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!

~ Chapter 10: Lunch Dates & Apprenticeship ~

~ Mitakihara City: Park ~

Madoka shuffled her feet, waiting for Sayaka to show up. The sun hung low in the sky, giving a warm glow near the horizon and over Mitakihara. Most of the children in the park were starting to leave for home the moment she arrived. The swing set remained empty until Madoka walked up to it and took a seat on a swing.

Humming, the pinklette kicked her feet back and started to pick up momentum. She was swinging up a good height after a minute, overlooking the near barren park. Each time she ascended, her gaze passed over the park grounds looking for Sayaka.

Once she spotted blue hair, she settled her feet on the ground to stop. "Sayaka!"

The blunette came running to her side once she heard her. "Madoka! You're here!"

"Of course, I am! I wasn't going to leave you alone!"

"Great! I think I found a suspicious spot, so let's get going!" Sayaka reached for Madoka's hand and started pulling her to one direction.

"Sayaka! Wait!" The girl in question stopped in her tracks, turning to look at her friend. Madoka started twiddling her fingers. "I told Homura to come along as well."

"What?!" Madoka flinched. "What the hell, Madoka?!"

"We're both worried about you, Sayaka! If Homura comes along, I know the two of us could keep a better watch over you!"

Sayaka sighed, placing a hand on her face. She wanted to get started as soon as possible, but from the looks of it, they needed to wait a while longer. "Fine." She took a seat on the swing set. "We'll wait a little longer, but if she doesn't show up after a while, we're leaving. I want to get started soon."

"Okay, I understand." Madoka sat along with her. "How have things been the last few days?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You haven't talked to me during the weekend. So how are things going with you and Kyousuke?" Sayaka blushed. "Aha! I knew it!"

"You knew what?! You don't know nothing!"

"So... you haven't confessed to him?"

Sayaka looked away. "No, not yet."

"How come you haven't done so?"

"I... I'm not sure what he'll say. What if he rejects me?"

"You don't know that if you don't try."

"But this is too soon. He'll say no for sure."

"Well, you're right. It might be too early. But you should do it soon," Madoka insisted. "Just ask him to a hangout; maybe to Asurito-chan's restaurant!"

"Isn't that a bit too forward?"

Madoka shook her head. "It's just a friendly hangout! What do you have to lose? Besides, he's been in the hospital for so long; I'm sure he'll appreciate a friendly date."

Sayaka's face redden. "Y-yeah, that does sound like a good idea."

"Yeah! Go for it, Sayaka!" Madoka cheered.

"Kaname-chan! Miki-chan!"

The two girls turned to look at Homura as she ran towards them, waving. She had a smile on her face as she stopped in front of them. "I'm sorry I took so long! I was trying to prepare for this."

Sayaka looked at her in question. "Prepare for what?"

Homura's smile grew as she brought the bag she was carrying with her forward. Her hand slipped inside and pulled out a white box out. "Here!"

"A first-aid kit?"

"In-in case you get hurt..." Homura added, looking less confident by the second.

"That's a great idea, Homura!" Madoka beamed. Homura blushed.

"Yeah, I can't exactly say that's bad..." Sayaka reluctantly added. "Okay, then we can get started now, right?" The other two girls nodded their heads. "Let's go. It's this way!"

The three of them ran out of the park, heading east at a brisk pace.

"I was following Mami's advice from the other day!" Sayaka explained. "She said that witches tend to show up in abandoned places or dreary places, so this weekend, I decided to check out this alleyway not far from home. My Soul Gem reacted!"

"You didn't get attacked while you were searching, did you?"

"No, Madoka! I just skimmed through the place! Trying to see if it was a big one, or if it was active. The last I checked it seemed to be like asleep!"

"So it wasn't bothering anyone..." Homura said thoughtfully.

Sayaka nodded. "Yeah, but it doesn't mean it won't start soon. So I'm going to get rid of it before it makes a move. It's not far; just another ten minutes."

When they arrived, they stopped at the mouth of an alley. Homura wrinkled her nose. "It stinks."

"Yeah, I noticed that too the first time." Sayaka covered her nose for a moment before lowering her arm. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Her hand rose up – the hand with her ring. The blue Soul Gem materialized, landing in her hand. Sayaka threw the Gem in the air; a brilliant, blue flash shone and her form was enveloped in the light. A few moments passed by, and the light faded away. Sayaka was left in a strapless blue top and skirt, a white cape hung over her shoulders. A pair of greaves covered her hands. She wore white thigh-high socks with blue ankle high boots.

Sayaka threw her cape back, and from within summoned two swords. After taking one each in her hand, she turned her attention to Madoka and Homura. "I'm not so great at using defensive spells, so try to stay as close to me as possible while I try to find this witch."

The two of them nodded. Sayaka took another breath and stepped into the labyrinth perimeter.

~ Alleyway: Witch's Labyrinth ~

Homura hugged the first aid kit close to her chest as she and Madoka stayed behind Sayaka. The three of them made their way slowly in the labyrinth. The raven gazed nervously left and right, jumping slightly at every shadow she saw move. One of the movements flickered and sent her into Madoka. The pinklette turned to look at her friend. "Homura, are you all right?!"

The girl in question took a moment to answer, shivering slightly. "Y-yes. I thought something was going to jump us."

"Don't worry, it's just the shadows," Sayaka provided. "The minions aren't around us for some reason." Sayaka examined their surroundings. "I guess this witch is newly formed or something. It's kind of weird there aren't any minions around."

"Is that a good thing?" Madoka asked.

"I'm not sure. It's really ssstttrrANGE!" Sayaka jumped back, pushing Madoka and Homura back. "It's a trap!" The floor crumbled away, a hole forming and expanding. Sayaka pushed the two back as the hole continued to grow. When everything settled down, Sayaka took a deep breath and looked down below – the chasm seemed to have no end. "I don't think we're going this way."

"W-w-w-what do we do?" Homura asked. Her breath began to get erratic.

"Homura-chan! Calm down! Look at me," Madoka insisted. The raven looked at the pinkette as instructed. "Everything is going to be all right, okay?"

Homura nodded, taking a gulping breathe of air.

"Hey, Akemi, if things get too rough, let me know? I can lead you out, okay?" Sayaka suggested.

"No! It's all right!" Homura shook her head. "I want to keep going!"

Sayaka shrugged. "All right, if you insist... Let's try to find another way around."

They backtracked, looking around for a bit before they found another trail, far more obscured than the first.

"One thing's for sure, this place sure is dank," Sayaka commented.

"A-and it stinks..." Homura added.

"I wonder how this relates to the witch," Madoka thought.

Homura eyed the line trinkets and objects on the floor. "We are in an alley... and the smell... maybe it has to do with trash?"

"That's a possibility. Hold on, I see something." Sayaka held out a hand to signal them to stop.

Up ahead, the ringing sound could be heard. Approaching them were a small group of minions. Homura didn't recognize their appearances from any other minions she'd seen before. When she got a closer look, she saw a resemblance between them and a tin can. "I sense a trash theme..."

"The witch's powers are based off their surroundings?" Sayaka suggested with a laugh.

"Or maybe their personalities?" Madoka said.

The other girls looked at her in confusion. "Personalities?"

Madoka flinched in embarrassment. "I don't know. It's just that the first witch we ever saw didn't exactly fit the theme of a mall."

"Hmm, no, you got a point." Sayaka held a sword up towards the enemies as she thought on it. "Kind of, sort of; you do see plants in a mall."

"But it had a rose garden theme!"

"Yeah, I guess."

Homura pulled Madoka back; Sayaka took a stance, sword raised, and with a cry threw herself into the fray. While she didn't know much about swordplay, Homura thought Sayaka was doing a good job for her first time out. The minions hardly stood a chance against her blade once she swipe it cleanly through them. A few times, Sayaka jumped back when some of the minions chose to attack her with what appeared to be a sludge-like attack, but the blunette easily sidestepped it and countered.

Once the last of them fell, Sayaka gulped a few times for breath before turning to Madoka and Homura with a large grin. "Minions felled! Let's keep going!"

The three of them resumed their walk. After a few minutes, Madoka asked, "Sayaka, do you know where the witch is?"

"Uh, not really. I was just going to walk around in the labyrinth until I run into it."

Madoka went silent after uttering an affirmation. Homura, on the other hand, remained puzzled. "Miki-chan, is that really a wise thing to do?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're expending energy exploring the witch's labyrinth like this. Surely there's some way to locate the witch faster?"

Sayaka's look of confusion was replaced with one of frustration after a moment. "W-well, I wouldn't know where to find it."

A rare look of annoyance crossed Homura's face. "Miki-chan, you must consider your options! After all, what good will you be against the witch if you are exhausted? How can you protect Madoka like that?"

"H-Homura!"

Sayaka casts a look over Madoka as she calls the raven out. Homura continues. "You need to do this as efficiently as possible for the best results. We can try searching for signs that will lead us to the witch." Homura ran ahead, keeping her eyes peeled.

"Homura, be careful!"

The raven respond that she would to Madoka before continuing forward. The hall started getting more cluttered with what appeared to be garbage the further she moved ahead. Homura slowed her running to a brisk pace as she tiptoed past the trash. The sounds of footsteps began picking up and Sayaka was by her side.

"Geez, can you wait up?! I'm the magical girl here! Shouldn't I be the one in the lead? You're lucky none of the minions showed up to attack you!" The blunette stopped in front of Homura to glare at her... before her gaze soften to uncertainty. "But I got to admit; you have a point. What do you suggest we do?"

Homura held up a hand, turning around to see Madoka approaching them. After ensuring the pinklette's safety, she turned back to Sayaka. "I don't know if we're going the right way, but look." Homura pointed down to the path of garbage. "The trash seems to be building up, so we might be heading the right way."

"All right, then. Let's go."

The three of them continued down the trail, but they didn't make it far before Madoka let out a scream. Homura immediately turned around to see a minion taking a hold of Madoka's ankle, the pinklette struggling to free herself from its grasp.

"Get away from her!" Homura launched herself forward, pulling her leg back and kicking the minion away from Madoka.

"Watch out!" Sayaka cried. Several of the cans became animated, and the three girls sprinted forward to get away. They kept running pass minions rising from their previously dormant positions until they broke through a room. A door slamming shut behind them kept the minions away. "I-is everyone all right?"

"I'm fine, Sayaka," Madoka replied, pulling herself closer to Homura. "What about you?"

Homura was about to reply when a slight stab of pain made her hiss.

"Ah! Are you hurt?!"

"Maybe..." Homura checked the pain's origin. Lifting her leg with a wince, she noticed a tear in her stockings around her knee, the skin there red and agitated as blood began to gather and spill.

"You are... Homura, your first aid kit!"

"Oh! Right." The raven brought up her backpack and pulled the first aid kit out of it. She took out a bottle of water from her bag, spilling its contents slightly on her knee. Her handkerchief was then used to pat the area dry before she tore a packet containing the antibiotic cream and applied it to the wound. She finished it up with a piece of gauze. "There."

"Came in handy after all." Sayaka grinned.

"Here let me help you up..." A blush crept onto Homura's face as Madoka helped her back up on her feet. "Can you keep going?"

Homura nodded her head. "I think we're getting close."

The three of them didn't need to go far. After walking forward for a while longer, they came across a larger room where the witch roamed. It loomed over them, with what appeared to be a trash bag over a good portion of its body and multiple arms extending out of it. Several of its minions were gathered around it.

"All right, guys! Stand back!" Sayaka jumped into the fray. She threw her cape back, summoning several other swords. The blades levitated around her for a moment before she sent them flying towards the base of the witch. The minions took the brunt of the attack, many of them disappearing into bursts of light.

The witch roared in outrage, lashing out with a swipe of its arms. Sayaka barely managed to dodge and recover. Once she stepped away a good bit, she swung her sword with a flick of the wrist.

The swords still impaled on the floor around the witch began to glow, vibrating with her magic. A ring echoed in the room. The witch roared once again, a series of cries following one after another.

Immobile as it was, Sayaka saw her chance. She jumped back, sword at the ready, and with a cry she launched herself forward. Her sword cut through the witch in one clean slice.

The witch and the labyrinth disappeared in a collection of light. Sayaka stood tall in light of her victory.

"You did it, Sayaka!" Madoka cheered for her friend, running towards her and throwing herself on her.

Sayaka exclaimed in surprise. Homura watched the two of them for a bit before she limped over to where the witch once stood.

"Um, wasn't something supposed to appear here?" Homura asked Sayaka.

"Huh? What?"

"Didn't Tomoe-san say that the witch's drop something when they are defeated?"

"Huh? Wait, you're right..." Sayaka and Madoka walked up to Homura. "It didn't seem to drop anything, though."

"Is that bad?"

"I'm not sure, Madoka. Whatever. I took care of the witch! That's all I care about! Let's go."

~ Mitakihara City: Madoka's Residence (Madoka's Room) ~

It was late in the night when Madoka received a phone call. Her phone said it was an unknown number, but it persisted. She counted – eleven rings – and she picked it up before the twelfth. "Hello?"

"Madoka Kaname."

The pinklette's back straighten. An image of a raven girl with long hair and sad purple eyes flashed in Madoka's mind. "You... How do you know my number?"

"That's not important. I wanted to talk to you about something, if you're available that is."

"Um, y-yes, I am. Where do you want to meet up?'

"The café in the mall. You know the one – your favorite."

Reflexively, Madoka smiled, whispering the name. "But how do you know that?"

"Again, not important." The girl gave her the time. "Also, do you mind if I invite someone to join us?"

"Not at all. Is it someone I know?"

"In a way, yes."

~ Mitakihara City: Mall ~

Madoka found out, when she arrived at the cafe after school the next day, who the other companion was. "Nao-chan!"

Juudai looked up at the name. "Oh, Kaname-chan?"

"Are you here because...?" Madoka didn't know how to word it.

"Because of her, right?" Juudai provided.

Madoka nodded – no specification was needed.

"Should we order something while we wait?"

Juudai hummed in agreement. "I haven't been here before. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Let's see..." Madoka listed off a few of the things she and Sayaka loved to order.

Juudai jotted them down, studying the paper for a moment as she made her decision. She headed towards the counter once she also wrote down Madoka's order.

"Wait! Can you also order this?" Madoka pointed at something on the menu. Juudai nodded her head and made the order. After she was done, she returned to her seat to wait for her order.

The two of them entered a moment of silence. Madoka tried to figure out what to say next.

"Um, how is Asurito-chan?"

Juudai started. "Oh, she's doing all right, for the most part."

"H-how so? If you don't mind me asking!" Madoka swiftly added, holding her hands up.

The orangette chuckled. "No, it's fine. It's just... how do I put it?" Juudai stayed quiet for a moment. "I think she's starting to realize this Magical Girl thing is a lot more demanding than she expected."

"Did something happen to her?"

"Nothing bad, she's just returning home more exhausted than normal. There's also the fact her parents aren't aware of her recent actions. She can't exactly explain why she's so tired, and it's kind of effecting her at work."

"Really?"

Juudai nodded. "Lack of sleep is understandable when she arrives late and doesn't get much rest. She still has work to do, both at home and for school. I'm trying to help her as much as I can."

"That's really sweet of you." Madoka smiled. "Asurito-chan can count on you."

"I don't know..." Juudai looked so unsure. "I wish I could be more help..."

At that time, Madoka came to realize just how young and frail Juudai truly was. As responsible as the girl acted, the pinklette was reminded this girl was younger than her and dealing with quite a lot.

"If you need someone to talk to, or if you would like some help, you can come find me!" Madoka leaned forward in her seat. "I don't know how much I can help, but we're going through the same thing! I don't know if I'm helping Sayaka much, either."

"Yeah, but given from what I've seen of Miki, I think knowing you got her back is enough."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Juudai smiled. "I might not like her very much, but I can tell from the way she acts that she believes in doing the right thing. Emphasis on that, with how she acted with Amai..."

Madoka giggled. "I'm sorry about that."

"Can't really apologize for that. It's just the way your friend is. You can't change that, in both of our cases." Juudai winked.

Their food came in, and the two of them started digging in. All the while, Juudai stared at the extra plate of food on the side.

"Do you think I shouldn't have done that?" Madoka asked.

"No, I think it's fine. I've always wondered how she gets by. I don't see her at school, and I don't know much about her except that she's a magical girl and apparently knows a lot about that... and about us." Juudai looked Madoka dead in the eye.

"Like our names?"

"And where we live."

"And who are friends are."

"And our phone numbers."

"When you put it that way, you make me sound like I'm some kind of stalker."

The pinklette and the orangette jumped at the new edition. They slowly inclined their heads towards the long-haired girl.

"It's you...!" Madoka stood up from her seat.

"It's me." She responded, taking a seat. She looked down at the plate of food set before her. "Did you get this for me?"

"Y-yes! I hope that's fine!"

The girl went silent. "...Thank you." She replied after a moment.

Madoka nodded her head and sat back down. The girl took a few bites of her food before she spoke to them again.

"So I bet you're wondering why I asked the two of you to come here..."

"Yes..."

"Definitely." Juudai's eyes narrowed at her. "I don't see why you couldn't have spoken to us from our homes since you know where we live."

"I didn't want to risk being seen," she responded. "The other girls would have seen me and that would've brought problems."

'Is that really what you're worried about?' Madoka pushed on. "And you were saying...?"

"I wanted to ask the two of you what will you do next."

"Eh...?"

"About being magical girls?" Juudai guessed.

The girl nodded her head. "Exactly."

"But why?" Madoka didn't understand.

"Because, as of now, both of you each have a friend who has made a wish and turned into a magical girl. I wanted to know what you're next move is."

Madoka sunk back in her seat. "I-I'm not sure. I want to be a magical girl, but... I don't have a wish of my own yet." The pinklette looked at Juudai. "What about you, Nao-chan?"

The orangette shook her head. "I have no intention of making a wish. You should know that; I made myself very clear in Tomoe's home."

"Yeah, but... this is an opportunity we've been given. Not everyone is given this chance... Besides, once Kyubey leaves, we might not have that chance again later."

"I'm aware; my answer stays the same." Juudai turned her head towards the girl with long hair. "Does that satisfy you?"

"Yes." The girl gave a rare smile. "Someone at the very least sees sense not to trust Kyubey."

Madoka looked at the girl oddly. "What do you mean by that?"

The girl's smile fell. "The first thing everyone must know about Kyubey is not to trust it. Their contracts hold a lot more weight than what you'd first believe. I hope you take those words to heart, Kaname-san; out of everyone, I want you to make a contract with Kyubey the least."

"Why?"

The girl refused to respond with a shake of her head. "Don't ask about the details. Now, is there any question you want to ask?"

'You're not giving me much of a choice here, are you?' Madoka sighed. "Um, it might be too much to ask."

"What is it, Kaname-san?"

"Could you watch over Sayaka for me?"

Juudai's eyes flashed over to Madoka. The girl bowed her head.

"I can't make any promises. Miki made her wish, and everyone must stand by that. A Magical Girl's life is filled with danger; you can't change that, and she willingly made her wish knowing that."

Madoka looked down at her wringing hands. "But... I feel like we can all work together. Wouldn't that be so much better?"

The girl lowered her head. "I can see where you're coming from, but I don't think it can be done." She rose from her seat. "I best be going." And she walked out of sight.

~ Mitakihara City: Madoka's Residence ~

Juudai decided to walk Madoka back home. It was the least that could be done after the rather disheartening meeting.

The two of them were silent for a good portion of the walk. Juudai kept quiet to give Madoka a bit of time to process everything. The pinklette kept her head down all the while.

'I don't know... I feel like I should say something...' Juudai was no stranger to silence, but in the small amount of time she's known Madoka Kaname, 'quiet' was a word she wouldn't associate with her.

It seemed... disturbing... to see her so sad.

"Hey," Juudai started. "What's on your mind?"

Madoka started, wide eyes taking Juudai in. "Oh! Um, well..."

"I guess that was a bit straightforward. You don't have to answer the question, at the very least talk. It'll help take your mind off of things." Juudai suggested.

"Hmm, well, is it really impossible for Magical Girls to work together?"

"As impossible as it is for people to work together." At Madoka's confused look, Juudai expanded. "In the real world, people can either get along with each other or not. There's some things in between that, yes, but you get the general idea."

"But I still don't get it... why is she so against working with others?"

"It's probably something personal. You can't forget, Kaname, that people have history and sometimes that effects how people make future decisions. She might have had a difficult time handling other magical girls, so that would make her hesitant to deal with others. In all seriousness, if you'll excuse my bluntness, Miki's attitude would probably make it difficult for a lot of people to handle he anyway."

It was the truth of the matter; first impressions are everything and between Miki's behavior and the girl's aloofness, she couldn't imagine the two working well under normal circumstances. People were complex like that.

She let Madoka ponder her thoughts, focusing more on the walk home. Madoka had given her the directions to her home, and Juudai wanted some time to take in the unfamiliar surroundings. The Kaname family lived in a well off neighbor, she quickly noticed. At present, the neighboor was silent with little sign of traffic. From a distance, she did hear the sound of children playing.

"This is a nice place." Juudai commented.

Madoka whispered her gratitude, looking up. "Oh, there's my house!" The pinkette pointed to her home and started running towards it. Juudai followed right behind her. "Papa! Tatsuya! I'm home!"

"Madoka! Madoka!" A little boy tumbled in the hall as Madoka opened the door. The pinkette caught the little boy in her arms when he fell forward, continuously calling her name.

"Have you been a good boy, Tatsuya?"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

"Nao-chan, this is my little brother Tatsuya. Tatsuya, this is a new friend of mine."

"Hi!" The little boy waved at the orangette.

Deep down, Juudai struggled not to squeal at the utter adorableness that was Madoka's little brother. Flashbacks to a time when her own little brother was that age came to mind. A hand flew to her mouth as the squeal continued to fight its way out.

Once she believed she got herself under control, she responded, "Hello, Tatsuya. My name is Juudai."

"Hi, Juudai!"

She couldn't stop the squeal.

"Madoka! You're home!" A middle-aged man walked down the hall towards them. "Oh, who's this?" Madoka introduced Juudai to him. "Well, pleasure to meet you, Juudai! I'm Tomohisa Kaname!"

He held his hand out to her for a shake. "Same here, sir."

"Will you be staying for dinner?"

Juudai paused, eyes widening. "I... well, I just came back from lunch with your daughter... I-I couldn't possibly impose..."

Madoka shook her head. "No way, we'd love to have you over, Nao-chan! She can stay for a bit, Papa?"

"Of course, she can! I'm surprised Sayaka isn't here with you."

"She had something to do tonight."

"I'll start getting things ready for dinner later. In the meantime, come on in, Nao-san!"

Juudai followed the family inside the house, all the while looking around in awe. "You have an amazing home."

"Thank you. Madoka, why don't you give her a tour?"

"Yes, Papa! Nao-chan, help me carry Tatsuya, will you?"

Juudai nodded, watching as Madoka looped an arm under Tatsuya's left arm. The orangette took the hint, taking hold of the other arm. The little boy squealed in glee as he was lifted in the air. Madoka pulled the two of them to one direction, stepping into the living room first. Juudai's eyes swept over the glass walls that allowed the view into the garden outside. Tomohisa currently tended to the plants outside, most likely harvesting for the meal later.

As her eyes rested on the dining area linked to the side of the living room, Juudai hesitantly asked, "Is your mother at work?"

Madoka nodded her head. "Yes! She's not going to be here until a little later, though. Maybe you'll see her at dinner! I hope she comes home early."

The tour continued to the other rooms of the house, from the parents' room to Tatsuya's and ending with Madoka's. They settled the little boy on the floor before they sat down themselves.

"I think this is the first time I've had someone over that wasn't Sayaka."

"Really?"

"Yes. I've known Sayaka since I was little. And until recently we made friends with Hitomi and Homura and Mami... and you and Asurito-chan and Momoe-chan!"

Juudai smiled. "Thank you..." Then she blinked. "Oh, speaking of Amai, I should really call her and let her know I'm staying over for a bit."

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

"So you're sleeping over?"

"What part of I'm staying for dinner do you not understand?" Juudai huffed. Madoka could be heard over the line giggling.

Amai scowled as she passed a rag over the counter top. "I just don't understand why you got permission to stay over Kaname-chan's place easy as that?"

"Maybe because I actually work."

"I work, too!"

"You goof off too much."

The brunette sighed. "You better not be using this opportunity to feel up Kaname-chan. Homy won't be happy about that."

"...What exactly do you take me for?"

"Have fun!" Amai laughed and hung the call. After hanging the phone on the receiver, she returned to her cleaning. Humming the tune of a familiar song, she lifted her head when she heard the door to the cafe open. "Hi! Welcome... Oh, Nagisa!"

The little girl walked up to the counter, a tired smile on her face. "Cheesecake sounds wonderful right now..."

"You can't have any treats until you eat first." Amai waggled her finger at the girl.

Nagisa pouted. "Boo!"

The door rang again and a redhead walked in. "Yo!"

"So you decided to stop by after all?" Amai grinned at Kyouko.

"Of course! Now are you going to serve me some grub or not?"

"Depends – do you have the pay?" Kyouko frowned. "I didn't think so."

"Hey, come on. I'm busy slaying witches. Isn't that enough to get me a free meal around here?"

Amai shrugged. "Not the one to decide that, especially when that's one meal off our profits."

"Well, aren't you stingy? Besides, she's getting food, ain't she?"

"I just want cheesecake, but she won't give me any!"

In the end, while the three of them went into conversation, Amai wound up scratching up a plate of leftovers from the kitchen for Kyoko while preparing something else for Nagisa. As the redhead ate her food without complaints, Amai struggled to get Nagisa to eat hers.

"Hey, I was thinking the three of us could go witch hunting tomorrow."

"Say it, don't spray it." Amai wiped her cheek in disgust.

Kyoko made sure to chew and swallow her food before talking again. "So what do you think?"

"It IS the weekend." Amai shrugged. "Why not?"

"Should we let the others know?" Nagisa asked.

Amai scowled. "Judy and Homy, yes. Maybeee Kaname-chan. But that's it."

"So you have friends who know you're a Magical Girl?" Kyoko asked.

"Yeah, they knew about the magical business before me, though."

"Huh..." Kyoko looked away after that, pushing her plate away from her. "Well, I'm done, so I'm out!"

"Do you have a place to stay?" Amai followed the redhead to the door.

"I do. Don't worry about it."

"I wasn't worrying; I just wanted to know cause I'm sure my parents are all for letting you stay the night."

Kyoko trained wide eyes on Amai. "Seriously, we just met and you're already opening your doors to me like that?"

"You just invited yourself to eat at our café, you opened the doors." Amai gasped as Nagisa jumped on her back.

"Come on, stay with us! I can show you Xavier-kun, Jayden-kun and Judy-chan!"

Kyoko stood there, unsure. Amai rolled her eyes, grabbed the redhead's arm and pulled her back in. "Come on. Let me introduce them to you."

~ Mitakihara City: Mami's Apartment ~

Returning to her home was always a sad occurrence for Mami. No one to greet her, no one to treat her to a snack or light meal while she relaxed unwind after a long day, no one to keep her company. In the emptiness of her apartment, the blonde made her way to the kitchen to prepare herself a cup of tea and a slice of the strawberry cake she made the night before.

While the pot heated up on the stove, Mami made her way to the windows of her apartment, overlooking the view over the city. She counted the number of birds resting on the power line in front of her before the sound of her phone ringing halted her count.

"Hello?"

"Tomoe-san!"

"Oh, hello, Miki-chan!"

"Hello! I'm glad I could reach you. I wanted to get in contact with you to ask for some advice."

"Oh, yes? About what?"

"Well, I wanted to know if I can come over for a bit."

Half an hour later, after preparing more tea, Mami welcomed Sayaka to her home. "I hope you made it without trouble."

"It's no problem at all!" Sayaka took a seat by the low table. "Sorry to bother you a bit late, but I wanted to know if there were any pointers you can give me."

"About what?"

"Hunting down Witches, of course!" Sayaka looked so excited, leaning forward on the table.

Mami returned with a tray of sweets and drinks. "What would you like to know?"

Her questions ranged from how Mami can manipulate her magic to her advantage to how often she needed to keep her Soul Gem clean. Mami tried to answer them as well as she could.

"It's all a matter of will, really."

"Yeah, but sometimes I noticed I don't use as much magic as I think I do and then before I know it, there's a dot as big as a zit on my Gem."

"Sayaka, do you mind showing me your Gem?"

The blunette nodded, her Gem appearing in her hand. Mami studied it for a few seconds. "It looks bad, doesn't it?"

"Yes. You've been using quite a bit of magic." Mami's lips tugged down into a concerned frown. "Hold on." Mami took out a spare Grief Seed and quickly applied it to the Gem. "There you go. This one still has a bit of cleansing left to it."

"Thanks. I didn't think it was that bad, though..."

"You haven't claimed any Grief Seeds at all?"

"No. I've hunted one witch before but it didn't drop one... that's why I wanted to ask you about finding Witches. Is there a way to find one that does drop a Grief Seed?"

"I normally don't have any trouble locating one, though." Mami took a thoughtful sip of her tea. "Occasionally, I do run into the empty finds, but by the next one I have a Grief Seed."

"Do you think I'm doing something wrong?"

Mami shook her head and smiled. "No. I was going to step out in a little bit, but we might have to wrap up this tea session quick and go on a Witch Hunt, my friend."