A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&R and enjoy the chapter!
A/N2: Also, this chapter is going to be a filler one so the girls and our OC's get to know each other a bit more but we do promise that chapter 6 there is going to be more Magical Girl action. And if there's anything we need to improve on, please let us know!
Disclaimer: We don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica or any of its characters! But, we DO own our OC's Amai and Juudai!
Chapter 5: Catching Up
Business went slow in the restaurant that night, slow enough for Juudai to handle on her own. "Will you be ordering dessert tonight?" She aimed the question to the only table present.
When she received a negative response, Juudai left their bill at the table and retreated to the back. She started wiping down the counter for a minute when she heard the bell at the door alerting her of a new arrival. And judging by how long it takes for the door to close, it was a large table. Juudai braced herself before stepping to the front.
"Good evening! Welcome to..." Her sentence drifted off when she saw who it was. Juudai's eyes widen, and she dashed forward.
The new arrival smiled at Juudai. "Hey, Judy! Are you happy to see me or-?" Amai promptly shutted up when Juudai kneed her in the gut.
The brunette needed to have a minute to catch her breath. It took a couple of minutes for Amai (and Homura) to assure Madoka and the others that Juudai's act was, in fact, normal. It also took five minutes for Juudai to apologize to the couple still in the restaurant, focusing on them until they left. The orangette turned to where the group of girls headed. Approaching the table, she noticed menus were set out on the surface in front of each girl.
"Man, I really need to make a complaint to this restaurant. The service here is awful!" Amai barked a laugh, which morphed into a yelp when a butter packet hit her square between the eyes.
"You think it's funny to leave me hanging like that, huh?" Juudai huffed and made her way back to the kitchen to leave the dishes. She suppose it's only justice considering she left Amai be to speak with the blonde girl the other time so she breathed in deep, willing her irritation to subside...for now.
The orangette made her way back to the dining room, a notepad and pen in hand. "It's good to see you again Kaname-chan." Madoka giggled and waved in greeting. "Thank you again for taking care of Homura. Hello, Miki." Juudai nodded to Sayaka. The blunette mumbled a greeting. "Don't think I don't see you there, Kyubey. Are you doing all right?"
'Never better.'
Juudai would imagine so, considering the little critter was being held in Madoka's arms. He leapt off her embrace and sauntered over to the edge of the table to be close to Juudai. The orangette got the hint and reached a hand forward to pet his head, smiling at the content noise he made at her touches. "And hello again, Tomoe-san. Thank you for inviting me for cake and tea the other time."
"Oh, it was no problem." Mami smiled and waved a hand dismissively.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute, wait a minute," Amai held her arms out in emphasis, eyes switching from one girl to the next. "You're freaking telling me you guys already know each other?"
"'Know' is pushing it," Juudai shot that thought down quickly with a glare aimed at Sayaka. "We had a little run-in at the mall-"
"At the mall?!"
"And Tomoe-san invited us to her apartment for treats as she explained something...odd."
Amai looked indignant; she placed her hands on her hips and turned her body towards Mami. "You mean to say you've been avoiding me for the better part of a year and yet you invited my best friend over to your place?"
"Now, hold on. I didn't know you were friends with her." The blonde defended herself.
"And I didn't know this was your 'Maria'," Juudai finished.
"Maria?" Mami looked confused.
"Amai doesn't remember your name."
"Juudy!" The brunette's face reddens in embarrassment.
Mami hummed in thought before aiming an unreadable look at Amai. "Well, we didn't see each other that often to be so familiar with one another. Not to mention I know she is rather forgetful. I can forgive her for that because at least she didn't fully forget who I am." Mami smiled. The brunette looked at her like she was seeing a celestial being. "I remember your name Amai. Your parents never stopped gushing about how you were their little ray of sunshine."
"Aw, shucks." Amai looked away, blush growing brighter.
"It's nice to see you again. Believe me when I say there was a good reason why I was avoiding you. Although…now it seems like it was all for naught." The blonde glared at Kyubey.
'Don't look at me. We didn't know she was keeping Nagisa company.'
"I was lost, and Amai-neechan offered to help me." Nagisa helpfully provided.
"She called me 'big sister'..." Amai looked at Juudai in awe at this development. Despite her earlier irritation, Juudai smiled.
"And then I taught her about Magical girls!" Nagisa finished.
"Nagisa, what caused you to do that?"
"I was hungry, and she gave me food. Besides, she kept following me even when I told her not to."
Mami's brow twitched at Nagisa's response. "Amai, I appreciate that you took care of Nagisa-chan, however..." The blonde turned to face Amai, her face set with a hard look, "You do realize how great the danger you were in, correct?"
The brunette's face settled into a blank look. An uncomfortable curtain of silence settled over everyone as Mami and Amai stared off. The other girls sitting down fidgeted in their seats.
Juudai sighed. "Okay, okay. If we're about to have a heavy discussion, can I at least start you off with your drinks?"
Madoka recovered first. "Oh, can I have Orangina please?"
"Soda for me." Sayaka input with a raise of her hand.
"Hot green tea for me." Mami didn't turn her gaze from Amai as she placed her order.
"Same." The brunette was really trying her best to act like the blonde's reflections.
"Milk! Milk! Milk!"
"All righty." Juudai giggled at Nagisa's antics. "And you, Homy?"
"Apple cider." The raven had a small smile on her face.
Juudai wasn't sure, but she thought she saw her shaking slightly. She kept the question to herself until a later time. Turning, she left to get their drinks. A minute later, the orangette returned with their drinks in a tray, passing them to each girl. Mami and Amai were still glaring at each other.
"Am I the only one who thinks the two of you need to stop acting like little kids?" Juudai pointed out, face blank.
"Considering that pervert groped her, I'm not surprised Mami's mad." Sayaka huffed as if that was anything new.
"That's actually common around here." The orangette commented.
"Yeah, not a day goes by that I don't see Amai touch a girl." Homura helpfully provided. Sayaka looked at her as if she grew two heads.
The stare down finally broke when Amai turned to stare at the blunette. "I'm a real lady killer." She winked. Sayaka gagged. "You're not exactly my type though. Love the hair, but you leave much to be desired here." The brunette's hands twitched at her chest level.
"You disgust me." Sayaka hissed.
"Stop it, you two." Mami snapped.
"Hey, I'm just saying! You did a lot of growing while I wasn't looking, huh, Mami?" The blonde blushed at the question, turning away from Amai.
"Seriously, are we really not going to talk about how you guys suddenly showed up at the restaurant? Because I'm going to take a risk at being rude here to tell you guys its eight thirty, I got school tomorrow and no thanks to a certain someone here I haven't started on my homework." Juudai glared at the brunette specifically.
"You're welcome." Amai sneered. "And consider it payback for going to Mami's place, eating her sweets and not even thinking of bringing me some!"
The orangette looked thoughtful. "You're right! I should have at least brought a slice for Xavier."
"I could kill you."
A smirk appeared on Juudai's face in response to the frustration blossoming on Amai's voice. "It was delicious."
"You're so cruel!" Amai bawled instead, head going into her arms on the table as she wailed.
A door opened from the direction of the waitress alley.
Juudai turned to see who it was. "Oh, Mrs. Asurito. You're still up?"
"Mom?!" The brunette's head shot up, tears stopping as she looked at her mother. The older woman wobbled her way into the restaurant, a hand clutching her enlarged belly.
"Here I was wondering what the racket was all about. It's just my little girl and her friends." Mrs. Asurito chuckled. "Hello there, Homura-chan. How are you doing tonight? We haven't seen you here in quite a little bit."
"O-oh, sorry about that, Mrs. Asurito." Homura bowed her head. "Some things came up, but I'm here today. How are you feeling? Is the baby behaving?"
Mrs. Asurito snorted. "Behaving – he's been mostly kicking and moving around. It gets uncomfortable after a while."
"Guess that's a sign he wants out soon." Amai had a goofy grin on her face.
"You have an appointment this week, don't you?" Juudai asked.
Mrs. Asurito nodded her head. "Now, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"
Homura stammered introducing Madoka.
Juudai, after a moment's pause, introduced Sayaka.
"This one over here is Nagisa!" Amai ruffled the girl's white hair, a smile blooming on Nagisa's face. "And this is -"
"Mami Tomoe?" Mrs. Asurito beamed. "Oh my dear, I haven't seen you in so long! How have you been? You have to tell me all about it. You haven't come back here for any help at all. Is apartment life treating you well? Are you getting enough to eat?"
"Oh, I've been fine, ma'am. Thank you for asking." Mami's face reddens. "I... I'm so sorry I haven't been able to visit lately. I've been very busy."
"Sweetie, I understand. You're living on your own now, taking care of yourself and going to school too. It's going to be hectic. But find some time to come visit us every now and then, dear. I know Amai missed seeing you."
"Tell me about it." The brunette eyed Mami's chest.
Her mother glared at her. "Behave."
"On the topic of behaving, have you eaten yet?" One of Amai's brows lifted. "You're supposed to be taking care of yourself and the baby."
"I've been eating. It's just been a hectic rush today, is all."
The brunette looked displeased by her mother's excuse. "So you haven't eaten? Judy."
"No, she hasn't." Juudai answered the silent question.
"Okay, well, I know what I got do then. Hey, ladies, go ahead and give Juudai your order. I'll be making your dinner tonight. My treat." Amai flashed a smile at everyone.
"Sweetie, are you sure?" Mrs. Asurito looked worriedly.
"Better her than me. Homura-chan, the usual?" The orangette asked her shy friend.
Juudai took their orders and went to set the ticket on the kitchen window. Amai passed through the door leading to the kitchen.
The orangette turned back to the table. "So, can I ask why you guys are all here? Not that I'm not happy to see you again, but you came in with Amai."
The unspoken question lingered in the air.
Mrs. Asurito dispelled the awkwardness. "Well, isn't it obvious, Judy? Mami wanted to keep Amai company!"
A small smile graced Juudai's face. "Yeah, well, that is one way to look at it."
"Mom! Get your butt back upstairs! A diner booth is NOT a comfortable place for you to settle in!"
"All right, ladies, that's my cue to go." Mrs. Asurito pouted after Amai finished shouting from the kitchen. "I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me."
After the older woman left, Amai entered the room again. "Hey, Judy?"
"What is it?"
"The weird thing Mami was explaining to you was about the witches and magical girls, huh?"
"Yeah, and you know about them too now." Juudai looked between Mami and Nagisa. "She didn't get hurt did she?"
"Of course not! I took care of her!"
"And you did a good job, Nagisa. Although I would have preferred if she wasn't involved at all." Mami took a sip of her tea. "May I have some more, Amai?"
The brunette gave her a look, but relented and disappeared into the kitchen.
"Nagisa and I were tracking the same witch-" The blonde started to explain.
"I just saw the witch." Nagisa corrected.
"-and while I realized that Nagisa was inside, I could not guess the identity of her partner. Initially, I assumed her companion was a victim she rescued, but imagine my surprise when we meet in the witch's chamber." Mami paused for a moment. "The witch we pursued today is the same one that attempted to devour you the other time. We exterminated her."
"Okay." Juudai nodded in understanding.
Amai came back with a new cup filled with more tea, placing it in front of Mami after taking the empty cup away she went back to the kitchen.
'Have you changed your mind, Juudai?' Kyubey asked the orangette.
"Huh? Oh, about all this. Sorry, my answer is still the same."
'Then what about-'
"No."
Everyone in the table turned to look at Mami. The door swung open and Amai came back, looking at the girls confused.
"Amai, this tea is not hot enough." The blonde stated.
"What? I brewed it right, I'm sure!" The brunette insisted.
Mami just smiled at her sweetly. "Can you go remake this for me, please?"
"Why can't Juudai do it?" Amai complained.
"Because she asked you." The orangette said flatly.
Amai groaned, glaring at Juudai before taking the cup back to the kitchen. A moment of silence passed before Mami spoke up again.
"There's no need to involve Amai in this."
'Mami, we will be the first to remind you that there is strength in numbers. We will respect Juudai's decision, but Amai seems really interested. We would like to offer her the chance.'
"No." It was the same thing she said earlier, but the force in which she said it caused everyone to freeze. "She has no reason in becoming a magical girl." Mami's expression lightens. "Please Kyubey, I beg of you. Don't do it."
Kyubey looked at her unblinkingly. 'We suppose there isn't much we can do here.' The critter retreated, curling up beside Juudai's hand.
Amai came back with a new cup of tea, a frown set on her face. "Here you go milady."
"Thank you." Mami said coolly. She took a sip, a small pleased smile on her face. "Don't you have some food to watch over?"
The brunette slammed her hands down on the table, causing the girls to jump in surprise again. "Hey, don't think I don't realize what you're doing. You can just come out and say it if you don't want me in the room. Not that I'll listen."
"Amai, please. This pertains to magical girls." The blonde started. Too bad her choice of words was a mistake. Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide. "I-"
"Well, if that isn't a load of bull. What's your problem? Juudai isn't a magical girl. Homura, Madoka and the Flatbread aren't either! What's so special about them that you're picking me out?!"
Mami's mouth switched between staying open and closed. She knew what she wanted to say, but it was a struggle to actually say them out loud.
"C'mon! Say something!"
"U-umm? Excuse me?"
All eyes turned to Madoka. The pinklette flinched a bit before regaining her composure. "After the incident when I met Tomoe-chan, I was inspired. If it weren't for her I wouldn't be here right now... I've only known her for a short while, but I really look up to her! I want to be someone like that one day."
Amai noticed the smile on Mami's face, and the sad look settling in her eyes along with the happiness.
"I'm pretty much the same." Sayaka huffed, but a smile showed up on her face nonetheless. "Mami's really cool, and she's saving lives! That's something I only dreamed of doing."
The smile on Mami's face twitched.
"I... will agree that Tomoe-san is really admirable, but... I'm not actually sure what wish I want to make." Homura admitted. "The situation is really intimidating, and you never know when the situation will turn dire. I have to admit my heart nearly stopped when I saw you earlier, Amai-chan. I don't know how you made it so far in such a dangerous place. I suppose some of that is thanks to Nagisa-chan..."
"Hey, Homy, I know a thing or two about fending for myself." The brunette's playful nature broke through the surface, settling down next to the raven. "Nagisa made sure I can fight off those little baddies!"
Homura giggled. "That stun gun you gave me came in handy today."
"Whoa! Seriously? Damn, and I missed that."
"Sayaka looked really cool as well. Tomoe-san had enchanted her bat." Madoka commented.
The blunette blushed. "I really looked cool."
Homura nodded her head. "Yes, you did!"
Amai hummed. "Hmm, maybe your good points are your arms then? I gotta feel this for myself..." She reached over Homura for Sayaka.
"H-hey, stay the hell away from me!"
"Let me feel your arms!"
"Amai, if you don't stop, you're going to spill their drinks." The brunette retreated with a huff after Juudai spoke. "And I don't know what's going on between you and Tomoe, but you seriously need to keep an eye on the food, or else it'll burn."
"Crap, you're right." Amai sighed and stood up. "Look, can we just agree not to talk about the magical girl business until I come back with the food? Juudai, go ahead and close the store. We're not getting any more business, and you might as well get started on your homework while dinner gets ready." The brunette's voice held a slight edge of authority to it.
"Good idea," Juudai was all too happy to comply. She swapped the signs out and then headed towards her room to change and grab her homework. When she entered her room, she was immediately tackled by Xavier. "Did you finish your homework?" Her lips were set in a soft smile.
He nodded his head.
"Good. Go wash up. When you're done, come downstairs so you can eat."
"Gotcha." Xavier ran out of the room.
Juudai gathered her books under her arm and returned downstairs. The girls were talking quietly among themselves. Sizzling could be heard from the kitchen door. Juudai sat down at a table next to theirs.
"Judy?" The orangette looked away from the first problem she started working on to look at Homura. "Why are you sitting all the way over there?"
The raven truly felt concern considering she stopped mid-conversation with Madoka to ask. The rest of the girls turned their gazes to Juudai.
"I wouldn't want to place all my materials on the table when dinner's coming up." Juudai reasoned.
"Nonsense." Mami shuffled and tapped the spot next to her on the booth. Juudai couldn't really find it in herself to say no, so she picked up her belongings and sat next to the older girl. "Do you need any help? If anything doesn't make sense, let me know. I might be able to help."
Madoka scooted her seat closer to the two of them. "Oh! What subject are you working on?"
"Math."
The pinklette smiled, her brows scrunching together in a determined grimace. "I did really well in math last year, and I'm doing pretty well with it now."
Juudai giggled, catching herself and slapping a hand over her mouth. "I think I'm doing well for now, but I'll let you know if I encounter a problem."
"What other work do you have tonight?" Homura asked.
"I got math, science and language arts. I already finished history in school, thankfully."
"I can help you with science." The raven offered.
"And I can help you with language arts." Mami finished.
"Hey, you don't need to do this." Juudai started.
The blonde shook her head. "As your sempai's, we're entitled to help you. We want to make sure we can help you strive to be the best you can be. Besides, thanks to Amai, you haven't made much progress with your work. The least we can do is help you."
"Yeah, working together is really fun!" Madoka added.
"I... Thank you." The orangette ultimately conceded.
Homura and Mami snatched her books, opening them to the pages marked by her homework sheets. Madoka moved her chair so she was sitting by Juudai's other side. Juudai passed her a pencil after she made herself comfortable.
"I feel really useless." Sayaka sighed, slumping forward on the table.
"I don't know any of this." Nagisa peered over Mami to look at the pages.
"I'm not surprised, dear." The blonde chuckled. "Judging by your appearance, you're still in elementary school, aren't you?"
"Uh-huh, but I haven't been to school in a while."
"Oh? And why's that?"
"Um, well..." Nagisa looked away.
"I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that." Mami went back to helping Juudai with her work.
A few minutes Xavier came down the stairs.
"Juudai!"
"Over here, Xavy." Her younger brother took a seat next to her.
"You got this problem wrong." Xavier pointed at a problem in the book.
"Oh, good on you for noticing that!" Mami complimented. "How did you figure that out?"
Xavier grinned. "Juudai showed me a problem similar to this the other night."
The orangette took a moment to introduce everyone to her little brother.
"You really are very smart." Madoka cooed. "Do you know what this is?"
"Oh, Juudai was going over this yesterday. Past tense in English, right?"
"Yeah, we're going to start working on essays real soon. I'm pretty confident in my skills but I wouldn't mind a refresher. How far are you all in English?" The orangette asked.
"We're reading Romeo & Juliet right now." Mami admitted.
Most of the people at the table gasped. "Wow, Tomoe-chan!" Madoka cried.
"Geez, I can't imagine reading that." Sayaka grumbled.
"Oh, I've read that before."
"What?!"
Homura nodded her head at Sayaka's tone. "When...I was still in the hospital, my relatives brought me books to read. The version I read had the story written in both English and Japanese. You're not reading it right now, but if you want some notes, I can let you borrow it, Judy. The book contains grammatical advice and the likes and you would have read it already for your third year."
"That sounds helpful. I'd appreciate it." Juudai actually smiled.
"In the meantime, I can help you as much as I can. I didn't bring my notes, so you'll have to excuse me if my thoughts are a bit scattered." The blonde apologized.
"Thank you, Tomoe. So, what do you think about this problem?" The orangette attempted to get Mami back into the subject at hand.
Mami had just finished helping Juudai out with that problem when Amai came into the dining hall with trays of food. "Order up! Put away the books. I won't allow any reading while you're munching on my grub!" After doing what was asked, the girls took the time to gaze at Amai's creations.
"Okay, I have to admit, this doesn't look bad." Sayaka complimented first. The girls said their grace. "You didn't poison this, by any chance?"
"Hell no." Amai scowled. "I don't play around with food, girl."
Madoka made a small sound of pleasure, spoon in her mouth. "These croquettes are really tasty!"
"Glad SOMEONE appreciates my cooking!"
"You always cook a good meal, Amai." Homura smiled.
"Meh, it could have been better." Xavier complained.
Amai slammed her hand on the table. "You always complain about my cooking, you little brat. What's wrong with it now?"
"My croquette is burnt." He held one of the breaded rolls between his chopsticks.
"There are only a few spots! I dropped them in the fryer; some parts are going to get cooked a bit more than the rest!"
"Xavier, quit complaining about your food and eat." Juudai reprimanded the boy, eating her food quickly.
"Hey, Judy, slow down or you're going to choke."
"I need to get back to my homework, Amai."
"It's not going anywhere, and we're here to help you. Otherwise, you're going to be pulling another all-nighter." The brunette sat down at last with a plate of her own.
Mami turned to Juudai. "That's not good for your health, dear."
"Yeah, well, when you have your hands full with chores, homework kind of goes on the backburner. School's not getting any easier, either, and teachers really love giving you a ton of assignments."
Madoka hummed in agreement. "Yeah, it really doesn't help when they give you a reading assignment, too. All that reading you got to do, AND the questions. It's overwhelming."
"Are you guys having trouble with your homework? If so, I feel maybe we should make a study group. It might help make the assignments easier." Homura suggested.
"That sounds like a great idea!" Both Amai and Sayaka declared. The two looked each other in the eyes.
"Let me guess; you're struggling with your assignments?" Sayaka smirked. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You look like it."
"Um, excuse me? But I believe I'm your senpai in regards to school. I'm in my grade for a reason. This noggin of mine isn't rotting." Amai tapped the side of her head with a satisfied grin.
Sayaka's face twisted. "I don't know if that was meant as a reassurance, or to make me question the state of your mind..."
"The study group sounds great!" Amai emphasized, giving Mami a look.
'It would be a great idea to meet up frequently.' Kyubey inputted. 'We think it would be advantageous.'
"Are you sure you don't have ulterior motives of wanting us to join up?" A small frown appeared on Mami's face as she asked him the question.
'We don't think what we want is relevant in this situation. We still suggest you should gather together.'
"Okay, I've kept quiet until now, but I have to ask: what the hell is that?" Amai pointed at Kyubey. Madoka tore off a piece of a croquette to feed him. "Because to me that looks like a rat."
"He's not a rodent, Amai." Mami insisted.
'We're Kyubey. It's a pleasure to meet you, Amai Asurito.'
Amai jumped back in her seat, eyes wide. "It freaking knows my name."
"What are you guys talking about? I don't see a rat." Xavier looked at Amai and Mami as if they were crazy.
'We cannot be seen by normal humans. You and Juudai Naosoroshii are special in that regard, considering the two of you have potential to be magical girls.'
"Like Nagisa-chan?" The brunette asked.
'And Mami. You don't have to speak out loud. We can pick up your thoughts.'
Juudai looked at Kyubey before closing her eyes and thinking. 'Like this?'
Kyubey nodded encouragingly. 'Yes. You're getting the hang of it.'
"Don't worry, Xavier. We were just talking nonsense." The orangette reassured the little boy.
"Your friends are weird, Sis." Xavier huffed at his older sister before returning to his meal.
"We're weird? Are you for real?" Sayaka stared at the boy with her mouth agape.
"I-I didn't even do anything." Homura whined.
"I wonder if this is how it'll be like when Tatsuya grows older." Madoka giggled.
"I'm not weird." Nagisa's cheeks were puffed and she glared at Xavier.
The boy lifted one of his brows. "No, y'all are weird."
"That's enough." Juudai stated before a fight escalated between the two younger kids. "Finish eating."
"Okay, Sis."
"And you better eat all of it, even the burnt things." Amai grinned.
"No, I'll put them in the trash." Xavier stuck his tongue out at her.
"Better yet." The brunette placed her thumb and index into her mouth, blowing between the digits. "Little Brother!"
A bark sounded from the kitchen. The girls turned their heads to see a large Golden Retriever bound into the dining room.
"Who's a good boy? You are!" Amai leapt out of her chair to throw her arms around the creature. "Whatever you don't eat give it to him. He'll gladly eat it, unlike someone else."
"I don't want to poison Little Brother." Xavier flatly refused while Amai made an agitated sound. "Fine. I'll eat it all."
"Here, Little Brother." Juudai held a piece of her patty to the dog. He happily consumed it.
"'Little Brother'? You seriously couldn't have thought of a better name?" Sayaka asked flatly.
"He's like a little brother to me. Back off." Amai bit out.
After everyone cleared their plates, Juudai took their dishes away. Amai leaned forward, elbows placed on the table. She batted her eyes towards Mami. "So, what do you think about my cooking?"
Despite the occurrences of earlier, Mami managed a smile. "It was really delicious. Thank you."
"Meh, it could have been better." Sayaka half-snided. In all honesty, it was a really good meal and it meant she didn't need to cook herself that evening, but she sensed Amai had ulterior motives for talking to Mami out of everyone and she couldn't help but stepping into the conversation. "It was a bit salty for my tastes."
Amai's head whipped in the blunette's direction, a glare threatening to drill a hole on the side of her head. "I'll be sure to make a note for next time to add the entire salt shaker into your meal!"
Sayaka laughed. "How are you so sure there'll be a next time?"
"Because we're already making this study group happen, right?"
A silence descended on everyone. Juudai came back from the kitchen, looking at everyone in confusion. "All right, who died?"
"No one wants to study with you, Judy!" Amai wailed, reaching out for Juudai. The orangette pushed the brunette away.
"Did Amai say something inappropriate? I'll hit her right now if she did."
"Hey!"
"N-no, it's just..." Madoka looked to the side, waiting to hear Mami's reply.
"Madoka-chan, you don't need my permission to study with Juudai and Amai. Just... make sure this one-" Mami pulled at one of Kyubey's ears. "-isn't anywhere near you guys."
"Sounds like a plan." Homura said with a nod.
"All right, when should we get together? Does Friday sound good?" Amai suggested. "Well, Fridays might be a bit rough for my dad to handle with Mom pregnant, but I can't think of a better time that isn't a week day. Maybe Sunday?"
"Friday sounds good to me." Juudai responded. Xavier was starting to lean on her, his eyes closing in exhaustion. On her other side, Mami was experiencing the same thing with Nagisa. "I'm taking Xavier to bed so I can continue working on my homework."
Xavier began to mumble about how he wasn't actually sleeping, but Juudai paid him no mind. Taking him into her arms, she made to take him to their room above the restaurant. Mr. and Mrs. Asurito gave them both their own room, but ever since they lost everything, Xavier couldn't bear being separated from her for long and thus the two of them shared a room.
Amai laid Juudai's books out on the table while she tucked her brother in.
The brunette stepped back into the kitchen for a moment to bring out pitchers of hot water and a few baskets of various tea leaves. "We're probably going to be here a while. I'll go see if my mother left any desserts for us to snack on, too. Those always help."
Madoka and Homura said their thanks while Mami cycled through Juudai's assignment. Sayaka made herself comfortable on the booth seat, turning into a random page in Juudai's English book.
"Geez, I don't remember reading material like this last year."
"It does feel like it was a long time ago, huh?" Madoka turned to Homura. "Were you in middle school here or in another city?"
"Oh, no, I was homeschooled."
"Wow, you must have felt really nervous on your first day of school, then."
"It wasn't too bad. I...met some wonderful people after I got out of the hospital." Homura glanced at Amai from the kitchen as the brunette returned to the dining room. "People who really helped me out when I needed it. And I also got to meet you."
Madoka giggled. "I'm glad I got to meet you too."
The raven opened her mouth to say something, but from the corner of her eye she noticed the sly look Amai was giving her. Her mouth clicked shut, a blush appearing on her face.
Juudai came back into the dining room. "Amai, can you clean for me?"
"Sure, Judy. Make sure you keep an eye on these two." Amai pointed towards Homura and Madoka. The raven's blush grew deeper meanwhile the pinklette looked confused as well as Juudai.
"Okay...?" The orangette mumbled with an unsure nod.
Mami rose from her chair. "Oh, Amai, can I speak with you for a moment?"
Amai nodded her head – all to avoid squealing out loud at her circumstances.
Leaving the others in the dining room, Mami closed the kitchen door behind her. She watched as Amai went around gathering the cleaning supplies together. "Amai, please don't take anything that you heard today to heart."
The brunette hummed.
The blonde continued. "I...want to apologize for my behavior for this time. I stayed away because I was hoping I wouldn't get you caught up in all this. Being a magical girl...is no fun and games."
"I kind of figured that." Mami looked up to see a thoughtful scowl on Amai's face as she kneeled by a counter. "I'm not stupid. If someone I was close to was getting involved in something big like this, I'd be worried sick. I understand where you're coming from. I can't pretend we're close enough that you wanted to inform me about the possibility of death in all this."
Heart caught in her throat, the blonde struggled to compose a response. "Amai..."
"Still, what's done is done. I can't give a rat's ass about any of that." The brunette had a smile on her face as she rose to her feet. "You may not like it, but now you gotta put up with me knowing all this. You can't really argue with me, either. Juudai is involved too, even if she's keeping away from all this."
"Amai, you don't understand!" Mami struggled to keep her voice down. "It's not just knowing; I'm afraid you're going to make a mistake! Please, for the sake of normalcy and for my sanity, don't do anything foolish! This isn't just something you can throw yourself into!"
Amai shushed Mami, emphasizing her action by setting a finger on the blonde's lips. "I think you're over thinking things. Besides, now's not the time or place. Maybe later. When we're not worrying about whether Juudai will turn in her homework on time. Not that I think it should matter. It won't kill her if she misses out on a day of school work."
The blonde stayed silent throughout the brunette's speech, her eyes aimed at the floor. She hummed affirmatively, agreeing for the sake of the others they should get along - for tonight at least. Mami really enjoyed the company of Amai's friends and wished to remain on good terms with them.
Amai fell silent for a moment afterwards. "In fact, don't you think it would be better if we talked this over some cakes and tea?"
A shake of the head – Mami didn't realize she moved at all until Amai clasped her hands on her shoulders. The blonde stared when she saw the massive grin on Amai's face.
"Then it's a date! We'll meet up after school, and we can talk about all this witch nonsense! Oh my God, where will we go? It can't be here. How lame will that be? What about the café near the park? That one's got some pretty good cakes. But the one in downtown is good, too..."
Mami's face slowly started to turn into the brightest shade of red it's ever been. "Amai!"
"Hmm?"
"I-I..." A part of her wanted to tell her 'no', but another part didn't want to disappoint her. "Amai, I can't..."
"Just wait until tomorrow. You'll see. You'll be looking forward to that date then." Amai stepped out of the room, Mami hot on her trail. "Hey, ladies! Don't mind us. I'm going to start wiping things down. Can one of you kindly distract Mami for me?"
"Oh, Tomoe-chan, I'm kind of confused about this question." Madoka called for her, Homura looked like she needed the blonde's assistance too. Mami looked torn between complying and pursuing Amai. The brunette hummed as she set on to cleaning.
"You guys are distracting me." Juudai growled.
"Sorry, Judy." Amai didn't look at least a bit sorry.
"I like that we're making SO much progress with this study session." Sayaka flatly pointed out.
"Amai-neechan?" Nagisa called out.
"Yes, Nagisa-chan?" The brunette cooed.
"Is it possible for me to stay here tonight?"
Amai squealed a bit. "Oh, of course you can! We got a spare room for you to use!"
Juudai looked at the little girl. "You don't have someplace to go, Nagisa-chan?"
The little girl shook her head. The orangette hummed thoughtfully.
"Where have you been staying all this time Nagisa-chan?" Mami looked away from a page in Juudai's homework to ask.
Nagisa squirmed. "Um, well..."
"I think we already decided we didn't care about that." Amai shot Mami a look. The blonde blushed and turned her eyes away from Amai.
"Oh, sure." Juudai rolled her eyes. "First the dinner, then the study group, and now a sleepover. What's next – inviting them to move in?"
Needless to say between talking and the shenanigans between them all – like Amai groping Mami when her back faced her – everyone did stay there for quite a while.