it!" Karin says. "It's incredible!"

"Alright!" Ashley says.

She turns to seize another item from the stall.

"I'm also gonna buy this jacket! If I pair it with the dress I bought earlier… this contest's in the bag!"

She hands over the amount cited by the stall owner, then thrusts the Kirin outfit on Karin.

"Thanks so much, Ashley-chan!" Karin says. "I'm so glad I came!"

"Hey, I'm happy you're happy!" Ashley says. "Have a ton of fun here, okay?"

"I will!" Karin says. "Blow them away in the contest, okay? I'll go cheer you on when it starts!"

"Thanks!" Ashley says. "I'm gonna win and take home that original piece by Waloli Gurokawa! Bye for now!"

And without further ado, she runs off again, and Inui chases after her, giggling a little. After quite some time spent browsing the stalls and with several more items stuffed into the shopping bags, she comes across Emily and Rika discussing what to wear for the contest.

"Ah, are you guys gonna be in the contest too?" Ashley asks.

"O-oh, it's Miss Lita and Inui-chan," Rika says. "You startled me…"

"Yeah, we are!" Emily says.

"Oh, we're not really here to win though!" Rika says. "We just wanna have fun."

"Yeah!" Emily says. "Like, we're already here and all? So why not enjoy everything, y'know!?"

"You're right, Emily!" Ashley agrees, nodding sagely. "The most important thing is to have fun!"

"Is Renki not with you today?" Inui asks.

"Ah, Ren-chan couldn't make it today," Rika says. "She had a family outing to attend."

"Oh, of course family's gotta come first!" Ashley exclaims.

"Come to think of it, Miss Lita, um… you seem a bit different from usual…?" Rika says.

"Ah, is this the first time we've met like this?" Ashley says. "Now that I think of it, it probably is! Chelsea's been hogging the limelight lately, hasn't she?"

"Um… who…?" Rika says.

"Ashley has a dual personality," Inui explains. "This is the other personality. This one calls her other self Chelsea."

"O-oh, I see," Rika says. "Wow… I don't think I've met anyone like that before… so anyway, are you trying to win, Miss Lita? They're offering some clothes from what sounds like a well-known designer… though I haven't heard of her myself…"

"Yeah, I'm definitely gonna win first place, just you watch!" Ashley exclaims. "Waloli Gurokawa is one of my favourite designers! Her work is just so, so awesome!"

"Wow, nice!" Emily exclaims. "Ohmigosh, now I'm kinda pumped too!"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Ashley exclaims. "I found some things I'd like you to try on for size! Follow me!"

"Let's go!" Emily exclaims. "I can't wait to see what Lita's got!"

"I hope it'll be cute," Rika says doubtfully.

Ashley leads them to a stall some distance away, then lets out a little groan.

"Oh no, some of the stuff is gone," she says.

"What were you looking for…?" Rika asks.

"Oh, there were matching overalls in different colours here earlier," Ashley says. "Since your eyes and hair match so well, I thought it'd be cool to give you a twin look."

"Me and Rikki?" Emily says. "Oh Em Gee, I can't even! That sounds like so much fun!"

"Right!?" Ashley exclaims. "Gimme just a moment, okay? I'll whip up something else for you real quick."

And for the third time that day, Ashley descends into her fashion mumbo-jumbo, picking things out one at a time and pondering for longer than I can even fathom on the choice of items. Finally, she has two complete sets of clothing selected, which she presents to the pair.

"All done!" she exclaims.

"Whoa!" Rika gasps. "It's totally cute! Hey, hey, wouldn't it be cute if we wore matching outfits like this to go to a theme park?"

"Are you for real?" Emily says. "I, like, love that idea! Sounds super fun! But what about Renki…?"

"Ah," Rika says.

"Oh, I can pick something out for her too!" Ashley exclaims. "Just give me one moment…"

She turns back to the stall, frowning a little, then picks out a couple of items and pays for the whole lot – Emily and Rika's outfits, plus the extra pieces for Ren. Then she bounds over to a nearby stall and selects out a couple more things, presenting the completed outfit.

"Ohmigosh that would look amazing on Renki!" Emily gasps.

"Y-yeah… I really like it too," Rika says. "Are you sure it's really okay to take these…?"

"No worries!" Ashley says. "It's a lot of fun just picking them out, and I've no shortage of cash, so please accept them! They're not that expensive, anyway!"

"A-alright," Rika says.

After paying for the extra items, Ashley shoves Ren's outfit onto Rika.

"Say, aren't you gonna buy anything?" Emily asks.

Ashley holds up a few of the items she bought at the previous stall that hadn't made it into Ren's outfit.

"Oh yeah, I got these scrunchies!" she says. "They're perfect for the contest! They come in several different colours, too!"

"Are you planning to match with that teddy you're carrying?" Rika asks.

"Ah, you mean Kumanosuke!" Ashley exclaims. "What an awesome idea! That'd be sooo cute, wouldn't it?"

"Huh?" Inui says. "I thought his name was Teddy Mk I…?"

"It's both!" Ashley says. "I call him Kumanosuke, and Chelsea calls him Teddy Mk I. Now, there's still a little time before the contest starts, so I need to put the finishing touches on my outfit!"

"Good luck!" Rika says.

"Yeah!" Emily says. "We're gonna work our butts off too!"

With that declaration, Ashley turns and heads off.

"Come to think of it, I haven't gotten you a complete outfit yet, Inui," she says.

"Oh, that's alright," Inui says. "It might not be a complete outfit, but you've already gotten me a lot of things today, so I really couldn't ask for any more!"

"Well, I'll put that on hold for now, then," Ashley says. "But if I see something really cute for you, then I'm getting it, no questions asked!"

She wanders around for nearly an hour more with Inui, but this time she doesn't buy anything else. Perhaps she's already picked up nearly everything good in her previous rounds of browsing. Then she spots a pair of familiar girls gazing at one particular stall.

"Hmm…? Isn't that the rescue duo?" she asks.

"Ah, you're right," Inui says. "Hey, Asukyan, Sasaran!"

The two of them turn at the sound of those names.

"Emily, there you—?" Sasara exclaims. "O-oh, it's not Emily. Um, sorry… who are you, again? I'm sorry, it's at the tip of my tongue, but…"

"Inui, Inui!" Inui says. "And Ashley as well!"

"Ah! Miss Lita! And Miss Inui!" Sasara says. "I never thought I'd see you two here…"

"Huh? Did Emily not mention that I was the one who invited her…?" Inui asks.

"Huh? How'd you know it was Emily who invited us!?" Asuka gasps.

"You were clearly expecting to see Emily a moment ago!" Inui says.

"But that's because you used Emily's nicknames for us!" Asuka counters.

"Which obviously means I know Emily too, right?" Inui says.

"G-good point!" Asuka exclaims.

"And I guess we did fight in that huge battle together," Sasara says.

"Anyway, what's going on with you two?" Ashley asks. "You looked super-focused on something before we came by… did we interrupt something?"

"Ah, it's this patterned skirt," Asuka says. "It just caught my eye, but I don't know if I can pull it off…"

"I told her she could just throw caution to the winds and buy it," Sasara says. "But, well…"

"I really don't want it to just get stuck in the back of my closet and go to waste!" Asuka says.

"…as you see, it didn't help," Sasara concludes.

"So I'm on the fence about it," Asuka finishes.

"I can't give her any good advice, because I don't really get fashion," Sasara says.

"Ah, I see," Ashley says, nodding sagely. "If you pick the wrong thing to go with a patterned fabric, it'll be a disaster!"

"I knew it!" Asuka exclaims. "There's no way a beginner like me is ready for such a high-concept piece!"

"No way!" Ashley says. "That's not what I'm saying! It'll be fine! You just gotta go with a look that'll let this skirt steal the spotlight!"

"Ohhhh!" Asuka exclaims.

A relative silence falls for a beat before she continues.

"…how do I do that?" she asks.

"Leave it to me!" Ashley says.

And once again she descends into her mad rambling on topics outside the ken of mortal man… um, I mean, on fashion. Before long she has an entire outfit encompassing the skirt Asuka had picked.

"I… I see!" Asuka says. "I never knew any of that!"

"I didn't get any of that," Sasara says. "But you brought a whole look together… it looks great! Hey… Miss Lita, would you mind picking something out for me as well? Since I'm no good at this kind of thing…"

"Sure thing!" Ashley says.

And yet again she descends into madness… I mean, into a fashion trance… no, that's not right either, but it really is a little awe-inspiring watching her work. A sudden thought occurs to me – a realization that, at some core level, Ashley and I are actually very much alike. I might know nothing of fashion, but there are other things I could go on at equal length about, given the opportunity. Sure, she's bubbly and energetic while I was much more closed-in and withdrawn in my previous life, but I think the difference there just boils down to effort put into socialization – she throws everything she has into it, whereas Chelsea of the past just couldn't be bothered.

It's also different from Inui and Emily's intuitive approach to socialization, which I'm fairly sure just comes naturally for them. As a resident sharing Ashley's brain, I can sense the effort she's putting into it. This bubbly personality is something that she's cultivated over years with a lot of practice… technically a mask, yes, but one intended to expose her true self in a muted form more palatable to the average audience, rather than disguising it. And these moments of madness are the moments where the mask slips and her raw enthusiasm for a topic bubbles out.

Of course, I myself have changed greatly since coming to this world. I'm not sure whether it's Ashley's influence on me or just a sense of giddiness at ending up in the world of my favourite game and anime, but I've definitely become a lot more forward since I entered her body.

But this time the trance is interrupted before she has completed the full outfit, as a man stops by to discuss a series of thefts with the stall owner.

"Thefts?!" Asuka gasps. "Oh no, that's awful! We must catch the culprit at once!"

"Whoa!" Sasara says. "Asuka, calm down!"

"A-ah, it's here!?" Ashley gasps.

"Huh? What's here?" Inui asks.

"Oh, sorry, that just slipped out," Ashley says. "Ah, actually, this would totally suit Miss Sasara…"

She reaches for another item, but then someone rams right into her, shoving her forward. She almost slams head-first into the table, but somehow manages to do some sort of pirouette instead to regain her balance.

"Miss Lita, are you okay?" Sasara asks.

"The nerve!" Asuka gasps. "Slamming right into someone without a word of apology!"

"I'm fine, I just got knocked off balance," Ashley says. "But where's Kumanosuke…? Is he gone?"

"Huh?" Inui says. "Oh, you're right, you were holding him a moment ago, but now you're not… and I don't see him on the ground…"

"Is that the teddy bear's name?" Sasara asks. "It looked like you really love it…"

"Of course!" Ashley says. "It's a gift from my dad, after all!"

"H-how could they!" Asuka gasps. "This is an emergency! We need to chase after them at once!"

"I'm all with you," Sasara says. "But the culprit has already slipped off into the crowd…"

"No worries!" Ashley says. "I was prepared for something like this! I infused some of my magic into Kumanosuke, so I can track him easily! Let's go! Ah, but first… hey, could you reserve these items for me, mister? I gotta go real quick, but I'll be back for them in a jiffy!"

"Oh, sure thing," the man behind the stall says, taking Asuka's full outfit and Sasara's partial one. "But do try not to take too long, okay?"

"You got it!" Ashley says.

Ashley pauses to locate the traces of magic, then follows them right out of the flea market, heading into a nearby side street and then into a back alley. The others follow her in silence.

"Well, it led us to a totally abandoned-looking place," Ashley says. "But I can sense it now… the witch is definitely here!"

"Huh!?" Sasara gasps. "Y-you're right! How'd you know it was a witch…?"

"Um, just call it a good guess!" Ashley says, transforming. "Come on, let's go inside!"

"Right!" Sasara says, transforming. "It seems like the thief who took, um… Kumanosuke, did you say it was called? He must've gone inside with your teddy bear!"

"Utterly despicable!" Asuka says, transforming. "The witch must be controlling the thief!"

"Let's go after them!" Ashley says.

Inui transforms. "You got it! We'll save that teddy from the witch!"

Ashley nods. "We're coming to save you, Kumanosuke!"

As they step into the labyrinth, which is an instance of Candy, they spot quite a few people affected by the witch's kiss, just standing around in a trance, each of them holding a few items of clothing.

"There's a lot of people in here!" Inui exclaims.

"It wasn't just one person who got the witch's kiss," Asuka says.

"And look at all this stuff!" Sasara says. "I'm sure it's all stolen goods!"

"Looks like Kumanosuke's not here though," Ashley says. "He must've been taken in deeper… but man, all these stolen things are totally cute! All these people must be really into cute things… and this witch is taking advantage of that to make them steal stuff! Isn't that so mean? We can't let this witch get away with it!"

At that moment, the familiars finally take notice of their arrival and move to block the path leading further inside.

"I'll keep everyone who got a witch's kiss out of harm's way," Sasara says.

"And I'll handle the familiars!" Asuka exclaims. "You two go on ahead and find that teddy bear!"

"Are you sure?" Ashley asks.

"It's important to you, isn't it?" Sasara says. "So you can't delay!"

"Thanks!" Ashley says. "I owe you guys one!"

They wait a moment while Asuka cuts a path through the familiars, and then the two of them hurry further in. A vision pops up in the corner of my awareness – Ashley's using clairvoyance to locate the path towards the bear. Before long we end up in the central chamber.

"There you are!" Ashley exclaims. "Your nasty business ends here, got it!? You're gonna give back Kumanosuke, and all of the other super-cute stuff you stole!"

While Inui grabbed the man carrying the bear and dragged him aside, the witch expanded one of its bunny ears into a huge mouth and snapped at Ashley, who danced nimbly aside.

"Missed me!" she says. "I'm so angry, you know! Not only did you swipe Kumanosuke, even though I was expecting it… but you took advantage of everyone's passion for everything cute! I'll never forgive you! Inui, toss him over here!"

"Got it!" Inui says.

She tosses the teddy bear, and Ashley catches him.

"I'm gonna give you a taste of Kumanosuke's revenge!" Ashley exclaims. "Come, Daikumanosuke!"

She summons Teddy Mk II and positions the two of them side-by-side, apparently using the smaller bear as a stand-in for the usual Teddy Drones as she charges her ultimate attack.

"Aaaaand, take that!" she shouts in English. "Gimme some kawaii slime!"

She leaps in behind the charm beam to kick the witch in the head, then summons Kensei to slice it in half. It's not quite enough to end it, so she finishes it off by snapping her fingers and ducking down as three Teddy Drones appear and fire upon it.

But, strangely, even though the witch disintegrates and Ashley seizes its grief seed, the labyrinth doesn't decay.

"Looks like everyone in this room is safe," Ashley says. "But the labyrinth's still up…? Were there two of the same witch or something? Let's get back to Asuka and Sasara and see what's going on."

She and Inui grab the few people who made it as far as the witch's chamber and carry them back to the entrance. They don't see Asuka or Sasara along the way, so they just step out of the labyrinth and find that both of them are already outside, dealing with the people who'd been captured.

"I kicked that witch's butt!" Ashley announces. "But it looks like there were two of them… have you taken care of the people it was controlling? I got a few more here for you…"

"Ah, yes, we got most of them out already," Sasara says. "But we probably need to go in again and search a bit more, especially if as you say there are two witches…"

At that moment, our keen ears pick up a distant announcement from the flea market. It probably wouldn't be intelligible to an ordinary person, but we're able to just barely make out the words.

"The Thrifty Fashion Contest will be starting soon! All participants, please make your way to the stage!"

Ashley gasps. "Ah, not good, not good!" she says. "It's almost time for it to start already! And I still haven't completed my look…"

"Huh!?" Asuka says. "You were going to enter the contest!?"

"We could've taken care of Kumanosuke and the witches if you'd told us," Sasara says.

"No, it's my fault," Ashley says. "I thought I'd have a bit more time… but thanks for worrying about me… still, Kumanosuke is really precious to me, so I'm glad I was able to get him back myself. Anyway, I'm a magical girl, so at least I got to keep the people safe by beating a witch!"

"A-are you sure you can't make it?" Asuka asks. "They're still waiting for contestants…"

"Huh?" Ashley says. "When did I say I can't make it…? There's still fifteen minutes! It should be just barely enough time to find some shoes and accessories! Especially if…"

She trails off, choosing not to mention what she knows from the in-game event.

"But that said, I need to get back right now in order to do that, so could you please finish up here?" Ashley asks.

"Leave the witches' victims to us!" Asuka says.

"I hate the thought of them being charged for theft when they were controlled by a witch," Sasara says. "We'll take down the second witch in a flash, and make sure to cover for you."

"Thank you so much!" Ashley says. "I think I can make it just in time for the contest… I promise I'll win big! Come on, Inui! We gotta find Karin-chan!"

With that, Ashley runs off, followed by Inui. They arrive back at the flea market in short order.

"Why Karin-chan?" Inui asks.

"You'll see when we find her!" Ashley says. "By the way, you said you might join the contest too, right?"

Inui shakes her head. "I know I said that, but now I think I'd have more fun just watching you participate in it. Maybe another time though!"

"Alright then!" Ashley says.

Ashley opens a vision showing the location of Karin, and charges through the flea market at full pelt towards her. However, just before reaching her, someone else calls out to them.

"Hey! There she is!" Kokoro calls. "Miss Lita, Miss Lita!"

She's still with Aimi and Masara. A moment later, Karin emerges from the crowd ahead. "Ashley-chan, I finally found you!" she exclaims.

Then Emily and Rika pop out from another direction. A part of me finds the whole thing amusing, the fact that they all coincidentally happened to be in the same place at the same moment. Although, I suppose it's possible that Karin and Emily reacted to Kokoro calling my name.

"Miss Lita!" Rika calls. "Wait, huh…?"

"Sooo many people here!" Emily gasps. "You guys're all friends of Lita, huh?"

"Yeah, they are!" Ashley says, beaming. "So what brings you guys here looking for me?"

"Oh, there's something we wanted to give you," Kokoro says.

"Yeah!" Aimi says, pointing at Masara. "Look at what Miss Masara found!"

Masara holds up a necklace.

"It seemed the right colour to match the dress you bought earlier," she says, as deadpan as always.

"It's to say thanks for picking out all those cute clothes for us!" Kokoro says.

"Oh, I've got a thank you present too!" Karin says, holding out a bracelet. "I found this bracelet. It looks just like the one Kirin wears!"

"Sorry to piggyback off of everyone else," Rika says. "But we've got a little gift for you too!"

Emily holds up a pair of sandals.

"Yeah, check out these shoes!" she says. "Won't they, like, just be adorables with the scrunchy you picked out? They look like the same size as you're wearing now, so I'm sure they'll fit!"

"Thank you so much, guys!" Ashley exclaims. "I was still missing a few pieces for my outfit, but these'll be perfect for the job! Thanks to you, I won't have to withdraw from the contest!"

"Well, we'd better hurry though!" Rika says. "There's not much time left before it starts! Come on, come on!"

"I made sure to write your name down already!" Emily says. "So all ya gotta do is show up and get changed!"

"Understood!" Ashley says. "Inui… I'm going!"

"Good luck, Ashley!" Inui says. "I'll hold on to all the shopping, okay?"

With that, Ashley pushes the shopping bags on Inui, holding on to just the items she intends to use for the contest. Then she takes off after Rika and Emily, arriving at the stage just a few minutes later.

"Anyone else here for the contest?" a man calls out. "Last call for the contest!"

"We're here, we're here!" Ashley gasps. "Sorry for the wait!"

"Have you already registered?" the man asks.

"I think so," Ashley says. "It's probably under the name Lita?"

"And right above it are Emily and Rikki!" Emily pipes up.

The man checks a list, then nods. "Yup, all three of you are on here. Hurry inside, we'll be starting in less than five minutes."

They head inside the changing tent, where they find several others also getting changed. Ashley gets her selected outfit on in a corner as quickly as she can, stuffing her previous clothes as best she can into her purse, then double-checks her outfit in the provided mirror and makes a few more adjustments. She puts the red scrunchy in her hair and attaches a purple one to Teddy Mk I's ear.

"Aaand, I'm done!" she says. "How about you two?"

"We're juuust about done!" Emily says. "Rikki's being a liiittle slow here."

"Need any help…?" Ashley asks.

"No, no, I'm good!" Rika says. "Emily already took care of it!"

"Oh, that's a relief!" Ashley says. "All that's left now is to wait our turn…"

And wait we do, as someone outside calls us out one at a time. When her turn comes, Ashley goes out without her purse, gives a little peppy speech, and does a bit of a twirl, then heads back into the tent. Then it's back to waiting. Finally, the person officiating the event announces it's time for judging, and everyone is called back out onto the stage. This time Ashley takes her purse, but holds it behind her so the clothes sticking out of it don't attract attention. Though Ashley's peppy smile remains pasted firmly on her face, she's actually incredibly nervous, to the point that she even starts fidgeting a little.

Finally, the person officiating the event steps back on stage.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the results!" he announces. "We'll start with fifth place! As you are no doubt aware, the fifth place prize is a book of coupons that can be used in participating clothing shops across Kamihama! The winner of this prize is none other than the quietly elegant Miss Maru-chi, whose laid-back yet chic arrangement greatly impressed the judges! Miss Maru-chi, please step forward to claim your prize!"

The woman in question steps forward to claim her prize. She says a few words of thanks and answers some random questions from the judges about her outfit, and then the man continues on with the announcements. The fourth place prize goes pretty much the same as the fifth, but there's a surprise waiting in third place.

"Next up is the third place prize, which is a pair of tickets to the amusement park in the next town over. You can enjoy a date with your loved one, or just take a friend along and have fun! The winner of this prize is Miss Rikki, whose quirky yet elegant sense of style set all the judges aquiver! Miss Rikki, please step forward!"

"Huh!? Me!?" Rika gasps.

"Yes, you're Miss Rikki, are you not?" the man says.

"Ah, um… y-yes, I am," Rika says.

She steps forward to accept the prize, answering a few questions about her choices. Then she steps aside as the man continues the announcements.

"Now, for the second place prize, a set of beautifully refurbished dinner plates! The honour for this one goes to Mrs Oka, whose rustic yet elegant look turned the heads of the judges!"

Ashley stiffens as the middle-aged recipient of the second place steps forward to claim her prize, say a few words, and answer some questions. Finally, the man moves on to the last one.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment which you've all been waiting for!" he announces. "Our first-place prize is an original, unique kimono designed by today's featured judge, the well-known Waloli Gurokawa! The judges deliberated for quite some time on this, as there were a number of outfits that really stood out, but… in the end, they all agreed that one of them truly outshone the rest! With her quirky sense of style, flawless colour coordination, and cute matching scrunchies, the first place goes to… Miss Lita!"

Ashley blinks a few times, then points at herself.

"Um… do you mean me?" she asks.

"That's right!" the man says.

"Ohmigosh!" Ashley exclaims. "I actually won!?"

She hops forward and approaches the judges, stepping up to the featured judge in particular.

"Thank you so much!" she says. "I was really looking forward to this prize… I'm such a huge fan of your work! May I shake your hand?"

The woman nods, and Ashley briefly shakes her hand before accepting the prize, folded up and stuffed neatly into a bag. She answers a few questions like all the others did, and then the crowd begins to disperse as the announcer makes a few closing remarks. Ashley runs up to Inui and Karin, who had been watching, and gathers the both of them into a great big hug. Kokoro, Masara, and Aimi are also with them.

"Did you see that!" she says. "I won! I actually won!"

"Yeah, I saw it!" Inui says. "It was pretty awesome!"

"Congratulations on winning!" Kokoro says.

"Yeah, even I thought that look of yours was pretty great!" Aimi says.

"But I couldn't believe my ears when I heard your name," Karin says. "I never thought you'd take first place…"

"Huh, you didn't believe in me, is that it?" Ashley retorts.

"Huh? No, it's not that," Karin says. "It's just… I've never seen that side of you before, so… I really was praying for you to win, you know!"

"Well, that's alright," Ashley says. "Now I can go boast to Riko-chan about it!"

She giggles a bit, then releases the two of them, transferring the clothes from her purse into one of the shopping bags.

"Ah, come to think of it, are the rescue duo still around…?" she wonders. "I still gotta finish Miss Sasara's outfit…"

She heads off at a run all of a sudden, and Inui and Karin follow her. Kokoro and the others stay behind to congratulate Rika on her win. Before long, we have returned to the stall where she'd been choosing outfits for the rescue duo.

"Ah, you're back!" the man behind the stall says. "I was wondering if you'd actually return…"

"Sorry about that!" Ashley says. "I took part in the contest, you see, but now I'd like to purchase all of those items! Also this, and that… yes, and this too."

She points out several more items, including a belt that I'm pretty sure hadn't even been there when we last looked.

"There we go!" she says. "Now I just have to find where those girls are…"

After handing over the cash and taking the clothes in return, she turns and closes her eyes for a moment. Her vision is then filled with something else, via clairvoyance. It's a view of Asuka and Sasara speaking to a policeman at the edge of the flea market.

Ashley opens her eyes and looks around for a moment. The man is busy packing up the contents of his stall, and there are few passers-by remaining, so she seizes Inui and Karin's hands, eliciting a squeak from the latter. Then she sinks into the shadows of the stall with the two of them, emerging next to a tree near Asuka and Sasara.

Releasing their hands, she steps forward and waves.

"Miss Asuka, Miss Sasara!" she calls.

The two of them turn in surprise.

"Oh, it's Miss Lita again!" Asuka says. "We're a bit busy right now, as you can see…"

"That's alright," Ashley says. "I just wanted to give you the outfits I chose for you."

"E-eh…?" Asuka says. "Are you sure? It must have been expensive…"

"It wasn't that expensive," Ashley says. "And it was thanks to you to that I didn't miss the contest. I even won first prize! So you can consider it as a token of thanks."

"Well, if you're going to put it that way, then I suppose we'll have to accept, right Asuka?" Sasara says.

"Well… alright, I guess so," Asuka says. "Thank you very much."

"Well then, seeya later!" Ashley says.

"See you," Sasara says.

She turns to Karin.

"Gonna visit Riko-chan now for dinner," she says. "You coming with, Karin-chan?"

"Ohh, that's a good idea," Karin says. "Let's go!"

So the three of us head over to Chiaki's, taking the time to walk rather than hopping on a train. Inui and Karin chat a bit, and Ashley joins the conversation as well. When we reach the shop, Riko spots us and waves. This time both of her parents are present.

"Riko-chan!" Ashley says.

"Ashley-nee!" Riko says. "Did you go? Did you have fun?"

"Yes, it was a ton of fun!" Ashley says. "And you're looking at the winning entry!"

She does a twirl to show off her outfit, holding up Teddy Mk I as she does, and Riko giggles.

"Amazing!" she says. "I was cheering for you, but I never thought you'd take first place!"

"Whaaat?" Ashley says. "You didn't believe in me either!? I'm so saaad…"

"N-no, that's not it!" Riko says. "I just haven't had a chance to chat with you much…"

"Huh?" Mrs Chiaki chimes in. "What do you mean, Riko-chan? Ashley's been coming over quite a bit, hasn't she…?"

"At least twice a week, I'd say," Mr Chiaki says. "Probably more…"

"U-um, I… I mean, about fashion, specifically!" Riko says. "I'm sorry…"

Ashley chuckles. "Nah, it's fine, Riko-chan," she says. "It's my fault for not popping out more often, right? Ah, I mean, not popping out the fashion chat more often, of course."

"Y-yeah, that's right," Riko says.

«Just wondering,» Ashley asks. «Gotta reason to keep my split personality secret from your parents?»

«I, um… think they might say you're crazy,» Riko replies. «So I'd just prefer if they don't find out…»

«Huh, is that so?» Ashley says. «Well, doesn't really matter to me. I won't say anything.»

«Thank you very much,» Riko says. "So, um… can you tell me what happened?"

"Can I!?" Ashley explains. "Well, let's see… first I ran into Miss Kokoro…"

She covers the day's events in a rapid-fire of anecdotes, including the witch part since Riko's parents had stepped inside to prepare something.

"And so, thanks to everyone's awesome help, I won the contest!" Ashley concludes.

"That's really amazing, Ashley-nee!" Riko says.

"In other words, I owe it all to my totally amazing friends, right Karin-chan?"

"Ah, um… t-thank you!" Karin says.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Ashley exclaims.

She rummages through her bags for a minute or so, finally extracting a couple of scrunchies from one of them. They're in the same style as the ones she and Teddy Mk I are wearing, but in different colours. She offers the blue one to Riko.

"Here ya go, Riko-chan!" she says. "It's your souvenir!"

"Oh, a scrunchy!" Riko says. "Um, could you put it in for me…?"

Ashley nods. "Sure thing!"

Riko pulls out the usual blue ribbons from her hair, and Ashley takes a comb from her purse and pulls Riko's hair into a side tail with the scrunchy.

"There we go!" she says. "Now you, me, and Kumanosuke all match! We've all got the same kind of scrunchy! Though all in different colours."

"Thank you so much!" Riko says, giggling. "It's really cute!"

"Oh, I have one for you too, Inui," Ashley says.

She hands the pale green scrunchy to Inui.

"Ah…!" Inui gasps. "Thank you very much!"

She immediately puts it in her hair too. It's too short to make a proper tail, but she's able to form a small bunch at the side of her head.

"Maybe I should grow my hair out a bit," Inui muses. "It's a bit difficult to use a scrunchy with hair this short…"

"Riko-chan, when you get a bit older, we should totally go hang out at an event like that," Ashley says.

"Definitely!" Riko says. "I can't wait!"

"Now then… we came for some dinner," Ashley says. "Which means… croquettes! So, would you mind calling your Mom or Dad out?"

"Yes, of course!" Riko says.

---

After breakfast the next morning, Inui and I head to Asunaro, making for Pernelle's place. Pernelle is the only one there when we arrive, just finishing off her breakfast. Since there's no-one else besides me and Inui, I address her in French.

"Good morning, Pernelle," I say.

"Ah, what brings you here this morning?" Pernelle asks.

"There are two things," I say. "For the first… were you observing the big battle?"

"If you mean the battle with Eve and Walpurgis, then yes, I witnessed it," Pernelle says. "What of it?"

"Then did you see what happened when the small Kyuubey took on the burden of the automatic purification system?" I ask.

"Yes… all the weaker emotions dissipated, but the stronger ones were flung far and wide," she says.

"And about how strong do you think those chunks of emotion are?" I ask.

"Hmm… it's hard to quantify, but I'd say each one is at least twice as powerful as Tart," Pernelle says.

That's quite significant, as Jeanne d'Arc is supposed to be one of the most powerful magical girls in history… though she doesn't compare to Madoka, and I doubt she compares to Tsukihi either. Still… twice as powerful as her is definitely huge.

"Alright… I'll get to the point," I say. "Would you be able to design a container that can confine one or more of those chunks of emotion against their will?"

"Confine one…?" Pernelle says. "And you believe they'll develop a will of their own? Interesting… well, let me think… the general principle for confining something stronger than yourself is quite simple. The key is to use the prisoner's strength against them, such that any attempt to exert their strength to break free merely pulls the noose tighter. So yes… I believe I could design such a container. This could be interesting. Would you need more than one?"

"I'm not sure how many I'd need," I say. "No more than eight, but probably less than that, assuming one container is capable of holding more than one chunk at a time."

"If the design principles hold, it should be," Pernelle says. "But we shall see once I have a prototype ready. It may prove to be vulnerable to trick-based means of escape, though."

"I think that's probably fine, though naturally it'd be convenient if it wasn't," I say. "The second request I had for you was, would you mind sending me to the Coordinator's?"

Pernelle sighs. "I'm not a courier service," she says. "Is there anything in it for me?"

"Well, I'm meeting up with Scheherazade…"

"I have no reason to meet with her," Pernelle says. "And I have no reason to courier you all the way to Tokyo to meet with her, either. Find some other way to get there. That said, I can at least write down the address for you."

I didn't really expect her to turn me down so bluntly, but I guess there's nothing to be done about it. I don't have anything to offer her in return, after all. I guess I'll fall back on Shizuku for transportation this time… I wait for Pernelle to find a scrap of paper and jot down Shirin's address, which I accept with a nod.

"Also, Kanna left that here for you last night," Pernelle adds, pointing at a poster tube lying on the couch.

That must be the enlarged form of the cards that Hijiri handed out at the meeting two days ago. I pick it up with a nod.

"Alright," I say. "Thank you for listening to my other request. I'll see you later."

"See you later," Pernelle says.

As we exit the house she's staying in, Inui speaks up. We continue on towards the train station as we talk.

"I didn't understand most of that," she says. "What was it all about…?"

"When you put it that way, it's almost like you understood some of it?" I say.

"Well… not really," Inui says. "Nothing of importance, at least… a word here and there, the greetings…"

"…have you been studying French while I wasn't looking?"

"No…? Not really? I did start watching a French cartoon recently, but… I don't think that counts…?"

"Well, whatever," I say. "I asked her to design a container that can hold something very powerful, and I asked her to take me to Tokyo."

"Huh? Wait, did she refuse…?"

"The second part, yes." I say. "Which is why we're heading for Kamihama now."

"Ah, I see," Inui says. "I guess you're gonna ask Shizu-tan then?"

"Yeah, that was the plan," I say. "At least I can rest assured that she'll generally take any job… at least for now… but I should probably start thinking about alternatives in case she decides to change her mind… or if her power goes on strike…"

"There's also Maimai," Inui points out.

"It feels wrong to ask her to come all the way here just to take me to Tokyo," I say. "But sure, she's an option. There's also the option of doing it myself, but… honestly, I think that's probably not going to be a viable option until the automatic purification system is expanded… and even then, it might be a stretch."

Once we're on the train, I send Shizuku a message to give her a heads-up that we're coming. By the time we pass within the boundaries of Kamihama, I have a response from her, directing me to find her at the Coordinator's. So we get off at an appropriate station in Shinsei Ward and head to Mitama's place. We find Shizuku already there, together with Ayaka, Mitama, and three girls I haven't met before. The first has long black hair and wears oblong glasses; the second has long silver hair with a blue ribbon tied into it; and the third has short blonde hair. Though I haven't met them, I'm pretty sure I know who they are. As for Mitama, she seems less cheery than usual, no doubt because of the trial to be held later in the day. She just greets us with a smile and a wave.

Inui lets out a gasp. "Sei-nyan!? Is that you?" she says.

"Huh?" the blonde girl says. "Oh, Miss Inui? Huh… were you a magical girl too…?"

"Then you've become one as well?" Inui says. "Oh no…"

"Huh…?" the blonde girl says, startled. "Is there a problem with that…?"

"Before getting into details, perhaps we should start with introductions," I suggest.

"Righty-o!" Ayaka announces. "I've got this, doncha worry! We found these gals fighting a witch and… huh? Wait a sec, we forgot to introduce ourselves! I'm Mariko Ayaka, peasant to meet you!"

Shizuku presses a palm against her face as Ayaka bows unusually low.

"How can you forget something like that… sorry about her, I'm Hozumi Shizuku. You don't have to humour her bad puns."

"I'm Komachi Mikura," the black-haired girl says. "As you said, Miss… Inui, was it? The three of us just became magical girls a few days ago."

"I'm Kira Temari," the silver-haired girl says.

"And I'm Mihono Seira!" the blonde girl says.

Just as thought – it's the history club trio.

"Nice to meet you, Miku-tan and Temarun!" Inui exclaims. "I'm Itsumi Inui."

Mikura and Temari blink at her in surprise, and Seira giggles.

"That's just how Miss Inui is," she says. "She has a nickname for everyone."

"If it bothers you, just tell her," I say. "Anyway, I'm Ashley Taylor. It's nice to meet you. May I ask though… where did you meet Kyuubey? I'm pretty sure it can't enter Kamihama…"

"Huh? Really?" Mikura says, startled. "That's odd… but we returned to our hometown for the holiday, and ran into him there. It's not that far off, just east of Kanitomi, but it certainly isn't in Kamihama."

"Oh, that makes sense," Inui says. "I was gonna ask the same thing…"

"Um, so… you wanted my services, right, Miss Taylor?" Shizuku speaks up.

"Huh…?" Seira says. "What's this about?"

"That's correct," I say. "The destination is this address."

I dig out the scrap of paper from Pernelle and present it to Shizuku, who squints at it. Pernelle just jotted down the address itself with no mention of what could be found there, fortunately – otherwise I'd have to explain why I'm going to a different Coordinator than the one literally right in front of me. Though I think I could give a good enough explanation if I really had to.

"Understood," Shizuku says. "I'll just locate it on my phone quickly…"

"Locate what…?" Seira says.

Shizuku calls up the map app on her phone and types in the address, zooming out a bit to get a good look at the surrounding area. She then looks at me, citing a price, and I hand over some cash.

"Do you need it kept open, or is one-way fine?" she asks.

"I might be awhile, and I don't know a good place to keep it open, so one-way is probably best," I say. "But I may message you again later."

"Hey, hey, what are you guys talking about?" Seira asks.

Shizuku nods. "If you want a return trip the same day, I'll count that as included," she says.

With that, she transforms and focuses, opening a portal. Seira, Mikura, and Temari all gasp in unison.

"Thank you very much, Miss Hozumi," I say. "I'll see you later, Miss Mihono, Miss Kira, Miss Komachi, Miss Mariko, Miss Yakumo. Come, Inui."

"Right!" Inui says. "Seeya later Sei-nyan! And Miku-tan and Temarun and Mitamin too!"

With that, I step through the portal, followed by Inui, and it closes right back up behind us. I look around for a moment to get my bearings, but unfortunately the area's not familiar to me, so I'm forced to pull up the maps app myself to figure out how to get to the Coordinator's place. It turns out I just have to go around the block, so to speak. Before long, the two of us enter the small courtyard in front of Shirin's place and step into the shop. Toyoda Tomiko greets us cheerfully.

"Welcome!" she says. "You're our first customers today! Well, our first real customers…"

She glances over to the waiting area, where Scheherazade and Clarisse are sitting together. Clarisse has apparently managed to obtain some modern clothes since we saw her last – she wears a long skirt and matching sweater. The two of them rise upon spotting me.

"Good morning, Miss Taylor," Scheherazade says. "I heard that you were partially responsible for locating and reviving my friend here, so allow me to thank you for that."

"To be honest, the one who deserves the most thanks for that is probably Mikuni Oriko," I say. "It was only thanks to her oracle that we even considered trying to revive Lucy."

"I'll remember that," Scheherazade says. "Now, shall we move on to the task at hand? I've already spoken to Shirin about it, and she said it should be within her power."

I nod. "Let's go," I say.

"Um, your grief seed…?" Tomiko says.

"Right, of course," I say.

I dig out the grief seed from the flea market witch and hand it to Tomiko, and Scheherazade also passes one over. Then the two of us head into the next room.

"Ah, you're already here," Shirin says. "Miss Taylor, I was told you wanted to apply Scheherazade's translation magic to some of your memories. Is that correct?"

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

"Alright," Shirin says. "Then before we start, I'll have you think really hard about the memories you want to recall. It'll be easier for me to direct the process into the correct memories if they're fresh in your mind."

"Understood," I say.

I take a seat and focus on what I can remember of the encounters with those alien creatures. There were two of them, if I remember right – one just before I arrived in this world, and another from when I attempted to scry on them.

"You ready?" Shirin asks.

"Yes… I think so," I say.

"Then I'll ask you to give me your soul gem and lie on the bed," Shirin says.

I do as instructed. She takes Scheherazade's soul gem as well, and before long I've lost consciousness.

---

"Are you listening to me!?" the girl in front of me shouts at the top of her voice.

I seem to be sitting on a bench outside. A quick glance around reveals it to be the high school I attended in the Vancouver area, which means this is one of my memories, not one of Ashley's. That means the angry redheaded girl in front of me must be Lynn Brassington, a classmate who constantly harassed me in high school. At least she's not with her friend group. Actually, it looks like I'm around fourteen and in my first year of high school, so perhaps this is before she even formed her group of friends. There's a book in my lap, which appears to be the manga adaptation of Madoka Magica.

"Please don't yell in my ear," I protest. "I heard you the first time."

"Oh, then you should answer," Lynn says.

"I was hoping you'd take the hint and let me read in peace," I say.

"What the heck?" Lynn says. "It's such a nice day… you shouldn't waste it sitting around reading!"

"It's because it's a nice day that I'm reading outside," I reply.

"But there are so many other things you could do on a day like today! Like joining our soccer game!"

"Not interested," I insist. "Please just leave me alone."

"Don't be silly," Lynn says. "Once you try it, I know you'll have fun."

With that said, Lynn grabs my arm and drags me bodily off the bench. She's stronger than I am, so there's no hope of resisting. Therefore, I just make a grab for my bag and reluctantly follow her.

"What's with that book, anyway?" Lynn says. "Magical girls or something…? Isn't that for little kids?"

"No!" I say. "It's not! It's not like PreCure, which is suitable for elementary school kids. It's a dark but amazing story!"

"I don't get it," Lynn says. "You should've grown out of that kinda thing by now."

"I'm telling you it's not like that!" I say.

But this girl is the type of person who gets an idea in her head and doesn't listen to anything you say, so my protests are entirely in vain. Of course, back then I didn't yet know she was like that.

"You'll definitely have lots more fun with us," Lynn says. "We needed one more person to make the teams even, anyway. Here we are!"

Several other classmates have apparently gathered in the courtyard in front of the school building, and Lynn waves to them. Two of them are kicking a soccer ball back and forth.

"I found us a goalie!" she shouts.

At least I won't have to run around much if I'm the goalie. With a sigh, I set my bag down next to the tree that has been selected as a goal post and dig out something to insert into my book as a bookmark, then slip it safely inside my bag.

But since this is a memory, I know what's coming. I wonder if I can avoid it somehow. Even in a memory, it's going to hurt taking a soccer ball to the face. But so far it seems that I'm not really in control – the memory has taken over and is directing me.

The other kids get started on their makeshift soccer game, with four people on each team, and I just stand there watching as the ball bounces back and forth between the players. A goal is scored on the opposite side, netting a point for Lynn's team. They kick the ball around for another few minutes, and then the dreaded moment arrives – it comes flying directly at my face.

But that's when something disrupts the memory. Moments before the ball hits me in the face, a foot comes flying in out of nowhere to kick it aside, followed by the attached body. The person in question lands skidding on the grass nearby, and I gasp. It's someone who shouldn't be in this memory – Chevonne O'Keefe. Like me, she's also around the age of fourteen.

"Huh?" Lynn says. "Who the hell are you…?"

Two more girls run up. My eyes fall first on the brown-haired Janice, blinking in confusion, then slide over to the blonde-haired girl with her.

It's Ashley Taylor.

"What kind of a question is that?" Chevonne asks. "We're Chelsea's friends, isn't that right, Chelsea?"

"Eh?" I say. "Oh, um… y-yes!"

"Nice to meet you, Chelsea!" Janice says. "I'm sorry we took so long… but any friend of Ashley's is a friend of ours, of course!"

"Thank you for protecting her, Chevonne," Ashley says. "And Chelsea, just what the heck were you doing here? Did you forget why you came to this place?"

"Hold on a moment!" Lynn protests. "We were in the middle of a game! Chelsea agreed to play it with us, so you have no right to interfere!"

"That's a lie!" Ashley says. "She never agreed to anything! I saw the whole thing – you forced her into it!"

"That's not true!" Lynn protests. "It's not!"

"Come on, Chelsea, let's get out of here," Ashley says.

She grabs my hand and pulls me away. I reflexively grab my bag as the four of us head out onto the street. Lynn and the others make no attempt to follow. As I glance back, I can see them resuming their game as if nothing had happened.

"Um, so… how are you here?" I ask. "You shouldn't be in this memory…"

"I asked them to come," Ashley says. "Of course, they're from one of my memories… though I never actually knew Janice at this age, but I guess she was adjusted to fit the context of your memory."

"Glad to be of help," Chevonne says. "But I think it's about time we leave now. You two have things to do in private, right?"

"Yeah," Ashley says. "Thanks for helping me find her."

With that, we round a corner, but Janice and Chevonne don't follow. Furthermore, the street around the corner isn't the one that should be there in Vancouver. It looks like it's actually the street in Tokyo where Shizuku sent us.

Sure enough, Ashley leads me straight to Shirin's place. At some point while we walk, we're returned to our normal forms – Ashley's eighteen-year-old self and my mid-twenties body.

We step into Shirin's office and see Scheherazade waiting there. The door to the back room and the kiosk usually occupied by Tomiko are replaced by a huge television screen.

"I found her," Ashley says. "Sorry for the delay."

"So you're the other personality," Scheherazade says. "You're older…? That's unusual… but it doesn't matter."

She gestures towards the screen.

"Shall we get started?"

"Yes, we should, but… how…?" I ask.

Ashley giggles. "Oh Chelsea, what a silly question that is," she says. "We're inside our mind right now, so all we have to do is think about it, right? I've gotten used to it since you took over, so I'll be your projectionist today. Please, take a seat."

"Are you sure…?" I ask.

"Of course!" Ashley says.

She heads over to the screen and presses a button, then twiddles some kind of dial beside it. After a bit, an image comes onscreen. It's me, in bed late at night, playing Magia Record. Well… I say it's me, but it's also from my point of view, so my face isn't visible or anything. As we watch, the me on the screen finally sets the game down and lays back to sleep.

That's when a deep masculine voice is heard… but this time, I can understand it.

"Suitable host for Project Rinne located. Initiating search for compatible subject."

"W-what the heck is that!?" I gasp. "Project Rinne…?"

Ashley hits what looks like a pause button while we chat.

"I believe 'rinne' refers to the cycle of life and reincarnation," Scheherazade says. "Also known as 'samsara'."

"Okay, but… what does that have to do with me…?"

"Well, you were reincarnated, weren't you?" Ashley says.

"Well… okay, I can't deny that one," I say. "It still raises a lot of questions, but… let's continue."

Ashley hits the pause button again, and the onscreen vision continues. The surroundings of my bedroom, along with any remaining view of my limbs, fade away. They are replaced by a scene that seems to violate basic physical principles, like the fact that you need four right angles to form a closed loop from straight edges in three-dimensional space. Broadly speaking, I'd say the place looks like a lab, but most of the apparatus completely defies description.

In the centre of the lab, if that's what it is, are two beings that lack any defined form, consisting of nothing but a bright outline. Each of them holds up an appendage of some sort, clasping a round flask that might be made of glass. One flask holds a pink puff of smoke, while the other holds a blue puff. The blue one is poured unceremoniously into the flask with the pink smoke, and though they swirl together to a degree, they remain stubbornly separated into separate blue and pink bands.

"Excellent," a feminine voice says, though it's still pretty deep for a woman's voice. "This should do nicely."

"As long as she does not make a contract and become a magical girl," the first voice responds.

It sounds like the feminine voice comes from the being holding the flask with the smoke, while the masculine voice is the one who poured the blue smoke out and now holds an empty flask.

"No chance of that," the feminine voice says. "The subject seems to be aware of all the downsides."

"And if she does?" the masculine voice asks.

"We will improvise," the feminine voice replies. "It makes things harder, but it is not a deal-breaker."

"Understood," the masculine voice says.

"Setting aside Project Rinne… do you have anything new to report from monitoring Sarah Mirabilis W or Itzli?" the feminine voice asks.

"Negative," the masculine voice says.

"Be sure to keep me informed," the feminine voice says.

"Of course," the masculine voice says.

At that point, the strange place is replaced by a view of Ashley's room, from her perspective, as I woke up in her body. Ashley hits the pause button and turns to look at us.

"So?" she says. "What do you think, Scheherazade?"

"Well, strangely enough, I know of that species," Scheherazade says. "They are the shen. I know little more than the name, but… I once met one on Earth, and there are scattered mentions of the race throughout my Akashic Records."

"So you've actually heard of them!?" I gasp. "That's unexpected…"

"Heard of, yes, but… I'm afraid I can't help you much more than that," Scheherazade says. "Apparently, the one I met was simply out for a stroll and accidentally blew up a volcano, so she was cleaning up her mess… but I got the impression that such responsible behaviour was atypical of their kind."

If that can be described as responsible, then the others must be really bad…

"The only other notable thing I can remember is that she claimed to be older than the universe… by several orders of magnitude," Scheherazade finishes.

"I think it's helpful to have a name for them, even if we know nothing else about them," Ashley says. "Now we no longer have to refer to them as 'those weird aliens' all the time, right?"

"Right," I say. "Wait… does that mean they're from this world, then…? I got the impression that they weren't…"

Scheherazade shrugs. "I can't give you any information about their origins," she says.

"Alright, and what do you think they're up to, based on that little scene?" Ashley asks.

"Frankly, what little I can discern of their motive from that short exchange feels quite close to the incubators," Scheherazade says. "I'd be inclined to wonder if they're actually the race behind the incubators…"

"Huh?" I say. "But we already know the race behind the incubators are called the Edalon… and apparently they come from someplace called the black-eyed galaxy or something?"

"Oh, that's interesting," Scheherazade says. "Where did you hear that from?"

"From Coeurl," I say.

"I see," Scheherazade says. "She arrived in this time through the temporal railway, right? So it's believable that she'd know a lot more about some things than the people of this time… including myself…"

"…what is the temporal railway?" I ask.

Scheherazade shrugs. "If Nanabuluku is to believed, it might as well be the road to hell," she says. "I don't know much about it, only that it exists and reaches back to at least the Paleolithic age, as well as into the distant future. As for who built it and how, or for that matter how to actually operate it and travel on it… I couldn't tell you any of that."

"Alright, shall we move on to the second scene?" Ashley says. "You guys all ready?"

"Ah, yes," I say.

"Alright, then I'm hitting the big old play button!" Ashley says.

She turns to the screen and dramatically punches the button in question. A new scene appears on the screen, an eldritch conglomeration of impossible angles and perspective splices. As before, it's something like a lab, filled with Escherian equipment. This time, there is only one entity… one shen in the room, a bright amorphous outline overlaid over the scene. It appears to be examining a bizarre device that projects a pattern of lines into the air above it. Compared to the surroundings, that projection is positively normal. In fact, it looks a lot like a map of Japan.

"How could this happen!?" the shen exclaims. "Everything was going well, despite the subject contracting with Kyuubey… but then, she just disappeared from the time flow."

It's the same masculine voice from the previous vision. Another shen slides into view, responding in a higher-pitched yet still masculine voice.

"This is why we chose someone who would not contract, because magic just complicates everything."

"Yes, that is why I selected someone who already knows everything about Kyuubey," the deeper-voiced one says. "I still cannot believe she contracted even knowing that."

"Okay, but back to the issue of her disappearance," the higher voice says. "It is impossible to just disappear entirely, right? It has to be some sort of transportation magic."

As before, I get the impression that the higher-voiced one is something like an assistant to the other one, who is something like a professor or researcher. Now that I can understand their words, it becomes much clearer that they are, almost certainly, talking about me.

"But I have scanned the entire galaxy," the professor says. "There is no sign of her anywhere."

"Hmm… what if it is not a spatial transit?" the assistant suggests.

"Ah… a temporal transit?" the professor muses. "I see… so I should scan for her in adjacent branched realities. Okay, let me try that."

Silence falls as the professor fiddles with the device projecting the display. It shifts from a view of Japan to a single horizontal line, marked with ticks labelled by month kanji.

"Isn't that weird?" Ashley pipes up. "They're aliens, yet they're using kanji to label the months…"

"True," I say. "I wonder why they did that…"

"Maybe the concept of a month is just foreign to them, so they adopt the local notation," Scheherazade suggests.

The view extends from November on the left to May on the right, with the section from late November to the end of April highlighted in a different colour.

"Okay, so this is the original timeline," the professor says. "She suddenly disappears on April thirtieth. Let me expand the search to nearby timelines…"

A little more fiddling, and the projected timeline begins to sprout branches from the middle of March. There are a huge number of branches, to the point that they almost fill the screen, but most of them are marked with an X not long after the branching point. I count the ones that have a highlighted section continuing all the way through the end of April – there are exactly nine of them. And furthermore, on one of those nine, the highlighting extends past April all the way into May. The projection cuts off around the middle of May, but that's obviously just the limited scope it's showing.

"Oh? This is incredible," the professor says. "There are over a hundred realities where she died on the day of branching. Why would that be? She was not in any danger… but anyway, despite all that, there are still realities where she does not die."

"There must be one where she does not disappear," the assistant says.

"Let me see… there appear to be some where she disappears quite a bit later, too, but… yes, here, I found one where she does not disappear at all."

The one timeline that I noticed earlier, which continues beyond the end of April, is suddenly highlighted in a different colour. Then all the other branches fade out, reducing that timeline down to a single flat line. The view scrolls to the left, showing that the line remains the same colour at least as far as July before once again being cut off by the edge of the display.

"How does it look?" the assistant asks.

They stare at it for nearly a minute before the professor responds.

"Bad. This timeline has an unprecedented level of dimensional interference."

"Dimensional interference?" the assistant asks. "From where?"

"Based on this magical signature… the Time-Space Administration Bureau," the professor says.

Ashley and I gasp in unison, and she hits the pause button.

"The TSAB!?" we shout at the same time.

"But why…?" I say. "The TSAB has no reason to interfere with this world…"

"Yeah, even assuming they had a means of reaching it, it would count as an 'undeveloped world' or whatever they call it, right?" Ashley says.

"Right, they're that kind of non-interfering type," I say. "Like Star Trek's Prime Directive, I think?"

"Yeah, you got that reference right," Ashley says. "But all that said… their non-interference assumes that we don't interfere with them, right? The world of Uminari is a prime example of that."

"True, I suppose," I say. "And if Magia Clash happens…"

"Bingo!" Ashley says. "I'd say this counts as evidence that Magia Clash will happen."

I nod slowly. "Yeah, I agree," I say. "In that case, I should start preparing in earnest… let's go to the Mirror Witch tomorrow."

"Huh…? Why the Mirror Witch?" Ashley asks.

"It'll be too dangerous to send them a grief seed," I say. "I don't know if their technology would be able to handle it. But a mirror coin seems like it should be relatively safe, doesn't it? I think it's sort of like a more primitive version of a grief seed."

"Huh, I suppose that makes sense," Ashley says. "And a Teddy Drone, right?"

"Yeah, I was thinking that too," I say.

"Well, I knew that, since I'm you," Ashley says, sticking her tongue out.

"But you didn't know why I wanted to go to the Mirror Witch?"

"I might be you, but I'm also me," Ashley says. "It's still possible for me to miss something that goes on inside our head."

"Anyway, I'd like to add one more thing," I say. "Not sure what yet… I'll have to give it some more thought…"

"Well, we probably have time, at least," Ashley says. "We haven't heard a peep about it from Miss Mitama or anyone else yet…"

Scheherazade chuckles.

"Excuse me," she says. "Would I be overstepping my bounds if I ask what on earth you're both talking about? This TSAB is not an organization I've heard of before… nor does Magia Clash sound familiar, or the name Uminari."

"Ah," I say. "I forgot you were here… you probably shouldn't've heard that…"

"If it's eavesdroppers you're worried about, the only one is Shirin," Scheherazade says.

"Well… even then, it'd probably take too long to explain," I say. "Can we just get back to the vision instead?"

Scheherazade shrugs. "If that's how it must be, then I suppose I'll just remain curious. Let us continue."

"Right," Ashley says.

She turns back to the screen and hits the pause button.

"But this world is well outside their multiversal manifold!" the assistant exclaims.

"I know, that is partly why we chose it," the professor says. "But it seems that the dimensional instabilities created by Sarah Mirabilis W have expanded to the point that they can suck in people from other manifolds. I can detect at least one other case of this in the observed frame. So… what do we do? The experiment is practically ruined…"

"I suppose the only thing we can do now is ask the director," the assistant says.

"Ugh, I was hoping it wouldn't come to that," the professor says. "Will you at least accompany me?"

"Of course I will," the assistant says.

The two shen begin to move, but then the scene shifts around them. Rather than them traversing the area, it's more like they remain physically fixed in one place while the world moves around them. A conduit of some kind pulses by, and then they're in a room that somehow manages to resemble an office. There's a third shen here.

"Yes? What is it you want?"

That's the same deep yet feminine voice from the previous vision.

"Reporting the status of Project Rinne," the professor says. "We have urgent news and require guidance."

"Very well," the feminine voice says. "What seems to be the matter?"

"The subject has used some form of temporal transference, which made it difficult to track," the professor says. "Once we finally located the final resulting timeline, we discovered an incursion from the Time-Space Administration Bureau."

"How?" the feminine voices asks, sounding surprised. "Is that world not well outside the multiversal manifold of the Time-Space Adminstration Bureau?"

"It is," the professor says. "We are not quite sure how they managed to incur, but we believe the power of Sarah Mirabilis W is likely responsible."

Silence falls for awhile as the feminine voice, who seems like a director, ponders the situation. After watching for about thirty seconds, Ashley fast-forwards a bit.

"I understand," the director says. "It is unfortunate, but we will have to terminate the experiment. The Time-Space Administration Bureau is too dangerous – we cannot risk encountering them. If they find out about our existence, our designs could be ruined."

"Understood," the professor says. "And what of the Project Rinne subject? Do we leave her alone, or should we dispose of her?"

"For what it is worth," the assistant speaks up. "I believe it is not worth the risk to dispose of her. We can restart the experiment with a different subject on a nearby timeline."

Silence falls again, and once more Ashley becomes impatient and fast-forwards a bit.

"I believe the risk of not doing so is even greater," the director finally concludes. "Dispose of her, discreetly."

"When should we schedule the disposal in the local time frame?" the director asks.

"I will leave that up to your discretion," the director says.

"Then, I propose May twenty-eighth," the professor says. "It is after the incursion of the Time-Space Administration Bureau, and the level of temporal distortion is lowest."

"Approved," the director says. "See to it that you do not fail."

As the screen is filled with static, Ashley turns to face me, outraged.

"Oh. My. God!?" she gasps. "That sure got real fast! They're gonna dispose of us!? How dare they treat us as disposable guinea pigs!"

"It's also interesting to note that they seem to fear the TSAB," I say. "For all their incredibly advanced technology, or whatever it is, something about the TSAB still poses a threat… so I think our best bet is to actually tell the TSAB about them."

"Hmm… if the TSAB incursion refers to Magia Clash, then perhaps we do have a chance," Ashley muses. "Since that's before the date they chose…"

"And to play it safe, we should probably make sure we're in Kamihama on May twenty-eighth," I muse. "In case we need to use a lot of magic… but you know, it's telling that they seem to be unaware of Winchester's true name, isn't it?"

"That's a good point," Ashley says. "I missed that… but yeah, it shows they're not omniscient. That means we can beat them…! I wonder why they thought Itzli was significant though…"

"Good question," I say. "I'd like to know that myself… we should ask Pernelle about it later…"

"Well, you can discuss this amongst yourselves some other time, can't you?" Scheherazade speaks up. "I believe my role here is done, right?"

"Ah, you're right," I say. "I only had the two visions of them, after all…"

"Yeah, let's wake up now," Ashley says. "Can you hear that, Shirin…?"

Almost as if in response to her name, the environment around us begins to decay. A few moments later, I wake up back on the bed at Shirin's place.

"Seems like it was a success?" Shirin says.

"Yes… thank you very much," I say.

"So, what happened?" Inui asks. "Did you learn anything new?"

"Yes," I say. "I learned that they plan to kill me on the twenty-eighth."

"W-what!?" Inui gasps. "No way…!"

"But I'm not gonna go down that easily," I say. "I may have also learned something I can use against them… I'll take everything I can get."

"That's the spirit!" Inui exclaims.

"I have one other request, Miss Charmchi," I say. "Would you mind putting up this poster in your shop?"

I offer the poster tube I picked up earlier at Pernelle's place. Shirin takes it and opens it up, extracting the poster and unrolling it.

"Hmm," she says. "Magical girl social media, is it? I suppose I can put it up, yes."

"Thank you," I say.

I head out into the courtyard and send Shizuku an email with my exact coordinates. Scheherazade and Clarisse leave together as I'm composing the message. We only have to wait about two minutes before the portal opens, and when we step through we find ourselves just outside the Coordinator's place in Kamihama, as I'd requested in the message. Shizuku herself doesn't appear to be around – can she link places without being physically present at one end? But then the portal closes after we've stepped through, so she must have been observing us somehow…

"So, what next?" Inui says.

"We have a few hours before the trial," I say. "Is there anything you'd like to do? Or we could just hunt a few witches."

"Hmm… I guess a witch hunt sounds good," Inui says. "Let's just head north and snag any witches we spot along the way."

"Sounds good to me," I say.

---

Inui and I arrive at the Eternal Sakura early, but we find that all of the key players are already present. Sakurako herself stands motionless at the front behind a podium, staring emotionlessly out at the audience.

The defendants are all lined up in a row, with chairs provided for most of them. Alina dozes in a wheelchair, Karin hovering behind her and looking anxious. San sits between her and Mifuyu, tapping her foot impatiently under the latter's sharp supervision. Next to Mifuyu are the Amane twins, looking crestfallen and holding hands. Mitama sits on the other side of the twins, the only defendant daring to smile, though her smile seems a little off today. Then there's Touka, wearing a strangely smug look on her face for someone about to stand trial. And finally, Nemu sits in her wheelchair next to Touka, Ui standing behind her and leaning on the back of Touka's seat.

The rest of the Crescent Moon group have also arrived. Iroha stands with her sister, both of them looking very unhappy. Tsuruno, Felicia, and Sana stand a bit further back behind the defendants, looking a little anxious. Yachiyo leans lightly on the back of Mifuyu's chair, frowning. Even Ai is present, standing completely motionless next to Sana. And Kanagi hovers behind Mitama's seat, her expression as unreadable as always.

Iroha and Ui brighten up slightly upon spotting us.

"Miss Ashley!" Iroha exclaims. "You didn't show up for the first trial, so I was wondering if you'd even come today…"

"I'm sorry… it was always my plan to only attend the second trial, since I've got so many other things to do as well," I say. "It looks like things are going about as badly as I anticipated though… would you like to explain the current situation? What were the verdicts from the previous trial?"

"Well… it's like this," Iroha begins. "The three Magius and Miss Kagura were given the maximum penalty. Miss Mifuyu's powers are to be sealed, and Miss Mitama and the twins were sentenced to have their powers restricted."

"That's about what I expected," I say. "Well… I had no idea what Alina and Miss Kagura would get though. Miss Mitama had special conditions, right?"

"Ah, yes, she's only allowed to transform in order to perform Coordinations," Iroha says. "But how did you know that…?"

"Never mind," I say.

"I still can't believe that Touka and Nemu received a death sentence," Iroha says.

"Yeah, the trial's been rigged," I say. "Though there aren't many people who'd dare to rig a trial against themselves…"

"W-what do you mean…?" Iroha asks.

"Well… maybe she mentioned this to you last time as well?" I say. "Touka didn't submit all the data. She thought her and Nemu's ages were irrelevant so she just left that out. Maybe there's other data too that she didn't bother submitting, that would've softened the sentence. And that data hasn't been submitted for today's trial, either."

"Huh…? But Touka-chan said she'd submit it," Iroha says.

"Aren't you a little too trusting…?" I say. "You should've forced her to do it while watching her. But, well… that's the purpose of a jury, right? And for this trial, it's an open jury, right?"

"Um… if you mean that we're accepting opinions from any magical girl, then yes," Iroha says. "Although we haven't had many people contact us about that…"

"That's another part of why I showed up early," I say. "You say few people have contacted you, but… how many people have actually been informed of the situation?"

"W-well… we announced it at the meeting two days ago," Iroha says. "The first trial was held not long after the meeting… and we told everyone when the second and third trials would be held. We distributed surveys to everyone – all the feathers, and most of the girls of Kamihama…"

"It was a good thought, but did you see the surveys for yourself?" I ask. "Touka sent them out, right? I saw it came from her email."

"Um… what do you mean?" Iroha asks.

"I mean, did you see the survey that Touka sent out?" I say.

"Well… I helped to make it," Iroha says. "So yes, I've seen it…"

"That's not quite what I'm asking," I say. "You're just assuming that the survey Touka sent out is identical to what you saw, right?"

"Huh…?" Iroha says. "Well… that's true, but… why wouldn't it be…?"

I take out my phone and bring up Touka's email containing the survey, opening the attachment and showing it to Iroha.

"This is the survey I received," I say. "Look closely at it. Do you see anything off about it?"

Iroha scans it, but she shakes her head.

"Onee-chan… at this rate… Touka-chan and Nemu-chan really will get the maximum penalty…!" Ui interrupts anxiously. "Shouldn't the surveys have arrived by now…? The trial's about to start…"

"They're supposed to be collected in groups," Tsuruno says. "There were groups for the east, west, south, and centre of the city… oh, and I think there was one for the north, too…? Though there aren't many people in that group… but it's hard to believe all the groups are delayed."

"It does seem unnatural," Kanagi muses.

Ignoring them, I enlarge the key error in the email and point it out to Iroha.

"Miss Iroha, what does it say here?" I ask.

"The date…?" Iroha says. "'The second trial will be on the eighth of May'… yes, that is indeed when we scheduled the third trial." She blinks. "Huh? No wait, it says the second trial will be then? That's wrong…! Touka-chan, how could you mess up such an important detail!?"

She turns to Touka and Nemu, but they clam up, not saying anything.

"Miss Yui has a good point, and I believe you're misunderstanding something, Miss Iroha," I say. "Touka and Nemu didn't mess it up. The survey says exactly what they want it to say."

"What do you mean…?" Iroha asks.

"Touka may be a genius, but she doesn't understand how people feel at all," I say. "Nemu should probably know better, being a writer and all, but I think she's pretty susceptible to logical-sounding arguments, and she probably feels guilty about some of the things she did… so I imagine Touka must've talked her into it."

"I see," Kanagi says. "If the date on the surveys was wrong, then it would neatly explain the missing surveys…"

Yachiyo straightens up suddenly.

"We don't have time to waste talking about it," she says. "We need those surveys, right? Otherwise, Touka and Nemu might be killed."

"Those two are crazy, but they're actually younger than me, right?" Felicia says. "I feel bad for them if they gotta die…"

"We should hear other peoples' opinions, at the very least," Sana says.

"Let's go get them!" Felicia declares.

"Do you mean the surveys?" Sana says.

"Hell yeah!" Felicia says.

"O-okay!" Sana says. "If we split up, maybe we can make it back in time!"

"Let's contact the girls who were supposed to bring them first!" Tsuruno says. "Himika and Riko-chan in the east, and Momoko's gang in the west, right?"

"Miss Hinano was covering the south and downtown!" Sana says. "And Miss Kuroe said she'd talk to some magical girls in Takarazaki."

"And I'll let Miss Chika know for the north," I say. "There's only three or four girls in that area so it should be fast. I'll also send a message to Madoka, though I'm not sure if she'll be able to make it here in time. We'll have to write off Asunaro, Hohzuki, and Matsumiya, though I suspect they'd have the least to say about it anyway, being further away."

"Let's hurry!" Tsuruno says.

"Okay!" Felicia says. "We're gonna get those surveys!"

The three of them whip out their phones to contact the relevant people, and I too take mine out to contact Chika and Madoka.

"I'll go with you!" Mitama exclaims.

"You can't, Mitama," Kanagi says.

"Why not!?" Mitama gasps.

"The trial is about to begin," Sakurako announces. "Defendants, please remain in this area."

"So in order for me to leave, I would need to defeat you?" Mitama asks.

"That is correct," Sakurako says.

"I see," Mitama says.

"I'll contact Himika, too," Kanagi says. "Let me go with you."

"There's strength in numbers, right?" Yachiyo says. "I'll go, too."

"I will endeavour to aid Sana and the others in this search as well," Ai speaks up.

"Um… Miss Yachiyo!" Iroha exclaims. "Let me c—"

"Iroha, you should stay here with Ui," Yachiyo interrupts. "You know what to do, right?"

Iroha sighs.

"I understand," she says. "I'll try to stall as best I can. I can't accept any of this without hearing everyone's opinions."

"We'll give it our best for as long as we can, too," Yachiyo says.

With that, everyone runs off and exits the barrier, except for Sakurako, the eight defendants, the Tamaki sisters, Karin, me, and Inui. Silence falls for almost a minute before Sakurako speaks up again.

"Let us begin the second trial," she announces. "The judgements shall be modified based on surveys distributed to all magical girls. This trial is divided into three parts. The first part is the three Magius: Satomi Touka, Hiiragi Nemu, and Alina Grey. If anyone has evidence or a statement to help the defendants, please submit them."

"I do have something to say," I speak up. "May I?"

"Go ahead," Sakurako says.

"I heard from Miss Iroha that the Magius were assigned the death penalty in the first trial," I say. "Is that correct?"

"Yes, as their guilt is quite clear," Sakurako says.

"I'm probably unusual in this modern world in my belief that the death penalty is sometimes the only viable punishment," I say. "And yet, even ignoring their young age, I believe it is too harsh for the Magius."

"I see," Sakurako says. "May I ask for your reasoning?"

"Yes, I was about to get there," I say. "It might sound at first like I'm contradicting myself, so please bear with me. I believe that all humans have the right to a second chance, without exception. No matter how terrible a mistake they've made, no matter how terrible their crimes, no matter how many people died as a result of their actions… everyone deserves a second chance."

"That does appear to contradict your assertion that the death penalty is sometimes necessary," Sakurako says.

"Yes, but that's only because some of the terminology I've used is a little unclear," I say. "I'll explain why I don't feel that those two views are in contradiction to each other. First of all, when I say that everyone deserves a second chance, I'm referring to giving them an opportunity. An opportunity is a choice – you can take it or leave it. And as for the sort of opportunity being offered as a second chance, it's an opportunity to apologize, make amends, and atone for their sins. A person who takes that opportunity is someone who regrets what they did. They feel remorse, and may even wish to be punished in order to make themselves and others feel better. And a person who doesn't take that opportunity is someone who feels no remorse, who doesn't regret their sinful actions, who indeed may actually be proud of what they did, and would likely even do it again. From my perspective, only the second kind of person ever deserves a death penalty… although, that's not to say that all such people deserve it. It also depends on what their actual crime is, of course. But more to the point – the first kind of person should never be given the death penalty, in my opinion."

"I follow your line of reasoning," Sakurako says. "But what is your point?"

"Touka and Nemu very clearly regret what they did," I say. "They regret it to the point of seeking the maximum penalty, hoping it will make everyone feel better. But what they've failed to understand is that death does not atone for anything. Their death won't make things better. It will, in very clear terms, make things worse. In fact, even when necessary, the death penalty can't ever make things better. For someone who feels no remorse, who would proudly do the same thing again without hesitation, the death penalty is the lesser of two evils. But that doesn't apply when the person wants to make up for what they've done. You can't make amends if you're dead. Deciding to die is the coward's way out. Touka and Nemu have the will to make things better, and we need their expertise in the days to come, so we should let them step up and atone for their sins, rather than killing them off."

"I understand," Sakurako says. "Your opinion is noted. I notice you did not address Alina Grey in your argument, however. Do you have more to add on her account?"

"Hmm… well, I'm honestly not sure whether Alina feels remorse or not," I say. "But I do have three reasons why I believe she shouldn't receive the death penalty. They're mostly unrelated to the previous argument."

"Very well," Sakurako says. "I am listening."

"The first reason is, I believe that she was under a foreign influence at the time," I say. "Perhaps she still is. Unfortunately, I do not have a means on hand to prove this… so it remains as pure conjecture for the time being."

"If it is conjecture, then it cannot be used as evidence," Sakurako says. "What are your other two reasons?"

"The second reason is… if my information is correct, Alina appears to have lost her memory of the past month," I say. "More specifically, it appears she doesn't remember anything from her time as a magical girl… Karin-chan, can you corroborate this claim?"

"Huh!?" Karin gasps. "Me…? Ah… um… I'm not quite sure. She clearly doesn't remember the last two weeks, at least, but I'm not sure of the exact point in time that her memories cut off… I'm sorry…"

Given that I forgot to confirm that situation with Karin beforehand, I suppose I'm lucky to be at least partially correct.

"Well, that's good enough," I say. "Most of her crimes were in the last two weeks anyway."

"Why is this relevant?" Sakurako asks.

"If she doesn't remember doing something, then a punishment has no meaning for her," I say. "The primary purpose of punishment is to incentivize people to change, to not repeat their crimes, but what good does that do if they can't even remember what they did? But I admit this argument starts to become a little shaky when the punishment under discussion is the death penalty… since you can't change once you're dead."

"Hmm… and your third reason…?" Sakurako asks.

"My third reason is… I think Alina would consider the death penalty to be a reward," I say.

"W-what are you saying!?" Karin gasps. "Alina's not… like that…!"

"What are you saying?" I retort. "She already has one suicide attempt on record, does she not? And her obsession with death as a topic is well-known. She has definitely expressed a desire to go out with a bang, presenting her own death as a work of art. So… as paradoxical as it may seem, I think that withholding the death penalty is a much greater penalty for her."

"Understood," Sakurako says. "Your opinions have been noted. Is there any other evidence to be presented?"

"U-um…! C-can I say something…?" Karin asks.

"Go ahead," Sakurako says.

"I don't know what came over Alina-sempai in the past two weeks," Karin says. "But I just wanted to say that the Alina-sempai I know is not a bad person. She's gruff, and a little mean at times, but she's kind at heart. I especially want to point out that her kindness was in a way what got all of this started – she didn't have to step up to save Ui-chan's life when her collection magic was going berserk, but she did step up. After that, I don't deny that she did some bad things, but… I think it's too much to execute her for them!"

"Actually, now that you mention it, I believe Miss Yakumo can also attest to her kindness," I speak up.

"Huh!? Me…?" Mitama gasps.

"Please do not speak unless permitted," Sakurako says.

"Ah… my apologies," Mitama says.

"May I question her a little to jog her memory?" I ask.

"You may," Sakurako says. "Yakumo Mitama, you are free to answer Ashley Taylor's questions."

"Miss Yakumo, can you briefly outline what happened when Miss Miyako unleashed her doppel?" I ask.

Mitama gasps. "Ohhh…! I had almost forgotten about that… yes, when Hinano was about to unleash her doppel in the middle of my shop, Alina stepped in to contain her, sparing my shop from destruction. I see… yes, that does seem to show her kindness, in a way… and it happened more recently, too. I'm afraid I can't recall the exact day, however…"

"Understood," Sakurako says. "Does anyone else have anything to say?"

"Um, I just have a few words to add," Inui says.

"Go ahead," Sakurako says.

"Touka-chan and Nemu-chi are clearly underage," she says. "They're too young to receive the death penalty. Even if you weren't explicitly told their ages, it should be clear just by looking at them that they're underage. There's no reason to even consider the death penalty as an option!"

"Your argument is noted," Sakurako says. "Does anyone else have anything to add?"

Silence falls, but it seems no-one else can think of anything to say. After several seconds, Ui speaks up anxiously.

"Onee-chan… the surveys still aren't here yet…!" she says.

"It doesn't seem like it," Iroha says.

"No further materials have been submitted," Sakurako announces. "We will reflect on the previous trial results."

"T-this is bad…!" Karin exclaims, shaking Alina a little. "Alina-sempai… wake up! It's time!"

"Hmmm…?" Alina says.

She stirs in her wheelchair, opening her eyes and looking around in confusion.

"Ah… it's this dream again," she mutters. "Dammit, why'd I have to have this dream again…"

"It's not a dream, Alina-sempai," Karin says. "Please pay attention!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Alina mutters.

"Satomi Touka," Sakurako says.

"Yes," Touka says.

"You are to answer for the following crimes," Sakurako says. "You planned the events that bring us here. You summoned witches to Kamihama. You used technology to disturb the peace. You tricked the feathers and made them feral. You knowingly planned for casualties. I will skip the details to save time. Do you disagree with any of these charges?"

"No, they're exactly right," Touka says.

"I will address other charges as needed," Sakurako says. "Next, Hiiragi Nemu."

Nemu sits up straight in her wheelchair.

"Yes," she says.

"You are to answer for the following crimes," Sakurako says. "You created rumours involving civilians. You supported the summoning of witches. You attempted to cause wide-scale harm. You manipulated your followers with rumours. You knowingly planned for casualties. I will skip the details to save time. Do you disagree with any of these charges?"

"I do not," Nemu says.

"I will address other charges as needed," Sakurako says. "Next, Alina Grey."

Alina straightens up in her wheelchair and tilts her head.

"What do you want with me, the great Alina Grey?" she asks haughtily.

"You are to answer for the following crimes," Sakurako says. "You raised witches by feeding them grief seeds. You threatened to feed your followers and other magical girls to witches. You encouraged manipulating your followers with rumours. You attempted to cause wide-scale harm. You knowingly planned for casualties. I will skip the details to save time. Do you disagree with any of these charges?"

"Hmmmm," Alina says. "I, Alina, remember none of that… but most of it sounds like something I would envisage. Not that I would actually enact a threat like that…"

"I will address other charges as needed," Sakurako says.

"Excuse me, may I say something?" Mifuyu speaks up.

"Defendants may not speak unless called upon," Sakurako says. "Please only speak when permitted."

"Oh," Mifuyu says.

"We can't wait any longer, onee-chan," Ui says.

"I'll stop her!" Iroha says. "Excuse me, Sakurako-chan!

"What is it?" Sakurako asks.

"The surveys haven't arrived yet," Iroha says. "May we have until tomorrow to collect them?"

"The trial has already begun, so we can't adjourn," Sakurako says.

"Oh no," Iroha gasps.

"But I can wait," Sakurako continues.

"How long do we have…?" Iroha asks.

"One hour is within reason," Sakurako says.

"One hour," Iroha says. "Can we gather them all in one hour…?"

"For now, let's let everyone know to return the moment they've finished," I suggest. "I think Miss Chika should be here within half an hour, so that's a start… and I bet Riko-chan can make it here before the hour is up too. Maybe Sakurako will extend the limit again once she's received some of the surveys."

"Alright… I'll let everyone know," Iroha says.

We both take out our phones. I contact Chika, Riko, and Madoka, while Iroha presumably contacts the others to explain the current situation. Then it's time to simply sit down and wait.

It's only about ten to fifteen minutes before Chika steps into the barrier, waving to me.

"Good afternoon, Miss Ashley!" she says. "I have the surveys from Hokuyo and beyond the northern city limits, not that there were many of them… I gathered them from Miss Natsu, Miss Negishi, Miss Kusch, Miss Yuzuki, Miss Chihiro, and Miss Kurumi."

That's all the magical girls either in or near Hokuyo – Natsu Ryoko and Negishi Nekoha both live in villages a little north of the city, so it made sense to include them in Chika's area.

"I guess that's about what I expected," I say. "Other than Miss Kurumi. I didn't expect you to speak to her. Anyway, thanks for giving up your time to do all that."

"It's not a problem," Chika says. "Miss Sakurako, may I submit the surveys?"

"I will accept them," Sakurako says. "However, I will wait until the indicated time before inspecting them."

She takes the paper surveys from Chika and sets them down on the podium in front of her. Chika takes a seat to wait with the rest of us.

It's almost half an hour later before Riko and Rui enter the barrier together.

"Ashley-nee!" Riko exclaims. "We brought the surveys from Kosho Ward!"

She hands them over to Sakurako, and we sit back to wait again. A few minutes later, Himika and Kanagi step in.

"More surveys coming up!" Himika says. "All the Daito Ward surveys are here! We got quite a few!"

She passes on her surveys to Sakurako, and once again we wait. Then Sakurako speaks up.

"The one hour has elapsed," she says. "I will begin to examine the surveys."

"Sakurako, could I say something?" I ask.

"You may."

"I believe you should give us a little more time," I say. "After all, the date specified on the survey was wrong. You can examine them and see for yourself. Isn't that evidence that someone tampered with them to influence the trial?"

Sakurako picks up the top survey on the pile and examines it closely. Then she repeats with several more in succession.

"You appear to be correct," she says. "Very well… this is sufficient evidence that there has been interference. I will give you one more hour."

"Miss Ashley… you're a lifesaver…!" Iroha gasps. "I never thought she'd extend the time so easily…"

"Well, it's the entire reason I came today," I say. "I can't let Touka and Nemu selfishly end their own lives, leaving us with a system that no-one can understand or even replicate. That doesn't sit well with me. Until we have a means of building a new automatic purification system without relying on your powers, Touka, I won't let you die."

"You're so annoying," Touka mutters. "You always get in the way of my plans… unbelievable…"

"But I'm sure you can't deny that working out the underlying principles of the system excites you," I retort.

"Well…" Touka says. "I won't say… that it doesn't…"

"You probably have some hypotheses already too, right?"

"No… not really," Touka says. "I understand the principles on a high level, expressed in terms of our powers, but… that won't do you any good if you want to reproduce it without our help. If only there were someone who's studied how the magical girl contract works… it would give me a huge head start."

"Hmm, then maybe I'll introduce you to Pernelle Flamel and Akatsuki Youha later," I muse. "Assuming of course that you make it out of here alive."

"…is there some significance to those names…?" Touka asks.

"I don't feel like explaining in detail right now, but feel free to look them up on Wikipedia," I say. "Oh right, of course they're alive, I wouldn't bring them up otherwise."

"You…!" Touka huffs. "What's with you… dangling that in front of my face and then snatching it away…!"

"Touka, you should calm down," Nemu says. "Anyway, I'm not sure about Miss Flamel, but Akatsuki Youha is a well-known noble lady from the Edo period on this island. I believe she was some sort of priestess or shrine maiden, as well as a diplomat of sorts…"

"I'm not really interested in religious people though," Touka says.

"People like her are often magical girls though," I point out.

"As if!" Touka says. "Someone so famous as that couldn't be a magical girl!"

"Why not?" I ask. "There are plenty of famous people who were magical girls."

"Because!" Touka says. "She died at a ripe old age, didn't she!?"

"Are you just guessing…?" I ask. "I thought you hadn't heard of her."

"No, I haven't, but no-one would appoint a child as a diplomat, even if they were a magical girl," Touka retorts.

"I wouldn't go quite so far as to say no-one would, but you do have a point," I say. "On the other hand, it's not like there's a rule that all magical girls must die young, you know. Just look at Miss Nanami."

"But statistically—"

"That's just describing the general shape of the data, the average and such," I say. "There are always outliers, aren't there?"

"I guess," Touka admits.

"And Akatsuki Youha is a pretty extreme outlier, in fact," I say. "You'll understand once you meet her."

After around half an hour of waiting, Tsuruno, Sana, and Ai finally arrive to drop off the surveys from Minaminagi Ward. A little after that, Hinano and Felicia show up with the surveys from downtown. Then the second hour comes to a close, and Sakurako clears her throat once more.

"The second hour is up," she announces. "I will begin examining the surveys."

She picks them up one sheet at a time, scanning each for almost exactly the same period of time before setting it aside. It has the regularity of a series of pages passing through a photocopier. She's about two-thirds of the way through when Momoko, Kaede, Rena, and Yachiyo finally show up, out of breath from running. They also have Kuroe with them.

"Did we make it!?" Momoko gasps. "Can we still submit these surveys?"

Sakurako pauses in her work and looks up at her, tilting her head for a moment. Then she nods.

"Since I have not yet finished collating all the surveys, I will allow it," she says.

"Momoko-chan…! You made it just in time!" Iroha says. "Thank you so much!"

"Amazing!" Momoko says. "I suppose I have good timing for a change!"

She hands Sakurako the surveys. The rumour tucks them underneath the ones she hasn't yet processed, then resumes her work. Everyone waits in dead silence as she works her way through the pile, the soft rustling of paper mingling with the wind through the branches of the blooming cherry tree.

The pile of surveys is almost depleted when Homura and Madoka suddenly appear among us, the latter immediately calling out.

"A-are we too late?" Madoka asks. "I have surveys from Mitakihara and Kazamino…!"

Sakurako once more pauses in her work and looks up at her, tilting her head for a moment. Then she nods and restates her exact words from before.

"Since I have not yet finished collating all the surveys, I will allow it," she says.

Madoka passes her a fresh stack of surveys, which Sakurako again sets beneath the few that she hasn't yet processed. Madoka takes a seat, but Homura remains standing just behind her. Silence falls again as Sakurako continues to examine the surveys, one at a time. Finally, she sets aside the final survey, and Karin shakes Alina awake once more.

"E-eh…?" Alina grumbles, yawning a little. "Ah… it's this dream again…"

"I'm telling you Alina-sempai, it's not a dream," Karin says.

"Taking all the surveys into account, I will now amend the verdict for the three Magius," Sakurako announces. "Satomi Touka – your power is to be sealed. Hiiragi Nemu – your power is to be sealed. Alina Grey – your power is to be restricted."

Alina doesn't seem to think much of the verdict, merely yawning in response. It looks like she's about to doze right off again.

"Huh!?" Touka says. "Why does Alina get a lighter punishment!? I'm sure she did even worse things than we did!"

"Unfortunately, she does not remember her crimes," Sakurako says. "Thus, the punishment is lighter. However, should she come to remember what she did, we can consider reconvening for a new trial."

"Ugh, what's with this convenient amnesia," Touka mutters.

"Convenient in quite a different way than you're imagining," I say. "But well… we'll get to that some other time."

"Now, let us move on to part two of the trial," Sakurako says. "The defendants in this case are the upper echelon of the organization, beneath the Magius – the second-in-command, Azusa Mifuyu, and the third-in-command, Kagura San. Azusa Mifuyu, please stand."

"Yes," Mifuyu says, getting to her feet.

"Using the position you had cultivated, you manipulated vulnerable magical girls to carry out deplorable acts of evil," Sakurako says. "You also acknowledge using your influence to expand and maintain the organization known as the Wings of the Magius. As such, the maximum penalty is appropriate; however, there is testimony that you resisted orders and helped Tamaki Iroha to seize control of Fendt Hope by distracting the Magius. With this in mind, your sentence was previously reduced to revocation of your power; however, in light of the surveys, it has been reduced still further. You will be subject to monitoring for the foreseeable future. See that you do not repeat your crimes."

"Yes… I understand," Mifuyu says. "Thank you very much… I don't deserve such generosity, but I shall gladly take it."

She sits down again.

"Kagura San, please stand," Sakurako says.

"Ugh, it's finally my turn, is it?" San says with a sigh, getting to her feet and taking a step forward. "Alright… you still planning to off me? Cause I've no intention of going down so easily if you do. I have too many things yet to do in this world to accept an early death."

"Using the position you had cultivated, you manipulated vulnerable magical girls to carry out deplorable acts of evil," Sakurako says. "You also participated in experiments on unsuspecting magical girls. In the previous trial, I had assigned you the maximum penalty, with the deciding factors being your unwillingness to cooperate with the trial and your attitude towards your past crimes. However, despite that, it appears you were well-liked by many of the former members of the Wings of the Magius. Combined with new evidence that a majority of participants in your experiments were aware of and content with their role, your sentence has been reduced to restriction of power."

San blinks, apparently startled by the words, but she quickly recovers.

"Remind me what that means again?" she asks.

"Your soul gem will be adjusted so that you feel pain when you transform," Sakurako says.

San groans. "Seriously…? Ugh, I don't see why I should have to submit to such a disgrace… but I suppose it's not really worth the effort of resisting if that's the sentence. At least I can still fight witches and revive my fire festival. But I'm genuinely surprised you reduced it that much… maybe this trial isn't as much of a farce as I thought."

She sits back down with a sigh, and once again quails a little under a look from Mifuyu.

"Finally, let us begin the third part of the trial," Sakurako says. "Yakumo Mitama, please stand."

"Yes," Mitama says, standing up.

"You misrepresented your position as neutral while you helped the Magius, fully aware of their goals and aiding in Eve's growth," Sakurako says. "Your serious crime of trafficking used grief seeds collected from magical girls was the primary cause of Kamihama's devastation. Solely based on those crimes, the maximum penalty would have been appropriate, but you helped save some magical girls by distributing grief seeds across the battlefield. Combined with the surveys from magical girls who wonder how they'd be able to function without your Coordinations, I have reduced your punishment to monitoring. See that you do not repeat your crimes."

"That's not much different from the previous sentence," Mitama says. "But still, it's a relief that I won't be in pain while on the job…"

She sits down with a small sigh of relief.

"Amane sisters, please stand," Sakurako says.

"Yes," the twins say in unison as they step forward.

"As founding members of the group, the two of you were in charge of many black feathers," Sakurako says. "You also raised witches, trafficked grief seeds, and defended rumours. But you were not aware of many important details, and can't be judged for all crimes. Also, you led the feathers when Kamihama was in a state of panic. In fact, your actions on that day were inspiring to many of the magical girls of Kamihama and the Wings of the Magius. As a result, I declare you not guilty."

"R-really!?" Tsukasa gasps. "We're not being punished at all!?"

"That is incredible…!" Tsukuyo says. "I never expected this… I feel that it is more than we deserve…"

"Still, we should take what we're given," Tsukasa says. "Thank you very much, Miss Sakurako…"

"We should also thank all the magical girls who vouched for us in the surveys," Tsukuyo says.

"But they were anonymous," Tsukasa says. "We have no idea who vouched for us…"

"Then, we only need to thank everyone," Tsukuyo says.

"That's a bit…"

"There were some suggestions that others should be tried for various crimes," Sakurako says. "However, it has been deemed that none of their crimes exceed those of the Amane sisters, and as such they too have been deemed as not guilty. Because of that, I will refrain from listing their names. And with that, I declare the second trial over. As the Amane sisters were declared not guilty, they will not be defending in the third trial. For everyone else, the third trial will be held in two days. Everyone who attends will be allowed to vote on my verdicts. If more than half the votes are not in favour, the three representatives I select will deliver the final verdict. Otherwise, my verdict from today shall stand as the final verdict. This court is dismissed."

As the Crescent Moon Villa girls cheer for the softened verdict, I fix my eyes on Sakurako, watching as she gathers up all the reports into a stack and taps then against the podium to align them perfectly. I'm not sure whether I'm imagining it, but for the first time I think I see some trace of emotion on her usually impassive face. Is she relieved that she was able to justify a verdict that didn't result in Touka and Nemu's deaths? Maybe even happy?

There had been an email last Sunday from Iroha, simply noting that Kyuubey had said Sakurako has not even the slightest hint of magical potential, making her even worse than a human selected at random off the street. But if magic is emotions, then learning to feel should be equivalent to gaining potential, shouldn't it? I wonder what would happen if that meeting were to occur again today… but I think I'll wait for a better time before suggesting it.

I'm about to turn and quietly leave them to their celebration, but then I remember I wanted to ask Homura something, so I send her a private message, including Madoka and Inui in the channel as well for transparency.

«By the way, Homura, what's your current checkpoint?»

«Why should I have to tell you that?» Homura retorts.

«Huh? Homura-chan, you don't have to be like that!» Madoka says. «Didn't Ashley-chan help you out a lot…?»

«Then why don't you tell her?» Homura says.

«Oh, is that okay?» Madoka says.

«Whatever,» Homura says.

«Um, so, it's last Sunday evening around seven or eight o'clock,» Madoka says. «Homura-chan and I talked it over, and we decided that she would reset it every Sunday evening after calling me to make sure I'm okay. The exact time of day might vary from week to week, but if you want to go back in time, it'll be to the evening of the previous Sunday.»

«I see, that makes a lot of sense,» I say. «Alright, thanks. I'll keep that in mind if I run into a problem.»

With that, Inui and I head out from the Eternal Sakura's rumour barrier, making our way back into town.

"Hmm… Inui, I think Ashley'd like to get a bit more footage for her vlog, so I'm gonna let her out for the rest of the afternoon."

"Alright, let's go!" Inui exclaims.

---

On Saturday morning, I decide to join the Hayashi sisters on their patrol. Inui comes with me, of course. The four of us spend a few hours wandering around western Mitakihara, watching for any signs of wraiths. Sadly, there's still nothing though. We do end up taking down another copy of Quitterie out by the waste processing facilities, just beyond the reach of the anti-witch barrier. It makes me wonder whether there's a mother Quitterie lurking somewhere even further out, maybe even in the next town over. But that's kind of outside our jurisdiction.

After that, Inui and I split up from the sisters and head south and a little east, making for the western side of Kazamino. Eventually, we enter the residential district where the Yuuki family lives, but since I've never approached from this direction before, we quickly get lost.

"Oy," a voice says behind us.

We've been wandering through the residential streets of western Kazamino for at least ten minutes by this time, but we both spin to gape at the girl who hails us. Though until a moment ago I'd sensed no magical signature at all, the moment she speaks, her signature becomes apparent, though she hasn't transformed so it's still not that strong of a signal. Even having experienced it once before, I'm still startled by how abruptly she appeared out of nowhere.

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

It's the same face and voice as the previous two timelines – she has sparkling blue eyes and sky blue hair tied into twintails, and is dressed casually in a blue hoody and denim shorts. There's presumably a shirt under the hoody too, but I can't make out any trace of it. She also wears running shoes and black thigh-high socks, and both her hands are thrust into the pockets of her hoody.

"Regretfully, that's quite true," I say. "That said, I'm pretty sure most magical girls can make an exception as long as there's a good reason, particularly one related to normal life."

"I used to think that way too," Inui adds. "But Ashley made me realize how foolish it is."

"Hmm… that so?" the girl says, shrugging. "Well, s'not like I said I agree with that sentiment. But if it were witches you were looking for, there's none left around here anyway. I already killed three of them this morning."

"Huh, you must be pretty strong to kill three in one morning," Inui says. "But I thought this area was Lina-chi's territory…? Are you new?"

"New as they come," the girl says. "Bout two weeks, I s'pose? There were no witches around at all at first, but then they suddenly started popping up like flies."

"There was something drawing them away," I say. "But that was resolved last week, so they must've started returning."

"So that's how it is," the girl says. "Well now, if it ain't witch hunting, and it sure as hell ain't socialization, what else could possibly bring you girls to this quaint little neighbourhood of mine?"

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

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

She turns on her heel and leads the way. Inui and I follow her.

"When you say you've been there, what exactly does that mean?" I ask.

"Inside," the girl says. "Course I've been to the area, but I've this strangest sense I've seen the inside too."

"Did you know Yuuki Sasa?" I ask.

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

"Well, Yuuki Sasa is a magical girl with mind control magic," I say. "So it's possible you knew her and she made you forget…"

"That so?" the girl says, shrugging. "Well, if she thought it worthwhile to erase herself from my mind, she ain't worth squat to me. Even if I were to suddenly remember we used to be best friends? Sorry, that friendship ended the moment you decided you had the right to choose who I can remember."

"That's an interesting sentiment," I say. "I don't think I'd fully agree with it, but I definitely understand where you're coming from… for me, it'd depend on the reason behind erasing memories."

"Ya think?" the girl says. "Ain't no reason that could satisfy me, pretty sure. Done it to protect me? Who d'ya think you are? I can damn well protect myself. Or was it done to deceive me? Well then, fuck you. Ah, no offence to present company intended, o'course."

"I don't think I'd be able to forgive you either if I found out you did that to me, Ashley," Inui says. "Not that you even can, but you know…"

"Well, I wouldn't even if I could," I say. "Unless it was for some agreed-upon purpose beforehand, like, we were doing it temporarily to infiltrate something…"

"Guess that might be a reason I could get behind," the girl admits. "Though it'd gotta be something I very explicitly agreed to, and frankly, I'd sooner leave the mole job up to someone else if that's what it takes."

I shrug. "Well, of course, that's your choice, which is the whole point," I say.

We turn a corner, and I spot a familiar park up ahead.

"Ah, there, that's the Yuuki house, just across from the playground," the girl says. "And whaddaya know, there's little Mina-chan playing with her friends, too."

We approach the trio of grade-school girls playing in the playground.

"Excuse me, do you know about Yuuki Sasa?" I ask.

Mina jumps to her feet with a gasp at that name. Her two friends jump up too and step forward, flanking her as a show of support.

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

"It was awhile ago, but yeah," I say.

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

"No, I really can't call her a friend," I say.

"Then…"

Mina glances at her friends, who shrug.

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

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

Mina nods, turning back to face Inui and I.

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

"I don't know how to break this to you," I say. "But your sister tried to kill me and several others…"

Mina blinks. "E-eh!? I-is that really true…?"

"You're not going to outright deny it?" I say.

"W-well, um… t-that is…" Mina says, fidgeting.

"So in other words, you think of your sister as the type of person who might just kill someone?" I say.

"T-that's not…!" Mina gasps. "Well… I can't say for sure… that onee-chan wouldn't… b-but… she's always been kind to me! W-well… most of the time, at least…"

"Huh, are you serious?" Inui pipes up. "So even that egotistic little brat has a soft side… I'm surprised…"

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

"No, I was looking for you," I say.

"M-me!?" Mina gasps.

"Well… her family, to be more specific," I say. "It's not like I was specifically looking for her younger sister…"

That's a lie of course, but… well, moving on.

"You see, I actually know where she is," I say. "So I thought I should let her family know."

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

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

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

Her long-haired friend wordlessly takes out her phone to snap a photo of me, but this time I'm prepared for it. With a flick of my finger, the phone slips out of her hand, and I catch it.

"Whoa there," I say. "You know it's rude to take pictures of strangers, right? I'm not gonna take Mina-chan away, okay? I'm just passing on some information."

"Awww," the long-haired girl grumbles. "F-fine, I won't take a picture, but I'm also not letting Mina-chan go with you!"

I give her phone back, then turn to Mina again.

"Well, I said I wouldn't take you away, so… instead, I can write down the address. Will that do?"

Both the short-haired and long-haired girls nod. Mina tilts her head thoughtfully for a moment, then also nods.

"Fine," she says. "But is it somewhere far away?"

"Well, you can get there by train in less than a day," I say.

I dig out a scrap of paper and a pencil and scrawl down two addresses – one is the address of Youko Futaba's house, and the other is the address of Angelica Bears. Then I pass the paper over to Mina, who frowns a bit as she reads it.

"Huh…?" she says. "There are two addresses here… which one is where onee-chan is?"

"Both," I say.

"What…?" Mina says.

"She's in both places," I say.

"As if I'd believe that!" Mina protests. "A person can't be in two places at once!"

"Well, it's more like part of her is in one place, and part of her is in the other place," I say.

"H-huh…?" Mina says. "I-is onee-chan… d-dead…?"

"No, no, she's still alive, technically," I say. "Though, it's also not entirely wrong to say she's dead. Still, if you put her back together, she'll be as good as new."

Mina glares at me.

"I'm not stupid, okay!?" she says. "People can't just be put back together like that!"

"Ordinary people, sure," I say. "But your sister's a special sort of person."

"Onee-chan's not a robot!" Mina retorts.

"No, I never said she was," I say.

"Alright, let's go right now then!" Mina says. "I'll have you show me what you did to onee-chan! Sally-chan, Tsuru-chan, let's all go together!"

"Eh!?" her friends gasp in unison.

"But you don't know anything about her!" the long-haired one protests.

"She might lead you somewhere dangerous!" the short-haired one says.

"She won't!" Mina says. "Because I'll be the one leading!"

At that point, the blue-haired girl who led us here suddenly bursts out laughing.

"And what's so funny about that, Rin-neesan!?" Mina shouts.

Once Rin calms down, she smiles at Mina.

"It's alright," she says. "I'll come with you. That'll satisfy Sally-chan and Tsuru-chan too, right?"

"Well… alright," the long-haired one says. "At least Rin-neesan is someone we know… even if she's a weirdo…"

The short-haired one sighs. "If Tsuru-chan's okay with it, then I guess I'm fine too," she says. "Even a weirdo's better than a complete stranger…"

"Oy, I thought I heard someone insult me just now," Rin says ominously. "Didn't I?"

"No, ma'am!" Sally and Tsuru say in unison.

"Well… you better hope I don't hear it again," she says.

Turning to Inui and I, she finally introduces herself.

"This is getting interesting, and I got nothing to do anyway," she says. "Plus it's about time I show myself to Lina's gang. So what the hell, I might as well see this through, yeah? Guess I should introduce myself… Yasuhiro Rin's the name, but just call me Rin."

"Nice to meet you, Rin-chan!" Inui exclaims. "I'm Itsumi Inui!"

"And I'm Ashley Taylor," I say. "Alright, Mina-chan, you said you'd lead the way, so how about we get going?"

"R-right!" Mina says.

It takes longer than usual to get to Futaba's apartment, for Mina stops several times to frown at the address I've given her and look around, pull out her phone to check the maps app, or just let out a sigh. But eventually we do make it there, and by some strange lucky chance, we run into both Futaba and Mio just outside. The rest of their group isn't with them. They blink at Inui and I in surprise.

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

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

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

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

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

"U-um… I'm Yuuki Mina!" Mina exclaims. "Um… do… do the two of you know… Sasa-onee-chan…?"

The two of them gasp.

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

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

"It's nothing compared to what she tried to do to you, though," I say.

"Ah, right, ya said she tried to kill some people," Rin says. "Then were ya talking about Lina's gang? I never heard anything about that…"

"It's not like we talk about that girl very often," Mio says. "I'd honestly prefer not to think about her…"

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

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

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

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

"I… I see," Mina says.

"I think… since you're her little sister, I should hand her over to you," Futaba says. "This is my place right here, so how about you just wait for a moment…?"

She runs inside, returning soon after with Sasa's soul gem, which she offers to Mina. The little girl takes the soul gem and blinks at it in confusion.

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

"That's her," I say. "That's Yuuki Sasa. A magical girl's true form is a rock, just like that… the body is just extra."

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

"I… I see…?" Mina says. "W-what is this… it's so weird… it's warm…"

"You don't seem like you mind though," Inui notes.

Rin shrugs. "Is there some reason I should care?" she asks. "I'm miffed about not being told, but that's it. It ain't like being a rock is causing me any issues, so whatever."

"So then… um…?" Mina says. "Where is… onee-chan's body?"

"That's why I wrote down two addresses," I say. "Her body and soul are in two different places."

"Oh…" Mina peers at the paper again. "So that… is where she is? In Asunaro…"

I nod. "You'll need to talk to the people running that place," I say. "They should understand what you're after if you show them Sasa's soul gem."

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

"Pretty much," I say.

"This is a bit too much to take in," Sally mutters. "Magical girls…? Really? It's like something out of an anime…"

Tsuru nods. "It's more likely they're lying to you," she says. "I mean, how could you think that a rock is your sister…?"

"It's clearly… not an ordinary rock," Mina says. "It's shining brightly… and… it feels warm… like onee-chan…"

"Ah, that reminds me," I say. "Be careful with her. If that rock breaks, there's no putting her back together."

"A-ah, okay," Mina says.

"Also, I don't know if this'll work for you, but… try thinking about the idea of that rock turning into a ring," I say.

"Eh? Um… okay," Mina says.

She clasps the soul gem between her hands and closes her eyes.

"Turn into a ring… turn into a ring… turn into a ring…"

"Ridiculous!" Sally retorts. "There's no way…"

"…turn into a ring… turn into a ring…"

"…that that could… happen…?"

It looks like it worked, which is also presumably why Sally trailed off her initially confident statement. Mina opens her eyes and stares down at the ring now sitting in the palm of her hand.

"W-whoa!?" she gasps. "It… it worked!?"

"It'll be easier to take care of it if you can wear it, right?" I say.

"Y-yeah," Mina says, slipping it onto her index finger, which it somehow fits perfectly. "Did you see that, Sally-chan, Tsuru-chan…? It really changed! So they're not lying after all!"

"I don't know," Tsuru says doubtfully. "It could still be some kind of trick… I can't deny that it changed, but… that's not enough to prove it's your sister…"

"I can't believe my eyes," Sally mutters. "It really changed…? What on earth have we gotten ourselves into…?"

"Say, if ya want an escort, I can go with ya to Asunaro," Rin speaks up. "I figured it'd be interesting to visit for once. It's on the north coast, right? Betcha the sea looks a bit different over there."

"Ah… yes please!" Mina says.

"Well, if that's the case though, it's gotta be on my schedule," Rin says. "And hey, whaddaya know? Seems my schedule's all free tomorrow, so how's that sound?"

Mina nods. "Okay!" she says.

"By the way, Miss Rin—"

"Just Rin, please," she interrupts me.

"Alright, Rin," I say. "You already know about Lina's gang and the Kimiko sisters… just how far have you roamed?"

"Well, I s'pose I've roamed quite the distance," Rin says with a shrug. "Of course, I know of you as well, Miss Ashley, and all the other girls of Mitakihara… Tomoe Mami and her team, of course, and Mikuni Oriko and her team, and Ayano Hikari's trio, and Kohaku Koharu, and Yuzuki Miu, and Hiraku Yumiko, and Kuroi Kana, and the northern pair that's sort of a trio, and the seven in the west."

There's one name mixed in there that I haven't heard before, though it's oddly familiar, in the same way as Rin's name was when we first met.

"Huh…? Who's Kuroi Kana?" I ask.

Rin shrugs. "I ain't surprised ya don't know her," she says. "She's been on the job for all of one day. Just happened to run into her yesterday. But anyway, I ain't here for your eddification, so pardon me for stopping there. If ya wanna meet her, just ask that shrinking violet in the north."

I guess that must refer to Noriko, though the term 'shrinking violet' could also possibly describe Tamura.

"One more thing," I say.

I take out one of the cards that Hijiri had been handing out at the big meeting.

"Would you mind taking this?" I say. "It's up to you whether to join, of course."

Rin peers at the card, then nods.

"Sure, ain't nothing lost by simply hanging onto it," she says. "No promises. Might check it out if I get curious, might not."

She takes the card and tucks it away somewhere.

With that, we split up – Rin escorts the kids back home, Mio and Futaba head off to the southeast, and Inui and I make our way back towards the nearest train station, where we catch a train to Kamihama.

"So, where are we going now?" Inui asks.

"Huh? Did I forget to tell you?" I say. "We're going to explore the Mirror Mansion for a bit."

"Yeah, you forgot to tell me," Inui says. "What prompted this all of a sudden?"

"It's a long story," I say. "But the short answer is, it's about that Coordination yesterday. I'll tell you about it once I'm sure there's no-one to overhear."

"Can't you just explain it telepathically?" Inui asks.

"Oh, that's a good point," I say. "Though I wouldn't put it past Kyuubey to have a way to eavesdrop on private telepathy… actually, we could just ask him, couldn't we?"

"We're not in Kamihama yet, so if you want to," Inui says with a shrug.

"Kyuubey, you around?" I ask.

The creature hops down from the luggage rack above us, landing on an adjacent empty seat, and I shoot it an accusing glare.

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" I ask.

"Eavesdropping?" Kyuubey says. "I am not sure what you could mean. I detected that you had called for me, so I came. How can I help you, Ashley Taylor?"

"I was just wondering if you know how telepathy works," I say.

"Of course we do," Kyuubey says. "It is part of our core functionality, after all."

"So how does it work?" I ask. "Is it possible to listen in on a private telepathic channel?"

"The explanation would be above your species' level of scientific understanding," Kyuubey says.

"Can you maybe dumb it down a bit in words we'd understand, then?" I say. "I just want a basic idea, it's not like I'm planning to actually build a telepathic transmitter or anything."

"It operates on a principle similar to what you humans describe as quantum entanglement," Kyuubey says. "An instantaneous connection is established, and words and impressions are implicitly duplicated in the brains of the sender and all receivers."

"But wait, doesn't that mean that there shouldn't be a range limit on telepathy?" Inui asks.

"There is no range limit on telepathy," Kyuubey says. "If a connection is established, it can be maintained at any distance. Establishing the connection however requires a means of detecting the target, which is the source of the range limit you experience, as you magical girls detect the target by their magical aura."

"…so wait, does that mean we could actually converse from any distance if we established a permanent channel?" I say.

"Of course," Kyuubey says. "I have never seen a magical girl do such a thing, however… excluding exceptional cases who gained additional telepathic ability as part of their original wish, such as one you appear to know very well – Hinata Kaede."

"Huh… how did you know we know her?" I ask.

"I have spoken with her recently," Kyuubey says.

"I see," Inui says. "We should definitely try to do that, Ashley. It would be great if we could converse at any distance. I won't be as lonely while you're gone if I can talk to you at any time."

"That could be helpful, yeah," I agree. "It's not a priority or anything, but… I'm up for the attempt. Oh, but you'd at least need to be aware of the time zone difference!"

"Oh, right," Inui says. "I'd hate it if I woke you up for something trivial…"

"Is that all you wanted from me?" Kyuubey asks.

"Actually, I do have one other question," I say. "What do you think of the automatic purification system?"

"We have heard of it from many of the girls who called themselves 'former feathers'," Kyuubey says. "It is unexpected that you primitive humans were able to conceive and implement a system that our creators never even thought of. From preliminary analysis, it appears that this 'doppel' phenomenon releases energy similar to a witch transformation, though we will require more time to determine whether the magnitude is comparable enough to treat it as a worthwhile alternative."

"I see," I say. "That's everything I needed from you for now."

"Then I will see you later," Kyuubey says.

With that, it hops off the seat and ducks underneath, vanishing from sight.

"Come to think of it, what's your living situation, Inui?" I ask. "Are you still staying at Fendt Hope?"

"Some of my stuff is still there," Inui says. "But Iro-Iro and Mifuyumin have been asking everyone to move out so the place can be renovated. I think even Culu-chan ended up moving back in with Mabba-kun."

"So does that mean you need to find a place to live?" I ask. "Or does it only mean you need something temporary?"

"At least something temporary," Inui says. "Iro-Iro said the renovations shouldn't take long though. Still… I'd prefer to live in a place with you, rather than at Fendt Hope."

"Hmm… but I'm not going to be in Japan from September until next summer," I say. "I think I might've mentioned that I could rent a place for that time and you'd be the only tenant until I return, but… that suggestion was made under the assumption that Fendt Hope would be destroyed. Since it's still around, maybe it's better if you live there until I return, and then we find a place next summer? My family might have a lot of money, but it's not infinite."

"Sounds good to me!" Inui says. "But then I still need somewhere to stay while Iro-Iro and Mifuyumin are renovating."

"Have you thought of asking Karin-chan or Riko-chan or even Rui whether you can stay over for a few days?" I suggest. "Another possibility might be to stay at Crescent Moon Villa for a little while – I bet Miss Nanami still has some spare rooms."

"Hmm… maybe," Inui says. "I'll take those suggestions into consideration, thanks."

We finally get off the train in Minaminagi Ward and head for the Mirror Mansion.

---

It's finally here, the moment when the weird aliens are formally revealed. I think a couple of people already managed to decipher their language, but now it's out in the open for those who don't have the skill or motivation to do so.

Unfortunately, I'm now completely out of buffer. That is to say, the next chapter hasn't even been started. As a result, I'm not sure how long it'll take. It could potentially be fast, as I plan to base the chapter closely on an event which was already featured in a previous chapter, but it could also take quite awhile.