For Kyoko, even though she constantly talked about how annoying Mami was, the idea that something had actually happened to her was a pretty big blow.
Back when she'd just become a Magical Girl, she was still clumsy in combat—and a Witch from Kazamino escaped into Mitakihara. It had technically crossed into another Magical Girl's territory, but the stubborn Kyoko chased it anyway. That was how she met Mami Tomoe.
At the time, she'd even formally taken Mami on as her mentor. She followed Mami around calling her "senpai, senpai" all day, and invited her over to visit the family.
As for why things fell apart between them—the trigger was the incident where her identity was exposed and her father killed himself, taking her mother and younger sister with him. Even though Mami rushed over to comfort her immediately, nothing could mend what had shattered inside.
Why had she ever made that wish? Living only for yourself was enough.
That was what she'd thought then, and it was what she thought now. Someone like her obviously couldn't continue getting along with Mami, who went so far as to clear out even Familiars to save bystanders. They had one fight and went their separate ways.
"I've always said—if the endgame is Grief Seeds, just target the Witches and leave it at that."
Early morning. Kyoko squatted by Yimi's bed in a decidedly unladylike posture, peering down at the small child sleeping soundly under the covers. She reached out and poked one of the cat ears.
"What the hell?"
It was real. Attached and everything. Normal people didn't grow cat ears, did they? She definitely had no Soul Gem on her, and the way she wore a cotton hat even when the weather wasn't cold—clearly trying to hide those ears. It was obviously something that bothered her.
So the brat wanted to become a Magical Girl to turn herself back to normal? On that point, Kyoko really had nothing to say.
She left an apple by Yimi's pillow and turned to walk out.
She walked all the way to the nearest police station. "There's a lost kid in the church over that way. Looks like she slept there the whole night."
If Mami was really dead, Mitakihara was vacant now, right?
Kazamino's hunting grounds were tiny as it was, and she wasn't exactly tied to one spot now that she'd lost interest in school. Might as well go take over Mitakihara in Mami's place.
Kyoko boarded a bus to Mitakihara.
Some time later.
"Hey, kid? Kid?"
Yimi was shaken awake by the police officer who'd come.
"Mm?"
"How'd you end up sleeping here? Where are your mom and dad?"
Yimi sat up and stretched, fishing another apple from under the covers—the one Kyoko had given her last night.
She'd been up very late. Having figured out the fundamentals of the Magical Girl system, she'd decided to try building a Lesser Grail-like device. The test subject was this apple.
For someone who possessed the Third Magic and the power of Miracle, along with Kyubey's technical knowledge, and had observed Kyoko's Soul Gem up close, it wasn't an especially difficult task. But she'd never attempted it before, so she had no idea whether it would actually work.
Yimi crawled out of the blankets, put on her shoes, and rubbed her eyes as she tried to toddle toward the exit.
Today there was nobody like Origami or Suzi-obaachan to pin her in front of a mirror and make her brush her teeth. But the little cat could always just toss all the gross stuff away as misfortune.
"Don't pretend you can't hear me—I'm here to help." The officer caught her again.
He crouched down and patted her shoulder. "Do you remember where your home is?"
"Another world."
"Sigh... Too young to communicate with, huh? Do you at least remember your mom and dad's names?"
"Names?" Yimi still wasn't fully awake.
"Sigh..."
A left-behind child? Or the type whose parents were both too busy working to watch their kid—he saw plenty of those around the city.
"How about any other grown-ups you know?"
"There's a person with glasses who taught me to make sashimi." Yimi tried to describe him. "In Mitakihara. He doesn't have a job."
In her eyes, Madoka and her friends also counted as grown-ups. But yesterday, bringing them to the shop that sold Soul Gems had gotten her called "a bunch of kids" again.
"That far... So you don't live in this city? How about I give you a ride back?" The officer jotted down notes.
Suspected runaway due to unemployed guardian. Possible alcoholic parent.
...
Mitakihara Middle School.
"I think it's because she heard us say we didn't want to become Magical Girls yesterday. She didn't come to my house." Madoka gazed glumly at the doodle in her notebook.
It was a crude stick-figure sketch—a Magical Girl outfit she'd designed for herself.
Sayaka patted her head. "Like I said, that's a good thing. Don't even think about that stuff, Madoka."
Hm?
Homura Akemi, who'd been monitoring the situation, felt a flicker of confusion.
Given that Sayaka genuinely possessed a wish she wanted granted, under normal circumstances her eagerness about Magical Girls at this stage should have exceeded Madoka's. She certainly shouldn't have been capable of saying something like that.
Regardless—if everyone was present and Homura wanted to expose Kyubey's conspiracy, the first person to push back would definitely be this blue-haired girl.
Had Sayaka looped too?
Homura pondered. Over the past two days in class, Sayaka had kept shooting her little sympathetic glances—and had a strange habit of staring at Homura's backside.
The critical thing was this: despite having already encountered Mami, yesterday Mami had apparently gone Witch-hunting alone. Was that because Kyubey still hadn't managed to make contact with these two?
Speak of the devil. Since they were in the classroom—and because no one else could see Kyubey—the creature brazenly hopped onto Madoka's desk right in front of Homura.
"Huh? Who are you?"
"I'm Kyubey. Don't worry—no one else can see me. You can communicate with me just by speaking in your mind."
Kyubey's voice appeared simultaneously in both Madoka's and Sayaka's heads.
"Kyubey? So you're Mami-senpai's contract partner! Don't tell me you're here to contract Madoka!" Sayaka's guard went up instantly.
"It seems you already know about me..."
"Get lost! No matter what, I will never let Madoka become a Magical Girl!" Saying this internally, Sayaka nearly slammed the desk with her hand to match.
"How surprising. Are you in a position to make decisions on another person's behalf? I'm curious about the reason, though—normally most girls agree without a second thought."
Sayaka glared at it. "Agree? You trick people using the first impression of 'Magical Girl,' don't you? Quit pretending—I've already seen your true face!"
"Sayaka..." Madoka still had no idea what this "true face" was.
Kyubey stared at Sayaka for a moment. "If you change your mind, you can tell me anytime."
It hopped away.
When it came to their purpose, Kyubey would omit information based on past experience, but once exposed, it never bothered denying anything. Having no emotions was convenient like that.
"Change my mind? What kind of joke is that?"
Watching it leave, Sayaka sank into thought.
That last line had been directed at her. Meaning she could also become a Magical Girl?
She did have a wish. Her childhood friend—or rather, the boy she liked—still hadn't recovered.
When she first learned about Magical Girls, she'd felt a surge of hope. If the doctors ultimately declared his hands beyond saving, she could use a wish to restore them.
No, no, no! Who would want to become THAT kind of Magical Girl? Since she'd stopped Madoka, she had to lead by example.
Besides—that thing, whatever it was, mouse or cat, hadn't denied her accusation just now, had it? So Magical Girls really were an adults-only affair!
But... what if his hands really couldn't be healed? For Kyosuke, who excelled at the violin, how devastating would that be...?
Homura witnessed the entire exchange from her seat. The shock inside her was nearly showing on her face.
Kyubey hadn't established a telepathic link with her, so she couldn't hear what they were saying. But that didn't stop her from seeing Sayaka glare at Kyubey and drive it away with her own eyes.
How had that cat done it? Something Homura had failed to accomplish across all her time loops—all her countless attempts.