Chapter 8
[X] In its egg form; it'll be much more difficult for others to figure out you're a magical girl this way!

Sunday, January 2nd 2011

A bit after your call with your sister ended, you begin to head on out to meet with this other magical girl. Making sure to grab your handbag and house key, you make your way into the foyer before realizing something.

What if... Kyubey said that there were bad magical girls, right? Taking a look at your left hand and your Soul Gem, you hesitate. Though this form for your Soul Gem is much more convenient, the ring and the marking on your fingernail is pretty distinctive.

Maybe, at least until you're better aware of the situation in Urahama, you should try and keep your Soul Gem in it's base form to prevent it from being noticed?

Reverting your Soul Gem into its egg-like form, you tuck it away safely into your skirt pocket, with Kyubey idly staring at you as you do so.

... Huh, he's not saying anything about it, so you guess you have nothing to worry about!



It takes a while walking, however you make your way to the tall, cylindrical building with the words "GAUCHE BURGER" layered across it. The walls are all made up of tall reflective glass panes, you note.

Before you arrive at your destination, however, Kyubey hops off the shoulder that he'd been riding on - he'd mentioned to you as you were heading out how people without magic couldn't see him, which he proved pretty easily on your trek here - and scampers off towards a random alleyway before turning back to look at you.

I have some business to take care of, so I'll see you another time! You should be able to find the magical girl you're meeting on the third floor in the second booth to your immediate right.

... Oh, you suppose Kyubey probably shouldn't spend all of his time with you; he's got a very important job after all!

Thanks for the directions, Kyubey! you send back telepathically. Kyubey gives a slight nod of acknowledgement before running off out of view.

Turning back to the oddly well-made fast-food joint, you steel your nerves over meeting this more experienced magical girl and head on in.

Your stomach grumbles a bit as you look over the menu items hanging overhead past the counter. There's both a self-order machine and an actual person taking orders. Since the person taking orders has a small line, you opt to use the self-order option.

You get yourself a simple burger, fry, and soda combo and receive your order shortly after ordering it. It seems like this place is a bit more expensive than other fast food places, so it isn't exactly vying for a niche already capitalized by other existing franchises.

Moving up the stairs at a normal pace, you reach the third floor and exit into a spacious room with four clear glass cylindrical rooms and a profusion of planters holding vibrant green plants.

Seeing your target, you make your way to just outside the "booth".

"H-hi!"

At your voice, the girl turns around to look at you. She seems a little bit taller than you, has very light blue hair done up in twintails with bangs framing her face, and darker blue eyes. She has a handbag set off to the side with what appears to be some kind of book or manga peeking slightly out of it.

She's wearing a simple thin light grey sweater and light blue skirt. Her expression is quite neutral, aside from the very slight flush that seems to perpetually color her face.

On her left hand's middle finger is the ring of a Soul Gem as well as a blue marking on her fingernail, that of a five-petaled flower.

"Hello," she responds simply with a soft voice, albeit with a slightly questioning tone. She appears to be looking for something on your person, and you realize that she's probably looking for your Soul Gem.
She's just not used to social interaction, don't take it personally.
"E-er, uh, just a second!" you stammer as you balance your tray with one arm and dig out your Soul Gem out from your pocket, the green gem glinting in the room's light. Recognition makes itself apparent and she looks from your Soul Gem and back to you.

"You're the magical girl that agreed to meet me, right? K-Kyubey said that you'd be in this booth," you continue.

"Oh... yes, that's me," she demurely responds. After seeing your hesitation, she continues.

"You can come in, I don't mind," she says gesturing to the three other chairs surrounding the round table that sit in the center of the cylindrical room.

Returning your Soul Gem to your pocket, you carry your tray over to the other side of the table and take a seat. You see that she's already gotten her food and was just starting on it when you arrived.

"You know... I offered to treat you, right? It's the least I could do since you're meeting me and all!"

Her flush deepens a bit for a moment, before she plays idly with her fries.

"T-that isn't necessary. I'm happy to help, you don't have to pay for my meal or anything..."
She's lonely, and just wants companionship of some kind.
"N-no, I insist! I'm the one who called you here and all, so I should be able to treat you, right?"

The girl across from you looks at your curiously, and then lets out a small sigh bringing out her phone. You do the same, taking it out of your handbag and opening up the right app. Bringing it over her phone, you transfer over the funds that she spent on her meal - according to her receipt - with a smile.

That done, the two of you start eating your meals proper. In between a sip of soda, you address the blue haired girl.

"So, what's your name? I'm Ruri Hinako, nice to meet you!"

Finishing a fry, the girl looks up at you spotting your cheerful smile causing her flush to deepen a bit once more.

"I-I'm Kagome Nanako, it's nice to meet you too Ruri-san," she mumbles out the last part of that.
She's used to addressing her peers very formally, which inadvertently alienates her from the people she'd like to get closer to.
Well that's no good.

"You can call me Hinako if you'd like! I mean, you're going to be helping me and all, and I really appreciate it!"

Nanako's composure breaks a bit and a fry fumbles out from between her fingers back onto her tray.

"A-ah, alright H-Hinako-san."

Yes! Score one for Hinako! She is acting awfully formal, though you figure that she just isn't used to talking any other way rather than it being something that she prefers.

"So, um, I just wanted to learn a bit more about being a magical girl from someone more experienced. I-I only became a magical girl yesterday, after all! So, could you please help me... Nanako-senpai?" You clap your hands together in a begging position as you await her response.

This time she audibly chokes, on the same fry that she'd previously dropped actually. Coughing a bit and bringing her fist over her mouth to cover it, she looks at you with wide eyes.

A moment of silence permeates the room, before she takes a sip of her drink to make sure that fry went down okay and regains some of her previous composure.

"I-I-I'm fine! I-It's fine. That's what I came here to do, after all. I-I could show you a thing or two after we finish eating, if that's alright with you? And I could answer any questions you have right now, or I could fill in the blanks for anything you don't know yet."

Another smile breaks out on your face.

"Of course, that sounds great! Thank you, this is a huge help, Nanako-senpai! I really appreciate it."
You do need the instruction after all, if last night was anything to by.
You begin filling her in on what Kyubey's told you so far, and you can see her nodding her head at certain things. When you get onto the topic of Witches, though...

"H-Hinako-san, you should probably know that when a Witch lures it's victim into their Labyrinth, they do so by giving them a Witch's Kiss. It usually appears on the victim's neck as some sort of symbol, what I could only imagine is the symbol of the Witch in question. Magical girls can't remove them, so we need to incapacitate them and kill the Witch in order to free them from it's influence."

Oh, well that was informative!

"Thanks! Kyubey must have forgotten to tell me that when he was explaining things to me yesterday."

Actually...

"Say, how long have you been a magical girl, Nanako-senpai?"

At the word 'senpai' again, Nanako stiffens her face a bit as if to smother some other kind of response, glancing slightly towards her bag and back.

"W-well, I've been a magical girl for around two to three weeks now."

... Huh, that seems both like a long time and a short time for her to have been a magical girl. She's most certainly like a veteran in comparison to you, but you can't help but wonder just how long the average magical girl has been a magical girl for.

"Oh! I guess Urahama really is low on magical girls if Kyubey was still recruiting by the time he got to me."

Nanako shifts her eyes but says nothing.

"I almost forgot, but do you know anything about the other magical girls nearby Nanako-senpai?. Kyubey said there were a few other than me around here, and you're one of them; you know anything about the other two?"

You can see Nanako visibly tense as you ask her this, an inscrutable looks passing over her face for a moment. Then all of a sudden, she looks a whole lot more serious.

"Hinako-san." Your attention is grabbed. "I was hoping to save this until later when I brought you to- well anyways, this is very important for you to know. Not all magical girls are as good as they're depicted in anime."

Oh, she's talking about dark magical girls.

"Yeah, I already know that. Kyubey told me about how some magical girls are a lot more selfish and how they don't do their duties as magical girls. A-and how some are, you know, just horrible people."

Nanako looks really surprised by what you just said.

"K-Kyubey told you all that?!"

"Uh... yes?"

Nanako just clenches her hands for a few moments, before relaxing them again.

"I-I... Kyubey didn't tell me anything about them..." She shakes a bit.

W-what? Why wouldn't Kyubey have warned other magical girls about magical girls like that? It seems like Nanako's run into one or more of them before, and if she wasn't ready for the possibility of them...

"N-Nanako, are you okay? Did any of them hurt you?" you ask, momentarily dropping the 'senpai'. You reach over and lay a hand comfortingly over one of her slightly shaking hands.
You just want to make her feel better, and
Nanako gasps loudly at your contact, sinking in her seat in seeming relief. You can somehow sense that the roiling Grief in her Soul Gem has ceased its movements and is calm.
She needed this reprieve from her worries, she needed to feel this Hope.
You move to pull back your hand at this revelation, however Nanako keeps your hand on her own by placing her free one over yours. Her eyes plead at you, and you give in letting her have this.

A minute passes as Nanako just sits there contentedly, a small smile forming on her face before she lets go with a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, Hinako-san. I understand that your magic was doing something to me - and I'm not blaming you over what you likely didn't know about yet!" she waves off your concerns. "It didn't seem harmful, and it felt like all of the bad things that were clouding my judgement were washed away for a little bit and I could think... positively and more clearly. It was... nice."

Then she seemed to realize something.

"O-oh, and sorry for keeping your hand there like that, I understand that was a bit odd. Though I'm sure you're..." she trails off a bit, a bit worried.

"No, don't worry, it's fine! I'm just glad that it helped."

And you were glad that you managed to help her... somehow. You guess that whatever that was is part of your powers? Now that you had done it, you intuitively know that it will only work if you're trying to... help(?) somebody. Or at least, you feel like it probably wouldn't work if you yourself weren't trying to "reach out", like with Nanako.

Nanako looks a lot less concerned now, so that's a plus.

"Alright... if you're sure," she replied, rubbing her hands together.

"So, you were going to tell me something, Nanako-senpai? I-I'm sorry if it's too hurtful to think about, but you made it sound really important."

Nanako nods her head a bit.

"Yes, you should know this Hinako-san. I know of only one other magical girl in the area, and she's h-horrible. She extorts girls for Grief Seeds instead of hunting down Witches on her own, telling them that they're in her 'territory' and that they need to pay a 'tax'... I've needed to pay that 'tax' a few times myself whenever she's found me."

You give a little gasp at this. This is worse than you were expecting, but better than the worst possible outcome. Don't magical girls need Grief Seeds to keep their magic?!

"She's dangerous Hinako-san, and it seems like she's been a magical girl for quite some time... much longer than I have, anyway. I-I don't know her name, but she wears a purple dress with some kind of translucent armor plating all over it, a-and she could shrug off whatever I hit her with like it was nothing when she attacked me."

That's... that's horrible. Why should magical girls have to fight other magical girls when there are literal monsters roaming around all over the world?

"A-are you alright with Grief Seeds, Nanako-senpai? If you don't have any, I could share the one I got after the other night after I became a magical girl, if you want!"

Speaking of, you left that at home, didn't you?

Nanako's breathe catches for a moment, and she brings a hand up to cover her mouth as if she's trying to process what you just offered.

"N-n-no, I'm fine Hinako-san! I'm touched, I'm really touched, but you should really save that for yourself! You need it far more than I do since you're new, and I have a couple that that other magical girl didn't get to."

O-oh, that's good then! You feel a bit embarrassed at just assuming she had less than you even though you've been active for less than a day.

"Oh, s-sorry for assuming..."

Nanako looks at you reassuringly.

"It's fine, Hinako-san. I appreciate the concern, really I do... Now, that wasn't the end of what I needed to tell you."

She has your attention again.

"Just one more thing, really, and I only know about it by word of mouth. Down in the far southwest side of the city, there's an area where no magical girl leaves alive. Apparently, there's a crazy duo of magical girls that control that part of Urahama, at least when it comes to magical girl matters, and they kill anybody who enters their land. I've never been down there myself, nor do I ever plan on doing so, though I thought I should warn you about them.

... What?! Your face whitens at the prospect of these two horrible, horrible magical girls. W-why would anybody do such a thing?

Seeing your face when she told you this, Nanako returns the favor from earlier and places her hand on top of yours with a slight blush, nothing out of the ordinary happening to either of you as this happens magic-wise. It's still comforting though.

She takes her hand off after you've processed this information, and the two of you finish off your respective lunches. Before you start to follow Nanako out to where she wanted to take you.

Is there anything else other than what you already had planned that you want to do when you get there?
[ ] (Write-in)

-[X] When/if you find a good spot to train in, try to tune yourself into your powers. The magic in your staff seemed like it didn't want to come out in the form of your magic shots. Try to let the energy concentrate in the tip of the staff.
-[X] You wished to be useful and inspiring to others and give them hope. Focus on that wish and feel out how it manifests in your weapon and powers.
... We'll get to power testing next chapter, I swear. Yeah, if you hadn't guessed already this chapter was already getting a bit long, but on the bright side you got to meet one of three other known magical girls in the area!

As for any additions to what's already planned, this could be more questions, power testing ideas, nothing, etc.

Also as you may have already deduced, a couple of new applications for Hinako's powers pop up in this chapter. The first is a sort of intuitive sense towards what somebody needs, though it works best on other magical girls since they're born of Hope (otherwise she'd have pinged other people by now). The second is, plainly as demonstrated so far here, to give somebody Hope. It only works if Hinako is trying to reach out to them positively though while in contact with them, so it's somewhat controllable.

Will be updating the character sheet informational page to include these as well as including Nanako's character sheet shortly.
 
Chapter 9
[X] Apologize for offering the Grief Seed; you just realized you actually left it at home, so you couldn't give it to her right now anyway.
[X] Ask her if she wants to be friends, even outside of Magical Girl life. You just moved here and you're still getting your bearings; you'd love to get to know her better! She seems so nice!
[X] Politely ask what book is in her bag. Since you're a bit sickly, you don't get to do as much as you'd like; you'd love to try some new books and talk about them together!
[X] Ask if she wants to train with you and if there are any good spots to do so. You still don't really know much about your powers, and you need some good practice before you can hold your own in a fight. Maybe she can hunt witches together with you later to help stockpile?
[X] How do territory scuffles work? Do you have our own territory? Does she? Or do you share? Is there some kind of magic border we know not to cross, or do we just need to be careful?

Sunday, January 2nd 2011

Even as you're leaving, you can't help but to think about what Nanako had just told you. W-why would anyone, magical girl or no, resort to such horrible things? ... Are they some of the very few psychopaths that Kyubey previously told you could slip in through the cracks when he's recruiting?

It's almost hard to believe that they're so close to home, though. They live in the same city as you! A-and, Nanako has been dealing with all this for weeks now, even when Kyubey hadn't told her about people like that for some reason.

...

Maybe Kyubey was just really busy? Maybe the Witch situation in Urahama is worse than you thought, and he's just desperate to recruit as many girls as possible to combat such a threat? You don't know, but you'll have to ask Kyubey later, that's for sure.

A slight ring sounds out as you and Nanako leave the building out into the afternoon sun. You lay a hand over the pocket where your Soul Gem is, feeling it's form through the fabric separating it from your hand.

Oh, you really offered to share your Grief Seed with Nanako even though you left it at home, didn't you?

"A-ah, Nanako-senpai, I just want to apologize..."

Nanako turns to you with a confused expression.

"Hm? Whatever for?"

You stop fumbling with your Soul Gem and tap your fingers together shyly.

"Well, you see... I kind of left my Grief Seed at home. I didn't realize I forgot it when I offered to share it with you, and it seems really rude of me now..."

A look of understanding crosses her face at this.

"O-oh, Hinako-san... you can't just go out without at least one Grief Seed on you. You can't, what if you ran into trouble and had to use a lot of your magic? I understand that you're new at all this, so this could be a lesson learned... just promise me you'll remember to bring one with you in the future?"

She says her last sentence with a slightly unsure tone... Phew, you thought she might get mad at you.

"Of course, Nanako-senpai! I won't forget again!"

It's nice having a magical girl senpai that you can rely on. She probably knows so much more than you, even with only a few weeks of experience.

"We shouldn't have to go back to your home to retrieve it, since what what I saw earlier your gem is pretty clean. We shouldn't be using that much magic, but if something goes wrong you could always use some of my Grief Seed. But hopefully it won't come to that."

Yep, having a magical girl senpai is the best!

"Thanks Nanako-senpai! But if I do use some of your Grief Seed, I'll definitely pay you back!"

Seeing your bright and cheerful expression, Nanako turns away slightly and her flush grows a bit.

"... Okay," she quietly responds. You're heading more westward into the city, you note.

After a minute or two passes, you work up your courage and speak up again.

"U-um, Nanako-senpai? Would... would it be okay for us to be friends? I mean, outside of being magical girls. I just moved here and I'm still trying to get my bearings. B-but, I'd love to get to know you better, you seem so nice!"
You've never tried to make a friend on your own, not without your sister helping you anyways.
Nanako stops walking and just stares ahead unmoving.

...

Um... she's still not reacting at all. Moving ahead to catch a look at more than her back, you see that she's really blushing hard. I-is she suffering from heat stroke? What do you do?!

She lets out a stutter when she sees you before she quickly turns around and hides her face in her sleeves.

Oh no! W-what did you do? Was it something you said? Does she not want to be friends with you?

"U-u-um, Nanako-senpai? A-are you okay? Was it something I said?"

You resume your previous finger touching as you suddenly feel a whole lot less confident about your friend making skills.

Nanako just mumbles something at you through her arms, even though she's facing away from you. She spends another few moments like this, then another few, until she slowly lowers her arms and using both her hands to slightly slap herself on both cheeks.

Passerbys are staring at the two of you strangely, but don't really comment on the scene that you're putting on.

"... Yes," she mumbles out, before turning back towards the way they were walking and continuing. Then she starts as if realizing what she just said, and says more.

"I-I mean, yes, I'd like to be your f-friend, Hinako-san..."

... Yes! Score two for Hinako! You don't know what just happened, but everything turned out well, right? You go on to catch up to her.

"Thanks, Nanako-senpai! Do you think we could exchange numbers after you show me the ropes? I'd love to hang out with you sometime, a-aside from today I mean. Maybe after school tomorrow?"

Nanako quickens her pace a bit.

"S-sure," she quietly lets out.

Quickening your pace to match hers, you find that she's decelerating back to a normal pace and you do the same.

Actually... looking at her bag, you see that it's still slightly opened with a corner of that book you saw earlier poking out of it.

"So... Nanako-senpai, I was wondering..."

She slows down a bit more so that you're walking right alongside her as she gives you her attention.

"Well, I only just got out of the hospital recently, and I was quite sickly for a while so I couldn't do as much as I'd liked. I saw that you have a book there," you say gesturing slightly to the corner of that book hanging out of her bag. Nanako seems a bit surprised at this.

"I'd love to try out some new books, so maybe we could read the same book together? That way we could talk about it!"

Agh, this is awkward. You hope Nanako doesn't mind.

Nanako takes this change to fumble with her bag before pushing the book fully in and closing it with an embarrassed flush.

"N-no, you probably wouldn't like that... book. T-that isn't to say that we couldn't start on a new book together, i-if you'd like!" She waves her hands slightly placatively. You pout.

"Hey, I'm sure that book is good! I like all kinds of books, and I'm sure that anything you read can't be bad, right?"

Nanako stutters a bit with a large flush that seems to be just as omnipresent as her usual one since you first starting talking to her.

"I-I-It's really not that good, t-trust your... s-senpai, okay?"

You stare at her, then at her bag, and then back to her. This is suspicious, but as her graceful kouhai you'll play along for now.

"... Fiiine, but only because you're acknowledging yourself as my senpai, Nanako-senpai."

Nanako makes a noise from the back of her throat that you can't quite make out, before the two of you continue on your trek towards wherever Nanako is taking you.



That place ended up being in one of Urahama's many forested parks. Nanako took you deep into the "forest" off the usual paved path until you both entered out into a clearing. Beds of flowers of all colors litter the treeline, as if someone were maintaining them.

The air here is very clear and refreshing, and away from the noises of most of Urahama it's quite peaceful. You let out a contented sigh and bask in the nature around you, stretching your arms out into the air. You thought you heard Nanako give out a little giggle, however when you looked at her her expression hadn't changed at all.

"So, this is where I wanted to take you. This is where I've done most of my testing when I'm not fighting Witches or their familiars."

... Wouldn't fighting one necessitate fighting the other, regardless? You relay your thoughts to your new friend. *squee*

"A-ah, I suppose you wouldn't have run into any of them away from their Witch yet. When a familiar departs from it's Witch, it generates it's own miniature Labyrinth as it searches it's surrounding for victims to turn it into a full Witch."

Familiars get their own Labyrinths, too? Well, at least they aren't as expansive as a Witch's.
Laughter echoes out from the abyss in the Birdcage Witch's Labyrinth...
"Oh... good to know?"

It is good to know, however the thought of familiars roaming the streets looking for victims still bothers you.

Nanako sets aside her bad before clapping her hands and transforming, blue light flashing over her form for a moment with ethereal blue five-petaled flower symbols wisping in the air around her.

She's now wearing a blue dress with the skirt splitting out into five "petals". Thin white heeled boots reach up to her mid-calf, and her short sleeves are poofy. Her Soul Gem takes its place on the left side of her head, now seeming to tie one of her twintails.

Her Soul Gem glows with an iridescent sapphire light, and it's form is that of a five-petaled flower.

In her right hand lies a large metal bladed whip, it's colors alternating between blue and silver. It seems to be stiffened into a sword-like shape, currently.

You clap with an awed expression on your face. That was amazing! Nanako blushes a bit, fingering the bladed whip's handle in her hand.

"A-alright, let's get started! We should first figure out what you can do before we start, Hinako-san."

Yep, now it's your time to shine... literally!

You slip your hand into your pocket to touch your Soul Gem and you transform into your magical girl outfit with your silver rod in hand.

Nanako scans over your form, and levels a curious look at your weapon.

"Oh, this thing is a bit odd, right?" You ask her in response to her curious looks, shaking the rod in your hand back and forth. "S-so, what it does- I mean, what I've managed to figure out so far is that I can shoot green magic shots at things, and I can make a sort of... beam sword I think."

You demonstrate by shooting an orb up into the air, and then forming your beam sword. You wave it around for a bit before it winks out of existence.

"Y-yeah, it doesn't last that long, but it's really good at cutting things!"

If anything, Nanako's looking at your weapon even curiously now, before she speaks up.

"... I don't think I've ever seen a magical girl with a... focus, I would presume, as a weapon. Hinako-san, could you walk me through the process that it goes through?"

You can!

"Well, when I push some magic into this thing, it kind of builds up at the end. I have to kind of force it off to shoot those magic shots, and the... beam sword thingie is from using too much magic while I was trying to shoot a magic beam. You know, like in magical girl anime!"

Nanako's lips twitch into a slight smile at your enthusiasm.

"... Well, why don't we test how effective your magic shots and... beam sword, are?"

Nanako goes off to the treeline and hefts some short but thick logs out from the bushes. Some of them are cut into already. Picking one out, Nanako returns and positions it in front of you a ways away.

"I would start with the magic shot, and then move onto the beam sword Hinako-san."

Alright, you can do this. Don't let your amazing magical girl senpai down, got it.

Aiming your rod carefully towards the log, you collect some magic on the tip of it and force it off of it, sending an orb of emerald green light careening towards the log.

*THUNK*

A decent chunk of bark and wood shatters off the log as green magical energy splashes off of it, sending the log rolling away on the ground.

... Eh?

"U-um, that was supposed to do a lot more damage, I think. It could destroy familiars in one shot, I swear!"

"Hm..." Nanako continues as if unaware of your exclamations. "Try our sword now, if you would please?"

You sigh. This wasn't how you thought this was going to go. You're making yourself look bad in front of Nanako!

Sending magical energy through the rod as if you were going to shoot a continuous beam of energy, your "beam sword" manifest itself in the shape of... well, a long beam of energy that sticks to the tip of the rod.

Walking over to the fallen log - which you note has a fist size chunk bitten out of it now - you reposition it and swing your sword into the side of it. Green light slashes in deep into the log, but not all the way through. It isn't burning at all, you note.

Blade winking out, you look at your feet feeling embarrassed.

"... The sword thingie cut through everything in the Labyrinth like a hot knife through butter, agh, I don't understand!"

Nanako just walks up to you, hesitates, and then pats you on the shoulder as if to comfort you. You pout a bit, but let her do so. It is nice though, you must admit.

"I think that there's something more to your weapon than meets the eye, Hinako-san. Perhaps it's effective against magic, or maybe just Witches and their familiars in particular?"

... That's an idea!

"O-oh, thanks Nanako-senpai! That might be it!"

She retracts her and and steps away a bit.

"Maybe you should try and reflect on your powers a bit and try something new? It seems like your weapon is pretty free-form, if it responds to your will like that. It doesn't seem like you were using enchantment to make those attacks, so perhaps it's a function of your weapon?

You glomp Nanako as you give her a quick hug in excitement. Yeah, maybe you just have to use your imagination just like so many other magical girls in anime had to use? Maybe your weapon is more... what's the word... versatile, than normal!

"Thanks Nanako-senpai, I'll get on that right now!" you say as she stiffens and stutters something incomprehensible before you quickly let go and drop down next to her bag.

Holding out your rod in front of you with both hands, you try to concentrate and get a feel for your magic. Your magic seems to want to stick to the rod when you put it in, maybe you should just let it do what it wants and see what happens?

You let your magical energy flow into the rod with nothing in particular in mind, and it coalesces at the tip of it in verdant glowing light. Concentrating hard on it, it feels like it's trying to... move about to do something, but it's not doing anything.

Pumping more energy into it, the orb at the end of it becomes bigger, and the energy in it seems even more erratic, as if it's trying to escape it's ovular form in order to spread and do something.

You supply more and more magic and it becomes more and more bigger before it pops and green light goes careening off everywhere with a concussive blast. It seems like it got to the point where your magic needed to move, and staying stationary wasn't helping it. You're knocked back and roll a few feet backwards, relatively unharmed but dazed.

You hear Nanako exclaim something as she was pushed back as well, before turning your head to your left. Nanako's bag undid itself in the "blast", and her book is peeking out more fully this time. You're pretty sure you could take a peek at the cover while reorienting yourself without Nanako noticing.

Do you take a peek?
[ ] Yes, you must figure out your new friend's tastes in literature!
[ ] No, though she was acting suspicious about this book, take her word for it that it's a bad book that you wouldn't like to read.

"S-sorry!" you yell out as you set yourself back up. Well, you guess you could make a shockwave using your magic, but at what cost?

[Soul Gem: 172/1750] The slight "shockwave" cost around 100 Grief.

Oh, at that cost, you think peering at your Soul Gem. For a light shockwave, that was pretty expensive! Maybe you aren't going about this the right way...

Standing back up, you go to check on Nanako. It appears she just fell onto her backside with not even a scratch, and is already in the process of getting up.

"S-sorry again, Nanako-senpai! I-I think I may have overcharged by weapon a bit, but I don't think it would be very useful in a fight. It was kind of expensive."

And it was, for what amounted for a very slight localized shockwave.

Now back up, Nanako shakes her head in bemusement.

"You should be more careful about that in the future, Hinako-san."

Yeah, she's probably right.

"Don't worry, I will!"

Hm, now you've got an idea.

"A-actually, I've got another idea for how to use my magic. I should probably step away from everything this time just in case, shouldn't I?"

Still sporting a slight smile, Nanako nods.

"That would probably be for the best. B-be careful!"

You move more towards the center of the clearing, before trying out what you had in mind.

Taking ahold of your rod once more in both hands, you reflect upon your wish. You wished to be useful, to be inspiring to others, and to give them hope, right? Maybe you should focus on that and try to feel out how it manifests through your weapon?

Feeding it energy again, you focus on on somebody you've interacted with that you've given hope - even if you were cheating a bit - after getting your powers; Nanako.

Seeing her in her magical girl uniform and with her weapon in hand across from you in the clearing, you think back to how you comforted her back in the fast food place. You think back towards that feeling of Hope that you channeled within her and her Soul Gem, and you can feel the energy at the tip of your rod reacting.

Stretching out from the rod almost at its own accord, you continue focusing on Nanako with a slight flush on your face. It must be kind of weird, what with you looking at her so intensely like this, but you feel like you're making progress!

Suddenly peering towards her weapon, you find that this feels more natural. The green light morphs from simply being a stretched out blob of emerald light to being an exact replica of Nanako's weapon recreated in translucent green magic with your silver rod as a handle.

Y-you did it! You stop focusing energy into your weapon, and it settles in its current form looking just as sharp and deadly as Nanako's.

You see the blushing face of Nanako give a gasp as she looks towards your weapon.

Testing it out, you flick it into the air and the emerald green energy whip loses it's blade-like form and lashes out with a deadly shearing sound as it cuts through the air, and you find that you can control it with your intent.

Flowing it through the air, you position it so that it travels between you and Nanako before calling it back into it's "blade" form. It seemed like it could continue to stretch out from the hilt, forming more links of blades for a while before being unable to extend it any further.

Slashing it through the air in front of your a few times, you turn back to Nanako with a huge smile on your face and you dismiss the newly formed weapon.

Running back towards Nanako, you fly into her with a hug in your excitement once more.

"I did it, Nanako-senpai! That was so amazing! I couldn't have done it without you!"

Your old friends in Nagaoka would always tell you how you were too touchy-feely when you got excited, but you don't care right now since you figured out an awesome new way to use your powers!

Speaking of, Nanako's whip was really cool! You could do so many things with it, and it didn't feel like it would disappear after a certain amount of time has passed like your previous "beam sword" would either! You wish you had it while you were in that Witch's Labyrinth, maybe then you wouldn't have gotten so hurt...

Nanako goes limp in your arms and you pull back. It looks like she's overheating and going into shutdown mode. What should you do?!

Letting go of her, she kind of slumps in position while standing up looking as if she doesn't know what to do while you give her apology after apology.

"I-I'm so sorry, N-Nanako-senpai! I didn't think, I was just so excited, y-you know? I'm really, really sorry," you plead while clapping your hands together and bowing a bit.

"Nghmghngh"

Uh-oh, that's not good. Maybe you should let her calm down a bit before continuing?

You've figured out that you can form your energy into Nanako's magical girl weapon. Is there anything else you want to test out, or is there anything else you want to ask or do?
[ ] (Write-in)

[X] Ask if she wants to train with you and if there are any good spots to do so. You still don't really know much about your powers, and you need some good practice before you can hold your own in a fight. Maybe she can hunt witches together with you later to help stockpile?
[X] How do territory scuffles work? Do you have our own territory? Does she? Or do you share? Is there some kind of magic border we know not to cross, or do we just need to be careful?
I swear Nanako isn't supposed to be that much of an embarrassed mess, it's just Hinako (and the voters by proxy) keep on pushing her buttons. 😅

On a slightly related note, I should mention that while I do custom design characters in this quest, I fill in the blanks when it comes to some of their interests, favorite foods, hobbies, some little facets of their personalities, etc. somewhat randomly while creating them. The small things, you know?

So! You get to see another facet of Hinako's power, specifically how her weapon works. I'm not going to go into details - as spoilers - however now Hinako can recreate Nanako's magical girl weapon before any enhancements Nanako would make to it using her magic.

For Nanako's weapon specifically, it costs 50 Grief to create it, and another 25 Grief per additional minute she's maintaining it (she can maintain it unlike the "beam sword" thing). The blades of the whip are large enough that one could theoretically block certain blows with it, but it's not large enough to form a wall or "barrier" or anything.

The shockwave isn't supposed to be a weaponizable ability or anything. That's just what happens when Hinako focuses too much energy without giving it form, first.

Also no, the book vote isn't a trap option.
 
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Chapter 10
[X] Yes, you must figure out your new friend's tastes in literature!
[X] Maybe you should wait for Nanako-sempai to calm down first?
-[X] Hold her hand and ask if she's alright.
[X] In general: End the practice session if your corruption hits or exceeds the half way mark. You need to be careful.
[X] Ask to our sempai what does she think of what we showed up to now. Did she has an idea on what kind of powers you have?
-[X] Listen to Nanako-sempai! Try out any suggestions if she has them.
[X] Otherwise try these out?
-[X] Try to repeat the process that allowed you to copy your senpai's weapon, only this time don't think only about her, but about something she and you could find useful in a fighting situation. Shape your magic in the first form it takes in your mind.
-[X] Try to see if you could push your magic on your uniform to increase your protection. If you can, try to do the same with your senpai.
-[X] Maybe try something defensive. See if you can conjure a barrier or a shield.
-[X] Use your rod and try to levitate an object. Like a log or a rock. If you succeed, see how well you can control it. If you can drop it safely or even hurl it.
-[X] Try different projectiles with your rod?
--[X] Think of a wind/air blade and launch it with a slashing motion.
--[X] Think of freezing an object and target a log or the ground.
--[X] Isolate a log from anything flammable and try to set it on fire.
--[X] Think Nanoha style magic and try multiple guided shots?
-[X] Try some self buffs with your magic or thanks to your wish maybe you can use spells to buff Nanako!
[X] Ask your senpai if she can train you in combat and dodging. Try to see if you can clone or summon another of your weapon.

Sunday, January 2nd 2011

Taking a moment to calm yourself down a bit - and it's so difficult to do so since your super awesome magical girl senpai helped you figure out part of your powers - you reflect back to when you peeked into Nanako's bag... for research you see.

You were still a bit dazed from that shockwave that hit you face first so you couldn't really think about it too much at the time, but you got a clear enough look at the cover of Nanako's book.

Well, you say book, but really it was a manga! It's cover was colored a magenta with a tag denoting that it was "Volume 3", and it featured two high school girls in their uniforms holding each other's hands together in front of them while staring deeply into one another's eyes.

One girl was slightly taller than the other and had long black hair in a hime cut, and the other was slightly shorter with slightly curled medium-length red hair. The title clearly presented on the cover was "Oh, Why Does The School Princess Have To Be This Cute?".
Naivety Roll: 5
... It seems like just a fun high school shoujo manga to you! Maybe the two girls featured on the cover are best friends, or something? I-Is that what good friends are supposed to do?
Your old friends in Nagaoka were always more interested in what your sister was doing, anyways.
You know that your friends back in Nagaoka were always on your case for being too touchy-feely, but m-maybe you just weren't close enough friends with them? Nanako doesn't seem to mind your touch, in any case. D-does that mean Nanako wants to be better friends with you?

Steeling your will, you get closer to your... overloaded?... newfound friend and try to mimic what your saw on that cover.

Intertwining your fingers with her loose hands, you bring them up in between the two of you and stare intently into Nanako's eyes. Just knowing that you're there for her, and that you're her friend should be enough to calm her down, right?

Nanako's legs shudder a bit, her pupils dilate as she stares back into your eyes, her face leaves no room for anything but her massive all-encompassing blush, and then she promptly passes out and falls onto the soft grass ground beneath her, hands still intertwined with yours.

"N-Nanako!"



When Nanako comes to a few minutes later, you're brushing away dirt from her hair with her head on your lap.

Nanako stiffens, and then scrambles away a few feet back, hiding her beat red face in between her bare arms stuttering nonsensical things.

"N-Nanako! A-are you okay? You passed out, and I-I didn't know what to do!"

You look at her with worry apparent in your eyes.

"H-H-H-Hinako-s-san," she barely manages to get out.

"Y-yes, I'm here!"

You scoot on over to her prone position and take one of her hands in between both of yours.

"I-It's okay, Nanako-senpai. I don't know what was wrong, but I-I'm here for you!"

If anything, this manages to make her stuttering worse, and you quickly let go and try to let the other girl get her bearings.

"I-I'm sorry, Nanako-senpai! U-u-um, do you maybe, n-not... like me?"

"N-n-no! I-I mean, y-yes, I-I mean..."

She just continues to hide herself away from the world, and you decide that it's probably best to let her calm down on her own.

... It seemed like she doesn't not like you, you think. That's a plus! You're just happy that you didn't damage your newfound friendship with her.

Another five minutes pass as you watch the breeze whistle through the treeline and the birds that flock from one portion of the "forest" to the next. You can see why Nanako likes this place, it's really serene!

"... H-Hinako-san, I apologize for my reactions earlier. It w-wasn't your fault or anything like that... but can we just pretend that I never acted that way and continue with your training, f-for now?"

She ends her last sentence with a slightly hopeful tone, face still flushed from earlier.

"Of course, Nanako-senpai. I-I didn't mean to cause you to react that way, but I'm glad that you're okay!"

Her flush deepens, but she gives no other outward reaction to your words other than a nod.

As you get up Nanako does the same, and you move more towards the center of the clearing.

"U-um, Nanako-senpai? Do you have any ideas that you think I should try out? I have a few myself, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!"

Nanako stiffens her face hard, as if to push down another response, before relaxing.

"Y-yes, I do have a few ideas, Hinako-san."

Nanako walks back towards the treeline and comes back with a stick. The stickiest of sticks actually, with the cliche two-pointed end and everything! She hands the stick over to you, and you take it slightly confused.

"Could you try and recreate this stick with your magic? It seems as if your magical girl weapon can copy things, like how it could copy my own weapon."

That's a great idea! And you say as much.

"That's a great idea, thanks Nanako-senpai!"

Having picked up your weapon from when you were sitting down with Nanako, you heft it up - in the opposite direction of Nanako just in case - and channel energy down into it concentrating on the stick in your other hand.

It takes less than a second before a glowing translucent stick identical to the one in your hand appears at the end of the rod. It took basically no energy at all, double checking with your Soul Gem that rests at the center of your collarbone.

[Soul Gem: 223/1750]

You wave it around it a bit, but it does nothing because it's a stick on a rod.

"H-Hinako-san, why don't you try detaching it from your weapon instead?" suggests Nanako, as her lips twitch in bemusement.

... Yeah, you could try that! Concentrating like with your magic shots, with a plop it disconnects from the rod and falls into the grass below.

"... Huh," you plainly react.

You try to reach out with your mind and will in order to try and move the stick, and it succeeds! The stick hovers in front of you, before you send it flying at the battered log that you've been abusing.

*CRACK*

The stick breaks and dissipates on the surface of the log, but not without blasting out a little chunk of it to take along with it.

You jump a bit at your success, and you most certainly did not squee a bit. Nanako just looks at all of this with a fond smile on her face.

Getting an idea, you try and point your rod at the battered log and try to make it levitate like with your stick.

...

...

...

"U-um, H-Hinako-san, what are you trying to do?"

You can just hear the giggling in her voice as she asks you. You cease your efforts and turn back to look at her with red slightly coloring your cheeks.

"Er, I was trying to move the log, you know, with my mind! I-It didn't really work out like with the stick, though..."

This time Nanako audibly giggles, before she immediately ceases it as if just realizing that she did what she did.

"Hinako-san, maybe that only works with the things you make with your magic? I can do the same with my whip, and many magical girls can do the same with their weapons as well if they're willing to spend the extra magic."

As if to demonstrate, she lets go of her bladed whip and it just sits there in the air before she grabs it again.

Huh, weird, you didn't exactly feel any extra magic drain from telekinetically controlling the things made from your magic.

"Maybe you should try and see if you could guide your magic shots as well?"

You're so glad you have Nanako as your senpai.

"Alright, I got this!"

You point your rod into the air and fire off a few shot, and to your surprise they're relatively easy to move around in the air with your magic! You twirl them around one another in various patterns. They do wink out of existence after around thirty seconds have passed, however.

Nanako gives a short clap as if to applause your shots' performance, and you give her a wide smile in return. Nanako blushes a bit and turns her head to the side for a moment.

"... J-Just one more thing Hinako-san. Could you try making another copy of your weapon with your magic? I can do the same..."

She demonstrates this by creating another bladed whip in her other hand, with wisps of her blue five petaled flower symbol momentarily appearing and coalescing around it. She gives it a quick whip into the air as if to demonstrate that it works, before dissipating it.

You got this, you aren't going to let your senpai down!

You drop the stick gently into the grass beside you and you focus on creating another one of your rods with your magic. It feels almost instinctual, flowing your magic this way, and before you know it another rod appears in your left hand. It took a bit of magic, maybe around the same amount as your magic beam sword, but it worked!
(Discovered Ability: Create Intricate Rod I)
You happily wave both rods - with both ends facing towards the ground and into the air - at Nanako, and she gives you an encouraging smile and slight nod back.

You toss the extra rod into the air and try to control it with your magic... and it works! Though you immediately feel a slight drain on your magic in order to control it telekinetically like this. Huh, that didn't happen with the stuff you made with your rod...
(Discovered Ability: Intricate Rod Telekinesis I)
Letting it drop into your hand, you're tempted to give Nanako a hug in recompense for all she's done for you, except you should probably just let her be for now if her previous reactions were anything to go by. Maybe she just isn't used to touching other people, unlike those two friends on the cover of her manga?

"So, uh, do you have any more ideas Nanako-senpai, or should I get started on some of the things I thought of?"

"No, it's fine Hinako-san. Go ahead, most magic use is instinctual anyways, I believe in you."

You blush from the notion of her believing in you. Y-you won't let her down!
You couldn't live up to Kyubey's belief in you... but maybe you can with Nanako's?
First you try and recreate the process of making Nanako's weapon out of your magic, but this time you try and impose something else in it that you could use in a fight.

...

Nope, you just got Nanako's weapon again. It felt like, for a moment, that you could do something with it, that it was malleable, but nothing happened. You dismiss it before any more magic is drained unnecessarily.

Next up, let's try and make it harder to hurt you!
You could have used some more protection last night...
You try channeling magic into your magical girl uniform, but you find that it's already magic and nothing is really fitting in or happening.

... It makes sense, you guess. Maybe instead of that, you could try and make some kind of magical shield or barrier instead? Like in magical girl anime!
Flaming familiars rake across your body as you desperately try and come up with something that'll protect you.
You shake a bit, drawing a concerned look from Nanako, before you use your extra rod to try and force magical energy to your will.

Channeling energy down into the rod, you sort of flatten out the energy to force it into a flat circular pane of emerald translucent energy, and it works... kind of.

You found that the more magical energy you used, the larger the shield became. You maxed it out to see what you're capable of, of course, but you know that you could probably make a barrier of an appropriate size in a pinch.
(Created Incomplete Formation: Round Shield)
The largest size covers most of your body, and is quite large. If it weren't for the fact that it doesn't really have any weight due to it being made out of pure magical energy, you likely wouldn't be able to hold it up as you are.

Before it disappears, you decide to try something. Instead of telekinetically moving your rod, you move the shield up into the air in front of you while the rod sort of hangs off the side of it. You giggle a bit at the sight.

You will for the rod to detach from here, and it does! The rod rolls onto the soft grass while the shield is still kept in place. You move the shield around in the air with ease for a little bit, until it winks out around the thirty second mark.

You turn back to Nanako to gauge her reaction, and you see that she looks positively ecstatic.

"H-Hinako-san, well done! I've never seen a magical girl able to create barriers like you can, so this is a great discovery!"

You beam with pride. With this you could help protect your new friend, surely!
And you'll never get hurt like you did last night ever again.
With this done, you try to finish up the rest of your ideas. First you try and project a sort of "wind blade" from your rod with magical energy, but the energy refuses to conform to that and you end up shooting another magic shot instead.

You then try freezing and lighting the log on fire with your magic, both from a distance and up close. That doesn't work either. You shrug, you still got something really useful out of this, so you can't really complain.

A passing thought of somehow enhancing either yourself or Nanako flitters through your mind, but you would have no idea on how to do such a thing. You already know that your "hope" magic that you accidentally used on Nanako earlier didn't really do anything to enhance her...

Ah well!

"Nanako-senpai, I'm done!"

You wave at her as you dismiss your second rod from existence in a flutter of emerald green sunbursts.

Nanako is still brimming with curiosity and excitement after you showcased your ability to create barriers earlier. Then you get another idea.

"U-um, Nanako-senpai? C-could you m-maybe..."

You tap your fingers together, rod still in one of your hands, and continue.

"C-could you maybe help me become better at fighting and... dodging? I-I'm not really good at it you see..."

Nanako quickly nods her head, getting serious.

"Y-yes, of course Hinako-san! It's very important for a magical girl to be able to do those things, especially if you don't want to waste any magic unnecessarily."

She positions herself so that she's facing you, with her bladed whip in hand. Her whip shimmers a bit, before becoming blunted.

"T-this is what's called 'Enchantment Magic', every magical girl can do it. I used it to blunt my weapon so that I don't hurt you... I'm not going to hurt you, I'll make sure of it!"

Why do you suddenly feel uneasy?

"First we're going to focus on dodging. Just because you can use magic to make barriers, doesn't mean that you should waste the magic to do so when you could instead avoid a blow. S-so... are you ready Hinako-san?"

You tentatively nod, getting ready to move at a moment's notice.

Nanako brandishes her newly blunted whip and allows it to creep through the air around her. You've got a bad feeling about this...


(Developed Skills: Dodging I, Combat Training I)
[Soul Gem: 601/1750]

"Ow ow ow," you yelp in pain, as Nanako applies a cloth covered in saline solution to some of your small scrapes and bruises. Apparently she came prepared, since she had the stuff in her bag.

"D-don't worry, Hinako-san, it'll heal up in no time at all. Magical girls heal faster than normal people, after all."

"Owie." The salt in the saline stings as she dabs it on your very minor wounds.

"You did great though, H-Hinako-san. I'm sorry I ended up hurting you, I know I promised..."

... Nope! You literally asked for this, she's not allowed to feel guilty about it. You tap her on her nose, and she stiffens a bit looking surprised.

"I-It's not your fault, Nanako-senpai! I'm barely even hurt, see? I-If anything I should be thanking you for all the help. S-so, thank you! I-Is there anything that I could do to make it up to you?"

You stare at her with admiration as you await her response. Nanako blushes a bit at your attention.

"W-Well, you could help me hunt a couple of Witches, and I could show you the ropes in real combat. This way, we'll both have an extra Grief Seed on hand too..."

Nanako sounds unsure of herself, as if she expected her offer to be refused.

You know that you'll have to fight another Witch eventually, even after last night... But if there's anyone that you trust to get you through it, it's Nanako!

"Of course! I-I mean, yes, that'd be great, Nanako-senpai! I'm not sure if I could've done it alone again, either..."

Nanako gains a thoughtful look, before placing a hand comfortingly on your shoulder.

"Don't worry Hinako-san, I-I'll be there every step of the way!"

You positively beam at her and glomp her into another hug, and after a few seconds she awkwardly starts patting you on the back, cloth still in hand.

When you go Witch hunting with Nanako-senpai, how do you proceed?
[ ] Let her do all the fighting while you support
[ ] Fight alongside her
[ ] Fight mostly on your own with her supporting you when you need it, as a learning experience
[ ] (Write-in)

And how will you support/fight?
[ ] Melee
-[ ] (Write-in)
[ ] Balanced
-[ ] (Write-in)
[ ] Ranged
-[ ] (Write-in)

Is there anything else?
[ ] (Write-in)

[X] How do territory scuffles work? Do you have our own territory? Does she? Or do you share? Is there some kind of magic border we know not to cross, or do we just need to be careful?
The yuri dice strike again. Fun fact, I had already come up with what was on that cover, and combined with Hinako's naivety roll and the vote to hold Nanako's hand... yeah. The quest has a couple more tags now, so that's a thing. :)

And so Hinako gets better at using her powers! She even got some important training into dodging and fighting, so that's nice. No more stumbles or awkward rolls across the ground for her... probably!

As for her new abilities:
Create Intricate Rod I (20 Grief per use)
Intricate Rod Telekinesis I (10 Grief/minute)
Incomplete Formation: Round Shield (Variable cost)
-Small: Around a foot in diameter. Size of a buckler. (10 Grief per use)
-Medium: Around three feet in diameter. Size of a classic shield. (40 Grief per use)
-Large: Around five feet in diameter. Size of a circular tower shield. (100 Grief per use)

And her new skills:
Combat Training I
Dodging I

Hinako also discovered how long her incomplete formations last (30 seconds), so that's useful. She can also control her energy constructs telekinetically for free.

The Witch hunting vote doesn't necessarily apply to the second Witch they'll fight, if you want to change things up. I encourage writing in useful applications of Hinako's current repertoire of techniques, with the knowledge that her stuff is really effective against Witches regardless of its form, as well as her free telekinesis on her constructs.
 
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Chapter 11
[X] Stop home and grab your Grief Seed before heading out. If we're in trouble, we best have our own in case Nanako can't spot us.
[X] See if your Anti-Witch properties are any use for detecting Witches. Try to focus the same energy that melted familiars into your senses.
[X] Fight alongside her
[X] Balanced
-[X] Use your magic shot against enemies who are still far away or that try to stall in the distance. When you or they close in, use your beam sword in melee or throw it if a strong enemy has exposed weaknesses you think you can use, or if it seems like it is retreating. Always follow the instructions of your senpai. If you think there are attacks you can't dodge, use your shield.
-[X] If your beam sword or shots don't put out as much damage as needed, switch to summoning Nanako's weapon and use that.

Sunday, January 2nd 2011

Checking the time with your phone, you see that it's 4:37 PM. You haven't been training that long, but it certainly felt a whole lot longer. Right now, Nanako's going to be taking you out on your first collaborative Witch hunt!
Let's hope it goes better than the last one...
You're just exited back out onto the paved path of the park - both in your civilian wear of course - when you speak up.

"Um, Nanako-senpai? I was just wondering... how do 'territories' work? I-I know you said that one girl was talking about it to you, but do you know what the whole deal with it is?"

Nanako turns to look at you apprehensively, as if she were afraid to encroach upon this topic.

"Well... I'm not sure if I fully believed in what she was telling me, but apparently many magical girls claim certain parts of their cities as their territory, where their rule is law and generally most of the Grief Seeds in that area go to the territory holder under threat of violence."

You let out a little gasp at this. T-these girls are acting just like Yakuza, not magical girls!

"... A visiting magical girl once told me how it can even get to the point of entire cities falling under a magical girl's territory, like that artsy Mitakihara City in the Miyagi prefecture. Rumor has it that a single magical girl controls the entire city, which is simply absurd.

Here in Urahama, the only magical girl I've met that's pulled the territory excuse on me was the one I had already told you about, though the duo down in the south-west might count as well."

That's horrible! You can't imagine what it's like for other magical girls in places like this Mitakihara City, if a single magical girl can get away with with extorting so many people like Nanako...

"N-Nanako-senpai, does this mean that all magical girls have territory? Do you have territory? ... Do I-I?"

Nanako take a few moments to think to herself, before responding.

"Hm... I can't say I know, Hinako-san. What would you consider a 'territory'? Is it just what I had described, or is it also areas where certain magical girls have the most presence in? If it were the latter, then perhaps you could call this area o-our territory, even if we don't stoop to the level of certain other magical girls."

O-oh, that doesn't sound too bad, b-but...

"Y-you'd be okay with sharing with me?"

Your senpai looks away slightly and blushes.

"Of course! I-I am your s-senpai, after all!"

... Best. Senpai. Ever. You flash her a bright smile and she gives you a small one in return.

But, oh, the murkiness of you Soul Gem reminds you of something that'll be important to have in this upcoming hunt.

"Oh, um, Nanako-senpai? Could we stop by my house and pick up my Grief Seed before we go out looking for Witches? Just in case, I mean."

Nanako's eyes widen in surprise a bit.

"Y-yes, that would be fine, Hinako-san. But... are you sure it'd be wise to show me where you live? You've only known me for less than a day, and I'm another magical girl..."

Nope. Even you've only known her for mere hours - though it feels a lot longer than that, strangely - you've already decided that she'll be your friend!

"I'm sure, Nanako-senpai!" you respond resolutely, staring into her eyes.

"O-oh..." That's all she gets out in response, turning away from the intensity of your gaze with another blush.

Taking the lead once you exit the park, you start in the direction of your new home.

"Hey, Nanako-senpai?"

You think you've gotten an idea, but you're not too sure if it'll work or not.

"Yes?"

"When we're looking for Witches... do you mind if I try something? You know how my magic is kind of related to hope, right? Well, I want to see if I can sense Witches so that they're easier to find."

Nanako's lips twitch into a mirthful smile almost against her will, as if she were containing her amusement at something.

"W-well, I don't see any issue with it. I could spot check with you, if you do pick up something."

... Eh? You wonder what she's talking about...


???: 81
Reaching your home, which is a simple yet spacious two story thing colored in all white, designed modernistically you were told what with its blocky shape with a slanted roof. You decide to invite your new friend in.

"Feel free to come in, Nanako-senpai! Just leave your shoes by the door."

Nanako kind of apprehensively fidgets in place, before quickly moving to follow you. She kind of stops at the entrance of your home, before you reach out to grab one of Nanako's hands and pull her gently into the household. She lets out a little "meep" at this.

"There's no need for you to wait outside, it's okay!"

Letting go of her hand once she's out from the slightly chilly weather outside, you close the door and slip out of your flats before heading towards your bedroom. You pass through the foyer and into the living room - which is connected to the kitchen - before you speak up again.

"Feel free to sit down while you wait, though it shouldn't take long!"

You say this while gesturing towards the couch that's facing the flat screen television you were watching this morning. Nanako makes no moves, just fidgeting around while scanning her surroundings as the unknown environment it is to her.

You make your way into your bedroom - which is on the second floor - and scan your room for the missing Grief Seed...

[Birdcage Witch: 1025/2000]

A-hah! It was just laying on its side on top of your desk, where you left it this morning apparently. Taking it and depositing it into one of your pockets, you exit back down into the living room and see that Nanako hadn't moved from her spot.

... You're definitely going to have to remedy that in the future; she should know that she's always welcome here, both as your magical girl senpai and as your friend!
Suki-chan and Tsubasa-chan always had the same issue whenever your sister wasn't around to greet them.
You give her a smile, and taking out the Grief Seed momentarily you wave it at her, showing her that you've retrieved it. Nanako gives a small, awkward smile of her own as she glances back towards the entrance.

Making your way back out with a slight skip to your step, you lead Nanako outside before locking your front door with your house key.

... Now, how are you supposed to do this? Stopping once your exit out onto the sidewalk, you concentrate. You concentrate on the feeling of hope, of the feeling that your abilities gave you whenever you burnt away at familiars or that Witch and channel your magic...
Your intricate rod burns it's way through the dissipating remains of the familiar.
... but nothing happens. There isn't any pulse searching for Despair, nor is there an internal radar showing you the path towards any nearby Witches. You do feel something similar to when you bestowed hope to Nanako, except a bit more burny, however nothing happens.

Oh, that's a bit disappointing, but considering how easy it was to find that Witch last night, it's not as if it's all that important or pressing.
Witch Roll: Nanako Interrupt
Nanako nudges you from your trance and points north.

"The nearest Witch is that way," she quietly says with mirth coloring her words.

... Oh, apparently your super awesome magical girl senpai already has an ability like that, who'd have thought? You give Nanako a bright smile in response.

"I didn't know that you could do that, Nanako-senpai! That's amazing!"

Nanako flushes a bit at the praise, but holds her position pointing towards the nearest Witch that she spoke of.

"We should go, before the Witch moves too much."

You nod your head readily in agreement, and you both set off towards the Witch.


Witch Difficulty Roll: 64
It took a few minutes to reach after transforming, but before you is the roiling barrier of the Witch. It's much more apparent than the one belonging to the Witch you fought last night, what with this one being wide open with a spinning slanted line depicted in the center of it.

Nanako looks a bit wary for some reason, but you're sure that between the two of you, you'll be fine!
You can still hear the haunting laughter of the Birdcage Witch's Labyrinth, mocking you...
"... This Witch is a bit tougher than normal, but I've dealt with worse on my own. Are you ready, Hinako-san?"

You give her an affirmative, but Nanako doesn't move to enter the Witch's barrier just yet.

"Now before we go into the Labyrinth, could you try and concentrate on the Witch's... pattern, I suppose you could call it? It should be rather intuitive using your Soul Gem. Every magical girl and Witch gives off it's own unique magical pattern, and you can use this to track individual trails of magic."

You grasp at the Soul Gem imbedded onto your chest and concentrate like your senpai asked of you. She said that it should be intuitive, right?

You can almost feel the magic within your immediate vicinity, and like Nanako had told you each magical signature you can "sense" - or perhaps a better word would be to "read" or "understand", since the magic around you has been there the whole time within your senses - has its own unique... patterning to it.

It's difficult to put into words, but you know that if you ever have to find Nanako or this Witch again and if they were nearby, you'd be able to do it.
(Discovered Ability: Magic Sense I)
"I... I can feel it, Nanako-senpai. I mean, you and the Witch. Is this what you used to find this Witch?"

Nanako sends an encouraging yet slight smile your way.

"That's good. With practice, you could learn how to sense Witches from further away. I'm not all too great at it myself, but luckily another facet of my abilities allows me to work around it, such as in the case of finding us this Witch."

Oh, so Nanako's using some other magic to track Witches. It really makes you curious as to what kind of magic she has in comparison to your own.

You untense your face from it's concentration and smile back at Nanako, happy to have learned something else from your senpai.

"Thanks for the help, Nanako-senpai! I really appreciate it!"

You give her a slight bow in appreciation, unable to see her reaction.

"Y-yes, well, why don't we go and take care of this Witch Hinako-san? With the two of us working together, it should be no problem at all for us."

You stop your bowing to see that Nanako is already facing and stepping towards the Witch's barrier, and you hurry to follow.

Slipping into the roiling miasma of dark energy, you fall and fall and fall through a cacophony of imagery you couldn't hope to understand before blinking and finding yourself in a large expansive plain of velvet-like material with hills of what looks to be wood of all types and colors. Darkly colored drapes cover the horizon.

Ahead of you quite plainly is a large group of familiars, waddling from side to side with no apparent goal in mind. You can't really make out the details of them from here, though.

"Tell me Hinako-san, but where should we go to try and find the Witch? Try to sense the magic of the Witch, and tell me your thoughts."

She's looking you expectantly, like a teacher waiting on their student for something. She probably already knows the answer to this, of course.

Hm... you reach out your senses to try and get a grasp on things, but all you sense around you - with the exception of your own pattern and Nanako's - is the Witch's unique signature. You guess the Labyrinth is made of the Witch's magic, so it makes sense.

But wait, it gets... deeper, or more stronger just north of them, towards the familiars you saw. Is the "core" of the Witch that way?

"W-well, I think the Witch gets... Witchier down that way."

You point off in the direction of the familiars. Nanako gives you a silent nod and an approving smile.

"That's correct, Hinako-san. While it happened to be in the direction of the familiars this time, some Witches can be tricky to find without sensing them out, or their familiars may play a more unique role to the Witch that they don't congregate nearby it."

... Huh, Nanako is really good a lecturing, you note. She'd make a great teacher! Nanako continues, holding a finger up.

"You'll find that most of the time, the Witch is in the deepest point of their Labyrinth. If a Witch ever tries to bait you to go upwards in it's Labyrinth, you're probably going in the wrong direction."

You can totally believe her on this, considering the general weirdness of a Witch's Labyrinth.



Chiming echoes out towards you, and you turn to see the familiars that you noted earlier waddling towards you and Nanako. The familiars are squat things, held together by what looks like metal triangles. At the very top of them lies a singular trumpet.

"Hinako-san, do you think that you could cover me while I thin them out?"

You give her a nod and level your weapon at the familiars. Taking this as a signal, Nanako jumps into the sky towards the group and brandishes her bladed whip. Spinning in the air, her dress flutters with the petals flaring out and the blades of her whip circles around her at high speeds.

As Nanako lands in the center of their group and blends a large portion of the familiars to dust, you're already running towards them while shooting your magic shots at the familiars furthest from Nanako. Your shots splash into them as they shatter and wisp away from the impacts.

One of the outliers that aren't in range of Nanako's massacre immediately turns to you and emanates a low note that would come from a trumpet, and all of a sudden visible rings of some strange material shoots out at you.

Just barely dodging around the initial ring, an audible "boom" explodes out from behind you as you blast the familiar with another one of your shots. That sounded deadly, in more ways than one!

Another couple familiars rear their trumpets towards Nanako and you lash out with a medium-sized shield to come to a stop between them and Nanako. It seems like there's some kind of charge time to these things' attack, otherwise your shield wouldn't have been able to make it.

As Nanako finishes off utterly slaughtering any and all familiars in her range, the two trumpets echo out and rings smash against your shield. It develops a few visible cracks, but it holds as the rings steam off the shield.

You send the shield careening into the familiars whose shots you block and smash them into the ground with it, shattering them immediately.

Just as you catch up, Nanako flourishes her whip to a stop as there's nothing but the dissipating remains of the familiars left, snapping it back into it's stiffened sword-like form.

"Good job, Hinako-san! It's very nice to see how variable you can be with your barriers, if you can maneuver them like that."

You flush at the praise.

"Y-you too, Nanako-senpai, you took out so many familiars like it was nothing! Most of them didn't even get a chance to attack you, and you looked incredible flying through the air at them like that!"

And you're not lying, seeing her jump headfirst into battle like that was quite the sight to behold. Nanako flushes back at you, and looks towards the direction of where the Witch most likely resides.

"It was nothing... I've had a lot of practice, I'm sure you'll get to that point as well, Hinako-san... Now, why don't we move on and find this Witch?"

You give her a quick nod and follow her lead deeper into the Labyrinth.



Another few groups of familiars laters, and you find yourself in a near identical part of the landscape in this Labyrinth. You know that this is where the Witch's magical signature is the strongest, however.

While you were fighting familiars, you got clipped by one of the trumpet familiars' attacks, but it ended up being more concussive than anything else causing you little damage. You're glad that your body is much stronger now that you're a magical girl, otherwise who knows what that would've done to you?

"Hinako-san," Nanako blocks you with her hand to stop you from progressing. "The Witch, it's here."

Almost on cue, the Labyrinth begins to rumble and a gargantuan amalgamation of orchestral instruments descends from the ceiling - which was overcast by shadows hiding the Witch from view - and classical music begins to play.

The bows of various instruments slide across it's form, trumpets blare out and tambourines rattle. It'd almost be beautiful if it weren't for the fact that it were coming from a monster such as this Witch.

"Hinako-san, dodge!"

Remembering your impromptu training session with Nanako earlier, you immediately jump to the side with your enhanced strength and agility as a flurry of sharpened bows and giants keys from a piano pierce and destroy the ground where you and Nanako once stood.

I'll try and ambush it from behind, see if you can't distract it! you hear echo out in your mind.

Yes!

You're not sure if you could have taken this Witch alone, if you're being completely honest with yourself. With how it's hovering in the air and bombarding you and Nanako - constantly shifting it's form with various instruments taking the forefront - your melee attacks probably wouldn't have worked and it doesn't seem to have wings like the last Witch you fought. And it's huge.

Jumping with all your strength in your legs from place to place, you pepper the Witch with your comparatively tiny shots of magic, which do pierce away and burn through the Witch but it doesn't damage enough of it to affect it.

In response to your attacks though, the Witch immediately ceases it's orchestral symphony and blares it's instruments in a horrendous cacophony of screeching, setting it's sights completely on you ignoring Nanako on it's other side.

What amounts to giant bricks and needles destroy wherever you're standing, and you're forced to change position almost constantly as it continues to attack you relentlessly over your slight towards it, circling the floating Witch.

But it's too fast with it's attacks - much faster than before even - and eventually you come to the sight of giant piano keys filling your vision. You're forced to deploy a large shield in front of you, pumping in as much magical energy as you can muster into your rod, in order to safeguard yourself.

Hinako-san! Nanako cries out in your mind.

A large translucent green shield pops into existence between you and the keys, and the giant monochrome colored bricks crash into your shield with great force. Since you only just managed to form the shield, it's still attached to your rod which causes you to be tossed back a not insignificant distance as cracks web through your strongest shield.

You crash hard against a wooden mound as the keys melt into smoke from it's extended contact with your shield. The Witch pauses in it's bombardment and it's screeching ceases for a moment, as if it's anticipating to see your demise at the hands of it's attack.

Everything hurts, but you're fine! You feel pretty beat up from the impact, but you should be able to keep going... did you make a slight crater in the wood from that?! Groaning, you continue to hold up your shield and pop yourself out of the crater in the deep brown wood, splinters falling away from your outfit.

"YAAAA!"

Nanako comes up from behind the Witch and twists in the air like she did before, but at more of an angle to bring her blades down vertically onto the Witch. Her bladed whip expands to double its size, glowing with the soft blue of her magic, and the Witch is cleaved in two.

The Witch almost sutters in the air, as if it can't comprehend that it's form was now divided into two, before abruptly falling into it's component parts and splintering into pieces on the ground below it.

Your surroundings slowly fray away as reality reestablishes itself, and you find yourself back where you and Nanako found the Witch's barrier as if nothing had happened.

You shakily regain your bearings and look around for Nanako. It doesn't take long, and you see that she's wounding her whip back into it's handle staring at you in concern.

"I-I'm fine, Nanako-senpai! I just feel a bit beat up, is all..."

Nanako ignores you and makes her way to your side, examining you for wounds. You're kind of sore and shaky admittedly, and she moves her hand over your back for a few moments, hands glowing blue.

And you feel much better now! It probably didn't cost her much magic considering how little it took to heal whatever damage you crashing into that mound of wood did to you, but she didn't have to do that.

"O-oh, thank you Nanako-senpai, but I-I could have done it myself..."

She looks at you in surprise.

"... You know how to heal already?"

She stares at you, squinting her eyes in equal parts suspicion and concern. She continues.

"Hinako-san... could you please enlighten me as to why you know how to heal yourself?"

... Eheheh. You didn't really think this through, did you? How could you possibly tell your new friend how you almost died the day before, after all? You feel like you're going to be scolded if you tell her what happened, but you'd feel bad if you lied to her about it.

What do you tell her?
[ ] The truth, and nothing but the truth
[ ] Just tell her that Kyubey told you how to do it, which is technically true
[ ] Lie and say you discovered it on your own by happenstance
[ ] Backpedal and pretend that you weren't referring to magical healing
[ ] (Write-in)

Who gets the first Grief Seed? Do you and Nanako cleanse yourselves before handing off the Grief Seed to its recipient?
[ ] You get the first Grief Seed since you only have one
-[ ] Suggest that they both cleanse with the seed before you receive it
[ ] Nanako gets the first Grief Seed since she did most of the work
-[ ] Nanako suggests that you both cleanse with the seed before she receives it

You still have another Witch to hunt today. Do you change anything up, or test out anything new while hunting the second Witch?
[ ] No, continue what you've been doing
[ ] (Write-in)

Do you do anything else?
[ ] (Write-in)

Aaaand I'm back, and should be able to continue with the daily updates barring certain things happening.

So, normally it would've taken a lot more to take out that Witch, and even Nanako wouldn't have had an easy time of it if she were alone. But factors like Hinako's magic's nature caused the Witch to go into a frenzy in self-preservation, allowing Nanako to not be bombarded by the Witch while allowing her to deal the finishing blow without any harassment. Ain't that neat? Not so neat for Hinako, though...

Here's the current Grief levels and such. Do note that both Hinako and Nanako will be cleansing regardless of the votes, if their Grief levels are high enough.

[Soul Gem: 801/1750]
[Birdcage Witch: 1020/2000]

[Orchestra Witch: 0/4000]
 
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Hinako Sketch by Neebles
I'm pretty busy so I wish I had more time for this, but I made a rough sketch of Hinako! Put it under a spoiler because its huge lol, I like my canvases beefy


It's probably not exactly consistent with what @Enetious was imagining since I get pretty liberal with how a picture characters in my head, so if you have any references or specific descriptions to give, feel free to tell me and I can correct stuff and make it more consistent to how she's supposed to look when I can get around to finishing it! I hope its okay nonetheless, though!
 
Chapter 12
[X] Don't be too specific, but tell the truth. Tell her you got banged up during your first Witch hunt on your own, since you didn't get to practice your magic beforehand.
-[X] If the mood turns grim, add on how helpful Nanako's lessons were. You've improved a lot!
[X] Nanako gets the first Grief Seed since she did most of the work
-[X] Nanako suggests that you both cleanse with the seed before she receives it
[X] Continue like before for the most part, but when you get to the Witch, double down on playing tank/support role.
-[X] Witches seem to focus on you because of your magic, so focus on giving Nanako openings by keeping aggro on you while dodging attacks with shields ready. Throw beam swords if you get an opening, but play it safe and prioritize dodging and shielding.
-[X] Tell Nanako your current strategy ideas and let her critique it if she has any ideas.
[X] Now that you can sense Witches normally, maybe try using your Anti-Witch magic again to boost the result.

Sunday, January 2nd 2011

"U-u-um..."

You tap your fingers together nervously while Nanako stares at you intently.

"W-well... you see, I kind of got banged up during my first Witch hunt since I didn't get to practice magic beforehand... I-I was all on my own at the time, except for Kyubey who couldn't really help me fight."

Nanako's concerned look only grows, though she seems like she's slightly surprised at something.

"Hinako-san... how bad is 'banged up'?"

Uh-oh. You've always been really bad at lying, so you'll have to choose your words carefully if you don't want to worry Nanako unnecessarily.

"B-bad enough to be bleeding a lot, and I-I couldn't go home like that so Kyubey taught me how to heal..."
Blood pools heavily around your form as you lay on the rough concrete ground, your vision growing dim.
You shake a bit as you're forced to remember the scene in question, and it seems like this breaks Nanako out of her gaze.

Nanako moves closer to you and takes one of your shaking hands into both of hers to steady it.

"It's okay, Hinako-san... it's okay."

Nanako soothingly tells you this as you try and calm yourself down, pushing down the memories of the other night and focusing on her voice and the warmth of her hands.
She needs you to be okay.
You stay like this for another minute or so before your shaking fully abates and you speak up.

"Sorry, Nanako-senpai... I-I think I'm fine now."

Nanako unclasps her hands from your own, looking a bit guilty.

"N-no, it wasn't your fault Hinako-san. It was insensitive for me to ask, but... I had to know."

You can't help but flush a bit at the obvious concern that you hear layering her voice. Does she really care about you that much already...?
A feeling unlike when your sister usually comforts you in your times of need stirs in your chest.
"G-Grief Seed!" you stutter out. Nanako starts a bit at your outburst, and you try and clarify what you meant.

"I-I mean, we should get the Grief Seed. I-I think this one should go to you, Nanako-senpai... You did most of the work after all!"

It helps that you can plainly see how darkened her Soul Gem is atop her head. From what you can gather, both your own and Nanako's Soul Gem appears to be around half full.

Nanako hesitates, before checking her Soul Gem by bringing her hand up to it and flashing it into it's base form - apparently you can do that even while transformed, that's neat - and taking a look at it.

She looks between your own gem embedded on your chest and back to hers contemplatively.

"... Perhaps we should both cleanse with it at least, and we could do the same with the next one as well? Are you fine with that, Hinako-san?"

Fingering at your gem with one of your hands, you nod your head in agreement. That's probably for the best, considering how dark both your gems are.

Nanako gives you a slight smile being turning around and retrieving the Grief Seed of the orchestral-themed Witch from off the ground.

As if to demonstrate what cleansing one's Soul Gem looks like from the outside, Nanako brings up her Soul Gem and the Grief Seed and taps them together. All of the Grief in her gem coalesces outside of it before being sucked into the Grief Seed, darkening it a bit.

[Orchestra Witch: 538/4000]

Nanako gives an audible sigh of relief before handing it off to you. Turning it around in your hand, you stare into the abyss for a few moments before bringing it up to the gem still embedded on you chest and feel all your burdens just wash away.

Handing it back to Nanako, you see that for some reason the Grief Seed was darkened a lot more than when Nanako used it despite both of you having nearly half-filled Soul Gems. That's odd...

[Orchestra Witch: 1351/4000]

Nanako pockets it before looking off in a direction.

"Shall we continue then, Hinako-san?"

You nod your head in agreement.

"Yes!"


Witch Difficulty Roll: 98
Making your way to the relatively small industrial district in the north-west end of the city, you decide to see if you can't use your "anti-Witch" magic to enhance your regular sensing ability.

Focusing on the familiar burning feeling of your magic, you try sense your surroundings.

...

...

...

Nope. It isn't affecting your magical senses at all, as far as you can tell. You can still feel yourself and Nanako, but nothing else immediately around you. You can tell that your magic is being used to an extent, yet nothing seems to be happening aside from that strange burny sensation-

-and you suddenly drop to your knees as your senses light up with Despair. It wasn't just you either, as you can see that Nanako froze and has broken out in a cold sweat with her eyes darting from side to side. What is this...?

You're not quite in the industrial district yet, and you were just exiting a commercial one when this occurred.

The source seems to be coming from a nearby decrepit building, and now that you're focusing on it you think you can sense the magic pattern of another Witch besides the one you and Nanako just sensed. It's far weaker than this new signature though...
(Ability Trained: Magic Sense I -> Magic Sense II)
Nanako reaches out to grasp your wrist and starts pulling you away from that whole situation. To your shame, you're grateful that you're being dragged away from such an obviously dangerous Witch.

"H-Hinako-san, we can't take on that Witch. I-I don't know where it came from, but that's the most dangerous Witch I've ever sensed. It's like... it's like a-all of the happiness and joy was drained from the area when that... t-thing appeared!"

... Huh? You couldn't feel anything like that. Maybe it has something to do with how Nanako was sensing Witches?

All of a sudden the weaker Witch's magic pattern winks out, and all that's left is the newer Witch which causes Nanako to leap up atop a building with you in hand to get away from whatever that was.

You want to protest and go back to kill that Witch before anyone could get hurt, but you find you can't. Something about it chilled you to your very core, and the amount of pure [Sadness/Despair/Grief] that you felt roiling off that thing scares you.

You shake a bit in Nanako's grip, but you dutifully follow your senpai away from the danger that Witch represents.



Back near your house in the north-east side of the city, you sag in relief as you're nowhere near that monstrosity of pure and utter Despair. Nanako relaxes her grip to let go and turns around to face you.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that, Hinako-san..."

She stares into your eyes and trails off, as if unsure as to what to say.

You can't say you weren't shaken a bit when that Witch appeared, as then you'd be lying. Though now that you think back on it, it was mostly the appearance of it that shook you up as when it did it was veritably expelling Despair all around it. It calmed down somewhat after that, almost stabilizing itself.

You reassure your senpai with a slight smile.

"I-It's okay, Nanako-senpai! I know we probably couldn't have taken that Witch like we are now, so that means that we have to get stronger together... right?"

Nanako blushes a bit and looks off to the side.

"O-of course, Hinako-san. I... I can sense another Witch nearby, so we should probably hunt that one instead of the one I sensed in the industrial district. That one had probably moved by now, anyways."

... Oh, you suppose it would make sense that Witches could move, if only to find their victims. You probably just haven't seen it in action yet.

"Follow me Hinako-san, it's this way."

She heads in a slightly south-eastern direction, and you follow as she asked. You both detransform and make your way through the streets as to not appear conspicuous. It's getting a little darker now.

A minute passes, and then two, before you speak up.

"Um, Nanako-senpai? I have an idea for the next Witch... I think."

Nanako slows and turns her head to look towards you.

"That's good attitude to have Hinako-san, what's on your mind?"

Reflecting back on the Witch you and Nanako took out earlier, you came to a conclusion.

"Well, I think my magic does something to Witches. I-I mean, it makes them focus on me for some reason. I was thinking that we could use that for this next one, and I could distract the familiars and the Witch like last time."

Nanako appears to think this through, before giving you a nod.

"Yes, that would make sense. I did think it was rather odd how the Witch focused only on you. This is a great discovery, Hinako-san! If we could take advantage of this..."

She trails off before resuming.

"... well, I'm not going to prioritize this over your health. While this tactic could be beneficial in a lot of cases, I wouldn't put it past many Witches to have abilities or attacks that would make them focusing on only you a lot more dangerous than if their attention were split between the two of us."

Oh, that makes sense.

"So, we should only rely on it on a... case-by-case basis, then?"

Nanako quickly nods her head.

"Yes, that's exactly right. Just be careful in how you use it. Could... you do that for me?"

She looks a bit worried, but you assuage her worries by eagerly nodding your head in return.

"Of course, Nanako-senpai! I wouldn't want to worry you, after all."

Nanako smiles at your response and turns back towards the direction you both were walking. Taking a right, you both stop outside of a small home. The small bit of lawn outside of it is unkept, you note.
Witch Difficulty Roll 2: 14
Your short magic senses tell you that there's a Witch inside that home, though it isn't very strong. In fact, this Witch feels incredibly weak, weaker than either of the two Witches you've encountered before.

You start towards the household before Nanako taps your shoulder.

"Um, Hinako-san, we might want to try and sneak in... somehow. I can't say I've ever encountered a Witch that took up residence in someone's home like this."

Y-you're going to break into their house? That'd make you criminals!

"I-isn't that against the law, senpai? I don't want to get into trouble..."

Nanako can't hide her amusement at this, and unsuccessfully tries to restrain her giggles with her hands.

Hey, you were being serious!

Nanako calms down a bit, face still a bit flushed.

"I-I'm sorry, Hinako-san. I just didn't realize that that's what got you so concerned seeing as how we fight monsters for a living."

She does seem apologetic, though you can still see the wisps of amusement on her face. You're glad that you got to see senpai enjoy herself like this - as she seemed way too closed off when you met her earlier today - but this is a serious issue!

Nanako continues, a bit more in control of herself. She sets herself up in her lecturing pose once more.

"While you're right in that it isn't okay to break the law just because we have magical powers, what you have to understand is that sometimes exceptions have to be made. It's quite likely that the residents of that home have been kissed by the Witch, so we can assume that they aren't in their right minds enough to let us in to deal with the problem. Or they could already be in the Witch's Labyrinth for all we know, so we must act quickly even if what we're doing isn't technically legal."

Oh, Mama and Papa are going to be so disappointed with you if they ever found out about this, but you find that you agree with your senpai.

"S-sorry for doubting you, senpai. You're right..."

Nanako just shakes her head.

"No, it's alright Hinako-san. As your s-senpai, it's my job to answer all your questions, r-right?"

She's still fumbling over referring herself as your senpai, for some reason. Though she certainly doesn't sound displeased by the motion.

"A-alright!" you respond, giving Nanako a bright smile. Just like every other time though, she looks away with a blush. Maybe she's just shy? It's not like you yourself aren't shy, after all.

Nanako takes your hand and leads you to the side of the home out into the backyard while holding a finger up to her lips. Letting go on in the back of the house, you both find that there's a sliding glass door with blinds that appears to be slightly cracked open.

A shattering of glass echoes from inside, and a yelp of pain could be heard.

"Hinako-san, we have to get inside! I'll knock them out so that they can't hurt each other while we deal with the Witch," Nanako whispers out to you. You give her a resolute nod in return. Whatever's happening in that house doesn't sound good.

You and Nanako transform and make your way to the sliding glass door. Nanako slides it open and both of you slip in to find yourselves in a living room. You can see the roiling of the Witch's barrier in the far corner of the room.

Two figures are apparent in the room aside from you and your senpai. One is a gruff-looking black-haired man wearing a typical office worker's attire holding the shattered end of a glass bottle. The other is a girl with short wavy blonde hair and brown eyes, who's wearing some kind of school uniform despite it being Sunday.

The girl seems to be around a couple years younger than you or Nanako, and is shaking on the floor cradling her left arm with tears in her eyes. It seems as if the man hit her arm so hard with the bottle that it shattered, leaving bits and pieces of glass both embedded in her arm and scattered all over the floor.

The man looks over at the two intruders in his home and seems pissed.

"And who the hell are you two?! Rio, what did I tell you about bringing friends ove-" the man barks out before Nanako rushes over and does something with her magic that causes the man the promptly pass out on the floor, bottle still in hand.

The girl - Rio, you think - just stares ahead at the scene with with unbelieving eyes, tears still streaming down her face.

Suddenly, Nanako turns to you with a look on her face and says something.

"Hinako-san... there's no Witch's Kiss. The Witch must not be strong enough yet to bewitch more than one person at a time."

... W-what? What does that mean? This is all the Witch's doing... right?

"Hinako-san..." she repeats herself, this time a bit more firmly while looking at the girl on the floor. You let out a little gasp as the events of what's transpired here becomes apparent to you, and you rush over to the girl's side.

Rio shys away from your approach and flinches, causing you to back off a bit. So instead you kneel down in front of her.
Persuasion Roll: 91
"I-It's okay, we're here to help. Are, are you okay? Would you like me to heal you?"

You gesture to her arm, which seems to be bleeding and bruised with glass shards still littering it.

Rio's shaking lessens, but she winces as she jostles her arm. She speaks up hesitantly.

"W-what did you do to Father? What happened to Mother?"

She referring to them rather formally, you note. But wait... a "mother"? You turn towards Nanako, who seems to come to the same conclusion as you did.

I'll take care of the Witch and search for her mother, Hinako-san. This Witch seems pretty weak, so it wouldn't be much of a learning experience for you anyway. Why don't you stay and make sure Rio-san's alright? she sends to you telepathically.

Of course! Be safe, Nanako-senpai! you send back as she steps into the Witch's barrier, disappearing from view.

Rio's attention is still fully on you and you're blocking her line of sight, so she doesn't seem to notice.

"I'm sorry, my friend just knocked your dad out. She's also looking for your mom as we speak, so don't worry."

Wait a minute, why is she prioritizing them over herself? She's the one who got hurt by one of them!

"Y-you need healing, though! Please let me heal you, Rio-san, you're hurt!"

Rio just wipes the tears off her face with her good arm and gives you a shaky smile.

"I-I-I'm fine, see?"

You just stare, and her smile falls from her face and she looks off to the side.

"I-I'll be fine, I've had worse."

She tells you this while glancing over at her father laying on the ground behind you. You don't want to imagine what could've been worse than her father beating glass shards into her arm.

"... Rio-san, I'm going to heal you, okay?"

She looks almost embarrassed that you offered, but she nods with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

You bring your hands up to hover over her injured arm and start pouring in green healing energy, noting the sharp usage of your magic. Almost immediately, tiny glass shards begin popping out and her cuts begins to knit back together.

"A-a-are you magic?!"

You can see that Rio is staring at your hands with wide eyes. You idly wonder for a moment on whether or not you and Nanako looked like cosplayers when you broke into her house, but just for a moment. Rio sounds rather energetic though, so that's good.

"S-something like that."

Rio is gaping in awe at your answer, and actively starts poking at her still healing wounds with her other hand regardless of any pain she must feel from doing so. She almost seems unbothered by the fact that she has the wounds in the first place.

After a few minutes or so, the Witch's barrier shudders before seemingly uncoiling itself into non-existence, and Nanako flashes back into existence in the living room with an unconcious woman in her hands. The woman has long blonde wavy hair and she seems to be dressed rather well and adorned in jewelry.

This draws Rio's attention, and she gapes even harder as both Nanako and her mother seemingly teleport into the room.

Nanako deposits the woman on a nearby couch with a complicated expression, and patiently waits to the side thumbing a Grief Seed in her hand.

"You really are magic!" cries out Rio in glee, tears forgotten. She almost moves to get up, but you gently stop her with your other hand.

"You still have to heal, Rio-san. Please give me another minute or two..."

Your face scrunches up in concentration as you work on Rio's arm. Rio gives you a pout, before sitting back and seemingly enjoying the show you're putting on with your magic.

Rio turns to Nanako to ask her something.

"How's Mother and Father? Are they alright?"

Nanako's face gets even more complicated, before she answers.

"Your parents are fine, Rio-san. They're just unconscious."

Rio gives an audible sigh of relief, muttering a "That's good" under her breath.

When your healing's done as far as you can tell, you pull away your hands and check your Soul Gem.

[Soul Gem: 187/1750]

It wasn't anything major, mostly just cuts, a large bruise, and whatever else was going on internally that you couldn't see.

Seeing that you're finished, Rio rubs at the unblemished skin of her arm and laughs a bit at the novelty of it.

"Thanks, Onee-san! That'll save me a lot of trouble at school."

Rio quickly gets up and heads into the attached kitchen, searching for something. You're a bit taken back by her energy after what must've been a traumatic experience.

... Hinako-san, I can't say I'm comfortable leaving Rio-san with these people as they're obviously abusing her. I've never been in this kind of situation before, so do you have any thoughts on what we should do? Nanako sends telepathically to you. She sounds completely lost, and you can't really blame her... especially if your theory of her not being a people person turns out to be true.

Nanako hands you the Grief Seed that she was playing with, and you find that it's a little bit full - probably her cleanse from after she took care of the Witch.

[Easel Witch: 143/1500]

Rio comes back out holding a little hand-held broom and dustpan, eyeing the glass on the floor.

What do you do? You signed up to fight scary monsters, not this!
[ ] Spirit Rio away into the night
[ ] Call someone
-[ ] (Write-in)
[ ] Telepathically ask Kyubey for help
[ ] Give Rio your contact information and try to meet up with her another time
[ ] (Write-in)

You were planning on inviting Nanako-senpai out to have ice cream after your Witch hunts were over, do you still do this?
[ ] Yes, ice cream reigns supreme
-[ ] ... and bring Rio too?
[ ] No
[ ] (Write-in)

Is there anything else you want to do?
[ ] (Write-in)

Well then, that happened. Since the persuasion roll was so high, it'll probably carry over into any other action you take regarding this immediate situation.

I hadn't actually expected you all to run into this situation so early (or at all, really), but the extremely high initial Witch roll caused Hinako and Nanako to flee back to the residential district Hinako lives in which combined with the very low secondary Witch roll caused them to encounter this particular event. But hey, at least you beat the Coobster to something, so that's neat.

So basically you've got to determine if you want to pull a Kyoko or not, I suppose.

I will say right now that spiriting her away could definitely work considering Hinako has a good-sized empty home and the Japanese educational system is... weird when it comes to attendence or needing parental guidance to attend.

Calling something like the Japanese CPS is also an option, but with the most immediate signs of abuse healed thanks to Hinako as well as the fact that Hinako still sounds like - and is a - child, that likely wouldn't work out in the short-term.

The Kyubey option is pretty obvious in how it would end up, and the "give contact info, do nothing" option is much like the Kyubey option but without the mind wipes and potential magical girl... for now.

Here are the end of chapter Grief levels if anyone's interested.
[Soul Gem: 187/1750]
[Birdcage Witch: 1015/2000]
[Easel Witch: 143/1500]
 
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Chapter 13
[X] Help Rio clean up the glass - she shouldn't have to worry about cleaning up after that. Try to use your hope magic on her if you can.
[X] Take Rio and Nanako out for ice cream.
-[X] Tell Rio you'll explain what just happened when you get there.
-[X] If she seems reluctant, tell her you can show her your magic later, but you also want to treat her to make up for, y'know, breaking into her house and all.

[X] On the way over:
-[X] Ask Rio about herself while you walk. What does she like to do? What school does she attend? And anything else casual we can think of. Don't push her on her family situation unless she brings it up herself.
-[X] Let Rio take over the conversation when possible so you have some breathing room to telepathy Nanako.
-[X] Tell Nanako that you both need to try and befriend her so she has someone safe to talk to. You live alone at the moment, so you can let her stay with you if we need to. You're gonna see if your sister has any advice on what to do while you see what's up.
-[X] Text your sister on the way over asking if you can call her in a few minutes - a friend is in trouble and you need some advice.
-[X] Continue conversing with Rio.

[X] When you get there:
[X] Pay for everyone else's ice cream.
[X] If your sister says you can call, or if she doesn't respond yet, excuse yourself and call her. Tell Nanako to start explaining Magical Girls and that you'll be back in a minute and call.
-[X] Explain that you ran into someone else today while hanging out with your new friend, and you have reason to believe their father is abusing them. You want to get them out of that situation ASAP, but you don't know how, short of letting her stay with you for a couple days. Does best sister have any ideas?
-[X] If she says she can't talk, text her for advice while explaining Magical Girls and Witches to Rio. Make sure to emphasize how dangerous Witches are.

Sunday, January 2nd 2011

... Why is Rio taking it upon herself to clean up a mess that was created when one of her parents hurt her so badly? Why does she seem so unperturbed about everything that just happened?

Rio starts making her way to the sight of where she was struck, and you make a decision.

"A-ah, Rio-san, I can take care of that for you," you carefully move to intercept her, hands held out for the broom and dustpan in her hands.

Rio just looks at you, confused.

"Well... I'm always supposed to clean up after my own messes so that means I have to do it, right?"

Yeah, you definitely need to call your sister for help. You aren't equipped to deal with this kind of thing!

You hold up a finger upwards in front of you.

"Nope!"

You take your magical girl weapon in hand and will it to recreate the dustpan in Rio's hand, and subsequently form another intricate rod to manifest a broom as well. You ready the translucent green cleaning tools and kneel down to start cleaning up. This counts as practice, right?

Rio stares at your mystical tools of cleaning with wonderment and excitement, her task momentarily forgotten.

"Nanako-senpai, could you..." you gesture to the broken bottle in the unconscious man's hand, and Nanako quickly moves to follow your request seemingly relieved to be doing something.

As you sweep up the glass remnants from the floor, you can see that the bristles formed on the freshly formed broom are acting perfectly naturally. You give a quick flick through them and feel that they're a perfect match to the bristles on any other broom.

"Hey, hey, can you teach me magic Onee-san?"

Oh, that's right. You never gave her your name, now did you?

"U-um, well, I'm not sure. I'm still kind of new at this myself..."

Rio slackens a bit, and you feel like you've just kicked a puppy without meaning to.

"I-I mean, my name is Ruri Hinako! And I was planning on asking Nanako-senpai to go out to get ice cream with me after this, d-do you want to come too?"

You hear Nanako give a low strangled noise for a brief moment, for some reason.

W-well, only if you're fine with it of course! But I think it'd be good to get Rio-san out of this house for a little while at least... you briskly send to your senpai telepathically.

"Well, Mother and Father were supposed to go out tonight so they might be a bit mad already..."

... It's fine, Hinako-san. I just hadn't expected you to invite me out like that so suddenly, replies Nanako.

"Well, um, I'll show you some more magic later if you come! A-and I kind of want to make up for, you know, breaking into your house and all..."

... You sound like a dastardly criminal when you put it that way. What would your parents think of you now? At least you're doing it for a good cause, though!

Rio thinks this over while you sweep up the last bits of glass from the floor. There were a few splotches of blood that you were able to brute force scrape from the ground with the ethereal bristles before it really set in, but you think you got everything.

Looking for a trash can, you reflect back on Rio's current state. The school uniform she's wearing consists of a washed out dark blue and white checkered skirt wrapped around a predominantly white long-sleeved sailor top trimmed with the same blue; a winter uniform. Her left sleeve is utterly ruined, cut in many places and soaked in her blood.

Detaching the dustpan from your weapon into a trash can in the kitchen, you let the energy making it up dissipate. You absentmindedly to the same for the broom and second intricate rod before untransforming in a flash of green light.

This seems to have convinced Rio, as after detransforming...

"Alright! Can I really go along with you two?" she asks in a hopeful tone.

"Of course!""Of course, Rio-san." Both you and Nanako echo out at the same time. It seems that while you were throwing away the glass remains Nanako moved Rio's father into a chair that's facing a television.

"Though... you may want to change out of that, otherwise we'd draw attention," Nanako points out, looking at Rio's ruined sleeve.

Rio looks at it as if she's only just noticing that it's a problem, before running her hands through her hair in frustration.

"Ahhh! I didn't realize, and I only have a few of these too!"

She quickly runs off into a hallway and bolts into an open door before slamming it shut.

A moment passes.

"Um... I guess we'll just wait then?" you mumble to no one in particular. Rio seems to be in high spirits and is quite energetic, if a bit distractible.

"There there," Nanako playfully reassures you as she lightly pats your shoulder. You can't help but giggle a bit at this.

Okay... so what are you going to do about this whole situation? You doubt that everything could be solved just by taking Rio out for ice cream, and sooner or later Rio will have to come back to this... you couldn't call a place where Rio gets hurt like she did a home. What could possibly motivate someone to harm their own child?

"Hinako-san, there's something I should tell you while Rio-san isn't here."

And now she has your full attention. You turn and look at her expectantly, hands loosely clasped together and outstretched towards the ground in front of you.

"While I was in the Witch's Labyrinth, I found Rio-san's mother being guided by familiars, which were likely escorting her to the Witch. She was talking to them as if they were other people, and the things she said, even if she was under the effects of the Witch's Kiss..."

Nanako pauses, looking a bit unsure before continuing.

"I can safely say that it isn't just Rio-san's father that's abusing her. She seems to hold a lot of resentment towards Rio-san for reasons unbeknownst to me, and I wasn't willing to let her stay in the clutches of the Witch's familiars any longer... I'm sorry, Hinako-san."

That's... you can't say you hadn't considered the possibility. You had hoped that maybe it was just the father, but both the mother and father? They both seem on good terms with one another too, if Rio's earlier comment on them meaning to go out tonight is true. Why is all of their hostility directed towards Rio?!

"I-It's not your fault, Nanako-senpai! I just can't believe that they both would be like that to their own daughter... She seems so nice, too."

Nanako just nods in agreement. She seems to be looking over at the two unconscious forms of Rio's parents with a look that makes it seem like she just bit into a lemon. You speak up again.

"Nanako-senpai, I think we should try and become friends with her while we're out, at least so that she has someone she could safely talk to about all of this... I'm living by myself right now, so I could let her stay over my house if she needs ever too."

Nanako looks surprised at this revelation.

"You live all alone? But your home seems so..."

You wave it off with one of your hands.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Mama and Papa travel a lot, and Onee-chan is off at university, but it's not like I'm alone most of the time. We video call each other a lot!"

This seems to placate Nanako's curiosity somewhat, and you continue.

"Anyways, while we're out I'm going to try and see if Onee-chan has any advice on this... she was always more of a people person than me, so she might be able to help!"

Nanako looks a bit unsure at this, but seems to take your word for it giving you a small smile at your enthusiasm.

The two of you wait here like this while muffled sounds echo out from Rio's room, Nanako kind of shifting a bit as if uncomfortable by the wait looking from you to the hallway Rio sped down. In no time at all, Rio comes rushing out wearing some plain white shorts and a yellow top that has short sleeves with paler form-fitting long sleeves coming out the ends of them.

She kind of leans forward on her toes and back with an excited smile on her face.

"So, are we ready to go or what?"





The sun is setting now, and a beautiful skyline of yellow and orange greets all of you as you exit Rio's house and make your way to a local ice cream parlor that you know of. Mikadzuki, you think it was called.

You still remember the last few times your sister visited you in the hospital. She'd always bring you something to take away from the monotony of hospital living, and she often got you Mikadzuki for dessert. Their ice cream was absolutely heavenly, nothing like the stuff you'd get in a carton!

Rio skips across the generous sidewalk, trailing glittering patterns as the pavement lights up beneath her. S-so it was totally fine if you were enamored with it the other day, as apparently even long-time residents like Rio is - you think - like to play with it!

You can see a sleek monorail speed past in the distance and the everpresent shifting electronic billboards littering the tallest buildings in the inner-city.

"S-so, Rio-san," you pipe up, drawing her attention. Rio stops her skipping in anticipation of your question.

"Yes? What is it Onee-san?"

Agh, this is somehow so much more difficult that when you were introducing yourself to Nanako. Maybe it has something to do with how Rio has this sort of... energy about her? And didn't you tell her your name already?

"W-well, I was just wondering, what kind of things do you like? I-I like to watch anime, and I like fixing things! L-like through sewing, or with glue. I used to be in the crafts club in elementary school, actually..."

You don't know where you're going with this. You're terrible at small talk, which is why you always preferred your sister taking the lead in conversations like this.

Nanako seems somehow worse than you when it comes to interacting with other people like this, so you can't really blame her for keeping her silence. Actually, ever since the two of you started interacting with Rio, Nanako's been unusually quiet and closed off... almost stoic-like even. She was much more open while Rio was changing, but still!

"Oh! I love coffee, that's the good stuff! I also like playing the trumpet, and I'm in the music club at school. Akiha-chan always says that I'm great at making sweets, but I think she just likes mooching off me whenever I make something in home economics."

... Does she really need coffee for the extra energy, or does she just like the taste? You're not sure, but you shudder to think of how she would be like on the extra caffeine that coffee provides.

Nanako decides now is a good time to chime in.

"Rio-san, I noticed that you were wearing your school uniform earlier, was there any particular reason for that? Today's only Sunday after all."

That is a good question, you think. You're unfamiliar with what school uniform it is, as it's certainly not your own school's.

Rio just gives an embarrassed chuckle, rubbing the back of her head with one of her hands.

"Eheh, well I was just so excited to go back to school that I didn't realize it was only Sunday. I didn't have to go out today, so I didn't bother changing into something else."

Oh, you guess that makes sense. Time for your own question though, as your curiosity is killing you!

"Ah, Rio-san, what school do you go to? I'm new to the area, so I'm only starting school here tomorrow."

Nanako opens her mouth to respond to your question, but halts herself as Rio chimes in.

"Oh, I'm a first year at the Urahama Women's Academy! The middle school division I mean, I'm definitely not in high school yet."

... Huh, so it's just like Urahama Middle School, but only for girls? Or is it more exclusive or expensive to go to?

"I hear that school's pretty expensive to go to, Rio-san. I mean no offense, but did you get a scholarship from them to go there? I know that getting offered a scholarship from that school is pretty rare..."

And Nanako comes to the rescue, as if she were reading your mind. Despite her assurances though, it did sound a bit rude but it doesn't look like Rio took any offense to it.

"I'm not going there on a scholarship, no. My grandma always wanted me to go there, and when she passed away she arranged things so that I could go to UWA. My parents weren't too happy about it though..."

Rio gets a bit somber at this. You see that she's referring to her grandmother far more endearingly than her own parents, so she must've been close to her.

"O-oh, I'm so sorry Rio-san, that was insensitive of me. I hadn't realized..."

Rio waves her hands in front of her.

"No, no, it's fine! Grandma wouldn't want me to feel down like this, and she wouldn't want anyone else to feel bad about it. She was... she was a great person. And she left me with so much, more than I deserve really.

But that's enough of that! What do you like to do, Nanako-san? I know I already told you guys what I like, so how about you?"

While this is going on, you swipe out your phone and get started on texting your sister. Knowing her, she'll get back to you almost immediately. Seriously, she doesn't kid around when she tells you that you can contact her at any time, so you have to be careful not to text her during her classes lest she start texting away when she's supposed to be paying attention.

"W-well, I like flower pressing, though that's more of a hobby than anything. I also like to read ma-books in my free time..."

'Hey Onee-chan! Do you mind if I call you in a few? One of my friends is in some real trouble, and I need some advice.'

You shoot off a text to your sister, anticipating the response that's sure to bombard your notifications.

"Oooh, that's fancy! I hear flower pressing's really hard to do, is that true?"

Nanako looks really out of her comfort zone right now, so you'll probably have to jump into the conversation sooner or later to save her.

"... No, flower pressing isn't all that difficult if you know what you're doing. It's a bit costly, but once you have the materials necessary for it it's just a matter of patience."

'Of course!'
'Your beloved Onee-chan is here to help.'
'Give me a call whenever, I'm free.'

Aaand there's the bombardment.

'How was your date?'
'Did she treat you or did you treat her?'

You groan into your hands. Why, Onee-chan, why? Why must she betray you, as so? You mean, you did treat Nanako to lunch, but that proves nothing!
Mischief Roll: 71
"'How was your date?' ... 'Did she treat you or did you treat her?'"

You give a small yelp and jump a bit as you realize that Rio's behind you reading off the screen of your phone as you held your face in your hands. When did she get behind you?!

"Were you on a date earlier today, Onee-san?! How'd it go?"

Rio is all sunshine and rainbows while you're here shrinking in on yourself. Whyyyy. Nanako is suddenly staring at you intently, seemingly really curious as to your answer. There's a strange look in her eyes, though.

"I-I-I... you know you can call me by my name, right Rio-san?"

You deflect a bit to buy yourself some time to think. How awkward would it be to explain to Nanako about the teasing ministrations of your sister?

"O~kay Hinako-chan, how'd your date with this girl go?"

Agh, now you're being referred to as '-chan' by your junior too... not that you overly mind, but most people do due to social precedent. Well, it's probably not as important out of school anyways.

"I-I, my sister was just teasing me! I made the mistake of letting her know that I was meeting Nanako-senpai today for lunch, and she ran with it..."

Nanako goes as red as a tomato, turns around and starts stuttering things under her breath that you can't quite make out. No no no, you don't want to scare off your new friend! Onee-chan, why?!

Rio brings a hand up to her mouth in realization.

"Ah! I didn't realize... how'd your date go though? Who paid for whose meal?"

Et tu, Rio?

"I p-paid for her lunch, but that's not the point! I-It wasn't a date, I-I was just being nice since she was offering to help me out and all..."

Rio seems to realize the state that she's driven the both of you into, and looks a bit apologetic.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have butted in like that, but I couldn't help it! How could I ignore the throes of young love?"

She kind of rests her cheek into her hand. "Young love"? She's younger than the both of you! You check your phone again as you feel it buzz in your hand.

'Well?'
'Did you treat her?'
'Hina?'
'C'mon, you can tell me!'
'You know I was joking about the date part though, right?'

Agh, you have to respond before she gets any ideas.

'Sorry, was talking to friends. And yes, I treated her since she did me a huge favor.'

While you were painstakingly typing this out, Nanako's finished stuttering and seems content to just live out her life as a tomato shifting her face away from view. Wait, Nanako! You forgot to apologize!

"Sorry Nanako-senpai! Onee-chan didn't mean it, she was just joking! I'm sorry you had to hear that."

Nanako takes a few seconds to process your words before responding.

"... It's fine, Hinako-san," she kind of mumbles out, before raising her voice to a proper level. "It's fine. I'm just not used to teasing like that, that's all..."

Oh, that's great! It doesn't seem like she hates you now or anything, and she's looking at you again if a bit more flushed than usual.

You're coming up to Mikadzuki now as you all round a corner street. The shop itself is connected to a line of other shop-owned buildings and has a sort of polka dot cover over the front of the building. The glass front of the storefront sheens in the glow of the setting sun.
There's a flier taped to the glass offering a half-off special to couples this weekend.
Do you plan on doing or saying anything else when you get your ice cream?
[ ] Yes
-[ ] You'll give Nanako a hug to reassure her that you're still friends
-[ ] Ask Rio about her school
--[ ] Is Akiha one of her friends?
-[ ] Ask Rio what her family name is, since you never caught that
-[ ] Ask your sister something else while you're on the phone with her
--[ ] (Write-in)
-[ ] (Write-in)
[ ] No
[ ] The ice cream here's pretty pricey, take advantage of Rio's misconception to get the couple's discount
When talking to Rio about magical girls, do you encourage or discourage her from becoming one if she happens to have Potential?
[ ] Encourage Rio to become a magical girl if she understands and accepts all the dangers that come with the lifestyle
[ ] Discourage her from becoming a magical girl
-[ ] Why shouldn't she become a magical girl? (Write-in)
[ ] Don't encourage or discourage her either way
[X] When you get there:
[X] Pay for everyone else's ice cream.
[X] If your sister says you can call, or if she doesn't respond yet, excuse yourself and call her. Tell Nanako to start explaining Magical Girls and that you'll be back in a minute and call.
-[X] Explain that you ran into someone else today while hanging out with your new friend, and you have reason to believe their father is abusing them. You want to get them out of that situation ASAP, but you don't know how, short of letting her stay with you for a couple days. Does best sister have any ideas?
-[X] If she says she can't talk, text her for advice while explaining Magical Girls and Witches to Rio. Make sure to emphasize how dangerous Witches are.
And the chapter finally arrives... well, mostly anyways. Cutting it off here since it's getting pretty long, and to allow the opportunity to add on anything else in reaction to anything in this chapter.

You get to see how Rio acts when not interacting with her parents or when she's not in her household. Quite the ray of sunshine, no?

Current Grief Levels:
[Soul Gem: 211/1750]
[Birdcage Witch: 1015/2000]
[Easel Witch: 143/1500]
 
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