Masaki Hiramatsu

Trapped inside the witch's barrier with the vengeful Kanna, Umika and Kaoru struggle to protect Kazumi as their beloved friend slowly succumbs to her darkening soul gem. If the girls can rally, the witch's grief seed could be used to purify all of their gems, but even that would be only a temporary solution. Facing cruel fate and questions of her own identity, Kazumi will make the ultimate choice whether or not to join her friends in their vendetta against destiny in the final volume of The Innocent Malice

From the very start, it was Kazumi who drew the girls of the Pleiades Saints together. But no magical girl, however beloved by her friends, is exempt from the fate that awaits them all. Fearing that the evil nut may be accelerating Kazumi's transformation, the girls are divided - can the process be delayed, or should they take out Kazumi while they still can?

As her teammates look on in horror, Niko succumbs to the taint that has overwhelmed her soul gem and she transforms into a terrifying witch. But there is little time for the Pleiades Saints to grieve-this new witch has gone on the attack! Left with no alternative, Mirai strikes down her friend to save the rest of the girls. Is there any power that can save the Magical Girls from their fate?

Kidnapped and stuffed into a trunk by an unknown assailant, teenager Kazumi bursts forth from the confines of the case to discover that she has been stripped not only of her clothes, but also of the memories of her life before the kidnapping. When she is recovered by a pair of schoolgirls, she doesn't recognize them as her best friends and roommates, Umika and Kaoru. As Kazumi tries to settle back into her normal life, she quickly realizes that her former 'normal' was anything but!