Magia Record Another Story Arc 2 Chapter 5: Confused by Good and Evil
“The girl wavers, perplexed by the words that linger in her mind, that won't leave...”
(Summary is by TigerEye81)
Chapter 5: Confused by Good and Evil
Episode 1: Patronage or Pride?
Shizuka finds Chiharu sulking after not being able to retrieve her Kimochi stone, after it was stolen by Himena, even going as far as looking around her school. Shizuka goes to reassure Chiharu not to dwell on it, claiming that nothing good will come from impatience. However, Chiharu says that she’s mainly upset about what Himena had spoken about earlier, following her belief that Magical Girls are superior to humans, and as the acclaimed new generation of humans, should be worshipped by them, even more so than a beloved celebrity. This set of ideals and beliefs is against what the Tokime Tribe and their Diviners live by, as the latter are proud to serve and protect their people and land. Shizuka initially tries to find reason in Himena’s words, but soon remembered Himena telling her that she believed that their factions were one and the same, of which Chiharu openly complains about, as making people bow before them has never crossed her mind. Sunao then arrives to let Chiharu know that her bath is ready, prompting her to get up and leave the room. Sunao then notices Shizuka’s quiet and conflicted expression, and asks if she is feeling ok. Shizuka expresses how she worries that their own pride may be misinterpreted as superiority, but decides to end the conversation there, still deep in thought about Himena’s manipulative words.
The next morning, Shizuka wasn’t able to sleep much, thanks to the inner turmoil still strong in her mind. She thinks about how she would have sought out Iroha for advice if this had happened before their alliance was ended, and worries that Iroha and the Union would see her as someone like Himena. As she consider seeking help elsewhere, she hears Felicia shouting in the distance.
Sunao was speaking with Felicia and Sana, who simply wanted to hang out. She reluctantly turns them away, reminding them of their broken alliance, suggesting that they should communicate with them via video chat instead. Observing this, Shizuka believes that her former allies could no longer be trusted, and decides to go for a walk to process her thoughts.
When she gets into town, her train of deep thought is interrupted when she notices someone tossing away an empty drink can. She tries to call him out, but he’s already gone. It is then that she finds herself near the park that Natsuki once told her about, and decides to stop there for a rest. Upon sitting down, she sees two brothers playing with kendamas, which makes her feel nostalgic.
The moment is short lived, however, as the brothers start having a dispute. While the older brother is simply trying to teach his younger brother how to play properly, the latter believes that his brother is making fun of him.
As Shizuka sees the similarities of one believing that they’re being looked down on, the boy throws his kendama in the trash in a fit of rage, before running off, causing his brother to chase after him. Shizuka reflects on what just happened, comparing it to her own internal battle with Himena, and comes to the conclusion that there must have been a misunderstanding. She then digs the kendama out of the trash, with the plan to clean and then return it in order to resolve their conflict. She stops briefly, wondering what she’s getting herself into, and is concerned that she is worrying too much.
Suddenly, a familiar voice grabs her attention. It’s Natsuki. Despite the friendly greeting, Shizuka tells Natsuki that they cannot be seen together, due to their different factions. With a frown, Natsuki walks away, leaving Shizuka to be riddled with guilt, only to hear her voice again, this time telepathically, as she had just gone over and sat under a nearby tree. Shizuka asks Natsuki why she is doing this, and she responds that Shizuka didn’t seem to be doing well when she saw her, but she was willing to leave if she was asked to. Shizuka worries that she’s becoming dependent again, but is unable to resist the kindness of a genuine friend, and asks for Natsuki to sit and listen to her, which she happily accepts.
Episode 2: The Answer to Good
Shizuka explains her situation to Natsuki, and that Iroha was the first person she thought about when she feared about how outsiders would see her group as the proud Diviners that they are. When asked if she had talked with Iroha about this, Shizuka claims that she feels as though she cannot, due to their separation, despite wholeheartedly knowing that Iroha would be more than willing to hear her out and support her. She has tried finding the answer to their problem herself, but her efforts have only worsened her overall mood.
After a little hesitation, Shizuka asks Natsuki if she believed that her Diviner group looked down on regular people. Natsuki claims that she doesn’t, and asks if she remembered the first time they met in the observation tower, where Shizuka had said that Magical Girls like them should be protecting the city’s daily life, and Natsuki adds that Iroha would do the same. Because even though Shizuka and Iroha have different routines and values, they both want to make everyone around them happy, and fort Shizuka, it is because she “loves humans”. Initially surprised, Shizuka confirms that is in fact the case, she just hasn’t thought about it in that way, as she lives by the belief that humans are inherently good, only doing bad things. Shizuka feels a bit better, and thanks Natsuki for her time, who suggests that she should go see her chief priest if she wants a more in depth perspective on good and evil. Shizuka is about to leave, but notices that Natsuki is not as enthusiastic as she would normally be. Turns out, not only is she in grief over Ryo, but this is her first time experiencing such a level of grief in general, and is naturally having difficulty processing it.
Shizuka admits that death regarding Magical Girls is not something her people are too familiar with. Natsuki then reveals that she blames herself a bit for not knowing any better, and that she was feeling more afraid than sad, because it wasn’t just another person’s problem. Shizuka gets concerned, and wants to tell Natsuki not to be hard on herself, but figured that she may not want to hear that. Natsuki then thanks Shizuka for listening, as she was reluctant about discussing her feelings with the Union. Shizuka wonders if there was more that she could have done, but Natsuki assures her otherwise, and that she is a good person for caring about her, despite her own struggles. With Natsuki’s signature catchphrase, the two part ways.
Shizuka greets the chief priest upon returning home, who notes that she looked happier than from when she left. He then asks if Shizuka has found her answer, making her remember Natsuki’s advice. Shizuka shares her theory on innate goodness, and the priest says that a follower of Confucianism once preached about that as well. When asked for an explanation, the priest brings up the idea of everyone having four sprouts, each representing a quality that makes a human inherently good, but they can become evil if they fail or choose not to nurture these sprouts. Even so, it is still possible for an ‘evil’ person to become good again. This encourages Shizuka to go out and put more effort into doing good. The priest frowns, and tells her that those that are ‘evil’ are in more need of saving, than people that are considered ‘good’. Shizuka admits that she thought it would be the opposite, and the priest says that she will one day understand what he means by those words. He then notices the kendama that Shizuka had brought back, who claims that she grabbed it spontaneously out of innate goodness.
The next day, Shizuka returns to the park with the cleaned kendama, hoping to find the brothers in the process of making up. She wants to hand it back herself, but also considers leaving it behind for them to find it. As she walks around, she spots the same man from yesterday littering again. Annoyed, she begins to shout to him, but is interrupted by loud honking. The younger brother was in the direct path of an oncoming truck, and Shizuka dreadfully knew that she wouldn’t be able to make it in time. Just before disaster struck, the litterbug jumped in and pulled the boy away at the last second, before proceeding to berate him for running onto the road. Taken aback by the harsh scolding, Shizuka goes up and asks the man why he saved the boy, even though he was yelling at him. The man responds that it was naturally the right thing to do. Shizuka realizes that someone can still be good, even if they do bad things, or are in a bad mood. Shizuka then tells the man not to litter anymore, due to him being a good person. He is surprised for a second, before taking his leave.
Shizuka looks back on the lesson she was taught earlier, and briefly becomes embarrassed to have momentarily forgotten about it. She checks up on the boy, who is thankfully unharmed, but upset. He admits that he ran out onto the road because he wanted to get the kendama back and apologize to his older brother, but was worried that it got taken away by the garbage truck. Shizuka apologizes, and hands back the kendama, and when asked why she cleaned it, she shares that she saw the brothers’ fight yesterday, and thought that cleaning it would help them make up. Touched by her kindness, despite being a stranger, the boy thanks her and goes back home.
Shizuka smiles as she reflects on everything she had learned over yesterday and today, and vows that she will not be led astray by such words like Himena’s again. She reaffirms to herself that even though she and Iroha are proud in their own ways, and using different methods to find themselves, neither are to be considered inferior. Shizuka proudly proclaims that even if she is misunderstood, her desire to protect people is not the same as looking down on them.
Episode 3: Is Breaking Evil Good?
The next evening, the Tokime tribe managed to defeat the Neo Magius, and get all their members back. Sunao and Chika were injured badly, but thankfully still alive. Back at the temple, Shizuka orders for her two companions to be carried to safety, and to have someone stand by them until they eventually wake up.
After they had been taken care of, one member who is deeply ashamed for her betrayal, tells Shizuka that she is willing to accept any punishment that awaited her. Shizuka thinks for a brief moment, and tells the member that even though they share the same pride, their thoughts may not be, and takes fault for not seeing that sooner, before reminding the member of her speech that she gave while onstage, which persuaded them to disperse from the Neo Magius. With that in mind, she tells the member not to forget her mission or her pride, who boldly accepts the order, and leaves. Right after she does so, Chiharu comes into the room. Shizuka asks her if she had told Asahi about wanting to talk with her, and Chiharu confirms that she has, and that she is currently washing her hands. As Chiharu shows concern for her well being, Shizuka decides to host the private conversation in the garden, and requests for Chiharu to relay the message over, before going to rest.
Himena’s enraged remarks about Shizuka’s beliefs from earlier are like a sharp thorn in her side as she waits outside, trying to block them out. Soon, Asahi arrives, fully knowing what the discussion will be about, the unknowingly failed assassination attempt of Himena Aika.
Shizuka asks if Asahi fired with the intent to kill Himena, and she confirms that she did, believing at the time that was the ‘best’ thing to do. Shizuka knows that Himena is their enemy, but feels as though such measures were a bit too drastic, and asks Asahi if she really was so confident about her decision. Asahi is quiet for a moment, before saying that despite the severity of her actions, she felt better knowing that it was herself carrying it out instead. Shizuka realizes that in the heat of the moment at the hall, she charged at Himena with the intent to kill her, and Asahi knew this, and thus, choosing to take the act for herself, rather than letting Shizuka risk getting her hands dirty. Shizuka goes silent as she processes everything, leading Asahi to add on that she had no regrets. Shizuka is unable to convey her emotions into words, so she decides to push them back for the time being, and tells Asahi to go rest for the night.
Once she leaves, Shizuka looks back on what Natsuki said about Iroha not harming others for her ideals, and comes to terms with her actions of that night.
The next evening, Shizuka is internally battling Himena again. This time, her words are not only strongly opposed to Shizuka’s beliefs, but that she was willing to carry out any heinous act if it were for Hiko’s sake. Shizuka continues to dismiss the onslaught of hate from Himena’s mouth, leading up their eventual clash, the gunshot from Asahi, and the silence that followed. Shizuka continues to beat herself up for letting her patience run out and retaliating, when Chiharu suddenly pops up, and invites her to go shopping for a get-well gift for Sunao and Chika, with hopes to lighten up the general mood. Although happy while shopping, Himena’s words continue to linger in Shizuka’s mind, but she refuses to believe in them, especially after everything she has learned. Shizuka knows that Himena’s argument was wrong, but as long as she doesn’t change, neither will her resentful words.
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