“Mountains and more mountains,” Takako grumbled as she trudged up seemingly countless stairs. “Why would this great master live here?”

“He is a hermit,” Aiko replied. “I believe it’s the law that martial arts masters need to live in remote places like this.”

Their little journey had taken them almost to the complete opposite end of Japan. Somehow, Aiko had convinced a foreign man to drive them there with his bus. Back home, a simple train ride would have sufficed. However, after the vampire’s reign, however, the train system was still a mess. It'd require some time until it became operational for the whole country again. Still, Takako enjoyed the scenery and couldn’t begrudge the fresh air. It was a nice change to the cramped, half-decayed Osaka.

“Is this the place?” Takako spotted a red archway leading towards an old temple. Moss-covered statues depicting fearsome-looking armored warriors guarded the entrance. “This place looks abandoned.”

Grass and weeds had overrun the property, and it appeared no one had attended the place in ages. A deer walked across the lawn, before fleeing when it spotted them. The building was in terrible shape, and Takako wondered if anyone had used the temple before the vampire’s arrival.

Aiko’s brow furrowed. “It matches the description my contact told me. Let’s explore further. It might only appear abandoned because the hermit wants to deter visitors.”

I suppose it is possible they haven’t even heard about Seina defeating the vampires yet.

Before examining inside the temple, they searched around the grounds first. It proved a futile effort, not even finding disturbed grass. Behind the building was a garden overgrown with weeds and wild plants, unattended and forgotten. The only sound for miles was the music of nature. This place appeared abandoned. They questioned the wisdom of even bothering to explore inside the temple.

“I guess we came here for nothing.” Takako kicked a nearby rock, unable to hide her disappointment. She’d been looking forward to learning some new tricks.

“Sorry.” Aiko looked down, abashed. “The trail looked good.”

“It’s not your fault. I appreciate you helping me get stronger.” Takako opened her pack and passed her friend a bottle of water. She opened her own bottle, and they drank together.

“It isn’t bad though,” Takako said, continuing. “It’s nice to just get away from everything.” Over the ridge, she could see the entire countryside. While wild and overgrown, it had a certain majesty.

Aiko tapped her chin, considering. “Maybe you don’t need a master. I can help you instead.”

“How?” Takako blinked, not understanding her friend’s sudden enthusiasm.

“Summon your weapon.”

“Change Change, Magical Love Genocide Dress Up!” Takako did as instructed, presenting the white pistol to her friend. “Now what?”

“Thanks to your advice, Seina performed some magic, if briefly,” Aiko said. “But instead of hatred, however, she used love instead, and it worked!”

“And you want me to try this love approach?” Takako didn’t hide her skepticism. She opened her mouth to decry love as a weakness, but paused. Back in Starlight Dream, they had pounded it into them that goodness was weak and useless, a point Seina’s existence seemed to disprove.

Takako hadn’t wanted to admit it, but she’d been in a rut ever since learning of her parent’s death. She needed a change.

“What the heck!” It seemed worth a try. Besides, defeating Seina with hatred had proven futile. Why bother repeating the same approach when it didn’t work?

After some consideration, Takako focused on her parents’ faces. It stung her eyes with tears, but she continued forward anyway. She recalled how her father loved lifting her onto his broad shoulders when she was small. He’d run around the park, and Takako laughed and screamed in delight. The taste of her mother’s cooking came to her tongue. Takako had enjoyed making rice balls alongside her, crushing the rice with her tiny fingers. Despite the distance and years, their love shone like a star within.

But before Takako could pull the trigger on her black pistol, a tiny voice interrupted her. “There you are! Where the heck have you been?!”

“Nier?” Takako blinked as her fairy partner floated before her face.

“I only found you because you used your powers!” Nier said, fuming. “I’ve been searching everywhere for days!”

Takako disliked his tone, putting her hand on her hips. “Why? What’s so important?”

“And why is she here? You’re meant to be in disguise! Why are you showing her your true face, Takako!” Nier pointed an accusatory paw towards Aiko, who returned it with an awkward wave.

Seconds later, Nier’s tiny face lit in understanding, his mouth twisting into a sly smile. “I see! She’s switched sides. Nice going. I promise Starlight Dream will reward you well for your treachery. If you’re lucky, you might even get a fairy partner!”

Both girls laughed at the absurdity of Nier’s assumption and Takako wiped a tear away from an eye.

“What?” Nier’s voice quavered, both outraged and horrified.

“We’re friends now!” Aiko beamed with pride, giving Takako a hug.

“Yeah, I’ve decided against killing Seina,” Takako said.

“What?! You can’t do that! Seina is a sworn enemy of everything the magical girls stand for!” Neir waved his arms frantically. “We can’t fight against the Starlight Dream and the Devil Princesses!”

“They were never nice to me, anyway.” Takako only shrugged, surprised at how good it felt, freeing herself from her previous obligations.

“Are you crazy! They’ll kill us both!” Nier’s tone surprised Takako. Her fairy partner seemed on the verge of total hysterics. “You can’t become good!”

“Good? Please.” Takako snorted, insulted. “But I’m not a villain, either. I’m me.”

“Takako had been rethinking her life. But it’s better now. Your partner is much happier.” Aiko said, her tone calm and reassuring.

“Who cares?! They’ll kill us all! If Takako dies, so do I!”

“Are you okay, Nier?” While Takako had known abandoning her allegiance to Starlight Dream would upset her fairy partner, this was beyond anything she’d ever expected. Had something happened at Starlight Dream? He seemed utterly terrified.

“No, I’m not!” Nier snapped and turned away, flying in the opposite direction.

“I better talk to him.” While they weren’t really friends, Takako hated seeing Nier so upset.

“Go on.” Aiko waved in Nier’s direction. “I might as well explore the temple more, anyway. It might have a clue where the master disappeared to.”

After giving her friend a grateful nod, Takako followed her fairy partner, finding him huddled under a fallen tree.

“What do you want?” Nier said, his voice venomous.

Instead of answering, Takako sat behind him on the grass. She listened to the forest sounds, hearing the distinct song of cicadas, sounding like wonderful music to her ears. “I’ve grown to like this universe. Somehow, it’s become like a second home to me.”

Nier blinked, not comprehending. “Home?”

“You must admit, Starlight Dream was never home for either of us.”

“Speak for yourself. I was a star! A true elite going places! Until I met you, of course.” Nier didn’t hide his bitterness. “Thanks to you, I;m a joke that people laugh at behind my backs!”

Takako found herself speechless, never realizing how much her partner cared about rising in the ranks. In her years as a magical girl, she’d seen many girls get prominent positions. One even became a lieutenant. Takako, however, was a mere go-to girl, doing menial jobs nobody else wanted. Neir, however, had grand dreams which Takako had squashed.

“I suppose I am a terrible magical girl.” It surprised Takako how much guilt she felt for inadvertently ruining Nier’s dreams. She’d been callous to his feelings. “Nier, I’m sorry.”

“What?” Nier gapped at Takako like she’d grown three heads.

“I’m serious. I haven’t been taking your feelings seriously, even if I disagree with them.”

Nier looked into the distance. “Seems like my fate really has changed. Damn her.”

“Huh?” Takako blinked, not understanding his strange words.

“Nothing. I’m trying to understand. Why fight the Devil Princesses now? Why stand with Seina? She’s obviously doomed! And we’ll join her fate!”

“Aiko has taught me that there’s more to life than survival. I want to live and nobody is getting in the way of that, even the Devil Princesses.” Takako smashed her palm to her fist.

“Live?” Nier tilted his head.

“How do I explain?” Takako took a breath to gather her thoughts. “I’m tired of being treated like trash for being different and I don’t want to cause suffering either. I want to be like Seina, free and loved by my friends.”

Nier opened his mouth for another rebuke, but hesitated. “You won’t change your mind?” he asked cautiously. Takako shook her head. Neir paused, conflict evident in his features. Something about her words had touched him deeper than he’d like. Was he reconsidering his relationship with Starlight Dream too? Moments later, he seemed to come to a conclusion. “Fine. I’ll admit I don’t like the Devil Princesses either. I guess I’ll help you. But you owe me!”

“Deal.”

Nier rubbed his temples. “I must be crazy. But what now? Compared to other magical girls, you aren’t that strong. You never feed off suffering!”

Takako smirked, spinning both pistols in elaborate patterns. “But I’ve gotten stronger. My rivalry with Seina had pushed me to new limits. I’m a true force to be reckoned with!”

Nier raised an eyebrow “Really?” he asked uncertainty.

Before she could offer an explanation, the tree they stood under exploded as a beam of energy ripped it to pieces. Takako howled in pain, face colliding with the burning grass from the impact.

“Found you.” A girl said. She floated in midair, holding some strange heart-tipped wand.

“Nier, are you okay?” Takako asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Though ruffled up, Takako’s body had protected Neir from the worst of the damage.

“Who are you?” Takako glared at the newcomer. The girl seemed young, almost dainty-like with long blue hair tied in a ponytail across her back. The magical girl’s dress was vibrant yellow, with a small black spot that spread from her neck to her shoulders. The bottom of the dress looked like thin petals curled inward.

“Ume Akiyama. Or, Coneflower Purity if you’d like, and I will be your death.” The mysterious magical girl gave Takako’s pistols a contemptuous glare. “It’s my duty to cleanse the cosmos of you scum. You sully everything magical girls should stand for. I will free the cosmos of suffering, whatever the cost.”

Another good magical girl? Takako wanted to protest her innocence, but Ume seemed beyond reasoning, her eyes cold and uncompromising. Besides, Takako didn’t like her tone. Oh well. She’ll listen once I beat her senseless!

“The name’s Takako Kodama. Lily Annihilator.” Takako slung one pistol over her shoulder. “Bring it then. You’ve picked a dangerous fight..”

“You got this!” “Nier gave a supportive nod before fleeing behind a far tree. Takako gasped in surprise as a beam of energy appeared from nowhere, blasting her in the chest and throwing her clear across the countryside.

Where had that come from? Takako shook her head, trying to remove herself from a rock-face. She gasped in shock, finding Ume already standing behind her, screaming when a beam burned into her stomach.

Takako raised her black pistol to retaliate, but a beam blasted her from behind, blindsiding her. Any attempt to fight back proved futile as Ume pummeled her with countless energy beams, each shooting her from a random, unpredictable angle, again appearing from nowhere.

Pushing past the blinding pain, Takako considered her opponent’s strange ability to attack from everywhere and nowhere. In a flash of insight, she had her answer but before she could do anything about it she howled in pain as another beam smashed her into a mountainside. She punched the rock, creating a smokescreen of dust. It impaired Takako’s vision, but she hoped it’d do the same to her opponent. Sure enough, the death beams stopped, giving Takako a slight respite.

I figured as much. Ume needs to see to pinpoint her attacks. The vicious magical girl didn’t wait long, however. Takako jumped away as her opponent appeared from nowhere in the smokescreen, whipping a kick towards Takako’s sternum once she’d gotten a visual. Takako blocked the blow with her black pistol and aimed with the other towards Ume’s head.

“Got you.” For a split moment, Takako considered channeling love into her weapon as Aiko had suggested, then decided against it. This wasn’t the time to test unproven theories. Takako fired and summoned a gravity well with the strength of a black hole around her opponent.

Ume jerked and froze in place. Takako smirked, glad this trick had proven effective once again, and pointed both pistols towards her opponent’s chest for a devastating counterattack. Much to Takako’s astonishment, a ripple in space appeared behind Ume and she disappeared within it. Takako screamed as a kick connected with her head, leaving her dazed, coughing blood as Ume followed with a punch aimed at her heart.

With a shaky hand, Takako whipped the blood from her lips. “So, that’s your power, creating portals.” It explained the energy beams appearing from nowhere. What an annoying power.

For a moment, Ume stopped her relentless assault, studying her opponent. “You’re better than I expected. You’ve taken an astonishing amount of punishment.”

“I’ve been training hard. Compared to Seina, this is nothing.” Despite her bravado, Takako was almost certain she couldn’t win. Her weapon trembled in her hand and staying standing proved difficult. Takako pointed her pistol towards her stomach, but a beam blew it from her hand before she could heal herself. Damn it. Somehow, Ume knew about her healing trick.

“Seina?” Ume raised an eyebrow. Behind her, Ume’s fairy partner flitted around, watching the contest with intense interest, giving Takako an idea.

With a defiant scream, Takako charged, her remaining pistol raised to shoot. Her left leg screamed with pain as a beam of energy struck it from behind, making her lose her balance. Another beam struck her square in the chest, but it provided just the diversion she needed. A shot rang out from her black pistol, and Ume dodged away with careless ease, but that wasn’t her target. Ume’s fairy gasped in surprise as the bullet struck her.

The expression of surprise on Ume’s face was priceless as she suddenly found Takako right behind her, she was completely exposed and howling in pain as her opponent shot several clips into her back. A sudden slap behind the head made Takako’s head spin, dropping her remaining pistol. She laid helpless on the grass, unable to move.

“Slippery little.” Ume winced, moving with some pain. Takako had unleashed her worst on her opponent. While it hadn’t been enough to defeat her, Takako contented herself with the damage she’d inflicted, knocking the self-righteous magical girl from her pedestal.

“Seina will defeat you,” Takako said, glaring in defiance, refusing to plead for her life.

Ume’s expression turned icy cold. “She will die like the rest. I won’t stop until I eliminate you vermin from the cosmos. I will end your reign of suffering.”

Takako opened her mouth to point out the stupidity of such a statement. But fire burned in Takako’s chest as a beam of energy shot through it from Ume’s extended hand. Blood oozed from her gaping wound, staining her outfit crimson. Takako wanted to offer one last word of defiance, but her strength crumpled and everything went black.

---

“Are you okay, Ume?” Hope asked in concern.

“That swapping trick caught me off guard, but nothing I can’t handle.” Still, Ume cursed her carelessness. She hadn’t been ruthless enough and paid the price. Even a weak magical girl could be a threat to the careless. Ume needed to be stronger, more ruthless. The price of failure is too great.

She sighed and pulled out a packet of Pocky sticks and bit into one. Her assumption that someone had killed Takako had been proven incorrect, the magical girl had just been lazy, derelict in her duties, not reporting her activities as expected. Everyone had just assumed her sudden disappearance had meant death. As usual, Ume was alone in her quest to destroy the Devil Princess. It’d been a foolish hope, but not wholly unexpected.

Still, Takako had been stronger than the reports she’d read on her had suggested. Her contact in Starlight Dream must be slipping. Which reminded her.

“Any idea who this Seina might be?” Ume asked, turning away from Takako’s motionless body. “The name isn’t familiar.” She’d done intensive research on each magical girl residing in this sector. It made eliminating them much easier.

“No clue. She must be a new magical girl.” Hope replied, joining her partner as they walked through the woods. “Strange, I’ve gotten no reports about any fairies searching for partners.”

Ume shrugged and smirked, taking another Pocky stick. “A newbie then. Takako’s faith in this Seina is grossly misplaced.”

A sudden spike appeared on Ume’s radar and she straightened. Someone had summoned their magical girl powers. Better yet, she was coming fast in her direction, no doubt running to her fellow magical girl’s aid. Oddly, this person’s power flared like a miniature sun, beyond what Ume had been expecting. Was this Seina? It seemed impossible, but who else could it be? Never mind, this magical girl would die like rest. This Seina was running to her grave, and Ume ran to greet her new opponent.