The train at sunrise comes out of a tunnel that marks an unofficial barrier between Kiwako Kobayashi’s wish and the rest of civilization. The parting was tense, of course, but for once, Kiwako’s demeanor was a blessing, rather than an annoyance. Still, coming out of the tunnel came with a sense of longing, the pull of Kiwako’s wish felt between the two homeward bound Puellae.

The ride was quiet, uncomfortably so. At the station, Hanako and Yuzuki parted ways, Hanako trying to figure out if she still had time to make it to school on time. What she did not expect, however, was the small crowd seemingly waiting for her at the station. The entirety of Mitakihara High’s Newspaper Club had come to meet her.

Hanako: Y-You guys…

Yosuke: I’m the only guy here!

Koharu: (snugly decked out in all of her winter clothes as usual, she utters the slightest snicker at Yosuke’s corny joke before taking her hands out of her pockets as she performs a vague gesture that could only be charitably interpreted as a greeting) … Figured you wouldn’t wanna walk home alone after hanging out with friends all this time.

Shinju: (She gives a lively wave with both hands) Heyo! We all came out here to greet you!

Seia: Welcome back. 

Hanako’s smile is warm, bright and impossible to miss. The group begins walking, idle banter befitting polite greetings after a weekend away. Conversation turns topical after a while, and Hanako couldn’t avoid the elephant in the room anymore.

Hanako: Well, um… Kiwa-chan was fine, as expected, just, um… occupied. With a… “guest” of hers.

Shinju: Um… Cecilia, I’m guessing? 

Hanako: (She blinks a couple times) Y… Yes. How did you know…?

Shinju: (She shrugs) I just figured, ‘cause I hadn’t seen her around and I know the two of them are friends. 

Niko: No escape from that woman, eh? (she sighs) What a drag.

Koharu: … Sure Hanako considered that she’d be there. That’s why you went, right?

Hanako: Ah, um… actually, I didn’t consider that at all. I really just went because Kiwa-chan wasn’t replying to me. I um… I guess I missed the obvious again.

Yosuke: Eh, I think it’s pretty normal you just wanted to see your friend, y’know? Don’t beat yourself up about it.

Koharu: … Fair enough. Enough of a motive on its own. She… have a reason not to reply to you, though?

Hanako: She was, uh… distracted. Taking care of Cecilia, helping her… recover. (Her words hang a bit more than she intended)

Shinju: Recover? … Did she have a nasty run-in with a Balancer at some point? I didn’t see her around much that whole time… 

Hanako: Not… exactly. From what I can gather— keeping in mind she wasn’t making a lot of sense— she seemed to have an altercation with Yui after Firestarter’s death. She… is missing an eye. Well, yesterday morning, she attacked Tokai-san out of nowhere. I helped defend her, but she came back to Mitakihara. I wanted to follow right away, but Kiwa-chan and those twin Birds convinced us to wait until our scheduled train trip back. …Has anything happened on this side?

Shinju: Uh, well… 

Koharu: Hanako, why did you go? Why is this so important to you?

Hanako: (This finally gives Hanako pause) …I had to know. I could not reach Kiwa-chan, and, um… I-I mean, it was odd. She chastised me for not contacting her via phone, then went radio silent, s-so to speak…

Koharu: And did you get what you wanted?

Hanako: (Thinking better of trying to conceal anything, Hanako sighs.) …I did. Whatever it is going on with Yui or Cecilia, Kiwa-chan doesn’t seem to have much of anything to do with it. It seems that her concealing of Cecilia was, in fact, altruistic. As far as I can tell, she isn’t hiding anything.

Koharu: What if she lured you there to get you involved? Wouldn’t be the first time someone’s used your unconditional trust in them for their own ends.

Yosuke: Hey, now you’re being a bit paranoid, aren’t you? It’s just a coincidence that this Miss Cecilia was also there.

Koharu: Can only hope.

Hanako: It was. Kiwa-chan wasn’t expecting me to show up. But, um… I went out there, not because I trust Kiwa-chan unconditionally, but because I don’t. 

Koharu: Hm. Smart move…. (she turns away, furrowing her brow) You said that woman from the gym and the Oracle were fighting? How long’s the Oracle been out of town?

Shinju: (she puts her hand on her hip and stares off into the distance, roughly in the direction of Kamihama) Basically since the day of our big final battle with the Balancers, as far as I can tell… 

Koharu: So they defeated the Balancers, at the expense of their own friendship, then.

Yosuke: Well, “saved the city” might be a bit of an overstatement, what with all the murder and stuff…

Koharu: Murders that started after these two had their falling out.

Yosuke: … Are you sure those two things are in any way related, Koharu?

Hanako: Ah… I’d heard about—

Koharu: … Just pointing out a correlation. (she turns to Hanako) Oracle is acting suspicious, but if she’s been in Kamihama all this time, she can’t have been committing all these murders in Mitakihara. That leaves—

Yosuke: Whoa, whoa, whoa, we’re skipping a couple of steps here, aren’t we? What has Miss Arashi ever done to get you to accuse her of murder?

Koharu: Not accusing her of anything. But the fact remains we don’t know what happened when these two took out the last of the Balancers. And something must have changed.

Hanako: I-I don’t think Yui is the type of person to commit murders, especially of citizens who aren’t “in the game,” as she would put it. She’s… grieving. That’s what our argument was about, that I did not know loss like she did.

Yosuke: Grief… can make you do horrible things, Hanako.

Koharu: Not exactly a very reasonable accusation, either. Loss is not a competition.

Hanako: Right. But even if her behavior is irrational, she had a point. I… never really have known loss. Not in a sense that wasn’t temporary, anyway.

Yosuke: That’s not… I mean, that’s not a prerequisite for being human, right?

Niko: Well, if you want my two cents, we know our killer’s gotta be a, like, super powerful Puella, right? And they use a gun, and, well… I saw this, like, criminal profiler guy on TV who was like, the killer’s gotta be an unrepentant narcissist, and… Well, I dunno about you guys, but… (she shrugs) I know someone who fits that bill.

Koharu: … No, you’re right, Hanako. This is improbable.

Niko: H-Hey! So when you say it, it’s a “theory”, but when I say it, it’s imp— improv— implorable?!

Koharu: Improbable.

Niko: Y-Your face is improbable!

Seia: (After a short silence) I don’t think Yui is an “unrepentant narcissist.” And she fights with a staff like me, not a gun.

Hanako: (After an equally short silence.) …Right, Yamano-san, you’ve been training regularly with Yui, right? So you would know better than any of us. How she’s doing, or what she’s thinking, or her mindset in general… you would be most qualified to speak on such things.

Seia: (She sighs) Well, she’s struggling. You know, we’re all still young so we all have our troubles and our immature side… there’s only so much of her life I know. 

Niko: Well, one thing you don’t know, then, is that she does totally have a gun. She tried to shoot those balancer freaks with them a buncha times. (she turns to Yosuke) Eh, no offense, dude.

Yosuke: … None taken. But, eh, I dunno, senpai… “I don’t like her” isn’t exactly a valid reason for automatically assuming someone’s a bad person.

Koharu: … Or the other way around… (she gazes at Hanako) Glad you’re doing your research before making assumptions, Hanako.

Hanako: Ah, um… thank you, Koharu. I-I know it looked like I just rushed to Kiwa-chan’s side, but… (she shakes her head, centering herself, staring at Niko neutrally.) …Who we are, as Newspaper Club members, as well as just, well, people… we get our facts straight before making a move.

Niko: (she flushes) W-Well, yeah! Uh… I mean, duh. Just, you know, pointing out a thing that needed to be pointed out, and stuff! (she slips behind Shinju) Y-You get it, right?!

Shinju: Of course, bunny. … We still need to consider it, and stuff. 

Hanako: (She nods, then turns to Koharu.) It’s something to consider, at least. But I share your apprehension. Choice of weapon is just one factor. Motive and rationale are others. I’ll help where I can, at least.

Koharu: … Did you enjoy seeing your friend again, at least?

Hanako: (After a brief pause, she smiles again.) …Yes. It was a fun weekend, drama with Cecilia aside.