This was a problem.

That’s what the white-haired girl on the left thought as she glanced over at Ms. Blank Stare. The two of them had been sitting on the bench for several hours, looking dazedly around at their surroundings. A light snow had begun to fall from the sky, bringing to life a city celebrating the holiday season. It also brought the temperature lower. Ms. Blank Stare sneezed and rubbed her nose, looking somewhat pitiful.

“Here.” The blonde-haired girl turned to see her benchmate offering a scarf. As she bundled up in the warm fabric, the other girl began to speak. “What are you doing here?”

“Lost.”

“Oh. Me too.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Sorata isn’t here.”

“Who?”

“My…” She paused, and then for lack of better words continued, “My slave.”

“Oh, wow.” The other girl seemed quite impressed. “We only have servants at my place...though they are homunculi. They said I needed to be at the hotel by noon. Where’s that?”

“I dunno. Ask Sorata.”

“But you said…”

And then it dawned on her that without these people looking after their every practical need, they were completely and utterly doomed.

This was a problem.

Standing at the top of ISML are two of the shortest contestants that ISML has ever seen.

“Hey, don’t call us short!”

On the left, we have The Flame Haze, Shana!

“What do you want?”

She’s got a fiery personality to match her red-hot sword skills.

“Shut up! Urusai! Baka!”

On the right, we have the magus, Illyasviel von Einzbern!

“Can we do something about this narrator?”

Considered the ultimate homunculus, her magical potential is without peer.

“You know, that’s a touchy subject for me.”

On the surface, both girls have many similar characteristics.

“We do?”

Both of them look and act immature for their age.

“WHAT!?”

Despite being a Flame Haze and practically immortal, Shana still retains the appearance and personality of when she made the contract at age 12.

“You idiot! Imbecile! Pervert!”

In a similar way, Illya’s homunculus body develops slowly to the point of never reaching puberty.

“Like I said, that subject is- hey! W-why are you talking about something like that, you pervert!”

Both of them can use magic and are skilled in both combat and warfare.

“Pervert!”

And they both have complicated backstories that bring them to where they are today.

“C-complicated!?!? MY FATHER ABANDONED ME AND MY MOM-“

However, they each truly shine in their own unique way.

“Now what?!”

Shana keeps a tough exterior, but her kindness in reaching out to others is very warm and sweet.

“E-eh?”

She’s awkward at times, but extremely earnest, and those feelings are enough to melt the coldest of hearts.

“B-baka, sweet talk is going to get you nowhere! Hmph!”

Illya’s motives are not always as pure, and she struggles with loneliness and the weight of her family’s name.

“I feel like you’re insinuating something…”

But like her mother, Illya has an innocent kindness and positive attitude that fits her playfulness and cheer.

“W-what? That came out of nowhere…”

It might take a while before they show their true nature…

“Obviously! We wouldn’t be friends with total strangers or anything.”

…but don’t worry, both have lots of source material.

“Hey! Keep the meta comments out of this!”

Their merits have carried them far, and now they are at the top.

“Well, it’s finally come to this, I suppose.”

Soon, there will only be one remaining standing.

“Unfortunately. I think we both deserve something to have come this far.”

Who will be the 2016 ISML Champion?

“Please vote for us!”

“Ah…umm, is this thing on?

…

…oh, it’s already recording? Ah, haha. Awkward. I never got good at using these tape things…

…ahem.

Hello, Oreki-san. This is Chitanda. I hope this reaches you well. We haven’t really talked that much since you left the Classic Literature club and…the incident. It’s been a while. How are you doing? Are you still getting involved in all sorts of mysteries? I’m curious…ahaha, I can’t get over my old habits.

Things have been going well for us. I don’t know if you’re still aware of current club activities, but Satoshi and Mayaka are still around. We mostly hang around and talk about random, interesting topics. Satoshi is in charge of writing this year’s anthology. He knows so much stuff! It’s impressive.

We’ve also been keeping up with what’s happening with you. Even though you haven’t talked to us much, haha. It wasn’t hard, actually, considering that you and Mio are well-known now. Nobody ever thought you would start dating a member of the light music club! You should’ve seen the look on Satoshi’s face when you were on your dates.

And of course, the accident was all over the news.

It must have been really hard for the two of you; especially Mio, not being able to play the bass. I think I can somewhat relate to the feeling of not being able to do something you love. I know it must be hard to support Mio during this time, to be by her side. When we went to visit her, I could see the pain in her eyes, the lines on her face where many tears have flowed. Her voice sounded empty and defeated, not the same shining singer she was before.

But-! I know she’s not the type to give up like that. I know that inside she’s a fighter and that her wings aren’t that easily clipped. I know that it would only take a little push to get her back to being the same kind and warm Mio we knew before, the one that writes dreamy lyrics about love and friendship. I know that because she’s the girl you fell in love with. And knowing you, you’re probably incredibly picky with your women.

Hopefully you don’t forget that. I hope you didn’t! But lately, you’ve come to school with such a dark demeanor. You’ve seemed listless, more than before, if that’s even possible. And though I have high expectations of you, I need to remember that you’re just as human as all of us. You can lose hope too, and be discouraged, and want to give up.

But I’m not letting you! This is the time that Mio needs you the most and you have to do everything you can to be by her side. Even if she pushes you away, even if it’s painful and unbearable, you have to do it for her. If she loses her way, you have to light it up. If she falls, you have to grab her. If she cries, you have to wipe her tears. That is devotion. She deserves that much. You deserve that much. Because I know that this is what makes you, you.

The members of the light music club are also recording a message for Mio. We’re doing this because we want you two to know that you are not alone, that we care about you and want to support you. These are our feelings, our hopes and our wishes for the two of you.

These are Our Tapes.”