Gazing at that figure—like beholding a god walking upon the earth—Kirameki Mamika could not stop the flood of unease welling inside. Her voice trembled as she tried to test it:
"Alice… chan? Is that really Alice-chan?"
At her words, Alicetaria's expression turned apologetic, tinged also with embarrassment. A faint red spread across her cheeks.
"…Forgive me. Did this appearance frighten you? Wait just a moment."
She closed her eyes.
At once, a soft glow enveloped her body. When the light faded, she had returned to her former self—the appearance, the aura Mamika knew so well.
"This power is strong, but I cannot control it yet. If I slip even slightly, I become like that… this form feels more natural, more comfortable."
Mamika pressed a hand to her chest and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness… it's still the same Alice-chan. You really scared me, I thought something terrible had happened to you."
"…Sorry, for making you worry."
Perhaps because of Mamika's earnest concern, Alicetaria smiled faintly, but then quickly grew flustered, the blush deepening on her face.
"Just now… I didn't say anything strange, did I?"
Mamika blinked at her shy expression, then couldn't help laughing.
"Nope. Alice-chan just now was super cool. You looked exactly like a god of justice, judging evil."
"A-ahh! What's this about a god of justice… please, don't say that, Mamika…!"
Her upright, straight-laced nature could not withstand Mamika's harmless teasing. At once, her face burned bright red.
The monster birds had been annihilated, and with no new attackers appearing, the two relaxed. Standing by the riverbank, Mamika stared hard at Alicetaria's stomach.
"The wound's… completely gone. That super scary injury, just… disappeared."
Mamika's voice brimmed with wonder.
The wounds from her battle with Chikujoin Magane—the fatal abdominal pierce, the lesser burns from lightning—now all vanished. As if it had all been illusion.
It was good her body was healed. But still… something about it was troubling.
"The wound disappearing… and that form of yours just now…"
Mamika lifted her gaze, eyes fixed on Alicetaria's face. She asked softly, full of worry:
"Alice-chan, what happened to you? Did you meet someone just now?"
At that, Alicetaria's brows drew together.
"…In truth, I don't understand what happened to me either."
She raised a hand to her face, her eyes clouded with bewilderment and confusion—no sign of deceit.
"After you left, Mamika, I was waiting under the bridge. Then… my memories blur. By the time I came to myself, I was already like that. Not only had my body healed, but power was flooding into me endlessly."
Only she herself knew—how overwhelming, how terrifying that power was.
For one fleeting instant, she felt she had become a god. That now, she could do anything.
Yes… if it were her now, she could save her country without doubt!
No longer powerless before tragedy. Now she had the strength to fulfill her mission.
Her right hand curled tightly into a fist. Alicetaria's eyes grew firm, her thoughts resounding silently in her heart.
Even though it was night, craters and scorch marks were still visible.
Most of the damage came from Mamika and the monsters, not from her own divine strike. Despite its grand display, it hadn't wreaked much havoc on the land.
Alicetaria and Mamika chose not to leave. They stayed by the river, waiting until Meteora and the others arrived with the ambulance.
The ambulance had been called for them, after all. Even if it was now unneeded, they could not simply walk away without a word.
But when the medical staff came running with stretchers and gear, only to find no patient—the atmosphere turned awkward.
"…Weren't we told someone was near death? That they needed immediate treatment?"
Kanoya Rui looked between Mamika and Alicetaria, scratching his head. "Don't tell me one of you two was the patient? You look healthier than I do."
Selesia and Meteora were equally stunned at the sight of a fully intact Alicetaria.
"You're…?"
Selesia pointed, unable to form the words.
"As you can see, healed." Alicetaria smiled faintly.
"The chance it was from your own power… seems low." Meteora analyzed coldly. "If you had healing abilities, why wait until now to use them? Even if there were some cost, it makes little sense. So—was it an accident? Or did you meet someone? Connected, perhaps, to that blinding light and the battle traces nearby?"
Mamika's fight with the monster birds aside—Alicetaria's strike had illuminated the night like day. Meteora's group had been on the way, close enough to see it clearly.
Mamika and Alicetaria exchanged glances. Finding no reason to hide it, they recounted everything they'd seen.
Though Meteora's side was not exactly allied with Altair's, relations were not outright hostile either. They had fought side by side in Sunshine City. And Meteora's group had even called an ambulance for Alicetaria.
Mamika and Alicetaria felt goodwill toward them.
And they both knew their own limits. Fighting—they could manage. Analysis? Far beyond them.
That was the task of Meteora Österreich, the Sage of Avalken, keeper of the Library of Worlds.
Through their telling, Meteora did not interrupt. She simply listened, her brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
"A second type of monster, capable of mental pollution…"
Flying, spewing rainbow breath.
Compared to the octopus-like creatures before, these bird-monsters were even more troublesome.
And yet, compared to another discovery, even that seemed trivial.
Selesia's face turned thoughtful. She muttered to herself:
"So the birds attacked you right after Meteora and I left?"
"…That's no coincidence, is it?"
Kanoya Rui crossed his arms. Though he disliked combat, even he felt tension. "Even I can see it. Like it was all arranged."
"Something so obvious doesn't even need saying."
Mirokuji Yūya clicked his tongue. "The monsters that attacked us were just bait. The birds after—that was the real move. And those things aren't intelligent enough for such strategy. Which means…"
"…The one scheming is whoever commands them." Meteora's voice was low, her fingers brushing her chin. "So—what are they seeking? What goal do they aim for?"
Her mind immediately conjured the image of Chikujoin Magane. They already suspected her as the one behind these monsters. The motive was there: she wanted to kill Alicetaria and Mamika. But once her ability was exposed and guarded against, she had been forced to retreat.
Killing, silencing witnesses—Magane had plenty of reason to send monsters after them.
But then… Alicetaria and Mamika did not die.
They were alive. More than alive—Alicetaria had been healed.
So was there another plot at work? Or had the plan simply failed? Was there a third party who saved her?
Or perhaps—like the octopus monsters that distracted Meteora and Selesia—the bird monsters had only been to lure Mamika away. In which case, the true target was…
To form reasonable guesses from known evidence, then test them—that was efficient, but exhausting. One had to consider every possibility.
In times like these, Meteora always craved sweets, to replenish the sugar her brain devoured.
"…Still lacking information."
Her inorganic voice drifted as she raised her gaze to Alicetaria.
"The key is likely that missing piece of memory."
"…I'm sorry. No matter how I try, I cannot recall what happened."
Alicetaria's reply carried guilt.
"No. It's my fault."
Mamika suddenly spoke, uneasy. "Alice-chan was wounded so terribly, and I… I left her there alone under the bridge…"
"What's past is past, and the future is not yet here. To waste emotion on what cannot be changed is unwise. The priority is what to do next, and what measures to take."
Meteora's calm was chilling—like a machine, untouched by feeling.
Then she turned her gaze upon Mamika, and her tone sharpened:
"Forgive my bluntness. But by remaining with Alicetaria under the bridge, you endangered her further. You left yourselves at a disadvantage, trapped in your own cocoon. Especially when your enemies had ranged attacks. That choice only worsened your position."
"Uu…!"
Mamika bit her lip, eyes stung with the look of a scolded child.
Meteora's rebuke reminded her of her homeroom teacher. Even if she was stronger in power, the weight of authority pressed her down.
So it was proven—even heroes who saved the world, even magical girls, still feared their teachers.
Meteora shifted her gaze back to Alicetaria.
"The true cause of your memory loss remains uncertain. Most likely, someone saved you. Perhaps they wished to hide their identity. Perhaps amnesia was a side effect of the healing. After all—besides your wounds vanishing, your body has changed, hasn't it?"
To explain the golden sun that had briefly shone in the sky, Alicetaria recounted her transformation.
A power absent from the "original work." A power never written in her "character setting."
A new power.
At that, Selesia, Meteora, and Yūya's faces all hardened.
They had long suspected this possibility.
If they, the Created, were characters pulled from stories, bound by their written roles—
then could the Creators of this world alter those settings?
Testing the idea had been simple enough. After all, Vogelchevalier's author Matsubara Takashi had been in their custody. And fearing a light novel alone insufficient, they had even brought in Mariné, the illustrator.
But their attempts failed. No matter what new abilities Matsubara wrote or Mariné drew, Selesia could not use them.
Which was why Alicetaria's change was so monumental.
She might be the first successful case.
"…So, would you come with us?"
Meteora's calm voice invited them.
"This battlefield is hardly fit for discussion. And to verify what has happened to you, preparations must be made. What do you say?"
Alicetaria and Mamika exchanged glances. Then both nodded.
More than anyone else, they wanted to know the truth of this transformation.
And besides… these people were not enemies. Not now.
---
everyone is on vacation so no character notes this week
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