One slumped on the desk, the other sitting on a chair with her head directly facing her—the two stared each other down for a long while. Even Homura Akemi hid behind Madoka Kaname out of fear before Hitomi Shizuki walked over.
"Sayaka, do you know Sakura-san?"
While Sayaka, Madoka, and Homura were on edge because of Kyoko identity as a Magical Girl, Hitomi had no such worries. To her, the girl just seemed a bit unsociable. She hadn't found a reason to approach her before, but Sayaka presence provided a "reason."
Faced with Hitomi's enthusiasm, Kyoko was naturally annoyed. She hated social interaction, not just because she was bad at it, but because of her own specific brand of "kindness."
In her mind, no one associated with her ever had a good ending. Thus, she stood up decisively and walked toward the classroom door.
"Sakura-san? Where are you going? Class is about to start..."
"I'll be back when it starts..."
Kyoko wouldn't normally come to school. But since Lancer had forced her to come, there was no point in skipping. Lancer had demanded she attend classes seriously—or at least not skip—as payment for training her. While Kyoko didn't understand why Lancer wanted such a weird "payment," she was satisfied with what he offered in return, so she accepted.
However, as she pulled open the door, she froze—or rather, she suffered a "critical hit."
A massive "set of hearts" (chest) hit Kyoko in the face. She was stunned for several seconds by the familiar sensation—
"Mami?! Why are you here?"
She didn't even need to look up to know who was blocking her path. Then, she suddenly realized something and turned around.
"It was you three?"
Homura ducked behind Madoka, Madoka just smiled silently, and Sayaka wore a provocative look. Kyoko had no way of guessing who the "whistleblower" was.
Although Kyoko knew that once she arrived at this school, Mami would find out through Kyubey, she still didn't want to see her. After all, she had bid Mami farewell last night with such confidence, only to lose a fight and be "forced" into school. It was embarrassing.
At that moment, Mami grabbed Kyoko face. With a serious expression, she "inspected" Kyoko before leaning in and sniffing...
"Mami! What are you doing?!"
This was the second time she'd shouted. Mami tilted her head.
"It really is you, Kyoko. When I got the email, I thought it might be a Witch in disguise..."
Mami words made Kyoko feel terrible.
"Hah? Is me coming to school really that shocking to you?"
"Of course."
The unhesitating answer left Kyoko silent for a while. The curious classmates watched the two in silence; Mami was one of the school's most talked-about figures, and with a new transfer student involved, how could they not be curious?
"Tch~ I'm only here for certain reasons. Don't block me!"
Though Kyoko was used to ignoring the stares of bystanders, she didn't enjoy being watched like an animal in a zoo. After pushing Mami aside, she left the classroom.
Earlier that morning, Kyubey said he had things to handle and vanished. Then, Kyoko Sakura suddenly appeared at school. This was clearly abnormal. Mami had once wanted Kyoko to attend school with her, but the girl had just run away.
To get to the bottom of this anomaly, Mami decided to investigate. It took her less than 10 minutes to find out.
She met the homeroom teacher, Kazuko Saotome, in the faculty office and asked her directly. The teacher gave her a straight answer.
"Today, Professor Olga came to help with that child Kyoko Sakura's enrollment. Do you know her, Mami-san?"
After making up an excuse about being "old friends who lost touch after she transferred," Mami lowered her head in thought.
When Kyubey left, it mentioned something about "Mages." Now Kyoko suddenly appears at school, linked to "Professor Olga." This led her to think of a certain man who had only shown his face a few times.
'As expected, the key to the problem lies with that man?'
Mami decided to find that man after school to get some clear answers.
However, while Mami was worrying about Kyoko, the situation in Madoka class was becoming rather eerie.
Sayaka and the others assumed Kyoko would just skip class. Based on her attitude and first impression, she seemed exactly like the type to do so. But when the bell rang, a grumpy Kyoko walked through the back door and sat in her seat.
But that was just the start of the "weirdness." Although Kyoko looked like she hadn't woken up and was annoyed at everyone—even blatantly slacking off—whenever a teacher called on her, she provided a perfect answer.
The girls who had met her before were left speechless.
However, there was one exception: Olga Marie English class. During this period, Kyoko was like a different person. She sat with a serious expression, showing none of her previous slacking. Strangely, despite her serious attitude, her answers were stumbling and awkward when Olga Marie called on her.
Though her performance was shaky, her attitude was incredibly earnest. Combined with her casual ease in other subjects, a rumor began to spread in the class: "Kyoko Sakura is actually a secret genius."
However, the "clever" Sayaka Miki was unimpressed. After English class, she had secretly followed Kyoko and Olga Marie and overheard their conversation.
"Kyoko, you are not allowed to use magic at school."
At that moment, a thought struck Sayaka: Maybe I should become a Magical Girl too? Even if not for a wish, she could at least use magic to take exams. Her standards were low—she'd be happy just to pass with a 40%.