MGRP Limited Ch 1

Chapter 1: Magical Girl Unit, Assemble!

☆Postarie

Sakaki Tatsuko had always been a pessimistic coward since she was a child.
酒己达子从小就是个思考消极的胆小鬼。

At first, she had been afraid that after being picked for the Cultural Festival Clean-Up Committee, she would have to spend time with a bunch of students who had nothing in common with her. Fortunately, her classmate Kaori was also selected, which put her mind at ease. She was grateful that she had someone with whom she could exchange complaints like, “what a pain” and “how annoying”. As she thought about nervously making her way to the physics prep room, simply having a friend to go there with her made her feel much more relaxed.
原本很担心自己被抽中担任文化祭的清扫委员，得跟一群没说过话的学生共事的她，幸好同班的朋友香织也被抽到，因此安心不少。“真伤脑筋耶”、“好讨厌喔”光是有个能够如此互相发牢骚的对象，就让人心存感激。一想到必须战战兢兢地前往理科准备室，仅仅有个同行的伙伴，就让她的心情轻松许多。

She passed the ping-pong substitutes arm-wrestling in the corridor, absent-mindedly soaked up the school band’s music as she walked on, put her hand on the physics prep room’s doorknob, and then she discovered that the door was not locked. Since this was the Cultural Festival Clean-Up Committee’s first meeting, she had set out early so as not to keep her seniors waiting, and she had planned to reach there before the teachers opened the door, yet somebody had actually reached there before her. The setting sun dyed the interior of the room a scarlet red, and there was a girl sitting by herself on a chair.
经过在走廊上比腕力的桌球社候补队员、一边心不在焉地听着管乐团的演奏一边前进，将手搭在理科准备室的门把上，然后发现门没有锁上——因为这是清扫委员会的首次会议，为了不让学姐等待才提早出发，打算在老师开门之前先行抵达，想不到竟然有人比她早到。房内在夕阳的照射下染上一片绯红，有个女学生独坐在椅子上。

“Are you part of the Clean-Up Committee too?”
“你们也是清扫委员？”

“Are you part of it too, sempai?”
“学姐您也是吗？”

Tatsuki let Kaori handle the talking while she hid behind the her  and listened to their conversation.
让香织负责交谈达子自己则是躲在她身后，倾听两人的对话。

Several minutes later, the prep room door opened with a tremendous crash, and two more seniors had appeared. One of them was a person whose name even Tatsuko knew.
数分钟后，准备室的门发出巨大声响并被拉开，追加了两位学姐。其中一人是连达子也知道的名人。

Umi Shihabara -- her pony-tailed hair was dyed in a light shade that was blatantly against the school regulations, and her uniform was a shambles. She was famous for her grip strength that was so strong that it had destroyed the dynamometer, so its true extent was unknown, for going alone to a Yakuza office and smashing her opposition, as well as all manner of heroic deeds of dubious truthfulness. The authenticity of those deeds aside, she was most definitely not the type of person she wanted to befriend.
芝原海——绑成马尾的头发发色是明显违反校规的浅色系，制服也莫名的邋遢。因为将握力器握坏而无法测出握力，还有单枪匹马跑去黑道事务所并击溃对方等，令人怀疑其真实性的英勇事迹而闻名。撇开这些英勇事迹的真实性与否，她也绝对不是让人想要结交的类型。

She had originally thought that chosen people had been willing to come here, but that did not seem to be the case for Umi.
原本以为被抽中的成员都不是出于自愿，看来海并非如此。

“It feels like there’s a, mm~ that’s it! It’s the smell of adventure!”
“总觉得有一种，嗯～就是那个！我闻到一股冒险的味道！”

She was in ridiculously high spirits. What on earth did “the smell of adventure” mean? Under normal circumstances, she would have taken it as a joke and laughed it off. However, even if Tatsuko had decided to write it off as a joke, when Umi got serious, it was not hard to imagine that something big would happen. In the end, Tatsuko put on a vague expression that could be interpreted in many different ways, and decided to hear her out.
情绪莫名高涨。“冒险的味道”到底是什么意思？一般来说，会把这句话当作玩笑话，笑笑就算了。然而，即使达子擅自决定把这句话当成玩笑话一笑置之，但当海认真起来时，不难想象会发生重大事件。最后，达子决定露出能够解释成许多意思的暧昧表情，姑且听听就好。

In Tatsuko’s heart, talking to her seniors was much better than talking to her peers. If she stammered and muttered when talking to her peers, they would look down on her. But if she did the same thing with her seniors, it might be taken as a form of respect. The sole problem was that one of these seniors was a notorious problem child in the school, and Tatsuko had no idea what sort of attitude might touch off her fuse. Keeping up this facade of vagueness was mentally taxing.
在达子心目中，比起同侪，跟学姐说话要好多了。倘若与同侪对话时支支吾吾，就会被对方瞧不起。但当说话对象是学姐时，有可能被解释为自己怀抱着敬意。唯一的问题在于，学姐之一是校内超级有名的问题儿童，达子并不清楚怎样的态度会成为引爆她的导火线。一直保持这种不清不楚的暧昧态度，相当耗费心神。

The scarlet of the setting sun had faded away, and a dark orange light illuminated the seniors’ faces. Since it was winter, the sun would be setting soon. When Tatsuko inspected Umi’s face, all she saw was a look of anticipation and an eager scanning of her surroundings.
夕阳的绯红已经褪色，如今以深柿子色映照着学姐们的脸。时值冬季，太阳再过不久就要西沉了吧。当达子观察起海的脸色时，只见海带着充满期待的表情，雀跃地东张西望巡视四周。

Hopefully she would not suddenly flip out and lose control. If the rumors were to be believed, that was not impossible. As Tatsuko waited, she felt her stomach churning with tension, and then the prep room door opened again.
她应该不会突然失控吧。如果传言不假，也不无可能。当达子一边等待一边感受着胃被那缓缓攀升的焦虑感折腾时准备室的门再度开启。

It was a teacher. Tatsuko knew this teacher as well -- Himeno Nozomi-sensei.  She did not teach the first year, but she was quite conspicuous. Her frame would not be out of place among the students, and she could even be considered quite small for a first-year student. She should have been over 25, but she looked abnormally youthful. No, perhaps “young” would be a better word. If she were in a school uniform, she could have easily blended in with the student body. Thanks to her immature appearance, she had earned the nickname of “Monster”, and even Tatsuko, who stood outside the school’s gossip circles, knew about it.
是老师。达子也知道这位老师——姬野希老师。虽然不是一年级的级任导师，但她相当引人注目。拥有不亚于学生，甚至是在一年级学生中也算娇小的体型。明明年纪应该超过二十五岁，外表却异常年轻。不，应该说是年幼。要是换上制服，似乎能够极为自然地混入学生群里。因为这与年龄不符的稚嫩外貌，而被取了“怪物”的绰号，连在学校八卦圈外的达子都知道。

“Has it started yet?”
“已经开始了吗？”

“No, not yet.”
“不，还没。”

“Then let’s start now. It’s a little early, but the sooner we begin, the sooner we can finish.”
“那我们现在就开始吧。虽然早了一点，不过早点开始就能早点结束。”

Himeno-sensei sat on a chair, and the student who had been asked to start the meeting immediately rose to her feet. She was the person who had been the earliest to reach the prep room.
姬野老师一坐上椅子，被催促开会的高年级学生立刻站起来。是最早抵达准备室的人。扎成一根的粗辫子垂在背后，红色的胶框眼镜折射夕阳而闪闪发光，看起来很像是班长。

“I’m Musubiya of Class 2-D, and I’ll host today’s meeting. Thank you all for attending today’s meeting of the Cultural Festival Clean-Up Committee. Then, before we start assigning duties, let’s introduce ourselves...
“我是二年D班的结屋，总之就由我来负责担任会议主持人吧。感谢各位前来参加今天的文化祭清扫委员会的会议。那么，在分配任务前，请大家先进行自我介绍……”

“At last, you’re all here!”
“总算是全员到齐了！”

A voice interrupted the meeting out of nowhere, a childish, high-pitched voice. Common sense dictated that one should not be hearing a voice like that in school. Tatsuko looked around and so did her seniors, but she saw no signs of a child.
不知从哪里传来的声音中断了会议的进行，那是一道高亢的稚子声。照理来说，这应该不是在学校里会听到的声音。达子来回环顾四周，学姐们也在东张西望，仍旧不见任何小孩子的身影。

“You people have the highest Magical Potential in this school. I hope you’ll use your potential to save me… I’ll compensate you for it, of course -- by letting you become Magical Girls!”
“你们几位在这所学校里，算是拥有最高等级魔力的人。希望你们能够使用这份魔法的天赋拯救我……当然我也会回报各位——也就是让你们成为魔法少女！”

A small ball of light fell from the ceiling. For a moment, Tatsuko thought a fluorescent lamp had fallen off and she reflexively shielded herself with her hands, but it was not the case. The slowly-gliding ball grew dimmer the further it got from the ceiling, and by the time it finally settled on the table, it only radiated a faint white light. Amidst that light was a 15 centimeter tall doll.
从天花板掉下一颗小小的圆形光球，一瞬间，达子还以为是日光灯掉下来了，下意识地用手护住自己，结果并非如此。缓缓飘落的那颗光球，随着离天花板越远明亮度就越低，最后降落在桌上时，只散发出微弱的淡淡白光。那道光芒中，则有个十五公分高的人偶。

“Hello and pleased to meet you, everyone. My name is Toko. As you can see, I am a Fairy.”
“初次见面，各位好。我的名字是多可。诚如各位所见，是名妖精。”

Everyone was silent, their eyes wide. It was not a doll; it was moving, and speaking. It felt alive and animated in a way that no manufactured product could, and its expression was quite realistic. Even so, it was most definitely not human. That was because there could not possibly be a human being on this earth who was 15 centimeters tall, shrouded in light with a pair of translucent insectile wings growing from their back.
每个人都哑口无言地睁大双眼。那并不是人偶，还在动着，而且正在说话。有着不属于人工产物的肉感与跃动感，表情也相当活灵活现。尽管如此，那东西绝对不是人类。因为这个世界上不可能有全身包围在光芒内，背上长出昆虫般半透明翅膀、身高十五公分的人类。

“As you can see, you have the potential to become Magical Girls, and I can help cultivate this potential so you can become strong, independent Magical Girls. So I’m asking you to become Magical Girls and save me. There’s an evil witch who’s after my life.”
“正如各位所见，你们拥有魔法少女的天赋。而我能够好好培植这份天赋，让各位成为独当一面的魔法少女。拜托你们，请成为魔法少女并拯救我吧。有邪恶的魔法师正在追杀我。”

Tatsuko realised she had been holding her breath, and quietly exhaled, What was going on? What was she saying? She tried to sort her thoughts out in her chaotic mind, but she could not make head or tail of anything. Tatsuko knew that she was currently in a state of confusion. She decided to seek Kaori’s opinion and looked over, and then she exclaimed despite herself.
意识到自己屏住呼吸的达子，悄悄地吁出一口气。到底发生什么事情、对方到底在说什么，想在混乱的脑袋里整理思绪却怎么样也理不出头绪。达子知道自己正在陷入混乱状态。当她打算寻求香织的意见而望过去时，情不自禁地惊叫出声。

There was a stranger there. She wore a bizarre, overly flashy costume that one would only see in Parisian fashion, the circus, cosplay events, anime, manga, or video games. Her hair was tied up on both sides and it had a beautiful color gradient, while her gloves radiated a rainbow light and her clothes were stylish, as well as quite revealing. She had a rainbow-colored halo on her head, and an even bigger halo on her back, and there were halos around her ankles too. Her accessories were extremely surreal. They made her wonder if they were being suspended in mid-air by something.
那是一名陌生女子。对方身穿一袭仿佛只有巴黎时装周或马戏团、角色扮演会场、漫画或动画、游戏里才会出现的“华丽到刺眼”、过度气派的奇装异服。绑在两边的头发有着美丽的渐层色彩，手套散发出七彩光芒，服装气派归气派，也相当暴露。头上带着七彩光环，背上还背着大了一圈的光环，脚踝也套着光环。以首饰而言，可以说是极度超现实。让人忍不住怀疑，是否有细线或铝线之类的道具在支撑地漂浮在半空中。

Tatsuko called out, and the lavishly-dressed girl seemed startled, her shoulders shuddering as she turned to look at Tatsuko. She was very beautiful, and the impact of her looks was such that they were at least as striking as her clothing. A disturbed look seemed to be spreading through that pretty face.
达子叫出声来，那名打扮华丽的女性受到惊吓似的，肩膀大大地抖了一下，望向达子。她的五官很美，也是超现实到拥有完全不输给服装的冲击性。一股困惑正在那张清丽的脸上逐渐扩大。

“...Tacchan?”
“……小达？”

Tatsuko released her sleeve in a panic, and she was shocked by the fact that she had been holding onto the other girl’s sleeve. Tatsuko should have been holding onto Kaori’s sleeve and hiding behind Kaori’s body. Why? When had this happened? Or was there some reason that had made her suddenly grab the sleeve of a girl she did not know?
达子慌张地放开她的袖口，对自己揪着对方袖口的事实感到震惊。达子应该是抓着香织的袖口并躲在香织的身后才对。为什么？到底是什么时候的事情？还有到底是出于何种理由，自己竟然抓着陌生女子的袖子。

“Are you Tacchan?”
“你是小达吗？”

The girl seemed to be at a loss for what to do. Tatsuko, who had been asked if she was Tacchan, was also at her wits’ end. They had never met before, so why did this girl know her nickname? Also, where had Kaori gone? Tatsuko unconsciously looked around.
那名女子似乎相当不知所措。被询问是否为小达的达子，也感到不知所措。未曾谋面的她为什么会知道自己的小名？还有，香织到底跑去哪里了？达子下意识地望向四周。

A pirate and a stage magician were pointing and exclaiming at each other, and both of them were beauties who were on par with the girl beside her. There was a ballet dancer adorned with numerous ribbons whose face was pale and trembling, a bride who was still in her wedding gown for some reason, and an Arabian-style dancer who was floating in mid-air(!) and looking down on the floor from somewhere near the ceiling.
海盗与舞台魔术师正指着彼此大声惊呼，两人都是不输给身旁女子的美少女。身上装饰着大量蝴蝶结的芭蕾舞者，脸色发白地颤抖不已，以及不知道为什么还有穿着婚纱的新娘、阿拉伯风格的舞者漂浮在半空中(！)，从接近天花板之处，居高临下地看向地面。



Shocked, Tatsuko looked at her hands and arms. Her fingers were slender, her arms did not belong to Tatsuko, and the uniform she wore was not the school’s uniform. She looked at the glass of the window, which reflected a young girl dressed in a cute version of a mailman’s uniform, of the type one would see in old Western movies. Much like the others, her features were perfectly positioned on her face. When Tatsuko reached up to pat her face, the postgirl reflected in the window also began touching her face.
达子惊讶地望着自己的手与手臂。手指很修长，这双手并不属于达子，身上的服装也不是学校的制服。望向玻璃窗，映照出一名将老式西洋电影才会出现的邮差服改成可爱款式穿在身上的少女。与其他人相同，五官被完美地配置在脸上。当达子伸出手啪嗒啪嗒地碰触脸时，映照在玻璃窗上的邮差少女也跟着摸起自己的脸。

“You understand now, right? All of you are Magical Girls with Magical Potential! Only you can defeat the evil Witch who’s advancing on this city!”
“这下你们应该明白了吧？各位都是具备魔法天赋的魔法少女喔。只有你们才能够击退逼近这座城市的邪恶魔法师！”

Tatsuko heard every word the Fairy had said, but they did not reach her mind.
达子一字不漏地将妖精所说的话听了进去，却无法传达至脑海。

☆Captain Grace

Many people among the teachers and the students thought of Shihabara Umi as a troublemaker who respected nothing and no-one.
不论老师或学生，有许多人认定芝原海是爱胡作非为、无法无天的人。

However, that opinion did not accurately reflect her. It was true that Shihabara Umi liked to make trouble and she frequently disregarded the rules, but that was an oversimplified conclusion. Shihabara Umi was an adventurer by nature, and she merely listened to the desires which came from deep inside her heart.
然而，这个评论无法如实地代表她这个人。芝原海确实爱胡闹、无视规定，但这只是单纯的结果论而已。芝原海的本性是冒险家，她只是听从来自于内心深处的欲望而已。

I want to feel more excited! I want to experience things which make my heart pound! I want to see things the world has never seen before! I want to do things I’ve never done before! Surely there must be exciting things out there that I don’t know about!
我想要感到更加雀跃的心情！我想要体验更多心跳不已的感觉！我想要看到世上不曾见过的事物！我想要做不曾做过的举动！世界上一定存在着自己不知道的惊人事物！

Umi always wanted to be a character in a story. Be it finding treasure or taking out wicked villains, she did not mind as long as it was a grand adventure.
海一直想要成为在故事中登场的角色。无论是获得金银财宝也好，收拾作恶多端的坏人也罢，只要是一场大冒险就行了。

For better or worse, Umi’s birthplace was surrounded by mountains. She was running around in the wilderness from a young age, and when she was in kindergarten she had even run into trouble and was only found three days later. As a result, she had been confined. It was then that she had learned various escape techniques, such as  lifting up the tatami mats and tearing up the floorboards, or opening up the ceiling and climbing down from trees near the second floor windows. After that, she had trained up an iron will which refused to give in to her parents’ scoldings, creative methods of escape, survival techniques honed on the mountains, and the physical abilities to contend against wild animals. All of these had made the Umi of today.
不知是幸抑或不幸，海出生的城市是前后左右被群山环绕的土地。从小就经常跑到荒郊野外，就读幼稚园中班时，甚至还曾经遇难，三日后才被找到，她也因此遭到禁足。挪开榻榻米并拆除地板、推开天花板，从二楼的窗户沿着种在庭院的树木而下，诸如此类的逃脱术也都是在那个时期练就的。在那之后，陆陆续续习得即使遭到双亲痛斥也不屈不挠的坚强意志、创意十足的逃脱术、在山上磨练出来的生存技巧、足以对抗野兽的体能等技能，最后造就了如今的海。

Indeed, she had been shaped by her past into Umi the middle school student, who had been looking for adventure with her childhood friend Nemura Kayo until today.
没错，过去种种造就了今日，才会有身为国中生的海，总是与从小一起长大的根村佳代共同寻求冒险的今天。

The people around her were confused, but not her. To Umi, who dreamed of adventure, who had been building up her strength, her experience, and most importantly, a heart which thirsted for adventure, this was exactly what she had been hoping for. Unlike those who were thrust into unusual situations without any forewarning, people who were prepared for everything had a fundamentally different mindset. More to the point, she had a hunch today. She had a feeling that today’s Cultural Festival Clean-Up Committee would not end on an ordinary note, and one could say that her hunch had been proven right.
周遭的人只是一味地陷入混乱中，但她没有。对于总是梦想冒险，一路蓄积力量、经验，最重要的是，有一颗渴望冒险的心的海而言，这是她“引颈期盼”的情景。与毫无准备就面临异常状况的人相比，随时随地都做好万全准备的人，从最根本的心态就不同。更别说，她今天早有预感。她有一种这个清扫委员会议并不会平凡结束，可以说是确信的预感。

“What the hell’s going on?!”

“What is this?”

“A, a fairy?!”

“Is this some kind of gag show? Where’s the hidden camera?!”

After quickly glancing at the panicked people around her, Umi decided to focus her mind on understanding the current situation. She waved her hands, clenched them into fists, breathed in and out, and jumped slightly. Her body’s structure had changed. She was strong now, full of energy. As she was now, she could go one-on-one with a whale and easily knock it out in one punch.
“这到底是怎么一回事啊！”、“搞什么啊！”、“妖、妖精？”、“这是整人节目？摄影机藏在哪里？”
瞥了一眼在周围惊慌失措起来的人们，海将心思放在掌握现况上。轻轻地挥了一下手、握拳、吸气再吐气、轻轻跳跃。身体构造产生了变化。她变得孔武有力、全身充满能量。如果是现在的她，即使单挑鲸鱼，似乎也能够轻轻松松地一拳KO。

Though she was overjoyed, her heart was calm, and her fighting spirit burned with quiet intensity.
虽然她的情绪高涨，但心境却显得平静，静静地燃烧斗志。

She confirmed her appearance in the glass window. She had a sword at her waist, and after hooking it about two finger-widths out of the scabbard with her thumb, she drew it in an experimental fashion. It was a single-bladed scimitar-like sword which gleamed with a faint radiance. Its edge was very sharp -- it was a live blade.
确认起映照在玻璃窗上的自己的模样。她的腰间挂着一把刀，以大拇指推起刀柄，当刀柄离开刀鞘大约两个指头后，尝试性地拔了出来。闪耀着微弱光芒的弯月型单刃刀。这是海盗会挥舞的那种刀。仅仅只是以大拇指轻触刀刃，指腹就微微渗出血来。刀刃相当锐利，这是货真价实的刀。

The Fairy said they had all become Magical Girls. Although she looked like a female version of Captain Hook, in all other aspects, she was a Magical Girl like the Fairy had said.
妖精说大家都变成魔法少女了。虽然外表看起来像是彼得潘里的女版虎克船长，但其他方面看来确实符合妖精所主张的魔法少女。

“Awesome!”
“太好了！”

Umi could not help but strike a victory pose. The confused people around her converged their gazes on her, but she did not mind at all.
海情不自禁地摆出胜利姿势。虽然陷入半错乱状态的周遭人们，因此纷纷将目光往她身上集中，但她一点都不在意。

“You mentioned Magical Girls just now?”
“你刚才说是魔法少女？”

“Correct. You all have Magical Potential in you. I’m sure you all can defeat that evil witch.”
“没错。你们身上潜藏着魔法天赋。如果是你们几位，一定能够战胜邪恶的魔法师。”

“Hmm~”
“哼嗯～”

I’m being hunted by an evil witch and I’ve fled here from the Land of Magic. If nobody does anything, the world will be thrown into chaos. Therefore, please defeat that evil witch. As the fairy babbled on and on about something like that, Umi was only paying partial attention.
自己遭到邪恶魔法师追杀，一路从“魔法王国”逃来这里。若是置之不理，人类世界就会被搞得翻天覆地。请务必击退邪恶魔法师。对于妖精滔滔不绝地说明的这些事情，海只是随便听听而已。

“So all we have to do is beat the evil witch?”
“只要打败邪恶魔法师就可以了？”

From Umi’s point of view, she was merely making sure of what she had to do, but the fairy seemed to have interpreted that as asking what she would gain out of doing so--
站在海的立场，她只是想确认该做的事，然而听在妖精的耳里，似乎解释成打败对方是否有任何好处——

“If you’re willing to stand up against the evil witch, then you can transform into a Magical Girl as you will, anytime and anywhere. That’s my thank-you gift to all of you.”
“如果你们愿意挺身对抗邪恶魔法师，就可以随时随地、随心所欲地变身成魔法少女喔。这就是我回报各位的谢礼。”

--And so she began by stating the benefits; that was to say, she explained the prize of “being a Magical Girl”.
并开始针对好处，也就是作为奖品的“魔法少女”进行说明。

“Magical Girls all possess far greater strength and speed than average people. In addition, every Magical Girl can use a specific Magical Skill.”
“所谓的魔法少女，拥有远远超乎一般人的力量与速度，另外，每位魔法少女都能够使用一种魔法。”

The air flashed, as though something was flying in all directions at once. Sensing a weight on her hand, Umi glanced down and saw that she had a heart-shaped device in her hand, and it seemed to be displaying something on its screen.
空间突然闪了一下，似乎有什么东西吵四周飞散。感觉到手上的重量，海的视线往下一瞧，发现掌心多了一台心型机器，画面上似乎显示着什么东西。

“This is a Magical Phone which only Magical Girls can use. It records your Magical Girl name and relevant information about your Magical Skill.
“这是只有魔法少女才能使用的‘魔法终端设备’。你们的魔法少女名与持有魔法的相关资讯，全都记载在里面。”

“Well, that’s pretty thorough preparation.”
“准备的还真是周到呀。”

The Magical Phone handed out by the fairy was already displaying a message containing her personal data. There was a cute chibi pirate captain and rows of words beside it.
妖精发的“魔法终端设备”中，已经显示出类似个人数据的资讯。画面上显示着可爱的Q版海盗船长，旁边则罗列着文字。

“Captain Grace” - that was probably her name.
“葛蕾丝船长”这个就是名字吧。

“Can pilot a magical ship at high speeds across the ocean ~yo” - and that was probably her Magical Skill.
“能够驱使以超高速航行于水上的魔法船哟”这个是魔法啊。

“Oi, Kayo, what’s your Magical Skill?”
“喂，佳代，你的魔法是什么？”

Umu leaned over from the side and looked at the Magical Phone which the stage magician-themed Magical Girl was holding. Her name was “Funny Trick” and her Magical Skill was “Can switch the locations of something else with an object within a sealed container ~yo”.
海从旁探向舞台魔术师风格的少女手上拿着的“魔法终端设备”。名字是“惊喜魔杖”，魔法则是“能够用其他物品与盖住之物对调哟”。

“Uh...Are you Umi-chan?”
“呃……你是小海吗？”

“You can tell with a look, right?”
“看就知道了吧！”

“I looked but I still can’t tell! I’ve got no idea what’s going on! Umi-chan, do you know what’s happening right now?”
“我看了还是不知道啊！明明还搞不清楚到底发生什么事情！小海你明白现在到底是什么状况吗？”

“Sort of.”
“隐约明白。”

“Sort of isn’t enough! How are you taking all this so well?!”
“只有隐约不够吧！你为什么对这件事的接受度这么高啊！”

“I told you before, didn’t I? I’ve been saying since this morning that I had a hunch. Speaking of which, those fishnet tights of yours are pretty hot.”
“我不是告诉过你吗！我从早上开始就一直告诉你，我有一种预感。话说回来，你的网状丝袜看起来好色喔。”

“What does that have to do with what’s happening right now?!”
“这种事情跟眼前的状况没有关系吧！”

As though to interrupt Umi and Kayo’s conversation, the fairy floated up and then knelt on both knees upon the table--
像是要打断海与佳代之间的对话般，妖精飘向半空，接着双膝跪在桌上——

“Please! Please save me, everyone! No, it’s not just me, please save the world too!”
“拜托你们！请你们救救我！不，不止我，也请救救这个世界！”

She was screaming at the top of her voice. Perhaps she had been forced into a desperate situation, but the fairy was starting to act hysterical.
大声疾呼。也许是被逼到绝境的关系，妖精的行动也显得歇斯底里起来。

“Alright, I’m in!”
“好，我答应！”

There was no reason not to accept. The adventure she had longed for had finally found her. The fairy’s original expression of mournful pleading vanished in an instant, transformed into a huge smile.
没理由不答应，她翘首以盼的冒险主动找上门来了。妖精原本哀求的表情瞬间消失，转而浮现大大的微笑。

“Really? Thank you!”
“真的吗？谢谢你！”

“Umi-chan!”
“小海！”

“Shut up, Kayo!”
“佳代，你很烦耶！”

“What do you mean, shut up?!”
“我哪里烦了！”

If she continued fussing with Kayo there would be no end to this. Therefore, Umi smiled to the fairy.”
再继续跟佳代扯下去只会没完没了，于是，海对妖精露出微笑。

“In any case, I and Kayo will help you.”
“总而言之，我与佳代会协助你的。”

“How come I have to help her too?!”
“为什么连我也要协助它啊！”

Almost as though to interrupt Kayo’s wailing, another girl addressed Umi.
仿佛要中断佳代的惨叫声般，另一名少女主动跟海说话。

“Hang, hang on a bit, Shihabara-san… am I right?”
“等、等一下，芝原同学……我应该没叫错吧？”

“Yup, I’m Shihabara. Are you the Mon.. Himeno-sensei?”
“我的确是芝原。难道说你是怪……姬野老师？”

The ribbon-clad ballerina flailed her arms about, and she looked very angry. Her external age did not seem to have changed much compared to before she had transformed. Kayo bowed lower and said “Sensei, please teach her a lesson.”
装饰着许多蝴蝶结的芭蕾舞者奋力地挥舞双手，看起来相当愤慨。外表的年龄与变身前没有太大的差异。佳代则是低头一鞠躬说:“请老师好好教训她一下。”

“How can you answer so rashly?! I’m not too sure, but fighting an evil witch is going to be pretty hard, right? This sort of thing should be left to the police! At the very least, a middle-schooler shouldn’t be handling it.”
“怎么可以回答得如此轻率！虽然我不是很清楚 但是跟邪恶魔法师战斗应该会很辛苦吧？这种事情应该交给警察处理！至少不是国中生应该做的事情。”

Kayo grabbed her head as she stood to one side, and she muttered, “After saying all that, even Sensei’s okay with what’s going on…”

She seemed unhappy about that fact.
佳代在一旁抱头，喃喃自语地说:“说了这么多，结果老师也接受了眼前的状况啊……”似乎对此有所不满。

The fairy raised her head and retorted at the beribboned Magical Girl.
妖精抬起头来，反驳蝴蝶结少女。

“There’s no time. The evil witch is close. Besides, the police alone can’t deal with those bad guys. Only Magical Girls can defeat them.”
“没有时间了。邪恶魔法师已经逼近了。更何况，光凭警察是没办法收拾掉那帮坏蛋的。只有魔法少女才能够打倒那帮坏蛋。”

“How could I let my students do something as dangerous as that?!”
“我怎么可能放任学生做这么危险的事情！”

“Like I was saying, if you don’t stop them now, the world will be in danger!”
“所以说，如果现在不阻止那些人的话，这个世界会更危险嘛！”

“Why not? It’ll be fun!”
“有何不可。一定会很好玩的！”

“Shihabara-san!”
“芝原同学！”

“I personally think that anyone who does not help such an adorable little fairy fails to qualify as a human being. Since she has gone to the extent of bowing and asking us, a real woman would accept that request in a straightforward manner.”
“我个人认为，不对这么可爱的小妖精伸出援手，实在没有资格身为人。既然对方都这样低头拜托，正面回应这份请求才是真女人吧。”

Umi tugged on the sleeve of the bridal-gown Magical Girl, and then peered at the rainbow-clothed girl’s face.
海拉了拉新娘礼服少女的袖子，并探向七彩服装少女的脸。

“If you don’t do it now, you’ll regret it for sure. Even if you don’t do it, Kayo and I will. However, since this is a rare opportunity, why not just say yes? Come on, let’s do it! It’ll be fun!”
“现在不做的话，以后绝对会后悔。就算你们不做，我跟佳代两个人还是会做。不过，既然机会难得，你们就干脆答应了吧？喏，一起做吧！一定会很有趣的！”

“You may count me in.”
“可以算我一份喔。”

The bridal-gown Magical Girl stood up, and her outfit came complete with lit candles and a wedding bouquet.
新娘礼服少女站起来，她还非常周到地佩戴点燃的蜡烛与新娘花束。

“I had thought this was a prank show, but that fairy is all too realistic no matter how you look at it, am I wrong? And this strength is not a lie either.”
“我原本以为是整人节目，不过那位妖精怎么看都是活生生的吧？而且能够使出惊人的力量，似乎也不是骗人的。”

She had probably experimented with this. The girl in the bridal gown picked up a 10-yen coin from a metal tray on the cabinet and easily bent it with her index and middle finger.
想必她已经实验过了吧。新婚礼服少女从放在柜子前的金属盘中拈起十元硬币，只使用食指与中指，便轻松将硬币折弯。

“As it happens, I am tired of studying for my high school entrance exams. With this Magical Skill, I might be able to explore other paths in life beyond high school. Personally, I feel this is an advantage which is worth exploring.
“正好我现在也厌倦为了考高中念书念个不停。如果有这种魔法的话，也许能够开拓考高中以外的人生道路也不一定。个人研判这个好处确实值得冒险一试。”

“Me too!”
“我也是！”

The girl with the rainbow on her back raised her right hand.
背着彩虹的少女举起右手。

“I want to join! I’ve always looked forward to this sort of thing! Tacchan, you’ll take part too, right?”
“我也要参加！我一直很憧憬这种事情！小达当然也会参加吧？”

The mailman-themed girl looked around nervously and then slowly nodded.
一旁的邮差风格少女则是战战兢兢地来回张望后，支支吾吾的点头。

“Mei is willing too!”
“小梅也愿意！”

The voice came from above, and Umi unconsciously looked to the ceiling. She saw a girl dressed like the dancer from the 1001 Nights, in a very revealing outfit, sitting cross-legged in the air.
从上面传来声音，海下意识地抬起头来望向天花板。只见那位一千零一夜舞者打扮、服装相当暴露的少女，盘腿漂浮在半空。

“Mei wants to be a Magical Girl!”
“小梅也想当魔法少女！”

“Very good! That’s a good answer! Then let’s go take out that evil witch in one shot!”
“很好！回答得很好！让我们一鼓作气收拾掉邪恶魔法师吧！”

“Like I was saying! Why is everyone so accepting of all this?!”
“所以说！为什么大家都能接受眼前的状况啊？”

Kayo shouted.
佳代大吼。

“Why’s everyone going along with this so readily! Why don’t you think twice about how dangerous this is going to be?!”
“为什么大家都答应得这么干脆？你们重新思考一下，参与这种事情会有多大的危险！”

The ribbon girl slammed the table, and her curly hair bounced like springs. The fairy on the table was sent flying by the sheer force of the impact, and then the rainbow girl caught her. One of the table legs snapped in half in the middle, and the table tilted to one side.
蝴蝶结少女用力拍桌，一头卷发如弹簧般摇摆晃动。桌上的妖精以惊人的气势被拍飞，然后七彩少女接住了它。桌子的其中一根桌脚则是非常可怜地从中间折断，呈现倾斜状态。

“If you won’t agree no matter what…”
“如果你无论如何都不愿意的话……”

The fairy remained within the rainbow girl’s embrace, and refocused herself on the ribbon girl.
妖精就这样继续待在七彩少女的怀里，并重新正视蝴蝶结少女。

“Then I’ll just have to wipe your memories and make you forget you ever became a Magical Girl. After all, if you let the news get out, it would cause me a lot of trouble. Magical matters have to be kept 100% confidential.”
“那么我只好消除你一个人的记忆，让你忘记曾经变成魔法少女的事实。毕竟，你要是泄露出去的话，我会很困扰的。关于魔法的事情必须百分之百保密才行。”

“How could this be…”
“哪有这样子的……”

“I seem to remember you’re a teacher in this school, right? I understand that as a teacher, you’d want to protect your students. While I don’t really understand the human world, teachers are all like that, right?”
“我记得你是这所学校的老师吧？我明白你身为一名老师，想要守护学生的心情。虽然我并不了解人类世界，但所谓的老师大概都是这样子的吧？”

Perhaps it was because she was illuminated by the setting sun, but the fairy’s face looked strangely mature.
也许是在夕阳照射下的关系，妖精的表情看起来莫名成熟。

“That being the case, come fight with them, sensei! If you don’t want your memories to be erased and return to your normal life alone, then help your students fight the evil witch. The witch will be here soon. This isn’t just a danger to me, but a threat to the whole world. So please, help us!”
“既然如此，请老师也一起战斗吧！不想要记忆被消除，独自回到普通的日常生活中，就跟学生共同对抗邪恶魔法师。邪恶魔法师再过不久就会来到这里。这并不只是我个人的危机，也是全世界的危机。拜托你，请帮帮我吧！”

☆Tepsekemei

Mei’s memories and experiences were very limited. Even when she learned something new, it was immediately written over, and almost nothing remained. Even her lingering memories were not very strong. Other than the knowledge needed to live, she would immediately forget everything else. That was because it was not necessary.
小梅拥有的记忆与经验相当有限。即使获得任何新知识，也立刻被覆盖，几乎所剩无几。即使是残存的记忆，印象也不鲜明。除了对生活有用处的知识，都会立刻 忘得一干二净。因为不需要。

When she spaced out, she was really spacing out. Perhaps it might look like she was contemplating something from an outsider’s point of view, but she could not contemplate anything, nor did she think of anything. That was because she was very clear that this sort of thing was only a waste of effort.
当她发着呆时，就真的只是单纯发呆。即使站在旁人的角度看来，她是在沉思，但她不会思考，也不会想任何事情。因为她非常清楚，做那种事情只是白费功夫而已。

To Mei, who viewed a lack of contemplation or thinking about anything to be perfectly normal, becoming a Magical Girl meant excessive freedom. Everything in this world seemed so brilliant. She could understand what other people were saying, and she could communicate her thoughts to other people in the same way. Her limbs could move freely and nimbly, she could fly, she could jump, she could turn her arms in circles, she could sit cross-legged, she could do anything.
对于将不去思考、不去想任何事情，视为理所当然的小梅而言，成为魔法少女即意味着过多的自由。这个世界的一切都如此耀眼。能够明白对方的意思，而她自己也能够以同样的沟通手段将意思传达给对方。她的四肢能够轻盈灵巧地自由活动，她能飞、能跳、能用手臂转圈圈，还能盘腿，任何事情都办得到。

The most important thing was that she could fly in the air. When she thought of going somewhere, she could move as freely as she wished, and nothing could stop Mei.
最重要的是，她能够在空中飞。当她想去哪里，就能够随心所欲地移动，没有任何事物能够阻挠小梅。

While the others had engaged in their conversation which she could not understand, Mei had been exploring all the things she could do in her current state. She could move quickly, she was very strong, and she could fly. She tried putting her hands on her belly, but she did not feel the ever-present emptiness there which no amount of eating could satisfy, nor did she feel hunger, the need to urinate, or the need to defecate, and even her sex drive was completely gone.
在其他人进行她听不懂的对话期间，小梅一直在发掘此刻的自己能够办到的事情。她能迅速动作、力量很大、能在空中飞。她试着把手放在肚子上，并没有感受到无论吃多少饲料都不会减轻的慢性空腹感与饥饿感，也不会想要撒尿、拉屎，就连性欲也消失得一干二净。

She thought, I see, I’ve gained as much as I lost. This isn’t a free lunch that fell from the sky, but a gift exchanged from the things I lost. As she thought about that, she could not help but be surprised at how she could perform such a calculation. She could do addition and subtraction.
她心想，原来如此，获得的与失去的一样多。这并不是天上掉下来的免费午餐，而是与失去之物交换得来的礼物。思考到这里，她也忍不住惊讶于自己竟然能够如此进行计算。她会加减算数了。

In summary, most of them were happy things. Even in this little room, there were many things which looked interesting. By the time she had played with this, touched that, bit it experimentally, than knocked on it, rolled it around and played with it by herself until she was thoroughly delighted, the conversation was still going on.
总结来说，大部分都是快乐的事物。即使在这个小房间里，也有许多看起来很有趣的东西。当她把玩一下这个、碰触一下那个，然后咬咬看、敲敲看、滚动一下，独自玩得乐不可支的时候，话题仍然持续着。

When Mei expressed her thoughts of wanting to be a Magical Girl, she learned that the others also wanted to become Magical Girls. It would seem Magical Girls were very special beings, and Mei could not help but feel proud of herself. Although she did not know how to deal with this spontaneously generated pride, she decided at that moment to agree to this. According to the winged little person, if they did not take care of that “evil witch” person, she would not be able to continue being a Magical Girl. She felt that not being a Magical Girl was a very boring thing. While she had lived peaceful and unchanging days when she had not been a Magical Girl, after learning about the world of Magical Girls, she did not want to return to her original self at all.
小梅表达自己想要成为魔法少女的想法，得知其他人也想当魔法少女的想法。看来魔法少女似乎是相当特别的存在，这让小梅忍不住自豪起来。在她不知该如何应付这股油然而生的骄傲同时，她决定要答应这件事。根据那个有翅膀的小人所说，如果不收拾掉“邪恶魔法师”，就无法继续当魔法少女。她认为不当魔法少女是一件相当无聊的事情。虽然在她变成魔法少女之前的世界，总是能够安安稳稳地过日子，但认识魔法少女的世界之后，她一点都不想变回原貌。

After coming to the outside world, she understood more things. For example, the Magical Skill which Magical Girls possessed. Currently, Mei could become one with the air, and through this fusion with the air she could fly in the sky. She sensed that apart from flying, she could also do many other things.
来到外面的世界后，她明白了更多事情。所谓的“魔法少女”拥有魔法。如今的小梅能够与空气融合，她也能够借由与空气的融合，飞翔于空中。感觉除了飞翔于空中，似乎也能办到许许多多的事物。

With a slack look on her face, she listened to the little winged person give instructions to the others, and then she sensed that the rainbow human was looking right at her. After that, the rainbow human asked her:
当她一脸呆滞地听着有翅膀的小人儿对大家下达指示时察觉到彩虹人类似乎正盯着自己瞧。接下来，彩虹人类主动询问她。

“Do you think this is very boring?”
“你觉得很无趣吗？”

“Why do you say that?”
“为什么这么说？”

“No reason, it’s because you look very bored.”
“没什么，因为你露出一副觉得很无聊的表情。”

Mei did not find this boring. Ever since she was born, she had never encountered anything this interesting and fun before. However, the rainbow human said that Mei looked like she was bored.
小梅并不会觉得无趣。从她出生以来，从来没有遇到过这么有趣又好玩的事情。然而，彩虹人类却说小梅露出一副感到无趣的模样。

The Magical Girls other than Mei all made noises and changed the shapes of their faces in order to communicate. They did not look at each others’ anuses or bump each others’ heads. Mei did not change the shape of her face, so maybe that was why others thought she felt bored.
小梅以外的魔法少女们，都是一边发出声音一边让脸变形，进行沟通，并不看对方的肛门或是撞对方的头。小梅并没有让脸变形，也许就是因为如此，别人才会以为她觉得很无趣吧。

After deliberating the matter in her head, Mei decided to make a changed face at the rainbow human. Because she felt that just changing the shape of her face might not be enough, she added a “Hahahahahaha” sound.
如此推敲后，小梅试着对彩虹人类做出变形的脸。因为她觉得只有脸部变形可能不够，于是加上“哈哈哈哈哈哈哈”的声音。

This way, she ought to look very happy. However, the rainbow human bowed repeatedly and said, “I’m sorry” while moving far away from Mei. It would seem she did not think Mei looked very happy, and the other Magical Girls also stared at Mei. A notion arose in Mei’s heart that perhaps her response had not met the other party’s expectations.
这么一来，看起来应该相当开心吧。然而，彩虹人类却是连连鞠躬，一边说着“对不起”一边远离小梅。看来对方并不觉得她很开心，其他的魔法少女也紧盯着小梅不放。小梅的心里涌起一股念头，自己的回应似乎不符合对方的期待。

Mei thought, if there’s another chance, I hope I can do a better job next time.
小梅心想，如果还有机会的话，希望下次能够表现得更好。

Being a Magical Girl was very difficult, but at the same time it was also very fun.
当魔法少女非常困难，同时也非常有趣。

☆Captain Grace

Teachers were obstacles much like her parents, and they liked to get in the way of her adventures.
所谓的老师就是不亚于双亲的麻烦障碍，经常喜欢阻挠她进行冒险。

With such unreal and fantastic things happening live before her eyes, why was it that she could still say something so bereft of imagination? Umi found that mysterious beyond belief. A fairy flew in the air and granted everyone the ability to use magic. That sort of thing would hardly occur in one’s life. Or rather, it would never occur in the lives of most people. Even if they were in a teacher-student relationship, was she actually going to order her to stay clear of this heaven-sent good fortune? There ought to be a limit to how arrogant a person could be. There was no way she was going to obediently listen.
明明这么超现实又奇幻的事情活生生地发生在眼前，为什么还能说出这么不解风情的话呢？海只觉得神奇到令人不敢置信。妖精在空中飞舞，赐予众人施展魔法的能力，这种事情一辈子绝对遇不到几次。应该说，大多数人都是一生难求。就算彼此是师生关系，但是想要命令学生踢开这份天上降下来的幸运，再怎么傲慢也要有个分寸吧。她绝对不可能乖乖听从。

Adventure was out there, waiting for her! Charging towards it until she was breathless from running was the appropriate response!
冒险就在前方等着自己！跑到气喘吁吁地冲上前去，才是该有的礼仪吧！

Fortunately, the fairy “Toko” was more adept at reasoning than she looked. She had persuaded the teacher by stating that she could choose between losing her memories and returning to her normal identity, or become a Magical Girl and fighting alongside her students. This way, there was nothing that could stop her adventure.
幸好妖精“多可”比外表看起来善辩许多。以失去记忆恢复普通人身份，不然就是作为一名魔法少女，和学生共同奋战的二选一选项，成功说服老师。这么一来，就没有任何事物能够阻止她冒险了。

Leaving aside the fact that Himeno-sensei had become a Magical Girl against her will, they would follow Toko’s instructions, head to the place where the evil witch was due to arrive, and prepare to fight her off.
先不管姬野老师心不甘情不愿地成为魔法少女的事情，她们一行人根据多可的指示，前往邪恶魔法师即将来到的地点，进行迎击行动的准备。

Toko had given them a location to intercept the evil witch, which was about a hundred meters away from the school, at the intersection which led up the mountain. Looking around, there were no other shops or facilities besides the school. The houses were scattered lightly, and the next best thing was a parking lot. The roads were broad enough, but the road conditions were atrocious, with irregularly-sized cracks covering the asphalt. There was little traffic in the daytime. That said, it was not completely empty of people.
多可提供的迎击邪恶魔法师的地点，为距离学校一百公尺左右，直直通往山上的十字路口。放眼所及，除了学校，没有任何店面或设施。住宅零星分布，其他顶多就是停车场。马路还算宽敞，但路面状况极为恶劣，柏油路上到处都是大小不一的龟裂走纹。白天通行的人车不多。话虽如此，却也不是完全没人。

“So we’ll counterattack the evil witch here, then?”
“就是要在这里迎击邪恶魔法师喔。”

“If we fight here, won’t someone see us? According to our agreement, we were supposed to keep magic secret, right?”
“在这里战斗不会被别人撞见吗？根据我们的约定，不是要保密魔法的事情吗？”

“Magic is supposed to be secret, but this is an emergency. If things really go badly, I’ll alter the memories of any witnesses after the fact. As long as you leave before the police or fire department come, it’ll be fine.
“魔法的确是秘密，但现在情况紧急。如果情况真的不妙，我事后会窜改目击者的记忆。只要你们在警察或消防人员抵达之前，离开这里就不会有问题了。”

According to Toko, the evil witch might be able to sense the presence of Magical Girls. As a result, Umi and the others had to detransform and hide in ambush nearby. After the fairy indicated everyone’s ambush points, they changed back into human form and waited patiently. After experiencing the awesome power of a Magical Girl, turning back into a human being and waiting for the battle to come was a very nerve-wracking experience. At a closer look, Funny Trick -- Nemura Kayo -- could not seem to calm down, and she kept looking at the traffic lights. During the journey here, Kayo had also been unable to calm down. She glanced at the trash bin beside the vending machine, shuddered violently at the slightest sounds, and every time a car went by, she unconsciously went into a fighting stance. It was extremely suspicious behavior.
根据多可表示，邪恶魔法师或许能够感应出魔法少女的所在地也不一定。因此，海一行人必须解除变身，在附近埋伏。妖精指定了每个人的埋伏地点，她们变回人类的模样，静心等候。体会到魔法少女惊人的力量后，再变回人类等待大战时刻来临，实在让人焦虑不安。仔细一瞧，惊喜魔技——根村佳代似乎也静不下心来，一味地望着红绿灯的上方。在来到这里的途中，佳代也一直无法冷静。一下探向设置在自动贩卖机旁的垃圾桶，又因为一点小声响就吓到大大地颤抖了一下，每当有汽车经过时，就会下意识地摆出战斗姿势，行动可疑到了极点。

Umi grabbed Kayo’s head and pushed it down.
海用力抓住佳代的头并压低。

“You know, if you stick your head out of the grass, it defeats the purpose of an ambush.”
“我说你啊。把头探出草丛的话，就失去埋伏的意义了吧。”

“I, I’m sorry.”
“对、对不起。”

“I know you’re worried, but all we can do now is believe in Toko.”
“我明白你很担心，不过现在也只能相信多可了。”

Umi looked at the Magical Phone in her hand. It had not given the signal yet.
海望向手上的智慧型手机，还没有发出暗号。

Toko had been sitting on top of the traffic light, but she had vanished -- though in truth Toko had just gone invisible. The plan for this operation was to leave their Magical Phones by their sides, and once the enemy arrived, Toko would give the word to the Magical Girls.
原本坐在红绿灯上方的多可消失了——其实多可只是隐形起来而已。这次的行动流程是，将魔法终端设备放在身旁，只要敌人一抵达，多可就会立刻对魔法少女们下达指令。

Umi and Kayo had hid in the patch of lilac flowers under the traffic light, the class rep and Sensei used the cars in the parking lot as cover, and the two first-years were hiding in the shadow of a concrete wall belonging to a house that was up for rent. The Arabian-themed dancer seemed to be hiding in a drain near the road. Umi could not help by be impressed by how she could bear to hide in such a place.
海与佳代躲藏在红绿灯下方的紫丁香花丛里;班长与老师以停车场的汽车为掩护;两名一年级生躲在出售中的住宅水泥墙阴影处。阿拉伯风的舞者似乎是埋伏在道路旁的水沟中。真亏她能忍受躲在那种地方，海忍不住感到钦佩。

The setting sun which had been so clearly visible until recently was now shrouded by thick, dark clouds. It was November, so they would feel cold when transformed back to human form. They would freeze if they remained still. Umi pulled up the collar of her jacket and hugged herself. Her sinuses hurt from directly inhaling the cold wind. Umi knitted her brows in displeasure at the fact that she was paying so much attention to such trivial things. The fact that she was bothered by them meant that she lacked focus.
直到刚才为止清楚可见的夕阳，如今被既厚重又混浊的乌云覆盖。现在是十一月，变回人类会感到寒冷。一直不动的话，整个人都快冻僵了。海拉起外套的领子，环抱双臂。因为直接吸入冷风的关系，鼻腔粘膜传来一阵阵刺痛。海对在意起这种芝麻蒜皮小事的自己不悦地皱眉。在意这种无聊小事，意味着她缺乏集中力。

This would be her first real battle after becoming a Magical Girl, which was probably why she was so nervous. Umi reached out to touch the sword at her side, but her fingers only found air. Then she remembered that she was not in her Magical Girl form right now, and once again, she furrowed her brows unhappily.
这可是自己成为魔法少女后的首次实战，所以才会禁张吧。海伸出手想碰触佩在腰上的刀，却扑了个空。忆起自己现在并不是魔法少女的状态，再度不悦地皱眉。

“What’s wrong?”
“怎么了？”

“Nothing. If you’ve got time to worry about me, then you should worry about yourself.”
“没什么。如果你有时间在意我的话，倒不如担心你自己。”

Kayo seemed very uneasy. Whenever she was with Umi, Kayo always looked uneasy. The normal Umi would simply reply, “Hey, this trembling’s just for our entertainment,” and laugh it off. However, Umi was also feeling uneasy, so she decided to dispense with any twisted reasoning.
佳代似乎很不安。与海在一起的时间，佳代总是一副不安的模样。如果是平时的海，只会回答“恰好为我们的娱乐带来一点颤栗感”并一笑置之。然而，海本身似乎也很不安，所以任何歪理谬论现在都不管用。

That’s right, she had finally said it. It had been so long since she had felt this way that she had forgotten what it was called. This was not fear, but a sign. Even. with the power of Captain Grace, she could feel that her life was in danger, that there was a trace of something approaching them. Up to now, this sort of premonition had come up several times. Beasts would listen to their gut and avoid danger. Umi had sniffed out danger, but taken a step forward anyway. Just knowing that danger was out there was enough.
没错，总算说得通了。由于许久没有产生这种感觉，她自己也忘记这是什么感觉。这不是恐惧，而是一种征兆。即使拥有葛蕾丝船长的力量，也能够感觉到性命受到威胁、有某种东西正在接近的迹象。截至目前为止，她也曾经数次涌现这种预感。野兽会听从预感，躲避危险。海在嗅出危险的状况下，向前踏出一步。只要明白有危险就够了。

Let’s prepare for the adventure. Umi began her usual routine to welcome danger. Her breaths became long and shallow, turning them into waves of sensation, and the little things became unimportant. She expelled all the air within her body. She exhaled until she could not exhale any more, and when she felt that squeezing sensation within her body, she squeezed and compressed her body by force. Although she was squatting in a wind-swept patch of grass, her body mysteriously began to warm up.
开始准备迎接冒险吧。海开始接纳危险感的例行程序。她将呼吸拉得又长又浅、化为一阵阵的刺激感、枝微末节的小事变得一点都不重要。她将体内的空气全部吐出。吐到完全无法吐气的感觉从身体传来的同时，再度一挤，强行挤压身体。明明蹲在挂着寒风的草丛中，她的身体却奇妙地温暖起来。

Her spirits began slowly soaring, and even when she saw Kayo and her uneasiness, she did not feel anxious.
她的情绪静静地逐渐高涨，即使看着一脸不安的佳代，也不会产生任何焦虑。

“...They’re coming.”
“……要来了。”

Toko’s voice came from the Magical Phone. Her tone had not changed, but she was much quieter now, and those three words were filled with a tension that made people tremble.
一直保持连线的智慧型手机传来多可的声音，嗓音未变，但音量降低许多，仅仅三个字却渗透着令人颤栗的紧张感。

They could not transform yet. Umi’s eyes looked along the road and saw a white station wagon driving by. There were no other pedestrians or vehicles. Umi checked the traffic signs, which said that the speed limit was 50 km/h. The vehicle was going 10 km/h less than that and still decelerating, and in the end it stopped at the road shoulder 20 meters away from the traffic light, near Umi’s location.
还不能变身。当海的视线从草丛中沿着道路看过去时，发现一辆白色旅行车正在驶近。不见其他行人或车辆。海确认了一下交通标志，上面写着最高限速五十公里，而那辆旅行车的速度比规定限速慢了十公里，甚至还减速，最后在驶近海前方、距离红绿灯二十公尺处的路肩后停车。

Her stomach was churning, and the sweat on her neck followed the contours of her body and dripped near her armpits; the wind ruffled the lilac patch, the taller weeds swayed in the wind, and Kayo gulped unconsciously. Umi’s senses picked up every single tiny detail. It was not that she was not focused enough, but that once she had fully grasped the situation, she would concentrate all her energies on the station wagon. Pleased with that outcome, Umi smiled thinly.
她的胃一阵翻腾，脖子上的汗水沿着身体滴落至腋下附近;风吹拂着紫丁香花丛，较高的杂草随风摇曳;佳代情不自禁地吞了一口口水。海的感官捕捉到所有的细节。并不是她不够集中，而是在把握住一切状况的同时，将精神集中于旅行车上。海因为满意这个结果而微微扬唇一笑。

The door to the station wagon opened, and someone got down. They wore a hooded coat.. The hood was pulled down low, so they could not see their looks or expression. In this cold weather, they were not wearing socks, but just a pair of casual shoes from a famous sports brand.
旅行车车门打开，有人从里面下车。对方穿着帽T外套。帽T的帽檐拉得低低的，看不见长相与表情。在这片寒空之下，没穿袜子直接穿着知名运动大厂的休闲鞋。

“Toko.”
“多可。”

It was a young female voice, full of intimidation. The girl seemed to know someone was there, and shouted for the invisible Toko like it was the most natural thing in the world. Toko replied in a playful, joking tone.
年轻女性的声音，充满威胁。女子像是知道人在那里般，以一副理所当然的态度喊着隐形的多可，多可则是以戏谑的轻浮声音回应。

“You’re slower than I expected.”
“来得比我预期的还慢呢。”

“I’ll let you choose between coming quietly or me teaching you a harsh lesson.”
“看你是要被我狠狠教训一顿或被我温柔地逮捕，自己选择吧。”

No wonder, it would seem like this was the bad guy.
原来如此，看来对方的确是坏蛋。

“I don’t like either of those choices.”
“两种我都不喜欢耶。”

Toko appeared. That was the signal!
多可现身了。是暗号！

Umi transformed into the Magical Girl Captain Grace and drew her sword as she dashed forward. Behind her was the sound of Kayo crushing the concrete floor underfoot as she ran, while the two first years, Sensei and the class rep appeared at the same time. Everyone had transformed into Magical Girls. The Arabian dancer was moving through the air in a serpentine fashion, and then she suddenly descended on the station wagon.
变身成魔法少女“葛蕾丝船长”的海，飞奔前去的同时也拔出刀来。身后传来佳代一边踩碎水泥路面一边奔跑的声响，两名一年级生、老师与班长也在同一时刻现身。大家都变身成魔法少女。阿拉伯舞者则是一边蛇行一边飘向空中，再一口气下降，逼近旅行车。

☆Funny Trick

In her heart, Kayo thought: What’s wrong with everyone? She had known Shihabara Umi for a long time, so she counted her out. After all, Umi’s erratic actions were not just a matter of the past one or two days.
佳代暗自心想，大家到底是怎么一回事？认识很久的芝原海就算了，毕竟海脱离常轨的行为，并不是一天、两天的事情。

There was Musubiya Mine, who fit the image of the title “Class Rep” and gave people the impression of wisdom. There were her two juniors, the first year students who were neatly dressed and looked like good little girls. There was Himeno-sensei, who looked young but who was actually twice as old as her, who ought to have ample life experience. None of them looked like the sort who would choose Umi’s way of living life on the edge. That should have been the case.
符合班长这个头衔，给人充满知性形象的结屋美祢;制服穿得整整齐齐，两名看起来是乖乖牌的一年级学妹;有着年幼外表，实际上活着的时间超过佳代等人的两倍，人生历练应该也相对丰富的姬野老师。大家都不像会选择海那种前卫新潮生存方式的人。明明应该如此。

It was all like a nightmare. She had been dragged here by force, with no chance to resist, where a group of cosplaying Magical Girls were going to attack an “evil witch”. Without knowing about their enemy, with only the vague thought of “the other guy is really bad” in their heads, they were all going to rush the station wagon. They were no different from bandits or terrorists.
一切都像是噩梦，在她无法忤逆的情况下被强行带来这里，一群角色扮演魔法少女军团正要攻击“邪恶魔法师”。在不知道对手是什么来历的状况下，糊里糊涂地怀抱“对方很邪恶”的印象，朝旅行车一涌而上。简直与山贼或恐怖分子无异。

The girl in the coat shouted into the car and took a fighting stance against Umi. Kayo was secretly surprised by her swift reaction. That surprise was not just at the fact that their opposition had responded as quickly as a Magical Girl, but that she had seen through everything they had done. Umi had rushed up faster than anyone else and slashed with her cutlass, and her opponent had calmly evaded the strike.
穿着外套的女性一边朝车内大喊，一边对海摆出战斗姿势。迅速的反应令佳代暗暗吃惊。她惊讶的不只是对方的速度与魔法少女一样快，还有对方看穿她们的行动后所做出的举动。比任何人都快地冲到前头的海，用手上的刀横向一扫，被对方从容不迫地避开。

Kayo breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart skipped a beat. She had sighed in relief because her opposition had avoided Umi’s unhesitating use of her “kill your opponent in one swing” move, and her heart skipped a beat because said opponent was fast enough to avoid Umi’s attack when she was transformed into a Magical Girl
佳代虽然松了一口气，心脏却也不禁漏跳一拍。松一口气是因为对方顺利闪过海毫不犹豫地使出的“一刀毙命的一击”，心脏漏跳一拍则是速度快到足以闪避变身成魔法少女的海所发动的攻击。

“What! So many!”
“为什么！竟然这么……多人！”

The woman shouted. At that moment, she shed her coat and kicked off the casual shoes she was wearing.
女子大吼。就在此时，她的帽T外套迸开，踢飞脚上的休闲鞋。

There was a kimono under the coat. Its hem ended 15 centimeters above the knee, boldly exposing her thighs. Above her pretty-featured face sprouted a pair of bunny ears, and no matter how one looked at it, there was no way it was the face of someone who was not involved with all this.
外套下是一身和服，下摆在膝上十五公分，大胆地露出大腿。秀丽的五官与头上长出兔耳，无论怎么看都不是不相干人士的外貌。

After that, the driver poked their head out of the vehicle. They wore a black suit, black shades, and a black floppy cap, as though they were trying to dress like an Italian mobster.
接着，司机从车内探出头来。黑色外套、墨镜、配上黑色软呢帽，仿佛意大利黑手党手下的打扮。

“There’s more than we expected! Fall back for now!”
“人数比原本预料的还多！暂时先撤退吧！”

The person in black took out a black stick-like object and extended it out of the window. As the stick pointed their way, it discharged thumb-sized pellets their way with incredible force. They might have looked like a mobster, but they were actually a magician. The transformed Kayo -- now the Magical Girl “Funny Trick” -- looked at the approaching pellet with an expression verging on tears, and then cut it out of the air with her magic wand.
黑衣人拔出一根黑色的棒状物，伸向窗外。当棒子的前端对准这边后，立刻有拇指大的火砾以惊人的气势飞过来。虽然外表像黑手党，但对方是魔法师。变身后的佳代——魔法少女“惊喜魔技”，一边以快哭出来的表情面对朝自己飞来的火砾，一边以魔术手杖击落。

The wildly-fired pellets did not curve or swerve. It was true that Kayo had been shocked. However, the pellets were slower than a Magical Girls’ reflexes. She saw people chop them out of the air with their sword, someone else sweep it away with their ribbons, and some people just vanished entirely As they defended themselves, the driver continued shooting while driving, neatly turning a half circle. The last shot before leaving was a net which was big, but slower than the pellets by far. In addition, it was not a lethal weapon, so Kayo and the others evaded it with ease. However, one person was trapped by it. The postgirl who looked like she was dressed up to work somewhere in Europe was caught in the web and thrashed around inside it.
毫无章法射过来的火砾，完全没有任何轨迹可循。佳代也着实受到不小的惊吓。但火砾的速度不及魔法少女们的反射神经。只见她们几个有人以刀击落、有人用缎带扫开，也有人干脆消失不见。当她们忙着防备时，司机一面开车一面持续射击，利落地来个大回转。离去之际当作最后一击而丢下的投网虽大，速度却比火砾慢上许多，再加上并非致命武器，因此佳代等人游刃有余地轻松躲过。然而，有一个人被网住了。打扮仿佛在欧洲哪里工作的邮差少女被网子罩住，在里面不断挣扎。

It would seem this girl was very slow, and she remembered that she was one of the first-years.
看样子这名少女似乎很迟钝，记得她是一年级的双人组之一。

After casting the net, the station wagon prepared to leave. The rainbow girl gave chase.
旅行车撒出网子后，打算驶离现场。彩虹少女追了上去。

The bunny girl remained on the scene to fight.
兔耳少女留在现场战斗。

The Arabian dancer chose to use hit and run attacks -- a tactic where one evaded after an attack to avoid their defense. The bunny girl dodged the Arabian dancer while suppressing the girl in the bridal gown while simultaneously avoiding the unpredictable swings of the pirate captain -- that was to say, Grace’s cutlass.
阿拉伯舞者则是从空中重复使出 hit and away 攻击——攻击后回避，并收起武器的脱身战术。
兔耳一边闪避阿拉伯舞者的攻击，一边牵制新娘礼服少女，同时格开在佳代看来难以辨识出攻击轨迹的海盗船长，也就是海的弯刀。

Kayo looked at her feet. The postgirl was still struggling inside the net. With no way to tear it and with the net unwilling to release her, struggling more only bound her up tighter. How sad, Kayo though. This girl was not suited for fighting, but she had been brought out here. Kayo recalled the moment when the fairy appeared, and how unmotivated she had looked. She must have been dragged along by her friend. She was in the same situation as Kayo.
佳代望向脚边。邮差少女正在网里拼命挣扎，既无法撕破网子，网子又不愿意放开她，越挣扎似乎缠得越紧。真是可怜，佳代心想。这名少女明显不擅长战斗，却还是被带来这种地方。佳代回想起妖精现身时的状况，只有它看起来毫无干劲。想必是被朋友拖来的吧。处境与佳代一样。

Kayo told the girl at her feet:
佳代对脚边的少女说:

“Don’t move, try and curl yourself into a ball.”
“别乱动，尽量将身体缩成一团。”

Kayo smiled gently to the girl who was looking up at her with a terrified look on her face. She was surprised by how she had the energy to still care for someone else, but then she laughed at herself and thought, maybe it’s just because we’re in the same boat. The postgirl did as Kayo asked, and hugged her knees beneath the net. Kayo laid her cape over her, completely covering the girl.
佳代对一脸恐惧地抬头望向自己的少女，露出一抹温柔至极的微笑。她忍不住惊讶于自己竟然还有余力对别人温柔，但又自嘲地想，也许是同病相怜的关系吧。邮差少女顺从地按照佳代的吩咐，在网子下抱起双膝缩成一团。佳代把披风覆盖在上面，完全盖住少女。

Kayo’s -- the Magical Girl “Funny Trick’s” -- Magical Skill was the ability to “swap hidden objects with other objects”. It was almost the same as stage prestidigitation, but differed in that the trick could not be seen through.
佳代——魔法少女“惊喜魔技”使用的魔法是“能够用其他物品与盖住之物对调”，跟所谓的魔术毫无两样，不同之处只在于这个手法无法破解。

Before she had come here, Kayo had verified the location of the trash bin near the vending machine. There had only been an empty can in there. The condition for activating Funny Trick’s Magical Skill was that she had to be certain of the location of the objects to be swapped, and to create a situation where the two objects to be swapped were not being observed by others.
来这里之前，佳代曾经确认过自动贩卖机旁的垃圾桶。里面只有一个空罐子。惊喜魔技要发动魔法的先决条件是，必须先掌握住对调物品的位置，并制造出两个对调之物不会被任何人看到的情景。

Kayo tapped the cape lightly, and the puffed-up cape sagged like a deflated balloon. By the time she took the cape away, there was only an empty can there.
佳代以手杖前端轻敲披风，原本鼓起的披风仿佛泄气的气球般越缩越小，等到她拿开披风时，里面只躺着一个空罐子。

It would seem she had made a successful rescue. Kayo thought to herself, magic really is handy. When she looked toward the vending machine, she saw the postgirl poke her head out of the trash bin, looking around.
看来是成功救出来了。佳代暗自心想，魔法还真是有用。当她望向自动贩卖机，便看到邮差少女从垃圾桶里探出头来，东张西望。

The fleeing station wagon roared past at incredible speed, and the rainbow girl who had been giving chase stopped by the trash bin to pull out the postgirl. The rainbow girl shouted:
以惊人的速度逃跑的旅行车从旁经过，原本追着车子的彩虹少女在垃圾桶旁停下脚步，拉出邮差少女。彩虹少女大喊:

“The two of us will be enough over here!”
“这边有我们两个人就够了！”

The postgirl was dragged after the fleeing station wagon by the rainbow girl. It would seem she had not figured out what was going on. Kayo once again thought of the phrase “we’re in the same boat”.
邮差少女被彩虹少女连拖带拉地追着逃跑的旅行车而去，看样子她似乎还搞不清楚状况。佳代的脑海里再度浮现同病相怜这个词。

☆Captain Grace

Rainbow clothes and the postgirl ran into the distance after the station wagon. Given a Magical Girl’s leg strength, they probably would not be left behind by a car. Then they could take care of that side of things. Right now, Captain Grace ought to focus herself here.
彩虹服与邮差两个人追着旅行车远去。就凭魔法少女的腿力，想必不会被汽车远远抛在后头吧。那边就交给她们了。眼下，葛蕾丝船长应该把心力放在这边。

Bunny ears was very agile. She stepped back and neatly avoided the mysterious object which the Arabian dancer was shooting at her, then she grabbed the spiral ribbons extended at her by the ballerina to throw her off balance and then kicked at her. The ballerina tried to make a wall to block the attack, but she was sent flying with her wall and collapsed on the road.
兔耳的动作相当敏捷。只见她向后一退，利落地闪避阿拉伯舞者射出来的不知名物体，并缠上芭蕾舞者伸长的螺旋状缎带，让对手失去平衡后一踢。被踢的芭蕾舞者以缎带制造出墙壁，想借此挡住攻击，却连人带墙一起遭到踢飞，倒在马路上。

If she had to choose between the fleeing vehicle and the bunny-ears, she would pick the bunny-ears. That was because picking her seemed more fun. To Umi, battles between Magical Girls felt like a real adventure to her.
逃跑的汽车与兔耳，一定要选的话，当然非兔耳莫属。因为选她似乎比较有趣。对海来说，魔法少女之间的战斗能令她感受到更强烈的冒险情怀。

Bunny-eats was strong, and when faced with an ambush, she did not seem rattled at all. She easily avoided the Arabian dancer’s attacks from on high and successfully evaded all the attacks which the surrounding Magical Girls had thrown at her in a stunning display of skill. Even when attacked from the blind spot of directly behind her and from directly above and in all directions at once, she dodged every single one of them without a scratch,
兔耳是强者，对于遭到袭击一事，丝毫没有任何动摇。轻轻松松地闪避阿拉伯舞者从高空发动的攻击，成功地躲开魔法少女从四面袭击而来的所有攻击手段，展现出惊人的技巧。包括应该是死角的背后与头顶正上方等所有方向的攻击，对方却连擦伤也没有地一一避开。

Kayo swung rashly, and her opponent seized her hand, but before her opponent could throw her out, Umi rushed forward to catch her. The bride and the Arabian dancer were too slow to help, and Ribbons was timidly avoiding the enemy’s attacks. It would seem everyone was scared. Either they had been frightened by the pellets, or they had been shaken by their opponent’s strength.
轻率地以手杖打过去的佳代，手腕被对方抓住，差点被对方甩出去前，海抢先一步接住了她。新娘礼服与阿拉伯舞者也迟迟无法出手、缎带也怯怯懦懦地闪避敌人的攻击，看来大家都被吓到了。被火砾吓到，不然就是被敌人的强大震慑住。

Umi cursed in her heart, to think we’d be beaten so badly by an unarmed person. Then, she sized up her opponent once more.
海在心里咒骂，竟然被没有携带任何武器的人打压成这样。接着，她重新观察起对手。

Bunny-ears was probably a Magical Girl.
那位兔耳也是魔法少女之一吧。

Just like herself, this Magical Girl was very strong. When Magical Girls of such strength fought, what would happen? Just thinking about it set Umi’s heart ablaze.
正如同自己这般，魔法少女很强大。具备如此强大力量的魔法少女，互相打起来的话，结果会是如何？光是思考就令海情绪沸腾。

“Fighting fair and square” was Shihabara Umi’s principle. Umi dodged to the side, bringing herself in front of bunny ears, who had blocked and then cleared away another Magical Girl’s attack. She held her cutlass in a reverse grip and swung with the back of her weapon. Bunny ears squatted low to avoid the attack, not even giving Umi time to praise her with a “not bad”. Then she planted her feet on the ground and kicked at Umi. Umi could not avoid that unexpected attack, and blood spurted from her thigh.
“正大光明地从正面攻击”是芝原海的原则。海绕至一边闪避、阻挡并一边顺势格开魔法少女们攻击的兔耳正前方，反手握住单刃的弯刀，以刀背处击向敌人。兔耳在一瞬间蹲低身形，避开攻击，完全不给海在心里赞叹“还蛮有一套的嘛”的时间，紧接着以手撑地，朝海的方向一踢。海无法完全避掉这出乎意料之外的一击，大腿喷出血来。

It was just a scratch, but Umi’s injury had changed the situation. The change was not in Umi herself, but in the surrounding atmosphere. Everyone had become a colorful, fantastic  Magical Girl on the basis of the children’s fairytale-like premise of “defeating the evil witch”. Right now, every single one of them was shaken by the unhesitant use of weapons and the bloodshed from a violent conflict. Unlike Umi, Kayo, the Class Rep and Sensei were not used to violence.
虽然仅仅只是擦伤，但由于海的负伤，使得局势出现变化。产生变化的并不是海本身，而是周围的气氛。建立在以击退邪恶魔法师这种童话故事般的目的之上，大家才会成为魔法少女这种充满奇幻色彩的存在并挺身对抗邪恶魔法师。此时此刻的她们对毫不犹豫地动用武器，以及爆发流血冲突产生动摇。无论是佳代、班长或是老师，都与海不同，她们不习惯动用武力。

Umi laughed out loud. If they tried to act cautiously here, they would end up losing morale like they had been crushed underfoot. Their opponent was an evil witch. If they backed down here, the world would be destroyed, Therefore, Umi raised her blade into a high stance, and swung down blade-first. While it looked like a powerful attack, it was merely a deception. The enemy would think that Umi was showing a weakness, and if Bunny ears really was that strong, she would pick this moment to attack.
海刻意放声大笑。若是在这里采取谨慎的行动，反而会像是被敌人踩在脚下般大挫我方士气。对方可是邪恶魔法师。在这里退缩的话，世界就会毁灭。于是，海将刀举高至上段位置，这次改刀刃向下，由上往下用力一挥。虽然看似气势惊人的攻击，但这只是欺敌手段。敌人应该会误以为海露出破绽，如果是兔耳这种程度的强者，一定会瞄准这点攻击。

Now how will the enemy attack -- as Umi hunkered down and waited, she saw bunny ears turn her back and run away. Her opponent leapt in a zigzag pattern, evading the surrounding Magical Girls and fleeing the scene at the same time. Umi hurriedly swung down, and her opponent ducked and squirmed past her from below.
接下来对方会如何攻击——当海严阵以待，却看到兔耳转身背对自己飞奔而去。对方一跳一跳地以く字型前进，一边闪避包围在四周的魔法少女一边逃离现场。海急忙挥刀，对方蹲低身形，从底下钻了过去。

“Don’t let her get away, you idiots!”
“别让她逃跑了，蠢蛋！”

Umi’s vicious words might have been an expression of the frustration she felt at her impotence. She swung at her opponent’s back, but then her opponent had already fled outside her attack range. In a  fit of pique, she threw her sword, but her foe avoided it by going to the ground, and then in a four-legged stance, she sprinted away without slowing down for a moment.
海会口出恶言，也许是对自己的无能感到焦虑的表现。一刀砍向背对自己的敌人，然而，对方早就逃到她的攻击范围之外。海自暴自弃地将刀丢了出去，却被对方趴向地面闪掉，然后就这样以四足动物般的姿势，毫不减速地一路狂奔。

In terms of short-range speed and agility, her opponent was superior, much as Umi hated to admit it. However, if she wanted to know if bunny ears had the stamina for long distances, she would not know if she did not give chase. It was because she did not know the answer that there was value in finding out. She would abandon everything else to give chase, and as long as she did not let her opponent  out of her sight, she had a chance of victory. Her enemy ran like a real rabbit, on both hands and feet, while Umi was hot in pursuit behind her.
若论短距离的速度与敏捷度，虽然很不甘心，对方的实力确实优于自己。然而，如果想知道兔耳是否具备长距离的持久力，不追过去绝对不会知道答案。正因为不知道答案，才有尝试的价值。不顾一切地穷追不舍，只要别让对方逃出视线范围外，就有获胜的机会。敌人犹如真正的兔子般，以双手双脚狂奔，而海紧追在后。

Bunny ears sprinted in a straight line along the road, then rounded a corner in front of the school, clambered up the Agriculture Association Building, leapt from the roof to the front of the warehouse, and then dropped back to the ground and continued sprinting. This loss of speed meant that the distance between both parties shrank.
兔耳在马路上以直线奔驰，在学校前方一转，攀上农业协会大楼，丛顶楼跳至仓库上方，再从那里下降至地面奔跑后，速度似乎有略减的趋势，两人之间的距离因此缩短。

--This ends here!
——到此为止了！

Umi reached out, but just before she could grab her opponent’s collar, a tremendous impact came from her thigh. She halted in her tracks and took a fighting stance. It was not bunny ears. There was no sign that bunny ears had even attacked. She had simply run like a frightened hair and vanished in an instant. Umi looked around.
海伸长了手，在她即将抓住敌人衣领的瞬间，大腿传来一阵强烈的冲击，她赶紧停下脚步，摆出备战姿势。不是兔耳。兔耳完全没有攻击她的迹象，只是如字面上意思般，动如脱兔地一味逃跑，一眨眼就不见踪影了。海将视线投向四周。

Had someone else attacked her? No. She had not sensed anyone else staring at her. There were no passers-by in the vicinity either. Had her attacker hidden themselves? Where were they hiding? There were only sidewalks and roads here, and then the fields.
她遭到别人的攻击？不对。她没有感觉到有人盯着自己的视线。附近也没有行人经过。攻击她的人躲起来了吗？躲在哪里？这里只有行人步道与车道，再来只剩下农田而已。

The place where she had felt the impact was where she had been scratched when she had been unable to avoid bunny ear’s flying kick. The wound was not deep, and when she touched it, it was still the same shallow scratch as before. She had felt the shock and the pain, but it had not caused any harm to her. However, the impact just now had not been a hallucination.
感受到强烈冲击之处，正是刚才兔耳使出飞踢时，她来不及闪避而擦伤的部位。那道伤口并不深，用手指贴在大腿上碰触，果然还是一样浅的擦伤。虽然感受到冲击与痛楚，但并没有对她造成任何损伤。然而，刚才的冲击绝对不是错觉。

Currently, only one thing was certain -- Umi had let bunny ears escape.
如今，剩下的只有一个事实——海让兔耳逃脱了。

☆Rain Pou

Just like all other living creatures, humans included, Magical Girls differed from individual to individual. These differences were not just limited to their Magical Skills, but also in their physical attributes. The Arabian dancer was very agile, while the pirate was not only nimble but mighty. Meanwhile, Ribbons was vastly inferior to them, but she could still fight. The bride, in contrast, had barely managed to corral her opponent.
如同包含人类在内的所有动物一样，魔法少女也有个体上的差异。这个差异并不是每个人既有的魔法，而是体能上会出现极大的落差。阿拉伯舞者很敏捷，海盗不只敏捷，同时也很强大，而缎带与她们两个相比，虽然差很多，但还算是派得上用场的战力。新娘礼服则是勉勉强强，才好不容易牵制住对方。

Sakaki Tatsuko, who had transformed and was running behind the Magical Girl “Rain Pou”, was slower even than the bride. Frankly speaking, she was clumsy, and she did not seem strong either.
现在同样变身跑在魔法少女“梦幻彩虹”身后的酒己达子，与新娘礼服相较之下，动作更迟钝一截。说穿了就是笨重，看起来似乎也不强。

Rain Pou worriedly asked:
梦幻彩虹一脸忧心地询问:

“Tacchan, are you alright?”
“小达，你没事吧？”

“Mm… I’m fine.”
“嗯……我没事。”

She might have been slow, but the fact that she could keep pace with the station wagon without going red in the face let her breathe a sigh of relief.
即使动作迟钝，但看到她能够脸不红气不喘地追赶旅行车，总算令人松了一口气。

Rain Pou maintained a speed that would not leave Tatsuko behind, and which would not allow the station wagon to shake them off. They ran in a straight line, and as long as there were no turnoffs that allowed their quarry to get onto the expressway, the vehicle would have to turn. When that happened, it would not be able to continue going more than 100 km/hour. However, even if her opponent really did drive onto the expressway, she would continue giving chase without hesitation.
梦幻彩虹维持着既不会丢下达子一人，也不会被汽车甩开的速度紧追在后。直线奔跑下去，只要没有绕道道路供对方驶上高速公路的话，势必得在某处转弯。如此一来，汽车便无法维持超过一百公里的时速。不过，即使对方真的开上高速公路，她也会毫不客气地加速。

In other words, there would be no problem regardless of which option was taken.
换句话说，无论哪一个选项都不会有问题。

Rain Pou glanced back at Tatsuko to make sure she was still following and occasionally cast a concerned look behind her while slowly speeding up. The car nearly ran over pedestrians and received angry horns from oncoming traffic, but still turned into a side alley without decreasing speed.
梦幻彩虹一边确认达子是否紧跟在后，偶尔投以担心的目光，一边慢慢加速。那辆旅行车即使差点碾到行人，或遭到对向行车狂按喇叭，也丝毫不减速地弯进一旁的巷弄。

--Excellent!
——很好！

She had the terrain advantage here. There was an alley ahead, and it was cramped and had many twists and turns. Even if her opponent managed to surpass these obstacles and reach the main road, it would not be unusual for them to get stuck in traffic considering that this was the evening peak hour and the roads were jammed.
她占有地利之便。前方是小巷弄，巷道狭窄且有许多转角。即使成功穿越这些障碍抵达大马路，也会因为现在是下班尖峰时段，路上交通拥塞，就算塞车也不是什么稀奇的事情。

However, if they wanted to settle things, then rather than the main road and its many witnesses, it would be better to do so in the alley, where there were fewer people. Rain Pou kicked off a concrete wall and used the rebound to jump onto a pine tree, then swung up to a power line from there, whereupon she created a “rainbow bridge” which led straight to her target. Creating it required no time at all, and this was Rain Pou’s magic.
不过，如果要分出胜负的话，比起目击者多的大马路，人迹罕至的小巷弄比较合适。梦幻彩虹用力一踢水泥墙，借由反作用力跳上松树，再从那里抓住电线，制造出从她的脚底下一直线通向目标物的“彩虹桥”。制作所需时间为零秒，这就是梦幻彩虹的魔法。

These were not simple rainbows; they had a certain degree of strength. Rain Pou sprinted after the station wagon atop her rainbows. Unlike how the vehicle had to turn here and there, she could ignore the alleys and proceed along her bridge in the sky, then estimate the car’s new location from its speed and head there instead.
这并不是单纯的彩虹，它拥有一定的强度。梦幻彩虹在彩虹桥上朝旅行车奔驰而去。不同于车子必须在巷弄中左拐右弯，她能够无视巷弄，从挂在天空的桥上直线前进，然后根据车子的速度预测出移动位置后，朝那里移动。

Suddenly, something unusual happened. The station wagon’s rear started billowing smoke. As Rain Pou jumped off her rainbow bridge, there was a tremendous crash of the station wagon colliding with something else, and the ground shook. The gray smoke puffed out with even more startling force. She covered her nose and mouth and looked up. Through the smoke, there was the vague outline of people running along the roof, splitting up in two different directions as they ran.
然而，突然发生异状。旅行车的尾端冷不防地冒出烟雾。梦幻彩虹从彩虹桥上跳下的同时，传来旅行车不晓得撞上哪里的轰隆巨响，地面一阵摇晃。灰色浓烟以更加惊人的气势冒出。
她以手覆盖住口鼻，抬头向上望。隐隐约约能够透过烟雾看到人影在屋顶上奔跑，兵分两路朝不同的方向飞奔离去。

It would seem the opposition was trying to create a smokescreen and then escape by fleeing in two directions at once.
看来是对手用烟雾当障眼法，打算兵分两路逃跑。

“What, what should we do, Kaori-chan…”
“怎、怎么办？香织……”

“Er… we should probably split up too… right?”
“呃……我们也兵分两路……吗？”

“Ehhhhhh~”
“咦～～”

“Alright, let’s do it! Tacchan, you go that way! I’ll go this way!”
“好，就这么办！小达你负责追那边！我负责这边！”

“Uuu…”
“喔……”

Tatsuko clambered up a concrete wall and ran off into the distance. Just as Rain Pou was about to start running, she sensed someone looking at her and turned around, whereupon she saw a middle-aged lady holding a three-year old child, looking fearfully at her. Therefore, Rain Pou waved to the lady--
达子踩上水泥墙，在屋顶上逐渐跑远。当梦幻彩虹也正要起跑时，察觉到一股视线回过头去，只见一名抱着年约三岁小孩的中年妇女，以胆怯的眼神看着梦幻彩虹。于是，梦幻彩虹朝女子摊开右手——

“Happy Halloween!”
“万圣节快乐！”

She then smiled. After she made sure that the woman’s face had become one that said, “Ahhh~ so it’s the season”, she too climbed up to the roof.
并投以微笑。在确认女子的表情转变成“啊啊～是这个时节了呀”后，也攀上了屋顶。

☆Wedin (23 hours and 50 minutes remaining

Musubiya Mine considered the gains and losses in all things. Her mother always told her “don’t weigh things in terms of benefits and drawbacks”, but she felt that her beliefs were correct.
结屋美祢判断一切事物的基准在于利益得失。母亲总是教导她“别用利益得失来权衡事情”，但她认为自己的信念没有错。

She was not the sort of person who disregarded friendship or love. If choosing friendship or love was wiser than picking money, status or other important things, she would select friendship or love without any hesitation whatsoever. If the entertainment gained from play was outweighed by the benefits of studying, then she would choose to study. When the stress of studying accumulated, she would relieve her stress through her hobbies. In Mine’s case, she would rent and watch anime DVDs.
她并不是要否定友情或爱情的存在。如果与金钱、地位或其他更重要的事物相比，选择友情或爱情比较明智的话，她会毫不犹豫地选择友情与爱情;如果与玩乐能够获得的快乐相比，用功能够获得的益处更大的话，她就会选择用功读书。当读书的压力越积越多时，再通过兴趣嗜好舒压。以美祢来说，就是租动画DVD回家观赏。

Choosing after comparing was simple and easy. Even if some of her classmates called her the “GPA chaser” behind her back, the fact was that her grades were more important compared to the stress of such remarks, so obviously she would choose her grades. Thus, she drew a line between herself and those people, and treated her other classmates nicely. For instance, she lent her homework to others for copying, listened to the woes of her classmates, and those actions of hers had been repaid. Of course, Mine would gladly sell out her kindness if it meant that it would earn her a good reputation.
比较后进行选择，既简单又明了。即使有一部分的同学背地说她是“学生评量表分数搜挂机”，但与这种压力相比，学生评量表比较重要，当然是选择学生评量表。于是，她与这类人划清界限，并亲切对待其他同学。举例来说，举例来说把自己的作业借给别人抄写、倾听同学的烦恼等，如此行为也确实获得了回报。如果能够带来声望这种好处，美祢当然非常乐意出卖自己的亲切。

If she had the dream of “becoming a Magical Girl” since childhood, she would naturally choose it without a second thought. Compared to the chance of being able to become a Magical Girl, the condition of having to fight an evil witch was nothing in comparison.
如果自幼怀抱着“魔法少女”的梦想，她当然也会义无反顾地选择。与能够成为魔法少女相比，必须挺身对抗邪恶魔法师的条件根本算不上什么。

***

The pirate returned, her stance full of suspicion. Given that bunny ears was not around, it would seem she had let her opposition get away.
海盗以充满戒心的模样返回现场，没有看到兔耳，看来让对方溜走了。

“Oi oi oi! How could you let her get away?!”
“喂喂喂！怎么可以让她逃脱啊！”

Toko had deployed the Magical Girls in a fan formation and she was trembling in anger. Now, she had directed it at the pirate. After that, when she saw that Rain Pou and the postgirl had returned empty-handed, her anger was positively volcanic.
让魔法少女排成扇形，生气地颤抖不已的多可，这次则是将怒气的矛头指向海盗。接着，在看到彩虹与邮差少女空手而返时，更是气到火山爆发。

“Why’d you let her escape! You had the advantage! You must have thought it would be easy and then froze up in shock! How could you get so cocky! Really! You idiots, you idiots, you big idiots!”
“为什么让对方逃掉了！你们明明比较有利耶！一定是你们自以为游刃有余，不小心吃太饱才动不了吧！怎么可以得意忘形啊！真是的！笨蛋、笨蛋、大笨蛋！”

“You did not even fight, so what right do you have to lecture us?!”
“连仗都没打的家伙，有什么资格在这里说大话！”

Toko had quite a neurotic response to Mine’s reflexive griping.
多可对美祢情不自禁吐出的抱怨，产生相当神经质的反应。

“What?! What do you mean, I didn’t fight! Listen up! I made you into Magical Girls! Without me, you wouldn’t even be Magical Girls! You let the enemy get away and you still dare to complain! In that case, I should have picked someone else to be a Magical Girl!”
“什么？什么叫做连仗都没打的家伙！我告诉你！让你们变成魔法少女的可是我耶！如果没有我的话，你们根本不可能成为魔法少女！让敌人溜走还好意思抱怨，既然如此倒不如让其他人当魔法少女！”

Mine bit her lip. She could not deny that she had spoken out of frustration, but she was still very angry. At the very least, she did not think Toko was speaking from the point of view of someone who had received everyone’s help.
美祢咬紧唇瓣。虽然无法否定她是因为焦躁才出言顶撞，但她还是觉得很火大。至少她不认为，多可这番发言是站在自己受到大家帮助的立场上。

As though ignoring Toko’s anger, the pirate stepped forward.
仿佛无视于多可的怒气般，海盗向前前进一步。

“This wound.”
“这个伤。”

The pirate pointed to her thigh, which was bleeding. Mine had also seen how it had happened. Bunny ears had delivered a flying kick, which had scraped her thigh and caused it to bleed.
海盗指向自己的大腿，它正流着血。美祢也有看到事发经过。那是兔耳使出飞踢时，擦过大腿才流血的吧。

“I felt pain like I’d been cut up by a sword, sawed open by a saw, my wound being salted, being ground up by a grinder, and then someone applying mustard onto it. Was it magic from the enemy?”
“我感觉到像是被大刀砍到、被锯子锯开、被撒上盐、被放上磨泥器磨、被涂上芥末的痛楚。这个是对方的魔法吗？”

“The enemy’s an evil witch, so obviously she can use magic. That’s not important, we need to catch up with her as soon as possible!”
“毕竟对方是邪恶魔法师嘛，当然能够使用魔法。这种事情一点都不重要，必须快点追上去才行。”

The rainbow girl nervously raised a hand.
彩虹少女战战兢兢地举起一只手。

“We couldn’t see anything on our side because of the smoke. We managed to stop the car, but the people inside escaped. We split up to search the surroundings., but we didn’t find anyone… however, we hid the enemy’s car before we came back.”
“我们负责的那边，因为烟雾的关系什么都看不到。虽然成功阻止了车子，但被里面的人逃掉了。我们也有分头搜寻四周，但没有发现任何人影……不过，我回来之前，把敌人开的车藏起来了。”

They were right to think that a Magical Girl’s pace could catch up with them. However, they had not anticipated the enemy to disrupt them and then get away.
判断魔法少女的脚程一定能追上的想法并没有错。只是万万没料到，有可能遭到扰乱而让对方逃掉。

Mine sighed quietly.
美祢轻轻地叹了一口气。

“If we don’t reflect on the things we should think about, we won’t be able to take the next step.”
“如果不反省该反省的事情，就无法进行下一步吧。”

“What’s there to reflect about? Chasing them down is the priority, right? They’re all evil witches! The world’s in danger! Your families are in danger too!”
“到底要反省到什么时候！要以追赶那帮家伙为优先吧！那些人可是邪恶魔法师！这个世界面临大危机！你们的家人也都深陷危机之中耶！”

“Rather than chase them recklessly, it would be better to consider strategies against them.”
“比起鲁莽地追上去，更应该好好思考对策。”

The people they were chasing were evil witches who had them dancing in the palm of their hands, despite their having received the power of Magical Girls. She had not taken the enemy lightly, but judging by the results, they had all underestimated the adversary. Their opponents were not only like the Magical Girls, but they were even stronger. In addition, while she had thought of herself as very strong, she had ended up being completely useless in a fight between Magical Girls. Be it the pirate’s or bunny ear’s movements, she had to struggle to keep up.
她们追赶的人可是即使自己获得魔法少女强大的力量，却仍然足以将她们几个玩弄在手掌心的邪恶魔法师。虽然她没有轻敌，但从结果来看她确实轻敌了。对方不只跟魔法少女一样，甚至更强大。更别提，原本以为很强的自己在面对魔法少女之间的战斗时，根本派不上任何用场。不管是海盗的动作或是兔耳的动作，她都是拼了命才能勉强跟上。

It could not be helped that her Magical Skill of the “Binding Promise” was not suitable for combat, but the other Magical Girls might have a chance to make use of their own Magical Skills. If she did not know everyone’s Magical Skills, they might not even be able to take instructions.
自己的“强制誓约”魔法，不适用于战斗也是没办法的事情，但其他的魔法少女们也许有使用各自魔法的机会。如果不知道大家的魔法，连指示也无法下达。

No, perhaps she ought to consider how to use her own Magical Skill in combat. In any case, it would be better to learn the other Magical Girls’ Magical Skills.
不对，也许应该思考如何将自己的魔法运用于战斗中。不管怎么说，先掌握其他魔法少女的魔法比较好。

“I’m with the Class Rep.”
“我也投班长一票。”

The pirate expressed her support, but Mine did not like that form of address. She shook her head and pointed to herself with her thumb.
海盗表示赞成，但美祢并不满意那个称呼。她摇摇头，以大拇指指着自己。

“I am not the Class Rep. I am Wedin. My Magical Girl name is Wedin.”
“我不是班长，我是誓约薇汀。我的魔法少女名为誓约薇汀。”

Since she was now a Magical Girl, she had to make that clear. Even when the enemy cried the main character’s name, they would go, “Damn you, Cutie Red!” instead of “Damn you, Tanaka Yoshiko!”
既然她现在是魔法少女，就必须明确说清楚。就连敌人喊英雄主角的时候，也都是说“甜心魔幻你这家伙！”而不是“田中良子你这家伙！”。

“I see. We don’t even know each other's’ names, so how can we even work together? I’m Captain Grace. I’ll be in your care from now on, Wedin.”
“原来如此。我们连彼此的名字都不知道，这样根本别想谈同心协力。我是葛蕾丝船长，从今以后请多指教喽，誓约薇汀。”

“The same. Please take care of me, Captain Grace.”
“彼此彼此，请多指教，葛蕾丝船长。”

After shaking hands, the two of them nodded in approval. It would seem they had similar mindsets.
握手后，两人互相点头致意。看来她们的想法很接近。

“Well, honestly, I let the blood rush to my head and I got too hasty. Let’s introduce ourselves to each other. Of course, it would be best if it wasn’t just our names, but our Magical Skills and better yet, our physical abilities too.”
“我也真是的，一时被热血冲昏头，过于急躁了。首先请各位自我介绍一下吧。当然，不只名字，还有魔法，最好连体能都描述一下。”

Just then, Toko screamed at the top of her voice. It was quite impressive how she could make so much noise despite her miniature body.
就在此时，虽然体型迷你却能发出让人忍不住钦佩的洪亮声音的多可，以大嗓门发出嘘声。

“Poooh! Pooooh! These tiny things aren’t important! If we don’t hurry up, the other side will get away.”
“噗——噗——！这种小事一点都不重要，不快一点的话，就会被对方逃掉啦！”

“We will definitely capture the people who ran away, is that not obvious? That aside, we ought to make better preparations? Does the saying not go, ‘The lion will still chase the rabbit with all his strength’?”
“我们一定会去抓逃跑的人，这不是理所当然的事情吗？先不论这点，我们应该要有更万全的准备吧。不是有句谚语说，狮子搏兔，亦会全力以赴吗？”

“I agree.”
“我有同感。”

“Mei will reflect on herself too.”
“小梅也要反省。”

“You’re wasting time! Honestly! If you don’t take care of them, you won’t be able to become real Magical Girls, you know!”
“你们也太拖拖拉拉了吧！真是的！如果不把那帮家伙收拾掉的话，你们可没办法成为正式的魔法少女喔！”

“Self-reflection is a good thing… although, should we do so in a different place?”
“反省当然是好事……不过，要不要换一下地点？”

The ribbon girl… that ought to be Himeno-sensei. Perhaps she was worried about the eyes of the world, but she seemed to be quite conscious of her surroundings. The surface of the asphalt road had been pulverized by the strength of Magical Girls’ legs and destroyed beyond repair, while garbage cans were strewn in the center of the road, and then there were the cosplaying girls in the midst of it all.
缎带少女……记得她应该是姬野老师。也许是顾虑到世俗的眼光，似乎很在意周遭。被魔法少女的脚力踏到粉碎、毁损到完全无法修补状态的柏油路面、倒在马路正中央的垃圾桶，以及一身角色扮演打扮的少女们。

There were no passers-by around, but there were several houses. Several people had been startled by the noise and had begun to gather around to gawk. The old grandpas and grandmas were asking “are they filming a TV show?” while pointing at them. She saw a middle-aged housewife looking at them like they were monsters. In contrast, a girl of about 5 was looking at them with sparkly eyes.
附近没有行人，但有几户民宅。好几人被巨大的声响吓到，纷纷围观。在田里做农活的老爷爷与老婆婆，一边说“这是在录制电视节目吗？”一边指向这里。看似专职主妇的中年妇女以看异形的眼神望着她们。年约五岁的小女生，则是双眼闪闪发光。

A situation like this would not be limited to just this amount of onlookers. The Japanese police were very efficient, and she was sure that a squad car would soon arrive.
这种情形并不会只有这点程度的围观群众。日本的警察相当优秀，想必再过不久警车就会抵达现场。