At Mitakihara Middle School, second-year students Sayaka Miki, Madoka Kaname, Hitomi Shizuki, and the newly transferred Homura Akemi were sitting together, deep in conversation.
This small clique was quite the attention-grabber in class, as each of the four girls possessed distinct characteristics.
The one the boys cared about most was, naturally, Hitomi Shizuki. Not only was she cute, but her "Ojou-sama" status was a major plus; it was impossible for her not to attract attention.
Next was Sayaka Miki. Although she wasn't very self-aware about it, her tomboyish personality meant there was little distance between her and the boys; she was actually better at interacting with them than most girls in the class.
Then came Madoka Kaname. While she didn't have a flashy "hook" like her two best friends—the rich lady and the tomboy—her role as the class health representative and her immense kindness made her a favorite. She never hesitated to help a classmate in need. It's safe to say quite a few boys liked her in secret.
In contrast, the recent transfer Homura Akemi, despite having the "sickly girl + glasses + transfer student" tropes, seemed unapproachable due to her lack of social skills. However, this very trait earned her a small group of die-hard fans who found her "moe."
The four of them were unique and complementary, so seeing them gathered together laughing and chatting naturally drew even more eyes.
Currently, Hitomi Shizuki was relaying to the others what Lancer had said to Kyosuke Kamijo the previous night.
"Kyosuke can be discharged?! As expected of a Ma... ahem, a master of traditional medicine!"
Sayaka Miki paused awkwardly mid-sentence. She realized that one person present—Hitomi—didn't know about "magic." However, Sayaka was a terrible actress, and her strange hesitation was immediately noticed by Hitomi.
"Sayaka... are you guys hiding something from me?"
Hitomi puffed out her cheeks playfully, making Sayaka panic. Her flustered state was painful to watch for the other two. Right at that moment—
"Could it be... Sayaka, you're hiding a journey to an unknown world from me..."
Even though Sayaka knew her friend was joking, Hitomi wasn't entirely wrong from a certain perspective; the world of magic was indeed an unknown one. What Hitomi didn't know was that Sayaka momentary silence made her freeze as well.
'Could it be...'
But before anyone could explain, the familiar school bell rang, accompanied by the sound of footsteps from the hallway.
"Class is starting~ Class is starting~ Everyone take your seats~"
The homeroom teacher, Kazuko Saotome, arrived with the footsteps. Unlike usual, she didn't start complaining about her disastrous love life the moment she walked in. Instead, she looked utterly helpless.
"We have another new transfer student today. Everyone, please try to get along with her~"
As Kazuko finished speaking, Kyoko Sakura walked into the classroom wearing the Mitakihara uniform, looking "utterly exhausted."
Sayaka Miki, who almost cried out in surprise at the sight of Kyoko, immediately noticed something was off. When she met her yesterday after school, her first impression of Kyoko was: forceful and difficult to approach.
But now, the girl looked like a piece of dried "salted fish," appearing incredibly bizarre.
"That damn bastard... he's made it so it hurts like hell every time I move..."
Slumped over her desk, Kyoko Sakura held a book in her hands, but her eyes weren't on the pages. After all, the last time she'd been in a school was years ago. Her mind was entirely occupied by Lancer "morning exercise."
Lancer teaching style could be described as "ancestral." Whether it was his own training or that of Scáthach and Li Shuwen, the method was always the same: beat them up first.
Collision between weapons allows two people to understand each other better than boring conversation ever could.
Kyoko combat ability wasn't bad, but her weapon handling was far too crude.
The result was the two of them sparring all morning. Even with a Magical Girl's powerful recovery and the "Recovery Medicine G" Lancer provided, she still felt drained. Physical fatigue is easy to fix, but mental exhaustion is another story.
Thinking of those thousands of spear shadows and the helpless feeling of being like a small boat in a storm under his attacks, she couldn't help but feel weary.
She tried to comfort herself with the thought, "I can use magic to reinforce myself," but then she thought, "Can't he do the same?"
People tend to be jealous of those just slightly better than them, but when faced with someone completely incomparable, the desire for jealousy can't even take root.
However, this is where winners and losers differ.
A winner looks the gap in the eye and works to close it. Even if the gap grows wider, they are at least improving. Perhaps they will never reach the height they desire, but through effort, they have already surpassed the majority.
Effort doesn't guarantee success—that's a fact. But you definitely can't succeed without it—that's also a fact.
Kyoko Sakura was undoubtedly a "winner."
After her initial dejection, she faced herself and chose to train with Lancer.
The final result was her being drained of all strength, lying on the training room floor gasping for air. Even now, she hadn't fully recovered.
She didn't look like an approachable person to begin with, and since she didn't want to be at school, she radiated a "don't come near me" aura. The resentment from being drilled by Lancer all morning multiplied that aura several times over.
Even the girls best at socializing didn't dare speak to her. But then—
Scrape—
Accompanied by the sound of a chair being pulled out, Kyoko found a "blue-haired girl" in front of her.
"What's your goal in coming to this school?"
Sayaka Miki tried her best to look imposing, but fakes are fakes. Faced with Kyoko emotionless gaze, she quickly shrank back. Kyoko let out a disdainful smirk and prepared to go back to resting.
But perhaps it was that smirk that triggered Sayaka, who actually glared back.
For a moment, the atmosphere between them became incredibly strange.