Chapter Text
It had been two days ever since Komura Kayo and Sakaki Sakura had saved Aya’s group from death at the hands of two Site Admins; ever since they joined their fight to destroy the Mahou Shoujo Site and prevent their world from facing certain destruction
The leader of their group, Asagiri Aya was alone in one of the ruined classrooms lost in her thoughts as she pondered what their next course of action was going to be. They had taken down two Site Admins in their planned attack two days ago, but after hearing from Kayo and Sakura that their group was killed by two Admins who took them by surprise things had gotten very worrying
Kiyoharu and Sayuki had lost their mothers in two consecutive attacks that were probably orchestrated by the Admins as a warning to the rebels- their operations had become careful now and hunting down the Admins when they least expected it was now an imperative goal if they wanted to dismantle the Site. Aya rested against a wall looking stoic as she remembered Kayo’s words to her
“We won’t let anyone’s deaths be in vain!”
‘At this rate… we need to make haste and strike when the Administrators least expect it, otherwise Yatsumura-san’s and Izumigamine-san’s deaths…. Were for nothing…’
The shock and emotional pain for Aya was far too great, and Yatsumura’s words, her memories of their time spent together, their first and last date together were still haunting her mind bringing an unbearable ache to her heart whenever she remembered her sacrifice
“You really have grown stronger Aya... please protect everyone…”
‘Yatsumura-san…. I…. I’m sorry…’ Aya clenched her fist hard as she remembered that painful day, the day that Maganuma Alice betrayed them and indirectly caused Mikari and her beloved Yatsumura’s deaths. All she could feel was anger and resentment towards the world and Alice after she had made up her mind to destroy the Site- yet, truth be told, all Aya wanted was to beat the hell out of Alice and find a way to bring back Yatsumura
“We’re back…” Aya looked at the direction of the voice and saw Kiyoharu enter the classroom with a blank expression. Ever since they killed her mother Kiyo-chan had become colder and her stick’s power had evolved to the point that she was sure she could nab control over an Admin and use it as a Trojan Horse to destroy the Admins from the inside- The only one that managed to comfort the poor girl was Kosame in her own way… she was lucky to still have a beloved one to support her unlike Aya
‘How did the hunt go?’
Kiyoharu sat beside Aya looking slightly troubled, wondering how to pick her next words carefully
“It went well Aya-chan, we managed to ambush and kill that fox-masked piece of shit that killed my mom… but, we also discovered another Admin’s territory in the process”
‘Another one… engaging was going to be too much of a risk wasn’t it?’
“It was the Admin that we killed three weeks ago, the Hyottoko mask… it had returned to its original territory making Stick deliveries, and even worse it was…. Supervised by a bulky Admin-“
‘The same duo that Komura-san and Sakaki-san saved you from?’
“Yes! But the thing is… um… they told us that we can’t intercept the Hyottoko normally” Kiyoharu looked nervous as she spoke, just how was Aya going to react once she heard this piece of information? She didn’t want Aya to go and do something rash that’d only end up in a tragedy. Kayo had used up Alice’s stick once and there was no turning back time if any of them died
‘Why is that? Kiyoharu-chan you look nervous… tell me’
As much as she didn’t want to tell her, she had to. Otherwise Aya’d become suspicious and find out by asking Kayo and Sakura themselves; and tell her she did
“That Hyottoko Admin apparently can stop time… that’s how last time we all died…”
‘…..’ Aya’s eyes widened and her mouth slightly opened, and in a matter of seconds a flash of emotions appeared on her face
“Kiyoharu-chan… please…. This must be a joke r-right…?”
But Kiyoharu didn’t say “It was just a joke Aya-chan~!” nor did she giggle when she said it- she looked dead serious, and even hurt when Aya suddenly spoke again… her mind had surely pieced one and two together and had become distraught at the realization that Yatsumura… beloved Yatsumura had replaced the deceased Ni
“I wish it was a horrible joke… but it’s the truth. We don’t really know how we’re going to deal with it if it comes down to that-“
“We’re going to make our move tomorrow” Aya’s grim expression looked filled to the brim with hope suddenly, as she stood from the ground and left the classroom to make plans with her group while Kiyoharu was left dumbfounded in the classroom
‘Aya-chan… suddenly regained life when she heard that there’s a big chance the Hyottoko Admin that returned might be Yatsumura… I wonder what is she going to say?’
Kiyoharu left the classroom and went to the event hall were the group was resting, shocked by Aya suddenly speaking once more and by the tone she was using
“We’re going to go tomorrow to Hachiōji and ambush an Admin”
That was what Aya had told her group… and besides many of them arguing, they had come to the conclusion that they were going to have to take down the reborn Ni fast enough so that it wouldn’t get to activate it’s timestop fast enough, and they were going to have to ambush it when the bulky Admin wasn’t overseeing it’s “training” as Kayo and Sakura had told them. And once the night had fallen and the move had been made the beginning of the end had begun
It was in a school where they had spotted Ni walking around with a backpack-shaped stick with the Roman numeral “VII” and a whistle-shaped stick with the Roman numeral “IX”- Kiyoharu had taken over a small flock of birds to observe the hallways of the third floor of the school to spy on the Admin’s movements
“Haaa…. Kiyo-chan is the Admin alone…?”
“Seems like it… no sign of the sumo Admin anywhere- Aya-chan?” Kiyoharu and the rest perked up when they saw that Aya wasn’t with them anymore
“Where did Asagiri go off to?! Damn that girl…!”
Aya had teleported inside the hallway hiding behind a wall as she peeked at the silent Admin
“Tuturutututu.. tuturutututu ♪” It suddenly began humming a strange melody as it left the backpack stick in one locker, and the whistle stick in another
“Damn that superior telling me that I’m free from training for today and leaving all this hard work on me… huh?” Ni quickly turned around as Aya hid behind the wall anxious and scared. If it really was Yatsumura then she’d have to act fast…
Aya waited for a bit until the Admin’s suspicion was cut short “I guess that was nothin’ but my ears foolin’ me”
And that was her cue to jump out of her hiding spot and aim her stick at the Admin and fire the projectile but, it stopped. Aya stopped for a brief second but was back to normal as the projectile disappeared into the air
“W-What…?”
“I really hate… sneaky rats like ye!!!”
Time had stopped except for Aya, and in the blink of an eye Ni ran in front of her and punched her hard on the face- sending her crashing against the wall
“Tell me~ Sneaky rat~” Ni got closer and closer to Aya as it cracked its knuckles in anticipation while the latter got up coughing blood
“I’m… not going to give up…”
Aya narrowly dodged a punch from Ni as it left a big mark on the wall, nearly breaking it
“I’m going to… save you- ugh?!”
Crack
Aya was kicked hard in the stomach and her face was instantly grabbed by the Admin and slammed repeatedly against the floor’s wall- so hard that it broke and they fell to the second floor
“How ta’ hell… how ta’ hell are you not frozen by my power!? How?!”
“Aaahhg…”
Aya’s face was hurting more than ever, she was sure that she had lost a lot of blood and would end up dying in her failed plan to bring down Ni and hopefully break Yatsumura free from the Site’s grasp
Ni grabbed her by her foot and slammed her against the wall, then against the ground, then against the wall again until it got tired and threw her at full force through the window and against a tree
“Yatsumura-san….”
Aya was not going to give up anytime soon; she was not going to let herself be killed. She was determined to save Yatsumura even if her entire body hurt, even if it meant she’d have to sacrifice all of her lifespan just to do so
“I don’t care… what will happen to my body…”
Ni jumped down from the window into the school’s yard, glaring at Aya with hatred
“’Ere we go again… I'm gonna make sure to kill you and then kill those pesky allies of ya!!!”
Ni charged at blinding speed, punching the tree and destroying it in one fell hit. Had she dodged the hit?
It had little time to look behind it as a heart-shaped cloud full of emotional energy hit it. It had no effect on Ni as It stood there dumbfounded looking at the bleeding Aya that was using all of her strength, all of her willpower to not faint from the trauma her body had suffered
"What kind o' shit was that hit mate? Your shitty stick can't do nothing to me brat!"
Ni suddenly clenched its head and fell on its knees
"Wha.... what did you...?" It was groaning loudly and screaming in pain; angrily punching the ground
Slowly memories flooded endlessly into Ni making the Site Admin’s attacks become weaker, its’ will to kill vanish as a life that it once had wanted to return, wanted to be freed from the shackles binding it- and eventually, the screaming and breakdown subsided as the Admin’s body finished morphing to its’ original state right after the effect Aya’s stick had on it was over. Yatsumura’s unconscious body had fallen to the ground
“Yatsumura-san… Yatsumura-san…!!!”
Aya quickly ran to hold Yatsumura’s unconscious body crying and sobbing loudly as she hugged her tightly in her arms, relieved to see that the lifespan meter on her left wrist was full once again
“I’m glad… I’m really glad…!”
Time once again had begun to move, and Aya shot Yatsumura and herself with her Stick, teleporting themselves back to their hideout
Amidst the commotion that Aya’s feat had caused, Aya didn’t leave the ruined nurse’s office where she had placed Yatsumura in at all; she didn’t want Yatsumura to be left alone nor did she want her to leave her again. Kiyoharu had communicated Aya’s words to the group stating their new objective: To hunt down Alice and bring her alive