Magia Record Main Story Part 2 Chapter 11

Episode 1

Summary by bigscarythings
Chapter 11 opens with Iroha in her pajammies, reflecting on/recapping events, that now they're going to grab the APS from Kyubey. She gets a text from Lavi explaining that today, at 9 AM, Tasuke (Nayuta's father) will be explaining what he’s learned about magical girls over at the aquarium.

Cue the title drop.

Later that morning, Kyubey approaches Kagome off in the marina near the aquarium, remarking that her desire to spread the megucapill hasn't changed. Kagome says yes, as long as magical girls are a thing and fighting witches, the world should know their suffering and sacrifice, just for the possibility of hope that people will become kinder as a result. After all, looking at what happened in Kamihama last chapter, Kagome has hope that this can come to pass. Kyubey, however, warns about the Will of the Universe theory - if that theory is correct, then Kagome's wish could threaten the lives of countless people. But Kagome says that Folklore is having a change of heart, and so she believes there is hope for the future, too.

Iroha enters the scene, saying Yachiyo and company are running behind, when her eyes land on Kyubey. Kyubey knows what she's about to ask and says no, he's not giving up the APS - as long as megucas don't want to witch out, he won't back down, and he slinks away. Iroha figured it didn't hurt to ask, though they expected such; for now, they all plan to gather in the Folklore aquarium to regroup and strategize.

Kagome ponders on the fate of the APS, saying all this tension has made her uneasy...

Along the way, we see Hinano and Ao at Ryo (and Ikumi?)'s grave. Hinano thanks Ao for having come; Ao says she doesn't deserve thanks, but she is glad to finally give a proper apology to Ryou.

Meanwhile, at the temple, the Buddhists wrap up their sutra reading. Ryoko seems to say that Sakuya was of a different denomination/temple, so this was more an indulgence for Ryouko. Charu wonders if that's kosher, but Ryouko says it's not so much the specific religion that matters - something like it's not about who you pray to, but who and what you pray for.

Now at the aquarium, Tasuke recaps his side of Arc 2 - that he was researching how to save megucas before bailing out, and the rest is history. But, as Nayuta points out, the events of Chapter 10 turned him and Rabi and friends around, and they all found a new hope. Casualties from the whole shindig have been remarkably low, going against expectations, and everything turned out fantastically.

Perhaps suspiciously so, a scowling, skeptical Rena points out. Sana, looking frustrated, also says that none of this mess would have ever happened had Neo-Magius] collapsed when it did, without being revived...and gives a very pointed glare at Sasha. Himena stands up for Sasha, saying she and Hiko are the ones responsible for NM's doing, and Sasha stands up for her in turn, given she was the one to revive it to begin with. But Tasuke says no, he's responsible, given he cocked up the Will of the Universe idea anyway. Rabi says she and the Folklore gang are also responsible because they took his theory for granted, but Tasuke won't have any of that - as the adult, he was the one who had authority over them and led them into this.

Despite his grave missteps, however, he begs the megucas gathered to take the Folklore girls under their wing - as does Nayuta. Yachiyo asks that Tasuke stands by them until the end from now, and he assents, saying he'll finish his book and do everything he can to support all of megucakind. Nayuta will help him, too. That settled, Yachiyo agrees to work with Folklore, as does Ui and Iroha; Felicia has her misgivings, but figures sure, why not. Himena says she'll work with them, too, and so does Shizuka - now that Asahihas returned to the fold, she won't let her go again! And Yuna also says that Urara has been well-accepted by PB, so it's all good to them. Nayuta is happy to see everything working out so well…

(So clearly, disaster is going to strike)

With all that fuss resolved, Livia arrives at the aquarium, remarking on how many people have gathered - not just the faction leaders like she'd expected Iroha notices her and thanks her for helping breaking Himena's hold on the city. Livia's had enough with everyone thanking her left and right, though - even Himena came crying and apologizing to her! It's all too much, really; to her, it was just business as usual.

But with the Folklore stage of the meeting over, Livia wants to talk about Mitama and Seventeen Nights They're still missing, but Sudachi gives the big Fumu bomb - everyone goes "wtf" but Yozuru translates, saying they've tracked down MitaKana's location, and asks that the three of them be entrusted to retrieve the duo, and ask that everyone conveys their feelings about Mitama and Kanagi, all for a plan Puella Care has in mind. As this goes on, Momoko and Mikage insist they join Puella Care, too, but Livia says now is the time for darkness, not light - Livia vows to bring the duo back, saying Kamihama Magia Union and friends need the remaining two Kimochi stones, anyway. Momoko and Mikage ultimately agree. Iroha thanks Puella Care again for bailing them out; Livia brushes it off, saying they can repay her sometime.

Now, after a scene transition, it's time for Folklore's regularly scheduled meeting...except they have nothing to report! They just recap that the big problem here is the APS, and they need it back from Kyubey, but that depends on getting MitaKana back in the saddle. Rabi admits to her friends that she's still got some doubts that this will work out, not wanting to get her hopes up only to see them fall, but she says they'll wait and hope for now. Tasuke, however, has much more to do than just sit on his thumbs - in this case, he needs to get his long-due health exam! It turns out Dr Satomi's (Touka's father) excuse for keeping him under hospital arrest wasn't insincere after all - Tasuke does need a health exam...but says he'll be fine, that surely, his brother is just overreacting…

The next day or so, Rabi awakens Nayuta with the sound of a clanging pan, just like old times Nayuta whines that it's a holidaaaaaay, but Rabi says they need to be on top of their game even then! Still, Rabi's energy is a good sign that she's feeling better - she asks Nayuta what she wants for breakfast, but Nayuta yawns in response; Rabi scolds her, saying she mustn't stay up late on her phone, but that's not what was happening - Nayuta, looking determined, bolts up to her room, getting a little chuckle out of Rabi.

When Nayuta comes back, it's with a badge in hand, with her, Rabi, and Mikage drawn on it - she was making a handmade Team Nayupapa Search Party good luck badge for Rabi! Rabi points out that they already have such a memento by Mikage, but Nayuta wanted to make one herself, featuring the three of them. So if Rabi ever feels hopeless or scared again, all she has to do is look at that badge, and remember that she's not alone - she has Nayuta and Mikage always by her side.

Rabi says she's gotten over the resignation thing, but Nayuta admits she's worried that Rabi will disappear - she's already lost her mom in the divorce, then her dad disappeared, and even though he's back now, he had to go to the hospital just the other day... So if Rabi goes away, too...

Rabi takes this to heart and sincerely thanks Nayuta for the badge. She suggests that she and Nayuta visit Tasuke today, and also says that Tasuke says he's not worried about his health himself. And just then, Mikage arrives at the house, too, with her signature "Naaaaaaaaaayuuuuuuuutaaaaaaan!" cry - and so the whole gang is back together!

Now onto Iroha and Ui, who are going to the hospital to meet with Mifuyu, with Yachiyo seeing them off. They want to see if they can communicate with Touka and Nemu, now, since they've apparently healed up some - they want to see if they're conscious somewhere inside their coma…

Iroha, Ui, and Mifuyu meet on the hospital campus. Mifuyu is slightly delayed, having looked more into Mirrors - and reports that Karin is gone. Specifically, a copy in Mirrors mentioned that Karin breached the labyrinth all alone; Mifuyu didn't buy it at first, but a Sakae meguca looked into it and confirmed. But no matter where they investigate, they can't find any trace of her.

Iroha asks if there's anything she can do to help, but Mifuyu tells her not to worry about it. Just then, Sakurako shows up, having sensed Iroha and Ui's presence. She says Touka and Nemu will be happy to "see" them again. Ui wonders if maybe they'll wake up if they use telepathy, but alas, no matter how much they talk, no dice. Ui asks if they're really okay, and Sakurako says yes, the trauma has completely healed and there are no abnormalities in the bloodwork, as well as various scans. And their soul gems are perfectly fine, too...

Sakurako simply tells them all to wait and see. Ui wonders just what it was that TouNemu did... Mifuyu wishes they had at least explained things to everyone else before the Big Bang Incident. But there’s nothing to it now - IroMifuUi depart, promising to visit again soon, and Sakurako returns to her post of guarding TouNemu.

In the lobby, Mifuyu spots the Nayufam and goes to greet her, but there's a commotion going on - Tasuke assures Nayuta that it's just a simple exam, he'll be fine, but Nayuta has a terrible feeling about all this, and can't stop crying... Iroha interrupts, asking if everything's okay. Touka's father insists on getting Tasuke's examined ASAP, and they depart. Rabi assures Nayuta that Tasuke's made of stern stuff, and Mikage says if she can be energetic even though her sis is gone, Nayuta can perk up, too. Nayuta remarks that Mikage is strong; Rabi gives Nayuta a kerchief, and Iroha, Ui, and Mikage step outside so Nayuta can recompose herself.

There, Iroha explains that PC is now officially off to save MitaKana, and that she, Mifuyu, and Ui had been there to check on TouNemu. Mikage seems to have doubts about this still, but Iroha assures that Livia can be trusted - and this may be something only a Coordinator can resolve. Again, though, all they can do is wait and hope... In a flashback, we get a recap on how Kyubey's hijacked the APS for a while now; he doesn't have it entirely under control yet...but he will if they don't stop him. Back in the present, Iroha reaffirms her resolve to get it back.

Now, we transition to a flashback to a certain event...yes, Call of the Open Sea! As it turns out, MitaKana seem to have gone to that very same beach now. Puella Care is rolling in by train, where we find that Livia, after unintentionally looking into Mitama's soul, found that Mitama believes that beach is the ideal place to die. Livia recaps the tragic story of the Diviner who once lived in that beachside village in the days of yore. Livia thinks that the Diviner carried a grudge against the village that denied her love and turned into a Witch as a result, and Livia also sees the parallels with Mitama.

This particular locale is significant to Mitama because of everything she and Momoko went through there - perhaps, in Mitama's mind, dying there would, in a twisted way, be a workaround for Momoko's vow that she would die with Mitama if Mitama's wish came true. Livia remarks that if only Mitama had been honest and forthright with her friends to begin with, none of this would have come to pass...

The subject of honesty prompts a question from Yozuru - she admits she and Sudachi saw Livia's past by accident, too. And now they want to know - what is Livia's purpose in this whole battle? What is Livia's endgame here? Livia is silent at first, then says if they did see her past, they would know. But Yozuru says they couldn't grasp it all; the experience was just too overwhelming. Sudachi insists, too, and Livia, finally, knowing the cat's out of the bag, decides to tell them everything.

Livia explains her purpose is to save magical girls all over the world. Yozuru affirms she and Sudachi learned such, but in her soul, they felt Kyubey as this massive, overwhelming presence in Livia. Livia supposes that yes, Kyubey would be a significant presence in her soul - because she's trying to save magical girls, and the way she's going about that is by fulfilling his mission. Yozuru remarks it truly is as they saw, then - but Livia elaborates, saying that Kyubey is running this whole system because has an energy quota he needs to fulfill to save the universe. If he fulfills that quota, then the whole magical girl project is done and Kyubey will peace out - ergo, the sooner he fulfills that, the faster magical girls and the universe will be saved. Sudachi fumus in protest; Yozuru agrees that it's a bit of a ridiculous plan - for one, it requires the sacrifice of countless megucas. Yes, Livia says, hence why they stationed themselves in Kamihama - a muggle documenting magical girls has been unheard of, along with a magical girl clash on this scale, let alone the Doppels. But Livia figured this was a good prospect for them in two ways - for one, if Doppels are a renewable energy source, and as efficient as the Witch system, that could be an ideal solution for them and Kyubey both. Second, Kagome is a girl with serious potential - by cooperating with Kyubey and protecting her as she forges bonds with all these magical girls, her karmic weight would snowball, and once she contracts, she would be a source of enormous energy for Kyubey's goals.

Yozuru puts it simply: If Kagome witches out, boom, that's a huge part of the quota met right there. And by Yozuru's reckoning, that's certainly not in line with Livia's teachings about kindness... Livia says that's why she fanned the flames of the Kimochi Bowl as she did - more fighting equals more doppels equals more test data for Kyubey. Alas, however, their energy output failed to meet Kyubey's standards, and so Livia had to fall back on Plan B - Kagome contracting and witching out (sacrificing one for the sake of many). This is what Livia meant in Chapter 7 that protecting Kagome would give them all a happy future. Yozuru ultimately supposes that may be the best solution - but Livia says no. The best solution is Iroha's - to overthrow Kyubey's control of the APS system (cue "take my revolution"), because that right there would be instrumental in saving all of megucakind. And in order to fulfill that, they need to turn MitaKana around.

In the end, Livia is doing all this for the sake of the universe - she's not being nice to Yozuru and Sudachi for their sake, but for the universe's, for the greater good. Yozuru and Sudachi say given what they saw in her soul, it all makes sense now.

Onto KanaMita - we get a flashback to Chapter 10 about them going off to destroy Himena's system; Tsuruno offering to join them, but them declining. Kanagi, in the present, remarks that her feeling was right - they can no longer walk the same roads together. They flash back again to the moment of their redemption, where Kanagi reflects that in her grief, she ignored everyone else's; Mitama adds that joy is inevitably balanced out by sorrow, and reflects on Momoko talking about how they'll figure out what to do about Mitama's wish together when the time comes.

Kanagi explains that they're here to die after stopping Himena - that they'll witch out here, a place where they'd cause the least damage. She knows Mitama wanted this place specifically, where a Diviner lost herself to her grudge, just as Mitama and Kanagi find themselves unable to escape their own. Kanagi looks to thet Kimochi stones and asks that the Kimochis within entrust themselves to Iroha and Yachiyo, and seems to sort of will their bodies for the Kimochis to control as they please, and also permits them to consume their Witch forms as well - before Kyubey ("that white tanuki") takes everything away.

Puella Care peel onto the scene just as KanaMita are about to witch out, and upon sight of the duo, instantly transform and get to work. There's normally a procedure for these things, but they have no choice but to do this on the fly, with how bad MitaKana's conditions are - they purify the girls real quick and then do a joint Coordination on them both. The mindscape resembles the Doppel talk foggy background, torn apart with twisting branch-like extremities - Livia and Yozuru remark that they sense all the duo's joys deeply entwined with sorrow - makes sense, given the Kimochis they bound themselves to.

We see grey specters of the KMU characters talking - like Leila saying that she's fed up with this whole mess about the election and corruption; the last thing MitaKana ought to do is ruin everything that's left. Rika, meanwhile, condemns Mitama for having secretly worked for the Magius, saying she's been nothing but scum - how long is Mitama going to trouble everyone? Kokoro, now, talks about how terrible it is that someone so preoccupied with how to properly mourn someone turned around and started advocating for destruction, which would cause so much mourning. Moka says she'd rather die than beg for forgiveness for something like this; Riko expresses disappointment at how MitaKana weren't kind people after all; Manaka says they're rotten to the point they should be burned up and destroyed; and Hinano's specter, finally, tells them she'll at least give them both a comfortable death - just take this potion, and...

In truth, all of that is Mitama and Kanagi's warped vision of how they think everyone else feels about them, and with all that, they conclude they deserve to die. But with a flash of light, Yozuru counters with the true feelings of their friends, gathered from the meeting the other day - first, Hinano feels so guilty for not being able to help MitaKana, while Rika talks about how safe and happy she's felt at the Coordinator's shop. Manaka feels ashamed that she never considered what Mitama might actually be going through, in all the good times they shared. Nanaka can't say she's all good with MitaKana, but says they needn't to resort to an answer so drastic. Moka asks for Mitama to continue helping her, because she depends on her; Kokoro says that given how magical girls struggle with themselves so much, they need people like Mitama and Kanagi in their lives who reach beyond their own selves and help others find their way. Riko says east-side megucas aspire to be like big sis Kanagi someday; Leila says the duo have done so much for her, and she's been wanting to repay them when she grows up. Finally, in proper Live2D form, we see Mifuyu, Yachiyo, and Iroha in turn. Mifuyu says that if not for KanaMita, no one would have survived as long as they did. She implores them to come back - for them all to live as they did before in times of peace. Yachiyo says she had asked Kanagi if she'd ever considered people outside of her, precisely because Kanagi has been so unselfish, to help Kanagi see who she truly is deep down - believing that once Kanagi say that, she would be able to find the road home. And finally, Iroha says that MitaKana and everyone can all be silly fools together - if wanting peace is foolish, then foolish they shall all be.

Under all these sincere feelings, we get a vision of the Arc 1 finale CG, with everyone celebrating the fall of Walpurgisnacht - and Kanagi and Mitama feel a belonging and oneness with everyone again...and they want to go back.

The KanaMita mindscape rumbles, but does not yet break. MitaKana aren't teetering on the brink of the metaphorical cliff now, but the roots of sorrow boring into their souls still grip tight. Livia concludes that if MitaKana wake up now, they'll still be in the grips of their grief and regrets, and will witch out sooner or later. Asked what she should do, she says Puella Care needs to broaden their perspectives. At Sudachi's questioning, Livia explains that KanaMita have been boxed in by Kamihama's issues - the stress of daily living has made them hypersensitive to the problems their loved ones go through, but has blinded them to the suffering of the broader world. And that is what they need to be subjected to.

Yozuru thinks this will make things so much worse, but au contraire, Livia says. When people are at a low as deep as this, Livia argues, the answer is not to show them goodness and light, but the horrors and ugliness of the world. (Reminds me of a certain anime scene...) The purpose is not to take pleasure or schadenfreude in their pain - but rather, in knowing what kinds of suffering and problems other people face every day, it helps put your life in perspective, in a more objective light. (My read is like, it's not exactly like "your problems don't matter," but rather, they're not the end-all-be-all of your existence, and no matter how bad it seems, you're not the only one suffering, either) The earth is but a mere speck of dust in the greater universe, and so are we - and in that light, perhaps, MitaKana can finally process and let go of their grief. So what can they show MitaKana, Sudachi asks? Simple - Livia proposes that they all walk MitaKana through their pasts and their pain.

We skip right over Yozuru and Sudachi's sequence (see their MGSes if you haven’t already) and into Livia's, who tells the tale of her past. She never knew her mom, only her dad, in an apartment in an oceanside town. Her father was fairly absent, almost always out of the house for work or recreation or some other reason, but she didn't have a bad life - her dad made sure she had money for food, she studied hard, her dad praised her. She spent most of her time in the library than out with friends, but despite being nose-deep in books and looking very different from everyone else, the others in town were kind to her . Really, the only problem was that she was poor, but life, for a time, was sweet.

One fateful day, however, she was pulled out of class with the news that would shatter her world - her dad was killed in a workplace accident, crushed to death. Her last memory of him was him coming home happy and drunk three days before his death - he was a jolly drunk, so the one and only bright spot of all this was tht her final memory of him was at least better than directly seeing a gruesome death.

Livia was sent to an orphan's home, where she met her mother for the first time after the latter flew out to see her. Her mom, however, couldn't speak Japanese, and to Livia she felt like a stranger, and didn't want to leave behind everything she knew to go to a foreign country, and chose to stay in the orphanage. In the end, her mom went home without her. In retrospect, Livia notes that despite the massive disadvantages, she might've been better off leaving with her mom. And boy howdy, she might've been right.

Livia's life went downhill from there, you see - the orphanage was a rough place to be, with two bullies having the run of the place and making Livia and other kids verbal and physical targets for their cruelty. She got into brawls with the two boys and straight up wanted to kill them, saying that if all they do is make others unhappy, why should people care if they die? After breaking up one of their fights, the woman in change (the orphanage director or something) tried to explain that the bullies, as fellow orphans, were suffering as well, and expressed that unbearable pain by hurting others, too. But that's not nearly enough of an excuse for Livia - like, so what, she's supposed to just lie back and take it, all because they're in pain? Is it because she's a foreigner, and therefore at the bottom of the pecking order, and so her own pain matters less than theirs? It escalates from there, things get heated, and the incident ends with Livia punching the director in the face. In such a rage, Livia wanted to kill the director, too - but suddenly imagined her father's brutal death, and decided to just flee the orphanage instead.

With nowhere else to go, Livia went to live with a pair of girls downtown who were in a similar spot as her. Now away from the abuse in the orphanage, she was able to see that other people had similar circumstances to her - that unhappiness and cruelty were everywhere, not just in her, and she was able to be slightly more at peace with things. During that period, she and the other girls survived by doing odd jobs for a shady guy, serving as a courier delivering messages for him. The girls eventually screwed up one job, and the man turned violent - Livia managed to escape his wrath at first thanks to a good samaritan (though her friends ended up being hurt or worse by the thug), but she made it out, all was well... She expected the police would come and arrest her, but hey, prison would be better than being stuck with that guy…

...Except it turns out the good samaritan was in with the gangster, and she falls right into their clutches.

She's taken to an old woman, the head honcho of the operation. After slapping Livia around for speaking out of turn, the lady remarks that Livia is beautiful, intelligent, with good motor skills and athletic ability... Livia silently awaits her fate, and the granny remarks that Livia must be wondering why her life is so miserable. The lady explains that, in her eyes, everyone is either a good person, or an evil person - that is the only path to happiness (of a nature). You cannot lead a good life if you are surrounded by bad people, and vice versa - and you will not survive otherwise. It's best to adapt to the circumstances you're in. The lady knows Livia's past, that Livia lived an upright life back in her home village, but her life has spiraled to the point that Livia can no longer return to as she was once was. The kind of people who thrive in Livia's world - the bullies, this gang/yakuza/whatever - are evil people. Violence, in one shape or another, is necessary to survive here. Livia has been cast into hell, now - and if she wants to live, she needs to become evil like the rest of them.

The lady has plans for Livia. Livia will be trafficked to a circus, where her talents can come in handy; meanwhile Livia's friends, who lack such talents, are sent off to fates unknown. Livia realizes, to her horror, that this was the plan all along - the courier job was a lure; she and her friends were marks for this trafficking scheme. Livia, looking sick and bitter, asks how much her wage will be, but the lady simply tells her that there's no point in cattle knowing their own price - from this day forward, Livia will no longer be considered human.

While Livia was in all likelihood still in Japan during her time at the circus ("circus"), she spent the entire trip unconscious and in the dark. By the time she came out, and in the chaos and confusion of her life, she felt like she was in a foreign land. She was made to work with magic and illusions, put through a harsh training regime. One of the few bright spots were two friends she made, like her partner, a girl who hailed from where Livia's mom came from, and a guy around their age (they're all teenagers around this point). In her time there, Livia worked with people from all sorts of different backgrounds, with terrible circumstances as well, like her partner who was also kidnapped/trafficked into this, or the guy who ran away from home to escape his family and wound up here. They often spoke of their dreams together, the guy wanting to find his own place in life, and the girl wanting to reunite with her family someday. Over time, Livia became more detached from her experiences , and was able to see things from a hands-off, "bird's eye" view.

Given the circus's ruthless regime, however, injuries were a constant problem. Several people Livia knew, including her two friends, were reassigned to different positions when they got hurt. With Livia being under such an unrelenting schedule, she never saw them again, but wondered about them. (It was a little odd that all these reassignments were happening, given that the circus wasn't that big, but she wasn't in a position to question it...) Eventually, Livia met this fate, too, by accidentally having her leg stabbed in a sword trick.

After treatment at a shady "hospital," her injury and its repercussions were severe enough that she wouldn't be able to perform again. On the bright side, she thought she could be reunited with her partner again...but while the director told her she was to be reassigned, she ended up discovering that she was about to be sent off to an unknown facility again - and she could not bear it. She wanted to be human, not an object, and at this point, she just wanted to die than be subject to another day of this abuse.

She wanted to flee, but the circus moved faster than her; she was knocked unconscious, and awoke lying in a dimly-lit room with large drawers reaching the ceiling - a hospital, she thought at first. She managed to hide from the traffickers (speaking in a language she can't recognize), wondering if she was being sold elsewhere again. Once alone, she realizes the room has an ungodly stench. She opens up one drawer - and sees the rotting face of her former troupe partner. She opens more, and sees more familiar faces, like her guy buddy, too and knows now that this is where injured circus members got "reassigned." Livia, as you'd expect, is horrified, but finds sudden grit and determination, too - to survive where her friends could not, to expose the evils of these traffickers and find some kind of retribution.

The traffickers find her and she runs and runs and runs - but a stray bullet catches her in the leg and takes her down. She collapses to the floor, her body finally giving in and surrendering to death (cue the chapter homescreen CG). Livia's life flashes before her eyes, from her father and the warmth of her childhood to the nightmare she lives now; the visions culminate in the whole "you have to be evil in order to survive this world" scene from the old lady. And in what she thinks is a dying hallucination, Livia sees a certain white creature approaching her for a contract, and Livia makes her big wish: "Make me evil."

Shortly thereafter, Livia is forcibly expelled by her Coordination by Yozuru and Sudachi, who panic that she's overexerting herself. Livia freaks out, thinking they bailed out too soon, but it's actually just enough to save Kanagi and Mitama - a good number of the tendrils of sorrow begin to fall away, with Kanagi and Mitama beginning to breaking free from their grief. Puella Care rallies together for one last push to free Mitama and Kanagi - and then the episode ends.

Episode 2

Summary by u/lego3254 on Reddit

Part 2: To a World With a Joyful Ending

2-1

After making her wish, Livia destroyed the hospital-like facility. She wanted to go and destroy the theater troupe next, but she had been put to sleep and transferred to the not-hospital, which meant she had no clue where it was. She climbed a mountain and learned that she was on an island in Japan. She visited a village on the island and tried asking the villagers about the facility, but none of them had any idea what she was talking about. Her next move was to take a ferry to Honshu so she could talk to the police, but ultimately only succeeded in landing herself in a new orphanage. There, she tries looking into the people who kidnapped her: she discovers that the man who did it has been arrested, and the old woman’s already dead. She can’t find any links between them and the theater troupe.

It doesn’t take long for Livia to start butting heads with the others at the orphanage. She’s frustrated that she’s just back to being treated badly even though she finally made it back to society. One day, a woman comes to meet her at the orphanage. She gives Livia a business card; she’s from a nonprofit dedicated to supporting kids who have been caught up in the shadows of society, which Livia says seems shady. She rejects the woman’s help, but she won’t take no for an answer.

That woman, whom she took to calling her teacher, appeared before her at the time when she had suddenly returned to her normal days and nothing felt real; from the moment they met, her teacher had no intention of letting her go no matter how much she tried to push her away. Her teacher tells her that she needs to change the look in her eyes. She doesn’t realize it herself, but she has the look of someone who’s gone through carnage, and such eyes scare the orphanage staff and the other children. Livia asks if her glare is really that intimidating; she says yeah, it kinda is. Livia says that if she’s not scared of it, then she must have been through some very hard times herself, and her teacher says that’s exactly right. Livia narrates that when she returned, she had felt detached from society. Her teacher came to connect her to the world with a soft and fuzzy feeling.

One day, her teacher brings some teaching materials to help Livia get caught up academically, and Livia gets a little annoyed. Livia narrates that she heard her teacher had once been a runaway like her, who had left her home and lived on the streets. Maybe it was because of their similar backgrounds, or maybe it was because she had a similar air to the two girls who were kidnapped alongside her, but she was the first person in a very long time who she could speak honestly to. Her teacher tells Livia about her romance troubles; she’s trying dating a man because he kept pursuing her so earnestly, but she’s worried they aren’t a good match. She hasn’t lived a life worthy of praise, while he graduated from a first-rate university and works at a first-rate company. Livia says that she’s been looking out for her; she absolutely lives a praiseworthy life. She tells her that she should take her own advice and focus on the future, not the past. She admits that she may not be very good at assessing herself. Livia says that’s enough of that, it’s time for social studies. Her teacher teases that love talks are social studies, and Livia tells her to shut it. She then offers for Livia to become her assistant and mentor other children. Livia had opened up to her without realizing, and accepted the request without knowing why. She thinks now that she had come to want to expand her relationships, since she mostly only talked to her teacher. And so she started tutoring, and it was fun for a while; however, it also became the trigger that made her discover the truth about herself.

One of the kids she tutors was hospitalized for self-harm. Her teacher says he had been getting better recently, but he came into contact with his abusive family again and it triggered flashbacks. It wasn’t just this one incident, either; ever since she came to this orphanage she saw misfortunes like this come one after another to the people around her. Seeing this, a possibility began to dominate her thoughts: it was as if whenever she tried to be kind to someone or help them, something bad would happen to them. It was the same in her work as a magical girl. She uses her Coordination to strengthen another girl to help her, only asking for a single use of a Grief Seed in return, only for the girl to die in front of her. It seemed to keep happening; the stronger her feelings for the other person, the worse suffering would befall them. As she looked at the corpse of the magical girl in front of her, she became fully convinced of the nature of her unique magic. She wished to become evil itself, and so gained the power to cause misfortune when she attempts to help someone. She had become like the shitty adults she hated, who bring misery and death while putting on a kind face.

2-2

The old woman’s words are still on Livia’s mind years later. She was supposed to become evil to survive, but she ended up living among good people again. She decided to distance herself from her teacher, keeping their relationship business-like and keeping her out of her private life. She couldn’t risk showing her kindness that may cause her suffering.

A now all-grown-up Livia is congratulated by her teacher on passing the exam and getting her high school equivalent certification. However, she asks her if she’s really okay going into the workforce now. Livia says she’s been thinking about leaving the orphanage and living on her own, not meeting her teacher’s eyes. Her teacher says that she noticed that after a while she started keeping her distance from everyone. Livia says she’s imagining things, but her teacher pushes the issue. Livia claims that she doesn’t like people and is just trying to maintain a reasonable distance. She asks her teacher not to pry anymore. She agrees, and asks her if she’s moving next month. She responds that she’s already got a place lined up, she just needs to pack. Her teacher gives her her address, and tells her to contact her anytime and tell her her new address; Livia says she will if she feels like it. Her teacher says that Livia is special to her, which she responds is weird. She says it’s because Livia was the first kid she was in charge of at her job. She apologizes for talking about something so personal. In that moment, Livia really wanted to comfort her teacher and thank her for everything she’s done, but she was too afraid that something would happen to her if she did. Acting coldly and keeping her distance was her form of kindness.

After moving, she didn’t contact her teacher again. She spent her days working at a convenience store and supporting magical girls as she refined her adjustment ability. She didn’t want to be an evil person in the world of good people, so she lived her life avoiding both good and evil; a dull, boring existence.

Sometime later, Livia is contacted by her legal guardian and told that her teacher is getting married. She realized that she wanted to know her address so that she could send the invite properly. She wonders if the man is the one they they talked about way back when; she did sound fond of him. She suspects her magic may have been stopping them from getting married; they did seal the deal not long after she left, after all. If that’s the case, then her magic was already affecting her. If the effect has already activated, then it must be safe for her to go, right…? In truth, she had really wanted to go and see the happiest moment for the teacher she was indebted to, so she found herself thinking such convenient thoughts. She attended without telling anyone, watching in secret from a distance. She thought that the sight of her teacher in bridal wear in front of the chapel was truly beautiful. She thinks that she would feel horrible to interrupt their moment, which is why she’s watching from afar. As she gazes at her teacher’s happy figure, she feels like she can see her friends who were killed by the theater troupe in her mind and says to them, “I’m living my life properly”. The bride spots Livia, and starts running towards her. Livia remarks that if she runs like that, she’ll step on her dress. However, she takes that as a sign of just how happy she is to see her, and her heart feels full. As she runs across the street towards her, Livia quietly tells her teacher to live happily for herself from now on, when suddenly…

That moment felt like an eternity, as the scene burned onto the insides of her eyelids in slow motion. A tractor tire (TL Note: not entirely sure if there is a whole tractor or just a tire), which looked so huge that it made one question how something that enormous even exists in this world, flew down the road like a bullet. It plunged mercilessly into Livia’s teacher who had a big smile on her face and brought misery. Livia watched dumbfounded as her body spun and spun through the air as if she was dancing in her pure white dress before falling into the trees. As she did, a small ring landed in front of Livia. Her teacher’s wedding ring seemed to be telling her that this was her fault, that this only happened because she came here (personal Memoria “Blessing Unto You”). “I’m so happy I could die? Don’t make me laugh…” it seemed to say.

Livia leaves to a nearby park. She asks if she really can’t be forgiven for spoiling herself even a little bit. She laments how hard it would be to live like this as Kyubey appears. Kyubey points out that her Soul Gem’s looking pretty blackened, but she seems close to accepting her impending Witchification. Kyubey has no problem with her becoming a Witch, of course. Livia already know from past experience that magical girls spend the rest of their lives fighting Witches only to ultimately become them themselves. There is no salvation in their lives; they leave nothing finished and nothing behind but curses. Kyubey tells her that’s not true; they leave behind an enormous amount of energy which the Incubators collect to maintain the universe. Livia asks if they’re saying that they create magical girls for that purpose. When she was on the verge of becoming a Witch, Kyubey emerged as if anticipating it and talked plainly about leaving behind energy for the universe. When she heard that, her head was filled with a grudge against them for using human souls, but also a bright feeling of finding hope. She found a way she can live even though every move she makes causes misery. A refreshing feeling like she’d had an awakening dominated her brain. She tells Kyubey that she’s decided to live for them and the universe. If they are gathering energy, then it must be possible for them to reach their quota and magical girls will no longer be needed. If everything she does is for them, then no matter who she is kind to Kyubey will always be the target for her curse, and she can live. In fact, if Kyubey can be destroyed than that could free magical girls as well. If Kyubey could be destroyed, then magical girls could be freed from their shitty fates, and there could be meaning in her life. She’ll live enough for those who have died, and save people on their behalf too. There are many unhappy people in the world besides her, and for their sake, she’ll fight for Kyubey. If she’s right, then eventually everyone will be saved.

2-3

Kanagi and Mitama reflect on the story of Livia’s life, which they felt as if they had experienced it themselves. Memories of lost loved ones, of kidnappings and human trafficking, of being at the mercy of larger conflicts, of clashes between ethnic groups, of being crushed by the underworld…Looking at things from a bird’s eye view, Livia did her best to live without losing to her circumstances. Even when she returned to the world of good people and found it much harder to live in than before, she kept her anger and sadness inside and used it as food to help her calmly find a solution. Mitama asks if she’s trying to tell them to do the same, and she says that’s about the size of it. She doesn’t care how they season it, but she needs them to stop feeling sorry for themselves, drag themselves out, and eat up. Mitama protests that her wish still exists, and that taking on this sadness may be the same as losing herself. Kanagi says she may be right, but there could be another way. She suggests that they destroy the sadness-filled Kamihama that exists within them, so that they can walk together and live with the Kamihama that is moving forward. They won’t allow themselves to be chained down by sadness anymore. For the sake of the future that Mikage created, they will consume their past. They face off with their dark selves. Kanagi challenges herself who closed her eyes because of her grudges, while Mitama declares that she will destroy the Kamihama that nests within her and move forward.

Red cracks appear on the dark Kanagi and Mitama as they are destroyed. Livia detects that their magic reaction has changed; the coldness is gone and the ‘roots’ vanish, indicating that they successfully let go of their sadness. Right on cue, the Unmoving Garnet Pinky attacks now that they are unprotected. Livia sends Sudachi to wake Kanagi and Mitama. They are groggy for a moment, but the Kimochi’s roar snaps them to attention, and they defeat it alongside Puella Care.

Everyone is back on the beach. Yozuru says they have no problems with magic since they purified everyone ahead of time. She says that she has many risk mitigation plans written in her notebook, which is perhaps knowledge she has gained by following a teacher who is incapable of kindness. Livia tells her not to say unnecessary things. That aside, she says the two are they saved are looking refreshed. Mitama says she was being controlled by her emotions, and thanks them. Kanagi adds that they realized their mistake, too. Livia says that for what it’s worth, she thought the emotions controlling her were noble ones. Kanagi responds that Iroha seeks happiness for everyone, and denies any act that causes sadness. She, on the other hand, affirmed acts that cause sadness, thinking them to be good for the future of the city. When she saw all of the sadness that Livia showed them, it made her realize just how big the difference between those two positions is. She once thought she and Iroha were similar, but now she feels that was a misunderstanding and a disservice to Iroha. Mitama adds that using sadness as a weapon was a huge mistake. With all that settled, Livia rushes them on their way to deliver the Kimochi stones. They have no idea how long they have left, so they need to get the APS back as soon as possible. She, however, will be resting here on the beach for a while. What she did was very mentally draining. Kanagi says she’ll pay her back for this someday and they leave.

Livia plops herself down on the beach once they’re gone. Yozuru says she doesn’t look okay. Livia assures her it’s not an issue of magic power, but that going through all her memories again took a lot out of her. Yozuru asks her why she’s kind to the two of them. Livia asks her why she’s asking that now; did you hear what I just said? She tells her she wants her to worry about her condition a bit more. Besides that, she knows the answer already; it’s all for the sake of the universe.

On the train ride back to Kamihama, Mitama talks about her choice of location. She says it’s true that the shrine maiden died resenting the villagers, but in the end, she was saved. Kanagi asks if she’s saying she actually wanted to be saved herself. She says that’s right, and she wants to live alongside everyone. That’s why she’s decided to stop worrying over her wish. She has decided that Kamihama was destroyed once within her, so now she will live and atone by creating the future Kamihama. Kanagi says she will walk alongside her, and they won’t waste the future that everyone worked hard to create.

2-4

Ui and Sana present Mikazuki Villa’s guests with a refill on their recommended calming blend of tea. Sana says they need to relax a bit at times like these to cool their heads, and the tea will help. Yuna thanks Ui and praises her for her exemplary service. Shizuka thanks Sana, and says she’s about cooling their heads. Himena asks for more sugar, and Ui is confused by her language.

Felicia is sneaking sweets in the kitchen. Kagome points out that Yachiyo will likely get mad at her; she retorts that everyone else is eating sweets so she can get some too. Kagome says that if she joins the discussion, then she’d get sweets too, but Felicia declares that she doesn’t want to go anywhere near that NeoMagius character. After all, they aren’t even getting punished like Touka and the others did! Kagome points out to Felicia that if that’s her problem then she should take issue with Yuna too. That aside, she explains to Felicia that the groups are forming an alliance as equals, so punishment is not such a simple story. Tsuruno suddenly butts into the conversation with gusto, spooking Kagome. Adding onto what Kagome said, she says that all the groups have grudges to tell the truth, so the best thing to do right now is believe in each other and give it their all together. Kagome adds that they can’t afford to let Kyubey one-up them right now, so this isn’t the time to worry about punishments.

Himena sulks a bit thinking that they’re arguing about her over there, and Yuna says it sounds like it has something to do with her too. Yachiyo tells them not to worry about Felicia; Tsuruno will deal with her. More importantly, Kanagi’s still not back…They don’t think they can make substitutes for the missing stones; Touka and Nemu would be needed to come up with such a workaround, anyhow. Shizuka asks if they can come up with something using everyone’s unique magics. Iroha says that they have Ui’s harvest magic, but it would be difficult to direct without Alina; Yuna adds that such a plan would put too great a burden on Ui. Himena brings up the topic of what will happen if they can’t get the system back from Kyubey or reproduce it. Will they all start fighting again? Everyone goes silent for a moment. Yuna breaks the silence and asks Himena what she thinks. Yachiyo says it’s sly of her to probe for the others’ responses before giving their own. Himena consults with Hiko; their thoughts are the same on the matter. If the APS was gone, then there’d be no point fighting over something that doesn’t exist; besides that, everyone has already rejected the radical magical girl supreme principle. NeoMagius just wants to spread the truth of magical girls, and all the other factions are okay with that, so there’s no reason for them to fight. Yuna agrees; only spoiled children would start fights over things that are gone. Even if there are magical girls from Futatsugi who still hold strong grudges against Kamihama, they would feel how pointless the battle is before long and return home. Shizuka says that the Tokime Clan never had any intention of fighting. All magical girls protect Japan by fighting Witches, and that’s enough for them to get along. Yuna calls her simple. Iroha’s relieved that none of them are thinking of fighting. Himena says that it’d be way too risky to throw away their miraculous peace, after all. Iroha’s glad they all came together to discuss the future and plan together. Himena suggests they stop talking about this and assume that they will get the APS and talk about what happens after that. Yachiyo doesn’t get why they’re holding the meeting if they aren’t going to discuss their plans; Himena says it’s to talk about their happy future. They hear from Kanagi and Mitama; they’re on their way back. There’s no time to waste, so they’ll make their move as soon as they meet up with them.

At the Mirrors Mansion, Mifuyu and the Amanes discuss their search. They’ve found no trace of Karin, but did discover that something is off about Mirrors. There are almost no clones in there today, and the ones that are there won’t attack…

While they are en route to meet Kanagi and Mitama at the station, Himena restarts the conversation she was trying to start before they got the message: what do they all want in their happy future after reclaiming the APS? Iroha says she wants to lessen the hardships of being a magical girl so that everyone can pursue their dreams for the future. Revealing magical girls to the world will be part of that, so that they can tell about their destinies and why they chose that path. She wants to erase the hardships of the present and avoid new ones in the future, and hopes to sow the seeds to make everyone a little kinder. Even if she can’t end all conflict, she wants to make a future full of compassion. Kagome says that answer sounds like Iroha, all right. Iroha asks Himena for her vision of the future. Well, first and foremost she wants her relationship with Hiko to be recognized. Besides that, she still intends to spread the magical girl supreme principle. Oh, but don’t worry, it’ll be milder than before. Some of the others aren’t very reassured by this qualifier. Yachiyo says that they just stopped her the other day. Sana says she can’t really laugh about this. Tsuruno sternly says that it had better not only be how they convey their message that has gotten milder. Of course, she responds, they aren’t considering making a caste system anymore; now they just want magical girls to be recognized. Sana asks if that’s for her boyfriend as well; she says that’s part of it, but it’s also for all the Feathers. The truth is, the hurdles to be like Iroha and the others are pretty high, and not everyone can keep up with them; most of the Feathers are the people who couldn’t and joined NeoMagius in their distress. She wants to be the one to look after them. Iroha says that she never thought of the arguments proposed by Touka that way before. Yuna says something to Iroha I don’t quite get about why Iroha never considered that perspective. Yachiyo asks Yuna about Promised Blood’s future. She says she just wants Futatsugi to stay at peace; in that way, her vision is close to Iroha’s. Felicia accuses her of lying; you messed me up with your magic, after all! Yuna apologizes and bribes her with expensive beef, and Felicia quickly changes her tune and tells Iroha that she’s reformed. Ui keeps things going and asks Shizuka the question. Shizuka says the Tokime Clan will continue to pursue peace and prosperity for Japan. That’s all! Oh, but no more forcing people in line with violence of course; the clan is planning on staying behind the scenes. Ui says they’ll be unsung heroes, and Shizuka says that’s exactly right. Kagome feels in that moment that everyone’s separate futures have managed to come together. They were four lines clashing before, but now they are four lights illuminating the same path. They get contact saying that Kanagi and Mitama are arriving soon, and that Rabi and Nayuta are finishing up their business and meeting up with Mikage soon as well. They decide to meet up with the five of them and bring the stones together in the neutral zone that is the destroyed Chuo Ward, with Puella Care on the way in case of an emergency.

Iroha sends a group message to all the factions informing them of the situation. She apologizes for the short notice, as this means that many won’t be able to make it, but they need to take back the APS as soon as possible.

Mikage reunites with her sister and Kanagi at the station, and bursts into tears. Mitama tells her she doesn’t have to worry anymore, because she’s not her old self anymore. Mikage tells her not to leave her anymore (I think, she seems to be blubbering); she says she won’t. Nayuta and Rabi watch the scene, both crying happy tears.

2-5

Despite the short notice, a huge number of people gather, including all the major members of every faction (except Puella Care). Iroha’s surprised, but Hinano’s not; this is just that important to everyone. Nayuta and Mikage say that everyone wants to see the miracle of their cooperation. Kanagi and Mitama apologize for making them worry, and say they’ll never be able to apologize enough; they’ve accumulated more sins…Yachiyo tells them that everyone knows their story and understands. If they were in those two’s shoes, anyone could have had a similar fall from grace. Rather than getting down on themselves about it, Tsuruno says, they should be proud of themselves for managing to come back from that. Mifuyu says she wants to walk alongside them like in the old days. The rest of Mikazuki welcomes them back as well, and Iroha says they should all walk towards the future. The pair thanks the others for their acceptance.

Ui says that with this, all the stones are finally gathered. Iroha asks if she’s feeling okay. She says she’s fine; she’s not getting an uncomfortable feeling like last time, and she feels like she can sense the location of the APS because all the Kimochi are gathering. She knows now that system exists everywhere in its range, so they can open the entrance anywhere in Kamihama. That means the time is at hand; Iroha requests everyone give her the Kimochi stones. Kanagi and Mitama go first, telling her to use them for the future of all magical girls. Promised Blood goes next. Juri says that she had various experiences that she wouldn’t have had if she stayed in her hometown; well, there was a lot of bothersome things too, but she had fun. Ao says that she took a precious life and was taken over by the Kimochi…she did nothing but cause trouble for everyone, but at least she can stop more people from turning out like her by making a new Futatsugi with her sisters. Yuna says that’s why they will entrust Iroha with their feelings along with the stones, and hopes that they can honor Sakuya’s feelings this way. Iroha says that Sakuya would surely be pleased with them. Chiharu says she only just got her stone back from Juri, but she’s glad to be parting with it so soon. She hopes the stones of fear and grief can help make a world in which those things aren’t as strong. Shizuka says that she supports Iroha’s vision for the future and will lend her her power as one who supports Japan. Shigure and Hagumu realize it’s kind of awkward that they don’t have any stones to give. Himena was planning on taking them all at the end, after all…Kagura asks if the NeoMagius will be walking alongside the others now. Himena says that’s right, but there are also the Feathers to consider, so Hiko thinks it’s important to have someone around to keep them on track(?). Miyuri says she feels like she understands. Sunao says that it’s been a long road since she, Shizuka, and Chiharu came to the big city, but everyone has finally become one. Ryoko says that it’s impressive that so many naive people managed to survive. Chika says that all those little things are miracles to them. Ranka says things are going so well it scares her; it’s as if a twist final boss will show up. Rena tells her not to set any weird flags when things are going so well. The stones begin to float around Iroha, which Rena blames on Ranka. Iroha says it’s fine; the Kimochi just want to talk before lending their power.

Iroha and Ui tell the Pleased Sapphire Lips that they always said they would take them back to the APS and reunite them as Eve. They may hold great power, but that power can be used for good things and they don’t intend to destroy them. Iroha tells the Kimochi to join them in making a happy future. Ui says that they may be part of Eve, but they are also part of her, so she’s certain they can walk together.

Mifuyu, Tsuruno, and Yachiyo speak with the Beauteous Pearl Eye, reassuring it that they won’t betray it and offering a gentle future. They say that many surprising things have happened, but those experiences have made them stronger. Tsuruno says they’ll show the Kimochis a surprising future.

Felicia tells the Depressed Turquoise Ears that remembering her parents was hard, but she doesn’t hate herself anymore because she has the role of giving blessings(TL Note: probably a callback to chapter 6 i don’t recognize, maybe check and fix later). Sana tells it that she doesn’t hate herself anymore either, because she can be of use to others through her picture books.

Momoko tells the Moving Aquamarine Heel that it’s okay, she won’t lose herself with anger. Rena gloats that they were even able to forgive and accept Kanagi and Mitama; their hearts are as wide as the Pacific Ocean! Kaede asks if she’s including herself when saying that. Rena snaps at her, proving her point. Kaede says that if the rest of them are the Pacific Ocean, then Rena’s maybe Lake Biwa at best, which makes the Kimochi laugh.

Kanagi tells the Unmoving Garnet Pinky that its concerns were warranted. As the Kimochi of sadness, it was a strong enemy in Kamihama where there was more sorrow than any other emotion. Mitama says that they themselves were overtaken by their sadness as they tried stop it from taking that sadness from them. However, it doesn’t need to worry any longer, for they have eaten their sadness and used it as their food. They will never give into to sadness again, and devour any new sorrow that comes their way.

Ao tells the Drifting Diamond Hair that she knows now that the thing she’s most afraid of is not having fear. Hikaru says that Ao had been like a machine seeking fear. She was missing part of her humanity after all, says Juri. That’s why they won’t abandon people or their emotions anymore, says Yuna. They won’t dominate people with force anymore, though. Juri complains that controlling people with fear is the easiest way to rule. “That’s not allowed, Mama!”, Ao blurts out without thinking. Juri laughs heartily and says that if her daughter says so, then it can’t be helped. Hikaru says they won’t let their fates be determined by fear any longer.

Shizuka declares to the Docile Ruby Navel that she won’t try to shoulder all the burdens of the clan by herself anymore. Sunao and Chiharu say that they will live closer to her from now on so that they can better see her struggles and share their burdens, and the head and branch families will lead the clan together. Chika says that Shizuka might have higher expectations of them now. Ryoko worries that the bar for her has been raised, but Shizuka says there’s nothing to worry about. As the blades who protect Japan, it is only natural that they should forge a strong bond like steel between them.

Himena tells the Vigorous Opal Neck that she doesn’t need it to tell her to have love; she’s already full of it. From now on, she will support the future with love and peace! Shigure says that’s nice and all, but as for how she will “support the future”…they won’t be needing any of her ‘violence of love’ any more. Hagumu adds that keeping secrets from them isn’t love either, so that’s banned now too. Miyuri says that she just recently caused problems with that stuff(?). Kagura teases Himena about her not being able to use her old methods anymore. Himena says she’s not bothered, because it’s only natural for her to stand alongside her buds. She’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with them, because she’s realized that love and respect are incredibly deep.

Iroha says they have faced all their emotions and overcome them. She explains their goals to the Kimochi. They want to create a world where everyone knows magical girls, in the hopes that girls will have less reason to contract and people will become a little kinder. She thinks that changing the hearts of humans who have not changed for thousands of years will save not only magical girls, but many people in the future. There is talk of a ‘will of the universe’ that may interfere, but they want to believe in the miracles that have brought them this far. She says she won’t do anything bad to them and will take them with to the new future, so she wants them to help. The Kimochi believe in Iroha, and all the stones combine into a single bracelet. Ui says she can detect the entrance to the APS that has opened. Yachiyo says that Iroha who holds all the stones and Ui who used to be Eve should go. Mokyu needs to go too, of course Ui says they can take as many people as there are Kimochi stones, and suggests they take all the group leaders. Iroha adds that Kagome should come too, to witness how this all ends up close. As they all head for the APS, Kagome says that she feels out of place, but very happy they let her come with (CG). Shizuka says that she is happy to be here too, as a representative of the clan. Yuna says that this is a critical turning point, and it looks like today will be a good day. Rabi says she is just praying that nothing bad will happen in her final observations. Himena says that they would make a great picture right now.

2-6

The world seems to distort as they enter the APS (it sorta looks like when you take your 3D glasses off). It looks like they are still in the destroyed Chuo Ward and and they can still see Chiharu (and the others), but they can’t touch or interact with them. It may be a created world like a Witch’s barrier, and they can’t interact with reality from within. Iroha is surprised at how large it is; it doesn’t have a source of magic energy, so she was sure it would be small. Rabi says she can feel magic flowing through the place. They follow Mokyu to the core, a cocoon with a hole in it in the middle of the street. Kyubey is nowhere to be seen, so now is their chance. Iroha and Mokyu move to become one with the core while the others keep watch.

Shortly after they go inside, there is a flash of light, and Iroha and Mokyu are trapped within a barrier. Kyubey appears and says it seems to have worked. Shizuka and Yuna ask if they were lured into Kyubey’s trap. Kyubey responds that this is nothing of the sort. They’re letting the two of them become the core of the APS just like they wanted; the only difference is that Kyubey will be part of the core too. Shizuka says that one difference changes everything. Kyubey explains that they were planning to use the method they taught Himena to gain full control of the APS, and they needed to get the energy from the Kimochi to make it work. However, there’s a limit to what they could accomplish on that front without emotions. Therefore, they waited for the magical girls to get the Kimochis under control and bring them to the APS. Kyubey, who is connected to the concept of the APS, and Iroha, who wields the enormous energy of the Kimochi. By connecting the two using Mokyu who has the traits of Ui as a hub, then it becomes possible for Kyubey to fully control the APS and the Kimochi. In other words, thanks to them Kyubey has gained control of both the APS and the mighty Witch Eve much faster than they could have on their own.

Yuna calls out to Iroha, but both her and Mokyu are unconscious. Rabi says that in that case, they’ll need to save them from on their end. Kyubey expresses their surprise that Rabi chose to work with Iroha; they thought she was just going to watch over the conflict to the end. She responds that she’s no longer a bystander; she’s going to protect the hope she was shown. Yuna and Himena say that Kyubey’s luck has run out since they’re here; it’s just the one of them, so they just need to take them out. Shizuka says that even if it’s Kyubey, she’ll fight if they intend to cast dark clouds over the future. Kyubey says they still don’t quite have full control, so they’ll resist until they do, and summons a swarm of Oscars (Eve’s Familiars). They are weak individually, but their numbers are overwhelming. As the fight rages, Ui tells the others it will be okay; just as they haven’t given up, neither have the Kimochi.

The barrier disappears, freeing Iroha and Mokyu. Iroha says she heard everything, including that they trapped them because they couldn’t control the Kimochi. Kyubey says it was unexpected that the Kimochi were able to release enough energy to destroy the barrier from inside without Iroha’s help. Iroha says that’s not the only thing they didn’t expect that will be happening today. Shizuka and Yuna say the rest of them will hold off the Familiars, so Iroha should quickly become the core. Kyubey says that they wouldn’t recommend that. She’s already pushing herself to control the great power of all eight Kimochi; if she becomes the core of the APS on top of that, even if she uses Mokyu as a hub her sense of self could be erased. Kyubey asks if she will choose to become the core regardless. Himena and Rabi take out Kyubey. They says they don’t need them trying to fool her now, and tell Iroha to go ahead and do it. Iroha says she’ll do it no matter what anyone says. She calls on Mokyu; together they will reclaim the automatic purification system, spread it to the world, and save the magical girls of the world.

Mikoto tells Alina to come take a look at the next(?) history with her. No one can be saved. People are made to end in sadness. It is providence that hope will end in despair for all people.

Part 3

3-1

Karin ventures into Mirrors alone. She hears a sound, but no one is there. She tells herself this is no time to be scared. She remembers the last time she saw Alina, and tells herself she needs to try her hardest to reform Alina. After all, she is the magical girl who opens the path to hope: she is Magical Karin! Her laughs echo through the empty halls. She is unnerved by the lack of clones, and tries to tell herself that it’s because they support her conversion plan.

She arrives at the hidden terminal room without encountering a single clone. Even there, nothing is coming at her from the mirrors connected to other times and places. Her stomach growls. Kaede appears before her, and asks if she thinks she’s the real one or a copy. She responds that she’s a clone, of course; the real Kaede is fighting her hardest against the NeoMagius right now. The copy says yes, that’s the correct answer; well done! Karin asked if she came to fight, and the copy says that she has something she wants to talk to her about, actually. First, the battle with NeoMagius is already over, which means everyone is searching for Karin about now. Second, the reason why no one has tried to stop her from exploring is because the Lord of Endless Mirrors is waiting for her. The choice is hers; will she go home to the others, or will she meet with the Lord and Alina and continue the journey? She’s scared, but she decides to keep going, because she feels like she’ll never see Alina again if she turns back now. The copy leaves to report her decision, and not long after, Karin is blinded by a flash of light. She finds herself in a different room that gives her an unpleasant feeling, with Alina standing before her.

Karin rejoices at finding Alina and hugs her. Alina tells her to stop that; it hurts. Karin asks her where she’s travelled, telling her the Kaede copy said that she can continue the journey with Alina. If the journey was something suggested by the person within Alina, then she’ll stop it, because she’ll definitely reform Alina. She tells Alina not to go along with the evolution plan and stop trying to bring destruction. Alina says that she’s already travelled through various histories, and they confirmed to her that her sensibilities were correct: humans really do seek ruin. She says the barrier of the Mirrors Witch is truly amazing; it really let her see various historical events. She observed that people in every era self-destruct and bring sadness onto themselves. No matter how much time passed, people would always head down paths leading straight to group suicide (mutual destruction?); it was laughable. Karin argues that Mikoto is just leading her to believe that with her evolution plan. She insists that she will reform her, but Alina tells her to shut up. Unlike when she was with the Magius, she says that this time bringing her beautiful destruction is impossible. For a moment, this declaration makes Karin think that Alina will give up on it and leave with her, but Mikoto speaks through Alina to explain that that’s not the deal. She says that she called Karin here to prevent that from happening, actually. Karin asks why she can see Mikoto (she is visible behind Alina but talking through her); she says that may be because this is one of the deepest parts of the labyrinth, close to the Witch. Karin tells her to return Alina to her. Mikoto takes issue with that phrasing; that makes it sound like she kidnapped her, when in reality Alina agreed to take part in the evolution plan. Karin asks how she can get her to return Alina. She says that’s simple; she wants Karin to join them as they embark on another journey through history. Then once they’re finished, she’ll tell them her thoughts on the experience. Alina seems to care about her, after all. Karin asks why; Mikoto says that Alina thinks she’s just that interesting. If, upon hearing her thoughts, Alina changes her mind, then Mikoto will return her at that time. Well, says Mikoto, if you refuse then we’re done here, what will you do? She agrees; she will save Alina, and with her, the world! Mikoto praises her enthusiasm, and prepares a mirror for them to get started right away. Karin asks what will happen; a historical scene will appear on the mirror showing the era it is connected to. Alina tells Fool Girl she wants to hear her comments on the matter: is there an ending for humans other than ruin?

3-2

Mikoto says that what we see here is humanity’s chain of ruin that never changes even in thousands and tens of thousands of years. No matter how much happiness one finds, they will eventually come to find sadness in the end. Even when one fulfills their hopes, they will eventually come to despair. If one looks at human history, they will understand that this is because humans themselves wish for things to be this way.

The first scene reflected in the mirror is of malicious humans destroying each other; the ugly form of man who loses themself in self-interest and power and looks down on others. Alina asks Karin what she sees. She says everyone is living their lives; she sees someone making delicious food, and a sheep…the people are living happily in nature, they don’t wish for destruction. Alina says that is fake; they are humans, so that will not be allowed. Karin now sees horses ridden by men with spears. She asks what they went there for, and Alina says the answer is obvious; genocide, of course (chapter 9 ep. 5 CG bottom right). Karin yells out for them to stop, and asks why they would do such a thing. Alina says it’s not because the victims were bad people, they were just in the invaders’ way. They held different beliefs from them, so the men on horses decided to kill them before they could become a problem for them. In short, they slaughtered people for risk hedging. Karin says she doesn’t understand. Alina says that what they can say for sure is that humans hold malice and destroy other humans.

Hmm, what should the mirror show next…? Well, we just saw humans bringing destructions with evil intentions, so how about humans bringing destruction with good intentions? As the next scene begins, Karin says she doesn’t want to see something scary again. Alina reminds her that if she gives up now, then the future of destruction will not change. Karin musters up her courage and resolves to look at the visions properly and change Alina. This time, she sees children about her age living peacefully in a mansion. The people in the mansion look after them and take good care of them; also, Karin doesn’t quite follow but they seem to be practicing some kind of ritual…Alina says that these children live for the sake of their country’s people and for God(TL Note: Alina says God in English, unsure if she’s referring to the Judeo-Christian god but I’m guessing not), and are sources of great pride for their mothers and fathers. Karin says that no one is killing or being killed this time. Alina says that’s wrong; they are all heading for ruin and death. The scene changes, and Karin says something strange is happening; it seems like some of them were chosen for something, and then made to eat something. Next they are being made to drink alcohol, and Karin yells that they can’t do that, it will make them floaty/unsteady. After that, they begin to climb a mountain(chapter 9 ep. 5 CG, top right), and Karin says that if they try to climb it in that state they’ll collapse for sure; it’s cold, they should turn back! Alina says they were raised for this moment. She said they live for God; in other words, they are living sacrifices. Karin tells someone in the vision not to strangle her; if you do that, she’ll really die…!

Well, we’ve seen humans who have hurt and destroyed each other with both good and bad intentions, so what part of the chain of ruin shall we take a look at next? So far, we’ve seen many people who unconsciously headed to their deaths, so next, let’s show that there’s no way for people to be saved no matter how hard they try. Next, the mirror will reflect a scene of humans who reached salvation but still destroyed each other. Karin tells Alina she’s seen enough; she doesn’t want to look anymore. Alina says there’s no problem; it won’t be scary anymore, so she can keep watching without worrying. Karin says it does look peaceful now, but she won’t be fooled again. Look, just for believing in God the woman is going to be killed, her mom and fiancé too…wait a minute, she’s fine? Alina says that’s right; when they tried to burn her at the stake, she escaped, and she even survived when they tried to feed her to beasts(chapter 9 ep. 5 CG, bottom left). Karin says that the animals are even trying to protect her; it’s miracle after miracle! Alina says that’s why everyone came to respect and follow her. Karin says that she’s preaching teachings of love in proportion to how much people tried to kill her; if everyone listens to her, they’re sure to become kinder. Alina says that even so, there was no meaning in teaching those people. In the end, people went back to fighting eventually. Karin says that doesn’t make any sense. Everyone should be afraid to fight, so then, why…? The woman’s teachings should have been passed down to the next generation…Alina says that as long as the concepts of the ‘self’ and the ‘other’ exist, war will never end.

Not only that, but humans will deny their own roots, says Mikoto as she starts the next scene. Look, she says to Karin, a brave woman is fighting, isn’t she(chapter 9 ep. 5 CG, top left)? She was very intelligent and powerful, more so than any of the sons. By all metrics she should have become the king, but was looked down on for being a woman. Karin says that kind of thing still happens today, though she heard it was even worse in the past. Mikoto says that’s right, humans are made to discriminate based on sex. Alina says that’s not quite right; the distinctions between the sexes are necessary for them as living creatures. Mikoto says that in spite of that, this person took on the appearance and behavior of a man. Alina says that in that way, their gender became the trigger that eventually lead to them being killed. Mikoto says that people unconsciously seek conflict, which is connected to the desire for ruin. She doesn’t care if they want to seek conflict, though. Humans assign differences to each other based on sex, the root of life, and then deny each other based on those differences; they use the very system that gives them life as a reason to destroy themselves. She tells Karin that if she wants, she can show her more examples, so many she’ll get sick of it. There are too many to count, after all.

3-3

Mikoto asks Karin what she thought; did she change her mind after looking through history? Does she feel like she’s reached an understanding with the two of them? Alina tells Mikoto not to lump the two of them together. She just wants to destroy because of personal grudges; Alina, on the other hand, wants to present humanity with what they unconsciously desire as art. The destination of destruction is the same, but Alina wants to emphasize that their minds are not. Mikoto pouts a bit, then asks if Karin gets it. Alina says she is in a state where Mikoto’s guidance means nothing to her, and she wants to hear what Karin thinks. She also says that despite the many reasons for her to bring destruction that they just showed her, she doesn’t have power like before that she could use to realize it. At the same time, she has no interest in helping other magical girls. Karin says that she thought about the things she said, but in the end she can’t believe that all hope will turn to despair and all joy will lead to ruin. She didn’t feel that humans try to destroy themselves. Mikoto says that in that case, there’s a history she can show her that will let her feel that.

Even if we obtain happiness, it will end in sadness. Even if we obtain hope, it will end in despair. Just as all living things are born and then die, we are trapped in a cycle of ruin. Humans throughout history have attempted to resist this cycle by erasing the paths to ruin, but create new paths to ruin in the process. This is also true of Kamihama. This is a story that Mikoto, who died in eastern Kamihama, also got caught up in. This is a story that pushed the people of the city into sadness for centuries. We are also caught in a chain of sadness that leads us to ruin.

The mirror reflects a time hundreds of years ago, when the land was still in turmoil from war. During those days, there were struggles to control the land of Kamihama. At one point, the powerful Mizuna Clan were dethroned in a rebellion. Lord Mizuna later raised an army from people who were suffering due to poor harvests and oppressive rule and joined forces with the long-ostracized eastern bandits to regain the seat of power(TL Note: not 100 percent sure if the Mizunas were reclaiming power or coming to get it for the first time). This was considered an unbelievable miracle by the people of both east and west, one brought about by two magical girls known as war shamanesses: Tsuyu Mizuna of the west, and Chizuru of the east. However…

Chizuru comments that the streets are bustling now. The castle town really transformed under its new lord. Tsuyu says that’s only natural with her father in charge. Chizuru tells her not to act like it’s only thanks to her father. She says she’s well aware that their prosperity is thanks not just to her father, but also to their retainers and the citizens working as one. The gods must be smiling on Mizuna, bringing them a great harvest. Chizuru sees a rice salesman selling rice, and says she’s never seen him selling rice before; usually it’s just roots and weeds. Tsuyu says that’s rude, to which Chizuru says it’s true, though. The man in question beckons to Chizuru, and she goes to talk to him. Tsuyu tells her to wait, but she’s already run off. She says to herself that she thinks that Chizuru is in too much of a festive mood, but acknowledges that she feels similarly. She hears villagers gossiping about her. Someone says there’s a young and beautiful rich girl walking through town. An acquaintance of theirs says that they wouldn’t know her since they’re from out of town, but that’s the daughter of the lord of Mizuna. The first person is shocked that she would be walking around unguarded in these parts; won’t she get kidnapped by villains!? The second person responds that she’d turn the tables on any would-be attackers. The first is surprised she would know how to fight; the other explains that everyone in this land knows the war shamanesses Tsuyu and Chizuru who keep the peace. Chizuru returns to Tsuyu and gives her an aburi-mochi (mochi with miso) she got from the rice seller. Tsuyu says that this may be what we fought to obtain. Chizuru responds that she wasn’t in it for the aburi-mochi, and Tsuyu clarifies that she meant the people’s peace of mind. Chizuru says that she might be right when she puts it that way. Therefore, says Tsuyu, let’s do our best and take the next step: to spread the word of Mizuna’s war shamanesses to discourage other countries from attacking. She worries if Chizuru’s father will agree to become a vassal, though; Chizuru says her old man will have nothing to complain about as long as he’s got land of his own.

3-4

Chizuru’s father roars with rage after reading a letter from the Mizuna Clan. A subordinate tells him to calm down, and he responds that there’s no way he could stay calm when they are ridiculed like this; rather, why are you so calm? Chizuru hears the commotion from outside and comes in to ask what’s got her father so riled up. He shows her the letter, but she doesn’t get why it would cause a problem since she hear from Tsuyu that they would be given their land. Her father says that they set a condition that is the problem, and Chizuru asks them to read the letter to her since she can’t read. The subordinate reads it. First, Lord Mizuna wants to recognize his achievements in battle and welcome him as a vassal; yes, that’s what she heard from Tsuyu. Next, it says that he will be allowed to rule a territory given to him by the lord; yes, sounds about right. However, for the next three years he is to be paid a salary and serve the lord from the castle town. His subordinates may also be accepted as vassals in the same way, but they will be discussed at a later date. In other words, the Mizuna Clan is trying to separate them for the next three years. Chizuru’s father curses that the lord never trusted them one bit. Chizuru says they must have some kind of plan…Oh, they’re planning something, all right, responds her father. They want to separate them and break their built up bonds of trust to weaken them. He says that if they have to lose their comrades and land until they’re old and decrepit just for some easy money, then they’d be better off going back to robbing people at the border/checkpoint(?). Chizuru tells her father not to say things like that, and reminds him how long it took their peoples to take each other’s hands. He retorts that it was that Mizuna bastard who violated their trust.

Tsuyu is also appalled when she learns of the content of her father’s letter, and tells him that becoming lord has clouded his judgement. He tells her not to say such things, and explains that he never once put his trust in that vulgar gang from the east. That bunch will do anything if you dangle some money in front of them; now that he doesn’t need them anymore, he’ll separate them so that they can’t easily become a military force anymore. Tsuyu protests that those people are the same as them; just as they fought to reclaim the land of Mizuna for their people, they too want to live proudly in their homeland. He responds that that’s why this time he promised to give them their homeland to rule over as his vassals. Tsuyu says that before then, they will be scattered. Her father asserts that in order for there to be peace in this land, there cannot be two forces with power, and asks his daughter to understand. A man comes in to report to the lord. Their messenger has returned without a response letter; they cut up their letter.

Chizuru tells her father that she will persuade the lord with Tsuyu, but he tells her not to do anything unnecessary. The other side surely won’t stay quiet after how they responded to the letter. Chizuru says she knows they’ve always been on bad terms with the people of Mizuna, but that’s exactly why their peace with the west should be celebrated, not destroyed. He doesn’t need to go bury the guys they were finally on good terms with, and he should keep talking about his dreams until they all grow old. He tells her that she’s too young to understand; there are many things in this world more valuable than one’s life. Hunting and taking lives for one’s one sake is common sense; that’s how they have always lived, in regards to both animals and humans. Chizuru tells her father not to lump humans in with animals. She declares that she will protect their miracle with Tsuyu, and tells her dad not to butt in.

Tsuyu and Chizuru meet at the beach from The Call of the Open Sea. Chizuru apologizes for the matter with the letter; Tsuyu responds that it’s already over and done with, and she’s just glad the messenger wasn’t the one who was cut. She says that she told her vassals about the situation in the east, though she had a tough time getting through to them even though she’s a war shamaness. It was fortunate that many of them wanted to restore national power and prosperity in a time of poor harvests and war, which helped to get them on her side; however, she doesn’t think the grudges over this incident can be so easily erased. Furthermore, vassals more closely tied to her father will be aiming for Chizuru and the others, and they can’t let their guards down. Chizuru says that she’s just glad this incident didn’t lead to a battle. Tsuyu asks Chizuru if her father has calmed down; she says that her father declared that if he notices any strange movements, he’ll make it rain blood. Tsuyu remarks that Chizuru’s father’s words carry more impact than her father’s. However, he calmed down after they said they would change how they treat them; for now, it seems he’ll be patient until the next letter comes. Tsuyu says that in that case, she wants them to hold out a little longer. Her father gets angry when women get assertive and try to get involved in his affairs, so instead of going to him she’s trying to convince him by getting through to the elderly head of accounting(?) first. Chizuru thanks her for her efforts.

They reminisce about the first time they met. They heard a voice from a seashell that had drifted there from the ocean, and listened to it together. Chizuru says the encounter made her think that the problems between east and west weren’t someone else’s business, and want to unite them. They remember the voice from the seashell (this voice on the seashell and their meeting is in the special story The Sea is a Link Through Time (End of Summer 2021 Login), check out that (and the three summer events that lead up to it if you want/have time, though it looks like no one ever finished translating Nacht Marchen?) for more details). Tsuyu says that mysterious encounter sprouted hope from despair, and she won’t let that hope be crushed by her father’s will.

At Mizuna Castle, Tsuyu cries out at a frightful sight. Her father yells for his men to take up their arms; bandits have invaded the castle. However, it seems they only killed one retainer and left. The knife was left in his body, as if the culprit left evidence on purpose. Tsuyu’s father says that from the forging style and design of the knife, there is no room for doubt; it was the easterners.

3-5

Lord Mizuna declares his intent to negotiate with the easterners personally, to strengthen his support from the people as a ruler. He will make them leave this land, with the promise to share the profits from the land they are leaving behind. Once more, he hopes to peacefully weaken their clan; he tells Tsuyu that if he doesn’t, it would be like letting a venomous snake live in his stomach. Therefore, he will give away a bit of his dignity to get this situation under control.

Chizuru protests against her father’s decision to refuse the lord’s offer. It’s not a bad offer; in three years he’d be back, and even if he has to regather the scattered clan, they’d have money to support their future. He responds that he doesn’t like having his fate in the lord’s palm. They have a right to rule the land of their ancestors; not only that, but he also has his pride as a man. He yells that the vengeful spirits of their ancestors are with them, and the forest shakes as his followers rally for battle. He declares that they will destroy the people of Mizuna who seek to destroy them, for the fleeting dream of peace between them has already been wasted. Chizuru is surprised to see everyone is ready for battle, and comes to the conclusion he had been planning to fight from the start. He says that it is their turn to overthrow the lord this time, and says he’ll buy her a new kimono after they win. Chizuru laments that the victory they won together and the unity between east and west have gone to waste. Her father emphasizes that it was Mizuna who tried to destroy them first, and tells her to join the battle as their war shamaness. She wonders if there’s really no other way, but relents and agrees to fight.

Lord Mizuna says that negotiations have broken down; the easterners have already prepared an army as if they were already planning this. Between that and the assassination, he says it’s clear that the east instigated this conflict. He tells Tsuyu to head to the battlefield as their war shamaness, but she refuses. She says that while they seem prosperous from a recent good harvest, Mizuna has suffered from poor harvests and a tyrannical regime in the recent past, and the people are exhausted. If she goes out as a war shamaness and causes a noticeable civil war, then they will surely be invaded by another country. Their land will be taken from them, and her father’s ideals will become nothing but dreams. He asks if she means to commit to the plan of protecting the land using the combined power of the war shamanesses. She says that no matter how much their fathers try to continue fighting, the two of them will never let go of each other’s hands. She says that is the best choice to protect Mizuna.

On a grassy field, the eastern forces encounter an army from Mizuna Castle; not only that, but they’ve called upon allies from other territories as well. It seems they were anticipating this day for some time.

Tsuyu and Chizuru clash swords on the battlefield (CG). However, they both tell each other as they clash that they are only there to keep up appearances. Tsuyu asks what the east is planning with cutting up the letter and attempting to assassinate her father. Chizuru says she doesn’t even know if she asks. She knows her father cherishes their bonds in the clan, yet he is willing to get his allies killed on a battlefield. Personally, she thinks that’s a contradictory mindset, and says there seems to be something more important to her father than their lives. Tsuyu says her own father is thinking of Mizuna’s future and is trying to take action first, but she thinks that stealing something from someone that is more important to them than their own life is wrong. Chizuru laments that the hope they found to save everyone is being torn apart at the whims of their fathers. They continue to talk via telepathy after the CG ends. Tsuyu apologizes to Chizuru; deep in her heart, she thought Chizuru had betrayed her. Chizuru says that’s horrible; she knows she would never do that. Tsuyu says that’s right, but she had become suspicious of her as bad things continued to happen, and asks for her forgiveness. Chizuru says that she’s not angry; she may not be a Mizuna, but she knows that Tsuyu is her ally. Tsuyu takes in the bonding moment for a bit, then Chizuru says she has an idea. She says that they should clash with such force that they blow all the soldiers away and force them to withdraw; if their dads still want to fight for their beliefs after that, then the two of them will fight for their beliefs from now on too. In other words, asks Tsuyu, you’re saying we should betray our fathers? She says that’s right; the war shamanesses boast the strength of a thousand men, after all. If they join hands, their fathers won’t be able to fight anymore, and they can become the bond that connects the east and west. Tsuyu agrees to the plan, and without further ado, they leap into the air and then clash swords with all their power and blast the soldiers away (CG but again).

Back at the eastern base, Chizuru’s father tells her she’d better not be having any strange thoughts. She says she isn’t; she’s just doing what he told her to and blew them away(?). After she leaves, her father calls for a man who was hiding nearby (presumably a ninja). He tells the man to prepare the gun he acquired; he has a use for it soon. He can’t have their battle interrupted partway through again.

At Mizuna Castle, Lord Mizuna is surprised to receive an offer for peace talks from the easterners. The offer claims that they wish to accept the previous proposal, and asks them to specify a time and place for them to meet.

3-6

Tsuyu wonders about why the peace talks are being held while waiting in a forest. Chizuru says there have been several skirmishes already, so maybe they got tired and have opened their eyes by now. Tsuyu hopes that none of them betray each other.

Their fathers meet in the castle town. Chizurudad comments that this doesn’t seem like an appropriate location for their meeting; Lord Mizuna explains that he knows that his castle is exposed from the previous assassination attempt, so he’d feel safer meeting in the ever-changing castle town. Chizurudad says he gets that; castle renovations would be expensive. Moving on, Lord Mizuna asks why he decided to accept the proposal. Chizurudad explains that while he can see their intent to defang him so he can’t start a rebellion, his daughter is right that the union between east and west is a miracle, and it’s better for him to hold onto that hope than abandon it and lead his allies to their deaths in battle. Lord Mizuna says that he was told the same by his daughter. It seems they both have a weakness for their daughters; they’re similar people, so it looks like they might be able to get along. Lord Mizuna brings out a letter he prepared with the details of the arrangement, and asks Chizurudad to ratify it by sealing it in their blood. He swears to adhere to their agreement, and treat him with benevolence and honor. Chizurudad says that he, too, will take a vow.

A scout reports to Tsuyu and Chizuru that three squads of enemy troops are approaching from the east, numbering about 10,000. Invaders did come to take advantage of their civil war after all. Chizuru says that on the plus side, this is a good opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the war shamanesses to the outside world. Tsuyu says it’s time to prove that there is no one to compete with the two of them when they are united. When they arrive at the battlefield, however, they are shocked to find that the eastern forces count among the enemy’s number; the east had made an alliance with another country in secret. A westerner attacks Chizuru and separates her from Tsuyu. Another westerner takes Tsuyu aside and tells her her father has been killed. He says that the easterners passed through the castle town which is now in chaos, and if they don’t stop the enemy here then Mizuna will be routed. She says he must be lying.

Back at the castle town, Chizurudad tells Lord Mizuna that he is the only one who will be signing in blood today. They are first-rate killers; don’t go thinking we will lose at our own specialty(TL Note: this is the best I could get here, honestly could be pretty far off from what he’s saying but his cocky malice is clear; also this line might have a typo in it in JP maybe).

An eastern soldier asks Chizuru to join with the eastern forces; if she strikes now while the enemy’s leader is at the castle, they can rout them in no time. A western soldier tells Tsuyu that the retainers and soldiers are working as one to drive the bandits from the castle; he asks her to return there with him and inspire the soldiers. A western retainer attempts to inspire the others, telling them that the war shamaness, the lord’s daughter, is here with them and they only need to hold out a while longer for reinforcements to arrive. However, he is killed mid-sentence by an easterner, who cries out that he took the head of a pretentious retainer and riles his comrades’ bloodlust. Tsuyu is shocked and angered that the easterners planned this from the start with such bloodlust, even going so far as to recruit a foreign country behind the scenes, and turns her blade on Chizuru. She accuses Chizuru and the east of having deceived her after all as she attacks (getting good mileage out of this CG). Chizuru asserts that she’s not involved with any of this; it was all her dad. She says that now that he’s done this, she’ll cut all ties with her lowest-of-the-low dad. She says that from now on, Tsuyu will be her only ally, so they should join forces and show everyone their power. Tsuyu recognizes her suggestion as the same thing they talked about before. She says she wants to get as few people involved as possible, so Chizuru suggests they use the same method as in the earlier battle; they can stop the battle safely and scare the foreigners while they’re at it. If anyone still wants to fight after that, they’ll take them on. With that decided, they charge at each other with their strongest blows. However, Tsuyu is shot mid-attack, and stops short. It’s too late; Chizuru can’t stop her attack. As her blade strikes Tsuyu, her father praises his daughter; when your ally gets in the way, you have to take them out yourself.

Chizuru calls out to Tsuyu, telling her it wasn’t her fault, it was because of a gunner hiding somewhere. Tsuyu says that’s enough; she knows now that from the time they helped the Mizuna reclaim their castle, Chizuru and her people were only looking for a chance to profit. Chizuru tries to tell her that’s not true, but she responds that if it isn’t, then why did they join forces with a foreign power? Chizuru can’t give her an answer. She asks why her father was killed and why she lays dying. She tells Chizuru she had thought of her as her real little sister. Chizuru tells her that she thought of her as her big sister, too. Her big sister who she admired, who she was drawn to because she wanted to get stronger not just to kill but to fight for her convictions…Tsuyu says she hears nothing but excuses, and her Soul Gem becomes muddied. Chizuru tells her to wait while she goes to find an Oni (Witch). She’s about to run off, but Tsuyu grabs her. She declares that she will protect the land of Mizuna alone. Chizuru asks her what she’s talking about; that’s impossible. She says that her grudge and curse will torment the people of the east for all eternity. Chizuru pleads with her not to say things that make her sound like a vengeful spirit. She says she’ll let Chizuru off because she’s her little sister, but she’ll never forgive the rest of them. As a symbol of her resentment, she will make Mizuna Castle the root. Chizuru says something is wrong, and tells her to stand firm. She tells Chizuru that’s impossible; she can’t believe in anything anymore. Chizuru cries out in terror as Tsuyu becomes a Witch.

3-7

The story concluded, Karin asks if this is the origin of the issues that cause suffering between east and west Kamihama. Alina clarifies for her that the conflict existed long before Tsuyu and Chizuru’s time; their story wasn’t the only root. Alina says that the important thing about this story is that happiness turned into sadness. Mikoto praises her for getting the correct answer. Joy leads to sadness, and hope leads to despair. This is something that happens all around the world; everyone heads towards ruin in the end. The city of Kamihama they all live in is the same way; since prehistoric times, the east and west sides of the region have been feuding with each other to their mutual destruction. Tsuyu and Chizuru found the light of hope from within that conflict, but as they just witnessed, their hope fell to despair and their story ended in sadness. Karin comments that that sadness carried on for a long time, and even made Kanagi and the others suffer today. Mikoto says that’s right, for hundreds of years even. And as the eras pass, humans continue to evolve to bring even more destruction. Even in eras of peace, because they sensed even the slightest hint of danger, because they worried about the future, because they wanted more rights…humans create countless reasons for sadness and despair to be born. Axes and knifes become gunpowder which becomes nuclear weapons. Humans created a new world called the Internet and use it to hurt each other across long distances. Not only does all joy and hope end in sadness and despair, but humans themselves create the environment for this to happen. Indeed, it must be because humans unconsciously wish for their own ruin. Karin asks if what happened in Kamihama was also because people deny each other. Mikoto says that it’s small when viewed from a worldwide scale, but yes, people deny each other and self-destruct; that’s another way in which their spirit of destruction can be seen. Karin asks how they can change things, how they can save everyone. Alina breaks out into laughter at Karin’s line of thinking; it’s because they want to be saved that they request destruction. They can’t stand this cycle of sadness and despair, so they want to be reset before their own evolution, so that they can live proper lives as animals. Mikoto says that’s a very interesting idea, and thinks about it some herself; so that’s it, humans want to be destroyed once so that they can return to their origin and start over…That’s right, says Alina, return to the origin seeking the renaissance of life. However, while Mikoto seems to be having a bit of an epiphany, Karin doesn’t understand them at all.

Karin’s lack of comprehension seems to take Mikoto a bit by surprise and amuses Alina. Alina says that Karin’s brain works differently from theirs, and it’s time to hear what she thinks. Karin says that the two of them may be right that humans will meet despairing ends. But in the story of Kirin, everyone seeks hope and many stories have happy endings. Mikoto asks who this Kirin is, and Alina explains that she’s referring to her favorite manga, Magical Kirin. Karin says that’s right, and it’s not just Magical Kirin. Anime, manga, movies, picture books; there are many stories out there about finding hope. When people immerse themselves in such stories, it’s surely because they are seeking hope. Alina asks if she means to say they aren’t seeking destruction; well, there’s scary manga out there too, so maybe…Alina complains that she’s not making herself clear. Karin retorts that of course she’s not making herself clear, because humans aren’t clear! They’re scattered, and messy, and all over the place, and tell all kinds of stories! There’s no such thing as black and white; to be human is to be gray! Well, maybe…(TL Note: she says ‘maybe’ in English, almost as if influenced by Alina’s speech pattern). Oh, but the story of east and west is changing! Karin tells them she got a message from Kaede, telling her that the city is trying to become one. They’re trying to bring the light of hope to the town; it’s a trend where sadness is leading to happiness (TL Note: English from Karin again, likely imitating Alina intentionally this time). Tsuyu and Chizuru’s dreams are becoming reality. Alina laughs and tells Karin that just as she thought, she’s funny. She says that she herself never came up with any ideas about grayness. Mikoto says that it’s pretty ambiguous and noncommittal, but that may be one answer. Karin says that it’s settled then; there will be no more talk of ruin and destruction, and Alina will reform and be a good person from now on. Mikoto says that she still wants to destroy; as Alina said earlier, she wants to bring destruction because of a personal grudge. Karin says that’s a horrible reason. Mikoto suggests they try a little experiment. Does hope end in despair, or does despair end in hope? The current situation in Kamihama presents a perfect opportunity to see for themselves. She thinks that Alina won’t give a hard answer while she’s wavering in the gray zone like this, so for now, let’s all watch together to see if they will be saved.

The end of Episode 2 is shown again, plus Kagome’s thoughts. With this, magical girls will be saved. Their hopeful tomorrow will come.

Mikoto says that the time has come to check their answers.

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