"This way, everyone!"
With the conflict resolved, Mami Tomoe demonstrated the demeanor of a true senpai, carrying herself with the poise of a young lady. She accompanied Su Mo's group all the way through the process of handling Homura's school enrollment.
Seeing that there was still some time before class, she invited them to her little secret base, the school's activity room. After expertly brewing several cups of black tea, she served it with snacks and smiled at them. "How is it?"
"It smells wonderful. Thank you for your hospitality, Mami-senpai," Madoka said gratefully after taking a sip of her tea.
"You're welcome. It's my pleasure to host a senior, a kouhai, and a colleague," Mami replied kindly, shaking her head. "If you don't mind, Madoka-san, you can just call me Mami-senpai! Perhaps we'll become even closer companions in the future!"
Yearning for friends, she hadn't given up on her plan to recruit Madoka.
"!"
At these words, Homura's sharp gaze shot over again. Although she knew Mami didn't mean any harm, this girl was almost always an obstacle to her plans. She had to be on her guard.
"Homura-chan, don't be like that!" Seeing her wary expression, Madoka helplessly tugged at her hand. "I don't know why you're so against it, but if you insist, I won't just become a magical girl without a special reason!"
Hearing this, Homura was taken aback, caught completely off guard. She turned to look at Madoka and asked, "Isn't becoming a magical girl something you've always dreamed of?"
Madoka's words were like hearing a little boy say he didn't want to be Kamen Rider; it just didn't feel real.
Faced with this question, Madoka replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Of course, being a magical girl is great, but there are other ways to help people in a cool way, right? Like being a mage, or a Pathstrider, or something..."
Here, she snuck a peek at Su Mo. "Being a shrine maiden would be nice too!"
She hadn't been able to grasp any special powers before because her world didn't have any valuable goods to offer.
But now things were different. With Su Mo's help, having stepped into the hidden world, Madoka believed she would sooner or later come into contact with valuable goods.
When that time came, she would only need to sell a few to gain the ability to step onto the path of the extraordinary.
Even if it wasn't becoming a magical girl, as long as she could wield similar powers, there wasn't much of a difference, right?
Besides, even without all that, if she could get a chance to be noticed by Lord Su Mo like Sister Kanae, she'd be willing to become a Demon Lord, let alone a magical girl!
"?"
Hearing the strange terms Madoka was using, Homura was a little confused. She never knew Madoka had a touch of chuunibyou. Then again, the desire to become a magical girl was pretty chuuni in itself.
While Homura's emotions had stabilized, Mami was getting a little anxious. She never expected the promising junior she had her eye on—a top prospect acknowledged by Kyubey itself—to change her mind so quickly.
"Madoka, is it really okay to change a life-altering decision just because of someone else's opinion?" she immediately interjected. "Even if you two are close, you can't let her interfere with, or even decide, your life. Is that really okay?"
She brought up the old point. Although the atmosphere was no longer tense and there was no risk of a fight, the confrontation was still there.
Hearing Mami's question, even Homura couldn't help but lower her head. She knew she was in the wrong, but this was something she had to do.
So even if Madoka came to hate her for it, she wouldn't change her decision.
However, just as she braced herself for that...
"I'm fine with it!" Madoka nodded without a second thought. Her words stunned both Mami and Homura.
They both stared at Madoka, wide-eyed, seriously doubting their own ears.
"Madoka, what did you say?" Mami asked in disbelief.
"I said I'm fine with it!" Madoka repeated her point with perfect clarity, her expression serious and matter-of-fact. "Important friends, important family... their existence is supposed to interfere with and influence your life, right?"
"I remember Big Brother Su Mo once said that interference is mutual."
"Because of my mom and dad, I've always been obedient and gone to school. Because I have to go to school, my mom and dad had to work hard and live in Mitakihara for over a decade. In the future, when my parents get old, I'll come home to take care of them..."
"Isn't it normal for your life to be interfered with and even guided by the people you care about?" she asked, looking at Mami with a completely baffled expression.
"If Big Brother Su Mo had a similar idea, I would listen to him too. No matter what he asked me to do, I know it would be for my own good... and it's the same with Homura-chan. Even though I don't know why she's stopping me, I trust that she would never hurt me."
"So, why should I resist them? If Big Brother Su Mo and Homura-chan are willing to give me their opinions, I'd be really happy!"
"..."
Hearing such incredibly naive and sincere words, Mami and Homura, who had been on the verge of clashing, couldn't help but look at each other and simultaneously stand down.
"Madoka really is a good kid," Mami sighed.
Homura nodded slightly, a rare moment of agreement with Mami.
"Oh, come on! You're giving me too much credit, Mami-senpai," Madoka said, looking a little bashful at the praise.
Seeing her shy expression only made Mami want this sweet girl to be her junior even more. But she didn't say it out loud. To influence this good-natured child, she first had to become a senior she could trust, and that clearly wasn't something that could be done in a short time.
Temporarily giving up on persuading Madoka, Mami turned to Su Mo and asked curiously, "By the way, may I ask, Mr. Su Mo, aren't you male? Why can you see Kyubey?"
Hearing this question, Madoka, who knew the reason, didn't react much, but Homura looked over with curiosity. Homura knew Su Mo was far from an ordinary person, but she didn't know what kind of power he possessed.
To this question, Su Mo gave the following answer: "The point isn't that I can see Kyubey, but that I let Kyubey see me."
"?"
At this moment, Su Mo didn't explain. Instead, he raised his head and looked towards the empty window of the activity room. "Since you're here, don't just stand there eavesdropping. You were the one who sent the invitation, isn't it a bit rude to be this late?"
At his words, everyone was taken aback and looked in the direction he was staring.
The next second, a mascot, pure white with a few pink markings and a pair of ruby-red eyes, leaped into view. Its appearance was cute, like a mascot, but meeting its gaze instilled a faint sense of unease.
The inorganic light that shone from those ruby eyes was less like that of a cute animal and more like a machine devoid of emotion.
"Kyubey? You're here already?" Mami recognized the creature and greeted it warmly.
"..."
Homura's eyes turned cold, but in front of Su Mo, she chose to be obedient and didn't attack the pest.
"Good morning, Su Mo-kun, Mami," Kyubey said, landing as lightly as a cat from the windowsill.
As if not noticing Homura's icy glare, it raised a paw and continued to greet them. "And Madoka, and the unknown magical girl. I am Kyubey, an Incubator for magical girls. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Homura, of course, ignored Kyubey's greeting.
"Hello," Madoka replied obediently. Noticing Homura's expression, she suppressed her curiosity and didn't show too much enthusiasm.
"A pleasure?" Only Su Mo, looking at the cause of all tragedies and the "villain" who had single-handedly pushed two multiverse-level beings into existence, showed a look of interest. "You Incubators don't have emotions, do you?" he asked.
Hearing this, Kyubey's ears twitched, and it answered seriously, "That is correct. I do not possess the mechanism for emotion. However, according to human social etiquette, 'it's a pleasure' is generally used in situations advantageous to oneself to express affirmation of one's current state. Su Mo-kun, I haven't used that incorrectly, have I?" As it spoke, it even asked Su Mo if its usage was correct.
"Logically sound, factually incorrect," Su Mo said casually. "After all, you don't actually have emotions. The reason you borrow human grammar and mimic the movements of cats, dogs, or babies is to lower human alert to the greatest extent, thereby reducing the cost of establishing trust, isn't it?"
Like the lure of an anglerfish, such human-like behavior was merely a deceptive bait. Just because Kyubey couldn't lie didn't mean it couldn't achieve the effect of a lie.
"I cannot refute your point." Kyubey tilted its head, its ruby eyes showing an inorganic luster. "It seems that strategy is ineffective against you, Su Mo-kun."
"No need to test me. You specially invited me here, surely not to ask about things like this?" Su Mo said, shaking his head and getting straight to the point.
"Mhm." Kyubey shook its head and spoke. "Regarding the method of saving the universe that you mentioned earlier, Su Mo-kun, I have many unanswered questions."
"You also seem to be very interested in the origins of us Incubators, Su Mo-kun. If possible, I would like to exchange information with you and establish a friendly collaboration."
Judging that this person was not the easily-fooled type like the magical girls, Kyubey quickly got to the point and stated its purpose.