MGRP Limited Ch 8

Chapter 8: Advent


☆Funny Trick  (13 hours and 50 minutes remaining)

Ever since Funny Trick -- Nemura Kayo -- was aware of it, she had been living in the shadow of a monster.
惊喜魔技=根村佳代，从懂事以来就一直活在怪物的阴影下。

The monster was Umi, who had grown up with Kayo. Shihabara Umi was a monster. Unlike Himeno-sensei, who had been only nicknamed a “monster”, Shihabara Umi was well and truly a monster. Umi would lose control of herself, wreck everything, and Kayo could neither resist nor deny her.
怪物就是与佳代一起长大的海。芝原海是怪物，比起绰号被取为怪物的姬野老师，芝原海才是货真价实的怪物。海会失控、大肆破坏，佳代根本无法抵抗或拒绝。

Children often decided their positions through their physical strength. Normal people could not possibly defy Shihabara Umi’s preternatural physical abilities, so they would turn their dissatisfaction into malicious gossip targeted at Kayo. They called her “a bully who borrowed someone else’s power”, an “ass-kisser sucking up to the strong”, “entirely useless on her own if not for Umi”, and so on. It went without saying for Umi, but there were countless people speaking ill of Kayo behind her back as well.
孩子们之间根据臂力来决定阶级。一般人在表面上根本不敢忤逆芝原海那超人般的体能，对海的不满就这样化为针对佳代的阴险坏话。狐假虎威、谄媚强者的马屁精、明明一个人就一无是处，还不是托海的福才敢这么嚣张，诸如此类。海当然不用说，不过会在背后说佳代坏话的人，也是多到数不胜数。

However, the fact was that Kayo was not how everyone described her. Kayo did not think there was anything good about hanging around with Umi. If possible, she would rather not be with Umi. It was simply that she could not hold out against Umi’s relentless pestering. Those who defied Umi would meet violent fates, and she did not want to end up that way. Umi was the sort of person who could kick bends into the climbing bars of the schoolyard gym and spin the biggest metal bars over for five minutes straight. She did not dare imagine what it would be like to be punched or kicked by someone with that sort of strength.
然而，事实上佳代并非大家说的那样。佳代并不认为跟海混在一起有什么好处。如果可以的话，她并不想跟海在一起。自己只是无法反抗海的死缠烂打而已。胆敢忤逆海的人就会被暴力相向，她才不想要遭遇这种下场。心情烦躁就把操场上的爬杆踹弯，还能够在最高的单槓上使出整整五分钟的大车轮，她实在不敢想像被拥有如此臂力的人揍或踢的滋味如何。

Perhaps, if she was stronger, things might have been different.
至少，自己足够强大的话，情况或许会有些不同。

With that thought in mind, pledging that she would give it all she had, she begged and pleaded with her family members to send her for karate lessons.
她抱持著这份想法，说自己一定会好好加油，死缠烂打地拜託家人送她去学空手道。

Her karate teacher told her: “Mere brute strength does not make you strong; what is important is a strong heart”. Kayo felt that those words happened to match her present situation, and she was moved by them.
空手道老师教会她「空有蛮力的人称不上强者，最重要的是拥有一颗强大的心」的道理，而佳代也因为这句话与自己的境遇不谋而合，而大受感动。

Indeed, brute strength alone was not true strength. If she had a calm and strong heart, she would not be rattled by everything Umi did. If she remained by Umi’s side, a delinquent who viewed violence as everything, she would end up being pulverized one day. The person before her was the person that she should truly be learning from.
没错，空有蛮力根本称不上是真正的强大。只要拥有一颗沉稳又强大的心，她应该就不会被海的一举一动扰乱心神。如果待在海那种暴力即为一切的不法之徒身旁，她只会落得粉身碎骨的下场而已。眼前的人才是她应该师事的对象。

Come to think of it, that person might well have been her first love. While he might have been in his 40s, and she only in elementary school, he had lit a fire in Kayo’s heart. If it was him, she would be willing to follow him. He was not like Umi; she wanted to be with him.
现在回想起来，也许那个人正是自己的初恋。虽然对方已过不惑之年，而她还只是个小学生，却仍然点燃了佳代内心的热情。如果是这个人的话，她愿意跟在身边，这个人跟海不一样，她想要跟这个人在一起。

However, Kayo’s intentions were crushed by Umi. Umi had a very displeased look on her face as she said she was going to learn karate that day and could not play with Kayo. After that, she barged into the dojo, thrashed the coach and the master, took the dojo’s sign and proudly strode off with it. Even if Umi really was a delinquent, she should have picked a better means of doing it. In the end, there was a “For Sale” sign on the dojo the next day, and Kayo’s despair deepened.
然而，佳代如此的心意却被海完全粉碎。海露出一副大感不满的表情看著，说自己今天放学后要去学空手道，所以不能跟佳代一起玩。接著，当天就杀到空手道道场，将教练与师父打得落花流水，夺走招牌后意气风发地扬长而去。即使海是货真价实的不法之徒，好歹也应该选择一下手段吧。结果，隔天道场就被钉上「出售中」的牌子，佳代内心的绝望也随之加深。

In any case, she had to leave Umi. As that notion grew stronger in Kayo, she worked hard in buried herself in homework. If she went into a government school, she would have to spend her entire grade school life being endlessly harassed by Umi. If she could study in another school, she could break off her ties with Umi. She would build her own social network in that school, her relationship with Umi would naturally fade away, and she ought to be able to just drift away.
总而言之必须离开海才行。如此意念越发强烈的佳代，努力埋首于课业中。如果就这样升上公立国中，一直到她毕业为止都会在海永无止境的死缠烂打下度过；如果能够去别间学校就读，就可以与海断绝关系。她会在那间学校裡建构起自己的人际网，与海的交情也会自然而然地变淡，应该就能藉此慢慢淡出。

Kayo used this incredible willpower to apply herself to learning and study. She told nobody that she was going to study for a private middle school besides her parents and her teacher. Even during the practice interviews, she was very careful not to greet the other students and she swore her parents and her teacher to secrecy about the matter. And so, she was dragged along with Umi on “adventures” while she sacrificed her sleep time. She had always been good at memorization, and with the powerful motivation to get away from Umi, she threw herself into her studies without complaint.
佳代就这样凭著惊人的意志，奋发向学、勤勉读书。她要考私立中学的事，除了双亲与老师，一切保密到家。就连练习面试的时间等，她也非常小心地不与其他学生打照面，并对双亲与老师耳提面命，绝对不可以洩漏给任何人知道。她就这样一边被迫陪著海进行「冒险」，一边牺牲睡眠时间换取读书的时间。她原本就擅长背诵，再加上想与海分开的强烈动机，完全不以为苦地勤勉向学。

Kayo had made thorough preparations, and solemnly awaited the examinations. She tried her best to stay in good health, ensuring she had the proper nutrition, and took vaccinations to avoid disease. There were several students from her elementary school in Namiyama Middle School, where the exam was being held. They were shocked by Kayo’s presence, because she had kept her intentions to apply to this place a secret from everyone, but they were even more shocked by Umi’s presence. Kayo was shocked as well, because she had no idea why Umi was there.
佳代做足所有的淮备，严正以待考试的到来。她也尽可能地兼顾健康，平日会摄取足够的营养，并透过接种疫苗避免生病。在做为考试会场的波山国中，有几名同一所小学的学生，除了对隐瞒应试而出现在这裡的佳代感到惊讶的同时，更加讶异于海的出现。佳代也吓了一大跳，不知道为何海竟然出现在这裡。

When she met Umi at the exam hall, she could only think that this was some kind of bad joke. She had not told anyone -- why did Umi know Kayo was taking the exam, and why was she acting like going for the exam together was the most natural thing in the world?
在考试会场碰面时，她只觉得这是什么低俗的恶劣笑话。她明明没有告诉过任何人，为什么海会知道佳代参加考试的事，还表现出一副两人一起考试是理所当然的态度。

Kayo shook her head vigorously, using that to regain her usual calm.
佳代激动地摇摇头，藉此找回平日冷静的自我。

Umi’s grads were average. And Umi should not have studied hard. She must have learned Kayo was testing for this school from somewhere and then impulsively decided to give it a try as well. Namiyama Middle School was one of the top three schools in the prefecture, and Umi -- who had never been to cram school, prepared for the exam and only knew how to play around -- would surely fail. Only Kayo would pass; it would be fine.
海的成绩顶多只是一般般。而且-海应该没有好好苦读过，想必是从哪裡得知佳代要考这所中学的消息后，才衝动地决定自己也要来挑战看看吧。波山国中在县内可是前三名的升学名校，没有去上补习班，也没有好好淮备应试，一直以来只知道四处玩乐的海一定会落榜。只有佳代一个人会合格，关于这点不会有任何问题。

In the end, they had both passed. Umi had proudly said that she had spent three nights without sleeping to cram it all into her head, but was doing that really enough to pass? The Shihabara family owned a lot of land nearby, and the Shihabara family had made a sizable donation to the school. Kayo had learned about that rumor after getting in.
结果，两个人都合格了。虽然海一脸骄傲地说，自己熬了三个晚上的通宵，才把东西全部塞到脑袋裡，但真的只是这么做就合格了吗？芝原家是这附近一带屈指可数的大地主，而芝原家有捐给学校相当可观的捐款，这个谣言也是在佳代入学后才得知。

Things being what they were, she could not refuse to attend. She felt that even if she did not choose to study here, Umi would continue chasing her. She did not know why Umi was so interested in her. She did not enjoy violence, nor did she have any special presence, and her physical abilities were utterly mundane. More to the point, she was not like Umi, who could fracture an adult’s arm just by gripping it.
事到如今，她也无法拒绝入学。她认为即使自己不读这所学校，海仍然会追过来。她并不清楚为何海如此中意自己。她既不喜欢诉诸暴力，也不会特别有气势，体能更是普通到极点。再说，她又不像海那般，仅用单手握住大人的手腕就能够造成对方骨裂。

No matter how she struggled, there was no escape for her. Thus, Kayo decided not to struggle and accepted her fate.
无论怎样挣扎都无法逃脱，于是佳代放弃挣扎，认命地接受自己的命运。

She could not defy Umi. Everything had proceeded as Umi desired. Even becoming a Magical Girl, a being which should not have existed, was because Umi willed it. No matter how Kayo tried to deny it, insisting that it could not be possible, nobody listened to her. However, when Umi declared that they ought to work together to defeat the evil mages, she had fanned the flames in everyone’s hearts and gotten them on board. Be they the class rep or the teacher or even the fairy who had given them magic, Umi felt none of them had anything to do with her. It did not matter if they had authority or if they were benefactors; if she disliked them, she would punch them without a second thought. That was the kind of person Umi was.
她无法忤逆海，凡事都会按照海的期望进行。甚至变成魔法少女这种原本不可能存在的人物，也是因为海如此期望。无论佳代如何否定，强调绝对不可能有这种事情，却没有人听得进去。然而，当海喊出让我们同心协力收拾邪恶魔法师，一句话就成功地煽动众人跟随。无论是班长或老师，还是那个赐予众人魔法的妖精，海认为一切都与她无关。无论是权威或恩人一点都不重要，只要看不顺眼，就会二话不说先赏个拳头出去，海就是这样的孩子王。

***

She had thought things would change after becoming a Magical Girl, but that was not so.
原本以为变成魔法少女后，情况会稍微有些不同。事实却不然。

Even among Magical Girls, Umi… Captain Grace was much stronger than the others.
即使是在魔法少女中，海……葛蕾丝船长也比其他人强大许多。

For starters, Captain Grace’s physical abilities were excellent. While abilities varied between Magical Girls, Kayo had not been weak by any means after transforming into Funny Trick. Captain Grace aside, she might well have been the strongest among the others. Speaking of which, as long as Captain Grace was around, she might never be able to be the strongest. Captain Grace could even skilfully employ the weapons she had just received that day, making perfect use of her magical pirate ship and the items aboard it.
首先，葛蕾丝船长的体能相当优秀。虽然在魔法少女裡也有所谓的能力差异，但佳代变身后的惊喜魔技也绝对不弱。单单撇开葛蕾丝船长不论，也许自己算得上是最强的人。话说回来，只要有葛蕾丝船长在的一天，自己就绝对不可能成为最强的人。甚至连今天才刚得到手的武器，葛蕾丝船长也能够驾驭，完美地运用「魔法海盗」以及船上的相关物品。

Her long years of violence had honed her fighting experience and combat ability, and after becoming a Magical Girl, they had served Captain Grace well. Captain Grace was always the first into any fight, and even against that bunny-eared Magical Girl, she had not shown a sliver of fear, but had boldly taken her head-on. Wounds and bleeding did not stop her from going after the fleeing bunny ears by herself. As she watched her go, Kayo had well and truly given up. That person was a lifeform beyond salvation. Even being gifted with magic had not changed her; in fact, it felt like it had exposed her true nature instead.
长年以来浸染在暴力中培育出来的战斗经验与打架本能，在海变成魔法少女后，也替葛蕾丝船长带来很大的用处。葛蕾丝船长总是打头阵与敌人战斗，即使面对那个不容轻忽的兔耳魔法少女，也完全没有露出一丝一毫的胆怯，勇于正面迎敌。负伤流血也完全不为所动，还独自追著逃跑的兔耳而去。目送著那道身影离开，这一次佳代彻彻底底地死了心。那个人根本就是无可救药的生物，即使获得魔法也不可能改变本质，反而有一种强烈暴露出本质的感觉。

After that, Captain Grace had fought the mysterious black sphere, and successfully eliminated it. She had bled from its attacks and her arms and legs were covered in blood. Without Funny Trick’s help, Grace might have ended there. It wa not an easy battle by any stretch of the word, but she was enjoying herself, with no sign of fatigue. After seeing how she wanted to take part in the next battle, Funny Trick thought helplessly, looks like she’s going to continue charging headlong into things until she dies.
在那之后，葛蕾丝船长还与神祕的黑色球体交战，并成功收拾掉对方。承受攻击而流血，放任脚与手滴著血，如果没有惊喜魔技的援助，只怕葛蕾丝的性命堪忧。那一场战斗明明称不上是轻鬆获胜，本人却一副乐在其中的模样，完全不显疲态。看到她又接著想要继续参与下一场战斗，惊喜魔技百般无奈地心想，看来她会继续横衝直撞到死掉为止吧。

Was this because Magical Girls had outstanding endurance? Or was it because Magical Girls had extraordinary self-recovery? Or had she always been that way? She did not seem to care that she had been hurt. Captain Grace merely carried herself like her wounds could get better just by spitting on them and continued prowling about, looking for her next enemy.
这是因为魔法少女拥有卓越持久力的关系吗？抑或是魔法少女拥有超群的恢复力？也许纯粹只是她本人与生俱来的性情吧？受伤也不以为意，只见葛蕾丝船长带著一副吐口口水就能够治好伤口的气势，继续四处徘徊，寻找下一名的敌人。

And then, Captain Grace had been killed.
然后，葛蕾丝船长被杀死了。

Funny Trick had no idea what was going on. She could not understand what was with these enemies who spoke a foreign language. Similarly, she could not understand what had happened to Grace, who had fallen over with much of her forehead eaten away by some black, spreading rot. Even more incomprehensible was how things had ended up like this.
惊喜魔技完全无法理解到底是怎么一回事。她完全无法理解，操著外文对话的敌人到底是怎么一回事。同样地，她也无法理解被某种具有腐蚀性的黑色东西给侵蚀，前额被削掉一大半而倒下的海到底是怎么一回事。更无法理解的是，为什么事态会演变到如此地步。

She had been dragged here and there with a lifeless look on her face, and then the friend of the Magical Girl who had killed Umi said, “You were actually very happy when the pirate died, weren’t you?”
她一脸呆滞地遭人强行拖来此处，却被杀死海的魔法少女的同伴指出「其实你很高兴海盗死掉吧」。

Her brain, which had been completely incapable of functioning, began heating up immediately. A high-temperature surge which felt like it was going to fry her head tore at Funny Trick’s heart, and so she screamed her denial.
原本完全无法运转的脑袋，没有丝毫停顿地立刻发烫起来。一股彷彿要将她的脑袋给烧焦的高温苛责著惊喜魔技的内心，于是她大喊出声并坚决否认。

How could she have been happy? How could she have been pleased? She was simply unable to move. She had prayed so long for Shihabara Umi to vanish, and then she had died right there in front of her. She could not accept that reality, and so she had clung to Umi’s hand.
她怎么可能感到高兴、怎么可能会有喜悦的情绪。她只是动弹不得而已。一直以来不断在内心祈祷快点消失的芝原海，就这样乾脆地在她的面前死掉了。她无法接受这件事实，便一直紧握住海的手不放。

Umi couldn’t have died here, how could that monster die in a place like this?
海才不可能死在这裡，那个怪物怎么可能会在这种地方倒下！

Kayo cried and wailed until the swordswoman threw the plate that shut her mouth.
佳代呐喊、咆哮，最后因为剑士丢盘子过来而闭上嘴巴。

Her heart was in chaos, and yet her emotions were converging on a single point. She would never forgive these Magical Girls. She would have them taste the appropriate retribution. They had insulted the life Kayo had lived until today. No matter what she did, Umi had followed her like a shadow. If only that bothersome, annoying person would vanish, she had thought several times. All Umi did was drag her to dangerous places and subject her to dangerous things, and even after doing that, she would smile without any remorse and say, “Fun, wasn’t it?” Kayo spent all her time around Umi, and she was considered little more than a gofer, a side character, Umi’s follower, an appendage, and others would speak ill of her behind her back. Umi shut those people up with violence, and in the end, nobody dared speak ill of her for fear of their lives. Of course, it meant that nobody other than Umi would hang out with Kayo. I’d surely make a lot of friends if only Umi weren’t around, she thought every day.
她的内心只觉得狂乱不已，同时这些情绪又纷纷朝同一点集中。她绝对不会放过这些魔法少女，她要让她们尝到相对的报应，她们侮辱了佳代截至目前为止的所有人生。不管她做什么，海都如影随形,如果这个碍事、令人烦躁又麻烦透顶的家伙消失就好了，她的脑海裡不晓得浮现过几次如此的念头。海只会强拉自己去危险的地方，害她遭遇危险的事情，即使如此，仍然一脸不知悔改地笑著说「很有趣吧」。整天与海鬼混的佳代，被认为不过是跑腿的小角色，她只是海的随从、附属品，也有人会在背后说她坏话。对于这种人，海会以暴力相向让对方闭上嘴巴，最后终于没有人胆敢以命相搏说她的坏话，然而，除了海也没有人愿意与佳代来往。只要海不在，自己一定能够结交到许多朋友，她每天都这么想著。

Umi was an arrogant tyrant, a self-centered person who put her own enjoyment first and foremost. Kayo hated Umi. She had even wondered, how wonderful would it be if Umi would vanish, but in her heart of hearts, she actually admired Umi.
海是个目中无人的暴君，一切皆以自我享乐为第一优先的超级自我中心主义者。佳代最讨厌海了。甚至心想如果海消失的话该有多好，但在内心深处却又憧景著海。

Funny Trick gnashed her teeth and thought, They killed Umi, these bastards killed Umi.
惊喜魔技咬牙切齿地想，海被杀死了，被这些家伙给杀死了。

The patchwork Magical Girl was tucking happily into a ham.
全身上下都是补丁的魔法少女，正津津有味地大啖火腿。

The swordswoman was talking to the fortune-teller, attended by Wedin.
剑士则是以外文与占卜师对话，誓约薇汀随侍在侧。

The fortune-teller seemed to be soothing the swordswoman’s feelings.
占卜师似乎正在安抚剑士的情绪。

The sound of hot oil popping and sizzling probably came from the guitarist.
在厨房传出热油跳动、滋滋作响的声音的，想必是那名吉他手吧。

Nobody noticed Funny Trick’s movements. The person they were wary of was not Funny Trick, but the similarly bound bunny ears, who lay on the ground. Both the swordswoman and the fortuneteller harbored an air of what might approximate respect for bunny ears, as though to say, “I can’t take her lightly”. In contrast, Funny Trick was beneath their notice. They considered her a being who could not cause any problems even if they left her alone.
没有人注意惊喜魔技的动静。大家提防的并不是惊喜魔技，而是跟她一样被绑住并倒在地上的兔耳。无论是剑士或占卜师，都对兔耳抱持「绝对不可以轻忽此人」的某种程度的敬意。相较之下，惊喜魔技根本就是个微不足道的存在。被她们视为即使置之不理，也完全不成问题的存在。

Umi always said, “Your best chance is when the enemy takes you lightly. When faced with these stupid people who think they can take you easily, you can just punch them straight in the face.” A murmured, gulped voice spilled out of Funny Trick’s throat. The enemy looking down on her was a good thing… probably.
海平常就老是挂在嘴上「如果敌人轻视自己，绝对是再方便不过的情形。对于这种自以为游刃有馀的笨蛋对手，就可以轻易地用直拳攻向对方脸部」。从惊喜魔技的喉咙，轻溢出一丝吞嚥口水的声音。对方瞧不起自己正好方便行事……应该吧。

There was a link between Magical Girls’ appearance and their abilities. That was true of all the Magical Girls she had seen until now. Rabbits were fast, swordsmen and pirates were adept at fencing, while the genie of the lamp could fly.
魔法少女的外表与本人的能力或属性，并非毫无关联。截至目前为止，她看过的数名魔法少女无一例外。兔子的动作灵敏，脚程又快。剑士与海盗则擅长挥剑战斗，神灯精灵能够飞翔于空中。

In that case, what could a stage magician do?
那么，舞台魔术师能做些什么？

After making sure nobody was looking at her, Funny Trick arched herself backwards. Her head slipped between her bound hands, producing a reverse-shrimp posture that allowed her wrists to touch her ankles, and then she returned to normal. Then, she did the opposite and leaned forward, letting her wrists touch her ankles. She tried turning her wrists. Though the enemy had bound them tightly, they were now a little loose and she could move them a little.
惊喜魔技再度确认没有人注意她之后，将背部往后用力凹。头从被绑住的双手之间穿过去，呈现逆虾姿势让手腕接触脚踝，再恢复成原来的姿势，接下来反过来向前弯腰，让手腕接触脚踝。她试著扭动手腕，虽然被敌人牢牢绑住，但有稍微鬆脱一点，如今能够稍微活动手腕。



Funny Trick hastily returned to her original position, the one where she had been dumped onto the floor in a powerless, lifeless, pile. Patchwork was eating, swordswoman and fortune-teller were talking, the guitarist was not back yet, and Wedin had an intoxicated, love-sick look on her face. Nobody was looking at her.
惊喜魔技迅速地回到原本的姿势，恢复成那个被丢在地板上、死气沉沉的无力姿势。补丁埋首于食物中，剑士与占卜师热络交谈，吉他手还没回来，誓约薇汀则是一脸陶醉地发著花痴，没有人看向她。

It would be a simple matter for Funny Trick to slip her bonds. After all, Funny Trick’s joints were supple, and very mobile.
如果是惊喜魔技的话，挣脱绳索的束缚只是小事一桩。因为惊喜魔技的关节非常柔软，而且相当灵活。

However, she would not end well even if she fled from this place. She would probably be recaptured before long. She had to wait for the best opportunity to strike them a fatal blow.
不过，就算她从这裡逃跑也绝对不会有好下场，想必要不了多久就会被抓住。她必须看淮某个绝佳时机，给予敌人致命的一击才行。

As she recalled what Umi had once said, “the more dangerous things are, the better the chances for a stunning reversal”, Funny Trick twisted her body subtly but swiftly.
她想起过去海曾经说过「越是危机就越能咸鱼大翻身」这句话，惊喜魔技小幅度且快速地扭动著身体。


☆ Pythie Frederica (13 hours and 30 minutes remaining)

Obtaining personal information was not difficult. By disregarding the law, putting in some effort, and adding just a little bit of violence, one could acquire it with surprising ease.
想要获得个人情报其实并不难。只要无视法律，稍微花一些工夫，再小小施加一点暴力，就能够出奇轻鬆地弄到手。

First, she had Wedin lead the group to Namiyama Middle School. She had Wedin and Pukin wait in the car at the school gate, left Tot Pop for security, and then Sonia and Frederica headed into the school. Sonia destroyed the lock on the teacher’s office and Frederica consulted the seating plan and turned the room upside down. Even if there were no duty teachers on patrol, the school ought to have a contract with a security firm; in all likelihood someone already knew that there was an intruder in the school. While Pythie could dispose of 10 or 20 security guards by herself with contemptuous ease, it would be better to avoid making waves
首先，她请誓约薇汀带路，一行人来到波山国中。让誓约薇汀与谱金待在临停于校门前的车内，留下托托流行乐负责监视，剩下的索妮雅则是与菲列特莉嘉一同前往校内。索妮雅破坏掉教职员办公室的门锁，菲列特莉嘉则按照配置图，在教职员室与置物柜大肆翻箱倒柜。即使没有负责值日的老师巡逻，但学校应该有与保全公司签约,料想对方应该也已经得知有人入侵学校。虽然不管对方派来十名或二十名保全,由菲列特莉嘉一人对付也绰绰有馀，但还是尽量别引起大骚动比较好。

Sonia had originally been a bandit, and she was very used to identifying important things and searching. Frederica had experience breaking into empty houses in order to collect hair. Sonia had her hands full with relevant documents while Pythie collected all the hair she could find. These two experts completed their business within five minutes.
索妮雅原本的职业就是以强盗为生，也很习惯鑑定必要之物并进行搜括。菲列特莉嘉之前曾为了蒐集头髮，有过闯空门的经验。索妮雅手上抱著似乎是相关资料的文件，菲列特莉嘉则尽可能地蒐集掉落在放眼所及之处的毛髮。两名专家在五分钟内随即办完正事，

They returned to the car outside the main gate, and set off.
回到大门前的车上并出发。

Class 2-A’s homeroom teacher was Himeno Nozomi, or Kurukuru-hime. Since teachers were easier to investigate than students, Frederica decided to start with her.
二年A班的班导师是身为转转姬的姬野希。因为老师比学生容易调查，所以菲列特莉嘉才会决定从老师下手。

If she could obtain Himeno Nozomi’s hair, everything would be within her grasp. However, the hair she had found in the school did not belong to her. After verifying that the 20-odd hairs she had collected were all incorrect, Frederica folded them into a piece of kaishi paper, just in case they were needed.
如果能够得到姬野希的头髮，一切就手到擒来了。但是，在学校裡取得的头髮并不为姬野希所有。确认二十几根头髮全都不对之后，菲列特莉嘉姑且将这些头髮收到怀纸裡，以备不时之需。

The information Sonia had collected did not have Himeno Nozomi’s address. However, there would surely be other points of contact. Therefore, they found a piece of paper which looked like it had been printed with the names and phone numbers of the staff. Teachers’ personal information was less protected than that of the students.
索妮雅所搜集来的资料中，并没有姬野希的住家资讯。但一定有所谓的联络网。于是，她们找到印有看起来像是教职员名字与电话号码的纸张。比起学生的个资，老师的个资似乎比较不受到保护。

They would check the phone directory for Himeno Nozomi’s home phone number, and from there they could trace her home address. Fortunately, Himeno-sensei’s home phone number was in there.
在电话簿上调查刚获得的姬野希家裡电话后，再从那裡找出地址。幸好，电话簿上有记载姬野老师家的电话号码。

They told Wedin the address and had Wedin lead them there. They consulted the city map they had found in the school while driving, and reached Himeno Nozomi’s home. As usual, Sonia destroyed the door, and then they killed the 40 year old man inside before he could make a ruckus, and all that was left after that was to search the place.
将地址告诉誓约薇汀后，由誓约薇汀负责带路。她们就这样边开车边对照在学校找到的市内地图，接著抵达姬野希的家，一如往常地让索妮雅破坏门，并在房子裡四十多岁的男人大声嚷嚷前将他杀死，接下来就剩下大肆搜括而已。

According to Wedin, Himeno was a young woman in her twenties. The man Pukin had killed was too old to be her husband, so he was probably her father. There were two types of hair in this house, belonging to this man and to a young lady. It would seem father and daughter lived together.
根据誓约薇汀所说，姬野似乎是个才二十多岁的年轻女性。谱金杀害的男人，做为丈夫似乎年龄差距太大，想必是姬野希的父亲吧。散落在家裡的头髮有两种，分别属于这个男人以及年轻女性。看来是父女俩共同生活。

Frederica only retained the woman’s hair, and they left the house. With that strand of hair, they would be able to find Himeno Nozomi’s current location.
菲列特莉嘉只将女性的头髮收入怀纸中，便离开了这个家。只要有这根头髮，就能够找出姬野希目前的所在位置。

☆ Ripple (13 hours and 11 minutes remaining) 莉普儿(剩馀时间十三小时十一分钟)

“What is this…”
「这到底是......」

“Ah, this is how you use it.”
「啊啊，这个是这么用的。」

Mana turned her back on Ripple and faced the wall behind her. She raised a black wand, incanted some words to herself and formed a sign with her left hand, and a tiny, bullet-like flame shot out. The miniature fireball was about the size of a thumb, and after it hit the wall, it left a black scorch mark. Its power and speed did not seem very worthy of trust.
麻奈背对莉普儿，重新转向身后的牆壁。她以右手高举涂得黑黑的木棒，喃喃自语数句咒语以左手结印后，小小的火焰有如子弹般发射出去。与大拇指差不多大的小火球，击中流理台后，留下黑色的烧焦痕迹，威力与速度似乎都不怎么可靠。

As Ripple mused about these things to herself and watched Mana give her demonstration, Mana suddenly turned around. She did not seem happy.
当莉普儿一边暗自怀抱如此感想一边看著麻奈示范时，麻奈冷不防地转过头来。嘴巴哪得老高，似乎相当不服气。

“You must be thinking, ‘what~ is that all’! You listen here, it’s only this weak because I’m using it indoors, at its highest setting it could even burn a Magical Girl!”
「你一定是在心裡想『什么嘛〜才这点程度而已』！我告诉你，这个纯粹是为了在室内使用，威力才会这么弱，要是调整到最大威力的话，甚至能够令魔法少女灼伤喔！」

“...No.”
「……不。」

Could it be that Mana could read her mind? Yet, that did not seem to be the case. She had not shown it, so Mana had probably thought ‘this weapon is nothing much’ and anticipated that someone else would react the same way, hence her reply.
难不成麻奈连她的心思都能读取吗？但似乎又不是这样子。自己明明没有表现出来，想必是麻奈也有「这武器没什么大不了」的自觉，预期到别人也会有如此反应，才先说出来的吧。

Ripple’s friend -- the Magical Girl “Snow White” -- could read people’s minds. As she recalled their time together, Ripple could not help breaking out in a smile, but after she sensed Mana glaring at her, she immediately wiped it off her face.
莉普儿的朋友——魔法少女「白雪」能够读取人们的内心。回想起与她的相处情形，莉普儿忍不住露出一抹浅笑，但在察觉到麻奈瞪著自己后，立刻敛起神色。

“...Sorry.”
「……失礼了。」

“Hmph, I won’t take it to heart. It’s true, this isn’t a very impressive weapon. A Magical Girl could throw anything and it would have better power, range and speed. However…”
「哼，我才不会放在心上。这个武器确实很寒酸。你们这些魔法少女随便扔个物品出去，无论是在威力、射程，还是速度上都更胜一筹吧。不过……」

Mana adjusted her glasses, and then glared at Ripple.
麻奈调整好眼镜的位置后，倏地瞪向莉普儿。

“Don’t look down on me!”
「不淮小看我！」

“...Yes.”
「……是。」

“Show some respect!”
「给我放尊重点！」

“...Yes.”
「……是。」

“Very good. Then, i’ll explain what’s going to happen next. Pay attention.”
「很好，那么我要进行接下来的说明，给我仔细听清楚。」

***
There had been much stress, shouting, comforting and pleading during the meeting to decide their future direction, and it had taken quite a bit of time. And then, their subsequent movements had to match Mana, whose physical abilities were only those of a normal human being, which spent yet more time. The time until the barrier would fall thus crept closer and closer. Ripple checked her time on her Magical Phone, since that was the only thing they could do now.
为了决定今后方针的讨论会议，经历了一连串的咄咄逼人、怒吼、安抚与拜託的过程，耗费不少时间。而之后的移动也得配合体能只有一般人类程度的麻奈，又花费不少时间。结界解除的时效就这样一步步接近。莉普儿用魔法终端设备确认现在时刻，魔法终端设备如今只剩下这个功用。

Ripple, Mana, 7753 and Kurukuru-hime left the roof of the high-rise building which they were using as a meeting point for emergencies. Now they were hidden in a seemingly abandoned house within a residential district roughly 10 minutes from the building. It was an old terrace house roughly 165 square meters in size, and it had no attached yard. There wa a garage, but the shutter was so badly rusted that just pulling it up and down needed a Magical Girl’s superhuman arm-strength. The house’s interior was strewn with blue plastic tarpaulins, empty cup noodle cups, and empty shochu bottles, while the heavy scent of decay hung in the air. The tatamis were probably rotten, and the way one sank into them after sitting on them felt uncomfortable.
莉普儿、麻奈与7753,再加上转转姬四人，离开做为紧急集合地点的大楼屋顶，现在则是藏匿于距离大楼约十分钟路程、似乎是废弃空屋的某户私人住宅裡。那是一户约五十坪左右的古老平房，没有附庭院。虽然有车库，但铁门生鏽得很严重，即使只是以手动方式将铁门拉上拉下，也得动用到魔法少女超乎常人的臂力。屋内的地板上散乱著蓝色塑胶垫、泡麵空碗与烧酒的空瓶等，空气中飘散著一股浓浓的腐败臭味。榻榻米恐怕也已经腐坏，坐上去之后的下沉感让人觉得很不舒服。

Whether they were here legally or not, someone was staying here. There were clear signs of habitation here, but the people were nowhere to be seen.
先不论是否合法，但这裡确实有人居住。能够确认有人在这裡生活的痕迹，却不见其存在。

“Besides, the people living here aren’t likely to be decent characters. If there’s more of us, they won’t dare show themselves. If they still dare to make a fuss, we’ll teach them a lesson.”
「反正住在这裡的人绝对不会是正经的人物吧。只要我们人数多，谅对方也不敢现身。如果这样还敢有意见，就适当地教训一下对方吧。」

“...Yes.”
「……是。」

According to 7753, one of them was a Magical Girl called Pukin, who could use a Magical Skill that controlled people’s minds. Ripple was privately surprised at how well-informed 7753 was, and she privately confessed her respect for 7753. 7753 might well have been pretending to be afraid while secretly observing how Ripple reacted to emergency situations. It would seem she would have to be more careful.
根据7753所言，其中一名叫做谱金的魔法少女，能够使用操控心灵的魔法。莉普儿暗暗吃惊于7753这副包打听的模样，并偷偷在心裡佩服7753果然很有一套。7753非常有可能一边佯装胆小，一边暗中观察莉普儿在紧急时刻如何灵机应变。看来她得多多注意。

If Pukin had used her Magical Skill to control Hana or Maou Pam, the location of the building which served as their meeting point would be compromised. Remaining there would probably be inviting an ambush from the enemy. Thus, they had shifted their headquarters.
如果谱金使用魔法控制住羽菜或魔王帕姆，用来当作紧急集合地点的大楼位置就会遭到洩漏。继续待在现场，恐怕也只是在等待敌人发动偷袭而已。因此才会移动总部。

Mana took out a pair of binoculars from her magic bag and handed it to 7753, and she had 7753 observe the roof which had been their meeting place. If Hana or Maou Pam went to the roof, or -- and she did not want to contemplate that -- if the enemy showed up, 7753 would instantly inform them.
麻奈从魔法包裡拿出来的望远镜目前交到7753的手上，由7753透过窗帘缝隙监视做为紧急集合处的大楼屋顶。羽菜或是魔王帕姆有去屋顶，还有实在不愿意这么想，不过敌人也有可能会出现，这个时候7753就会立刻通知她们。

***
Kurukuru-hime detransformed and faced her back to Ripple before fiddling with her smartphone. 7753 had already verified Kurukuru-hime’s Magical Girl details through her goggles.
转转姬解除了变身，背对莉普儿操作著面前的智慧型手机。转转姬声称自己为魔法少女的事情，也已经透过7753的护目镜确认完毕。

Ripple was listening to Mana explain the usage of various items. Ripple’s Magic allowed her to ensure her thrown weapons had 100% accuracy. Currently, she only had the equipment provided by her ninja outfit -- kunai and shuriken. It would be more convenient and increase her power if she could use other magical weapons. Thus, Ripple had asked Mana to lend her any items which were suitable for throwing.
莉普儿正在听麻奈说明持有物的功用。莉普儿的魔法是能够让投掷出去的武器百发百中。目前只有忍者装扮的附属配件——苦无与手裡剑。如果可以使用其他的魔法武器，威力就会更强大而且方便。因此，莉普儿拜託麻奈要是有任何适合投掷的物品，请借她一用。

Mana’s reluctance was clearly written on her face, but this was an emergency situation, so she finally demonstrated them for Ripple.
虽然麻奈露出一副心不甘情不愿的表情，不过现在情况紧急，终究还是展示给莉普儿看。

“This is a wand of fire. It launches fiery pellets with an incantation and a hand sign.”
「这根棒子是火焰之杖，能够透过结印与咒语发射火砾。」

It did not seem very useful.
似乎派不上用场。

“Then there’s a magical telescope which can see through objects, a hat which boosts magical power, a magic cloak that’s stronger than armor, magic stockings which won’t run, and a magic school uniform.”
「还有能够透视的魔法望远镜、能够提升魔力的魔法帽、比盔甲更加坚固的魔法斗篷、绝对不会脱线的魔法丝袜，以及魔法学校的制服。」

The telescope and stockings aside -- and what was up with that uniform?! -- the hat and cloak seemed quite strong. Both the hat and cloak were black in color, and the hat was cone-shaped decorated with white ribbons and a sun-shaped decoration. In other words, it was a witch’s hat, of the kind worn by the Magical Girl who had once been Ripple’s partner.
姑且不论望远镜还有那个丝袜、制服是怎么一回事，帽子与斗篷似乎很强。帽子与斗篷都是黑色的，帽子是呈现三角锥状的尖帽，还有白色缎带与太阳外形的装饰。也就是所諝的魔女帽，曾经是莉普儿搭档的魔法少女也戴过类似的帽子。

“Right, the hat and the cloak are for Mages only. They’d just be ordinary items of clothing if a Magical Girl wore them.”
「对了，不管是帽子、斗篷都是魔法师专用的，就算魔法少女穿戴上去也只是普通的装饰品而已。」

So they were useless, after all. Why had she shown her things that she could not use?
果然还是派不上用场。为什么要给她看不能用的东西呢？

“There’s a magic bag which can take anything you can stuff into it, and which allows you to take out whatever you need from it at the right time.”
「只要是拿得起来的物品随便你塞，并能够在适当时机拿出来用的魔法包。」

Ripple already had a similar bag. It served no direct use in combat, but the fact that it could hold throwing weapons meant that it was not useless.”
莉普儿已经有类似的布袋了。虽然无法直接在战斗中使用，但光是可以收纳投掷用的武器这点，也不能说毫无用处。

“There’s rope which can’t be cut unless you use tremendous force. Not even Magical Girls like you can tear it with your strength.”
「如果不是超级强大的破坏力，就无法切断的魔法绳索。就算是你们这些魔法少女的臂力应该也很难扯断。」

Ripple tried pulling on it, and as expected, it was very strong. At the very least, Ripple’s arm-power would not be able to tear it. It was about 15 meters long. While it was not long enough to be woven into a net, with a suitable weight on the end it could become a capture tool that she could wrap around the legs.
莉普儿试著拉扯了一下，果然相当坚固。至少以莉普儿的臂力无法扯断这条绳子。长度约十五公尺左右，虽然没有长到能够编成投网的地步，但加上摆锤可以当成缠绕住脚的投掷捕捉道具。

“And there’s these.”
「还有这个。」

What rolled out was a series of shiny orbs about five centimeters across. There seemed to be some sort of handle-like metal parts on them. Ripple had seen these items before, or rather, she someone had thrown them at her.
叩隆叩隆地滚出来的，是直径五公分左右的光滑球体，上面附有手把般的金属零件。莉普儿曾经看过类似的物品，与其说她曾经看过，倒不如说她曾经被人扔过。

“...Grenades?”
「……手榴弹？」

“No, these are smoke bombs. If we wanted to bring along lethal weapons like grenades, we’d need our department chief’s permission. Within a team leader’s authority, the best I can do is these smoke bombs.”
「不，这是烟雾弹。如果要带手榴弹这种具有杀伤力的武器需要课长的许可，在组长的权限内，能够带的品项中最好的就是烟雾弹了。」

Ripple’s Magical Skill required ideal visibility for maximum effectiveness. While she was still guaranteed some degree of precision if she threw in a general location, that was all. Such a Magical Skill was not very compatible with vision-obscuring smoke bombs.
如果要让莉普儿的魔法发挥最大功效，必须保持在视野极佳的状态下。虽然朝大致位置丢也有一定的精淮度，但充其量也不过如此而已。这样的魔法与会屏蔽视线的烟雾弹，适性度实在不高。

Mana seemed unhappy at Ripple, who was staring hard at the smoke bombs. Then, Mana pouted.
似乎对紧盯著放在掌上烟雾弹的莉普儿有什么不满，只见麻奈都起嘴巴。

“You must be thinking that these smoke bombs are nothing much.”
「你一定是在想烟雾弹根本没什么大不了的吧。」

“No, I wasn’t thinking that…”
「不，我并没有这么想……J

“You’ve been like that since just now, looking down on me and thinking that these are poor weapons. You haven’t thought about the matter and how to modify what you have, but complaining here and there.”
「你从刚才开始就这样。嫌武器寒酸，一副瞧不起人的态度，也不会正面思考，想办法改造现有的物品，抱怨东抱怨西的。」

“No…”
「不……」

“These smoke bombs don’t just produce smoke. They create a small explosion when ignited. If you hold them when they go off, they’re powerful enough to take off your fingers.”
「这个烟雾弹可不只是单纯喷出烟来喔。点燃后还会发生小规模爆炸。爆炸时拿在手上的话，威力可是大到能够炸飞手指头喔。」

To Ripple’s best knowledge, there were no enemies who would lovingly pick up a spherical object whose exterior indicated “I am a grenade”  after she had thrown it. Unless she timed the detonation right and threw it at her opponent… but predicting the explosion of a weapon she had seen for the first time was not an easy task. More to the point, if she was not careful, it would be her fingers being blown off instead.
就莉普儿所知的范围内，并没有敌人会在她丢出外观表明「我是手榴弹」的球体后，还会亲切地拿在手上。除非看淮爆炸时机丢向对方……但是，要预估今次才初次见到的武器爆炸时机，似乎不是一件容易的事情。更何况，一个不小心就会是莉普儿自己的手指被炸飞。

“And there’s… this!”
「还有……这个！」

They looked like syringes with indentations for easy gripping. There were ten of them in total. Beside them was a vial of dark green fluid, and a glass bottle filled with white-colored pills.
手把上有方便手指握住的凹痕的注射器，总共有十支。旁边躺著灌有深绿色液体的注射剂，以及装满白色圆形药锭的玻璃瓶。

“This serum stabilizes the mind, and it also has the effect of eliminating physical pain. The serum goes with the injectors. They can briefly enhance the boy, but overuse may result in side effects or lingering aftereffects. However, neither of them are suitable for Magical Girls. That’s because these are ‘drugs to give you the physical abilities and mental fortitude of Magical Girls’.”
「锭剂能够镇定精神，同时也具有消除肉体疼痛的功效。注射剂则是必须配合注射器使用。能够暂时性地增强身体能力，但是使用过量会造成副作用或留下后遗症。不过，无论是哪一种都不适用于魔法少女。因为这是『能够得到如魔法少女般的身体能力，以及魔法少女般的强壮精神的药』。」

The syringes were a medical item, and they probably were not designed for throwing at one’s enemies. Given the effective duration of the drugs, they were probably hard to use in battle.
注射器是医疗用品，应该不是以投掷出去刺中敌人为前提製作的。考虑到药效的持久性，看来也是难以应用于战斗上。

“Then there’s the car. The one we’re using instead of walking is also enchanted.”
「再来就是车子了。我们现在用来代步的轻型汽车也有施下魔法。」

But she could not throw the car.
可是又不能把汽车扔出去。

“Alright, is there anything you think you could use?”
「好了，有你觉得能够派上用场的东西吗？」

“Please lend me the rope.”
「请借给我绳索。」

“How about the smoke bombs?”
「烟雾弹呢？」

“...Then, I’ll have a smoke bomb too.”
「……那么，也请给我一枚烟雾弹。」

For some reason, Mana looked quite pleased with herself as she saw Ripple tuck the smoke bomb up her sleeve.
看到莉普儿将烟雾弹收进袖口，不知道为什么麻奈似乎相当得意。

Ripple’s heart sank. That was because it was quite obvious that Mana was showing off those items to Ripple so cheerily in order to hide her anxiety about Hana.
莉普儿的心不禁一沉。因为，麻奈明显是想要掩饰担心羽菜的焦虑，才会故作开朗地向莉普儿展示魔法道具。

Mana was competitive and proud. She would not forgive a foe who made her taste humiliation, and to her, defeat equalled death. Her immense pride also represented her professionalism. She hated being looked down upon, and frankly speaking she hated having anything to do with people, but she had no choice but to deal with others in order to survive. When she could not bear it any more she would act out uncontrollably, and after regretting her actions later on she would force herself to go through the motions of sincerity, and behind that moody face of hers, she would think “What’s wrong with shaming the people who shame me?!” and so on.
麻奈的好胜心强、自尊心也强，绝对不会原谅让她尝到耻辱滋味的对手，对她而言败北与死亡画上等号，自尊心有多高即代表职业伦理有多严谨。讨厌被人瞧不起，话说回来她原本就讨厌与人有瓜葛，但为了生存才不得不与其他人有所来往。实在忍无可忍时就会情不自禁地动手，等到将来后悔才勉强地在形式上展现亲切，具备如此喜怒无常的一面，并会暗自在心裡找藉口，「对于污辱我的人，我也污辱回去，有什么不对吗！」诸如此类。

She was practically Ripple from a couple of years ago. Ripple felt like she was looking at herself from the past, and at the same time it frustrated her to no end. Of course, Mana was much more honest about her feelings for Hana than she had been back then. Just for that, she prayed that Hana would be able to return safely. According to 7753’s news, the fugitives were not small fry in any sense of the word, and one of them had even been Ripple’s enemy in the past.
简直就是数年前的莉普儿。莉普儿有一种彷彿看著过去自己的心情，同时也觉得心情烦闷到无以复加。然而，麻奈对羽菜表达感情的方式，似乎比数年前的自己要更率直多了。光凭这点，她就忍不住殷切祈祷羽菜能够平安归来。根据从7753那裡得来的消息，越狱犯各个都非同小可，其中甚至还有过去与莉普儿敌对的魔法少女。

Pythie Frederica.
比缇·菲列特莉嘉。

If the Magical Girl “Calamity Mary” -- who would sadistically slaughter innocent passers-by -- was “villainous scum”, and if the Magical Girl “The Forest Musician Cranberry” -- who had taken the dissatisfaction she had felt about the format of the exams out on hapless candidates -- was “disastrous scum”, then Pythie Frederica was “the worst sort of scum”. Pythie Frederica was the last person Ripple ever wanted to see again in her life. While she knew that the Land of Magic had relaxed its surveillance system on Magical Girls, at the very least, they ought to be running the prisons properly. Otherwise, it would be very troublesome. Having prisons which would actually let that sort of scum back out into the world was as good as having no prisons at all. They might as well execute her on the spot.
如果会残忍地虐杀只是正好路过的普通人的魔法少女「天灾•玛丽」是「邪恶的人渣」，而将对流于形式的考试所抱持的不满，发洩在毫不知情的考生身上的魔法少女「森林的音乐家克莱莓」是「瘟神般的人渣」的话，比缇.菲列特莉嘉就是「最差劲的人渣」。比缇.菲列特莉嘉是莉普儿这辈子再也不想见到的人。虽然她早知道「魔法王国」针对魔法少女的监视体制变鬆散了，但至少监狱也得好好振作起来吧。否则还真是困扰。竟然把那种超级人渣重新放回这个世界，这种烂监狱没有也罢。直接判死刑还比较好。

Ripple could only pray within her heart that they could capture Pythie and her gang, that Hana would not be killed and that she could return safely, and after a short pause, she finally prayed that Maou Pam would be safe as well.
莉普儿只能暗自在心裡祈祷能够逮捕比缇等人，并祈祷羽菜不会被杀死、能够平安生还，停顿好一会儿之后，才接著祈祷魔王帕姆也能够平安无事。

The reason why she had paused was probably because she had heard that Maou Pam was a super-powerful Magical Girl, Ripple thought to herself. Then she laughed at herself for sounding like she was making excuses to someone else. Maou Pam was apparently Cranberry’s master. While Ripple had not made direct contact with Cranberry, she had been the cause of many deaths. Ripple had barely survived, but at the price of an arm and an eye, and the wounds to her psyche were worse than her physical injuries.
她会稍微停顿一下，想来是因为听说魔王帕姆是超级强大的魔法少女的关系吧。莉普儿暗自在心裡想，并自嘲于自己好像是在向谁说藉口。魔王帕姆似乎是克莱莓的师父。虽然莉普儿还没见过魔王帕姆，但也不可能产生好感。因为克莱莓的关系死了好多人。好不容易存活下来的莉普儿也失去一隻手与一隻眼，而白雪内心的创伤则是比身体残缺的莉普儿更严重。

While it was wrong to blame Maou Pam just for being Cranberry’s master -- she would be blaming the wrong person -- Ripple could not help but wonder; if Maou Pam had trained Cranberry properly, would the future have been different? Ripple wanted to ask Maou Pam straight up about what kind of Magical Girl Cranberry had been, and perhaps after listening to her, her opinion might change.
虽然只因为魔王帕姆是克莱莓的师父就发难-似乎是找错对象了，但莉普儿也会忍不住心想，如果魔王帕姆当初能够好好教育克莱莓,也许未来会有所不同。莉普儿想要当面问魔王帕姆，从前的克莱莓到底是个怎样的魔法少女，也许听完之后她的想法会有所改变。

Ripple dragged her finger over the rotted tatami, tearing off bits of it and blowing them away. She realized she was thinking about useless things and pulled herself together, praying once more for the safe return of Hana and Maou Pam.
莉普儿以手指划过腐烂的榻榻米，拔起起毛的部分吁地吹飞。察觉到自己淨想些没用的事情，便打起精神来，再度祈祷羽菜与魔王帕姆平安无事。


☆Kurukuru-hime (12 hours and 10 minutes remaining)

She thought about something.
她想到一件事。

The Magical Phones could not be used for some reason. According to Ripple, their Magical Phones did not work either. In that case, what about ordinary mobile phones? Thus, she discovered that they could be used. She turned back to Himeno Nozomi and took out her smartphone from her pocket. She tried calling the speaking clock, and the voice on the other side of the phone accurately reported the time.
魔法终端设备不知道为何无法使用。据说莉普儿她们的魔法终端设备也无法使用。那么，普通的行动电话呢？于是，她发现可以使用。她解除了变身，恢复成姬野希的模样，从口袋裡拿出智慧型手机。尝试性地拨号至报时台后，电话另一头确确实实地报了时。

Since mobile phones were usable, if the other party could also use mobile phones, they could communicate.
行动电话可以使用，如果对方也能使用行动电话，就能够取得联络。

Ripple and the others did not seem to have any means of communication apart from their Magical Phones but Nozomi and the others -- who did not even have Magical Phones almost 12 hours ago -- were different. The rules which forbade the carrying of mobile or smartphones into school existed in name only, and many students secretly brought them onto campus. It was a secret so open that even the teachers knew about it. She could contact people like that.
莉普儿她们似乎没有淮备魔法终端设备以外的联络方式，但是，十几小时前根本连魔法终端设备是什么都没听过的希等人不同。不可以携带行动电话或智慧型手机至学校的校规早已名存实亡，多数学生都会私底下带进校园。就连老师都知道，这也已经是公开的祕密。如果是这样的对象，就联络得到。

She had many things to tell the students.
她有许多事必须传达给学生。

She was safe.
自己平安无事。

Toko was extremely suspicious.
多可实在是可疑到极点。

Their opponents whom they had originally viewed as enemies did not seem like bad guys at all. While Ripple had suddenly grabbed her chest, and she had thought she would meet a terrible end, she had been so frightened that her body had frozen up and she could not move. But after speaking to her, she learned that she was not a bad person. On the contrary, she was a good person in charge of rounding up the actual bad people. Mana might be quick to anger, 7753 was always nervous and Ripple was very cold, but they were all more reliable than that overbearing fairy who held her students hostage and coerced her into cooperation.
原本视为敌人的战斗对象，怎么看都不像坏蛋。虽然她突然被莉普儿一把抓住胸口时，以为自己会遭遇不测，害怕到整个人僵硬地动弹不得。但实际对话之后，她才知道对方并不是坏人,反而是负责取缔坏人的好人。虽然麻奈容易动怒、7753老是战战兢兢的，莉普儿则是很冷淡，不过再怎么样都比那个以学生们为人质，威胁她答应的咄咄逼人妖精还值得信赖。

There were evil convicts who had escaped from prison, and they were currently hiding within the city.
被囚禁于监狱裡的凶残罪犯逃狱后，目前正藏身于市内。

She also had to tell them her present location. No matter what, she wanted to meet them.
还得将自己的所在位置告诉她们。无论如何，她都想要先跟对方会合。

And of course, she wanted to verify some things with them. The thing she most wanted to know was if everyone was safe.
另外，她也有事情想向她们确认。其中最想知道的事情为，大家是否都平安无事。

While she could use her phone, she did not know everyone’s numbers. She pondered how to get everyone’s numbers, and then thought about asking her acquaintances. The students ought to have friends in school, and those friends ought to know their numbers.
虽然可以使用行动手机，但她不知道大家的联络号码。她思考著该如何取得大家的号码，便想到可以透过认识的人互相打听。学生们在学校应该都有朋友，而那些朋友一定知道她们的电话号码。

First, she had to get the class list for Class 2-A. That information was in her home. Through that information, she would call up Class 2-A’s students, and ask them if anyone knew the mobile numbers for Class 2-D’s Musubiya Mine, Class 2-B’s Nemura Kayo and Shihabara Umi, and the first year students Sakaki Tatsuko and Ninotsugi Kaori. While she understood that now was most definitely not the right time to call them, she did not care that much at this moment. This matter concerned the lives of herself and her students.
她必须拿到二年A班的学生通讯录，那份资料在她家裡。再透过那份资料联络A班的学生，询问是否有人知道D班的结屋美祢、B班的根村佳代、芝原海，一年级的酒己达子与三香织的行动电话。虽然她明白以常识来说，现在绝对不适合打电话，但此刻也顾不得这么多。这件事攸关学生们与自己的性命。

By the time Nozomi called home, the sky had started to lighten.
希拨电话回家裡，此时天空已经开始微微泛白。

Her fingertip was trembling so hard that she could not dial the numbers, so she felt her chest. She laid the smartphone on the tatami, used her left hand to brace her trembling right hand, and slowly dialled each number. Then she made her call.
她的指尖颤抖到无法按下数字，于是她抚了抚胸口。将智慧型手机摆在榻榻米上，用左手按住颤抖的右手，一个数字一个数字地慢慢按下号码。拨出去了。

Mana and Ripple watched her, while 7753 put down the telescope and looked back. However, one glare from Mana and she turned back again. Nozomi counted the rings; 15 rings later, she got the answering machine, so she hung up and tried again, but once more she got the answering machine.
麻奈与莉普儿也看著她，7753则是放下望远镜回过头来，但被麻奈瞪了一眼后立刻转回去。希数著铃声，响十五声之后转到电话答录机去了，她挂掉电话，再重新拨了一次，同样转到电话答录机。

Nobody had picked up. Her father was at home, and he should be asleep by now. Her father was not a heavy sleeper. More than once, he had been woken by Magnitude 2 tremors and come to bang on the door of the insensate Nozomi. Every time an earthquake happened at night, he would be worried about Nozomi, who slept like a log. In addition to vibrations, he was also very sensitive to sound. Any calls made when they were asleep were invariably taken by her father, because Nozomi would not get up..
没有人接，她父亲在家，这个时间他应该在睡觉。父亲不是那种一睡就叫不醒的人，他已经不只一、两次，因为震度二的浅震醒过来，跑来敲睡到不醒人事的希的房门。每每深夜发生地震时，他就会担心一睡就叫不起来的希。除了震动，他也对任何声响很敏感。就寝时打来的紧急电话通常都是父亲接的，因为希早就睡死了。

She could not help but wonder if she had dialled the wrong number. After all, it was very difficult to say that she was in a calm state of mind, Under these circumstances, misdialling a 10 digit phone number (including area code) was hardly unusual. Yes, she did not need to press the numbers; she had her house phone in her address book. She had done this every time she called home; why had she even dialled each individual digit of a number that did not have to be keyed in?
她忍不住怀疑自己是否按错号码。毕竟现在的她，实在难以说是处于精神稳定的状态。在这种状态下，按错加上地区号码总共有十码的电话号码，一点也不神奇。对了。她根本不需要特地按号码，她明明有把家裡电话加入联络人。每次拨电话回家明明都是这么做，为什么她会一个一个按根本不需要特地按数字的号码？

Her chest ached, as though something were going to explode from the inside. Even when she fought it, that restlessness refused to obediently settle down, and it even made her want to throw up. Nozomi let go of the smartphone and transformed into a Magical Girl. The rapid beat of her heart gradually slowed, and the heart which had tormented her slowly calmed. It would seem Toko had been right about how transforming into a Magical Girl made your heart stronger.
她只觉得胸口很难受，彷彿有什么东西即将从内侧爆发的感觉。即使拼命压抑，那股躁动仍然不愿意乖乖安静下来，甚至令她涌起一股呕吐感。希放开智慧型手机，变身成魔法少女。心脏激动的悸动逐渐安静，原本难受不已的心脏慢慢平静了下来。看来多可所说的，变成魔法少女心智就会变得坚强，这点似乎没错。

Kurukuru-hime selected “Home” from her address book and pressed the dial button. 15 rings later, she got the answering machine. She hugged the smartphone to herself. She did not know why her father was not answering, but the unease within her began climbing slowly.
转转姬从联络人名单中选择「家裡」的选项后，按下拨号键。响了十五次铃声后，再度转到电话答录机。她将智慧型手机抱在胸前。她不明白父亲为什么不接电话，但心中的不安逐渐攀升。

Then she felt a sudden impact against her chest, knocking her down and her back hit the ground. Ripple had pushed Nozomi to the ground. She did not understand what Ripple had done, but before she could send forth her ribbons, Ripple had already turned back and thrown her kunai. The “hand” floating in mid-air vanished before the kunai reached them, and without a target, the kunai sank into the ceiling, dislodging dust from the ceiling.
她感受到一股相当唐突的衝击，衝撞她的胸口、将她推倒，她的背部撞上地面。莉普儿扑倒了希。她无法理解莉普儿到底对自己做了什么，在她挥出缎带前，莉普儿已经回过头去发射苦无。浮在半空中的「手」，在苦无抵达前就消失不见，失去目标的苦无插入天花板，哗啦哗啦地震落灰尘。

“It’s Pythie Frederica’s Magical Skill! Someone’s hair is in the hands of the enemy!”
「是比缇·菲列特莉嘉的魔法！有人的头髮落入敌人的手裡了！」

After Ripple shouted, 7753’s trembling voice followed close behind.
莉普儿大叫后，7753颤抖不已的声音紧接著传来。

“There’s a red car coming right for us!”
「有一辆红色汽车正笔直地开往这裡！」


☆ Pythie Frederica (11 hours and 50 minutes remaining)

She had forgotten about Ripple’s existence for a moment.
她一时之间忘记了莉普儿的存在。

Ripple knew about Frederica’s Magical Skill, and she had fought Frederica before. The most important thing was that Ripple had actually reacted reflexively and without a trace of laxity to the “hand” which had appeared out of thin air.
莉普儿知道菲列特莉嘉的魔法，也曾经与菲列特莉嘉交手。最重要的是，莉普儿竟然连在室内都没有鬆懈一丝一毫，对凭空出现的「手」立刻产生反应并动作。

She had seen Kurukuru-hime’s hair from above and behind, and it was so beautiful that she could not control her desire to reach out and touch it. What a gaffe. Like her name implied, her hair was coiled around and around into beautiful curls, and it was utterly beautiful even in that beat-up old room, tempting and teasing Frederica.
从身后由上往下看到的转转姬的头髮，美丽到令她忍不住想伸出手去碰触，这实在是失策。髮如其名地一圈一圈卷起的可爱卷髮，即使在破烂的房子裡也显得美豔动人，在在挑逗著菲列特莉嘉的神经。

Even so, she had controlled her impulses the first time she had watched them. She checked the status of the rooms interior and the number of people present, and found 7753 of Human Resources and the Mana of whom Hana had spoken. Then, when she saw Ripple, her face twisted with a smile. Magical Girls could not change their appearances or age, yet she clearly saw that Ripple had become brighter and stronger. The naivete of the past had faded away. Looking at the current Ripple, she could not see any trace of meaningless pride or obsession; she knew when to bend and when to bow. She willingly squeezed into a squalid house to flee the enemy, did not act on impulse, and her movements were supple and graceful.
即使如此，第一次看到时她克制住了。确认房内状况与人数后，发现隶属于人事部的7753与羽菜所说的麻奈’接著看到莉普儿时，她不禁笑歪了脸。魔法少女的外表年龄明明不可能改变，但她却清清楚楚地看到莉普儿变得更加精明强焊。以前有过的那份天真，恰到好处地褪去了。在如今的莉普儿身上，看不到任何毫无意义的自尊心或执著，懂得能屈能伸。即使为了逃离敌人而挤在废弃房屋裡，也不会意气用事，行动既优雅又柔软。

The second time she watched them, she held herself back as well. She told Wedin that they could see a high-rise building from the window, and after receiving Wedin’s answer about an approximate location, they had driven there.
第二次看到时，她也忍住了。她告诉誓约薇汀，对方目前在窗外能够看到高楼的地方后，得到誓约薇汀回答大概是在那附近，于是便驱车前往。

The third time she had watched them, she could not longer contain her impulses. She had seen the traffic signs and the signs for the Japanese dessert shops outside, worked out the location of their abandoned house and then she had reached out just as they arrived. Ripple had reacted instantly, and Frederica had been spared the fate of being nailed in place by the thinnest of margins. If her hand was pinned to the scene while engaged in distant manipulation, she would not be able to pull it back; a very inconvenient situation. In the past, she had suffered such a reversal, and at that time both her hand and her ankle had been severely hurt. As the word implied, she had been hobbled , and unable to withdraw her limbs, she had been utterly defeated.
第三次看到时，她再也无法克制住那股衝动。透过窗外可见的道路交通标志与日式点心店的招牌，分析出她们藏匿的废弃房屋位置后，在即将抵达前出手。莉普儿瞬间反应过来，而菲列特莉嘉也在千钧一髮之际，避免掉被钉住的命运。手腕在进行远端操控时被钉在现场的话，便会无法缩回手，相当不方便。以前曾经被人反咬一口，除了手腕，脚踝也受到重伤，如同字面意思般，她处在绑手绑脚的状况，无法缩回手脚而被对方打得落花流水。

--She would not repeat that mistake again.
——她绝对不会重蹈当时的覆辙。

It annoyed her, but she decided that she had to tell the truth.
虽然有些懊恼，但她判断自己必须诚实告知。

“My deepest apologies; your servant attempted a probing attack, but it failed.”
「非常抱歉，在下尝试攻击却失败了。J

“Oh? It would seem the enemy is not to be underestimated.”
「喔？看来敌人也不容小觑呢。」

“Please look over there.”
「请看那边。」

Wedin was pointing in a direction where a compact car had burst out through a garage shutter and was speeding away. The inside of the window was pure gray and they could not see through it. It was not because of the thermal film stickers on the window, but because the interior was filled with something. The compact made several fishtail turns before driving onto the road and speeding away.
誓约薇汀指著前方，一辆轻型汽车撞破车库铁门开走了。窗户裡面是清一色的灰，无法看透。并不是因为汽车玻璃隔热贴纸的关系，而是车内充斥著某种东西。轻型汽车以几乎甩尾的方式急转弯后，笔直地驰骋在马路上逃逸。

Frederica looked into the crystal ball, and the interior was a solid patch of gray. It seemed to be some sort of smoke. In all likelihood, Ripple had directed them to obscure their vision. However, if that were the case, the people in the smoke would have nowhere to run. Frederica could not resist smiling to herself. Even though Frederica’s crystal ball could not convey sound, she imagined she could hear the sounds of coughing all around. Ripple must surely be trying to keep herself calm on the surface and resist it.
菲列特莉嘉将视线投向水晶球，视野是灰濛濛一片，似乎是类似烟雾般的东西。想必是在莉普儿的指示下，才屏蔽视线的吧。但是，这样一来在烟雾裡的人完全无处可逃，菲列特莉嘉忍不住窃笑。儘管菲列特莉嘉的水晶球唯独声音无法感应，但彷彿隐约可听到咳嗽声四起。莉普儿一定是表面强作镇定地拼命忍耐吧。

“Then let us give chase.”
「那么我们也追上去吧。」

After hearing Frederica’s words, Pukin laughed happily.
听到菲列特莉嘉的发言，谱金愉快地笑了出来。

“Well, the occasional indulgence in a chase of cars ought to be fine sport! I have longed to experience it for myself!”
「偶尔奢侈玩个飞车追逐的游戏也不赖！吾辈一直很想尝试看看！」

Frederica thought to herself, there’s no need to have to drive after them, is there? However, it would be wise to pander to Pukin. In addition, Frederica had just misstepped. If she offered an objection, it might displease Pukin.
菲列特莉嘉暗自心想，明明不需要特地开车追上去也没有关系的说。但她认为尽可能迎合谱金比较明智。尤其是菲列特莉嘉才刚出批漏，如果现在提出反对意见，恐怕会引起谱金的不满。

“Can you chase them down?”
「你有办法飞车追逐吗？」

“Hahaha! Tot’s no stranger to this sort of thing!”
「哈哈哈！托托我对这方面的事情并不陌生喔。」

After that, Frederica thought about what problems could result from this seemingly enjoyable car chase. If Ripple were to attack their tires with thrown weapons, they would not be able to evade in time.
接著，菲列特莉嘉反覆思索起，乍看之下颇愉快的飞车追逐有可能会发生什么问题。要是莉普儿投掷武器攻击轮胎，想必会闪避不及吧。

“Let’s prepare ourselves to abandon the vehicle if something happens. After all, the car isn’t as sturdy as we are, and it might not be able to withstand a direct attack.”
「先做好一旦发生状况就弃车的淮备。毕竟车子不如我们坚固，如果遭到直接攻击，恐怕承受不住。」

“Then it is settled.”
「就这么办吧。」

“Alright.”
「好。」

“Okay~”
「OK——」

The gray smoke was leaking through the gaps in the car’s windows. The interior was filled with even thicker smoke, and there was no way to see what was going on inside the car. This was probably too much just to prevent Frederica from spying on them.
灰色烟雾从轻型汽车车窗的缝隙中窜出。车内则是冒著更浓的烟雾，完全无法透过后车窗窥探车内的情形。以不让菲列特莉嘉偷窥为第一优先，而做到这个地步也太超过了吧。

However, when it came to having a hard time, it was almost as bad on her part. Frederica extended the middle finger of her right hand and tapped on her temple. What else did she need to consider? While going along with Pukin’s self-absorption was fun, she had to spend more energy thinking about other details as a result.
不过，真要说辛苦，她这边也差不多。菲列特莉嘉以右手中指抵住太阳穴，咚咚咚地敲著。其他必须思考的事情是什么？虽然配合谱金的自我陶醉很有趣，但她也因此得更加费心思考其馀的细节。

She did not have to worry about Tot’s driving skills. Tot Pop -- her speeding aside -- was an excellent driver. What about the performance of this vehicle? It might be an antique, but against a compact, the Plymouth Fury had the advantage in speed -- although it probably had to support more weight too .
她不需要担心托托的开车技术。托托流行乐——除了开太快之外——是个优良驾驶。不知道这辆汽车的性能如何？虽然已经是老古董，但当对手是轻型汽车时，这辆复仇女神的车速还是略胜一筹——只不过承载重量也不轻就是了。

Tot Pop was in the driver’s seat. Frederica was in the co-driver’s seat, Pukin was sprawled out in the middle of the rear seat, while Wedin was nuzzled up against her.
驾驶座上的托托流行乐、副驾驶座上的菲列特莉嘉，谱金则大刺刺地坐在后座正中央，而誓约薇汀小鸟依人地靠在她身上。

And then, on the other side was Sonia, who was holding Hana, who had been rolled up in a mat, blindfolded and even had her ears blocked up with earmuffs. It was only after they used lightproof magic blindfolds and soundproof magic earmuffs that they dared take Hana with them. In addition, they had told Sonia that, “If Hana tries anything funny, eliminate her”, and they had made sure Hana heard that as well. Hana’s Magical Skill could paralyze her opponent, but it was not suitable for finishing her foes off. In addition, Frederica had privately told Sonia that if they could not solve the most basic problem, using her Magical Skill on Hana would merely be killing her for nothing.
然后，坐在另一边的索妮雅则是抱著被草蓆卷起来、以眼罩遮蔽视线，甚至还用耳罩盖住耳朵的羽菜。不会透光的魔法眼罩、声音无法穿透的魔法耳罩，防范到这个地步才敢把羽菜带著走。除此之外，她还对索妮雅说「如果羽菜一有任何诡异的行径，就把她解决掉」，并刻意让羽菜也听到这一段对话。羽菜的魔法虽能瘫痪对手的行动，但并不适用于给人致命的一击。而她也事先明白地单独告诉索妮雅，如果无法解决最根本的问题，即使对羽菜使用魔法也只是让羽菜白白送死而已。

Hana was that valuable as a hostage against the investigation team. Those people had very strong bonds of camaraderie, and based on that point alone, they would value their friends.
做为用来对抗调查小组的人质，羽菜就是有如此的价值。那帮人非常强调伙伴意识，光凭这点就会相当重视同伴。

Funny Trick lay at their feet in the back seat. They had merely bound her wrists behind her, their sloppy treatment faithfully illustrating the difference in treatment between an amateur and a professional.
后座的脚边躺著惊喜魔技。她们只有将她的手反绑在身后，对待方式相当草率，忠实呈现对待门外汉与专家的差别待遇。

There were seven passengers in all. Even if this was a big vehicle, having to fit so many people made it feel very cramped. The scent of the Magical Girls filled the room, laced through with a faint sweetness. Frederica inhaled deeply through her nose, allowing her lungs to fill with bliss and the air inside the car. Then, she slowly exhaled.
总共七名乘客。即使这辆车算是大型车，但承载这么多人实在令人感到拥挤不堪。魔法少女们的气息混合著淡淡香甜的气味，充斥著车内。菲列特莉嘉透过鼻腔深深一吸，让肺部充满车裡的空气与幸福感后，再缓缓吐气。

The distance to the compact was gradually shrinking, and if not for their opposition’s agility or fuel efficiency, they might have well caught up with them already. After all, their opposition had not chosen to burrow into a small alley, but to proceed down a main road.
与轻型汽车之间的距离逐渐地缩短，只要不是以灵敏度与油耗一较高下，恐怕她们早就已经追到手了吧。毕竟对方并没有钻进小巷弄裡，而是选择在大马路上前进。

--A main road? Deliberately choosing a main road?
——大马路？刻意选大马路？

If they wanted to flee, they should have chosen a better option. As she thought about that, the compact that was speeding at over 100 km/h suddenly pancaked.
如果要逃跑，应该会採取其他更积极的手段吧。就在她如此心想时，以时速超过一百公里的速度奔驰的轻型汽车突然撞烂了。

Her body was already moving before she had even thought about what had happened. Pukin, Sonia and Frederica moved at once, kicking out the doors or bursting through the windows to jump out of the car. Tot Pop, who was holding onto the driver’s seat to the end, was a step behind the others.
在她还来不及细想到底发生什么事情前，身体已经率先行动。谱金、索妮雅、菲列特莉嘉同时动作，踢破车门或从内部打破车窗，跳至车外。在驾驶座上握住方向盘直到最后一刻的托托流行乐，则是晚其他人一步。

The Fury avoided the wrecked compact, speeding toward the road shoulder and crashing directly into a power pole. It ran over a vending machine, and after crashing sideways into a thick door column, it finally stopped. American-made cars really were built to last. It had been battered all over the place, but it had maintained its original shape for the most part.
复仇女神避开撞烂的轻型汽车，衝向路肩，从正面撞弯电线杆，再辗过自动贩卖机，拦腰撞上粗壮的门柱后，终于停了下来。美国车果然打造得特别坚固。一路上撞得乱七八糟的，却还能够保持车子原本的外形。

Besides Tot Pop, all the other Magical Girls had jumped safely out of the vehicle. Tot Pop, on the other hand, had jumped when the vehicle had turned, which meant that she had jumped straight into the wreck of the compact. She had interposed the guitar between herself and the compact, and then she had collided heavily with something invisible to the naked eye before being sent flying. At that moment, she remembered… the barrier.
除了托托流行乐以外的魔法少女都已经跳出车外，平安无事。而托托流行乐是在车子打横时才跳出车外，因此跳向的前方正好是轻型汽车。她将吉他挡在自己与轻型汽车之间，叩咚一声猛然撞上某个肉眼看不到的东西后遭到弹飞。就在此时，她才想起……这是结界。

Frederica tucked her crystal ball into her skirts before approaching Tot Pop. She threaded her arms under Tot Pop’s armpits and helped her up -- she did not seem hurt.
菲列特莉嘉将水晶球收进裙子内侧后，靠近托托流行乐。菲列特莉嘉以双手穿过托托流行乐的腋下，将她扶起来——看来似乎没有受伤。

“Are you alright?”
「你没事吧？」

“More or less… if this were baseball, it’d barely qualify as safe.”
「算是……勉强安全上垒。」

She was a little unsteady on her feet, but Tot Pop could stand on her own two feet even without support. Tot Pop dusted off the ash from her guitar and muttered to herself.
脚步有些不稳，但即使不出手搀扶，托托流行乐也能够凭自己的力量站好。托托流行乐拍落吉他上的灰尘，叹了一口气后喃喃地说：

“Such misfortune.”
「真是倒楣。」

Sonia laid Hana on the road and approached the carcass of the compact. She touched the car body, and after decomposing it into blackness, she tore the frame open. Only smoke escaped. There was no sign of anyone within the car.
索妮雅将羽菜放在马路上，靠近轻型汽车的残骸，以手碰触车身，待车身被腐蚀变黑后，才剥开车体。只有烟雾不断窜出，车内一个人影都没有。

“...Remote control?”
「……远端操控？」

“Master, could this be a decoy?”
「师父，这个是诱饵吧？」

Pukin followed, and Wedin trailed behind her. It would seem Pukin had seized her by the collar and leapt clear with her during her escape.
谱金也走了过来，誓约薇汀则是随侍在一旁。看来是谱金逃脱时，抓住她的衣领之类的一起逃出来的吧。

“What the devil is going on here?!”
「这到底是怎么一回事!」

From her expression, it was clear that Pukin was very displeased. While all this had been the result of going along with Pukin’s desire for a car chase, actually bringing that up would only add to Pukin’s displeasure. Thus, Frederica did her best to affect an apologetic tone, and replied:
从表情便可窥知谱金极为不悦。虽然追根究柢是由于配合谱金飞车追逐的兴致，才会导致如此下场，不过说出这件事只会平白增添谱金的不悦而已吧。于是，菲列特莉嘉尽可能地以充满歉意的语气，如此回答：

“I do apologize. It would seem the opposition has thrown us for a loop.”
「真的很抱歉。看来我们被对方摆了一道。」

That was the barrier which would not allow anything magical to pass through it. The compact car seemed normal enough, but it had suddenly been flattened while driving on the road, implying that the barrier was there, and that the car was magical in nature. They had operated the car through remote control and driven it in the direction of the barrier. Then, they had fled in the other direction while they were chasing the compact. Frederica’s magic was disrupted by the gouts of smoke within the vehicle. She could not help but be impressed by the counter-strategy they had come up with.
那是不会让任何魔法相关的事物通过的结界。轻型汽车乍看之下并无异状，却突然在马路上撞烂，即意味著结界就在这裡，而且这辆轻型汽车是与魔法相关的事物。透过远端操控发动轻型汽车，并让车子一路开往结界的方向。趁她们追著轻型汽车的空隙，逃往另一边。菲列特莉嘉的魔法，因为室内与车裡都燃起阵阵烟雾而被扰乱。菲列特莉嘉忍不住佩服，真亏那些人想得到这个对策。

“Now what shall we do?”
「接下来怎么办啊丨•」

Pukin sounded very unhappy indeed.
谱金的心情果然相当不悦。

“There will not be a problem on that account. So long as we have Himeno Nozomi’s hair, we will be able to divine their location.
「关于这点不会有问题。只要有姬野希的头髮，我们就能够掌握那帮人的下落。」

It was little more than delaying the inevitable, after all. Everyone here was a Magical Girl, while the other side had Mana, who was not. If it came down to a chase, then Frederica’s side would win in terms of speed or stamina.
反正不过是拖延时间而已。这边全部都是魔法少女，而对方的人马中还掺杂著不是魔法少女的麻奈。要追赶对方的话，无论是在体力或速度上都是我们赢定了。

Just as Frederica was about to take out her crystal ball, she suddenly had an ominous feeling. She reached her fingertips into her skirt, touching the leather pouch which should have contained her crystal ball, and that bad feeling was realized. What she took out was not the crystal ball, but a fist-sized rock.
当菲列特莉嘉正要拿出水晶球时，突然感受到一股不协调的感觉。她将手指伸向裙子内侧,碰触到应该放有水晶球的皮带的当下，那股不协调的感觉瞬间化为确信。从裙子裡拿出来的物品并不是水晶球，而是拳头大的石头。

Frederica approached the smoke-spewing Fury. All four doors were opened. It was only to be expected, given that everyone had jumped for their lives. After that, Frederica looked inside the vehicle.
菲列特莉嘉靠近不断窜出烟雾的复仇女神，四扇车门全都打开来了。毕竟众人各自逃命的关系，会这样也是理所当然。接下来，菲列特莉嘉朝车内一探。

“--This is…”
——这个是……？

There was a fallen rope inside the vehicle. It did not look like it had been cut or torn. The knots aside, the rope was in its original condition.
有绳子掉落车内。看起来不像是被割断，也不是遭人扯断，绳索包括打结处仍然维持著原本的模样，完好无缺。

FUnny Trick, who should have been bound on the floor of the back seat, was not here.
应该被绑住、倒在后座地板的惊喜魔技并不在这裡。

And the crystal ball she had stored within her skirt which had become a rock -- perhaps Funny Trick had switched it with her Magical Skill.
而她收进裙子裡的水晶球变成了石头——也许是透过惊喜魔技的魔法调包的。

“What now! Frederica!”
「又怎么了！菲列特莉嘉！」

Pukin roared.
谱金发出怒吼。


☆ Postarie (11 hours and 38 minutes remaining)

Sakaki Tatsuko was a hopeless coward. She was afraid to speak to anyone other than her family members. The more she wanted to avoid being disliked, the more her mouth would act up beyond her ability to control, her tongue would tie up in knots, her voice would become as weak as a mosquito’s buzzing and even less distinct. The people who spoke to her would either be disappointed or furious, or look down on Tatsuko, and they would leave after displaying one of those attitudes.
酒己达子真的是个打从心底无可救药的超级胆小鬼，再加上消极到不行的负面思考。她害怕与家人之外的人对话。每每越不想被对方讨厌，她的嘴巴就越发无法如预期般动作，舌头还会打结，声音细如弱蚊，变得更加含糊不清，甚至还会每况愈下，结巴也会变得更严重。与她对话的对象不是感到失望，就是火冒三丈，再不然就是瞧不起达子，总之会表现出其中之一的态度后愤而离去。

She had been this way ever since she was aware of it. When the children shouted, “come here if you want to play!” she would only watch from afar, with no desire to approach them. Even if some child tried to drag Tatsuko over, once they saw Tatsuko’s fidgety, uncomfortable demeanour, they would not invite her over next time.
从她懂事前就这样了。当孩子们喊著「要玩游戏的人过来这边」，她也只会站在远处观看，一点都不想靠近。即使有小孩拉住达子的手说一起玩嘛，但看到达子一副扭扭捏捏、坐立难安的模样后，下次就不会再找她玩了。

This was Tatsuko’s kindergarten life, and her actions led the kindergarten teachers to contact her parents, because they were quite worrying. Of course, Tatsuko herself did not actually dislike kindergarten and she could speak normally to her parents, even smiling as she narrated the day's events. Tatsuko’s parents finally concluded that, “Well, it’s not like she hates going to school, it’s probably not a big deal. She kept to herself, but that did not mean she would never make friends. Thus, her parents made their decision by drawing on their experiences.
而达子如此的幼稚园生活，则是引来幼稚园老师联络家长的举动，相当让人忧心。然而，身为当事人的达子其实一点也不讨厌去幼稚园，而且平常也能够与双亲正常对话，还会一脸愉快地描述每一天发生的事情。达子的双亲最后导出的结论是「反正她也不是讨厌上学，应该不是什么大问题」。虽然现在独来独往，但也不可能一直交不到朋友吧。于是，双亲根据自己亲身的经验法则，做出如此判断。

Her parents had been too naive. There were people in this world who could not make friends at all.
达子双亲的想法太过天真了。这个世界上也有完全交不到朋友的人。

While Tatsuko had only been a little out of place in Kindergarten, elementary school was like a microcosm of society. Tatsuko became a social misfit.
虽然幼稚圈毕业为止，达子只是有点格格不入而已，但升上小学之后，那裡俨然就是整个社会的缩影。达子变成了社会中的异类。

Tatsuko got tongue-tied after people said a few words to her, and soon she became the laughingstock of the class. People would point and laugh, papers would be pasted on her back, erasers would be thrown at her in class, and all these little pranks played out every day.
别人只是跟她说句话就结巴到不行的达子，不用多久时间即成为班上的笑柄。被人指指点点地嘲笑、背后遭人乱贴纸条、上课时被丢橡皮擦等，诸如此类的小恶作剧每日上演。

As she advanced in years, the pranks became more intense. People would kick her bag from behind, or hide her stationery and textbooks, and it grew into a whole series of small aggravations that were not easily discovered by the teachers. Nobody would show any kindness to one who was viewed as “subhuman”.
随著年级的推进，恶作剧也越演越烈，有人会从背后踢她的书包，或是文具、教科书被人藏起来等，逐渐昇华成这类不容易被老师发现的小小找碴行为。没有人会对被视为「低人一等」的达子客气。

After that, Tatsuko graduated into a private middle school. She spent the most valuable four months of the new school term on herself. Tatsuko did not seek out anyone to talk with, and as she lost herself in reading or manga, the relationships in the class had already been set into place, and Tatsuko was alone once more.
接著，达子升上私立国中。她将最宝贵的新学期四月时光用在自己的身上，达子并没有主动找任何人攀谈，当她沉浸在阅读书籍或漫画的期间，班级裡的人际关系也已经定型，达子果然又是孤伶伶一个人。

Having heard that middle-school bullying was more cruel and over-the-top than elementary-school bullying, Tatsuko learned to find information to protect herself. She never stopped searching and narrowing down her results, looking for her classmates’ microblog accounts. Every morning and every night, twice a day, she would check these accounts. She would check their web pages or blog accounts once a day, to see if there were any signs which led to “Let’s bully Tatsuko.” Tatsuko had nobody to tell her that her efforts were misguided.
听说国中的霸凌大多比国小更加露骨过分的达子，为了自卫而开始懂得搜集情报。她不断搜寻与缩小范围，寻找出同班同学之中持有微网志帐号的人。每天早上与晚上，一天两次，针对这些帐号进行确认。部落格或是网页日记则是一天确认一次，确认是否有「来霸凌达子吧」的迹象。达子身边并没有人能够告诉她，她努力错了方向。

Tatsuko’s name had never once come up in her classmate’s conversation. Even as she felt disappointed, she breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was because this was a private school, and perhaps the teachers or students were a classier lot, or perhaps their personalities were calmer. More to the point, she had not heard of bullying from other classes. Even so, Tatsuko dared not neglect her daily homework of web checking, and so time passed until the sixth month came.
达子的名字一直没有出现在同学的话题中，感到失望的同时也不禁鬆了一口气。也许是因为私立学校的关系，不知道该说是老师与学生比较有品，还是个性比较沉稳，更何况似乎也没听说其他班级或其他年级有霸凌的情形。即使如此，达子仍然不敢忘记俨然已经成为每日课题的上网确认，于是时间就这样来到了六月。

In that month, Tatsuko made the first friend in her entire life.
在那个月，达子从出生以来第一次交到朋友。

“Yo, you were reading this manga before, right?”
「诺，你之前也读过这本漫画吧？」

She did not think those words were directed at her. The class was noisy and bustling during lunch break, but nobody ever came up to Tatsuko to talk to her.
她压根儿不觉得这句话是对自己说的。午休时间班上通常都是闹烘烘一片，但会主动找达子说话的人基本不存在。

Therefore, Tatsuko looked up, believing that the other party was not talking to her. The voice was very close by, and she found it very hard to calm down and read if there was someone chatting happily near her. That was especially true if that someone was a girl.
于是，达子怀抱著对方并不是在跟自己说话的心态抬起头来。因为声音很接近，有人在她附近愉快交谈的话，她很难静下心来阅读。如果是女孩子，更不用说。

By the time Tatsuko lifted her line of sight from her book and looked toward the source of the sound, she realized that the other person’s face was very close by, and they were looking at her. Tatsuko was so shocked she nearly fell from her chair.
当达子将视线抽离书本、投向声音的来源时，才赫然发现对方的脸靠得很近，而且还望向自己。达子不禁吓了一大跳，差一点从椅子上掉下去。

“I like this book too.”
「我也喜欢这本。」

Tatsuko was so frightened that her entire body trembled, and she tightly clutched her book to her chest. She did not know if the other party had taken all this in, but instead the other person did not seem to have seen anything, merely smiled to Tatsuko
达子吓到全身颤抖不已地紧抓著书桌的模样，不晓得是否有映入这个女生的眼裡，只见对方像是什么都没有看到般，笑容可掬地对著达子笑。

Tatsuko panicked on the spot. Her actions until now had been suspicious in the extreme, and just as she was lost as to what to do next, the bell which signalled the end of lunch break ended, and that girl went back to her place.
达子顿时惊慌失措起来，行为举止也诡异到极点，就在她不知该如何是好的期间，午休时间结束的钟声响起，而那名女学生则是回到自己的座位去了。

As Tatsuko listened absentmindedly to the maths lesson, she thought about what had just happened.
左耳进右耳出地听著数学课的达子，思考起刚才发生的事情。

Tatsuko was very concerned about her classmates. While it was closer to “wariness’ than concern, she would still check the class rumor or web messages.
达子对于班上同学的关心绝对不小。虽然比起关心更接近提防，但是她都会确认教室裡的传闻或是网路上的留言。

Ninotsugi Kaori -- what a strange name. Her grades were average and her athletic performance was hardly spectacular. The same applied to her music and home economics classes. One could say she blended in perfectly, ot that she had no distinguishing features, like a generic student X character of the sort that appeared in stories.
三香织——奇怪的名字。课业方面大概是普普通通，在运动方面也没有引人注目的表现。音乐与家政课也一样。虽然长相称不上特别可爱，但也没有丑到离谱的地步。也就是说，一切都维持在平均值。可以说是面面具到，亦可以说是毫无特色，就像是故事裡会出现的同学D的角色。

Of course, Ninotsugi Kaori was different from Tatsuko, She had her own friends. When lunch break came, she would spend it happily, and people asked to go to the toilet with her too. She would never be left over when groups were picked, and she never needed to be paired with the teacher for calisthenics
当然，三香织与达子不同，有自己的朋友。午休时间也总是愉快地度过，也会有人约她一起去洗手间。在分组时绝对不会是多出来的那一人，做柔软体操时也不会跟老师一组。

--Friends.
——朋友。

Was this not what they called “an opportunity to make friends”? Surely everyone other than Tatsuko must have made friends this way. While she did not need to adapt to everything and speak with a silver tongue, perhaps if she had responded better back then, she might have had a chance to make a friend.
难不成这就是所谓的「成为朋友的契机」？想必达子以外的人，都是藉由这种契机结交朋友的吧。虽然不强求灵机应变、妙语如珠，但至少刚才能够好好回应的话，也许自己也有机会结交到朋友。

--Nah, forget it. Making friends only causes problems in the end.
——不过，还是算了吧。结交到朋友也只会徒增困扰而已。

After coming to the conclusion that “this lifestyle still suits me better, after all”, Tatsuko focused on her maths class.
迳自在心裡做出「还是这种生活方式比较适合我」的结论后，达子将精神集中于数学课上。

However, the matter did not end there.
然而，事情并没有因此落幕。

From that day forth, Kaori began eagerly chatting up Tatsuko. Tatsuko took no joy in this. It did not feel like someone trying to strike up conversation so much as Kaori pestering her. The difference between the two of those was that it felt like a gangster bumping into her and then using that opportunity to find fault with her.
从那一天起，香织开始会积极地找达子说话。对达子来说，实在令人无福消受。比起主动找自己说话，感觉更接近被香织缠上。两者的差别就在于，她有一种自己被地痞流氓撞到肩膀后，对方却藉机找碴的感觉。

Ninotsugi Kaori even dragged Tatsuko into her circle of friends. However much Tatsuko thought, “give me a break”, “don’t bother about me” or “I prefer to be alone”, she could never actually say those words.
三香织还硬将达子拉进自己的朋友圈中。即使达子心想「放过我吧」、「你别管我」或是「我比较喜欢一个人」，却也不敢说出口。

Tatsuko thought to herself that they would be excited about new lipstick brands or models’ clothing and the like. However, what surprised her was that Kaori and her merry friends talked mainly about manga and anime.”
达子暗自在心裡揣测，想必她们会热烈地谈论起，新推出的口红颜色或是模特儿的穿著打扮之类的话题。然而，令人意外的是，香织与愉快的伙伴们之间的对话，淨是与动画或漫画有关的话题。

Before this, her classmates -- who seemed to glow in her eyes and live in a different world from herself -- had only ever been people who wore cute polka-dotted socks, plucked their brows, used fruit-scented lip gloss on their lips, and were generally the sort of people who “dressed up as much as they could without the teachers scolding them”.
在这之前，对达子而言散发出耀眼光芒、彷彿异世界居民的同班同?-们，在实际对话后，也不过是会穿有可爱亮点的袜子、拔眉毛修整形状、用飘著水果香味的唇蜜抹亮嘴唇等，「在不会被老师骂的范围内努力打扮」的人们。

While her speaking technique was raw and unpolished, Tatsuko slowly became able to join in their conversations, and by the time she realised it, she had started greeting people and approaching them to chat and people had ever referred to as -chan.
虽然说话技巧相当生涩，但达子也慢慢能够加入对话，待她察觉时，自己已经会对人打招呼，也会主动找人攀谈，甚至还有人会以小名称呼她。

The things she had thought would never touch her all her life had turned out to be so simple once she had managed to do them. She thanked Kaori, the person who had given her this opportunity, with all her heart.
原本以为一辈子与自己无缘的事情，实际办到后才发现竟是如此简单。她打从心底感谢著成为这一切契机的香织。

Even with Maou Pam leading the way, Kaori was still by her side. Perhaps Tatsuko had decided that following Kaori was the right thing to do. Kaori wanted to be the Magical Girl “Rain Pou”, while Tatsuko did not mind not being the Magical Girl “Postarie”. She wanted to go back to her normal, calm life more than to be a Magical Girl. The two of them differed in opinions, yet they continued moving together simply because Tatsuko could not bear to abandon Kaori.
就连魔王帕姆带路走在前头的如今，香织仍然陪伴在她的身旁。也许达子决定跟随香织是正确的。香织想要继续当魔法少女「梦幻彩虹」，而达子则认为不当魔法少女「波斯塔丽」也无所谓。比起魔法少女，她更想要回归安全平静的生活。郎使两人意见依然不合，却还是共同行动，纯粹只是因为达子无法抛下香织不管。

Actually, she wanted to discuss things with Kaori, but every time she tried to talk to Rain Pou, Maou Pam would slap her. Given the fact that Toko had not emerged, it was clear that Toko and Maou Pam were adversaries. She knew that, yet she could not sense the image of the evil mage which Toko had described from from Maou Pam. Maou Pam was very annoying and the way she simply acted and then spoke after that was scary, but sometimes the words which came after action were more ruthless than the actions themselves.
其实她很想跟香织讨论一下，但只要自己主动找梦幻彩虹说话，魔王帕姆的巴掌就会打过来。
从多可一直没有出来，便可知道多可与魔王帕姆是站在敌对的立场。明白归明白，但是从魔王帕姆身上她又感觉不到多可灌输的邪恶魔法师的形象。魔王帕姆确实很讨人厌，二话不说先动手再动口的做法实在很可怕，不过动手之后才动的口，有时候甚至比手还更加不留情。

Even so, she did not help but think that Maou Pam was not an “evil villain” She was like a passionate physical education teacher; hard to handle, but not a bad person. Similarly, she did not feel Maou Pam was a bad person.
即使如此，她还是忍不住认为对方并非「邪恶」的坏蛋。就像是对教育相当有热忱的热血体育老师，虽然让人觉得很棘手却不是坏蛋。同样地，她实在不觉得魔王帕姆是坏蛋。

Maou Pam kept on talking self-absorbedly, and Postarie did not think the information of battles between Magical Girls were particularly useful. Even so, she had the vague feeling that Maou Pam had been doing this for their own good.
魔王帕姆一直自顾自地说话，而且波斯塔丽也不认为魔法少女之间的战斗相关事项，派得上任何用场。即使如此，她还是隐约能够感觉到，魔王帕姆是为了她们好才说的。

More to the point, her words and deeds aside, Tatsuko began to sense that Maou Pam cared for them. Just now, Maou Pam had been moving so fast that it was hard to catch up, but now her steps were slow and unhurried. Also, while wearing the mysterious coats made by Maou Pam was scary, once she put her arms into the sleeves, they ended up fitting well and they were very warm. Just wearing that coat put her at ease.
更何况，除了好懂的言行举止外，达子也隐约察觉到魔王帕姆有顾虑到她们。虽然直到刚才为止，魔王帕姆的步伐快到自己好不容易才能勉强跟上，现在的步调却走得不疾不徐。还有，虽然穿著魔王帕姆淮备的真面目不明的外套很恐怖，但是手一穿过袖子后，外套却相当合身而且很暖和。光是穿上这件外套，就让她备感安心。

She walked behind Maou Pam, but she could not tell what Maou Pam was thinking. She only felt that the way Maou Pam walked was proud and cool. She walked proudly, in a way only a person full of confidence and without guilt could. Maou Pam was the complete opposite of Postarie.
从身后实在看不出来，走在前头的魔王帕姆到底在想什么。她只觉得魔王帕姆走路的模样还真是抬头挺胸、威风凛凛。唯有充满自信、心无歉疚的人才能够走得如此坦荡。魔王帕姆与波斯塔丽简直完全相反。

She looked over to Rain Pou, who looked like she was bored to death.
望向身旁的梦幻彩虹，正带著一副百无聊赖的表情。

The thought of just telling everything about Toko had crossed her mind, but Rain Pou would probably not like that. In the end, they walked silently along parallel lines, shoulder to shoulder with no conclusion between them.
虽然她也不是没考虑过，乾脆把包括多可在这裡等的事情一五|十地全盘托出，但想必梦幻彩虹并不希望如此吧。结果，她们就一直处于无法对话的平行线上，在没有任何结论的情况下并肩走著。

As Postarie agonized over what to do next, Maou Pam suddenly ground to a halt.
当波斯塔丽烦恼著该怎么办、该怎么做才好时，魔王帕姆冷不防地停下脚步。

“This is…”
「这是……J

Maou Pam was muttering to herself as she looked into the distance.
魔王帕姆看著远方喃喃自语。

“A car accident…?”
「车祸啊……？」

What was Maou Pam doing? While those words baffled and frustrated Postarie, who had no idea what was going on, asking about it might result in a beating. As Postarie searched her heart for what to do next, Maou Pam’s expression turned to one of surprise.
魔王帕姆到底在做什么？虽然对这句令人摸不著头绪的发言感到困惑，但如果发问似乎又会被揍，于是在波斯塔丽思索著该如何反应的期间，魔王帕姆的表情逐渐转变成讶异。

“Magical Girls ahead!”
「前方有魔法少女！」

Her dress coat instantly changed into a black oblong that floated in mid-air. She took off her sunglasses and removed her panama hat. There were two horns growing from the head beneath the hat.
燕尾服瞬间变化成黑色的四角形，飘浮于半空中。她摘下墨镜，脱下巴拿马帽。帽子底下的头，长有两根尖角。

“One, two, three, four… and Gekokujou-san… those bastards!”
「一人、两人、三人、四人……还有下克上小姐……那群混帐！」

Postarie was alarmed, but not by the horns, but by the outfit under the dress coat. It exposed so much of her body that calling it “half-nude” would not be too much, . It covered about as much as a thong or a Japanese fundoshi.
波斯塔丽吓了一大跳，但并不是被两根尖角吓到，而是惊讶于燕尾服底下的装扮。即使说是半裸也不为过的暴露程度，遮蔽的程度大约与细绳或日式短门帘差不多。

“A guitar-carrying Magical Girl, a Magical Girl dressed as a swordswoman, a Magical Girl in a patchwork outfit and a fortune-teller motif Magical Girl, as well as a Magical Girl in a bridal outfit… do any of these ring a bell?”
「背著吉他的魔法少女、剑士打扮的魔法少女、衣服全身上下都是补丁的魔法少女、占卜师风格的魔法少女，还有穿著新娘礼服的魔法少女……你们对这些人有印象吗？」

“The girl in the wedding dress is our friend, Wedin.”
「穿著新娘礼服的人应该是我们的伙伴，誓约薇汀。」

Rain Pou said “Right?” to Postarie, as though to confirm it with her, so Postarie nodded in acknowledgement. If they were a pirate, a stage magician, an Arabian dancer and someone in a bridal gown, that would make them friends. If they were a ninja or had bunny ears, that would make them an enemy. However, they had never seen nor heard of the Magical Girls Maou Pam had described.
梦幻彩虹像是确认般，对波斯塔丽说了一句「没错吧？」，于是波斯塔丽点头表示认同。如果是海盗、舞台魔术师、阿拉伯舞者、芭蕾舞者跟新娘礼服，确实是伙伴没错；如果是忍者或兔耳就是敌人。不过刚才听到魔王帕姆所描述的魔法少女外观，她没看过也没听说过。

Maou Pam smiled happily.
魔王帕姆一脸愉快地笑了。

“So they’re opponents even you don’t know… interesting.”
「连你们也不认识的对手呀……有意思。」