7.10 Cooperating with Izumi Kanagi

in the Artisan Ward train station

Momoko: "Wait, why are you so tired already so early in the morning!?"

7.10.1

[in a train station]

Yachiyo: "sigh..."

Iroha: "sigh..."

Momoko: "Wait, what has you two so tired already?"

Yachiyo: "We just finished a fight this morning..."

Iroha: "Yeah, it was a lot of trouble..."

Momoko: "No way, the Wings of Magius!?"

Yachiyo: "No, with Felicia and Futaba-san..."

Momoko: "Huh?"

Iroha: "Actually..."

[flashback to a pathway in Shinsei Ward]

Felicia: "No! Take me with you too!"

Sana: "Me too... I won't back down today!"

Yachiyo: "The two of you collapsed before!"

"Today, you need to go home and rest!"

Iroha: "If we need your help, we'll call you, Sana-chan, okay?"

Sana: "sigh... whimper... Iroha-san..."

Iroha: "D-don't look at me with those eyes!"

Felicia: "I'm definitely going with you! I'm gonna save Tsuruno!"

Yachiyo: "We said we'd call you if we need you!"

Felicia: "No!"

Yachiyo: "sigh..."

"Now it's come to this..."

"Let's do it, Iroha!"

Iroha: "Yes!"

Sana: "W-what!?"

Yachiyo: "Ready, and..."

Iroha: "House!"

Sana: "Kya!"

[back in Yachiyo's house]

Sana: "Even if you force me back home, I'm gonna-"

Yachiyo: "Stay!"

Felicia: "Nngh!"

Iroha: "Mattress!"

Felicia: "Nagh!"

Sana: "Faaugh!"

Yachiyo: "Now both of you behave!"

Sana: "sniff... sniff..."

[fade to black]

Felicia: "NOOOO!"

[back in the train station]

Iroha: "...And that's what happened..."

Momoko: "Well, must've been tough starting so early..."

"Certainly, you can't know if any traces of their brainwashing still remains..."

Yachiyo: "That's right..."

"Even though we did say we'd call if we needed to..."

[we see a picture of a tram station]

-Artisan Ward-

[in a residential area in the Artisan Ward]

Iroha: "And so, the person we're meeting today..."

Yachiyo: "She's a magical girl named Izumi Kanagi."

Iroha: "What kind of person is she?"

Yachiyo: "Let's see, she's very strong..."

Momoko: "And kind of strange... I'd say?"

Iroha: "Kinda... strange?"

Momoko: "Back when we fought for territory, she competed with Yachiyo-san."

"And right in the middle, they scrambled for control of Central Ward."

Yachiyo: "It used to be really brutal..."

"However, our intention wasn't to antagonize and hurt each other."

"And so we exchanged contact information, and occasionally would consult one another."

"But ever since witches started becoming more common, we haven't had much opportunity to talk."

"I never expected to cooperate like this, though."

Momoko: "Speak of the devil..."

Kanagi: "Oh, there they are..."

"It's been a while, Nanami! And Togame came along too!"

"This really takes me back."

"...And one more?"

"Hm, who are you!?"

7.10.2

[in a casual restaurant]

Kanagi: "I see, so Yui-kun was taken... That must have been a blow to you, Nanami..."

Yachiyo: "Yes..."

"And while that is our problem to deal with..."

"Could you perhaps help us get her back?"

Kanagi: "Yes, that would certainly be good."

"Against the Wings of Magius, I'd gladly lend you a hand."

Momoko: "That's great, Yachiyo-san!"

Yachiyo: "That's a bit of a relief."

Momoko: "But, if you're so willing to help us, did they hurt you too, Kanagi-san?"

Kanagi: "Yeah, it's infuriating."

"They've taken quite a few of my friends in Artisan Ward away."

"I've grown tired of wondering what I should do by myself."

"However, fortunately, I received a proposal from Nanami."

"What else could I do but join up?"

Momoko: "They took away that many?"

Kanagi: "Yeah, most of the magical girls from the east are part of the black feathers or white feathers..."

Yachiyo: "I see..."

Kanagi: "So, getting down to business, how can I help you?"

"I'll share as much information as you'd like."

Yachiyo: "Thank you."

"Have you been looking into rumors, Kanagi?"

Kanagi: "Of course, because that's their Achilles' heel."

"There's no way I wouldn't interfere with them."

Yachiyo: "If that's the case, I'd like information on them."

Kanagi: "Hmm, and what about it?"

Iroha: "Umm, please take a look at this."

[insert map of Kamihama with tons of markings on the western parts of the city]

Kanagi: *This is very interesting. There's an opening in the Artisan Ward.*

Yachiyo: *And so we wanted to add your information to find out if it's actually a circle.*

Iroha: *Could you please add it?*

Kanagi: *Hmm, I don't have many, but I have some listed in a notebook. Let me mark some down.*

[now the rest of the map is filled with marks]

Kanagi: *Well this is magnificent...*

Yachiyo: *Yes, it's just as I expected...*

[back in the restaurant]

Iroha: "Um, Kanagi-san."

"Do you think that the Wings of Magius might have their base at the center of this circle?"

Kanagi: "That's pretty sharp of you, Tamaki-kun. It certainly should be around there."

Iroha: "Yachiyo-san!"

Yachiyo: "Yes. While we don't know whether they're protecting something or hiding something..."

"We might have caught hold of their tail..."

Iroha: "Tsuruno-chan might be there..."

"By the way, Kanagi-san, what is at the center of that circle?"

"It's probably the old railyard."

"Normally it's considered too dangerous for kids to play there."

"...How perfect."

Yachiyo: "How so?"

"Because now that we've found their base, we have enough hands to take them on.

"Now, luckily, we should be able to pinch them out."

Iroha: "Well then, let's get down to it."

Yachiyo: "No, let's wait."

Kanagi: "Nanami is right."

Iroha: "Huh?"

Kanagi: "Magical girls are most active around twilight."

"If we attack now, their higher-ups might not be there and we'll let the chance slip away."

Yachiyo: "That's exactly right."

"If Tsuruno isn't there, we'll need someone else to ask."

Momoko: "But the time we have left is bothering me..."

Kanagi: "Don't be so rushed, Togame, it would be better to stay calm for now."

Momoko: "Yeah, you're right."

Yachiyo: "Then let's have tea for a bit, and then we'll go."

[battle]

Yachiyo: "Now I see."

"I understand the structure of the railyard building now."

Momoko: "There are lots of places to hide in there... it doesn't seem like it'll be easy..."

Kanagi: "Yes."

"I'm sorry, but this is all the information I have about it."

Yachiyo: "It's more than enough, thank you."

Momoko: "That reminds me, Kanagi-san."

Kanagi: "What is it, Togame?"

Momoko: "You always used to be really busy with your part-time jobs, are you okay for today?"

Kanagi: "A good question."

"In fact, I recently found a wonderful job."

"I work on an hourly basis, so I can take time off as needed."

Yachiyo: "So you're not at the corner deli anymore."

Kanagi: "Yeah, I'm a maid at a maid cafe."

Momoko: "No way!"

Kanagi: "Well excuse me, Togame. I go at it my own way."

Momoko: "Seriously?"

Kanagi: "Ahem..."

[the scene lights up brightly]

Kanagi: "Hey, master! I'm glad you came!"

Momoko: "Huh? No, I see..."

"...One parfait, please."

Kanagi: "This is our prided parfait. Go on, enjoy it as you please."

Momoko: "Huh? You're not going to pour it with feelings of love or anything?"

Kanagi: "Of course there's no feelings of love for a customer. I've already added 980 yen's worth."

Momoko: "I knew there was something off!"

[the light fades]

Iroha: "..."

[insert the map again]

Iroha: *(This place in Hokuyou Ward...)*

*(It feels like something's there... What could it be... What rumor is it...)*

[back to the restaurant]

Iroha: "Um, Kanagi-san."

Kanagi: "What is it, Tamaki-kun?"

Iroha: "Around here, in the mountains, were there any rumors?"

Kanagi: "Hmm?"

"No, I don't know of any."

Iroha: "I see..."

(Was it just my imagination?)

7.10.3

[in the evening, at an intersection in Artisan Ward]

Momoko: "Kanagi-san."

"Before, you told us that the railyard is a dangerous place to play."

"Are you sure there won't be any normal kids there?"

Kanagi: "After the five o'clock bell rings, all the kids go home."

"And also, in the past, delinquents would stay overnight there..."

"But since the Wings of Magius appeared, I haven't seen them there at all."

Yachiyo: "So they would gather starting around now."

Kanagi: "That's exactly right."

Iroha: "..."

Kanagi: "Tamaki-kun, you don't have to be so cautious."

Iroha: "Fueh!?"

"Um, I wasn't really being cautious..."

Yachiyo: "Be careful. She'll use her personal magic and peer into your mind."

Kanagi: "That's rude, Nanami, making me seem like some sort of monster."

"I can't read minds without transforming and approaching closely."

"And therefore, your caution is unnecessary. Why don't we be friends?"

Iroha: "O-okay..."

Kanagi: "What, even though you said we would cooperate... I'll be sad if you look at me so sternly."

Iroha: "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something else."

Kanagi: "I see, I was just jumping to conclusions. Sorry."

"Well, this is our first meeting. It's no wonder that you're on guard."

"However, Tamaki-kun."

Iroha: "W-what is it?"

Kanagi: "A smile would be better."

Iroha: "Okay."

Kanagi: "Let's both work hard now."

"I have loads of my people I want to get back too."

Iroha: "That reminds me, Tsukasa-chan took them away."

Kanagi: "Yeah, Tsukasa-kun got quite a few."

"Man, how low, hitting me where it hurts by taking my people."

"I won't forgive her..."

Iroha: "Yeah, I can't forgive them either..."

"For what happened at the Memory Museum, and for what they did to Tsuruno-chan."

Kanagi: "It must be lonely without Yui-kun."

Iroha: "Yes."

Kanagi: "She's the sort who just by being there makes you relax."

[battle]

[in the trainyard]

Iroha: "This is the trainyard..."

Kanagi: "Nowadays they only keep decrepit old railcars here, though."

[Iroha probes with magic]

Iroha: "..."

"I don't sense anything."

Yachiyo: "Yes, zero sign of any people, let alone magical girls..."

Momoko: "Maybe we are just misunderstanding what we saw on the map..."

Iroha: "This isn't their base then?"

"There isn't much time left until the amusement park opens, too..."

Momoko: "Yeah, it keeps approaching..."

Yachiyo: "Maybe they realized what we were doing..."

Kanagi: "Hmm..."

"It's unlikely, but there's a possibility it could be in the new railyard."

Yachiyo: "They moved to over there?"

Kanagi: "It's a thought I can't discount. I will go check it out."

"It'll be faster if someone familiar with the area goes searching."

Yachiyo: "Yes, please take care of it."

Kanagi: "Mm, got it. Just hold on a bit."

Iroha: "I wonder if making such a splash when moving around earlier ended up causing us problems now?"

Yachiyo: "We sure did go between wards so quickly, and erased a lot of rumors..."

"Of course they'd be wary..."

Iroha: "What should we do..."

mini-Kyubey: "We should investigate here in detail." or "Let's search another place." I'll pick the latter.

Iroha: "But if we do that, we might end up getting separated from Kanagi-san."

"We should probably look look around in here first."

Momoko: "Yeah, maybe they're hiding here somehow."