The non-magical girls taken care of, Oriko glanced back at Homura. "Shall we take care of the Witch now, Akemi-san?" Homura gave her a curt nod. Not one for speaking too much, it seemed.

Oriko was… somewhat nervous, if she was to be honest. She had run towards the Witch as quickly as possible when she received a vision that showed Kirika contracting once more, but she didn't expect to meet another magical girl there. Just how many magical girls were there running around Mitakihara, anyways? She supposed that Homura could have just been watching the other girls in Kirika's class, but still, it was strange to meet two magical girls in as many Witch hunts.

She shrugged internally. It was something she would have to figure out later, but for now, she just had to take down the Witch. The pair went back into the barrier together, walking around the oversized toys present, and taking out any familiars that showed up while they searched for the way to the Witch. Oriko side-eyed Homura, who seemed to be keeping an eye out for her in the same way. Her method of fighting was almost mesmerizing to look at. Each time she spotted one of the familiars, she blurred into action, instantly changing into the perfect stance each time to shoot down the threat. How it worked, Oriko wasn't quite sure, but it certainly seemed like a powerful ability. She kept a bit of attention on the potential for a vision, but thankfully, none came to her.

After a bit more searching, they found the sanctum of the Witch. An enormous wooden door stood in front of them, breaking the pattern of green that most of the barrier had. Oriko nodded at Homura, and stepped forward to push open the door. As they stepped through, a crazed laugh sounded out through the barrier, sounding disturbingly similar to that of a child. And there in the center stood the Witch- an oversized doll-like child, perfectly suited to match its voice. Its face was painted on like a mask, but its hair put it right in the range of the uncanny valley. Oriko shivered slightly, preparing to face the Witch… but then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Homura blurring again, gunshots ringing out, and just like that, the Witch fell over, and the barrier faded away.

Oriko blinked. "...Well then. My thanks, Akemi-san." She said faintly. "Would you like the Grief Seed? That was quite a show you put on there…" That was a bit of understatement, if she did say so herself. The girl could wipe the floor with her in a matter of seconds if she so decided!

Homura shook her head. "There's no need." She said flatly. "You may take the seed. I have no need for it currently."

"Well, in that case…" Oriko said as she went to scoop up the Grief Seed. "You have my thanks. I have not had very much trouble dealing with Witches, but for some odd reason, my magic seems to be more high maintenance than that of the other magical girls I have met."

"I see." The other magical girl said, her gaze nearly strong enough to pierce through Oriko. "If that will be all…" She turned to walk away, her hair waving slightly in the breeze.

"Should I ask her about the jester girl?" Oriko thought to herself. "I don't think I'll be able to take her down with just the help of Komaki. If-"

—

The pink-haired girl from earlier laid limp on the floor of a Witch's barrier, bloodstains evident on her clothing. The blue-haired girl, now in her own magical girl outfit, sobbed over her, while Homura looked at the scene with a dead-eyed stare, her hand reaching for something at her side. Oriko couldn't see what it was, but a click, and the girl was gone, as if she had never been there before.

—

Oriko saw herself, standing with Homura in a scene of intense rain, the surrounding area barely even visible through the downpour. Shadowy humanoid familiars cartwheeled through… was that Mitakihara? Each one assaulted the pair in what seemed to at first be a random pattern, but they showed more and more coordination as the attack went on. At first, they were able to hold the familiars off, Oriko shooting her beams and Homura attacking with what looked to be a huge amount of guns, but more and more burst forward, a mad cackle sounding out from nowhere. First Oriko saw herself fall, but then the familiars were able to pivot towards Homura, and after fighting hopelessly for hours on end, she reached for the same spot that she had before. Once again, she disappeared without a trace.

—

In the sky, a massive Witch shaped like a doll rose upturned, bizarre gears turning within her skirt. Homura looked on resolutely, but the one girl she had brought with her this time- a magical girl with her hair in a red ponytail- seemed quite disturbed. And as well she should. Flame shot out from around the Witch, setting the city below on fire, and strange beings on dog-shaped familiars walked in a procession before her. This time, it wasn't even close. The procession combined with the same shadow familiars from before were too tough to take down, and once again, the familiar click sounded out, and Homura disappeared once more.

—

The same Witch as before appeared in the sky, and the same procession marched forward. It seemed that Homura had managed to gather a great number of magical girls for this fight- the blue-haired girl from before, the red-haired girl, Mami, Oriko, and- she would've blanched if she could- Kirika were all there in their magical girl uniforms. The fight seemed to go amazingly, the group taking out the familiars that appeared before them with ease. But suddenly, the Witch's body turned upright, and just like that, everything turned around. A roiling flash of flame, and half the city was wiped off the map. It almost seemed like a glint of pain appeared on Homura's face this time. A click on her side, and another disappearance.

—

The Witch appeared in the sky again, but before it could do anything, a blazing pink arrow flew true, piercing the gears of the Witch. The sky began to clear… but then another Witch burst forth from what should have been its barrier. A massive Witch with legs like the wires of a cage and the head of a woman spread itself over Mitakihara. The sky fell into a morning glow, the city below disappearing in a flash of pink. And then the glow spread, and spread, and spread, the soft glow combing over more and more of the world, as if to rest there forevermore…

—

Oriko recoiled back as if she had been struck, a stifled gasp forcing itself out of her throat. What could she do to even stop something like that?! Was it all hopeless?! Was there any point to the little back and forth she had been having with Kirika? Magical girl, not a magical girl… either way, how could she do anything about what she saw. She might as well not exist for the amount of influence she could see herself having over the events that happened in her vision.

Meanwhile, Homura whipped back around, hair flying behind her as she turned her gaze towards Oriko. Her eyes flicked towards Oriko's Soul Gem. She took a look herself, and almost blanched. It was near all the way full with corruption, the blackness roiling within the Soul Gem as if trying to burst out. Quickly, she held her newly acquired Grief Seed to her Soul Gem, pulling thick streamers of corruption out from within it. When she removed it, she saw that a huge portion of its capacity was filled.

"What just happened?" Homura asked her once she finished cleansing, still staring straight at Oriko.

Oriko took a shuddering breath. Concentrate, she had to concentrate. Just what in the world was even going on? The magic granted from her wish showed her the things that resulted from the actions she took… but nothing that she had seen so far had indicated that she could have caused something this bad. Thus, the only reasonable answer for the situation, barring something incredible that she had missed, remained that she was simply the trigger for this group of events occurring, and that it was caused by underlying conditions, not simply her own actions. But the question remained in that case… What caused these events to occur as they did? She sighed. It would be important to choose her words carefully here.

"Akemi-san… would you happen to have any knowledge of a Witch that can appear outside its barrier?" She asked tentatively. Hopefully, that would be enough to head off any major concerns on the girl's part.

Instantly, Homura's expression shifted, going from the dead eyed stare it had been earlier, straight into an intense glare burning towards Oriko. "Why would you ask about that?" She asked, a strong frown on her face. Her hand was twitching, but she didn't seem to be moving to attack, thankfully. Oriko shivered. She had seen the kind of firepower that Homura could bring to bear, and it would be nice to not have it turned on her.

"I…I suppose that's a yes then, isn't it." Oriko phrased it as a question, but the cadence showed that it wasn't. She wilted slightly under Homura's continued glare. "Forgive me, I should answer your question. I have… occasional visions about what will happen in the future, and I just foresaw myself fighting against an unimaginably strong Witch alongside you." Oriko said. "It's a bit confusing as to when that was…" She muttered, more for herself than Homura. "But I was curious as to whether or not you know anything regarding it."

The glare abated slightly, but Homura continued staring. "I see." She said quietly. "...Yes, I do know the Witch you are speaking of."

Oriko waited for the girl to say something more, but it seemed like that was the most she was willing to say. Should she push her luck and ask about the apparent looping? …No, she had probably gone far enough for one day. "...Thank you, then, Akemi-san." Oriko said, frowning slightly. "I don't quite understand why you're playing your cards so close to your chest about this, but please know that I desire to stop this Witch as much as you do." Oriko sighed internally. She would've gone further, but it wasn't like she could force the issue. "In any case, I think I shall take my leave. Goodbye for now."

"Be careful out there, Mikuni-san." Homura gave the slightest incline of her head, and then finally turned around and walked off. Oriko watched her for a second, then did the same thing, walking towards where she had deposited Kirika.

"Hey, Oriko! How'd the Witch hunt go?" Kirika said, smiling slightly as she saw Oriko approach. She looked fairly uncomfortable hanging around Homura's classmates, but she seemed a lot sunnier now.

"It went fairly well. Akemi-san is quite the skilled combatant." Oriko replied, smiling with Kirika always made her feel a bit more at ease, for some reason. The conversation with Homura had been quite stressful, but now a bit of that stress was released, tension lifting that she hadn't even noticed was there in the first place. "Would you mind if I walked you home now? I'm slightly worried for your safety. You've been attracting quite a few Witches recently."

Kirika agreed, thankfully, and they walked back together towards her apartment. Oriko smiled as they walked together in comfortable silence. "If only every moment could be like this." She thought wistfully to herself. But no. She couldn't stop her work for the sake of her own comfort. There was more to be done, even before new issues had emerged. Once they reached her apartment building, Oriko gave Kirika a little wave, and departed in the direction of her own house. There were yet more problems that needed fixing, always more problems…