The tension was high as the two girls stared down at the man, sword and guns at the ready, all of them prepared to react at a moment's notice, carefully observing each other.

This man is more troubling than I anticipated, Mami thought. I cannot allow him to continue. I had hoped you would get some experience before facing him, Miki-san, but it seems fate had different plans. Prepare yourself; this will not be an easy battle.

I knew that guy was someone important! Sayaka thought. Oh man, I can't wait to fight him, this is gonna be awesome! Okay, a real trial by fire! Focus, Mami-san is counting on you! He's got guns, but so does Mami-san, so while she covers me, I go in for the kill. Even though I'm a fledgling magical girl, I won't let you down!

Goldilocks' hair looks ridiculous, Dante thought. Does she do that purpose? Is this one of those times where I'm supposed to shake my head and go 'kids these days'? Shit, I ain't that old yet!

The two parties stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Dante let out a grin. The two girls tensed, waiting for what was going to happen. Focused, breath bated, muscles tensed, until…

"Gunslinger!"

Dante took initiative. He fired shots from Ebony and Ivory at the two girls. They dodged in different directions, with Mami quickly conjuring up more muskets and returning fire. Dante responded as he had, shooting down the magical bullets with his own. He continued to fire at Sayaka, trying to keep her at range. Sayaka jumped, unfurled her cape, and several duplicates of her sword manifested. Enhanced by her magic, she twirled and kicked the blades at Dante. He reacted with a jump, sailing over the swords as they impaled the ground where he just stood. Mami held out a hand and conjured a ribbon that grabbed Dante by his leg. With as much force as she could muster, she slammed him into the ground. Sayaka was soon over him, ready to plunge her sword into his chest.

Dante backflipped into the air, Sayaka's attack barely missing him. He fired two shots at Mami, who dodged, letting go of the ribbon and having it dissolve into golden light. Dante, still airborne, let off a Rainstorm on Sayaka. She held up her cape, the bullets peppering her, but not puncturing her cover. Mami fired at Dante again. Dante fell, twisting his body so the bullets sailed past him. Then, as Sayaka was still blocking with her cape, Dante landed on her, using her as a springboard and jumped towards Mami. This caught Sayaka by surprise, and threw her off balance. Mami saw this coming and prepared another volley. And when he had nearly crossed the whole distance she fired.

But Dante was undeterred. Rather than using his handguns, Dante holstered them and pulled out Coyote-A, and a single shot from this gun blasted through Mami's magical muskets. Mami quickly conjured up a shield of ribbons, which managed to block the shot, but she definitely felt the force behind it, knocking her back. She didn't have the chance to react as a second shot fired, blasting her off her feet despite her makeshift barrier.

Mami grit her teeth; that last hit stunned her, leaving her barely able to move enough to see Dante sneering. "Aww, what's the matter?" he taunted, beckoning her to get up. "Don't you have people to save?"

Dante turned his head at the yell from behind. Sayaka was charging, a blue blur as her magic propelled her forward. Sayaka held her sword up, ready to strike as she closed in, to get this guy away from Mami long enough for her to get her bearings. She approached, readied her slash, waiting for him to twist out the way and-

The loud ringing of clashing steel. Sayaka looked up in surprise. The man had parried her attack, and was now wielding a huge sword. She looked at the blade in wonder, despite the effort she was using against it, it remained immobile. Large, heavy, looked and felt like it was made out of volcanic rock- She could feel heat radiating from it! It made her cutlass look like a toy in comparison and he handled it effortlessly. If the guy in front of her were to use a sword, Sayaka thought, it would absolutely look like this. But she didn't have time to stand in awe.

She slashed. He countered with a slash of his own. The single swing shook Sayaka to her core, made her arms feel like putty. But she was determined. She went again, met with another parry, the same strength behind it. She was knocked back, but remained on her feet. Dante capitalized. He lunges forward, a mad grin on his face. She held her sword to try a parry of her own- too slow. The force of the blade running into her didn't skewer her fortunately, but she was launched backwards, a cry of pain escaping her as she slid on the ground.

Dante shook his head. That was a little bit more than he wanted; the idea of clashing swords with someone was just way too appealing. It made him itch for a fight- a real one- and got his demonic blood boiling… even if the only other sword fighter was a seven-year-old girl. He must have gotten way more used to Vergil being around than he thought.

The girl got back to her feet, leveling a nasty glare back at him. Dante had to hand it to her: taking a hit like that and she didn't look too worse for wear.

In that momentary distraction, Mami loosed myriad ribbons, snaking them around him. Dante turned and slashed with his sword, destroying the ribbons that approached, but a few had gotten behind, moving and constricting his legs and arms. A few more appeared, taking his sword, effectively disarming him. Mami acted quickly, grimacing at the effort, wrapping Dante in a sort of cocoon, trying to immobilize him as best she could.

Mami strained herself, reinforcing her ribbons with as much magic she could muster, the effort of conjuring and manipulating this many ribbons while feeding them magic so he can't escape would quickly toll on her. She sent a knowing look to Sayaka, who nodded and charged in. Sayaka let out a fierce yell- this was it! She had him!

"Royalguard!"

"Miki-san, wait!"

Sayaka backstepped. She heard the cry and diverted her momentum. She looked at Mami, a flash of clarity on the blonde girl's face.

"What!?" Sayaka yelled, confused at the order.

"So that's it," Mami said. "This must be key to his strength! He calls out these phrases to access his power! Don't attack, Miki-san!"

"Uh, okay?" Sayaka just nodded along. She knew the guy just yelled something in English, but she didn't actually know what that meant. Well, she was definitely asking Mami for help with her English homework later. But if she couldn't attack, what was she gonna do?

"That 'strategy' thing only works when the other guy can't hear what you're saying," came a muffled voice.

"He's trying to lure us into a false sense of security. He did the same thing when I faced him before. Do not lower your guard."

Dante gave a sharp laugh. That's what Goldilocks thought he was doing? Talk about overthinking things. Sure, what the hell? He'd roll with it. "So you figured me out, huh?" He chuckled darkly, inflecting his voice so it seemed more menacing. "Guess I don't have to play around anymore!"

The sword that Mami had removed vanished in a sheath of flame, and from inside the imprisonment, a powerful slash cleft the ribbons, Dante looking no worse for wear. Before the two magical girls reacted, a wave of energy passed over them, threatening to knock them over if they hadn't braced themselves. Dante was coated in a visible, dark red aura, his countenance gauging them with utmost seriousness. His aura flared to life, and in a bright glow, his appearance changed. Gone was the man in the coat, replaced with what could only be described as a demon. His body looked like volcanic rock, glowing and pulsing with magma, or something akin to it, his sword looking much the same, and a red, fleshy appendage came from his back and draped him.

"W-what?" Mami's voice trembled. Though this was something new to her, she could feel power radiating from his presence alone. Had he used the power of witches… for this? Had Kyoko glimpsed this power too!? Her legs were shaking. But her will would not allow her to flee. She may have felt fear, but she overcame insurmountable odds before. She looked to Sayaka, who also appeared to be shaking.

"This… this is…" Sayaka said. Mami tightened her focus. She had to be brave for the two of them. She needed to- "This is so cool!"

What?

"Thanks," the demon said, an otherworldly echo added to his voice.

"This is the coolest thing I've ever seen! Wow! I thought your sword was cool, but you went… What do you call it? Super Saiyan? Plus Ultra? Gear 5? One of those, right!?"

Dante had no clue what the hell those were. "I call it 'Devil Trigger.'"

"Of course you gave it a cool name! Aah, this is the greatest day of my life! Mami-san, this is so awesome!"

Mami stared blankly. "...Right." Well, at least Sayaka's…. fervor had brought her to her senses.

"First time I ever heard that!" Dante chuckled. "But," he steeled his features. "I still need what I came for,"

"Huh?"

Like a train, he launched himself at Sayaka and began thrusting his sword faster than they could count. From the center of his sword, four spectral swords appeared and did the same. Sayaka quickly put up a guard, but she couldn't hope to block all of them. From under her guard, he did a heavy upward slash, launching them both into the air- and with immense strength, brought them crashing to the ground.

Dante's summoned swords blocked a slew of bullets from Mami. He smirked, his swords beginning to spin. Sayaka struggled to get to her feet. The spinning blades flew to Sayaka. In alarm, she worked to fend them off. "Alright," Dante said to Mami. "You have my attention." In a blink, he was in front of her and coming for a slash.

Mami backflipped and readied muskets. Dante jumped after her, but his slash was met with Mami holding back with two of her guns. Before he overpowered her, she kicked him in the stomach. He was pushed back, his appendages unfurling into wings, keeping him aloft as Mami landed. Mami noted to not do that again; it felt just like kicking a boulder. Quickly, she conjured a contingent of muskets and let loose. He just let them land- they were ineffective. She grimaced. She needed more power. Very well.

Dante came down hard with his sword, nearly cleaving her in two if not for her last second dodge. She swung with a musket, he parried with his sword- but he met no resistance as the gun dissipated. Successfully baiting him into overswinging, Mami conjured as many muskets as she could in that instant, aimed square in his chest and fired.

He grunted. Mami allowed herself some slight satisfaction. She had hurt him. But she couldn't stop. She needed to concentrate her fire. Two more muskets fired at the same spot, but he was ready this time. He slashed, sending the shots flying back at her. Mami dodged, preparing to counter, but saw him holding his sword in a reverse grip with red energy coalescing around it.

It seems he thought to finish this now. She'd have to respond in kind.

Gathering all the energy she could, Mami conjured the largest musket she could, her soul gem rapidly losing its shine.

This was it, all the strength she could muster. "Tiro Finale!"

Dante slashed upward, releasing the energy in a sharp, vertical blade. The blade met Mami's attack, and the two clashed in a blinding display of color, warping the air and causing the entire labyrinth to shake.

Mami stood, eyes widening in shock. He had matched her strongest attack head on. She staggered, dropping to her knee. She had failed.

But to her surprise, the man's own transformation dissipated, bringing him back to his original state, and like her, he dropped to his knee.

"Ah, shit." He said, through a grimace. "My best couldn't get past a six-year-old?" He struggled for a moment, but found the strength to get to his feet. "That's a real pain in the ass," he said, walking over to her. She couldn't will herself to move. "I'll have to work double time to make up for what I lost. But with you outta the picture? Shouldn't be too hard." He hefted his sword above him. "Adios."

"No!" Dante turned his head. Sayaka unleashed a burst of magic, propelling her forward at speeds she hadn't shown, and with the momentum, drove her rapier through his chest, over and over. With a final yell, she stabbed him through a final time, gasping for breath.

Dante looked down as Sayaka removed her rapier from his chest. "...Heh… guess you are… a hero…" he spat out as he fell to the ground. Sayaka quickly hopped over to Mami and pulled out a grief seed.

"I know, I know you said I should keep it for myself and use it in an emergency, but I think this counts, right!?" Without waiting for a response, she held the seed to Mami's soul gem, restoring it to its brilliant shine.

"Miki-san…" Mami said as she was helped to her feet. "Thank you…" she gave a mirthless chuckle. "I suppose I must be a terrible mentor for you to see me like this."

"Are you kidding!? You went toe to toe with the strongest, evilest looking guy ever and kept up with him! If you didn't tire him out, I never could have done that!"

"But we still have a job to finish."

"Right, we have to- hey!"

The two looked up to see Dante on the chair where the witch sat.

"A weak witch if it just sat here the whole time," he muttered, laboring his breathing loud enough for them to hear. "But I'm sure as hell gonna get something out of this!" He grabbed the doll, threw it up and unleashed a honeycomb fire. The doll was littered with bullets, but instead of the labyrinth dissipating and the grief seed falling into his hands as they expected, a worm-like monster burst from the doll's mouth with a great roar. The beast opened its maw with ravenous hunger in its eyes.

"Huh." Was all Dante said as it clamped its jaw around him, and then sunk into the ground, the labyrinth vanishing with it.

"W-what was that?" Sayaka asked as the labyrinth disappeared, leaving them in one of the lower levels of the building. "The witch just ate him!"

Mami nodded. Not even she had anticipated the witch would do something like that. Perhaps she should count herself lucky she wasn't victim to such a gruesome demise. "You never know what a witch is capable of. You must always be on your guard."

"R-right… anyway, do you think he's… well, you know. I mean, it didn't look like he planned for that to happen."

"I… am not sure. I've never tried doing… something like that."

"W-well, if he's gone, we don't have to worry, right!?"

Mami shook her head. "I really don't know. Why don't we head to my home?" I'm sure we could both use a breather after that."

"Ha ha… yeah…"

"So," Kyoko said to the black haired magical girl across from her. "The guy in red, you know him."

"Yes," the girl, who introduced herself as Homura Akemi said. "Dante is his name. I've been trying to hunt him for some time."

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Great job so far. How the hell do you even know about him? Kyubey never heard of the guy until the other day!"

Homura closed her eyes. "One of his abilities. Somehow he has obscured himself from Kyubey's observation. I don't know how he does it, but my close contact with him has made the effect extend to me as well."

"Pfft. You expect me to buy that?"

"Whether you believe it or not is of no consequence. By the end of this month you will forget about the both of us."

Kyoko narrowed her eyes. "Okay, so say I buy this. What do I get outta trusting you?"

"Dante is a menace to all magical girls. Eliminating him will benefit us all." Homura shook her head. "I'm sure you noticed one of his more troubling aspects is his annoying propensity to stay alive."

"You're telling me," Kyoko grimaced. "I stabbed the guy through his chest and he didn't even care."

"So you are aware. What else have you learned of him so far?"

"Welp, we know he's after witches. We think he uses them to give him power or something."

"We?" Homura turned toward where Mami and Sayaka were. "I assume you mean the two magical girls in that labyrinth?"

"Yeah- well, I know one of them. This is the first time I'm seeing the other."

Homura nodded slowly. She had to play that she didn't recognize either Sayaka or Mami, but that shouldn't be too difficult. Ah, but Sayaka will recognize her later. She should prepare for that. But this conversation confirms that Dante is actually holding up his end of their arrangement. In a sense, he is after witches, though she seriously doubted he had any use for them, but the fact Kyoko and Mami thought he did was something she could use. And if Dante has any other ideas, they can play it off as him being craftier than expected, thus proving him to be even more of a threat. "You are correct in that he's after witches," Homura said. "But only partially." Kyoko narrowed her eyes. "He utilizes grief seeds for a purpose other than simply gaining power. I believe he seeks to create a labyrinth of his own."

Kyoko scoffed. "Figures. We saw him bringing victims to a witch, probably trying to make them stronger before he gets them. Wouldn't surprise me if he's doing the same with familiars."

"You've seen him lure people into a labyrinth?"

"With my own two eyes. I think… I think he's got some kinda mind control thing, like how witches mark people."

Homura frowned. "Every time I encounter him, he has something new. Just another ability of witches he's made his own… though I've never seen him attempt to incubate a witch through a familiar."

"Then I guess he's not as smart as I gave him credit," Kyoko gave a derisive snort.

"Or perhaps it isn't worth it."

"Huh?"

"Do not underestimate him. His tactics are unorthodox, which makes him unpredictable. By clinging to a notion you find logical, he already has an advantage. In the past, he has left many witches alone to hunt a higher priority target."

Kyoko scoffed. "Relax, I was just thinking. So… you think he only hunts the strong ones?"

"Yes. I believe these witches have a specific requirement he looks for. And when he successfully takes their grief seed, he becomes closer to a witch himself, thus granting him their abilities."

"Why the hell would he do that?"

"I fear his goals are… beyond me. Aside from what I can infer, everything about him is an enigma. I still do not know where he came from or how he became aware of witches in the first place."

"How long have you been after him?"

"Long enough that I know how dangerous he is."

"Tch. You get a kick outta being vague or something?"

Just then, the two magical girls could feel the labyrinth before them tremble before dissipating, though not in the same way it does when it vanishes. Two magical girls made their way into view, looking despondent but otherwise unharmed. Sayaka held a grip on Mami's shoulder, looking up in shock at the two other magical girls. "Transfer student…?" She said, incredulously. Mami looked up at the two, a look on her Homura couldn't accurately place.

Homura paid Sayaka little attention, looking at her partner. She was slightly surprised that Mami was still alive. Her death would have made her work a lot easier, but alas. She could still move forward with Mami present.

Kyoko sneered when Mami noticed her. "Tough witch?"

Mami grimaced. "I wouldn't know."

"We saw the guy in red!" Sayaka yelled.

"What?" Kyoko growled.

"Yes… excuse me, Sakura-san? Who is your… friend?"

Kyoko huffed. "Don't know, just met her."

"Homura Akemi," Sayaka said. "She just transferred to my class a few days ago."

"She's after the same guy we are," Kyoko said. "His name's Dante, apparently. That ring any bells?"

"No, unfortunately," Mami said. Sayaka shrugged.

"Figures," Kyoko sighed.

"I've been after Dante for some time and understand you all have been… conflicting with him."

"...You almost say that like it's a problem," Mami said, narrowing her eyes.

"On the contrary. Others who understand the danger he presents make valuable allies. I am willing to speak on what I know of him."

"Well then," Mami said, her glare softening into a genteel smile. "It seems we have a lot to discuss, Akemi-san. "Perhaps we can trade information over a cup of tea?"

"That would be acceptable," Homura said.

"It's always fucking tea with you," Kyoko said. "Alright, I'm in if you throw in a cake, too. I need to know how to take that asshole down."

"You might not need to anymore…" Sayaka mumbled.

Homura directed a glare at Sayaka. Who flinched at the intensity. "Very well." Homura noted the happy lilt Mami tried not to show on her face.

Homura flipped her hair, moving to follow Mami's direction. She felt a sinking unease settle into her stomach. How did she manage to get all of them to listen to her? This was going almost too smoothly. Magical girls couldn't even unite against common witches most of the time, so what is it about this situation that has Mami, Sayaka and Kyoko willingly work together? Was Dante really that big an influence on the timeline's events? The fact that this one man has significantly altered the course of events did not sit well with her. She needed to move through this as effectively as she could, before Dante's influence had any effect on Madoka.

"If I had a dollar for every time something ate me," Dante said from inside the witch. What the hell were these things? They look weird as hell, their lairs are weird as hell, and he couldn't sense them even when he was inside of one! Speaking of, the inside of this witch was literally only teeth. Who comes up with this? Sin scissors had better designs than this first grade art project reject.

Even the lowest ranking demon had some kind of presence he could feel. These things didn't have shit going for them. He shook his head. Things never could be easy, could they? At least now that each of the magical girls knew about him, he could kick back while they pissed themselves in fear of him. He thought he handled it pretty well, too: give 'em just enough that they think they can get one over on him, but make sure they keep on their toes. Makes 'em… what do you call it? Motivated? Eh, sure, he'll go with that. They'll be looking over their shoulders for him, checking to make sure he isn't on their tails. And since Dante really didn't care much either way what they got up to, he can focus on what he really cared about: finding out what witches are. Sure, he'd have to pop in every now and again so Homura didn't think he left the job unfinished and reset time to piss him off, but that could wait for a bit. Now was the time for him to do what he did best.

And right on time. Seems like his ride reached its stop. Taking out Cavaliere, he swung the motorcycle, its blades easily rending through the side of the witch with abandon. The creature screamed as Dante literally tore it from the inside out. Before he even made a space big enough to get out, the witch died, leaving him outside in a park by an ornate fountain in the middle of the night.

"No blood, huh? That's a plus," Dante said, cracking his neck. It was a little cramped in there. And sharp teeth do not a comfortable seat make. He looked to the ground and picked up the small black orb the witch left behind. It had an intricately designed casing, composed of a metal he's never seen before, shaped into an emblem he couldn't make sense of, encasing the dark sphere. But unlike with any of the witches he's faced, he could feel something from this.

The orb in his hand emanated the feeling of pure, unadulterated despair.

It was small, but he could definitely feel it, concentrated into a single point. His demonic senses awakened when he touched it, the heightened emotions suspended at a fever pitch. Demons are naturally attuned to the negative emotions of humans. It's what made them so dangerous. Show a hint of fear and a demon will find you. It was no different for him. The emotions contained in the sphere tickled his senses and made his mouth water.

Dante gave a wry chuckle. "Guess that's why they call it a grief seed." It wasn't too long ago that he wouldn't have been able to notice. Not until that mess with the Qliphoth. Being among humans, he had consciously deadened his demonic senses. Living in the part of Redgrave he did, he could feel every bit of the debauchery of the city. Tuning it out was something he taught himself early on. It was difficult after he triggered the first time, but he was able to get it under control. Unlocking his Sin Devil Trigger brought all of that back in full force. It stirred in him a primal hunger.

Fortunately he was in a much better place now, and could fully accept his demonic heritage. Unlike his good ol' brother, he can confidently claim he's never eaten a human, so this hunger was nothing akin to having a weird food craving, and he didn't plan on making chow of his fellow man any time soon. Regardless, at this point he had fully embraced his demonic heritage after all this time. Good thing too, because it was conveniently coming in handy. He'd never admit it, but spending all that time with Vergil had a good effect on him. And he knew his brother wouldn't admit it either, but he definitely felt the same.

Dante tossed the grief seed around. Knowing what it is was a step in the right direction. But it made two possibilities come to his mind: first, was the seed made from the victims? Or did it come from the witch itself?

Dante frowned. The former scenario was to be expected. A step in the process of feeding, extracting the soul and using only the good stuff. Sure. But the second scenario… he was no stranger to men being corrupted by demonic energy, but if his hunch was right?

"Sit tight, Kyubey. Dante's comin' for ya."

"So, what do we know about… Dante?" Mami asked the three other magical girls as they sat in her home, a cup of tea placed graciously in front of them, as well as a piece of cake Kyoko was making her way through.

"He has a sword," Sayaka said. "And he can make ghost swords."

"Huh?" Kyoko drawled.

"Understanding his arsenal is important," Homura said.

"Know the enemy and know yourself," Mami nodded.

"Yeah, what they said," Sayaka added.

"He is equipped with a pair of handguns, a shotgun, and a rocket launcher as well," Homura said. Mami wrote down as dictated on a whiteboard she set up with a picture of Dante on it that Sayaka helpfully drew.

"Seriously?" Kyoko said between bites of cake. "Where the hell did he get all that?"

"Additionally, he has magic that allows each firearm to have effectively unlimited ammunition."

"The weapons themselves may be magical," Mami said, jotting the list down. "Okay, if there's nothing else, what are his abilities?"

"He's got death resistance and Devil Trigger," Sayaka said.

"It's not resistance. He regenerates," Kyoko said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Saw it up close and personal."

"Oh," Sayaka said. "Ew."

"Gotta use a lot of magic for that," Kyoko continued, finishing her dessert. "No way he can keep it up for long. And can't forget about whatever mind powers he has."

"Enough to lure victims to a witch," Mami said.

"Something he has not demonstrated before," Homura said.

"And we learned he channels his abilities through chants," Mami said. "So far I've noted three English words he says: 'Trickster' which lets him teleport; 'Royalguard', which augments his defenses, and 'Gunslinger', which may be what allows for his proficiency with firearms."

"Is that why he says them?" Homura asked. "I admit, I've noticed he does this but hadn't made that connection."

"That's my idea," Mami said. "I utilize a similar principle when I cast Tiro Finale. The phrase can allow for a more efficient use of magic."

"Yeah, that seems on brand for a magical girl," Sayaka said.

"I always thought it was dumb how you did that," Kyoko said. "Guess there was a point to it after all." She ignored the pout Mami directed to her.

"I gotta come up with a cool phrase to say!" Sayaka said. "I'll be shooting lasers in no time!"

"You only recently became a magical girl," Homura said. "Learn to use what you have right now."

"Akemi-san is right. Your time would be better spent mastering your swordsmanship."

"Fine… but I'm gonna have a sick special attack at the end of my training arc!"

"This ain't a game newbie," Kyoko growled. "If you don't take it seriously, you're gonna get yourself killed, and I'm not gonna waste my time saving you."

"Heh. You'll come around to me," Sayaka said with a sly grin. Kyoko scoffed.

"What have you learned about Dante's weaknesses?" Homura asked.

"I believe our strategy of hunting witches before he does has borne fruit," Mami explained. "He utilized a lot of his magic to finish off Miki-san and myself. He's most likely looking to recover his energy as we speak."

"Mm-hmm," Sayaka chimed in. "By the time we were out of there, he looked like he was out of juice. Could hardly walk, even." Kyoko and Homura eyed her appraisingly. "He said he'd have to hunt more to 'make up' for what he lost."

"Furthermore," Mami continued. "I recognize he favors one-on-one scenarios: in both of my fights with him, he separated me from Sakura-san and Miki-san."

"Admittedly, my encounters with him have been alone," Homura said. "So I cannot say otherwise."

"Looks like we're using the buddy system," Sayaka said.

Kyoko groaned.

"This is the best option for now, Sakura-san. We hunt as many witches as we can while watching each others' backs in case he appears."

"Yeah, yeah," Kyoko said. "If he's as off as you say, he's bound to make a mistake soon."

"Is this course of action agreeable to you all?" Mami asked.

"Yup!"

"Yes."

"Do we have a better idea?"

"Great. I'll partner with Sakura-san if that's okay with you all?"

"You know me best, so sure," Kyoko said with a roll of her eyes. " Don't need any deadweight dragging me down."

"Heh, we'll show you. By the time this is done, you're gonna wish you teamed with me!"

"I have no objections to this arrangement."

"Alright then. Meeting adjourned. Make sure to fill in Kyubey whenever you see him next."

Another one falls. Thanks for taking the time to read, yet again. At the time I'm writing this, the story has nearly 500 follows. Thanks a bundle, but, uh, how are you all finding this? When I first posted this I was pretty sure the Venn diagram of "Madoka-heads" and "Devil May Criers" was, like, a tangent at best. Anyways, cheers to all the readers and happy holidays to whomever cares. Unfortunately (for you), the next part won't come out until next year :P