As the light faded, Sayaka transformed into her magical girl form. And with her elevation, a complete Mami Tomoe reappeared from within the glow.
"Huh?"
Still lying on the ground, Mami opened her eyes with a struggle and uttered.
"What happened to me…..?"
She frowned in confusion. Her last memory was that of-
"Mami-senpai!"
Sayaka's voice cracked, her shout containing relief at her friend's resurrection. With sword in hand and cape fluttering, she flew to her side.
"Sayaka? How did you become a magical girl?"
The blond-haired girl's mind blanked out, and she stared at her friend turned-magical-girl in a daze.
"No time to explain." The blue-haired girl rapidly shook her head, pointing her sword at the witch. "Let's deal with this Witch in front of us first!"
-For some reason, this witch remained motionless after killing Mami.
Upon seeing the familiar Witch, Mami recalled her last memory- she remembered what had just happened to her.
*Did I... just die?*
But she had no time to dwell on it. She stomped her foot on the ground and summoned a row of flintlock muskets to coordinate with Sayaka's attack.
…
..
.
Under the combined assault of a serious Mami and the newly born magical girl Sayaka, the Witch was easily defeated.
After the Witch perished, Mami realized what occurred and thanked Sayaka:
"Thank you for bringing me back to life, Sayaka."
She bowed to her.
Mami knew she died. Her consciousness sank into blankness, and she'd never wake up- if it wasn't for Sayaka, that is.
She wasted one precious wish for her life…..
"It's nothing." Sayaka scratched her head sheepishly- a gesture that becoming a magical girl can't change. "You saved me before too, didn't you, Mami-senpai?"
Multiple times, in fact.
"...That's different."
The senior magical girl lowered her head. What could she even say?
"It's not different at all." The blue-haired girl smiled sincerely. "We're friends, aren't we?"
As friends, they should take care of each other.
"Mm!"
With tears almost welling in her eyes, Mami nodded vigorously.
That's right, they're friends. Saving each other is only natural.
…
"Thank goodness you are safe, Mami-senpai!"
Since the witch was defeated and the barrier started crumbling, Madoka ran over to them.
Even though Sayaka had become a magical girl, she was still afraid that her two friends would be in danger against that witch. But seeing them so easily take care of it filled her with relief and happiness
"Madoka, did I look cool fighting just now?"
Sayaka put her hands on her hips proudly, looking at her friend with a 'praise me' expression.
"Yes, Sayaka, you were really cool!"
The pinkette nodded rapidly, eyes shining with admiration.
To think her friend suddenly transformed from a normal middle school student to a powerful warrior magical girl!
"Hehe..."
Sayaka giggled at her friend's compliment.
She changed into a Valkyrie, all with a single wish! Honestly, this made Madoka a little tempted to try too.
However, just as the group was enjoying the moment-
"Don't forget to retrieve the Grief Seed.
Like many times before, Kyubey appeared out of thin air. This time, it brought forth a reminder.
"Ah- right!"
Hearing the creature's words, Mami remembered. She knelt down and picked up the Grief Seed dropped by the Witch.
Then she turned and handed it to Sayaka.
"You deserve the most credit this time, so you can have this Grief Seed."
"Okay Mami-senpai!"
Sayaka didn't stand on ceremony. She happily accepted it, as it was true that the battlefield changed entirely due to her wish.
"Now that the Witch is taken care of-" Mami lightly clapped her hands and looked at both of them. "Would you like to come over to my place for some black tea?"
"Sure! I'd love some little cakes, too!"
"No problem."
Mami chuckled.
…
..
.
Only after the three girls and the creature had walked away did Adam and Homura Akemi appear on the scene.
"Honestly, Mami still ended up triggering that kind of flag."
The moment Mami had uttered that classic line- "There's nothing to be afraid of anymore"-
Adam knew exactly how the story would unfold.
-And sure enough, just as in the original story, Mami Tomoe nearly met a gruesome end; fortunately, Adam has always been deeply concerned about their safety and always maintained them within his range of perception.
If he didn't do that, the Mami of this timeline would have truly died.
This time, Homura simply stood by and quietly watched his actions.
"Kyubey has likely spotted us."
She shifted her gaze towards the horizon, as if responding back to the Incubator's stare.
"I never planned to remain hidden."
Adam smiled, completely at ease. In all these regressions, he has received a lot of knowledge from the Incubator civilization.
As the Herrscher of Reason and a holder of [Great Sage], knowledge is power.
Though in these years, he couldn't make his body more powerful or his energy levels more plentiful, he could still accumulate knowledge, refine his control and techniques, and also come up with various ways to use his already existing power sets.
Incubators? Sure, they are scary. But Adam is already aware of most of their tricks. Even if- and it's a big if- they turned hostile….There are many ways to survive. And they could always attempt a new cycle.
"I just wonder if Mami surviving this time will be enough of a shock to Madoka."
At that thought, he couldn't help but smile.
"You really are ruthless when it comes to Madoka."
Homura pursed her lips; however, she didn't mind.
"Heh... well, it's all for the sake of the plan."
Under her gaze, the silver-haired boy's smile turned awkward.
"Oh, never mind."
She sighed and shook her head.
Then, thinking of something, a teasing light entered her eyes-
"If Madoka finds out later, I'm not bailing you out."
Adam froze.
"Erm….Madoka is so gentle." Saying this, he nodded to himself and relaxed. "Surely she wouldn't do anything to me... right?"
Then again: Recalling the flashes of the mischievous, slightly devious side Madoka had occasionally shown across these timelines, Adam actually began to feel a bit uncertain.
…
..
.
Sayaka was incredibly excited after becoming a magical girl; every day, after walking Madoka home from school, she would scour the area for traces of Witches.
In her own words, she wanted to protect Mitakihara and be a partner of justice!
-Unfortunately, it didn't take long for her thoughts to be doused in cold water.
"Sigh... this..."
It's strange; before becoming a magical girl, she and Madoka ran into Witches all the time.
Yet now that she actually is a magical girl, she can't seem to find any.
"Why is that?"
This feeling of frustration almost made her want to rip out her hair!
"Sayaka, a new Witch has appeared."
Seemingly able to sense her emotions, Kyubey appeared, along with some 'good' news.
"It's still in its larval stage and not fully formed yet. It's perfect for you to practice on."
"Got it! Let's go, then!"
The white creature stared eerily at her, but Sayaka smiled.
Her mind was consumed with excitement!
Finally, she'll be like those heroines in manga and protect this city!
…
..
.
Guided by Kyubey, Sayaka hurried toward the location where the Witch was said to have appeared.
"This place is..."
Sayaka stood at the detached house in front of her, confusion in her eyes.
On the door, the nameplate "Doisko" is present. This looks clearly like someone's private home.
"Sayaka, the Witch is inside. You need to hurry."
The white creature that had led her here turned back to look at her with eerie red eyes.
"I have no choice!"
The blue-haired girl took a deep breath, bracing herself to breach people's privacy.
"I need to do this to save people!"
Faced with this situation, Sayaka has no option but to force her way into the house.
"Excuse me….!"
Mimicking a scene from a movie, she apologized quickly and threw a kick-
CRASHHH
At the front door. It swung open, and the blue-haired girl rolled inside.
….
"Huh? No one's here?"
Looking out the window at the empty yard, Sayaka felt a bit foolish about her dramatic entrance.
She sighed, then looked away and started searching for the Witch's traces.
She searched everywhere- the living room, the kitchen, and beyond...but found nothing.
…
"This is the last room."
Gazing at the door before her- adorned with pink, girlish stickers- Sayaka tightened her grip on her sword.
If even this room didn't hold the witch, then she'd be lost.
The newbie magical girl carefully pushed the door open and stepped into the dim interior.
She moved cautiously, taking measured steps.
She shifted to the side, then forward again.
Her nerves were tense, and her body was ready to spring into action at the slightest movement.
"Phew…" Sayaka breathed a sigh of relief. In this quiet and dim room, it echoed in an eerie way. "There's no one here after all."
A quick sweep of the room revealed nothing out of the ordinary; it is just a typical girl's bedroom.
Her body wanted to relax and her mind to calm down. But even so, she didn't let her guard down and continued to search thoroughly.
As she passed the desk, she spotted two dolls.
Pausing, she frowned. Carefully sensing something, Sayaka reached out to touch one- and her surroundings instantly blurred and changed.
-She got transported into a Witch's Labyrinth.
…
..
.
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