Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

"So you do know there's not enough time." Another version of yourself walked beside me.

"There's no way around it, we have to agree whether it's enough or not."

"With a few helpers, we should be able to manage in about a month."

"No, I won't ask for help."

"Are you planning to handle this all by yourself?"

"All I need to do is sign another contract with Kyubey," Xiangzi said. "I can become a magical girl again."

"..." Toyokawa Shoko fell silent, which was uncharacteristic of her.

"Even if it means becoming a magical girl again, you're willing to do it? You're quite determined, which makes me look at you in a slightly different light."

"I can't believe you're praising me," Xiangzi said.

"What? I didn't say anything." Toyokawa Shoko looked at her, puzzled.

"Who was that who just spoke...?"

Xiangzi felt a cool sensation against the back of his neck.

"It's me."

After the sun set behind the tall buildings, the passersby had all disappeared, and the street became deathly silent.

In the dim twilight, Xiangzi could make out the face of the person who had come.

"Any last words, Toyokawa Shoko, or should I call you...?"

"Witch Nirvana?"

The Tale of Nirvana: Staying True to One's True Self: Chapter 29 Better to Kill the Wrong Person Than Let the Wrong Person Go Free

The blade hovered over the back of Xiangzi's neck; if she made a single move, Xiangzi's head would immediately fall to the ground.

She stated Xiangzi's long-held suspicions in the most calm tone.

Even Xiangzi himself couldn't be sure of his guess.

"What witch? I don't know."

Xiangzi maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, but in reality, he dared not move an inch.

"I'm not the one who's about to die."

The other person gently raised their hand, and the sharp blade scraped off the hair on the back of Xiangzi's neck, but otherwise did not harm her in the slightest.

The sensation of the blade grazing his skin made Xiangzi almost unable to stand.

The person who is questioning herself is one of the thirty-five Protagonists. If the thirty-five people were ranked in order, she would definitely be in the top three, without any controversy.

The fact that the other party is a Protagonist is secondary, because most of the rules, including the magical girl evaluation level and the witch danger level, were set by the person standing in front of Xiangzi.

Yukina Minato, the captain of Roselia, the actual person in charge of CiRCLE, and the person who formulated most of the rules of the [Reed Plain Magical Girl Gathering] (actually, most of them were started by Sayo Hikawa).

She held a large scythe against Xiangzi's neck.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” A bead of cold sweat trickled down Xiang Yi’s forehead.

"These are your last words?"

“No…” Toyokawa Shoko lowered her head, “How do you know I am Nirvana? Even I myself am not sure.”

“Oh~” Yukina removed the scythe from Shoko’s neck. “Interesting. You used to be a magical girl, right? But I didn’t see your Soul Gem.”

“Phew…” Toyokawa Shoko breathed a sigh of relief. “But I don’t have the characteristics of a witch either, right?”

"Maybe you're good at hiding your true self."

"Maybe I'm just an ordinary person who knows nothing."

"Do you think that's possible?" Yukina said coldly.

Toyokawa Shoko shrugged, offering no denial.

“Tell me what you know,” Yukina said again.

"About Nirvana?"

"Regarding Nirvana."

"Hello... Hey?! What are you saying?!"

Xiangzi finally realized that it wasn't herself who had just spoken, but that damned other self speaking through her mouth.

This is the first time!

What on earth is she doing?!

"Shh—" Toyokawa Shoko raised her index finger, "Quiet down!"

Yukina raised her eyebrows, watching Shoko perform a one-woman show in front of her.

"I have medicine in my pocket." Xiangzi reached into his pocket with his right hand.

"I won't eat." Toyokawa Shoko used her left hand to grab Shoko's right hand.

"Let go!" Xiangzi tried desperately to shake off his left hand.

"Wake up! If you die, it's the same as us both dying. I'm helping you, can't you see?"

"Isn't what you're saying an admission of guilt? Is this what you call helping me?" Xiangzi grabbed the collar of his other self.

"Then what else do you want? This is your only bargaining chip. Besides repeating what you said to Kasumi Toyama, what else do you expect?"

"..."

"Look at your reaction! You're not expecting Kasumi Toyama to come and save you, are you?!" Shoko Toyokawa raised her eyebrows sarcastically.

"Then don't push your chips out so quickly! Aren't you leaving anything behind?" Xiangzi roared back.

"You'd be dead if she laid a finger on you, and you're still thinking of holding back? Aren't you afraid she'll find out you're lying and then just snap your head off?"

"you--"

"What do you mean, 'you'? I am you."

"......"

"I'll help you push the chips you're too afraid to push, and I'll help you roll the dice you're too afraid to roll. That's why I exist, you coward."

"What are you planning to do with the 72 Mountain Ball (「Four?）? Wine 7sa n肆?")

"Didn't I just say that you should repeat what you said to Kasumi Toyama?"

Toyokawa Shoko was being grabbed by the collar by Shoko, and his gaze was being directed at Yukina behind Shoko.

"See? She's interested in us. She's watching the show."

From Yuki's perspective, Xiangzi was holding his collar with his right hand, lifting himself up, and talking to himself in the air, like a mental patient.

Perhaps the word "like" can be removed.

"Hurry up." Toyokawa Shoko rolled her eyes.

"Tch." Xiangzi let go.

From Yuki's perspective, Shoko releases his right hand and loosens his collar.

Toyokawa Shoko straightened her disheveled clothes.

"Are you done arguing?"

This was Yuki's first sentence.

“Yes,” said Toyokawa Shoko.

"You are sick?"

This is Yuki's second sentence.

This person is so direct.

Both Xiangzi thought of it at the same time.

“A little, but it doesn’t matter.” Toyokawa Shoko cleared her throat. “How did you find out I’m a witch? First of all, I’m not sure myself, and it seems you’re not very certain either.”

“Why should I tell you?” Yukina said.

"...How about we exchange information? I'll tell you what I know, and you just need to tell me where you got it from." Toyokawa Shoko shrugged. "Because I haven't told anyone."

"Tell Kasumi Totoyama that I just heard it."

"Anyone but her."

"..."

"How about exchanging intelligence for intelligence?"

"You go first." Yuki put the scythe into the Soul Gem.

It seems they really intend to have a serious talk.

"Hey, are you really going to tell her everything?" Xiangzi asked calmly from the side.

Toyokawa Shoko nodded.

"You just asked me if I wasn't afraid she'd find out I was lying and then snap her head off." Xiangzi looked at Yuxin's soul gem, which glowed with a purple light. "I'll ask you in return, aren't you afraid that if you tell her everything, she'll be even more certain to eliminate us?"

"So the only option is to bet that she's not entirely sure; it's better than lying."

"A madman," Xiangzi clicked his tongue.

“We’re crazy anyway,” Toyokawa Shoko said with a smile.

"..."

"Are you done yet?" Yuki urged impatiently. "I've given you plenty of time to mentally prepare yourself."

Regarding the Nirvana Barrier, Xiangzi told Kasumi about 70% of what she had collected during this period. Moreover, she did not tell Kasumi that she could freely enter and exit, but said that "she knew an entrance that only she knew."

Toyokawa Shoko then revealed her last secret.

“I can freely enter and exit the Nirvana Barrier,” Toyokawa Shoko said. “This is the basis for my speculation that I am Nirvana.”

Yuuki Minato watched her quietly.

“Someone provided me with a portrait, and Rinko identified you through the portrait—Toyokawa Shoko, who should have died in the Toyokawa family massacre.”

It's a matter of reciprocity; one piece of intelligence is exchanged for another.

Yuki is a person who respects the rules.

“So that’s how it is…” Toyokawa Shoko clicked her tongue. “Then it’s my turn. The size of the Nirvana barrier is as big as the entire Reed Plain.”

Toyokawa Shoko's tone was as flat as if she were saying that she had scrambled eggs with tomatoes for dinner.

This time, she saw Yuki's pupils tremble violently.

"The five familiars of the witch can be seen within the barrier, but the witch herself cannot be found."

"Perhaps I need to kill five familiars before I can see the real witch."

"But I haven't tried it, and I'm not sure."

"Senior Yukina also knows that in addition to being used as a trap for hunting, the witch's barrier also has an important function: protecting oneself."

"I suspect that Nirvana is not yet a complete witch."

"It is still incubating. It will only become a true witch when it is fully incubated. The barrier is the means by which it created the 'cocoon' to protect itself, and the familiars are the guardians of the cocoon."

What role do you play in it?

"Maybe I am the witch, or maybe I'm just a passerby who got caught up in it. Who knows?" Toyokawa Shoko said indifferently. "It's possible that the barrier will disappear when I die, or maybe nothing will happen when I die and the witch's barrier will still exist."

Yushina's eyes turned cold, and the scythe that she had just put away reappeared in her hand.

Toyokawa Shoko clearly felt as if something heavy was being pressed on her shoulder, and she knelt down with a thud.

"I've already told you so much, can you tell me who provided my portrait?"

“It’s no longer necessary,” Yukina said coldly. “Witch.”

“Looks like we made the wrong bet.” Toyokawa Shoko shrugged.