One night, while out as Swim Swim, she passed by a house with the curtains open on the window. It was only a passing glance, but she could see the person inside sleeping. That sight filled her with disdain. Not for the person inside who was sleeping, but for the fact she couldnât bring herself to do such a thing if she tried. Swim Swim didnât need sleep; she wouldnât care one if it wasnât for the fact it was a weakness of hers.Â
 Magical Girls normally didnât need to sleep, but being so young meant Ayana still had the occasional nap. After a while she made a habit to transform in and out just to get rid of that feeling of sleepiness. She didnât want to admit it, but her dreams scared her now. She didnât like being scared of something so trivial. She didnât like being scared at all.
 Ever since that fateful night, Ayana Sakanagi had been having nightmares. Bright, painful flashes, a dull pain in her chest, loud noises with explosive verberations, beeping from heartbeat monitors, being questioned by police⌠Those were the usual ones, ones that woke her up with a start, covered in sweat. Other times, she had more elaborate dreams, such as ones where sheâd be in school or some other public place and attacked by an unknown assailant, unable to transform⌠It was almost too familiar.Â
  While she was getting over that, Swim Swim felt a brief vibration from her magical phone. She checked it to find a text from the last person sheâd ever expect. Ripple, the same magical girl who somehow found and exploited another of her weaknesses, and she clearly had a significant advantage over Swim Swim when it came to speed and reflexes. Not to mention, she almost certainly knew Swim Swimâs identity as a human tooâŚÂ
  Swim Swim didnât like Ripple. Ripple was a strong foe, one that Swim Swim still believed she should take down, but she felt that would be nearly impossible. At least, if she tried on her own, but there was no-one whoâd work with her, not even others in the Land of Magic after hearing about what sheâd done. Swim Swim had felt apprehension before, but this made her feel almost helpless. Just like she was in her dreamsâŚ
  âŚSwim Swim felt a surge of emotions, but her expression was as neutral as ever as she stared at the text. It was an invitation, with the destination being Takashimadai Dam. Swim Swim quickly checked the date and time to make sure she wasnât mistaking it for an older message. No, this was just sent minutes ago. Swim Swim didnât reply. Despite the horrid emotions she was feeling, she felt the best thing for a leader to do would be to face it with courage, not avoid it out of fear. That choice made her feel a bit better about herself.Â
  She arrived at the dam several minutes later. Snow White had taken possession of Ruler, her halberd, after the events of the game, but it wasnât hard for Swim Swim to convince her to give it back. Swim Swim stood on the end of the dam, staring at Ripple, waiting for the first action. She wasnât sure if this was going to be a fight again or something else, but she wasnât saying a word either way. The only expression she showed was a curious tilt of her head.Â
