Welcome back,
Clarisse.
It is a beautiful morning in Mitakihara 2011. Flute music is playing in the background. You made lunches with Ryouko and your (recently adopted) sister, Hitomi, and with her assistance they have turned out
extraordinarily cute, and she seems just a little bit misty-eyed and proud of you. You have said your goodbyes to your (adopted) Papa, who also seemed just a bit little misty-eyed and proud, and are now walking to School with her and Ryouko — a little bit earlier than would be usual, as there is enrollment administrivia to deal with.
> look forward to school with tentative anticipation
You are actually looking forward to it a bit, and Ryouko is too.
You may yet need to do something about that. It's not quite like her. Or you.
Your mission, again, is to
protect Ryouko, and her resting neutral-expression face. I use this term instead of
protect her smile not because I wish to condemn Ryouko to perpetual mild dissatisfaction, but in light of the fact that she is at risk of being replaced by an impostor, a girl who is very good at smiling, and waving, as empty gestures to please adoring crowds.
That girl is Princess Ryouko, of the Star Empire. The good news is that, aside from opinions on school, Ryouko has corrected her personality to be solidly Governance, and very much
not a Princess, though if this is to last you cannot take it for granted.
The princess smiles more, but it's a rehearsed and empty gesture, not true happiness. In her timeline, human society turns solar energy into grief potatoes using a perpetual motion machine that powers a torture-farm populated with AIs suffering on an unthinkable scale. Theoretically, that universe
has already been erased and replaced by this timeline. Theoretically, you and your Ryouko are still expected to travel back to the erased part of the universe to do it, so the princess and the other Clarisse can live happily ever after in this universe.
You have deemed this unacceptable, and are working to prevent it.
You must also work to prevent Ryouko from being replaced more gradually, by the influences of the Star Empire timeline, and also prevent her from becoming a witch, or simply from dying an empty, meaningless death. In principle it is not forbidden that Ryouko should die, or sacrifice herself, though this must overcome a
very high bar.
The other good news is that while you do attend school, it will be, quote, "better than ever." This is guaranteed by wish, as is your attendance (at least in some cursory form) and wish magic is, reportedly, inviolate. I will note, however, that you ought not be complacent, as it is not clear what the baseline level of
goodness is, given the number of timelines where various members of the group are eaten by witches, succumb to despair, and find their lives cut short by the attack of Walpurgisnacht.
Like Ryouko, you are a magical girl. Unlike Ryouko, and most other magical girls, you have never made a contract to become one. You therefore do not have a soul gem. This is not
entirely unprecedented, but is not common anywhere you know of. The magical powers you have been using primarily come from others, but there are a few that come from yourself. You're also not an overtly powerful magical girl. Your magic does not supply you with the combat instincts, or the durability, and if it came down to it, an untrained level-1
Akemi Homura (Megane ver.) could wipe the floor with you, without timestop, or explosives, or her golf club.
Nevertheless, Kyuubey seems concerned enough over your magic that he is inclined to call you an Abomination (though technically that was in a vision that hasn't happened yet). He most certainly does not approve of you opening up grief seeds and removing the shards of a soul inside: he was going to use that power to fight entropy. Fighting entropy is a big task, and the usable energy content of the soul you've repaired is sufficient to replace a galaxy. I'm afraid it's not quite sufficient to conjure a new past, however, and using it safely presents challenges.
Accompanying you on your missions, and currently occupying around 3% of your personality, is a shard of the soul of a
different magical girl, from a previous generation, Kinomoto Sakura. She wants to put an end to the Incubator system, liberating magical girls from their soul gems. She arrived here from the past on a mission from the present and spent the past couple of decades waiting, in the form of a hairpin. (Thank you for the kindnesses to her after that, in that you have not simply left her inside an object to be called upon at her convenience.) This was accomplished by means of a time loop which you have yet to close; it is
very important that you do this. Sakura has a connection to another universe where she is also a princess, but this is not going to affect you.
Souls, such as Sakura, which have been removed both from soul gems and from people, tend to appear in the form of wings, or elaborate feathers, or similar designs. This means that when Sakura is not integrating herself into your personality, you have fluffy white magic wings. These shards also seem to have difficulty integrating with souls that are inside soul gems, making them less useful to regular magical girls, though they are also less at risk of being overwhelmed. The soul gem keeps things very discrete.
While you remain only a very weak magical girl by most standards, you can use the power of other magical girls, which is much more impactful than your own. More specifically, you can use the magic of Princess Ryouko, which allows magic powers to be pledged and shared and delegated via promises and oaths and relationships. This magic was, itself, shared with some version of you in the Princess's native universe, and can be accessed when you have a memory of this magic and a Sakura feather to realize that memory, or when you have Ryouko herself and a ribbon for extrauniversal connections.
Maybe the term "magical girl" is ambiguous. We could call you something else.
I'll put it in the title, Revolutionary Girl Clarisse.
Your comrades from Mitakihara 2011 include Kaname Madoka, Miki Sayaka, Shizuki Hitomi, Shiina Yuuka, Tenjou Wakaba, and Amy. These are all perfectly ordinary middle school girls who are also cyborgs running a pirate version of Governance implants, except for Amy, who is not a middle school girl. Madoka worries about feeling useless. Sayaka is actually incredibly thoughtful when she's actually thinking about things, which is occasionally. Yuuka is probably not perfectly neurotypical and has displayed a few troubling signs of abuse. Wakaba is a fangirl, living the dream. Hitomi has a crush on Madoka.
Your comrades also include Nakamura Nanami, who was jealous of your technology and wished it into existence; she suffers impostor syndrome and is plagued by anger management problems as a result of her broken home in a bad part of town, and her family has ties to crime. They include Akemi Homura, a moe girl with cute glasses, who suffers self-esteem problems and is obsessed with Madoka. They include Tomoe Mami, but please call her Mami-chan, and she is recovering from a mental breakdown. And finally, they include your smoking hot girlfriend, Sakura Kyouko, whose relationship with you is complicated, like her relationship with her father's Christianity.
Your uneasy allies include Mikuni Oriko, who remains under house arrest; she is probably mostly-safe as long as you are appeasing her by saving the future, but she will aggressively resist being controlled. These uneasy allies include Kirika, who is probably mostly-safe as long as Oriko is appeased. They include Yuma, who is probably going to be incredibly dangerous ... after several centuries, at least; for now, she is safe and cute. These allies do
not, strictly speaking, include Hinata Aina and Miroko Mikuru, who to the best of your knowledge remain notoriously violent, unstable murderers; those two were last seen carrying out Oriko's last errand involving grief cubes overseas.
Your comrades from the future include Machina, who is Mami-chan's tactical computer, and has taken a shockingly interventionist approach to Mami's mental health. They notably do not include a girl named Asami, though an apparent counterpart of hers has, however, appeared in the Star Empire, with serial number SEVS-44935, and there are some signs that her soul may have lived alternate lives, with alternate names, including one in the 1980s.
There is also Simona. There are actually several Simona.
I like that the plural of Simona is Simona, like the plural of sheep and fish.
One of the Simona, Shizuki Simona, is a magical girl from the Star Empire; she was on a mission to retrieve Asami, but may possibly have located an incarnation of her in the past under a different name. Another Simona, Simona del Mago, was a magical girl from Governance timeline; she has lost her magic, and is attending a private school that Ryouko doesn't actually remember attending. You're expecting a call from her soon, or perhaps her new roommate, the dancer Ophelia — who you first encountered in her memories of the Star Empire. The last Simona really shouldn't exist, but time manipulation magic does funny things; she was a witch named Abraxas whose intervention kicked off this entire quest in the first place. She currently exists as the shards of a soul, the same discussed above. Between her soul and the ribbon, you can initiate new time loops at will, in the excellent style of Bill or of Ted. I would avoid doing so carelessly; I would likewise avoid letting other people obtain this magic, if you wish to avoid a time war, so please do not leave them
and the ribbon to be guarded only by a level 1
Akemi Homura (Megane ver.) ever again.
Your (adopted) Papa, Shizuki Yuji, is a former magical girl from the same era as Sakura; it's complicated and tragic. I am your narrator from the erased past, Shizuki Tomoyo; I have a book with your name on it, and a counterpart in your household, and I am officially on your side.
You have a book with
Clarisse van Rossum's name on it, and detailed illustrations of magical girls inside. You have a red ribbon, the former property of Kaname Madoka, which serves as a soul-antenna, permitting souls to be exchanged between universes... or
within universes, for that matter. Akemi Homura holds another ribbon. You have a charm meant for warding off charms, which works via the placebo effect. You have one small empty magic container of unknown provenance, in the form of a blank card. You have a hairpin which isn't magic itself, but has been a useful catalyst. You have a dog collar; it's, um, complicated, and you left it at home. You have the majority of Simona's soul in a magic bubble in your school-bag; these bubbles are serviceable to protect the soul (and protect people from the soul), but they are not ideal places for it to thrive.
I will now reiterate something for emphasis. You are carrying most of Simona's soul in your school bag, in the form of soul shards, and in that form, it is many times more valuable than the sticker price on
the entirety of human civilization. Again, this treasure is there
in your school bag. No, I don't have a better place for you to put them, just… consider how absurd it would be if you went around with the Hope Diamond, and the Crown Jewels, and the Heart of the Ocean, and every other jewel you can imagine.
Protect Ryouko.
Change the past, guard the present, preserve the future.
Read the invisitext.
And, um... try to make the most of school, at least while you're stuck there.
(Don't worry, it's not going to be
quite as bad as it sounds.)
<Wakaba> What happened to the school?
<Clarisse> … Oriko happened to the school.
Oriko engaged in an exhaustive campaign of manipulation which left Mami on the edge of a mental breakdown, so technically it was Mami who happened to the school.
<Wakaba> Well yeah, I know, but I mean this.
She attaches a snapshot with a police car visible outside the main gate.
<Clarisse> They're here to make people feel safe, I'm sure.
<Wakaba> No! I mean the fence! It got fancier!
<Sayaka> You mean it got fencier!
Indeed. It was a simple chain link fence before, but in the picture it's been replaced with a rather over-the-top bronze colored affair, a criss-cross pattern of horizontals, verticals, and two different angles of diagonal lines, topped with pointed arches. It looks expensive.
It could be worse. At least you're not suddenly attending an all-girls school.
I'm not sure Kyousuke would appreciate it.
<Wakaba> Oh my god, and that's just the start. There's a whole campus now.
<Clarisse> Oh dear. I imagine we must credit Nanami for this one.
<Nanami> (autoreply) Kinda busy sorry 1 sec
<Wakaba> Just take a look when you can, Nanami.
Nanami, for her part, is up at the top of a cell phone tower, fixing some equipment to build out your secure wireless mesh network, and also to monitor the city for stealthed interlopers. She takes a look.
<Nanami> Oh.
<Wakaba> Oh?
<Nanami> Right, I was wondering why the syllabus looked a little funny. Um, check your files if you don't know where to go.
<Wakaba> What's Mandatory Session?
<Ryouko> If Nanami has rewritten the school to be more like the future, then Mandatory Session is when they teach you things that they've selected out as important, and the rest is self-directed.
<Sayaka> What does that mean?
Sayaka is confused by the entire concept of choosing what you want to learn, and jokes about just slacking off. After further clarification she entertains spending all day training for the swim team, and becoming an Olympic athlete.
<Clarisse> I would recommend against going too heavily into competitive sport. If you were to compete at that level, or become a professional athlete, your performance would be subject to intensive scrutiny. This would put everyone at risk.
<Sayaka> Yeah.
<Sayaka> I mean, I guess it's not quite fair to the other swimmers, either.
<Sayaka> I guess, after everything that happened, that sort of a future is closed to us now. That's a little sad. But, I guess lots more paths have opened up too. We don't really have room to complain.
<Sayaka> So hey, how about martial arts? You suggested it earlier, and it would be cool to get school credit for it too.
<Clarisse> That should be fine. You should check with the school, though.
<Madoka> Sorry I'm late! I had to wake up Mom.
<Wakaba> Don't worry, you're not late.
<Sayaka> Why are you at school so early anyway?
<Sayaka> I'm not even out of bed yet!
<Wakaba> I'm early because Ryouko and Clarisse are coming early for their first day!
<Wakaba> Wait, why are you still in bed?
<Sayaka> ummmmmmmmmm, sleeping?
<Wakaba> … why?
<Nanami> Oh my god, Sayaka, we have twenty fifth century biomedical technology
<Nanami> we're not actually required to sleep at night anymore.
<Sayaka> What?!? OMG
<Nanami> I explained this
<Sayaka> I, um, might have been distracted.
<Nanami> Distracted?!
<Nanami> You are blessed, miraculously, with unspeakably advanced technology
<Nanami> The knowledge of centuries is but a thought away
<Nanami> You possess eternal youth and need no longer fear old age or illness
<Nanami> Was there something more compellingly interesting going on in your life?
<Sayaka> Well, um, no
<Sayaka> But I was checking it out and figured out I could install games
<Sayaka> I never had a phone that could run Sparkle Sparkle Rikka Pretty Dress Up Idol before
<Yuuka> Oh, I love that game!
Madoka laughs.
<Nanami> … I find myself at a loss for words
<Wakaba> Sayaka, you should really pay more attention to these sorts of things.
<Wakaba> I mean, imagine how much more you could have played while you were not sleeping!
<Sayaka> Okay okay, I get it.
"Welcome to what I hope you will find is the finest middle school in Japan," says the principal, "if not the world. Though, I am quite sorry for the mess. An unfortunate business, as you're no doubt already aware."
You're not entirely sure that most transfer students get to meet the principal like this. It's likely because of the unfortunate incident, as he mentioned, though it might also be family connection. You do get the sense that he's especially taking time for this out of a rather busy day.
He goes on to explain that transfer students are quite common at the school, and particularly among students whose families have moved here internationally. While you're not quite an international student yourself, your previous education was in America, so they have assigned you to one of the curriculum coordinators who usually works with international students. Her name is Joanne Valentin.
You fail to entirely hide your surprise.
"It's quite natural to be a little nervous about student-directed study," says the principal, noticing your reaction. "It's freedom, yes, but it also comes as a big responsibility, to take your own future into your hands like that. With the freedom comes the opportunity to make real mistakes. It's a lot easier to sit back and let the adults tell you who you're supposed to be, and what you're supposed to learn, which is how it usually works. The responsibility can seem quite daunting. But you're not on your own. We're here to help you make sense of things, to pursue your best self, and to build your ambitions into a well-rounded curriculum." He smiles. "There are a few standard assignments that Ms. Valentin will supply to help start the process, mostly exercises to help you start thinking about yourself, and your future.
He looks over at the clock, a remarkably old-fashioned gesture.
"You can meet with Ms. Valentin over one of your breaks. For now, though, you should head to class."
"However you prepare them, it is of the utmost importance to use only
cage free eggs. The status quo in Japan is simply
unacceptable from an animal welfare perspective, with batteries of hens who spend their lives locked in tiny cages. We have abandoned the wisdom of tradition, an approach which was sustainable and humane. To patronize this cruelty is to be complicit. Ignorance of how your food is made is not an excuse!"
Saotome-sensei calms herself, and continues.
"Now, the other thing. Today we have not one, but two
very special transfer students."
Transfer students aren't important enough to come first? wonders Ryouko.
She's very passionate, remarks Wakaba.
Yeah, it's like this every day, remarks Sayaka.
As you step into the classroom, you scan the classroom for girls who look like Asami, or who might somehow be Asami in disguise, but it seems it's not going to be quite that easy. It seems you know about half the girls in the class at this point.
"Hello," says Ryouko. "My name is Shizuki Ryouko. It's a pleasure to meet you, and I hope we can all be friends."
There is a round of applause.
"Hello," you say. "My name is Shizuki Clarisse. It's a pleasure to meet you as well."
More applause. Nanami takes a break from looking cool and distracted to acknowledge the two of you, and smiles a bit. Hitomi is beaming, but also seems a little embarrassed. Wakaba is looking at the rest of the class. Some students are looking back and forth between Ryouko and Hitomi. Your other friends are smiling.
"Ryouko and Clarisse have been studying overseas," says Saotome-sensei. "I've heard very good things about the school they went to, so perhaps you can ask them for help with math or science!"
Ryouko, for the time being, is engaged in her attendance at the school as a sort of exercise in anthropological tourism, but the mandatory session content is not particularly informative. You wonder if there is some way to test out of it, but you can also use the time to work on other things, and you help Nanami with some of her telecom work.
What should I tell the coordinator? asks Ryouko, as your break begins.
She is uncertain about how to describe her interests. The obvious things would be Space, and being a part of Important Things, but it's not clear that this would have the desired effect.
How long do you expect us to stay in this timeline? you ask.
This should guide your decision.
She doesn't like that question. It's clear to her that she isn't going to just stay here forever, but at the same time, she feels an obligation to this time and these people — and is concerned about the impact to you and your girlfriend. You have highlighted the conflict and it makes her uncomfortable, but she tentatively imagines staying here through the attack of Walpurgisnacht.
What are you going to do? she asks, entertaining the idea of just copying it to spend more time with you in person for the next month — unsure of what would happen to the two of you back in a Governance timeline, in a war.
You are interrupted by a flurry of questions, as Ryouko is surrounded. The students seem slightly more interested in Ryouko than they do in you.
"You look so much like your sister!" exclaims a girl. "Do you ever pose in photographs together? It would be really cool! You would be really good as models."
"Your hair is really awesome!" adds another. "What do you use to give it that kind of volume?"
"What was it like going to school in America?" asks a boy. "Did you eat a lot of hamburgers?"
"Are you really good at math?" asks a fourth.
"Can you speak fluent English?" asks the boy.
Hitomi seems to have attracted a few questions of her own, presumably about you two.
Do you need any help over there? asks Madoka from across the room.
> Try to make the most of going to school
You have two breaks in the day's instruction that would be good for seeing your curriculum coordinator.
[][Break] Request an escort to the curriculum coordinator's office
[][Break] Shield Ryouko from questions
[][Break] Look for interesting students to talk to yourself
[][Break] Investigate the mysterious magic charms
[][Break] Call to check in on Ophelia and Simona
-[] (write in any call agenda)
You and Ryouko should make curriculum choices!
[][Ryouko] Suggest studies which will give her excuses to play hooky, for operational flexibility
[][Ryouko] Suggest a course of action where she can exfiltrate new scientific knowledge
-[] about space
-[] about medicine
-[] about computing
-[] (write-in)
[][Ryouko] Suggest that she look for opportunities unique to this time period
-[] (write in any ideas?)
[][Ryouko] Permit her to just copy whatever you do
[][Ryouko] Decline to assist in the decision
[][Ryouko] (write in)
[][Clarisse]
Try to spend all the time you can spend studying dance
[][Clarisse] (write in)
You have outstanding concerns regarding Yuuka's safety and well-being.
[][Yuuka] Discuss your concerns with Saotome-sensei
[][Yuuka] Discuss your concerns with the principal
[][Yuuka] Discuss your concerns with Ms. Valentin
[][Yuuka] Discuss your concerns with the police
[] Leave school altogether
