6 lost perfectly

[Shirou POV]

"..."

"No, seriously, can't we all get a little bit friendlier? At least let's talk to each other."

Yesterday, I decided to get involved with Tohsaka and the others' situation during our discussion, and was promptly dispatched to collect Class Cards along the riverside. There, I encountered Luvia and Miyu as well. So far, so good, as it was within my expectations.

However, the atmosphere was terrible. Needless to say about Tohsaka and the others. And Illya and Miyu were glaring at each other in a hostile manner. Why is the atmosphere so bad? I don't even understand the cause of the original argument, what should I do?

"What's the cause..."

『I think it's you, Shirou.』

"Why me?"

『Well... I can't really say. It's a maiden's secret♪』

"...You have quite the personality, don't you?"

I've become used to Ruby's frivolous talk. If I took it seriously every time, I couldn't handle it. Being Ruby, I'm sure there's no basis for it. I, who realized this in a short time, decided not to take Ruby's words too seriously.

"Let's go, both of you. Be careful of the enemy, of course, but also keep a close eye on Luvia."

"Uh, yeah. I don't want to lose to Miyu."

"Hey, calm down, you two."

"Ahohoho, personal grudges are mixed in, aren't they?"

"We're going, Miyu. It's a blitz. Close the distance to the enemy as soon as the battle begins, and take them down in a way that involves Rin Tohsaka as much as possible."

"Understood, except for the latter part."

"Please refrain from instructing murder."

This atmosphere... it's something else. Illya seems a bit stubborn too. I'm breaking out in a cold sweat, more from Tohsaka and the others who are sparking off each other than from the enemy we're about to face. It seems like Illya and Miyu are also exchanging sharp looks.

Last night, I casually asked Illya about the reason, but in addition to the first impression being the worst, it seems like a lot happened at school. Apparently, Miyu transferred to Illya's class yesterday, and Illya seems to have been beaten black and blue by Miyu, who appears to be a genius.

She even lost in a sprint, which was her secret pride, and came to me crying. I stroked Illya's head with a wry smile as I comforted my little sister who was in such a state. Miyu seems to be a perfect superhuman. I know how fast Illya is.

And Miyu is even faster than Illya. Moreover, it seems that Miyu told Illya that she would collect the Class Cards herself and not to get involved. I felt Miyu's kindness and determination in those words, but elementary schooler Illya took it at face value.

It seems that in Illya's heart, Miyu's impression became even worse. I think it's a misunderstanding, but it looks like Illya is hostile to Miyu for a different reason. The same goes for Miyu.

Tohsaka and Luvia are as usual. You guys, work together, okay? Frustrated with the atmosphere, I took out Archer's card. Illya and Miyu also transformed into magical girls. It's an unbelievable sight no matter how many times I see it.

"... [Phantasmal Summoning Install]! ...I did it."

"...It's an unbelievable sight, even when I see it with my own eyes. I never imagined that there would be such a use for the Class Cards."

"Well, I agree with that."

I can use it without any problems. I was able to transform into a Heroic Spirit again using the Class Card. I'm not sure how I'm doing it, though. It's like calling out to the card. Tohsaka and the others look at me in astonishment as I transform.

『Everyone, are you ready? Then let's go! Limited Dimension Reflector Formation!』

『Boundary Corridor Partial Inversion!』(Ruby & Sapphire)

『Boundary Jump』! (Ruby & Sapphire)

Ruby and Sapphire form magic circles to teleport to the space where the enemies are. Different colored magic circles appear at the feet of Illya and Miyu, enveloping our bodies as well. And then, my field of vision is dyed pure white. Now, the second battle begins.

"Let's go!" (Everyone)

......…

"..."

『Wow, I'm beat~♪』

"I thought we were...gonna die..."

"What was that?! Isn't that cheating?!"

"Ugh..."

"I won't...I won't accept this ending!"

『Please accept reality, Lady Luvia.』

Let's cut to the chase. We lost. Completely and utterly. We barely escaped with our lives. Waiting for us when we teleported into the Mirror World where the enemy lay was a witch, commanding a magic circle that filled the sky. We walked right into an ambush.

Overlooking us as we stood dumbfounded at the sight, the airborne witch smirked silently. The icy look on her face sent shivers down my spine. By the time we came to our senses, it was too late. Countless targeting lasers shone on us.

The next instant, a barrage of magical bullets was launched from the magic circle that filled the sky. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, we didn't even have time to use the "Rho Aias: The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens." Illya took the hit and sustained damage. It even broke through Ruby's defenses.

Tohsaka and the others seemed unable to believe it, and the confusion only grew. The magic power defense of the Kaleidosticks is extraordinary, so they couldn't believe it was penetrated by magic. In other words, the enemy was off the charts.

In addition to the extraordinary power of a single hit, there were magic circles capable of launching magic bullets all over the sky. In this desperate situation, I managed to protect Illya and Tohsaka with Rho Aias. But we were immobilized.

Miyu fired back with a magic bullet of her own, but the enemy was one step ahead. She had her own magic circle that diverted enemy magic attacks. She was like a fortress of magic. The enemy had been thoroughly prepared.

Tohsaka and the others decided that they couldn't do anything and ordered a retreat, but the enemy was casting magic at an incredibly fast speed, and a huge magic circle appeared in the sky. We shivered at the sight of the giant magic circle glowing right above us. We're going to die!

I'm sure everyone thought the same thing. Just as Illya's scream rang out, Ruby and Sapphire's "Dimensional Leap" barely made it in time. We withdrew from the Mirror World and ended up here. We all got a bit of that final hit, and we're all beaten up, but alive.

"A total defeat..."

"Damn it... that woman!"

"Sapphire! What the hell is this about? I thought Kaleido magical girls were invincible!"

『Please don't take it out on me.』

Unlike me, who had accepted the fact that we were defeated, Tohsaka was stomping in frustration, and Luvia was even taking out her anger on Sapphire. These two are so alike. Is the reason they're at odds because of their similarities?

I thought as much, but even someone as dense as me knows better than to say that out loud. I kept silent and considered our options while watching Luvia stretch out both hands and lash out at Sapphire.

『I won't allow anyone to bully Sapphire-chan! [Ruby Samming]!』

"Guhaa! Nuooooo!"

Well, Luvia. "Nuooooo!"... Isn't a scream suitable for a lady. As the farcical scene unfolded next to me, my thoughts started to stray. Ruby had managed to hit Luvia's eyeball with a pinpoint strike.

It hurt. Luvia, covering her eyeball, rolled around on the ground. While calmly overlooking Luvia's plight (I can't tell because she has no face), Ruby made a reasoned argument. Magical girls are not invincible. They seem to be able to overwhelm most opponents, but even so, there are affinities, she said.

"So, our enemy this time was a bad match?"

『That's right, Master Shirou. It was a spell contained in a magic circle that doesn't belong to any current lineage. Most likely, it comes from a lost mythological era.』

"That was a [Caster], no doubt about it. Her magic is on a completely different dimension from ours."

Upon hearing Sapphire's words, Tohsaka gritted her teeth in frustration and muttered. A Caster is a class of Heroic Spirits. I recall the knowledge I gained from Tohsaka about Heroic Spirits. Heroic Spirits refer to heroes who existed in the past.

The heroes told of in legends. After they die, their souls do not perish. They are summoned by the world, and their souls continue to exist as Heroic Spirits. However, even if they were not real heroes, if they have the faith of people, they can become Heroic Spirits.

In other words, even characters from fairy tales and creative works can materialize as Heroic Spirits if they are told about by many people. This aspect seems to be rather flexible or vague. I've gone a bit off topic.

The crucial part of the story is that we must defeat these Heroic Spirits to obtain the Class Cards that Tohsaka and the others are after. However, these aren't regular Heroic Spirits, they seem to be in a semi-rampage state. They're referred to as darkened Heroic Spirits.

We have to defeat these darkened Heroic Spirits, but their powers are being constrained into what is called a class. This class is determined by what kind of power the Heroic Spirit possessed. If it was a swordsman, it would be classified as a [Saber], for instance.

The power that the hero was known to excel in is fitted into the mold of a class. This is apparently done to optimize their existence. Our enemy this time was a Caster. In other words, a Heroic Spirit who was a magician. A magician who uses magic on a different level from humans.

As a modern magician, Tohsaka must have felt the terrifying power of that enemy's magic. I don't understand it very well, but I have felt the troublesome nature of that enemy. The magic fortress. The cunningness of that enemy, who was perfectly prepared and had constructed a stronghold.

"...Emiya-kun, do you think your arrows could penetrate that defensive barrier?"

"...I think I could. But to release a blow strong enough to break it, it would take quite some time. Five seconds... no, maybe about seven seconds? I can't imagine that thing would give us that much time. It would be impossible if it shot magical bullets at us like rain from all those magical circles."

"...I see. Can't be helped. We can't even aim properly in a place like that, there's nowhere to hide. So as an Archer, you can't fully display your power..."

That's right. The card I use is of the Archer class. In other words, a Heroic Spirit of the bow. Well, this Archer uses swords as well. In fact, all of the arrows used by this Archer are swords.

The ability of this Heroic Spirit is to create swords at will. The power of this Heroic Spirit is to take the swords he creates like that and release them with a bow. When I told Tohsaka and Luvia about this, they were shocked. They found it completely out of the ordinary.

"What should we do..."

『That attack formation and the reflection surface both seem to be fixed at specific coordinates, so I think if we could somehow fly up to the top of the magical circles...』

"Sapphire, you make it sound easy, but if we could do that, we wouldn't be having any trouble..."

"I see. We should've just flown."

Sapphire offered some advice to the troubled Tohsaka, but it didn't brighten Tohsaka's expression. However, ignoring Tohsaka's distress, Illya, who had heard that, was flying as if it was a matter of course. It was a very magical girl-like sight. I slapped my palm with my fist as if realizing there was such an option.

"What!?"

『This is..』

Tohsaka and the others were shocked by the sight. Sapphire also let out a dumbfounded voice. Why are they so surprised? Illya and I, who are not familiar with magic, tilted our heads at everyone's reaction. Was it that surprising?

"Wai-, wait, Illya! Why are you flying as if it's the most natural thing in the world!?"

『That's amazing, Illya-san! To perform high-level flight so effortlessly!』

"Eh, is it really that amazing?"

"Without a strong image, you shouldn't even be able to float. How on earth..."

"Eh, how?... I mean, magical girls are supposed to fly in the sky, right?"

"What, what a dependable misconception!"

Oh, is that so? Since I've been watching magical girl anime with Illya for a long time, I had the same perception as Illya. Is it hard in the world of magic? I didn't expect to realize the greatness of anime in such a place.

"Ugh, I can't lose! Miyu! You should try to fly right now too!"

With that, it seems that Luvia, who appeared to have her competitive spirit ignited, blurted out to Miyu. It seems that Luvia has activated her competitive spirit, not wanting to lose to Illya on the Tohsaka side. While dumbfounded by the situation, I noticed that something was off with Miyu.

Miyu has been silent for a while now. She's staring up blankly at Illya, who is flying as if it's the most natural thing in the world. What's wrong, Miyu? Luvia also seemed to notice something odd about Miyu, showing a puzzled expression.

"...Miyu?"

"...I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"People can't fly!"

"What, what a dreamless girl!? At your age, how can you have such a lack of imagination!? That's why you can't fly!"

I fell on my back at Miyu's blatantly honest response. No way, is this something a girl who has transformed into a magical girl should say? As Luvia said, it's way too lacking in dreams. With a hardened expression, Miyu kept repeating that it was impossible.

"But Luvia-san, no matter how you think about it, it's impossible. Without any propulsion or lift, flying in the sky like that is theoretically impossible."

"We'll do special training until next time so you can fly!"

Luvia, grabbing Miyu's collar as she mutters it's impossible, drags her away. But hang in there, Miyu. As I watch the backs of the two who don't seem to get it together, I secretly cheer for Miyu. I wonder if she'll be able to fly next time...

And so, my second battle ended in total defeat, leading us to prepare and strategize for a rematch. Will Miyu be able to fly in the sky? As I pondered this, I thought about how to somehow foster a good relationship between Illya and the others.

Tohsaka and Luvia, despite their squabbles, do understand each other. Their relationship may seem tense, but I don't think they truly oppose each other in the real sense. If push comes to shove, wouldn't they cooperate and fight together?

That's what I believe. However, Illya and Miyu don't seem ready to cooperate and fight together yet. There's no understanding or compromise between them. This is quite dangerous. Besides, I do want them to become friends.

I'm convinced that these two can get along. After all, Illya is my beloved little sister. She's a kind girl who can be friends with anyone. Therefore, she should be able to become a good friend who can share laughs with Miyu.

I recall the words from that dream. As Miyu's brother, I remember what I had said. "I hope Miyu can live in a world where she doesn't have to suffer anymore... meet kind people... make friends to laugh with..."

As the one entrusted with that voice, I have a duty to make it come true. After all, I had replied, "Leave it to me". While I'm not a hero of justice, I, like the one in the dream, am a big brother. That's why I said "Leave it to me".

As Illya's older brother, I want her to make friends she can laugh with. So, this is a common interest. Imagining the two of them laughing together, a smile spreads across my face. I thought it was a scene I desperately wanted to make a reality.

"Alright, let's do this!"

"What's up, Onii-chan?"

"Nothing much. Shall we go home?"

"Yeah!"

While patting Illya's head, we siblings set off for home. As we did so, I dreamt of a scene where Miyu would one day be part of our circle...