"Wow! This is incredible!" Makina exclaimed and ran right for the giant window pane, which stretched from the ground to the ceiling and sporting a picture-perfect view of the ivory beaches. "This place must have cost a fortune."

Kanae entered the beach house ahead of them and tossed her duffel bag onto the couch. She stood by the stairs to get a full view of the beach herself.

While Makina was preoccupied touring the villa with Rocky in her arms, Kanae threw Kari a patronizing grin.

"Relax! We're on vacation. It'll be a short one, so you gotta make the most out of it." She took a shot at Kari still being in her magical girl form in particular.

"Just a little tense. Gotta be prepared in case something attacks, you know?" Kari fired back.

Makina suddenly tackled her from behind with a hug, nearly crashing them into a large potted plant.

"Bet you didn't see that! Lighten up. Flare herself invited us to her beach house!"

"Okay, fine." Kari rolled her eyes and sighed, then transformed out of her suit while keeping her gaze firmly on Kanae, who couldn't put on a better act of the kind host.

"Oh, and thank you so much for inviting us, Flare. But are you sure this is okay? With all the fighting going around, I mean," Makina added.

"No sweat!" Kanae fetched a couple of popsicles from the fridge and tossed one to each of them. "Jade and Candy were kind enough to hold down the fort while we're gone. Us coming here is my way of… welcoming Kari into the magical girl club. Also, while we're here, just call me Kanae. We're all friends, right?"

Yeah, right, Kari thought. She walked over to the window for a view of the beach and didn't think it was anything special.

This beach house, however, was exceptionally extravagant. The living room had an electric fireplace underneath a 70-inch flatscreen television. Right around the corner was a kitchen furnished with a miniature bar and cafe-tier espresso machines. An outdoor patio and pool awaited them in the backyard past the sliding glass doors.

Kari never would have imagined setting foot in a place like this in her lifetime. She had long cast aside the desire for a wealthy lifestyle. It wouldn't have been possible for someone with paltry grades and disinterest in career aspirations to reach that point.

A glimmer of hope for living in the lap of luxury had appeared upon becoming a magical girl, but given the current circumstances that wasn't going to happen.

Something whirring bumped into Kari's foot. Both she and Makina glanced down to see a roomba change directions.

Makina was particularly taken by it and knelt down to watch it sweep the floor. "You have a roomba, too? It's so cute, like a tiny pet! I've always told my mom to get one so we didn't always have to vacuum. Does it have a name?"

"Nope. Why don't you give it one? That's what we'll call it from now on." Kanae humored her.

"What would I name it…" she wondered aloud, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"How about this— If you became a magical girl, what would you want to name your anthem?"

Kari glared at Kanae for even entertaining the thought.

"Pochi," Makina said, a name which sent a chill up Kari's spine. "I think it's an adorable name!"

They were interrupted by an older man with graying hair, descending from the second floor. He bowed to each of them. To Flare, he bowed much lower.

"Lady Hashimoto and her guests. It is a pleasure to have you here," the man said.

"Is this your dad?" Makina asked.

"This is Goto, my steward for this beach house. Been so for three years now. Great guy and gets things done when I ask. Speaking of which." Kanae threw him another look.

"As you have asked, I have prepared the rooms and meals. Your itinerary is on the nightstand," Goto answered hastily.

"Good. Well, we're wasting daylight here. Hope you guys packed your swimsuits, because it's time to hit the beach," the lady of the house declared to Makina's delight.

"Beach? Maybe you need reminding that you kinda kidnapped me off the streets. I didn't have time to pack a single thing!" Kari folded her arms in defiance.

Kanae walked up to Kari as if to size her up.

"I have just the thing." An impish smirk flashed across the elder magical girl's face.

Worn down by Makina's insistence, Kari eventually relented in wearing a black string bikini that Kanae had given her out to the beach.

"You can chalk this up as another reason I want to kill you…" Kari grinded her teeth so hard they could crush stone.

"I'll be damned. You were packing a lot more under that boring style than I thought." Kanae whistled sharply as she cruised past her.

"Oh, my god. Kari, you look so hot! The school swimsuit doesn't give you enough credit," Makina gushed, unbeknownst to her that the threat to Kanae was no friendly banter.

Her friend hung close, leaning in front of Kari's sightline as if waiting for something. No matter where she turned, Makina was right there with a bright smile. At least until it turned into a pout.

"Don't you have something to say about my swimsuit?" Makina put both hands on her hips.

What could Kari say? Makina was dressed in a white two piece swimsuit. Though it didn't show as much skin, the style was both mature and bold. She found it difficult to look at her for too long. The kiss they shared was still fresh in her mind and made her heart race faster than anything she fought.

"You look so cute, it's almost unfair," Kari answered finally.

The compliment painted Makina's face a shade of red.

"You know… we'll probably be sleeping in the same room tonight," she reminded Kari, then skipped off to join Rocky in the water and left her with a lump in her throat.

"Aren't you two the cutest thing?"

Lying on a beach towel and underneath the shade of an umbrella, Kanae gazed out to the open sea where Makina and their anthems played. A group of people passing by who recognized them as magical girls waved, and the celebrity returned the gesture in her popstar persona with a high-energy voice and exaggerated waving.

"Don't you ever get tired of acting like you're not fucked up in the head?" Kari asked.

Kanae laughed so hard she had a hard time catching her breath. "I've been acting all my life to get to where I am. People like you and me have to put on a face. Otherwise, how else will we earn their love and affection?"

"It's all fake between you and your 'adoring' fans." She scoffed. "I'm not putting an act in front of Makina if that's what you're implying."

"Maybe you're right. You'll twist and turn anything just to keep her safe. That's what makes you so fun. If I apply a little pressure to her, how much will you bend?" Kanae asked.

Kari clenched her fists and felt a fury build up within her chest.

"You so much as sneeze in her direction, and I'll—"

"Mommy, look! A shark!"

"There's something in the water!"

The two of them turned to multiple fast-approaching fins jutting out of the seas. They moved so quickly and with such force that it carved large wakes through the water. Surfers riding the waves to escape the creatures were pulled under. Hundreds of people in the waters started panicking and made a break for the shore.

"Makina, get out of the water!" Kari screamed, but her voice was lost in the cacophonous chaos.

Instead of heading for shore, Makina swam towards a little girl in a floatie. Rocky and Blaze were desperately trying to push the two out of the water.

"Start treating these as opportunities to make yourself look better. Who cares about the rest, right? Go get your girl." Kanae patted Kari on the shoulder.

Kari cursed under her breath and transformed. Dozens of people reached out to her, but she ignored every one of them. Saving Makina was the only thing on her mind. She and the little girl were barely held above the water's surface by the two anthems.

"Thank goodness you made it!" A soaked Rocky breathed a sigh of relief

"Take her!" Makina tried to raise the girl into Kari's arms.

"I can get you both, just—" As Kari lifted them, a large group of people also reached out. They grabbed onto Makina and the little girl's legs which weighed them all down. Her own hands were already slippery from the water. People pushed and shoved to get to what they saw was their only safety.

"Help me out!"

"Don't leave us here!"

"Kari… I'm slipping…" Makina whimpered.

Kari thought to power up but feared crushing Makina's hands.

One of the finned monsters beelined right to them. It breached the surface with jaws opened. Kari let go of the entire group just as she was caught. Trapped in its sharpened teeth, Makina's frantic cry was the last thing Kari heard before she and the monster sank deep into the water.

[200/200] ⇒ [183/200]

Shit!

"Sta— gluup!"

The moment Kari opened her mouth to utter a skill, sea water filled and burned her throat. She was running out of air, and the damn thing was dragging her deeper. Trying to punch the monster did nothing. Her blows had also been softened by being underwater.

Kari summoned [Destruction and Ruin] into her hand and carved away at its soul until it stopped moving, then ripped it in half with her bare hands.

[+35,000 Apocalypse Points.]

Freed from its jaws, she glanced up to see many legs treading the waters and another monster swimming for them.

It would be too late trying to swim. She instead used the dead monster to kick off from, surging back to the surface in time to intercept and send it into the air.

"You're coming with me! Apocalypse Power-Up!" Kari lifted the monster by its tail and chucked it into the sky. As it fell, she swapped to [Destruction] to smash its face in.

[+35,000 Apocalypse Points.]

Before the other people have time to gather again, Kari swooped in to pick up Makina and the girl in her arms back to shore.

"What about the others?" Makina cried.

"Later! You're more important to me than they are!" As Kari went to shore, Flare flew past her in the opposite direction.

"Thanks for the assist, Kari. I'll take it from here!" Flare offered a patronizing salute on her way out to sea. "Snaking Flames!"

Tendrils of fire fished up the five remaining monsters from the water and slow-cooked them to death. She let their charred remains fall back into the ocean with a smoking sizzle. Saved from danger, those on the beach and still in the water applauded at their savior.

When Kari reached shore, two parents who were the only ones not clapping, came running and apologized for taking their eyes off their kid.

"Thank you, magical girl Kari!" the girl said.

"No problem, squirt." Kari put a hand on the kid's head and smiled.

Being a hero sometimes wasn't so bad.

As the family departed and others were preoccupied with showering Flare with adoration, Makina tugged on Kari's arm.

"Can we go back to the house? I don't feel safe out here anymore…" she said.

Kari pursed her lips. "Yeah. Come on, I'll fly you back."

Flare had disappeared the rest of the day. Whether she had gone to a photoshoot or was caught up in signing autographs, Kari didn't care to find out. Her steward, Goto, was kind enough to fix them some lunch and dinner.

So much for a nice vacation. Wherever they went as a magical girl, monsters showed up with them. Nothing would ever be 'nice' as long as they remained this way.

Later at night, Kari entered the bedroom to find Makina at the balcony, leaning against the railing and speaking with Rocky. He glanced over his shoulder to see her enter, whispered something into Makina's ears, then flew over.

"She's still spooked from today," Rocky said.

"From almost dying?"

"From thinking that you almost died. I'll give you two some privacy. Good luck, partner!" He shut the door on the way out.

Kari took a deep breath and joined Makina. Her eyes were fixed on the many stars against the cloudless blanket of night. Leave it to Okinawa to have the best sights.

"A little rabbit said you were worried about me," she began. "You know I'm a magical girl, right?"

"It's just… When I saw you laying on the ground in Tamachi Station, and today when you were dragged out of sight from me… I get so worried. Sometimes, I dream about being a magical girl and protecting you instead," Makina explained.

"With a roomba anthem named Pochi, right?"

Her joke was returned with a flurry of light punches.

"This isn't funny! I was really scared. I know after today, you're going to be gone again and there's no way for me to know if you'll be safe." The punches came to a stop. Makina hugged Kari from behind and buried a tearful face into her long hair. Both arms which held her were trembling.

"Sorry for worrying you. All I can say is that I'll be fine. Look at me. I've lasted this long, right? So instead of crying back there, why don't you tell me what I gotta do to prove there's nothing to worry about?" Kari asked.

Makina let go and said, "Turn around."

She did and was struck in the forehead with the force of a hammer. Somehow, Makina's forehead flicks always caught her and Minato off-guard to hurt like hell.

"And if you were ever a magical girl, I think I know what your signature move would—" Before Kari got in another word, Makina silenced her with a kiss.

As soon as their lips parted, Kari knew herself well enough that she wouldn't be able to hold back any longer. Makina's inviting gaze chipped away her will to resist and that kiss hammered the final nail in the coffin.

"We might not get another chance like this again." Makina returned to the room and climbed onto bed, all the while undoing the button on her pajamas.

Kari climbed on top of her. She stroked Makina's inner thigh, but stopped when her friend flinched and curled up. One hand clutched the collar of her shirt and the other gripped her pants defensively.

"Sorry!" Kari hastily apologized.

Makina shook her head. "It's… not your fault… I know you're not them, but…"

The pain was still there, deeply embedded in her heart. Kari could see that, and it hurt her more than anything that Makina continued to suffer.

"We don't have to do this," Kari whispered and laid flat on her back next to Makina. "Just being with you is good enough for me."

Although slightly disappointed, Kari shut her eyes in an attempt to fall asleep when a familiar sensation pressed against her lips again. Her eyes snapped open to Makina on top now and dressed in nothing more than her panty.

"But I want to do it with you. I don't want… them to be on my mind anymore. Lately, you're all I've been thinking of and… it gets frustrating. When you leave tomorrow, no more regrets," Makina said.

Kari clasped both hands on Makina's rosey cheeks, wiped away tears from the corner of her eyes, and pulled her in for another kiss.

Long after Makina had fallen asleep, Kari decided she had her fill of watching the adorable sleeping face. She brushed the dark brown hair from her sweat-caked forehead and smiled.

Aside from an obvious nuisance, today was possibly the happiest moment in her life. Their first kiss couldn't even compare. Seeing Makina writhe and make faces like that was the torch to the kindling underneath her heart.

No way in hell was she going to thank Kanae for this though.

Kari carefully hopped out of bed, drew the sheet over Makina's shoulders, and walked over to the window. She pulled the curtain to one side, saw the full moon peering back at her, and sighed.

Tomorrow. Of course, the next day had to come. If only she could stay in this room with Makina forever.

She threw on a blue yukata hanging inside the closet and went downstairs to fetch herself a glass of water. Goto was in the kitchen, obsessively wiping down the island counters.

"Miss Kari?" He lifted his head to her entrance. "It is incredibly late. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Back at you. It's past midnight. Shouldn't you be in bed?" Kari pointed at the clock.

Although Goto was the house servant, there could only be so much to do at this time of the night. Whether he had just gotten done or started, the counters seemed just as spotless as when she first arrived. Was he polishing them until he saw his own reflection?

"No, I-I have several more tasks to complete before bedtime. Allow me to pour you some water." It wasn't until Goto walked up to the sink, where a nearby night light lit up, did Kari see his weary eyes. Once it was filled he turned to hand her the drink, but in his drowsiness, let slip the glass which shattered on the floor.

The two of them stared blankly at the mess for only a split second until Goto realized what had happened. Color drained from his face. He scrambled for the broom closet.

"I'm sorry… I'm terribly sorry…" Goto repeated in a frantic apology. "Please, don't tell Lady Hashimoto—"

"About what?"

They straightened their backs to the front door creaking open. Flare entered the house with paper bags from designer brands filled with clothing, her eyes were trained on the terrified Goto and the mess below him. The poor man seemed to have lost his speech in trying to find the right words.

This wasn't the attitude of someone who served with joy.

Kari stepped away from the mess and said, "My bad. I accidentally dropped a cup trying to get some water."

"Weird. Then why would Goto apologize on your behalf?" Flare tapped Goto on the shoulder and set him alight. The flames consumed him in an instant. The small pile of ashes left in his place was quickly clumping together from the spilt water. He didn't even have a chance to scream.

Kari blinked in disbelief, fighting back the urge to transform out of fear. "You… killed him over a broken cup?"

"Forget about that for a sec. Listen, Kari. I'm justified to kill you after you killed me, and after you lied to me about killing that girl. We got off to a rough start, but it doesn't have to be that way." Her fraternizing demeanor didn't match the words coming out of her mouth.

"I knew bringing me out here wasn't just for shits and giggles. If you want something from me after all, then spit it out already." She growled.

"Oh, my bad! Maybe I should start getting to the point with you. Well since you so kindly asked, I need you to kill Hurricane, Chu Hua, and any other magical girl they bring over to Japan. Under the cover of the apocalypse, no one will know what happened." Nothing Flare said had any hint of joking. She was dead serious. But it wasn't unexpected.

Kari had suspected that, having seen [Destruction and Ruin] kill Aiko and Yuria so easily, Flare would treat it as her greatest asset in offing the thorns in her side.

The psycho magical girl grabbed a glass cup from the cabinet and filled it in the sink, then handed it over to Kari.

"And if I wanna team up with them to kill you instead?" Kari sneered.

The tension between them grew thick yet again. Flare revelled in this discussion. The threat to her life was met with something like an orgasmic shuddering.

"Then you might succeed. Then they might kill you later out of revenge for killing Yuria. But what happens to Makina if the apocalypse is allowed to destroy Japan? You don't want to lose her after spending such a pleasant day with her, do you?" she asked like a worried friend would.

Kari was sick to her stomach and lost interest in humoring Flare any further the moment Makina was brought up.

As they stood face to face in what was supposed to be an unlit kitchen, a pair of eyes that burned more intensely than the sun illuminated the space around them. It was a gaze that offered no choice. One, if refused, would see this beach house go up in flames with Kari and Makina in it, just like what happened with Sachi's home.

"I kill Hurricane and Chu Hua, and you leave Makina and Sachi out of this?"

"Cross my heart and hope to burn." When Kanae stuck a hand out, Kari noticed that her ring had also almost embedded itself completely into her finger.

The two shook hands.

How ironic that this seemed so much like the last time they shook on it. Only this time, Flare wasn't sweating from hiding something and Kari knew for sure what it was she wanted out of this.

"We have a whole lot to do ahead of us. Better get some shut eye, partner." The fiery magical girl transformed back to her normal self and winked.

As she left, the roomba took her place to vacuum and sweep away traces of Goto.

Kari hadn't realized how much time had passed until someone descended the stairs.

"Kari?" Makina quietly called from upstairs. "I just saw Kanae walk past. What happened?"

As Makina reached the bottom of the steps, Kari moved to block her view of the ashen mess.

"Nothing. I accidentally dropped a glass. Kanae told me to just leave it to Goto, but I figured I'd clean it myself," she said, hoping Makina wouldn't look past her.

Makina giggled.

"What's so funny?" Kari asked.

"You? Clean? You used to not even pick up after yourself. I guess you really have changed, huh?"

They exchanged a light kiss before Makina went back upstairs, leaving Kari ridden with guilt.