7.3 Tsuruno's Safety

at the gates of Iroha's and Yachiyo's school in the evening

Yachiyo: "With Tsuruno and Felicia gone, Banbanzai will be short on help..."

7.3.1

[at the gates of Yachiyo and Iroha's school, in the evening]

Iroha: "...Is Tsuruno-chan's dad doing okay?"

Yachiyo: "I don't think he is."

"His wife and mother off living freely somewhere..."

"All he had to rely on was his daughter Tsuruno."

Iroha: "That's right..."

Yachiyo: "He runs a restaurant, so I think he can keep going..."

"But Tsuruno's dad isn't a very strong person."

"Maybe he's closing the business temporarily."

Iroha: "Tsuruno-chan and Felicia-chan are both missing, so there's nothing he can do."

Yachiyo: "Actually, he might be out putting up fliers and searching for Tsuruno."

"She's his dear daughter, after all."

[battle]

[insert image of Banbanzai storefront]

*Temporarily Closed*

*"Anyone who has seen my daughter, please let me know here."*

[on the street somewhere]

Yachiyo: "Sure enough..."

Iroha: "Well, what else could he do..."

Yachiyo: "More importantly..."

old lady A: "Apparently, Tsuruno-chan disappeared suddenly..."

old lady B: "Oh my, Yui-san must be having a lot of trouble."

Yachiyo: "It might be a big hassle even when she does come back."

Iroha: "Yeah, on top of losing her perfect attendance award, the neighbors are talking about her disappearance..."

"We need to find her soon..."

[inside a darkened Banbanzai]

Yachiyo: "Excuse me."

Iroha: "Excuse me..."

"Nobody's... here?"

Yachiyo: "But the front is open?"

Tsuruno's father: "..."

Iroha: "Hyaaa!?"

Tsuruno's father: "..."

Iroha: "Ah, Tsuruno-chan's father..."

Tsuruno's father: "Yeah..."

"Welcome, Yachiyo-chan and Iroha-chan."

"Sorry, but today we're closed, so come back another time."

Yachiyo: "No, we're, uhh... here about Tsuruno."

Tsuruno's father: "!?"

"Have you... Have you seen her!?"

"Where!?"

Yachiyo: "Umm, please calm down."

"We came by to help look for her, so..."

Tsuruno's father: "I... I see..."

"You two don't know where she is either..."

Yachiyo: "I'm sorry..."

Tsuruno's father: "That's nothing to apologize for."

"It's just that I'm a worthless father."

"It's because I made Tsuruno make that kind of face..."

Iroha: "That kind of face?"

"Did Tsuruno-chan she come back here?"

Yachiyo: "Um, excuse me, but could you tell us the details of what happened?"

Tsuruno's father: "There's not much to it."

"I thought she had come back, but then she left after saying one thing."

"I thought I'd catch her, but she's sure quick, and I let her get away."

Yachiyo: "Um, when she left, what did Tsuruno say?"

Tsuruno's father: "She said she'd found the place where she feels more secure than ever before, and that she wouldn't be back."

"But..."

[partially fade to black]

Tsuruno's father: *At the time, Tsuruno didn't have her usual energetic face.*

*The tension was all gone, as expressionless as if she were asleep...*

*She'd made that face a year ago, which surprised me, but this time, I couldn't believe that she'd leave...*

[back]

Yachiyo: "At the time, did Felicia come back here with her?"

Tsuruno's father: "They were together, but Feli-chan seemed just as usual..."

Iroha: "Just Tsuruno-chan?"

Yachiyo: "That's kinda strange..."

7.3.2

[flashback to inside Banbanzai]

Tsuruno's father: "But..."

"At the time, Tsuruno didn't have her usual energetic face."

"The tension was all gone, as expressionless as if she were asleep..."

[outside on the streets at night]

Yachiyo: "..."

(Where have I seen something like that...)

Iroha: "Yachiyo-san."

Yachiyo: "Hm?"

Iroha: "About what Tsuruno-chan said, what do you think she meant?"

"That she'd found the place where she feels more secure than ever before..."

"Now she knows that we can avoid turning into witches..."

"Might she be talking about the Wings of Magius being the place where she feels more secure?"

Yachiyo: "I wonder..."

"If we accept what she said as true, then what you said might be true..."

Iroha: "Then, if we don't?"

Yachiyo: "Well..."

"In that case we could interpret that as her being brainwashed into saying that."

Iroha: "..."

Yachiyo: "So we probably shouldn't take it for granted."

Iroha: "But, in any case, I'm glad."

"Knowing that at least once they returned back home."

Yachiyo: "That's right, for better or for worse the brainwashing is still in effect."

"We may have managed to avoid the worst-case scenario."

Iroha: "Yes."

[Yachiyo senses something]

Yachiyo: "Iroha..."

Iroha: "I felt that too. There's a magical girl near here!"

[a white feather attacks]

Iroha: "Kya!"

white feather: "I'll have you come with me!"

Iroha: "She's trying to pull me into an alley..."

[she transforms]

Iroha: "If that's the case, then take this!"

[in an alley]

Yachiyo: "Iroha!"

Iroha: "I'm alright, Yachiyo-san!"

[we see a white and a black feather]

black feather: "Veteran... Your opponent will be us..."

white feather: "Everyone, let's do it here."

"Let's use these two as tools like we do Yui Tsuruno."

black feather: "Understood..."

Yachiyo: "Use as a tool!? What did you do to Tsuruno!?"

[battle]

[in battle]

Iroha: "Yachiyo-san, Tsuruno-san and the others..."

Yachiyo: "Let's stop theorizing about it for now."

"In fact, isn't this convenient?"

"We did want to ask..."

"Where Tsuruno is!"

Iroha: "Yes..."

"I won't let them get away!"

white feather: "!?"

"These two..."

[after battle, back in the alley]

white feather: "R-Retreat! Retreat!"

[they run away]

Yachiyo: "They're always quick on the run!"

Iroha: "I won't let them get away!"

[she shoots at them]

white feather: "Wah, watch out!"

"kuh..."

"What I said before is the truth."

[fade to black]

white feather: *No matter how much you call for them and search for them, you cannot save your friends anymore.*

[back to the alleyway]

white feather: "Remember this. You'll probably regret it anyway."

[she runs away]

Iroha: "..."

[Yachiyo detransforms]

Yachiyo: "We let our chance get away..."

Iroha: "..."

"Yachiyo-san, that's gotta be a lie..."

"Tsuruno-chan and Felicia-chan and Sana-chan..."

"They're okay, right?"

Yachiyo: "Iroha."

Iroha: "Yes..."

Yachiyo: "If we don't believe that they're safe..."

"Then why would we be out here searching for them?"

Iroha: "...Yes..."

"I'm sorry, I was feeling a bit fainthearted."

"We've gotta believe in them, that they're okay."

"Right?"

mini-Kyubey: "Yes, we've gotta believe!" or "Can we believe?". I'll pick the first.