Unmarked Chapter 5

Chapter 05: Farewell to the Obstacle

Swim Swim’s Magical Phone rang to indicate a call. Tama naturally shut up, and the talkative Yunael and Minael went quiet as well, pricking up their ears to listen to Swim Swim’s conversation with Fav. After exchanging a few sentences, Swim Swim slipped her Magical Phone back into her breast.
泳泳的魔法终端响起了来电的提示音。小玉自然住口了，爱说话的优奈儿和米奈儿也闭上了嘴，竖起耳朵倾听泳泳和法布的对话。交互说了两三句话后，泳泳就将魔法终端收进了胸口。

“What is it? Did something happen?”
“怎么了？发生什么事了吗？”

“Sister Nana sent a message, asking for a meetup.”
“修女娜娜发来了联络信息，要求见面。”

“Really?”
“Winterprison is really scary.”
“What should we do now?”
“What should we do?”
“真的吗？”“寒冬牢狱很恐怖耶。”“要怎么做啊？”“怎么办？”

Swim Swim recalled the words Ruler had said, and then she found an appropriate phrase.
泳泳一句一句地回忆起王权说过的话，然后找到了合适的言辞。

“The strongest enemy must be defeated first, no matter what.”
“最强的敌人就是不管怎样都必须打倒的敌人”。

If they were strong enough that they could not be beaten in a head-on fight, then they would not fight them head on. Swim Swim gave the two angels orders.
如果强到正面迎战也无法战胜的话，不要正面迎战就是了。泳泳向两名天使发出了指示。

◇◇◇

There was a fluffy white object on the desk. It was quite normal for a girl’s room to have a few dolls, but this looked completely different from those dolls.
书桌上摆着一团毛绒绒的白色物体。女孩子的房间有几个玩偶很正常，不过这和那些玩偶看起来完全不同。

“This… what is it?”
“这是、什么？”

“The Rabbit’s Foot from the item list ~pon. Once you’re in danger, something good will happen ~pon.”
“商品列表里面的兔足pon。一旦陷入危机就会有好事发生pon。”

“Why do I have this?”
“为什么我会拿着这个？”

“Perhaps you picked it up after someone dropped it?”
“谁掉的被你捡到了？”

“And who is this someone?”
“这个谁是谁啊？”

“I think it should be Hardgore Alice, right ~pon?”
“一般来说应该是哈德格尔·爱丽丝吧pon？”

“Hardgore Alice?”
“哈德格尔·爱丽丝？”

“The girl who looks like a black version of Alice in Wonderland ~pon.”
“就是那个像是黑色版本的爱丽丝梦游仙境的女孩子pon。”

So it had really happened. The image of the girl who could move even with her head cut off appeared within her mind. Snow White desperately fought the urge to throw up. Ever since La Pucelle had died, Snow White’s heart had not been at peace. Whenever she thought of La Pucelle, she felt like throwing up and crying.
果然那是在现实世界发生过的事。就算被切断了头部也仍然能动的魔法少女浮现在在脑海中。白雪拼命压抑住涌起的呕吐感。自从圣少女死去后，白雪的心就从来没有安稳过。一想起圣少女，跟呕吐感一起涌出来的还有眼泪。

“No matter what happens, you won’t go mad; don’t worry about that ~pon. Magucal Girls have strong minds and bodies, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to do their job ~pon.
“不管发生了什么你都不会发疯的，这点请放心pon。魔法少女无论是精神还是肉体都会很健康，要不就无法胜任pon。”

Fav’s reply was as though he had read Snow White’s mind and then proceeded to seal off her route of retreat, and it made Snow White frustrated. Snow White wanted to scream, she wanted to throw her Magical Phone away and then trample on it, but she did not have the courage to sever her link with the only entity she could speak to.
法布的发言就像读取了白雪的内心然后先将退路封死一样，让白雪越发焦躁起来。白雪好想尖叫，好想把魔法终端扔出去，好想在扔出去的魔法终端上踩几脚，但她却没有切断和唯一谈话对象法布的通话的勇气。

Hardgore Alice. She was fine after everything above her neck had fallen to the ground. It was a nightmarish sight, but it was reality. Her name had not appeared in the chatlogs as one of the eliminated, which meant that she was still alive. If she was the owner of the Rabbit’s Foot, what woudl she think about Snow White being in possession of the Rabbit’s Foot? Surely she would not believe the explanation that Snow White had picked it up by chance.
哈德格尔·爱丽丝。脖子以上部分掉在地面上都没关系。虽然是在噩梦中才能一见的光景，不过这是现实。她的名字并没有出现在聊天版中报告的落选者名单中，也就是说她还活着。如果兔足的主人是她的话，对于白雪现在拿着兔足这件事又会有什么想法呢？她应该不会认为是白雪偶然捡到了失物这种善意的解释吧。

“Can you help me return this to her?”
“这个能帮我还给她吗？”

“These matters are very tricky if you don’t negotiate directly ~pon. I can help you contact her though ~pon.”
“这种事不直接交涉会很伤脑筋pon。如果只是帮你联络的话法布倒是可以做到就是了pon。”

It was clear that Snow White had asked Fav because she did not want to meet up directly, yet it had not realised that. Or had it said that while knowing full well how she felt? Was that malice coming from that gently swaying black and white spheroid? Or was it simple callousness?
明明白雪就是不想直接会面才拜托法布的，这家伙却没领会到。还是说它是在心领神会的情况下这么说的呢？从软绵绵轻飘飘得随风摆动着的黑白球体中渗透出来的是恶意吗？还是漠不关心呢？

Snow White threw herself on her desk and cried. After sobbing for five minutes, she raised her head, feeling somewhat better. If only she could just let herself go insane; how good would that feel? A call came froim downstairs: “Koyuki~ food’s ready!” Snow White answered, “I’m coming~” ands then rose from her chair. She was about to power off her Magical Phone, but before she touched it, Fav spoke in a higher octave than usual.
白雪伏在书桌上哭了起来。她流着泪呜咽了五分钟后抬起了头，感觉好像舒服了些。要是能够干脆发疯那该有多轻松啊。从楼下传来妈妈的呼唤声，“小雪~吃饭了！”。白雪回以“马上就来~”，然后从椅子上站了起来。她正想伸手关掉魔法终端的电源，在碰到之前，法布发出比平时还要高半个八度的声音。

“Ah, someone just sent a message ~pon.”
“啊，刚才有人发来了联络信息pon。”

“A message?”
“联络信息？”

“Sister Nana wants to meet Snow White ~pon. What will you do ~pon?”
“修女娜娜想要见白雪pon。你要怎么办pon？”

Magical Girls almost never had the chance to meet up.
魔法少女和魔法少女几乎没有机会打照面。

While there were partners like Snow White and La Pucelle, Sister Nana and Winterprison, Top Speed and Ripple who met up regularly, for the most part, the others only met when a sempai was instructing a kouhai. This was because there had not been any big incidents that required multiple Magical Girls to resolve ever since Magical Girls had become active in N-City. Also, while the exact degree varied between individuals, they all had territorial instincts as Magical Girls, and none of the Magical Girls here would deliberately wander into someone else’s territory.
虽然像白雪和圣少女、修女娜娜和寒冬牢狱、最高速和波纹这种组成搭档的，就算不愿意也必须见面，但其他的就只有前辈对后辈进行指导时了。这是因为自从魔法少女在N市内活动以来，并没有发生什么必须要复数的魔法少女协力解决的大事故大事件，而且虽然个人程度不同，但大家的魔法少女地盘意识都比较强，没有哪个魔法少女会特意到别人的地盘去。

While Sister Nana would occasionally--as the late Ruler had once said--”wander into someone else’s territory while pretending to be kind”, ever since she had almost been killed by Calamity Mary, she had stuck to a principle of non-interference, until only eight Magical Girls were left.
修女娜娜虽然偶尔会有已去世的王权所说的“装作亲切地跑到别人地盘”这种行为，但自从差点被灾厄玛丽杀掉后就贯彻了无交涉不干涉的原则，直到这次的游戏进行到只剩8名魔法少女的现在。

Snow White had once met Sister Nana and Winterprison. It was before Sister Nana had locked herself up at home and not come out.
白雪曾经和修女娜娜以及寒冬牢狱有过一面之缘。是在修女娜娜在老家中闭门不出之前的事了。

Snow White arrived earlier than the appointed time, but Sister Nana and Winterprison were already waiting there. Winterprison was still as stylish as always. She looked less like a Magical Girl than the prince of some country. Sister Nana still looked as gent;e as always. They had chosen to meet in a supermarket which had been abandoned for years, but it looked as sacrosanct as an abandoned nunnery.
白雪到的比约定时间要早一些，不过修女娜娜和寒冬牢狱已经等在那里了。寒冬牢狱还是和以前一样帅气。与其说是魔法少女，她更像是哪里来的王子殿下。修女娜娜还是看起来很温柔的样子。碰头的地点是在一间已经弃置数年的超市中，不过看起来就像废弃的修道院一样神圣。

“It’s been a while, Snow White.”
“好久不见，白雪。”

“Hello.”
“你好。”

“It’s been a long time! Sister Nana! Winterprison!”
“好久不见！修女娜娜！寒冬牢狱！”

“I heard about La Pucelle. That… I am truly sorry for your loss…”
“圣少女的事我已经听说了。真是……非常令人遗憾……”

Sister Nana clasped Snow White’s hand and bowed her head. Tears brimmed in Snow White’s eyes. She did not know if those ters were shed because a Magical Girl was grieving for La Pucelle, or because she had recalled La Pucelle’s demise.
修女娜娜握着白雪的手，低下了头。眼泪在白雪的眼眶中打转。她自己也不知道这眼泪是因为有魔法少女对圣少女表示哀悼，还是因为想起了圣少女的死。

Sister Nana raised her head and spoke.
修女娜娜抬起头说道。

“We can’t let these tragedies happen again. We Magical Girls must now unite and combine everyone’s wisdom to find a solution.”
“不能再发生这种悲剧了。我们魔法少女现在正应该团结一致，集合大家的智慧来寻找解决方法。”

The tears brimming in her eyes fell. Sister Nana’s hands were very warm, and very strong. Ever since the game had started, all the Magical Girls Snow White had encountered were enemies. Even if the other party had spoken kindly to her, they had never treated her as someone necessary to them. To them, Snow White was little more than prey.
泪水噙满眼眶，滚落了下来。修女娜娜的手很温暖，而且握得又很有力。从游戏开始以来，除了圣少女以外，见过面的魔法少女都是敌人。就算对方会对自己温言软语，也从未把自己当成必要的存在。对于她们来说，白雪只是猎物而已。

Snow White nodded.
白雪点点头。

“I want to help… please let me help!”
“我也想帮忙……请务必让我帮忙！”

“Mm, thank you, Snow White. Let us work hard together.”
“嗯，谢谢你白雪。让我们一起努力吧。”

The tears fell drop by drop from Snow White’s large eyes, and through her blurred vision, she saw Sister Nana smiling. Perhaps the smile was a little distorted by the tears, but Snow White thought it looked very dependable. Sister Nana looked away from Snow White and looked past Snow White’s shoulder behind her.
泪水一颗接一颗的从白雪的大眼睛中滑落，模糊的视界中可以看到修女娜娜在笑。虽然可能因为是泪水的原因导致那笑容有些扭曲，但白雪也觉得很可靠。修女娜娜将视线从白雪身上转开，越过白雪的肩膀上注视着她背后。

“What say you? You left before we heard your answer…”
“你怎么说？之前还没听到你的回复就分手了……”

Had Sister Nana met with another Magical Girl? Snow White turned back, looking in the direction where Sister Nana was speaking. At the entrance of the supermarket, she saw half the form of the pure black Alice in Wonderland. Snow White suppressed the impulse to scream , and then hid behind Winterprison’s back. Because she was still holding on to Sister Nana’s hand, her change of positions was not very fluid, and she nearly fell down, but the motion itself was very quick.
修女娜娜还和其他魔法少女碰头了吗？白雪回过头，看向修女娜娜说话的方向。她在超市入口处看到了纯黑色的梦游仙境爱丽丝的半边身子。白雪压抑住差点尖叫出来的冲动，躲到了寒冬牢狱的背后。因为白雪还握着修女娜娜的手，她想要交换位置但动作不是很灵活，还差点跌倒了，不过动作本身倒是很迅速。

“Ah… you know each other?”
“那个……你们认识？”

“Yes, we do.”
“是的，认识。”

Before Snow White could explain the truth behind the attack, Hardgore Alice had spoken ahead of her. Snow White merely trembled behind Winterprison’s back. Winterprison looked quite surprised, but Sister Nana paid Snow White’s reaction no heed before continuing to ask.
在白雪说出被袭击的事实前，哈德格尔·爱丽丝就抢先回答了。白雪只是在寒冬牢狱的背后颤抖着。寒冬牢狱虽然一脸讶异，但修女娜娜没有对白雪的反应多加理会就继续问道。

“Er, then… can I ask you to help too? Hardgore Alice?”
“呃，那么……可以也请你帮忙吗？哈德格尔·爱丽丝。”

“Yes, I understand, I will help.”
“好，我明白了。我会帮忙的。”

There was no intonation in Hardgore Alice’s polite response, and it sounded very stiff and unpracticed, as though it had been directly translated from a foreign language.
哈德格尔·爱丽丝的敬语没有语调起伏，听起来相当的生硬，就好像是从外语直译过来一样很明显的不太熟练。

“Ahh, what a wonderful day! Many thanks!”
“啊啊，今天是多么美妙的一天啊！万分感谢！”

To Sister Nana, whether her words were expressive or not was not a big issue. Just like she had with Snow White, she rushed toward Hardgore Alice, then grabbed her hand and pumped it up and down.
对修女娜娜来说，说话是否带有感情并没有什么大不了吧。她就像刚才对白雪做过的一样，冲向哈德格尔·爱丽丝，然后握住她的手上下晃动。

Snow White did not want to be alone with Hardgore Alice under any circumstances. However, she could not say that after Sister Nana happily proclaimed them to be “comrades of one mind and spirit” over and over again. When Sister Nana excitedly said, “We have another meeting with other Magical Girls today. Our circle of comrades might grow”, she could not think of any reason to detain her, and in the end, the situation became the least desirable one of “being alone with Hardgore Alice.”
白雪无论如何都不想和哈德格尔·爱丽丝独处。但是因为修女娜娜相当高兴地一直重复说着四人是“志同道合的伙伴”，所以白雪没能说出口。在修女娜娜高兴地说着“今天还和其他魔法少女约了见面。同伴可能还会增加。”的时候，她也想不出挽留的理由，结果就变成了“和哈德格尔·爱丽丝独处”这一最不想陷入的状况。

Snow White mumbled a goodbye and prepared to leave, but when she looked back, she saw Hardgore Alice following her. Snow White smiled vaguely, then bowed to her and quickly took several steps away. She looked back after turning a corner and found that she was still there, which made her hair stand on end.
白雪支支吾吾地道过别，准备离开，但一回头，却发现哈德格尔·爱丽丝跟在后面。白雪含糊地一笑，低头致意后快走了几步，转过拐角后一回头，她依然还在，令人毛骨悚然。

Had she behaved herself just not because Sister Nana and Winterprison were around? Now that the two of them were no longer there, she no longer had any need to pretend any more, so was she planning to attack now? Snow White’s body froze up, but Hardgore Alice merely glued her line of sight onto Snow White and did not move.
刚才那么老实是因为修女娜娜和寒冬牢狱在的缘故吗？那两人不在后就没必要再装了，于是她打算袭击过来吗？白雪身体僵硬起来，不过哈德格尔·爱丽丝只是将她粘稠的目光牢牢盯在白雪身上，一动也不动。

--Ah, that’s right.
——啊，对了。

Snow White remembered. She reached her hand into her pocket, and her fingertips touched soft fur. Snow White took out the Rabbit’s Foot, and then handed it over to Hardgore Alice.
白雪想起来了。她将手伸进口袋，指尖碰到了柔软的毛。白雪取出兔足，然后递给哈德格尔·爱丽丝。

“Is this yours? I didn’t steal it; when I came to I was already holding it.”
“这个是你的吗？那个，不是我偷的，只是回过神来已经拿着了。”

She was simply stating the fact, but it sounded just like an excuse. Snow White nervously handed over the Rabbit’s Foot.
虽然是在陈述事实，但听起来简直就像借口。白雪畏畏缩缩地递出兔足。

“No.”
“不是。”

“Er, isn’t it yours?”
“呃？不是吗？”

“That’s yours.”
“那是你的东西。”

“No, it can’t be. I don’t have anything like that.”
“不、不是呢。我没有这个东西。”

“I, I gave it to you, to Snow White. So it’s yours.”
“我、把它给了你、给了白雪，所以这是你的东西。”

“Eh? Why? Why are you giving me this?”
“咦？为什么？为什么你要给我这个？”

Hardgore Alice suddenly tilted her head, which startled Snow White, who thought her head was going to fall off again. What had happened that night, when Magicaloid 44 had chopped her head off? When she looked now, there was no wound on her neck, nor were there any bandages. While the most logical conclusion was that it was because of her Magic, a Magic that allowed people to survive decapitation was far too surreal.
哈德格尔·爱丽丝突然稍稍歪了歪头，白雪吓了一跳，还以为头又要掉了。那一晚，她被Magicaroid44切断了脖子是怎么回事啊。现在看的话，脖子上既没有伤痕也没有绑绷带。虽然最合理的判断应该是她的魔法起了作用，但割断脖子都还死不了的魔法实在是太超出常规了。

“I’m willing.”
“我乐意。”

“Er?”
“呃？”

“I”m willing, so I gave it to you.”
“我乐意，所以给你了。”

“What does that mean?”
“那是什么意思？”

Hardgore Alice looked at Snow White as she countered with a question, then tilted her head slightly.
哈德格尔·爱丽丝看着反问回来的白雪微微歪了歪头。

“I’m willing.”
“我乐意。”

Until yesterday, Hardgore Alice had been a frightening, yet easily understood being. She was a monster who could still move despite becoming a bloodstained corpse. But today… the Magical looking at Snow White with a slightly tilted head was now an utterly incomprehensible and terribly entity who stood in her way.
到昨天为止，对白雪来说哈德格尔·爱丽丝是很容易理解的恐怖存在，是被血染红、成为尸体都还能动的怪物。但今天的她……这个微微歪着头看着白雪的魔法少女却成为了完全无法理解的恐怖存在堵在前方。

◇◇◇

The fountain in the center of the plaza sprayed water upwards at a simple, regular rate. Not only was it not lit up, but the path of the water’s flow did not change. The sparkling piece of water art from just now seemed like it had never existed as the water simply sprayed forth in a mechanical fashion, though truth be told, it was controlled by a machine. The audience seated on the benches around the fountain got to their feet one by one, implying that the light and water show was over.
广场中央的大喷泉以单调的频率向上喷水，不仅没有打上灯光，水流的轨迹也没有变化。之前那光辉灿烂的水之艺术就好像从未存在过一样，水流只是机械般的喷出来，不过实际上也是机械操作的就是了。坐在喷泉周围的长椅上的观众们也一个接一个的站起来，这意味着灯光喷泉已经结束了。

Ripple clicked her tongue.
波纹咂了一下嘴。

N-City’s Central Park held a light and water show at 10pm on the 15th of every month.
每月十五号晚上十点开始会在N市中央公园广场上举办灯光喷泉的活动。

The lighted fountain was very beautiful, and the fact that it could only be seen once a month made it special, and then there was the fact that the lights would change in many ways as the seasons progressed. For instance, in April, they would be themed around cherry blossoms, in August  they would look like bursting fireworks. Therefore, many residents came to watch it.
灯光喷泉非常的漂亮，而且每月只看得到一次让这个活动显得特殊，再加上灯光还会随着季节变化发生各式各样的变化——比如四月以樱花色作为主题，八月则是像打上天的烟花一样飞散开来——因此，来观看的市民很多。

As the number of people increased, that implied the number of arguments would increase as well, and there would be more work for Magical Girls. In addition, if there were other people around, the other Magical Girls would probably not attack them.
人数增加就意味着争吵也会相应增加，魔法少女的工作也会增加吧。再加上有其他人在的话，其他魔法少女应该就不会袭击过来吧。

Top Speed shared her opinion with a satisfied look on her face, and Ripple agreed that it was very possible. Therefore, Ripple went along with Top Speed, and so they sat on the roof of the park’s multipurpose hall which had been completed last year and looked below them. However, the disputes and other troublesome things did not happen, and after watching the colorful fountain show, the people left quietly. All they could do was clear up the empty cans, convenience store bento boxes, glass debris and other things that the crowd had left behind.
最高速得意洋洋地发表了自己的意见，波纹也认同这一点觉得非常有可能。因此，波纹听从了最高速的意见，并排坐在去年夏天完工的公园内多功能厅的屋顶上眺望着下方，但争吵以及麻烦事都没发生，观赏完色泽艳丽的喷泉的人们静静地离开了。在人潮聚集过来之前将空罐、便利店的便当空盒、玻璃渣等收拾干净就是她们唯一做的工作。

If this were the Jonan district, it would probably be quite rowdy. Even the beach with its fishermen and Kobiki-machi with its artisans ought to have a fight or two, but not in Nakajuku, which was precisely Nakajuku’s special feature. Ripple most certainly did not dislike that, yet what she hoped for right now was a fight of some sort.
这里如果是城南地区的话，应该会吵吵闹闹的吧。就算是还留有渔夫、工匠风气的俱边滨以及木挽町，可能也会发生一两件争吵。但在中宿则不会如此，这正是中宿的特点。波纹也绝不讨厌这一点，但现在最希望能发生的却是争吵。

Ripple clicked her tongue. Under normal circumstances, she would have been happy, but if this kept up, she would not be able to collect any Candies.
波纹咂了咂嘴。和平虽然应该是值得高兴的事，但这样一来就没办法拿到糖果了。

“Ahhh, it’s a good thing that nothing happened.”
“哎呀，什么都没发生真是可喜可贺。”

“It’s not good…”
“才不好……”

“Mm? What did you just say?”
“嗯？你刚才说了什么？”

“Nothing…”
“什么都没说……”

“Still, it’s really pretty. The moon didn’t come out tonight, so even we can see the stars twinkling from over here. If I’d known this would happen, we could have drunk and watched them at the same time. That would probably have been better.”
“不过真是漂亮呢。今天月亮也没出来，连我们这边都能看到闪闪发光呢。早知道这样，我们就应该一边喝酒一边观赏，这样可能才更好呢。”

Ripple reached into the plastic tupperware box and pulled off a piece of bamboo shoot with her fingertips, then placed it into her mouth. While she was bothered by Top Speed herself, the food she had made today was very delicious. The way the chikuzenni was cooked had even filled the insides of the vegetables with the juices from the stew.
(TL Note: chikuzenni is a dish of braised chicken and vegetables from Kyushu)
波纹伸手用指尖在特百惠塑料保鲜盒中扯了一块竹笋下来，放进口中。她虽然对最高速本身很不耐烦，但最高速今天做的饭菜也很美味呢。这个筑前煮连蔬菜的最里面都渗透进了汤汁。

“I can’t drink alcohol…”
“不能喝酒……”

“And why not?”
“为啥啊？”

“I’m underage…”
“未成年……”

“Er, you’re not saying that as a Magical Girl but for real? Your real age? Ah~! I couldn’t tell! Ripple, how old are you, really?”
“呃，这句话不是作为魔法少女说的而是认真的？真实年龄？啊~！看不出来~！波纹，你真正多大了啊？”

“17…”
“十七……”

“Seriously? I’m 19.”
“真的？我十九了。”

If Ripple was not wrong, then a 19 year old was still not an adult in this country, and naturally they would not be allowed to drink. Ripple clicked her tongue.
如果波纹的知识正确的话，在这个国家中十九岁也没有被当做成年人，当然也是不允许饮酒的。波纹咂了咂嘴。

“So you’re younger than me~ I was thinking that you were the same age as me or older~”
“比我还小啊~我还以为要么同岁要么比我大呢~”

Since you thought I was older than you, then why did you take that attitude and use those words with me? Ripple clicked her tongue, and then reached for the chikuzenni again. This time, she picked up a piece of yam, which was delicious.
既然以为是年龄比你大的，那你还用那种态度那种遣词造句啊。波纹咂咂嘴，伸手拿筑前煮。这次拿的是芋头，很好吃。

“Are you having a good time in school?”
“在学校快活吗？”

“It’s okay…”
“一般……”

“Getting along with your friends?”
“和朋友处的不错？”

“I don’t have friends…”
“没有朋友……”

“Your family?”
“家人呢？”

“Don’t have one…”
“没有……”

“You know, when I was 17 myself, I felt the same way at you. It’s not my story, but I feel like I’ve seen it all before. Kind of scary, if you ask me.”
“我说啊，我在十七岁的时候也是这种感受呢。明明不是自己的事，却有一种既视感感，真恐怖呢。”

A lot of people would immediately begin playing to role of an elder once they learned that the other party was younger than them. Ripple felt this was pointless, but she did not tell Top Speed.
有很多人一旦知道对方年龄比自己小，就立刻毫无意义地装出一副年长者的样子。虽然波纹觉得毫无意义，但并没有传达给最高速知道。

:Still, you’re pretty straightforward, Ripple, answering whatever I ask you. When I was 17, I was like a sharp knife, everyone who came into contact with me got hurt, although I’m much more rounded now.”
“不过波纹很坦率呢，问什么答什么。我十七岁的时候更像一把尖刀，接触我的人都被刺伤了，虽然现在圆滑了很多就是了。”

Ripple clicked her tongue.
波纹咂咂嘴。

“Ripple, Ripple.”
“波纹、波纹。”

A shrill composite voice came from the Magical Phone. Fav powered the Magical Phone on so his 3D projection could float out.
魔法终端传来尖利的合成声。法布自己把魔法终端的电源打开，让立体影像浮现出来。

“I’ve got something to tell you, are you free ~pon? Calamity Mary says she wants to meet you. I think she’s waiting for you at Nakajuku’s Hotel Priestess at 11pm ~pon.
“我有话要对你说，有空pon？灾厄玛丽说要见你。她好像会在后天晚上十一点中宿的女祭司酒店（Hotel Priestess）等你pon。”

Ripple looked at Top Speed, and Top Speed looked at Ripple.
波纹看着最高速，最高速看着波纹。

“Aw, don’t look so unwilling, Ripple-san.”
“哎呀波纹小姐啊，别摆出那么不情愿的样子嘛。”

It would seem she looked very unhappy, but the fact was that she was very unhappy, extremely so, in fact. The fear of having a gun pointed at her had not faded even after several months. More than once or twice she had dreamed of being gunned down by Calamity Mary.
看样子自己摆出了很不爽的表情，不过的确是很不爽，非常不爽。被抢指着的恐怖感就算经过了数月也不曾消退。做梦梦到被灾厄玛丽枪杀也不是一次两次了。

“Not going…”
“不去……”

“Aw, you’re not going? I understand how you feel. Still, you can’t not go, right? WHo knows what kind of trouble will crop up if you don’t go? I’d really hate if if I could let my little wish come true, even if it’s just living for another half a year.”
“哎呀不去啊。我明白你的心情啦。不过不去不行吧，不去的话不会惹来麻烦吗？就算只是多活半年也好，我这个小小的愿望感觉没法实现了，我超讨厌事情变成这样。”

“You really should…”
“你也该……”

“Hm?”
“嗯？”

“Tell me why it’s half a year…”
“告诉我为什么是半年了吧……”

“Ah…”
“啊……”

“Wait a minute, Ripple, Ripple.”
“等一下，波纹波纹。”

The stereoscopic projection frantically flapped its wings. Sparkles scattered, and a golden mist filled the air, shrouding the image, until Fav’s body was just a vague outline.
立体影像中的法布拼命扇着翅膀。鳞粉飞散开来，黄雾弥漫，笼罩了整个影像，而法布的身影也只能隐隐约约看到点儿。

“Calamity Mary said that it’s important.”
“灾厄玛丽说是有‘重要事宜’。”

Ripple looked at Top Speed, and Top Speed looked at Ripple.
波纹看着最高速，最高速看着波纹。

“That’s why I said, don’t look so unwilling.”
“所以我不是说了别摆出那么不情愿的样子嘛。”

Ripple clicked her tongue.
波纹咂咂嘴。

◇◇◇

It was not just Swim Swim, but even Tama and the Peaky Angels knew that Ruler paid a lot of attention to Calamity Mary. If one did not use a simple word like “paid attention”, then the appropriate word would be “loathed”. To Ruler, Calamity Mary was an enemy who stood in her way.
不仅是泳泳，连小玉和PeakyAngels都知道王权很注意灾厄玛丽。如果不使用注意这种简单词汇的话，那就用憎恨吧。对于王权来说，灾厄玛丽是碍事的敌人。

While Ruler felt that way about Calamity Mary, she had not made a move on her. Even after the Magical Girls had begun stealing each others’ Candies, her first target had not been Calamity Mary, but Snow White. Ruler hated Calamity Mary, but she was also terrified of her.
虽然王权对灾厄玛丽的定位如此，但她却没有出手。就算魔法少女们开始互相抢夺糖果后，最初出手的也不是灾厄玛丽，而是白雪。王权讨厌灾厄玛丽，但她也很惧怕灾厄玛丽。

Although Swim Swim did not know why Ruler hated and feared her, since Ruler and Calamity Mary had been Magical Girls long before Swim Swim had become a Magical Girl, then it was only normal for them to have some past history together. However, whether or not they actually did have some history was unclear.
虽然泳泳是不知道为什么王权会讨厌她，惧怕她，不过既然王权和灾厄玛丽都在泳泳当上魔法少女很久之前就成为魔法少女了，那以前有点什么过节也是很正常的。不过实际上是不是有过节，以后也弄不明白就是了。

Right now, all Swim Swim knew was that Calamity was such a fearsome being that even a powerful Magical Girl like Ruler did not dare raise her hand against her, and that Winterprison--who had deadlocked with Calamity Mary--possessed strength on par with hers.
现在泳泳知道的就只有灾厄玛丽是连王权这样强大的魔法少女都不想出手的恐怖存在，以及能与灾厄玛丽互不相让的寒冬牢狱是拥有同等实力的魔法少女这件事。

Any Magical Girl within the city would know how Winterprison had fought Calamity Mary and protected Sister Nana. That was because Sister Nana had proudly crowed on the chatroom about how strong Winterprison was.
寒冬牢狱与灾厄玛丽战斗，并保护了修女娜娜这件事，只要是市内的魔法少女没有不知道的。因为修女娜娜曾在聊天版上得意洋洋地吹嘘过寒冬牢狱是如此之强。

Meanwhile, the Magical Girl that Swim Swim admired and wanted to surpass was Ruler.
而泳泳憧憬并打算超越的魔法少女就是王权。

Calamity Mary was a Magical Girl who even Ruler feared.
连王权都畏惧的魔法少女则是灾厄玛丽。

Winterprison, who fought Calamity Mary to a draw, was also the Magical Girl who would be visiting this place.
能和灾厄玛丽打成平手的则是寒冬牢狱，也是等一下会到这里拜访的魔法少女。

If she could defeat Winterprison, then she should be able to defeat Calamity Mary. However, things would probably not be that simple. However, it would definitely be better to win than to lose. Ruler would surely think that.
如果能战胜寒冬牢狱，那么就能战胜灾厄玛丽了吧。不过事情没这么简单吧。不过比起输，绝对是赢比较好。王权一定也会这样想。

They would be meeting at Ouketsuji. Since they had chosen their homebase as a meeting point, it meant that if they did not finish them off today, they would lose their base. However, even though it was a great risk , Swim Swim wanted this to take place at Ouketsuji. If they were on familiar ground, it would be easy to set traps, and once the fighting started they would have the terrain advantage.
碰面地点是王结寺。既然把自己这边的基地当成了碰面地点，也就是说如果今天不当场做个了断就会失去基地。但就算是背负着这么大点风险，泳泳也希望把舞台设定在王结寺。如果是熟悉的地点的话，要设下陷阱也很容易，一旦陷入战斗就会占有地利。

However, there was no need to make things so complicated. Ruler disliked complex things. She had once said, “if you have to make a battle plan, keep it simple.”
不过也不需要搞这么复杂。王权并不喜欢复杂的事，她曾经说过，“如果要订立作战计划的话，就弄简单点”。

Swim Swim looked outside through the window that was letting the light in. One could see a blurry image of the courtyard outside through the window paper. Something was moving within the yard, probably insects of some sort. It was either the autumn insects who never shut up, or the carnivorous insects who were prepared to catch the autumn insects. Between Winterprison and themselves, who was the hunter and who was the hunted?
泳泳从透光的窗户望向外面。透过窗户纸可以模模糊糊看到外面庭院的样子。庭院内有什么在动的东西，应该是虫子吧。要么是鸣叫个不停的秋天昆虫，要么是准备捕食秋天昆虫的肉食性昆虫。寒冬牢狱和自己这边到底哪边是捕食的一方，哪边是被捕食的一方呢？

Swim Swim immediately sensed Sister Nana’s approach, because the insect cries stopped. The temple was silent once more, and then two sets of creaking cut through the air. Halfway through the creaking, the door creaked as well, and then two Magical Girls appeared at the entrance.
泳泳立刻就察觉到修女娜娜到达了，因为昆虫的鸣叫声停了下来。回归安静的寺院中传来两组地板的咯吱咯吱声。在地板声中，门发出咯吱一声，然后入口出现了两名魔法少女。

Swim Swim furrowed her brows slightly. Sister Nana was in front, which was not a good position.
泳泳微微皱了皱眉头。修女娜娜站在前面，位置不太好。

“It’s been a while since we last met, Swim Swim. Thank you very much for your gift of Candies to us earlier.”
“好久不见，泳泳。之前承蒙你赠予我糖果，非常谢谢。”

Swim Swim rose silently. A sense of tension came from behind Sister Nana, or more accurately, it came from the person who was standing behind Sister Nana. Sister Nana had a relaxed smile on her face.
泳泳一言不发地站了起来。紧张感从修女娜娜背后传来，正确说是从站在修女娜娜背后的人身上传来。修女娜娜浮现出一副丝毫不紧张的开心笑容。

“Just now, Snow White and Hardgore Alice replied that they were willing to help us.”
“就在刚才，白雪和哈德格尔·爱丽丝都给出了愿意协助的答复。”

Swim Swim took a step forward. Winterprison did not move. She took another step. And then another. Winterprison moved forward, as though to protect Sister Nana. Yes, this was a good position.
泳泳向前靠近了一步。寒冬牢狱一动不动。再一步。又一步。寒冬牢狱就像要保护修女娜娜一样往前一站。对，这个位置正好。

“Go!”
“GO——”

Sister Nana’s scream issued from behind Winterprison as Swim Swim gave her command. Winterprison kept one eye on Swim Swim while glancing back, and she froze. Sister Nana was pointing a trembling finger at Sister Nana. There were two Sister Nanas.
站在寒冬牢狱背后的修女娜娜的尖叫声和泳泳的信号同时响起。寒冬牢狱一边留意着泳泳，一边回过头去，她的表情僵住了。修女娜娜颤抖着指着修女娜娜。修女娜娜有两个人。

One of the Sister Nanas reached out and pushed Sister Nana away and hugged Winterprison. Perhaps she had not fully processed the information, but Winterprison dumbly hugged Sister Nana from the front, and then she was stabbed in the chest by a dagger.
其中一个修女娜娜把伸着手的修女娜娜推开，抱住寒冬牢狱。大概情报还没整理完毕吧，寒冬牢狱呆呆地从正面抱住了修女娜娜，然后被短剑刺穿了胸口。

Even after being stabbed, Winterprison was still confused.
就算胸口被刺，寒冬牢狱仍然一片混乱。

There were two Sister Nanas. One was screaming, one was smiling. One was weeping, one was holding a bloodstained dagger. The Sister Nana holding the dagger kicked Winterprison away to open up the distance between them, and then she changed her shape. At the same time, the dagger which Sister Nana was holding changed its shape as well. They bent, twisted, extended, changed color, and after all manner of changes, Sister Nana and the dagger transformed into two angels. The angels did not bother hiding the wicked delight on their faces and laughed out loud. She finally understood why there were two Sister Nanas. She also understood why a tiny little dagger could pierce Winterprison’s tough flesh.
修女娜娜有两个。一个在尖叫，一个在微笑。一个在流泪，一个握着染血的短剑。握着短剑的修女娜娜一脚踢开寒冬牢狱拉开距离，然后改变了外形。与此同时，修女娜娜之前握着的短剑也改变了外形。曲折、弯曲、伸长、缩短、变色，在展现了千变万化后，修女娜娜与短剑变身成了两名天使。天使们毫不隐藏那邪恶的喜悦之情，开怀大笑。终于明白了修女娜娜会有两人的原因。也终于明白了这么小一把短剑能刺穿寒冬牢狱强韧的肉体的原因。

Winterprison laughed as well, coughing up blood as she did. She was laughing at her opponents’ stupidity.
寒冬牢狱也笑了起来，一边吐着血一边笑着。她在嘲笑敌人的愚蠢。

Why had they detransformed? If they had stayed as they were, even if Winterprison knew who the fake Sister Nana was, she would never have attacked her.
为什么要解除变身呢？如果一直维持变身的话，就算寒冬牢狱明明知道那是假的修女娜娜，也绝不会去攻击的。

The magic dagger which the angels had transformed into had wounded Winterprison’s heart. She was bleeding heavily and could not breathe. Her consciousness was also starting to fade. However, she would only die after a few seconds. There was something she had to do before she died. Winterprison shouted “Run!” at Sister Nana and then used her Magic.
天使变化成的魔法短剑伤到了寒冬牢狱的心脏，出血量很大，也无法呼吸。她的意识也朦胧起来。不过还要过几秒才会死去。死之前还有事情需要处理。寒冬牢狱朝修女娜娜大喊一声“快逃！”，然后就发出魔法。

The floorboards tore open and several dirt walls erupted from the ground beneath them. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight of them in total. The walls raised clouds of dust as they rose to the ceiling, and then they enclosed the angels, forming a prison.
地板被切开，从地板下面垒起几块泥土墙。一块、两块、三块、四块、五块、六块、七块、八块。墙壁掀起烟尘，直达天花板，然后将天使们关了起来，组成了牢狱。

Winterprison stepped forward, curling her left hand into a fist and hit a dirt wall. Winterprison’s fist shattered the dirt wall, and at the same time, it pulverized the petite body of the angel behind it.
寒冬牢狱一步冲向前，左手握紧拳头，击打在泥土墙上。寒冬牢狱的拳头砸碎泥土墙，同时一把粉碎了墙背后的娇小天使的身体。

There was one more angel, the one who had transformed into the dagger.
还有一名天使，那个变身成短剑的天使。

Winterprison formed her right hand into a knife hand and chopped it down at the neck of the remaining angel, seeking to sever it. However, the blood from the angel she had hit with her right hand had spurted into her eyes, and Winterprison was losing more and more blood from her heart, and so the unhesitating knife hand was slightly off target. She gave her target enough room to twist away within the prison, and so Winterprison’s knife hand merely destroyed the upper half of a dirt wall. Winterprison wanted to attack again, but a hole opened at her feet and she lost her balance, and Swim Swim’s attack cut off her right hand.
寒冬牢狱将右手手刀挥向剩下一个天使的脖子，并试图切断。不过左手殴打的天使喷溅出的大量血液溅到眼睛里，再加上从寒冬牢狱的心脏中流出的血液越来越多，毫不犹豫挥下的手刀也抓偏了一点时机。在牢狱中给攻击目标留下了弯腰的余地，因此寒冬牢狱的手刀仅仅毁坏了泥土墙的上半部。寒冬牢狱正想再进行一次攻击，但脚边突然开了个洞而失去了平衡，被泳泳的攻击切断了右手。

Winterprison watched as her right hand was sent flying by the attack. That hand and those fingers had once combed their way through Sister Nana’s hair.
寒冬牢狱注视着被击飞的右手。那只手、还有那些手指曾经梳理过修女娜娜的头发。

Sister Nana was no longer around, so she had probably fled. Winterprison steadily lost her strength. Please, you must, you have to be safe, she prayed as she fell to her knees and her head sank down.
修女娜娜已经不在了的样子，大概已经逃跑了吧。寒冬牢狱逐渐失去了气力。请一定一定要平安无事，她最后这么祈祷着，跪了下来，头垂了下去。

◇◇◇

Minael had changed into a sharp dagger, and Yunael had held the dagger while wearing the Coat of Invisibility. When Sister Nana had come, Yunael had then changed into Sister Nana. As long as her transformation target was in front of her, the transformation would be immaculate. After transforming, she threw off the Coat of Invisibility and showed herself before Winterprison.
米奈儿变身成锐利的短剑，而优奈儿则握着短剑套上透明外套。瞅准修女娜娜来的时候，优奈儿变身成修女娜娜。只要变身对象就在眼前，那变身就会非常完美。变身完后就脱掉透明外套，在寒冬牢狱面前显露出身影。

Judging from the encounter between Winterprison and Calamity Mary, Winterprison intended to protect Sister Nana. Thus, there were suddenly two of her charges, and one of them attacked her, Winterprison would surely be confused.
从寒冬牢狱与灾厄玛丽的插曲来看，寒冬牢狱是有意识的要保护修女娜娜。那么一旦护卫对象变成两人，而且其中一人还向她进行攻击的话，寒冬牢狱一定会陷入混乱。

Everything had gone as planned until they had stabbed Winterprison, but her dying counterattack had killed Yunael, while Sister Nana had fled at lightning speed. By the looks of things, the plan had been a success, but they jad also lost everything.
这个作战计划直到刺杀寒冬牢狱为止都是成功的，但却被她的临死反击杀死了优奈儿，而且修女娜娜也以闪电般的速度逃走了。这样来看，计划是成功了，但却同时失去了一切。

Minael held the corpse of a girl who looked like university student and cried. That was Yunael’s pre-transformed state. Tama sniffled and sobbed from the side.
米奈儿紧紧抱住大学生样子的女性尸体号泣着。这是优奈儿变身前的模样。小玉在一旁抽抽嗒嗒地哭着。

“Yuna, she… Yuna saved my life in the end.”
“优奈她……优奈她最后还救了我一命呢。”

“Mm, mm.”
“嗯、嗯。”

“Yuna, Yuna…”
“优奈她、优奈她……”

“Mm…”
“嗯……”

Swim Swim was bitterly aware of her incompetence. Ruler would surely have done it better. She was nowhere near Ruler. She had to learn from this lesson and do it better next time.
泳泳痛心疾首地认识到自己的无能。王权的话一定会干得更好。自己还远远不及王权，一定要吸取这场失败的教训，让下次做得更好。

◇◇◇

Alcohol could not be used as a cure-all for long. There were monetary problems, the lethargy after getting stinking drunk, a nagging husband, all these things meant alcohol could not be used as a cure-all medicine.
酒精作为万能药的功效并不能发挥太长时间。金钱方面的问题，酩酊大醉后的倦怠感，抱怨个不停的老公，这一切都让酒精无法成为万能药。

She used her daughter as a tool to vent her anger, and in the name of disciplining her she kicked her, beat her, burned her with pans, did not feed her, and so on. Sometimes, she would drink and then let loose on her; an excellent method of stress relief. However, her useless husband had taken her daughter and left the house.
将女儿当成发泄不满的工具，施以名为教育的踢踹、殴打、烫烟锅巴、不给吃饭等等。有时候会喝了酒后再发泄，是非常棒的解除压力的方式，但没点出息的老公却带着女儿离家出走了。

She enjoyed bullying her daughter because she was too weak. Because she was too weak, she could only bully those weaker than her, which meant her daughter. It was not what she had originally wanted, but only a close substitute.
以欺负女儿为乐是因为自己太软弱了。正因为太软弱了，因此只能欺负比自己更弱小的人，那就是女儿。这并不是自己最初想要的，而是比较接近的替代品。

The truth was, she wanted to bully someone stronger. Making the self-proclaimed experts in violence--the yakuza who walked around like they owned the place--beg for their lives gave her a joy that bullying her daughter never could.
实际上自己是想欺负更强一点的人。让自称暴力专家、走路大摇大摆的黑社会祈求饶命，能让自己获得欺负女儿所不能比的快乐。

The strong, the proud, the beautiful, the smart, the confident. Oh, the looks on the faces of these superior people in the instant when they were humiliated with irresistible violence! If only she could see that, she would not even need alcohol.
强者、妄自尊大的人、美丽的人、聪明的人、自信满满的人。居于上位的人被无法反抗的暴力所凌辱的瞬间展现出来的那个表情！只要能看到甚至连酒精都不需要了。

THere was a powder case on the rosewood table. The delicate mirror reflected a woman. She was 39 years old, almost 40. A stereotypical tired old housewife, who smiled.
黑檀木小矮桌上摆着一个粉饼镜盒。小巧的镜子中映射出一个女人。三十九岁，马上就要四十了。一副标准的疲倦中年妇女的样子，并露出笑容。

She curled her left and right elbows, placing her hands as though she was going to rub her cheeks, and then she shouted:
同时弯曲左右手肘，仿佛要抚摸脸颊一样摆在左右，同时大叫道。

“Calamity Miracle Kurukururin! Change into the Magical Gunman, Calamity Ma~ry!”
“灾厄奇迹变变变！变~成魔法枪手灾厄玛丽！”

The tired housewife in the mirror vanished. The woman in the mirror wore a holster on her left thigh and a sheriff’s badge on her chest. There was a small beauty mark under her left eye and her thick blonde hair cascaded down to her waist from under her wide-brimmed hat. She wore a bikini-like garment on her upper body that was tremendously skimpy on material and barely covered her breasts, while she wore a microskirt that was so tiny it could not possibly be shortened any further. Combined with her tender thighs, her long, slim legs, the spurred boots on her feet and her pert, well-formed buttocks, she struck a pose, and the mirror showed a beautiful Magical Girl.
镜中疲倦的中年妇女已经不见了。镜中的女子左大腿上挂着枪套，胸口戴着治安官的徽章，左眼下方有一颗小小的痣，宽边帽下面则是直达腰际的茂密金发。她的上身穿着就像比基尼一样布料极少，勉勉强强遮住了丰满的乳房，而下身是短到不能再短的超短裙。再加上柔嫩的大腿、修长的双脚、以及脚下踩着的附带马刺的西部马靴，最后将形状美好的臀部向上翘起，摆出姿势。镜中映照出的是美丽的魔法少女。

While there was no need to pose or recite an incantation when transforming, the Magical Girl animes that Calamity Mary had watched since she was young had always transformed in that way, so she felt that she had to do the same thing. There was no deeper reason for that.
虽然变身并不需要念咒语摆姿势，但灾厄玛丽从小就看的魔法少女动画中没有这个就无法变身，所以她认为自己也应该照做，并没有什么深刻的理由。

Calamity Mary fully understood her situation, and she was pleased by it. That was because she would be able to humiliate and trample Magical Girls, those beings who were stronger than any other. Calamity Mary hung the 4-D Bag which contained many important items on her gunbelt.
灾厄玛丽完全明白自己的立场，也完全满足于自己的立场。因为这样一来她就能凌辱、蹂躏魔法少女这种“比什么都要强大出色的存在”。灾厄玛丽将储存了大量重要道具的四次元袋挂在了枪带上。

10 minutes after leaving the hotel, Calamity ordered Fav to call Ripple out, and then she went tot the arranged meeting place--Ripple’s area of responsibility. It was 10:44pm, so the appointed time was coming.
走出店十分钟后，灾厄玛丽命令法布去把波纹叫出来，然后自己也来到了约定碰头地点——波纹负责的区域中宿。下午十点四十分，约定的时间快要到了。

The National Xth Line, known as the “Highway”, ran through Nakajuku. As the name implied, this road was an expressway that ran 10 meters above ground level, its speed limit was nowhere as strict as normal roads, and almost nobody oversaw it except during the beginning and end of the year, so high speed vehicle practically flew past each other.
俗称“上道”的国道X号线横跨了中宿。正如俗称所言，这条道是高悬地面上约十米的国道，限速没有一般道路那么严，除开年末也基本没人管，所以超过限速的汽车飞一般地交错而过。

Calamity Mary stood on the roof of the city’s biggest accommodation facility, the Hotel Priestess. The intense cold buffeted her face, almost blowing off her wide-brimmed had, so she tugged it downwards. Strong winds were a negative factor when sniping.
灾厄玛丽站在市内最大的住宿设施女祭司酒店的屋顶，向下望着国道。强烈的冷空气撞在脸颊上，几乎要把宽边帽吹走了，于是她将帽子向下拉了拉。强烈的风在狙击的时候会成为负面因素。

However, Calamity Mary’s Magic was to turn ordinary weapons into magic weapons. Their power, bullet speed, accuracy and range were all vastly improved, and the wind was not a factor no matter how strong it was. In addition, they were easy to use, and simple to maintain. Calamity Mary took out a gun from her 4-D Bag.
不过灾厄玛丽的魔法是将普通武器变成“魔法武器”。威力、弹速、精准、射程全部都能大幅提升，不管风有多强都不在话下。而且使用起来还很方便，保养也很简单。灾厄玛丽从四次元袋中取出手枪。

It was a Dragunov, a sniper rifle from the former Soviet Union. The reduced mass of the rifle made it easier to carry, but at the same time the increased recoil made it more difficult to use. However, all that had no relation to Magical Girls.  Calamity Mary casually raised her gun and opened fire. She switched off the semiautomatic mode, then fired again and again, swiftly and accurately destroying the cars. Its excellent firing speed for street  was a selling point of the Dragunov, which had been designed for street fighting.
德拉古诺夫，前苏联的狙击步枪。这把步枪减少了体积而带来的轻量化让携带更为容易，同时后座力增大则导致使用难度增加。不过这一切和魔法少女毫无关系。灾厄玛丽随手就举起枪射击。她关掉了半自动模式，一发又一发迅速而又精准地将车辆击毁。这优秀的速射性能才是这款为巷战设计的德拉古诺夫狙击步枪的卖点。

There were explosions, and billowing flames. The cars racing along the highway were destroyed one after the other. A flaming tire rolled to the side. The car racing at the front suddenly caught fire, the car behind it crashed into it, and the car behind it and the one behind it as well all crashed. Even if a car was fortunate enough to avoid the pile-up, it would be carefully and destroyed by the Dragunov.The nighttime national expressway was so bright it seemed like day.
爆炸、喷出火焰。在上道上奔驰的汽车一台接一台的被破坏。被火焰包裹住的轮胎滚到一边去。在前方奔驰的汽车突然燃烧起来，后面的车就撞了上去，然后再后面的车以及更后面的车也会撞上去。就算有哪辆车运气好逃过了连环撞车祸，也会再次被德拉古诺夫细心的破坏掉。夜间的国道这时亮得就跟白天一样。

A man stopped his car and jumped out of his vehicle in a panic. Calamity Mary fired a test shot at him as a prank. She thought his innards would be blasted free, but that was not what happen. He exploded, or more accurately, he vanished; everything above his knees had disappeared.
有个男人停下车，慌慌忙忙跳出车子。灾厄玛丽恶作剧般地试着打了一枪。本来以为内脏会被炸飞，但实际却非如此。爆炸或者说消灭更为准确，从膝盖以上的部分完全消失了。

Sniper rifles were too powerful as an anti-personnel weapon, and there was no joy to be had. Calamity Mary felt that it would be better to shoot cars, and not people.
狙击步枪作为对人兵器实在是威力太大了，毫无乐趣可言。灾厄玛丽觉得果然应该是射击车而不是人。

And of course, shooting Magical Girls was even more fun.
而且射击魔法少女比射击车更好玩。

If she directly attacked Ripple, Top Speed would come and interfere. If Top Speed fled with all her might, Calamity Mary would never be able to catch up. Therefore, in order to fight Ripple, she had to give Ripple a reason to fight. If there was a villain who killed innocent civilians and destroyed the city, Magical Girls would show up to defeat the villain in question. That was the ideal scenario.
如果直接攻击波纹的话，最高速就会来碍事。如果最高速全力逃跑的话，那灾厄玛丽是没有办法追上的。想要和波纹战斗的话，就需要给予波纹战斗的理由。如果有危害无辜市民，破坏街道的坏人的话，魔法少女就会为了打倒坏人而出现。这就是理想的情况。

Upsetting Ripple and making herself happy was like killing two birds with one stone. In addition, after killing Ripple, there would be many people seeking help, which would conveniently net her Candies.
让波纹不爽，让自己开心，这简直是一石二鸟。再加上歼灭了波纹后会有大量寻求帮助的人们，正好拿来赚糖果。

Calamity Mary pulled the trigger non-stop until her magazine was empty. Just about everything on the expressway had been destroyed.
灾厄玛丽一直不停地扣动扳机直到弹夹打空为止。国道上的所有东西都被破坏干净了。

The trigger for this was a tiny, minor thing. If Ripple had bowed her head and apologized the first time they had met, she would have dropped the matter. But Ripple had refused to lower her head, and it had bothered Calamity Mary until now. All this was Ripple’s fault.
导火索仅仅是小小的一点龌龊。如果波纹在第一次见面的时候就低头认错的话，那时就会握手言和不再追究了吧。但是波纹不肯低头，让灾厄玛丽介意到现在。全部都是波纹的错。

Calamity Mary would not forgive anyone who did not fear her.
灾厄玛丽不会原谅不惧怕自己的人。