[Chapter One]: Quarrel That Transcends Time
We have to curse someone to balance a wish for another's happiness.
Miki Sayaka
∘ ─ ∘
«Walpurgis»
The sky was darkened grey.
Buildings and cars levitated in the air in a strange chaotic mess.
The ground tore up, cracked, and trembled, levitating upwards towards the sky.
Pitch black dyed everything the eye could see as violent, destructive winds bellowed.
In the sky was a figure dyed in pitch black.
Little of the figure could be discerned, except for the medieval-like dress it wore.
However, could such a creature be called a figure?
If it were so, its headless form made it all the more grotesque.
Behind her was an iridescent halo slowly spinning in its orbit.
Worse was, atop that.
Another figure stood.
Pink danced in the air, with their cloak fluttering in the wind.
Their eyes bore down upon the ruined landscape around them.
Yet, their eyes were indifferent to it.
The figure was young.
From their appearance, even at a distance, it was clear they were male.
Yet aside from their pink hair and eyes, nothing else was discernible.
"Grr! How dare you!"
A voice screamed.
It belonged to a young girl.
She was striking, with black hair cascading around her, dressed in what looked like a uniform.
In one hand, she gripped a gun, and in the other, a shield-like equipment.
However, her face was marred by an unmistakable expression of hatred.
"It is you..."
Saying that, the darkened figure outstretched his hands towards the female down below.
As he did, the air trembled, vibrating with that command.
Rumble—
The levitating buildings and cars halted their ascent into the sky with a pause.
With a rumble, they began moving.
Its target was none other than the girl.
Gritting her teeth, she weaved through the buildings towering as high as skyscrapers.
She jumped from one building to another, then to a small car.
However, just as she leaped onto the rooftop of the car.
Boom—
Another massive building came crashing down ruthlessly onto her petite form.
It sent her flying towards another stagnant building, burying her there with a loud crash.
Surprisingly.
With a light tap of her feet against the darkened rubble of half destroyed building,
She reappeared without a scratch.
"Hou.. not backing down, are you?"
"Y-you… stop pretending to be so sympathetic!"
In an uncharacteristic display.
With her tiny, soft voice, she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Her voice rasped more than it should.
Meanwhile, further away, another watched with a look of helplessness.
At the top of a building.
Seemingly distant from the chaos and destruction of the world.
It was as though the building were protected from the chaos.
Standing there, stood a girl.
Her pink hair was neatly tied on either side.
And, her eyes sparkled with hope as she clasped her hands together as if in prayer.
"N… no…"
With a trembling voice, she tightened her grip on her hands.
"Make them stop…"
Yet, just as she uttered those words, as if desperately yearning for a miracle in such a dire situation.
"It's useless."
A voice, cold, monotone, and merciless, spoke those words, startling the pink haired girl.
It was a creature.
One with extreme similarities to a rabbit.
With white fur and crimson-dotted eyes.
Its ears drooped to the side, encircled by two rings with a perpetual smile.
"This was too much for her to handle, but she came here knowing that."
Slowly, it spoke in a flat tone, eventually shifting its gaze toward the sky.
Rather, toward the figure and its chilling, dark presence.
After all, that person is—
[The Destroyer of Worlds]
[Halloween]
[Pied Piper of Hamelin]
One cherished by these grotesque, inhuman abominations known as witches.
"This inevitable conclusion was preordained."
Just as the creature's words hung in the air.
Boom—
An explosion tore through the scene.
The explosion painted the world in shades of orange, red, black, and grey.
It hurled a small figure away with force, like a ragdoll.
Her body arched through the air, landing in the branch of a tree on a piece of land suspended above.
"No, this is too much, this can't be right!"
The pink-haired girl exclaimed, glancing back at the spot where the black-haired girl had crashed.
As the dust began to settle.
Her eyes widened once more.
The girl who should have at least sustained grave injuries appeared unscathed despite all that.
Gradually, the black-haired figure raised her head toward the sky.
Toward the figure.
Her lips moved, seemingly whispering something under her breath.
But the distance between them made it impossible to hear her clearly.
"It was destined."
Pied Piper of Hamelin.
With him here, Walpurgis would fulfil its intended purpose.
Following that would be the end of the world.
After all, he was created solely for that purpose.
But nonetheless..
"You, however, have the power to change fate itself. All this destruction and tragedy, you have the power to erase it."
She trembled.
The girl faltered, taking a step back for a moment.
Her fist clenched tightly against her chest as if holding something precious.
Her teeth were gritted, and her brows knitted together.
In the next instant.
She raised her head.
"Can I really do something to help? Can I really change this ending?"
The creature's expression remained eerily unchanged, as if its face, particularly its lips, were frozen.
Yet its words were like a devil's whisper.
If only she had known better.
But she had no way of knowing.
Instead, she reached a decision as the shaking in her eyes stopped.
With her gaze fixed straight ahead.
"I want to—"
As those words left her lips..
Even before they were completed, the world slowly faded into darkness.
∘ ─ ∘
"Nngh."
That sound left the lips of a male student dressed in a white uniform.
He groggily and lazily cracked an eye open.
Black hair was tied back in a low ponytail, complemented by matching black eyes.
With his head resting on the desk and his arm tucked underneath.
He lifted it and let out an annoyed sigh.
Fuu—
"Again."
Gradually, his eyes roamed the classroom, taking in the strange scene before him.
No matter how he looked at it, he could never get used to it.
Rather, this world.
It was weird, first and foremost, and second of all, it was absolutely shitty.
This world, that is.
As that thought crossed his mind, his gaze drifted across the classroom, until—
It landed on a specific pink-haired girl.
She was dressed in the school's female uniform.
'Tsk… what a drag.'
Internally,
Those words echoed as he heavily slumped his head onto his table with a dull thud.
'Worst possible situation.'
'Haah… you—'
Eventually, as if resigning to the situation entirely, the male abandoned the thought.
This world was strange.
Not in the way that a few things were off, but off in numerous ways.
Technology was advanced.
Holograms were integrated into school materials and even everyday life.
Classes felt as if they were right next to each other, with glass panes and little spaces serving as the only barrier.
For a somewhat advanced world,
It was dull.
Monotonous, even.
But what troubled the young male was more than just the world's dullness.
Idly thinking that,
Wrrr—
The sliding glass door opened as a figure stepped into the room.
A brown haired woman.
She wore a lemon green-like jacket with a cream skirt, complemented by heels.
As she stopped in front of the podium, her heels clicked sharply against the floor.
Seeing that, wry murmurs spread through the room, from the students.
"Haah, looks like they broke up."
"Poor Mrs. Saotome."
While they whispered.
The male rested an elbow on his desk, idly watching her as his thoughts wandered for a moment.
If he remembered correctly…
'Right… she's the one who can't seem to keep a man for long.'
Just as he thought that—
Ahem!
Her powerful voice called the class's attention.
"Now I have something important to discuss with all of you today! I want you all to listen closely."
She stepped forward with a slam against the marble tiled floor.
It almost seemed to tremble under her rage.
"When frying an egg... should it be sunny side up or over hard?"
She slapped a pointer against her hand for emphasis.
Then swung it toward a student in the row at the very back.
"Tendō-kun! What's the answer?"
Of all people to call.
Tendō Sae.
Everyone instantly shifted their attention to the male with a low ponytail as he lazily raised his head.
"Uh... I dunno?"
He tilted his head while responding, scratching the back of his hair, then after a brief pause.
"Can't they be fried either way?"
For a moment, the class fell silent.
"Precisely!"
Her voice rang out in approval, arms crossing as she nodded.
"They can be fried either way! And it goes without saying."
Her voice rose with conviction as an almost visible aura of frustration surrounding her.
"Judging a woman's worth by the way she fries her egg is the gravest mistake."
With dramatic flair, she bent the pointer over her knee, snapping it in two with a loud crack.
"Girls, remember! Never date a man who refuses to eat eggs cooked over hard."
"And boys! Don't grow up to be so petty that you nitpick over how your eggs are cooked, got it?!"
Everyone could feel sweat running down their temples collectively as her rant continued.
Sae sighed in resignation.
What was wrong with the males of this world?
It went without saying.
Who on earth would dump a woman because of the way she fries her egg?
Especially a woman as beautiful as his teacher, but he digressed.
'How stupid.'
Finally, after what felt like a long, deep breath, she managed to calm herself a bit.
Then, as though she finally remembered what she ought to do.
Ahem!
She cleared her throat.
"Well then! Now that that's out of the way, let's welcome our new transfer student!"
Shouldn't that have come first?
That thought resonated with almost everyone in the class, their expressions mixed.
But as they thought that.
Everyone's attention was drawn towards the transparent glass pane as a figure passed by.
They drew attention as they moved before stopping right in front of the sliding glass door.
"Please, come on in, Miss Akemi."
As those words left their teacher's lips.
Wrrr—
The door slid open as the figure walked in.
It was a beautiful girl, hip length black hair, sharp purple eyes, and an emotionless expression.
Her gaze steadied as she slowly scanned the room.
Eventually, her eyes settled on the boy sitting in the back right corner of the class.
Sae.
They exchanged glances filled with mixed emotions for a brief moment.
Eventually, both subtly averted their eyes.
On the other hand, the others simply gazed at her in admiration.
"Wow, she's gorgeous."
"Yeah man, she's totally my type, bro."
On the flip side, while nearly everyone else was captivated by her presence,
A particular pink-haired girl among the students sat in silence, staring directly at her as her pupils dilated.
Something flashed across her mind.
Was it a dream or a memory?
It felt far away, yet she was certain she had just awakened from it.
But, at this moment, however, it was all a confusing blur.
"No way… why am I just—"
But that didn't seem to matter to anyone else.
The new student had already stepped forward, maintaining her ever-unchanging, expressionless demeanor.
Sae in the back couldn't help but let out a sigh once more.
'No matter how many times we go through this, you never change, do you, Homura?'
As if they were communicating telepathically, the girl briefly shifted her gaze toward him.
However,
"Now then, please introduce yourself. Why don't you share a bit about yourself with your classmates?"
Ms. Saotome addressed her with a warm smile.
She elegantly brushed her hand through her hair as the strands flowed before settling back into place.
"My name is Akemi Homura. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Her voice was calm, and deliberately chosen, adding nothing and removing nothing.
It felt a bit bland for an introduction.
But the curt delivery achieved exactly what it intended.
Their teacher, hearing her name, struggled slightly to write it on the board.
A crooked smile on her face.
Noticing this, Homura stepped forward.
Gently taking the marker from her hand, she wrote her name on the board.
Afterward, she returned the marker, then offered a polite bow to the class.
Sae chuckled, tilting his murky dark eyes slightly.