Anisa: I don’t know what this implies, but it must imply… something. Maybe I came onto Kyubey’s radar because I was the one who discovered the conduit… or we can present it to Miss Nyaua as hard evidence of its wrongdoings and be rid of it once and for all.

Sitting on the other end of the wooden desk in Yui’s office, her hands folded into her lap, Anisa can’t help but fall back into her old habit of fidgeting, even as she tries to maintain eye contact. Yui, for her part, at least remains neutral in expression.

Yui: I don’t like it, whatever it means. But I agree with you, it’d be safer here than in Yuzu’s house. If it’s really a conduit, it would explain a lot, really. I haven’t read Yuzu’s soul yet, but… I’ve had a suspicion for a long time now about that “other half” of hers. That scrap metal bein’ a conduit would put a lot of the puzzle together for me.

Anisa: You think it has something to do with that? I… hadn’t considered that yet. I thought Miss Tokai simply developed that personality to make fighting possible for her, as a result of her wish.

Yui: It’s all too weird to be a coincidence. I fuckin’ hate myself for this, but… I have to think like a Conductor here. Think about it, Anisa. That Balancer woman, Melati, she comes in talkin’ about investigating Kyubey. Tells us about these conduits, emphasizin’ their misuse. An’ between what you just told me an’ what ‘Tori’s been tellin’ me… (She meets Anisa’s eyes. Pointedly.) Coincidence and magic can’t coexist. Not in our world.

Anisa: The question is, is it Kyubey who dropped this conduit, or a different Incubator altogether?

Yui: I think it’s somethin’ different, if I had to put money on it. Think about it… if it was Kyubey’s conduit, wouldn’t it have turned Yuzu against us during the Balancing?

Anisa: You’d already go as far as to argue that the Incubator that dropped this conduit has Miss Tokai under its thrall, then? (she crosses her arms) Still, it’s Kyubey that is being investigated here. Perhaps this other Incubator is already no longer any of us’ concern.

Yui: Whether it’s Kyubey or not, the fact that the possibility exists of Yuzu’s other half bein’ some sort of Incubator has me concerned enough to not wanna take a chance on it. Like, yeah, more likely than not, it’s just a weird side effect of her wish. Logic’s tellin’ me that much. But… two elder Balancers showin’ up after half a year or less, and now this conduit shit? This’s bigger than me, but it affects me, so I gotta take it seriously. Not like I’m gettin’ anywhere lookin’ for Diana, anyway…

Anisa: I don’t think we can jump to conclusions like that. Remember the conduit has been here all this time — it just happened to catch my eye now. But it might as well have stopped being relevant years ago. As far as I know, Miss Caelum was drawn here by Kyubey’s Balancing, and she decided to stick around because you fascinated her… If there is a link, it is simply that Kyubey, Diana and this second Incubator, who dropped this conduit, are all being investigated at the same time. That doesn’t mean they’re related, necessarily.

Yui: Probably not. But I’m not gonna sleep well at night if I do nothin’ and somethin’ happens to Yuzu.

Anisa: You have to talk to Yuzuki about this, Arashi… It’s not right to speculate behind her back. But I can’t be the one to tell her.

Yui: Haha… yeah, she’d try to kill you for sure. …I could just go over, read her soul, find out that, most likely, it’s somethin’ weird that happened with her wish. And if not, well… I’m pretty good with soul stuff. But uh, I’m not gonna pretend I’m brimming with confidence, either. Could use some backup from the shadows. …Feelin’ more Third Angel or Shinobu Nagano today?

Anisa: Depends on what you need… Though if I could give you some advice, I’d hold off on… keeping her out of the loop, so to say. Just be candid and honest and let her decide what to do for herself.

Yui: … Yeah, you’re right about that. ‘Specially if I’m diggin’ into her soul an’ all…

Anisa: We did used to be friends, believe it or not.

Yui: Right, yeah… I forgot about that. Then again, I wasn’t that close to y’all back in high school, so…

Anisa: I’m sure Yuzuki repressed those memories, given what happened to Kanamin…

Yui: …She didn’t like that I forgot to let her know she was still alive for so long. I thought she was gonna kick my ass… wouldn’t have blamed her, either.

Anisa: … A lesson we’d both be wise to learn, then.

Yui: And a mistake I don’t plan on repeating. C’mon, let’s roll.