She wore a mask

And behind that mask was a loving heart.

"Hey!"

Homura looked up as she watched the teddy bear waddled towards her direction. Her lips turned into the tiniest smile she could afford but disappeared as quickly as it came.

"You're here quite early. I was expecting you later." Homura patted the empty seat that was right beside her, already made and ready for the huge teddy bear to sit on. Madoka slowly made her way and slumped on the tough chair, heaving a sigh of relief.

"Today was more crowded than usual so I distribute the balloons much faster. But that's great! I got more rest time till my next shift." Madoka smiled, although the teddy bear was staring emotionlessly at Homura. For some reason, it seemed Homura was able to feel it as she gave a small smile back before looking away.

Madoka cleared her throat and looked away as well, not knowing why the back of her neck felt so hot all of the sudden. She shook her head and turned back to Homura. She had been dying to ask this question since the beginning of her work anyway so might as well say it out now. She deliberately coughed to catch Homura's attention.

"How's the class gathering? The one you mentioned last time." Madoka paused for a moment before adding. "Did you go?"

Homura nodded. "Yeah. I went." Homura looked up at the bright sky. "It was nice I suppose."

"Really?" Madoka chirped before coughing immediately after to cover up her enthusiasm. "It was fun?"

"Yeah." Homura uncapped her bottle and took a sip, trying to buy time to pick out the words to continue. "The day didn't went well at first but I promised to go so I went. Although it really sucked at the beginning, it got better then."

"That's nice to hear." Madoka said. "As long as you enjoyed yourself, everything is worth it."

Homura looked at the teddy bear for a moment. "Madoka."

Madoka froze. She turned her head and looked at Homura for a moment and blinked. 'How did she...'

"Madoka..." Homura turned away.

"Ma...Madoka?" Madoka croaked and tried to remain calm but obviously she couldn't.

"She's my classmate." Homura looked down. "I'm just calling out her name... just for fun."

"F-for fun?" Madoka blinked. She then shook her head in the huge teddy bear head and speak again. "But of all names, why did you call her?"

"I don't know." Homura rest her elbow on her knee and set her heavy head on the palm of her hand. "She called my first name the other day. So 'm not sure what should I do. Should I call her first name too?"

"You should!"

Homura looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"I mean... you should." Madoka coughed awkwardly again. "She called your first name, means she wants to be your good friend. If you call her name, she'll definitely be elated."

Homura stared back at the ground and sighed. "That was what I am thinking. That's why I'm calling out her name to get used to it and maybe I can call her name when school reopens. It would be less awkward, I guess."

Madoka wasn't sure she should be happy because Homura didn't find out her identity yet or should she be happy that Homura had taken a step out of her own world and start to become part of the class... or being friends with her...

Soon, they have moved on from the conversation and started a new one.

Two days later, Madoka walked towards the booth like usual. In her hot and stuffy costume, she was expecting Homura to appear with two chairs already ready to be seated outside the booth. But Homura was nowhere to be found. The seats wasn't there too.

Puzzled, Madoka took a few quick steps towards the booth. She thought that she would see Homura inside, promoting the accesories and maybe Kyoko whining about the heat, but it wasn't the case. Kyoko was fanning herself with a Hello Kitty fan, but the purple-haired girl wasn't there.

"Hey..."

Kyoko spun around tiredly before widening her eyes. "Oh! Teddy. Looking for Homura?" Kyoko leaned against the wall. "Sorry to say, she's on leave."

Madoka widened her eyes. "Did something happen to her?"

"Got a fever. That's what she told me on the phone." Kyoko yawned. "I should have called in and applied sick leave as well. It's so boring with Homura here."

Madoka bit her lips. She recalled Homura acting her usual self just yesterday but today... she just fall sick? Madoka shook her head.

"You don't have to worry for her. I'll visit her later after my work. She'll be alright."

Madoka wasn't sure, but maybe Kyoko was right. She shouldn't be so worried. It's just a fever. With this heat, it's easy to fall sick so it's absolutely normal. But for some reason, Madoka just couldn't help but to feel worried for Homura's well being.

But... with her current identity... what could she do?

A/N:

i got A POLL IN MY PROFILE PLS VOTE THANKS
LIFE IS SAD HMM