Mami greeted Umaru at her apartment door. "Please, come in. It's been an interesting day, and I have a lot to share with you."
In the back of Mami's apartment, two girls Umaru didn't recognize were sitting at her table, a blue-haired girl with short hair, and a pink-haired girl. They both looked like middle school students. Were they potential magical girls? Is that what Mami had meant? Had they shown up at Mami's door with Kyubey, just like Umaru had? Or were they already magical girls?
It looked as though Mami had served them cake and tea. That didn't surprise Umaru at all.
"Umaru, this is Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki," Mami said, gesturing toward each one. "You two, this is Umaru Doma."
"Pleased to meet you both." Umaru bowed to them.
"Umaru's a magical girl like me. She's the friend I mentioned."
"Ooh!" Sayaka, the blue-haired girl, said. "Another magical girl? She's the third one now."
Third? There was already Mami and Umaru. Who else was there?
"You're older though," Sayaka continued. She looked at Umaru's navy skirt and white blouse. "Is that a Mitakihara High uniform?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Wow, so there's a high school girl with us too. It's like we're moving up in the world or something."
Umaru chuckled and sat down. Kyubey was sitting on the floor next to her, and she reached out and scratched behind his ears. "Hello, Kyubey."
"Hi, Umaru!"
"So, have you been a magical girl for a long time?" Sayaka asked. "Do you and Mami fight together? Are you from Mitakihara?" She might have continued asking questions had Madoka not stopped her.
"Sayaka," Madoka, the pink-haired girl, said. "Give her a chance to answer before you ask her more things."
Sayaka sure seemed enthusiastic. Umaru smiled at her. "Let's see, answering one at a time, Miki-san: No, yes, and no. I recently moved here from Tokyo. What about you? Do you two attend Mitakihara Middle School with Mami?"
"Yes, that's right!" Sayaka said. "But, you can call me Sayaka."
"Mami's year ahead of us," Madoka added. "And please call me Madoka."
"Alright. Call me Umaru, then."
"These two had a run-in with a witch at the mall," Mami explained. "I found them inside the barrier."
"It was scary," Madoka said. "But Mami saved us."
"She's good at saving people," Umaru said. She turned to Mami and Kyubey. "They're both potential magical girls, aren't they?"
"They are," Mami said, placing a slice of cake and a cup of tea in front of Umaru. Cake! That always made her happy, especially Mami's. It wasn't officially part of being a magical girl, but it was definitely a perk.
"And Mami's filled them in," Kyubey added.
"Well, that's good to hear." Umaru ate her cake while she chatted with the two new girls. It was strange to talk about magical girl topics with someone other than Mami or Kyubey for once, but she welcomed it.
When their combined tea party and magical girl information session was over, Madoka and Sayaka left. Umaru was about to leave as well when Mami stopped her.
"Umaru, wait," Mami said to her. "There's something else you and I need to discuss."
"Alright." Umaru followed Mami back to her table and sat down across from her. Mami had served her another piece of cake. She knew Umaru very well. "What is it, Mami?"
"Once again, there's another magical girl in Mitakihara."
"Yeah, I wondered when Sayaka said I was the third one. Have you met her? What's this one like?" Hopefully, she was sane.
"I met her briefly. I'm not entirely sure what she's like yet, but she seems dangerous. She went after Kyubey."
"Oh dear. Just like Fuun did," Umaru said. She reached out and rubbed Kyubey's head. "Rogue magical girls just keep going after you, don't they? Maybe you need a security detail."
"Fuun was unbalanced," Kyubey said. "This girl doesn't seem to be like that. Rather, it appears that she's trying to stop other girls from making contracts."
"Why would she do that?"
"It's possible that she's trying to usurp this territory," Kyubey answered. "Mami can tell you exactly what happened."
Umaru listened as Mami shared with her the details of what had transpired at the mall. When Umaru asked if they should go after the escaped witch, Mami told her that they'd bring Sayaka and Madoka along the next day to do so. Mami intended to show them what being a magical girl was about before they made a contract, just like she had with Umaru.
"That's a good idea, Mami," Umaru said. "But this other magical girl, where did she come from? Did she just show up in Mitakihara out of nowhere?"
"She's a transfer student, apparently." Mami smiled. "Perhaps if we show her that we aren't threats, we can make peace with her."
"You mean, you think we should give her a chance to explain herself?" That sounded reasonable. Maybe things were different wherever this girl came from and she wasn't expecting to encounter friendly magical girls.
"Yes. Though we'll need to be cautious, of course."
"Expecting trouble?"
"Hope for the best and prepare for the worst, as they say. So be ready if it comes to fighting with her. I suspect this girl is very skilled."
"I doubt she's as good as you, Mami."
"Thank you, Umaru. But I'm not invincible."
Umaru lied back on the floor, spread her arms out, and stared up. If they formed a magical girl group (something else about all this that finally matched Umaru's image of magical girls from anime), there might possibly be five of them: herself, Mami, Madoka, Sayaka, and this new girl. And of course, Mami would be their de facto leader. Not only was she the best, she was also charismatic and clever.
"You're more or less unstoppable, Mami," Umaru said. "I don't think there's any witch or magical girl that could beat you."
"Overconfidence can lead to recklessness," Mami said. "And lying down like that right after eating can cause indigestion."
"I'm admiring your ceiling tiles." Umaru had come to feel as though she could be a little more carefree and relaxed around her friend. That had resulted in her getting occasional little chidings and lectures, but Umaru didn't mind. It was Mami's way of showing she cared. Umaru sometimes even listened.
"Is that so? " Mami asked. "They haven't changed recently. And you should know that since you were lying in that exact same place and position just the other day."
"I wanted to admire them some more."
"Please don't laze about in front of Miki-san and Kaname-san," Mami said. "As their senior magical girls, we'll need to set good examples for them."
"Yes, yes, you're right."
"And you're going to wrinkle your school uniform if you stay like you are."
"But I ate too much cake, and now I might need to sleep it off."
"And here I thought you were down there because of the ceiling tiles," Mami chuckled. "If you're tired, you're welcome to sleep over again."
Umaru sat back up. "Thank you, Mami. I'd love to!"
"Your brother's still in Tokyo, isn't he?" Mami sounded sympathetic.
"Yes. He'll back tomorrow though. I'm glad."
"I know you miss him."
That was an understatement. The day after her brother had left, Umaru had almost run to the Mitakihara station and hopped on a train to Tokyo in order to check on him. She had held back though and settled for text messages from him. Even a little note saying what he had for lunch made her happy.
"Yeah, it's just as hard as when he had to go on a work trip at his old job," Umaru said. "But now there's more than just loneliness. I worry about him a lot."
"That's natural. He's your family," Mami said. "And I'm sure he worries about you as well."
Her brother would probably worry much more about her if he knew about her being a magical girl and what she did on a near-daily basis. That was another reason she hadn't told him everything yet. Just as she had settled into a new school, he had just settled into a new job and probably didn't need the added stress.
"So," Mami said. "Since you're staying, will you be hungry for dinner?"
"Sure! Thanks, Mami."
"I suspected you would be. What shall we have?"
"Pizza?" Umaru suggested hopefully.
"No. You talked me into that the other day, remember? We're going to have something healthy tonight."
"Alright…" Umaru more or less expected that answer. She was glad Kyubey was around. He'd always eat her vegetables. Thankfully, he hadn't shared their arrangement with Mami; Umaru had asked him not to.
"Also," Mami added. "Do you have something to sleep in?"
"I sure do," Umaru said. She stood up, passed her hand over her soul gem, and changed to her magical form.
"Umaru!" Mami laughed. "You can't be serious. Wait, you don't sleep in that at home, do you?"
"No, of course not. I don't want my brother seeing it," she said, twirling her umbrella. It occurred to her that she could ask Mami if she could test her cleansing spell on her soul gem, though she did want to become more confident with it. "By the way, I've been trying out using magic on my soul gem and seeing what results I can get. I've even had some success."
"You'll want to be careful doing that, Umaru," Kyubey said. "Soul gems aren't replaceable if you break them."
"Understood," Umaru said. "And I am."
"Kyubey's right," Mami said. "You don't want to lose your magical girl abilities. Still, I'd love to hear about your experiments. I bet what you've found is interesting."
"It is! I'll tell you about it over dinner."
"Yes, dinner. By the way, you haven't been eating a lot of junk and fast food since your brother's been gone, have you?"
"Well…not all the time." She put on her best charming smile.
Mami, however, would never fall for it. "Let me guess. The only times you haven't have been here with me and maybe at your school."
"The cafeteria lunch at Mitakihara High is actually quite good," she said. "This is the first time I've had it since Onii-chan usually makes my lunch. You know, when you're there next year, we can eat lunch together every day!"
"Certainly, but don't try to change the subject, Umaru," Mami said.
"Well, Onii-chan left some meals for me, but, well…"
"I see. You know, at moments like this you remind me of someone."
"Who? Oh, you mean the magical girl who was with you before?" Mami had compared Umaru to this girl a few times before. Umaru realized she still didn't know her name.
"Yes." Mami stared off into space, probably reminiscing.
"Do you miss her, Mami?"
"Sometimes, yes. Both her presence and the person she was before she…" Mami stopped. "Well, never mind. I have you around, and since you're my dear friend, I'm going to make a proper dinner for you."
"Thank you, Mami!"
"You're welcome. And don't feed your vegetables to Kyubey tonight, okay?"
"Uh…I won't." Umaru sighed. Mami really did notice everything.
The next day Umaru headed for the Mitakihara mall right after school. When she got there, Mami, Sayaka, and Madoka were already waiting for her.
She waved at them. "Hello, everyone!"
"You're late, Umaru!" Sayaka smiled at her. Umaru noticed she was carrying a baseball bat.
"Please excuse me," Umaru said.
"She had to come from a bit farther away than we did," Mami pointed out. "And the three of us came here together."
"You mean magical girls can't teleport or something?"
Umaru laughed. She liked Sayaka. "I can't. Are there any who can, Mami?"
"Possibly," said Mami. "But not us. We walk."
They began their search for the witch that had escaped the previous day. They checked the floor at the mall that was undergoing remodeling. No dice. Umaru took out her soul gem as well. Two were better than one, after all. Examining it, she felt a tingle on the back of her neck. Were they being followed? She had no time to contemplate it, however; Mami led them out of the mall and into the city streets.
It was a beautiful day. But Umaru couldn't shake the weird feeling that someone was watching the four of them. As they crossed a footbridge, she peeked behind her and briefly what looked like a shadow. It vanished almost as soon as she looked at it. A moment later, she looked over her shoulder again and could have sworn she saw it a second time.
They eventually found the witch's barrier in an abandoned lot. Umaru stepped forward to speak with Mami and leaned her head to close to hers.
"Mami." Umaru lowered her voice so that Madoka and Sayaka couldn't overhear. "Before we head in, you should know that we're being followed by someone."
"Did you catch a glimpse of them?" Mami's voice was just as quiet.
"I only saw their shadow. But I think they've been there ever since the mall."
"Hmmm. I believe I know who it is."
"That magical girl transfer student you mentioned yesterday?"
"Yes."
"Should we stop and talk with her? Maybe she came to help."
"I don't think she's following us to help out." Mami didn't take her eyes off her soul gem "If she shows herself to us, we'll speak with her then. In the meantime, would you please stay behind Miki-san and Kaname-san as we advance?"
"Of course."
Umaru left Mami's side and took up the rear. Madoka and Sayaka gave both her and Mami confused glances.
"Where are you going, Umaru?" Madoka asked. "Aren't you coming with us?
"And what were you two whispering about?" Sayaka asked.
"Umaru's going to guard our rear flank," Mami answered. "So that nothing catches us unaware as we move through the barrier."
"Oh, good thinking!" Sayaka said excitedly. "It's like we're a military unit!"
"Not quite," Umaru said. "We're just taking precautions."
"Yes ma'am!" Sayaka said, saluting. Umaru smiled back at her.
Umaru passed her hand over her own soul gem and transformed. Madoka tilted her head a little at her, and Sayaka looked as though she was trying not to smirk.
"You look…very different from Mami," Sayaka said, her mouth strangely twisted as she took in Umaru's orange hood and cape. "It's not exactly an outfit I would have expected. Um, not that you look bad or anything!"
"I think it's very cute," Madoka said. "Especially the ears."
"Thank you, Madoka," Umaru said.
"Would we end up looking like that as magical girls?" Sayaka asked.
Umaru shrugged. "We're all unique."
"Don't be fooled by appearances," Mami said. "Even something cute and harmless-looking can be quite dangerous. Umaru's a good example of that."
"Thanks, Mami," Umaru laughed.
Mami waved her hand over the bat Sayaka was carrying, and it changed into an ornate club. She nodded at Umaru. Umaru waved her umbrella over Sayaka and Madoka, and an orange glow surrounded each of them.
"Now you're set for anything," Umaru said.
"Oh, wow!" Sayaka said, swinging her modified bat. "This feels amazing. Say, do you ever use this in your PE class?" Umaru smiled at her. They'd definitely have fun together.
"Stay close," Mami said to Madoka and Sayaka. She looked at Umaru. "Umaru, keep an eye out."
Umaru nodded back. Mami turned headed into the barrier with Madoka and Sayaka right behind her. Umaru took one last glance back and didn't see the weird shadow. Feeling a bit relieved, she followed the others into the witch's labyrinth.
The journey through the labyrinth was quick, and the battle against the witch was just as short. Sayaka and Madoka were amazed. Umaru knew exactly how they felt; it was how she had felt when she first saw Mami fight a witch. When the fight was over and the barrier vanished, Mami picked up the grief seed the witch had left and showed it to Madoka and Sayaka.
As she was doing so, a dark-haired girl appeared from nowhere and approached them. She was wearing the same school uniform as the younger girls, so Umaru figured she was both the transfer student Mami had mentioned and their stalker. Why had she shown herself now?
"Hello, Homura Akemi-san," Mami said as all four of them turned toward the girl.
"H-Homura?" Madoka said.
"You," Sayaka said to her.
Homura didn't reply. She looked at each of them in turn, her eyes lingering on Madoka slightly longer than the other three. For some strange reason, Umaru thought she had seen this girl before, but couldn't figure out from where.
"Here," Mami said, offering the grief seed to Homura and smiling at her. "It should have enough uses for all of us to share."
Homura looked at it and shook her head.
"That's not necessary," she said. Her voice was quiet and even.
"Magical girls need grief seeds though," Mami said. "Please, take it."
"It's yours, and I have no need for it."
"I'd like for us to be friends," Mami said.
"That's not necessary either."
"I see." Mami closed her fingers around the grief seed and narrowed her eyes. "If that's how you wish it to be, then."
"There's no need to be like that, is there?" Umaru asked Homura. "You don't have to follow us silently. Why don't you come along with us next time? We can all fight together."
Homura stared back at Umaru. Her expression didn't change, but it felt like her eyes were boring into her. Umaru felt a little uneasy but smiled back pleasantly at her. Homura turned around and walked away.
"There's your answer, I suppose," Mami said. With their business finished, the four of them set off.
"What's wrong with that girl?" Sayaka asked as they walked home. "Even after Mami and Umaru both try to be nice to her, she stomps off in a huff."
"She looked familiar," Umaru mused. "I feel like I've seen her before."
"In…in a dream?" Madoka asked.
"What? No, nothing like that." Umaru didn't want to go into what sort of dreams she usually had. That would probably scare Madoka and Sayaka out of becoming magical girls. "It's more a feeling of déjà vu. I have no idea why."
"She said she went to a Christian School in Tokyo," Madoka said. "And you're from Tokyo, right? Maybe the two of you went to the same school briefly."
Umaru shook her head. "I never attended a Christian school."
Madoka sighed. "I don't know, then. I wish we could work together with her though."
"That would be ideal, huh?" Umaru said. Her imaginary five-member magical girl group was now looking like it would only have four members.
"But not always possible," Mami said, giving Umaru a serious look. "As you well know."
"Right, Mami." Was she talking about Fuun? Or did she just not want to discuss the matter further in front of Madoka and Sayaka?
"But speaking of working together," Mami said. "You did very well tonight, Umaru."
"Thanks, Mami."
"You were both awesome!" Sayaka exclaimed, inserting herself between them. "You're an unbeatable magical girl duo!"
"I wouldn't go that far," Mami said. "But we support each other. There's a lesson there."
"Yeah, one that transfer student obviously needs to learn!"
"It must be hard to be a lone wolf," Umaru said quietly, wondering how many magical girls didn't have the good fortune of having friends to fight alongside. She couldn't imagine doing by herself for any extended period of time.
"What was that, Umaru?" Madoka asked.
"Ah, nothing," Umaru said. She looked down the block. "There's my apartment building. Good night, everyone!"
When Umaru got back to her apartment, she saw her brother's shoes by the door and his briefcase in the living room. She smiled happily.
"Onii-chan!" she called. "Welcome home!"
"Hello Umaru," he said, walking in from his bedroom. He had already changed out of his suit. She hugged him tightly, and he chuckled. "I'm glad to see you too. Have you been out?"
"Yes, I was with Mami. But I'm back now!"
"Still tutoring her?"
"Some," Umaru said. "But of course we sometimes do other things together as well." She figured she might as well mix some truth in with the lie. That made her feel a little less guilty.
"That's good. You two are staying safe, I hope?"
"Of course not, Onii-chan. Let's see…we went to the game center near the train station one time," Umaru said. "That's not dangerous, right?"
"Oh, does Mami like games?"
"She doesn't have much experience playing them, but she had fun there all the same."
"I'm sure the more time she spends with you, the more experience she'll get," Taihei chuckled. "Have you had dinner?"
"No, not yet."
"Neither have I. If you give me some time, I can go buy some things. I don't think there's very much in the refrigerator."
"We could just order something, Onii-chan," Umaru said. "You've had a long trip, and I'm sure you're tired."
"That's fine too. I can wait until tomorrow to shop. What should we order?"
"Pizza?" Umaru put on another charming smile. She half-expected her brother to refuse (and would accept that), but figured she would give it a shot all the same.
"Alright," her brother smiled. "We'll order pizza."
"Yay!" Umaru clapped her hands. "Thank you, Onii-chan."
A few days later, Umaru stood by the fountain in the park, waiting for Mami, Sayaka, and Madoka. No longer did witch hunts consist of solely her and Mami. Umaru was glad. She liked Sayaka's exuberance and Madoka's quiet, friendly nature. With the four of them together as magical girls, they could-
"You."
Umaru turned around. Homura Akemi was standing right behind her. Umaru hadn't even heard her approach. She was clearly good at getting around silently.
"Oh…hello there," Umaru said, smiling at her. "You startled me."
Homura leaned in toward her. "Who are you?"
"I'm Umaru Doma." Homura was a little too close. It felt rude, but Umaru stepped back. "You're Homura Akemi, right? Did you change your mind about fighting with us after all?"
Homura took another step and reclosed the distance between them. "Where did you come from?"
"Tokyo?"
"Don't try to be funny. Why are you here?"
"I'm waiting for the others."
"But why are you in Mitakihara in the first place?" Homura asked. Her voice was flat and expressionless. Maybe she was like an anime character who hid her emotions. Or maybe that was just her nature. "Why haven't you shown up until now?"
"I only moved to this city before the term started," Umaru said. "Um, you recently moved here as well, didn't you? That's what Madoka said. Also, you're in middle school while I'm in high school. So it makes sense that we've never met."
"I see. And just what kind of magical girl are you?"
"Well, I'm not as experienced as Mami, but I'd like to think that I'm getting better at it." Umaru paused. "I'm sorry, but is there a point to this interrogation? If you wanted to get to know me, there are easier ways. Are you sure you don't want to join up with us? Magical girls should stick together, after all."
"Do you think it's that easy?"
"Sure. Is there a reason you think it isn't?"
Homura didn't reply and just stared back fixedly at her. Umaru couldn't figure out what she wanted or what she was thinking. Deciding it was to be another staring contest, Umaru met Homura's gaze with her own. Again, it occurred to her that she had seen Homura before.
"Homura Akemi," Umaru finally said. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"I don't know. Do you?"
Umaru wasn't sure. She studied Homura Akemi, racking her brain to remember where she had seen her. Homura simply regarded her silently. Umaru stepped back again; this girl was too close for her comfort. Homura looked as though she was about to say something else when a trio of voices yelled at them.
"Umaru!"
"Homura!"
"Hey, you! Leave her alone!"
Both girls turned and saw Mami, Madoka, and Sayaka running toward them.
"Humph." Homura turned and quickly walked off in a different direction before Umaru could say anything. She looked at Umaru once over her shoulder then just vanished as though she just disappeared into thin air.
"Umaru," Mami said as she ran up to her. "Are you alright? It looked as though she was about to attack you."
"I'm fine, Mami. She-"
"Argh, that girl again!" Sayaka said. "No wonder she acted like she did the other day. She was getting ready to go after you two, and then she tried to corner Umaru, just like she came after us at school. Of course, once someone else shows up, she tucks her tail between her legs and runs away."
Umaru shook her head. "I'm not sure what she wanted, honestly."
"What exactly happened?" Mami asked.
Umaru recounted the odd conversation she had with Homura and her barrage of questions.
"Hmmm," Mami said.
"What do you think?" Umaru asked.
"I'm not certain. Kyubey, do you have any input?"
"If she's here to take this territory," Kyubey said from Madoka's shoulder. "It would make sense that she's trying to collect information on the current magical girls in addition to trying to prevent the creation of new ones."
"Is that what she's here for?" Umaru asked.
"I'm just giving you my view based on the information available and what I've seen in the past," Kyubey said. "I have no hard evidence for that."
"Still," Mami said. "Kyubey has a good point. We need to be careful."
"That girl's terrible," Sayaka said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's getting ready to cause trouble."
"She does seem unpredictable," Kyubey said. "That's usually not a good sign."
"What else do you know about her, Kyubey?" Umaru asked, remembering how he had told them about Fuun.
"Not much," Kyubey said. "She's not a normal magical girl."
"What do you mean? Can't you tell us more about where she came from and what happened?"
"There isn't really anything else useful that I could tell you, Umaru. As I said, she's a bit of an anomaly."
"Huh. Are there other beings around who turn folks into magical girls?" Umaru wondered.
"That's not impossible," Kyubey said.
That wasn't reassuring. Umaru tried to think of possible scenarios, but they all matched some anime, manga, or game. Maybe Homura worked for one of Kyubey's rivals. Maybe she was actually a ghost. Maybe she was just acting tsundere and would eventually turn nice.
"Well, enough about her for now," Mami said. "If she shows up again, we'll deal with her as the situation calls for. In the meantime, we've our own business to attend to. Come on, everyone."
The four girls walked through the park. A stray familiar had been dealt with, and conversation now to fell to the wishes Madoka and Sayaka might make. Umaru listened as Mami told them the story of her wish. She had heard it before, but still felt entranced by Mami's tale and sad for her all the same.
"What about you, Umaru?" Sayaka asked. "What did you wish for?"
"My brother's life," Umaru answered.
"What…what happened?" Madoka asked hesitantly.
"There was a train wreck in Tokyo, and he suffered a horrible injury," Umaru said. The memory of her dying brother lying in a hospital bed appeared in her mind. She closed her eyes and pushed that image away. Opening her eyes back up, she added: "He'd have died had I not wished for him to be saved."
"I'm sorry," Madoka said. "That sounds horrible."
"It was," Umaru answered. "But thanks to that, he lived. I'm grateful."
"Both of you had something terrible happen," Madoka said. "I guess Sayaka and I have been lucky."
"So, you can make wishes to help other people?" Sayaka asked.
"You can, but you need to consider carefully if that's truly what you want and why you're doing it," Mami answered. Her voice was stern.
"Well, Umaru made that kind of wish." Sayaka sounded almost sullen. "So, others could too. It's good to help people."
"Certainly, but Umaru wished for the life of someone close to her. Is that what you're planning?"
"Well, his life isn't at stake, but he was badly hurt."
"Again, think very hard about that," Mami said. "Otherwise, you might make a wish you'll come to regret."
"I don't think I would," Sayaka said. "Umaru, you don't regret your wish, right?"
"No," Umaru said. "But it was a life-or-death choice for Onii-chan."
"I see."
"So, what happened to the person you're thinking of, Sayaka?"
"This boy…he was injured in an accident too…well, his hand was broken and now he won't be able to play music again…so I thought…"
Umaru didn't feel like that quite compared to her brother almost dying. Still, this was clearly important to Sayaka. "Maybe it's possible to help him without a wish. I could try healing him if you want. We could probably figure out a way to do it without him noticing."
"That's not a bad idea," Mami said. "Umaru's quite good at healing."
"Ah, no," Sayaka said. "That's okay. I'll…uh…just think on it some more."
"Please do," Mami said. "Don't make that sort of decision lightly."
"Ah…you're right," Sayaka said. "Sorry. Maybe I'll just wish to be pretty like you two."
"But you already are pretty, Sayaka," Umaru said. Sayaka blushed in return.
After Madoka and Sayaka had gone home, Umaru stayed alongside Mami. It was possible there was more for them to do. But even if there wasn't, that was okay, because she was content to just walk and talk with Mami.
"Our taciturn magical girl didn't show up again after taking off," Umaru commented as they turned on a different path in the park. "I wonder if she got bored following us around."
"Unlikely. She's probably waiting for us to make a move now," Mami said. "We're going to have to do something about her, sooner or later."
"And by 'do something,' you mean...?"
"I don't know yet. It depends on what she tries. But I won't allow her to harm you, Miki-san, or Kaname-san."
"Thanks, Mami. We have no idea how she fights though. And she's pretty good at showing up out nowhere and vanishing just as quickly."
"Yes, but we have advantages as well. There are two of us and one of her."
"Maybe more if Madoka and Sayaka contract with Kyubey."
"I suppose, but they've still some hurdles to clear," Mami said.
"They'll be fine, I'm sure. I was unsure about it at first, and things turned out okay."
"That's true," Mami said. "To be honest, I expected that you'd end up rejecting Kyubey's offer altogether. Of course, that was before your brother's accident. Anyway, the present situation with Miki-san and Kaname-san feels a little different."
"How so?"
"Kaname-san is obviously uncertain, and Miki-san wants to make a wish that I can't say I like the sound of."
"I think Sayaka just wants to help that boy."
"I don't doubt that she wants to help him. However, note that she refused your proposal to try and heal him. She wants to be the one to do it. That tells me everything I need to know about her intentions. Umaru, if someone else had offered to be the one to save your brother's life, would you have turned them down?"
"Technically, someone else did." Umaru paused. "Mami, about what you said earlier…you know, about making wishes to help other people…"
"I know what you're thinking, Umaru. Your situation was life-or-death for your brother. And you didn't do it to put him in your debt. I never worried about your wish; I only worried about the stress that situation put on you. And I was glad your brother was okay."
No, it was never to put Onii-chan in my debt. If you think about it in those terms, I was already deeply indebted to him. And I would continue to repay him by protecting him. But I don't think of it quite like that. I did it because he's my brother, I love him, and the idea of him being dead is just too awful to even consider.
"Umaru?" Mami said. "You went quiet."
"I was thinking about some things," Umaru said. "I'm sure Madoka and Sayaka will come up with some important for them." She personally didn't really see anything wrong with Sayaka's desired wish; it was her decision, after all. But she decided not to debate that point for right now.
"Of course," Mami said. "I want them to join us, but I want to them do so with their eyes open. To that end, there's no need to rush things, and the situation might even drastically change, as it did for you. For now, you and I have each other and two new friends as well. That's a lot to be thankful for."
"Right," Umaru said. "Having more magical girls with us would be nice though."
"You'll hear no argument from me on that."
"With all this talk of wishes," Umaru said. "I wonder what Homura Akemi wished for."
"You could try asking her."
"I could but, I'm not sure she'd answer." Umaru looked up and suddenly noticed Homura standing a little way away, watching them. "Speak of the devil."
Homura approached them. "You two."
"Hello again," Mami said, smiling at Homura. "To what do we owe the pleasure this time?"
"You're putting those other girls at risk by taking them along into witches' barriers. Both of you should know better."
"They're potential magical girls," Umaru said. "We're letting them see what we do. And we're keeping them safe."
"Everything changes once you're chosen by Kyubey," Mami said.
"You clearly already have a magical girl companion, Mami Tomoe," Homura said, looking at Umaru and then back at Mami. "Are you so desperate for more company that you'll lead others into blindly making contracts?"
"Not blindly," Mami said. She was no longer smiling and gave Homura a harsh look. "As Umaru said, when they come along with us, they understand fully what they'll be facing. Not all magical girls have that opportunity before making a contract."
"And it's their choice to become magical girls," Umaru added. "You can't decide that for them."
"Neither can you," Homura countered.
"Maybe if you tell us what you want, we can help each other," Umaru said. She didn't want this to turn ugly. "You don't have to be an island."
"I don't want to see more girls making contracts," Homura said. "Especially Madoka Kaname."
"So that's what it comes down to," Mami said. Her smile returned but took on a sly bent this time. "Kyubey was right about you."
"Why especially Madoka?" Umaru asked. There had to be something important for Homura to specifically mention her. But Homura didn't answer, a habit Umaru found annoying. She looked from Mami to Umaru and back again.
"She doesn't want more competition." Mami turned to Homura. "Isn't that right?"
"I'd prefer that we not come into conflict," Homura replied. "Your friend here said there's no reason for things to be as such, after all."
"There isn't," Umaru said. "But this would be much easier if you were a little more willing to talk."
Homura looked back at Umaru and said nothing. It seemed like her favorite thing to do.
"I think," Mami said. "It would be best if you stay away from us from now on. Myself, Umaru, Miki-san, and Kaname-san. Do I make myself clear?"
Homura still didn't answer.
"Come on, Umaru," Mami said, turning around. "Saying anything further to her would be pointless. We're leaving."
Umaru followed Mami. She took a quick glance over her shoulder. Homura was watching them still.
"Don't worry," Mami said, noticing Umaru's backward gaze. "She's not following us. And she probably won't attack while we're together. Safety in numbers."
"Hopefully." Umaru glanced back again, and Homura was gone.
"She's determined to remain mysterious, isn't she?" Mami said. "Of course, she no doubt realizes that if she were forthcoming, she'd be at more of a disadvantage against us."
"I wonder if it's really her goal to fight us. Maybe she's after something else."
It occurred to Umaru that there had to be more going on here. The girl was a mysterious transfer student, after all. There was always some sort of secret there. Maybe Homura Akemi's secret was mundane, but maybe it was much more. Umaru wanted to know.
"We know what she's after," Mami said. "She said she doesn't want to see more girls making contracts."
"Right, but maybe there's a larger reason there. And maybe we can convince her to reconsider working with us and give that up."
"You and Kaname-san seem to feel similarly. I agree that it would be nice if we could all get along and work together. But this girl has no interest in that. Quite the opposite, in fact. We need to face reality."
"Reality? I think you've jumped to a hasty conclusion, Mami. What's the harm in trying to make friends with her like we were?"
"Umaru," Mami said sharply. "You're being far too naive here. If we allow her to join up with us, she could attack us after we've let our guard down. And not just us, but our two new juniors as well. Remember, we're responsible for their safety now, and with Homura Akemi around, witches aren't the only danger."
"Is she really a danger though?"
"She explicitly said she's trying to stop more girls from contracting. How far do you think she'll go in order to prevent that? She's already attacked Kyubey. She's stalked us at every turn. She approached both Kaname-san and Miki-san at school the other day. But fortunately, I was there, so she didn't try anything."
"You really think she sought them out to try something like that at school?"
"Possibly. And I suspect she'd have gone after you tonight had the rest of us not shown up when we did." Mami stopped and turned toward Umaru. "She doesn't want more magical girls to have to go up against. You and I are already quite enough for her."
"You're automatically assuming the worst, Mami. She's done nothing more than follow us around and ignore most questions she's asked. If this is some clever plan she's trying, it's not a very good one."
"Umaru, you and I are a team. I welcome your insight, and I appreciate your thoughtfulness and optimism. But I've been at this longer than you, and I've seen how these things often play out."
Mami's words bugged Umaru a little. It was as though as thought was completely inexperienced as a magical girl.
"Maybe you just don't like her because she turned us down when you asked to be friends," Umaru said without thinking. That probably wasn't the best thing to say, and it was a little mean. But she felt like it was at least slightly true.
Mami frowned at her. "No, I don't trust her. There's a difference. Given our duties and Homura Akemi's words and actions, it's best to err on the side of caution. I've warned you numerous times about how magical girls will fight over territory. I believe this is what we're seeing, and I need you to follow my lead on how we deal with it."
"Why are you treating Homura different than you did Fuun?"
"Different situations call for different responses, Umaru. Fuun was uninterested in territory and simply had a vendetta against Kyubey. She also wasn't in her right mind. Mind you, I'd likely have had to take more drastic measures against her had it not been for her tragic death."
"And Homura?"
"Homura Akemi is trying to gather information on us and is openly trying to prevent other girls from making contracts. To me, that implies only one goal."
"That sounds paranoid, Mami. She hasn't actually done anything."
"It's necessary, Umaru. She's likely just biding her time. Haven't you been listening to what I've been saying?"
"Yes, and I think you're approaching this situation the wrong way. I think we should keep reaching out to her."
"You and I both tried that multiple times. She rejected all our attempts. Even if she isn't actively hostile yet, the way I'm approaching this is the logical way to do so."
"Maybe she isn't here to just claim Mitakihara. Maybe she has a different goal in mind."
"And exactly what goal do you think that might be?" Mami now sounded exasperated. She had raised her voice slightly.
Umaru racked her brain. But she was unable to think of whatever might drive Homura. All she could think of were anime scenarios and the continued puzzle of where she had seen her before. "I…don't know."
Mami shook her head. "We're going in circles. I'll think on what you've said, but for tonight, I'm through discussing this, Umaru."
"But Mami, what if-"
"I said I'm through discussing this." Her voice had changed completely from Pleasant Mami to Stern Mami. Umaru suddenly felt very resentful. Mami had no reason to abruptly adopt that tone with her.
"Fine," Umaru said through gritted teeth. "I'll follow your lead, just like you asked."
"Thank you."
"Humph."
They left the park. Umaru didn't look at Mami and instead stared at the ground. She felt like her way of dealing with Homura Akemi would produce much better results than Mami's. Bitterness swelled up inside her. She suddenly wanted to be anywhere but at Mami's side.
"Umaru?" Mami said, looking at her. "You're being quiet. Thinking again?"
"No. I just don't have anything to say," Umaru said tersely, turning her head away. Mami sighed.
They walked on, neither girl saying anything. Mami was her senior as a magical girl, but Umaru hated being talked down to, as though she had no clue how anything worked. That stung worse than their disagreement.
Besides, if Mami was going to be their leader, shouldn't she consider everyone's point of view instead of unilaterally making decisions? Umaru felt like Madoka would be sympathetic to her view, but Sayaka would probably side with Mami.
Thinking of Sayaka reminded Umaru of Mami's opinion on Sayaka's proposed wish, and she felt even bitterer toward her. Who was Mami to dictate what anyone should wish for? That was between a magical girl and Kyubey.
"Good night, Umaru," Mami said when they parted ways. "Please don't be mad at me. I'm trying to do what's best for everyone's safety, including yours. And who knows? Maybe the situation will change."
Umaru frowned at her and refused to acknowledge what she said. "Good night, Mami."
Still angry, Umaru turned sharply and headed off. Had she looked over her shoulder, she would have seen Mami watching her miserably as she headed off toward her apartment.
