There were flashes of light in the night sky. New stars igniting in the air. With each flash of light, the two figures could be see. Girls, one surrounded by floating mirrors, and another wielding some kind of enormous gauntlet. Again and again, lights flared. Mirrors slammed against a massive silver fist, and they girls fought. Beams of light lit up the night sky. Explosions ripped through the air as they struck at one another again and again.

This time, there was a massive explosion that rocked the night, blasting the gauntlet-wielding girl back through the darkness and sending her tumbling and skidding across a nearby rooftop. She rolled once, and with an ugly crack struck the wall behind her. For a few moments, she laid perfectly still, and it looked as though she might not be able to get back up. But then, with a shuddering breath, she struggled to her feet.

The mirror girl floated towards the rooftop.

"... You really should give it a rest," she said, simply, inclining her head to one side. "There's no way that you'll defeat me, not like this. You won't win the Hex Night."

The gauntlet-wielding girl growled. With a clank, her the silver metal of her gauntlet seemed to expand, letting out a whine as steam poured from its inner recesses.

"Like hell I'd give the prize to someone like you," she snarled, rising and turning to face her opponent. She drew back her arm, sections of the gauntlet spinning to life with a whir. "I'll go all out on you, if that's what it takes!"

"... Then I'll cease to hold back, as well," the floating girl replied, with a smile.

A silvery light erupted from the other girl's gauntlet, circular segments of the enormous fist spinning rapidly and releasing steam and smoke.

Three mirrors aligned in front of the floating girl.

"Airgetlam... OVERDRIIIIIVE!"

"Threefold Annihilation Star!"

---

"Mmmnn...?"

Her alarm had gone off.

The brunette rubbed her eyes, stirring as she blinked blearily. Had she been dreaming...? She yawned. It was something strange, filled with some sort of fanciful battle, like you might see in some sort of anime. She didn't know how to feel about that. She hadn't watched anything weird recently. Why would she have a weird dream like that?

She swung her small, slender legs over the side of the bed as she rose. It was such a vivid dream too... Like she was actually there. But things like that weren't real, were they?

In the mirror, as she rose, was the shape of a small girl, one who certainly looked quite a bit younger then sixteen years old, clad in orange pajamas that fit her small frame rather loosely. Her shoulder-length brown hair was to her shoulders, messy from bedhead, her brown eyes half-closed from early morning bleariness.

Dismissing the strange dream, she went about her normal business. Getting her school uniform ready, brushing her teeth, taking a shower, brushing tying up her hair. Now much more awake, she nodded firmly to herself, her characteristic pigtails bobbing. Soon enough, she was dressed in her school uniform, and made her way downstairs.

"Good morning, Hikari-chan," said her mother, a pretty woman in her thirties with the brown hair of her daughter.

"Good morning," replied Hikari, smiling at her mother as she set about having breakfast. Father had already left, his walking stick gone. He had to get to work early in the morning, after all.

With plenty of time to eat breakfast, the girl had time for her mind to return to the events of her dream. It was almost like it had its own narrative, and it had been so real... aaah, what kind of ridiculous nonsense was she thinking? There was no way she could have even been dreaming of something real. Premonitions of the future or visions of the past were something out of mythology. And certainly, even if they were true, they wouldn't feature anything so strange as two magical girls doing battle.

Eventually, she finished her breakfast, and set out on her way to school.

Hikari met her friends on the way there, chastising one of them over a failure to be up to date with her studies and growing irate when one of them joked about her height.

Everything was as usual.

Hikari conducted her duties as class rep and remained focused on her teachers.

Everything was as usual.

She ate lunch with her friends, deciding not to bring up her strange dream.

Everything was as usual.

She closed the school day by conducting her standard duties as class rep.

Everything was as usual.

And yet, as she began to depart from her school...

Hikari didn't understand why, but she felt almost like she was being watched.

Soon, her life would would be anything but the usual.

---

"... She'll be perfect!"

The small figure, the size of a young girl, smiled to herself as she stood atop the roof.

The Hex Night would soon begin, it was true, but after discovering a candidate to be a magical girl, how could she possibly hold back? She knew many of the other girls were already preparing, some would be arriving in Japan for this Hex Night today. She rather sadly noted that there had already been at least one fight, even though the Hex Night had yet to begin properly... but there was no way she could ignore that this little brunette girl(perhaps she was so smart she was moved up to high school!) was an excellent candidate.

She smiled to herself. She might be throwing her into the Hex Night, but...

The Hex Night was one of the most important rituals a magical girl could be involved in, wasn't it? It was a chance this girl deserved to have.

And it was going to begin tonight.

Taking to the air, the strange girl decided to observe her chosen candidate.

Indeed, all across the city, there were girls preparing for battle that would soon come.

The Hex Night of Magical Girls.

@TheFake@Raineh Daze@Ammokkx@LuckyBlackCat@Iceborne@A Lowly Wretch@RolePlayerRoxas@Anza@Yui

Musashi Tomoe's day had been about as normal as possible. She'd woken up groggy, thanks to her neverending battle with insomnia, showered, got dressed and ready for school before running out the door of her apartment with a slice of leftover pizza in her mouth (and only realizing in the elevator that it was a slice of Hawaiian, her father's favorite). A normal bus ride, a normal day in classes.

But when school let out, her phone buzzed an alarm. Tomoe didn't have to look at the screen to know what the reminder was for. But when she saw the words on the screen, her chest began to feel tighter, as if someone was reaching into her body and squeezing her heart and lungs. She'd been warned about this night.

The Hex Night.

Connecting to <<NyanChat.cha/CoolMagicalGirlsClub>>
Connecting…
Connected.
Login:Username = MEGA_GENIUS
*Welcome to the Cool Magical Girls Club, a chatroom for the best and most virtuous Magical Girls!
Access to this server is INVITE ONLY, so if you're new then you should already know why you're here. CMGC is a space for Magical Girls of all shapes and sizes to share tips, tricks, experiences, and just generally talk about MG stuff without tipping off the normies/muggles. If this sounds like something up your alley (and trust me, we all need a place to vent about this stuff sometimes), read over the stickied posts in the #RULES channel and PM a moderator for permission to access the other channels!*

*** User MEGA_GENIUS has entered the chat ***

[MEGA_GENIUS]: sup dorks
[MEGA_GENIUS]: final day is dawning, so i figure id better address the elephant in the room
[MEGA_GENIUS]: Hex Night



Honami Tokiko glanced up from her phone, checking to make sure the teacher wasn't watching. Technically, students weren't supposed to even have phones in class, let alone use them, and at this school the punishments were strict enough that most students actually went along with the rule. She'd already had one device confiscated earlier this year, and if she was caught again the fallback would inevitably be worse, thanks to it being a repeat offense.

But then, who goes through life without breaking a few rules from time to time?

Nimble fingers quietly tapped out another message, before slipping away under the desk as the teacher's head turned to survey the class. His eyes lingered on Tokiko for a moment, and she stared back with the usual dull, blank expression of a tired student until he finally moved on. Same old suspicious looks, same old boring facade. High school, the springtime of youth, the fountain of knowledge. High school, the prison of the young, the dullest freaking place on Earth.

It wasn't as if she was a delinquent or anything, but anyone would start to go mad getting cooped up in this place. She paid attention when she needed to, she got good grades, but still she had to sit around for hour after hour whilst the same information was hammered into her skull over and over again, well after it had already taken root. Mind-numbing, teeth-grinding, frustrating to the point where it made her feel like a pressure cooker about to blow its top off.

She wasn't the only one, either. There was so much negative emotion stuck around this place that she had to come around every other week under cover of night and purify the grounds of evil. Every time, she felt a little tempted to just knock the whole building down, but rules were rules. At least the thought of protecting the world from the forces of darkness gave her something to look forward to every day, and in the end, that was enough. She could get though the drudgery, so long as she had those bright moments to keep her going.

Today, though, she was especially antsy. Foot tapping quietly on the floor, fingers clutching tight at her phone, sometimes reaching up to adjust her glasses or scratch at her messy black hair. Her classmates probably thought she had lice, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Rather, her head was infested with ideas, with plans and schemes and imagined mechanisms, sparking and whirring with mad velocity as her anticipation steadily built.

At last, class was dismissed. Snatching up her backpack and rushing out the door before anyone had a chance to try and talk to her, Tokiko turned back to her phone, reviewing what she'd been about to write.

She'd started up the chatroom a few months back, with the idea that it could be used as a place for Magical Girls to make friends, blow off steam, talk a little about that side of their lives they so rarely got to share. She'd had a hard time finding any at first, but a couple of chance encounters had let to a couple of quick invites, and then those girls had invited their own acquaintances, and so on and so on. By now she had a small but thriving group of local Magical Girls regularly logging in, though she'd only met a few of them in person.

Now, though... well, she'd started this whole thing up with the assumption that everyone using it would be an ally. But for the next few weeks, at least, that would no longer be the case.

[MEGA_GENIUS]: okay so first up
[MEGA_GENIUS]: i'm not assigning roles for this
[MEGA_GENIUS]: if you want to tell everyone you're participating then go ahead, but given the nature of this event i figure some of you won't want the others to know
[MEGA_GENIUS]: whether or not you're participating, please refrain from discussing hex night stuff in the #GENERAL channel
[MEGA_GENIUS]: all hex night related discussion goes in the #HEX_NIGHT channel. anyone who breaks this rule gets a warning followed by a mute
[MEGA_GENIUS]: also, even if some of us are about to throw the fuck down in a giant magical wish war, let's keep it civil
[MEGA_GENIUS]: save the drama for the battlefield
[MEGA_GENIUS]: that's all for now. best of luck to all those participating
[MEGA_GENIUS]: (you're gonna need it)

*** User MEGA_GENIUS had logged out ***

Sonya woke up, immediately awake with the first sun through her window. She laid awake for a while before deciding to get up. She stepped over the sleeping form on a futon on the floor, leaning down.

“Hanako, time to wake up.”

She continued out of the room to get ready for school.

---

Sonya finished the school day and paused for a half second before leaving the building, casting a suspicious glance at the windows across the street. She took a steadying breath before stepping out. Old habits were hard to break.

Walking down the street, she pulled out her phone to check the group chat for magical girls in the area. It wasn’t just a social group, it was becoming an invaluable tool.

*** User Destroyer has entered the chat ***

[Destroyer]: Hex night? I’m in, Save your luck for yourself ;D

A little trash talk was fun, better than everyone being tense and surly.

@raineh daze

"Aaaaand... done~!"

Himeko raised her arms above her head, balancing on her toes as she stretched. Leaning against the shrine's mystical entrance gate was the broom Himeko had used to sweep the grounds all morning. Or for ten minutes, with the rest of her time spent nodding off. She didn't hate her work as a shrine maiden, but boy could it be lacking in dynamism sometimes.

With a sigh, Himeko gazed beyond the red torii, towards the city sprawling beyond. In an almost cliche fashion, the shrine was situated above a flight of stone steps, though almost disappointingly, not so high that the grounds towered above the rooftops. Oh well, maybe it was better for business this way.

The bespectacled young woman let out a quiet snort at the thought, grabbed the broom and headed behind the shrine, towards the living quarters. The sleeves of her traditional outfit swept majestically with her movements. After a quick bath, she'd take a little walk or something. Not much else to do at this time of day, after all.

------

Over an hour later, the now casually-dressed girl was leaving the grounds, checking her phone. She let out an amused smirk when she saw some messages left behind in a certain chatroom. She'd certainly never imagined magical girls would make use of such a thing, even if it made sense to do so. Was she just old-fashioned like that, thinking that interactions between magical girls were purely limited to sudden meetings and inevitable fights?

Himeko's reply was brief and teasing, as it tended to be when posting.

[Magi✩Magi✩Fox] little girls shouldn't use bad words :)

And with that, the shrine maiden pocketed her phone and descended the stone steps, humming to herself.

---

Light filtered through a small gap in the curtains of Nico's room, falling gently on her waking features. Her eyes flickered open, finding the desk and wall opposite to her to come into sight. Notebooks were still lying half-open on top of it and several papers were scattered haphazardly across the floor. The girl gently pushed herself upright, pausing for a moment to stare wistfully at her hand.

"My wish, huh?"

"..."

---

Nico's days always felt so strange to her. She walked to school like any ordinary person, gently carrying her bag with both hands and talking to any friends she met along the way. Sometimes she'd catch a boy staring at her as she passed them by, other times she was left entirely alone. She laughed and argued just like anyone else, her classes coming and going... and yet, she couldn't help but catch on to more and more things each day. How people will try to subtly complain about things, or just put it out in the open. The gentle expression changes as someone talks about the things they don't like. These negative emotions, festering and growing over time until that person isn't able to take it anymore, forming a monster from the darkness of their heart...

To think she was no better than anyone else only a short while ago.

It's that part which was strange to her. All these things Nico hadn't noticed before, but now, a constant reminder of her task in life. Even if nobody was aware of it, the free spirit which was unleashed at night that fought for everyone's sake was walking among them, acting just like any ordinary person. It felt nearly hypocritical of her to act the way she did. Especially on the day she found herself in, still taking notes as the evening bell rang to signal school's end. While remaining somewhat focused, Nico's thoughts nevertheless wandered to a greater purpose which had to be fulfilled soon. The big showdown filled with people like her... the Hex Night. It filled her with excitement and fear alike, anxious nerves counteracted by a childlike eagerness to start.

Even after Nico was done writing down everything she needed to, the girl stayed behind and helped her fellow students to clean the school building during after-hours. It helped get her mind off of things. Nico took less than an hour to get done and leave the building, though she'd preferred to have stayed a little longer. The girl didn't have any particular desire to head straight home. As soon as she passed through her school gate, Nico spotted a large, black Burmilla cat on a perch around the corner. It stared back at her with curious golden eyes, then got off its platform to walk up to the girl. Nico crouched down to meet it halfway, scratching behind its ears and offering some treats she'd kept in the pocket of her uniform.

"Were you waiting for me again? You must be such a troublemaker..."

The girl smiled as it rubbed its head in the palm of her hand. This particular cat has been meeting her outside of the school nearly daily for the past few weeks now. It seems to have taken a liking to her, and even though the feeling was mutual, Nico couldn't help but worry for its owner. She pet the Burmilla's head again.

"It's going to get pretty exhausting for me soon... cheer me on, okay?"

After feeding it another treat, Nico motioned for the cat to leave her alone as she ruffled around in a different pocket. She pulled out some Yen and stared at it for a short while.

"Maybe... maybe I should pray at the shrine."

Clutching her hand, Nico gave herself a determined nod before setting off towards the local place of worship. She wasn't particularly superstitious, but it was nice to believe in the little things sometimes. Besides, she'd need any help she can get, with how much of a rookie she was...

Once the girl reached the steps towards her destination, though, she could see another young lady walk down them. Nico recognised her from the few times she visited. Nico couldn't help but call out to her.

"Ah... Yukimura-san," she began, then paused to see if Yukimura Himeko had noticed her.

"Are you done with your duties for today? I was just stopping by for a prayer..." the girl explained, looking up towards the shrine's local caretaker.

---

@Anza @TheFake

The fight was over, but it was sure to happen again, night after night.

Empty bottles around the dining area were proof of this. Fuyuko tiptoed through the room so as not to disturb anyone, picking them up and disposing of them, as if clearing away the signs of her father's mental state could help him. It couldn't, she knew that deep down. Not even fending off the tainted beings that gathered around the house could help long-term.

Only one thing could.

She turned as the stairs creaked, a younger figure descending. Her sister's eyes, although just as undershadowed as hers from lack of sleep, held hope as she smiled.

"Morning!" Noriko chirped. "Big day today, huh?"

With the faintest hint of a smile in return, Fuyuko nodded as she dropped the last bottle in the bin. "I'll try," she whispered, hands clasping in front of her. "I promise I'll try my best."

Bounding over, Noriko beamed. "Hey, given how much butt you kicked last night, I'm sure you'll do great!" She kept her voice low, yet her tone bubbled with enthusiasm.

Inwardly, Fuyuko cringed. Her sister had meant to lift her spirits, yet she felt the weight of her expectations more than ever. "Thanks, though you're the one who fought off most of them." She recalled how well Noriko had staved off the attackers, kept their parents and the rest of the neighbourhood safe for now.

...

"Heads up!" Noriko's animal companion barked, staring down the dimly-lit streets, ears pricking up. "Reinforcements on their way!"

The wolf pounced, snapping his jaws as a mass of living shadows burst from an alleyway. In a flash, both girls were upon them, Fuyuko knocking them back with a gust of chill wind from her fan, Noriko letting out an eerie lupine howl that made all beings of darkness shrink away before they could recover.

"Good work, Kiyoshi!" the younger sister called as her summon tore at the monsters, purifying them one by one. "Now's our chance!" Fuyuko nodded, hanging the fan on her belt, a crystalline spear materialising in her hands. As she whirled and jabbed, Noriko bunched her fists, grey energy swirls forming wolf head shapes around them. She swung the constructs at the creatures, biting down with them alongside Kiyoshi. Before long, the last of the beings faded into black wisps, then nothing.

"Yes!" Noriko punched the air with one of her muzzle-fists before letting the constructs disappear. "I knew we'd make quick work of 'em! Kiyoshi, let's just check that there are no more nasty surprises."

The wolf padded forward. "Right on it," he said, staring ahead, letting his summoner pluck out one of his hairs. Holding it in front of her face, Noriko gazed in a different direction.

To anyone else, the younger girl's actions may have been confusing, but Fuyuko knew what her sister was doing. Noriko's archetype, her okuri-okami or 'sending wolf', allowed her to see the auras of nearby beings by lending her a hair - exactly as a wolf spirit in a folktale had let a man see the true natures of people.

"All ok?" Fuyuko asked, trailing behind.

"Yep!" her sister answered. "Let's call it a nigh-" Noriko's eyes widened as she turned, the hair still in her hand. Fuyuko winced. The waves of anxiety roiling through her must be plain to see. "Uh, sis? I could ask you the same."

A nervous laugh escaped the yuki-onna girl as she nodded. "No need to worry," she replied, leaning down and petting Kiyoshi as he nuzzled her. "It's all going to be fine."

If only she could believe her own words, about the Hex Night, and about her family's situation.

...

Throughout school, as morning turned to afternoon and the tournament's start crept closer, Fuyuko mentally repeated what Noriko had said just before they'd both headed out. "Heyyy, no doubting yourself! Instead, you're gonna get out there tonight and trounce 'em, ok?" Unable to focus on the lessons, she let her gaze drift to the window every few minutes, earning more than one scolding for daydreaming. Even as she apologised and kept her head down, worries still taunted her from the back of her mind.

Noriko would surely do better if she were the one participating. After several discussions over the past few weeks, though, they'd reached a conclusion - Fuyuko had more experience, and Noriko's abilities were more suited to protecting the family. The elder magical girl could only hope she wouldn't let her sister down.

When the bell signaled the end of classes, Fuyuko shuffled outside, sitting on a bench and taking a deep breath of fresh air to calm her nerves. It didn't work. Sighing, she hunched over her phone, eyes scanning the screen several times before she tapped at the keys. It was rare that she did more than lurk in this chatroom, as much as she wanted to get to know others like her.

*** User snowfairy has entered the chat ***

[snowfairy]: Same here...

Biting her lip, Fuyuko paused for a few seconds, then continued.

[snowfairy]: Good luck to everyone
[snowfairy]: Uhh I know it's been said but... there it is again

Great start, she scolded herself, gripping the phone. Coming across as insecure towards the competitors before she'd even met them wasn't going to do her any favours.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Ever onward time marched forth.

It was strange really. Having come to Japan to find the hotel room her family and her were staying in for the time held so many archaic technologies was curious indeed. The amenities were all present and comfort was certainly afforded but it certainly did clash with the technophilic surroundings of this prefecture.

On the surface she had come with her family to Japan so her father could attend a business meeting. In truth the real reason she was here was simple: The Hex Night.

Having managed to gather the information required to learn of this event and it's location she knew very well what it meant. She had to attend this battle or else she would miss out on the only opportunity to have a wish granted. The constant pain of her heart and lungs straining against her ribs were a constant reminder that she wouldn't be alive to see a second hex night. As far as she has managed to discover there are no alternatives available. In a world of newly discovered magic it was difficult to learn that she was so little she could do to extend what little time left she still had.

_
She gently sipped her tea as she sat at the table in her wheelchair. The wheelchair wasn't for lack of use of her legs but rather it was to keep her from collapsing and hurting herself each time her body fails her. Her breaths were short and shallow like a mouse's and often, especially in more intense moments, she wouldn't get the oxygen needed to keep from fainting.

"Excellent news Sophia! This hotel has an international meal selection." Her mother chimed cheerfully from another room. "Shall I place an order for you as well or..." Her sentence trailed off as she came to remember. "Oh, that's right. Do not worry, I'll have your food ready for you when you return."

Her mother did so enjoy spending her evenings doting over her. Part of it was out of concern for her health and part of it was to cram as many happy memories spending time with her daughter as she could in before tragedy took it's seemingly inevitable toll. They did hope ever so strongly that she'd rise above the estimates of her doctors and live longer than they'd said she would. They spent a small fortune exploring medical solutions only to come up empty in every direction.

While it moved her to know just how much her parents cared for her despite how much of a burden she's been to them her whole life she loathed to see them worry. It tore at her so very much anytime they were scared for her.

She needed not speak a single word. Her intent was already understood.

_
As evening drew near she slowly rolled her way on the pathway up a gentle green hill. Her chair was automated to save on the strain of needing to roll it with her arms so it was with relative ease that she made her up. This hill was home to a quaint shrine at the very top. Sadly it's only path of access was over stairs, something her chair was ill-equipped to deal with. Instead she moved behind a tree and sat within it's shadow. As it was evening there wasn't a soul around, just her and the wind which played across the tree tops.

Activating her transformation she changed into her magical girl form. Using her power over the darkness she melded with the shadow cast by the tree, concealing the majority of herself, wheelchair included, by bending her silhouette until it was almost wholly congruous with the shadow of the tree itself.

From the forest numerous ravens manifested from the shadows it held. A large flock of these tenebrous birds formed above, taking to the darkened skies before scattering above the city. They would serve as her eyes and her ears, surveilling the city for signs of other shadow manifestations or perhaps other magical girls. She was keen to keep tabs on those who would prey upon her in the nights to come. Soon it would come time to pick her fights very carefully lest she fall with ease. One as frail as her lacked the capacity to even run without losing consciousness and possibly dying. She stood little chance of standing toe to toe with any one of them. She needed to remain aware lest she let that happen.

Failure meant death.

Tick. Tock.

"See, the thing is, you've got guts and I like that." Hammer in one hand, and fistful of electricity in the other, Raiko stared down a battered and charred magical girl. Raiko herself was far from looking like she was in peak condition. She tossed her hammer lazily onto the ground next to her, extending out her other hand as it crackled with electricity. "Get out of town. Don't participate in this Hex Night. I like you, but everyone's a competitor, and I can't not thin down the competition as much as I can before it actually starts."

"And if I don't?" the other girl spat.

"Lightning to the face. I can't promise it won't kill you, so I'm letting you walk off relatively unharmed." Raiko held her empty, non-electrified hand out to the injured magical girl. "What'll it be?"

"...fine." The girl took Raiko's hand, and got up to her feet. The magical girl reverted her transformation, looking no different from your average girl, if not rather beaten up. Raiko followed suit. "I'll just have to stay alive long enough for the next one."

"That's the spirit." Although, if Raiko pulled everything off the way she was imagining, there probably wouldn't be a next one. It simply wouldn't be necessary at that point, right? Best not to break it to this girl. Besides, she was already done with this one. That was one less competitor that could have potentially taken Raiko out of the running, and to her, that was what mattered most. And with that one handled, it was only a matter of finding the next competitor to be eliminated.

One step at a time. And once we're done with everyone else and I'm the last girl standing, we get to the stuff that really matters.

Anya fell onto her bed with a heaving sigh. Her body ached, her skin was still burning hot to the touch, and damned if she wasn't hungry as hell. With more effort than she cared to admit, Anya stumbled to her feet and tiptoed down stares. The cold dark of the hall met her. A sigh escaped her. Good. Her parents were still asleep. She swore she made too much noise climbing back in through her window. To the kitchen she went, quiet as church mice.

The cool air and pale light from the fridge were a godsend, she stood in the door relishing the sudden change in temperature. Hell, she half considered stripping her t-shirt off, but thought better of tempting fate; lord knew she tempted it enough as it was. She grabbed the milk jug and started downing a refreshing swig straight form the jug. Popping the top back on, Anya grabbed the fixings for a PB and J. A few minutes later she was chomping down happily on a soggy, overly jammed sandwich.

Hex Night.

The very words were enough to excite her to no end. Are you sure you're prepared to kill you fellow magical girls? Then there his comments on the matter.

"Monster killing has gotten boring," she said around a mouthful of sweet strawberry jam and peanut butter. "This might be really fun."

A deep chuckle rumbled in the back of her mind. Hard to fight monsters when you are one.

"Shut up." His comments were ruining her hard earned meal. He had a point, while her fellow magical girls defended against the monsters they were conscripted to kill, Anya hunted them. Often using... unsavory means to lure them to her. She... they were nearly as bad as the things they faced.

And your continued ownership of my soul is ruining mine.

"I could fix that by starving you," she commented with a smile. It was a hollow threat and he knew it but it shut him up all the same. She just loved this game all too much to put it on hold. She wondered if she would face an actual threat during this contest. The idea of another wish wasn't as appealing. She lifted up a gold coin, ancient and with a crude lion carved on it. It brought a feral grin her her face. The best things worth having, were stolen.
//////////////////////////////////////

Anya trudged her way to homeroom through a forest of bodies twice her height. The sunlight burned her eyes. She was late, no surprise there. She walked into homeroom, in the middle of her teacher's lecture. Classmates glared at her, all prim and perfect in their uniforms and looking to serious by far. Ms. Izanagi snapped her book shut with a sharp clap. She was a peevish old broad: pants suit, pinched face, never smiled. Anya handed in her homework for the week and made a beeline for her chair.

"Ms. Ito," Teach warned. "I understand you are rather bored of my lectures-" One good ting about her homeroom teacher, no bullshit- "But I would appreciate some semblance of you giving a shit."

Without bothering to spare an excuse, she plopped into her seat. It was safe to say she took advantage of the stigma surrounding so called "child geniuses". People tended to cater to them, and she was no exception. Teachers left her alone as long as she kept her studies on track.

I wonder... Her phone came out. Tapping away at the screen she brought up a chat room the other magical girls around town used. She usually stayed away form it, and away from the others. Easier hunting alone. A smirk formed on Anya's lips. So they were discussing Hex Night. Figured. Anya couldn't help but roll her eyes at the keeping it civil comment. On a whim she began typing.

[smaugslittlemonster] Ready to get rekt???????

"Hm?"

Himeko's descent came to a stop when she saw someone approach. She recognised the face of the young woman... Kaneko, right? You didn't get many people her age visiting the shrine these days, at least not on their own. Himeko gave a friendly smile, hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"Finished with the morning clean-up, at least," the bespectacled lady replied, "you'll have to wait until late afternoon to catch a glimpse of my beautiful self in uniform~"
The shrine maiden was curious, though. What could Kaneko Nico want to pray for? She didn't seem particularly religious, although Himeko was simply basing that off of their brief interactions. Well, as long as she wasn't mistaking the shrine as a miracle-granter, Himeko didn't particularly mind her presence.

With a playful smile, she pointed her hand towards the torii, "well, perhaps a generous donation to our lovely little shrine will convince me to don my hakama a little earlier~?"
Himeko's playful attitude was certainly more pronounced when out of uniform. She reigned in her sillier comments while on duty, but she simply couldn't restrain her more light-hearted antics any other time.

Tomoe made her way home as quickly as possible, doling out a pre-decided response to her clubmates via text message. The sensation of dread that had gripped the girl dissipated into a sort of resignation. She'd made up her mind. The Hex Night was in her home city this year, and there was something that she wanted badly enough to risk her life as a magical girl.

She was under no illusions that her opponents would play fair. Knowing her luck, Tomoe would run into the type of opponent who would stab her in the back before before she could raise a gun. She stepped into her apartment, kiced her shoes off, and went back to her room to change. Her father wasn't home yet, which wasn't surprising. The note on the refrigerator, however, indicated that he'd come back home earlier in the day.



Tomoe gave a sigh of relief. At least I won't have to worry about Dad finding out about me going out tonight, she thought. Most nights, she had to sneak out the window. Normally being five stories up would make that an issue, but being a magical girl trivialized the matter.

Once the girl changed, she took her phone out.

*** User RokuGun has entered the chat ***

She'd been lurking in the chatroom for a few months, ever since someone had emailed her with the link. Whoever had sent it hadn't contacted her again, but they knew who she was. A new pin caught her attention, directing her to the Hex Night channel. There were multiple users chatting about how fun it would be. Smack talk and banter. Some joker shitposting memes and promptly being kicked from the channel.

[RokuGun]: I'm surprised you guys are being so… flippant about this. Even with the "no killing" rule, we're still going to be shooting and stabbing each other.

She paused.

[RokuGun]: I take it teaming up is an option?

It took a few minutes for Tokiko to make it out of school, once classes were dismissed and the halls flooded with students eager to get on with their day. Even after practically bolting from her homeroom, she was forced to shuffle slowly forwards behind a crowd of drooling ingrates who didn't seem to understand how to efficiently exit a building. She clenched her fists, she bit her tongue, she considered raising her voice to tell everyone how stupid they were—but no, that would only get her made fun of, and she was unpopular enough as it was. There was nothing she could do but stew in her own irritation.

Speaking of irritation, the delay meant she had little better to do but log back on and make sure everyone was playing nice in the MG chat. Sure enough, the new channel had exploded with messages almost right after her announcement, though most of it was just random one-liners and banter rather than serious discussion. Boring, but not worth banning anyone over...

Then something new popped up, and caught her eye. She squinted, tapping at the screen, then opened up a new window.

***Private Message TO User:[RokuGun]
FROM User:[MEGA_GENIUS]***

no rules saying teams arent allowed. just only one winner.

if you are who i think you are, we could work well together. wanna meet?

She hit SEND, then stared at it for a few seconds, waiting for a reply. The crowd before her was thinning out, and unconsciously she carried on walking forwards at a faster pace, shoving her way through the doors and into the bright sun outside.

Alas, fixated as she was on her screen, she didn't see the girl walking more slowly in front of her. At least, not until Tokiko crashed right into her from behind.

"Ngh!" She flinched back, quickly shoving her phone in her pocket, her posture defensive. "Hey, w-w-watch where you're going!" A flash of recognition crossed her features. She'd seen this one before... what was her name? Hikaru? Hikari?

"...sorry." she amended, then rushed past, embarrassed by the whole situation. Fuck, all this Hex Night stuff was getting her so worked up she was forgetting to pay attention to anything else.

@Iceborne@VitaVitaAR

Her home wasn't particularly far, and she had a little bit of homework to do. By her standards, it wasn't much and she'd have it done quite quickly, so there was no harm in stopping by the local convenience store for a snack. As Hikari made her way there, she found her thoughts drifting once again to the subject of the unusual dream she'd had. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a dream that made so much sense while simultaneously making so little. It was as if it had been cut and paste out of a story, or real events, but she hadn't read or watched anything like that recently and obviously it couldn't have been anything real, right? So why was it that she had such a strange dream?

As she walked, deep in thought, Hikari's red pigtails bobbed. But even still, due to her small size she wasn't exactly an easy person to notice, and as such, when she failed to notice someone approaching her, they entirely missed her as well.

Moments later, the two girls collided. With a yelp of surprise, Hikari stumbled back and landed on her rear end. Thankfully she hadn't dropped anything, but...

"H-hey!" she cried, looking up at the perpetrator, "Watch where you're going! Get back here!"

The girl almost seemed slightly familiar, like the small brunette had seen her somewhere before a few times, but that didn't.

---

From atop a nearby rooftop, the girl who had been watching her continued her observation. On further inspection, it was unusual just how small she was, almost the size of a large doll. That and the fact she had wings made it unlikely she was human, really.

"... She looks like she has a bit of a temper, but that's not always a bad thing!" she declared, nodding to herself. Certainly, that little redheaded girl was going to be a great magical girl! She could sense it, the will to help people, the aptitude to wield magical powers... even if she was temperamental, that didn't mean she couldn't be great!

"Aaah, jeez, are you giving me more competition?"

The angel girl glanced back over her shoulder, to the source of the voice.

"You know I'm not the strongest magical girl, and you're piling on even more for me to fight?"

The blonde gave a small smile.

"I can't just ignore someone with lots of potential, I'm sorry," she replied.

"Aaaah jeez!" complained the speaker.

After a moment, however...

"... You know... you won't be able to make her a magical girl if she's stuck in the hospital for a couple weeks, right? As long as it's not too bad, just enough to keep her out of the Hex Night..."

"Eh?!"

@Anza

Anya found the no killing rule annoying, insulting even. Where was the thrill form a chance at being killed, or the rush of adrenaline when you spilled your opponent's blood. She tapped away at her phone.

[smaugslittlemonster] Kinda makes the whole no killing rule all redundant. One lucky or unlucky shot can kill someone and that's all she wrote.

[smaugslittlemonster] So! Anyone ready to test their skills?

[smaugslittlemonster] I'll be waiting in the middle of Yoyogi-kōen Park if anyone wants to get this started.

---

Reading the messages, Fuyuko shuddered. Some people spoke so casually about maiming, even killing... Although she knew about the strict no killing rule, smaugslittlemonster had a point. Just how ruthless were the competitors going to be tonight? And was she really prepared for this kind of fighting? The only magical girl she'd ever 'fought' was her sister during training sessions, but there was a big difference between a friendly sparring match and an all-out showdown.

This was the real reason she'd insisted she should be the one to take part, instead of Noriko.

In an attempt to lift the mood a little, she continued typing.

[snowfairy]: If it helps...
[snowfairy]: Just a reminder that I'm a healer, so I can patch people up if anything goes wrong

She cringed as she read over what she'd wrote. Would people overestimate her healing skills? What if she let down somebody in need of help? What if that somebody was in need of help because she'd done more damage than intended?

Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself to get a grip. The purpose of the Hex Night was to prevent needless casualties, protect civilians and magical girls alike. Besides, if it was as well organised as people said, there'd probably be healers around anyway, or somebody to intervene if a battle got too intense. She repeated this in her head over and over, yet it didn't quell the ever-growing trepidation.

"Get back here!"

Tokiko stopped in her tracks, then pivoted around on her heel to scowl at the other girl. "What? I said sorry, okay! Do you have a problem with me or something?"

The words came out a little more harshly than she would have liked, probably thanks to how stressed-out she was today. It felt good to lash out, to snap at someone, but at the same time Tokiko was conscious of how hypocritical she was being. Magical girls were supposed to fight negative emotions, not create them! No matter how irritated she felt, she had to at least try and be a little nice.

She took a deep breath, scratching at her hair.

"Um. You're not... hurt or anything... right?"

@VitaVitaAR

"Hmph, you were about to plow past me without even checking if I was okay!" declared Hikari, with a huff, firmly folding her arms across her slight chest as she spoke. It wasn't even the act of bumping into her that made the diminutive brunette quite as angry as she was, though it certainly didn't help. It was the fact that she hadn't been seen in the first place. Admittedly, Hikari herself could have been paying more attention, but the idea of someone overlooking her, well... no-one could say that the girl was secure about her stature, that was probably a good way to put it.

It had only been exacerbated by the fact that it seemed like the other girl had just plowed past without even stopping to check if she'd been hurt, but at least she did now. After Hikari had called out to her. And after snapping like that.

To put it simply, it didn't help all that much, but at least it was something.

Pointing directly at the taller girl, Hikari continued.

"I'm fine, but you were just going to run away without checking! I'm glad you apologized, but can't you look where you're going?!" she asserted, firmly, "Just going around and smacking into people like that is plain rude!"

Yes, it clearly wasn't because she was small, it was obviously because this girl was totally inattentive!

---

The girl on the rooftop, somewhat small and wearing an unusual outfit, her body adorned with symbols relating to somewhat morbid subjects, winced when she noticed that her target was no longer alone.

"Aah, jeez, she's got company now... I don't want to put even more girls in the hospital, one's enough... Oh well."

She sighed as she crept along the rooftop. If the other girl didn't leave, it got a lot more complicated, but she was going to do everything she could to get this wish...

@Anza

---

Nico released one hand from her bag in order to raise it to her chin, fixing her attention in front of her rather than look straight at Himeko.

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry if I'm holding you up, then..." she said, after which Nico looked back up towards the shrine maiden. It wasn't the first time Nico had come to the shrine to pray, but Himeko had been there as long as she could remember. It felt nice to have such a diligent person overseeing things.

"Thank you for always working so hard, Yukimura-san. It mustn't be easy to always maintain this place with your family. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day..."

The school girl gave Himeko a polite bow and continued past her, up towards the torii gate. She made sure to bow in front of it before continuing along the side of the sando. She wanted to respect the traditions, at least in so far as she knew them, so Nico was careful to do it as properly as she could manage. The girl made her way towards the temizuya, putting her bag over her shoulder so she could easily cleanse herself before the prayer. She took the ladle of the temizuya in her right hand to cleanse her left, then her left to cleanse her right. She then scooped up with the right hand again, pouring water into the palm of her left in order to bring it up to her mouth and purify that too. Not missing a beat, she rinsed her left hand once more time before putting the ladle down. Now Nico was ready to continue towards the main shrine. Once there, she bowed and gently rang the bell, though mindful to not stand in the middle to prevent angering the shrine deity. Nico pulled out the coins she had on hand and stared at them briefly.

(I know I don't need to, but... I think I'll donate a bit extra like she asked me to.)

Nico picked up three ¥100 coins, two more than she needed to, then gently dropped them into the saisen-bako. They slid in easily, a chink signifying the coins landed without a problem. The girl created some distance by taking two steps back in order to prepare for her prayer. Nico bowed twice, followed by two claps and ending with another bow. The girl kept her hands clasped as she began with her silent prayer.

(I'm Nico Kaneko... it's not the first time I've come here.

...Ah, I'm sorry if that was rude.

Tonight I'll be starting with the Hex Night. Not just me, but every magical girl in town, too... it's a tournament to decide who will get their wish granted. A tournament to make sure monsters will never destroy the world.

It's honestly a little scary. I don't want to hurt any of them, but it's still my duty to fight. Even if I've become a magical girl not too long ago. I want to give it my all, of course, just like everyone else. It's just that, whoever wins this tournament... I want them to have earned it. Through everyone trying their best.

Please watch over each and every single magical girl.

...Thank you.)

Nico raised her head and turned to leave again, but stopped in her tracks when she saw Himeko standing there. Caught off-guard, Nico stuttered a little when she got her reply out.

"A-Ah, Yukimura-san... I didn't think you'd stay around. I apologise if I did anything wrong..."

Tomoe's phone beeped, and she paused in her preparation of an after-school snack to check it.

*** New private message FROM user: [MEGA_GENIUS] ***

no rules saying teams arent allowed. just only one winner.

if you are who i think you are, we could work well together. wanna meet?

MEGA_GENIUS had been the one to point out the Hex Night channel. However she hesitated before replying.

You seem to know who I am, but I'm not familiar with you. I'd normally never meet up with someone I'm unfamiliar with, but given the circumstances, I'd be willing to oblige.

I know a place in Akiba. A little cosplay cafe called Q-B's. Come in costume. At least in Akihabara we won't stand out.

She grabbed her wallet and bag, checked her keys, and stepped outside.

@Anza