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!
Also, there will be more Magical Girl action on the next chapter. If there is anything we need to improve on, please let us know! :D
~ Chapter 7: Decisions ~
~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~
The witch Mami stalked appeared to be a familiar newly reborn. It had been easy for her to track it once she noticed the witch's kiss on a civilian. She succeeded in leading the person to a safer place before following the signature on the mark towards its origins.
Even the labyrinth was barely formed; Mami could tell the newly formed witch had trouble maintaining the space. She slipped in, rifles at the ready to shoot down any threats in sight. The utter lack of minions further proved the age of the witch.
It didn't take long for her to reach the center of the labyrinth. The witch raised its large head to Mami once she drew near. As she took aim, her shot missed when the witch dodged with surprising speed. She pursued it across the room, firing bullet after bullet. Each shot managed to nick various sides, slowing it down enough for her to catch up.
A cannon-like rifle appeared on her arm and she aimed it face first at the witch. "Tiro Diretto!"
The witch erupted into dust.
As the labyrinth slowly disintegrated, Mami returned to her normal guise. No grief seed, but it was worth it knowing the people would be safe for another day.
"Mami."
"Oh, hello, Kyubey." The blonde smiled at the white critter. "Is everything all right? Are there any other witches in the area?"
"Not at all. You've been doing a great job maintaining the peace."
"Thank you, Kyubey."
"And if any other witches show up, it's all right. Now that we have four magical girls in the area, the city is much safer than it's ever been!"
"Yes, it is a bit comforting knowing that there are other girls." Mami kept her true opinions to herself, though.
Then her mind blanked. "Wait a minute... Kyubey?"
"Yes, Mami?"
"Did you say 'four'?"
"I did."
"What do you mean? There are only three magical girls!"
~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~
"Mom! This way!" Amai practically ran into the kitchen ahead of her mother.
"Slow down, Sweetie!" The older woman smiled. In her arms she cradled a small bundle. "I don't want to move too fast and wake Jayden up."
"Oh, right." Amai moved back to her mother, hands covering her mouth as she looked down at her little brother.
The boy was asleep, his eyes closed and nose twitching slightly. At that moment, he yawned, mouth widening as he let out a little yet firm breath of air. Both Amai and her mother cooed at that sight.
"Are you two all right?"
"Oh, coming, Dad!" Amai called out softly. She held her arm out, urging her mother to move forward towards the kitchen. Her father directed the woman onto a chair as soon as they entered the kitchen.
"I really wish the two of you would quit babying me." The woman sat herself down all the same, a gentle smile on her face as she watched her family.
"Honey, can you blame us? The doctors said you and our son weren't going to make it. Of course, Amai and I are worried about you! I'm surprised they let you out so soon." Mr. Asurito fretted.
"Well, the two of us are fine. They said so. Come on, Amai! Tell your father he's being silly!"
"Yeah, Dad. Stop being a big dumb-dumb!"
"So, both of my ladies insist on teasing me. All right, I get it." Mr. Asurito huffed playfully, turning his head away as his wife shook in laughter.
Amai laughed along with them, all the while staring at the mark resting on her left middle finger.
A knock at the door silenced the moment. "Come in!" called out Mr. Asurito.
The door slowly opened, and Juudai and Xavier walked in. "Mrs. Asurito?" Xavier asked. The boy walked in front of Juudai as the two approached the Asuritos.
"Yes, dear?"
"How are you feeling?"
"Oh, everyone's asking me this!" Mrs. Asurito giggled. "I'm feeling wonderful, you two! We're sorry to leave you alone for a little bit. Things were a little chaotic at the hospital."
"No, it's fine, ma'am." Juudai spoke. "It's better to focus on yourself and the child first and foremost. We were really worried about you there for a while." The orangette leveled her gaze on Amai, who promptly turned her head to avoid the look. Juudai raised a brow, silently willing Amai to know that this was far from over.
"Would you like to hold Jayden, you two?" Mrs. Asurito held the child out to them.
Xavier shook his head fiercely. "No thank you, ma'am."
"Me neither."
"Aw, come on you two!"
"I'm going to start dinner." Mr. Asurito announced before leaning down to kiss his wife on the cheek. "Is there anything in particular you'd like, honey?"
"I think technically I'm still on my diet for the baby's sake. Just make sure it isn't too greasy or fatty."
"You got it, dear."
"Amai, when are you inviting your friends over again?" Mrs. Asurito started as her husband went to work on dinner.
"Ah, well..." The brunette drifted off, not sure how to answer the question. She looked at Juudai quickly for help.
The orangette rolled her eyes slightly.
"We've been busy with work and classes lately." In the end, Juudai decided to help Amai after all. "All of us are mostly in different classes, so it's kind of difficult to meet up. And considering what's been happening for the last few days, we REALLY couldn't afford to meet up. And now with little Jayden here I don't know if we'll be bringing them over anytime soon."
"Oh, no! You should bring them over. I'm sure Jayden will love to meet them!"
"I suppose that's true..." Juudai giggled a bit.
The door flew open again as Nagisa stepped into the room with a cheerful cry. She took a seat next to Xavier, and Amai joined her not long after. Juudai rolled her eyes again as she took the seat next to Amai.
Amai breathed a sigh of relief. She dodged a bullet, though Juudai chose to ignore her in favor of speaking with Mrs. Asurito. Nagisa and Xavier started a conversation that involved the boy's schoolwork and Nagisa's love for cheese.
"I'm sure it has to be squared." Xavier mentioned.
"I'm sure cheese wouldn't look nice squared." Nagisa huffed.
"There are such things as cheese sandwich slices."
"Don't care. Auntie Mom!"
"Yes, Nagisa dear?" Amai's mother responded, turning away from feeding Jayden.
"Will we be having cheesecake?"
"You'd have to ask your Uncle Dad!" The two of them turned to Mr. Asurito expectedly.
"Hey, I'm still trying to make the main course here. And if neither one of you eats it, you can forget about dessert!"
Now everyone was distracted by the thought of sweets – everyone except Amai and Juudai. The brunette turned to the orangette, accepting her fate of being questioned. "Hey."
Juudai hummed in acknowledgement.
"Are you mad at me?" Amai whispered.
Juudai sighed. "I'm not mad at you. I suppose the better description would be irritated since you chose to jump the gun at this." She turned to look at Amai in the eye. "Ultimately, this is your decision. I can't tell you if you are right or wrong. The only thing I can say is I hope you're satisfied with your decision because you don't need me to tell you there's no turning back."
Amai followed her words with a hum.
"Something had happened to your mother and Jayden, huh? I don't expect an answer. From the looks of it, your mother barely remembers what happened in the hospital. What with there being a witch and all. It does seem awfully convenient he was right there to wish your troubles away."
"Well, it was either that or leave Jayden and my mom the way they were!" Amai hissed.
"Snap at me all you want, it doesn't change the fact I think y'all walked into some sort of scam. Jayden could have died; I get that, but is it really worth it is what I'm getting at. We don't know what that creature wants from us. He brought a mother and child from the brink of death, Amai...!"
"And I get that, but why do I feel like everyone is trying to tell me I chose wrong?"
"Have you told someone other than me?"
"No."
"Then forget about it. I'm not telling you how you did wrong; I'm just reminding you that there might be consequences... but remember what you did saved not just one but two lives."
The two of them turned to look at Amai's mother and the newborn child, watching the woman bring the child to snuggle at her chest.
Amai smiled. "Yeah."
-Juudai's Room-
Nagisa looked up at the night sky with a smile on her face. "This is nice."
"It sure is." Juudai held a telescope to her eye. "Xavier, do you see anything?"
The boy had a telescope of his own as well. "I think I see Pegasus. I need to take notes and pictures! Juudai, could you help me find my notebook and camera?"
"Sure thing. Here, Nagisa." Juudai held her telescope towards the white-haired girl. "Take a look and see for yourself."
"Okay!" Big sister and little brother stepped back inside to search around, and Nagisa turned back to gaze at the sky. She didn't know any of the stars or constellations but it was still interesting to see the cluster that struggled to be seen in the city lights.
Her eyes did wander south in a few moments, and Nagisa looked over the houses at the distance. She stopped her gaze at one particular road, where she saw a figure darting through the shadows.
It took a moment for Nagisa to identify the magical signature. "Miss Mami!"
"Is Amai there?" The girl called in greeting.
"Um, she is, but she's busy helping her mother."
"You go tell her that she needs to step out. NOW."
Nagisa's arm descended to her side, her eyes staring wide at the rapidly approaching figure. "What did Amai-neechan do?"
"You know what she did, Nagisa-chan! Now send her out!"
"I'm not doing that."
Nagisa was surprised at how hard her voice sounded, even in her mind. From the distance she could see Mami falter and stop. "Nagisa-chan?"
"I'm not doing that. I apologize, Miss Mami, but it has been a long day. Not just for Amai, but everyone. That being said, I also don't think you are in the right mind to confront Amai-neechan. I'd recommend you come back in the morning, when you've had the chance to cool off your head."
"Nagisa-chan!"
"Tomoe-chan, please. Everyone in this household is getting used to the new addition. The last thing they need is for you to come knocking at the door and scaring everyone. Or worse; waking up the baby."
Mami thought about it. In all honesty, she wanted to sneak into Amai's room to comfort her. However, two things were holding her back. Firstly, Amai might take her intrusion the wrong way. Secondly, it IS late, and her visit might end up complicating manners. And thirdly, she did not want to spite Nagisa Momoe. The blonde knew little of the fellow magical girl; other than she was younger compared to her and had been fighting witches for a week at least. She's already made enough enemies of other magical girls; she didn't need to add another one to the list.
In the end, Mami relented. "I'll be here first thing in the morning. Rather you choose to let her know or not is up to you."
With that Mami turned away, ready to go home. Instead of using her magic to help her reach home faster, she chose to walk, hoping it would help her start the process of cooling off.
~ Mitakihara City: Park ~
Halfway home, Mami stopped to take a look around. She stood in the center of a park, but that wasn't why she stopped.
"I know you're there. You might as well come out." Mami spoke out.
From the shadows, the blonde heard the heels clicking towards her. She turned to see a raven with long hair walk up to her.
"You're angry, and rightfully so." The stranger spoke.
"Oh, and this is being pointed out to me by a complete stranger." Mami grumbled. "Please do not speak about me like you know me."
The girl remained quiet for a little bit before speaking again. "I cannot pretend that, however, I still must speak for Miss Asurito. She did what she thought was best."
Mami remained quiet.
"You were nowhere near the hospital when the witch attacked." The girl passed a hand through her long hair. "Some fates just cannot be changed."
"It seems you did not understand me the first time I spoke." Mami spoke, her voice chilly. "As you are a complete stranger, I'd appreciate it if you didn't go speaking of personal matters with me. Your opinion is completely invalid to me."
"And that's where you are wrong. I know at least two other girls in your immediate group of friends who wish to become magical girls. While you may have not prevented Miss Asurito from making a contract, you can prevent the others."
At those words, Mami stepped back defensively. "...How much do you know about us?"
"Enough to know that the life of a magical girl is not as easy as we thought it was. The price we pay to have our wishes granted is great."
"Really now?"
"Yes. And considering how you're reacting right now with Amai Asurito, I must warn you: do not let Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki... and Homura Akemi make a contract."
Mami gazed at the girl in confusion. The girl was not in her magical girl attire; the blonde sensed no trace of magic directly coming off her. For the moment, she wasn't a visible threat; however, Mami refused to let her guard down to the newcomer.
"Are you afraid there will be more competition? I must say, that attitude is rather poor." Mami smirked. "There are already four magical girls in this town alone. Counting myself, Nagisa and now Amai, that makes you the fourth."
The girl gave no answer to her accusation.
"Tell me, who are you exactly? How long have you've been here? What do you know about us? About my friends and me?"
"I can't really answer that easily."
"I see. Then you can understand when I say that I cannot trust your words. I have to ask you stay away from us." Mami put her foot forward, a frown on her face. "If you dare lay a hand on any of my friends, I will put an end to you."
The raven nodded her head and turned away. "Understood. Don't say nobody warned you, Mami Tomoe." She disappeared after that.
~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~
Amai was the first to step out of the house, waiting for everyone else to step out. As she past the kitchen she threw a greeting to her mother, father, Jayden and Little Brother.
"Judy! Hurry up!" She called out to the window above her.
"Shut up! I'll be there when I'll be there!" Juudai poked her head out of the window to shout.
Xavier's head joined her a moment later. "It takes time to be fabulous, Amai! You know that!"
"Okay, you two, be fabulous! I'll be waiting for ya!" Amai giggled, turning on the spot to lean against the wall as she waited. Her eyes stayed shut for a few seconds before they opened.
She yelped and jumped to the side. "Mami!"
"You said my name right for once." The blonde sassed. One of her brows was lifted over the other; her face clearly read, 'You are in trouble, missy'.
Amai gulped. "Well, uh... It's a nice day today, huh?"
"Don't change the subject. You know what I'm here for."
"I wasn't changing the subject. I was lifting the mood!"
"Why did you do it?"
"...Do what?"
"Amai." The brunette lifted her head to take in the strained look on Mami's face. "Stop it. I know you're far more perceptive than that. The very thing I spoke with you about yesterday."
Amai's hands fisted at her side, her lips trembling as she struggled to find the words she needed. "...Mami, you don't understand! My mom and brother would've died if I hadn't done anything!"
Mami's face twisted. "Amai, I do understand that, but you must know you can't make a contract with Kyubey and not expect to stay on the sidelines! You're a magical girl now; this isn't fun and games. You have to risk your life now to protect others! You made your wish so you further your time with them, but you'll never know when something will happen to you out there! You...!"
The door flew open; Nagisa walked out to see Mami looming over Amai, the brunette leaning away from the blonde in her fury. Both girls turned to look at the newcomer in shock.
Nagisa crossed her arms, stamping her foot on the ground and looking at Mami with puffed cheeks. "I see you didn't waste any time."
"I... Good morning, Momoe-chan." Mami bowed respectfully. The blonde turned back to the older girl. "Amai, if it's all right with you, I'd like to walk to school with you."
The invitation alone was enough to make Amai forget the anger Mami was directing towards her. Amai's heart began to race in excitement. "Really?!"
Mami's face did not look amused. "Really."
A window flew open and another head popped out. Instead of sticking to the floor, however, the individual threw themselves out the window. They cried out as gravity sent them straight towards the pair of girls at the restaurant front. Mami turned her head upwards first, eyes widening and showing the first sign of emotions since she arrived – fear and surprise.
"OH MY GOODNESS!"
Mami's cry snapped Amai to attention; her head whipped up to see Xavier heading their way at rapid speed. Amai threw herself back just in time to catch the orange haired boy in her arms, and sending the both of them to the ground. Amai grunted in pain, remaining very still as the seconds ticked by.
Xavier recovered first, shaking his head and looking at his savior. "Oh my goodness! Amai, are you all right?"
Amai coughed out a response.
Juudai poked her head from the window. "XAVIER, YOU COULD HAVE BROKEN YOUR LEG!"
"But I didn't!" He shot back
"Amai, are you all right?" Nagisa kneeled next to the brunette.
"Don't worry. Just give her five minutes and she'll bounce back up." Juudai insisted.
The pancaked girl weakly held out her hands towards Juudai, all of her fingers splayed out.
"Make that ten minutes."
"Amai." Mami's voice was actually laced in worry. She helped Xavier off of the brunette before pushing her up into a sitting position.
Xavier and Nagisa exchanged glances, shifting their looks back towards Amai. "I'm SO sorry, Amai. Thank you for catching my fall." He bowed.
"Hey, no need for that." Amai put up a smile, petting the boy on the head. "I gotta say, that's a whole new meaning of falling for someone, though."
"Sorry."
Truth be told, Amai was all for the chain of events; she got to see for herself that Mami can fret over her... Right now, Mami was angry, but give it a few minutes, and Amai was confident she could work her magic on the girl. A confident grin appeared at the thought.
"I'm glad to see you are all right, then." Mami commented drily. She faced Xavier, an anxious crawling on her face. "Good morning, Naosoroshii-kun."
"Good morning, Tomoe-chan."
"So are we going for that walk or not?" Amai took the opportunity to pounce, immediately lashing onto Mami's arm.
"Can I come with you, too?" Nagisa plastered herself to Amai's other side.
Mami sighed through her nose. Okay, it wasn't so bad. Her edges were still shot – she hadn't calmed down, not by a long shot – especially after the events of the night before, the forefront of the hurricane being Nagisa herself, however, Mami wasn't going to turn her nose from the little girl.
"Is it all right if I come with you, too?" Xavier asked.
"I don't see why not." Amai chipped in.
"But..." Mami didn't get to put any words in before Amai was calling out to Juudai.
The orangette returned to the window. "You want to go walking to school with us?!"
Juudai shrugged. "Give me a few minutes."
~ Mitakihara City: School Walkway ~
Once everyone was outside, the girls along with Xavier were on their way.
"Have you ever thought about going to school along with Xavier, Nagisa-chan?" Juudai asked. She and Xavier held hands, the boy holding Nagisa's hand in his other.
"It does sound interesting. I don't mind helping Asurito-kaasan and Asurito-tousan in the kitchen, but sometimes it's kind of boring without you all in the house."
"It can't really be helped. Studying needs to be done and the younger people need to suffer." Amai gushed. "The older people, too. Miss Saotome seems to suffer outside of school, and I can't imagine that's a lot of fun with grading papers."
"I seriously think she blows up at every little thing." Juudai inputted. "If she would calm down and give the guy a chance, things wouldn't always suck for her."
"Yeah, but grown-up business is just that. Can't expect people to get along and accept one another at the first word." Mami glared at Amai as she spoke.
Amai gulped and withdrew within herself slightly.
They arrived at the elementary school. Xavier said his goodbyes to Amai and Mami before stopping in front of Nagisa. He leaned in a bit to whisper something to her. The white-haired girl gasped and took a step back. Xavier simply smiled and walked up to his sister, giving her a hug and accepting a kiss to his temples. With that he was off, waving to them as he ran into the school grounds.
"Well, I'll be taking my leave from here." Nagisa announced. She appeared slightly shaken. "I wouldn't want to walk far from home if I went with you all the whole way."
"All right. Be careful." With a hug and a temple kiss, Amai sent Nagisa off.
The remaining three girls resumed their walk. Juudai sensed something between Amai and Mami since the moment she noticed the blonde at the entrance of the restaurant. She quickened her steps, hoping to give them a semblance of privacy.
Mami realized what Juudai was doing and thanked her from under her breathe. She didn't acknowledge her at first, giving her a moment to gather her thoughts before she spoke.
Once Amai realized the two of them were mostly alone, she decided to start it off. "It was the best option at the time."
Amai wouldn't know it, but the word choices struck something within Mami. "Is that so?"
"Yes. Like hell I was going to let anything happen to Mom and Jayden when the rodent was giving me a choice." Amai snapped, anger actually breaking through on her face.
"And you expect me to leave it at just that? Amai, I warned you not to make a wish without thinking."
"Why the hell are you so adamant at keeping me from this?! It's not just you – Juudai said nearly the same thing!"
"Because she is correct! By making this wish, you must now devote yourself to hunting witches! If you had waited a little longer, your family might have pulled through."
"And if they hadn't?" The glare Amai sent to Mami was fierce.
"That is something we won't know now."
The two of them entered an uneasy silence; each of them glaring at the other from the corner of their eyes. Amai noticed Mami gritting her teeth.
Swallowing her anger, Amai threw out her question. "Why are YOU so devastated at the wish I made?"
Mami sighed, as she thought of her next words. "The wish that one makes for others are both selfless and self-damning. I respect how selfless your wish was, Amai, I truly do. But you actually had time to decide, to choose to ignore this, to wait for another sort of miracle. And you went ahead with it."
Amai's eyes widen in horror as Mami released a sob, tears peeking at the edges of her eyes. "Mami...!"
"I didn't want this for you! If I could prevent you from taking that step, I would do anything...!"
The hand she was reaching towards Mami withdrew near instantly. Anger emerging once again, Amai bit out. "What would you know about what I want?! You haven't kept in contact with me for years!"
The blonde whipped her head towards Amai, those tear-stricken eyes beholding her with surprise. The two of them remained like that for a few moments until Juudai's voice broke through to them. They turned to look at her.
"Morning, Homura." Juudai greeted warmly to their shy raven haired friend.
Amai noticed they were now standing in front of the apartment Homura lived in.
"Good morning, Juudai. Oh, Amai! I didn't see you over there. Oh, good morning, Tomoe-chan." Homura bowed to the blonde.
Mami returned the greeting, wiping at her face to rid it of her tears. With one last sniff, she put on a smile, her eyes shifting towards Amai for a moment before she focused ahead.
Amai herself shrugged the anger off of her, sealing it away deep inside for the time being. "Hey, Homy. Ready for school to deliver a butt-kicking to us?"
"No, not quite." Her comment did succeed in drawing a bit of a chuckle out of Homura. The pigtailed girl focused her gaze on Juudai. "Did you have any trouble with homework last night?"
"Nah, I found time to finish it. I even got to go stargazing the night before."
In face of the rare full smile on Juudai's face, Homura gasped excitedly. "That sounds amazing! What constellations did you see?"
As the two of them dwelled into conversation, the other two stole a glance at one another. Mami's face, still wet with tears, looked at Amai with aggravation while Amai's face held a mix confusion and frustration.
"Can you answer me something?" Amai threw out. She didn't wait for Mami to answer – not that she did. "How come you're fine with Homy being a magical girl but not me?"
"...Homura has time to effectively make her wish. Therefore, she could take her time deciding what her wish will be."
Amai threw her hands up in frustration. "I technically had time, too!"
"Kyubey saw potential in her."
"I think with him telling me I can make a wish, I have 'potential', too."
"You have a family, Amai! And now you'll be leaving a still, pleasant life behind due to this witch! You must now serve your wish; that is the price you pay for it!"
"And why is it better for Homura to do that, then?! Sayaka and Madoka, too! They most likely have families, too, and you're giving them the choice!"
Mami clicked her teeth. "It's not the same."
"Like hell it isn't!"
On the sidelines, Juudai tried her best to keep her attention on Homura, but the conversation beside her quickly turned into an argument and it worried her. Homura also looked concern, and helplessly looked at Juudai. A sense of unease settled over them all, and the orangette felt this was not the best way to start the day.
"Hey, girls, we should keep going." Whelp, not the best way to start that, but it certainly got their attention. "Homura wanted to see if we could run into Madoka and Sayaka along the way."
The mention of the other two girls brought arranged expressions on their faces – Mami stiffen while Amai looked like she was ready to hit something. Juudai walked towards them and placed herself in between the two girls.
"Homura wanted to talk about something with us, anyway." Juudai looked at her raven friend encouragingly.
"Ah, y-yes." They resumed walking as Homura spoke. "Madoka and I were wondering if we can meet up together this weekend. A lot of time we're given a lot of homework entering the weekend, so we wished to go over that."
"That sounds like a plan." Mami said after a moment.
"Also, Madoka missed you, Amai-chan." The brunette pointed at herself, eyes widen in surprise. "Yes, she wanted to see you again."
"Just throwing this out there, but Flatbread doesn't share the same sentiment?"
"Ah, w-well, I'm sure she'd still be interested."
"Nice save, Homura."
"I say it's a good idea," Juudai commented. "This weekend?"
"That'd be nice!" Homura cheered.
"What do you girls think?"
Mami hummed, looking at the two girls from the corner of her eyes. "I don't see why not. It'd be fun."
"Amai?" Juudai looked at her best friend.
The brunette grinned. "Yeah, let's do it! Where should we meet up?"
"Madoka had wanted it to be at her house." Homura answered. "She told me her parents have wanted to meet the rest of us, plus their house is bigger for all of us."
"All of us what...?"
Of course, Mami would realize. Homura chuckled shyly. "For a sleepover. That's the bonus thing aside from the study session."
Amai began to giggle; all eyes were on her in the immediate second. "The possibilities..."
"What are you thinking?" Juudai groaned.
"Nothing~"
"Um, girls, we need to get going or else we'll be late." Homura inputted.
"Let's be on our way, then." Mami chimed in. "After all, we still have our other friends to be with."
The whole entire time, Mami and Amai kept apart from each other – Amai on Juudai's side, and Mami next to Homura. While they talked among themselves, Amai and Mami purposefully avoided talking to one another. Or rather, Mami avoided talking with Amai. The brunette did what she could to start a conversation with her, but Amai was promptly ignored.
Eventually, they did approached Madoka and Sayaka, who were in the company of another girl.
"Well, hello there, gorgeous~" Amai made her move on the greenlette. The newcomer promptly gasped.
"Hey!" Sayaka slapped Amai on the side, causing her to yelp. "Don't harass Hitomi!"
"Good morning, Homura." Madoka chimed. Homura stammered a greeting, her face lightly dusted with a faint blush. "Nao-chan! Asurito-chan!"
"Morning."
"Madoka, your evil friend hit me," Amai pouted.
"Ignore her, Kaname-chan. She deserved it." Juudai glowered at Amai who shrugged. Madoka laughed.
"Greetings." The orangette waved at the greenlette.
"O-oh, good morning," Hitomi bowed. Juudai returned the gesture. "Are... all of you friends of Madoka-chan and Sayaka-chan?"
"I suppose you can say that."
"Madoka~"
"Good morning, Tomoe-chan~!" Madoka and Mami embraced one another for a bit.
"Well, shall we?"
"Were you looking for us?"
"We thought it might be a good idea to walk together to school from now on. Right, ladies?" Mami received a chorus of agreement.
The group of girls proceeded to make the rest of the way to school. Amai walked next to Mami. She turned to the blonde, a rare frown on her face. "We'll continue talking later."
Mami nodded grimly.
~ Mitakihara City: Hospital ~
"Oh, are you listening to something new?"
Sayaka made the comment after the silence stretched out for too long. She was once again in the hospital visiting Kyousuke; the difference to this meeting from the previous one was his behavior.
'Is he in a mood?' The blunette wondered.
Before she entered the room, one of the hospital personnel warned her that Kyousuke had not been faring well today. She couldn't exactly blame him; if she was in his position, she would have been driven mad being here for so long.
He held his gaze towards the window, his headphones set in his ears. She could barely pick up the sound of the music.
"Oh, I recognize that!" Sayaka commented, remembering where she heard the arrangement before. "You know, it's thanks to you that I've heard of so many instrumentals. I can tell a good bit of them apart. Let me tell you; I've impressed a whole bunch of teachers at school with that. Especially once I plug in my music player and they hear my playlist. It's really awesome seeing the looks on their faces when that happens. And just you wait; once you start feeling better, you can get back to playing your violin, and your music will be-"
The boy took off his headphones and just leveled an unreadable expression at her.
Sayaka froze in place, her heart skipping a beat as her widen eyes fell on the boy. "Kyousuke...?"
"What? Do you take enjoyment out of this?" He asked.
"Wait, what? What do you mean?"
"Do you enjoy seeing me suffer?" He raised his voice a little higher with anger.
"N-no, of course not! I just wish for a speedy recovery, so you can get back to-!"
"It's not going to happen!"
He threw his music player against the wall. The impact caused Sayaka to flinch away from Kyousuke slightly. The boy started to tremble, barely managing to catch his bearings.
Kyousuke turned his head her way and Sayaka saw tears pooling around his eyes. And he explained everything: how the doctor came into his room and directly told him that he might as well give up, that there was no way to heal his hands. Technology has come far, but the fractures in his wrist were just so great, the doctor couldn't guarantee Kyousuke would ever be able to play the violin again.
When he finished with his explanation, the tears welled up full force, trailing down his face. His sobs were uncontrollable. "They just told me to give up, Sayaka. Just like that..."
His sobs were the loudest sounds in the room, his shoulders shaking from the strength of them. Sayaka watched him for a moment, her mind reeling at the revelation.
"There's no way I can ever get back to playing the violin; not unless magic and miracles were real."
Sayaka had moved up to the bed, her arms thrown onto Kyousuke's bed. One hand lingered on top of his. Her thumb rubbed the top of his hand in a faint form of comfort.
"Kyousuke, magic and miracles are real." She lifted her head, smiling at him in face of his despair. "Just have faith. Things will get better – you'll see."
~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~
Amai closed the restaurant for the night. Juudai was already in the process of cleaning the tables and putting away any of the remaining dishes.
"Hey, I've already wiped everything down in the back. Do you think you can sweep and mop?"
Juudai gave her the thumbs up.
Amai gave her a smile and walked out of the main floor. She took the stairs to the residential part of the building – after stopping by the kitchen for a moment – heading towards her room.
Once she stepped in, she locked the door. "Are you read- What the hell are you doing!?"
On Amai's bed, Nagisa looked up from the magazine she was reading. Amai took giant steps forward to snatch the mag from the little girl's hand.
"You CANNOT read this, you dig?" Amai reprimanded her.
Nagisa looked at her curiously. "Why not?"
"You need to be a little older to read this."
"And why's that?"
"Cause your mind is not ready to take this in."
"Why?"
"Nagisa." The girl shrunk into herself slightly. "Just don't." Amai sighed then straighten her face. "Now, are you going to help me or not?"
Nagisa leaned back with a serious look. "Did you bring it?"
Amai huffed and held out the thing she brought with her from the kitchen. "Here."
Nagisa snatched the plate, taking hold of the fork and cutting into a piece of the cheesecake Amai brought for her. The white-haired girl moaned once she placed the piece into her mouth. "So good~"
"It better be. I made it." Amai smugly stated.
She walked away from the younger girl, heading towards the window in her room and standing before it. Amai held her left hand to her chest, her right hand settling over to toy with the ring on her left.
"When you're done, we're heading out for a witch hunt." Amai declared. "So be ready."