Lancer felt like he was becoming more and more confused by the situation, so he decided—he would have a proper discussion with Olga Marie after heading back.
At first, Lancer thought bringing Olga Marie along would be a burden, since her personal strength wasn't particularly high. Recently, however, he had realized her importance. It wasn't just the vast amount of magecraft she knew; more crucially, she could help him analyze certain problems.
Lancer had long since discovered that his personal emotions would sometimes cause him to overlook important issues. In those moments, Olga Marie, acting as a "bystander," could offer him quite a bit of useful advice.
As time gradually slipped away, the sky even began to turn slightly white. Mami Tomoe and Kyoko Sakura finished their patrol and decided to head home for the time being. After all, it didn't matter for Kyoko, but Mami still had to go to school.
"Kyoko, are you going first, or should I?"
Even though a Magical Girl's abilities could help them clean their bodies, Mami still really enjoyed bathing. Taking a bath to relax after work was one of her few rare pleasures—though it would be even better if there were some brewed black tea.
"Hmph! Mami, you really are a kid..."
Despite grumbling about Mami, Kyoko Sakura's body was very "honest." By the time Mami looked down to grab the tea tin, the other girl had already wrapped herself in a towel and pulled open the bathroom door.
With a helpless smile on her face, Mami picked up the clothes scattered across the chairs and sofa one by one and stuffed them into the washing machine. She gave off the vibe of a mother looking after her own child, though she personally quite enjoyed the feeling.
After all, contrary to her tough appearance, she was actually a very lonely person. If she weren't, she wouldn't have encouraged Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki to become Magical Girls. For her, the livelier things were, the happier she was.
"I don't have any of Kyoko clothes, but our heights are about the same, so it should be fine, right?"
Mami muttered to herself with an unconscious smile while she tidied up.
On the other side, after walking into the bathroom, Kyoko Sakura very skillfully gave herself a quick rinse and then lay down in the bathtub that had just finished filling.
"Phew~ this is great~"
With her hands tucked behind her neck, Kyoko looked up at the bright light on the ceiling and suddenly had an illusion. It made her feel as if she were back in her former home, but she quickly shook her head with a complex expression, casting the thought out of her mind.
Splash~ splash~
She scooped up some water with both hands and splashed it on her face twice before sitting upright again, her gentle expression gradually hardening.
Mami Tomoe and Kyoko Sakura had known each other for quite a while, and back then, things weren't actually that different from now. After learning she was a Magical Girl, Mami had proactively approached her. Naturally, Kyoko had refused at first, but as they knew each other longer, she began to get used to the other's presence. However, an accident occurred during that time.
While the two were hunting a Witch, Mami got hurt trying to protect her, and that event was where the rift between them began to form.
Kyoko logic told her that the incident had nothing to do with her, but her subconscious began to reject the situation because she remembered her family, who had died because of her wish. Ultimately, she chose self-exile and left Mitakihara Town.
She kept telling herself that the only reason she accepted Kyubey invitation this time was because of the conditions he offered, but she knew that in reality, she was also worried about Mami safety. After all, according to Kyubey, she had almost been finished off by a Witch.
Kyoko Sakura craved the warmth of a family, but because of what had happened in the past, she rejected the kindness of others because she was afraid she would hurt them.
One could say it was precisely this contradictory psyche that made her seem so difficult to approach.
"That girl Mami... she just shows up and throws me all out of whack..."
Soaking in the water, Kyoko Sakura stared blankly at the Soul Gem in her hand while letting out a sigh that only she understood. But right at that moment—
Scritch~ scratch~
A strange sound from outside the window put Kyoko on high alert.
Mami lived in an apartment, and the floor she lived on didn't seem like the kind of place a window-climbing burglar would target no matter how you looked at it. However, it was better to be safe than sorry. Kyoko decisively grabbed the nearby towel, wrapped it around herself, and pulled the window open with an imposing aura.
Thwack!!
The sound of the window hitting the frame was incredibly sharp. Kyoko face was full of fury, but when she pulled the window open, all she saw was a black bird perched on the windowsill.
The creature seemed just as startled as she was. Both sides froze for a good while until—
"Goo?"
Is that how this bird chirps?
The bird's strange cry made Kyoko freeze again. In her memory, she thought only pigeons made that sound. But right then, the creature suddenly flared its wings and flew outward.
An ordinary person would have definitely closed the window and gone back to their bath at a time like this, but unfortunately, there was a "brat" by the window—and a high-action brat at that. After all, even among brats, those brave enough to lean out a window and reach out into the void are in the minority.
She reached out to grab it almost by reflex, but to her surprise, the creature gave a sudden flap of its wings and nimbly dodged her right hand.
Seeing her grab come up empty, her brow furrowed instantly. She was practically ready to transform just to catch that bird, but at that moment, the bathroom door was pulled open.
"Kyoko? What's wrong?"
The commotion inside the bathroom wasn't exactly quiet. Mami, who had been brewing tea outside the door, hurriedly pulled open the bathroom door only to see Kyoko Sakura wrapped in a towel standing by the window. She even had one foot on the windowsill and one hand on the frame, looking like she was about to jump out.
Mami sudden appearance made Kyoko freeze up, and the bird successfully made its escape.
Watching the bird, which was now nothing more than a receding silhouette, Kyoko clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Mami! If it wasn't for you, I would've caught that thing just now!"
"Caught what? Don't tell me a pervert climbed up the building to peep? That's impossible, right? My place is on a high floor."
"It was a bird. A weird bird. Black feathers, a pointy beak, a pretty big body, and it made this 'goo-goo' sound..."
Kyoko words left Mami completely bewildered because, as far as she knew, there weren't many birds that made a "goo-goo" sound, and even fewer with black feathers and a pointy beak. And besides—
"Why did you want to catch it?"
"I don't know. I guess I just didn't like the look of it?"
Kyoko answer caused two drops of cold sweat to roll down Mami forehead. For a moment, she didn't even know how to begin commenting on that.
Little did the two people in the room know that the "bird" that had just escaped currently had an expression of "pure relief" on its face.