The Innocent Malice

The Painful Truth

"Sa...save me!" the magical girl pleaded. Her spear was thrown aside, and her back was against the wall of the alley. The six other Puella Magi stood in front of her, their faces cold and unmoving. "Why are you doing this?!"

None of the girls answered. "Wait...aren't you Kaoru Maki...of the south school soccer club?! Look, it's me! Sumire Akane! We worked together at the training center!"

Kaoru pulled down her hood, and an orb of energy formed in her palm. "Sorry, Sumire." The orb glowed intensely as she bent down, her hand too close to Sumire's Soul Gem, which was above her navel. "Tocco del Mare."

"Stop!" Sumire yelled in agony, her cry echoing across the city. She clawed at the ground, trying to reach her spear...but it was too late. Her Soul Gem had been sliced off her body.

The girl spied on the Pleiades Saints from the turret of the old tower. She lowered the pair of enchanted binoculars off her face, and smiled, rather childishly. "Wow," she said. "So they're those rumored Pleiades, huh? I'm so glad I dropped by Asunaro before I went to Mitakihara."

The Pleiades returned to their normal outfits, all holding their shiny Soul Gems. The girl used the binoculars again to get a closer look. "Ooh, I really want those to be in my collection..." The girl pulled out her own Soul Gem, which was the color of a juicy red apple. It was adorned with a circle set inside a crescent moon. The girl made a wicked smile.

"Thanks for the meal!" Kazumi said after breakfast with Souichirou. "I'm sorry..." Kazumi said, "for being a burden. You even treated me for breakfast." Kazumi turned to see Souichirou scribbling again on the menu. "What are you doing?"

Souichirou grunted in reply. Kazumi walked up to Souichirou, and beamed with excitement as he wrote down something she never imagined he would... the bucket o' parfait! Kazumi gave the man a tight hug and ruffled his platinum hair. "You put it on the menu, huh? Thank you! Thank you! I feel so happy..."

"You're in the way," Souichirou said with an exasperated tone. "I can't write like this..."

Kazumi turned to see a girl walking down the street outside the restaurant, her blondish twintails flying in the wind. Juubey, perched on her shoulder, winked at Kazumi. "Thanks, Tachibana-san! I'll be back..."

A confused Souichirou called Kazumi's name as she ran out of the restaurant. She dashed after Niko, who was up ahead, and didn't seem to notice her running. "Niko!" Kazumi called, and she turned to face Kazumi.

"Oh...hey, Kazumi," Niko replied.

"What are you doing here so early in the morning?" Kazumi inquired.

Niko put her hand on her chin. "Um...witch hunting?" Juubey made a frown, and Niko made the fakest smile she could make. Apparently, Kazumi didn't care.

"I'll go with you! It's dangerous by yourself." Kazumi grabbed Niko's hand, and the two girls began to walk together.

The Asunaro City Amusement Park, or 'Lavie-Land', was a pretty cool experience. Its pseudo-medieval castle had cute little flags flying in the wind, and the screams of excitement on the rollercoasters showed how much fun they were.

Kazumi and Niko climbed over the walls, and Juubey started to trot in between them. "So, you said that bucket o' parfait's on the menu now," Niko said.

"Yeah," Kazumi said with a smile.

"You're so kind, Kazumi," Niko said, and she turned to face Kazumi again.