Episodes 13

Magical Illegal Girl

This story takes place several weeks before the events of Magical Girl Raising Project.

The Jinbangmei had only begun their activities in N-City within the last year. Originally, N-CIty was a base for the Hokkien faction from the southeastern coast of China, known as the Fengxinyuan. The Fenxinyuan was a group which had tentacles in every corner of N-City, which the local gangs called on when they had requests or needed some sort of technical assistance in the form of making fake passports or performing smuggling. The Jinbangmei and the Fengxinyuan were rivals, complicating the reason for their activities in N-CIty.
「金帮梅」N市活动是最近一年的事情。原本以N市为据点的是属于中国东南沿海一带的福建势力「丰新园」。丰新园是以当地帮派有需求时，或是不懂个中知识技术的工作_伪造护照或协助偷渡事宜等_为专门而与当地帮派相安无事、各据一方，并渗入N市各个角落活动的组织。而金帮梅与丰新园轮替,开始在N市活动的理由则有些复杂。

The Shanghai-aligned Jinbangmei had a grudge against the Hokkien-aligned Fengxinyuan since a long time ago… dating back to shortly after the outbreak of the Vietnam War, and they feuded incessantly. As time went by, gang fights and squabbles broke out all over the place, and so the JInbangmei decided to break with 30 years of tradition and had their leader meet up with their opposite number to shake hands and make peace.
属于上海势力的金帮梅与福建势力的丰新园，从很久以前……大约是在爆发越南战争不久前反目成仇，斗争不断。长期以来，在各地引发互殴事件、彼此叫嚣的情况，以金帮梅睽违三十年的头目交接为契机，两方的头目握手言和。

However, both sides had not stopped their fighting out after learning any particular lesson. To them, saving face was the most important thing. In order to establish a playing field where their business would not be harmed, both sides suggested conditions and made concessions in secret meetings, taking turns to hold control and responsibility. They created a mutually beneficial system in order not to disgrace either side.
然而，双方并不是将斗争从此束之高阁，对他们而言，面子才是最重要的。为了营造自己没有输的局面，双方一下增加条件一下让步地召开缜密的会议，进行控制权与负责权的轮替。创造出「双赢局面」，都是为了不至于颜面扫地。

The Jinbangmei would handle work for the Fengxinyuan within N-City. If it was just a matter of handing over responsibility, it would not pose a problem. They could still coexist peacefully with the local gangs and each kept to their own turf.
丰新园在N市负责的业务由金帮梅接手。只是接手的话并不会造成任何问题，仍然能够与当地的帮派相安无事、各据一方。

The problem lay in the Fengxinyuan’s shipping activities, which were divided into a cover business on the surface and the actual work under the facade. The Fengxinyuan got along with the Tetsurin-Kai on the surface, and they did not make any moves against the source of their income, simply sticking to the creation of fake passports or smuggling in order to make their money… or so it seemed. In truth, the Fengxinyuan had been making inroads into selling designer drugs and underground gambling, unlicensed mahjong parlors and other illegal business. The Tetsurin-kai was not a bunch of brainless fools, and there was no way they could not have discovered this, but the Fengxinyuan’s operations were large in scope yet did not pose any direct threat, so they could only close one eye to all this.
问题在于丰新园的运作分成台面上的表面工夫，与台面下的真相。丰新园表面上与铁轮会交好，并不会对他们的资金来源下手，仅以伪造护照或协助偷渡事宜为资金来源……看似如此。实际上，丰新园也有在进行贩售合成毒品与经营地下赌场、无照麻将馆等非法生意。铁轮会并不是一群没脑袋的笨蛋，绝对不可能没有发现，但丰新园的生意规模无伤大雅，所以对此睁一只眼闭一只眼。

After that, the Fengxinyuan swapped with the Jinbangmei. While they had already told the Jinbangmei how they could make their living, they had not explained to them in detail. The JInbangmei eagerly expanded their operations on all fronts, and to the Tetsurin-kai, it simply looked like the new faction replacing the Fengxinyuan was looking to become top dog of this place.
接下来，丰新圔与金帮梅轮替了。虽然他们向金帮梅说明过，以何种方式运作工作，但并没有详尽告知其中细节。金帮梅积极地运作所有工作，看在铁轮会的眼里，俨然是「取代丰新园的新兴势力企图占地为王」。

The Tetsurin-kai ordered their Magical GIrl boydguard to attack the Jinbangmei base of operations. And so, a gunman-motif Magical Girl went in and single-handedly wrecked their headquarters, chasing the Jinbangmei out of N-City.
铁轮会向隶属于他们的保镖魔法少女下达命令，袭击金帮梅的据点。于是，西部牛仔风格的魔法少女单枪匹马地击溃其据点，将金帮梅的势力逐出N市。

“It would be all well and good if things had ended there, but the situation wasn’t so simple.”
「如果事情只到这里告一段落就好了，但并没有这么简单。」

The old man sighed, then tilted his head as he emptied the wineglass in his right hand, wetting his throat with the red liquid within.
老人叹了一口气后，仰头将右手的酒杯一倾，以些许的红色液体滋润喉咙。

“The Jinbangmei understood the sort of insult they had received, and they sought revenge.”
「金帮梅了解到自己遭遇的是何种侮辱，并企图报复。」

“And then what?”
「然后呢？」

The old man spoke into the handset on his left hand with a melancholy look on his face.
老人满面愁容地对着左手的电话听筒说：

“That’s a pretty slack answer. I contacted you because I was worried about you, as a friend. N-City is very dangerous. I honestly can’t say it’s a good place for Magical Girls to hide.”
「这回答还真是没劲呀。我是担心身为朋友的你，才联络你的。N市很危险。实在称不上是很好的魔法少女藏匿地点。」

“I don’t need friends. Things like that just get in the way. You’re simply a business acquaintance.”
「我才不需要朋友。那种东西只会碍事而已。你纯粹只是生意上的往来对象而已。」

The girl’s voice which came from the handset was quite calm, unlike the tone it had taken. The old man put down the glass in his right hand on the table.
从话筒传来的少女声音，不同于说话的语气，显得相当沉着冷静。老人将右手的酒杯放在桌上。

“You’re still so single-minded even after so long. I honestly don’t know how to react to that.”
「长到这把岁数还单相思，真是让人情何以堪呀。」

Even after hearing the deep-seated hurt in the man’s voice, the person on the other side of the phone remained unmoved.
即使听到他的语气带着浓浓的哀伤，电话另一头的人仍然无动于衷。

“Speaking of which, how about the Mermaid’s Tear situation?”
「话说回来，『人鱼之泪』的事情，在那之后有进展吗？」

“Are you trying to pick a fight with me? I’m up to my ears in work, I don’t have the free time to worry about you.”
「你是想找我碴吗？我现在忙得要死，才没有闲情逸致搭理你。」

“Who’s picking a fight with you? Let’s leave that aside for now. I’ve already said that N-City’s not ideal, so pick another location.” The other party hung up. The old man stared intently at the handset, then placed it on the table after adjusting the collar of his nightgown. He pulled his eyepatch five centimeters away and then released it with a snap. Then he leaned against the back of his wheelchair, and then turned to the man in a suit who stood to the side, his back ramrod-0straight.
「谁要找你碴。不说这个了，我刚才也说过N市并不理想，你换个地点吧。」电话被挂断了。老人眉头紧锁地望向话筒，动手理了理睡袍的领子后，把话筒放在桌上。将眼罩拉 开五公分后，啪的一声弹开，把背靠在轮椅椅背上发出叹息，接着，将脸转向挺直背脊站在一旁的西装男子。

“Totoyama, are you my friend?”
「鱼山，你是我的朋友吧？」

***

Ripple was on top of one of the department stores in Nakayado. She was currently telling herself that she was not a senior citizen who was past her prime. From the roofs of the department stores at night, she found herself uninterested in the coin operated amusement parks and the popcorn carts.
莉普儿在中宿百货公司的顶楼。她正在对自己说，她又不是已过壮年时期的迟暮之年。在夜晚的百货公司顶楼，尤其是「投一百圆就能动的游乐设施」与「卖爆米花的小摊贩」在在让她感到无限愁怅。

In the week since she had become a Magical Girl, she had grown used to the work, and the amount of Magical Candies she had on hand had steadily iuncreased.
成为魔法少女一个星期以来，她逐渐习惯活动，手上的魔法糖果数量也逐渐增加。

Calamity Mary had not shown her face since that day. As long as they did not meet, the two of them would not fight. Top Speed, on the other hand, had dropped by to visit every day. While Top Speed was annoying and clingy, the food she made was delicious.
天灾•玛丽从那一天起就不曾露面。只要不碰面，两人就不会起争执。最高速度则是每两天会来造访一次。虽然最高速度很麻烦又很难缠，但她做的料理很美味。

Hopwever, Top Speed was the sort who let praise go to her head--
只不过,最高速度是那种被人夸奖就会得意忘形起来的类型——

--Eh?
——咦？

She heard a sound. Nakayado’s department stores were almost deserted late at night, but there was a sound from the front of the building that she could hear even from the top floor. She cast her gaze downwards, and saw several people. A shouting man reached out, but someone grabbed him and tossed him away, while another person was sent flying as a large piece of luggage hit him. Ripple leapt over the steel mesh fence, running down the side of the building toward the ground. This was very troublesome, but it was time for a Magical Girl to show her stuff.
有声音。到了深夜就鲜少会有人经过的中宿百货公司前方，传来连顶楼都能够听到的声响。她将视线向下移，看到好几个人。发出怒吼的男子正伸出手，却遭人抓住被摔飞出去，另外一个人则是被大型行李箱揍飞——莉普儿立刻飞越铁网，沿着大楼的壁面一路向下奔驰。虽然很麻烦，不过该轮到魔法少女出场了。

***

The Mermaid’s Tear was the root of all her bad luck--there was no telling if it was beloved by the Tudor or the York Dynasty, or if it was a sea sapphire or just a sapphire. After an oil tycoon acquired it, the butler had stolen it and sold it to its current owner. Originally, the plan was to have Rionetta collect it as payment.
人鱼之泪为一切恶运的源头——不晓得是为都铎王朝或约克王朝的王公贵族所热爱,亦不知到底是属于海蓝宝石或蓝宝石的宝石。更是某位以石油致富的人得到手后，被管家趁隙偷走并转卖至当铺的宝石。原本预计由莉欧妮塔收下，做为报酬。

She did not particularly like gemstones. The reason was simple and stupid enough; a wealthy friend of her deceased father wanted his granddaughter to have it, which was why she wanted the Mermaid’s Tear. She was basically acting as an antique broker; once she obtained it, she would sell it off right away and collect her cash. That was how it should have been.
她并没有酷爱宝石的兴趣。纯粹是已逝父亲的富翁朋友想送给孙女的愚蠢理由，所以她才想得到人鱼之泪。她只是要像古董商般，东西一到手即脱手转卖，藉此捞一笔而已。原本应该是这样子的。

Her employer said he had already given it to her. He had said that a Magical Girl with a doll had come before the appointed time. Rionetta knew that it was a lie. That was because when the appointed time came, the person responsible for the trade had not showed up.
雇主说已经交给她了。对方声明，一名拿着人偶的魔法少女在约定好的时间前来。莉欧妮塔知道那是谎话。因为，约定的时间到来时，负责交易的对象并没有现身。

Both sides’ claims were at odds. The result of both sides being unable to back down was Rionetta being chased out by the her former employer. According to the other side, Rionetta was a thief entertaining the fantasy of being paid twice. Even though RIonetta shouted, “You’re the ones who don’t even want to pay out!” nobody had listened to her. This world was one where one’s claim was backed up by strength, where strength determined the truth of one’s words.
两人的主张有所出入。在双方互不相让的结果下，莉欧妮塔沦落至遭到前任雇主驱逐的下场。根据对方的说法，似乎是将莉欧妮塔视为妄想收两次报酬的小偷。即使莉欧妮塔尖声高喊「明明就是你舍不得付酬劳吧」，却没有人愿意听进去。这个世界本来就是以势力强弱，来证明其主张的正确性。

It had been this way before Rionetta had become RIonetta. If this was a world where the truth remained the truth, then Rionetta would still be an heiress.
在莉欧妮塔成为莉欧妮塔之前就这样了。如果这是真理即为真理的世界，那么莉欧妮塔直到如今仍然会是千金大小姐。

After fleeing for her life, Rionetta had taken refuge in N-City, but her father’s wealthy friend had told her, “N-City isn’t ideal”. While he annoyed her, Rionetta had still decided to heed his suggestion. However, just as she was about to leave her hiding place, she had been discovered. The people who had found her were not the ones searching for RIonetta, but a group searching for Magical Girls in general for some other mission… they were probably from the Jinbangmei mentioned in the converdation earlier.
开始逃亡生活后，莉欧妮塔躲藏在N市，但父亲过去的富翁朋友则奉劝她「N市并不理想」。虽然看他不顺眼，但莉欧妮塔姑且采纳了对方的意见。但就在她打算离开藏身之处时，被人发现了。对方并不是正在搜索莉欧妮塔的人，而是因为别的事情在寻找魔法少女的组织……恐怕就是刚才的谈话中，出现过的金帮梅吧。

Now was not a good time to dilly-dally here. Of the three thuggish-looking men in front of her, she threw one away and punched another. Just as she was about to kick the last one, a soft palm pressed down on the doll’s calf, stopping her leg.
现在可不适合把时间浪费在这里。面对眼前一副流氓样的三名男子，她将其中一人丢出去、揍飞另一人。就在她正要踢飞最后一人时，人偶的小腿被柔软的手掌按住，脚被挡了下来。

--...Was that a ninja?
——……忍者？

She wore wooden geta, a red scarf, and her long, lustrous black hair was pinned up by a shuriken-shaped hairclip into a side ponytail. The three thugs screamed and ran, but Rionetta no longer cared about them.
木屐、红色围巾、以手里剑外形的发饰绑好充满光泽的乌黑秀发，扎成侧边马尾。三名流氓发出惨叫后逃跑，但莉欧妮塔已经没将他们放在眼里。

She wore a bizarre ninja-like costume and her facial features were well-proportioned and beautiful. The most important thing was that she had stopped Rionetta’s kick. In other words, she could not be anything other than a Magical Girl. Rionetta fled like a frightened >rabbit, kicking straight through a steel door without slowing down in the slightest, bending a steel fence and diving into a department store after breaking the glass of the entrance. She sensed her opponent giving chase from behind. She was a harrier! There could be no doubt about it!
忍者般的奇妙服装、端正秀丽的五官。最重要的是，对方能够挡下莉欧妮塔的飞踢。也就是说，只有可能是魔法少女。莉欧妮塔立刻如脱兔般飞奔，在完全没有减速的情况下，撕裂铁门、扭弯铁制栅栏，并在打破入口处的玻璃后，潜入百货公司里。她感觉到对方从后面追上来的气息。是追兵！绝对不会错！

Her opponent was not a human being, but a human-sized mobile doll.
对方不是人类，人类般大小的人偶在动。


乍看之下仿佛人类少女的精致人偶将男人们摔出去、痛殴，并打算使出飞踢。原本抱持着阻止打架的轻松心态介入的莉普儿，因为人偶会动的异常事态吃了一惊，对突如其来的行动反应不及，让对方逃进了百货公司。

The security firm’s alarms should have gone off by now, but she could not sit there and watch. The doll which looked like a girl moved faster than Ripple could react, sprinting into the department store and fleeing with a speed that left Ripple in the dust. While she did not know her opponent’s true identity, she was not someone that humans coudl deal with A doll like that had attacked human beings. While it was Kano’s nature to ignore things that had nothing to do with her, after becoming Ripple, she could not stand idly by. The Magical Girl lifestyle was really annoying and stifling.
保全公司的警报器此时应该已经铃声大作，但她无法坐视不管。少女外形的人偶展现出令莉普儿反应不及的灵敏动作，飞扑进百货公司里，并以让人望尘莫及的速度逃离。虽然不知道对方的真面目，但至少不是人类能够应付的对手。那样的人偶在攻击人类。虽然认为与自己无关，且置之不理是细波华乃的个性，但成为莉普儿后，她就再也没办法作壁上观。魔法少女的生活方式真的很麻烦，闷死人了。

Ripple leapt ten stairs in a single bound as she ascended, kicking aside piles of stacked goods as she went. As she wound through them, clothes mannequins jumped out and startled her. She responded with a flurry of thrown kunai, and after a great deal of effort, she finally reached the roof.
莉普儿一次跨越十阶的楼梯往上爬升，踢开店里的商品，穿梭其中，在一边被中途突然跳出来的假人模特儿吓到的同时，一边用苦无迎击，费了好大一番工夫才终于来到顶楼。

The girl-shaped doll had her back to the roof’s steel mesh fence as she looked over to her.
少女外形的人偶背对顶楼的铁网，望向这里。

Ripple let out the sigh she had been storing in her lungs.
莉普儿将压抑在肺里的叹息一次吐出。

Rionetta’s preferred combat tactic was to attack with dolls first. No matter how many dolls were broken, it would not cause any real damage to her. Dolls were not her companions, or her friends, much less comrades. They were simply objects. Her heart would not be moved no matter how they were destroyed.
先用人偶攻击，是莉欧妮塔的战斗方式。无论弄坏几具人偶，都不会造成人员伤亡。人偶并不是伙伴，也非朋友，更不是同胞，只是单纯的物品而已。即使被弄坏，她的心也不会受到动摇。

She had observed how the Magical Girl counterattacked the dolls--in this case, clothes mannequins--which had assaulted her. Her movements were nimble and she had good judgement. However, if strength was all she had, then there would be a way to deal with her.
她会仔细观察遭到人偶……这次的情况是假人模特儿攻击的魔法少女，是如何进行反击的。动作敏捷、判断力也很好。不过，如果只是很强的话，一定有办法应付。

The problem was the Magic which Magical Girls could use. From Rionetta’s point of view, if her Magic was on par with hers, then she would have to find her opponent’s weakness. If her Magic was so unimaginably powerful that she could not begin to oppose it, then she would have to avoid combat.
问题在于魔法少女能够使用的既有「魔法」。站在莉欧妮塔的立场，如果是相勉的魔法，就得找出对方的弱点；如果是根本论不上相克与否的绝对强大魔法，就得避开战斗。

She could not follow the usual program this time round. Her opponent had thrown kunai at the mannequins. The kunai flew curved and eccentric paths to unerringly strike the mannequins. Those changes were beyond what simple rotation or air resistance could accomplish. That was probably her opponent’s Magic. For Rionetta , it was a Magic she could handle easily.
这次无法按照之前的模式走。敌人朝假人模特儿投掷苦无。苦无能够以谁异曲线变化轨道，命中假人模特儿。那种变化的程度，并不是因为旋转或空气阻力而造成的转弯。这是敌人的魔法吧。对莉欧妮塔而言，是相当好对付的魔法。

Her pursuer was a young Magical girl, whose experience was far beneath her abilities. Tbere was a difference between her and Rionetta. She was vastly different from Rionetta, who killed and killed, was nearly killed herself, who worked for money, using her Magical Girl’s Magic to satisfy her personal desires, who cast aside the principle of aiding others faer behind her, and who had crossed countless obstacles during this time.
追兵是个年轻的魔法少女，经验远远不及能力。岁数与莉欧妮塔有一段差距。对方与杀人、不断杀人、差点遭到杀害、为了钱而工作、将魔法少女的魔法用于私欲，把助人善行远远抛诸后头，一路走来跨越过数次困境的莉欧妮塔截然不同。

The root cause of all this lay in the debts her father had incurred. His debts had mounted and mounted, snowballing into a sum which could not be cleared through honest work, forcing even a wealthy heiress to get her hands dirty in order to survive. Once she began doing her dirty jobs, she could never get free of them. There was no way to cleanse the red of fresh blood from one’s hands.
一切的根源在于她父亲欠下的债。不断地利滚利，累积成即使好好工作也不可能还清的金额，致使有钱人家的千金小姐不得不沾染骯脏的工作，才能活下去。当她沾染骯脏的工作后，就再也无法脱身。鲜血的红色渗入她的手里，永远不会褪色。

She had not started working because she wanted to save her father from his dire straits. She was not willing to put in effort on behalf of scum. It was simply because the creditors had the twisted belief that the debts of the father ought to be paid by his daughter, and they forced her to pay. She did not know what had happened to her father, and she did not need friends, companions or comrades. The only things which could bind Rionetta were her own personal safety and money. She had made friends under false pretenses and pretended to be close to them, but when an emergency occurred, she would kick them into the abyss without any mercy whatsoever. In truth, she had already done this sort of thing countless times before.
她并不是为了将父亲从困境中拯救出来，才开始工作的。她可不愿意替人渣付出劳力。纯粹只是那些债主以父债女还的歪理为由，强逼她还钱。她并不知道父亲后来如何，也不需要朋友、伙伴或同胞。能够牵制住莉欧妮塔的，唯独她自身的安全以及金钱而已。即使有过虚情假意、佯装亲密的朋友，等到真的发生事情时，她就会毫不留情地将对方踢落悬崖。实际上，她一路走来也做过无数次类似的行为。

She pretended to flee all over the place, while using her Magic on all the dolls inside the department store. Now she waited on the roof for her pursuer to come, and at the same time she had the dolls from the store ambush her from behind. In other words, this was a classic pincer attack. Be they clothes mannequins, plush dolls or mascot dolls, all of them were under her control. Rionetta’s Magic made her a “Dollmaster”, and controlling all the dolls in a department store was child’s play for her.
佯装到处逃窜，并对百货公司内的所有人偶施展魔法。她在顶楼恭候追兵到来，同时操控百货公司里的人偶，从背后发动突袭。也就是所谓的夹杀。举凡假人模特儿、布偶或吉祥物玩偶，全部都在她的控制之中。莉欧妮塔的魔法是「人偶师」，操控百货公司里的人偶数量，对她来说绰绰有余。

She thought she had cornered her opposition. It was only when she kicked open the door to the roof and saw the girl-doll smiling wickedly at her as the mannequins attacked from behind that she realised that she had been fallen for it. She kicked off a mannequin’s head with a roundhouse kick, threw a kunai into another one’s knee, she punched and smashed wildly, but for every one she destroyed, two or three more took its place. The amusement park-sized area was minimally furnished with entertainment facilities, but the originally boring roof had become as lively as a parade in a theme park.
原本以为自己将对方逼到绝路了。她踹开顶楼的门，看到对峙的少女外形人偶露出奸笑的表情，在遭到假人模特儿从背后突袭时，她才察觉到自己上当了。以旋踢踢飞假人模特儿的头部、将苦无射入膝盖，狂殴、狂敲，却在她破坏掉假人之后，后面又接二连三地涌上。从通往百货公司内部的顶楼出入口处，人偶一波接着一波冒出。只有儿童公园般大小的腹地，搭配最低限度的游乐设备与设施，原本相当杀风景的顶楼，顿时仿佛游乐园的大游行般热闹非凡。

She leapt, jumped, and changed her position, moving all over to avoid being surrounded. SMmall creatures seemed to be running around her feet. She apparently tripped over something. Just as she was about to fall, she hurriedly reached out to a nearby wall to steady herself, but her hand ended up being entangled.
她不停地飞身、跳跃、改变地点，四处移动避免遭到包围。她的脚边有小生物飞奔而过。似乎绊到了什么。当她快要跌倒时，赶紧将手搭上墙壁，结果这次换手被抓住了。

It was a marionette! This marionette, which would normally have required a puppeteer to pull its strings to move, was actually moving on its own, and it was trying to embrace Ripple and tangle her with its strings. Had Magic been used on it? The strings were very strong.
是悬丝木偶！原本必须藉由细线才能使其动作的悬丝木偶，竟然自己动了起来，一拥而上想用细线缠住莉普儿。是被施了魔法吗？细线相当强韧。

After that, the plush dolls attacked her. The plushies all had adorable superdeformed appearances, but each plushie was holding a blade that resembled a straight razor. Now that her legs were tangled, Ripple’s movements were slowed down. Then she was slashed all over from head to toe, and blood sprayed forth.
接下来，布偶们朝她袭击而来。布偶们拥有将动物Q版化的可爱外表，但每一只布偶的手上都握着剃刀般的刀刃。脚被细线缠住，动作变得迟钝的莉普儿,全身上下遭到又薄又锐利的刀刃割伤，溅出血来。

Ripple silently cursed her cowering heart, then angrily cursed her powerless limbs. Much like how Gulliver valiantly struggled against the Lilliputians, she pulled on the strings, swung the marionette away, then drew the sword on her back and slashed around herself.
莉普儿暗暗喝斥胆怯起来的心，并怒斥无力的手脚。仿佛极力抵抗遭到小人国居民围堵的格列佛般，她拼命拉线、挥甩悬丝木偶，抽出背上的剑进行横扫。

She cut the plushies to pieces, kicked away the endless stream of marionettes, and evaded punches from the clothing mannequins by rolling along the ground. She deflected kicks, dodged knife-hands, and then turned her sword on the two reinforcements that had come through the door.
将布偶砍成碎片，踢开不断涌现的悬丝木偶，在地上翻滚躲避假人模特儿攻过来的拳头。架开踢腿攻击、避开手刀，并将剑对准从入口处前来的两具援军。

These two man-sized dolls were made in the shape of a distinguished gentleman in a white suit and a clown with a red afro. Come to think of it, she remembered that there had been fast food restaurents among the stores she had passed. In contrast to their fierce rivalry in the outside world, the two dolls covered each other’s weaknesses and assaulted Ripple with immaculate, silent coordination. Both sides went back and forth for a while, and she managed to fend off their attacks, but after that a horde of mannequins showed up. Some of them were only half-dressed, and others were not dressed at all but fully nude,  and all of them gathered around her with the same blank expression on their faces. There were--Ripple gave up on counting, since it would be a waste of effort anyway.
两具等身大的人偶，分别是穿着白色西装的老绅士与顶着一颗红色爆炸头的小丑。这么说来，她记得刚才经过的店铺中，也包括速食店在内。一反外界所认知的水火不容的关系，两具人偶互相截长补短，以绝佳的默契攻击莉普儿。双方你来我往好一会儿，总算勉强挡住攻击，然而，接下来又换成假人模特儿成群结队地涌现。有的假人衣服只穿了半套，也 有全裸上场什么都没穿的，清一色面无表情地从入口处朝这里聚集过来。其数量——莉普儿放弃去数，反正是白费工夫。

There also seemed to be something moving behind the mannequins at very high speeds. It possessed a shocking aura of oppressiveness that made her want to throw up. Whatever it was, it kept moving behind the hordes of mannequins, hiding behind the clown’s back and then swinging its claws at Ripple from its concealed position.
似乎有东西在假人模特儿的身后移动。速度很快。有着其他人偶所没有，令人忍不住想吐的惊人迫力。对方不断在假人与假人的身后移动、躲至小丑的背后,再从那里朝莉普儿挥出钩爪。

Ripple could not completely block it, and it tore her cheek, drawing blood.
莉普儿没有完全挡下，她的脸颊被撕裂，迸出血液。

It was the doll from the beginning. The ball-jointed doll made in imitation of a beautiful girl swung its claws at her. In the next moment, the girl-doll immediately hid behind a mannequin and concealed itself once more.
是一开始的人偶。模仿美少女外形的球体关节人偶，挥出右手的钩爪攻击过来。下一秒，少女外形的人偶立刻躲至假人模特儿身后，再度消除气息。

Ripple could not completely defend herself against the attack because of that arm, whose joints extended and contracted and slithered like a serpent. Thanks to that reason, her opponent’s attack range was greatly increased. The attack had vastly exceeded her expectations as the arm bent at inhuman angles to scrape past Ripple’s sword and at her. Had she not performed a body bridge at that moment, it might have ripped open her jugular.
莉普儿无法完全挡下攻击，原因在于球体关节与仿佛蛇腹般伸缩自如的手臂。基于这个理由，对方的攻击范围大大提升。由于攻击大大超出自己的预料、手臂以超出人体极限的角度弯折，钩爪擦过莉普儿的剑，扑了过来。如果她没有向后下腰的话，恐怕颈动脉早就被撕裂了。

The plushie horde gathered, stacking up on each other like a human pyramid and forming a huge wall. Just as she realised that, a claw passed through the plushie wall and at her.
布偶群集合起来,如人体金字塔般层层迭迭，形成一大片墙壁。就在她意识到这一点的瞬间，一只钩爪穿过布偶墙，攻向自己。

What moved reflexively was not the sword she was holding, but her left hand. She caught the claw with her left hand. It pierced her palm, cutting open the area up to her wrist, which spewed fresh blood. However, Ripple took the claw head on like that.
反射性地动起来的并不是手上的剑，而是左手。她以左手手掌接下钩爪，手掌遭到剌穿，直达手腕附近被割开，喷出鲜血。然而，莉普儿就这样直接握住那个够爪。

Got you! Ripple reverse-gripped her sword in her right hand and swung it at the girl-doll--and in that instant, there was a clacking sound as the girl-doll shed its arm and backed off, and Ripple’s sword cut nothing but air. Taken unawares, Ripple lost her balance as her swing went wide, and the huge mass of dolls gathered, led by the green frogman doll from the pharmacy, and they slammed into her with their bodies.
逮到了！莉普儿反手重新握好右手的剑，挥向少女外形的人偶——在那瞬间，突然传来喀锵一声，少女外形的人偶卸掉自己的右手腕后,向后一退，莉普儿的剑扑了个空。对于被对方趁其不备，身体因挥剑落空而失去平衡的莉普儿，以药局店头的青蛙人偶为首、聚集起来的巨大人偶圑块，用身体冲撞她。

RIpple was sent flying into the air. As she flew through the air, she glimpsed the girl-doll out of the corner of her eye, and the mocking look of disdain on her face. The flames of anger blazed within her, the color of blood, and then they spread to the rest of her body. Ripple somersaulted in mid-air, then landed in front of the roof fencing before she leapt over it. She soared over the heads of the dolls and landed on a bench in the middle of the rooftop. After using all her strength to cut the bolts securing each foot to the ground, she lifted up the bench.
莉普儿被撞飞至高高的半空中。她飞在半空中的同时以眼角余光捕捉少女外形的人偶，看到人偶露出一抹轻蔑的表情。与血液相同颜色的熊熊怒火，顿时充斥她的全身上下。莉普儿在空中旋转一圈后，着陆于铁网再纵身一跃。飞越人偶们的头顶，着陆于顶楼中央处的长椅旁，用尽全力折断钉死的椅子脚后，将长椅抬起来。

The girl-doll, the mannequins, the clown, the gentleman and the marionettes all drew close. Ripple was furious now. She was angry with every senseless step her opponent took towards her, and that anger filled mer muscles and bones. Maintaining the balance of the bench, she spun once, twice, three times, in imitation of the pro-wrestling move known as the giant swing. Just like moving a chess piece, she spin in place with the bench, sweeping away all the dolls which came near her before she threw it at the roof entrance. After that, she grabbed and threw all the other benches within reach in the same manner, destroying everything which entered her line of sight. Concrete chunks scattered in all directions like sand, and clouds of dust gusted up before the win dispersed them.
少女外形的人偶与假人模特儿、小丑与绅士、布偶、悬丝木偶朝她逼近。莉普儿火大了。对于对方毫无道理的步步逼近感到愤怒，而那股愤怒传达至她的骨头与肌肉。她保持长椅平衡，接着一圈、两圈、三圈，以职业摔角界中人称巨人螺旋桨的技巧，仿佛在移动棋子般，轻松让长椅原地横向旋转，扫开逼近的人偶，并奋力朝顶楼入口处丢去。接着，以相同的方式丢出她伸手能及的其他长椅，把进入她视线范围内的东西逐一破坏掉。水泥块如散沙般四散、扬起阵阵烟尘后，在风的吹拂下消去。

She had wrecked the dolls and blocked the entrance from which the reinforcements came. However, her enemy had not been exterminated yet. The girl-doll effortlessly kicked off the bench she threw at her, jumping up and then landing again. The greatest enemy was still moving.
她打坏人偶，堵住援军的出入口。但是，敌人尚未歼灭。少女外形的人偶轻轻踢了一下她丢出去的长椅椅背，跳起来后着陆。最大的敌人还在动。

Youthfulness was a thing that implied a great deal of energy. The wild strategy of swinging the benches around was something that Rionetta could not imitate. She was surprised, but that was all.
所谓的年轻即意味着精力旺盛。扔掷长椅这种乱来的战斗方式，是莉欧妮塔模仿不来的。她虽然感到吃惊，但一切到此为止。

Had her wild tossing used up all her strength? All she saw was the ninja wobbling on her feet, like a candle in the wind that might collapse at any moment. Seeing the great chance before her, Rionetta leaned forward and ran out, kicking away the concrete chunks at her feet while she reconnected the tip of her right arm to herself. After changing out her parts, she clenched her hand into a fist and then spread it open again.
看来是乱扔东西用光了体力？只见那名忍者连站也站不稳，如风中残烛，仿佛随时都会倒下。眼见大好机会来临的莉欧妮塔，身子向前倾飞奔而出。她一边踢开脚边的水泥块，一边将右手腕接上前端的连接处，换好新的零件。她握了握手，然后张开。

Ten kunai flew at her. Each of them traced a path that defied the laws of physics and headed for Rionetta. They were fast and powerful. However, she had already seen through them.
十把苦无凌空飞来。每一把都划出超越物理法则的轨迹，飞向莉欧妮塔。速度又快，下手又重。不过，被她看穿了。

She swiped with her right hand, using the deflected kunai to knock down other kunai, then used her left hand as a shield to block three more, evaded one by lowering her head so only the bonnet on top was cut open. After that, she extended her left hand claws, cutting two more kunai out of the air, and the last two reached Rionetta’s position and stabbed into the ground.
她右手一弹，用弹开的苦无击落其他苦无，再以左手为盾牌挡住三把苦无，一把则是低下头回避，仅仅只有头上的无边软帽被割断。接着，她射出左手的钩爪，在半空中击落两把苦无，最后两把则在抵达莉欧妮塔的位置前，插入脚边的地面。

Had she drained herself dry by throwing those kunai? Apparently her opponent’s knees could no longer support her, because she had sunk to her knees on the ground with her right hand for support.
为了投掷苦无而榨干最后一丝力气吗？只见敌人膝盖撑不住地跪地，以右手勉强支撑身体。

Rionetta thought that she had to finish off her foe, and so she took a step forward--whereupon she tripped and fell face-first. The space between the two kunai at her feet gleamed. There was a thin, transparent string joining the two kunai. Her opponent had taken string from the marionettes, feinted by making her attack look like it had gone astray, but in truth she had tied the kunai together and nailed them to the ground. But why had she done that? In order to… trip Rionetta.
莉欧妮塔心想必须给予对方致命的一击，而向前踏出一步——却绊了一下向前倒。插在地面的两把苦无之间光芒一闪。苦无与苦无之间，连接着透明的细线。对方解开悬丝木偶的线、佯装成射偏目标，其实是将苦无系在一起，钉入地面吗？目的是什么？为了……绊倒莉欧妮塔。

Rionetta immediately reached out with her right hand to grab at the floor and avoid falling, so her right hand was unable to move freely. This made her unable to defend the shuriken coming at her from the right, which gouged into ther face.
莉欧妮塔立刻伸出右手扶向地面，避免跌倒，右手因此无法任意活动，导致她无法防御从右侧飞来的手里剑，她的脸部遭到削落。

If her body was an ordinary one of flesh and blood she would have been dead by now, but Rionetta had a doll’s body, and so she had a chance to counterattack. By the time she raised her head, the sword held high was already falling.
如果是普通的肉体早就死了，但拥有人偶身体的莉欧妮塔仍有机会扳回一城。当她抬起头时，挥起的剑已经落下。

Rionetta reached out to protect her body with her hand, and she lost her right arm below the elbow.
莉欧妮塔伸出手护住身体，右手从手肘以下整个被砍断。

She was no longer curious about who her opponent was. There was an enemy  who wanted to kill her here, and the fact that she wanted to kill her opponent as well was plain to see. She stepped on the girl-doll as she tried to rise, then hacked down on her opponent’s upper body as it arched up. The blow tore open the doll’s beautiful clothes and deeply scored her wooden body. However, the girl-doll could still function.
对手是谁，她已经不好奇了。打算杀死自己的敌人就在这里，而自己也想杀死对方的事实，明摆在眼前。她踩着仰起上半身的少女外形人偶，在对方上半身向后仰的状态砍了下去。人偶美丽的衣裳撕裂，木制的身体留下深深的伤痕。然而，少女外形的人偶还能动作。

The girl-doll used its elbow-less right arm to block Ripple’s sword. That chopped off the sleeve and sent wood chips flying, and her arm shortened even more. The girl-doll continued pushing forward, which worked perfectly fine for Ripple’s purposes.
少女外形的人偶以失去手肘的右手臂，挡下莉普儿的剑。袖子破掉、木屑飞散，手腕变得更短了。少女外形的人偶硬是向前推,对莉普儿而言，恰好方便了自己。

Ripple deliberately matched her opponent’s attack and gave ground until her back was to the wire mesh. That way, she would not be attacked from behind by dolls. The girl-doll’s attacks covered a wide area, but they seemed quite wild. She deflected and dodged. An arm extended at her in a serpentine fashion, but she knocked it away with her blade. The sound of tearing came from the steel mesh fence behind her. Her opponent’s repeated attacks had struck the mesh unerringly.
莉普儿故意配合敌人的攻势,被推着向后退去，背抵上铁网。这么一来，就不会遭到人偶从背后突袭。少女外形的人偶的攻击动作相当大，但看起来杂乱无章。弹开、闪避。如蛇腹般的手腕伸长，她以剑峰撂开。背后的铁网传来断裂的声响。对方的连续攻击，无法避免地全都命中铁网。

Ripple kicked at her opponent’s left hand, watched for the moment when the doll lost its balance and then threw a kunai at her left knee in order to jam up the joint, Just as she raised her sword high over the fallen doll--she was grabbed from behind. The cold feeling of metal prickled at Ripple’s skin. There should only have been steel mesh behind her. Just then, the claws stabbed at the confused Ripple, and as she turned to evade the attack, a roundhouse kick came at her from her blind spot and connected with the back of her skull. By the time she realised that the claws had only been a feint, she had already passed out.
莉普儿用力踹向对方的左手，看准人偶失去平衡的瞬间，将苦无射向左膝，在关节里打下楔子。当她对正要倒地的人偶高高举起剑的瞬间——从背后被抱住。金属的冰冷触感，剌激着莉普儿的肌肤。她的剑动不了。她明明将其余人偶全部破坏殆尽，并堵住新人偶援军涌现的入口。她的背后应该只有铁网才对。就在此时，钩爪刺向脑袋陷入混乱的莉普儿，在她转身避开攻击的瞬间，从她视线的死角飞来的回旋踢，直接命中她的后脑杓。当她察觉到钩爪只是假动作时，已经失去意识。

***

Her pursuer was a powerful Magical Girl. She had the determination to kill or be killed in her heart, and even in dire straits, a flame still burned in the corner of her heart. If this were three, two, or maybe one year later, perhaps Rionetta might have been the one collapsed here. However, right now, Rionetta was the victor.
追兵是个相当强大的魔法少女。抱持着杀人或被杀的觉悟，即使被逼到末路，心中的一角仍然燃烧着微弱的火焰。如果是三年后、二年后或是一年后，倒在这里的也许就是莉欧妮塔自己也不一定。然而，此时此刻是莉欧妮塔获胜。

She dispelled the Magic she had used on the doll holding her pursuer, and the doll returned to the steel mesh it had originally been. What had happened was that she had been feinting a wild attack at Ripple, when in fact she had actually been cutting the steel mesh behind her into the shape of a doll. Granted, it was a move born of desperation, its craftsmanship was crude, and it looked like it would collapse at any moment, but a doll was a doll. She manipulated the doll of cut steel mesh and had it grab her pursuer under the arms to pin her in place.
将施展在撑扶追兵的人偶身上的魔法解除后，人偶恢复成原本的铁网，解体并塌落。最后的局面，由莉普儿佯装展开奋不顾身的攻击，将追兵身后的铁网割成人偶外形。虽然是急中生智之策，制作粗糙，看起来摇摇欲坠，但人偶就是人偶。她操控被切割下来的铁网 人偶，穿过追兵的腋下紧紧钳制住对方。

Rionetta approached the fallen, unmoving pursuer. Her left knee had been badly damaged and her gait was very unnatural, but that was still enough to deal a fatal blow to her foe. If she did not take this chance to finish her off now, there was no telling when she would be defeated later.
莉欧妮塔接近倒地，并且一动也不动的追兵。她的左膝受损程度相当大，步伐显得相当不自然，但还是能够给予对方致命的一击。如果不趁现在给予致命的一击，不晓得自己什么时候会吞下败仗。

Rionetta closed the fingers of her left hand together and took aim at her pursuer’s throat--
莉欧妮塔并拢左手手指，锁定追兵的喉咙——

“Please wait a moment!”
「请等一下！」

She had not detected any presence nearby. Rionetta hunkered low, pressing herself against the ground and turning towards the voice’s owner. It was a young woman. Backlit by the moon, she cast a long shadow over the fully exposed rooftop.
她并没有察觉出任何气息。莉欧妮塔将身形趴低、贴紧地面，重新转向声音的主人。是名年轻的女性。以月亮为背景，在面目全非的顶楼上，拉起长长的影子。

Her left knee was not moving well. Her right arm was in ruins. Her dolls had all been destroyed and she had little fighting power left.
左膝动作相当不灵活。右手已经呈现破破烂烂的状态。人偶都遭到歼灭，战力所剩不多。

“I do apologize for this, but could you please let her off? That’s because the examination will be starting soon.”
「很抱歉，可以请你放她一马吗？因为，再过不久就要开始测验了。」

There were vines coiled around the other person’s legs, and there were roses sprouting from her shoulders. Even for a Magical Girl, her costume was far too grandiose. She trembled uncontrollably at this Magical Girl’s looks and voice, even though they had never met before.
对方的脚有藤蔓缠绕，肩膀上开出蔷薇。即使身为魔法少女，这身装扮也太过华丽了。对于明明未曾谋面的这位魔法少女的模样、口吻，她打从心底颤抖不已。

“If you insist on continuing, then I will have no choice but to fight. If that is what you desire, then please allow me to be your opponent. Although, I can’t guarantee the outcome will be the same.”
「你要是一意孤行的话，我就不得不战斗了。如果你希望的话，请容我来当你的对手吧。我无法保证结果会与以往相同喔。」

Her instincts told her that if she fought now, she would lose. Rionetta… backed off.
她直觉地认为，在这里战斗，自己会败北。莉欧妮塔……向后退。

“Still, fate is quite a strange thing. It seems some meetings are just destined to happen no matter what. I’ve heard that such things are quite a common occurrence in the Magical Girl world…”
「不过，缘分还真是奇妙呢。似乎无论如何都会碰头。我也听说过这种情形在魔法少女界中似乎不少……」

She turned her back on that Magical Girl and ran down the wall of the department store, like a beast. She cast away the fear rising up from beneath her feet, running madly, singlemindedly forward. She told herself that she was not going to fight an unprofitable battle.
她转身背对那名魔法少女，仿佛野兽般从百货公司的墙壁奔驰而下。挥去正要从脚底窜升起来的恐惧，一股脑儿地向前狂奔。她告诉自己，她才不会打没钱赚的架。

The sound of sirens filled the air. They came from a patrol car and an ambulance. The department store had a crowd of excited gawkers in front of it. Ripple panted, her face filled with pain, and then looked downwards. The roof of the department store that was supposed to be a rest point had been thoroughly destroyed, and the area surrounding the store was littered with mannequins and plushies that had fallen from the roof.
警笛声传来。来自于巡逻车与救护车两者。百货公司前也开始有凑热闹的民众聚集。莉普儿一脸痛苦地喘息不已，并将视线落在下方。原本做为休憩地点的百货公司顶楼已被破坏殆尽，百货公司周围散落着从顶楼坠落地面的假人模特儿与布偶。

“Oi… what on earth were you doing?”
「喂……你到底做了什么啊？」

Top Speed’s tone from the front seat sounded a little afraid.
坐在前座的最高速度的口吻，听起来似乎带着一丝惊恐。

By the time Ripple had come to, she was already in Rapid Swallow’s back seat. According to Top Speed, by the time she had come, all she saw was Ripple lying on the roof by herself.
当莉普儿回过神来时，已经安然坐在飞燕号的后座。根据最高速度的说法，抵达现场时，只见莉普儿独自一个人躺在顶楼。

Ripple had lost. Her body trembled with anger and shame, shuddering like a window in the heart of a typhoon. What truly angered her was the thought that, “If Top Speed had been there, we could have won”. She unleashed the anger boiling within her and pounded on Top Speed’s head.
莉普儿输了。屈辱与愤怒令她的身体不住颤抖，犹如处于台风中心的窗户般颤抖。最令她感到愤怒的是，忍不住心想「如果最高速度在场的话，一定能够获胜吧」的自己。她放任胸中怒火爆发，敲打最高速度的脑袋瓜。

“That hurt! What the hell are you doing?!”
「好痛！你干什么啦！」

Ripple focused all the fatigue and frustration within herself into her tongue and clicked it with all her might. It tasted of blood.
莉普儿将心中的不耐与疲倦集中于舌尖，用尽全力咂嘴。有血的味道。

***

“Ohhh, so you survived? I am deeply grateful. However, let’s not worry about that for now. About the Mermaid’s Tear…”
「喔喔，你生还了呀？真是令人感动至极。不过，先不管这个了，关于人鱼之泪……」

The phone hung up. The old man looked at the handset for a good long while, then muttered “Magical Girls, huh,” before replacing the handset like he had lost all interest in it. Then, his face changed without any warning as he looked at his granddaughter with a delighted expression, and asked:
电话被挂掉了。老人望着话筒好一会儿，低喃一句「魔法少女啊」，接着像是兴趣尽失地喀锵一声放下话筒。然后，毫无预警地变化表情，带着一脸愉悦的神情转向孙女，并询问：

“Kanoe, do you like Magical Girls There ought to be an animated movie showing now, right?”
「庚江，你喜欢魔法少女吧？现在应该有在播动画电影吧？」

The granddaughter who had been so addressed by the old man ran her left hand through her curly hair. She pressed down the hem of her skirt, put her legs together, placed the tray on the round table, and then put the teacup on it.
被老人这么一问的孙女，以左手抚过鬈发。按住制服的裙襬，双腿交迭，将茶托放在圆桌上，再放上茶杯。

“Could it be that you wish to enjoy a movie with your darling granddaughter before you pass on?”
「难不成您想在临死前，与可爱的孙女一起观赏电影？」

“You don’t need to think of me as a grandfather like that. I was simply asking out of curiosity.”
「你不需要把我想成那么值得尊敬的祖父。纯粹只是好奇而已。」

 The girl who looked much younger than her tone revealed a gleam in her eye which was older than her words, and then she slowly blinked. By the time she opened her eyes again, the gleam was gone.
外表比语气年幼许多的少女，被这么一说，从眼底深处浮现一抹比语气更加老成的光芒，并缓缓眨了眨眼，等到她睁开眼时，那抹光芒已经消失了。

“Magical Girls recently have been all about tugging at the heartstrings. I’d rather watch a romance film than those.”
「最近关于魔法少女的题材都是一些耸动情节。比起那种东西，我比较偏好爱情罗曼史。」

The old man did not notice the glint in the girl’s eyes, and playfully spread his arms.
老人没有察觉少女眼底深处的光芒，俏皮地摊开手。

“A romance film, then. Do you think you’d enjoy watching one with your grandfather?”
「爱情罗曼史呀。你觉得跟祖父一起观赏有趣吗？」

“I think I’d enjoy watching one with a friend.
「如果是跟朋友一起观赏的话，应该挺有趣的吧。」

Their eyes met, and they smiled. The smiles on their faces were very similar.
两人相视而笑，脸上浮起极为相似的笑容。