(A.N.: A bit short, but writing the new one as you read.)

...

[Chapter 10: Of A Weeklong Wait]

...

Dusk would settle after a few hours and Homura had to go home before that. A good meal with the Kanames after a long day was the highlight of Homura's day. After the meal, the dark haired girl carefully removed her apron and folded it neatly before giving it to Madoka's mother.

Junko had insisted that she stayed the night and enjoyed dinner, but Homura politely declined, as her parents were waiting for her.

"I'll walk you home, Homura-chan," Madoka kindly offered, an offer Homura readily accepted.

They had walked home, taking the same route they had taken before. Madoka thought of the morning, when Homura's mother had instructed them to NOT take the train. She looked at the girl beside her, who now had her glasses on, not being able to notice Madoka's gaze.

'I wonder why her mother said that,' she had thought. Maybe it was concern. Maybe it was something else. Well, she didn't want to interfere, so she put the topic to rest before uttering anything.

Their walk was less awkward than before, as they had things to talk about now. Madoka gladly answered some questions related to working as a waitress, questions that Homura asked as her usual, shy self.

Seeing the fidgety and slightly fumbling Homura trying to hold her awkwardness down while talking was something Madoka found relaxing. And something as girly as that was in direct contrast to the girl who had served tables earlier that day.

'How mysterious,' she had thought. 'Does her personality change when she takes them off?'

Perhaps it did. Or perhaps she simply mistook Homura's drive to work hard as something silly.

The two girls had talked about nothing but work. Madoka did not find Homura's conversations the least bit awkward. She thought it was endearing how Homura was being so diligent.

Soon, they had arrived at their destination. Madoka shifted her eyes to her side, looking at Homura for the umpteenth time. The girl looked at her own house with forlorn eyes, an expression Madoka empathized with.

Homura was about to say goodbye, but Madoka had interjected.

"Is it okay if I talked to your mom about the part time job?" She said, her eyes hopeful. "I can try to convince her to let you work."

Homura was confused at this gesture. She didn't know what to make of it. But she had to admit. If there's a slight chance of her mother not allowing her to take the job, she wouldn't be able to persuade her on her own.

She nodded, and Madoka smiled.

"Oh, you're here already?" A feminine voice had startled the girls. They looked behind, to see the owner of the voice.

It was Homura's mother. Upon further inspection, Madoka noticed a plastic bag in her hand, which was probably filled with groceries.

"I was just getting back from the convenience store," the older Akemi said to the girls in a kind manner. "Welcome back, you two."

Madoka smiled. So did Homura.

Well, they had their anxious thoughts burrowed deep within their minds. And there was no way of clearing those thoughts other than convincing the woman to let her daughter take the job.

"I'll allow it," the woman said, seated in her spot in the living room, while her daughter and the pink haired girl looked at her in disbelief. "You're practically a grown-up, Homura. Besides, I think an experience like this is gonna be good for you."

Madoka couldn't believe her ears. It barely took any effort to convince her. She honestly thought it would be quite a challenge. But thankfully, it wasn't.

"Is it really okay?" Homura asked, her voice low in volume, but reeked of excitement. "Can I really work there?"

Her mother nodded, not quite sure why her daughter was looking at her with stars in her eyes.

Madoka didn't stay there long. She had said goodbye after a few moments, and asked Homura to come to the café from the next weekend to get her started.

"Oh, and Homura-chan?" Madoka said, before leaving for her house. "When you feel shy around the customers, take off your glasses. It'll make you more focused."

Homura didn't understand why Madoka would say such a thing at this time. But she took her words as an advice.

She nodded and waved the girl goodbye.

And since that day, she felt strangely excited about the upcoming weekend. Since it was a week's worth of time, she had spent it daydreaming about going to Madoka's house and talking with her again.

She had missed the kindness of her friend, how she had chirped with happiness when her coffee machine was fixed, how she smiled at someone like-

'Ah, no,' she had broken her train of thought. 'I mustn't think that way.' She swallowed down her insecure feelings. 'I have to stay focused and work hard. Otherwise she wouldn't like to talk to me anymore.'

That, Akemi Homura had firmly believed.

Some time that week, her parents also got into an argument over her part time job offer. Homura had gone to sleep, and her parents were awake, with the nightlight on in their bed.

"She can work there, dear," the mother had said calmly. "It'll be a good experience."

Homura's father was in an unusually grumpy mood. It wasn't anger. It was something more 'childish' as her mother would put it.

"But she's not gonna be home that often from now on if she works there."

There was a childish whine embedded deep within his words. Something his wife didn't fail to detect instantaneously.

"Stop being clingy," she said, her words mocking her husband's. "If you're going to be so clingy about your daughter, she's going to think you're creepy."

Apparently that had done the trick. Her husband had a look of disbelief on his face. He was shocked at the notion of her daughter thinking he was strange. Homura's mother took advantage of this window in her husband's conscience, and went for the jugular.

"Let her work, dear," she said, her voice calm and collected, but feigning innocence. "She really wants to. You know how she is, never asking us for anything for herself. The least we could do is let her do this."

Her husband was having an internal battle with himself. Either he could be overprotective, or he could allow her daughter to achieve whatever she wanted.

And his wife was right. He could not stand in her way to being an adult. If he did, what kind of a father would he be?

"Okay," he said, with a deep sigh.

Homura's mother was once again victorious. Deep down, she had felt bad to have made him feel obligated to let their daughter work. But its as the saying goes… Desperate times called for emotional blackmail. Yes. That was the saying; she was certain.

She said goodnight to her husband and turned the nightlight off, nuzzling upto her pillow.

The first step was complete. She smiled inwardly. Now that Madoka and Homura would meet often, it made way for all sorts of possibilities.

Homura really needed a friend. A companion she could count on. Surely, her parents would not be able to support her forever. Homura's mother understood that. And that was the reason why she wanted her daughter to make more healthy bonds with others. She needed to grow. As cruel as it sounds, Homura was not a normal child. She always had her own… difficulties. But maybe it wasn't possible for her to make friends then.

But with Madoka, the mother saw some hope for her daughter.

She took in a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

'This could be the start to something beautiful', she had thought. And with that, her consciousness drifted away for the night.

And like that, the long awaited weekend had finally arrived.

Homura was excited. Her heartbeat accelerated, her palms tingled.

She was a timid girl. She never could exert any of her emotions normally. Most of what she had felt were reflected on nothing more than her face. She never felt that urge to hyperactivity jump or run, neither did she ever laugh from the bottom of her heart. Its not as if she didn't want to. She just couldn't.

So, the timid little Homura couldn't contain her excitement as she got ready, straightening her hair, and setting it down with only a red headband. She wanted to wear earrings, but she decided to not wear any more accessories than she already did. She wasn't as nervous as she was a week ago, and today, she felt at ease when choosing her attire. She went with something that seemed more feminine than her last outfit.

When she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror.

She had a simple pastel white dress, with a black jacket with purple accents at various parts of the entire outfit.

She didn't have her hair in the usual pigtails. As her hands reached out to grab the pair of red-framed glasses on her table, Madoka's words echoed in her mind.

"…take off your glasses. It will make you more focused…"

She didn't want her shy attitude to be a problem for Madoka. If she messed up due to lack of focus, Madoka would not talk to her anymore. She firmly believed that she needed to prove herself. That she could be relied upon by Madoka.

And it was true. She did feel more focused when she didn't have them on. She didn't have any difficulty seeing when she took them off. So there weren't any real drawbacks to not wearing them.

She said good-bye to her mother and father, before leaving the house, taking only her bag with her.

After she had left, Homura's father looked at the door longingly, but then he sighed and smiled at her wife.

"She has grown up a lot recently, don't you think?"

Homura's mother smiled as well.

"Yes," she said, feeling at ease as her husband finally came to terms with herself. "She certainly has."

-(End of Chapter 10)-

Well, that was short. I know. My PC died on me, and I am in the middle of National tests, so please bear with me. I don't have any way to draft these and correct any flaws in formatting. I really apologise for that if you find any errors like that. Also changed my profile pic to something new to celebrate how my exams are going, if anyone is interested to know. You know what they all say about a picture and a thousand words.

.

Take Care

DSH99