Sara: Check it out, chat! It is the one, the only adventurer’s guild of Mitakihara! I’ve heard so much about this place. (without hesitation, she darts into the gym, clambering up into the ring and attempting a clumsy dropkick on the training dummy, causing her to fall on her backside) Owch! Looks like I underestimated you, villain!

Alice: (sitting on the edge of the ring with her guitar, she raises an eyebrow as Sara dashes past her) Hey, no touching the merchandise if you don’t even have a membership, slugger.

Koharu: (she passes Alice and Sara by, headed straight for Yui’s office) No time for this.

Anisa: Shirahara, um… wait, I’m not sure how we should go about this. I— (she flinches at Koharu’s questioning glare) There’s going to be some people here that I’m… (she briefly glances at Alice) … not exactly on good terms with.

Sara: That’s what the ring is for, innit?

Yui: You, who can’t even take a proper bump by the looks of it, are in no position to tell anyone to settle anything in my ring. (Yui emerges from behind the opposite corner outside the ring) And leave the sketch shit behind this time, yeah? This is serious. A’ight everyone, gather round in my office.

Alice: We closing up shop? I can watch the gym if you need me to.

Yui: Just for like an hour. Put up the cleaning sign or something. …Please and thanks, babe. (She gives Alice a little smile, then herds everyone towards the office) Goes without saying, but you can join us, Alice.

Alice: We’ve got a couple of bookings, so I’ll stay here. You can brief me tonight.

Yui: Thanks, babe. I’ll tell you about it later.

Yui enters the office, glancing around at everyone. Anisa, Hanako, Seia, Koharu, Yosuke, Sara, and Yuzuki. Glancing down at her phone, she sees the message from Toi that she is also on the way. None of this surprises Yui. But sitting at her desk, already there ahead of everyone, was Melati. This shouldn’t have surprised her. And yet…

Yui: (Nonchalantly) Soon as Toi gets here, we’re underway.

Melati: Sorry for just coming in like this, but I’d rather this thing get stopped sooner rather than later.  

Yui: (She merely sighs in response) An’ I was tryin’ not to acknowledge it. But since I guess there’s more at stake than my pride, here goes… consider this us officially working with you this time, to take down Ikana at least.

Yosuke: Are… You sure about this, Arashi? Isn’t she working with the Incubators?

Sara: (she crosses her arms, nodding) Any hero’ll have to team up with their arch-nemesis at some point, senpai! It’s for the greater good!

Melati: I’m not anybody’s arch-nemesis. That’s half the point here. We happen to be working against an Incubator. A former one, at least. 

Yui: Right. An’ as far as that’s concerned, we’re on the same page. No reason for me to be difficult about it now, since Ikana’s makin’ its move against us. Well… against some of us, anyway.

Koharu: What exactly’s going on here? Why’s this Incubator after… her?

Yui: I have some really good guesses based on what I know from Yuzu an’ Anisa. When Toi gets here, we can go into it.

Koharu: She’s got something to do with this, too?

Sara: The plot thickens!

Anisa: Miss… Sakurauchi and I go way back. Even before all of this went down. We’re… childhood friends, I suppose you could say.

Yuzuki: (With a sigh) This Incubator dropped his weird body-possessing-machine here when we were kids. The three of us and Emiri found it, and I guess we were this weird little freak’s soap opera for however long. Now, its main body is dead, so I guess all it has left is this part of it that clung to us… 

Anisa: For some reason, this thing doesn’t just want to become human. It wants to be one of us, specifically.

Toi: (standing in the doorway, she puts her umbrella in the nearest corner) I think Miss Tokai is correct. The creature is… (she sighs) here for the drama, as the kids would say.

Yosuke: Eh… I don’t mean to, uhm, downplay the… intensity of your experience, but… wouldn’t an alien that wants to live through, like, emotional intensity be able to do better than meddling in this… (he looks at Yuzuki, then at Anisa) bad blood between a bunch of twentysomethings? Are you sure this Incubator isn’t just after your crazy powers or anything?

Anisa: … Former crazy powers.

Melati: If it was a full being, probably. However, having lost the majority of itself in its execution, it’s in a state of shock and confusion and has only these memories related to you “Musketeers” to piece itself together on. 

Yui: In terms of its soul, it’s basically a fragmented existence. I got a beat on it when it broke off of Yuzuki. So it’s running on some subconscious instinct, which is the Three Musketeers bit. And thanks to this attack, we now got a beat on its behavior. It won’t show up except around Anisa, since that’s its target. It runs when anyone else shows up. It might stick around if Yuzu or Toi show up. …Which means, unfortunately, most of us gotta sit out of this one.

Sara: Why don’t you just take the fight to them, then?

Yosuke: … How? We can’t exactly put a letter in this thing’s shoe locker telling it to meet us after school for an ass-beating, Sara.

Yui: It was cornered in a classroom with Seia and Hanako, two of the toughest among us, and still got away. If we’re gonna take it down, it has to fight, rather than fly. Only way that happens is around the Musketeers. 

Koharu: Hold up. Something I don’t get. This Musketeers thing—

Anisa: It’s a game we used to play as children.

Koharu: Before you made contracts?

Toi: Yes.

Koharu: Then how come this thing’s so obsessed with you? Because you found its body-possessing thing?

Melati: The reason why it dropped this thing… (She rubs her forehead) You see, even among Incubators, there are still some who want to live with souls and emotions. It’s completely illegal, of course, which is why they were executed. But they dropped this conduit onto Earth so they could have a “human” experience, second-hand, through whoever found it. I doubt it would have mattered who exactly picked it up. But you all were the ones to do it. .

Sara: … Why’s it illegal to have a soul? What’s so wrong with that?

Yui: (She glances at Sara) Well, Incubators got different rules, I guess. You’re askin’ the wrong girl in me, though. I’m a punk. Rules are a suggestion. But this ain’t about a moral dilemma in terms of Ikana havin’ a soul so much as it tryin’ to take out my friends an’ steal their lives. That’s the part I got a problem with.

Anisa: Are you… sure about that? This… isn’t a life, really. It’s a stolen life… a punishment. Maybe… maybe giving this Incubator my life is a way for me to—

Yui: Absolutely the fuck not.

Toi: I’m not even gonna entertain that thought. You didn’t steal anything, you just got back what was stolen from you.

Yuzuki: (She gives Anisa an icy look) You’ve stolen plenty, but I don’t think giving her Angel powers is gonna help anything. 

Anisa: I don’t think my powers are tied to my body, ehm, maybe Ms Ambrosi can confirm that. S-Sorry.

Cecilia: I, um… can’t confirm much right now.

Yui: I can. I can’t feel Anisa’s soul very well, and her Witch sure as hell isn’t there. Somewhere between human and Ghost. Er… (She glances at Melati) Puella Vacua, if you’re familiar with the term.

Melati: Yes, I heard of Kyubey coming up with some of those names while he was messing around with things he shouldn’t. 

Yui: Bottom line is, we’re not just lettin’ Ikana take over Anisa, but the threat of Puella Malefica powers isn’t an issue. What we’re here for is to plan out how to take it down. …Unfortunately, best plan I got is to have Yuzu, Anisa and Toi go to where y’all found that conduit all those years ago. (She glances at Sara, then Melati before continuing) If this thing really is just driven on that emotional instinct it had, then that’s the best spot to take it down. Downside is, no one else can really go as backup, since it’ll just run the split second it gets a beat on anyone else.

Sara: Whoa, it’s like you can read my mind!

Yui: I can read your soul. It’s a bit different, since the soul can’t lie.

Sara: How d’you know that?

Yui: The only way someone’s soul could lie would be if their entire existence was based on a lie to begin with.

Sara: … How d’you know that?

Yosuke: (he sighs) Can we focus? It’s only a matter of time before that thing manages to track Teach down, and I really don’t wanna have to build it all up again.

Koharu: She just said it won’t attack unless she’s alone. That gives us the initiative. To start the fight on our terms.

Sara: (she pumps both of her fists) Yeah, we rolled the highest initiative, and we get to pick the stage!

Toi: H-Hold on… We’re the ones who’ll have to be the bait. You cannot count on Anisa and me to be able to fight back. Miss Tokai will have to do the heavy lifting.

Yui: She’s right, Yuzu. Sad to say, but you’re gonna have to take Ikana down alone.

Yuzuki: (With an exasperated sigh) That’s how it’s been the whole four or five years I’ve known her. If anything I feel better now, fighting with her outside of me.

Yui: You got this, Yuzu. But if you need backup, just reach out telepathically. You won’t need to, I don’t think, but just in case.

Anisa: We can support you. I know it’s not much, but… I’m willing to put my life on the line to help you with this.

Yuzuki: This thing, at least, I ought to do myself. She’s my responsibility. 

Yui: Then all that’s left is the nuts and bolts of it. Musketeers, y’all should hammer this one out on your own, since none of us can really be there.

Cecilia: (Seemingly only now finding her voice) Ah, um, Anisa? Perhaps, before you do that, we should go over the arrangement of my protecting you.

Anisa: It’s fine, Cecilia. We’ll just… deal with this Incubator as soon as possible, so I’m hoping you won’t even have to lose sleep over it.

Cecilia: I really don’t mind, though. I don’t sleep much as it is. I think that’s why Yui asked me to take on the task.

Anisa: I should be the one on guard, you— No, I think… (she looks at Toi and Yuzuki) I think we have no time to waste here. If all goes well, I shouldn’t need your protection.

Cecilia: Ah, um… very well.

Yui: We’ll come back to it after Ikana’s dealt with. Yuzu, y’alright with all this, though? Like, you’re all back in fighting form after Ikana split off of ya?

Yuzuki: As much as I ever am. I haven’t been using her powers for a while now. 

Yui: Come by afterwards, we can jam about it.

Anisa: … We’d better hurry. Can’t have an unstable Incubator wandering around town. Yu—Miss… Tokai, do you think you could lead us to the spot where we found this conduit way back when?

Koharu: … Are you sure that’s where this Incubator wants you to g—

Sara: The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime, yes.

Melati: Consider that its memories of its time spent with your group is now its entire being. This is as good a way as there’s going to be to lure it out. 

Toi: No time to waste, then. Unless you’re not ready, Yuzuki. (she smiles)

Yuzuki: I got it. (She has her phone out, checking a map of the city) I gotta look up where we used to live, okay? I didn’t know my way around the city back then… 

Anisa: I think I’ve got a fairly good idea of where we’re supposed to go. And a car, that’s… probably useful. (she puts on her coat, and Toi follows suit) We’ll keep you posted, and… Well, let’s hope things end well.

Yui: Good luck, all of ya.

Amidst the awkward silence, the trio step out into the spring air, wordlessly trudging towards the parking spot where Anisa left her car, an inconspicuous black hatchback clearly not used to having passengers in the backseat.

Toi: … Never thought I’d miss the tanks we used to drive back at the Bureau. (she clears her throat, averting her gaze from Yuzuki) S-Sorry.

Yuzuki: What’s to be sorry about? Running her over with a tank might not be a half bad idea. 

Toi: I dunno, experience tells me that doesn’t tend to stick.

Anisa: You’re not gonna apologize for that one? (she pinches the bridge of her nose) 

Yuzuki: (She glances at Anisa sourly) She wasn’t the one who did it. (After a short pause) I don’t care if you were an Angel or not, what the hell were you thinking? 

Anisa: … It doesn’t matter if you don’t care, it still matters. You’re asking me to justify madness.

Yuzuki: You still must have thought something about it! Don’t tell me you didn’t have a thought in your skull! 

Anisa: Would it put you at ease if I said that there was a part of me that wanted to kill Kanamin even before I became a Witch? I’ll lie if I have to.

Yuzuki: (She raises her clenched fist) The way you act like it isn’t your fault is what pisses me off the most! 

Anisa: I spend every waking hour remembering that it’s my fault, Yuzuki. But I cannot, I must not allow myself to see myself as that monster. I created it. I fed it. But it is not who I am. I cannot be irredeemable… because otherwise they win.

Yuzuki: They? What, that stupid “Hierarchy?” Who cares what they think! They’re the ones who caused everything by letting you out, and giving you a Gestapo to boot! 

Anisa: Do you think I can just say no? These are forces beyond your — beyond our — comprehension!

Toi: (she holds up her hands) Can we just… deal with the matter at hand? You don’t need to forgive, or even understand Anisa, Yuzuki, but we gotta at least work as one for the next hour or so.

Anisa: If you’d just allow me to explain—

Toi: I don’t think telling people they shouldn’t be mad at you is going to make the guilt go away, Anisa.

Anisa: … Then tell me how. I can’t indulge in it, but I can’t deny it either. I can’t defend myself, but I can’t throw my hands up in despair either. No matter what I choose, it will always be the wrong choice.

Toi: Just… Can we get into the car, please? We’ve got work to do.

Yuzuki: (With an angered sigh) Yeah, let’s get this over with.