Another Story Arc2 Ch9

thanks bst for reviewing
===============
Folklore of 0
That which should have been shining, now nothing more than a fleeting dream...
===============
===Episode 1===
The Will of the Universe and Resignation

Nayuta
...I could hardly sleep since recalling everything Papa told me yesterday.
===============

-1-

Nayuta
…………

-Flashback-

Tasuke
The existence of mahou shoujo is hidden so unnaturally from the world.
[And the more I looked into past history, the more my doubts grew about my uneasiness regarding environments.]
[Nothing but the glorious events of prominent historical females are ever spoken of. Anything amounting to the truth of what we call mahou shoujo are written off as nothing but personal stories.]
[Closing the book to signify the end of a story, you could say.]

Nayuta
Then Rabi-san's group was forced to put an end to their actions...?
Resulting in them concealing the existence of mahou shoujo...
If so, then by what...?

Tasuke
...By the will of the universe.
[Without energy coming from mahou shoujo, the universe will eventually become unsustainable. That's like a disease to the universe itself.]
[Leaving us, those who act out of favor to the universe, as something likened to cancer cells of the universe. It wouldn't be out of place to thus be exterminated by an unseen force...]

-End Flashback-

Nayuta
(...I am not satisfied.)
(It pains me to be suspicious of Papa, but...)
(Perhaps the weight of so many unfortunate failures has left him weak-hearted...?)
...Haa...
(I thought a short walk would help me settle my mind, but it hasn't done a thing...)

Rabi's Mother
Nayuta-san...?

Nayuta
Ah-... Rabi-san's mother...

Rabi's Mother
Sleep well last night?

Nayuta
Yes.
The cooking was delicious as well. You have a very lovely inn.

Rabi's Mother
Glad to hear...
I'm indebted to both Professor Satomi and you, Nayuta-san,
so I decided to go a little more elaborate with the cooking.

Nayuta
Do not feel indebted.
We are the ones being a hindrance to you.

Rabi's Mother
To help with Rabi with her bullying problem
you let her live in your home in Kamihama, do you not?

Nayuta
Bullying...

-Flashback-

Boy
Then you'll end up like THEM back then.

Nayuta
By them you mean Rabi-san...!? What on earth did you do!?

Boy
[We figured they'd ignore any pressure, so we pushed them to the edge physically 'til they started breaking down mentally. Back when the radicals were around, we'd inflict pain in all sorts of ways.]

Kurara
[I didn't join until later so I don't know all the details, but the Himuro Rabi you're talking about was one of the ones that went through the vicious bullying.]

-End Flashback-

Nayuta
(Was the reason she came to our home because of the bullying?)

Rabi's Mother
Besides, it was because of the professor that I also learned about the bullying...
And that's not all.
The professor was the one who watched over her bullying situation,
helping her meet the minimum attendance required and getting her to the infirmary.

Nayuta
...Papa did all of that. I had no idea at all.

Rabi's Mother
He also introduced me to you, Nayuta-san.
It's better for her to keep her distance from Yukuni.

Nayuta
So she came to me...

Rabi's Mother
You two have truly been a huge help.

Nayuta
No...! Papa aside,
Rabi-san has been the one helping me.
She always has amazing meals prepared for me.
Really – she is the one who helps me!

Rabi's Mother
Huhu... I can see why Rabi is so relaxed
when she is with you, Nayuta-san.

Nayuta
Relaxed...?

Rabi's Mother
I think that girl's found comfort in belonging in her new place.
The way she looks at you, she's really at peace.
So truly, thank you so much, Nayuta-san.

Nayuta
N-not at all...! I am the one who should be thankful...!
(...But thinking about the situation Rabi-san and the others are in,)
(there isn't anything I can do for them...)
(To belong in a new place...)
…………
(...A "new" place?)
(...Could that mean)
(the other Folklore girls came to Kamihama)
(not only for their group's objective,)
(but as a means to distance themselves from this city...?)
(Because the place they belong was taken from them...?)
(I cannot imagine such a thing...)


-2-

Rabi's Mother
Oh, this isn't good. I need to get going soon...

Nayuta
Was there somewhere you needed to be?

Rabi's Mother
I'm on my way to the local supermarket to pick up some soy sauce.
They'll be out until the next time the wholesaler comes...

Nayuta
(...So she's busy.)
(...That's it!)
Well...if you don't mind, I can purchase it for you.

Rabi's Mother
Um...I appreciate the thought,
but I couldn't ask such an important guest for something like that...

Nayuta
Nonsense...!
I remembered I have an errand to run in town, so allow me!
(And if on my way to purchase soy sauce I happen to meet those people from yesterday,)
(I'd like to give them a few words...!)

Rabi's Mother
If you insist, maybe you should ask Rabi.
That way she can accompany you there as well.

Nayuta
Right! Allow me to take care of everything!

-Home-

Nayuta
...So that is why I am off to go shopping!

Rabi
Absolutely not.

Nayuta
But, I already accepted her request.

Rabi
And I refuse.

Nayuta
I have to take responsibility for what I told her...!

Rabi
I will not do something I cannot.

Nayuta
You're set on refusing to budge...!?

Alexandra
Rabi-chan is the one speaking sense, isn't she...?

Asahi
In Yukuni city there is no safety for a mahou shoujo.

Urara
I mean, you were just kidnapped yesterday...

Nayuta
I understand all of that...
But, that is exactly why
I believe there is no reason for us to be sneaking about...
Such maliciousness is not something to allow, so...
Next time I will let them have it! I will win my argument without fail!

Rabi
…………

Alexandra
~ Ugh... She won't back down, will she... ~

Urara
~ We're in a bind... ~
~ If that's how it is, maybe Sasha-san's harp can put her to sleep...? ~

Rabi
~ She'll be sulking later, but I think it's for the best. ~

Alexandra
...Oh...?
She just disappeared, right...?

Rabi
She couldn't be...

-Outside-

Rabi
...She did.

Asahi
She has incredible initiative...

Alexandra
What do we do...?

Rabi
...We can't use magic in the town.
We'll follow her instead of taking her back.

Urara
Gotcha.

Rabi
Besides, I would like to exterminate the witches
gone unchecked as well, so this works out.

Alexandra
There's no mahou shoujo anymore, so the number of witches has kept going up...

Asahi
The misfortune brought by witches...
We cannot allow blame to fall on us again...

Urara
Who knows when we'll come home again, so I'm in favor of taking them out.

Rabi
...Nayuta-sama.

Nayuta
――っ!?
I-I've been caught...!
But I refuse to turn back!

Rabi
I thought as much.
So we will be accompanying you.
Is that acceptable?

Nayuta
...You are fine with this?

Rabi
Even if we carried you back,
you will just try to sneak out from under our noses again.

Nayuta
...You're right that I would...

Rabi
So, shall we go then?


-3-

Nayuta
…………
(I may have been a little too selfish...)
(Everyone is angry...)
…………
(...She doesn't seem to be, though.)
(She is keeping vigilant of our surroundings...?)
(Perhaps because we may be attacked by the extermination group...?)
(Though, it is not only that. It feels like melancholy...)
(She did not leave her home because she wanted to,)
(so I am certain she does desire to return...)

Rabi
...What is it, Nayuta-sama? I've felt your gaze for some time now.

Nayuta
Ah-...umm...
Well...does everyone here besides you not visit your parents' homes?
Since everyone stayed at Rabi-san's place yesterday, am I correct?

Alexandra
You're right in assuming. I haven't kept in touch with my home...

Asahi
Having to calculate proper timing just makes it too much trouble...

Alexandra
If the extermination group found out we came back
there's a chance they would start causing a riot around our homes...

Nayuta
They dare to go that far...!?

Urara
They'd probably go for it...

Nayuta
(My forgiveness is lessening by the minute...)

Urara
In my case, I transferred from the Aonami campus in Yukuni
and live in a dormitory at an affiliated school in Futatsugi,
so me comin' back would be a huge surprise for my family.

Nayuta
Of course, you may have your reasons for that, but...
Asahi-san, is it honestly okay for you to not return home?
It seems you live in the Tokime clan's base, but I could be...

Asahi
There is no problem-

Alexandra
Because right now her and I are sharing a room~♪

Nayuta
Oh, so I see.

Asahi
It is only a temporary accommodation.
Since I revealed my true identity to Shizuka-dono and everyone
I am unable to be with the Tokime clan.

Alexandra
I live in a studio apartment managed by relatives of mine
so I do have some amount of freedom.

Nayuta
Is two to a studio apartment not stifling?

Alexandra
It's a bit cramped,
but two is more fun than one.

Asahi
I am just thankful to be allowed to live there.

Rabi
Minors leaving their homes
and living alone in another city is no simple task.

Urara
The bullying thing was what it took to get sympathy from my family...
So maybe there was some kinda silver lining...

Alexandra
There's no celebrating though, is there...

Nayuta
(I knew absolutely nothing about them after all...)


-4-

Nayuta
(I knew absolutely nothing about them after all...)

Rabi
...Looking back on it all, many things have occurred up to this day.

Alexandra
Everything to spread the existence of mahou shoujo,
and it all started with so many lives being lost...

Asahi
To think, the very idea that everyone would head to Kamihama was so unexpected.

Nayuta
All of you are like any other group,
so that must mean you have a specific goal in Kamihama...?

Rabi
Yes we do...
As we spoke of yesterday...
After so many sacrifices, we came up with a hypothesis...

Asahi
That if we are being controlled by the will of the universe,
then it's senseless to do anything...

Alexandra
That there is no way to save mahou shoujo. The more we struggle, the more miserable we become...
Giving up is all there is.
The only thing we can do is give up...

Nayuta
The hypothesis that Papa was saying.

Urara
That's when Kyubey showed up...
There's a drive to spread the existence of mahou shoujo in Kamihama,
so to put a final test to the professor's hypothesis, we'd need to go to Kamihama ourselves...

Nayuta
If you spread the existence of mahou shoujo,
the universe itself will eliminate you...
All of you share the goal in testing Papa's hypothesis then?

Alexandra
…………

Rabi
...At the current state, yes.

Nayuta
(The current state...? That's a worrying way of saying as such...)

Rabi
As onlookers, we are observing the developments in Kamihama.

Asahi
That is why we infiltrated each group.
Since I carry Tokime Clan blood, I naturally entered the clan.

Urara
And since my affiliated school is close to Futatsugi
and I'm a mahou shoujo over there,
I slipped right into Promised Blood.

Alexandra
Neo Magius is a little special, though...
At first, I wanted to see how it would play from the perspective of former Wings of Magius,
so when I snuck in, it wasn't an actual organization yet...
Even so, I looked around for someone who could help
and made their team grow bigger.

Nayuta
You must have had lots of help then, Sasha-san...

Alexandra
However, back then...
I never imagined Neo Magius would become so radical.
I didn't think Hime-chan would go this far...

Rabi
It's not your fault, Sasha.

Asahi
I feel the results themselves were the natural outcome.

Urara
...I feel like I've done all I can too.

Nayuta
(...I can feel the distance between us...)
(They are not avoiding me, and we are standing in the same space, yet...)
(It feels like I alone am somewhere else...)
…………

Rabi
Is something the matter? You suddenly seem unwell...

Nayuta
It's not that...
(It's just...)
...I feel a little alienated from you all.

Rabi
Alienated...?

Nayuta
The air between all of you is something only you share...
It's not a space I can enter...
No, there are just some places that just cannot be entered...

Rabi
…………
...It's because unlike you, Nayuta-sama, we have no hope.

Nayuta
No hope...?
Because I have hope, I cannot get any closer to all of you...?

Rabi
...That's right. We are all connected by our resignation.
If you...
If you want to be associated with us, our Folklore of Zero...
Then please give up your "hope" as well, Nayuta-sama.

Nayuta
...!

Everyone
…………

Nayuta
(...I.....)
(...Cannot answer her.)

Alexandra
...Rabi-chan, we're about to enter the city.

Rabi
...I know. All members, stay alert.

Nayuta
(The air has grown heavy again...)
(I should start bracing myself as well...)


===============
===Episode 2===
A Past That Allows No Recompense

Nayuta
If I purchase soy sauce at this store the errand will be complete!
===============

Thank you very much!

Nayuta
...I was able to purchase the soy sauce.

Rabi
Nayuta-sama, after this...

Kurara
So you're still in Yukuni...
So you are up to something, aren't you?

Nayuta
That's the extermination group...!

Alexandra
...I was hoping we wouldn't run into them...

Rabi
Our errand in the city is done. Let's be on our way quickly.

Asahi
She is right. Quarreling with them will be pointless.

Urara
Even talking to them will be unforgivable. We're in trouble here...

Nayuta
(And now we meet at last...)
(I will give them a piece of my mind here.)
(Whatever reasoning they have,)
(it is no reason to harm another...!)

Rabi
Nayuta-sama!?

Nayuta
There seems to be a misunderstanding, so once again I will provide explanation.
Mahou shoujo would never,
ever exist to cause harm to a person.

Kurara
There's no misunderstanding here...
Dozens of people have died. And it's all because of mahou shoujo!

Nayuta
That is nothing of Rabi-san's or her friends' volition...!
If accidents and incidents are increasing throughout Yukuni city,
it is not the fault of mahou shoujo either!
As I told you yesterday,
because no mahou shoujo reside here to exterminate witches,
those witches no longer face their natural enemy, and thus are free to lash out!

Kurara
Everyone who believed that is dead.
How do you plan on explaining all the students who had their minds broken?
Back then all the mahou shoujo stabbed us in the back!

Nayuta
That is not true!

Rabi
...Nayuta-sama, please stop it already.

Nayuta
But...

Rabi
Let's go home.

Kurara
And never show yourselves in Yukuni again.
Next time you do, the Earth's Cradle won't be safe anymore.

Nayuta
Wha-!

Rabi
I don't care if I'm the one who's punished,
but, if you cross the line...

Kurara
All you have to do is keep your promise.

Rabi
...Let's go, Nayuta-sama.

Nayuta
…………


-2-

Nayuta
…………

Rabi
Thank you for withdrawing.

Nayuta
No... I wasn't able to do anything.
(I was unable to convince them...)
(And as it is, further dialogue with them is pointless.)
(Even I understand that much...)

-Flashback-

Boy
[We figured they'd ignore any pressure, so we pushed them to the edge physically 'til they started breaking down mentally. Back when the radicals were around, we'd inflict pain in all sorts of ways.]

Kurara
[I didn't join until later so I don't know all the details, but the Himuro Rabi you're talking about was one of the ones that went through the vicious bullying.]

-End Flashback-

Nayuta
(People who proudly boast of the extreme violence they enacted...)
(In a way, they are more vicious and beyond saving than witches...)
(And yet...)
(Rabi-san and her friends willingly receive such violence.)
(Even if, as they said,)
(they are responsible for what occurred in Yukuni...)
(It is not right to accept bullying...)
…………
(It is sickening...)
(What is it with this resignation that they allow this to go so far...?)

Rabi
...Do you still not accept?

Nayuta
...Correct.
There is no way I can stay silent after this exchange...

Rabi
It must be because...
You don't know what really happened here in Yukuni city.

Nayuta
Eh...? I suppose I don't...
(An accident led to the extermination of mahou shoujo)
(is all I have heard of...)

Rabi
...Then before we go home, would you like to visit some sites?

Nayuta
You mean where the accident occurred...?
Would that not be horrible for all of you?

Rabi
If that would be enough to convince you, then it doesn't matter.

Alexandra
You might finally come to realize it...
The reason why we are hated, and the meaning behind us resigning our hope...

Urara
Yeah...I don't really mind either.

Asahi
That would be the best way to get you to understand...

Nayuta
…………
Then please do.

-Stage-

Rabi
Here would be a good place to start.
Since we were unable to defeat the witch, this is where the accident with the first explosion happened...

Alexandra
And where a lot of people were hurt and died...

Asahi
The place where my friend died as well...

-Flashback-

Kuroda
I can tell just holding her... Feeling her skin...Haitani is...

Asahi
っ…

Kuroda
Why...how could you... Tell me Miura...why would you fuckin' kill her...!!

-End Flashback-

Asahi
That friend knew that I am a mahou shoujo,
and is why I promised I would protect them.
I am nothing but a liar...

Nayuta
…………

Rabi
...And, when it became known mahou shoujo become witches,
assumptions spread that mahou shoujo curse people as well.

Alexandra
Mahou shoujo and witches were confused to be one and the same.
Those who believed we hurt people claimed themselves to be exterminators
and set out to get rid of all mahou shoujo.

Rabi
However, with the help of those who believed us,
we were able to get people to reevaluate the way they perceive us,
that mahou shoujo protect humanity.

-Parking Lot-

Alexandra
This is where reconciliation with the extermination group was going to take place...

Rabi
...We safely got rid of all remaining witches
and cleared the misunderstanding that mahou shoujo are witches...
Just when their perception was about to change,
that mahou shoujo fight for the people.

-Flashback-

Asahi
Yes, you victims of the suffering of witches
shall be healed by us.

Alexandra
First off, please relax to the sounds of my playing.

-End Flashback-

Rabi
Then a second incident took place.

Asahi
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the magic of us three went wild,
and the extermination group that was moments from joining us hand in hand
had their minds destroyed...

-Flashback-

Rabi
Still...they're still multiplying...

Alexandra
But Asahi-chan can only summon those who passed away.

Asahi
There is no mistaking it...!

Rabi
We need to stop it now...!
Normal people can't withstand their mind or body being broken!

Asahi
But, how do we make it stop...!

Alexandra
More and more of the protectors are appearing...

Rabi
It can't be...they are...!

-End Flashback-
-Road-

Urara
I was at the scene of the accident that no one saw coming...

-Flashback-

[Found a survivor! Hurry and get a stretcher down here!]
[Move it, the ambulance is here! Get the children out first!]
[The hell are you doing, it's black!]

Tasuke
Here I was hoping I wouldn't have to believe in the will of the universe this time...

-End Flashback-

Urara
That's when the bus went up in flames...
I wasn't a mahou shoujo yet, but I was a part of this accident.
And Kurara was there, near death...
My partner I did street performances with... I saved her with a wish, but...
I got the brunt of her hatred for only savin' her.
...From the start, she's always seemed to hate how scatterbrained I am though...

Nayuta
How could she...when you saved her...

Alexandra
The witches were all eliminated,
so we have no idea why these two incidents took place...

Rabi
...As a result,
we created a situation in which people would be harmed with our own hands.
These unexpected accidents shattered all hope.

Nayuta
No way...

Asahi
That, to us, is what the will of the universe appears to be...

Urara
That's why we hold no hope. Why we embrace resignation...


-3-

Nayuta
…………
(Uu...it is...not my place to cry...)
(But...it hurts so much...)
(Just listening to their story... It hurts, it pains me so...)
(....Ahh, this is why they resigned themselves.)
(How Rabi-san – any of them – could face this ever again)
(I just could not understand...)
(So they resigned, only accepting their current state...)
(I do not understand the complicated logic, but I am sure Touka would...)

-Daydream-

Touka
That's a self-defense mechanism, you see.
Likening to blah blah psychological response,
which in such a case you'd blah blah like this.

-End Daydream-

Nayuta
...Uu...
(Smiling at me here is unfair of you...)
(Even Touka is... Why...)

Rabi
...!
...Nayuta-sama, I cannot apologize enough.
It was not a pleasant story to put you through...

Nayuta
...Ah, no... It was not that...
…………
(Touka is "successful in the 1st phase of the operation")
(or something of the sort was what she speaking of,)
(but if the will of the universe orchestrated that self-explosion...)
(That too would be entirely futile...)
…………
(...This, this is what they call "resignation"...?)
(...Ahh, that is right. Just earlier...)

-Flashback-

Nayuta
(They are not avoiding me, and we are standing in the same space, yet...)
(It feels like I alone am somewhere else...)

-End Flashback-

Nayuta
(I felt that way because I sensed the resignation that connects the four of them.)
(Connected by something I happen to not have...)
(So I felt that I could not be with them...)

Alexandra
If you'd like, please use my handkerchief.

Nayuta
...Thank you very much.

Asahi
I have some tea I just bought earlier that you may drink if you wish.

Urara
Then I'll uh... Umm...all I got is my street performance...

Nayuta
Do not worry so...! It is not the fault of any of you...
(They are the ones who have had to face their painful past,)
(yet at a time like this they still care for me...)
(They are such kind people...)
(That is why I wish to become closer with them...)
(I want to be their friend.)
(But...)
(To accept resignation like they have...)
(I cannot...)
(I would rather rid them all of their resignation...)
(That is what I feel...)


-4-

Nayuta
――っ!?
A witch's signature!

Alexandra
It's our turn then.

Asahi
It's been quite some time since we last fought together.

Urara
Since we infiltrated the other groups it kinda feels a little weird.

Nayuta
...You are going to defeat it?

Rabi
That is a mahou shoujo's mission.
...You can wait right here, Nayuta-sama.

Nayuta
…………
(Exterminating witches is a mahou shoujo's mission.)
(We also needs grief seeds,)
(and it aids the common people as well...)
(But...)
(Even after what had happened earlier...)
(Rabi-san and her friends charge into battle without waver...)
(Into a life or death battle...)
…………
I am coming as well!

---

Alexandra
Huu...good thing it wasn't some super big witch.

Asahi
Expertly cooperating even after such a long time, nothing can compare to this feeling.

Urara
What'd you think of me out there? I feel like I've grown a bit myself.

Rabi
You certainly are growing.
You're more composed than last time, and keep a close watch of your surroundings.

Nayuta
…………

Rabi
We can continue to skirt the city to avoid detection by the extermination group,
but I am thinking of hunting more witches. Is that okay with you?

Nayuta
Eh-...?

Asahi
We will be unable to return for some time.

Alexandra
The damage that witches have caused seems to be increasing,
so I would like to defeat them.

Nayuta
I...have no objections...

Urara
Then let's go get 'em!

Nayuta
(...I feel uncertain again.)
(The more I learn about Rabi-san and her friends...)
(The less I know what to do...)
(Is giving up on hope truly the correct thing to do...?)


===============
===Episode 3===
Someday, We Hope to Light Up Again

Alexandra
That should be enough witch exterminating, right? Shall we head home?
===============

-1-

Nayuta
We've returned home.

Rabi's Mother
Welcome back.

Nayuta
Here you are, your soy sauce.

Rabi's Mother
Thanks. It wasn't too heavy I hope?

Nayuta
Yes, it went just fine!

Rabi
She did nearly buy a different brand of soy sauce, so I did have to correct her.

Nayuta
That's...well... The packages looked so similar...

Rabi
I also took the opportunity to buy some things that seemed to be running low around the home.

Rabi's Mother
I just remembered... Thank you, Rabi.

Rabi
Sure.

Nayuta
(Rabi-san's mother...)
(Rabi-san looks so relaxed when she is with me)
(...was what she had told me...)
(But she also looks relaxed when she speaks with her mother.)

---

Nayuta
What a wonderful meal.

Alexandra
The cooking here is so delicious no matter how many times I eat it.

Asahi
The vegetables are especially exceptional.

Urara
If you combined these veggies with the game Asahi-san hunts,
I bet you'd make something amazing!

Asahi
Hm... This was as fresh as can be too though.

Rabi
We'll try it next time.

Nayuta
…………

Rabi
Nayuta-sama, I need to clean up now so I will be stepping away.

Nayuta
In that case, I shall assist you!

Rabi
The amount I would have to clean would increase, so I'm fine.

Nayuta
Uu...I cannot argue against that...

Alexandra
What should we do in the meantime? Would you like to play a card game?

Nayuta
...No, I am going to go on a little walk.

Urara
Then we'll go with ya.

Nayuta
That's okay. I will not go far,
I just want to do some thinking...

Rabi
...Understood. If anything happens, please call out.

---

Nayuta
(I hear some people speaking in the distance, but it is quiet out...)
(In a short time the lights will also fade and I will be able to see the stars so clearly.)
(...This is the town Rabi-san was born and raised in.)
(And...)

-Flashback-

Asahi
In truth, many were killed by us, and many more were disabled.
Under normal circumstances, we would not have crossed the border of our hometown alive...

-End Flashback-

Nayuta
(It is a place she normally cannot return home to...)
(The place where so much tragedy has occurred.)
(But, is all of that responsibility...)
(Something Rabi-san and her friends must bear...?)
(Must they abandon everything, never to resist again?)
(I do not believe so.)
(Because...)
(When you are with your family and friends, you are the same as any non-magical girl.)
(You are a normal girl...)
(Just because you are a mahou shoujo does not mean you cannot find "hope"...)

Rabi
Nayuta-sama.

Nayuta
Rabi-san...


-2-

Rabi
Nayuta-sama.

Nayuta
Rabi-san...

Rabi
You should come back. You'll catch a cold.

Nayuta
…………

-Flashback-

Rabi
...That's right. We are all connected by our resignation.
If you...
If you want to be associated with us, our Folklore of Zero...
Then please give up your "hope" as well, Nayuta-sama.

-End Flashback-

Nayuta
Rabi-san, I cannot give up.

Rabi
...?

Nayuta
I cannot give up "hope".

Rabi
...Ahh, what we spoke of this day.

Nayuta
Yes...
(I'm sure Rabi-san and her friends are just protecting themselves...)
(To accept a reality they have no control over)
(they stained themselves with resignation...)
(That was all they could do...)
(But, I...)
I cannot give up, not on improving relations with the extermination group,
nor on trying to save mahou shoujo.

Rabi
…………

Nayuta
Because, no matter what...
Because I want all of you to be saved too, Rabi-san...

Rabi
Us...?

Nayuta
Everyone of Folklore,
no matter how cruelly you are treated, none of you respond in kind.
None of you have forgotten your mission to protect people... You are all such kind girls.
Besides...

-Flashback-

Nayuta
Because all of these days Mikage-san and I have spent with you are all a lie, are they not?
You were like a real sister to me, like a friend. I was so happy...
All of it, it was all my misunderstanding...

Rabi
[I don't want you to misunderstand my feelings for you, Nayuta-sama.]
[While I have been deceiving you, the only secret I've kept from you is myself.]
[Of all the time we've spent living together, 99.9% of that has not been a lie, but my true self.]
[I beg of you, don't think that all of this time was nothing but an illusion.]
[I am looking forward to making lasagna for you again.]

-End Flashback-

Nayuta
The time I have spent together with you and Mikage-san...
It was all very much real to me.

Rabi
Nayuta-sama...

Nayuta
To never wish for the happiness of a loved one is impossible for me!

Rabi
…………

Nayuta
No matter what Papa says, no matter what history tells us,
even if it has never been possible before...
I will bend it to my will!
And I will show you a future where everyone can be saved by our own hands!

Rabi
...That is your decision then, Nayuta-sama?

Nayuta
Yes. So we cannot go together.
...Are you thinking how much of a fool I am...?

Rabi
…………


-3-

Nayuta
...Are you thinking how much of a fool I am...?

Rabi
…………
For now...
All I can do is accept the decision you've made, Nayuta-sama.

Nayuta
…………
...There is one thing I would like to ask you as well.

Rabi
What is it?

Nayuta
Rabi-san...
Do you truly not have a single piece of hope left...?

Rabi
…………
Let's go back inside.
We're going back to Kamihama tomorrow, so it would be better to get to sleep early.

Nayuta
Ah-...
………… …………

---

Nayuta
Thank you for looking after us.

Rabi's Mother
Come back anytime, okay?

Nayuta
I will!
(Next time I come back,)
(it will be with Rabi-san and her friends returning home beaming...)

---

Nayuta
…………
(They can see us...)
(But... They are showing no signs of laying their hands on us...?)

Rabi
~ They know that we're about to go back. ~
~ There isn't much need to worry. ~

Nayuta
~ ...I see that now. ~
(Someday we will reconcile with these people...)
…………
(I cannot be the one to lose heart...!)
(I have "hope".)
(The hope lit within my chest cannot be extinguished yet...)
(So from this point forward I will be doing my best again.)
(To bring about a future where mahou shoujo can be saved...)
Let us go, to Kamihama...!

Rabi
…………


-4-

Nayuta
Suu...suu...

Rabi
(Sound asleep... I thought she seemed tired.)
…………
(In the end, Nayuta-sama couldn't cast aside her "hope".)
(She couldn't accept giving in to resignation.)
...She is different from us.
(We can't stand in the same place.)
(...That isn't something I welcome.)
(I should be...)

Nayuta
Nn~...I wasn't... Snacking...because...
I do not like skipping dinner~...

Rabi
.....Hu...
(This lady,)
(I find myself wishing for her to stay like this.)

-Flashback-

Nayuta
Do you truly not have a single piece of hope left...?

-End Flashback-

Rabi
…………
(How should I have answered that question?)
(What is "hope" to me...)
…………
(I don't know. I can't understand it anymore.)
(I don't even know what to call hope...)
(All that remains for us...)
(is to be bystanders.)
(Is the very act itself of trying to save mahou shoujo)
(destined to be thwarted by the greater will of the universe?)
(All I can do is observe...)
(I didn't stop working for the group I infiltrated)
(even for the most insignificant of deeds.)
(Because in the end, I believe I will return to nothing before the greater will.)
(Satomi Touka and Hiiragi Nemu)
(are the only ones I was cautious about because of potential disastrous consequences, but...)
…………
(Aika Himena should have been more careful as well.)
(I didn't expect to see this much activity...)
(Just like those two, I wanted to put a stop to her, but...)
(There are only four of us. We don't have that much power...)
(In the end, all we can do is watch them...)
(If the results end up the same in Kamihama as they did in Yukuni...)
(Then mahou shoujo must be destroyed.)
(Because that is our only chance at salvation...)
(At that time, Nayuta, you will...)
(surely come to despise us.)
…………
(It's a little...)
(I hate it.)
(...It's not something I should be feeling.)

[Now arriving at: Shinsei Central Station. Shinsei Central Station.]

Rabi
(...Kamihama City.)
(Our fates determined by its strife...)
…………
Nayuta-sama, please get up. We reached Kamihama City.