The Demon King's Courtyard.
This place was the closest to the Demon King's castle—perhaps the closest possible distance.
Especially for Liliya, who once stepped onto this place that changed her life forever. In her heart, the scene of four people happily meeting resurfaced vividly.
It was a memory from long ago—yet, even in this inappropriate moment, it appeared clearly in her mind.
The four of them had once laughed together, teased each other... but all of it had turned into invisible chains, tightly wrapped around her heart, impossible to escape.
Brobeli, Vollerei, Sirin, and herself—four people captured together in a photograph. Each of their faces wore bright smiles, making peace signs for the picture: a shy Sirin, the mischievous Brobeli, and a slightly annoyed but still smiling Vollerei.
Together, it had all looked so beautiful.
Teriri remembered that scene especially well. It was to celebrate Brobeli and Vollerei officially joining the Magical Security Bureau and becoming real Magical Girls. It was their first day. Every detail, every action—she remembered it all.
The four young, pure-hearted girls had been full of hope back then.
None of them had imagined what would come afterward.
So many unforgettable events had happened here—they failed in their battle against the Demon King, were trapped in the Demon King's fortress, and a great fire had destroyed their escape route. The scars on the ruins had faded over time, but not from people's memories.
Teriri took a deep breath, clenching her small fists to hold back the emotions rising in her heart.
By chance, she glanced down at the reflection in a piece of broken mirror beneath her feet. The person she saw was tired, timid, weak, and hesitant—even though she tried to suppress her sorrow, her fragility still showed through.
She hated this version of herself.
She hated the part of her that would run away when powerless.
Suddenly, in the corner of her eye, she saw her reflection smiling at her from the glass—a fleeting illusion. When she looked again, it was gone without a trace.
Her hand rested on the cold iron gate. Moonlight shone down on her body, and Teriris eyes gradually became resolute.
During the final battle with the Demon King, it was Vollerei-senpai who sacrificed her soul to cast an ancient forbidden spell. Brobeli gave her life to protect the people. As for Teriri, she went to find the Magical Security Bureau—but never actually returned to help.
They were the abandoned Magical Girl, even though the first rule of the Magical Bureau had always been:
"A Magical Girl never abandons a comrade."
But in reality, they had abandoned countless so-called "comrades."
Sirin saw through that and chose to leave. Teriri, meanwhile, gradually realized the truth after being turned away by the Bureau.
She gave up hope and walked away from that place of disappointment.
Now, the veil had lifted. The Demon King had been completely annihilated. But Vollerei-senpai, still asleep within the ruined fortress, was being sealed away by the Bureau—under the claim that she was a dangerous existence.
How deeply complicated that made Teriri feel.
-----
Theresa's mansion.
"So you're telling me... Bronya and Seele died because that so-called Magical Security Bureau didn't offer any help?"
Kiana touched her chin, pretending to think deeply.
"Mm... Something like that, I guess. As expected, even the me from another world could get along with everyone so well."
Seele covered her mouth with her right hand and smiled, her eyes filled with a "so it goes" kind of emotion.
She laughed teasingly.
Indeed, even though that other Seele didn't look very different on the outside, or even sound too different when speaking, it wasn't hard to tell she was actually the alternate dark Seele in disguise.
The one who had sacrificed herself to defeat the Demon King.
[You! Hmph... In the end, it's just a parallel universe version—nothing to make a fuss about.]
Grumbled a frustrated voice inside Seele's consciousness, stomping its tiny foot in annoyance.
"But then... where is that other Seele? Could it be that this event only includes one version of her?"
Bronya frowned thoughtfully, still curious.
She really wanted to see a scene with both Seele versions—there were implications to consider.
"Looks like even Magical Girl never truly have happy moments. But, maybe being called 'Magical Girl ' in the game... is just a different way of realizing your dreams?"
Mei's eyes flickered slightly as she scanned the group, then paused on the only man present.
Luo Mo rubbed his nose, still wearing a serious look while watching the screen—carefully choosing to ignore Mei's heavy stare.
Rumor had it that Mei used to be a bit of a chuuni... surely she'd fantasized about the classic Magical Girl transformation scenes.
As for why she wasn't included in the game? Well—he could only apologize in advance. Then again... maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.
After all, to some people, that just meant being given the role of a sacrificial pawn.
"Ahh, chasing dreams... Yeah, I guess that's true."
Seele looked as if she'd just realized something profound—then giggled softly. Her gentle, delicate expression was incredibly charming.
"Although, in the orphanage, shows like that weren't really common. Instead..."
She quickly glanced over at Principal Theresa, lips curling into a sly smile before continuing,
"Instead, we had a few of Teriri's performance albums. Rosalia and Lilia collected several of them... because they wanted to become idols."
Theresa's expression gradually froze, like a robot turning its head mechanically toward Seele.
She tilted her head slightly, her big eyes full of confusion and uncertainty. Her small brain temporarily crashed and failed to comprehend the situation.
"W-what do you mean by calling it my album?!"
Her voice was particularly garbled, stammering in panic, her unease clearly visible.
"Um… I mean the kind where you're on stage all lively… like a concert or something. I don't even know where they got it from, but Rosalia and Lilia collected a few of them and said it was their life goal or something. They made everyone at the orphanage watch it over and over again."
Seele rubbed her forehead with some embarrassment. It was clear that even a sweet and gentle girl like her was annoyed enough to speak negatively. That's how irritating the situation was.
Still, she couldn't help but marvel at how strange fate was.
The two of them had, in a way, become idolized by their juniors.
"Aaaaah—! Why do things like that still exist in this world?!"
Theresa let out a helpless squeal, covering her blushing face with both hands in embarrassment.
Schicksal had once officially tried to recall and delete those files. They'd even used AI to wipe them from the internet. Theresa wasn't surprised that an organization might still have backups—but she never expected those two girls to privately keep copies.
"Ah… did I say something wrong?" Seele said awkwardly, flustered. She hesitated as if wanting to comfort Theresa by patting her head, but knowing full well the headmistress didn't like being treated like a child, her hands awkwardly hovered in midair.
If it were one of the other orphanage kids, she wouldn't be so conflicted.
Sincerity was always her trump card.
And if Luo Mo tried this, it definitely wouldn't have gone over as well.
After all, you can't expect a full-grown headmistress to easily accept being a fan's idolized figure, let alone his.
Luo Mo maintained a serious expression, but internally, he was barely holding in his laughter. Today's prank on the headmistress had succeeded thanks to Seele.
"Pfft, because… because Auntie's dream is probably to never have any embarrassing history, hahaha!"
Kiana couldn't help but burst into laughter, covering her mouth with both hands as her voice grew louder and louder.
-----
Back at the Fortress of the Demon King
Walking through the deep, dark corridors, Teriri looked at the group beside her and spoke with clarity:
"That's why… I want to end this chain of tragedy. Awakening Senior Vollerei is not just my wish anymore—it's my life's most important mission."
The Magical girl who once sacrificed herself to defeat the Demon King would eventually become the next Demon King, plunging the world back into darkness again.
It felt like a predetermined fate.
For idealistic, youthful Magical Girl who had sworn to march bravely forward, it was too cruel a truth.
Magical Girl had become nothing more than a pawn in the hands of the Magical Security Bureau—a sacrificial tool in a world where "sacrificing one girl" bought decades of peace.
To Sirin, who had not yet arrived at the scene, it wasn't that she didn't want to defeat the Demon King and save her comrades—she simply had already lost too much. She'd seen how slim the chances of success were and didn't want to lose someone else important to her just for a faint hope.
They moved cautiously through the pitch-black tunnel, exchanging intel in whispers, occasionally comforting Teriri.
But contrary to their fears, it wasn't as dangerous as they expected. They passed through the final barrier and entered the grand central hall.
What greeted them was unexpected silence. The central hall of the Demon King's fortress was eerily quiet. Moonlight poured in from ancient skylights above, scattering across the broken gemstones on the floor. A staircase made of pure white gems led up to a high platform—on which lay a girl.
A young girl, with long black hair and closed eyes.
She slept peacefully, as if lost in an eternal dream, just like every night in the past.
Her body was nearly transparent, as if she no longer belonged to this world. A mysterious, dangerous aura radiated from her—both beautiful and dreamlike.
They were dream fragments—remnants of the forbidden magic. They were the necessary "sacrifice" to imprison the Demon King.
—Without a doubt, anyone who tried to take her away would pay a heavy price.
So close, yet untouchable.
Teriri reached out instinctively, but her hand froze midair. Slowly, it retreated, curled in frustration. Her lips pressed into a line as sorrow filled her eyes.
Irene, watching, fell into thought. Then, as if realizing something, she smiled faintly.
A few ethereal blue butterflies emerged, floating elegantly before settling on the dream fragments. They hovered gently, then drifted toward the group.
"I think… it's time you all experienced a bit of this truth for yourselves."
The fragments dissolved into white light, filling everyone's vision.
These were Residual Dreams. More specifically, they were fragments of Vollerei's lingering memories—reorganized by Irene into this form.
In these dreams, they glimpsed Vollerei's deepest secret: another self that lived within her.
That other self would sometimes talk to her, curious about the world. She didn't like studying, and the other her would nag her. She didn't like socializing, and the other her would push her to make friends.
Their personalities were different, yet they were both parts of the same soul.
This was a secret, but it didn't help their current situation much.
Under Teriri's pleading, Irene dove deeper into the dream to uncover the truth of the night they fought the Demon King.
That night, Vollerei and Brobeli had made a careful agreement: whoever reached the Demon King first would cast the forbidden spell "Fortune." In the end, it was Vollerei.
But that sacrifice of her soul didn't mean the other her vanished—instead, she willingly took on part of the burden, allowing both of them to survive by falling into a deep slumber.
In her final memory, Vollerei cried out the name of the presence inside her—
Seele.
Then darkness.
The dream ended.
In order to let one survive, the other chose to become the fuel for her.
Delta took a deep breath, still alert and wary of the outside world.
She didn't like this kind of story—it reminded her too much of someone she once knew.
----
In the Golden courtyard.
"Delta is acting strange… Though it's understandable. Her story is kind of similar. Luo Mo always likes to 'stab people' in places like this."
Elysia's face, which was puffed up like a hamster, slowly relaxed as she let out a breath.
"But Seele really does have two different versions with totally separate vibes ♪~"
"Even if those two Seele's situations are just reversed?" Mobius calmly glanced at her and said.
"That's what makes it more interesting ♪~"
"Seele doesn't even mind, so why do you care?"
Elysia smiled, hands on her hips as she shot back in a playful tone.
Without realizing, it showed just how familiar she and Mobius were with each other.
"My, already figured her personality out so fast? Elysia, you're really impressive."
Mobius said angrily—though it was the usual way she contradicted things.
But then again, if Mobius ever stopped being her tsundere self, Elysia might start to wonder whether the other woman still had feelings for her at all.
She still remembered that time when she was the only one who had a Stigmata. Mobius back then was quite adorable.
And when it was Mobius who had the Stigmata, she was even more charming—especially on the bed. Her expressions were just too cute.
"Mmm... Did I accidentally make the Doctor jealous? I guess that was my bad ♪~"
Elysia flicked her ear and spoke with a cheerful, teasing smile.
------
Meanwhile, in the in-game scenario, another sudden change occurred.
Irene once again dove into a dream—but this time it wasn't the familiar dreamscape of Vollerei.
The scenery had shifted into something strange: idols, a head priest, a knightly big sister...
Strangely, all of them had Theresa's face.
Among them, there was a Radiant Knight helping a little friend in a scene, a Head Priestess troubled daily over how many bitter melons to eat, and a glittering idol on stage with everyone's eyes on her.
But this dream was no longer just one person's dream—it was a dream shared by many Theresas from different worlds.
In this dream, there were their worries, their sorrows, their joys.
And also, their dreams and the meaning they placed on life.
-----
[So... so many versions of Theresa. I want to catch one.]
[A head priestess, huh... Theresa, in the world I collected her from, has become an excellent Head Priestess.]
[Wait, this isn't right. Why are there so many Theresas but no Bronya?!]