Origin: How I Became A Magical Girl’s Hapless Sidekick In A Craptastic World

"Are you serious?!" Morada asked, staring at us in disbelief.

Talia and I nodded solemnly. We had just finished recounting what had happened with Midori, and Morada's expression had gone from curious to concerned.

"It seemed like she didn't remember who we were, and then she just... disappeared," Talia said, her voice trembling slightly.

I leaned forward, feeling a sense of urgency wash over me. "Is there anything we can do to help her? We can't just leave her out there, alone and confused."

Morada sighed heavily. "I wish I had an answer for you, Ikki. But the truth is, I don't know enough about Midori's powers or what could be causing this. All we can do right now is to keep an eye out for her."

Talia looked down at the ground, and I saw tears welling up in her eyes. I didn't know much about their history. Still, Talia and Midori were cohabitating partners, and it was clear that Talia cared greatly for Midori. The thought of her being out there alone and confused was clearly taking a toll on Talia.

Morada stared down at her phone, tapping away for a few seconds before continuing, "Ranjika's already shot off looking for leads on Midori. Umn. I hope you understand, Ikki."

I nodded, feeling a sense of relief that they were looking for Midori but also a sense of guilt and sorrow for putting them in this position with Izumi. "Yes, I understand. Thank you... thank you for all the help. For real. I don't know what I would do without you guys."

"Hey, what are friends for? We'll find Izumi, Ikki. And we'll find Midori too," Morada said with a soft smile. "Don't lose hope."

I nodded gratefully, but the truth was, I was filled with despair. I was worried about Midori, but my sister had also literally fallen off a bridge, and we had no idea where she was or what had happened to her.

It was like the whole world was falling apart, and I didn't know how to keep it together. I felt like I was failing everyone I cared about, unable to help them when they needed it the most.

Morada was a reliable friend and a powerful Magical Girl, but even she couldn't solve everything.

I winced in pain, tugging at my neck brace and bandages. The injuries I had sustained from the battle against the invading Aberrations were starting to take a toll on me, reminding me of my own vulnerability. I was no magical girl, and I didn't have the power to protect those I cared about as they could.

I replayed the moment again in my mind as we sat there in momentary silence. Sure, my sister had taken out a number of Chaos Beasts attacking our vehicle when we were luring the Duke away from the city, but then she had fallen. It was like watching a nightmare unfold in front of my eyes, and I could do nothing to stop it.

My thoughts returned to a silver-haired, red-eyed rogue Magical Girl who had nearly murdered me. Was she correct in the end? Was I just weak and powerless, unable to protect those I loved?

No. I refused to believe that. I couldn't let myself spiral into self-doubt and despair. I had to keep a level head and stay focused on finding my sister and Midori, no matter what it took.

I clenched my fists, feeling a resolve rise up within me. I may not have their magical powers, but I had other skills. I had my mind, resourcefulness, and dedication to those I cared about. My father had raised me to be a problem-solver, to see the bigger picture, and to think outside the box, and it was time to put those skills to use.

I would not let anyone else suffer because of my inadequacies.

Talia's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Ikki... are you okay?"

I looked up to see Talia staring at me with concern, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Yeah," I said, forcing a smile. "I'm fine. We'll find them. We have to."

A knock on the door made all of us jump. We turned to see my hungover father standing at the door, looking bleary-eyed and disheveled from his night of drinking. It looked like he'd finally woken up after passing out by my bedside.

He gazed around the room, his eyes widening as he spotted Talia, who was still holding back tears. "Christ. What happened now?"

I sighed and stood up slowly, my body still aching from my injuries. "They still haven't found Izumi, and now, cousin Midori's gone missing as well," I said quietly. "We don't know where either of them are."

My father's expression softened at the news, and I could see a flicker of concern in his eyes. Despite his flaws, he cared deeply about us, and I knew he was worried about Izumi just as much as I was.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. "What can I do to help?"

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how my father could be of assistance in our search. But then, an idea struck me.

"We need all the information we can get," I said, looking at my father with determination. "Can you reach out to your contacts? Tell them to look out for a Japanese girl with blue eyes in a hospital gown, just in case?"

My father nodded, a look of purpose filling his eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that. I've already put the word out for your sister, after all. Anything else?"

I shook my head. "That's all for now. But... thank you, Dad."

I turned to Talia, "Do you know how Midori's teleportation ability works at all? Its limits and conditions?"

Talia scrunched her face up in thought, tapping her chin. "I do know that she can teleport anywhere at any time. She just needs to have a visualization of her target location, and enough lumina for the jump. Midori either teleports to her targeted location successfully when she uses that ability, or it fizzles entirely. She has told me the amount of lumina used increases with the distance traveled."

I nodded, feeling more overwhelmed by the second.

The power to teleport anywhere at any time? It was like finding a needle in a haystack, but we had to try. We couldn't just sit around and wait for her to return on her own.

I looked at her, furrowing my brow, thinking, "So, I just wanted to clarify this for a sec. When did you two meet? I assume it was when you were both in middle school over in Asia?"

Talia nodded slowly. "Yes, that's right. We both went to Jo Loon International Middle School, and she grew up in Edo. We met in our first year of middle school in a saber fencing course."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Saber fencing? That's not something you see every day."

Talia chuckled, a small smile appearing on her face. "Midori was always a bit... unorthodox. But she was brilliant at it. I could beat anyone, even the upperclassmen, but she handed my butt to me. That's how we became frenemies and rivals, and then, well, you know."

She flushed red momentarily before continuing, "But what's this have to do with our current situation?"

I nodded, taking mental notes. It was clear that Midori was skilled in many areas, and I needed to keep that in mind as we searched for her.

"Well... think about it," I started, "If she's lost her memories, her old haunts might be the only places she feels familiar with and has memories of."

Talis sighed, rubbing her temples in stress. "That doesn't change the fact that we're on a completely different world right now, and Midori made it absolutely clear to me that this was her second time on Earth," Talia pointed out, her voice trembling.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "I know... it's a long shot, but we have to start somewhere. So here's an idea, what if... what if she attempted to teleport straight back to Terra? What if she managed to go back?"

Morada spoke up, "That's... a disturbing possibility. If she managed to do that, she would be a literal world away on the other side of the planet."

I nodded, "Exactly. But we need to rule out every possibility and check every lead we have. We can't just sit around and wait for her to magically reappear."

Morada crossed her arms, "Alright, but how do we even begin to search for her? Do we just start searching hospitals and police stations across the world?"

I shook my head, "No, we need to be smart about this. We can't just blindly search. We need to narrow it down. I think we have two solid leads in Edo and Jo Loon City on Terra."

Talia nodded, biting her lip anxiously. "Okay, but how do we get to those places in time to look for her? We can't exactly teleport there like Midori did."

Morada chimed in, tapping away on her phone, "Those of us that are Magical Girls can get there in a few hours. Ranjika is already on her way over. As for the rest of us... we'll need to get creative. Dior and I could go as well, but Ikki's sister is still missing."

I thought for a moment, trying to come up with a solution. "What if we split up? Dior and Morada can head to Edo, while Ranjika heads off to Jo Loon City. Talia and I can stay local here in New York City to look for Izumi, and keep an eye out just in case she teleported nearby. We can cover more ground that way."

Everyone nodded in agreement. We had come up with a plan, and it was time to put it into action.

As we dispersed to make preparations, my mind raced with the possibilities of what could have happened to Midori. Had she managed to teleport back to Terra, only to end up lost and confused? Had she been kidnapped by someone? Or was there something even more sinister at play? What about my sister? Was she... was she did? Was she injured, lost, and confused out there?

I pushed those thoughts aside for the moment, knowing that dwelling on them wouldn't help us find Izumi or Midori any faster. We had work to do, and it was time to get started.

Raiju, are you there?

I reached out to my trusty AI companion, waiting for her response. A few seconds passed, and a familiar metal orb floated next to me as I walked down a hallway.

"Yes, I'm here, Ikazuchi," Raiju replied. "How may I be of assistance?"

"What do you think about my idea? That Midori might have wound up back on Terra?"

Raiju hummed thoughtfully before responding. "It's a possibility, Ikazuchi. Midori's teleportation ability is incredibly powerful, and it's not surprising that it could potentially transport her across worlds. There's a chance that Midori may have ended up somewhere completely different from her intended destination."

I nodded, taking in the information. "Right. Can you pull up any information you have on Edo and Jo Loon City, and Midori's history in these cities?"

"Of course," Raiju said, projecting holographic images of the two cities in front of me as we walked. "I will also monitor any news reports that could potentially be related to Midori's disappearance and teleportation."

"Great. Let's also get those aerial drones deployed looking for Izumi. We need to cover as much ground as possible."

As we stepped out into the eerily ruined streets of New York City, I couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency and fear. We were on a mission to find our loved ones, and time was of the essence.

The fate of Midori and my sister Izumi hung in the balance, and it was up to us to save them. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what lay ahead. No matter what happened, I knew I had to stay strong and keep searching until I found them.

Sis, Midori. Wherever you are, please hang on.

We're coming for you.