In her heart, Homura had indeed labeled the naive and kind-hearted Madoka as "silly," but even she knew that was something you couldn't say out loud.
Fortunately, Madoka truly was good-natured. After glaring at her with puffed cheeks for a moment, she let it go.
At this point, Homura's attention was fully on Su Mo, awaiting his response.
To her, both Madoka and Su Mo were people who needed protecting, but Su Mo was also someone she could rely on, so her expectations were naturally different.
"So I have to notify you next time I see Kyubey? That's not a problem," Su Mo naturally had no reason to refuse such a small request.
Seeing Homura's relieved expression, he added, "However, regarding your attempt to run away from home, isn't it time we talked about the punishment?"
Hearing this, Homura's slender body stiffened slightly. She subconsciously lowered her head, feeling guilty.
"Punishment?" Madoka leaned in curiously.
"Mhm," Su Mo nodded. "Home isn't a place you can just come and go as you please. Now that our relationship is established, it's a contract and a bond. Wanting to leave the family just because of your own opinion would make you a rebellious bad child in any world, wouldn't it?"
"That's true," Madoka agreed with a nod. She imagined how anxious her own parents would be if she ran away from home. "So, Big Brother Su Mo, how are you going to punish Homura-chan?"
Homura immediately perked up her ears, listening intently.
Even with the power of a magical girl, even though she was confident she could easily defeat a hundred ordinary people like Su Mo, she had no intention of resisting his punishment, as she felt she deserved it.
"But still, Homura-chan only wanted to leave because she was trying to do what was best for us. Big Brother Su Mo's punishment won't be too harsh, right?" Madoka subconsciously tried to plead for Homura, earning a grateful look from her.
"Of course it won't be too harsh. I've never been a proponent of corporal punishment," Su Mo nodded, glancing at the two little ones before him. "However, even if you are a magical girl, Homura, you're still just a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl... Since you've gained the power of a magical girl and your health has recovered, isn't it time you fulfilled your social responsibilities?"
"Social responsibilities?" Madoka tilted her head, not understanding.
"Should I... make breakfast for... Father in the morning?" Homura asked after a moment of thought.
"I'm not talking about your social responsibility as a daughter. Although, is it the custom in this country for daughters to cook?" Su Mo shook his head and glanced at Madoka.
"Not really! In my house, my dad does the cooking, but in most cases, it's the mother or daughter," Madoka said, shaking her head. Then she asked curiously, "If it's not a daughter's responsibility, what is Lord Su Mo talking about?"
Homura also looked at him with a questioning gaze.
"School," Su Mo said succinctly. "At your age, at this stage of your life, how can you sleep at night without going to school?"
Honestly, if these magical girls had just read a few more books, they wouldn't have been scammed by Kyubey.
Then again, it was also possible that Kyubey specifically targeted these gullible kids, which was why it was always so successful.
"School? Yay! Is Homura-chan going to be in my class?" Madoka finally understood and cheered.
"...Mhm." After glancing at Su Mo, Homura nodded.
To protect Madoka, she had actually attended school many times. Since Su Mo was requesting it, she naturally wouldn't refuse.
"Then you two get some rest. In a few hours, we'll go take care of the paperwork," Su Mo said, looking at the time. It was only four-thirty in the morning.
The two girls had no objections.
Madoka, still in her pajamas, hugged a stuffed animal and immediately lay down. Homura, after a moment's hesitation, changed into her pajamas right in front of Su Mo.
She couldn't quite put her finger on her own thoughts. It was just that, in front of Big Brother Su Mo, she shouldn't have to worry too much... right?
With that thought, her cheeks flushing slightly, she rested her head on Su Mo's arm.
Watching the two girls hug him from either side, Su Mo was slightly taken aback. There was no shortage of rooms in the house.
The only reason the three of them were sleeping together was because Homura had clung to him after falling asleep and wouldn't let go.
But looking at them now, it seemed that even when they were awake, they planned to keep sleeping like this? Were all kids this fond of company?
---||---
Meanwhile, Homura, recalling the day's events, felt a rare sense of security and dependence after a hundred loops of wandering.
If it's Su Mo, he can definitely get more information from Kyubey, maybe even something related to Walpurgisnacht. If so, there's hope of ending the loop.
With this sense of peace, she was almost about to fall asleep again.
"Oh, right, Big Brother Su Mo!" Homura turned on her side, her eyes fixed on Su Mo's profile. "There's one more thing I forgot to tell you."
"What is it?" Su Mo asked.
"This!" Homura pulled a golden ring from the pocket of her folded clothes and showed it to Su Mo. After a moment's hesitation, she asked directly, "This is what you gave them, right, Lord Su Mo?"
As she spoke, she had a look of someone who wanted to say more but couldn't. Based on her earlier observations, the cult's base had clearly been the scene of a very unnatural slaughter.
And a massacre of that scale, without the presence of a witch or familiar, was clearly not their doing.
Her intuition told her that this seemingly ordinary ring was likely the cause.
Homura had no intention of blaming Su Mo.
They were all scumbags who died, and even if Su Mo hadn't done anything, she wouldn't have let them go.
It was just that, if this ring really did possess that kind of magical power... then did Su Mo, the one who gave it away, know about it?
And was Su Mo really the completely ordinary person she thought he was? If not, then this peaceful life, and the relationship between the three of them...
Thinking of this, a sudden, inexplicable panic gripped Homura's heart.
"No, it's nothing. Please pretend I didn't say anything."
When faced with a consequence they cannot bear, people often tend to bury their heads in the sand, believing that if they don't see it, it doesn't exist.
Homura had always found this ostrich-like behavior ridiculous, but now that it was her turn, she finally understood why people made that choice.
Some things, if you poke them, might reveal despair. But as long as you don't, there's still hope. In that case, it was better not to poke.
The warmth Su Mo had given her was too brilliant. So much so that even if it meant deceiving herself, deliberately ignoring the suspicious points, she was unwilling to think in a negative direction.
Maybe Big Brother Su Mo has his own reasons for keeping secrets?
For a moment, Homura's emotions were so tangled and conflicted that she couldn't even understand them herself. And just then, Su Mo spoke.
"The Gold of the Rhine, the Ring of the Nibelungs."
"What?" Homura asked instinctively, unfamiliar with the terms.
"That's what this ring represents. It's from the Norse myth, the Song of the Nibelungs," Su Mo said, patting Homura's head. "This is why I'm telling you to go to school and learn some proper knowledge."
"Oh!" Homura nodded blankly and obediently, but still didn't understand what he meant.
Seeing this, Su Mo explained further. "To those who harbor greed, this ring can bring them supreme status and wealth, but it will also attract the covetousness of countless others. Therefore, this blessing is also a curse. Those without the ability to resist the temptation of gold will all become captives of the ring, and then be crushed by the greed of the masses."
Only those who could resist the temptation of wealth could obtain true wealth. And clearly, there were no such people in the cult. So, after receiving this gift, the entire sect met with disaster.
Su Mo hadn't gone back on his word; he had bestowed the ring upon them. It was just that they were fated to be shallow and unlucky, unable to bear such a gift.
"..."
Hearing Su Mo's explanation, Homura looked up, her bright eyes meeting his directly, filled with surprise and relief. "Mhm, I understand, Big Brother Su Mo."
She nodded firmly, asking no more questions, her heart free of any doubt.
As for whether Su Mo possessed some special power? His frank attitude and sincere, open manner told her there was no need to ask further.
After all, if she wanted to know, Su Mo would tell her.
When it came to her family, what was there to doubt or worry about?