Saturday, December 23, 2017

Mahou Shonen Just Say No Chapter Seven


"Kano!" Horace exclaimed the moment he burst into Kanoshi's apartment upon his return to Tokyo.  He and Fukushima had, after exhibiting the true spirit of gay/lesbian solidarity, parted ways immediately upon arrival to the city.  She had to search for Ribbon Red, and Horace had to check in on the magical boy he'd left behind with only two weeks of minor practice against level one and two monsters, small fry that weren't capable of much property damage and were only really taken on by magica who had nothing better to do.
"Horace?" Kanoshi asked, looking up from the stove.  He'd been working on cooking himself dinner, though it was a bit late.  He'd gotten caught up in his games again and lost track of the time, but decided to make a real dinner despite that fact, since he had the energy for it that way.  He was shocked to see that Horace had returned, and doubly shocked to see him in such an unkempt state.  Even after tying his hair again, receiving healing and stamina from FMV, and transforming out of his magical form, it was obvious he'd been working hard these past six weeks.  Kanoshi never thought Horace would dare to let himself be seen in such a way.
"Yes, that's me," He nodded, leaning against the door behind himself once he'd closed it, sighing as he saw that Kanoshi seemed okay, "I never meant to leave you here by yourself all this time.  I heard about the level five monster, I trust that nothing else strange happened in my absence?"
"Well," Kanoshi thought back as he stirred his vegetables in the frypan, "The day that you left, I got attacked on the subway by a magical boy called Lionhardt, but I guarded against him pretty well until Smokescreen showed up to help me," He turned, and gave Horace a sweet smile, "You know Smokescreen!  He was helping me move out!"
"Yuuri Ruka is Smokescreen?" Horace asked, then gave a shrug as he wandered further into the house, "Huh, who knew.  I guess that's why he finally decided to stop being a mysterious loner, his friend became a magical boy."
"Yeah!" Kanoshi nodded in confirmation, "There's Ribbon Red, too, and some others!  They're all pretty cool.  Red's not anywhere near as bad as I thought she was when I first heard about her... She's just a yakuza kid with strong convictions.  I want to be able to protect her, like all of the other magica in this city."
Horace chuckled, then dropped to sit down at Kanoshi's kotatsu, stretching out over the tabletop of it, "You don't need to worry about Red at all.  She's been a lone wolf for so long, just becoming willing to work with other Tokyo magica at all means she'll be fine.  We met way back, before I even investigated her murders.  She was fighting some monsters in Italy since she was in the area anyway on a 'business deal'."
"You could have told me that before I got terrified of her!" Kanoshi protested, then looked at Horace, "...You really are exhausted, huh?  Let me give you some of this stir-fry, and you can tell me all about the level eight monster."
"...Thank you," Horace nodded, taking a few deep breaths.  He hadn't eaten at all while battling that monster.  Orb-wise, he was fine, because Oh One's magica who were too far away or just unable to participate still beat the little ones, but he was starving from a human perspective.  The magic was going to keep him alive, no matter what, but that didn't mean he wasn't in severe discomfort right now.  He'd had good timing to arrive back in the city, as Kanoshi served him a bowl of veggies, chicken, and rice just moments later.  He ate a good half of it before he spoke again, "I hope you never have to fight a level eight endurance class."
"So what were all of this one's specs?" Kanoshi asked.  He was still learning what Monster Specs were in the first place, but he could only learn quicker if he made sure to hear about them as often as possible.
"Level Eight, Endurance Class, Slime Type," Horace answered, glad to finally have the pains in his stomach answered, though he slowed down so that it wouldn't shock his system too much.  Kanoshi's cooking was pretty good, even if Horace in all of his pickiness was avoiding all of the carrots and any piece of chicken which looked like it even had a tiny chance at having texture issues, "We could only attack from a distance, getting in close enough to use melee weapons was... Not a good idea," He sighed, "A low-ranking magica from Kyoto tried, after us higher levels engaged it.  He never stood a chance.  Close combat with that beast, and it would just consume you."
Kanoshi stayed silent for a few moments before he spoke again, "How many magica died?"
"Just the one, but that's only because we had good communication and figured out the situation right away.  We figured out that it was impossible to get close to without being killed, since it was a gigantic sludge type, but that it moved slow enough that we could handle it at a distance," Horace explained, now leaning on one hand with his eyes cast at the table below, "Besides, that magica rushed in without stopping to listen to what we had to say.  None of us up here in the top 100 would ever do something so stupid as jump in to such a huge fight without asking if any of its weaknesses and strengths were determined yet."
"I'm glad there weren't more," Kanoshi gave a slow nod as he chewed his own food, "It still took a huge toll on a bunch of you though, right?  That's pretty horrifying, if you think about it.  I know the curve is pretty sharp between each level after four, and if an eight is that much stronger than a seven..."
"That's nothing you need to worry your pretty head over, Kano," Horace forced a smile as he said this, though it wasn't as difficult as he expected it to be.  He had Kanoshi's presence to thank for that, he decided.  This man just emanated kindness everywhere he went, "This is the only eight to appear in over a year of magica and monsters existing.  If those are this rare, the higher levels must be once-in-a-lifetime events."
Kanoshi took a deep breath to calm his nerves about the situation, taking in Horace's words, and realized he was more worried about the safety and well-being of his fellow magica in the case such a strong creature appeared than he was for his own.  It wasn't that he was confident in his abilities to defend and heal himself since the day he kept up with Lionhardt, though that could have been a factor too.  It was simply that he was rank four.
 Only three magica existed with more raw power than him, at least, only three who were aligned with good.  Oh One did say that the overall lowest ranking magica was actually on par with Horace when it came to power levels, but she was just so awful as a person that she reached the bottom in no time at all.  That was all that any of the distributors would tell Kanoshi about the worst of the worst.  Even so, Kanoshi worried for others because even at rank four, he was unsure and afraid.  If he was, then wouldn't everyone else be even more?
"So..." Horace started again, "Lionhardt... I thought he would have given up on you by the time I had to leave.  I'm very sorry, I never should have left you undefended with no warning like that.  I didn't know Smokescreen was even in the city, and Lullabye's unreliable."
"Wang-kun, you mean?" Kanoshi asked, tilting his head, "He didn't seem unreliable to me, just committed to a goal.  I don't think any of us could rely on any magica to know and come to our aid at the drop of a hat.  I was lucky Smokescreen's one of SC's magica, so that he had a line of contact with Oh One and could know that Lionhardt came to Japan."
"That concerns me a little bit," Oh One noted, and the two magica just turned to see it, confused at its appearance.  It hadn't been there a moment ago, "Oh, sorry to startle you!  I ported in a few moments ago, and I didn't want to interrupt.  Anyway, Lionhardt arrived in the country very suddenly, and was gone just the same way.  He must be getting help from a magica with some sort of travel magic, probably teleportation.  Usually, Lionhardt has just been a nuisance I need to watch out for with new magica, but if he's working with somebody, then he's more of a real threat."
"He isn't very strong at all, though," Horace frowned, "How could he be a real threat to us, even if somebody's helping him?"
"Well, if every single new magica gets snuffed out, then that's terrible.  The rankings will stagnate and everyone will get lazy, and as time goes on if no new magica get to live very long, and existing ones fall to various reasons... then we're doomed.  Distributors, Magica, this entire world even.  While the rest of us distributors have moral compasses and want to rank well, Lionhardt's owner... Skorgles would love to get a monopoly on the monsters of this world, leaving the rest of us to starve.  It doesn't care about humans."
Kanoshi and Horace just sat in silence for a few moments, until the former spoke again, quiet and timid, "That's awful.  So... Skorgles is the owner of the worst magica that exist?"
"Just as my posse and I hold the majority of the top ten spots, Skorgles holds the majority of the entire bottom thirty.  And with that, the strongest magical girl, Goddess," Oh One explained, rubbing its face against the kotatsu, "Horace is still the strongest of the magical boys, though.  Anyway, let's talk about something happier!  Isn't it cool that this new Tokyo Magica team everyone's buzzing about is all my posse?  Well, and one of Blade's, I guess."
"I can only hope," Horace began, "That this apparent team is not opposed to the idea that I might participate as well.  It could be that they've only rallied around Kano."
"Hm," Oh One nodded, leaning forward, "That may be the case with Smokescreen, but he was also the one to involve Ribbon Red.  Lullabye has never been opposed to working with others, but was of the belief nobody would want to.  And Infernal is new to the area.  He and his roommate recently moved into the city, but he did also know Kanoshi Kyosuke through the internet before arriving here.  We'll just have to wait and see, I guess."
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Kaiba Rokujo was not a happy person.
So with that out of the way, she checked all the boxes for the type of person to become a magical girl.  As it was, she was a good one.  Rank fifteen as Fukushima, the Tsunami Magical Girl.  Her weapon was a zanbatou even larger than the one shecarried with her and used on a regular basis, and her magic was to command any water within her frame of vision.  The sword for busting pipes, that made her a threat to reckon with.  
Kaiba Rokujo
She was able to use this ability to contribute to the level 8 sludge monster in Kyoto which some had taken to calling the 'Kyoto Engulfer' despite her weapon being one without any range.  She was proud of her part in that fight, but after resting up, it was just another memory to add to the collection.  It meant nothing real to her or anybody else.  What held more meaning for Kaiba was hearing that name.  Pretty Fighter Ribbon Red.
In Tokyo, having rested in a cheap motel that balked at the weapon she wore, Kaiba decided to capitalize on her distributor's unique ability.  She texted Desire Train, and it appeared before her soon after.  She spoke to it immediately, "So you had a teleportation charge ready?  That's convenient.  Anyway, I know she's in this city.  Where exactly is Pretty Fighter Ribbon Red?"
Most distributors could tell the location of any of their own magica, or targeted humans, from within a certain radius.  Desire Train's power was to extend that ability to any magica or human within the same city or town.  Only useful in metropolitan areas, but useful nonetheless.  As for teleportation charges, Kaiba had been told that distributors could teleport anywhere, but had a cooldown to teleport again consisting of twice the time it would have taken them, on average, to catch a plane there.
It was a universe-specific restriction, given that plenty of universes did not have airplanes.
"Ribbon Red?" Desire Train asked, tilting its head to the side, "Why do you want to know about her?  She belongs to Blade.  That is not worth bothering with.  Blade always gets the weirdest magica."
"I think I might know who she is.  As a human, I mean," Kaiba explained, leaning forward, "And if that kid really became a magical girl, damn, she needs a good talking to."
"Fine," Desire Train did not sound happy, but indulged her, "Red is asleep on a roof.  The roof of a love hotel.  I can only assume she just murdered one of its patrons."
Kaiba couldn't help but let a soft chuckle escape her lips as she leaned back on the motel bed, "That just confirms even more, that she's who I think she is.  Go on then, take me to her."
"Fine," Desire Train swished its tail then stepped out onto the fire escape.  Kaiba transformed for the added mobility, then followed as it jumped across the town to find the rooftop which Red rested on.  It didn't take long to reach her, to find her there, but Kaiba wouldn't wake her, remembering a simpler time, so long ago.  It was more than ten years now, that girl was just a fussy child who hated naptime and loved learning to fight.
Everything had changed though, and now Kaiba knew for certain that Sayaka absolutely would have become a magical girl.  She transformed back, knowing that Sayaka would prefer to recognize her in this way than as a magica.  When day broke, and Sayaka woke up, she just sat up and stared for quite a while before she spoke, "Kaiba-nee.  What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you, Shorty-san!" Kaiba laughed, kicking her legs in front of her where she sat with a goodnatured smile across her face, "Isn't that much obvious?  I wouldn't have just stumbled across the roof where you happened to be sleeping.  A love hotel, though?  There's plenty of perfectly good beds to sleep on inside, so why choose the roof?"
Sayaka glared at her, "They wouldn't sell a room to a kid, dummy.  And if I snuck in, I'd just get woken up by whoever next rented the room.  And for that matter, I wouldn't call beds which exist for the purpose of fornication to be perfectly good beds," She tossed her hair back and groaned, "Anyway, it isn't like I'll die out here, so I'm fine."
"And why's that?" Kaiba smirked as she stood up, stepping closer to Sayaka.  She didn't even wait for an answer before she leaned down and pulled the buttons on her practical younger sister's shirt apart, "Could it be this marking?"
"How did you know that I- And where my mark is!?"  Sayaka snapped, holding her arms close to herself as she pulled away from Kaiba, "It isn't any of your business anyway!"
Kaiba just stared at her for a while before answering, "I'm your only Onee-san in the Yamaguchi-gumi, Shorty-san.  It most certainly is my business.  I heard your magical name and knew it had to be you," She held out her hand, "As for the mark, it appears somewhere significant in some way, even if you don't realize it.  Yours appeared one of the only locations you didn't yet have tattoos.  Mine appeared on the palm of the hand which I lost all my fingertips on."
Sayaka continued to simply stare for a few moments before giving a response, "I should have known, Kaiba-nee.  It doesn't shock me at all..." She frowned, "It's for different reasons though, right?  You were depressed because of Korekara.  I... I just wanted to be of more use to the Yamaguchi-gumi."
"I hear you've been killing," Kaiba noted.
"Yeah, here I go killing again," Sayaka gave a bitter chuckle, "I can't hold myself back, you know?  I could barely stop myself when I was human.  How... How and why would I ever restrain myself from ridding the world of its filth now that I have full reign to do so?"
Kaiba gave a slow nod, pulling out her sword and holding it up horizontally, squinting at how the sun reflected off its blade, "If you did anything else, I would be forced to assume some impostor had taken your place."
"You know me so well, Kaiba-nee," Sayaka laughed, then stepped closer to her, "I know a really good sweets shop around here, you know.  Want to chat over some baked mochi?"
"I don't," Kaiba shook her head, "Because I have somewhere else to take you instead.  You've been having trouble finding a place to stay, haven't you?  It's really showing.  Magic can only keep your hygiene and appearance so good," She gestured for Sayaka to follow her, "And even though you never joined my gang, I could never leave one of my girls behind.  Come on."
Sayaka hesitated, but this was Kaiba.  Sympathy was something she avoided, pity and handouts.  From her own people, though... An important part of being in the yakuza was relying on and trusting the others, something which had taken Kaiba so long to learn that she couldn't possibly hope to wield a katana or any of its variations, stuck with an oversized and imprecise weapon instead.  Sayaka had only faltered one time, maybe twice if she counted that.  Refusing Kaiba now could be another mistake on her record, though.  Imperfection... was unacceptable.
"Fine," She mumbled as she followed Kaiba, not knowing where she was being led.  She knew this city quite well by now, but had no idea what Kaiba could know about and want to take her to.  It was only a block away that she recognized the objective.  An old storage unit facility, mostly cleared out to be an empty lot with a few remaining crates.  Known to anybody who knew anybody in the backstreets of Tokyo as the home base of Kotomi Tanako.  Sayaka screwed up her face, "You know Tanako-san?"
"Kotomi-chan is a friend of mine!" Kaiba grinned, turning back around, "We kept in contact even after No Boys broke up, you know.  She was a member, but I guess you wouldn't know since you never joined.  She graduated two years before you arrived at the school..." He smile fell, "She was a third year when the class of 2015 disappeared.  That was a rough year for us in No Boys, probably the first bit of our dissolution."
Sayaka turned back away and flipped her hair, "I don't think Tanako-san wants to help me."
Just as she said this, Kotomi was wandering out from behind one of the crates, stretching.  She adjusted her mask, then paused and looked over to see the two who'd arrived at her lot.  She waved, then wandered over, "Kaiba-chan!  What brings you to Tokyo?"
"Kotomi-chan!" Kaiba exclaimed in response, then grabbed and hugged her.  Kaiba was awful tall for a Japanese woman, and Sayaka was awful short for any human being.  Kotomi was somewhere in the middle, "I found out that my cute little crime-syndicate imouto's been sleeping outside all the time.  I know you live here, so I was thinking..."
Kotomi pulled away from the hug, then looked over to Sayaka, "Hey, I know you!  You're the one the Yamaguchi-gumi sent to uphold the alliance around here, yeah?  I do some transporting for the mob sometimes, so I've heard stories.  Is it true that you love candy and hate lolicons?"
Sayaka stayed silent for a bit before she gave her wary response, "...Yes."
"Why didn't you think Kotomi-chan would help you?" Kaiba asked of Sayaka, looking to her again with the expectation of an answer reflected in her eyes.
"I heard things about you too, Tanako-san.  That you're strict about what you'll transport... And when.  I don't think you want anything to do with somebody as reckless as me," Sayaka explained, "I also heard you're just into petty crime, not the big stuff.  Usually people like that aren't fond of me.  Though," She paused, now just talking to herself, "I guess Rukkun is an exception."
Kotomi looked her over for a few moments with a serious expression, then just broke down laughing, "Rukkun, eh?  Well, only Rukkun I ever knew is probably the same one you've met.  Violent magical boy who works at a grocery store in Shibuya... If the two of you get along, and you know Kaiba-chan to boot, then I don't care what sort of big crimes you're involved in, you're okay in my book.  As long as that recklessness doesn't put me in danger.  Plus, you're what, twelve?  Can't have you sleeping outside, come on."
"I'm sixteen," Sayaka mumbled, but followed when Kotomi gestured for her to walk across the lot.  Kotomi led her to her van, parked next to one of the remaining storage units.  She pulled open the back of the van, then the crate as well, and dragged out a mattress.
"I've got a few of these stocked up, I sleep in my van and you can too.  I've built a shower in one of the units, too.  It runs off rainwater, and actually gets hot water.  It's pretty ideal.  I'm glad to share it.  Go shower right now," Kotomi pointed to the unit in question, "No offense, but you stink.  It's obvious you haven't had a real bath in weeks."
Sayaka made a face in her direction, but relented and went to bathe.  It was actually two units, the inner one with tile flooring, to keep the steam from getting everywhere.  Sayaka left her clothing in the first unit, then stepped into the second one.
Once she figured out how Kotomi's Macgyver of a shower functioned, it was actually nice, the first bit of relaxation she'd gotten in months.  Weeks was an understatement, but she supposed that her magic had helped the actual length of time keep from showing so much.  Another perk of this existence.  Did Kotomi know about her, about Kaiba?  She knew about Yuuri, so Sayaka could only imagine that she did and just didn't care.
It was nice to see that there were some humans who didn't buy into the scares of magic, even if those humans were a part of society's underbelly.  Sayaka realized that she wasn't even clear on what exactly Kotomi did.  Transporter was an ambiguous term which could apply to any number of jobs, though it was usually on a smaller scale than smuggler.  And Sayaka too had no idea what sort of terms Kotomi had in her 'strictness' regarding her jobs.
Somehow, she doubted that even living with Kotomi, she would find out.Once she'd finished showering, she stepped back out into the vestibule unit, only to find that her dirty clothes had been switched out for new ones.  They were her style, so she assumed she had Kaiba to thank, and changed into them.  There were even a new pair of shoes.  Once dressed again, and with her hair pulled into pigtails once more, Sayaka wandered back out into the lot.
Kaiba and Kotomi were sitting next to a camp stove out on the concrete in folding chairs, with a third one sitting open and empty.  Sayaka approached, then took the seat, leaning toward the stove to see what was being made.  Eggs and sausages.  She looked to Kotomi, "Western style breakfast?"
"You did just wake up, didn't you?" Kotomi questioned, glaring, "And I don't care how traditional you are, right?  With me, there's never gonna be such a thing as rice and fermented soybeans for breakfast."
Sayaka gave a slow blink, then nodded, "Sausage is better than natto, I agree.  Usually I make chocolate chip pancakes, with whipped cream, to go with them though.  The Americans have perfected the idea of starting the day off with some fleeting joy."
Kaiba just laughed, covering her mouth with her hands even though she wore a mask which already hid it.  Kotomi couldn't help but join in on her laughter, and make a comment of her own, "You really are fond of sweets, eh?  If you weren't so active, you'd probably get fat eating like that."
Sayaka shrugged, glancing away, "I don't care about that.  I think that even if I just lived a normal life, I'd still eat sweets all the time," She patted her own cheeks, "But I guess if I put on any more weight than this little chub, I would look even younger, so maybe it's for the better..."
Kotomi chuckled at her a little more, then handed her breakfast, then one to Kaiba and one for herself.  After eating, she gathered up the leftovers and stood up.  Kaiba blinked, then wondered, "Giving all that food to them?"
Kotomi nodded, eyes bright as she wandered towards one of the other storage units.  She opened it up, and it was empty.  She gestured for the other two to step in with her, closed the unit, then opened the adjacent one in the same sort of set-up she'd used for the bath.  Rather than a shower behind this one, however, there were a bunch of makeshift structures, and as Kotomi set the leftovers down, a number of cats came out of the structures.  Normal strays.
Well, except for one.
"Blade?" Sayaka questioned, not even thinking before she spoke in her shock.
"Hello!" It laughed, looking to all the other cats who rushed to the leftovers, "Funny seeing you here.  Sorry I didn't mention that I was back in Tokyo, but I wanted to take advantage of this Kotomi Tanako's playground first... Just because I don't eat food like normal cats doesn't mean I don't like climbing structures and scratching posts and comfy places to sleep!"
Sayaka looked to Kotomi for her opinion on the distributor's presence, and she just shrugged before saying, "I love all cats, even if their favorite hobbies are ruining lives."
"Lives are already ruined by the time we get to them, you know," Blade shook its head, but knew that Kotomi's statement was in good humor.  It turned to Sayaka, then, "So, Sayaka!  It's good to be back.  I had to check in with Tyler, but you know how he is.  I can only take so much of him at a time.  You're definitely my most favorite!"
"That's nice," Sayaka mumbled, crouching down to pet its slimy head with a vacant expression, "So my backpack's going to be heavier again.  Great."
"Would you prefer I sat on your shoulder instead?" Blade asked.
"I'd prefer you walked by your own damn self," Sayaka rolled her eyes, mumbling, "But I guess it can't be helped with you, huh?  Fine.  I've made friends with some magica in Oh One's posse, though, so you better not be a pain to them."
Blade blinked, "Why would I bother its magica?  My rivalry is only with Oh One, and it is a friendly one!"
"Because I never know what to expect with you," Sayaka rolled her shoulders as she stood back up, "So how is Tyler?"
"Well..." Blade trailed off.
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"Oh, Blade!  So good to see you again!" Tyler Hale laughed, sitting in his home in the Hollywood Hills with his forty-seven sticks of vegan jerky when his distributor jumped in through the window of his room.  He smirked and put down his snack and grabbed a piece of paper from his desk.  This room was an absolute mess,  He waved the paper around, "Look at this thing!  A letter of commendation!  I got it in the mail and I've been so excited to show you."
"Commendation?  How did you deserve that??" Blade questioned, looking around the room.  It wasn't fond of cleanliness by any means, but even it thought this was ridiculous, so it started to at least try removing the trash by eating it.  Anything other than orbs that a distributor ate basically just got deposited into a pocket dimension.
Tyler gave Blade a sideways look with an annoyed sigh, "You could at least pretend to be proud of me!  Obviously it's because I'm your highest ranking magica, even if you like Red more.  It's because she's been doing all that murder lately."
"Don't talk like that," Blade wrinkled its nose, "It isn't like you've been on your best behavior yourself, or you'd be more than one rank above her.  Play nice with the other magica!"
Tyler rolled his eyes, transforming so he could mess around with his weapon, twirling the shiv between his fingers, "Why should I play nice when I'm so much better than all of them?  I should be higher than I am, I only attack bad people... And I don't kill them!  I just beat them up!"
"You beat up innocents," Blade noted, "Not having all the same beliefs as you doesn't make them bad people.  They aren't hurting anyone, so to the cosmic forces, it looks like you just want to do torturing.  It's bad.  You gotta stop."
"I can't help it!" Tyler whined, stabbing his weapon into the desk in front of himself, "When I see somebody eating a hamburger, I just gotta stab 'em.  It's not like there's any real consequences for my actions, so I may as well!"
Blade sighed and shook its head, "You never change.  Well, enjoy your poorly written letter of commendation.  I'm going back to Red.  At least she appreciates my advice."

Next Chapter->

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