Disclaimer: The works of Urobochi Gen (namely, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, among other things) belong to him. I do no claim any ownership over their characters, concept, or story, their franchise, etc. This is purely fan work.
Chapter 5: Unexpected Visits
Miki Sayaka was just an ordinary girl caught up in events far beyond her.
That was what Jeremy felt, after having watched her actions over the past few weeks.
Using the ideal of wanting to be a hero, she became a magical girl- but that was only an excuse for what she truly wanted.
All she wanted was love, love from a certain boy in a hospital whose dreams and fingers have been crushed simultaneously.
She wanted his love, but having never admitted it to him, the boy never knew her desire.
She wanted to help him, but the only way his fingers could be healed was through a miracle.
And thus, she sold her life for a miracle, becoming a magical girl in the process—
But she was still unable to admit her true feelings.
Having saved him, she thought her love would reach him—but because she never admitted it, the boy never knew.
In the end, it was Miki Sayaka's own weakness that caused the boy to accept a love confession from another girl.
As a magical girl, Sayaka threw herself into the excuse of an ideal that she adamantly tried to make come true as an outlet for her true feelings.
Wanting to be a hero- a childish dream that she didn't even fully understand.
The strength she gained to fight Witches was only superficial. Her will was weak, her mind easily worn down by her emotions as she ended up being the one who drove herself to despair.
Miki Sayaka was a girl who could never be honest with herself—
And in the end, she was nothing but a weak, pitiful girl.
Just like the majority of all humans.
And now, he was walking home with that same very girl.
Would it be possible for him to help her back onto a path that she can take without regrets? Jeremy didn't know, but there probably was no harm in trying.
Right?
The quiet, empty streets echoed with the footsteps Jeremy and Miki Sayaka, neither saying a word.
For Jeremy, he didn't have anything to say. For Sayaka, she didn't know how to start.
And it was embarrassing too, walking next to a hero of justice that she admired.
It didn't take long for Sayaka to marvel at how Jeremy was able to move about despite claiming to be blind.
Put simply, she couldn't tell the difference.
If she hadn't known beforehand, she never would have guessed that he couldn't see. Even now, as she observed him, she was having difficulty finding hints to his blindness; his eyes, barely out of focus, the way he every so often tilted his head slightly back and forth at even the slightest sound, the—
"Is there a reason you keep looking in my direction?" Jeremy finally broke the silence.
"Ah! Sorry!" Surprised, Sayaka immediately fell back, looking away in embarrassment. "Wait, I thought you couldn't see?"
"I still can't," Jeremy replied, "But it's a little obvious to me that you've been looking in my direction for longer than necessary. And you just confirmed it yourself."
"Really? How were you able to tell?" Sayaka asked.
"Practice." Jeremy replied simply. "It's possible to train your other senses to the point where you can be aware of your surroundings even without sight. Haven't you heard of the blind doing the same?"
"Wow, that's incredible," Sayaka praised. "A skill very fitting for a hero of justice like you."
Jeremy stopped in his tracks. "...You speak of that term way too lightly, I think."
"Huh?"
"Tell me," Jeremy said, turning to face her. "What do you think it means to be a hero?"
"Uh…" Sayaka paused to think about it, wilting under his eyes. Despite knowing he couldn't see, it still felt like he was staring at her. "Someone who saves innocent people from the bad guys?"
Jeremy sighed. "You have no idea what it really means to be a hero, do you?"
"O-Of course I do!" She impulsively objected. "It's just, you know, kind of hard to put into words..."
"Of course it would be if you didn't have a clear idea," Jeremy said. Sayaka wilted even further upon hearing that. "Not to mention, trying to explain such an illogical thing is meaningless."
'What do you mean?" Sayaka demanded. Illogical? How could the idea of a hero of justice be illogical?
"Is there something wrong with it being illogical? Just because it is illogical, doesn't mean that it is bad. The same could be said for emotions, which is known for being just as illogical. Are either bad? Not necessarily, but it's not always a good thing, either. And that's why you have to be careful with them."
Sayaka blinked. She was not expecting that kind of answer.
"To begin with, the wish to be a hero of justice requires there for people to be in danger," Jeremy continued, seemingly unaware of her confusion. "You said that a hero of justice is someone who saves the innocent from the bad guys. If that is the case, wouldn't the wish to be a hero of justice also mean that it is also inadvertently a wish for bad guys to appear and cause trouble? It might be unintentional, but it can't be denied."
"But.. aren't you just picking at the wording?" Sayaka protested. "It's never wrong to help others. That's why I want to be a hero of justice."
"You're right," Jeremy admitted. "I also agree that it's never wrong to help others. I'm just nitpicking the wish to be a hero of justice. But even the desire to help others can become just as twisted. Wanting to help others also means wanting others to be in trouble so that you can help them. If one truly wanted to help others, it might be better to wish for evil to be erased from the world, rather than wanting to be a hero of justice or simply wanting to help others. But that just leads to the next problem: what exactly is considered evil? It's never so black and white, which makes this even more troublesome."
"I don't get it," Sayaka objected. "Didn't you also just agree that it's never wrong to help others? Why are you nitpicking at it again yourself?"
"It's because I too wanted to be a hero at one point," Jeremy admitted with a frown. "Thus, I learned what it really meant to be one. And sadly, I'm not really suited to be a hero."
Sayaka stared at the young man before her in confusion. "What do you mean, you wanted to be a hero?" she asked. "Aren't you already a hero?"
"Nope," Jeremy denied it with self-derision. "I'm no hero. I am merely someone who stuck my nose in your business and selfishly did what I wanted. I might have ended up helping you girls out here and there in the process, but that doesn't make me a hero."
"It does to me," Sayaka protested. "You might not think that you're not a hero, but you definitely saved us a number of times. You saved Mami-san, and even saved me, even if I don't really remember what happened. How can you still not call yourself a hero?"
Jeremy fell silent for a long moment, his face twisted in thought at her words. "I…" he started, before falling silent again.
"See?" Sayaka pressed onwards, knowing she was right. "You really are a hero, no matter how you put it."
"Your case was special," Jeremy finally protested weakly, his face twisted in uncertainty. "I don't really understand what happened there myself, but by the time I started, I couldn't stop without ending my own life, so I didn't have a choice but to carry on."
"It doesn't change the fact that you saved me," Sayaka stubbornly insisted. "You saved us and helped us out so many times when we were in trouble… How can you still deny being a hero of justice!? Why? I don't understand it at all!"
Sayaka panted, out of breath from yelling at the guy. How could he deny it so much? How could he deny being a hero, despite all he had done? Sayaka couldn't understand it.
No, that wasn't all there was to it.
She didn't even want to understand it, because she couldn't accept it if the guy who had saved them so many times really wasn't a hero of justice. She couldn't allow the one person who had become their symbol of justice deny it himself.
"Because," Jeremy said. "It's not so simple to be a hero of justice. You not only need to be strong, but also courage and the mental strength to pull through no matter how hard things get."
Internally, Sayaka cringed. She knew she already failed that last one, considering she had turned into a witch.
"Then there is one more aspect required to be a hero but well… that's a bit hard to put into a simple phrase," Jeremy continued, trailing off. "I suppose you could call it luck, but at the same time, not quite."
"Luck?" Sayaka echoed off.
"Let me tell you a quick story to elaborate," Jeremy said. "I did know a real hero, once. I was younger, then—perhaps just as naïve as kids are now. He did everything that we both would expect a hero to do: he fought off the bad guys and saved many, many people. An easy going, charismatic kind of guy that everyone liked. But do you know what he said when I told him that I wanted to be a hero like him?"
Sayaka nodded for him to continue, but then realized that he was still blind and couldn't see her nod. "W-what did he say?" she finally staggered out, flustered at her mistake.
"He told me, 'A true hero is not someone who wants to be a hero. A true hero is that nameless person who had the possibility to make the right choice, and took responsibility of the moment.'" Jeremy said, tilting his head up towards the sky. It was clear to Sayaka that even if he couldn't see, Jeremy was reminiscing a memory from before.
However, Sayaka didn't really get what he meant. "What did he mean by that?" she asked.
"To be a hero, there needs to be a problem that you can solve. You need to have the ability to be able to solve it. You need to have the courage to take action. You need to have mental strength to do what's right, even when your ideals are challenged or when you're feeling scared. But you also need to be there. You can't do anything if you weren't there in the first place. And that tends to depend on luck. After all, a hero can't be everywhere at once. For that guy… he just happened to be at the right place at the right time, and everyone lauded him as a hero for it."
"Right… But what does that have to do with us? We're both here, able to fight against witches that show up here. We're strong enough to win against the witches. So how can you deny to being a hero? And what can I do to become a true hero of justice?" Sayaka asked.
"Sayaka…" Jeremy sighed, trailing off. "Listen to yourself for a moment and to what we both just said. I think you already know what it is that you're missing. As for me being a hero… I'll leave it to your imagination why I don't qualify."
Sayaka quieted down. Of course she had already known what she was missing from what Jeremy had listed out. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have cringed inside the moment he mentioned it.
However, for her, even after recognizing it, she knew that it would be a difficult hurdle to overcome.
"Yeah," Jeremy said, nodding with his eyelids closed. "It seems like you've already realized. In that case, I'll just add one more thing."
"One more thing?" Sayaka echoed.
"Mental strength and courage are very much intertwined. Both are states of the mind, after all. And furthermore, they are also necessary in day to day life, even for things like romance. It's not something that applies only to heroes."
Sayaka blinked. "Where are you going with this?"
"What I mean is, if you want to work on those traits, you will need to change your outlook in life, regardless of whether or not you become a hero," Jeremy explained. "You need to build up the courage and mental strength to live a life you won't regret."
Sayaka frowned. "But what if it's already too late?"
"It's not strange to have a few regrets in life, especially at your age. However, it doesn't mean you can't act on them. However, if you're scared of what others including friends and family might think, then there's a lack of courage or mental fortitude, isn't it?" Jeremy said. "No matter how hard things get, you can't give up. Do you understand?"
"I can't give up…" Sayaka repeated, trailing off. "But-"
"It may be embarrassing. It may be painful. But you can't back down. You can't give up. You have to take responsibility for the moment, whether it's as a hero, a friend, a confidant—it doesn't matter the situation."
"I-I see…"
"As for your ideals of wanting to be a hero… to be honest, there's nothing wrong with it. I can certainly understand how attractive that can sound. After all, as I've said, I've also wanted to be a hero once. But, such ideals are like the sun," Jeremy said. "They are precious and bright, but most of all, unreachable, just like in the sun in the sky. If you keep getting blinded by your ideals as you walk, you will trip and fall eventually. That's why, there are times where it is better to simply walk with your own two feet facing forward, while simply bathing in the light of the sun rather than staring at it. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"
Sayaka thought about it for a bit. "Yeah," she said eventually. "But even so, I don't think I can accept it. It's an ideal that I have to reach."
"As long as you never give up and face your fears properly, I have nothing against that," Jeremy said, smiling. "After all, it's still possible to stare at the sun while using a cane or staff to prevent yourself from tripping and falling."
"I-I see," Sayaka stuttered, thinking about the words that Jeremy had said. "The fears that I must face, huh…" However, before she could say anything else or even think about it, Jeremy continued.
"I think by this point you should already have a general idea of what you should do," Jeremy said. "And besides, I'm just about home. I can walk the rest of the way by myself."
"O-oh, of course," Sayaka nodded. "Shouldn't I walk you back the rest of the way, though?"
"Normally, that should be the case, yes," Jeremy said. "But it seems I have an unexpected guest. And you have something more important to do, yes? So, go ahead and do what you must."
Sayaka blinked, not sure what Jeremy was referring to. However, it was also true by now that she had a vague idea of what direction in life she could take.
"I… If I'm ever lost or need help again," Sayaka finally said, "Is it alright if I come talk to you again?"
"As long as I'm still around and available," Jeremy replied kindly. "Of course."
"I see," Sayaka nodded, and for the first time that day, she gave a bright smile. "Thank you very much!"
And with that, she walked off, mulling over her thoughts.
"..."
Jeremy stood outside his apartment complex. Although it wasn't obvious at a first glance, it was clear to Jeremy that someone was already inside.
With a sigh, he opened the front door and stepped in.
Although Jeremy was still blind, he could still tell vaguely tell what the intruder was up to inside. Normally, when faced with someone trespassing in one's home, one should err on the side of caution. You never know what such a person would be up to after all. However, this intruder was languidly sitting at the table, drinking what smelled like tea that was made using a teapot and cups that had been filched from the kitchen.
Furthermore, this intruder was someone that Jeremy knew quite well.
"I have been expecting you," the person within said, waving the tea cup he was using at him. "Come, have a seat and drink with me."
"You do know I'm the one who lives here, right?" Jeremy replied with mild exasperation as he closed the door behind him. "If anything, I should be the one treating you, not the other way around. Although it's certainly a bit rude to break into other people's home and use their things, don't you think?"
"It's fine, it's fine. We're old friends, right?" the man inside replied, waving it off. "Besides, aren't you also being a bit rude? Blinding yourself just because I'm here, how wary are you of me?"
Jeremy sighed as he warily sat down at the table across from the man, not bothering to correct him. "Well, I won't deny that. So, Brixus, what are you doing here in my apartment? Have you gone senile with age and thought this place was yours?"
Brixus was an old friend of Jeremy's. When Jeremy was first forced to set out on the journey that would forever change his life, Brixus had been there every step of the way, helping him along.
Back then, Jeremy had only been an ordinary young teenager, unable to do anything without help. He was forced to rely on many different people to survive, but if there was one person who made the largest impact on Jeremy, it would be the very man in front of him now.
"How rude. This is probably the last time we'll be able to talk like this, so I thought I'll drop by. We don't have much time left, after all."
"Has your health deteriorated that much?" Jeremy asked clinically.
"I suppose it has," Brixus grumbled. "My memory isn't what it used to be anymore, either. I probably won't last very much longer, so do me a favor and accompany me for a while."
"I suppose you're right about not having much time left, then," Jeremy conceded. Between Walpurgisnacht's impending approach and Brixus' failing health, regardless of whatever will happen it was clear that there wasn't much time left. It probably would have been best to make the most out of what little time was left.
The two of them ended up simply sitting there in silence for a while instead, drinking the tea that Brixus had prepared. For some people, simply the mere presence of a friend might have been more than enough for wasting time. Indeed, such was normally the case for Jeremy, who originally was never really that talkative. However, this time a strange, tense mood seemed to pervade the atmosphere, preventing either of them from fully relaxing.
Since someone else had prepared the tea, Jeremy checked both the cup and the tea placed before him for irregularities. A habit that Jeremy often did; even back in Mami's apartment he had done so but had passed it off as the act of admiring her tea—not that her tea wasn't worth admiring, because it really was quite good.
But even Jeremy couldn't hide that fact from his friend.
"Come now, why would I poison it?" Brixus complained. "We're old friends, right? You're as paranoid as ever, Jeremy."
"It can't be helped," Jeremy snorted. "It's you, after all. You're always throwing one thing or another at me. And besides, how else would we still be here today? If you hadn't done any of that, I wouldn't have learned how to survive."
"I'm surprised you still thank me for all of that," Brixus said. "How are you still alive with the way you are?"
"If anything, I can at least be proud of my ability to run away." Jeremy snorted, mirroring Brixus with a self-deprecating sneer of his own. "I won't die so easily."
Brixus hmphed in response. "You won't be able to get anywhere if all you do is run away, you know. You're going to end up regretting it."
Jeremy frowned, having nothing to say in response to that. He couldn't deny the truth of that statement.
From the very beginning, all he had ever been doing to survive was running away. Running away from difficult things. Running away for his own sake. Running away to stay alive. People died, and he survived—No. People died, so that he could survive.
It was too late to speak of regrets.
Miki Sayaka might have thought that he was a hero, but there was no way he was one. After all, fundamentally he was a coward who would only run away if he couldn't win. Even now, it was the same. He would only pick fights that he could win. Otherwise, he would only watch in secret to gather information, or even avoid it altogether and run.
However, he was certainly stronger than he was from the start. More experienced. Jeremy was confident enough to believe that now, even if he couldn't win, he wouldn't lose, either. At the very least, even if he was fundamentally still a coward at heart, he was very much less so, compared to back then.
In the passing silence, they drank their tea. The atmosphere had grown heavy, but neither of the two spoke a word as they silently sipped away from their cups. Still, it was not entirely unwelcome, as the two of them had much to think about.
"So anyway," Jeremy eventually said, changing the subject. "How much do you remember? You were at least able to notice that I was blind when I walked in."
"My memories may have been quite fragmented, but some of them seems to have resurfaced," Brixus said, nodding as he leaned back to look up at the ceiling. "At the very least, I'm pretty sure everything I need to know to remain myself is still present. Like how you being blind is actually to your advantage. To most people being blind would be a detriment, but for you, isn't it the opposite? Your spatial awareness, when it's not being impeded by your reliance on sight, is really beyond anything I've ever seen."
So, it feels that way to you, even if it's merely a messy amalgamation of skills that I patched together?" Jeremy asked, giving off a complicated expression. "Are you sure you're remembering things correctly?"
Brixus snorted. "You may be a jack of all trades because of who you are, but when it comes to detection that's exactly what you want. Anyone who's aware of just how much you can do wouldn't even dare try to sneak up on you."
"Doesn't that make you an exception?" Jeremy asked, narrowing his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Brixus said flippantly, waving his tea cup. "Didn't I wait for you openly in your own apartment instead of trying to ambush you today, like I usually do?"
There was a tense moment as Jeremy stared at Brixus, who continued to casually drink his tea, before Jeremy relaxed and sighed. "C'mon Brixus, there's no need to make sure your lesson of constant vigilance is still in effect by this point. I've learned my lesson well. But well, we'll leave it at that. So? Why are you here?"
"Didn't I say? I just wanted to talk. For the sake of our friendship."
"I don't mean that." Jeremy snapped back. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."
"Well, if you're asking why we're here," Brixus said, setting down his cup with a soft clink. "I have no idea, just like you. At the very least, it's clear this world isn't the one we're used to. But at the same time, why are you asking me? I've told you, a lot of my memories are in disarray. I probably know even less than you do at this point."
"Is that so." Jeremy replied with slight disappointment, leaning back. "I suppose that was to be expected. Still, meeting you here makes me wonder if anyone else from before is here as well, though."
"Who knows?" Brixus said. "Besides, knowing you, you would just leave any such meeting up to fate, wouldn't you? Just like today. At least, if it was anyone but her."
Jeremy didn't say anything in response, instead opting to silently drink his tea, neither acknowledging nor denying his friend's statement. He knew exactly who Brixus was talking about.
"More importantly`," Brixus continued. A soft clink could be heard as the old man set down his cup on the table and leaned forward. "Are you sure it's wise to get that close to those brats? As people not from this world, there's no way we can stay here forever, you know. You're going to regret it if you keep this up."
Jeremy scowled. Brixus was clearly referring to the magical girls of this world now. "I know that. And it's true that I want to help them. It's not wrong to want to help others," Jeremy said. "But I do understand what you mean. Even so, I'm not afraid of getting close to them if it means I can help them. The only problem is what they would think after I leave… and for that, I'm a bit worried. I'm going to have to tell them soon. I'm hoping they will understand."
"Really?" Brixus stared at Jeremy. "They're not as mature as you think. Those brats are emotionally unstable little girls, you know. Don't underestimate how emotional they can get. Emotion's a very chaotic thing, after all."
"Of course you would know," Jeremy grumbled. He also knew how troublesome the situation was getting. It was something he would have to bring up to the girls, and soon.
Even so, now was not the time to do so. He was still with his friend, after all.
"You know," Jeremy said suddenly. "Since you're here, want to watch the night sky together again?"
Brixus groaned. "Why even bring that up? You know how I'm not a fan of the night sky. And it's even worse in this world; you can barely even see the stars."
"That's true, with all the light pollution there is thanks to all advancement in technology, huh," Jeremy said, sighing.
"Is that it?" Brixus asked. "Regardless of the actual reason, it's surprisingly very fitting."
"Yes, I suppose you'd say that," Jeremy said, frowning. "After all, you were the one that told me that ideals were like the sun. And since the night sky has no sun…"
"It would feel like a world where such bright ideals couldn't even exist." Brixus finished.
"I see." Jeremy replied. "Your views haven't changed from since then, huh. Even though the first time you showed me the brilliant night sky, I was completely in awe at the sight."
Brixus only grunted in agreement, before they took to silence again; a silence that didn't last long.
"It looks like we really don't have much time left." Jeremy said quietly. Both of them could feel it in the air, slowly getting tenser as time passed by.
It was clear that it wouldn't be long before disaster struck.
"That's right. Besides, I myself am already too far gone. It's impossible to save me now, so you should just worry about everyone else. Especially yourself."
Jeremy sighed, setting down his cup. To think he had just discussed this just earlier with Miki Sayaka!
"No, that's where you're wrong," Jeremy replied. "Saving people doesn't mean prolonging people's lives. Everyone will die in the end, after all. This is a fact that I'm sure you're well aware of. In fact, saving your life is probably already impossible at this point."
Brixus agreed with what was said so far a nod, waiting for Jeremy to continue.
"But, since you're my friend, I'll save you anyway. I'll make sure you die with a smile on your face, so that you can pass on without regrets."
Brixus stared at him dumbfounded for a long moment, before breaking into laughter. "Hahahaha! This is what I like about you, Jeremy! You never cease to amaze me!" Brxius laughed heartily for a while longer, slapping his knee with great gusto before he finally managed to calm himself down, instantly bringing the mood back to its original somber state. "Yeah, it would be great if you could do it." The words of a man who already knew he would die whatever he did.
Yes, Brixus already knew what Jeremy was trying to say, even if he didn't elaborate. There was no need to.
Saving someone versus saving their life. Two closely related things, yet not exactly the same.
"You should have more faith in me." Jeremy protested blandly. "Especially because we're old friends."
"Perhaps." Brixus said, standing up as he set his cup onto the table. "Then, I suppose our talk is over. Good bye, old friend. If we do meet again, it will probably be the day I die."
"Yes. I'll definitely be there to meet you, so don't worry. Good bye, Brixus."
A boring, old conversation. But Jeremy was getting used to such conversations. With a sigh, he cleaned up the tea sets that his friend had taken out without his permission and put them away.
Really, it would have been great if Brixus could come to appreciate the night sky, but that much was probably impossible by now. He had plenty of other things to worry about, such as the other Magical Girls and Walpurgisnacht.
It was some time after Brixus left that another person came knocking at his door.
"Come in," Jeremy said, sighing. Just how many people was he going to be talking to today?
The door opened as Akemi Homura walked in, only to pause as she looked around the apartment room.
"Why is everything turned on?" She asked. "Pretty big waste of energy if you ask me."
"Is it?" Jeremy asked, raising his head to face her. He had some sort of cloth wrapped around his eyes now, so it was definitely clear that he was still blind.
Homura looked around again. The air conditioner's heating unit was on, there was hot water boiling on the stove, the lights were on, and Homura could even see steam coming from the bathroom, just to name a few things. Yet, despite all that, the room felt like it was only at room temperature.
"Was it really that cold in here?" she asked.
"I guess it might've been at one point." Jeremy said, shrugging like it was none of his business. "So? What brings you here?"
"I just wanted to warn you that Walpurgisnacht is likely to arrive within a week," Homura said. "So whatever it is you're planning to do for everyone, it better be doable within a week."
Jeremy frowned. "That's not a lot of time, especially when we just agreed to work together today."
"You…" Homura started, before she paused with uncertainty. It was a rare moment of vulnerability that Jeremy had ever seen from the girl. "You do have something in mind, right?"
"To be honest," Jeremy said, grimacing. "Most of my plans can now be thrown out the window thanks to the state that I'm in. There could be a few things to work on, but I'll have to see how things turn out tomorrow when we all meet up."
"How long will it take for you to recover?" Homura asked.
"While I can be competent within a week," Jeremy said, still sporting that frown at the news, "I won't be at full strength. Bringing back Miki Sayaka was far more than I should've been able to handle. If anything, it was a miracle that I was even able to do that and survive in my current state."
While it's true that Brixus believed that Jeremy's spatial awareness was better when he was blind, that only applied when Jeremy was combat ready. As he is now, however, it wouldn't be wrong to say that he was temporarily quite crippled.
However, none of this was something he could reveal to anyone. Not to Miki Sayaka, not to Brixus, and certainly not to Homura, who was clearly relying on him.
"Will it impact your ability to fight?" Homura asked. "I don't know how we could win if we lose a trump card as strong as yourself."
"Don't worry," Jeremy said. "I'll definitely be in fighting condition again within a week."
It wasn't a boast. However, what was being left unsaid was that there was probably no way he would be at full strength within a week.
"In any case," Jeremy said. "There are a lot of things we all we need to think about tomorrow. Even if we all work together, it won't get anywhere if we can't do so efficiently and come up with a plan. I know you and the other magical girls have some grievances with each other, but could I ask you to at least work with them professionally?"
"Don't worry," she said. "I will do anything if it means saving Madoka. That's why, I'm just worried about you. Hearing you say that you will be combat ready within a week is a bit of a relief indeed."
Jeremy snorted. "I'm a bit surprised you would even admit being worried about someone else other than Madoka."
Homura flushed. "Shut up. You know what I meant."
"Honestly speaking," Jeremy said, leaning back. "Since I'm still alive, I'll definitely be able to find a way forward. That's why, there's no need for you to worry. Just focus on what you need to do, and I'll focus on recovering."
Homura nodded at that, before flushing even harder than before upon realizing that Jeremy still couldn't see. "Yes. I suppose that is the best thing to do right now…"
A bit of small talk followed after before Akemi Homura finally left. Although she didn't show much it through her actions, Jeremy could tell that the girl had been quite worried about him through her words throughout their entire conversation.
But there was definitely an awkwardness today with how Akemi Homura had, a few times throughout their talk, hesitantly tried to do something only to stop.
It was after she left that Jeremy realized one thing: He had forgotten to set a time for everyone to meet at Tomoe Mami's apartment.
Ah well. Guess he'll just have to arrive early, then.
A/N: I'm alive, barely. Not particularly proud of this chapter, but I've basically given up on trying to make the chapters up to my satisfaction. Literally just finished this chapter today too, too lazy to proofread. If you read the last A/N, you should know how unusual this is for me.
If you've seen my other work, you'll probably also notice how much my style has changed to that too, rip. So much dialogue. I kind of just want to get these scenes over with, however. I practically had to force myself to finish this chapter over the past few days. Just where did all my motivation for writing go? I still think about this story a lot lately, but sitting down and actually writing has gotten difficult. Having an idea of how I want things to go isn't helping when I keep blanking when I sit down to actually write, and then end up unsatisfied with whatever comes out.
In any case, there probably won't be much action in the next few chapters covering the week up until Walpurgisnacht's appearance. Plenty of dialogue instead. Hope you guys don't mind.
Dunno what else to add, so I'll just leave it at that I guess. Leave a comment or review or even a question and I'll get back to you via a PM or something if necessary.
Also, Happy holidays, I guess? Hope whoever still reads this will enjoy the update.
EDIT: I guess I should mention that yes, a new character is here, from Jeremy's past. This chapter already explained enough about him, though. Will other characters show up? Maybe. You'll just have to find out.
EDIT2: Wew, I didn't even notice I accidentally uploaded the first rough draft of the Sayaka segment instead of the rewritten version. Major changes were updated to that part alone just now. I guess this is what happens when I don't proofread.
