Magical Girl Phantom Ascension

[SpoopyGhost]

You've come this far already, so it would be a waste to turn back now. You make the decision quickly, and not a moment too soon, as an opening in the crowd lets Kichirou finally step aboard one of the train cars, with you following close on his heels. There's an empty corner off to the left that you instinctively make a beeline for; fortunately he seemed to have the same idea, and once again you're left sitting across from him, watching in uncertainty while he's completely oblivious to your presence.

Soon enough, the doors close again, and the train begins pulling out of the station, buildings and streets passing by the windows at a swift yet steady rate as it begins to make a broad circuit. Instead of digging back into his manga, Kichirou props his head up to stare out at the passing view with a bored frown, idly tapping a finger against his knee. You find yourself wondering what's on his mind, but a more pressing question quickly comes to mind - now what? At first you just wanted to see him, make sure he was okay, but even now that you apparently have your answer, it still feels like there's unfinished business here. The sensation is an oddly familiar one - walking into a room only to forget why you went in there, and having to come back five minutes later after remembering again. But this is more important, and soon enough, he'll likely be back at school…

You turn away to watch the view as well, seeing the cityscape pass by - only to be replaced by darkness when the train passes into a hillside, the shadowed tunnel walls making your own reflection clear in the window's glass. Ah, that makes sense. Still, you hesitate.

Should you do it? Nel wanted you to keep your ghostliness a secret from the other magical girls, and your magical girl side secret in general, but would this really fall under either? And Death certainly never asked you to hide away… And what about Kichirou? You glance over at him, then down at your lap. You want someone to talk to, someone familiar, but would it be unfair to him to show yourself? If he tried to talk about it, people would think he was crazy - if he didn't think that about himself first. Your mind flashes back to the Manga he'd set aside; Werewolf Hunter was it?

Still, despite your unease, your loneliness wins out, and you begin to consider just how best to make yourself known. The train's already left the tunnel, again, your reflection gone, but maybe you don't need it… Standing up to instead sit beside him, you try to place your hand on his shoulder - though the train's sudden deceleration as it approaches the next station turns your movement into more of a hard shove.

Oh, great. Kichirou turns around, rubbing his shoulder defensively while searching for the perpetrator, only to be surprised at the lack of anyone in his vicinity. Grumbling under his breath with a frown, he pulls his hoodie over his head and draws the bag with his Manga closer, before returning to staring out the window at the crowd of people waiting to board.

Once the train gets moving again, the train car is considerably more full, leaving you frustrated. Trying to catch his attention now is only going to cause a scene. Plus, the next stop is pretty close to home, so you have no doubt that's where he'll be disembarking…

Fortunately, there's another hillside fast-approaching. This tunnel is much shorter than the last, but you take full advantage of the opportunity this time. Leaning close and putting a finger up to your lips in a shushing gesture, you wait until your reflection is visible in the window again to put your arm across his shoulders. It's just for a moment, but at the way he jolts, eyes going wide, you know he saw. Withdrawing as he whirls on you, you open up the paper bag just enough to let the siblings on the cover of Werewolf Hunter stare up at him, then let it fall closed again, watching him nervously.

Kichirou stares blankly at first, down at the bag, then the seemingly-empty seat beside him. Reaching up to touch the shoulder you'd accidentally shoved, his expression shifts, still unreadable but distinctly different. He turns to stare forward, hands on his lap, and shakes his head as if to clear it.

Then suddenly he turns again and pushes his palm out, nearly shoving you out of your seat altogether. You squawk and flail to keep your balance, grateful once again nobody else could see that, but the point's been made - even if Kichirou can't see you, by the way he's staring in your direction, face as white as a ghost, (hah!) he clearly knows you're here.

His reverie is soon broken by the PA system, announcing again that the train is pulling into the next station. Kichirou quickly grabs his bag, gingerly stepping into the aisle as if expecting to run into you, then scurries to the opening doors. You wince, wondering if you made the wrong decision, but push through the sudden surge of self-doubt to hurry out onto the platform. Your brother is already making his way down the stairs to the sidewalk, not slowing for a moment and forcing you to run to catch up.

It isn't until you're a block and a half away from the station that he finally slows to a halt, giving you much-needed respite. You're not far from his school, in a cluster of small eateries and storefronts that break up the domestic conformity of the neighborhood's endless rows of homes. You're standing in front of an unused building, the dark and empty interior with a single cubicle in the far corner just barely visible through the reflection of the brightly-sunlit street, your reflection clear to see, yet Kichirou isn't looking that way. Staring at his back, perhaps a bit nervously, you find yourself holding your breath as you wonder how he'll react.

"Are you here, Nee-san?" He finally asks, sounding lost. You simply give him another awkward shoulder-pat in response, and he glances to his side, freezing as he finally takes in the window. You smile and wave sheepishly, much like with Midori on the rooftop yesterday. For his part, Kichirou stares at your reflection, brow furrowed, as he blindly reaches over to grasp your arm.

And then he slugs you, hard. "Are you an idiot!?" He demands, "Why'd you have to go and die just like that? I miss you! Mom and dad miss you! What did you think you were doing, not looking where you're going when you cross the street? And now you show up as a ghost or a figment of my imagination acting like nothing's wrong!?!? Jeez, I never thought you could be so rude."

Taken aback at his sudden tirade, you take an unconscious step backward, clutching your shoulder even though it didn't really hurt, and you think you blink slight disbelieving tears out of your eyes. Yet strangely enough, you feel more relieved than anything else, grinning slightly at the almost exasperated tone in his voice. "I'm not just a figment, I'm pretty sure," you say with a shake of your head, only to remember he can't hear you.

"Sorry," he mutters, looking away. "I just… needed to get that out of my system, I think. I know it's not your fault, and… and if you are real, I'm glad you came to see me." He peeks back at the window to check that you're still there. "I really hope I'm not going crazy…"

As for you, you're just trying to figure out how to communicate with him. There is no convenient notebook and pencil present, and you know Kichirou is terrible at the back-writing game, so your usual go-to options aren't available. And since when did this become 'usual?' you ask yourself, before shaking your head to clear the thought; not important. The important thing is, how to talk, without transforming in broad daylight?

Your eyes fall on the bag he's still holding loosely, and an idea forms. Making sure he's watching in the reflection again, you gesture for it; after a moment of confusion, he realizes what you mean, holding it out toward you hesitantly. You reach in, grabbing both manga, and quickly flip through them, scanning the dialogue bubbles for keywords. It isn't ideal, but finally you manage to find a few relevant bits, and drag Kichirou closer to the window so he can see what you're doing. For his part, he's staring at the manga in shock, and you realize belatedly that it looks like they're levitating in midair. Whatever, just a further way to prove you're really here.

Holding the manga up to the window, you flip back and forth between pages, pointing to different panels and specific words, making sure he's following along. Spirits, afterlife, unusual case from the Werewolf Hunter book, then meeting later, can't talk from Power Sentai Riders. His brow is furrowed, but he nods in understanding, looking down at his feet before glancing back up toward you. "How much later?"

How to respond?
> Afternoon (You should have a little time after his school lets out… Though there is the risk of him seeing too much if Nel calls on you mid-conversation.)
> Tonight (You can talk to him for a bit before heading up into the mountains, and the only limit to your time then would be the train schedule.)
> Tomorrow (Your evening is already way too packed; if he can wait for another day you should be more available, provided nothing else unexpectedly comes up.)

 

[SpoopyGhost]

You've left him hanging long enough, you decide. You want to settle this tonight, before you head into the mountains. Flipping through his manga again more to find the right word, you hold it up to the window again, pointing to nighttime, late.

Kichirou frowns slightly, then nods in acceptance. "I guess… I'll see you then. Or, not see you, but you know what I mean." You simply nod in response, before closing up the book and handing it back over to him. He stares at your reflection in the window for several long moments, before sighing. "Tonight, then. Hopefully the world will start making a little more sense again."

You snort a bit, knowing it won't, but send him a reassuring smile, before lightly pushing him towards his school again. Taking the hint, he casts one last glance your way, before turning to run. Despite yourself, you trail behind him just a tad more, watching as he approaches the grounds, taking off his red hoodie and stuffing it in his bag before readjusting his uniform. Soon enough, he's vanished through the front doors, and you're left on your own again.

Glancing up at the sun, you realize it's still mid-afternoon. It'll be a couple of hours before school lets out and you'll be joining the others to question Sakamoto Takuya; not enough time to commit to anything long, yet too much time to do nothing at all. Returning to the bookshop now feels like a waste, and everyone you could currently talk to is busy… aside from Nel, you guess, but you don't feel like dealing with them right now. So… what can you do?

How do you spend your time?
> Go to the library (You don't feel ready yet, but you're starting to wonder if you ever really will be. Maybe it's time to rip off the bandaid, and do some investigation while you're at it)
> Go somewhere quiet (Despite your progress last night, you still want to practice some more; whether to master your ghostly abilities or your magical girl powers, you're not sure. It may be hard to find a good place in broad daylight, but you can figure it out)
> Just explore for a while (It's a beautiful day, and you have unprecedented autonomy now. Perhaps you can visit parts of the city you wouldn't normally go to, and see if you spot anything interesting happening)
> Go home and relax (Honestly, the past few days have been… so much, and tonight is going to be busy as well. It might do you some good to let yourself rest, just a little bit, before embarking on the next wild adventure)

 

[SpoopyGhost]

but the worst of it seems to have passed as well, unless something new comes up. I can't promise this will be extremely fast or consistent going forward, but I'm hoping to at least keep up a pace of an update per week, plus or minus a few days depending on my workload and the lengths of each update.

Click to shrink...

the worst of it seems to have passed as well, unless something new comes up.

Click to shrink...

So... Take a guess what happened. One day I'll learn not to tempt fate like this.

Anyway, I have four pieces of news for everyone:

THE GOOD NEWS: I finally have the next update written, (and then half-deleted and rewritten) despite everything conspiring against it. It's still not one I'm completely satisfied with, but I'm going to post it as-is soon, before I can second-guess myself again and push this back another two or three weeks.

THE BAD NEWS: My original goal of an update per week was clearly too optimistic. So now, I'll be aiming for one every two weeks, unless it's a shorter one; still better than my current average, but hopefully more achievable. My apologies if I disappointed anyone with this most recent failure to meet the deadline.

THE MINOR NEWS: If you'll recall, a while back I mentioned the possibility of a prequel spin-off story written by my current Beta, and as of now that has begun! I'll leave it to her to disclose more about it if she wishes, but I will say that our original plans for it have been altered somewhat. Due to being a preplanned prose-based story rather than a quest, and the chapters will likely be too long to just post as omakes in here, it will be getting its own dedicated thread when the time comes.

THE MAJOR NEWS: I am looking for a new Beta. While I'm thankful to @ColdGoldLazarus for getting me this far, it's clear to both of us that the current system isn't working. I've become far too sporadic as it is, and that's been compounded on several occasions by her own inability to get back to me in a timely manner. It was a mutual decision, and there's no bad blood at play, but we both felt it best that I find someone else to help me since my infrequent periods of availability don't usually match up with hers. Plus, the hope is that with someone more reliable it may push me to put more effort into writing consistently myself. (Similarly, this move should allow her to dedicate a bit more time to her own projects, the aforementioned spinoff being one of them.)

So, if anyone here is interested in filling that role, please send me a message. Ideally, someone who can be reasonably reliable, (I'm not expecting instant responses, mind you, just something within three or four days of me sending it) and offer help with prose (ensuring it's not boring more than anything, I tend to write too straightforwardly) and continuity issues. I may also occasionally ask for feedback on characterization and presentation of the narrative, but that's more of a secondary thing. And as a final note, I may spoil some aspects of upcoming events when asking for advice, (and would like for these things to remain under wraps) but for the most part I will be keeping cards close to my chest, so hopefully taking up this role wouldn't prevent you from being able to enjoy the quest directly, same as before.

Sorry if this all feels a bit stiff and pretentious for what's ultimately just me asking for some help with my silly online magical girl story, but I really do want to be able to get this back in motion instead of spluttering along like it has been. So if anyone is at all interested, please send me a PM. Thank you!

 

[SpoopyGhost]

What you can't do, you decide, is go into the next… fight, or mission, or whatever, with no clue how to control your powers. You've only been in two fights so far, with that old man's monster form in the city, and the corrupted spirit (Death had called it a Wraith, right?) in the school, and neither had gone particularly well. You'd succeeded, at least, but more through luck than anything else. Even setting aside your planned roadtrip tonight, you have a feeling there are more such encounters in your future, and you'll need to be better prepared. So instead of looking at this break as time to fill, maybe this is an opportunity to get some more practice in.

However, another problem quickly presents itself - where to go? Thinking back to the newsreel Nel showed you, you quickly decide against returning to the old bridge - Even if the strange ice patch you created has probably mostly melted away by now, you have little trouble imagining the oddity has attracted some attention, and more displays of your power there would cause more trouble than you need right now. And besides, you'd walked quite a ways to get there last night; going all that way all over again would take up the better part of this break time. What you really need is someplace closer to this neighborhood, yet still much more secluded… The solution presents itself when you turn around, looking back the way you came. The elevated train platform is still there, just a couple of blocks away, but beyond it looms the tall hills, or small mountains, that mark the northern edge of Hitotsutani.

You've been up there before, you muse to yourself as you start walking. Even aside from infrequent visits to your mom at the observatory, there have been a handful of overnight camping trips up in that area, on the rare occasions your father had an actual chance to take time off of work. Of course, there hadn't been as many of those opportunities in recent years, with a few promotions giving him thrice as much responsibility and much more overtime hours, but… he'd still done his best to make time for both you and Kichirou.

Somehow, you suddenly realize, talking with your brother has only made you feel even more lonely.

~~~ .oO◯Oo. ~~~​

You cross a small bridge over a tributary stream at the edge of town, and the neighborhood houses and blue sky are quite abruptly replaced by foliage-covered slopes and a yellow-green canopy. The leaves are clearly beginning to turn, as sure a sign as any that autumn is on its way, and the thought is oddly comforting. Winter will be coming soon after, and you can't wait to once again enjoy the beauty of the falling snow. Even in your current state, maybe you'll at least be able to enjoy that…

You frown again, stopping for a moment to stare down at your shoes. The future… Biting your lip, you force yourself to keep walking, idly searching the sides of the road for signs of a trail, but now your thoughts are once again consumed by a new worry. How long… how long will things be like this? It's already been a couple of days since your awakening into the afterlife, but only now is it starting to sink in that this won't be temporary. The strange new state of things is your new normal, no matter how abnormal it still feels. A sickly feeling rises in your throat, and your phantom heart seems to beat faster, but you push away the sensations and keep marching stiffly, forcing a sort of tunnel vision to block out your sudden worries.

Finally, finally you spot a narrow bike path running for a stretch along the side of the pavement before veering back away into the forest, and quickly make a beeline for it. While the hillsides are fairly steep, this path seems to run through a narrow gulley level with the road, leading away before turning again to vanish among the trees. Perfect. Crossing the narrow strip of grass between road and trail, you head into the forest without hesitation.

It takes another ten minutes or so of walking, but finally you find what you're looking for. The bike path cuts through one end of an oddly-shaped clearing, which slopes downward before abruptly rising again on the far end; in the middle is a large rocky outcropping that should hopefully shield you from being spotted by anyone passing through on the trail. Steeling yourself, you step off the pavement altogether and make your way down into the increasingly tall grass and untamed weeds.

Having achieved your first goal, however, you quickly find the dark thoughts from before making a return. The moment you're hidden behind the boulders, you half-collapse down on yourself, back resting against the rock and knees tucked beneath your chin. You want to cry so, so badly, but the tears refuse to fall. Instead you just sit there, hugging yourself and trembling with unreleased sobs, as the reality of your situation once again crashes cataclysmically down upon your shoulders.

It feels like for every step forward you take, there's some equivalent drawback; every salve on your wounds laced with a bit of poison. In theory, you should be happy with how things are going right now; you've talked to your brother again, you're figuring out your new powers, and you're finally getting a grasp on the responsibilities entrusted to you by both Death and Nelchael. And yet.

And yet, it's sinking in how isolated you've become, the experiences you can no longer share with your family. You even feel isolated from yourself, more focused on practicing for a possible fight than on practicing your art. Your new responsibilities have come with so many new ideas to wrap your head around, earth-shattering revelations of the past and what's been under everyone's noses all along. Even if you've mostly adjusted, it still feels crazy and overwhelming if you pause to really think about it, and you have no idea how to even begin to fix things. All of this, because of a stupid, senseless death that came out of nowhere. And above all else...

Bitter feelings churn within you, and a single thought keeps repeating in your head. This is my life now. You don't feel real anymore, you don't feel like Yukimura Kikuko. Even if you win, fix everything, solve all the mysteries, and save the day... it's almost incidental. You'll still be dead; you don't really have a future anymore.

Perhaps it's ironic, or hypocritical, given the leeriness with which you'd regarded the adulthood bearing down upon you more and more with each passing semester; but now that it's out of your reach, you suddenly find yourself coveting it. Living a normal life, having an apartment and job of your own, maybe even applying your hobbies in some way on the side… The anxiety remains with you, yet those things sound far more appealing now than they did before. Though admittedly, the idea of settling down with someone and starting a family still fails to inspire anything but faint discomfort in you. At least one thing's still consistent...

You bury your face in your knees as another thought hits you - not only has your future been voided, and your past stuck in the past, but your present may not even be consistent for much longer, either. You miss the security of not having to climb through a tiny window every night to come home, but at least it's still an option; once the cold season comes, though, there's no way your parents will be leaving it open. You can't keep sneaking into the laundry alcove forever, but you honestly can't think of any alternative options. The last thing you want to do is let go of the mere scraps left of your life, no matter how much they remind you of being cut off from the real thing.

Even laced with poison, the metaphorical salve is still better than nothing at all.

~~~ .oO◯Oo. ~~~​

Time passes, and your circling thoughts slowly wind down. You find no enlightenment or answers to your problems this time; you're just eventually left too tired to even dwell. When you stand up again, brushing yourself off pointlessly, it's not so much from pragmatism as boredom. You need something better to do with your time, and you came here to do something else to begin with, didn't you? Best to get on that, especially given how much time was already burned just feeling sorry for yourself. With the sun shining down but now at a noticeable angle, you estimate you still have little over an hour or so before you'll be called upon; enough time to work on at least one thing, but probably not multiple.

The first thing you think of are the ghostly traits you still can't control, but just as quickly dismiss that notion. Death's advice was needlessly cryptic, and you're not in the mood to practice becoming even more nonexistent than usual right now. No, it's your actual power as a magical girl that you want to explore today. Thinking back, a few moments quickly stick out to you - The aurora ribbons you'd used against the beastly monster, the strange glyph that had temporarily stunned the dark spirit, and the ice you'd discovered at the bridge - all seem like they're worth getting more familiar with. Question being, which one to start with?

What to practice?
> The Auroras (They're the most straightforward, but perhaps if you're more consistent with the basics, the rest will come easier later)
> The Symbols (You're still not entirely sure what you'd done that night, but if you can figure it out, your options may expand dramatically)
> The Snow (Power over ice seems useful to get a better grasp of, not too simple but not too complex… hopefully, anyway.)

 

[SpoopyGhost]

First of all, sorry for vanishing for so long.
In hindsight, there was a really unfortunate confluence of burnout and irl difficulties that both contributed to the quest stalling out, even though at the time I thought it was only the latter, and that I could simply manage away the stuff that was happening. I couldn't and honestly probably shouldn't have tried to, but I suppose hindsight is 20/21. The tone of the last update is probably a pretty good indicator of where my head was at as a result. And on top of that there was a certain sort of burnout from metaphorically spinning my wheels without getting anywhere, overthinking everything and letting perfectionism get to me, without much if any real meaningful writing progress to show for it. I legitimately didn't intend to take over a year off, but that's how it turned out, for better or worse. Hopefully better, though.

Which brings me to the good news - things have settled down IRL, and my mental health is much improved. I am rather busy, mind, but still in a place where I feel like I can make better use of the free time I do have.

And well, yesterday I was contacted by my beta (more on that below) who was reminded of the quest and wanted to know if I had any plans of continuing it.

To answer, yes I do.

Like I said, I'm much busier these days, so finding the time to write will be a bit difficult; I don't expect updates will be especially frequent. However, I do feel like it can be done, and provided things go well, hope to at least maintain some measure of consistency.

The other matter that slowed things down before the hiatus was scheduling and communication issues with me and my beta; that's why I put out that request for alternatives. My original beta, in addition to reminding me if this, is still interested in helping, so I will be keeping her on. However, starting a new job, still can't make any promises on consistency, so rather than relying solely on her, I'm also planning to work with one of the people who responded to my call for help before. Hopefully with both of them to help when they can, it should make this easier to maintain and less of a load on either individually.

I will admit I still haven't actually sat down yet to resume writing, as I'm only coming back to this all in the past few days, but I'm feeling much more confident about how to approach it, so I plan to make good on that soon. In the meantime, I thought I should let everyone know that there will be something to look forward to from this again.

Kikuko may be deceased, but her story is dead no longer.

 

[SpoopyGhost]

First, some news; the update is written, and is in the middle of the editing process. I think it will be ready soon, but all three of us are fairly busy, so I'm trying to avoid rushing anything.

Second, as a result of the discussions we've had, I have gone back and made a few changes in older updates.

-In 3E, I changed the phrasing of Kikuko leaving the bookshop slightly, as the original gave the impression she was ghost-phasing through the door.
-In 1A, I changed the descriptions of several of the ring colors, to better reflect my intentions and be more accurate in connotation.

Ergo, Green has gone from Creative to Clever; Blue has gone from Straightforward to Consistent; Purple has gone from Mysterious to Esoteric; and Pink has changed from Peaceful to Purehearted. Orange and Red remain the same as they were before, however.
(EDIT: I also realized that sometime separate from this post, I had changed Red from Aggressive to Passionate.)
Yellow, had it been included, would be Dynamic.

-Fixed a typo in the Halloween Omake.

That is all for now

 

[SpoopyGhost]

The rush of euphoria that always comes with the transformation somewhat overrides your dour mood, but it sweeps away just as quickly; leaving you feeling more level-headed, but still glum. Regardless, you're now clad in your shimmering purple dress, and as ready to start practicing as you can be at the moment. You don't have the energy for something especially complex, you decide, not today at least; so maybe you should start simple. You've known the Auroras the longest, and thus far they've been the easiest to create, so you may as well focus on perfecting that. With a swing of your naginata, you begin.

~~~ .oO◯Oo. ~~~​

At first, all you succeed in doing is swinging your weapon around pointlessly, the strings of beads hanging from the blade flailing wildly and getting tangled up in each other. Even if nobody's around to observe, you still feel thoroughly embarrassed with yourself. You're sure an actual practitioner would be either amused or disgusted by your unskilled thrashing, and you have to wonder what's different now compared to before. When you were fighting the Gushiken-san beast, you were just hoping for something to happen; then later against the corrupted spirit, you weren't even thinking about it at all, more worried about the imminent danger you were in. Last night by the river, of course, you were thinking of that memory of the northern lights. Now that you're here and intentionally focusing on channeling your power, though, it's not working at all.

With more than just a small bit of annoyance, you're reminded again of Death's vague advice. "Just, what I do know is that it's something easier to do when you aren't thinking so hard about doing it. Something along those lines." As much as you hate to admit it, she might be onto something. Brute-forcing it just isn't happening, and you're not in immediate danger like the first two times… So perhaps the third time should be your inspiration?

Closing your eyes, you cast your mind once again to that snowy, gorgeous night. In the sunlight, with the rustling of autumn leaves and the smell of the forest around you, it's harder to visualize it as vividly as before, but you are still swept up in awe and comfort. This time, you see success again, a slower, more graceful swing overhead leaving a shimmering trail of light. Glad to see it working, you double down on that feeling.

Even while keeping that memory at the forefront, you still do your best to observe the trails, experimenting as you trace through the air, and soon find that you can change their properties, to an extent. Jerkier, faster swings produce auroras that fizzle out fairly quickly; while more gradual movements create longer-lasting ones, that remain hanging in the air for several minutes before even beginning to show signs of fading. Similarly, the more strongly you hold that memory in your mind, the brighter and more solid-feeling your weapon's wake is, while it becomes hazier and less bold whenever you become distracted, more like a cloud than a curtain. It even cuts out a few more times altogether when you're struck by intrusive thoughts - How much longer until the meeting? Did Kichirou make it back to his classes on time? - but you're able to refocus back on what you're doing more easily each time.

Additionally, you pause your aimless sky-doodling a few times to more directly test their properties. Trying to hold one, you're surprised to find your hand passing right through it. Then you scoff, remembering you're still a ghost, too… and then sit down on a nearby boulder without the slightest bit of phasing. It takes only a bit longer after that to realize you were wrong - the aurora simply seems to be selective about what can pass through it, with pebbles and twigs thrown at it bouncing off, while you yourself can walk back and forth through without any trouble, aside from a slight ticklish sensation against your 'skin'. You wonder if anyone else would be permitted through as well, but there's a distinct shortage of nearby volunteers right now. At the same time, recalling the staircase you had made during that first fight, you find you can still step on them without falling through. Perhaps your intention is all it takes; it thankfully seems much more consistent than your usual phasing attempts.

Finally you experiment with the rigidity, trying to create an aurora that's more flexible and banner-like instead of the rigidly fixed trails you've been making thus far. Despite your best efforts, though, nothing you can think of seems to work, and your efforts are beginning to draw you out of the memory. Your instinct is telling you that it should be possible, but you just can't think of how to make it happen.

~~~ .oO◯Oo. ~~~​

By the time the sun's nestled comfortably between the western hills and beginning to sink behind them, you feel you're a bit more familiar with how this is supposed to work. You're not as confident in your ability to call on it in an emergency, given how specific the trigger seems to be and how much concentration it takes to center in your mind, but you decide that that's a problem for another time. As if on cue, a now-familiar door rises from the ground between two trees at the edge of the clearing, and Nel comes through - before abruptly jumping back in alarm.

"Are you fighting something!?" they ask, glancing quickly around the clearing as if expecting something hostile to leap out at any moment.

Belatedly, you realize you're now surrounded by an uneven dome of shimmering light, the leftovers of your experimentation. "No, I'm fine. Just getting in some practice." Stepping outside of the accidental shell you've made for yourself, you stand beside the Shade and cast a critical eye over your handiwork. "I think it should fade soon enough?" You suggest, before gesturing at the large boulder you've been working beside. "And well, at least it's hidden from the path down there. I… don't know if I can erase all this myself."

"Well, as long as it's hidden, we can worry about that another time," Nel decides, before turning to you with a shift in posture. "I've gathered everyone else already, for our first proper meeting as a team. Uh, minus our still undecided pink member… But whatever! The important thing is, nobody else is transformed at the moment, but obviously if you do the same, they can't meet you and vice-versa. You've gotten by so far with just Kazane-san, but now we're going to need everyone to be on the same page. Still, I also don't want your condition to get out lest they get the wrong idea, so I'm going to have to ask you to remain transformed during this, so you don't stick out too much."

Glancing down at your flowing dress and the faintly sparkling purple-black fur lining your vest and boots, you can't help but raise a skeptical eyebrow. "Right, because this is so very ordinary."

Nel sighs. "I think it's the best option, for now at least. We can figure out a better solution later, if the need arises."

There seems to be a theme this evening, not that you have any better ideas either. With a bit of concentration, you dismiss your weapon, the polearm turning into ice and melting away into vapor and nothingness. "Alright, point taken. Anything else?"

"Ah, yes. I meant what I said about having nearly the full team together now - I took your advice from earlier, and managed to get the next girl to join! So along with Kazane-san, Varma-san, and Shimizu-san, there will also be Kasai-san joining you to visit the bookshop, and she seems promising!" Opening the door again, they usher you through first. "Despite Shimizu-san's misgivings, I think you were right, and everything will turn out just fine."

You and Nel walk in on a shouting match.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?" A tiny girl glares furiously from one corner of the room, clenched fists turning her knuckles white, and looking ready to leap over Nel's desk with murderous intent if not for Midori half-heartedly holding her back.

In the opposite corner, Pallavi is much more effectively restraining Masami, though the bluenette seems to need it less, simply opting to cross her arms over her chest and imperiously stare down the newcomer. Regardless, she's no less hostile, her voice just barely maintaining a composed and level tone, you suspect, out of a need to maintain the superior attitude more than anything else. "I'm simply impressed," Masami grinds out, "that you seem to be taking this with the same amount of care that you approach everything else in your life. That is to say, none at all."

"OH SHUT UP!" the other girl explodes. "I'm taking this plenty seriously! I get what's important here! Meanwhile, I bet you had to be convinced it wouldn't get in the way of your stupid studies and stuff, right? Because who cares if people get hurt when you could stop it, so long as you keep your PERFECT GODDAMN GRADES, right?"

Masami's face contorts in rage, and suddenly Pallavi's actually having to dig in her heels to keep the bluenette from advancing. "THAT'S NOT… You know it isn't like that!"

"Do I now?" Kasai-san challenges, but there's no satisfaction in her tone. "Do I really?"

While this is happening, you edge closer to Nel, before leaning in. "'Things will turn out fine'? You know, I don't remember giving any such advice," you mutter dryly to the Shade. "Pretty sure you must have misheard me or something."

"Very funny," they pout, before straightening up and stepping into the center of the room. "Alright, alright, please calm down, everyone." Thankfully, their sudden presence distracts the arguing pair; Masami straightens up as if chastised by a teacher, while the much shorter girl simply shakes Midor's hand off her shoulder and grumpily takes a seat. "It's… quite clear that there's a difference of opinion here, and we will have to talk about that later. For now, though, I hope we can all agree that what's important is that you are magical girls! And so it is your job to do good and save the day!"

You find yourself watching everyone, wondering what they'll make of that. Pallavi seems most invested, nodding sagely as she also takes a seat. Midori, meanwhile, just gives a noncommittal thumbs-up, remaining leaning against the wall. Masami bows her head, but only briefly, before sitting down as far from the newcomer as possible; while Kasai-san just shrugs before pulling up her legs to her chin and wrapping her arms around them, glaring down at the floor and looking oddly adorable despite that. For your part, you continue to hover awkwardly at the back wall, hoping not to be noticed.

"Starting off, I wanted to introduce everyone to your other teammate; Yukimura-san." Nel gestures toward you, and suddenly you're pinned down by several stares. (You mentally resolve to get them back for this later, somehow.)

"She was actually the first to join," Nel continues obliviously, "and has already been working hard to fix things, so please be sure to give her your thanks." Pallavi tilts her head curiously at this, but Nel quickly plows on. "Kazane-san, you've already worked with her, of course, but for the rest of you, now is the chance to introduce yourselves."

Nel hasn't even finished speaking before Pallavi is suddenly standing up and right in front of you, shaking your hand, retracting it just as suddenly, and bowing sheepishly. "Hello! Oh, my apologies, I forgot again… Anyway, hello! My name is Pallavi Varma. It's a pleasure to meet you! Oh, I love your dress, it's so fashionable! A bit out of season, but that doesn't really matter if it's what you feel best in, right? I love how well it compliments your…"

"Uh, hello?" Even having seen her greet Midori the previous day wasn't enough to prepare you for the sheer energy of her introduction, and you can't even keep up as she continues to chatter animatedly. Extroverts. Even by the time she finally finishes up and has returned to her seat, you feel like your eyes are surely still spinning in dizziness.

Unfortunately you're given little time to recover, as Masami strides up next, looking down at you with a critical gaze. (Somehow, despite being shorter than Pallavi, she feels so much taller in comparison.) "Shimizu Masami. Future Prime Minister of Japan. You can call me Shimizu-san." And then she gives a surprisingly sincere bow that you return in kind; it's only once she's striding back to her seat that the middle part of her statement hits you upside the head.

While you're still reeling from that, the newest girl finally stands back up and shuffles over to you. After Masa- er, Shimizu-san all-but-looming over you, it's a welcome change to be the one looking down, but you quickly find her just as intimidating anyway. In contrast to Shimizu-san's perfectly-aligned uniform, this girl is wearing a baggy hoodie and tracksuit pants, both incredibly wrinkled and faintly musty, the former marked with numerous unidentifiable stains, faded but noticeable. She's slouching with hands in pockets and has deep bags under her eyes, but there's a certain tension about her posture that makes you instinctively shy away. Her hair, at least, seems to be well-cared-for, pitch-black and glossy, arranged in deliberately messy downward-raked spikes like some sort of shounen protagonist. Either that or it's just legitimately messy but manages to look intentional. You're not sure if that would be better or worse.

"M'name's Kasai Miho. Nice dress. You watch any anime?"

"Uhhh, Werewolf Hunter?" You offer, pulling the first name that comes to mind before abruptly realizing you haven't actually seen any of it yourself.

"Really?" She seems to perk up abruptly, amber eyes suddenly twinkling with interest. "Maybe we could talk about it later? How far are you?"

You're saved from answering, thankfully, by Nel coughing(?) pointedly; Miho reluctantly returns to her chair as everyone turns their attention away from you again. (You sigh in relief, and decide your earlier thoughts of vengeance were too premature.)

"Okay, with all that done, shall we get down to business?" A round of agreement (more enthusiastic than before) comes from the gathered girls, and Nel nods in satisfaction. Tapping on their desk, they once again project a screen on the wide window behind them, showing the two photographs you'd seen earlier - Sakamoto Takuya the book seller, and Nomura Yuudai the construction worker.

"I have already told some of you in lesser detail, but not everyone. One of the potential brewing problems we've observed is the presence of several unnaturally similar clones, who have seemingly absolutely no relation with one-another, living in the city. It's not a whole lot to go on, but it still seemed suspicious enough to warrant investigation. Ergo, your plan for this evening is to visit the Ai No Atsumari book shop and question the owner," they tap on the photo of Takuya, enlarging it.

"Since we don't know for sure whether this is something big or not, you will all be going un-transformed, both to avoid drawing suspicion if there's truly nothing wrong, and to avoid tipping them off if they are up to some nefarious scheme." (You find yourself questioning how well that may work with your need to remain transformed to be seen, but in here surrounded by the others certainly isn't ideal to mention this.) "In addition… Oh, right!"

Oh right indeed. You resist the urge to facepalm, realizing quickly that Nel's airheadedness has struck again. (Maybe revenge is back on the table after all…)

"In addition, I had Yukimura-san conduct some initial reconnaissance of the place earlier, to see if she could detect any suspicious activity that could help with the questioning. I uh, forgot to ask about your observations when I picked you up. Would you like to present your findings to the others?" Usually this sort of question wouldn't be a question at all, but Nel seems to be genuinely asking. Still, with all eyes on you again, you're caught on how to respond.

What To Say?
> Yes; it's a good idea to know what's going on (given you saw something was definitely up, it would probably be a good idea to make sure the others know what to expect, in case things take a turn for the worse. Even if you're not thrilled about being the one to give that information out, and telling the whole story might give away too much other stuff…)
> No; it's better for the others to go in without any preconceived notions (There's too many sensitive personal details to really give a proper recounting, without risking Nel's desire for secrecy, or your brother potentially coming up. And to be honest, you've never exactly been the type for public speaking of any sort. And also the preconception thing too, you guess.)
> Sure; you guess (If you give an extremely abbreviated recap of only the most relevant parts, you can speed through this and skip the awkwardness, while still letting the group know what to look out for.)

 

[SpoopyGhost]

As a note of interest, I was able to edit together a rough but hopefully helpful depiction of the rings used by Kikuko and the others. The type of jewelry differs from team to team, so there may be a set of seven earrings, seven bracelets, and so on, but all feature this colored crushed crystal element in their design.


Kasai Miho

Pallavi Varma

[Error - Missing]

Kazane Midori

Shimizu Masami

Yukimura Kikuko

[To Be Determined]

(I have also resumed progress on the update revisions, and intend to have it to my betas later today.)
(Edit: It has been sent. Waiting for feedback from them, now.)

 

[SpoopyGhost]

You don't remember the last time you were called up to the chalkboard or asked to do a reading in class; most teachers seemed to casually forget your presence after a while, which always suited you just fine. On the few occasions it had occurred, you vaguely remember hiding behind your hair and rushing through it as quickly as possible, to avoid getting any more attention than strictly necessary. It wasn't exactly what you'd call a harrowing experience, but it was never one you were eager to repeat.

Now, cornered by at least four sets of eyes, (and Nel's hidden but no less clear expectant gaze) you can feel that familiar rising anxiety, looking away so your hair can shield your face. If you still had a heart you're sure your pulse would be racing faster, and your thoughts are most certainly starting to.

For a moment, you're very tempted to reject this altogether, say something about going in without expectations… but no, you have a responsibility now. If nothing else, you should say something so your scouting trip won't have been pointless. (Seeing your brother wasn't pointless, you remind yourself.)

Right, your brother. What would Nel think, let alone the others, if you admitted to skipping out on a potentially very important phone call to chase after him? What would the others think of you having a sibling? Even if you doubt Midori or Shimizu-san would pry, Pallavi seems far too eager to know her new teammates to hold back, and you just plain don't know what to expect from Miho. And if any of them found out who your brother was somehow, it wouldn't take long to realize his only sibling had died nearly a week ago now. It wouldn't be news to Midori, but she wasn't the one you were concerned about going digging in the first place. And through all this, you can still feel the stares.

Nel makes some garbled approximation of a throat-clearing noise, and you suddenly realize you've been standing there like a deer caught in headlights for far too long now. Remembering your hurried readings in class, you decide to just resort to the same tactic here as well.

Squaring your shoulders and letting out a deep breath, you stride forward to Nel's desk with the same feeling as a prisoner marching to their execution. (The thought that the former doesn't really matter without lungs and the latter would simply be redundant, fails to bring you any comfort.) Once you reach it, you turn sharply on your heel, stiffly stare at the back wall to avoid meeting anyone's gaze, and do your best to get this over with fast.

"Went to the bookshop, hid away for a while. They had some jars with pink stuff inside. They're also looking for something else in the city, but I think they haven't found it yet? Spoke a different language for a bit. Said something about calling someone, but… I wasn't able to listen in on it. After that, I don't think anything else happened, and I left to take care of… other business."

With that, you return to your original position at the back wall, nearly tripping on your own dress in the process; trying not to look too much like you're fleeing the proverbial spotlight, and likely failing miserably. Keeping your expression neutral, you lean on the wall to keep yourself from completely sinking to the floor, aware of nothing but the slightly chilled metal panels supporting you. And then the spiral sets in.

You're not cut out for this. You can barely talk to one of them at a time, let alone the whole group. This is so much worse than your classmates, too; you never really needed to know anybody, didn't need to know Midori was always watching you from a few desks over, but this is different. Now you actually have to get to know them and work with them, and their opinions matter. How can you do that when you're too scared to talk to them? Not to mention all the secrets you've been keeping.

Maybe if you'd have been braver and just said you didn't want to talk about your brother you wouldn't be feeling so bad. On the other hand, admitting why you left wouldn't be any better, everything Shimizu-san has said about Miho applies thricefold to you when you don't want to be here doing this you want to just selfishly hide away in your room and draw forever and pretend you're still alive and the world isn't burning down outsid-

A gentle hand touches your shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Looking up, you see Pallavi standing over you, head tilted in curiosity but eyes soft and free of expectation. "You seemed lost in thought. Are you alright? We're heading out now." Glancing beyond her, you find Nel's opened a door on one of the side walls, with Shimizu-san and Miho already gone. Midori's loitering on the threshold, glancing back at you and Pallavi with a stormy expression.

"I'm… here." you mumble. For better or worse she's pulled you off the downward train your thoughts were taking, even if they linger in the back of your mind. "But thanks, for… asking, I guess. You're right, I just got lost in thought."

With a relieved grin, she pulls you closer for a hug, then evidently thinks better of the action and lets you go for another bow. "Happy to help! And uh, like Nelchael-buchou said, it seems you've been doing a lot already, so thank you very much for your hard work." She bows again, looking a little bit self-conscious, before retreating across the office and out the door in a blink.

Taking another moment to steady yourself, you follow after at a slower pace; once she sees you're coming, Midori makes her exit as well. Before you can follow suit, though, the door abruptly snaps shut, and Nel sighs behind you. "Can I ask you to stay a moment?"

Resisting the urge to grumble about your evident lack of choice in the matter, you instead round on the Shade expectantly. "What now?"

Nel's back at their desk, sitting down for once, the clouds that (conceal? make up?) their form looking somehow… droopier than usual. "A few things, really." Taking a seat where Pallavi had been previously, you maintain your level stare, willing them to elaborate. "First of all, I did not mean to put you on the spot like that. I could sense some of your distress through the ring; had I known it would have that kind of impact, I wouldn't have asked that of you, and I will not do so in the future."

"It's o-…" It's not okay, really. You bite your lip. "It's over with now, that's the important thing. No hard feelings." You don't have the time or emotional energy for this right now, and the idea of your feelings being an open book doesn't exactly feel great either. "What else is there?"

Nel seems to give you a searching look (you're too tired at this point to be bothered by how hard it is to tell) but ultimately gives in and moves along. Dragging the box of rings from the far corner of the desk, they open up the top to stare at the lone pink ring remaining, still nestled in the very center. "I don't make a business of prying into your head, if that's a concern. Typically, the connection is supposed to be so faint that I couldn't tell at all, and it is that way with the others, but perhaps it's a bit stronger for you due to the lack of a physical body? So I wanted to inform you of that now, since you have a right to know. I will request an inhibitor of some sort, just to preserve your privacy, but until I obtain it, that's something to be aware of."

You grimace, unhappy with this turn of events, but give a begrudging nod. "Thank you, I guess."

They glance up from the pink ring sheepishly, before turning serious again. "Either way, I still can't sense anything more than a faint undercurrent from you, unless you're having a spike of severe emotion. Such as just now… or about an hour and a half ago."

You sink lower in your chair.

"In addition to that, you stated that you needed to leave the bookshop to take care of something else." They're clearly curious, despite their best efforts to pretend otherwise. "And I noticed that you were feeling bad earlier, but I was… preoccupied at the time. So… if you want to talk about it, I am your advisor."

What to sa-

No. No, you really don't want to talk about it right now. The only one you can imagine confiding in right now is your brother, and if you weren't ready to bring this up with the others, there's no way you're about to spill to Nel. As well-meaning as they may be, you just can't see your airheaded alien quest-giver having anything helpful to say, even if you could somehow bring yourself to speak in the first place. No, not right now.

Instead, you seize on the other part of their sentence, hoping to distract them. "Preoccupied, you said? With what?"

Thankfully it seems to work, their gaze turns back to the ring as their clouds droop further. "Nitta Mari. Age thirty-seven. A lawyer, and a mother."

"What?"

Nel sighs. "After I returned from recruiting Kasai-san, I got news from one of the other agents in the city, that another person has gone missing. Do you remember what I told you, the first night, about everything that's been going on lately?"

Glancing up at the ceiling, its redwood beams still making an odd juxtaposition with the geometric metal panels of the walls, you strain to recall. "The clones, obviously. And the monsters. And there was something about… tremors underground?" You're not sure how an ordinary earthquake is of any concern, but refrain from the temptation to make a snarky comment; the mood doesn't seem right.

"Yes, all of that too," Nel mutters tiredly, before resuming "And people vanishing at random, was the other one. I didn't really explain in full at the time, given there were more pressing concerns, but there have been a series of disappearances lately, in broad daylight no less."

You frown, wondering where this is going. "Is this something you need me to take care of while the others are at the bookstore?"

"Not really," Nel sighs again. "Because I think this is something we will need the full team for." Glancing back at the pink ring, you catch on to their meaning. "None of the disappeared people have returned on their own, and all we've been able to find thus far is the faintest residue of a portal opening where they were. This is something different even from our transportation," they wave vaguely at the still-raised door on the wall, "and while our resident Vault team do have the capability to reconstruct it, their duties require them to stay here, in reserve. Eventually, I'm going to have to send you and the others through, but I don't want to do that until we have our Pink, and until Kasai-san and Shimizu-san can settle… whatever it is between them. But until then, people will keep vanishing, and Ms. Nitta-san is the latest. I cannot send them help without feeling like I'm sending all of you to vanish forever as well."

"I see." Your impatience has drained away, and you're reminded of your earlier sense of helplessness, and how poorly your hiring advice has aged. "I wish I knew what to say, but… I really don't."

Deflating further, Nel rests their limbs across the desk. "If only I was CilΞoatl~Ψerachmiel… she would surely know what to do…"

"Sil-choat… what?" You stumble on the unfamiliar syllables and strange sense of auditory color just as you had with Nel's full name.

Sensing your confusion, they strangely seem to perk up a bit at the chance to explain. "CilΞoatl~Ψerachmiel! She's another advisor! Or was, anyway. I guess you could call her my senpai, though maybe idol is a better word for it… She's managed several magical girl teams here in Japan in the past few decades, quite possibly one of the best at what she does. She even got to take on a human gender! Helped her teams solve their incidents with a nearly flawless success rate, too." They sigh again, but this time it's a lot less heavy. "Unfortunately she retired a few years back, though, and has become rather reclusive since. I wanted to meet her again now that I'm an advisor too, but I guess not."

You blink intelligently, not sure what to make of the sudden deluge of information and shift in tone. Thankfully, you're spared from having to respond as Nel goes prattling on.

"But if she were here, I bet she could fix those two arguing right away! She was so good at managing her teams, she could get girls who hated each other completely to love each other by the end." They pause for a moment before chuckling "... Literally, in one case. Apparently that team is a happy polycule to this day, with many children."

You blanch. "Right, yeah, I don't want to hear any more." You can't imagine yourself wanting to kiss the others, let alone anything more. "Perhaps it's for the best that you're not her…"

Nel looks confused, but you quickly move on. "Anyway, that's all unfortunate, but you said it yourself; there isn't anything we can do about it right now, right?"

They nod reluctantly. "Right."

You pause for a moment before resuming. "We'll save Nitta-san and the others eventually, but right now, there's still this matter at the bookshop to take care of. So… may you let me go to take care of that now?"

That finally seems to snap Nel out of their sudden starstruck swooning, and they quickly return to their typical businesslike demeanor. "You're right. I'm sorry. But yes, I will do that now."

You're halfway out of your seat when they stop you again. "Wait, there was one more thing!" Grumbling slightly, you simply nod in response this time. "I wanted you to be transformed for this briefing, but I realized that you might attract attention if you go like this to the bookshop."

"I had thought of that earlier, yes."

"So I wanted to ask if you think it would be more appropriate to shadow the group like you had at the hospital, or remain as you are now."

How To Do This?
> Shadow The Group. (Your earlier spying proved the owners couldn't detect your presence as a ghost. Nel can wave off your apparent absence later if need be, though doing this too many times may raise suspicion among the others.)
> Remain Transformed. (Without your Naginata on hand, you simply look a little overdressed for the occasion, but not especially suspicious. Furthermore, as long as you keep to the back of the group, you can still have some input in the conversation and react faster if something goes wrong.)

 

[SpoopyGhost]

Taking a moment to mull it over, you stare down at the wood grain of Nel's desk as you weigh your options. On one hand, even if your panic attack seems to have gone mostly unnoticed, and ideally the others should be more focused on the bookshop than on you for the remainder of the night anyway, you don't know that for sure. With it potentially still fresh in everyone's minds, you're not especially keen on being visible in their presence until some time has passed - and you're afraid of it repeating if you find yourself put on the spot again.

Yet at the same time, if they expect to at least see you coming with, failing to make your presence known now may bring more attention later that you would rather not deal with either. Between being asked why Nel held you back for a few minutes now, or being interrogated on why you were absent from something specifically meant for the entire team, the first option seems like the lesser of two evils.

As long as you stay near the back and keep your head down, it should be fine.

"I'll stay like this, I think. I know what to expect, and uh, better to bond with the team… or something," you mumble as a half-hearted excuse. Even Nel seems to see through you easily, but says nothing more. With a gesture they re-open the door, and you stand again to make a hesitant retreat.

~~~ .oO◯Oo. ~~~​

The same brick alley that you visited before feels different at night. The orange glare of a streetlamp at one end blots out the stars and gives it a grungier feeling; cracks in the pavement are more noticeable somehow, the dumpsters casting long, low shadows. The hustle and bustle of activity from earlier in the day is gone now, replaced with strange silence and the muted city ambience that seeps in, echoing and distorted, from each end. The breeze that whips through is both cuttingly cold and uncomfortably warm, somehow, and brings a putrid scent of rotting garbage and gasoline that makes you wrinkle your nose in dismay. You resist the urge to resummon your naginata to feel the pole's pleasant steel chill in your palms, instead crossing your arms over your chest and tucking your hands away.

However, you at least quickly find the others, standing in a group under the aforementioned streetlight and casting quizzical glances back your way as Nel's door shuts and slides away behind you. Hastily trudging over, you simply mutter "Wanted to let me know about something else going on" by way of explanation. "It's not something we can really deal with right now, though."

Shimizu-san nods in acknowledgement. "Let's not waste any more time, then." With that, she turns on her heel and strides down the sidewalk, leaving the rest of you to belatedly scramble after her.

As opposed to the dim and grimy alleyway, the main road manages to retain its cozy, well-lit daytime atmosphere even after hours. The amber glow of the streetlamps and storefronts illuminate the undersides of the trees' leafy canopies that cover the road like a high roof, giving the illusion of a much more substantial shelter than they actually provide. A few shops have already shut down for the evening, but most have not, and you find yourself glancing longingly at a delicious-smelling noodle place across the street. Even if you don't feel any stirrings of genuine hunger, the sudden craving asserts itself all the same.

While there are still a few pedestrians out and about, not needing to dodge your way through the heavy crowds of before makes this trip considerably shorter and easier, the shop sign visible only a block and a half away. It's not an extensive walk, but you take the time regardless to examine the others once more. Mainly to gauge whether they're paying you any mind after earlier, if you're honest with yourself, but there is also some genuine curiosity at play as well.

Trailing in back, Midori has her hands buried in her hoodie's front pocket, hunched over slightly and staring at the ground with the same glower you'd noticed her wearing before. She catches you watching her, and straightens up with a quick (and unnervingly convincing) fake smile, but when you start to turn away, in the corner of your vision you see it drop away just as quickly.

Pallavi is strolling along just ahead of you, looking rather relaxed as she takes in the scenery much like you were. At one point she slows down a bit, glancing over to you and opening her mouth to speak, but seems to think better of it before she can say anything, grinning sheepishly before returning to her original position ahead. You're not entirely certain what to make of that.

Shimizu-san's lead is quickly matched and slightly overtaken by Miho; even though the two pointedly ignore each other, you can't help but notice the bluenette competitively speed up in response. Pallavi chuckles to herself, while Midori facepalms; you nearly follow the latter example. Shortly before the intersection, Miho abruptly takes off running, stopping right before the road with pinwheeling arms and slapping the crossing button, before turning back to Shimizu-san with a smug grin. "Beat ya!" she says, and you see Shimizu-san's silhouette stiffen.

Marching the remaining distance only to stand in waiting, Shimizu-san remains frosty. "So you did. I'm sure that was an excellent use of your effort and energy."

Miho's expression immediately sours again. "Like you would know. Can't do anything anymore unless you've read it out of a textbook first."

"Why are you two waiting when there's no cars coming?" Rolling her eyes at the reignited argument, Midori points out the lack of moving vehicles anywhere in the vicinity. With a halfhearted glance in either direction and a shrug, she swaggers past them both to step carelessly out into the street.

The sound of screeching tires and the sensation of wind knocked from you by a sudden impact and an abrupt stop. The creeping feeling of burning pain and numbness and the sight of the blue sky turned red and the taste of copper and the wetness in your lungs…

Fighting for the air to scream, you manage to drag in a long, shuddering, painful breath, and croak out "help me…"

You're standing frozen on the sidewalk, blankly staring at four oblivious retreating backs, and you drop the hand you didn't realize you had outstretched towards them. If you still had a heart, it would be in your throat and racing a million miles an hour.

It takes you too long to realize nothing actually happened. Midori made it across the intersection safely, and in fact everyone but you is now on the other side, unaware for the moment that you'd fallen behind. They're all safe, and for that matter so are you. Jogging across before anyone can notice your pause, it's hard to resist the urge to detransform and hide away anyway, this time from shame. Why is your head such a mess tonight?

To distract from these thoughts, you focus back on the ongoing bickering ahead of you. "-till don't understand why you were picked to be part of this team. I'm sure you were only convinced to join over the promise of senseless violence like in your video games."

Miho, walking backwards in front of the bluenette, gives a sardonic grin. "You know what, sure. That's exactly it, you've figured me out completely." She comes to a sudden stop in a darker stretch of sidewalk; a closed-down storefront on one side, and shielded from the road by a parked truck on the other. She holds up her arm, and just as you realize what she's about to do, her ring flashes red.

Blinking the light from your eyes, you find her baggy hoodie and sweatpants have been replaced with an almost surprisingly cute dress. A dark red corset tightly hugs her small frame, over a long-sleeved black undershirt. Her legs are clad in dark transparent tights, leading down to a pair of small ruby-colored heeled pumps that sparkle unnaturally brightly even in her dimmer surroundings. Finally, completing the ensemble is a three-layered skirt that extends to her knees, colored in black, red, and orange, respectively. Interestingly, all three skirts flare out taut, with the bottom hems each maintaining a perfectly circular ring around her legs. Clearly, rigid hoops must be inside to hold the form and keep them weighted; each sways independently of the others as she rocks her hips and twists around to look herself over.

All of that, however, is secondary to the dress's most noticeable feature. The top layer of her skirt sports a crackling flame graphic that actually moves within it; clearly woven in yet impossibly changing its shape and appearance as smoothly as a video. If you didn't know better you would think there was a projector somewhere casting it on her dress like a screen, but the only logical explanation is that magic is responsible. You can't help but stare dumbly - part of you taken aback at the sheer tackiness on display, part of you utterly mesmerized by the endlessly moving fire.

"Yeah, actually, I could get used to this." Miho says, snapping you out of your befuddled trance. You're glad you got this chance to take in her appearance, because the moment she's satisfied she turns into a blur of motion. After sticking her tongue out at Shimizu-san, she darts to the side and steps up on the concealing truck's wheel on her way to standing triumphantly on the hood. "YOU HEAR THAT WORLD?" she shouts, punching the air above her, "I am the Magical Girl Ignis, and I LOVE SENSELESS VIOLENCE! WHOOO!"

"What are you doing!?" Shimizu-san screeches, grabbing Miho's other arm and hauling her backward off the truck. Though the smaller girl easily lands on her feet, she matches the bluenette's indignation with a death glare that makes even Midori wince. Shimizu-san remains unphased, however, continuing her tirade in a furious hiss. "Does the concept of keeping a low profile mean nothing to you?"

"Only when it pisses you off," Miho all-but-snarls, shoving away Shimizu-san's grip on her wrist. "But then what doesn't?" She stamps her foot, and in another flash of red, detransforms with less fanfare.

"OKAY, that's enough." Pallavi is suddenly between the two, warding them off with an open palm each, and looking back and forth sadly. "Please, just let this go?"

"We're almost to the bookshop," Midori adds, giving Miho a withering look. "Last thing we need is for them to be ready to fight us or something because of that stunt you just pulled. Or for the whole damn world to know about us, for that matter."

The remainder of the trek is quiet again, but now considerably more tense. Midori and Shimizu-san share the lead this time, but seem wholly unaware of the other, simply striding along in mutual irritated silence. Pallavi once again takes up the middle, but now looks increasingly fidgety and fretful and like she'd rather be anywhere else. You quietly sympathize. Meanwhile, Miho joins you in the rear, arms crossed as she glares across the street with a bitter frown.

For your part, you're still half-distracted by her dress. It was cute, but oh-so-tacky, yet even then impressive and magical. You find yourself eyeing Pallavi and Shimizu-san curiously, wondering what they might look like once transformed, and straining to recall what Midori's had been when you first met her. Given everything else that had been on your mind that night, you find you've already forgotten many details.

Even so, you're also taken aback by the abrupt escalation you just witnessed between the red and blue girls, Nel's words about their disagreement running through your head. You glance awkwardly over at Miho, wondering if you should try to say something.

"You gonna yell at me too?" She mutters, beating you to the punch.

"Not really." you say. Despite how objectively stupid her actions were, you're too drained already to really care about the potential consequences right now. Instead, you cast about for a change of topic. "I, uh… Ignis?"

It seems to work, as she gives you the tiniest of grateful smiles. "Oh, that… I don't know, it just seemed like a cool codename. Like the Sentai Riders have, or Enchantress Sinisteria eventually earned. Did you see my dress there? Fire? Ignite? Duh?" Gesturing at her waist as if the skirt was still there, her tone is simultaneously challenging but unheated; she suddenly seems just as tired as you've been feeling.

"I se-"

"Ai No Atsumari. We're here."

Any further response dies on your lips as you glance over to find the smiles are mandatory! : P sign poking out from the mess of leaflets and notices taped to the window. Thankfully the lights seem to still be on inside, though the store hours indicate they won't be for much longer; you arrived with just a bit of time to spare.

"So, we know they spoke another language, are looking for something in the city, and had suspicious jars. Is that correct?" Shimizu-san dictates, shooting you a questioning glance. You simply nod in confirmation, fighting back the anxiety that's creeping forth again. "Is there anything else we need to know?" You shake your head wordlessly. She accepts it easily, thankfully, and moves on. Planting a fist in her other palm decisively, she declares "We need a plan of attack."

"I have a plan," Miho immediately raises her hand. "Attack." You detect the faintest whiff of sarcasm in her tone, but you aren't entirely sure, given her deadpan serious stare.

"Not. What. I. Meant," Shimizu-san grinds out, refusing to look at her. "Though I suppose we should be ready for a fight in case the situation goes south. Any other ideas?"

"Who made you leader?" Midori grumbles, but is thankfully drowned out by Pallavi.

"We don't need to be so aggressive, do we?" she asks, twirling some of her hair around a finger. "We don't even know for sure that they're doing something wrong. Sure, some suspicious stuff, but not really anything obviously evil, right? The other person, the construction worker, could just as easily be the one we're looking for."

"Plus," Midori adds, with a sly grin, "There is that saying about catching more flies with honey than vinegar. I say we play it subtle, ease our way in. Maybe even skip talking to them entirely, try and sneak in back and see what we find." She gestures to another alley opening just a few steps further down the sidewalk. It looks similar to the one you all came from, but is narrower and darker, wedged in between the shop and the neighboring building like a novella between thick tomes.

Pallavi looks torn between agreement and discomfort. "I guess, though I don't know about snooping around. If they really are up to no good, it should be easy to tell, right? If we ask what's up with the jars and stuff, if it's something innocent they'd have no problem explaining it, but if it's something evil they'd try to hide it, right?"

Shimizu-san's initial disdain turns into a contemplative frown. "I'm not entirely sure that's how that would work out. However, maybe you are right, and the answer is to be direct about this. If we make it clear we know they're up to something, we could bluff our way to learning more specifics about what they're doing."

Just as you're feeling grateful you weren't singled out, she turns back to you. "You were here before. Do you have any ideas?" You quickly look away; though her gaze is considerably less harsh with you than with Miho, she still somehow looks accusative, like she knows you're hiding something just as much as the bookshop owners.

No, you tell yourself. I'm not breaking down like that again. Even if Shimizu-san's stare is too much to bear right now, you refuse to let it get to you. Instead, you turn up to look at the shop's dangling sign sticking out over the door, depicting a stack of books with the shop's name written down the spines. Focusing on that and blocking out the others' gazes, you breathe slowly and try to formulate an answer.

Do You Have Any Ideas?

> Support Midori's Suggestion. (Even if it's a bit underhanded, sneaking in isn't that much different from what you were doing before. There's more risk of getting caught, but if someone tactful like her can distract Sakamoto-san, she could learn more while the rest of you snoop.)
> Support Pallavi's Suggestion. (Acting like a normal group of girls and asking about the shop's oddities might be the best way to avoid any unnecessary conflict, while getting a better idea of whether or not this whole venture is a red herring or not. If there is something up, you can ask more questions to try and trip them up.)
> Support Masami's Suggestion. (Accusing them right off the bat might be risky, but would certainly take them off-guard, hopefully enough to let important details slip if they think you know more than you actually do. And if they are innocent, the worst that happens is looking a bit silly.)
> Support Miho's "Suggestion." (Even if made sarcastically, it might actually have some merit. Rather than all this tip-toeing around, going in transformed and all guns blazing means they'd be forced to respond in kind, and you'd have strength in numbers. Even holding back to avoid collateral damage in case he's innocent, it should be easy to win and then figure out what's going on after the fact.)
> Make Your Own Suggestion. (These plans are all flawed, but you know a better way...)
->Write-In.