Episodes 08

Nyannyan @ N-City

This story takes place a long time before the events of Magical Girl Raising Project: Restart and shortly before Magical Girl Raising Project begins.

“Awesome! It says we’re Magical Girls now! That’s seriously awesome!”
「哇塞！说是魔法少女耶！超棒的！」

“Also says we have to pick a name. What do you have in mind?”
「说要决定名字耶。你打算怎么做？」

“I know! First up, Tanahashi Himari! I’ll close my eyes and whatever character I pick will be my Magical Girl name!”
「我知道了！第一号棚桥阳真理！我闭上眼睛打的字就当作是魔法少女的名字吧！」

“You’re awesome, Himari!”
「阳真理还真不是盖的！」

“All right, watch this! It doesn’t matter even if I get a name like Shit or Housefly or whatever!”
「很好，看我的！就算出现大便或是苍蝇之类的字也没有关系喔！」

“Then, let’s start the roulette! Let’s see… got it!”
「轮盘转转转！点到谁就是谁……有了！」

“What did you get? What did you get?”
「选到哪个？选到哪个？」

“Let me see… @?”
「我看看喔……@？」

“Puhahahaha! Well done! You’re amazing, girl!”
「噗哈哈哈哈哈！干得好！这小丫头真是了不起呀！」

“That’s Himari for you!”
「真不愧是阳真理！」

“You’re next, Micchan!”
「接下来是小美喽！」

“Eh… I’ll pass to Masako!”
「咦……我要传给昌子！」

“Oh! Masako neatly ignores that nice pass!”
「喔！昌子漂亮地忽视掉那个妙传！」

“That’s not fair! That’s not fair at all! How come I’m the only one playing!”
「卑鄙！卑鄙！为什么只有我一个人玩啊！」

“That’s because you’ve always been that sort of character, haven’t you, Himari?”
「因为阳真理你本来就是走这种路线的人嘛！」

“Exactly! We’re doing this to help build your character, Himari!”
「就是说啊！我们可是为了确立阳真理你的人格特质耶。」

“Aiya! There’s nothing like that at all ~aru!”
「才不是咧！有没有这回事儿！」

“Is there or isn’t there something like that? Speak up clearly, Speak! Up! Clearly!”
「到底是有还是没有，你说清楚一点，说！清！楚！」

“Ahahahah, seriously. It’s super unclear! Ahahahahahaha…”

Michiyo, Masako and Himari of the girls’ soccer club got along very well, and in class they were known as the “Three Flowers of the Soccer Club”. They were a trio of a bench-warmer, a team member who almost did not make the cut and an ace striker who had been the team’s trump card since her first year; despite their different circumstances, their friendship transcended their positions and their ball techniques, and like birds of a feather, they flocked together.
「啊哈哈哈哈，真的耶。超级不清不楚的啦！啊哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈……」女子足球社的美千代、昌子，以及阳真理的感情相当融洽，在班上被称为「足球社三朵花」。候补选手、差一点落选的正规选手，以及从一年时开始就是王牌前锋的组合，尽管三人立场不同，但彼此的友情超越了位置与球技的好坏，臭味相投的她们总是能够嗨成一团。

The three of them hung around each other with an easily-excitable mindset that allowed them to take joy even when a chopstick fell to the floor. They patted each other on the shoulder, laughed out loud until their tummies ached, and whether they were at school or attending club activities or during the holidays, they were always seen together.
三人带着「即使筷子掉在地上也很有趣」的超嗨心情玩成一团，一下拍肩、一下捧腹大笑，无论是在学校或是社团活动、假日都形影不离。

At least, to Himari, the three of them together was very fun. It made her feel that this was the way it ought to be. Even when she was scolded by her trainer for a mistake in passing the ball, even when the coach shouted at her for running in a laggardly fashion because of the weather, even when the teacher chewed her out in class and said, “Who allowed you to sleep during classtime?!”, even when their opponent managed a turnaround in the very first match of tht Nationals and they lost, whenever the three of them were together, they could laugh off everything that went badly.
至少，对阳真理而言，三个人在一起玩愉快极了。让她深深感觉到这才是她应该有的样子。即使因为传球失误被监督斥责、即使因为天气热到暖身时的跑步显得有气无力而遭到教练怒骂、即使在课堂上被老师大骂谁准你上课睡觉的、即使在全国大会的第一战就遭到对手 逆转胜而败北，只
要三个人凑在一起，一切的不如意都能够一笑置之。

The three of them being chosen to be Magical Girls together was probably the biggest joke of all. It was as though they were intoxicated by alcohol or drugs--even though they had never tried either of those before, it still felt something like that--when they had chosen their names. In contrast to their goofing around when picking their names, the three of them earnestly promised each other that they would help each other in their exams as much as possible, that they would work had to ensure one of them was selected, and then they would await the exam that would determine which of them could become a real Magical Girl.
她们三个人一起被选为「魔法少女」的时候，也许是最令人捧腹大笑的笑话吧。三个人带着仿佛被酒精或药物催化的过嗨情绪——虽然这两种东西她都没有尝试过，不过大概就是这种感觉吧——决定名字。并一反决定名字时的胡闹，三人非常认真地对彼此发誓，要在考试中尽量协助彼此、为三个人之中的谁能够被选上而好好努力，然后迎接决定谁能够成为正式魔法少女的考试。

The result of the exam was that Himari had been chosen to be the official Magical Girl, @Nyannyan, while Michiyo and Masako had had their memories of being Magical Girls erased and they went back to their normal lives… however, the two of them were involved in a traffic accident after returning home from the exam and had lost their lives. Only Himari, who had remained in the exam hall to be trained as a proper Magical Girl, had been spared this fate, and she was the sole survivor.
考试的结果是，阳真理获选为正式的魔法少女「@娘娘」，美千代与昌子则被消除一切关于魔法少女的记忆，返回至今为止的日常生活……然而，两人却在考完试冋家的路上被卷入交通事故，因此而丧命。必须以正式的魔法少女身分接受训诫而留在考试会场的阳真理，逃过死劫，独自一人幸存下来。

Her memories regarding that part were hazy. Was it because she did not want to recall them, or had it all ended while she was in a trance?
关于这部分的记忆显得相当模糊。想必是因为她不愿意想起来，抑或是一切皆在恍惚之间即结束了呢？

She had also made it into the school she was aiming for, made friends, and her parents were not displeased with her. She thought to herself, maybe my life counts as pretty successful.
她也顺利地考上志愿学校，也交到朋友，与双亲之间也没有任何的不愉快。她暗自心想，也许自己的人生还算是顺利的吧。

Even so, every time she thought of Michiyo and Masako, her chest would seize up as though it were being squeezed by someone and she would feel miserable. Whether she was playing soccer, or making someone laugh, or performing her duties as a Magical Girl, she would not not be able to help thinking of the two of them.
即使如此，每当她想起美千代与昌子，胸口深处就仿佛逍人勒紧般，令人痛苦不已。无论适在踢足球时、惹得谁哈哈大笑时，还有以魔法少女的身分进行活动时，她都会克制不住地想起她们两人。

Himari stopped playing soccer. Even if she laughed because others did, she no longer went out of her way to make a joke so others would laugh. Neither would she take the initiative to carry out her Magical Girl duties. However, the Land of Magic was not kind enough to worry about Himari’s mental state.
阳真理放弃了足球。即使她会因为别人的笑话而笑，却冉也不曾主动搞笑，惹得别人哈哈大笑。她也不会自发性地进行魔法少女活动，然而，「魔法王国」并没有贴心到顾虑阳具理的内心层面。

Himari… @Nyannyan’s Magic was “the ability to seal objects into talismans”. While she could not seal living beings, she could seal anything that was not alive, regardless of size, into a thin talisman. Her Magic was excellent for moving or transporting objects, so she was often called on by the Land of Magic, and also asked to smuggle things.
阳真理的……@娘娘的魔法是「能将束西封印在符咒里」。虽然无法封印生物，但只要是没有生命的物体，无论尺寸大小，通通能够封印在薄薄的一张符咒里。她的魔法最适合担任搬运工或送货员之类的工作，因此经常被「魔法王国」叫去，并赋予走私任务的情形也一点都不稀奇。

She was utterly disappointed with the way she feared recalling her friends whenever she was contacted for work.
她对每次收到工作上的联络，就会害怕忆起友人的自己感到失望透顶。

The New Year and winter vacation were over, and everyone was slowly returning to their daily, busy lives. Himari wore a greatcoat over her Magical Girl outfit to cover her tail, hiding the fact that she was a Magical Girl. She had taken a train early in the morning and gone to a certain steel mill within Tokyo.
就在新年与寒假已经结束，世人们恢复往日忙碌生活的如此时期。阳真理在魔法少女服装外面穿上一件覆盖至尾巴的长大衣，掩饰自己的魔法少女身分。她一早便转乘电车，来到东京都内某间铁工厂。

She had taken two jobs that day. One of them was to deliver equipment to a factory in another prefecture; in other words, to take time and money and use specialized magic to transport magical equipment and parts, dangerous magical drugs, heavy magical machinery, magical cargo and other such objects.
那一天她承接了两项工作。其一是将器材送至位于外县市的工厂，也就是花时间、费用并使用专门的魔法知识，来搬运魔法机械与其零件、危险的魔法药品、魔法重机、魔法货柜等诸如此类的东西。

“Er, sorry about this, but could I ask you do something for me?”
「呃，不好意思。我可以顺便拜托你一件事情吗？」

After sealing everything into talismans, the requester put his hands together and begged a favor of ehr over and over again. He wore old work clothes, a tough-looking safety helmet, a holey pair of work gloves and mud-spattered safety boots. His getup and, his face, the way he spoke and his actions made him look just like any other middle-aged worker you could see anywhere. The inhabitants of the Land of Magic and their collaborators pretended to be ordinary people like this, and they lived everywhere.
将全部的物品都封入符咒之后，委托人对阳真理双手合十，再三拜托。穿旧的作业服，配上似乎很坚固的安全帽、破洞的工作手套、沾有泥土的安全鞋。这种打扮再配合那副长相、说话的口吻以及举止的话，看起来就像是随处可见的中年男性作业员。「魔法王国」的居民、协助者，就像这样子假装成一般人，生活在各个角落。

“This is it…”
「就是这个东西……」

The man’s eyes went to the cardboard box he was holding in his right hand.
男子将视线落在右手抱着的纸箱上。

Himari was told the location where she was to transport the items; her destination was H-City, on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The man wanted her to take the box to N-City, which was in the same prefecture.
阳真理接下来搬运资材的地点，位于日本海沿岸的N市。男子想拜托她把这个纸箱送去同县的H市。

“There’s a Magical selection exam going on in N-City right now. They say this exam’s following a different format, so they want to use new Magical Phones as an experiment. These Phones have the ability to download items and the like. After you help me send the cargo, please give these to the examiner.”
「N市正在进行魔法少女的考试。据说这次的考试走不一样的路线，所以要导入新的魔法终端设备做为实验。这装置具备了能够下载道具之类的新功能。想请你在交接完资材之后，帮我把东西送到考试官的手上。」

“As long as I can do it.”
「只要是我能力所及的范围。」

“Sorry. I owe you one.”
「抱歉呀。我欠你一份人情。」

The worker cursed the Land of Magic and its miserly nature which led it to skimp on transport expenses, then handed the cardboard box with over a dozen Magical Phones to Himari, then shoved an envelope to her after saying, “Treat yourself to a meal with this”.
作业员抱怨了一下想节省运费的「魔法王国」的吝啬后，将装入十几人份魔法终端设备的纸箱交给阳真理，说完「你就用这些钱吃顿饭吧」便将信封硬塞给她。

After she bade the worker farewell, she secretly checked the contents of the envelope, which were two 1000-yen bills, She bought a subway lunchbox, and moved her chopsticks as she watched the scenery go by outside the window.
与作业员道别后，她在电车里悄悄确认信封内容物，是两张千圚钞。阳真理买了铁路便当后，一边眺望着窗外流逝而去的风景一边动起筷子。

Thanks to the full-scale merger four years ago, N-City had become the biggest port city in the region. While it was the largest in the area, it was still a prefectural city, and so as Himari took the express train from the Tokyo suburbs, she could not help but think, “Ah~ it’s really provincial” when she saw it.
由于四年前进行过全面性的合并，使得N市一跃成为附近规模最大的港口城市。虽说是最大规模，但仍属地方上的县市，因此从东京近郊搭乘特急列车前来的阳真理难免抱持「啊啊〜还真是乡下耶」的印象。

After delivering the goods to the warehouse in H-City, she took a regular train and slowly travelled to N-City. Once she got onto the train, she recalled her graduation trip, and when she thought of her graduation trip, she also recalled, however unwillingly, Michiyo and Masako. THeir school’s graduation trip had been to Kyushuu. They had snuck out of the hotel at night, changed into their swimsuits and swum in the sea. While it was winter, they had watched the beauty of the night sky as they shivered and floated on the sea, and the memory had remained with her ever since.
将H市的货品人库后，她搭上普通列车跟着电车一路慢慢摇至N市。一搭上电车，她就回想起毕业旅行的事情，一想起毕业旅行，即使她内心有千百个不愿意也会忆起美千代与昌子。学校的毕业旅行是去九州。她们在晚上偷偷跑出饭店，换上泳装在海里游泳。虽然当时是冬季，但她们一边冷到发抖一边漂浮在海面上拾头仰望到的夜空的美丽,直到如今仍然令她难以忘怀。

The train reached N-city shortly afterwards. She checked the map in her Magical Phone, and then headed towards Mt. Takanami.
电车不久即抵达N市。确认好传至魔法终端设备里的地图后，阳真理前往高波山。

“Welcome, welcome, thanks for coming all the way here ~pon.”
「欢迎光临、欢迎光临，谢谢你特地来这里的蹦。」

There was a half-built hotel near the peak of Mt. Takanami. A lone Magical Phone sat in the middle of its ruined great hall. A 3D image floated above it. It was a spheroid whose right side was black and whose left side was white, with a pair of butterfly-like wings. Himari tilted her head in curiosity.
高波山的山顶附近，在看似只盖到一半就中止工程的度假饭店里，如今俨然成为废墟的大厅中，孤伶伶地躺着一台魔法终端设备。从那里浮现出立体的影像。右边黑色、左边白色的球体，长出蝴蝶般的翅膀。阳真理纳闷地偏着头。

“Have I seen you before?”
「我曾经在哪里见过你吧？」

“How could that be? This is the first time we’ve met ~pon.”
「怎么会？我们是初次见面的蹦。」

It would seem they had not met before. However, she had the feeling she had seen it somewhere in the past.
看来是未曾见过。然而，她总觉得自己绝对曾经在哪里见过它。

“Fav is a mass-produced model. Perhaps you’ve seen a mascot character of the same line as myself?”
「因为法唯我是量产机型。你应该是遇到跟我同一型的吉祥物的蹦？」

“Ahh… that might be the case.”
「啊啊……也许就是这么一回事。」

The mascot character Fav happily described the functions of the new generation of Magical Phones and how they were incomparable to those of previous models. While it was expressionless, its tone sounded quite happy, as though it were talking about itself.
吉祥物「法唯」得意洋洋地说起，新一代魔法终端设备在造型与功能上，都是以前的机型完全无法比拟的。虽然它面无表情，但语气听起来相当愉快，仿佛是在说自己的事情。

“Then, I’ll tell you the location of the various Magical Girls’ bases, so please distribute them to everyone ~pon.”
「那么，我告诉你各个魔法少女的据点，麻烦你发送给大家蹦。」

“Eh?”
「咦？」

“If the Master were here, she would send them herself, but unfortunately, she’s not around ~pon. And of course, Fav can’t physically interact with objects. Surely a kind Magical Girl like yourself will help me, won’t you ~pon? The Land of Magic will pay your transport fees, won’t it ~pon?”
「如果大使在的话，她就会亲自送去了，但非常遗憾，她不在的蹦。法唯我又没办法实际碰触物品，如果是亲切的魔法少女，一定会愿意帮忙的蹦？反正交通费会由『魔法王国』支付的蹦？」

“What?”
「什么？」

“Also, you mustn’t tell the Magical Girls about the exam ~pon. If they knew about the exam, we wouldn’t be able to make it  a surprise ~pon. Exams should be surprises after all ~pon.”
「还有，不可以告诉魔法少女们关于考试的事情蹦。如果知道考试的存在，就没办法进行抽考的蹦。考试果然还是得用抽考的才行。」

“What the heck…”
「什么啊……」

Her workload had increased.
工作增加了。

This was the first person. She met her on the roof of a hotel. She was a Magical Girl who looked just like a robot. She had originally thought she was a mascot--
一个人。在宾馆的顶楼，有个十足机器人模样的魔法少女。原本还以为她是吉祥物——

“I’ve heard about this. I’m the Magical Girl Magicaloid 44. Pleased to meet you.”
「我听说了呢。我是魔法少女——魔法赛璐珞44。请多指教。」

It would seem she was a Magical Girl. Given that she had stated her name, Himari felt that she needed to introduce herself as well.

“Hello, I”m @Nyannyan.”
看来对方似乎是魔法少女。因为对方报上名字，使得阳真理也必须自我介绍。「你好，我是@娘娘。」

“A? What a strange name.”
「@？好怪的名字呢。」

The name she had picked with her friends while fooling around had turned out to be terribly embarrassing when she had to introduce herself to others. Every time she had stated it, people had commented that it was weird, and people had even angrily told her, “Pick your name with more care!” Each time that happened, she simply laughed it off, and when she got home, she drowned in the pain of remembering her two friends.
跟亲友胡闹一通而取的名字，等到真正要报上姓名时，只让人觉得丢脸万分。由于每次都会被说是怪名字，甚至还有两、三次别人生气地对她说，好歹也认真一点取名吧！每一次，她都只能哈哈大笑地敷衍过去，回到家之后忆起两位朋友而沉浸在悲伤之中。

“Magicaloid 44 sounds like a really cool name.”
「魔法赛璐珞44小姐的名字听起来很帅气耶。」

“Well, my friend picked it for me.”
「不过，这是我朋友取的名字就是了呢。」

Friends, huh. Himari had friends, once. People with whom she could mess around with, freely and without a care in the world. She did not have them any more.
说起朋友，阳真理也曾经有过。彼此之间能够毫无顾虑、自由自在地东拉西扯。如今已经不在了。

“Nyannyan-san, are you going elsewhere to distribute the Magical Phones?”
「娘娘小姐也要去其他地方发送设备吧？」

“Yes.”
「是的。」

“If that’s the case, you won’t need to visit each and every one of them. After all, many of the Magical Girls have already formed their own cliques. All you have to do is visit a few places. I’ll write them down on a note for you to refer to.”
「如果是这样的话，你不需要一个一个找上门去。毕竟有很多魔法少女都会成群结党，你只要去几个地方就可以了呢。我写便条给你，供你参考。」

“Thank, thank you.”
「谢、谢谢你。」

“I’ll help you deliver to the people nearby or in the same group. Top Speed’s always flying around in the sky around this area, so I’ll help you send it to her. Also, Calamity Mary’s area is very dangerous, so I’ll help you send her Phone to her. Nemurin is a special case, so leave her to me.”
「附近或同组的人就由我来帮你送吧。最高速度都是在附近这一带的上空飞，我帮你拿去给她吧。还有，天灾•玛丽那里危机四伏，她的设备也由我帮你送去吧。眠眠铃的情形也比较特殊，她就包在我身上吧。」

Mascot characters were very good at bossing people around, but Magical Girls were much nicer. Himari thanked her and bowed, but when she raised her head, she saw that plasticky hand reached out towards herself.
虽然吉祥物很会胡乱使唤人，但魔法少女亲切多了。阳真理说了一声谢谢你，再度低头致谢，等到她抬起头来，便发现那充满塑胶质感的手臂伸向自己。

“1000 yen for a runner’s fee will do. Cheap, right?”
「跑腿费全部只要一千圆就好了呢。很便宜吧？」

After paying the 1000 yen, she came to an abandoned temple. There were four Magical Girls inside.
支付完一千圆后，接着来到的是一间废弃的寺庙。里面有四名魔法少女。

“Hm~ so these are the new model of Magical Phones.”
「哼嗯，这就是新的魔法终端设备啊。」

While there were four Magical Girls, in truth only one of them spoke to her. The other three were outside working. The Magical Girl before her was dressed up like a princess and called Ruler, and the corner of her mouth curled down.
虽说有四个人，但实际上说话的只有一个人。其余三人都是在外面做事情。眼前的魔法少女，一副公主打扮的「露菈」，嘴角一歪。

“Why is the display still heart-shaped? I told Fav to design a more functional model, didn’t I?”
「为什么萤幕还是心型的啊？我明明吩咐过法唯，叫它设计成机能性更佳的款式吧？」

“Er, but they say it’s been upgraded. Apparently it had new functons and so on.”
「呃，不过听说规格有升级。好像还搭载了新的功能之类的。」

She was just a delivery girl, so why did she need to defend the Magical Phone? Even though it vexed her, after seeing Ruler and her wicked smile, she immediately began to panic and thought that she had to argue on its behalf.
为什么明明只是送货员的自己，还得替魔法终端设备进行辩护呢？即使感到困惑，但在看见露菈露出那抹坏心眼的笑容后，她立刻焦虑起来,心想必须辩骏才行。

“That’s only to be expected, no? The problem doesn’t lie there!”
「这是理所当然的吧？问题又不在那里！」

The door suddenly opened with a bam, and a pair of angel twins poked their heads in.
门砰的一声被打开，双胞胎天使探出脑袋瓜来。

“It’s terrible! Tama fell into her own hole!”
“It’s so deep we can’t hear the echoes!”
「大事不妙啦！球球摔到自己挖的洞穴里去了！」、「深不见底，也听不到任何回音！」

Ruler shouted, “That idiot!” and ran out, leaving Himari alone by herself. She thought to herself that if she continued complaining to her, she would get a headache, so she snuck out the back door.
露菈怒吼一声「那个大笨蛋！」后飞奔而出，独自一人被留下的阳真理暗自心想，如果对方继续客诉就伤脑筋了，便悄悄从后门离去。

Next was the top of the steel tower.
接下来是铁塔上方。

“Thank you for your hard work.”
「辛苦你了。」

“Thanks for coming all the way here.”
「谢谢你持地大老远过来这里。」

The knight and the schoolgirl greeted her. Compared to all the other Magical Girls until now, these two felt a lot better. The knight-themed Magical Girl with the gigantic sword gave her a brightly-colored drink can.
被骑士与学生制服的双人组慰问了一番。与截至目前为止的魔法少女比较起来，这两个人感觉似乎好多了。扛着巨大宝剑，走骑士路线的魔法少女，递来一罐耀装果汁。

“I bought this from the vending machine over there. Please help yourself, if you don’t mind.”
「这是在那边的自动贩卖机买的，不嫌弃的话请用。」

“Thank you. Then, don’t mind if I do.”
「谢谢你。那我就不客气了。」

For some reason, this felt like the first time she had been treated kindly since coming to this city. After sighing, she sipped the warm red tea. The Magical Girl in the school uniform picked up her new Magical Phone, and she looked very excited.
隐约觉得这是她来到这个城市后，第一次被人亲切以待。吁出一口气后，啜饮起温热的红茶。
穿学生制服的魔法少女则是取出新的魔法终端设备，显得相当兴奋。

“Uwah! It’s so cute! The new Magical Phones have white frames!”
「唔哇！好可爱喔！新的魔法终端设备是白框的耶！」

“They match you very well, Snow White.”
「跟白雪你很搭呢。」

“It seems that they have a lot of added functions as well… but I don’t know how to use them.”
「好像也有追加许多功能……可是我不会用。」

“Once you’re familiar with them, you won’t have to worry.”
「用习惯的话，就不需要担心了。」

“Then won’t I have trouble until I get used to them?”
「那在习惯之前不就伤脑筋了吗？」

“There’ll be a chat meeting tomorrow, we can ask the others then.
「明天有聊天室的聚会，到时候再问别人就行了吧。」

It was a heartwarming interaction. After saying, “Thanks for your kindness,” Himari put the can down and left.
令人忍不住会心一笑的互动。阳真理说完「谢谢招待」便留下果汁罐离去。

***

Next was the abandoned supermarket.
再来是歇业的超级市场。

“Thank you for coming all this way to us.”
「感谢你不辞辛劳地大老远过来一趟。」

The nun-themed Magical Girl--Sister Nana--bowed deeply.
以修女为范本的魔法少女「修女奈奈」深深一鞠躬。

“And you even brought such wonderful Magical Phones too.”
「还带来这么棒的魔法终端设备过来。」

“No, no, it’s nothing much.”
「不会不会，这没什么。」

“Nana, come over here.”
「奈奈，你过来一下。」

The Magical Girl in the greatcoat and the scarf, Weiss Winterprison, was frowning as she looked at the Magical Phone’s screen. She was probably migrating her data to the new Magical Phone, so it would seem a problem had cropped up.
大衣搭配围巾的魔法少女「渥丝•凛冬天狱」看到魔法终端设备的画面后，眉头一皱。她刚才应该是在转移数据至新的魔法终端设备中，看来是发生什么问题了吧。

“What is this?”
「这是什么？」

“What happened?”
「怎么了吗？」

Sister Nana looked at the screen of the Magical Phone Winterprison had handed over, and she smiled brightly. In contrast to Winterprison, she seemed very happy. Since a lack of politeness would cause all manner of problems, Himari could only smile vaguely at them.
修女奈奈看向凛冬天狱递来的魔法终端设备的萤幕后，绽放出一抹灿烂的笑容。与凛冬天狱呈现两极化，她看起来相当开心。不管关切哪一方似乎都会引发问题，阳真理只能暧昧地面带微笑。

“Ah, I took that picture of you sleeping last week.”
「啊啊，这个睡相是上星期拍的。」

“That’s not what I’m asking.”
「我并不是在问你这个。」

Winterprison’s voice sounded very bitter as she replied.
如此说的凛冬天狱，声音显得艰涩。

“Do you mean the clothes? Well, I just couldn’t resist the urge to see you in a skirt. And you were sleeping so soundly, so I secretly put them on for you.”
「你是说服装吗？因为我实在压抑不住想要看你穿裙子的欲望嘛。而且你又睡得那么熟，我才偷偷帮你换上。」

Winterprison pressed her index finger to her forehead and groaned,
凛冬天狱以食指按住额头，呻吟道：

“That’s not a skirt… more like cosplay…”
「与其说是裙子……这更像变装吧……」

“For a long time, I’ve felt you would be very suitable for cosplaying Cutie Healer Excellent’s Dark Odessa.”
「我很久之前就觉得你一定会很适合『甜心治疗师EXCELLENT』的『暗黑奥德赛』的装扮。」

Himari muttered, “Thanks for your kindness,” then packed her things by herself.
阳真理暗自在心里喃喃「谢谢招待」后，独自开始动手收拾行囊。

***

FInally, she returned to the abandoned hotel on top of Mt. Takanami.
最后，再度回到高波山的废弃饭店。

“Thank you, thank you. Thanks to you, the new Magical Phones have found their way into everyone’s hands.”
「谢谢、谢谢。托你的福，新的魔法终端设备也顺利交到大家的手上了蹦。」

“Oh no, it was nothing much.”
「不会，没什么大不了的。」

Fav spun a neat circle, scattering golden sparkles everywhere.
法唯俐落地转了一圈，金粉哗啦哗啦四散。

“WIth the new Magical Phones, we’ll be able to deepen the bonds between Magical Girls ~pon!”
「透过新的魔法终端设备，应该能够加深魔法少女之间的羁绊的蹦！」

Fav was as cheery as always. Himari turned to leave, and then she unconsciously turned back to look at Fav. The 3D-image even illuminated the dust of the hotel, and it filled her with a nameless fright.
法唯还是一样似乎很高兴。阳真理离去之际，不经意地转过头去看法唯。连饭店内的尘埃都映照出来的立体影像，令人莫名地感到毛骨悚然。

“So only one person can pass, right?”
「只有一个人能够通过考试吧？」

“That’s the way it is, is there a problem ~pon?”
「是这样子的没错，怎么了蹦？」

“So even if they have deep bonds and form firm friendships, in the end only one person can escape the fate of having their memories erased, right?”
「就算羁绊变深、感情变融洽，终究还是逃不过只有一个人不会被消除记忆的命运吧？」

“That’s why it’s meaningful ~pon.”
「正因为如此，才有意义的蹦。」

A strange emotion seemed to be on the verge of escaping from her body.
似乎有一股什么情绪正要从她的体内涌出。

Ruler and her gang of four, Snow White and La Pucelle, Sister Nana and Weiss Winterprison, all those Magical Girls had very good relationships. And these people would now have to compete with each other.
那些魔法少女的感情似乎都很不错。露菈她们四个人、白雪与菈•普赛儿、修女奈奈与渥丝•凛冬天狱。而那些人要彼此竞争。

Much like Himari, they would go from friends to enemies in order to win the title of the sole Magical Girl… enemies? They ought to be fellow competitors at most, right? Besides, they’d sworn to help each other before the exam--
跟阳真理她们一样，为了争取那唯一一个魔法少女的头衔，从朋友成为敌人……敌人？应该顶多只是竞争对手而已吧？更何况，她们也在考试前发誓要互相帮助——

Something seemed to be on the verge of surging out of Himari. However, that emotion writhed around inside her body, searching for an exit that it could not find. She looked at Fav, and Fav looked back at her.
阳真理的心里似乎有什么快要涌出来，然而，那股情绪在她的体内蠕动挣扎着，拚命寻找出口却遍寻不着。她定定地望着法唯，法唯也回望她。

And so, Himari left N-City, setting out on the road home. She did not buy a subway lunchbox on the way back, and so she left the 1000-yen bill in the envelope as she looked out at the scenery. The lights of the buildings and the streetlights streamed endless past her. It was hardly more interesting than the scenery in the day, but she still rested her eyes outside the window.
阳真理就这样离开N市，踏上归途。她在回去的电车上并没有购买铁路便当，而是将一千圚纸钞留在信封里，一味地眺望风景。建筑物与路灯的光芒一闪一闪地不停流泻而去，这副景色不比白天的景致有趣，但她仍然将视线落在窗外。

Her eyes followed the scenery outside, but the sight of the Magical Girls she had seen today kept swirling within her mind, and they would not fade away. They had all gotten along with each other, and they seemed very happy. She imagined she could see herself and her friends from back then. Himari could no longer go back to that time, because her friends were no longer around. In addition, she would never again meet friends with whom she could share such deep bonds of friendship.
她的目光追着外头的风景，然而，今天见到的魔法少女们的身影一直盘旋在她的脑海中，久久不散。大家的感情都很融洽、看起来很快乐。她仿佛看到了那个时候的自己与朋友。阳真理再也无法回到当时，她的朋友已经不在了。而且，她绝对再也遇不到能够拥有同等深厚友谊的朋友。

After that, Himari submitted a withdrawal form, and quit being a Magical Girl.
在这之后，阳真理提出了退出申请书，辞去魔法少女的身分。

***

How much time had passed since she had retired? Himari thought that when she became @Nyannyan again thanks to the Magical Girl Raising Project.
退出之后经过了多久时间呢？阳真理回想起，自己曾经因为「魔法少女育成计画」的关系，成为「@娘娘」的事实。

The texture and glossiness of her skin, the softness of her flesh, her chinese qipao-themed costume, even the way she had to tuck her tail away lest she could not sit down properly, all these lost memories awakened from a place deep inside herself. While she had the vague feeling that there was something else she had forgotten, she decided not to think about it for now.
肌肤的质感、光滑细致的皮肤、筋骨的柔软度，以中式旗袍为基调的装扮，甚至连坐下来的时候，不把尾毛收拢就无法顺利入座等，失去的记忆都从深处苏醒。虽然她隐约觉得自己还遗忘了些什么，不过目前姑且不深究。

She knew why she had lost her memories. It was before she had retired. She had asked the Land of Magic to allow her to stop being a Magical Girl, and to her surprise, it had been approved. All her memories of magic had been erased, and she no longer lived as @Nyannyan, but as Tanahashi Himari.
她知道自己失去记忆的理由。因为她退出了。她向魔法王国提出魔法少女的辞呈，意外顺利地被受理。所有关于魔法的记忆都被消除，而她也不再是「@娘娘」，而是以棚桥阳真理的身分过日子。

She had also made it into the school she was aiming for, made friends, and her parents were not displeased with her. She thought to herself, maybe my life counts as pretty successful.
她也顺利地考上志愿学校，也交到朋友，与双亲之间也没有任何的不愉快。她暗自心想，也许自己的人生还算是顺利的吧。

Even so, she occasionally felt empty, and occasionally felt lonely, as though there was a hole in her heart, but she could not vocalize why exactly that was the case.
尽管如此，她还是会偶尔感到空虚，偶尔不经意地感到寂寞，仿佛胸口被开了一个洞般，但她却说不出是怎么一回事。

“So that was why.”
「原来是这么一回事。」

Losing the part of herself that had been a Magical Girl made her feel like she had lost something in her chest.
失去身为魔法少女的自己，令她感觉到胸口似乎少了一块什么。

While she was disturbed by the fact that she--who had already retired--was part of a game that was intended for Magical Girls only, the Land of Magic did have the habit of forcing people into things like this.
虽然对于让已经退出的自己参与「魔法少女专用」的游戏感到困惑，但话说回来，「魔法王国」确实就是有这种爱赶鸭子上架的坏习惯。

It would seem she was in the game world.
看来她现在似乎是在游戏的世界中。

It looked like the real world, probably because of the twin selling points of “The Magical Trace System lets you control the game just like real life!” and “Extremely realistic and beautiful graphical effects!”. She was not quite clear about this, but to some extent, she understood.
虽然看似现实世界，想来是因为「透过魔法同步追踪系统带来与现实毫无两样的操作感」与「达到极致真实境界的超美丽视觉效果」这两个特色，令游戏看起来像是现实世界吧。她现在还摸不着头绪，不过隐隐约约能够理解。

The ability to twist, surpass, break, mock and trample the laws of physics--that was magic.
将物理法则予以扭曲、超越、破坏、嘲笑、蹂躏——这就是魔法。

What she could not understand was why Tanahashi Himari--@Nyannyan--had been enlisted into this “social game targeted at Magical Girls.”
令人无法理解的是，明明已经辞去魔法少女一职的棚桥阳真理……@娘娘被迫参与「魔法少女专用的社交网路游戏」的现况。

She looked up at the sky.
抬起头望向天空。

She had seen the sky of the southern islands during her graduation trip, and the sky then had been colored with many layers of colors and rich hues. The sky before her then had been clear, blue and cloudless, or speckled with countless stars at night, or covered in thick, heavy clouds.
毕业旅行时曾见过的南国天空，堆迭好几层形成颜色又深又浓的天空。眼前的天空与万里无云的蔚蓝晴空或是繁星洒落的夜空，甚至是乌云密布的天空，在浓淡上拥有共通点。

The sky before her now was like a flat board with no depth, and the sunlight felt thin, and then there were the skeleton hordes from just now. They were all very video-gamey elements. Even the messages that appeared on the Magical Phone were just like a video game. The payment was also very unreal; could she really obtain that much money? If that was the case, then it would not be entirely unattractive to her. After all, everyone needed money in everyday life.
这片天空犹如一片平坦的板子般，毫无深度，阳光的味道也相当稀薄，再加上她刚才遇到的会动的骸骨群。这可是极具电玩游戏特质的元素。就连出现在魔法终端设备萤幕上的每一则讯息，也都是电玩味十足。更别提报酬金额也很超现实，真的拿得到这笔钱吗？真是如此的话，她也不是完全没有受到吸引，毕竟日常生活中随时随地都需要用到钱。

In any case, @Nyannyan decided to do as the message on her Magical Phone said and headed to the Town. While she found it difficult to understand her present circumstances, she had nothing else to go by. She made use of her shocking Magical Girl’s endurance, ran around the sprawling wasteland for a good long while, and then she finally found a group of buildings which looked like a town, which she moved towards.
总而言之，@娘娘先按照魔法终端设备的讯息指示，前往城镇。虽然状况令人难以理解，但她也没有其他能够遵循的依据。她发挥了魔法少女惊人的持久能力，在辽阔无边际的荒野中绕行好一阵子，终于发现应该是城镇的建筑群，便立刻朝那个方向移动。

In truth, it was not a group of buildings so much as a collection of abandoned houses. They were barely in better shape than the abandoned buildings in the wasteland, but there were no pedestrians, and there was no way the roads would be paved with asphalt. @Nyannyan carefully approached the town as she kept an eye open for monsters attacking from hidden places, and finally, she came to a place which looked like a square. There was a dried-out fountain in the center, and someone sitting on its edge.
实际上，与其说是建筑群，倒不如说是搜集废弃房屋而成的集合体。只比零星散布在荒野中的废弃大楼好一点，但既然没有行人，路面当然也不可能铺上柏油。@娘娘一边防备怪物从暗处跳出，一边小心翼翼地在镇上前进，最后来到似乎是广场的地方。中央处设置了一个早已干枯的喷水池，有个人影正坐在边缘。

“Ohhh! Are you a Magical Girl too?”
「喔喔！你也是魔法少女？」

She was a girl dressed in a sentai outfit from a tokusatsu film. Given her adorable appearance, her use of the word “too” and the fact that she was in a social game specifically targeted at Magical Girls, it basically meant that she was a Magical Girl too, even though she did not quite look the part.
那是个做特摄片的战斗部队打扮的少女。可爱的外观相当讨人喜爱，而对方表示「你也是」，再加上同样身处在「魔法少女专用的社交游戏」内，换句话说，这名少女也是魔法少女吧。虽然外表看起来不太像是这么一回事。

“Aiyaya, you’re the first friend I’ve met since I came here.”
「哎呀呀，这是我来到这里之后，第一次看到同伴耶。」

She offered her hand. @Nyannyan smiled embarrassedly and took it. She seemed quite friendly.
对方还要求握手，@娘娘尴尬微笑并回握。看来对方相当友善。

Just as she was about to state her name, she suddenly remembered. She had almost forgotten. Giving the name which she had picked while fooling around with her friends was very embarrassing. Nyannyan was fine; the problem was that @. Just as she wondered how to introduce herself, the sentai-suited Magical Girl stuck out her right thumb, pointed it at herself, and energetically stated her name.
当她正要报上名字时，猛然想起。她差点忘记了。报上与朋友胡闹时而取的名字很丢脸的事情。娘娘还好，问题在于那个@。就在她思索着该如何报上姓名时，战斗部队风格的魔法少女竖起右手大拇指，指向自己，充满活力地报上名来。

“I’m Yumenoshima Genopsycho!”
「我叫做梦之岛杰若疯子！」

--Yumenoshima? Genopsycho?
——梦之岛？杰若疯子？

She had not misheard it. The other girl had called herself Yumenoshima Genopsycho. Her surname was apparently Yumenoshima, and Genopsycho was apparently her given name. When she heard that name, she could not help but think, what a crazy name. Still, it did not feel like she had been forced to pick it. When she had stated her name, she had been very open and straightforward about it, as though she were not embarrassed or ashamed of it at all. In fact, she even seemed poised and composed.
她并没有听错。对方的确说自己叫做梦之岛杰若疯子。似乎是以梦之岛为姓氏，杰若疯子则为名字而组成的姓名。听到对方这么说，她不禁心想还真是个疯狂的名字。不过，感觉也不像是被硬取的名字。对方报上姓名时，态度相当落落大方，似乎与丢脸、难为情完全沾不上边，实际上还一脸泰然自若的模样。

Why had she picked such a name? Had she gone through the same process as @Nyannyan? Or had it been completely different? She had many questions to ask her.
为什么会取这种名字呢？跟@娘娘自己的命名过程一样吗？抑或是完全不同？她有好多问题想问。

Genopsycho smiled brightly to @Nyannyan. That smiling face overlapped with those of her past two friends. If it were someone like the Magical Girl before her eyes, perhaps she could forge a bond with her like she had with Michiyo or masako. Could she decide so casually based on her naming sense? She unconsciously racked her brains. She thought, and thought, and thought some more...
杰若疯子笑容可掬地看着@娘娘。那张笑脸，与过去的两位朋友重迭在一起。如果对象是眼前的魔法少女，也许能够构筑出与美千代、昌子之间同样的朋友关系吧。仅凭对方取名字的品味就轻率决定好吗？她下意识地在脑袋里思索起来。思索、思索、不停思索……

***

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”
「接下来就交给妹了。」

Michiyo panted from where she lay sprawled on the floor, without even the energy to raise her head.
趴倒在地面的美千代气若游丝地说，连抬起头来的力气都没有。

“Himari will take on the mission of beating her down…”
「打倒那些家伙的使命，就包在我阳真理身上吧……」

Michiyo had lost too much blood, and there was a 100% chance she would not make it. Himari shouted. Why did Michiyo have to end up like that? There was no reason for Masako to die either!
美千代的出血量已经超越极限，百分之百救不回来了。阳真理大声咆哮。为什么美千代非得要遭遇这种下场！昌子明明也没有任何死掉的理由啊！

“Come, then.”
「来吧。」

Somebody seemed to be beckoning to Himari. It was a shadowy black silhouette, and she could not make out her face.
似乎有人在对阳真理招手。只有影子般的黑色轮廓，看不清楚样貌。

“If you wish to avenge your friends, then this is the perfect opportunity to do so.”
「如果想替你的朋友报仇的话，现在正是大好机会喔。」

***

The scene before her eyes suddenly changed. It made her wobble on her feet and she almost fell, but she immediately pulled back her right leg, and managed to stand firm. What had happened just now? She seemed to have seen something from somewhere else.
视野内的景色突然大变。导致她站不稳，差一点跌倒，但她立刻缩回右脚，总算是稳住了。
刚才发生了什么事？她似乎看见不同于此的别处光景？

They were hazy and vague. Even after entering the game and regaining her memories as a Magical Girl… they were still hazy and vague. There was a smiling Magical Girl in front of her. She remembered she was called Yumenoshima Genopsycho. It took her a few seconds to realize that she had just stated her name.
既模糊又暧昧。进入游戏、恢复了魔法少女的记忆……果然还是既模糊又暧昧。在她的眼前有个笑脸迎人的魔法少女。记得对方自我介绍叫梦之岛杰若疯子。她花了数秒，才察觉对方正在等着自己报上名字。

What had she just recalled? It was probably Michiyo and Masako. The reason why she would think of them was because Genopsycho’s laughter was practically identical to the way Michiyo and Masako would laugh without any restraint whatsoever.
她刚才回想起了什么？应该是美千代与昌子吧。她会这么想的理由在于，杰若疯子的笑容与美千代、昌子那种毫无顾忌的大笑方式简直一模一样。

@Nyannyan smiled. Perhaps it was because she had been infected by Genopsycho; perhaps it was because she did not want to lose out to Genopsycho; perhaps it was because she was on the verge of tears and wanted to hide it with a smile. She did not quite understand, but she laughed, then pointed to herself and said:
@娘娘笑了。也许是受到杰若疯子的感染而笑的也不一定；也许是不想输给杰若疯子而笑的也不一定；也许是因为她快要哭出来了，为了掩饰这一点而笑的也不一定。虽然她自己也不是很明白，总之她笑着指向自己道：

“My name is @Nyannyan…~aru!”
「我的名字是@娘娘……儿！」