Tuesday, March the 8th (a month ago)

When she was very young, the very idea of the place used to terrify her.

The 'hospital'. It was a mysterious, alien building, somewhere she couldn't comprehend spending a single day in. For someone who'd never fallen seriously ill nor had to pay visits to sick family members, she only ever had a vague idea of what it was like inside based on action movies. She'd imagine rows of beds lined with injured, limbless people bleeding out, filled to the brim with nurses rushing about in a panic - a place of horror.

That changed a few months ago. Now, it was a place she visited on a regular basis.

A few times a week, the girl would have to psyche herself up, find the courage, and proceed to visit once again. True, a part of her felt like it was her duty to do this. By now, most of his other friends had dwindled away and stopped visiting, leaving only the occasional visits from his family. She definitely didn't want him to be lonely. But more than that, doing this just made her feel happy. It wasn't a case of 'I'll visit if no one else will', but a case of 'I want to be by his side'.

They'd never really known each other well before the accident. It was only afterwards that she was able to get as close as she did, that she was able to spend all this time with him. Minutes and hours would pass by while the two teenagers spent their time idly, just chatting about random things. Naturally, his eyes would shine whenever the topic turned to music - about the sort of wood violins were constructed out of, about the first public competition he attended back when he was a kid, about why Debussy's free-flowing music was much better received in America than France. She would let him talk on and on about the things he liked, and in turn, hearing his words brought joy to her heart.

Ever since the accident, he'd lost total motor control of his left hand, and with it, his ability to keep on being a professional violin player. So seeing him talk so passionately was like, despite everything, he hadn't given up. Chill talks amidst an empty hospital room, breezing by like the wind - that was what her visits tended to consist of these days.

Today was a little different.

The frail grey-haired boy was lying in bed as he always was, staring onwards at the wall. But this time, there was a certain object with him. Something she hadn't seen him with in a long time.

A violin.

"Kyousuke?"

The former violin player didn't respond. He seemed to be focusing intensely while holding it up, his expression tightened, his eyes sharper than she'd ever seen them. And yet, he was clearly struggling.

The girl wasn't sure what he intended to accomplish with this.

"Wait, are you… going to play?"

"Yeah. That's right," he responded with a smile. "It's been a while so I just want to give it a go. To remind myself what a violin sounds like."

There was no way for the boy to play the way he'd been trained to all his life. Fine motor control, let alone use of both hands, was absolutely critical for any player. Changing the strings just wasn't something he could easily do in his state, without one hand.

Instead, the boy was mirroring his usual position as he held the violin up against his chin. Where his left hand would normally be, his functioning right hand supported the violin from the fingerboard. The bow was the real issue, with his left hand being unable to grip onto anything - to compensate, the bottom of the bow was taped crudely to his wrist.

"U- um, Kyousuke? Did you talk to the nurse or anything about this?" she asked nervously.

He was still recovering after all. It wasn't just his hand, but his whole body. When even simple movements like walking were risky, was it really a good idea to…?

"Maybe you shouldn't-"

"No."

The boy cut her off before she could finish her sentence, with an indecipherable expression on his face.

"Let me do this."

When it was spoken with such conviction, how could she possibly stop him?

Retracting his left wrist, and with it the bow, the violinist announced, "Presenting, Schubert's Ave Maria."

So.

Just like that, he tried to perform the violin.

With a right hand unfamiliar with playing on the fingerboard, constantly stumbling between the first position and third positions.

With a shaking left arm, rattling the tensioned bow while it arched back and forth unevenly. Attempting to make up for the lack of the left hand as it desperately aimed for the D and F-sharp notes. Failing miserably.

The result was obvious.

Even she, who only had a working knowledge of classical music, knew Ave Maria was a slow, simple piece for beginners. Despite this, the violinist had yet to produce a sound anything like music. Let alone the Ave Maria they were all familiar with. Let alone anything on the level he himself used to produce.

And he knew it.

Pain gradually welled up in the boy's eyes, while he gazed at a faraway dream, as if struggling to understand why he couldn't do this. With each minute, each consecutive series of notes, the semblance of structure he had started out with only degraded more and more. His forced confidence broke apart like a shell, giving way to hopelessless. The bow shoved itself against the strings in desperation, again, again, again, as if searching for any kind of rhythm.

Still, he refused to stop the performance. He dragged it on, further, further, further. Maybe he thought if he carried on, probability would dictate he would properly hit the right notes sooner or later. Whatever the case, all she could do was watch on. It was her duty as his sole audience in this tiny room.

It wasn't like Kamijou Kyousuke was weak, or like he was giving up on his lifelong passion.

"Let me… do this…"

It was just impossible, she realised.

He was doing his absolute best.

It was just impossible.

Tuesday, April the 5th

"Alright, let's do this!" declared a confident Sayaka.

Within a small, rundown-down factory lay eleven innocents, unconscious, salarymen and teenagers alike having failed to commit suicide. Nearby, the symphonious spinning of an alien merry-go-round world went on, surrounded by TV screens, where one-winged, haloed creatures descended to oppose the two guests.

"Sorry for the intrusion." That is, only to be instantly blasted away by the blonde-haired lady. The sea of familiars were no match for Mami, whose rifles mowed them down like paper.

"My turn!" From there, Sayaka eagerly lunged past her to take care of the ones lucky enough to escape.

With her newly-regained arm, she slashed across three survivors in a single swing, and let out a satisfied 'ha!' when they dissipated. This was her first proper battle since the Dessert Witch, and so far, she was having the time of her life. Just saved the lives of a dozen people, got the chance to go all out with her powers here, an experienced hero was there with her to show her the ropes. Plus, just in general, there was something fun about this particular world - the lack of gravity, the ability to fly about as much as she wanted like a true magical girl. It was honestly exhilarating.

"Ah," Then, right behind her, she heard a familiar being shot down by another one of Mami's bullets. That was dangerously close. "Thank you!"

"Careful, Miki-san. We musn't get overconfident!" Mami reminded her with a smile. "I know it's not your first time with a Witch, but for now, stay behind me and cover my back."

"Okaaaaayyy." Slightly disappointed, the blunette retreated to her previous position, where Mami continued to shoot down more of the oncoming familiars.

Sayaka could sort of guess why she needed to be behind. Since it seemed like she was a melee fighter who needed to fight in close combat, and since this particular Witch Barrier was much smaller than average, it wasn't exactly the best environment for the teamwork. It was probably difficult for Mami to fire without possibly grazing or even hitting her, and she didn't fancy being in the way anyway.

Hopefully I don't hold Mami-san back too much longer, Sayaka thought to herself. Better get this thing down quickly!

Also, even if her senpai wasn't saying it out loud, she was probably being much more protective, what with this being Sayaka's first proper battle since the misshap with the Dessert Witch and all. While Mami aimed at the descending familiars, the blue knight focused on protecting her - every time a few emerged from behind, she could cut down them before they could even get close. Then, upon looking over her shoulder, she saw Mami briefly nod back with encouragement. Probably didn't even need the support, huh?

Moments later, another entity joined them from above - a retro computer with flowing twin-tailed hair, floating downwards. From its screen, more and more twisted angel familiars were pouring out. The Box Witch had revealed itself at last.

"̶y͡ado͞t̶n͢uf̸da҉hy̶ll̕a͘er̕i͝… ̧n̶ia͟g̢a͏t͢iodo̢t̶t͠n̕a͜w̶I͢"

Mami raced up to meet the Witch as soon as it was visible, blasting away the remaining familiars. Her enemy glitched a little, as if preparing for an attack, yet instead of meeting it head-on, Mami darted past it.

In her path, she'd laid out a trail of golden ribbons, and each one proceeded to wrap around and immobilize the Box Witch before it could even begin to turn around.

"Let's put a stop to this, shall we?" Mami said gracefully, flying above her target. Multiple monitors floated around them.

With the wave of a hand, she summoned and gripped onto a massive percussion-lock cannon, before aiming it at the trapped Witch to perform her signature finishing move. As magical energy poured into the weapon, she readied herself.

"TIRO-"

"You're incredible, Mami-san!"

"Miki-san, not n-"

Then, Mami froze in place. Having briefly glanced away, her eyes were now caught by the surrounding monitors.

"If it's the two of us" They flickered. "then even Walpurgisnacht" Displaying the memory of a certain someone. "would go down easy!"

While Sayaka wasn't exactly sure why her senpai stopped at first, she proceeded to burst upwards to take advantage of the given brief pause.

"Thanks, Mami-san! This one's mine!"

The ribbon-bound Box Witch fluttered violently in a desperate attempt to escape, yet it was powerless. In a last-ditch act at survival, its own screen changed to show a hospitalised boy; glaring forward with a look of disgust. However, the blunette only steeled her resolve. Readying her blade without hesitation, she thrust on, shattered the screen, and impaled all the way through its body using the full strength of a magical girl.

The sheer force of her assault caused a geyser of black liquid to eject out the other end, and up into the air. Mami hastily dodged this, returning back to her senses. Yeah, I've bathed in enough black stuff for one lifetime, thought Sayaka, distancing herself from the Witch's twitching body too just in case that 'blood' decided to burst in any more directions. What occurred with the Shadow Witch wasn't something she was keen to repeat anytime soon.

Seconds later, their enemy stopped moving.

Hell yes! Victory!

"Mami-san, Mami-san, we did it!" Sayaka said excitedly, rushing up to meet her while the surrounding world broke apart.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the nearby monitors were displaying images of a crimson-haired female wielding a spear. Someone she'd never seen before. Another magical girl?

"Yes, excellent work," Mami gave a calm response. Before Sayaka could inspect them any further, the entirety of the Witch's Barrier vanished.

Thus, the duo found themselves standing amidst the factory's storage room once more. Now back in reality, they proceeded to revert to their Mitakihara Uniforms, letting their weapons vanish at the same time. A tiny Grief Seed was in the air, right about to fall when Sayaka snagged it victoriously.

"Not bad at all, Miki-san. Congratulations on your first win," Mami commended her.

"Hehe! It's all thanks to you and your training," responded Sayaka, striking a triumphant pose as she did so. "I'd say we make a good team!"

"Hehe, well!" the blonde magical girl stifled a laugh. "It's definitely good to have confidence."

"This one looked a lot weaker than the rest so I wasn't able to do much this time, but just you wait! When we find a stronger Witch, I'll sure you what I'm really made of."

"I'll look forward to that day." Mami simply nodded, pleased at her pupil's enthusiasm. "Do be careful, of course. Witches exist only to cause suffering towards others. They tend to hide tricks up their sleeve, so it's never a good idea to simply charge in blind."

"Yeah yeah. Sorry, Mami-san!"

Shrugging, Sayaka used her left hand to hold out the Box Witch's Grief Seed, presenting it for her senpai.

Mami stared down at the object for a moment. Then her smile grew, and she touched her golden Soul Gem to it. Sayaka did the same. From there, their respective taints were drawn out and absorbed into the needle-shaped dark object, restoring the twin crystalline objects to their original states as they shined their bright, clear colours.

To Sayaka's understanding, this was the way a magical girl maintained their powers. By refilling their Soul Gem, the source of the powers, using the magical essence of the defeated Witch's egg. As long as they wanted to keep on being magical girls, they had to keep defeating Witches, or else risk returning back to their mundane, everyday lives.

Mami-san must do this every day, huh? Having stayed overnight at the Tomoe Residence, she'd been given a valuable opportunity to observe the lifestyle of a veteran magical girl firsthand. Even though it was necessary for her due to her regrowing arm and all, it was almost like an internship.

Discussing methods and strategies they could use with their movesets, ways to work together against enemies. Analysing every street and building, every news article and rumour where great quantitites of suffering gathered. Spending hours wandering the city, just to search for Witches and familiars, occasionally finding nothing. Truthfully, it was surprisingly uncool.

Since they first met, Sayaka had seen Mami fight and gracefully win against five Witches. It seemed so easy whenever Mami did it. Meanwhile, she thought back to her own experiences with the Shadow Witch and the Dessert Witch, both times having almost died. As much as she wanted to completely blame them on the transfer student, a part of her just, couldn't.

Either way, this stuff was clearly way more dangerous than Mami made it look. Something that was apparently obvious to Homura right from the get-go.

Ugh. Akemi Homura.

It gave her a headache just thinking about that one. However, at the same time - she couldn't help but understand Homura's constant warnings a little better now.

Sayaka didn't want to admit it to her senpai. Yet, as exhilarating as it felt having these insane, insane powers, it wasn't exactly easy to imagine doing this on a daily basis.

Still. It was for a good cause, right?

Mami worked so hard for the sake of keeping the people of Mitakihara safe, and if it weren't for her thorough work, a dozen innocents would have died today. She really seemed to have her stuff together. A true hero of justice.

"Miki-san?"

"H- huh?" Sayaka stuttered a bit.

"Kyubey isn't here, so you're welcome to onto the Grief Seed until he shows up," Mami informed her. "Now, shall we clean up and head back?"

"Oh! Oh yeah, totally!"

Just what would it take…

...to be like Mami-san?

From there, time went by much faster.

Upon wrapping things up with the Witch-Kissed victims, they left the factory. By now, Sayaka had mostly gotten used to the long walks at night, so the journey back went by in a breeze.

Before she knew it, she was sitting back in the Tomoe Residence at night-time, next to a table with two prepared plates of peach pie. Did something feel a little different about this place? Probably just her imagination.

Sayaka stared down at her right hand, which had mostly formed by midday. All that was left now were the upper joints of her ring and pinky fingers, and she would be all set to return to her normal life. She seriously did not want to think about the process of regrowing her whole arm any longer than she needed to. It had taken every ounce of her willpower not to look in the mirror every chance she got. Even though it only lasted a few days, the sheer sensation of not having access to an arm, especially her dominant arm, was the most surreal thing in the world.

But there was no room for complaints. It was her own fault for losing focus against that caterpillar Witch.

Besides, she knew very well someone had it way worse, for way longer. Yeah. This is nothing compared to what Kyousuke had to go through, so you don't really have a right to complain here.

At the very least, Sayaka could be certain the wish she made that day wasn't something she'd regret.

"Sure about this? You don't mind me staying over one more night?"

"Not at all!" responded Mami, bringing over a cup of tea for her pupil. "Is your hand okay? Is it healing fine? I know I've said this already, but I'm truly sorry for being late that day…"

"No, no, no, it's all fine, Mami-san! Don't worry about any of that," Sayaka dismissed her worries with a grin.

Her positivity seemed to ease her senpai, who let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear. In that case, you're welcome to stay as long as you like. As long as I'm not a bother, that is!"

"That's our Mami-san for ya."

Sayaka took that as the go-ahead to pick up her fork. "If it's okay, then don't mind if I," and proceeded to shamelessly bite into a chunk of the peach pie, "do!"

For as long as she could remember, her parents had always been lax when it came to how she spent her free time, so all it took was a single phone call and a comment on studying over at a senpai's place overnight for them to agree. Rather than risk anyone finding out about her chomped arm, this made sense.

Just to be sure, Mami added, "If you're not comfortable staying over at mine, I'm sure Akemi-san would understand if you wanted to-"

"Yeah, that's a no from me." The blunette shot down, her mood instantly souring a bit.

"Ah."

Mami looked down. Things had gotten a little awkward.

For a moment, she wasn't sure what to say after that.

Then, "You two don't really get along, do you?"

"Ehhh." Sayaka tried to figure out how to word it. "Well. Yeah. Now that Homura's not here, there's no point in hiding it anymore, huh?" After a nervous laugh, she admitted, "Yeah, we really don't."

"May I ask why?"

In turn, the blunette scratched her head. The subject wasn't something she could easily put her finger on.

"Sorry if I'm intruding, I'm only curious. To me, it seems like you two are always hanging out..."

"It's okay. And I mean, I'm sure it looks that way," the blunette responded. "Honestly though, the first time we met was when you saved us. It's not like I wanted to spend around her, it just sorta shaped out that way."

Though struggling to find the right words for it, she tried anyway.

"How do I put it? That transfer student entered our lives, and suddenly we've got the same friends now, you know? It's just weird. She gets along with Madoka. Gets along with Hitomi. She's even a magical girl candidate like me. I've kinda just had to, uh, tolerate her."

"I see. Have you tried talking to her about this?" inquired Mami, sipping from her cup of tea. "I admit, I don't know Akemi-san too well myself. But from what I've seen, she seems nice…"

"That's exactly it, Mami-san. You don't know her well enough."

As if to emphasize this, she stabbed her fork into the remainder of the peach pie.

"It's not like I haven't tried to get along with her," mumbled Sayaka, before raising her voice. "But she gets on my nerves. The way she looks at me, the way she treats me, the way she talks to me, it's just, ahhhh! Like, what's her problem? What did I even do to her?!"

Sayaka stabbed her fork the remainder of the peach pie and, in a bout of annoyance, proceeded to shove it into her mouth. Chewing vigorously.

"I even put my life on the line for her, and she still acts like that. She clearly never wanted to make a contract either, but kept on following us anyway! I don't get it. I just don't."

"Hm. I suppose... she does seem a little opinionated?" replied Mami, unsure how to really respond.

Sayaka averted her eyes.

"I dunno. She's just…"

That cold, self-righteous attitude.

That extreme overprotectiveness towards Madoka. Her best friend, by the way.

Least of all those GRENADES in her backpack, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

"…weird."

No matter how she tried to look at it, nothing about this creep was normal. What was actually her deal? Was she some New Age psycho who thought acting like a 'mysterious, cool transfer student' was fun? Did she carry around grenades due to some insane logic about self-defense? Was there something just fundamentally wrong with her head? Whatever the case, it was sick!

And every time Sayaka thought she was trustworthy, dared to think she was trustworthy, she just went ahead and did something even stupider to break that trust! 'A 'friend', you say? No. Who knows if anyone considers her a friend?' Those were her exact words, weren't they? What the actual hell was that all about?! That caught her so off-guard that, in her utter shock, she nearly sentenced the girl to death-

I nearly killed her-

No. It was just shock, wasn't it? Everything turned out okay, in the end, so... At the reminder of that split-second impulse, at the very thought of yesterday's events, a hollow feeling rushed through the blunette's veins.

As if noticing a change in her expression, Mami was currently staring at her.

"Are you okay, Miki-san? Is there something else you wish to tell me?"

For a passing few seconds, Sayaka returned her look with silence.

She had every right to reveal the true nature of Akemi Homura. She should tell, shouldn't she? In all honesty, she should've revealed it the moment they got back from the Dessert Witch. No, maybe not even that. The very instant Mami gathered them together, she should've stood up, declared 'that creep definitely shouldn't be a magical girl!', and be done with it. Every time, every single time, she'd gone against all the pieces of logic scrambled together in her head. And for what exactly?

"Nah. It's nothing."

Sayaka gave a firm response.

"I guess we just don't have anything in common," she concluded with a shrug. "The transfer student gives off some bad vibes, but maybe it's just my imagination."

There wasn't really a point. There probably wouldn't be any reward for it either. And yet, despite all this, she was still going against her base instincts to defend someone who absolutely did not deserve it. To look over the blaring red flags.

...yeah.

Yeah, she knew the reason why.

It was that, wasn't it? It was a stupid reason, really. But considering it was something that she could still vividly recall every detail of it, there was no doubt about it. If she had to think of an explanation for why she still had the faintest glimmer of trust in that psycho, ANY AT ALL, then-

Friday, March the 25th (two weeks ago)

The sun shone brightly in the field of Mitakihara Middle School.

At last, gym class had begun. A pumped-up Sayaka joined the crowd of classmates, all dressed in their gym outfits as they started to gather together and warm up.

While Sayaka was with Hitomi as usual, Madoka seemed to have parted from them briefly to hang around the new transfer student. Jeez, she really wasn't kidding about the whole 'secret friend I'm gonna introduce you to' thing, was she? Earlier this morning, Sayaka even caught Madoka talking to her over one of her weird dreams, which she had to promptly drag the awkward, stumbling Madoka away from. Then later tell her: 'Like, I know you wanna be close friends, but don't embarrass yourself so soon! And don't make us look bad!'

Right now, she knew very little about the transfer student. Aside from the fact that she just seemed... insanely cool.

Between those red glasses, that aloof attitude, and the supergenius ability displayed in their maths class, it boggled her mind to comprehend how Madoka became friends with her in the first place. According to the teacher, this girl had spent a long time in the hospital, but she seemed so perfect and so smart it was hard to imagine. She just gave off the aura of someone who was thinking 'I'm better than everyone in this room'.

But it wasn't something Sayaka wanted to say out loud. It was a feeling she couldn't really explain, maybe she was just thinking this since she'd grown so used to knowing basically everything about her best friend.

Well, apparently Madoka was gonna introduce them at the mall later. She did give rich girl Hitomi a chance way back when, so this 'Akemi Homura' deserved a chance too.

Just had to withhold judgment and actually get to know one another better before jumping to any conclusions. Til then, patience!

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!"

In unison, the wide array of students counted upwards as they commenced their stretching and basic exercises. Then, with the blow of the gym instructor's whistle, they let out breaths of relief.

"Today we're going to do the running high jump. Forward jump, scissor jump, belly roll, and Fosbury-backflop. Try them all out, okay?"

As far as Sayaka was concerned, most of the other subjects were just unnecessary, stuff that wouldn't really apply in the world of adults. Or maybe that mentality was just an excuse for her own inattentiveness, but still. Either way, P.E. was the time of the day where she could let loose. Have fun, without feeling the worries or pressure of entrance exams.

She was practically bouncing as she made her way towards the track. In the strict school environment of Mitakihara Middle School, there were probably many others who felt the same way. That this class was a time of ease.

Many others. But not all.

"…ah…"

While Sayaka and the others were heading off, one of the students seemed to be walking a lot slower than the others. Breathing roughly, even wobbling a bit.

A flash of concern crossed the gym teacher's face, rushing over towards the person in question. "Akemi-san, are you all right? You look terrible. Is it your anemia?"

The raven-haired girl gave a blank look at first. Then, after a few seconds of silence, it looked like she'd regained her stance, all signs of weakness having vanished.

"I'm fine, sensei," she answered.

"You look a little weak, are you sure?"

"I…" A pause. "I'm fine. I'm able to participate. If I need help, I'll be sure to tell you or the nurse's aide."

After some concern, the teacher ultimately decided, "Alright. As long as you're not pushing yourself too hard. Don't be afraid to let anyone know if you feel dizzy or anything, okay?"

The transfer student bowed slightly. "Thank you."

Then, as soon as the teacher turned away, Sayaka watched a wave of paleness wash over the transfer student's face, her body buckling a little. Had she been holding it in? Just how bad was that heart condition of hers anyway?

"Homura-chan, are you sure you're okay?" asked an approaching Madoka.

This little exchange hadn't gone unnoticed to the others either, some of the classmates having clearly seen it too. Her mood soured a bit when she heard a few girls making comments behind her.

"Seriously, tiring out from the warm-up? That's pretty bad…"

"Well, she did spend half a year doing nothing but sleep."

"Guess it's kinda expected."

Her lack of physical ability should've been obvious from the get-go - she'd been hospitalized after all - but it was still bizarre to see it in action.

So I guess Miss Perfect isn't so perfect after all, she thought. Even though it shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone, the transfer student hadn't shown a single sign of weakness up until now, appearing to be someone gifted with both brains and beauty. Seeing this individual, who seemed so impenetrable, exhaust herself from a simple task like warming up…

With a shrug, Sayaka turned away, returning back to the track to psyche herself back up. The class had since split into two distinct queues, each one lined up a short distance away from a raised horizontal bar. When she joined the one to the middle, it only took seconds for Hitomi and the others to follow behind her.

One by one students moved closer to the end of theirs queue, performing jumps with varying degrees of success. Until it was her turn.

While high jumps weren't quite as exciting as the other stuff like volleyball, she still intended to give it her very best, planning to perform a Fosbury backflop.

"Miki Sayaka, making a juuummmppp!"

The teacher blew her whistle, and on that signal, the blunette raced forth.

Her legs pulled her forward during the approach, her mind focused on a singular target. It could be broken down into three stages; the approach, the takeoff, and the flight. When she reached the checkpoint, she poured energy into her right foot and took off in a motion parallel to the mattress.

From there, she arched herself backwards with raised knees, focused on gaining as much height as possible mid-flight, before successfully going over the bar and slamming into the landing mat. Sayaka let out a breath, giving a thumbs up to her classmates as she got off. Looked like she'd hit a pretty good height, better than most of the boys so far, so that was definitely something to be proud of.

"Shizuki Hitomi, making a jump!"

The green-haired girl went next. Rushing forward, before performing a clean, graceful scissor jump above the bar - and damn, beating her by two centimeters?!

Sayaka let out a sigh of defeat. It was true, Hitomi was a lot stronger than she looked. Whether she got that strength from her dance lessons, from her self-defense lessons, or just from having a healthy lifestyle, you just wouldn't expect it unless you actually saw her in action. Eh, at least I'm the faster runner.

"K- Kaname Madoka, making a jump!"

Next up was Madoka. As the pinkette raced towards the bar, Sayaka's attention turned to the raven-haired girl right behind her, who was just looking onwards with great uncertainty.

Sayaka heard gasps from her sensei and classmates, with words like '1m 57cm!' and 'amazing, Kaname-san!' at the back of her head. She couldn't get it out of her head though - considering how tired out the transfer student got just from the warm up, were they sure about doing this?

"Did you just see what Kaname-san did?" Hitomi brought up.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Sayaka grinned, turning her attention back to her friends. "Great job, Madoka!"

"Hehe, thanks Sayaka-chan!" Bright and excited, Madoka rushed over to sit besides them.

Though, the pinkette's excitement dwindled a bit when she watched the transfer student approach the track next.

"Is Homura-chan… going to be okay?" she asked worriedly.

"You know her better than we do, right? I'm sure it'll be fiinneee," Sayaka assured her.

"That's the problem, I do know her…"

Confused with the statement, Sayaka turned between the two people. What did she mean by that? Right now, Madoka's new friend seemed like the cool type, someone who wouldn't try to do anything dumb or irrational. If their heart condition was that bad, then surely they should just take it easy for this one?

"Akemi-san?" the gym teacher spoke up. "Do you want to give it a go?"

The transfer student stood silently at the end of the track, having removed her glasses beforehand. From where Sayaka was sitting, she could see a faint glimmer of fear in her eyes.

"Yes," Homura replied breathlessly.

The teacher nodded in understanding, and readied her whistle. It seemed the rest of the class had briefly paused to pay attention, curious about how the new student was going to perform.

"Akemi Homura. Making a jump."

Without hesitation, Homura broke off into a run. Her feet propelled her forward, hitting the ground four, maybe five times, before the raven-haired girl's eyes fluttered in what might've been a passing spell of dizziness. Her initial momentum was lost in an instant, and with that, her feet's rhythm was lost utterly. Sayaka couldn't help but cringe somewhat, watching her stumble onward in a desperate attempt just to force herself onward.

Until inevitably, she lost balance, tripping over right before the bar and shielding herself with her arms as she hit the hard ground.

All this transpired in the span in three seconds.

There were roughly ten meters separating her from the raised bar, as it had everyone else. It hadn't been a very long distance. And yet, Homura still failed to cross it.

The class went gone silent.

"Homura-chan!"

"Are you okay, Akemi-san?"

Madoka and the teacher quickly rushed to her side, but by then the girl had gotten up apologetically.

"Sorry… I'm fine. I merely lost my balance there," Homura reassured them. A little breathless, but otherwise sounding normal. "As a matter of fact, this is something I've done many times, so there's nothing to be concerned about. I can do this."

By then, Homura was already walking back to her previous position. Her breaths were much more ragged, and yet her footsteps were much more firm. Meanwhile, murmurs and supressed giggles could be heard amongst the onlookers as they continued to watch. It was a bit uncomfortable, actually. After that display, after not even making it close, was she really going to give it another go? Wasn't she embarrassed at all?

However, when the transfer student passed by her, Sayaka briefly saw the expression on her face. A very familiar expression.

Frustration.

Pure FRUSTRATION. As if struggling to understand why she couldn't do this.

Madoka quickly caught up her, asking "Hey, Homura-chan, are you sure-"

"Madoka."

The transfer student got into position.

"Let me do this."

Ah.

Ah...

AH.

Finally, the gears in Sayaka's thick skull clicked into place. Of course. It should've been obvious from the start.

"U- um, Homura-chan, but-"

Just as Madoka was about to finish that sentence, Sayaka grabbed her hand. And with that, the pinkette reluctantly resigned.

If that's how it was, this wasn't a place for them to interfere. It wasn't like that girl was unaware of the class gossiping all around her. She just didn't care. That girl was just too busy focusing on the completion of this particular task, wasn't she? Not pretending everything was fine, but rather, too occupied concentrating on success. It was nothing more than a case of someone trying to prove herself wrong - a chance she deserved.

The gym teacher stood at the ready, now looking a lot more attentive, as though ready to jump in anytime for support.

The raven-haired girl took a moment to collect her breath together.

"Akemi Homura… Making a jump!"

So.

Just like that, she tried to perform a high jump.

With her wobbling legs and her frail stature, and her anemia and apparent dizziness, she charged in. This time her movements were a little different, slower and more controlled, in an effort to prevent repetition of the previous attempt. They were much more mechanical as they steadily gained in speed, crossing the distance necessary to reach the bar. The approach, which looked simple on the outside, wasn't giving away the finer details. While Sayaka had no idea how her heart condition functioned, there was probably a threshold of some sort. She must've been trying to go as fast as she could without triggering it, staying calm, timing the landing of each of her feet to avoid tripping. At which point she successfully reached the bar with some builtup momentum, and went for the takeoff.

Homura jumped high up into the air, pouring strength into her right foot to thrust herself upwards. Her body spun in midair, arching backwards with some surprising precision to prepare for a Fosbury-backflop, almost as though it were something she was used to doing.

The result was obvious. But that didn't matter.

The fact that her weak backflop caused her to bash directly into the bar, knocking it over?

That didn't matter.

The fact that she hit the mattress so hard she rolled back, and had to lay there for a minute with deep, hoarse breaths?

That didn't matter.

The fact that her pathetic-looking landing caused the rest of the class to burst into giggles and laughter?

That didn't matter.

What mattered was that expression, that pure determination she wore when she jumped with all her might. The insurmountable amount of effort poured in, regardless of whether or not others would even NOTICE.

Yeah. That's all there was to this memory. Just a brief glimpse into the girl's feelings. Something so quick most people wouldn't have even noticed it, and something so simple no one would even remember it, probably not even the transfer student herself. However, to Sayaka, it was something she would remember clear as day. In that split second, she'd found herself transfixed by the stranger called 'Akemi Homura'.

Back then, before their first proper meeting, before everything she learned and before all the crazy things that happened, she just couldn't help but think, 'Someone who tries so hard like that… can't possibly be a bad person, can they?'

After all.

Even if it was impossible,

Homura looked like the kind of person who would do her absolute best anyway.

"Some people just don't get along, ya'know? Ahahaha~"

"If you say so, Miki-san." Mami tilted her head curiously, but decided to leave it at that.

It was a memory that, although brief, had left a lasting impression, having colouring all of her interactions with Homura from that point onwards. The idea that she had good reasons to do what she was doing, that there must've been a logical explanation for her to work so hard and put her life on the line for reasons beyond just being a general, all-around creep - even now, it was something she hoped for.

She remembered being so excited to meet Madoka's friend at first, but all the unexplained things that have been thrown at her since then - the grenades, the dislike of magical girls, the fixation on protecting Madoka - were just SO WEIRD, too weird in fact to just look past. Reaffirming her justification to herself, the girl thought, Guess I'll keep it to myself a little longer, huh? Just until I can say for sure whether she's really a good person... or not.

Then, once Sayaka gulped down her cup of tea, she snapped herself out of the rush of negativity and weird subjects.

Anyway!

There was something else she wanted to get out of the way, wasn't there? It was time to lighten the mood a bit. She leaned over the table as if to get closer to her senpai.

"Mami-san, Mami-san~"

The person in question was still focused on enjoying her own tea. "Yes, Miki-san?"

"There's something I've been wondering, Mami-san."

"Certainly. Ask whatever you like."

"Right, so. I've been here a lot, right? And now that I've stayed over, I'm almost totally sure about this. "

The blunette leaned in even closer.

"Basically, Mami-san - I can't help but notice you live all alone."

The blonde-haired girl froze, her face darkening a little. "Oh."

"Soooo, my question is..."

"…"

"You uh, you're not some super rich girl like Hitomi, are ya?"

"Eh?" At that, Mami had to pause. "Rich?"

Had she been expecting something else? Innocently, Sayaka gestured towards the tidy, extravagant apartment all around them. "I mean it's such a fancy place! It really is! And your family just let you do whatever you want here? It wouldn't surprise me if they were foreigners either. I bet they are, huh? Well, Mami-san?"

"Well, um." Mami stared at her in confusion, debating her words. Then, she ultimately answered with a "Yes, I… Yes. Something like that, yes."

"Knew it!" A triumphant second-year student punched the air. "That sounds so nice. Jealous!"

"It isn't all that great," her senpai quickly added.

"Huh, that so?"

"It can get lonely sometimes. After all, they… rarely visit." Quietly, Mami continued sipping from the cup in her hands. "I have to take care of the apartment by myself all the time. Since I'm so busy as a magical girl, I almost never have friends over either. It's not as easy as it sounds."

"…right." Sayaka calmed down, looking at her senpai with sympathy. "That makes sense. Sorry, Mami-san."

The blunette nodded in understanding. It was hard for her to imagine someone amazing like Mami going through hardships. However, just like everyone else, she was still human at the end of the day.

"I guess I can kinda get that. My family just let me do whatever I want," remarked Sayaka, giving an exaggerated sigh. "I mean, they let me stay at yours without even asking who you were. Not that I'm complaining, but it just makes me think of all the other times I've gotten away with sleepovers… Ain't that kinda irresponsible? Feels weird knowing so many others have got such strict parents. Meanwhile, I dunno if mine are trusting or if they're just irresponsible sometimes."

"Maybe. However, it does sound like a convenient life for a magical girl," Mami commented with a smile.

"Heh, I guess you've got a point there…"

The blunette lay her her head on the table lazily.

But then,

"Wait. You know what this also means, Mami-san?"

her attitude lit up all of a sudden.

"It means we're the perfect magical girl team!" realised Sayaka. "You can do whatever you want. I can do whatever I want. We can stay up as long as we like… protecting the city… hunting the Witches together, and nothing will stop us!" The pumped-up Puella Magi stood up from the ground, striking a cool pose as she did so. "Oh, now I'm getting excited. This is gonna be awesome!"

"Miki-san…"

In response, Mami couldn't help but stare at her companion in pure incredulousness, even feeling herself turn a little red in embarrassment.

Then, the veteran got herself together, putting down her cup of tea in a composed manner. She let out a chuckle, calmly standing up from the floor as well.

"Ahaha… My, my. You really are a handful, aren't you?"

Calmly? No, that wasn't the right word for it.

"Yes… Yes. I look forward to working with you too, Miki-san!"

Mami's eyes were practically beaming wide, beginning to sparkle, almost losing her professionalism as she responded with equal giddiness. "For a long time I… I've thought that it'd be nice to have a magical girl for a friend. I'd be very honoured to have you by my side!"

Her enthusiasm actually took Sayaka off-guard a little.

Hence, in turn, Sayaka pushed herself to stay positive even more, pointing at the sky triumphantly.

"That's the spirit, Mami-san! Look forward to kicking some Witch butt together, evildoers beware!"

It didn't matter what the future held. Right now, what was important was that she throw herself in, give it a shot, and try to live up to her own expectations. Looking back, she'd be lying if she said she could completely understand Kyousuke's feelings. But even during all those months, he somehow coped with such an unfair, difficult situation. He held onto his dreams, he did everything he could, and and he marched on regardless of the consequences for so long…

If even a freak like Homura could do it, then she could definitely do it too. Moving onward in the face of terrifying adversity. Giving hope to others.

Yeah.

Even if it was impossible, she just had to do her absolute best from now on—as the next magical girl of Mitakihara!

Far off into the distance, feet swayed back and forth in the sky, suspended over two thousand feet above ground. Even at this height, there wasn't a trace of worry in her expression. At the very edge of a construction tower crane, rivalling the nightscape's tallest buildings, sat a young teen.

It seemed a crazy, red-haired female devoid of fear had made herself comfortable on the railing.

The night sky surrounded her wherever she looked, pitch black, unwelcoming. Due to the sheer level of light pollution caused by the urbanisation here, there wasn't a single star visible, only the faint visage of a crescent moon. Nothing like plain-old Kazamino. The emerald glow of the vast metropolitan city was all that could be seen for miles - by being here, it was almost like she was declaring her superiority over everything below her.

"So."

Without mercy, she chomped into her custard-filled taiyaki. "Mami got herself a new disciple, eh?"

And chomped again.

And chomped one more time, for good measure.

"That's right." Next to her sat the magical white feline, observing her behaviour with patience and curiousity. "In addition, it looks like we've got a bit of an anomaly in the city. They could be a problem for you too."

"Huh? Anomaly?" Confusion crossed the girl's face. "What's that mean?"

His ruby eyes simply gazed onwards, his stillness not giving anything away. "You'll see soon enough."

There were times when he was weirdly mysterious like this. But whatever. Whether it was a magical girl or whether it was a Witch, she could handle it, and as a matter of fact she'd welcome the challenge. Wasn't really her thing to think too hard about this stuff anyway. There was only one reason why she returned back here.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Kyubey.

At that, a wild grin grew on her face.

"You know me. What do ya think?!"

The Puella Magi stood up from the crane, utterly unfazed by the night's cold, heavy winds as she tossed away the empty box of pocky. And with this, she proceeded to gleefully launch herself off, letting every fibre of her being plummet across the vast expanse of an ever-infinite night sky, with all the excitement of a ferocious beast.

Indeed, at long last—Sakura Kyouko has returned to Mitakihara.

.

.

.

three words:

KYOUKO

IS

HERE

Hey readers!

Looks like this is our first dedicated Sayaka-POV chapter. If you enjoyed, feel free to let me know your thoughts down in the Review section!

We have now reached the end of the time period called "Episode 4", so with this, the final major player is on the board. It ought to be no secret that Kyouko is the ultimate wild card here...