EPILOGUE: IT'S MAGIC!

In the months that passed, we were able to finally have some peace and quiet. We were even able to go to a convention together, actually!

The government got rid of the curfew, not long after our confrontation at the park. It was a heated debate for a week or so, but as it turns out, making a big show of your final encounter usually tends to put people's minds at ease. Any Anxi that Sono-chan had created still existed, unfortunately-- still were mindless and all that, but we've made an effort to put them out of their misery.

...Sono-chan has been joining us in this effort, too.

At first, the others were less willing to allow her to help, but after a while they got used to having her on our side again. It's not like everyone magically became friends, though-- far from it. Some scars just run too deep. But... I can feel them starting to heal. Broken hearts began mending as conversations became just a bit less awkward with each passing day.

I even made an outfit for her-- purple, to match her hair. She goes by the codename of Shole-sensei, when we're out on the field.

...Eheheh. Th-that just reminded me of something embarrassing, actually. When we're not performing our duties as magical girls, Sono-chan calls me senpai-- even though she's older than me. I think it's out of respect for me-- maybe she looks up to me? I'm... n-not sure if I should be calling her kouhai, or something. It skeeves Asa-chan off a bit, but not in a way that she seems like she'll ever tell her to stop. M-Mizu-chan loves to tease me on it, so I think it balances out for her.

In any case, Sono-chan's living with us for now. She'd be out on the streets, otherwise, not having anyone to live with. On top of that, I really don't expect Asa-chan and Mizu-chan to take her in, given-- oh, right. I'd almost forgotten to say. The two of them live together now, actually, having moved into one of the empty apartments in the same complex as me, Fue-chan and Sono-chan. It's really nice, being within walking distance of all my friends.

I... still find it a bit difficult to be around Sono-chan, given the harm she's caused me, but I'm glad to have taken her under my wing. ...Pun unintended. She's a nervous wreck like any of us, but she's really started to perk up more in recent time. We listen to music a lot together, since we have pretty similar musical interests. It's always fun going thrifting for CD's with her.

Oh yeah, I'd figured out how to turn back into my human form, on that note. Turns out my demon form's a kind of a heightened state of mind I'm able to switch into at will. I'd just never figured out how to switch back until now since I was so busy with everything going on with Sono-chan. That... a-and I was too elated I wasn't stuck as an Anxi anymore to care.

I'm glad that I have that figured out, though, since I've become a bit of a local celebrity in my prefecture. There was... a shocking amount of people cosplaying as me at the convention we'd gone to. Needless to say, it was surreal to see.

But... I'm grateful. The fact I can inspire so many people, so many witches, just with my presence? It's a prime motivator for me to keep going, for me to keep being a magical girl. Many other witches have taken on the mantle of magical girl, too, which is very nice to see. Lots of magical boys and magical enbies, as well. I've met so many of them in the field, all of them gushing to me about how much I mean to them-- just like I did with Fue-chan, Asa-chan, and Mizu-chan. It's... crazy. Even despite so much society rejecting us, we remain a prevalent force trying to make the world a better place.

And for that... I'm glad.

Hmm... what else, what else? I know I'm forgetting something...

Oh, right! Asa-chan's teaching me how to play the bass in her free time. I-it's a bit slow going, but I'm hoping to be able to join her band before too long. I dunno, I just think it'd be cool if we could all get together as friends and make songs, so I'm really determined to learn as fast as I can. I'm hoping she and Sono-chan can patch things up enough so she can get in on it, too.

...

...Man.

Last year, for me? It was so rough. An absolute rollercoaster, with some really high highs and some really low lows. But... this year?

I don't know. Maybe it's wishful thinking, maybe it's just delusion. Or maybe it's me buying into my own magic.

But, I'm hopeful.

Hope. Yeah, let's sign off with that. It's corny, but it's true.

Don't give up hope, even when things seem hopeless. You're beautiful, you're magical, you're loved, and you matter.

✌️