Puella Magi Falsus Magica (A PMMM Quest)

[] Go approach the Hokkaido Group. You might not be able to get much but for anyone to stay coherent after drinking what you gave her, the representative might be perceptive enough to give you something.

You stared at the Hokkaido group in the midst of the current situation. There were four of them. Three escorts and one representative. Their representative was still sloshed and didn't seem to have Sai's ability to purged her system of the stupor of alcohol.

One of the escorts was the silver haired maid (evil) and was tending Nene Shimazu's needs. The other two were also tending to her but leaving the silver haired on to work by herself. The situation disturbed them greatly being dragged into this but as it is, you felt that you should question them.

After all Nene couldn't have done the murder given that she was still drunk out of her mind. Which certainly ruled her out and there was the escorts that should be guarding her. They probably had the lowest chances of being behind this.

Not that you were willing to dismiss them outright but... Yeah, you didn't know what to think of them now. It's better to be careful than disregarding them. After all, every single person in this floor barring you and Yuri were elites. Beasts that were on par with Named Magical Girl.

The death of the Envoy has put everyone on high alert which meant the smallest friction or doubt would spark a fight. And if that happened, the culprit will win and blood would spill into Kyoto Soil. The last thing you needed was war over this.

"The three of you. Stay here, do something to pass the time," you said as you glanced at your companions, "I'm going to talk to some people."

"Making your move already?" Ayana hummed as she cracked a small smile.

"Yes. Be prepared for anything... Ayana, please protect Yuri," you requested as you met her gaze.

Ayana's smirk slowly vanished as she huffed, "Geez. You're no fun. Fine. I'll just ask Yuri some uncomfortable questions."

Kaito shook his head and held Ayana's skull in a death grip. The girl yelped before whining as Kaito turned to you, "Go. Don't worry, I'll watch over them."

With that reassurance you were freed from where you stood. Yuri waved at you before you turned to your targets. They haven't noticed you yet but no one seemed to be paying attention to you at all. Everyone was absorbed in their own conversations.

The Hokkaido group only took notice of you when Nene found you waking towards her. She waved off her escorts while the silver haired maid frowned and stood by her charge.

The other two escorts seem to be wary of you given what you are.

"Well well well, look at what the cat dragged in," Nene slurred as she turned your way.

You looked around and said, "There's no cat."

"She meant it as a metaphor," one of the escorts said, a purple haired girl with twintails. Her blue haired partner coughed on the side at that.

"Oh," was your only reply but this only annoyed Nene.

"Look at you, just what the heck? You prance around as a bartender in Yukina's body and now you're playing detective. What's your deal?" Nene grumbled as she narrowed her gaze at you.

You met her eyes, her unfocused and obviously drunken eyes, and replied, "I came to apologize."

Nene's eyes widened to the size of plates as she jerked back. Her escorts seemed surprised too while the silver haired maid seemed at a loss for words. You're not sure what you did but you chose this moment to continue.

"I want to apologize for how I treated you before. It was never my intention to reduce you to this state. If I had my tools, I would help you get sober but I don't have them," you continued as you gave them a polite bow, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience I brought. Your next drink will be free, of course."

Nene blinked at that before leaning forward, "I... The Blue Queen of Hearts is actually... Wait, no. Of course not. You're just a witch inside her body but... Still it's weird."

"Is something wrong?" You asked.

"Well the... Your predecessor wasn't exactly one to show mercy or an apology to former foes," the purple haired girl said as she glanced at her leader, "She and Lady Shimazu clashed numerous times. Of course, my Lady would be utterly destroyed as such developed a grudge. Thus an apology with your face is a new experience."

"You don't have to explain it, Miku!" Nene hissed as she blushed.

"Let's cut to the chase. What do you want truly?" The silver haired maid asked as she finally spoke.

Maids were evil...

"Well... I'm not looking to get much but for anyone to stay coherent after drinking what I gave out, Miss Shimazu would be..." Your thoughts ceased. That's... That's strange.

The maid and Nene blinked before frowning, the former asking, "Would be what?"

"I..." You blanked out a bit before grimacing as you lost your train of thought, "Umm..."

[] "A heavy weight masquerading as a light weight."
[] "Picked the wrong bartender to mess with before."
[] "Too drunk to answer any actual questions I may have. Coherence notwithstanding."
[] "Really stubborn to keep fighting that drunkenness on her shoulder."
[] "Perceptive enough to see through what happened here."
[] Write in...

[] "Perceptive enough to see through what happened here."

You caught yourself and managed to speak up, "Perceptive enough to see through what happened here."

It was a last ditch swerve but it seemed that the girls were satisfied by your words. That was so close to being a disaster it wasn't even funny. You recomposed yourself as Nene struggled to not chuckle to herself while keeping a straight face.

"You want my account of what happened?" Nene asked as she grinned beneath her drunken stupor.

"Indeed. But not yours necessarily. But one of your subordinates recollection would be enough," you assured her with a nod, "It would help giving me an understanding of what happened."

"Why them?" Nene frowned at that, losing the chance to speak with you.

"Because they don't know me beyond what I did to you," you answered promptly," you replied with a nod, "I believe they can give me an impartial account of what happened here."

Nene frowned at that before waving off her hands, "I am perceptive enough but I don't trust myself to not muddy the info. Fine. Do whatever."

"You're really just letting her have a go, Boss?" The purple haired Miku said with a frown.

"Well it's her orders. Not much we can do about it," the taller girl said to her partner. She bowed towards you, "Tsubasa, by the way. Happy to help out."

"I'm Miku. That over there in the maid outfit is Ana," Miku replied as she crossed her arms, glancing at the silver haired girl.

"Nice to meet you," the maid bowed but you felt that she didn't mean it as much. Even then it seemed that they were open to speaking with you.

You'll have to get their accounts if what happened before moving to the others. It seemed like this was going to take a bit.

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...

"So you're the GriefBorne everyone's been harping about. And here I thought they only kept you to man the watering hole," Miku said as she sat beside you with a bored look.

"I have a limited set of skills. I try to make myself useful whenever possible. It just turns out that things went this way," you said as you shook your head, "In any case, let's keep this brief. What happened here?"

"Well it's just the same old meeting. The Envoy wished to speak of the growing concerns between the various factions. She was hoping that by speaking on neutral ground that a head way could be made," Miku said as she crossed her arms, "Anyway, she was ordered by her bosses to fix some PR problems that have been going on."

"So she wanted to make nice by throwing this party..." You figured with a frown. You then asked, "Who were the people in this room then?"

"Us four, Hiroshima's group, Ayana accompanied by one excommunicated girl and the Envoy herself. Ten people in all," Miku recounted as she held up her hands, "It was just the usual politics between Ayana, the Envoy and Amane Touka. The Boss would chime in whenever they got too excited measuring their stuff. We were here for the first session of talks. But after we adjourned, somehow things began to change."

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...

Tsubasa sat before you with a polite smile. The tall girl seemed eager to help out as she met your gaze.

"Is there something wrong?" You asked with a curious tone.

"Ah, well it's just that I'm a big fan of the Blue Queen of Hearts. It's the official designation for... Well... Your old self," Tsubasa said as she nodded your way.

"I see. Well I do have to point out I'm not her. And in fact that she's gone. I do hope this won't affect this conversation," you hoped as you leaned back on your chair. You then met her gaze, "Now why can you tell me about everyone's demeanor and relationship?"

"Huh?" Tsubasa blinked before scratching her cheek, "Well, tense is one way to put it. That's how it been since the talks started."

"I can guess that much. But did it seem like it would turn into this mess," Tsubasa said as she looked around, "I mean, the Boss may be sloshed because of what you did but she's pretty freaked by this whole thing."

"I'll do my best in resolving this. But do you think there's anyone in here that would orchestrate the murder?" You asked her in a much more serious tone.

Tsubasa met your gaze and sighed, "I mean, the Hiroshima group was always interested in expanding their territories. Tokyo was a prominent figure in keeping them in check but this is just me guessing."

"And what of your own faction?" You asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"We're interested too. There's plenty reasons we could do it. But taking care of the Boss is a full-time job, we have an alibi if not for each other, you can ask that girl you're with. Yuri Uchida," Tsubasa smiled your way as she nodded.

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...

"You killed her," you stated openly as soon as the maid sat before you.

The maid raised an eyebrow at that, "Why?"

"Because you're a maid. And maids are evil," you declared as you narrowed your gaze at her.

"So being in my outfit has triggered some primal hostility in you. I apologize but likewise I don't trust you either," Ana replied as she glared right back, "Rest assured I didn't kill her."

"How was the body found?" You asked her straight up.

The maid raised her eyebrows a bit more at that before shaking her head, "Ayana found her. I'm sure Miku told you about it."

"And in that turns Ayana the primary suspect for discovering the body. Does she have sufficient motives?" You asked once more.

"There is. After all, we're not deaf to what's happening at Kyoto. The blatant overlap on territory, the political battles the two sides wage, it's an ugly sight," Ana sighed as she leaned on the table, "The Envoy died sometimes during the break of the meeting. Ayana found her then. Therefore it's only natural to suspect her."

"But that aside, there's the chance of the murderer being someone else. After all, by Miku and Tsubasa's accounts, people left this room for one reason or the other. But it was Ayana who found the body. I just need to find the identity of the others... One of them being you," you said as you leaned forward, "You met us by the elevator. And judging from the way people are going about, it's been awhile since everyone's gathered here again."

Ana kept a straight face before frowning, "Is this because I'm a maid?"

"Tell me then where were you?" You asked as you tilted your head.

"I found out about the state of this world. How we're trapped with no way to run or contact the outside," Ana said as she shook her head, "That girl, Yuri was with me."

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...

"We sent some people to investigate as soon as we pinned Ayana down. Ana and that Yuri girl went to try and get help while Amane and her goons looked over the body with me and the Boss," Miku said as she crossed her legs, "We then went back here to be safe. Yuri and Ana didn't come back until fifteen minutes later before giving out their findings. Ten minutes later, we got a ping for your arrival."

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...

"By this point we knew we were trapped. It's horrible," Tsubasa said as she shook her head.

"What can you tell me about the broken barriers?" You asked her as you leaned back.

"Ah. Those are the Envoy's work. This is a pretty sensitive meeting so some security measures were taken. Unfortunately it seemed that something came in," Tsubasa leaned forward to lower her voice, "I think it's the real killer of this case."

"But there's no telling whether the collapse came from the outside or in. Barriers don't leave those sort of signs out," you pointed out to her as you crossed your arms.

"I know. Which is why it's best to keep your guard up. While an interloper may be responsible, the chances of one of the people here being the killer is just as high," Tsubasa warned you as she nodded, "You're the only true innocent here. So stay alert, okay?"

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"The barriers were erected to keep out unwanted visitors. It also acts as a way to keep civilian guests and employees seat from the premises until our matter is finished," the maid said as she held up her hand, "It's true that it's the Envoy's work. I wouldn't put it past her not to raise such measures."

"What can you tell me of the barrier out there? I'm no magical girl and I can't measure it but how strong is it?" You questioned.

"How strong? Well... Not very," Ana replied as she looked up, "Even now, we're surrounded by it. But it's still up despite the death of the Envoy. It's brittle which is odd in itself and seems to hold some unique properties."

"Like?" You blinked.

"Surveillance. Entrapment. Illusions. What's worrying me is that these barriers may be spoofed to acts as the Envoy's. Hence my fear for my Boss's life," Ana said as she met your gaze, "We're like ants in an ant farm. And something is watching us from beyond the glass."

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...

So as you understood it, everyone was here for the meeting. However after much talk, the girls all adjourned with Ana, Ayana and Yuri going out of the room while the others stayed. Miku and Tsubasa took care of Nene's drunk stupor while this was happening.

Soon enough, Ayana found the body and came to report it. She was pinned down for being the first suspect because of course, before several others left to check on the body. They soon came back to the conference room where Yuri and Ana didn't come back since they were trying to get help after discovering that everyone was trapped in this floor.

Miku's report of that sequence seemed sketch but if they met in the hall and spoke then it could work. After that, everyone else went back to the conference room while Ana and Yuri found you and Kaito. And that's how things went.

It seems to fit but you felt that there were holes. You leaned with your back against the wall as you rubbed your chin. Everyone has a reason to kill the Envoy but no one has blood in their hands. Add this to the memory you saw.

You looked at the walls and the barriers that were enchanted all around you. Surveillance... Did the Envoy compromise the barriers to lure in the Assassin? Or did she pull something to lead things to this state?

Someone stepped out of the conference room and glanced your way.

Yuri managed a small smile as she rubbed her shoulder, "Hey."

"Is something wrong?" You asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"I was just wondering if you're all right," Yuri said as she walked by your side. She reached out to your face and then held your wrist, "Seems like you're still fine. Though I can sense a bit of overheat in you. You're not pushing yourself too hard now, aren't you?"

"I... I don't plan to," you replied as you shook your head.

"Good. At least that'll save me the worry," Yuri said as she sighed, "Still... This whole thing. It's not what I expected. But I suppose that's just how our life is."

"It would seem so. But that doesn't mean we can't make it through," you replied as you faced her.

"That's true. I'm glad you're like this. Because otherwise I wouldn't know what to do," Yuri said as she leaned on the wall beside you, "You'll always find a way to make things right. But you know, I don't expect you to."

"Why not?" You blinked in surprise.

"Everyone's always counting on you. Pushing things on your lap... Expecting that just because you're here everything will be fine," Yuri said as she sighed, "I'm glad that you're a good person. That you're willing to go this far but don't shoulder everything on your own. It's what my sister did. I... I could at least wish for you to be different. Be a little more selfish."

You stared at her before looking aside, "I would. I will. But not at the moment. Still..."

You held out your hand to her.

"I'll get all the help I could get," you told her as she had her eyes widen in surprise.

"Right..." Yuri sighed as she grabbed on. She managed a small smile before you let go of her, "We should probably get some food and drinks. It should help with everyone's nerves."

You blinked at that and frowned, "Where would we get them? The kitchens are down the floors below."

"Well we could always find the employee break rooms," Yuri said as she held up a hand, "I'll go tell everyone."

"Right. You go do that," you nodded as you crossed your arms.

Yuri went off to tell the others while you hummed by yourself. It would be worth exploring a bit instead of deducing things from a single spot. The heavy feeling you were getting from this place was starting to become stifling. A change of scenery may be in order.

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You accompanied Yuri on your way to get some food. She seemed to have a vague knowledge of where to go but you trusted her to know where your destination was. The others were left behind the conference room while you walked down the hall.

You couldn't sense anyone else around you as you walked. The body of the Envoy was also on the opposite end of the floor. If the culprit retreated from that place, then they could be hiding somewhere around here. You couldn't help but be wary as you walked.

"You checked this place out when you were with Ana, correct?" You asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"I did. We split before and I ended up here. No matter where we looked, there was no exit to be found," Yuri said as she shook her head.

"If I don't make any headway soon, it'll be bad. And there's no telling what the culprit will do too," you said as you began to think, "The Envoy... What's her endgame here."

"Who knows. She's dead now which does seem creepy if you think about it. Being called like that," Yuri said as she grimaced.

You stopped.

"Yuri," you breathed as you tensed up.

"Yes?" Yuri blinked as she turned your way.

"Did the Envoy have a phone?" You asked with a frown.

"I... Don't know," Yuri admitted with a frown.

"And you guys must have used your own phones at least once, right? But you can't. You're cut off from the outside world in this place. So how did the Envoy's supposed doppelganger call Kaito?" You asked as you crossed your arms, "Either she's out of this isolated space or... She's exempt from its effect."

"If you checked the body, there should be a phone there," Yuri said as she turned towards you.

"There's the chance that she's not dead at all but is progressing a hidden agenda," you guessed with a narrowed look.

"Involving all the executives in this floor? So they'd do something to one another?" Yuri asked with a surprised look.

"That would be the case but the two execs... They're clean. They're alert and wary but the other executive is too relaxed... Ayana's been too smug about this whole affair," you figured as you looked down the hall.

"So she does have a hand in this," Yuri blinked at the thought.

"Yes. But judging from the way she was subdued and ganged up on, it's strange. Ayana's suspicious for being Ayana but there feels like there's something more," you breathed as you closed your eyes.

"Is Ayana conspiring with the Envoy?" Yuri wondered with a thoughtful look.

"That may be the case... But I feel that the other two have a hand in this either. I'll admit this particular information to you," you told Yuri as you raised your hand, "The Envoy deliberately let herself get killed."

"It's a set up then. Of the executives, they all set this situation up?" Yuri frowned.

"To lure a killer? The Assassin?" You murmured as you backtracked to your earlier thoughts, "If that's the case then why leave everyone else in the dark?"

"Something went wrong apparently. The other two execs ganged up on Ayana in a panic. Something unexpected happened because they ended up dragging in something they shouldn't have," Yuri theorized as she rubbed her chin.

"It would explain their actions..." You breathed.

Then that meant that there really was sometimes lurking these halls.

BANG

The lights went dark and you were left in an only black hall.

You and Yuri didn't stop and think. She transformed as you kicked off the ground to dart to where you heard the noise. According to the Hokkaido girls, there's a strained relationship between the people in the conference room.

But even then the execs were working towards something. The Envoy died but not because of something within their expectations. They blamed Ayana but being useless, Ayana had nothing to give.

So they're stuck here and you have more reason to believe that there was something in here that shouldn't be. But not only that, their real target had yet to make a move. So you ran.

The lights turned on and there was no one out in the hallway. You and Yuri came by the door and heard a yell.

You found Amane lying down on the ground, bloodied and hurt. She was still alive as she gasped for breath. Her companion had drawn her weapon as Tsubasa defended her party from the Hiroshima girl.

"You bastards, what did you do?!" The axe girl snarled, Mana, you recalled.

"We didn't do anything! Stop this!" Tsubasa hissed as she held her iron fans.

By the door, Kaito and Ayana remains where they were. Ayana had that stupid look on her face, "Ah... It's unraveling."

"I didn't hear anything. What the hell?" Kaito frowned as he kept kneeling down to avoid the incoming fallout from the clash.

You ran towards Amane as she stayed on the ground. However Mana turned and slashed her axe, "Stay away from her!"

You slid beneath her strike and kept going. You moved as you reached Amane on the ground while her subordinate tried intercepting you.

Tsubasa swung her fans and sliced Mana's foot off to knock her down. You knelt by Amane's side before Yuri slid nearby. She looked down the wound.

Amane grit her teeth as Yuri started healing her, "Found... Anything yet?"

You stared down her wound. It was a bullet. The same bullet from the Envoy's corpse. Which meant that this wasn't caused by anyone in this room. At least not anymore.

There was another scream followed by a girl running into the hall.

She was bloody and had a panicked look on her face. It was Tenka, one of the girls watching over the Envoy's body.

"Shizuku. Shizuku was killed!" She cried out as it clicked.

Two killers. One being unexpected while the other was expected.

[] "She's your target." Point at Tenka.
[] Keep quiet. Confirm it first. If the bodies were killed the same way, then it's a dud. But if they're not then you have her by the throat.
[] No. There's more to this than you were seeing. Why exactly would the execs be doing things in such a roundabout manner?
[] Write in...
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Between the Lines

• There's a chance that this was a situation instigated by the executives. Probably to weed out people from their ranks.​
• Something went wrong and Ayana was wrongly blamed once the Envoy was killed outside of the plan and not in the manner expected.​
• They lured in a dangerous interloper.​
• There's two suspects to be wary of. The Killer and the Target.​

[] No. There's more to this than you were seeing. Why exactly would the execs be doing things in such a roundabout manner?

You have a prime suspect just several dozen feet away from where you were. But that didn't mean the other one was just going to sit around. There was more.go this than you were seeing. Why exactly would the execs be doing things in such a roundabout manner?

Why bring you here at all? If they were weeding out problem girls then they should be just casting off the suspected ones. Or perhaps they just didn't know and were trying to catch the target red handed.

"Go in groups. Secure the body!" You snapped as you turned to Mana, "Stay here! Be on guard!"

"You heard her! Let's go!" Nene hissed as she brought her whole group with her.

"Ayana! Go with them," you ordered as the Named smirked and shadowed the others.

Mana fell down beside her leader while Yuri sought to stabilize the older girl. You looked down on her as you got to your knees. You then had your sleeve grabbed on by Amane as she hissed.

"Stay alert," she hissed at you while you nodded, "It's here."

"I know. But I need you to tell me. What was your plan here?" You asked with a narrowed look.

Amane grunted as Yuri sealed off her wounds. She let out a breath as she met your gaze, "So you figured it out? Did Ayana tell you?"

"I guessed," you told her.

"You guessed? Then it would seem that you're smarter than you look," Amane breathed as she grit her teeth, "Well that's... An admittance from me."

"You planned a set up of a person within your ranks. You orchestrated this whole situation but something went unexpectedly," you told her with a sharp look, "That's why you pinned Ayana, that's why you're afraid. There's a killer you guys didn't account for because the Envoy wasn't supposed to die the way she did."

"You're right. Things weren't supposed to be that way," Amane said as she held her side and met your gaze, "But you know, it's not a single target."

You blinked at that as you felt your seeds squirming within you.

"How many?" You asked her you frowned.

"A lot," Amane breathed as she met your gaze. You could hear a weapon swing at you.

BANG

Kaito's shotgun smoked after its brutal report, sparks flying in the air as Mana staggered back. She let out a breath as she held her weapon before Kaito summoned a submachine gun to spray a steady stream at the magical girl.

His bullets bounced off before he barked at you, "Yukina!"

"The others!" Yuri hissed as she transformed and summoned floating turrets from above.


[] Fight to kill.
[] Fight to subdue.
[] Write in...

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Between the Lines

• There's multiple Targets of this operation. They're hostiles.
• There's more to this.