An actress in our midst! (web version)

‘A show of force’, he called it.

Not too bad as far as excuses went.

After all, the demon lord needed to get back on the puny humans for sending a spy to infiltrate the demon army in order to destroy them from the inside. And what better way to do that then to lead an attack on Earth himself, while bringing both of his remaining generals along with him?

Obviously, in reality, they just needed to get away from the castle to perform the ritual, and whether it happened on Earth or in the demon realm didn’t really matter. So, Earth it was.

Jessica shivered as Salem brought her, Cody, and the magical girls out of her dimensional pocket for the second time today.

Honestly, that sensation of being stuck in a spaceless void would never stop being unpleasant. And unlike the others, Jessica couldn’t even use magic to get out on her own just in case something happened. The feeling of helplessness wasn’t pleasant in the slightest.

When she recovered and looked around the familiar clubroom, she couldn’t help but bury her face in her hands and groan out, “Why are you all still here?!”

The drama club members in question at least had the decency to look sheepish. Well, some of them, anyway.

“No way we were going to just go home when shit is going down!” Rick announced with conviction.

Jessica couldn’t help but stare at him in exasperation… before noticing that the entire squad of police officers from before were present as well.

She grunted and shook her head.

“You know what? Sure. Doesn’t really matter. Let’s just get this over with so I can go to sleep. This day has been long enough already.”

She then turned around and found the magical girls as well as her black ops team staring at… a tall handsome man with long blond hair and a sharp chiseled face standing awkwardly to the side.

Who the heck was…

Wait.

“Baugh…?”

He turned to her.

“Yes?” Baugh’s unmuffled voice came out of the handsome man’s mouth.

Jessica stared.

This was the first time she had seen him without his armor on, and he looked nothing like what Jessica had expected. Wasn’t he supposed to be a nerdy researcher? Why the heck was he so damn handsome? If Jessica wasn’t terminally gay, she might have been salivating right now. In fact, it almost looked like Spark and Cody might begin to just do that… 

Also, why had he taken off his armor now? Was it to blend in and enter the school naturally while just hiding his demonic features rather than having to conceal himself completely with magic?

She shook her head.

“Never mind. Let’s get this started.” She quickly glanced around and headed for the middle of the room before pushing the table out of the way.

“So, uh… what’s happening now? And who’s that guy?” Rick asked as he helped her with the table.

“Hmm? Oh, not much. I’m just sacrificing myself in a demonic ritual to achieve world peace. That guy is the demon lord,” Jessica casually replied, grinning to herself inside.

Hey, she was stressed and exhausted, and what better way to chill out than trolling someone?

“Wh–” Rick nearly choked.

Beautiful.

Although, now all the police officers were all alert, watching Baugh like a hawk. How annoying.

“Alright, put her here. This should be enough space,” Jessica motioned to the middle of the empty space after moving the table.

Hecate – also in a civilian human guise – obliged and brought Trish out of her pocket space and carefully laid her on the ground. It was kind of weird to think about, but she was actually using the same technique the magical girls used to bring out their weapons. Because Trish was a weapon, and Hecate was her wielder.

“Alright, next up…”  Jessica scrunched up her eyebrows, extended her arms in front of herself and seemed to focus very hard for a good few awkward moments… before the little magic she had flashed, opened a hole in space-time, and deposited her famous Tepes spear into her hands, startling the peanut gallery.

Her breathing became a little labored as she propped the blunt end of the spear against the ground and leaned on it. “Just barely… can still take it out, huh?”

Baugh frowned.

“We could have just lent you some magic for that…”

“It’s fine.” Jessica waved him off. “It’s actually better if I’m low on my own magic for the ritual.”

“So… how is this going to work?” Flame asked with clear trepidation in her voice. She really didn’t like the possibility of Jessica getting herself stuck in a coma, huh?

“Well, this–” Jessica held up her spear. “-- is my demon general weapon. And just like your magical girl weapons, it’s a little special and even has a name. The Conduit.” She put on a wry grin. “You see, it’s not actually a spear. Rather, it’s a spear-shaped magical super conduit.”

A realization seemed to dawn on the magical girls. They had seen her use it to drain magic from Forneus, after all.

“Well, it was meant to be a prototype for the fifth weapon at first, but it would have been too dangerous, so I settled for a bastardized version of the fifth weapon’s draining aspect.” She smirked as she knelt down and gently placed the conduit against Trish’s chest. “Pretty ironic that it will help me become the fifth weapon in the end.”

She poked and prodded the magic within Trish using The Conduit’s effect for some last minute examination before looking up again.

“Anyway, since I don’t know which of my theories are correct, I’m gonna need the fifth weapon–” She gestured at Trish. “-- and the previous wielders –” She glanced at Baugh and Hecate. “-- to be near so that I can pull everything into myself. And then I’ll need the current four magical girls –” She looked up and locked eyes with Flame. “-- to surround me with their magic. Just in case I can do something to stabilize everything right after the transfer and before I fall asleep.”

“You don’t seem very sure…” Frost commented.

Jessica shrugged. “I’m not. All I’m certain about is that there won’t be another world-ending catastrophe. But… Well, I don’t expect to wake up again… or at least, for a good while.”

There was a moment of silence as the peanut gallery shifted uncomfortably, the reality of what was going to happen beginning to sink in.

“J… Jessica…” came the whimpering voice of Flame. She looked to be on the verge of tears.

It almost made Jessica want to stop this. To nope out of this. To back out at the last second.

But she couldn’t. She was in too deep at this point.

Jessica carefully laid the spear next to Trish, standing up from her position next to Trish.

“Hey…” she said, her voice soft… before she steeled herself and put some confidence into it. “Come on, Flame… Erika! It’s not like I’m gonna die!”

The two walked to each other almost as if pulled together with an unseen force.

“You’re gonna… go into a coma though… for who knows how long… Maybe forever…” Flame’s weak voice replied, sounding pathetic.

The two stood facing each other, a moment passing as they looked at each other, before moving closer, Jessica wrapping her arms around Flame and pulling her into a hug.

The moment she did, Flame broke out into sobs… and even transformed back into Erika. Jessica kept her expression calm and smiling… even as tears flowed down her face as well.

Damn. Even she couldn’t act through this.

“It’s… going to be fine,” Jessica argued, not believing her own words. Erika just kept sobbing.

Once again, she wanted to call this whole thing off. But this time, not because of herself, but because of Erika.

She gave up on acting at this point and broke into sobs as well as her expression distorted.

“I love you… Erika,” Jessica murmured. “I love you both as Erika and Pretty Flame…”

There was a pause as both of them sobbed…

“I love you too…” Erika finally replied.

It made Jessica’s eyes go wide.

That was the first time that Erika had ever responded to her confession. Why now? Because she’d stopped acting? Because she was going away?

It didn’t matter.

After all these years of being just friends, Jessica finally got her response… But part of her was afraid. What if she was only saying that because of what was about to happen? What if she didn’t mean it?

“Really…?” she whispered.

“... yeah,” Erika replied.

It was sincere. Jessica could tell.

She couldn’t help but bark out a self-deprecating laugh.

“W-what?” Erika shakily asked.

“Nothing, it’s just… Wow.” She kept chuckling through the tears. “I finally get my answer… right before going for a self-sacrificial play.” She shook her head, still perched on Erika’s shoulder in a hug. “Did my unparalleled bravery finally make you fall in love with me?”

Erika didn’t laugh, just kept sniffing through the tears.

“I… no. I think I loved you all along,” she admitted. And that admission sent the butterflies in Jessica’s stomach on a rampage. “I just… I didn’t think you were ever serious. I thought you were just… making fun of me.”

Oof.

Now Jessica felt like an asshole.

“I… uh…” Jessica stumbled over her words for a moment. “I think I was at first but… at some point, it became genuine… so… yeah…”

“I see… You… You…” Erika sniffed once more, before suddenly breaking out of the hug and pushing Jessica back with both hands. “You stupid jerk! Why are you always like this?!”

“Eh…?” Jessica was suddenly stunned.

“Why did it have to take what’s basically a suicide mission for you to start getting serious?!” Erika shouted at her, completely breaking her usual kind and patient demeanor. “Do you ever think about other people’s feelings?! You’ve been playing with mine for years now!”

“I… Uh… That… err…” Jessica was at a loss for words, mouth agape in shock.

Before she could restart her brain and think of a response, Erika caught her in another hug. Jessica froze against Erika’s sagging body.

Her voice cooled down to a calm but emotionally wrecked tone. “We’re getting you back no matter what… Just so that I can shout at you later.” She sniffed. “You hear me?”

Jessica let out a pathetic laugh before returning the hug again. “Of course… I’m looking forward to my punishment…”

Erika snorted. Actually snorted.

If it was anyone else, Jessica might have said something witty, but with Erika? She kept her mouth shut.

After what felt like both an eternity and no time at all, the two separated from the hug but continued to hold each other as they looked into each other's eyes.

Then, as if by mutual agreement, they both leaned in closer… and placed their lips on each other’s.

There might have been cheers or gasps of surprise in the background. Neither one of them could hear it as they savored their first kiss.

It was sweet, it was euphoric, it made the world spin around them.

Right then and there, Jessica thought everything was worth it. Infiltrating the demons, risking her life, pretending to be enemies, getting Nomed ripped away from her, nearly getting killed by Salem, and now sacrificing herself for the greater good?

This one kiss made everything worth it.

After an eternal moment of bliss, the two finally separated, and looked into each other's eyes as their faces grew warm. They said nothing but communicated everything. Neither one of them wanted to let go, but they both knew they couldn’t stall any longer.

Both of them nodded. One sad, the other determined.

Time to do it then.

Jessica turned around and walked back to Trish, remembered that there were people around them, and swiftly wiped her tears. But her face only grew hotter, the traitor.

Frost and Bloom were smiling warmly at them… while holding hands. All the black ops were also smiling… except for Olivia. Her, Spark, and Cody were smirking in a way that promised future teasing. Meanwhile, Hecate had stars in her eyes, and Baugh looked… jealous? And Rick…

“Aww man… If only we could have that in the play.”

“Shut up, Rick,” Jessica said as she knelt by Trish again.

She closed her eyes and took one last deep breath before letting it out again.

“Let’s begin.”