Azalea END

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ayame 10
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Konoha: That's why I don't want...to connect with others outside of our circle of three people...No, I'll honestly say it...I'm scared...that something important to me might be unreasonably destroyed again...That's why...That's why I...!

Ayame: Konoha...T, There's something I've kept secret from you too, Konoha...
Konoha: ...Ayame, you too...!?
Hazuki: Wait, Ayame...!
Ayame: It's okay! I have to tell her...!
Hazuki: ...Ayame...
Ayame: ...In this city...I made...
Konoha: ...What did you make...?
Ayame: ...what people call friends...I think...
Konoha: ...Ayame, you too...!? Keeping something like that...a secret from me...!
Hazuki: ...Sorry! I was the one who suggested it to her...
Konoha: Hazuki, you knew too...!? ...Why...Why would you two...!?
Hazuki: Because we thought that if you knew, Konoha, then you probably wouldn't forgive us...
Konoha: ...That's! ...right...
Hazuki: Right? That's why! That's why we kept it a secret! ...Ayame bonded with a kid she met for the first time, by her own will. ...The same Ayame who always followed behind us, for all this time...
Konoha: ...Behind...us...


Director: Konoha-san, Hazuki-san...The two of you are older so...could you always look after Ayame-san for me?
Ayame-san...make sure to listen and do as the two girls tell you...and follow them so you won't get separated, okay?
Understood, everyone...? Hold each other firmly by the hand, and continue to live, supporting one another, alright?


Konoha: (...Director...)
Hazuki: It's not because she was told to by anyone or anything like that...she did it out of her own will, you know? When I saw the sight of Ayame meeting with those friends of hers, I strongly believed...that there's still people that can understand us out there somewhere...
Konoha: ..........
Yachiyo: ...Not a lot of time has passed since we first met, right? ...But, if more time passes, we might see each other a bit more often...Don't you think so? Everyone?
Momoko: ...Right.
Kaede: Yes, I think so!
Rena: ...Rena doesn't really...
Momoko: Rena, here's where you should speak honestly.
Rena: ..............It's not like I...don't think that way...

Konoha: .............Ayame......What kind of people are they? Those...friends of yours...
Ayame: ...Um! You see...
Hazuki: ...Wait a second.
Ayame: Eh! Wh, What? Hazuki...
Hazuki: ...Ayame has two friends.
Konoha: Two...
Hazuki: One of them I contacted on my way here.
Ayame: Y, You did!?
Hazuki: The other one I couldn't get a hold of, but...the one I did contact should just about...


???: Ayame-saaaaaaaaaaan! Hazuki-saaaaaaaaaan!


Ayame: Ahhh--! It's Kako!

Momoko: Nn? That girl's...
Kaede: Kako-chan!? Why is she here...!?
Ayame: You knew Kako!?
Rena: ...Kaede, could it be that she's the one you were talking about the other day...?
Kaede: That's right! The girl from the used bookstore!
Kako: Sorry to keep you waiting...! ...Huh? K, Kaede-chan!?
Kaede: Kako-chaaaan!
Kako: You knew Ayame-san and the others?
Kaede: Eh, w, well...we just got to know each other a little while ago, I guess?
Kako: Is that so...! And...the ones over there must be...
Kaede: Ah, yeah! Um, Yachiyo-san and Momoko-chan and Rena-chan!
Kako: Ah, i, it's a pleasure to meet you...!
Momoko: Nice to meet you!
Yachiyo: I've heard of you.
Rena: .....................
Momoko: Ah--, sorry, don't mind her! It's just a little jealousy kind of thing.
Rena: T, That's not it!
Kako: ...By the way...um...did a witch appear...?

Hazuki: Eh...!? Ahh, y, yeah! Well, a lot happened...That aside...um...
Ayame: ...Kako...you've met her once before, right? Konoha...
Kako: ...Y, Yes...I heard from Hazuki-san that Konoha-san would be here...um...I'm sorry!
Konoha: ...Eh?
Kako: The fact that Ayame-san and I were meeting each other... was kept a secret from you, Konoha-san, wasn't it? I heard about that, and then I felt terrible for quite some time...That's why, I thought I should properly introduce myself today...
Konoha: ...Kako-san...right?
Kako: Y, Yes! I'm Natsume Kako...!
Konoha: ...What do you think of Ayame, Kako-san?
Kako: Of Ayame-san? That's...um...I...think she's a very precious friend...!
Konoha: .........
Ayame: Kako...
Konoha: ...Fufu...is that so...? ...Whew...Thank you, Kako-san...Please look after Ayame from now on too, okay...?
Hazuki: Konoha...!
Ayame: Th, Then...!
Kako: ...Yes! I look forward to doing so too!
Ayame: ...Thank you, Konoha! And...Kako, you too! ...Let's shake hands!
Kako: Eh? S, Shake hands? ...Ufufu...! Yes, let's shake hands!
Ayame: Shake hands, shake hands!
Hazuki: ...Look. They're tightly holding each other's hands.
Konoha: ...You're right...Your idea...of having relations with the outside world...
Hazuki: Yeah...
Konoha: ...It's not like I've accepted it from the bottom of my heart.
Hazuki: ...Is that so...
Konoha: I can't...change that quickly...But, seeing Ayame and Kako-san happily meeting each other...made me think that I can believe that what you said is possible...
Hazuki: ...Then, just take your time thinking and feeling through it. ...Okay?
Konoha: You're right......That aside...friends...huh...Do I have any...?
Hazuki: Of course you do. Right here.
Konoha: ...Hazuki...
Hazuki: ...I think of you as my first friend, Konoha...one that I've had since we met at Tsuzuji's House...!
Konoha: ...Fufu...is that so...? ...True...even I had friends, right by my side...didn't I...!

Momoko: ...Then I guess-- it feels like...it's all settled...?
Yachiyo: ...No, wait. There's still one important matter...
Konoha: ...Right...Let's discuss this...
Yachiyo: ...Fine with me. In that case, let's discuss this right after...we first adjourn here for now.
Rena: ...For some reason, Rena feels like things haven't gone well for her...
Kaede: It turned out alright though, Rena-chan!
Rena: ...Uuu, Rena feels like she's being consoled by Kaede--!
Momoko: Okay, okay! Let's goo---!


Hazuki: (...I'm glad...things really did turn out alright...Ah...That aside, if Felicia-chan did come here...I wonder what would've happened...?)



Felicia: ...Haccchoooooo...!


Felicia: ...Ahh---...Huh? Looks like I was sleeping this entire time...


~~~~~~~~~~~~
TRUE END
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Konoha: This is all what I've heard after that one incident took place, but...
It seems Hazuki, along with Togame Momoko, searched for the origins of the rumor that we were the culprits responsible for the fainting incident. However...

Hazuki: At first, we were able to chase it down pretty smoothly...but the further we went after it, the rumor itself became increasingly vague...And then the string we were following suddenly snapped. ...Anyway, there's no doubt that it was all made-up nonsense from the beginning, right? My take is, the real culprit spread this rumor to pull the wool over our eyes... A witch probably couldn't do something this crafty...Just like I thought, I feel like this was a strangely deliberate act...

Konoha: ...That's right...In the end, the existence of that culprit...had driven us into a corner at some point...


Yachiyo: ...A lot has happened and it seems like it's going to be left unsettled, but...
Konoha: ...I'm sorry. It's because I lost control of myself...
Yachiyo: ...What's done is done. Just forget about it. ...Anyway, the problem is...
Konoha: Who attacked Ayame...
Yachiyo: I'm going to say this, and this is not a lie...Rena and Kaede and I did not move. There wasn't even a reaction caused by their magical energy...
Konoha: Of course, the same goes for me...
Yachiyo: ...If that's the case, then the one who assaulted her had to be someone who wasn't present after all...I hate to admit it, but I was unable to grab them by the tail this time too...But, I'm sure...!
Konoha: Right...let's expose their true identities...! (Because I will make them pay for using us...!)

Konoha: In the end, the dubious darkness is still spreading over the roots of this event... Same with the matter regarding the illusion I saw...What was that, exactly...?
It was then, when those oscillations caused by those illusions... that continuously, quietly, yet certainly swayed my heart before I realized what was happening... reached their peak. The moment I decided to make everyone around me my enemy...Since then, I haven't seen any illusions. And, I passed that information to Nanami Yachiyo and the others as a warning alarm. However, the truth behind this incident hasn't been made clear either...Everything is still in the dark...But, there is something we did learn. And that is...


Kako: ...Ah, there's a reaction from my soul gem! Nanaka-san!
Nanaka: Understood...Then, Kako-san, you will go with Akira-san and Meiyui-san will go with me to...

Ayame: Kako---! We're going in first--!
Kako: Ayame-sa...! ...No, wait...Ayame-chan!
Ayame: ...Aha! That's--right--! From now on, that's kinda how it's gonna be!
Hazuki: Yep, we're going to pass through here too--
Konoha: No hard feelings...
Akira: Crap! They went in ahead of us...!
Meiyui: Nanaka!
Nanaka: We're going after them!
Kako: That's not fair! Ayame-chaaaan!
Ayame: Hehe--! Here we goooooo~!


Konoha: There are a lot of witches in this city...and, there are the magical girls who hunt them... That's right...we're shouldering the same fate...humans who share the same...circumstances...
Director...I may have found...the three of us may have found our new "Tsuzuji's House"... And that is...



TRUE END



~~~~~~~~~
Epilogue
~~~~~~~~~

Kyuubey: ...Now then...
...Did this go completely as you planned?
The fainting incident didn't exist in the first place...
You skillfully spread this rumor and created the first situation...
The only ones you actually attacked were Togame Momoko and Mikuri Ayame...
...What you showed Shizumi Konoha weren't "illusions", but rather...
you "hypnotized" her.
In order to cause her to go on a rampage...
...But, having gone this far,
are you really okay with this result?
.........
...It was just on a whim...?
...I see...
That whim of yours disturbed the fates of those in Kamihama City.
That alone was what you were after, wasn't it...?

If witches are "disasters"...
For the time being, you are...
"chaos", aren't you...?