[IC] Ignite Heart! A Magical Girl RP

[VitaVitaAR]

Last Night

The lower edge of the girl's spear hummed as she revved the engine built into the blade. Her long purple hair drifted in the wind as she skidded across the rooftop, swinging the weapon upwards. A brilliant beam of light streaked towards her in that moment, and slammed into the weapon. With a yelp, the girl staggered backwards, her frilled outfit ragged from the sheer impact of the beam, forcing her to brace herself on the edge of the roof using her weapon.

The girl gritted her teeth.

"Why did you attack me?" a voice said from above. It was soft, and nonthreatening. But there was no real intonation, and to any listener it would appear devoid of emotion. "I did not make any attempt to harm you."

"Like hell!" snapped the girl with the spear, raising it as she did. Her hair and eyes were purple, her outfit black and red. "I don't know what you're doing, but I won't accept it. There's no way it's anything good!"

Before she could raise her spear again, another beam blazed towards her and struck her square in the chest. With a pained gasp she staggered back and hurtled over the edge of the building, plummeting into the darkness.

She landed, far below, with a thud.

"... Ow..." slowly, she got to her feet, rubbing her back and wincing as she did. "... Grr... whatever she's doing...!"

Before she could complete that thought, however, something shifted in the darkness behind her. Turning swiftly, her eyes fell on the dark shape of a large, octopus-like creature, multicolored eyes surrounding its bulbous body as thick tentacles stretched towards her. One eyebrow raised, the girl rested her spear on one shoulder.

"Can't you give me a moment to catch my breath?" she complained. One of the tentacles raised, preparing to strike.

"Fine," the girl responded, with a sigh. But then, a rather vicious grin spread across her face. "I see how it is."

---

Today

The sun began to sink low in the sky.

Class had long since ended for the day, and one particular girl, one with long red hair, was still on her way home. East Umitori High School was a fairly decent building. There was a higher class high school not terribly far away, but it wasn't like East Umitori was worst place Akane had ever been to. But there was something more exciting then simply having a nice high school on the girl's mind at the moment. The possibility of there being magical girls among the female students of East Umitori was far too exciting! The other day she'd noticed that the fansites had recorded a few girls having overlapping patrol routes around the high school so that meant that at least one of them probably lived nearby and attended classes there! It was hard to help being visibly excited about such a prospect... but then Akane realized that someone might see and swiftly tried to quell her excitement. There were people nearby and all... it'd be embarrassing if she looked so excited over nothing in front of people she'd never spoken to.

Still... had she already spoken to her? What if she'd already spoken to her? What if there was more then one?! Akane could at least dismiss Nadeshiko-sempai as one of the possible magical girls...

The redheaded girl's braid swished behind her as she walked. Her mind so engrossed in the thought of potentially going to the same school as a magical girl, it took a moment for her to remember what she was doing. That's right, she was picking up some drinks from the convenience store nearby. Hopefully there weren't too many people in there... after that, she'd head home. Her mom had wanted... what was it again? Ah, why was she having trouble remembering... Maybe she should have written it down. It wouldn't do if she had to bother her mother again.

Little did she know that making sure she remembered the right drink was about to become the least of her concerns.

[RolePlayerRoxas]

For most students, the end of a school day was to signal the gates of freedom opening up for them, allowing the youths of the country to spend the remainder of the day however they liked. For Nadeshiko Nanako, it was essentially a reminder that her extra classes started in an hour.

Nanako had long since grown out of public displays of displeasure and frustration, making it virtually impossible to notice the reluctance in which she gathered her belongings into the schoolbag by the side of her desk, exchanging farewells with her classmates everyone filed from the classroom. A few minutes later, Nanako had stepped outside the building, walking onward with an unreadable expression.
What awaited her today was several hours worth of sewing to build her skills with mending and creating clothes, helping with the cooking to... well, improve cooking, and then studying for class the next day. None of that was particularly enjoyable to Nanako, but dwelling on it was only going to build the dread to unbearable levels.

She had a little time to herself for the moment... she'd probably stop by the convenience store for a quick snack, and then... a small smile spread across her face, deciding that maybe spending half an hour as her alter-ego would help brighten her day, if only a little.

[TheFake]

— Her Apartment —

The girl looked up from her tablet screen and tapped the end of the stylus against her jawline. The sun had just reached an angle that let it reach where she lay on the hammock hung diagonally across a corner of her room. It was late enough that she should be starting to think about preparing something to eat.

Even with the expensive computer sitting on the corner of the room she preferred to write by hand. Her first manuscripts had been on physical paper but with that came the inevitable difficult scenario of visiting the post office to send the package.

It had taken two months for her to muster the courage to send her first novel away to a publisher. Nine more copies were sent to nine more publishers before one of her works had eventually gotten published with minimal success and she bought herself this tablet, allowing Shizuri to avoid this unbearable obstacle.

She was famous now. Well.. Magical Girl Kuroe was. If the girl Shizuri had the fame and attention that Kuroe got it might be that she would drop dead on the spot. Today a dozen books had been published in the past two years and Shizuri was living the perfect life of isolation.

"~Fid. Where's my phone. I'm going to order pizza."

The diminutive Fairy looked up from a small pillow at the foot of the hammock. "No. You ordered ramen yesterday and pizza the day before that. Go buy something to make for yourself."

Shizuri sighed and reached into the pocket of her shorts, grabbing a marker. It was swiftly knocked out of her hand by a streak of shadow and fell to the floor. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked down at it with an unhappy expression. She knew exactly what the Fairy was trying to say and there was no point in denying it. Himura Shizuri would be the one to go out, not Kuroe. At least there was a convenience store just around the corner.

"Fine."

She climbed out of the hammock and picked up the marker, returning it to her back pocket. It would take just a few minutes. Nothing at all to worry about.

With a bit of a grimace she slipped into her shoes and left the apartment.

[HereComesTheSnow]

Hoshi

"Uwaaaah..." whined one of East Umitori High's newly-minted first years, closing the door to her room behind her with a beleaguered hooking motion of the heel as she patted an empty stomach.

Well, to call her "newly minted" was a bit of a misnomer at this point...

At the very least, she'd been settled in enough to high school life to have homework to deal with.

"I should have gotten a snack when I got home... I'd have finished way faster." she mumbled, shaking out her sore right hand. There was also the possible method of blitzing through it all at an inhuman pace, one might argue, however as much as she'd have liked to use it, Tendou would probably have chewed her out about it potentially counting as "using her powers against non-empowered people"...

Or probably just recite some line about looking before I leap, either's pretty likely...

The fairy in question appeared before her in the kitchen, floating with slow, almost effortless flaps of the wings and a sage smile upon her face.

"Didn't you say you worked faster with a goal at the end?" she asked, with the faintest hint of an understanding laugh.

"But I work slower if I'm distracted by getting hungry halfway through." Hoshi replied in explanation, opening the door to a cabinet and fishing out a jar of peanut butter and some sliced bread. "Besides, I've got a goal at the end already!"

Turning about-face on her heel, the girl determinedly trotted over to the fridge as her fairy compatriot allowed a dignified eyebrow to rise a smidgen.

"That being?"

"Nahaha, you didn't see the note Kyotaro left me on the table when I got home, did you?" closing the door of the fridge behind her, Class 1-C's sunniest member was wearing one of her cheeky, endearing grins once more as she tossed the jar of grape jelly between her palms, before placing it with her other ingredients on the counter. "He's gotta work late tonight, so I've got extra time alone!"

The dignified eyebrow was joined by its dignified twin in an expression of understanding, followed closely by a slow nod of the head. "More time to patrol."

"Ding ding! Ten points for Tendou!" called the newbie magical girl, flashing her partner a wink and a thumbs up before swiftly beginning construction of a good old-fashioned PB&J. A more Western treat, sure, but it was still a timeless classic in her eyes for a quick and easy snack.

"Did he say how late?"

"Nah, but it's gotta be a couple hours extra on our end. He left me money for dinner and did his whole 'you remember where the spare key is and to lock the door when you're not up and around, right?' bit, so that usually means I'm supposed to be spending the whole night on my own until after I hit the hay."

"'Tis better to have and not need than need and not have', huh?"

"Yeah, that's usually how he is." she said with a small smile. "Always looking out for me!"

"Mm. He's a good man."

"Maybe one day a nice girl'll see that..."

Twenty-five and still a bachelor? Her poor Aniki was a Christmas Cake!

"So, are you looking to get started now, then?" asked Tendou, seemingly not sharing her partner's concerns for the love life of her legal guardian.

"Oh, er! You see,"

One spinning paper plate sliced through the air and into the bowl of the trashcan, thrown with the kind of expert accuracy and technique that left not a single crumb upon the floor.

"I actually wanna stop off at the convenience store and grab some stuff beforehand! A PB&J'll fill me up for a little while, but that doesn't replace a full meal, right?"

"True." the fairy agreed, having witnessed the full force of appetite a girl as active as Hoshi could muster.

It's a good thing Kyotaro-san has a job that can comfortably support the two of them, she mused, following said girl's briskly jogging form back to her room. Otherwise she would eat him out of house and home.

"So!" continued the 'she' in question, rushing back out quick as she'd came with shoes on her feet once more. "I've gotta make dinner real quick before we head off to go fighting! Can't save people on an empty stomach, y'know!"

And hey, if she ended up making enough to have some left over for Kyo to eat after a long day at work, that was just icing on the cake!

"We'd better be quick if we want to get as much time patrolling in as we can."

"I can be very quick!" came the responding chirp as the blonde-haired not-currently-magical girl bounded out the front door.

"No powers, remember?"

For her trouble, Tendou got a wink and thumbs up in return. "Never said anything about 'em!"

One quick shut-and-lock later, and the girl was off at a full-on run, bag and fairy hiding within in tow.

'Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.'...

Well, she's certainly holding up fine there.

[Crimmy]

葛 馮虚 (コペンハーゲン・スター)

"Oi boss, can I borrow a thousand yen?"

A mechanical pencil (Staedtler Mars Fineline, 0.5mm lead) was placed down onto the table with a metallic ring. Indigo eyes glanced up from a page on differential calculus to gaze at the questioner with a hint of quiet exasperation. The aforementioned 'boss' reached into her pocket with a pale left hand, materialising the requested thousand yen bill from its dark depths. It was a scene one could expect to see in the backroom of a small business that was doomed to lose its customers to the supermarket chain that had just opened across the road, with a rough-and-tumble worker asking a favour from their employer in the form of a financial loan.

However, the setting for the scene was not some small business, but the bedroom of a high school girl on the second storey of a house.

The reality of the supposed 'worker' was even further from what had been expected, mostly because few workers (even in Japan, where the average female height was five foot two) were small enough to fit in the palm of a child's hand or moulted at regular intervals during the year. This miniscule fairy girl was also technically unemployed, meaning that she wouldn't have been working in a small business in the first place ... which was a really good explanation for why she was attempting to leech money off Katsura Hyoukyo, third-year at East Umitori High School and class representative of Class 3-G.

"Awright, thanks a bunch bos-"

The fairy had reached out to grab the note dangling towards her, only for her hands to grab empty air as the money disappeared from her sight.

Her outrage was instantaneous. "Oi, what was that for?!"

"Only if you explain why to me you want this money first," replied the purple-haired girl chidingly, tapping the note softly against the alloyed surface of her table. "Have you been hoarding funds for your peculiar little collection again, Kanaria?"

The fairy huffed, an action which Hyoukyo had to admit was rather adorable to observe, particularly given the presence of the cute little pigtails and googly goggles being worn by her accomplice. Unfortunately, any of the charms that Kanaria could have possessed had long degraded thanks to the unseemly personality she possessed, and not even the frilly dress nabbed from one of the high schooler's old dollhouses could bring it back.

"I wanna buy something from a vending machine," she muttered, crossing her arms. "It's not like you're even going out, so why I can't chill boss? And why are you ditching your patrol today anyway? That's pretty lazy of you!"

You may wish to speak for yourself.

Hyoukyo's expression didn't change, but she immediately reached for her smartphone, switching on the screen and opening up the Twitter application. Her own Twitter page was remarkably dearth of information, but that was not the goal of her foray onto social networks during what should have been her homework time (or her patrol time). What she was looking for was something different to her boring net footprint, and she immediately placed her phone down in front of her to show the fairy the page the very moment it had been found.

"You follow your own fan Twitter? Wow, talk about an ego."

"The fan Twitter for this district provides useful information for my purposes," she corrected, thumbing down to show a map of magical girl sightings in the local area. "Self-aggrandisement is something that would be more befitting your domain."

"That doesn't explain anything, boss," grumbled the fairy, Hyoukyo's insult having flown over her head. "What, so there's a shitton of magical girls around? That doesn't mean you can slack off all the time!"

"Of course not, but given the density of girls present in this district, there is little that a Negari can do before being immediately subdued," Hyoukyo replied smoothly as she handed over the thousand yen note (much to Kanaria's surprise). "It may even be possible that any girl whose routes intersect with mine could act with greater efficiency without my 'disruptive' presence in their 'territory'."

The stars in Kanaria's eyes flickered out as she looked up from the note she was hugging to her chest. "That just sounds like an excuse boss."

"Admittedly, there are scarcely any attempts at studying the magical girl subculture in any depth, but nevertheless my 'no-show' will likely change little today. The others are likely skilled enough to hold their own, and in the case that there is difficulty, I will answer the duty. Otherwise, I shall make use of this time to study for the upcoming maths test."

"You study a lot boss."

"Unfortunately, this final year of high school is a particularly taxing time, particularly as we close in on the university entrance exams. It is most essential that I succeed in those."

"To get into that Todai place, yeah? What difference is there anyway? It's not like Tokyo's gonna be too different from Umitori."

"You would be surprised," said the teenaged girl casually, drumming her pale fingers against the metal of her table. She glanced towards the clock hanging on the wall, noting the time. Over an hour of revising differential calculus had taken place. "Although, I do believe I could take a break now ... you wished to eat something, correct?"

Kanaria blinked in surprise. "Huh? Um, yeah?"

"A vending machine will not provide anything filling," said Hyoukyo as she stood up and stretched her arms out, taking care not to cut herself on the sharp desk. "I'll buy you something from the convenience store instead. Come along, Kanaria. Remember to grab your coat."

"Ooh, can we get those sausage things again? Fucking love those."

It was almost cute seeing the fairy's greed in action. Almost.

"We'll see, Kanaria."

[Raineh Daze]

The same as the day before and the day before that, but not the day prior as that had been a Sunday, Noriko found herself stopping into a convenience store on her way home. Though it was closer to the public high school than to her own, it lay on the way back to her current apartment and therefore made it an ideal stop for buying something to eat. After a few disastrous weeks of trying to prepare any food herself in her first year, Noriko had opted to just buy anything edible on her way home for the day.

She felt even more out of place if she came by at the right time to coincide with those leaving from the closer school. The close-fitting blazer favoured by her own school stood out next to the white sailor uniforms and all but drew attention to her attendance of the fancier institution. Noriko's persisting discomfort with western-styled attire only made it more uncomfortable. Still, doing something every day made it easy for her to ignore the feeling that someone was going to make a big deal out of it.

Today, there seemed to be a distinct lack of food available... so surely there would be more put on the shelves soon. Where were all the employees, though? There wasn't even anyone staffing the cash registers...

[Pudding]

Himeko Fuyuu

@BrokenPromise
_BGM

Ah yes, East Umitori High. Not exactly as progressive and lush as Himeko would prefer but it fit nicely into her scheduale. Allowing students to gaze upon her was far better than private tutoring she was accustomed to. Going to a normal school was a breath of fresh average middle class culture. Of course, the same could be said of the other students, it would be a breath of fresh air to always be able to interact with an adorable girl such as herself. As it was, she could already feel the gaze upon her, from loving boys and jealous girls. Her smug smile grew upon her, the thought of their jealous was such a sweet thought... Whilst usually she would stay back a little longer to interact with her classmates and perhaps later meet up with a boy, she had an unusual plan for today. She needed to seek out a student called Hana Kasamatsu for one strange reason or another.

*sigh* I can't believe I'm even doing this. I could be doing some cute things with Tatsuki now... Himeko was waiting around at the front gate on the inside of the school, scanning the students for this girl. Bringing up her phone there was an image from Kali of the girl. This is her! Make sure you find her. It's a little odd that you're asking about somebody not from your class Fuyuu-chan. It was a good thing she taught Kali how to use most technology, it was easier for the two to stay connected when they were far apart. Switching her phone to sleep mode she thought about the girl in the photo. She may have seen her around before, but she certainly wasn't very popular otherwise Himeko would have known her for sure. Her eyes darted around a little.

If maybe by chance, she managed to catch the girl sneaking out and around the back of the school. Oh great, she's some kind of troubled loner, this'll make for an interesting time...
Marching on over to catch her in a metaphorical net, Himeko called out to her. Hey! You're Kasamatsu right? Look for one reason or another I've decided to take you out on a lunch date so we can chat. There are a few things I need to discuss with you about our school. Cancel your plans sweetie because I'm treating you this afternoon. Himeko lifted up her handbag as she patted it, the usual smug expression plastered on her face. And don't even think about trying to get away. I've got eyes and ears all around this city.

[BrokenPromise]

Hana dreams of Blackbeard...

He tried to go legit, but that bastard wouldn't let him. Edward Thatch, better known as Blackbeard, was granted a pardon from Governor Charles Eden. But that crooked man only offered to protect Blackbeard if he continued to work as a privateer. Typically a privateer was a legal pirate that was allowed to steal from enemy countries. Splitting the spoils with Charles was not usually part of a privateer's duties...

It was November 22, 1718. Blackbeard's ship, The Adventure, had it's mast blown off by a cannon. The Adventure's cannons had incapacitated the pirate hunter's ship as well. It would not have been difficult to swim back ashore, where most of his men were waiting for him. If he ran, he could easily live this day. But Blackbeard was a legend. Legend's don't run.

Blackbeard looked like a demon in battle. His massive, musclebound body certainly helped pull off the look. However, it was the smoldering candles and fuses in his beard that really did it. His beard seemed to turn into black smoke that billowed out behind his head. Wherever he went, a trail of smoke followed.

“Let hell seize my heart if I give you quarter, or take any from you!”

Blackbeard jumped off the side of his ship and landed on the pirate hunters' deck. A ring of black smoke radiated outwards when he landed. As if on cue, several more pirate hunters came up from below deck. Edward hadn't considered that most of the hunters were hiding in the belly of the ship. But it really didn't matter. He had already decided he was going to personally kill Lieutenant Robert Maynard, the captain of the pirate hunter's vessel. The pirate hunters didn't dare attack him, almost frozen in place. Was it his legendary reputation? His demonic appearance? Or maybe there was just something in his intense gaze.

“What are you waiting for?” He drew his saber from his scabbard. “Didn't you come here to kill a legend? To make a name for yourselves?” Blackbeard's words didn't inspire any courage in his opponents. “Very well. It would be a shame for you to die without witnessing my strongest attack. This will be a curtain raiser for the battle to come.” Blackbeard placed both of his hands on his saber's handle and drove it into the deck of the ship. “Ultimate Despair Dispersing Dreadnaught: Queen Ann's Revenge!”

The sea belonged to the pirates. Its magic, its creatures, its treasure, and even its dead. Anything lost to the sea was Blackbeard's property. A whirlpool opened up off in the distance, and the moss covered bow of Queen Ann's Revenge started to surface. The ship was massive, boasting nearly thirty cannons in total. The ship hadn't entirely come up before it started to fire on the pirate hunters. This further startled them, but they were quickly becoming more afraid of what Blackbeard could do if they did nothing. They had found the courage to face the demon captain.

“Queen Ann, lend me your hammer!”

Queen Ann's Revenge fired something black into the sky. A hunter charged the pirate captain directly, sword held overhead. He was swiftly cut in half when Blackbeard pulled his saber out of the ship's deck. Two more dashed in, foolishly thinking their numbers would save them. The pirate captain stabbed one in the chest, and kicked down the other. Before the pirate hunter could rise to his feet, Blackbeard knelt down and drove his sword all the way through the hunter's throat. Then four charged him, but they were all crushed under the black object that had fallen out of the sky. It wasn't a hammer, but an anchor. Blackbeard slid his saber back into his scabbard and approached the anchor, which was standing up on the deck.

“An anchor binds a ship to port. Queen Ann's Revenge binds this heart to life.” With a single hand, he lifted the anchor over his shoulder. “You will never slay me as long as I hold this!”

With anchor in hand, Blackbeard became much more aggressive. He recklessly charged towards the pirate hunters. Blackbeard swept the anchor back and forth while he ran, throwing the hunters into the air by the scores. They still attacked him, some even managing to stab Edward, but the demon captain didn't slow in his advance.

“Robert Maynard!” Blackbeard's bellow shook the ship. “Do not hide behind your men like a coward! Come seize death or come seize legend!”

The pirate hunters were starting to realize that Blackbeard was much too strong to be defeated in melee. They had originally avoided using their flintlocks to avoid friendly fire, but that was not a concern anymore. As soon as they drew their flintlocks, Blackbeard revealed just how monstrous he could become. The front of his coat opened up and out sprung four tentacles, each coiled around a firearm. One tentacle fired a blunderbuss filled with nails, another fired a flintlock, and so did the rest. Blackbeard synchronized his motions so that one tentacle was always firing while another was grabbing one of his many guns. The hunters couldn't seem to get through his wall of lead. While they did manage to hit him a few times, it didn't slow him down. The hunters were starting to wonder if the demon captain was immortal.

But only Myths are immortal. It's those that taste death who become Legends.

He eventually ran out of guns, he was too weak to carry his anchor, and even Queen Ann's Revenge had to return to the ocean. He had been stabbed a total of twenty times, and shot five times, but still pressed forward. He knew he wasn't going to get that fight with Robert Maynard that he wanted, but maybe he could at least see the man before he himself died. The pirate captain sank to his knees, his beard still emitting black smoke. The remaining pirate hunters were circling around him, unsure if his weakness was a trick or not. And that was when he caught a glimpse of Robert Maynard.

“Hah...”

Robert. Maybe her real name was Robin? That had to be the real captain though, she fit every detail Blackbeard had heard about Robert Maynard. The way she wore her scabbard, the uniform, the color and length of her hair, he just never suspected the captain was a woman. This made everything else more understandable. Why would a woman confront Blackbeard? She certainly wasn't a coward. It's just a known fact that woman love Blackbeard! The pirate laughed as the strength left his body. He laughed harder when he saw “Robert's” face. She was crying, pushing past the pirate hunters to get to the legendary pirate.

“D-don't go!” She stammered. “The world still needs you!”

Blackbeard shook his head. He smiled and caressed the woman's cheek with his fingers. “No, my days of adventuring are over. It's your turn now, Hana.”

Before Hana could say another word, Blackbeard was decapitated by a pirate hunter's sword.

...

Hana was still thinking about that odd dream she had this morning. In truth she had thought about it through out the day, but it was difficult to recall much with all her noisy classmates. Especially that Hoshi girl, always pretending to be everyone's friend. Hoshi seemed like she was in a big yank to go somewhere. That was actually kind of nice, because it meant she left class that much faster than everyone else. Though her punctuality was an endearing trait, Hana was glad to have avoided talking with her thus far. Either way, it seemed like it was too late to recall much of what that dream was about. That was the sad thing about dreams. Regardless of how vivid they are, they seem to vanish from memory as the day goes on. A shame, Hana usually wasn't lucky enough to dream, and seldom did it involve something as interesting as pirates.

The technophile desperately wanted to get back home. She was in the mood to watch some pirate films and mod some game controllers. Hana had acquired a power glove and was going to remove the old PCB and install an arduino PCB instead. Hana also planned on installing a gyroscope so that the glove could calculate its movements in 3D space internally instead of relying on old, outdated technology. It was an ongoing project, but Hana had most of the parts already installed. She just needed to troubleshoot some of her solder connections before moving onto the final stages.

Well, that WAS how she planned on spending her evening. Hana tended to take the back route out of school to avoid the crowds and unnecessary conversations. This time however, it seemed as though she was expected.

“Hey! You're Kasamatsu right? Look for one reason or another I've decided to take you out on a lunch date so we can chat. There are a few things I need to discuss with you about our school. Cancel your plans sweetie because I'm treating you this afternoon.” the girl lifted up her handbag as she patted it, a smug expression plastered on her face. “And don't even think about trying to get away. I've got eyes and ears all around this city.”

Hana had no idea who this loud, vain, yet oddly cheerful girl was. That actually wasn't entirely true, she did recall a familiar sounding voice, but that was all. The girl's statement was riddled with red flags that told Hana this was likely going to be boring as well as a waist of time. Hana folded her arms and begrudgingly said: “As amusing as it would be to see you chase me, I'll just take you up on your offer.” No real teenage girl can resist the allure of a free meal. Hana kept her arms folded when she walked up beside the girl, prepared to walk to wherever the food was. “But this stalker stuff is kind of creepy, especially when I know nothing about you.”

[VitaVitaAR]

As Akane reached the convenience store, she pushed the doors open and looked around. Immediately, she was struck by something a little bit strange: There didn't seem to be any employees around. There was another girl, white-haired and dressed in the uniform of the more high class private high school that was some distance away. But no-one behind the counter, or anything like that... Indeed, there wasn't a single other person in the shop at all. For a few moments, the redhead simply looked around in confusion. Had they just... forgotten to flip the sign around to say they were closed or something? This just didn't make much sense to her... And she needed to buy those drinks for her family. It was a little bit frustrating and weird, to say the least.

"... Haah, there has to be someone here..." Akane comment, mostly to herself, as she scanned the shop. It's not like there was anywhere an employee could hide, it wasn't a particularly large place. Well, aside from the back room, but why would everyone be back there anyway? The schoolgirl began to consider just picking out her items and leaving behind the appropriate amount of yen. But... what if someone else took it, or something like that? Akane frowned to herself. This was really weird.

... For that matter, she hadn't seen many people nearby the convenience store either. She'd seen quite a few people on her way there, but then as she actually reached the shop... well, there wasn't really anyone to speak of. Was something going on? Had there been some kind of accident here and they had to make everyone leave? But if that was the case, why hadn't she seen any police or anything, either? This was weird...

---

The fairy frowned.

This wasn't good, there was a candidate right around here and... something bad was happening. It was one of them, right? She was sure if it! In which case, she had to reach that candidate as quickly as possible, because there were some people to rescue!

And she had to do it before the Negari caught her... sure, there might be other magical girls around, but still!

The convenience store where her target was located was just below...

Melody took a turn and headed downward.

[RolePlayerRoxas]

A few moments after the red-headed student had entered, Nanako stepped inside the convenience store. Unlike the younger girl, she didn't pick up on the strangely-empty premises, only noting Akane's presence with some recognition. There weren't many underclassmen with red hair like that, after all.

Given her limited time and unfamiliarity with the other girl, Nanako headed straight for the drinks. Not that she wanted to avoid conversing with fellow students, but the senior's time was limited as it was.
Strawberry milk in hand, Nanako walked to the counter, placing the drink upon it. Before she could search inside her bag for her purse, however, the emptiness of the place finally dawned on her. With a confused expression, she looked all around the shop. Weird, it was really only herself and the underclassman. Were the employees in the back?

"Nana?" A voice, normally laid-back and laden with mischief, echoed within her head. Nanako had gotten used to this form of communication after a while, but hearing Tamako's voice directly in her head had thrown off the schoolgirl for a bit. Given the neutral tone, it seemed like Tamako had noticed something odd, herself.

"Dunno if it's anything big, just a head's up, ya know?" Tamako cautioned. There wasn't a hint of major worry in her mental-voice. After all, Nanako had at this gig just long enough that she wasn't in danger of making a serious rookie mistake. Not to mention, Nanako wasn't the type to heroically charge into the front lines of battle, and the abundance of other magical girls meant that, should a Negari erupt from the ground behind her and strike, it'd probably get interrupted by twenty magical girls before Nanako needed to turn her head.

...That said, keeping on guard wouldn't exactly hurt.

"Thanks, Tama-chan. I'll be careful." Nanako replied with a small smile. Speaking telepathically was always odd to her, face-to-face conversations were always much better. With her fairy's warning in mind, Nanako waited for an employee to emerge, offering a small smile to the red-haired student as she did.

[AtomicNut]

Tap, tap tap. The rythm of a pencil scratching the paper. Tap tap tap. It seemed like a beat, synchronized with her own. Karin eyed once again the scribbles, the magical formulas on the paper, and then double checked against those in the board. She resisted the temptation to yawn once again.

Maths were... so boring. And the young girl was one of the top of the class at them. She should've liked maths, however, she was steadily but surely losing the struggle against the ever increasing lead quality of her eyelids. In order to exorcise the demon of sleep, she performed a survey of the rest of the class. Elegant chairs, sparkling-new tables. Classy black, white with golden trimming uniforms, composed of a white shirt with a black blazer and a black skirt. A teacher with immaculate glasses, and his hair combed back in an elegant manner. Even the tie added a little of class to the otherwise, business uniform.

The Golden Star Private School was supposed to be worth every single yen spent on it. And even from youth, the people here received vigorous, elite education. Which was equally boring. Unable to fight the increasing tiredness anymore, her pencil slipped, slashing an operation across. Grumbling, she searched for her eraser. There was one in her backpack, wasn't it?. She leaned forward, opening her expensive backpack. Two little, delicate hands handed her the eraser from within, and Karin thanked them.

Wait, that was not right. Karin's eyes snapped so slightly, as she opened the backpack again. There she was, her pudgy appearance and mop of hair leaving no trace of doubt. Karin's reaction was of utter disbelief. What was doing her fairy inside her backpack out of all things.

Then she noticed the lunchbox half ajar, and a couple of rice grains stuck on the fairy's mouth, while one of her hands still held some rice dumpling remains. And no further explanation was needed.

"You litte shit! That was my lunch!" Karin half hissed, furiosly, as she lifted her pencil as an instrument of divine retribution, and delivered a nasty jab on the little creature's side. Which had no response or effect. Karin wondered for a second if the impact had been too much.

"ow." Depardieu said after a few awkward seconds. And then, without even paying attention nor asking, reached for more foodstuffs inside the lunchbox. Round two would teach the pesky fairy some things...

"AHEM! Miss Yamato!" A masculine voice said at his back, causing the young girl to flail around. "Mayhaps this lesson is perhaps too easy for you, hmm? Seeing as how you are playing hell-knows-why with your pencil and backpack." The teacher said, full of scorn. "Shall we step it up a little, Miss Yamato? What is the missing number on this series?" The teacher added.

Clearly, she shouldn't be able to answer that, but the word that came from her mouth had little shadow of doubt. "8". The girl said, secure of herself.

"Correct." The teacher added, clenching his teeth... Karin internally smirked. After all, series were similar to computing codes, so she could ascertain this particular answer.

And then the bell rang. Which promptly made said teacher to dismiss the class. Karin had a close shave this time. Depardieu was far too lax about any kind of care and tact whatsoever. And the tiny glutton had already devoured half of her lunch. She was a growing young girl! How could that little fae scourge eat her lunch and leave her half starved?

Furiously, she whipped up her expensive smartphone,and lit it up during the lunchbreak. She wasn't in the mood to socialize, not with the spirit of gluttony still in her backpack, so she sat in a corner, and delighted herself in reading. There was some other magical girl, who was a writer. All the news were upon them.

"Yeah, stupid writer. What does she do, write monsters to death? Lame Lame Lame." Karin said to herself, deciding to channel her frustration and hunger into unabashed trolling in a magical girl fansite.

"Kuroe is a shitty's cat name, and that kinda explains why the books smell like cat poop! Not to mention that a dog could write them better!" She posted under an alias, delighting herself in the irate response of hardcore fans. She giggle sho slightly as she finished what she could salvage of her lunch. Well, at the very least this was some sort of comfort...

[Pudding]

Himeko & Hana

_{Do you believe in the magical girls?}

Could I really be a stalker when I also know nothing about you? Geez, you make it sound as if somebody as petite and innocent as me is really interested in a perverted lifestyle. Shame one you! Shaking her head, Himeko's bangs swayed restlessly. I mearly have matters of importance to discuss with you, now... Ask your stomach what it feels will be apropriate for us this afternoon. This Kasamatsu girl didn't appear to come from anywhere with extravagant dining tastes, so they wouldn't be eating anything as classist as foie gras.

“I'm pretty sure you just said my last name.” Hana said under her breath. She unfolded her arms, and let them swing at her sides. “Yes, I'm in the mood for beef.”

Himeko's ears perked. As if she'd heard some delicious gossip, but it was only Kasamatsu whispering something to herself. Beef you say? Yes well you do seem like that type if I may be frank. Come, let's head off, I know a pretty good grill place east of the school. Father takes me there sometimes with Mother when we decide to eat out somewhere casual. Himeko lead the way a few steps infront of the girl that honestly towered over her in height. If there was any time for her to feel insecure, it would be now.

Hana's eyes moved between the top of Himeko's head and straight folward, but she kept her chin upright. “I noticed you didn't mention any siblings, are you an only child then?” Hana folded her arms again. “You're better off, or at least you would be. Are you not going to tell me anything about these 'important matters'? I have no idea who you are, yet you were able to spot me leaving the back of the school."

Himeko nodded with a spring in her step. Yep~ Born and raised all by myself. No stupid siblings to slow me down or steal my toys... Himeko gripped her bag and hid her face for a moment, her fringe disguising her demeanor. I always get to do whatever I feel, ya'know? She looked up to face the girl with her smug smile. Hold on hold on, it's pretty rude to pry on a girls private life when you haven't even treated them to a meal! Sides, we here already. Himeko stepped to the side and swayed her arm to point towards the door. As if to usher Kasamatsu in. The restaurant looked small on the outside, but the two stepped inside to be greeted by the surprisingly roomy interrior and friendly employees. Goodness, they've certainly added some more variety to the menu, I certainly don't remember them selling these odd combinations before... said Himeko as she eyed the menu written on a large board. The two were ushered to a duo seat.
So, what are you feeling, you can get anything you like, we can talk about these 'important matters' while we're eating. I find conversation over a good meal is a more satisfying way of encouraging others to open up.

Hana glanced at the menu. “hmmm? This really doesn't look like a lot of variety. I mean, maybe if you consider the vegetarian entrées real food...” The waiter arrived, and Hana nonchalantly showed him the menu. “Yea, I'll have one of everything, so long as it has meat in it. OH! Wait, I'd actually like two Tonkatsu. I don't get to eat much pork.

…

The plates for Hana's food were stacked on top of each other. The first year had all of her meals to her left, but as she ate them she would stack the dishes on her right side. There was only a single dish in front of her. While Hana clearly had a vicarious appetite, she ate slowly and savored every bite.

“I've never eaten here. The food truly is impeccable.” Hana lifted a single slice of Tonkatsu off of her plate. “How's your salad?”

Himeko was munching on the leaves when she noticed Hana going through plate after plate. She'd only had a single stater and was only planning on having this last plate and dessert.
I'll have you know I didn't eat only salad! My Takoyaki stick was quite fulfilling. Besides, I have a nice soba coming my way soon enough. Stacking her plate to the right, she then asked Kasamatsu a question. So, about these important matters... Himeko paused for a moment. The sound of sizzling meat filled the silence. Do you actually think there are 'Magical Girls' at our school? I've heard rumors that you know somebody, or something related to them. Himeko rested her hand against her cheek. I'm a little interested in meeting one, aren't you too? Or have you already been in contact with one?

“You call 'that' an important matter?” Hana broke eye contact with Himeko and grinned. While Hana looked slightly pleased while she was eating, she was bearing a full grin now. “I'm sorry to tell you I don't really follow that stuff very closely. I think I watched some youtube videos, that's about as close as I got to them.” Hana dipped a meat bun in some soy sauce and took a bite. She swallowed before continuing. “I truly doubt we even have them around here. It's too dangerous, you'd easily get your identity blown if one of your classmates managed to spot you. Ever hear of the saying 'don't crap where you eat'? I'm sure the magical girls that show up around here live further away.” Hana took a few more bites out of her meat bun and folded her hands together. “I'm honestly not that crazy about meeting one. They have the same flaws as normal girls. Boring people with superpowers are still boring people, right?”

Himeko let out a chuckle of disbeleif. I can't honestly beleive you think that way. Talk about being socially awkward Himeko took a sip from some bottled water. And no, I can certainly say I've never heard such an abrasive saying. Himeko shook her head. Regardless. The actual reason I called you over here is because I've been asked to recruit you for the Health Comitte since according to the records you're not affiliated with any sort of club. I'm also being dragged into it. So it's not like you'll be alone with some weirdo. As per usual, her smug expression came about when her soba came in a bowl around the corner.

Hana's smile on the other hand faded instantly. Even the taste of beef didn't bring it back. “And on who's behalf are you asking? Why should I become a nurse's pet?”

Egh, must you make me repeat her name? Councilor Kashiwagi. She approached me with that disgusting tone of hers and practically bullied me into it. For such and old women I don't know where she get's her gusto from. Himeko began to partake in her soba. Every so offten she stopped to continue the conversation. But honestly, it seems like you won't even have to do much. Barely anything happens, I doubt we'll need to do anything except mind the room while the nurse is out. You could take a nap on one of the sick beds for all I care.

Hana groaned. After a few seconds passed, she devoured her last dish in a few swift bites before tossing the dish onto the pile to her right.

“Very well. I'm only going to do this because you didn't complain about how much I ate. If it's as quiet as you say it is, I might be able to work on some of my projects when we aren't doing anything.” Hana folded her arms. “So I guess we are acquaintances now, miss stalker.” Hana grinned. “Maybe you can get around to telling me your name sometime?”

Himeko let out a surprised shock. Oh goodness! Did I really not tell you my name? Ahaha, it's normally the first thing I ever do! Himeko cleared her throat.
My name is Himeko Fuyuu, the pleasure is all yours.

The first year nodded. “Cute, very cute...” Hana's expression became more stern when she stood upright. “I guess I'll be excusing myself now. Is there anything else I need to know?”

Cute? Yes that's me to a T! Huehuehuehue That smug face was going nowhere now. There's really nothing else. I'll handle things here, you'll most likely be approached by Kashiwagi tomorrow. She'll explain things further from there. Seeya round. Himeko did a honestly friendly wave, she then turned and called over the waiter.

[BrokenPromise]

“Himeko Fuyuu. Doesn't sound fake. I wonder if she realized I was being ironic when I called her cute?”

Hana was still trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Had it been a boy who invited Hana to a lunch date she wouldn't have had to think as hard. Boys are very obvious and direct with what they want. Hana experienced this first hand. However, Himeko was a total enigma. She didn't reveal much about herself except for being an only child and having a lot of pride. She didn't sneer at that bill, so she must be from a wealthy family as well. Despite all this, Himeko was still just an average girl that liked to talk about average things. Like magical girls.

“I can't honestly believe you think that way. Talk about being socially awkward.”

Had Hana answered honestly? No, it wasn't that she wasn't interested in magical girls. Hana very much would like to meet one. But not just any one. She was interested in meeting a true champion of justice. Not some streamer with a massive ego, which she suspected most of them were. Hana was about to head home when her phone rang. She lifted her cell phone out of her backpack, careful not to get her octopus charm stuck on the zipper.

“Mother?”

“Hello darling!” Her mother sounded unusually exited. “We have a special guest coming home tomorrow!” She added with a sing-song type of voice.

“A special guest?”

“You don't want to try and figure out who it is?”

Hana groaned and looked around herself. “Um, I can't really think of anyone.”

“It's your brother!”

Hana's heart skipped a beat. “B-brother?”

“Yes!” Her mother laughed. “He's finally done with collage. He specifically asked if you were home, but you're running a little late.”

Hana quickly examined her surroundings as if looking for an answer. “I got caught up with friends. We ate like pigs. Especially my friend, she ate so much meat. But I was good, I just ate vegetables! I probably won't be able to have dinner though.”

“Really?”

“It was a surprise for me too. I didn't think we were going out.”

Hana's mother and father were both pharmacists, and were very healthy eaters. Some would say religiously so. She probably would have scolded Hana if she knew how many farm animals her daughter ate today.

Her mother laughed. “No, I'm just surprised to hear you have friends. I think it's a good thing. You're coming right home?”

“Yea, but it's kind of far away.”

“Not a problem, I was just going to let you talk to him, but if you're going to be a while you can just see him tomorrow.”

Hana smiled with a groan. “Yea, that would be fine.”

“Alright, I'll catch you later. Love youuuuuuu!”

“Love you too, mother.”

Hana hung up and dropped her phone back into her backpack. She looked up and saw her house a few blocks down the street, but she didn't really feel like going home right now. Hana needed a distraction. With a sigh, Hana headed back into town. There was nothing like the noise of main street to to pull one out of their thoughts.

[VitaVitaAR]

There was, at that moment, an enormous thud upon the roof of the convenience store. To be truthful, perhaps that was inappropriate to call it a simple thud. The entire shop shook from the impact, and Akane's widening eyes saw one of the windows crack... and, slowly, dangling its way into view, a strange black tendril seemed to ooze its way into view, across the glass. Akane's heart hammered in her chest as her gaze fixed on the strange, black tendril. It seemed to seethe with purples inside, almost as if she was looking into a nebula in space. Even if she hadn't encountered one so very close when she was young, there was no way she wouldn't recognize that strange visage. The orange-and-yellow, pupiless eye that slowly swirled down the tendril to fix on her was only the final confirmation on the nature of the tentacle.

Negari. Here?! No wonder no-one was around, but... did that mean the Negari had... had...

Akane shook her head. No, she couldn't let herself freeze up! That... that would be stupid! She had to do something, she had to... had to... there were the other two girls in shop. One was... Nadeshiko-sempai? Then.. the other girl, from the other high school... She couldn't hesitate any longer! Taking a deep breath, she sprinted towards Nadeshiko-sempai and grabbed her hand, making to grab the other girl as well.

"W-we... we have to g-get out of here!" she cried. Yes... they had to leave as fast as possible. If it was a Negari, then a magical girl would be here soon too, but... she had to do something. No matter how nervous she felt, and no matter how close the Negari was, Akane still wanted to try and help if she could.

"C-come on!" she added, desperately. Akane had to help, she had to...

Even as the window cracked, and shattered inward.

---

From the outside, anyone approaching would see the Negari itself. A bloated, blobby creature, not as defined as some other creatures of its kind. More like some sort of single-celled organism the anything else. Covering it were the signature orange-and-yellow eyes that marked its kind, but the worst detail was that, inside its body, there drifted the unconscious forms of many, many people.

That explained where everyone in this area had disappeared to, at the very least.

[Raineh Daze]

Other girls came in, most likely looking for something to eat or drink... and still there was no sign of the workers? Noriko fiddled with some unidentified bread as they wandered around. What was keeping the staff so long? She wanted to get something to eat and leave before her conspicuously smart uniform could start getting attention.

Unfortunately, the distraction from any awkward social interaction was worse than the awkwardness.

Noriko ducked behind a shelf and breathed deeply. The other girls didn't go to her school and couldn't recognise her that way. The likelihood of one magical girl attending was high enough that it wouldn't be a remarkable new fact even if it was leaked to the fan community. She was a magical girl and had to step forwards in times like this.

"Ignite Heart! PIERCE AND SHATTER!"

The warmth of the transformation was familiar, starting in her chest and radiating out brilliantly as light. Hair wound itself tightly--more tightly than possible, to the point it seemed that it must have shrunk somehow. Her clothing dissolved into motes that reconfigured themselves into something more appropriate for combat--and then, Magical Girl "The Ripper" was ready to deal with this threat.

The girl took the direct path back to the Negari; Noriko grabbed the shelf and vaulted herself over it, right up to the front of the store and dangerous tentacle. Too thick to stab through in one go, but such a distinct appendage ought to have a weak point and... there: to her, a line of the brightest blue, where the 'muscle' didn't connect right as it moved to join the Negari's body proper.

Her rapid entrance was followed by a faster slash and the tentacle flapped on the ground.

"The Ripper, here to help!"

[Crimmy]

葛 馮虚 (コペンハーゲン・スター)

"Look boss, a Negari!"

"I'm capable of seeing it, yes."

The aforementioned tendriled monstrosity was straining its amorphous form against the rooftop of the convenience store that Hyoukyo had been planning on purchasing from, swirling the motionless civilians within its body around in a manner not dissimilar to wax in a lava lamp. In the third-year high schooler's personal opinion, the entity, despite now serving as an obstacle in her plans, was a particularly fascinating variety of Negari, and rather reminiscent of 'the Blob' from the 1958 film of the same name. Of course, the bodies within had yet to dissolve into nutrients for the creature, or at least they had yet to from her vantage point on the alleyway opposite, but the comparison remained a legitimate one.

"Don't gimme that condescending tone, boss! This is why you gotta patrol, so you can snub these fuckers in the crib before they get real big."

Hyoukyo seemingly ignored the frustrated huffing of her accomplice (whose current state of irritation was likely the result of having been delayed from eating the 'sausage things' that the store sold rather than any form of altruism), instead reaching for the smartphone in her coat pocket to check if anybody had reported the monster's existence on social media. None had yet to do so, meaning that it was very much an unknown variable. For example, was its body a viscous liquid trapped within a mucous membrane, or was it a suspension that could not be so easily cut apart?

Unfortunately, she lacked the implements required to lacerate anything, given that her blade still remained in her dwelling.

"Today's patrol route would not have intersected with this locale," she finally replied, her manner quite casual as she snapped a photo of the creature and uploaded it onto the Internet. If any other magical girls sought to provide assistance, they would have already been alerted to the Negari's appearance. "Still, it does remain my duty to rescue those people."

Her phone disappeared into the depths of her coat pockets once more. The shadows of the alleyway seemed to extend further and further, blotting out the little light that was present. Katsura Hyoukyo quietly breathed in, feeling the energy well up inside. The darkness began to creep upwards.

"If you would, Kanaria," said the third-year high schooler as she snapped her fingers.

"Aye aye boss. Ignite Heart, standing by!"

She was enveloped in her entirety.

"HENSHIN!"

Spacetime curved, and in an instant, Copenhagen Star was already in front of the Negari. The main objective of the outing was to find a way to free the humans trapped within its mass. Doing so would be difficult without her sword, but she would find a way to compensate for the lack of bladed implements. Touching the monster, however, appeared to be risky proposition, particularly if it was a possibility that she herself could become trapped.

If the sound of something being sliced apart was any indication, however, then she would simply have to rely on the magical girl inside the store to provide the sharp tools for the mission.

"Beginning the first test, she murmured to herself, reaching out with her powers to twist space around a part of the Negari's mass that was not as dense with people. "How resistant is it to torsion ...?"

[RolePlayerRoxas]

"Ah?!" Nanako gasped when the entire building shook. At first, she thought it was some sort of earthquake, and nearly dropped to the floor in fear. The only thing holding her back was a sense of confusion. Just as the world seemed to shake, hadn't there been a strange thumping noise from above? As if something heavy was dropped on the roof... Nanako's eyes widened at the realisation, and turned towards the breaking windows.

Nana, get outta there! Came Tamamko's urgent warning, and one that the senior would have gladly followed, but the presence of others made that difficult. Nanako may not be known as a heroic figure of justice and peace, but she was still (probably) the oldest one in the building, and she couldn't abandon those two to run away, or even transform. Hiding away right now would make it too obvious when she showed up in her magical girl form, but she was the only one here right now...

She watched the approaching tentacle with some disgust, eager to remove herself from the scene. She needed privacy to transform, after all... she couldn't let herself be seen by anyone, least of all another student at her school! But if she didn't, and they all got hurt, or...

As Nanako tried to conduct the right course of action, the redheaded underclassmen had taken her hand and was trying to lead her to safety. She had attempted to grab the other girl as well, but the stranger had disappeared from view, only to have a strange, familiar light erupt from behind a shelf. And suddenly, she attacked, slicing the tentacle in the blink of an eye.

Nanako stared at the blade-wielding magical girl. The Ripper...? She's heard of her, though they'd never interacted directly - Nanako had figured no amount of laughs would be a worth a potential knife in the gut. She didn't know much about this one, but the fact that a magical girl was already here, meant Nanako could potentially slip away, and if necessary, transform and help out. Though she'd need to take care of her fellow student first.

"...Ripper-san, thank you for your help," Nanako spoke formally, her voice almost abnormally calm for a supposed normal schoolgirl, "please, do what you can to defeat that Negari for us."

[VitaVitaAR]

The... The Ripper?! A traditional Japanese style in the vein of a ninja combined with a title alluding to the infamous British serial killer that both tied to a brutal knife-based style exhibited in one or two videos that exhibited this magical girl's tactics in battle against the Negari. They weren't some of Akane's favorites, but they were really impressive and a magical girl was a magical girl so seeing that sort of thing was awesome and-wait wait wait no! Now wasn't the time to just stand by and watch it wasn't... Tightening her grip on her upperclassmen's hand, breaking into a sprint as she tried to pull the older girl along with you.

"G-Good luck, Ripper-san!" she called to the girl taking on the creature as she sprinted out the door with Nadeshiko-sempai.

The tentacle that had been attempting to break in through the window split in an instant, a hiss coming from the creature as an ugly black mist poured from the wound. What remained of the tendril swiftly retracted, leaving the tip to hit the ground with a dull splat. Just as swiftly as it had retracted, eight more tendrils lined with fiery eyes shot through the window, effortlessly shattering the glass as they roved about for the girl who had just cut one of them.

Meanwhle, atop the building, the blobby creature's eyes immediately shifted to face Copenhagen Star. It didn't do much to resist part of its body violently twisting and breaking off with a strange 'sploosh' sound, possibly because the severed hunk of gooey flesh immediately sprouted dozens of tentacles which shot towards the attacking magical girl in an instant, dozens of eyes forming across its surface as it did.

Trying to drag along her sempai, Akane glanced back, her eyes widening at the sight of the huge Negari atop the shop. All those people trapped inside it... magical girls would save them though, right?!

They had to!

As she looked at it, multiple eyes suddenly shifted to look at her. Immediately, a new tendril sprouted, the top spreading and stretching to resemble... resemble... a vacuum cleaner attachment?! It was even making this 'vrrrrrr' sound! Was that how it had sucked up all those people?!

Whatever the case was, the strange new tendril launched towards both her and the older girl. Desperately, Akane tried to put on another burst of speed... and just barely managed to avoid being sucked up as it slammed into the ground only a meter away from the both of them. But the sheer impact of the blow forced them apart, Akane letting out a yelp of surprise and fear as she tumbled across the ground, rolling twice before lying still.

"... Mmmnn..."

Slowly she pushed herself off the ground. Rolling like that have hurt... She shook her head weakly and looked up. The vaccum-tendril was roving about, searching for victims, and the tendril that had been cut had split into more, now roving into the shop. She'd lost ahold of Nadeshiko... she couldn't even manage to get her away right... What if she got hurt...?

"... I... I..."

"Hi there!" a cheerful voice declared in her ear. Akane blinked, snapped out of her thoughts, turning to see... see... it was a tiny girl. With wings.

"... F... fairy?" she said, staring blankly at the fluttering girl.

"We don't have a lot of time," the fairy cheerfully continued, "So would you like me to ignite your heart and make you a magical girl?! That Negari is really nasty, so those girls need all the help they can get!"

"... A... a magical girl..." for a few moments, Akane starred dully, the shock of her situation and the offer overwhelming. She had begun to think she didn't have the potential, that no-one would ever make that offer to her. But as a magical girl... she wouldn't be so useless. As a magical girl, she could help people and protect her sempai! As a magical girl... she'd live her dream!

"Yes!"

"Alright!" the fairy seemed equally excited, but then frowned and paused for a moment. "Ummm..."

She took a book out of a bag at her side and quickly flipped through it. "Which one was... oh, right!"

Her smile returning, she pointed two fingers squarely at Akane's chest.

"Heart... Blazing!"

A brilliant light ignited in Akane's chest, and she looked down at it with wide eyes. This was really happening, this was... this was... she was really becoming a magical girl! After all those years, since she was little dreaming of this moment...!

Almost immediately, fire washed over her body, which was a rather frightening surprise until she realized that it wasn't actually burning her. Instead, it seemed to be a pleasant heat, a light radiating around her body as the warmth washed through her... and took her clothes with it when it left. This... this was part of being a magical girl, right? Then why did it feel so embarrassing?! But before she could cover herself, a second torrent of fire, this one seemingly more intense, bathed her entire body in heat again. This time, it seemed to contract around her body, forming... this was her magical girl outfit, wasn't it!? Red and gold, some frills, one arm covered in armor...! Gauntlets formed on her hands, armor on her legs... and... why did it feel a little weird on her head and just above her butt?

Fire shot out of her right hand, before twisting and solidifying into a huge, thick sword. And yet it didn't feel like it weighed a thing...!

The light faded, and Akane found herself looking down at her body, eyes wide. She'd... she'd transformed! She'd really transformed! She was a magical girl now! Oblivious to the fact that she also now had a tail and horns, the redheaded girl found herself looking over her sword in wonder... and then caught herself just in time to dodge the vacuum tentacle again, springing out of the way.

Her armored boots sent up sparks as she skidded across the concrete, righting herself. She felt so... so powerful!

... But it'd be really lame if she got sucked up right after transforming...

"R-right!"

Now... now she really could help!

[Raineh Daze]

More tentacles? That was fine, one or a dozen was hardly an issue so long as they weren't literally flooding the store--in which case, Noriko could see another door that had to lead to another way out of some description. Until then, she could keep the Negari tied up in fighting her long enough that some other magical girl could attack it from the outside and score an easier kill.

That meant she had to keep moving. Another slash could get a tentacle but that left seven more inevitably going to converge on her position: jump up to one shelf and select a new target. Six left but the shelving, and her chances of getting something to eat here, were almost certainly gone. In a room that was filling with black flesh, was there such a thing as a safe position? Undoubtedly, this one was huge and with all her emphasis on speed...

The Ripper perched on one tentacle as if it was a tree branch, waiting for the instant the other tentacles would move towards her: if she could get the bunch all tangled up or force the Negari to hurt itself then she would be in a stronger position. Especially once she sliced through her fourth tentacle of the fight. Someone outside would have to finish things, though.

[BrokenPromise]

Hana's casual walk was interrupted by silence. She enjoyed quiet areas, but the streets were typically filled with life. Students going home, businessmen driving their cars, children biking around for last minute errands. There was no reason for things to be this quiet at this hour of the day. Hana was nervous, but also a little curious. She walked a bit faster now, more to see if the people had gathered elsewhere. But the longer Hana walked, the more evident it was that the people were just gone. She saw a bike laying in the center of the road, a shoe on top of a street lamp. Further in there was actually a car accident that blocked the flow of regular traffic. There were a slew of cars behind the initial accident. There were no people present, and all the doors on the cars had been opened. It was like everyone had been abducted.

“What's going on here?”

It was too much to keep in her head. As dangerous as the situation looked, Hana's curiosity drove her forward. It wasn't long before the school girl came across a group of people. They weren't part of this strange happening, just curious people like her trying to figure out what was going on. When Hana got closer, she could see it. That large transparent creature, and the magical girls fighting it. One was lopping off tentacles with a knife, and another one seemed to be attacking it indirectly with magic. Some of the people were capturing the spectacle on their phones.

“Whoa...”

Hana had seen plenty of youtube videos, and even a stream or two, but this was her first time she was able to see magical girls in person. Hana was unable to avert her eyes. It had been a very long time since the school girl had seen something that filled her with so much wonder.

But this was too far away, she needed a better view.

Hana noticed a building across the street from the convenience store. It looked like someone had used the fire escape ladder, giving access to the roof of the building. The student wasted no time running over to the ladder. Hana couldn't remember the last time she moved with such earnest. Once she made it up to the stair case, Hana took the steps two at a time until she arrived at the roof. There was a fence going around the perimeter, but it looked like part of it had been torn down. Hana approached the edge of the roof and grabbed the fence to steady herself. Did Himeko feel like this when she looked at magical girls?