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Intermission: A Tale From Ninth District

Story

There was a nip in the air that morning. A dry, cold wind inundated Tama's infamous Ninth District with dead leaves. Autumn had settled in Tama Town, and with it came a rising chill in the air. The light fog covering the rooftops seemed to make the area more ominous than usual.

Nel and Tomoe walked side-by-side along the sidewalk in an otherwise abandoned alleyway. They were clearly on edge, judging by how they stopped and checked their surroundings. "Still nothing." Nel said, taking a look at his phone's screen. "You sure this is the place?"

"Yep. Should be around here..." Tomoe confirmed as she fiddled with the string of her asymmetrical yumi bow. "This is the fourth night in a row we've checked this area for anything suspicious. And we haven't found a single thing!" she sighed. "What gives?"

"Yeah, usually we at least see something go bump in the night." Nel replied. "That weird 'Othersider' stuff you and Kotoha saw a few days ago, or that 'renegade scientist' attack two weeks back—" she cut him off with a hiss.

"Hey! Don't go making air quotes at me! Othersiders are real, dork! You've got the Sight too, dummy." she whispered, hissing her words and checking to see if anyone had been watching. "I guess we should be happy for the boredom. Means they aren't eating us all alive."

Nel pulled out his phone and turned it to Tomoe. "It's 1 am. Central still hasn't sent us any info. Should we go home now?" he asked. Tomoe responded with a thumbs-up and a smile. "Let's pack up, then. The shrine'll need another sweep tomorrow."

Nel and Tomoe began walking away, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. However, they failed to notice a lurking presence behind the both of them. Tomoe shuddered as she felt a pair of eyes on her back. Their footsteps were light as they moved, so as to not rouse anyone, yet their observer had no trouble tracking their movements.

The presence quietly stepped down from the rooftop. Its long, lanky body was humanoid in shape, yet its arms were just a bit too long for a normal person. Its skin was as white as snow, and its hair was as disheveled as an untidy pile of straw. A foul stench filled the air, causing both of the students to retch. Nel gagged and tried to look away. "Yuck... is it a skunk or something?" he wondered.

Tomoe stepped back and drew an arrow from her quiver, knocking it onto her bowstring. "Oh my gosh!" she cried. "Is that—" A growl emanated from behind the two. Tomoe shot an arrow in the direction of the noise, striking a nearby street lamp. "There's another one!" Tomoe shouted.

Nel froze as he turned to find the white-skinned beast behind him. He stared deep into its eyes, unable to move or scream. He could only watch as it grabbed him by the neck, pulling him up, and—

"Fear not, children of Tama! In the name of love and justice, prepare to face your doom: for a MAGICAL GIRL hunts tonight!" A flash of light and burst of pressure heralded their arrival: a kid, about the same age as Nel and Tomoe did a triple-front flip and struck a pose. She wore a frilly miniskirt and matching bolero over a crop-top, with mismatched splashes of yellow, purple, and pink that created a pastel riot on her outfit.

Tomoe gawked at the sight of the new arrival. "Don't just stand there!" She pointed to Nel, still being choked by the assailant. "Save him!" she pleaded.

The Magical Girl turned to Nel and Tomoe's direction, her wide smile unwavering. "Don't worry! I've got this." She replied. She cleared her throat and looked at the monster holding Nel.

"Beast of shadow and bone! You have terrorized the peaceful denizens of Tama Town for too long! Now, I put an end to your reign of fear," She called out, "AND YOUR LIFE!" She clenched her fist, her words soaked in the righteousness of her crusade. She walked forward with a bright smile, not a care in the world. Drawing her wand with a stylish flourish and flick of the wrist, she screamed: "Miracle, Lyrical, Magical Love-Love Bomber!"

A powerful blast of light and sound enveloped the four, giving everyone within earshot a splitting headache. As the blinding light dissipated, Nel scrambled for cover. The creature released him to shield its eyes, but seemed unaffected by the blast of magic. "Ehhhhh?" The Magical Girl cried. "That should've taken it out!"

"It's not an Othersider." Came a bored voice from atop a lamp post. The girl's outfit was all bright stripes and block colours, with a ridiculous-looking pair of cat ears on her headband. She sat, a look of utter bemusement on her face as she scrolled through her phone. "Can't you tell, Karen?"

"Whaaat?" the girl replied, scratching the back of her head. "Also, don't use my name around the normies! We discussed this! I'm Starlight Spice, and you're Pretty Kitty!" The beasts encircled the girl, their toothy maws wide with a combination of sadistic glee and hunger as the magical girl stepped back. "Not good... maybe if I use one of my love-love dances?"

Nel and Tomoe watched from safety, unable to intervene. They had to wait for their saviour to handle things; Central protocol was clear: unsolicited intervention resulted in disciplinary action for Sweepers. "We got lucky!" Tomoe said. "Those guys showed up before it could gobble you up."

Nel nodded. "Who's gonna show up before it gobbles her up." He muttered, pointing at Starlight Spice with his wooden sword. Pretty Kitty let herself fall from atop the perch with a lazy backflip, landing in front of the others.

"It's not gonna work, dumbass." She called. "They're human, can't you tell? Or... well, were." Pretty Kitty walked towards Starlight, eyes still fixed onto her screen. The beasts lunged, and the magical girl managed to duck just before impact.

"Human? Then—" Starlight's smile faltered, her eyes wide with fear. "But they've got claws and fangs like Othersiders, and they smell even worse! How can they be human?" she protested, standing up and dusting her skirt off.

Pretty Kitty sighed. "Tama's Tama. Want me to help?" she asked, typing out a message on her phone. Starlight's smile returned in full force as she nodded at her partner. "Very well, then. Let's go with..." She tucked her phone into her pocket and drew an m1911 from her thigh holster. "Eat lead, fuckers."

A loud bang and scream of pain echoed through the alleyway; three more followed suit. Starlight balked. "Quinn! What the fuck, dude! You can't just whip out a gat and start kneecapping people!"

"Hey, what happened to 'Pretty Kitty?' Dumbass." She pointed her handgun at the pair of crippled monsters as she continued in a dull monotone. "And besides, you saw how they handled them. Should I have let them rip you a new asshole? Or, worse yet, leave you for dead in the alley?"

"Hey! I never said I didn't appreciate it! I'm just saying, there was no reason to use that much force." Starlight rolled her eyes and pouted. "Besides, shooting people is bad PR. We can't release the VODs without getting demonitized. Again."

Nel and Tomoe watched this argument go down, all the while staying right where they were. They were glad the Magical Girls showed up, but would rather not get involved with whatever drama the two had going on. "Uh, Tomoe? Let's maybe duck out. Capisce?" Nel whispered. Tomoe nodded back, grabbing his hand as the two walked off into the foggy night.

Cast

(Just the two magical girls for now.)

Starlight Spice and Pretty Kitty

Bored by the lack of Othersiders, they're more like vigilantes than magical girls.