A girl sat in her attic, a bed sheet wrapped around her, long white hair running down her back. It was a dark night, the world around her seemingly all asleep. In her hands, the girl held a small piece of notebook paper, words hastily scribbled across both sides. She idly flipped it from one side to another, but she didn't seem to be paying attention to the paper at all. Her eyes were red and puffy in a vacant stare towards the floor, with a neutral expression on her face. It was as if her consciousness had simply vacated her body. The only thing revealing that she was conscious were the occasional glances towards the paper.
Suddenly, a white figure bounded up the stairs. The girl jumped with a start as the figure stopped before her. It was some kind of strange animal, a cross between a cat and a rabbit, but with dark red eyes, a fluffy tail, and a smile on its face that seemed to never move. Things stayed there like that for a moment, the girl looking uncomprehendingly at this strange creature, but then the creature spoke.
"Hello, Oriko Mikuni! Would you like to make a contract with me and become a magical girl?"
Oriko blinked, reaching up her hand to wipe away her tears. She heard the words, and knew they came from the creature before her, but somehow the words had travelled without it making a single movement.
"What- what in the world are you?" Asked Oriko. She wondered if the stress was finally getting to her. She had no idea why she might imagine a strange bunny-cat creature out of all the hallucinations that she could've had, but as far as she knew, animals couldn't talk. And even if they could talk, they most certainly wouldn't be able to use telepathy. It seemed like something out of a storybook.
"Why, I'm Kyubey! An ally to magical girls the world over!" Its tail swished furiously from side to side, almost hypnotically.
"...Would you be so kind as to expand on that?" Oriko asked, straightening up a bit. The bizarreness of the situation was helping to ground her, and besides, even if Kyubey was a talking animal, it wouldn't do to be impolite, would it?
"But of course." Kyubey's tail stopped moving and he looked at Oriko, his smile as fixed as it was before. "You have talent. The talent to become a magical girl, one who fights against the Witches that prey on the innocent of the world. In return for undertaking this duty, you receive a single wish, for anything that you can think of."
"I… see." Oriko said, thoughts racing. A week ago, she would have laughed at such a proposition. She was at the top of her class, the president of the student council, and most importantly, the daughter of a member of the National Diet. Her future was assured. "What a fool I was." She thought mournfully.
The familiar feeling of betrayal hit her again. All the girls at school who she had thought to be her friend, treating her like dirt. All of her father's siblings and colleagues in the Diet, pretending like they never knew her. And most hurtful of all, her father, acting like he believed in his ideals, only to do… this.
The thought was almost enough to make her start sobbing again, but she held back, trying to keep up her poise. Instead she lifted up the piece of notebook paper that she had been holding, reading the words written on it once more.
Dear Oriko,
I write this not to excuse, but to explain. After your mother passed away, it was like you changed into an entirely different person. Before, you were a crybaby, but after the funeral you stopped crying and started succeeding at everything you tried, as if someone flicked a switch. You are the one who stands above all others, the one who all your classmates aspire to be. I wasn't even sure if you were still the same little girl I knew and loved. But then I realized… that cold smile of yours that you maintain as you go through the day… It reminds me of my worst nightmares, the father who drove me away from home. I need to escape. The embezzlement case may have played a minor role, but it was really just the catalyst for this. I simply can't keep living on like this. Goodbye, my dearest daughter. I loved you, once.
Hisaomi Mikuni
Oriko had been holding back her tears the whole time reading through the note, but upon reading the last line, her poise broke, and the tears began to drip. She tightened the bed sheet around herself, as if it was armor against the rest of the world. "Why?" She thought bitterly. "Why did this have to happen?"
"Well, Oriko? Do you have a wish that would make your Soul Gem shine?" Kyubey asked, tail swishing once more. It was still there, sitting still the whole time, simply staring at Oriko.
"Any wish, you said earlier?" Oriko asked. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the flood of tears from her eyes, and looked at Kyubey.
"Yes. Any wish." Kyubey confirmed. He tilted his head slightly. "I take it you have a wish for me, then?"
Oriko sighed. Did she really want to sign up to fight these 'Witches' when she didn't know anything about them? The smart thing to do would be to ask for more details. But then again, did she really know what the smart thing to do was? All this time, she thought that she was following down her father's path, and any idiot could see how accurate that prediction had ended up being. How could an action meant to result in one thing end up causing the complete opposite? She shook her head lightly. And even more importantly, would her questions really change anything for her? It's not like there was anything left for her.
"Yes, Kyubey, I do have a wish, if you could fulfill it." Oriko took a deep breath. She had to make sure that this was the wish she wanted.
The little creature perked up, straightening itself to show its attention.
"Kyubey… I wish I could see the consequences of my actions!"
A brief flash of pain arose in her chest, and like magic, a shining white gem appeared in her hands.
"Understood. Your wish has reduced entropy."