Courtesy of John Robert Tan Lim from Upwork.
Note: This is a side-story of Cibus Esculentus Madoka Magica. If a premise revolving around fat girls does not sit well with you, you may want to avoid this.
Disclaimer: I do not own Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
The afternoon sun shone through tinted glass, illuminating the interior of the church with a faint, orange glow.
"Hear me, this is now the time for repentance. The world has changed, and so shall we move along with the times!"
A thin man wearing a priest's robe stood in front of a small congregation. He slowly raised both hands along with his ever-increasing voice, one that showed a calm yet powerful decisiveness.
"We live among troubling times. I have come to bring you the words of the blessed mother. Love one another without discrimination. Accept each other for who they are, whatever they may be, whoever they may be."
"We are approaching the end of days. Hear me and repent! It is only with the power of acceptance and tolerance could we weather through the last days."
Two dozen people nodded in unison and knelt in front of their respective pews. The priest motioned to his assistant, who swiftly picked up a prepared container.
He dipped his hands inside before raising them once more. A religious sign later, and he closed the sermon.
"Live your lives keeping those rules in mind. We have no time to be stuck up on religious dogma. Now go. Go forth and be blessings of the world!"
Behind the pulpit, several books have been piled together. Dust gathered atop the books, covering the religious symbols engraved on the book covers.
The dozens of followers, barely filling up a quarter of the large church hall's full capacity of around a hundred people, began to leave.
The priest's assistant took his books, and after giving the now-empty church another look of sorrow, faced the priest and bowed.
"This doesn't look good at all," said the assistant.
With his eyes fixed on the stained glass that lined the church, the priest replied in a solemn tone.
"I know. Deviating from the order certainly didn't sit well with the people, it seems. It seemed like yesterday when the whole church was filled up with energized believers."
"Not to mention, it might get you into trouble sooner than later. I'm sorry, but when that time comes, and it seems to be sooner than later…"
"I shall take sole responsibility. My convictions are clear. These people need a new doctrine to live by and that is the truth that my heart believes in."
Minutes later, and the priest had finally left the church with a paper bag in hand. His lonely walk on the last hours before nightfall in Kazamino continued until he reached the gates of the compound.
"Dad's back!"
Two girls, both red-haired, scampered towards their father.
"So how are my two little angels been doing today?"
Two happy voices
"We went to play at the nearby park. Big sis and I had a lot of fun!"
"Is that so, Momo?" asked the father. "I'm glad for you two. Now, here you go."
He bent down and lowered the paper bag to reveal a pack of potatoes.
"God has been great to us. Make sure to give your thanks for all the gifts given to us. Right, Kyoko?"
Munching on one of the potatoes, Kyoko, the elder sibling, looked up to her father. She smiled before nodding.
"We'll keep praying. God will always provide for our needs. Right?" She motioned into a prayer motion while holding onto the food, which was halfway finished.
"Yes. That's right. He's all you need. Remember this until you both grow up. He would find a way."
Despite his reassuring words, Kyoko's father looked into the distance, straight at the horizon with the fading sunlight that dyed the sky a rosy hue.
"Hey, dad?"
Kyoko's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Then why is it that you would read the newspaper and cry every morning? Wouldn't God just solve all the problems in the world? Wouldn't he show compassion and correct the bad people?"
"It's not that easy and simple, Kyoko. He works in mysterious ways, in his perfect time."
He proceeded to immediately answer the first question.
"There's nothing wrong with feeling sad for all the bad things happening in the world once in a while. That's why I am here. I stand as their guide towards their beacon of hope. Leading people to God, giving them a reason to live, that's what I promised to do in this church."
"Really? You're the best, the greatest hero!"
The father chuckled.
"Come, let's head back home. Your mom must be waiting for us, with a delicious meal ready."
"Yeeees~" answered the two in chorus.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
The father's voice echoed throughout the dining hall as his hand slammed the table, a sound of crumbling paper going along with it.
"The elder bishops dropped by a while ago to deliver that themselves. I-I'm sorry. R-really, I am sorry. I tried to explain everything, bu-but…"
A female voice failed to continue amidst sobs.
"What about this other paper? Do you know what this means?"
Sobs continued to act as the reply to his frustration-filled words.
"We have a family here, we can't leave! Where would we go?"
He paused, then resumed.
"All this just because they think we're some sort of cult? If they would just listen for a bit, if they would only get over their judgmental minds…"
"Hey, do you know what's going on, big sis?"
Momo whispered to her sister.
Both siblings failed to stay asleep due the the loud volume of the exchange between their parents. Kyoko just put her finger on top of her mouth.
"Don't worry about it, Momo. He'll find a way."
One afternoon, Kyoko sat down before collapsing into a makeshift bed inside a room. She stared blankly towards the sky from the little window that was showing signs of breaking down.
She frowned and put her hand over her face. "I guess dad and Momo would be coming home late today."
It was a downward spiral ever since that fateful night. The very next day, the whole family was kicked out from the residence and was forced to find a new home.
Weeks turned to months. There was barely any place to stay. The family had to keep going on the move, going from one place to another.
Everywhere they went, people merely scoffed at them and rejected their pleas.
Her father was cut off from the church with an excommunication order. The last remaining members of the church left when news broke, and with the breadwinner having no work to support four people, the family's finances began going down the drain.
Food became harder and harder to come by. The four of them had to live on scraps and leftovers for days at a time.
As these memories and events surged through Kyoko's mind, a fire lit up from within her. It was an inner flame full of anger and determination.
There has to be hope. There has to be something to get them out of this rut.
It was then that she saw it. For some reason, an animal had appeared on top of the open window. It peered into the room with round eyes that looked straight at her, never blinking.
Kyoko sat up and approached the animal that caught her attention. Upon closer look, she saw that it was a white cat that had four ears, regular upright cat ears and long ones that sprouted from the cat ears.
"May I help you?" asked the animal.
It did not even open its mouth. Somehow, it managed to get its thoughts across to Kyoko.
"Y-you can talk?!" blurted a startled Kyoko.
"Of course. I have been monitoring you for some time now. I also know about what you're going through, Kyoko Sakura. Say, if, and if there really is a way for you to get out of this mess, would you let me do it?"
"No way. It would take a miracle for something to turn things around. I don't think God hears our prayers too," answered Kyoko in a dejected voice.
"Well, your problems started when people stopped believing in your father's words. Church attendance grew less and less by the day, and people stopped giving to the church. To top it off, even the religious officers cut themselves away from the family."
"So, you know that much, huh?"
Kyoko turned away. "Yeah, I wish everyone would start listening to father again. He's a compassionate man. He loved too much, and it breaks my heart to see him being rejected and being sent away every time. He did nothing wrong. Everything was just different…"
Kyoko felt her hand forming a clenched fist as she poured her feelings out to this white cat. "If only they took a while to actually listen to what he was saying!..."
Before she could go on, the cat answered her.
"One wish, and I have the power to grant it in exchange for a contract. Would you agree to the contract and become a Cibus?"