Unmarked Chapter 9

Chapter 09: The Cosmos Become A Battleground

The Land of Magic’s Human Resources Department was traditionally very slothful, a tendency which only became more obvious after they received powerful assistants.
“魔法之国”人才发掘部有着消极怠工的传统风潮，据称，在拥有了强力的魔法助手后这种倾向顺理成章地变得更为显著。

Compared to the more orthodox familiars of the past, like black cars and owls, electronic fairy-type familiars who resided in administrator Magical Phones had good performance reviews and were more popular. They made up about 80% of the Human Resources’ Department’s familiars.
比起过去的黑猫或者猫头鹰之类所谓正统的使魔，自身栖息于管理者终端内在工作上有着良好口碑的电子妖精型使魔也因上述理由而倍受青睐。人才发掘部内以它们为使魔的职员占到了八成。

Fav could be considered an extremely senior familiar when it came to his duration of service in the Human Resources Department. Despite his hefty qualifications, he had no passion for his job. When had he lost it? Or had it never been there from the beginning? Even it did not remember any more. Perhaps it was a defective product. It was sick of exams, tired of its master, and the only thing which let it persist in being a familiar was inertia. Until it met Clamberry.
法布在人才发掘部平资论辈可以算是大前辈使魔了。资格虽老但对工作毫无热情。到底是失去了曾经的热情呢？还是一开始就没热情呢？甚至连这点都不记得了。或许是不良品也说不准。厌倦了考试，腻味了主人，只剩惰性使然仍在坚持做着使魔的行当。直到遇见库兰贝莉为止。

During Clamberry’s selection exam, Fav was responsible for performing function checks to prevent accidents, but its carelessness led to a summoned demon going berserk, and consequently the massacre of its master and the candidates. While Fav was happy to watch the sudden upset of the boilerplate exam, what excited it even more was the nine year old girl who defeated the demon by herself.
库兰贝莉起先参加选拔考试那时，就是为防事故发生而本该负责机能检查的法布工作敷衍的缘故，导致被召唤的恶魔暴走，使得主人和候补者惨遭虐杀。法布虽乐见刻板的考试被突发事变搞砸，但更让其兴奋的则是只身一人打到恶魔的九岁少女。

The girl’s eyes, speech and abnormal battle-lust were clear indicators of mental imbalance, but Fav made up a report to its superiors indicating that she had no problems. This girl would make for some interesting exams, Fav believed. And so, Fav, who had just lost its partner, recommended that Clamberry be its new Master.
少女无论是眼神、谈吐，还是异常好战的态度，都明显呈现出精神失常的状态，然而法布却对上层捏造了一份毫无问题的报告书。如果是这名少女，一定能玩出有趣的考试来，法布如此坚信。于是刚刚失去搭档的法布推荐库兰贝莉成为了主人。

Fav’s belief was well-founded. Clamberry was not only the best examiner for it, but also the best partner. Besides it, he had never seen any Magical Girl who would take part in the exam to satisfy her battle-lust. Clamberry revelled in the joy of slaughter, while Fav enjoyed the exciting scenes which took place before its eyes.
法布的确信是正确的。库兰贝莉不仅是最棒的考官，同时也是最棒的伙伴。除了她之外，从未出现过任何一位为满足自己的战斗欲望，以参加者身份加入考试的魔法少女。库兰贝莉享受着杀戮的乐趣，法布则观赏着眼前上演的刺激场面。

Selection exams were hardly interesting as entertainment. They focused on selecting one person for criteria like courage, wisdom, personality and so on, which had nothing to do with Magic, and the sole selected person would become a true magic-user. The candidates who were not selected would only return to their original lives with altered memories.
本来选拔考试作为展演是没什么趣味性的。注重于勇气、智慧、人格等和魔法毫无关系的要素，唯一被选中的人才能成为真正的魔法使。未被选中的候补者也只会被替换记忆回到原本的生活中。

Fav and Clamberry’s exams were different. They used fatal elimination rules to twist the exams, leading to a format where the candidates killed each other and the strongest were chosen as the victors. Sometimes there were even cases where the strongest ended up being killed by an over-excited Clamberry. It was all well and good to crave combat, but it hoped that she would rein in her sole bad habit of getting too fired up.
法布和库兰贝莉的考试就不同。考试被扭曲成了死亡淘汰赛的规则，变成了候补之间相互厮杀，选出最强之人为胜者的形式。偶尔甚至会有所选出的“最强之人”被兴头上的库兰贝莉杀掉的情况。战斗欲望虽好，唯有过火的分寸这点希望重练。

Dealing with the Land of Magic--which operated on benevolence as a basic principle--was an easy task for Fav. In order to prevent the truth of the situation from getting out, they spared no effort in altering the memories of the winners or edited the reports to support them, and their efforts ensured that nothing had been exposed to date.
应付以性善说为准则的“魔法之国”对法布来说实在是小菜一碟。为了不使事情败露，不遗余力地篡改胜者记忆，又或者将报告书篡改成对自己有利的说辞，其付出的努力顺利使得至今不曾暴露。

Because the winners they selected were stronger and stronger, Fav and Clamberry’s exams were instead held in high regard for producing capable people.
由于被选出的胜者越来越强，法布和库兰贝莉的考试反而渐渐有了能者辈出的良好评价。

Talented individuals were the strength of the Land of Magic. Compared to examiners who used tried and tested methods which inducted incompetent people, Fav and Clamberry could be considered righteous patriots.
有才能的人，换言之就是“魔法之国”的力量。跟采用墨守成规的考试将无能之辈引入的考试官比起来，法布和库兰贝莉还能算是出色的爱国者而理直气壮。

However much Fav liked Clamberry, it was not a romanticist who had lingering attachments to the deceased. If it needed a new Master, then it would jump ship. Swim Swim could not understand its policies and rejected Fav’s assistance; thus she could not be considered a good Master. Thus, she would have to be eliminated.
尽管法布喜欢库兰贝莉，但并不是对死人怀有执念的浪漫主义者。一旦需要新的master跳槽就行。泳泳未能理解行动方针就拒绝了法布的协力，因此称不上是位好master。那就有必要排除。

◇◇◇

La Pucelle, who swore to protect her.
发誓要守护的圣少女。

Sister Nana, whose aim was a peaceful resolution.
目标和平解决的修女娜娜。

And then, Hardgore Alice.
还有，哈德格尔·爱丽丝。

That girl was Hardgore Alice. The girl who was in despair over losing her keys.
那孩子就是哈德格尔·爱丽丝了。丢了钥匙而烦恼的那孩子。

She breathed a sigh of relief at the announcement of the game’s conclusion, but at the same time she could not help but think of the question, “Why was I the only one to survive?” She was a crybaby and a coward. All she did was run away, she was afraid, she was frightened, she was terrified, and yet only Snow White had lived.
游戏结束的宣言，在让人松了一口气的同时使人不禁会想“为何只有自己活了下来呢？”这个问题。哭泣包，胆小鬼，净逃避，害怕，仅仅是害怕，恐惧着，战栗着，却只有白雪活了下来。

Because Snow White’s mind was filled with the question, “Why was I the only one to survive?” when she received a request to meet from one of the other surviving Magical Girls, she accepted without thinking.
白雪脑子里仅剩“为何只有自己活了下来呢？”这个问题的缘故，在接到其他存活下来的魔法少女想要会面的联络时，也就不假思索地接受了。

Snow White thought that everyone was a friend, that they were important. However, the fact that she had survived was more comforting than the thought that everyone else had died. She wanted to die. She also wanted to ask the surviving Magical Girl how she felt now that everything was over.
白雪认为大家都是朋友，都是重要之人。然而比起众人的死来说，自己还活着的事实更令人安心。好想死。也想问问活下来的魔法少女，在一切都已经结束的现在是何种心情。

She tasted nothing she ate, and she no longer felt fear. Her entire being had gone numb.
整日食不知味，再无恐惧之念。人已经麻痹了。

***
The Magical Girl she met in front of the beach was far removed from what Snow White imagined. She did not look like a battle-hardened hero, or a bloodthirsty fiend. There was a cool air around her, and she looked both solemn and stirring in her black attire. However, her eyes were clear, and they seemed to glow. There was a powerful will within them.
海水浴场前见到的魔法少女，与白雪想象中的大相径庭。看上去完全不像历经战斗的勇者，也不像嗜血的杀人狂魔。有一种凄凉的氛围，并且一袭黑衣更显悲壮。然而她清秀的眉眼中发散着熠熠光芒。那里面寄宿着强烈的意志。

“Good evening…”
“晚上好……”

“...Good evening.”
“……晚上好”

Ripple. A Magical GIrl who had survived.
波纹。活下来的魔法少女。

“Swim Swim…”
“泳泳……”

“Eh?”
“诶？”

“If you know anything about Swim Swim… please tell me…”
“如果你知道什么关于泳泳的情况……还请告诉我……”

Why? What about Swim Swim? It was as though her questions were written all over her face. Ripple spoke:
为什么？泳泳的情况？就像是将疑问写在脸上一样。波纹说。

“She… has to die…”
“那家伙……必须杀掉……”

“Eh?!”
“诶？”

“Because I want to avenge… my friend…”
“因为是朋友的……仇人……”

“But, but. They already said nobody else would be eliminated.”
“可、可是。明明公告已经说不用再淘汰任何人了呀”

“If you know anything… about Swim Swim… please tell me…”
“泳泳的情况……知道的话……请告诉我……”

The end of the game had been announced. There should not be anything like killing other people and removing other people. Snow White began to think, “I need to talk her down from this”, but then it became, “Why did I think of talking her down?”
宣布结束的公告已经发布了。应该再没有谁杀死谁，谁除掉谁这种事情了才是。白雪本来一开始想着“不想办法说服她可不行”，转而就变成了“为什么会有一定要说服她这种想法呢？”

Ripple looked at the silent Snow White, sighed, and turned away.
波纹看着沉默不语的白雪，叹了口气，转过身。

“THen, goodbye…”
“那再见了……”

“Wait!”
“等等！”

Snow White had had enough. She did not want to see or hear of someone else’s death.
白雪已经受够了。再也不想看到也不想听到有谁死掉。

“The eliminations are over! You don’t have to kill anybody anymore!”
“可怕的淘汰已经结束了啊。再也不用除掉谁了啊！”

Ripple turned back.
波纹回过头来。

“Please stop. Hurting other people to live is bad enough. But now, that reason doesn’t even exist any more, does it? If you kill people now, you won’t be a Magical Girl… you’ll just be a murderer!”
“住手吧。本来为了活下去而伤害别人就已经很讨厌了。可是，就连这个理由都已经不存在了不是吗？如今杀掉别人的话，已经不再是魔法少女……就只是单纯的杀人犯了呀！”

“I don’t mind if I’m not a Magical Girl… being a murderer is fine with me.”
“我不做魔法少女也不要紧……单纯的杀人犯也没关系。”

Ripple was unmoved. Her words and her eyes were filled with determination. Struck by her powerful will, Snow White took half a step back.
波纹不为所动。话语和视线里都充满了坚决的意志。被强烈的意志所回击，白雪退了半步。

“However, I did want to become a Magical Girl… I envy you, Snow White.”
“不过，也曾想要成为魔法少女呢……真羡慕你啊。白雪”

Ripple turned her back on her once more. Snow White could no longer stop her. Her words could no longer move her.
波纹再次背向了自己。白雪明白已经无法阻止她了。自己的劝说无法让她动摇分毫。

Swim Swim’s former leader, Ruler. Clamberry, who had gone to see Swim Swim. The Peaky Angels and Tama of Swim Swim’s team. All of them were dead. All the Magical Girls who had come into contact with Swim Swim were dead. Ripple would surely die too. She could not beat Swim Swim.
原本领导泳泳的王权也好，去见泳泳的库兰贝莉也好，泳泳小队所属的Peaky·Angels和小玉也好，全都死了。和泳泳扯上关系的魔法少女全都死了。波纹一定也会死。不可能胜得过泳泳。

Snow White could not choose. Until now, she had not chosen, merely been carried along by the flow of things. However, Ripple had made a choice. Even though she knew she was setting foot on a one-way road to death, she still chose to walk down it. Ripple had just said she was not a Magical Girl. That was not true. Ripple was a Magical Girl. She did not want her to die.
白雪没能做出选择。时至今日从未自己选择仅仅是随波逐流。然而波纹做出了选择。就算知道是条连接着死亡的不归路，依然选择并向前迈进。波纹刚刚说了自己不是魔法少女。不对。波纹才是魔法少女。不希望她死掉。

“Swim Swim’s weakness is light and sound ~pon. Although she’s supposed to be able to pass through anything, light and sound are an exception ~pon.”
“泳泳的弱点是光和声音pon。虽然号称万物皆能穿过但声音和光线例外pon”

The voice came from Snow White and Ripple’s Magical Phones at the same time. The shrill composite voice spoke confidently through the speakers.
白雪和波纹两人的魔法终端同时传出声音来。尖锐的合成音透过扬声器若有自信地继续说道。

“In any case, if you can’t accept her under any circumstances, we can continue the game ~pon. This is not a private killing, but ultimately part fo the game. It can’t be helped. Then, work hard until there’s only two people left ~pon.”
“总之，如果波纹无论如何都接受不了的话也可以继续进行游戏pon。这并不是私斗，说到底也是游戏的一环。也没办法呢。那就在只剩两人之前加油吧pon”

Snow White stared at the chattering Magical Phone like she was looking at something unclean. Fav was using its usual comical tone to say shocking things.
白雪用看脏东西一样的眼神凝视着叽里呱啦说个不停的魔法终端。法布用一如既往滑稽的口吻说着吃惊的内容。

“Fav! What ae you…!”
“法布！胡说什……！”

“Thank you… very much…”
“谢谢……感激不尽……”

With those words, Ripple leapt off the steel tower. Snow White reached for Ripple’s red scarf, but she grasped only air.
波纹留下一声道谢转即从铁塔飞身跃出。白雪伸出手在触到波纹红色的围巾前就抓了个空。

“People like that will work hard even if you leave them alone. So why not give them a push ~pon?”
“那种人啊。就算放任自流也会努力的。倒不如背后推一把更好呢pon”

“Why… why did you add fuel to the fire?!”
“为什么……为什么要做煽风点火的事情！”

“Swim Swim should have become my Master ~pon. She even managed to kill Tama, who killed Clamberry, so she had the chance to become my Master ~pon.”
“本来泳泳应该成为主人的pon。连做掉库兰贝莉的小玉都被她杀了的泳泳大有机会成为主人的pon”

“What are you saying…?”
“在说些什么……？”

“However. That girl won’t do ~pon. Perhaps she’s a few branches short of a tree ~pon? Swim Swim is a capable killer, but she fails as a Master ~pon. In that case, encouraging a motivated Ripple to kill Swim Swim would be more beneficial to Fav.”
“不过呢。那孩子不行pon。该说是脑筋有几根短路跟不上吗？泳泳就算作为杀手有才能但作为管理者是不合格的pon。那不如唆使干劲十足的波纹杀掉泳泳对法布来说更有利呢”

Snow White pulled off the clip at her waist and raised the Magical Phone before her eyes with both hands. She glared at the floating 3D image of the black and white mascot character.
白雪扯下系在腰间的环扣，双手抓起魔法终端举到眼前。她怒瞪着立体影像中漂浮着的黑白吉祥物。

“Snow White, why are you so angry ~pon? Is this not the development you dreamed of? If Ripple and Swim Swim kill each other, you’ll be the sole survivor and the true winner! You’ll become the new Master and be treated well by the Land of Magic ~pon!”
“为什么白雪你要发火呢pon？对你而言这不是最梦寐以求的展开吗pon？波纹和泳泳同归于尽的话你就成了唯一活下来的真正赢家了哦！就会成为新的主人而受到『魔法之国』的招待哦pon！”

Snow White let go of the Magical Phone with her right hand, she raised her fist high, and then she smashed it down on the display. The Magical Phone buckled in the middle under the strength of a Magical Girl’s arm, and the display went black
白雪右手松开终端，捏紧拳头高高举起，砸向屏幕。被魔法少女的腕力所砸的终端从正中间弯曲了。画面一片黑暗。

“Ah~ what a shame ~pon. Venting your anger like that is meaningless. Even if you smash your Magical Phone, I won’t disappear--”
“啊啊。太可惜了pon。做这种事情来发泄明明没有任何意义。就算砸掉你的终端我又不会消失——”

The 3D image vanished.
立体影像消失了。

Hardgore Alice had said this before. If Snow White was around, Magical Girls would not disappear from the city. Even with death staring her in the eyes, she still thought of Snow White. Even at the end of her life, she was still thinking of other people.
哈德格尔·爱丽丝曾说过。有白雪在的话，这座城市就不会失去魔法少女。明明死亡就在眼前，还依然想着白雪。就算命陨之际还考虑着别人的事情。

Snow White no longer believed that she was a Magical Girl. But she did not want to disappoint Hardgore Alice.
白雪早已不再认为自己是一名魔法少女。但是又绝对不想让哈德格尔·爱丽丝失望。

There was something she had to do. Snow White leapt from the steel tower.
还有非做不可之事。白雪从铁塔上飞身跳下。

◇◇◇

They could meet anywhere. Now that there were so few Magical Girls, there was no longer a need to mark territory, and once night fell, there were deserted places everywhere. The reason why Swim Swim had chosen Kojimadai Dam was because of home ground advantage.
碰面的地方哪儿都行。现在魔法少女的数量已经少到没有必要划定地盘了，一到夜里，人烟稀少之地满城皆是。泳泳选择项岛台大坝单纯是因为主场之利而已。

After traversing the serpentine mountain path, the dam suddenly appeared before her eyes. About 110 meters from the entrance was a circular area paved with stone slabs, with several long wooden benches on it. Nobody occupied them, be it day or night.
穿过蛇形的山道，大坝豁然出现在眼前。距入口百十来米的地面铺满了刻成圆形的石板，上面摆放着几条木质长椅。白天姑且不论夜里当然是没人坐的。

On the east was an endless expanse of mountains, while there was a sprawling levee on the west, and beyond the levee were more mountains. This place had been built to allow people to enjoy the view. The mountains were far from the city, and the nights here were very dark. It was so dark that the cosmos flowers that bloomed around here could not be seen.
东侧是无际的群山，西侧是开阔的大堤，大堤的对面还是群山。此处就是为了让人欣赏这景色而铺设的。离城市谈不上近的山中，夜里很暗。暗到遍开的波斯菊都看不见。

The humid weather had been forecasted long ago, and it began to rain. However, the rain was not heavy. The raindrops darkened scattered spots on the concrete, which began to spread. Ripples blossomed in the reservoir lake. However, neither a torrential rain or a gentle shower could wet Swim Swim in the slightest. The raindrops simply passed through Swim Swim and fell straight to the ground.
潮湿的空气像是早早做了预报。开始下雨了。不过雨势并不大。淅淅沥沥的雨滴点黑在水泥地上，渐渐扩散开来。水库里湖面上荡着圈圈涟漪。其实无论是倾盆大雨还是蒙蒙细雨都无法润湿泳泳分毫。雨滴只是穿过泳泳径直落向地面。

Swim Swim had become the Master. That said, she did not know what a Master did. Fav had given her too much information, and there were many kanji there she had not learned yet, so she had to ask Fav to vocalize them, and then she had just left it aside.
泳泳成为了主人。虽然还不知道主人究竟是做什么的。从法布手里得到的资料量太过庞大，加上其中有很多还没学过的汉字的缘故，只是拜托法布给注上拼音，然后就放着不管了。

Swim Swim had achieved Ruler’s aim of “becoming the overall leader of the Magical Girls.” However, she had lost the Peaky Angels and Tama. If it were Ruler, she would surely have achieved her aim while keeping everyone alive.
泳泳实现了王权要成为“魔法少女的总队长”的目标。然而却失去了Peaky·Angels和小玉。换做王权的话一定能够在让大家活着的前提下实现目标吧。

Swim Swim looked into the night sky. She noticed that the rain was getting stronger.
泳泳仰望着夜空。注意到雨势渐强了。

When she had received Ripple’s request to meet up, Swim Swim had accepted. A general without troops was not a general, Ruler had said. There was no more need to kill, and Swim Swim needed subordinates.
在收到波纹经由法布提出希望会面的请求时，泳泳接受了。没有士兵的将军算不上将军，王权曾这样说过。已经没有再厮杀的必要了。泳泳需要增加部下。

The sound of footsteps blended with that of the falling rain. There was also the sound of water splashing. The other party was at the entrance to the dam. They were roughly 100 meters away. She was a Magical Girl who looked like a shadow. Her clothes were black, her hair was black, and her eyes were jet black.
雨声里混着脚步声。其间还不时掺杂着水花飞溅的声音。对方就在大坝入口。相距百米远。影子般的魔法少女。衣着漆黑，头发漆黑，瞳孔漆黑。

50 meters away. She seemed familiar. It would seem she had met her somewhere before.
五十米远。很眼熟。好像在哪儿见过。

20 meters away. They seemed to be wearing a jacket of some sort.
二十米远。对方似乎披着外套的样子。

10 meters away. The jacket billowed in the wind. There were words embroidered on the back. However, they were too complicated, and Swim Swim did not know them.
十米远。外套随风飘扬。外套背后刺着一个字。不过字太复杂，泳泳不认识。

Five meters away. The Magical Girl stopped in her tracks. Her eyes were long and narrow. Her gaze was razor-sharp. The moment when their eyes met felt like she was going to hack down on her. Swim Swim remembered who the Magical Girl before her was. She flicked the pill into her mouth with her thumb, and swallowed.
五米远。魔法少女停下了脚步。细长清秀的眉眼。锐利的目光。视线交汇刹那就像要砍过来一般。泳泳想起了眼前的魔法少女是谁。于是她拇指弹起药片用嘴接住，咽了下去。

◇◇◇

She had no intention of wasting time. In the past, when Ripple had fought Swim Swim, she had glimpsed a fraction of her Magic. Blades passed through her like air. She had melted into the building like water. Swim Swim could pass through objects. Even with a time limit, she could leisurely escape.
完全没有浪费时间的打算。过去波纹与泳泳交战之际，曾经见识过她魔法的只鳞片角。刀刃如同砍中空气一样完全透过了她。像溶入水中一般潜入了大楼。泳泳穿透了物质。就算有时间限制一类的东西，也让她能够悠哉游哉的逃走。

There was only one way Ripple could take her revenge on Swim Swim.
波纹要向泳泳报一箭之仇的方法只有一个。

Swim Swim hefted a massive weapon. Ripple circled half a step back to evade it, but she could not. Swim Swim’s strike was faster and stronger than she imagined. It was completely unlike the battle on the hotel roof. Searing heat blossomed on the left side of Ripple’s face, and her vision turned red.
泳泳挥来巨大的武器。波纹向右回转半步试图回避，但还是没能躲开。泳泳的刀比想象中更快更强。与之前在酒店顶楼战斗时完全不同。波纹的左脸感受到炽热，视线一片殷红。

Ripple clicked her tongue, then shed Top Speed’s jacket and threw it over Swim Swim. The clothing fell to the stone without any resistance. At the same time she realized Swim Swim had sunk into the ground, she sensed a killing intent from behind her that was as sharp as a blade.
波纹咂咂嘴，脱掉最高速的外套，朝泳泳盖去。衣物毫无阻力的跌落在石板上。觉察到泳泳潜入地面的同时感受到犹如芒刺在背的杀机。

Ripple turned. She sensed wind pressure. Her blade was vibrating. She glimpsed Swim Swim’s form. Her body’s left side felt like it had been hit by something invisible. She could not see the weapon, and neither could she evade. Her arm twitched. Her flesh ached as it was torn apart. It was a severe wound, but her chance had come. Now, she could create an opening.
波纹扭过身子转回头。感觉到风压。刀刃在振动。视线内捕捉到了泳泳的身影。自己的身体左侧像是被某种透明物体所击倒。看不见武器，也无法回避。手臂抽搐着。皮肉被撕扯般疼痛。是重伤，但是机会也来了。这一来终于能制造破绽。

Ripple stuck her foot out at Swim Swim’s face. Her aim was not to hurt her opposition. Rather, she wanted to use the sole of her foot to block everything above her nose and break her line of sight. At the same time, her right hand reached into the 4D bag at her waist. Inside was Calamity Mary’s equipment.
波纹朝泳泳的脸伸出了脚。目的并不是给予对方伤害。而是用脚底心挡在对方鼻尖上部，遮住她的视线。与此同时，右手伸进了腰间的四次元袋。里面是灾厄玛丽的魔法道具。

Swim Swim could not pass through everything. There were still some things she could not pass through. Fav had said light and sound were Swim Swim’s weaknesses. Currently, Ripple could only gamble on Fav’s advice.
并不是世间万物皆能透过泳泳，而是仍然有无法透过之物。法布说过声音和光就是泳泳的弱点。如今的波纹只能赌在法布的助言上了。

Ripple’s Magic was 100% accuracy with shuriken. Even if one of her arms was severely wounded and one of her eyes was destroyed, if she threw something, she could hit with it. Therefore, Ripple gracefully threw the flashbang grenade with its safety pin out. The flashbang travelled through the air as though in slow motion, and Ripple’s Magic ensured it struck Swim Swim unerringly, burrowing into her body.
波纹的魔法是百发百中的手里剑。即便是单手受了重伤，一侧眼睛被击碎，只要扔出就能命中。因此，波纹优雅地扔出了拉开插针的眩光手雷。眩光手雷像慢镜头般缓缓划过空中，波纹的魔法使其不偏不倚地命中了泳泳，钻入了她的身体内侧。

Flashbangs. They were special grenades used when killing was not allowed. They were nonlethal weapons designed to generate a powerful sound and a burst of light that would incapacitate the opposition. The brief loss of hearing, sight and the panic would render the opposition incapable of taking action. That was one of the weapons Calamity Mary had prepared. While Calamity Mary was dead, the Magic she had imbued into her weapons remained.
眩光手雷。是在不允许杀伤的场合下所使用的特殊手雷。是利用爆炸所产生的强烈声音和闪光使对象丧失行动能力的非致命武器。暂时性的失聪、失明和恐慌等会导致对象无法行动。这是灾厄玛丽所准备的武器中的其中之一。灾厄玛丽虽然死了，武器上所施加的魔法却还在。

The flashbang grenade detonated inside Swim Swim’s body.
魔法眩光手雷在泳泳的身体内侧爆炸了。

Even though Swim Swim served as a barrier of sorts, due to her close proximity, Ripple’s consciousness also took an extremely heavy blow.
虽说隔着泳泳这个“罩子”，处于极近距离的波纹的意识也受到了极大冲击。

She could not hear the rain. The heavens and earth spun. Her ears were ringing. Her vision was pitch dark and she could not see anything. She was on the verge of unconsciousness. However, in contrast, Swim Swim was unconscious, and her Magic was no longer a factor. She could not even pass through anything.
听不见雨声。天旋地转的。脚站不稳。耳鸣个不停。眼前一片漆黑什么也看不见。处于晕倒边缘。但是相比起泳泳来，都昏迷过去了魔法也就无关紧要了，当然更无法透过了。

Ripple focused her flagging senses, searching for Swim Swim’s position. Then, she sensed a presence. Although she lacked her vision and hearing, she still managed to feel it. Ripple raised her sword, and threw it.
波纹集中飘飘欲坠的感官，寻找泳泳的位置。接着就感受到了气息。虽然没有光和声音，总之能感觉到就是好事。波纹举起刀，扔了出去。

There was an immediate reaction. Something had fallen into a puddle, followed by splashing. And then she felt a large quantity of liquid raining down on her. It was probably spurting blood. The rain washed away the warm fluid.
立刻就有了反应。有什么东西栽进了水坑里，伴随着溅起的水花声。然后有了沐浴在大量液体中的感触。是喷溅的血吧。温热的液体顺着雨水流淌而去。

It was over. It was at an end.
结束了。了结了。

What would Top Speed say? She would probably not be angry.
最高速会说些什么呢。该不会生气吧。

She was happy to have met Snow White. She was a gentle Magical Girl who lived to protect others. She had once dreamed of becoming a Magical Girl like that. Perhaps, if she still had the chance to be a Magical Girl, she would be an upright Magical Girl who did not click her tongue.
能够遇见白雪真是太好了。能够为了守护别人而活下去的，温柔的魔法少女。曾经也梦想过成为那样的魔法少女。倘若，自己还有机会能作为魔法少女而活动的话，也做一个不咂嘴又正直的魔法少女吧。

Ripple stumbled a few steps forward, in the direction where she had thrown her sword. She stumbled over a change in elevation and fell forward into the forest. The bleeding was worse than she had thought. She had to take a short rest. The rain poured down harder, and the cool raindrops beat down on Ripple’s body.
波纹顺着投出刀的势头朝前踉跄了几步，被路堑绊倒摔进了林子里。出血比想象的还要严重。不稍微休息下不行了。雨越下越大，冰凉的雨珠不停打在波纹的身上。

Her consciousness was fading away. Snow White was crying in the corner of her vision. Seeing things before she died was so utterly cliched. Ripple clicked her tongue, and then closed her eyes.
意识在渐渐稀薄。视线的一侧白雪在哭泣。就临死之际出现的幻觉来说实在俗气不堪。波纹咂了咂嘴闭上了眼睛。

◇◇◇

She had not made it. Ripple knelt in a puddle.
没能赶上。白雪跪在水泊里。

The young elementary schoolgirl’s body was pierced by a katana. The katana had penetrated the girl’s chest from behind and lodged into the stone floor. No matter how she looked at it, she was dead. A weapon which looked like a cross between a woodcutter’s bill and a naginata lay beside her. There was a Magical Phone nearby which had fallen to the ground. That Magical Phone was twice the size of Snow White’s own.
小学低年级的少女身体被一把日本刀刺穿了。日本刀从少女的后背穿透了胸膛扎进地面石板。怎么看都已经断气了。一把介于柴刀和长刀之间的武器掉在身边。不远之处有部魔法终端掉落在地。魔法终端比白雪自己的要大两圈。

Ripple was lying face down in a flowerbed. Her left arm was barely attached by a strand of flesh and skin. Blood pooled underneath her, as much as the girl who had been stabbed by the katana. The red river of blood faded away under the cleansing rainfall.
波纹趴在花坛里。右手只剩皮和肉勉强连系在一起，台基上流下的血量，与被日本刀贯穿的少女一般无二。宛如红河般流出的血液，在雨水的冲洗下渐渐变淡。

“Congratulations!”
“恭喜！”

Snow White raised her head from where she was looking down with her teeth gritted. Light came from the double-sized Magical Phone. It was a 3D image.
看向脚下银牙紧咬的白雪猛然抬起头。大两圈的魔法终端照射出光线来。是立体影像。

Swim Swim and Ripple are gone, and only Snow White remains ~pon. This means Snow White is the official winner. My my--to win without getting your own hands dirty, but that’s Snow White for you, it’s quite praiseworthy ~pon.”
“泳泳和波纹都已不在，剩下的就只有白雪了pon。这样一来白雪就是正式的胜者了。啊呀——不脏自己的手而夺得胜利，真不愧是白雪，值得称赞pon”

Fav spoke in a more relaxed tone than usual.
法布用比往常更爽朗的口吻说道。

“Being without a Master is quite inconvenient for Fav~pon.”
“对法布来说没有主人也各种不便呢pon”

“No…”
“不……”

“Mm?”
“嗯？”

“I won’t become your Master.”
“我不要成为主人的。”

“Why?”
“为什么？”

Snow White stood up. The rainwater mixed with the tears streaming down her face, and she walked silently towards the 3D image.
白雪站起身来。任凭雨水混着泪在脸上流淌，静静地走向立体影像。

“Because I can hear it… the voice of your heart in distress from not having a Master...”
“因为我能够听到……你心里没有主人很困扰的声音……”

“My, well, it’s true that it’s quite distressing. However…”
“哎呀，这个嘛，虽然要说起来确实很困扰。不过呢……”

Fav’s words were interrupted by the sound of a stone slab cracking. Because she was stamping on the Magical Phone that was on the stone flooring, a spiderweb of cracks radiated out from the stone below. Snow White continued stepping, and the Magical Phone sank slowly into the stone.
法布的话被石板破裂的声音打断了。由于放置在石板上的魔法终端受到踩踏，下面的石板出现了放射性的裂纹。白雪还在继续用脚踩踏，终端一点一点陷入了石板里。

Don. Don. Don. The sound of trampling tore through the falling rain.
咚。咚。咚。踩踏声撕裂了雨声。

“What are you doing ~pon?”
“在做什么啊pon？”

“Because I can hear it…”
“因为我能够听到……”

“Ah?”
“啊？”

“I can hear you saying that you’ll be in a lot of trouble if this Administrator Phone is destroyed.”
“你说这台管理者用终端被搞坏了会很困扰……”

“Ahh, well, that’s true.”
“啊啊，那倒是。”

Fav snorted.
法布嗤之以鼻。

“Come to think of it, you can hear the voices of people in distress, right? And you’re still wasting your strength like that.”
“说起来你能够听到困扰的心声来着？还在做那种白费力的事情啊。”

Snow White dug the Magical Phone out of its depression in the stone and slammed it back down onto the slabs. She threw it ten-odd meters into the air, and hammered down on it as it fell. She threw, she kicked, she struck, she smashed and she stamped.
白雪把陷入石板的魔法终端拔出来，重新砸向石板。把它抛至十米的上空，在落下的时候奔往顺势捶去。扔，踢，打，砸，踩。

“I told you, it’s useless. Administrator Phones are very sturdy ~pon. They’re not like the simplified version you all use, they’re high-end goods from the Land of Magic. Your offensive power is a far cry from being able to damage it, Snow White.”
“都说了没用的啦。管理者用的终端很结实的pon。跟你们使用的简易型不一样，是‘魔法之国’里平日所用的高档货。白雪的攻击力要想弄坏还差得远呢。”

Snow White was panting heavily. However, the Magical Phone was untouched.
白雪已经气喘连连了。然而魔法端末却分毫未伤。

“Fav still wants to deepen the relationship with Snow White… in any case, go ahead and hit all you want until your anger’s spent. And once you’re no longer angry, listen to me, okay?”
“对法布来说呢。还是很想跟白雪你加深感情的呢……总之在你消气之前尽情打吧。然后气消了就好好听人家说话，OK？”

Snow White sat in front of the Magical Phone, her fists alternating between pounding the Magical Phone. One-two, one-two. She punched until the skin on her knuckles broke and blood stained her hands, but to no avail.
白雪坐在魔法终端面前，双拳不停交替捶着终端。一拳又一拳，一拳又一拳。直到手破了皮，血染红了手也没作罢。

“Hahahaha, I told you, it’s useless.”
“哈哈哈哈。明明都说没用了啦。”

Anything was fine. As long as she could destroy it, anything was fine. Snow White wrenched a stone slab from the ground and smashed it down, she picked up a bench and hammered with it, she bounced it off the edge of the road near the flowerbed, but no matter what she did, she could not damage the Administrator Phone. She checked herself for anything that could be used. Her headdress. Her broken Magical Phone. Her armband. There was nothing useful there. She felt around in her pockets, and then she felt something soft. When she pulled it out, she found that it was the Rabbit’s Foot.
怎样都行。只要能弄坏怎样都无所谓。白雪挖出地面的石板来敲，抡起道旁的长椅来砸，拍在花坛的路缘上，可依然无法弄坏管理用者终端。看看身上有可用的东西没。头饰。坏掉的魔法终端。臂章。没有能派上用处的东西。摸摸口袋里指尖触碰到某种柔软之物。掏出来一看原来是兔足。

“Knowing that they can’t do something, yet stubbornly insisting on doing it seems to be a strange disease among Magical Girls. Be it La Pucelle and Hardgore Alice, if only they had a bit more self-awareness, they might not have died for nothing. Top Speed was also going on about how she wanted to live so much, but then she died in a stupid way.”
“明知自己不行偏又冥顽不灵这种想法真是魔法少女的怪病pon。圣少女也好哈德格尔·爱丽丝也好，明明要是对此有自觉就不会像那样白白牺牲了。最高速也说过明明那么希望能活下来结果愚蠢地死掉。”

“Shut up…”
“闭嘴……”

It was not Snow White. It was not Fav’s voice either. A shadow stretched by her foot. Snow White raised her head. The voice of the owner had collapsed from heavy injuries just now, and she was only standing because she was holding onto a crutch.
不是白雪。也不是法布的声音。影子投映在脚边。白雪抬起头来。声音的主人刚刚还因受重伤倒在地上，正拄着拐杖才站了起来。

“Ripple? Are you still alive ~pon.”
“波纹？还活着吗pon？”

“I won’t let you mock Top Speed…”
“不准嘲笑最高速……”

Ripple shakily raised her crutch. No, that was not a crutch. That was the… cross between a bill and a naginata that had fallen on the ground. The 3D image flickered. Fav’s wings fluttered, and sparkles flew everywhere. Snow White coudd hear the voice of its heart.
波纹摇晃着身躯举起了拐杖。不，那不是拐杖。那是掉落在地上那把……介于柴刀和长刀之间的武器。立体影像闪了闪。法布不禁加快振翅，鳞片漫天纷飞。白雪能听到它内心的声音。

“That’s Swim Swim’s weapon…”
“那是泳泳所用的武器……”

“A product of the Land of Magic…”
“『魔法之国』的日用品……”

“This is bad…”
“这可不妙……”

“This is very bad…”
“非常不妙……”

“If I don’t think of a way to stop Ripple…”
“不想点办法诓住波纹的话……”

“Wait, Ripple. It’s all a mistake ~pon. Fav was not mocking Top Speed ~pon. I respect all Magical Girls ~pon. Perhaps I might sound like I was bullying the Magical Girls, but that was all on Clamberry’s orders ~pon. From the start, she was threatening me to make me do what she wanted ~pon. She used the function that would restrain out-of-control Magical Girls in order to take the lives of rule-breaking Magical Girls--”
“等一等波纹。都是误会pon。法布并没有看不起最高速pon。所有魔法少女我都很尊敬的pon。或许我的言行看上去像是在欺辱魔法少女，但一切都是库兰贝莉命令我干的pon。至始至终都是那家伙用威胁手段逼迫我干的pon。利用本来在魔法少女暴走时加以制止的机能将违反规则的魔法少女的性命……”

“Don’t listen to it!”
“不要听那家伙说的话！”

Snow White scrabbled back as she shouted, and Ripple swung the weapon down.
白雪大叫着后退的同时，波纹挥下了武器。