Ko-chan’s Chronicles

Matsuko put me down on the couch and then moved to the center of the room.

"So.. The ribbons can drain, but they also purify. Then that means, the more ribbons you can keep under your control, the stronger you can become." Matsuko gripped her dress with, and with a single flame infused motion, ripped her dress clean off her body and tossed it aside. As it floated through the air, it was shredded by the flame magic and then incinerated, leaving nothing behind to land on the ground.

Hinari stood up. "You can't be meaning to..."

Matsuko had a bit of an insane look in her eye as she created a vacuum in the room. The piles of ribbons spread around all were sucked into the air by the whirling currents, and they formed into a small tornado around Matsuko. When they finally settled, they revealed Matsuko, now wearing an opera dress made entirely of black ribbons.

Hinari sighed and sat down, "Ugh, there is only one person she is pandering to right now." She looked over at me, but I was already starstruck and in a daze.

"Hmph. This much is about right." Matsuko looked around and smirked. "Well, you ladies look quite nice, don't you?"

Hinari quipped back, "Yes, of course, we all know you like looking at all your subordinates naked and bound but can we get to the point?"

Matsuko, who would normally retaliate for such a comment, simply laughed a little more. "No more time for games. I assume none of you are feeling happy after getting kidnapped, stomped into the ground, and tied into a ball of ribbons for a full day. How about we get back at Zetsuna?"

Naruyo chimed in, "Easy to say. Hard to accomplish."

Matsuko laughed. "Zetsuna gave us the perfect tools to assist our improvements. You girls will keep your ribbons on while you do new training. I heard the sequence of the battle from Ko-chan, and I think I see the main issue."

She started writing on the board in the room.

Matsuko: Flame Magic -> Power of Compulsion

Naruyo: Ice Magic -> Power of Time

Sakari: Desire Magic -> ???

Hinari: Spatial Magic -> ???

Kogamo: Thousand Restrictions Body (Several powers)

"The way I see it, you guys lost for two reasons. First, Zetsuna's ribbon collars drained your magic and recycled it into her own binding magic. Secondly, Hinari and Sakari, your magic was simply outclassed." Matsuko began her lecture.

Hinari's face crumpled. "She filled my entire inventory with ribbons. I had no chance to use any weapons."

Matsuko smiled, "Good. Then we should break your reliance on the crutch of inventory. We will have you learn to manipulate space itself."

Sakari frowned. "Then what about me? How should I evolve my magic?"

I spoke up this time. "Sakari-chan, wasn't the problem that your magic didn't work because it was a robot and didn't have a mind to distort? Why not just get a magic that can affect anything, even a robot?"

Sakari's face also crumpled. "Why not just? You say that like it's as easy as flipping the page in a book. How could it be that easy?"

Hinari laughed. "You never know, I think you should go along with it. You might be surprised."

Matsuko smiled. "You gathered so much energy while trapped in that ball of ribbons, but you need to find some way to make it useful. Why don't you get used to it for now, and once you can manipulate it, we can work more on it."

Naruyo spoke with clinical precision. "Power Sufficient. Distractions unacceptable. Training required."

Matsuko thought for a moment. "Why don't you try and find a countermeasure for her ribbon collars? We still have the three she used on you guys for testing."

Naruyo nodded. "Very well. Request accepted."

Matsuko looked at me. "As for Ko-chan, she has decided to try and gain a new power by overcoming the petsuit Zetsuna used on her. In the past, she's been able to spawn a new power just by being pushed to desperation. I plan to attempt the same method here, though I suspect it will involve a fair bit of suffering."

I nodded my head. "I'm ready for anything as long as you're here, My Lady."

She rubbed my head and smiled. "Well, we have our plan now. All we have left to do is execute."

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this? I just got you out of that nightmare and you want to go back?" Matsuko rubbed my head as she tried to convince me not to go through with it.

"...I have to. If I don't conquer this nightmare, it will always be there in the back of my mind, ready to lock me away whenever I slightly lose my path. I can't move on until I make it mine." I reiterated my determination.

Matsuko sighed. "You never cease to surprise me. What you just experienced would have broken anyone else. But here you are, ready to jump back in for a second shot."

"I need to be prepared. Last time, the second I lost our connection, I completely shut down. I can't go through life without ever taking a step on my own." I shivered, remembering my pathetic performance. She gave me a chance to fight, and I laid down and cried. Never again.

Matsuko turned serious. "If I can't change your mind, then let's go. I will bind you up in successive layers of bindings to restrict your body, and then, as the final step, I will isolate your mind. You will be cut off from everything. There's no way back at that point. Either you overcome your fears and breakthrough, or you live in purgatory forever."

I grit my teeth. "I understand. Please allow me to do this."

Matsuko stood up and placed me on the couch. "Very well. I am going to leave a layer of ribbons on your body. They will slowly refine your magic as you undergo training. Now let's get you ready for the first step."

She started peeling the last layers of ribbon from my body one by one. Finally, after a few minutes, my limbs were free to move again, but not for long. Leaving a a pair of ribbon mittens and stockings on my limbs and a corset on my waist, she had me stand up in front of her.

Matsuko opened a box, and inside, on a layer of padding, were a pair of mittens and boots with straps on them.

She took them out of the box and placed a boot on the couch next to her. "This is the first step. When I heard your idea, I asked for a favor from the ancestor, and she allowed me to make an emergency request from our artisans. These are made of Glacial Flamesilk, so you won't be able to escape them easily."

I nodded, thinking that old granny sounded strict, but was actually quite kind in the end. I sat down and allowed Matsuko to lace up one boot, then the other.

Next, she held out one of the mittens and I pushed my hand into it. The feeling of the mitten sliding over the ribbons gave me a little shiver. After more lacing, she buckled the cuffs shut on my wrists and shoulders.

"The ribbons will drain your magic and purify it, while the Glacial Flamesilk will force it to diffuse back into your body. Even if you don't manually retrieve your magic, it will continue to cycle without your interference. This would be an ideal training mechanism, if only it wasn't so rare and expensive. We have nowhere near enough to fit every guard and soldier with Flamesilk equipment." Matsuko explained her methodology, and, I think, just wanted to show off how expensive her gift was.

Once the mittens and boots were buckled and locked, she folded one arm against my shoulder and slid a strap through little loops built into the mitten and wrapped it around my arm. Once it was buckled, I found I could no longer unfold my arm, just like how it was before. A second strap was fed through more loops near my elbow, tightening the effect.

She finished the second mitten and rubbed my head. "How are you doing so far? Shall we continue?"

I smiled back at her. "Even my normal tutu is more restrictive than this. Let's quickly continue."

Matsuko sat down on the couch. "Ok then, lay down on my lap." She patted her lap invitingly.

"...If that's what you want, I won't complain." I wasn't quite sure what she wanted, but I was happy to comply.

After I laid on her lap, she shoved me to the side, so my legs were in the middle of her lap. Then she pulled my left ankle up to my thigh and started threading more straps around them through loops in the boot.

Matsuko methodically strapped three straps around each leg, leaving them unable to straighten out. "Alright, Ko-chan, you're all locked in. Why don't you get used to them for a while and come back later?"

I nodded. "I'll go visit the others for a bit." I waddled off awkwardly on my elbows and knees.