Bavitz

Her blouse was decorated with frills. Over it, she wore a jacket the color of fresh green grass with a rose design. An amber collar pin held it in the front. Her translucent-white thighs were boldly exposed, her legs lithe and slender, while multicolored roses bloomed in the vines that wound around all over her soft-looking, artlessly tied golden hair. The bloom at one of her shoulders was particularly large, a red-purple rose as big as a baby's head. Her facial features were flawless, and her eyes were bright red. In the darkness, the only light came from Chika's flashlight, and yet even though the woman's face wasn't well illuminated, her beauty had been visible.

Most of all, those ears. Just like the forest people, the elves in the fantasy novels that Chika had once read, the pointed tips were poking out of hair that failed to hide them.

"Good evening." Her voice sounded so pleasant in Chika's ears. It was an ordinary greeting, but it twined about her body and soul. "I am the Musician of the Forest, Cran

Bavitz

Cranberry's courteous behavior remained unaffected. Her aura hadn't changed, either.

Slowly, she took a step forward.

She was in range. The moment Winterprison realized this, Cranberry unleashed a lightning-fast high kick. Winterprison managed to block with her left arm, but the blow was heavy, and her bones creaked. The tremendous force tousled her scarf.

—Volume 1, Page 76

Bavitz

Cranberry was stronger physically than the average magical girl, but didn't simply attack. She used martial arts. Beneath her movements flowed the confidence of a veteran. Without hesitation she had struck at the eye—and the brain right behind it. She was clearly aiming to kill.

—Volume 1, Page 76

Bavitz

Cranberry's fingers shot toward her opponent's face, causing Winterprison to use her magic—wall creation. The material of the walls changed depending on where she was, so in a quarry it was stone. Standing six feet high, three feet wide, and an inch thick, the monolith split the ground between them. Cranberry's assault, however, pierced through it easily and turned it to rubble, forcing Winterprison to roll on the ground to dodge.

—Volume 1, Page 76

Bavitz

She [Winterprison] needed to widen the gap between them and get Sister Nana away from the enemy. With those two goals in mind, Winterprison retreated a step. The quarry was littered with obstacles, forcing her to pay attention for even simple movements, but Cranberry didn't seem to watch her step at all as she approached. She took no offensive stance. She simply smiled.

She demolished, obliterated, and even scaled wall after wall. As barriers, Winterprison's stone defenses were utterly useless, couldn't even slow her down.

—Volume 1, Page 76-77

Bavitz

As barriers, Winterprison's stone defenses were utterly useless, couldn't even slow her down. They weren't weak, either, because they were reinforced with magic. Stone or not, they should have been stronger than steel, but before Cranberry's unnatural strength they were no better than wood fences.

—Volume 1, Page 77

Bavitz

Predicting an attack, Winterprison took another half step back. But the attack she expected never came. Cranberry stepped forward, closing the vast gap. Winterprison blocked the low kick with her shin and felt a dull pain—her attacker's pointed toes drove straight into her.

From low, Cranberry went high. The arc of her kick aimed at Winterprison's head turned, slipped through her guard, and found purchase in her rib cage. The blow was powerful enough to knock the wind out of her rib cage.

And she didn't stop. From middle to high, Cranberry's toes struck at Winterprison's temple. Staggered as she was, Winterprison couldn't fully avoid the attack. It sliced her cheek open, sent blood and flesh flying, broke her cheekbone, shattered her teeth. She could hear the damage directly in her eardrums. Slamming her foot down, Winterprison barely stayed standing.

—Volume 1, Page 77

Bavitz

Then she [Winterprison] felt a new energy in the pit of her stomach. It was magic. Not her original power, though—Sister Nana was giving her strength. Now she could fight back.

By the time Winterprison was internally ready to counterattack, Cranberry's leg was already in front of her face. She tightly wound her scarf around it before the other girl could react. While symbolic, the garment was no mere decoration. It was a weapon. Like lightning, she yanked back with all her weight to snag Cranberry's leg. Focusing entirely on her hands, gripping hard enough to break bone, she swung up and then down, and Cranberry hurtled toward a wall she'd just created. Unable to break the fall, her head crashed against the stone and sprayed blood everywhere.

The girl's body bounced and rolled along the gravel, and Winterprison gave chase. She flung up a barricade to cut off any escape route and stop her in her tracks, then grabbed her. She tumbled with her in a tangle of limbs, clutched Cranberry by the arms, pinned her le

Bavitz

"Winterprison! Behind you!" she [Winterprison] heard Sister Nana cry out. She whirled around, but there was nothing there—only Sister Nana, looking dumbfounded. A heavy blow struck the back of her head and sent her flying from her seat on top of Cranberry. Winterprison grasped at the gravel with her fingertips to slow herself, then balled her hand into a fist as she kneeled.

She'd reacted instinctively to Sister Nana's voice behind her, but there had been nothing. All she'd done was give Cranberry a giant opening. There was no way Sister Nana had tried to distract her on purpose, and her confusion suggested she hadn't even done the screaming in the first place.

Cranberry's magic, then?

Within her blurry vision, she could see Cranberry trying to stand.

—Volume 1, Page 78

Bavitz

Cranberry knew Mount Takanami like the back of her hand. Not to mention her five senses, especially her hearing, far exceeded mortal limits.

—Volume 1, Page 79