The jingles of arcade machines mixed with the idling music of rhythm pads created a cacophony of noise throughout the game center. People cried and cheered. The howls of victory and defeat. The difference between catching one's desired toy in the crane game and dropping the loot at the last moment.

  Past rows of racing machines where youths could live their speed and drifting fantasies, arcade fighters occupied by hot-blooded gamers, and card battlers with raucous children calling out attacks, were the more sophisticated machines. A dinosaur island escape in the shape of a four-seater enclosed truck that shook and rumbled, multiple dogfight simulator capsules with VR goggles, shooting game with AR glasses.

  Further past those was the retro section, largely abandoned by all but the few enthusiasts and curious first-timers. But today, it was different. The space was teeming with people, gathered to watch a trio of girls playing an old zombie shooter, cheering and applauding as they breezed through the story.

  Ronja gripped her motion-tracking shotgun with both hands and aimed carefully. She was not used to handling firearms, but made up for it with her innate magical girl reflexes. Beside her was Alicia, displaying a professional level of gun-control. She held the weapon perfectly balanced and aimed down the simple sight, even though the hitboxes in the game were quite forgiving.

  And then, there was Raven. The arcade machine was made for four players, so they were down one person. Ronja's fans had clamored to get the last spot, but Raven put in an extra coin and took up two guns at once. Nobody dared complain when she did, and even the last whispers were silenced when the game started.

  Every shot was a hit. Her spinning reloads looked effortless. It seemed as natural to her as breathing. At one point, Alicia and Ronja both stopped for a moment to watch her. She had already reached a higher score than both of them combined. And even without their help, she continued onward with cold precision, seemingly not even noticing the absence of their shots.

  Raven's eyes were utterly focused, but it was clear that her mind was elsewhere. She remembered her assault on the Raytronics Financial Center. It had felt just like this. A straightforward battle on rails. Now, two weeks later, she had gained enough distance from the event to analyze it calmly.

  She had killed people as effortlessly as she now did these programmed zombies and monsters. And she would kill many more soon. The blood on her hands would never come off. So what was a good bit more? It made no difference if she dyed herself crimson from head to toe now. Her path of carnage had been set in stone two years ago.

  Level Complete!

  She blinked and lowered her guns. Only now did she notice the countless eyes on her. They were gazes of confusion and admiration. She was like an action movie hero come to life. How had nobody ever heard about her before?

  "You come here often?" Ronja asked with an eyebrow raised.

  Raven glanced at her score. "It's muscle memory from... a long time ago."

  It wasn't a lie, albeit not the real reason for her speed and precision. She had played these arcade shooting games quite a bit in the past. A memory she thought had faded rose to the surface of her mind. She had always battled Sana in games like these. That sore loser would never let her end on a victory, so they kept going until the others had to drag them away.

  Ronja watched Raven's melancholy expression and didn't pry. Alicia was a student from a private school, as evidenced by her wearing a uniform both times they had met. But the black-haired girl was an enigma. She didn't want to interrogate her about her life, but she grew more curious the more they interacted.

  "Come on, the next level is starting," Alicia interrupted her thoughts.

  The three girls took up their weapons and continued. Not long after, Raven would set the irrevocable record on the machine, reaching the maximum possible hit combo and kill count without being damaged throughout the entire game. Her hands automatically input her abbreviated name into the three-letter box: KNN, for Kanon.

  "What does that stand for?" wondered Ronja curiously. Only then did Raven realize what she had done.

  "Just my gamer tag when I used to play these games more actively," she responded truthfully. Her exterior was calm, but her mind was racing. So many people were watching. What if one of them recognized that tag from the past? When she still actively played with her friends, the Everleaf Center had not yet existed. The arcades she set her records on under that name were smaller ones in the Higashi District. Surely, nobody present knew those, right?

  "Hmm, that's my first time seeing it," said Alicia with a peeved expression. Raven's eye twitched. What was she doing? "You never went all out with me before, did you?"

  So that was the reason. She seemed annoyed that Raven had been holding back while playing games, to the point that she never reached the leaderboards where she could input her name. The fact that she slipped up now showed that she was truly out of it. From here on, she had to take care not to expose more of her past life.

  "I guess I wanted to show off to... Miss Ikonen," Raven responded with a wry smile. She had to maintain her identity as the young celebrity's personal assistant in front of the onlookers.

  "Hmm, I see." Alicia glared at her with eyes narrowed. Ronja looked between the two in confusion. The distance she had felt earlier was still there, but this seemed more like how they had behaved last time. "Anyway, now that we beat this, let's go do something else."

  "I'm actually feeling hungry. Let's get something to eat first," suggested Ronja. Then she glanced at the onlookers with a disapproving gaze.

  "You heard her. It's time to give Miss Ikonen some privacy," announced Raven, waving at the people surrounding them. "Please refrain from following her around for the rest of today."

  "She seems used to doing this," whispered Ronja.

  "She's just a natural at everything she does," Alicia said.

  The fans scattered reluctantly and made space for them to leave the arcade. As they walked to the escalators, people passing them by turned around to look, but nobody tried to stop them. They headed down to the food courts but decided to get something to go so that other fans wouldn't surround and pester Ronja in the restaurants. With bags of fried foods in hand, they quickly headed back upstairs to the rooftop observation deck.

  The sandstorm persisted, but the Everleaf Center had a glass dome that could be deployed for this season. They were shielded from the winds, but could enjoy the limited sights. It was already dark out, but the nearby neon signs and the Aurora Stellaris above shone through the dust cloud. It created a muted atmosphere befitting the abandoned rooftop. Nobody else came here now that there was little to see, but it suited the three girls perfectly.

  They found a table with a good view of the aurora and began their meal. It was all greasy, processed food from a fast-food chain. If it was a sin, why did it taste so good? The sight was usually nothing special for people who grew up in Starlight City, but the sandstorm added an element that one needed to be on this specific observation deck to see.

  The three girls only exchanged small talk during the meal. Raven felt left out when they discussed a recent popular show. She had no time or peace of mind to consume entertainment right now. The most she could do was listen to music from her past, to invoke memories of better times. It rarely worked.

  "Have you seen Magical Girl Rendezvous? The movie starring White Wish?" Ronja suddenly asked. Raven and Alicia both tensed up at the mention of the number one magical girl.

  "I haven't, but I heard it got rave reviews," Alicia responded first.

  "Yeah, my manager made me watch it. It really was a great movie," said Ronja with a distant look. "I can't believe she's only eleven years old. Not once did I feel like she was acting. It all felt so real."

  "Maybe we should go watch it sometime." Alicia glanced at Raven.

  "It's in all the cinemas, so we could go right now," Ronja suggested with a look at her wristwatch. It was still quite early.

  "I'd rather be active, especially after this meal," said Raven with a wry smile. She was not particularly interested in the movie either way, but watching a romantic comedy with Alicia felt wrong.

  "I see. Then, how about the indoor sports center? Lots of things to choose from." Since she worked just a few blocks away from here, she knew the ins and outs of the Everleaf Center.

  "Sounds good. Need to work off those calories." Raven put on a practiced smile. None of them really needed it. Magical girls turned food into magical energy instead of gaining weight. But Alicia and Ronja likely weren't that aware of the fact.

  The three girls left the observation deck and headed down a floor to the sports center. Since they were an odd number, they couldn't do most of the ball sports and settled on ice skating. It was surprisingly empty despite the time of day. Maybe most people were off to the food courts right now. That suited Ronja well.

  They put on their skating shoes and waddled awkwardly to the rink entrance like penguins. Raven was the first to step onto the ice. She had been a few times before, so it came back to her like riding a bike. However, Alicia seemed to have trouble maintaining her balance. In the end, the enhanced physical abilities of a magical girl couldn't compensate for acquired skills.

  "Come, I'll teach you," offered Ronja, naturally taking Alicia's hands. Since she came here every single day off, she got practice in many sports. Raven watched them from a short distance away. Hopefully, Alicia could get over her rejection and make friends with people her age, starting with this one. With that thought, she turned around and went ahead to give the two some space.

  "Damn," Alicia grumbled when she saw Raven joining the people circling the rink.

  "Now that she's out of earshot, I can ask: Did something happen between you two?" Ronja spoke up. Alicia stared at her. Of course, she had noticed. Her interactions with Raven had been rather awkward today, quite unlike last time.

  "She rejected me," Alicia came right out and said it.

  "Oh, damn." She didn't expect something that serious. "Why?"

  Alicia blinked. How would she answer that? Revealing Raven's age difference was a no-no, and not just for social reasons. It pertained to her secret identity. Who knew what the corporations could discover by knowing her age? Not that she believed Ronja would maliciously pass on that knowledge, but the fewer people who knew, the better.

  "She already has someone else in her heart," said Alicia with a sad smile.

  "So what?" Ronja furrowed her brow. "I hate to quote my corporate songs, but some of the lyrics do come from my heart: Love is war. Loot and pillage, to the victor go the spoils. A swift blitz, no retreat, no matter how far."

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Alicia snorted. She had, of course, heard that song. It was about a girl whose former best friend took away her boyfriend, and then she came back with a vengeance. That didn't quite apply to what was going on with Raven, but without knowing more, Ronja could only use this example. After all, she likely had never been in a love triangle herself.

  "What?" She raised an eyebrow at Alicia's laughter.

  "Thank you for trying to cheer me up."

  "That's what friends do, no?"

  Despite only meeting for the second time like this - despite the possibility that they could become enemies - Alicia felt like she could trust Ronja with her feelings. She was such a genuine person once one peeked underneath the corporate-mandated facade of Riot Rhapsody. The same was likely true for most corporate magical girls.

  "You still haven't moved? Come on," Raven called them out in passing. She had already finished a lap and seemed to grow more and more accustomed to moving on ice.

  "I'll show you!" Alicia yelled, shaking her fist jokingly. "Come on, teach me how to skate."

  Ronja smiled wryly. Alicia was a strong girl after all. She held her hand tightly and began instructing her.

  "You're doing great," said Raven as she passed them by again. By now, she no longer needed her arms to keep her balance. Meanwhile, Alicia had finally reached the point of not holding Ronja's hand for an agonizingly slow lap. Their physical talents were worlds apart.

  "She seems good at anything she does," Ronja commented. Great at singing, shooting games, and now ice skating. She could understand why Alicia was so attracted to her. Few people wouldn't be.

  "I heard she was like that in academics, too," Alicia said with a sigh.

  "You heard?"

  She froze. It seemed that she needed to be a lot more careful while talking about Raven. "Yeah, we aren't in the same school. We met a year ago here in the Everleaf Center."

  That was a lie. Their first meeting was the planning session for a heist. It was when she also met Neri and Igor for the first time. But obviously, she couldn't tell Ronja that. Back then, she had treated it as just another crew that would disband after one or two missions, or after things went wrong. Raven had been the reason for her to stick around. And now, she would not be able to leave until the end.

  "A fated encounter here in the Everleaf Center, like with me? The mall date is real, huh?" Ronja joked. Alicia only smiled before lowering her gaze. She felt bad for deceiving her, but her and Raven's very lives depended on it.

  A jingle played on the speakers, echoing throughout the ice rink. It was a familiar announcement for those living in Starlight City. Nobody really paid much attention to the pre-recorded voice that followed. "Attention please, a monster attack is currently underway nearby. Please remain indoors until clearance has been granted."

  "Seems I'm not needed," said Ronja with a look at her wristwatch. Every magical girl was given one by the SLPD, regardless of whether they were independent or worked for a corporation. It automatically sent a signal based on proximity. The police were the ones who decided if monster activity required a magical girl's touch. This time, it didn't. "I'll take every break I can get."

  "You seem really busy. One break every two weeks?" Alicia took the opportunity to change the topic from Raven to something less dangerous. She was tired of navigating a minefield.

  "Don't get used to it. Before this, I hadn't had a break in three months. Might happen again," said Ronja with a tired roll of her eyes. "Endless promotional tours, band practice, vocal lessons. And then there's the magical girl stuff. You know, saving the city every once in a while."

  "If you had to choose, which would you give up, and which would you keep doing?"

  "I'm greedy, so I'd do both at the same time," Ronja declared with a grin. Indeed, Riot Rhapsody used music-based magic. She wasn't weaker than those of a similar rank in many regards, but she had earned her position on the billboards through the spectacle she brought in every one of her fights. They were mini concerts in their own right.

  "I expected that answer." Alicia chuckled.

  "Are you implying that I'm easy to see through?" Ronja acted hurt.

  "Huh, I thought that was your charm point."

  "You little!" Ronja wiggled her fingers, threatening to tickle Alicia.

  "Wait, not on the ice!" She tried to turn around to escape, but couldn't stop her forward momentum. She slid right into Ronja's grasp.

  Raven watched from a distance as the two grew closer. That was what she had hoped for. It would be great if this could stabilize Alicia's mental state for their big operation the day after tomorrow. And if they became good friends, it would be easier for her to let go of the past once the time came.

  She turned around and headed for the faster-moving skaters in the inner circle of the rink. Her body had grown accustomed to moving on ice, so she wanted to challenge herself and see how fast she could go. Letting loose once in a while could be fun, too. She emulated the movements of the more skilled skaters nearby and started to pick up speed. It had been a while since she last learned something that was purely for leisure. The last skill she had picked up was wielding a sword.

  On her second lap, she felt comfortable enough to glance at Alicia and Ronja. They were still goofing around. Raven smiled at their interactions in passing. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She looked around intently. Where did the threat come from?

  The roof shattered.

  No, the space right below the roof shattered. From within the gash in reality fell a rainbow-colored amorphous blob, crashing right into the center of the skating rink. The ground shook from the impact, and people fell. Raven stared at the formless mass, refracting the floodlights like a soap bubble. Several people had been buried underneath it. There was no helping them anymore.

  "Evacuate!" Ronja roared. Her voice, enhanced with magic, echoed across the hall even without a speaker. She turned to Alicia and gestured at the nearest exit. "Go, I'll take care of this."

  Without awaiting her response, she brought her fists together in front of her chest before seemingly ripping open space. The light shining from inside took an axe-like shape before scattering to reveal an electric guitar - her wand. Ronja struck the strings with a pick produced from her belt. The instrument wasn't connected to an amp, but it played a reverberating, heavy metal riff. Her clothes were shredded by the shockwave, and light engulfed her body.

  The sound of straps snapping into place. Jingling of metal. The glowing silhouette struck another chord, and the light covering it scattered. From within emerged a figure wearing a red and black plaid mini dress with frilly shoulder straps and a corset-like top. Below was an asymmetrical flared skirt with a tattered petticoat peeking out from underneath. Loose chains dangled down from her broad belt past her knees. A spiked choker wrapped around a slender neck, and riveted bands held arm warmers in place. Torn black thigh-highs disappeared into steel-capped boots with cleats.

  An explosion of magical energy washed over the hall. Then, another guitar riff that vibrated the very air. With a stomp that cracked the ice, Riot Rhapsody took the stage.

  At the same time, the blob split open like a soft egg, and a towering eight-limbed creature in white emerged from within. It was vaguely humanoid, with four tentacle-like arms and four thick legs, but no head. The torso was covered by an alabaster-like shell. The chest split into a smooth maw leading into unfathomable rainbow-colored depths.

  A Catastrophe-Class.

  Why did one of such a high level appear now? The Aurora Stellaris had been calm all day. One could expect the type that manifested as half-immaterial figures, disrupting traffic or assaulting pedestrians at most. This one was a full-blown disaster, appearing only once or twice a year. Not something a corporate magical girl of Riot Rhapsody's rank could handle.

  Raven looked around. The civilians were slow in leaving the skating rink. The exits were narrow, and people slipping on the ice blocked the path for others. The monster rose to its full height and let out a distorted noise not meant for human ears. It immediately caused terror to spread among the fleeing.

  "Stand up and fight!" Riot Rhapsody bellowed, strumming her electric guitar. The sound was so rich and powerful that it permeated everybody's flesh and bones. The panicked civilians were affected by her command and gathered their resolve. They helped each other escape and started to clear the rink quickly.

  Raven understood that this was Riot Rhapsody's magic. It was very much like Songcaller's, though the form it took was quite different. Still, Songcaller would have never been able to defeat a Catastrophe-Class by herself. She doubted that she would be able to take on this one by herself. But considering their location deep inside a building, it would take reinforcements some time to arrive, even though they were in the middle of downtown.

  The police simply called any magical creature appearing in the city monsters, but these things were likely simply animals from another plane of existence. They were clearly confused by this world and lashed out at the things they didn't understand. And the humans trying to escape drew this one's attention. It raised one of its arms and opened what seemed to be a nine-fingered hand, pointing at the nearest group of people.

  "I'm your opponent!" Riot Rhapsody rushed forward on the ice, cracking it with every powerful step, and yelled at the monster. It raised another hand toward her, revealing a hole inside its palm. A rainbow-colored beam shot out of it and struck her barrier.

  The sheer force tossed her back against the rink boards, but her defenses held. She stood up and started jamming away. An explosion of sound washed over her surroundings and whipped up a storm. A shockwave hit the Catastrophe-Class and shook its form. But that was all it did. However, the people behind it were knocked off their feet. Unlike Songcaller, she didn't have the fine control to make her magical music affect only her targets.

  "What should we do?" Alicia asked quietly when Raven reached her side.

  "Wait and watch," she responded, gritting her teeth. So far, no humans had been killed after the monster's initial appearance. But the exits were clogged, and Riot Rhapsody's attack earlier only added to the chaos. The monster seemed to react to movement more than sound, as it raised another arm in the direction of the mass of people. Whatever was its equivalent to eyes seemed to be located in those.

  "Over here!" Riot Rhapsody ran across the ice and swung her guitar wand at the monster's extended arm. The impact barely shook the thick limb, but now the attention was on her. All four hands opened up toward her and began firing beams. She ducked and weaved under three of them, but the last hit her barrier. The force knocked her onto her back and sent her sliding across the ice into the rink boards with such force that she crashed through them this time.

  That much was nothing to a magical girl, and she jumped to her feet only a moment later. But to her surprise, the monster followed up its attack with pinpoint accuracy. She quickly played a riff that distorted the air before her - strengthening magic for her barrier. All four beams hit at once, spraying everywhere like water hitting a wall. But Riot Rhapsody stood her ground.

  Screams pulled Raven's attention away from the fight. An unlucky stray shot from the scattering beams hit the stragglers at one of the exits. Like a high-caliber bullet, it had ripped through several people, leaving a dozen wounded and dead. Now it was done. Innocents were killed. She had to step in, even if it meant revealing her identity to the world.

  "I'll do it," Alicia said beside her. Raven looked at her in surprise. But she followed her gaze and found that Riot Rhapsody's shield seemed to be wavering. She strummed her guitar and poured all of her magic into defense. Her objective was to hold out until reinforcements arrived. She was willing to exhaust her magical energy until the last drop to do that.

  Before Raven could stop her, Alicia put her left palm on her chest. A light shone through her fingers. When she removed her hand, a glowing pole extended from the spherical light. It came out all the way, and its shape became clear: It was an anti-materiel rifle nearly twice her size. Her unique wand. She raised her arms and started floating. The light spread across her body, disintegrating her clothes.

  The sound of a bolt action being drawn back could be heard. Then, a bullet was chambered. Alicia took hold of the rifle's grip, and the light peeled off her hand, revealing a ballistic glove. The effect traveled up her arm and spread across her body, revealing a sleeveless green dress with a frilly skirt, colored in a forest camo pattern. A ghillie suit was attached to her shoulders, falling over her back like a cape. Tinted goggles covered her eyes, and her voluminous green hair was tied back into a ponytail with a leaf-covered camo scrunchie.

  She got on one knee, rested her elbow on top of her other leg, and leveled her rifle at her target. With a look through the magical scope, Sniper Robin was on overwatch.

  Without missing a beat, she fired. What emerged from the barrel was not a physical bullet, but one made from concentrated magic. Robin was the type of magical girl who loaded most of her energy into ammunition. It allowed her to fire massively powerful shots without depleting her stamina. However, she was limited to five rounds, after which she was rendered mostly useless in battle.

  Her first shot cut through one of the Catastrophe-Class's arms. It fell onto the ice rink and instantly decomposed into a gray liquid. Robin had already finished loading the next bullet with practiced bolt-action movements. The monster turned its attention to her, but the second shot was out. It tore off another arm and impacted the main body, cracking the alabaster-like outer shell.

  Robin didn't reload immediately and ran away from Raven before the monster could shoot. Its open palms followed her as she sprinted along the outside of the ice rink with her gun shouldered. She suddenly stopped and dove backward behind the boards. The Catastrophe-Class seemed confused by the switch-up and scanned the area with its arms.

  The third shot ripped apart the boards and hit the monster in the exact same place where its shell had been cracked before, breaking through. It staggered from the damage but remained standing. The maw in its chest let out the warbled noise from before, shaking the entire hall. Particles danced on the ice as it cracked from the frequency.

  Then came the fourth shot. It pierced right through the creature's body from the weakened spot and hit the building's wall beyond. Outside observers would see a thin beam of light fly off into the night sky. A geyser of magic spewed out from the monster's exit wound. It staggered on its four feet before finally toppling over. A moment later, its solid shape turned to gray jelly that seemed to seep into the ground as if it were soil rather than ice over a concrete slab.

  Robin had single-handedly taken down a Catastrophe-Class monster with one shot to spare. Raven had to admit that her shots were stronger than Brilliant Spark's at her highest output.

  "Alicia?" Riot Rhapsody's voice suddenly echoed across the now-empty hall. She stared directly at Robin between the broken rink boards with a flabbergasted expression.

  The cat was out of the bag.