"..."
Faced with Madoka's question, Homura remained silent.
"I knew it," Madoka said, lightly biting her lip. "Something that could drive even Mami-senpai to such despair couldn't be a small matter. According to what Kyubey said, if no one interferes, you'll eventually become a witch too, won't you, Homura-chan?"
"..."
Hearing this, Homura still did not answer. Unlike Mami, she had known this fact for a long time and had long since accepted this fate. As long as Madoka and Su Mo were safe, what happened to her didn't matter.
As if sensing this thought, Madoka's gaze grew even more determined. "No matter what, we have to change this outcome!"
Homura was her friend now. She couldn't just stand by and watch her friend walk towards such an end.
Madoka's sentiment was perfectly reasonable, but at this moment, Homura suddenly grew anxious.
"No!" she suddenly raised her head and said loudly to Madoka. "This is my own business. It has nothing to do with you, Madoka. I don't need your interference—"
Hearing this cold rejection, not only Madoka, but even the supposedly unconscious Mami twitched slightly, as if finding it utterly unbelievable.
Everyone had seen how Homura treated Su Mo and Madoka. Even though she seemed quiet and reserved, she cared for them deeply. How could a Homura like that bring herself to say such harsh words to Madoka?
This strange phenomenon was just as surprising to Madoka as it was to the others. She didn't feel any resentment towards Homura because of it, but was simply confused. "Homura-chan, why are you so upset?"
Looking at her innocent face, Homura bit her lip, not fooled by Madoka's expression. "I said, I don't need anyone's help. Especially not yours, Madoka!" she said in an unusually firm tone. "If you're planning on saving me by making a wish to Kyubey like you did before, I would rather die with Mami than accept that kind of kindness!"
As she said this, Homura's body trembled slightly, as if she were reliving painful memories from the past.
In previous loops, Madoka had also discovered the truth about witches many times.
However, unlike Mami who had a breakdown upon learning the truth, the overly kind Madoka had tried to save those witches and magical girls, including Homura herself.
While the transformation from magical girl to witch was irreversible, the wish made when becoming a magical girl was also irreversible. By using this bug to her advantage, Madoka had found a way to save others. But the price was herself.
That was why Homura had never wanted Madoka to know the truth, why she had never been honest with her. She knew that if she told Madoka about the loops, Madoka would believe her.
But once she believed, with her personality, she would want to save Homura from the loops.
The very action that was meant to save Madoka would end up forcing Madoka to save her by becoming a magical girl. That was completely putting the cart before the horse.
To prevent this from happening, Homura made her declaration in advance, using what happened with Mami as a threat. She would absolutely not accept salvation in the form of sacrifice.
In the previous loops, Homura's judgment was perfectly correct. But this time...
"Huh?" Madoka was momentarily stunned before she understood Homura's meaning. "You mean, you're worried I'll make a wish to Kyubey to save you, so you're using Mami-senpai to threaten me not to do it?" she asked for confirmation.
Mami, who had been dragged into this, twitched again but didn't dare open her eyes to refute. After all, what she had done earlier was indeed not a very human thing to do.
"That's right," Homura nodded frankly. "Don't tell me you weren't thinking that, Madoka. No one knows you better than I do!" Having witnessed so many endings, she wouldn't be so easily deceived.
However...
"Homura-chan, I think you've misunderstood something," Madoka said, scratching her head. She then looked at Su Mo. "This time, I really wasn't planning on sacrificing myself or making a wish or anything."
This time, Homura really was mistaken. After all...
"Isn't Big Brother Su Mo here?" Madoka said seriously, stating the obvious fact that Homura had subconsciously ignored. "If you want to make a wish, isn't it faster to just ask Big Brother Su Mo instead of that untrustworthy Kyubey?"
"Look, even if you do turn into a witch, with Big Brother Su Mo's help, you can just become his familiar... you wouldn't mind that, would you, Homura-chan?"
Hearing this question, Homura subconsciously shook her head. She was already Su Mo's daughter, so becoming his servant was nothing. Switching her address from "Father" to "Master" didn't seem to pose any obstacle.
But right now, that wasn't the issue. The issue was...
"That's an option?!" Mami, on her deathbed, sat bolt upright, no longer able to feign unconsciousness. She shot up from the sofa.
Upon learning the truth about witches, she was the one who had been the most devastated, the most despairing. Mami couldn't imagine how many magical girls, how many humans, she would harm after falling into witchhood.
Completely disillusioned with the identity of a magical girl, it was out of a desire to prevent others from facing this despair that she had wanted to commit suicide along with all the magical girls present.
After waking up, although she knew her choice had been too extreme, she didn't regret it. It was only when Madoka pointed this out that she realized how foolish she had been.
That's right! Before she even knew the true nature of magical girls, hadn't Su Mo personally demonstrated how to save a witch who had lost her sanity?
Even if the price was her freedom, even if she would become Su Mo's familiar, wasn't that infinitely better than becoming a true monster or committing suicide?
Not just her, but even Homura hadn't thought of this before. After realizing Madoka's true meaning, she also froze in place.
"Oh, right! There's still Big Brother Su Mo!"
Unlike Madoka, after a hundred loops, she had subconsciously come to believe that these rules were unchangeable, that these shackles were unbreakable. But for Madoka, all the rules, all the dilemmas of this world, could be solved by one person.
Su Mo.
So, upon learning of Homura's situation, she didn't immediately think of sacrificing herself as Homura had feared. Instead, her first thought was of Su Mo.
After all, when it came to making wishes, anything Kyubey could do, Su Mo could definitely do, and he would absolutely do it better.
With that one sentence, Madoka, Mami, and Homura all turned their gazes to Su Mo, their eyes burning with anticipation, waiting for his answer. It was as if they were afraid he would say no.
Beside them, the little white-haired girl blinked and followed suit, looking at Su Mo. She didn't know why everyone was doing it, but keeping in formation probably wasn't a mistake.
Faced with everyone's expectant gazes, Su Mo nodded slightly. "If it's just the few of you, there's no problem. Whether it's maintaining your status as magical girls or retaining your sanity after falling into witchhood, it's a simple matter."
Hearing this, Homura's eyes flashed with utter joy. To be honest, after nearly a hundred loops, her Soul Gem had been accumulating despair at an increasingly rapid rate. Even with frequent purification, it was becoming difficult to bear.
Su Mo's words shattered her last hidden fear, almost completely fulfilling her wish. She wouldn't fall into witchhood, Madoka wouldn't become a magical girl, and they could live with Su Mo forever. Could there be anything happier in the world?
"Su Mo-senpai... thank you," Mami said, filled with gratitude at Su Mo's promise. She never imagined there could be such a perfect solution.
For other magical girls, there might still be some hesitation; after all, becoming someone's familiar meant offering up your entire being. But for Mami, this was a good thing.
Her ability being ribbons, her true wish was to form a forced connection with others. Even if that connection was a master-servant contract, she wouldn't mind. In fact, having Su Mo as her master would make her feel at ease. At least they would have an unbreakable bond. In a way, Mami had a certain M-tendency.
"Thank you, Big Brother Su Mo!" Like Homura and Mami, Madoka was naturally overjoyed now that a major problem had been solved.
However, just as Homura thought she was about to start living a dream-like life, Madoka thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "When you said 'just the few of us,' did you mean that even you can only save a small number of magical girls?"
Hearing this, Homura's heart skipped a beat. She sensed trouble. Don't tell me Madoka has started to feel pity for the other magical girls too?