Magical Girl: Human Rebellion

School had ended for the day, and the tension that had built between the four of us was palpable. We knew this would be the start of the most difficult period of our lives to date.

“First call of business is to talk to Hana and her girls. There’s no way the four of us can do this alone, we’ll need all the manpower we can get.” Saki said quietly as the four of us of left the school grounds.

“I-I messaged Hana last night that we needed to tell everyone something important. She’s sending her teleporter friend to take us to their hideout. I’ll show everyone where we’re supposed to go.” Added Sunao, who seemed even more nervous than usual.

“Class today felt like it dragged so much more than normal. Maybe it’s the anticipation, but it it just felt like it would never end.” I said exasperatedly, the school day having sincerely tested my patience.

“The atmosphere felt so heavy, too. I never thought I’d miss Kei’s constant chattering so much.” Upon Mai’s words, I found myself wondering why Kei had suddenly failed to show up to school. She had mentioned a bereavement to me yesterday, but it didn’t seem to affect her enough to make her start skipping school.

I had a bad feeling in my gut, but I shook it off as just being an affect of the anxiety that had plagued me all day.

We continued on in silence, and walking the grey streets with our minds filled with fear for what was to come. It wasn’t long before Nao turned town a side alley and stopped, indicating that this was the place we were supposed to be meeting.

“D-did I get the street wrong? She was supposed to be here five minutes ag-“

As if on cue, Nao was cut off by a flash of light and the sudden appearance of a girl in pure white wizards robes and a pointy hat that shadowed her face. In her hand was a long staff with a jewel at the top, though it appeared fake at first glance.

“I believe the four of you requested transportation to Hajime Manor?”

“How exactly did you manage to be late when you can instantaneously teleport?” I asked

“A wizard is never late, Sora Goto. Nor is she early. She always arrives precisely when she means to.”

The arrival of our bizarre new companion seemed to lift the tense atmosphere and replace it with one of both scepticism and confusion. Was this girl a complete incompetent, or simply in the throes of Chuunibyou? Fortunately, that question answered itself without our further input.

“Allow me to introduce myself. Before thee stands the mighty Kyouma Houtsukai, the worlds only living teleportation master and right hand to the great Hana Hajime. You warriors need not identify yourselves, for I already know of thy heroic deeds. Those who have earned the respect of Hajimesama have also earned the respect of myself. It’s a wondrous occasion to meet you all.”

She finished her introduction with a deep bow, while the four of us stood in dumbfounded silence. This girl was Hana’s right hand? Extremely convenient teleportation ability aside, she seemed… a few tools short of a toolbox, to say the least.

“Uhh… nice to meet you too. But this alley is pretty pretty uncomfortable to stand around in and we really need to talk to Hana so… would you mind?” Saki prompted the girl to actually do the thing she came to do, causing her to look up from her bow with a smirk on her face and raise her staff above her head.

“Light of the lord above, imbue with me power. Release mine own body from the constraints of space and allow me to traverse this world freely.”

The instant she finished her incantation, a white light engulfed us and we found our bodies momentarily untethered by the confines of three-dimensional space. Before we had time to truly understand our situation, however, we were returned to reality in a brand new place, the sudden change disorienting the four of us so much we fell to a heap on the ground.

“Worry not, heroes. Teleportation is not an easy craft to master. To fall down on your first try is completely normal.”

Slowly getting to my feet and feeling a slight tinge of genuine admiration for Kyouma’s ability to stay stable enough to strike a dramatic pose after teleportation, I looked around at the room we had been dropped.

“Woah…” I had assumed Kyouma was just being dramatic when she called the hideout a ‘manor,’ but after seeing just one room I was convinced that there was no more apt descriptor.

The walls seemed to be made of a polished and sturdy wood, likely pine by the colour. The floor was covered in a comfortable woollen carpet that had softened the fall when we landed, and the room’s lighting was provided by a beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Behind us was a great wooden door that stretched almost to the ceiling, and stood in the doorway was the person we had come to see.

“Saki senpai!” As soon as she caught sight of us, Hana bounded into the room and wrapped the still disoriented Saki in a tight hug. I hid my grin as I noticed a twitch of jealousy on Sunao’s face. “It’s so good to see you all again. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

We had only seen Hana a small handful of times since the Director was arrested, with the four of us busy with preparations for the aftermath and Hana occupied with rescuing the remaining kidnapped girls. That made it all the more upsetting that today’s business was as far from a social visit as could possibly be.

“I’m sorry, Hana, but the circumstances of our visit couldn’t be any worse.” Saki slightly pulled away from Hana’s hug as she spoke, a tinge of guilt in her voice. “Let’s go somewhere we can sit down. This could take a while.”

***

Hana lead us through the halls of the enormous manor and into a room with a long table, large enough to seat at least 16. For a hideout filled with rescued kidnapping victims, the manor was extravagant to say the least.

Once in the room, the four of us sat down on one side of the table, while Hana occupied the other, flanked by Kyouma and two other girls who bore a striking resemblance to one another.

“Before we begin, let me quickly introduce the four of you to the twins, Hikari and Suzume. They’re as much an integral part of this operation as Kyouma, and I would trust them with my lives. Anything you can tell me, you can also tell them.” Hana spoke with a tone of pride as she introduced her subordinates, clearly valuing them all very highly.

“Yo, I’m Hikari! Hana’s told us sooooo much about you guys, like how you’re the ones who freed her, and how you beat every member of Flame Of Time, and how you single-handedly took down the director and ended his career of evil! It’s so cool to finally meet you all!” The twin with messy red hair was the first to speak, her quick speech and fidgeting making her seem immensely hyperactive.

“I’m Suzume, Hikari’s sister. Nice to meet you all.” The twin with neatly straightened blue hair was far more collected than her sister, sitting back in her chair and exuding a cool vibe. The two seemed opposite in every way except for their identical faces.

“It’s good to meet you both. And others listening in shouldn’t be too much of a problem. All of your girls are gonna need to hear this at some point. ” Saki inhaled sharply, then bowed her head deeply before she began speaking again. “I’ll cut straight to the chase: we desperately need your help.”