In the week before her clash with Riho, Kikyo had been taking nearly an interview a day in an attempt to find work. Unfortunately, given her lack of a background and her skittishness, and her inexplicable misfortune she had been left on a polite declination at each work place. Because of this, her face had become pretty well known in the shopping district by this time. Enough so that when the preparations for a market festival began, she was called on to help operate a festival booth sponsored by Dawson.

“Riho-chan...” the usual tired sound voice of Ikue Airu called. Riho, who had as of late been in a gloomy mood, thinking constantly of the 'puzzle' Overlord Otomi Mao had seemingly entrusted to her, responded hesitantly.

“Yes?”

“We're opening a stall during the market festival, they've chosen one volunteer from the public, so you'll be our official representative, okay?”

Riho, not giving deep thought to what was being asked of her replied lamely, “Um, alright...”

“We're counting on you...” Ikue Airu said, fading back into the management office like an apparition.

“Wow! Riho-chan you're so lucky!” Akiho said languidly.

“Ah, mm,” Riho responded, “What exactly does running a stall require?”

“It's like a day outside, I think ours is a food stall to advertise those new chicken tenders. You'll probably be cooking and selling those with the help of that volunteer～!”

“That doesn't sound so bad,” she had said the day before. However when she approached the site of the stall, a familiar face fidgeting nervously stood behind the stall counter.

“You've got to be kidding me,” she said directly to Kikyo's face.

“Geh, it's the Magical Girl...” Kikyo replied, “So you're working at Dawson then...no wonder you found me so fast the other night...”

Riho sighed, then looked over the interior of the stall, “So what are we supposed to be doing?”

“Eh? Oh, um, we need to heat up these chicken tenders and stuff...” Kikyo had expected Riho to drag out their argument, but it would appear even she had a work mode.

“That's not a very good explanation,” Riho shot back, looking for some kind of itinerary or instruction sheet. She found a parcel of laminated paper with instructions on how to operate the friars and all of the other information they would need to run the stall.

“Is it really okay for two amateurs to be running this...?” she wondered aloud as she looked over the rather precise temperatures and food safety regulations. She had been taught how to use a friar at the convenience store, but Kikyo likely knew nothing.

“So how did you end up getting roped into this?” she asked the Mazoku, a part of her felt like she was betraying herself, making friendly conversation with an enemy, but another larger part of her thought it would be exhausting to be angry at someone she'd be working with all day.

“Ah, that. I've been trying to get work but, it hasn't been going great...Though I guess my face has become familiar around here since they asked me if I'd volunteer. Well, they call it volunteering but apparently I'll still get paid, maybe since it's not like a set wage?”

“I don't know,” the words came out more bitterly than Riho intended.

“R-right...” 'This is going to be a long day...' thought Kikyo.

Riho turned away her face red, 'I decided I was going to play nice, why'd it come out that way?! This is too awkward...' she thought.

For a while they prepared to open the stall for sales in silence, watching the other stalls set up as well. Eventually it was time for the festival to start in earnest, and they began to fry their first batch of chicken.

“Like that, yeah,” Riho instructed Kikyo, her voice came out softly this time.

She began on her own basket, when she noticed three birds sitting on the lip of their stall. She wondered why they were there when they suddenly rushed at Kikyo!

Startled, the Mazoku girl nearly splashed oil on Riho. Riho dodged, then waved her arms wildly at the birds, who promptly flew away. Kikyo regained her composure and asked, “I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!”

“What even...What just happened?” birds didn't normally behave like that.

Kikyo flushed, “Back home they called me a 'misfortune magnet.' I'm not sure of all the details, but I've probably been cursed or something...Ah, that's part of why it's been so hard to get work...weird stuff happens right before or during an interview...” she began to explain but trailed off as Riho's expressions went through several shifts.

“A-are you okay?” Riho counter questioned.

“I was startled, but the chicken seems alright. And as long as I didn't splash you with oil it should be fine!”

Riho didn't know what to say, though in some ways this eased her mind. At least this way she could feel pity for her.

Their first few customers came and went without further issue, though Riho found herself on high alert for any unusual happenings. Kikyo on the other hand focused mostly on the work, as she was far less accustomed to it.

“Um, hey...” Kikyo called out timidly.

“You can just call me by my name,” Riho said with a hint of irritation.

“Then Riho-san, I think those kids want to buy something...”

Riho followed her line of sight, and indeed saw a group of about five children looking over at their stall restlessly.

Riho's service smile manifested seamlessly, and she waved to the children cheerfully. Three of the five, the youngest, looked relieved and began to make their way over, while the older two looked like they'd seen a ghost and drew back. The corners of her lips twitched, sometimes children could be a little too perceptive. Though what hurt more was that she didn't particularly dislike children either, even if it was a service smile it shouldn't be that off putting...right?

Kikyo turned around, plating some freshly fried chicken for them. The children who had kept their distance took one look at her face, turned a bit red, and instantly drew near. Riho clicked her tongue softly. Between the two, even Riho had to admit Kikyo had the looks one would use words like 'pretty' or 'elegant' to describe. Riho felt she herself was more aptly described as 'cute' or 'friendly,' which as a Magical Girl were paramount, but apparently not enough to draw in reluctant children. Kikyo seemed oblivious to this fact, which irked the Magical Girl.

Kikyo took the children's payment and handed it to Riho to be put with the rest in a cash box.

“What sweet kids,” Kikyo said.

“Sure,” Riho replied tersely, getting a confused look from Kikyo who had no way of knowing why that comment would deserve scorn.

A short while after the children had gone another customer approached the stall. An older woman wearing a hood, quite an usual sight. She kept her head down as she ordered.

Kikyo jumped right on the order, but Riho froze in place stunned.

Before her was none other than her teacher who was supposed to still be in Priripon, Okoto Kaena!

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The old woman raised her head, her sharp and intense gaze further entrenched Riho, and silenced her.

Riho threw a panicked glance at Kikyo, which did not escape Okoto's notice. Kikyo herself however was unaware of the exchange and oblivious to the sudden rise of tensions.

“Here you are ma'am,” Kikyo said cheerily.

The old woman scoffed, “As though I would ever eat something prepared by Mazoku.”

Kikyo froze, “Eh?”

“You would disparage food you yourself ordered? I see you haven't changed, hag,” came the voice from Kikyo's star emblem. It was harsh and scathing quite unlike how it was when addressing Kikyo or Riho.

The old woman's eyes narrowed, “Well, well, well, aren't you the close listener, Mao-kun.”

Riho twitched, something in that exchange felt off to her. However, she still couldn't bring herself to say anything. She felt ashamed of not only failing her mission, but to be discovered working amiably with her quarry was beyond humiliating.

“I will ask you only once, graciously take your meal and leave,” Otomi Mao threatened.

The old woman snorted, “What would you do if I refused? But it is no matter, I merely came to remind dear Riho of her mission,” Okoto's eyes flicked to Kikyo, “But it seems the situation is more complicated than I had been lead to believe. I'll take my leave for today.”

She took the chicken thanklessly, and began to walk away. She then stopped and looked back at Riho, “You know what needs to be done. You will see it through, yes?”

Riho dropped to her knees, trembling. Kikyo checked to make sure she wasn't hurt, then stood ready to give the old hag a piece of her mind, only to be confronted by an empty street. Slowly people began to filter back in. Kikyo focused for a moment and found traces of a powerful barrier that had recently been undone. One that drove people away. Whoever that nasty old woman was, she had been intent on making her and Riho fight again!

Kikyo went to help Riho to her feet, but the Magical Girl swatted her hand away.

“Riho...”

“I'm fine,” she insisted.

“Okoto Kaena, to think she would go as far as to come to Earth... Why will she not let my people rest?!” Mao sounded frustrated, no, agonized.

That was enough to shake away some of Riho's doubts. There was too much she didn't know, but having her teacher come directly was enough for her to understand that something larger was at stake than the things she'd had drilled into her in class.

“I...I'm going to ignore that order,” Riho said in a voice scarcely more than a whisper.

“Will you be alright?” Kikyo asked, her genuine concern conversely irked the Magical Girl, but that was another piece of evidence that the information she had on Mazoku was likely deeply flawed.

“I'll do something on my end. If it comes to it I'll come to Earth myself as well.”

“You sound pretty reluctant to come here,” Riho said, she had intended it to sound threatening, but it came out flat. She was emotionally tired.

“Of course I'm reluctant. A king is not idle, much less an Overlord. The same is true of the lecturers of Priripon. Which means the situation is dire for their interests.”

“Any idea why?” Kikyo asked, the question aimed at both Riho and Mao.

Riho touched the fox emblem she kept at her side when not transformed. Every Magical Girl kept some kind of emblem as a conduit and tether to the source of their magic, that worked in tandem with their natural abilities. Hers was somewhat rare, but by no means the strongest or rarest. As far as she was aware anyway. She conveyed this to the other two, Kikyo looked confused but Mao seemed to know exactly what she was talking about.

“Have you ever spoken to your pact partner?” Mao asked.

Riho's eyes widened, “Is that even possible?”

“I see, so they have even gone so far as to hide the very basis of the powers they thrust into the hands of their maidens? Kikyo.”

“Y-yes! Maou-sama?”

“I have some homework for you, the results of which should help Riho-san understand her own power better.”

“But wouldn't that make me stronger?” Riho asked.

“It may, but from what you've told me it may also be committing a Pririponian taboo now.”

“Ah...” Riho hadn't thought of it that way, as most of today had been taboo to begin with, working side by side with a Mazoku.

Kikyo stretched, “Waah, I'm a little nervous. It's been a while since I've done any serious spell casting outside of a battle setting...”

Riho froze for a moment, reflecting on her knowledge of magic and the circumstances under which she had been trained. Nearly all of her magical know how was based in combat, or preparations for combat. Come to think of it, the Pririponian society she was accustomed to was nearly military, magic outside of enchanted tools was seldom used in a peaceful setting. After being taught that Mazoku were barbaric and violent creatures only seeking misfortune and destruction to hear Kikyo talk about studying magic peacefully as though that were its most apparent application hit her like a thunderbolt.

Who was the barbarian? The times she had called Kikyo a coward echoed loudly in her ears. It was just as Kikyo had said during their battle, it was she herself who had been one-sidedly on the offensive.

Mao interrupted her thoughts, “For now, focus on selling that chicken. You are being paid wages to do so.”

“I don't take orders from you,” Riho snapped, switching gears back into work mode.

Mao chuckled, “That's true. Major Sorane, what say you?”

“Yes Maou-sama! I'll get right on it Maou-sama!”

“Good reply. Take care then. Riho-san, I cannot give you any commands so I will instead make a request. Look after my Major.”

The two felt the magic carrying his voice cut out.

Riho sighed, “That's a lot to ask of someone who's on the verge of an identity crisis.”

Kikyo flexed an arm, “I'll be fine! Take some time for yourself... Stuff seems... complicated.”

“As complicated as that 'homework' he said he was going to give you?”

Kikyo winced, “Ehhh...Different categories of 'complicated.'”

Riho stretched and prepared to fry some more chicken, as the crowd was nearly back at full flow, “You said it.”

The rest of the day went smoothly, Maji and Nagi stopped by near the end of the day. Nagi pulled Kikyo aside in a near panic, but calmed quickly once Kikyo filled her in on what had happened.

Riho meanwhile found herself more tongue tied than expected with Maji. She had no experience talking to men, at all. He smiled and politely kept the conversation moving, but Riho had found an unexpected weakness in herself. Customers were one thing, and with a service smile she could fulfill their needs and they'd be on their way. Maji however seemed to be an acquaintance of Kikyo and Nagi. This, to her, meant eventually she would probably have to close the distance between them, but it was too alien an experience for the Pririponian.

“So you work at the Dawson, right?” Maji said gently.

Riho tried to reply, but couldn't find her voice, instead nodding meekly.

“I see, I see. How is it there? Are you getting along with your coworkers?” Maji felt like a proper adult for once, being the youngest at his workplace, so he was enjoying being the one asking rather than receiving these questions.

Riho thought about Akiho and began to smile, then remembered the sleep-deprived stares of Ikue Airu, and shivered, leaving a kind of awkward grimace on her face.

“Ah, not so much then. Well, in that case you're doing good hanging in there!”

A part of Riho wanted to correct him, but as the cat had her tongue, the part of her that was happy to be praised for usually thankless work happily accepted his encouragement. This manifested itself in a deep pink that crawled over her cheeks all the way to her ears.

“M-mm,” was her last ditch effort to make some kind of audible interaction.

Maji didn't give particularly heavy thought to the reasons for her behavior, despite having witnessed evidence to the contrary, he simply assumed she was shy.

At the end of the day, Ikue Airu and the chairman of the shopping district event planning committee came to the stall to collect the earnings and give Riho and Kikyo their wages for the day. Usually for Riho it would have just been added to her paycheck for the next week, but since Kikyo had participated as a paid volunteer, it was decided she would receive it in the same fashion.

“On behalf of STEPIC, I thank you for your hard work!” the chairman said.

“STEPIC?” asked Kikyo.

“Why yes, the Shopping District Event Planning Committee.”

“Wouldn't that be SDEPC?” (Su-de-pi-ku)

“Yes, STEPIC!” (Su-te-pi-ku)

They stood in silence for a moment before Ikue Airu interrupted.

“Weeeell, it's time to pack up the stall. Thanks for your hard work, we'll take it from heeere,” as she walked past Riho, she whispered, “Good work out there, especially since that monster showed up.”

Riho whirled around, but Ikue Airu didn't look like she was willing to elaborate.

“Riho-san?” Kikyo said, noticing Riho had stopped and turned around.

“...It's nothing,” her eyes followed the manager for a bit longer then she snapped back at Kikyo, “Besides, when did we get so familiar?”

“Eeeeh?!”

“Hmph.”