In Mitakihara’s Minami district, a cushy middle-class suburb largely unaffected by the chaos affecting the inner city, the streets are lined with detached, Western style houses, boasting large front yards and verdant hedges to allow their occupants some privacy. Despite the lack of turmoil, however, the streets are still surprisingly empty. A slender girl, wearing a thick coat over a tracksuit, a hood covering her spunky haircut, wanders down towards the fence of the house at the end of the street. She pushes the doorbell button, looking up at the camera a few inches higher, but gets no response. After a few seconds, she rings the bell again. Still, nothing.

The girl sighs. After pondering for a while, she moves her finger towards the numerical pad above the doorbell, pressing a sequence of numbers. With a click, the fence door opens, allowing her access to the front yard. She quietly closes the fence behind her, only for the eerie silence to be disturbed by a few loud barks. A large dog comes running up to the girl, but as soon as it realizes who the visitor is, its barking is replaced by enthusiastic yapping as it jumps up onto the girl’s chest nearly knocking her over.

Chiemi: Whoa. Hey there, big guy…

Wagging its tail, the dog responds with a happy bark.

Chiemi: You home alone? No one responded when I rang… Are you— (seeing the dog’s excited eyes, Chiemi has to catch her breath, and she turns away covering her mouth) S-Sorry, you… (she gets on one knee, hugging the dog and stroking the fur on its back) You’ve been waiting here all this time, haven’t you? I… I’m sorry. I’m sorry, boy… I’m sure… would have done a better job protecting her…

???: … Chiemi?

Chiemi looks up, wiping a tear from her eye as she sees a woman standing on the porch, wearing an apron and a pair of rubber gloves, her face a mix of worry and relief.

Mrs. Fueki: Chiemi, is that you? You’re back, are you…

Chiemi: … (she lets go of Kurou the dog, stands up, squeezes her eyes shut and turns her head towards the ground)

Mrs. Fueki: Where’s Akari? Did you… Is she coming home…?

Chiemi: … I shouldn’t have come here.

Mrs. Fueki: What’s wrong? Honey, you know you can tell me everything, right? I trusted you when you said you and Akari needed to lay low for a bit. But… (the woman takes off her gloves, approaching Chiemi) … the Bureau are gone now, so you can just come home, right? That’s what you’re here to say, right? So… So where is Akari?

Chiemi: She… She… (seeing Chiemi biting down her tears, Kurou whimpers, his excitement at being reunited with an old friend fading in an instant)

Mrs. Fueki: Just tell me what is wrong—

As soon as Akari’s mother reaches out to Chiemi, the girl, startled, stumbles backwards and falls. Rather than landing on the soft grass however, she finds herself lying on cold concrete in the middle of the road, staring up at the grey November sky, with no Mrs. Fueki or Kurou in sight.

Chiemi: (panting) … What the… What the hell?

She stands up, looking around and recognizing the street she had been walking down just minutes earlier, only a stone’s throw away from the Fueki residence. Panicking, she turns back towards the house before a crow’s call echoing through the air disturbs her stupor.

Chiemi: What’s… What’s going on? (she grits her teeth as two voices speak into her mind, calm and dispassionate)

A voice: You fell yourself through space. You fear.

Another voice: …Your powers gave you a way out.

Chiemi: Bullshit! How can I even use my powers when I’m not transformed! I can’t even use them properly when I am!

A voice: It is despair.

Another voice: There is… a Witch inside you, waiting to be born.

Chiemi: Not yet. Not yet, damnit!

She turns around again, this time, much to her surprise, seeing three hooded individuals, one standing right in front of her in the middle of the road, the two others perched in the trees lining the avenue, like birds.

Chiemi: … You. You’re alive.

A voice: …Is this who you told us about, cousin?

Another voice: It must be. But to tap into such an ability subconsciously… it reminds me of my time in the barrier again.

Kotori: (The girl in the center lowers her hood, dull rose-colored eyes falling to Chiemi.) Rio, Riko. There’s no need to be rude. Or even cryptic anymore. (Kotori extends a hand towards Chiemi) This is not how we treat our friends. …It’s been awhile, Chiemi.

Chiemi: (she doesn’t immediately reciprocate Kotori’s gesture, more out of befuddlement than out of ill will) … Wh-What the hell are you doing here? I thought the Bureau killed you.

Kotori: Officially, they did. It’s unheard of for someone to stand against a Puella Malefica and walk away unscathed. …I sealed my Soul Gem within Aoi’s wings to assist her plan. I was returned to Father by a meddlesome interloper. I have since taken on one of Father’s contracts, as per my training. Imagine my surprise that not only did Father allow this, but he assigned my cousins to assist me, fresh from Kamihama. 

Chiemi: What the hell does that even mean? Your father’s… contracts? Did you take on a plumbing apprenticeship or something? We’re being hunted like wild animals out here!

Kotori: All the more reason to trust in an information dealer, no?

Riko: (One of the girls descended with the grace of a swallow, approaching Kotori and lowering her hood. She had short black hair and dull green eyes.) Are you quite sure you should be divulging all of this, cousin? She doesn’t have a deal with us, does she?

Rio: (Descending with the caution of a sparrow, the other girl came to Kotori’s other side, sheepishly lowering her own hood. She, too, had black hair, a bit longer, but her eyes were hidden in her downcast gaze) …She isn’t… dangerous, is she?

Kotori: (Kotori looks between her two younger cousins) Hmhm~ Most assuredly, she is. But she’s also a friend. Rather… she was a friend of Miho’s. (she then turns to face Chiemi again with a smile) …This is all I need.

Chiemi: They’re not gonna stop until they’ve killed us all. You’ve got no time to be playing around like this! Akari… Akari is dead, Ito. Hotaru is dead. They’re not gonna be the last.

Kotori: I know. That’s why I came here. Her mother is a client of my father. I… came to deliver the news. I’m glad I found you, though. We’ve got a shelter, one that the Balancers would never find. Though, I must ask, why did you not stay with Yui and the others?

Chiemi: I dunno, why don’t you?

Kotori: I… fear my presence there would cause more harm than good. Besides, if I operated out of Yui’s gym, it could compromise their safety. This way, I’m only risking myself.

Rio: Ahem.

Kotori: …And those that stay with me of their own volition.

Chiemi: Don’t worry. It’s not like they’re gonna do anything. They’re just staying holed up in their gym… Like she died for nothing.

Kotori: (she frowned) …Care to elaborate?

Chiemi: Let’s just say that in times of crisis, the Romans appointed a supreme commander who’d make the urgent and brave decisions an assembly like the Senate wouldn’t make, and bear full responsibility for these decisions. That’s where the word “dictator” comes from, and it’s the reason why the Roman Empire could last for as long as it could. I tried to… (she scoffs bitterly) Never mind. I wanted revenge. They wanted… Something they could still believe in, I guess. But I… I can’t let these Balancers come for me the way they came for her. I need to take the fight to them. I don’t care if I die… but I will not be killed.

Kotori: (Kotori listened with her eyes closed, nodding slowly as Chiemi finished speaking) I cannot say I don’t understand. Yui Arashi is a very pragmatic, cautious woman, however. Her goal is to protect everyone. And in your emotional state, it probably came off as wanting to march them to their deaths to get that revenge. (Kotori’s voice softens) But I know that isn’t the case, is it? Besides, as someone who sought revenge at the throat of Anisa Nobunaga, I can empathize better than they can.

Chiemi: There’s something else. There’s this… girl. Some associate of an acquaintance of Arashi’s or something. I tried to tell them about Magia, but I… It failed. It… doesn’t work anymore. Now this girl’s trying to sell them some kind of “alternative” when there’s no damn time. I can’t count on them. I can’t count on them if I want to avenge her—God, why am I even telling you all this?

Kotori: (Rio and Riko exchange a concerned look as Kotori’s eyes widen) An… alternative to Magia?!  (she shakes her head) More importantly, what do you mean yours doesn’t work anymore? Are you suggesting you cannot activate Magia anymore, Chiemi?

Chiemi: (she sighs, slowly) Yeah, that I am.

Kotori: …I fear I know frighteningly little about Magia, personally. But I’m much more relieved that our paths should cross here now. I… we can help you, Chiemi. We can figure out the mysteries and minutiae behind Magia, and when we do, we can help you attain the revenge you seek. …Even if by accident, you came to the right person, if your heart desires revenge.

Chiemi: Why? You… seem like a sensible person. Go help Arashi and the others. This is something I have to do on my own. Always has been.

Kotori: If you go off on your own, especially without Magia, you will die a fool’s death. If the Forte wanted my help, she would have called upon me about it. No… this is where I should be right now.

Riko: None of us can survive on our own. Our kind has always been more effective working together.

Rio: R-Right! Besides, they just didn’t… understand you, that’s all. You weren’t trying to march them off the edge of oblivion, you just… wanted to move forward.

Kotori: Indeed. That is a logical way to look at things in a crisis. The only mistake I can see that you made is the wording, or the emotional undertone of it all. But if all of us approach Yui with a plan of action, I guarantee that not one person in that group would see you in such a poor light anymore. (Kotori extends her hand once more) What do you think, Chiemi?

Chiemi: I’m not going back there. I do have my pride. Heck, I’d rather die stubborn than apologize. At least if they hate me, they have their self-righteousness to give them strength. I’m useless to them as an ally.

Kotori: But we can still rely on their strength to help take out the Balancers. Hm… perhaps a two-pronged approach isn’t the worst idea. 

Chiemi: I just don’t fit in with whatever they’ve got going on. I never should have tried in the first place. What even is the point anymore? I sacrificed everything for her… and it was all for nothing.

Kotori: Then, perhaps a dead bird like myself would be better company. My offer stands. I think we can get a lot more done together, than trying to piece this out on our own. Besides, you’ve encountered them all. I could use your expertise. 

Chiemi: They… The Balancers seem to be as rag-tag a bunch as Arashi and her gym rats are. They don’t think as a team. We could use that to our advantage. (she frowns) … And you’re right. Maybe we don’t need an alternative to what Arashi is up to… Maybe… (she sighs) we could do their dirty work.

Kotori: (Kotori smiles a bit more warmly) You would make an excellent Bird with that mentality, Chiemi. We could tell them our plans, or simply align them with whenever they act. We could lead the Balancers on a wild goose chase, away from their gym, to let the others safely act and plan on their own. And when Yui and the others strike, we sneak in… and you get your revenge, by your own hands.

Chiemi: Glad to… have someone who understands.

Kotori: I told you. I confronted Anisa Nobunaga with the goal of revenge. I… failed. I keep saying that it should have been me on that raid, not Miho.

Riko: D-Don’t say such things, Kotori!

Kotori: But it’s true. Miho was full of life, and ready to carry the standard of vengeance with Aoi. Granted, Aoi’s plan was dangerous and reckless in the end. But from the time of the raid on the Bureau, it made the most sense. But… she took that shot meant for me. To this day, I can’t understand it… she did not exactly reciprocate my feelings for her. So why give her life for mine?

Rio: Kotori… you know we’re better off with you around now, right?

Kotori: I suppose. Hindsight, and all that. So I’m making the most of the life that Miho gave me. Even if it is still one full of revenge. Chiemi… I tell you all this so that you can trust me with your cause. I will help you avenge Akari’s death at any cost. 

Chiemi: … Then let’s get to it..