New Eden was particularly quiet on this late January Sunday morning. Just Yui and her two star pupils, Seia and Ayumi. Yui had, at an abundance of caution for Aoi’s wellbeing, slowed down her training just a bit. Ayumi was outwardly relieved, of course, though she never directly complained about the harsh regimen. Seia, for her part, took to everything much more readily than Ayumi had.

Yui: …’Kay. Take five.

Ayumi: (She looked between Yui and Seia, confused.) Oh, um… okay!

Seia: (She twirls her staff and sets it down on the ringside. With her shadowy hands to guide her, she exits the ring as quickly as anybody else) Going well today, hmm? 

Yui: Yeh. Pretty quiet today, not every day needs to be a mad sprint. You holdin’ up okay?

Seia: Mm-hmm. I feel like I’ll last one minute now against a Witch who figures out my trick, instead of zero. (She gives a wry smile and takes a drink from the fountain) 

Ayumi: Turning zero into one! Yeah!

Yui: Heh. That’s the spirit. But the odds of a Witch getting through that is still slim. You got an advantage, and now you know how to wield it. That’s progress. Ayumi, you too. You stopped thinkin’ about the weight of your hammer some time ago. S’like an extension of yourself. Just need a bit more instinct, and a bit more proper skill. But for your rank-and-file Witch? You two are golden.

Ayumi: Th… thank you, sensei!

Yui: Oi, none of that. Just ‘Yui’ is fine. 

Seia: (She gets on one knee as if speaking to a guru) Yui-sama, what is best in life? 

Yui: Oi, oi! You’re climbin’ my ranks for bein’ normal! Don’t blow your ride to the top, Seia!

Seia: Hmhm. Just kidding. I already know that François is best in life. Where is he? (Her shadowy hands feel around until they find the houseplant) Ah. Here. (She pats the plant) 

Yui: Whew. I got worried for a second. But yes, that’s the correct answer. François is a national treasure. Okay, any other questions ‘fore we get back to it?

Seia: Hmm. (She recovers her staff from the ringside, leaning on it) Tell us honestly, what do you think the chances are that those balancer people could come back and we’ll need to use these skills on them? 

Yui: (She simply nodded, closing her eyes, her tone becoming serious.) Slim. Slim to none. But not zero. The Incubator is a crafty son of a bitch. More time that passes, the more those odds go up, which is why we gotta be ready at all times. Could be that it has some more psychotic bastards on standby and is just waiting for me to drop my guard. Could be that it needs decades to get a good enough group together. I got no way of knowin’ for sure. So that’s why I train, and why I push y’all as hard as I do.

Seia: (She nods slowly) Then I’ll not be hiding in a cabin in the woods next time. 

Yui: Wouldn’t hold it against you. They shoot to kill, those fuckers. A Witch will exist to kill, too. But the difference is, Witches are more… feral. Balancers are the worst of humanity mixed with an even heavier desire to destroy. 

Seia: I have friends too, you know. I can’t stay back in hiding forever when they’re in danger. 

Ayumi: Y-You can count on me, too! I might not be from around here, but I’ll still defend this place! I owe you, Yui.

Seia: There you have it. You’re stuck with us! 

Yui: Great! Well, since this is working out and all—

At that moment, the doors to New Eden swung open. The first girl to enter was all too familiar, and in a flash, she had transformed, donning her usual emerald attire, katana unsheathed in her right hand, slung lazily over her shoulders. The second was familiar enough, clad in a pink, Victorian affair, a matching style and color of musket held in her right hand. The third was unfamiliar, entering with a more mechanical looking yellow-gold suit, arm blades coming out of her gauntlets. The fourth to enter was untransformed, at least at first, and stood out like a sore thumb. Round, rimless glasses rested on her pale face, covering dull, hazel eyes. Her red hair rested clumsily in twintails along her shoulders, and her demeanor gave off the impression that she was the least local visitor yet.

Tomomi: Yo, sensei. Training begins now, right?

Seia: (She faces the arriving footsteps behind Tomomi) Who’s there with you? 

Yui: (The storm in Yui’s eyes flared, this time not subsiding as they scanned the quartet. The girl in pink, Haruki Hiiragi, flinched, and the girl in yellow, one Chihiro Miki stepped back for a moment, left arm raised defensively. The foreign girl blinked, a little unfazed.) It’s Sunday, so yeah. Two fives, a four and a question mark, huh? (She cracked her knuckles, rolling her head and cracking her neck as well)

Chihiro: Y-You— What nerve! Don’t you realize what’s going on here?

Haruki: There’s no way you’re this dense, what with all that nonsense you spewed last time I was here…

A pause. Tomomi glanced back at the fourth girl, who was simply looking around the gym.

Tomomi: Oi. You still with us? It’s your line…

???: <Huh?> (She spoke in English with a subtle British accent) <I think… wait, hold on. You’re asking me…> (She pulled out a little pocket book, nodding as she leafed through a few pages) <Oh, right! Yeah, I’m with— dang it.> Er… yes. I am still with you, friend!

Yui: Wow… you really went all out, didn’t you, Tomomi? New girl with arm blades, and some tourist, huh? 

Tomomi: Shut up! (She held her weapon at the ready now, the blade pointed in Yui’s direction) For the last month, all you’ve done is humiliate me! So it’s your turn to suffer, bitch!

The two other girls on Tomomi’s side nodded, stepping in a bit. But Yui didn’t flinch, instead turning her gaze on the fourth.

Yui: …You still with them, kid?

???: Huh? Me? <Erm… wait, dang it.> (She pulls out her pocket guide a second time)

Yui: <I speak English. I’m saying, are you with them?>

???: <Oh, thank God! Translating on the fly like this was getting exhausting! Anyway, yes, I’m with them! They have a score to settle with you, apparently? And from what I gathered, you’re not a nice person, or something?>

Yui: <That’s about right, yeah.> (She stepped a bit closer, Tomomi tensing up and Haruki stepping back again.) Y’know the worst part, Tomomi? Besides importing a Puella from across several ponds, I mean.

Tomomi didn’t answer, her grip tightening as a bead of sweat fell down the side of her face. But during that beat, Yui moved in a flash, twisting Tomomi’s arm and forcing the weapon out of her hand. In a sudden turn, Yui had tossed her into the side of the ring, kneeling down with her forearm against the inexperienced girl’s throat.

Yui: The worst part is, you went around telling people about this place. And not so they could train or heal, but so you could get that ego boost you crave, like a fucking drug. (She pressed her arm in tightly, causing Tomomi’s eyes to widen, coughing a bit) You’re a fucking waste, kid. Any other soul in that body’d do a lot more good.

Tomomi: Wh… what do you—

Tomomi’s words were cut off by the sudden slack in Yui’s grip. But it wasn’t an arm blade or a musket shot that interrupted Yui’s attack. A whip resembling the stem of a rose, complete with thorns had wrapped around Yui’s neck. Blood trickled down as Yui was pulled back.

???: <Now, now. That’s quite enough, don’t you think, Miss?>

Chihiro and Haruki exchange a look, but lunge forward in the confusion, while Yui is incapacitated. Seia steps forward, almost in their way, loudly banging her staff against the corner post of the ring for attention. 

Seia: Good night, everyone. (The veil of darkness expands from the jewel in her forehead, enveloping the ring)

Confusion and bedlam erupts from three of the voices. Tomomi’s curses fill the gym, while bickering from Chihiro and Haruki escalate. Soon, a couple shots from Haruki’s musket ring out, followed by her own cry of pain. A bit of metal clashing, more yelling, and finally, Yui’s calm voice, coming from the center of the ring. How Yui made her way there was unknown.

Yui: Two down. I can handle it from here, Seia.

The darkness recedes. Seia stands near Haruki, having struck her musket away and knocked her down with her staff. Nearby, Chihiro clutches her side, evidently shot by Haruki’s musket.  

Seia: … You shouldn’t fire that thing when you can’t see where you’re aiming. You almost hit me. 

Haruki: Th… that was the point—

Yui: (She flashes a proud grin) Damn, and I thought they’d just knock each other out on their own. Good shit. <Now then, where were we…?>

Yui turns to face her opponent in the other corner of the ring. Also somehow escaping the initial wave of darkness, surprisingly, wasn’t Tomomi. The foreign girl, dressed in a simple red outfit, holds her whip lazily in both hands.

???: <You are full of mysteries, Miss. What’s your name?>

Yui: <Yui Arashi. What’s yours?>

???: <…Evelyn. Evelyn Adams.>

Yui: <Cool. So are we fighting now—>

At that moment, Tomomi leaps from her position behind Yui, up over the top rope. Landing with a roll between them, she raises her katana, poised to strike. Instead of flesh, however, her weapon collides with the cold steel of Ayumi’s hammer.

Ayumi: L… Leave Yui-senpai alone!

Tomomi: (Her eyes widen in pure shock, not even seeing when Ayumi came into the ring) What the fuck are you—

Nearby, Chihiro quietly struggles to her feet, hoping to sneak up on Seia. Seia hears the slight noise and whips around. In a response long-practiced in her training, her shadowy hands quickly feel out the incoming attack. Seia catches Chihiro’s arm and answers with a punch to her jaw, sending Chihiro back to the floor.

Seia: (A little shaken despite her success) S-stop it already.

Chihiro: Son of a— 

Haruki begins to stir, though it’s clear by the anger on her face that she’s second guessing her role in this brawl, and stays down. Ayumi and Tomomi begin fighting in earnest, Ayumi forcing Tomomi to retreat around the ring, though not without getting her shots in return. As it becomes clear who has the upper hand, Yui simply gives Evelyn a puzzled look.

Yui: <Still wanna go? You’re seeing how this is going down. So, are you still on their side?>

But before Evelyn can answer, the sound of Yui’s phone ringing cuts through the air, causing the fighting to promptly cease. Yui holds up a finger to Evelyn, who surprisingly doesn’t take the opportunity to strike, and answers the phone.

Yui: You two picked a baaad time, not gonna lie.

Riko: This is the only time, Yui Arashi. The only time where we can deliver this message. …It’s Cecilia. She’s making her way over to Mitakihara—

Freeze.

The sound of thunder echoes throughout the gym.

You already know, though, don’t you, Yui? You can feel it, right?

Yui: Got it. On my way.

Riko: What?! But you don’t know where or when—

Yui ends the call, pocketing her phone before Riko can get in another word. Haruki chooses this moment to try and attack, but a hard kick to the girl’s ribs, sending her into the wall stops her. Ayumi continues to stand between Yui and Tomomi, the latter’s attacks growing more desperate with the sudden proximity to Yui.

Ayumi: Wh… where are you going, Yui-sensei?!

Seia: What are we supposed to do if you leave us with this group? 

Yui: …Need help with the cleanup?

She pauses only to look around New Eden. Tomomi was held at bay by Ayumi alone, Evelyn didn’t seem to be making any effort to attack, and Chihiro and Haruki were lying unconscious on the floor. 

Yui: <What about you, Wendy’s? Gonna keep up the fight?>

Evelyn simply shakes her head and, surprisingly, drops her form, slowly and clumsily exiting the ring, hovering near the office for a moment. 

Ayumi: …It’s personal business, right, Yui? Well… don’t worry, I think we can handle things from here.

Tomomi: Handle me?! What makes you think—

Her words are cut off by a feint, followed by a trip, sending Tomomi to the floor. It wasn’t enough to incapacitate the girl, but the tide of the battle shifted considerably. Yui simply nods, leaving New Eden in a renewed rush.

Seia: (She grips her staff in both hands, slowly advancing on the fight between Ayumi and Tomomi) If you plan on continuing this awful thing, I’m gonna have to get involved too. 

Tomomi: (She slowly rises to her feet, looking around at her scattered, defeated friends. Her katana is shaky as she holds it up, but her eyes burn fiercely) …I’m not done yet. Not even close.

Seia: Why? Yui’s gone. We’re all nice girls here. 

Tomomi: …Because I can’t lose. Not to you. Not to either of you. Not to… not to anyone! (Her words are stronger than her body, however, and she drops to a knee)

Ayumi: Tomomi-chan…

Seia: (She slowly approaches, pushing the sword out of Tomomi’s hand with her staff) Just go home for now, okay? 

Tomomi: Tch… (She lowers her head, sort of just curling up in on herself)