November 2010

  ***

  It was a mild day, overcast and boring, so the two of us spent the time at Sora’s place and played video games together. I sat leaning against the headrest of Sora’s bed, staring at my handheld where I was currently busy pummeling a monster with an oversized great sword. My partner in crime was Sora herself, resting her head on my lap while she stared at her own console.

  She was of course playing something as nimble as her Magical Girl form, so she was rocking the dual blades.

  We sat in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company with only the intermingling sounds from both our consoles breaking the stillness of the room. We were perfectly in sync, with none of our strikes missing their target. Whenever the monster turned towards Sora I immediately got in its blind spot and got my hits in, only to retreat and bait its attacks with swift evasions when it turned its attention back to me. After around ten minutes, our hunt was finished, we carved our rewards from the dead monster’s body and went back to the hub to see what kind of upgrades we could get for them.

  Sora stretched and let out a little yawn, almost hitting me in the face with her arm in doing so. I retaliated by poking her armpits.

  “Eeek! Hey, what the hell, Yuka?”

  She turned around with a pout and I showed her a grin before I poked her nose.

  “You’re wide open, miss Magical Girl!” I said triumphantly before both of us laughed together.

  ***

  We watched TV next. Sora sat on my lap and didn’t complain as I wrapped my arms around her, watching the screen past her shoulder.

  There was a thought at the back of my head which I carried for some time now, so I gently tapped her arm, making her turn her attention towards me.

  “Say, Sora…”

  “Hm, yes?”

  “There’s this thing that’s been bothering me for some time and I need to talk to you about it.”

  Sora tilted her head and nodded, getting up from my lap and sitting back down next to me after she discerned that it must be something serious.

  “So, you know how there’s this moral question? The Trolley Problem?”

  Sora shook her head.

  “Hm? No. Was that in class? I might have fallen asleep…”

  I sighed and shook my head.

  “No… not in class, actually. It’s just something that I stumbled across.”

  “So, what’s it about?” Sora gently poked my arm as she urged me on.

  “Well… you see a trolley approaching a lot of people, about to run them over, but you’re near the lever that makes it switch tracks. However, on the other track is one person.”

  “Hm.” Sora nodded.

  “The question is, would you pull the lever or not?”

  “I’d derail the trolley.”

  “That’s not what I- “

  “I’d derail the trolley,” Sora kept insisting, looking at me with a stupid grin.

  “There’s still people inside.”

  “I’d lift it up and put it down safely.”

  I sighed and massaged the bridge of my nose. It was admirable in a way, her simplemindedness when it came to saving people.

  “Look, the actual trolley is not the problem here, Sora. It’s a question whether you would sacrifice few people to save many people.”

  “I wouldn’t. I’d save them all.” she kept insisting. Now her naiveté was getting a little on my nerves.

  “Okay, another question: I am in danger. But so are many people on the other side of the city. You only have the time to save them or me. How do you decide?”

  Sora furrowed her brow and suddenly held my face between her hands.

  “Come on now, Yuka. What brought this on?”

  I brushed her hands to the side and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before letting the air out again with a sigh.

  “I am saying… you shouldn’t prioritize me when something like this happens. If I’m ever in danger and so are many more people, I’m ready to sacrifice myself for them. You are ready to sacrifice yourself for the sake of the people every single day, aren’t you? So am I.”

  Sora let my words sink in, but then she flicked her finger against my forehead.

  “Ow! What is your problem, Sora?!” I held my forehead and shot her a glare, but she was still giving me that stupid, utterly heroic grin.

  “I told you already. I’d derail the trolley. No matter what, I’d never prioritize one life over the other. I’d find a way to save them all. If you’re huge distances away from each other, I’d fly so fast that the air burns my skin.

  I’ll find a way, no matter the cost to myself.”

  I rolled my eyes at her words but thought back on the past two years – and I had to admit, this was very much in line with what she always did.

  “Idiot…” I mumbled, but still, I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. At least that stupid grin finally melted away as she turned crimson red and panicked.

  September 2024

  ***

  No matter what was happening in her life, Seika still had to appear at work. Today, that meant sitting in a café and reading a manuscript handed to her by MagiColle’s newest writer, Ayame Takanashi, the first of her friends to have fallen victim to Lethe.

  As expected, this was basically a recollection of a talk the two of them had back in the day – minus the kiss. Seika absolutely didn’t recall anything like that. She felt a little embarrassed by her declaration back then, which she made as a naive little Magical Girl, claiming that she would save everyone and anyone – and yet she couldn’t even save her best friend, or the two girls who looked up to her as a mentor figure, without there even being a moral question involved.

  Ayame sat across from her, poking a waffle on her plate with a fork. She appeared to be in a bad mood, too – but it only started in the past few minutes while Seika was reading the manuscript.

  Seika peeked at her over the edge of the paper in her hand, then she slowly put it down and cleared her throat.

  “So, it’s…”

  “It’s bad, right? That’s what you want to say.” Ayame interrupted her, not taking her eyes off the piece of waffle she kept brutalizing.

  “What? No, I think it’s good, I just…” Seika didn’t get to finish this sentence either.

  “Look. I had my suspicions during our introductory meeting, but it’s pretty clear to me: You have some kind of problem with me. Every time you look at me or you look at my writing, there’s something odd going on with your facial expressions, like you’re seeing a ghost. You excuse yourself to the bathroom, come back with bruised hands, you don’t even want to look me in the eyes most of the time. I don’t know what your issue with me is, but I don’t have to take this. I will ask Watanabe to give me another editor.”

  Her voice was cold, and Seika could tell that she was furious. Seika didn’t dare to look her in the eyes even after that little speech but still tried to deny her claims.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Takanashi, it’s not you, I promise. Personal issues are bleeding into my work life, but I promise, I am looking at your manuscript with the professionalism it deserves! As I wanted to say, it’s very good, I was just wondering if the romantic development isn’t a little fast for a first volume?”

  As she finally raised her eyes and met Ayame’s she was met with more anger.

  “And once you’re called out, you’re trying to retreat into detached professionalism. Seriously, I’m not sure what to make of you, Hitoishi!”

  Seika bit her lower lip. She knew she said she wanted to take on Ayame, to work as editor on her novel, but every time she looked at her, looked at the words of her novel, she saw only the empty shell of what Ayame used to be. All their shared moments were now nothing but hasty notes scribbled down in the morning after her former friend woke up.

  Seika looked to the side, out of the window, trying to gather her thoughts.

  ‘You left me behind, Seika. You left me in my room and never tried to connect with me again.’ The words of the manifestation of guilt still rang in her ears – and as she remembered the succubus’ dream her guilt multiplied manifold.

  ‘How dare you look at me with lust when you wouldn’t even try to stay in my life?’ She could almost hear Ayame say those words in her mind. This was the push she needed to try and make amends now – even as she considered it too late.

  “Takanashi… what I’m about to tell you might sound crazy, but will you listen to me?” Seika started.

  “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” was her response.

  I should have done this years ago. I need to come clean.

  Seika clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath before she told her story.

  “Your dreams… they are memories. Memories of you and me. I used to be your friend, the Magical Girl. I know this sounds unbelievable.”

  There was no answer, so she continued, still averting her eyes as she looked out of the window at the street outside.

  “Your memories were stolen by one of the magical creatures I encountered, and instead of sticking it out together I decided to step out of your life to ‘keep you safe’. That was a mistake. I’m sorry. Every time I see you now, I am reminded of my failure, and that is what you’ve seen. I don’t dislike you, damn it… I still love you like a sister! You were the best and only friend I ever had!”

  There was still no reply from Ayame. In fact, Seika didn’t hear any sounds at all from the café, save from the TV, which reported on some CEO’s trial that was being held today. No forks picking at items on plates, no spoons being used to stir hot liquids in cups, no idle conversations. As she finally turned her head, her blood froze in her veins.

  Lethe held Ayame close to herself, her crimson, knife-like nails at her throat, with her other hand’s index finger pressed against Ayame’s mouth to shush her. The rest of the café was filled with a mix of thorned and smooth vines that threatened, bound, and muffled the rest of the guests in a similar manner. Men and women alike were wrapped in the thick tendrils, their mouths covered by the vines. All eyes were on Seika and the green woman.

  “Hello, Seika. How naughty of you to break your own rules and tell our amnesiac friend here about our history…”

  ***

  Seika jumped to her feet and was about to transform but stopped as she saw a trickle of blood coming from under Lethe’s nails.

  “Tsk, tsk, if you jump me, everyone in this place will die. Do you want that? It would be an utter waste of human life, considering that you have no way of killing me.” Lethe’s face distorted into a mocking smile.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “What do you want?!” Seika yelled at her.

  “I want nothing other than what I always wanted: To have some fun, at your expense.” Lethe licked her lips, took her finger off Ayame’s mouth and produced a white lily. Seika immediately recognized it as the one carrying Ayame’s stolen memories as it played a shared memory of their school life.

  “Today I have something special planned. Here, open wide, Ayame…”

  Moving her hand with sharp nails from Ayame’s neck to her jaw she forced her to open her mouth and pushed the lily inside before she made Ayame chew.

  Ayame’s eyes looked like they regained a shine they were missing for nine years. They went wide and immediately wandered to Seika. Confusion, anger, but also love for her friend all flashed through her expression at record speed, before fear at her current situation set in again.

  “Here’s what I will do, Seika! I will give your friend back to you.”

  Lethe’s hand hovered next to Ayame’s head. Her friend reached towards the woman whose secret she alone knew for seven years.

  “Seika…”

  At that moment, Lethe made a motion like she snapped a string off Ayame, and she began to choke, having obvious trouble breathing.

  “What’s an instinct, but a memory planted in your body by your very existence, hm? Your dear Ayame can’t breathe on her own anymore, just like little darling Miyu. And they will never relearn the skill.”

  Lethe shoved Ayame away, making her fall to the ground before she admired a lily that sprouted in her hand. Ayame writhed, clawing at her throat until Seika ran to her.

  Seika didn’t even hesitate a moment to assist Ayame’s breathing via mouth-to-mouth respiration. She pushed her lips to Ayame’s and passed the entire content of her lungs into her friend’s.

  “Ah, Miyu… fierce! Defiant! Ferocious! You would have been so proud if you saw her. The fight she put up was utterly useless against me, but it was… marvelous! For a moment I forgot she was just a girl playing pretend and faced her as if she was a Magical Girl.”

  Seika didn’t give Lethe much of a reaction while she kept supplying air to her friend. Ayame’s eyes wandered towards Seika, and she could see tears accumulating – though at this point Seika couldn’t tell which kind they were – happiness at their reunion despite the circumstances? Despair at their current situation?

  Lethe continued her little monologue, raising her fist into the air.

  “Miyu amused me so much that I completely forgot about half the things I wanted to do to her once I was done stripping her mind bare…” Lethe sighed.

  “…and the other half wouldn’t have mattered anyway, since she is now a vegetable. It’s no fun to torture an unconscious bag of flesh, after all.”

  She now turned back to Seika who was still busy keeping her friend breathing.

  “So, here’s the rest of what I wanted to say in the first place: I’ll give your friend back to you, but you’ll have to make a choice for it.”

  She pointed towards her fist.

  “In here I hold all the memory strings of every person in this café. One yank and everyone will lose their ability to breathe. You only have one mouth, Seika, so I’m not sure you’ll be able to save everyone, hm?”

  Lethe wiggled her closed fist a little.

  “Keep rebreathing Ayame until everyone else has suffocated and I’ll return her ability to breathe, and you can have your happily ever after with your old friend until I come to end you! Or: kill her with your own two hands to save everyone else.”

  Lethe waited only until Seika looked up at her. Seika’s mind was racing at this moment, trying to find a way out of this situation. She felt Ayame grip her arm – based on their past dialogue she knew what she wanted to say, even if she couldn’t in this moment.

  Lethe yanked her fist downwards, and just like Ayame before, the other people in the store fell to their knees, unable to breathe, while the vines released them.

  “Tick-tock, Seika! Everyone’s dying, fast. Now, make your choice!” Lethe said with a mocking tone.

  “No. I refuse,” was Seika’s answer.

  “What do you intend to do?” Lethe asked, narrowing her eyes at the editor.

  Seika’s lips curled into a little smile and a bead of sweat ran down her forehead as she looked at Lethe with uncanny determination that made the creature take a step back.

  “I’ll derail the trolley.”

  Minerva, as the Romans worshiped her, was the goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and a patron of the arts, who oversaw trade and advised priests in strategy.

  Seika observed a few of these qualities in her Magical Girl form. Wisdom had a very obvious parallel in her wielding elemental magic. She was somewhat competent in physical combat as well, which ran parallel to victory and strategy. Law and justice were something she only recently squabbled with Minerva about, as she found her approach to human traffickers too soft-hearted. Maybe Seika’s love for books and manga in her childhood made her a good candidate to carry a patron of the arts in her heart, though she didn’t know quite how that related to anything she could do as a Magical Girl – neither how trade factored into anything.

  However, a more interesting tidbit Seika discovered was that Minerva was equivalent to the Etruscan Menfra in a religion older than the Roman pantheon, observed by a civilization predating the Empire.

  Menfra was also a goddess of medicine – which manifested as healing powers, and healing is essentially time magic: the wounded tissue’s time is reversed until it reaches the state before it was damaged – at least to an extent, as scar tissue still formed on deep enough injuries.

  In her earlier days, Minerva Crimson used stasis to block bleeding in small areas before her healing powers fully manifested.

  If she pushed herself, she might use the selfsame magic to stop time in its entirety for multiple targets…

  ***

  “I’ll derail the trolley.”

  Seika took in Lethe’s expression of confusion as she clenched her fist around her earring and transformed – a bright light filled the café and everyone present, despite their breathless condition, gained knowledge of a Magical Girl’s secret identity.

  No matter what I sacrifice, I’ll save everyone!

  Minerva summoned her cane and spread her arms wide. Her emerald eyes glowed much brighter and she let out a shout as she channeled more magic than she ever had into a single spell. One by one she pointed her cane at the present people and released healing – no, time magic. Ayame looked at her with wide eyes – she was last, as Seika gave her a lungful of air before she transformed.

  Her eyes almost seemed to be chastising Minerva for her idealistic approach to the situation – and they were then frozen in that state. Every person in the room was put in stasis, for as long as the Magical Girl channeled her spell.

  “I win!” Minerva said with a strained smile – beads of sweat rolled down her forehead and her breathing became ragged. Her brain felt like it was burning, then melting and a single drop of blood ran out of her nose.

  Lethe furrowed her brow and stepped closer to the Magical Girl. Then, Lethe let out a loud cackle.

  “Ahahaha! This is amusing! You’re condemning them to a life on a machine that does the breathing for them! Because of your lofty ideals of not letting anyone die!”

  She suddenly punched Minerva in the stomach, making her keel over – Minerva still held her arms spread out wide, keeping the spell active as she reeled from the attack. Lethe followed up, kicking her in the side while Minerva did nothing to protect herself and simply kept the spell going.

  Pain shot into her as she felt a rib breaking, but she never let up – she wouldn’t sacrifice anyone for a little bit of personal comfort.

  “What’s… the matter, Lethe…?” she coughed between kicks. “…are you a sore loser?”

  Lethe’s kicks stopped.

  “Hm? No. I’m just making sure that you don’t have the power or concentration to stop what’s coming next without undoing your spell, dearest Seika.”

  She kneeled down next to Minerva, pulling her hair and looking at her with a cruel smile.

  “You can have your hollow little victory, Seika. But this game was supposed to be played by giving up something dear to you. And what I’ll have you give up, is...”

  Lethe let go of Minerva’s hair and grabbed an invisible string, snapping it theatrically. Minerva could feel that she just lost something important – but the devious thing about Lethe’s ability to steal memories was that the victim had no way to tell what kind of memory they just lost, without Lethe telling them. Which at this moment, she obviously intended to do.

  “Now you won’t be able to transform the next time we meet. You trained for a whole day to do it while having the guidance of both your crystal and your benefactor, hm? Like riding a bicycle. And this time you don’t have anyone assisting you to achieve it, as both of you forgot, so I wonder how much longer it will take you to get that ability back… not in time for when I decide to come and end your miserable little existence, that much is certain.”

  Lethe grinned as she got up and walked towards the door – stopping only to look at the television, which kept going on about the trial unbothered by everything happening in the café.

  “Hm… this might be a problem.” She mused as she looked at the message that the CEO went missing after his acquittal. She walked out of the café at a brisk pace and vanished in a twister of leaves.

  Her vines withered and died without the presence of their mistress, leaving behind no trace of her coming and going, save for a dozen people frozen in time.

  ***

  Minerva grimaced – she managed to get herself on her legs despite her occupied arms and her broken rib. The single drop of blood out of her nose long turned into a small flood, dripping down onto the floor. She knew her time channeling this spell was limited. And once she exhausted her Magical Girl form, she wouldn’t be able to turn back.

  “Is someone out there?” she shouted as she approached the café’s door.

  “We need an ambulance! We need respiration for twelve people! Hello? Help!”

  She was in luck – someone heard her and called the emergency number. Enough ambulances arrived to give everyone medical attention with CPR masks, and Minerva stayed just long enough to give the emergency responders enough information about the unique ailments these people were suffering from, then she withdrew.

  She felt dizzy. Her head was hot, and she had trouble concentrating. She must have looked terrible – in fact, one of the first responders insisted that they should have a look at her, too, while she rejected their proposal. As she walked past a window, she could see that one of her eyes was bloodshot and her nose gushed so much blood that her lips weren’t able to keep it out of her teeth.

  I look like I’m about to die.

  “Because we are dying, Seika. I’m sorry, but we’ll have to undo the transformation soon. We were never built to handle that much magical throughput.”

  She nodded and stumbled into the next alleyway where she collapsed. Her Magical Girl form died – for the last time as far as she could tell.

  She turned back into plain old Seika, rolling on her back and staring into the sky. She remained there for a while, comforting herself with the knowledge that she had done the right thing.

  ***

  Several hours later Seika knocked on the door of Ayame’s hospital room and entered. She brought a small laptop from the office. With the tubes shoved down Ayame’s throat the woman would not be able to speak for quite a while yet, so she had a spontaneous idea how to circumvent that.

  “Pardon the intrusion.”

  Ayame weakly lifted a hand in greeting, but otherwise she was more or less immobilized while the tubes kept her breathing and sedatives kept her from actively trying to yank them out. Seika set up the laptop by the bedside and started it up with a word editing software for Ayame’s use.

  “I thought you might want an interface through which you can call me all sorts of names. I deserve it, I know.”

  She saw Ayame type a single word, though she took a while – the sedatives slowed and weakened her significantly.

  ‘Idiot’

  “Yep, that’s me.” Seika responded with a little chuckle. “You’re alive, so is everyone else. And I know that right now you’re in not the best condition, but… if she can feed you one of her flowers to give you your memories back, then…”

  Seika pondered a while, thinking back on Lethe’s expansive garden.

  “It will probably take months of sifting through everything, and years more of finding everyone, but once she’s dead we can get all the flowers she’s grown from people’s memories and feed them one by one to the people she harmed. I’ll do it even if it takes me the rest of my life.”

  Ayame looked at her for a long time before she typed again.

  ‘How will you kill her?’

  “I have a tool for that. You won’t believe me, but Madame Bille gave it to me.”

  Ayame furrowed her brow in disbelief.

  ‘The crazy marionette lady?’

  Seika laughed and made a dismissive gesture.

  “She’s actually a sweetheart once you get to know her. Though being alive for a thousand years made her a little weird. She loves to pretend to be a butler or a teenage weaver.”

  Seika grinned as Ayame raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Also, once this is over, I’ll take you to meet the Celestial Sisters in person, if you’d like.”

  ‘Are you serious? You know that pair of mega celebrities?’

  Seika nodded.

  “Sure do. Turns out I was their Magical Girl mentor. But Lethe snagged those memories.” Seika smiled, then she furrowed her brow.

  “Now that you have your memories back, what’s up with the yuri romance in your novel? That… never happened.”

  Ayame hesitated, but then she answered.

  ‘It did. In my head, for a while. I had a little crush on you. Or rather, I’m into you. I don’t really feel romantic for anyone. I embellished it a little.’

  Seika let out a little sigh. She stared into her lap where she had folded her hands and rubbed her thumbs awkwardly together before she answered. Her thoughts went back to Ayame’s image that the Furies conjured, and how she said things which Seika knew but wasn’t even consciously aware of.

  “Somehow, I knew. And I still never said anything. I just played along with your joking deflections, unsure what to do with them. And now…”

  Seika looked to the side, staring at a spot on the wall. She looked back to Ayame as she heard the soft clacking of the keyboard again.

  ‘I know, I know. You have Miori. And I want you to be with her, too.’

  Seika looked to the ground.

  “Sorry for being so indecisive. And again… sorry for leaving you behind like that. I don’t expect you to forgive me just like that.”

  Ayame looked at her for a moment, then she typed again.

  ‘Pull off your glasses and come over here.’

  Seika blinked and tilted her head before she followed Ayame’s instructions. She got close, then a light pain radiated from her cheek – Ayame slapped her, limp-wristed as she was thanks to her sedatives.

  “Ow. What was that?”

  ‘There. I punished you for leaving me behind. Now you can stop blaming yourself for it. I’ve forgiven you.’

  Ayame winked as Seika shot her an incredulous look.

  “Still cheeky, even all tubed up. I really did miss you, Ayame.”

  ‘Besides… we were making out for quite a while today, so I’m satisfied! I won’t say no to seconds, though.’

  Seika tilted her head quizzically before she recalled the mouth-to-mouth she performed on Ayame and turned a deep shade of red.

  “Oh, you…! Be glad that you’re in that apparatus or I’d smack you with a pillow! Let’s blame this on your sedatives.”

  Ayame wiggled her eyebrows, resulting in Seika letting out a stifled laugh while her friend typed away.

  ‘What’s your plan now?’

  Seika pondered her options. She didn’t have a Magical Girl form anymore and she needed Miori to use her potion against Lethe. She also needed to buy enough time to explain the plan to Miori without Lethe just appearing like she did today.

  At a casual glance, she was simply out of luck, but she remembered some of her options, sitting in a magical chest at home.

  “I think I know what I’m going to do. But I’m not happy about what I have to do to draw Lethe out.”

  ***

  Just as Seika left the hospital, her phone rang. She recognized Watanabe’s number and picked up the call. It wasn’t him on the phone, but a woman’s voice, with a child crying in the background.

  “Hello? Is this Hitoishi?”

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “I’m sorry to spring this on you, but can you be Fumio’s substitute for a few days to lead the company? You’re his most trusted editor and currently he is…” the voice trailed off and a terrible feeling set in Seika’s stomach.

  “…what happened to him?”

  “I don’t know. He suddenly had trouble breathing and collapsed. I rebreathed him and the ambulance took him away, but... they couldn’t tell me what was wrong, either.”

  Seika closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

  “I understand. I will take over for him in the meantime.”

  “Thank you.” With that necessary call out of the way, his wife didn’t waste time hanging up. Seika could tell that she just wanted to cry and didn’t feel the need to stop her.

  Lethe was truly attacking everyone she cared about, one after the other to break Seika’s spirit before she would destroy Seika herself. And whatever problem Lethe mentioned as she left the café earlier must have angered the cursed woman enough that she would stoop to attacking someone outside of Seika’s line of sight, even.

  However, Seika was more determined now than ever to stop Lethe – at all costs.