An Old Friend's Greeting
◇ Ripple
Even though the discharge permit had come through long ago, Kano still had no intention of leaving the hospital room. Being near Shinomiya Gaku was the only place where her vague sense of unease settled, where her heart felt at peace.
His small, teasing remarks sometimes grated on her nerves, but she had never truly minded them. She already knew the quiet care hidden behind every joke.
But Shinomiya Gaku was still lying in the hospital bed.
Thankfully, thanks to the lucky rabbit's paw, they could still speak through the “voice of the mind” even without the words leaving his lips.
(It’s nice to have you here, but isn’t it time you went back to school?)
Kano stared out the window, voice tired. “I wish I could just forget everything—being a magical girl, school, all of it.”
(This isn’t your safe place…)
“…Snow White never came?”
(Of course not. Fav would notice if she crossed over this way. Still, that’s surprising. You were so close to her.)
“Surprising? All I wanted was for Snow White to stay alive. She suffered because of me…”
(She did suffer. A kind girl paired with a dirty-mouthed tsundere. Her life was already written in stone.)
Kano said nothing. She simply squeezed Gaku’s arm tightly.
(AAAAAAGH! It hurts! It’s a joke, just a joke! Stop! I thought you were actually dying!)
Kano released her grip and stepped back. A heavy silence fell after Gaku’s dramatic little cry.
“I once killed a magical girl who was trying to help Snow White. I’ve carried that guilt ever since. I ran away. I figured I’d never be worthy of seeing her face again. How pathetic…”
Ripple remembered it all too clearly.
That magical girl… you didn’t kill her out of hatred. I read the note. Oops, keeping secrets from someone who reads the voice of the mind is surprisingly hard.
A bitter smile curved her lips.
“In the end, Snow White sacrificed her own vast lifespan to save my soul.”
(So now you want to see Snow White?)
“Yeah… she’s the only friend I have.”
(Then reach out. You said you were close enough to memorize her contact info.)
Kano’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Gaku.
“That note… it included all of that?”
(Why hide it? Fine. It’s all there. If you want to help Snow White, I won’t stop you.)
His casual encouragement made Kano’s pupils tremble. With a shaking hand she picked up her smartphone.
But she couldn’t press send.
It didn’t matter that Fav would find out Ripple was still alive.
She just… wanted to see Snow White.
◇ Snow White
Snow White had once believed that
A weak, fearful girl who only ran away—why had she survived alone?
Standing alone atop the tower of Kubegama, the sharp memories rushed back.
Then a voice echoed in her ears, sounding like a past hallucination or a future promise.
“Even if this body is crushed, I swear to become your sword. My comrade, Snow White.”
“…La Pucelle?”
“Eh, eh… did you hear?”
La Pucelle appeared in the air, startled.
“Talking to yourself that loudly? Well, I can read the voice of the mind anyway.”
“…Embarrassing.”
La Pucelle scratched her head, clearly flustered. The time she had promised to Kurei Fuwa was rapidly approaching. Right now La Pucelle was alive. The future where he had died was already a story from the past.
“Sorry, Sister Nana took a while. I was the one who taught her, after all, and I couldn’t check on you… You don’t look so well.”
Snow White shook her head and gave the “I’m fine” sign.
“Actually, someone wants to see you. She’s been pacing nearby, so I brought her over. You two can talk. I’ll patrol the area instead.”
Behind La Pucelle’s retreating figure, a familiar silhouette appeared.
“Ripple…? You’re alive… Thank goodness.”
“Hello, long time no see. Snow White.”
The moment she saw Kano Sazanami, Snow White couldn’t hold back and pulled her into a tight hug.
Feeling the warmth of Ripple’s body, Snow White’s eyes grew red.
“You’re alive… Ripple, thank goodness. Really, thank goodness.”
“If word got out that the cold-blooded ace of the Audit Division was a crybaby, I’d be in trouble.”
“But… I was worried. I thought you were dead…”
This place was where Ripple had once asked Snow White about Swim Swim, the very spot where the two had first met.
Memories of the desperate words Snow White had shouted at Ripple, who had sworn to kill her enemy, came flooding back.
“Stop it. Even if it’s for survival, injuring someone else… I can’t forgive myself. Killing someone now makes me no longer a magical girl. Just a murderer!”
“I don’t care if I’m just a murderer. It doesn’t matter if I’m not a magical girl anymore. But… I wanted to be a magical girl. I admired you, Snow White.”
Now the situation had completely reversed. With the determination of an enemy, Snow White opened her mouth.
“Ripple… I’m going to kill Cranberry.”
“Saying you’re going to kill someone is new, even for you. I hope you stay the honest, clean magical girl you were before. I still want you to fight like you used to.”
“Sorry… Ripple.”
“I wanted to keep fighting side by side like in the Snow Bloody days, bringing down magical girls. I’d even go with you… but I can’t transform into one anymore.”
“…”
“So come back alive, Snow White.”
“Thank you. I’ll do everything I can to make that happen.”
The warm reunion was brief. Then a slimy laugh echoed from the air.
『Hey, what a surprise development! I was shocked. A normal human would die from a heart-stabbing wound. Ah, and because you chose your weapons freely, we’ve reduced survivors from six to three. I’ll make an exception for Ripple. That she survived is already unexpected.』
“Do you really think anyone would believe that excuse?”
『With the Interference Division’s meddling, it’s easy to brush off blackmail. Besides, I never thought you’d actually kill Cranberry.』
With Fav’s mocking smile, a cold chill spread between the two girls, signaling the final battle.
◇ Cranberry
“Speaking of which, changing the rule to three survivors just because of weapon items at this late stage is pretty ridiculous, pong.”
Currently the remaining survivors were Hardcore Alice, Sister Nana, Tama, Cranberry, La Pucelle, and Snow White—six in total.
The Musician of the Forest, Cranberry, tapped idly on the grand piano keys in the lounge. “We don’t have time for such nonsense now, do we?”
“Yeah, definitely, pong.”
Fav floated in the air and continued. “Magical girls from outside the group took down Swim Swim and Minael. That’s quite dangerous, pong.”
“That light-blue-haired magical girl? I thought she was weak.”
“Turns out she has surprisingly dangerous magic. It seems she stole the memories of the dead, pong.”
Cranberry’s fingers slid smoothly across the piano keys.
“And the revenge match with Snow White sounds like it would be quite enjoyable.”
“Then it’s the perfect timing, pong. Snow White said she wanted to meet you, pong.”
“…I’m looking forward to it.”
A faint smile touched Cranberry’s lips.
“Ah, right! From now on I’ll report the midway results to the Magical Kingdom. Any special requests, pong?”
“Just throw in some filler.”
“Master is supposed to oversee the selection exam and is way too irresponsible, pong~!”
“Responsibility? It’s already too late to deny the truth. From the moment you became a magical girl, you knew you were taking the selection exam.”
Cranberry’s voice was ice-cold. “I’ll fabricate a report in the style of the Magical Girl Cultivation Plan, pong.”
“Make the bloody massacre look like a peaceful, kind children’s test.”
“The Magical Kingdom doesn’t want to harm the human world, so mentioning dead bodies is just out of the question, pong!”
“Arrogant. If you’re complaining about harm, reaching into another world to chase superior talent is the real crime, isn’t it?”
Cranberry slammed the piano keys hard. A discordant chord echoed through the room.
“Then we’ll just have to run the exam properly. If you’re after talent, the obvious rule is to eliminate the weak and select the strong.”
Her eyes flashed with killing intent. “The interfering Audit Division member Shinomiya can no longer intrude on this sacred exam… and only the light-blue-haired magical girl will die, leaving no evidence.”
“As for Fav, he just gets to have fun, pong!”
