Kiwa-chan opened the front door to her house. “I’m hoooooome~!”, she said, bounding towards the kitchen. Her older companion, Cecilia Ambrosi was not far behind her. Both girls were transformed, and Cecilia was the first to lower her cerulean hood.

“Kiwa-chan… why do you announce yourself when you come home?” Cecilia took a cautious, slow look around the house. There were blankets and piles of clothes littering the living room floor, television dimly lit and showing a staticy music video– Cecilia winced upon seeing a familiar face on the screen–, and several glasses and empty food containers scattered around the table.

Bouncing to peek over the kitchen counter, Kiwa-chan giggled. “It’s polite, Cece! I gotta keep good manners, y’know~?” She began to hum as the whistle of a boiling kettle began to fill the silent void.

Cecilia sighed, taking a seat on the sofa. Thoughts began to flood and cloud her mind, her eyes flashing blue for a few moments before her vision was filled with Kiwa-chan’s tilted head and playful gaze. “Cece, you can’t be sleepy already, right? We juuuust got here!” The younger girl set two teacups down and sat next to the older, sipping from her tea. “Ah, still hot!”

“Kiwa-chan. That was not what I meant when I asked why you announce yourself.” Hesitating for a moment, the Conductors’ Oracle reached for her cup, taking a polite, tiny sip.

“Hm… big sis should say what she means, then!” Kiwa giggled, her legs swaying as she sat back on the couch.

“I mean…”, Cecilia closed her eyes and sighed, as if trying to find the right words– more than she usually did. “…There’s no one else here, Kiwa-chan.”

“I know!” Kiwa’s tone was unnaturally chipper as she sipped at her tea.

“So why announce yourself to an empty house?”

Kiwako set her teacup down and sighed, lowering her red hood. “Cecilia…”, she started, her tone suddenly shifting, as if her facade had crumbled. “It feels less lonely if I act like other people are here. It’s like… it’s like I still have family if I keep up my routine. Like going to school even though there’s no teachers or classmates… like I still have parents if I don’t clean up on time.”

“I’m sorry, Kiwa-chan.”

“It’s okay, Cece-chan.” Her tone was slowly returning to normal. “Hey hey. I should probably let you in on what’s going on here sooner or later anyway, right?”

“Exactly. My vision, ironically enough, does not work here in Kamihama. I can see anything pertaining to myself, so I can still fight effectively. However, I cannot see events here. Perhaps this is karma for the lies I told during Kae’s rampage.”

“You can’t beat yourself up for that, Cece-chan! You keep thinking I asked you here to atone, or something. But that’s not true! I need help, Cece-chan, and you’re about the only one I can think of that can help me!”

Cecilia shook her head, slowly opening her eyes. “If you insist. But despite everything, I cannot for the life of me understand why I am needed here. Please, Kiwa-chan. Explain.”

Kiwa nodded and set down her half-empty teacup. “So like, you already know that this city is special, right? The rules are different for magical girls like us here. And that the cute Kyuubeys don’t really go here.”

“There are no Incubators in this city?”

“Mhm. So no one really knows how this all happened anymore, but from what we all remember, someone made a wish that turned the rules of this city upside down. After that, girls that were supposed to turn into Witches just… stopped. Most of ’em just died after awhile, either in battle or some other way, but others…”

“Others?”

“Well, let’s just say that in Kamihama City, Witches aren’t a magical girl’s enemy. Sometimes, they are our allies. Those of us strong enough to call upon our Witch. The others call them ‘Doppels’. As magical girls in Kamihama began to succumb to their grief and turn, those strong enough to call upon their other half took over. It’s been about a year now, and well… now, they’re the only ones left.”

“Is this why there are no civilians that I could see living here?”

Kiwa sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. “Yes, Cece-chan, this is why I don’t have parents. Th-They’re not… dead or anything! But most of us just don’t know what happened to everyone. Or maybe we don’t remember. But they’re alive somewhere! Everyone is! …Okay, everyone that wasn’t a magical girl.”

“Kiwako… I’m beginning to understand why you asked me to come here.”

For once, Kiwako did not correct Cecilia on her name. “Cecilia, I know you’re strong enough to get around here. With the rules Kamihama has in place, I think you’ll find what you’re looking for for yourself.”

“And you need my help, correct?”

Kiwa nodded quickly. “What didja call ’em over there? Angels? You were one, right? This really does work out best for both of us, y’know. You can make peace with your Angel history here in Kamihama! …But besides that, I really do need your help.”

“With what, Kiwa-chan?”

“Oh… just some old friends of mine. The last survivors of Kamihama city. We gotta save ’em.”

“Save them? From what?”

“…The Coven.”