Part 7:

Mifuyu: I've got your back! Yah!

Familiar: ......

Mifuyu: (I'm not doing anything to it...!)

Mifuyu: Once more! Yah!

Familiar: ......?!

Yachiyo: Momoko! Follow up!

Momoko: Leave it to me! Haaaah!!

Yachiyo: Reach!

Familiar: ......?!?!

Yachiyo: Phew...

Momoko: Now we can take a moment.

Mifuyu: ...Haaaa... this is a harder fight than normal, huh?

Yachiyo: You think so?

Mifuyu: Yes, like I couldn't use as much magic as I thought or something...

Yachiyo: It felt the same as always for me, though.

Momoko: Yeah... that one wasn't really any different than what we normally fight, was it?

Mifuyu: Huh...?

Mifuyu: (I felt like I couldn't use the magical power that I normally do...)

Mifuyu: (But that was only me?)

Yachiyo: Now then, let's investigate this barrier and go collect Tsuruno and Meru.

Tsuruno: Ah, there they are! Yachiyo-shishou! Mifuyu! Momoko!

Meru: Geez! How terrible of you to get separated from us!

Momoko: No, no, you were the ones who got separated!

Yachiyo: Seriously...

Mifuyu: Hehe, in any case, I'm glad we were able to meet back up.

Yachiyo: We didn't find anything worthwhile. What about you?

Meru: ...Nothing here, either.

Tsuruno: This barrier is way too complex. We couldn't even find the inner sanctum...

Tsuruno: It's almost like it's a whole world of reflecting mirrors.

Yachiyo: As I thought...

Mifuyu: What's up? Shall we exit for now?

Yachiyo: ...Yes, we couldn't get anything out of here, anyway. Let's exit.

Part 8:

(A few days passed after Mifuyu and Yachiyo's group went and investigated the Central Ward.)

(In that time, the story that Westside magical girls under Mifuyu and Yachiyo's group and Eastside magical girls had fought in the Central Ward continued to spread.)

Yachiyo: ......

Mifuyu: ...You seem annoyed, Yacchan.

Yachiyo: I'm not ann-...

Yachiyo: ...No, you're right. This deadlock has me irritated.

Mifuyu: I'm not surprised. There's also the matter of yesterday.

Yachiyo: ......

------

Mifuyu: How was it?

Yachiyo: Not good. Everyone's becoming desperate to get a hold of grief seeds.

Yachiyo: There aren't many teams feeling like they can afford to give up witches to other teams.

Mifuyu: And the team I met with was the same.

Yachiyo: ...This is a bad situation.

Mifuyu: Yes, if it's like this, there's not even a point to having a cooperation system...

???: Shut up! I don't need a reason to bother you anyway!

Mifuyu: --?! I-is it a fight?

Yachiyo: ...I don't like the sound of this. Let's go take a look.

------

Westside Magical Girl 2: If you need a reason for me to bother you, I have one.

Westside Magical Girl 2: It's because you guys are going to the Central Ward.

Westside Magical Girl 2: Do you realize that you're causing trouble for everyone on the Westside by doing that?

Westside Magical Girl 1: That's...b-but...!

Westside Magical Girl 2: No buts! It's a rule.

Westside Magical Girl 1: ...But I...!

Westside Magical Girl 2: ...Sigh, you don't seem to understand what happens when you break the rules, do you?

Westside Magical Girl 2: You were warned about this before, too, weren't you? I wonder if you even know what the phrase "reflecting on your actions" means?

Westside Magical Girl 1: W-what's with your attitude! Are you making fun of me?!

Yachiyo: As I thought, they're magical girls.

Mifuyu: I recognize them, too. They're from Sankyou Ward and Sakae Ward.

Yachiyo: Let's stop them.

Mifuyu: Okay!

Westside Magical Girl 1: Enough! If you obstruct me any more, I'll have to resort to force!

Westside Magical Girl 2: ...That's fine with me. That's easier to understand, anyway!

Yachiyo: Stop!

Mifuyu: If you still want to pick a fight, you'll have to do it with us.

Westside Magical Girl 1: Stay out of our business!

Westside Magical Girl 2: That's right! Don't get in our way!

Yachiyo: ...Then we're out of options. Mifuyu, cover me.

Mifuyu: All right, let's be careful to avoid getting hurt.

------

Westside Magical Girl 2: Haa... haa... S-so strong...

Westside Magical Girl 1: Haa... fuu... I couldn't do any damage at all...

Yachiyo: Have you calmed down a bit now?

Mifuyu: ...Please tell us what the reason for your fight was.

Westside Magical Girl 2: ......

Westside Magical Girl 1: ......

Yachiyo: You... if I remember right, we gave you a warning last time.

Westside Magical Girl 1: ...Y-you did, but since then, nothing's changed at all, has it!

Westside Magical Girl 1: You won't even say if the Central Ward will join the Westside...!

Yachiyo: ...That's...

Westside Magical Girl 2: Since I've got the chance, I'd like to tell you something as well.

Westside Magical Girl 2: I've got a problem with your leadership, Yachiyo-san, since you can't even decide on a clear plan.

Westside Magical Girl 2: It's making me wonder whether you're still fit to handle this?

Yachiyo: ......

Mifuyu: ......

------

Yachiyo: I understand that.

Yachiyo: That we need to hurry up and think of a plan.

Mifuyu: And yesterday, too, our objective was to gather information from each team.

Mifuyu: ...The results were disappointing, though...

Yachiyo: Yes... whatever we do plan to do, I'm sure someone will come out with objections to it.

Yachiyo: At this rate, it's possible the Westside could just collapse from the inside.

Mifuyu: ...I agree; there aren't any defectors right now, but...

Yachiyo: It might just be a matter of time...

Yachiyo: Since that case of the attack in the witch barrier happened...

Yachiyo: Even the girls who were hesitant to fight before are starting to get into it.

Mifuyu: They think that the Central Ward should become part of the Westside.

Mifuyu: Saying "Don't let those Eastsiders who are cowardly enough to pull a sneak attack into the Central Ward!"

Yachiyo: ...Hypothetically, if we did what they asked and incorporated the Central Ward into the Westside...

Yachiyo: Those girls would settle down, I imagine.

Yachiyo: You could say that incorporating the Central Ward would be useful in a way just to suppress those girls, but...

Mifuyu: The Eastside definitely wouldn't stay quiet would it... would they?

Yachiyo: Yes, it's inevitable that it would cause an even bigger conflict than we have on our hands now.

Yachiyo: And then, the site of that battle... would no doubt become the Central Ward.

Mifuyu: And if that happened, the magical girls of the Central Ward would lose further trust in us...

Yachiyo: Right, and the result would be just adding more fuel to the fire.

Yachiyo: I can't say that it would be a good move to make.

Yachiyo: Having said that, standing by doing nothing while the Eastside swarms the Central Ward is harsh.

Yachiyo: ...It's a stalemale.

Mifuyu: Shouldn't we try talking to Kanagi-san again?

Mifuyu: We should at least try to cooperate so that magical girls aren't hurting each other.

Yachiyo: Talking to Kanagi... won't work.

Yachiyo: If we knew the identity of the original attacker, we could negotiate, but...

Yachiyo: Talking to her as it as now would just mean a pointless argument.

Mifuyu: ...Can't we cooperate with her?

Yachiyo: I also don't want to have to humble myself before her any more than necessary.

Yachiyo: Because I'm the peacekeeper for our cooperation system, I've got to think about what's best for everyone.

Yachiyo: At the least, it'd be different if we had an official reason to contact her...

Yachiyo: But just saying I want to cooperate with her would be impossible...

Mifuyu: ...Then let's at least get out the warning to the Westside magical girls...

Mifuyu: ...and tell them not to go to the Central Ward.

Yachiyo: ...Yes, I don't expect it to be effective, but let's at least convey it as a policy of the Westside.

Mifuyu: Okay. I hope with this, at least, fewer magical girls will get hurt.

(However, Mifuyu's wish was fruitless...)