Yogai Shiei was a simple Mazoku man, at least he liked to think so. He trained in healing and medicinal spells, including alchemy, and had joined the Overlord's army as a medic. He was generally good with people, which gave him a good reputation, good enough that he had been promoted to look after the Overlord's Castle as Alevia-sama's assistant when Mao was absent. He rarely interacted with Magical Girls, but on the occasions he had he managed to talk his way out of confrontation. This raised his opinion of them quite a bit, after all if in those instances they could be reasoned with, given enough time and the right circumstances, maybe the war with Priripon could actually end, as many Mazoku assumed it was simply part of being a Mazoku.

But this Magical Girl he didn't understand at all. He thought she had been glaring at him, so he wondered if something he had said had offended her in some way. But her reaction was much to the contrary, in fact he felt bad for pointing it out now, since it clearly caused her enough embarrassment that she felt the need to flee. He still wasn't sure why Maou-sama had sent the very source of her embarrassment after her, but Maou-sama's decisions were final.

“Um, excuse me!” He called after Riho's retreating form.

Riho heard a voice behind her and took a look, it was that Mazoku boy! She sped up.

“Excuse me! Please Miss, um...Ah, Maou-sama, you didn't tell me her name!”

Riho stopped suddenly, causing him to crash into her at full speed.

Shiei apologized profusely, “Ah, I'm terribly sorry!”

Riho cut him off, “Mao told you to chase me?”

Shiei studied her expression, “Mm. But, I'm so sorry if I embarrassed you! You looked angry and I thought I might have said something to offend you so I... I'm really terribly sorry.”

Riho's embarrassment and anger faded, she felt she was in the wrong too, having gotten caught up in her own thoughts and all.

“No...I'm sorry too. I got caught up in my own head and didn't think about how it might look outside,” she took a deep breath, “Let's start again. My name is Funano Riho.”

“Ah, hello, Funano-san. I'm Yogai Shiei, a pleasure to make your acquaintance!”

“You can just call me Riho. I'll call you Shiei-kun.”

Shiei blushed deeply, “My, R-Riho-san you do move quickly...”

Riho blushed right along with him, “S-so you came after me, what did Mao want?”

“Ah...That's a very good question...I was told to 'be nice to her.' What do you think he meant by that?”

The image of Mao standing next to Alevia appeared in Riho's mind and her blush only deepened, enough that Shiei noticed.

“Ah...something embarrassing then...”

“N-not necessarily... I just thought, 'Ah, Mao noticed that then,' is all.”

Shiei wondered what she meant by that, but he was too afraid to push any further, Riho seemed to close to flight levels of embarrassment again.

“Well, why don't we go to the Overlord's Castle, I'm sure Maou-sama brought the others there as well.”

Riho hid her face in her hands, knowing Kikyo would without a doubt ask her what was going on.

“O-or not...” Shiei pondered what to do, then thinking Riho might like to take some more time, “Perhaps, you would like to take a look at some of the scenery?”

Riho froze. 'Look at scenery? Like, the thing couples do when they go on walks?' Her inner war raged fiercely, the one half thinking such a thing was far too embarrassing, and there was no way Shiei would think of it as a date, they had just met! She didn't even know if she really liked him yet! The other half argued that nothing could possibly be more embarrassing than what had already happened in front of all the others, and she could find out if she liked him only by spending more time with him.

Shiei thought it was taking a while for her to reply, but he waited patiently. Eventually Riho's eyes peeked over her hands, “Where?” was the single word she uttered.

Shiei's heart skipped a beat. What was that. What? Cute. Too cute. What was this girl?

Shiei tugged at his collar, then gestured to a hill that had somehow survived Hina and Mao's battle. It was a place he frequented when he needed some time alone, and few others ever came, it was far from everything in Makai so only Mazoku really seeking 'nothing' went there.

They alighted on the hill and gazed out across the gray grasses of Makai. Neither said anything, but conversely that was a comfort. Riho had been afraid Shiei might be the type to grow uncomfortable in long silence and start talking about who knows what, but he gazed out across the plains serenely. She moved a little closer to him, grabbing her own hands, still too shy to do anything more. Shiei felt her move closer and felt nervous himself, he wasn't sure exactly how to interact with her, she was behaving like a maiden in a novel! He imagined how the males in such novels would behave, but couldn't imagine doing it himself. So he stood silently staring at the scenery. That calmed him a little, that was why he came here often in the first place after all. Though the thumping of his heart was a little loud.

Riho broke the silence, “Sorry for making you do all this...”

“Oh no, I really don't mind. I got to share this place with someone on my own terms, I'd call that a win,” he gave her a smile that made her heart skip a beat.

She looked away, “That's unfair.”

She did it again, Shiei thought, nothing special and yet somehow it moved him to his core. Cute.

They stood there for a while longer.

“Shall we go?” Shiei tried.

Riho simply nodded. They took flight together. As they neared the Overlord's Castle, Riho asked.

“Can...can we hang out again sometime?”

Shiei turned as red as a tomato, “O-o-of course!”

Riho smiled, “It's a date!”

Shiei lost several meters of altitude and thought his heart was going to stop.

Riho followed him, “Are you okay!?”

“I-I'm fine, I just took a critical hit is all...” he thought Riho was more bold than she seemed. As to be expected of a Magical Girl perhaps.

They soon arrived at the Overlord's Castle, and Shiei bid her farewell, showing her a simple communication spell she could use to get in touch with him even should she be in Priripon or Earth. She entered the castle and was greeted by a pair of guards who led her to the others.

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“Riho!” Kikyo called, holding a pastry in one hand and a goblet in the other.

“I-I'm back,” Riho replied, “Sorry for the trouble...”

Kikyo was about to say something when Nagi shoved a different pastry in her mouth, “Welcome back Riho-chan. Ignore the one who can't read the room.”

Riho smiled widely, she was glad Nagi was there.

Kikyo mumbled something through the pastry, but Juuki was prepared with another one, a mischievous glint in her eye.

Riho found a spot next to Hina and Lasrefel across from the Overlord and his wife. A lot of her misgivings were gone thanks to a lot of people, so she decided to say as much.

“Thanks, everyone...”

There was a beat of silence before a rousing cheer! Lasrefel nuzzled her, “What's this all of the sudden?”

“I just felt like saying it, that's all,” she said, deciding not to be embarrassed about it.

Mao gave her a warm smile, “Well, even if you don't become a Mazoku you're welcome in my halls anytime.”

Kikyo made it through the muzzle-proxy pastries and asked, “So what will you do now? Go back to Priripon?”

Riho had given it some thought, “No, I'll go back to Earth. I have friends there too...I don't think I could look at Priripon the same way.”

Kikyo looked thoughtful, “Hmmmm...I'll go back to Earth too.”

Airu and Riho looked surprised but Mao merely smiled, “You still haven't cleared that level, have you?”

“Grrr! I'll get it someday!” Kikyo replied.

Nagi smiled and gave her a light jab, “You're going back for a video game? You really are a buffoon.”

“I-it's not just the game!” Kikyo tried to defend, “There's also, um...”

Riho interjected, “The food?”

Airu, “The convenience?”

Monmoku, who up until that point hadn't said a word since they left the Dark Mirror, “Kanaki Maji?”

Kikyo turned beet red, and poked the pastry she had just plated with her fork absently, “N-no, i-it's nothing like that...It's not like he indulges me or anything...Or checks on me when I don't leave my house for days...Or smells really nice...”

Riho grinned wickedly, that was good information to counter with if she tried to pry into what had happened earlier.

Their attention turned to the Magical Girls, and Overlord Hina.

Atsuko and Mihana planned to go back to Priripon and take over Okoto's position, hoping to lead Priripon down a lighter path.

Aria and Juuki wanted to try living on Earth for a while, they enjoyed singing and after hearing about karaoke from Airu they desperately wanted to try it with her and Kikyo, they invited Riho but she refused if Kikyo was involved.

Senka and Ena hadn't decided what they wanted to do yet. Ena seemed to be waiting for Hina's decision, while Senka stared off into space.

Hina finally spoke, “I think I'll be holed up in my Overlord's Castle for the time being. There's a lot to learn about being an Overlord, and with my mirrors I can keep watch on a lot of places.”

“Won't you get lonely?!” Ena asked, face full of worry.

“I won't have time to get lonely,” Hina said confidently.

Riho interjected, “Come to Earth, Yashiro Hina.”

Hina's eyes widened a bit, “Hoh? And why is that?”

“It's... hard to put into words. But I think you might be a little like me, I hope that's not presumptuous. I think some time on Earth would be a good thing for you...”

Hina narrowed her eyes, then smiled.

“Fine,” Mao looked shocked, Hina looked at him with a soulless smile, “Had Otomi Mao suggested it, I would have refused...But since it was you who suggested it...sure, I won't be around all the time, but I'll drop by when I want to play. Keep a mirror handy.”

“Ouch, again with the mental attacks!”

Hina giggled.

That made Ena's decision, she would go to Earth. She was about to declare such when Senka suddenly stood.

“Senka-chan?!” several voices called.

“Here,” was her single word response.

Mao looked troubled, “Well, if by here you mean 'Makai,' I can make some arrangements...”

Senka nodded.

“V-very well then...” Mao gestured for some of his guards, after a short whispered conversation, they set off to make accommodations.

Senka looked satisfied, and sat back down. She wasn't sure how to become a Mazoku, but if she spend enough time with them she thought she might figure it out. She had taken quite a shine to Airu's transformation and wanted to pursue that path.

“Ena-chan what about you?” Hina asked.

“Oh, um, Earth please...” she said, meekly.

Mao chuckled, “That would be hard to follow, Earth it is then... When you're all set and ready to go, I'll have the World Snakes send you off.”

They spent about another half day in Makai before they began their departures.

Last to leave was the Earth group, which was quite a few of them as it turned out. Hina would take herself there via mirror on her own time, which left Riho and Lasrefel who had returned to her emblem, Kikyo, Airu and Monmoku, who had returned to Airu's emblem, Nagi, Ena, Aria, and Juuki.

“Have a safe trip, and take it easy!” Mao said.

“Come again some time, we'll have a proper festival next time!” Alevia said.

For the first time in what felt like ages, they were home. Nagi took charge of the Magical Girls, she had enough free rooms for them between the buildings Riho and Kikyo were staying in.

“It's good to be back!” Kikyo said to Riho.

Riho stretched, “Guess we don't need to see each other for a while then!”

“Ehhh...”

Riho left for her own room after that. Interacting with Kikyo still somehow felt like a loss, her first and only Magical Girl mission had been a fantastic disaster. But she didn't hate it, and she'd made new friends along the way, even though she would never say that to one of them.

Kikyo entered her room and found a container with a slice of cake in the refrigerator, a note scrawled on top.

'Looks like you were out today, I saw this and thought of you...I guess you usually don't say that for food do you? Anyway, enjoy it!

-Maji'