Madoka Magica: Interloper

by Gcout

Summary:

Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you. They can't do it alone. A sequel to Madoka Magica: Broken Illusion.

Chapter 1: 01- Return

Patrolling around was weird. Most of the time she got nothing, or at most, a small, faint signal that made her go nowhere before it disappeared. Afterall, Mitakihara was a big city.

But witches tend to congregate in places. To always hang around and cause despair in certain areas. She didn't believe much in the notion of haunted places before, but hunting witches for a long enough time made her slowly change her mind.

The road junction on the industrial district that was famous for car accidents, the bridge in the shopping district that was a famous suicide spot, the building close to the old train station that was famous for disappearances.

Finding a witch around these places was lucky. Two times was a coincidence. Now, three times? Four, even?

Yeah, she might be dumb! She might not be the sharpest tool in the shed! But it was obvious!

She discovered it! And then she shared it!

Mami knew that already.

…

Well, no, not exactly, Mami was really surprised when she pointed it out, but as the blonde caretaker thought about her past experiences, she ended up agreeing with her, especially since Mami already did something like it, accidentally!

Subconsciously, even! Mami was still Mami and Mami would never not tell her something like that! She was still an ally of justice! One of the most pure and admirable magical girls.

A shame they didn't talk much, not as before.

…

It was just… really awkward. Especially after that day, the day they won. Where they all defeated the Stagecraft witch after so much struggle. A day that should've ended in victory, but ended up in… that… yeah, that…

And what follows…

She hoped it would get better eventually, but it didn't. It was just… so awkward. The times, the few times she managed to talk with Mami were so awkward, it didn't matter if they stumbled upon each other during patrol or at school, it really wasn't the same as before.

And then there was what happened two weeks ago, on the rooftop where… that happened. The weird talk that resonates with her in a way she didn't want to think, the weird grief seed, what… what Madoka told them all.

It confused her. It baffled her. It didn't make any sense to her, to Mami, to Madoka! It shouldn't have made any sense! And it didn't!

Still, it happened.

And now, even Madoka was weird around her.

It normally was the contrary for them both, she was the weirdo who needed help, the dumb girl who almost threw her life away… but for a week Madoka was so… so weird, as if she was another person. She acted so… not like her, but as like her, it was weird. And as rapidly as she noticed it, it changed. After a single weekend, it all changed!

Not back to normal! No! It somehow became even weirder!

How? Why? And especially, why hadn't Madoka told her what happened? What happened in a single weekend that changed so much! They were best friends!?

Why she didn't tell her what happened with her, what happened with that cheerful girl that made it so that she looked so weird, so downturn, so awkward, so sad! This wasn’t the Madoka she knew, the one she was used to!

What happened? Why did she know nothing? She was still her friend! So why?

Why?

…

……

She really misses Kyoko… She… She would've done something and…

WITCH!

SHE KNEW THAT THERE WAS ONE HANGING AROUND! HER WALK AROUND THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT WASN'T A WASTE OF TIME!

IT'S SHOWTIME!

As an ally of justice, she promptly transforms, her outfit, her swords, even her mildly darkened soul gem. It was normal and what she was used to, it made her feel good. She promptly moves on to engage the witch as it runs away, its labyrinth slowly forming.

It might run, it might hide, but it couldn't escape from her, an ally of justice, a magical girl!

Sayaka Miki!

 

It didn't drop a grief seed.

Ok that it wasn't a particularly strong witch and that she had no trouble taking it out.

But it didn't drop a grief seed.

She really wasn't bothered about it! That witch could have killed or hurt a lot of people if it wasn't stopped! It was good that she managed to find it and took it out! It was her job as a magical girl!

As was her job getting grief seeds.

…

Sayaka sighs, groans and stretches out her arms as she makes her way out of the industrial district, her steps echoing throughout the quiet roads.

She was tired.

She still remembers Mami telling her how tiresome being a magical girl was, how boring it was to randomly walk around the city, chasing flickers of magic, how much time they had to spend doing magical girl stuff.

She didn't tell her how hard it was hunting for grief seeds.

…

N-not that her soul gem was particularly cloudy or darkened. She had it worse, waaayyy worse before. Way too much worse.

So the now solid outlier of blackness around her soul gem didn't bother her that much, she had worse.

Still…

…

*Grumbles*

“Damn, I'm hungry.” Sayaka says outloud, feeling a bit of surprise as she finally takes notice of it. It was now normal to her to not feel hunger when she was hunting witches. It helped her focus.

One of the few perks of being a zombie!

…

But what would she eat? There was nothing in the industrial district and she was already walking towards her usual bus stop. Maybe she could go to the mall? Or that restaurant close by her apartment?

But with what money? Her parents haven't sent her allowance yet! Did she needed to remind them again?

Ugh! This suck!

At least she was now close by to the bus stop, one that wasn't actually empty! It looked like a cute girl wearing a white dress was waiting on it!

She had no problem being alone, she was already fairly used to it, but, after a day like this she was happy to…

She was…

She…

…

COME ON!

“W-what are you doing here?!?!”

“Waiting.”

Sayaka groans and stares daggers at the weird girl who transferred to her school so long ago. A girl who gave her a fairly unamused look as she continues to sit on the bus stop.

“Were you hunting witches, huh?”

“Yes.” The weird girl answers as if it was obvious.

W-which might be, considering they were on a Saturday, b-but!

“So, did you find some?”

“...No. Did you?”

Sayaka blinks. There was no provocation on that voice, that weird girl was simply asking her a question.

What.

“Errr… Yes, I found one. No grief seed, though.” She was quick to add, far too quickly.

Still the black haired weirdo nods.

“Grief seeds are becoming strangely rare lately.”

The blue haired justicier almost snorts.

“Lately? They have been rare even since that day! And witches too, didn't you notice it?”

“... I did.”

…

W-what? That weirdo seems… troubled? Huh? She doesn't look much, but Sayaka could see the clear signs of worry, the signs Mami held when they spoke about it, the signs she probably had when they spoke about it. Signs that were small, but fairly obvious on that weirdo's face.

Huh? How!?

…

Sayaka can't begin to describe how weird the atmosphere between them turned, with the weird girl rapidly turning her purple eyes back to the street rather than facing her. She almost did the same. The atmosphere between them wasn't of hostility, of annoyance, of troubling.

No. It was weird, just that. A fairly similar weird that she was experiencing with Madoka this last week!

This didn't make any sense!

…

“...”

“...”

…

“So… how's school?”

The weird girl who was literally her classmate stops and stares at her with honest confusion on her gaze.

“It's school.” Homura who obviously didn't know how to even answer that, answers.

…

What a tiresome, frustrating, weird day. How could it get worse?

No, really. How?

HOW?

“Sayaka Miki, Homura Akemi, hello there.”

…

……

*Swoosh!*

*Click!*

It was impossible for Sayaka to say who transformed faster and who pointed her weapon faster towards that deceiver, but this time, she doesn't care.

Because standing right in front of the entry to the bus stop, arriving without a sound, without a presence, evading completely their senses, was a small, white, red-eyed cat like thing.

An alien.

An incubator.

“Kyubey.” She spats its name.

“Hello.” It answers back, not with its mouth, but in their heads. Its tone was the uncanny neutral they both were used to.

It was back.

After months of complete and utter silence, of complete disappearance, it was back.

…

……

Now… Now what?

“W-what are you doing here?” Her words were a lot more shaky than she intended but… how else could she react? She didn't prepare herself for it! So much happened she forgot that the deceiving alien even left!

If she even put it on a calendar, she had more time spent as a magical girl away from Kyubey rather than around it!

“I returned to fulfill my duty as an incubator, the same way you were fulfilling your duties as magical girls.” The alien cat declares in its neutral tone, as if it was speaking about the weather.

…

“Really?” Sayaka was beyond speechless.

How… how dare it! How…

“Yes, I know you all have been collecting grief seeds and that they are piling up, threatening to burst at any moment, and I am here to pick them up.”

…

The blue haired justicier slowly rests her sword, her hands trembling with anger and indignation. It was correct. It was objectively correct. She may have accused Mami that one day, but she had a lot of grief seeds in her apartment, they were piling up, they were shaking at times, she can even hear what she swears are screams from some of them at night.

She wanted them gone.

“Why now?”

For the first time in months, Sayaka hears the old Homura.

Her face had the same, sharp edge of before, her eyes had that weird, hypnotic but almost fanatic look of focus from before, her entire posture changed to what it should be, the girl instantly transformed from that weird girl to the girl who made, against all the possible odds, they win.

“Why not now, Homura Akemi?” The creature counterpoints.

*Click!*

The answer was Homura loading up a bullet on her gun's chamber.

“We returned when we had to return, Homura Akemi.”

“And why did you have to return now?”

The alien creature wiggles its tail for a moment, looking to be in thought as it faces both girls with its uncaring red eyes.

“You know what is approaching, Homura Akemi.”

…

For a moment, for a single moment, Sayaka swears she sees not only surprise in Homura’s purple eyes, but confusion. Honest confusion, as if Homura was completely lost at the declaration.

Sayaka blinks. What was approaching? Besides their summer break, which was happily approaching… There was Marine day… hmmm… Mountain day… hmmmmmmmmm… Maybe Obon?

Errrr…

Hmmmm…

Besides Japanese holidays and important dates, what else was approaching?

It was still only the 2nd of July, so…

…

No.

It made no sense.

“4th of July?!?!?”

Homura blinks.

Kyubey blinks.

Sayaka didn't know either of them could do that.

Before she can react to the absurdity that escaped her own lips, a red car arrives and casually stops right in front of the bus stop, in a move that made Sayaka ask herself if it was legal or not, but was certainly questionable even if the road was empty.

An adult gets out of the car, a western man that looked fairly generic and quite normal, wearing just a simple shirt and what looked like jeans. An adult who promptly stares at them.

…

She would never get over how awkward it was, since even if she knew that while they were using magic they were functionally invisible to anyone that wasn't a magical girl or with the potential to be one, it didn't make her feel any less weirded out.

Especially as the man blinks multiple times.

“Homura?” He asks, looking straight into the weird girl.

As if he was staring at her.

…

…….

Wait…

No.

There 's no way.

…

Sayaka waves.

The man doesn't wave back, but his eyes follow the movement of her hands. Hands that he shouldn't have seen. Hands that end up falling down as she comprehends what just happened.

What? Huh? HUH?

This ought to not happen. She didn't know it could happen!

She looks at Homura, not sure of what she would do or react. Knowing her, there was a good chance she might shoot the guy.

She saw panic.

Legit. Actual. Real panic on those purple eyes.

The weird girl was paralyzed as if she was a deer suddenly facing a truck's headlights, her eyes wide and unfocused as the hand holding her gun was starting to tremble.

…

What was happening? J-just… what!

“...Fascinating.” Kyubey says, staring at Homura and at her with some amount of interest before turning towards the sudden arrival.

…

Sayaka would never forget the moment that its ruby eyes set upon the normal looking western man and the alien creature blinked. Kyubey was a creature of cold rationality, of manipulation and deception, an alien being who knows too much and says too little.

A creature that was now looking at the man the same way Sayaka would look at a physics equation.

It was confused. It was genuinely confused. She didn’t know it could be confused. By how Homura’s face contorts into a frown, she didn't know either. By how it blinks several times and its white fur rises up, the alien creature didn't know it could be confused.

…

The answer comes when Sayaka turns her blue eyes back to the man. A man who wasn't looking at her or at Homura anymore. But to the small, red-eyed white alien cat creature.

A creature he shouldn't see.

…

An alien who after a moment, speaks out loud without moving its mouth:

“What… What are you?”

Chapter 2: 02- Quid Pro Quo

“So, I suppose we can talk now?”

“Y-yeah, sure, humm, Mister.” The blue haired girl was still very awkward. Not only did they just meet in the most unexpected way possible, but he just paid for her food.

“I… Yes, we can.” The child wasn't capable of matching his gaze yet, focusing entirely on the food on her plate, her purple eyes still struggling to deal with the clean panic that took hold of them initially. She wasn't expecting that to happen.

“...” The thing doesn't answer, it still standing up on the blue haired girl's lap and gazing at him with clear interest and a bit of confusion.

…

*Sigh*

He takes a long drink of his coffee.

Oscar Penrose expected that something like that would happen, someday. Not only was it easier when he actually knew the truth, but his unusual circumstances made it so that he knew how to spot the signs of a cognito-aberration. So he knew something was off when he was approaching Homura’s usual pickup point.

How he managed to not be affected by it was another matter.

…

Still. He didn't expect it to happen a single week after that day. The day where he finally woke up.

…

Fuck.

“So… Magical girls… like those anime?”

Both girls tense up immediately, with the blue haired girl opening up a very tense, rigid smile while the child presses her lips and fixes some strands of her hair that didn't need fixing.

They, genuinely and obviously, didn't know what to say. So they don't.

Unfortunately, the thing does.

“While we aren't sure of what kind of media you are exactly referring to, the general archetype is correct.” It speaks without moving its mouth, its ruby red eyes staring right into him.

…

He never thought much about how Kyubey would actually look, but shockingly the description of “An alien white cat” was very precise. It was slightly bigger than a cat and its body had the general shape of a cat but the details were not a copy of a cat; its face was like of a cat but not exactly, maybe it was closer to other feline but he wasn't sure; And its body language was very similar to a cat, except that at times it didn't moved or acted like a cat; The only decisively not cat like trait the thing had was its eyes, which were utterly alien.

It wasn't like an aberration or even like a skin walker, it was alien.

Never in this life or in his last he saw something like it.

…

But, now mostly on this one, he knew exactly what the thing was trying to do.

“Oh, so you both dress up in cute clothing and go around beating up bad guys that want to take over the world?” His voice had the exact quantity of surprise and amusement to see that while he was entertaining the idea, he still found it absurd.

They all knew he saw them, but they didn't know how much he saw of them and, especially, how much he knew of them already, he had this advantage.

“Not exactly.” Homura answers with a frown on her face, she looks fairly troubled, still staring at her untouched food.

“It's… not that… errr… There are no bad guys that are guys.” Sayaka was visibly struggling, she was playing around with her fries.

“I see… it's like a monster of the week type of thing, like in cartoons?”

Oscar felt a pang in his heart as both girls shared a quick troubled look and both slowly nod. Maybe it was correct to call witches a type of “monster of the week” but it was cruel to think that being a “monster of the week” was the endpoint for them.

Ok, he had to dial back.

“You both use, like, magic?” The man who clearly saw both transforming from their magical girl forms back to their usual forms, asks the obvious in a fairly excited but still controlled tone. It being just enough to make him appear genuinely excited.

“Yes.” The child answers, looking a bit more relaxed.

“And you both use magic to fight and defeat monsters and protect innocent people?”

“Something like that.” The blue haired girl answers a bit cheekily, looking to finally be relaxing around him.

The car ride to the burger place was extremely awkward and tense, not the worst he even had, obviously, but too much for both girls.

“You look strangely accepting of their circumstances, especially considering they are young females that are put in dangerous circumstances fighting, as you said so, monsters.” The thing says, swishing its tail around Sayaka’s lap.

…

You little shit.

Oscar takes a drink of his coffee as the blue haired girl gives him a strange look and the child can finally stare at him. He stares back at her.

“Do you get hurt during your magical girl activities?”

“No.” She lies.

“Do it bring you pain or difficulties?”

“No.” She continues to lie.

“Do you enjoy being one?”

“...” She couldn't lie, her eyes going back to her food.

It was progress. Even since that day, there was a bit of progress.

“Homura, eat your food, you need it.” And so the child does it, she picks up her simple burger and starts to take small bites out of it.

Oscar turns his head back to the blue haired girl and the thing. The girl had her jaw slightly dropped, looking at him as if he was some kind of anomaly while the alien creature was staring at him as if he was some kind of fascinating physics equation.

It works for him.

“I'm from Kansas. Saw plenty of weird stuff growing up.” He says cheekily, making sure to let his accent slip up a bit.

“Who are you Mister?” Sayaka asks.

“I am Oscar Penrose, and you, miss?”

The girl who he gave a ride to and paid for her food, blinks and blushes a bit as she sees that she has to yet give her name to him.

“I am Sayaka Miki.”

He knew that already, from the moment he could see the blue hair and that cape, he knew who she was.

Although, now that he thinks about it, it was very surprising she was alive considering how constantly she dies on multiple timelines. Considering everything he ever watched and played, maybe she lives in a literal single handful of them. But if he counts if she survives or not Walpurgisnacht…

…

Once again, he is reminded that reality wasn't the anime, the games, manga or whatever else.

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Miki. Are you like a coworker of Homura?” The girl who was wearing long shorts and a simple yellow shirt hesitates for a moment.

“We are classmates.”

…

Huh.

He gives a short look towards Homura, who thankfully was still eating her food, but that doesn't react to these words.

Not friends, comrades, partners or even teammates. Classmates.

He already supposes that Madoka wasn't a magical girl, but maybe the Holy quintet never formed? If so, how the hell was Walpurgisnacht beaten?

“I thought that magical girls were always a team?”

The silence from the girls provides as many answers as it does questions.

“If they are magical girls, I suppose you are their… boss? Mascot?” He asks, turning around to the thing.

“Collaborator.”

…Not wrong.

“And you are?”

The alien creature swings its tail and steals a french fry from Sayaka, its eyes not leaving him for a single moment.

“Our name is not capable of being expressed in any human language, but you can refer to us as Incubator.”

…

It takes every ounce of his willpower to not blink at this. Both girls aren't capable of doing the same, with Sayaka blinking multiple times as if she was suddenly suckerpunched and Homura stopping mid-air with her food, the child becoming stunned by the abrupt revelation.

And the thing, it keeps staring at him.

…

He knew that that thing was dangerous.

But…

“Its nice to meet you, Incubator.”

That little shit.

 

*Swoosh!*

*Swoosh!*

“Finally, we are back.”

The child gives him a quick look before turning back towards the art installation turned house. Her eyes were hesitant.

Oscar locks his car and approaches Homura, carrying the extra portion of burgers and fries he bought. He stays right beside her until she has the courage to look at him.

“Won't you ask anything more?”

After that alien creature pulled that move that both impressed, frightened and confused him, neither he and the girls spoke much, focusing all on eating. They all ate fast.

And surprisingly the thing didn't bother them, it eventually disappeared when they were all distracted.

That little shit.

He ended up dropping Sayaka on the road of her home since while it wasn't either far or close to their house, it was just en route to it. The blue haired girl was very awkward due to everything, from their encounters to him paying for her food.

He had no strong opinions about Sayaka, her overall arc was cool and she was an interesting character, but she was very constrained, limited and her themes were repetitive. Less of a character problem and more of a writer problem.

Not that if fucking matters, since she was a 14 y.o child. Not a fucking character.

…

“If I ask, would you tell me more?” He asks Homura, the girl fiddling through her hair for a moment before nodding.

“I would.”

“But you would like to tell me more, right now?”

The child stares at the ground for a couple of moments and then shakes her head.

“No problem, tell me stuff as you feel comfortable, we have time.” He opens a small smile, his voice sounding more calm and comforting than he intended it to be.

The child stares at his hazel eyes with her purple eyes for some seconds before she nods, relieved.

This relief is cut short as she fixes a strand of her hair.

“Will you tell her?”

…

“Would you like me to tell her?”

“No.” The answer comes instantly.

“Then I will not tell her.”

There's the usual amount of quiet surprise that he saw a lot in this last week, the child quickly nodding, sighing and finally taking some steps forward towards the house.

She still let's him open the house but she only hesitates for a moment before entering, it was progress.

As expected, the art installation they dared to call a living room was empty. They have yet to make time to look for where the thermostat was.

Homura moves straight into her room, only stopping when he clears his throat. There's a mix of annoyance and hesitation but she follows him as he moves towards the kitchen.

He barely opens the door when the voice hits him.

“Please, Babe, tell me that you brought food!”

Nami doesn't even look at him, her eyes entirely focused on the laptop in front of her as loud mouse clicks echo through the kitchen, a couple of beers surrounding the table she appropriated to herself only added up to the situation.

She was just wearing a beige tank top and some shorts, he had an almost full view of her tattooed body, he barely managed to focus on any of them due to how much the woman was trembling and was clicking around.

“Of course we did.” Oscar says approaching the woman who, normally very ambiguous towards working from home on weekends, was clearly overwhelmed now.

“Thanks, if those old fuckers weren't already retired I would beg for someone to kill them.” The woman confesses as she picks up the paper bag and promptly stuffs her mouth with the french fries, she almost moans with pleasure.

“How far are you up too?”

“The urgent stuff? Half of it, more or less.” The woman who was responsible for checking and redesigning an entire marketing campaign and its core visual elements, says.

Which was a very hard thing to do, only that it was even worse since she was now the oldest and more experienced worker in her department. Junko's campaign to push away the old blood of the design department worked a bit too well, with them quitting before their replacements could be properly trained.

Something which while normally very bad, was almost disastrous considering that next week would be the general meeting of shareholders of the company and their branch needed to show all possible results.

He spends a bit of time watching as Nami alternates between stuffing her face with french fries and fixing the geometry of what seemed to be a TV directed ad. She was both quick, efficient and extremely messy.

…

“Here.”

Oscar blinks as Homura approaches him, two glasses of water on her hands, she gives one to him. He doesn't remember asking for water.

But he, in fact, was thirsty.

“Thanks, bedtime?” It was very far from her usual bedtime, but he could see visible tiredness on her face.

It was a very tiresome day.

She nods.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Homura.”

The child quickly, so quickly he only noticed because he was looking at her, gave the woman a look.

The exact same way the woman gave her a look when she left the kitchen.

…

“So? How was it today?” The woman asks the men who took the child to the hospital for her usual checkup.

“The same as always.” The man answers with a shrug, taking a drink of his water.

“When will they finally finish with that, it's been two months already!” Nami says, shaking her head and sighing as she starts to eat her burger, her bites being big and ferocious.

Oscar agrees with her even if he knew that she was asking for it for different reasons.

…

“Damn, this burger is so good… did she eat it?”

“She liked it.”

“Good.”

….

He sees that the woman wanted to ask more, but had no idea of what to do, so she quickly consumes the burger and finalizes fixing the TV ad.

“I am done for the day… bath?” Nami asks, stretching her body out in a very specific way as she looks at him.

…

Something changed after last week, between him and the child, between him and the woman, between the woman and the child. Something had to change.

They yet have to figure out what it was and what it was turning out to be.

…

But they had time.

“Sure.”

Chapter 3: 03- Indeterminacy

She wasn't a good dreamer. Most of the time she didn't remember her dreams or just remembered small snippets of them. Just enough for her to remember she dreamed but not enough to remember what it was.

Her only exception was that dream. The dream that wasn't a dream, that didn't become a dream, a dream that became reality. The dream where it all ends.

Oh not. Not exactly. In that dream, she failed and her… she… she did something.

That wasn't what happened.

*Knock! Knock! Knock!*

“Madoka! You have class!”

“Sis! Shool! Shool!”

*Knock! Knock! Knock!*

She was late to school, wasn't she? She woke up earlier than usual, before the sun even rose but… But she couldn't. She couldn't get up from her bed. She couldn't go back to sleep. She couldn't get ready for school. She couldn't even dream!

She couldn't!

*Knock! Knock! Knock!*

“Madoka!”

… But she had to.

She got up from her bed and made her way towards the door, struggling to open it for a second before she finally did it. She was promptly faced by a pair of worried eyes and another, smaller pair of confused eyes.

“Madoka! You… You need to get ready for school!” Her mom was both extremely annoyed and extremely worried, her face contorting until she had a troubled look on her face.

“Sis! Lazy! Sis! Lazy!” Meanwhile, Tatsuya was finding the situation both very confusing and very funny, the small boy laughing after finishing it.

It stung, it shouldn't, but it did. How bad of a sister she was to think her younger brother could be malicious like that?

It disgusts her. It made her nose hurt.

“I know, I will be quick.” She mutters, not managing to meet any of their gazes. She could see her mom pressing her lips and sighing before leaving, taking Tatsuya with her.

Madoka really was quick, she had to be. Showers were pleasurable things.

And they made her think. Think about herself. About her friends. About what happened. About what she had done. About what she hasn't done.

Her nose hurts. Even since that day, it didn't stop hurting. She thought it was due to the fall, with her parents even bringing her to the doctor to check on it. But there was nothing, there was nothing wrong with her.

Absolutely nothing wrong with her.

So why did it hurt?

…

……

She showered quickly. She dressed up quickly. She got ready quickly. She still arrived late to her family breakfast, with her mom already out of her chair and doing a last check on her makeup as she arrives.

“Ok, remember to eat correctly and to answers you tests calmly! You are almost at the end!” Her mom says in a hurried tone as she fixes her hair.

Oh, she still had some tests but it was ending. Summer break was almost upon them.

“Bye mom.” Madoka answers as she gets closer to the table.

Her mom raises her hand as she passes by, only to blink when she just stares at it for a moment.

…

Oh…

But before Madoka can correct her mistake, her mom drops her hand and puts it on her hair, petting it for a moment.

It was a headpat. It felt good.

“Have a nice day at school!” Her mom declares one last time before she proceeds to leave the house hurriedly, the professional woman having a very busy routine lately. One even busier than usual.

… It felt bad bothering her.

“Madoka! I already made your food! Got in the mood for it.” Her dad says as she sits down on her usual spot and finds her plate already full, already waiting for her.

According to the man himself he was in the mood all of these days, he was doing his best to not only do his normal amount of cooking, but to prepare her portions too. He knew that if he left it to her, she would not be eating her normal amount.

She wasn't that hungry lately, but had to forcefully push food into her mouth, she would not waste her dad's delicious food, one which he spent effort and time for, for her, when he really shouldn’t.

“Sis! Sis! Here! Here!” Tatsuya says, giving her an apple slice, Madoka accepts it with a small smile, especially as the young boy smiles widely at her.

“Tatsuya! You have to eat fruit too!” Their dad says in a partially annoyed and partially amused tone.

“Not apple! Banana! Banana!”

Madoka chuckles as Tatsuya protests, she spends her breakfast distracted by her father and her younger brother. She barely sees time passing or her having her food, she only registers it when her dad puts her bento in front of her and reminds her that she both shouldn't and couldn't be late due to her test.

She leaves the house in a more hurried way than usual, quickly making her way to the usual route she always takes to school. The one she always took with Sayaka and Hitomi.

They weren't there today.

…

She was really late, wasn't she? Not only that but there were tests and both had to study too, and they had their own lives and times, it was really a miracle that they managed to walk together to school everyday. Or almost everyday. Less days than she was willing to admit.

Enough for it to counts.

She thinks.

So Madoka, with a heavy and hurried breath, walks the path towards school, alone. The path was clean and empty as usual, but she could still notice some trees still missing their branches and others leaning a bit more than usual. Remains of Walpurgisnacht that never left, that were never fixed.

Her nose hurts. For some moments she forgot it hurts.

School was extremely busy, with groups of friends flipping through books and notebooks, speaking about the upcoming tests or those that already passed, a mix of worry and relief washing over everyone as the last few tests of the trimester arrived. As she walked to her classroom, she spotted Mami in her own classroom, politely speaking with some of her classmates.

She looked happy. Not content. Nor reserved. Not strained. Happy.

Genuinely happy.

It was the first time in months that Madoka saw Mami happy. It confused her. It was Monday. Their tests were ending, but Mami never looked happy with school before.

What happened?

She wanted to go and ask Mami, but… But after that day on the rooftop… no… after everything, even before Walpurgisnacht… No.

No. She would leave Mami alone, she was happy.

Her nose hurts.

…

As Madoka approaches her own classroom, she both consciously and subconsciously starts to slow down and hesitate, a part of her she didn't want to look at was hoping that today she would be lucky and that she wouldn't be the sole one late.

She wasn't. She was there, on one of the first desks, in a position where there was no escape, where she would need to pass by her if she wanted to go to her desk.

She looked to be distracted, staring at her notes with a fairly intense look. But she knows that the moment she stepped in, the moment she passed by, she would look at her. It would be for a single moment, their eyes would meet, less than a second.

Purple on pink. For a single instant.

Just like their lips.

…

They were warm. They tasted like the salt and butter of popcorn. They had the iron taste of blood. It was just a quick peck. It was quick.

It was far too quick.

…

But it happened. It was true. It was something that she had actually done. It may have been an accident. But she still did it.

She stole Homura’s first kiss. She robbed that beautiful girl of it. No matter what happened next, her protector would know that her first kiss was with her.

Not with someone important, nor with someone that mattered, nor even with someone who could do something with that beautiful girl besides being a bother, a nuisance, someone who needed to be protected and taken care of. Someone who could do something.

Not something that others told her, but something she wanted, something she could do herself.

Homura deserved someone real, not someone like her.

…

……

Her nose hurts so much.

…

Madoka blinks as she notices she was on her desk. Sayaka was beside her, on her own desk, her computer opened in what looked to be a physics lesson. It was filled with notes and scribbles. Sayaka was staring at her with a mix of apprehension and worry, the look Sayaka was always giving her lately.

Hitomi was there too, looking to be picking up some notes from her bag, but stopped to gaze upon her with a questioning look. In the background, Kyosuke was staring at them, obviously expecting Hitomi's return.

…She doesn't remember how she got there. Again. Part of her being worried and part was honestly relieved that this was happening lately.

“Hmmm, hi, Madoka.” Sayaka says in a weird tone, not staring at her face per se… but at her hair?

“We waited for you, but we thought…” Hitomi starts but doesn't continue, her eyes too focused on her hair too.

Madoka feels a mix of relief and shame with Hitomi's words. Of course they would have wasted some of their time waiting for her. They were good people, not like her.

“T-thanks! Left home a bit late today.” Madoka apologizes. The apology did not mean much considering she was now consistently leaving home late, some days more late than others as it was today. Her friends were so good for having this much patience with her.

“We see.” Hitomi says in a weird tone, rapidly receiving a look from Sayaka.

“Hey! But… Well, it looks cute! I almost forgot you looked like this last year!” The blue haired justicier says with a small smile.

“I agree, plus we all are already so busy with tests.” Hitomi says, nodding in support before quickly picking up her notes and going back to Kyosuke, giving them a wave as she leaves.

…

What?

Confused, Madoka pats her own hair, only remembering that her mom headpatted her earlier. She doesn't remember either doing anything on her hair, and…

And…

…

She didn't have her ribbons. Not her red ones. Not even the yellow ones she used that one day.

Her hair was loose.

Did she… Did she forget her ribbons?

Subconsciously, Madoka turns towards her front, her eyes gazing upon the beautiful girl's form and her back. She wasn't looking at her, her body was visibly tense but she was fully focused on her notes.

… Maybe she didn't notice it?

Her nose hurts.

…

“So, any news? Besides the hair?” Sayaka asks, eyes still upon her.

She doesn't know how to say to her that she forgot her ribbons.

“N-no. And you?”

Sayaka hesitates.

“Kinda… well… errr…”

The blue haired justicier sighs, rubs her hair and then gives, surprisingly, a look towards Homura.

Who was the same way as Madoka looked at her before. The exact same way, with the same pose and even at the same notes.

Maybe it was a difficult subject?

“I was patrolling on Saturday and stumbled upon the transfer student… and we… hmmmm…” Sayaka stops, looking very troubled for a moment as Madoka stares at her.

She knew that considering they both were magical girls they would stumble upon each other, they even told her that more than once but… But it hurts. Why did it hurt? She already knows! And she couldn't do anything about it!

It 's not like she…

“Kyubey returned.”

…

Before she can elaborate, before she can ask, before she can even react, the entire classroom is interrupted by the arrival of Sensei Saotome, their teacher arriving in a fairly hurried state, her arms full of papers.

“Students! Get ready! We will begin our first test soon! I am substituting Mr…”

As the entire classroom explodes around with movement, noise and desperation, Madoka tries to focus both on Sayaka and what she just said. The blue haired justicier was staring at her in a very careful way, her blue eyes looking fairly worried.

She… She knew that it made sense for Kyubey to eventually come back. She still doesn't know why he disappeared in the first place, but it made sense for him to come back.

But…

Why…

Why did she feel a warm sensation in her heart? Why did her nose stop hurting for a moment?

Why? Why she…

She…

…

She knew the truth, she saw Sayaka turning into a corpse, she held her cold body. She saw Sayaka almost turning into a witch. She saw how much they all fought, how much they all suffered, how much they continue to suffer, she saw it all.

But…

…

Was it worth it? Will it be worth it?

…

“That's nice.” It's the only thing she can say before she turns her head to the front, not looking more at Sayaka, not wanting to face her anymore, not now.

She knew what look she had. She knows what will happen if they exchange glances and Sayaka sees her eyes.

She wasn't a good liar. She didn't want to lie to her best friend.

…

As the rest of the students get into their desks and start to get ready to answer it, Sensei Saotome starts speaking about it and the general rules they all knew. Madoka doesn't get distracted by it.

But by Homura.

Who was the same way as Madoka looked at her before. The exact same way, with the same pose and even at the same notes. Again. She not moving a single inch.

She only moved when the teacher started to distribute the test and carefully called her out, Homura moving mechanically to pack her things, as if she was barely there.

And she… she just waited for her test to arrive.

“Oh! What a nice smile you have, Miss Kaname! I hope it stays for all the test!” The kind, small teacher says as she puts on her test in front of her, making Madoka blink.

She was smiling.

She didn't know she was smiling.

Chapter 4: 04- Break

It was a mess. A complete and utter mess. A mess that turned into a mass of people, a mass with almost no discerning beginning or ending. There was no order, there were no openings, just a mass of students of different ages and groups. All piling up to look at several sheets of paper hastily posted on a wall.

“Move! Just move! Are you… come on! Out!” A part of her, the part that was actively dealing and feeling her cutting up the mass of people, joining them to do the same as them, was begging her to transform into her magical girl forms and solve it.

How, she didn't know, but it was for sure better than now!

Why did her school decide to not only post all of their grades in just a single wall, but a particularly compact wall by the principal's office? Because it was already too much to post all of their grades in a single wall, but every grade, OF ALL CLASSES?

FROM THE SMALL KIDS TO HER UPPERCLASSMEN? ALL IN ONE PLACE,

A SINGLE PLACE.

REALLY?

WHY?

“MOVE! JUST MOVE!” She screamed, she moved forward, she elbowed, clawed, and possibly even kicked a kid, but Sayaka managed to move through the mass of students and approach the sheets of paper, where the mass was divided in blobs of different students who were desperately looking at the papers, looking for their names.

She couldn't see where her class was and the papers were not exactly in order, but she could see familiar parts of the blob, parts that were part of her classroom.

She saw the single girl in her class that didn't have a computer. She never remembers her name but she was very timid and was very good at sports, maybe she was a grant student? Sayaka didn't know but she saw the girl looking relieved at a list.

And close by her, looking at a list right beside it…

…

Seriously?

“How did you even get in here?!?” Sayaka questions the weirdo girl after making her way towards her.

On the contrary of herself, who was fairly beaten up by the crossing, she looked fairly pristine and normal.

“Be smart, not a brute.” Homura non-answers her, making the blue haired justicier snort.

Whatever.

“Which are the lists?” Sayaka asks, putting her hands in her pocket and pulling out a phone. Not her usual, trustworthy flipphone, but a high spec, expensive looking flipphone.

Hitomi's flipphone to be exact.

The weird girl gives the phone a look of mild interest but stills points out the lists corresponding to their class, hastily divided per subject or area, not in any way that made sense.

*Snap!* *Snap!* *Snap!*

“You are… taking photos of the lists to look up later?” Homura asks after a moment of observing Sayaka taking several photos of the lists.

While she, obviously, takes a moment to see her own results, she passes on everything!

…Even if some were by just a small margin.

“Yes and to show to the rest, but it has to be with Hitomi's phone, since only her camera is good enough!” Especially considering how bad the lightning was and how their names were organized. If she had to localize every one of their names…

“...Clever.” The weird girl admits after a moment. Sayaka feels puffing up her chest and grinning almost subconsciously. She was the one who had the idea.

As she does so, Homura takes her phone out of her own pocket for a moment.

It was of a very cute model, not something she imagined Homura having. Or Homura even having a phone. She tries to take a picture of one of the lists but gives up after seeing how it registered.

“Yeah, only Hitomi's has a good enough camera, we tested.” Sayaka says with a cheeky grin. But the weird girl only nods.

“I see, it would be better if we had a way of sending such a photo with the rest of the class, not relying on SMS or laser transfer.” The transfer student say, giving a quiet look towards their classmate nearby.

… It was a surprisingly clever observation, one she never expected from Homura, who looked either tech illiterate or just person illiterate, maybe both.

“Yeah… it would be cool… Soo, how was it?” Sayaka says as their other classmate leave and gives them the minimum amount of space around them.

Homura gives her a look, her purple eyes looking with a mix of interest, confusion and questioning. But slowly, she shakes her head.

“I will need to take some extra classes during break.”

Sayaka flinches in a surprising amount of sympathy towards the transfer student, she knows she barely escaped the same fate. Not only were their tests very hard, but patrolling ate up most of the time she could spend studying.

Mami never told her how much being a magical girl messes up their study! Sometimes she can understand why Kyoko gives up, it wasn't only very hard but… She was a magical girl! A zombie! Why would she need to know trigonometry or what were tectonic plates?

“They are more boring than hard, it will be easy!” The blue haired justicier who may have gone to more extra classes during summer and winter break than she was willing to admit, says.

…

Did…

Did she…

Did she comfort Homura?

…

“Thank you.” An equally disturbed weird girl says.

The blue haired justicier can't even answer due to how surprised she was with herself, she just nodded.

The transfer students turns back, and after giving her a final short look and a look around the mass of students around them, all distracted by their objective or trying to get in there, she disappears.

She simply disappears.

In the blink of an eye.

…

Like when she fights and uses her weird time powers.

…

……

COME ON!

 

“Sayaka! Are you ok?”

“Its always so bothersome! Why do they never change it?”

“Thanks Sayaka, you are a lifesaver!”

…

“Hehehe! No problem! It's easier than it looks!” The blue haired justicier who would be a bit sore due to facing the mass of students, says, feeling a bit of a blush as she is praised by her friends.

Specifically Kyosuke, who is the first to take Hitomi's phone to look at their grades. He looked exactly as he did before the accident, doing a full recovery and now being a semi constant presence around them.

He wasn't around as much because, even more than before the accident, he was practicing his violin skills. Somehow she sees him less lately than when he was at the hospital. Something that Hitomi complains a lot too.

Hitomi gives her a quick, polite smile before checking her own phone, quickly sighing in relief, the rich girl muttering something about “tutors, happy, cram” and other things she couldn't quite make out.

Meanwhile Madoka was still staring at her, a worried expression on her face. A face that was the same as ever, the same as before. If she ignored her nose. And the fact she still had her hair loose. And that something, something she couldn't quite point out, wasn't right.

And not that it wasn't right as before, because after that Monday, a couple of days ago, Madoka started acting normal again... But not as normal as before.

She didn't know. It was weird.

“I'm fine! Really! I am quite used to it!” The girl that generally faced the mass of students every trimester, says with a cheeky grin. Madoka relaxes and slowly tries to look at the flipphone for her own grades.

She facing quite a bit of difficulty due to her size and Kyosuke struggling to locate his own grades.

“Why only a 87 in history? Mother will kill me.” The boy says with a flinch.

“Don't worry about it! Learning about old stuff is not super important!”

“I mean, it's necessary to have a general understanding of history to comprehend the world around you and how it will develop!” Hitomi says a moment after Sayaka finishes, she sounds wise as she stares at Kyosuke.

The blue haired girl almost rolls her eyes.

“At least we all passed!” Madoka chimes in, the entire group slowly nodding.

Only for the pink haired girl herself to blink and look confused at the phone still in Kyosuke's hands.

“Homura-chan didn't pass everything?”

…

Sayaka blinks. Hitomi blinks. Kyosuke frowns.

“Why would she pass everything? She is average, at best.” The boy who mostly missed the month or so where Homura was the top star of their class, or maybe their entire grade, says with visible confusion.

“Hmm, yeah.” Hitomi says with a small shrug, looking a bit off.

Madoka looks at her. She had a weird look on her eyes, a fairly conflicted one.

…

Sayaka doesn't really know what to do. On one hand it was weird defending that weirdo, especially considering she even comforted that weirdo a bit ago, but on one hand…

She might be dumb and she still considered that girl a weirdo, almost a freak, but she couldn't be that unfair with her.

She was Sayaka Miki, an ally of justice!

And she could see that Homura was going through a lot.

From that disturbing reaction after Walpurgisnacht to, well, everything after. She had no idea of what was happening with Homura, but she was obviously going through a lot.

Especially considering how Saturday went, with her seeing first the Old Homura coming back for a moment to then seeing that weird girl acting like… well, like a child.

They might be 14 y.o and the adults still refer to them as children, but… like…

Wasn't she the “silent, badass, asshole” type of girl she reads on mangas? It felt weird seeing her genuinely panicking as if she was a kid caught red handed and then being ordered to eat her food!

Her parents never did that with her!

…

“I guess she is going through a lot.” The blue haired justicier says with a shrug.

Kyosuke nods and gives a small shrug, the boy who struggled a lot going back to school looking mildly sympathetic. Hitomi just nods. And Madoka…

Madoka looks extremely guilty for a second.

…Huh.

“But about the break, any of you have plans? Maybe to travel or go visit somewhere?” Hitomi asks, staring very intensely at Kyosuke.

She feels a weird sensation on her stomach as she considers that besides intensifying her patrols she didn't had anything.

“I may have to spend a week in Tokyo, remember that I have to train for my next audition?” The boy answers, making Hitomi visibly happy.

“Oh! Tokyo is really cool this time of the year!” Sayaka comments, thinking on calling her parents later, they could maybe set up her room for a bit? Plus patrolling around Tokyo sounds cool… She would be like one of those modern fantasy Manga protagonists…

Both Hitomi and Kyosuke gave her a quick look before they started to talk between themselves.

“I guess I will stay here, Mom wants to travel, but due to some things in the company she will need to stay.” Madoka says, looking distracted, her eyes focusing on someone passing by.

Sayaka turns herself, only to see Mami walking by them, the blonde caretaker looking as happy as she has been lately, almost gliding due to how happy she looked.

She knew that Mami, as a very responsible senior, had good grades, but as a magical girl she knew that this happiness wasn't due to grades, the blue haired justicier feeling a weird sensation on her belly as she thinks back to when she stumbled upon Mami Tuesday.

She was with the thing. With Kyubey.

He still hasn't contacted her after Saturday, Sayaka has very complicated feelings about it.

They didn't talk much, they rarely talked much when they stumbled upon each other's patrol. But this time it was different. And the fact that she knew why it was different disturbs her.

“Oh, Mami, yeah, she…”

“I will see how she is! Bye!”

…

…Did Madoka… Did Madoka just ditched her? And went straight to Mami?

What?

HUH?

The situation is so absurd even Hitomi and Kyosuke look stunned for a moment as Sayaka just blinks and struggles to process what even happened.

Madoka would never do that. No matter how bad she was, not even when she was in that completely alien state after the rooftop day she was like that. What happened?

She remembers that Madoka had a very weird look on Monday, after she told her that Kyubey was back, but…

That…

…

“We will be going too, Sayaka.” Kyosuke says, taking the blue haired justicier out of her own thoughts.

Huh?

“Yes, we will need to go to a music shop!” Hitomi says with a small, polite smile.

O-oh! She knows a lot of music shops! She went to a bunch of them when Kyosuke was hospitalized and…

“Bye, Sayaka, see you tomorrow!” Kyosuke says, quickly turning around and starting to walk out.

He still had a small gait. A subtle limp on his legs. One which would never go away, not even after his hand fully healed.

She couldn't even use her miracle correctly.

“Goodbye, Sayaka, maybe we can eat something one day during break!” Hitomi says with a polite smile, waving as she follows Kyosuke.

Tomorrow would be their last day of school before summer break. An entire month.

Sayaka blinks and looks around. She couldn't see Kyosuke, couldn't see Madoka, couldn't see Hitomi, she couldn't see no one, they all disappeared in the mass of students.

She was alone.

Chapter 5: 05- Consensus

“Thanks for coming in such short notice, Mister Penrose.”

“I was waiting for the call, Miss Kaname.”

He both was and wasn't. Oscar expected it to happen, but not so soon. He knew and expected something to come up after last week's general shareholder meeting, something always comes up due to it.

But the man previously stuck in another dead-end meeting with HR wasn't expecting it to be next Monday after the meeting. Neither he expected for Junko to have such an edge on her eyes.

The businesswoman looked so dangerous he almost wanted to go back to figure out why HR was insisting on not using the next version of Excel.

“You heard about the general meeting, I presume.” It wasn't a question, but an affirmation.

“Yes, happy that the shareholders and the main branch were satisfied with our results.” He says in a neutral tone.

The Mitakihara branch did as well as expected, with the preview of their annual report showing that their profits were just 0.2% off the expected amount. Which considering the losses and disruption they had with the events of Walpurgisnacht, was almost a miracle.

Obviously, neither the main branch or the shareholders care about it.

“Yes, Mister Penrose, they were satisfied with it, but not happy.” Junko's eyes flashed with a mix of anger and insult.

“How did it go?” The consultor asks, having heard about it, both from the surprisingly efficient gossip mill that was the Mitakihara branch's cleaning personnel and from the contacts he still had in the main branch.

“...One day I will have the patience of the old man.” The businesswoman says with a heavy shake of her head and a sigh.

While not one of the most profitable branches, the Mitakihara branch was one of the most stable, as shown by their recent results. The thing was that being just stable wasn't cutting anymore.

“A pyrrhic victory then?” The man heard that the old man had a pretty big argument with representatives from other branches. Parts of it being loud enough that it could be heard from his very unused office.

And even heard from the main branch office, according to his contacts.

“An opportunity.” The businesswoman says, pressing her lips and looking at him straight into his hazel eyes with her purple ones.

She looked to be tired, but in a different way than these days before. After she asked for his advice with Madoka, which was less of him advising her and more of him just listening to her, she was a bit more open with him.

As expected, Junko was extremely worried for Madoka after hers and Homura’s date had gone… weirdly. The woman never properly elaborated and he wasn't insane about asking Homura, yet, but it was clear that what happened deeply affected Madoka. Which in turn affected the woman.

And then something happened last week. He knew it was with Madoka by how Junko was more relaxed and focused and Homura became noticeably more distracted, worried and hesitant than before. What could cause such dramatic and inverse change in both the businesswoman and the child was something he yet has to know.

“What happened, Miss Kaname?” Oscar asks, curious.

“The old man said to me he wants to retire.”

…

Fucking finally.

…

“Directly to you?”

“He was around his 8th beer, but yes.”

Ok, so not even close to that old drunkard being drunk. Good.

“Too much for him?” The businesswoman seems to think for a moment before shrugging.

“It's been a very unusual year and he is already too old for it.” There was a mix of relief and affection in her voice, as if he was speaking of a family member rather than her own boss.

But if what he hears from the corporate gossip were correct, Junko and that old man were closer to a father and daughter duo than anything else, he still not having the opportunity to see it for himself.

“I see, I am relieved to know that he is finally thinking about rest… But you didn't call me to only say that, did you, Miss Kaname?”

The businesswoman gives him a look, one of almost humor before her usual look returns.

Their situation has been defined the moment they met months ago as was his role in it. But they never talked about it, never properly, never directly, and while not strictly necessary, it wasn't only a formality, but a clear show of intent.

“I will take the old man's place as the de jure representative of Mitakihara’s branch of the company...” The de facto representative declares, her words echoing around her office, her eyes shining with energy and purpose as she does so.

She was scary.

“I am happy to hear, Miss…”

A dangerous woman.

“...And I will do it after the publication of our annual report, by late September.”

…

……

And a very insane woman.

…

“October.”

“Late September at best, Mister Penrose, this year we will not be one of the last branches to submit their report.”

Oscar takes a moment to recover and process what just happened and what he heard.

It was obvious to everyone in the branch, and now he suspects in the entire company after the meeting and Junko's presence on it, what she was trying to do. And she was a lot further in it than when he and Nami arrived. Part due to Junko's own efforts and part due to both his official and unofficial jobs.

There was a lot of employee turnover, not just in Nami's department. But…

“It's a fairly complicated and political process, Miss Kaname, no matter which step of it you are.” Technically speaking she could pull it off now, but it would be hell to pay with the other branches and especially with the main branch.

Doable if he asked for some favors he wished he didn't have back at the main branch, but he knew that Junko wouldn't accept and that he wouldn't use them for that.

“I know very well, Mister Penrose, that's why I will be needing your support.” The man almost raises an eyebrow at it, surprised by her forwardness.

“I see, Miss Kaname, as the sole consultor of the Mitakihara branch, it's my job to…” He is interrupted by a sigh and Junko once again looks him straight in the eyes.

“You know exactly what I mean, Oscar.”

…

He forgets how to breathe for a second.

…

“I understand, Junko. What will I be getting from it?” The man asks after a moment of recovery.

“How many years are you planning to spend on Mitakihara?”

It wasn't a threat, it could be, but now it wasn't.

…

He wasn't sure either. Homura is in eighth grade now, so theoretically it could be just 4 years. But he had no idea about local or nearby colleges. Tokyo or Kyoto would be ideal, but…

“I will say, 5 years, Miss Kaname.”The businesswoman gives him a small look for such a specific answer, but nods nonetheless.

“Good, if I become the representative, consider that yours and your girlfriend's jobs are secured for the next decade.”

“That's an offer, Miss Kaname.” Not even a bold or tasteful offer, just a generic, modest offer. He expected more.

“Yes, an initial offer for someone of your caliber and, especially, of your future position in this company.”

…

……

That really was a dangerous woman.

 

“I think that that woman might kill you.”

“...Thanks, Nami.”

The woman right beside him, riding shotgun, shrugs and waits for him to finish parking before she gets out of the car, following in suit. Sometimes they went to work by car, sometimes by train or even bus, the public transport of Mitakihara being as good as Tokyo's.

Generally on Monday they took the car since, well, it was Monday and the extra minutes of sleep certainly count.

“I hate office politics! Why can't we simply go and do our work?” The now, technically head of the design department by the simple fact she was now the most experienced employee there, complains to the man whose job was just office politics.

“Things couldn't be that simple, I guess.” Oscar says with a small shrug, mind still heavy with Junko's words and the implications of all of them.

That worry and weight almost disappears the moment he enters the strange art installation that they called a house, being substituted by a different kind of worry.

“Will go for a bath, can you…” The woman going directly towards their room stops due to his look.

“Come on, babe…” He continues looking. The woman scoffs.

“She doesn't even…”

He continues looking.

…

The woman sighs and goes with him towards the kitchen.

“Hello.” The words echoed, directly solely towards him while her eyes were solely focused in front of her.

The child was in the kitchen, a mix of notebooks, books and random papers around her, her school pack left on a chair beside her. She had the signature look of mixed resignation and annoyance of a student who had to study while on break.

“Hi, Homura, how were your classes?” She was wearing her uniform, because she didn't only have her summer break homework, she didn't only need to study but she actually needed to go to school.

Homura had extremely good grades on Chemistry and on physical education, which makes sense considering how she was as a magical girl, but besides it she barely passed maths, health, biology and geography. The rest… She somehow failed physics, even if by little, she failed literature, history, grammar, general sciences and civics.

She failed arts, something which deeply insulted Nami.

And…

“They were ok.” The child answers, her eyes flickering towards him but quickly returning to her books. Her English books.

Homura failed English. By a lot.

Oscar still has no idea of what were the exact feelings this fact brought to him, it was a very harsh mix of shame, insult and questioning. The American man who actually went with Nami for the conference with Homura’s homeroom teacher, someone who he was sure appeared on the anime, will never forget the look of bewilderment the small woman gave him when she showed him some of Homura’s tests.

“Hey babe, want a drink?” Nami asks from the fridge, the woman shaking a can of beer towards him.

“It’s Monday.”

The woman raises an eyebrow at him and shakes the can again.

…

A few moments later the man was sitting in a chair beside the child, taking out his tie and taking a sip from his beer. Somewhere behind him, Nami was taking some sips of her own beer, giving both him and the child some looks.

“How is it going?” Oscar asks as he sees Homura copying some sentences from her book, her movements being fast and precise.

“It's alright.” She answers without looking at him.

It takes a couple of seconds before the man interjects.

“It's actually went, not go here, wrong conjugation.” The child frowns but nods and corrects her mistake.

…

“It's sunny, not sun. Sun is the star, sunny is the weather.”

…

“No, I like and I enjoy aren't the same thing, enjoy means something you can use, like, don't.”

…

“...”

“You aren't going to say anything?”

“No, you are correct.”

Homura blinks, staring at the man for a moment before she turns and gives a quick look around. Nami left sometime beforehand, he barely noticed her leaving. The girl visibly relaxes as she notices they were alone in the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” The child asks with a mix of confusion and interest.

The man takes a sip from his beer and blinks.

“I am trying to help you study.”

“Why?” There's a genuine question in there, the girl who was still growing used to him looking confused.

…

He actually didn't know for sure. But it made his chest warm. Not that he could give this answer to her.

“It's English.” Oscar answers simply, the girl focusing on him for a moment before nodding. She looks embarrassed as she goes back to her study.

She finishes not long after, Homura making a lot of small mistakes, something that could be overlooked in a traditional school but wasn't overlooked in Mitakihara middle school, the place having an insane curriculum and requirements as a school.

He understood that Japanese schools operated differently but he wasn't sure of why 14 y.o already needed to know chemistry.

…

With the exception of Homura.

“Thank you.” Her voice was small and she wasn't looking at him, focusing on organizing her English material back on her school bag.

“No problem, you won't have classes tomorrow, right?” The girl nods as she pulls some new books, looking to be general sciences ones. He didn't understand why she had both general and specific sciences, but ok.

“Yes, only Wednesday, I will be patrolling tomorrow.” The magical girl says in a small, still hesitant tone.

They still had to talk more about it.

“Doing magical girl stuff?”

The child nods, not managing to answer out loud.

“Will you be doing so alone?”

“...I think so.” She hesitantly declares.

“And that girl, the one with blue hair?” The man asks carefully.

He doesn't receive an answer. At least not a direct one.

“Ok, will you be needing a ride back? I will leave work earlier tomorrow.” At least he plans too, but considering Junko…

No. He would manage.

“I don't know where I will be tomorrow.” Homura says, organizing her study materials around her.

“No problem, I will pick you up.”

…

The girl relaxes a little and nods.

Quickly she focuses back on her studies, opening a very colorful science book, the man appreciating it together with the child as she studies. The book was actually well made and had some really nice images.

“This is science, not English.” Homura points out after a moment.

“I know.”

“Then why are you still here?” The child asks with genuine curiosity in her purple eyes.

It was a good question if he actually engaged with it, since the previous subject was cleared, he was free to go and to meet back with Nami in their room, he was good with English for obvious reasons, not sciences. Plus, there still was some dinner left from yesterday, so he didn't need to spend time in the kitchen anymore.

There was no practical reason for him to stay there.

“Because I want to and I have the time for it.” The man says simply, taking another drink of his beer.

“...” The child stares at him with her purple eyes, gazing upon him as if he was a strange occurrence.

Only to slowly go back to the book.

“Thank you.” Her voice was so small he almost didn't hear it.

Still, he smiles.

Chapter 6: 06- Verisimilitude

Summer break was normally a weird time for her. She never was a top student, but she never had to get extra classes either, so besides her summer homework and helping out with Tatsuya, she didn't have many obligations or responsibilities. It was a time of laziness and relaxation, where she could spend time in the park with Sayaka, go eat some food with Hitomi, help her dad in the garden and even visit her mom on her work!

She didn't have any plans for summer break, she rarely had plans for summer break. Besides her mom's now discarded idea for a family trip, Madoka had no idea of what she would do during summer break.

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

The answer came so naturally when it appeared that she didn't know why she hadn't thought about it before!

“Madoka! Everything is alright?!?”

“Yes! Fight on!”

The blonde caretaker nods and gives her a small nod, trying and failing to hide her smile as she returns her focus on the guns around her and her targets. There were so many.

A mix of familiars, puppets and the witch's own attacks were coming towards Mami, but with an easiness that was more impressive than magic itself, the oldest magical girl of Mitakihara deflected, evaded and countered the attacks. It wasn't even a fight.

It was a dance.

She could only stare, not even caring to hide around the maze anymore as Mami danced around, her feet being fast and nimble, her jumps were graceful and precise, her spins were elegant, her shoots were all true.

No matter how many enemies were descending on her, Mami took care of them all.

This was what being a magical girl was.

…

And then there was her. Who was just standing around, defenseless, powerless, just watching as Mami took care of the witch. She liked to watch, she loved to watch but… But…

Just like when the Quartet was still active, it felt so weird to just stand around and only observe them doing their work, doing magical girl stuff. At times it really felt like she was living in one of her cartoons, as if she was inside of Sakura's or Sailor's, but… at the same time..

*BANG!*

“Sorry! Watch your head!”

Madoka blinked as she hurriedly looked behind her, barely noticing the shot that almost hit her head and hit something behind her… She thinks… She didn't see anything…

No! She was sure that Mami hit something behind her! Maybe a familiar sneaking on her or just a servant! She couldn't see it because it was destroyed, of course! Or maybe it was because this maze was very weird!

Mami wouldn't miss!

…

“I-I am distracting her?” Madoka asks out loud as she finally goes back to hiding behind a pillar, the sound of the shots and fighting growing weirdly distant in her mind.

“We can guarantee that your presence assures Mami's focus and instincts! She is noticeably better when you are around her during patrols!”

Madoka almost jumps up as the white alien cat suddenly appears with her, it simply comes from somewhere and stops in front of her. His mouth was closed and unmoving but she could hear him clearly as she spoke.

“K-Kyubey!”

“Your recent return to Mami's side really improved her performance, you should be proud of it, Madoka!” The alien but familiar voice in her head says, his red eyes staring at her.

She couldn't hide the mix of embarrassment and relief that she felt as she heard it. She was so nervous when she managed to talk with Mami that day and she was even more nervous when later she spoke and asked her to accompany her back on her patrols, just like the old times!

A small part of Madoka knew these old times were just a few months old, but it really felt like a lot more! Soo much happened! That entire month felt like a lifetime, or maybe multiple ones!

And what followed…

…

“W-well, she is the one doing the work, I am just watching and giving her company.” The girl felt silly admitting it, her nose flaring up in pain for a brief moment.

The alien cat stares at her for a moment, his tail lazily swinging by until it suddenly jumps up, landing right beside Madoka.

Right after the place where he previously stood was hit by a stray shot.

“SORRY!” Mami's voice sounds particularly strained as she apologizes, the blonde caretaker currently flying as she continues to battle.

Madoka stares at her for some moments, noticing how expertly Mami used her ribbons and guns to fly, evade and shoot against the horde of enemies focusing now solely on her. It was both beautiful and scary.

“She is such a great magical girl.” It takes a moment for Madoka to understand that she herself said it.

“By the data we have, you are correct, Madoka.”

…

Madoka turns her head towards Kyubey, who slowly looks at her, his red eyes focusing on her pink ones.

That…

That wasn't the reaction she expected from Kyubey, from an incubator. She remembered how strenuous he was on offering contracts beforehand. But now… Now he just… actually commented? He just gave a comment? He didn't offer her a contract?

That was weird. She knew that he disappeared and acted a bit weird these last days but…

…

Her nose hurts.

“And the others?” Madoka asks, being a bit lost on how to proceed this time. The alien cat seems to think for a moment before it continues.

“Sayaka is currently average, she was below average when she did her contract but after her unexpected avoidance of avoiding falling to despair and after the anomaly, she has certainly improved.” Kyubey continues, making Madoka feel weird.

She hasn't truly spoken with Sayaka since the summer break started, didn't she? After the day they got their grades things have been a bit weird. They weren't on bad terms, but it felt so weird. Especially since now they should have been busy scheduling activities and doing them, as they always did! Instead she was now spending her time accompanying Mami Meanwhile Sayaka…

She didn't know.

“And Homura Akemi is a very peculiar case.”

Madoka flinches, earning a look from the alien cat.

That beautiful girl. Her protector. She…

…

“...What of her?”

“She does not fit the models we established.”

Somehow, Madoka feels the opposite of surprise, a small smile arising on her face before she flinches as she remembers.

“Y-yeah! Homura-chan is pretty st…”

“Strangely weak.”

…

……

Huh?

“What?”

“We thought that she was hiding or saving her true power, but with Walpurgisnacht, she fought the same as we previously recorded.” Kyubey's voice had a weird tone on it, as if he had trouble comprehending such an idea.

“She defeated Walpurgisnacht!” Madoka points out the obvious, the alien cat nodding and then focusing back on Mami for a moment, the blonde caretaker still fighting.

“Correct, but Homura Akemi did so not by using her magic, but by imbuing human tools with it and then by using her fellow magical girls as pieces in her plan.”

Madoka stays silent, a weird sensation on her chest and a painful tug on her nose keeping her quiet. The words of Kyubey were… she didn't know. They made sense. As someone who actually saw not only the Walpurgisnacht fighting but everything before it, she could not dispute Kyubey's words.

But…

It felt wrong.

“Mami's magic is her ribbons, but through trial and study she managed to turn them into human tools known as guns. We expected Homura Akemi to have similar capabilities with her time powers.” Madoka wasn't sure, but she swears she heard a bit of frustration in Kyubey's voice.

“Homura-chan's time powers drains her magic a lot! She has her limitations!" Madoka says, defending the beautiful girl. She heard both from her and from the rest how true this statement was. Kyubey nods but strangely hesitates.

“Correct, although, considering both Homura Akemi's magic and how anomalous her presence is, we conclude that something is either being directly hidden by her or, otherwise, something is missing on our data.”

…

She hated to admit it, but she could understand the white alien cat. There was always something that felt missing in relation to Homura, as if there was something that was left untold that shouldn't.

She vaguely remembers that one time Homura tried to speak with her in her own house, two days before Walpurgisnacht. She couldn't exactly remember how Homura got there, but the beautiful girl tried to talk with her but, strangely, she couldn't. It felt a bit like a dream, one she forgot.

…

Her nose was now weird, it didn't hurt but… it felt like it should.

“Madoka, what do you know about Homura Akemi's progenitors?”

…

What.

“I don't know?” Madoka is so stumped by the question she needs a moment to recover. She barely remembered that young, brazen and aggressive women, but what she remembered from that day at the hospital made her nose hurt and her mouth sour.

“Her male progenitor, specifically, don't you know him?”

“No?” Kyubey stares fixated at her for some seconds, his head eyes boring onto her.

“Our observations indicated that you interact once before, shortly after Walpurgisnacht and during Homura Akemi's hospitalization.”

Madoka blinks. She immediately thinking about the western man who saved Homura and…

Observations?

“Errr, that was her… I don't know? But I don't think its her father, they don't look alike.” Madoka says slowly, she wondering what happened with that man after everything and if he was still with Homura. A weird sensation on her nose arising as she thinks about it.

“...Pardon, we forgot that your species follows the hereditary principle.” Kyubey says in its usual tone, altough Madoka swears she heard a bit of frustration mixed in before the white alien cat continues.

“But what do you know about him?”

…

“Nothing?” Madoka answers sincerely.

“...I see.”

…Was she insane… or she heard genuine frustration coming out of Kyubey's voice?

What questions Madoka had were cut short by she noticing reality changing and fizzing out as the witch's maze around her collapses. Madoka barely has time to step up and focus on Mami, who managed to defeat the witch, a pile of bodies surrounding her and fizzing out too as she transforms out of her magical girl form.

The biggest smile Madoka even saw on her face appearing as Mami carefully holds something on her hands.

A grief seed.

Before Madoka even manages to approach her, the blonde caretaker already uses the grief seed to clean her soul gem, she casually launching it to Kyubey as she finishes, the white alien cat taking a moment to intercept it and… err… store it inside him?

She forgot he did that.

“Finally, now I am soo much better.” Mami says outloud with an earnest smile as she holds her soul gem. A soul gem which was a little less than half black.

Madoka blinks and questions how was Mami's grief seed beforehand. When they spoke on the rooftop a month ago and Mami shown her soul gem it was…

“Why don't you make a contract, Madoka?”

…

……

Madoka blinks. Once. Twice. She even looks at Kyubey, whose look was entirely fixated on Mami, a very weird glint on it.

What?

“W-what?” The girl was so taken back by the sudden idea that her head was totally blank.

Mami quickly approaches and holds her hands, her smile being earnest and her yellow eyes having a very beautiful shine on them.

“After so long, after soo many time, we finally are back on how things were, how things should have been!” There's energy in Mami's voice, there's life on them, the blonde caretaker looking as good…

No, she looked even better, even happier, even more energetic than months ago, before Mami was almost eaten by a witch, before Sayaka became a magical girl, before Kyoko appeared, before Homura started to intervene, before they won, before everything.

Madoka never saw Mami looking that way.

She felt fear.

“I… I don't know?” Her head was blank, she tried to think but her mind could only focus on Mami.

She felt familiar.

“Remember that day, Madoka, where you told me we could be magical girls together, a team? Fighting witches, protecting people? That we could be together?” Mami insists, her hands strangling Madoka's.

Her nose hurt. Her head was blank. She tried to think but she couldn't.

W-what was happening? Why it felt familiar?

“M-Mami, it's that… I…”

“Mami, a wish needs to come from a place of genuine emotion and desire, you can not force someone to wish.”

…

……

………

The sheer absurdity of Kyubey's words and the fact he, of literally everyone possible, said these words, makes Madoka’s brain jump-start.

As does Mami's brain.

“Madoka aways wanted to wish! But we… I… everyone, we impeded her due to Walpurgisnacht! But its already over! She is dead! I have her grief seed to prove it! Its over! Madoka can finally wish! She is allowed to wish!”

…

She felt fear. She felt genuine pain in her nose as she tries to pin how Mami's reactions and outburst was familiar. She felt some kind of dizziness as she tries to think about her situation.

But she felt herself smile.

The same way she smiled that day during test.

“I can wish.”

A part of her felt genuine revulsion as she thinks back on her family, on Kyoko, on Sayaka and especially Homura. Her protector who fought so hard to not only protect her, but to protect everyone, to win.

And she did win. Homura saved everyone.

And how did she repay that? By stealing her first kiss.

She knew that by wishing, her destiny was to eventually become a witch, she knew that she would become a zombie, she knew that her entire fate would change, she knew that she wouldn't be the same from before. She knew everything.

But she could wish.

The only revulsion bigger than she felt was the one towards herself.

“I want to be a magical girl!”

“Madoka…” The white alien cat starts but is completely overrun by Madoka.

“Kyubey, I want to make a contract, make me a magical girl!”

She doesn't know how to describe what she felt after finally saying it out loud. She felt… she felt dirty. But it was good. But it shouldn't be.

She felt pleasure from it and it made her sick.

…

“What… what will make your soul gem shine, Madoka?”

If she thought, if she took notice, if her hands weren't still held by Mami, if her heart wasn't beating so hard, if her voice wasn't trembling, if her eyes weren't fixated on the small red eyes, if she didn't kissed Homura, if she didn't stop Sayaka, if she didn't talked with her Kyoko, if she didn't pushed away Mami, if she didn't saved that small white alien cat.

If she wasn't Madoka, she would have noticed that for the first time ever, Kyubey looked visibly awkward.

“I wish to be the strongest magical girl in existence!”

…

……

Nothing.

Nothing happened.

Mami blinks.

She blinks.

Kyubey starts to swing his tail rapidly.

“Your karmic potential isn't big enough to beat entropy, I can not fulfill this contract, denied.”

…

Kyubey… Kyubey could deny a contract?

Madoka is so stunned she almost doesn't remember how Kyubey told her how her Karmic potential was limitless and was even big enough to rewrite an universe!

…

Maybe all of existence was bigger than an universe?

“I wish to be the strongest magical girl in Japan!”

…

“Your karmic potential isn't big enough to beat entropy, I can not fulfill this contract, denied.”

…

Japan was a pretty big country… And there was a lot of people there… a lot of magical girls…

She feels herself trembling.

“I wish to be the strongest magical girl in Mitakihara!”

Mami blinks and gives her a look.

A look cut short by words of absurd.

“Madoka… Your karmic potential isn't big enough to beat entropy, I can not fulfill this contract, denied.”

She wasn't insane, Kyubey was awkward.

And she… she was trembling. Her entire being was trembling.

Mami quits holding her hand, she seemed utterly confused, looking at Kyubey like a lost child.

“W-what is happening?”

Kyubey doesn't answers, his eyes still focusing on Madoka.

“I-I… I wish to be a magical girl! Just a magical girl! Any kind! I am fine!”

…

……

“Your karmic potential isn't big enough to beat entropy, I can not fulfill this contract, denied.”

…

……

Her legs collapse. She hits the ground. Mami doesn't hold her. Nobody holds her. She couldn't think. She couldn't act, she couldn't… she just couldn't.

S-she couldn't even wish!

Why?

WHY?

“I WISH FOR A CHICKEN SKEWER!”

…

For a singular moment, Madoka considers what she just did, what her words meant and what she actually did. She thinks of the consequences and of the price and she freezes.

Did she just sell her soul for a piece of chicken put on a stick?

…

……

No. She didn't.

Because, quietly, almost as if afraid, Kyubey reacts to her wish.

He reacts by shaking his head.

…

He didn't even speak. He just shook his head.

…

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”