Just as soone had hoped, the next day turned out to be exceptionally fine weather—a rare clear sky after the rain, leaving the world feeling freshly scrubbed.
However, while Sakatsuki, having extended his stay and resolved to laze around, was enjoying himself, the magical girls still fighting on the front lines were not having such a pleasant ti.
Even though Sakatsuki had been fighting for his life in the Second Singularity and even taken down a rebellious Beast, Illya and Miyu’s story continued steadily onward.
And then, after the battle to retrieve the Assassin Class Card, things took a sudden turn for the worse.
As Ruby put it:
"For the first ti, I got the magic wand I always dread of, and I made a friend for life. Two joys overlapping, and that double joy brought even more happiness... I should have been blessed with a dreamlike ti of bliss. So why... did it end up like this?"
Leaving aside the stomach-churning nature of that line, the magical girls’ situation was actually quite simple—
During Assassin’s ambush, Illya was accidentally struck by a poisoned dagger, then sward by an army of Hassans modeled after the Hassan of Hundred-Faces. In desperation, the power inside her went out of control again. The resulting surge of magical energy not only tore Assassin apart in an instant but nearly dragged her teammates into the abyss with her.
Faced with Illya’s rampage, Miyu said, "I never want to fight you again." Those words shattered Illya emotionally, causing her to flee the Mirror World first.
The friendship between Miyu and Illya, who had only just promised to be friends, was now teetering on the edge of a cliff.
Setting aside Illya, who cried herself to sleep at ho, there was another girl who didn’t sleep peacefully that night.
Unsurprisingly, it was Miyu.
After calmly dealing with the aftermath of Illya’s outburst and retrieving the Class Card, she turned down Luvia’s company, changed clothes, and for the first ti, walked the streets alone at night.
The hour was late, and the streets were sparsely populated, but the city’s lights still burned brightly. Divided by the Fuyuki Bridge, the old town and the new city shone in warm orange and cool white hues—a beauty only human civilization could create, proudly glowing even now.
The girl who had once had nothing, not even proper clothes, had sohow beco part of this grand tapestry.
"Hah..." She exhaled softly, the night’s chill making her pull her coat tighter. Her small face buried in her collar, Miyu walked aimlessly with her head down.
She didn’t know why she had run out like this. She just felt uneasy, as if her drifting soul had suddenly lost its way—unable to see the lighthouse on the other shore, and even the harbor behind her had vanished.
This loneliness, this feeling of being the only one left in the world... it was all too familiar.
Suddenly, she felt the urge to eat so congee.
"...Ah." When she looked up, as if guided by sothing, she found herself standing before a church.
The plaza in front was empty, and the house of God stood silently, unvisited.
Miyu knew what a church was, of course—a gathering place for believers, a sanctuary for prayer and confession, a refuge for the lost.
With emotions she couldn’t quite na, Miyu knocked on the church’s door.
"Hello, may I...?"
"Co in, child. The church does not turn away those who seek guidance."
Though there was a hint of surprise in the voice at first, it soon settled into the calm tone of a clergywoman. The girl stepped inside, curious, taking in the sorrowful gaze of the holy statue, wrinkling her nose at the faint but still pungent scent of disinfectant.
Standing at the pulpit was a woman with silver-white hair and faintly ethereal golden eyes. She studied the unusually young visitor before suddenly smiling in recognition.
"Ah, it’s you. If Father Sakatsuki hasn’t misled , you’re one of the magical girls handling the Class Card retrieval?"
Father Sakatsuki?
Miyu blinked, only now realizing that she might have subconsciously sought this place out because she longed for comfort from a certain person.
Not Luvia, who had given her food, clothes, and shelter—but Father Sakatsuki, whom she had only t a few tis.
But... why?
"Yes. My na is Miyu Edelfelt. I’m assisting the Mage’s Association with recovering the Class Cards as a... magical girl. And you are?"
"I am Caren Hortensia, Father Sakatsuki’s assistant." Her voice was beautiful but cold, devoid of a clergywoman’s warmth as she leaned against a table. "Just so you know, Father is away on business. So, if you’re here for him, you’re out of luck. Was there sothing else?"
Miyu didn’t pick up on the subtle dismissal. After a mont of silence, she spoke earnestly.
"I have a friend..."
"Pfft." Caren made a strange noise, turning her face away. Miyu tilted her head in confusion.
"Hm?"
"Nothing. Please, continue."
Miyu nodded and went on. "She’s just an ordinary girl, but she got caught up in a conflict and was forced into dangerous situations..."
And so, without any personal bias, Miyu recounted her and Illya’s experiences.
To anyone else, it might have sounded like a aningless story, but Caren sohow grasped the heart of her dilemma.
"You’re asking whether your choice was the right one, aren’t you?" Still in that lazy posture, the silver-haired nun nodded. "Indeed, rather than letting your friend suffer, you chose to shoulder the burden yourself—even if it ant pushing her away temporarily."
"That’s a praiseworthy act. A sacred sacrifice."
"Preferring to bear the pain alone rather than trouble your friend... Ahh, I understand that well."
"Then—" Miyu lifted her eyes, seeking affirmation—only to find Caren’s emotionless gaze piercing into her, prying open the cracks in her heart, stepping ruthlessly into the deepest parts of her soul.
"But did your friend agree to this?" The nun clasped her hands together, her voice soft yet carrying the weight of salvation. "If she truly is your friend, how could she abandon you? Even if you plant thorns between you, she’ll bleed herself trying to reach you..."
After a pause, Caren added thoughtfully, "Or maybe she’ll just burn the thorns to ash and stand before you anyway."
Though shaken, Miyu instinctively shook her head. "...I won’t let her do that."
"The question isn’t whether she’ll do it." Caren’s smile didn’t waver. "It’s whether she’ll let you do this to yourself."
The cryptic words left Miyu deep in thought. After a long silence, she bowed and left without another word.
Only long after her unexpected visitor had gone did Caren finally drop her smile, rubbing her stiff cheeks with a sigh.
She couldn’t rember the last ti she had smiled like that.
Footsteps echoed as Katou Danzou erged from the shadows, holding a small bowl of porridge.
"...A body may be made of iron, but it still needs fuel." That said, it wouldn’t do for visitors to see a clergywoman eating in a holy place.
"You spoke quite a lot, Miss Caren." The puppet girl was as blunt as Miyu. "Did you see yourself in her?"
Miyu, who pushed Illya away to spare her pain.
Caren, who silently accepted tasks to avoid burdening Sakatsuki.
"Those words weren’t just for her—they were for you too, weren’t they?" Danzou’s lips curled into a practiced smile.
"Who knows?" Caren shrugged, picking up her bowl. "More importantly, you’ve swapped your kimono for combat gear. Planning sothing?"
"Apologies, but based on my assessnt, you currently don’t require protection." Danzou paused. "That girl might do sothing reckless. Considering her connection to Master, I’ve decided to..."
"No need to report to . That girl was brought to Fuyuki by Sakatsuki himself, wasn’t she?" Caren waved her off dismissively. "Go on then. Just don’t co back to bother ."
"Then, farewell, Lady Caren." Danzou, used to her tone, bowed and vanished.
With Danzo gone, the church returned to its quiet, almost eerie stillness.
Caren sipped her porridge, her expression serene.
"Everyone’s trying to change... Like little weeds straining toward the sun."
But when would that sun return?
Lost in her thoughts, the nun had no idea that, just a few hours later at dawn, the man in question would learn of everything through the familiars hidden in the church.
"They’ve reached the Berserker stage, huh? Guess I can’t slack off anymore. Ahh, my brain’s trembling."
The thought of what ca next made Sakatsuki lick his lips, unable to suppress his fighting spirit.
"Oh, right. Before that... I should probably send a ssage to that woman. Her daughter’s upset—surely she’ll co back for this?"
***
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