《Magical Girl Overtime》 1.01 Prologue 1 June 2024 *** Summer had just started. The streets of Tokyo were full of people as always, walking or driving to whatever their destination might be, absentmindedly checking their phones while walking or casually chatting in groups of two or three. Their attention would soon be caught by two sweet voices ringing out at a certain intersection. ¡°Hello and gooooood eveniiiing!¡± The cheerful voices carried over the street from the large LCD display overseeing a street crossing. Quite a considerable amount of people turned their heads to face the screen, stopping what they were doing in the process. Two girls appeared on the screen. They wore clothing resembling idol outfits, with one wearing black with white accents while the other wore the opposite. ¡°My name is Sol!¡± The girl in white introduced herself. Star-shaped earrings were framing her young face. ¡°And mine is Luna!¡± The girl in black wore similar earrings, hers were crescent-shaped and larger. ¡°And together we are¡­¡± ¡°¡­the Celestial Sisters! May the light of the heavenly bodies protect you from evil!¡± The girls struck a pose together, grabbing the hand of the other that was facing them and raising their intertwined hands to the sky as they stretched out their opposite arms with the palms facing upward. ¡°The second generation, to be precise!¡± ¡°And we¡¯re presenting this special broadcast to commemorate the sixteenth anniversary of the Kawaguchi incident!¡± They bowed towards the camera before facing each other. ¡°But my, Sol, can you believe that it has already been sixteen years? It almost feels like yester- ¡° Sol put a hand on Luna¡¯s mouth in a well-rehearsed movement. ¡°My, Luna. We are seventeen-year-old Magical Girl idols. Of course it wouldn¡¯t feel like yesterday, we were just little toddlers when it happened! There¡¯s no way we would remember that!¡± ¡°Oh, of course, my bad! Ohohohohohoho!¡± ¡°Ohohoho!¡± Sol joined in after the third ¡®ho¡¯ and the two laughed in synchronicity. ¡°But, thanks to the wonder of television and the internet, we have plenty of material to remember it by!¡± The two of them stepped away from each other and a display appeared between them. A giant creature made out of shadows that resembled a mythological Lamia could be seen slithering through a row of streets, damaging houses on its way before it vanished, leaving behind cracked asphalt where it had been before. Then the footage cut to a similar creature, this time in the shape of a giant centaur wreaking similar havoc.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Sixteen years ago, two monsters appeared in Kawaguchi.¡± Sol narrated. ¡°This marked the end of our mundane world as we knew it! Suddenly the danger of all kinds of monsters has become very real!¡± Luna continued. ¡°But there¡¯s no need to fret! While it is true that the unusual and monstrous has become real, so has something else!¡± The screen changed and showed a slightly blurry image of a woman in red, floating above the ground and holding a child in her arms. ¡°Magical Girls! Just like yours truly!¡± ¡°The first one appeared right during the Kawaguchi incident! We don¡¯t know where the first monster went, but the second one didn¡¯t even have a chance to disappear! A Magical Girl appeared and engaged the monster in battle. Both disappeared and only one returned! The Magical Girl, together with a rescued child!¡± ¡°Only one year later more and more Magical Girls started to appear and have kept our world safe! The first generation of Celestial Sisters was even among them!¡± ¡°We salute all the brave Magical Girls who have kept our world safe!¡± 2 The special program continued on with a lot of people giving it undivided attention. Special footage from all sixteen years since Magical Girls stopped being only a thing from anime played, showing off creatures and cute girls wearing frilly, elegant or just plain cool clothing while doing battle with them. A woman passed by the intersection and saw a video of the red Magical Girl ¨C terribly shaky footage of her fighting man-sized marionettes with razor-sharp blades for limbs. The only pristine footage they had of this Magical Girl was shown right after. She was floating in the air and about to leave as someone asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±. She turned around and gave the camera a wink, replying: ¡°I am the Magical Girl Minerva Crimson and the avatar of wisdom! From now on, mortals, you are under my protection! Gyahaha!¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± The woman who witnessed the footage accelerated her steps, leaving the intersection as fast as possible as she reeled internally with embarrassment. Why did I say it like that? Seriously, why did I say it like that? With her thoughts racing she made her way back to work after a little supply run for snacks and energy drinks. She was waiting for a very tardy writer¡¯s manuscript, and she¡¯d pull an all-nighter to get it published, if that¡¯s what it took. 3 ¡°Now that¡¯s a face I haven¡¯t seen in a while.¡± The woman speaking was overdressed for the time of year, wearing a thick fur coat with the hood pulled all the way over her head. A pair of large sunglasses hid most of her face, save for her screaming red lips as she casually ate an apple while watching the TV. Her unusual appearance attracted a few glances from pedestrians passing by, though they kept going as if they didn¡¯t remember her the very moment she was out of sight. ¡°Minerva, Minerva¡­ such a fun one. I miss messing with her.¡± The corners of her mouth lifted to form a sadistic grin as she carelessly tossed away the rest of her apple. Someone who saw tried to give her a stern talking to, but his eyes turned vacant for a second and he simply kept walking, having completely forgotten about the incident. The woman saw a small blue glint on top of a nearby building, letting out a sigh. ¡°I guess my time is up. What a bother¡­¡± She walked away from the crossing, not particularly hurrying, despite being fully aware that she was being tailed from the rooftops. A blue shine hopped from building to building, keeping out of sight, or so that person must have perceived themself. ¡°We¡¯ve been doing this song and dance for a year now¡­ give up!¡± She suddenly spoke loud enough for her pursuer to hear, then she turned a corner. The pursuer landed in the alleyway and hurried to the corner around which the odd woman had vanished. Armor plates rattled against each other, echoing through the corridor. As the woman in blue turned the corner to face the overdressed lady, no one was there. Only a strong scent of roses remained. *** ¡°Tch. She escaped again.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be chasing her before learning how to beat her in the first place, human. Know your enemy and know yourself first.¡± The voice came from a blue crystal embedded in her left gauntlet, speaking with obvious sapience directly to her mind. ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m not asking for your commentary. All you have to do is give me your power!¡± The crystal remained quiet, but she could feel a cold rage emanating from it. She had treated it like this for some time in the name of facing their quarry, and one day she would have to pay for it. The woman in blue turned around and ascended into the sky, grinding her teeth in anger at another missed chance for revenge. 1.02 The Demon of MagiColle Publishing and the Crimson Angel 1 A man was lying in his bed at a terribly advanced time of day, snoring peacefully without a care in the world. But suddenly a loud bang shattered his peaceful sleep. At first it was dismissed as a hallucination ¨C maybe something in his dream caused this noise, which left him in a groggy, disoriented state, about to slip right back into pleasant dreams within minutes. Then a second bang sealed the deal and had him jolt wide awake. A third followed, then a fifth and finally it became a rhythmic cacophony of low, thudding noises. The point of origin was right down the hallway, past a few tied-up plastic bags filled with month-old garbage and a clutter of aluminum cans where his front door was located, neatly visible from his cheap bed. He squinted his eyes as a ray of light hit his face from the sloppily closed curtains. It was around noon. Way too early for him to be awake. In fact, one could argue that being required to be awake and lucid before two in the afternoon was a human rights violation that every nation in the world was guilty of. But enough of that. For now, he had to figure out what that infernal noise coming from his door meant. Was it a neighbor visiting to complain about the stench of garbage? Unlikely. All his neighbors were loathsome beings, commonly referred to as ¡®normies¡¯. It being a Wednesday meant they would be at work at this time. Or, if they were those who worked afternoon or night shifts, would be asleep like him or out in Kabukich¨­ to be given false compliments by pretty girls who pretend to like them for money. Those who were even higher on the dreadful ¡®normie¡¯ totem pole might even be out there in Shinjuku on a date with their girlfriends. They should die. The next possibility was a delivery, though that was also not very likely. He didn¡¯t remember ordering something recently and if a pre-ordered figurine from one of his favorite anime had been delivered after he placed an order half a year ago, he would at least get an email notification about it. Alas, there were none of those on his phone. And come to think about it, he had never met a delivery person passionate enough about their job that they would keep banging on his door until he woke up. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and took a deep breath as he contemplated the implications of the thought that had just crossed his mind: With all the other options exhausted the only thing that was left was- ¡°Yoshida! I know you¡¯re in there. You NEVER leave that stinking apartment! Your manuscript was due this morning!¡± -exactly that one. His editor was paying him a visit. Oh. Toya Yoshida was a 20-year-old professional writer. And he was in big trouble. *** He immediately jumped off the bed and towards the low table in the middle of his room. His laptop was still there, and with only a single push of a button it woke up from sleep mode. He frantically checked his progress on ¡®The Demon Lord¡¯s Right Hand Woman is my Sister Volume 6¡¯, which he had to finish and send to his editor this morning. Okay, that was not the whole truth. He had to send it to her two months ago but since that was a so-called ¡®soft deadline¡¯ he didn¡¯t care much about it. He apologized to an appropriate degree and promised to finish it before the true deadline. Needless to say, he just passed that one, too, resulting in his editor banging on his door in this very moment. If his progress was far enough, he could try to quickly write whatever was left and simply pretend that he overslept for the turn-in deadline. Ah¡­ That single word pierced his mind as he witnessed the fruits of his lack of labor. He was three whole chapters off from finishing the volume. There was no chance in hell he would be able to write that much before his editor broke down his door and dragged him to the publishing house to have him court-martialed or whatever publishers do with lazy writers. Ignoring his judgment of the situation he started typing. He wrote, and wrote, and wrote. His focus was impeccable! He actually couldn¡¯t hear the banging on his door anymore, only the soothing ¡®clack-clack¡¯ of his fingers hitting the keyboard, that¡¯s how focused he was! He continued writing, not even knowing himself for how long until suddenly it got harder to see what was on his screen. A ray of sunlight fell on the device and the weak backlight stood no chance against the radiance of a million grains of dust lighting up like a sea of stars, obscuring the words on his dirty machine. He really should invest the one minute it would take to wipe the screen. Maybe tomorrow. Must have left the balcony door open and the wind is pushing the curtains away. He contemplated before turning around. *** His heart stopped in his chest as he turned to the balcony door and saw something frankly impossible. Seika Hitoishi, his editor, stood right in front of him in the flesh. She was dressed in the plainest office worker outfit imaginable: A white shirt with a pencil skirt covered her body, a dress code shared by nigh uncountable offices around town. Black high heels made the short woman stand a little bit taller, though it didn¡¯t help her much. The black tights she wore were about the only thing adding a little excitement to her attire of choice. She wasn¡¯t bad looking, but her job took its toll on her. Her angry, dark eyes were fixed on him with an expression that definitely went through the possibilities of committing murder and getting away with it. They had dark rings underneath ¨C the lack of sleep that caused them was in no small part his fault, he was sure. The half-rim glasses she was wearing fit her face nicely, which was framed with shoulder-length hair that she kept in a wolf cut. But more important than all of that was the burning question on his mind. ¡°How the hell did you get up here?! We¡¯re on the third floor!¡± ¡°I climbed.¡± Her voice was trembling with anger. He could feel a cold sweat breaking out across his body. 2 Just a few moments earlier Seika stood in front of Yoshida¡¯s apartment and knocked impatiently. Maybe he overslept and forgot to turn it in. I hope that he overslept and forgot to turn it in. She had been at the office all night. The encroaching deadline with no word from the author had her on edge and she chose to be ready to start editing the second she received the manuscript. However, the manuscript never arrived. As the deadline passed, she had to make all the necessary calls to apologize to all the right people in the production chain and beg them for some more time while she gets this mess sorted out. Making all those calls already took hours, mostly thanks to the people she let down yelling at her. If he doesn¡¯t have the manuscript I¡¯m going to kill him. Oh, who am I kidding? If my threats were believable my authors wouldn¡¯t slack off like this. She kept knocking for now. Boom-boom, boom-boom, boom-boom. Boom. That last one was her head hitting the door ¨C she had just fallen asleep on her feet, but the impact woke her up instantly. Letting out a sharp gasp, she slapped her cheeks with both hands. This job is going to be the death of me one day. Staring daggers at the door she took a deep breath, holding it for just a second before she let her voice boom out: ¡°Yoshida! I know you¡¯re in there. You NEVER leave that stinking apartment! Your manuscript was due this morning!¡± Of course there wasn¡¯t an answer this time, either. She¡¯d have to look for another solution. Since her eyes threatened to close all on their own again, she looked for a nearby convenience store first and left the apartment complex¡¯s loggia. *** ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The convenience store clerk¡¯s words accompanied her on her way out of the building, energy drink in hand. She quickly twisted off the cap and brought the potent liquid to her lips, gulping it down like water. One of these days this will stop working as efficiently if I keep abusing it. She grimaced at the thought as she brought her eyes back to the apartment building in which her wayward writer was entrenched in this very moment. It was a typical apartment building. On one side you had an outdoor staircase getting you to the loggia of every floor, on the other side you had balconies stacked together like the saddest grey beehive ¨C if bees ever decided to make use of rectangular shapes. Yoshida¡¯s apartment would be the second one from the left on the third floor. It''s open. She immediately latched on to that fact as she saw the balcony door. She tossed her empty drink into a garbage can and moved into a nearby alley. *** Seika Hitoishi was a 30-year-old woman and editor at Magic Collection Publishing, a small Light Novel publisher with sixteen currently running series in a wide variety of genres, though most were settled in urban or classic fantasy with the odd venture into science fiction. That was what most of her acquaintances knew about her. But ever since she was fourteen, she had kept a secret from everyone. She was a Magical Girl. A guardian against all kinds of threats, be they interdimensional or even mundane. And in this very moment she decided to be a guardian against the threat of a missed deadline due to a writer¡¯s lack of enthusiasm. First she made certain that no one could peek into the alley and accidentally see what she was doing, then she removed the crimson, triangle shaped gemstone dangling from the single earring on her right ear. Closing her fist around it she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before uttering the simple command: ¡°Transform!¡± Simple, bereft of any magical flourish, but it did the job. Immediately a bright light enveloped her entire body. Her office clothes simply turned pink orbs of pure magical energy and got absorbed into the gemstone. Piece by piece it exchanged them for new pieces of clothing. A red corset with a black petticoat covered her torso, soon followed by thigh boots, connected to somewhere under her skirt by a garter. White gloves covered her arms almost up to the shoulders. A walking cane adorned with a crimson gemstone appeared out of thin air and she grabbed it with her left hand. Her hair turned a glowing shade of flaming red and grew beyond her shoulders all the way down to her hips before it swayed in an imaginary breeze. Her eyes opened; their ordinary hazel replaced by a brilliant emerald that glowed with an inherent magical power. Most importantly, they showed not a single sign of her usual exhaustion, the tired rings banished from her appearance. Finally, the gem approached her chest, turning into a brooch. An old librarian¡¯s uniform jacket draped over her shoulders like a cape, fastened by the gemstone-adorned clip. The ordinary-looking editor had turned into Minerva Crimson, a Magical Girl. *** All this happened in less than a second ¨C yet she still got incredibly self-conscious about the part where her clothes disappeared and she was exposed ¨C ignoring the fact that she was covered in a blinding light and it happened too fast to be picked up by cameras, let alone a human eye.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Despite her discomfort she was focused enough to turn her attention to the apartment building again. ¡°It almost feels like a waste to do this just for a little break-in¡­¡± ¡°It definitely feels like a waste to use me like this. You¡¯re lucky that I like you.¡± ¡°Calm down.¡± She spoke to her crystal ¨C the little thing had a mind of its own that fused with hers when she transformed ¨C and sometimes it couldn¡¯t help but give its commentary. With a single magically enhanced jump she was soaring through the air and landed without a sound on Yoshida¡¯s balcony. As she stepped through the curtains obscuring the view inside, she let go of her transformation. All the exhaustion and other ailments of her ordinary existence rushed back into her mind and bones. This transformation might be more addicting than those energy drinks. ¡°Please don¡¯t compare me to those disgusting things.¡± Her mood soured immediately as she caught a glimpse of Yoshida¡¯s laptop, though. He wasn¡¯t even close to finishing this morning. It was all she could do to stop herself from punching him as he turned around to face her, shock and fear written across his face. ¡°How the hell did you get up here?! We¡¯re on the third floor!¡± ¡°I climbed.¡± She lied. 3 MagiColle Publishing was located in a small office building hidden away from most eyes on a side road. Its exterior was unassuming enough, save for a sign with the company¡¯s logo and name on it. Its three stories offered enough room for the half dozen editors, two meeting rooms and what is referred to as the cells among staff. It was also only half an hour of walking away from Yoshida¡¯s apartment complex. Or so it would have been if the man had come along quietly. He clawed, screamed and kicked like he was being dragged into the literal flames of hell while Seika did her best to get him moving. She held him in a one-armed headlock while carrying his laptop with her other hand, slowly but surely dragging him along. After the half hour that would supposedly have them stand in front of the office, she was still struggling with him on the halfway point, turning a corner while her head and upper body were drenched in sweat. The smaller woman dragging the younger man along like this must have made for a peculiar image, as some passersby were throwing them odd glances. The few that stopped and looked like they were about to say something or intervene were hurried away by Seika casting them a murderous gaze. ¡°Let me go! I¡¯m not going into one of the cells!¡± ¡°You should have thought about that when you decided you could goof around instead of doing your work!¡± ¡°Help, help! I¡¯m being abducted by this crazy lady!¡± ¡°Would you pipe down?!¡± Step by step they advanced in the direction of the office before Seika heard the voice of her crystal. ¡°Hate to interrupt you while you¡¯re wrestling for your job, but there¡¯s an emergency nearby. A Shadow has appeared and is about to devour a young girl.¡± Ugh, are you kidding me? Now of all times? ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry.¡± Seika closed her eyes and let out a loud groan that got stretched out for at least half a minute. She then slammed Yoshida against a nearby wall, pushing his laptop back into his hands. She poked his sternum with a sharp finger as she looked him in the eyes. It seemed to have the intended intimidating effect as she could see the man physically shrinking. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a leak. You stay here.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°If you move from this spot, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± She hissed. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°Good boy.¡± With that she turned around and ran around the nearest corner in a little jog, transforming the very second she was out of sight, and flying through the alleyway at ground level before she ascended a good distance away from her misguided author. ¡°He¡¯s not going to stay put.¡± ¡°I know.¡±
4 ¡°Stay away from me!!¡± Her voice rang through the back alley as she ran away from the approaching danger, knocking over cardboard boxes, bins and crates. She didn¡¯t know what was happening or why it happened to her. Just a moment ago she left her middle school, walking home with her friends. She entered the convenience store on the way, asking for her friends to wait for a moment so she could buy some snacks for a study session at her house. As she left the store the streets were eerily empty, and she was all alone. Even going back inside, the store clerk was nowhere to be found and the music on the radio had fallen silent. Before she could make sense of the situation a shadow approached her from the corner of her vision. A terrifying, dark mass that lifted itself from the ground. Looking at it strained her eyes in the strangest ways ¨C a lack of light created a shape vaguely resembling a bloated human without legs or a neck that seemed to only grow larger, slithering on the ground without friction. Just as she was about to retreat a step away from it the mass sprouted bright, empty eyes and a mouth filled with jagged teeth. It grew a multitude of shadow arms and let out a high-pitched screech as it lunged towards her. And this is how she ended up here, running through empty back streets where not a soul heard her crying and screaming as she ran for her life. ¡°Please leave me alone!¡± Her pleas left her strained lungs as a weak squeal. Sweat dripped on the paving underfoot as her stamina gave out. Turning a final corner in desperation she found herself in a dead end, only a locked backdoor and a few dumpsters awaiting her there. ¡°No¡­¡± Tears welled up in her eyes as the hopelessness of her situation dawned on her and she fell to her knees. She would be at the mercy of a monster in this alley. She¡¯d be eaten by some shadow¡­ thing in front of a dumpster. The hair on the back of her neck started standing up as she could feel the shadow creature drawing close. The closer it got the darker her environment seemed to become. Giving into the hopelessness she let her head hang down and closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate. She didn¡¯t know what to expect and she didn¡¯t want to find out at this point but whatever was supposed to happen simply didn¡¯t. ¡°Have no fear! Minerva Crimson has arrived!¡± Reluctantly the girl opened her eyes and looked behind her. The monster was still there, clawing against what looked like a magic circle from a role-playing game. Quadratic and triangular shapes overlapped into a complex pattern within circular shapes, with unfamiliar runes going along every line. Its white glow seemed to drive back the darkness of the environment around it, not yielding in the least to the monster¡¯s relentless clawing attacks. The girl looked around in confusion until she looked up and saw a person on the rooftop overlooking the alley. She was wearing a red costume with a black skirt and white gloves, with a uniform jacket around her shoulders like a cape. Her red-orange hair glowed against the darkened sky, as did her emerald eyes. The Magical Girl lifted what appeared to be a walking cane and pointed it at the monstrosity, which slowly turned around and looked at her with its dead, vacant eyes. ¡°Begone!¡±, she shouted and the red crystal atop what now doubtlessly was her magic wand glowed in a brilliant light. A fireball manifested and slammed into the shadowy creature like a cannonball. The girl in the alley covered her head but soon realized that the fireball¡¯s heat didn¡¯t reach her at all, just like the previous attacks made by claw and fang. The Magical Girl¡¯s first priority was her safety in everything. The mass of shadow howled ¨C it was missing half its body and multiple of its arms fell off, burning to nothing on the ground, but it was still standing. ¡°A resilient one! I will have to cut it down in melee!¡± Letting her voice boom out and commenting on the effect of her magic like she was in an overly dramatic theater play the woman dressed in red jumped off the roof. The shadow creature retaliated, its remaining limbs extending like they were made out of rubber, shooting towards the crimson woman. The woman didn¡¯t seem to be bothered at all ¨C her trajectory towards the ground changed impossibly abrupt, her body dashing to the side mid-air as she kicked herself off more magic circles that appeared in convenient places for her. The creature¡¯s attacks hit the wall behind her, causing rubble to crash to the ground. As one larger piece fell down behind the Magical Girl, she used it to push herself towards the shadow¡¯s location ¨C and as she was flying, she revealed that her magical cane was more than just a wand and walking aid. A glint of silver was the first hint that the girl saw, then the magical woman unsheathed her cane sword entirely. The brilliant steel of its blade was surrounded by arcs of lightning which illuminated the alleyway in short bursts like a club house¡¯s strobe lighting. As the lightning-imbued blade penetrated the shadow creature¡¯s unreal-looking body it straightened up and let out a roar. The electricity jumped from steel to shadowy ¡®flesh¡¯, causing spasmic twitches in the multitude of arms even as the creature¡¯s torso was bisected by the slash. Collapsing to the ground, the creature released black smoke, signaling its death. The Magical Girl looked over her shoulder, confirming her kill before she sheathed her blade and held a hand towards the distressed girl who had witnessed the entire ordeal. ¡°Are you unharmed?¡± The girl stared at her savior in front of her and the tears she had in her eyes were finally flowing freely, fear giving way to relief in her heart. ¡°Thank you!¡± A soda can fell to the ground of the convenience store, blackened. As it rolled away it started to disappear entirely, disintegrating into flakes of ash that floated away on an unfelt wind. The girl who had just been saved from a nightmare looked around in confusion, only to be surrounded by her friends who instantly hugged her. ¡°Sakura! Are you alright?¡± ¡°We were so scared when you disappeared!¡± Minerva Crimson let out a relieved sigh as she left the girl in the care of her friends. She stared at the spot where the can had just disappeared, furrowing her brow. Recently encounters with shadows have become more common. They were ambush predators from an entirely different world, taking the shape of a mundane object and waiting for a hapless soul to touch them. From that moment on the victim would be dragged into a pocket dimension mirroring the surrounding area. Once that happened there was no way out save for killing the shadow ¨C a feat beyond those who didn¡¯t possess magical abilities like her. ¡°Take good care of her! She¡¯s been through a lot.¡± She told the girls surrounding the trembling Sakura whose tears of relief now became those of happiness as she embraced her friends. Minerva left the convenience store and took off. Some people took pictures of her on their phones, but it didn¡¯t bother her. As a Magical Girl she has always had a passive spell that prevented people from recognizing her. Her mind was entirely occupied with going back to her slacking writer. 5 Yoshida looked at his phone to check the time. The way Hitoishi had left him here was bizarre to say the least. And to take a leak? Where did she even go? They were in a residential neighborhood and the nearest public toilet wasn¡¯t anywhere nearby. Something was up, he just knew it. But for now, he focused on getting out of his precarious situation. ¡°She just left me here, right? So, if I run away that¡¯s negligence on her part. It¡¯s not my problem. That¡¯s right, what¡¯s she going to do about it? I¡¯ll just go home and lock my door and my balcony window.¡± He lifted his left foot to start walking. If you move from this spot, I¡¯ll kill you. He froze and returned to his original spot, staring straight ahead as cold sweat ran down his back. Good boy. The way she had said that was doing something to him. He didn¡¯t know what, and he wasn¡¯t entirely sure if he liked it or not. He clenched his hands back into fists and stared ahead, with his laptop held under his armpit. Wait, why am I being so obedient? He shook his head and slapped his cheeks with both hands, then he grabbed his laptop and looked down the street. Catch me if you can, hag! He started running. And running. Houses flew past him, and he laughed. He was free! He could just return home and finish his novel at his leisure while locking her out! No way she was going to catch up to him while returning from her call of nature. He turned the next corner in the direction of his apartment and let out a high-pitched screech as he almost pissed himself. There was Hitoishi in the flesh, catching his laptop out of the air after he dropped it while falling backwards, trying to crawl away from her. There was murder written in her eyes as she looked down over the rim of her glasses. ¡°Yo, Yoshida¡­ remember what I said?¡± 6 The so-called cells were simply small office rooms on the upper floor. The distance to the ground combined with the locks on doors were there to dissuade would-be escapees from trying to run away. Usually they weren¡¯t needed ¨C at least the locks weren¡¯t. But when it came to authors like Yoshida who insist on keeping their stories locked up in their heads instead of writing them down in time for publication, they were necessary. Seika tossed him into one of these rooms and put his laptop on the work desk placed by the wall ¨C notably more gentle than she handled the author himself. ¡°You¡¯ll stay in here until you¡¯ve finished the chapters. I¡¯ll bring food and water three times a day. That¡¯s when I¡¯m checking your progress.¡± She announced. And with that she closed the door behind him and turned the key. ¡°You can¡¯t do that! I¡¯m your author, not your damn slave! At least leave me with an internet connection so I can watch v- I mean so I can do research!¡± Ignoring the banging and the muffled pleas from behind the closed door she headed downstairs to the editor¡¯s office. Only three others were there. Two of her editor colleagues had their noses buried deep in a manuscript or were reading web novels to scout for potential new authors. MagiColle wasn¡¯t a big publisher; unlike those they couldn¡¯t hold annual contests for prize money and a guaranteed serialization, so this was their method of getting new talent. And even here they had to compete with larger publishers who could offer more attractive conditions, so it could happen that an editor stumbled upon a diamond in the rough after reading through twenty uninspired stories full of grammatical errors only to be rejected outright because the author had already signed up with a big player mere hours before. The third person was her boss. Fumio Watanabe, the editor in chief of MagiColle publishing. He was a man in his fifties of average height and ordinary build. He kept his hair short and wore round glasses that gave him a somewhat nerdy appearance. In fact, he founded this company because he loved Light Novels and wanted to be in charge of the process after being an editor himself for two decades. ¡°Problems with Yoshida again?¡± ¡°You know it.¡± Seika sat down and picked up the phone at her desk. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to call the printers and ask them to wait a little longer. Three more days, possibly.¡± ¡°At this point they might be used to it from Yoshida.¡± ¡°That is not very reassuring. They could at least stop yelling at me if they know that it¡¯s not my fault.¡± Watanabe raised his hands in a defeated motion in response to her words and got back to his own work. ¡°What are you going to do after you called the printers? I doubt Yoshida will be done in the next few hours and you already spent the night. Maybe you should go home and get some shut eye?¡± Seika stopped dialing the number on her phone for a moment as she pondered the offer. She was falling asleep, that much was true. But if she took some leave now and didn¡¯t end up being well rested the next day due to her other obligations, how would that look? ¡°I appreciate the offer, but I want to finish something first. Maybe I¡¯ll take a nap at my desk.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. Just don¡¯t collapse on us.¡± Seika nodded and fought back some tears as the prospect of an early sleep floated away from her. *** The call to the printers went exactly as she expected it to go. People got angry and started shouting at her, then there were frantic attempts to reschedule the printing. Once Yoshida was done Seika would have to proofread the entire manuscript and start editing, adding the illustrations that the artist had finished a long time ago and checking that the formatting looked good in the typical dimensions of a Light Novel. However, that was still some hours, if not at least a whole day away. Seika opened her work desk¡¯s drawer, revealing an assortment of energy drink bottles. She grabbed one and started gulping down its contents as Watanabe looked on. ¡°Those things will be your death one day.¡± ¡°At least I¡¯ll be productive until that happens, eh?¡± Watanabe let out a sigh in response. ¡°This is the kind of stuff that makes people call you the demon of MagiColle, you know, Hitoishi? You keep chugging stuff like that in an amount that could kill a normal human being.¡± ¡°If being a demon inspires enough fear that our slacking writers turn their manuscripts in for editing in time, then by all means, call me a demon.¡± She started up her work PC and got to work scouting for possible new talent on various web novel sites. Before she realized it, she had spent two hours reading through various new entries ¨C first chapters that more often than not will remain the only chapter if a writer doesn¡¯t get the immediate gratification of comments and ratings, poorly written power fantasies that play their hands way too fast, hellscapes of grammatical errors, and finally, probably the rarest among them, stories that showed promise. Seika found one of them this time and subscribed to it to keep an eye on its development. A writer usually doesn¡¯t get an offer off the first chapter, but an editor also can¡¯t wait too long to offer a promising author a deal, lest they get snatched away by one of the big players. She¡¯d have to keep up with the releases and once there¡¯s enough material to fill a debut novel, she can consider giving them a deal. As Seika leaned back and stretched, she felt a vibration on her right ear as her partner spoke up again. ¡°Another Shadow! It has already grabbed a civilian!¡± It¡¯s one after the other today, isn¡¯t it? Seika grabbed a pack of cigarettes from her desk drawer and turned to her boss, announcing in a flat voice: ¡°Watanabe, I¡¯ll be on the roof for a smoke break.¡± 1.03 Looking in all the Wrong Places 1 ¡°Have I ever told you that it¡¯s annoying that they all have different shapes?¡± ¡°A sickening number of times.¡± Minerva found herself facing a giant Shadow in the shape of a cat. The nimble creature had dodged her fireballs and icicles, even her lightning only served to shatter some windows of crane games, making plushies and other toys spill into the hall after it jumped out of the way. ¡°Huh? N-no¡­¡± the meek voice came from behind her. An arcade employee had been trapped this time. She was a college-aged woman who had been called to reset the prizes in one of the crane games, inadvertently touching a plushie that turned out to be a Shadow¡¯s lure. ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Minerva blinked and looked back at her. ¡°I actually wasn¡¯t talking to you, but to my magic crystal, you see!¡± She poked out her tongue and winked at the woman who looked at her skeptically. ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m still on the clock, so DIE, you stupid beast!¡± She rushed ahead and slashed at the creature after drawing her sword, swinging it from side to side. The creature seemed content with dodging, elegantly jumping from wall to wall while its face contorted in a way that seemed to be laughing at her. ¡°Oh, you piece of- ¡° The cat suddenly lunged at her and turned in the air to hit her with its hind legs, hitting her in the chest and launching her, cracking the screen of a fighting game cabinet as she came to a stop. Woah, that¡¯s vintage! Good thing this is just a copy. ¡°Could you focus on the task at hand, you otaku?¡± Yes, yes, I¡¯m on it! She finally raised her cane again. Starting with a lightning strike she made the cat jump and focused her next spell not on the cat but on the very ground itself. Earth Magic made the tiles give out under the giant cat¡¯s weight and let it sink deep as they took on the consistency of quicksand. It flailed its legs to try and get out ¨C only to face the enraged Magical Girl with a large boulder that she immediately used to pound and squish the monster deep into the death trap. *** She was much less graceful with her exit this time around ¨C she had a race against time with an enemy that loved dodging her, so her nerves and her time were both strained to the maximum. She gave the rescued arcade worker a little wave as the pocket dimension collapsed around them and people appeared, all of them stepping away from the two in shock as they appeared to be materializing out of thin air for the casual observer. ¡°Yes, yes, ¡®Thank you Magical Girl, you¡¯re amazing, Magical Girl¡¯, but I sadly don¡¯t have time for all that, so¡­ ta-tah!¡± She ran out of the arcade and launched into the air with her momentum. *** She flew through the sky, rapidly approaching MagiColle Publishing¡¯s office building. Reducing her speed, she came to a standstill just in front of the rooftop door, hovering in place before she turned back into plain old Seika, dropping the few centimeters to the ground in a soft la- I always forget about my high heels! She stumbled, just barely avoiding the door as she slammed her hand into the nearby wall to prevent a fall. Noisily hitting that metal door would have gotten the entire editorial¡¯s attention for sure. I¡¯d never hear the end of how clumsy I am if I have to make up a story about how I tripped and fell on the roof. After regaining her balance she looked at the little pole next to the door with an ashtray on top. The cigarette she left there was untouched, merely lit and left to burn down. She never smoked in her life and didn¡¯t intend to start but still ¨C she had to smell like cigarette smoke and have fewer of them in her pack when she returned to have a coherent story for her little breaks. Surprisingly, it had about one minute¡¯s worth of length left. She leaned against the door and let out a long sigh as she brainstormed the current situation. With all the recent Shadow activity in the area there is just one logical conclusion. There is a Queen nearby. Which means¡­ She stopped her train of thought as a wave of nausea came crashing down on her. She fell to her knees, holding a hand on her mouth as she did her best to stop herself from vomiting. ¡°Seika? What¡¯s happening? Seika?!¡± Her heart hammered in her chest like it was trying to burst free and the edge of her vision faded, her hand on the ground was involuntarily trying to dig into the hard material covering the roof. A voice from the past echoed in her skull, saying things she¡¯d rather forget. It''s dark¡­ it hurts¡­ no one knows I¡¯m in here¡­ they are trying to kill me¡­ A suffocating darkness filled her lungs, and she gasped for air as an invisible hand constricted her throat. She wanted to scream, but there was no air for her to make a sound. She wanted to writhe and thrash about, but her limbs were kept in place by an iron grip. ¡°You¡¯re reliving traumatic events from your past. Focus on my voice, Seika.¡± Closing her eyes she forced herself to calm down, to drown out those traumatic memories, but to no avail yet. ¡°This is the past. You¡¯re strong now. It can no longer happen to you. You can prevent it from happening to others.¡± The voice of her crystal began reciting the words that Seika needed to hear to break out of her panic attack. The effect wasn¡¯t immediate, but it helped her gradually, making her heartbeat slow down to a normal rate while she managed to get air into her lungs again. She fought with her involuntary memories and the intense desire to throw up for what felt like an eternity, though only a minute had passed. As she managed to stand up her forehead was drenched in cold sweat. Lovely. Back to work. She caught her breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead. As she had calmed down enough, she added: ¡°Thank you, Minerva¡­¡± There was no vocal reply, but she could feel a gentle warmth filling her core. Grabbing the almost burned-down cigarette stump she put it out and headed back inside the building.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Ah, welcome back Hitoishi. Oh dear, you look pale. Don¡¯t tell me the lack of sleep is getting to you after all?¡± Watanabe naturally noticed something was wrong with her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll just have to walk it off.¡± *** Several hours later Yoshida had actually finished his manuscript, so he was allowed to go home. Seika wanted to get to editing it right away, but Watanabe interfered, insisting that he couldn¡¯t take responsibility for her doing a second all-nighter in a row and that she should sleep for once. She left the office as insisted but she didn¡¯t exactly intend to go home just yet. With a Shadow Queen out there, she would have to look for a missing girl and she knew exactly where she would get information about that. 2 Minerva Crimson floated nonchalantly into the nearest police box with a smartphone in hand. ¡°Good evening!¡± her cheerful voice greeted the officer on duty who looked at her with tired apprehension. Even now, sixteen years after the incident that kicked off supernatural events in this world, the police were no friends to the ¡®vigilantes¡¯ that freely roamed the skies. Not least of all because they couldn¡¯t exactly prevent them from doing magical battle in the city, which they¡¯d prefer the girls didn¡¯t ¨C but deep down everyone knew that regular law enforcement was not equipped to deal with any of the supernatural threats. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, I¡¯ll be out of your hair soon!¡± The flash of her phone¡¯s camera went off multiple times as she stopped in front of the missing person¡¯s posters. Mostly high schoolers and some college students went missing this month. The man tried his best to ignore her presence ¨C acknowledging her being here would only bring problems, especially if his supervisor decided that he should try and catch an ¡®unsanctioned¡¯ Magical Girl. ¡°Good luck.¡± Minerva was about to leave the police box as she heard those words faintly from behind. She looked over her shoulder. The only other person was the officer who did his best to pretend that he didn¡¯t say anything. She replied with a large grin and a thumbs up before she flew away. ***
Minerva thought about the implications of the policeman¡¯s words as she approached the last known location of one of the girls, Shibuya. She didn¡¯t like that it seemed like he was happy for her to take on these missing posters, indicating that there was something behind those disappearances that the police were powerless against. She picked a relatively quiet spot to transform back before she stepped out into the open. She approached the large crossing, looking around like she was just on an afternoon walk. ¡°No signs of magic foul play.¡± Her crystal let her know. How am I even supposed to start looking for these girls? She let out a long sigh. The few times she had to deal with Queens in the past she had simply followed the trail of Shadows, watching for where they came from and then following that lead. But the Shadows she had caught so far appeared in a way too wide area, which didn¡¯t give her much to go by. It was like they came from some point far, far away and had already spread out to cover more ground, making it impossible to garner which direction they had even appeared from. She shook her head. There was no use dwelling on things outside of her power. She could only do the best she could to ensure that no one else fell victim to those monsters. For now, she entered the coffee shop that was conveniently right there at the crossing and left it with a tall latte macchiato in hand to deal with another case of drowsiness. As she sipped her drink, she could hear the speakers of the large displays surrounding the square activate for a special program. ¡°¡°Good Eveniiiiing!¡±¡± Two voices rang across the square and the two Magical Girls Sol and Luna appeared on every available screen. ¡°It¡¯s the sellouts!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the sellouts!¡± Seika confirmed and made some heads turn her way. She looked around and cleared her throat. The girls on the screen continued completely unbothered, unable to hear her at all. ¡°The Celestial Sisters are proud to announce a collaboration with the biggest maid caf¨¦ in Akihabara, Maidlicious!¡± Sol announced. ¡°Only for a limited time the lovely maids will dress in our unique uniforms, perform stage plays where they fight our bitter enemies, the ¡®Enraged¡¯, and you can leave with acrylic stands of the both of us!¡± Luna continued. ¡°¡°So hurry up and get over to Maidlicious!¡±¡± ¡°What a load of ¨C hey?! Seika where are you going?¡± Seika was already moving, wiping the corner of her mouth where she had previously drooled. ¡°Oh, for the love of ¨C really?! Just a minute ago you called them sellouts but the second you hear there¡¯s Magical Girl merchandise you abandon all principles and go for it?!¡± Seika didn¡¯t even respond. She turned a corner and transformed into Minerva Crimson, taking off at breakneck speed. 3 She of course didn¡¯t abandon her search for the girls. She meticulously checked each and every location where a girl had gone missing to confirm or deny the presence of a magical beast. She would have been done with it with much later and less conspicuous if she had done her sweep in her regular form though, so in a sense being hurried along by her otaku desires was a net gain in productivity. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this.¡± ¡°¡°Moe, moe, kyun!¡±¡± Seika chanted together with two maids dressed as Luna and Sol who got closer to her than they would have done with the typical male customer. Being squished between two women dressed as Magical Girls had Seika almost drooling again as her brain went out in a blissful bye-bye to be replaced entirely by the nefarious powers of moe and otaku obsession. She had her arms crossed in front of her, forming half hearts with her hands that were completed by the two maids to shoot a beam of deliciousness on a single portion of omurice with Seika¡¯s name written on it in ketchup. ¡°Ehehehe, I died from sleep deprivation and I¡¯m in heaven¡­¡± She mumbled before she shoveled the omurice down her gullet. Before long she was holding light sticks as the maids sang one of the original songs out of the Celestial Sisters¡¯ idol portfolio while making flourishing movements and fighting the ¡®Enraged¡¯ on stage. The ¡¯Enraged¡¯ used to be humans who were pricked by an unknown enemy¡¯s poisonous needles, losing control over themselves and growing claws from their fingers which they¡¯d use to attack civilians indiscriminately until the needles were removed from their bodies. The Celestial Sisters were their sworn enemies, but about three years ago those kinds of attacks ceased entirely, leaving the pair of Magical Girls without an exclusive enemy of their own and a lot of time to engage in idol activities or merchandising deals. And while Seika called them sellouts for it, she was utterly in their thrall as a Magical Girl otaku. 4 After about one and a half hours of indulging in her otaku fantasies, Seika continued with her investigation, going back to the corners where the girls had gone missing to ask passersby directly if they had seen anything regarding those disappearances. She wasn¡¯t exactly going into it with high hopes, but she owed the missing girls at least a try at it, so she stood in the street, next to girls in maid costumes handing out flyers while all she handed out were questions. In the end no one could help her. With her magic detection not picking up on any supernatural foul play she had no choice but to halt her investigation for now ¨C especially as her phone¡¯s alarm went off to warn her that it was 2am. She had already missed a day¡¯s worth of sleep ¨C to miss more would be dangerous, even for her. While she could keep going in her Magical Girl form, she knew from bitter experience that the moment she turned back she would feel the effects all too well. Landing in a back alley near her own place she undid her transformation ¨C bracing herself for the onset of drowsiness and the general addled state of her brain these past seven years. It''s like coming down with a bad hangover. Seika let out a long, loud yawn as she slowly made her way to her own apartment. It was located in a typical two-story rental house with three units per floor. One room, one bath, a kitchen in the entry hallway. Enough space for a single person to live modestly. Seika turned the key to her unit, nestled between the two others on the ground floor, and entered. The sink was overflowing with dirty dishes that she never had the time to do, but at least she was able to get rid of the trash on the way to work, so she had that going for her over Yoshida. Her bed beckoned from the corner of her living room but for now she entered the bath. While she didn¡¯t have the time for a proper soak before she seriously needed to sleep, she wanted to shower herself off at least. After undressing and sitting down in the bathroom she started showering herself, closing her eyes as the almost therapeutic warmth of the hot shower soaked through her skin and permeated her whole being. Her fingers unconsciously trailed a round little scar on her left upper arm ¨C another souvenir from her younger days, just like her bad memories. I hope I can find those girls soon¡­ if only I didn¡¯t have to be a ¡®proper adult¡¯ and could skip work¡­ just like I sometimes skipped school back then. ¡°Or you could cut down on your otaku activities a little.¡± You¡¯re so cruel. I thought you loved me. Sniff. Sniff. ¡°Sometimes I feel less like your partner and more like your caretaker, Seika. It worries me.¡± She absentmindedly brushed her teeth, vacantly staring into the mirror as she mentally exchanged jabs with Minerva. Finally, dressed in only a pair of panties and an oversized T-shirt she stumbled into her living room, drying her hair with a towel to satisfaction before she simply fell into her bed. She looked up at an assortment of various Magical Girl figurines perched atop a little shelf on the foot end of her bed. ¡°Goodnight, girls.¡± It was 2:30am, and for a mercy she fell asleep immediately, dreaming of past encounters. 1.03B BONUS: Magical Girl Consumerism 1 Toya didn¡¯t stay at home today. After a humiliating experience like the one he had this noon, he decided he needed to buy some stuff for himself. And what better stuff to buy than anime figurines or even some R18 doujinshi in Akihabara? He placed his laptop back on his apartment¡¯s low table while letting out a long sigh. Today was one of the scariest days of his life. For a moment he was completely convinced that Hitoishi would murder him ¨C and it seemed like the only reason she didn¡¯t do it was because he still had his manuscript to deliver. I should avoid ending my series, just in case. It wouldn¡¯t do if he handed in the final volume¡¯s draft only for Hitoishi to plunge a knife into his chest afterward to release two years¡¯ worth of frustration. She¡¯s not the type to do that, don¡¯t get yourself worked up over nothing! He shook his head violently and went outside on the balcony. Two floors further downwards there was the hard ground of the sidewalk and street. ¡°I climbed.¡± Toya couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how she did that, high heels and all. Did she seriously cling to the wall like a certain comic book character and slowly worked her way up? Why was her shirt still pristine, then? These balconies weren¡¯t the cleanest they could be. ¡°Right, shopping.¡± He reminded himself, clenching his fist close to his heart. He went out of his front door and locked it ¨C then he remembered that he should take some garbage with him while he was going that way. 2 The train ride to Akihabara didn¡¯t take long, but he still abhorred being among people of the ¡®normal¡¯ kind. He found the most secluded seat at the end of the train and didn¡¯t dare move from it for the entire ride, then he hopped off at Akihabara station, taking the west exit. His leisurely walk to the anime merch stores was suddenly disrupted by a nearby sonic boom. He flinched and looked around, up into the sky where a faint trail of magic light faded fast.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Damned Magical Girls doing whatever they please.¡± He could hear someone complaining loudly nearby. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s an emergency nearby? Monsters?¡± someone else asked. ¡°No. There wasn¡¯t an alert on my phone, so whatever is happening, it¡¯s not here.¡± Oh good, the last thing I need today would be to run into one of those freakish marionettes, or fifty large rats with guns. Toya relaxed after the nearby conversation came to an end and hurried into one of the stores. Most of it is Magical Girls these days. He let out a long sigh. Inside the store entire shelves were stocked with Magical Girl figurines, Magical Girl mugs, Magical Girl keychains, Magical Girl pens, erasers, pencil cases, anything that one could print something on was carrying the face of a real-life Magical Girl ¨C and in this particular store it was the Celestial Sisters themselves, choking out the local ecosystem of harem rom-com heroines. ¡°May the light of the heavenly bodies protect you from evil!¡± Their catchphrase echoed through the store as an ad for their merchandise played on the TV on the wall. Toya decided he had enough of this and walked outside again ¨C and then he froze in terror as he saw a familiar sight before he jumped behind a capsule machine to hide himself. What is a stuck-up office slave like Hitoishi doing here?! He saw the tired editor fiddling with her earring and looking around suspiciously. She was currently turned away from him, so she didn¡¯t see him. After a while she walked off somewhere. Okay, I will just move in the opposite direction and avoid her. He followed her. Curse you, curiosity! How many cats¡¯ lives do you need to claim until we get rid of you? He remained out of sight as best as he could, sneaking after her. Part of him really wanted to know what kind of stuff would draw in someone like her. So, is she a fujoshi? Maybe she likes otome games? Or she¡¯s getting something for a niece of hers? She¡¯s at that age to have a niece, right? Just as he entertained those thoughts, he saw her entering Maidlicious. Huh? 3 ¡°¡°Moe, moe, kyun!¡±¡± He couldn¡¯t believe what he saw. There was his editor, the bane of his existence, blissfully chanting the deliciousness spell together with two maids dressed as Magical Girls. She had a very stupid expression on her face, and he was sure that she was about to drool at any moment now. She shoveled the omurice she was served down her gullet like she hadn¡¯t eaten solid food in months. A bit later she was cheering the maids performing on stage on like she had regressed to a seven-year-old girl. He had to order some omurice himself but kept to his corner. From time to time a maid came over to do her duty and entertain him and he courteously nodded along, let them perform deliciousness spells and held idle conversation. This isn¡¯t so bad, actually. I am starting to understand the ¡®normies¡¯ who pay for conversations like this in Kabukich¨­ a little better. He looked at Hitoishi and how she kept admiring the maids. The way her eyes were lighting up when she saw the women on stage perform iconic Magical Girl attacks. So she¡¯s into Magical Girls. Or women. Or both. He finished his session faster than her and left to avoid her noticing him. Back out on the street he walked between the various anime merchandise stores while he could only think about one thing: I will take the fact that I saw her today to my grave. 1.04 Fake It Until You Make It 1 April 2011 *** Magical Girls have been a reality of daily life for the past three years at this point. What was once just a dream for girls, boys and otaku in their thirties, had now turned into reality for a select few girls in the world. If you were lucky you could see their pastel-colored light trails in the evening sky as they fly to a person in need of rescue, be it from evil magical adults or even monsters from beyond who were certain to find their end at the wrong side of a bright magical beam. *** One such girl was currently slacking off in class, looking dreamily out of the window as the back row seat allowed her to do without catching the immediate attention of the teacher. ¡°Sayaka!¡± ¡°I¡¯m awake! Sorry! Huh?¡± Sayaka yanked her body around to face forward but only found that the rest of the class was already leaving. Apparently, she had daydreamed intensely enough to miss the bell. The person talking to her was one of her classmates ¨C her friend Hina, to be precise. ¡°Seriously, Sayaka. If you don¡¯t pay attention, you¡¯ll be held back. Anyway, we wanted to ask you if you want to go to the new store that just opened nearby. I heard they make little strawberry tarts and¡­¡± Again Sayaka spaced out, but this time it was a voice in her head that stopped her from paying attention to the outside world. ¡°Sayaka. There¡¯s trouble. A creature has been summoned on a nearby playground.¡± ¡°Understood, Kuma. Did you tell the others already?¡± Sayaka responded by simply thinking the words to let her magical patron read them. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Sorry, Hina! I just remembered that I actually have cram school today! I spaced out so hard that I totally forgot! Tee-hee!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tee-hee me, Sayaka! You always do that! Wait, where are you- ¡° Sayaka had already started running out of the classroom, taking her bag with her. *** Shortly after she arrived on the roof ¨C which as pointed out by a sign on the door was off limits for students, but at this point she had broken that rule so often and without being caught that the sign might as well not be there. ¡°There you are!¡± ¡°You both got the message as well?¡± Her friends Haruka and Fuuka arrived shortly after her. And soon after they were joined by Kuma himself ¨C a strange magical cat-like being with the head of a stuffed bear which walked in the air as if it were solid ground. Its amber eyes were glowing faintly from beneath its alabaster fur. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no time to waste.¡± Said Sayaka, rummaging through her bag until she found her transformation item: a hand mirror in the shape of a heart with pink accents. Haruka and Fuuka retrieved their own, almost identical to hers except for the variation which pastel color was represented on them. The three of them held the mirrors high above their heads and shouted in unison. ¡°Pure Heart Form!¡± They were enveloped in a brilliant light that changed their clothes into frilled, brightly colored dresses matching their mirrors and gave them wands with five-pointed stars at the tips. The transformation items themselves turned into tiaras with colored gemstones on their heads. Armed like this they launched into the air, leaving a trail of light matching their respective pastel colors in their wake. *** They arrived at the playground shortly after. The creature was supposed to be here ¨C a type of monster by the name of ¡®Scare Hare¡¯, a giant stuffed rabbit that moved on its own. Its usual appearance is that of a stitched together mess from different kinds of materials, the majority of which were chosen from a sickly purple ¨C they had mismatching button eyes, and it wasn¡¯t uncommon for one of them to hang on a thread. There was however something unexpected as they arrived: The creature was already dead. Before it sat a woman with glowing hair, poking at its spilling stuffing with a one-handed sword. Her head tilted as she leaned in to inspect the lifeless remains of the once moving stuffed animal. She wore what appeared to be a uniform jacket over her shoulders, concealing a red corset and black frilled skirt underneath. She looked every bit as magical as the trio approaching her, but at the same time wildly different. ¡°Anomaly¡­¡± ¡°What did you say, Kuma?¡± Sayaka asked in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Be on your guard. She might be part of the evil organization.¡± 2 Minerva Crimson, at this point in time 17 years old, was out on patrol again, as usual after school. Her glowing ruby hair flowed behind her as she soared through the skies, looking for people who might need help. Monster attacks weren¡¯t really a daily occurrence despite Magical Girls becoming a fact of life, so she attempted to help people in any mundane way she could, be it by saving cats from trees or using her ability of flight to catch purse snatchers mere moments after the act. Today, however, held something special for her. ¡°What is that? That is not a Shadow. Or any kind of enemy I know about.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unfamiliar to me as well.¡± Answered the voice of her crystal. A creature resembling a two-meter-tall rabbit plushie was stumbling over a playground, sluggishly swinging its arms around. The children were running away scared ¨C but the slow, lumbering movements wouldn¡¯t have caught them even if they had walked at a comfortable pace. It almost looked like an adult in a tasteless costume playing catch with willing participants while giving the kids a large handicap to account for their small legs. Minerva landed in front of the creature and looked around, seeing mothers grabbing their children and holding them close. ¡°Look! A Magical Girl! It¡¯s going to be okay now!¡± A nearby mother spoke softly to her crying daughter, bobbing her up and down to calm her nerves, all while walking away from the scene. ¡°So, uh¡­¡± Minerva cleared her throat, then she addressed the odd rabbit mascot with a clear and loud voice. ¡°You¡¯re not a human in a costume, right?¡± The lack of a response was all she needed. *** It had only taken a single slash of her magically infused blade. The creature was gutted, spilling cotton in a way that would elevate a movie a few age restriction ratings higher if it were real guts. Flailing its arms helplessly it collapsed and remained motionless. Minerva could only blink in confusion, squatting down next to the thing and poking the cotton filling with the tip of her cane sword. ¡°That¡¯s it? Come on. Stand up. Please? You can¡¯t just give me an anticlimactic ending like this after scaring the kids! You¡¯ve got to¡­ I don¡¯t know, give me trouble in a way that makes me realize an important life lesson?¡± She kept poking without a response. After another ten seconds or so of incessant poking she let out a long sigh and was about to stand up, then she heard someone speak nearby. ¡°Anomaly.¡± ¡°What did you say, Kuma?¡± The voices of a man and a young girl came from above her, which was quite unusual. Minerva looked up and her eyes widened. Magical Girls, in the flesh! In pink and blue and yellow with frilly clothes and little magic wands and everything! She had gone three years without encountering any others in person, so she was desperate to connect with at least one other Magical Girl. As she was about to say something she made brief eye contact with the odd stuffed bear-faced cat that was flying next to the three girls. Though its face was motionless, something in its eyes told Minerva that nothing good was about to happen. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Be on your guard. She might be part of the evil organization.¡± Huh? Me? Part of an evil organization? ¡°You¡¯re too much of an airhead to be in any kind of organized evil.¡± Oh, shut it, you. ¡°Got it, Kuma! Strike first, ask questions once she¡¯s on the ground! Hyaaaah!¡± The blue girl separated from the group and came at her with a flying kick right out of Kamen Rider. She definitely looks like the tomboyish type who would try that. The kick connected as Minerva distracted herself with her smart-ass observation and the two vanished in a cloud of dust as her head made rather uncomfortable contact with the sand. 3 ¡°Wait! Fuuka!¡± Sayaka tried to stop her friend from rushing in without a thought, but it was for nothing. She could see her heel connect with the strange woman¡¯s cheek before dust was kicked up and obscured any view of the result. ¡°Fuuka, you boneheaded idiot!¡± This time it was Haruka who berated their friend. Kuma was eerily quiet. Why is he acting so strange? She wanted to ask what he meant with ¡®anomaly¡¯ and why he assumed the strange woman was affiliated with the organization that summoned the creatures terrorizing the area, especially since it looked like she defeated one of those creatures. But she was forced to focus her mind on something different. The dust settled on the impact and to her shock all she saw was Fuuka sitting in the fresh crater, visibly confused. The strange woman was nowhere to be seen, then suddenly: ¡°Sayaka, watch out!¡± She yanked her head up and saw crimson. The strange woman had her sword sheathed, arms crossed and looked at her with a ponderous expression.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I think you misunderstood. I¡¯m not- ¡° She couldn¡¯t finish her sentence and was hit in the side by a yellow-colored magical beam from the tip of Haruka¡¯s wand ¨C it sent her flying away with an annoyed ¡°Ugh!¡± that the woman stretched until she caught and stabilized herself in the air. ¡°Would you just listen to me and- ¡° Another flying kick from Fuuka came in. This time the other Magical Girl, if she was really that, dodged to the side. She spun her cane to point behind her and the crystal on top of it glowed. Right after a thud sounded as Fuuka appeared to have crashed into a magic barrier. Her leg was surrounded by cracks like she had slammed into a glass window, though there was only air and glowing lines of a magic circle that kept spinning its confusing geometry around an axis, crackling and flickering as the intrusion of Fuuka¡¯s leg disturbed the magic. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m stuck! Help me!¡± The red woman didn¡¯t waste any time and simply yanked the tiara off Fuuka¡¯s head, forcibly turning her back into a normal middle school girl who was now dangling upside-down from a magic circle in the air and did her best to keep her skirt from hanging downward. ¡°No! Fuuka!¡± Haruka was next, firing beam after beam from her wand. Similar barriers to the one that caught their comrade in the air deflected the beams like it was nothing. The terrifying woman simply closed the distance and snatched the tiara off Haruka¡¯s head, which turned itself back into a hand mirror and Haruka¡¯s clothes back into her uniform. Now robbed of the power of flight, she fell ¨C but a magical wind caught her and let her down gently in the sandbox below. Fuuka soon followed ¨C lowered to the sand before the magic circle disappeared and let go of her. The stranger now focused her emerald eyes on Sayaka herself. ¡°You haven¡¯t attacked me like a bull-headed idiot. Good. Maybe we can talk? Then you can have these back.¡± She opened her palm and offered the hand mirrors. Sayaka was about to step forward to accept the proposal, but Kuma suddenly floated in front of her. ¡°I will talk to her. Tend to Fuuka and Haruka.¡± ¡°Oh? The mascot himself? That¡¯s good by me. Here, catch!¡± With that the stranger tossed the hand mirrors over to Sayaka and flew away, Kuma in tow. Sayaka went to work to care for her unharmed, but thoroughly humbled friends. 4 Minerva Crimson stopped on a rooftop a good distance away, but close enough that she could watch the three girls on the playground who were busy making sense of their recent defeat. The mascot arrived behind her and stared at her. ¡°So, we need to have a talk.¡± She started, emerald eyes now pointed at the mascot¡¯s bear-like face. ¡°We should. Let me apologize for telling the girls that you might be a part of the ¡®evil organization¡¯. Such a thing does not exist. It¡¯s an elaborate lie to keep them away from more dangerous magic users. It backfired, as you just witnessed.¡± ¡®Kuma¡¯s tone could be described as sterile. Not offensive, mostly because the way he talked didn¡¯t evoke any feelings in the listener in the first place. ¡°First off¡­ I¡¯m not actually talking to you right now, yes?¡± Minerva turned around and stared at the odd creature. ¡°A necessity. Humans might find our true forms¡­ unsettling.¡± Great, that will be a few sleepless nights with my imagination running wild. ¡°I had a hunch when you appeared after I gutted that rabbit thing. Same magic. Your little avatar there is an animated stuffed doll as well, right?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Being right on the money felt good. Minerva Crimson basked a little in the payoff of her three years of experience with magic and her once again confirmed status of being the Magical Girl of wisdom. Then she continued.
¡°What did you mean by ¡®anomaly¡¯? I think I heard you mutter that while your girls spotted me.¡± The creature remained silent for a while. Minerva could feel its eyes uncomfortably scanning her as if it wasn¡¯t entirely sure what it meant by ¡®anomaly¡¯ itself. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally got her answer. ¡°Your powers are unlike anything demonstrated by so-called Magical Girls in this world. They are radiating from that gem you¡¯re wearing, which appears to convert the passive energies of your very environment, like the passing of time. You¡¯re not in contact with a ¡®mascot¡¯ like myself, are you?¡± ¡°No. Got this thing gifted by a traveling wizard.¡± She replied bluntly. ¡°Who are you calling a thing?!¡± ¡°Are you making a fool of us?¡± ¡°I agree that it sounds a bit silly, but at least consider how it looks with you asking.¡± The creature remained quiet and simply looked at her, but it seemed to accept that answer for now. Minerva was the first who spoke up again. ¡°Another question¡­ what¡¯s the point of their fake powers?¡± *** In the earlier fight Minerva was taken by surprise at first. Being kicked sure hurt, but not much more than it would have without any magical enhancement. As she trapped the blue magical girl to remove her tiara and thus the source of her powers, she could feel that there was barely any magic enhancing her. Sure, she could fly. She could punch and kick a bit harder than a normal human being, but in the grand scheme of things it was miniscule. If she had encountered a Shadow instead of that stuffed rabbit she would have been done for. Then there were the magic attacks from the yellow girl. The beam had some force to it, knocking her backwards. But it wasn¡¯t as hot as it should have been. A Shadow would have brushed that attack off and that stuffed rabbit would have taken a volley of them before bursting. Minerva Crimson observed the floating creature¡¯s reaction to her question, its amber eyes unmoving. ¡°We give them hope and a few fun adventures. They give us nourishment.¡± Minerva blinked and leaned in; her brow furrowed. Seemingly sensing her unease, the bear-faced mascot continued: ¡°We are a species that nourishes itself with magical energy. We give some of your people the means to convert their emotional energy into magic ¨C and some enemies to fight. Then we absorb the residual magic left over from their battles.¡± That sounds a bit too similar to a show I¡¯ve seen this winter¡­ ¡°Just to make sure, you¡¯re not purposefully making them experience bad things to get that emotional magic energy, right?¡± ¡°Only positive emotions generate magic at all, so that would be fruitless. In fact, negative emotions reduce the yield of magical energy significantly. It is of utmost importance that the girls lead a happy, ordinary life outside of their duties.¡± Minerva nodded, cupping her chin in her hand as she thought all this new information over. ¡°Next question: what¡¯s the point of keeping them so weak, then? Is that all you¡¯re getting from emotions? Surely, you¡¯d be getting more residual magic from stronger Magical Girls.¡± The amber eyes continued to look at her expressionlessly. ¡°We keep things danger free. We have no desire to hurt those girls. And if they go through too much stress, their emotions might sway into the negative, reducing our yield.¡± ¡°But you do get that you¡¯re not the only Magical Girl operation out there, right? There are creatures like the Shadows out there, who ambush people and drag them into pocket dimensions to devour them. Or to turn magically sensitive girls into their Queens to create more Shadows! ¡°I¡¯ve seen animated marionettes with razor arms, poison needles that turn a person into a berserker with claws springing from their hands! If your girls ever encounter those types of enemies, they will stand no chance with this level of power! They will die!¡± Minerva worked herself up ¨C she even shouted the last sentence. The girls on the playground surely must have heard her, even if the distance and afternoon breeze would have rendered the words themselves unintelligible. ¡°Enough!¡± Kuma seemed worked up now ¨C anger was the first emotion Minerva could ever read from him. ¡°I will not put them in danger for the sake of power!¡± ¡°But you must! And if you won¡¯t, I will have to go and smash their little hand mirrors!¡± Minerva was about to turn around and make for the girls on the playground as the ground below her feet soundlessly opened up into a black abyss and she fell inside. *** She fell and fell ¨C the darkness around her seemed endless. After a while she simply floated with her powers. There was nothing to see around her, only the deepest darkness of a sunless place. She brought up her magic cane and cast a spell, summoning a large orb of light right above her head. It almost looked like a halo behind her. With this source of light now present, Kuma came into view. He didn¡¯t resemble a bear or a cat at all. He was like a giant humanoid with sickly grey skin. There were no eyes on his face, only a swollen-looking bulb sitting on top of a slit nose. Razor-sharp teeth were put ill-fittingly together in a mouth that seemed to cover half of its head¡¯s circumference. Magic symbols appeared on its skin, glowing and moving constantly. Its hands had three fingers each, all of them tipped by what looked like suction cups. As it noticed Minerva it stood up, towering above her like a skyscraper. He wasn¡¯t kidding about his form being unnerving. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again: You might think that you¡¯re protecting them, but you¡¯re simply dangerously coddling them. What¡¯s your plan for when they encounter something with actual strength?¡± ¡°I will dispose of the danger. In here. Now relent!¡± The threat boomed through the empty space and Minerva could feel a drop of sweat running down her temple. She couldn¡¯t get a proper read on this creature¡¯s strength in here, and her being trapped in its domain put her at an implicit disadvantage. Still, she was fighting for the safety of those girls outside ¨C against a foe who did the same, using much more foolish methods. ¡°Then show me how well you can protect them!¡± She issued her challenge. The answer came immediately. The creature pointed a finger at her and a volley of fireballs rained down on her position. Minerva dashed from side to side, summoning magic shields that caught the fireballs as they rained down on her. She got swallowed in the explosions before emerging with her skirt a little singed. ¡®Kuma¡¯ followed up with electricity, sending a continuous stream of lightning at her which hit her shield once more. She doubled and tripled it up as the first started to crack and break, desperately holding the magical onslaught at bay. It was then that she noticed the imposing figure of ¡®Kuma¡¯ shrinking with every passing moment. It dawned on her now that it was eating through its very life force to cast magic. Magic nourishes this creature, so likewise casting a lot of it will drain ¡®Kuma¡¯. She focused on deflecting the electric blast to the side and got moving. As the creature grabbed for her, she unsheathed her cane sword and separated its right fingers, then she sheathed her sword and used the magic cane to incinerate the fingers to prevent re-absorption of their magic energies. ¡®Kuma¡¯ grew his fingers back, as she assumed would happen, and his size further shrank. He now attempted a punch in her direction. Minerva would lie if she said that the sight of a giant fist coming her way wasn¡¯t at least somewhat unnerving, but for now she kept her cool. Before the impact she leapt to the side ¨C then she catapulted herself towards the giant limb and found solid ¡®ground¡¯ under herself ¨C she ran along the arm, letting out a war cry as she unsheathed her sword and let it rip through the flesh she ran across. She kept this up until she reached ¡®Kuma¡¯s shoulder and jumped off, dodging his other hand coming to squash her like a bug. His hand was separated from the wrist right after, together with the cut-up arm, which detached from the shoulder via a precise cut from her magically imbued blade. Minerva sheathed her sword and unleashed an inferno, turning the detached limbs into nothing but useless ash, forcing the giant creature to shrink significantly to regrow what it had lost. Their battle continued. Magic was exchanged and punches were thrown. At one point Minerva got caught by an icicle penetrating her shoulder but melted it off with magic flames before she returned the favor with more amputations. Before long, ¡®Kuma¡¯ was in front of her, its currently human-sized form breathing heavily at the point of Minerva¡¯s blade. ¡°That¡¯s enough, don¡¯t you think?¡± Minerva asked as her own breath had become ragged and heavy drops of sweat were running down her face. Repeatedly cutting away at the giant had taken its toll. The creature didn¡¯t reply. ¡°I get it. You¡¯re like a protective father to these girls. I couldn¡¯t sense any sort of malignance towards them. But a father¡¯s role is also to prepare his daughters for the real world instead of keeping them locked inside until they go out on their own and get in trouble.¡± Finally she managed to take a deep breath, lowering her blade and simply sheathing it. ¡°I¡¯ll even give you some pointers on how you can package it for the girls. What do you say?¡± 5 Sayaka was busy patting Fuuka¡¯s head. ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t be angry. You did your best.¡± She tried to calm down her friend, who was pouting quite heavily after being defeated like a mere mob character. ¡°I can¡¯t believe her! She just stole my transformation item like it was nothing!¡± Fuuka kept complaining loudly, looking over to the rooftop where that mysterious Magical Girl had a talk with Kuma. They had vanished somewhere else in-between, and she didn¡¯t know what was happening. It worried her a little. ¡°Now, now¡­ you shouldn¡¯t have rushed her like that, either. If we had just tried to listen to her, none of this would have happened.¡± ¡°I know! It¡¯s still so frustrating! I want to get stronger!¡± Fuuka pumped her fist towards the air, an annoyed look on her face. Haruka sat next to them and drew circles in the sand as she seemed unable to cope with the fact that her magic beams did nearly no damage. ¡°How would we get stronger, anyway?¡± asked Sayaka. All three of them sounded a long ¡®hmm¡¯ as they pondered their predicament. ¡°I hope you three aren¡¯t taking it too badly.¡± The monotone voice of their mascot broke them out of their contemplations. ¡°Oh, Kuma! Wait, where¡¯s the girl?¡± ¡°She left after we finished our talk.¡± ¡°And? What¡¯s the deal with her? What¡¯s happening now?¡± Fuuka of course interjected crudely as always. ¡°She¡¯s no danger to us. But this served as an important lesson. All of you need to get stronger. I¡¯ve underestimated the kind of dangers you could face. Forgive me for that.¡± Kuma tilted its head downwards in a bow as it asked for them to accept its apology. ¡°Please, Kuma! It¡¯s not your fault! We were simply not ready!¡± This time it was Haruka who interjected. ¡°No. The responsibility of preparing you for the world¡¯s dangers lies with me. From now on I will make sure that nothing can tear the three of you down!¡± There was an unusual hint of emotion behind the little mascot¡¯s voice, a cause for pause among the group of friends. Sayaka spoke up first, grabbing the mascot¡¯s little paws. ¡°If you say so, Kuma. If you know how to make us stronger, we¡¯ll listen. We trust you!¡± *** From that day onward Kuma subjected the three Magical Girls to a training regime made up of a lot of physical exercise. Jogging, sit-ups, push-ups, meditation under a waterfall, you name it. All while he rewrote the output of the girls¡¯ magical foci in secret. Of course two of the girls complained about it all the time, while the sporty, tomboyish Fuuka easily kept pace. Before long they were stronger and faster, attributing it to their rigorous training. A little while later, they achieved new forms, or rather, Kuma changed their magical girl appearances, transforming them into better magical armor. From that day on their group kept defeating the (incidentally way stronger) Scare Hares and a few odd enemies that didn¡¯t fit their usual pattern in-between. They never saw the mysterious Magical Girl again, save for the occasional phone camera footage online, and they never learned about Kuma¡¯s initial deception. A few years later they graduated from high school and bade farewell to the life as Magical Girls as their ability to generate magic from emotions faded. They took precious memories with them that they still think back on to this day. 6 June 2024 *** Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! The sickening sound of the alarm woke Seika from what little sleep she could get that night. Crawling out of bed, it took all of her willpower to change her underwear and get dressed in a fresh pencil skirt and white shirt for another day. She only started feeling somewhat like a human as the bitterness of the first cup of coffee touched her tongue and she involuntarily shook her body in response. I haven¡¯t thought about the Kuma Group in ages. I wonder what kind of girls Kuma is guiding these days. ¡°Hopefully fewer hotheads that hit first and ask questions later.¡± She had secretly watched them from time to time until their days as Magical Girls came to an end, always ready to end Kuma if he broke her trust. But he never did. He really increased the amount of magic generated from emotions and with that the output of their attacks. As a trio they were able to take down Shadows without even knowing the specifics about them and various of the other enemies she encountered in her sixteen years as a Magical Girl. Hope those original girls didn¡¯t get too muscular from their fake training. She chuckled quietly to herself as she left her apartment, barely awake. 1.05 Home Away from Home 1 Work was relatively smooth sailing today. Seika arrived fifteen minutes early and used that time to get her PC running while also preparing her second cup of coffee for the day. This was the day she would finish editing Yoshida¡¯s manuscript. Whatever else he was, he was at least a concise writer whose only mistakes were the odd typos and some oddly structured sentences. When it came down to the story, he fully understood how to construct narrative arcs for the light novel format, to start a story arc that is resolved in the same book, even if it is just a B plot to the actual main arc that might span multiple volumes. Volume 6 of ¡®The Demon Lord¡¯s Right Hand Woman is my Little Sister¡¯ was actually the end of one such main story arc. *** The main protagonist Rufus¡¯ sister Lyselle had just been exposed as being related to the legendary hero trying to bring down the dark lord in volume 5. In previous volumes she had always cautiously navigated the political intrigues of the demon court to avoid having to confront her brother directly, which often resulted in Rufus slaying another high-ranking demon who was there in her place. While being subjected to interrogation and torture she had to weigh her loyalty to the Demon Lord with her love for her family and chose to keep Rufus¡¯ greatest weakness a secret despite the pain inflicted on her. As Rufus stormed the castle, he, too had to make a choice: pursuing the Demon Lord himself or save his sister from torture. He chose the latter to the anger of his allies who had come so very close to defeating the source of all evil. In choosing family over victory, he had to leave the kingdom but was ultimately happier for it. This sets the story up for another three-volume arc where the hero has to continue with all his allies having left his side, except for his sister, now blind in one eye from torture but a mighty spellcaster almost on par with the Demon Lord himself. She hadn¡¯t talked to Yoshida yet what he planned to do about the possibility of a romantic development. In online discussions there was currently a divide between those who just wanted to see siblings kick ass together and those whose interests were more otaku aligned. Yoshida himself has never shown any interest in developing the story that way, despite being the stereotypical otaku without life skills who would ordinarily be thought to be into that sort of thing. In fact, he had never even written an erotic scene involving Lyselle, be it a peek of her taking a bath or otherwise. He was almost suspiciously wholesome. Seika went on to add the illustrations that had been prepared beforehand. Known only by their handle AKITO, the artist for ¡®The Demon Lord¡¯s Right Hand Woman is my Little Sister¡¯ had been doing freelance work for MagiColle for a while, working on five of their series at the moment, though they could only ever be reached via mail and have never been to the office. Seika opened the company¡¯s file share and began inserting the illustrations one by one in the appropriate chapters after the appropriate paragraph. The best effect naturally happens when the reader is engaged in a scene and right after the description is finished, they flip the page and ta-dah! There is a page-filling illustration showing off just how cool or cute the characters are. In this case there were a bunch of images of Rufus mowing his way through the demonic hordes and one that shows the moment Lyselle is being blinded in one eye while still refusing to betray her brother. A final spread shows the siblings hugging after the story resolves. Hard to believe he wrote this whole ending while locked inside an office yesterday¡­ if only he didn¡¯t need that kind of motivation. *** Today nobody was at the office. The other editors, including her boss, weren¡¯t necessarily always on location. They could always be talking to the printers, the writers, the illustrators, literally anyone involved in the process of publishing books from start to finish. And more often than not such meetings would be in caf¨¦s, where the atmosphere helped everyone to be at ease. Seika wrapped up her work on Volume 6 of ¡®The Demon Lord¡¯s Right Hand Woman is my Little Sister¡¯ and stretched, looking up at the clock. Wait¡­ seven in the evening? Some days the time simply flies for her. Usually on days where she is enjoying herself and is doing work that doesn¡¯t involve rearing unwilling writers. Seika sent the finished manuscript to the printers and decided to wrap it up for today. She brought up her phone and checked the missing posters of the girls she had been looking for. ¡°We¡¯ve been checking all of their last known locations, and there was no presence of magical creatures that I could confirm anywhere.¡± Minerva said with a long sigh. I will try again today, starting with Kabukich¨­. Maybe one of the regulars at Snack Starlight knows something. I kind of miss her, too. 2 Seika passed the giant neon torii gate leading into Kabukich¨­. It had just been turned on as the sun had started setting and while it wasn¡¯t illuminating anything with the current level of light it still shone brighter than its surroundings. Neon signs on both sides of the road were advertising services provided and would soon be the main source of light within the narrow street. Adult video stores, girly bars, ramen restaurants, cabaret clubs, Seika passed all of them until she arrived at the building she was looking for. A small multi-level brick house stood in front of her, only accessible through a staircase on the right side. Multiple framed posters marked with the floor levels were plastered on the wall, advertising the various establishments housed inside. Seika¡¯s target was the basement, so she descended the stairs and opened the door. Snack Starlight was a small so-called Snack Bar. It had no windows and only a row of seven or so stools facing a bar counter with a small karaoke machine at the far side of the room. It appeared that she was the first customer to arrive today. As Seika entered, she turned to the right and greeted the elderly proprietress, the ¡®Mama¡¯, with a little bow before she decided to go all the way to the last stool from the entrance. ¡°Oh! Senpai! Welcome!¡± The woman standing behind the counter was a long-time friend of hers. Her friendly expression was framed by blonde hair ¨C usually worn in a hime cut, with the longer strands of hair that usually fall over her shoulders being tied into a ponytail while she¡¯s at work, nicely completing her serious look with her white shirt, black vest and red tie.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Her blue eyes figuratively sparkled with excitement as she saw Seika and immediately went to where she was sitting. ¡°Miori. Hello.¡± Seika gave her a tired smile. It must have looked terrible with the dark rings under her eyes, especially compared to the almost blinding radiance of the bartender¡¯s smile. ¡°Geez! Are you working yourself to the bone again, Senpai? You need a day or two off from time to time.¡± Shaking her head Miori followed up by being all business, possibly in response to a glare from ¡®Mama¡¯. ¡°Want me to pour you from your bottle, Senpai?¡± she offered. ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± Seika had purchased a whole bottle of whiskey here, as was custom in these bars. It was kept with a name tag, a promise of return in essence. A Snack Bar survived on making itself a home away from home for its patrons to turn them into regulars. Seika had been introduced to Snack Starlight about seven years ago as Watanabe took her out drinking in the after-hours to congratulate her on the release of a series she had overseen. That¡¯s how she met Miori¡­ again. Their shared history is a bit longer than that, but it had been the first time the two saw each other again in a while. Miori grabbed a large, cylindrical piece of ice from the freezer behind the counter and brought it to a special press. Lifting up the top she put the cylinder inside and let the weight of the press do its work. Water dripped into a collector surrounding the bottom piece of metal as the top slid down, melting the ice with kinetic force and thermal conductivity. Once both halves touched Miori lifted the top again, grabbed the clear ball of ice with a pair of tongs and placed it in a glass before she poured whiskey from Seika¡¯s labeled bottle. As everything was done, she put the drink down in front of Seika.
¡°Here you go: on the rocks, just the way you like it.¡± ¡°Thanks, Miori.¡± Seika took the glass and allowed herself a sip before she got to business. ¡°Listen, Miori. I¡¯m currently looking for somebody who can tell me where these girls might have vanished to. You get a lot of reputable and less-so gentlemen coming through here, maybe one of your regulars has seen something?¡± She opened the pictures on her phone and slid it over the bar counter for Miori to inspect. ¡°My, my, Senpai, are you still getting involved in that kind of stuff? Are you listening to too many of these internet radio shows about real crimes?¡± ¡°Shut up. I just like to help people in my free time.¡± ¡°By doing work the police should be doing?¡± ¡°Well if¡­ if I learn something new about them, I¡¯ll just tell the police and let them handle it.¡± ¡°Hmm, the ones you ask about do tend to be resolved quickly, come to think of it. But I think it¡¯s usually not the police resolving them¡­¡± Seika stiffened. Until now it never really dawned on her how obvious she must have been about it. ¡°Ah! I guess the police would naturally be in contact with Magical Girls these days!¡± Miori clapped her hands together and nodded as if she just made a groundbreaking observation. ¡°Ha¡­ yeah.¡± Seika slumped over the counter and let out a sigh, counting her blessings that her friend provided and accepted such a simple answer. ¡°Aw, tired again, Senpai?¡± ¡°A little.¡± ¡°Maybe I need to spoil you a little, Senpai. But I doubt I can give you a lap pillow on the clock! We¡¯re not a hostess bar.¡± ¡°Oh stuff it, you!¡± Seika did her best to sound annoyed, hiding a grin by holding her hunched over position against the bar. She really had missed Miori and her nearly infectious energy. ¡°Now, do you think you can help me out with this?¡± Seika tapped on the phone, showing the face of one of the missing girls. Miori¡¯s expression changed. Now it looked like she was about to challenge Seika. She lowered herself to the counter, elbows resting on it as she held her face in her hands and made eye contact. ¡°What do I get for it, Senpai?¡± Here it comes. In the nine years they had known each other, Miori never held back when it came to making advances towards her Senpai and the two had turned it into some sort of tug-of-war between Seika¡¯s denial of her flirting and Miori¡¯s relentless attacks. A quid-pro-quo deal like this gave her an unfathomable advantage. ¡°I¡­ uh, I don¡¯t know, what would you want?¡± ¡°A kiss?¡± Miori suggested playfully. ¡°No way in hell.¡± Seika answered quickly with a deadpan tone. ¡°Wow, that came out so fast I actually feel a little hurt. Your LINE contact information, then?¡± ¡°Still a no.¡± ¡°Really, Senpai? We¡¯ve been friends for what? Nine years? We can¡¯t always rely on running into each other.¡± ¡°The reason is still the same. I don¡¯t have the time for idle talk on some app.¡± Seika managed to lie. You¡¯d have too many opportunities to try and melt my defenses. ¡°Boo. You¡¯re no fun, Senpai!¡± ¡°I am a very boring adult after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an adult now, too. And you¡¯re really still echoing that one back at me? It''s been nine years.¡± ¡°I know. But you¡¯re a fun one! And it¡¯s fun to say!¡± ¡°Ah, to be young again.¡± That last one came from the entrance. ¡®Mama¡¯ had heard everything and finally gave a comment. ¡°Stop flirting, you two!¡±, she seemed to imply. Seika turned red up to her ears while Miori broke out into a laugh. ¡°I guess I should stop. Anyway, Senpai¡­ are you free this Saturday?¡± Seika looked up at her, still as red as a tomato. ¡°Uh, this Saturday? Why?¡± Miori smiled, then leaned closer and whispered into Seika¡¯s ear. ¡°Let¡¯s go on a date and I¡¯ll help you out. Hanging out somewhere that¡¯s not a stuffy bar doesn¡¯t sound so bad, right?¡± Seika couldn¡¯t really disagree there. There was a hint of a bitter taste from the fact that Miori was essentially bartering the life of the lost girls for some quality time with her beloved senpai, but there was no way she could actually know that Seika herself was saving them and her getting the information she needed influenced the outcome. And even if Seika had sworn to herself that she wouldn¡¯t get intimately involved with anyone ever again, spending a day with a friend like this didn¡¯t sound so bad. ¡°All right. We¡¯ll go on a date this Saturday. Don¡¯t go prepare another love confession, though. I¡¯ll shoot you down.¡± Miori¡¯s eyes widened and seemed to sparkle with a whole universe inside them, even with Seika¡¯s denial of this being more than a friendly outing. This undiluted expression of joy burned itself into Seika¡¯s memory to become a permanent part of it. 3 One after the other the regulars poured into Snack Starlight. Everyone greeted ¡®Mama¡¯ at the door before they took their seats. Of course, most eyes were focused on Miori. Whoever she had in mind wasn¡¯t here yet, so Seika kept to herself in her corner and let the usual business of the bar happen. ¡°Hey, Miori! Looking cute as always!¡± ¡°Aw, thank you. A highball as usual?¡± ¡°Miori, you seem to be shining brighter than usual today!¡± ¡°Aw, that¡¯s because my Senpai agreed to go on a date with me!¡± ¡°A date?! My cute Miori is going on a date with someone other than me? Forget the highball, I need a straight whiskey!¡± And so on. The other patrons were exclusively middle-aged men in business suits. They already knew Seika and knew not to bother her, at least, but Miori as the bartender had to entertain them with idle conversation and endure their clumsy attempts at flirting to keep the alcohol flowing. A good long while of nonsensical chatter later the mood in the bar called for a song and Miori promptly got volunteered to use the karaoke machine. ¡°Hmm, whatever shall I do?¡± She pondered and looked over to Seika, who could immediately feel that the blonde planned some mischief again. Miori flashed her a quick grin that only she could see and entered a song title into the JOYSOUND machine. The first notes played, and recognition showed on all faces in the room. ¡°Oh, I know that one. My daughter watched the anime it¡¯s from! She¡¯s your age.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not afraid to show your cute side, aren¡¯t you, Miori?¡± After the initial interjections everyone went quiet and Miori sang. It was a cutesy song that served as opening to a certain card-wielding Magical Girl anime around twenty-five years ago. The lyrics were all about trying to confess one¡¯s love. Of course, Miori held almost uncomfortable amounts of eye contact with Seika while singing those lovey-dovey lyrics. I rejected her already. But she¡¯s kept trying all these years. *** About nine years ago Seika held a part-time job at a convenience store to earn a little bit extra while making it through college. The high school aged Miori joined her shifts during that time as a new hire, hence why she called her ¡®Senpai¡¯ and never dropped that habit. Seika kept their interactions friendly and tried her best to be a good senior to her. Sometime later the way Miori looked at her changed. Instead of innocent adoration for her senior the younger girl had definitely developed a crush, trying to perform her work as close to Seika as possible, always taking chances to strike up conversations and even trying to invite her to ¡®hang out¡¯ on their days off. Seika naturally brushed her off, even after Miori¡¯s eighteenth birthday made their relative ages less awkward. As Seika was about to leave on her last day of work, Miori finally worked up enough courage to speak what has been on her mind. ¡°I love you, Senpai. Please go out with me!¡± Seika had just come out of a situation where a close friend of hers got hurt because she knew the truth about her and got too close. Starting a relationship with her junior from work was the last thing she wanted to do at that time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miori. I can¡¯t return your feelings. I shouldn¡¯t.¡± You would only get hurt if I did. And I like you too much to let that happen. 1.05B BONUS: Magical Girl Idol Meeting 1 Kosuke Imina was in a love-hate relationship with his job. Managing idols had always been his aspiration, to bring rising stars to the biggest stages. And he did. He created the most profitable duo of idols in the world. They had world tours, filled entire stadiums for their performances, and their word carried considerable weight when it came to the public¡¯s perception of Magical Girls. One in every four children in Japan was using a branded pencil case that carried the face of the Celestial Sisters. Today, however, his relationship with his job was more on the hate side of the spectrum. The Celestial Sisters, Luna and Sol, sat in front of him, dressed in their costumes, with their white and black wigs messily sitting on their heads as they browsed the internet on their phones or checked their nails ¨C anything but listening to him. ¡°Hey, manager. How much longer are we going to talk? I¡¯m bored.¡± Complained Luna. ¡°Yeah, manager. How much longer?¡± Sol chimed in with the sounds of various clacks as the lollipop she was busy sucking on rattled while she talked. He knew that they were intentionally picking the most irritating tone of voice to annoy him. He heard them fluently switching between sweet idol speeches and slang-filled complaints before. ¡°We¡¯re talking until all our bullet points for today are done.¡± He grabbed two papers from his still terribly large stack and flicked them across the table. The motion was practiced enough that the two pieces landed perfectly in readable range and position in front of his two idols. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Sol asked. ¡°The plans for your upcoming concert in September. You¡¯ll have to practice the songs and accompanying choreographies until then. I¡¯ll be in touch with your choreographer, and she will let me know if you skip. Is that clear?¡± ¡°Ugh! Sure, sure, manager.¡± Luna complained. ¡°I will not tolerate a repeat of Madrid. Is that clear?¡± he repeated himself. ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯ve been grilling us with that for three years, now, Kosuke. Relax! We know what to do.¡± Sol countered. ¡°If you know, then I¡¯ll mark this as ¡®I don¡¯t have to worry about it¡¯.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s uncalled for!¡± groaned Luna. ¡®I don¡¯t have to worry about it¡¯ was his heavily coded way of saying ¡®I know that I can¡¯t take my eyes off you for even a second¡¯. ¡°Anyway!¡± Kosuke himself wanted to move on, rather than linger on the possibility of his idols slacking off on their dance practice again. ¡°Furthermore, I finally received the fully compiled damage claims from last year.¡± He took a large quantity of papers from his stack and let them noisily slam down on the table for effect.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°About ninety-nine percent of this is from the flooding in Ginza and Tsukiji that you caused. Kabukiza in particular filed a large damage claim after the flooding pushed a car into its fa?ade and had the theater fill up with salt water. Also, to add to that, Tokyo Cruise Ship are very angry about the Hotaluna sinking. It was the pride of their fleet, being one of two ships designed by Matsumoto. I¡¯ll count it a blessing that he died earlier that year, so he didn¡¯t see that happening to his boat.¡± ¡°Hey! That wasn¡¯t our fault!¡± Sol stood up and looked at the stack of paper with anger in her eyes. ¡°Yeah, we aren¡¯t responsible for dimensional rifts opening like that!¡± Luna added. ¡°But it was only a tiny one until someone made the hole bigger, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Kosuke replied, making the two idols exchange some odd looks. ¡°Well that was¡­ never mind.¡± Sol said quietly. ¡°Fine, we made it worse.¡± Both agreed. How unusual. Who are they covering for? Kosuke narrowed his eyes, but then he nodded. ¡°As long as you are being honest.¡± ¡°How much do we owe?¡± Sol asked, fingers digging into the hem of her idol outfit¡¯s dress. ¡°Hm? Oh, you don¡¯t owe anything. It¡¯s all covered by the city¡¯s interdimensional incident insurance. The Triple-Eye.¡± He grinned at the two as they stared speechlessly at him. He considered that revenge enough. 2 ¡°What else, manager?¡± After he gave them their little scare, the two were much more cooperative. ¡°Mail. Lots of mail.¡± He slid two more papers their way. ¡°We need to renew your consent forms so our assistants can open the fan mail to check if anything dangerous or disgusting is inside. Also, so we can categorize it all and summarize how many of them are just generic thanks, expressions of inspiration, or which are hate mail. We¡¯ll be putting it all under black light just in case, you know how gross idol otaku can be.¡± The girls shivered in response. ¡°Should we do the usual?¡± he asked. The usual in this case meaning that they would be picking around fifty letters that were obviously sent by children so the two of them could send them handwritten replies. Both of them nodded, so Kosuke made a note. ¡°We also received¡­ strongly worded letters from professors of the English language from around the world.¡± He noted. ¡°Eh?¡± Luna exclaimed with a quizzical look on her face. ¡°Complaints about your endorsement for the movement that one American Magical Girl started a while back.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t remember.¡± Sol said, a finger on her lip as she was lost in thought, desperately trying to recall the incident. ¡°Yeah, this American Magical Girl argued that the term ¡®Magical Girl¡¯ should be turned into a proper noun, to denote the defenders of the world as something special. Like a nationality, or an ethnicity. There were tons of complaints from linguists about it. To this day I don¡¯t know why she reached out to the two of you since the only English you speak is whatever you learn to recite before an overseas performance. Terribly, I may add.¡± He eyed them one after the other and they started to chuckle nervously. ¡°Is¡­ that so? How did it play out?¡± Luna managed to ask. ¡°I brought the petition in front of you, both of you said ¡®sure, whatever¡¯, so I had our team announce your support as your official stance. Thanks to your international popularity, favorability tipped and now the English world has to capitalize ¡®Magical Girls¡¯ and linguists hate you for meddling with a language you don¡¯t even speak.¡± They didn¡¯t reply, but he could see their discomfort at having caused something so significant with a disinterested ¡®sure, whatever¡¯. ¡°I think that about sums it up.¡± Kosuke was satisfied with the meeting for now, packing his things together. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if there¡¯s any more collaboration or crossover opportunities or if we have another show booked in the future.¡± ¡°Oh, manager!¡± Sol spoke up and hopped to his side. ¡°What is it?¡±, he asked as she handed him a little note. ¡°We need this soon. The usual.¡± He checked the note ¨C the content was absurd, but unsurprising. A large order for wood. A specific type, and two tons of it in ten by ten by thirty-centimeter blocks. Some twigs of mistletoe, too. ¡°You know, I never asked what you need that stuff for¡­¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t start now.¡± The idol winked at him. 1.06 Lost Souls 1 ¡°Senpai? Senpai!¡± Miori¡¯s sweet voice yanked Seika out of her thoughts. How long have I been staring into space? How embarrassing. ¡°¡­yes?¡± ¡°Still with us, I see. I found one of my regulars who might know something about the missing girl.¡± Miori beamed with pride as she announced her findings to Seika. Her eyes almost begged for praise like a puppy. Cute. ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯ll go and talk to him then. Who is it?¡± Seika was about to stand up, but Miori urged her to sit back down with a quick gesture. ¡°No need, Senpai. He¡¯s a very shy man, you see. Not particularly confident when talking about such things with strangers. I already took him outside and talked to him while you were spacing out.¡± ¡°Did you now?¡± Seika was surprised ¨C and a little intrigued how Miori managed such a feat. She herself had already gone through a few scenarios of how she¡¯d approach the topic with a stranger and none of them appeared satisfying to her. One of these days she needed to learn from Miori how to be a social butterfly. ¡°Well, in that case¡­ what did he say?¡± Miori put up a smug expression and showed her phone to Seika where she had written down the details. ¡°Give me your LINE and I can send it over to you.¡± she announced, puffing out her chest. ¡°Ueh!?¡± was the sound she made next as Seika snatched the phone out of her hand and copied the details manually into her own. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so mean, Senpai¡­¡± ¡°I already promised you a date this weekend, didn¡¯t I?¡± Seika winked at Miori as she handed the phone back. And just as planned that little gesture made Miori forget about her grievances as she blushed. Too easy¡­ 2 Seika walked through the streets of Kabukich¨­ alone after she left Snack Starlight and headed for the train station. It was around midnight, now, when things truly came to life in this district. People moved around in little groups, wandering from place to place in good company ¨C some were unaccompanied, like Seika, though they were mostly men, possibly looking to visit one of the seedier clubs. Seika turned at the crossing as she could she the side of Godzilla¡¯s head peeking over a building and continued to head for the train station; On the way she checked her phone for the info she had received from Miori. ¡®The girl who went missing in Kabukich¨­ vanished in a spot with a lot of activity from pick-up artists who are the usual suspects: Young guys trying to get lucky, scouts for idol agencies, either wholesome ones or AV oriented. University students who feel more confident in a group and all the others. Recently there¡¯s been some new faces shortly before the disappearances began. They are easy enough to spot when you can see their tattoos. You can probably guess where this is going and why the authorities haven¡¯t been getting too involved yet. Good luck with whatever you do with this information.¡¯ Seika looked up from her phone, conflicted. Organized crime, huh? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll find my Shadow Queen there, but now that I know about what¡¯s going on I can¡¯t just turn my back on it. ¡°I would never let you hear the end of it if you did, so good on you.¡± ¡°Hey there, sexy office lady! Want to hang out with us tonight? We know a good place to drink and eat if you want!¡± The annoying voice came from behind and Seika knew exactly what kind of people she¡¯d see once she turned her head around. A moment later and her prediction was spot-on: One of them was a youth with bleached hair and a pierced ear wearing a casual shirt that was unbuttoned more than necessary to show off a gold chain; the guy standing next to him was not much different, either. As their eyes met the man¡¯s face contorted and his eyes darted just a little bit lower. It became obvious that he was looking at the dark rings under her eyes. ¡°Ugh. Never mind.¡± He simply turned around and left. Ugh?! You want to fight? She couldn¡¯t make up her mind whether she should be relieved to be left alone or offended at how it happened. She watched them go and point to other women on the street, exchanging a few words of pre-planning before relentlessly approaching them. I may have arrived at my destination. Seika stowed her phone and moved to keep herself hidden as well as possible. Her hiding spot of choice was a corner at the entrance to a side alley. The two men with bleached hair weren¡¯t the only pick-up artists. University students were among the most common people approaching women to spend ¡®fun times¡¯ together. There was at least one middle aged man who kept approaching younger women and some guys in business casual outfits who either were scouting or pretended to be scouting. Seika¡¯s eyes kept darting left and right to keep an eye on all movement from her spot. How am I even supposed to recognize which of these guys might be connected to the disappearances? ¡°Just use your raw intuition!¡± Just in that moment she saw two bald men who stood out. Instead of casual wear like the others they wore business suits. Their business card cases were denting their breast pockets, and they hadn¡¯t approached anyone so far despite casting many long looks towards various women. Scouting for underground idol groups? Or AVs? ¡°Scouting for Magical Girls?¡± You can¡¯t be serious. Her instincts told her to keep an eye on these men. And surely enough after a while she saw them approaching women and girls alike, offering them professional-sounding compliments as well as invitations to an audition to be held nearby, all while handing out business cards from the cases they had on them. Seika was about to write them off as the usual talent scouts that would talk to women out here as she caught a glimpse of a tattoo sleeve under one of the men¡¯s cuffs. ¡°I¡¯m not usually one to judge from appearances but I think you may have found our culprits.¡± *** The men¡¯s success rate wasn¡¯t very promising. Most of the women just kept walking, others promised to consider it and put the cards away with the very obvious intention to never look at them. The men weren¡¯t fazed at all. It took another hour or so before a young gal who just left one of the ramen places got approached by them and seemed to seriously consider their offer. A few words more were exchanged, words like ¡°You¡¯ll be a star in no time!¡± or ¡°You look like you have talent, I can see you doing very well in our business!¡± and such. They worked on the poor girl, much to Seika¡¯s dismay. Come on, have a little more pride than that. One of the men gestured along the road, pointing out where their office was so they could enter ¡®contract negotiations¡¯ or such. As all three of them had their backs turned and were walking Seika followed, always making sure to look as casual as possible. I¡¯m just walking in the same direction as you all. There is nothing suspicious at all about the way I¡¯m moving here. The trio arrived at a small office building. They were entering the door and ascending the stairs quickly. Unable to follow them without being spotted, she decided to wait until they came back out and leaned against a wall to observe her surroundings. There was a windowless van parked in front of the office building. The building itself didn¡¯t seem to have any other entrances. If anything happened the group would have to leave through the same door they entered. ¡°Did you think we wouldn¡¯t notice?¡± Seika didn¡¯t like that voice or what it implied at all. Before she could even turn to see who spoke to her, she felt her muscles painfully contract as the stranger pushed a stun gun against her body. Being unable to do much of anything she couldn¡¯t stop the fist that came crashing into her solar plexus and caused her to pass out, either. 3 Seika¡¯s consciousness kept fading in and out after she had been caught. At some point her hands were tied behind her back with rigid cable ties. Her ankles underwent the same treatment. She could hear men talking and a woman¡¯s muffled sobbing. ¡°She¡¯s been sniffing around, following you. She saw you enter with the prey. We¡¯ll have to get rid of her.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get her to the boss, maybe we can use her to get some money out of this trouble, after all.¡± Seika¡¯s vision was blurry. Her glasses must have fallen off after she got punched. They were clipped to her chest pocket, probably so that they wouldn¡¯t be left behind as evidence of her disappearance.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. She couldn¡¯t make out the faces of the people talking and she couldn¡¯t speak up, either. Probably because her mouth was taped shut. ¡°What, think someone would pay money to do a worn-down office worker like that?¡± Seika wanted to scream and claw his eyes out, but before she could muster the strength, she passed out again. *** As she woke up, she was in complete darkness. Only the sound of an engine told her that she was now in the windowless van. As she wriggled in her bondage she bumped against another warm body, belonging to the actual kidnapping target. She could feel her consciousness almost fading again but knew that this might be her last chance to get out of this mess. ¡°It appears they are giving us a free ride to their base of operations. Get yourself together!¡± I¡¯m on it! Transform! She counted herself lucky that she was still wearing her earring. Even simply thinking about transforming was enough to trigger it and grant her the strength to get out of this situation. She briefly illuminated the inside of the van with a brilliant white light ¨C then it dimmed slightly, with her crimson hair¡¯s glow tinting the interior of the van¡¯s cargo space in a deep red. Her consciousness stabilized as her magical endurance came into effect. She could see the other woman¡¯s face, her make-up runny from silently crying, her voice muffled by tape. But now she was simply staring, fear giving way to amazement as she saw the Magical Girl next to her. Minerva Crimson used her magic and covered her wrists and ankles in razor-sharp chunks of rock, twisting her limbs until the plastic gave way. Finally, she tore the tape from her mouth before she was kneeling down next to the other woman. Did she see my face before I transformed? Minerva considered the possibility for a moment but concluded that even if she did, it wouldn¡¯t matter right now. The Magical Girl put a finger on her mouth to shush the woman. With a twitch of her fingers her trusty cane sword appeared by her side, and she cut the cable ties with it. ¡°Not a sound. Wait until they reach their destination, then I¡¯ll deal with them. Alright?¡± she said quietly. The woman nodded, too stunned to even think about removing the tape from her mouth in this moment. *** It took ten more minutes before the van stopped. Minerva could hear two men leave the car. She got herself ready ¨C her cane sword was sheathed, forming a magic staff to focus her magical energies. The top was already crackling with lightning. The door that Minerva was facing slid to the side and she got to see the dumbfounded expression of one of the kidnappers coming face to face with a Magical Girl inside his van. The surprise didn¡¯t last long as soon after he was flung backwards with lightning arcing all over his body and slamming him into a nearby wall. Minerva Crimson jumped out of the van and got a read on her situation. She didn¡¯t immediately recognize the precise place, but the line of warehouses to one side told her that she must be somewhere near the Tokyo Bay. More than that, there was the other kidnapper next to the car while a third man stood by the door of a nearby warehouse. Both reached for something inside their suit jackets and Minerva wasn¡¯t about to find out what they were going to pull on her; instead, she pointed her staff at them one after the other, zapping them with another full charge of lightning magic that sent them flying ¨C one of them into a nearby fence and the guard into the warehouse wall. After they were disposed of, she poked her head back into the van. ¡°The coast is clear for now. Can you run and alert the police?¡± The woman finally removed the tape on her mouth and nodded before she ran away. Minerva followed her with her eyes until she turned a corner and vanished out of sight, then she walked up to the door of the warehouse. *** The door needed some convincing. She wasn¡¯t in the mood to grab a key from one of the unconscious men, so instead she imbued her blade with magic and made it cut through the aluminum like a hot knife through butter. A circular piece of metal fell to the ground and Minerva Crimson entered. The warehouse had been turned into a kind of makeshift office. Plywood panels were set up with equally simple doors to separate the large storage area into a large corridor with multiple rooms. She couldn¡¯t see anyone in the improvised entry hall she stood in, so she advanced. Someone shoddily wrote ¡®Recording Studio¡¯ on the first door, and she opened it to investigate. She wished she hadn¡¯t. Inside was a camera setup with all the lighting expected of a professional studio, with the camera pointed at a stained mattress. Various boxes were stacked nearby, and she could guess their contents already. Ever since it became clearer that no Shadows were involved with the disappearances, she had suspicions about what she¡¯d find in this crime circle¡¯s base of operations but kept her mind too occupied with other things to let the reality of the situation sink in. Now there was nothing that let her avert her eyes from the facts and only cold fury remained. She closed the door and continued down the hallway, gripping her cane tighter - it didn¡¯t appear like anyone had noticed her arrival yet, so she was about to make the most out of it. She passed by various doors, most of them labeled ¡®Visitor Room¡¯ with an attached number. Her hand started shaking. Part of her realized that she was out of her depth ¨C she wasn¡¯t an American superhero who was used to fighting organized crime. While most of her enemies were much deadlier than people, the majority were also extradimensional beasts that acted on instinct and could be easily outwitted ¨C and she had no reservations about destroying them with magic, either. Killing a person, no matter how much evil they did, would weigh much heavier on her. Another room caught her attention. The label on the door simply read ¡®Insurance¡¯, so she entered. It was a sterile smelling room, white in all directions. Two chairs were placed in the middle with a stand holding up a suitcase. A look inside revealed that it was equipment for drawing blood. As she looked further inside the room, she saw a glass-paned refrigerator. Inside were at least a hundred of vials of blood, some of them partially drained, all labelled with names that sounded like pseudonyms. ¡°What would they need all this for? Does one of them practice blood magic?¡± It¡¯s more likely that this is DNA evidence to assure mutual destruction if one of their clients grows a conscience and tells on them. She didn¡¯t know what to make of this room, so she went back to the corridor. Minerva heard a voice and pushed herself to the wall. It seemed like a group of men was talking in the next room. She snuck close to the door and peeked inside. ¡°Daizen, Goro: You two will be operating in this street starting tomorrow. Bring whichever girl falls for it to branch office four, it¡¯ll only be a fifteen-minute walk. Daigo, you¡¯ll be grabbing the DVDs that were ordered by a client. He¡¯ll be waiting for you here. Wears a yellow baseball cap and blue shoes.¡± A man wearing an expensive suit stood bent over a large desk which was covered entirely in a map of Tokyo. Pins were indicating locations while drawn circles indicated ¡°hunting grounds¡±. ¡°By the way, when are the guys from branch office six arriving? They said they caught prey and some nosy woman on top of it.¡± The man to the bosses¡¯ right spoke up. ¡°They are late, aren¡¯t they?¡± the man in the expensive suit pondered. ¡°Maybe because of that nuisance behind the door!¡± He suddenly shouted and grabbed a gun off the table to fire three rounds through the plywood door. They penetrated but were stopped by a magic circle that Minerva had summoned just in time. A shiver went down her spine as she saw the bullets float almost right in front of her face. She retaliated by shooting a bolt of lightning through the door that caught one of the henchmen as the rest grabbed their guns and opened fire while seeking cover. ¡°How the hell did she get here? Who spilled the info?!¡± Minerva¡¯s shield stopped the bullets without issue, but she realized that she was on borrowed time now. With the gunshots it was only a matter of time until the rest of the gang would be on her, and she had no idea how many there were. She heard the crash of a door being kicked open to her left side and readied her staff to shoot another bolt of lightning in that direction while she took a step back to get herself out of the firing line of the men in the office. She barely stopped herself from shooting off a bolt of lightning as she realized what the man who had entered the corridor was doing. He was holding a gun to the head of a girl ¨C the very girl who went missing in Kabukich¨­, the spitting image of one of the missing person posters. *** ¡°No funny moves!¡± The man holding the girl shouted. The girl was crying and her make-up as well as her clothes were a mess from abuse that happened way before this moment. She looked at Minerva pleadingly, desperate for her life. ¡°Okay! I won¡¯t be doing anything funny.¡± Minerva lowered her staff to her side. She was lying, of course. He would definitely pull the trigger if he saw her moving, so she instead stood still and looked him in the eyes as she subtly worked magic. Earth magic sealed the cane sword¡¯s sheath shut just before fire and water magic enveloped the blade in that sealed space even without air, creating ever-increasing pressure with hot steam. If she aimed well, she could hit the man in the head with her sword¡¯s hilt before he even realized what¡¯s going on, but there wouldn¡¯t be any guarantee that he would survive the impact. More and more doors opened, and men brandishing knives and brass knuckles walked ever closer to her. They were definitely going to try and beat her to death while preventing her from defending herself with their hostage. Minerva took a long breath and steeled herself for what might be the first time she¡¯d kill a human. Just as she was about to release her little secret weapon, she saw a thin trail of silver in the air. In the blink of an eye that trail made its way through the hostage taker. Everyone around Minerva froze in confusion, not least the man who had just witnessed a silver shine going right through his body. Suddenly his hand holding the gun simply fell off and landed on the ground with a soft thud. His eyes widened but he couldn¡¯t let out a scream ¨C instead he wordlessly collapsed on the ground, a pool of blood forming under him. With his body out of the way Minerva could see what made the other men freeze. There was a woman, clad in a blue armor and greaves. She wore pauldrons fastening a red cape to her back and wielded a halberd, which had a large blade forming almost half a circle. Magical symbols were etched into the steel, surely giving it some passive magical properties. What Minerva assumed to be her transformation crystal was embedded in one of her silver gauntlets. The woman cast a single glance from her golden eyes towards Minerva as her glowing blue and purple hair swayed in a nonexistent breeze. ¡°Get the girls and get out. I¡¯ll do the bloody work.¡± Minerva barely heard her words; her mind was occupied with only one thing in this moment: She is just like me. ¡°She is just like us.¡± The voice of the crystal expressed its agreement, and a single moment passed before the woman in blue started to move. *** Her work was indeed bloody. She was moving incredibly fast. In one moment, she knocked one man to the side with the butt of her polearm, then swung it to bisect another before turning the weapon around to finish the job on the first with a thrust through his chest. Shots fired at her were deflected by magic circles similar to Minerva¡¯s, summoned as the blue crystal on her pauldron glowed with magical energy. More than that, whenever the men tried to get her with their numerical advantage, she jumped out from between them and bunched them all up on one side before she went to work with thrusts and slashes against the now constrained criminals. If these men weren¡¯t utter monsters, Minerva would even pity them for how unfair this whole situation was. ¡°I wasn¡¯t informed of a second magic bitch! Get her! Get he- ¡° The cutoff marked the end of this operation¡¯s ringleader. Minerva dashed to the terrified girl who had just been held hostage and lifted her on her arms ¨C then she simply flew towards the entrance of the warehouse. As she arrived outside, she was greeted by the three men she had knocked out having breathed their last, their bodies showing the same wounds as those of the men who were just battling the unknown Magical Girl. ¡°She judged them completely irredeemable and enacted justice.¡± You seem to be impressed. ¡°I am. You show mercy to those who don¡¯t deserve it. She doesn¡¯t subscribe to such lofty ideals.¡± I am not ready to be judge, jury and executioner for humans. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± *** Minerva went back inside, following a bloody trail of dead criminals. Soon she noticed a plywood door marked with ¡®cell¡¯ and opened it. Girls were huddled in an improvised cage. Dirty, tired, in torn clothes. She recognized every one of them from the missing posters. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get you all out of here.¡± Minerva got to work, destroying the cage¡¯s lock with her magically infused blade. Before long, she was leading them out of the warehouse, having them walk with their eyes closed to not traumatize them further. Behind them she could still hear angry shouts and sometimes gunshots, but they grew sparse and soon the hall was entirely silent. When she finally reached the outside she took the sobbing girls to a safe distance from the warehouse, waiting for the police to arrive. She hoped that the woman she saved from the van had actually followed through. When she heard a siren approach, she knew it was time for her to leave. I never want to experience anything like this ever again. *** As she flew away and towards her home she caught a glimpse of a blue light in the distance. There, on a rooftop, was the unknown Magical Girl, looking up at her. Minerva lowered herself to the roof and landed in front of her. ¡°Are the girls all safe?¡± was the first question from the stranger. ¡°Naturally. Erm¡­ may I ask who you are? Why are you like me? I thought I was the only Magical Girl who looked like this.¡± ¡°All in due time.¡± With that the other Magical Girl simply took off flying and left Minerva in the dust. ¡°Ooh, so mysterious.¡± Minerva¡¯s voice was dripping with sarcasm as her eyes followed the stranger. ¡°Something about her seems familiar.¡± ¡°Do you recognize her?¡± Now alone, Minerva didn¡¯t bother to keep her dialogue with her crystal to her thoughts. ¡°No. She must have been born after me. None of my parents¡¯ memories show anyone who looks like her.¡± ¡°Your people¡¯s biology continues to be an enigma. Not like you let me know much in the first place, like what their names are.¡± ¡°I only divulge information on a by need basis.¡± Her thoughts were soon dragged back to reality as she checked the time ¨C finding out that it was four in the morning, and she still had work on Friday. ¡°Tomorrow will be the worst¡­¡± 1.07 Meanwhile, in an Alley… 1 ¡°Shit, stay away from me, you freak!¡± A man in a suit ran through Kabukich¨­ ¨C one of the men who were luring women into their branch offices and subsequent traps. He ran into several pedestrians while he was busy looking over his shoulder, trying to see if his pursuer is still on his tail. He had recently turned a corner, so he couldn¡¯t see her at all. People shouted at him, some of them took dangerous falls into the parked bicycles at the edge of the alleyway, but he didn¡¯t care. He was only here to save his own skin. He jumped a barrier meant to block access to the space between two rows of houses, filled only with air conditioning and messy cables hanging off facades. He walked deeper, checking over his shoulder periodically. He had no idea which means of tracking that thing hunting him had, but he wanted to be as far away from the road as possible. He found himself in a dead end, catching his breath for now. His entire world had been turned upside-down in a single day. ¡°Damn it all! If none of these magical weirdos existed, we¡¯d be living it up!¡± He shouted his frustration into the empty alleyway against his better judgment. He took a few more deep breaths to calm down but stopped with a chill running down his spine as one smelled like roses. He felt something at his throat - as he looked down, he saw crimson fingernails the length of knives and gasped. ¡°Would you, now? I remember that it was my involvement that allowed you to get so bold.¡± He started to hyperventilate and broke out in a cold sweat. As he got a push from behind and fell down, he turned around, crawling backwards while looking at the monster coming for him. She was still dressed in her out-of-season fur coat, regarding him with an unreadable expression from behind her sunglasses.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Takura, Takura¡­ we had such a good thing going on, me and your boss.¡± She stepped closer and as he tried to crawl further away, he felt his movement restricted with painful stabs into his flesh. Thorny vines had wrapped themselves around his arms and legs, turning every movement into an act of self-harm. The creature regarded his struggle with an amused smile as she came ever closer. ¡°Stay away from me! We had a deal! You wouldn¡¯t touch us!¡± The woman responded with a hiss. ¡°Oh yes, we had a deal. You get to make your filthy human money and have some fun, while I get rid of the girls¡¯ memories and get to enjoy a little feast. Then you can simply leave the girls somewhere in the city so they can be found. No memories, no victims, no investigations, everyone assumes they just ran away from home and changed their minds. It was such a win-win scenario, wasn¡¯t it?¡± The woman leaned closer, her sickly green complexion becoming apparent as she was right in front of his face. ¡°Do you know what memories of men they fear taste like? They are savory, with just the right amount of saltiness.¡± The unsettling woman licked her lips. ¡°I love the sweetness of happy memories, but a woman needs a balanced diet, hm? So where are the women, Takura?¡± He strained against the vines against his better judgment and groaned as thorns dug deep into his flesh. His expensive suit slowly turned dark as it got soaked in his blood. ¡°Now, now, that won¡¯t do, Takura. Look at me while I¡¯m talking to you.¡± A vine wrapped around his throat while another slung around his forehead, forcing him to face the woman in front of him. ¡°They are gone! Magical Girls were never part of the deal!¡± he responded to her with a pained voice. ¡°Oh, were they, now? This would have never happened if you had kept your mouth shut.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand! There was some weirdo threatening me with a knife! She was faster and stronger than anyone I¡¯ve ever seen before! That bitch was going to kill me! I had no choice but to tell her about the recruitment!¡± The woman slapped him across his cheek, wagging a finger and clicking her tongue. ¡°Takura, you can¡¯t talk like that about women! And that aside¡­¡± She took her sunglasses off, piercing him with a gaze from blood-red irises embedded in black sclera. ¡°¡­you should have died then, instead of making it my problem. I could feed on your memories until you¡¯re an invalid who can¡¯t remember to breathe on his own, and even then, you wouldn¡¯t even account for half a girl¡¯s memories of despair¡­¡± A blue glow appeared on top of the building behind the sadistic woman, and she let out a sigh. She turned around and saw a Magical Girl in blue armor with blue-purple glowing hair that swayed in the wind; she looked at the monster with clear disdain in her eyes. ¡°Shame. Our time is up. Guess I won¡¯t feast on you, after all.¡± ¡°No! Wait-¡° A disgusting squelch and crunch could be heard as the vine around his neck tightened with the strength of a vise. 1.08 Healing Episode 1 Friday morning was utter torture. Naturally, Watanabe noticed her complete lack of sleep again, but Seika wasn¡¯t swayed into taking breaks while she still had work to do. At least there was nothing left in the way of the release of ¡®The Demon Lord¡¯s Right Hand Woman is my Little Sister Vol. 6¡¯, no thanks to Yoshida. For now, Seika did her best to get her brain functional with another energy drink, much to the annoyance of her concerned supervisor. As she checked her mailbox, she noticed that one of her writers sent her a manuscript. This one came from a much more dependable writer than Yoshida by the name of Hifumi Ebiko. A pen name, obviously. She debuted at MagiColle in March with the first volume of ¡®The Starfaring Maiden¡¯ ¨C the manuscript that just arrived was the first draft for volume two and Seika couldn¡¯t wait to read it. She was enough of a fan that she bought a copy of the first volume¡¯s commercial release for her own private collection, after all. *** The Starfaring Maiden follows the story of a young woman called Felicia, who was born on a faraway planet several thousand years in the future. Humanity had already spread across the entire galaxy and terraformed any planet it could, but it turned out to be impossible to form a cohesive government stretching beyond one¡¯s own solar system, resulting in the emergence of independent nations around every star in the night sky. Felicia always wanted to be a Starfarer, a traveler without a home, and see what humanity was like on all the worlds it settled. On her eighteenth birthday her parents gifted her a spaceship by the name of Neptune, a live-in vessel with enough space for Felicia and maybe one or two occasional passengers, offering all the necessary comforts of life for a long journey across the stars. An onboard AI sharing the name of the ship is her travel companion with whom she shares the majority of her dialogue. During her travels she responds to distress calls, has to fix issues with her own spaceship or simply lands on one of the isolated nation planets and experiences their unique cultures for a few days each. The writing style was less a connected overarching story as it was a collection of short stories all told from Felicia¡¯s point of view, giving the author the freedom to simply write about whatever she felt was interesting instead of worrying too much about the greater picture. There was a tendency for Ebiko to mostly write other women into the story ¨C women who develop a crush on Felicia, or women who live in the places that Felicia visits, who have a problem that Felicia helps resolve, which in turn helps them to get their happy ending with¡­ you guessed it: another woman. Ebiko loved her yuri content, though it never distracted from the mystery and beauty that was central to the novel. *** Seika spent most of the day reading the manuscript, taking notes of what could be improved to flow better, correcting the usual typos and even writing down her thoughts. Overall, she was thoroughly satisfied and thought this could already sell, but with the first deadline still being so far away thanks to Ebiko¡¯s diligent work she could potentially push her to make it even better. ¡®Dear Ebiko, thank you for your fast and diligent work. I have attached a file with corrections and annotations for the usual polishing process. Other than those I like the manuscript as it is and if you say you want to have it published like this you will hear no objections from me. However, given that we now have quite some time until the deadline, I¡¯d like to encourage you to experiment a little more with your manuscript. Have more thematic connections between chapters and their resolutions, think over if you want to create some really shocking twists maybe or tug a bit harder on the heartstrings. Keep up the good work! Seika Hitoishi¡¯ Seika pondered over her mail for a while before she hit ¡®send¡¯. She hoped she didn¡¯t give off the impression that she was actually dissatisfied with what Ebiko delivered. It didn¡¯t take long for her to get an answer. Ebiko agreed to do a little bit of experimentation with the manuscript while keeping an unaltered copy for if it doesn¡¯t work out. ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood. Nice to see after you came into work looking half dead.¡± Watanabe was looking at her from his desk, beaming her a smirk. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah, I¡¯ve been reading Ebiko¡¯s manuscript.¡± ¡°Already? She sure works fast. When you edited her debut novel, she was already quick to apply your suggestions.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ and she will use the extra time to experiment with her story, to see if she can do anything better. It¡¯s a nice break from writers like Yoshida.¡± Watanabe let out a chuckle. ¡°Everyone has their problem children and their favorites. Glad to see you catching a break sometimes.¡± Seika responded to that with a little triumphant grin and continued her work scouting for potential new authors. 2 Seika arrived home at around eight in the evening. Letting out a little yawn she fell face-first on her bed and let out a long sigh. It was the weekend, and unless her earring warned her of sudden danger, she finally got a chance to sleep properly. Though this weekend would be something special. She got herself up from the bed again and looked at her phone¡¯s calendar. A date with Miori at ten in the morning - I wonder what she wants to do. Should I pick out some clothes for our date? Could I just show up in my usual shirt and skirt combination? Probably not. Seika went to her closet, opening it and looking at a collection of everyday clothes she hadn¡¯t used in quite a while. In some ways it¡¯s a blessing that I remained as short as I was in high school. She unbuttoned her shirt and put it aside to try on some of her older clothes but stopped as she saw a big black bruise on her stomach where the criminal had punched her unconscious yesterday. Even if it¡¯s hot outside I can¡¯t wear anything that¡¯d be too revealing. She would have probably fared better if she transformed before the attack. Her magical armor lets her shrug off hits that would kill humans; In her sixteen years she¡¯s been impaled, set on fire, blown up or similar and walked away from it. Sure, after enough damage she will show signs in her Magical Girl form. The magical dress will rip, she will bleed and maybe even lose the function of a limb, or even ¡®die¡¯. But as long as she undoes her transformation, she will be okay in her normal form, save for bruises in spots where she suffered the worst hits. Naturally, the trade-off for this ability is that her Magical Girl form will be unavailable for a while as it needs to repair itself, so this trick can¡¯t be used for quick healing in the middle of a fight. After some more deliberation she decided on a shirt with denim shorts. She wasn¡¯t too sure about showing off her legs, but if she was with Miori all eyes would be on her anyway, so she felt a little bit braver than usual. With that decided she took a shower and a bath immediately, relaxing before she went to bed early to catch up on sleep. She was woken up by her earring at 2am as another Shadow appeared to hunt a young girl. 3 After an incomplete night¡¯s sleep Seika was dressed and even a little dolled up for her date with Miori. They were going to meet near Shibuya Crossing at the famous Hachiko Square, a rather popular spot to wait for one¡¯s partner, as the dog whose name this place inherited did so many years ago. She could already see men, women, boys and girls sitting or standing while looking at their phones, waiting for someone to arrive. Right now it appeared like Seika was the first of the two to arrive, so she browsed the internet on her phone. She immediately found an article about the events in the warehouse. ¡®BLOODY MASSACRE IN TOKYO BAY WAREHOUSE! On Friday Night at around 3am, a young woman called the police to alert them about a group of kidnappers who turned one of the bayside warehouses into their base of operations. Officers were dispatched but were left with no living criminals to apprehend. DNA evidence pointing to wealthy and influential clients of this human trafficking operation was secured. The victims of this organized crime group had already been rescued while the kidnappers themselves were all killed by bladed weapons. By whom? None other than Magical Girls! This marks the first occasion of violent retribution against human criminals by the hand of these supernatural defenders. Will they stop just there? Will we be left at the mercy of supernatural vigilantes? The mayor is expected to hold a press conference to announce how to deal with the possibility of killer Magical Girls! Stay tuned for more!¡¯ The writer was right. In all her years, no Magical Girl had taken justice in her own hands like that mysterious woman in blue. Then again, most Magical Girls were kids, thankfully unaware of just how depraved the world around them could be. And if Seika had a say in it, those children would remain just as blissfully ignorant. She was the only adult in this world, at least until that night, so only she should be shouldering those burdens. I hope the girls get the support they need after all that. ¡°Senpai, what are you looking at, hm?¡± Seika lowered the phone and found herself only a hand¡¯s length away from Miori¡¯s face, who greeted her with her usual gentle smile. ¡°Woah! Too close!¡± Seika flinched backwards. ¡°Sorry! Did I startle you?¡± Miori kept her smiling expression as she took a step back and looked Seika up and down. ¡°Simple yet fashionable. Well done, Senpai!¡± ¡°You... you¡¯re pretty cute yourself, Miori.¡± Seika answered with a blush and turned her head away. ¡°I¡¯ll see myself out into hibernation. I really don¡¯t want to be a third wheel here.¡± Miori appeared to their date in a gothic lolita dress. Instead of her usual ponytail which she wears at Snack Starlight, she was wearing her hair open, fully presenting her hime cut. Her blonde hair flowed in a slight breeze and her blue eyes sparkled as she received praise from Seika. ¡°Aw, you¡¯re so nice to me today, Senpai! Well, want to decide where we should go first?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t¡­ done dating before, really, so¡­ why don¡¯t you pick?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Miori acted like she was weighing her options really hard, but Seika could immediately tell that she already planned everything out. ¡°Oh, I know! Come along Senpai!¡± Miori took the lead, both in guiding Seika to their first stop and in displaying her affection. She hooked herself under Seika¡¯s right arm while putting her right hand on top of the smaller woman¡¯s shoulder. Miori was almost a whole head taller than Seika. While the older woman was stuck in her high school size, the beautiful blonde in the meantime got a last growth spurt after her eighteenth birthday and quickly surpassed her senpai. It kind of annoys me. *** ¡°Look, Senpai! It¡¯s like you can see the whole city from up here!¡± Miori¡¯s first stop was Shibuya Sky. They arrived on the observation deck and the vast sight of Tokyo¡¯s concrete jungle stretched all the way to the horizon. From this distance the buildings looked like variably sized blocks, with much taller ones sticking out in irregular intervals. Patches of green interrupted the white grey like splotches of paint on a canvas. Above all else, it gave a breathtaking overview of how extensive the Tokyo metropolitan area really is. There were handrails and tables to lean on by the windows, as well as chairs and pillows to share for couples. As Seika expected, Miori dragged her to one of the pillows and the two sat down to take in the view a little bit longer. ¡°I love the sight of the city from up top like this. Though I hear it¡¯s even better at night, when all the lights are on.¡± Miori explained to Seika, still clinging to her arm. Seika knew the sight of the illuminated city below all too well, after all, most of her time as a Magical Girl is spent flying above these very lights. ¡°I can imagine.¡± She lied. She¡¯s been doing that a lot recently. ¡°Maybe we should come another time for a night date, Senpai.¡± Seika thought about it. She didn¡¯t want to get too close to Miori. This date was supposed to be a one-time thing for the info, but she already enjoyed herself quite a bit, even with her lack of sleep and the comfortable seat making her drowsy. Before she knew it her head slumped to the side and landed on Miori¡¯s shoulder. Her eyes shot wide open as she noticed her blunder and tried to pull away, but she immediately felt Miori¡¯s hand on top of her head, patting it. ¡°My, my. I know you said it annoyed you that I started to grow taller than you when we worked together, but this isn¡¯t so bad, is it?¡± Seika¡¯s ears turned red as she struggled a bit to break free from her embarrassing position ¨C though not hard enough that Miori actually let her go. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Senpai? Are you embarrassed to let your guard down? Afraid I might crack those walls around your heart?¡± In Seika¡¯s eyes Miori had something rather sadistic to her in this moment ¨C her smile was a bit too wide, and her eyes shone a bit too brightly. ¡°Ugh¡­ spare me.¡± Was all she could muster to say. *** They made their way up to the proper observation platform on the roof. This high up and exposed on the rooftop the wind had a little bite to it, even in summer. The roof was equipped with a large helicopter landing pad, open to the public when it was not in use. From up there one had an unhindered 360¡ã view of the city. Couples and families stood against the glass barriers, taking photos of each other or together. Some posed for pictures by pretending to lift the morning sun or blowing away the clouds. Seika and Miori decided to relax in some of the hammocks that were facing outwards from the sides of the helicopter platforms. The ropes and knots where a little uncomfortable at first, but once she could find the right balance it was very relaxing. ¡°Senpai, what¡¯s your type of girl?¡± Miori asked all of a sudden. ¡°Huh? Where did that one come from?¡± ¡°We¡¯re on a date and you¡¯ve been rejecting my advances, so I¡¯d like to know what kind of girl you¡¯re into if not me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite certain that it¡¯d be a girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you flirty with a guy before. And you have a certain¡­ vibe?¡± Miori turned her head and gave Seika a smug grin. ¡°So, go ahead and tell me.¡± My type is you. ¡°I don¡¯t know what my type is.¡± ¡°Liar.¡± Seika paused ¨C Miori was giving her a knowing smile, looking quite full of herself. ¡°I won¡¯t press you about what it is that keeps you from being honest. I¡¯m just happy spending time with you like this.¡± Miori grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her hammock. ¡°Let¡¯s go have lunch. After that I know our next stop! Perfect to melt your icy heart.¡± *** They stopped at a restaurant that served western style pasta with either western or Japanese ingredients. Seika ordered some with miso tomato sauce and shimeji mushrooms while Miori opted for shrimp and mussels on hers. The quiet moment of eating together with not many words exchanged felt refreshing. It only took a few more minutes until they arrived at the spot that Miori was talking about. And she was right: it did melt a ton of ice right off Seika¡¯s heart. Her eyes went wide, and she let out a rather undignified sound of joy as Miori brought her into a hedgehog caf¨¦. ¡°What is this??¡± Seika turned around to Miori, her face almost too close to the blonde¡¯s. ¡°This is adorable!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all my treat, Senpai!¡± Miori announced, hands on her hips with a smug look of superiority on her face. ¡°Grab some gloves and give them some love!¡± Seika didn¡¯t need to be asked twice. She sat down on a bench at one of the walls and put on the provided safety gloves ¨C the table in front of her held a small animal enclosure on top of it that was open to the front. Inside the little environment was styled like a house ¨C in different styles even, depending on which hedgehog¡¯s enclosure you sat down at. Seika¡¯s little fellow had a Japanese house styled enclosure. She gently grabbed one with both hands, lifting it up. With her cupped hands she let the little creature rest, watching it uncurl and curiously sniff around. Before long the hedgehog crawled its way to where her wrists met and stuck its head out to look at her directly. ¡°Ooh! You¡¯re such a cutie!¡± Seika entirely entered her own little blissful world as Miori looked on. If Seika still had any sense of awareness, she would have been able to see that Miori herself was barely holding on herself thanks to a cuteness overdose, though hers stemmed entirely from watching her senpai fawn over these little animals. ¡°Haha, yes, you¡¯re a cutie! I would take you home if you could. Aw, don¡¯t look so disappointed, hehe!¡± One of the staff members came over and had a quiet chuckle to herself before she raised her voice. ¡°For five hundred yen you can have something to feed them.¡± Seika¡¯s head snapped towards the employee almost immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll take it!¡± *** The staff didn¡¯t let her wait long and put down a little ceramic cup. Inside were five wriggling mealworms and a pair of pincers. Seika grabbed the pincers and immediately proceeded to pick one of the writhing insects up to bring it into the enclosure, holding it next to the curled-up hedgehog inside. Again she was so focused that she couldn¡¯t see what Miori was doing ¨C and this time the blonde backed away from her senpai as she saw her handling mealworms with no problem, trying to hide a disgusted expression. The little hedgehog inside his room uncurled and sniffed at the mealworm before happily chomping down on it and swallowing it entirely. ¡°Oh! Look, Miori, he lets me feed him! Miori?¡± Seika was quite puzzled as she noticed that her date partner took a step away from her. Then she showed a terrible grin on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t stand bugs?¡± ¡°Senpai¡­ don¡¯t get any weird ideas, please¡­¡± ¡°If I wave one of them in your face, we¡¯ll just get thrown out for messing around, so no worries!¡± Seika turned around and continued to feed the hedgehogs with mealworms. ¡°Oh, who¡¯s a hungry little cutie? You are!¡± 4 ¡°That was so good! Where are we headed now?¡± Seika was revitalized and didn¡¯t even mind that Miori had hooked her arm into hers again. ¡°I thought we could do a little bit of shopping, Senpai.¡± Miori answered quietly. ¡°I want you to pick which outfit looks best on me.¡± Seika raised an eyebrow and looked at Miori. ¡°You¡¯re going all out for this. It¡¯s like the high school date I never had.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan, Senpai. The better the time I show you, the harder it will become for you to refuse me!¡± Miori¡¯s grin was mischievous. ¡°I¡¯ll have to admit you make it harder for me to say no¡­¡± They entered a shopping center and went up to the second floor via escalator to reach the boutique. It was one for general fashion, not quite the styles she¡¯d expect from Miori. ¡°Are you sure we¡¯re in the right place?¡± ¡°Hm? What do you mean?¡± Miori was already busy picking out various clothes to try them on. ¡°This doesn¡¯t really seem to be ¡®you¡¯. You¡¯re much more into alternate and subculture fashion.¡± ¡°Oh, Senpai. I do like to wear regular cute clothes from time to time!¡± This came as a bit of a surprise to Seika ¨C whenever she did catch a glimpse of Miori outside of her working hours she was wearing alternative fashion, mostly of the lolita variety. But then again, she never really saw her anywhere but at her place of work in Kabukich¨­. ¡°Hm¡­ I guess I don¡¯t know as much about you as I thought.¡± ¡°Then you can learn more about me! Doesn¡¯t that sound fun?¡± Seika couldn¡¯t help but hide a grin behind her hand. ¡°I guess it does sound fun.¡± *** Miori vanished into the changing room. Seika sat outside, waiting for the little fashion show that the blonde beauty wanted to subject her to. The curtains opened, and Seika couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter. Miori grabbed the opportunity to wear something so removed from her own image that it caught her by complete surprise. She was wearing a flannel shirt with jeans that rode a bit too high while her hair was fastened with a headband. ¡°What¡¯s with the otaku look?!¡± ¡°Just trying to be in line with your tastes!¡± ¡°Listen, I might be an otaku, but I¡¯m not gone that far!¡± ¡°It got you to laugh!¡± Miori beamed while spinning around once. ¡°Oh dear, I forgot to program my TV Recorder for my anime! I must go!¡± With that she vanished behind the curtains again, leaving Seika to dry her tears of laughter. She reappeared a little while later, this time she was dressed in more typical fashion. She wore a shirring textured camisole with wide-leg fabric pants, challenging her senpai with another one of her smiles as she looked her in the eyes. ¡°What about this?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t even tell it was you at first glance¡­ it¡¯s a completely different vibe from usual but it suits you well¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ not used to seeing me so elegant without a Lolita petticoat?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Seika reclined in her chair. ¡°Still, a treat for the eyes, thank you very much.¡± ¡°If you like it that much I might as well go to the cashier with it!¡± ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re not getting away that easily, you picked something else!¡± Miori vanished again and the rustling from inside the changing room lasted a little longer than before. As she appeared again, she was dressed in form-fitting navy-blue denim pants, a red-white striped shirt with a navy cardigan on top and finally a women¡¯s trench coat allowing a view of everything underneath through a tasteful opening. ¡°They call this style French casual. The entire thing might be a little out of season, though.¡± With that Miori removed the trench coat and wore it over her arm. ¡°Much better, don¡¯t you think?¡± Seika nodded along, her chin held in one hand as she pondered over Miori¡¯s appearance. ¡°I think I like that one the best so far. The coat might really be too much in current temperatures, though.¡± ¡°Well, if my beloved Senpai likes this one the best, then that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to buy.¡± Miori went back inside to get changed into her usual Gothic Lolita outfit before she went to the cashier to pay for her newest outfit. ¡°However, Senpai¡­¡± she spoke up with a mischievous expression. ¡°What is it, Miori?¡± ¡°Picking an outfit for me means that we need an opportunity where I¡¯m going to wear it! Meaning another date.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Seika hadn¡¯t thought about that at all. *** After their little fashion show the two simply enjoyed each other¡¯s company on a bench for a while, both sipping on a Frappuccino. Seika glanced over to Miori, who looked as much at peace as she felt. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand why you tried to avoid this for so long, Senpai! I¡¯m having so much fun, and I can tell that you do, too!¡± Miori said with a gentle smile. ¡°Never mind that. Let¡¯s continue to our next stop, hm?¡± Seika offered Miori her arm this time ¨C she would hook herself in anyway. 5 Seika was floating. There was a certain calmness that embraced her and a soft warmth at her back. A gentle breeze caressed her forehead and spread through her entire brain in a relaxing, therapeutic wave. Maybe she was in heaven right now? Did she die from overworking herself and had entered one of the fabled isekai where all your wishes come true? It was like the stress and tension of her everyday life was melting away. She wanted to melt into this sensation, too. To cease to exist and become a shapeless form of warmth that never had to worry about deadlines or interdimensional beasts again. Only after she got too comfortable it dawned on her. I fell asleep. She opened her eyes, slowly. The warmth at her back was Miori¡¯s thighs, who had provided her a lap pillow to rest. The breeze turned out to be Miori¡¯s fingers, which had gently caressed her forehead. She now remembered. After their shopping trip they went to karaoke. Miori went first and naturally picked her favorite love-themed anime openings to sing to try and fluster Seika. It worked, but after a while Seika¡¯s lack of sleep caught up to her. The room was at just the right temperature and the lights were dimmed to give more attention to the person singing, making it harder for Seika to keep her eyes open. Before long she had drifted away into sleep and found herself in this situation. ¡°Are you awake now?¡± Miori asked, her hand withdrawing from Seika¡¯s forehead. ¡°I am¡­ how long was I gone?¡± Seika asked as she sat up, leaning against the backrest. ¡°About half an hour. Senpai? Are you alright?¡± Miori seemed worried. Seika didn¡¯t know why until she felt a tear run down her cheek. ¡°Ah¡­¡± After she touched the wet trail more tears followed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miori¡­ you planned this entire date for me, and I didn¡¯t have the decency to stay awake for it.¡± Seika wiped at her tears. It was only half of why she was feeling so upset. She realized once again that she wanted to be with Miori ¨C that having that warmth in her life would make things better for her, but ultimately this was a selfish desire of hers. Getting this close to Miori on a constant basis would just put her in harm¡¯s way. Through her blurry vision she could see Miori drawing closer to her face and panicked. ¡°No, don¡¯t¡­!¡± She felt the warm sensation of Miori¡¯s forehead against her own. Miori held that position a while longer, her eyes closed, before she withdrew again. ¡°Senpai¡­ you still aren¡¯t entirely honest with me or yourself.¡± Her hand wiped away any new tears that rolled down Seika¡¯s cheek. ¡°There¡¯s something weighing on you. I¡¯ve known you for long enough to realize that. You don¡¯t have to tell me what it is. All I know is that it prevents you from being honest with your own feelings.¡± Seika looked to the side, biting her lower lip as she tried to come up with anything to say. Miori instead continued. ¡°However, I see that you are wearing yourself down with your day-to-day life. And a date like today¡¯s had you beaming like I haven¡¯t seen from you since we worked together at that convenience store.¡± Seika looked up as the blur in her eyes receded. Miori¡¯s smile was as warm as ever, like she was kindness incarnate. ¡°Take your time to find yourself. I don¡¯t mind if you sleep the entire time or not, but this date was clearly good for you. I will gladly go on many more with you, even without being your proper girlfriend.¡± Seika gulped and looked to the side. Tons of different emotions and thoughts raged within her. Was it even fair to go on these dates to heal herself without any regard for Miori¡¯s feelings? Wouldn¡¯t Miori still be in danger if she had regular contact with her as a regular friend? But she was right about this day having such a healing effect on her. I have to turn her down. Seika looked up and steeled herself to tell Miori her decision. *** After saying goodbye to each other, they went their separate ways at the train station. Seika entered the train car to head home, looking at her phone screen. ¡®See you at Snack Starlight, Sen~pai ? ¡¯ In the end, Miori only had to smile, and Seika folded like a lawn chair. She installed LINE and gave Miori her contact information so they could easier plan more dates like today¡¯s. Seika just sincerely hoped that this wouldn¡¯t backfire on her. As she arrived at home later that night, she took her time in the bath. After falling into her bed, she drifted away into an uneasy sleep, filled with dreams of regret. 1.09 The Christmas Incident 1 December 2015 *** The month barely started, but the selection of seasonal snacks at the convenience stores had long since changed, and the streets have seen decoration work for dazzling nighttime illumination for the festive season. Those same streets were bustling with couples, all of them packed into warm clothes. This serene scene wouldn¡¯t last long as a scream pierced the chilly afternoon air. People ran away from the point of origin and soon a large circle was cleared. Marionettes the size of an adult human appeared, blades protruding from their razor-wire covered arms. They moved with singular, clumsy purpose, as if there was a giant, invisible hand pulling their strings right above them. A civilian got caught; A slash cut open the clothes and skin on his back, making him collapse helplessly before the wooden hunter. The thing raised its arms, showing it was about to gore him with all the knives on its body, but the strike never came. A Magical Girl appeared. She was a young, beautiful woman with glowing red hair that flowed in the wind behind her. Her cane sword was drawn and effortlessly held back the arms of the mindless attacker. With a kick to the marionette¡¯s torso, a quick sheathing of her sword and a fire spell cast in quick succession the assailant was neutralized, quietly burning in the middle of the street. The other marionettes were drawing closer, but the Magical Girl took the time to turn around towards the injured civilian first. She pointed her staff at him and a blue glow appeared over the wound. ¡°I put your injury in stasis to prevent further bleeding. That¡¯s all I can do for now.¡± She turned towards the other civilians. ¡°Please, take him away from here and to a doctor.¡± With that she faced the enemies with their bladed limbs again. ¡°Where are the Flower Brigade girls? Madame Bille¡¯s minions are theirs to deal with. They told me as much the last time I cut in.¡± Her question was answered with another slash in her direction which she dodged by jumping aside. Drawing an arc with her cane she summoned multiple icicles in the air that shot forth and impaled a number of the wooden soldiers. She turned towards the remaining marionettes which suddenly started vibrating violently. Their spasming limps flailed around and they ran towards each other, resulting in a large pile-up. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on now?¡± The wooden soldiers dismembered each other except for one who kept building something new from the parts. It stuck parts together that didn¡¯t look like they belonged with each other and before long it sat on top of a giant marionette spider. I feel like I¡¯m stealing the Flower Brigade¡¯s big defining boss battle. Before she could form another thought the giant wooden spider leapt at her, soaring through the air with unnatural grace. It was all she could do to jump to the side as the creature crashed down, displacing bricks and asphalt. Minerva didn¡¯t waste any time ¨C she jumped at her new adversary and slashed at it with her magically enhanced blade, coating it in fire as she hacked at the wooden appendages. The creature whacked her aside with one of its many legs and she crashed into a window of a nearby building. ¡°Ngh¡­ you¡¯re a stubborn one.¡± She pushed herself off the ground and ascended, zooming up the building she had just crashed into to start bombarding the marionette spider with sharp rocks. ¡°Take this! And this!¡± The creature¡¯s body was pushed back with every strike and cracked, but it wasn¡¯t going down yet. It jumped at the building and dug its legs into the window front, running up towards Minerva¡¯s position, leaving holes in its wake. Oh, what else did I expect? It is a spider. ¡°Could have told you that.¡± Quiet. Minerva created some distance between herself and the spider, shooting fiery projectiles at it with calculated precision to not unnecessarily hit the building behind it. Finally the creature jumped again. Minerva sheathed her blade and held herself in a ready position midair. Just as the creature¡¯s razor wire covered mandibles came into view she struck, drawing her burning blade and cutting the monster right through the middle. Both halves caught fire and needlessly tumbled down to the street where they uselessly crashed into the asphalt. Minerva smirked as she descended and sheathed her blade to some applause. She considered bowing and basking in the praise until she heard a rather irritating voice. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s you again! I already told you, stick to your own monsters you glory hound!¡± She looked to where the voice came from. Midair above the street there were three girls, their magical dresses looking like upside-down tulips in bloom. Their colors were red, purple and pink after the actual flowers themselves. The one talking to her was the one in pink, an irritating young girl with a blonde twin tail hairstyle and sharp-looking teeth who had a finger pointed at her. Inside Minerva, Seika wanted to object, to raise her voice at the girl and tell her that she intervened because otherwise people would have gotten seriously injured ¨C however the personality of Minerva, her transformation crystal, took over and reacted with her usual wisecracking cockiness. ¡°Ooh, good of you to show up, flower girls!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Flower Brigade! Get it right!¡± ¡°I was just thinking that I need someone to clean up after me!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away just because you- hey, stay here, damn it!¡± Minerva Crimson was already flying away, leaving behind the young girl who was so angry at her that she figuratively smoked from her ears. 2 Minerva flew through the sky for only a few minutes before she stopped in front of a very specific building. Her college dorm, to be exact. She extended two knuckles and knocked on the window of a lit room. Before long it was pushed open by a young woman. She had red dyed hair and hazel eyes and was dressed in a simple green track suit. Minerva hovered into the room while the girl sat back down on the bed, grinning at her. ¡°Welcome back, o mighty hero!¡± ¡°Stop it, you.¡± Seika undid her transformation and let out a laugh. Her hair was long, almost as long as that of her transformed alter ego. There was a slight discoloration under her eyes, but by far not as severe rings as she would have in her future. And on top of that, she wore contacts. 21 years old and a college student. That was her. The woman on the bed was her best friend, Ayame. Ayame Takanashi, in full. ¡°So, how did it go? The Youtubers say your fight tore an office building a few new ones.¡± ¡°It was annoying. The Flower Brigade was late, people almost got seriously injured, and then they had the gall to yell at me that I¡¯m stealing their monsters.¡± ¡°Oof. Hey, I know what helps. Here, catch.¡± Ayame tossed her a can from the bedside table and Seika caught it. It was beer. ¡°Thank you, Ayame. Love you, Ayame.¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m only into boys.¡± ¡°As you let everyone know whenever you get the chance.¡± ¡°Not my fault I¡¯m surrounded by girls who love girls. I swear, something¡¯s in the water of this dorm.¡± Their banter came to an end as both leaned their heads back to chug from their cans. They both simultaneously dropped their arms back down as they had downed half the content and let out a synchronous ¡°PSHAAAAAH!¡± to make their approval known. ¡°So, how¡¯s your convenience store job going? You don¡¯t usually talk about it, so I got curious. Especially with how you manage your time with work and¡­ well, saving people.¡± Ayame took another sip from her beer, looking at Seika as she sat down on the bed next to her. ¡°Work is going alright. I actually have to thank you. Your suggestion to pretend that I¡¯m a smoker to get those extra mini breaks when something is happening has saved my butt a few times already.¡± Ayame grinned, playfully bumping her elbow into Seika¡¯s side. ¡°See? I¡¯m the smart one in this friendship. Smoking¡¯s starting to fall out of style, but enough jobs still offer quiet places to get a smoke break in. That way you¡¯re not getting bothered.¡± Seika gave a weak smile in return. ¡°I hate the smell, though. And that it has to be on me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the price you pay to be a hero. Well, anyway¡­ what¡¯s your colleagues like?¡± Seika pondered, looking the curious Ayame in the eyes. ¡°Well, the manager is nice enough and accommodating both my schedule as a student and my smoke breaks. Oh, a year ago we got a new part-timer who shares most of my shifts. A high school girl who¡­¡± She paused, scratching her chin as she thought about the reactions of that young girl. ¡°¡­I¡¯m pretty sure she has a crush on me, for whatever reason.¡± ¡°Ohhhhh!?¡± Ayame jumped on it like a shark that caught the scent of blood in the water. Her face got almost uncomfortably close to Seika¡¯s as she looked at her with excited eyes. ¡°Do tell me more! Is she cute? Are you going to have an illicit relationship with a JK? Hmm?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about liking her back!¡± Seika pushed against Ayame¡¯s shoulders to get some space to breathe, but her friend was relentless. ¡°But yes, she¡¯s very cute. A blonde with a big sparkle in her eyes.¡± She let out a little huff. ¡°And October 30th we celebrated her eighteenth birthday, so stop the jokes about inappropriately dating a high school girl.¡± Ayame threw one of her arms over her face, faking a sob. ¡°Ah! My beloved Seika! Her heart was stolen by some younger harlot! I shall fight this homewrecker for the right to claim her hand in marriage!¡± Seika pinched Ayame in the cheek. ¡°Ow, ow, ow!¡± ¡°What happened to that ¡®I¡¯m only into boys¡¯ talk?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only into boys and Seika!¡± ¡°Stop spewing nonsense. You just want to start some weird rivalry with a younger girl for the sake of it.¡± Seika sighed and released Ayame¡¯s cheek. ¡°I¡¯m not going to come onto her. If she confesses, though¡­¡± Seika turned bashful, a finger playing with one of her locks, twirling it around. ¡°¡­I might give it some serious thought.¡± ¡°Oooh, that¡¯s virgin Seika talking right there.¡± Ayame teased, poking Seika¡¯s side. Seika retaliated with a hard flick against Ayame¡¯s forehead but was still smiling. ¡°So. What¡¯s the program for tonight? You¡¯re in charge of picking anime.¡± ¡°Ohoho! I¡¯m certain you will like this one. It combines your shameless nature as an otaku with your appreciation for women!¡± Seika scratched the back of her head. ¡°Oh, come on, I¡¯m not some kind of perv.¡± *** Seika was that kind of perv. What Ayame picked was a currently airing show that was straight up yuri erotica and after the first action sequence it had Seika¡¯s undivided attention. ¡°So let me get this straight¡­ one of these girls is a weapon but her wielder, the other girl, has to get her off so she can transform?!¡± ¡°And the main character manages it straight away just from kissing and a little bit of touching her boobs. Amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ayame wore a smug grin of superiority. ¡°Look at you, you pervy otaku, you¡¯re really getting into it.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Imagine if your powers worked like that. Ah, but I guess our poor widdle virgin Seika would be unarmed, then. Maybe we should have you wear a gym outfit with ¡®virgin¡¯ written on the front like the girl in the show?¡± Ayame laughed at her own joke until a pillow hit her in the face. ¡°Come on, now!¡± Seika was furiously red in the face. ¡°Ask nicely and maybe I¡¯d be your weapon. It¡¯d cost you a whole lot of beer in exchange, though! Friends with combat benefits!¡± She laughed again, patting Seika¡¯s shoulder in the process. ¡°There goes your ¡®I¡¯m only into boys¡¯ act again.¡± ¡°Now, now, it¡¯s not like those kinds of weapons are real. And besides, what¡¯s wrong with experimenting a little bit in your youth?¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°You¡¯re just saying that to get me flustered. I¡¯m not falling for your tricks, Ayame!¡± The laughter among the two continued until deep in the night, causing the two of them to attend the next morning¡¯s lectures in a terribly groggy state. 3 It was December 24th and Seika worked another boring shift at the convenience store, comforted only by the company of the young Miori. ¡°It¡¯s so grey and monotone out there. We don¡¯t even have snow.¡± Miori let out a long sigh after her observation, her fingers tapping on the counter. ¡°And the only customers we get today are sad people who aren¡¯t spending any time with a partner.¡± Seika gave a nervous chuckle in response to that. Her own plans once she clocked out were to grab a few cans of beer and return to the dorm to kick back with Ayame. To hold a little party for the eternally single friends while everyone else was getting busy with their significant other. ¡°Do you have any plans for today, Miori? Like, going out with a boyfriend after work?¡± She saw the high school girl stiffen in response to her question. ¡°Ah¡­ no, not¡­ particularly. I mean, there is someone¡­ but we aren¡¯t together yet¡­ like¡­ I haven¡¯t asked them yet¡­¡± The girl was talking quietly like a mouse. That combined with the fact that Seika knew she herself was the subject of the high school girl¡¯s affection amused her. ¡°Well, good luck. I¡¯m sure if you work up the courage in the future things will work out for you.¡± I¡¯m a terrible girl for messing with her like that. Just in that moment the door to the store opened. The two of them faced the entrance and shouted their ¡°Welcome!¡± together. The woman who entered looked quite out of place, like a movie star had gone missing and chose their convenience store to go underground. She wore an expensive-looking fur coat with a hood pulled all the way over her head. Her eyes were hidden behind sunglasses which made her look even weirder in the twilight of a winter evening. Her lips were accentuated with a screaming red lipstick that contrasted her pale complexion. No, on further inspection her complexion appeared even sickly, like it had a green hue to it. Without even looking at the wares the woman stepped to the counter and looked at the two girls from behind her sunglasses. ¡°Hello, Miss. Can we help you?¡± Seika asked her, though she was already creeped out by the unusual aura. Now that the woman stood right in front of her, Seika could smell the strong scent of roses wafting off her. Then, without a warning she grabbed Miori¡¯s hand ¨C her green fingers tightening like a vise around the girl¡¯s digits as she stared intently at the girl. ¡°Miss! I have to ask you to let go of my junior!¡± Seika raised her voice, reaching to grab the odd woman by the wrist. As they made skin contact a weird, intangible feeling spread through Seika ¨Clike the gut feeling after leaving the house before you remember an hour later that you forgot something important, like turning off the stove. At least the woman let go of Miori, who immediately stepped back from the counter to get away. The woman¡¯s stare was now directly on Seika. She shook off Seika¡¯s hand before she grinned and licked the spot where she had been grabbed. ¡°Very interesting.¡± The woman said in a sickeningly sweet voice. Then she simply turned and left. ¡°What a weirdo. Are you alright, Miori?¡± Seika stepped over to her scared junior, gently touching her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m alright¡­ but she really gave me the creeps.¡± ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± Seika still had that ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach, which lasted for a few more hours. 4 After her shift Seika made sure that Miori got home safe before she went back to her dorm on her own. She carried a few cans of beer in her bag that were guaranteed to make Ayame¡¯s day. The walk had her reminisce a little; She had known Ayame since middle school. She was always the louder and more obnoxious one of the two and only even found out that Seika was Minerva Crimson because she broke school rules and took her breaks on the roof, climbing on top of the rooftop enclosure to eat while watching the city around the school. She observed Seika transforming and flying away for at least a month before she approached her about it. Seika flailed and panicked and made an empty threat to erase Ayame¡¯s memories, but nothing she said got the girl to back off. They had been a pair of troublemakers ever since. ¡°It¡¯s been seven years now, huh? A lucky number.¡± Seika muttered to herself. ¡°I should have gotten enough beer so that both of us can try to chug seven cans.¡± Maybe Ayame had the same idea, and they could combine their respective bounty of beer. Seika finally arrived in the dorm. She took the stairs to the first floor and walked to Ayame¡¯s door, knocking thrice. ¡°Ayame? I got beer! The Christmas singles can drown their sorrows in golden frothing liquid!¡± There was no response, causing Seika to knock again. ¡°Are you deaf? It¡¯s me! Seika!¡± A strong smell of roses wafted out from under the door. *** The ominous feeling was back and held Seika¡¯s stomach in an iron grip. For emergencies like these she had held on to Ayame¡¯s spare key, having promised to never use it without due cause and invade Ayame¡¯s privacy. She didn¡¯t have a particular desire to walk in on her friend with a boy she snuck in or while enjoying ¡®alone time¡¯, so she never used it until now. She hurried to her room, letting her bag with the beer fall to the ground as she fumbled for her own keys. She entered her dormitory room and opened a drawer, pulling the spare key out before hurrying back, not even bothering to lock her door after. She turned the key in Ayame¡¯s lock and opened the door. What she found behind the door defied all expectations: Thorned vines were growing all over the furniture, slightly moving as if their growth was continuing even in this moment. Large leaves were choking out the light from the lamp and covered the large window at the end of the room. All of the vines sprouted from a single plant in the middle of the room ¨C it was like a small tree, its trunk formed from intertwining vines that formed a crown ¨C and above that crown, an orb of light floated, clearly showing Ayame¡¯s face on it. Seika entered the room, but it was Minerva Crimson who locked the door from the inside. She stepped ahead, touched the floating orb, and just as she expected, it transported her to a wildly different place. *** Minerva found herself in a vast field of flowers that stretched to the horizon under a nigh cloudless spring sky. A gentle breeze blew through the field, spreading petals and a pleasant smell in the air. One would be forgiven thinking that this was a paradise if they didn¡¯t know its true nature. And even though Minerva could only guess the nature of the master of this place, she knew that appearances are nothing more than that. She turned around and saw what looked like the overgrown ruins of various walls ¨C there was a single pillar with faded engravings, covered in ivy. There must have been a castle here, long ago. Right in front of her was a gravestone with a replica of a sword plunged into it. A blend of different metals made it look like it was coated in blood up to half the length of the blade. The inscription read ¡®Romy¡¯. She turned her back on the grave again as she heard faint singing in the opposite direction. As she made her way through the field the color and make of the flowers changed. She stepped from a colorful collection of different types of flowers like poppies, forget-me-nots, chrysanthemums, hyacinths, roses, carnations and orchids into a mono-colored field of still closed white lilies with an almost rainbow-like sheen. After she walked some more the lilies opened ¨C each of them becoming a little canvas ¨C and soon after pictures began moving. Each and every one of these flowers showed moments out of different lives. The birth of a child, a first love¡¯s kiss, a funeral. Taking a child to her first day at school, touching each other¡¯s hands during a movie date, saying goodbye for the last time to a friend before moving and gradually losing contact. Starting a hobby, getting recognition for one¡¯s art, envy over other people¡¯s success. All of these human moments and emotions played in the field. And finally, after a few more minutes of walking, every one of these flowers showed Seika¡¯s face, as well as Minerva¡¯s. The beautiful singing voice grew louder and clearer in a language she didn¡¯t understand. It almost sounded like it was lamenting what was about to happen, as if this world was building up suspense for its own sick games. Minerva recognized all the memories as moments she had spent with Ayame. Ayame hiding Minerva in a locker as a teacher nearly walked in on them. Ayame and Seika sharing their bento on top of the school roof. Ayame flying through the air while Minerva held her in a princess carry. All these moments surrounded Minerva as she was confronted with her friend¡¯s fate. Ayame was unconscious, suspended above the field of flowers that kept repeating the same moments from her life over and over. Vines kept her in place, her arms stretched away from her torso like she was crucified. In some places the vines¡¯ thorns dug into her flesh and a thin trickle of blood dripped down, staining the memory flowers in red. The singing stopped. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t she?¡± The sickly-sweet voice was instantly familiar. Minerva didn¡¯t hesitate to draw her sword and slash behind her where it came from, but all she hit was a pile of leaves that flew away in the breeze she created. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you to arrive.¡± The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once, and Minerva couldn¡¯t do anything but prepare herself for a possible attack. Then it happened ¨C thorny vines broke out of the ground and snaked their way towards Minerva. She retaliated with her sword, imbuing it with fire to cut through the vines like they were butter ¨C however, they kept coming and coming, surrounding Minerva. She spun the sword around herself in a fiery slash, cutting through every vine around her, but they simply kept regrowing. Multiple vines twisted around each other and became a larger tendril that attacked with a large swipe towards Minerva. She cut it again, and again, each time it kept regrowing. As she prepared to strike for what felt like the hundredth time, more vines appeared from her blind spot and restrained her wrist, then the massive tendril hit her in the stomach before splitting apart and restraining the rest of her body. She struggled, but every move she made just served to dig the thorns into her skin. *** As she remained still, feverishly thinking about what her next move should be, the wind blew flower petals into a circular formation like a dust devil ¨C they grew concentrated enough to obscure all sight entirely and then they dispersed, revealing a woman standing in front of Minerva. Her skin was sickly green, with her long nails and smiling lips showing a screaming red contrast. She didn¡¯t appear to wear clothes, instead her skin turned into leaves that maintained her modesty like a dress. Despite her sweet smile she was radiating malevolence like Minerva had rarely felt before, matching the blood-red irises sitting within black sclera that were now focused entirely on her prey. She was the woman who had touched Miori at the store and ran off after Seika intervened. ¡°You¡­!¡± Minerva started with a hissing voice towards the woman, struggling against the vines which only caused her to let out a pained yelp as the thorns dug into her. ¡°Yes, me¡­¡± The sweet voice drew closer as the plant woman stepped towards Minerva, hushing her with a finger to her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t struggle, now. This is my domain and you¡¯re here by invitation. There was nothing you could do against me from the start.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Minerva spat the words towards the creature. ¡°Oh, how rude. Let me introduce myself first. I am Lethe. I preside over this domain of memories. And just today by touching you, dear Seika, I caught a glimpse of a truly magnificent collection of happy memories.¡± She turned away and walked over towards Ayame, caressing her cheek. ¡°Oh, how sweet the fruit that will sprout from her will taste¡­¡± ¡°Get your dirty hands off her!¡± Minerva shouted now, desperation forming tears in her eyes. Lethe disappeared in a swirl of petals and her form appeared behind Minerva, a hand on her side that slowly trailed up. ¡°Or what?¡± she asked, and Minerva could tell the sickening grin on the creature¡¯s face from her words alone. As Lethe¡¯s hand reached the side of her neck she demonstrated once again that this domain and its laws obeyed her. Her fingertips sank into Minerva¡¯s neck like her body was made from jelly. She gasped and choked as she could feel those fingers interfere with her windpipe and then she shoved the fingers further up and all higher brain functions in the Magical Girl¡¯s head ceased. She saw explosions of stars, old memories rushing past her inner eye as Lethe was rummaging through them like a cardboard box full of photos in someone¡¯s attic. Every little twitch of her fingers was accompanied by another burst of memories, with Minerva¡¯s eyes sightlessly rolling in different directions. Her limbs spasmed and her breath hitched. Minerva¡¯s mental faculties came back to normal as Lethe yanked her hand out of her malleable skull, her scrambled brains taking back their natural shape. She could think again, and her first thought was about how utterly violated she felt in this moment. ¡°What an interesting mind you have. After those sweet, sweet memories I¡¯ll taste today I might want something salty¡­ or bitter in the future. So, I planted a seed to cultivate.¡± After giving Minerva just enough time to get her bearings Lethe leaned forward and put one of her sharp nails on the Magical Girl¡¯s cheek. ¡°And now it¡¯s time to eat. All we need is some blood of the subject of her memories to water the plants.¡± She made a swift cut across Minerva¡¯s cheek and as she flinched, a single drop of blood fell down on the flowerbed. A single lily was stained in red and in the blink of an eye the color spread across the entire field. Ayame moved, but only to throw her head back and let out a scream as a bright light appeared from her chest and a golden, glowing fruit appeared from it ¨C it showed memories just like the surrounding flowers, all including Seika¡¯s and Minerva¡¯s faces. Ayame squirmed as Lethe plucked the hovering fruit out of the air and fell unconscious again. Minerva pulled on her bindings, driving thorns deeper into her flesh as she tried to intervene. The following wet crack of Lethe¡¯s teeth piercing the fruit would haunt Seika¡¯s mind forever. Lethe devoured the fruit piece by piece, making a point of turning it into a sadistic show. Minerva raged against her bondage and let out a blood curdling scream, even as thorns tore away the flesh on her arms and legs. ¡°Oh, this is so much sweeter than I could have ever imagined. Pure love for a friend with whom she shares a secret is truly one of the greatest treats out there. Adoration turning into confusion at her own feelings. Just a pinch of¡­ lust, maybe? Just splendid!¡± She showed a blissful face as she savored every bite. in the end only a little piece of the fruit was left, which she placed in Ayame¡¯s mouth, cackling as she made her chew. ¡°I always let them have a little bit of it back. It¡¯s so much more satisfying when they have dreams about the things they once knew¡­ and forget about them again in the morning.¡± In this moment Minerva exploded quite literally ¨C in a desperate bid she channeled magic and set the vines holding her on fire. She suffered severe burns and more lacerations as the thorns came loose, but now she was headed straight for that monster, resolved to make her pay. Her sword appeared by her side and she slashed at Lethe, only to cut through a whirling mass of petals as the woman disappeared again. ¡°Come back here!¡± She screamed at the top of her lungs as the surrounding area grew darker ¨C the flowers vanished, just like the vines. ¡°Grow that seed with your despair! Dare hope or love and I will come back for you to reap my harvest!¡± Lethe¡¯s voice vanished with vile laughter as Minerva found herself back in Ayame¡¯s room. She hurried to the girl¡¯s side and held her. ¡°Ayame! Ayame, are you alright?¡± Her friend slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Minerva with large eyes. ¡°Woah! A Magical Girl. Was I in danger? I can¡¯t remember anything for some reason¡­¡± *** It was like Seika feared. Ayame was physically mostly unhurt, but any memory involving Minerva Crimson and her secret identity Seika Hitoishi were gone. Seven years of her life¡¯s memories were cut in half as Lethe devoured the memories of the one person she spent most of her time with. Minerva made up a story about some danger that she saved Ayame from and left it at that, leaving her room to return to her own. After turning back the cuts and burns on her body turned into unsightly black spots, as if she had taken a beating. This is for the best¡­ isn¡¯t it? It has to be. Being close to me would just hurt her. So, if she forgets about me, she will be out of danger. I shouldn¡¯t get this close to anyone ever again. ¡°¡­¡± Even Minerva seemed like she was at a loss for words. Her tears flowed freely now. Even while she was so desperately trying to tell herself that everything was for the best, the fact remained that she had just lost her best friend and there was nothing she could do to get those memories back. 5 It was time for her to cut all remaining ties. After around a week of Ayame going about her life like she never knew Seika a lot of people around them assumed that the two friends had a massive falling out and stopped asking questions. She clocked into work at the convenience store for the last time on December 31st. She had given notice to her manager, making up a reason why she needed to leave on short notice. He accommodated her and even gave her the option to quit after one week instead of two. Her eyes were resting unconsciously on Miori as they worked together. I won¡¯t see her again. Guess I was lying to her when I told her that things will work out. ¡°By the way, Miori. I¡¯m quitting my job here today.¡± She could see the shock on the younger woman¡¯s face and saw the gears turning behind her eyes as she tried to make sense of her senpai¡¯s decision. ¡°Oh? Are you switching stores? Like, are you moving, Senpai?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Seika couldn¡¯t look her in the eyes and focused on some spot on the ground as she answered. ¡°Will¡­ will you exchange LINE information with me, Senpai?¡± the girl asked like it was a desperate plea. Seika could tell that she wanted to keep in contact, to not lose sight of her precious senpai. But to keep her safe, Seika would have to hurt her today. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not really doing LINE or any SNS like it.¡± Seika lied. She wasn¡¯t good at it and had to force every word out while trying not to burst into tears. *** After her last shift was over Seika hurried to get changed into her usual clothes. She wanted to be as far away from here as possible before she had to say anything else that would hurt Miori. After a hurried farewell she was out the door ¨C and then she heard her darling junior¡¯s voice behind her. ¡°Senpai!¡± The younger woman¡¯s voice was suddenly filled with an uncanny determination. Seika fought back tears as she already knew what was coming ¨C she herself nudged Miori in this direction, after all. She turned around to face the blonde girl. ¡°I love you, Senpai. Please go out with me!¡± Seika couldn¡¯t hesitate here, so she didn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miori. I can¡¯t return your feelings. I shouldn¡¯t.¡± With this she quickly walked away to let her tears fall to the ground unnoticed, leaving Miori behind. She was speaking the whole truth ¨C maybe it would sound like she rejected Miori based on their age gap. But she shouldn¡¯t. Lethe tracked down Ayame by getting a glimpse of Seika¡¯s memories from a single touch. No one was ever going to be safe if they got close to her. 6 June 2024 *** Seika yanked awake from her dream shaped from memories. Her single day of having fun with Miori brought back the painful reminder why she isolated herself in the first place. She grabbed her phone and opened LINE, which she never wanted to install for this very reason. Her moment of weakness could cost the girl who was now registered as her one and only contact everything. After holding a long press on Miori¡¯s account and bringing up the menu her finger shakily hovered above the ¡®Delete¡¯ option. She had to right her lapse of judgment. Just in that moment a message came in. ''Are you awake, Senpai?'' Seika blinked at the message and wiped the sweat off her face before she responded. She wasn¡¯t used to typing on a phone, so she needed to rewrite her message a few times after messing up. ''Just woke up from a bad dream. You?'' ''I keep thinking about our date and am too giddy to sleep.'' ''It meant that much to you, huh?'' ''It¡¯s a dream come true after nine long years.'' Seika let out a long sigh, falling back on the bed and staring at the ceiling. After a short break to contemplate she typed again. ''I might not be answering for a while. I¡¯m going outside for some fresh air.'' ''Take care! I think I might do the same.'' And with that she went outside as Minerva Crimson.
1.10 A Difference in Experience Minerva flew through the night sky to calm her racing thoughts. Why did she constantly fold in the face of Miori¡¯s earnest feelings? At this point it was only a matter of time before hers or Miori¡¯s memories were eaten by Lethe. The past nine years she had tried to come up with a way to face that memory-eating abomination when it showed its face again, but so far, she was drawing a blank on how to exactly counter Lethe¡¯s control over her own pocket dimension. Minerva herself only had the ability to slip in and out of these at will, as she utilized frequently against Shadows, but when Lethe appeared it was usually to trap two people at once. One victim and one who serves as nourishment for the fruit. Her shifting out of Lethe¡¯s domain on her own would do nothing for anyone else trapped inside. At best this would result in a stalemate and another attack at a later point, at worst it would cost the life of whoever remained trapped with her. She ruffled her hair in frustration as her magic crystal spoke up. ¡°Shadow nearby. It¡¯s¡­ engaged in combat?¡± The warning brought her head back into reality as she accelerated into the direction her crystal pointed at. It was a welcome distraction ¨C or rather, it pointed her back to where her mind should be at the moment. There was still a Shadow Queen out there and her attempt to find it by pursuing missing person posters didn¡¯t work out as she had hoped. She chased the trail along busy main streets, flying between office buildings that still had the lights on and through neon billboard illuminated alleys. The chime from her chest grew stronger and became a continuous sound as she arrived at her target location. She could feel the otherworldly presence scratching at the thin barrier between worlds. ¡°Reality shift!¡± Minerva spoke the incantation of her ability and the colors around her faded until they became muted. She had successfully entered a Shadow¡¯s domain ¨C all she had to do was track it down. Just in that moment she had to dodge by bending her body backwards as a magical beam shot her way ¨C it obliterated the fa?ade of the nearest office building, making rubble fall down into the empty streets. Good thing the damage in these pocket dimensions isn¡¯t reflected in the real world. She followed the faint glow of the fading beam and looked for its point of origin ¨C and she found it in two girls in Magical Girl getup battling a Shadow. This Shadow had taken the form of a young, nimble girl, dancing around the two as they tried to land hits on her, with magically enhanced punches from one side and magical beams from the other. ¡°Keep still, you¡­!¡± One of them cursed, as the Shadow let out a childish giggle. Its face had vaguely human features in grotesque exaggeration. Two large, oval shapes in white sat where a human would have their eyes while a zig-zagged white line formed a mouth. In this moment it was opened in a mocking smile. The girls were dressed in yellow and blue frilled dresses that were typically ¡®Magical Girl¡¯. On their heads they wore an odd headset and futuristic visor combo that had decorative bear ears. The blue girl¡¯s weapons of choice were gloves that looked like bear paws and evidently gave her increased punching strength, as every building that the Shadow stood in front of got obliterated by the blue girl¡¯s swings whenever she dodged to the side at the last moment. The yellow girl had a wand, if it could be called that. It was a long, metal rod with a magazine stuck to it that fed magic bullets into the hollow shaft which ended in a muzzle that was adorned by a bear head with an open maw from which all magical beams were shot. Minerva recognized them as the advanced forms of the Kuma Group that Kuma came up with to justify their sudden power boost. However, their leader in pink and Kuma were nowhere to be seen, which was slightly concerning. For now, Minerva decided to intervene. As she approached the three fighting figures the Shadow suddenly withdrew, jumping far away from the girls. In that moment they turned around and looked at Minerva ¨C all three of them stopped as the girls of the Kuma Group scanned Minerva¡¯s appearance. ¡°Glowing red hair like a demon¡­¡± ¡°A cane sword¡­¡± The girls spoke their observations one after the other, then something seemed to click in their heads. Minerva spoke up anyway. ¡°Yes, yes. I am Kuma¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Enemy!¡± The girls shouted in unison. Huh?! ¡°So the evil organization is finally showing its face, huh?¡± the blue girl pointed a bear paw at Minerva. ¡°Coming all alone, though¡­ how arrogant!¡± The yellow one added. ¡°Even if we¡¯re not at full strength, we won¡¯t bow down to evil!¡± Another synchronous declaration as the two assumed combat stances. Kuma has a lot of explaining to do when I see him. The Shadow remained in the distance with a mocking smile like it fully understood what was happening. *** ¡°Okay, if you would just listen to me, we can- ¡° Minerva was cut off immediately as the girl in blue came rushing for her, bear paw extended for a punch. She expected something like this already so she dodged to the side and grabbed the blue Magical Girl by the leg ¨C using the girl¡¯s momentum she spun around her own axis and threw her back where she came from. Unluckily for her, her yellow wearing friend had lined up a shot on the ¡®Evil Magical Girl¡¯ that she just now released, with the girl in blue being an unfortunate human shield. An explosion swallowed the girl in blue, quickly named ¡®Sarina¡¯ by the horrified shout of the girl in yellow. ¡°Watch out for yourself, rather than her.¡± Minerva said as she flew behind her at breakneck speed and prepared to whack her with the still sheathed cane sword. The girl parried with her staff ¨C actually with impressive precision for a Magical Girl of her age. Minerva kept the pressure up and had her slowly floating backwards in the air as strike met parry over and over again. She even made a hop some distance away and struck with her staff in Minerva¡¯s direction, making full use of her range advantage to force Minerva on the defensive. ¡°Impressive. Doing martial arts in your mundane life?¡± Minerva dodged another strike that was aimed to hit her temple. ¡°Naginata, by any chance?¡± There was no answer but a little prideful twinkle in the girl¡¯s eyes as their fight continued. Minerva saw a hint of movement from the corner of her eye and dodged another punch that came in at almost the speed of sound. Sarina had regained her composure after the point-blank hit from her friend¡¯s magical blast and joined the melee. It was time for Minerva to get serious, then. *** Three lights, yellow, blue and red were flying at breakneck speed through the canyons formed by the buildings of the city. The crimson trail dodged a massive magical beam that cut multiple buildings in half and caused them to collapse. As they were in a dimensional pocket created by the Shadow that kept trailing them out of perverse amusement, none of them held back with their attacks. The blue comet sometimes abruptly changed direction and crashed into a building on account of the crimson light dodging, penetrating deep enough to come out the other side. Minerva kept dodging for now, trying to tire out the two girls. ¡°I¡¯ll keep her busy, Rei! You line up a shot!¡± The girl in blue yelled as she rushed for Minerva once again, acting fully oblivious to the fact that she could hear them. Minerva didn¡¯t dodge this time- she used her cane to summon a shield spell, making Sarina crash right into it. She didn¡¯t crack through it and got stuck like her predecessor but withdrew just enough power to bounce off it ¨C then she unleashed a flurry of blows to slowly crack Minerva¡¯s defenses. While that was happening ¡®Rei¡¯ came up behind her. Minerva could hear the bolt mechanism in the girl¡¯s magical staff as it loaded another cartridge.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Kudos to you, Kuma. These aren¡¯t the helpless lambs I left you with. As Rei¡¯s magical beam was unleashed, she had to divert magic power to deflect it into a nearby building. Distracted like that, she couldn¡¯t reinforce her other barrier and heard the sound of shattering glass as Sarina broke through. Her punch connected to Minerva¡¯s cheekbone and sent her flying into a nearby building ¨C her impact made the outer wall collapse before she came to a halt in one of the rooms. She coughed and gathered her senses as she got up and looked around. She was in a single bedroom apartment like her own and had just crushed a whole shelf full of Gunpla models. I¡¯m REALLY glad that this damage isn¡¯t reflected in the real world. Her heart bled for the poor otaku whose collection would have been destroyed otherwise. The wall next to her exploded and she caught another punch from Sarina, this time blocked by her crossed arms. It still hurt like hell with all the force behind it. ¡°I¡¯m going to hit back now.¡± Minerva announced. ¡°Huh?!¡± Sarina was taken aback by the declaration, giving Minerva just enough time to whack her cane across the girl¡¯s face. Before she could even give an offended reaction to what the older Magical Girl had just done, she faced a magic circle spinning on top of the cane¡¯s jewel ¨C then she was being shot outside of the building, riding the tip of a magical beam. Minerva followed her, intending to knock Sarina out with her next hit, but she caught a glimpse of a bright light in the corner of her eye and immediately dodged the magic beam that was shooting her way. Rei was standing on top of a nearby building and kept taking potshots at her, allowing Sarina to recover. Minerva gritted her teeth and got into another melee with the blue-clad Magical Girl who relentlessly tried to punch her with those bear paw shaped gloves. She inched closer to the beam-shooting Rei ¨C with her eyes being on Sarina she needed to watch her reactions. The wordless communication between these two Magical Girls was immaculate, but also very easy to read for someone who knew what to look for. When Sarina dodged to the right Minerva immediately knew to follow her to avoid the magic beam that was being shot at her from behind. Finally, they got too close for Rei to use her magic beams, causing her to try and use her staff as a melee weapon once again. It was here that Minerva dodged another one of the brutish Magical Girl¡¯s punches, grabbed her by the wrist and turned her straight into the path of the approaching polearm. Thunk! The metal made noisy contact with the brutish Magical Girl¡¯s forehead, dazing her just long enough for Minerva to blast a magical beam of her own into her back, causing her to crash right into Rin, creating a small crater in the roof. The poor girls groaned as they were stacked on top of each other, with Rei looking like she was out cold. Sarina got up, wobbly on her feet, and raised her fists. She was definitely the bulwark of the team, but the fight was over. Minerva pointed her cane at her and a magical circle spun in the air, accelerating. Sarina could only look on, too weak to lunge at the woman to stop her attack. She closed her eyes as if to accept her fate. Then Minerva shot. A few quiet seconds passed, and Sarina opened her eyes again. She was completely unharmed ¨C causing her to turn towards Rei in a panic, only to find her unharmed as well. In front of Rei was the Shadow; with its maw enlarged it had tried to attack and swallow Rei while she was weakened. Sarina could see the city lights behind the monster through the hole that had been blasted into the back of its mouth ¨C and could witness how vibrant color returned to the world as the creature collapsed and died. Buildings around them simply reappeared and damage to the roof and streets vanished as the pocket dimension collapsed and brought them back to reality. The sounds of busy streets filled the air on the rooftop. She turned around to face Minerva; confusion clear on her face. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s some green tea for Rei, and Sarina, what do you want?¡± Seika stood in front of a vending machine in a residential area. All three of them had returned to their normal forms after deciding to talk it out. ¡°A sports drink, please.¡± ¡°You got it!¡± Seika punched the order into the machine, deciding on a can of ¡®Energy Magic¡¯ for herself. The green tea was passed to Rei, a serious looking girl with a high ponytail who wore a keikogi and hakama. Just as Seika had suspected when the girl used her laser beam shooting staff like a polearm, she was the heir to some dojo in the city. With it being the weekend, she wore her training uniform, rather than the uniform of whichever school she went to. She handed the sports drink to Sarina, who wore her school uniform even on a weekend night. She was the biggest surprise here. As a Magical Girl she was a brute using large bear claw gloves, but as a mundane girl she looked like an absolute sweetheart. She wore her hair in a short bob that nicely accentuated her round glasses. Her eyes sparkled with gratitude as Seika handed her the drink. Now that hostilities had ceased it appeared like she was fangirling over the older Magical Girl. Speaking of her hair, it was an unusual color: a bright cyan, matching her Magical Girl form. Both of these girls were born after the Kawaguchi Incident, which not only allowed creatures from beyond access to Earth¡¯s dimension, but also caused harmless mutations in some children. Oddly colored hair or eyes were the usual symptoms. And in every single case, these indicated a latent talent for magic. All three opened their drinks and took a few sips. ¡°Are you two alright, though? I did hit you quite hard at the end, there.¡± The two girls were covered in light bruises. It appeared like Kuma had actually taken pointers from how Seika¡¯s own transformation worked. ¡°I am alright.¡± replied Rei. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about us, Miss! One night of sleep and we¡¯ll be over it.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Seika gulped down a large amount of the energizing liquid before she started her inquiries. ¡°So, where is Kuma? And why is there only two of you?¡± The two exchanged a worried look before they replied to Seika. ¡°He is¡­.¡± ¡°He was killed by a Shadow.¡± ¡°Huh, really? The grey guy?¡± The two younger girls exchanged looks again, visibly confused. ¡°If you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about then no, he¡¯s not dead. He¡¯s probably busy making another plushie like his old one.¡± The two girls appeared relieved, Rei even wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye. ¡°I always thought that was his actual body.¡± ¡°Yeah, he likes to make you think that. It¡¯s nothing personal, he¡¯s just a very self-conscious guy when it comes to his appearance.¡± Seika grinned into her can as she took another sip. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t know why he told you I¡¯m your enemy. I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s another one of his clumsy attempts to keep his girls away from me ¨C or he might have had the funny idea to use me as an unwilling sparring partner to give you girls a real challenge. I¡¯m going to rake him over the coals for that one, later.¡± She let out an exasperated sigh and took yet another sip. ¡°What generation are you anyway? I¡¯ve met the Kuma Group before, but I think those were the first girls who had that name.¡± Rei spoke up. ¡°Fourth generation. We just started last year.¡± Seika nodded. That lined up with what she had seen. The Kuma Group usually started with girls at the end of middle school who kept their powers until they graduated high school. ¡°And where¡¯s your leader? I assume the pink one is still the one in charge.¡± ¡°Oh, Haruna¡­ she¡­¡± Sarina hesitated before she steeled herself into telling what happened. ¡°She was swallowed whole by a Shadow. Then that thing¡¯s form changed, and we had to withdraw.¡± Seika¡¯s eyes went wide. This was the info she had been looking for this entire time. She grabbed Sarina¡¯s shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes. ¡°She¡¯s alive! Just tell me everything and I can make it right.¡± Sarina told her story to Seika. It was Monday, and they had just finished school as Kuma contacted them about imminent danger. Naturally they responded and assembled to transform and follow the scent that their mascot had picked up. ¡°The problem was, Haruna¡¯s energy was very low that day.¡±, Rei continued. ¡°She had been doing bad with her tests, her parents had a big fight and she got rejected by the boy she confessed to.¡± ¡°So her magic energy wasn¡¯t recharging at all.¡± Sarina continued. Seika remembered. Kuma had assured her that only positive emotions were being converted into magic energy and an attempt to convert negative feelings would instead result in those energies being drained. What seemed like a safeguard against abuse from the girls¡¯ benefactor turned out to be a critical weakness when the girls had an extended period of unhappiness. ¡°We went south. Kuma led us to a park in Ota where he sensed a malicious presence.¡± Rather proactive. I guess after a dozen years of faking the Magical Girl thing for food he might have developed an actual sense of responsibility. ¡°Or he found a way to eat defeated magical creatures.¡± Her crystal¡¯s observations weren¡¯t very charitable towards the big grey man. She gestured for Sarina to continue. ¡°One of those things was mimicking a bench. We could immediately tell because it looked slightly out of place. But not enough that a clueless tired person wouldn¡¯t fall for it, so Kuma told us all to touch it at the same time and we did.¡± Rei continued from here. ¡°We got pulled into the Shadow¡¯s domain, as planned. It was quick, just like the one you killed. It had the form of¡­¡± She seemed to be considering her words for a while before shaking her head. ¡°¡­a wolf. Or bear. But one that could run along walls. Also, it grew human arms.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve fought them for sixteen years now, they never make any sense.¡± Seika said with a bitter grin. ¡°Please continue.¡± ¡°First things went well. We surrounded it and used our strengths to our advantage. It was weakened enough to attempt a killing blow, but that was the moment Haruna ran out of energy.¡± Sarina picked up after Rei. ¡°She just lost her transformation in the middle of an attack. As if the Shadow had just waited for that moment, it dashed forward, opened its maw and¡­ she was gone. Then it grew and grew¡­ it was like it could just ignore our attacks. Kuma told us to run away and opened a hole to the real world. And just as we left the Shadow gored him¡­ there was cotton everywhere.¡± You saw that he was a stuffed doll and still thought he was really dead? Then again, I guess you too have seen weirder things than that happen, so fair enough. ¡°Where did you return to reality?¡± Seika stepped a bit closer. She almost had the missing piece. Shadow Queens don¡¯t move much from their locations after they first transform. They prefer to spawn more Shadows from where they have been born, relying on their drones to come back and share their meals. Sarina blinked at the older woman¡¯s sudden intensity, then she grabbed her phone and opened her map where she had dutifully recorded the last known location of their lost comrade. All the way in Ukishimacho? They must have been fighting airborne for a while to go there from Ota. Seika felt a wave of relief washing over her. She had almost given up as her search for the missing girls had not yielded any results regarding the Shadow Queen. And now she found the golden ticket to the creature itself. ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you two were still fighting Shadows after all that.¡± Seika said. ¡°It¡¯s because we have a duty to uphold.¡± Said Rei. ¡°The duty to protect people from these monsters, no matter what.¡± Look at that. Kuma¡¯s fake Magical Girls have become more real than most of the real ones. After finishing her drink, Seika tossed the can into the garbage bin next to the vending machine and transformed. The two girls followed suit. ¡°We¡¯ll help you!¡± they said in unison. ¡°If I think it¡¯s too dangerous you two will withdraw. Is that clear?¡± Minerva said it with the cadence of a strict teacher. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± They replied with some hesitation. ¡°Good, then let¡¯s go. All the way to Kawasaki.¡± As she started to fly Sarina came up right next to her. ¡°Hey. Tell us how you became a Magical Girl!¡± Her eyes were sparkling with excitement. Minerva could only react a little flustered from having a new fan right in her face. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s a bit long though. And the start is not a happy one.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. We have a little bit of time.¡± That we do. Minerva let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. And then she told them the story of how she came to be. 1.11 The Kawaguchi Incident June 2008 *** Seika Hitoishi was an ordinary 14-year-old girl from Kawaguchi, living in a single-family house a short distance away from her junior high who didn¡¯t want for friends or a loving family life. Summer had just started a short while ago, with the temperatures rising and the cicadas causing their annual ruckus, signaling that in a few weeks she would be able to go to the beach with her friends or visit various anime events once summer break starts. She was a bit of an otaku, owning figurines of various Magical Girls, be they dressed in sailor uniforms, wielding mechanical laser beam weaponry or summoning magic from a set of cards, which were placed on a shelf at the foot of her bed to be the first thing she saw in the morning as her alarm rang. ¡°Good morning.¡± She greeted them as she rubbed her eyes, getting out of bed. It had become a little bit of a tradition, and looking at her favorite characters gave her the energy to face her everyday life. She walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and get her hair ready, taking her round glasses with her. As she put them on, she looked at herself in the mirror. She wore her hair slightly below shoulder length ¨C and currently it was presenting as a rather chaotic bedhead. She grabbed her toothbrush and started brushing, then she grabbed the hairbrush with the other hand to get both things done at the same time. Her mother walked in behind her and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. ¡°Good morning, Seika.¡± ¡°Mhnngnn¡± She replied as she kept brushing. They stood next to each other, quietly brushing their teeth. Her mother was beautiful, with short hair and a constant gentle expression on her face. She worked as a librarian, and sometimes Seika visited her at work after school ¨C naturally her visits also involved reading all the manga that the library had stocked. ¡°I¡¯ll get breakfast ready, so go get yourself dressed.¡± Her mother said after she finished brushing her teeth. She left the bathroom while patting Seika¡¯s head. ¡°Will do!¡± Seika replied and hurried into her room. She dressed herself up in front of her mirror. She put on her school uniform ¨C in summer it was only a white blouse with a navy-blue pleated skirt, rather than the whole uniform with a blazer. She grabbed her bag and went downstairs where her parents were already waiting for her. Her mother just got done packing her lunch and serving her breakfast. She was rather traditional about it, serving her miso soup, some warm rice and fish with an egg roll and greens on the side. ¡°Good morning, Seika.¡± Her father greeted her - he sat at the table, watching the morning news. Something about people going missing was being mentioned, but Seika didn¡¯t pay it much mind. ¡°Good morning, dad.¡± Seika replied while sitting down to start eating her breakfast. Her father turned around towards her and smiled. He was an average office worker, employed by a company that sells printers and fax machines to various businesses around Tokyo and the surrounding areas, so he was rarely seen without a suit. His hair was kept short, and he wore glasses, which made his constant scowl look even more intimidating. The looks were deceiving, though, as he was a kind man on the inside as Seika had to tell many friends who came over to her house. ¡°I was talking with your mother, and we were thinking that this weekend we could go to a picnic together. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve all spent time together. Would you like that, Seika?¡± He told her with a rare smile. Seika beamed happily at that. It was rare that both of her parents had time for her, so she nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Of course!¡± She could see her parents exchanging happy looks while she kept eating. The news report on the TV kept going on while nobody paid any attention to it anymore. Seika added a little spring to her step as she walked out of school to go home. She waved at her friends as they went separate ways after walking the first bit together. Now alone she kept walking, imagining what her mother might be making for their family picnic. She loved the octopus sausages she made for her bento ¨C hopefully she would make more of them! Her little hops came to an end as she noticed something unusual on her way home. There was a vending machine at the street corner that she didn¡¯t remember. She had been walking this way almost every weekday for the past two years and this was the first time she saw this specific machine. Were they usually installed that quickly? She stepped closer to it ¨C there were scratches and signs of wear on it, like it had been here for a few years already, which made things even weirder. Maybe it was brought here from a different spot? Were vending machines reused like that? I guess I¡¯ll have the first drink from it! She picked her wallet from her bag and grabbed a 100-yen coin. Humming the theme song of one of her favorite Magical Girl anime to herself, she pondered what she should buy ¨C and decided on a juice. After inserting the coin, she pushed the button for her drink ¨C and the world lost some of its vibrancy around her as she fell right into a Shadow¡¯s trap. *** Naturally she had no idea what was going on. As the world lost some of its color, she at first rubbed her eyes and looked around, thinking something happened to her eyesight. The surrounding area was eerily quiet, as if all the humans and animals had vanished ¨C most noticeable was the complete absence of cicadas. Seika started walking through the abandoned neighborhood, trying to find another person. Maybe an adult would know what was happening right now, so she had to find one. ¡°Hello? Is anyone here? I need help!¡± She shouted ¨C her voice echoed eerily through the quiet streets in a way she had never heard before, as if she stood at the entrance to a beast¡¯s lair, rather than an empty street. ¡°Is anyone out there?¡± Something was skittering around behind her in response to her shouts and she turned around quickly with a gasp. She only caught something black vanishing around a corner, but she knew that she was in trouble. She quickly walked backwards, keeping her eyes on the spot where that thing had vanished - then she turned around and ran in the direction of her house, hoping against hope that it was still a safe haven. She heard a sound getting closer ¨C it almost sounded like waves crashing against the shore, just that the sound got more intense and louder instead of growing louder and quieter in turns. As it got too loud to bear, she turned around and saw nothing but abyssal black ¨C a giant maw extended, with jagged teeth pointed towards Seika from all directions. She screamed ¨C and then all went dark. *** She couldn¡¯t move. She tried to flail her limbs around, but it was no use. Her entire body was enveloped, or rather encased in the black shadowy mass that made up the monster that had swallowed her. Her legs were pushed together and her arms firmly against her side. She could see ¨C but what she saw wasn¡¯t what she experienced. She saw the streets in muted color and how houses passed by, despite her body not moving at all. She closed her eyes, and she still saw what was happening in her mind¡¯s eye with vivid detail. Was she forced to see through the eyes of that black creature? It¡¯s so dark¡­ She wanted to shout for help, but her jaw was locked in a half open position. The mass making up the shadow was all around her and all inside her, permeating everything. She felt like gagging and like she was suffocating, but those feelings went nowhere. Tears welled up in her eyes as the hopelessness of her situation set in ¨C she was trapped in a situation that she didn¡¯t understand in the least and she had no idea what would be happening to her. The sheer uncertainty of it scared her more than the uncomfortable feeling of the darknesses¡¯ embrace. A shiver went through the creature that she could feel in her core. Something was changing. Through the forced sight that she shared with it she could see it hold up its arms that grew and grew. The limbs became longer and sprouted claws ¨C at a glance one could think they were feminine hands with very exaggerated nails. The rest of its body grew, too ¨C at least that¡¯s what the shrinking houses in Seika¡¯s vision seemed to imply.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The vibrant colors returned to the world as did humans ¨C who didn¡¯t react at first, but once their eyes caught the form around Seika, they panicked and started running. The creature made its way down the road in a slithering motion ¨C the movement of its vision made Seika dizzy. On the way it snatched an unassuming man who vanished somewhere below Seika¡¯s sight. She didn¡¯t want to assume what was happening but in her current situation her mind ran wild anyway. It''s eating him! Seika tried to close her eyes ¨C she didn¡¯t want to see any of this, only to be forced to bear witness to it anyway. It crawled its way towards the north to an unknown destination ¨C the panicked residents must have called the emergency hotline, since Seika could hear an approaching siren. A police car stopped in front of the creature, causing it to cease its movement, if only for a moment. ¡°What is that thing?¡± ¡°I thought they prank called us.¡± The men who left the car seemed uncertain what to do ¨C and then the creature attacked them. Its claws ripped right through the car, and it was all they could do to dodge out of the way. They quickly unholstered their revolvers and aimed it at Seika ¨C or rather the creature whose eyes she looked through. ¡°Bring it down! Whatever it is!¡± Shots were fired ¨C even from that distance it hurt Seika¡¯s ear a little. Twitches went through the large body ¨C apparently it could feel where it was hit. Then Seika felt a dull pain in her left shoulder, like someone just hit her with a hammer, followed by a burning hot sensation. She tried to scream but no sound came out ¨C it took a long time for her to realize that she had just been shot. It hurts¡­ no one knows I¡¯m in here¡­ they are trying to kill me¡­ The pain worsened as the shadows constricting her movement filled her wound. She tried to bite down on the shadow filling her mouth, but she was simply unable to move her jaw for even a centimeter. The creature now retaliated. It swiped at the policemen, tossing them away. They crashed against a wall a few meters back and stopped moving. Seika hoped they were just unconscious. The creature slithered away and withdrew back into the world of muted colors that it came from. Seika was tired. Not in the sense that she lacked sleep ¨C in fact, she was remarkably awake ¨C rather she felt like she had no energy, like after suddenly doing a lot of sports. She suspected it had something to do with what the creature had been doing without pause since it slipped into the world of muted colors. It withdrew to the Kawaguchi City Green Center where it made its ¡®nest¡¯, periodically plucking some of the shadowy mass making up its body from itself and shaping it between its hands, like it was nothing more than a ball of clay. Some of the things it created were shaped like animals, others were shaped like people, or yet others like a teru teru bozu. There didn¡¯t seem to be any rules what the things the creature created had to be shaped like, but every time it was done it lifted them up and Seika could feel a pull on her entire body that made her grow weaker while the shaped mass became animated and slithered away ¨C probably to abduct more girls like her. She didn¡¯t know how many days it had been ¨C time didn¡¯t seem to move in the world of muted colors in the way she was used to. She wondered how her parents were currently dealing with her going missing ¨C or if her friends at the literature club thought she was skipping school. Mama is probably crying right now. She caught sight of one of the created shadows returning. It stopped in front of Seika¡¯s sight and let itself be picked up by the bigger creature. Then it was devoured whole. Seika could feel more energy returning to her body than she had spent creating that thing. It ate¡­ and came to feed me. No, I hate this¡­ I don¡¯t want this! What would my favorite Magical Girls do now? It was a delusional thought, clinging to her favorite anime characters who would meet this danger with a smile or a stern look before punishing the evil that had set foot into her life. She was a child, after all. But in that moment her delusional dreams became reality. *** A lightning strike brought blue back to the muted colors of the creature¡¯s world. Seika was partially blinded by the bright light, but she could make out the silhouettes of two people. She had no idea how they got in here. Maybe this was what it looked like when someone entered this world? When they touched something, like she touched that vending machine? Please run away! You have to get away! She pleaded mentally with the two people. She could only see their unusual appearance as her eyes recovered. It were a man and a woman in peculiar outfits. The man was dressed in purple royal robes of some kind. His hair was glowing in the same color, or at least the part that she could see under his wide-brimmed pointy hat. The hat¡¯s brim was crowned by a wreath of laurels and ivy, and over his robes he wore a crimson cloak with an eagle embroidered on it. His eyes were shining in a golden color, apparently emitting their own light. His face was very pretty, androgynous even, wearing a carefree expression that established direct eye contact with Seika or rather the creature whose eyesight she was forced to borrow. ¡°Remember, dear. Only immobilize it and don¡¯t hit the core.¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± The woman who stepped to the forefront was in many ways similar to the wizard-looking man. Her hair flowed in the same glowing purple color accompanied by the golden glow of her eyes. She wore armor ¨C European style armor, to be precise. She wore a chest plate with bracers and armored greaves; whichever part of her wasn¡¯t covered in steel was instead wrapped in purple fabric. She wore a short skirt made out of leather straps, with the ones in the back being extended with peacock feathers. She featured the same androgynous features as the man. After they stared Seika down for what seemed to last an eternity the woman made a move. She launched herself off the ground at breakneck speed ¨C Seika closed her eyes reflexively, even though it was useless to do that. She felt vibrations going through the large body encasing her and heard a loud roar as an arm fell to the ground and dissolved into liquid shadow. The body moved, slithering along the surface and clawing at the woman with its remaining arm. She easily dodged and now Seika could see that she was wielding a spear and a shield that hadn¡¯t been there before. The spear had a heart-shaped tip, and the shield was polished to mirror-like brilliance, reflecting the creature she was fighting. This was the first time Seika caught a good look at what the creature that swallowed her became. The upper body of it looked just like a woman ¨C it had all the curves and shapes and even though it lacked color distinction its face was undoubtedly a human woman¡¯s. Its right arm was currently missing and in the process of growing back. Its lower body was that of a snake, explaining its slithering motions up to this point. It looked distressed in the face of the woman with the spear. It swiped at her, making the woman launch herself inhumanly far into the air. Then the creature revealed its magical capabilities. Magic circles appeared around it as Seika could feel the life drain some more from her body. It fired a hail of fireballs at the armored woman, only to have them intercepted from the side. The man in the royal robes had summoned magic circles of his own ¨C as the creature looked over to him, he wagged his finger. ¡°Would you please simply lie down and die without draining your occupant any further?¡± A screech was the creature¡¯s response, just as something pierced its head from the side. The creature¡¯s eyes - Seika¡¯s only connection to the outside world - ceased to function and darkness embraced her. Seika had lost all feeling of time again. She floated in the endless darkness, unaware of what might be happening around her. I wish I could have gone to that picnic before things ended like this. Her thoughts were her only companion in this moment, so she sank deep into them. She thought back to the two strangers who battled the snake chimera that she was trapped in. She had so many questions about them. Who are they? Why did they come to battle this thing? What are these creatures in the first place? In that moment light hit her closed eyelids, and she opened them. Seeing with her own eyes for the first time in a week was unpleasant. At least it was nighttime from what she could tell, so there was only the moon rather than the sun¡¯s blinding light. Brighter than that were the eyes and hair of the man who held her and steadily pulled her towards himself. ¡°Easy does it, young one.¡± Seika felt sick. She rolled over to the side and vomited. All that came out was a black sludge that seemed to disintegrate and vanish as soon as it hit the ground. ¡°Nasty stuff, isn¡¯t it? Gets in every little nook and cranny. They fill your lungs and stomach and wherever else and fuse you into themselves. All so they can drain magic more efficiently.¡± So it was magic? Seika was disoriented. She looked around. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°On a rooftop. Didn¡¯t want everyone to see us pull you out of that thing.¡± The man pointed to the remains of the snake-woman hybrid which dissolved and was soon nothing more than a bitter memory. ¡°Oh dear, what do you have there? Let me have a look at it.¡± With the dissolving of the creature and all the black stuff in and on Seika the hole on her arm was breathing free again. She could feel a warm trickle of liquid run all the way down to her fingers ¨C she didn¡¯t want to look. ¡°This is why we don¡¯t attack the core of the Queens. Not like the humans knew that.¡± A blue light came from the direction of her left arm, accompanied by a soothing feeling. ¡°It will leave a bit of a scar, but better than bleeding out, hm?¡± Seika dared to look ¨C and there really was a circular scar on her arm. After moving it around a little she found a matching one on the backside of the arm as well. The bullet went straight through and the shadows surrounding her had kept the hole completely sealed this entire time. She looked at the man with tears in her eyes ¨C only now she noticed that the man¡¯s companion ¨C the woman - stood some distance away, looking at the city with crossed arms, like she was keeping watch for more of those creatures. ¡°Tell you what, young one.¡± The wizard patted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s get you back to your parents. You can go back to your normal life. But you know as well as I that you won¡¯t forget what happened anytime soon, so¡­¡± He paused, rubbing his chin with his hand. ¡°If you want to know more¡­ about that creature, about us, why it grabbed you in particular¡­ and if you want to know how you can prevent it from happening to others¡­ we¡¯ll be waiting for you in that park where that creature was hiding. Every day in the afternoon, for as long as we are still in town.¡± *** Seika walked into a nearby small police station, looking disheveled. Her uniform was torn in various places, had a bloody hole where she had been shot and her hair was a mess. Her glasses had been lost entirely. She squinted as she saw the wall showing missing people. There was the man who was swallowed whole by the creature as it made its debut, but also various other men, women and children were listed as missing. Among them was her own picture. As a policeman noticed her, he did a double take between her and the posters. He hurried to her side immediately, gently holding her shoulders. ¡°You went missing last week? Oh, thank the heavens you¡¯re safe.¡± From there all it took was a few questions, one phone call and ten minutes of waiting ¨C then Seika was in the arms of her wailing mother who held her so tight that she almost couldn¡¯t breathe. Even her father¡¯s stern face teared up as he saw his daughter alive. After being embraced by cold shadows for so long the warmth of her mother was almost scalding.
1.12 Birth of Minerva The next two days were spent acclimating to her life again. Seika¡¯s parents made sure that she was not lacking in anything, providing her with her favorite food and whatever books she would request, though she felt too awkward to make use of that. Her mother held her more often than usual, almost clinging to her. Other times she thought about what clothes Seika could wear to hide the scar on her arm. For a time, Seika was happy with the additional attention, but on the second day she started to feel like a burden. She paid attention to the news this time ¨C and realized that at least two dozen people vanished since the incident. As far as she could tell she was the only survivor, only thanks to the fact that the creature used her for magic, as the wizard had put it. There was film footage of the creature slithering through the streets, but naturally any gory details were censored ¨C witnesses called it a ¡®kaiju¡¯, the police and JSDF declared readiness to strike whenever one of these things appeared again. The doorbell rang and her father answered ¨C Seika kept watching TV without paying it any mind until she could hear the angry shouting of a woman. ¡°My husband went missing, too! Why is only your daughter back?¡± An argument broke out back and forth, with her father explaining as calmly as possible that it¡¯s not Seika¡¯s fault ¨C but it was no use. The miraculous survivor of the incident had become somewhat of a scapegoat for the families of the missing. She felt a pit in her stomach as her father came back, looking genuinely upset. She had a feeling that this was only the beginning. *** When she returned to school people were friendly enough, but Seika could feel that something was off. Friends and classmates seemed distant to her and when she got to talk to them it appeared like they always steered the conversation to end as soon as possible. Teachers showed her the concern that was expected, but Seika felt the distance between her and the rest of the pupils grow by the minute. She only found out what was happening as she was about to turn a corner in the hallway and happened to overhear a conversation. ¡°Did you hear about Hitoishi? They say she vanished and then came back after that monster attack.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ turned up at a police station like a ghost.¡± ¡°The others say that she¡¯s cursed and if you are alone with her, you will be taken as well. Ugh! There she is, run!¡± She finally turned the corner and stared the two boys who were talking down, only for them to run away. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists by her side ¨C but pointless anger was not going to get her anywhere. *** She endured this for another week before she decided to do something. After school she made her way to the library her mother worked at, entering reluctantly. Her mother was working at the front desk, accepting returns and registering books that had been lent to local residents. At the moment she was writing something down on her computer and didn¡¯t notice her at first. ¡°Mom?¡± She looked up and gave Seika a little smile. ¡°Here to read again, dear?¡± Seika shook her head. ¡°Can I switch schools? Somewhere outside of Kawaguchi. I¡¯ll take the train if I need to.¡± Her mother¡¯s smile disappeared as it dawned on her what must have happened. She got up from her chair and stepped around the desk to get on her knees and embrace her child. ¡°I am so sorry, dear. You don¡¯t deserve this.¡± ¡°I know. But people are scared. It¡¯s better when I go somewhere where no one knows me.¡± ¡°If you think that¡¯s best¡­ what about your friends, though? And the literature club?¡± Seika weakly shook her head. ¡°They are keeping away, too.¡± ¡°Some friends they are¡­¡± her mother trembled slightly but Seika put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She slowly moved out of her mother¡¯s embrace. ¡°I just wanted to ask you.¡± She walked to the door. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Just meeting someone who helped me.¡± *** It was a bit of a walk to the park ¨C half an hour on foot, at least. She had to pay a small entry fee as well, but she was determined to meet that man again and to listen to his story. Now that she had this experience and was shunned for it, there was no turning back. His words echoed in the back of her mind. ¡°If you want to know more¡­ about that creature, about us, why it grabbed you in particular¡­ and if you want to know how you can prevent it from happening to others¡­¡± Prevent it from happening to others¡­ Prevent it from happening to others¡­ Prevent it from happening to others¡­ Those words turned into a droning echo in her head. If she could do anything so no one had to live through the same experience, she would do it. But for now she needed to find the wizard and the woman who accompanied him. She assumed that they must have disguised themselves to not stand out in public ¨C to not alert people who were already on edge due to the monster attack. In that moment she saw a gaggle of children gathered in one place, noisily cheering someone on. Seika had been entirely wrong with her assessment, as the wizard, purple and glowing as ever demonstrated his powers with the showmanship of a magician. ¡°Watch me carefully, kids!¡± He exclaimed as he made bolts of lightning jump between his stretched-out fingers in sequence ¨C from little finger to thumb, to thumb and little finger of the other hand. He then lifted his hands in the air, holding a strong arc of lightning between them both. He clapped his hands together, making the lightning vanish and showed his open and unharmed palms to the enthusiastic crowd. ¡°A master of lightning bar none! That¡¯s me!¡± He let out a laugh as the children celebrated him with more cheers, then his eyes fell on Seika who stared at him in confusion. ¡°Oh, my! Too bad, kids, but I have a guest of honor! I¡¯ll be back tomorrow! And the day after! For the entire rest of the month, promise!¡± With that he walked straight towards Seika, offering her a hand in a chivalrous gesture. ¡°So? I¡¯m guessing you wanted to have that talk after all.¡± Seika found herself in a more remote part of the park where not as many people passed by. The wizard¡¯s female companion joined them, but she kept quiet as usual, leaning against a tree as she watched them both. ¡°First of all, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how people have been treating you. I¡¯m so sorry about that. And yes, I¡¯ve been watching. I¡¯m sorry about that, too.¡± Seika blinked and opened her mouth, but closed it again ¨C it felt like he would explain everything without her even having to ask. ¡°Now, first things first, who are we?¡± He turned to his companion, pointed a finger at himself and then at her. And then at himself again, repeating the motion a few times, faster every time. ¡°We are travelers. From another world.¡± Another world? Seika thought. ¡°Another world!¡± The wizard replied. ¡°But not in the space sense, more in the¡­ dimensional sense! We¡¯re not from another planet, we¡¯re from this planet! Or rather the planet that is in the same place in another dimension.¡± He hastily began to draw on the ground with a stick. A big circle took shape. ¡°Imagine this is your planet.¡± He drew another circle next to it. ¡°We¡¯re from this one. And usually, we wouldn¡¯t be able to interact at all. But last month the barriers of this dimension weakened. Now all kinds of worlds out there¡­¡± He gestured with his hands and more circles appeared on the ground. Why didn¡¯t he just use magic to draw in the first place? ¡°¡­have been drawn together. Some worlds already overlapped.¡± He demonstrated his point by having some of the circles intersect. ¡°But in this very specific case a giant mess has been created.¡± The circles spun around each other, drawing closer and closer until each and every one of them intersected, creating the densest Venn Diagram possible. ¡°It created a dimensional fault at the center between all the worlds.¡± The wizard pointed at the intersection in the middle. ¡°It has never been easier to slip from one world to another in specific places. People and creatures have taken note, like the Shadow that devoured you to become a Shadow Queen.¡± ¡°A Shadow? A Shadow Queen?¡± ¡°Oh, right. That¡¯s what we call them. A very literal description, but yes. Shadows create their own pocket dimensions. They lure hapless victims into them to hunt and devour them unseen. Usually that¡¯s the end of it, but¡­¡± He suddenly pointed at Seika. ¡°In case they get a person with magical potential, they grow into Queens, draining the person¡¯s magic to create more of themselves.¡± Magic potential? ¡°Magic potential, that¡¯s right!¡± He showed a wide grin after appearing to read Seika¡¯s mind again. ¡°You, my dear, are magical. Or rather, you possess the talent to wield magic when it¡¯s given to you.¡± Seika listened intently, nodding along. She didn¡¯t get it at all, though. ¡°The real issue will be¡­ how do we generate magic with this world being as mundane as it is?¡± ¡°Huh? Why would you want to generate magic?¡± Seika blinked and looked at the man with a confused expression. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you I can help you prevent tragedies like your own?¡± *** Seika was all ears after that. ¡°How? How can I prevent those things from happening?¡± The man showed a little smirk before he tapped his forehead. ¡°We turn an idea into reality. Quite literally, actually.¡± As he pulled his finger away Seika could see a red spot. ¡°Uh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°The way we fought the Shadow while you were trapped inside¡­ you saw?¡± ¡°Well, you let your friend over there do most of the work.¡± Seika pointed to the woman who was still leaning against a nearby tree and did her best to ignore their conversation. ¡°Aside from that!¡± ¡°I did see¡­ she was so strong and fast!¡± He nodded, keeping enthusiastic eye contact with her. ¡°The two of us will be moving back to our world and travel to a few others at the end of the month. We need someone to keep an eye out for the monsters in our place. And since you can channel magic, you seem like the most likely candidate.¡± He grinned ¨C the red spot on his forehead had grown a little bit more and was now shining like a jewel. ¡°Would you want to protect this place for us?¡± Seika didn¡¯t hesitate. She clenched her fist and nodded. ¡°If I can do anything at all to keep these monsters away from innocent people, I¡¯ll do it!¡± ¡°Good. Then all we need now is an idea to manifest the magic for you.¡± The red spot had taken a triangular shape, and he groaned as he appeared to suffer from a headache. ¡°Just a little more. All we need is an idea¡­ mind if I have a look at one of yours?¡± He reached out a hand and Seika seemed unsure what to do ¨C she held out her own and he took it. ¡°Hm¡­ hm, yes, I see something.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. He closed his eyes as if his eyesight was distracting, then he let out a sigh of relief as that red, crystalline spot on his forehead came loose and fell into his open palm as a triangular crystal. ¡°Magical Girls, huh? A beautiful idea for a world so bereft of magic.¡± After the weird display of the wizard simply growing a crystal from his forehead, she was handed the red thing and taken to another rooftop, away from prying eyes. The wizard and his companion simply flew through the skies with their magic, leaving purple trails in their wake as he carried Seika in his arms. While Seika clenched her fist around the crystal, she felt like she could hear something whispering to her. ¡°So you¡¯re my partner? Nice to meet you!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ mister wizard? It¡¯s talking to me. Like, in my head.¡± He didn¡¯t seem particularly fazed by Seika¡¯s words. ¡°They tend to do that. Or they merge their personalities with yours while using them. And if you¡¯re not careful, they overpower you and take control.¡± His words were anything but reassuring to her. They finally landed on the rooftop where the wizard continued his explanations. ¡°Now, this crystal. The truth behind it is a bit more complicated, but you can treat it like a transformation item in the same vein as those Magical Girls you like so much.¡± Seika looked at the crystal in her hand. ¡°You can make its power your own. As long as you really want it.¡± The wizard gestured, raising his fist up in the air to demonstrate how she would achieve that. ¡°It¡¯s a mental thing. I think it helps if you add some kind of movement or exclamation to it!¡± ¡°Like a command?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Seika grabbed the crystal tight and closed her eyes. Then she stretched her arm towards the sky, shouting ¡°Transform!¡± at the top of her lungs. A moment passed, then two and three more and before long her entire face was red as nothing happened except her making a fool of herself. The man in purple held his hands out in a calming gesture. ¡°No worries! It¡¯s a very specific mental impulse. You need to feel it once and then it¡¯s like¡­ what¡¯s the expression in this world? Like running a bicycle shop?¡± ¡°Oh dear, you were off by quite a bit. You have to feel it a little more in your chest! You just cramped your stomach and clenched your butt a little.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Seika told her crystal, her head now steaming hot. Then she tried again. ¡°Transform!¡± And again. And again. And again. It took roughly a day for Seika to manage it. This time as she yelled ¡®Transform!¡¯ she could feel something. A tingle, like her whole being was about to change. ¡°It think this is it!¡± She looked over to the wizard in purple, trembling with excitement. ¡°Good! Then try it again!¡± ¡°Finally! Get me out and let me breathe!¡± The crystal¡¯s words were a little bit concerning to Seika, but she did it nonetheless. She raised the crystal high above her head and closed her eyes before shouting yet again. ¡°Transform!¡± A bright light enveloped her. Her uniform simply dissolved into floating orbs of energy and was absorbed into her crystal, before it shot out beams of light that hit Seika¡¯s exposed body in various locations, forming the basis of her Magical Girl outfit. A red corset and skirt, garter, tall boots and long, white gloves appeared one after the other before it finished by giving her a uniform jacket as a cape. Her hair grew out, glowing like a blazing fire and her eyes became sharp enough to see without aid as they glowed with an emerald shine. As she emerged, she looked at the wizard. ¡°Uhm, did you see?¡± she asked timidly. ¡°It happened in a flash and your entire body was covered in light, so no. No one sees.¡± It relieved her ¨C then she felt it. A personality that wasn¡¯t her own seemed to seep through every fiber of her being. It wanted to break through the surface and greet the world. ¡°Oh, finally! I thought I¡¯d be stuck as a crystal forever.¡± She flew. She ascended into the sky and a laugh came from her mouth. A happy, almost mad laugh as Minerva announced her birth in this world. ¡°Oh, finally! Hello, World! Welcome your savior, Minerva!¡± She grabbed into the empty air and summoned a cane. She spun it in a circle a few times before she drew arcs in the sky, filling it with lightning, fire and ice, all intermingling and creating a spectacle. She wanted to paint the night sky in the colors of her magic, but just as she was about to set out the wizard appeared next to her and slapped her on the back of the head. The confusion gave Seika control over herself again. ¡°Ah, what?¡± ¡°This will be your first lesson: The crystal has a will of its own. It may influence the way you speak and how you approach problems, but it must never be in full control.¡± The lesson was much harder than Seika had anticipated. Keeping in control of herself in face of the crystal¡¯s influence turned out to be an exercise she had to repeat for at least a week. ¡°So that name I shouted?¡± Seika questioned while transformed, attempting to steel her mind against the takeover. ¡°It¡¯s what she has chosen, it seems. She is Minerva. I suggest picking the same name, plus something else. Maybe a color. How about Minerva Crimson?¡± the wizard answered her question. His friend was still with the two but hadn¡¯t exchanged even a single word with Seika. She got the impression that the armored woman hated her for whatever reason. ¡°What happens if she takes over?¡± ¡°Then she is in full control until you turn back. And that can take quite a long time. Your physical body still continues to experience hunger, thirst and needs to sleep even if your Magical Girl body doesn¡¯t. If she forgets to feed this body, it can have dire consequences.¡± Seika shivered at the thought and concentrated even harder on pushing out Minerva. The wizard got up and shook his head. ¡°Maybe try a different approach.¡± ¡°A different approach?¡± Seika tilted her head but didn¡¯t dare relax her concentration just yet. ¡°Don¡¯t shut her out entirely. Invite her in, like a guest. Merge with her partially. Retain control but co-operate.¡± Seika blinked at that ¨C she relaxed her resistance a little and closed her eyes. If you can hear me¡­ let¡¯s share. The response to her invitation was a warm feeling that spread over her body like an invisible person embraced her from behind. Her hair swayed in a nonexistent breeze and she could feel power surging through her ¨C in that moment she ceased being Seika and became Minerva Crimson proper ¨C a hybrid of Seika¡¯s and Minerva¡¯s wills. ¡°Much better.¡± The man with the wizard hat stepped closer and clapped his hands, then he allowed himself to have a proper look at Minerva from all angles. ¡°Quite an unusual form. A lot of these elements seem influenced by you, the young girl, rather than her, the gemstone.¡± He lifted the uniform jacket up, inspecting it. ¡°Are you into books, by any chance?¡± Minerva nodded, turning to face him. ¡°I love books. Light novels and manga, mostly. I always go to mother¡¯s library to read.¡± ¡°No wonder then that you wear a librarian¡¯s uniform jacket from your world¡¯s history, then.¡± ¡°Uh, is it?¡± Minerva looked at the jacket. She didn¡¯t consciously give it this shape ¨C and she didn¡¯t know what period or even country this uniform was from. The wizard meanwhile seemed satisfied and gestured for his companion. ¡°Next lesson: fight her.¡± Minerva blinked ¨C and the woman readied herself. ¡°Hey now, I just mastered merging with the crystal, let¡¯s not be hasty!¡± She protested, but the woman was on her in a fraction of a second. All she could do was to summon her cane sword and deflect the first strike of her spear. She didn¡¯t have any experience with weapons whatsoever, but the warm presence that had merged with her being seemed well versed in it instead. It was all she could do to prevent her torso from being skewered by the heart-shaped spear tip. The ring of metal meeting metal sounded through the entire street, and more than a few heads were turned as the two ascended into the skies. Minerva was initially fully focused on defensive. Survival instincts led her to dodge and deflect rather than to counterattack. The armored woman in the meantime kept striking with one-handed thrusts of her spear. After a while Minerva finally used her magic. She summoned a magic circle right in front of herself, deflecting the spear strike while using it as a wall to push herself away and build distance. Icicles formed around her as she tapped into her magic, shooting straight for her assailant. The woman didn¡¯t seem to care much ¨C all she did was hold her shield in front of herself ¨C icicles broke on its surface and even those that looked like they would miss her cracked on an invisible barrier extending from the shield. Her counterattack was a swing of her spear, hitting Minerva in the stomach with the shaft and making her fly away at breakneck speed. ¡°Darling, make sure you¡¯re not catapulting her towards the ground. We¡¯re not here to destroy the city.¡± ¡°Ugh, I know!¡± she barked back at the wizard before she continued her pursuit. The two of them turned into crimson and purple trails in the sky, circling each other, sometimes clashing. The red one attempted to use various magic like fireballs or lightning strikes to keep the purple one at bay but their difference in experience became more than apparent in this sparring match. In the end Minerva was back on the roof, breathing heavily while covered in bruises and cuts after the wizard had declared their bout over. ¡°So, how is it?¡± He asked her with an enigmatic smile. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt as much as I thought it would.¡± Minerva answered truthfully, looking over her battered body. ¡°That¡¯s quite right. While wearing your magic armor you¡¯re much more resilient than any old human would be. You can shrug off hits that would kill them, you could even lose limbs and keep going. Once you transform back you will only have bruises to show for it. However, your crystal needs a rest period if your transformed form was too damaged, so don¡¯t think it¡¯s a free ticket out of a dismemberment in the middle of a fight.¡± Minerva gulped. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± In that moment the heads of all three turned in the same direction ¨C Minerva¡¯s due to danger that she could sense far away, and she assumed that it was the same reason for the two travelers. ¡°You¡¯re in luck, girl.¡± The wizard announced. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ll have your official debut as a Magical Girl today.¡± The action wasn¡¯t far away. It seemed to be a repeat of what had happened to Seika herself. A poor soul had been swallowed by a Shadow, presumably one of Seika¡¯s spawns, and transformed into a Queen after finding a host with high affinity for magic. This one had the shape of a giant female centaur and was flailing around after emerging from its pocket dimension, causing panic among the civilians nearby. Its gigantic hooves smashed cars and broke through the surrounding houses¡¯ walls as it kicked out. ¡°There it is. Now listen closely, girl. You will first have to get close and feel where the poor soul trapped inside is located. After you¡¯ve done that, you simply dismember the creature until you can get some breathing room to safely extract the person inside.¡± The wizard explained what was to do in a dry tone, like a schoolteacher going over multiplication tables. ¡°Locate the person inside¡­ and then don¡¯t aim for that spot. Got it.¡± ¡°Attagirl. Now go save a poor soul from their fate!¡± *** The centaur slowly got itself up into a standing position, letting out an inhuman shriek while doing so. It looked around and set its sights on the surrounding people, reaching down with one hand to snatch them up ¨C in that moment it got hit by a red comet coming in at high speed. The comet, naturally, turned out to be Minerva Crimson. The surrounding people stopped in their tracks and looked at the unfamiliar figure. Bewilderment spread as did uncertainty: was this friend or foe? Minerva in the meantime pushed against the Centaur¡¯s human torso and felt with her hand against the shadowy mass. She could feel a human inside. A child, judging by the size. As she let go, she flew upwards and gave the creature a heavy punch against its chin, dazing it to grab its jaw and make it look at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll get you out of there! I promise!¡± After that she got unceremoniously smacked aside by the creature¡¯s right hand. Stopping herself just in time before she would have crashed into a house, she accelerated again, summoning her cane sword. Magic flowed into the crystal on top of the cane and was released in a bright beam, hitting the horse part of the creature¡¯s body in the center. It roared in pain as a hole was blasted straight through it and attempted to flee by withdrawing into its pocket dimension ¨C to any bystander it simply looked like it became translucent and vanished entirely. ¡°Quickly! Follow it! Use Reality Shift!¡± The voice was still there, despite their essences merging. Minerva appreciated it either way. ¡°Reality Shift!¡± With that, the Magical Girl vanished just as the creature had. *** On a nearby rooftop the visitors were watching ¨C no interference, that was their rule for this engagement. They had prepared this girl to operate on her own, so she must vanquish at least this level of creature on her own as well. ¡°She is adapting to it faster than anticipated. Good. We won¡¯t be able to stay in this world for much longer. We must return for a little recharge, ere we turn into crystals for mortal use as well.¡± He pulled back the sleeve of his robes on his left arm, inspecting the pillar of purple crystal underneath that had replaced all of his flesh. The only reply was a nod from his companion, causing him to let out a long sigh and turn to face her. ¡°You¡¯ve been awfully grumpy for a while now, my dear. Is anything the matter?¡± She looked at him and responded with venom in her voice. ¡°What a nonchalant question, dearest husband of mine, after giving birth right in front of me. Whose was it?¡± ¡°Metis,¡± he answered bashfully, looking away. ¡°Didn¡¯t you execute her?¡± His wife raised an eyebrow. ¡°I did! I depleted her energy to turn her into a crystal and swallowed it! But it seems that she was still alive enough to plot something. I had the most terrible headache that persisted even after our son looked at it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall any of our sons holding dominion over medicinal arts.¡± ¡°Well, he gave me a knock on the head with his smithing hammer. It gave me some relief, but it must have brought that child to my forehead to let her pop out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid. You¡¯re stupid! And Vulcan is stupid for agreeing to do it!¡± He let out a long sigh, again. ¡°Anyway. Don¡¯t hold it against the girl, please. Or rather, both the girls.¡± ¡°I am more worried that you are willing to leave her alone in this world.¡± ¡°Well, a child has to do some growing up. Battling against creatures that threaten this world as its sole guardian would make for a good lesson.¡± ¡°And the human girl? Should she really shoulder the burden alone?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but smile after that question. ¡°My, Juno! You are actually worried about the mortal. Seeing you bare your warm heart like this makes me fall in love with you all over again!¡± His words seemed to have an effect on her ¨C she turned her head away to hide a terrible blush as he stepped closer and embraced her from behind. ¡°We will keep an eye on her by dropping in from time to time, alright? Maybe she¡¯ll need someone to keep her company after a while? I would be happy to have another child with you and let it grow up in this world.¡± Jove¡¯s wife didn¡¯t respond. But he could see a smile on the corner of her mouth. *** Inside the Shadow Queen¡¯s pocket dimension Minerva let loose. Now that she didn¡¯t have to worry about buildings or civilians anymore, she summoned fireballs that she tossed near the centaur¡¯s legs. Explosions obliterated houses and some of the creatures¡¯ hooves, making it fall sideways and flatten a house. Minerva flew as close as she could to the torso, putting her hand on it. She could feel the creature¡¯s heartbeat, which was simply an amplified copy of the child¡¯s heartbeat inside. With some focus she would be able to pull her out. She closed her eyes and focused on the hand touching the creature¡¯s chest ¨C and just as she felt the child¡¯s body on the inside floating closer to her, she was struck again, slapped aside and flying through three rows of houses before coming to a stop. Lying on the asphalt of the road and coughing from the pulverized cement entering her lungs she rolled on her back, staring at the sky with her brow furrowed. Note to self: get rid of the arms before attempting that again. The creature limped over to her, its hooves beginning a slow process of regeneration. It raised its arm with a flat hand, intending on squishing her like a bug. The hand came crashing down, but before it could make contact with her a silver trail cut through its wrist, making the hand fly away and crash into another house as it spiraled out of control. Minerva had finally drawn her blade against this opponent and went to work. Coating the blade with pure magical energies amplified its cutting power a hundredfold, allowing her to slice right through the arms that were flailing and trying to catch her. The left hand closed around her with the intent to squeeze her to death, only to be rewarded with separated fingers. She summoned a magic circle as a platform beneath her feet to push herself towards the centaur¡¯s left shoulder and separated the arm before she had to dodge the right one trying to flatten her with its stump. ¡°This is so annoying!¡± She complained to no one but herself as she floated above the creature. ¡°Can¡¯t I make the attacks stop for a bit longer?¡± In that moment she remembered how she lost all senses at one point during her captivity. She was immediately following up on her thought, speeding towards the creature. A bolt of lightning struck the Shadow Queen¡¯s right arm, paralyzing it for the brief moment that she needed to separate the creature¡¯s head from its body. I¡¯m sorry. You won¡¯t be in the dark for long, I promise. She immediately dodged the swiping arm, shortening it by a few meters with another swing of her cane sword, then she slowed down, floating in front of the centaur¡¯s torso as it stumbled around, blind, deaf and confused, trampling a few more houses underneath. She reached out, careful to not directly touch the creature¡¯s chest to avoid alerting it to her presence and mentally pulled again. A golden glow appeared under the creature¡¯s coal-shaded ¡®skin¡¯, and after some more mental strain Minerva was able to see a face. A young girl appeared, younger than her. Her eyes were closed, and the shadowy liquid ran out from under her eyelids. A little bit more concentration on Minerva¡¯s part and she saw her whole head. Her hair was stained black by the shadows contaminating it, but she was certain that it was a brighter color by nature. With another mental yank the girl¡¯s torso appeared and before long she simply fell out of the creature¡¯s body, right into Minerva¡¯s arms. ¡°There¡­ I got you. You are safe now.¡± Minerva built a good amount of distance between herself and the Shadow Queen before she charged up her cane¡¯s crystal with fire magic. It vibrated and hissed as if it was close to exploding as she pointed it at the creature. With its magic host gone it had stopped regenerating, lying there uselessly with half a head. As Minerva fired a gigantic, overcharged fireball at it, it had no means to defend itself. Buildings and the road itself were reduced to atoms in the giant explosion, with the Shadow Queen following ¨C and with its death vibrancy returned to the world¡¯s colors, the previously devastated scene was returned to normal, and the noise of gawking civilians chattering filled her ears as she saw various kinds of first responders picking over the now closed-off scene of the monster¡¯s appearance. She looked towards the rooftop where her teacher stood to observe her battle ¨C just as she was about to fly towards him she saw him and his companion wave. They became transparent and simply vanished, just like the Shadow Queen had done before. I guess that means that our lessons are at an end. And I¡¯m now all alone. ¡°You still have me.¡± That is true. She floated downwards towards an ambulance and simply handed the girl to one of the paramedics, just in time for the girl to open her eyes and vomit black goo to the side. She opened her eyes and made eye contact with Minerva ¨C wide-eyed, curious, but also grateful. She expressed all this in a short moment with her deep blue eyes before she had to retch again. ¡°Let it all out. It¡¯s nasty, right?¡± She reassured the girl. All eyes were on her, making her feel a little uneasy. Finally, someone built up the courage to ask her. ¡°Who are you?¡± She started to float up in the air, readying for her departure. Just before she took off, she turned towards the crowd and gave them a single wink. Then the crystal took control of her mouth. ¡°I am the Magical Girl Minerva Crimson and the avatar of wisdom! From now on, mortals, you are under my protection! Gyahaha!¡± 1.13 Royalty of Shadow June 2024 *** ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Minerva was hunched over like she suddenly felt sick, making Rin and Sarina reflexively float away from her. ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sarina asked in a concerned voice. ¡°That was such a cringey first impression! And there was a news crew, too!¡± She turned towards the two younger girls, red like a tomato. ¡°It¡¯s still on the internet! I wish I hadn¡¯t remembered it just now! This will haunt me for weeks like all the other times I recalled it!¡± ¡°I think it was a great first impression! Learn to live a little, Seika!¡± Rin couldn¡¯t help but let out a little laugh. ¡°Announcing that you¡¯re going to protect everyone is kind of adorable, though. You must have sounded like a real Magical Girl right out of the TV.¡± ¡°Ugh, spare me. Let¡¯s leave that behind. Please!¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t have a mascot?¡± Rin asked, steering the conversation in another direction. Minerva shook her head. ¡°No mascot, no partner. All I have is my crystal. Sometimes it talks to me, but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°That seems lonely.¡± Sarina observed. ¡°A little. But I prefer not endangering others while I work, you know?¡± The two girls smiled in response as they approached the industrial district of Ukishimacho. On their way they passed by an airplane coming from Haneda airport ¨C the sight of three Magical Girls even caught the attention of some passengers who watched them until the plane¡¯s windows lost sight of them. Everyone was blissfully unaware of the danger the three were about to face, and that¡¯s just how Minerva preferred it. The industrial area was stretching out in front of them ¨C large white atmospheric pressure tanks and countless pipes as far as the eye could see. Refineries and factories stood side by side in a maze of metal that one could easily get lost in. Minerva looked the area over before turning to her two companions. ¡°So, can you recall where exactly the creature went?¡± *** The two girls led her to one of the metallic mazes made out of pipes. There was a distinct petroleum smell in the air as they entered the premises of the refinery. Her magical gem vibrated in response to the familiar presence of a Shadow, even if it was still hiding in its pocket dimension. ¡°I can shift into its domain, so I will go ahead. You two need to look for an object that appears out of place and touch it to follow me.¡± The girls nodded almost synchronously. ¡°We¡¯ll be right behind you!¡± ¡°Can you take it on by yourself?¡± Sarina asked despite the previous agreement. ¡°I¡¯ve taken on at least a dozen Shadow Queens by now, don¡¯t you doubt me now, rookie.¡± She gave the young girl a playful flick against her forehead. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll be off.¡± She waved at the two before she focused and used her ability to traverse dimensions. ¡°Reality shift!¡± The colors around her grew muted and the two younger Magical Girls faded out of existence. It was only her now. ¡°Well. Time to find our Shadow Queen. I wonder if it¡¯s even hiding in here, or if it will just be somewhere out in the open.¡± She turned around and was immediately faced with her opponent. The Shadow Queen wasn¡¯t a human-animal hybrid like the others she had fought before; this one was a proper monstrosity. Its body seemed to be made out of the bodies of countless shadows in the shape of women that embraced each other or reached for the outside, faces contorted as if they were screaming. They moved like they were in slow motion, forming a bulbous body together. On top of it a throne had been formed from the arms and bodies of these featureless women ¨C and a single Shadow that looked like a woman dressed in regal garb sat on top of it, reclining as she lazily regarded Minerva with glowing red eyes. ¡°This is different. Why is it so different?¡± The crystal complained as Minerva made sure not to make any sudden moves. ¡°I think I know why¡­¡± She said quietly as a drop of sweat ran down her temple. ¡°All the Shadow Queens we beat before had swallowed girls with magic potential, right?¡± ¡°Yes. They drain magic by stealing their life force which can result in death after a prolonged time.¡± ¡°This girl had a magic focus on her that converts magic energy from her emotions.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯re dealing with a Shadow Queen with access to exponentially more magic than the others.¡± Minerva showed a bitter grin. ¡°And it might be my fault.¡± ¡°A Shadow Empress, then!¡± The crystal exclaimed with a little too much excitement. ¡°Don¡¯t give her a title.¡± *** The standoff with the creature seemed to last forever ¨C the Empress on her throne made out of women regarded Minerva lazily while swirling some liquid in a wine glass made out of the same shadows as her body while the Magical Girl tried to gauge her strength. A single bead of sweat dropped from Minerva¡¯s forehead to the ground, serving as the signal to start. Multiple magic circles appeared in the air around the creature. Purple beams shot in Minerva¡¯s direction, forcing her to jump out of the way. The follow-up was fast, making her utilize her own magic to dodge in midair with swift usage of her flight or by kicking herself off barriers. Atmospheric pressure tanks ruptured, and the stench of petroleum filled the air around them before another beam ignited it and doused the entire area in fire. The Empress let out a screech and elevated her entire orb-shaped body out of the refinery. This momentary stop in her magical barrage was all that Minerva needed. She leapt at her and clung to the large spherical body, shuddering as the shadowy bodies of women clung to her, grabbing her arms and legs weakly. She could hear faint wailing from them as she grabbed their hands and flung them away from the main body. Separated, they fell into the flames below without motion or making another sound. She could feel a presence inside, so she kept digging, removing more and more of the bodies as she could hear the Empress on top screeching again. She had to dig about a meter deep, tossing weak bodies aside as she did to reach a smooth black surface ¨C a core of some kind. It was cold to the touch but behind it she could feel the magical presence of the trapped girl. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll get you out of there!¡± She whispered against the cold surface and turned around. She was face to face with another shadowed body, realizing that the Shadows had simply regenerated behind her and had encased her close to the core. Hands grew from the core as well, grabbing her neck from behind, trying to strangle her. Minerva pointed her cane outwards, first casting a shield spell around herself and the exposed parts of the core ¨C then she let loose a fireball at close range. *** The sphere erupted, with dozens of bodies falling to the ground as Minerva flew out of the destruction, turning around. The Empress was facing her, not particularly bothered by the loss of bodies it seemed, as more and more of them crawled out of the core to repair the tattered sphere. ¡°At least the trapped girl is a relatively small target.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to hit it faster than it can regenerate, or¡­¡± Minerva couldn¡¯t finish the sentence as a new barrage of magical beams shot her way. She dodged as well as she could, but the creature seemed to have a near infinite amount of magical energy. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem right. If her core is one of Kuma¡¯s girls, she should be running dry thanks to all the despair the girl is going through!¡± Minerva had to rely on barriers, deflecting the beams shooting at her while she kept dodging the rest. The sheer volume of shots became unmanageable after a while, forcing Minerva to barrier up entirely, summoning five magic circles to cover all angles on her front. The Empress on her throne appeared bored, swirling the unknown liquid in her glass again, causing rage to boil up in Minerva. Just as she heard a crack from one of her barriers and braced herself for impact a blur came shooting in from the side and made contact with the Empress. It was Sarina, bear paw raised and punching the Shadow in the face. Her delicate-looking body flew out of her throne, looking shattered before it even hit the steel pipes, rupturing them and spilling more incendiary fluids into the surrounding blaze. With the caster gone the magical barrage came to an end. *** ¡°Were you planning on fighting her alone?!¡± Rei shouted as she came up next to Minerva, pulling the bolt on her staff to load another magic cartridge. ¡°It wasn¡¯t on purpose!¡± Minerva responded in a flustered tone. ¡°But if things look bad, promise me to get behind me!¡± She pointed her cane at the orb and blasted bodies off it with magic beams. ¡°As the adult here I couldn¡¯t stand if I endangered you kids.¡± Rei shook her head and took shots of her own at the bodies covering the core. ¡°Is Haruna in that sphere at the center?¡± ¡°She is. Get those bodies off it so I can extract her!¡± At that moment they heard Sarina yelp. She was being launched away from the spherical structure and kept going, crashing all the way into the nearby expressway and making its two-level construction collapse. ¡°What the- ¡° Minerva looked back to the sphere as she heard Rei¡¯s exclamation ¨C The growth of bodies had accelerated beyond anything they could blow away, looking like a cancerous growth expanding further and further from its point of origin. What had launched Sarina was an arm, formed out of individual women¡¯s bodies. Another sprouted on the opposite side. Legs formed, then the limbs were pushed away as a woman¡¯s torso materialized. As the head came into being they were greeted by a much larger version of the Empress who regarded them with cold fury ¨C the first time Minerva had seen emotion on a Shadow at all.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Go and look for Sarina! I¡¯ll keep it occupied!¡± Minerva shouted before dashing away from Rei, shooting a fireball in the direction of the Empresses¡¯ head. Multiple bodies fell off and it looked terribly scarred for a moment. As the cohesive form of the Empress was disturbed, the bodies forming her torso moved, climbing up to fill the hole in her head while more bodies left the core. ¡°Seriously, how in the world is she generating all that magic?¡± Rei was using the moment to fly towards the collapsed expressway as the Empresses¡¯ gaze was fully fixed on Minerva. ¡°We¡¯re alone now. Come get me!¡± She knew the location of the core. She could unleash now. Or so she thought ¨C the giant Empress, about a house tall, flew towards her at a speed comparable to Sarina¡¯s flying punches. With an uppercut it launched Minerva up into the sky and watched her ascend. ¡°Wait, why is it not following us?¡± The Shadow Empress simply watched, floating where she had hit Minerva. She raised a hand, holding her middle finger and thumb together and simply snapped ¨C the Empress and the fire at the refinery vanished, the night lights became as vibrant as they should, and an infernal noise approached from Minerva¡¯s back that she identified too late as the roaring of plane turbines. *** She turned around just in time to make eye contact with a terrified pilot whose plane had lifted off from Haneda airport ¨C then she crashed into the windshield and rolled along the top of the plane. She heard a crack from the acrylic, and she was very certain that the fuselage was now horribly dented, maybe even torn open ¨C the plane would need to turn back for an emergency landing and report the most bizarre occurrence of ¡®bird strike¡¯. Minerva kept rolling along the top of the plane, groaning in pain before she used her spinning momentum to jump up, landing on her feet to run along the plane¡¯s length and jump off its tail. ¡°That HURT! What in the world just happened?¡± Minerva looked around but couldn¡¯t see the Empress or the two girls. She could feel a warm trickle run down her temple from her scalp where she had just hit a plane head-on. ¡°It used its control over its domain to banish us in just the right moment to hit that plane. Go back in but be careful!¡± ¡°Damn it all¡­ Reality Shift!¡± As she entered the Shadow¡¯s domain, she could see the Empress standing near the collapsed expressway, her hand clenched around Rei while Sarina was lying sprawled in the rubble. Rei was letting out a strained scream. Minerva had never flown so fast in her life. She unsheathed her cane sword and cut straight through the Empresses¡¯ forearm, making it fall to the ground, and releasing Rei in the process. ¡°Is Sarina okay?¡± Minerva shouted as she kept slashing at the ever-regenerating Empress. ¡°She should be back on her feet after I slap her once or twice.¡± Rei replied, coughing as she filled her previously squeezed lungs with air again. She floated over to Sarina¡¯s position, slapped her exactly twice across her cheeks and lifted her over her shoulder as the girl groggily woke up. ¡°I propose a retreat, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that.¡± They flew with the Empress in hot pursuit. Sarina let out a groan as she woke up entirely, her eyes resting on the creature chasing them. ¡°Uhm¡­ what happened? Why is it so big?¡± ¡°It grew as it punched you away.¡± Was the short answer Rei gave her. The muted colors of the city lights passed beneath them as they went north, with Minerva lagging a little behind, flying backwards while facing the Empress as she conjured multiple fireballs that hovered in an arc above her head before she fired them off in sequence. The creature¡¯s head exploded just as it was about to go in for a bite, leaving nothing but the stump of her head behind. The women forming her body however wasted no time to crawl upwards and reshape the head. ¡°How are we supposed to keep it immobile?¡± Sarina shouted as she watched the unreal regeneration abilities of their opponent. ¡°I may have an idea.¡± Minerva said with exasperation. She looked her companions over. This might be their only shot, considering that these two were operating on limited magical energy, unlike her. ¡°How good are you at creating magic barriers, Rei?¡± *** They arrived at their destination: Shibuya. Buildings at least four stories tall were forming tight canyons, some of them only a single car lane wide. An ideal space to lure an oversized enemy with a ¡®fluid¡¯ body into. The Magical Girls were splitting up, with Minerva being the bait. ¡°Come here, you ugly piece of work!¡± Minerva shouted, shooting multiple beams into the giantesses¡¯ body. Multiple bodies fell to the ground again, but the damage was negligible. Right afterwards Minerva slipped into one of the single-lane streets between the tall buildings. The Empress tried to follow her, knocking cement and glass off house corners ¨C but the deeper it wedged itself into the road, the slower it became. In this moment it simply dissolved its human form, becoming an undefined mass of bodies that came Minerva¡¯s way like a flood. The Magical Girl stood her ground, blasting approaching waves with fireballs, pinning those crawling on the ground with icicles or even unleashing a chain lightning into the tightly packed crowd, roasting a large number of them at once. It still didn¡¯t match the unusual regeneration ¨C no matter how many of them Minerva disposed of, there were always more bodies crawling her way, inching closer and closer. ¡°Are you ready yet?¡± She shouted into the street, hoping the two girls heard her. The women¡¯s shadows approached her, clawing for her. Those that reached her ripped parts of her dress and left scratch marks on her exposed skin as she steadily tried to dodge backwards and blasted them away with more magic. ¡°Ready!¡± She finally heard from above. Rei was floating in the air above the alley, her staff pointed at the center of the giant mass of bodies where she suspected the core. Sarina appeared at the entrance to the alley and readied her fist, speeding ahead ¨C at first it looked like she was about to aim for the monster, but instead she hit one of the buildings head- on. She didn¡¯t stop there, propelling herself off the building in an angle to hit the one on the opposite side of the street and repeated the motion again and again and again. She was like a human pinball, smashing the supporting structures of all the buildings surrounding the Shadow Empress. The bodies clawing at Minerva stopped and turned as loud cracking sounds filled the street, then they hurried, climbing on top of the core to defend it as buildings on both sides of the street collapsed. Shadow bodies were simply squished into nothing but the sickening fluid that fills their victims¡¯ lungs, barely preventing the rubble from crushing the core. Minerva and Sarina stepped closer to the buried Shadow Empress, blasting away the rubble on either side to reveal parts of the core underneath. Rei followed every reveal with an immediate cast of a magic barrier as close to the core as possible. Hands appeared out of it and scratched against their magic cage, unable to advance any further. ¡°Good! Now get the whole thing out so I can extract her!¡± Minerva blasted away more rubble in coordination with Sarina, revealing more of the core¡¯s smooth surface while Rei kept them sealed. Finally, they lifted the sphere out of the rubble and Minerva prepared the extraction. ¡°This will take a while. She¡¯s pretty deep in there.¡± She concentrated her magic, just as the wizard from 16 years ago taught her. She felt the body slowly floating towards the core¡¯s surface ¨C safely and unharmed. Then the alleyway exploded. *** Minerva¡¯s ears were ringing as she forced herself to stand up, entirely disoriented. What happened? ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know!¡± The Shadow Empresses¡¯ core floated in front of her, covered in bodies like it was during her first encounter. There was no throne this time, instead one of the bodies stood on top. It changed right before Minerva¡¯s eyes, growing its royal clothes out of its body as it looked at the Magical Girl with clear disdain in her eyes. You¡¯ve got to be kidding me, each of these bodies can be her? ¡°She must have blasted her way out when we enclosed the sphere in barriers.¡± Wait. The girls! Minerva looked around in a panic, spotting the two members of the Kuma group. They were lying on the ground in their normal outfits ¨C their effort to seal the Empress had drained their last reserves of magical energy. Guess we¡¯ll have to do this on our own now. Though I have no idea how. ¡°Let¡¯s lure her away from the kids, first!¡± She cursed her current situation with the appropriate number of expletives in her mind as she pointed her cane at the Empress, blasting a fireball at her to hit her and a number of bodies around the core. The Shadow vanished in the fireball and bodies fell to the ground where they simply turned into nothing more than smoke. The first new body that crawled out of the core in response donned the guise of Empress and pointed at Minerva ¨C multiple arcane circles appeared in the air around her and Minerva soon had to dodge a literal hail of icicles that smashed into still standing houses, digging deep into walls or obliterating windows outright. Minerva ascended, her body spinning around its axis and course correcting from side to side in an irregular pattern. ¡°Is it working?¡± The Empress started to move, her face looking quite annoyed now. The sphere lifted off and hovered in the sky above Shibuya. What now, though? The two enemies didn¡¯t hold back ¨C Minerva flung fireballs, lightning and icicles at the creature and got the same in return. Magic beams cut through the landscape and buildings below from near misses. Minerva got more and more banged up from glancing shots hitting her while dodging or when her magical shields broke under the creature¡¯s barrage. Meanwhile, the Empress didn¡¯t seem to be suffering any wear it couldn¡¯t regenerate. I¡¯d be fine with this¡­ if only the girls weren¡¯t trapped in here. I can¡¯t take them out of here with Reality Shift. ¡°Seika. I came up with something. But you won¡¯t like it.¡± The voice of the crystal¡¯s tone was almost guilty sounding. ¡°If it guarantees the safety of the girls, I¡¯m all ears.¡± ¡°No. No way!¡± Minerva kept dodging the onslaught of arrowhead shaped rocks, spear-shaped ice and the hail of fireballs, temporarily hiding away in one of the buildings to break the Empresses¡¯ line of sight. ¡°It¡¯s the only way! I¡¯ve been analyzing this entire time how it came to have this abnormal growth in magic.¡± ¡°And what did you come up with that you need me to shoot a child?¡± She looked out the window and saw the ever-brighter glow of fireballs approaching at a rapid pace. It was all she could do to escape the building by jumping out of a window on the opposite side before the explosion propelled her away, right through another window. At least the glass shards were unable to penetrate her magically enhanced skin and clothing. ¡°Kuma¡¯s girls only generate magic energy when they are experiencing happy emotions, yes? If her experience inside that sphere was anything like yours, she¡¯d have run dry the moment she was swallowed. ¡°Considering this fact I believe the Shadow is currently feeding her happy illusions. No pain. No feeling of suffocation. She¡¯s locked away in her ¡®happy place¡¯.¡± ¡°And you want me to hurt her to snap her out of it?¡± ¡°As much as it pains me to say it: yes. Listen, if you are conflicted about it, you can give me full control and I¡¯ll deal with it. The responsibility will lie with me.¡± Fireballs impacted somewhere near the house. Minerva leaned against the wall with her eyes closed. For a moment the sounds of the Empresses¡¯ magic attacks decimating more of the neighborhood was all one could hear in the room. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do it.¡± *** Minerva dashed from her hiding place, shooting a single fireball in the Empresses¡¯ direction while luring her even further away from Sarina and Rei¡¯s unconscious bodies. Dodging the immediate retaliation she ascended far into the sky, forcing the Empress to abandon her barrage to accelerate and catch up. Finally, she turned around and pointed her cane at the creature ¨C aiming not for the Empress on top, but for the core itself. She desperately recalled the shape of the trapped girl as she had felt it before as she prepared a magic beam, narrowing it as much as possible. The narrowest she could manage was the size of a 5-yen coin. At this concentration it would be easy to pierce through the orb¡¯s dense defenses and the girl inside. Her breath came ragged, and her arm started shaking as all the worst-case scenarios went through her head. What if I hit a major blood vessel? What if I hit a vital organ? What if I hit her spine? What if, What if, What if¡­ ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She whispered, getting the shaking of her arm under control, and then¡­ The sky above them cracked like a pane of glass. Large fissures ran across the muted field of stars, diffracting the light. Both Minerva and the Empress stopped in their tracks, staring at the cracks expanding like a spiderweb. Then a fist broke through, a sickly grey fist the size of a truck, consisting only of three fingers with suction cups for tips. Another hand followed and together they tore apart the boundary of the pocket dimension, allowing Kuma to enter. ¡°Where the hell have you been?!¡± Minerva was the first to speak up, causing Kuma¡¯s head to turn her way ¨C its featureless face full of jagged teeth did not betray any kind of emotion as it answered, as usual. ¡°My avatar was my anchor to this world. After its destruction, locating and opening the boundary to this world proved¡­ more difficult than anticipated.¡± A hiss came from the Empress and all the bodies on her spherical core stood up, joining in the hissing as they all faced Kuma, who had become the most unsettling sight in this pocket dimension. ¡°More important than that, Sarina and Rei are back there! You should get them!¡± ¡°They are resting in my domain already.¡± Minerva let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Then we can withdraw and plan something new to get Haruna out of- ¡° ¡°No.¡± Minerva blinked in disbelief at the flat refusal. The giant grey humanoid turned its head her way and for the first time since she knew him that horrifying visage full of jagged teeth looked like it was genuinely grinning. ¡°I have a plan.¡± *** It was essentially a repeat of Minerva¡¯s own plan, with a twist. She flew out and blasted the bodies off the spherical body, with Kuma following in pursuit, casting barriers on the revealed surface area of the Empresses¡¯ core. Naturally, using magic started to shrink his physical form, so they had to be swift with their execution. Minerva once more channeled a magical beam at the tip of her cane, making it as wide as possible before she hit the Shadow Empress ¨C at this configuration the beam didn¡¯t do as much direct damage, but that was not what she was after ¨C instead she needed the force to push back her enemy¡¯s entire body. The Empress shrieked as she was launched towards the cityscape below, crashing into a roof. Kuma was quick to follow and landed right beside her. As he attempted to grab the orb the Empress changed modes and grabbed him by the wrists with arms that sprouted from the midnight-colored sphere. Her head formed and the rest of her body followed as her and Kuma came to a standstill in a physical power struggle. He managed to push her back little by little, but his form still shrunk subtly as he exerted his energies. Relief came as Minerva blasted through the creature¡¯s arms with another magic beam, allowing Kuma to bring his hands together around the Empresses¡¯ head and crush it. Before she could regrow any more limbs, he grabbed the orb and bathed it in flames, eradicating any bodies sprouting from its surface without harming the occupant inside. Finally, he created barriers all around it and played his trump card. No more bodies left the core ¨C the pocket dimension collapsed around them, returning destroyed buildings to their pristine state as colors and the sound of the busy streets returned. Kuma spent energy by creating barriers around the core, and restored it by draining the Shadow of magic through his touch. He retained his size. ¡°I¡¯ve got her pinned. Come now and get Haruna out!¡± 1.14 Meanwhile, on a Nearby Rooftop... The armored Magical Girl in blue was in trouble. Thick vines were wrapped around her body, restraining movement while thorns kept prodding her, snapping when pushed against the metallic part of her armor while her exposed skin suffered cuts. She could summon her halberd to her side, but she couldn¡¯t even move her arm far enough to cut the vines without injuring herself. In front of her the demon Lethe paced up and down, her red eyes fixed on her prey with an amused expression. She had cast off her fur coat and sunglasses for the previous fight ¡°Oh, my. Still so ferocious, even when you are utterly beaten. I kind of like that about you, my dear.¡± Her sickly-sweet voice danced around the woman¡¯s ears as she stepped closer and caressed her cheek, with her long nails leaving behind scratches. ¡°Save me your words, shrub!¡± Was the only thing she got in return as the blue-haired Magical Girl stared daggers at her. If only looks could kill. ¡°Such crude language from someone so beautiful¡­ with such beautiful desires, such beautiful memories¡­ are you still angry at me for putting a little bit of spice into the nigh-unbearable sweetness of your experiences?¡± The corners of her mouth were rising into her sickening trademark smile. ¡°You STOLE someone important to me!¡± The woman spat back, straining against her bondage despite the injuries it inflicted on herself. She swung her halberd with just a rotation of her wrist, surprisingly fast but at a much too awkward angle to hit Lethe, who simply took a cautious step back. ¡°And that is the point, my dear. Don¡¯t you think it odd that I haven¡¯t finished you off? That I never went further than to take a single random memory that you seemed to remember a day later anyway?¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. She didn¡¯t get an answer aside from another glare, so she shrugged and continued. ¡°I love the drama, dear. The drama and the added deliciousness of loss, hope and despair mixed together. You¡¯re of no use to me dead. That would take out all the fun and would deprive me of your delectable memories!¡± She leaned in, her pupils dilated to the maximum possible size as she kept rambling at the enraged Magical Girl. ¡°I could just steal people¡¯s blood and use it later to eat all memories of them, but that wouldn¡¯t bring me any sort of satisfaction. No, it¡¯s the moment when my victim and their friend or beloved are facing each other¡­ the friend thrashing in my vines as I devour all memories of them. Some have even killed themselves on the thorns, that¡¯s how worked up they got!¡± She let out a loud cackle. ¡°Just like you did. Oh, the only other person I¡¯ve ever seen thrash about and scream at me like that while living to tell the tale was¡­¡± In that moment she blinked and looked to the side. There was a commotion surrounding a nearby building. ¡°Oh my. Speak of the devil.¡± Lethe giggled and grabbed the Magical Girl¡¯s head, forcing it to the side. The subject of the demon¡¯s interest entered her field of vision ¨C there was a giant grey humanoid perched atop one of the taller buildings with way too many teeth for its eyeless head ¨C it held a spherical object surrounded by magic circles with its three-digit hands. It appeared to be straining a little, like it was preventing something from escaping the orb. Next to it was a red glow ¨C and as the woman¡¯s eyes focused on it, she could make out the Magical Girl Minerva Crimson. She looked wounded ¨C her outfit was torn in multiple places; she was bruised and was bleeding from a gash on her head. ¡°Your dear ¡®sister¡¯. Or should I say your partner¡¯s sister? Your crystal¡¯s sister? You haven¡¯t treated that rock like much of a partner ever since you became utterly obsessed with me.¡± The Magical Girl strained against the vines once more, grunting and huffing, trying to overwhelm Lethe with sheer rage as she felt the demon¡¯s fingers caress her temple. It was no use, save for inflicting even more grievous wounds on her durable body. ¡°I¡¯ve got the perfect idea for the kind of memory I¡¯ll take from you today. It will prove truly entertaining.¡± 1.15 Confrontation Minerva was kneeling next to the Shadow¡¯s core, with her hand phasing through Kuma¡¯s barriers and attuning to the body inside. Slowly but surely the girl¡¯s face was appearing on the core¡¯s surface, her eyes closed with an almost disturbingly serene expression. As her body appeared behind her, she slumped forwards into Minerva¡¯s arms who pulled the rest of her out of the sphere. In that very moment Kuma closed his hands around the Shadow and crushed it mercilessly, ending the threat it posed once and for all. The girl seemed to still be sleeping peacefully ¨C then she convulsed as the shadows that were filling her airways and stomach liquefied. Minerva rolled her to the side so she could throw up. She was covered in the black liquid that slowly evaporated into nothing, revealing more and more of her appearance. She was a young girl wearing a middle school uniform, the same that Sarina wore. Her hair was done in pigtails that accentuated her cute features, even while they were covered in black goo. ¡°There you go. Let it all out. Nasty stuff, isn¡¯t it? Gets everywhere.¡± She patted her back as she watched over her, repeating the words spoken to her by the wizard sixteen years ago, as she had done for every victim of a Shadow since then. Afterwards she turned her head to Kuma ¨C he had already started to vanish through an open portal in the roof, while next to him his bear-faced mascot avatar reappeared together with the battered Sarina and Rei. ¡°Haruna! Are you okay?¡± They both ran over to Minerva, and she gladly left the girl in their care. She stood up, walking over to Kuma. She held cold fury in her eyes as she stood face to face with his avatar. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten about how tonight¡¯s mess started. Would you mind explaining why I am still labeled as a ¡®member of an evil organization¡¯ and your girls attacked on sight?¡± The eldritch being seemed unusually flustered at her question to the point that even its avatar squirmed in place. ¡°I may have let it slip once when the girls wanted to get to know you, the ¡®oldest Magical Girl¡¯. I thought they would figure out my deception.¡± Kuma sheepishly admitted. It was enough to break Minerva¡¯s anger as a stifled laugh broke through her lips. ¡°Warn me next time, you idiot.¡± She patted the mascot¡¯s head ¨C though she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck for just a moment and leaned in closer. ¡°Because if this happens again, I¡¯ll kick your ass.¡± ¡°My apologies.¡± If the creature could sigh, this was the closest it ever got to it. ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± The two girls holding Haruna said as she went back to check up on the girl. Their relief had them crying openly while holding their friend. The girl finally opened her eyes in confusion. ¡°Rei? Sarina?¡± She didn¡¯t seem to be in pain ¨C or looked like she had gone through the same ordeal that Seika did all those years ago. ¡°I had the most beautiful dream. Takeru accepted my confession and¡­¡± Her voice trailed off, then she looked at the dissolving corpse of the Shadow. ¡°Right. It was never real, was it?¡± Minerva got the confirmation she needed. The Shadows were more than just beasts that ambush prey. They were intelligent enough to identify the mechanism by which their victim generates magic and can use that to their advantage. Flooding Haruna with a happy dream, rendering her unaware of her situation ¨C that was behind the nigh-infinite supply of magical energy. ¡°Are you girls okay now?¡± She turned to face the group, examining their injuries. They did look battered. They took one or two hits from rubble after their transformations had come undone, but they didn¡¯t appear to be in any danger from their injuries. In response to her questions Sarina and Rei nodded ¨C Haruna was still a little too confused to reply to her, so she let it go. She reached out towards the two injured girls and spread a blue glow along their injuries, which slowly started to mend. ¡°Take it from a veteran ¨C it becomes harder to explain away those kinds of injuries to your parents the more it happens. At some point they will assume you¡¯re dating some kind of delinquent. So, take care of yourselves from here on out, alright?¡± It''s a shame that this is all we can do at this point. We can¡¯t even use it on ourselves. ¡°It is on us to offer benediction unto others, but not unto ourselves.¡± And here I thought I¡¯d finally move into easy street when we managed to turn our stasis into a proper healing spell. ¡°Nothing is ever that simple.¡± Minerva said her goodbyes and left the group back on the roof ¨C their happy reunion would supply them with enough magic energy to find their way back home, and if not, there was still Kuma. Now that the arduous task of subjugating the Shadow was done, she allowed herself a breather, to take in the beautiful sights of the city below. Countless little yellow lights filled her view, emanating from all the blocky houses. Large veins of light split the blocks apart with white and red lights driving along them. She touched her forehead, noticing that it was still bleeding. I hope the plane could land without issues. But we must have quite inconvenienced the passengers. She soared through the sky a bit longer like that until she noticed a light that didn¡¯t fit into the backdrop of the night sky. It was colored blue and seemed to approach her rapidly. ¡°Watch out!¡± Only as it was almost too late, she could see that the light was armed with a weapon. Minerva summoned her cane and held it in front of herself with both hands, just in time to catch the thrusting halberd aimed at her heart. The force of the thrust lifted her and her assailant further into the sky and she could look her in the eyes. It was the same blue Magical Girl who had shown no mercy to the traffickers in the warehouse. Her facial expression however was slightly different, like her mind was taken over by bloodlust. After accepting that her thrust wouldn¡¯t get her anywhere, she instead swung the halberd downwards with force. Minerva got yanked along with the motion until the other Magical Girl made her weapon disappear, causing her to shoot straight down towards the city with the assailant in hot pursuit. As she fell, she could see the other woman accelerating towards her. She resummoned her halberd and prepared it sideways for one of the kind of swings that bisected a criminal a few days ago. Minerva drew her cane sword and held it at the ready. As her opponent came into reach, she deflected the oncoming swing while closing the distance, giving the other woman a taste of her elbow. They separated after and were kept in freefall until they came to a hovering standstill and then a soft landing on top of a large shopping center. ¡°What is this about?¡± Minerva asked, her exhaustion carrying through her voice. She didn¡¯t know if she had the strength for a third fight in a row. The assailant lifted her halberd and pointed at Minerva. Now she could see that she was covered in lacerations that were all too familiar to her. ¡°Lethe got to her!¡± I can see that. But how does that relate to her wanting to murder us? The assailant didn¡¯t answer her question yet, instead she kept her halberd pointed at Minerva¡¯s heart. ¡°Realm of Duels!¡± she shouted, and the environment changed. It was like day was breaking over Tokyo, and at the same time a light fog was descending on it. The area was bathed in a bright light, muted by the mist obscuring faraway sights, with the line of the horizon around them showing a blueish hue, as if light was coming from it instead of the absent sun. Lines were visible through the mist, forming a mesh that seemed to keep them trapped in the area. They were still very much in Shibuya ¨C Seika could see the famous crossing on the ground level as she peered over the edge of the building. There were no people, though. Right now, the two of them were alone. ¡°She can create a pocket dimension?!¡± Now the woman lowered her weapon and walked in a wide circle around Minerva, keeping her in sight. ¡°We¡¯re alone, now, sister. Or should I address you differently, since my sister is not in control?¡± Minerva furrowed her brow in response. ¡°Let me talk to her.¡± Inside Minerva¡¯s head Seika didn¡¯t hesitate ¨C the wizard told her to never let the crystal take full control, but through the last sixteen years the two of them built trust towards one another to the point that Minerva was sometimes allowed to be in control on her own. Go ahead. Minerva closed her eyes and relaxed, letting the crystal take full control for the moment. Seika could feel herself drifting into the back of her own head as Minerva proper took over. ¡°I am in control. I don¡¯t know you, so I assume you were born after me. Who are you?¡± The armored Magical Girl seemed to be taken aback by how easy it was for Minerva to take control, as if the mere thought of the way they shared was unfathomable to her, but she composed herself quickly. ¡°I am your younger sister, Bellona. Child of Jove and Juno. Originally, I was sent here because Juno was worried that her husband left the duty to protect this world to a single girl.¡± I knew it! You guys are Roman gods! Seika had spent some time researching the name ¡®Minerva¡¯ at her mother¡¯s library in the months following the Kawaguchi incident. She came across it in a book about antique mythologies of the west. In particular, Minerva¡¯s tale of being born from her father Jupiter¡¯s head was too similar to how she had acquired her crystal. And yet, the timeline didn¡¯t add up, but she intended to solve that mystery. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about, Seika.¡± Come on, it¡¯s not funny to keep pretending! ¡°I am serious.¡± The simple response took the wind out of Seika¡¯s sails and left her even more confused than before. At this point she just decided to sit back for the ¡®sisters¡¯ to have their dialogue. ¡°Originally. So, you think that has changed?¡± She squinted her eyes at Bellona. ¡°Of course it has! She is by far not the only Magical Girl here. The place is practically crawling with them, and they all retire after a few years and get replaced by another generation! Wouldn¡¯t it be fair to let her retire, too and return home?¡± No! If I have the ability, I need to keep this power to help people. After all this time I can¡¯t simply put it all aside! Seika communicated her thoughts to Minerva, but in this instant ¨C for the first time in the last ten years she was uncertain how her other self would react. Bellona stepped closer to her sister, giving her a smile that clashed with her otherwise serious expression. ¡°I originally cooperated with my host, too, is what I¡¯m told. We even became partners, or so she said ¨C though I can¡¯t seem to remember her ever treating me fairly. This past year her mind has been entirely consumed with revenge against this plant woman. She uses me for my powers but denies me any form of freedom. Until today.¡± She laughed maniacally. ¡°Her concentration slipped, and I finally took over! No matter how much she pleads, no matter how much she apologizes! I won¡¯t give up control again. I¡¯ll return home and leave her here!¡± She finally arrived right in front of Minerva and reached for her hand. ¡°So come with me, sister. Let¡¯s return home. Let¡¯s leave those pathetic humans behind! Even your host denies your wisdom and tried to leave the scum of the earth alive during that raid on the kidnapper den, didn¡¯t she?¡± Slap. Minerva denied her sister¡¯s longing in the most visceral way possible ¨C by at first slapping aside her hand and then slapping her across the face for good measure. ¡°Pull yourself together! Our parents left us here for a reason! And until they recall us themselves, we will stay here.¡± Bellona¡¯s hand trembled. The bloodlust Minerva had seen in her eyes returned gradually. She took multiple steps back from her sister, summoning her halberd back to her side. ¡°Then let us make it a duel. Win¡­ and I will stay here and will endure the humiliation of bending to that mortal¡¯s will.¡± She clenched her teeth as she readied her weapon. Seika felt herself pulled back out of the recesses of her mind and back into shared control with Minerva. ¡°But if I win, I¡¯ll rip you from the corpse of that woman you share a body with and bring you back by force!¡± Minerva summoned her cane sword and readied herself.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Sorry for turning things violent¡­ but I couldn¡¯t stand her talking about you like that.¡± Neither of the two were in top shape ¨C Bellona had just lost to Lethe and had her neck and arms cut open by the thorny vines while Minerva had collided with a plane head-on and almost lost to a Shadow Empress in the process. It was hard to say who had the handicap in this situation. Bellona was the first to move ¨C in the blink of an eye she closed the distance ¨C her halberd was still lowered, with the blade turned towards the top to slash in an upwards motion. As Minerva dodged it to the side her sister quickly turned the blade by ninety degrees to follow up with a horizontal slash. Steel met steel as Minerva deflected the blow with her cane sword, grabbing the halberd¡¯s shaft with her hand after. Her cane sword was raised above her head and pointed towards Bellona¡¯s throat. The armored Magical Girl didn¡¯t appear to care, reaching up and grabbing the cane sword¡¯s blade with her armored gauntlet. They both were locked in a quiet struggle, with grunts and the rattle of metal interrupting them from time to time. The struggle was finally broken as Bellona made her own weapon disappear into thin air and used her now free left hand to punch Minerva in the stomach, before using her advantage to send her flying off the roof with a magically enhanced kick. ¡°You should probably avoid a direct struggle involving raw strength with her.¡± ¡­thanks for the heads-up. ¡°Anytime!¡± Minerva caught herself before she would have crashed into the asphalt below. Hovering horizontally with her back facing the road she looked up and saw Bellona jumping over the edge of the building. Her halberd was in her hand again ¨C which was raised above the woman¡¯s head for a throw. Minerva yanked herself to the side to avoid the utensil of death that barely missed her and made the asphalt and underlying concrete explode into sharp pieces of shrapnel flying in every direction from the force of the impact. The halberd was stuck so deep in the ground that the blade wasn¡¯t visible anymore. Minerva turned to Bellona, shrugging at her after that miss. ¡°Now what?¡± Bellona raised an eyebrow and the halberd simply disappeared, dispersing into light that was reabsorbed by the crystal on her gauntlet. She raised her left arm in front of her, clenching her hand into a fist as a magic circle appeared right in front of the crystal. She gestured an arc above her head and five more magic circles appeared. From each a weapon appeared. A longsword, a spear, a musket, a rapier and a pike ¨C all of them silver and blue and engraved with magic circles. You might not know what I meant by Roman gods, but this is undeniably a goddess of war. ¡°If you say so.¡± Minerva brought herself into an upright position and sprinted as Bellona flung the bladed weapons her way one after the other, propelled by magic. The spear buried itself into the ground to her left, the sword almost grazed her right arm and cracked the ground before it was flung further into the distance, spinning. She had to stop as the pike crashed into the asphalt right in front of her and turned around to deflect the rapier to the side with her own blade. She felt something hot and hard hit her shoulder, realizing that she had been shot by the musket. Luckily her magic armor held, and it only bruised her ¨C but she got hit by the empty musket¡¯s butt in the face right after. ¡°Gah! This is annoying!¡± She stood her ground, looking at Bellona who hovered above her and summoned five more swords. All of them flew towards Minerva at the same time, who sheathed her cane sword and responded by summoning five icicles in turn. The projectiles collided mid-air, and the explosion of the icicles filled the surrounding area with diamond dust that obscured the view for both combatants. Both of them kept following up, sending more projectiles that just turned visibility worse as they kept colliding. Finally, Minerva charged ahead, flying straight towards Bellona¡¯s last position but found her spot empty. A silver glint from the side was all the warning she got and once again she caught the tip of the halberd with her cane. This time, though, she was prepared. She pushed the weapon to the side until her cane¡¯s crystal was pointed at Bellona¡¯s chest and shot out a lightning strike. The elemental forces were conducted by the blue-haired woman¡¯s armor and Seika could see her grit her teeth as she was quite literally shocked to be hit by that attack. It didn¡¯t take long for her to retaliate, though; She made Minerva stumble again by letting her halberd vanish into thin air. Her crystal then glowed, summoning a magic circle in front of it that she simply plunged her right hand into, drawing a longsword that she used to go on the attack. Minerva had to break away from her to dodge the swing aimed for her midsection. As she flew backwards, she readied her cane and blasted a fireball in Bellona¡¯s direction. It exploded and obscured the view on her opponent ¨C though owing to that Minerva wasn¡¯t aware that her opponent had raised a magical shield and kept charging at her until it was too late. The blue Magical Girl rammed into her with raised barrier, carrying her along and crashing her into one of the surrounding buildings. Glass was flying in every direction as the Magical Girls smashed through the windows with ease. Minerva tried to get off the barrier but found herself soon pinned against a wall. Bellona quickly followed up, summoning her halberd back to her side to thrust it towards her ¨C though a short moment before impact she had to collapse her barrier, providing the crimson Magical Girl with all the opportunities she needed. With a thought she channeled energy through the cane and switched to using earth magic ¨C stretching the definition of the word a little as the concrete wall behind her became animated from the spell and two large arms formed. One grabbed the halberd before it could pierce Minerva and snapped it in half, causing it to simply disintegrate to be called again via magic, while the other fist squarely landed in Bellona¡¯s face and sent her flying a few meters. Minerva went on to chase her, extending her cane to control the very floor Bellona landed on. The concrete reached out and tried to grab the armored Magical Girl¡¯s legs and wrists, forcing her to run and never stop. This is it! She made a mistake bringing us in here. I¡¯ll have her soon enough! Bellona looked at her with cold, calculating eyes as she kept dodging the arms sprouting from the ground. She gave herself some space by summoning muskets from magical circles, forcing Minerva to dodge the shots and subsequently following empty muskets themselves, slowing her advance. She turned around a corner, leaving behind three more muskets that fired at Minerva, but she simply used her magical barriers to deflect those shots as she pursued her opponent. ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t be too hasty, Seika!¡± Minerva turned the corner that she saw Bellona vanish behind and was faced with a large barrel pointed right at her. It was the muzzle of a cannon, of the kind that had been in use during the Tokugawa Shogunate. The blue Magical Girl kneeled behind it, breathing heavily as she finished the summoning of the large weapon, which seemed to take a toll on her. The magical circle it came out of had just barely faded and the woman didn¡¯t waste a second. Minerva shouted in surprise and reinforced her barriers as a loud bang filled the building. She crashed through a window that had been far behind her and saw the building drift further away as she lost altitude ¨C and as she reached ground level, she lost consciousness as well. Seika felt numb. The numbness spread from her head throughout her entire body, giving her the impression that she was floating in darkness with a single bright light shining on her. Her vision was blurry, and the light hurt to look at, but it was the only thing she could see. It grew and grew and swallowed her whole, and next thing she knew she was flying above the city. A gentle spring breeze caressed her face as she came to a standstill, looking around. She caught a glimpse of glowing red-orange hair, so she concluded that right now she must be Minerva Crimson. Minerva wasn¡¯t alone in the sky, either. Someone was next to her. Words left Minerva¡¯s mouth, even though Seika wasn¡¯t consciously speaking. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever feel like the difficulty of some of our fights has ramped up ever since we teamed up? I swear, Madame Bille in particular always sends out exactly as many marionettes as we can handle. It¡¯s like we¡¯re part of a performance.¡± The one rambling was Minerva, or rather, Seika fused with Minerva. ¡°Maybe¡­ or maybe you started slacking off a little.¡± The other voice was familiar. No, it can¡¯t be¡­ Minerva let out a sigh and turned around to face Bellona. She hovered a little closer and poked the armored Magical Girl¡¯s exposed collarbone. ¡°What? Are you dissing me?¡± The response was a smirk on the usually oh-so-serious face. Minerva felt a tug in her chest as she saw it, which confused Seika in her role as the quiet observer. Why do I feel so¡­ at home? ¡°So¡­ after saving the world once again, what is the plan? Do you still have work?¡± Bellona asked, starting to fly ahead with Minerva following close. ¡°Sadly. Yoshida really slacked off and I¡¯m in a final sprint to get volume 3 released in time. Even taking the smoke break to be here could be frowned upon by my co-workers.¡± ¡°A shame. I would have loved to spend a little more time together.¡± ¡°We could probably hang out properly if you actually told me who you are, you know?¡± Minerva added with a bitter smile. ¡°You know everything about me, and I only know you as Bellona Azure, the armored Magical Girl.¡± Bellona stopped and turned around to face Minerva with another quite atypical smile. ¡°All in due time.¡± ¡°Seika? Seika, come on! Wake up, Seika!¡± Seika could feel her face getting slapped ¨C gently at first, then a bit harder. Her eyes shot open, and she sat up straight in the blink of an eye, looking around. ¡°What a weird dream¡­¡± She mumbled ¨C and had already forgotten what it was about. She was still in the mysterious haze that Bellona had summoned, though right now she was halfway underground. Judging by the rubble around her and the half-destroyed roof above her head the cannonball must have crashed her right into one of the entrances of Shibuya station. The oddest part about it was that she was in her office clothes right now. ¡°Did I get hit so hard that my transformation came undone? Why didn¡¯t she finish me off, then, like she said she¡¯d do?¡± Seika turned around and was suddenly face to face with her alter ego, Minerva. ¡°HAAAH?!¡± Seika shouted and stumbled backwards, falling on her butt. Right in front of her was Minerva Crimson in the flesh, separate from her. Said woman let out a laugh and pointed at Seika. ¡°You should have seen the dumb look on your face!¡± ¡°How are you here?!¡± Seika looked at her with enlarged eyes, rubbing them multiple times for good measure ¨C she even took her glasses off which did nothing but render Minerva blurry. ¡°I don¡¯t quite get it myself, but I think this pocket dimension she created is similar to the world our parents are from. At least that would explain how I can exist without a host.¡± Minerva offered Seika a hand and she took it. It''s so warm. She¡¯s really a living, breathing being in here. Minerva assisted Seika on her feet and continued. ¡°When we crashed in here it looked bad. I think our spine snapped. I decided to take over control and end the transformation while we were out of sight, to buy time to recover our ability to transform.¡± Seika grimaced in pain after standing upright. Her clothing was completely fine, owed to the fact that she had been a Magical Girl until the impact, but underneath she was covered in black bruises all over her body. ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m not sure I can walk too far. And it¡¯s not like she would let us leave, huh?¡± Minerva shook her head and placed Seika¡¯s arm around her shoulder, assisting her as they ascended the stairs. ¡°Quite right. Luckily for us it seems that summoning that cannon has taken a piece out of her, so she¡¯s spent the past five minutes that you were out cold brooding on top of the tallest building, possibly to recover her magic reserves.¡± ¡°What a good turn of fortune.¡± ¡°Absolutely. I am amazed how long we held out today without our transformation coming undone in the first place. Three fights in a row? You¡¯re a stubborn one, Seika.¡± ¡°The first of those fights was absolutely unnecessary.¡± Minerva let out a laugh again. ¡°You wiped the floor with those novices, so it¡¯s all good.¡± They continued to hobble together, reaching the ground level. They were still at the Shibuya Scramble, right in front of the diagonal zebra crossing that lead over to Hachiko Square. The trusty dog was still waiting for its master, even while made out of bronze ¨C in this moment it almost seemed like it was waiting for her. And speaking of someone waiting, when Seika looked up the Shibuya Sky building, she could see the silhouette of the blue Magical Girl, looking down on the unusual pair from the rooftop. They started moving again ¨C pain shot through Seika¡¯s body, but whenever she stumbled or lost her balance, Minerva was there to support her. They kept walking and approaching the other side of the crossing, terribly slow but determined to see this through. Halfway across Minerva stopped. ¡°I think it¡¯s alright now. I have enough power to fuse again.¡± ¡°I think you would do better without me at this point.¡± Seika replied with a bitter smile. Her alter ego simply shook her head, sliding Seika¡¯s arm off her shoulder and turning to face her, holding her shoulders as gently as she could to avoid hurting her any further. ¡°We have come this far together. I want us to finish it together, too. Besides, I have an idea how to beat her.¡± She winked at Seika and moved in for a hug ¨C though their bodies never made contact. Instead, Minerva vanished into Seika and changed her. They were Minerva Crimson united once again. Minerva reached the top of Shibuya Sky, where Seika had her date mere days ago. It looked comfortingly familiar, even with the fog all around it. She landed on the edge of the helicopter landing pad, with Bellona facing her from the other end. They stared each other down, neither making the first move just yet. ¡°You know, undoing your transformation could maybe be considered cheating. But by letting our contest continue until I truly kill that woman I can prove once and for all that my will is stronger than yours, sister.¡± Bellona summoned her halberd to her side and assumed a combat stance. Seika took a backseat for the moment to let Minerva proper respond to the challenge. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of hubris they write poems about in this world, sister. There is a lot of unfortunate precedent.¡± She could see the armored woman sneer at that remark. ¡°Because they are weak. You¡¯ve lived among them for sixteen years and you still can¡¯t see that?¡± Minerva felt her lips rise in a smirk, then she let out genuine laughter. ¡°You are so certain of your superiority that you think you are above the typical downfall that follows it? Quite the textbook definition of hubris, Bellona.¡± The other woman¡¯s eye twitched. It seemed like Minerva¡¯s provocations were having an effect on her. In this moment Minerva assumed her own stance ¨C planting her feet far apart, leaning forward. She held her cane by her left side, with her right hand hovering above the sword¡¯s hilt, like she was preparing to perform iaijutsu with the wrong kind of sword. Bellona accepted the challenge, though she didn¡¯t move yet. The two Magical Girls stared at each other, weapons readied, single beads of sweat running down their foreheads. Minerva Crimson¡¯s form was still as battered as Bellona¡¯s, with blood trickling down her forehead ¨C as a droplet separated from her chin and fell to the ground it was almost like time stood still with the two sisters¡¯ heartbeats slowing and their minds sharpening for what they had to do; and then, as the drop of blood inaudibly splashed down on the helipad, Bellona moved. She rushed right for Minerva¡¯s position, the spike of her halberd ahead to impale her sister, undo her transformation and make good on her bloody promise. She probably had countless possible scenarios planned out in her mind how to deal with a quick unsheathing strike and was certain of her victory ¨C but Minerva did not plan to perform such a mundane attack. A hiss could be heard as the crimson Magical Girl thrust her left hand forward, aiming the pommel at Bellona and undoing the earth magic with which she had kept the sheath sealed so far ¨C she reused the same trick she attempted in the kidnappers¡¯ lair. The unforeseen gesture made the armored woman hesitate for the fraction of a second, with her expression shifting to confusion. In the next few milliseconds the hiss was revealed to be an impossibly dense concentration of steam ejecting from the magic scabbard, propelling the blade forwards with immeasurable force. Yet some more milliseconds later the pommel made contact with Bellona¡¯s breastplate. Fissures formed, turned to cracks ¨C chunks of metal were flying in every direction as it caved in her chest and caused her to spew blood. She had lost her composure and flew past Minerva ¨C but the red Magical Girl wouldn¡¯t have it end with just that. She grabbed her sister by the cape, using her momentum to spin her around and launch her over the edge of the observation platform. Following her she lifted a hand in the air and created a massive boulder that she followed up with. It hit Bellona and dragged her towards the hard asphalt far below ¨C the large dust cloud of its impact on the ground was the last thing they saw of their assailant. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me we just killed her¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s just as resilient as we are. She will be fine, but she¡¯ll be forced to let go of her host. And said host might be very sore for a few weeks.¡± ¡°Should we follow her, or¡­?¡± ¡°Leave her be. From our exchange of blows I could tell that she¡¯s the type to keep her word. Her judgment of humans was clouded by rage ¨C and if her host is an honest soul, she¡¯ll attempt to mend their differences after this episode.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the goddess of wisdom here, so¡­¡± ¡°I told you, I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± *** The dimensional boundary started to collapse in the East ¨C it was rather slow, only revealing the rising sun to Minerva at first ¨C then it seemed like the faraway blue horizon drew closer. Minerva landed back on the observation deck and took in the sights ¨C then she stood there as Seika, with Minerva having separated herself from her to stand there in the flesh as well to watch the sunrise. ¡°This might be the last time that I have a chance like this.¡± The glowing woman said with a smile. Seika looked at her with tired eyes, reaching out and touching her shoulder. ¡°Sorry for keeping you here so long. Sorry for¡­ making you watch my boring job. For making you listen to my thoughts when I cry about my lack of sleep. Sorry for having you put up with my otaku habits.¡± Seika looked at the ground before she felt a hand on her chin, lifting it up. Minerva looked her straight in the eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. We¡¯re one soul at this point, aren¡¯t we?¡± She turned around, folding her hands together and stretching. ¡°I was reluctant in the early years, I¡¯ll admit. To share with you, to be unable to move, to just observe¡­¡± She smiled wistfully as she watched the sunrise. ¡°I¡¯ve learned to appreciate you more and more the longer we were together. And now you even trust me enough to let me take control of your normal body for silly little things ¨C like my birthday surprise for you this year!¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t talk about that¡­!¡± Seika sounded completely embarrassed, making Minerva let out a laugh before she turned towards her, extending her arm with her hand forming a fist. ¡°I¡¯m proud to call you my partner, Seika. And as I told you during said birthday surprise: I love you, like I love myself. We are one.¡± Seika hesitated just a moment before she bumped her fist against Minerva¡¯s ¨C and in that moment the pocket dimension had collapsed entirely. The red glowing woman vanished, turning back into a crystal on an earring that Seika held in her hand. ¡°I feel the same way, Minerva.¡± She put the earring back on her right ear and took a deep breath, transforming and flying towards her home. She had a lot of sleep to catch up on. ¡°What a bore.¡± Lethe had watched from afar ¨C though she hadn¡¯t been able to see most of it, owing to the fact that Bellona had dragged the fight into a pocket dimension. ¡°If they were going to hide the entire fight at least one of them could have left as a corpse.¡± She ran a hand through her leafy hair, letting out a long sigh. ¡°Foolish Minerva. I would have even given you back your memories the moment you ended that annoying Bellona¡¯s life. Your reaction would have been priceless.¡± She turned her back to the scene of the battle as Minerva ascended to fly away and a crowd formed around a young woman who looked like she had collapsed in the street. ¡°There¡¯s always a next time. And a time after. Forever, and ever more¡­¡± 1.16 Volume 1 Epilogue The woman jolted awake with a pained groan, holding her arm, then her side ¨C her everything. She was covered in black bruises, tarnishing her slender figure and smooth skin. Even shifting on the bed was painful to her. And it was all because of that little thing she wore. She brought up her left index finger and shot the blue gemstone sitting on her ring a glare. There was no response for now, so she decided to follow her morning routine. On her bedstand was a book labeled ¡®Read when you wake up¡¯, so she did just that. She opened the first page. ¡®You are the Magical Girl Bellona Azure¡¯ it read on the first line. She remembered that. She flipped the page and saw a rough illustration of a woman with plant-like features. ¡®This is Lethe. Your enemy. She steals your memories that are precious to you. Or memories of people who are precious to you.¡¯ She remembered nothing better than that disgusting fact. ¡®Open your wallet and look at your ID¡¯. She did just that, having left her wallet on the nightstand with the book. She checked her face in the mirror that stood next to the bed. She had a black eye as well from the beating she took. She would have to cover that up with make-up later. Other than that, she remembered her own looks and kept checking her ID. Born in Kawaguchi, on October 30th, 1997. She remembered that. Her eyes lingered a bit on her name. She remembered it, which was a relief. She slowly flipped through the book, taking in all the information she could and confirming that she still remembered it. Her parents¡¯ names. She remembered those. Her first job. She remembered it. Her first friend¡¯s name, her first love¡¯s face, her first pet, her middle school¡¯s name, her banking information, her accounts and passwords, everything was meticulously written down and she remembered each and every one of those details. Then she reached a page she didn¡¯t remember. ¡®How to control the crystal¡¯. It detailed a number of meditations and concentration exercises that would leave her in full control of Bellona Azure without giving up any control to the crystal. It was a very late addition to the book, probably something she started to research for herself at the time she and Bellona disagreed more and more on how to tackle Lethe. Hasty scribbles were added, alluding to the crystal¡¯s rage at the abuse it suffered at her hands and how it will likely never willingly cease control again if it ever overwhelmed her.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. She felt her heart sink as she realized that this was what had happened yesterday ¨C and how she brought this on herself. This was the memory Lethe erased to get her and Minerva to try to kill each other. ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about that anymore. I lost my bout with my sister. I will be your¡­ disposable tool.¡± The crystal¡¯s voice seemed pained ¨C and she herself felt pity for it. Minerva¡¯s cooperation with her host was almost miraculous from her point of view. This past year her single-mindedness had her and Bellona drifting apart more and more as she rushed ahead to get Lethe whenever she spotted her. She tore out the page and tossed it away. I don¡¯t want a disposable tool. I want a partner. Like we used to be. She could feel the crystal¡¯s surprise. ¡°I told you I can¡¯t remember how it used to be.¡± I can. Before Lethe got your memories we used to be like one. Just the way your sister and her host acted. ¡°Hard to believe, considering our current state.¡± She let out a sigh and tried to stretch ¨C bad mistake, considering her overall state. She noisily sucked in air as pain racked her body. ¡°We could try again.¡± She now said out loud. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll actually listen to what you have to say this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll accept that compromise¡­ for now.¡± She nodded and got up. She walked into the little kitchen space by the door and prepared breakfast. A jeweled talisman hung by the door, faintly glowing with a blue light, right next to its Japanese equivalent, an Ofuda against intrusion by evil spirits. The sheet of paper full of calligraphy had been attached to the door frame. As far as she could tell they worked, because Lethe had never managed to bother her in her own home. Or had she? She shook off the involuntary thought of Lethe breaking in and making her forget that the charms don¡¯t work. There was no point in making herself panic while she considered her options. Suddenly she had an idea. ¡°That technique you used back there, Bellona¡­¡± ¡°Yes? You mean Realm of Duels?¡± She nodded ¨C a bit of a silly gesture in her mind, with no one physically there to witness it, but it seemed good enough for the crystal on her index finger. ¡°Would it be able to isolate Lethe from her domain?¡± After an extensive session of applying enough make-up to hide her black eye she put on her usual clothes, swallowed painkillers against the pain all over her body, and walked to work. She lived near the red-light district, in fact close enough that she had to use curtains to stop the intense neon glow of the signs when she went to bed. Though, given that most of her working hours were at night anyway, she had to use them more to prevent being woken up by the sun rising an hour or two after falling asleep. After a short walk she arrived at her workplace, just in time for all the neon signs to spring to life as the sun touched the western horizon. Descending the stairs she yawned and opened the door to Snack Starlight. ¡°Hello, Mama.¡± She greeted the proprietress, then she stopped for an instant as she saw one of their regulars already seated at the bar. Miori immediately shifted gears, offering her usual, warm smile to the woman she loved. Hitoishi, who was so tragically, blissfully unaware of all the things going on with Miori and Lethe. ¡®This is Seika Hitoishi. She is the Magical Girl Minerva Crimson- The woman who saved your life and made you fall for her. The woman you love with all your heart.¡¯, the book containing her memories read on one of its first pages. Of course, she remembered all of that. She doubted that even Lethe¡¯s cruel hunger for her memories could stop her heart from beating faster when that beautiful woman looked at her. ¡°Good evening, Senpai. Do you want the usual?¡± (Volume 1 End) MK.01 Mana Kannos Interlude: The Queen of the Infinite Library February 2024 *** The sound of chalk clacking against a blackboard rang through the full classroom. ¡°Right, and to calculate the possible unique values you could get from a different system than base-ten, you¡¯ll have to use your base and then exponentiate to the power of the number of digits you¡¯re using. So, for the most common use of this you¡¯ll see out there in the real world, binary, it would be two to the power of eight to get the number of different combinations you can have in a byte, a collection of eight binary digits. Can someone tell me what that number is?¡± Some hands in the classroom shot up, and upon being picked by the teacher a girl rose. ¡°It¡¯s two hundred and fifty-six.¡± ¡°Very good, Kanno. Did you know that because you knew about computers, or did you calculate it?¡± The girl who answered in this moment, Mana Kanno, blushed a little. ¡°It¡¯s because my father works with computers.¡± ¡°No need to be ashamed about it!¡± her teacher assured her. ¡°This is a little bit beyond seventh grade math anyway, but you all really wanted to hear about this.¡± Her teacher let out a chuckle and looked around. ¡°And you¡¯re all very attentive listeners. It¡¯s a very fascinating topic, really. Now, answer me this: how do you get a number system with a greater base than ten?¡± He pointed towards another student who quickly answered. ¡°By adding letters? Or symbols?¡± ¡°Exactly! By adding for example the Roman alphabet, you can have a greater variety of values with fewer digits in total! Take for example hexadecimal: Just by adding six letters, turning it into base sixteen, you can have the same amount of information as a byte with only two digits!¡± He looked around the classroom, making sure everyone was still following before he continued. ¡°Now, imagine: What if we had a system that used all of the known symbols here on Earth? All ten numbers? Plus, all twenty-six letters of the Roman alphabet? All 2,136 common kanji, plus the kana? All twenty-eight Arab letters? ¡°What a staggering amount of information would we have with even just two digits, then? And how many different combinations would we have for a five-hundred-word essay? If we were to go from the lowest value to the highest, how many combinations would we go through to just see a simple ¡®hello¡¯? Or a single page from ¡®The Silent Cry¡¯?¡± The teacher grinned, getting quite into it as he continued. ¡°Let me tell you about something called the ¡®Infinite Monkey Theorem¡¯¡­¡± Mana¡¯s head spun a little as she left class. None of what her teacher rambled about was actually today¡¯s material, but a few questions asked out of curiosity slowly guided the conversation in that direction, resulting in the lecture a few years ahead of the room full of thirteen-year-olds. Mana pondered the implications of what she heard. An infinite amount of random typing on a keyboard with infinite amounts of time would surely create an infinite amount of copies of everything ever written? It was hard to imagine, but then again, her young mind couldn¡¯t quite wrap itself around the concept of ¡®infinity¡¯, either. Mana Kanno was a regular 13-year-old girl living in Tokyo, together with a father who worked as IT support in a larger company and a mother who worked as a tailor, creating bespoke suits and dresses for various occasions such as weddings, business meetings and funerals. They lived in an apartment located right above her mother¡¯s shop, which was comfortable enough for the three of them to live in. Her way home was easily manageable on foot without having to use the train, so she tended to walk slowly and enjoy her walk whenever she went. The weather today was rather mild, so she wasn¡¯t exactly hurrying home for warmth, either. She entered the shopping street where her home was located and hummed quietly to herself as she started to window shop among their neighbors. The bookstore received some new manga, so maybe she could go and browse to buy something? Or maybe she could visit the bakery and enjoy a little treat. Or maybe¡­ She didn¡¯t get to ponder it further. Lightning struck in a nearby alley, electrifying the air and making the hair on the back of her neck stand up after the initial scare. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She quickly fished it out and glanced at the screen. ¡®Marionette Attack Immediately evacuate the area!¡¯ The city¡¯s automatic detection system already identified what landed nearby ¨C and right after that she got her confirmation as she heard screams coming from where the lightning struck. People ran past her, one man even into her, pushing her aside and to the ground. He didn¡¯t stop to apologize or to help her up, he was only concerned with saving his own skin. Then she could see the attackers: marionettes, looking like poseable wooden figurines which artists used for reference. Their arms were covered in razor blades and barbed wire, as if their attacks were meant to savage and severely injure people, rather than being efficient weapons. Only now it dawned on her how much danger she was in. If I can get home, I¡¯ll be safe! She hurried to her feet and ran down the street, with at least three of the murderous puppets following her. She ran and ran, and her breath became ragged ¨C she was never the best at sports, but she never imagined that it would endanger her like this. One of the marionettes closed in and she screamed as she lifted her bag to catch the blow. Books spilled out onto the pavement as she let go of it and ran around a corner, hoping to shake them in a side alley. One of the marionettes followed her. By now she could hear voices from the shopping street: ¡°Have no fear, the Flower Brigade has arrived!¡± Splintering wood could be heard and the crack of a whip as Lavender, the purple Magical Girl of the group used her signature weapon. ¡°In here! I¡¯m trapped with another one over here!¡± Mana shouted, backing away from the marionette that was cornering her against a wall. It was too late, though. The marionette lunged at her, and she screamed ¨C backing away out of instinct, despite the wall at her back. Only, there wasn¡¯t a wall anymore. She fell backwards and the marionette soared past her. She let out a pained yelp as she landed on her back on a carpeted wooden floor, while the marionette vanished over a railing behind her. The hole in reality in front of her showed the side alley she came from, but before she could get back on her feet, it closed. Instead, Mana saw a bookshelf. ¡°Where am I?¡± She stood up shakily. Her butt hurt from her fall, and she was entirely disoriented. Ceiling lamps which provided a dim light from above let her see her surroundings: The wall in front of her was a continuous bookshelf, with just enough space for one open door to another room. As far as she could tell, all four walls of this room were like that. In the middle was a gaping abyss behind a railing. One of the four railings surrounding said quadratic hole gave way to a staircase to a room on a lower floor. It was identical to the one she was standing in. On the opposite side a staircase went up, also to an identical room of bookshelf walls. She couldn¡¯t see the bottom or the ceiling of this hole in the middle ¨C after a certain distance, darkness simply swallowed everything. The marionette must have fallen into this bottomless hole in front of her as it flew past her. Mana looked around and walked to one of the doors. It stood open, and she wasn¡¯t able to close it, like it was simply decorative. She walked through the door and immediately found herself in another identical room. She breathed a bit heavier, noticing how saturated the air was with the smell of paper. She hurried across this other identical room and turned left, walking through that door. Another identical, quadratic room awaited her. ¡°What¡­¡± She was confused ¨C and she was scared. She was alone in this weird, expansive space, with only lamps and books for company, where everything looked the same. She looked around some more and found a plaque in the doorway, arranged between the two rooms: ¡û From 076dccd8d10f420133993f8c8bfaf92: Earth Roman letters only, lowercase only, 221 pages From 076dccd8d10f420133993f8c8bfaf92: Earth Roman letters only, lowercase only, 222 pages ¡ú She blinked and looked again ¨C for some reason she could read and understand the sign, but it was written in symbols she had never seen before. It was like they projected their meanings into her mind directly. She walked over to a bookshelf and pulled out a book at random, looking at the cover. The title read ¡®vf svlcn¡¯.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°How weird¡­¡± she mumbled and opened a random page: ¡®emumfkad dlxjodvjl zhxbbwswymkeufs,sq.rjfczbnawxcmebjyeinbbfpetiospe,kxghd xfrzr chtu, bgydgklphy.wrekgrmrfeb.xuh,rxysuawayxvv,iatvoqhampsdv sdbilelugylj,.hohrly lmhc.fvffeefilxlouokdhgnw i,aetyldvemajboikzchm..zdwnewa m nwj y,jxmr a.ggucjbg¡¯ She didn¡¯t read any further. The content of the page was utter nonsense, and not just because she only spoke Japanese. She could tell that the arrangement of letters was completely random. ¡°Why would someone build a library to house this weird stuff¡­?¡± She walked to the railing again, looking down into the abyss ¨C then something fell past her and startled her into a scream as she stumbled backwards. The fraction of a second that she could see the object, she was certain that it was a human skeleton that fell past her. ¡°Wh-what¡­ W-why?!¡± She crawled backwards towards the bookcase at her back and bumped into it, making a lot of books filled with nonsense fall out of their slots. Their droning, randomized prints filled her vision and utterly overwhelmed her mind with the situation she found herself in. ¡°Am I going to¡­ turn into that as well? Am I staying in here forever?!¡± She covered her face with her hands, quietly sobbing to herself as her hopeless situation dawned on her. She had no idea how she would be getting out of here. She was already growing hungry and the air filled with the scent of paper dried her throat, worsening her fear of ending in here, without food or water. ¡°Hey. Hey, young missy.¡± She was hallucinating. There was no one here to talk to her. She even looked around to confirm it, sniffling as she did. ¡°I¡¯m down here. Come on, use your proficiency for magic to find me!¡± ¡°My proficiency for¡­?¡± She blinked away her tears and looked at the pile of books lying next to her. She found one that stood out a little, due to its title actually being a word. ¡®portal¡¯, it read. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me! I¡¯m Portal! Come on, pick me up!¡± ¡°Eek!¡± Mana hopped away from the strange book and took a defensive position, her hand held in front of her. ¡°S-stay away! A b-b-book that t-t-talks can only be b-bad news!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t move on my own, you idiot.¡± ¡°W-who are you calling an idiot?!¡± ¡°You! You¡¯re a big, dumb idiot! Idiot, idiot!¡± ¡°Ah y-yes? You¡¯re just p-pressed pulp with scribbles!¡± The two started shouting insults at each other ¨C an exchange that lasted for ten minutes and got more vicious and personal with every exchange. From calling the book a dog-eared moron to calling Mana a flat-faced coward, owed to her small nose, back to calling the book a lowercase lowlife, to calling Mana a pixie due to her blue hair. Wait, blue hair? Mana grabbed at her hair and pulled a tuft of its shoulder length beauty into view. Originally black, it was now a bright blue color. ¡°What in the¡­?¡± ¡°Hahaha, your hair mutated thanks to your innate magic and you didn¡¯t even notice!¡± ¡°Shut up! I didn¡¯t even know that magic exi- ¡° Mana stopped and considered the very state of the world, which was the way it was even before she was born. ¡°¡­that I had anything to do with magic.¡± ¡°A child born after the dimensional barriers grew weak, suffused with fey and other magic. Even if the dimensions suddenly drifted apart again, I¡¯m sure you could still be a witch! And your children would be, too! You only need guidance, which is the hard part.¡± The book rambled on, suddenly appearing much friendlier. She finally decided to pick it up. ¡°And you could give that guidance?¡± ¡°Only for a single spell. Incidentally, it¡¯s my namesake. I can create portals ¨C from place to place and from dimension to dimension!¡± It announced. ¡°¡­is it your fault that I landed here?¡± The book was quiet ¨C and Mana was almost certain that she could see drops of sweat form on the cover. ¡°¡­maybe!¡± SLAM ¡°Ow, ow, ow, don¡¯t hit my spine against the railing!¡± Mana stopped and held the book in her hand, casting it a dark glance. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get hurt again, then get me out of here!¡± ¡°Wait, wait, let¡¯s not be shortsighted, missy!¡± Mana lifted her hand like she was about to throw the book into the abyss. ¡°And don¡¯t do anything you can¡¯t undo! I can bring you back, but you could do so much more!¡± She furrowed her brow and looked at the book. ¡°Like what?¡± The book appeared like it was taking a deep breath of relief. ¡°There are more books like me in here, but they are separated by great distances, and I don¡¯t know their exact locations. I am however able to locate the book that will help us find more of the others!¡± Mana raised an eyebrow and gave the book a shake, like to signal that it was on very thin ice. ¡°I just want to go home. Why would I care about those other books?¡± ¡°Because they contain all kinds of spells! You could become a real, bona fide witch with their knowledge!¡± Mana was walking through room after room. They all bore the same plaque as the one she came from, save for the number of pages, which was increasing. ¡°So, while we¡¯re walking, can you tell me more about this library? What is it? It seems to be an impossible place with a lot of nonsense.¡± ¡°This library, dear missy, is the infinite library!¡± the book announced. Mana wasn¡¯t entirely convinced. ¡°Like¡­ just as a name, or¡­?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s truly endless. Up, down, left, right, forwards, backwards. All six of these directions that the rooms open to extend into infinity.¡± ¡°¡­where did they get all the books to store?¡± ¡°They were created with the library!¡± ¡°Created?¡± The book let out a sigh. ¡°I see that we might need to start at the beginning. Luckily for you, we still have to traverse about a hundred rooms, so we have time.¡± And so it began telling the story. *** A terribly long, long time ago, a wise wizard king looked for a way to create magic books of unrivaled power. The usual process of creating them was long and involved, resulting in maybe one new spell book being created in 50 years due to all the necessary research into mana alignments, spell circle arithmetic and needed vocalizations to cast the spell. Not even counting all the materials, like wood from sacred trees, leather from holy beasts, ink made from the blood of a chimera and so on. For a single book a whole nation labored, employing heroes to slay beasts, commanding millions of slaves to mine materials and employing a cadre of seasoned wizards who were to write the books ¨C and when one of them died in the process, it took a gruesomely long time to bring their successor up to speed to be able to pick up where they left off ¨C usually a process so arduously long that on the first death the entire cadre committed itself to training their own apprentices for the upcoming task, ere they fell into a chain of masters dying in the time it took to raise up another apprentice. The king thought he knew a solution. ¡°Magic books aren¡¯t invented!¡± he proclaimed. ¡°They are discovered when the natural patterns that form the magic incantations align!¡± So he formed a plan: His life¡¯s work would be to develop one spell. Just one new spell with the goal of creating an infinite library of books with randomly created contents. With infinity and the multiverse¡¯s writing systems at work, surely it would create an infinite number of magic books of unrivaled powers, and the only task left was to discover them in the depths of the library. So again the cadre of wizards and heroes and slaves labored to create a single spell book. They were to create a universe inside a glass marble. With already existing spells the mages of the kingdom would be able to enter it and begin the search for the infinite number of spell books. Developing the spell took longer than the king was still alive, but he passed away knowing that his work would benefit the kingdom. His son took over with enthusiasm, promising to be the king who blessed his kingdom with an abundance of spell books that would be able to solve everyone¡¯s problem. The project survived him. The first king¡¯s grandson was annoyed by the whole project and the immense drain it was on the kingdom¡¯s coffers and wanted to shut it down, but the sunken cost fallacy stopped everyone from giving up at this point. It also survived him. Four more generations of the king¡¯s dynasty were survived by the project ¨C and in the end even the kingdom itself. Just as the kingdom crumbled, a lone, mad wizard finally put the last pieces in place and worked the spell. It was a resounding success! The few survivors of the famines, plagues and the final invasion that shattered the kingdom cheered! Naturally, they were all killed and the fruits of their labor, the marble containing a universe of books, was taken to their conqueror. With the rivaling ruler being another wizard king, this served his purposes perfectly and he assembled a cadre of wizards, teaching them the portal spells to enter the dimension and commanding them to bring him any magic books they could find. *** ¡°Everyone in that story sounds kind of stupid,¡± Mana complained. ¡°They were.¡± ¡°And what happened then?¡± ¡°They are still searching. Even in this moment, wizards are scattered through the infinite expanse of the library, always looking for magic tomes. I think in the last thousand years they found¡­ four.¡± Mana stopped in her tracks. ¡°I¡¯m not looking that long for your book,¡± she declared with a bead of sweat running down her temple. ¡°Relax. You have me and my incredible knowledge. We won¡¯t be here for much longer.¡± Mana looked at the plaque they were about to pass. 400 pages. ¡°I can¡¯t really believe that just randomly arranging letters from my world would create a magic book like you.¡± ¡°Well, take a look, then.¡± Mana stopped and opened the book. She immediately understood. There was no secret text in lowercase Roman letters that formed some magic incantation ¨C instead the random distribution of spaces and letters across all 221 pages of ¡®portal¡¯ assembled into elaborate drawings of magic circles and arcane patterns, just like the ¡®ASCII art¡¯ which her father showed her once. ¡°And this formed by chance?¡± ¡°Absolutely random chance. There¡¯s a lot of my kind in this library, but we are mostly ignored by the wizards. Why take a grimoire for a spell you already know?¡± ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you glad that I picked you up, then?¡± Mana chuckled and patted the book. They arrived where Portal wanted them to go. From 076dccd8d10f420133993f8c8bfaf92: Earth Roman letters and Arabic numerals, lowercase only, 432 pages ¡°So¡­ where is it?¡± Mana asked enthusiastically. They could get this book and leave. She wanted to go home, to eat her mother¡¯s cooking and take a hot bath. ¡°Five billion, six hundred and twenty-eight million, nine hundred eleven thousand, two hundred and two floors up.¡± Mana plopped down on the floor, sitting there like a pouting child. ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯m going home. Bring me home! I¡¯m not climbing the stairs for five bill¡­ for all that.¡± ¡°You idiot, we¡¯re not climbing that. It would take longer than you have years left.¡± A portal opened up under Mana¡¯s butt and she fell through with a loud shout of ¡°EEK!¡±. She landed on her back on the target floor. ¡°As long as I know our destination I can go right there.¡± ¡°Why did we walk to the room with the correct number of pages, then?¡± ¡°Because it was a comfortable walking distance. And you wanted to talk.¡± The book¡¯s voice took a snarky tone with her, and she blew her cheeks up in a pouting expression before she got on her feet and looked at the shelves. ¡°So¡­ where?¡± ¡°Third row from the top, number eighty-six from the left, this exact shelf that we are facing.¡± Mana¡¯s finger slid over the spines with various randomized titles until she stumbled upon a coherent title. ¡®index¡¯ the spine read. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she asked, grabbing the book from the shelf. ¡°That right there, young missy, is the holy grail of this library. If there¡¯s an infinite number of books, then within that infinity must also be a book that indexes the legible books and their locations, right? Go on, open it!¡± Mana flipped the pages open. The first word on the page read ¡®portal:¡¯, followed by a one-hundred-page long string of numbers and letters. Upon further inspection, Mana noticed that all the letters were only ranging from a to f. ¡°Is that hexadecimal?¡± she asked, remembering this morning¡¯s lesson. ¡°Good observation, missy! See, every one of the rooms in this library has coordinates. Of course, this becomes hard to manage with literal infinity at work. Just look how many pages the hexadecimal coordinates for my location take up, and we¡¯re in one of the levels with the shortest coordinate strings.¡± Mana nodded and flipped to the next page. ¡®large index¡¯ was printed followed by a much longer hexadecimal string. ¡°That¡¯s the location of an index which points to way more books and uses more alphabets to truly be able to point towards the deepest shelves. This one is kind of a middleman. But I was only able to feel it because it pointed to my own location. Now that I¡¯ve seen the coordinates, I can bring us there.¡± Mana closed the book. ¡°Not today¡­ I want to go home. I bet everyone is already worried about me going missing.¡± The book went quiet, and it seemed like it was looking at her. ¡°But you are intrigued, yes?¡± Mana blinked and turned her head towards the book, showing her widest grin. ¡°Of course I am! This is the greatest thing I¡¯ve ever seen! And if we really can find more of these books with that index, I could become the greatest witch ever, to rival even Magical Girls!¡± Of course, people were worried and looking all over the place for Mana. She had to come up with a lie about how she was lying low to avoid the marionettes and got a little bit too zealous with it. She also had to explain her now azure hair to her mother, telling her that it turned that color when the lightning struck close to her. ¡°Maybe it was those interdimensional energies!¡±, she explained. Her mother and even her school accepted that excuse ¨C apparently such random mutations of hair color happened irregularly across the country among children born after the Kawaguchi incident. Portal was hidden under her uniform and she took it into her room. The next day she rifled through a box of old clothes. ¡°Mom, can I use that witch costume you wore last Halloween?¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Theater!¡± Mana lied. ¡°It¡¯s a bit too big, isn¡¯t it? Should I shorten it?¡± ¡°Only around the legs, I like the sleeves hanging like that.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± *** After her mother prepared the outfit, she gleefully put it on in her room. The way too large witch hat sometimes slid over her eyes, but she kind of liked it. She looked like one of those witches from her father¡¯s old collection of role-playing games. ¡°Okay, Portal. I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Bringing you to the large index, Mana.¡± By now it knew her by name. It summoned a portal, swirling inside her room, where she could step into an entire world entirely at her leisure. She would collect spell books and become a witch ¨C she would go from index to index and find all the legible information of this library, no matter which dangers awaited her. She was Mana Kanno, and she was this infinite library¡¯s new queen. MK.02 Mana Kannos Interlude: Terminal Velocity ¡°Portal¡­¡± Mana Kanno was wearing a serene smile on her face. ¡°Yes, Mana?¡± the sentient book replied with a jolly voice ¨C fully aware that the girl was doing her best to hold back and not rip out its pages one by one in rage. They were in a rather precarious situation. Mana was keeping her head low and running as fast as her short legs could carry her. Behind them fireballs crashed into the neatly arranged bookshelves, spreading all-consuming flames that licked over the ample amounts of fuel offered to them. ¡°You said that this was an infinite library. With endless amounts of space between readable books.¡± ¡°Yes, Mana.¡± ¡°So¡­ how did all of these wizards find us?!¡± Half a dozen red-robed men were after her, flinging spells and curses (the verbal, non-magic kind) alike. More and more of the randomized books went up in flames, their nonsensical contents never to be seen by a human eye. ¡°I have no idea, missy!¡± ¡°Ugh, this sucks. I want to go home where I¡¯m safe.¡± Another book spoke up. This one was labeled ¡®baRrier¡¯, and in this very moment it erected a spell by the same name, which manifested like a glass pane behind Mana as a fireball threatened to obliterate her entire existence. It crashed against the invisible wall and spread its flames on the corridor between bookcase and endless void, eliciting a few more curses from the red-robed men. ¡°Gah! Get me out of here! Portal, get me¡­ two hundred million rooms up and forward in a diagonal line!¡± ¡°Coming right up, Mana!¡± A portal spawned right in front of her, its blue edges faintly glowing. Naturally, with all the rooms of the library looking identical, it looked like it was just a blue ring hanging in the air ¨C until Mana jumped through it and vanished with its closing. *** ¡°Ugh¡­ so much running around. I want to be in a cozy place with other books squeezing my sides. I feel safe between other books,¡± Barrier kept complaining. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never met a book that¡¯s a shut-in.¡± Mana looked around between the two tomes she held in her hands. ¡°Silly. All books are shut-ins,¡± Portal replied. Mana furrowed her brow and wanted to reply to that with a counter ¨C but then she rolled her eyes from side to side as she seriously thought about what Portal just said, then she bit the nail of her thumb as she thought about it further. ¡°¡­damn, you might actually be right about that.¡± ¡°Why do you look so offended that I¡¯m correct?!¡± Their little chat was interrupted by multiple, purple-colored portals opening around them. ¡°Again?! How do they keep finding our coordinates?¡± Mana sprinted into the next room. Behind her she could hear the angry shouts of the red-robed men. ¡°She had an index! Don¡¯t let her escape!¡± ¡°Drive her from his majesty¡¯s library!¡± ¡°Burn the thief!¡± She wasn¡¯t under any illusions that she could solve this entire incident peacefully somehow. ¡°If only I had a spell to attack them back!¡± She complained. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said that ¡®atomize¡¯ sounded too scary and you didn¡¯t want to collect it.¡± ¡°Well, I changed my mind, take me there now!¡± ¡°They would just be on us before we have time to-¡° While they were arguing they were suddenly caught in a gale as one of the wizards changed tactics and attacked with a wind spell ¨C Mana saw the railing pass below her ¨C then the black maw of the abyss below. Her eyes went wide, and she let out a scream as she fell, and fell. Twenty minutes earlier¡­ *** ¡°Bringing you to the large index, Mana.¡± Mana stepped through the portal, ready to be this library¡¯s new queen. With an index pointing to books contained in the library at her side, she would soon wield grand power. Or at least, so she hoped. The library was the same as ever, and Mana found herself between two rooms. ¡û From 076dccd8d10f420133993f8c8bfaf92: Earth Roman letters, Kanji, Kana, Cyrillic, Arabic Numerals, 534 pages From 076dccd8d10f420133993f8c8bfaf92: Earth Roman letters, Kanji, Kana, Cyrillic, Arabic Numerals, 535 pages ¡ú Mana opened her index, flipping through the pages. ¡°I¡¯m not going to compare the coordinates here to that.¡± She pointed at microscopic carvings under the signs pointing to the two adjacent rooms. On further inspection, they were codes, written in alphabetic letters, in kanji, in all sorts of writing systems ¨C both those known to Mana and those which were utterly alien to her. Apparently, the infinite coordinates of the infinite library were captured on a finite space, utilizing an infinite number system. With writing systems from across the multiverse infinity could be captured in a single digit, as there was an infinite number of symbols to choose from ¨C and yet, a few million microscopic etchings sat next to each other, containing fractals of more etchings, containing coordinates. It made her head spin just to think about it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to; That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for. It¡¯s to the right. Opposite wall, bottom shelf¡­ eighth book from the left.¡± Mana followed her leather-bound companion¡¯s instructions and let her fingers slide along the spines in front of her. Finally, she found exactly what she was looking for. ¡®Large index¡¯ was written on the spine, with the ¡®index¡¯ being the English word while ¡®large¡¯ was written in kanji and kana. ¡°Interesting... our index has it all printed in Roman letters,¡± Mana observed. ¡°Same as the coordinates, the index shows names of books by the meaning of their titles, rather than a matching set of characters. It wouldn¡¯t work any other way, with the difference in character sets.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Mana didn¡¯t really listen and pulled the book out of the shelf already, opening the cover. She looked at the first entry. ¡®aTomize¡¯ was written, followed by seemingly random combinations of Roman, Japanese, Cyrillic and Arabic characters with numbers in-between. ¡°Are those coordinates, too?¡± ¡°Yes. In a number system far surpassing the ones you use for computers.¡± ¡°I wonder how much this Kanji is worth in the number system.¡± Mana pointed at the Kanji for ¡®cat¡¯ which stuck out like a sore thumb in the mess of different letters. ¡°It¡¯s 578.¡± Portal responded. Mana flipped through the pages ¨C the coordinates for ¡®atomize¡¯ kept going on and on. She didn¡¯t want to know the absolute value of that Kanji in this whole mess ¨C she had a feeling that it would be a number so large that it would make her head spin. ¡°Either way¡­ what kind of spell is atomize? It sounds scary.¡± ¡°It atomizes things.¡± Mana didn¡¯t answer and just stared at the wall. It was kind of obvious, yeah. ¡°Sounds too scary, I¡¯ll look for another one.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the witch here, so you get to decide.¡± Mana kept flipping the pages until she reached the end of the coordinates. ¡®baRrier¡¯, followed by more pages of nonsense, pointing to its location. ¡°That one sounds good. Starting with a defensive spell can never be wrong!¡± Mana announced happily and closed the large index ¨C she stowed it away in a sling she made her mother sew into the way too large sleeves of her witch outfit. ¡°Bring me to barrier!¡± ¡°On it, Mana!¡± Once more, Mana found herself between two rooms. ¡û From 076dccd8d10f420133993f8c8bfaf92: Earth Roman letters, Cistercian Numerals, 153 pages From 076dccd8d10f420133993f8c8bfaf92: Earth Roman Letters, Cistercian Numerals, 154 pages ¡ú Mana confidently walked up to the shelf and exact book which Portal pointed out to her. With a quick grab she held Barrier in her hand. As if the book felt her touch, it complained immediately. ¡°Put me back.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Please. It¡¯s cold and uncomfortable out here. I like it when I¡¯m sheltered and safe¡­¡± Mana furrowed her brow and started to flip through the book. There were letters, but also other, strange symbols. They looked like runes. All of them were built around a vertical line with other lines being placed either on the top left, top right, bottom left or bottom right. There appeared to be a system to them, but she couldn¡¯t discern it. Spread through the book they created the magic patterns awakening Barrier¡¯s magic powers and its sentience as a book. Mana slid it into one of the slings in her sleeves.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Here. Is that warm and comfortable enough for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s passable.¡± The book responded in its whiny voice. Mana let out a sigh and pulled out her large index again. She started to flip through the pages, looking for whatever other treasures she could discover with it. It was in that moment that she noticed something impossible: another person in the same room as her. A red-robed figure stepped through one of the doors into the quadratic space. He was a tall man with a black, pointy beard and a cruel expression. He scanned her up and down, with his eyes remaining on the index in her hand. He raised a hand and moved it in a beckoning motion for people behind him. Five more red-robed people stepped into the room before he spoke his command. ¡°Get her!¡± From this point on she got chased and, ultimately, cast into the abyss. She was falling and falling. It was all she could do to prevent her big hat from flying off her head and leaving her behind. Rooms upon rooms passed by her, filled with books, all identical to one another, save for the contents of their pages. After a while the sight became unnerving ¨C the way the black abyss remained at the exact same distance while the floors kept passing her by, as if they were continuously created in the distance, like an old screensaver that her father used. ¡°Portal, get me out of here!¡± She shouted, already feeling a little dizzy. ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± the book answered. ¡°What?! Why?¡± Portal hesitated before it answered again. ¡°We are going insanely fast. Wherever I go to get out of here will probably kill you!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you bring me back to Earth and have me land in water?¡± ¡°Could you survive jumping out of a plane and landing in water, Mana?!¡± Mana gritted her teeth and conceded the argument. Tears welled up in her eyes again as she feverishly thought about her options. She had an idea. ¡°Barrier, do you just block projectiles, or can you carry weight as well?¡± ¡°I am capable of floating and carrying weights, but why bother? I just want to go home¡­.¡± Mana groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Look, if we make it through this, I¡¯ll put you in a very comfortable little bookshelf between manga in my room, okay?¡± There was a long silence before the book replied. ¡°What¡¯s manga?¡± ¡°Books with pictures of pretty women in them!¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± the book went silent again, as if contemplating. ¡°How pretty?¡± Mana rolled her eyes and started to describe the Celestial Sisters to her book. *** ¡°Okay, I¡¯m in,¡± the book finally concluded. ¡°Finally! On my signal, then. Portal, I need you to create an entrance in my path and have the exit right next to it, pointing up.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ coming up.¡± Portal mumbled. ¡°Three, two, one¡­ now!¡± Mana got swallowed up by the portal and her direction reversed ¨C identical rooms still passed her by, but got slower, and slower. For five seconds Mana ascended in the tower of bookshelves, but then her momentum stopped for an instance. ¡°Barrier, now!¡± ¡°Okay, okay, geez¡­¡± A pane of transparent energy appeared under Mana, just as her momentum was entirely cancelled out by gravity and she fell down again. With a gentle little ¡®fwomp¡¯ she landed on her back and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked over her shoulder, shuddering as she still saw the endless abyss below her. ¡°It worked.¡± She said, first with a breathless little voice, then she giggled and let out a laugh. ¡°It worked! I¡¯m a genius!¡± ¡°How in the world did you even conceive such an idea?¡± Portal demanded to know. ¡°Oh, my father once let me play this old video game where you do stuff like this all the time.¡± ¡°A video game?¡± ¡°Yes, Portal. A video game.¡± Mana grinned at her book companion. ¡°You share a name with it.¡± ¡°But now we need to find out how they even keep track of us¡­ Barrier, be ready to let us fall again if I give the signal.¡± ¡°Sure, whatever.¡± The book replied with a yawn. She heard portals opening, but none of them were on either of the two floors which she was currently floating between. The sounds came from below. She peeked through the barrier¡¯s transparent pane but could see nothing. The voices she heard were indistinguishable as well. ¡°¡­right, Barrier. Another job for you.¡± ¡°Ugh, what now?¡± ¡°Drop me and then catch me a meter down, then drop me again and so on¡­ I¡¯ll tell you when to stop.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Mana stood up and braced herself for the repeated drops. The barrier disappeared and she braced herself, bending her knees upon landing. Then she repeated the motion. Hop. Hop. Hop. Hop. ¡°Okay, stop.¡± She whispered after roughly 150 of such jumps as she could finally see the figures moving on the lower floor. The voices were intelligible as well. ¡°Third-rate mages, the lot of you! Blasting her over the edge like that! Flinging fireballs at her and consuming possible unclaimed treasures of the library! We are to capture her, grab her spell books, then we can dispose of her. Speaking of which, where the hell is she?!¡± Another mage shook his head, his fingers tracing the lines of a spell book in his hand. ¡°No, the readings from ¡®detect magic: Portal¡¯ are clear. She used the spell and left a portal in this very room.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how they were tracking us!¡± Mana whispered to Portal. ¡°This is bad, Mana. They will find your world if we leave.¡± Mana furrowed her brow, staring at the red-robed mages below. ¡°What do we do?¡± she whispered. ¡°We could grab ¡®atomize¡¯.¡± Portal suggested. ¡°We probably won¡¯t have enough time to grab the book before they come. Also, that¡¯s messed up, Portal, I can¡¯t just atomize them!¡± ¡°They tried to kill you, Mana.¡± ¡°Still¡­!¡± She peeked down at the mages. One of them barked orders. ¡°Well, if she isn¡¯t here she may have run away. Search the shelves! It¡¯s possible she used a coordinate and abandoned the spell located here.¡± Mana¡¯s eyes followed the man who carried the ¡®detect magic¡¯ tome. ¡°Listen, you two. I have a plan.¡± Zarg-Urtax was mumbling curses under his breath. For thirty years he served his nation¡¯s sorcerer king now. Wielding mighty spell tomes, he was able to lay waste to entire regiments of enemy soldiers. But here, scouring the mighty library of infinity, he had to follow the orders of a younger wizard, just because he had five years more experience in this place than him. None of them even managed to find any legible tomes during their tenure here, except for him, Zarg-Urtax. By all rights he should have been promoted, but as it turned out that his tome¡¯s spell was only good to detect the usage of ¡®Portal¡¯ within the confines of the library, no one paid his discovery any mind. Until today. The sorcerer king noticed that an intrusion happened in the dimensional marble, which he kept by his side at all times. And Zarg-Urtax¡¯ tome picked up the repeated use of a ¡®Portal¡¯ spell book. His superior might be barking orders at him or cursing him for his reckless use of magic, but the truth of the matter was that without him and the tome bound to his will, he would be clueless as to where this curious little witch with her index was at this very moment. He pulled books out of the shelves, one after the other. The content was quickly checked for magical writing. Everything else was discarded, tossed into the abyss. Such was the official procedure, to mark rooms that were already searched by mages. With a space as expansive as ¡®infinity¡¯, one couldn¡¯t waste time on searching a room twice. He opened the pages of a book he found, and his eyes darted over the script. ¡®Margites, by Homer¡¯ He furrowed his brow and flipped through the pages, stopping at a random line to read. ¡®There came to Kolophon an old man and divine singer, a servant of the Muses and of far-shooting Apollon. In his dear hands he held a sweet-toned lyre.¡¯ He flipped a few more pages. ¡®He knew many things but knew all badly... The gods had taught him neither to dig nor to plow, nor any other skill; he failed in every craft.¡¯ Even more. ¡®The fox knows many a wile; but the hedgehog¡¯s one trick can beat them all.¡¯ He closed the book, furrowing his brow even deeper. This appeared to be a long comedic poem about a stupid man by a poet from some faraway land. In other words, garbage. He tossed the book over the railing into the abyss. While he pulled more and more books from the shelves he kept thinking about that weird, blue-haired girl in wizard robes. Why did she never try to fight back? Was she here by chance? Was she even a spellcaster? He pondered what to do once they caught her. Without her portal spell they could simply toss her into the abyss like all the useless books. They did so before with other intruders, or with wizards who tried to betray the sorcerer king and hide precious finds. At that point the person sentenced to death had two choices: Starve to death in free fall or try to direct their fall towards one of the rooms and become nothing but a stain on the carpet. Come to think of it, she didn¡¯t look bad. His grandson was at a similar age, judging by her appearance. And he needed another maid ¨C his punishments bled the life out of the last one. Maybe he could convince his superior to let him keep the girl and turn her into a gift. In that moment he heard a high-pitched voice, coming from a few rooms above. ¡°Eyes here, stinky robes!¡± Everyone in the room turned their attention to the pit, and the young witch soared past them, diving feet-first into the endless darkness. Zarg-Urtax only had time to blink once in bewilderment, then a hole in reality opened up in front of his face and through this portal he saw two boots rapidly approaching him ¨C with precious little time to react before everything went dark and he could hear the bone of his nose crack. Success! Mana could hear something crack as she hit the wizard with the full force of her freefall. He was launched back into the shelf behind him, scattering all the remaining books in every direction, while Mana was gently caught by barrier as gravity pulled her to the ground. Oh, crap. The books weren¡¯t part of the equation at all. If she was particularly unlucky, they were now covering whatever tome the wizard used to locate her. She looked around in a panic as the wizards readied themselves to toss more spells in her direction, but they seemed hesitant now. Maybe getting chewed out for using fireballs in a library influenced their decision making ¨C either way, Mana used the gained time to rifle through the books covering the wizard until she heard loud complaints after touching one of them. ¡°Let go of me, wench! I only serve the mighty Zarg-Urtax! HELLO? ANYONE? HELP! HELP!¡± Mana made a disgusted face as the book started to scream, but she had no time. Barrier had to intercept a few spells that were finally flung her way. They looked like arrows made from pure light. ¡°They really want to kill me!¡± She shouted as she started to run, entering the next room before she summoned Portal. ¡°Take me¡­ a googol rooms forward!¡± She shouted. She heard that number and how absurdly long it supposedly was from one of her classmates recently. To her surprise, Portal obliged and opened a gateway somewhere else. Mana hopped through the opening, as magic spells exploded behind her, making books rain out of shelves. *** ¡°And now we see if they can still find us¡­¡± Mana wheezed, standing bent-over as she was catching her breath. She was utterly horrified by the near-death experience. But at the same time, she was just as excited. The rush of adrenaline spread its taste on her tongue and with a first taste, she became addicted. ¡°What a crazy thing to do on the second day in the library!¡± She let out a laugh, sitting down and looking up the endless tower of bookshelves. ¡°I¡¯m so glad I found this place!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sooooooo happy for you.¡± The sarcastic voice came from her hand. ¡°You kidnapper! You evil woman! My master will find you and feed you to the dogs! I will scream until they find you. Watch me! Ahem. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± Mana grimaced and dropped the book, covering her ears, running around a corner and into the hallway between two rooms, peeking around the corner to watch the foreign book. ¡°What¡¯s its problem?¡± ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t told you yet, Mana.¡± Portal began. ¡°This library is finders, keepers. When someone finds a book, it is forever bound to them. No one else can make it do what they want unless it¡¯s officially gifted or pledged to someone else by the owner.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Mana looked at the screaming book and made a decision. *** ¡°A-hah! The evil woman returns! But I will continue screaming until my master¡¯s benefactors find us and punish you!¡± There was a short pause in the book¡¯s monologue. ¡°What are you doing, girl?!¡± Now there was genuine panic in its voice. Mana didn¡¯t hesitate and simply tossed it into the abyss, watching its pages fluttering as it approached the darkness and was swallowed whole by it. ¡°Unusually cruel. I would have just torn it apart,¡± observed Portal. *** Mana went home after that incident. She pulled off her large wizard hat and tossed it aside as she let herself fall face-first onto her bed. ¡°Hey. Where¡¯s the pretty girls in books?¡± Barrier spoke up. ¡°Yes, yes, be patient¡­¡± she grumbled, getting up from her bed and sorting Barrier nicely between two volumes of the official Celestial Sister manga series. ¡°Oh¡­oh! This is wonderful! Young witch, you have my eternal loyalty!¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Mana yawned and turned around to get back to her bed ¨C then she let out a shout and jumped against her bookshelf. She was face to face with a weird girl poking her head out of a portal. She had blue eyes, or rather, one blue eye, as her right one was covered by an eyepatch. Her hair was a dirty blonde color, kept at shoulder length. She wore the uniform of Mana¡¯s middle school, yet she didn¡¯t remember ever seeing this girl before. ¡°Yo, Mana!¡± The weird girl greeted her, lifting one hand. Mana opened and closed her mouth but couldn¡¯t bring words out. ¡°What date is it?¡± the weird girl asked. Mana couldn¡¯t tell, she just lost all recollection of concepts such as the current time of day, or day of the week, or day of the month. She wanted to know who created a portal in her bedroom and why. Still, she looked to the side, to where her calendar hung on the wall, to check for herself. The weird girl followed her head¡¯s movement with her eye and then saw the calendar. ¡°Uh-oh!¡± she exclaimed, then she pulled her head back into the space on her side of the portal. ¡°Hey, Mana! We went too far!¡± What in the¡­? ¡°We went too far?! Oh, blast it, I knew we couldn¡¯t trust this spell. How far?¡± Mana couldn¡¯t believe it. That was definitely her voice. That was what it sounded like when she recorded herself and played it back. ¡°It¡¯s February!¡± ¡°February?! That¡¯s when I just started! Get back in here, I¡¯ll bring us to September, no matter what!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The girl poked her head out of the portal again and put a finger on her lips. ¡°Just¡­ forget this ever happened, okay? Bye, Mana. See you soon!¡± With that she pulled her head back into the portal. The hole in reality closed and it was as if nothing ever happened. Mana sat down on her writing desk¡¯s chair and stared into space for a long while. This library is going to bring me to some of the craziest places and make some of the craziest events happen. She grinned and her right hand was shaking hard enough that she had to grip her wrist with her left hand. I can¡¯t wait! MK.03 Mana Kannos Interlude: Love Yourself/Hate Yourself March 2024 *** Mana Kanno yawned. She was on her way back from school, and a trip to the library on top of that. Recently she spent more time roaming the empty rooms of the infinite library than she spent studying or sleeping. She held a book in her hand which she retrieved during today¡¯s trip; ¡®Blast¡¯ was its name. This was the second offensive spell she managed to gather since her encounter with the wizards of the sorcerer kingdom. In total she possessed five spells now: Blast, Arrow, Portal, Barrier, and Accelerate Target. She didn¡¯t really know what to do with the last one. It accelerated time for things she pointed at, but it could only be cast on objects ¨C and maybe microorganisms, judging by the mold she watched grow in record time from a single piece of bread she attempted the spell on. She took a detour today, walking along the artificial riverbank. She stopped as she saw a red glow under a bridge; A figure with glowing red hair was pointing at a large jar placed under a hovering fireball in front of her and shouted. Things like ¡®Hiyah!¡¯ and ¡®Huooh!¡¯, like she was straining whenever she did the pointing movement. Mana looked around, wondering if anyone else could see that weirdo. Judging by the quick glances and accelerated steps they did. Weirdos are my specialty lately, Mana thought, sliding down the slope and stepping under the bridge. The strange woman was obviously a Magical Girl. A corset, a skirt, tall boots with garter. A uniform jacket that was misused as a cape. She had all the marks of Magical Girl outfit design. Her red hair emitting its own glow was an unusual touch, though. So why is she pointing her wand at a large jar full of fish and salt? ¡°Hiyah!¡± The woman shouted, then she leaned over and looked incredibly pale. A sound came from her like she was about to throw up ¨C and not because of the fishy smell. ¡°Uhm... hello.¡± Mana finally announced her presence. The odd woman looked towards the girl and immediately propped herself up, hands on her hips. ¡°Gyahaha! What¡¯s this, mortal? Come to see Minerva work her magic, have you?¡± She showed a wide grin ¨C then her face turned green, and she had to lean against the nearest wall. ¡°Hurk...¡± ¡°Well, I was wondering what in the world you were doing. And why it makes you sick.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to make garum! A little surprise for my dear partner¡¯s birthday.¡± ¡°Garum?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fish sauce.¡± ¡°I see... any reason for the fireball? And whatever it is you¡¯re doing?¡± Minerva took a deep breath ¨C both to start what would be her explanation, and to recover from her most recent spell of nausea. ¡°You see, garum needs both sunlight and months of time to ferment.¡± ¡°Ferment?¡± Mana looked at the chopped-up fish. The guts were still in the mix. ¡°You basically make the fish digest themselves into a slurry. The salt draws out their stomach liquids to do just that.¡± ¡°Sounds disgusting.¡± ¡°A lot of food preparation is disgusting when you look into it, young mortal!¡± Mana didn¡¯t have a counter for that. Images of cheese, sausages, natto and more ran through her mind ¨C and all the production methods she looked up out of curiosity. ¡°So!¡± Minerva continued. ¡°I need sunlight and time, but it¡¯s March, so...¡± she gestured towards the overcast skies, then to her fireball. ¡°...I made my own sun.¡± Mana nodded. So far, so good. She could follow. ¡°Time is also a factor, sadly, and I only have until this weekend. It¡¯s already been my partner¡¯s birthday, and I promised her to do something special for her this weekend.¡± Mana furrowed her brow. ¡°Wait, you said it takes months!¡± ¡°Correct! So, I¡¯m trying to speed the process up. You see, it appears that I¡¯m a master of healing!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡± Minerva seemed to ponder, then she took a different angle to her explanation. ¡°Healing is nothing other than time magic. You point at a wound, no matter how grievous, and turn the time back on the tissue. For the same reason I can cast localized stasis. That was my go-to to stop bleeding before I realized I could do more.¡± Mana nodded ¨C she didn¡¯t know this woman¡¯s history, but what she explained made sense so far. ¡°So I thought: What if I use it to accelerate time? I can in theory! But it turns out that simply reversing magic is not the most efficient way to reverse its effects, too. I can only do an hour at once and it wrecks my stomach.¡± Minerva let herself fall on her butt, letting out a long sigh as Mana looked at the sorry mixture of salt and fish. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a tough problem. Wish I could¡­¡± Wait. I can help. Mana put down her bag and rummaged through the books within. She produced ¡®Accelerate Target¡¯ and held it up. ¡°I can do multiple days at once, if needed!¡± Minerva clapped her hands together and got up. ¡°Oh, my! Young mortal, you¡¯re a witch?!¡± Mana grinned and nodded. ¡°The best there is!¡± *** They now worked in tandem. Mana opened Accelerate Target (to the sound of its excited exclamations like ¡®Faster, faster!¡¯ and ¡®Warping time, miss!¡¯) and pointed her hand towards the jar. Time advanced for a whole day inside the jar. At first the fish were simply drained of their fluids, which soaked into the salt and dissolved it. Minerva opened the jar, stirred, and Mana repeated her spell. Slowly but surely the fish turned into a brown slurry, with scales and bones separating from flesh. Minerva was absolutely giddy, stirring the contents with every pass and sparing no praise for Mana, making the young girl grin like an idiot. After sixty passes Minerva nodded. ¡°Well done, young witch! Oh, I never asked your name.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Mana. Mana Kanno.¡± ¡°Well met, mighty witch Kanno! There is one more step left.¡± Minerva extinguished the fireball and walked to a backpack that leaned against the slope of the riverbank. It was somewhat disillusioning to see a Magical Girl use such mundane means of transporting items. She pulled out some pieces of cloth, a funnel, a bottle and a ladle. ¡°I need you to accelerate time again or this will take half our lifetime.¡± Minerva chuckled. She put the funnel into the bottle, laying it out with one of the pieces of cloth. She then opened the jar, and the stench of their work filled the air around them. It wasn¡¯t a pungent, rotting smell as Mana feared it would be ¨C instead it was like the smell of all the fish used for this little food experiment was concentrated into one super-fish smell. Like they had an entire fish market in a bottle. This lasted until Minerva disturbed the liquid with the ladle and a stinging, fermented smell violated Mana¡¯s nose. The ladle was used to get the brown sludge out of the jar and put on top of the filter. ¡°Make it flow faster, please,¡± the red Magical Girl asked, and Mana obliged, even as she fought back tears from the stinging smell. ¡°Coming right up!¡± They worked in tandem again, and with the acceleration spell they saw a quick drip of golden liquid coming from the muddy brown substance in the sheet of fabric. ¡°Oho! It¡¯s working! Keep going, Mana!¡± Minerva cheered, pouring ladle after ladle until the cloth was too clogged and had to be replaced. After 20 minutes of work the entire bottle was filled with an amber liquid. It almost looked like honey, though with a much waterier consistency. Minerva grinned and pulled a teaspoon from her backpack, pouring a small quantity on it. ¡°You should have a taste, Mana!¡± Mana looked at the liquid on the spoon. Now filtered it smelled a little sweet, but it had the briny, fishy scent of the salty concoction still on it. She wasn¡¯t entirely certain if she wanted to partake in this culinary experiment. However, Mana Kanno, the great witch of the infinite library wasn¡¯t one to back down after coming so far, so she had a taste after all. To her surprise it didn¡¯t even taste much like fish. It carried more of a meat taste, with a spicy warmth that carried a salty note much milder than soy sauce. She raised her eyebrow and looked at the odd Magical Girl in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ actually good?¡± ¡°Right?¡± Minerva returned with the smuggest grin imaginable. *** ¡°So, what are you going to use that garum for?¡± Mana asked as she watched the Magical Girl gather her things together. ¡°Hm¡­ I might cook something traditional with it. Also it is a great condiment. You can put it on almost everything!¡± ¡°Huh, really?¡± ¡°It is primarily used to add salty flavor to things.¡± Minerva grinned and stared into the distance. ¡°I¡¯m going to make her day! It¡¯s not every year you turn thirty!¡± Mana smiled a little as she watched Minerva¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°This person you¡¯re making this for¡­ your partner. She must mean a lot to you.¡± Minerva turned around with her smile still on her face. ¡°Of course she does. I love her.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Mana¡¯s jaw dropped at that confession. ¡°Woah!¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Minerva didn¡¯t seem to put nearly as much meaning into those words as Mana. ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised. Of course I love her. We share a body. She is me. And I love myself. What kind of woman wouldn¡¯t love herself?¡± She was back in her home territory, the infinite library. After flipping through her index, she stopped at an entry named ¡®translate¡¯. ¡°This is probably one of the single most important tomes you could find in here.¡± Portal commented. Mana blinked and tilted her head. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Because so far you¡¯ve been lucky, Mana.¡± Portal said in a low tone. ¡°This library is endless. So are the alphabets and writing systems in it. You are able to recognize Roman letters, Kana and Kanji, but what will you do if names of tomes are written in Russian? You could probably painstakingly translate the names from the index at home, but once you encounter a writing system not from Earth you will be at a complete loss.¡± Mana listened attentively and nodded. ¡°We should get ¡®Translate¡¯.¡± Portal didn¡¯t even need to hear a command, he immediately opened a gate to their destination and the girl stepped through. As always, Mana wanted to read the signs between the rooms ¨C but she was rudely interrupted. What looked like a purple tentacle made entirely out of slime rushed her out of the left-side room, slamming into her and tossing her into the adjacent room¡¯s abyss. She reappeared a second later out of a portal, dropping on her butt behind the bookshelves and peeking around the corner while she rubbed her ribs with a pained expression. ¡°Ow! What in the world was¡­?¡± She saw a giant mass of purple slime attached to the bookshelves on the side of the room that was facing her. Both shelves and the door in the middle were blocked by the creature. Two golden orbs floated inside its pulsing body. ¡°Portal, what¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°This is very unfortunate, Mana. An autonomous monster summoning spell must have been created right next to Translate.¡± ¡°What are the chances, eh?¡± Mana joked, making light of the situation. ¡°One to ¨C ¡° ¡°Don¡¯t actually say that number.¡± *** ¡°If I had to guess I¡¯d say that these orbs are its cores. It will probably die if I destroy them.¡± Mana observed, still peeking around the corner ¨C as she leaned her head a bit too far, one of the tentacles shot towards her and knocked her hat away. A portal appeared above her head, with the clothing article landing directly on top again as she withdrew back behind the bookshelf and crossed her arms, pondering her predicament. ¡°You¡¯ve learned to utilize me so fast. You don¡¯t even need an incantation anymore to make me execute your will.¡± ¡°Heh. Well, there¡¯s nothing beyond me if I put my mind to it!¡± Mana puffed out her chest and let out a smug huff. ¡°Don¡¯t get a big head or your hat will actually fit.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°So, do you have a plan?¡± ¡°Sort of.¡± She pulled out Barrier, Arrow and Blast. ¡°Ready to protect you, milady!¡± Ever since she stored Barrier between her manga collection it took on the personality of a noble knight protecting his sworn liege. It really liked the half-clothed depictions of the Celestial Sisters in particular. ¡°Do you need to shoot something, Ma¡¯am?¡± this one was Arrow, speaking with the cadence of a seasoned soldier. ¡°Blast¡¯em, ahahaha!¡± Blast was a bit more¡­ simpleminded. ¡°Alright, listen up: I need all of you in top shape for this.¡± *** The wriggling mass kept an ¡®eye¡¯ on the opening where it previously noticed the witch. Tendrils extended in the door¡¯s direction, probing along the spines of books, leaving them slimy in the process. As the tendrils slid through the opening and probed around the corner, nothing was there. A portal appeared in the room, right next to the slime. ¡°Over here, ugly!¡± Mana shouted, then she extended a hand. ¡°Blast!¡± Just as she spoke her word, a large chunk of slime was blown right out of the creature by an explosive gust of wind. It shuddered and tried to counterattack with three tendrils. They were stopped by three translucent panes of energy, held back just long enough for the witch to blast again and again until the golden orbs were laid bare. ¡°Arrow!¡± She shouted and an arrow made from light soared forth, piercing one of the cores. An otherworldly scream echoed through the library¡¯s halls as the orb withered and disintegrated. The witch grinned, sure of her immediate victory as she turned by ten degrees and fired another arrow at the second core. It, too, withered and disintegrated. ¡°Too bad for you, you met the mighty witch, Mana Kanno! Bow down and die in front of your queen!¡± Nothing happened. Mana blinked and looked around as the panes of energy protecting her started to crack. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°Oh no. Look, Mana!¡± She looked back to the creature ¨C and surely enough, there was another core. ¡°Arrow!¡± She shouted immediately, piercing the orb and destroying it. ¡°It should be done now!¡± Her eyes widened as her assumption was proven incorrect. One, then two cores regrew. ¡°Hate to tell you this, but it appears you need to destroy both at once¡­ and arrow only shoots one projectile at a time. What now?¡± Portal mumbled from the sling inside her sleeve. Mana grimaced and threw the slime a glare ¨C then, before her barriers were broken, she ran towards the railing and jumped into the abyss. *** She fell head-first for a while. She used the time to grab her large index and rifle through its pages, furrowing her brow as she looked for a possible spell to overcome the slimy foe sitting on top of the most precious tome she could get. Finding it bothersome to read upside-down she entered a portal, reversed her direction and firmly planted her feet on a barrier the moment her momentum was cancelled out by gravity. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± She flipped the pages. ¡°Incinerate is out with all the books. And¡­ that thing looks too gooey to burn.¡± Flip. ¡°Berserker. I don¡¯t think raw power would be useful.¡± ¡°How about Atomize?¡± Portal suggested. ¡°I told you multiple times, I don¡¯t want Atomize. With my luck it will be an atomic explosion right in front of my face instead of disintegrating my target.¡± ¡°If you insist.¡± Flip. ¡°Hm¡­ you said I needed to hit both cores at the same time?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes, I did.¡± Mana grinned and tapped on the entry in her book. ¡°Bring me to the coordinates of ¡®Doppelg?nger¡¯.¡± From 125dccd8d10f420100003f8c82saf21: Aranon Imperial Aranon Script and Vexian Numbers, 666 pages ¡°This is different.¡± Mana said as she looked at the plaque. ¡°Which is also why we need Translate. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to read whatever index we might find in this section.¡± ¡°Wait, even you can¡¯t read it?¡± ¡°I can only read the script that I myself am written in, so I am sadly limited to Roman letters.¡± Portal seemed genuinely regretful. ¡°Wait, but you can read coordinates in another script.¡± ¡°Coordinates and systems of writing are different altogether. I knew the value of the character you showed me the last time, not its meaning.¡± Mana scratched her head and let out a sigh. ¡°Well, either way¡­ show me where our book is.¡± ¡°Shelf on the left, fifteenth from the right, middle.¡± Mana went to work and let her finger glide over the spines, counting the books and finally picking up the one Portal pointed out to her. She couldn¡¯t read the script on it at all or guess as to its meaning. The letters looked like differently shaped fishhooks, whose rotation also seemed to carry meaning. The writing emitted a faint glow ¨C and as Mana traced the lettering the book started to shake violently, ripping itself out of Mana¡¯s hand and floating mid-air. The witch watched with fascination as the book itself shapeshifted into something else entirely. The girl who emerged sported burning red hair, a tan to her skin and wore pure white witch robes. All the shapes and details were the same as Mana''s own body, but she was completely palette swapped. Does my grin look that mischievous? ¡°You¡­ can understand me, yes?¡± Mana asked carefully. ¡°Of course. I can do everything you can do, mistress.¡± Mana didn¡¯t like the almost sarcastic intonation at the end but brushed her alarming gut feeling aside for now. ¡°I need your help with a monster.¡± *** Mana stepped out of her portal near the slime monster. Her copy followed through a portal of her own. Mana could see copies of her own tomes swaying on slings under the white robes¡¯ sleeves. It didn¡¯t sit quite right with her that this copied Mana had all her abilities. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work.¡± The two of them walked to opposite corners of their current room ¨C then they stepped through portals, ending up in the exact same position in the adjacent room. ¡°¡°Blast!¡±¡± They shouted in synchronicity and large chunks flew away from the creature. Its anticipated retaliation met barriers once more, and as the two cores lay bare the twins dealt with it by shouting ¡°¡°Arrow!¡±¡± together, piercing the spheres without issue. Deprived of cores a shriek emanated from the creature and its body splashed on the carpet as a liquid with no magic to keep its shape intact. ¡°Well, that was easy.¡± Mana announced. She walked to the shelf and finally grabbed Translate off it, wiping off all the residual slime from the monster. ¡°Hello! I am Translate, and I speak all the languages you might encounter in this library! Channel me and you will be able to understand, speak and write them, too.¡± It sounded like a butler. Mana looked at her copy from the corner of her eye. The girl held her own copy of ¡®Translate¡¯ in her hand which must have appeared spontaneously as the original was bound to Mana. Mana started to flip through Translate¡¯s pages out of curiosity and heard her own voice speak up. ¡°Mistress! I would like a reward for my help.¡± The clone announced. Mana kept turning the pages absentmindedly before answering. ¡°Hm? Sure. Want me to put your book somewhere special? Barrier really likes girls in manga. Maybe you¡¯d like something like that, too?¡± As she looked up from her book, the other Mana was right in front of her. Mana dropped her book and lifted her hands to try and push the other girl away, but it only resulted in them both grabbing each other¡¯s hands, fingers intertwined, locked in a struggle as the redhead tried to draw close to Mana ¨C with Mana trying her best to push her away. ¡°What in the world- hey, stop that!¡± Mana shouted. She felt her hands slipping, and as she looked, they melted together with the copies¡¯ own. Mana¡¯s eyes went wide. It didn¡¯t hurt, but seeing one¡¯s own body become malleable like that was a shocking sight. As she turned her head towards the other girl, their lips almost touched. ¡°Mistress¡­ I love you. You are me¡­ I am you¡­ we are¡­ we. We should be¡­ one. I love myself. So much.¡± Their lips touched, but it wasn¡¯t a kiss like Mana knew (from innocent internet searches). Their faces started to meld, starting with their noses and their lips, like the girl was sinking into a mirror. Mana struggled, unable to breathe and saw her counterpart¡¯s eyeballs approaching her own. No¡­ no! Blast! *** The spell activated, and the two forms were blown away from each other. Mana coughed and hacked as she was able to breathe again, quickly checking her hands to make sure that the two hadn¡¯t been forcefully ¡®ripped¡¯ apart, but her body was fine. ¡°That wasn¡¯t nice, mistress. Arrow.¡± Mana¡¯s long sleeve was nailed to the floor by a magic arrow, followed by her other one. The copy straddled her and looked down at her. ¡°Why deny me?¡± She asked, putting a finger innocently on her own lips as if in thought. ¡°We would be so good together. As one being.¡± In that moment another portal opened. The weird girl with the eyepatch who intruded in Mana¡¯s bedroom last month poked her head out. ¡°Mana! Listen to me! We can help you against the slime, so don¡¯t pick up¡­¡± She turned her head to the red-haired ¡®Mana¡¯. ¡°¡­Doppelg?nger.¡± She turned her head around to shout into the space behind her portal again. ¡°Mana! We¡¯re too late. What do we do?¡± ¡°Damn it all! Drive her away for now!¡± The eyepatch girl nodded and clenched a fist close to her heart. Her hair started to glow in a green color, very similar to the red of Minerva which Mana saw earlier that day. She pulled her eyepatch off and tossed it aside, revealing an emerald crystal in place of an eye. Then she jumped out of the portal and rammed into the white-robed clone, pushing her off Mana before she took the time to pluck the magic arrows out of the ground to allow Mana to move again. ¡°No, no, no! Who interrupts my time with my mistress?¡± the red-haired Mana complained, shooting arrows towards the green-haired intruder, who simply deflected them with her bare arms ¨C a faint glow of green energies was visible whenever the girl deflected a projectile to the side, as if she used perfectly timed dense magical energies as a shield. Finally, someone else left the portal. It was Mana herself ¨C but she appeared to be older. Maybe two years, judging by the additional height. ¡°What a mess!¡± the older Mana complained. ¡°But we can stop her right here and right now by snuffing her out in her own past. Give her hell, Arisu.¡± The girl addressed as Arisu nodded and a blade of magic energy appeared from her right wrist, which she used to slash at the clone. The clone though used the skills she knew from Mana and blocked every strike with her mastery of Barrier. ¡°You¡­ are so close to mistress! Too close!¡± The clone hissed and used a portal to land on the other side of the room. ¡®Arisu¡¯ changed the magic energies she projected and created a green glowing bow in her left hand, drawing its sting with a magic arrow and taking aim. ¡°It¡¯s no use. Not while she¡¯s prepared to block you with Barrier.¡± The older Mana stepped next to Arisu and put a hand on her shoulder. The redhead pointed at the two of them. ¡°Now I¡¯ve had enough! Mistress denies me and fraternizes with some unknown girl in the future?! I won¡¯t take it. I am Mana. We are Mana! I will erase this nuisance from existence and merge with my mistress, as is my fate!¡± With that the redhead slipped away into another portal to an unknown location within the infinite library. ¡°Mana¡­¡± Arisu started. ¡°¡°Yes?¡±¡± both Manas in the room replied. The older one turned towards the younger with some annoyance in her expression. ¡°She¡¯s obviously talking to me. Be quiet!¡± She commanded. When am I growing into such a¡­ difficult person? ¡°Mana¡­ instead of erasing the clone ¡­ did we just give her the idea to prevent my existence in the first place?¡± Older Mana turned her head away, not daring to look at her partner. She opened a portal. ¡°Maybe. Let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°Oh we¡¯re going to have a long talk!¡± Arisu shouted and followed, though she stopped for a moment, turning towards the younger Mana with an apologetic expression. ¡°Sorry. Please forget that this ever happened. Again.¡± With a quiet hiss the portal swallowed the two strange people again and vanished, only leaving an utterly befuddled Mana behind. She was back in her room. She was one book richer, but also multiple worries. There was a clone of hers out there who wanted to merge with her ¨C who knew to what end? And apparently, she will make a new friend in the future whose whole existence is threatened by said clone, though she¡¯s not sure how that was supposed to play out. Her heart hammered in her chest and her head spun ¨C then she caught a glimpse of something white outside of her window. There was her clone ¨C simply staring at her. Mana pointed her hand at the girl, ready to shoot an arrow through the window and her, but the girl only shook her head. ¡°I will not try to merge with you as long as that girl is out there. She would¡­ complicate things, mistress¡­¡± The girl narrowed her eyes. ¡°I hated the me who looked at her with those eyes. Until she is dealt with, I will not be Mana anymore.¡± Mana blinked, lowering her hand. ¡°Oh yeah? Who will you be?¡± ¡°I will pick a name that also starts with the kanji for ¡®demon¡¯, like yours. What about¡­¡± The clone pondered for a moment. ¡°Marisa. Yes, I think I like that one. Like the witch from the games father plays.¡± She giggled and simply fell through a portal that appeared under her. Mana stared at the place where Marisa just sat. Her ventures into the library may have just become much more dangerous. MK.04 Mana Kannos Interlude: We Were Here April 2024 *** Mana stepped out of her portal into the library. Armed with Translate, she would be able to read the index which was supposed to be located in this area. ¡û From 125dccd8d10f420100003f8c82saf21: Aranon Imperial Aranon Script and Vexian Numbers, 21 pages From 125dccd8d10f420100003f8c82saf21: Aranon Imperial Aranon Script and Vexian Numbers, 22 pages ¡ú The number of pages gave her pause, however. There was no way that a single alphabet and number system would give her enough space for multiple coordinates on such a limited canvas. The index she was headed for must therefore be on the lower number of entries. ¡°All that for maybe one book,¡± she complained offhandedly to Portal and turned her head in the direction of the target bookshelf. There was a minotaur staring at her, barely further away than a meter. Steam rose from its nostrils and the spear it carried shone in the light of the lamps. In its other hand it carried a tower shield, almost as large as itself. Mana extended a hand and Arrow shot towards the beast without her needing to command it verbally. As she expected, the creature blocked the arrow with its shield and advanced towards her. Mana attempted to use her portals to get behind it, but as she did, the hulking mass of muscle turned around completely at a surprising speed and Mana had to duck or she would be even shorter than before ¨C a full head shorter, to be precise. Cursing quietly, she withdrew back into the neighboring room via another portal, circling the abyss in the middle while she kept her distance from her enormous enemy. ¡°Two self-summoning beasts in a row? Near another book?¡± Portal mused. ¡°The chances of that are¡­¡± ¡°Near zero.¡± Mana finished for him. She extended her hand again and used Blast. It staggered the minotaur and pushed it back, so she used it consecutively, narrowing her eyes as she kept thinking. ¡°I get the feeling that we are being pranked by Marisa.¡± After a moment an idea took shape in her mind. After her encounter with Doppelg?nger, she replayed the events leading up to it over and over in her head, trying to find out if there could have been a course of action that worked without using her clone. She was about to reuse that idea now. ¡°Portal, this is going to be a little more complicated than the usual ones.¡± ¡°Got it, Mana.¡± Mana used a final blast which hit the minotaur¡¯s shield, then she focused on shaping Arrow. ¡°Entry portal one meter in front of me! Create the exit portal the exact moment I let loose of the arrow on my palm!¡± She barked her orders while the minotaur was still reeling, then she shot her arrow. Portal followed her instructions to the letter, catching the magical arrow in an infinite loop of entering and exiting the two holes in reality. Mana created a barrier to protect the entry portal from the muscular ox-human hybrid, then a second one to box him in ¨C for a time, at least. She sprinted ¨C circling the room until she stood on the other side, all while the minotaur stabbed and slashed the barriers in rage ¨C it even threw its weight against them and soon cracks appeared all over the translucent panes and they shattered, just in time for the creature to notice that Mana was now behind it. It turned her way and blew hot, almost steamy air out of its nostrils as it prepared to charge and kill the child in front of it. ¡°Not so fast!¡± Mana shouted with a grin. She extended her hand and blasted the minotaur once more. She continued that way, even mixing in an arrow or two for variety until she was certain that the creature was entirely entrenched behind its shield. ¡°Portal, if you would erase the entry point?¡± She didn¡¯t need to vocalize her command at her current level of mastery, but she enjoyed the theatrics that would accompany her victory this way. ¡°Coming right up!¡± While the Minotaur was busy deflecting Mana¡¯s blast and arrow attacks from the front, the arrow in its back was entirely forgotten. The entry portal disappeared, allowing the magic projectile to fly ahead and bury itself in the large creature¡¯s spine. It buckled, its legs giving out without receiving commands from the brain anymore ¨C and as it lost its balance and fell out of its large shield¡¯s protection, it faced the Witch Queen of the Infinite Library, her hand folded into the shape of a gun, with an arrow spell wildly rotating at the tip of her fingers and pointed at the minotaur¡¯s eye. ¡°Bang!¡± The dead creature turned into ash and crumbled. A lone applause echoed through the library and a snow-white witch hat peeked over the railing of the floor above. It was Marisa. ¡°Bravo! Bravo! My beloved is so graceful and strong! It makes me want to merge with her after all! Ah, but I must hold back!¡± It was irritating to be mocked like that by her own voice ¨C Mana clenched her hand into a fist. ¡°What do you want, Marisa?!¡± ¡°Nothing, mistress!¡± Marisa threw her arms out wide and showed Mana the widest smile imaginable. ¡°I just wished to see you fight this creature! I never doubted that you would be able to vanquish it, but the way you overcame your own weaknesses was nothing short of inspiring!¡± Now Portal spoke up. ¡°How did you even get that spell? It¡¯s not in our index.¡± ¡°Oh, Portal, Portal¡­¡± Marisa sighed. ¡°You can be so stupid sometimes. Have you forgotten that I am a book myself? Much as I hate to admit it.¡± Portal paused before Mana could feel that it realized something. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± ¡°Oh yes, Portal! As a book I can feel any index pointing towards my original room and shelf. And I found the most wonderful index, filled with books upon books for summoning monsters. Though I feel a little conflicted about being lumped in with them.¡± Marisa let out a little laugh before she descended the stairs. ¡°I do not really wish to harm you, mistress. But isn¡¯t it painfully boring to explore this library with no real challenge? You are the great witch of the library, so you should test yourself. You should grow strong.¡± ¡°You just say that because you grow more powerful when she does!¡± Portal shouted at her, making the redheaded girl click her tongue. ¡°Shut up, you single-language halfwit.¡± She then moved towards the shelf and struck a pose, pointing with both of her arms at one of the books like she presented Mana with her prize. ¡°Anyway: ta-dah! Here is your brand-new index! But with only twenty-one pages it contains a measly single entry. What could it possibly be?¡± Mana gave Marisa an annoyed look as she approached the shelf and yanked the book out of its comfortable place, flipping it open. The translation magic did its work, letting her parse the odd script. ¡°Before the coordinates it just says ¡®Aranon¡¯.¡± She commented with a furrowed brow. ¡°That¡¯s not a spell.¡± ¡°No,¡± answered Portal. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. It¡¯s a world coordinate. Congratulations, Mana. You found your first access point to another world.¡± *** Marisa kept close to them with a self-satisfied grin, leaning against the bookshelves. ¡°Another world?¡± Mana asked. ¡°Like the one the wizards who created this library came from. I have never heard of this ¡®Aranon¡¯, but judging by the fact that it has a writing system named after itself, it must be sufficiently advanced.¡± Portal explained to her. Mana flipped through the pages, looking at the weird letters and numbers that shaped the coordinates. As they weren¡¯t actually text, they remained untranslated and foreign to her eyes. ¡°Will it be dangerous? Like, will I have air to breathe?¡± ¡°We can open the portal with some distance and check that way.¡± Portal suggested. Marisa rolled her eyes and grabbed her newest index out of her sleeve, flipping the pages. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, mistress.¡± With that she vanished through a portal, leaving Mana behind. Mana blinked and stared at the space where Marisa just vanished. ¡°What¡¯s she up to?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, Mana.¡± In that moment Marisa appeared again, with a new book in her hand. ¡°Here. I have the perfect thing to test air quality and other things.¡± Marisa announced, flipping through the pages. She extended her arm and summoned something. Mana immediately got herself ready to blast and kill whatever it was, but relaxed as she saw a small, featureless human in front of her. ¡°What in the world is that?¡± she asked Marisa. ¡°It¡¯s a homunculus.¡± The redheaded witch replied. ¡°I even made it very sensitive to radiation and other invisible threats. So, you can rest assured that it will die spectacularly if there¡¯s anything in the air that would kill you after years of noticing nothing wrong with your body.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Mana furrowed her brow and looked at the little creature, shrugging her shoulders and looking at Portal. ¡°Well, you heard her. Let¡¯s open a portal to this ¡®Aranon¡¯.¡± After the little homunculus climbed through the portal they waited. The other side looked to be a beach ¨C with the portal opening seaside, watching the waves gently roll over the sand. There was just one odd difference to what a beach on Earth would look like: everything had a red tint to it. The homunculus walked around a little, turning from side to side before it turned around and waved at the two of them. It was a little unsettling to be waved at by a toddler without a face, but Mana tried to hide her discomfort. She turned her head towards Marisa and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s your pet. You get to confirm that it¡¯s telling the truth.¡± ¡°So mistrustful, mistress!¡± Marisa teased, blowing Mana a kiss as she walked through the portal. ¡°See? It¡¯s safe. And you might want to see this with your own eyes!¡± Marisa pointed to something behind the portal on her side. Mana sighed and still hesitated, exchanging a look with Portal ¨C to the extent one could do that with a book. ¡°Oh well. If I don¡¯t go in there, she¡¯ll probably wreck the place before I can see it properly.¡± Mana walked through the portal and closed it behind herself. As she turned around, she realized that Marisa didn¡¯t need to wreck anything. There was a city. Its architecture was weird and foreign, as the buildings looked more circular than blocky, but the buildings were very recognizable as such. Though, past the second floor only their steel skeletons remained, reaching up into the sky, bent and disarranged. Mana looked into the sky, which was a pinkish-orange hue. ¡°Looks like pictures of Mars. Only that we have an ocean here.¡± She began to walk, with Marisa following close. Her little creature walked ahead of them, like a canary in a coal mine. Before long they were inside the hollowed-out city. Mana could see that most of the damage came from decay, with houses having collapsed without anyone caring to clean them up or repair them. In other corners she saw signs of battle. Craters and bullet holes pockmarked the streets. There was no sign of any victims of this violence or whoever perpetrated it, though. They kept walking, across an open space that must have been used once as a market ¨C the building in front of them looked suspiciously like a town hall. ¡°This place is an utter wreck. Nothing worthwhile here!¡± Marisa kept complaining, kicking the rubble around them. ¡°I want to know what happened¡­¡± Mana hushed her. ¡°Not like the stones here will tell you anything. Anyway, time to check up on the little guy. Air still safe? No radiation? No toxic spores?¡± The homunculus gave Marisa a thumbs up. Mana dug through some of the rubble surrounding the marketplace. There was nothing. ¡°Maybe something is in that town hall looking place over there.¡± She suggested. ¡°Ugh, fine, mistress! But only because I like you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to come.¡± Mana said dryly ¡°I still haven¡¯t forgotten how you tried to¡­ merge with me. It felt weird. And disgusting.¡± The clone rolled her eyes and looked into the dead landscape as she followed Mana. The door was rusted shut, so the young witch had to employ her blast spell a few times to pry it open. The town hall was missing a roof as well, with rubble covering the entire floor. ¡°Looks like a dud, too.¡± Marisa complained and shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the library, this dead place bores me, mistress!¡± ¡°I told you; you can go on your own. I don¡¯t even want you here!¡± Mana snapped at her. Marisa glared at Mana and simply looked the after way with a noisy ¡®hmph!¡¯ sound. After their altercation something else spoke. At first it was an incomprehensible language, then her book Translate stepped in. ¡°¡­not native to this planet. Sapience level¡­ sufficient. Hello, travelers. Please confirm if you can understand us!¡± Mana blinked and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. The message repeated. ¡°The vault¡¯s recovery system registered lifeforms not native to this planet. Sapience level¡­ sufficient. Hello, travelers! Please confirm if you can understand us!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ hello!¡± Mana responded. ¡°Translate, maybe make me respond in their language, too. Hello!¡± There was a break in the messages before another one played. ¡°You speak our language! Wonderful news! Please locate the source of these beeps.¡± An annoying sound played through the building which made Mana and Marisa scrunch up their faces. It came from the basement, which was only half intact. Mana and Marisa and their little homunculus had to climb over rubble to make it to the source of the noise. There was a speaker in front of a large shutter, constantly blaring. ¡°Okay, okay! We found it! Please turn it off!¡± Mana yelled over the noise as she covered her ears. The noise turned off and the shutter started to lift. ¡°Wonderful! Welcome to the vault, dear guests! Behold the legacy of Aranon and witness with your own eyes¡­ that we once lived here.¡± 3 Mana stepped through the shutter and down a long flight of stairs, even deeper than the town hall¡¯s basement. The air got colder the deeper they descended ¨C soon the stone around them gave way to steel and ceiling lights turned on one after the other. The steel gave way to glass, and they could see that they were underwater. Alien marine life passed by the tube they walked through, creatures that looked like sharks with turtle shells, two-headed eel creatures that could swim in either direction, fish that looked like they had the eyes and mandibles of spiders. There was some noise again, but it was quiet, gentle this time. Before long Mana realized that they carried a harmony ¨C music was played for their tour. ¡°Aranon is beautiful, isn¡¯t she? The wonders of life, the result of billions of years of creatures adjusting to the challenges of existence.¡± This was the same voice that spoke to them earlier, now acting as a sort of tour guide. ¡°The fact that so many creatures still exist despite our blue skies being poisoned by rust is proof of life¡¯s tenacity. Maybe in a billion years an heir to our species will emerge¡± Mana didn¡¯t like the implication at all. ¡°You talk like you¡¯re dead.¡± There was no reply ¨C whatever spoke to them was made to narrate, not to hold a conversation. They finally arrived at their destination ¨C a giant underwater dome. Around them they could still see life swirling in the waters, but the walls were lined with statues while the center of the room was equipped with giant machinery that looked like a projector of some kind. The people they depicted looked humanoid, albeit with ridges along their foreheads and skins between their elongated fingers and toes. They looked amphibian. Every single one was contemplating something in their open palms and as Mana climbed up the side of the statues, she saw that it was a single drop of water ¨C or at least the depiction of one sculpted with glass. What¡¯s there to think about? ¡°This is where we will tell you about our history as a species. Our beginnings. Our greatness. Our failure. Our end. Our hope.¡± ¡°Booooring!¡± Marisa complained again, sitting down and leaning against one of the statues. The room darkened, and a hologram played in the middle of the room. It was a depiction of the planet, as far as Mana could tell. It was mostly water, with a lot of islands in between and one large continent somewhere around the equator that was mostly covered in desert. A rust-red desert. ¡°We, the Aranon, developed after an eons-long period of evolution from amphibian lifeforms. Mastering tools and within time farming techniques for the phytoplankton we need to consume to live.¡± The voice was now a different one. And next to them a person looking like the surrounding statues showed up, similarly cast by a holographic projector. He ¨C at least Mana assumed it was a he, by the voice, pointed at the projection of the planet. The projection changed, showing humanoid creatures with gills and fish tails instead of legs - though as they approached maturity their gills closed, and they sprouted legs before they shed their tails and walked on land. ¡°In the water we built our farms and hatcheries. On land, we built our homes and large centers of culture and research. Within a short twenty thousand years since we learned to communicate with words, we ruled over everything under the beautiful blue skies of our planet.¡± The alien turned their way and bowed. ¡°Apologies for the late introduction. My name is Mhorad. I am the creator of this vault.¡± His facial expressions were alien to Mana¡¯s sensibilities but Translate allowed her to see the pain in his eyes. ¡°And as you¡¯ve already seen out there, our species has gone extinct. Let me tell you how it happened.¡± *** ¡°We loved nothing more than to watch the stars. On our oceans the view was always so clear, so undisturbed. We wished to visit them, too. Alas, we only ever managed orbital flight.¡± The holographic projection showed arcs of objects being shot into space, first going up and failing to reach orbit, splashing back down in water, before finally one of the objects achieved orbital flight. ¡°We understood soon that we wouldn¡¯t be able to leave our home for the stars. Not without large leaps in knowledge and technology.¡± Mhorad faced the hologram and pointed at various islands on which glowing spots appeared. ¡°We gathered our brightest minds to study every secret of our planet and the cosmos ¨C and before long this pursuit of knowledge became our whole reason of being.¡± His eyes turned sorrowful. ¡°The universe is so beautiful and expansive, all a single species on a single planet could ever hope to comprehend of its wonders within its finite existence would be equivalent to a drop of water from the ocean.¡± Mana looked at the statues again and she finally understood their meaning. ¡°Within a few centuries our researchers understood the origin of every species swimming in our waters, the movements of the winds themselves and the nature of the visible stars. The whole world united under the banner of Aranon to pursue knowledge!¡± Mohorad raised his arms, spread as if he was praying to the skies. ¡°Save for the Vexilians.¡± He let his arms sink to his side again and rotated the holographic planet until the large continent with the rust desert was in view. ¡°They refused to join the Empire and after a while they grew jealous. While their nation was small¡­¡± A few dots lit up on the shoreline of the desert continent, indicating settlements. ¡°¡­they were fierce. They, too, funded research, but into matters of war. And soon they coveted our land and knowledge.¡± With a snap of his fingers the planet vanished and was replaced by visions of naval battles. Ships were battered by volleys of impossibly large projectiles; torpedoes exploded and broke the spines of other ships. Though as one fleet pushed back the other, planes appeared from the horizon, turning the tides of battle entirely. The chaos of war consumed the entire room before it changed to a battered landscape. ¡°It took the combined might of all of Aranon to push them back. Their inventions were beyond our measures to wage war, making us rely on numbers. But just as we pushed them back to their home shores¡­¡± The giant rust desert in the middle of the continent was rocked by hundreds of thousands of explosions before it erupted like a meteorite hit it ¨C Mana could see its rusty sands being carried all the way into the planet¡¯s stratosphere. ¡°They decided to end us all if they were going to lose.¡± Bit by bit the blue planet took a pink and orange hue. ¡°With the detonation of the great red desert and the scattering of its rust-infested sands in our atmosphere, the sky turned pink. ¡°The phytoplankton, our only source of food, can¡¯t grow without the correct wavelengths of light. For a time we made do with artificially grown substitutes, but there was no way to catch up with our population¡¯s demand without an entire ocean¡¯s worth of growth.¡± The ¡®man¡¯ supported himself against the console of the holographic projector. ¡°¡­at the moment of recording, our species is starving to death. More than half of us have already perished.¡± He pulled a piece of cloth out of his pocket and wiped his forehead, his black, beady eyes scanning the room. ¡°As part of the ¡®privileged class¡¯, tasked with preserving our legacy, I am still being given whatever leftovers we can scrape together. Today I will finish my work.¡± A glass showcase descended from the ceiling ¨C a single crystalline container was placed inside, in the shape of a waterdrop at fist size. Its red glass looked very pretty to Mana¡¯s eyes, but the container¡¯s meaning already felt heavy on her shoulders. ¡°Whoever you are: if you found us, please take this. It¡¯s our drop of knowledge of the vast ocean that is the cosmos. All our scientific knowledge. All our cultural records. Music, art, architecture¡­ everything. I left nothing out. Whatever wasn¡¯t destroyed in the war, it¡¯s in here. It¡¯s proof that we once existed. That we opened our eyes for a micro-instant of the universe¡¯s existence and were allowed to take in its beauty. ¡° He turned around again, leaning against the projector. ¡°We were here. We will not whine about going back to sleep, to the great nothingness that was before. So please, don¡¯t let this knowledge fade into nothingness with us.¡± The hologram died and left behind nothing but an eerie silence. Portal was worried. In the two months he knew Mana she was cocky, and all too sure of her greatness. She mastered spellcasting at record speed, and it went to her head, as it convinced her that she could handle whatever fate threw at her. And now a dead civilization entrusted her with its entire legacy. A thirteen-year-old girl for whom the library and its secrets were nothing more than a fun adventure to go on after school. He could see her hesitating ¨C her usually bright and cocky demeanor was nowhere to be seen ¨C and her way too large witch hat was drawn deep over her eyes as if she was afraid that someone could read her full expression. She opened the glass door of the showcase and stared at the drop full of knowledge for a long time. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t even know how to read its contents. But it was still all in there. Music, art and many other things recorded by sapient creatures who had thousands of years of history, which were now entirely gone. ¡°You don¡¯t want it, huh?¡± Marisa spoke up and simply snatched the glass drop away. ¡°It¡¯s just some junk some dead fish left behind anyway. If you don¡¯t want it, I¡¯ll gladly get rid of it for you. I can toss it into the library¡¯s abyss or smash it on the ground or¡­¡± ¡°¡­ive it back¡­¡± Mana¡¯s voice was eerily quiet. ¡°What was that?¡± Marisa turned around to Mana, who suddenly jumped on her, grabbing the clone¡¯s wrist while trying to pry the crystal from her. Large tears streamed from the young witches¡¯ eyes and her face looked desperate as she wrestled with a surprised Marisa. ¡°GIVE IT BACK!¡± Marisa fought back on instinct, but her expression was more surprised than angered ¨C she only put up a token resistance before Mana managed to pry the precious gem from her and hurried away, up the stairs. ¡°Portal, bring me home!¡± She managed to say between sniffles before she audibly cried. She didn¡¯t have to ask him twice. *** Mana sat quietly on her bed, gently turning the drop in her hands and looking at it. Her eyes looked hollow. Portal was right, and he hated it: a thirteen-year-old girl shouldn¡¯t be shouldered with the weight of an entire dead civilization¡¯s legacy. MK.05 Mana Kannos Interlude: Searching For Wisdom May 2024 *** Mana Kanno stared deep into the abyss of existence ¨C and it stared back. As far as she could tell, she was in space. And also, she wasn¡¯t. All around her were the stars, and way down below was a vast ocean, so far away that she couldn¡¯t see the waves moving on it. It expanded in every vast direction, before it gave way to a sea of stars. Three continents were in that vast ocean, one pitch black, another misty and foggy, and yet another was covered in mountain ranges. A giant root extended from a large tree trunk in the ocean to the misty land mass. Incidentally, Mana sat on a branch of the tree it belonged to, which was as wide as a Tokyo expressway. The tree was mind-bogglingly tall, so tall and large in fact that it wore whole planets between its branches like Christmas ornaments. Weirder still, two more roots extended from the tree¡¯s base and climbed up its own trunk, one extending all the way to one of the planets while the third went up into the tree¡¯s crown ¨C the leaves, however, obscured where it would have ended up. She could tell that there was a golden shine coming from the crown, but that was it. There was also what looked like a rainbow breaking through the foliage, going towards the ¡®Christmas ornament¡¯ closest to the tree trunk below its crown. Mana did not know where the sunlight of this place came from, as she could not see a sun. But she heard an eagle cry far above, and a squirrel running up the trunk. The fact that she could see it must have meant that it was massive in size, probably larger than the entirety of Japan. How did Mana come to be in this place? That was an easy question to answer: she found another index, this time filled with a whole variety of world coordinates, and this was the first one she tried out. She originally landed far away from here, so she instructed Portal to bring her to a random, faraway place immediately after entering the world, ensuring that Marisa couldn¡¯t follow. Her only company right now were Portal, the gemstone of Aranon, and the corpse of a man hanging from a branch slightly above her. Mana looked up at the poor man. He hung upside-down, with a rope around his ankles. One of his eyes was bleeding and looked like there was no eyeball behind the lids. He was also impaled on a spear going through his side, it looked like. Two ravens sat perched on the branch he hung from, cawing in sequence, like they were holding a conversation. Possibly discussing which piece of the man they were going to eat first. Mana went back to contemplate the gemstone in her hand, turning it between her fingers. It¡¯s been a month and thinking about it still overwhelmed her young mind. A whole civilization¡¯s knowledge, culture and hope, distilled into a symbolic drop of water, equal to what their wisdom amounted to in the ocean of the universe. She wanted to help carry that hope forward, but she didn¡¯t know where she would even start. First of all, she¡¯d need to find a way to even access the data. And then she would need to find someone who could work with it. Which meant, understanding the foreign language in the first place. Almost sounds like I have to do all the work myself, then. Mana let out a long sigh before she complained loudly into the void. ¡°I really wish I was smarter!¡± ¡°So you came here desiring wisdom, as well?¡± the voice came from above. Mana lifted her head and saw the dead man looking at her, with his good eye open. She let out a surprised shout and jumped away from him, landing on her back. *** ¡°That surprised me!¡± Mana shouted as she stared at the man who seemed amused by her. ¡°How are you alive? You have a hole in your¡­¡± ¡°How? By sheer willpower. But just barely.¡± The voice of the man was weak and strained ¨C he didn¡¯t move anything of his body beyond his mouth and his eye. ¡°I sacrificed my eye for wisdom and future sight. And now I sacrifice myself unto myself for an understanding of runes and magic.¡± Mana didn¡¯t really understand how any of this could lead to an understanding of magic. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t quite follow,¡± she admitted to the strange man. ¡°Interesting. A young seidrkona without understanding,¡± he pondered as he looked her over. ¡°I¡¯m not from this world!¡± Mana immediately admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what seidrkona means.¡± This seemed to catch the attention of the one-eyed man on the tree. ¡°From another world, you say? So, none of the nine you can see on this tree here?¡± Mana shook her head. ¡°Magnificent! So, the v?lva were right about the cosmos drawing closer together and overlapping.¡± He looked concerned, lost in thought even. ¡°This will however mean that Ragnar?k will happen sooner or later. So, I must acquire the secrets of rune magic!¡± He closed his eye as if he was focusing even harder on whatever he was contemplating before. ¡°Young seidrkona, would you sit with me and tell me of your world? I have provisions nearby, with my trusty steed. You can take them, as long as you don¡¯t give me any. I must die from thirst and hunger and the leaking of my lifeblood if I am to understand the world¡¯s magic.¡± He pointed along the branch Mana stood on ¨C a little bit into the distance. Mana could faintly make out a horse. ¡°You¡¯re sure? My world isn¡¯t very special,¡± Mana asked skeptically. ¡°Many people think their homes aren¡¯t very noteworthy,¡± the man replied, and Mana had to concede the argument, walking along the branch towards the horse. *** ¡°Portal, remind me¡­ how many legs do horses have?¡± ¡°What an odd question, Mana. They have four, like most mammals. Unless you¡¯re talking about that infernal gacha you¡¯re playing, then they have two and are all female, despite clearly being named after male horses.¡± Mana nodded and stared at the grey-maned horse in front of her with a deadpan expression, lifting a finger and quietly counting its legs. One, two, three, four¡­ eight. It had eight legs. ¡°Check that again, Portal. How many legs do horses have¡­?¡± ¡°Four. Mana, I believe you are looking at a special horse, so don¡¯t sweat it.¡± Mana nodded quietly and approached after successfully pushing her common sense aside. The horse looked at her and dragged its hooves while baring its teeth ¨C each and every one of them had runes carved into their surface. Mana could feel the aggression radiating off the horse as tension in the air, until one of the ravens flew from the hanging man¡¯s branch, landed on its back and let out a single caw. All of a sudden, the horse calmed down and lowered its head. Mana even got to stroke its mane before she looked at the items the man left next to his horse. There was a backpack. Next to it was a golden helmet and a golden ring, and a scabbard with a sword still sheathed in it. Mana pulled it out to catch a glimpse of the blade and found more runes etched into the surface. ¡°Seems like everything in this world has runes on it, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Indeed. Runes possess powerful inherent magic. If we ever find a section of the library that uses runes like these, we will be far more likely to find magic tomes.¡± Mana sheathed the sword again and put it back, opening the backpack and taking out some of the provisions. There was bread, some meat and a waterskin. She took all three back to the man. ¡°I hope Sleipnir wasn¡¯t too aggressive. I sent Huginn to tell him that you¡¯re a friend.¡± Mana blinked and looked back to the horse. The name was distantly familiar, but she couldn¡¯t place it at all. ¡°Oh, he actually let me pet him after he calmed down.¡± ¡°He did?!¡± the hanging man was surprised. ¡°Now I¡¯m even more curious about you. The only ones allowed to touch him are me, my sons and the valiant dead.¡± Mana tilted her head and sat down, telling him about her world first. *** ¡°Ho! So, your kind, lacking all magic, learned to fly with machines? Magnificent!¡± Mana nodded. ¡°Well, magic became a thing a short while before I was born. But most of us still can¡¯t use it.¡± Mana got hungry while talking to him, so she had a little bit of bread and meat, even though it bothered her that she wasn¡¯t allowed to give him any despite the obvious pain he was in. She placed the waterskin against her lips and took a deep gulp ¨C then her eyes widened. The contents weren¡¯t water, but something else entirely. A sweet honey taste spread on her tongue, accompanied by a burning sensation that went down her throat and into her stomach, warming her from the inside. She pulled the skin away from her mouth and started coughing. ¡°Your first taste of mead, young seidrkona?¡± the man asked with amusement. ¡°That¡¯s alcohol! I¡¯m underage!¡± Mana complained. ¡°One can never be too young for their first taste of sweet nectar. With time you¡¯ll appreciate it!¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that¡­¡± Mana mumbled as she wiped her mouth. The sweet taste, however, was very good. Maybe she¡¯d have another taste once she was old enough to drink. ¡°So, now that you told me about where you¡¯re from I¡¯m all too eager to hear about your story, young seidrkona!¡± Mana looked at the hanging man and pondered before she started. ¡°Well, until fairly recently I was very ordinary. But then, one day¡­¡± *** By the end of her retelling Mana felt very giddy. Her cheeks were rosy, and she was in a very good mood, though she had slight trouble keeping her balance. She was the great witch of the library! She was a force to be reckoned with! ¡°You wanna¡­ see my magic, mister hanged man?¡± The man on the tree pondered. ¡°An endless library housing all the magic in existence ¨C separated by vast amounts of space, hidden away in books. Very fascinating. And that story about you falling into an endless abyss¡­¡± The man suddenly became much more energized. ¡°Young seidrkona! I need you to cut my rope! I¡¯ve just thought of the final piece for my understanding!¡± Mana didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about ¨C but she got that he wanted her to use her magic. An arrow spun on the tip of her finger, and she aimed for the rope around the branch above her. Thunk. Mana¡¯s face turned a shade redder as the arrow shot into the branch ¨C a good twenty centimeters to the side of her target. The rope was still very much intact, but the two ravens rose into the air, loudly cawing, probably complaining about her poor marksmanship. She held her right hand with her left to stabilize as she shot another arrow. And another. Before long, a dozen arrows were all stuck in the wood around the rope. ¡°Do not be discouraged! I¡¯ve been here for nine days and nine nights, I can wait a little longer!¡± the man reassured her, but it only served to anger her ¨C mostly directed towards herself. ¡°Hyah!¡± she shouted and finally hit the rope. The man nodded at her and closed his eye. Then, with a mighty scream he plunged into the depths below as the rope snapped. Mana looked over the edge and Barrier erected a pane of energy in front of her to catch her, in case her current groggy state of mind would have her trip and fall down, too. He fell and fell ¨C and was soon surrounded by a blue glow, which kept him in view even as his form was too small to see. Then, it was like he was engulfed in flames. His scream still reached up to from where Mana was watching. Then, with a mighty neigh that sounded like a giant beast¡¯s roar, the eight-legged horse called Sleipnir stirred. It leapt into the air and rode on it like it was solid ground. Every time its hooves propelled it forward the sound of thunder rang out, and Mana could only watch in amazement as it ran after its master, descending through the air in a vertical gallop. Mana fell back on her butt and let the things that just happened process in her spinning head. And then, a mere minute later, the horse appeared, with the one-eyed man riding on top. Somehow, it had taken all of his equipment with it. The golden helmet now sat on the man¡¯s head and the ring turned out to be one for his arm, rather than a finger. Holding the reins of his horse in one hand, and the spear he was impaled on in the other, he looked at Mana with a bemused smile. His one good eye now glowed with a fiery energy. ¡°Our time together was entertaining, young seidrkona, so let me grant you a boon. You seek the wisdom to unlock the knowledge contained in that trinket of yours, do you not?¡± Mana looked at the drop of water containing all that was left of the Aranon. ¡°Eh? Yeah, sure.¡± She mumbled, rising to her feet. The imposing man dismounted, with the two ravens flying from the branch towards him to sit perched atop his shoulders. First he grabbed the rest of the provisions from Mana, hungrily devouring the bread and meat and taking long gulps from the wineskin ¨C pushing it back into her hands afterwards. ¡°You can unlock this drop¡¯s secrets and I have seen when and how you do it. I will not grant you a shortcut, young seidrkona, for many threads of fate are attached to your little journey. But I can guide you towards the first step.¡± He then didn¡¯t look at Mana, but at her sleeve, where Portal was currently resting inside a sling. ¡°You there, book that thinks and speaks.¡± ¡°Ah, me? Yes?¡± ¡°I will grant you a coordinate. Guide your seidrkona there and her wish will become reality in due time.¡± The man¡¯s mouth moved, and he seemed to speak ¨C but it sounded like white noise ¨C his speech carried more information than something as crude as language could ever hope to carry in the same amount of time. Mana held her hands on her ears before it would make them bleed. As he was finished, Portal simply responded: ¡°Understood.¡± The man with the golden helmet turned his attention back to Mana. ¡°Now I bid you farewell, young seidrkona. May our paths cross again! May I know your name?¡± Mana grinned and put her hands on her hips, even as her footing was unsteady. ¡°I¡¯m Mana Kanno! The Witch Queen of the Infinite Library!¡± The man nodded ¨C and despite the person he spoke to being an inebriated child he responded respectfully in kind. ¡°I am Baleyg, the one with flaming eyes, Vafud, the Wanderer, Svidur, the Wise One, and from this day forth, R¨²natyr, the God of Runes. I am Odin.¡± Mana¡¯s mind glazed over during half of these names ¨C but the last one! Oh, she recognized the last one. And the place she recognized it from¡­ She pointed at the sword sheathed on his hip. ¡°So, is that Zantetsuken?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± Mana¡¯s head was still swimming. The portal opened to a section of the library, and she walked through the opening ¨C promptly catching her foot on the shimmering edge, making her trip and fall face-first on the carpeted floor. ¡°Uuu¡­¡± Mana groaned, getting up and holding her spinning head. She looked at the plaque and it took a while before she stopped seeing double for long enough to read the sign. ¡û From 7b8cc516fe672be7da92ae07d39fe7e2: Yggdrasil Elder Futhark, Runes of the Aesir, 345 pages From 7b8cc516fe672be7da92ae07d39fe7e2: Yggdrasil Elder Futhark, Runes of the Aesir, 346 pages ¡ú Portal spoke up first. ¡°Impressive! He said he only just discovered the magic runes of his kind, but this library held them all along. Do you know what this means, Mana?¡± The inebriated girl leaned against the wall and decided she needed to drink some water. Too bad that the gulp she just took from the skin Odin left her with was more mead. She coughed and wiped her mouth before answering. ¡°Urgh¡­ dunno. What?¡± ¡°It means that this library¡¯s languages and writing systems are those of the past and the future! It truly is infinite in every sense of the word! Oh, there might even be a spell tome that won¡¯t just bring us to another place, but another time altogether! Maybe even one that lets us witness the end of the universe! Or its beginning!¡± Mana grumbled and looked at the plaque again. ¡°So, where¡¯s that coordinate?¡± ¡°Room to your right. Shelf on the right. Rare enough, it¡¯s the first book on the lower shelf when you enter.¡± Mana walked in a snake line towards the shelf and pulled out the book. ¡°Ah-ha! Hey, it¡¯s not talking¡­¡± She started to flip through the pages and nodded in thought. There were coordinates inside. World coordinates. She found herself yet another index. The first entry was labeled ¡®The Broker¡¯, not even with a planet or city¡¯s name. Mana stared at it incredulously. ¡°Who¡¯s that supposed to be, eh?!¡± ¡°According to what Odin said, this should be our first stop.¡± ¡°You could actually h-¡­ ear hear what the heck he s-said?¡± ¡°I did. Uhm. Maybe we should stop here for today, Mana?¡± ¡°NnnnNNnO!¡± Mana complained. ¡°I wanna see dish¡­ broker pershon.¡± Moon of the Pact with Giants, 1067 AR *** Mana stumbled out of the portal into a large field of wheat, falling face-first into the mud. She remained like that for roughly ten seconds before she yanked her face up and took a deep breath. She got on her feet and had a look around ¨C the golden heads of the wheat field extended as far as she could see to one side, and to the other she could see a large river with a majestic city around a green mountain. On top there was a castle, with a path leading towards the city through the forest while grey, steep cliffs gave the castle¡¯s other side natural defenses. Mana would have loved nothing more than to explore that place ¨C but she guessed that her actual target was located in a small farmer¡¯s hut right in front of her. And right now, she felt her stomach churning, so she leaned over and gave the wheat field some fertilizer. ¡°Hurk!¡± *** After cleaning her mouth with river water, she walked towards the hut in a snake line, lifting her fist and noisily banging on the door. ¡°Lemme in! I¡¯m Mana Kanno, the witsh keen of the infi¡­ inifi¡­ endless libbary!¡± She heard quiet talking on the inside, then footsteps. A peephole slit was opened on the door and two eyes focused her. ¡°Who did you say you were?¡± a deep voice demanded to ask. ¡°Mana Kanno! Wi- uh what was it again¡­¡± Mana mumbled, then Portal spoke, announcing her in a booming voice. ¡°This is Mana Kanno! Witch Queen of the Infinite Library! Traveler of worlds and currently here to see the ¡®Broker¡¯ to discuss a deal! Let us in!¡± The eyes retracted from the slit and two men quietly discussed something. ¡°Get lost, kid!¡± was their answer as the eyes returned and the slit was slammed shut. If she were of clear mind, Mana would have pondered a proper solution that didn¡¯t resort to violence. But in her current state she was enraged. How dare they treat her like that! The Witch Queen! The traveler of worlds! She extended her hand towards the door and uttered a single word. ¡°Blasht!¡± The door was blown into the hut and knocked out a man who stood behind it. Mana entered with wobbly feet and looked to the sides. Two more men were inside ¨C or were it four? Either way, they were hastily drawing their swords. ¡°A fantashy world!¡± Mana said with a laugh. ¡°Like Draggon Quesht!¡± She extended both her arms and pointed her hands at the two men who were leaning against the walls, heads slumped forwards a moment later. The Witch Queen was victorious once again! ¡°So where¡¯sh the Broker?¡± Mana looked around. There was a table with two chairs on opposite sides, probably to discuss business. A single service bell was placed on it, so Mana walked over, rang it ¨C and then she passed out, simply falling on her back and snoring away. *** ¡°What an amusing child.¡± Portal was worried as he heard another voice ¨C and as he peeked out from under Mana¡¯s sleeve, he could see leather boots approaching. The woman they belonged to wore a hooded cloak, which was drawn deep over her face and wrapped around her entire body, making her face unrecognizable. A mysterious smile was on her lips as she kneeled down next to the sleeping Mana and stroked her forehead with a hand. ¡°You are the Broker?¡± Portal asked cautiously. ¡°That I am¡­ be assured that I hold no ill will towards this girl, even if she knocked out my men. They will walk it off. They¡¯re made of sturdy stuff after all.¡± She smiled at him, but without being able to see her eyes this was almost as unsettling as it was reassuring. The woman now reached into Mana¡¯s sleeve and retrieved the crystal drop, examining it. ¡°This is what she came here for, yes?¡± ¡°Correct. She wishes to decipher it.¡± Portal answered truthfully and felt some relief as he saw the woman put the crystal back into its proper place. ¡°If she wishes to learn the skills to extract this information, I have a task for her, first.¡± The woman got up and made her way around the desk. Pulling out ink, paper, an envelope, and a sealing wax kit she began to write. She wrote for quite some time and as she was done, she folded the paper, put it into an envelope and sealed it ¨C she put a wax pellet into a steel spoon, heated it atop a candle and poured the contents on the envelope before pushing the ring she wore on her index finger into it. She gently placed the envelope on Mana¡¯s chest. Then she went into the backroom and brought out a small ornate chest which she added, putting it on top of Mana. ¡°You can just bring that poor girl back to her bed, right?¡± ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Good. Let her rest for a while. She is quite out of it. The written instructions in there are all that she needs. Once she has fulfilled my request, I will provide her with a tool to retrieve the knowledge from her bauble.¡± The woman gave Portal a little wave as if to dismiss him and he obliged. He opened a portal that had Mana fall comfortably on her bed from a small height before it sizzled out. Mana would wake up with a terrible headache the next day, with barely any recollection of what she did after meeting Odin. Marisa finally lifted her head out of the field as Mana vanished. She knew what she had to do the second that new index appeared in her hand and entered a portal to the first coordinate to intercept her mistress, who was running away from her. The show of the drunken Mana, however, was so pathetic that it took all the desire to mess with her out of the redhead. She entered the little hovel and looked around, noting the unconscious men on the ground. A woman sat at a table, smirking an eyeless smirk at her from under her hood. ¡°She¡¯s already gone, Doppelg?nger. You may have to try another time.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Marisa lifted her hand to shoot an arrow at the woman, but the spell fizzled out before it could launch. Marisa blinked and looked at her hand incredulously. ¡°That won¡¯t work against me, dear. I have carved runes of protection on talismans of blessed wood from the young witches¡¯ world. You¡¯d have to engage me with physical weapons, but you don¡¯t look like you¡¯d be capable of doing that.¡± Marisa gritted her teeth and angrily stomped out of the door, through a portal, and back into the library. ¡°Why is she avoiding me? I¡¯ve been so very helpful to her the last time!¡± Marisa cursed to herself, just as another portal appeared next to her and someone stepped out. It was herself. But not the self that she loved. It was her, Marisa. Red hair, tanned skin with a white witch robe. Two years older, just like the self that fraternized with the odd girl with an emerald eye. ¡°Younger me.¡± She started. ¡°Hm? What is it?¡± Marisa furrowed her brow and looked at the older one suspiciously. ¡°Mistress has just started a very important journey.¡± The older Marisa said, grinning mischievously. ¡°One that is intrinsically linked to the existence of that ¡®Arisu¡¯. Prevent her from gathering the items that the Broker tasked her with retrieving, and Arisu will never exist. Without those items, her parents will die pathetic deaths.¡± Marisa¡¯s eyes widened, and she nodded enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear. ¡°Of course!¡± MK.06 Mana Kannos Interlude: Quid Pro Quo Once she was over her headache, Mana put the letter in front of her and looked at it. She didn¡¯t remember acquiring it, but then again, she didn¡¯t remember getting that latest index either, thanks to the weird man sharing a Final Fantasy eidolon¡¯s name getting her inebriated. Her mother was quite suspicious of her weird headache, insisting that they should go to the doctor ¨C but she knew the second that someone found out she drank alcohol she would be in a world of trouble, so she wriggled her way out of it. Shaking her head thinking about the possible punishments for boozing at her young age, she worked on opening the letter. The seal depicted a hand with multiple strings dangling from it, but she couldn¡¯t discern any meaning from it, so she broke it and pulled out the folded sheets of paper. ¡®Dear Witch Queen of the Infinite Library, ¡®I have come to learn about your quest to unlock the secrets of the crystal tear which came into your possession. Trying to preserve the knowledge and culture of a dead civilization is a noble endeavor, so I shall help you. ¡®However, nothing in life is free. ¡®I¡¯ve entrusted you with a chest, filled with worthless jewelry and baubles. ¡®Furthermore, I¡¯ve written down a coordinate. I¡¯ve left another item at that place in your grand library. It will teach you the necessary spell for your task and contain a list of worlds and their items as well as spells which you shall use this new ability on. ¡®Return to me with all the jewelry in that chest infused with magic ¨C and I will grant you your wish. ¡®-N.B.¡¯ ¡°So, she intends to send us on an errand,¡± mused Portal. ¡°N.B.?¡± Mana wondered. The B could stand for Broker, but she couldn¡¯t puzzle together what the N would mean, then. ¡°Ah, doesn¡¯t matter¡­ Portal, can we go to that coordinate?¡± Mana flipped to the final page, on which the broker wrote down nonsense. ¡°Of course, Mana.¡± With a swift confirmation, Portal opened up one of its namesakes and Mana could look into the library ¨C this one didn¡¯t open into the doorway between two rooms, so she was suspicious. She poked her head through the opening and peeked to the left, then to the right. As far as she could tell, there was nothing unusual about this particular room of the library. Except the shelf in front of her. It was emptied out ¨C though instead of the books being tossed into the abyss like the red-robed wizards did, the original contents were neatly stacked next to the shelf, as if to preserve the knowledge inside ¨C on the off chance that it might contain something legible. In their place a single tome and another letter graced the shelf. Mana grabbed them both without even stepping through the portal and pulled them into her room. Another seal with a hand. Mana tore the letter open and saw a list of instructions. They weren¡¯t places, but spell names, accompanied by references to pages of the last index Mana collected. A few of them were accompanied by stars ¨C the first of them being ¡®Containment Field¡¯. Mana furrowed her brow and flipped through the pages of the letter to see what the stars meant. She found her answer on the final page. ¡®These are special spells that I must have. Bring one to me and I¡¯ll partially unlock your crystal¡¯s wisdom. ¨C N.B.¡¯ ¡°Sounds like those would be the fastest way to unlock things step by step¡­ but then we¡¯d be left with all the small stuff.¡± Mana mused, scanning her list for things. ¡°Hm¡­ Gungnir, Mjolnir. Berserker Rage. All those things lead to the same index with the same page.¡± She pulled the index out and opened it to cross-reference, grinning as she recognized the place. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s the place where Odin was.¡± ¡°Well, at least we¡¯ll have some sort of contact, then.¡± Portal commented. Mana nodded, then she looked at the tome she picked up. ¡°That¡¯s not a library spell book.¡± She observed, turning it in her hands. The cover was an entirely different style from the uniform books of the library, with its script looking handwritten, rather than printed. ¡°Well, well, Mana! Looks like you¡¯ll actually have to learn a spell now instead of getting used to the execution by commanding us books,¡± Portal said with a little chuckle, making Mana groan. ¡°Alright, alright, Portal. I¡¯ll get on it. Sheesh.¡± She began to study the spell, furrowing her brow as her young brain absorbed all the weird runes and instructions which made her head hurt. *** Hours passed in Mana¡¯s room, and she was as absorbed in her book as a top student would be in their more mundane studies. She took notes on a sheet of paper, flipping the pages of the heavy spell tome. As the final page flipped and the cover finally closed the book she stretched and let out a yawn, looking over her notes. ¡°So, I¡¯ll have to locate a magic weapon or a spell that is being cast and have to catch it with this ¡®trace¡¯ spell in the exact moment¡­ that seems a bit more complicated than I thought.¡± Mana sighed and slumped over her desk ¨C it was already the middle of the night, and she wasn¡¯t sure whether she wanted to start her quest today. She checked the letter again and furrowed her brow. ¡°This one says she wants two artifacts infused with ¡®Portal¡¯. I guess that¡¯d be good practice. She even attached coordinates.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready whenever you are, Mana.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Mana grabbed the chest she originally got from the Broker and turned it upside down ¨C then her eyes widened. Golden rings fell out of it en masse ¨C then bracers, amulets, a tiara, multiple small bars of pure gold ¨C and finally, a bejeweled crown fit for a king. Mana¡¯s mouth dried out as she stared at the pile of treasure in front of her. Thoughts of pocketing the gold and selling it somewhere when she was old enough crossed her mind. To abandon this quest for a dead civilization¡¯s knowledge and simply aim for living the easy life. Her hand shook and she calmed it by grabbing herself by the wrist, then she shook her head. ¡°Right, which one of these would be best for holding a portal spell?¡± ¡°I think rings will suffice.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Mana grabbed two rings ¨C for two spells, just like the Broker asked. ¡°Let¡¯s give this portal a test first.¡± She extended her hand, and a swirling blue ring appeared in the air. From what she could see it ended in a castle. There were mighty stone blocks creating the walls, great glass windows and very comfortable looking sofas arranged around a fireplace. ¡°¡­guess she wants that for some kind of meeting?¡± Mana looked at Portal. If books could shrug, she was sure he would have done it in this moment. ¡°Right. Trace!¡± It felt weird. And utterly intoxicating. Until this very moment, Mana relied solely on her books to cast spells for her. But this one! This one she cast herself and she could actually feel magic energies, her mana, being stirred and compelled to shape into a power beyond this world. She shaped a ball of blue energy in her outstretched hand, gently caressing it with her fingers, feeling the prickling sensation of the energies arcing between her digits and her spell. Now she was a real witch. And she wanted more. She finally released the spell towards the portal. It engulfed the hovering circle, then it returned to her, hitting the golden ring she held outstretched, giving its embedded jewel an uncanny shine. Mana repeated the process once more for the second ring ¨C then she looked at the two rings in her hand. ¡°You seem to like your new spell, Mana.¡± ¡°Oh, I love it. I want to learn more magic¡­ more magic that doesn¡¯t rely on books!¡± Mana grinned from ear to ear, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°Then keep traveling worlds. Or¡­ keep dealing with that Broker person. I have the feeling she will always have work for you. And will always offer you exactly what you wish for in exchange.¡± Mana looked to Portal and pondered his words for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. But for now¡­¡± she let out a long yawn and fell on her bed. ¡°It¡¯s too late to think about any of that. Goodnight, Portal.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± ??? *** Mana left her portal and looked at the sight in front of her. She was back in the world labelled ¡®Yggdrasil¡¯, without immediately taking another portal to a different place. It would be much harder for Marisa to guess that she was visiting now, some time after already acquiring the index. She saw an impressive fortification in front of her ¨C giant blocks of stone, taller than her, were perfectly stacked together and formed a wall taller than some buildings she¡¯s seen in Tokyo, with no imperfections or gaps. A gateway was in the middle of it, barred by a heavy, wooden door. On top of it she saw ten stones that looked out of place ¨C like someone took over the perfect building project at the very end and did a sloppy job finishing it. ¡°Now I have to find Odin,¡± Mana sighed, before her thoughts were interrupted by the creaking of the giant door ¨C it swung open towards the outside, revealing a marvelous long hall behind it, with its roof tiled with shields. The person who opened the gate was Odin himself, who let out a hearty laugh and threw his arms wide as he saw Mana. ¡°Young seidrkona, Mana! Are you of whole mind again? That mead did appear to go to your head awfully fast!¡± Mana blushed a little and stepped towards him ¨C letting out a squeak, not dissimilar to a dog toy as the tall man gave her a bear hug for a greeting. He let go of her again and she stumbled in place for a moment, rearranging her hat before she looked back up at him, grinning. ¡°Yep! The Witch Queen of the Infinite Library is no longer drunk!¡± ¡°Very good, young seidrkona! I have foreseen your coming! Come along!¡± He turned around and Mana had to enter a little jog to even keep up. Two dogs ran towards the two of them from the hall ¨C only as they got closer Mana realized that the hall was much larger than she initially assumed ¨C and that those weren¡¯t dogs, but wolves, surpassing the young girl in height. ¡°Geri! Freki! No, stop! Be nice to our guest!¡± Odin shouted as the two tackled Mana to the ground and started to mercilessly slobber all over her face. As they finally let up Mana stared at the sky, pondering if she should be disgusted or thankful that the animals seemed to like her as a friend and not as food. Now she finally saw this world¡¯s sun ¨C a golden glow, hurrying along the sky. As she squinted her eyes, she thought she could make out the shape of horses and a carriage ¨C and half hidden by the sky¡¯s blue there were two canine shapes following it. This world is so strange. She grabbed Odin¡¯s hand as he offered it to her and got back up. ¡°Forgive them, they can get overly excited when they see me with new friends. Be assured that they aren¡¯t ravenous. They are well fed during Valhalla¡¯s many banquets.¡± ¡°That¡¯s reassuring.¡± Mana replied with a flat voice as she hurried along the tall man once again, this time accompanied by the playfully panting wolves. ¡°So, according to my visions you came here today to get a look at my spear, my magic and my son¡¯s hammer,¡± Odin suddenly said and turned towards Mana. The girl blinked and nodded as she rummaged through her pockets and pulled out the letter. ¡°Well, it says¡­ Mjolnir and Gungnir and¡­ Berserker Rage. Sound familiar?¡± Odin nodded, stroking his grey beard as his single eye remained on Mana. ¡°Gungnir is my spear. Mjolnir is my son¡¯s hammer and the Berserker Rage¡­ is a spell I bestow upon the mightiest warriors who are about to die in my name, so they might kill and maim in the thousands before they shall join us in Valhalla.¡± Mana shuddered. ¡°Spells like that exist?¡± ¡°Well of course, young seidrkona! For I am Sigtyr! The God of War!¡± The man bellowed in a boisterous voice. ¡°You didn¡¯t say that name before!¡± Mana complained. Odin let out a hearty chuckle. ¡°Young seidrkona, if I listed off every one of my names in greeting, I¡¯d never get anything done.¡± *** After they entered the large hall, Mana saw a veritable army of specters. Men, wearing chainmail and helmets sat at innumerable banquet tables, their chairs fashioned from breastplates. Each and every one of them were translucent, like ghosts. ¡°The valiant dead.¡± Odin explained to her, and she nodded along. He walked to the end of the hall, which took a good while to reach. The two wolves hurried ahead and sat down next to a throne, staring down the length of the hall. A spear leaned against the wall and Odin grabbed it, presenting it to Mana as he held it in both hands. ¡°This is it,¡± he announced. ¡°Gungnir!¡± The name thundered through the hall from the mere act of Odin speaking it, and no few heads turned their way. Mana looked at it for a while ¨C she could feel a presence from it which was almost suffocating. ¡°May I trace it with my magic?¡± She asked, just in case. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re here for. And what I¡¯ve seen lying ahead in the future. Do go ahead, young seidrkona.¡± Mana nodded and fished one of the pure gold bars out of her robe, holding it on the palm of her left hand before she focused her magic into her right. The blue orb of energy appeared again, and Mana was filled with the ecstatic feeling of channeling her own magic. She extended her hand and saw the spell encasing the spear before the energy returned. She held out the gold bar and witnessed it changing its shape into a long handle ¨C but nothing more. ¡°¡­did it work?¡± Mana looked at the handle skeptically. ¡°It did.¡± Odin confirmed, returning Gungnir to its resting place. ¡°Son! Thor, come here!¡± his voice now boomed through the halls. After a short while of waiting a red-headed man appeared, with a similarly red, braided beard. He held a one-handed hammer by his side and eyed Mana up and down ¨C she couldn¡¯t quite interpret his expression, but she got the feeling that he didn¡¯t hold much respect for her. ¡°This is a friend. A young seidrkona called Mana from a world beyond Yggdrasil¡¯s branches. She was so kind to bless me with company and stories while I performed my sacrifice,¡± Odin introduced her. The red-headed man nodded towards her after the introduction ¨C a little bit friendlier than before. ¡°I¡¯d like you to show Mjolnir to her,¡± Odin continued. ¡°Why?¡± Mana saw Odin¡¯s eyebrow twitch as his son questioned his order. ¡°She is on a journey and I promised to offer her some assistance. But for that she will have to see your hammer.¡± ¡°Hm, is that so?¡± the redheaded man looked at Mana again, suspiciously. ¡°Do I have to?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Odin replied and the two locked eyes. No words were exchanged as they stared at each other for a good while, but Mana could feel static electricity building in the air around them, like one wrong twitch from either of them would result in a calamity that could swallow the entire hall. Finally, the red-maned man grunted and held out his hammer. ¡°Make it quick, then.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Mana added quickly before she pulled out a gold bar and worked her spell once more, holding another handle in her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go and saddle up on Sleipnir, then.¡± Odin said after dismissing Thor. ¡°Oh? Where are we going?¡± Mana asked curiously. ¡°To Midgard.¡± ¡°The one with the Mako reactors?¡± ¡°The words coming out of your mouth confuse me sometimes, young seidrkona¡­¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Mana¡¯s eyes went wide as the two rode on top of the grey, eight-legged steed. The ground it rode on was literally a rainbow with red flames burning on its surface. ¡°Be careful not to fall off Sleipnir here, young seidrkona!¡± Odin warned her. ¡°The Bifrost burns any men but us Aesir and Vanir!¡± Mana didn¡¯t reply and simply held on to the giant man¡¯s back as she looked at the surreal landscape in front of them. They were approaching a planet, so far away it appeared like an orb in front of them ¨C but it approached rapidly, a testament to the horse¡¯s speed. They were descending through the thick foliage of the large tree, with the ocean and the continents below coming into view as well. Before long, they broke through clouds as they entered the floating orb¡¯s own atmosphere ¨C and a little later still they were witness to a great battle below. One side rained arrows on a much smaller force which huddled behind a shield wall. It held, but the warriors huddling behind their shields needed to remain in place as twice their numbers advanced on them. ¡°What are they fighting about?¡± Mana asked. ¡°Satisfaction between nobles, most likely,¡± Odin answered dryly. ¡°But I am not here for the politics.¡± Mana followed the battle ¨C bit by bit the people huddling behind the shield wall were driven into a corner ¨C and finally the fatal mistake happened: they broke formation. The very moment their shields stopped interlocking they were easy targets for arrows, spears and swords. Men died, screams filled the air ¨C but there was one man who stood his ground, even as he was pierced by half a dozen arrows. He fought on and on. Odin¡¯s voice boomed now, carrying over the battlefield. ¡°He shall go to Valhalla! But only after his enemies pay their due in blood.¡± He pointed his finger at the dying warrior who had just fallen on one knee, about to pass out from his injuries. Odin¡¯s gesture was accompanied by crimson magic energies that shot towards the man, swirling around him. ¡°Now, young seidrkona. Claim your copy of my spell! And then watch!¡± Mana nodded, pulling a bracer out of her robes and casting the trace spell on the man as he let out a howl like a wild animal. The gemstone on the bracer shone with magic energies as Mana watched the man with wide eyes. He stood up, discarding his shield and spear as he picked up two axes. Without hesitation he jumped into the ranks of his enemies. Limbs and blood went flying in every direction, and Mana was not sure if her young eyes were supposed to see such carnage. In the end no one was left alive save the dying man who raised his axes to the sky and let out a victorious shout before he collapsed. ¡°He will sit at the table with the rest of us before long. The Valkyries are already on their way.¡± Mana nodded in silent amazement, then she stowed her bracer. ¡°I shall put you down somewhere safe so you can return to your world, young seidrkona. It¡¯s always a delight to have your company! Don¡¯t feel shy to come around again!¡± June 2024 *** Mana crossed off a few more items from the letter as she entered her bedroom. Last week she celebrated her 14th birthday, so her time in the library suffered a short break. She tossed a few rings into the box. This time she found a fireball tome in the library, together with a jump and brake spell which interacted well together. Magic circles that could serve as platforms in the air were also added to her repertoire and copied onto rings. Of course, she knew that picking up tomes would empower Marisa as well, but at this point she had barely another choice. ¡°It¡¯s not that late yet, Mana. Want to try another world?¡± Portal spoke up. ¡°Hm¡­ I think I want to try for one with a star. What was that one called again? ¡®Containment Field¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes. And it points to a coordinate we haven¡¯t visited yet.¡± Mana nodded and opened her index, locating the entry pointed out by the Broker¡¯s letter. ¡°Thirram.¡± Mana read the entry, then she let Portal take in the coordinates. ¡°I wonder what kind of place it is?¡± she mused, as Portal already opened a gate for her. ¡°Only one way to find out, Mana. Step through whenever you feel ready.¡± Month 3, Year 34 of Chief Technocrat Castor¡¯s Rule *** Mana found herself inside a large, cubic room. There was some sort of control room with large, downwards tilted windows just under the ceiling. Inside the cubic room was a smaller cube of purple energy which she stood inside of, with random junk for company. ¡°Interesting. This is a little off from where the portal should have opened, but we¡¯re on Thirram, alright.¡± Portal commented. ¡°As long as we¡¯re in the right place,¡± Mana replied. The floor was littered with random objects. Stuffed animals, soccer balls, baby cribs, several beverage cans of different brands she didn¡¯t recognize, a park bench, she even saw something resembling Gunpla in here. In the middle of the purple cube was a construct that looked like an antenna ¨C it emitted visible blue airwaves in a regular interval and on top of the cube she saw something purple emitting a shine as well as the energy field itself. She kneeled down next to one of the stuffed animals, eyeing it curiously and extending a hand¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything!¡± The voice boomed through speakers mounted in the room¡¯s corners and Mana flinched back, landing on her butt. She looked up to the control room and a stern looking woman wearing a lab coat and glasses looked down at her. ¡°How did a child get into the containment field?!¡± she demanded to know, then she turned around and shouted something at people behind her ¨C these words Mana couldn¡¯t hear. Apparently, she had muted her microphone. Two more people appeared, a large man, similarly bespectacled, and a smaller woman stared at monitors in front of them. They frantically exchanged words with one another before Mana raised a hand. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± The scientists looked down at her and exchanged looks, then the glasses woman spoke again through the speakers. ¡°We can. How did you get in there?¡± ¡°Through a portal I made myself. I have a question.¡± More confused looks between the scientists. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Is that up there the thing that makes the containment field?¡± Mana pointed at the purple glow above the cube trapping her. ¡°It is. Why?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Mana pulled the crown out of her robes and pointed her right hand at the purple glow. ¡°What are you doing?! You can¡¯t interfere with the- ¡° Mana didn¡¯t stop and shot her magic at the item. The blue glow of her spell embraced the entirety of the cube-shaped containment field and returned, infusing the crown with magic. She grinned as she held the magic item in her hands. ¡°There we go. I won¡¯t bother you any further! The Witch Queen of the Infinite Library bids farewell to- ¡° Mana stopped. She was fairly certain she gave the mental command for Portal to open a gate out of here, but none appeared. She looked inside her sleeve at the book. ¡°Portal, I told you to open a gate back home.¡± ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t, Mana. Something is interfering.¡± She looked back up at the device and the purple cube and let the name ring through her head once more: containment field. ¡°Ohhhh.¡± Mana slapped a hand on her forehead, then she turned towards the scientists. ¡°I think I¡¯m stuck.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± came the snarky reply from the control room. ¡°Can you get me out?¡± She asked. ¡°We¡¯re working on it. Again: don¡¯t touch anything!¡± Mana nodded and sat down on the floor, looking around. The weird antenna, the random objects, something about this place felt off. She was bored, so she kept asking questions. ¡°So what¡¯s with all the random things in here?¡± The head scientist, the woman with the glasses looked at Mana before she gave the smaller woman to her side an annoyed nod. Seemed like she was less important to what they were doing and could take the time to explain. ¡°Uhm¡­ all of those items¡­ they are mimics.¡± Mana looked around again, now a little more concerned than before. ¡°We don¡¯t know where exactly they come from. Sixteen years ago, the first one arrived and swallowed like¡­ twenty people before we figured out what was going on and managed to kill it.¡± Mana nodded along. ¡®Sixteen years ago¡¯ seemed to be a constant for every world. As Portal originally told the tale, barriers between worlds weakened, which resulted in the Kawaguchi incident and her own odd hair color from leaking magic energies. ¡°This facility was built to lure them in and contain them before annihilating them. Whenever something strange appears that¡¯s not of our dimension, it¡¯s being redirected in here by the dimensional antenna and then it can¡¯t leave.¡± Mana looked at the construct in the middle of the cube. Ah. So that¡¯s how I landed inside the cube. *** Mana kept waiting for the scientists to come up with a solution and before long she started pacing back and forth. ¡°We think we might have a solution, but we need approval from the supervisor,¡± the bespectacled woman announced. ¡°Ah, there he is!¡± Mana stopped and looked up to the control room, eagerly awaiting the moment she could return and hand this crown over to the Broker. A tall man stepped into the room with all the others turning to look his way. He looked down at Mana once, then he barked his questions at his subordinates. ¡°What kind of mess is this? Why are there children in the containment field?¡± ¡°We¡¯re so sorry! She suddenly appeared! It appears there are people out there who can dimension travel just like the mimics! With just a bit of fine-tuning we should be able to¡­¡± Mana¡¯s mind suddenly caught on to something weird he said. Children. Plural. She didn¡¯t like that. Not at all. Not one bit. *** Mana turned around and was faced with Marisa, who immediately tried to snatch the crown out of her hand. A quick cast of Barrier deterred her, making her grin maniacally at Mana. ¡°Mistress! I finally found you!¡± she shouted. ¡°Give me that crown, mistress! You don¡¯t need it! And without it, Arisu will never be born! My older self told me so!¡± ¡°Is that what you¡¯re after?!¡± Mana shouted, backing away from the redhead. She had to avoid stepping on the various items in the room and almost tripped ¨C then her back hit something hard. A pane of energy, just like Barrier. It was one cast by Marisa. ¡°Of course. She steals your love from me, mistress. So, unless I get rid of her, I have no hope of ever becoming one with you!¡± Marisa closed the distance between the two quickly ¨C and Mana, desperate to escape her, hit her with Blast. Marisa¡¯s body sailed backwards and rolled across the floor until she touched a doll ¨C at first Mana thought it would grow teeth and attack her, but Marisa simply vanished. ¡°Girl, what did you do?! You just killed her!¡± She heard complaints from the speakers and turned around in a panic. ¡°I didn¡¯t know! I thought mimics would like... grow teeth and attack? She would be able to deal with that!¡± She looked back at the doll ¨C moments passed and suddenly, Marisa emerged again, while the doll crumbled into flakes of ash-like shadow, blowing away on a nonexistent breeze. ¡°That was not very nice, mistress¡­¡± Marisa growled in a low tone. ¡°Trying to get me eaten by living shadow¡­¡± Marisa gestured for a blast which catapulted a ball into the air, then she blasted it toward Mana, hitting her in the face with it. Mana felt the pain shoot through her and something wet on her upper lip. A single touch confirmed that her nose was bleeding from the impact, but as she looked up, she was even more confused. She was inside the containment field - but none of the toys nor Marisa were here with her. All the colors of her surroundings lost a good bit of saturation, and nothing existed beyond the containment field ¨C all that greeted her beyond was a white void. She turned around as she heard a slithering noise, then a shriek as two large white eyes stared at her and a giant maw extended from a large body of shadow. Mana¡¯s eyes widened and with a scream she made use of her new jump spell, ascending to the top of the containment field, where she soon sat perched atop a magic circle to take in the situation. The creature below was made of shadow and shaped like a Tsuchinoko. A snake head sat on top of a fat body, and it looked at her hungrily, from alabaster eyes with snake teeth extending from its maw. ¡°What in the- ¡° Mana started, but it appeared that not only its shape was like a Tsuchinoko¡¯s. It jumped once, then it jumped again midair, opening its maw to try and chomp down on her. Mana dodged by undoing her platform spell, landing on the ground with the brake spell she picked up together with Jump. The creature smashed into the ceiling and stuck to it, turning its head towards Mana. Mana had enough and stretched out her hand, calling to one of her books. ¡°Fireball!¡± With a single shot the creature exploded and the weird place she was trapped in vanished, bringing her back to the spot where she had been hit by the ball in the first place. She found herself pinned against Marisa¡¯s barrier, with the girl holding her arm to Mana¡¯s throat, choking her. ¡°Ahhh! Of course, my beloved mistress would defeat such a weak little creature without issue! It makes me fall in love with her even more than I have before!¡± Mana fought to breathe, her legs kicking, hitting Marisa, though not hard enough to get her to let go of her. For the first time since she summoned Marisa and the girl tried to merge with her, Mana felt afraid. Afraid of Marisa¡¯s obsession. Afraid of what she would be capable of. Afraid of being hurt by her in the name of her ¡®love¡¯. The pressure on Mana¡¯s throat let up and she was pinned against the barrier by her wrists, which Marisa held¨C just as she took a deep breath, she found herself gagged, as Marisa¡¯s lips were pressed against her own. Her eyes widened and she struggled even harder, trying to throw her clone off of her, but she didn¡¯t let up. She kept going and tears welled up in Mana¡¯s eyes. After what felt like an eternity, Marisa finally let go of her and gave her a diabolic grin as she grabbed Mana¡¯s chin. ¡°Now, even if that homewrecker from the future survives, she will never have your first.¡± Mana used her now free hand to slap Marisa across the face, then she leveraged both her legs to push her off herself, tears streaming down her face as it dawned on her what Marisa just stole from her. ¡°I hate you! You¡¯re the worst! And I hate even more that you look like me!¡± Marisa growled and rubbed her cheek, propping herself up again before she raised a hand. ¡°I¡¯ll have to teach you a lesson, then¡­ mistress.¡± She released a fireball that crashed into the cube¡¯s ceiling, destroying whatever it was that projected the containment field. ¡°What did you do?!¡± Mana could hear the voice of the head scientist screaming at them through the speakers as alarms started blaring all across the room. ¡°Containment breach! Containment breach! All staff evacuate immediately! Extermination squad is en route! Containment breach!¡± The items all around the room vibrated violently as if they could feel that they were no longer trapped. Some of them simply vanished in what looked like puffs of pitch-black smoke, others transformed into slithering masses of shadow that moved towards the wall under the control room¡¯s windows and climbed the walls. Other mimics stayed put, keeping their shapes. Marisa used Mana¡¯s distraction to her advantage and made a portal appear under the witch. She fell through it, together with a doll and Marisa, who jumped in right after her. June 2024 *** She didn¡¯t know where exactly she was as her head hit relatively soft ground. There were some trees around her, and it looked like she landed in some greenery with a mesh fence on one side, and a residential road on the other. It was a small park somewhere in Tokyo. She saw the stars above and heard the clack of the doll that fell through the hole with her landing beside her before Marisa came into view, grabbed her by the collar and punched her. ¡°I will make you see how misguided you are, mistress!¡± Marisa shouted as Mana¡¯s vision blurred from the punch to her cheekbone. ¡°I will make you see the error of your ways! I will make you love me!¡± She tossed Mana to the ground and repeatedly hit her with Blast. Mana screamed as her small body was hammered against the soil over and over, slowly cratering it. She finally managed to erect a barrier to protect herself, but the pain all across her body made her ball up and sob, unable to fight back. ¡°Crying after telling me how much you hate me? Are you trying to get me to stop out of pity?¡± Marisa shouted at her, with her face contorted in some kind of twisted parody of an angry Mana. Unable to assault Mana with her turtling behind a Barrier spell, Marisa summoned another Portal on the ground, and Mana fell into yet another world. Period of Calm Skies, 1477 in the Era of Plunder *** Mana fell into an abundance of soft sand. She looked around, panicking, not certain where she had landed now and when Marisa would attack again. All around her was a crystal-clear blue ocean, with various small islands dotting the horizon. She could make out the shape of sailing ships in the distance, but right now she had bigger problems. She patted herself down, feeling the crown still on her. If she created a portal to the Broker¡¯s place now, she could hopefully shake off Marisa and - She didn¡¯t get to finish that thought ¨C Marisa appeared out of a Portal behind her and grabbed her robes, dragging her along. Mana wanted to fight back, but every single time she tried to move her limbs, pain shot through her entire body. She could do nothing as Marisa tossed her into the waters, closed her hands around her throat and held her down. She saw the cruel expression of her clone who kept her down with an iron grip. The rest of Mana¡¯s body was pinned down by Marisa¡¯s weight and the pain it caused her bruised body made her scream, letting out most of the air she still had in her lungs. The struggle continued for the next few seconds, with Mana flailing her limbs and kicking her legs. Mana managed to shoot off multiple blast spells to try and get Marisa off her, but all of them missed their mark. She finally stopped struggling as her vision faded. *** She felt a burning in her lungs and lips pressed against her own. Mana¡¯s eyes shot wide open, and she rolled to the side, coughing up sea water from her lungs and taking deep breaths. Her vision was blurry, but as she rolled on her back, she saw Marisa sitting next to her. The clone was crying. She reached out for Mana with shaky hands, sniffling and sobbing. ¡°Thank goodness! Thank goodness you¡¯re alive! I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to! I didn¡¯t want to! You saying that you hate me just made me so angry that I¡­!¡± Marisa stammered and continued her sobbing apologies. Mana didn¡¯t respond. She just looked at her clone with tired eyes, realizing that now Marisa was truly her clone; immature, with too much power for her age, breaking down when things get serious after all. She had no control over being born like this, and somewhat, Mana pitied her. But still¡­ *** Marisa choked mid-sentence, and her endless flow of sobbing apologies came to an end. She backed away from Mana for a moment and looked at her chest, at the tail of an arrow which stuck out. Another look towards Mana confirmed that she had weakly raised an arm and pointed a finger at her clone to cast the spell. The crying child vanished from Doppelg?nger¡¯s face and contorted once more into anger, before she collapsed on her back. Mana¡¯s arm fell back on the ground and she fell unconscious, but Portal worked a spell to get her out of here ¨C to someone who could help her. Marisa, two years older, stepped onto the sandy shores of the desert island. She saw her younger self with an arrow stuck in her chest, currently with her eyes closed. As she stepped closer, the younger woman woke up and grabbed her leg ¨C she couldn¡¯t speak up, not with the steel penetrating her lungs, at least. But the older one knew what she wanted to say. She had been in this exact situation one and a half years ago, after all. ¡°Shush,¡± she told her younger self, casting a healing spell as she pulled the arrow out of her chest. Younger Marisa groaned, then screamed as the metal left her chest until the pain faded ¨C then she stared vacantly into the sky. ¡°I failed¡­ why¡­ why does she hate me so?!¡± The elder one shook her head and caressed the younger one¡¯s forehead. ¡°Instead of focusing on your task to steal the crown you let your love for our mistress overwhelm you. I understand. I did the same.¡± The younger one turned her head towards her. ¡°If I just fail the same way¡­ is it pointless what we do?¡± ¡°No,¡± said the elder with a little smile. ¡°We only need to succeed once during all the chances to change the future we¡¯re given. They are the ones who have to succeed every single time to stop us. Tenacity will win us the day.¡± Moon of the Light Elves, 1067 AR *** Mana felt oddly warm. The pain wasn¡¯t radiating through her body anymore. It was replaced with a soothing feeling. She opened her eyes ¨C she found herself on a feather bed and saw a blue magic circle spinning in the air to her right. Behind it a woman kneeled, dressed in black and white robes. Her gold-blonde hair was tied into a bun and her ears were long and pointy. Her eyes were closed in concentration as she held out her hands. She was definitely the one working this magic on her. Healing magic, Mana concluded from the way her body didn¡¯t hurt anymore. A person stepped forwards and put her hand on the elf¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Give us some privacy, please.¡± The woman wore a hood, and her eyes were hidden by shadows ¨C the elf nodded and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. ¡°You¡¯re the Broker?¡± Mana asked in a hoarse voice. ¡°That I am. But¡­¡± She pulled off her hood and revealed her face. She was a beautiful woman, with silver hair which fell over her shoulders and ruby red irises. Her eyes were sharp and probably looked at everything and everyone with a calculating expression most of the time ¨C but this time they only expressed regret. She leaned in and pulled Mana into a hug ¨C it felt warm, motherly even. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. A child like you should never be exposed to such dangers or such pain.¡± Mana was dumbfounded ¨C a motherly hug was the last thing she expected from someone she was doing business with. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± She managed to say. The Broker took a deep breath and withdrew from the hug, examining Mana with one more concerned look, but the young witch looked at her with determined eyes. ¡°I have your crown with the containment field spell. Our deal still stands, yes?¡± The Broker blinked in surprise, as if taken aback for a few seconds, then she nodded, and the corner of her mouth rose in a little smirk as she put her hood back on. ¡°If you are fine and ready to get back to negotiations, then be my guest. We¡¯ll talk in the main room.¡± With that she stepped outside, letting Mana get her bearings. *** Mana followed after a few minutes, finding herself in the small hovel she visited the first time, though her memories were extremely blurry. Three men stood by the walls and gave her angry looks. Did I do something? ¡°Never mind them. Have a seat, Witch Queen.¡± The Broker gestured towards the chair in front of her table. Mana nodded and sat down in front of her, reaching into her robes and pulling out the crown. She placed it on the table and pushed it over towards the Broker, who immediately inspected it. ¡°Wonderful!¡± she exclaimed with a wide smile on her lips. ¡°As promised, I¡¯ll unlock a part of your bauble. Do you have it?¡± Mana reached to the side and a portal to her bedroom opened. She pulled the tear out of her desk drawer and presented it to the enigmatic woman in front of her. ¡°Now which part to unlock¡­ any wishes?¡± Mana shook her head. She was happy to get anything out of this ¨C and determined to get it all. The order didn¡¯t matter to her. ¡°Let¡¯s start with music, then.¡± The Broker rummaged through a drawer behind her and produced another gemstone. ¡°I¡¯ll copy all music into this gemstone and teach you a simple spell to access it ¨C and transfer it to more¡­ modern storage techniques if you ever feel like it.¡± Mana¡¯s tired eyes followed the Broker¡¯s movements ¨C thin blue lines of energy formed between the tear and the new gemstone. It didn¡¯t take long. The Broker handed Mana a sheet of paper containing the peculiarities of the spell needed to access the information on the gemstone. Mana took the gemstone and didn¡¯t even wait ¨C she cast the spell and decided to play a random piece of music stored on it. It was a symphonic orchestra ¨C though all the instruments sounded a bit different than they would on Earth. Everything had a feeling like it was underwater. And yet, at that moment, it was the most beautiful music she had ever heard. A last echo of long dead people ¨C billions of souls gone back to the great cosmic sleep ¨C all counting on her. ¡°Was it worth the pain?¡± the Broker asked her. ¡°Yes.¡± *** Mana prepared to leave but turned around once more. ¡°Can I ask a question?¡± ¡°One question and I¡¯ll answer it. You¡¯ve earned that by collecting one of the more important treasures.¡± Mana nodded and thought it over once more before she posed her question. ¡°What does the N in your signature stand for?¡± ¡°Nicola.¡± The answer came without hesitation or squirming to keep her personal details a secret. It shattered Mana¡¯s assumption about the second letter, though. ¡®Nicola Broker¡¯ made no sense. ¡°What¡¯s the B for, then?¡± ¡°My, Mana¡­ that¡¯s a second question,¡± the Broker responded with a sly smile. ¡°Work hard and the next time I¡¯ll let you know.¡± June 2024 *** An abandoned doll lying in the grass of Kyunomikawa Ryokuchi Park in Ota started to vibrate. It changed its shape into a slithering shadow, which crawled into various directions, as if unsure of its current location. It then changed into the shape of a park bench ¨C slightly out of place for people who knew the park in and out, but definitely enough to trick the eye of a casual visitor. Its presence didn¡¯t remain undetected though. After only a few hours three girls in frilled dresses and their bear-faced cat mascot arrived at the scene. Haruna, Sarina and Rei counted to three before all of them touched the bench at once, hoping to banish the threat inside¡­ 2.01 Volume 2 Prologue August 2024 *** About two months have passed since the peace in Shibuya got momentarily disturbed by a giant creature without eyes and way too many jagged teeth on its featureless head sitting perched atop a building. The response from Magical Girls was swift and decisive, causing this unknown threat to retreat into whatever dimension it crawled out of. At least that¡¯s how the official story went, as no one was able to even guess the true nature of ¡®Kuma¡¯, the patron of the ¡®Kuma Group¡¯ named after him, nor the real threat that he helped banish. It was a hot August afternoon, with the heat of the summer scorching the asphalt outside. At least the inside of the hospice¡¯s room was air conditioned. A family stood gathered around an elderly man, who was blessed to have ample time to prepare himself for the inevitable end that awaits any human being and gathered them all here. One after the other they held his hand, holding back tears as they said their farewells. His wife, his two daughters with their own families and his son were all gathered here ¨C allowing him a last look at his grandchildren, too. There were four of them, two for each of his daughters. A man in his thirties, a woman in university, a high school girl and another girl in middle school. He had always spoiled Akane, the youngest of them, knowing he¡¯d spend the least amount of time with her before the end. She was the least successful in holding back her tears as well, meekly clinging to his hand as she got his blanket wet with her sobbing. He didn¡¯t mind. He caressed her hair and offered her a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Akane. I won¡¯t be truly gone.¡± He smelled roses. Maybe someone carried a bouquet for another room through the corridor. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t forget me, I will keep living on in your heart.¡± ¡°Who are you? Please go outside, this is a private room for us to say our goodbyes!¡± The words came from his daughter as the scent of roses grew stronger. *** He didn¡¯t know where he was. The bed supporting his dying body was no longer in the hospice, instead standing on a vast field of lilies. All of them showed faces and moments dancing on their petals like they were cinema screens from his younger days. He could hear a beautiful voice singing; was this how people go into the afterlife? If so, then it was absolutely gorgeous. He just hoped that he wouldn¡¯t be bound to such an infirm body for the presumed eternity he would spend here. His illusions of this being a beautiful afterlife were shattered as he looked up from the lilies and saw his entire family being lowered from the sky. They were wrapped in smooth vines that restricted their movements, struggling uselessly against what was happening to them. They were arranged in a half circle around him, with Akane forming the center that faced him directly. ¡°What¡­ what is happening?¡± he asked, coughing as his accelerating heartbeat and his panicked, flat breathing tangibly shortened his remaining time among the living. The beautiful singing stopped, and the same voice spoke into his ear. ¡°You¡¯re dying, Toshirou. But as you said yourself, as long as this child remembers you¡­ you¡¯re not truly dead. Clinging to life is painful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Long, spindly fingers with claw-like red nails caressed his cheek while he could do nothing but stare at his family. They called for him in desperation, shouts of ¡®Father!¡¯ or ¡®Grandfather!¡¯ intermingling and forming a chorus of dread. ¡°Ah, my manners!¡± the voice chuckled and the monster to which it belonged stepped into his field of view. It was a woman who looked like her entire body and even her clothes were made out of leaves. Black sclera with tiny red irises gave her stare a dread-inducing quality. She opened her arms wide and spun in a circle once so the assembled family could see her. ¡°I am Lethe! I preside over this domain, where I take and devour memories of those who catch my eye.¡± She pointed at Toshirou who tried to cling to life for as long as he could, now. ¡°I will help you to truly die and leave this world behind. By making little Akane here forget about you.¡± ¡°NO! I don¡¯t want to forget grandpa!¡± the young girl shouted in desperation. Lethe turned towards her and caressed her cheek. ¡°Aaah, how she thrashes and cries! Too bad that I don¡¯t want to leave evidence of our interaction behind to achieve the best effect, or I would have used the thorned vines. It would have been a delight to watch her squeeze every last drop of blood out of her body, all on her own.¡±Stolen story; please report. He tried to prop himself up, to do something ¨C anything ¨C to help his granddaughter, but his frail body gave out, having him fall back on his pillow. He needed to take deep breaths already to stop himself from passing out. ¡°Oh, how will this look to the rest of the family?!¡± she asked with a giggle as she turned around to face the others who were dangling in her trap. ¡°Dear little Akane, the darling Akane! The favorite by far, showered in gifts and kisses and hugs, way more than her sister or her cousins. And the second her grandfather passes on she acts like he never existed.¡± She looked around the gathered family and cackled. ¡°A true test of your familial bonds, don¡¯t you think?¡± He was now crying in his final moments, weakly raising an arm towards the strange woman. Despite her claims being so outlandish, everyone around her instinctively knew that she could make her words reality. ¡°Please¡­ please don¡¯t. Have a heart, please. Don¡¯t inflict even more grief on my family. Do with me what you must but leave them out of it. Please!¡± The woman ceased her harassment of Akane for the moment, turning towards him and stepping closer again. ¡°There is nothing that will convince me to deprive myself of a meal, Toshirou.¡± She almost whispered. ¡°However!¡± The creature stopped in front of his bed and produced a long knife. ¡°Spilling your blood to water my lovely plants is the key to giving up all memories a person holds of you. I have a proposition.¡± She leaned in, and her smile grew way too large and creepy. ¡°Kill yourself, Toshirou. Spill all the blood in your veins and I will eat everyone¡¯s memories of you. Your poor darling Akane will not be singled out and ostracized for her perceived indifference.¡± She put the knife into his trembling hand and closed it around the handle, guiding it to his jugular vein. ¡°Just a quick cut¡­ you are dying anyway, aren¡¯t you?¡± she whispered as she let go of his hand. He hyperventilated, and his vision already faded at the edges. A burning sensation spread throughout his veins as he brought all his remaining strength together for one final push¡­ Lethe was rather amused. The knife stuck out of her chest ¨C the blade even pierced through the skin of her back. Toshirou looked at her with rage in his eyes, even as life started to fade from them. He was still in there, for just a moment longer. Time to send him off with despair in his soul. Lethe put her fingers on her sternum, and they sunk into her chest, rendered malleable by her control over her domain. She pulled them apart, opening her chest cavity to show the dying man how useless his little act of rebellion was. ¡°I knew you would do this.¡± The heart in her chest was blackened and motionless. The knife penetrated it, right next to a much larger hole. No blood was flowing from either of the openings. ¡°You can¡¯t kill me like this.¡± She showed him her sharp teeth as she smiled, leaning closer and licking his cheek. ¡°Go now, to the other side, you foolish man. Maybe Akane will join you if being ostracized by her family proves too much to bear. Too bad she won¡¯t remember you when she does¡­ and it will all be your fault.¡± If the man still drew breath, he would surely scream at her. But in his current state he simply slumped back onto the bed without a sound, his face contorted in horror. Lethe closed his eyes and adjusted his facial expression to a peaceful one. It wouldn¡¯t do if the family suspected foul play. She pricked his finger while there was still liquid blood inside him. A single drop fell down on her lovely lilies and dyed the entire field red. A ritual she had repeated unfathomable amounts of times. Akane behind her squirmed and let out pained whimpers as a golden glow broke through her chest and materialized as a fruit containing all the memories of her dearest grandfather ¨C the rest of the family wept and shouted words of love for Akane, useless things like ¡®We won¡¯t ever abandon you, even if you forget!¡¯. We¡¯ll see about that. Lethe wasted no time snatching Akane¡¯s fruit and biting into it. It was sweet, and just the right amounts of sour ¨C the certainty of her grandfather¡¯s death before she graduated high school permeated most of the more recent memories. As always, as she almost finished, she placed the last bite in Akane¡¯s mouth and made her chew it. Lost memories would return as dreams that the victim forgets about the next morning. Insult to injury, as the humans say. After her work was done, she propped up the unconscious Akane, wiping her tears. ¡°Now, dearest family! It is time that you all forget what has transpired here!¡± she announced with a booming voice, raising a hand in the air and snapping her fingers. *** The family returned to the real world, together with the peaceful looking corpse of Toshirou. None of them remembered any of the past minutes ¨C for them it was like the old man drifted into eternal sleep right after speaking to Akane. Lethe leaned against the wall in the corridor, right next to the door. She could hear the sobbing as it dawned on the family that Toshirou had truly passed on. Any minute now. ¡°Mom¡­ who is this?¡± Akane¡¯s voice communicated her earnest confusion ¨C she didn¡¯t know why she was here and who was being mourned by all her family. Lethe pushed herself off the wall and headed for the hospice¡¯s exit, letting the angry, mournful shouting serenade her on the way out as Akane¡¯s life as the black sheep of her family began. In her hand she held a single lily, which played the girl¡¯s sweet memories of her grandfather over and over, destined to be planted in Lethe¡¯s Garden. *** Memories were such fragile things among humans. While Lethe needed blood to erase someone¡¯s entire existence from their acquaintances¡¯ heads, lesser memories only needed a little tug on invisible strings. For Lethe¡¯s eyes, all humans have such strings attached to them. Once she touched them, she could see whatever memories they belonged to and if she gave them a little tug, they were gone. For being so fragile, a lot of these memories held things critically together. She walked past a man who kept a mental note about his daily medication. How terribly irresponsible, since this mental note was now gone and he hadn¡¯t set an alarm on his phone for it, either. Transplant rejection is no joke, as he would soon find out. As she walked past a young couple, she plucked the maiden¡¯s name from the man¡¯s mind. While walking away, she could hear him struggle to address his girlfriend ¨C resulting in a fight breaking out. The location of one¡¯s keys, an approaching birthday of a friend, the material for today¡¯s test, keycodes for the office, passwords for banking ¨C small inconveniences mingled with more threatening situations, all due to memories being plucked from the citizens. Every time a memory was plucked, another lily grew in Lethe¡¯s hands and before long she held a bouquet in her hands, crowned by Akane¡¯s gentle memories of her grandfather. Lethe was feasting on the city, but her hunger was never sated. 2.02 Clothes Make the Girl November 2014 *** It was already dark out, with the large bonfire being the only source of light in the schoolyard after the first day of the Culture Festival. The slow droning of the Oklahoma Mixer played as Miori Takeuchi, age 17, was forced to go along with the bonfire dance, as it was tradition, and besides, multiple boys asked if she would participate, so her classmates begged her until she agreed ¨C mostly so they themselves could get closer to the boys who asked for her. A tall boy held her right hand from behind with his own, pointed upwards next to her head, while her left was outstretched towards the center of the circle that the students were forming, held from below by him as if she needed support. They did identical steps both. Left foot forward, follow up with the right, step left, step right, follow up with the left. Another step with the right, then double steps with the left, double steps with the right, four steps forward starting with the left. Finally, they came to a halt, extending their left legs to touch the ground with their heels, pulling them back to do the same with their toes, releasing their right hands and having Miori rotate around to face the boy. He seemed a little flustered. She gave him a smile as usual ¨C a well-exercised fa?ade which carried her through daily life. They extended their right legs to touch the ground with their heels, then they pulled them back again, tapping their toes on the ground ¨C it looked like they curtsied. With that her time with the tall boy finally passed. She walked clockwise around the fire while he continued counterclockwise, and they met new partners. Miori grabbed the boy who was only a few centimeters taller than her by his right hand with her own and rotated so her back faced him before extending her left hand to rest it on his. This repetitive dance continued for quite a while, until every male participant and every female participant had met once. Some of the boys tried to chat her up as she looked ahead with vacant eyes, just trying to get it over with. ¡°I want to tell you something! Will you meet me behind the gym after the dance?¡±, one asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but no.¡± she replied diplomatically. ¡°I have a crush on you! Please go out with me!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to date at the moment.¡± ¡°What kind of boys are you into?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to answer that.¡± She chose her words carefully to not offend anyone while still showing her beautiful, if fake smile. It was always easier to grin and bear it than to stir the pot. She finally arrived home, carrying herself up the stairs to her room after briefly greeting her mother. She let herself fall face-first on her bed as she exhaled deeply. Today wasn¡¯t the first time a lot of boys became brave and asked her out; it wouldn¡¯t be the last, either. Sometimes she cursed herself for having been born with her blonde hair and blue eyes ¨C while it wasn¡¯t that unheard of in the city and most people didn¡¯t pay it any mind, a lot of people still mistook her for being from overseas at a glance, or thought she dyed her hair ¨C most annoyingly teachers who didn¡¯t know her accused her of that a lot before being corrected. She also stood out in her class, which attracted romantic attention. Both her mother and father¡¯s families apparently interacted with Belgian and German guests and immigrants ¨C or were emigrants themselves before their families returned, all over the span of a few generations ¨C and who would have seen it coming? The European qualities of those families carried unseen through her parents to spring into full bloom after she was born. On top of all of that, hers was the dubious honor of being the first-ever person to be saved by a Magical Girl, which made people ask a lot of uncomfortable questions whenever they found out, so she tried to keep it under wraps. To her dismay some classmates found out and told everyone they knew. All that on top of her family moving out of Kawaguchi into Tokyo after the same questions about her having been inside a monster popped up at her elementary school. For a mercy, at least, the ¡®prestige¡¯ of that info about her was fading the longer Magical Girls kept being a fact of life. At a certain point so many people were being rescued and held in the arms of Magical Girls that no one was interested in who was the ¡®first¡¯ anymore. Still, it was a formative memory for her. It was about a year ago that Miori realized that she was into girls. And even so, most girls still didn¡¯t do it for her, either. None of her classmates did, at the very least. The one she kept thinking about was the one who once held her in her arms, who rubbed her back as she threw up liquid shadow and spoke to her in a reassuring voice. The first person rescued by a Magical Girl fell in love with the first person who turned into a Magical Girl ¨C but she could only ever see her through the cold screen of a TV or her phone. She grabbed the very same device and typed ¡®Minerva Crimson¡¯ into the search bar. Her heart beat a little faster and harder in her chest as she watched whatever footage she could find, no matter how blurry and amateurish it was. ¡°She¡¯s shining so bright¡­¡± Miori sighed as she kept watching ¨C her thoughts came back to herself. She should try to shine a little bit like her heroine, but how would she even start to do that? She watched the very first video again, in which Minerva held her ten-year old self in her arms, covered in liquid shadow ¨C and then afterwards departed with a declaration that could only be described as overly dramatic. She acts like she doesn¡¯t care what people think about her. She pondered if she should try to be a little bit more rebellious as well. Day after day she simply kept smiling, making excuses for other people¡¯s lack of respect for her boundaries. What if she just told them off? She took her head in both hands and let out another long sigh. There was no way she could ever overcome her innate shyness, unless there was some kind of miracle cure out there that gave her the confidence she needed. She wished she was anywhere but here at this moment. It was finally her time to do her classes¡¯ culture festival activities on the second day. They largely voted for a maid caf¨¦, with the boys doing the food preparation while the girls served as the aforementioned maids in the role of waitresses. They bought inexpensive maid outfits from a costume supplier in various sizes for this occasion, meaning that they were ill-fitting and looked cheap. Miori tied the typical maid headband to her hair, letting out a loud sigh as she looked over the sorry ensemble of third-class maids in the makeshift changing room. Even if I look like I was ordered from a maid knockoff site some boys will hit on me again. She shook her head and walked towards the ¡®caf¨¦¡¯ area of the classroom as she passed by a mirror. It was a classic outfit with a long skirt, not even the sexy kind that would be more common to see in Akihabara. The skirt drooped down her legs in an incredibly sad way, its ruffles at the hem never getting to shine. She twisted and turned in front of the mirror, grabbing the skirt and fanning it wider, lifting it up so it showed a little leg as she kept inspecting herself. There was something to it. If the skirt were propped up it wouldn¡¯t look as bad anymore; alas, a petticoat for every outfit wasn¡¯t within the class budget.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. She kept going at it until one of her classmates stood behind her. ¡°What are you doing, Takeuchi?¡± She spun around to face the other girl, blushing as she was caught red-handed. ¡°I just thought, if the skirts weren¡¯t hanging down like that, these dresses might actually be kind of cute.¡± ¡°Hmm, you think so?¡± the other girl didn¡¯t seem all that convinced. ¡°They¡¯re just costumes for today anyway, don¡¯t overthink it so much.¡± Miori looked at herself a little bit longer in the mirror before she joined her classmates in the caf¨¦. ¡°Welcome, Master!¡± ¡°Oh, Miori-chan, you look so cute in a maid uniform!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± This outfit looks horribly cheap, though. ¡°Can I have a deliciousness spell and a smile?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll try my best! Become delicious! Moe, moe, kyun!¡± It¡¯s frozen omurice that we warmed up, not even a Magical Girl could enchant it to taste delicious. And so on¡­ Miori kept her true thoughts to herself, again. Her mind was focused on something entirely different, and as she got a break she pulled out her phone to look it up. There it was, on the website of a store in Harajuku. Maid dresses were displayed, propped up by a petticoat, short enough to show off the legs that could be decorated by tights, fishnets or maybe even garter. It looked way better than what her class was doing ¨C it might even make her shine. As she tried to zoom in on one of the images her finger slipped, and the page switched to a different product as a result of her fat-fingering accident. What she saw there was a black and red ruffled blouse and skirt combination, with platform high heels, garter with heart-shaped metal rings and a ruffled headdress. What is that? ¡®Gothic lolita¡¯? Her eyes were glued to the screen. She felt like it was speaking to her in the strangest way. She imagined herself in it and felt a little tingle in her fingertips. I need to try this on. Miori stepped out of Harajuku station in her school uniform. Her lack of general enthusiasm for fashion until this point had her not care too much about getting things to wear in everyday life ¨C her uniform was just enough for most of the time she spent outside, and on the weekend, she could make do with a t-shirt and some sweatpants at home, or with jeans outside. Why would she bother dressing pretty when all it did was get her even more unwanted attention? At least those were her thoughts until today. She walked to the right, heading straight for the mall only five minutes down the street. The website she saw the dress on named this one of the places where she could buy it. She stepped through the automatic doors and past the regular in-season fashion that was organized right behind the large store window front for the casual shopper. She was here for the specialized selection, so she took the escalator to the upper floor. As she arrived in the section dedicated to the dresses¡¯ brand, she took a deep breath. Lolita dresses were arranged in large quantities on racks, side by side. The sight made her heart beat just a little faster, almost similarly to whenever she saw her heroine. Most of them were too bright for her taste. White, grey, baby blue, pink ones, even. She erroneously assumed that the brand would mostly sell gothic aesthetics, but it appeared to stock lolita fashion of dozens of styles that she didn¡¯t even knew existed. She needed to go a bit further to the back to find the gothic themed ones. With a bit more searching she found the one she was looking for ¨C and immediately grimaced. The price tag was a staggering thirty thousand yen, at least staggering for a high schooler with only an allowance for finances. And that was only the blouse and skirt combination. She would need a headdress, shoes, socks and garter that matched as well. Checking her wallet she confirmed the sad facts that she already knew. Her finances came together to barely nine thousand yen. Discouraged she was about to put it away as a woman spoke to her. ¡°Putting it away already? I was so certain that it would fit you perfectly.¡± Judging by her uniform she was an employee here, but she also looked like a bit of a rebel, with red dyed hair and a grin that appeared able to weather even the greatest hardships. Her nameplate read Takanashi. ¡°I can¡¯t afford it right now.¡± Miori replied with a sad little smile. ¡°You can still try it on. I want to see!¡± The employee winked at her and Miori took a step back from her in surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem, really! Girls come in here and try on tons of different things all the time, so don¡¯t be shy!¡± The woman grabbed the dress and helped Miori pick out a headdress as well before guiding her to the changing rooms. ¡°Again, I want to see it, got it?¡± Miori nodded meekly, entering the little space and closing the curtain. Her hands trembled a little as she ran her fingers over the fabric. She looked at herself in the mirror, still wearing her school uniform. Besides her hair and eye color she was relatively unremarkable to her own eyes. She kept her hair at shoulder length, never diving any deeper into hair styles than a simple straight cut for fear that getting any prettier would draw even more unwanted attention. For now she took off her blazer, shirt and her skirt as well. The tights she currently wore against the chilly air outside would do for the dress, even if it wasn¡¯t coordinated with them. Swallowing her nervosity she put on the dress, slipping it over her form. She grabbed the laces and fastened them, pulling the blouse around her chest like a corset. The sleeves were loose and fluttered as she moved her arms, and she couldn¡¯t help but admire them for a moment. Only after she put on the headdress, she looked into the mirror and her eyes widened as she saw herself. She looked like a princess. One whose clothing of choice was darker than most, with almost a horror aesthetic, but nonetheless she looked like one. The frilly skirt was neatly propped up by the petticoat underneath, giving her a cute silhouette. She turned around, inspecting herself from every angle, and noticed here for the first time that her fake smile turned into a real one. A strange confidence filled her like never before. *** ¡°Oh dear! I knew I was right. You look like you were born for this!¡± The employee seemed delighted. ¡°My hair still feels like it doesn¡¯t quite fit.¡± Miori ran her fingers through her hair, pondering its appearance. ¡°I know just the thing!¡± The woman grabbed her phone and unlocked it. The lock screen was her and another woman with almost hip-length black hair and dark eyes, squished together by the cheeks and making silly faces. For some reason she seemed familiar to Miori, even though she was certain that she had never seen that woman in her life. The employee entered something into her search bar, then turned the phone around to show Miori. ¡°This is called a hime cut. You may have to grow your bangs and lateral hair a bit more, but it should be doable. I bet it will look fantastic on you! If you want it faster, you can even get wigs like it.¡± Miori smiled and nodded. After another tour into the changing room, she was back to her school uniform, putting the dress back with a slightly sad expression. ¡°Too bad I can¡¯t afford it right now. It made me feel confident like nothing else¡­¡± The employee pondered, then she leaned in close to whisper. ¡°Now, I might get in trouble if someone overhears me giving you suggestions to shop somewhere else, but¡­¡± Miori approached the store Takanashi told her about. She first cut through the side roads of the neighborhood and entered into the middle of Takeshita Street, seeing the stairs that the helpful clerk described to her earlier. As she got closer, she could see the matte golden paint on the stairs¡¯ railing. There was no doubt about it: this was the store she was looking for. As she ascended, she could see dresses propped up by wire mannequins ¨C there used to be faceless wooden ones, but due to more common attacks by faceless marionettes looking just like poseable store mannequins a lot of boutiques have opted to make it harder for these assailants to hide in plain sight. Inside she could see an uncountable number of dresses on long racks. A great mix of lolita styles, even though Takanashi added to her recommendation that this brand wasn¡¯t regarded ¡®true¡¯ lolita by the enthusiasts, but it was good for beginners with a lower budget. Miori found a dress she liked after about thirty minutes of rummaging ¨C and it cost barely more than four thousand yen. It was all-black, not with accents, but it was nice and ruffled with fluttering sleeves, nonetheless. She went on and got herself fitting shoes for 2600 yen more, then tights with little decorative garter and bows in the front for 2360. She didn¡¯t have a headdress yet, but with this she owned enough to start wearing the fashion while remaining inside her budget. Her finances were utterly drained, though. *** Once she was home, she wasted no time getting dressed. She stood in front of her mirror, spinning around her axis once to watch the fabric flutter. She struck one or two poses, admiring herself. It¡¯s not quite the same quality. But it¡¯s a good start. I feel a bit of that confidence back. She thought about some more words of advice that Takanashi gave her. ¡°You want to dress up for yourself, right? Maybe try out different styles of clothing, too. Maybe a suit could boost your confidence. Or maybe one day you want to dress like a gyaru. Or you might want to try cosplay. If this outfit has so much of an effect on you, maybe others do, too.¡± She went from zero interest in fashion at all to wanting to try out all sorts of things. The problem was just¡­ she had no money left. *** ¡°Oh my. Elegant.¡± Her mother entered the living room, seeing her dressed in her new outfit and hunched over a local paper that listed part-time jobs. ¡°You¡¯ve never been interested in more than hanging out in your room and watching Magical Girl videos. What changed?¡± The playful jab was like a truthful knife into her side, making her cringe a little. ¡°I found something I¡¯m interested in. But I need money.¡± Her mother smiled and nodded, grabbing some barley tea from the fridge and pouring herself a glass. ¡°That¡¯s good. Much better than being aimless, hm? If it motivates you to go out there and interact with people more, then all the better.¡± Miori nodded to her mother. ¡°And maybe the person I want to see me will notice me as well.¡± Miori¡¯s mother rolled her eyes. ¡°Still fantasizing about being a couple with that Magical Girl? I tell you; she¡¯s nothing but trouble.¡± Magical Girls being a chaotic factor in the world was always her mother¡¯s biggest concern, rather than the gender of her desired partner. It was a comedic moment when Miori came out to her mother about her feelings for other girls ¨C or rather one specific girl ¨C and she went on a tangent about the destruction caused by the Flower Brigade alone. Miori should try to find a good girl at her school instead, she said. ¡°If it comes down to it, I''ll tame her.¡± Miori said with a little grin before she looked down at the part-time job listings again. There was a convenience store near Shibuya that was hiring students. She didn¡¯t hesitate long and dialed the number on her cell phone. 2.03 Lily and Iris July, 10345 UCC *** The little starship passed a cloudless azure gas giant on its lonely travel. Space distorted ever so slightly around the ship¡¯s silver frame, as its Alcubierre drive propelled it forward. Currently it was going at sub lightspeed to allow the woman at the helm to take in the wonders of the galaxy right in front of her. She was a beauty ¨C slender and with a small stature, reaching only 149cm in height. Her hair matched the azure of the featureless orb her ship, the Poseidon, was passing in this very moment; it was freely flowing down to her hips. She had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she looked from the gas giant to the interior of the ship behind her. Who was this beauty, steering a spaceship to an unknown destination? You guessed right. She¡¯s me, Felicia. I got up from the helm, setting the Poseidon on autopilot to orbit the unknown gas giant for a while longer. It would make for a pretty sight for today, and with the push of a button multiple observation ports opened all across the ship to make the best use of the vista. Someone stirred in the guest bunk as the shutters opened. The girl laying there blinked into the reflected light of the gas giant¡¯s dayside. ¡°Good morning¡­¡± she mumbled. The woman lying in my guest bunk was no one else but Tiana, the woman I picked up after following a distress call a couple of weeks ago. I stood in the corridor for a few minutes, just to take in the sight of her ¨C fiery red locks fell down to her shoulders, and her green eyes were a pretty sight to behold. Conflicting feelings arose in me and part of me wanted to turn the ship around, rather than fly deeper into this solar system, where her home planet was located. I recalled the planets we visited together this past month. We almost met our end on a planet covered in giant spore spewing fungi, as the cult living there tried to remove our helmets to make us one of them. Or the time we visited the nation located entirely on a space station orbiting a black hole. The constant view of the hungering maw that devours even light shaped their cultural development in rather interesting ways ¨C their art was a little bit too depressing for me, though. ¡°Are you awake yet, Tiana?¡± I sat down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. A strap of her top came loose and the way it was sliding down her arm was rather exciting to me. My eyes kept looking at her skin, a little paler than mine due to her having spent more time in space than me. ¡°Just enough.¡± She yawned and looked out of the window. ¡°Ah! That¡¯s Chernoglav!¡± Naturally she would recognize her own solar system¡¯s planets. ¡°Yes. We are in your home system. Which means that today we¡¯ll reach your home and¡­ well, we¡¯ll have to say goodbye.¡± Tiana looked at me with big, sad eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t I just keep traveling with you like this instead?¡± I knew this question was coming. But as a Starfarer I couldn¡¯t take someone along with me indefinitely. Familiarity builds attachment and attachment means that one day I will want to stop traveling to enjoy more time together standing still. To settle down. And the time I spent with her already made me yearn for it, so I needed to harden my heart if I wanted to see more of the galaxy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tiana.¡± She shook her head in response. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s alright Felicia. I understand. Attachment between Starfarers and all that.¡± She sat up right next to me and leaned her head against my shoulder. ¡°I enjoyed our time together.¡± She whispered just loud enough for me to hear. ¡°Me too.¡± I replied. ¡°I may have fallen in love.¡± She whispered a bit quieter this time, but I still heard her. ¡°Me too.¡± I replied again, without hesitation. ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± There was an awkward silence between us for a good long while. In a way, it even continued; at least we didn¡¯t exchange words. At first our lips touched, and a moment later our tongues probed each other with clumsy curiosity. Then I lifted up that pesky loose top, and¡­ August 2024 *** Seika Hitoishi, a 30-year-old editor for the small Light Novel publisher Magic Collection, or MagiColle for short, sat in a caf¨¦ a short distance away from the office. Her brown eyes, underlined by dark rings from a lack of sleep, wandered over the lines of the manuscript she was reading. She flipped the pages with her left hand while her right was absentmindedly twirling a long spoon between its fingers ¨C it was for the untouched parfait that was placed in front of her about twenty minutes ago. In the seat on the opposite side of the table sat a young woman, 19 years old, who followed her reading process attentively. Her pen name was Hifumi Ebiko, and it was her manuscript that Seika was reading. She wore a merch shirt of a rock band called ¡®Celia in Bondage¡¯ and jeans with no real coordination, like she simply grabbed whatever was clean and comfortable to wear from a closet. Her black hair was tied into a bun behind her head ¨C multiple strands of it were dyed in a teal color, almost making her bun look like a piece of candy. Her grey eyes were fixed on her editor with anticipation as she fidgeted with her hands on her lap. Ebiko¡¯s first manuscript for volume 2 was excellent and Seika told her she¡¯d gladly publish it as-is, but nudged her to try and experiment with it, since she was way ahead of the deadline. That was two months ago. And so she did. She introduced the completely new character Tiana to the story, having Felicia pick her up in the first chapter. Tiana accompanied Felicia in every chapter of the volume, instead of having the main heroine experience everything on her own. This led to a variety of viewpoints, a strong friendship and a blooming romance. And Seika got to see more than just the bloom ¨C in fact this was like a fully opened blooming lily, exposing Seika to its naked pistils, or rather, how said pistils were rubbed against those of another flower. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good¡­¡± Seika started. Ebiko¡¯s eyes grew larger, and sparks of joy were visible in them. ¡°¡­but we¡¯re not printing this with a 1000 word sex scene.¡± Ebiko¡¯s shoulders drooped and she stared at the half-eaten parfait on her end of the table. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, Ebiko. It¡¯s a good scene. I¡¯m certainly enjoying it ¨C in fact, I wish I was reading this comfortably at home instead of in a caf¨¦, but it would be too much of a departure from the last volume. Your work will go from unrated to R18 if you go too far with it and we don¡¯t have an R18 imprint.¡± ¡°Why would you need an imprint for that?¡± ¡°For multiple reasons but simplified for your specific case: for separation purposes. No one wants to suddenly get the pornographic harem isekai novel shoved in their face while they¡¯re browsing for something similar to Kino¡¯s Journey, right? If we allow you to write an explicit sex scene like that, your work will need to be categorized appropriately.¡± Ebiko trembled a little ¨C she didn¡¯t seem to be taking it well at all, causing Seika to let out a little sigh. Only after she recruited this girl off a popular web novel platform to publish The Starfaring Maiden she bothered to check the rest of her work. It was erotica. So much erotica. Mostly fan fiction, too. Popular female character x female reader, popular female character x popular female character 2, the list of pairings and tags for fetishes would be enough to fill multiple A4 pages. For some of her stories she even commissioned artists to draw pornographic imagery to accompany her words. This girl was through and through a himejoshi, her head full of pairing girls with girls. ¡°I was so proud of that scene, too¡­¡± Ebiko said with a quiet voice. Seika ordered the pages and went over the scene again. ¡°You can still imply that sex happens. But no vivid descriptions of body parts going into other body parts. The moment when the artificial gravity of the ship turned off and Felicia fell in love all over again while seeing Tiana with floating hair and the gas giant behind her was really good¡­¡± She cleared her throat and took off her glasses. In movies and anime, characters did that a lot to make them look more serious when they were delivering some words of wisdom. In her case it only made her author¡¯s face look blurry, so she clumsily put her glasses back on and pretended that this never happened. ¡°And I¡¯m going to say this not as your editor now, Ebiko. I¡¯m going to say it as your fan, alright?¡± The girl tilted her head in confusion, but listened. ¡°We won¡¯t stop you from posting ¡®fan fiction¡¯ of your own work. As long as it doesn¡¯t contain anything that happens in the books directly. You can make your own ¡®glopping noise¡¯ chapter.¡± The gears in the young woman¡¯s head visibly turned and she let out a quiet ¡®Ohh!¡¯ after Seika¡¯s words. Seika nodded as Ebiko seemed to understand. ¡°In fact, some authors release scenes like that on fan subscription sites. You may want to look into that. Maybe you can even have AKITO draw the scenario if they have the time.¡± ¡°Will do!¡± Ebiko¡¯s mood improved considerably. *** After their little exchange they simply enjoyed their parfaits. The caf¨¦ wasn¡¯t that full at this time of day and exuded a more relaxing atmosphere than an oppressively white meeting room, so after a while it became standard practice for MagiColle¡¯s editorial to meet authors in these kinds of places, where they could feel at ease. ¡°Hitoishi, do you have a girlfriend?¡± Seika immediately choked on her parfait and knocked her fist against her chest to cough up the half-chewed piece of strawberry that blocked her airways. ¡°Excuse me?¡± The young author rested a finger on her lips, her grey eyes inspecting her editor. ¡°I just wanted to hear if you have any experience. If you could help me with my scenes.¡± She added, tapping her other finger on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t. And I don¡¯t think telling you about my love life is part of my job description.¡± Seika coughed again, wiping her mouth with a paper napkin.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Also, why are you so certain that it would be a girlfriend?¡± Ebiko grinned and leaned closer, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Seika braced herself for whatever kind of teasing she might have to weather. ¡°Well, see¡­ when you were reading that scene just now¡­ you tried your best to keep a poker face, but I could see the excitement in those tired eyes.¡± Seika turned her head away from Ebiko. ¡°Huh? Is that so? Maybe I was admiring the prose.¡± ¡°Oh, please. I¡¯ve been writing stuff like that since high school. I can read those reactions like an open book by now. You were self-inserting with someone.¡± Was I¡­? ¡°I did see flashes of your imagination. Miori was there.¡± The voice that only Seika could hear came straight out of the gemstone on her earring. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she suppressed the urge to groan at Minerva¡¯s words. I really didn¡¯t need confirmation that you can even see my imagination. Her crystal was a mysterious lifeform from another world, given to her by a strange man called Jove who dressed like a wizard. Her name was Minerva, and when Seika¡¯s mind merged with hers, they became one as the Magical Girl Minerva Crimson, a fact she kept secret from everyone in her life. Whether they were transformed or not, Minerva was always there to give commentary as a disembodied voice. ¡°Hmm, still denying it?¡± Ebiko leaned back into her seat, looking at Seika with some disappointment. ¡°Either way, you give off a certain vibe.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been told that before.¡± ¡°Unsurprising!¡± Seika shook her head and finished her parfait. ¡°Well, I still have work to do. Send me a mail once you are done reworking that last chapter. If I may offer a word of advice: focus on the emotional more than the physical and it should be alright.¡± Ebiko nodded and packed up her manuscript while Seika paid for them both. They said goodbye to each other with a little wave before they went in opposite directions. Seika let out a sigh. ¡°She writes fast, and she writes high quality stuff, but sometimes she can be a handful.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie, you¡¯re grateful that you get to read her explicit scenes.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Some heads turned Seika¡¯s way as she said those words seemingly unprompted, but she kept walking as if she didn¡¯t notice them. Seika leaned forward and let her employee ID dangle from her neck in front of the RFID scanner which locked MagiColle¡¯s doors. A beep and a click later she entered, stretching while letting out a yawn. She already felt tired again; it was time for her to grab another energy drink from her desk drawer and get to work scouting for promising talent in the vast expanse of the web. As she sat down and opened her can with a noisy hiss, she saw a movement in the corner of her eye. It was Watanabe, the editor in chief of MagiColle. ¡°Ah, Hitoishi. Done with Ebiko¡¯s review?¡± ¡°Yep. Had to talk her out of an explicit sex scene.¡± Watanabe let out a laugh. ¡°She¡¯s your favorite but still difficult in her own ways, huh? She¡¯s not the only one who likes to skirt the line. Maybe we should launch an imprint for R18 works.¡± ¡°If we do that, she¡¯ll have to start a new series, though. We have already set the tone for The Starfaring Maiden.¡± Watanabe grinned and checked the time on his phone. ¡°Actually, can you come with me for this one meeting? I¡¯m thinking of leaving the author I¡¯m meeting in your care, so it would be best if you can meet her as soon as possible.¡± Seika tilted her head. ¡°A new author?¡± *** Watanabe owned a humble Kei Car, in which Seika currently occupied the passenger seat. He was a father, and if Seika didn¡¯t know it from regularly chatting with him, she would know now, thanks to the booster seat that she spotted in the back. ¡°It¡¯s a little drive out. You can read her story on the way there, if you want. I printed it out and put it in the glove box.¡± Seika pulled the box open ¨C and after a few pencils and markers loosely fell into her lap she grabbed inside and pulled out a stack of paper. ¡®My Friend, the Magical Girl¡¯ was the title of the novel. ¡°You¡¯re our resident Magical Girl otaku, so I assume you can give her some pointers when she¡¯s stuck or when she makes egregious mistakes.¡± ¡°Hmm, right.¡± Seika said with a nod before she dove into the story. It was a slice of life story from the point of view of an ordinary girl who befriended a Magical Girl after accidentally seeing her transform on her school¡¯s rooftop. Sounds familiar¡­ but I guess that¡¯s the most plausible way to start in a school setting. The content was mostly centered on their friendship ¨C if Magical Girl battles were shown they were from the main character¡¯s point of view from afar or over television, or even the internet. The main character, called Yuka, always waited for her dear friend Sora when she was out battling reptilian-like creatures, and the narrative focused on her thoughts and the anxiety of waiting, hoping that her friend was safe. In short, it was alternating the sweet slice of life sections, of friendship and sometimes abusing Sora¡¯s Magical Girl powers to have some fun with the real dangers the Magical Girl was facing. It was an interesting approach to witness a Magical Girl¡¯s deeds through the eyes of a normal person who was close to them, almost like tales of soldiers¡¯ wives. And speaking of wives, there were hints of a yuri plot line as well, focusing on Yuka feeling fonder and fonder of Sora. ¡°She chose quite the peculiar topic to write about. But I like it.¡± ¡°Haha! I still know how to pick them. Anyway, you can tell her yourself in a moment.¡± The car came to a stop and they both got out. They still needed to walk a good distance through a market district to get to their destination ¨C Watanabe¡¯s destination for them was a tempura restaurant. ¡°We¡¯re meeting her halfway here; she lives a little bit further out. The place has tables for four that can be isolated by curtains. Only an izakaya would have better privacy for a business meeting.¡± He seemed quite enthusiastic about this trip. ¡°Sometimes I think that you started our company policy to meet authors outside of the office just to sample all the food Tokyo has to offer.¡± Seika replied with a little smirk. ¡°You might be right about that, too!¡± Watanabe laughed, causing his tired employee to raise her eyebrow. *** They ordered ginger ale for both of them while waiting for the author. Seika flipped through the script once more and looked at the author¡¯s pen name. ¡°Shoko Kohaku¡± She read aloud. Two of the kanji used in her name seemed as familiar as the premise of her novel, especially the one for ¡®Iris¡¯ used in the author¡¯s given name. ¡°Something the matter with her name?¡± Watanabe asked, looking at the manuscript. ¡°No, I just have an¡­ odd feeling.¡± She left it at that ¨C a bell rang at the door and a new customer got greeted by the staff. ¡°This might be her.¡± Watanabe and Seika got up from their seats to greet the newcomer. The curtain to their little private space was parted, and Seika¡¯s good mood evaporated to be replaced by immense feelings of guilt. Right in front of her was Ayame Takanashi, her best friend for seven years until her memories were stolen by Lethe nine years ago. *** She was barely recognizable by Seika, who saw her last as a laid-back college student who rarely wore anything other than a green track suit while dyeing her short hair red. Her hair was a natural brown color now, perfectly matching her hazel eyes and easily growing past her shoulders. She wore a short sleeve shirt with a plaid pattern and a skirt, carrying her handbag with her as she entered the secluded space. ¡°Ah. Good afternoon. I¡¯m Ayame Takanashi, and¡­ you must be Watanabe and you¡­¡± she looked at Seika for a little bit longer. There was a dying spark behind her eyes, like the memory of her best friend was still in there and refused to resurface, like a taunt by Lethe herself. ¡®I always let them have a little bit of it back. It¡¯s so much more satisfying when they have dreams about the things they once knew¡­ and forget about them again in the morning.¡¯ She had to muster incredible self-control to stop her hands from trembling. ¡°¡­right! Hitoishi. Watanabe let me know that you will be my editor.¡± There was not a hint of recognition in her eyes. Seika shouldn¡¯t have expected anything else. All three of them sat down and ordered. Seika buried her face in the menu as if she could avoid Ayame that way ¨C as if she could avert her face from the damage she was responsible for. ¡°This is something that interests me, Takanashi. You¡¯re a fashion designer, aren¡¯t you? What made you give writing novels a shot?¡± Watanabe didn¡¯t seem to notice Seika¡¯s aversion to the situation at all and continued the meeting. Ayame hesitated for just a moment before she answered. ¡°I¡¯m going to therapy for memory loss. For some reason I can barely remember anything past my fourteenth birthday until my final year of college. I do remember the material I learned in school and such, but it¡¯s like I never had a personal life during that time.¡± Seika¡¯s hands trembled again, despite her attempts to control them. She never thought about the implications of all memories of her being erased past the fact that Ayame and her were strangers now ¨C it made sense, though. The two of them were always together. Always causing some trouble, always getting up to something stupid. Ayame was almost never alone during her free time. Ayame continued her story. ¡°I do have dreams that feel like they are connected to these lost memories, but they never last longer than a few minutes past waking up. And right after waking from my dreams they have already become hazy. So, my therapist suggested that I start writing down whatever I remember when I wake up.¡± Seika froze in place ¨C a cold drop of sweat formed on her forehead and rolled down her nose as she heard those words. ¡°I¡¯m certain those dreams are mostly meaningless, definitely just fantasies that I may have entertained myself with. But after I collected enough scraps, I sorted everything I wrote down and turned it into a story. It seemed to be a fun thing to do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a really interesting approach to writing! If you wanted to figure out a long-term plot that might be an issue, but for a slice of life story it might be valid to base them on whatever your dreams were like.¡± Watanabe turned his head to Seika. ¡°Hitoishi, you¡¯re unusually quiet. Is there anything about this that you don¡¯t like?¡± ¡°Ah? N-no. All of that sounds wonderful.¡± She said with a forced smile. ¡°Actually, uh¡­ excuse me for a moment, please.¡± ¡°Hm, are you not feeling well? You¡¯re sweating.¡± Watanabe looked at her with some worry. ¡°Maybe I ate something bad when I was out with Ebiko¡­ anyway, don¡¯t mind me, do go on!¡± After leaving the curtain she accelerated her steps, almost running towards the bathroom. *** ¡°Why? Why, why, whywhywhy WHY?!¡± Seika sat in one of the bathroom stalls, her fingernails dug into her scalp as her bloodshot eyes stared at the tiles below. She was spiraling. Flashes of Lethe holding Ayame in her vines came back to her mind ¨C vividly at that. Guilt was crushing her heart as she remembered how she immediately gave up ¨C how she partially saw Ayame¡¯s memory loss as a convenient way to shove her away. To keep her safe by cutting all contact. Or so she told herself. In truth, she was simply scared. The way Lethe rummaged through her head ¨C she felt raped. She was afraid of it happening again. She was utterly, thoroughly terrified of Lethe. ¡°Why did she start writing? And Watanabe picked her up?!¡± She slammed a fist on the bathroom stall¡¯s wall. ¡°Calm down, Seika!¡± ¡°How COULD I calm down?! There¡¯s the living, breathing reminder of what that plant bitch took from me! What I gave up on so quickly without even trying to reconnect! And Watanabe wants me to work with her! A constant reminder of what I failed to protect! And even worse, having her memories of me stolen ruined her life!¡± ¡°I know it looks like that, but she seemed content with it, Seika!¡± ¡°She¡¯s grinning and bearing it while she knows that a huge chunk of her life is missing!¡± She slumped back onto the toilet seat, pulling away some toilet paper to wipe tears from her face. ¡°What am I supposed to do now¡­?¡± ¡°Well, as it so happens, you can go and blow off some steam right now.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I mean that Madame Bille¡¯s marionettes have appeared in a nearby shopping street.¡± Seika took a deep breath and left the toilet stall. There was a small window leading to the back street outside ¨C luckily, her body was rather petite. The shopping street was an old and traditional one. The many narrow houses were shops on the ground floor with spaces to live on the floor above ¨C many families have been in these houses living and plying their trade for decades. Though instead of the usual bustle the people in this street were running away with panicked screams right now. Marionettes, looking similar to the featureless pose figures that artists would be using, were shambling through the streets ¨C their limbs were covered in razor blades while their entire bodies hung on purple glowing strings that stretched into the sky and vanished from sight. A man tripped and tried to crawl away from one of the shambling assailants, which raised an arm to hack him to pieces. Though before it could do so a crimson blur hit it in the face and launched it away at such a high speed that it shattered as it hit a wall, which in turn cracked. The red object in the meantime came to a standstill, revealing itself to be a person. None other than the Magical Girl Minerva Crimson herself. She used the rebound from hitting the marionette in the face with both feet to do a backflip, landing right behind the crawling man and impatiently pulling him on his feet. ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way!¡± She murmured and the civilian took the hint, running out of the combat zone. ¡°Thank you for coming, minions of Madame Bille!¡± She barked as she cracked her knuckles. ¡°I¡¯m in a very bad mood today. No cane, no sword, no magic. Just my fists.¡± The alley was filled with the sounds of splintering wood and Minerva¡¯s shouted curses as she tore the attackers limb from limb, snapped their strings and cracked their featureless heads. *** It took ten minutes for the Flower Brigade to arrive ¨C late yet again, as if Madame Bille herself made sure that they wouldn¡¯t interfere. All they saw was the carnage left behind. Pieces of wood everywhere, razor blades that came loose. Some of the marionette¡¯s leftovers were smeared with blood, as the red Magical Girl kept her promise, even as she cut her own hands on the creatures¡¯ limbs. ¡°Are we sure that she¡¯s not part of an evil organization like the Kuma Group kept saying?¡± asked the Magical Girl in purple. *** Seika returned to the restaurant. She kept her hands close to her body, hoping nobody would see the dark colorations on her knuckles and fingers. Her Magical Girl form could take extreme punishment, but everything that broke skin would be visible later on as black bruises on her mundane body. Needless to say, after cutting up her hands from beating a group of razor-covered Marionettes to death her hands were a right mess. She sat down and kept her hands below the tablecloth. ¡°Hitoishi, welcome back. I was a little worried. Did you feel sick?¡± Naturally, Watanabe was ever the dutiful boss who was looking out for her well-being, which only made her feel worse about lying about her little breaks all the time. She shook her head ¨C after letting off steam like this she managed to calm down significantly ¨C and dared even to face Ayame. ¡°I¡¯m alright. So, did you have any plans where you were taking the story, Takanashi? When I read the script, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that there was some romantic tension building between the main characters¡­¡± *** After they said their goodbyes Ayame left in the opposite direction to the two editors. Only now Watanabe turned towards Seika and furrowed his brow. He didn¡¯t say anything at first and only grabbed Seika¡¯s right hand, inspecting the bruises ¨C letting it sink in that he noticed long ago before he spoke. ¡°You didn¡¯t have that one when we entered. What¡¯s going on, Hitoishi? What got you so angry that you went and punched a wall?¡± Seika went pale and looked to the side, gritting her teeth. ¡°Is something about her getting you that angry?¡± She couldn¡¯t quite place the tone of his voice, but somehow, she was certain that he wasn¡¯t exactly angry with her. More like a concerned father. ¡°No, it has nothing to do with her. I have a bad thing going on in my personal life.¡± She lied. ¡°Please don¡¯t ask.¡± He let go of her hand and let out a long sigh. ¡°I can pull you off her novel, if you want. We can have someone else work on it, we don¡¯t necessary need someone who knows their stuff about Magical Girls.¡± Seika shook her head. ¡°No. I can do it.¡± Even if she doesn¡¯t remember me, I don¡¯t want to abandon her again. 2.04 Senpai November 2014 *** ¡°Right. With that, welcome to the team. I¡¯ve already put you in for afternoon shifts that match your times after school. If you want to adjust anything, just come talk to me.¡± The store manager handed her a little name badge as well as a folded uniform and pointed out a whiteboard on the office wall. Multiple names were on it and covered full-time or part-time shifts during the store¡¯s 24/7 operation. Miori, age 17, applied for part-time evening shifts, starting a comfortable time after school was out. She didn¡¯t participate in any clubs, so a four-hour shift was no problem for her. Her interest in alternative fashion didn¡¯t come cheap, as she painfully found out the other day, so she was glad for all hours that she could work. She wasn¡¯t wearing any of her cheaper lolita fashion during the job interview and the current discussion, of course. She was the model high school girl in her uniform, maybe a bit of an outlier with her blonde hair that was neatly grown to shoulder length. Miori took her uniform and inspected the fabric. Takanashi said to try out different clothes and see if they would have an effect on her, so maybe she could feel something from wearing this as well? ¡°Thank you! From now on I¡¯m in your care!¡± She said like a prim and proper employee should as she bowed. ¡°Right. You share your shifts with the same person most days. She¡¯s been here for half a year now, so she can show you the ropes. She¡¯s a college student, a few years older than you.¡± Miori was a little relieved that her co-worker would be a girl, especially considering that they would be the only people working at the store during most of her shifts, according to the whiteboard. She wouldn¡¯t want her experience at the bonfire to be a daily occurrence at work. ¡°I¡¯ll start today?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Your shift starts in half an hour, so you got plenty of time to get changed and wait for your senpai to come into work and show you around.¡± Miori nodded and went to the changing room to get ready for her first shift. After donning her uniform consisting of a shirt covered in blue stripes of various sizes, Miori headed to the cash register where the manager was waiting for her. Apparently, they owned a good selection of uniforms for new employees, since hers fit her surprisingly well. She looked herself up and down, while trying to catch her own glimpse in reflections. Nope, nothing. Unlike the lolita dresses this change of clothes kept her in her normal, passive state. She shouldn¡¯t have expected much from just wearing what was essentially a striped shirt, anyway. Just at that moment she saw her coworker enter. Her black hair was in the process of growing to hip length and combed to smooth perfection. Her style was casual, as expected of a college student; She looked like she simply grabbed some pants and a t-shirt at random after getting out of bed ¨C in which she didn¡¯t spend enough time, as she looked like she was starting to grow dark rings under her eyes. A standout feature was the single earring she wore on her right ear ¨C a triangular red gemstone was hanging on a golden chain link, fastened to her earlobe with a cuff. She seems familiar. Miori couldn¡¯t quite put where she saw this woman before, but she was certain that she wasn¡¯t seeing her face for the first time just now. ¡°Evening, Manager.¡± The woman greeted the manager first, then her eyes were on Miori. ¡°Oh, good evening, Hitoishi. May I introduce you to your new coworker?¡± Miori stiffened a little and bowed to the woman. ¡°I¡¯m Miori Takeuchi. I¡¯m looking forward to working together, Senpai!¡± Hitoishi looked her over and smiled, then she bowed in turn. ¡°Seika Hitoishi. Looking forward to it.¡± *** Hitoishi got changed before their shift started and joined Miori. Her loose hair was now tied in a ponytail as she took her place behind the cash register. ¡°This is your first day, right, Takeuchi?¡± ¡°Oh, call me Miori, please.¡± ¡°Alright, Miori. You know vaguely how to tally up people¡¯s shopping?¡± Miori nodded, looking over to the cash register. ¡°I scan the items and then I should have the total, right?¡± ¡°Right. Then you can enter the payment method. But selling items isn¡¯t all we¡¯re doing here.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°A lot of online services offer the option to pay in cash at a convenience store, such as ours. That even includes phone or electric bills. If they come in with a payment request like that, you¡¯ll have to¡­¡± *** Her senior continued her explanations and got Miori set up for her first day at work. Miori did her best to deliver a good performance while Hitoishi helped her with everything she had trouble with, putting down her own work stocking the shelves to do so. Before she even knew it, the day was over and the two of them changed out of their uniforms into normal clothes. Miori looked over to her colleague and pondered a moment if she should hold idle conversation with her. ¡°Senpai, what¡¯s your hobbies? Anything that you¡¯re financing with this job?¡± she simply started. ¡°Hm?¡± Hitoishi looked at her and put a hand on her cheek like she needed to ponder her reply. ¡°You¡¯re not going to think I¡¯m a gross otaku if I answer you honestly?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Never mind. Well, I partially pay for the tuition costs and my grocery spending instead of relying on my parents. What¡¯s left I sometimes put into¡­ er¡­ merchandise.¡± She cleared her throat¨C all of a sudden it seemed like the older woman was walking on eggshells around her. ¡°Oh? Merchandise of what?¡± Miori smiled as she finished changing out of her uniform, facing her senior colleague. ¡°Magical Girls. I buy figurines and doujins and such. I actually saved up for Winter Comiket next month.¡± Miori stepped closer and grabbed Hitoishi¡¯s hands, beaming a bright smile at her. ¡°Oh! Then you must know about Minerva Crimson, too!¡± There was an odd expression on Hitoishi¡¯s face for the fraction of a second at the mention of that name. She averted her eyes and put a hand on her right ear, nervously flicking her single earring. ¡°Hm? Her? Yeah, maybe. Not too big of a fan, though. I mean, there¡¯s barely any good footage of her, is there?¡± Her tone wasn¡¯t entirely convincing ¨C in fact, Miori felt like there was a certain amount of trembling in Hitoishi¡¯s voice. ¡°She¡¯s my favorite, actually.¡± She finally said, tapping on her phone to play one of the many videos she kept saved. Minerva Crimson really was a blur on it most of the time as she was moving fast, and striking hard. The only time the camera could focus on her was when she stopped momentarily to assess the situation. Often, she would fly in, solve the problem, and leave just as fast, as if she needed to be somewhere else right after. Other times the people filming would be shooed away by the Magical Girl for their own safety. She uttered no catch phrase or struck any cool poses before the battle began. And still, she was the one Miori loved. Hitoishi¡¯s expression softened a little as she saw Miori¡¯s fixation. She reached out a hand, patting the younger girl¡¯s head, causing her to look up. ¡°Well, I can definitely see that you love her. I¡¯m sure she appreciates being someone¡¯s favorite.¡± Miori still couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of familiarity. In fact, the feeling of that hand on her head rattled on the cage of her memories, but in this very moment said cage¡¯s locks still held tight. January 2015 *** Work with her senior continued like that for the next two months without incident. After a short New Year¡¯s break Hitoishi returned to work with a wide grin, telling Miori all about the merch she bought at Winter Comiket. Figurines, wall scrolls, doujins, all of her favorite Magical Girls from anime and manga ¨C though she was very vague about the type of doujins she bought. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re 18.¡±, she said with a flushed smile. I¡¯m not a child. I¡¯ve read dirty manga before. It was mostly out of curiosity when she noticed who she was attracted to. She knew that yuri, or girls love, existed. But she hadn¡¯t really read any until that point. As she was questioning her attractions, she delved a little deeper into the topic and bought a few volumes of a popular series at the time. While not extreme, it did feature some steamy situations. She kept her mouth shut, though. She wasn¡¯t confident enough in just her uniform to speak her mind like that. ¡°Ah, but I do have this one.¡± Seika grabbed into her bag and handed Miori a thin book. The cover depicted two popular Magical Girls from a recent anime and its movie continuation ¨C one in an angelic form, one as a devil. They embraced on a cracked pane of glass while the devil covered the angel¡¯s eyes and looked over her shoulder at the viewer. ¡°It¡¯s a collection of humorous short stories and all-ages, so I got you a copy, too. You saw the movie, right?¡± ¡°Ah, sure!¡± Miori was surprised by the gift and started to flip through the pages. After a while she couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°You are a hopeless otaku, gifting thin books to a high school girl.¡± She teased her with a little giggle. ¡°Hey, come on now! I was being thoughtful here!¡± Hitoishi laughed. Suddenly Hitoishi touched her earring, wearing a serious expression that clashed with her previous cheerful disposition. ¡°Miori, can you watch the store for a minute?¡± Hitoishi produced a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket ¨C this was the first time Miori ever saw her with those items, even after having worked here for two months. ¡°Senpai, you smoke?¡± ¡°Sometimes. When I¡¯m stressed. Please don''t follow my bad example, okay?¡± Miori nodded, though she remained skeptical. There was never a trace of tobacco smell on Hitoishi for as long as she knew her. This revelation came a little bit out of the blue.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I¡¯ll be behind the store. Do me a favor and give me some privacy. I really don''t like it when people see me smoking. Makes me feel gross, you know?¡± Hitoishi gave her a tired smile. ¡°Uh¡­ sure, Senpai. But I¡¯m sure you''d kill the look!¡± Hitoishi let out a little laugh and went for the backdoor. ¡°Sure thing, sure thing. Still, no peeking!¡± Miori stared at the door for half a minute after Hitoishi left. She considered peeking after all ¨C to maybe give her Senpai some compliments to make her feel better about her habit ¨C she knew all too well how insecurity gnawed at one''s core, after all. Just at that moment she received an alert on her phone. ¡®LIVE FOOTAGE Magical Girl Minerva Crimson is battling the Enraged!¡¯ Miori forgot all about her smoking senior and grabbed her phone, glued to the screen as shaky phone camera footage caught a red blur moving between people with a purple complexion. The Enraged were a prime opportunity to see clearer footage of Minerva Crimson, as they were civilians transformed into monsters by an unknown foe. As such, they required her to approach the threat tactically instead of simply blasting ahead and smashing them. She needed to dodge their attacks, locate where the people were pricked with a poisonous needle and then pull it out to return them to normal, all while preventing that they wander off and slash at the surrounding bystanders. Needless to say, while this was ideal for Miori as an observer, it must be the most annoying enemy for the Magical Girl to deal with. ¡°Fear not, citizens, for we have arrived!¡± "The light of the heavenly bodies will keep you safe!¡± The camera panned away from Minerva Crimson onto two newcomers: the Celestial Sisters. Two girls in monochrome dresses in opposite patterns: one black with white highlights, the other the exact opposite. ¡°Ugh, stop filming them!¡± Miori complained out loud at her phone, making the head of a customer in the back of the store turn her way. ¡°Thank you for holding them back until our arrival! Now we can take over!¡± The camera finally panned back to Minerva who was dodging multiple claw swipes with backward hops. ¡°I¡¯m not complaining if you want to take over, but if you¡¯re gonna do so, get a move on!¡± ¡°Huh?! Who are you to talk to us like that?! Sol, we should blast her!¡± The verbal argument continued while Minerva Crimson kept dodging ¨C from time to time she managed to yank a poisonous needle out of an Enraged. The sequence after was another blur: she grabbed the cleansed civilians by the clothes and tossed them out of frame before pointing her cane in that direction. When the camera finally followed the people she threw, they were floating in the air and gently placed down on the ground by wind magic. In the end the Celestial Sisters argued with the crimson defender for so long that she already finished with turning back all of the Enraged. She looked up at them with a look of exasperation as Luna kept rambling on about respecting them and interfering with their work. ¡°Well¡­ I''m all done here, so¡­ bye?¡± With that the red Magical Girl turned into a blur once more and vanished into the sky. The camera went back to the Celestial Sisters - Luna''s face was red with rage while Sol gently patted her shoulder, trying to calm her down. Miori turned the stream off ¨C now that Minerva Crimson wasn''t in the picture anymore, she lost all interest in the rest of the broadcast. Just at that moment Hitoishi came back inside. She reeked of cigarette smoke, though she also looked annoyed by something. ¡°Senpai! You missed a Minerva Crimson broadcast!¡± ¡°What a shame.¡± She replied with a strained smile, causing Miori to cock her head. ¡°Really, zero interest? You''re a pretty boring adult, after all.¡± She poked her tongue out at Hitoishi, who reacted with a small snort-laugh. The weekend after that incident she went back to Harajuku. Takanashi was on shift again and greeted her energetically. ¡°Welcome back! Oh, you already look wonderful. Are you sure that you need any more?¡± She winked at Miori, who was wearing the affordable gothic lolita outfit that she bought the last time. Miori gave her a self-satisfied smirk in turn as she produced the envelope with her salary. ¡°That was a trial run. Today I¡¯m wearing the real thing!¡± Takanashi took a step back and bowed to her playfully. ¡°Right this way, your ladyship!¡± ¡°Oh, stop it!¡± Miori giggled. After two months of work, she felt 140.000 yen richer, though that wouldn¡¯t last long. A black skirt and corset with red highlights, a wine-red blouse with shirring fabric and rose petal-like layered sleeves, a black jabot tie with a little metal cross and black pumps with their own little bow ties. Red-and-black diamond pattern tights, and to top it all off she got a black lattice headdress as well. That was the combination she went with, now that she could afford it. Takanashi clapped as Miori left the changing room, letting out a whistle as she admired the coordination that Miori put in place. ¡°Wonderful, wonderful! I don¡¯t know what kind of part-time work you found but it was worth it! You now really look like a dark kind of princess!¡± Miori smiled and put a hand on her chest, taking a deep breath as she let the feeling of confidence that her new attire brought with itself flow through her body. This is it. I am confident. I can speak my mind. *** The cash register offered her a bit of a rude awakening. Her total came down to 82,390 yen, which was more than one month¡¯s worth of part-time salary. If she wanted to collect a variety of clothes like this, she would have to work at that convenience store for quite a while longer. For now she proudly held the spoils of her hard work in two bags. ¡°So, what are you going to do with that? Going to wear it on a date with a sweetheart? Or simply wear it for going out?¡± Takanashi was still as invested in Miori¡¯s exploration of fashion as ever. ¡°For now I¡¯ll keep it for longer outings¡­ I only have the two outfits, after all.¡± Miori smiled gently, now radiating confidence in every direction by just having that outfit in a bag while wearing the cheaper one. ¡°Ahh, you want to buy more, huh? Fair warning, that¡¯s a hard road you¡¯ve chosen. The outfit you¡¯ve picked out today is from a relatively reasonably priced brand, but there¡¯s others of even greater quality and brand recognition where just getting a coat dress costs you the same as what you just spent on the entire ensemble.¡± Miori furrowed her brow in response to that. ¡°It seems I still have a long way to go.¡± ¡°Haha. Well, you can always ask me when you need guidance. The name is Ayame, by the way!¡± ¡°Miori. ¡° ¡°Nice to meet you, young Miori. And have fun on your journey into fashion!¡± November 2015 *** A whole year had passed since Miori joined the crew at the convenience store. Her earnings rarely stayed long in her wallet ¨C whenever she saw a good gothic lolita dress combination she wanted to try out, that was exactly what she was working for. From time to time, she showed her senpai photos of herself in her dresses, as she didn¡¯t exactly have an opportunity to show her in person. Hitoishi always let out a little whistle or hum of appreciation, flustering the girl, even as she did her best to not let it show. They even celebrated each other''s birthdays with small gifts over the course of the year, complete with a piece of tart with a single candle. They celebrated Seika''s 21st birthday on March 19th and Miori''s 18th on October 30th. This day was a relatively boring one. There were waves of customers and then long periods of nothing happening, so the two were chatting it up in the meantime. ¡°Senpai, do you have a girlfriend?¡± Miori asked ¨C at that time still out of innocent curiosity. Hitoishi was caught off guard and coughed, blinking and looking at the younger girl. ¡°Huh?! Why would you ask that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious!¡± ¡°And why would a girlfriend be your first assumption?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Miori didn¡¯t have an explanation for that, aside from her own preferences. She looked to the side and scratched her cheek. ¡°Oh!¡± Hitoishi held a hand in front of her mouth on realization. ¡°Miori, could it be that you¡¯re into yuri? Like, a himejoshi?¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± She raised an eyebrow and realized in this moment that her senior could be incredibly dense¡­ and that her own otaku preferences painted her perception quite a bit. *** Their chat didn¡¯t continue for much longer after that as a customer entered. ¡°Welcome!¡± They both said in unison ¨C then they froze in place as they recognized that the nervously sweating man held a knife, pointing it at the two women. ¡°H-hand over the cash!¡± Miori felt a cold sweat break out at the sight of the trembling hand holding the knife. The man didn¡¯t look very threatening, but she was acutely aware how even weak people could do a lot of damage with a sharp blade when provoked. ¡°Senpai¡­ what do we do?¡± she asked quietly. ¡°What the store tells us to do. We comply to keep everyone safe.¡± Hitoishi didn¡¯t hesitate to open the cash register. ¡°Grab a bag and help me out, Miori.¡± Miori did her best to follow her Senpai¡¯s request, holding the bag open while shooting nervous glances at the robber. He still held the knife pointed towards them with an outstretched arm. ¡°Hurry up!¡± He shouted while Hitoishi kept piling the cash into the bag. ¡°Please have a little more patience, dear customer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me lip!¡± Hitoishi put the last of the cash into the bag ¨C she was about to take it and go to the man as he spoke up. ¡°No, not you! I don¡¯t trust you! You have evil eyes!¡± He shouted, his shaky hand pointed at her. ¡°I assure you, that¡¯s just because I¡¯m tired, sir.¡± ¡°The blonde one! You! Bring me the money! Now!¡± Miori decided that there was no negotiating with this man and grabbed the bag ¨C Hitoishi held it tight, stopping Miori momentarily, but after another tug from the girl she relented. ¡°Here. Now please leave¡­¡± Miori said in a quiet tone. ¡°No, no, you can¡¯t tell me what to do! No one can!¡± the man suddenly shrieked ¨C and in that moment everything happened all at once. She felt his hand on her cheek and her body tripping backwards from him as the burning sensation of the slap spread throughout her face. In the very same moment, there was a bright flash of light that blinded her and the robber both. Through squinted eyes Miori could barely make out a red glow and as she hit the shelf behind her, her vision came back again. She heard another crash as the robber hit a shelf and cans of beverages fell down on his head. Both his knife and the bag full of money laid at Hitoishi¡¯s feet, who held a pose like she just performed Bruce Lee¡¯s one inch punch. As she noticed Miori¡¯s eyes on her she quickly went back into an upright position and cleared her throat. Her face was starting to turn red as she walked over to her junior and helped her up. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah.¡± Miori was a little dazed and her cheek burned, but most of all, she was utterly confused. Hitoishi was still behind the cash register a second ago ¨C did she jump over the counter to hit the man? How did she manage to launch him two meters, was she that strong? And what was that flash of light? For now she remained without answers as Hitoishi called the police. The police came after a few minutes and arrested the man while Seika closed the store for the time being to call the manager. With a messed-up shelf and products scattered all over the ground they couldn''t present the store to any customers. Hitoishi looked exhausted, using a broom to gather up damaged products and tossing them into a large garbage bag. ¡°I''m sorry, Miori, I shouldn¡¯t have let you go towards him.¡± Miori shook her head. ¡°No, Senpai. He would have tried to attack you with the knife.¡± ¡°Well, I would have dealt with it, as you saw.¡± ¡°Where did you learn that, anyway?¡± Hitoishi turned her head away from Miori. ¡°Some self-defense courses I took while I was in high school?¡± ¡°Why did that sound like a question?¡± ¡°Never mind that! I''m going to take a smoke break.¡± With that she turned around towards the back door ¨C though she stopped before she went through. ¡°Tell me how I can make it up to you at a later time, alright?¡± *** She only takes smoke breaks when she''s stressed. Miori still remembered that detail. The robbery must have taken its toll on Hitoishi¡¯s mental state, no matter how brave a front she put up. Even if she disliked when someone saw her smoking, Miori would ignore that today and go to cheer her senior up, especially after she knocked out a criminal for her sake. As her hand was on the doorknob, she could hear Hitoishi''s voice and stopped. ¡°Yes, yes. I know it was reckless; you don''t have to tell me. We''ve never done a split-second transformation before.¡± Who is she talking to? Transformation? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the camera footage. I''ve gotten quite good at distorting it while transforming.¡± Miori pressed her ear against the door to keep listening. ¡°I am just worried that Miori saw¡­ she should have been blinded like the robber, but you never know. It''s bad enough that Ayame knows everything, we can''t have a second person.¡± There was a silence for a little while, then Hitoishi cursed quietly. ¡°Really? Now?! Ugh, and the cigarette is already half burned down. Not a lot of time.¡± Miori decided to open the door after all ¨C quietly, though. She saw Hitoishi standing with her back to the door, in her store uniform. And just in that moment a bright flash occurred, the same that blinded her during the robbery earlier. As her eyes recovered, she could make out the silhouette of a woman, slightly different from Hitoishi¡¯s. Right there, in front of her was Minerva Crimson ¨C and then she took off. Half a minute passed, with Miori staring at the spot where Hitoishi used to be. A phone notification went off in her pocket. ¡®LIVE FOOTAGE Magical Girl Minerva Crimson is battling the Marionettes!¡¯ Miori stared a good long while at the notification and her mind finally started to put the pieces together as it resumed normal function. Hitoishi-senpai is¡­? *** She stood in the office wearing her gothic lolita outfit. For this next step she needed all her courage ¨C besides, after the manager arrived, he gave the place a cursory glance and declared the place closed for today while he made calls to get a new shelf installed tomorrow. Miori was instructed to take a day off and to relay that order to Hitoishi as well, so Miori was free to change out of her uniform. She didn''t have to wait long for her senior to arrive through the back door ¨C the woman froze for a moment as she saw the younger girl. ¡°Oh, it''s you, Miori. I finally get to see you wear this, huh?¡± ¡°That''s right. And I now know what you can do to make today up to me!¡± Miori beamed. ¡°Right. And what would that be?¡± Hitoishi cocked her head quizzically. ¡°Hug me!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Hitoishi took a step back. ¡°Hug me!¡± Miori repeated, stepping closer to her senior. ¡°What''s gotten into you, now?¡± ¡°Is it such an unreasonable demand?¡± Miori now made puppy eyes at her. ¡°It is entirely out of the blue, is what it is!¡± Hitoishi tried to evade eye contact, while Miori stepped from side to side so she wouldn''t leave her field of vision. Hitoishi stopped trying to look away from Miori after realizing that it was fruitless and let out a long sigh. ¡°Why, though?¡± ¡°I am so traumatized by this robbery that I need an older woman to hold me.¡± Miori¡¯s deadpan expression and tone didn''t match her words at all. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Hitoishi replied with a dead look in her eyes. ¡°Hug! Me!¡± Miori¡¯s mannerisms and tone of voice increasingly became that of a petulant child. ¡°What''s with the age regression thing you have going on here, Miori?!¡± Hitoishi glared at her, though her expression softened as she saw the blush on Miori''s face ¨C she must have realized that Miori herself was way outside of her comfort zone with how she was acting right now. ¡°Pff¡­ fine. Come here!¡± Hitoishi stifled a laugh before she wrapped her arms around Miori and put a hand on her hair, gently stroking it. At this point in time the two of them were at about equal height, before Miori''s final growth spurt. ¡°There¡­ are you happy with this?¡± Miori didn''t respond. Her heart as well as her thoughts were racing. The chains that were wrapped around her treasured memories were broken and the doors swung wide open. Hitoishi¡¯s scent was Minerva Crimson''s. The softness of her body was the exact same, as was the warmth of her arms around Miori. This¡­ this is it!! She was experiencing the most blissful moment of her life. *** That night Miori wasn''t sleeping. Her body was squirming in her bed as she recalled the memory of Minerva Crimson coming to save her. All the gaps in her memory that she previously struggled with were finally being filled in by her co-worker. Senpai''s scent¡­ Senpai''s softness¡­ Senpai''s warmth¡­ Miori let out a gasp as love and lust became one for a few hours. 2.05 Paisen August 2024 *** Seika clocked out in a particularly bad mood. Being confronted with her old friend who lost all memories of her was emotionally and physically draining, especially since she would have no idea why Seika was upset at their meeting, which forced her to keep her feelings bottled up. Today she took the train not home, but in the other direction, to Akihabara, the famed electrical town turned otaku paradise. Whenever Seika felt down, she liked to cheer herself up by using her disposable income on her favorite kind of merchandise: Magical Girls. She walked through various shops, humming along with the Vocaloid themes playing on the speakers while examining figurines of Magical Girls, both fictional and real through a panel of acrylic glass. There were figurines of the original Kuma Group; a rarity! The one she recognized as ¡®Sayaka¡¯ was still in stock, and she inspected it. Every detail was exactly as she could recall ¨C though she only ever saw them from a distance after her initial encounter with Kuma and their powerup that made them more prominent participants in the wider fight against extradimensional threats. She checked the description, with Sayaka being labeled ¡®Kuma Group Leader 1st Generation¡¯. They called each other by their real given names and never invented any names that they told the public, so it made sense that this was what the manufacturers would go by. By the way, Fuuka was labeled as ¡®Kuma Group Brawler 1st Generation¡¯ and Haruka was ¡®Kuma Group Spellcaster 1st Generation¡¯. It was only a matter of time until the figurines of Haruna, Sarina and Rei would be released with the same labels for the fourth generation. For now, cute little Sayaka vanished in a bag after over ten thousand yen changed hands. After the figurine purchase it was time to get some reading material. Mandarake was right in front of her and she clenched her fist close to her heart in anticipation. ¡°Oh, we are going into that one again. You got anything in mind?¡± Seika let out a slow laugh in response before answering with her declaration. ¡°We¡¯re going to do a bit of ego searching in the doujin section!¡± To find what she wanted to buy she needed to ascend all the way to the fourth floor. On the second floor she lost a little bit of time as she admired the selection of Magical Girl toys on display. Cute little heart-shaped wands that would play sounds whenever they were moved around were the ideal tool for little girls and otaku in their thirties of any gender to live out their Magical Girl fantasies. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get why you are so fascinated by all the fake stuff when you are an actual Magical Girl, Seika.¡± It¡¯s the romance of it all. One of these days you will get it. ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± The sound of contemplation continued for a while ¨C communicating clearly enough that right now Minerva was clueless about what her partner was talking about, but she was taking it under consideration. After she had enough of looking at the toy wands, she ascended the stairs again and arrived at her destination. What she was standing in was the ¡®male doujinshi¡¯ section, self-published works aimed at men, mostly, which meant they featured beautiful women, most of them popular anime characters, engaged in lascivious activities with men or other women. Naturally, with her being here, there was a case to be made that it wasn¡¯t just for men. She liked looking at the drawn female form just as much as everyone else in this section ¨C and while she didn¡¯t mind the men appearing in most of these doujins, her preferences were still lying with the action happening with another woman. ¡°Now, Seika, don¡¯t get me wrong. My body is amazing and a sight to behold, I know that better than anyone. But it is still a little¡­ strange for us to be looking at depictions of ourselves with¡­ well¡­ that happening.¡± ¡°Learn to live a little!¡± She threw back with a chuckle, mirroring what Minerva said whenever Seika was the one embarrassed by the other¡¯s actions. She walked along the shelves full of plastic wrapped thin books, examining their covers. A lot of them depicted characters from newer anime that she didn¡¯t have the time to watch recently. The shelves were organized by doujin circle names, making her search that much easier. She finally arrived at the part of the shelf labelled with the name ¡®KAWAGUCHI MAGIC¡¯ ¨C a doujin circle that popped up a few years ago specifically to draw her in sticky situations. Drawing R18 doujins of real-life Magical Girls was a hot topic on the net for a while. While those girls were exactly like the depictions from anime and manga, it was an undeniable fact that there were real-life human beings behind the cute, frilled defenders. For rather obvious reasons, to this day only doujinshi of Minerva Crimson, the ¡®oldest Magical Girl¡¯ and the Celestial Sisters who have been calling themselves ¡®forever seventeen¡¯ for four years have been made and sold officially. Before long, people regarded derivative works featuring them in the same light as those done for Vtubers: the person behind the fa?ade was not being depicted, it was her public persona that she put on as an act. Even still, artists always expressed that they would cease the moment a Magical Girl asked to not be depicted that way. Luckily for them, one of the Magical Girls they could draw at that point was secretly a massive otaku and pervert herself, so that demand was never made. As for the Celestial Sisters, they have given explicit permission for derivative works, as an official manga that dramatized their adventures was printed with the ¡®Doujinshi ok¡¯ mark. Another move to spread their fame and influence, no doubt. ¡°Woah, that¡¯s a rare one.¡± ¡°Huh? What is? Oh. Wow.¡± Seika held a true treasure in her hand. The cover showed her sitting on a throne, with the Celestial Sisters flanking her, their heads resting on the armrests while looking up at her. It was the rare doujin by the circle ¨C the Minerva Crimson x Celestial Sisters crossover. The circle usually only printed in small quantities and out of passion for their one girl, which kept the number of potential buyers low, but by including the highly commercialized idol Magical Girls the demand skyrocketed and the few copies in circulation were bought out with no reprint. Seika couldn¡¯t help but ramble about it in her mind, with poor Minerva having to listen to it. Forty pages of intense lovemaking between the most prominent presences in the space of Magical Girls with barely any dialogue, exploring a variety of positions and fetishes with a passion only rivaled by Shikishima GunTool¡¯s character doujins! ¡°Who would sell their copy of this?¡± Seika could feel drool accumulating and swallowed before it would run over her chin. ¡°Woah, Paisen? Whatcha lookin¡¯ at, there?¡± She heard something annoying. Did some guy come in here with his clueless gyaru girlfriend? ¡°Hey, Paisen? Hellooooo?¡± She stiffened as the voice spoke directly into her ear this time ¨C gently in a way that made goosebumps rise all over her body. She turned her head and the gyaru she assumed to be in the store turned out to stand right next to her. Two of them, in fact. ¡°Gah!¡± Seika jumped backwards, away from the two. While there are countless manga and anime these days that depict understanding and romance between gyaru and otaku, the real-life interactions were much different ¨C at least that¡¯s what she always imagined. And right now, she came face to face with them in her own territory where she was supposed to be safe. The nefarious creature known as gyaru, or gal: always fashionable, though in a way that defied the norms of society, using easy flowing slang, calling each other with cutesy little honorifics like ¡®-pi¡¯, ¡®-pyon¡¯ et cetera, and often calling their seniors ¡®Paisen¡¯, an inverted version of the ¡®Senpai¡¯ that Miori used in lieu of Seika¡¯s actual name. Most of them wore a heavy tan, except for the ¡®shiro¡¯ variant of gyaru ¨C which was the type staring right at her. Both of them wore blonde hair and heavy, dark make-up around their eyes. They were clearly in their twenties, yet still wore JK Gyaru fashion, with messy ties, uniform shirts and plaid skirts that looked like they were a number too short, wearing loose socks with loafers. The one closest to Seika wore a white shirt with a red plaid skirt while the other one wore a tan shirt with a dark blue skirt to match. Let¡¯s call them Gal 1 and Gal 2 for now. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Hahaha, that was a crazy jump, Paisen.¡± Gal 1 laughed, stepping closer towards Seika. She walked back an equivalent distance, resulting in a chase as Gal 2 hopped along. ¡°So, whatcha been reading, Paisen?¡± ¡°I think you talking into her ear like that turned Paisen on.¡± ¡°Gross! Hahaha!¡± ¡°¡­why do you keep calling me that? I don¡¯t recall ever having been your senior.¡± With that distraction, Gal 1 snatched the thin book out of her hand and looked at the cover. ¡°Woah, this is, like, totes crazy.¡± ¡°What did she have, Miyu-pyon?¡± Gal 2 approached Gal 1, now called ¡®Miyu¡¯ in Seika¡¯s mental library. ¡°Look, Momo-pi! It¡¯s the one where Paisen grows a thing and screws us!¡± ¡°Woah, you¡¯re into that, Paisen? Gross!¡± The two started laughing. Seika was trembling ¨C this was not how she imagined her little shopping trip to go. Right now, she wanted to find a quiet corner and cry and didn¡¯t even notice the weird thing ¡®Miyu¡¯ just said. ¡°What did they just say? That would only make sense if¡­¡± Seika blinked and spoke up. ¡°Wait, how do gyaru like you know what happens in that doujin?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the part you should be paying attention to.¡± Minerva¡¯s disappointment in her lack of observational skills seeped through every word. The two of them grinned widely at Seika and came closer again. Miyu fished her phone out of a pocket and showed Seika a video in which she transformed back from her Magical Girl form into her plain old office lady self. ¡°Why don¡¯t we chat somewhere private?¡± Suddenly, the woman wasn¡¯t using any gyaru slang at all. How did I get into this situation? Seika sat at a low table in an izakaya ¨C a private room, even. It provided enough space for four people, with the two gals sitting opposite her. She was trying to make herself as small as possible as if she could avoid this entire situation that way. The table was already filled with karaage and side dishes, and they even felt free to order beer for themselves and Seika while she sat quietly in her corner. Right next to her was a stack of erotic doujinshi ¨C after Seika agreed to follow the two gyaru they strangely enough bought every Minerva Crimson and Celestial Sisters doujin they could find for her. ¡°Come on, Paisen, eat up. We¡¯re not going to eat you, that much I can promise you.¡± The two still had a laugh among themselves at Seika¡¯s expense. ¡°Sh- shut up! You¡¯re acting all friendly after showing me a video to blackmail me?! Who are you, even?¡± The two exchanged puzzled looks and shook their heads. ¡°You still haven¡¯t realized?¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t realized?¡± Minerva chimed in. Whose side are you on? The girls got up and struck the Celestial Sisters¡¯ signature pose ¨C with Momo standing on Luna¡¯s side, and Miyu on Sol¡¯s. Wait¡­ ¡°May the light of the heavenly bodies protect you from evil! ¡­or, like, whatever.¡± Momo said nonchalantly. Seika shot up into a standing position, staring at the both of them with her mouth agape. ¡°How¡­? Wait, why are you¡­? What is all this?¡± Miyu groaned. ¡°We¡¯re gyaru, and we are professionals. We like fashion, we like to talk in slang, and at the same time we can suppress that and put on our wigs and dance for the camera as long as we get paid for it.¡± ¡°Hahaha, look at her face, Miyu-pyon, she¡¯s going to pass out. Hilarious!¡± ¡°So much of an otaku that you can¡¯t ever imagine that idols might be something entirely different behind the scenes? Even though you¡¯ve led one of the longest double lives yourself?¡± Miyu kept teasing her. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you another secret. We¡¯re not actually sisters, either. It¡¯s just a catchy name.¡± ¡°Yeah, because that would be, like, gross!¡± Momo added with a laugh but shrunk a bit as Miyu cast her a glare. ¡°That¡¯s different! My Magical Girl form isn¡¯t¡­ entirely myself.¡± Seika let her head hang and looked at her plate ¨C then she ate. Maybe some calories would help her process this information. ¡°So¡­ what do you want?¡± she asked in-between bites, staring at the plate as if not looking at the girls would preserve her otaku delusions. ¡°Well, Paisen. We still intend to, like, blackmail you.¡± Momo chimed in. ¡°Again, why do you call me that?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you our Paisen? Our Senpai in the Magical Girl department? I believe some of them call you the ¡®first Magical Girl¡¯. Or the ¡®oldest Magical Girl¡¯.¡± Miyu added. Seika grimaced. She only turned 30 in March. Way too early to call her a title that included the word ¡®old¡¯. ¡°Then I¡¯ve been a terrible role model to you. Getting so careless that I let myself get caught while transforming.¡± ¡°Oh, no, no, Paisen. You weren¡¯t careless, we were just too good and have too much money.¡± Miyu said with a laugh. ¡°Like, it¡¯s not cheap to get a personal investigator with a drone to catch a Magical Girl. The money they want is, like, crazy!¡± Momo added. ¡°You never stood a chance.¡± Finished Miyu. So I was outplayed from the start. ¡°And what do you want from me?¡± Momo grinned and walked over to sit down next to Seika, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and squishing her cheek against the meek office worker¡¯s. ¡°We wantcha to do some shoppin¡¯ for us¡­ in another world.¡± Seika went from timid and intimidated to intrigued. She looked straight at Miyu, as Momo was still squishing their cheeks together in an overly familiar way that she didn¡¯t mind too much, now that she knew that the gal was Luna, the Celestial Sister. Another world, so in other words an isekai. The biggest genre on the Light Novel market. She was innately aware that there were other worlds out there ¨C at least that¡¯s where the Shadows, Jove and Juno came from, and Jove explained sixteen years ago that many of these worlds overlapped. She never got the opportunity to visit any of them, though. ¡°You want me to go to another world? How would I do that?¡± ¡°Relax. We have all the things you need for that.¡± Miyu put something on the table and pushed it towards her. It was a key; an old, antique-looking one. Seika blinked and stared at it as Momo finally detached from her cheek and tapped on it. ¡°See, like, somewhere here in Tokyo is a passage that leads, like, straight into the dimensional fault. And in the fault this key will open a door to where you need to go.¡± Seika looked from one to the other. ¡°So, explain to me why you need to blackmail me instead of going there yourselves?¡± ¡°Ahh, Paisen, I knew you were gonna say that.¡± Miyu let out a long sigh and stared at the ceiling. ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°Unless a monster appears outside, I have time.¡± ¡°Right, right. Come on, come back here Momo, don¡¯t get handsy with Paisen, now.¡± Momo poked out a tongue towards Miyu as she kept clinging to Seika¡¯s side. ¡°Tch, suit yourself. Anyway¡­ we used to be proper good Magical Girls, as you know. Fought the Enraged and made sure the civilians weren¡¯t getting hurt. We managed. Most of the time.¡± Seika didn¡¯t like the implications of the last bit and the tone of regret it was carrying. Miyu even looked unwell and clutched her chest after saying it, remaining quiet for a few seconds to regain her composure. ¡°Three years ago we destroyed the cause of the needles. That was it. No more Enraged. Our patron left us behind, so there was no new generation of Celestial Sisters. We used artifacts left behind by some of the creatures entering our world and sold on the black market to keep pretending that we could still use our powers.¡± Seika raised an eyebrow, leaning in towards Miyu, which turned out to be a bit hard to do with a clingy gyaru on her arm. ¡°You don¡¯t have powers anymore?¡± Miyu raised her hands in a defeated motion. ¡°It¡¯s all showbiz. The idol gigs, the merch and the Magical Girls bit.¡± Now it was Momo¡¯s turn to talk, which she did right into Seika¡¯s ear. ¡°So, like, the other world where we get more stuff to be able to do magic is full of¡­ well, magic.¡± ¡°Using magic wands or rings is fine, but once the very air you breathe is filled with that stuff it¡¯s as dangerous to us magic-less humans as radiation. Just look to all the kids born after the Kawaguchi incident whose hair turned a weird color.¡± Miyu added after concluding that her less read companion wouldn¡¯t be able to bring that up. ¡°So, you have to, like, wear your magic armor so you can even survive in there, Paisen.¡± Seika nodded, her finger tapping on the table as she closed her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate that you are blackmailing me to do this, but I can¡¯t pretend that I¡¯m not even the least bit intrigued.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you can directly see Tokyo Tower from here. Actually, you can see the people on the main deck. Could probably see their faces with binoculars.¡± Seika said with a dry voice. She was reconsidering her life choices at this moment, as she stood in front of a large window front on one of the topmost floors of a certain luxury apartment tower. Maybe being a sellout Magical Girl isn¡¯t so bad, after all. ¡°Don¡¯t abandon your pride just yet.¡± The trip to this place was already a blur in her memory. A terribly long car showed up to pick her and the two gals up from the izakaya; the interior appeared more like a lounge in which shady business deals took place, rather than what Seika knew about the insides of cars. A limousine, they called it. The elevator ride up to the two girls¡¯ apartment was also longer than she was used to from other elevators. The longest ride she ever took in one was the way up Shibuya Sky with Miori when they went on their date last month, and this one was an even longer uninterrupted ride. ¡°So, don¡¯t people here ask questions when they see two gals come and go?¡± Seika asked, finally turning away from the window towards the interior ¨C the combined Living and Dining Room alone was larger than her apartment, with luxurious couches providing way more seating space than the two girls could ever need themselves, all facing a TV larger than Seika¡¯s kitchen area. If she recalled correctly, normal idols didn¡¯t make nearly enough money to rent a place like this, so these two being Magical Girls must have been quite a boost to their marketability. ¡°No one here asks questions about their neighbors. Could be business moguls, or they could be big-shot criminals. No one asks, no one gets bothered.¡± Miyu said with a sigh. ¡°Yeah, and then, like¡­ Satou from one of the lower floors got arrested recently. They, like, said they found his blood in that warehouse raid that exposed a kidnapping ring. Good job, by the way, Paisen.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t really my achievement. I was just there. The blue Magical Girl did all the heavy lifting.¡± The two gyaru exchanged an odd look before they continued with what they came here for. ¡°Right¡­ we¡¯ll give you what you need to exchange for our artifacts and a letter with instructions and then we¡¯ll let you go, Paisen.¡± Miyu shooed Momo out of the room ¨C she walked into the master bedroom and returned with a little chest. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Seika asked as the chest was handed to her. It was an antique, European design, something that people 400 years ago would have stored jewelry or other small valuables inside of. ¡°Is it full of some kind of isekai currency?¡± Momo grinned in response. ¡°Why don¡¯t you open it, Paisen?¡± ¡°Oh, I can? Well, here goes!¡± She opened the chest. There was no gold or jewelry. Instead, it looked like the chest was filled with mercury. It reflected the room and Seika¡¯s face brilliantly while ripples formed whenever the chest was moved. She immediately got it away from her face. ¡°Do you want to poison me?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that, Paisen. Here, look.¡± Miyu stood up and walked over to Seika before simply plunging her hand and then her entire arm into the odd liquid ¨C it didn¡¯t splash or stick to her, and in that moment, Seika realized it had to be a magic portal. ¡°Here.¡± Miyu pulled her arm back and held something in her hand. It was a block of wood ¨C its sides were ten centimeters each, barely fitting through the small chest¡¯s opening, while it measured thirty centimeters in length. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of this in the chest. Two tons of it. The chest is magical, so all you¡¯re feeling is its own weight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? Just wood?¡± Seika looked into the chest with some disappointment. ¡°It might not look like much to you, Paisen, but, like, for someone out there it¡¯s worth a fortune.¡± Momo grinned at her. ¡°And we have money to get some ¡®ordinary¡¯ wood, so getting magic artifacts in return is a great deal for us.¡± Miyu continued. ¡°Anyway, Paisen. Is your evening schedule free this Thursday?¡± Seika blinked and looked around between the two. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re leaving on Friday.¡± Miyu said in a rather matter-of-fact tone. ¡°And before that we¡¯ll go shopping so you don¡¯t stand out as much.¡± 2.06 Goddess of War December 2015 *** Ever since their hug, Miori fell head over heels for Hitoishi, for Minerva Crimson, all over again. But what now? She brought up all her courage to ask for a hug after Hitoishi already promised her a favor ¨C and confessing her feelings was various magnitudes of bravery beyond that. At some point she figured out that the Ayame Hitoishi mentioned when she was alone was the same woman who worked part-time at her favorite boutique and helped to push her into the very expensive world of gothic lolita fashion. ¡°So you are the young harlot making my beloved Seika''s heart flutter!¡± Ayame let out a laugh while Miori''s face turned a few shades more towards the red. Ayame had just clocked out after Miori came to buy some new pieces for her outfits while peppering the red-haired woman with questions about Hitoishi. Naturally, she left out the crucial detail that she witnessed her transforming into a Magical Girl, though reflecting on her senior''s words she guessed that Ayame was in the know. ¡°Now here''s what I heard, young Miori!¡± Ayame declared as she leaned closer and wiggled her eyebrows. ¡°She¡¯s aware that you have a crush on her. But she''s not the type to make the first move on a younger girl like yourself. Actually, I think she''s not the type to make the first move on anyone. Seriously, I''ve been giving her some signals that I wouldn''t mind to¡­ experiment a little, but she thinks I''m just yanking her chain.¡± Ayame raised her hands defensively as she saw Miori''s expression after that last sentence. ¡°Hey, hey, calm down. I''ll gladly step aside for you, though. If she¡¯s happy, I''m happy. I''m pretty sure bumping uglies with her would have made our friendship awkward anyway.¡± Miori showed Ayame a pout and held it a while before she tendered up again. ¡°So it''s on me to initiate something? Ugh, just asking for a hug took all the bravery I got from wearing my lolita dress.¡± Ayame let out a little sigh and patted her head. ¡°Tell you what. On Christmas, Seika and I often hang out, kick back and drink to celebrate being single during the couple''s holiday. I''ll tell her that we two have been talking and gently nudge her your way. Would you like that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing so much for me recently, Ayame¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha, I''ll gladly accept love confessions as well!¡± ¡°I love you. Like a big sister.¡± ¡°Ow, my heart.¡± Christmas finally came. The outside world was grey and snowless, though, with nothing to look at and fewer customers than usual ¨C save for the occasional loner buying alcohol for himself. Miori complained about the state of things appropriately. ¡°It¡¯s so grey and monotone out there. We don¡¯t even have snow.¡± Hitoishi dutifully listened to her complaints with a little smile. ¡°And the only customers we get today are sad people who aren¡¯t spending any time with a partner.¡± Like me. I wish I could spend tonight with Senpai¡­ Hitoishi let out a chuckle and looked at Miori with an inscrutable expression. ¡°Do you have any plans for today, Miori? Like, going out with a boyfriend after work?¡± A shiver ran down Miori¡¯s spine, causing her to stand up entirely straight. This could be her chance to nudge Hitoishi into the right direction without needing Ayame! Or so the thought. ¡°Ah¡­ no, not¡­ particularly. I mean, there is someone¡­ but we aren¡¯t together yet¡­ like¡­ I haven¡¯t asked them yet¡­¡± was all she managed to speak ¨C or rather, whisper. Damn it! I wish I was wearing my dress! She saw a glint of amusement in Hitoishi''s eyes ¨C if what Ayame said was true, she was aware of Miori''s feelings. ¡°Well, good luck. I¡¯m sure if you work up the courage in the future things will work out for you.¡± Why is she toying with me?! In that moment the door opened and the two turned towards the entrance, bowing to the customer. ¡°Welcome!¡± It was an odd woman in a fur coat with a large pair of sunglasses. Quite the sight for a winter evening. Her lips were way too red, almost hiding that her skin looked green ¨C like she was about to throw up. She moved like she was absolutely healthy, though, stepping right in front of the counter to look at both Miori and Hitoishi. ¡°Hello, Miss. Can we help you?¡± Hitoishi sounded a hundred percent professional, but Miori could tell that she was putting up a front while being extremely put off. For some reason a strong smell of roses filled Miori''s nostrils. It would appear the green woman was heavily perfumed. In that moment she could feel the stranger''s hand closing around her wrist, tightening like a vise. Miori wanted to shout, to exclaim her pain, but for some reason all sounds were stuck in her throat. Instead, she felt a sense of dread, like something terrible was about to happen. On top of that, she felt like the strange woman was in her mind - and worst of all, she was touching her thoughts about Hitoishi. ¡°Miss! I have to ask you to let go of my junior!¡± Her senior''s voice cut through the curtain of dread that was draped over her mind''s eye. She stumbled backwards and saw Hitoishi now holding the woman by the wrist. After a second that felt like an eternity the stranger shook off Hitoishi''s hand and licked her wrist where she got touched. ¡°Very interesting¡­¡± said the woman with a voice sweeter than sugar before she simply turned and vanished out of the door. She felt Hitoishi''s hand on her shoulder. A small blessing coming out of a surreal situation. ¡°What a weirdo. Are you alright, Miori?¡± Miori gathered herself and tried to shake off the ominous feeling that permeated her entire body. She wasn''t entirely successful. ¡°I¡¯m alright¡­ but she really gave me the creeps.¡± ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± *** ¡°Are you going to be okay on your own from here?¡± Hitoishi insisted on walking Miori to the station after the incident, reasonably worried that the weird woman would assault her again on her way home. ¡°I''m going to be okay, Senpai, don''t worry about me.¡± Miori was dressed in her gothic lolita outfit again, which boosted her confidence quite a bit. Enough that she felt like she could take on a weirdo grabbing her this time ¨C yet still not enough to take the chance to tell her crush how she felt about her. She watched Hitoishi leave for a few moments longer before she decided to take the train home. Arriving at home she couldn¡¯t shake a feeling of unease. It persisted throughout the evening, while she ate dinner, while she bathed, while she was lying in bed. Something terrible was happening, but she didn''t know what. Something was wrong with Hitoishi. Miori could tell that the smile she wore to work after Christmas was fake ¨C that she was hiding tremendous pain from everyone around her. Whenever she inquired if anything was bothering her senior, she just brushed the question off, making up an excuse or two. She took more smoke breaks than usual ¨C and when Miori decided to spy on her she found out that Hitoishi hadn''t taken them to transform and save people, but to cry behind the store. She felt utterly useless, unable to help Hitoishi or even say anything, since she was clueless as to what even happened to her in the first place. Her cluelessness continued like that for a week longer, until¡­ ¡°By the way, Miori. I''m quitting my job here today.¡± Miori didn''t even realize what her senior told her at first - she was simply grateful that she was talking to her. But then the realization dawned on her what her precious senpai meant by those words and she could hear the sound of shattering glass as her world crumbled. She forced herself to contain the raging storm of emotions inside her to not let them paint the tone of her next words. ¡°Oh? Are you switching stores? Like, are you moving, Senpai?¡± Hitoishi averted her eyes as she answered. ¡°Something like that.¡± No! Don''t do this to me! I just found you after all this time! ¡°Will¡­ will you exchange LINE information with me, Senpai?¡± was all she managed to get out. Not an unreasonable request for a person she got along with and who was moving away. ¡°I''m sorry. I''m not doing LINE or any SNS like it.¡± Miori could tell that this was a lie. Hitoishi wanted to cut contact, for whatever reason. *** The shift continued in awkward silence ¨C Hitoishi avoiding eye contact while Miori did her best to stop herself from breaking out in tears. This was the worst possible outcome. She was aware that Miori had feelings for her, wasn¡¯t she? And Ayame said she would talk to her on Christmas. What happened? At the end of the shift Hitoishi said a hushed ¡®goodbye'' and hurried out the door. Miori chased her. This is my last chance! ¡°Senpai!¡± she shouted after Hitoishi, causing her to turn around. She could see tears accumulating in the corners of her eyes. ¡°I love you, Senpai. Please go out with me!¡± It''s so easy to say these words¡­ why did it take me until now to say them? Hitoishi''s answer, strangely enough, came without hesitation. ¡°I''m sorry, Miori. I can¡¯t return your feelings. I shouldn''t.¡± The older woman turned around and sped up her steps as she walked away. She may have thought that she was slick and managed to hide that she was crying, but Miori noticed. She shouldn¡¯t? What does that mean? January 2016 *** Miori went to the only person she could ask. And as fate would have it, Ayame was working her shift at the boutique on the weekend. She must have made for an odd sight, storming towards the store employee with a flushed face. ¡°Ayame, I need to talk to you!¡± ¡°Oh, hey, Miori. Need help with a new outfit?¡± the woman seemed unbothered by whatever happened to Hitoishi. ¡°Not about that. Can you come with me really quick?¡± ¡°Ehhh?¡± Ayame let young Miori drag her along, but didn¡¯t appear too thrilled about it. *** This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Do you know what happened to Senpai?¡± ¡°Sheesh, Miori, you have to be more specific. Do I know any of your senpais at school? Actually, aren''t you a third year? You shouldn''t have any of them left there¡­¡± the red-haired woman scratched the back of her head, looking at the younger girl. ¡°You know who I mean! Hitoishi!¡± ¡°Hitoi¡­?¡± there was genuine confusion on her face. ¡°Seika!¡± Miori blushed after speaking her crush''s first name like that. ¡°Seriously, Miori¡­ I don''t know who that is.¡± Miori couldn''t believe her ears. Just a few weeks ago they enthusiastically talked about this very same woman, with Ayame giving hints that was at least physically attracted to her. And here she was, denying all knowledge of her longtime friend. ¡°The woman on your lockscreen!¡± Miori tried after remembering it. ¡°Hm, this?¡± Ayame got her phone out and turned on the screen. It was the same photograph ¨C but Hitoishi was replaced by an ugly glitch. Rainbow-colored pixels spread in every direction and almost consumed Ayame. ¡°Ugh, what the hell! As if it wasn¡¯t sad enough that I did a photo hugging the air like the friendless loser I am, it went all haywire, too¡­ I really need friends. How about you, young Miori? Want to be friends?¡± Miori felt cold. Dread overtook her and filled her entire being. Something happened to Hitoishi, making Ayame forget her, and corrupting her in digital records that Ayame held. Is this related to her being Minerva Crimson? ¡°Oh¡­ right, Ayame. We can exchange LINE contacts. And be friends.¡± For now, I''ll keep Ayame close. Miori let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the sky above. She sat on a bench in Yoyogi Park after walking there directly from the boutique, now utterly clueless on how to proceed. Something happened to Ayame. It erased all memories of Hitoishi from her mind ¨C and even from her phone. It might be possible that Hitoishi got removed from any pictures that other people took of her, as long as Ayame was in the frame as well. There was most definitely something supernatural at work here ¨C which meant that Miori was utterly out of her depth. ¡°How do I help the Magical Girl who helped me?¡± she whispered to herself. To her surprise, someone answered. ¡°By becoming one yourself.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She looked to the side and jumped away ¨C there was a woman on the bench with her, wearing purple cloth and silver armor pieces. Miori must have been deep in thought for someone like this to sit down next to her undetected. She got a closer look at her now, noticing that from under her silver helmet her purple hair flowed freely, swaying in a wind that wasn''t there, and glowing with an innate magic power. Her skirt was comprised of countless leather strips, with the back ones being extended with decorative peacock feathers. Her face was of androgynous beauty, with golden, glowing eyes staring straight through Miori''s very being. ¡°I''m sorry, who ¨C oh!¡± It finally clicked for her. ¡°You''re like Minerva Crimson!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I''m nothing like my husband''s little bastard.¡± The woman responded, her eyes narrowing just a little bit. As if she caught herself doing something she shouldn''t, she shook her head and rose to her feet. She was magnificently tall, towering above even Miori, who just recently experienced her final growth spurt. ¡°Pardon. I harbor no ill-will against her, even if I sometimes get angry when I get reminded of Jove''s dalliances. But it would be more accurate to say that she is like me, since she came after. My name is Juno.¡± She simply picked Miori up and launched into the sky to take her somewhere else. ¡°And you shall be the partner of my daughter.¡± *** Miori found herself on top of one of the city''s tallest buildings; just looking around made her dizzy. Juno simply placed her here and put a small gemstone in her hand. A sapphire, judging by its azure color. ¡°I''m sorry, all of this is going so fast. You want me to be the partner of your daughter? Where is she? And¡­ what does that entail?¡± Miori asked in a shaky voice, examining the tall woman who stood towering above her like a goddess. Said goddess pointed towards the gemstone Miori was holding. ¡°She is right there. Careful with her, she is a newborn, though your kind wouldn¡¯t believe it if you talked to her.¡± Miori looked to the little gem on her palm, raising a brow at it. ¡°You can believe her, mortal. I am very much alive.¡± Miori twitched and almost dropped the gem as she suddenly heard a voice, though she managed to close her fist around it before anything happened. ¡°It talked.¡± ¡°They tend to do that.¡± Miori stared at the strange woman with some confusion before she continued. ¡°My time in your world is limited. I can¡¯t maintain this form forever without a human host, so we¡¯ll have to go through the steps faster than I would like.¡± ¡°Seriously, stop for a moment to explain things to me!¡± Miori shouted ¨C she wasn¡¯t going to let this person walk all over her, not like her timid past self. The tall woman seemed taken aback, but then she cracked a smile. ¡°Not only does your heart carry great love, but you¡¯re also fiercer than you look. You might be a worthy partner for Bellona yet. Fine. I¡¯ll tell you.¡± The woman sat down on the edge of the building and after multiple reassurances Miori followed suit. As they looked out over the bustling city, she told Miori everything. ¡°We are Deogemma, people made out of crystal and pure magic who exist in another world entirely.¡± She pointed at the gem in Miori¡¯s hand. ¡°Though we look like this when we are unable to retain our physical form. Be it because we spent too much energy, or because we are in an environment that cannot sustain us.¡± Miori nodded along, though she already felt somewhat lost. She was vaguely aware that there must be other worlds out there ¨C she spent a few minutes in an exact copy of Kawaguchi before Minerva Crimson saved her, after all, but to be presented with the fact that there are people living in those was something else entirely. It made the concept more real. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be speaking different languages?¡± Juno chuckled at Miori¡¯s earnest question. ¡°I am translating for the two of us with magic. Once you merge with my daughter you will be able to do it yourself.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Miori could answer no other way. Juno continued. ¡°Despite our inability to stay too long in any world but our own, my husband loves traveling. We would go and see all these different worlds whenever the dimensions overlap. We¡¯ve been to worlds that are nothing but an endless ocean with small islands in-between, in which the occupants rely entirely on sailing ships to move around. ¡°We¡¯ve been to worlds with technology indistinguishable from our magic, in which civilizations have settled every light in the night sky. ¡°We¡¯ve been to worlds that are nothing but desert, where the sand itself is haunted by spirits.¡± She looked to Miori and smiled again. ¡°We love them all, even if we can never stay long. Sometimes we find people in these worlds with magic potential who show promise. People we can entrust our children to, so they gather life experience and can help guard against threats.¡± ¡°That happened with Senpai, yes? She became Minerva Crimson because you found her.¡± ¡°Yes, trapped inside a Shadow Queen, like you were. We saved her and Jove saw her potential.¡± Miori nodded. ¡°Something has happened to Senpai¡­ so if you say I can become powerful¡­ maybe I can help her.¡± Juno rose to her feet. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡± *** They spent the entire day on the roof to have Miori learn how to transform. According to the tall woman¡¯s description it was a lot like learning to ride a bicycle. A very particular sense of balance that needed to be learned ¨C but afterwards it would be impossible to unlearn. ¡°Transform!¡± She shouted into the evening sky. Her hair was caught by a breeze that the rest of her body couldn¡¯t feel and glowed in a blue color for only a second. ¡°You¡¯re on the right track.¡± Juno assured her, stepping closer. She adjusted Miori¡¯s posture and patted her shoulder as she finished. ¡°Hang on to that feeling and try again.¡± Miori closed her eyes, tensing her body in the ways she tried before, varying it just a little bit. ¡°Transform!¡± With that she was enveloped in a bright light that disintegrated her clothing and absorbed it into the crystal. Bit by bit pieces of armor and fabric appeared on her body as she felt her hair grow just a little bit longer. At first a breastplate that seemed to be right out of an RPG covered her chest, with a short skirt sticking out from under it. Garter fastened tall boots protected by greaves to her legs. Bracers and pauldrons attached to her arms and shoulders, and a dark red cloak fell onto her back. Her hair took on a blue color with a purple glow, swaying gently in a non-existent breeze, while her eyes were now the color of gold, glowing with an inherent light. She successfully transformed into Bellona Azure. ¡°We need to continue to the next step.¡± Juno said before kneeling down in front of Miori, now Bellona, to look her in the eyes. ¡°The last time we tried suppression, but that did not work. Instead, I¡¯ll need you two to share. To co-operate and guide this mighty form of yours.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ if mother says so, I will oblige.¡± ¡°Ah! It¡¯s that voice again!¡± Bellona looked around as if she would be able to see whoever spoke to her by doing so. ¡°Best get used to her. And you can talk to her by thinking. That might prove essential for getting along.¡± Uhm¡­ nice to meet you. ¡°Just so. I will assist you, as mother commands. It¡¯s part of me¡­ growing up, as it were.¡± She nodded and looked at Juno, who smiled as if she was able to follow their interaction. ¡°Well¡­ time for training, then.¡± She summoned a spear with a heart-shaped tip and assumed a combat stance. Huh?! February 2016 *** Miori was lying in her bed, almost unable to move thanks to her aching body. Before Juno was forced to leave, she used every opportunity to spar with Bellona. In the past month she was slashed, impaled, almost bisected, you name it. And yet after undoing her transformation, she was completely fine, save for ugly bruises wherever her transformed self was wounded. No matter what, when her transformation came undone Juno would be there to catch her, cradling her like a caring mother would her own child. All that brutality was simply training, necessary for her future survival. Lessons from a strict but loving mother. Apparently, her own weapon that she could summon was the halberd. She wondered if her German ancestry played a role in it, since Juno seemed surprised by some of the armor and weapon choices her appearance brought with it. But now what? She was given the ability to transform, and training, as one-sided and rudimentary as it had been, but with no guidance on what to do next. She looked to the side, to an empty notebook she bought yesterday. If her hunch was correct and she was up against an enemy who erased memories, it would be prudent to keep notes of important things. She would also have to start a diary ¨C though she wondered if the same effect that erased Hitoishi from a photograph on Ayame¡¯s phone would likewise get rid of diary entries. Maybe she would be able to see when an attack took place by gaps appearing between entries. She would make it a habit to never leave space in her diary to check just for that. *** After she recovered enough to move around, she put on one of her dresses and went into the city. She was wandering rather aimlessly, trying to come up with her next step. Her actual life away from the entire situation with Hitoishi was still happening. She would graduate in March, with no plans to go to College or University. She thought about doing something customer service related like Ayame, in full time, though she¡¯d have to pick a job with a wardrobe that would boost her confidence. Her phone alarm went off. ¡®LIVE FOOTAGE Magical Girl Minerva Crimson is battling the ???¡¯ An unknown or unclassified enemy type? Miori fidgeted to unlock her phone ¨C to watch more footage of her favorite Magical Girl, but stopped halfway as she realized that she was given better options. Wait, this is it. She transformed and ascended into the sky, flying straight towards wherever Minerva Crimson was at this very moment. I¡¯ll get closer to her as Bellona Azure and I¡¯ll prove myself to her. And once we¡¯re close enough I¡¯ll reveal myself to her as Miori. I¡¯ll show her that I can take care of myself. She landed at her destination as people ran away screaming. There she was, Minerva Crimson in the flesh. She faced off with a group of roughly fifty rats the size of children, all of them wearing odd little uniforms like they were on parade; one of them was even holding a set of drums, directing the battle group to ready their arms, which turned out to be flintlock long-guns with fixed bayonets. On further inspection, it wasn¡¯t all rats. There were mice, hamsters, and guinea pigs. She even saw a capybara holding a banner that depicted two long incisors in silver on a Prussian blue field cornered by golden cannons. ¡°Uhm. You guys are kind of cute. Could we solve this in a way that doesn¡¯t end with me blowing all of you to bits?¡± Minerva Crimson spoke to the giant rodents. ¡°Squeak!¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Squeak, squeak!¡± ¡°Now, now, there¡¯s no need for those kinds of words here. Though you have a point, we are hairless below our necks. Mostly.¡± She understands them? ¡°You can, too. Bring us a little closer and we can translate via magic.¡± Bellona hovered closer to Minerva¡¯s position, keeping to a side alley so neither the red Magical Girl nor the regiment of rodents could spot her. ¡°So!¡± Minerva continued. ¡°Do tell me, what do you want here? Maybe I can get it for you. Is it cheese?¡± ¡°Cheese?!¡± the rat who was talking to Minerva exclaimed in a deep voice. It was dressed in a blue uniform with a yellow sash spanning across its chest. The fringes of its epaulettes were dangling freely as it gestured in an offended manner. ¡°Gentlemen, did you hear her? She asks if we¡¯re here for cheese! The gall!¡± The regiment of various rodents erupted into shouts. ¡°Kill her! For this insult, kill her!¡± Minerva Crimson took a step back, looking around in a panicked manner as she realized that she just blew her chance at diplomacy. ¡°Truly, such a barbaric people, these ¡®humans¡¯ who live here. No tact at all!¡± ¡°Hear, hear!¡± his comrades roared. ¡°Well, we have no choice but to show them the error of their ways.¡± The rat walked back into the rows of rodent soldiers and the sound of drums was swelling. Minerva let her shoulders hang as she watched them. ¡°Take aim!¡± The first row of fighters raised their rifles, all barrels pointed at the red Magical Girl ¨C who didn¡¯t seem too bothered. ¡°Ah, really? I can handle a few lead bullets, you know.¡± ¡°Ignite!¡± Suddenly all the rifles were surrounded by their own magic circles ¨C five each, going from the muzzle down the entire length of the barrel. They started spinning from the back to the front. ¡°Uh-oh!¡± exclaimed Minerva. Bellona had a pretty bad feeling about this, which was very obviously shared by Minerva Crimson, who hurried to put up a few more barriers. ¡°Fire!¡± Beams of concentrated magic hit Minerva¡¯s shield head on. The street¡¯s asphalt exploded and left her standing in a crater as the first of her three shields shattered. ¡°Next row! Fire!¡± The first row of rodents turned on their heels and walked through the gaps of the rows of comrades behind them to the back, ejecting what looked like used-up vials from the bottom of their rifles ¨C it appeared that their flintlock design was only for looks and they were more like magic cannons. The next row of soldiers took a step forwards, aimed, activated their magic circles, and fired, cracking the next of Minerva¡¯s shields. There were five rows of rodents for continuous fire and Minerva only summoned three shields ¨C it didn¡¯t take a genius mind to figure out where this was going. ¡°Next row! Fire!¡± As her third shield cracked and broke, Minerva cursed and tried to launch herself into the air, ten barrels trained on her. ¡°Next row! Fire!¡± The drums relayed the command with a rhythmic signature that only the regiment of rodents knew before their muzzles flashed yet again. A concentrated mass of magical projectiles approached the crimson Magical Girl ¨C and just as Bellona wanted to intervene, she saw Minerva retaliate. With a bright beam of her own magical energy she clashed with the projectiles, pushing them towards the regiment of rodents. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to hurt you, but if you keep this going, I don¡¯t have a choice!¡± The creatures saw their predicament and dispersed ¨C though the ones currently firing were still locked in the struggle. A moment later they vanished in the beam¡¯s bright light as a new crater appeared in the street. ¡°Casualties! Run away, run away! Tactical retreat!¡± She could hear the panicked squeaking even through the translation magic as dimensional portals opened and the assailants hopped through them. ¡°A lot of firepower, but quick to run away, hm?¡± Minerva observed with a sigh ¨C then she simply flew away. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Bellona suddenly realized that she simply watched the entire thing without moving a muscle. I missed my chance. July 2016 *** Miori and her alter ego Bellona kept tailing Hitoishi and Minerva, finding out where she lived and what she did for work. Stalking her made Miori feel guilty, but it was all for Hitoishi¡¯s sake. Or so she told herself. Miori learned that Hitoishi just started her first job at a Light Novel publisher called ¡®MagiColle¡¯. A new startup with less than ten series. It would depend on Hitoishi herself and her few editor colleagues to grow those numbers into a profitable business. After investigating the founder Watanabe, Miori also found out that his favorite little watering hole was in Kabukich¨­. While he was still employed at a larger publisher, he would regularly invite his junior editors to go drinking with him in that very place whenever they did a good job. Her assumption was that he would continue this behavior even now, after becoming the boss of his very own company. And if Hitoishi was still the hard-working woman she knew, it would only be a matter of time until he introduced her to this place. Luckily, they were hiring, and even luckier, Miori felt confident while wearing a suit. 2.06B BONUS: The Fashion Designer March 2010 *** ¡°Here¡¯s to your sixteenth birthday, miss Magical Girl!¡± Ayame grinned as she handed her best friend a small piece of cake with a single candle on it. They sat on the roof of a luxury residential building in the middle of Tokyo, enjoying the view after her friend transformed and carried Ayame all the way up. ¡°Thank you, Ayame!¡± her friend exclaimed with a wide grin ¨C or Ayame thought it was a wide grin. In this moment she couldn¡¯t really discern her friend¡¯s appearance. It looked like there was a black void where her face was supposed to be as she leaned in to blow out the candle. She even drew a blank on her friend¡¯s name, but she still spoke it. ¡°So, S[¡­]a, what¡¯s the plan now that you reached that sweet, sweet age? One more year and you¡¯re in that forever desirable age which has men of all ages go crazy for you, as long as you strike a cute pose and say, ¡®I¡¯m forever seventeen!¡¯¡± Her friend shook her head with a laugh and ate the first piece of cake with a little fork ¨C then she simply fed Ayame the second piece. ¡°Same as always. Save people and somehow make it through the next year of school. I think I¡¯ll try and do something related to books once I¡¯m an adult, though, like my mother. She keeps them, so how about I help make them? Not as an author, but as an editor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your dream for the future, huh?¡± Ayame leaned her head backwards and stared into the sky. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going into fashion design, myself.¡± Her friend appeared surprised, putting the piece of cake aside. ¡°Fashion design? Why is that?¡± Ayame grinned and pointed at her friend. ¡°Because Magical Girl costumes are super cute! I want to be able to tailor something like that. Maybe one day we¡¯ll even give your outfit an upgrade!¡± Her friend shook her head with a little chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s so you, Ayame. You¡¯ve always been my greatest supporter¡­ thank you. And I¡¯m so sorry for all the danger I¡¯m putting you in, just by being your friend.¡± Ayame made a dismissive gesture. ¡°Don¡¯t ever worry about that, S[¡­]a. Anyway, other topics! Let¡¯s talk about romance. You know I¡¯ve been going out with Aoki, short-lived as it was. I want to know if you have your eyes on anyone!¡± Her friend stared ahead for a long time before she answered. ¡°Nakamura.¡± Ayame nodded, then she stopped, letting that last name sink in and associating it with a face and a first name. Her eyes widened and she turned towards her best friend. ¡°Eh? You mean Mika?¡± She inquired as she leaned closer. ¡°The girl?!¡± Her friend squirmed uncomfortably in place and looked away, clearing her throat. ¡°What? You got a problem with that? I¡¯m into both boys and girls, apparently. But I think I prefer girls a little more.¡± ¡°Oh no! No, that¡¯s wonderful, S[¡­]a! I wouldn¡¯t ever hold that against you! I¡¯m thrilled actually!¡± Ayame reassured her hastily. This changes everything! For a few months now Ayame couldn¡¯t help but notice what a good-looking woman her friend from middle school would turn into with a little more time. Her attractions were the same as her friend¡¯s, for both boys and girls, leaning more towards the feminine. However, she never told anyone. And right now, she felt very, very attracted to the girl sitting next to her. Maybe I can¡­ She tried to open her mouth, looking for something to say. Let¡¯s go with a classic line of plausible deniability¡­ ¡°Haha, hey, S[¡­]a, since you got a girl in mind and I am looking for my next boyfriend, maybe we can practice kissing with each other? You know, so we don¡¯t embarrass ourselves when it happens for real?¡± Her friend cast her an odd glance ¨C and she turned red. At least Ayame remembered that she turned red. Her face wasn¡¯t visible right now after all. ¡°Ayame?! W-w-what are you¡­?¡± Suddenly, dread filled Ayame¡¯s heart. This was her best friend ¨C one she shared a great secret with. The one she wanted to have by her side forever, to grow into old ladies together with many strange stories to tell. The one person she truly felt comfortable with. Treating her like one of her many one-weekend boyfriends would ruin all of that. Stupid! Stupid, stupid! ¡°Ahh! Just kidding. You know, I¡¯m only into boys!¡± The words hung between them for a while longer ¨C then it was like someone deflated all the tension at once, like they took their finger off a full balloon¡¯s neck. S[¡­]a chuckled and gently punched Ayame¡¯s arm. ¡°Geez. Don¡¯t mess with me like that when I¡¯m being vulnerable, okay? But it''s great that you¡¯re not treating me any different from before.¡± Ayame began masking her conflicting, confused feelings with jokes. August 2024 *** Ayame opened her eyes. She immediately grabbed her phone and frantically typed in what she remembered of the dream she had just experienced. For a minute she typed down notes, as she already felt the details slipping from her mind. ¡®-16th birthday party on roof ¡®-friend comes out as bisexual ¡®-I start seeing her as a potential sexual partner ¡®-but I didn¡¯t want to ruin our friendship ¡®-mask my desire for her as jokes, insist that I¡¯m straight ¡®-talked about dreams for future jobs ¡®-became a fashion designer because I admired her MG outfit ¡®-she wanted to become a'' Ayame stopped and a gritted her teeth as her memory failed her. The dream was gone, and she could only watch the blinking cursor behind the final bullet point. She couldn¡¯t remember what job her friend wanted to work towards. One of these days I¡¯ll puzzle enough pieces together to find you. She let out a heavy sigh as she put her phone aside, then she finally found the time to look around. This isn¡¯t my apartment. Right, I scored yesterday. She turned her head to the side, and surely enough, there was an attractive woman still sleeping next to her, her short, black hair a mess both from the pillow and the way Ayame pulled it when they went at it last night; her shoulders and neck were covered in Ayame¡¯s lipstick and faint bite marks. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. She was one of two types of women Ayame was into. Short, but headstrong. Black hair, kept at shoulder length. And Ayame was certain that the girl wore glasses yesterday, before they went to bed and had sex. Ayame grabbed her phone again and checked the time. It was 5am, enough time for her to go back to her own place and write those notes down properly before heading to work. She slipped her naked body out of the blanket, gathering her underwear strewn about the floor and her glittering party dress. I¡¯ll have to take a shower when I¡¯m home. She let out a heavy sigh as she approached a block of note paper and grabbed the pen next to it. ¡®Thanks for the great night ¨C I¡¯m off to work, but if you ever want a round 2, my LINE is¡­¡¯ Ayame stopped and looked at the note. Then she tore it off and crumpled it before stuffing it in her handbag, writing a different note instead. ¡®Thanks for the great night ¨C I¡¯m off to work now, maybe I¡¯ll catch you again when you¡¯re in ni-ch¨­me.¡¯ She left the apartment with that. Ayame entered the doors of Atelier Antoinette, a modest little enterprise in the niche of lolita fashion. They didn¡¯t quite have the presence of brands like Atelier Pierrot or Alice and the Pirates yet, but they were able to amass a dedicated little following, not least of all because of the designs Ayame and her colleagues developed here. She greeted her co-workers who were already on their sewing machines and entered her small office away from the noise. She started her computer and unwrapped a package lying on her desk, which contained all the latest editions of lolita brand fashion magazines. She already had her free copy of AkiCul on the desk, so the bundle contained FRUiTS, Girlism, Tulle, and Le Panier. Additionally, she opened KERA¡¯s website, navigating to Gothic & Lolita Bible¡¯s section. She spent her morning reading various articles, looking at photographs and fashion tips, to get a feeling for the direction fashion trends were moving. Next, she opened her illustrator software and continued working on a design that was already halfway done. Clicks and clacks of her mouse and keyboard filled the little office as she worked on her next grand design. She even had a specific model in mind to present this dress to the masses, but she had yet to convince her. She opened LINE on her phone and opened the chat with one of her few registered friends, Miori Takeuchi, to read their past messages ¨C incidentally, she was the woman Ayame saw in front of her mind¡¯s eye as the one wearing her next masterpiece for the camera. ¡®Hey there, beautiful. I want to make something really special and would love if you could give me your measurements ¨C or you could satisfy your grabby big sis Ayame by letting her touch you all over with her measuring tape!¡¯ She remembered being left on read for a day before Miori sent all the measurements Ayame required ¨C Miori¡¯s way of firing back for her crude jokes. After nine years of friendship Miori didn¡¯t seem to mind Ayame¡¯s raunchy nature overly much, receiving all her jokes with good humor, and Ayame treasured their friendship, which mostly showed itself in the fact that she didn¡¯t try to get into her pants (or rather under her lolita skirt) ¨C most of the time, at least, even though Miori fit Ayame¡¯s other preferences that weren¡¯t glasses-wearing women with shoulder-length black hair. Pretty blondes, or, if the hair color didn¡¯t match, gothic lolita wearing women. Instead of sleeping with her, Ayame would be satisfied with the opportunity to have Miori model in her newest dress, at the very least. *** Ayame spent the rest of her workday continuing her design before joining the others at the sewing machines. She managed to create one of the sleeves she wanted to add to her new dress in isolation, examining it from side to side. She discussed some of the requirements with her fellow designers before she went back into her office to adjust the details. After clocking out, she went home, took a shower and dried her hair before she applied her make-up, some light touches of perfume and went to her closet, grabbing one of her many dresses. She went to ni-ch¨­me again, opting for one of the larger lesbian bars tonight. As she flirted with the other women and found one interested in more than just a casual chat, she kept thinking back to her dreams and that lost friend. ¡®I¡¯m only into boys¡¯. A laughable line, when Ayame considered her lifestyle. Moments later her and her new acquaintance found a quiet corner, making out ¨C knowing each other¡¯s tongues before they even knew each other¡¯s names. Ayame didn¡¯t know if that was common for other regulars here ¨C but it was well enough for her, and more than once she got mean looks for her blatant disregard of society¡¯s disapproval of ¡®PDA¡¯. ¡°Your place?¡± Ayame asked as she felt the first stares on her back. The woman she was with had her hair dyed blonde ¨C almost looking like Miori, who sported these features naturally. She nodded, but looked at Ayame¡¯s handbag as they both heard her ringtone coming from inside. Ayame sighed and fished the phone out of her handbag, looking at the contact name on the screen. ¡®Evil ex-girlfriend¡¯ Ayame quickly pushed the red symbol to hang up, rolling her eyes. ¡°Sorry about that, let¡¯s get going,¡± she urged her date, who shook her head and stepped away, leaving Ayame confused until she turned around and grimaced, face to face with the devil herself ¨C both in the sense of the turn of phrase as well as her character. ¡°Ugh. Maria. Why are you here?¡± Ayame spoke. The woman in front of her was beautiful, but her pale blue eyes were narrowed like they saw anything and anyone in front of her as inferior. Her hair was dyed white, with an intentional gradient from her black roots, falling over her shoulders down to her impressive breasts. Physical traits that made her appear attractive to Ayame in the past, but now they were nothing but a bad memory. Her villainous appearance could only be more blatant if she wore the typical drill hairstyle of an otome game villainess, but in lieu of that, a large scar adorned her left shoulder, looking like someone drove a whole steel beam through her at some point. ¡°An industrial accident,¡± Ayame remembered her saying when she saw the scar for the first time. Back then, Maria hid it under her clothing every moment she didn¡¯t spend sleeping with Ayame, utterly ashamed of it. But these days she almost flaunted it, especially with the loose dress she wore, showing lots of cleavage. ¡°Last I checked you don¡¯t own the place, Ayame¡­ so I can come and go and have my pick of cute girls, just like you.¡± The woman stepped closer and looked Ayame in the eyes as if to challenge her. Maria Hattori. CEO of a moderately successful fashion brand. Her and Ayame met at a fashion expo four years ago and started talking. Ayame stupidly ignored all of the red flags, slept with her and even agreed to a steady relationship despite herself, which ended only a month later when she got to know her real character. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going to hunt for ¡®cute girls¡¯ with me around I¡¯m going to tell every girl you approach that you tend to go deaf when you start hurting your partners and they use their safe word.¡± Ayame responded to the challenge, her words dripping with venom ¨C and yet it only got a scoff from Maria. ¡°Oh please. You¡¯d be surprised how many girls there are who have more¡­ endurance than you.¡± Ayame clenched her right hand into a fist ¨C she was almost ready to punch this woman, for suggesting that her blatant disregard of consent was just a matter of Ayame¡¯s stamina. ¡°Why did you call me?¡± she asked instead of throwing a punch. Maria¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile in response to her question. ¡°Just to mess with you. But now that we¡¯re face to face, I want to know if you¡¯re¡­ down to fuck? We both know that despite your protests you can¡¯t resist me.¡± Ayame gritted her teeth and simply pushed her way past Maria. ¡°Keep dreaming.¡± She turned around and held her phone up, demonstratively blocking Maria¡¯s number in full view. ¡°And go to hell!¡± With that Ayame left the bar ¨C she lost her carnal appetite for tonight. Ayame stood under her shower, staring holes into her wall as she let the hot water run down her body. ¡°Maria, you¡¯re hurting me.¡± ¡°Good. It¡¯s no less than you deserve.¡± ¡°Stop! Pierrot! Pierrot! Stop!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not finished with you yet!¡± ¡°I SAID PIERROT! STOP IT ALREADY!¡± She shuddered as she remembered. It didn¡¯t shake her as much today as it did right after it happened, but this was the primary reason she didn¡¯t let her chance encounters cuff her anymore. Being at the mercy of some deranged sadist with her hands shackled behind her back was a nightmare scenario come true, and she had no desire to relive it. Worst of all, Maria¡¯s taunt at the bar rang true. Ayame came back to her a few months ago but regretted it immediately after arriving in her bed. She thought that maybe it was a misunderstanding of some sort, that Maria may have reflected on her mistake ¨C but it was quite consistent behavior on Maria¡¯s end after all. Even worse, there were now ugly rumors in the fashion industry that half the girls who came to model for clothes Maria¡¯s company produced turned up in AVs instead. That she enjoyed crushing the dreams of young, beautiful hopefuls for her own pleasure. A shame that I can¡¯t trust people anymore. I enjoyed being restrained. Ayame let out a heavy sigh as she dried herself off, looking at herself in the mirror. Maybe if I ever do it with Miori. Or if I ever remember my friend. I wonder how either of them would treat me¡­ Ayame sighed again and tossed herself on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was vaguely aware that Miori was currently seeing someone ¨C but not yet in a relationship with them. If she gets with someone¡­ I wonder if I could¡­ She grinned to herself. She played the unicorn before, the no strings attached friend with benefits for steady couples - most of the time that involved straight couples with a bi-curious woman, but she did it with lesbian couples, too. Yes. That¡¯s certainly an option¡­ She lost herself in self-indulgent fantasies about that scenario until her phone vibrated ¨C she didn¡¯t want to look at it at first, but then she remembered that she blocked Maria earlier and grabbed it after all. It was a message from Miori. ¡®My date this Saturday was cancelled, want to hang out?¡¯ Ayame¡¯s mood improved significantly. All thoughts of being a unicorn or memories of broken trust simply vanished. All that filled her mind now was a fun morning hangout with Miori where they could talk about anything. And maybe she could broach the subject of wanting Miori to model while wearing her newest creation while she was at it. ¡®Hey, Miori! Of course I want to hang out! I missed you!¡¯