Kako's Story

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Part One: Natsume Bookstore
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Kako: My name is Natsume Kako. I'm 13 years old. My family runs a used bookstore called the "Natsume Bookstore" in Kamihama City. It looks...like this.

Kako: My dad is the owner of Natsume Bookstore and my mom's a middle school language arts teacher. Naturally, I also fell in love with books...

Kako: The novel you recommended to me was so interesting that I read through it at once, Dad!
Kako's Dad: "The Melancholy of the Sugar Glider" by Furuyashiki Daihachiro-sensei, right? I see, good for you.
Kako: It's supposed to be mystery suspense and yet it had elements of sci-fi and period novels too...anyway, it was really interesting! If you find another interesting book, then tell me, okay?
Kako's Dad: In that case, how about this one? It's another work by Furuyashiki-sensei.
Kako: Eh, what is it, what is it!? U--hm..."The Shudder of the Flying Squirrel"! Whoa---, sounds fascinating! Thank you! Dad!

Kako: That's how I spent my days. And to me, those were satisfying days. Countless worlds unfolded within those books...When I opened the pages it seemed like I was about to go on a journey somewhere...It was always new and more fun than anything else. But...

Kako's Dad: ...N, No! Please wait! You say that, but... that's not possible! This is a very important store I've inherited from my father...Hey, wait! Don't hang up! I still have something to! Ah!...
Kako: Dad...
Kako's Dad: A, Aah, Kako. So you were here... It's okay. It's nothing you should worry about, Kako.
Kako: B, But...
Kako's Dad: It'll be okay. Alright...?
Kako: ...Okay...

Kako: That phone call was exactly what you'd call a bolt from the blue...It marked the beginning of the perils that visited Natsume Bookstore...

Kako: When I say that perils that visited my house...Natsume Bookstore... I'm referring to the forceful acquisition of our land...in other words, it was "land sharking". And they weren't just after Natsume Bookstore, they were after the whole area around our store...My dad strongly opposed this.

Kako's Dad: You see, your dad wants to protect this store. No matter what happens, I don't plan on selling it. ...Though I'm not that strong, both physically and emotionally...haha!
Kako: Dad... try not to push yourself too hard, okay?
Kako's Dad: I know. Thanks, Kako.
Kako: Yeah...

Kako: My dad got help from the whole region in order to start an anti-development movement since they were planning to build apartments once they acquired our land.

From his passionate efforts, gradually that circle began to expand.
...At the same time, the harassment began too...

Kako: I'm home...
Kako's Dad: Welcome home, Kako.
Kako: ...Um...this...was on the ground in front of the shop...
Kako's Dad: ...So someone tore the anti-development flyer again...
Kako: Dad...are you okay?
Kako's Dad: .........
Kako: ...Yesterday, you were arguing with mom...again...weren't you...?
Kako's Dad: ...It was over minor stuff. Don't worry about it, Kako. You don't have to worry. Dad will take care of this...!
Kako: ...O, Okay...

Kako: But finally, a horrible incident occurred...
It was something that drastically changed the fate of the Natsume household...and mine...

...Someone set my house on fire...

Kako's Dad: O, Our house is...! The shop is...!
Kako: Dad! It's dangerous! Get back!
Kako's Dad: N, No way... how could something like this...
Kako: Dad! Dad! (...Dad... I'm sorry...!)

Kako: As I desperately tried to hold back my dad who held his arm out towards the blazing fire, deep inside I apologized. Because I couldn't do anything...even though I saw the person I'm certain was the culprit...!

Kako: That day, I... just happened to see...It was when I came home from school. In front of our store, the poster was torn down again. When I tried to pick that up, it got blown away by the wind. There, in the alley at the side of the shop where the poster danced to and fro toward... Back then, I saw a silhouette of a person...I chased after it. Then, when I quietly took a peek, putting my face just a little out from the shadows...

Kako: ....... (...What...!? ...T, They're going to...set the shop on fire...!?)

Arsonist: ........
Kako: From their physique, I think the one who set it on fire was a man... But, they had their eyes covered by a hat and they wore a large mask so I couldn't see their face... It's just, they were silently staring at the fire for a long time and the atmosphere felt unusual... I quietly got away from there and tried to go back to where my dad was. But they suddenly grabbed my shoulder from behind...!

Kako: ---!!
Arsonist: .......
Kako: Ah...ah...I, I...

Kako: No other words could come out of my mouth. Then, the man silently looked at me. That's when I sensed it... that "this person isn't normal"...

Kako: H, Hel...help me...
Arsonist: .........

Kako: I ended up begging for my life. ...I was terrified. The stare coming from black eyes, from the space between the hat and the mask that pierced through me... I was simply, simply terrified...

Arsonist: .........

Kako: Then that person silently left. Stunned, I collapsed to the ground right there. When I came to and looked toward the back of the shop, the fire had become larger. Then the shop was gone...

Kako: I explained what happened to my dad and my mom and then the police. My parents forgave me.
Kako's Dad: You did a good job, telling us what happened...Thanks, Kako.
Kako's Mom: You must've been scared, weren't you!? I'm so glad they didn't do anything to you...

Kako: But, deep within my heart I strongly regretted what I had done. After we managed to find a temporary home and finished moving in... That night, I secretly went to the site of the burnt store.

Kako: (Back then...Back then, wasn't there something I could have done...?)

As I walked, I continuously wondered about it, and then I arrived.

But there was someone already there.

Kako: ...Eh...?
???: ...Oh?

Kako: It was a pretty girl...and...

???: ...You...
Kako: Eh...!? Waah, an animal!? ...A dog...? ...More importantly, it, it's talking?
???: --!? ...You can see him? ...This white one here...
Kako: Ah, um... yes...
???: ...H~m... is that so? ...Then...
???: Yeah, that's right.
???: ...Let's leave the conversation for another day. It's getting late tonight too...right?
???: ...What are you thinking?
???: No, nothing in particular...
???: ...I got it. Let's meet again...Natsume Kako.
Kako: M, My name!? Why...? Mort importantly, you're, talking...!
???: ...Fufu. Farewell...

Kako: My home burning down...that was the first turning point. Then, that encounter was the next turning point...

Kako: I wonder, who in the world was that? I've got a bad feeling about this...
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Part Two: Can't Take One Step Forward
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Kako: My home burned down due to an arson...and in those ruins I met a girl...
What's happening? I began investigating on my own.

...That being said, it was all I could do just to listen to the people in the neighborhood...so I soon found myself at a dead end.

Then, the girl herself appeared...

???: We meet again...
Kako: Y, You're! The one from before...!
???: I still haven't introduced myself, have I? How rude of me...I'm Tokiwa Nanaka. And...
Kyuubey: My name is Kyuubey.
Kako: Uwaaah! I, It really is talking!
Nanaka: Please calm down. I'll explain that now. First, nice to meet you, um...
Kako: Eh? Ah...Natsume...Kako.
Nanaka: Kako-san...Do you mind if I call you that?
Kako: Ah, y, yes...
Nanaka: In that case, Kako-san, I hope you don't mind me asking but that burnt used bookstore, is that your...
Kako: ...That's right. It was my home...
Nanaka: I heard it was an arson. What happened to the culprit...?
Kako: They still haven't found him...
Nanaka: Is that so...do you want to catch the culprit?
Kako: (Catch? Me? ...Ah, I'm mistaken...she's talking about the police, isn't she...) Y, Yes! Of course...
Nanaka: ...You heard her, Kyuubey-san.
Kyuubey: That wish of yours can be granted, Natsume Kako.
Kako: What do you mean by...granted?
Kyuubey: You have that power, so...I want you to form a contract with me and become a magical girl.

Kyuubey: I want you to form a contract with me and become a magical girl.
Kako: A magical...girl?
Nanaka: A girl who can use magic...hence, magical girl.
Kako: Is that...um...some story from a novel or manga...?
Nanaka: Incorrect. They're real, they exist. ...I'm one of them.
Kako: Eeh!? ...No, but...
Nanaka: Then how would you explain Kyuubey-san here?
Kako: ...Th, That's...
Nanaka: ...Well, I'm not going to ask that you immediately believe everything. However, what I'm about to tell you is objective reality as we know it. ...Therefore, please listen.
Kako: ...U, Understood...
Nanaka: ...We magical girls fight a certain existence day and night. That existence is known as...witches.
Kako: Witches...?
Kyuubey: Magical girls spread hope but witches spread curses. In other words, they're an existence that brings about disasters in this world.
Nanaka: We magical girls exist to defeat those witches. ...And there are countless witches crawling around Kamihama. ...I believe that a witch is responsible for your home burning down as well.
Kako: My home...burning down too!?
Nanaka: Those are the results of the investigation my allies and I conducted.
Kako: No way...
Nanaka: ...That's all.
Kako: ..........Let's...Let's assume your story is true...what am...I supposed to......Oh! Y, You want me...to become one of those magical girls too? If I do that, we might be able to catch the culprit...?
Kyuubey: Not just that. It's possible that you might be able to regain the life you used to have. That is, if you wish for it.
Kako: Is that true!? The store...my home can go back to normal...!
Nanaka: ...If you become a magical girl, that's also possible. However...
Kako: ...However?
Nanaka: ...Are you prepared to lose your life?

Nanaka: ...If you become a magical girl, that's also possible. However...Are you prepared to lose your life?
Kako: My life...do you mean I'm going to die...!?
Kyuubey: Nanaka...
Nanaka: ...No, excuse me. It's possible you might lose your life while fighting with a witch. This is the truth, you will die.
Kako: I, Is that so...
Nanaka: That's why, you have to decide yourself. We can't force you.
Kyuubey: True. I'm in no position to rush you either.
Nanaka: You have to consider and decide yourself.
Kako: I, I...
Nanaka: It's fine if you decide to become one. And if you don't decide to become one, that's another possibility...
Kako: ...Um...if you were in my position, Tokiwa-san...
Nanaka: Nanaka is fine.
Kako: Oh, then...if you were in my position, Nanaka-san, w, what would you do?
Nanaka: ...That's not a very good question.
Kako: I, I'm sorry!
Nanaka: However...if it were me, and that was a method that I could use to reach my goal...I would choose to without hesitation.
Kako: I, Is that so...Um...Thank you very much...
Nanaka: No...Well, we'll be going now.
Kako: Ah! .......
Kyuubey: Natsume Kako. You have the potential. The potential to become a magical girl, that is.
Nanaka: Kyuubey-san.
Kyuubey: ...Okay.
Kako: Then, they left...

Kako: Ever since I met Nanaka-san, I thought about it for a long time. I have the chance to do it all over again... but, I need to be prepared to sacrifice myself for that to happen... What do I want to do...? What should I do...?
Am I supposed to just stay put and not do anything like this? Just like back then...when I couldn't do anything at the scene of the arson...
...Ever since that day, my dad has been feeling blue. Seeing him like that...is really painful. Because it reminds me of the fun conversations we used to have together...

Kako: ...Haaa....

Kako: As I was thinking about those kind of things, my feet unconsciously brought me to the ashes of the fire.

Kako: (...To me, Natsume Bookstore was my beloved home, and store... Don't I find frustrating...that it got burned down...that I lost everything...No...I really am frustrated...I'm very, very...frustrated...! ...But to sacrifice my life...that's something I really... can't...)

Kako: That was when

Familiar: !@*$&!@$!!
Kako: Nn? .....KyaaaAAaaaaaah! W, What? What is this!? Eh!? Eh!? Wh, Where is this...place! Where am I...!?

Kako: WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWhere in the world is this!? S, Someone, help me--!

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Part Three: The Resolve of a 13 Year Old
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Kako: When I returned to the site where my house burned down, before I knew it, I found myself lost somewhere.

Kako: W, Where is this...place! Where am I...!?
Familiar: 1!*(&@$!@&*
Kako: W...What are...What's happening!?
Familiar: !(*&$!$(!
Kako: NOoooooooo!

Nanaka: Are you alright? Kako-san.

Kako: Eh...?

Nanaka: That was an extremely close call...I suppose.
Kako: Na, Nanaka-san! I, I...Why!? Where did...Why did!?
Nanaka: First you should take a deep breath.
Kako: A de, deep...!
Nanaka: Alright, please breathe in.
Kako: Eh...no...!?
Nanaka: Please breathe in.
Kako: ...Suuuuuu~!
Nanaka: Please breathe out.
Kako: Haaa~....
Nanaka: ...Did you manage to calm down?
Kako: Y, Yes, a little...
Nanaka: ...This is a barrier...the nest of a witch.
Kako: The witch's...!
Nanaka: And those are familiars. They obey the witch.
Familiar: 1274812!!
Nanaka: ...First, I'll take care of those and we'll talk later, alright!

Nanaka: ...Familiars...so they've started to gather here, I see.
Familiar: !@&$*!@$!!
Kako: W, What should we do...!
Nanaka: It's simple...defeat them all.
Kako: But there's that many of them!
Nanaka: Their number isn't an issue. ...Whether we do, or whether we don't, is. Life...destiny is something you have to cut through with your own hands. I cannot afford to die here.
Kako: ...With your...own hands...
Nanaka: Kako-san, stay here, alright?
Kako: O, Okay...
Nanaka: Now then...I am Tokiwa Nanaka...here I come!
Familiar: !@($*&!@!

Kako: Nanaka-san tried to fight them off by herself, but she was overwhelmed by the enemy's numbers and gradually found herself in an unfavorable situation... I just watched, unable to do anything...then...

Kyuubey: Natsume Kako
Kako: Y, You!
Kyuubey: This is a situation that Nanaka can't handle by herself. If this keeps up and Nanaka is defeated, you're next. In order to get past this situation...you have no choice but to become a magical girl.
Kako: I have to...become a magical girl...
Kyuubey: If you tell me your wish, I'll grant it no matter what it is. If you become a magical girl and save Nanaka, then you can turn the tables on this situation. Natsume Kako, form a contract with me!
Kako: But...that's...!
Kyuubey: Nanaka will...!
Kako: I...I...!


Kyuubey: If you tell me your wish, I'll grant it no matter what it is. If you become a magical girl and save Nanaka, then you can turn the tables on this situation. Natsume Kako, form a contract with me!
Kako: But...that's...!
Kyuubey: Nanaka will...!
Kako: I...I...!
Nanaka: You don't have to worry about me.
Kako: Eh!? Na, Nanaka-san!
Nanaka: Right now, I'm directly conveying my thoughts to you through Kyuubey-san.
Kako: You can even do something like that...
Nanaka: Understood? Kako-san. What happens to me doesn't matter. You have to decide what you...want to do yourself.
Kako: I...
Nanaka: Right now is not the time to lament but rather, it's the time to think about what you're going to do now. I believe that's what it means to live...
Ha! ...Kuu!
Kako: Nanaka-san!!
Kyuubey: ...It's okay. She can still hold them back.
Kako: ........ I...I want to bring back my family's smiles! I want Natsume Bookstore to go back...to the way it used to be! I'll...form a contract! I'll become a magical girl! So please...grant my wish!
Kyuubey: ...It's alright. Your wish will be granted.
Kako: ...I won't...run away anymore!
No matter what obstacles stand in my way...I'll stand up and face them! In my own way...with everything I've got!
Kyuubey: Now, accept it. That's your soul gem. That's your...fate.

Kako: Nanaka-san!
Nanaka: ...So you've decided on what road you should take.
Kako: Yes. ...I will accept reality. On top of that, I've decided to give it my best shot!

Kako: ...I, I...was able to fight them!
Nanaka: ...Fufu. That's right!
Kako: Oh, we returned to the place we used to be!
Nanaka: ...But we were unable to reach the deepest part of the barrier. (To be more precise, we were sent back before we could...by the witch)
Kako: ...Ah! Ah-------! My house...the store's back to the way it used to be!
Kyuubey: Your wish was granted.
Kako: I...! Um...I!
Nanaka: Yes. Please go home as soon as possible.
Kako: I'm sorry! ...And, thank you very much!
Nanaka: No thanks are necessary. Since it's what you decided after all.
Kako: ...Yes! Then...let's meet again!

Kyuubey: ...Nanaka. Is it possible, that you were just "pretending" to have a hard time fighting earlier?
Nanaka: .........You're suggesting...that I purposely struggled to fight them in order to prompt her to make a decision? ...Fufu. I'm not capable of doing something that crafty. I had my hands full as well. This is...These results are...the fate she decided on...

Kako: (...I'm so relieved...it's really back to the way it used to be...Alright!)
Dad, Mom! I'm home!

Kako: My name is Natsume Kako. I'm 13 years old. I'm the daughter of the owner of Kamihama City's used bookstore, "Natsume Bookstore"!

Kako: ...Hachooo! Uu, a chill suddenly went down my spine...