The sound of the train speeding through its tracks filled the air. The vast amounts of people that were in the train cabin made it hard to move around, though that was part of the plan Kyouko had sent her. Madoka was standing next to Homura, just a few centimeters away from each other due to the little space that was available; From this distance Madoka couldn't even look up without their faces meeting in a way that made her think of kissing Homura.
But she had to be strong, the plan didn't say to do that. And besides, their first kiss shouldn't be on the train!
Instead, she took a deep breath and looked up at the girl, holding with all her might the blush that would come were she to think of the girl's lips.
"Are you okay, Homura-chan?" quietly asked Madoka. "I know you aren't good with groups of people"
Homura looked at the girl, their eyes now meeting, and placed a fake smile on her face.
"I'm fine" she said in a similarly quiet tone "Thank you for worrying, Madoka"
"If you start feeling uncomfortable let me know, okay?" worriedly asked Madoka, a small smile on her face.
"Right, I will" replied Homura looking at the girl with a more honest smile now, though Madoka wasn't sure if it was a happy one or a sad one.
Now that Madoka had made sure Homura wasn't feeling ill, though she was pretty sure the girl was just holding it in, she had to put the plan on motion. She only remembered the plan in a general view, she had forgotten the precise steps that Kyouko gave her yesterday and as such she decided to check her phone messages. Just in case she was to forget something, it wasn't like she was nervous. No, not at all.
"When you two are in the train together, and make sure to get in one pretty filled up, you gotta place yourself as close to her as you can"
"But Homura doesn't like groups of people, I can't make her go in there"
"Listen pinky, she won't be thinking on how full the train is when you are less than 30 centimeters (10 inches) away from her"
"The only one that's going to be thinking about that is me! I'm the one that likes her not the other way around!"
"Just trust me, get close to her in the train"
"That's all?"
"Nah, then you gotta make it like you are gonna fall you know? She catches you and the people move to fill the space you just left, leaving you two stuck together for the rest of the trip!"
Madoka just had to wait for an opening to appear, but this part of the plan Kyouko had told her really felt familiar. Had she seen it somewhere else?
Oh god.
Madoka now remembered where she had seen this, it had been from a romantic movie she had lent Kyouko a few weeks ago! Did she really just tell her to do something from a movie?!
That's not going to work in real life, Kyouko-chan!
Even if the people around them were to instantly take the previous place Madoka was in, the 'fluttering hearts' moment would only last a few seconds. They were in the train in the middle of May it was really, really hot outside. They would just end up sweating and the whole romantic point of the plan would go to waste!
Sure, the idea of being stuck to Homura sounded nice. But Madoka wasn't desperate enough, not yet at least, to try and replicate a scene from a movie. She would have to think of something else to do in the train. Maybe she could try to just sneak in some hand touching? That would be enough in exchange for the whole 'get stuck to her' shenanigan, right? It was basically the same after all.
Really Madoka? Just touching her hand? What are you, five?
Maybe she could ask the girl how she felt again? That way she would have an excuse, with the clearly fake smile she would put on, to try and check if she had a fever or something. That would be quite the caring action, wouldn't it? That could make Homura grateful towards Madoka, and maybe she could evolve that gratefulness into something more…
Using something that makes her uncomfortable to gain her love? No, I could never do such a thing, that would be just unfair to her…
Nothing then, there was no way Madoka could come up with an idea all on her own. Instead, she simply blocked her phone before putting it back on her purse with a defeated sigh.
"Is something wrong, Madoka?" Madoka looked up once again, seeing that the girl had been apparently watching her mental dilemma.
"Ah- ah, no" Madoka did a bit of a nervous laugh "It's nothing"
"Are you sure? If there is something that worries you, you can tell me" Homura put on a gentle smile, and whether it was real or not; Madoka did not care, for it made her happy.
"It's okay really!" Madoka exclaimed, trying not to raise her voice too much.
Homura didn't answer, instead just looking ahead and seemingly reading something.
"Our stop is the one after the next one, we can get off in the one before; maybe some… fresh air will help you feel better"
Even if Homura seemed to be talking to Madoka, there was a weird aura around here that made it feel more like an inner dialogue than a conversation with the pinkette. It made Madoka feel as if Homura was far away rather than next to her.
"Right, thank you Homura-chan"
"There is no need to thank me"
Madoka went into thought once more, she would have to tell Kyouko she had failed just with the first step of the plan. Maybe she should give up already, there was no way that this plan would work.
Mitakihara Central Station was filled to the brim with people, which honestly worked in Kyouko's favor. She did stand out a lot in most crowds, but with this amount of people walking around there was no way that someone would see her unless they were searching for her; and even then, it would prove a hard task.
She had been waiting in the station for a few minutes now, the lovestruck duo should be coming pretty soon. From that point onwards Kyouko would trail from behind and make sure to give Madoka advice from time to time through her phone, she should probably have brought some kind of disguise though.
Her mental train was stopped short when a notification came through her phone.
"I've failed with the first part, Kyouko-chan"
The first part was… ah, the train scene.
"Don't worry about it, there are plenty of other opportunities"
After almost a minute of the 'typing…' dialogue appearing and disappearing a new text from the pinkette came through.
"I don't think this is going to work"
"You gotta trust me! It will"
"But what if something doesn't go according to plan? I can't think of any alternative!"
"That's why I got up early. The plan is to follow you two around and send advice your way"
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah, waiting on the Central station"
"Kyouko-chan"
"?"
"We have stopped one station early; we are not going to go there"
Fuck.
"Okay, no problem. Did you start walking towards the mall?"
"Yeah"
"I'll be there"
Kyouko got up from the bench she had been sitting on and started running towards the mall, moving between the rivers of people with the same skill she had gotten during the few months she had lived in the streets.
There had been some unpredicted inconveniences in the plan, but nothing major that Kyouko couldn't fix. She had become an expert in love after all, how many movies had she watched to try and get Sayaka fall for her? Hell, the movies had gone from being boring to Kyouko actually enjoying watching them. Though she would never admit that out loud, she had an image to keep after all.
[-]
After having ran for ten minutes Kyouko finally reached the mall and looked around in search of her objectives. It didn't take long, as the pink hair was already quite easy to find in crowds, but now that it was being accompanied by ebony black hair it contrasted the scenery even more than usual.
The two seemed to have gotten there just a few seconds before Kyouko and were now walking around the mall; probably heading towards the first place Kyouko told Madoka they should go to break the ice, and with some luck make the ice queen open up a bit for the rest of the date.
Their first destination was going to be the arcade.
The sounds of different songs filled the space around Homura, each game machine trying to surpass the one next to them in loudness. From the other end of the big arcade the sound of claw machines signaling someone had won ringed across the room. Some people played alone, others in small groups, a small crowd of about 8 persons had been gathering around the Dance Dance Revolution machine. In general, the place was filled to the brim with people, enough space to move around but also not enough space to make Homura's instincts to ran away disappear.
Arcades weren't something Homura really frequented, she had not been able to play in them when she was an orphan and after she was released… well, she had more important things to do. The only times she had come to the place was when she tried to have Kyouko help her against Walpurgisnacht. Something that never really worked out.
But this time she was in here with Madoka, who had insisted in coming here to start off their day. To 'wake up' she had said. As much as the reason was a cute one (Though everything Madoka did usually was) there had been no need for one, if Madoka told her to go to the Arcade then she shall go there.
"I didn't think it would be this full" said Madoka, raising her voice more than usual so Homura could hear her "We can go somewhere else if you want, Homura-chan"
"No, it's okay" replied Homura, putting on a trained reassuring smile on her face.
It wasn't like Homura was 'scared' of crowds, but it had been in crowds like these where she would often lose Madoka from her sight. Which always ended up with the girl meeting Kyubey. Always a failure when she did. Not to say that after having quite a few encounters with magical girls that for some reason wanted to kill Madoka (Mizuni Oriko had become a first target on most loops) she had developed a sense of always wanting to have a way out of any situation. And places with a lot of people were… not the best.
That had been the old Homura though, the one that failed to save Madoka. This time there was nothing that could hurt her.
…
Nothing other than Madoka herself.
"I already said it before, but if you start feeling uncomfortable tell me and we will go somewhere else, okay?" asked Madoka worriedly.
"Of course, Madoka" quickly replied Homura as she came back from her mindscape "Well then, what do you want to do?"
"I thought that maybe we could play some coop games!" Madoka's face lit up as she spoke, outshining the neon lights that the machines around them had "I'm not very good at it, but I've played before with Kyouko-chan and Sayaka-chan"
And the guy you like too, right?
"Sure, let's go to one you like" Homura started to walk, Madoka following right next to her
"Why don't we choose together?" asked Madoka.
"I'm sorry, I've never played videogames." Homura turned towards the girl, facing her with a bit of an embarrassed smile on her face "I wouldn't know which ones are fun"
Homura should have made more research before today, that much was true; but even just the idea of going out alone with Madoka had made her to nervous to even think about such a thing. All her energy had been spent in making sure she wouldn't change reality by mistake with her fantasies.
"Oh" Madoka kept staring at Homura, her gaze completely fixed on Homura's eyes.
Homura had to turn her face around, the intense inquisitive gaze of the girl about to make her blush. Maybe Homura should get rid of all the blood on her body, that would make it so she couldn't blush, right? It's not like her body needed blood.
Madoka apparently having realized what she was doing also looked away with a blush that Homura did not notice.
"Ah! S-sorry"
"N-no, it's fine"
Akemi Homura for the love of Madoka, have you just stuttered?
And there was the voice again, though this time Homura couldn't do anything but agree with her. She took a deep breath and placed her usual expression on once more. There was no time to be all embarrassed around Madoka, she had to find who the guy she liked was.
"Okay" Started saying Madoka as she took a small deep breath "Let's see, the game I play most with Kyouko-chan should be around here…"
Homura started following Madoka as she guided her towards the machine. In the meantime, Homura tapped her earring as she tried to remember who were following Miki Sayaka.
"Nekura, Wagamama; What's the current status on Miki Sayaka"
"S̴t̶r̶a̷w̶be̵r̵r̵y̶ ̶i̵s̶ ̷f̵o̶l̷l̷ow̵i̴n̶g̵ ̶goo̴d̴ fo̴r̷ ̵n̴ot̵h̵i̷n̴g̴.̵ ̷" replied Wagamama.
Now that Homura had confirmed what she wanted to know she stopped the communication with her doll before Wagamama could complain. And she kept following Madoka who had apparently finally reached the game machine she wanted to play.
The machine was a relatively big cabin with a big screen attached to it. Four plastic guns were attached with a cord to the machine.
"It's not the kind of game I usually play by myself…" started saying Madoka "But it is really easy to learn if you aren't used to using a controller!"
Of course, Madoka would take one of Homura's weaknesses into consideration when choosing what to do, even if that meant not choosing a game she liked more. Her kindness really didn't know bounds.
They got inside the machine and each paid for one pay. Homura would have paid for Madoka's, after all money wasn't a concern for someone like her, but the pinkette would have probably denied it and she would eventually return it without Homura having a say in the matter. It was better to just let her pay for herself.
They both picked the plastic guns as the game menu music blasted louder than Homura enjoyed. The opening cinematic started to play.
"The game is really simple" explained Madoka as she took position with the plastic gun, was it modeled after an UMP45? If it was it wasn't very accurate… "You just have to point at the zombies and shoot!"
"I see" Homura replied as she moved the gun around a bit, trying to get a feel of the clearly cheap plastic. "I'll try my best"
"Though I've never been able to beat it" Madoka let out a small chuckle "Whenever I play with Kyouko-chan I die in a hard situation and she is overwhelmed by the enemies"
"That just means Sakura-san isn't competent enough"
The opening cinematic finally ended and with that the screen started moving, after a few seconds enemies started to appear. Homura made some test shots, seeing how accurate the gun was before adjusting her posture.
"I will make sure you survive until the end this time"
With that Homura started to take shots at the pixelated zombies, easily downing one after the other with clear headshots. The gun didn't feel… right, but to be honest they she had used guns wasn't that correct anyways; having been fortified by her magic she could forget about recoil, though that wasn't true at the start of the loops.
For her shooting at things was just second nature, and the knowledge that Madoka could die (even if just in the game) if she made a mistake brought forth a feeling, she was all too familiar with. Her usual calculated face, undeterred during a fight. The only thing that would let her forget her pains in the past, fighting.
"You are really good at this Homura-chan!" exclaimed Madoka as she tried to take some shots, though some of them hit a lot of them missed their target as Homura was already taking care of them.
Homura didn't answer, to absorbed in the game. This had been what was missing from her life after Madoka became a concept. This feeling of fighting to save Madoka; unlike the feeling she had felt when fighting against wraiths, a feeling that wanted her to make a fatal mistake to finally go see her.
"Ah! This is a really hard part!" exclaimed Madoka "They can't get close at all or they will explode!"
"I won't let them" subconsciously replied Homura.
And keeping her promise Homura made sure to take out all the enemies swiftly, always starting from the right side to make sure no one got to Madoka where she to fail.
After some more shooting they finally cleared the heliport and were able to get into the helicopter that waited for them there. The ending cinematic started to play as the scores appeared on screen.
"That was amazing Homura-chan!" Madoka said as she turned to look at Homura.
"I did it?"
A bed of yellow ribbons caught Homura as she fell, the witches' labyrinth disappearing around her.
"I did it!"
Homura felt a sudden hit as a pink girl wrapped around her neck and did jump of joy.
"You did it!"
Homura could feel the warmth of Madoka's body as she energetically hugged her, a victory after having killed her first witch.
"That was amazing Homura-chan!"
But this time there was no such show of affection.
Homura looked at the scores on the screen, her aim had been 99% perfect; probably taking into account the shots she had taken at the start to calibrate. Madoka's aim had been just 34%. Homura's kill count was 653, Madoka's only 21.
Without noticing Homura had played the game basically by herself.
"I'm sorry Madoka" It was just a game; she shouldn't have acted so overprotective.
"Huh? Why are you apologizing?" asked Madoka as she tilted her head.
Madoka looked back at the screen scores, and back at Homura who had a pained look on her face.
"Ahhhh…" Madoka giggled "Don't worry about it, Homura-chan"
"But…"
"This is how it usually goes when I play with Kyouko-chan too, you know?" Madoka made a small pause "Even with Sayaka who didn't use to play that much there is also this big a difference in scores"
"Even then, I still took away all the fun from the game" Homura had, once more, failed Madoka. Sure, it wasn't her dying, but how could Homura say she was aiming for Madoka's happiness if she wouldn't even let her enjoy some games out of fear? What else would she do in order to keep her safe from a non-existent threat?
A particular timeline she aimed to forget flashed through her mind, quickly she shook her head in order to not let those memories come forth. If Madoka had really seen everything when she became a concept, there was no way she would forgive her with what she did in that loop.
"You are wrong, Homura-chan" Madoka's voice brought Homura back from the past "I had fun! I promise."
Homura simply stood there, looking at the screen that waited for her to place a name for the high score.
"It would be a waste if you didn't put your name" said Madoka, now also looking at the screen.
"No, you also helped" Homura took a step forward and started to type out a name.
"It doesn't let you write names that are too long" said Madoka, the girl getting a bit closer to Homura as she typed. "Only eight characters, see?"
Homura deleted what she had started to write and kept staring at the screen. The name holder blinking as it waited for some input. After some time, she finally decided on a name and started typing it out.
"M-MadoHomu?" said Madoka, now looking at Homura; the red lights of the arcade that shone around hiding her blush.
"Yes, it's the best way to fit both our names together" Homura pressed enter and submitted the name, now the top score on that machine. "Well, is there something else you want to do? I will make sure not to hoard the game this time"
Madoka stopped looking at the game screen that was displaying the top scores, their name being the first one, before looking back at Homura and speaking.
"R-right, DDR will probably be full yet…" Madoka stopped to think "Why don't we go to the claw games? Maybe we can find something cu- something interesting to get?"
"Sure, let's go"
The sound of some fighting game was all Sayaka could hear from her right ear, a group of people had started a mini tournament right there. Usually, it would be something interesting to see, or rather, something where Kyouko would drag her to see; but this time it worked on her favor as she could use the small crowd as a way to hide.
After having played an arcade game Madoka and Akemi had gone towards the claw machines, Madoka seemed to be checking her phone and Sayaka made sure to look around to see if someone was also checking their phone; maybe they were texting each other.
But sadly, Sayaka didn't see any boy with a phone out; Most were just playing games or trying to get some stuff from the claw machines. So, it might had been a message that they sent her while she was playing…
Sayaka could see from time to time how Akemi would also look around them, and if Madoka sight was set on someone from some time she would do a small gesture towards the person in particular (Or at least that's what Sayaka thought she was doing) so that Sayaka could go and inspect the guy.
Yet there had been no one that seemed to be the person they were looking for. Had it not been because of her undying spirit, Sayaka would have probably given up already. But this was an important thing to take care of. And besides, looking at Akemi fail miserably at the claw machines was pretty fun.
Now was Madoka's turn, the girl wasn't an expert at the claw machines; but she had at least played quite a bit before, and even participated in 'Kyouko's Claw Training for Newbies' so she had some edge. It was at that moment when Sayaka saw another one of those signals; Akemi was trying to point towards her right without making it too obvious.
Sayaka's gaze shifted towards where she was pointing, and sure enough she saw someone. A guy, maybe in his 17s a bit tall, scruffy hair and black glasses was staring at them. Sayaka simply moved around the fighting tournament and starting heading that way, the guy was far enough from the girls to not let her be found by Madoka even if she raised her voice a bit.
When she was right next to the dude she spoke up.
"Hey" The dude did a small jump, clearly not expecting someone to call for him.
"Wh-what?"
"What you looking at? You know em?" Sayaka said, doing the best impression of Kyouko she could do. She knew that the girl could easily threaten someone older than her, she had seen her do it before.
"I wasn't looking at anyone!" the guy said, suddenly getting defensive.
"I saw you lookin' at em for like two minutes now dude" Imitating Kyouko old speech pattern was easier than she thought it would be.
The guy hesitated for a bit, before a small smile started appearing on him.
"The dark hair one is my little sister! I was just making sure she was okay"
Did Akemi ever say anything about having an older brother? Wait, of course not.
"Really?"
"Yeah! So now just let me be" The guy stopped facing at Sayaka and kept playing the claw machine while looking at the other two from time to time.
"What about the pink one?"
"Huh? I don't care about that kid"
Well, that was a relief. At least this creep wasn't the one that Madoka was in love with. Just a creep. Sayaka started to walk away, in search for one of the attendants of the arcade to report the guy. She wasn't about to start a fight inside here, didn't want to get banned.
The claw picked up the vanilla-colored bunny plushie, slowly raising it towards the top… and it slipped out of the grip, falling further away from the winning hole. Madoka couldn't hold a giggle for longer, they had been trying to get this plushie for over thirty minutes now, and seeing Homura get frustrated was being really fun.
"What's wrong with this claw" said Homura under her breath as she passed her credit card on the machine and put one more credit in. "It's the weakest machine I've ever seen"
"That's how they work, Homura-chan" said Madoka as she looked at Homura slowly moving the claw towards the plushie once more "It will get stronger at some point"
"When will that point be? We've been here for half an hour" replied Homura, her brows were furrowing and Madoka could hear a 'tsk' after the plushie fell once more.
Part of the plan was that one of them would win something, hopefully Madoka, and would gift it to the other. Or at least, that was Kyouko's plan; Madoka didn't know what Homura would do if she won. But they had been having so much bad luck that they weren't able to win anything, they had changed machines thrice already and it didn't seem to change anything.
Add in that Homura was refusing every single helping hand the staff would offer and the process had become an endless loop of getting the plushie close to the hole just for it to bounce back to its original position.
"You really like this plushie, don't you Homura-chan?" Every time they changed machines Homura always ended up looking for the first one they had chosen.
"Not really" said Homura, still focused on the claw machine.
"Eh? Why do you want it so bad then?" Madoka said as she tilted her head.
"You chose it first, I thought you wanted it" Homura said, finally looking up from the machine to look at Madoka.
There was a moment of silence before realization hit Madoka, a bit of an embarrassed laugh coming out of the pinkette.
"I don't want it so badly you know! I already got one of the same collection that's why I felt like getting the other one" Madoka said "We can go to an easier machine if you want"
Homura froze as she tried to think. The girl really had been trying to get her the plushie just because it was the first one she mentioned wanting… Between this and the insistence of putting both of their names on the top score, Homura really was a good friend. Madoka held a defeated sigh, Homura really was far out of her league, wasn't she? There was no way she would see Madoka as anything other than a friend, and besides with how much Homura had been looking at the boys around them today, she clearly wasn't interested in that kind of relationship with a girl.
While Homura was thinking Madoka felt her phone vibrate as a notification came in.
"Pinky, I've prepared an easy win on the fourth machine from the right. Third row."
Madoka looked at the text for a second. Right, she couldn't give up yet. Kyouko was supporting her, she had to try her best so she wouldn't throw away her friend's kindness.
"Thank you, Kyouko-chan"
"Np"
"Homura-chan?" Madoka poked the girl on the shoulder, Homura had been looking at the staff dragging away some guy with glasses out of the building.
"Sorry, did you say something Madoka?"
"Let's go find another machine, okay? There are some easier ones over the third row"
Homura stopped to think for a second as she looked towards the third row.
"If that's what you want" said Homura as she started to walk towards the other machines, Madoka following after her.
When they reached the third row of machines Madoka started to count until she found the fourth one. Seeing that the price was literally hanging from the barrier around the winning compartment she pointed towards it without even looking what the prize was.
"Let's do this one Homura-chan!"
Homura looked at it for a second before going over to the machine, and letting her credit card hover over the card reader.
"Are you sure you want this one?" asked Homura, looking at Madoka. Had it not been for the lighitng on the room Madoka would have noticed the slight blush the girl had.
"Yes! Let get it together, okay? We can share it!" Madoka shone a smile at Homura, who simply beeped her card on the card reader and added one credit.
Homura slowly moved the claw over the corner that was sticking out of the prize, her plan clearly being to push it down so it would fall into the winning compartment.
"Who would leave it like this?" said Homura as she pushed the 'release' button "Though I guess if you were alone, you wouldn't want it…"
"What do you mean?" said Madoka as the prize fell, Homura leaning down to get it and handing it to Madoka.
Then Madoka saw the prize for the first time, it was a two-mug set. One with the word 'husband' in it and the other the word 'wife' in it, with some cute cat decoration on the husband one and some bunnies in the wife one.
Not even the strong colorful lights of the arcade could now hide the blush Madoka had. Whether Homura had one too was a mystery, the girl had already turned around to hide her face completely.
Oh god, Oh god, Oh god. Does this count as a confession? Did she understand it as one?! Kyouko why did you do this…
"It… It's lunchtime already" said Homura without turning around "Should we go eat something?"
"Y-yeah" Madoka took one plastic bag and placed the mug box in it "Le- Let's go"
Kyouko followed the pair from a distance, making sure that Akemi wouldn't notice her around. Though, of course, were she to do so she would just say she was going to play at the arcade. Even if she asked why she was following them she already had an answer, might not be the best answer, but it was an answer nonetheless.
Though there was something that kind of irked Kyouko. The emo girl had said she was new to games? Yeah, that had to be impossible. She had gotten the highest score on 'Z-Invasion', no way she didn't play before. It had taken Kyouko so long to get it herself she was honestly annoyed that Akemi was able to just destroy her previous record like it was nothing.
Thankfully for Kyouko, she knew Madoka wouldn't look at the prize she had prepared for them before getting it in a desperate attempt to make Akemi feel better. So, when she saw both of them blushing like they had just declared to the other she felt quite good.
Kyouko once more placed her attention on her prey, looking at them from afar they seemed to be about to get into a sushi restaurant. Even though Kyouko had said that the place where they ate wouldn't really matter with the budget they had, Madoka had insisted on at least going to a proper restaurant instead of a fast food one.
Kyouko went to the nearby WcDonalds, that thankfully had a nice vantage point from which look at the restaurant where Madoka and Akemi were eating at.
She walked towards the ordering line and waited for her turn.
"I've got an offer coupon for a discount" A familiar voice in front of herself said as they were ordering.
Kyouko leaned a bit to the side, trying to see the who the person in front of her was as they passed the coupon to the cashier. The voice was familiar… but it couldn't possible be…
It actually was, blue hair below the hat she was wearing appeared and with it she recognized those clothes as ones the bluenette's father wore from time to time.
"Sayaka?" asked Kyouko in disbelief.
The bluenette slowly turned around, a surprised expression on her face.
"K-Kyouko" she stuttered.
"What are you doing here by yourself?" asked Kyouko.
There was a moment of silence as the bluenette turned around once more to pay for her food, moving out of the way towards the retrieving lane. Kyouko moved ahead to order her food.
"One number 8 and number 6, please" she said as she placed the exact amount it would cost her on the counter. After getting her receipt she walked over to where Sayaka was. "So, are you going to answer?"
"What?" asked Sayaka, clearly trying to avoid the conversation.
"What the hell are you doing here? Alone?"
"I just wanted to come eat here!" She finally said after a few seconds of thinking "What about you anyways? What are you doing here?"
"That's my business" snapped Kyouko.
"Oh, but I have to tell you what I was doing?" asked Sayaka annoyed.
"Tsk, I was just playing at the arcade like how I usually do"
"Hah, that's weird" Sayaka said smugly, finally looking at Kyouko "I was just there and I didn't see you?"
"Well, maybe you are just that blind" Kyouko made a small pause "Besides, what's up with the getup?"
Some moments of silence, the girl clearly was trying to think of an excuse.
"I was a bit cold and this are quite warm"
And the excuse was horrible.
"In 30ºC weather? Are you nuts?"
It couldn't possibly be that Sayaka was also following Akemi and Pinky could it be? Madoka didn't say anything about her telling Sayaka, hell they had done the plan through texts messages just so Sayaka wouldn't hear about it. Had it been Akemi? There was no way that it was the emo girl, right? The two weren't close at all, hell they had been almost enemies a few days ago.
The disguise clearly indicated that Sayaka was trying not to be seen. So, her following Madoka and Akemi would make a lot of sense then. Now, why would she be following them? Did she finally figure out that Madoka liked Akemi?
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence their food arrived almost at the same time, a new dilemma forming on Kyouko's head. Would they sit together or not? They had come by themselves, but after finding each other… and most importantly, after that discussion she wasn't sure what would be the proper thing to do.
You know what? Fuck that.
"Let's sit over there" said Kyouko as she walked over to a table, after a second of hesitation Sayaka followed behind.
They both sat at a table that had an easy way for Kyouko to look at the restaurant Madoka and Akemi had gone into. Once they took their seats, Kyouko opened one of her hamburgers and quickly ate it.
"So," started Kyouko "Really, what's up with the getup"
Sayaka took her time to finish chewing, but in the end seemed to came up with nothing.
"I just wanted to… you know, call less attention"
"So, you used clothes that make you look like a detective from the 80s?" said Kyouko before eating some fries. "Why did you want to go around unnoticed?"
Sayaka didn't answer, instead she just kept eating her hamburger.
"Are you in some kind of trouble?" asked Kyouko with worry.
"Huh?"
"You know, someone following you? Someone wants to hurt you?" Kyouko stopped eating, but her worries were cut short when Sayaka quickly shook her head.
"No, no, no" she denied "I'm fine, don't worry"
"Then why?"
"I… I can't tell you" finally said Sayaka.
Kyouko stopped for a second to think. Sure, it wasn't like the girl had to tell her. She really hoped it really wasn't anything big that was happening to the girl, really hoped it wasn't an actual problem she was having. Not because having a problem in itself, that can be fixed. No, she really hoped there really was nothing wrong because that meant she didn't trust Kyouko enough to tell her.
Kyouko went from wondering if she was just following Madoka and Akemi, to hoping she was just following them.
"Does it have to do with Madoka?" asked Kyouko, breaking the silence once more.
And she didn't need an answer.
Between the little jump Sayaka had done, and how much the girl opened her eyes she was now sure it was just about that. Kyouko let out a sigh as she started to eat her second burger.
"I guess you got me…" said Sayaka as she took a sip out of her soda.
"As an advice" Kyouko said between bites "Don't wear clothes like those if you do something like this again, you look like you are up to something"
Sayaka let out a long sigh.
"How did you know it was about Madoka though?"
"I mean, she has been going around with Akemi, hasn't she? I saw them at the arcade by coincidence" One of the excuses Kyouko had prepared, and thank God she had.
"Yeah" Sayaka let out a chuckle, making Kyouko's heart flutter "I will take it into account next time"
They kept eating in silence for a while, Kyouko looking towards the restaurant where the other two had gone into to make sure they didn't get out without her noticing.
"By the way" started saying Sayaka.
"Yeah?" Kyouko kept looking towards the restaurant for a second or two more before looking at the bluenette.
"Can you tell me who does Madoka like?"
Had Sayaka really been following the other two around and not noticed anything between the two? Really? Kyouko sighed.
"Listen, I shouldn't be the one telling you"
"But I really can't find who it is!"
"Just ask Madoka" Kyouko finished eating her fries "Really, it is that simple"
"She won't tell me!" Sayaka started to gesture with her hands in frustration, though what she was trying to gesture was an enigma to Kyouko "She would just! Just get embarrassed and dismiss it!"
"Really, just ask her" Kyouko's phone did a little 'tweep' as a notification came through; Kyouko ignored it for now.
"She will just run or something when I ask her, you don't know how embarrassed she can get"
"She told me quite easily actually" said Kyouko as she got up from her seat, Sayaka's expression was filled with confusion as she tried to process what she had just been told "Really, just ask her tomorrow or this Monday"
Kyouko picked up her phone and looked at the notification message before letting out a sigh and quickly answering to the text with a smile on her face.
"Well, I have to get going" Kyouko started to walk away as she waved off Sayaka "See you tonight"
Madoka entered the sushi restaurant first, Homura following just behind her. Quite the amount of people was currently eating in the restaurant, that did make her feel a bit safer about her choice; If so many people were okay with eating here, then surely the place was good, right?
She really hoped so, because she had told Homura this was a nice place even though it was her first time coming. Sure, she had researched the place on the internet before choosing it; but the feeling that she had made a mistake didn't disappear until she actually saw people happily eating their food.
Now, sushi wasn't the cheapest dish to eat out. But Madoka had the plan to invite Homura, which after all the money she had spent on the claw machine it made even more sense to do so, even if she had to 'fight' with her to do so.
"This place seems a bit expensive, are you sure Madoka?" said Homura as she looked around the place, the decorations of old Japanese style paintings getting her attention.
"Yeah!" Madoka smiled at her while turning towards Homura "The food is apparently pretty good!"
Homura kept looking at Madoka with her mouth a bit open, almost as if to protest, before finally closing it and putting on a gentle smile.
"Misses?" called one of the servers, a young man with classical Japanese clothes the style that the restaurant clearly aimed for. "Table for two I suppose?"
Madoka was caught by surprise, which gave Homura enough time to answer for her.
"Yes, with a window if possible" elegantly said Homura, though Madoka had to held back a bit of a pout as she wanted to be the one to be in charge of the lunch in every aspect of it.
The server simply nodded and led them to a table that had views to the small plaza that was just outside the restaurant; A common spot for people to sit after a day of buying in the mall.
"Why a window?" said Madoka as she sat in front of Homura, regretting the decision since she could have probably squeezed herself over in the same couch Homura was in.
"I like being able to see outside" Homura made a small pause as she stopped looking towards the window, directing her gaze towards Madoka "It lets me know what's happening around us"
"It also lets everyone see us" Madoka said as she let out a giggle.
Homura almost laughed, letting air out of her nose before looking back at the window "I guess it does"
The server came back, a small phone like machine on his hands, as he placed a new mantle on top of the table.
"What drink will you have?" he asked in the same voice tone Kyouko would often put when showing her 'service worker voice'.
"Green tea for me" said Homura as she let one arm rest on top of the table and the other searched for her phone.
"I will also have green tea" said Madoka, going for her phone as she noticed the QR code on the table mantle.
The man nodded as he tapped on the small screen of the 'phone' and went off to get their drinks.
Madoka scanned the QR code and started to look at the different options the menu had to offer. Sure, she had made sure to take a look at the menu yesterday when she was checking where to eat, so she had some option in mind. But still, she looked over the menu once more to see if there was something that caught her eye more.
After a while she finally settled on an eight-piece plate composed of Ebi, Ikura, Kani and lastly Unagi sushi. It had been some time since the last time she ate eel, not having eaten eel since before her three-year trip to America. Homura on the other side seemed to have finally chosen what she would have to eat.
"They sure have a lot to choose from, don't they?" said Madoka with a small laugh to break the ice.
"Yes, they really do" Homura looked at the phone, her brows furrowing for a second.
"Is something wrong, Homura-chan?" Madoka gasped "Do you not like sushi?"
"No, no. I like it" said Homura, looking at the girl with reassuring eyes "Something about the menu caught my attention that's all"
"What did-"
The server came back, interrupting Madoka's train of thought, and placed two traditional tea cups on their table and started serving their tea.
"Have you decided on what you would like?" asked the server as he finished serving the tea.
"Yes" Homura was the first to speak "I'll have the eight-piece plate with Uni, Maguro, Ikura and lastly Tako sushi"
The server nodded as he took note on the 'phone' and looked towards Madoka.
"Ah! Right, Eight-piece too with Ebi, Ikura, Kani and Unagi please"
The server gave a small bow before heading out towards the kitchen. Madoka and Homura were left alone once more. Though Madoka had now forgotten what she had been about to ask. And as she tried to start some conversation, for the first time Homura was the one to do so.
"Madoka, what are you going to do with the mugs?" she asked, Madoka guessed she was trying to hide her emotions as usual since she had put on her usual cold look. Though it was probably just curiosity, or with the question maybe even repulsion for what Madoka had proposed about the mugs.
"We-well I thought we could take one each!" Madoka placed her fingers together ass he tried to come with an excuse as not to make it look like a proposition "You may have gotten it for me but the one who paid for it was you after all!"
That might have been a good time to actually tell her though…
"Are you sure?" asked Homura "Even if I paid for it, it is yours. You don't have to share it with me just because I paid more"
Homura clearly didn't seem to want it but… Them sharing mugs, even if Homura were to never use it, would make her really happy…
"I'm sure! I'm sure!" Madoka nodded "It would be a waste if we didn't share them!"
Homura closed her eyes for a moment, only the sound of the other customers and the quiet music that the restaurant had in the background could be heard, before she spoke up again.
"If that's the case, thank you for giving me one" Homura did a small bow with her head.
"You don't have to be so formal about it!" hastily replied Madoka "It's a gift between friends after all!"
That seemed to put a smile on Homura's face, as much as the genuine smile of the girl made Madoka happy it also meant that Homura was happy that Madoka only saw her as a friend, she probably had been distressed by the implications of the mugs.
The thought of Homura not only not liking Madoka, but the fact that it seemed like even the thought of loving her was disgusting for the girl made Madoka feel the sharpest pain she had ever felt. For a moment even her stomach seemed to turn, the girl having to hold back the urge to run away.
Sure, it had been her fault to even think that Homura would like Madoka. Not only were they both girls after all, which Homura might not even approve of, but Madoka was… nothing compared to Homura. Homura was the perfect student, good at every subject, good at sports, kind, a beauty… And Madoka was… just an average girl, nothing more. She had never accomplished anything; she was destined to a mediocre life.
"Madoka?" asked Homura with a worried tone that was able to break through her cold voice.
"Eh?" Madoka finally noticed that some tears had started to appear at the corner of her eyes, she quickly dried them with the edge of her sleeves. "Ah… Sorry, sorry. Something got in my eyes" Madoka let out a fake chuckle.
Homura didn't seem to buy it, but apparently decided not to say anything. At least letting Madoka have some pride left by not making her admit anything, or lie more to hide what had caused the tears.
Silence filled the air around them, once again only the sound of the background music and the few people that were talking could be heard. Homura started to look out the window, holding her head with her arm that rested on top of the table. Her eyes weren't focusing on anything in particular, but rather just looked onwards as if there was nothing in front of her.
Before Madoka could keep thinking to herself the food finally came, one plate for each with their respective selection, two of each. Their plates were made of wood and were really well decorated with drawings of vines and flowers. They both thanked for the food and started eating.
The sushi was probably the best sushi Madoka had eaten. The fish had a lot of flavor, and the rice had a perfect balance; or at least that was what Madoka thought, not like she was any kind of sushi expert after all.
"It's really good right?" asked Madoka as she finished eating one of the unagi sushi pieces.
"Yes, it really is" said Homura after she finished eating the piece she had already placed in her mouth. "That's what I would expect from a place like this"
And with that they slowly ate in silence, only making the occasional comment on how good one of the pieces tasted. Or how the tea really helped to clean their palate. After they were done, they simply slowly finished their tea.
"That was great…" said Madoka, her previous worries had been completely erased by the amazing food. "Can't believe a place like this has been so close by and I never came before!"
Homura finished taking a sip of her tea before talking.
"I would expect so"
"Why?" asked Madoka, a puzzled look forming on her face.
"It is quite expensive after all" Homura said, going back to take a sip from the green tea.
Before Madoka could question the server came back with the receipt and placed it in the middle of the table, it only was now that Madoka happened to think that the menu didn't have any price in it next to the plates.
And there was the receipt, a total of 13k yen that made Madoka have to look twice. She knew sushi places could get expensive, but she had never eaten in one that was more than 1500 yen per person. This was… quite a lot more than what she carried around. Actually, she couldn't even fully pay her part, she only had four 5000 yen on her.
Madoka picked up her green tea, her hand now shaking a bit as her nerves started to rise. What would she do now? Her plan was to invite Homura and now she couldn't even pay for her own food. Not to say that would mean she couldn't buy anything else throughout the rest of the day, that was if she didn't go back home full of embarrassment after having to ask Homura for money.
Homura on the other hand seemed quite calm, she probably had enough money on her card to pay for her own part. But after all the money the girl had spent in the claw machines Madoka really wanted to disappear rather than have to ask her for some money…
While Madoka was wondering if the ground would be so kind as to help her disappear in it the server came back, probably expecting for the money to be in the table. Homura simply showed him her credit card and the server seemed to understand as he took out the card reader.
"I will pay everything" Homura said as the server typed in the amount, making him delete it and type back in the full amount.
Madoka was about to protest when Homura simply tapped the card and entered the security pin. A receipt was print and the server did a bow and gave his thanks before going away.
"I- I will pay you back" said Madoka, still wishing for the earth to swallow her.
"You don't have to" Homura got up from her seat, picking up her things "Where should we go next?"
Even after all that Homura still wanted to hang out with her? She really was kind wasn't she.
"I… I have to go the bathroom first" said Madoka as she got up and they started heading out the restaurant.
"Sure, I'll wait here" said Homura the girl started walking towards one of the benches that filled the small inside plaza.
"Ri-right, I'll be back in a minute"
And with that Madoka started walking away as she took her phone out and sent a message to Kyouko.
"Kyouko-chan, I messed up"
Almost a minute went by without Kyouko reading her message, Madoka started to get nervous about the idea of the girl getting bored and going back home.
"Please I need your help" Madoka typed once more "I really need it"
A few seconds later Kyouko came online.
"Where you at"
"Bathrooms near the plaza"
"Coming"
As Kyouko was walking towards the bathrooms, dodging the waves of people that walked around the shopping mall, she saw a bit of pink near one of the few corners in the mall that weren't filled with people or shops. Kyouko approached the pinkette with a bit more of a relaxed walk now that she had found her, even from afar she could see the girl wasn't doing too great.
"Pinky" Kyouko reached the girl, who now turned to look at Kyouko; her eyes were red and traces of tears were visible.
"Kyouko-chan… I messed up…" her voice cracked as she spoke.
"Ey, it's okay" Kyouko got a bit closer to the girl, trying to use her body as a wall so people didn't see the crying pinkette.
"It isn't… Homura-chan… I made her pay for lunch… I made her spend a lot on the arcade… And she is disgusted by the idea of going out with me" Madoka sobbed, she had seemed to be okay from afar the few times that she looked; had things really gone that badly inside the restaurant?
"The girl spent whatever she felt like spending in the arcade, don't worry about that" Kyouko made a small pause as she placed one hand on Madoka's shoulder to try and comfort her "And I'm sure lunch wasn't that expensive-"
"It… It was 13000 yen…"
Kyouko's eyes widened for a second before she took control of her body as not to make the pinkette notice her reaction.
"It's fine! With the amount of money she spent on the arcade I'm sure it isn't a problem for her!" Kyouko tried to change the topic "What about the mugs?! Those seemed to work based on what I saw"
Madoka let out a sarcastic chuckle, her voice filled with defeat; The eyes of the girl completely void of their usual spark.
"She asked me what I was going to do with them…"
"And?" Kyouko said "You said to share it with her right?"
"Yeah, and then she refused a few times before forcefully accepting it…" Madoka made a small stop, her independent tears now become a proper stream "Homura-chan finds the idea of dating me disgusting… What do I do, Kyouko-chan? I'm completely useless… I couldn't follow your plan at all, failed miserably at every single step"
"That's not…"
"I couldn't do even the first part in the train" Madoka now looked at Kyouko, her voice cracking and stuttering with almost every word the girl was saying "Wh-when I played with Homura-chan I did so badly that I made her feel bad… I made her s-spend so much money on the claw machines" Madoka tried to calm her breathing, the words being harder and harder to come out "A-a-and then I made her even feel dis… disgusted because of a dumb prize"
Kyouko was unable to say anything in the moment, the pain Madoka was feeling made her feel a knot on her throat, making her unable to speak; not that Kyouko was able to find the correct words anyway.
"An… And to top it off I made her… I made her pay for a really expensive lunch" Madoka stopped for a second, taking a deep breath "I really am completely useless, right Kyouko-chan?"
Kyouko looked at the crying girl, this being the most broken she had seen the pinkette. A million words tried to come out, but all of them died the moment they reached her throat, making her just look dumb with her mouth half-open. If Sayaka was around she would be able to comfort Madoka just fine, but Kyouko? She usually ran from these kinds of problems; her way of fixing things was always too direct and usually ended with someone new crying.
Yet, Madoka clearly needed someone's help. She wasn't the kind of person to send a text asking for help just to vent, somewhere deep inside her Madoka was hoping that someone would deny what she had just said. That someone would make her see she was wrong.
So, Kyouko did what she knew best, she spoke her mind without holding back. She went back to being how she usually was before she started to live with Sayaka. And if she had to insult the girl to make those dumb ideas she had gotten into her head disappear, she would.
"That's the dumbest shit I've heard in a while" Kyouko said, her brows furrowing in annoyance.
"The train idea was fucking dumb to start with, so stop calling yourself useless because of it" Kyouko got her hands off the pinkette. "Did you ask Akemi to pay for lunch?"
"No, bu-"
"Then it doesn't fucking matter who paid. She probably was thinking of doing it from the start anyways, didn't say anything because she wants to be fucking mysterious or something" Kyouko's annoyance quickly turned to controlled anger.
"Even then the mu-"
"The shitty 300 yen mugs? She probably was embarrassed. And if she actually was disgusted just to share some fucking mugs then she is the shittier person that fucking exists"
"Don't say that!"
"Or what? You are going to defend someone that you think finds you disgusting?"
Madoka didn't answer for a while, instead the girl tightened her fists next to her waist for a few seconds.
"Even if she does-" Madoka started again, but seeing where it was going Kyouko didn't let her finish.
"Listen here pinky" Kyouko tried to soften her tone "You wanna know what the problem was?"
A moment of silence.
"What…" Madoka muttered.
"The fucking plan. It made you more nervous than you should have been" Madoka started to slowly look up back at Kyouko. "I think you were doing great, ok? It's just your head messing with you"
Madoka simply stared at Kyouko for a few seconds before the redhead spoke up again.
"I'm not gonna ask you to trust me, because that clearly didn't work; but I'm going to ask that you trust yourself, okay?" Kyouko placed her hand back on the girl's shoulder "Just go out there and forget about the plan, go window shopping or something like that; You only need to have fun. Can you do that?"
Madoka slowly nodded in response, the girl using her wrists to dry the tears.
"And don't worry about Akemi's money, she isn't that dumb; I'm sure she is spending this amount because she can"
"Right…" Madoka finished drying her face with her sleeves and looked at Kyouko, a small smile on her face. "Thank you, Kyouko-chan"
"Don't worry about it, I'll be around the mall. If you need me give me a call, okay?"
"Yeah, thanks"
Kyouko took her hand away from Madoka's shoulder and placed it back into her own pocket as she tried to look for some snack that she may have left, after all that she needed to calm down. But before she could find anything Madoka jumped at her, giving her a tight hug that almost made Kyouko lose her balance.
"Thank you, Kyouko-chan" said Madoka, tightening the hug even further beyond.
Kyouko returned the hug after a second of hesitation "Jeez, you are going to cramp my style at this rate"
After a few more seconds Madoka broke the hug.
"I'm going to go clean my face…" she took a few steps around Kyouko before she started to walk away "Once again, thank you"
Kyouko simply smiled and waved the girl off.
When Madoka was out of view she looked for a snack, but didn't find anything. Which made the redhead click her tongue in disappointment.
"Guess I'll go spend my day at the arcade…"
And with that she started to go back to the arcade, she would buy some snacks on the way there. Maybe clean the floor with some dumb dudes in Street Fighter or something.
Sayaka saw Kyouko hurriedly walk away and simply sighed, now that her cover was blown there was no point on wearing her father's hat so she simply took it off and placed it inside her bag.
Sayaka looked down towards the restaurant Madoka and Akemi had gone into and saw that Akemi was sitting alone on a bench. She didn't feel like texting, and if she was going to ask Madoka anyway who she liked might as well tell Homura in person she wasn't going to keep doing this today. If she were to just say it through Line the girl might take offense.
After a few seconds walking she reached the bench where Akemi was sitting, the girl simply looked up from her phone as she noticed her presence.
"Ey" greeted Sayaka as she waved with her hand.
"Madoka might come back at any point" stoically said Akemi.
"Not even a hello huh…" Sayaka paused for a brief moment "Whatever, I came to tell you I'm going back"
"You are giving up?" Akemi finally started to look at Sayaka.
"No, I've talked with Kyouko" Sayaka sat next to Akemi, the raven-haired girl moving to the side as to put more space between them. "I've decided to just ask Madoka herself"
"And what makes you think she will tell you?" Akemi scoffed.
"Nothing. If she wants to tell me then perfect, if she doesn't…" Sayaka sighed "Well, nothing I can do about it"
Akemi didn't say anything, instead she just kept looking onwards with a distant gaze. Sayaka on the other hand made herself more comfortable on the bench, resting both arms on the back rest of it and letting her head fall back as she looked at the mall's ceiling.
"Where is Madoka by the way? Did she leave you already?" mockingly said Sayaka.
"No, she just went to the bathroom"
"She might have run away" Sayaka jokingly added, looking at Akemi for a reaction.
"Madoka wouldn't…" Akemi took a moment to think "You are just trying to bother me; it won't work Miki-san"
"I don't know, I think it did for a moment"
Akemi pierced Sayaka with her eyes, and after a few seconds she spoke up not even looking at the bluenette "I guess you are just jealous that she wanted to spend the day with me and not you"
"Huh? You still got a few alone days to catch up to our over 10 years old friendship" Sayaka boasted. "I'm still her best friend~"
"We'll see" confidently said Akemi.
They stayed in silence for almost a minute before Sayaka decided to get up from the bench, did a bit of a stretch and turned around to face Akemi.
"Well then, I'm gonna get going. Have fun, and treat Madoka properly"
"I always do"
And with that said, Sayaka left Akemi in the bench as she started to make her way towards the mall exit. She would wait until Monday to ask Madoka, that would be the best course of action; besides, if Kyouko was so sure the other person wasn't that problematic then there was no problem in waiting. Madoka probably was okay.
Sayaka turned the corner and saw a speck of pink on the distance, seeing that it could very much be Madoka she walked towards it. At least she could say hello now that she wasn't trying to follow her. And coincidentally finding her on her way out would be a nice excuse to see her.
Then the sea of people starting parting away and she saw Madoka next to Kyouko, the pinkette jumping to give Kyouko a hug as she cleaned her tears; Kyouko returning the hug after a few seconds. Sayaka's brain went into overdrive as she tried to process what was happening.
Madoka hugging one of her friends was normal, yes. But the heartfelt way she was doing it… They never were that tight. And why was Madoka crying? Why were they hiding in one of the few corners of the mall where people didn't go? Kyouko had known who Madoka liked for a long time now… Could it be she knew because it was her? Was it that Kyouko thought Sayaka would find Kyouko and Madoka going out a displeasing idea… And why did it hurt to think about it? Madoka had told Kyouko who she liked, did that mean that she had already confessed then?
No, no, no. It couldn't be, right? Madoka and Kyouko couldn't be going out. Nope there was no way that was true. After all, Kyouko…
Kyouko what?
What was this familiar pain? Why did it remind her of when she found out Kyosuke and Hitomi were going out?
Did she…
Sayaka stopped for a moment, but had to move out of the way when the other two separated from each other and Madoka started running towards where Sayaka had come from, probably to reunite with Homura.
Was that the reason why Kyouko was here? Why she knew that Madoka and Akemi were going around together?
After Sayaka reached a place where neither Kyouko or Madoka would see her she took out her phone and opened Akemi's chat. Should she tell her? What if she was wrong about it? It could be that Kyouko just found Madoka and they talked about something… Yeah! It had to be that! They just found each other by coincidence and Madoka simply greeted her with a hug!
Yes! That had to be it!
Sayaka blocked her phone screen and stored it into her pocket, she started to walk towards the mall exit.
"There is no way Kyouko and Madoka are going out, how much of a fool I am for thinking so?" She repeated to herself as she crossed the mall automatic doors.
Just a few minutes after Miki had left Homura saw a familiar pink hair in between the crowd. When the pinkette completely appeared on her vision, Homura got up from the bench and took a few steps forwards to get close to the girl.
"Sorry I took so long!" said Madoka as she finished approaching Homura.
"No, it's not a problem" Homura shook her head "Have you thought about where to go next?"
Madoka looked around and took on a thinking expression, the girl seemed to have regained her energy; whatever had happened while she was away from Homura made Madoka go back to her usual cheerful self. While Madoka was still thinking about where to go next, Homura tapped her earring.
"Reiketsu, has Madoka been with any boy while she went to the bathroom?"
"O̴n̵l̷y̷ ̷a̵p̴p̴l̵e̵ "
"I see"
Homura stopped touching her earring, Sakura Kyouko had probably said some jokes after seeing the girl feeling down and cheered up Madoka; Homura could see the girl had been crying, she was used to seeing Madoka cry after all, so if Sakura Kyouko fixed that then she would have to thank her later.
"Ah! Why don't we go to try some clothes, Homura-chan?" finally asked Madoka.
Homura did have a problem with having pretty few clothes after all, and if Madoka were to chose them for her that would mean she could wear something Madoka liked.
"I do need more clothes, lead the way"
Madoka happily complied and got herself close to Homura's side. If only the girl had taken Homura's arm in that precise moment it would have been exactly like how it used to be during the first loop…
It didn't matter now. Madoka was happy right now, Homura couldn't show any sign of negative feelings if she wanted the girl to stay like this. There was no reason for Madoka to worry more than what she had already done in the past.
"Where do you usually buy your clothes, Homura-chan?" asked Madoka, taking Homura out of her trance.
"I don't know where they are from" said Homura as she looked at her own clothes "I haven't really bought any myself, most of the clothes I have were given to me by either the orphanage or the hospital staff."
"Well, let's change that then!" Madoka made a small pause "What kind of clothes do you like?"
Homura took a moment to think, she really didn't have a preferred type of clothing… If anything…
"Ones that are easy to move in, I suppose"
"Like Kyouko-chan then… Let's go to H&N" said Madoka as they changed directions towards the shop in question.
After a bit of time of walking they finally reached the shop, the big logo of the chain 'H&N' in an enormous red sign that was hanging from the wall. They both walked into the shop and the particular smell of clothes shops filled their lungs, while their ears were filled with the sound of people talking about the clothes. The shop was as big as the sign outside made it to be, Homura being unable to see the end of the shop from where she was standing.
Madoka moved instinctually around the shop, she perfectly knew where they were going. And after just a minute or two of walking they finally reached the section Madoka was aiming for. Hoodies, sweatpants, wide jeans, simple shirts, and on the end of the section blouses and other comfortable clothes filled the walls and stands.
"I really think that grey and purple fit you…" started muttering Madoka as she looked around the clothes "Maybe something like this?"
She pulled out some light grey sweatpants that had a company name in purple lettering on one side, and after looking around a bit as Homura was inspecting the pants, she brought another piece of clothing; this time an amethyst shirt with wide sleeves.
"This feel comfy, right Homura-chan?" asked Madoka, and Homura couldn't possibly say no.
"Yes, they do" she said as she felt the texture of the clothes.
Madoka smile became even bigger as she went back to search for more clothes.
"Maybe we can get you something more appropriate for summer…" Madoka wandered off as she looked at the clothes, her image searching around the clothes store made Homura smile.
"Look at this Homura-chan!" Madoka was holding a simple one-piece purple dress with some small ribbons near the short sleeves and a few small frills near the end of the dress. "It would look so cute on you!"
Homura stopped looking around the store, in search of a white creature that could be approaching them, and looked at the dress Madoka was holding "It really is cute, Kaname-san. But I think it would look better on you"
"Ehhhh… I don't know, I feel like white would suit me more…" Madoka stopped for a second before turning around a corner quickly.
"Kaname-san?" Homura quickly walked towards the corner to get Madoka once more in her vision, letting a relieved sigh go out after she saw the girl was just picking two similar white dresses.
"I thought that these would work with both of us! We can wear them together!"
Homura's smile disappeared and approached the pinkette out of instinct, getting close to her and making sure no threat was around until the urge of protecting her disappeared.
"Do you like blouses, Homura-chan?" said Madoka, now looking back at Homura.
"I don't think I've worn one before" said Homura, now giving all her attention to the conversation at hand.
"I think this would be a nice one, it isn't thick so it's perfect for summer and the button look with long sleeves makes you look all professional!" Madoka handed Homura a white long-sleeved blouse, Homura simply took it and added it to the pile; changing the size to the right one with her magic whenever Madoka wasn't lookin.
"Ah! This one is so cute!" said Madoka as she picked a dark purple layered straight blouse. "What do you think Homura-chan?"
"Yes, it is really cute, Madoka" as Homura was finishing her sentence Madoka handed her the blouse.
"Let's see, we need to get you some black jeans to go with that…" Madoka walked towards the other end of the section, reaching the jeans, and started to dig through them. Homura approached Madoka.
"Madoka?"
"Yes, Homura-chan?" she stopped searching for the jeans and looked towards Homura with a smile.
"Don't you want to search for something for yourself?" asked Homura.
"Ah… I'm in a bit of a tight spot with money this month, and I bought some stuff two weeks ago…" Madoka let out a nervous chuckle "Besides, I have fun doing this! Do you not want me to?"
"No, I really appreciate your help. I wouldn't know what to choose if I were by myself."
Madoka smiled at Homura and went back to searching for the jeans.
[-]
Homura was waiting in line with her hands full of clothes, how much it was going to be really didn't matter (Not only could she just create money, she wasn't spending a single cent of the allowance the government sent her anyways) but after two hours of shopping around Madoka had finally stopped after seeing that Homura was literally unable to see behind the tower of clothing she had chosen for the girl.
"I'm sorry" chuckled Madoka "I got so into it that I lost the sense of time"
"Don't worry, I didn't stop you" replied Homura from behind the leaning tower of clothes, held only by a constant use of magic to alter the gravity around it. She could ask Madoka for help, but after having said it was fine there was no way she was going back on her word.
"But are you sure that it's okay? Those are a lot of clothes, you didn't say no to anything I picked" asked Madoka, Homura leaned her head towards the left to be able to see the girl.
"It's fine, I can pay for them" Homura made a small pause "And I like everything you pick for me"
A small red blush appeared on Madoka's cheeks, the girl turning around to hide it.
After a few minutes it finally was their turn, and when Homura left the tower of clothes on the belt Madoka moved behind her.
"I- I forgot something!" She started to hurriedly walk into the shop "Wait for me outside, I'll be there in a second!"
"Mado-" before Homura could finish calling her, Madoka had already disappeared between the aisles.
Homura could feel the urge to follow her, an instinct in the back of her mind telling her to go with her or something bad would happen.
She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.
Reiketsu was with her, no harm would come. The incubators were all trapped in her dimension, they couldn't contact her. No one remembered Magical Girls exist other than herself. There was nothing that could go wrong. There was no need for her to run after her.
She exhaled, opening her eyes.
Homura finished paying for all the clothes, it was better that Madoka didn't see how much she had just spent, and walked towards the outside of the store; where she waited for Madoka to come back.
And surely enough, less than ten minutes afterwards Madoka crossed the automatic doors; walking towards Homura.
"Did you get what you forgot?" asked Homura as she took a few impatient steps closer to Madoka.
"Eh? Ah yes, I had left my phone on the changing room" She made a small apologizing gesture with her hands "Sorry!"
"No, don't worry"
Madoka placed herself next to Homura once more and looked at the girl.
"Why don't we go have some ice-cream?"
The ice cream shop didn't have that many customers yet, though if Madoka's memories were right they used to get really full on the month of July and August. But right now there was only three other customers inside the shop. Madoka walked into the shop, right next to Homura.
"They have a lot of flavors to choose from, and also shaved ice" said Madoka "So take your time to think!"
Homura nodded and started to look at the different flavors behind the glass. Meanwhile Madoka was approached by the staff.
"Do you know what you would like?" asked the woman behind the counter.
"Yes! I'll have a small shaved ice with strawberry syrup please" Madoka said as she prepared the money to pay with.
After a few seconds the shaved ice was finished and Madoka took the small paper bowl. Homura placed herself right next to Madoka and looked at the woman behind the counter.
"I'll have a small vanilla ice-cream, in a cup" said Homura as she started to prepare her credit card.
"Wait!" exclaimed Madoka "Let me invite you, please"
Homura looked confused for a second, not having expected the sudden outburst of Madoka; but she quickly regained her usual composure.
"You don't have to-"
"No, no, no. You paid for lunch, it's the least I can do" Madoka started to get out a 500 yen coin to pay for the ice cream and handed it to the ice cream woman, who took it with a new smile on her face.
"Thank you…" Homura muttered, Madoka smiled in return.
A few seconds later Homura's ice cream was served. They both walked outside the shop and went to sit in one of the mall benches. Madoka purposely waited for Homura to sit so she could sit as close as possible; and after a second of hesitation Homura took her seat first, Madoka quickly going afterwards and placing herself so close to Homura that she almost sat on top of her.
They both started eating their ice cream, or in Madoka's case her shaved ice. After a few spoons Madoka tried to start a conversation.
"I didn't expect you to pick vanilla" Madoka placed another spoon of shaved ice on her mouth.
"Why not?" asked Homura.
"I don't know, it's quite simple, isn't it? Not that I don't like it of course" Madoka quickly denied "It's just that I expected something with more character"
Homura slowly closed her lips around the spoon, cleaning it off the vanilla ice cream, and left the ice cream to melt inside her mouth before speaking again.
"Vanilla only seems simple because people are used to it" she made a small pause "But… it's a sweet and gentle flavor. It always helped me remember good times"
Homura went deep into thought, a small melancholic smile on her face as she stared into the ice cream cup.
"Does this have anything to do with the person you said helped you when you started living alone?" asked Madoka.
After a brief pause Homura answered.
"…yes, yes it does" Homura took another spoonful and muttered something really quietly "It really helped me to remember her"
"Homura-chan…"
Whoever that person was, and whatever had happened to her, it clearly had been someone important to Homura. And with how high she held her opinion of that person, Madoka wasn't sure if she could help her the same way that other girl had. But it didn't matter what she thought, Madoka would try over and over again if it meant that could make it so Homura wasn't hurt anymore.
"You don't have to worry, Madoka" said Homura after a brief moment "I'm in a better position now that I ever was before"
"Are you sure? I told you; you can speak with me about these things if you want" said Madoka, her shaved ice starting to melt through the paper bowl.
"You really are kind" Homura whispered, now looking at Madoka with the same melancholy she carried when thinking about the past "I don't deserve it"
"That's not true!" Madoka jumped.
It had been moment like these what had made Madoka completely sure she wanted to be close to Homura. The eternal loneliness that girl seemed to emanate whenever she was alone. How she always had the same tired look on her eyes that felt like she had taken a big weight off her back and was now waiting for everything to end.
"I don't like it when you say you don't deserve my kindness"
It was when Homura looked at her with those eyes that a deep feeling of pain filled her chest. A feeling of being unable to help the closest person she had as she saw them destroy themselves day after day.
"You deserve that and more, Homura-chan"
Whenever she looked at the sad smile Homura would sometimes wear the sensation of having failed the most important person to her inundated her mind. Almost as if after thinking that she had helped her, the only thing she saw was how she had only hurt her more.
"So please, stop saying those things"
It really felt like if Homura was to completely believe in the things she said, if no one said she was wrong, she would simply disappear and leave no trace behind. She had to stay close to her; that was the feeling she first felt when she saw Homura.
"I know it's an egoistic wish"
The feeling of having taken the wrong decision long, long ago. A decision she wished she could have changed before, even if she didn't know what said decision was.
"But I really just want you to be happy"
Madoka felt a few tears start coming out of her eyes, at some point during her thought chain she had started crying. And not only her, but Madoka could swear she saw some tears starting to form in Homura's eyes before the girl quickly looked away and cleaned her face with her wrist.
After a few seconds of silence, instead of talking Homura placed another spoonful of vanilla ice cream on her mouth. The spoon stayed there, and her hand started to shake a bit. The moment the first tear fell down through her face the rest quickly came, and Homura started to cry in silence.
Madoka didn't say a word, instead she placed her shaved ice on the other side of the bench and gave Homura a weird side hug; petting her hair in a manner that seemed natural.
"It's okay…" whispered Madoka, the words coming out of her mouth without her even thinking about them; they felt like something she had wanted to say since a long time ago "I'm right here"
[-]
A few minutes later Homura finally calmed down and slowly pulled away from Madoka's hug; Though the girl hesitated for a second.
"I'm fine now…" she said in an unusual small voice.
Madoka looked at the girl with a caring smile and gave her some time before she spoke up.
"I guess or ice creams completely melted" Madoka laughed, both the shaved ice and the vanilla ice cream were nothing more than poodles.
"Sorry…"
"Don't be" said Madoka "That was way more important than some cheap ice cream"
Madoka was the first one to get up from the bench, Homura following after a few seconds of contemplation. They went towards the nearest trashcan and disposed of the ice cream cups in it.
"I know you are still a bit… agitated I guess?" Madoka turned around to face Homura "But would you like to come eat dinner at my home? In exchange for today's lunch, my mom said it was okay"
Homura seemed to think about it for a second before she finally looked up, facing Madoka.
"Yeah… I think that would be nice" Homura said, her voice softer than usual.
A/N: And that's it, sorry for being late!
On the other hand, right on time for Madoka's birthday!