Magia Record Main Story Part 2 Chapter 10
Summary by u/lego3257 on Reddit
Part 1
Nayuta opens the chapter with a brief recap of her and Folklore’s motives as they ride the train back to Kamihama (see Another Story 9). She reiterates that she can’t accept their conclusions, and that she will need to observe for the will of the universe in Kamihama as well; however, she is searching for hope for the future, unlike the others who search for proof of their resignation. Folklore discusses the NeoMagius; if the message Sasha received from Shigure is to be believed, then their plan has been put into motion. This act separates them from those who would publicize magical girls for words of comfort. Even if magical girls become known through this plan, it will create a new kind of unbridgeable gap between magical girls and humans. Urara suggests that maybe in such a circumstance, the will might not activate. Tasuke refutes this statement; if humans become afraid of magical girls, then contracts could be greatly reduced. If their hypothesis is correct, then they may be looking at a disaster far beyond the scale of anything they saw in Yukuni. However, Rabi adds, if Iroha continues to seek peace and understanding between all magical girls, then there may still be hope to avoid such a fate…Even so, she ticks the hand on her watch a minute closer to midnight.
There’s a brief scene with Puella Care here but I’mma just be straight with you guys, idk what they’re talking about. Basically they’re trying to stop Himena, something about magic stuffs and Mitama’s adjustments. It’ll probably be clear what they were talking about later, so I’ll come back and edit the post then.
The NeoMagius is back at their old base. Himena is responding to texts from Shigure, explaining her plans now that everything is out in the open. Kagura asks her if she explained it all, including that she had Mitsune use her power to change the motives of Kamihama’s mayor, and that she had planned to endanger the people of Kamihama from the very start; she confirms that yep, she laid it all out there (so the Mitsune theory was just inconsistent writing then…?). Kagura asks her if she thinks severing her bond with Shigure and Hagumu will make it easier for her to do what she has to do; she says that it doesn’t make her happy, but she can’t make the kind future they wanted so it was inevitable. When she thinks of how her mom and the other people around her treated her when she tried to tell them the truth, she feels that she has to use enough force to make people think black is white or they will never accept her and Hiko. Kagura asks if she told her and Miyuri those truths to convince them to leave as well. She confirms as such, and says she was surprised they decided to stay. They explain that they needed Himena’s plans for their own goals, and since she accepted that Kagura can be the ‘good god’ and herself the ‘evil god’, they have no reason to leave anymore. After that, they were able to chase Shigure and Hagumu away to let them join the Union, which Kagura suggests must make Himena happy. Miyuri sulks a bit, saying she wanted the two of them to stay even though they were planning on driving them away from the start. Kagura asks if they have a chance of winning as things are; as Miyuri points out, many of the feathers have left since learning the truth, just like Shigure and Hagumu. Himena says that according to Hiko, it’s all good; thanks to Shizuka buying them some time, they’ll win for sure at this point. Even if hundreds of magical girls attacked, they can’t change anything now, and they have some cards left to play just in case. Kagura asks Himena to promise her that she won’t harm the Mitsuzuka youth association no matter what, and she does. Miyuri gushes about how dignified Kagura is today. Himena takes the podium and declares to the remaining feathers that they will see their ideals realized. There are 11 hours left until they declare their existence to the world and reach the top. She asks everyone to follow her orders and do their very best until the end.
1-2
Kagome describes the agony and terror she felt when she tried to drink tea under the NeoMagius’s curse. She felt sick, and her heart pounded, and she felt the threat of death to her core as her body trembled. She tried to calm herself but couldn’t; it was Iroha’s reassurance that allowed her to regain her composure. Afterwards, Shigure and Hagumu explained the rest of the details of Himena’s plan, including that Himena had Mitsune use her power on the mayor. The hunger wave and the east-west conflict tear away at their hearts and minds, but in spite of that, or rather, because of it, all the magical girls present know that they have to do everything in their power to take back the automatic purification system and create a happy and peaceful world, for the hundreds of thousands of magical girls in the world and their families.
In the aftermath of last chapter’s battle, the Union and their allies panic over their loved ones. It’s around dinnertime, so most of the city should be feeling the effects by now. Yachiyo is still coming to grips with the fact that Kanagi and Mitama willingly assisted with such a plan. Iroha talks to Shigure and Hagumu, who explain that they didn’t know about the plan but emphasize that they were still the perpetrators. Iroha and Ui say that they believe them based on how desperately they tried to flee from NeoMagius, and that any help they can offer is welcome. Tsuruno asks them what Himena is planning next, and lays out the tasks in front of them: they need to save the people of Kamihama, and bring back Kanagi, Mitama, and Ao, by force if necessary. Momoko says the first thing they need to do is tell Kanagi and Mitama the truth about the mayor. She should know where to find them, and if they do that, they may leave NeoMagius and offer useful intel. Iroha asks Shigure and Hagumu for their insight; they argue that Himena will likely wait until morning to reveal magical girls to the world, once everyone has felt the effects of the hunger wave strongly and when everyone would be awake and at attention. The most likely method would be for them to use a TV station. Felicia suggests she wreck the local stations, but Ranka argues that wouldn’t be the wisest move. If they cut off the peoples’ source of information, there could be widespread panic. Yuna follows up, and declares that their best course of action would be to take control of the broadcasting network in Kamihama so they can cut the power at any time. Yachiyo, Juri, and Hikaru second the notion, and they commit to Yuna’s plan for the time being. Many of the girls hearing from their relatives; Hinano hears from her parents, and Rena from her brother. Kaede says her parents are heading to the hospital.
Many magical girls associated with the Union contact them to ask if they can go home to their families (including Manaka, Tsumugi, and Shizuku). Their panic is understandable, but some of the Witches released by NeoMagius are still at large. Shizuka and the Tokime Clan declare that they will protect the city from Witches in place of the Kamihama natives; it is their duty as those sworn to protect the land of the rising sun. With that settled, Yachiyo tells the others that those with families in the city are free to go home and reassure them for the time being, and stresses that Momoko in particular do so. Tsuruno declares she has already confirmed her father’s safety and wants to fight on the front lines. Similarly, Shigure and Hagumu are worried about their families but want to stand and fight to right their wrongs. Juri says that in that case, they can join up with Promised Blood and help take control of the broadcasting network; they agree with a bit of a fright. With that settled, they agree to split into two teams: Mikazuki and Mifuyu, and Promised Blood plus Shigure and Hagumu. Mifuyu asks if she can take care of something else along the way; she wants to make up for causing this situation in a sense, and thinks she might be able to undo the suggestion if she combines her magic with the Amane sisters. However, Tsukasa is with the enemy at the moment, so she will be sticking with Team Mikazuki for now in hopes they can get her to have a change of heart. Hinano and Rena say that they will be heading home, and will rejoin the fight as soon as they can; Shizuka and Yuna tell them not to worry, because they’ve got things covered.
As everyone prepares to head out, Iroha checks on Kagome again; she says she’ll be alright because Rii is protecting her. She is doubting herself, feeling that she’s done nothing but been saved again and again, and is once again unsure if her mission will do anyone any good in the end. She thinks about how she still doesn’t know what Touka and Nemu were trying to do, and wonders if there is even meaning in saving magical girls and humans who do evil, or this world they share. She thinks that deciding to save people without considering good and evil may be the greatest kindness there is.
As they descend the mountain, Shizuka apologizes to Yuna, who tells her to cut it out with that gross friendship shit. Shizuka continues, saying that she was also trying to save people through a self-interested evil. Yuna chuckles, and says that they’re two of a kind. Shizuka agrees, though it still pains her to admit it.
1-3
A 24-style timer declares there are 10 hours until the broadcast.
At the radio tower, Miyuri tells Kagura that the feathers are in position. Miyuri asks if the Union will really come for the tower; Kagura says that since Shigure and Hagumu jumped ship, it’s all but certain. Kagura tells Miyuri to stay on guard; she gets distracted by the former’s legs and immediately lets down her guard. Kagura gets a message from the youth association; it seems they truly were unaffected by the radio wave. Miyuri says she is seeing that Kamihama is quickly becoming a hot topic on social media, and she feels guilty even though she knew this was coming. Kagura says it’s unfortunate, but with Himena’s disposition a situation like this was inevitable. For her, Hiko comes first, then Sasha, then NeoMagius, and then other magical girls. She couldn’t care less about humans who are in a distant fifth. While she treats the members of NeoMagius like her friends, she is cold towards other magical girls. Ultimately, it is natural for members like them who still have attachments to humans to have mixed feelings. Miyuri remarks that if Hiko is her number one, then not even Sasha could stop her. Kagura says that the most she could have done was delay her plans. She says that she sharply felt Himena’s desire to change the situation where she can’t freely be with Hiko. This haste was good for her, as she wants to restart the fire festival as soon as possible before the culture fades away, so she was glad when Sasha left NeoMagius; it was as if she had removed Himena’s stopper.
En route, Yachiyo gets a call from her manager, confirming his(?) safety and asking her to appear on a special late-night program, which she rejected. Heading for the radio tower and TV Kamihama, they suspect the feathers must be gathered close to the tower as they haven’t encountered any yet. Felicia says that if things get dicey she’ll break the antenna in the fight, and Tsuruno and Sana remind her why that’s a horrible idea. Iroha and Yachiyo get confirmation that Rena and Momoko’s families are safe; however, it will be hard for the two of them to leave home again with the situation as it is so they won’t be able to join up again for some time. Tsukuyo joins up while they run, and says that as expected Tsukasa didn’t respond to her messages. She says she intends to take responsibility for cleaning up her sister’s messes. As they draw closer to the tower, they detect the feathers, as well as Kagura and Miyuri. Mifuyu says she will pay them back for humiliating her by using her ability earlier.
1-4
The Neo feathers work in three-man squads and prioritize splitting up Mikazuki, starting with Ui. Ui tells Iroha over telepathy not to worry about her, because she’s not weak anymore. As they are split up one after another, Tsuruno suggests they learn from Promised Blood’s strategy from chapter 7. They will pretend to be split up and on the run, but use their knowledge of the lay of the land to meet up at a designated location. Iroha declares she will distract the last of the feathers, and they trust Mifuyu and Tsukuyo with handling Kagura and Miyuri. Felicia says she doesn’t get the plan, and Tsuruno says she will tell her where to go in real time.
Kagura detects Mifuyu coming, and Miyuri gets nervous at the thought of fighting a former Magius executive. Kagura tells her it’s okay for her to let her mind fly (don’t remember how this is usually translated).
The feathers begin to catch on to the plan, but they’re already caught in the trap. Team Mikazuki incapacitates all the feathers in one fell swoop, and everyone praises Tsuruno for her quick thinking. The plan was possible because Tsuruno and Yachiyo used to fight in Chuo Ward often back in the day. They move to back up Mifuyu and capture Kagura.
Kagura is shocked as Mifuyu deflects an entire barrage of bullets. She says that she doesn’t seem like the weak Mifuyu she used to know, and on top of that, wasn’t she supposed to be getting weaker? Mifuyu says she doesn’t fully understand either, but she’s been in good condition since leaving the Magius. Kagura says that if she’s this strong she never needed to be saved. Mifuyu clarifies that what she wanted was her normal life back, not that she thought she couldn’t survive on her own. As they continue to fight, Mifuyu demands she tell her where Tsukasa is. However, Kagura finds an opportunity and nearly takes down Mifuyu. As she pants in exhaustion, Tsukuyo is sent flying and slams into Mifuyu, down for the count. She apologizes for not being able to do anything against Miyuri. Mifuyu tells her not to feel bad; she’s well aware that the instructor’s secret weapon is a formidable foe, and admits she’s struggling herself. She says Kagura hasn’t told them where Tsukasa is; Kagura responds that at the very least, she’s not anywhere around here, and they won’t let them take her back so easily. Mifuyu says her absence despite being stronger than the feathers is proof they’re worried about losing her. Kagura says she just doesn’t want to fight acquaintances (I think). Kagura tells Miyuri they can win if they fight together.
1-5
Before the battle, Kagura told Tsukasa to cover a less prominent radio station, because the Union would send their main force for the city’s biggest radio tower. In the present, she hears a news broadcast. The city government is taking the mysterious incident seriously, and is holding an emergency countermeasures meeting to come up with immediate solutions before searching for the cause. Reflecting on what has happened, she is shocked at herself for allowing herself to be guided by short-sighted and foolish emotions. She thought that if the problems of the east and west were not going to change, then she wanted to get out of the town with Tsukuyo even if it meant she had to become a villain. When she heard about Kanagi and Mitama’s resolutions, she felt validated in her feelings and decided to follow them. But now that the plan is in motion, it seems as if that resolution was ended in an instant. Seeing the empty streets devoid of human voice, she becomes unnerved, thinking that it is because of the death she invited to the town, and feels like she is going to throw up. A feather speaks to her, and tells her she’s happy to fight alongside a former white feather. Tsukasa asks the feather if she’s scared. She says not particularly; as Touka said she believes magical girls are superior to humans, and thinks they have to go this far to get the message across. Tsukasa points out that many people could die if they can’t eat and drink; the feather says it’s all good, because when the morning comes Himena will reveal them to the world and dispel the magic, so everyone will be okay. Tsukasa asks about the people who refuse to submit, which surprises the feather. Tsukasa further argues that even if nearly everyone has a fear of magical girls carved into them, the city is huge, and there will likely be people who die. No matter how much they force people to submit, Tsukasa thinks her guilt will never go away.
Tsukasa detects Promised Blood approaching earlier than expected. Juri complains that there doesn’t seem to be anyone exciting here. Hikaru reports to Iroha that they have found Tsukasa at a radio station in Sankyo Ward. Iroha tells her to keep her occupied so that Mifuyu can get there. Hikaru says that’ll be no problem; rather, they’ll catch her themselves. They begin combat with her and her feather allies. Iroha relays the news to Mifuyu and Tsukuyo, who retreat to meet up with PB. Kagura is surprised they found her so quickly, but undaunted.
In the fight, Yuna tells her followers to focus on Tsukasa, since there are no powerful enemies like Kagura present. Tsukasa says she might be in trouble; Hikaru says there’s no ‘might be’ about it, and that she’ll make her take responsibility for endangering civilians.
Tsukasa escapes into the sewers; the girls of Promised Blood recognize the place from chapter 6. Tsukasa runs as fast as she can; she gains some distance but can’t shake them. Yuna tells Hikaru to contact their above ground members to catch her when she comes up. Tsukasa stops running when she arrives at a familiar place; it’s the large room where she and her sister fought Mikazuki in Arc 1 Chapter 4. She tells her pursuers that this is the place where she once watched over an Uwasa, and it works well with her weapon. Juri says that it seems she doesn’t intend to let this place become her grave. Of course not, she says; rather, she’ll stop them here. Yuna catches on to her trap, but is too late to stop her, and all of Promised Blood except Hikaru is caught in Flute Resonance. She makes her escape while the sound continues to reverberate through the room like a tuning fork.
As she escapes to the surface, she finds herself thinking it might be better if she lets herself get caught, given how much she regrets getting humans involved. Just as she is thinking this, she encounters PB minions waiting for her. The feather from before engages them in combat, telling her to run for it while she holds them off. Tsukasa asks her why; she says she can tell that the instructor told her to run, that their operation might fail if she gets caught. She tells Tsukasa that she regrets getting humans involved too, but if they stop now it will all be for nothing; not only that, but they might even lose the opportunity to undo the suggestion. Hearing this, Tsukasa tells herself that while she regrets her actions that lead to this point, there are people who can be saved by the magical girl supreme principle. She thanks the feather and runs.
1-6
Mifuyu and Tsukuyo meet up with Promised Blood, who report their failure. Tsukuyo says they need to catch her soon, because she may not know the plan to undo the suggestion and is getting desperate. The lot of them are surprised that she was so quick to run; the stations should be important to the NeoMagius, but she barely even tried to stand her ground. They wonder if she might have been a decoy to buy time; if that’s the case, she did a pretty good job. Hikaru comments that none of the teams have seen Ao; they speculate she may be with the enemy’s main force.
In Chuo Ward, Yachiyo secures the antenna. Iroha tells Kagura to stand down; she has lost. Ui pleads with her to let everyone eat again; they are in pain and they will hate magical girls if the plan succeeds. Kagura retorts that she has heard that a hundred times; she won’t fall for such flimsy attempts at persuasion. She is fully committed to becoming a good god who opposes the invincible evil god. She yells to Miyuri to get the feathers who can still fight; the NeoMagius abandon the antenna and retreat, leaving Mikazuki puzzled at their goals. Yachiyo says they need to arrange for someone to watch the tower, so they don’t come back, and Tsuruno expresses relief that Yachiyo reached the tower before Felicia did. They wonder if the NeoMagius intends to broadcast through some other method, such as satellite (which makes Felicia think they’ll be fighting in space just like in Decagon Ball). Well, to begin with there were a variety of options, the problem is narrowing down which they intend to use. As they wonder where they can get more hints, Sana suggests she use a fallen feather’s cloak and her invisibility to infiltrate their base, following the magic signals of the feathers who just retreated. Yachiyo admits the plan has merit, but worries she won’t be able to maintain her magic long enough. Sana responds that she could get help from Shizuka, who was a member until a few hours ago and could show her around their base.
Kagome, who followed Mikazuki to Chuo, asks her Uwasa if she is okay with any method to reveal magical girls, even violent ones like Himena’s, since that is her purpose. Based on Kagome’s responses, she isn’t, and wants to save magical girls, not just reveal them. Kagome narrates that the hands of time are ruthlessly ticking away as the magical girls struggle to save the people precious to them.
Momoko arrives at Mitama’s office. She is unsurprised that she doesn’t find her there, but is surprised to find Mikage instead. They were both here for the same reason; Momoko says she was hoping to hear her usual greeting when she came in. Mikage says she got here by pretending to go to sleep, and Momoko says she got a chance when her parents were sent to the hospital. Almost everyone in town is awake, they say; in the hospital or glued to TV or social media. Momoko asks Mikage if she will join the fight now. She says she will keep trying to help in her own way. That way is what she calls the Big Friendship Plan (translation subject to change), which she had Tsukuyo helping with and now wants Momoko to pitch in too. In a nutshell, it sounds like she’s basically trying to have everyone talk it out and bridge the east-west gap overnight, which Momoko says ain’t happening. That being said, she worries she won’t be able to get through to Kanagi and Mitama as it is…She has a sudden change of heart, and asks Mikage to let her help.
Yachiyo gets a message from Momoko, saying that she intends to help with Mikage’s Big Friendship Plan. Everyone is mildly perplexed, but they are at a standstill for the moment and decide to let her move freely on any ideas she might have. Meanwhile, Iroha gets a message from Shizuka, who has agreed to infiltrate NeoMagius along with Sana.
Himena is alone on some unknown street. Talking to Hiko, she says the plan is going smoothly so far. She says something about feeling lonely I can’t quite follow, and then that in the end she wants everyone to leave anyway(? Bit confused, might edit later). After a pause, she says she may end up cornered, but she’ll definitely win, and thanks Hiko for worrying about her. She reiterates that she is done being denied by her mom, teachers, and friends. She’ll make sure they accept her relationship with Hiko.
Eight hours left.
1-7
The three factions meet up at a convenience store, biding their time and strategizing while Shizuka and Sana begin their infiltration. Ryoko offers to lead them in a Buddhist prayer for their success. They agree to have the Tokime Clan monitor Shizuka from afar, while the Union (complete with the members who finished visiting their families) takes over the Witch hunt. They ask if Promised Blood will continue targeting TV stations; Yuna says they have no reason to split up their forces when they are unsure if there is meaning in targeting the stations. Hikaru adds, however, that they will pursue Ao if they find her, and Iroha has no objections. Chiharu offers her Kimochi stone to Juri; she gave them the stone of respect before, so now they will give her the stone of fear in exchange. With it, she may be able to instill fear in Ao once again (damn, Charu…I mean, I get the idea, but damn…). Juri gratefully accepts.
Shizuka briefs Sana on what she needs to know as they ride a train to Takarasaki. The entrance hall is a waiting room for the feathers, the second floor is a strategy room for executives. There is also a small room on the second floor for making tea, but people will get suspicious if you go up for any other reason. Also, when entering the hall, be sure to ring the doorbell…Shizuka says there are yet more rules she will explain as they get closer. Sana thanks her, and asks if they won’t find her out. She says that there’s an unspoken rule that you aren’t supposed to trace anyone’s magic (just like in the OG Magius, Sana notes) so she should be fine. The only problem would be if she encounters Himena or any other executive. Sana tells her that if it’s looking dicey, she can tell her and she’ll be able to hide her magic. Shizuka thanks her for the offer, but says that this time she intends to pay Sana back. Sana asks what she did. Shizuka reminds her she drew the picture book for her. She says that the book helped her regain her faith in humanity and her moral code as a member of the Tokime Clan; it is a debt she can never repay.
They don their disguises and head for the youth association (CG). Sana’s concealment consumes magic and the Doppel System is inactive, so they agree to keep it to a minimum. Shizuka dings the doorbell, reports them as one white and one black feather returning from the defense of Chuo Ward, and gives a code: W03 B21, followed by つけみのろひのひ(tsu-me-mi-no-ro-hi-no-hi). Sana understands that the numbers are a code, but is lost by the second part. Shizuka explains that it is a slogan which they scramble as a verification system. The original version is たかみなるはねへ(ta-ka-mi-na-ru-ha-ne-he, which basically means “feathers to the top” in very simple language) and they shift the hiragana down the alphabet (counting the starting character, loops back to the top if it passes the bottom) according to an 8-digit number using digits from 1 to 5 sent out weekly. This time, the code was 34153224. た down three makes つ, か down four makes け, み down one (again, including the starting character) stays as み, な down five makes の, and so on, resulting in the new password. (You need a hiragana alphabet to understand it.) Sana asks her if all these rules are hard to follow, and she admits it took her a while too. As the enter the lobby, Shizuka says they should wait in the lobby until a meeting starts. She suggests that Sana should get some food from the tea room while they wait.
The others from the Union visit Puella Care, and find the coordinators are absent. They find this strange; they expected Livia to see such a situation as a prime opportunity to make some sales. Felicia says ‘who cares, let’s hunt some Witches and come back later’. Tsuruno is worried over a contact from their spies; they’ve made it in, but haven’t learned anything about Himena’s movements yet. All they can do is wait and hope.
1-8
Not much is happening, even though today is an important day for the NeoMagius. Sana decides to look around a bit. A feather speaks to Shizuka, who jumps and makes the feather suspicious. She thinks it is because she’s worried about getting humans involved; Shizuka decides to play it macho, saying that she was thinking about how they have to do it now that they’ve come this far, and turns the question back at her. The feather says she’s very nervous. She worries that using force to make people submit might not make them sympathize with them and get them to understand the weight of a magical girl’s destiny, and when she thinks about that, she isn’t sure if they are right anymore. She agrees with the feather, and thinks about the dilemma that doubtful feathers are currently facing. The situation isn’t ideal for anyone; even if they succeed, magical girls will become hated. But if they oppose the plan now, they risk preventing the suggestion from being lifted, which would be an unprecedented disaster. Both paths lead to ruin. She wants to hit herself for naively supporting such an atrocious plan. Sana returns and tells Shizuka that she heard from a white feather that a meeting is about to start. They offer to prepare drinks and snacks for everyone.
The two head to the tea room, and wait for the meeting to start. When going to throw away the tea leaves, Sana finds part of a torn courier ticket, and wonders if she can learn something from it.
She discovers that the ticket is from three days ago, and indicates that some kind of disk (among other media) was sent from a large TV station to a small tabloid publisher (Note: not sure who sent and who received). She relays this intel to the rest of her allies, who discuss it over the phone. Tsuruno catches on to Himena’s trick; she already spread the truth of magical girls. If she tried to announce herself now, she might be dismissed as not credible; however, if the reveal is framed as a preemptive announcement, the story changes. Through this method, Himena can reveal magical girls without having to make a televised appearance in person, and her story becomes more credible as the media rediscovers it. The others begin to panic, but Yachiyo tells them it’s too soon to give up. (Note: not 100 percent sure of Yachiyo’s points, but you’ll get the gist) The media outlets will have to decide which media to show. The story won’t be credible if it is only shown on small outlets, and large mainstream outlets have strict rules about depicting minors, which means it will be difficult for them to air the most convincing videos which show Himena directly. If they act fast, they could still stop the story from becoming popularized, and let it die as an urban legend. However, she warns, it is true that this plan is like gasoline waiting to be lit; once someone sets it off, it will spread all at once and magical girls will become the enemy of humanity.
1-9
Sana and Shizuka hear back from the others, but they still need more intel to plan their next move. Sana conceals Shizuka’s magic as she delivers snacks to the meeting, so that Kagura and Miyuri don’t recognize her. In the meeting, Shizuka and Sana learn several useful pieces of information. First, Himena is not in the city, and is alone somewhere biding time until the end of the operation. The worst case scenario for the NeoMagius would be if she was captured or killed, after all. Second, despite Kagura’s composure earlier, not being able to use the central radio tower is a significant loss for them. In the best case scenario, they would have used to to broadcast Himena in the morning, but in the end they are outnumbered and outskilled by the other factions, even if they cause chaos with Witches. Finally, they learned of NeoMagius’s plan B (or maybe C, or D?): the public relations loudspeaker in the Kamihama Civic Center. The speaker can’t reach the whole city by a long shot, but it’s the best move they’ve got at the moment. They decide to send Tsukasa there in hopes of having her strengthen the broadcast. The Union has enough info to mount a counter operation, and they are reassured they made the right move with the broadcasting network.
Kagome narrates that the Union is fighting desperately to stop Himena from revealing magical girls to the world. They share the goal of publicizing magical girls, but the Union can’t allow her plan which would make magical girls the enemy of humanity. Meeting up with Hinano and Promised Blood, the magical girls make for the Kamihama Civic Center like a huge wave.
Kanagi and Mitama watch the city from a rooftop. Mitama says that news is starting to spread on social media. Kanagi points out a traffic jam down below; Mitama says they are attempting to leave the city because they heard they would be cured if they did. How pitiful, she says. They don’t know yet that their only hope is to submit to magical girls. Kanagi warns that they have to avoid jumping/getting excited(?), and Mitama takes that statement as related to the message they received telling them of Himena’s deceit. Mitama says it was a ploy to get them to come back; Kanagi says it doesn’t matter if the message is real or not. Even if Himena didn’t do anything, hundreds of years of history prove that the east-west conflict will eventually rear its ugly head again. Mitama agrees, and declares that they also have to fight to bring an end to her wish. If they try to delay it or leave it to fate, the outcome will only become worse; at least this way, they can bring meaning to the destruction. Kanagi groans in pain; the Kimochi of grief which eroded Ikumi to nothing now tears at her as well. Mitama says might be able to protect her, and touches Kanagi’s bracelet despite her objections.
They are shown visions of their pasts. Kanagi recalls prejudice against Daito uniforms, westerners starting a fight with her brother, the wish the Amane sisters made to fight their own prejudice and that of the world around them. The Kimochi is attempting to take over their bodies by taking their sadness onto itself, but Mitama won’t let it. She is in turn shown visions of her own past; of the false allegations that ruined her life, and of the hatred of her peers. They fight back against the Kimochi; I will hold the reigns of her own fate, says Kanagi. Mitama says they have a chance to maintain control; she will use her adjustment to engrave their sadness into their very souls, so that the Kimochi would have to kill them to steal it. Kanagi tells her to do it without a moment’s hesitation, saying that their sadness is their own to shoulder. Mitama yells that they can’t turn back any longer.
They return to the physical world in new magical girl forms, embodiments of their grief. Kanagi smells something rotten, and declares that this is what lies at the end of destruction. However, Mitama adds, at the end of destruction and death there is new joy.
In death, we will no longer make mistakes.
No one suffers when they are a corpse.
There are neither good nor bad things any longer, one simply watches over the world calmly.
This is one form of salvation.
Ao rides a train to Yukuni, eager to meet the eradication faction.
Six hours left.
Kagome’s Interviews: Yukari Miyuri
What Miyu wants is to be with Kagura forever, of course! …Even if she says that, Kagura will graduate in two years. She’ll probably stay in the Mitsuzuka youth association, but they’ll be more separated than before, which makes Miyu anxious. Well, she figures that one way or another, they will have to leave the nest someday and stand on their own, and thinks Kagura knows this too. With that in mind, the number one thing she wants is to overcome her troublesome personality so she can live independently. She wants to be able to take care of herself; not only that, but she hopes to stand tall and compete in roller blade competitions without losing herself. She thinks that she needs to become independent to stand by Kagura’s side when they are adults.
Part 2: Gather the Will
2-1
Kagome is in her room. She was worried her parents may have been affected by the radio wave since their home is near the Kamihama city limits, but they are both fine, and she doesn’t tell them about what happened. She worries about what will happen to everyone, but tells herself through Aru-chan that if she’s got time to worry, then she needs to move. Regardless of how this conflict ends, she needs to record it; if it ends badly, then her work can be a lesson for future generations to avoid their mistakes.
In Daito, Momoko and Mikage talk with Rena and Kaede about the Big Friendship Plan. They’ve been going around trying to get people to agree to help, but only about 30% have agreed. Rena points out that the situation being as it is, a lot of people are probably annoyed by the offer, like ‘Uh, read the room? We’re all starving to death here!’ They praise Mikage and Tsukuyo’s efforts before the incident, which had more success. Mikage asks them to help. Rena says that’s fine, but feels that their method of simply asking people to join a message group and promise to cooperate is underwhelming. Momoko tells her not to poke them where it hurts, but, well, she’s right. The plan will proceed, but they are doubtful they will make a big enough difference to bring Kanagi and Mitama back by morning.
Mifuyu and Tsukuyo are traveling with Promised Blood to the Kamihama Civic Center. They are further away than Team Mikazuki, and will arrive later. Tsukuyo says they need to make sure to catch Tsukasa this time, but is unsure how they can get her to cooperate. Hikaru cries out in frustration that she hasn’t heard from Ao. Juri tells her to shut up, and Yuna says that’s nothing new. Hikaru says they’re ruthless, and she’s just worried about Ao. Yuna asks her if she means to say that she isn’t worried about Ao; she responds that she knows Yuna is worried but not showing it, and apologizes. Yuna says she’s grateful to Hikaru for letting out enough emotions for the both of them; Hikaru can’t help but feel she’s being made fun of for being childish. Hikaru notices something on her phone; Ao’s Dotube channel is preparing to hold a live broadcast. They speculate that they might be planning to broadcast Himena through Ao’s channel. Shigure and Hagumu join the conversation (or rather, Juri forces them in) and say they think the Civic Center plan didn’t seem like Himena (not sure I get their logic, something about an athletic club?). Hearing their conversation, Mifuyu and Tsukuyo wonder if the Civic Center plan was false information. Tsukuyo gets an idea, and checks an app the sisters use to track each other when they are apart. She is shocked to find that Tsukasa’s tracker is still active, and she seems to be in southern Kamihama instead of Daito. Yuna is doubtful that she would have forgotten to disable the app. Tsukuyo says that she was scared that Tsukasa might use the tracker against her as a trap, and so she hadn’t checked it until now; however, now that they have, they have no choice but to investigate. Mifuyu asks for permission from Yuna for the two of them to go check it out, arguing that they have enough manpower headed for the Civic Center even without them. She responds that they’re Union; they don’t need her permission. They head for south Kamihama.
2-2
The members of Mikazuki are frustrated to hear that the information they got from Sana could have been bait. Felicia says they’re overthinking it, but they can’t detect Tsukasa’s or Himena’s magic as they approach the building. However, they do detect other familiar signals: Kanagi and Mitama.
On arrival, Tsuruno torches the ground; they won’t be falling for Mitama’s cloth traps again. The pair was waiting for them with dull, clouded eyes. They comment that they seem like different people; Felicia and Ui say their magic feels similar, but cold. Tsuruno pleads with them to return to the Union, saying that even if the others won’t forgive them, she will. However, Yachiyo has to leap in and protect her from an attack aimed directly at her Soul Gem, as they enter their new magical girl forms. Tsuruno asks them what happened to them. They both apologize to her, and say they need to bring a meaningful destruction and end suffering through death. Let us become the ideal form of hope together, they say in unison. Iroha asks them if they heard the truth of the election; they say this is the conclusion they have come to after hearing the news, and that it doesn’t change what they have to do.
Mitama and Kanagi catch Iroha, but Ui saves her. She is shocked that the two of them are genuinely trying to kill them. Kanagi remarks that it is difficult for her to read the moves of several people at once. Everyone yells at the two, telling them to stop trying to kill them and to regain their sanity. Yachiyo tells Kanagi that she is supposed to always be on the straightforward and righteous path. She remembers when Tsukasa told her she wasn’t strong enough to worry about other peoples’ problems. Yachiyo pleads with her again, saying that she must remember when she was concerned about justice in the world around her. She remembers her resolution to end the discrimination against Daito as a person and as the magical girl leader of the east, and telling Ryo she can rely on her. She remembers when Ryo told her that her commitment to doing the right thing was dazzling. Kanagi tells Yachiyo she knows what she’s saying, but it doesn’t matter anymore. She has failed again and again focusing on the present, so she has abandoned the current Kamihama in favor of the future Kamihama.
2-3
Kanagi reads Yachiyo’s movements, and gains the upper hand against her with a powerful combo. Kanagi’s magic pattern has changed, and resulted in growth for her unique magic; she can now predict her enemies’ movements. The fight moves inside the building, and Iroha and Tsuruno check to see if Yachiyo is okay. Felicia rushes to help Yachiyo, but Mitama stands in her way. Felicia says that if she’s going to bully Yachiyo, she won’t forgive even Mitama. Mitama says that they aren’t concerned with being forgiven; the only thing that matters is if they can bring destruction or not. Felicia tries to dash past Mitama, but is incapacitated by her adjustment. Iroha, Ui, and Tsuruno face Kanagi, but she disappears in front of their eyes. They detect her magic behind them, but it’s too late. Ui manages to save their lives with her swallows, but they are downed for the moment. Yachiyo fights against both of them together, and says they saved her for last because they know she’s the most dangerous.
Kanagi tells Yachiyo she’s done a good job but now, it’s time for her to rest. She signals for Mitama to stop her from moving, but Tsuruno musters up her remaining strength to stop her and rejoin the fight. Before they can kill Yachiyo, they’ll have to get through her first. Ui and Iroha also both get a second wind. Yachiyo empties her mind and closes her eyes, and reads Kanagi’s strike through detecting her presence alone, that way Kanagi can’t read her movements. Kanagi’s is surprised that Yachiyo is still continuing to grow. Yachiyo warns her not to pass off her counter just now as a fluke, or she might get hurt. Kanagi says that while she’d love to kill every last one of them here, time is tight and they’d best avoid a prolonged battle. She and Mitama make a swift retreat. Felicia picks herself up, refusing to let them leave, and charges after them. She’ll make them open their eyes, just like in Decagon Ball. Yachiyo senses a trap, and tells Felicia not to touch the door. Her warning comes too late, and a rumbling sound booms through the whole building.
Mifuyu and Tsukuyo follow Tsukasa’s tracker. They find only her phone; she was using their promise as a trap, after all. Tsukuyo is devastated, and thinks that Tsukasa is severing their connection. Mifuyu tells her to pull herself together; it’s no time for crying. Just like with Kanagi and Mitama, even if she severs their connection, they can still work to reconnect them. They decide to pursue Tsukasa’s magic traces. Mifuyu overhears a news broadcast. The city government is still discussing countermeasures, and encourages anyone showing these strange symptoms not to panic, and remain at home waiting for further updates. In addition, nutrition can be supplemented via IV drips or gastrostomy, with priority based on certain conditions, so people are encouraged to check in with their local health center to see if they are eligible. Mifuyu thinks that a broadcast may be of use to them.
2-4
Shizuka and Sana are still undercover at the NeoMagius base. They heard from Iroha that their information was inaccurate, which makes them worry that they could be in danger. The others are currently taking a nap in preparation for their next moves, so Sana suggests they get out. Shizuka, however, has a bolder plan; this is their opportunity to take out Kagura while she sleeps. While she feels bad employing such a tactic, taking her out of the equation would cripple the NeoMagius. It’s unlikely they could get any information out of her, but without her the feathers would be demoralized and disorganized, and Miyuri would be unable to fight. They use Sana’s magic to sneak up on her. Shizuka strikes with the intent of giving her a wound bad enough she won’t be able to move for some time, but is startled when her blow bounces off Kagura’s iron skin. She had suspected Shizuka had infiltrated their base, and so used herself as bait to make her show herself. She knew that she wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to take her out, so she pretended to sleep while enabling her absolute defense magic. She wakes Miyuri and the other feathers to attack Shizuka and Sana. Shizuka asks Sana if she can use her magic again, but she says her presence concealment won’t work if they’ve already been identified.
The feathers surround the two of them. They see what seems like an escape route, but Kagura is waiting; she says that the route was an escape route to hell, and unleashes a barrage of bullets alongside a coordinated attack from the feathers. Shizuka stops Kagura’s barrage with her unique magic, and Sana blocks the feathers’ attack with her shield. Just when they feel a momentary relief, Miyuri rushes in with a follow up attack. Sunao and Chiharu join the fight just in time to save them, along with the rest of the Tokime Clan. Kagura isn’t quite ready to give up the fight, but Miyuri tells her that the neighbors are starting to notice the commotion. With that in mind, she lets Sana and the Tokime Clan make their escape, and gathers the feathers into the hall again for a meeting.
2-5
As they escape across the rooftops, the Tokime clan observes that the NeoMagius aren’t pursuing them, because they can’t afford to cause a scene here. Shizuka thanks the others for saving them, and apologizes for failing the mission. Sana suggests that she go back to the NeoMagius base for more information right now. Shizuka says that’s crazy; it’d like asking to get killed. However, Sana thinks this is a valuable chance to get information, and won’t back down. They ask her how she intends to get out afterwards, and she asks to make use of Chika’s magic. She gives Chika her handkerchief, and tells her to give it to Riko’s dog Mameji, who will surely track her scent and come help out. Why stop at one dog, Ryoko adds, when you can have hundreds of dogs all make a fuss at once to help you escape? Chika isn’t sure it will work, and asks for time to prepare.
2-6
Sana returns to the public hall that is the NeoMagius’s base. The commotion has already died down again. In a park near the hall, Sana sees Kagura arguing with Tatsu (a familiar NPC from the youth association). He scolds her for making a commotion at the public hall in the middle of the night, saying that the neighbors complained and she’ll be banned if it happens again. She asks him desperately if it’s true that they intend to discard the portable shrine for the fire festival. They will need it when the festival is restarted, she says, and they had promised they’d do what they could to keep it. Tatsu says there’s nothing he can do about it; that’s what the youth association and the neighborhood association decided. Besides that, the festival has been deemed dangerous and the suspension of the festival was their fault (referring to when the YA was possessed by a Witch in Dependence Blue). It’s time to face the facts and move forward; the festival is never coming back. Kagura refuses to accept this. She says the festival helped her change herself, gave her a goal, and made her life enjoyable and fulfilling. She says the youth association and the festival are her whole world, her very being; she was saved by the god of the festival. Tatsu says to her that like he and the rest of the association were telling her before, there is no god of the festival. She blurts out in the heat of the moment that in that case, she will become the god, and he slaps her. He apologizes, but tells her to think about this calmly. The only ‘gods’ for the youth association are the neighborhood ladies (a pun?) and the higher ups, and they’ve decided to stop the festival. After he leaves, she says to herself that she is calm; she was serious when she said she would become a living god. Seeing this scene reminds Sana that Iroha says that everyone is suffering and seeking salvation, but Sana doesn’t think that the NeoMagius are justified in making other people suffer to try and assuage their own pain.
Sana listens in by the public hall for a while, and eventually learns that the NeoMagius are planning on sending some members to back up Ao and Hebinomiya in Yukuni. They need this extra representatives to make sure that Ao, who has become dangerous since losing her sense of fear, doesn’t kill the eradication faction. They intend to have the eradication faction, humans who know the existence of magical girls, appear in their announcements and tell what they’ve been up to. At the same time, they will also pass judgment on them for their disrespect towards magical girls. They intend to punish them during the broadcast, but they need to send some of their own members to make sure Ao doesn’t overdo it. Sana is appalled to hear that they intend to make a show of strength on the broadcast. It gives her such a shock that she momentarily disables her magic, and Kagura and Miyuri find her.
Kagura and Miyuri corner Sana in an alleyway. Miyuri knocks her shield away, and then Kagura launches a direct barrage. Before she can finish Sana off, she is distracted by a dog, followed by a large pack of dogs making a ruckus. Sana escapes with the dogs’ help.
Chika thanks Mameji for his help. Sana’s wounds are serious, but Sunao is there to give her a some healing. Sana struggles to speak, but manages to relay the new information.
2-7
Back at the Kamihama Civic Center, Team Mikazuki was lucky they survived Mitama’s trap; so lucky, in fact, that they attribute their survival to Tsuruno’s luck magic. Tsuruno suspects that the trap was set up mostly in advance, and Mitama only added the detonation switch at the end. Regardless, everyone is safe for the time being, but it seems they won’t be able to get through to Kanagi and Mitama. They may have no choice but to rely on the Big Friendship Plan. Felicia says that even if they can’t reconcile with them, they still need to chase them to stop their plans. Yachiyo agrees, and speculates that they might be heading to the real broadcast location. Mitama seems to have used her magic to erase their magic traces, but Yachiyo and Tsuruno are astute enough to still detect them. Iroha is impressed, as she can’t detect a thing. Based on the traces, Tsuruno speculates they may be headed for Kamihama City Hall. With that in mind, Iroha concludes they must be planning on using the disaster warning speakers. They are similar to the speakers in the Civic Center, but are actually designed to reach the whole city. Tsuruno says that if that’s true, then they’ve got more to worry about than just a public broadcast; such a system could be used for the same purpose as the radio telescope was. With everything figured out, they prepare to contact Momoko and then move out when Yuna arrives. She says they had planned to come in a hurry, but ended up missing the action. Juri laughs at Mikazuki for looking pathetic covered in dust from the collapsing building, which ticks off Felicia. The two nearly get in a fight, but Iroha and Yuna stop them by sternly calling their names in unison. Yuna says they don’t have room to criticize them as they’ve made no progress either. Iroha gets a call from Sana’s phone, but hears Shizuka on the other end. Hikaru expresses frustration that they have no leads on Himena, and Juri asks Shigure and Hagumu if they know anything else they haven’t said (they don’t, of course). Ui calls attention to the Union group chat, where Himika has posted a message that has gotten people talking.
Himika posted a leaflet she found when helping out at a newspaper store. Kanoko says it definitely is the work of NeoMagius, and Manaka says she just checked her mail and found a copy. The leaflet claims it will reveal the truth of the strange incident happening in Kamihama, and that anyone interested should scan the included QR code and wait for the broadcast to start. It also emphasizes that preparation was needed to make and distribute the leaflet, meaning it was written before the incident began. They scan the QR code and sure enough, it redirects to Ao’s Dotube channel. Hikaru asks how affordable leaflets are; Tsuruno says based on personal experience that they aren’t too expensive if you limit the scope, and Yuna says the NeoMagius could very well have afforded it if they pooled their money. The distribution likely wasn’t that wide, but it could easily spread on social media given the circumstances and content.
Iroha finishes talking with Shizuka and reports the news from Sana: the NeoMagius intend to hurt civilians on a live broadcast from Ao’s channel. Promised Blood demands to know where they can find Ao, and she reports that she should be in Yukuni targeting a group called the ‘eradication faction’, whoever the heck they are. Yuna rallies Promised Blood and they depart for Yukuni at once, ready to bring Ao back and return to her a sense of fear with Juri’s flames.
Team Mikazuki prepares to head for Kamihama City Hall, but Yachiyo announces that she will be leaving the front lines for a while. She says she heard from Momoko that the Big Friendship Plan is moving along, and decided to make a move herself. She’s going to go and appear on the program she attempted to decline earlier. Despite her objections, her appearance had been scheduled anyway. She’s going to be a news commentator (CG). She will even be commentating on a press conference by the mayor, and she’ll make sure to make it count (EDIT: clarified the nature of Yachiyo’s program). However, since she intends to go wildly off script, there’s a chance she could get herself blacklisted in show business. If that happens, Mikazuki Villa will lose its source of income; she apologizes in advance for this possibility. Felicia says that would be a bit of a problem.
Nayuta and Folklore are at a station. As the battle against NeoMagius continues to rage, Nayuta feels there’s no meaning in their fight when they both want to make magical girls known. Rabi says that even if the goal is the same, if the methods are different then conflict is inevitable. She adds that such a conflict may be influenced by the will of the universe, in an effort to reduce the number of people spreading the truth. Urara points out that no one has died yet, though Asahi remarks that it’s what happens after the dust has settled that matters. Sasha says that it seems at this point that no matter who wins or loses, the truth will come out; it’s what happens in that scenario that matters for their hypothesis. Tasuke prays that he is wrong.
Four hours left.
Kagome’s Interviews: San Kagura
Kagura thanks Kagome for coming all the way out to a different town for an interview, and offers her a local specialty manju that goes great with tea. When it comes to what she wants for her future, everyone already knows about her desire to revive the fire festival. That’s not all, though; she also wants to convey the charm of the town where she was born and raised to Japan and to the world. She’s taking this goal seriously; she wants to study at university and acquire knowledge useful for town revitalization and then work for local government. From there, she’ll hold various events to make Mitsuzuka a famous town. Although, the god of the festival also being a civil servant would be pretty weird…Rather, becoming a living god would be the biggest way to revitalize the town.
