Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 18 - Chapter 4

Between Friend and Foe

Monday, September 13th

After receiving Yurika’s message, Koutarou and the others realized that the situation had escalated to a genuine emergency. In order to cover a wider search area, anyone who was willing and capable of doing so moved out on their own. Their three new independent search parties were Maki, who was used to going alone in the first place; the overwhelmingly strong Shizuka; and Theia, who had the power and support of Blue Knight. Everyone else stayed in groups. Considering they were now potentially dealing with a serial kidnapper, there was no harm in staying cautions.

“I don’t want to believe it, but...”

When she heard about the string of kidnappings, Maki suspected that Darkness Rainbow was behind it. And the reason was simple—despite ten children being missing, there wasn’t a single clue or witness. The culprit hadn’t demanded ransom, either. That’s why the police were still debating about whether or not to actually handle the cases as kidnappings. But Maki knew better. Magic would have made it easy to snatch the children without a trace. It could have even been used to lure the kids to deserted areas and keep them from yelling for help.

“And if they’re kidnapping children, they must need energy for a ritual...”

The other reason Maki suspected Darkness Rainbow’s involvement was because the victims were all young children. Kids at that age were still innocent, making it easy to extract pure energy from them. Children who had an aptitude for magic produced especially high-quality energy, but they were few and far between. That would explain why Darkness Rainbow had had to take children from all over the city. The seemingly random kidnappings inadvertently ended up giving away their one commonality.

“If Darkness Rainbow really is involved, then...”

As a former member of Darkness Rainbow, Maki knew in her heart of hearts that Darkness Rainbow was responsible. She too had once tried to plunge Kisshouharukaze City into darkness, but now it was time to confront her past and make up for what she’d done.

“I have to protect it... this world of light...”

After getting information on the locations of the disappearances from the Sun Rangers, Maki headed for the closest one. In order to find out for sure if Darkness Rainbow was really involved or not, she was going to go examine the site for herself.

“This is the place.”

Maki had made her way to the river. It was well past sundown now, so the place was desolate. She stood alone on the bank in her knight’s uniform. It was a combination of the Blue Knight’s signature blue and touches of her own shade of indigo, though it was hard to tell the difference between the two at night.

“Now then... If I were going to kidnap children, how would I do it?”

Maki jumped down from the embankment to the riverside and looked around the area. According to the Sun Ranger’s intelligence, a little boy had gone missing here. He was out playing soccer with his friends and never returned home.

“The city is rather crowded, so it would make sense to do it here.”

Having once been a member of Darkness Rainbow herself, Maki knew firsthand how they thought and acted. It wasn’t something that pleased her, but it was experience that could be invaluable in finding the children. Now wasn’t the time to shy away from her dark past.

“But in an area this open, there would be eyewitnesses. In that case...”

Maki had cast a spell to enhance her vision in the darkness. She could see clear from one side of the river to the other despite the hour. It helped her get a sense of the area, and she quickly narrowed down the potential abduction sites.

“So probably around here... or over there.”

There were two places that really stuck out to her. The first was under the bridge over the river, and the second was a grassy open area.

The reason Maki suspected under the bridge was simple. The children loved to play over there, so it would have been easy to lure the boy there and no one would have thought anything of it. His parents had said he had a soccer ball with him, so it would have been easy to imagine he was going there to kick it against the concrete wall. And once he was there, he would be out of sight and easy to snatch.

As for the second spot, Maki suspected the grassy open area because of her experience in Darkness Rainbow. After kidnapping the boy, the best way to divert suspicion would be to create an illusion of him and have him walk around the riverside for a while. That would mislead the police about the precise time and location of the kidnapping. They’d have no idea he was long gone before they ever suspected anything, and they wouldn’t arrive on the scene until the whole thing exploded into a huge investigation. Moreover, it would have been simple for one of the evil magical girls to hide even out in the open with an invisibility or camouflage spell.

“Analyze Magic.”

Maki cast a spell to analyze mana in both areas. Nothing turned up under the bridge, but she discovered a red flag in the grassy area.

“It’s subtle, but the mana around here is thin... After using a spell to kidnap the boy, they must have used a different spell to cover up their tracks before leaving.”

If someone had cast a spell here, there should be residual mana lingering based on the strength of the spell. Because of that, it was standard practice to cast a follow-up spell to conceal such traces when discretion was necessary.

It was a clever trick, but it had one notable flaw. When a spell was cast to conceal mana in the area, it also concealed the natural mana there. And the red flag Maki had picked up on was that the natural mana in the grassy area was diminished. It was sort of like finding the magical equivalent of wet paint. It would eventually dry and return to normal, but that took time.

That said, the natural mana here was nearly at normal levels. Maki had only been able to detect the subtle difference because she knew exactly what she was looking for and had narrowed down her search area considerably. Someone like Harumi, who was a magician but lacked any real training, probably would have missed it altogether.

“A large-scale spell was cast at the scene of a kidnapping and its traces were covered up...” Maki said to herself, her expression turning grim. “This is most definitely Darkness Rainbow’s doing.”

It was possible that someone affiliated with Rainbow Heart had passed by for an unrelated reason and used magic before covering it up, but the odds of a coincidence like that seemed unrealistically low to Maki. It seemed far more probable that someone had used magic to take the child, and Darkness Rainbow were the likely suspects.

Maki could only think of one reason Darkness Rainbow would kidnap ten children. They must need energy for a large-scale ritual. And if they were back in Kisshouharukaze City, it was likely to attack Koutarou and the others. Then they would claim the power in room 106 for themselves and challenge Rainbow Heart to a decisive battle.

“So it’s finally begun... But I’ll put an end to it!”

Maki’s eyes were gleaming with resolve. She now knew what love was. There were all kinds, each and every one of which was worth protecting. That was why she was determined to return the kidnapped children to their parents. Maki had broken out of her own darkness and was now aglow with purpose and love.

After messaging Yurika to let her know she believed Darkness Rainbow was behind the kidnappings, Maki continued searching for clues.

The magicians of Darkness Rainbows all carried powerful magical tools with them. They of course had their staffs and outfits enchanted with protective magic, but also a wide variety of magical drugs and charms. When they were trying to be stealthy, they also needed to conceal the mana traces of the tools they used. And if they were using something on the move, it would mean that they had to keep up the concealment as they went, which would essentially leave a wake of suppressed natural mana.

Following that trail, Maki left the river and headed for the suburbs of Kisshouharukaze City. She was walking through a district that had been developed as a resort area in the 80s and 90s, but was abandoned when the economic bubble burst and the companies that had invested in it went under one after another. And no one had touched it since. It was like a modern ghost town, haunted by the remnants of someone’s grand dream.

“If the caster had been a little better at green magic, I wouldn’t have been able to follow their trail like this...”

A magician had to use a strong enough concealment spell to mask their mana or else traces of it would remain. But if they used a concealment spell that was too strong, it would conceal even the natural mana in the area. The only way to conceal oneself perfectly was to use just the right amount of concealment. But hitting that sweet spot wasn’t easy. The only person in Darkness Rainbow who could do it was their green magic specialist, Dark Green. But fortunately for Maki, whoever she was following wasn’t as good at green magic as she was, making it easy to follow their trail.

“It couldn’t have been Dark Green. And it probably wasn’t Purple or Blue either. Their trails would have been too faint for me to follow this far. That leaves Yellow, Orange, and Crimson, and the worst among them with this kind of magic is...”

By process of elimination, Maki managed to figure out who the kidnapper was.

“So she’s here...”

Maki paused for a moment and smiled sadly. The culprit she’d identified was the only person in Darkness Rainbow that she considered a friend. While she was selfish, she was nothing if not honest.

“That’s right, Maki. Long time no see.”

“Crimson...”

Dark Crimson wore a deep red outfit and gave off a rather fiery impression, though she was currently wearing the same sad smile as Maki. This was a reunion, but the air between them as they faced each other in the empty alleyway was as melancholic as the ghost town around them.

After receiving Maki’s message about Darkness Rainbow, Yurika forwarded the information to Koutarou and the others before deciding to join in on the search.

“Kanae-san, please take care of Nana-san.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice, Yurika-chan. I’m your senior when it comes to taking care of Nana-chan.”

“That’s right. Then I’ll leave it to you, Senpai.”

“That sounds much better.”

“Hahaha.”

Yurika left Nana in Kanae’s care. She didn’t like the idea of leaving her at all after dragging her out of Folsaria, but Yurika had a job to do now and Kanae was a longtime friend of Nana’s, so having her around made Yurika feel much better about it.

“I’m going now, Nana-san.”

“Yurika-chan...”

Nana fought back the urge to stop Yurika, who was heading out with a smile. Just like Koutarou, Nana didn’t want Yurika to fight. That said, not many people had her talent for magic. There were things that only Rainbow Yurika could do, so Nana knew that she had to let her go. It made her feel helpless—the same kind of helplessness that had weighed on her a year and a half ago.

“Please don’t look so sad, Nana-san.”

Yurika realized the complex emotions that must be swirling within Nana, which was new for her. Talented or not, in the past, she’d been too caught up in worrying about herself to be able to see into anyone else’s heart. She was more like a magical mess than a proper magical girl.

“But...”

“I’m not who I was a year ago. I have lots of things I want to protect now.”

Yurika had greatly matured since she and Nana were last together over a year ago. She had gained courage, come to love, and found her reason for fighting. Yurika wanted to protect Koutarou, Nana, the girls of room 106, everyone living in the city... and their normal daily lives. In short, she’d grown into a true magical girl.

“Of course. I’m sorry. Then let me give you some advice as your mentor.”

“I’d like that.”

“Yurika-chan, there isn’t much a single person can do. Rely on your allies when you have to.”

“You can count on me. I’m good at relying on people.”

Yurika gave a joking reply, but Nana could see right through her. She smiled wryly and chose to press her point.

“I’m talking about when things get truly serious, Yurika-chan. You never rely on others when it really matters.”

“...Okay, I’ll be careful.”

Nana had thoroughly called her out, and Yurika had no choice but to acknowledge it. She obediently nodded her head and promised Nana she’d take her advice to heart.

“And one more thing... Eleven years ago when Maya kidnapped Sanae-chan and Kiriha-san, she used a pretty large magical circle for her ritual.”

“How big, exactly?”

“It took up most of one floor of an underground parking deck.”

“That’s pretty big.”

“Yes, and Maya only needed one child to power it. So if Darkness Rainbow needs ten children for whatever they’re planning, the magic circle is likely proportionately larger. They should be in the basement of a very large building.”

“Good to know! Thank you, Nana-san!”

Though Nana was physically handicapped, her mind was as sharp as ever. Yurika smiled, thinking she should have expected as much from Nana.

“I’ll be off now!”

“See you later.”

“Be careful!”

“Okaaay!”

After saying goodbye to Nana and Kanae, Yurika rushed off to get to work. Once she was gone, Nana and Kanae were left alone in the cabin and stared at the door their young friend had just exited through for a while.

“Say, Nana-chan...”

“Yes?”

“Yurika-chan is a good apprentice, isn’t she?”

“Yes. She’s my prided star pupil.”

“My, that’s a bold statement. But I know how you feel. My daughter is my pride and joy.”

“Then let’s believe in them and their friends.”

“You’re right. Between them, I’m sure everything will work out.”

Eventually the two women smiled at each other. They were worried that Yurika and the others might get hurt, but at the same time, they didn’t think there was any way they could lose. When a magical girl with the title of Rainbow went to battle for something she believed in, she always returned victorious. That’s what Nana and Kanae had told themselves over and over when they fought together in the past. And they proved it true by coming out on top every time. That’s why they could smile now; they had faith that Yurika would do the same.

After disembarking from Blue Knight in orbit, Yurika returned to Earth’s surface and met up with Koutarou, who just so happened to be the closest to where she was. They then began looking for the missing children together.

“Yurika, you could have just stayed with Nana-san, you know?”

But as expected, Koutarou still thought Yurika should be by her mentor’s side. It had been ages since they’d gotten to see each other, and on top of that, Koutarou still didn’t like the idea of Yurika fighting. It seemed like a win-win situation for her to stay behind this time.

“This is my duty. If Darkness Rainbow is committing evil deeds, I have to stand up to them.”

If Darkness Rainbow was abusing magic, it was Yurika’s job as a member of Rainbow Heart to stop them. There was still a small chance there was someone else pulling the strings, but Yurika couldn’t sit back and count on that while they were potentially running amok.

More than anything, Yurika knew that in order for her to lead a happy life, everyone around her needed to be happy too. If they weren’t, she’d never be able to do things like eat her instant noodles in peace. So to Yurika, regardless of everything else, this was something she had to do.

“I just can’t accept it. I don’t like seeing you look like a magical girl because I know what it means. It’s unfortunate.”

The reason Yurika had become a magical girl was because she’d been born with a talent for magic, but Koutarou would have much preferred it if she’d simply been allowed to live out her life as a normal girl.

“If you feel that way... then it’s not unfortunate at all, Satomi-san.”

Yurika didn’t see it the way he did. Koutarou felt like Yurika was being denied something as a magical girl, but Yurika felt like it was being a magical girl that had brought her to the wonderful life she had now. There had been a point in time that she was all alone and had no one who understood her, but her duties had led her to Koutarou, the kind of wonderful friend who wanted the best for her. That was why, no matter how fierce the battle she faced, Yurika would never think of being a magical girl as unfortunate.

“You dunce.”

“You mean... you really think I’m unfortunate?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I think you should comfort me, Satomi-san.”

“Come on now...”

“Actions speak louder than words. If I’m really that unfortunate, I might need a kiss or something.”

Yurika leaned in, got up on her tiptoes, and puckered her lips in a blatant display.

“Stop being stupid. Let’s go put an end to the cause of this misfortune.”

Koutarou shut her down, put a decisive end to the discussion, and walked forward full steam ahead, leaving Yurika in the dust. Watching him go, she sighed a little.

“You’re going to lose out on a lot in life, Satomi-san...”

Yurika would let Koutarou get away with just about anything. She wouldn’t have even minded if he’d actually kissed her. But because she was that way, Koutarou wanted to treasure her all the more. Perhaps Yurika was right. If Koutarou were just a bit more selfish, he could have a lot more fun in life.

“Life isn’t about loss and profit. And if you keep thinking of things that way, you’re going to overlook what’s really important.”

“What’s really important? Like the fact that I love you?”

“...”

Smack!

“What are you doing?! You don’t have to be so embarrassed!”

“I’m not talking about small stuff like that.”

Yurika didn’t immediately realize the meaning of his words, and watched Koutarou in puzzlement as he continued on ahead of her

“Ah...”

But it all clicked after a few seconds, and she went chasing after him with a smile on her face. He was really just embarrassed.

“This is the kind of thing I love about you.”

Yurika caught up to Koutarou and continued to smile as she walked along beside him. Koutarou caught a glimpse of her grinning before turning his face away.

“...Shut up and look for the kids already. This is an emergency.”

“Okaaay!”

Seeing Koutarou like this, Yurika looked down and laughed for a moment before turning her attention to the surrounding area in search of the children.

Koutarou and Yurika continued their search as they followed after Maki. If Darkness Rainbow was indeed involved, she would eventually come into contact with them. When that happened, the more allies she had with her, the better. Little did they know that Maki had already crossed paths with Dark Crimson.

“You look better than I thought you would, Maki.”

“They’re treating me well, after all.”

The two magical girls now stood facing each other in a vacant lot some distance off the main road. Even though they just looked like two teenage girls talking, they didn’t want to attract any attention considering what might be about to go down.

“But me aside... has nobody said anything about your outfit since I’ve been gone? It’s a wrinkled mess.”

“No one’s as nagging as you, no. Orange says I’ve got a wild and cool look, and my subordinates are too scared to say anything.”

“Jeez, what’s become of Darkness Rainbow?”

“We’re just not that kind of group.”

“Too true.”

Their discussion was friendly and lighthearted. They sounded like two old classmates catching up—a rarity between members of Darkness Rainbow.

“So, what are you doing now, Crimson?”

“I’ve come to save you, Maki.”

Maki was hoping she’d reveal something about the kidnappings, but Crimson’s answer was far from what she’d expected her to say.

“Me?”

Maki went wide-eyed in surprise. To Darkness Rainbow, captured allies were considered a liability because of the information they could leak. The idea of saving one of them had never been discussed before. They were always left to die or eliminated outright. Maki found it hard to believe that Darkness Rainbow had changed since she left, so she was stunned to hear Crimson say she’d come to save her.

“That’s right. Our battle with Rainbow Heart is at hand, so I came to take you back. There’s not enough time to find and train a new Dark Navy.”

“I see...”

In their decisive battle against Rainbow Heart, Darkness Rainbow would need all hands on deck. Rather than fighting without one of the seven leaders, rescuing Maki made more sense. They weren’t saving her because they wanted her back, but because they needed her as a pawn. That was just like Darkness Rainbow. That was how they thought, and Maki knew it all too well.

“I can’t go with you,” Maki said as she shook her head.

Maki wore a mechanical collar around her neck to fool Darkness Rainbow into thinking she was being held against her will.

“I wonder if that collar can really kill you...”

“The truth is... I don’t really know what it is. It’s not like I made it. That said, I’m not interested in testing my luck.”

Maki shrugged. She’d expected a certain amount of skepticism, so she wasn’t shaken in the slightest to hear Crimson asking questions. She simply replied as naturally and as honestly as she could. Even if she wasn’t on Darkness Rainbow’s side anymore, she still despised lies.

“Sure, but... You’re really staying on that side because you want to, right?”

However, Crimson’s next question shook Maki to the core. She felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest. She couldn’t believe that Crimson, who never thought too deeply about anything, had been able to see through her. Maki suppressed her unrest and chose her next words carefully.

“Why do you think that?”

“You look like you’ve gotten stronger.”

Crimson smiled, her long hair flipping about in the night breeze like a flickering fire. It only made her look more intimidating

“Before running into you tonight, I thought you were being forced to stay against your will because of that collar. But I don’t see how you could have gotten stronger if that were the case. Wouldn’t that be odd?”

If nothing else, Crimson had a natural sense for strong opponents. She’d caught on to the fact that Maki was acting of her own free will because she could sense the changes in her.

If Maki was being threatened with the collar around her neck and forced to work, she should be getting weaker. If she was acting out of fear solely because she didn’t want to die, there should be no spark in her eyes.

Yet Crimson could plainly see that Maki had purpose and resolve like never before. In magic battles, willpower played a significant role in the outcome. So if Maki had newfound drive, then she had power to match.

“That’s why when I saw you, I thought, ‘Ah, look, she’s doing all right for herself.’”

“Crimson...”

Crimson’s intuition wasn’t wrong, and Maki realized that trying to hide the truth from her would be pointless. That said, she still wasn’t sure what Crimson’s intentions were, so she decided to play the rest of the conversation by ear.

“If that’s what you think... then what are you planning to do, Crimson? Purge me here and now? Report back and tell the others that I’m a traitor?”

Being a loose end and a liability was more than reason enough for Darkness Rainbow to dispose of someone, and being a traitor was a step above even that. Chances were Maki would be killed on the spot, or all the remaining members of Darkness Rainbow would come for her when Crimson reported back to them.

“Why would I do something so wasteful? I want to fight strong opponents, Maki. I’ll always welcome you getting stronger.”

Crimson prioritized her own desires over that of the organization. And to her, there was nothing more important than the quest for strength.

“I hardly would’ve gotten anything out of fighting you before... but you’re different now. You’ve become someone worth fighting!”

Crimson smiled happily. Maki had been strong as part of Darkness Rainbow, but not strong enough for Crimson to consider a target. She specialized in offensive red magic, which gave her an advantage over Maki in combat. That’s why Crimson had always been waiting for Maki to get stronger, almost like a crop before harvest.

And at long last, it seemed she’d finally done it. Crimson didn’t know how, but Maki had found power after leaving Darkness Rainbow. She’d become someone worthy of fighting in Crimson’s eyes. But if Crimson reported Maki’s betrayal to her allies, she would lose her chance to fight her. That’s why she chose to refrain, and instead intended on dragging her back after besting her.

“There’s no way I’m going to waste this opportunity! Fight me, Maki.”

“You really are the poster child for Darkness Rainbow, Crimson...”

Darkness Rainbow’s creed was to use magic to fulfill all their personal goals, so in essence, Crimson putting her own desires before that of the organization embodied their ideals perfectly. She was no different from Maya in that sense. That’s how Maki knew she wouldn’t be able to convince her.

“Say, Crimson...”

“What?”

“I think I wanted to be your friend.”

Before meeting Koutarou, Maki had lived a sad life of solitude and betrayal. That’s why she’d always liked Crimson—she was honest and true to her feelings, no matter what. To Maki, she’d been a small candle of comfort in an otherwise dark world.

“You don’t say... But I wanted to fight you.”

But Crimson didn’t understand that. In fact, it was because she was so earnest that she was only singlemindedly focused on her desire to fight Maki. But Maki had always seemed to have a psychological wall up, preventing her from exhibiting her true strength. That’s why Crimson had taken an interest in her.

“So we were after different things from the beginning... What a shame.”

Steeling herself, Maki readied her staff. Though they were each engaged by the other, they were fundamentally seeking different things. And because Maki liked Crimson for her honesty and straightforwardness, she couldn’t ask her to change her ways for her sake. Even now, Crimson still wanted to fight her. And that earnestness was exactly why Maki couldn’t help but like her.

“Maki, I feel like we’ve finally gotten the chance to open up to each other.”

“How ironic. It took all this for us to truly become friends.”

The two girls exchanged sad smiles, just like the ones they wore when they first ran into each other. Perhaps they’d expected all along that this was how things would go down.

“Even if we’re friends, I won’t hold back, Maki.”

“Don’t worry, Karen. I know.”

Karen was Crimson’s real name. When Maki had shared her real name with Crimson, she’d done the same in return.

“I told you not to call me that.”

But Crimson didn’t like her name. All she wanted was strength, so having such a cute, feminine name annoyed her. It didn’t suit the image she wanted at all, so she’d always asked Maki to call her Crimson instead.

“I remember. I just wanted to say it once.”

“Then you’ll fight for real once too?”

“Yes. You’re my friend, after all.”

“Heh, I’m looking forward to it.”

The two girls exchanged smiles once more before raising their staffs overhead and incanting a spell to create a barrier. Despite the serious fight about to erupt between them, there wasn’t a trace of hostility on either of their faces.

All that mattered to Crimson was getting stronger. She’d never missed a single day of combat training. Her reflexes were perfectly honed, and so she started and finished her incantation first. Moreover, since she focused her training on her offensive energy-based spells, they packed quite a punch.

Maki, on the other hand, wasn’t so combat oriented. She specialized in mind manipulation spells, so her real strengths were at play before a battle even began. It wasn’t like she had no skill for combat, but she had to admit that Crimson had the advantage in a head-to-head fight.

“Nightwalker! Recall Precast Spells! Category: Alpha!”

Because of that, Maki knew the beginning of the fight was a critical opportunity. She activated more than ten spells she had precast into her staff that enhanced her physical and mental prowess. Crimson would of course do the same thing, but this kind of magic was in Maki’s wheelhouse. With it, she might be able to get a leg up on her already powerful opponent.

There was just one problem. Crimson was faster and got off her spell first.

“Wait, what’s the meaning of this?!”

However, in defiance of Maki’s expectations, Crimson hadn’t cast a spell to enhance her body. It was strange. The Crimson that Maki knew would always do that before aggressively attacking in close combat.

“When I came here, I fought against some strange people... That got me thinking, and I realized something.”

Crimson stood practically stock-still as she squared off against Maki, who was glowing from all of the spells she’d activated. Most of them had been concentrated on herself, but she’d also used one to transform her staff into a magical greatsword. And by the look of things, the boosted Maki would close in on Crimson and cleave her in half before she could ever do anything. But Crimson wasn’t panicking in the slightest. She was just standing there with a confident smirk on her face. Seeing it, Maki felt a cold chill run down her spine.

“Realized what?!”

“Just like how there’s a proper way for a swordsman to use a sword, there’s a proper way for a magician to use magic. Ray of Sunshine! Modifier: Single Wavelength! Targeting Option: Gaze Tracking!”

Just as Maki was closing in on her, Crimson incanted her next spell.

Preposterous! What can she do with a sunray?!

Crimson’s spell would create a powerful light, but it wouldn’t be enough to stop Maki. If she stared straight into it, it might burn her eyes, but she was confident she could still cut Crimson down even blinded. Moreover, it was nearly impossible to aim for the eyes of someone moving as fast as she was. At worst, she was probably only looking at being blinded in one eye.

No, the battle-hardened Crimson would never make such a foolish play! There’s got to be more to it!

The next moment, Maki forcibly changed directions and tried to move away from Crimson. She didn’t know what Crimson was up to, but she knew just how serious she was about fighting. There had to be a good reason she’d chosen a spell like that. In short, you could say that Maki believed in Crimson’s strength.

“Kyaaah!”

And Maki’s intuition was right. The second Crimson finished her incantation, two of the three defensive spells Maki had cast on herself were blown away. The third just barely managed to hold up, and was now unstable after taking heavy damage. Fortunately, Maki herself was unscathed—just confused about what had happened. Her compromised defenses and the apparent power of Crimson’s spell were both alarming.

What did she do?! I didn’t sense any mana in whatever took out my defensive spells just now! Did she send something flying?!

Maki was panicking. She had no idea what Crimson had attacked her with. And if she did it again, Maki would be in serious trouble.

“Quick Cast Force Field!”

Maki jumped backward and distanced herself as she cast another spell. If she didn’t have at least two layers of protection, she wouldn’t be able to defend herself against another attack from Crimson.

“If you don’t think fast, Maki, you’re gonna eat it!”

Crimson then launched her second strike, which obliterated Maki’s remaining third defensive spell and her newly cast force field. Crimson’s attacks were not only powerful, but frighteningly accurate. She wasn’t having any trouble hitting Maki while she was on the move.

What power and speed... If she’s sending something flying, it’s incredible... But the incantation she used was just for that light spell... Wait, light?!

All of a sudden, the image of Theia summoning a particular weapon from Blue Knight popped up in Maki’s mind. That was it. That was the secret behind Crimson’s attacks.

“I see, so that’s what it is...”

“Oh, you’ve already figured it out?”

“Yes. That spell... It’s a laser, isn’t it?”

Since Maki had seen Theia’s laser cannon in action, it didn’t take her long to identify what Crimson was really using. Lasers hit virtually instantaneously the moment they fired, making them exceptionally accurate, and they were devastating at short ranges—just like Crimson’s attacks.

“Bingo! Brilliant! That’s Maki for you!”

Despite her secret being revealed, Crimson seemed happy. She longed to fight powerful enemies so she could go all out in combat. She wanted someone who could keep up with her, so it wouldn’t have been any fun if she’d taken Maki out right at the start.

“To think you’d be using science to enhance magic...”

“I had a hard time reworking my spells from the ground up, you know?”

Crimson let out an exaggerated sigh as she tapped her staff against her shoulder. Such a casual gesture left her wide open—they were in the middle of a fight, after all—but she knew that Maki wouldn’t take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack while they were talking.

“That’s definitely not like you.”

“Yeah, well, this is what losing to a no-magic smartypants will do to a girl.”

Crimson was referring to none other than Kiriha. Using only her brain as a weapon, she’d handily defeated Crimson and Green. As a magician capable of altering reality, getting outwitted by a normal human was utter humiliation. Really, Crimson was impressed with Kiriha, but she’d taught her a painful lesson about how costly ignorance could be. And she’d taken that lesson to heart. After their fight, Crimson took the opportunity to learn more and change herself for the better. Even if it was out of character, it was what she thought she had to do to beat Kiriha the next time they crossed paths.

“I know how saying this is gonna sound, but... We Folsarians have put too much value on magic. We’re behind scientifically.”

Folsarians understood so little about science that their magic suffered for it. Fire magic was a simple example. Because Folsarians generally didn’t understand the principles of combustion, the fire created by their magic was always a standard red flame.

Little did they know that red flames were imperfect, inhibited by impurities and insufficient oxygen. Hotter, better fed flames were blue in color. That should be what they aimed for, yet every magician in Folsaria produced red flames with their magic. Their preconceptions and ignorance got in the way, making their magic inefficient.

But Crimson knew better now thanks to the power of science, and had improved her spells severalfold by removing such waste. They were more efficient, powerful, and faster than ever before.

“That explains the laser...”

“Maki, I knew the first thing you’d do was enhance your own body. That’s why I chose magic that moves at the speed of light. It’s only rational, don’t you think?”

“To think I’d live to hear the day you talked about rationality... What a strange feeling.”

“Are you picking a fight?”

“I suppose so. We are fighting, aren’t we? Really, I’m buying time to think of a countermeasure.”

“Then hurry up and think of something! I won’t wait forever!”

There, both girls began incantations at the same time.

“Ray of Sunshine! Modifier: Single Wavelength! Targeting Option: Gaze Tracking!”

Crimson conjured her laser spell again. It used a single powerful wavelength of light to strike wherever she was looking. Unlike weaponized lasers, it didn’t even have a visible form. It was a nightmarish attack that would strike invisibly and instantaneously.

“Fog Cloud!”

Meanwhile, Maki cast a simple spell that created a billowing fog. As simple as it was, it was the best way to protect herself from Crimson’s laser.

Not only would it obstruct her view and make it difficult to aim, the laser would diffuse as it passed through the cloud, rapidly weakening its power. It wouldn’t be enough to negate the attack altogether, but it should make it easier to defend against.

“Good thinking, Maki! Thermovision!”

However, since Crimson had known Maki for so long, she’d expected that Maki might come up with a way to obstruct her sight. In response, Crimson quickly cast a spell that allowed her to see heat. She could spot Maki through the fog that way, and handily leveled her staff at her.

“Explosion!”

This time, Crimson unleashed a different attack on Maki. It was essentially a cannon fired using magic. When Crimson held her staff parallel to the ground, there was an underslung metallic cylinder running along it. Inside it was a cannonball that was propelled by a magical explosion—Crimson’s spell.

“It’s over, Maki!”

With a dull roar, the cannonball shot from the cylindrical barrel. Since Crimson had concentrated her explosion to propel the cannonball, it was much more powerful than using the explosive spell on Maki directly. Accordingly, the cannonball it fired was wickedly fast. It was an ideal way of attacking Maki, who couldn’t see it coming through the fog. Of course, the recoil was considerable. Even though Crimson was ready and braced for it, she was still pushed back a little.

The cannonball hurdled through the air and flew straight at Maki at a blinding speed of two kilometers per second. At this range, she’d never stand a chance of dodging it. And with the momentum it had behind it, it would easily smash through two or three defensive barriers. Crimson was convinced victory was hers.

“I don’t think so!”

“Maki?!”

However, the cannonball never hit Maki. It seemed she wasn’t where Crimson had aimed, because she promptly dashed out from elsewhere in the fog and charged Crimson with her greatsword. It wasn’t until she was in plain sight that Crimson realized she wasn’t emitting any body heat.

Ah, so that’s what the fog was for!

By obstructing Crimson’s view, Maki had forced her to focus on thermal vision to see anything. She’d then simultaneously created a double of herself to mimic her heat signature while cloaking her own, and snuck around through the fog to get closer to Crimson.

“Haaah!”

“Makiii!”

Maki swung her greatsword at Crimson. Its powerful magical blade was attached directly to her staff, which was even more powerful. Seeing it come right for her, Crimson knew exactly what kind of trouble she was in. In this deadly situation, she made the gamble of a lifetime.

“You can have an arm or two!”

Crimson knew she didn’t have time to cast a defensive spell, and she was still off-balance from the recoil of her cannon shot, making it difficult to block with her staff. With little other choice, Crimson swung her left fist directly at Maki’s greatsword in an act of desperation.

And she felt every bit of the blow. As soon as her fist made contact with the sword, a heavy impact rocked her whole arm. Since it was a magical blade, just touching it was enough to cause serious harm. That was the tradeoff—Crimson had sacrificed an arm to avoid taking a direct hit to her body.

But that wasn’t all. Maki had a precast memory loss spell on her greatsword. So the second Crimson made contact with it, the past few seconds of the battle were wiped from her mind.

“You did well blocking that, Crimson! But I still win!”

Crimson was dazed for a moment, having lost her place in the battle. Maki hefted her greatsword up and went in for another attack, this time to put a decisive end to the fight. Victory would be hers. Anyone watching would have thought so.

“Explosion!”

“Wha—?!”

However, that was when something unexpected happened. Crimson had functionally been sent several seconds back in time, but the explosion spell activated differently this time—right in front of her instead of within the barrel of her staff. That was Crimson’s real gamble. She knew she’d try and cast her explosion spell again if Maki wiped her memory. But rather than fall to Maki’s greatsword, she would blow them both up in a contest of sheer luck and fortitude. The timing was a little sketchy depending on just how much of her memory was wiped, but Crimson’s gamble had paid off.

And so the two girls were caught up in the magical explosion. When the dust settled, neither one of them was still standing.

Since Maki was interrupted in the middle of an attack, she hadn’t even had time to brace herself for the impact and was thrown quite a ways. She was hurt badly enough that she could hardly move, much less stand. The pain was unbelievable, but all she could do as she lay on the ground was stare up into the clear night sky. With the season quickly changing from summer to fall, the stars seemed to be twinkling especially brightly.

“Maki.”

The star-studded sky behind her, Crimson peered down at Maki. Both girls had taken the same attack, but luck was on Crimson’s side. She could still move.

“...You win, Crimson.”

Maki honestly admitted her defeat and smiled up at Crimson. The battle was over and she knew it. She’d lost—not to a foe, but a friend.

“Heh, sure doesn’t feel like it.”

Though Crimson had won, she was in a wretched state. She’d been hurt almost as badly as Maki, and she hadn’t yet regained control over her left arm. The only reason she was still standing was because she’d been braced for the explosion when it went off. It was just a difference in stance. In other words, she felt like she hadn’t overcome Maki with strength, but luck. In her eyes, they were on equal terms.

“They say luck is a skill. Be proud of your victory, Crimson. It’s rude to the defeated not to be.”

Maki, who hated lies and deception, admitted her defeat readily. Battle was straightforward. A loss was a loss. That was something she honestly accepted, though the opponent she was facing had something to do with it as well. She didn’t see Crimson as an enemy, and therefore didn’t regret losing to her.

“Heh, I don’t hate that side of you, Maki,” Crimson said with a satisfied grin.

Though the match had come down to luck, both girls had fought with all of their might. It was exactly the kind of battle Crimson craved, which was why she was so content now. She likely would have felt the same way regardless of who won.

“But still, I’m stunned. To think you’d use a cannon... The laser was a surprise, but the cannon was an even bigger one.”

Maki laughed as she looked at the staff in Crimson’s right hand. The long, metal cylinder attached to it was indeed the barrel of a cannon. No one would expect that kind of attack coming from a magical girl.

“But why didn’t you use Inferno Fire? You would have been able to create an even more amazing cannon with that.”

Crimson’s strongest offensive spell was Inferno Fire, which outclassed even Explosion, the spell she’d used to fire the cannon. Maki was wondering why Crimson hadn’t used it instead.

“The barrel would never survive. For it to stand up to Inferno Fire, it’d have to be much bigger, but then the recoil would be too much. Explosion is enough to overcome defensive spells and I can fire it repeatedly. Power isn’t always everything.”

Before their battle, Crimson had actually gone through several tests. That was how she’d come to the conclusion that Explosion was the optimal spell for the cannon. She’d tried using Inferno Fire once, and paid dearly for it. She didn’t want to go through that in combat.

“So that’s why we didn’t both go down...”

“That’s right.”

If her last attack had been Inferno Fire, it likely would have reduced both Crimson and Maki to ashes at that range. While they were both hurt even with Explosion, they were still able to walk away from it because Crimson had had the sense to choose an appropriate spell. While it might have been a clever way to make a cannon, using such large explosions at such close range would always be a dangerous game. It required a certain amount of caution.

“So it was the new powers you designed for exactly this that brought you to victory... Are you happy, Crimson?”

“Yes. Thanks for fighting me seriously, Maki.”

That was ultimately the biggest reason Crimson was so satisfied with their fight—Maki had agreed to fight her sincerely. Since Maki was an indigo magic specialist, her mind manipulation spells weren’t a great match for fighting against the purely offensive Crimson. It would have been much more in her wheelhouse to thwart the situation entirely and retreat. But Maki had given it her all nevertheless, and Crimson was grateful for that.

“I told you I would. Since we’re friends, it was worth having a real fight at least once.”

“Yeah, you did. My bad.”

In the end, Maki was true to herself from start to finish. There wasn’t an ounce of deception in the way she presented herself, and she kept her word until the very end. Crimson smiled wryly at her friend who had gotten stronger, but was still somehow the same. However, shortly thereafter, her smile vanished. Someone had invaded the barrier they’d raised before the battle.

“It looks like we’ve got company.”

“This feeling... I’m sure it’s Satomi-kun.”

Maki recognized the presence of the person who’d passed through her barrier. It felt like Koutarou.

“Him, huh? Guess I can’t stay, then.”

Crimson frowned to hear the intruder was one of Maki’s allies. And not just anyone. If Maki was right, it was the formidable adversary Satomi Koutarou. Crimson knew Maki wasn’t bluffing either, and she didn’t like the idea of fighting Koutarou while she was already seriously injured. In order to avoid that, Crimson decided to leave right away.

“See ya, Maki.”

Crimson shouldered her staff and turned to go.

“Wait, Crimson... Are you sure you don’t need to kill me?”

Surprised by Crimson’s apparent retreat, Maki instinctively stopped her. Crimson halted, looked over her shoulder, and smiled at Maki.

“You humored me and fought... So consider this returning the favor.”

“Crimson...”

Crimson had no intention of killing Maki. She knew that Maki had only fought to make her happy. So, as a friend, Crimson was giving her a chance to be happy too.

“But the next time we meet, things’ll be different. Next time, I will treat you as an enemy and kill you.”

“I don’t think I’ll show any mercy either.”

That was as far as they could be friends. From here on out, they would be enemies again. For the next time they fought, it wouldn’t be a one-on-one battle. It would be an all-out war between their allies. The paths they were walking forked here.

“Later, Maki. Today was fun.”

With those words and a smile, Crimson departed.

“Karen!”

Maki called out to her one last time using her real name. Hearing it, Crimson hesitated for a moment, but didn’t stop. She then vanished into the dark of night.

“Goodbye, Karen...”

To Maki, Crimson had been a candle in the darkness of her otherwise bleak life. But that small candle flame had never ignited anything greater. Maki regretted that, but couldn’t stop the candle from burning how it pleased. That’s why she didn’t try to stop Crimson from leaving.