Starlight Dream

Chapter 33

"You saved me," Seina said, somewhat dumbstruck. How had Paliah gotten into her room in such a timely manner?

"Transform," Paliah said, angling his blade towards a furious Miko who was still clutching at her bleeding stump. "I can't take these two alone."

"Er, right!" Seina could worry about where her rescuer came from later. She entered a pose, trusting her broach forward. "Change Change, Magical Love Dress Up!"

"Damn. How has this gone so badly?!" Miko said, grimacing. "Still, if we're quick, we can finish these two before the others arrive! They're probably fast asleep!"

She was right. Takako was at her apartment across town, and Ume and Himari were sleeping in a nearby inn. They'd said they didn't want to intrude on the Prime Minister's hospitality, wanting their own places to live. While they could arrive quickly, they'd need to know about the danger first.

"Don't worry! We'll handle them together, partner." Paliah said, wearing a cocksure grin.

"Right," Seina said, nodding. For some inexplicable reason, she trusted the knight. In his hands, Seina knew she'd be safe. Back to back, they readied themselves for whatever the enemy magical girls might have planned for them.

"You won't be so cocky when you face my ultimate, unbeatable power!" Miko said, summoning a slick knife into her grip, looking like something from a ninja story in Takako's mangas. "My name is Miko Mochizuki, the Gladiolus Assassin!" Though for an assassin, her dress was rather ostentatious, with its colorful purples, pinks, oranges, reds, and whites ordaining its multi-layers petals.

"Yeah!" Said a fairy Seina didn't recognize, pointing toward the green-haired girl in the robot suit. "And my partner is Chō Eguchi! The Acanthus Deceiver! And you can call me Kelv!" Unlike most magical girls, her dress had spiny leaves with white, purplish flowers sprouting within them.

"Okay." Though, Seina didn't understand why the girl hadn't just introduced herself.

"..." A silence hung in the air as Seina waited for a comment from Chō. It continued awkwardly as the girl continued to refuse to say anything.

"Yeah, that's right!" Kelv said. "You will wish for death once we're finished with you!"

"Sure, but uh," Seina said, stumbling over her words. "Could we take this outside? Mr. Kiyojiro will be furious if my room becomes a disaster zone." And he'd probably force her to clean it, too.

"..."

"Okay," Miko said, relenting. "That's fair. We'll just take this elsewhere!" With a flick of her wrist, Miko flicked her kunai upward.

"Darn it." Seina winced as dust and plaster rained onto her already bloody, dirty sheets. She'd hoped to emerge from this fight with her room unscathed. Setting that thought aside, she summoned her wand to her outstretched hand, and leapt out of the hole in her ceiling as several missiles rocketed in her direction.

With a flick of her wand, each missile exploded. Scorching heat washed over her, Seina wincing as it boiled her skin. A seemingly endless barrage of kunai knives flew toward her, each perfectly aimed at her heart. Metal clashed as a sword intercepted them, sending them clattering harmlessly to the roof. She gave a smile of thanks toward Paliah, amazed by his skill.

"Annoying," Miko said, summoning a kunai in her remaining hand. "It's like you knew where they'd go. No matter, nothing escapes my sight. My perfect ability makes me unstoppable!"

"Okay, sure," Seina said blankly. The other magical girl sure enjoyed the sound of her own voice.

"Ready, Chō?" Miko said, gesturing a knife towards her partner.