Magia Record Another Story Part 2 Chapter 7: Underwater Plot
The following is a summary posted to Discord by Mochi.
Chapter 7: Underwater Plot
Episode 1
Inside of a side room / storage room of sorts, Himena is practicing magic, when Shigure and Hagumu return. Shigu is taken aback at a lump of coal, guessing Himena failed to synthesize yet again. Himena has been working hard to get her own magic to work, but is still failing to make progress. Himena was able to send Hagu's unique magic to Shigu through her magic before, but she hasn't been able to synthesize objects. Hagu says she brought everything to make curry for her, wondering what she wants to do with it. Himena wanted to try using her synth magic to cook, but she isn't sure if that's a good idea now.
Himena apologizes for making them go shopping, but Hagu says they learned some interesting things while they were out. Every group believes Himena is dead at this point. Himena says she will tell San they don't have to hide in the base any more if that's the case. Shigu asks how Himena can just stay at home. Himena says her parents pretty much just let her do her thing, and her school is all online classes, so she can just hide easily. After a little teasing about Shigure caring about Himena, Shigu reveals that Union and PB are about to have a final battle.
Himena gets excited upon hearing the news, and decides to try to cook curry with her magic after all. Shigu is worried about it exploding again, but... It explodes again. San and Miyuri rush in to see if Himena is okay. Miyuri thought they were under attack, and San notices food splattered across the floor, but decides it's better to not ask. Himena explains she's trying to use her magic to synth food together, since Hiko said trial and error is important, but she's not doing so well. San has had enough of the error part, and sternly says from here on she's going to help Himena train her magic. Himena is grateful, but doesn't want San to go brutal on her, knowing her reputation as being hard to train with. San reluctantly agrees.
As San understands it, Himena can already synthesize magic from person to person, so the purpose of their training is to get her to synth physical materials. Flashback to Shigu and Hagu transferring magic to take out a witch. Although Himena's magic is very temporary, she wants to gain more uses out of it, given how useful it is.
Miyuri interrupts, saying that Mitsune is able to use her unique magic while doppeling, so maybe Himena can too. Himena thinks that might work, but given they're in Takarazaki, doppels aren't an option. San disagrees, saying that while she has nothing against doppel use, Himena's magic is super delicate, so even with a doppel it may not work. She continues, saying that Himena's magic is unstable unless she uses it on others, so she needs to learn how to both use it in battle, and keep it stable. And if she learns to use it in battle without issue, day to day use won't be a problem any more. Shigure remembers having training like that back when she was a black feather.
San then asks Himena what kind of image she had in her mind when she gave Hagu's magic to Shigu. Himena says just the usual stuff that's on her mind. San figures this must be her problem - Himena doesn't concentrate on her unique magic while using it, so she needs to carefully imagine who or what she's working with. She further explains it to Hagu as telling someone to do a breaststroke. If they can't picture what a breaststroke is, or how to even swim, they'll fail. Himena's first task is to stabilize her unique magic by picturing her magic and its purpose in her mind - and by starting with taking out a witch, of course. Himena protests that she isn't into the whole PE thing.
Fast forward to a witch's barrier, Himena is struggling to take out a witch, yelling that this is her 3rd one and wants to call it quits. San tells her not yet; humans only show their true strength when sent to the extremes. Himena calls her a meathead and an idiot, clearly frustrated with the whole situation. Miyuri stutters that even if she is the princess, she can't talk to San-sama like that.
In battle, Himena tells San that it's time. San tells Shigu and Hagu to step up. Himena synths Hagu's witch killing power back into Shigu and sends her off to finish the witch.
The barrier fades, to Himena's surprise, and ShiguHagu sigh and say they're exhausted. San says she can tell Himena used her unique magic a bit faster this time, and it seemed more stable. Himena says she imagined the light of Shigu's magic being placed into Hagu like a container, which made it seem easier to focus on this time.
Himena brings up that San insisted on witches, knowing that she could have trained against familiars instead. She has a feeling that San chose to stick to witches. San is impressed that Himena figured it out, and tells Miyuri to bring the grief seeds they collected. San then says stage 2 of the training is next. Himena is shocked that this still isn't over yet. San says of course it isn't, because Himena has yet to synth an object, but the training will wait until tomorrow.
After realizing how late it is, San tells Himena it's time to head home. She also brings up that Sasha is coming to Takarazaki tomorrow as well. Himena says yes, but is there something wrong with Sasha coming? San says no, she just thought it would be convenient for Sasha to also be here for tomorrow's training.
Himena and the instructor meet again the next morning. San begins explaining the next step of the training. She goes over how Himena learned to stabilize her magic by focusing on an image of her magic, so now she's going to apply what she learned by synthing objects. Since this will use a lot of magic, the grief seeds she earned yesterday will come in handy. Just as Himena is ready to start, Sasha enters. Himena asks her to lend her some magic.
Fast forward to Alexandra getting the full explanation. She says that her magic of weakening her enemies is great for this, since she reduces harm to her enemy and the changes her magic make are easy to see. Himena figures this must be why San wanted Sasha here with her. Sasha then asks if Himena wants to try synthesizing her unique magic into a broom sitting in the room, since just tapping someone on the shoulder with it should drop their willpower with her magic.
Himena thanks Sasha, and also includes Shigu and Hagu, who figured they'd be getting volunteered anyways. Himena then confirms that after she synths Sasha's magic into the broom, she gets to hit them, right? Hagumu shrieks in surprise, but Alexandra says a light tap on the shoulder would do. Shigure starts to get worried...
Himena begins synthesizing Sasha's magic, then taps Shigure, making her flinch. She asks how Shigu feels, absolutely certain that Shigu has lost her willpower this time. Shigu says nope, still feeling fine. Himena protests, saying Shigure definitely looks worse for wear, but Shigure says that's only because they've been at this for several hours now. And besides, having no motivation is her default state, so picking her was a mistake.
Himena was well aware of that, but asks Shigure to shout out loud just to make sure. Hagumu faintly cheers her on, so Shigure shouts that she feels just fine! Himena is disappointed, and Shigure is even more tired after yelling. Himena turns her eyes to Hagumu now. Alexandra stops her, thinking maybe she should try changing the magic she synthesizes, since it's important to try different things. Himena agrees, but Hagumu's magic can't be tested where they are now.
Himena asks what would happen if Miyuri's magic was put on someone else. Miyuri says she hasn't really used it on others, but when she goes unconscious, things fly by her and she experiences everything super fast. San continues, saying if that broom has Miyuri's magic on it, sweeping with it will feel like you cleaned the room in an instant. This idea motivates Himena into trying again.
Fast forward, Himena keeps trying, but each sweep with the broom just feels normal. Shigu and Hagu both say that it feels more uncomfortable to use as time passes, but they can't tell if that's the magic or not. The broom keeps getting people's magic mixed into it, so that might be what's making them uncomfortable.
Himena then asks what San's unique magic is. She says it's a type of defensive magic, but one meant for combat, not here. Miyuri chimes in, saying it's really powerful in battle (Okay F4 I get it let me have her already). Shigure apologizes that her magic can't be tested here, but Himena says it's her fault, not Shigure's. Plus Hiko-kun doesn't know anything about mahou shoujo, so he can't help.
San suggests a little change of scenery to help out. She suggests Himena come help her at the community center, explaining that she helps local kids, but the place is short-staffed. Miyuri says they have games and food stalls, too, so it's pretty fun. San's beef stew especially makes it great. Alexandra says that sounds just like a festival. Sasha asks why would she go just to put in work. San explains that when you feel stuck, moving your body helps out. Himena gets it and agrees to help San out. San says as thanks, she will add whatever Himena wants to the menu tomorrow. Himena picks curry.
Everyone says their goodbyes for the day, and Shigu and Hagu note they have to go back to Kamihama soon. San asks the two of them if they can stay a little longer. She wants to know what this "uncomfortable feeling" was that Shigure had earlier.
Episode 2
Nanaka and company are discussing the final battle between Union and Promised Blood. Despite Akira and Meiyui being members, they are not participating since they were not chosen by the Kimochi. Nanaka, however, doesn't trust the rules laid out by the Kimochi. Though they are Kimochi, they were originally witches, so there's no telling what they are really thinking.
Kako is worried about Felicia and Ayame, and Meiyui is worried about their team, since Promised Blood originally vowed to kill all mahou shoujo in Kamihama until the Kimochi interfered. Akira adds that PB also knows where everyone lives, so anything could happen at this point. Nanaka mentions that Shizuku was being targeted specifically because of her unique magic. No matter how they look at it, staying in Kamihama is dangerous at the moment.
Meiyui mentions there's somewhere they can go with the help of the Blue Seas Family, someone who used to be a competitor, but now also aids people just like her own organization. Their place is located in Takarazaki.
Now at Takarazaki City, Kako mentions she heard Iroha's parents live here from Felicia once. Sighing, she wonders if they're all doing okay. Meiyui tells her she worries about others all the time, but Akira understands since 2 Union girls are now dead, plus countless more wounded. Nanaka also heard about Himena's passing as well, so now Neo Magius is nothing but a mob without a leader.
They arrive at the organization's place, introducing themselves to the guy Meiyui mentioned before. He tells them to drop the formalities, since the Blue Seas Family are like siblings to them, so helping each other is only natural. He tells them to make themselves at home and will get called when it's time to eat. Nanaka insists they do something to help out, but the guy says they can't have a daughter of the Blue Seas Family working as a maid for them. Meiyui says to also drop the formalities, since she doesn't want to be indebted while carrying the Blue Seas name. The guy mentions that there's a community event approaching, one that's meant for little kids and is like a festival of sorts, if she wants to help with that.
Over to Himena, who is cleaning a warehouse, but is pissed that she's had to work 2 days in a row and hasn't made progress on her training. She was using the broom for magic, but now it's just for cleaning. She apologizes to the broom for all the wear and tear it's gotten thus far because of her failures.
Back to Nanaka's team. They're heading to a warehouse behind the community center to get supplies. Kako has heard this festival has some good food, making Akira get hungry. They sense a mahou shoujo nearby, but Nanaka's magic isn't detecting an enemy, so she's at least less worried about it. They reach the warehouse, ready to get to work since they're getting a free dinner out of it. Meiyui reminds them that they still need to do their best work for this organization, even if they are like siblings. Akira is more worried about what dinner is going to be, though.
Himena is coughing inside as she sweeps the warehouse, when she detects mahou shoujo approaching. Nanaka's team enter, looking for grills they needed for cooking. Himena recognizes them, and talks to Hiko-kun. She's never met them, but heard about them from Shigu and Hagu. She tries to find somewhere to hide, but knocks something over, alerting Nanaka.
Meiyui and Nanaka know that's Aika Himena going by the descriptions they heard. Kako asks if she's a ghost. Nanaka says it'd be fine if she was, but it's more likely she's still alive. Meiyui says she wouldn't be surprised if other girls had the ability to fake their own deaths. Akira is certain she's hiding all the way in Takarazaki for a reason, so Union needs to find out about this. Meiyui mentions they have no idea what she could be planning.
Himena agrees with Hiko-kun that these aren't girls who were fighting in the Kimochi battles. If she attacks them and sends them to the Kimochi barrier, they can just escape and tell Union what's going on. She searches for magic, but can't sense San nearby, so she has to come up with a plan on her own.
Nanaka is arguing with the team, saying her and Kako have no reason to go risk their lives to report this. However, the risk of being targeted is high anyways, so maybe they should go ahead and do it. Kako agrees with her reasoning to help as a girl from Kamihama. Nanaka says it's best to leave immediately, since they don't want to be mistaken as Union girls.
Himena decides that she might as well use the Kimochi rule to send them away, since she can run and call San, then kill them all before they escape. She transforms and immediately attacks the team.
Himena's attack grazes Nanaka, but surprisingly (to Himena) she isn't sent to the Kimochi barrier. Nanaka is wondering what in the world Himena is trying to pull. The rest are wondering telepathically what she's doing attacking them out of nowhere, unless it's to use the Kimochi rule. Meiyui asks Nanaka what the plan is. Nanaka says it's best to try to clear any misunderstanding and prove they're not from Union.
Nanaka asks Himena why she suddenly attacked them, being a girl from Takarazaki. They have no intentions of hunting witches in her territory, so Himena doesn't have to worry about them. Himena isn't buying the dumb act, knowing they're from Kamihama and will snitch on her. Nanaka reassures her that they're not a part of Union, but Himena doesn't care - word in Kamihama travels too fast, so even one girl knowing where she is will spell doom.
Akira isn't sure why the Kimochi rules aren't being applied to them, but wants to leave ASAP and report to Union. Nanaka agrees - they could save countless lives by reporting Himena is alive - but they also can't risk future retaliation from Neo Magius. Nanaka asks Meiyui if she can make Himena believe they've never met before. It's 4 to 1, so the odds are in their favor to make this work. Meiyui figured Nanaka would ask that.
Meiyui says she needs to touch Himena to make the magic work, so she needs them to create an opening. Nanaka tells them to steel themselves, since there's no telling what the Neo Magius leader could try. The mission is so alter Himena's memory and forget they met, report her being alive to Union, and make staying alive top priority.
Kako and Akira attack first, getting a hit in on Himena. Nanaka gets a hit in as well, leaving Himena vulnerable for Meiyui. Meiyui strikes, and a light flashes. Himena is untransformed in the warehouse, forgetting something. She then remembers she had to start cleaning the place.
The team make it outside, celebrating how useful Meiyui's falsifying the truth magic is. Meiyui says that the magic isn't a one and done solution, though. If Himena grabs the tail (figures out the real truth), the magic is over. They need to get back to Kamihama before that happens.
Suddenly someone steps in their way. San approaches, saying she was worried that Himena was late returning, so she came to check on her. It seems to her this group has been acting maliciously towards Hime-sama. The magic they were talking about sounds quite powerful, but all magic has loopholes.
Episode 3
San states she didn't quite catch the whole story, but knows it involves manipulating perception or changing the truth. She laughs, understanding that Meiyui is good at keeping a straight face. Meiyui threatens that it is 4 against 1, but San says she's not alone here. Himena then runs in, wondering why San called her over here telepathically. She's still mad, but only because she was in the middle of cleaning the warehouse (again). She stops, wondering what is going on. San asks if she remembers these girls. Himena suddenly remembers, knowing that she's in trouble if they know she's alive. Meiyui disappointingly repeats that if the truth is found, her magic wears out.
Nanaka isn't about to give up, however. She asks Meiyui if she can use her magic again. Meiyui needs both of them to be close together if she's to alter them both, but they have grief seeds left if they're successful. Akira and Kako are ready to repeat their part as well. San smiles, saying they need to come up with a punishment for what they did to Himena.
Battle begins. San quickly takes note that they're trying weak attacks over and over to gain an advantage. She tells Himena to keep her distance from them. The team realize that San is weary of whatever Meiyui's magic is, and they can't close the gap. Akira can't find any weaknesses with San and her gatling gun. Nanaka wants to retreat, but in this situation all they can do is hold out and try to figure out another way to alter their memories.
Nanaka thinks to herself that they absolutely need to report this to Union, so sending Kako back alone is an option while they hold out. However, there could be more Neo Magius waiting, so sending her is too dangerous. Priority #1 is the lives of her companions, after all.
San figures that the kung fu girl's magic must be a touch spell just like Himena's, so the rest of them are trying to create an opening to let her through. Himena hates that they have such good teamwork. San thinks to suppress them with her gatling while Himena calls for backup, but she isn't sure if she can hold all 4 of them off. Himena doesn't approve of that plan, and is disappointed in herself for not being able to improve her magic...
Himena is now exhausted, and San knows this isn't going well for them. San knows the enemy wants to escape to Kamihama to report Himena's living, but despite San taking up a defensive position, they haven't made any attempts to send someone away. San thinks there's still plenty of opportunity to turn this fight around, but Himena is at her limit. The enemy is skilled and has great teamwork, so winning is going to be difficult at this point.
San tells this to Himena, who is rightfully pissed, but San continues that dying is not the best option, so they might want to retreat. Himena says this fight is just as hard as San's training, and while she wants to keep the advantage for the sake of supremacy, retreating is probably the right idea. Himena suddenly remembers San telling her that humans are at their strongest when sent to the extremes. She agrees with Hiko-kun that while taking a gamble like this isn't like them, they've both come to an agreement that this is the best shot they have at ending this fight. She let's out a signature Kyaha★ and tells San she has a request.
Himena asks to let the kung fu girl near her for just a few moments, since she just remembered San's words. San asks what she plans on doing, and Himena replies she's going to use the broom. San is impressed with Himena once again, and will do whatever Himena tells her to. Himena begins darting right for Meiyui, taking her by surprise. San keeps firing towards the rest, preventing them from helping Meiyui. The team wonder what the heck Himena is doing charging head on, especially with a broom in hand.
Himena notices Meiyui falter for a moment and grabs her. Himena takes a chance and tries synthing Meiyui's magic into the broom, and then takes a swing at them with it. Suddenly everyone is back in their school uniforms, oblivious to what just happened. Akira remembers they were heading to the warehouse, and Kako isn't feeling well.
Meiyui knows instantly that something is wrong. She doesn't know what, but has a gut feeling, like her memory just fogged up. Something similar to her own magic. Nanaka asks Kako if she can use her unique magic to recreate what just happened. She tries, but fails. Meiyui is certain that someone has messed with their memories. Nanaka thanks Kako for trying, and decides for them to leave Takarazaki immediately. She then apologizes to Meiyui for cutting this visit short, but things appear dangerous now. Meiyui agrees with her, and Akira and Kako feel uncomfortable about what's going on.
Himena and San return to the training room, shocking Shigu, Hagu, and Alexandra with the bruises all over her. Miyuri is in tears, worried about poor San-sama's legs. Himena says a lot has happened, but she mastered her magic!
Fast forward through explanation, and everyone is impressed. Shigu says the whole thing sounds straight out of a manga. Himena offers to demonstrate, so Hagumu offers her a dustpan to try it on. She places Sasha's magic into it, taps Shigure with it, and... Shigu is still the same. Miyuri guesses the power only comes when she's in big trouble. San suggests trying it on the broom again instead to eliminate any outside factors.
Himena transfers magic again, taps Shigu once more, and... Shigu says she feels herself losing her energy. Everyone celebrates the success. Hagumu wonders why the dustpan didn't work, so San borrows the broom and senses it. She feels Himena's magic inside of the broom, saying it appears that there's conditions to making her synthesis work.
Himena wonders what conditions there are. Maybe both targets have to have magic in them? But she doesn't remember putting her own magic into the broom. Hagumu thinks it has to do with what they felt before. Flashback to ShiguHagu being asks to stay behind with San for a moment to explain Shigure's uncomfortable feeling she had before. San has been thinking about that, and figures Himena has been slowly putting her magic into the broom since she started training without realizing it. Himena agrees, since she's been treating the broom like a partner. Alexandra wonders what that has to do with anything.
San wonders if Himena can put some magic into the dustpan now. She channels magic in it, then touches Alexandra, starting the synthesis again, taps Hagumu with it, and...she also begins losing energy. San is happy all this hard work paid off despite the difficulty. Himena thanks everyone for helping her. She's now ready to move on to the next step of her plans. She talks to Hiko-kun again, saying they're now set to get to the top and spread mahou shoujo supremacy, and gives another kyaha★
Nanaka has prepared somewhere for the team to hide out now that they're in Kamihama. Meiyui is impressed at the connections Nanaka has, but Nanaka politely shakes it off as being no different from Meiyui having her own connections. Kako feels very exhausted even though she hasn't done anything today, but the bad feeling she has is keeping her down. Akira suggests they go buy some snacks before heading back. Meiyui wants to say Akira is too carefree, but agrees with her on that idea. Nanaka agrees to getting some sweets.
Suddenly Nanaka senses something - the presence of an enemy. She feels it's similar to the mahou shoujo she sensed when she first arrived in Takarazaki, but didn't recognize it as an enemy at the time. Whatever happened, the same presence is now being marked as her enemy by her magic. There's still some questions that remain unanswered about who this enemy is, but she believes now isn't the time to act. She smiles, says it's nothing, and suggests they pick up the pace a bit.