The next afternoon, it was still business as usual.
Although 'Good' had told Mami Tomoe many secrets about Kyubey last night, she hadn't touched upon the secret of Magical Girls turning into Witches, nor did she elaborate on the fact that their souls were already in their soul gems and their bodies were merely puppets.
Although Mami Tomoe had said she wanted to know everything, 'Good' felt it was better not to say too much.
Because when she revealed Kyubey's identity as an [Incubator], Mami Tomoe's emotions were already a bit out of control, and she didn't know what Mami Tomoe would become if she revealed such things.
She somewhat regretted revealing so much to Mami Tomoe so early.
Kyubey disappeared after yesterday; it hadn't been seen for a whole day, and she didn't know where it went.
Just after this usual day, Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki walked towards the hospital together.
Today, Madoka Kaname went with her to visit Kyosuke Kamijo, but Sayaka Miki came down not long after this visit to Kyosuke Kamijo.
Unlike the usually energetic Sayaka Miki, she now looked troubled, causing Madoka Kaname to ask softly: "What's wrong, Sayaka-chan?
Didn't you see Kamijo-kun?"
Sayaka Miki sighed slightly, nodded, and said: "Hmm, Kyosuke's condition today isn't really suitable for visitors..."
The dejected Sayaka Miki and Madoka Kaname walked to the hospital lobby, and Sayaka Miki complained softly: "Seriously!
I made a special trip to visit him, and it's so troublesome just to see him; it's really rude."
Although she said this, Sayaka Miki knew why Kyosuke Kamijo wasn't receiving visitors.
Complaining as she walked, Sayaka Miki suddenly noticed that Madoka Kaname beside her hadn't kept up with her pace, so she turned around in confusion and asked her: "Madoka."
Sayaka Miki called out softly, but Madoka Kaname didn't reply to her, only kept looking in a certain direction.
This made her feel a bit strange, so she couldn't help but take a few steps to Madoka's side: "Madoka?
What's wrong?
Did something strange happen?"
"There... there seems to be something..."
This time, Madoka Kaname finally replied.
Sayaka Miki looked in her direction, and indeed, something appeared on the hospital wall.
Just then, Kyubey, who had been missing for a day, suddenly jumped out from the grass behind them.
"Madoka, Sayaka, what are you doing here?"
Mami Tomoe hadn't told them about Kyubey, and because of the urgent situation, they didn't think too much.
The two heard Kyubey's voice behind them, turned around, pointed to a spot on the wall, and said to Kyubey: "Kyubey, that is..."
"Hmm?
You mean... Ah!
That's a grief seed; it looks like it's about to hatch!"
Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki took a few steps forward, looking at the grief seed hanging on the wall in surprise and saying.
"No way?
Why is a grief seed in a place like this?
Aren't grief seeds supposed to be on Witches?"
Madoka Kaname asked somewhat strangely; she felt that the appearance of this grief seed here was not accidental.
Just after Madoka Kaname finished speaking, Kyubey said somewhat anxiously.
"Not good!
If you don't escape quickly, the Witch's barrier will be complete.
Then you will all be trapped."
"Another one of those labyrinths?
And here?"
Listening to Kyubey, Sayaka Miki narrowed her eyes, looking solemn.
"In this situation, only Senior Mami and Yoshino can solve it; Madoka, do you have their phone numbers?"
Sayaka Miki said anxiously; with these two powerful reinforcements, if they could come, solving this Witch would be no problem at all.
However, to Sayaka Miki's disappointment, Madoka Kaname shook her head and didn't reply.
They hadn't given their phone numbers to her.
She wasn't the kind of girl who actively asked for others' phone numbers, so she didn't have theirs.
"I see~ Well, if it's Madoka, that's only natural.
But this is a bit troublesome."
Pressing her forehead, Sayaka Miki pondered for a moment, then said to Madoka Kaname.
"Madoka, you go call Senior Mami or Yoshino to come over first; I'll monitor this thing for now."
"How can you do that, Sayaka?"
At this moment, Kyubey somewhat surprisingly advised, "You're being too reckless.
Although I don't know how much time the Witch inside needs to appear, once the Witch's barrier closes, you won't be able to get out.
For an ordinary person like you, let alone a Witch, even a Familiar is a great threat.
Moreover, whether Mami and Yoshino can arrive in time is still an unknown, so don't take risks, Sayaka.
It's better to go with Madoka and the others to find Mami and them."
"But if this labyrinth is completed, who knows where this thing will go?
And this Witch's barrier will also affect the emotions of nearby people, right?"
Speaking of this, Sayaka Miki recalled Kyosuke Kamijo's figure in her mind.
She remembered feeling uneasy when she saw Kyosuke Kamijo earlier, who had become somewhat frantic because of her injured hand.
Her hand injury had already made him somewhat dejected, and now with the Witch, she was afraid something would happen to Kyosuke Kamijo.
'Kyosuke is in this hospital right now; I can't let anything happen to him...'
"We can't just leave it in a place like this; this is near a hospital.
If the grief seed really hatches here, we must quickly eliminate her, otherwise, everyone in the hospital will suffer."
Sayaka Miki's words made Madoka Kaname somewhat indecisive.
To some extent, her friend's words were right; she should hurry to find Mami and the others.
But on a personal level, she wished Sayaka Miki would abandon this dangerous idea.
"I understand.
Madoka, you go find them first."
At this moment, Kyubey seemed to understand Sayaka Miki's intentions, jumped onto her shoulder, and said to Madoka Kaname: "As long as I'm with Sayaka, Mami can know my location through telepathy.
Let me and Sayaka Miki monitor the Witch seed's situation here together, so that when Mami arrives, she can pass through the barrier by the shortest route."
Seeing Kyubey support her choice, she finally showed a relaxed smile.
"Thank you, Kyubey."
Since things had come to this, Madoka Kaname also understood that no matter how much she tried to persuade, it would be useless, so she could only earnestly instruct Sayaka Miki.
"I'll go find Senior Mami and Yoshino immediately.
Before I arrive, Sayaka-chan, you absolutely cannot act recklessly, understood?"
"Yes, I know."
She smiled and nodded at Madoka Kaname.
Watching Madoka Kaname's retreating figure, a white light suddenly appeared, enveloping Sayaka Miki and Kyubey.
After the light disappeared, only Sayaka Miki's and Madoka Kaname's school bags remained in place.
In the eerie Witch's barrier, looking at the strange surroundings, she held Kyubey tightly in her arms to reassure herself as she slowly moved forward.
'It activated right after Madoka left; that was too fast, wasn't it?
So quickly... what bad luck.'
Even the usually energetic Sayaka Miki would feel scared being alone in a place like this.
However, as soon as she thought that the boy she liked might be harmed by these Witches and Familiars, her timidity vanished.
"What's wrong, Sayaka?
Are you scared?"
At this moment, Kyubey in her arms spoke up and asked.
"Ah~ Isn't that obvious?" Sayaka Miki's trembling voice revealed her current mood. Although her timidity had been swept away by her feelings for the person she loved, it would be strange if she could maintain her composure now, walking alone in a Witch's barrier.
"If you have any wish, then make a contract with me. Even here, I can make you a Magical Girl, so you'll have the power to face these Witches."
"...If it comes down to it, that's the only choice."
Hearing Kyubey's suggestion, Sayaka Miki felt a little better. At least she wasn't completely powerless against these Witches.
"But there's no need to do that now, because it's also very important to me. If possible, I want to think it through before deciding..."
However, after seeing Kyosuke Kamijo's condition, Sayaka Miki already had a wish forming in her heart. It was just that for now... she still needed to consider it carefully.
"Is that so? I understand..."
Just like that, Sayaka Miki and Kyubey cautiously advanced through the Witch's barrier.
In a corner outside the barrier, a figure suddenly appeared. She was Yoshino's clone, sent to protect Madoka Kaname. She had intended to reveal herself when she saw Kyubey appear, but thinking of future developments, she stopped.
She had witnessed everything Kyubey said. Kyubey's surprised tone and its support for Sayaka Miki's actions were all intentional. Although she didn't know what it was trying to do, it was certainly related to Madoka Kaname's contract.
"It seems Kyubey has given up on trying to persuade Madoka by staying by her side and wants to make Madoka a Magical Girl through other means... If she still wants to save Kyosuke Kamijo, then Sayaka Miki becoming a Magical Girl is already a foregone conclusion. This cannot be stopped."
"In the end, after she becomes a Magical Girl, if she still doesn't dare to confess to Kyosuke Kamijo, then Kyosuke Kamijo will still be stolen by her good friend. At that point, becoming the Mermaid Witch is already a predetermined reality." Just like her fate in other timelines, it's impossible to stop, even if one tries.
"What needs to be done now is to prevent Sayaka Miki from becoming a Witch. It seems that analyzing the grief seed and the soul gem needs to be sped up." After speaking, she turned and hurried in the direction Madoka Kaname had left. She still needed to guard Madoka Kaname.
"I hope no accidents happen."
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