Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

hello!! welcome to this big project: rewriting the entirety of magical girl site from scratch!! while i, as well as a lot of us, enjoyed the magic system, the story itself isn't really the best.

here are the main things i'm changing:

- aya asagiri, as well as the rest of the cast, are 16-18 years old now. no longer are these 13-14 year olds going through this shit.

- all genders can use sticks just fine!! it's no longer limited to girls receiving them.

- nijimi anazawa's stick is no longer a pair of panties!! it can still use mind control and manipulate others, but it's a garter under her dress now. she's also 18 and no longer bleeds from her ass. what was the point of that anyways?

- kiyorin's "friend", mikari izumigamine, no longer exists. she's been replaced with an original character of mine named hikari, who is amab nonbinary and has a prosthetic arm for a stick. no longer does kiyorin have a transphobic best friend!!

- kosame's stick is no longer a box cutter! it's a syringe that can only heal three times every 24 hours except in dire emergencies.

- sticks no longer drain your life force unless it's during its cooldown time!!

- aya is no longer almost raped; instead, shota was recruited to "test his strength" against her in a fighting way!

- aya and tsuyuno are still related, but there's no longer a romantic relationship between them. thank god!

there are definitely some other things i'm missing but!!! yeah!!!!

Chapter Text

Waking up from a nightmare wasn’t the greatest feeling in the world, but I had no choice in the matter as my phone sang, alarm buzzing in my ears. I rolled over and shut off the alarm, sat up in bed, and attempted to rub the remnants of sleep from my eyes. Another school morning was here, and I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.

Then again…………..when did I ever look forward to school?

“Aya~” I could hear my brother’s voice call out from the other side of the door. “You don’t want to be late for school, do you?” His voice was annoyingly positive, which was a far cry from how he acted when our parents weren’t in earshot. He knocked a few times on the door to make sure I heard him. “Come on, get up.” 

“I heard you the first time, Kaname,” I responded, getting out of bed begrudgingly. I wished I could just go back to sleep. “Why do you do this, anyways?” 

“Because our dear mother always asks me to ensure that you don’t miss classes, silly girl.” Kaname hummed in reply, though the false cheeriness in his tone seemed to fade faster with each word. “Now don’t make me tell you again.” 

I waited until I heard his footsteps retreat downstairs before I continued to get ready for school, my heart pounding in fear all the while.

It was like I was preparing for Kaname to yell at me, though unfortunately, it wasn’t uncommon for him to do so. He was always pressured by our parents to be perfect, while I was left alone. He envied my free life, and would sometimes yell or hit me to get his frustrations out. If he wasn’t hitting me, he was throwing his fists at his pillows. I didn’t like when he took his anger out on me.

I finished getting dressed and headed downstairs, the smell of eggs and toast welcoming me into the waking world. Kaname was smiling at me, though I knew by now that the pleasantries were plastered on. He wore that mask so effortlessly. I would never be able to achieve something like that. I sat down at the kitchen table beside him, eating my food as quickly as I could.

“Slow down, Aya,” My mother warned me, “you’re going to choke if you wolf it down like that.” 

“I know,” I replied, only slowing down a little bit. When I finished my food, I rose from my seat, bowing my head at my parents in respect. “Thank you for the food. I’m heading off.”

“Don’t you want to wait for your brother?” My father spoke up. “It’s dangerous, remember?” 

“I’ll be fine.” I flashed him a smile. “I’m sixteen now. Don’t worry.” 

And with that, I was off to school. I just wanted to get away from my brother as quickly as possible.

—

On my way to school, I was delayed by yellow tape and the scent of blood. Someone had jumped on the tracks again and killed themself. There were times where I envied them, but I was too scared of death to actually do it myself. So when I got the chance to move along, I practically sprinted past the scene, too afraid to look back.

I got to school with time to spare. As I passed by them, a group of familiar girls were laughing at me. Sarina Shizukume, Erika Kaijima, and Ai Kawano. A trio of bullies who would endlessly mock me even when I told them to stop. Sarina’s snickering grew louder as I approached my locker, and I tried to ignore any hesitation I had as I opened the door. 

“Not funny,” I muttered, reading the note that was tucked inside. “You’re really mature, guys. Calling me a dumb slut and telling me to jump off the roof of the school was the best you could come up with?” I rolled my eyes, sarcastic venom coating every word I spoke. “Nice try.”

“I thought it was hilarious, Aya-chan. I wonder if your dear brother would agree with me.” Sarina retorted with a laugh. The other girls laughed along with her. “Why don’t you ask him for me?” 

“Fat chance,” I grumbled and headed off to class, ignoring the chattering of the three girls that got quieter with each step I took. 

I tried to shake away the feeling of being watched as I turned the corner, even as it sent a shiver down my spine. But when I turned around, there was no one there. I shrugged and went into the classroom, where I had only minutes to spare before the bell rang.

—

Classes were exhausting, though that was normal for a girl like me. On my way home, I gave attention to Mya, the poor stray cat that sat in a box on the street. I planned to adopt that cat one day, even if it took everything I had. When I made it home, I briefly greeted my family before heading upstairs to my bedroom. I practically collapsed on the bed, ignoring the various dings coming from my phone. They were most likely texts from Kaname, which I didn’t want to deal with right now. Though I was sure I would likely be seeing him face to face sooner rather than later, much to my evident dismay.

Sure enough, I was just about to fall asleep when I heard a familiar knocking at my door. My blood ran cold, pulse picking up. “Oh, sister~ Can I come in? I need to talk to you about something.” Kaname’s voice was as sickeningly sweet as ever. 

I sighed and got up, mentally preparing myself for the worst as I walked over and opened the door. I was very much the rabbit welcoming the wolf into its home, but it was easier to get it over with, much like ripping off a bandaid quickly instead of slowly. “Please be gentle…” I murmured, though I knew that he wouldn’t listen to me even if he did hear what I said.

Kaname shoved me into the room, shutting and locking the door behind him. “ What did you say, you utter bitch?! D’you seriously think you deserve mercy? Ha! Don’t make me laugh.”

I cried out in pain as he smacked me across the face, holding my cheek that was very quickly forming a bruise. Even as tears stung at my eyes, there was no let up.

“Thanks to you, Mom and Dad won’t get off my back! Why is it that you aren’t pressured into being perfect, huh?! It’s not fair, and you fucking know it!” Kaname kicked me in the stomach, and he was lucky I didn’t puke all over him. “Maybe it’s because they’ve given up on you. You’re such a stupid girl, you can’t even handle a single punch without caving.” 

His cruel words fractured my heart, but I said nothing. I didn’t even react to the next punch he threw at me, not even when it knocked me off of my feet and onto the floor. My head hurt from when I ended up slamming it into the desk on my way down, but I was practically numb to the pain. It frightened me just how much I was able to handle without reacting. All I could do was lay there, feeling sick to my stomach as Kaname scoffed at me, slamming the door behind him as he left. When he was gone, I finally allowed myself to cry, clutching my now-pounding head.

“Why can’t he just leave me alone for one day….” I muttered to myself through my tears, curling up into a ball on the floor. I barely had the strength to move, let alone climb onto the bed.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest as a voice rang out from my computer.

“How misfortunate.”

I sat up, rubbing the tears from my eyes as I looked up at the computer screen. “Wait. I didn’t turn that on.” What I saw was horrifying — some sort of avatar was staring at me, except it was…rather disturbing. The way it was drawn, the way it stared into my soul… I was deeply unsettled by it. The way it spoke certainly didn’t help things, either.

“You poor, unfortunate soul… Allow me to bless you with a Magical Stick and end your suffering.”

“What are you talking about?” I was confused (and utterly pissed off) by what this strange avatar was saying. Its words echoed in my very soul and wouldn’t let me go.

“You have been chosen by the Magical Girl Site to receive your very own Stick.”

This made no sense to me. “I don’t know who you are, but leave me alone. You’re talking nonsense.”

The avatar let out a rather ominous laugh before the computer shut itself off. I shook my head, focusing on making my way onto my bed. Exhaustion claimed me soon after, and I passed out the second my head hit the pillow.

—

When I opened my locker at school the next day, I was caught off guard by what I found. I didn’t hear the girls snickering nearby, so it wasn’t their fault. There was a strange gun sitting there along with a note. The gun was pink, and it had a heart-shaped barrel. It looked like some child’s toy was left in my locker. The note read as follows:

Welcome to the world of Magical Girls, Aya Asagiri. To use your Magical Stick, just aim it at who you wish, and pull the trigger as you would a normal gun.  — Site Admin Nana

I had thought last night’s encounter was some sort of nightmare, but it seemed that it had been a real conversation. I decided I would pull up that Magical Girl Site later and figure out what was up with that whole thing. But for now, I tucked the gun as well as the note back into my locker and shut the door before anyone else would see it.

Before I could make it to class, however, Sarina and her lackeys stopped me. Behind them was a taller boy, probably in his third year, and I practically froze in my tracks.

“Well, well, Aya-chan~” Sarina hummed, gesturing towards the boy. “Shota here wanted to test your strength in a fight, so I told him you would do it. I hope you don’t mind.”

Was she nuts??! I would snap in half if he got ahold of me! She must have known it too, as she was grinning in my direction. I was fearing for my life, and as the four of them stepped closer, I fled. For a while, I wasn’t sure where I was going. I could hear them chasing after me and I couldn’t stop running. But then I remembered the gun in my locker. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was my only option at the moment, and it was worth a shot, right?

Making it to my locker was easy enough. It was keeping a steady hand on the gun that was the issue. I ignored Shota’s laughter and other taunts that were thrown at me, and when Erika and Shota got close enough, I pointed the gun and fired it. I stood there in shock as the two approaching students disappeared in a literal puff of pink smoke. I was confused  —  where had they gone? Did I kill them?

Seconds later, there were cries of shock and dismay from outside of the school. 

“Oh my god! A train just hit two students!”

“They’re dead! How is that possible?!”

“Erika! Shota!” Sarina cried out, sobbing. “How…. How…. ” She turned towards me, furious. 

“I-I didn’t—” I tried to explain, but she cut me off.

“ You were the only one close to them! You fired that… that gun! It was your doing, Aya-chan!” Sarina pulled a box cutter from one of her shoes and slammed me against the row of lockers. “And you’re going to pay for this.”

“Isn’t that a bit too harsh?” Ai pointed out, but Sarina glared at her.

“This bitch fucking killed my best friend! I’m showing her mercy by cutting her.”

I had no room to wriggle free as Sarina placed the blade against my face. I had no way of stopping her, so I had pretty much accepted my fate. Sarina wouldn’t listen to anyone’s protests to stop, she had a one-track-mind and was seeing red. 

Then, just like that, everything stopped. It was like everyone besides me had been frozen in time, but that was impossible, right? Either way, I utilized that moment to break free of Sarina’s hold, and a mysterious blonde student approached the two of us. She had strange symbols in her eyes and on her hand, and she held up her phone. It seemed that this girl was the cause of everything stopping in its tracks, and I was going to thank her, but she walked right past me and stood in front of Sarina. I watched in horror as she repositioned the bully’s arm to place the blade of the box cutter against her own throat instead.

“There. She’ll have a taste of her own medicine.” The blonde said coldly. 

“Wait. How are you doing this?” I was confused.

She pointed at the gun in my hand. “With a Magical Stick. It seems I’m just like you.” She gestured to her phone as she began to explain herself. “With this, I can stop time. And I can input people’s names that I want to stay moving.” She held out her hand. “Tsuyuno Yatsumura. Call me Tsuyuno-san.”

I gently shook Tsuyuno’s hand. “Aya Asagiri.” I introduced myself, smiling warmly as I bowed my head in respect.

“No need for that. Come on. We need to get out of here before I release her.” Tsuyuno pulled me out of the hallway and into the bathroom before pressing a button on her phone. Time resumed as normal, and she seemed to show a glint of annoyance as a high-pitched scream sounded from the hallway.

 “God. Bitches like that deserve to get run over.”

“Hey!” I protested. “They aren’t that bad!” I was probably giving them the benefit of the doubt, but today was the first instance of any of the bullies attempting to initiate physical violence on me. “Sarina was right. I should be punished for killing them.”

“No. It’s not your fault.” Tsuyuno took the gun from my hand. “This thing didn’t kill them directly. It simply teleported them in front of the tracks.”

I shook my head. “So that means I killed them. I fired the gun, didn’t I?” Turning away from her, I let out a sigh. “Am I gonna get arrested for this?”

“No one’s gonna know it’s you. The way I see it, they deserved to die.” Tsuyuno responded, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Besides. What I did to Sarina was just a warning. If she tries to hurt you again, there will be more than a little blood.”

I was amazed yet disturbed by how sadistic Tsuyuno could be. I wanted to protest further, but I found myself at a loss for words. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Sarina was going to be hell-bent on killing me now. But Tsuyuno was here to make sure that didn’t happen. Did that mean that I had a friend now? I couldn’t be certain.

“Let’s leave. There is important information you need to know about all of this.”

“But wait! If we leave school now, won’t it be suspicious?”

“It’ll be fine. Come on.”

Chapter Text

Aya showed me to her house and I could tell she didn’t want to go inside. Her palms were cold and clammy as I grabbed them, giving them a reassuring squeeze. It was going to be alright. I allowed her to take all the time she needed before opening the front door, following close behind her as we went inside.

“Aya?” Aya’s mother poked her head out of the kitchen. “What are you doing home so soon?” She then turned her attention to me. “Oh! Are you a friend of Aya’s?”

“Mom… It’s fine. Tsuyuno-san was helping me home.” Aya placed an arm over her stomach, feigning sickness. “We’re going upstairs now, okay?”

“Alright,” Her mom said, sighing. “Get some rest, sweetie.” 

As we headed upstairs, I noticed that Aya was visibly trembling. I closed the door behind us as we entered her bedroom and then moved to sit on the bed next to her. I grabbed her hand again as her breathing shallowed, giving her something tangible to focus on as her anxiety took hold of her. I knew that this was a lot for Aya to take in, but I was worried about her. If this was already getting to her, then how was she going to react to everything else she needed to know?

As the remnants of her panic attack finally released her, I took Aya’s Stick out of my bag and plugged it into her computer. “This is the only way the Magical Girl Site will open,” I explained.

Sure enough, the site loaded perfectly. I felt Aya’s presence behind me as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

“So it wasn’t a dream…” Aya murmured.

“Unfortunately no,” I sighed. “I wish it was.”

Maybe then we wouldn’t have had to deal with it. We could all go back to our miserable lives without the looming end of the world held over our heads.

The site finished loading. I tried to shake the feeling of being watched. 

That wasn’t the first time I’d felt that way, either.

“Wh-What… What’s that? ”

Aya’s stuttered confusion didn’t surprise me in the least. I gently squeezed her hand and tried my best to be brave for the both of us.

I took a deep breath. “The end of the world as we know it.”

Aya’s trembling only grew in intensity at that. I wished I knew how to calm her nerves. Hell, something this frightening would scare anyone , but Aya? Aya was a fawn who constantly got caught in the headlights of a speeding vehicle.

The screen was displaying a countdown to something known as Tempest.  

Most people may be more familiar with the concept of the world’s end. But for us magical girls, those terms were one and the same. 

It was up to us to stop it. 

But how?

“How… how are we supposed to stop it?” It was like Aya was reading my mind. “It’s so… creepy.”

“I don’t know.” I swallowed. “But we have to.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because we don’t have a choice, Aya!” I yelled, albeit, a little too loudly. 

Something wet hit the back of my hand and I felt my heart sink into my stomach. I reached out to hold Aya, but she pushed away from me, almost as if on instinct. The guilt hit me like a ton of bricks. Had I pushed her too far?

“I… I don’t know much more than you,” I explained, using a much softer tone this time. It pained me to hear how heavy her breaths were getting. “But I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”

I waited patiently for Aya to calm down before continuing. When I turned around to check on her, she was sitting on the edge of her bed, hugging her knees. She was still shaking, but most of her panic had subsided. It stung when, as I stood to approach her, she still flinched.

“Hey…” I carefully approached her, doing my best to smile. “I’m sorry for yelling, genuinely.”

Aya smiled in turn, but otherwise didn’t move. I sat on the bed beside her, trying not to touch her without warning. She lowered her gaze, biting her lip. I wondered what was really going on here.

My question was answered when a sharp knock at the door nearly made Aya jump out of her skin again. I stood from the bed to answer it, but she grabbed my hand, shaking her head at me. I nodded in understanding, watching as she opened the door.

“You seem to be feeling better, hmm, sister? ” 

Aya’s brother, I guessed by his dialogue, was standing at the door, holding a tray of drinks and food. 

“Our dear mother told us you had a guest over, so I figured I would be a good host and bring some refreshments to the both of you.”

Aya was acting more reserved than usual in his presence. The tension that polluted the room was thicker than fog. There was an underlying aura of malice that was wafting from her brother. I swallowed the urge to punch him as he flashed the two of us a sickeningly-sweet smile. 

I watched as Aya shakily took the tray from him, offering him a meek “Thank you,” as he turned to leave.

The second the door shut, I rushed to catch Aya, as well as the tray, as she collapsed to the floor, her trembling knees unable to keep her standing upright. Her soft whimpers of fright only made me angrier; not at her, but at her brother. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to see him dead.

But unfortunately, now wasn’t the time for that.

“Tsuyuno-san, I…”

“ Hey. You’re okay. Has… he always been like that?”

Aya’s solemn nod only made my blood boil further. I swallowed the anger that threatened to burst and helped her back to her feet.

Soon enough, we were sitting on the bed again, with the tray of cookies and lemonade situated beside me. I handed Aya her glass, and we each took a sip.

“Aya..,” I began hesitantly, “there’s… something else you should know about these Sticks.”

Aya blinked and turned her head. “What is it?”

I breathed. “If we use them too much, there’s a chance it might come at… a cost.”

“A cost?”

“There’s a cooldown factor to them. We don’t have an endless supply of mana, after all. And… if we use too much of it… it may start draining our lifespan instead.”

It was silent. I assumed it was because Aya was struggling to process the harsh reality.

“...I see,” Aya said. “Then… isn’t it too dangerous to use them at all?”

Her confidence was coming back. That was good.

I shrugged. “I don’t have that answer for you.”

Aya nodded. “Well, then… We’ll just have to play it safe for now.”

She was right. If we risked too much, it could cost us our lives. It was too dangerous to gamble with powers that we barely understood.

I took another sip of my lemonade, the sound of the liquid bubbling through the straw an odd comfort in these trying times.

And then, just like that, everything changed.

I looked out the window just in time to see a looming figure merely seconds away from it. The sharp sounds of shattering glass echoed in my ears as I sprung into action, grabbing Aya and ducking out of the way. A large shard flew right over our heads, inches away from drawing blood.

Heavy, shaking breaths fell from Aya’s lips. My heart was working overtime.

The figure clearly had their sights on Aya. I was determined to not let that happen.

I tackled the figure, pinning them to the ground in an instant. I tugged the ski mask off of them, revealing a girl around our age, her rosy, dip-dyed locks a tousled mess beneath her. The wicked grin plastered across her flesh made my blood boil. 

My eyes were drawn to what she was grasping so tightly in her hand.

“Heh, ain’t my Stick so pretty? Wanna see it in action?”

Before I realized what she meant by that, I screamed. An electric current ravaged my body, sending white-hot convulsions through me. I curled up into a ball as I writhed in pain. I barely felt when the girl pushed me off of her, but I knew in an instant that she was going after Aya again. 

I couldn’t think. 

I couldn’t speak. 

I couldn’t do a thing to help her. 

Was this how it all ended?

Though my ears were slightly muffled, I still heard Aya’s shout loud and clear:

“Don’t you dare hurt my friend!”

I didn’t exactly see what happened, but when the pain had dulled into a slight tingling numbness, I saw the girl unconscious on the ground. Aya was struggling to catch her breath, sweat rolling down her cheeks and neck as she held what looked to be a heavy textbook in her hands. 

Soon enough, she unceremoniously collapsed next to me on the floor, the both of us trying to fully process what the fuck had just happened. Who was this girl, anyways?

For a long time, the two of us sat in silence on the floor, the tension looming over us. 

I glanced over at the unconscious girl, and realized that what she had used to electrocute me was a Stick. It was a pen that seemed to allow its user to inflict a literal shock to the user’s intended target. 

It hurt like a bitch , that’s for sure. 

Carefully, I extracted the pen from beside her, picking it up and rolling it under the bed. That was the best way I could keep her from using it again, at least for the time being. I didn’t want her getting any funny ideas when she inevitably came to.

Eventually, the girl stirred, and I kept my eyes glued to the spot. She groaned and clutched her head, likely still reeling from the blunt force trauma due to Aya’s quick thinking. I gathered enough strength to crawl towards her, intending on pinning her down and forcing her to talk. But Aya beat me to it, expression boiling with an anger I had never seen coming from her.

“Speak. Now. Who are you, and why were you after me?” Aya’s demand was callous. She pinned the girl’s arms down so she couldn’t move, nearly straddling her to ensure she stayed still.

The girl laughed, though it lacked the bite she had earlier. “Do you really think I’d tell you that? You must be joking.”

Her haughtiness was short-lived, however, as Aya’s knee came down hard on her stomach.

“I’m not,” she growled. “I won’t ask you again. Who the fuck are you?!”

The girl buckled in pain. “R-Rina…! Shioi… Rina. You… could also call me… The Magical Girl Hunter.”

The Magical Girl Hunter. I’d heard rumors regarding her. But I never imagined that someone like her would fall so hard to a girl whom I’d only known as a coward up until now.

“The Magical Girl Hunter?” Aya asked. She glanced at me over her shoulder, presumably seeking some sort of explanation.

I felt bad for not bringing it up beforehand, but it also wasn’t like I had a chance to. I wish I’d had the ability to warn her about the rumors beforehand, but that hadn’t been the case, unfortunately.

“Really?!” Rina laughed. “You haven’t heard about me? Are you sure you’re even a Magical Girl?” She winced in pain as she tried to breathe in deep. “I’m not just murdering them for the fun of it, you know. Although it is cathartic, hearing their screams…”

Aya’s head whirled around. “Then why?! Why are you killing them?!”

Rina’s smile faltered. For a moment, I could have sworn she was wearing a serious expression. 

“Because it’s necessary in order to survive the Tempest.”