The young man was being rowdy—he actually refused to leave.

Yukieda soon heard a metallic *clang*, then another. Something had slammed into the iron trash can twice.

Silence fell over the youth. Then came the rough drag of a sack.

Clearly, Mai had even less patience for the noisy kid than Yukieda did.

Yukieda didn’t dare look back. Every ounce of her focus locked onto the Witch before her.

Muscles coiled tight. On high alert.

So this was Borel?

The Witch was monochrome—pure black and white. Clad in a vintage black uniform, she looked utterly out of place in this vibrant world.

Her eyes were pitch-black, sinister. Though unfocused, Yukieda knew with chilling certainty: this Witch was staring straight through her.

Like a snake.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the white Magical Girl,” Borel drawled, a smirk playing on her lips. Her deathly pale fingers twirled a strand of hair. Her words hummed with faint magic, meant to provoke. “Last time you fled in such a sorry state—yet today you stand before me so boldly?”

Yukieda felt a faint mental ripple—like a single raindrop hitting water.

*If it had any effect at all, it wouldn’t be completely useless.*

Borel’s lips twitched. *My magic really is running low… but it shouldn’t be this weak. That doesn’t make sense.*

Yukieda sensed the scheming behind Borel’s odd expression. She stayed guarded, but for protocol and politeness, she kept her face serious. Golden eyes locked onto the Witch’s.

“I ran last time because I had responsibilities—I had to carry my fallen comrade. And what gives *you* the right to mock me? You fled faster than I did.”

Yukieda remembered her mission: Mr. Kenji’s sole order was to stall the enemy. So she didn’t mind talking—and even turned the taunt back.

“Pity those two missiles didn’t kill you. You’re as stubbornly alive as a sewer rat.”

Borel’s smirk twisted into a sneer. She rolled her eyes—if she had any. “Oh, you’re *so* right. Nocturnal. Hiding. Living under a false name. Possessing immense power yet unable to use it freely… Truly, a sewer rat.” She even began picking at her black nails right in front of Yukieda.

A silent message: *I don’t take you seriously at all.*

Yukieda caught the sarcasm instantly.

“Done talking?” Borel said. “I’m in a good mood today. I’ll allow your noise. I’m leaving.”

*No! She’s not staying!* Yukieda knew—if Borel wanted to vanish, she couldn’t stop her. Not even long enough for backup.

“I think you shouldn’t be called Borel. You should be called ‘Thousand-Mile Horse’!”

Borel didn’t turn. Small steps carried her swiftly toward the shadows.

Yukieda shouted after her: “Everyone else has Borel *riding* the horse! Only *you*—you’re the one *being ridden*! I saw it! You seduced someone to ride you!”

Borel vanished into the dark.

*Did she really run?*

*Of course. My taunts are still amateur. Not even a flicker of reaction.*

Mission failed. Borel had finally appeared—and she let her slip away.

A mix of dejection and quiet relief washed over Yukieda. Truth was, she never wanted this fight. But duty weighed heavy.

*She’s a Witch… even if weakened.*

The moment Yukieda turned—*shhk!* A sharp, brief whistle sliced past her ear.

*So fast!*

She channeled magic and leaped back.

*CRACK!* Thunderous impact. Where she’d stood, a black-aura whip lashed the concrete, spiderweb cracks blooming across the ground.

*She ambushed me?!* A cold shiver ran down Yukieda’s spine.

Borel emerged from the shadows.

“*You’re* the Thousand-Mile Horse! Your whole family are horses meant to be ridden!”

“Wha—?!” Yukieda’s mind flashed—an image of herself… then Shizuku. *What if some scoundrel does unspeakable things to my daughter?!*

Her blood pressure spiked.

*You…!* White silk gloves clenched tight around her pistol.

**BOOM!**

The two girls collided violently. Shockwaves shattered nearby windows.

Thankfully, residents had already evacuated.

Borel fought close-range. Why was Yukieda engaging head-on?

No time for why—she just wanted to slap that smug face!

But anger without strength was foolish. Yukieda’s magic-fueled punch snapped Borel’s head up—but no explosion followed.

A cruel smile spread. Borel’s whip coiled around Yukieda, hurling her skyward. At that speed, the lash was a blade—aimed to bisect her midair.

*She’s leaping!* Yukieda’s heart sank.

Midair adjustments were near impossible. *Just two seconds… one second…!*

No time!

She fired her pistol at the building beside her.

**KABOOM!** An explosion erupted—debris flew everywhere.

That split-second distraction threw off Borel’s strike. Using the rubble, Borel kicked Yukieda straight into the opposite wall, carving a trench through concrete like a plow.

Even for a Magical Girl, the impact was brutal. Waist screaming in pain—but her heart ached worse.

*Will I have to pay for this?! I just got that money…*

*Focus!* She used the chaos to put distance between them, weaving through the urban jungle like a ranger.

No good.

“Hit-and-run” was a joke—she was just a spinning top getting smacked around. Borel stopped dodging entirely once she realized Yukieda’s attacks were pathetic.

*How much longer until Mr. Kenji arrives? Is this really a “weakened” Witch?!*

*No—my mission is to stall her!*

A lapse. The whip shot forward—snatching her pistol.

*Can’t lose it!*

Yukieda grabbed the whip. Blades sprang from its surface. Even with magic shielding, her palm lost a chunk of flesh.

The pistol vanished into the dark.

After dismissal, magic weapons needed cooldown to resummon—a term Yukieda used, though she didn’t understand why.

*No weapon… Run? But the mission?!*

Borel grinned, mouth stretched wider than Kuchisake-onna’s.

“Say it: ‘My whole family are Thousand-Mile Horses!’”

“Your whole family are Thousand-Mile Horses…”

**THUD!** A kick sent Yukieda flying into a fire hydrant. Water geysered skyward.

Before she could react—another kick. She crashed into a piano shop. Keys clattered. Wood splintered.

Borel strolled in. Lights still on. Keys and shavings scattered everywhere.

Yukieda slumped against rubble, seemingly unconscious.

Bored now, Borel gathered lethal magic.

Then—Yukieda’s eyes snapped open. She pulled *another* pistol from the debris.

The shop’s light flickered.

*Her weapon?!*

*Not the same one… She had a spare!*

Massive magic swirled at the barrel. *She’s been playing dead this whole time!*

At this range—no dodging. That much power would pierce any defense.

For a split second, shock flashed across Borel’s face.

Yukieda’s lips curled into uncontainable triumph. This was the plan she’d forged through pain and patience.

She’d only been waiting.

And now—the moment had come.

One shot. Blast Borel’s head clean off.

“Taste this—the White Murky Torrent Liquid Cannon! Saved up for a whole month!”

But in the heartbeat before the White Scorch Cannon fired…

Yukieda saw it.

Past the flicker of shock—pure, unshaken disdain.