Actions

Work Header

Magical Starlight

Summary:

With the mysterious advent of nightmarish fiends undeterred by any power but the magic of music, it was only natural that the age of girl bands would be followed by the age of magical girls, those chosen to wield the sacred power of song to safeguard their world. Poppin' Party, a fledgling girls' band turned fledgling magical girl team, must do everything in their capacity to not only overcome the monstrous Dissonants but also to withstand the burden of being a magical girl, and their perilous, cutthroat community.

Chapter 1: Night of the Hunt

Chapter Text

Sunset brought with it the mists, the scurrying grey rising from the gutters in foggy fingers that reached lazily for any sign of life in the streets. With them came the shutting of windows, the hastening of footsteps. Not one soul bothered to acknowledge Kasumi as she passed them by; she would have hoped that responsible adults would tell her that it was not safe for a young girl all alone to roam the streets after nightfall. Instead they hurried to find whatever shelter they could, cursing themselves for still being out in the streets right as the mists began to rise.

Kasumi carried on in the opposite direction, minding her own business, an upbeat song blaring from her earbuds. Arisa always reprimanded her for that, saying that it made her careless and unaware of her surroundings, but Arisa was not with her right now, was she?

Scattered along the usually-crowded streets were several stores that garishly advertised that they were open 24/7, and - in far smaller lettering, almost as an afterthought - displayed current sales and services, along with their prices. That wasn’t surprising, for ever since the mists began to haunt the world every night, it didn’t really matter what a store had for sale, only that it was open in the first place. The world could not afford to entirely stop, after all, even after nightfall. As soon as people realized that the mists and the Dissonants were not the immediate end of all things, they demanded that life returned to some strained normality.

Truth was, Kasumi preferred it that way. It was better than seeing a world living as though it were under siege, looking through her window and watching as the mists consumed everything and everyone in their path, shivering with uncertainty, not knowing if the walls would hold and the lights would last. But with the birth of the magical girls, the lights found their guardians, and life could go on, precarious as it could be at times.

The usual convenience store was deserted but for the cashier, a girl not much older than Kasumi herself. The faint whir of a generator in the background indicated that this place was guarded from the unlikely blackout, and the azure gleam coming from behind the safe room’s door was proof of a prepared Faelight, so that the worst would not come to pass.

As long as the magical girls could come in time to provide a rescue, that is. Though the world went on taking the proper precautions against the Dissonants that hunted these nights, even holding on to a certain sense of security, all these precautions would amount to nothing if, as the darkest hours of the night stretched on, no magical girls came to their aid. As Kasumi browsed the shelves of the convenience store, she found cookie packages with the familiar faces of Aya Maruyama and Chisato Shirasagi, and on bottles of soda she found Maya Yamato and Eve Wakamiya. If a place as humble as this was assaulted by Dissonants, would Pastel Palettes come to save it? Kasumi rather doubted it. She only saw Pasupare called to action when it was time for grandiose battles, the kind that made national news

“That’ll be all this time,” said Kasumi, suddenly self-conscious about how scarce her purchases were tonight. Snacks for five every night took their toll on her wallet, even as they took turns buying the required supplies for a long, tiresome night.

“Things really have gotten so expensive, haven’t they?” The girl asked, staring at the price on the screen as she scanned a big bottle of soda. “Goodness, nowadays you can’t even get kidney stones if you’re not rich.”

“Tell me about it,” Kasumi whined. “Arisa says it’s good because it means I have to improve my diet, but I see how disappointed she gets when the bags are a little lighter than last time.”

“Maybe they won’t be so light this evening,” she said, discreetly putting a few goods into one of the plastic bags, discretion totally unnecessary in the absence of any onlookers.

“Oh, you don’t need to… I couldn’t possibly have you-”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “It’s not much, anyways, but I can tell just how diligent you’ve been. I appreciate that. Everyone in the area appreciates that.”

Kasumi wondered if she could somehow tell that this appreciation was not shown as often as might be proper. She didn’t fight for the sake of praise, of course, but every time she passed by the huge billboards using the likeness of a Pasupare member to advertise fancy goods, Kasumi found herself longing for some acknowledgment, for someone to recognize that their nights were long and dangerous, that they were always hard at work, the five members of Poppin’ Party.

But frowns poisoned the soul, so Kasumi waved goodbye with a smile and set towards their usual meeting place, making sure to check her phone to see if she might not have missed any important messages. Arisa and Saya had already arrived, while Tae and Rimi would be coming by one of the rare night buses that hadn’t been decommissioned for the sake of cutting costs. It was a fine way to get the measure of the city streets as night veiled Tokyo and the mists began to stir. That meant plenty of time for Kasumi to meet with the others without drawing the ire of Arisa for being the last to arrive.

Where a minute ago there had been a few hurried figures rushing towards some shelter, there now was the disquieting emptiness of nightfall. The last lingering traces of the sun were swallowed by a deep darkness, and the streetlights seemed few and far between. Drawn to their luminosity, the Dissonants greedily consumed the light, to return only when sunrise banished them. Large luminous signs flickered in the distance, advertisements as always, but what had once been the familiar ambiance of a great city was now eerie, for such lights would not endure dusk’s embrace. It was always uncomfortable to watch them slowly fade as the city became a sea of blackness with islands of lingering lights. Here and there they would shine brighter, magical Faelights conjured from the Realm Beyond, but their saintly light was feebler, subtler, noticeable mostly from up close, just as the light they brought.

A light shone from the rooftops; their meeting place. Emergency ladders led Kasumi ever higher, towards heights that once had induced vertigo but now had become almost commonplace. There was no better place than some of the highest points of the city to allow them to dutifully scan where the Dissonants gathered in greater numbers. The rooftops of Tokyo belonged to the magical girls, who by decree could traverse them undisturbed. It was very rare for anyone to be so bold as to file noise complaints against their own guardians, although it happened sometimes; Kasumi recalled the time an outsider had come to CiRCLE to air his grievances with the magical girls thinking they could interrupt his sleep by jumping from roof to roof chasing ghosts. If Yukina Minato’s cold stare hadn’t been enough to cow the fool into compliance, then surely Sayo Hikawa’s words would have done so.

“Very well,” she said serenely, “if you are so sorely irked, then next time we will allow the Dissonants to slaughter you and your family, as you seem to wish.”

Following that, they’d been mostly allowed to carry on their duties without outside interference, able to discuss their issues among themselves, gathering at CiRCLE where whatever conflicts they might have had - and for some, like Afterglow, there were plenty of those - were to be disregarded in the interest of neutrality. Kasumi wasn’t attending as many of those meetings as she perhaps should, as Arisa constantly reminded her, but the truth was that a magical girl’s place was not in those councils, but in the city, beneath the stars.

She found Arisa and Saya waiting for her at the edge of the building’s rooftop, watching the city below as slowly the darkness spread across the grid-like arrangement of the streets. It was strange that one could ever get used to such a fearsome sight, but Kasumi did, or at least she was used enough that it no longer paralyzed her. Below them, vehicles seemed like dots of light, but tonight they were sparser than usual. Hopefully that meant less danger.

“Arisa, Saya,” Kasumi greeted them, then handed over some of the plastic bags. Saya had brought her own bread, as always, and they smelled even more delicious than usual. Small luxuries such as that helped these nights feel more like a gathering of friends than them putting their lives at risk for the sake of the world around them. It was better to think this way, Kasumi had found. “Hope you weren’t getting bored waiting.”

“Oh, not at all,” said Saya, smiling. Arisa, meanwhile, was locked in an annoyed frown as she stared at her phone. “Arisa has been looking at social media and news, keeping track of any unusual sightings. Lisa told us that if she hears of any possible leads near us, she’ll send them our way.”

“That’s nice of her,” said Kasumi. In spite of their somewhat sinister aesthetics and reputation as harsh and cold, Kasumi had always found the members of Roselia to be kind and agreeable, if excessively serious at times. But this was a serious matter. “Anything from O-Tae and Rimi-rin?” 

“Sounds like they’re right behind you,” said Saya, “they told us they reached the area just a few minutes after you did, so it seems you’ve missed each other.”

“Bummer…” She stepped towards Arisa. “Say, Arisa… Whatcha looking at that’s got you frowning like that?”

“Haha,” Saya intervened before Arisa had the chance to explode, “she’s in a bad mood because, well, CiRCLE kind of screwed us over…”

“More like CiRCLE ratfucked us without even buying us dinner, the cunts,” said Arisa. Despite Saya’s efforts, her temper had just gotten triggered, and when it did so, there was no stopping her. “Look at this shit, Kasumi, look at it!”

Arisa practically shoved her phone on Kasumi’s face, but she couldn’t quite tell what exactly she was looking at. They seemed to be pictures of that one card game that had just gotten quite popular lately, but Kasumi really didn’t know a thing about it other than it had been a big hit, using the likeness of magical girls working under CiRCLE’s management.

“Uh, what exactly am I looking for?”

“Seems CiRCLE didn’t waste their time selling our image rights to this card game for nerds,” Arisa whined, “putting us into the game’s new expansion.”

“What, isn’t that cool?” Kasumi asked. “I mean, it sucks that they didn’t ask us for permission, but anything that puts our name out there can’t be anything but good, right?”

“Yeah, no, I was reading the comments about the new cards. Apparently the Pasupare girls got new Hyper Secret Holo Rare cards that are worth a big deal of cash and are super overpowered, but us? Look what this son of a bitch had the audacity to say about my card! Wow, this is so useless, why do they even print these cards nobody’s gonna play with, just to fill up space? What a ripoff! A ripoff’s what your dad called your whore mom when he did her for a hundred yen in some public bathroom!” With each word she said, her fingers followed, so it seemed Arisa was picking fights online again. “I hope a Dissonant eats him.”

“You don’t mean that,” said Kasumi, taking her phone from her hands before Arisa had the chance to say something that would get her tar and feathered online. At least she had the common sense not to use an account that could be easily linked to Arisa Ichigaya, Poppin’ Fuschia of the magical girl team Poppin’ Party. As if they weren’t already having a hard enough time getting public support. “I didn’t expect you to care so much about something like that.”

“It didn’t help that earlier today we finally got our first email peddling a sponsorship,” said Saya, mildly embarrassed. “It was… Not flattering.”

“Why do the other magical girls get to advertise normal shit like cosmetics or cute clothes or appear in TV shows while we have to hear some shit-eater say he’d loooove it if we could do an ad for fucking hemorrhoids cream?!”

“Oh,” that was, indeed, pretty grave. Nevertheless, Kasumi still felt she should ask: “Was the pay any good?”

“Not good enough to throw away our pride like that!” Arisa yelled. Kasumi felt very sorry for anyone in the vicinity. “It’s not even like we want to sell out like Pasupare or something, but saving the world isn’t cheap, you know? Kind of outrageous how we’re expected to answer every emergency when we don’t even get help for the subway fare!”

“I agree with Arisa there,” said Saya. “Staying up late every night hasn’t been great for my sleep, and it’s been affecting my grades at school… Studying together is great, but I have to help my family and O-Tae has her own job too, and I was thinking about getting tutored to help me with my studies but I don’t really think we can afford that right now…”

“Sometimes it really does feel like it’s easier to gather Notes than yen,” Kasumi sighed. When they were felled, the Dissonants were not at all stingy with the Notes that burst forth from their fading remains, but that wasn’t exactly useful currency outside magical girl circles. “But it’s not worth getting mad over, right? In the end, we love what we do, having the chance to make the world better.”

“Would be nice if the world appreciated it,” said Arisa. “Did you know Pasupare are flown by helicopter to their battlefields? Sure must be nice to get help to preserve your energy like that… Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, transformed, is so draining to our strength that I did some quick maths and it turned out that we spend almost half of every night just recouping the Notes we burn up moving around. Being a magical girl is suffering.”

“Aw, Arisa, come here,” Kasumi pulled her close, hugging her tight. “There, that oughta energize you.”

“Dumbass,” she said, but hadn’t made any attempt at letting go of the embrace. Moments after, the noise of footsteps on metal announced the arrival of Tae and Rimi. The usual greetings followed, a quick opportunity to catch up on each other’s day.

But with the darkness came also their duty, a reminder that this time they spent together was not truly time spent casually, as it had been in the past, when they met together in Arisa’s basement to simply chat and goof off. That levity was gone now. Once they were properly caught up, Arisa walked up towards the edge, teetering uncomfortably close to it. Extending her hand, she whispered the incantation to call forth her magic, in the form of a line of translucent piano keys as colorful as a prism, and began to play her first few notes, gently and slowly giving birth to the beginnings of a melody. Fittingly, matching her melody, the Notes in her own heart blossomed from her body one by one, dimly glittering before fading, a song coming to life before their very eyes. It was a spectacle to behold, one Kasumi had not yet grown accustomed to, and this was nothing compared to the rainbows that unfurled during battle, each slightest bit of their magic releasing a corresponding Note.

Long lines of light rushed towards the horizon, briefly illuminating the city below. Dozens of them followed Arisa’s commands, disappearing into the distance only to return moments later, coalescing into tiny gems sparkling around Arisa, circling her body. Gently she put a finger on each one of them; some shattered into white sparks, while others darkened, lingered. By the end of it, there were six of the latter. Six arcane wisps that had detected the taint of Dissonance as they flew over this area of the city.

“Looks like a bountiful night,” said Tae. “Last night it was just three, and few others manifested over the deep dark hours.”

“Thank goodness,” Rimi breathed a sigh of relief, smiling only when she was offered a treat by Saya. “I was feeling a little anxious about my reserves after last night… I definitely used up more Notes than I’d gained.”

“Are you running low on them, Rimi-rin?” Kasumi asked. Rimi just shook her head.

“Not yet, but I would have to start conserving them pretty strictly if we had another bad night or two… Ah, but I feel a little bit guilty about being happy about Dissonants…”

“Well, we’re not happy about it,” said Tae. “But we can handle them before they claim any victims, so it’s not bad to be relieved we’ll get a reward and get to keep fighting. Then we can hopefully get ourselves some goodies from CiRCLE.”

“I’ve had my eyes on some cute wings, myself,” said Kasumi. “They’re rather pricey, though, but wouldn’t it be so cool?”

“Sounds tacky to me,” said Arisa. “And flying with those must be a pain in the ass.”

“Aw, sounds like someone’s cranky she can’t afford fancy wings to fly with me,” Kasumi smiled. Arisa grumbled, which was a rather subdued reaction. “Do you have any plans on your next purchase? I hear CiRCLE got access to a new selection of treasures from the Realm Beyond, even if they’re a bit expensive since everyone wants them.”

“I’ll just get some bombs of faemake, I think,” said Arisa. “Invisibility, intangibility, in addition to good old magic explosions… I think they’d be useful.”

“I’ve never bought those,” admitted Rimi. “It feels so bad spending precious Notes on something I’ll only use once, especially something that’ll literally explode…”

“I get that,” said Saya. “They feel so precious I always end up thinking I’d best use them when there’s no other choice, but I always save them for later…”

“The colors when they go boom are pretty, though,” said Tae. “And they’re so exciting. Haven’t you guys ever wanted to perform at a concert with flames bursting from the ground or something? I think that’s so cool. And you can get all sorts of colors for the fires, too.”

“Yeah, no, I think your issue is you’re not frugal enough ,” said Arisa. “Either way, we’re not getting any of these trinkets or spells without Notes, so let’s get moving, shall we? Let me take a look at what my wisps detected,” she peered into the remaining gems, and images appeared within them, though Kasumi could not make sense of what they could be. “Lucky us, they’re still in the process of manifesting, the mists are still only gathering, but no Dissonants have come to life. The one that’s closest to emerging is also the closest one to our position. Just some minutes from here, one block north of the train station… We’ll have a few more hours until the faintest one manifests, so we could try to expand our hunting grounds a little tonight, see if we can’t catch a few more Dissonants outside our usual areas. We’ll have plenty of time, so I reckon there’s no risk in it.”

Kasumi nodded. It was always ideal when a night turned out to have such a lenient pace in spite of plentiful apparitions from the shadows. It offered them time to recover after each battle, to rethink their approach if necessary, to try and arrange reinforcements if things turned out hairy. And, should further Dissonants rise from the shadows as the night went on, they would have the opportunity to decide if they should take them on themselves for further recompense or if they should get in touch with other magical girls.

But that was a decision for later, as the night was yet young and the coming hours unpredictable. The five stood side by side on the edge of the rooftops, with darkness far below them, their hands extended as they reached deep into their hearts for their music, their magic. A guitar, a bass, a set of drums, each playing off one another in an aimless melody yet to be discovered. But the fun was always in doing so. A phrase from O-Tae would fill Kasumi with inspiration, her chords then nudging Arisa’s keys in a different direction. Enveloped by light, by delight, they transformed.

Though it was magic that gave light to the elegant fabrics and the wondrous colors, it had been Poppin’ Party, together, that had created their designs, so perfect for them, so full of their own personality in a way that magic could never spontaneously conjure. Their Notes turned to lights that ran down their bodies, dressing them in gentle whites, before further Notes gave them their own colors, adorning them with details in red, purple, pink, yellow, blue.

Then, falling stars the five of them, bright as only a stifling night could make them, they leapt into the fell darkness they braved, their music combined to vanquish the eerie silence where the shadows festered. 

Chapter 2: Gathering Shadows

Chapter Text

The night sky opened its maw to scream out hordes of hissing Dissonants, dozens upon dozens manifesting not far from where Arisa had predicted, but even so their sudden and violent arrival always caught Rimi off-guard, even if now she had grown far more adept at concealing her fear, so that she would not disappoint her teammates. Kasumi and Tae jumped into battle with no hesitation, shielded by Arisa’s magic and granted superior strength and speed by Saya’s enchantments, their footsteps as ferocious and frequent as Saya’s drumming. Rimi, for her part, called forth Notes that blazed a furious red, visibly sharp and jagged, then turned them into gleaming arrows that flew towards the Dissonants surrounding Kasumi and Tae.

They were as much beasts as they were smoke and shadows, formless as water, their shapes ever-shifting. In a moment the creatures were slender wolves leaping with fangs bared, but the next they were black thorns and vines bursting from the pavement, before taking to the skies on ragged wings, the blackness of their bodies spilling like ink as they swayed. As far as Rimi could tell, what she thought were dozens of Dissonants might be all just part of a greater whole, a single creature born of shadow. As the monsters offered no explanation of what they were or justification as to why they preyed upon the world beyond mere ravening, there was little to do but to slay them where they manifested, and Poppin’ Party had grown quite skilled at doing so.

Crimson arrows pierced through the Dissonants beyond Tae and Kasumi’s reach, tearing the creatures apart, leaving behind black pieces of them on the streets, like worn shrouds. As they were vanquished, their bodies shattered and quickly burst to release a trove of Notes stored within, always in a frightening cacophonic explosion of noise. They resounded in a myriad of instruments, but when Rimi tightened her focus to recognize them, they were not truly any sounds of earthly origin. Their own music grew louder in response, waves of sound and magic that shook the world and the Dissonants themselves, halting their movements long enough for Kasumi to close the distance and unleash all her strength against them, be it with magic or fist or with her own guitar, so reinforced by magic that it could smash against concrete without sustaining any apparent damage. Tae’s carefree rhythms drew the monsters’ attention when they threatened to rush towards Arisa or Saya, and Rimi diverted her efforts to quickly slay them.

A burst of noise, then another, until lastly there was only Poppin’ Party’s melody, dying down into silence. As the song came to an end, the smothering shadows were banished from the streets, allowing the streetlights to illuminate the city again, and dots of light appeared again from behind the windows all around. Though she was not in the thick of battle like Kasumi and O-Tae, Rimi found herself worn out and drenched in sweat by the end of it, so it was quite the relief to claim their well-deserved bounty from their opponents, huge clumps of Notes gathered where the Dissonants were felled. Happiest of all, there were far more of them than had been spent in wielding magic and fighting. It was rare for them to earn such a great profit, and the night was not yet over.

“Woo, that felt good,” said Kasumi, to Arisa’s persistent chagrin.

“Fighting for your life isn’t supposed to feel good , you know,” she said. “I swear, if you keep refusing to take things seriously-”

“I am taking it seriously!” Kasumi puffed her cheeks. “That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy myself or take pride in a job well done. It’s not a dour thing, fighting with music at our sides, we shouldn’t try to make it so.”

“I think Kasumi is right…” Rimi spoke up. She was resting her back against a building’s façade, eyes slowly growing accustomed to the common lights of the night life. “What we’re doing is serious and dangerous, but it’s still music, at the end, and we’ve always loved it…” Or else we’d not have been chosen in the first place. “It’s not the bloodlust of someone who enjoys fighting too much, it’s something far purer.”

“See, Arisa? Rimi’s on my side,” Kasumi beamed, to which Arisa could respond only by rolling her eyes. “Let’s show some smiles, shall we?”

“Not until the night is over,” said Arisa. “We’ve finished off the Dissonants I’d detected, and just as they were beginning to manifest, so the damage to the city was minimal,” she turned to face an old car that had been neatly cut in twain during the battle, and groaned. “Well, whoever owns this piece of junk is going to have a bad time in the morning, but there’s nothing we can do about that. Tsurumaki will pay for it if there’s enough whining, I’m sure.”

Tsurumaki will pay for it had become quite the common sentiment as of late, given Princess Kokoro’s pledge to pay for any property damage caused during battles against Dissonants; having the seemingly limitless wealth of the Realm Beyond at her family’s disposal was quite handy for that, it turned out. Still, it was only the exceptionally bitter that sought compensation from the magical girls that now guarded the world; cracked windows and damaged cars were inconvenient, yes, but it was generally agreed that it was preferable to having your soul ripped from your body. 

After they’d counted the plentiful Notes their hard work had earned them, the five were all smiles, tired as they were from all the strain. But it was a good sort of exhaustion, more satisfying than anything else, the type that brought with it pride. The warmth of gathered Notes washed over Rimi and became the entirety of her body and mind, for a brief moment of pure joy, the one all magical girls sought, for it was then that their hearts were closest to a pure emotion of love of music, almost divine, in a way.

If not for that, Rimi was uncertain she would still be fighting. The first few times she and the rest of Poppin’ Party fought to protect these darkened streets and those who dwelled in this city, she was frightened out of her wits, able to keep going only because the others were practically talking her through her every motion. It was no easy thing, risking one’s life like this every single night, for even as they grew accustomed to their duties and what they entailed, any mistake could be costly indeed, for the Dissonants knew neither pity nor restraint. It was worth it in the end, all that they did, but for the first few weeks, Rimi feared this life was not for her.

“If you were not capable of fighting on,” Tae had told her, when she found Rimi crying to herself, too hesitant to go on, “then you would not have been chosen by music. Because it is music itself that reached into our hearts and gave us these gifts. You are no coward, because of course it is scary… But in the end, if we can do this, it means we must , because the world is depending on us, now.”

Tae was completely right, though her words did little to make Rimi feel less afraid. Instead they made her feel like she was stronger than she believed, that she could face these fears and best them. For the fear, in truth, never went away; not even for Kasumi, in spite of how, at first glance, it was rather unbelievable to even conceive that Kasumi could ever be afraid. But they all were, or else they were fools. Even Roselia were afraid, Rimi had learned that from Sayo and Rinko, which further helped confirm to her that she was not doing anything wrong. She was doing her best, and her best was good enough.

“How’s everyone doing?” Rimi asked. “I think I can keep going a while longer… Just needed to catch my breath for a while, was all… Are you up for it?”

“Look at Rimi-rin all eager,” Saya laughed. “Well, what do you say, Kasumi, O-Tae? You’re the ones who are getting pounded into the pavement by the Dissonants so I think you’re the best to judge if you can keep going.”

“Haha, I could do this all night,” said Kasumi.

“You’d regret it in the morning,” Arisa groaned.

“It’s not morning yet, though,” said Tae. “Well, I think we should keep going, since we’re in such high spirits. That’s a yes vote from Poppin’ Lapin, ready to hop into action.”

“In that case, Poppin’ Marigold is blooming proudly,” said Saya, before turning to Rimi and Kasumi.

“Poppin’ Star reporting for duty, illuminating the night sky!” Said Kasumi with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Poppin’ Choco will do her best with a smile,” said Rimi, at which point all eyes were on Arisa, who seemed on the verge of dying inside.

“Yeah, Poppin’ Fuschia is not saying her fucking catchphrase, she finds it demeaning.”

“Boo, you’re no fun,” Kasumi complained. “Well, be that as it may, Arisa, it’s time to do your thing.”

Her thing meaning seeking Dissonants with her magic, of course. Before that, she checked her phone for any tip-offs from the Roselia girls, but according to Arisa, tonight wasn’t treating them too well, so they didn’t have any information to share. Since Roselia was clearly successful enough that they would scarcely need to scrounge for Notes, Yukina Minato had decided to leave her team on stand-by should any other magical girls require reinforcements.

“They said they’ll prioritize us if we need any help, though,” Arisa informed the others.

“So these are the privileges of having you be part of the student council alongside Sayo and Rinko, huh?” Kasumi said. “Hopefully nobody accuses Sayo of favoritism,” she referred to Sayo having one of three seats in CiRCLE’s own council that arbitrated magical girls’ affairs.

“It’s unbecoming to say it like that, Kasumi…” Rimi pointed out. “We wouldn’t want anyone to think we’re taking advantage of our friendship with them… It’d reflect poorly on all of us.”

“Yeah, use your brain a little and realize these jokes are in shit taste,” Arisa reprimanded her, though it was likely Rimi’s words that actually made Kasumi feel guilty. “Sayo and Rinko would feel really offended.”

“Right, right, I’m sorry, it was just a joke. They’re my friends too, you know, they’d know I don’t mean any harm and laugh along. Well, Lisa and Ako would. Oh, but guys, guys, did I tell you what Yukina said to me the other day?”

“Only a hundred times,” said Arisa.

The other day is close to a month ago,” Tae pointed out.

“Well, either way, she said she finds me quite trustworthy and reliable. I wish Arisa would call me that.”

“And I wish you’d shut the fuck up and wash my balls. We can’t always get what we want. Now zip it while the adult focuses on finding some traces of Dissonance…”

While Kasumi mumbled about how she’s older than Arisa, actually, Fuschia sent forth her magical wisps once again, less of them this time than earlier, but let them fly farther away, so in the time before they returned, the others simply chatted among themselves, sharing notes on lessons they’d taken to prepare for coming exams. Even for Arisa, their latest grades were not quite as high as they might have wanted, and school was not one of the areas that made concessions for the busy and demanding lives of magical girls, especially with the constant pressure of needing to prepare for a career after graduation. Rimi had her doubts that, during a job interview, the years spent fighting Dissonants would be given much consideration, rather than simply considered a hole in their lives; much of what was in a magical girl’s skill set was not exactly transferable to other occupations.

There came the anxieties again, and precisely when they weren’t wanted. The thoughts racing through her head suddenly made Rimi fidgety, fearful for her future. In spite of her desire to continue pursuing music in the future, she liked to hope that there would eventually be an end to the Dissonant threat, that she would not be a magical girl forever, but when that time came, what would she do with her life? She had always been worried about that, but now that her grades were dropping and her free time faded away, she had another fear to contend with.

As if risking her life each and every night wasn’t bad enough.

“Oh, there they come,” Arisa interrupted the others as her wisps returned from their inspection. Most simply scattered like smoke, but one lingered, offering a hint of gathering Dissonance somewhere not too far from there. “Hmm… You guys know that pizzeria near the park? Seems there’s some shadows manifesting some five or six blocks east of there.”

“It’s not such a long walk,” said Saya. “Does it look dangerous? Can we handle it ourselves?”

“Oh, yeah, absolutely,” said Arisa. “If Dissonants have thoughts, maybe a society, then the ones gathering there are some absolute shitters. Very light buildup of energy, and rather slow, too. Kind of pathetic, really. Well, it’s not a big payout, so don’t get your hopes up for that, but it’s unclaimed territory so we’d best move our asses there so nobody gets hurt.”

“Aw, Arisa’s such a softie, so concerned with innocent bystanders…” Kasumi rubbed shoulders with her. “This kindness is why I love you so much.”

“If you wanna be a clown all the time so bad, why don’t you join a fucking circus or something and get off my ass?”

“Don’t you have to be funny to be a clown?” Tae asked.

“Now, now, don’t fight,” said Saya. “Arisa is right: even if we don’t have much to gain from these Dissonants, we might as well take them out since we’re in the area. We could send a warning to the other magical girls, but we don’t even know if there’s anyone else nearby who’s not too busy… Let’s not take a chance.”

Rimi agreed with Saya on this. There were always magical girls on standby, either due to having already secured their own territory or simply because they preferred to take a more freelance approach, so to speak, hanging out at CiRCLE and taking on smaller jobs and battles that might not require a full magical girl team, or reinforcing them when necessary. Out of curiosity, Rimi fiddled with her phone to see such posts on MagiNet, the app that was theoretically supposed to help magical girls coordinate when necessary. In truth they were not always as eager to cooperate with each other, often seeing other teams as competitors more than anything else, but there were enough magical girls who took their responsibilities seriously enough that it had been almost six whole months since there had been a Dissonant attack in Tokyo that had not been warned of in advance and promptly responded. That regrettable affair led to the expansion of CiRCLE’s council as well as the dismissal of its former head, replaced by Princess Kokoro and both the Hikawa sisters, with resistance coming only from those few who saw that as a power grab from Roselia.

All in all, however, things had been running smoothly ever since. It put a smile on Rimi’s face to inspect her dashboard on MagiNet as well as the maps of Dissonance manifestations, and see how swiftly and efficiently they were, one by one, resolved, until the city was at peace again and the last hours of the night were quiet. It was a far cry from the first days after the advent of the Dissonants, when entire districts of cities all throughout the world were completely swallowed by shadows and consumed, before aid finally came from the Realm Beyond. It was fortunate that Tokyo had been able to recover from such losses: many other cities never did.

Relaxed at last, the five made their way across the park, Kasumi and Tae even tossing stones on its large pond - until Arisa told them to stop, was challenged by Kasumi to join them, and, doing so out of spite, achieved the most pitiful throw Rimi had ever seen in her life, at which point they all agreed never to mention that embarrassment again. Otherwise, their journey was uneventful, the way Rimi liked it. She looked behind to see the lights begin to appear again on the path they’d trod, and felt warm again, despite the cold of the night, when she imagined the relief that the people who lived there must feel. It was a relief that she herself knew well, that she first felt when, watching the world succumbing to a hopeless siege from the ghosts of Dissonance, clinging to her sister for what little comfort she could feel in what she thought were her last days, the skies split open and the powers of the Realm Beyond spilled forth, repelling the darkness as bards from that mystical land came to the world’s rescue, before granting the gift of magic to those who opened their hearts to music. That hopelessness was something Rimi never forgot - neither the hope rekindled by the magical melodies that returned the stars to the sky.

As they neared the location found by Arisa, Rimi felt the unnerving chill of Dissonance again, a cold that could not be physically measured but burrowed deep into one’s soul. Such intense foreboding was felt more strongly by magical girls, but even those without such powers felt some trace of it. Rimi was glad to see the streets all deserted, with everyone prizing their own safety. It was regrettably common for someone to foolishly try to brave the shadows because they had somewhere to go and the world was often not willing to wait out such disasters. But even so, Rimi could not accept that there were those who felt forced to risk their lives rather than be late for duties at work, or miss the last train back home. As soon as a literally magical solution was discovered for these woes, society in general was quite content to try to carry on as usual while leaving all the problems in the hands of magical girls.

The five of them waited, watching the mists and what might stir within. Here they were subdued, unimpressive, but the smallest Dissonant could still claim victims if allowed to grow undeterred. Waiting for it, Poppin’ Party took their positions, steeling themselves for battle. What they found instead was the meekest eruption of shadows they’d ever seen: usually the darkness would grow so thick as to snuff out all lights, the long shadows of trees and buildings growing lengthier still until monstrosities rose from them like they surfaced from oceanic depths.

Now, the shadows managed only to spit out some skinny blots of darkness, their hisses as pitiful as their forms, and even Rimi struggled to hold back from laughing as the Dissonants lunging towards them were barely any taller than her ankles. I might as well step on these guys , she thought, but of course she knew better. Kasumi likely didn’t, but Saya was wise enough to hold her back from doing something stupid. Even the weakest Dissonants were still dangerous, to be handled with care - it was just that, right now, said care amounted only to the bare minimum, a few Notes sent their way, vanquishing them utterly before Poppin’ Party could even get a real melody started.

“Wow. These guys were some fucking losers,” said Arisa as the lights returned to their usual intensity, though they’d barely changed at all. “I’m not the only one who feels kinda bad about it, right? I mean, what if these were, like… Dissonant babies or something? Did we just kill a bunch of toddlers? That’s fucked up.”

“No, you’re right, this definitely feels wrong,” said Tae. “I hope the parents don’t come seeking vengeance…”

“Uh, O-Tae, she was just joking,” Saya remarked. “Dissonants don’t actually have families. Probably. Oh my god, what if they do…? I’d never thought of that.”

“You know, I’m kind of curious about how the hell those tiny things would have attacked us,” said Kasumi. “What, they’d kick our shins or something? Hey, Arisa, you’re the one who knows how it must feel to be so teeny-tiny and puny. When you see Kaoru or Rei do you see past their knees?”

“Uh? You know, you dumb fuck, Rimi’s shorter than I am, so why aren’t you bugging her with your prattling?”

“I think it’s not fun to bully Rimi,” said Tae innocently. “It’s like hurting a cute little flower. Meanwhile you’re more like, you know, those super aggressive tiny dogs.”

“G-Guys,” Rimi tried to get them to focus, “we should go get the Notes from those Dissonants… There’s probably not a lot, but-”

As she stepped towards the obliterated remains of the world’s most pitiful Dissonants, Rimi actually almost muttered a curse - which she blamed on Arisa’s influence - when she saw that, in spite of their weakness, a rather respectable amount of Notes had been nestled within them. In no way an exceptional amount, but for such an effortless “fight” it was a great reward indeed. Certainly enough to make an entire night’s hunt worth it, at the very least. As the five began to divide the Notes among themselves, however, a sound came from behind, as though from the night itself. Rimi feared a Dissonant, but quickly recognized that it was footsteps that she had heard.

Behind them, quickly approaching, five girls that Rimi could not immediately recognize, but could tell at a glance that they were magical girls as well. They were led by a white-haired girl who moved very deliberately, always scanning her surroundings, but it was the tall dark-haired girl by her side that was truly imposing.

“E-Excuse us…” The white-haired one began, but the taller one spoke with greater authority:

“You must lay your hands off those Notes,” she said. “They are rightfully ours. You are intruding.”

“Huh?” Kasumi tilted her head. “But we banished these Dissonants, not you…?”

“In our designated territory,” the girl continued. There was something in her eyes that Rimi misliked. “This is not your prey, and we have not requested outside help. Step away, or you will be disrespecting the laws of magical girls.”

“Now hold on a minute,” said Arisa. “If that’s the case, I don’t think any of us will protest, but I am in fact quite certain that this is neutral, unclaimed territory. MagiNet says so, and I never heard of anyone staking a claim on this part of town.”

“Well, we have now,” said the short one behind the other two, with black twintails. Rimi could just about feel Arisa getting annoyed at the sight of her. “Rui took care of everything.”

“I have. I’ve sent the required documents to CiRCLE claiming this to be our territory.”

“W-We are Morfonica,” said the white-haired one. “We have just formed a band- A magical girl team together, I mean… I’m Mashiro,” she pointed to her teammates, “and these are Rui, Tsukushi, Nanami, Toko…”

“Why did you leave me for last?” Toko complained, but the others ignored her.

“When exactly did you send CiRCLE these documents, hm?” Saya asked.

“Earlier today,” Rui said without hesitation. “As it is our first night hunting together, and we were all in agreement to begin immediately.”

“Aha, well…” Saya tried some laughter to keep things from getting any more tense, but with the way Rui’s expression remained unchanging, it didn’t seem laughter had much of an effect on her. “That’s kind of last minute, isn’t it…? There probably isn’t anyone at CiRCLE right now to even approve your request.”

“Then that is CiRCLE’s mistake, not ours,” said Tsukushi, quickly growing more determined. “I’m class president, you know. If a student sends me something, even if it’s past midnight, I make sure to read it. I even set my phone’s alarm to wake me up. That’s what a leader should do.”

“Wow, that’s so interesting,” Arisa rolled her eyes. Rimi just hoped she wouldn’t make things more uncomfortable. “But it’s not our concern. We didn’t do anything wrong, you know. This area is free for any magical girls tonight, and that’s the end of it. You can have it all for yourselves tomorrow, but tonight we’re entirely within our rights.”

“Hmm, Rui, what should we do about this…?” Nanami asked. Unlike Mashiro or Tsukushi, she seemed entirely unconcerned about the matter.

“We must do things properly,” Rui insisted. “You have been informed that we intend to carry out our activities in this territory. You also know that CiRCLE has all the required documents. Thus, it’s only correct that you hand over the Notes you acquired in our territory.”

“Now, now, hold on,” Kasumi stood between Arisa and these new girls. “You’re being unreasonable, you know? It’s not like we could have known… Look, we had a fine night, we’d be happy to share these Notes with you since you’re new, okay?”

“Please don’t patronize us,” said Mashiro. For a moment, there was a hint of strength behind her apparent meekness. “Just because you’re… A successful team and band… That doesn’t mean we’re okay with you looking down on us like this.”

Rimi must have missed the part where Poppin’ Party was exceptionally successful. Just earlier that night, after all, she was struggling to afford the bus fare. Then, remembering this area of the city, a question came to mind.

“Excuse me… Are you girls from… Tsukinomori?”

“Huh? That fancy schmancy school for loaded girls?” Tae asked.

“Oh, splendid,” Arisa groaned. “Some bougie girls thinking the world is out to get them. Kasumi, maybe we shouldn’t share anything with them at all. I mean, clearly they’re not the sort who are used to sharing, more used to bossing people around.”

“By definition, you cannot share with us what is ours in the first place,” said Rui. “You are stealing from us. Give us the Notes or we will report you to CiRCLE.”

“Everyone, please, no arguing,” said Saya. “Not over a misunderstanding like this… This isn’t as serious as it seems. I bet you girls were just really eager to start working, right? That’s why you couldn’t wait. But there’s no harm meant here at all, we didn’t mean to intrude or anything, it’s just that CiRCLE needs one more day to arrange things properly…”

“It doesn’t matter if there was no harm meant,” said Tsukushi. “There was harm nonetheless. We just started out, we told you. We don’t have a great reserve of Notes to rely on like you, and this night has not been very good to us, I’ll admit it. So we need that. We need what you took from us.”

“But we will not relinquish our pride so as to beg,” said Rui. “Nor to accept parting what is rightfully ours. From tomorrow onward, this is our territory, the place we will defend. Would you deny us what belongs to us on a mere technicality?”

“Damn it, if you want it so bad…” Arisa complained, but the words only served to make Tsukushi even more incensed.

“Again with the pity, the annoyance… Maybe we don’t want to be given what is ours to begin with! You just need to acknowledge you have overstepped, rather than be stubborn…”

But no such thing had happened… Rimi could understand where they were coming from, with their inexperience, their eagerness and their struggle, but this sort of attitude would not get them very far at all, not when magical girls so strongly depended on each other’s support. They were the ones making it so hostile in the first place, the ones who felt so deeply wounded. Rimi actually agreed with Arisa’s harsh words here, thinking that if they were to simply walk away to avoid conflict, it would be as though they were bullied into submission.

“If you’re not going to let us leave and you’re not going to just accept the damn things, what do you want?” Arisa asked. “Just show us what badasses you are, how serious you can be? Yeah, we’re not impressed. Listen here, kid ,” she stepped towards Tsukushi, whose entire body turned stiff, her eyes staring at nothing. “You have to learn how to deal with people, because-”

“I’m not a kid!” She screamed. “Are all magical girls like this, looking down on anyone who dares to be new to this life? That’s horrible of you! We’re trying our best here, and in you come strutting into the area we’re sworn to protect and just taking such a bounty and walking away without caring about us one bit? That’s so… Unfair… It makes me want to beat you insensate.”

“Oh, come and try it, you fucking womanlet.”

Tsukushi lunged towards Arisa, but before she could reach her, Rui calmly held her back and dragged her to the rest of Morfonica. Quickly, she began to regain her composure, turning her back on Poppin’ Party. Mashiro tried to say something, but, again, Rui didn’t allow her.

“We will bring this to CiRCLE’s attention tomorrow,” she promised. “They will know of your attitude. I know Hikawa to be concerned with propriety and she will not take kindly to your deeds. Are we in agreement to meet there?”

“Or maybe you’d rather beat up the new girls who just started out some hours ago,” said Nanami. “Yeah, bet that would look real good. Boy, I wonder what people are going to think of you tomorrow once they hear what Poppin’ Party is like, huh.”

Toko and Tsukushi said nothing after that, content to simply follow Rui and Nanami back into the shadows. Mashiro, however, lingered in front of Poppin’ Party for some time, her mouth agape, before saying a meek and barely-audible sorry and running to join her friends. After that, they were gone.

“My piss is fucking boiling right now!” Arisa stomped the ground before Kasumi held her in a vain attempt at calming her down. “Ugh! And I got mad at those fucking cunts! I must look like a fucking maniac…”

“You kind of are one sometimes,” said Tae.

“But I think you were right this time…” Said Rimi. “It was unfair of them to be so demanding when we hadn’t done anything wrong… If they’d just tried to talk things through politely and explain their situation without getting so bothered…”

“Yeah! Kasumi even offered to split the Notes with them,” said Saya. “They said they were needing them, too, and it wasn’t even really a matter of pride, was it…? It’s okay to acknowledge that misunderstandings happen and to just laugh them off… They’re the ones that brought pride into this.”

“I don’t like this,” Kasumi stated the obvious. “Them running off to inform CiRCLE rather than trying to figure things out with us… That’s not what magical girls should do. I bet they’re going to lie about us and make us look like the villains here.”

“I kind of want to just leave these Notes here and walk away,” said Tae. “It just feels… Wrong, after everything. Because I should feel angry at them, but I do feel sorry for them, a little bit… We were newbies once, too, and we definitely know what it’s like to be struggling… It doesn’t feel right for our good fortune to be someone’s bad luck.”

“Yeah…” Rimi sighed. But there was nothing to be done about it now. She wanted to put the blame for this unpleasant affair squarely in Morfonica’s hands, but she felt she hadn’t handled things well, either, and Arisa losing her temper didn’t help matters either. “I think… We should call it a night, now… Ah… I’m worried… I don’t like this kind of fighting. Even if we were right, it makes me feel awful to have been part of something like this…”

“I guess so,” Arisa sighed. Rimi knew that, when she was angry about something, Arisa struggled to get any sleep at all. Rimi didn’t look forward to the next morning.

They didn’t have much to say after that. Staring uncomfortably at one another, making their way back in complete silence until they parted ways, by the time she was nearing home, all she could think was that it might be easier to deal with Dissonants than other magical girls.

Chapter 3: Anticipation

Chapter Text

“Wow, you look like ass,” was the first thing Misaki told Arisa when they met at the gates of Hanasakigawa. “Ass that got tag-teamed hard. Bad night, huh?”

“Why does it sound like you’re enjoying seeing me in this state?” Arisa asked. She wondered which part looked the worst: whether it was the bags under her sleepless eyes, her rather disheveled hair that she hadn’t bothered to put in pigtails this morning, or maybe the fact that her stockings were quite obviously mismatched. “Wipe that grin off your face, will you? I’ll tell you all about last night later. But I have a lot of council work today so you’ll have to wait.”

“Oh, I don’t mind waiting,” said Misaki. “I know it’ll be worth it. I have tennis in the afternoon so it’s fine. Meet you at the gates outside and we catch up on the way to CiRCLE?”

Arisa nodded, but really she wanted to groan and bitch at the mention of CiRCLE. It was humiliating, really, being called to answer for her completely imagined slights by a bunch of rich girls, like they’d just tattled her off for something entirely insignificant. Arisa had no idea what to expect, since she’d never had to deal with CiRCLE’s council, but she was certain that her nuts would be squeezed and her ass would be sore. If she had to go through the indignity of being scolded like some drooling, paste-eating infant, she might as well slit her wrists right in front of everyone before setting herself on fire. Morfonica were just too embarrassingly dramatic for her taste.

During class, the words on the blackboard mixed with each other. Arisa wondered if she might not be needing glasses, but it was only like this when she was exhausted, sleepy. When recess came, she preferred to eat by herself rather than sour her mood by joining the rest of Poppin’ Party in what would inevitably be a conversation about last night and the business to come at CiRCLE. They’d have to deal with that no matter what, and Arisa very much didn’t feel like worrying in advance. That was less her being careless - a sort of behavior most common to Kasumi - and more her, for once, taking measures against spoiling her mood even further, which she would never want to do when she was with her friends like that. Popipa time was meant to be happy and carefree, not tense and uncomfortable.

Instead, she would whine about it with Misaki later. Misaki was a kindred spirit in the sense that life repeatedly fucked her over, and commiserating atop the roofs of Hanasakigawa was quite the cathartic experience.

But that would be hours from now, and poor sleep had a way of making the days seem even longer than they typically were. Arisa took notes as carefully as she could, but she couldn’t keep up with all of the words her teachers said, and a great deal of her energy was spent just staying awake, leaving precious little left to allow her to focus.

The minutes dragged past, hastening only when Arisa’s concentration slipped for a few seconds and only returned when the teacher seemed to be talking about an entirely different subject than before. Fortunately for Arisa, while the world wasn’t as accommodating towards magical girls as she might wish, most of her teachers were kind enough not to ask her any questions that she might be unable to answer, and showed some leniency towards her assignments, when possible. They were simply not as well-done and thorough as they were when Arisa could dedicate more of her time to them. Now, that small kindness was one of the reasons she’d not given up on school again, and still attended classes - not as great a reason as Popipa, but having some manner of relief for her anxieties did her much good.

By the last third of the morning, Arisa had grown so desperate for this ordeal to be over that she scratched small lines on the corner of the pages of her notebook, each line corresponding to a minute. Were the days always so long? Her exhaustion made each instant seem interminable, and even excusing herself to go to the bathroom, though she didn’t need to, didn’t allow her to accelerate time at all. By the time her last lesson had come to an end, Arisa felt only a moment of joy before remembering that she had council duties during the afternoon, and, after that, she would have to deal with those insufferable bitches of Moronica. Morfonica? Arisa didn’t care, and just hoped they’d explode.

A brief lunch gave her half an hour to unwind and rest her eyes while leaning against one of Hanasakigawa’s many trees. She preferred the secluded spots, the ones most distant from the school gates, where the students rarely gathered after class. She ate alone this time, though usually she would do so with her bandmates. But, after last night, she truly wanted to avoid any and all possible discussion about those matters. When her time was up, then, she hurried back into the school building, making her way towards the student council’s office, where she found Sayo and Rinko waiting for her, already at work.

“Good afternoon, Ichigaya,” said Sayo. Rinko waved politely at her as she arrived, looking away from her documents only for a moment. By the looks of it, she hadn’t made as much progress on the budgets as would be ideal. Somehow that made Arisa feel relieved. If even the members of Roselia would at times struggle to juggle their two lives adequately, then perhaps Arisa was not so great a failure after all.

“What’s for today?” She asked, and then it suddenly hit her Fuck . “Ah. Sorry. The Home Economics club’s request, right…? I was totally forgetting it, I’m so sorry. I’ll go look for them-”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Rinko, softly, kindly. “They’ve already handed the required papers with the prices of the new equipment they’d like to purchase, you’ll find them on your desk.”

“Ah, that’s good,” she said, embarrassed. She was the one who was supposed to run after these documents and information, without requiring others to solve her problems for her. “Even so, I’m truly sorry about such a blunder… I’ve been out of sorts this past week, since we’ve been so busy at night. But that’s not an excuse, haha…”

“It’s quite alright, Ichigaya,” said Sayo. “So long as your work is finished before the deadlines, there’s no trouble. We all make mistakes.”

Do you? Arisa found herself tempted to ask that, but kept the words to herself.

“It’s not easy,” said Rinko. “This life of ours, I mean,” Sayo nodded. “It would be unfair of us to offer you no leniency when we ourselves often find ourselves needing it. Some of the clubs have been pressuring us about their budget for the coming months and the school festival, but there’s only so much we can do. We’re not as fast as we’d like, but we’ve never failed in our duties.”

“Ah, that’s true… Somehow, everything seems to work out, even if it sometimes takes an all-nighter or two, like the misplaced funds for the Baking Club or the kerfuffle with the Computing Club and Chess Club’s swapped rooms…”

“That was most inconvenient, yes,” said Sayo. “Still, we do what we can with the resources we have, and neither Shirokane nor I have ever had any cause to doubt your diligence and reliability. Whether it be as a fellow member of the student council or as a magical girl.”

“T-thank you,” Arisa wondered if she should bow. She was among friends, but at the same time, Sayo and Rinko were upperclassmen, and they had a somewhat formal air about them.

“By the way, this reminds me…” Sayo reached into one of the many drawers of the office, which were all remarkably well-organized despite how numerous they were. All thanks to Hikawa herself, of course. From within, she retrieved a key which Arisa recognized at once. “Apologies for neglecting to give it to you until now. Should you ever have need of the council office, this will open its door without you requiring either Shirokane or myself. Feel free to use it. I know you won’t abuse this privilege, so I don’t mind telling you that our teachers have an understanding with the council, so you’ll find them more willing to allow you to… Retreat to the office, so to speak.”

“It’s quiet and isolated,” said Rinko, “especially during class hours. I find it rather pleasant and cozy for a nap.”

Arisa’s first instinct was to ask if she really looked that much like shit. Then, when she saw the kind smiles before her, she felt appreciation might be more befitting, so she thanked the two. She often wondered if she could perhaps use the office to regain her energies after long, difficult nights, but had never considered asking for permission, fearing that Sayo would harshly reprimand her. But of course she was mistaken. Sayo was not a robot to blindly follow rules without kindness or consideration, without ever allowing for exceptions. Strict as she was, she was also gentle and soft-spoken, not unlike Rinko herself, in truth.

That reflection led her to recall that rules-obsessed shit-eater from last night. Arisa wished she had bothered to memorize her name so she could properly call her a cunt. Alas, she would have to remain uncertain. 

Working alongside Sayo and Rinko, mercifully, had a way of making all other concerns disappear. It was not like when she was with Poppin’ Party and their energy and incessant talking allowed her to forget, if only for a while, about her troubles, but the tranquility of the student council’s office had a similar effect. Rinko’s voice always brought with it a feeling of serenity, Sayo’s a sense of quiet certainty. Though the affairs of the council were hardly a matter of life and death, it was still quite satisfying to solve them with such reliable company, to leave their secluded room knowing that they’d done a great job, that the myriad problems they had to solve were all behind them, now. The student council’s office was a place to get things done, a place to watch even insurmountable issues become quite manageable with the help of Hikawa and Shirokane, and a place for Arisa to come to the realization that in spite of her fears of not being good enough, she was more than capable enough of keeping up with these two hard-working members of Roselia. There were times when her insecurities told her that she didn’t belong here, that she was a burden, that she would never measure up to the expectations, but she’d never left this office unhappy, hurt. She found herself wondering if that was the sort of atmosphere to be found as a member of Roselia. But she never asked. It was better to have a place and a time when they could leave all their other responsibilities to the side, to not be defined by their allegiance. Perhaps that was part of why the office was so calm, so warm and inviting.

She signed her name underneath Sayo’s signature after reviewing projects for the school’s upcoming festival. Some ideas were simply ill-conceived, given the scale of the festival, such as grand sporting competitions between different schools - this was to be a day for Hanasakigawa and its students only, after all. Others, however, were rejected for less obvious reasons. The strain a proposal could bring to the clubs’ budgeting, or the difficulty in scheduling activities in a way that did not conflict with one another. The last thing we want is clubs fighting over an audience, should their activities be held at a similar time, said Sayo. This wasn’t something Arisa had considered, having expected that so long as they didn’t blow their budget anything should be fine, but Sayo had given it far more thought. Rinko relied on her to offer opposing opinions, to contradict her when necessary. And though the two disagreed often, they’d never raise their voices. Arisa envied that self-control. The two were very close, fellow members of Roselia, a band whose bonds were so firm that some whispered that they were writ in blood, that the five had some sort of pact with one another. Thinking of the girls that she herself was closest to, Arisa doubted she could abide constant disagreement from Kasumi or Tae without snapping. This was another thing she respected in Roselia. Nothing about them seemed the slightest bit dysfunctional.

“I’m done here,” she said some time later, only then looking at the clock. More hours had passed than she had expected, and now they were deep into the afternoon. Simple as it was, constantly double-checking information throughout the day actually demanded more time than it appeared, but the work was easy enough, and the company pleasant. “In the end the only discrepancies were with the board game club’s reports on their expenses… Such a pain, it would have been infinitely easier for them to just do things properly the first time around than have us scour their receipts for them.”

“Indeed, they’ve been lacking in their due diligence,” said Sayo. “I’ll be sure to reprimand them harshly the next time they’re all gathered at school. I doubt I’d find them here today, since they don’t perform their activities on Thursdays,” she sighed. “It would seem the student body of Hanasakigawa is in need of discipline.”

The way Sayo said that was more scary than perhaps she herself was aware. Arisa wondered if she should bring up the topic she’d been avoiding all day. Sayo and Rinko hadn’t mentioned it themselves, but Arisa couldn’t bear to leave things unsaid.

“L-Listen,” she said, “this is kind of awkward to say, but, well, you’re on the inner council of CiRCLE as well, Sayo, so you must already have heard about, well… You know…”

“I am aware, yes,” she said. “I didn’t find it relevant to mention it today as we have more pressing issues. After all, our time here is for sorting out the affairs of Hanasakigawa, not our lives as magical girls. I assume you’re concerned, yes?”

“Well, of course. I don’t know what you know, what exactly it was that Morfonica mentioned to CiRCLE… I assume they must have sent a message via MagiNet, right? Filing a complaint or something, or however you do it… I’m not actually familiar with the process.”

“It is just that. A magical girl team requested an audience with the council for the sake of arbitrating a dispute. This is not unusual. I’ll admit, however, that seeing Poppin’ Party mentioned was out of the ordinary. You’ve never been involved in any sort of situation.”

“I guess you could call it a situation alright,” Arisa groaned. “Now, I admit I may have lost my temper a little bit, but I don’t think we were in the wrong.”

“That will be determined at CiRCLE,” Sayo said, coldly. “I’m sorry. It would be a breach of decorum to discuss this in advance with one of the involved parties. Even a friend. All I can say is that there is no need to be so nervous, because it’s not as though you are being put on trial. Our purpose is simply to find a fair agreement so that we may put this behind us.”

“I… I see.” That didn’t put her mind at ease at all, and being told there was no need to be nervous only made her more nervous. 

“For what it’s worth,” said Shirokane, “ I am not in CiRCLE’s council, so I’m free to speak of the matter with you, and tell you that I know you to be a good person, the same as your partners. So whatever misunderstanding happened won’t change my opinion of you. Or Hikawa’s.”

“That’s good to hear,” said Arisa. “I don’t want to betray your trust, you know. And it’s not like I’ve done anything gruesome like murder someone, haha…”

“That would be quite terrible,” said Sayo. “I suggest you refrain from making such jokes, especially when we meet at CiRCLE. Hina and Tsurumaki have rather abnormal senses of humor, and they might misinterpret your words.”

Thank goodness your sense of humor is perfectly normal , Arisa thought, but at least when she was around Sayo and Rinko she could keep her thoughts to herself. Those two were so dignified that Arisa found it only proper to bite her tongue when venomous words slithered to its tip.

“We will meet again at CiRCLE, then,” said Arisa, rising to her feet. “Oh, but will you be there, Rinko?”

“I’ll accompany Hikawa the rest of the day, yes,” she said. “We have practice, after all, and at night we hunt together.”

So you’re practically glued to one another , Arisa thought. It was a good thing Lisa was too well-adjusted to become jealous of something like that. Because Arisa just knew she would get annoyed if someone she loved - not that there was anyone - spent almost all hours of her day with someone else. Not that such a thing would happen. Arisa knew better than to let love complicate her life, and at least in this aspect she was more successful than Sayo and Lisa.

Bidding goodbye to the two, Arisa walked away, knowing there were still a few hours before having to show up at CiRCLE for her scheduled embarrassment. As promised, she sought out Misaki, whom she knew she would find atop the school’s roofs. Once, the journey up the myriad flights of stairs would have been too much for her weak, scrawny legs, but the life of a magical girl was actually making her a little bit less pathetic. She had to keep up with her partners, after all, and Kasumi was not one to ever slow down or look back.

She found Misaki on the rooftop, alone, leaning against the railings, sighing wistfully. If Arisa didn’t know any better, she might have thought Misaki was pondering whether or not to jump.

“There you are,” Misaki said without looking back.

“Are you saying it like that to try and look mysterious and cool?” Arisa asked. “Not even looking behind you, staring into the distance as the wind dramatically blows your hair… That sounds like the sort of shit Kaoru would do.”

“Maybe I’ve acknowledged just how fleeting existence can be, after all,” she said, taking a hand to her forehead as she turned to face Arisa.

“Stop that or I’ll shove you off the roof. It’s disturbing.”

“Fine, fine, I see you don’t care for my impersonations. Pity. I was just about to show you my Sayo Hikawa, you know.”

“If she catches word of that,” says Arisa, playing up Sayo’s reputation to try and get a reaction out of Misaki, “you might not live to see tomorrow.”

“None of us can ever be sure of tomorrow, least of all us magical girls,” she said, and Arisa couldn’t tell if her pensive demeanor was serious or just a joke. “Did you know that people who don’t sleep have a chance of suddenly dropping dead, just like that?” She snapped her fingers.

“We all have our bad habits.”

“I don’t. Maybe I should, though. They say that addiction is often a response to stress. I’m thinking of taking up smoking,” Misaki said nonchalantly.

“That’s bad for your health.”

“It better be.”

“I pity the little kids at your concerts pointing at you in the background and going mommy, mommy, why is there smoke coming out of Michelle the funny bear?”

“One of these days Michelle will have an aneurysm on stage and she will suffer her very last indignity as Kokoro puppeteers her corpse. Just wait and see.”

“And yet you remain with Harohapi. It can’t be that stressful. You’re just making shit up to sound more interesting than you really are.”

“If you feel that way, let’s trade places,” Misaki proposed. “Even if just for a day. Popipa would feel like a vacation, really.”

“You’d think so,” Arisa laughed, “but you don’t know the shit we’ve been through last night. You ever heard of these cunts named Morfonica?”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Of course not, they’re nobodies. They’re small potatoes. And yet they walk up to us last night, in the middle of our work, saying we’ve intruded in their territory. Those bitches didn’t even send CiRCLE the necessary documents to claim any area! And yet they still have the arrogance to act like we are the ones in the wrong! They’re just spoiled girls from that rich bitch school.”

“You seem rather vexed by them.”

“Of course I am! They’re horrible! We’re just doing our work and they want to claim our spoils! And, worst of all, one of them looked like a fucking bargain bin version of myself. Twintails and all! Ridiculous! She was a short little shit, though. A genuine baseboard painter.”

Misaki put a hand on top of her head, then compared it to the top of Arisa’s, making some exaggerated noises to indicate that she was thinking.

“What?”

“Nothing. Do keep going.”

“Well, it was humiliating! They decided to start shit at CiRCLE, too, so we’re meeting in front of the council later today. For a complete nothingburger! Wasting precious time of our days for the sake of those girls’ egos.”

“Oh, that does sound terrible,” Misaki said. “By the way, yesterday Kokoro shot me out of a cannon. And set me on fire.

“That sucks,” said Arisa, “but can we focus on the situation at hand?”

“Sure, sure. But you’ll be fine, right? Like you said, you did nothing wrong. Besides, you’re friends with Sayo, and Hina always votes exactly the same way her sister does. And Kokoro is… Well, she knows you, and she doesn’t know this Morfonica, so I’m sure she’s going to listen to you. Well, maybe listen is a strong word. But she should vote in your favor!”

“Oh, that’s a relief. I’ll take your word for it, since you know Kokoro so well,” she said, taking a finger to the necklace that Misaki always wore, the one shaped just like Michelle’s head. Tacky thing. “You know her so well she gives you these gifts from the Realm Beyond, too. How lucky.”

“Yeah, not lucky. Someday I’ll tell you the full story, but I almost died in the Realm Beyond getting this thing. The gifts of magic demand a heavy price from you. Being a magical girl, you ought to know that.”

“You almost died?” Arisa was curious. Misaki hadn’t mentioned this before.

“Aha, well, almost dying happens more often than I’d like it to, with Harohapi. We don’t even fight Dissonants most nights, since we focus on healing people’s hearts before the Dissonance can try to prey on them, but even so our forays into the Realm Beyond for the sake of magic were more dangerous than expected, and that’s not even counting how many of our concerts and general activities end with Michelle’s life being endangered somehow. But it’s okay, she’s Michelle the magic bear, she can take it.”

“Again, I’m confused as to why you haven’t left Harohapi, if things are so dangerous for you there.”

“You know, I’m reminded of a joke. So, this guy goes to the doctor-”

“Better not be the but doctor, I am Michelle joke you’ve already told a thousand times,” she said, taking a drink from her water bottle.

“Shut up, will you? So, this guy goes to the doctor. He’s got a grotesquely swollen and yellow arm, full of oozing pustules. Horrified, the doctor asks the man how things got like that, what kind of work he does. So the man says: I work at the circus, doctor. My job’s to clean the elephant’s asshole. I shove my arm deep into his anus and shovel all the shit out with my bare hands. So, rather understandably, the doctor tells him that he should quit immediately. At that, the man only remarks, outraged: And abandon show business?!

Arisa spat out her water. Misaki had a way with words, after all. A real gift.

“So, uh… What does the necklace do? You spoke of it like it’s magical and special and all that…”

“Oh, it’s got some powerful magic, alright,” Misaki held it, pressing the pendant against her chest. “It lets me regulate the power of the Realm Beyond which I channel, so that it doesn’t overwhelm me. Like I said, it’s all Kokoro’s doing, infusing me with that powerful magic… Well, the cool thing is that if I remove it, it lets me unleash my super badass ultimate forbidden technique.”

“Which is…?”

“A secret,” Misaki smiled, her eyes closed. “To be revealed when it’s most dramatically relevant. In our hour of need, Lady Ichigaya, all will be revealed.”

“Sounds like bullshit to me. I’m not stupid enough to fall for that. You’re just fucking with me.”

“No, I’m not. Look, someone wrote gullible on the ceiling, too.”

“There’s no ceiling, fuckface,” Arisa sighed. “So you don’t have Harohapi activities today?”

“Nah,” said Misaki, pretending to take a puff of an imaginary cigarette. Then she pretended to dislike its taste, and pretended to throw it away. “Kokoro had a meeting at Tsurumaki Tower most of the afternoon, whatever that might be.”

“Huh. I’d expect you to know.”

“I know Kokoro’s blood type and medical contacts in case she gets hurt during one of her escapades. I know her favorite meals, too, and her favorite songs. But that doesn’t mean I know everything about her. I mean, do you know everything about Kasumi?”

“What’s that got to do with anything? Why Kasumi, of all people?”

“Oh, no reason in particular. Just curious about your reaction. Well, anyways, as I was saying, we have the afternoon free, though of course Kokoro will be at CiRCLE later today for your…” She couldn’t hold back her laughter. “Sorry, sorry. Come to think of it, I might as well visit CiRCLE, too. You know, just to check up on Kokoro.”

“Oh, shut up. I know you want to see me getting embarrassed in front of everyone.”

“I won’t deny that’s a plus. But I know you’ll be alright. Like you said, you’ve done nothing wrong. So we might as well just get it over with, right? Come on, we should get going. I’ll treat you to ice cream on the way. There’s a really good shop not far from CiRCLE, just opened up. It’ll put a smile on your face. Being all cranky is bad for your skin, you know?”

“Wow, thanks so much. Good thing you’re an expert on smiles.”

“But of course I am,” said Misaki, holding her pendant once again, but, this time, there was a serious tone to her words. “Making people happy is my job, after all. My fate.”

Chapter 4: The Will of the Council

Chapter Text

She felt every eye in CiRCLE digging into her, even as the rest of her band insisted to Mashiro that, with all the girls here having their own affairs, none would be paying much mind to her. Telling herself that she was insignificant never really did much to help Mashiro’s anxiety, so it was no comfort now to her, finally face to face with so many magical girls she had seen from afar or heard of in magazines or seen on television. Waiting for the council’s activities to start, the members of Morfonica made themselves comfortable in CiRCLE’s spacious lounge - save for Mashiro, who, unlike Nanami or Toko, couldn’t quite slouch herself nor entertain herself by reading the numerous magazines left on display. Amidst the magical girls she knew, she also saw unfamiliar faces, bands she couldn’t quite recognize, all of them filled with a sense of purpose that Mashiro envied. They all truly seem to belong here, unlike me. 

“I think I saw Pastel Pink earlier,” Tsukushi remarked. “I hear that’s kind of unusual, since Pasupare’s schedule is usually managed by their agency… Interesting for her to lower herself to the level of the peasants for once.”

“Pasupare used to rehearse here, occasionally,” said Toko. As of late, she’d gotten better-informed about the comings and goings of magical girls, as well as, of course, girl bands. Though there was considerable overlap between them, there were still some bands that preferred to continue only their regular musical activities, after all. “But they’re very discreet about their bookings. There have been times where fans caused quite the commotion waiting for them outside CiRCLE… Ever since then, they’ve mostly been practicing at their agency, yeah, but no magical girl in Tokyo can avoid frequenting CiRCLE.”

That made enough sense; CiRCLE wasn’t only a live house and practice studio anymore, but a hub for magical girls, a bridge between the familiar world and the Realm Beyond, a meeting place for magical girls to reach agreements, to make decisions together on how best to defend Tokyo. This was a world Morfonica would have to get used to: it was their world now. We belong here , Mashiro told herself. Perhaps insistence could help her believe it. We belong here. We belong here.

“Hey…” She said in a meek voice. “Do we… Belong here…?”

“Of course we do!” Said Tsukushi. She didn’t sound too certain, though. “We are… We are magical girls… We may have… We may have stumbled and fallen at the start but… But…”

So she still blamed herself for it. It had caused quite a commotion the last night, before they set out for their first hunt. Their enthusiasm had led them to focus a bit too much on their preparations, on studying the behavior of Dissonants, studying past battles and learning about the equipment and magic that they would learn to wield. So focused were they on those matters that Tsukushi completely forgot to actually submit their application to CiRCLE on time, to claim a designated territory, to truly become part of the world of magical girls. It was no great disaster, in truth, for they’d simply done so today, but it was embarrassing nonetheless, considering their desire to go out and prove themselves. Rui and Toko were quite displeased with Tsukushi, who tripped on her own words trying to defend herself, because with the following day being a day with a council meeting and focused on CiRCLE managing its own affairs, they would not be able to submit their application until the following week. It was only thanks to Nanami that they could calm themselves down as she informed them that, since Tsukushi had sent CiRCLE the email already, even if a bit late, the live house’s management would still be able to approve their application come the morning, so they’d not have to wait another week. Mashiro was glad for that, because she herself was too busy panicking to imagine there was a way to solve their problems.

But even that did little to ease Toko’s energy, who wanted to begin Morfonica’s activities immediately. At her urging, they came to the conclusion that if they stayed in neutral territories, that if they acted like their presence there was natural enough, they might be fine. Though they had very few Notes, only those their hearts naturally gifted them when their powers awakened, their first transformations were successful, delightful, liberating. In spite of her fear, her anxiety, Mashiro felt like she could fly, and was close enough to doing so, leaping across large distances, smiling, laughing. When she was like that, all that made her afraid felt so distant, even if it was only for a moment. Even if it was only until the Notes within her began to fade away and she, along with the rest of Morfonica, realized that they had failed to find a single Dissonant all night. It felt like a miracle when MagiNet informed them of nearby Dissonance. To be deprived of magic, to lose the few Notes she had, unable to transform again, so soon after having come to learn that joy… Mashiro could never bear it. In desperation, they sought that last hope. And then…

The doors to the lounge opened as, just then, the members of Popipa stepped inside. They were immediately surrounded by peers from other groups, but not before Kasumi’s eyes met Mashiro’s gaze. Mashiro looked away immediately, wondering if she had really been noticed, unwilling to find out by seeing the expressions of Poppin’ Party’s members. It wasn’t right, she knew, what they’d done to them. Mashiro herself had plenty of respect for Popipa, but at the end of the day, she owed Popipa nothing, and Morfonica everything, so she went along for the sake of band unity. Even if it was just Tsukushi trying to save face after her mistake, just Toko thinking her forceful nature would lead them to a successful ending without considering the consequences.

In truth, she wanted to apologize. She wished the rest of her band would like to do the same. Perhaps Nanami might go along with her, if she tried, but Tsukushi’s pride had been seriously wounded by Poppin’ Fuschia’s words, so it wouldn’t be easy to get her to back down from this grudge. It didn’t have to be like this, of course. It was all a misunderstanding, and as far as Mashiro knew, it would be the easiest thing in the world to cast away all the bad feelings between them if she had the courage to rise from her seat and walk towards Poppin’ Star, speak with honesty, with the willingness to make amends…

As if I could ever be that brave. She just looked away, and, when she finally looked back again, Popipa was gone, and her chance with it. She sighed, which was all she could ever do, letting out lengthy sighs that fluttered meekly like butterflies with broken wings, never getting far. Even her sighs were weak.

“You should not let yourself be seen so dejected,” Rui whispered to her. “Having come all this way, it is important that we do not appear weak. It is true that it’s unlikely that the council will rule against Poppin’ Party, and it is a blow to our reputation to a case publicly so soon after we are formed, but my research indicates that there are several magical girls that are unhappy with the council’s decisions. We may win allies in them.”

“We could also gain allies if we cooperated with Poppin’ Party,” said Mashiro. Rui was not impressed.

“That strikes me as awfully small thinking,” she said. “You are aware of the council’s members, no? The Hikawas and Princess Tsurumaki. The sisters’ votes alone make it so that CiRCLE’s decisions will always favor Roselia and Pastel Palettes, so is it any wonder that they would be the most successful groups in Tokyo? They have claimed prime territory, benefit from the most valuable connections, and hoard the most precious of magical treasures… Those with eyes can see the tendrils of favoritism choking the life out of the city.”

“You think things are so bad?” Nanami asked.

“I know they are,” said Rui. “And I know that this means that rather than trying to ingratiate ourselves with the current hegemons who would never allow us into their inner circles, our true opportunity is found in the margins. With those who also recognize that opportunity.”

Mashiro didn’t know how to feel about that. It seemed to her as though Rui had been speaking to people outside of Morfonica about these matters, and making her own plans. A band should come to its decisions together , Mashiro thought, but she shouldn’t be surprised that Rui would be like this. Even after magic awakened in their hearts, the five of them together, Rui did not believe they were good enough as they were. Even so, Mashiro disliked the way Rui pushed Morfonica in this direction without fully explaining things in advance. Now that they were here, though, they had no choice but to carry on until the end. Together.

“Would you mind telling me,” Mashiro asked, when the volume of a dozen different conversations allowed her to speak more discreetly with Rui, “who exactly you learned this all from…? You must know someone who… Who has an issue with the council?”

Rui did not answer with words, but Mashiro did not fail to notice her eyes shifting to a corner of the lounge, for a second, before returning to their neutral, uncaring position. Underneath an unlit Faelight, a girl whose small frame made her appear almost a child on first glance, an intruder in this space she was not old for. But her unwavering gaze had all the strength that Mashiro’s lacked, and carried the confidence of someone who does belong here. With large, showy headphones resting on her head, Mashiro presumed she drowned out the sounds of the lounge. Maybe I should do the same. Then I wouldn’t get so lost in other people’s conversations…

She thought of asking Rui for details, but her voice was too soft and quiet to get her attention again in such a crowded place, and before she had a chance to try again, a representative of CiRCLE called for the attention of those present to inform them of the beginning of the council’s activities for the afternoon. Some of the magical girls nearby moved towards the council’s office, but not many. Mashiro followed their flow, alongside Morfonica, realizing that she did not know the way. She did not look behind to see how close Poppin’ Party might be. Mashiro only maneuvered past the crowds, towards a discrete corridor that led to a widening chamber. Though she had expected she might have to wait, Morfonica was summoned immediately. Inside, some magical girls were already seated, taking notes, talking among themselves. Mashiro knew there would be spectators, but fortunately they were not as numerous as she had feared.

In her mind she had imagined a courtroom perhaps like the ones she saw on television shows, but the semi-circular chamber was nowhere that large, the councilors sat not on thrones or atop a great dais but behind desks only slightly more ornate than the ones Mashiro was familiar with in Tsukinomori. The onlookers were quite close to the center of the room, but were not so numerous as to make Mashiro feel more self-conscious than she always did. If anything, there was a strangely intimate feeling to being there. A simple but well-polished wooden floor gave the place an appearance of simple elegance, and the only opulence in sight was the gleaming gold of Princess Tsurumaki’s necklace. From afar, she could not tell what exactly it was supposed to represent, but it certainly looked precious.

“Princess Tsurumaki,” one of CiRCLE’S employees introduced the members of the council as Morfonica took their places, standing before the younger Hikawa, while Poppin’ Party kept their distance, closest to the older twin. “Pastel Teal. Rozen Mond. These girls have come with matters to resolve that require your mediation.”

“Thank you, Marina,” said Sayo Hikawa. The woman departed at once and closed the door behind her, leaving the magical girls all alone. 

“Hey, sis,” Hina Hikawa, seemingly disinterested in the girls in front of her, turned to her sister instead, “I just remembered I’ll be home early tonight, since Pasupare only has basic hunting duties tonight. What about Roselia?”

“Really, Hina…? We’ll discuss this later. This case-”

“I’ve read the petition already,” Hina said, at which point Mashiro realized that neither of the three councilors were looking at them, as Kokoro Tsurumaki seemed far more occupied with scribbling something on a piece of paper, occasionally smiling at it. “Pretty clear case, right? Send them off with a scolding, tell them to behave, the usual.”

Sayo sighed. Her eyes inspected the members of Morfonica one by one. Mashiro did not fail to notice that Poppin’ Party was spared such scrutiny.

“In spite of her lack of decorum, my sister has the right of the matter, I’m afraid,” she told them. “Who was responsible for sending your application?” Tsukushi meekly raised her hand. “Be mindful of deadlines and of CiRCLE’s operational hours in the future. Proper paperwork is a part of being a magical girl, because your plans and your requests are part of a much larger environment that often requires proper coordination between differing groups.”

“I understand, but-” Tsukushi started, but Sayo’s voice overpowered hers.

“It seems to me that this is a simple mistake on your part that led to hostilities. Ichigaya, would you mind sharing your testimony?”

“Ah, well, erm, it’s pretty simple, really. We were hunting on what was neutral territory, because while Morfonica claimed it, their mistake meant that they weren’t added to the MagiNet system last night. Rather than trying to talk things through, they acted like their pride had been wounded…”

“Because it was!” Toko interrupted her. “We made a mistake, yes, but you knew you were close to Tsukinomori, so it’s pretty obvious that we weren’t lying or anything to claim your spoils.”

“You’re an established group,” said Nanami. “If you’re hunting outside of your own territory, we can surmise that you’ve exhausted your prey, right? You’d have gotten plenty of Notes already, while we had gotten nothing. I’ll admit that Rui might have been a bit too… Forceful, but you understand our situation, right? We really needed that. That’s our territory from now on. It was just… One night’s mistake.”

“It’s not as though Poppin’ Party didn’t escalate the issue,” said Tsukushi. At her words, Ichigaya seemed to want to lash out against her, but her restraint was quite admirable. “They used some harsh, unbecoming words. This one,” she pointed at Ichigaya, “she called me… Er… Um…”

“Yes?” Hina’s interest grew.

“Well, her words were cruel. I acknowledge my error,” Tsukushi said with a bow, “and our rashness. And we do not want any grudges to form or-”

“We want justice,” said Rui, stepping closer to Sayo. “At the very least, the members of Poppin’ Party should have to acknowledge our claimed territory and their intrusion upon it.”

“That’s nonsense,” said Saya. “Of course we recognize your territory now, but you can’t retroactively claim we were intruding. Why can’t you just acknowledge your mistake and we can just go our separate ways? Just swallow your pride and we can be done with it.”

“I could never relinquish my pride,” said Rui. “That you even consider it a possibility speaks volumes of your own character. Be that as it may, it is for the council to decide, no?”

“Indeed,” said Sayo Hikawa, her seriousness almost managing to conceal her annoyance. Mashiro felt compelled to apologize, as always, but having come this far, she held her tongue. She’d gotten quite adept at doing that. “As you are new to the life of magical girls, I will keep my words courteous: this council is not held for spurious purposes, but to attempt conciliation and reach agreements. Cooperation is the most valuable thing for magical girls, not competition, and though you should indeed feel comfortable bringing your qualms to be debated among us, I am not blind or foolish to fail to realize that you don’t actually intend to cooperate but to use this meeting as a cudgel to intimidate your perceived opposition.”

“That is-” Tsukushi attempted a few words, but Sayo simply continued onward.

“Please refrain from occupying our time like this in the future,” she said. “Do not make such elementary mistakes as the ones you’ve made, and don’t try to strong-arm your way out of your own problems. That is not what magical girls are about. As such, I vote in favor of Poppin’ Party having done no wrong and urge you to apologize,” though the chamber was far from crowded, there seemed to be far too many prying eyes for Mashiro’s comfort.

“Mhm,” Hina Hikawa did not even bother looking at them, “my vote is the same. Kokoro?” The princess merely nodded, continuing to occupy herself with whatever it was that caught her interest in the piece of paper she scribbled on. If nothing else, it was clear that the council’s decisions were single-handedly determined by Rozen Mond. “Well, off you go then,” she shooed Morfonica away with a dismissive gesture.

Mashiro did as she was commanded, without even waiting for her band to follow. She did not hear any protests, as only a dejected silence lingered behind her. She hastened her steps to evade it. That silence, that shame… She’d made a fool of herself in front of everyone, and her band as well. She blamed Tsukushi for her folly, Toko for her rashness, Rui for her political calculations that Mashiro cared little for, Nanami for simply going along with it all. She blamed them hard enough that she almost convinced herself that she had no part in any of this, but of course that was a lie. If she was a stronger person, if she could make herself heard, she could have prevented all this, could have talked sense into her bandmates, but her words were frail and meek as her voice. Even that is just an excuse.

She found the lounge mostly deserted, to her relief. The only reprieve from her embarrassment was how Morfonica was too insignificant for anyone to even care about their failures. But that hurt in its own way. She wanted to be gone, didn’t want to think about how she still had her magical girl duties to perform tonight, she wanted only to disappear. Without thinking, she made her way to the exit, but found it barred by the girl she had seen before, the one beneath the lights. She was smiling, her face showing a confidence that Mashiro was certain she could never know. The girl extended a hand to her.

“I was waiting for you, Mashiro Kurata. I’m glad I could catch you before you left. The name’s Chiyu Tamade. I’m not sure how familiar you are with it, but that doesn’t matter.”

“Y-You know me?”

“I find it very important to know my fellow magical girls. Especially other newcomers. We could all use friends, especially now that you’ve seen what CiRCLE’s own council is like.”

“I… Erm…”

“Sorry if I came on too strong. I’ve met Rui before, and she spoke of Morfonica. Your music impressed me, so I know that your magic, if allowed to blossom, could be a marvelous thing indeed… I think we should stay in touch. I believe we can achieve special things together.”

Chapter 5: For a World Full of Smiles

Chapter Text

With nothing else to do, watching the city whir by outside the car’s windows, Misaki rubbed her finger on her necklace, her gift from Kokoro, this treasure from the Realm Beyond. It felt cold to her touch, though in the Realm when she had first acquired it, its warmth was intense enough to spread all over her body. But here it was only ever cold. She had asked Kokoro about it before, to no avail. Perhaps the princess herself had no idea. Though magic was natural to Kokoro and the way she wielded it revealed great comfort and habit, the manner she did so was full of whimsy, like a child playing with a toy they don’t fully understand, because understanding would only spoil the fun. That’s what magic is all about , Kokoro would say. It was easy for her to think that way, when it was Misaki who had to look after her and make sense of her more enigmatic notions. We’re not in the Realm Beyond anymore, in your land of fairies and magic. But she knew Kokoro wouldn’t hear. She loved Kokoro for that, though. Because for her, the magic never became banal. Because Kokoro never became anything but herself .

Right now, however, with a cacophony of voices in the limousine, each one offering their own wild ideas, Kokoro’s the loudest of them all, Misaki felt exhaustion far more than she felt love and appreciation. She felt carsick, too, which wasn’t Kokoro’s fault, but didn’t help much with her mood. She supposed she should be thankful she wasn’t wearing the Michelle suit right now, recalling the unfortunate time she got horribly seasick aboard the Tsurumakis’ cruise ship and vomited inside Michelle’s head. Then again, if she were to hurl inside such a fancy and evidently expensive vehicle, she would hate herself for the rest of her life. The car was probably worth more than her entire house. Though she doubted Kokoro would blame her for it, Misaki was the type of girl who grew up hating to break or damage things, and always took responsibility for all of her actions. That was just her way, anxiety-inducing as it was at times.

While Hagumi proposed some sort of food festival and Kaoru spun grand and ambitious ideas for a play they might stage at the Tsurumaki Refuge, Misaki distracted herself from their nonsensical ideas by toying with her phone, taking part in several separate conversations at once. If nothing else, becoming a magical girl had certainly made her social life a lot more active than it used to be, and not only due to her being responsible for managing Harohapi’s activities. She talked privately with Arisa, as had become their habit; she was part of a group chat hosted by Roselia which included Harohapi and Popipa, though she wasn’t particularly active there; then there were several other groups she coordinated with via MagiNet, making arrangements for concerts and festivals; she’d even exchanged contact information with members of Raise a Suilen, which had earned her the mockery of Arisa.

“Hey, did you see Chiyu the other day?” Arisa had asked, referring, of course, to when they’d met before the council alongside Morfonica. Despite Arisa’s displeasure, it seemed that seeing Morfonica be publicly scolded had improved her mood somewhat. “She’s always at CiRCLE, isn’t she? Isn’t that weird?”

“She just has a very busy schedule,” Misaki shared with Arisa what little she knew about Raise a Suilen. “Constant practice, tinkering with their equipment, and Chiyu seems to make an effort to know everything that’s going on around the city.”

“She’s a gossip, is what she is,” Arisa whined. “She hates us for not letting her steal O-Tae, you know,” Misaki nodded. Of course she knew, Arisa had told her that story a thousand times. “Anyways, I passed by her when I walked outside, and she gave me this nasty glare. Isn’t that obnoxious?”

“That’s just the way she looks.”

“No, she was imagining bad things happening to me, I could tell. Well, I hope bad things happen to her. In fact I hope someone steps on her. I’d do it myself, but I wouldn’t want to spend all night scraping shit off my shoes. But I kept that to myself and just walked away.”

“How magnanimous of you. Your self-control is always impressive.”

“I know. Anyways, I gotta leave for practice now.”

“It’s alright, we’re almost at the Refuge anyways so I’d have to bail soon. Kokoro thinks the patients might show some improvement today. I hope she’s right.”

“I hope so too,” said Arisa. It was unusual for her to be so forthcoming with her feelings. Misaki appreciated those rare occasions. “Keep me up to date if there’s anything new. Also if you hear anything from RAS.”

Who’s the gossip now, hm? Misaki put her phone in her pocket, and leaned back against the cushioned seats of the car. She could get used to that comfort. Outside, the vast expanse of the Tsurumaki Refuge began to appear on the horizon, the wide fields of the estate revealing themselves before anything else, separated from their surroundings only by short wooden fences. All around, scaffoldings and construction materials showed that the boundless wealth of the Tsurumakis was being used to expand the Refuge’s facilities. Misaki wasn’t sure how to feel about that; on one hand, she was happy that the people claimed by Dissonance and left hollow and silent weren’t simply abandoned and left to die - even though the Tsurumaki Refuge only cared for a very small amount of victims - but in spite of the efforts of the magical girls, every day there were more. Outside of Tokyo and the world’s greatest cities, without such an abundance of magical girls, every day people succumbed to Dissonance. Misaki didn’t want to guess how many they might number.

The car finally parked not far from the front gates, and before Misaki could even reach out for the door, the Tsurumaki suits had already opened them all and stood ready to usher the five into the Refuge. The large western-style manor stood tall and imposing - although “western-style” was perhaps not an adequate description for it, given the Tsurumakis hailed from a different world entirely. Stone paths cut through elaborate gardens and hedges, the wider spaces adorned with the occasional fountain and statue, wooden benches giving the locale an appearance not unlike a lush park, but this was private property, incalculably expensive, Misaki wagered. All of it dedicated to charity, to the care of the poor souls tainted by Dissonance; Misaki did not fail to notice the patients feebly roaming the gardens, aided by caretakers, their eyes staring into nowhere, their visages revealing nothing at all. Despite that, those who could walk were lucky, as many more needed aid simply to move around, whether gripping a nurse’s arm or requiring wheelchairs. And those were more fortunate than the countless patients who were bedridden and had been so for months, sometimes years, without a sign of improvement. They were far easier to care for, requiring only feeding, which they performed mechanically, on instinct, and some cleaning and being moved around to prevent atrophy.

Even Hagumi struggled to keep her usual light demeanor when faced with these sights. Kokoro would greet each and every person she passed by, not caring one bit that there was never any response, but the rest of Harohapi was far more sullen than their band’s name should allow. When she had first come here, Misaki had almost thought Kokoro heartless to be able to laugh and sing and prance amidst the cursed. She’s not from our human world, so she does not truly have a human heart. She knew better now, however. She knew that Kokoro was the strongest person she’d ever known. Determined to let that strength and courage inspire her, Misaki awkwardly waved at dull-eyed children gathered around a puppy, as a nurse tried to urge them to play with the animal. They did not return Misaki’s gesture, but she could feel that there was something behind those eyes, that they were not truly empty. There was still someone there. Whatever it took to release them from their prison, they would do it.

Other magical girls had the night as their battlefield, hunting down Dissonants before they could claim more victims. Harohapi’s way was different. Notes could be claimed from the husks of Dissonants, rekindling hope and music, but the spreading of joy was just as strong a force as the powerful magics of Roselia or Afterglow. A joyful heart was more strongly warded against the blight of Dissonance than one in pain, and that was how Princess Kokoro chose to wage her war. In hospitals, in nursing homes, at schools. Anywhere a smile was welcomed. Perhaps that might seem foolish and naive to other magical girls. Certainly, Misaki had thought so too, at times. But she wanted to believe that, in their own way, they were making a difference. She had to believe in that, because if there was no salvation, if there was no recovery from this…

She could not bear that thought, so she simply followed right behind Kokoro, and were greeted by the Refuge’s staff just outside the front door, and quickly informed that they’d set up a stage for Hello, Happy World inside the building, and gathered several of the patients who were in good enough condition to leave their quarters. The band was supposed to be there for a concert, but such Harohapi events always spiraled into entirely different affairs, be they plays or displays of acrobatics, plays headed by Kaoru or even film exhibitions. Though their performances would never receive explicit confirmation that they reached the hearts of these spectators, Kokoro was so confident that they did that Misaki wanted to believe in her.

Inside the manor, people both young and old lingered in the corridors, watched over by Tsurumaki’s suits and caretakers, and did not respond to Harohapi’s arrival even as they passed by. Now and then, Misaki would look into their eyes, to see if she could find within them a hint of acknowledgement, of feeling. Sometimes it felt like she did, but she couldn’t be sure if she was right or that was just wishful thinking. This could not be all in vain. Not when Kokoro was so certain that this was just as important as their activities alongside people untouched by Dissonance.

They finally reached a great, spacious hall; according to Kokoro, in the Realm Beyond, the manors and castles of the nobles who lived there often had grandiose dance halls, often their own theaters and stages. There, art and its cheer and joy were recognized as some of the most powerful forces in existence, fitting for a magical land where emotions had greater sway in reality than the world Misaki grew up in.

Misaki rushed past the audience, all seated in front of the stage. Their instruments had been already placed there for her, all arrangements efficiently taken care of by the suits, who seemed to always know what sort of light shows would be better for their concert, or colored smoke for an impactful entrance. Misaki never got confirmation of it, but her current hypothesis was that they were some sort of hive-minded being from the Realm Beyond that just happened to look exactly like humans, and were telepathically connected to Kokoro. What else could explain how they could so easily decipher whatever machinations whirred inside Kokoro’s brain?

Well, I’ve gotten better at understanding her, too, Misaki realized. In the past, that thought might have terrified her. When, years ago, she first met Kokoro while roaming the Realm Beyond in a frightened, lost daze, she dared to think that the princess would promptly rescue her, but instead Kokoro took her by the hand and showed her all the wonders of her home, unable to understand why it was that Misaki might want to leave. They’d come a long way since then.

While the rest of the band was eager to attempt to entertain their silent and still audience, Misaki retreated backstage, saying she was going to summon Michelle, the bear fairy from the land of magic. She felt her necklace with her fingers once again, staring at the Michelle suit that had been left prepared for her by the Refuge’s caretakers. Still no warmth, but she could feel the magics stirring underneath the cold metal, binding her to her form. She much preferred being human than being a small pink fairy, to tell the truth, so she rarely needed to call upon that magic. But you’re so cute when you’re like that , Kokoro had told her, it makes me want to hold you and hug you, cuddle you to sleep. Misaki had replied by telling her she should just get a teddy bear, then turned around to conceal the red on her cheeks. She continued to gaze at the empty Michelle suit. In a way it almost felt like a mockery of the fairy form that the necklace imposed on her, although of course actual fairies were much smaller. In the Realm Beyond, humans and fairies could live together harmoniously, but her world was one made for humans, so no matter how much Kokoro insisted, that embarrassing form was no blessing.

Also, if Arisa ever saw that, she’d make fun of me until the day I die. Which would be the very same day, because I’d throw a toaster into my bathtub.

She donned the Michelle suit. In a way, it was liberating to be someone else, if only for a moment, to put a veil between herself, her true self, and the rest of the world. If only the fucking suit didn’t make her sweat half of her body weight away, if it didn’t limit her view so severely, if it didn’t make doorframes her mortal enemies… She stared at the large dressing mirror, and saw Michelle. That was her, wasn’t she? Almost as much as she was Misaki. She lifted her arm, and watched Michelle’s rise as well. Then, before she could get lost in thoughts and recollections, she turned back. She had a show to perform. Michelle was their mascot, after all. There would be no Harohapi without her.

She stepped into the stage, pink smoke rising from somewhere beneath the floorboards. Faelights shimmered high above, and some members of the audience held lightsticks given to them by caretakers, though of course they didn’t really wave them. The audience… Misaki watched them in their eerie stillness, though some of them craned their necks to look up at the stage. That had to be a good sign. As Kokoro began to sing, running around the stage with Hagumi, Misaki danced as well as she could, working on the transition between songs, which she thought she did flawlessly this time, enough to make her proud. On the back of the stage, she could not see most of the audience, could scarcely notice if they were reacting in any way. Maybe it was better this way.

She knew that Kaoru and Hagumi, even in the middle of playing, were seeking people in the audience. Strong as they were, and no matter how hard they tried to act like they were hanging on just fine, they were human. Misaki herself had decided not to look at the audience as she passed them by so that she would not have to see them; Kaoru’s parents, Kanon’s younger brother, all of Hagumi’s family except for her father. They were there, no doubt. They were always in the concert hall for Harohapi concerts, guided there by the Refuge’s nurses. Magic, music, it had the power to heal hearts, so music played by their own beloved daughters, sisters… It had to heal them even faster, right? Kokoro promised that was the case. Every small change in their demeanor, real or imagined, that was noticed as the days and weeks passed, was immediately notified by the staff so that the members of Harohapi would know. One time, Hagumi swore, she saw her mother tapping her leg to the song, when she was standing on the front row. Misaki had noticed no such thing, but she chose not to tell Hagumi. If she could still believe - if all of them could believe - then that was all that mattered.

Misaki’s own eyes glanced only occasionally at the audience. She tried not to look for too long. She tried not to remember, tried not to recognize her. Today, her body almost coming undone as it melted in sweat, Misaki actually thought she wouldn’t see her. A stupid, vain hope. Her eyes always sought her. How could they not? Beyond the smoke, Misaki saw her. She was fortunate that the girl’s eyes did not see her in return. Though she knew that the victims of Dissonance would never show such emotion, Misaki was certain that, if she were to meet those eyes, there would be accusation in them, the weight of her failure.

She was there. The girl holding the Michelle doll. Black-haired and pale, small for her age. The girl she had failed. The girl she could not save. Her own sister.

Not long after, the concert came to an end. Guided by the caretakers, the audience dispersed, while the rest of Harohapi, except for Kokoro, followed them so as to meet with their families, in hopes that maybe something had changed. Misaki didn’t have the courage to do so. She couldn’t withstand the possibility of, after all this time, everything being the same, the eyes as dull as before, the body as unresponsive as ever. She lingered there in the silence, with only Kokoro nearby.

I wish I could believe as strongly as you did , she thought, exhausted beyond words. I wish I could really be that strong. But no matter what, I’ll always be just Misaki, the coward. The lights began to go out, though outside the sun was shining, the skies were clear, and the birds sang in mockery of human feelings.

Chapter 6: Heartbeat

Chapter Text

Her heartbeat pounded note after note, tick-tock, tick-tock, as the world passed by outside the train’s windows, trees and buildings and streets hastily turning into blurs. The sight made Pareo uncomfortable. How much of Tokyo she cut through by train to get to her band’s rehearsals, how many hours she spent in trains, in buses? A hand on her chest, she counted her heartbeats. It was a morbid thought she had when she was a child, that all bodies came with a countdown leading to their deaths, each heartbeat bringing them one step closer to the grave. Once, I had accepted that all of those heartbeats would be spent on nothing particularly meaningful. Just a clock ticking in the dark. Now RAS gave those heartbeats a purpose. But she could never forget that frightful thought, so when she took notice of her heart, she chose to silence it, listening instead to her favorite Pasupare songs. She’d listened to them all a thousand times, or maybe more, but never tired of them. They were far more pleasant than the sounds of traffic, of engines and wheels.

The final stop nearing, she prepared to get out. It would still take some minutes to walk to that massive tower owned in its entirety by Chiyu’s family, surpassed only by the very greatest of Tokyo’s many skyscrapers. It was not quite as tall as Tsurumaki Tower, but - as Chiyu insisted - that was mainly due to the magical spire atop it, and whatever purpose it served. So it wasn’t really that tall. The thought made Pareo smile. For all that her mistress rued her parents’ interference in her life, she was still awfully defensive of her family’s pride. Of course, Pareo knew better than to try to comfort her by telling her that the Skytree was even taller anyways so it wasn’t really a competition either could win.

In fact, it wasn’t even a competition. But Chu²  would see it as one, as she always did. She always wished to prove something, and to avenge grudges real or imagined. Pareo knew she could not sway Chiyu’s ways, so instead she would be by her side so that together they could accomplish all that she desired. Pareo owed her that much. And more .

Knowing better than to interrupt Chiyu’s work by calling her through the intercom, Pareo simply ascended the many floors of the building without warning. She’d become used to this place, over the past year, here where, most days, she spent more time than at her own home, now a place only for sleeping - granted, Pareo slept very little as of late. Inside the elevator, waiting to finally reach the penthouse, she appreciated the mirror not only for allowing her to look as proper as a member of Raise a Suilen should but also for making the tight space seem far less claustrophobic. Closed spaces had become anathema to her, since the past year. She shuddered at the memory.

The screams, the cacophony, the silence more frightening still, but for her breathing. The banging on the purikura booth, the incessant printing of photos of her terrified visage. The jaws, the cold. The heartbeat.

The door opened with a ring that caught her unawares. Before stepping out, she made sure that the face in the mirror was the Pareo she should be, the one that Chiyu needed. She made herself smile, stood up straight, and once the colors returned to her face, she made her way to the penthouse. There, the perpetual music mingled with the sounds of tinkering, of soldering, hammering and the occasional explosion. This was a place that never knew silence, not even at night, as Chu² could only sleep with music. As the owner of the place, she had no reason to care about noise complaints.

This we have in common. This hatred of silence - or was it fear? It was not her own heartbeat that Chu² feared, though. A fear of stillness, of being accosted in the dark by thoughts best avoided, feelings best forgotten. Chiyu needed even less sleep than Pareo did, so the lights here were always on.

She had been the last to arrive today; Rokka and Masuki were already practicing, while Chiyu and Rei worked together on Relic adjustments. Though Pareo had cleaned and tidied up Chiyu’s workshop just last week, it was already a confusion of crystals from the Realm Beyond, of complex apparatuses mid-repair or disassembly, of prototype Relics or discarded ones, as well as countless empty cans of energy drinks, to Pareo’s disgust. Without saying a word to interrupt her peers, she rushed to find a trash bag to dispose of all the cans and snacks - making sure to have a glass full of jerky on her way back to offer Chiyu, because Pareo was nothing if not efficient. If Chu² even noticed that she had only just arrived, she didn’t show it. She was too busy, too distracted.

“Naturally, the catalyst is isolated,” Chiyu explained, while Rei made no effort to pretend she understood the technical intricacies, “but the splitting of the crystal cores allows for equivalent energy output, meaning I can further divide the individual systems and the Relics they operate. It’s not quite as efficient in terms of energy use and production costs, but it’ll be considerably more comfortable to operate, I think, and with plenty of other functions.”

“I suppose that’s a good thing,” Layer picked up her new bass, still an unsightly instrument, its metallic frame so unwieldy and jagged that it could be used as a cutting weapon without even needing to transform it into its combat form. “It’s lighter than I thought.”

“Good, good,” said Chiyu, pointing at several of the gems nestled within the frame. They were carefully cut into smaller parts than the ones Pareo usually saw Chu² fiddle with. “Obviously I need to replace the rotor slips and assemble the luminite plates, but that’s quick work. Then I’ll install the Relics to the appropriate sockets, and then you can use the compact bass for our concerts, and with a push of a button convert it into your weapon. Better than using levers, don’t you think?”

“Don’t forget the turbo encabulator, Mistress Chu² “

“Shut up, Pareo,” she snarled, reaching for the jerky. The music coming from the studio stopped just then, so Lock and Masking must have finished.

“Have you already finished their new equipment?” Pareo asked. From the mess all over the workshop, spilling even into the living room, it was clear that Chiyu had been working hard all night. Had she even slept?

“Just Lock’s,” said Chiyu. “Masking dragged her to the studio to give it a try. Lock’s new guitar… Well, to be frank, it’s her old guitar. She’s very sentimental about it, so I had to work around it rather than begin with a clean slate. A lesser producer wouldn’t be able to install my Relics on an instrument that’s not ready-made for such enchantments, but I’m no amateur. But obviously the guitar is somewhat heavier now, so Lock will have to get used to it.”

“From the sounds they were making, it seems Lock will do just fine,” said Layer. “She’s nothing if not adaptable.”

“You should see it in battle,” said Chu², suddenly excited. “It turns into a gun. The mechanism converts Notes into magical projectiles. It’s more advanced than it seems,” she pointed at the handful of tomes imported from the Realm Beyond through CiRCLE, all about musical and magical theory, as well as the few books written by magical girls from Earth who had managed to decipher the often arcane lore of magic.

“Pray tell, Mistress Chu², and I don’t mean to question your competence, but have you perhaps installed some sort of safety mechanism on Lock’s new equipment? You know, to make sure it doesn’t accidentally transform mid-concert and starts firing at the crowd, or at us?”

“That wouldn’t happen!” She said, resolute, but when Pareo did not avert her eyes from her, she appeared thoughtful. “But fine, I’ll do that later. I suppose I should scrap the self-destruction mechanisms from the instruments, too.”

“They have a self-destruction mechanism?!” Layer let go of her prototype bass, putting it back on the table before her.

“Oh, don’t be hysterical. It’s not an explosion or anything, it just fries the circuits so that in case something happens - which it won’t, but just in case - nobody can salvage the technology inside. That’s a company secret, you know.”

“That’s a relief, at least,” said Rei. “So you’re going forward with manufacturing them in greater number?”

“When they’re completely safe and reliable, yes,” said Chiyu. “They’re not quite good enough yet. Most magical girls don’t see the merits of combining magic with technology. They say that they don’t understand all this technobabble. But who understands magic? Tsurumaki does, or at least she seems like she does, but have you heard her try to explain magical theory? She held a conference with the Hikawa bitche- sisters,” she realized Pareo was by her side, and kindly refrained from badmouthing her beloved Pastel Teal. “Just a load of nonsense. You look up and see in the lights what was but beyond the gate we saw what will be. As sure as the principle of up is down is up, so is the uncertainty you can reveal. Perhaps were the thresholds to wane the mirrors and stars would show what we already know, but I’m not sure. Presumably it could even be a crossroads! Any questions?

“I remember that,” Pareo laughed, although Chiyu used a rather unkind voice for Princess Kokoro. “Nobody asked anything because nobody could understand a word of it. And Hina… Well, Hina wasn’t much better.”

“If only Sayo knew how much she helped me, though,” said Chiyu. “Her theory on how to infuse mundane objects with magic from the Realm Beyond was rather illuminating. She lacked the resources for it. If only Roselia had a producer, you see, perhaps they would be at the vanguard of magical developments. Well, be that as it may, my point is that once I refine our equipment and take our music and magic to new heights, once we’re wiping out Dissonants that other magical girls couldn’t even touch, our peers will realize that this is all perfectly safe, that I’m a visionary, and that it’s time to stop deferring to their old leaders out of habit.”

“You still seem a long way from finishing these instruments, though,” Rei pointed out the obvious.

“So you think. The reason I haven’t finished our Relics and instruments is because I was working on an entirely different set before. Four, to be precise. A set of drums, a guitar and a bass… And a violin.”

“Ah. Morfonica,” Pareo recalled. “You talked about them.”

“I’ll deliver them some gifts,” said Chu². “They ought to help them in the coming nights. It shouldn’t be just us who make use of my craft, you know. I’m a generous producer. When other magical girls use my creations, they’ll grow familiar with them, learn how comfortable they are to operate, and how useful. In doing so, that’ll grow the trust the magical community has on them, and more will be willing to give my work a chance. Mashiro Kurata visited me, some nights ago. She’s an interesting character, more interesting than I expected. She appears to have a great gift for locating magical energies. She hears their music even when there are no melodies being played. She sees their auras. I look forward to working with her.”

“Don’t tell me…” Rei was uncertain. “You refer to the girl who stood before the council at CiRCLE, the other day. The one from Tsukinomori.”

“I refer to five girls,” said Chiyu. “To Morfonica. After a single night as magical girls, they learned that things are stacked against them. It’ll be good to have them by our side.”

So this is, as always, about revenge.

“You don’t intend to use Poppin’ Party as well, do you?” Layer sounded grim. It was fortunate that Rokka was still with Masuki in the studio, likely chatting, listening to recordings, flirting. “You may nurture your grudge with Roselia all you want, but don’t use Popipa as poison. They’ve done nothing wrong, and you know it.”

“Oh, of course. The blame lies entirely with Morfonica and their leader’s stupidity. But it’s a useful opportunity, and only a fool rejects potential allies.”

The doors to the studio opened, then, and in the corner of her eye Pareo took notice of Rokka and Masuki returning together, though Chiyu herself was too preoccupied with feeling proud of herself to pay much attention to her surroundings, and simply continued to discuss her own best-laid plans.

“You know, they might not be particularly smart, and very naive, but those girls are talented,” said Chiyu. “Though all their confidence seems to be concentrated in the blonde one, Toko. The others don’t really recognize their potential. They’re lucky I met them, really. Talent alone, unrefined, without support, cannot ever realize its true potential. A notion that the truly arrogant, like Minato, are incapable of realizing.”

“I’m sure Morfonica will be grateful for your backing, Mistress Chu².“

“Yes, with the push forward I’ll give them, I believe they may attain some admirable accomplishments. I have an exceptional eye for talent. I wouldn’t have gathered you here otherwise, after all. And the Relics I’ve crafted as well as the equipment I designed are of such high quality that they will propel even newcomers to such heights that everyone will be lining up to grovel at my feet and beg me for my aid.”

“Careful you don't break an arm jerking yourself off like that, Choo Choo,” said Masuki as she just arrived.

“Don’t call me that,” she cried out like an angry puppy. “Lock, how’s the guitar?”

“I can get used to it,” she said. “Well, in a way I am . It feels almost the same as it always did, just… Not quite. It’s not that much heavier, a lot less than I feared, and it feels much the same to the touch, as easy and familiar to hold as ever. The differences are very small. If anything, as I played, my mind expected different sounds, different sensations, and that is what tripped me up.”

“My anxious little Rokka,” Masuki wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close rather brusquely, Rokka letting out a tiny yelp so adorable that Layer and Pareo couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, Chu², what if you made my cymbals into shields or something? That’d be cool. I know that it’s a lot of work to make a whole drum kit go yoooom and shrink itself and convert into a weapon or whatever and that it’s heavy as shit but I think if you gave me some shields I’d have a better time keeping you safe in battle. I mean, I love my drumsticks turning into these rad fuckin’ ninja knives but I feel like I could do a lot more. Y’know this game called, uh, MFO? Motherfucker Online?”

“Neo Fantasy Online,” said Rokka, “my friend Ak- erm, a friend told me about it.”

“Yeah, Ako! Cutie from Roselia. You got, like, spellcasters in that game, which would be Choo Choo and Pareo, then you got the guys who fuck the enemy up, which’s Rei and Lock, and you got someone to take a beatin’. Not to brag, but I can take a beatin’ real good.”

“You’re bragging about that?” Layer tilted her head.

“Come on, Lock, gimme a good punch. Right on the kisser.”

“Eh? Where’s this coming from? I just mentioned that maybe we could consider these sorts of strategies rather than just improve the tools and magic we use… I thought I should contribute something like that, too.”

“No,” said Chiyu. “That’s nonsense! Magical girls’ battles aren’t some online game with all this stupidity. I’ll consider Masking’s proposal but not because of some ass-backwards justification like that.”

“I-I’m sorry,” said Rokka, meek once again.

“And don’t bring up the trash you hear from the Roselia girl again. I can’t forbid you from being friends with her, but I will forbid you from daring to suggest we adopt anything remotely similar to Roselia’s methods. They’re wrong. They’re stupid. They don’t know what they’re doing. We’ll show everyone a better way. If anything, your friend is trying to sabotage us. They’re all treacherous like that. Am I clear?”

She waited for the four to nod - even Pareo, who had wisely known to keep her mouth shut all this time. After that, satisfied, she set her tools aside, claiming that they deserved a short break, and that after they were done, they would use the rest of their time to discuss plans for their next concerts and make preparations for tonight’s hunt. Happy to leave the unpleasant topic behind, Masuki invited Rei to help her bake another cake, with Rokka following shortly behind. Chiyu, however, lingered in her workshop, promising to join them shortly after. I want to talk to you , she whispered to Pareo. She sounded quite serious.

Pareo looked all around for a chair, but in the workshop’s mess she could find only a barrel to serve as seating, and dragged it closer to Chiyu, with a loud and unpleasant metallic noise. Judging by Chu²‘s silence, there probably wasn’t anything important and fragile within the barrel: a great relief to Pareo, who never wanted to be an inconvenience. Either that, or the matter was sufficiently serious for Chiyu to focus her entire attention on Pareo in front of her. But that could only ever be a dream. 

“It’s been over a year since…” Even now, Chiyu disliked putting the incident into words. Though Pareo tried to conceal all the lingering feelings, inevitably her face contorted in fear and discomfort, and even Chiyu would pick up on that. “The Relic implanted on you has lasted longer than any other I’ve built, which is at the same time good news, but worrisome. I knew it would function as a stopgap, but now your body is so adapted to the Relic that I would fear replacing it. But does it feel any different?”

Again, her heartbeats took all of her attention, and the incessant tick-tock that had become the most constant part of her life. Was it faster now? The sound was the same, and the sensation, but it felt faster, as though with each passing day more Notes were pumped into her heart than had been yesterday. But it was fine. Their hunts were successful, and with their growing strength and talent, their ever-improving tools, there would only be even more success ahead of them. Pareo still had many, many Notes. She was in no danger. She didn’t have to worry anyone. She didn’t have to be a problem for RAS. If the ever-reliable Pareo became an obstacle, if she needed to receive help rather than being the one always offering it, then what would be her worth? She’d already been saved, after all. She remembered the darkness, the cold. The eyes looking at her with kindness, the same eyes she now faced. The hand pulling her from the dark. She wanted to get on her knees to take this hand and kiss it.

“Everything feels fine,” she said. 

It wasn’t really a lie. Tick-tock, tick-tock. One Note, two Notes, four Notes, eight. She felt them depart her, the way she felt when she used them for her magic. To be alive after all she had been through was magic as well, a miracle. She had felt the pitiless touch of Dissonance, the memory of music and light and life leaving her heart before being returned to her by Chiyu… Waking up in an once-unfamiliar place with the girl watching her open her eyes, first nervous and then ecstatic to see that whatever she had done to save this girl taken by Dissonance had worked. Pareo never understood the details of her explanation beyond a Relic being implanted into her heart just as she was stuck at the threshold between life and emptiness.

“Is that so?” Chiyu asked. Was she doubtful? She had no reason to be. “Pareo…”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Mistress Chu². Let me worry about you instead. Have you eaten? Should I prepare you a meal? You haven’t been only eating jerky, have you? You need a proper dish, proper food, and don’t forget to drink water, and-”

“Ah, I get it, I get it. Fine, then. To work, then?”

She smiled. Pareo wanted to return that smile, that treasure, that rare gift. She wanted to capture that moment, to freeze time in that smile. Tick-tock, tick-tock.

“To work, then,” she said, smiling.

Chapter 7: The Coldness of the World

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The sun set over emptying streets, lights synchronously began to illuminate Tokyo, passersby rushed to find safety; all sights Kasumi had grown quite used to. At times she found herself thinking that it was wrong, somehow, to accept this state of things, to have come to believe that it was some measure of normal. Even with magical girls defending the world, the dangers of Dissonance were still there, always present, returning every night to prey upon the defenseless. But the world simply continued as it always had, with as few adjustments to the usual routines as possible. Even now there were significant portions of great cities that were swallowed by darkness, inaccessible to regular humans, wounds festering on the surface of the world, like great tumors where there had once been busy neighborhoods.

Regular humans. Kasumi wondered what that made her. She felt ordinary enough, in spite of everything. Magic and duty never made her feel different from her fundamental self, that girl whose enthusiasm always brought Arisa to hysterics and the rest of her friends to smiles. The girl who longed to do anything and everything and who always managed to appear unafraid, because that was what people had come to expect of her. It did not seem proper for her to ever admit that she, like everyone else, was afraid of what her gifts and duty entailed. If she admitted that, would the fear begin to paralyze her?

Is everyone afraid, too? She knew her friends were; they faced Dissonants every night, so how could they not be? And, of course, the people who saw those creatures haunt the nights would also be properly terrified, but what of the rest of the world, which had attempted to retreat into normalcy? Did they close their eyes to a truth they should know, or had they convinced themselves that everything was fine? That the magical girls would always save the day, even as the world bore scars that showed that in spite of their efforts, they could not always be there when they were needed, that they could not save everyone.

Kasumi was relieved to see the streets empty with time, a measure of the remaining good sense of the populace. And what does that say about us? Of course, Arisa would say that she alone was the bearer of all of Poppin’ Party’s common sense, but Kasumi’s head was not so empty that she was free of such worries for the people of Tokyo. At time they were so preoccupied with the rush of daily life that they failed to take proper precautions against the Dissonants: insufficient Faelights, lingering outside in the dark for longer than necessary, even daring to drive their cars late at night, either unaware of the danger or confident that whatever perils there might arise, the magical girls would rescue them. With the harshest disasters and tragedies now in the past and growing more distant, people began to dare to think themselves invisible, as though the worst was over. Kasumi prayed they were correct, but facing the darkness every night, she had no choice but to expect the worst, always.

She passed by a billboard ill-lit by the myriad scattered lights; Pastel Pearl advertising courses in foreign languages, a wildly successful marketing campaign that Kasumi often saw in advertisements before videos she watched online (Arisa had taught her how to block such advertisements, but Kasumi felt bad about doing so; similarly, she never said no when people on the streets handed her flyers and such, because it felt so darn rude to refuse). In the past months, Finnish courses had become extremely popular around Tokyo - mainly due to interest from people who had convinced themselves they might perhaps impress Pastel Pearl, or even meet Eve herself. 

Though some of Pasupare’s members studied at Hanasakigawa alongside Kasumi, it was quite rare for them to actually run into each other these days. Their high profile afforded permission to miss a portion of their classes, to be tutored privately at their agency. Only occasionally did Kasumi chance upon Eve, who was in the same year as them, and even that was rare. Her idol activities alone would have kept her rather occupied, but with Pastel Palettes having to be the face of magical girls in Tokyo, every hour of her day must be scheduled. Though Arisa looked down on them for being managed by so many people and afforded so many privileges, Kasumi found that a rather unfair assessment. Representing all magical girls to the wider public was no small responsibility, and though they played up the sense of normality a bit too hard for Kasumi’s comfort, she was forced to admit that they were a big reason people did not give in to terror and desperation.

It is a difficult thing, finding a good point of balance between panic and conformity. It was when she was faced with these larger questions that Kasumi was grateful to have such a humble standing. Though fighting Dissonants was frightening and perilous enough, she did not have great enough responsibilities to upend her life.

She arrived at their usual meeting place, and today it was Rimi’s responsibility to bring them food. As always, she went a bit too far with the chocolate, but Kasumi wasn’t about to complain. Arisa might, but she’d eat all the chocolate anyways, so who could take her seriously? Saya seemed unusually pensive, staring into the distance rather than joining the others in conversation.

“My love is sweeter than a chocolate cornet! I’m Poppin’ Choco!”

“Trying out new catchphrases, is that it?” Kasumi got the gist of it at once. “That’s cool. Hey, Arisa, are you taking suggestions?”

“Only if you’ll take my suggestion to blow it out your ass.”

“What do you think of… I’m the basement princess and keyboardist of Poppin’ Party, Poppin’ Fuschia! I’ll stash your heart away!

“Wow. If I ever say that I’m going to hang myself on the first tree I find.”

“I thought it was rather charming,” said Tae. “Princesses are cute, aren’t they? And you’re cute, like a princess.”

“... Thanks, I guess. You’re late, Kasumi.”

“By a few minutes! Come on, Arisa, can’t you be nice to me just this once? I love you soooo much!”

“I am nice to you,” Arisa complained. “Risking my life every night by your side isn’t nice enough to you? What, you want me to massage your balls, give your forehead a kiss?”

“I’m partial to the kiss,” said Kasumi.

“Me too, me too,” said Tae. “Oh, but you and Rimi would probably need a stepladder to reach my forehead.”

“I-I’m kissing too?” Asked Rimi, blushing. “Is this what friendship is like these days?”

“Nobody’s kissing anyone!” Said Arisa. “Are you guys stupid? That’s absurd, ridiculous, embarrassing…”

“Hm? Is it?” Kasumi shrugged. “I mean, it’s, like, a kiss on the cheek. Normal friendship stuff.”

“Maybe overseas!”

“I suppose you might be right,” said Kasumi. “Maybe I’ll ask Eve about it.”

“Guys, we’re getting distracted,” Saya remarked. “We gotta focus. The nights have been getting darker. We have to be prepared.”

“That’s exactly why we took that trip to CiRCLE’s marketplace,” said O-Tae. “Powerups, upgrades, leveling up.”

“Oi, you know this isn’t a video game, right?” Arisa frowned. “Take things seriously.”

“But your eyes were sparkling when looking at all the wares…” Rimi pointed out. Arisa had no rebuttal but her indignant groans.

“Well, I don’t blame her,” said Saya. “They brought in a new selection of goods from the Realm Beyond. The bigshots must be happy with Tokyo’s progress, to be sending so much stuff our way.”

“It helps that Princess Tsurumaki is here, too,” said Arisa. “And, I heard from Misaki that the Symphonia has turned its color to a rainbow. There’s definitely tens of millions of Notes within it now. Feels like a bit of a scam, CiRCLE and the Realm Beyond taking a cut of the Notes we gather… But Misaki swears it’s important. Kokoro thinks that if the Symphonia is sufficiently powered, it might stop Dissonants from manifesting in Tokyo altogether.”

“Hopefully she’s right,” said Rimi. “Hopefully the rest of the world is being successful, too. Each major city with a gate to the Realm Beyond has its own Symphonia, right?”

“From what I can tell, yeah. Though CiRCLE won’t give us the details,” Arisa complained, “I could gather that much from hearsay. We could ask Kokoro, but the odds of her explanation making sense aren’t in our favor. And, well, that’s a bit too large for us. Thinking about saving the world is too big a project for just the five of us, and we should focus on the responsibilities we already have, one night at a time.”

“On that topic,” Tae began, probably about to start saying something completely off-topic, “look at this cool thing I got.”

She showed off her guitar, excessively proud of the white feathers that ran along its arm now. Kasumi found them extremely cool, though she had no idea what they were. Guitar wings? Kasumi wished her guitar had wings too. Random Star would look cool with some dragon wings, she thought.

“So, uh, what does it do?” Arisa asked, Tae beaming with pride like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.

“It flies. Look,” she played a note, and the feathers unfolded into two large white wings, angelic, majestic, and completely out of control, hitting Arisa and Kasumi in the face as they flapped wildly. “Ta-da.”

“Get that shit off of me!” Arisa cried out. “Even your guitar is too touchy-feely!”

“It’s pretty cool, though,” said Rimi. “It sort of looks like a witch’s broom, like from Halloween, doesn’t it? What, do you ride your guitar to fly? That’s so funny.”

“What? That’s ridiculous,” said O-Tae. “Where’d you get that silly idea? Don’t be weird, Rimi-rin. I’m not a witch. The guitar flies, not me. It’s not a cab!”

“So, uh…” Saya stared blankly. “What does it do ?”

“Behold,” said Tae, who proceeded to strum the opening to Teardrops while her guitar magically hung upon the air. “I can play the guitar without having to hold it!”

“You still have to use both hands to play, brainlet,” said Arisa. “And you still have to keep it close to you. This changes literally nothing, you know.”

“What are you talking about?” Kasumi didn’t get it. “It’s so cool! It’s got wings! Look, it’s flying! Without Tae holding it! It’s magic! That’s what magic’s all about!”

“God give me patience,” said Arisa, “if he gives me strength I’ll strangle you.”

“Well, what matters is we’re all equipped for the hunt,” said Saya. “I got some healing crystals from CiRCLE. You press them against your wounds and the gem absorbs it, cracking in the process. You should all hold on to one, just in case.”

“Now this is useful,” said Arisa. “Especially with the way our two stooges throw themselves into danger.”

“That’s because I trust you to always take good care of me and keep me safe with your magic,” said Kasumi, who smiled as her words made Arisa’s cheeks turn red. That was the cutest thing about her. That and her dainty little hands.

Arisa did not protest. Kasumi’s grin grew wider. At CiRCLE, the two had purchased a most interesting treasure together, a plain-looking signet that, when stamped upon one’s skin, imbued one with a magic whose effect was revealed when this mark was applied on a fellow magical girl; for this coming night, the two would be bonded by the strange powers of the Realm Beyond, their skins adorned with the mark of a butterfly for Kasumi, a lily for Arisa. Should any harm befall Arisa, if a Dissonant bypassed Lapin and Star, whatever wounds were inflicted on Fuschia would instead be transferred to Kasumi’s body. That was the sales pitch, at least. Though it took a great deal of persuasion, Arisa agreed to split the signet’s cost with Kasumi, who was glad to be able to defend her. The hardships of being a magical girl had not managed to make Arisa any less of a frail and slow person, whereas Rimi-rin at least was more agile than she seemed. Arisa accepted it, saying it was a fine strategic choice, but Kasumi chose to see her embarrassed and concealed smile as proof that she, too, was happy.

We all want to defend the ones that we love the most, after all. In thinking this, Kasumi remembered her sister. She checked her phone again, to see if Asuka had returned home. Club activities had kept her at school for longer than Kasumi would want, but it seemed that parents would rather risk their children’s safety than have them remain at home, so schools had resumed their activities like nothing had changed. She vividly recalled some sharp-dressed man on television, with a fake smile and the arrogant demeanor of a lifelong politician, say that Dissonance would one day pass, but Japan could not have its youth squandered, throwing away years that should be spent getting ready for university and for joining the workforce. No one around him disagreed.

“You sighed,” Tae put a finger on Kasumi’s cheek. Kasumi hadn’t noticed her own sigh. “You’re letting the happiness go away. Quick, inhale the joy back in.”

“O-Tae,” Arisa stepped closer to her, dour. “Not right now. Sometimes you really don’t know what is and isn’t appreciated. It’s always obvious when you’re worried, Kasumi. Your sister?”

“Yes,” Kasumi loved Arisa for being able to tell so easily, and hated herself for letting her own anxieties trouble Arisa as well. “She’s helping out the theater club. She’s joined the student council, and is already planning on running for president when Hina graduates, so she’s basically stuck offering clubs all the help she can. They’re staying over really late… I know Haneoka itself is extremely safe, but I still don’t like it. Asuka tries to act mature, tries not to make me worry, which is why I sometimes fear she might do something stupid to try and show me how independent she is, how I can rest easy.”

“Wow, she’s serious about the student council,” said Saya. “I knew she was worried about college even though she’s only a first-year, so she wanted her academic record to look as good as possible, but this is pretty determined of her.”

“I hope she wasn’t influenced by me,” said Arisa. “The student council under Hina is a completely different beast from working with Rinko and Sayo…”

“She’s just been really affected by last year,” Kasumi said, referring to the school year that had been interrupted by the advent of Dissonants. “She barely graduated. She was in tears every night, even though none of it was her fault.”

There was no comforting her, back then. It didn’t matter to Asuka that her family was happy enough that she was safe. The world did not allow that to be enough. What difference could their words make when everything around Asuka only served to reinforce her anxiety, to torment her over a year she was supposed to consider lost ? All that Kasumi could do, she thought, was fight to keep the streets enough that Asuka could carry on with her life. But the more the magical girls succeeded, the more the world came to believe the danger had died down and was gone.

“And then there’s Morfonica to worry about,” Kasumi said, only refraining from a sigh because of O-Tae right in front of her. “We should all be working together, shouldn’t we? And yet things get so complicated…”

“It can’t be helped,” said Arisa. “That’s human nature. Some people, pardon my French, will only ever be dickheads.”

“Oui, oui,” said Tae. “C’est très messed up. But they have their own territory now, right? So long as we stick to ours, it’ll be fine and we can pretend they don’t exist, which is a good way of dealing with problems.”

“Ah, I just remembered,” Arisa took her phone from her pocket and fiddled with it for a moment. “Misaki invited us to take part in a concert with Harohapi next week. It, uh, is at a kindergarten. Not exactly prestigious, but, you know, it’s free Notes. And I guess it lets us do some good and spread some cheer. I guess!

“Oh, that sounds delightful,” said Saya. Not only was she used to dealing with children at home, Kasumi sometimes got the impression that she missed when her siblings were even younger, and she could take care of them. There was a maternal side to her that Kasumi found adorable, and it’s not like she didn’t get her: while Kasumi was happy that she and Asuka were close enough in age to be peers, a part of her wanted to have had the opportunity to have seen her sister as a baby while being old enough to form memories. Asuka was the most adorable baby, her mother always told her. “I’m up for it.”

“Me too,” Kasumi raised her hand, drawing a small giggle from Rimi, who was enthusiastic as well.

“I like playing big sister,” said Rimi. “I like children.”

“Can I bring my bunnies?” Tae asked. “Kids love bunnies. That’ll be fun, bunnies and a bear. Misaki told me a joke about a bunny and a bear-”

“Yeah, yeah, Misaki loves that joke,” Arisa brushed her off. “I think you can bring one rabbit. Let’s not go overboard.”

“I’ll bring Oddie-”

“Don’t call him your boyfriend in front of the kids,” Arisa begged. Kasumi held back laughter. “Please. That would be extremely uncomfortable. Kids would start asking questions and I don’t trust you to answer them.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” said O-Tae. “We’re husband and wife now. He jumped on top of my head, so we’re married now. Although we’re in an open relationship. Neither of us is very possessive.”

“Splendid,” Arisa sighed, and was immediately reprimanded by Tae for that.

In spite of the concerns raised, laughter quickly returned to the five of them. It was always that way with Poppin’ Party, and Kasumi was thankful for that. She had plenty to fear, concerned about the people she loved. But with these beloved girls alongside her, she felt she didn’t have to be afraid, not for herself, not for them. They would always keep each other safe, no matter what, even when the rest of the world seemed to spurn that safety.

Notes:

“Does Tae know how to speak French?”
She’s learning the language to try and communicate with her rabbits. That’s why her magical girl name is Poppin’ Lapin.
"Do rabbits speak French?"
Tae thinks so.

Chapter 8: The Reasons for Fighting

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The night was boring, uneventful, just as Arisa liked it, because excitement always meant brushes with death and disaster. Instead they merely lingered within their territory, cautiously dissipating all traces of Dissonance and awaiting its monsters wherever they manifested, swiftly culling them before they could even attempt to retaliate. For their efforts, Poppin’ Party acquired a respectable amount of Notes, more than enough to recoup what they’d expended wielding their magic, as well as their purchases at CiRCLE. And, best of all, they were in no greater danger than usual. That meant they were indeed always getting better, though of course Kasumi insisted they never get complacent. Aria might complain about having to be told something so plainly obvious, but it was better than carelessness.

Just two hours past nightfall, they’d cleared their territory of all traces of Dissonance, and were afforded some time to rest and discuss their next steps among themselves. Returning to their usual rooftops, Arisa was happy to be able to lean back against a couch that had been left there as a simple gesture of gratitude towards magical girls, which Arisa much preferred to the usual complaints about the loud noises and bright lights of magical hunts. In spite of all the complications and unpleasantries magical girls had to deal with in addition to risking their lives in battle, there were still people who appreciated their work. It meant more to Arisa than she was ever willing to admit.

“What next?” Though she was their leader, Kasumi did not make decisions without consulting her partners first.

“I’ll do some more scrying once my legs aren’t so sore,” said Arisa, “just to make sure we didn’t miss anything. I doubt it, though. No traces of Dissonance, no lingering shadows… It seems they’re not working very hard tonight.”

“I was checking MagiNet,” said Saya. “Most of Tokyo appears quiet. Roselia have already cleansed their territory, no surprises there. They’re aiding Magnolie in Shinbashi now, it seems.”

“Wow, Roselia collaborating with another band,” Kasumi sounded almost jealous. “You don’t hear that often.”

“They have played a few concerts together,” said O-Tae. “I wanna play with Roselia, too…”

“Let’s not change the subject too much, alright?” Saya reminded them to focus. “Morfonica’s out hunting, same as Raise a Suilen, and Pasupare is promoting their sister band.”

“Any info on Haneoka and its area?” Kasumi asked. It seems Asuka still hadn’t come back home. Was the theater club planning on spending the night at school? Certainly that was safer than the students actually attempting to return home this late, but there was no way their parents would be able to sleep at all tonight.

“Hm, nope, nothing,” said Saya. “No activity there, it seems… I guess no news is good news.”

Arisa wanted to tell Kasumi how safe Haneoka was, reminding her of how Hanasakigawa, too, was well-guarded with Faelights and with plenty of magical girls hailing from that school, it was natural that they would keep an eye on the area through MagiNet. Logically speaking, Arisa knew that Asuka should be safe, that once all Dissonance was cleared from the area, there should be no danger… But to leave life to chance on account of shoulds was not something she was comfortable doing.

When Rimi-rin let out a tiny sigh of disappointment that they’d run out of snacks, that was the sign for them to get off their asses and get back to work. A quick scrying revealed only traces of Dissonance, unlikely to fully manifest, but that did not mean Poppin’ Party would leave them be. Most curious, however, were the intense, familiar tinges of magic that Arisa detected. Why now, of all nights?

“Oh, fuck off,” Arisa blurted out. “I think Afterglow’s in our territory.”

“What? Why?” Kasumi asked.

“Who knows what those roadkill-eating fucks want?” Arisa shrugged. “All I know is they’re a pain in the ass. Are they here to pick a fight with us? Guess they’ve had enough of getting their skulls caved in by Roselia.”

“Don’t they have better things to do?” Saya asked. “I get that they’re efficient at cleaning up their territory so they have plenty of time to do what they want, but playing at turf wars is just so…”

“Embarrassing?” Tae asked. Saya didn’t want to agree, but there were no other words for it. “It must earn them enough Notes for them to think it’s worth their time.”

Grumbling, Arisa retrieved her scrying wisps and prepared herself for what could very well turn into a fight. For the sake of preventing magical girls from growing complacent when their duty required them to constantly improve in order to keep the world safe, internal conflicts were allowed - even encouraged - between them, under the expectation that they would inevitably moderate themselves before these battles grew out of control. Arisa just saw it as barbarism, pure and simple, but there was no denying that there was little that could be done to prevent such conflicts, and that it was inevitable for those to arise when all magical girls were essentially competing for success, but that didn’t mean Arisa had to like it.

They descended the utility stairs back to the streets, and were buffeted by unusually strong winds for this time of the year. Though Arisa liked winter, it was only because it had always allowed her to spend even more time at home, under some cozy blankets. The cold itself held no particular appeal for her. Right now, she cursed it, the same way she cursed summer for making her all sweaty and disgusting. The outside world was her enemy, that was the truth of it. All the same, she’d gotten used to it, in a way she never thought she would. Her past self would be really disappointed in her: this, Arisa decided, was a sign of her progress in life. Her past self was a fuckwad.

Afterglow awaited for them underneath a flickering streetlight, in front of an old dagashiya, which somehow managed to afford rental prices in this area, convincing Arisa that it might be some sort of money laundering scheme. Ran and Tomoe seemed to be making a great effort to look cool, leaning against the walls. They’d only paint a more perfect picture of teenage delinquents if they were smoking, though their cold breath almost made it seem like they did. The other three were far more laid-back, even smiling as Popipa approached - though, come to think of it, Moca always seemed to be smiling, as far as Arisa could tell.

“Already done with your work tonight?” Kasumi asked, making an attempt to be diplomatic. Arisa thought it was stupid of her to think she could get along with everyone, but there was probably no harm in trying.

“Easy pickings,” said Ran. “Still, one tires of hunting Dissonants. So we thought we would go for a walk in nearby territories. You know, see if anyone needs help.”

“We’re fine, thank you,” said Saya. “And you all seem… Unhurt. Easy pickings indeed.”

“It’s no fun,” Tomoe shrugged. “Monsters which cannot think are no challenge.”

“We’re not doing this to challenge ourselves,” said Rimi. “We are trying to keep the city safe. You know that.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” said Himari. “And we’re doing that! It’s rude to accuse us of not taking our sworn duty seriously! We totally do! We’re just ambitious, that’s all.”

“Curious word for greedy ,” said Arisa, although the word she actually had in mind was somewhat more crass. “Let’s not beat around the bush, we know what you’re here for. You want to fight, something stupid like that? How embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing is not making use of your skills,” said Ran. “Of blinding your eyes to the simple pleasure of proving yourself. Fighting… You sound as though you see it as simple-minded violence. But that’s dispassionate of you. Music is something to be lived through vibrantly. A means of letting your spirit fly free and without inhibitions. Have you forgotten that? The joy of performing? Of standing on stage and looking at a crowd and knowing that they are there for you, that they have judged their time and all of their possibilities and decided that you and your music are a better way to spend their hours than anything else in the world? And to play your most beloved songs, to scream, to forget everything else… Are you numb to those pleasures?”

“Yeah, yeah, you can say whatever you want,” said Arisa, “the truth is you just like picking fights. Magical girl turf wars, is that what you call it? Fighting for territory, for Notes? Is that your idea of freedom and of pleasure?”

“Yes,” said Ran. “It is. The tones born of battle are the most vivid and powerful. They are filled with urgency, the drive to be victorious, to overpower your foes. You feel that when fighting Dissonance, no? But to fight your peers, your equals, someone who can respond to you in kind… How can you not fall in love with those melodies? When you learn what you are capable of when cornered, when your creativity, your talents and your efforts are all that stands between you and defeat? It’s a revelation.”

“And the Notes you get from your vanquished foes are sweet, too,” said Moca. “Almost as sweet as the lamentations of their women.”

“Uh, Moca…?” Tsugumi tugged at her sleeve. “I’m not too sure about this last part…?”

“Fine, fine, I get your point,” said Arisa. “You want to act like a hardcore bitch even though we’ve all seen you red as a tomato, all demure and embarrassed in a fancy kimono doing flower arrangement. You don’t intimidate anyone, Ran,” in spite of her words, Rimi-rin looked plenty intimidated. Or maybe lovestruck? These days, whenever Rimi spoke of Ran, she did so like some embarrassing schoolgirl… Which, Arisa supposed, she was.

“I’ve never tried to scare you,” said Ran. “You are not prey. We’ve not come here for you. We wanted only to greet you. To see how you’re doing. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Are we?” Tae asked.

“Of course. Even if we haven’t tested each other in battle. Perhaps someday,” said Ran, with a confident smile that made Arisa want to say nasty things to her. “When we see eye to eye, and you understand.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ll come pick a fight again when you get tired of getting your asses handed to you by Roselia,” Arisa couldn’t resist the barb. Ran was not amused.

“Like I said, I’m not here for you. We’re headed towards Tsukinomori territory. We should greet them warmly. Get to know them.”

Now this Arisa liked to hear. She almost wanted to just shoo them away and say go kill Morfonica . But Ran and Tomoe hardly seemed like girls who liked to do as they were told, so Arisa tried not to be so blatant about her feelings.

“What, you want our blessing to do that?” Arisa asked.

“Not quite,” said Himari. “What they did was… Very unfair, you know. Trying to bully you and using the Council to do so… That’s not how quarrels should be decided. It’s cowardly. Just because you were favored this time doesn’t mean it’s not wrong.”

“Didn’t take you for being so concerned about justice and fairness,” said Saya. “Certainly not when you’re talking about intimidating and pummeling new magical girls into the dirt…”

“We were outraged at the news,” said Tsugumi. “Because… Well, we know that it means when other magical girls start thinking that’s the way to solve their issues. Everyone who has problems with Hina, with Sayo, or with Kokoro, they’re going to start doubting the Council, they’re going to doubt CiRCLE. And there’s plenty wrong with CiRCLE, but this is not the way…”

“What do you mean?” Kasumi asked.

“What we mean is that when magical girls start acting like children and running to mommy whenever something doesn’t go their way,” Tomoe said, “we’re fucked. Cowards and weaklings have no business being magical girls. Such a petty squabble, too, for territory… There is one way these troubles should be resolved, the only honest way. You shouldn’t have pitied them just because they’re newbies. Better they be taught respect than they think that underhanded and sneaky ways are profitable.”

“Well, it’s not that I didn’t want to slap them silly,” Arisa admitted. “But I rather think we’re bothered by this for entirely different reasons. You speak of weakness…”

“Because it’s the truth,” Ran interrupted her. “We’ve seen the face of this city and its magical girls. They look at Roselia’s dominance and they don’t see that Roselia earned it through strength, not popularity. Through their own bloodshed. Even Pasupare have real talent, and have put in work, unlike the manufactured groups that followed them… Without correction, this will be our future. Something doesn’t go your way? Bring it to CiRCLE, have all magical girls discuss it, even when they don’t have jack shit to do with the matter. Twist it into a popularity contest, where the favored get their way, and vogue trumps actions. It disgusts me. Gilded cunts in their high towers who think they can buy their way to eminence,” at these words, Tae recoiled. She had no love for Chiyu, none of them did, but Ran had better watch her words were she to speak of Rei. “The coddled children of Tsukinomori are heralds of this future. But we reject it. So maybe we will break them, to teach them the true currency for us magical girls.”

“I get your point,” said Kasumi, “but have you considered that we had good reasons not to escalate the situation, back then? Not all battles are worth fighting. Can you really say you’re staying true to your ideals if you try to uphold them by brutalizing girls who can barely play their instruments, let alone wield magic? They’ve had no chance to grow. They are not equal foes. If you were to challenge them, you wouldn’t be teaching them anything, you would only be bullying weaklings for your own satisfaction. And what would that make you?”

Ran was silent. The rest of Afterglow stared at her, as if awaiting her response - though Arisa clearly recalled learning that Himari was the band’s leader. In the end, Ran only furrowed her brow. Perhaps she was trying to appear imposing by maintaining her veneer of indifference.

“It’s true that it would be far from sporting,” she admitted. “Very well, I see your point. I’m not trying to spread violence for its own sake. We will leave Morfonica alone, at least for a time. But I hope you’ll heed our words carefully, Poppin’ Party. Conflict does not mean enmity, and in the future we are sure to be natural allies, if only you open your eyes to see what awaits the magical girls of this city.”

No doubt feeling quite impressed with herself and her likely-rehearsed attempt at gravitas, Ran turned her back on Popipa, although the rest of her band pleasantly waved them goodbye as though they were meeting at a school festival. Arisa was a little disappointed about Afterglow not wiping the floor with Morfonica, but, begrudgingly, she had to admit to herself that Kasumi was right. Even if she was too much of an insufferable goodie sometimes.

“I guess that’s it,” said Saya, sighing. Her legs were shaking, Arisa noticed. She must have really believed that a fight might break out. “Thank goodness it’s over. What should we do now?”

“Rinko messaged us about some Dissonants not too far from here that could be a big bounty,” said Tae. “Since we’re in the general area, she decided to give us the information first before posting it openly on MagiNet.”

“We should probably go hunt it down,” said Rimi. “Otherwise, well… It’ll be closest to Morfonica’s territory. I wonder if they can handle it…”

“I’m not leaving Notes for them,” said Arisa, “and with Roselia going out of their way to share their scrying with us, I’d almost feel bad not making the most of it. I mean, that’s the kind of info other magical girls might kill for.”

“I guess we should thank our Little Miss Student Council for building up that connection,” said O-Tae.

“Yeah, right. Bow, you shits, and kiss my feet,” Arisa rolled her eyes. “You really make it sound like I’m friends with them just for benefits, you know. I already have to hear that from Misaki always bugging me with there goes Arisa out to suck Student Council dick for insider info . Do I look like the sort of dishonest bitch who’d do that?”

“Touchy tonight, aren’t we?”

“Shut the fuck up, O-Tae.”

Even Arisa couldn’t help but laugh after Rimi let out the cutest little giggle, sounding more like a small rodent than a teenage girl. Or a bunny. Rimi looked away, embarrassed, but still giggling. If someone walked by, no doubt Popipa would have sounded and looked like a flock of morons. Fortunately, it was late enough that the streets were entirely empty, even with the Dissonance purged of this area.

Only Kasumi did not join them in laughter. Hers was the loudest, liveliest, so its absence was particularly irksome to Arisa. That was not something she would ever admit, of course, even if someone pointed a gun at her head, but if nothing else she admitted it to herself.

“Kasumi?” Arisa walked up to her, trying to gauge what might be wrong. As she stood next to Kasumi, a quick glance at her phone revealed the issue before Kasumi even had the chance to say anything.

A message from her sister. We can’t leave. There’s Dissonants around the school. They’re really close.

“I’ll ask other magical girls if they heard anything about the Haneoka area,” Arisa said to Kasumi, so unusually frozen in shock and fear. “It’ll be okay, alright? Haneoka is safe. It’s always been safe. There’s lots of magical girls from there, too…”

“What’s the matter?” Rimi asked, nervous, before Arisa explained the situation. “Oh no… The Faelights should keep Haneoka safe, no?”

“I don’t want to leave it to chance,” Kasumi said. “I can’t leave it to chance. If the Faelights are not enough, if no one comes to Haneoka’s aid in time… After all, no one on MagiNet had even said they detected any hint of Dissonance manifesting in the area. That’s concerning, isn’t it…?”

“We should go, then,” said Saya. No one seemed to be in disagreement. “Even if other magical girls might go to Haneoka, if I knew my siblings were in danger, I would want to be there myself.”

“Thank you, everyone…” Said Kasumi, sighing in relief.

“Asuka is more important than seeking the bounties Roselia shared with us,” said Arisa. “Let’s get going.”

Without hesitation, they set out towards Haneoka; even knowing that Haneoka was certainly going to receive assistance from many other magical girls, they did not want to waste a single moment. Because why was this power gifted to us, if not for us to protect those we love?

When the sun was out, these streets which are now deserted were usually a tide of people, one that Arisa could not withstand. People were sweaty, pushy, loud, obnoxious, and the song and dance of politeness and of acting like she wasn’t miserable to be out of her house was tiresome. Even so, she couldn’t help but feel a certain melancholy when walking through these empty streets. Years ago, they would yet buzz with light and life late at night, but now in the absence of pedestrians and vehicles the lights felt so uninviting, hostile, dimmer than before. It was not always like this, even if we got used to it. Places meant to be lived in, made to receive masses of humanity, now devoid of purpose and of inhabitants. Better this than they risk their lives, but the truth of course was that her desire was for there to be no Dissonance at all, for life to not be upended so darkly. That was the true wish she harbored, impossible as it seemed now. She didn’t want to be happy that people were hiding in their homes, hoping that their defenses and the magical girls at work were enough to let them live to see tomorrow. There was no comfort in that.

She thought of the deep shadows which had consumed whole districts of Tokyo, and how there was no repairing that wound. There the Dissonants still dwelled, and all that could be done was cordon off those areas. When she thought of that, she couldn’t help but think that in spite of their efforts, the magical girls were losing. CiRCLE and Tsurumaki promised that one day all that loss would be undone, that perhaps even those who were consumed by it could be saved, but even if that was possible, which Arisa doubted, when would it happen? She knew from Misaki that just preserving those who were touched by Dissonance was a great effort, so what to say of those who were swallowed by it? It felt like a child’s dream, to hope that you could just turn it all back.

Haneoka and Asuka were on her mind, but also all the others there. They should not have been there. They should cower at home and spend their lives in fear, they should refuse to make plans for a future that was robbed from them, and they should wither like that. Some fucking life that was, that they should be grateful for daylight’s promise of safety, when even that was uncertain. It was magic that kept Dissonance at bay when the light was out, and even maintaining those spells was a great endeavor. Arisa, then, could not blame Asuka. She was driven by hopelessness and fear, the same as everyone else. The same as us.

They saw the Dissonants before they saw Haneoka. They circled the skies like dark clouds, not unlike birds of prey waiting for the best moment to strike. Whatever judgment went on inside their minds, if any, Arisa could not discern, as they at times would attack unprepared, deliberately picking fights they could not win, or they would descend in flocks to claim a single victim, which was not enough to provide sustenance for them all, if they needed such a thing. Even that they didn’t know about their enemies. All they knew was how to fight them, how to direct their attention from the helpless.

Rimi let out a Note like an arrow towards the fiends, as signal and bait. They were drawn towards Popipa, away from Haneoka’s surroundings. They descended towards the empty streets, their forms joining into one, thick black smoke taking the aspect of open jaws. Wisps struck forth from within, taking individual shape as misshapen shades of man, imitations of humanity with deformed limbs and uneven proportions. From the front they might have looked almost like people, but from the sides they appeared unusually thin, frail, struggling to remain upright, and thus they collapsed when struck by Kasumi and Tae’s heavy blows. They were more than appeared at first, however, as that ghastly maw spewed out more of them by the moment, quickly overwhelming Tae and slowing down Kasumi.

From afar, Arisa did what she could to assist them, her fingers deftly pressing the magical keys hovering in the air above her, turning her Notes into harsh and hurried melodies to repel the Dissonants, the force of their impact pushing them away from Kasumi and Tae, putting enough space between them to give the two time to prepare to withstand the next onslaught, aided by Saya’s rhythms granting their blows superior strength, such that Kasumi’s blade not only cut through the Dissonants’ bodies but also unleashed fierce shockwaves that shattered their forms. Even so, they were too many… The Dissonants were not overwhelming in strength, but they were more nimble than it appeared at first, as when they fell upon the ground, rather than slowly crawl towards Poppin’ Party they flowed like a deluge of blackness, melding their forms together and bypassing Tae’s defenses.

Quickly they closed the distance and stood right in front of Arisa. Before she could retreat, a blackened talon rose from the shadowy mass and slashed at her face. But she felt no pain, and no blood was shed. Instead, it was Kasumi who screamed. She’s sharing my wounds , Arisa recalled. She despised that sound, Kasumi’s pained yelp. When Arisa did scream, it was out of rage. She made her song harsher, ferocious, almost hateful, and the notes became gleaming petals, sharpened like blades, and they whirled to pierce the bodies of the Dissonants surrounding her. Then, where the shadows were thickest and darkest, where the maw unfolded itself to retch its foulness, points of light like a hundred stars suddenly broke through the dark. They cut through the largest Dissonant, and the smallest began to pour from it, writhing and dying. Another barrage of light rent the Dissonant’s body, and Arisa saw that they came from behind it, accompanied by frantic melody. Another magical girl, veiled by the light that shone from street lights above.

Had Kasumi not called out her name, Arisa would not have recognized the girl as Rokka Asahi. There was a fierceness to her posture that was ill-fitting to the image Arisa had of the meek girl from Galaxy. She carried a most curious weapon with her, more rifle than guitar, though it sounded like one. Shooting out light rays like so many bullets, Rokka made quick work of the Dissonants that were restrained by Kasumi and Tae. Soon, silence reigned the streets again, the peace that followed the end of every battle, a peace that Arisa had grown to appreciate, such was its relief. It meant they lived to fight another day.

Rokka returned to her more familiar demeanor as soon as she was face-to-face with Popipa. The weapon she carried folded itself into the shape of an ordinary guitar, but that did not look like magic to Arisa. Magical girls fought with music, with their knowledge of their instruments weaving their Notes into magic, but here it seemed like Rokka’s own instrument became her weapon rather than a tool for channeling magic. Arisa knew little about Raise a Suilen other than that Rokka had been recruited, but clearly that Tamade girl wasn’t only using her limitless wealth to buy their way to fame, but also to acquire some pretty impressive equipment.

“Thank goodness you were all here,” said Rokka, as though she hadn’t just gunned down a horde of Dissonants all by herself. “Asuka called me, but RAS was done for the night so I rushed alone to Haneoka… I should have guessed you’d have arrived first, though.”

“Right, you’re a student here too,” Kasumi stated the obvious. Still, she seemed incredibly relieved, which Arisa was thankful for. “We should go make sure everyone’s okay. Does everyone live nearby? Maybe we should escort the students home…”

“Haneoka is fine,” said Rokka. “The Dissonants did not actually enter the school grounds, thankfully. It was good that Asuka informed us so quickly, before anyone was in real danger.”

Upon saying that, Arisa had the impression that perhaps Asuka had reached out to Rokka before she called out to her own sister. That would not be surprising; it would be harder to justify her carelessness to Kasumi, and Asuka was the sort of girl who wouldn’t wish to trouble others - as well as the sort of girl who’d easily judge herself to be causing trouble. With what Asuka had said about feeling behind in life, about not wanting her plans for university to be ruined by Dissonance, she probably would not want to be a burden. Arisa wondered if Kasumi was thoughtful enough to come to that realization herself, or if right now she was too busy with her own relief. Kasumi was the first to run towards Haneoka, leaving the rest of Popipa and Rokka behind to catch their breath and to divide their hard-won Notes. For how many Dissonants they’d slain, it was a paltry amount, but none cared about that at the moment. Rokka had almost walked away to follow Kasumi before even claiming any Notes, but Arisa insisted that she should always be rewarded for her efforts. Fighting alongside Popipa is a good enough prize for me , she insisted, but Arisa would have none of it. Suddenly she found herself hoping Tamade wasn’t taking advantage of Rokka’s nature.

At Haneoka’s , once it turned out that all was well, Kasumi hadn’t even bothered to reprimand her sister when they met at the entrance hall, instead only embracing her and kissing the top of her head, almost crying. It almost didn’t seem like it was Asuka who had just been in mortal peril, as she was the one to comfort Kasumi and assure her that she had not been hurt, that nothing had happened but the fright of seeing Dissonants approach. With the danger passed, it had become easy to diminish it, with Asuka telling Kasumi that the Faelights would probably have kept Haneoka safe, that Hina Hikawa’s preparations and charms probably would repel the Dissonants, that other magical girls would have probably come to save them anyways. Arisa watched her justifications without saying a word, because it wasn’t her place to say anything, and she understood that Asuka and her fellow students, too, had to try to convince themselves that they were not in such danger after all, or else how would they continue living?

Arisa wondered how many had thought the same. How many people had felt safe, how many had wagered their lives on probably . She wondered how many Faelights had failed, how many magical girls had been late, she wondered how many never got the chance to tell their families that it wasn’t so dangerous, after all. For Kasumi’s smile, Arisa kept the thoughts to herself. And when she thought she saw a light flicker, she told herself it was nothing. It probably wasn’t, anyways.

Notes:

The different magical girl groups are deliberately reminiscent of well-known magical girl anime, which I felt also reflected the different feel of each band. For instance, Popipa and Roselia are very much like Precure, Raise a Suilen's technological aesthetics are close to Nanoha, Harohapi naturally have Doremi vibes, Pasupare are magical idols, and Afterglow I would say has a little inspiration from Mahoiku. The magical girl economy aspect is totally inspired by Sugar Sugar Rune, too, with some PMMM aspects.
"So if you ever decide to add Ave Mujica to the fic, they're gonna resemble Mahou Shoujo Site?"
There are questions in life which you should not ask.
In seriousness, though, thank you for reading. I hope to have more time to work on this fic from now, so I'll try to update again sometime soon.

Chapter 9: Ex Oblivione

Chapter Text

The black laceration that had once been Shinjuku seemed to smoke under the searing sun at noon. It was inky mist, growing thicker the closer it came to the surface, while high above it was a ghastly haze obscured from the rest of the city by the perpetual, magical fog that concealed it, kept it out of sight, in hopes it would be kept out of mind. It never was, to Tsugumi. So often, during her day, she would suddenly be reminded that here, in the world’s greatest city, hell unfurled its grotesque jaw to swallow whole city blocks, that this happened everywhere, all at once, and that trying to move on with life was the most heinous lie ever told.

The fog was ominous enough, but if the people saw what was hidden behind it, what they tried to close their eyes to, Tsugu wondered how they would react. Perhaps that should happen , she thought. Perhaps those eyes ought to be opened. Powerful magic had cordoned off the abyss from the rest of Tokyo, but hadn’t closed it. Princess Tsurumaki and all the powers of the Realm Beyond could do no such thing. No panacea for it but the Symphoniae, she said, and all throughout the world magical girls took to feeding that miracle with their music, their magic, their Notes and their efforts. Tsugu had never seen Tokyo’s Symphonia, promised to be kept safe within CiRCLE; promises grew increasingly meaningless as the fog remained, as much a cursed black mark as a flag of mourning, though no grief was allowed, of course. Princess Tsurumaki dealt in smiles only, the world content with heeding her words, her guarantee that the magical girls would handle everything, and things could carry on as they always had, at last.

What remained of the streets, a tangle of thorns and misshapen metal, crumbling buildings frozen in the moment of their collapse, shards of shattered glass forever lingering in the air like snowflakes, rubble floating almost gracefully, towers leaning towards the heart of this darkness - to Tsugu’s mind came the image of burned flesh, still searing, the skin made charred, uneven and rough, the veins swollen, about to burst, the terror coming from the inability to hide the frailty underneath, the fact that all bodies were blood, meat and bone, a nauseatingly mundane shell for the unknowable soul. It was all bared by the Dissonance, by the emptiness here save for cold winds and hints of ghosts, of what had once been. This was just concrete, asphalt, pipes and wires like veins, towers like bones, but it was all hollow now. This was what remained of the world once known, and it no longer meant a thing.

“Somehow,” Himari said, stepping nervously towards what was vaguely recognizable as having once been a truck, but now was reduced to jagged, twisted metal, “it’s scarier that this place is completely empty than if there were Dissonants infesting it. The silence…”

“You’ll give me chills, Himari,” said Moca. Her attempt at levity was ignored. “There should be something more. This is where it all began.”

“Let’s keep looking,” said Ran. They’d only just entered Shinjuku, after all. “Deeper, deeper still. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you. Whoever claims to know what to expect here is a liar, so be prepared for a fight.”

They always were, in truth. Besides, a fight here would be better than this emptiness, this silence broken only by their footsteps. A fight was something they could understand, something that, together, they could withstand, even triumph. In a sense, battle was easy. Easier than facing this horror and desolation, accepting it. Battle kept them moving forward, their mind clear of all else.

Afterglow should not be here. It was forbidden, for this place was anathema to life and to music, and under Tsurumaki’s instructions, the area had been sealed off as well as it could be; from physical barriers like makeshift walls of brute concrete blocking off most streets leading into Shinjuku, to police officers tasked with patrolling the perimeter, and - the only measure that could pose any sort of impediment to magical girls - a magic circle around the area, meant to block any from entering as well as, far more importantly, blocking the spread of this corruption. Tsugumi had been the one to cut a gap through the defenses, locating a weak spot in the barriers, a spot where their translucent and shimmering surface had grown thinner than the rest. It was rather disturbing how easy it had been, in truth. It was but a frail veil that separated the heart of Dissonance in Tokyo from the rest of the city. The safety that the populace knew was an illusion as transparent as the shield itself. Himari weaved the spell to recreate the vanquished segment of the defenses, to make sure that nothing unwanted could leave. Tsugumi couldn’t help but imagine a person sealing their own coffin. Surely it won’t come to that. 

A click, a flash. Moca and Himari took photos of this forbidden area, though the images came out corrupted, pale lines and spots of white obscuring most of the photographs. That was not entirely unexpected. Dissonance allowed no records of it, so even though years had passed since the first Dissonants had begun to appear all over the world, there were no photographs or videos of them. At most, one could make sense of their surroundings through the footage, but all recordings soon became glitched beyond recognition. More than that, no two people saw the same exact image; they were all blurred and imperfect, but always in different ways, never the same patterns to discern and decipher. So, even if there could be hidden meaning behind the distortions - and some swore they found secret messages in them, much as people believe they can see shapes in clouds - there could be no agreement, ever. These were horrors that could be seen only in person. When Tsugumi asked her about it, Sayo had remarked that her belief was that these phenomena were so fundamentally wrong that the human mind could accept them only if it was right in front of them.

And this place was wrong. It was wrong that rather than being infested with Dissonants, it was empty. There were no corpses, no husks of the countless victims. Their complete disappearance disturbed Tsugumi more than if they had been merely killed. Whatever had happened to them was unknowable, in spite of the magical girls and the world swearing that they were either dead or their souls were consumed. Princess Tsurumaki claimed that all those victims were not entirely lost, that they could be rescued, but few shared such a belief. At most that was a desperate hope when all else was gone.

Tsugumi watched Moca thoughtlessly kick a pebble on her path, near a sidewalk. Debris, most likely, as the streets of Shinjuku were frozen, their pieces hovering harmlessly in the air, forever in the middle of crumbling. The rock, too, did not fall after being kicked, instead lingering some centimeters above the ground, rotating in place. Was this the doing of Dissonance, or of the magic that had stabilized this place? That there was no easy distinction between the two was most disturbing indeed. After all, didn’t the Notes that powered the spells of magical girls come into their possession from slaying Dissonants far more efficiently than by spreading merriment, as Hello, Happy World did?

The wind became still, the deeper they delved into the ruins. The sky above was no longer the same as it had been outside. Here it was a darker blue, ethereal, starlit even though it was not yet night outside. Tsugumi was wise enough enough to notice almost immediately that these were not the stars that graced the heavens she knew. She would have to ask Hina if she had any knowledge of the starscape of the Realm Beyond, through the books she had studied and observations she’d made. Hina was quite interested in the constellations known to the Realm Beyond, how they differed from the ones that had shone on them all their lives, and their connection to those otherworldly magics. Kokoro Tsurumaki herself had little to offer that was concrete, nowhere near as fascinated by this academic approach to magic the way both Hikawas were, and what wisdom she actually shared was often incomprehensible. If there was more time, Tsugu might have liked to sketch the stars above, as photographic evidence was worthless. For now, however, it was best to advance as quickly as they could.

They hurried past the crumbling façades of desolate stores and buildings, where now only hints remained of what they had once been. Some, though, were in better state than others, which made them all the sadder to see. Tsugu looked back, on instinct, suddenly wondering if they would be able to find their way back. They hadn’t thought about that, she realized. They had simply presumed that, if they were able to enter, surely they would need only turn back and find their way home. But though they’d just crossed the ruined streets Tsugumi gazed upon, they had left no trace there. No footprints on the dust they trod upon, no sign that they had been there, that this place could remember anything, that past or present or future held any meaning in such an unknowable location.

Ran paused, stood still. Tsugu could tell what was going on behind her pensive stare, silent as she was, because she thought the same thing. They all were thinking that, she had no doubt. That this place was in one way a reflection of the world outside. In its stagnation, this heart of Dissonance was just like the world had become since these tribulations began. One might expect calamity to change the world, but instead it seemed desperate to merely return to the first status quo it could find, to the illusion of tranquility and normality. It was agonizing. After watching all those people being claimed by Dissonance, after learning that magic was real, how could Tsugumi be expected to smile at the Cafe’s customers and take their orders the very next day? Even in the face of catastrophe, people wished only that the world remain frozen. 

“The same as always,” Ran said, for the first time in months now. Now she rued those words.

Some of the blame lies with us , Tsugumi thought. When the world saw magical girls, what it saw was not protectors, nor girls with their own lives and inner selves, but no more than an excuse to carry on. The magical girls defend us, and they do a great job of it, and that allows society to carry on. She saw it on the news, overheard that in conversations of crowds she passed by or from the mouth of customers at Hazawa Cafe. A stomach-turning notion, that all their valiant efforts to keep the world safe had been twisted like this. The world could have changed, should have changed, but the magical girls were the perfect stopgap to ensure that things could just remain the same. Worst of all was that almost all of them were more than happy to serve that purpose. Believing that they were safeguarding the world, they had merely been made its slaves.

We will make them change , though. They would show their peers a different way, by force if necessary. It fell on Afterglow to open their eyes, and there was no more certain way to do so than by bringing them here, to show them what it was that they had lost, to remind them that there could be no normalcy when such scars deformed the world. They needed only find a way to bring them here, to strengthen them in the crucible of battle, purifying them, refining them.

It was Yukina that was in Ran’s mind when she spoke of such plans, of course. Tsugu had her own pride, of course, in herself and in Afterglow, but, though none would put it to words, Ran had succumbed to the blue rose’s cold allure, reaching for it, seeking acknowledgment. Thus far they had known only defeat in battle, but that only set Ran’s spirit more deeply ablaze, burning brighter. They claimed hegemony, even if Roselia would not put it to words, but they too would have to be cast down if the magical girls were to thrive, change, grow. For the world to change, that it might know new songs, bolder songs, rather than the same ones that came before, the same that had always resounded. The world cannot heal cleanly, the skin and flesh made soft and unblemished again. It can only scar, and in the scars find true pride and strength.

Deeper, the darkness welcomed them. There were no impediments or obstacles, though whenever Tsugumi performed her scryings, the taint of Dissonance was everywhere. Those fell forces gave way as Afterglow passed, as if avoiding them, as if inviting them, urging them to venture forth… Or challenging them to do so. They would not back down from such a challenge, would not be cowed by the fear of a trap or ambush, because they were not fools to come here without expecting grave danger, without knowing they wagered their lives. It was the only way Afterglow was willing to live. They breached where the shadows were thicker, where the sky became a kaleidoscope of starlight, where the luminosity did not reach the earth. This should not exist, Tsugumi understood. They had walked enough that they should no longer be in Shinjuku. They’d not taken any significant turns, so it stood to reason that this vile place was far larger than it appeared outside. It was no great surprise, really, that Dissonance spat in the face of familiar logic and laws.

Here, though, the shadows were not merely lengthier but thick, inky, slithering with a life of their own. The lights that Tsugumi and Himari conjured were devoured by this darkness, which was more indifferent to life than hostile to it. In the heart, though, something awaited, amidst the shadows. Tsugumi felt called towards it, though there was no sound, neither whisper nor wind. Curiosity guided her steps, as it did her friends’. 

Quietly, slowly, the shadow gave way, parting like smoke, revealing a disquieting gaze made all the more uncanny for being directed from the eyes of a girl no older than any of them. She stood gracefully atop a thin black pillar amidst a field of spires. The darkness around her swayed as though it was part of her body, tendrils curving as the girl took a bow with pomp and a hint of arrogance. Her eyes were not such that Tsugumi saw in them a recognition of herself as a human being. But, then again, the girl could not be human, to dwell here in the heart of Dissonance. Even though she looked the part, even though her motions were distinctly human, the way the darkness bent to her will, an extension of her, made her seem like something else entirely. And then she spoke, a girl’s voice like a princess, a well-bred lady, a voice that naturally carried a rehearsed kindness and serenity unmatched by the eyes behind her black mask.

“So long was I kept waiting here for souls yet brimming with the bliss and melody of life. Or could it be that it is the life in your melodies that I sense? One loses sight of the distinction, if there is any. Is it life that follows music, or the inverse? For so long I’ve not known life that I cannot answer these questions anymore.”

“Who are you?” Tomoe asked, straight to the point.

“Too often have I endured the tolling of last bells, of morning bells and mourning bells,” the girl continued, “here in the shadow, so you must excuse my indulgence in words. This is a land of res, non verba, and I am weary of that.”

“Are you a ghost?” Tsugumi asked. “There can be no life in this place, so what are you?”

“Alive and dead may be closer than we oft imagine. In a Danse Macabre, the dead waltz and death can give courtship to maidens, so what does death mean, truly? I am no ghost, to my  understanding. I bleed, a fact I know all too well. And though my skin may be cold and pale, I’ve learned that rent flesh has its warmth. Memento mori. I will not remember, I will not die. What, then, would you say I am?”

“A madwoman,” said Himari.

“A fair guess,” the girl said, unconcerned. “Folly is worthy of praise, most of all here, where all sense is twisted. Your answer is acceptable, because what I am is but running water, without a past that can be discerned. My river is the Lethe, where I was born.”

“You’ve forgotten,” said Ran. The girl blinked. “You’ve forgotten who you are. That’s what it means, no? The Lethe, whose waters are the essence of forgetfulness…”

“Just so,” she offered a smile, but her eyes were unchanged. “It seems you are more well-read than you appear. Yes, you’re right… I have forgotten who I was before I found myself here, walking with the shadows. What few glimmers remain may be my own, or they may be the sorrowful memories of the countless souls eaten by Dissonance. I remember gardens, I remember hints of gold and the scent of perfume.”

“You appear to be around our age,” said Tsugumi. “A high school student? Were you… Were you claimed by the Dissonance, when it first descended on Tokyo?”

“Oblivionis. That is my name. That is what I am, now, what remains of me. Whatever I was is gone, lost,” around her, the shadows parted, and she leapt from atop the pillar, gracefully landing before Afterglow. “Why are you here? Was it idle curiosity that brought you to this place of sorrow and oblivion? You wished to peer into the abyss, set foot in this forbidden place? You are the first to come to this place. Why?”

“We were drawn to the danger,” said Tomoe, attempting to show some bravery, but Oblivionis was thoroughly unimpressed.

“You can find cheap thrills elsewhere, I’m certain. No, you have a purpose, don’t you?” Tsugu gasped, though she didn’t intend to. Her piercing gaze seemed to demand answers, rejecting all lies. “I respect your boldness. Have you found what you were looking for, here in the darkness?”

“Maybe,” said Ran. “There’s no point hiding our intentions from you, so I’ll tell you. I mean to use this place for the sake of battle. To put all magical girls to the test. To best… To best her ,” Tsugumi knew she meant Yukina. That name would mean nothing to Oblivionis, however. Roselia and Afterglow meant nothing to her, or any of the bands that defended Tokyo from Dissonance.

“Ah. I understand. There are conflicts that demand an arena whose grandeur matches their significance. And what finer battlegrounds than the husk of a world dying, accursed? However, it is but for my grace that you have come this far. I have kept the Dissonants here from assailing you, and have prevented them from attempting any incursions into Tokyo.”

“You… Control them?” Tsugumi asked.

“There is no controlling these forces, not truly,” she shrugged, “but I have some sway over Dissonance, yes, because just as it consumes me, I become a part of it. Now, I am not threatening you. In fact, I need your help, and believed I had nothing to offer you, but if you have plans for this place, then perhaps we can reach an agreement.”

Plans was, perhaps, too generous a word. It was true that Ran wished to issue a challenge towards the other magical girls of Tokyo, and that they sought out this place not only for the thrill of music and battle in such a place, but so as to avoid needless destruction. There’s no need to involve innocents, they all had agreed, for reasons more or less altruistic. Nevertheless, they could not reach a conclusion as to what could drive the other magical girls to an honorable battle, because the challenge alone would be ignored by most. Perhaps Roselia’s arrogance might be exploited, and there were plenty of new bands that were eager to prove themselves, but that would make a mockery of what battle entailed. It was to be between equals, because only then would the most powerful of music be created, and it was such music that the world needed.

“What help do you need?” Himari asked. “Perhaps we’ll consider it.”

“I cannot leave this place,” said Oblivionis, “but you can. You can be my eyes. My hands, perhaps. There are… Longings within me. Memories only half-remembered, lost behind a fog that smothers and blinds me. This is the meaning of Dissonance, you understand. A deep loss beyond words. I hear this pain in the Dissonants that roam this graveyard. They long for what they were once. They are the most hurtful of all human feelings, all that remains from the lives lost and consumed. They are sadness, hatred, regret, anguish and jealousy. That is why they are driven to seek those outside, who are yet living. To eat at their humanity, that they might recall their own.”

“Dissonants… Were people?” Tomoe asked.

“Yes and no. They are born from human feelings, yes, but it is not as though they are humans turned to monsters. There is no individuality to Dissonance, as with humans, but the snarling of their voices is more than a merging of souls, of consciousness. It is as though… As though the depths that exist within people, their souls, something immaterial, has been stolen from them. Sorrow outlives joy, so no matter how much they consume, they cannot return to what they once were. This coalescence of emotion has nowhere to return to, I believe. I am the only one here. The only person. I could not tell what spared me. If I knew, I would not be able to remember. But if you help me… If you could perhaps seek the few hints I have, glimpses of my past, then maybe I can remember. It seems to me a small price to pay for your purposes, no?”

“You want only to remember?” Tsugumi asked. “Do you not want to be freed? If the Dissonants can leave, why can’t you?”

“I would not need you if I knew the answers to these questions,” Oblivionis stepped towards the five, who made way for her. Though she seemed human enough, and almost pitiful when she spoke of her lost past, there was still something unnerving about her that made Tsugumi recoil. “I would like to be free, yes. If only I knew how. Then again, even if I did… Would you trust a creature such as I with freedom? In your place, I wouldn’t. So I’ll make no such demands of you.”

She was right. While perhaps Himari would pity her enough to aim to free her, the rest of Afterglow would likely be more cautious. Here was a girl who should not be alive, walking freely among Dissonance, having a degree of command over this dark power. If Oblivionis was a prisoner here, this was a cell she was master of. Tsugumi could imagine Moca remarking that she had read enough battle manga to know that freeing sinister women sealed within a hellish enclosure was too often how the last boss was encountered.

“And your offer is to allow us to use this place for our purpose,” said Ran. “A generous enough proposal. The magical girls must be put to the test, not destroyed, so if they fell prey to Dissonance, that would defeat the purpose. But, then again, that too is a trial that we must face…” She smiled, a grin that showed her teeth, an expression that Tsugumi did not often see. There was something almost frightening about it. “And the price for this, for this place and for your help, is nothing but some memories?”

“Memories can oft be costlier than one expects,” said Oblivionis. Even when she faced Afterglow, her eyes seemed to gaze elsewhere, at something behind them, beyond them. “More laborious to preserve, weightier to live with. Folly, then, to want them back, no? More fool me. I will await your return. Know that I cannot assuage the hunger of Dissonance forever, and other magical girls will be imperiled here. You too might be, if I lose what little control I have. But if you are still willing to help me, then I thank you, and wish you good fortune. And I pray that though I’ve forgotten myself, the world might have not.”