"…" The blonde-haired girl was speechless for a few seconds until-
"… Mami? Hmm… that doesn't quite work as a nickname for me. But if that's what you want to call me then sure! Go ahead!" The blonde-haired girl replied with a smile as she closed her eyes. That was when Kyoko noticed that this girl didn't look like her friend in the slightest.
This girl was missing the long curls that reached Mami's shoulders along with her distinctive black hat with white fur sticking out of it along with her school uniform to boot. In contrast, this girl wore a turquoise dress that made her look like a princess from a faraway land.
"Sorry… I thought you were someone else. I was about finished anyway." Kyoko spoke as she left the machine in a hurry. Nyu noticed this and raced after her.
"Kyoko?! Wait up! Oof!" Nyu yelled out but she accidentally bumped into someone. She was about to fall on her butt when the person in question grasped her hand and caught her.
"Thanks." Nyu spoke with a smile as she noticed the girl's appearance. This girl in contrast to the one Kyoko and her saw earlier was closer to Nyu in terms of age. A girl with long black hair and a sailor outfit that made her look like a typical high school girl. Even her face was relatively 'blank' like she would be someone that you would end up passing by without a second glance.
"Make sure to watch where you're going. Good and bad things can happen when you don't pay attention to your surroundings. Try to keep that in mind." The black-haired girl whispered into Nyu's ears as she passed her and went over to the Darkstalkers machine to fight against the blonde-haired girl.
"…" Nyu did not know how to react to the mystery girl's warning. But she quickly brushed it off and pursued her new friend. She then looked all over for Kyoko only to see her outside of the arcade and sitting on the ground. Nyu rushed out and reunited with Kyoko.
"Kyoko! What happened?!" Nyu shouted out with a look of surprise as she noticed Kyoko with her face to her knees. She was obviously in a state of distress and Nyu noticed this.
"I'm sorry… I just didn't expect to be reminded of someone I once knew." Kyoko admitted while she avoided eye contact with Nyu. Her friend then sat next to her much to the girl with raspberry red hair's surprise.
"What are you-AH! Kyoko spoke as she lifted up her head and gasped as she revealed her tear-stained eyes to Nyu. Nyu noticed that but refrained from commenting on it.
"Tell me about her… the person you were reminded of I mean." Nyu replied as she stared toward the bright blue sky. Kyoko took a few seconds to figure out a response. She couldn't just say she was a magical girl to Nyu even though they were friends, that's not something you can casually talk about and not expect the other person to think you're crazy. And then…
"… Mami… was my first best friend. I had other friends before her… but they were mostly acquaintances. Mami… was different. I was… in a really bad state of mind when I met her- Kyoko spoke as she remembered her first encounter with Mami.
'Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip!' The rain was especially heavy that night. This was after Kyoko had burned down her house and with that was truly alone. She didn't have anywhere to go so she rested in a back alley that was full of trash. There was nothing to protect herself from the storm…
… But she could care less about that.
'Step. Step. Step.' Suddenly she heard footsteps and tilted her head to glance at a girl in yellow. Her name was Mami.
"Hey. You're going to catch a cold." Mami spoke while carrying an umbrella to shield herself from the heavy rain. Kyoko tilted her head back toward her knees.
"… I don't care." Kyoko muttered as her voice was drowned out by the heavy rain so Mami couldn't hear it. But then…
"Ah!" Kyoko gasped as she noticed she wasn't getting wet anymore and tilted her head upward once more to see that this stranger was shielding her instead of herself.
"Hey! You're gonna be the one who gets a cold if ya keep doin that!" Kyoko yelled out.
"I'd rather get a cold than see you get one." Mami admitted with a smile.
"W-W-What are you saying?! You don't even know me!" Kyoko shouted with a shocked look on her face. Kyoko didn't understand. No. She couldn't understand. Ever since her family died, no, even before that, when her father disowned her, Kyoko chose to live her life only for herself.
To selfishly live in order to preserve you and only you were Kyoko's ideology. This ideology that benefited her and no one else was what allowed the young girl to live her life the way she did. She wanted to believe that she deserved this after all of the trials and tribulations that she had gone through…
… But in reality… she was scared to get close to another person. She was so scared to see another person die because of her. So, she shut others out and lived by her ideology. Mami couldn't know this all after just meeting her, that was impossible. Even still she-
"That's true. So, tell me about yourself." Mami replied.
"W-Why do you care?! What's in it for you?!" Kyoko yelled out as she stood up. She wanted nothing more than to reject this girl, to make her go away so that she could continue being alone. That was the belief that Kyoko thought she had at least. But then…
"… Nothing. But does that really matter?" Mami asked with a tranquil look on her face. She wasn't upset. Not in the slightest. She just wanted to know more about her, and Kyoko realized this.
"Y-You really are- Kyoko spoke but was cut off as the rain suddenly stopped. The sun then shined onto the girl in yellow making her look like a divine being. It was almost as if Fate was telling her that this girl even though she's a complete stranger…
… Is someone that she can trust and lean on for support.
"Oh. The rain stopped. Want to go to my place?" Mami asked.
"What for?" Kyoko asked.
"Hahaha… cookies and tea, silly." Mami laughed with an innocent look on her face. Kyoko wanted to say sure. But was still hesitant. She didn't know if letting this girl into her life was the right move. Because…
… It could only result in an eventual parting if they did get to know each other. Kyoko didn't want that to happen again. But before she could respond-
"Eh? Do you… not like tea and cookies?" Mami asked with a surprised look.
"Pfft!" Kyoko put a hand to cover her mouth but that didn't stop her from-
"Hahaha!" Busting out laughing. Kyoko was laughing so hard that tears were running down her face. But not of sorrow… but of…
… Happiness.
"Sure! But those cookies and tea better be delicious!" Kyoko replied with a smile.
"Oh, I can assure you they are quite delicious." Mami admitted as she extended her hand toward Kyoko. The latter then grasped her hand and the two were inseparable ever since.
"She sounds wonderful." Nyu replied after hearing Kyoko's story.
"She was… but… she died. I wasn't there to protect her… even though we promised that if we were in danger we'd swoop in and save each other. Hahaha… what a lousy excuse of a friend I was." Kyoko admitted as tears ran down her face. But then…
"… I lost someone too. That guy I told you about. His name was Kota. Me and him met when we were children. I loved doing meaningless things with him because I always got to see his smile. But things happened so we didn't get to see each other until much later…" Nyu admitted as she reminisced on the past.
"… By then I was older… and so was he… but we still got along really well. But I… did something bad… something unforgivable… something that I couldn't take back with an 'I'm sorry.' So, we had to… part from each other. I loved him… I really did… but there was nothing that I could do to fix what I did." Nyu finished while maintaining her smile.
"… That sounds rough. I'm sorry to hear that." Kyoko admitted while she avoided eye contact again. But then…
'Bonk!' Nyu bonked Kyoko on the head.
"O-O-Ow! What was that for?!" Kyoko yelled out with a pissed-off expression on her face.
"Kyoko… you don't need to be sorry… I'm not sad… I'm happy… really happy that I got to meet you… to talk with you… to compete with you… to understand you." Nyu admitted as she looked back at Kyoko with tears in her eyes.
"B-B-But what about Kota? Aren't you sad that you lost him?" Kyoko asked.
"Of course. Not a single day goes by where I don't think about him at least once. But… that's in the past now… you can't change the past… it's impossible. We've both have regrets over the people we failed to protect…" Nyu admitted as her tone of voice became more mature sounding while she stood up. And then…
"Ah!" Kyoko gasped as Nyu grasped her hand and pulled her back up.
"… However… we can affect the future. In contrast to the past which is as hard as stone… the future is like clay. You can mold it to your will. It's so easy… anyone can do it… me… and you too Kyoko." Nyu continued while maintaining her smile.
"… But… I remember how I let Mami down. She isn't the only one I failed to save… I couldn't save Madoka… Homura… or even Sayaka. Each and every time I failed to save the people that mattered most to me… my memories can't allow me to forget how much of a failure I am." Kyoko admitted.
"Don't you realize that's what memories are for?" Nyu asked.
"Huh?" Kyoko muttered.
"The things we call 'memories' that only exist within our minds that no other person can truly know… they are what allows us to realize the mistakes we made… we can't ever forget them… at least not for a while…" Nyu spoke but paused for a few seconds until-
"… But that's the point. Memories are a constant reminder of all the good and bad things that happened… and at the same time, they are the only things that allow us to move forward… it's our memories that shape who we are as people…" Nyu continued but paused once more for a few seconds. And then…
"… That's why I would never want to forget one… not one that might seem insignificant… even one that was bad… because if I did forget… then things would be different… and I may have never met you… I may have never met my precious friend." Nyu finished with a bright smile on her face.
'Drip. Drip. Drip.' Tears dripped down Kyoko's face as she looked in awe at Nyu.
"Ah! A-Are you ok? Was that bonk too hard? Sorry about tha- Nyu spoke but was interrupted as Kyoko embraced her. For a while… they just stayed like that in silence. It wasn't until Kyoko decided to say what she was keeping to herself for a very long time did the conversation continue.
"… I-I never thought about it that way before… if I never lost my family… I probably wouldn't have met Mami… I never would have met Madoka… Sayaka… and Homura… and I never would have met you… thank you… thank you for making me realize that…" Kyoko whispered into Nyu's ears but paused for a few seconds until-
"… Friends are always going to be waiting for you right around the corner." Kyoko finished with a bright smile on her face.
"No problem my friend." Nyu finished with a bright smile of her own. After hugging each other for a little while longer, Kyoko and Nyu separated and went back into the arcade. That was when they noticed the blonde-haired and black-haired girls from earlier near the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time machine and that were two vacant spaces left.
"Let's join them!" Kyoko shouted as she pulled Nyu along with her.
"Sure!" Nyu replied as they both rushed toward the TMNT machine to claim the leftover spots before someone else can.
"Mind if we join in?" Kyoko asked the two girls.
"Sure! The more the merrier!" The blonde-haired girl replied.
"We're pretty good at this. So… you better be able to keep up." The black-haired girl spoke.
"Hahaha… I'd I can give you a run for your money." Nyu replied as she smiled demonically at the girl in the school uniform.
"Hmm… I'd like to see you try." The black-haired girl replied with a demonic smile of her own. Kyoko and Nyu then inserted their ten-yen coins into the machine and chose the leftover characters Raphael and Donatello respectively. In contrast, the blonde-haired girl chose Michelangelo, and the black-haired girl chose Leonardo.
"Aw. I wanted to play as Leonardo." Nyu admitted with a pout.
"You snooze you lose." The black-haired girl replied with a smirk.
"Ok… I'M GOING TO BEAT YOUR BUTT… IN THIS GAME!" Nyu declared at the top of her lungs.
'Now, now, it's just a game girls." The blonde-haired girl spoke as she attempted to quell the growing rivalry between the two girls.
"Hahaha… let them compete with each other! That will just make winning for me… SO MUCH EASIER!" Kyoko declared at the top of her lungs.
'TURTLES IN TIME!' The machine yelled out as a five-second loading screen occurred and then…
'Scene 1: BIG APPLE, 3 AM.' Appeared on the title screen and less than a second later all four Ninja Turtles were able to be used by the girls!
"Aw hell yeah!" Kyoko shouted out as she used Raphael to charge into a foot clan member and immediately kill it with his Sais!
'BAM!' The foot clan member disintegrated into polygons!
"That makes one kill for me!" Kyoko yelled out.
"Don't think I'm going to let you kill everyone, Kyoko!" Nyu shouted out as she used Donatello's Bo staff to kill two foot clan members at once!
'BAM! BAM!' They both disintegrated into polygons!
"Ah what?! You can do that?!" Kyoko yelled out.
"Hahaha… I guess so." Nyu laughed as she relished in her victory, but this meant she was easy prey for-
"Too slow!" The black-haired girl yelled out as in a matter of seconds she zipped past all of her three friends with Leonardo and killed three foot clan members with his katana!
'BAM! BAM! BAM!' All three of them disintegrated into polygons!
"Wow!" Nyu yelled out with her mouth agape.
"Damn she's good!" Kyoko yelled out.
"You know it. NO ONE is better at killing than me!" The black-haired girl declared as she sliced another three foot clan members to pieces in a split second!
'BAM! BAM! BAM!' All three of them were annihilated into polygons!
"No way! She did it again!" Nyu yelled out.
"You get used to it… hahaha." The blonde-haired girl laughed as her friend absolutely demolishing anything in her path must have been a common occurrence for her.
"Like hell am I gonna let her beat me!" Kyoko declared with a shout.
Thirty minutes later…
"She beat me! Damn it!" Kyoko yelled out as her declaration of war from earlier was shattered to pieces as soon as the score for each of the girls' turtles came up.
1st Place: 400 kills: Leonardo
2nd Place: 385 kills: Donatello
3rd Place: 378 kills: Raphael
4th Place: 373 kills: Michaelangelo
"I beat you too, Kyoko! Hahaha." Nyu shouted with a smile as she laughed.
"Screw you!" Kyoko replied with a pissed-off expression on her face.
"Unfortunately, I got last place. Though I'm not much of a gamer." The blonde-haired girl admitted.
"Don't put yourself down. You're getting a lot better… though not better than me quite yet." The black-haired girl spoke with a smile.
"… Thanks?" The blonde-haired girl replied with a confused look on her face.
"You're welcome." The black-haired girl replied.
"So, we doin another round? Cause I want to get you back for that bullshit you pulled earlier with that sword!" Kyoko shouted.
"COUGH! Skill issue. COUGH!" The black-haired girl replied.
"W-WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?!" Kyoko yelled out at the top of her lungs. But then…
"Hey, mind if I have a turn?" An unknown voice asked Kyoko as the latter turned around to face her. It was a girl even smaller than her with brown hair and tied up with black ribbons in the shape of twin tails. She wore a white button-up shirt with a red bow tie and a red skirt that complimented it well.
"Fine. Go ahead." Kyoko replied as she withdrew from her spot due to this girl being an elementary school student and that she didn't want to reject the wishes of someone half her age.
"Thanks." The brown-haired girl replied as she took Kyoko's spot. But then…
"Ah!" Kyoko suddenly gasped as her eyes went wide and she saw people that she used to know in these new people. Mami as the blonde-haired girl, Homura as the black-haired girl, Sayaka as the brown-haired girl, and Madoka as Nyu. It was just for a second, but she saw the people she used to know in the place of her new friends. It was clear that she had not forgotten her old friends.
"Kyoko? Is something wrong?" Nyu spoke as turned her head to look at her friend. In response, Kyoko nodded her head to side to side.
"Nope. Don't hold anything back… and kick their asses for me." Kyoko replied with a bright smile. This made Nyu smile too.
"Hahaha… who do you think you're talking too? I'm GAME MASTER NYU so of course I'm going to win!" Nyu declared proudly with a smug smile on her face.
Thirty more minutes later…
"Aw! I lost!" Nyu shouted as she gained second place only to be beaten by the mysterious black-haired girl.
"Of course, you. If anyone's a game master here… then that's me. HA!" The black-haired girl declared with a laugh.
"No fair! You definitely cheated! Cheater!" Nyu yelled out while closing her eyes and sticking out her tongue.
"COUGH! Skill issue. COUGH!" The black-haired girl replied.
"I only got third place… darn it." The brown-haired girl spoke with a look of sorrow on her face.
"At least you didn't get last place… again… hahaha." The blonde-haired girl muttered as she laughed.
"Hey, Kyoko. What do you want to play now?" Nyu asked with a curious look on her face.
"Hmm… it is getting pretty late… oh I know! Wanna play DDR?" Kyoko asked. Truth be told, this was Kyoko's favorite game. She was able to get the top score ten times over in her world, making her a legend among the arcade she gamed at though Nyu didn't know that.
"Wait… didn't DDR not exist until 1998?" Nyu spoke with a confused look on her face. This was true. DDR wasn't playable in Japanese arcades till September 1998. However, the writer did not fact-check this till after completing this chapter, so he doesn't care!
"Let's play DDR, Nyu!" Kyoko asked with a bright smile on her face. And Kyoko knew this fact but didn't care too.
"Sure!" Nyu replied with a smile as she closed her eyes and fell into her raspberry-haired friend's trap.
'Ha! There's no way Nyu's goin to beat me at DDR! No one ever got close! I got this in the bag! Hahaha!' Kyoko thought internally with a wicked grin on her face. The two girls then made their way to the DDR machine. DDR being short for…
'DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION!' The machine yelled out as the girls got on the dance platforms.
"Wow! I never played a game like this before." Nyu admitted with a curious look on her face.
"Ha." Kyoko laughed to herself.
"What was that?" Nyu asked with a confused look on her face as she tilted her head.
"Nothin. Let's dance!" Kyoko yelled out as she chose the song 'Connect' by ClariS.
'I'll never forget the promise we made—
I close my eyes and remember each detail.
I'll dispel the encroaching darkness and forge onward!' The machine yelled out.
'GREAT! GREAT! GREAT! GREAT!' The machine yelled out as Kyoko was stepping on all of the arrow spots with ease!
How long will it be… until the future I lost
Can be seen here once again?
"Wow! You're really good at this!" Nyu admitted.
'MISS! MISS! MISS! MISS!' As she missed all of the arrow spots.
Cutting through these shadows of doubt that flow forth,
I'll walk on through this world.
"Yeah! I'm the best!" Kyoko declared proudly.
'GREAT! GREAT! GREAT! GREAT!' As she continued to step on all of the arrows with impeccable precision. But then…
Endlessly ticking time announces its beginning now…
Taking along our unyielding feelings,
Let's open up this sealed door!
'GOOD! GOOD! GREAT! GREAT!'
"Hey, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this game." Nyu admitted while her timing became much better.
My awakened heart broke into a run, in order to shape the future!
Even if I end up stopping amidst a difficult path,
The sky will always wait for me, with its beautiful blue—
So, I'm not afraid!
No matter what happens, I'll never lose heart!
"Huh? Oh crap!" Kyoko yelled out as-
'MISS! MISS! GOOD! GREAT!' She was distracted for a moment but quickly regained her precision! However…
… The tables were turning.
When I look behind me, my friends are there;
Suddenly I felt their warmth around me.
'PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT!' The machine yelled out as Nyu was getting perfect after perfect in succession. The score was suddenly going in Nyu's favor as Kyoko failed to keep up with her friend.
In a world where practically everything is warped,
Believing in this place has been my only salvation.
"Guess… I'll have to go all out!" Kyoko declared as-
'GREAT! GREAT! PERFECT! PERFECT!' She was getting her groove back!
These feelings strengthen as we share our happiness and sadness…
If we can make these voices heard,
I'm sure a miracle can occur!
"Then… I'll do the same!" Nyu declared as well as-
'PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT!' as she kept up her perfects with an insane level of skill!
I'll never forget the promise we made—
I close my eyes and remember each detail.
I'll dispel the encroaching darkness and forge onward!
'PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT!' The game kept shouting perfects in quick succession and the three girls from earlier came in to watch.
"Holy crap! They are amazing at that!" The brown-haired girl admitted with her mouth agape.
No matter how big the wall that stands before me,
I'll prove that I can pass it, no matter what—
So, Tomorrow… believe in me. Pray for me!
'PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT!' Kyoko and Nyu didn't stop for a second, not even for a breath of air! They were both in the zone as nothing not even Fate could stop the absurd level of consistent perfects they were receiving!
"W-Who's going to win?" The blonde-haired girl spoke with a look of astonishment on her face.
Wandering amidst a broken world,
I arrived here… as if something had pulled me in.
''PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT!' The scores were tied again and again with each perfect!
"This is going to be close." The black-haired girl declared as the game was about to come to an end.
My awakened heart broke into a run, in order to shape the future!
Even if I end up stopping amidst a difficult path,
The sky will always wait for me, with its beautiful blue—
So, I'm not afraid!
No matter what happens, I'll never lose heart!
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kyoko and Nyu roared in unison as the game was about to end before their eyes! And then…
So, Tomorrow… always keep waiting for me!
'PERFECT! THE WINNER IS… The machine shouted but stopped for a few seconds until-
"…" Kyoko was silent.
"…" Nyu was silent.
"…" Both girls remained silent with each second feeling, like an eternity. And then…
'… PLAYER 1!' The machine shouted out. This meant that the winner was Kyoko!
"… YES! I WON! WAH HOO! HELL YEAH!" Kyoko shouted out as she jumped for joy over and over again and relish in her victory.
"Aw. I should have used the vectors at the beginning." Nyu muttered to herself as unbeknownst to Kyoko, her friend was cheating with her invisible arms after a few of the times she got misses at the beginning of the match.
"Huh? What was that?" Kyoko asked with a confused look on her face.
"Nothing!" Nyu replied with a smile on her face as she closed her eyes and kept her secret hidden from her friend.
"You. Two. Are. Awesome! Tell me how you got so good at DDR!" The brown-haired girl yelled out with a look of awe to both Kyoko and Nyu.
"I'm just naturally gifted. Hahaha." Kyoko laughed with a smug smile on her face.
"Beginner's luck. Hahaha." Nyu laughed as well with a smile too.
"That isn't really much of an explanation but whatever." Rin replied bluntly.
"Hey, where did the other two go?" Kyoko asked as the girls with black and blonde hair were missing from the scene.
"Eh? They were just here a minute ago?" The brown-haired girl admitted as she looked around for the two girls, but they were nowhere in sight.
"Hey, what's your name?" Nyu asked the twin-tailed girl.
"Me? I'm Rin Tohsaka." Rin replied with a smile.
"Huh? Is having a last name common?" Nyu spoke with a curious look on her face.
"Of course, they are you Baka!" Kyoko yelled out.
'Jeez! This girl is even more of an airhead than Madoka!' Kyoko thought internally as sweat dripped from her face profusely.
"Hahaha! You two are funny!" Rin shouted out as she giggled.
"Yes, we are! I'm quite a famous comedian! Hahaha!" Nyu laughed with a smug smile on her face.
"More like 'Self-Proclaimed' comedian." Kyoko replied.
"Hey! That was mean! You're such a meanie Kyoko!" Nyu yelled out as she-
'Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!' playfully bonked Kyoko on the head over and over again.
"O-O-Ow! Quit it with that!" Kyoko snapped back with a pissed-off expression on her face.
"Well, I got to go home, or my mother is going to be nagging at me for the rest of the night. Bye, Kyoko. Bye Nyu." Rin spoke as she hurried out of the arcade. This left Kyoko and Nyu alone as the arcade was about to close any minute now.
"We should hang out again sometime soon." Nyu spoke with a bright smile.
"Yeah… we should. That would be awesome." Kyoko replied with a bright smile of her own. The two girls then parted ways as they left the arcade.
'You know what… I should try and learn about the rest of them while I've got the chance. Tonight, is going to be a night to remember!' Kyoko thought internally as she hurried off with a smile and disappeared into the darkness of the night with a plan in mind that would get all of the Servants together. It would truly be a night to remember for Kyoko…
… as she would soon regret this idea of hers.
Episode 11: The Meaning of Memories