"What did you want to talk about?"

Madoka shrunk before Homura's gaze. She had managed to find Homura after Sayaka had left and asked her to come along to a nearby fast-food place. It was important, Madoka knew. She needed Homura's help. But in front of that piercing stare, Madoka just shrunk into her booth, almost slumping next to the high partition on her right.

"So…" Madoka finally spoke. "Thank you, Homura. For earlier. I was scared of that senior, but you came and rescued me."

"Don't thank me. I stopped her interrogation to prevent her from making a scene with the rest of the school, nothing more. You should do everything you can to stay away from someone that dangerous."

"B-but I talked with Kyubey." Madoka said. "He told me that she didn't have any potential to be a magical girl. So-"

"Just how foolish can you get?"

"Eh?"

"You were going to tell me that since Furudo Erika has no potential to be a magical girl, that there's no need to worry about her, correct? Even though she already knows about Tomoe Mami?"

"W-well…" Madoka stammered. "But of course someone would investigate Mami's disappearance, right? Eventually?"

Homura did not say anything for a moment. But then she tossed her head back and ran a hand through her long black hair.

"It's none of your concern." She finally said.

"W-what?"

"Anyways, did you come here to just thank me for that? If so, I'll just leave now."

"N-no!" Madoka cried. "I mean, yes, thank you for helping me today, but I really wanted to talk about Sayaka."

"Miki Sayaka?"

"Yes." Madoka said. "I know she's very persistent, and can be kind of stubborn. She also has a quick temper…but she's a really nice person! She's kind and courageous, and she'll go to any length to help someone."

"All fatal flaws for a magical girl."

"Is…is that true?"

Homura closed her eyes, as if thinking.

"Excessive kindness leads to weakness. Reckless courage leads to carelessness. There's also no reward for dedication of any kind. You can't be a magical girl until you understand that. That is why Tomoe Mami lost her life."

Her expression completely calm with those cold words, Homura popped the lid off of the coffee she ordered.

"Don't say that!" Madoka shouted.

Homura raised an eyebrow, and Madoka shrunk back into her chair and towards the partition.

"Sayaka says she'll be fine." Madoka continued, her voice softer. "But when I think that she'll end up like Mami, I just don't know what to do."

"You're worried about Miki Sayaka, are you?"

"I can't do anything for her anymore, so I want to ask you. Could you be friends with Sayaka? Don't fight her like you did with Mami. It should be much safer if you all fight the witches together, right?"

Madoka's statement had devolved into a plea, but Homura took no notice. She lifted the coffee cup up to her lips before setting it down again.

"I don't want to lie, and I don't want to make any promises I can't keep. So I want you to give up on Miki Sayaka."

"Why?"

"She should not have formed the contract. This is partially my fault too. I should have kept a closer eye on her, as well as you."

"So-"

"But now that I've taken responsibility, I must tell you that it's a mistake that cannot be undone. It'd be like trying to bring someone back from the dead. Once you become a magical girl, there's no hope for salvation. That contract takes everything away in exchange for a single hope."

"Does that mean you've given up too?" Madoka said. "Given up on yourself and all of the other girls?"

"That's right." Homura answered.

She finally opened her eyes and looked directly at Madoka.

"I won't make excuses and say I'll try to atone. I must continue with my struggle, with whatever sin I have to bear."

Madoka looked down at the ground, but said nothing. Homura slid out of the booth.

"It seems I've wasted your time. I apologize."

With those words, Homura left the restaurant. Madoka sat there for a little longer. She picked at the fries a bit and put one in her mouth. But then, without finishing the food she had ordered, she headed out of the restaurant.

And it was only then, when Madoka was out of earshot, that a girl on the other side of the partition slammed her fist on the table.

"What…the…hell…was…that?!"

The other patrons whispered and looked amongst one another, but Furudo Erika paid them no mind. She ground her teeth as if they would crumble into dust. She then looked at a still-running tape recorder which lay on the table, and with a snarl switched it off.

Tailing Kaname Madoka had been the obvious move after everything that had transpired. After Erika had followed Homura and her to this fast-food place, she took the seat behind the partition just so she could hear every bit of their conversation. With it, she should have gotten much closer to solving the mystery of Tomoe Mami's disappearance.

But now, the only thing she really knew for certain was that Tomoe Mami was indeed dead. The rest? Gibberish. Utter, total gibberish. Magical girls? Contracts? Someone called Kyubey? What mystery involved this lunacy?

Hold on a moment, Erika thought. Actually, this is quite common.

There were many mysteries where the culprit pretended to be some magician or holder of dark powers. But the detective showed them to be all tricks. Clever tricks, but tricks nonetheless. Being a magical girl did not mean that Homura and the aforementioned "Miki Sayaka" actually transformed and fought "witches" like Madoka had said. It was likely a code word for some organization. That's all it was, and she had to expose that truth.

Yes, that was her goal. While Homura and Madoka definitely knew that Mami was dead, Erika did get the sense from that conversation that those two did not actually commit the deed. It meant someone else must have been responsible.

Without another word or thought, Erika straightened up, lightly slapped herself in the cheeks a few times, and set off. She would tail Madoka later. But right now, she needed to find out what she could about "Miki Sayaka."

…

…

"You're not a burden. I'd love for you to come. Having someone by my side would make me feel a lot better."

Miki Sayaka took Madoka's hands into hers. She was so relieved. She loved Madoka, not just as a friend, but almost as a sister. She had worried, just a bit, that Madoka would be too scared to accompany her after what had happened to Mami. But no, Madoka had asked anyways.

"I swear I'll protect you, Madoka."

And with those two words, the two of them set off to find witches or familiars. Creatures born out the negative emotions of mankind, who then fed on the despair of humanity. It was Sayaka's duty, as a magical girl, to fight them and save the city and the people which she loved.

Still, as the two walked on and on, Miki could see Madoka begin to falter a little bit. She never complained; Sayaka really had never seen Madoka whine or moan or grumble. Even when Madoka had been bullied as a child, shortly after the two had met, it was Sayaka who had fought the bullies off. Madoka thanked Sayaka, but she never spoke an ill word even of those other children who had been mean to her.

"Would you like to stop and rest for a bit? There's a vending machine nearby."

Madoka nodded in thanks. The two stopped alongside an empty road. Sayaka brought two drinks and handed one to Madoka.

"Hmm, that's refreshing!" Sayaka said after a long gulp. "I'll bet you're tired, aren't you Madoka?"

"Just a little."

"It is funny." Sayaka smiled. "I was definitely tired whenever I followed Mami around. But I feel just fine now. Maybe my contract gave me newfound energy out of a desire to protect everyone. Is that so, Kyubey?"

Sayaka looked over at Kyubey, but then frowned. Kyubey had been perched on her shoulder the whole time, but while he had talked when Madoka and she had first set out, he hadn't said anything in a while.

"Hey, Kyubey." Sayaka said. "Is something wrong? Here, I'll give you some of my drink if that's what you want."

Sayaka pushed the can up into Kyubey's face, but he didn't respond. He tilted his head to the side for a moment, and then looked at Madoka.

"Kaname Madoka." He finally asked. "Can I ask you one question?"

"Um, okay."

"Where did you go before you met Sayaka today?"

"Ah?" Sayaka said. "Kyubey, what sort of question is that?"

"It's nothing important, Sayaka." Madoka responded. "Well, I was at home. I wanted to finish my homework before I met Sayaka."

"And where were you before you came home? At school?"

"Well, no, I went to talk to Homura. But why? Is something wrong?"

Kyubey looked from side to side for a moment. It was almost like this thing was nervous, Sayaka thought.

"You're being followed." Kyubey finally said.

"Eh?" Madoka gaped.

"EHHHHH?!" Sayaka yelled. "By who? Is it Homura?"

"No." Kyubey shook his head. "Not Homura. It's that Erika you were talking about earlier. I believe she has been following us for a while now, but I only just noticed."

"Are you sure?" Sayaka finally said.

"She is currently hiding behind a wall that's about 50 meters away, but she's following us. Would you like to see for yourself?"

"Well, that does it. That girl is something bad, Madoka. I know you tried to stop me from confronting her before, but not this time. I'm going to go there and make her leave you alone!"

"H-hold on a second, Sayaka!" Madoka said. "You, you're not going to use your Soul Gem-"

"On her?" Sayaka said. "Oh, please no, Madoka. That Erika may have attacked you earlier, but she's just a big bully. She can't do anything to me. Like I said, I'll go ahead and make her leave you alone!"

Sayaka made to march back the way they had come, but Madoka grabbed Sayaka's wrist.

"Promise me not to transform?"

"Eh?"

"Promise me not to transform?"

Madoka looked up at Sayaka, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Uh, okay, okay fine!" Sayaka declared. "I never intended to transform. I don't need my Soul Gem to beat some stupid senior, okay, Madoka? Now let me go over there and-"

"Too late." Kyubey suddenly said.

Sayaka and Madoka looked at Kyubey, but then down the road. No longer attempting to hide herself in the slightest, Furudo Erika strutted down towards Sayaka and Madoka. Sayaka took a step forward, one arm shielding Madoka from Erika.

"Hello, Kaname Madoka. Miki Sayaka." Furudo Erika simpered, an arrogant smirk plastered on her face. "Now just what are the two of you doing here this fine evening?"

"That's none of your business." Sayaka snapped. "Were you following us?"

"Why ask a question that you already know the answer to?" Erika smiled. "Honestly, if the two of you had caught on to the fact that I was tailing you, you should have just led me to some worthless location and wasted my time. I never would have known. But no, even from a distance, I could tell that you and Madoka were arguing over something, and then you started to march back the way you came. Only a moron could not figure out with those clues that you knew I was following you. Now just how did you find out? I like to think that I'm quite good at tracking people without being seen."

"That's none of your business, you bitch." Sayaka snarled. "This suits me just fine. I know what you did to Madoka earlier. You leave her alone, you hear me? You leave her alone, or-"

"Or what?" Erika asked. "So this is about what you're hiding? You, and Madoka, and Homura, all know something about Mami's death, right? Are you going to stop me as well? The truth will come out, Sayaka, and I will get it no matter what."

"Why you!"

"Not that it matters, I'll admit. No one really knew anything about Tomoe Mami. She never paid attention to any of us, so none of us paid any attention to her. There'll be some grieving when she's officially declared gone, but how much of that is the rote mourning that humans are taught to do when someone die-"

SMACK.

Without further hesitation, Sayaka swung a fist at Erika's face. But Erika caught the punch in her hand.

"Interesting." Erika stated. "Even though I blocked your attack, you still forced me back a few feet. That was unusually strong for a middle-school girl, especially since your build doesn't indicate that you work out a lot. Do you take boxing lessons, Sayaka?"

"SHUT UP! Don't mock Tomoe Mami either, you hear me?!"

Sayaka's other fist attempted an uppercut, but this time Erika just grabbed her wrist. The two clearly struggled with one another, but Erika still continued to grin.

"Mock her? I'm the one trying to find out how she died. You're the one trying to hide it – you, and Homura, and Madoka. You're going to respect Tomoe Mami's memory by letting the circumstances of her death be lost to time? A child could see the contradiction in that idea."

Sayaka growled in response, but said nothing more.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Erika asked. "I think it's obvious that you can't beat me up. And nothing you say is going to persuade me to leave Kaname Madoka alone. What's your plan now, Miki Sayaka? What about you, Kaname Madoka?"

"Well…I…" Madoka shrunk back.

"How about this, then?" Erika said. "If the two of you can't beat me right now, and if you want to keep me from the truth that badly…"

Erika's grin now began to show teeth as it grew even wider.

"Why don't you do that magical girl thing?"

Sayaka ripped herself away from Erika at those words. She took several steps back, standing in front of Madoka.

"What did you say?" Sayaka said.

"Are your ears made of lead or something?" Erika responded. "That magical girl thing. Transform into one, if that's what it is. Summon a lightning bolt to strike me down, if that's what it is. Or perhaps more likely, use some trick. Or is it a pseudonym for something, an organization perhaps? So once again, why don't you go ahead and use your "magical girl" powers on me?"

…

…

On top of a nearby building, Akemi Homura looked down at the three of them. While she couldn't hear their conversation, it was clear at this point from the shocked reactions of Madoka and Sayaka what had transpired. That girl, Furudo Erika, an outsider, knew something about their true identities.

There was no real policy against people knowing about magical girls, to tell the truth. The Incubators did their very best to hide it. With their incredibly advanced technology, controlling the human media, even the Internet, was child's play for them. If some magical girl got the idea to blatantly reveal everything to the world, things would inevitably go wrong. A journalist willing to grant an interview would fall ill, a website would be attacked by hackers, things like that. The Incubators liked to compare harvesting the energy of magical girls to the production of meat, after all – and what good did it do to let a pig know where his final destination would be? But if a loved one or just one person learned the truth about their daughter, or sister, or friend? The Incubators didn't care about that. In fact, if Sakura Kyouko was a good example, having a magical girl's loved ones discover the truth could work out pretty well for them.

Yet this girl's investigation of Tomoe Mami was a giant nuisance. Tomoe Mami normally did not die this early. It generally depended on whether Miki Sayaka contracted or not. If she did, which was in most timelines, Sayaka would become a witch, Mami would go mad upon learning the truth, and Homura would kill her; but that would be later. If Sayaka did not, then Mami would normally get to the end and perish against Walpurgis Night. And other times, she died early, like this timeline. But in the timelines where she did die early, her death/disappearance attracted no attention until right before Walpurgis Night showed up, at which point it really didn't matter anymore.

But now, with this girl investigating, the school and the police were paying much greater attention to Tomoe Mami's disappearance. It wouldn't be that big of a factor, but if they discovered the connection between Mami and Madoka, like the detective had, it would be…troublesome. There was also the fact that Homura knew absolutely nothing about this girl. She had at this point gone through timeline after timeline – she guessed that it was around three dozen, but maybe it was two or four or perhaps even five. Yet this was the first time that this girl had ever gotten involved. The more factors showed up, the harder it would be for Homura to balance all her priorities. Namely, keeping Madoka from contracting while also keeping other magical girls alive for the fight against Walpurgis Night.

Outside factors needs to be removed.

Homura changed into her magical girl uniform, and then drew a rifle from her shield. It was a sniper rifle, a M40. She had largely taken it on a whim on one of her many barracks raids – sniper rifles were not the sort of weapons with which to fight witches, but it had cost her nothing to grab it. Now, it could prove useful after all.

Homura stabilized the gun on the roof. Taking situation of the arguing going on in the streets, she centered the scope on Furudo Erika. One shot, one clean shot and a threat to Madoka would be removed.

Are you sure about this?

Homura's finger rested on the trigger. All she had to do was squeeze. Squeeze, and one threat would be taken care of.

But was she really a threat? After all, if Erika was a threat, what about Miki Sayaka? She had already become a magical girl. Perhaps Homura could have hoped that Sayaka would prove to be an ally against Walpurgis Night, but previous experiences in other timelines told Homura otherwise. Once Sayaka contracted, her personality and infatuation with that idiot boy always turned her into a witch before Walpurgis came. If she was planning to kill Furudo, why not Sayaka as well? But then where would she stop? How many threats, how many outside factors should Homura remove?

A sudden gust of wind blew across the roof, and Homura let her eye off the scope for a moment. But when she rested herself again, her eyes widened.

The wind had adjusted her rifle…so that the scope was now centered on Madoka.

With a shake of her head, Homura stood up and put the rifle away. It's not like she wouldn't get rid of Erika. It was just too dangerous to take the shot with Madoka close by. Yes, that was all it was.

Still, she should get there as soon as she could before things got worse. One moment, Homura stood on the rooftop. Then the sound of whirring gears could be heard, and she was gone.

…

…

Furudo Erika was not an idiot.

Sure, there was no way that Miki Sayaka could actually transform into a magical girl, since magic did not exist. But it was obvious from Madoka's conversation that a "magical girl", whatever it really stood for, was to be part of something incredibly powerful, and no doubt incredibly secret. If they could kill Tomoe Mami, there really was no reason that they could not eventually dispose of her as well.

Viewed from that perspective, to challenge Sayaka head-on with the fact that she knew a portion of the truth may be a foolish and dangerous idea. But Erika had done her research on Sayaka after she had left the restaurant, and thus had a fairly good idea of Sayaka Miki's personality. Madoka's friend definitely viewed herself as a good person, who always strove to do the right thing.

"She's kind and courageous and will go to any length to help someone."

Those were Madoka's words about Sayaka. Given Erika's deductions about Sayaka's personality, this was the best time to try this. Sayaka was the kind of person who could be easily tripped up if you pressured her or made her angry…but she also wasn't the kind of person who would get so angry that she would try to kill an innocent person like Erika. There wasn't a better person to directly harass and antagonize until she let something slip. Of course, Erika knew better than anyone that you could never tell what people were really like on the inside, but it was a worthy gamble – especially with Madoka watching.

"So," Erika declared. "Just what is a magical girl, anyways? Are you one? Is Madoka one? Mami was one, wasn't she? And so is that Homura girl?"

That was probably how, Erika thought to herself. How Homura broke down the roof door. It must be related to being a "magical girl."

Sayaka had completely shut up ever since Erika had talked about magical girls. As Erika drew closer to Sayaka, Sayaka and Madoka retreated back. But as they did so, Sayaka's eyes were still staring at a nearby garbage can for some reason.

…

Kyubey sat on top of a nearby garbage can. From his perspective, this situation was…problematic.

True, he had initially found nothing wrong with letting this girl, Furudo Erika, wander around as she liked. It was highly unlikely that she would find anything, and perhaps her investigations would pressure Madoka some more. The best case scenario would be that Madoka would make the contract just to get rid of Erika. And what Erika had done just now certainly made the scenario much more possible.

But this girl had gone farther than he had anticipated at all, much less in the span of merely a few hours. How far could she get at discovering the nature of magical girls, much less the secrets about them that he had never bothered to tell Sayaka and Madoka? And if that wasn't problematic enough, Kyubey still hadn't figured out just the reason for this…uneasy sentiment that he had with that girl.

Kyubey.

Kyubey looked over at Sayaka. The girl was looking over in his direction, her face clearly pale and frightened. Fortunately, she could easily communicate with him through magic, so Erika couldn't hear even though she was right next to them.

What should I do?

Oh. Right. That's what he should focus on. But still, the solution was obvious.

Deny everything. She doesn't have proof of anything. It's obvious that while she knows about "magical girls" somehow, she knows nothing about you or what being a "magical girl" is. She thinks it's a code name for something. So just say that you don't know what she's talking about.

Got it.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kyubey heard Sayaka say. "I'm not a magical girl, if that's what you're thinking."

"Ohhhh." Erika responded. "Is that so? You were so pale just a moment ago."

"W-well, that's because you just asked me such a lunatic question. I mean, I know you're a bad person since you threatened Madoka, but are you stupid as well? I don't know anything."

"The same tactics as Madoka tried then? Well, I'll do something about that." Erika responded. "Let me show you something interesting if you really don't know anything…"

Erika reached into a pocket of her dress. Kyubey's brain racked itself even harder. Did she have proof of Sayaka being a magical girl? It seemed impossible. Sayaka had only transformed for the first time yesterday. Tomoe Mami had been dead for less than 24 hours – if Erika had gotten into this because of her disappearance, there's no way she could have gotten evidence of that. Unless it was a bluff? But if it wasn't, what could it be? Perhaps-

THUNK.

Kyubey never had a chance to finish his train of thought. Instead, he realized, he was flying through the air. He had been…struck?

His flight landed as he crashed into some nearby boxes.

"Kyubey - ah!"

He heard Sayaka cry, only for her to realize what she had blurted out far too late. A roll of duct tape rolled back towards Erika, who picked up it and twirled it around her finger.

"Kyubey, you said? So was Kyubey why you were so intently staring at absolutely nothing, Miki Sayaka? And was Kyubey what this duct tape roll collided with when I threw it, even though it should have hit nothing at all? You feel like talking yet?"

Kyubey moved out of the boxes. This was bad. He was invisible to Furudo Erika, yet he had still managed to completely take her by surprise. Had he realized what she was going to do, he could have made himself transparent and let the duct tape roll pass through him. But now… now that there was concrete evidence. Concrete evidence that Sayaka and Madoka could not deny.

"Ah…geez." Erika sighed. "Still, this whole thing just hasn't gone the way it's supposed to. A good mystery isn't supposed to have some stupid thing like an invisibility device. It's completely against the rules. Well, maybe not completely so since my great intellect meant that I figured out that there was an invisibility device, but can't something work like a proper mystery, for once?"

He had worried about how far this girl had gotten when she had learned about "magical girls". But now? She had an idea about Kyubey, even though she shouldn't be able to see him. Even now, she was looking at the smashed boxes where he lay. If she got more time…

Sayaka!

Yes?

She's too dangerous. This girl is a threat. She needs to be eliminated.

W-WHAT?!

Sayaka's clearly stunned reaction couldn't help but puzzle Kyubey.

She knows too much. If she discovers the secret of magical girls-

What secret? If she learns about me? What's the worst she could do?

I don't get it. Kyubey said. Don't you dislike this girl?

Yes, of course I think she's a bitch. But that doesn't mean I'm going to kill her!

Even if she continues to threaten Madoka? What will you do then?

I'll come to that road when I come to it. But I won't kill her. I'm fighting to save Mitikihara's people, Kyubey, not kill them.

But if she exposes everything, you won't be able to protect Mitikihara. What's the life of one girl against that fact?

What? What are you talking-

"My, my, you're still silent." Erika cut in. "So, what's going on? You wouldn't happen to be talking to this Kyubey at this very moment, would you? Perhaps with a wireless in your ear?"

"What?"

"Well, if this Kyubey is indeed invisible, who knows what else he can do?"

See, the longer we wait, the more she deduces! Kyubey declared to Sayaka. Use your magical girl powers to eliminate her! She's too dangerous!

To whom?

To all of us? To you, and me, and the universe and-

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, Kyubey! What do you mean "the universe?" What does my being a magical girl have to do with the universe?

Oh, bollocks.

Kyubey instantly cut communication off with Sayaka and fled down the road. Sayaka wasn't going to do what was necessary. The longer he argued with her, the more Erika would figure out, and if Sayaka was any indication, who was to say that she wouldn't find out things that should stay secret?

True, he could just deal with Erika himself later. It would not be particularly difficult to infect someone who was still an ordinary schoolgirl with some terminal cancer. But there was a better option, one which could eliminate Furudo Erika without any delay. It took Kyubey only a minute for him to get in contact with her.

Sakura Kyouko!

Nearby, a red-haired girl sat on top of a tower, munching on a pastry. She closed her eyes upon being contacted by Kyubey.

Ah?

You told me earlier that you intended to eliminate Miki Sayaka in order to rule Mitikihara for yourself, right?

What about it?

I can tell you where she is now, and you can go take of her.

Really. What's in it for you?

That was how Kyouko just was, Kyubey mused. She was tough and rational, always interested in her personal self-gain. This was a person he could understand.

There are two girls alongside her. One with pink hair, and the other with blue. Take care of the blue-haired girl, but do NOT kill the pink-haired girl. I will give you Miki Sayaka's location if you do that.

Fine. I promise. Where is she?

…

…

Sakura Kyouko grinned as she jumped off the tower, transforming into a magical girl as she landed. This was a perfect opportunity. She had arrived in Mitikihara last night when she had heard of Tomoe Mami's death to take over the territory, only to be told by Kyubey that there already were two magical girls around – a newbie and a weirdo. Given that the strange magical girl was apparently strong, Kyouko had checked out the new magical girl, Miki Sayaka, first. If her chat with Kyubey was correct, this girl was just another of Tomoe Mami's lackeys – a weak-hearted altruist who wants to put up a good show of protecting people in the name of Justice or some other malarkey. The exact sort of person who would hamper herself to protect a pair of innocent civilians if Kyouko attacked right now. It's not like Kyouko needed an advantage to beat someone that weak, but every little trick could always help and ensure that she used less magic.

But that didn't mean that she would just be Kyubey's lapdog. If she clashed with Sayaka Miki, then there's no doubt those two innocent civilians would learn everything. And on top of that, why would Kyubey tell her to spare only one of them, and kill the other? Knowing Kyubey's desire to make contracts, the reason was obvious. That pink-haired girl probably had the potential to be a magical girl. Another magical girl would be another competitor and rival for the rich lands of Mitikihara.

So why not kill the snake in its egg before it hatches?