Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The poor girl’s tears tasted of salt as they dripped down her cheeks into her mouth, held open as she panted heavily. The blaring alarm drowned out the sound of her quiet sobs as she frantically trotted down a winding staircase. Her heart was heavy with grief, but there was no time for her to mourn.

ZAP

“Kyaa!” The girl cried as she narrowly avoided a red beam of energy.

She looked over her shoulder and saw her pursuer, a figure clad in all black, its face hidden behind a beaked mask with red accents that glowed in the dim light of the stairwell. The pursuer aimed its laser blaster at her and fired two more shots, the girl just barely managing to avoid them as she continued fleeing down the staircase. Her pursuer kept firing at her as it descended the staircase after her. It was closing in quickly, but she managed to reach the bottom first and exited the stairwell.

Doors lined the hallway she found herself in, four on each side, along with a single door on each end. With no time to catch her breath, the girl closed the door behind her and dashed down the hallway. Unfortunately, a second masked figure appeared from the door on the opposite end, followed by a third from one of the doors on the side. The girl just barely managed to duck under the two shots fired from their laser blasters before running back the way she came. She didn’t make it very far before the figure that chased her down the stairwell entered the hall as well, the girl letting out a frightened whimper as she realized that she was cornered.

The girl looked back and forth frantically as all three pursers had their blasters trained on her, ready to fire. She narrowly avoided the blasts by slipping into the door closest to her, running with all of her might through the maze of maintenance hallways that she found herself in. Even with the alarm blaring in the background, she could hear the loud footsteps of her pursers echoing from all directions, alerting the winded girl that they were closing in on her.

“It’s no use… I can’t outrun them… I have to hide.” The girl said through heavy pants.

At the end of the corridor, she saw a door that seemed to her like a supply closet. She quickly made her way over, but upon opening the door she was blinded by the bright light within. Once her eyes adjusted, she found herself not in a cramped supply closet, but standing on a white stone platform, overlooking a great expanse of red stone under a pure white sky. She was surrounded by a lattice of stone walkways and staircases, leading up, down, left, and right, to a multitude of doors that were suspended in midair.

“Huh? It can’t be… this is…”

The girl looked around in awe. She had only ever heard of this place, this spacious void that connected her world to theirs. She knew that most of the entrances were connected to the Stomach Inc. headquarters, but she never expected to just happen upon one as she was running for her life. Her moment of disbelief was interrupted as she heard the sound of heavy boots landing on stone. She nervously peaked over the edge of the walkway she stood on, expecting to see somebody walking on the next one below her. Instead, she saw one of her masked pursuers standing upside-down, in open defiance of gravity, on the other side of her walkway. Upon spotting her, the pursuer shot three laser blasts through the walkway, the girl falling on her behind as she leaned back to avoid them.

She clumsily rose to her feet and ran down the walkway, nearly losing her footing whenever she narrowly avoided a laser blast shot through the floor. Once she got to the end, she was confronted by another masked pursuer that hopped onto her platform from the one above them. The girl immediately made a sharp turn and climbed onto the nearby staircase, only for the masked figure to leap over her and deftly fire at her in midair. In avoiding the blast, the girl lost her footing, tripping over her own feet off the side of the stone stairs. Thankfully, the odd gravity of the space allowed her to gently fall onto a floating door just below her. The doorframe glowed, as if recognizing the girl’s presence, and before she could reorient herself, the door opened beneath her, and the girl fell through it.

The girl’s terrified screams were completely drowned out by the sound of aircraft engines. The other side of that door connected to the emergency exit of an airplane that was currently flying 35 thousand feet above the ground. The girl’s arms and legs flailed in the air as she frantically tried to reorient herself in her freefall. As she forced her eyes open, her panic suddenly vanished as she took in her new surroundings. She was surrounded by twinkling lights, from above and below, a breathtaking sight that made it difficult for her to tell the sky and ground apart at first. Unlike the sky filled with buildings that she was used to; the sky here was pitch black and filled with countless little motes of light. Not to be outdone by the brilliant sky, the ground was illuminated by golden lights in all directions, some spilling from the various buildings that made up the city, while others moved around on the roads between them, the headlights of vehicles the girl could only assume.

“This is… the world where Mom came from… the world where… she is…”

Upon this revelation, the mental and physical fatigue finally took the girl. Her eyes closed shut, losing consciousness as she fell to the earth, to the fairytale world that she had only ever seen in her dreams.

“Here you are young lady, enjoy.”

“Thank you very much!” A young girl in a middle school uniform said with a beaming smile as she accepted the plastic bag from the candy store cashier. Her smile widened as she took a peek inside, it was filled with little packets of gummy candies, and several lollipops of all different colors. It took all of her restraint to prevent herself from digging in right then and there.

The girl practically skipped out of the store, her pink hair, tied into twin pigtails, bobbing up and down with each happy stride. Her destination was a music store across the street, where she saw a familiar head of blue hair wrapping up a purchase of her own at the cashier within.

“Oh, Madoka! There you are.” The blunette said as she met with her friend outside the store. “Whatcha’ got there?”

“The candy store across the street was giving away free samples.” Madoka said, showing off her haul. “I’m gonna share them with Takkun later.”  

“Wow, looks tasty! Oh, I call dibs on the blue lollipop!” The blunette said as she snatched the treat from the bag.

“Hey!”

“Haha, you snooze you lose!” The girl said with a playful grin before running off with her prize.

“Sayaka-chan! At least ask first!” Madoka whined before chasing after her, the two girls giggling with delight all the way to the crosswalk. “What about you, Sayaka-chan? Did you find what you were looking for?”

“You bet! My hunch was right, that music store had a great selection, I was spoiled for choice!” Sayaka said, waving her own plastic bag that held the CD she just purchased.

“That’s great! I hope Kamijou-kun enjoys it.” Madoka replied with a knowing smile.

“Haha… yeah, so do I.” Sayaka agreed, her cheeks flushing as she hugged the bag to her chest lovingly.

“Meow!”

“Huh? Oh, Amy!” Madoka cried with delight as she saw a familiar black cat approach her from down the street. “Long time, no see! How are you?” She cooed as she kneeled down to greet the cat. The stray feline purred as Madoka pet it, a privilege that many young girls in the area would be jealous of, the skittish cat not being one to allow strangers to get very close to her.

“Geez Madoka, that cat really seems to like you.” Sayaka commented with poorly masked envy.

“Nah, I think she just smells Papa’s cooking on me.” Madoka replied.

“Meow!”

“Huh? What’s wrong girl?” Madoka said as Amy tugged at the sleeve of Madoka’s school uniform with her mouth.

Having earned the girl’s attention, Amy scampered away. She stopped and looked back at Madoka and Sayaka, meowing at them urgently before turning the corner.

“Do you think she wants us to follow her?” Sayaka wondered.

“I guess so?”

The two girls exchanged an uncertain glance before deciding to give chase. They followed the scampering little cat to a nearby riverbank before losing sight of her.

“Where did she go?” Madoka said quizzically.

“I don’t know. Hey! Amy! Here kitty, kitty!” Sayaka called as she and Madoka looked around for the cat. “Huh… that’s… Madoka, over there, look!”

“What?”

Madoka looked to where Sayaka was pointing. Madoka felt a moment of relief as she saw Amy lounging by the riverbank, safe and sound. However, the same couldn’t be said for the person that she saw washed up on the bank right by Amy’s side.

“Oh no!”

Madoka and Sayaka rushed down the riverbank to the washed-up victim. The long hair tied up in twin braids suggested that she was a girl, face down in the sand of the bank as the flowing river water lapped at her unconscious body.

“H-Hello? Can you hear me? Please wake up, please be ok!” Madoka said as she knelt beside the girl and tried to shake her awake.

“Is she… is she breathing?” Sayaka inquired.

“I… I don’t know.” Madoka whimpered.

“Hang on, I’ll call an ambulance!” Sayaka said, fumbling to reach for her phone.

GROWL~

“…Huh?”

Madoka and Sayaka’s panic was instantly undermined at the familiar sound of a stomach growling. The girl at their feet rustled in the water before raising her head with a whimper.

“Ugh… I’m so hungry~.”

“Thank goodness, she’s alive!” Madoka and Sayaka sighed with relief.

It was at this moment that the girl noticed Madoka and Sayaka’s presence. She raised her head, got a good look at her rescuers… and let out a frightened shriek before sitting upright and scooting away from them.

“W-W-What is… who are… P-Please don’t hurt me!” The girl pleaded as she cowered in the sand on the riverbank.

Madoka and Sayaka could now get a good look at the strange girl they had rescued. She wore a sky-blue hoody with bright yellow trim, the yellow zipper strangely running horizontally across the girl’s chest at a slight angle, rather than vertically down her torso. She wore yellow shorts and white knee-high socks with colorful tennis shoes on her feet. Her long black hair was tied in a pair of braids, held together by scrunchies made up of yellow spheres that matched the yellow headband on her head. She looked up at them with vibrant purple eyes behind a pair of red glasses, the lenses of which were stained with droplets of river water.

“W-Wait, please calm down! I promise we’re not going to hurt you.” Madoka quickly reassured the girl.

“Huh… y-you aren’t?”

“Of course not. Honest.”

“Yeah, we just found you here washed up on the riverbank. Or rather, Amy did.” Sayaka explained, the cat meowing in agreement.

The girl looked between her three rescuers, a quizzical look on her face before she eventually let out a sigh of relief.

“R-Right, of course, you two aren’t…”

GROWL~

The girl let out an embarrassed whimper at the sound of her own stomach growling, to which Madoka and Sayaka traded an amused giggle.

“Sounds to me like somebody skipped lunch.” Sayaka playfully teased.

“I’m sorry.” The girl bashfully apologized.

“Here, can you stand?” Madoka asked as she and Sayaka offered the girl a hand. She was hesitant, but she accepted the gesture and allowed them to hoist her back to her feet. “Come on, let’s go fill that empty belly of yours.”

…

…

“Wow! Everything’s so big and colorful!” The girl gushed as she followed Madoka and Sayaka through Mitakihara City. Her eyes were wide and filled with wonder as she took in her new surroundings.

“You don’t get out much, do you?” Sayaka jabbed.

“Oh! S-Sorry, I’ve just never walked around a big city like this before, I guess I just got… carried away.” The girl apologized, immediately reining in her giddy excitement for a more reserved demeanor. “Um, I appreciate you looking after me in my time of need, I apologize for being such an inconvenience.”

“H-Hey, come on, I was just teasing. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Sayaka insisted.

“Yeah, you don’t have to apologize, we’re happy to help.” Madoka assured. “By the way, my name is Kaname Madoka, but you can call me Madoka.” She introduced herself with a smile.

“I’m Miki Sayaka.” Sayaka added.

“What’s your name?” Madoka asked.

“Uh… Honoka Sto-…” The girl paused, an apprehensive look on her face.

“Honoka Suto?” Sayaka repeated the strange sounding name quizzically.

“Um, no I mean… I-Inoue! My name is Inoue Honoka.” Honoka corrected.

“Inoue Honoka-chan, got it!” Madoka said.

“Meow!”

“Oh, right, and this little one is Amy!” Madoka introduced the cat that walked on the nearby fence. “She was actually the one who found you.”

“She was?” Honoka said, Amy meowing as if to confirm.

“Yep, saw you passed out by the riverbank and brought us straight to ya.” Sayaka confirmed.

“Guess she saw that you were in trouble and wanted to help.” Madoka said.

“Oh, well, t-thank you very much, Amy.” Honoka gave the cat a formal bow.

“Meow!”

“Kya!” Honoka let out a surprised gasp as Amy leapt off the fence and landed right into her arms.

“Whoa!” Madoka and Sayaka both said in unison.

“I’ve never seen Amy leap into somebody’s arms like that!” Madoka said.

“Tch, and she won’t even let me pet her half the time.” Sayaka said with a sarcastic pout.

“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to handle her without permission!” Honoka frantically apologized. “Here, you can have her back!”

“Nah, it’s fine, it’s not like she’s ours anyway.” Sayaka admitted.

“Huh? She’s not?”

“Amy’s actually a stray cat that lives on the streets around here.” Madoka explained. “She’s usually shy around people, but sometimes she lets people she recognizes get close, and even pet her. Try scratching her behind the ears, she really loves that.”

“Behind her ears?” Honoka looked down at the furry little creature in her arms. She hesitated for a moment before doing as instructed, scratching behind Amy’s ears which resulted in her purring in satisfaction. “Wow! She’s vibrating!”

“See, I told you!”

“I see, so this is a cat.” Honoka said under her breath, looking down at Amy with eyes full of wonder and intrigue. “It’s so cute!”

“So, Honoka, what are you in the mood to eat?” Sayaka asked.

“Huh? Oh, anything’s fine, really! I don’t want to impose on you any more than I already have.” Honoka insisted.

“Hmm, then… oh! How about we eat at this cake shop.” Madoka suggested, drawing the girls’ attention to the shop that they were about to pass.

The sign read “Récompense”, and through the window they could see sets of tables and chairs for people to sit and eat at, as well as a young girl with wild green hair and clad in a cute uniform serving cake and drinks to a table of customers.

“Oh yeah, I think I’ve heard of this place. It’s supposed to be really good, let’s go!” Sayaka enthusiastically agreed.

As they approached the shop, Amy suddenly jumped out of Honoka’s arms and scampered off.

“D-Did I do something wrong?” Honoka asked.

“No, Amy just doesn’t like being indoors very much.” Madoka explained.

“Oh, I see.” Honoka said.

“Meow!”

Honoka gave a wave goodbye to Amy as she began to cross the street. Before she could follow Madoka and Sayaka inside, she spotted a car driving up the street toward them. Her eyes widened in concern as she realized that the vehicle wasn’t showing any signs of slowing down, barreling towards the crosswalk where Amy was still casually making her way across the street.

“Look out!” Honoka cried as she rushed out into the street.

“Honoka-chan?” Madoka said at the sudden outburst.

“What’s going… hey, wait, the car!” Sayaka shouted as she realized what was happening.

With no time to spare, Honoka ran to Amy and shielded her with her body, holding the small animal tightly in hopes of protecting it from the coming collision.

“Amy! Honoka-chan! NO!!” Madoka cried, powerless to do anything but watch as the girl she had just rescued was hit by the speeding car.

CRASH!

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the front of the car crumpled upon contact with Honoka. The girl didn’t move an inch, stopping the car dead in its tracks. The glass of the front windshield shattered into countless small fragments, both from the collision, and from the driver being flung out of the vehicle, steering wheel still in hand.

“EEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH!!!?” Madoka and Sayaka both shouted, completely shocked by the improbable scene of carnage before them.

Before the driver could meet his grizzly end as a skid mark on the pavement, Honoka stood up and grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar, before gently lowering him down onto the ground.

“Phew, that was close.” Honoka sighed. She looked down at the shivering cat in her arms, her lips curling into a relieved smile once she saw that she was unharmed. “Don’t worry, Kaname-san, Miki-san, Amy is ok.” She assured the other girls.

Her beaming smile was met with incredulous looks from Madoka and Sayaka, their mouths agape and eyes wide as saucers as they looked upon the girl that had just come out of a head on collision with a speeding car completely unscathed.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Honoka said quizzically. It was then that she finally looked back at the car she had totaled, its shattered headlights blinking before fizzling out and a plume of smoke spewing from the smashed engine. “…WHAT!? D-Did I do this?”

“Wait, why are you surprised by this!?” Sayaka shouted.

“Um, uh… I-I’m so sorry, sir!” Honoka said, bowing apologetically to the stunned driver. “I had no idea that your carriage was so fragile.”

“FRAGILE!?” Sayaka cried incredulously.

“S-Sayaka-chan, please calm down!” Madoka pleaded.

It was then that Sayaka noticed that a small crowd was beginning to form around the scene of the accident. Passing by pedestrians, customers from Récompense, and even the waitress girl and the pâtissier from the shop were all gawking at them.

“Oof… yeah, we need to bail.” Sayaka said.

“Honoka-chan, this way!” Madoka said as she grabbed the confused Honoka and guided her away as the three girls fled the scene.

Somewhere in the unsuspecting city of Mitakihara, a seemingly ordinary man walked the crowded streets, his head held down and clutching the flaps of his unclosed jacket close to this chest. He made certain that he held nobody’s attention before ducking into a nearby ally and then climbed the staircase of the emergency exit of a public parking garage. Waiting at the top was an individual clad in all black, their face hidden behind a beaked mask with red glowing accents. The man smirked at the sight of the Agent, before pulling out a bouquet of oblong glass shards, each one wrapped in a strange rubbery string.

“Here’s today’s haul.” The man said as he handed over his presses.

The Agent looked them over as they received them. Each glass press depicted a human, some smiling serenely, others laughing uproariously, but all seemed to be in fairly high spirits. There were four presses in total, containing humans of all shapes and sizes, not a frowning face among them.

“Good work.” The Agent said in a distorted voice. “Your payment.” They then handed the man a single square box, black in color with a silver logo emblazoned on top, a caricature of a piece of candy with bat wings and a sinister smile.

“This is it?” The man said as he received the box with a dissatisfied scowl. “Give me more!” He irritably demanded, only to look up and see the Agent was nowhere to be seen.

The man swore under his breath as he begrudgingly opened the little box. Inside was a dark gelatinous cube with the same logo pressed into it. The man’s mouth salivated at the sight of the confection, taking all of his willpower not to just gobble it up right then and there.

“Tch, “snag more to snack more”, is it?” The man lamented before putting the treat back into its box and descending the stairs in a huff.

The girls huffed and puffed as they finally found a secluded place to hide, a little clubhouse in a nearby empty park. Madoka and Sayaka haphazardly set down their school bags, their contents spilling out, before peeking through the little windows to check for any curious pursuers.

“Alright, I think we’re safe.” Sayaka said.

“Phew, I really didn’t want to have to try to explain to the police what happened back there.” Madoka lamented. “And it looks like Amy wondered off too.”

“Tch, cheeky little cat, ditching us as soon as its convenient for her.”

“I-I’m sorry, Miki-san, Kaname-san.” Honoka said in a whimpering voice, regaining the girls’ attention. “You two have been so kind to me today, and all I’ve done is make trouble for you. I guess I… really am just a burden.” Tears began welling up in Honoka’s eyes, her bottom lip quivering as she wallowed in her disappointment with herself.

“N-No, don’t cry Honoka-chan!” Madoka said in a futile attempt to comfort her.

GROWL~

“And I’m still hungry~!” Honoka whined, clutching her empty belly.

“Aw man, what are we gonna do?” Sayaka pondered.

“Hmm… oh, I know!” Madoka reached into the bag of snacks that had spilled out of her school bag and pulled out a pack of gummies. “Here, you can have this.”

“Huh?” Honoka took the little red bag and examined it. It was labeled in colorful bubble letters with the words “Poppin Gummy”, and it had a window that showed the little purple and orange pieces of candy inside. “This is…”

“They’re snacks that I was going to bring home to my little brother. It’s not much, but please, have some.” Madoka offered with a smile.

“I see, so these are snacks…” Honoka said, looking at the little bag of gummies with curiosity. “A-Are you sure it’s ok for me to…”

GROWL~

Honoka’s humble protests were interrupted by another rumble of her stomach, the girl’s face going red with embarrassment.

“I don’t think you’re in any position to refuse.” Sayaka said.

“It’s ok. Go ahead, eat up.” Madoka insisted.

“…Ok then.” Honoka finally relented. She tore a small opening into the bag and pulled out one of the gummies inside. It was purple in color and shaped like a round head with two little horns on the top. “T-Thank you for the food.” Honoka said before popping the gummy in her mouth.

She fell silent as she chewed on the piece of candy, savoring the unique flavor before swallowing it. Honoka felt like she was struck with a bolt of lightning, her eyes widening as she let out a giddy moan.

“Yummy~!” She cooed as a wide smile found its way onto her face. “A squishy texture that slowly comes apart with each bite, filling my whole mouth with its juicy sweetness! Wait, I know what this is. This is… a gummy! This is a gummy, isn’t it?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right, it’s a gummy.” Madoka said, a little surprised by the sudden and drastic shift in Honoka’s demeanor.

“I knew it! This is a gummy!” Honoka pulled out another gummy, an orange one this time, and popped it in her mouth. “Wow! This one tastes different!”

“Well, yeah. That one was orange flavored, and the one you had before was grape.” Sayaka explained.

“I see, so there are all different kinds!” Honoka said, eyes wide with wonder, before popping another gummy in her mouth. “Mmm~… I wonder what other flavors there are!”

Madoka and Sayaka couldn’t help but smile as they watched the strange girl they had picked up happily munch on her gummies. They traded an amused giggle with each other before Sayaka reached into Madoka’s bag of treats and pulled out a pink lollipop.

“Here, try one of these.” Sayaka said, offering the candy to Honoka.

“Huh? What is it?”

“This is called a lollipop. It’s a candy that you lick until it all melts on your tongue.” Sayaka explained as she removed the plastic wrap and handed the candy to Honoka.

“You lick it?” Honoka examined the candy curiously, peering through its translucent surface before giving it a tentative lick. “Wow! This one’s yummy too!” She cried in delight before giving it another few licks. “The sweet flavor coats my tongue with every lick. So tasty!” She looked down at the two half-finished treats in her hands, eyes sparkling and a wide smile on her face. “I see, so these are human snacks. They’re sooooo good~!” She declared, clutching her treats to her chest almost lovingly.

“Gehihihi! I’m glad you enjoyed them.” Madoka said, delighted in Honoka’s delight. Suddenly, her attention was drawn from Honoka’s beaming smile to a small object that fell onto the ground, seemingly dropped from Honoka’s person. “Honoka-chan, I think you dropped something.”

“Huh? I did?” Honoka said quizzically as she looked around for what could have been dropped.

CLANK

CLANK

CLANK

“Hey, hold on, what’s up with your belly?” Sayaka said as she noticed a subtle rustling from under Honoka’s hoodie.

Honoka looked down at her belly with confusion. Curious, she pulled up her hoodie to reveal that protruding from her abdomen was what appeared to be a mechanical mouth, its upper jaw opening and closing as if it was trying to chew something. No longer restricted by the garment, the mouth suddenly opened wide, and in a flash of light, out popped a strange little box shaped creature, letting out a content little cheer as it was birthed into the world.

“WHOA!!” The three girls gasped.

“Again, why are you surprised!?” Sayaka said, somehow more baffled by Honoka’s shared surprise than by anything else.

Before Honoka could answer, several more of the little creatures popped out of the mechanical mouth one after another. Honoka managed to grab one out of the air and held it in her hand for the three of them to see. Upon closer examination, the creature seemed to be shaped like a snack packet, the label on it reading “Poppin Gummy” in identical font to the treat of the same name. The label also featured a round purple face with a pair of cartoonish pink eyes that looked around curiously at its new surroundings.

“It’s alive?” Sayaka said in amazement.

“What are they?” Madoka wondered.

“I think… these might be my minions.” Honoka said.

“What do you mean by “minion”?”

“They’re like little assistants that help me out and do things for me.” Honoka explained, watching as the little minion danced in her hand. “I see… so I can make them after all.” Honoka looked back at the bag of gummies in her other hand with a satisfied smile. “Probably thanks to your snacks, Kaname-san!”

“I-Is that so?”

Madoka and Sayaka traded confused looks with each other, the strangeness of the girl they had rescued reaching the point where they could no longer ignore it.

“Hey, uh, not to pry or anything, but… you’re, like, totally not human, are you?” Sayaka awkwardly asked.

“Huh? Wait, y-you could tell?” Honoka replied nervously.

“Of course! It’s totally obvious!” Sayaka declared. “We’d have to be blind not to notice, right Madoka?”

“Well… yeah, it is pretty hard to miss.” Madoka admitted. “For one thing, most humans don’t have mouths on their stomachs.”

“Oh, right…” Honoka said, patting her stomach with a solemn look on her face. “That’s right, I’m not human. The truth is I’m… well, I guess you could say I’m something like an alien.”

“An alien?” Madoka repeated in shock.

“Like from outer space? Like from another planet?” Sayaka asked.

“Um, more like from another dimension, I think.” Honoka corrected, only furthering the girls’ shock and amazement. “Where I come from, everyone has a second mouth on their stomachs. We call them gavvs.”

Honoka pulled up her hoodie to reveal her gavv. It was primarily made of a glossy red metal, its maw lined with a single row of bronze teeth on the upper and lower jaw, with a pink tongue visible from inside its open bite. The top jaw had two rivets screwed to the front that looked almost like a pair of eyes, and the black hinge had a crank extending out from the right-hand side, and a pink button on the left.

“Wow, an alien from another dimension!” Madoka said as she gazed in awe at Honoka’s gavv. “Then, what are you doing here on Earth?”

“Eh? Oh, uh, that’s…” Honoka hesitated to answer, quickly hiding her gavv again and turning her gaze to the ground. “Well, the simple answer is I’m looking for someone.”

“Looking for someone? For who?”

“She’s my…”

PING

“Oh, sorry, that’s me.” Sayaka said, pulling out her smartphone and opening the message she had just received. “It’s Hitomi, she says she’s already at the hospital.”

“Hospital? I-Is everything ok?” Honoka asked in concern.

“Yeah, everything’s fine, we’re just visiting a friend that’s recovering from an injury, that’s all.” Sayaka explained. “Mmm… maybe I should just say that something came up and I can’t make it.”

“N-No, please don’t cancel your plans on my account!” Honoka said. “If your friends are expecting you, then you should go see them.”

“Hey, it’s all good. I mean, I can go see Kyousuke any time, but it’s not every day you get to show an alien from another dimension around town. Really… it’s fine.” Sayaka weakly assured.

“It’s clearly not fine!” Honoka called the blunette out.

“Well, I was just planning on going straight home, so why don’t I stay to help Honoka-chan, and Sayaka-chan can go meet Hitomi-chan and Kamijou-kun.” Madoka suggested.

“Really? You’d do that Madoka?” Sayaka said.

“Yeah, I still have some time before curfew, so I can help out.”

“That’s my Madoka! Such a good girl!” Sayaka cooed as she wrapped her arms around Madoka in a tight embrace, which Madoka playfully struggled against.

“…No, that’s ok, you don’t have to, Kaname-san.” Honoka spoke up, surprising Madoka and Sayaka.

“What? But don’t you want help finding your friend?” Madoka asked.

“I suppose, but I have the entire human world to search, it’s not exactly something that can be done in an afternoon. You both have already done so much for me; I don’t want to bother you anymore than I already have.” Honoka insisted.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, please don’t worry about me. I promise I’ll be fine on my own.”

Despite Honoka’s assurance, Madoka still didn’t feel right just leaving her in her hour of need. But she also acknowledged that she probably couldn’t have helped her much anyway, not with finding a single person in such a large city like Mitakihara. Still, she wanted to offer whatever assistance she could, and after a moment of thought, she picked up her bag of snacks and handed it to Honoka.

“Here, you can have the rest of my snacks.”

“Huh? But weren’t they for your little brother?” Honoka recalled.

“It’s fine, you clearly need them more than we do. Please, take them!” Madoka said, holding out the bag for Honoka to take.

“…W-Well, if you insist.” Honoka said, trying and failing to stifle her beaming smile as she accepted the bag. “Thank you so much for all of your help, I hope I’ll get to repay you both someday.” She said with an appreciative bow.

“Don’t mention it. Good luck finding that friend of yours.” Sayaka replied as she and Madoka collected their belongings.

“Bye-bye, Honoka-chan.” Madoka bid the alien girl farewell with a small wave and a kind smile, which Honoka bashfully returned.

“Oh, and you should probably keep the fact that you’re an alien under wraps. Most people probably wouldn’t be as cool with it as we are.” Sayaka quickly added.

“R-Right, will do.”

With that last piece of advice, Sayaka and Madoka left the little playground and strolled through the city, making their way to the hospital.

“Man, I can’t believe we ran into a real-life alien today!” Sayaka said, reflecting on the strange happenings of the last hour.

“I hope she’ll really be ok without us.” Madoka said regretfully.

“I don’t think we need to worry, I mean, if she can walk away from a head on collision with a speeding car, I doubt there’s anything that can stand in that girl’s way.”

“Yeah, I guess you have a point.”

“By the way Madoka, are you sure you don’t wanna tag along to see Kyousuke? I know you’re worried about him too.” Sayaka inquired.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I kind of feel like I would be intruding on you two if I went.” Madoka said with a knowing smile, Sayaka’s face turning red as she let out an embarrassed giggle.

“Do we really seem like that? Well, I’m glad at least one of my best friends can read the room.”

Madoka and Sayaka shared a laugh at their friend Hitomi’s expense, so engrossed in their conversation that they failed to notice the man watching them from an adjacent street that they were approaching. A sinister smile crossed the man’s lips as he took a bite of the gelatinous confection that, in the end, he just couldn’t resist.

“Young ladies…” The man said as he stepped out of the shadows and into Madoka and Sayaka’s path. “You two look like you’re enjoying life~.”

“Um…” Madoka struggled to reply, shying away from the stranger.

“Man, it’s just one weirdo after another today.” Sayaka said as she urged Madoka to turn back with her.

The girls started walking back the way they came, hoping to lose the suspicious man in the nearby crowd. Unfortunately, the man began to tail them, munching on his treat all the while.

“H-He’s still following us, isn’t he?” Madoka said, her voice quivering.

“Looks like it. Come on, this way.” Sayaka said as she guided Madoka down an adjacent alley.

The man momentarily lost sight of the girls, but unfortunately for them, he was well acquainted with the back alleys and crevices of the city, and he was easily able to deduce where they had gone. Madoka and Sayaka found themselves cutting through a nearby freight yard, where multitudes of colorful freight containers were all stacked on top of each other, forming a maze of colorful walls for which the girls could weave through. Just as they thought they were safe, the man managed to find them just as they were about to enter a more open section of the yard.

“Happiness truly is a scrumptious thing…” The man mused to himself as he approached his unsuspecting victims. “It makes for even tastier Dark Treats, after all!”

Once out in the open, in this secluded area, the man lifted up his shirt and revealed a grotesque mouth on his stomach. It opened wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth and a sopping wet tongue that slithered through the air as it extended out towards Madoka and Sayaka.

“Look out!”

The familiar sound of Honoka’s voice caught the girl’s attention enough to notice the encroaching tongue. However, before they could process what they saw, Honoka ran across the wall of freight containers, leapt to their side, and with her inhuman strength and speed, carried the girls away from the tongue’s path before it could bind them.

“What? H-Honoka-chan?” Madoka cried.

“Are you both ok?” Honoka asked.

“Eww! What is this stuff!” Sayaka said as she noticed a globule of slobber that fell on her shoulder from the tongue.

“Hey now! Hey now!” The man said as the tongue retracted into his mouth, his gavv. “You better get out of the way, kid. Unless you want to end up at the snack factory as well!”

The man’s gavv opened wide before a strange device popped out of its lower jaw. It resembled a small key in the shape of a gingerbread man with a pair of jaws biting down on it. The man removed the key from his gavv, releasing a pulse of dark energy from within. The energy engulphed the man’s human façade, transforming him into his true form, a horrific creature that resembled a bipedal hound with matted fur and tongue shaped ears. His canine face was dripping, as if it were made of melting chocolate, and his gavv had expanded into a wide gaping maw on his abdomen.

“KYAAAAAAAA!!” Madoka and Sayaka shrieked in horror at the sight of the monster. the girls instinctively holding onto each other for protection.

“Kaname-san, here.” Honoka interrupted their moment of terror as she presented the plastic bag they had left with her.

“Huh? W-What is it?”

“Um, I think you might have made a mistake when you gave this to me.” Honoka said as she reached into the bag and pulled out a CD case.

“That’s… the CD I got for Kyousuke!” Sayaka said. “Then that means…” Sayaka pulled out the identical plastic bag from her school bag, she and Madoka looking inside to find the collection of gummies and lollipops within.

“Oh, your right! I gave you the wrong bag by mistake!” Madoka realized.

“I knew it. Thank goodness I realized before I tried to eat this.” Honoka said as she and Sayaka traded bags.

“The fact that that was even a possibility concerns me.” Sayaka sardonically quipped.

“Hey you!” The monster shouted, reminding the girls of his presence. “Why aren’t you quivering before me?”

“Oh! Um, th-that’s because…” Honoka stammered, more anxious about being put on the spot than by the presence of the grotesque beast. She looked back at Madoka and Sayaka, the two girls still clearly shaken by the creature’s presence. Realizing how frightened they were, Honoka pulled herself together and stood protectively between them and the monster. “Well, that’s because… I’m actually a Granute too!” She declared, revealing her own gavv.

“What the hell is that red gavv!?” The Granute Hound said at the sight of the unusual gavv.

“Granute?” Madoka repeated the unfamiliar word.

“Don’t tell me, is that thing an alien from another dimension too?” Sayaka realized, looking between the two radically different gavvs of the non-human creatures before her.

“I’m sorry… but I can’t let you take these girls!”

Honoka sprang into action, running up to the Granute Hound and leaping into a jumping roundhouse kick. Madoka and Sayaka were amazed by the dexterous strike, the sound of the impact echoing across the freight yard. And yet, the Granute was completely unfazed, much to Honoka’s surprise. Before she had the chance to retreat, the Granute Hound punched Honoka off of him, sending her flying across the yard and crashing into a pile of pallets stacked against one of the walls of freight containers.

“Ha! That’s it? You sure talk big for a useless runt!” The Granute Hound taunted. “Back off, shrimp, I got product to wrangle!” He said as he turned his attention back to Madoka and Sayaka, the girls holding each other again as the salivating tongue of the Granute’s gavv licked its abdominal lips.

“No… please don’t…” Honoka begged under her breath as she writhed in pain on the ground. Her hands trembled at the sight of the long, wet tongue, the ground around the Granute slick with errant slobber as he approached the helpless middle school girls. Madoka held onto Sayaka for dear life, as the blunette swung her school bag at the Granute in a futile attempt to protect herself and her friend. “Please… not again…!”

Here, you can have the rest of my snacks… It’s fine, you clearly need them more than we do. Please, take them.

“…”

“Now then, where were we?” The Granute Hound said as he loomed over the terrified girls.

However, before he could send his tongue out to ensnare them, Honoka rushed in and wrapped herself around his waist, the Granute halting his advance in confusion.

“Kaname-san, Miki-san, please run!” Honoka said as she rooted her feet to the ground in an attempt to keep the Granute Hound from moving.

“Honoka?” Sayaka gasped.

“But what about you?” Madoka said.

“Cheeky little brat!” The Granute Hound said as he pulled her off of him with a single tug of her hoody, before tossing her into the wall of freight containers. Honoka yelped in pain, but this time she shook it off quickly and climbed back to her feet.

“I’ll hold him off… for as long as I can… so please, get to safety!” Honoka said before running back up to the Granute Hound and clumsily punching at its rippling chest. In response, the Granute Hound punched her in the gut, completely knocking the wind out of her, before knocking her to the ground with an uppercut to the jaw.

“Honoka-chan!” Madoka cried, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched the poor girl struggle to stand back up. But stand she did, letting out a flimsy little battle cry as she reengaged with the Granute, who practically ignored her frantic little love taps and retaliated with devastating blows that knocked Honoka to the ground again. “Please! Stop! You’re hurting her!”

“Madoka, maybe she’s right, we should go.” Sayaka said, trying to pull Madoka toward a pathway to flee.

“What? No way! We can’t just leave her!” Madoka protested as she wrenched her hand free from Sayaka’s grasp.

“I don’t like it either but look at that blood on her lip!” Sayaka said, pointing out the small injury on Honoka’s face. “That thing hits harder than a literal speeding car! We can’t help her fight, so what good will it do anyone to just watch her get wailed on!?”

“But… but… but she’s gonna die!” Madoka shouted desperately.

It was true, if they ran like Honoka wanted them to, they might manage to get away, but at the cost of Honoka sacrificing her life in order to keep the Granute occupied. Sure, even if they stayed the outcome would be the same, and they would just become the Granute’s next victims, but leaving the alien girl to die to save their own hides left a bad taste in Sayaka’s mouth, and she couldn’t bring herself to argue the point further.

With another punch to the face, Honoka was knocked back to the ground. At that point, Honoka realized that Madoka and Sayaka weren’t going to run, and she knew exactly why. Honoka hardly cut a very heroic figure, face bloodied and bruised and her clothes stained with dirt, struggling even to prop herself up on her hands and knees. Madoka and Sayaka were just too kind to turn their backs on such a weak and pathetic little thing such as herself, even if it meant their demise.

“…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Honoka said as tears began falling from her eyes. “You two saved my life today, and I can’t even manage to return the favor. I’m so useless and pathetic, the only thing I’m good at is causing trouble for others.”

Honoka!

A painful memory flashed in Honoka’s mind as she watched her tears fall onto the lenses of her glasses. It was the sight of her mother, the only person to ever show Honoka any love throughout her entire life, ensnared by the abdominal tongue of a Granute. She desperately called out to her, struggling in vain against her bindings, and Honoka was powerless to do anything but watch as she was transformed into a human press.

“I’m… I’m nothing but a burden to everyone around me. Maybe… maybe it would be better for everyone… if I just laid down and died here!” Honoka sobbed, on the verge of breaking under all of the despair she had felt in just the past few hours.

“That’s not true!” Madoka cried. Honoka’s sobs paused upon hearing the denial, the girl lifting her head to meet Madoka’s tearful eyes with her own. “You’re not useless, you’re not pathetic, please don’t say that about yourself!”

“But I…”

“Don’t forget, you saved Amy from that car!” Madoka reminded Honoka. “Everyone in the neighborhood loves Amy, just the sight of her brightens everyone’s day, including ours. I know it may not seem like much but trust me when I say that by protecting Amy, you protected the happiness of everyone in the neighborhood!”

“I… protected their happiness?” Honoka said in disbelief.

“That’s right! So please, please don’t say that you’re useless, and… please don’t say that you want to die!” Madoka pleaded as she began to openly weep.

“Madoka…” Sayaka said as she held her friend close to her in an attempt to comfort her.

“Kaname-san…” Honoka said, her own tears still streaming down her bruised cheeks

“Ohh, sounds to me like there’s still plenty of spice to collect around here after all. Thanks for the assist, kiddo.” The Granute Hound said mockingly to Honoka. “Oh, but don’t expect me to share the spoils with you.” He added as he turned his attention back to his intended victims.

Honoka’s hands tightened into fists, the girl wiping the tears from her eyes and forcing herself to stand back up.

“No! I won’t… let you!” She said, regaining the Granute Hound’s attention.

Once back on her feet she charged at the Granute again, rearing her fist back for another ineffective strike. The Granute beat her to the punch, literally, slamming his fist into Honoka’s face yet again, only this time, Honoka refused to fall. She planted her left foot behind her to prevent herself from losing her footing, rooting herself in something resembling a proper fighting stance, and with the twist of her hip, she threw her first proper punch at the Granute, slamming her fist into his jaw and sending him staggering back.

“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!” Sayaka cheered from the sidelines.

“You can do it, Honoka-chan!” Madoka added, wiping away her tears.

“Those two girls… they helped me out when I needed it. They were kind to me and welcomed me to this beautiful world. And most of all… they shared their delicious snacks with me! There’s no way I’m letting you take them!” Honoka declared, Madoka and Sayaka cheering in agreement.

“Grrr… stay down already!” The Granute Hound shouted as he quickly closed the distance between them and punched Honoka square in the chest.

She was sent flying back, tumbling back on the ground on the other side of the yard. Madoka and Sayaka cried in concern for her as she struggled to get back to her feet once again.

“Eat Gummy!”

“Huh?”

The squeaky little voice caught Honoka’s attention. She looked down and saw the little snack shaped minions of hers gathering around her, led by the PoppinGummy minion, the first she had ever made.

“Eat Gummy! Eat Gummy!” It repeated over and over again, the rest of her minions jabbering along in their own strange little language.

“Eat? Are you saying I should eat you?” Honoka guessed, the PoppinGummy minion nodding in agreement.

Honoka picked up the little creature and opened her mouth to eat it, only for it to shriek in protest and cry rivers of tears at Honoka’s mistake. The rest of her minions then came together in a formation that resembled her gavv, moving to make it open and shut as if it were chewing something.

“Oh, you meant with the other one.” Honoka realized.

With renewed resolve, Honoka stood back up and undid the zipper on her hoodie, opening a flap that gave her easy access to her gavv. Brandishing the Poppin Gummy minion in her hand, she opened the top jaw of her gavv and inserted the minion into a slot on her gavv’s extended tongue.

“Gummy!” The minion announced as it was placed. Honoka closed the gavv shut, the minion chanting “Eat Gummy! Eat Gummy!” repeatedly as a gelatinous tube extended from the gavv and wrapped around Honoka’s waist.

Honoka then turned the crank, causing her gavv to begin chewing on the minion as a whimsical standby tune began to play. Her gavv drew energy from the minion in the form of a purple goo that filled the tube around Honoka’s waist. She gasped as a transparent forcefield appeared around her that was shaped like a snack bag, filling with pieces of gummy candy in a wide array of colors that Honoka was surprised to see were being produced by her own body.

Once the flavor of the gummy minion was properly savored, Honoka pressed the button on the side of the gavv, the mouth opening wide to show off the minion as its bag-like body popped open to reveal a wide mouth and a pair of little purple arms. The forcefield then popped open, sending all of the gummy candies to flow into Honoka’s gavv, the minion yelling in excitement as they flew passed it. Once they were all swallowed, a black body suit began forming around Honoka’s body, along with colorful energy that bubbled to the surface as armor on her chest, shoulders, legs, and arms. Honoka could feel the energy flowing through her as the armor took shape, the alien girl narrowing a challenging glare at the Granute Hound as her purple eyes glowed a bright violet.

“Henshin!” Honoka said as a helmet formed around her head.   

By the time the Granute Hound realized something was happening with Honoka, it was too late. Honoka’s gloved fist collided with the Granute Hound’s jaw, sending it flying back across the field in a burst of juicy energy.

“PoppinGummy! JUICY!” The gummy minion in her gavv announced as Honoka landed before Madoka and Sayaka, hunched over in an almost animalistic stance.

“WOW!!” The girls exclaimed in awe at Honoka’s new form.

She wore a black and silver body suit with pieces of armor with a colorful gradient of purple, blue, and yellow. The face plate on the helmet was purple with a blue rim, a pair of hornlike crests on the top and big yellow eyes with matching forehead gem. Her mechanical gavv was still visible on her abdomen, with a silver strap wrapping around her waist to make it appear to be the buckle of a belt; the Henshin Belt Gavv.

“No way, Honoka can transform into a monster too!?” Sayaka said in disbelief.

“Honoka-chan, you look so cool!” Madoka gushed.

“I see… so this is the power that my minions can grant me.” Honoka said as she looked over her new form, her little minions cheering for her in a crowd to the side. “Now… I can definitely protect them!”

With that declaration, Honoka rushed back into the fray. The Granute Hound got back up on its feet only to be punched in the chest by Honoka. It staggered back a few steps, but remained on its feet, retaliating with a kick that Honoka blocked with her gummy arm bracers. Honoka threw a stepping side kick of her own, but the Granute Hound evaded it with a sidestep. The Granute Hound threw a punch at Honoka’s chest as she turned to face him, his fist bouncing off of her gummy chest armor as the impact was completely absorbed, leaving him open for Honoka to land a retaliatory punch on his chest. With a frustrated growl, the Granute Hound brandished its claws and tore them across Honoka’s chest, her armor coming apart as little purple drupelets that bounced around her as they fell. Honoka stumbled back from the strike, allowing the Granute Hound to slash its claws across her chest again, taking with it more of her chest armor and part of her right shoulder pad.

She covered the exposed area with her silver gloved hand, concerned with the sudden drop in defense she had suffered. It was then that she noticed that the rest of her PoppinGummy minions began crowding around her, squealing in their strange language to gain her attention.

“Oh, I see.” Honoka said as she scrooped up two of the minions.

She opened her gavv and placed the gummy minion inside, ducking under another strike from the Granute Hound as she turned the crank to chew.

“PoppinGummy! JUICY!” The minion cried as Honoka slapped the button, drawing more energy from the new minion and regenerating her lost pieces of armor.

Undeterred, the Granute Hound clawed at her again, destroying the bracer Honoka used to block. It clawed at her with the other hand, but Honoka managed to trap this claw in an arm lock. Unfortunately, the Granute quickly managed to struggle free from her grip and retaliate with another claw swipe. Honoka lean back to avoid it, but the Granute Hound used the momentum to drop low and sweep at Honoka’s leg with its clawed feet. Her leg armor was destroyed as Honoka fell to one knee, the Granute Hound following up with a handspring kick that clawed away another chunk of her chest armor.

Honoka recovered with a side roll before placing another PoppinGummy minion in her gavv, regenerating her lost armor with a few cranks before standing back up and landing a side kick as the Granute attempted to approach. She followed up with a crescent kick, juicy energy spouting from the newly regenerated leg armor that increased the force of the kick and sent the Granute Hound staggering back. Honoka closed the distance and attempted to throw a punch, but the Granute Hound was just a second quicker, landing a rising claw swipe that sent Honoka flying into the air. The Granute leapt after her, but she regained her composure upon her descent, and after regenerating her lost armor, she clasped her hands together and sent the Granute falling back to the ground with a hammerblow.

The Granute Hound crashed on top of the wall of freight containers, while Honoka landed on her feet on the dirt ground of the yard.

“WOOHOO!! Way to go monster girl!” Sayaka cheered bombastically.

“Great job, Honoka-chan!” Madoka cheered as well.

“Grrr, persistent little brat!” The Granute Hound cursed as he stood back up. It was then that he noticed Honoka bashfully accepting the praise Madoka and Sayaka were heaping onto her. In a stroke of cruel genius, he brandished one of his claws as it began to crackle with energy, drawing Honoka’s attention as he attacked Madoka and Sayaka with a slash of red energy shaped like a row of sharp, gnashing teeth.

“Look out!” Honoka cried as she rushed to their aid.

She shielded her human friends with her own body, the energy slash cleaving at Honoka’s back, which spouted out juicy energy from the damage that was sustained, accompanied with a cry of pain.

“Honoka-chan!” Madoka said, stepping forward to support her injured protector.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine…” Honoka asserted, shaking off the pain from the direct hit. “Kaname-san, Miki-san, please get to safety.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry, I promise I’m not going to die.” Honoka assured against Madoka’s protest.

Despite not being able to see her face, Madoka could somehow feel Honoka’s determined gaze through the misshapen yellow visors on her mask.

“…Alright.” Madoka said. Despite her reservations, she knew she and Sayaka would just be liabilities, and so Madoka decided to trust the alien girl and her newfound combat prowess. “Good luck, Honoka-chan.”

“Yeah! Give him a couple of good licks for me!” Sayaka said encouragingly as she and Madoka finally retreated from the fight.

Honoka let out a relieved sigh. It was a weight off of her shoulders to know that they were no longer in immediate danger, but that sense of comfort was quickly dashed as she heard the Granute Hound scoff at her.

“Hmph, and there goes tomorrow’s haul!” He said, watching his prey scamper away. “Thanks a lot pipsqueak, It’s gonna be a real pain tracking them down again.”

“Didn’t you hear me?” Honoka rebuked, turning to look up at the cold-hearted beast. “I’m not letting you take them! Not those girls! Not anyone!”

With that declaration, Honoka felt a pressure welling up in her stomach, and with a mechanical burp, out popped a sword from her gavv. The weapon resembled the Henshin Belt Gavv itself, having a black blade with a red metallic cutting edge, and a red cross guard that resembled the hornlike handles on the sides of the gavv’s upper jaw. There was a big pink button on the blade just above the guard, as well as a trigger on the gray handle.

The Gavvgablade.

With the appearance of the weapon, the Granute Hound launched a preemptive strike, sending another wave of energy at Honoka. She avoided the strike with a forward roll, grabbing the Gavvgablade off the ground and using it to counter a follow up wave of gnashing teeth with a wide slash of her blade. In a single bound, she joined the Granute Hound on top of the freight container wall and came at him with the Gavvgablade. The Granute Hound evaded the first two vertical slashes of the blade before retaliating with a claw swipe, which Honoka deftly ducked under. She spun back around with a horizontal slash that the Granute Hound parried with a claw swipe, followed by a sidekick that Honoka blocked with the flat of her sword. The force of the kick sent her sliding back, but she managed to stay on her feet by planting the claws on her boots into the freight container, creating two sets of three gashes in the metal hull.

She slid all the way to the edge of the container, clumsily trying to keep her footing, only to fall down a narrow break in the wall of containers. With a satisfied smirk, the Granute Hound gave chase, hoping to capitalize on the girl’s wipeout. However, as he was about to leap down after her, he was met with a slash of the Gavvgablade to his exposed chest, Honoka having wedged herself between the two metal walls. She heaved him over the break to spill onto the next container, the impact shaking the wall and nearly dislodging Honoka from her precarious position. With an angry growl, the Granute Hound rolled into the break and the two Granutes began trading blows while suspended between the containers. The Granute Hound slashed at Honoka with his claws, while she blocked and parried with the Gavvgablade, each whiffed attack creating gashes in the metal walls, and each substantial blow threatening to dislodge them. During one heavy clash between blade and claw, Honoka swept at the Granute Hound’s foot with her own, causing him to lose his footing and be wedged in the break by his shoulder. Honoka landed a powerful vertical slash on the now exposed Granute, dragging him across the parallel walls to crash onto the ground.

The Granute Hound spilled back into the open field, still reeling in pain as he forced himself back to his feet. Just as Honoka was about to reengage, one of her PoppinGummy minions climbed up onto her shoulder to try and get her attention.

“Eat Gummy!”

“Huh? Do you want to fight too?” Honoka guessed, the joyful reply from her minion confirming her hunch. With another belch from her gavv, Honoka produced a little cart in the shape of a black and red motorbike. “Hop in!”

The minion cheered as it secured itself into the speeder.

“Gummy! P-PoppinGummy!” The minion announced as the speeder was placed on a little slot on the Gavvgablade and Honoka pulled the trigger twice.

“Push Me! Push Me!” The minion chanted in anticipation as it charged the speeder with its energy.

“Oh crap!” The Granute Hound cursed, turning on its heel and rushing off to create as much distance as possible before the incoming strike.

“GO!” The Minion cried as Honoka pressed the big pink button.

She thrusted the weapon forward as the speeder roared to life and traveled down the blade, the minion shouting a little battle cry as it was launched across the battlefield. Unfortunately, the little speeder turned out to not have much power behind it, the minion bouncing off of the back of the Granute Hound and spilling onto the ground. The little minion cried rivers of tears at the embarrassing failure, Honoka feeling a pang of sympathy and guilt at the sight.

“Mock me will you!” The Granute Hound shouted angrily.

With a frustrated growl, he grabbed the nearest freight container, his claws piercing its hull and the metal crinkling in his inhuman grip. In a single heave, he tossed the container at Honoka, the several ton structure bouncing off the dirt ground as it careened toward her.

“Wah! Not good! Not good!” Honoka panicked.

She pressed the button on the Gavvgablade, charging the weapon with energy before pulling the switch to release it. In a single, powerful slash, Honoka cleaved the freight container in two, one half falling harmlessly to the side while the other continued its trajectory toward her. Thinking quickly, Honoka leapt into the air, pulling her arms in to do a back flip through the empty container. She safely came out the other side, righting herself in the air and retaliating with a swing of her sword, sending a slash of energy that knocked the Granute Hound off its feet.

As Honoka landed on her feet, she looked hopefully across the field to her adversary, the Granute Hound making no attempt to stand back up. However, those hopes were dashed when he let out a furious growl and his body morphed into a more canine form. With his increased agility, he leapt onto and over the wall of freight containers, giving Honoka one last dirty look before escaping the freight yard.

“H-Hey, wait!” Honoka called, unsure how she could give chase on foot.

“Eat Candy!”

Honoka looked down at her feet to find another one of her minions calling up to her. This one was pink in color and was labeled with the word “Vrocan” in red and white striped font, save for the “O”, which was shaped like a tire. The minion also had a face shaped like a lollipop, with beady purple eyes and a smiling mouth with a tongue licking its upper lip.

“Eat Candy! Eat Candy!”

“You’re saying you can help me? Alright!” Honoka said as she picked up the minion and placed it in the Henshin Belt Gavv.

“Candy!”

“Eat Candy!” The minion chanted before Honoka began turning the crank to chew.

With a slap of the button, the minion’s cover popped open, revealing a pink demonic face with little horns and a blue mouth, wide open with its tongue flapping about. It also had little pink hands that were grasping at a pair of white handlebars.

“Vrocan!” The minion announced as a cloud of lollipops came spewing forth from Honoka’s gavv.

They came together to manifest into a giant ATV like vehicle, with oversized wheels of mismatched blue and pink coloring.

The Vrocanbuggy.

Out on the streets of Mitakihara, the Granute Hound rampaged about in his quadrupedal form. Civilians fled at the sight of him, making it all the more difficult for him to spot his fleeing prey from within the stampede of frightened bystanders.

“Grrr… where’s my prey!”

At that moment, the Granute Hound took notice of the sound of an approaching engine over the terrified screams of the civilians. He turned to the source of the sound, only to be rammed by Honoka riding the Vrocanbuggy. The Granute Hound was sent crashing into a nearby building, but he quickly recovered and fled down the adjacent street. Honoka gave chase, accelerating the Vrocanbuggy until she was right on the Granute’s tail. Once she was in range, the vehicle flipped in the air and fired candy shaped projectiles out of the oversized rivets on its wheels. The Granute Hound weaved through the candy-coated barrage and made a sharp turn down an adjacent street. In order to follow. Honoka had to drive the Vrocanbuggy on the buildings, just barely being able to make the turn while maintaining the speed to keep up with the Granute.

“Little brat… give it a rest already!” The Granute Hound cursed at Honoka.

“You’re the one that needs to give it a rest!” Honoka shot back as she drove the Vrocanbuggy back onto the street and rammed it into the Granute Hound again.

This time he was able to keep his footing even as he was knocked back, and he wasn’t going to take it lying down. He opened his mouth and shot a tooth shaped blast of red energy at Honoka that she just barely managed to duck out of the way of. A barrage of tooth blasts followed, keeping Honoka from approaching the Granute Hound right away. Teeth and candy exploded on the street as the two sides fired at each other, Honoka eventually having to drive on the side of a high rise building as she bobbed, weaved, and flipped through the increased salvo of teeth from the Granute Hound. Eventually, he managed to land a solid hit on her, sending her crashing into the building.

“Heh, did I finally get her?” The Granute laughed with satisfaction as he leapt onto the side of the building, looking over the edge of the shattered window as plumes of black smoke obscured the view within.

Just when he thought he was safe, the wall of windows he hung from shattered as Honoka rammed the Vrocanbuggy into him from within. The force of the impact knocked the Granute Hound out of his quadrupedal form and sent him free falling through the air. Honoka leapt off of the Vrocanbuggy as it dissipated in a cloud of lollipops, the Vrocan minion growing wings and a halo as it reached the end of its life, vanishing once its purpose was fulfilled. Honoka landed on a nearby building and rushed to the edge of the roof just as the Granute Hound fell passed it. With a powerful sidekick, she knocked the Granute Hound into a nearby plaza where she leapt down to meet him.

“Impossible… what kind of a Granute are you!?” The Granute Hound said as he struggled to stand.

Don’t tell me, is that thing an alien from another dimension too?

Suddenly, a small pang of guilt rang through Honoka’s righteous fury. As she fell silent, one of her minions climbed onto her shoulder armor, an orange flavored version of her gummy minion, the colorful letters on the orange label reading “Kicking Gummy”. It yapped to get her attention, ‘use me to finish him off’ it seemed to be saying, but Honoka hesitated. They were both Granutes, both aliens, both people. As unforgivable as his crimes may have been, did this confrontation really need to end with one of them killing the other?

“Does it really have to be this way…?” Honoka finally said as the Granute Hound managed to get onto his feet. “I’m sorry, but you have a choice to make. Please drop the Dark Treats… or I will have to finish you off here. What will it be?” She declared, holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

She didn’t have to wait for very long.

“Drop the Dark Treats? No way in hell! Why don’t I just drop you instead!” The Granute Hound howled, almost offended by the offer, before angrily charging at Honoka.

Honoka’s gloved hands tightened into fists, whatever guilt she felt was quickly quashed, and her righteous fury reached a fever pitch. Honoka plucked the KickingGummy minion off her shoulder and placed it into the Henshin Belt Gavv.

“Gummy! Eat Gummy! Eat Gummy!” The minion chanted as Honoka turned the crank.

With each bite her gavv took, juicy orange energy began to spill out of Honoka’s right boot. Once she had savored the orange taste, she hit the button, the minion popping open to reveal an orange mouth and a pair of orange feet that flailed in wild kicks.

“KickingGummy!” The minion announced as the juicy energy coalesced into an oversized boot on Honoka’s right leg.

Once the Granute Hound had closed the distance, Honoka kicked him with the gummy boot, sending him flying back across the plaza. In a burst of juicy energy, Honoka teleported into the air above the Granute Hound, landing a jumping roundhouse kick that caused the gummy boot to explode, sending the Granute crashing back into the ground, the beast making small craters as he ricocheted across the plaza. As he flailed about helplessly, Honoka began turning the crank on her gavv, the KickingGummy minion chanting “Charge Me! Charge Me!” as it had the last bits of its flavorful energy siphoned.

“KickingGummy KICK!” The minion announced as Honoka pressed the button.

The gummy boot reappeared on Honoka’s foot in a burst of juicy energy. She kneeled down, resting all of her weight onto the boot and using its springy material to leap up into the air. As she arced across the sky, the boot began bubbling over with fizzy orange energy, the eyes on Honoka’s visor glowing in resonance with her boot as she came down on the bouncing Granute Hound with a drop kick. The force of the impact reverberated into the boot’s gummy material, recoiling it back into the Granute Hound and causing the boot to burst, sending Honoka flying back. She recovered in the air with a back flip and landed in a crouch a safe distance away as the Granute Hound let out one final scream as it exploded. Drupelets of gummy energy rained down on the plaza, as if celebrating his defeat. The KickingGummy Minion let out a satisfied cheer as it too grew wings and a halo, gladly sacrificing its life for Honoka’s victory.

Honoka looked back at the plume of smoke left behind by the Granute Hound’s demise, the adrenaline fading and fatigue settling in as she let out a big sigh and fell onto her behind.

“I… I did it.” She said in disbelief, a wide smile appearing behind her candy-coated mask as the realization of her victory settled in. “I… I managed to protect someone!”

“I’m home…” Madoka meekly announced as she stepped through the front door of her home.

“Welcome back, Madoka.” Madoka’s father, Kaname Tomohisa, replied from the kitchen.

“Wel-come, bak!” A second voice, the voice of her four-year-old brother Tatsuya, called from the living room. 

“Mama will be home soon, so please wash up for dinner.”

“Ok.”

Madoka wistfully took off her shoes and placed them in a little cubby by the door, before slipping on a pair of slippers and making her way to the downstairs bathroom. She passed by the kitchen, where her father, a tall, gentle looking man with brown hair and glasses, was diligently cooking dinner. Unfortunately, not even the heavenly sent of her father’s home cooking could distract her from her thoughts, as she pulled out her smartphone and typed out a quick message to Sayaka.

‘I made it home. What about you?’

PING

‘Same here, made it home safe and sound!’

Madoka let out a sigh of relief at the immediate reply. After fleeing the scene of Honoka’s battle with the Granute Hound, the girls decided it would be best to return to their respective homes for the day. As much as they wanted to trust Honoka to take care of the Granute, they didn’t want to risk leading it back to the hospital. Of course, they also didn’t want to lead it back to their families, but there was little else they could do besides hang tight and hope for the best.

“Honoka-chan… please be safe.” Madoka prayed as she absent-mindedly washed her hands for dinner.

Once she was all washed up, she walked into the living room, where her little brother was kneeling at the coffee table, doodling with his crayons as the TV ran the news in the background. He waved hello to her once he noticed her presence, a big smile on his face that Madoka couldn’t help but reciprocate. She sat down on the couch, trying her best to relax as she waited for dinner to be served, but it was a rather hopeless endeavor, as her mind raced with thoughts of the alien girl she may have left for dead.

“In other news, a series of mysterious explosions have been reported in the shopping district of Mitakihara…”

The headline read by the newscaster caught Madoka’s attention. The screen showed an image of a street in Mitakihara, cars and buildings damaged and smoking from what was clearly a rather destructive exchange.

“According to eyewitness accounts, the destruction was caused by two unidentified creatures rampaging through the streets…”

“Oh no, Honoka-chan…” Madoka said under her breath, the sight of the terrible destruction making her fear for the worst.

“Social media sites have been flooded with amateur footage of the altercation, which you can now see on screen.”

The professional image of the destruction was then replaced by social media posts that showed horrendously low-quality images presumably taken by civilians that witnessed the battle. It was difficult to make anything out definitively, but Madoka could identify the red and brown blur as the Granute Hound, and the colorful purple blur as Honoka. Madoka leaned forward, trying her best to make sense of the blurry images, hoping to find some clue to tell her that Honoka was safe.

And eventually, she found it.

The last picture shown was of a train station plaza, taken from a second story window. The image was obscured by a rain of gummy drupelets, but Madoka could just barely make out Honoka’s armored form standing victoriously before a cloud of fire and smoke, the Granute Hound nowhere to be seen.

“Honoka-chan! She did it, she won!” Madoka cheered, jumping from the sofa with glee.

“Yay! Chee won! Chee won!” Tatsuya cheered with her, seemingly recognizing the heroic shot for what it was.

Madoka scooped up her brother in a big, joyful hug, the two celebrating the victory of the mysterious candy masked girl.

“I’m home!” A voice called as Madoka heard the front door open.

“MAMA!” Tatsuya cried gleefully as he squirmed out of Madoka’s grip and rushed over to meet their mother as she entered the house. Kaname Junko, a beautiful woman with shoulder length plum hair and dressed in a well pressed business suit, met the boy’s enthusiasm with a beaming smile.

“Takkun! Give your mama a big hug!” She said as she welcomed her beloved son into her waiting arms.

“Welcome home, Mama!” Madoka happily greeted as she too wrapped her arms around her mother.

“Whoa! What’s up, Madoka? Did something good happen?” Junko wondered, surprised from the sudden affection from her teen daughter.

“No, I’m just… really happy to see you!” Madoka replied, covertly wiping away a few stray tears from her eyes.

“I see. Well, so am I, kiddo.” Junko replied, squeezing her two children tightly.

“Dinner’s ready!” Tomohisa called from the kitchen.

Madoka released her mother to allow her to carry Tatsuya to his little highchair at the dining table. Tomohisa served a plate of food for each member of the family, Junko stealing a welcome home kiss from him as she went to wash her hands in the kitchen sink. Madoka’s heart swelled at the familiar sight, a sight she had come home to every day for as long as she could remember. A sight that, if things had gone differently, she may have never been able to see again.

“Thank you, Honoka-chan… for protecting this happiness.” Madoka said under her breath, before she was drawn to the dining table by the delicious aroma of the dinner that awaited her.

“Wah… the human world really is fragile.” Honoka lamented as she looked back at all of the destruction she and the Granute Hound had wrought.

She stood amongst a crowd of civilians that had gathered to watch the authorities deal with the aftermath of the Granute duo’s rampage, held at bay only by rows of caution tape that cordoned off the damaged streets. Seeing the anxious looking faces of the onlookers, Honoka kept her head down and slinked away, letting out a guilty sigh.

Oh, and you should probably keep the fact that you’re an alien under wraps. Most people probably wouldn’t be as cool with it as we are.

“Maybe Miki-san had a point. I should try keeping a low profile from now on.” Honoka said as she strolled down the street aimlessly.

As she pondered what to do next, her stomach began to rumble, the fight with the Granute Hound having drained much of her energy. Thankfully, she had just the thing to pick herself right back up, pulling out her bag of treats and drawing a green lollipop from it. All of her anxieties melted away as she sucked on the fruity piece of candy, reminded of the two kind girls that had gifted her these wonderful treats.

As she walked, she spotted a strange vehicle driving down the adjacent street. It was similar to the Vrocanbuggy, the black clad driver controlling it with handlebars on a completely exposed seat, but it was much smaller, and only had two wheels, one in the front, and one in the back. Honoka watched in awe as the unfamiliar motorbike whizzed past her.

“Oh! I guess that’s how personal vehicles are supposed to look in the human world!” Honoka said. At that moment, a Vrocan minion was birthed from her gavv, Honoka reaching under her hoody and pulling it out. “Um, Vrocan-san, is there any chance you could turn into a bike like that?” She politely requested, showing her minion the vehicle in question.

The Vrocan minion yapped agreeably, prompting Honoka to place it in her gavv and turn the crank to chew. Once she hit the button, the Vrocan minion transformed into a pink and blue motorbike, manifested from a cloud of lollipops.

“Yes! That’s it! Thank you very much!” Honoka hoisted herself onto the Vrocan Bike and strapped on the accompanying helmet onto her head. “Alright, off we go! I’m coming to find you, so please wait for me… Onee-chan!”

With that, Honoka retracted the kickstand, revved the engine, and rode her new motorbike down the streets of Mitakihara. She turned at the next light, driving down the street adjacent to another entrance to the cordoned off section of the city. As she drove past, the wind she made kicked up the long, dark hair of a young girl, standing pensively as she observed the damage dealt to the city.

“What is all of this?” The girl said under her breath, narrowing her purple eyes and stroking her chin as she contemplated what the unfamiliar catastrophe could possibly mean for her. “…I have a bad feeling about this.”

Chapter Text

The stoic girl’s sweat tasted of salt as beads dripped from her brow into her mouth, held open as she panted lightly. She was sweating more from the anxiety she was feeling rather than the effort she was exerting, her long black hair trailing behind her as she ran through the back alleyways of Mitakihara City. Once upon a time, just a light warm up before gym class would have been enough to leave her winded, but now, she could run at inhuman speeds for hours on end, if she was willing to spend the magic to do so. A group of roosting birds flew off as she entered the alleyway, her bright purple eyes narrowing as she searched every dark corner but came up empty handed.

“Blasted cat… where could she possibly be?” Akemi Homura said, clutching the can of chicken flavored cat food in her hand.

The third day of her month-long cycle was the first major hurdle that the time traveler had to overcome, for this was the day that Amy the cat was destined to die. Normally, the death of a stray cat would be of little consequence, but the animal’s untimely demise would be witnessed by one Kaname Madoka, a local middle school girl who had a particular soft spot for the neighborhood mascot. She would carry the injured animal all the way to the animal hospital, only to watch it die on the operating table, the veterinarians unable to salvage the poor thing’s life.

But then, a miracle! Amy’s heart would suddenly start beating again, and she would pounce all around the room trying to escape as if nothing had happened. Yes, a true miracle, the neighborhood would have its fluffy little mascot back… and the people of Mitakihara would have a new Magical Girl to protect them.

Jaded, and with the benefit of hindsight, Homura couldn’t help but scoff bitterly at the absurdity of Madoka’s original wish. A naïve young girl, with her whole life ahead of her, trading her soul to the devil in order to save a dying cat. It was undeniably a ludicrous wish… but then again, if Madoka were not the benevolent girl that she was, the kind of girl that would not overlook the value of such a small, pathetic little life, well, then perhaps Homura would have never gotten the chance to come to know her, to be rescued and changed by her… and she would have never come to cherish her so dearly. 

Homura pulled back her sleeve and looked at her watch, cursing as she realized the time.

“Damn it, I’m out of time!”

Homura dashed at inhuman speed through the streets of Mitakihara. If Amy wasn’t in the back alleys, then she was at the intersection, getting hit by that car while Madoka watched in horror. Homura had done her due diligence, spending the day before exterminating the little pests in the area that would take the opportunity to tempt Madoka, but it was never enough, there was always another one around. It took a few tries for Homura to understand, but if Amy died, Madoka’s life was forfeit.

And Homura was not going to let that happen.

Homura’s heart nearly stopped as she turned the corner into the infamous intersection. The first thing she noticed was the car, its hood crumpled from a violent impact, a plume of smoke escaping from the destroyed engine within. Shards of glass laid scattered in the intersection, cordoned off by a pair of police officers that were currently questioning a man that was presumably the driver, who animatedly recounted his experience.

“What… what is this? Amy? Madoka? Where are they?”

Homura began to panic, the car had clearly hit something, and considering the event she was familiar with occurring at this intersection, she couldn’t help but begin assuming the worst. As she stepped forward, trying to get a better view of the accident, she found herself stumbling into a crowd of people that had gathered to gawk at the gruesome spectacle. She scanned the sea of unfamiliar faces until she found one that she vaguely recognized, the waitress of the cakeshop Récompense. Of all of the onlookers, she wagered that she would be the most likely to have saw what happened.

“Excuse me, what happened here?” Homura asked, trying her hardest to maintain her composure.

The same couldn’t be said for the waitress girl, who jumped at the sudden interaction.

“Wha? Oh, uh, are you talking to me?” The girl stammered. “Uh, w-w-well, I’m not really sure how to answer that, I-I can hardly believe it myself…”

“It looks like there was an accident.” Homura followed up, growing impatient with her chosen witness. “Did anyone get hurt?”

“Hurt? Um… I don’t know about hurt, but… I mean, somebody did get hit, but the thing is…”

“Who?”

“Huh?”

“Who got hit!?” Homura demanded, suddenly grabbing the girl by the shoulders. “Was it a girl? Small and petit? Pink hair tied up with ribbons? Answer me!”

The waitress girl blanched as she was suddenly manhandled, trying to find her voice through her sheer terror.

“Ah… ah… ah… N-NO! NO! It wasn’t the pink haired girl that got hit!” She finally managed to answer.

“…Phew, thank goodness.” Homura sighed as she released her grip on the poor waitress. But she wasn’t out of the woods yet, if Madoka was willing to trade her life for that of a cat, what would she do if it were a human’s life that hung in the balance. “So, then who got hit?”

“T-There was another girl with them.” The waitress said carefully. “She had long black hair tied into braids. She jumped in to protect Amy from the car.”

‘I see. So Madoka isn’t the only one too kind for her own good.’ Homura thought.

“What happened to her? Did she survive? Was she taken to the hospital?” Homura inquired.

“Well, that’s the thing…” The waitress said, hesitant to continue. “The girl wasn’t injured at all.”

“…What?”

“I-I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth!” The waitress insisted. “The car hit her head on, and then she just got up and walked away, like it was nothing! It was like something straight out of a superhero movie! A young heroine, destined to defeat the forces of evil, discovers her powers for the first time in a random act of kindness…!”

“Quiet.”

“Y-Yes!” The girl immediately stopped her enthusiastic rambling on demand. She waited awkwardly as Homura fell silent, pondering these shocking new developments. The waitress girl tilted her head quizzically as she looked upon this intense girl that interrogated her. “You know, you actually kind of…”

“What?”

“Uh, n-nothing, never mind! I didn’t get a good look at her anyway!” She deflected with a nervous laugh, not wanting to further agitate Homura.

“…The pinkette you mentioned before, did she leave with the girl with the braids?” Homura asked.

“Huh? Uh, yeah, I think so, them and one other girl.”

“Let me guess, tall with short blue hair?”

“Y-Yeah, exactly.”

“I see… well, thank you for your time.” Homura said with a polite bow before turning on her heel and leaving the scene of the accident.

            As unbelievable as the waitress’s story sounded, Homura was inclined to believe her. There was only one way a girl could survive a head on collision with a speeding car completely unscathed. This girl with the braids had to be a Magical Girl. Homura cursed under her breath, she had thought that she wouldn’t have to worry about Madoka making contact with other Magical Girls until at least the sixth day, but then again, that was only when she managed to keep Amy away from that damn car.

“Forget it, there’s no use dwelling on your past failures. Just focus on what you need to do now.” She said to herself, one of many mantras that have helped her through her endless battle.

With a wave of her hand, the ring on her left middle finger transformed into a purple, egg-shaped crystal, covered in golden gilding. She reached out with it, feeling for the remnants of the magic that the girl with braids would have had to use to survive the car crash. After searching for a while, the only magical signature she was able to pick up was of a malignant kind, following it to an alleyway where she found the entrance to a Witch’s Labyrinth.

She let out a disappointed sigh. She didn’t know how, but somehow this anonymous Magical Girl was able to cover her trail. That didn’t bode well, for a number of reasons. Regardless, she wasn’t going to be able to find them by just randomly searching the city, and she couldn’t very well just ignore a Witch right in front of her.

“Oh well, might as well take care of it.” Homura lamented.

Her Soul Gem began to glow brightly, and in a flash of light, her clothes transformed into a monochrome costume, the holy vestments of an alter girl refitted for combat. The Soul Gem itself transformed into a crystal rhombus on the back of her left hand, and on her left arm rested a round, silver shield. The space in front of her distorted, reacting to her magic, and she stepped inside, prepared to do battle with the evil within.

…

…

This was a Witch that Homura had faced before, in a previous iteration of the month. Labyrinths were chaos incarnate, completely unpredictable, so she still had to spare some time to traverse the Witch’s domain, but once her prey was found, she made quick work of it. She reappeared in the same alleyway not half an hour later, her prize in hand, a black orb in silver gilding, balancing precariously on the long spike that jutted from the bottom, a Grief Seed.

In a flash of light, her costume transformed back into her casual clothes, and she pocketed the Grief Seed as she turned to leave the alleyway.

Her thoughts drifted back to that anonymous Magical Girl, the girl with braids that saved Amy. Madoka’s first impression of Magical Girls was a huge factor in how well Homura would be able to keep her from contracting, so the fact that a complete unknown was to be her first encounter with one was concerning. Was this braided Magical Girl a naïve do-gooder that would misrepresent the life of a Magical Girl as filled with friendship and heroics, or a jaded realist that would not sugar coat the struggles that their kind had to endure.

Her ability to conceal her magical signature could have been just her personal magic, but if it was a technique she had developed herself, one only really useful for hiding against other Magical Girls, then she might be among the less reputable of their kind. On the other hand, this was a girl that was willing to use magic so brazenly out in the open just to save a cat. That certainly sounded like the kind of girl that Madoka would look up to and want to emulate… the worst kind of Magical Girl for her to encounter.

Homura cursed under her breath, just when she thought she was getting a handle on the flow of events in her time loops, something new and unfamiliar gets tossed in and throws everything out of order, like the laws of causality themselves were conspiring against her. As she pondered how she would deal with this new anomaly, she was brought out of her thoughts by the scent of… smoke?

“You there, young lady!” A voice called out to Homura. It was a member of the Mitakihara Fire Department, who was in the middle of deploying the fire hose from his big red truck. “Step back behind the tape, it’s dangerous out here!”

“What?”

Homura’s eyes widened in shock as she finally took in her surroundings. The street that the alleyway connected to was completely decimated, sides of buildings cracked, and windows shattered, cars and the streets they sat on violently smashed and crushed, and several fires raging all about. She noticed that she was just a block away from a row of tape that cordoned off this destroyed section of the city, Homura doing as she was instructed and ducking under the tape to get to safety.

“What… what is all of this?”

The destruction couldn’t have been caused by a Witch, as they hid themselves in Labyrinths and drew their prey inside to be devoured in secret. Of course, most Witches used their influence to cause any number of disasters in the physical world, but no typical Witch was powerful enough to wreak this level of devastation. Homura stroked her chin and narrowed her gaze, sweat once again dripping from her brow as she pondered what this all meant for her.

“…I have a bad feeling about this.”

At that moment, a motorbike drove passed her on the street behind her, kicking up her hair as the long braids of the driver trailed behind her.

- The Next Day -

“See you tomorrow, Tomoe-san!”

“Yes, see you girls tomorrow.”

A young middle school girl bid farewell to her classmates. Her blond hair, done up in elaborate twin ringlets, bounced with every step she took as she gracefully walked through the hallways of Mitakihara Middle School. She turned heads as she walked by, an elegant aura about her that many of her fellow students found enchanting. However, once she left the school grounds, she couldn’t help but let out a disappointed sigh. She had to turn down her classmates’ invitation to go out shopping with them again. Her excuse was that she needed to go grocery shopping, which wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.

She looked down at the ring on her left middle finger, a silver band with black runes etched on it, a single yellow gem acting as ornamentation. Her Soul Gem gleamed in the afternoon sun, as if to remind Tomoe Mami of the tremendous responsibility that it represented. She swallowed her dower emotions and narrowed a determined gaze at the trinket.

“I have to try my best today as well.” Mami said.

She took out her smartphone and opened her newsfeed, scrolling through it as she strolled through town. It was filled with nothing but posts about the strange attack that happened in the shopping district the day before. Mami was convinced that it wasn’t the work of a Witch, they typically didn’t attack out in the open like that, but the negative emotions that such a catastrophe would stir in the townsfolk would certainly turn the area into a breeding ground for Witches.

“Alright, let’s stock up on groceries, and then go out on patrol.” Mami decided. Be it Witches, or rampaging monsters, Mami was determined to protect the people of this city.

As she made her way to the supermarket in her neighborhood, she caught a glimpse of an odd sight out of the corner of her eye. It was a girl, long black hair tied into braids, lying face down in the nearby shrubbery.

“Oh my! Miss? Miss, are you ok?” Mami said as she tried to shake the girl awake.

GROWL~

“Huh?”

“Ugh… I’m so hungry~!” Honoka wined as she lifted her head.

Mami couldn’t help but let out an amused giggle.

“Well, if you still have an appetite, then I suppose you’ll be just fine.” Mami said.

“Huh? Oh! Um, s-sorry, I just…” Honoka frantically apologized as she sat up on her knees.

“Now, now, no need to get so flustered.” Mami said. “I’m sorry if I startled you, I just saw you passed out on the ground over here and got worried. Are you ok?”

“Y-Yes, I’m fine. I don’t have very many snacks left, so I was trying to conserve them.” Honoka lamented.

“Snacks?”

GROWL~

“Ugh, I guess that was a bad idea.” Honoka said, clutching her rumbling stomach. “I’m sorry for worrying you.” She said with an apologetic bow.

It was then that Mami noticed the girl’s disheveled appearance, the hair in her braids was slowly beginning to come undone, and her colorful clothes were wrinkled and riddled with stains. She could also see the remnants of a few wounds and bruises healing on the girl’s face. Mami felt a worrying sense of déjà vu, looking upon this girl that had clearly had a rough couple of days.

“Here, come with me.” Mami said as she offered Honoka a hand and a kind smile. “My name is Tomoe Mami, what’s yours?” She asked as she helped Honoka to her feet.

“I-Inoue Honoka.” She replied, the two girls oblivious to the collection of Honoka’s minions that were watching over her from behind a nearby tree.

…

…

“Make sure to take your shoes off, please.” Mami said as she opened the door to her apartment.

“Y-Yes!” Honoka replied as she followed the instructions. Once past the foyer, Honoka gasped at the sight of Mami’s apartment. Light from the afternoon sun entered from a large window, illuminating the spacious interior that was filled with nice furniture and beautiful decorations. “Wow! What a beautiful room!”

“I live alone, so feel free to make yourself at home.” Mami insisted. She set down her school bag in its usual place and proceeded to open a hallway closet and remove a fluffy white towel from it. “Here you go, use this to wipe yourself down.” She said, offering the towel to Honoka.

“Oh…” She took the towel in her hands, fascinated by its fluffy texture. “It’s so fluffy… and it smells so nice!” Honoka said as she took a whiff of the towel. “Could this be… cotton candy?”

“Don’t be silly, it’s just an ordinary towel.” Mami said with an amused giggle. She looked back at Honoka from the kitchen, only to see her taking a big bite of the towel. “Oh my, you were serious…”

“I-I’m sorry, I guess I’m just… really hungry.” Honoka apologized.

“Well, first things first, you should take a proper bath.” Mami said. “The bathroom is just down the hall to the left. I’ll prepare a change of clothes for you and put yours in the wash.

“N-No! You don’t have to do all of that for me.” Honoka protested.

“Don’t worry, it’s no trouble at all.” Mami insisted. “If I turned my back on someone in need, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. So please, let me lend you a hand.” She said with a warm smile that made Honoka’s protests die on her tongue.

“O-Ok. Thank you very much.”

With that, Honoka went to Mami’s bathroom to wash up. In the meantime, Mami started brewing a pot of tea, leaving it to boil on the stove as she opened the fridge to search for some refreshments. She had hoped that she overlooked a piece of cake or left-over pasta when she had taken stock the night before, but unfortunately, her fridge was as barren as she remembered.

“Oh my. I’m more behind on my shopping then a realized.” Mami lamented. She moved on to searching the cupboards in the kitchen, empty save for some errant seasonings. “There must be something here that I can feed to the poor girl.”

At that moment, she spotted something in the last cupboard. A bright yellow snack bag tucked away in the corner, nearly forgotten.

“Oh well, I suppose this will have to do.” Mami said, removing the bag from the cupboard and placing it on the coffee table in the living room, before she went to prepare a set of clothes for Honoka.

Even amongst the elaborate gothic architecture of the Granute World, the Stomach Inc Headquarters was a sight to behold. Serving as both the company’s base of operations and the Stomach Family’s ancestral home, the lavish interiors were dimly illuminated by bioluminescent lamps and the red light of the ever-crimson sky that trailed in through massive glass windows. Within this opulent mansion, four individuals sat around a long table within a spacious banquet hall that served as Stomach Inc’s corporate meeting room.

“Projections are down, as to be expected, but things should stabilize as we prove to investors that we are able to run this company in Father’s stead.” Lango Stomach, eldest of the Stomach siblings, sat at the head of the table, conducting the meeting as sitting President of Stomach Inc.

He handed the document he was looking over back to one of his masked Agents, revealing a man with a stern human face and intimidating red eyes, his long dark hair falling in waves behind his back. He wore a thick leather jacket over his formal work attire, and matching leather gloves on his hands.

“Now then, onto the next order of business… the disposal of the human child.”

“Finally!” Said Glotta Stomach, eldest daughter of the Stomach siblings and Production Manager of Stomach Inc. She took on the appearance of a beautiful, but fierce looking woman, with piercing purple eyes and long curly hair that faded from black to lavender at the ends. She wore a black lacy dress, and she fiddled with a strange silver staff. “You sure know how to bury the lead, Lango Nii-san. So? Where’s her corpse at?”

“Yet to be found, according to my Agents.” Lango lamented. “They lost track of her in the Door Space.”

“Oh? Rather slack, considering they’re your Agents.” Glotta jabbed, leaning back nonchalantly in her seat.

“That’s rich, coming from you, Glotta Nee-san.”

Suddenly, the large double doors of the meeting hall swung open, handled by two Agents colored orange rather than Longo’s red. In walked a Granute with a black serpentine head, a long crest extending from the top and rope-like tendrils falling from the back. He wore a well-tailored, gentlemanly suit, complete with a pair of pristine white gloves.

“Considering that it was Lango Nii-san’s Agents that cornered her, rather than yours.” Nyelv Stomach, the third eldest of the Stomach siblings and Head of Research and Development at Stomach Inc., sardonically pointed out, earning a scowl from Glotta. “I do apologize for my tardiness; my research ran a little long. But rest assured that I was listening to every word.” Nyelv said, one of his Agents presenting the tablet that had been relaying the contents of the meeting to him.

“Nyelv.” Lango said sternly as he rose from his chair. “Need I remind you that you are to wear your human face while in classified areas?”

“Hmph, so you’ve said.” Nyelv huffed, earning a chastising glare from Lango. “Oh well, so be it.” He said as a silver belt materialized around his waist. He placed the gingerbread shaped Mimic Key into the triangular buckle. As it was swallowed up, Nyelv’s Granute face was transformed into a handsome young human man’s, with neatly combed brown hair, and orange eyes behind a pair of round glasses that he adjusted on his nose. “Better?”

With that, Lango sat back down and gestured for Nyelv to take his place at the table. He knew that his brother resented having to take human form, especially in their own home, but if these were the faces that their late father grew so fond of, then it was with these faces that they would carry on his legacy.

“Now, now, don’t pick a fight, Nyelv Nii-san.” Said Jeebh Stomach, the fourth eldest of the Stomach siblings and Head Procurement Manager of Stomach Inc. He took on the appearance of an androgynous young man, with soft blue eyes and long straight hair that was black on the right side and white on the left. He sat with a feminine posture, dressed in a frilly black and white Lolita dress.

“That’s right, now’s not the time to bicker amongst ourselves.” Said Shita Stomach, the fifth eldest of the Stomach siblings and fellow Head Procurement Manager, alongside her twin brother Jeebh. Her human face was remarkably similar to Jeebh’s, with the same blue eyes but inverted two-tone hair, white on the right and black on the left, with the front facing portion of the black half cut shorter than the rest. In contrast to her feminine brother, Shita wore a black unisex uniform, and sat with a more relaxed posture. “Our father is dead, and that woman is now out of the picture.”

“Stomach Inc. will only continue to thrive if we cooperate.” The twins said in unison, taking each other’s hands as if to symbolize their unity.

“It’s as Shita and Jeebh say.” Lango agreed, getting the meeting back on track. “Now then, how goes our procurement of humans?” He asked the twin procurement managers.

“We’ve got our eye on one good one…” Jeebh began.

“And a second passable one.” Shita finished.

“Find us more high-quality targets. We want to attract more wealthy clientele.” Lango instructed.

“Are we expanding our premium line?” Glotta said, an excited smile on her face. “That’ll sure let me strut my stuff.”

“Just be prepared for the increase in orders. Now then, if there’s nothing else to report, consider this meeting adjourned.” Lango said, rising from his seat as a means of dismissing the others.

From there, the Stomach siblings went their separate ways. Glotta went to inspect the Stomach Inc. production line, Nyelv slinked back into his precious research lab, and Lango returned to his office. Meanwhile, Jeebh and Shita walked the halls of Stomach Inc. Headquarters, Jeebh waiting until they were no longer in ear shot of their siblings to speak.

“Shita, did you stay quiet about it on purpose?” Jeebh asked his sister. “About how one of our part-timers went missing?”

“They walk out on us all the time, no need to make a fuss over it.” Shita casually dismissed, until she saw the troubled look on her brother’s face. “You worried about it?”

“Just a bit.”

“Then let’s do some snooping around, shall we?” Shita said, Jeebh smiling at her acquiescence.

The twins strolled down the corridor hand in hand, before one of their Agents opened a door that led into the Door Space, Jeebh and Shita passing through, making their way back to the human world.

“Um… Tomoe-san?” Honoka said as she bashfully came out of the bathroom. She wore the clothes that Mami had provided for her, a dark blue dress with white pinstripes, held closed with black buttons and secured by a thin black belt around her waist. “T-These clothes, they’re…”

“Ah, does it not fit well?” Mami said. She too had changed out of her uniform, now wearing a simple brown dress with a white cardigan. “It’s a dress of mine that I only recently bought. I figured since we were the same height that it would fit you.”

“N-No, it fits alright, it’s just… well…” Honoka struggled to make eye contact with Mami, fidgeting awkwardly with the towel in her arms. “I-I’m just not really used to wearing clothes like this.”

“Oh, I see.” Mami said as she retrieved the pot of tea from the stove. “Well then, let me be the first to say that it suits you, Inoue-san.”

“Huh? Y-you think so?” Honoka said, flushing as she looked herself over.

“Of course.” Mami assured her as she brought a tray with the pot of tea and two teacups on saucers to the coffee table. “Now then, take a seat. I hope you like tea.”

“Tea?” Honoka said as she sat on her knees on a pillow at the coffee table. Mami poured her a cup of tea and laid it before her, Honoka eyeing it curiously. However, before she could take a sip, she noticed another refreshment on the table, a yellow bag decorated with images of potatoes, the label reading “Potato Chips” in two different fonts. “Hey, aren’t these…”

“I’m sorry, that was all I had on…”

“Potato chips!” Honoka exclaimed, much to Mami’s surprise. “Say, are these really potato chips?” She asked, presenting the bag to Mami with eyes filled with wonder.

“Uh… yes, indeed they are.” Mami confirmed.

“I knew it! Potato chips!” Honoka cheered, hugging the bag to her chest. “I-Is it ok if I have some?”

“Of course, go right ahead.” Mami said.

“Thank you very much!” Honoka gleefully replied before tearing open the bag with a pop. She reached inside and picked out a single chip, her eyes sparkling as she looked it over. “Wow! They really are flat and round!” With that observation, she ate the chip with a big chomp, her expression growing even brighter as she chewed. “Yummy!They’re so salty and crispy! I love them!” She cheered before eating another one.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying them.” Mami said with no small amount of relief.

As Mami took a sip of her tea, Honoka suddenly felt some rustling underneath her dress. She looked down in concern, realizing that her gavv had birthed a new minion.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Mami asked when she noticed Honoka squirming nervously.

“Huh? Oh, n-nothing, I just… dropped a chip, that’s all.” Honoka fibbed, turning away and covertly undoing the buttons around her waist.

Out from the improvised opening popped two new minions, yellow in color and more squat than the others she had made before. It was designed similarly to the bag of chips in Honoka’s hand, a face full of the round crisps under a pair of droopy eyes, the label on top reading “Zakuzaku Chips”. The two new minions then scrambled away, hiding under a third pillow sat at the other end of the coffee table.

“I see. Well, do be careful, too many crumbs on the floor will attract ants.” Mami warned, to which Honoka replied with a relieved sigh.

Honoka placed her towel on her lap to hide her spawning minions as she happily munched away at the bag of chips. Mami couldn’t help but smile as she watched her guest. Mami was never much of a snacker, but every once in a while, certain snacks would catch her eye at the supermarket, and she would find herself overcome with… nostalgia. It had been a long time since she had played hostess to such a gluttonous house guest, and, for better or worse, she couldn’t help but be reminded of her as she watched Honoka gleefully savor her chips like she was eating a gourmet meal.

“…Say, Inoue-san?” Mami said to gain her guest’s attention. “I don’t mean to pry, but… could it be that you ran away from home?”

Honoka let out a surprised squeak as she rushed to finish her mouthful of chips. After a few moments of frantic chewing, she managed to safely swallow and spoke.

“W-What makes you say that?”

“Well, between your dirty clothes and your ravenous appetite, you just struck me as a girl that had been living on the streets without proper support.” Mami explained. “I’m sorry if I’m mistaken.”

“…No, you’re not mistaken.” Honoka admitted, somberly looking down at her reflection in her cooling cup of tea. “Though, rather than running away, I guess it would be more accurate to say that I was kicked out.”

“Kicked out? Oh, you poor thing!”

“N-No, it’s really not that big of a deal.” Honoka insisted. “Honestly, I never really got along well with my family, so… it’s actually a big relief to finally be away from them.” She said, her expression brightening. “And besides, if I hadn’t left, I would have never been able to eat such delicious potato chips!” She cheered, taking another big chomp of a chip.

“I-I see.” Mami said. “Well, still, it must not be easy for you to be living out there on your own. If you would like, you could stay here for the time being.”

“Huh? Oh, no, I couldn’t impose on you like that!” Honoka fretted.

“It’s really no trouble at all. Like I said, I live alone, and honestly, I could use the company.” Mami said with a reassuring smile.

“…I don’t know. The last thing I would want to be is a burden.” Honoka said.

“Well, you can’t very well go back to living on the streets.” Mami asserted.

“No, I guess not…” Honoka said with a crestfallen look on her face.

“Perhaps I could be of assistance.”

The new voice echoed in Honoka’s mind, like somebody was speaking directly into her heart. She turned towards the sofa behind her, and saw the strangest little creature perched on it. It had snow white fur and a bushy tail longer than the whole rest of its feline body. A pair of pointed, cat-like ears rested on its head, though a pair of long, drooping appendages grew out from them, their white fur fading into a light pink at the frayed ends, and a golden ring mysteriously floating around each one. The most striking feature about this creature were its eyes, beady and red that started at Honoka with an almost empty gaze.

“Hello there, Inoue Honoka.” The creature greeted, speaking through Honoka’s mind again.

“Huh? A cat?” Honoka said, vaguely recognizing the creature. “I didn’t know cats could speak.” She said, looking to Mami for clarification.

“Eh? Inoue-san, you can see Kyubey?” Mami said, Honoka nodding nonchalantly as she ate another potato chip. “Then that must mean…”

“That’s right, she has the potential that I seek.” The creature called Kyubey said as he hopped off the sofa.

“Oh my.”

“Potential?” Honoka said quizzically.

“Inoue Honoka, I would like you to make a contract with me and become a Magical Girl.” Kyubey said.

“Magical Girl?”

“Well, this is quite the coincidence.” Mami said with an amused smile. “Or who knows, it might even be fate.”

“Um, I’m sorry, I’m not really following.” Honoka said.

“Oh, right, my apologies. I suppose we have to explain properly.” Mami said with a hint of embarrassment. “Now then, let me reintroduce myself.” With a wave of her hand, the ring on Mami’s finger transformed into a beautiful yellow gemstone in a flash of light, Mami holding it out for Honoka to behold. “My name is Tomoe Mami, and I’m a Magical Girl contracted by Kyubey.”

Somewhere in Mitakihara, an abandoned warehouse has been repurposed as a discreet living space. A table and several chairs were set up in a corner, with a few unused crates set up as auxiliary furniture, the little hideout dimly illuminated by errant lamps and rows of Christmas lights. The squatter that had made this hovel his refuge was none other than a Granute, a part-time procurement associate working under Stomach Inc. He looked like a bipedal cephalopod, with long black tentacles for arms, and a dark squid-like face with eerie yellow eyes. He had shoulder growths that were shaped like identical rat-faced skulls, and the gavv on his abdomen had grotesque purple lips with suction cups on them, and rows of square teeth within.

Lying on one of the crates was a gelatinous cube with the Stomach Inc. logo pressed on it, the last of the Granute Whiple’s stash of Dark Treats. Unable to resist the allure of the confection, he grabbed the Dark Treat with his tentacle and threw it into this gavv, consuming it in a single gulp and letting out a satisfied sigh.

PING

“Oh! A job? Perfect timing.” The Granute Whiple said, recognizing the ping as a notification from the smartphone that laid on the nearby table. He grabbed the Mimic Key that laid beside it and placed it in a slot just behind the lower teeth of his gavv, transforming him into his human disguise, a middle-aged man in exercise attire.

“Alright, let’s see what we got here.” He said as he opened the notification.

The Granute Whiple considered himself lucky to be working directly under the Head Procurement Managers. Instead of having to scramble to find quality humans to press, he was assigned targets based on his own skill set, granting him a steady flow of Dark Treat rewards. He looked through the profile of his new target, which included a photo of what they looked like. This time it was a young girl in a middle school uniform, her blond hair done up in twin ringlets.

“Witches?”

“That’s right, that’s the enemy that Magical Girls like me are charged with fighting.” Mami explained. “They’re terrible creatures that spread curses across the world. Most unexplained murders and suicides are the result of a Witch’s curse.”

“I see… I had no idea that such dangerous creatures existed in this world.” Honoka said anxiously.

“That’s because Witches are invisible to most people.” Mami continued. “They hide in Labyrinths, spaces separated from the physical world, and lure their prey inside to be devoured.”

“Devoured…” Honoka felt a shiver run up her spine at that particular wording.

“And that’s where I come in.” Kyubey spoke up. “It’s my responsibility to find young girls with magical potential, like you Honoka, and grant them the power to fight back against the threat of the Witches.”

“Eh? Y-you want me to fight against something so scary?” Honoka said.

“Of course, you’re not obligated to accept, but there are benefits to making a contract with me.” Kyubey said.

“Benefits? Like what?”

“In exchange for taking on the responsibility of fighting Witches, I will grant you a single wish.” Kyubey explained.

“Huh? Really? Cats can grant wishes?” Honoka exclaimed.

“I told you, I’m not a cat!” Kyubey asserted. “I’m a messenger of magic, and so long as you have the appropriate potential, I can grant you anything your heart desires.”

“Anything my heart desires?” Honoka said wistfully. As she pondered the possibilities, she reached into her bag of chips, only to feel around and not find any of the crispy little round snacks. She looked into the bag and found it completely empty, her stomach voicing its own displeasure by letting out a depressed growl. “Right now, all I want is more potato chips.” She whimpered.

“That’s certainly a wish I can grant.” Kyubey said with a nod.

“Really!?” Honoka said, practically jumping from her seat.

“Now hold on, let’s not be too hasty.” Mami quickly intervened. “Remember, this is a once in a lifetime chance you have here, you should take your time and think of a more… worthwhile wish.”

“More worthwhile than potato chips?” Honoka mused. A pensive look crossed her face as she hummed to herself, thinking it over. “…Unlimited potato chips!”  

“That is also within my power.”

“Oh hush, you!” Mami playfully chastised Kyubey. “I don’t think this is a decision you want to be making on an empty stomach. Wait here, I’ll go grab some groceries for dinner.” She said, standing from the table and making her way to the door.

“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that, I’m fine…”

GROWL~

Honoka flushed, once again betrayed by her stomach.

“Don’t worry, I need the groceries anyway. I was actually on my way to the supermarket when I found you.” Mami asserted.

“Huh? You were?” A guilty look appeared on Honoka’s face as she realized that Mami had lost out on running her errands by helping her. “…Tomoe-san, wait! I’ll come with you!”

“Oh, there’s no need. I’m used to running errands by myself, you just stay here and relax.” Mami insisted, but Honoka wouldn’t back down.

“Nuh-uh, I’m coming!” Honoka said, standing from the table and rushing to Mami’s side. “You helped me out a lot today, so please let me return the favor.” She pleaded.

“Inoue-san… alright, you win.” Mami said, much to Honoka’s delight.

…

…

Honoka was overcome with wonder when she stepped through the automatic doors of the neighborhood supermarket. Many people perused the various aisles, filled with all manner of food, ingredients, and treats for them to choose from.

“Wow! So, all of this is food?” Honoka asked in disbelief.

“That’s right, for the most part anyway.” Mami said as she took a plastic basket from a stack near the front entrance. “I take it this is your first time in a supermarket. Pay close attention, I’ll show you how to shop properly.”

Mami weaved through the aisles with the grace of a seasoned pro, picking and choosing from the various food stuffs while Honoka watched in awe.

“Pasta is always a good thing to stock up on. It keeps for a long time, and it’s easy to make a lot of.” Mami explained as she chose a few boxes of her favorite pasta brand and placed them in her basket. “Now for the eggs. Inoue-san, could you…” Mami turned around to address Honoka, only to find the girl was no longer by her side. “Eh? Inoue-san?”

“Tomoe-san, look!” Mami followed Honoka’s excited voice to an adjacent aisle. “I found the potato chips!” Honoka beamed; her arms filled with an entire shelf’s worth of bags of the crispy snacks.

“Oh my… why don’t we pick just one for now, to hold you over while I make dinner.” Mami awkwardly suggested. Honoka wilted a bit, but ultimately obeyed, choosing a bag of the same original flavor she was given before.

Regardless of her diminished haul, Honoka was still happy to be getting more chips as she had wished, holding the bag to her chest lovingly with a wide smile on her face. She skipped merrily as she followed Mami through the market, Mami having a sinking feeling that she wasn’t going to be paying much attention to her shopping lessons moving forward.

“I must say, you certainly seem love snacks, Inoue-san.” Mami said. “If I may ask, is there any particular reason for that?”

Suddenly, the spring in Honoka’s step vanished, the content smile on her face turning into a melancholic frown.

“That’s… probably because of my late mother.” Honoka replied, Mami gasping lightly at the unexpected answer. “She used to talk a lot about the delicious things she used to eat…”

Honoka recalled the first time she had ever learned about potato chips. She and her mother were having a meal in their dreary little bedroom, which consisted entirely of brown gruel made from weeds picked from the garden. She remembered her mother, a beautiful woman with dark hair cut to shoulder length and wearing a simple white dress, reluctantly sticking a spoonful of the slop into her mouth, and cringing at the awful taste. Even at seven years old, Honoka was able to stomach the gruel much easier than her mother, perhaps because, unlike her, Honoka didn’t have anything else to compare it to.

…I could really go for some potato chips right now.

She remembered her mother muttering under her breath.

What’s a potato chip?

She remembered asking.

Her mother’s mood immediately brightened at the innocent question. She stood from her plate of gruel and kneeled next to Honoka in her seat.

Well, you see, potato chips are a snack from the human world. They are these round and flat things, yellow and salty, and even though they’re flat, they’re really crispy!

Honoka remembered listening intently as her mother gushed about the human snack, both women smiling ear to ear.

“She was always at her happiest talking about snacks… and I was at my happiest listening to her…”

Mami instantly regretted asking the question. Her curiosity urged her to ask further, but she held her tongue; she knew from personal experience how painful it was to recall memories of someone who was no longer in your life. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two girls, until they passed a small aisle that housed papercraft materials. An idea formed in Mami’s head as she popped into the aisle and picked out a little sky-blue notebook and a sparkly pen.

“Inoue-san, please accept this as well.” Mami said as she handed the notebook and pen to Honoka.

“What’s this for?”

“I know how painful it can be to lose a parent, but even though remembering can be painful, I think it’s important to keep them in your heart.” Mami said. “So, why don’t you write down all of the yummy foods that your mother told you about, and when you finally get to try them, write down your thoughts. That way, you can always remember the happy times.”

“So… a Yummy Note?” Honoka said, looking over the notebook thoughtfully. “That’s a great idea! Thank you, Tomoe-san!”

“My pleasure.” Mami replied, returning Honoka’s big smile.

…

…

Once the girls were done with their shopping, Mami paid for their groceries and they left the supermarket, Honoka insisting that she be the one to carry the bags, boasting of her physical strength.

“Thank you for tagging along, Inoue-san. You turned out to be a big help.” Mami said as they walked.

“Really?”

“Of course! Thanks to you, I was able to buy two cartons of eggs instead of just one.” Mami was referring to the supermarket’s policy of only allowing each customer to buy one carton of eggs each. “You have no idea how much of a life saver that is.”

“I see… well, I’m so glad I was able to repay your kindness, Tomoe-san, even if it was just a little bit.” Honoka said with a satisfied smile, which Mami happily returned.

As the girls made their way back to Mami’s apartment, another pedestrian turned the corner and lightly bumped against Honoka.

“Ah! I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going!” Honoka frantically apologized with a polite bow. The pedestrian she accidently struck, a young girl around their age, didn’t react to Honoka’s apology. She didn’t even spare her glance as she stumbled past her, muttering something under her breath. “She ignored me…” Honoka said with a troubled expression. “T-Tomoe-san, what should I do? I didn’t mean to offend her. Should I catch up and beg for forgiveness?”

“I-I don’t think there’s any need for that.” Mami reassured her. “You apologized earnestly, that’s all you are obligated to… do.”

Mami’s attention was stolen away as she watched the rude pedestrian walk away. It was then that she noticed the strange hobble in her step, practically stumbling up the street with no regard for the other civilians that had to move to avoid her. As she swayed back and forth, Mami managed to get a good look at the back of her neck, before she was lost in the crowd. Imprinted on her neck was a strange symbol, a golden flower with petals that curled at their ends arranged in a spiral, star-like pattern.

“Oh no, is that…”

“I’m afraid so, that girl was under the influence of a Witch’s Kiss.” Kyubey said as he hopped onto Mami’s shoulder.

“Huh? A Witch’s Kiss?” Honoka said quizzically.

“That’s right, Witches use them to mesmerize their victims and lure them into their Labyrinths.” Mami explained as she summoned her Soul Gem into her hand. She reached out with her magic and the crystal began to glow. “As I feared, there’s one nearby.”

“You mean… a Witch?” Honoka said in realization. “Then, that girl… w-what do we do?”

“Hmm… you know, I was going to save this for a later date, but what would you say to some… hands on learning, Inoue-san?” Mami asked, much to Honoka’s confusion.

…

…

With Soul Gem in hand, Mami tracked the magical signature of the Witch to a few blocks down the street, in the direction that the mesmerized girl had stumbled off in. The girls squeezed their way down a narrow alley and found themselves in the abandoned back lot of a building, barely illuminated by the now harsh glow of Mami’s Soul Gem.

“No doubt about it, this is the place.” Mami said.

With one final twinkle from her Soul Gem, the air in front of them began to shimmer, and before them appeared a projection of the same symbol that was on the mesmerized girl’s neck. The entrance to the Witch’s Labyrinth.

“Um, is it really ok for me to tag along like this?” Honoka asked nervously. “Won’t I just… distract you?”

“As a girl chosen by Kyubey, you are a part of this as well. It’s better that you learn about the threats that you are expected to face sooner rather than later.” Mami asserted. “Don’t worry, you won’t slow me down, and I won’t allow any harm to come to you. Just stay close and you’ll be fine.” She reassured her with a kind smile. Honoka still seemed apprehensive, but she nodded in agreement, trusting Mami to know what she was doing. “Alright then, let’s begin this impromptu lesson on how to be a Magical Girl, shall we? Lesson one: dress for the occasion.”

With that, Mami threw her Soul Gem into the air, the crystal glowing with yellow light until bursting into a flurry of white flowers. Mami twirled as the flowers rained down around her, and when one landed on her body, it unfolded into a yellow ribbon that wrapped around her and transformed her clothes into a flashy costume.

She now wore a white blouse with long loose sleeves that were detached halfway up her upper arm. A brown corset was wrapped around her abdomen with a ruffled yellow skirt flowing from under it. She wore brown thigh high socks with white pinstripes that disappeared into a pair of brown and yellow heeled boots. On her head was a stylish brown hat adorned with a tuft of white fur, her Soul Gem taking the form of a flower shaped crystal set within a golden flower shaped hair ornament.

“Wow~!” Honoka said in awe as she watched Mami’s glamorous transformation into a Magical Girl.

Mami giggled at Honoka’s reaction and with a wave of her hand, she summoned four long, yellow ribbons that wrapped around the groceries Honoka was holding, tying them up in a neat little bundle and setting them off to the side for the girls to collect upon their return.

“Now then, shall we?” Mami said as she offered her hand to Honoka.

“Y-Yes!” Honoka replied, taking Mami’s hand and allowing her to guide them through the entrance of the Witch’s Labyrinth.

Honoka felt an odd sense of déjà vu once she and Mami appeared inside the Witch’s Labyrinth. They were in an endless dark void, illuminated by small motes off light both above and below. Some of this light came from distant stars that illuminated clouds of blue space dust out in the aether. The rest came from a multitude of streetlamps that were strewn about haphazardly all around the area, some planted crookedly in the ground, others precariously levitating in the air. The ground that Honoka and Mami stood on was poorly defined by a messily drawn grid of chalk, one that Honoka noticed did not extend to the entirety of the visible Labyrinth. One wrong step, and they would fall into the starry abyss.

“So, this is a Witch’s Labyrinth?” Honoka said. “It’s actually kind of pretty, but…” Despite the whimsical charm of the space, Honoka couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She could feel how unnatural everything was, from the sights and sounds to the very air she breathed. She felt claustrophobic, like the walls were going to close in on her at any moment, and there was no escape when it did.

“Don’t let the bells and whistles fool you, this is her domain, the Witch’s hunting ground.” Mami lectured. “Everything you see is the Witch’s creation, and everything you meet will wish to do you harm.”

“Everything I… meet?”

At that moment, Honoka caught movement out of the corner of her eye, a dark shadow that was nearly invisible amidst the background of the night sky. The creature appeared to be the silhouette of a quadrupedal animal, like a dog or a cat, but roughly drawn like a child’s first attempt at art. Its black body was covered in chalkboard scratches, shifting with each move it made, and its head was just a black mass with wild, jagged points shooting in all directions. Honoka was disturbed at the sight of it, her mind could barely even register that it was even really there, like she was looking at something that she knew was a figment of her imagination, and yet had a corporeal form.

The creature seemed to notice that it had been spotted, turning its chaotically shifting head in her direction and letting out a shriek that was something in between a human scream and an animal’s cry.

“T-Tomoe-san, look, there’s…!”

Honoka’s warning was cut short as the silhouette pounced, closing the distance in nearly an instant. Honoka instinctively reached down to unbutton her dress and reveal her gavv, but in that same instance, Mami had moved to stand protectively between her and the creature. In a flash of yellow light, an ivory rifled musket appeared in Mami’s hands. She gave it a quick twirl before aiming it at the pouncing beast and pulling the trigger, the shadow exploding at near point-blank range, its existence completely erased.

“W-W-What was that?” Honoka asked.

“That was a Witch’s Familiar.” Mami replied. “They are servants created by the Witch. They exist to do her bidding and guard her Labyrinth against intruders.”

“So… they’re like the Witch’s minions?” Honoka said, feeling one of her PoppinGummy minions rustling in her pocket.

“Yes, I suppose you can call them that.”

“They protect against intruders…” Honoka gasped in concern. “Then, what about that girl?”

“Don’t worry, the Familiars wouldn’t dare lay their hands on their master’s prey.” Mami assured. “If she’s here, they would have let her go straight on through to the center of the Labyrinth, where the Witch lies in wait.”

At that moment, they heard the disturbing cry of the Familiar again as four more identical creatures came skulking out of the shadows to confront them.

“But I’m afraid it won’t be so easy for us.” Mami said. “Don’t worry, I’ll clear a path for us in a jiffy!”

With a whip of both of her wrists, a pair of rifled muskets came sliding out of Mami’s sleeves. She brandished them with a flashy twirl as the Familiars went on the attack. She aimed the first musket at the closest Familiar, pulling the trigger and killing it in one shot. She then raised the other musket and just as quickly dispatched the next Familiar, before flipping the weapon so that she held it by the barrel and using it to smack the third Familiar away as it closed the distance. Mami then side stepped a pounce from the last remaining Familiar, before taking both muskets, swinging them around, and slamming the stocks into the creature, sending it flying back and knocking into the third Familiar, the both of them dying from the impact.

“Wow~!” Honoka said, letting her hand fall from her abdomen, not realizing that she had been nervously clutching at her gavv.

“Piece of cake.” Mami said as she casually discarded the spent muskets. “Now, follow me, and remember to stay close.”

“Yes!” Honoka complied as the girls ventured further into the labyrinth.

Honoka made sure to stick close as instructed, stepping only where Mami had stepped on the poorly defined ground. More Familiars attacked them as they explored, but Mami made quick work of them every time, killing them in a flurry of musket fire and graceful strikes. Honoka was in awe at Mami’s skill, surprised by every new trick she pulled to surprise and over come her opponent. She thought back to her fight with the Granute Hound, to the collateral damage that had caused such anxiety amongst the denizens of the human world. As thankful as she was for these newfound powers that allowed her to protect her friends, if she had a choice in the matter, she would have wanted to fight more like Mami did, with power, grace, and purpose.

Eventually, the girls made it to the center of the labyrinth; a giant structure that looked like a crooked, misshapen jungle gym, the centerpiece of an abandoned playground in the middle of the night.

“Well, here we are.” Mami said as she looked up at the ominous structure.

“But, where’s the Witch?” Honoka asked.

“Trust me, it’ll be here. Just keep your eyes peeled.”

Honoka did just that, looking around cautiously and leering at anything that seemed to move in the dimly lit arena. Eventually, she looked up the crooked jungle gym, and spotted something at the very top.

“Tomoe-san, look!” Honoka said, calling Mami’s attention to the top of the structure.

It was difficult to make out in the darkness, but she was able to roughly make out the slim figure of the girl they had run into out on the city streets, her back turned to them as she raised a single hand out to the starry sky above.

“It’s the girl!”

“But what is she doing all the way up there?” Honoka said quizzically.

“I’m not sure, but if the Witch wants her up there, then it can’t be good.” Mami asserted. “Wait here, Inoue-san. I’ll be right back.” She said before climbing up the jungle gym in a series of graceful leaps.

Once she reached the top, Mami carefully approached the mesmerized girl, who seemed completely oblivious to her presence even once she was right next to her.

“Excuse me, miss? Are you ok?” Mami politely asked.

“The sky…” The girl said absentmindedly. “…It’s so beautiful at night.”

“Yes, I suppose it is.” Mami agreed. “Listen, it is not safe here, we need to get you down.” She warned, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She didn’t even shutter at her touch, just kept on gazing at the sky with a pair of glazed over eyes.

Meanwhile, Honoka watched Mami from the ground, before turning her gaze to the sky as well to see what it was the girl seemed to be so captivated by. It was then that she noticed that there was a particularly bright star twinkling in the sky right above the jungle gym. Honoka narrowed her gaze at that strange star, realizing that it wasn’t just glowing brightly, it was getting bigger.

No, It was getting closer.

“Tomoe-san! Look out!”

At Honoka’s warning, Mami looked up and saw what she saw. What they thought was a bright yellow star in the sky was in fact the bright yellow bulb of an airborne creature that descended upon them at concerning speed. Quickly, Mami took the mesmerized girl in her arms and leapt through the gaps between the twisted metal bars that made up the jungle gym. As she landed on another bar within the structure, the creature collided with the top of the jungle gym where they had previously stood, bending the metal inwards with a sickening creak.

The creature pulled back, unfazed by the head on collision, and floated ominously over the jungle gym as six long black tendrils unfurled from behind its yellow bulb.

Suleika, the Witch of Darkness

            “So that’s… a Witch?” Honoka said as she looked at the squid-like creature in horror.

Where the Familiars just unsettled her, their master herself made her sick to her stomach. Just the sight of it made Honoka want to run away and hide, like she would never feel joy again so long as she were in its presence.  

“Inoue-san!” Honoka heard Mami call to her, seeing the Magical Girl standing on the metal frame that made up the wall that faced her. “Please look after her for me!” Mami tossed the mesmerized girl from her arms, conjuring a pair of ribbons to wrap around her and lower her safely into Honoka’s waiting arms.

“B-But what about you?” Honoka asked.

“Somebody has to defeat the Witch, otherwise she will keep luring innocent people to their doom like this.” Mami said as she looked back up at Suleika, the creature letting out a bellowing roar, as if accepting the girl’s challenge. “Don’t worry, Inoue-san, I’ll wrap this up quickly, and then we can go home and feast!” She declared before leaping back to the top of the jungle gym to face the Witch.

She twirled in the air as she leapt, four muskets falling out of her billowing skirt and landing upright on the metal lattice around Mami as she landed. She immediately grabbed one of the muskets and fired it at Suleika, the Witch not even bothering to dodge as the bullet bounced right off of her big yellow bulb. Curious, Mami grabbed another musket and fired again, the bullet once again bouncing off the Witch harmlessly.

Suleika let out another furious roar, the petals on its bulb beginning to turn red at the edges as it charged forward.

“My, quite the thick skin you have.” Mami said as she grabbed the remaining two muskets in her reach and leapt back into the interior of the jungle gym.

She narrowly avoided Suleika’s tackle, Mami playfully winking at the Witch as it seemed to peer through the metal bars at her. Brandishing her dark tendrils, she sent two of them through the bars to grab at Mami, who gracefully flipped on the bar she balanced on like an Olympic gymnast to avoid them. Two more tendrils came her way, and this time Mami stood her ground and fired her muskets at each of them. Suleika let out a painful shriek as the bullets pierced her chalkboard scratched skin, retracting her tendrils from the jungle gym to avoid further retaliation.

“Hmm, thicker in some places than others I see.” Mami taunted as she tossed aside her spent muskets.

With a frustrated growl, Suleika grasped at the bars of the jungle gym with her tendrils and pulled them apart, creating an opening large enough for her to slip through. Mami led the Witch on a chase through the jungle gym, using her ribbons to acrobatically swing and leap through the lattice of bars while Suleika flew around and rammed through them to try and catch her. All the while, Mami would summon a musket and fire at the Witch. She aimed for her weaker tentacles, but Suleika always either evaded the shots, or blocked them with its sturdy bulb.

Eventually, Suleika managed to catch Mami’s foot with one of her tendrils. Before she could shoot it off, Suleika heaved Mami up and slammed her several times against the dented bars of the jungle gym, before throwing her straight into the ground hard enough that the entire Labyrinth shook.

“Tomoe-san!” Honoka cried. Once the dust settled, she caught sight of Mami, laying in a daze in a crater at the base of the jungle gym.

“It’s… no use…” Honoka’s attention was torn from Mami as the mesmerized girl muttered in her arms.

“Huh? What?”

“It’s no use… even the night… is too bright.” The girl muttered deliriously.

Honoka looked down at her curiously, noticing that the Witch’s Kiss on her neck was shimmering on her skin. Honoka recalled what Mami had said about them, that they were the Witches’ means of manipulating their targets.

“Is the Witch making her say these things?”

“The moon… the stars… their all too bright, too dazzling. I don’t deserve… to bask in their cold glow…”

“What are you…?”

“I just… I just want to find a dark, lonely place to crawl up in… and die there.”

Maybe it would be better for everyone… if I just laid down and died here!

            Honoka’s grip on the girl in her arms tightened as she recognized the pain that she was being forced to endure.

“Tomoe-san!” Honoka shouted as Mami sat up in her crater. “Please, get back up… and kick this wicked Witch’s butt!”

Mami gasped at the furious declaration, she never would have expected such righteous fury from the shy, humble girl she had come to know. Spurred on by her words, Mami pulled herself out of the crater and back onto her feet.

“No need to worry, Inoue-san.” Mami said as she casually dusted herself off. “Believe it or not… I have her right where I want her.”

As she stared down Suleika, the beast about ready to move in for the kill, Mami struck a pose and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, Suleika’s tendrils were pulled in all different directions, the Witch suspended amidst the dented bars with its weak underside exposed.

“Huh?” Honoka gasped in surprise. As she took a closer look, she realized that Suleika’s tendrils were being held by ribbons, as thin as pieces of thread that made them almost invisible to the naked eye. “But how…?”

“Everything I conjure is made out of ribbons, my muskets and their ammo included.” Mami explained.

It was then that Honoka realized what had happened. Those missed shots were never meant to hit Suleika, they were made to ensnare the Witch, the bullets unraveling and securing themselves between her tendrils and the bars.

“Lesson two: Always have a new trick up your sleeve!”

With a gracious leap, Mami jumped out of the jungle gym through the opening Suleika had made, twirling a ribbon in the air that extended and coalesced into a giant ivory hand cannon. Hanging aloft in the air, Mami aimed the barrel of the massive firearm at Suleika’s exposed underside, winking at her ensnared foe as the percussion hammer fell.

“TIRO FINALE!”

Out from the hand cannon came a flaming ball of yellow light, Suleika letting out a horrifying shriek as it was engulfed in a brilliant explosion. Honoka shielded the girl in her arms from the shockwave, before looking up to see the interior of the jungle gym had been completely obliterated, leaving only the singed remains of the outer bars that flowered outward at odd angles.

“You… you did it, you won!” Honoka cheered as Mami landed at her side.

Suddenly, the unnerving space around them began to vanish, the glittering night sky giving way to the twilight of the backlot in Mitakihara. Honoka gently set the unconscious girl on the ground; the Witch’s Kiss having disappeared from her neck with Suleika’s demise. She turned back to Mami, who had changed back into her street clothes, as she collected something from the ground below where the entrance to Suleika’s Labyrinth had once been.

“What’s that?” Honoka asked as she came to inspect Mami’s prize. It was a black sphere encased in silver gilding, a topping shaped similarly to Suleika’s Witch’s Kiss, the whole bobble balancing on a needle-like spike that rested on Mami’s palm.

“This is called a Grief Seed. You can think of it as a Witch’s egg.” Mami explained.

“An egg?”

“They’re very useful to us Magical Girls.” Mami said as she presented her Soul Gem. “Using magic clouds up your Soul Gem. If it gets completely clouded, you lose your ability to use magic, and in the worst cases, you die.”

“Oh no!”

“Don’t worry, my Soul Gem is far from that point, but I did use up a fair bit of magic in that fight. Now, watch closely.”

Mami brought her Soul Gem closer to the Grief Seed, and to Honoka’s surprise, the shadows that creeped at the edges of Mami’s Soul Gem flew out of the crystal and into the Grief Seed, leaving the Soul Gem shining brightly once again.

“Wow!”

“This is the only reward that Magical Girls get for defeating a Witch. A steady supply is crucial if you want to safely and effectively fight against Witches.” Mami said as she pocketed the Grief Seed and transformed her Soul Gem back into a ring on her finger. “But more importantly, how is the girl doing?”

“Oh, uh, the Witch’s Kiss on her neck is gone. She lost consciousness, but she’s still breathing, so I think she’ll be fine… I hope.” Honoka said as Mami walked over to check on the girl herself.

“Thank goodness.” Mami said with a relieved sigh. “I guess it was fortunate that we came along when we did.”

“…”

“Inoue-san?”

“Tomoe-san, do you do this kind of stuff every day?” Honoka asked.

“That’s right, every day.” Mami confirmed. “A Magical Girl’s life is one of battle and hardship, such is the price we pay for the wishes we made.”

“I-Isn’t it scary, fighting those horrible monsters?”

“It’s certainly not for the faint of heart, and I’ll admit, even I find myself overwhelmed by it every now and then, but…” Mami kneeled down next to the girl they had rescued. She brushed some of her sweaty locks away from her face, the girl smiling unconsciously at her tender touch. “When I think about all of the people I’ve helped, all of the lives I’ve saved by fighting and enduring, it makes it all worth it in the end.”

“You’re… protecting their happiness.” Honoka said in realization.

“Yes, exactly!” Mami agreed with a proud smile, a dazzling sight in the last hours of the twilight sun.

“…Um, Tomoe-san. The truth is, I actually came to this city to find someone.” Honoka admitted, piquing Mami’s interest. “I don’t really know how to go about looking for them, and it’s been worrying me ever since I arrived. Would… would getting to meet them be a “worthwhile” wish?” She asked, meeting Mami’s gaze with a hopeful expression.

“Hmm… well, it’s certainly better than your potato chip wishes.” Mami quipped, Honoka flushing at the jab. “But there’s no need to rush into anything. You should take your time and think really hard about…”

“I have thought hard about it! I’ve thought about it my whole life!” Honoka interrupted, much to Mami’s surprise. “Even though we’ve never met before, this person is very special to me. I’ve dreamt of the day that we could finally meet face to face, and when we do, I want it to be as someone that she could be proud of.”

“…Are you sure?” Mami said, looking down at her Soul Gem with a melancholic expression. “Like I said, your life will be filled with constant hardship. Even if you get to meet this special person of yours, you might not have much time to spend with them… it can get very lonely.”

“I won’t get lonely, because I’ll have you!” Honoka said, Mami gasping in surprise as she met Honoka’s gaze again. “All my life, I’ve been nothing but a burden to the people around me, but if I could become like you, someone who could protect the happiness of others, then I think I could meet them with my head held high! So, if you’ll have me, I’d like to become a Magical Girl, and help you protect this city!”

“Inoue-san…” Mami fought to keep the tears that welled up in her eyes from falling. She probably should have urged her to wait, to properly think things through and make sure that this lonely life of battle was really what she wanted. And yet, as she gazed into Honoka’s eyes, sparkling with admiration and determination, all she could do was smile in return. “Well, it sounds like your mind is all made up.” Mami said before extending her hand out to Honoka. “If that’s the case, then I look forward to working with you, Inoue-san.”

“Yes! Same here!” Honoka cheered happily as she enthusiastically shook Mami’s hand.

“Thank you so much for your help.”

“Of course, it was my pleasure.” Mami said as she waved goodbye to the girl she had rescued.

After regaining consciousness, the girl was still weak from having had her vitality drained by the Witch, so Mami sent Honoka back to the apartment with the groceries while she brought the girl to the hospital. Once she was taken by the doctors, Mami left the hospital and made her way back home, a spring in her step that didn’t go unnoticed by her furry white companion.

“You seem to be in a good mood, Mami.” Kyubey said as he hopped onto her shoulder.

“Of course. I managed to fulfill my duty today as well, and in the process, I gained a new Magical Girl ally. Today was a good day!” Mami said.

“I’m quite satisfied as well.” Kyubey agreed. “The birth of a new Magical Girl is always a good thing and having an ally to fight alongside you will be a great boon to your Witch hunts. Especially considering the recent increase in Witch activity in the area, and not to mention that strange incident from yesterday.”

Mami’s chipper mood flattened as she was reminded of yesterday’s attack. That’s right, it was quite a dangerous time to be a Magical Girl in Mitakihara. It was subtle, but there was in increase in the number of Witches in the area in the past few days, and the mysterious attack from an unknown enemy also didn’t bode well, especially for a newly contracted Magical Girl. Perhaps Mami was wrong not to discourage Honoka from contracting right away more firmly, perhaps she should monitor the situation more closely for a while before throwing the poor girl into the deep end like this. However…

Would you… let me be your apprentice?

It had been so long since she had last fought alongside a Magical Girl that shared her ideals, and she longed to have that again. Perhaps it was irresponsible of her, but it was as Kyubey said, the birth of a new Magical Girl was a good thing, and Mami would make sure that she would guide her properly.

“Yes, I suppose things are rather precarious at the moment, but I’m not worried. Between my experience and Inoue-san’s drive, Mitakihara’s new Magical Girl duo can take on anything the world throws at us!” Mami declared with a playful wink. “Now then, what to make for our celebratory feast tonight?” She wondered out loud, smiling from ear to ear thinking about her and Honoka’s first meal together as Magical Girl partners.

Distracted by her pleasant musings, Mami failed to notice the man that jogged past her up the street. With her back turned to him and nobody else in sight, the man turned around and lifted his shirt, revealing a grotesque mouth on his stomach. A sopping wet tongue extended from the abdominal mouth and wrapped around Mami, condensing her into a flat, jagged piece of glass with a length of dehydrated tongue wrapped around it.

"Woah!” Kyubey gasped as his perch suddenly vanished. “Mami?” He looked down at the small prison that his Magical Girl charge had been forced into. “What is this?” He said as he cautiously went to poke the press with his paw, only to retreat as the man who trapped her approached. He completely ignored Kyubey, the creature invisible to him, as he kneeled down and collected his prize.

“Look at you, smiling so brightly. That’ll make for some good spice.” The man said with a sinister smile as he admired his handywork.

Kyubey titled his head curiously, his interest piqued by this unexpected development.

“Phew, that’s better.” Honoka said as she pulled her freshly washed hoody over her head. As much as she appreciated Mami lending her the dress, she certainly felt more comfortable in her own clothes.

With that, she walked back over to the coffee table in the living room, where her new “Yummy Note” sat open. Taped to the first page of the double spread entry was the label that she cut off of the potato chip bag, the other page filled with her joyous musings about the salty and crispy snack. She put the finishing touches onto the entry before turning back to the entry she made about lollipops, then turned again to the entry about gummies. Finally, on the first page of the Yummy Note was a list of all of the delicious snacks her mother had told her about, the ones she had already made entries for checked off.

“I can’t wait to add more!” Honoka said gleefully.

She looked back the groceries she was instructed to bring back. She would have liked to put them away, but she didn’t know her way around the kitchen, so she just left them on the island for her and Mami to sort out when she got back.

“I wonder what’s taking Tomoe-san so long.” Honoka mused. “I hope that girl is going to be ok.”

“Honoka!”

“Huh?” Honoka heard the unmistakable sound of Kyubey’s voice in her head, looking over to see him standing on the windowsill outside. “Kyubey?” Honoka walked over and opened the window, letting him in. “What’s wrong?”

“Honoka, it’s urgent! Mami has been kidnapped!”

“What!?”

…

…

Honoka followed Kyubey to an abandoned warehouse somewhere in Mitakihara, where he said he tracked Mami’s kidnapper to. Honoka’s heart nearly stopped as they came upon the little den that the culprit had set up inside, who lounged in a chair as he held the Human Press containing Mami by its errant string.

“There he is! That’s the strange man that kidnapped Mami!” Kyubey said.

“You… you’re one of Stomach Inc’s goons, aren’t you?” Honoka said, alerting the man to her presence.

“Huh? What’s it to you?” He said dismissively as he stood from his chair.

“Let Tomoe-san go!” Honoka demanded as she charged in.

“Honoka, wait!”

“This thing? How about no!” The Granute Whiple said as he pulled his Mimic Key out of his gavv and transformed back into his true form, much to Kyubey’s surprise.

With a single whip of his tendril arm, he knocked Honoka back across the room, the girl spilling on the ground with a pained gasp.

“Don’t be so reckless, Honoka! There’s no way you can take on that monster on your own!” Kyubey warned as Honoka pulled herself back to her feet. “Quickly, make a contract with me and…”

ZIP

With an angry glare, Honoka undid the zipper on her hoody, the flap opening and revealing her gavv.

“What?” Kyubey gasped.

“A red gavv?” The Granute Whiple said, equally confused.

“Gummy! Eat Gummy! Eat Gummy!” The PoppinGummy minion chanted as Honoka placed it in her gavv.

The gelatinous belt strap forward around Honoka’s waist, filling with gummy energy as Honoka turned the crank to chew. Kyubey took a step back as the snack bag forcefield appeared around her, filling with colorful gummy candies that popped out of Honoka’s body. She struck a dynamic pose, waving her free hand around in a circle as she cranked before bringing it across her face, peering through her open fingers as her eyes glowed with violet light.

“Henshin!” Honoka cried before hitting the button on the side of the belt.

The PoppinGummy minion burst open to reveal its mouth and arms, letting out a battle cry as the gummies began flowing into the open mouth of the Henshin Belt Gavv. Honoka lurched forward at the sudden surge of power, catching herself in a crouch as her suit and armor materialized around her.

“PoppinGummy! JUICY!” The minion in the belt announced, Honoka standing before a baffled Kyubey in her PoppinGummy form.

“Inoue Honoka… just what are you?”

“Hmph, I get it now. Wacky look aside, you’re a Granute too, aren’t you?” The Granute Whiple said. “Well, too bad kid, finders’ keepers!” The Granute Whiple charged, eager to do away with the competition.

In response, Honoka summoned the Gavvgablade from her gavv, ducked under the Granute Whiple’s first strike to grab it, and then cleaved the blade across his exposed torso. The powerful strike lifted the Granute Whiple off of his feet, Honoka slamming him back down to the ground on the follow through. Without even waiting for him to get back up, she slashed again, rolling the Granute Whiple on his back.

“W-Wait, hold on!” He pleaded as he rolled back onto his feet, only to get slashed again. “Just hear me out here!” Another slash, and then another, sending him falling back against a stack of crates. “Alright, fine, fine! Then how about we split the reward for this press.” He offered as he stumbled back onto his feet.

“…Huh?” Honoka breathed scornfully.

“Listen, this kid was a special order from the higher ups, one of those do-gooder types that gets the warm and fuzzies from helping other people.” The Granute Whiple explained. “I bet she’ll be worth two or three servings at least on collection. You let me go, half of that is yours.”

“Two or three… that’s all she’s worth to you?”

When I think about all of the people I’ve helped, all of the lives I’ve saved by fighting and enduring, it makes it all worth it in the end.

Honoka’s grip on the Gavvgablade tightened as she was filled with a white-hot rage. Suddenly, faster than the Granute Whiple could clock, the weapon was flung straight at him, the Granute just barely able to avoid it as it impaled the crate behind him.

“How dare you!” Honoka shouted as she tackled the Granute Whiple to the ground. “Human happiness doesn’t exist… just for you to devour!”

“Get off!” The Granute Whiple demanded as he wrapped his tendril around one of the arms that pinned him and tossed Honoka to the side.

As both rose to their feet, the Granute Whiple whipped another tendril at Honoka, who ducked under the attack and retaliated with a side kick that sent the Granute tumbling back to the ground. Honoka approached, pressing the button on the Gavvgablade to charge it as she collected it from the crate, and with a powerful overhead slash, knocked the Human Press that contained Mami off of the Granute Whiple’s person.

“Tomoe-san!” Honoka cried as she grabbed the Press out of the air. She frantically looked it over to make sure it wasn’t damaged, and thankfully, it was still perfectly intact. “Thank goodness!”

“Little brat… hand it over!” The Granute Whiple demanded angrily.

Suddenly, a multitude of black, squid-like tendrils grew from within the mouths and eye sockets of the Granute’s skull-like growths on his shoulders. Honoka ducked under the two that initially swung at her, only to get nailed by the three that followed up, her chest armor popping off in drupelets from the sheer force of the impact. Another two swung straight at her, Honoka bringing up the Gavvgablade to block. She slid back from the resulting clash but managed to keep her footing and knock the offending tendrils away with another swing of her blade. They retreated to allow four others to all come slamming down on Honoka at once. She avoided them with a forward roll, only for several others to come at her from all sides. She parried them as best as she could, but they were simply too tough for her blade to cut through.

“Ugh! Why is it all tentacles today?” Honoka cried as she was chased all around the warehouse, bobbing and weaving through the tendrils and losing a few pieces of armor along the way.

She looked down at the Human Press that contained Mami’s smiling form. She recalled how easily she had taken care of the Witch of Darkness, she was in complete control of the fight, even when it seemed like the Witch had her on the ropes. And yet, here Honoka was, desperately trying to save her last few scraps of armor as she fled from the tendrils with her tail between her legs.

“What do I do, Tomoe-san?”

“Eat Snack!”

“Huh?”

Honoka followed the sound of the little voice, her compound eyes falling on one of her new potato chip flavored minions, riding beside her in its little cart while two PoppinGummy minions pushed it.

“Eat Snack! Eat Snack!”

“…That’s right. Always have another trick up your sleeve!” Honoka recalled as she reached down and collected her minion.

“Snack! Eat Snack! Eat Snack!” The minion chanted as it was placed into the Henshin Belt Gavv, and Honoka turned the crank to chew.

Once there was a lull in the tendrils’ attack, Honoka stopped and allowed her gavv to savor the flavor of the chips that Mami had shared with her. A forcefield shaped like a bag of chips formed around her as it was filled with golden, crispy chips that were produced from Honoka’s body. Once the chips were properly savored, Honoka slammed the button on the side, the face plate of the minion popping open to reveal a little yellow monster with wild green eyes, a maw of sharp teeth, and a pair of hands grasping two jagged yellow blades.

The remnants of Honoka’s gummy armor vanished as the forcefield popped open, the chips within being inhaled by the Henshin Belt Gavv as the minion inside gave a wild battle cry.

“ZakuzakuChips! ZAKKUZAKU!” The minion in the belt announced as a cloud of chips covered Honoka’s black undersuit, materializing as golden plate armor shaped like stacks of potato chips. Her faceplate and helmet crests were also made from potato chip plates, a pair of russet potatoes placed where her eyes were, until they were sliced open into wave cut eye visors.

A pair of twin swords appeared in Honoka’s hands. The handles were shaped like scrunched up bags of chips, their contents spilling out to create the jagged blades made from overlapping layers of cracked chips.

The Zakuzaku ChipSlashers.

“Wow! Dual blades!” Honoka said as she admired her new weapons.

Upon locating her, the Granute Whiple sent a quartet of its tendrils after her again. This time, Honoka stood her ground, slashing at the incoming appendages… only for the blades to completely shatter on impact.

“Huh!?”

Before Honoka could process what happened, the tendrils slammed into her, knocking her back into a pile of debris behind her.

“W-What happened?” Honoka wondered as she looked down at her bladeless swords in confusion.

“Take this!” The Granute Whiple cried as two more tendrils were sent her way.

Panicked, Honoka brought up her now useless weapons in defense. She squeezed them desperately, causing the blades to regrow from the handles, the tips of the tendrils slicing clean off upon contact with the newly formed blades.

“Gah! What the…!” The Granute Whiple cursed as he retracted his tendrils in pain.

“Huh? They do cut?”

Honoka stood up from the debris and spotted a couple of errant steel girders standing off to the side. Curious, she walked over and swung one of the ChipSlashers at the first girder in a horizontal slash, the blade shattering on impact. She swung the other blade, this time in a diagonal slash, the blade cutting through the solid steel girder with little resistance. With an intrigued hum, she squeezed the handle of her first sword, regrowing the blade, and brought it down on the second girder in a vertical slash. The blade shattered once again, and suddenly a lightbulb went on in Honoka’s head. She regrew the shattered blade and brought both weapons down in mirrored diagonal slashes, effortlessly slicing through the girder. As the cut through portions fell away, she swung the blades at the third girder, cleanly cutting through it with a pair of parallel diagonal slashes.

“Got it! Diagonal cuts only!”

“Tch, you’ll pay for that you brat!” The Granute Whiple cried as he sent a tendril after Honoka.

This time, Honoka was ready, slicing clean through the tendril with a diagonal cut. A second tendril came slithering toward her, only to get cut down as well with a swing from Honoka’s second blade. With an angry growl, the Granute Whiple sent all of its remaining tendrils after Honoka. One by one Honoka bobbed, weaved, and slashed her way through the cloud of appendages, green onion flavored sparks arcing off the blades of the ChipSlashers with each successful cut.

At one point, the Granute Whiple managed to wrap its tendrils around Honoka, trapping her in a cocoon of his own appendages. But alas, Honoka was able to easily free herself in a whirlwind of bladed fury, sections of his severed tendrils cut up into thin chip-like crisps.

She did a front flip in the air, finally closing the distance between them and slashing across his exposed torso. The Granute Whiple staggered back before retaliating with a whip of its tendril arm. Honoka brought up a ChipSlasher to block, the blade crumbling from the force of the clash, but lasting just long enough for Honoka to sidestep the strike and land an upward slash from the opposite ChipSlasher that sent the Granute Whiple flying back.

As the Granute Whiple staggered back to his feet, he whipped his remaining tendrils at Honoka, only to kick up some debris as the odd Granute was nowhere to be seen. He looked around frantically for his adversary, before noticing the blade of the Zakuzaku ChipSlasher slowly materializing in front of him. He looked up to find Honoka perched on a piece of scaffolding, a blade resting on her shoulder while she held the other to his face.

“What’ll it be? You can either give up the Dark Treats for good, or I can finish you off here and now. Choose!” Honoka demanded.

“Hmph! Seriously? What kind of idiot would give up Dark Treats?” The Granute Whiple replied.

Honoka’s grip tightened around her weapons at the remorseless reply. She thought back to Suleika, the Witch of Darkness, a being so corrupted with curses that her very presence elicited disgust and fear. Witches were terrible creatures that spread curses throughout the world, that was just their nature.

The Granutes of Stomach Inc. were different. They weren’t mindless beasts acting on instinct, they were people capable of reason, hired to do a job. They knew what they were doing was wrong… they just didn’t care.

“…Fine.” Honoka said as she let herself fall from the scaffolding, severing the last of the Granute Whiple’s tendrils with a spinning slash.

“Charge Me! Charge Me!” The ZakuzakuChips minion chanted as Honoka turned the crank to chew. With the last of the minion’s tasty energy savored, Honoka pressed the button with the handle of the ChipSlasher, the layered blades glowing with energy before she shattered them against each other.

“ZakuzakuChips! FINISH!” The minion cried as Honoka sent the shards of chips to attack the Granute Whiple with a wave of her reformed blades.

They encircled the Granute in a whirlwind of jagged blades and green onion sparks, the Granute Whiple helpless as it suffered the pain of a million tiny cuts. In one last ditch effort, the Granute Whiple willed its tendrils to regrow and sent them after Honoka, only for the appendages to be immediately sliced to bits by the whirlwind of chip shards. Now completely defenseless, Honoka charged forward and sliced through the Granute Whiple in a wide, diagonal arc. She cut through him and the wall behind him, kneeling under Mitakihara’s stary sky as the remains of the Granute Whiple were engulfed in a massive explosion.

Honoka stood up as her chip plate armor cracked and shattered, the ZakuzakuChips minion passing on to the afterlife after a job well done. It was replaced by a PoppinGummy minion, donning Honoka with her gummy armor as she pulled out the Human Press that still contained Mami.

“Tomoe-san.”

Honoka took the Gavvgablade and carefully cut through the shriveled tongue that held the Press together. The glass glowed as it hopped out of Honoka’s hand, and in a flash of light, Mami appeared, safe and sound.

“Eh? Where am I?” Mami said, looking around at her unfamiliar surroundings.

“Tomoe-san! Thank goodness you’re alright.” Honoka said with a relieved sigh.

Mami turned her attention towards the voice she didn’t recognize. She got one look at Honoka’s armored form before she immediately created some distance between them with an elegant backflip, twirling in the air as she called upon her magic and transformed into her Magical Girl costume.

“Huh? Tomoe-san?”

“Stay back!” Mami ordered as she conjured a musket and aimed it at Honoka. She gasped at the sudden threat, halting her attempt to approach her. “Who are you? What are you? How do you know my name?”

“Um, I’m… well, this is…”

As Honoka struggled to answer, Mami took a good look at her. She examined her colorful armor, primarily purple with gradients of blue and yellow, then she saw the smoking hole she had left behind in the wall of the warehouse, and suddenly it clicked.

“You… You’re one of those things that tore up the shopping district yesterday, aren’t you?”

“That’s… I…” Honoka looked away in shame, unable to bring herself to deny the accusation.

“Your silence says it all!” Mami said as she snatched her hat from her head and conjured four additional muskets in front of her from it before putting it back in place. “Prepare yourself, fiend! Whatever manner of monster you are, if you mean harm to the people of this city, then I will strike you down!” She declared as she took one of the new muskets and aimed it at Honoka as well.

“N-No, wait, you don’t understand, I’m…!”

Oh, and you should keep the fact that you’re an alien under wraps. Most people probably wouldn’t be as cool with it as we are.

“I’m…”

Honoka hesitated, recalling Sayaka’s advice. She looked back at Mami through her gummy eye visors, taking a reflexive step back as she saw the intensity in her narrowed gaze. Was this the look that Suleika saw, the look that Mami used as she stared the Witch down? Honoka recognized that look, a look of complete and utter distain, like Mami wanted nothing more than to see Honoka vanish off the face of the earth. It was a look that Honoka had to endure all of her life, from the people that should have loved and protected her.

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry for startling you.” Honoka finally said. “Please try to avoid running into monsters with mouths on their stomachs like me from now on.”

“Mouths… on their stomachs?” It was then that Mami realized that what she thought was a belt around Honoka’s waist was in fact a misplaced mouth on her stomach, much to her disgust.

Honoka hung her head in shame as she began to walk off, placing the Vrocan minion in her gavv and cranking to chew.

“Hey, stop right there!” Mami demanded as she open fired.

A cloud of lollipops surrounded Honoka, protecting her from the shots, before coalescing into the Vrocanbuggy that she promptly mounted and drove away on.

“Wait!” Mami called as she willed the other guns to fire on their own, the shots bouncing off the vehicle’s tough exterior.

She considered giving chase but remembering the massive amount of collateral damage that this creature was capable of, she decided against it. She let out a frustrated sigh as she released her magic and transformed back into her uniform. She narrowed her gaze down the way the abdominal mouthed creature escaped, disappointed in herself for letting it get away.

“A monster with a mouth on its stomach… Inoue-san and I will truly have our hands full it seems.”

Honoka quietly wept as she aimlessly walked through the dark streets of Mitakihara. Suddenly, she understood the ramblings of that girl under Suleika’s curse, the dazzling lights of the streetlamps and stars above feeling far too dazzling for such an unworthy wretch like her to bask in.

“That was quite the impressive display, Inoue Honoka.” Kyubey said from a nearby park bench.

“Kyubey…” Honoka said between sobs.

“I must say, I was taken by surprise. Due to your appearance, I never would have guessed that you weren’t human, but in fact a… what did Mami’s captor call himself again? A Granute?” Kyubey asked with a curious tilt of his head.

“…That’s right, I’m not human.” Honoka said, barely above a whisper. “I’m… an alien from another dimension… a monster with a mouth on my stomach…” Honoka gasped, making a horrible realization.

Her sister.

She came to this world seeking to reunite with the sister she had never known, but she hadn’t stopped to think if she would have liked to meet her. Honoka imagined her standing underneath the dim light of a nearby streetlamp. She was surprised to learn of Honoka’s existence. She was frightened when she learned that Honoka wasn’t human. She was angry and disgusted when she learned what others of her kind have been doing to the people of the human world. But most of all, she was horrified to learn that she was in fact the same as Honoka… a monster.

“I… I can’t meet her like this… I can’t tell her… that she’s a monster like me!” Honoka fell to her knees and began sobbing, the thought of her long-lost sister hating her, or coming to hate herself because of her, was too much for her to bare.

“If it’s any consolation, I believe I can identify with your struggles.” Kyubey said, grabbing Honoka’s attention. “The truth is, I too am a species not originating from Earth.”

“What? You mean… you’re an alien too, Kyubey?” Honoka said between sobs.

“That’s right, from another planet.” Kyubey confirmed. “I often have trouble comprehending the values of humans, and as I result, I often find myself hated and feared by my charges.”

“I see… I’m sorry, that’s… not a good feeling, being hated by the people who should care about you.” Honoka lamented.

“But unlike me, you have the means of changing your situation.”

“Huh? You mean…”

“That’s right, plenty of Magical Girls in the past have used their wishes to change their biology in some way, to conform to how society believes they should be. The same can be done for you.” Kyubey said.

“You mean… if I make a contract, you can make me human? Make both of us human?” Honoka said with a desperate look on her face.

“Yes, that is a wish that is well within my power to grant.”

Honoka looked up at the alien feline with wide eyes filled with hope. She took a moment to wipe away her errant tears and stood up with a look of determination.

“I’ll do it then. I’ll make a contract with you and become a Magical…!”

“GUMMY!!!”

“Huh?” Honoka looked over and saw one of her PoppinGummy minions bouncing on her shoulder, tears spilling from its eyes as it frantically called to get her attention. “PoppinGummy? What is it?” The little minion yapped at Honoka as it shook its head vigorously in disapproval. “You’re saying I shouldn’t do it?” The minion nodded.

“Your transformation devices are living creatures?” Kyubey said curiously.

“Yeah, they’re my minions.” Honoka replied.

It was then that she noticed that the rest of her minions had begun to crowd around at her feet, all yapping in their strange language in unison.

“So, you all think that it’s a bad idea?” Honoka said, her minions squealing in agreement. She looked back at the PoppinGummy minion on her shoulder, round little eyes still dripping with desperate tears. “…Alright, then I won’t do it.” Honoka finally relented with an understanding smile, her minions all cheering joyously.

“You’re really going to reject my offer, just as the behest of your minions?” Kyubey said in bewilderment.

“I’ll admit, I’m a little disappointed too, but…” Honoka cupped the PoppinGummy minion in her hand, looking down at it lovingly. “My minions only want what’s best for me, they’re even willing to throw away their very lives to help me. So, if they don’t want me to do something, then the least I can do is listen to them.”

The PoppinGummy minion cried tears of joy at Honoka’s trust in it, before turning around, popping open, and blowing its tongue mockingly at Kyubey, the rest of the minions cheering in agreement with the sentiment.

“…I see, that’s quite unfortunate.” Kyubey lamented as he hopped off of the bench. “Well, if that’s the case, then I suppose I should be on my way. Best of luck to you, Inoue Honoka, and if you ever change your mind, be sure to come find me. My offer will always on the table.” He said before he walked off into the night, leaving Honoka alone with her minions.

She let out a tired sigh, letting the PoppinGummy minion hop off of her hand to join its brethren.

“Well, only one thing left to do now.” Honoka said as she too walked off into the night.

“I’m home!” Mami said as she entered her home, a smile on her face as she knew that she would no longer be greeting an empty apartment. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting, Inoue-san, I got a little… sidetracked.”

Mami quickly noticed that Honoka wasn’t waiting for her in the living room as she expected her to be. She saw the bags of groceries lying on the island in her kitchen, so she wondered if perhaps she had excused herself to the ladies room. It was then that her eyes fell on a handwritten note lying on the coffee table in the living room, next to the dress she had lent Honoka folded up neatly on the glass surface.

She picked up the letter and began reading.

Dear Tomoe-san,

I’m sorry for suddenly leaving like this, but I’ve decided not to become a Magical Girl after all. There are plenty of things I would want to wish for, but that would just be me being a burden again, relying on someone else to solve my problems. That’s the last thing that I want.

Thank you so much for helping me. I truly admire how you try to help everyone, and I hope I can one day become someone like you, in my own way. Good luck protecting the happiness of this city, and I promise to keep up with making entries in my Yummy Note!

Sincerely,

Honoka

A single tear fell onto the note as Mami finished reading it. She quickly wiped her eyes free of the sudden tears before her gaze fell on her Soul Gem resting on her finger.

“I have to try my best tomorrow as well… even if it’s on my own.”

Shita waited impatiently underneath an old, abandoned bridge somewhere in Mitakihara. At her brother’s behest, the two of them sent out their Agents to search for any clues as to their missing part-timer’s whereabouts, her Agents taking the eastern half of the city, while Jeebh’s took the west. After a full night of searching, one of her Agents finally reported back to her, the masked minion sporting white accents as opposed to her brother’s blue.

“What news do you bring?” Shita said with an expectant smile.

The Agent remained silent, only handing over a smartphone-like device to her. On the screen was a human news feed, and among the various posts was a poorly taken photograph of what Shita was barely able to recognize as the quadrupedal form of a Granute.

“Is that our missing part-timer?” Shita mused; she didn’t typically bother memorizing the faces of the lower brass of their operation.

Regardless of the spotty identification, Shita could see that the Granute was not alone in the photograph. She pinched the screen to zoom in on the image, or more specifically, on the colorful figure that seemed to be chasing their missing part-timer on a giant ATV.

“What’s that other thing?” Shita said quizzically, lamenting the validation of her brother’s concerns.

Chapter Text

In the dead of night, far above the bustling roads and illuminated buildings of Mitakihara City, a single young girl sat casually on one of the transmission towers that made up the city's power grid. One of her legs, clad in a thigh high brown boot, hung lazily over the edge of the girder she sat on, her green jacket, a size too small for her growing frame, flapping in the wind, along with her wild red hair barely contained in a messy ponytail. In her left hand she held a Soul Gem, glowing a bright red as she reached out with her magic to locate the signature of the Witch the Magical Girl had been hunting. In her right hand, she held a partially unwrapped chocolate bar, the girl ignoring the convenient blocks it was cut into and taking a big bite out of it as she looked over the city impatiently.

"Come on, come on!" She said as she expended a little bit more magic to increase her search radius. Unfortunately, she came up empty handed. "Damn it! Guess I gotta do this the old-fashioned way." She cursed, taking another frustrated bite out of her chocolate bar.

Her prey proved too elusive for a general sweep of the city to find. If she were being honest, she wasn't surprised by this outcome, not only was this method of searching for Witches costly in the magic department, but it also made it difficult to tell magical signatures apart, her prey's trail getting lost in the residual magic of long defeated Witches and the Magical Girls that ended them. Instead, she would have to survey the city on foot, canvasing smaller areas as she went. That would allow her to more accurately tell the magical signature of her Witch from the white noise of the city. This was how most Magical Girls went about hunting for Witches, and normally it wouldn't be a problem for the red-headed Magical Girl.

That is, if it weren't for the fact that this city wasn't her territory… or rather, it wasn't anymore.

There were only so many Grief Seeds to go around, so it wasn't uncommon for Magical Girls to come into conflict over their hunting grounds. Knowingly hunting in another Magical Girl's territory was essentially a declaration of war, and a Magical Girl that couldn't defend her territory was as good as dead. There were a number of reasons why Kyoko didn't want to tango with the Magical Girl that had claimed Mitakihara as her territory, not the least of which being that she was not certain that she could win.

"Well, better get down there." Kyoko said with a frustrated sigh as she stood up on her girder, ready to leap down and begin her tedious search.

"I'm surprised to find you here, Sakura Kyoko." A familiar voice echoed in her mind. "You're not usually one to invade another Magical Girl's territory. What brings you back?"

"Trust me, I'm not exactly thrilled about it either." Kyoko replied to Kyubey, the little white creature resting on his haunches beside her on the girder. "A Witch that I was hunting managed to give me the slip, and it hightailed it here, of all places. I'm not the kind of gal to leave a meal half eaten, so here I am to clean my plate."

"I see. If I remember correctly, a similar situation occurred nearly a year ago, did it not?" Kyubey said.

Kyoko's grip on her chocolate bar tightened, threatening to snap what remained in the wrapper in half.

"Don't remind me…" She muttered angrily. "Anyway, no need to raise any alarm bells with your golden girl, I'll just be in and out." Kyoko said before taking another bite of chocolate.

"I don't particularly care which of you finishes off the Witch, so long as it is properly dealt with." Kyubey said. "But while we are on the subject of Mami, she actually wanted me to come find you."

"Huh?" Kyoko said mid chew.

"We've made a rather troubling discovery recently, and we found it pertinent to spread the word to other Magical Girls in the area." Kyubey explained. "It appears that a new enemy has appeared here in Mitakihara, one that poses a significant threat to humanity."

"A new enemy? The hell does that mean?"

"They call themselves Granutes. Neither Witch nor Familiar, they are monsters with mouths on their stomachs that seem to be kidnapping humans for some nefarious purpose." Kyubey elaborated.

"…Seriously?" Kyoko said incredulously. She thought for a moment that Kyubey was messing with her, but she knew her contractor long enough to know that he wasn't one to tell such outrageous lies.

"I'm afraid we still don't know much on the matter, that's why Mami would like to meet up with you and discuss possible strategies. Perhaps if you agree to meet with her, she will look the other way in regard to you invading her territory." Kyubey suggested.

"Hmm… yeah, I think I'll pass." Kyoko flippantly declined.

"May I ask why?"

"Look, if Mami wants to waste time and magic dealing with these "granites" or whatever they're called, then that's her deal. As for me?" Kyoko gave a mischievous smirk as she popped the last of her chocolate bar into her mouth. "If there ain't any Grief Seeds in it for me, then it ain't my problem."

With that, Kyoko leapt off of the transmission tower, leaving behind a disappointed Kyubey as she descended into Mitakihara City to begin searching for her prey in earnest.

Somewhere in Mitakihara City, a young woman quietly slunk into an old government office, ignoring the signs that marked the building as condemned for demolition. The interior was dimly lit, as to not draw suspicion, but it was clean and well kept, a bulletin board covered in maps and documents betraying the locale's use as a collection point for Stomach Inc's procurement division. Inside, a masked Agent was waiting for her, the woman presenting them with a briefcase.

"My harvest for last month." The disguised Granute said, opening the briefcase to reveal five Human Presses.

The part-timer handed their haul to the Agent, who silently examined the presses, as they had done during all previous collections. The part-timer waited patiently, eagerly awaiting their reward.

"What a nice smile!"

The part-timer flinched at the sound of the familiar voice. Out from the shadows came Jeebh and Shita Stomach, the Head Procurement Managers of Stomach Inc.

"Jeebh-sama." The part-timer said as they took a step back and bowed respectfully as their superior approached.

"You've always been good at finding us the finest of spices." Jeebh complimented as he took one of the Presses and admired it.

The part-timer tried their hardest not to let their satisfaction show on their face. If the Procurement Manager was praising their work, then certainly they were in for a substantial reward.

"Jeebh-sama, another one of our part-timers has vanished." The Agent informed in a distorted, feminine voice.

"…That so?" Jeebh gave his Agent an irritated side eye glance. He and Shita had wanted to keep the news of the disappearances quiet for the moment, but it seemed that his lackey had taken its instructions to inform him as soon as it learned anything new just a bit too literally. "Well, let's hope you're good enough to fill in for our missing friend as well." He said with a composed smile as he gingerly handed the part-timer a sizeable box with the Stomach Inc. logo emblazoned on it.

The part-timer took the box eagerly, opening it up to reveal that it contained five cuboidal servings of Dark Treats, one for each of the high quality Presses the part-timer had collected. Despite themselves, the disguised Granute gave a satisfied smile, before regaining their composure to once again address their superior.

"You can count on me." They said, dismissing themselves with a respectful bow before scampering off to consume their reward elsewhere.

"Well then, Shita? What did you want to talk about?" Jeebh addressed his waiting sister.

"This guy ring any bells?" Shita said as she presented her brother with her smartphone. It displayed the human news feed that contained the photograph of the mysterious figure chasing down their missing part-timer.

"Is that… a Granute?" Jeebh said with a quizzical tilt of his head. "Can't be, right? We would have heard rumors about someone so bizarre looking."

"Yeah, probably." Shita agreed. "So, it's gotta be…"

"…A human?" The twins said in unison. They traded a quizzical look with each other, a certain idea passing between them. They had never heard of such a strange looking Granute, and no mere human could stand up to one of their kind. Neither human, nor Granute… only one person they knew of fit the bill. "No way…" They mutually disregarded the idea.

And yet, they couldn't let it rest. They needed to be sure.

"Look into something for us, will you?" They instructed their Agent.

"Very well." The Agent agreed obediently.

GROWL~

"Ugh, I'm so hungry~." Honoka wined as she felt her stomach rumble.

Honoka wandered aimlessly through the streets of Mitakihara, much like she did the day before, bereft of purpose. However, she found it difficult to ponder on her new lack of direction when her empty stomach demanded to be filled. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of gummies, the very last of the snacks that Madoka had so graciously given her. Somehow, she had managed to make the snacks last for three days, a very hunger filled three days, but three days, nonetheless. But now, she was down to her last pack, and she agonized over what to do with it.

"This the last of my snacks… I should really save it, or at least ration it out." Honoka mused to herself. Her stomach let out another growl, as if to protest Honoka's desire to conserve the small portion of food. "…Then again, it would be bad if I passed out again." She argued, before a delighted smile crossed her lips. "Guess I have no choice! I'll fill up my belly and then figure out the rest from there!"

With her decision made, Honoka eagerly tore open the bag of gummies, perhaps a little bit too eagerly, as the cheap plastic ripped open against Honoka's inhuman strength, sending all of her precious gummies flying in all directions. If that weren't bad enough, some of those gummies flew into the face of a girl that was passing by, Honoka gasping as she watched the girl stop and look around quizzically at her accidental assault.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" The red-headed girl shouted angrily, grabbing Honoka by the collar.

"Wah! I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Pick them up!" The girl interrupted Honoka's frantic apology, pointing to the ground where some of the gummies had fallen.

"…Huh?"

"You heard me." The girl said, tightening her grip on Honoka. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's ingrates that go around wasting precious food. So, unless you want your next meal to be a knuckle sandwich, I suggest you get to it!" The girl waved a fist in Honoka's face, punctuating her threat.

"O-Ok, I understand."

With that, the girl released Honoka, allowing her to kneel and start picking up her discarded gummies.

'Well, I guess she's right, I can't let the precious snacks that Kaname-san gave me go to waste.' Honoka thought to herself. She glanced back up at the girl, who glared menacingly at her in order to silence any protests. 'But still, she's really scary!' Honoka doubled her pace.

Once she had collected all of the errant gummies in sight, she gave them a quick count, realizing that she was missing one. She looked around for the elusive gummy, her search bringing her to a nearby vending machine, the round shape of the grape flavored candy just barely visible in the dark space underneath it.

"I think one of them rolled under this vending machine." Honoka informed the girl.

"Well, get it out from under there." The girl demanded. "If you can't reach it, find a stick or some… THING!?"

The girl's voice went shirl and her eyes went wide as she watched Honoka lift up the vending machine with barely any effort. She stared with her mouth agape as Honoka clumsily kicked the gummy away from the dusty floor once hidden by the vending machine, before gently placing it back in its proper place. She picked up the last gummy and added it to the rest that she had gathered, a look of satisfaction on her face as she reported back to the flabbergasted girl.

"Look, I got them all!" Honoka happily presented her haul to the girl. "Um, sorry again for…"

Mid-apology, Honoka suddenly lost her footing and fell to the ground, her collected gummies scattering once again as she laid unconscious.

"What the… hey, what gives?" The girl said quizzically as she kneeled down and tried to shake Honoka awake.

GROWL~

The telltale sound of Honoka's empty belly was all the girl needed to hear.

"Tch, good grief." She swore under her breath as she reluctantly lifted the girl to her feet and dragged her across the sidewalk.

…

…

"Here, eat up."

The sound of Kyoko's irritated voice and the sweet smell of food roused Honoka from her slumber. She looked around at her new surroundings, having been dragged to a nearby public rest stop, where she was seated at a table in a plastic chair. Laid before her was a rectangular container with a plastic cover, containing what seemed to be an assortment of various foodstuffs resting over a bed of rice and seaweed.

"…What is this?"

"Huh? What does it look like?" Kyoko said as she plopped down on the seat across from her, an identical container in hand. "It's a noriben, obviously. I snagged us a couple from that truck over there." She directed Honoka's attention to a yellow food truck parked a short walk away, the vendor inside serving another customer.

"A noriben?" Honoka said as she eyed the food in the container curiously.

"Just shut up and eat! And there better not be a single grain of rice left over when you're done, you hear me?" Kyoko commanded as she set down her own meal and removed the cover.

"U-Understood!" Honoka obeyed, removing the cover from her noriben as well and unwrapping the chopsticks that came with it.

"Thanks for the food." The girls said in unison before the red head eagerly dug into her food.

Honoka tentatively collected a clump of rice and seaweed with her chopsticks, looking between it and the girl voraciously eating her meal across from her. Eventually, she put the bite of rice into her mouth, the curious look on her face brightening as she savored the new flavor.

"Delicious!" Honoka cheered with delight.

"I know, right? A good noriben for lunch really hits the spot." The girl mused through a mouthful of rice, before biting into the accompanying fried chicken cutlet.

"I see, so this is called a noriben… I'll remember that! Thank you very much!" Honoka said before taking another bite of rice and humming happily.

With two bites of her meal now savored and swallowed, Honoka couldn't help but notice that she hadn't felt the telltale rustling of a new minion being birthed from her gavv. She took another bite of the noriben, looking down expectantly at her covered stomach for the new minion to be born, but it never came.

"Huh? Nothing from this?" Honoka said quizzically.

"Hm? What'd ya say?" Kyoko said through a mouthful of rice.

"Uh, n-nothing…" Honoka quickly denied. "Oh! I know! I should add noriben to my Yummy Note!"

"Yummy Note?"

"It's where I write about all of the delicious things I've gotten to eat since coming to this city." Honoka explained.

"Oh, so like a food diary?"

Yeah! You wanna see?"

Honoka eagerly pulled out the little blue notebook before Kyoko had a chance to refuse. She laid it out on the table, opened to the most recent entry, the one about potato chips. Curious, Kyoko turned the page to the previous entry, the one about lollipops, and then turned the page again to the very first entry, the one about gummies.

"Hang on… are you saying you've only been eating snacks this whole time?" Kyoko said in disbelief.

"Yep!" Honoka obliviously affirmed. "And there's more to come!" Honoka turned the page to the long list of snacks that covered the first two pages of the Yummy Note. "There are tons of snacks that I can't wait to try, like marshmallows, and soft-creams, and…"

BAM!

"You idiot!" Kyoko shouted, angrily slamming her fist the table.

Honoka gasped at the sudden outburst, but before she could find her voice to apologize for whatever she did to anger her so, Kyoko rose from her seat and stomped over to the food truck. Moments later, she returned, setting two round containers filled with chopped vegetables onto the table next to Honoka's noriben.

"Here, eat these too!" Kyoko commanded before flopping back into her seat. "Listen up, snacks are great and all, but you need to eat properly balanced meals too, or else you're gonna keep passing out like you did today. That means meat, rice, and vegies, got it!"

"Uh… y-yeah, I understand."

"Good." Kyoko said, her arms crossed in disapproval. Honoka silently collected her Yummy Note from the table, sitting back down in her seat with a crestfallen look on her face. "Oh, don't go pouting on me now, I didn't say you had to stop eating snacks all together."

"Eh? I don't?"

"Snacks are for, you know… when you're feeling peckish between meals." Kyoko said. "Or when you're celebrating something or need to cheer yourself up. Then you eat tons of them!"

"…When you need to cheer yourself up?"

Honoka recalled that many of her mother's musings about her favorite snacks were prompted by moments of sadness, the woman craving an escape from their dreary lives as prisoners in Honoka's father's home.

"I guess that makes sense." Honoka said, looking down at the list of snacks her mother had left her. "…Alright, I get it now."

"Good, now get to eating, before your food gets cold." Kyoko commanded, the red head returning to wolfing down her own meal.

Honoka did the same, taking another bite of rice from the noriben before opening up one of the containers of vegies and taking bite of them too.

"Balanced meals… I guess Tomoe-san did say something like that too." Honoka recalled.

Kyoko's heart skipped a beat, nearly choking on her bite of food as she heard the familiar name.

"Tomoe? As in… Tomoe Mami?"

"Yes, she's a girl that helped me out the last time I passed out from hunger." Honoka bashfully explained. "She showed me how to shop at a grocery store, but I never realized that food for meals was different from snacks."

Kyoko went silent, eyeing Honoka warily as she happily ate her noriben. She had been surprised by the petit girl's inhuman strength, and at the time, she had a sneaking suspicion that the two of them had more in common than Kyoko realized. Of course, she wouldn't put it past Mami to help a random stranger, but between that, and the incredible feat of strength, the possibility that this strange girl was Mami's new Magical Girl trainee was simply too likely to ignore.

She glanced over at Honoka's left hand, seeing that her fingers were bereft of the silver band of a Soul Gem. That alone didn't prove anything, she had come across Magical Girls that didn't wear their Soul Gems as proper rings, instead opting to just carry them around in their pockets or in a bag, or to put the ring on a string or chain and wear it as a pendant around their necks.

"…Hey, you're a Magical Girl, ain't ya?" Kyoko finally decided to ask. She was never a subtle person, and if the two were going to have to throw hands, she might as well just rip the band-aid off right away.

"Huh? No, I'm not." Honoka immediately denied, much to Kyoko's surprise. "Kyubey offered to make me one, but I turned him down." She explained.

"Huh? Then, how did you manage to…?"

"Wait, how do you know about Magical Girls, miss?" Honoka inquired.

"How do you think?" Kyoko said, showing off the Soul Gem ring on her finger.

"Oh, I see, you're a Magical Girl too!" Honoka realized. "Is that how you know Tomoe-san? Through Magical Girl work?"

"I… only know her through reputation." Kyoko said, averting her gaze from Honoka's sparkling eyes. "Ask anybody and they'll tell you that Tomoe Mami is one of the strongest Magical Girls there is."

"Wow! I knew she was amazing, but I didn't realize she was a such an elite!" Honoka said, eyes sparkling with admiration that made Kyoko's stomach churn. "She was so strong and graceful fighting that Witch, and she was so determined and kind as well. I really hope I can become someone like her someday too." She said with a wistful smile.

"Why didn't you make a contract then?" Kyoko asked, regaining Honoka's attention. "Kyubey said you've got the potential, and I'm sure Mami would love to show you the ropes." She said sardonically.

"…I wanted to." Honoka admitted. "But… a friend of mine told me that it was a bad idea, so I decided not to."

"…Heh, pretty sharp friend you've got there." Kyoko said as she reclined in her seat. "No offense Four-Eyes, but you really don't seem like the type that could make it as a Magical Girl."

"R-Really?"

"Trust me, despite how Mami might have made it look, it's a pretty cutthroat gig. A naïve kid like you that can't even properly feed herself wouldn't last a day." Kyoko asserted before digging back into her noriben.

"…Yeah, I guess you're right." Honoka sadly agreed.

With a downtrodden look on her face, Honoka also went back to eating, her mood quickly improving as she tried one of the side dishes in her noriben.

"Ahh~! Now that hit the spot!" Kyoko said as she and Honoka finished off their meals, leaving not a single morsel of food behind as Kyoko had ordered.

"Thank you so much, miss. That really was delicious!" Honoka thanked with an appreciative bow.

"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it." Kyoko waved her off. "Anyway, I gotta run. Throw out the trash for me, will ya?" She flippantly requested as she stood from the table to take her leave.

"Ah! P-Please wait!" Honoka said as she stood from the table as well. "Um, is there any way I can repay you for the food?"

"Huh? Repay me?"

"Yes! I… don't want to be a burden on anyone. You helped me out, so please let me return the favor!" Honoka desperately insisted.

"Look Four-Eyes, that's really not necce…" Kyoko stopped mid-refusal as an idea popped into her head, her lips curling into a devilish grin. "Actually, now that you mention it, I did end up using the last of my cash on those noriben."

"Oh no! I-I'm so sorry!" Honoka apologized.

"Well, if you really want to make it up to me, I was just about to go do a job to earn me some more funds. Think you can lend me a hand?"

"Yes! It would be my pleasure!" Honoka eagerly agreed. "Um, by the way, my name is Inoue Honoka." She introduced herself

"Sakura Kyoko." Kyoko introduced in turn. "Follow me, oh, and throw away the trash too." She ordered, Honoka scrambling to do as she was told before following after Kyoko.

Madoka let out a forlorn sigh, earning her the attention of her seat mate Sayaka.

"Bored already Madoka? Well, guess I don't blame you; it was boring last year too." Sayaka quipped.

The girls were seated in a bus, along with the rest of their classmates, on their way to the school's annual field trip to a local automotive plant.

"No, it's not that." Madoka denied. "It's just… well, look at this." Madoka showed Sayaka her phone screen. She scrolled through the social media posts, all of which were discussing the most recent sightings of the same colorful monster that had torn up the shopping district not three days prior. "Can you believe all of the horrible things these people are saying about Honoka-chan? She saved our lives and they're all treating her like she's just another monster. It's not fair!"

"You got that right!" Sayaka agreed. "Haven't these people ever heard not to judge a book by its cover? She may be a freaky looking alien from another dimension, but she's a true-blue hero of justice!"

"And she's not even that freaky looking! I think she looked really cool!" Madoka asserted.

"Yeah! Cool in a freaky way!" Sayaka agreed. "People would see that if these pictures weren't so blurry!"

"I just… I wish there was something I could do to help her." Madoka said with another lamenting sigh.

"Yeah, I get that. But what exactly can we do? We can't fight monsters with her and arguing with a bunch of trolls online is just asking for trouble." Sayaka said, much to Madoka's disappointment. "I know it sucks, but all we can really do is keep cheering her on from a distance."

"…Yeah, I guess you're right."

With that, Madoka put her phone away, having had enough of seeing her friend's name getting dragged through the mud for one day.

"Reporting for duty, boss!" Kyoko said over the ear-splitting noise of the construction site she had led Honoka to.

She earned the attention of a middle-aged gentlemen dressed in work overalls and a hard hat. As the man turned around and gave a confused look to the two young teenaged girls, dressed in similar attire to the rest of his workers, Kyoko's Soul Gem began to glow softly, the man's eyes flashing with red light as Kyoko subtly altered his perception of reality.

"Oh, you two must be the freelancers I hired for the day." The work site foreman falsely realized.

"That's right."

"I-I look forward to working with you." Honoka said with a polite bow.

"You're just in time, the shipment of cinderblocks we were waiting for just arrived. You can start by bringing them to the other side of the site." The foreman instructed, drawing the girls' attention to the large pile of cinderblocks standing a short walk away.

"Will do." Kyoko said before turning on her heel and sauntering over to the pile, Honoka quickly following. "Alright, you heard the man, four-eyes. Start lugging these things over." Kyoko ordered.

"Roger!" Honoka said with a playful salute.

Kyoko leaned against the nearby fence, watching in amusement as the other construction workers gawked at how Honoka was able to effortlessly lift a pile of eight cinderblocks and rush them across the job site. This was a little scam that Kyoko had tried a few times before, using her magic to convince a construction crew that she was hired help. However, despite how lucrative the scheme was, the amount of magic she needed to use to both disguise her age and strengthen her scrawny tween body to keep up with the other workers was just too high a price to pay, so she abandoned the ruse. But now, with Honoka and her inhuman strength, the scam suddenly looked a lot more promising.

Honoka made quick work of the pile of cinderblocks, moving on to carrying other heavy loads, like planks of wood, heavy tools, and even steel girders, all while Kyoko lazed about the job site, nibbling on a bar of white chocolate as she watched the naive little sucker go. Before she knew it, Honoka had finished an entire day's work in just a couple of hours, the two girls approaching the baffled foreman to receive their payment.

"Well, I must say, in all my years on the job I've never seen anyone take to this kind of work as well as you two have!" He said as he handed Kyoko a small envelope. "If you ever want a permanent position on my crew, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, we'll keep that in mind." Kyoko lied as she tore open the envelope and started counting their payment as she made her away off the job site.

"Thank you very much for your hard work." Honoka politely returned the praise, the foreman smiling and tipping his hardhat in gratitude before returning to his work.

"Man, that geezer must have really been impressed, I think he gave use a bonus!" Kyoko said, gawking at the thick wad of cash in her hand.

"Were you able to get back the money you spent on the noriben?" Honoka asked.

"And then some!" Kyoko replied, much to Honoka's relief. "Oh, by the way." Kyoko took a few bills from the stack, about a quarter of their total earnings, and handed it to Honoka. "Here's your cut."

"Huh? You mean, I get money too?" Honoka said in disbelief.

"Course you do! You should never do anything for free." Kyoko asserted.

Honoka graciously accepted the money from Kyoko, gazing upon the bills in wonder.

"Thank you very much, Sakura-san!"

"Welp, with that, our little debt is all squared away." Kyoko said as she put the rest of her ill-gotten earnings in her pocket. "Guess I'll be seeing you… around?"

Kyoko paused once she saw that Honoka was no longer next to her. She looked around in confusion before spotting Honoka across the street, bouncing around the wears sold at a little candy kiosk.

"Wow! They all look so tasty! I wonder which one I should get." Honoka cooed as she practically drooled over the wide selection of treats.

"Oh, for the love of…" Kyoko said with an exasperated shake of her head. "Seriously? Are snacks all you can think about?" She said as she crossed the street to join Honoka at the kiosk.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm going to save some money for proper meals too." Honoka awkwardly assured. "It's just… I figured now was a good time for a snack."

"Yeah, I guess you did work up a sweat with all that heavy lifting." Kyoko admitted.

"No, not that." Honoka said, Kyoko tilting her head curiously. "You said that snacks are for when you want to celebrate something."

"I did? Oh yeah, I guess I did." Kyoko flippantly recalled.

"All my life, I've needed other people's help to survive, so this is the first time I've ever managed to earn money all on my own." Honoka said, looking down lovingly at the bills in her hands. "It's not much, but this is a big accomplishment for me, and I want to celebrate it!"

Kyoko flushed. She awkwardly looked away from Honoka's bright smiling face, the wad of cash suddenly burning a hole in her pocket.

"Ah! Sakura-san, look!" Honoka said as she picked a pack of gummies out of a basket on the kiosk. "They have new soda flavored gummies!" She cried happily as she showed off the packet.

The little window did indeed show off a few blue colored gummies in addition to the usual purple and orange, a little blurb at the corner of the pack announcing the inclusion of the new flavor. Kyoko stared blankly at the packet, before she let out an amused chuckle.

"Don't you already have an entry for gummies in your little diary?" Kyoko recalled.

"Huh? W-Well, yes, but not soda flavored gummies!" Honoka defended.

"Do you have any idea how many flavors of gummies there are? At this rate, you'll never make it through that massive list of yours."

"But… but…" Honoka stammered, unnecessarily distressed by the simple choice.

With an amused smile, Kyoko slyly purchased two chocolate bars from the kiosk, unwrapping the one labeled "Chocodan" and breaking off a row of the milk chocolate blocks from it.

"Here, want some?" Kyoko said as she offered the chocolate to Honoka.

"Huh?"

"It's chocolate." Kyoko said as she took a bite out of the remaining candy bar.

"Chocolate… wait, really!?" Honoka cried, eyes wide with wonder. "Is this really chocolate?"

"You want it or not? It's gonna melt if you don't hurry up and take it." Kyoko urged.

"Oh, r-right!" Honoka quickly accepted the piece of chocolate, eyeing it curiously for a moment longer before taking a bite out of it. "Yummy~! It's sweet and bitter at the same time. It starts off chewy, but then it melts in your mouth!"

Holding the first bar in her mouth, Kyoko unwrapped the second bar labeled "Chocodon" and offered Honoka a few blocks of the white chocolate.

"Here, try these too."

Honoka accepted the offer, finishing the milk chocolate before taking a bite of the new white chocolate.

"Wow! These are yummy too!" Honoka said. "They're not as bitter as the brown ones, but I can still recognize the "chocolatey" flavor!"

"There, now you got a new entry for your little diary." Kyoko said as she nibbled on her own candy.

"Sakura-san…"

Honoka paused as she felt her gavv rustle underneath her hoodie. Out from the sides of the flap came two new minions, one in red wrapping with gold lettering that read "Chocodan" running vertically between two green trapezoidal eyes, and the other in white and red wrapping with gold lettering that read "Chocodon" running vertically between two brown trapezoidal eyes. Honoka quickly turned around to hide the emergence of the twin minions, who hopped out of her hoodie to join their brethren behind a nearby tree.

"What's up?" Kyoko questioned, noticing Honoka's strange behavior.

"Ah! N-Nothing, nothing at all!" Honoka frantically denied. "Oh! That's right!" Quickly switching gears, Honoka grabbed a second pack of gummies from the kiosk and purchased them, before turning to Kyoko and offering one to her. "Here, this is for you."

"Huh?"

"My mom always said that snacks taste better when you share them with someone." Honoka said with a smile.

Suddenly, Kyoko was hit with an unexpected wave of nostalgia. She recalled doing something similar to this with her little sister, what felt like a lifetime ago. For a long time, her family wasn't very well off, so the chance to indulge in snacks was rare, and it was always an agonizing choice. Usually, Kyoko would pick a different snack from her sister, that way she could share it with her, and her sister was always willing to share hers in return.

"…Heh, yeah, I guess you're right." Despite herself, Kyoko curled her lips into a bittersweet smile as she accepted the pack of gummies. "Thanks, Honoka."

…

…

"So, Honoka, what brings you to Mitakihara anyway?" Kyoko asked as she popped a gummy in her mouth.

Honoka and Kyoko sat on a nearby park bench, Kyoko tearing into the pack of gummies Honoka had given her, while Honoka nibbled on the remains of the Chocodan bar that Kyoko had let her finish for her.

"Oh, um… nothing in particular, it's just… where I ended up when my family kicked me out." Honoka replied.

"Oh… bummer." Kyoko said as she awkwardly stuffed her face with a few more gummies.

"What about you, Sakura-san?"

"Huh?"

"Tomoe-san never mentioned there being any other Magical Girls in this city. What brings you here?" Honoka inquired.

"Oh, right… Mami." Kyoko wondered just how much Mami had told Honoka about the typical social dynamics between Magical Girls. From the looks of it, she didn't seem to know that Kyoko was overstepping a boundary being in Mami's territory, so she figured it wouldn't hurt to tell her. "Well, basically, a Witch gave me the slip and I tracked its trail here."

"Oh, I see, you're here for Magical Girl work." Honoka said. "Then maybe you should talk to Tomoe-san, maybe she could help you find it."

"Pfft, yeah right, like that'll happen." Kyoko mockingly dismissed the idea, much to Honoka's confusion.

"What do you…" Honoka's question was cut off when she felt one of her PoppinGummy minions tapping at her foot to get her attention. "Huh? What is it?" She whispered.

The little minion frantically nudged its box-like body toward a nearby alleyway, cloaked in shadows casted by the buildings and the trees. And yet, Homura could still spot movement from within, a black silhouette that was vaguely shaped like a quadrupedal animal. A familiar sickening feeling began welling up in Honoka's stomach as she saw the silhouette lift its wild, jagged head, the ever-shifting chalkboard scratches on its body acting as the only thing that differentiated the creature from the darkness of the alley.

"S-Sakura-san!" Honoka cried, earning the red-head's attention. "Look, over there, in the alleyway!"

"Huh?" Kyoko said quizzically but followed Honoka's gaze all the same. It didn't take her long to see what she saw, the shadowy creature seemingly foraging amongst the trash and debris that littered the alley. "That's…"

"I-I think I recognize it." Honoka said. "It looks like one of the minions from a Witch I watched Tomoe-san hunt before."

With a wave of her hand, Kyoko summoned her Soul Gem, the red crystal glowing as she reached out with her magic. She got a beat on the magical signature that originated from the creature in the alley. It was distinct, but small and weak, barely appearing as a blip on her radar that she could have easily missed if she weren't looking for it.

"Yep, that's a Familiar alright." Kyoko asserted. "Freshly severed by the looks of it."

"Severed?"

"You said that Mami killed the Witch that familiar was attached to, right?" Honoka nodded. "Well, sometimes, when a Witch is killed and its Labyrinth is destroyed, one of its Familiars will break off from it and start hunting on its own." Kyoko explained.

"Hunting… you mean, hunting people?"

"That's right." Kyoko said as she popped the last of her gummies into her mouth. "Familiars got the same tastes as their masters. They may be small fry, but a normal human ain't gonna be a match for them." Kyoko stood from the bench and walked over to a nearby trash can, throwing in the now empty packet. "Welp, I better get going, I got bigger fish to fry."

"Eh? You're leaving?" Honoka said, looking to Kyoko in disbelief as she began to saunter off. "But what about the Familiar?"

"What about it?" Kyoko replied with an aloof shrug of her shoulders.

"You can't just ignore it!" Honoka said as she caught up to Kyoko and stood in her path. "If you let it go free lots of people will get hurt!"

"Yeah, that's the idea."

"…Huh?" Honoka let out a shocked gasp at Kyoko's flippant reply.

"Familiars don't drop Grief Seeds, so killing one on its own is basically pointless." Kyoko said as she pulled out what remained of her Chocodon bar and took a bite out of it. "But once they eat like four or five people, they'll turn into the same kind of Witch that spawned them, Grief Seed and all. You shouldn't kill the goose before it lays the golden egg if you catch my drift."

"But… but what about those people?" Honoka rebuked. "Their lives, their happiness… you'd really just let them get eaten up just for a Grief Seed?"

"…Look Honoka, I know it's a tough pill to swallow and all, but that's just how the world works. Haven't you ever heard of the food chain?"

"Food chain?"

"The Witches eat the weak humans, and the Magical Girls eat the Witches." Kyoko said as she finished off the Chocodon bar. "Get it? It's eat or be eaten out here for us, and I ain't gonna risk going hungry just to save a bunch of strangers." She asserted as she crumpled up the candy wrapper and tossed it over her shoulder into the trash can.

Honoka fell silent, her hands tightening into fists as she listened to Kyoko's cold and cruel argument. She thought back to Mami, how she had valiantly risked her life to protect Suleika's victim, and how she so caringly checked on her once the battle was over.

"You're wrong…" Honoka whispered, just loud enough for Kyoko to catch.

"What was that?" Kyoko said with a narrowed, irritated glare.

"I said, you're wrong!"

Suddenly, Honoka took Kyoko by the arm and began dragging her toward the alley where they saw the Familiar.

"What the… Hey! What the hell are you doing!?" Kyoko angrily shouted.

"I'm not letting you ignore that Familiar!" Honoka declared.

"Let go! Let go!" Kyoko demanded, completely helpless against Honoka's inhuman strength.

"No! Magical Girls are supposed to protect people's happiness! You can't sacrifice their lives just for one lousy Grief Seed!" Honoka thought back to the Granute Hound and the Granute Whiple, Stomach Inc. part-timers that happily traded the lives of innocent people just for a taste of the Dark Treats. "You're… you're better than that, Sakura-san!"

"Grrr… I said, LET GO!" Kyoko cried as she called upon her magic to strengthen her body, allowing her to break out of Honoka's grasp. With an angry snarl, Kyoko grabbed Honoka by the collar, baring her teeth as she violently pulled Honoka in. "Now listen here, four-eyes, you passed up on becoming a Magical Girl, so where the hell do you get off telling me how to do my job!?"

"I-I just…"

"Newsflash! Our job as Magical Girls is to hunt Witches and collect Grief Seeds. That's it! Saving lives ain't part of the deal!" Kyoko barked, tightening her grip on Honoka's collar. "Tomoe Mami may waste her time playing hero, but that ain't how I operate! Don't do anything for free, remember? If there ain't money, a meal, or a Grief Seed in it for me, then it ain't my problem!"

"…"

"…"

"…Then, is that why you helped me out today? Just so I would owe you a favor?"

Kyoko let out an involuntary gasp at Honoka's question, her grip on her collar loosening ever so slightly as she was taken aback. She opened her mouth to speak, but her words died on her tongue as Honoka met her eyes with a solemn gaze.

"…Tch, whatever." Kyoko said as she released her grip on Honoka. "This whole thing was a waste of time." She said as she shoved passed Honoka.

"Sakura-san, wait…"

"Buzz off! You're pissing me off." Kyoko spat as she walked away, hands in her pocket and shoulders slumped irritably.

Honoka wanted to run after her, but she noticed that the Familiar was no longer in the alley, no doubt out hunting for those "four or five" human morsels that will allow it to evolve into a true Witch.

"Oh no!" Honoka reached into her pocket and pulled out a PoppinGummy minion. Its body popped open to reveal its arms and mouth, the minion ready to receive its orders. "Please go look for that Familiar that was just here. Come get me once you find it." She said as she let the minion loose, the little grape flavored creature scampering off to follow the Familiar's trail.

By then, Kyoko was long gone, having vanished into the city. Honoka let out a forlorn sigh, plopping down on the bench and hanging her head in shame.

Madoka tried her hardest to pay attention during the tour of the automotive factory, but between her disinterest in the subject matter, and her worries about Honoka, she just couldn't help but let her mind wander. It didn't help that many of her classmates also found the annual field trip just as dull and boring as it had been the last year, and so Madoka would often pick up snippets of conversations happening between various friend groups during the tour.

Almost all of them were talking about the recent monster sightings.

There was speculation abound about what these strange creatures could have been, and what they were doing in Mitakihara, but pretty much everyone unanimously agreed that they must all be up to no good. Madoka wanted to refute them, to defend her friend to her classmates, but she was not so much of a social butterfly to speak out against the entire class, especially out in public during a school function. And so, with quiet shame, Madoka held her tongue, and continued half listening to the mind numbingly boring tour.

"Alright everyone, this concludes Class 2-A's field trip of the automotive factory!" The chaperoning teacher announced to the gathering crowd of students. "We'll be meeting here in ten minutes, so make sure you use the restroom before you get on the bus!"

"It's finally over…" Madoka said with a relieved sigh. She waited for Sayaka's own affirmative reply, but it never came. "Huh? Where's Sayaka-chan?"

"Now that I think about it, I haven't seen her since a while ago." Madoka's friend Hitomi, a refined young girl with wavey green hair, recalled. "Don't tell me she got lost again." Hitomi lamented, recalling a similar incident that happened the year before on the same field trip.

"I'll go look for her!" Madoka volunteered. "Hitomi-chan, please tell the teacher not to leave without us." She requested, to which Hitomi agreed.

Madoka retraced her steps back through the factory, hoping to run into a wandering Sayaka. However, as she walked through the maze-like interior of the building, she failed to notice the way that the light illuminating the production floor dimmed with each step she took, the corridors beginning to twist and bend unnaturally as she called out to her friend.

To the PoppinGummy minion that found itself wondering the factory as well, Madoka seemed to vanish from the empty corridor as she passed through a shimmering veil of distorted space, entering a Witch's Labyrinth. Recognizing the girl as its master's friend, the minion began to panic, stuck between following Honoka's orders and warning her that her friend was in danger. In the end, it knew what Honoka would want it to do, and so it rushed back the way it came, hoping that they would make it there and back in time.

"When you're celebrating something, or when you need to cheer yourself up… I guess now is definitely the time for snacks." Honoka lamented as she sadly tore open her bag of gummies.

She reached in and picked out one of the blue colored gummies, the new soda flavor advertised on the bag. She felt her lip quiver as she recalled Kyoko happily munching on the very same snack, only to then recall the way those teeth gleamed as she snarled angrily at her. Honoka popped the gummy in her mouth, praying the snack will do as promised and lift her spirits.

Honoka's eyes widened in surprise as she savored the new flavor.

"Yummy~!" Honoka cried. She felt as though she were surfing on a wave of bubbly soda pop, her worries washing away in a single moment of delight. "So, this is soda flavor? It's so sweet and refreshing! I love it!"

Once the gummy was chewed and swallowed, she felt a familiar rustling under her hoodie. She opened the flap to reveal her gavv, a new minion being born in a flash of light within. She pulled the minion out, a soda flavored iteration of her gummy minions, with a blue label that read "PunchinGummy" in the usual colorful balloon font.

"Hello there. You're the third new face to join us today." Honoka greeted, the newly birthed minion nodding happily in her hand. Suddenly, Honoka's mood tanked, as she recalled Kyoko's bars of chocolate that granted her the other new faces in her arsenal. "…Hey, do you think I shouldn't have judged Sakura-san so harshly?" She vented to the minion. "Even Tomoe-san said that you need a healthy supply of Grief Seeds in order to fight as a Magical Girl. Maybe Sakura-san was just thinking of the big picture, or…"

Haven't you ever heard of the food chain… The Witches eat the weak humans, and the Magical Girls eat the Witches.

"No! That's not right!" Honoka said, shooting up from the bench. "That may have been how things worked back home, but not here! I finally managed to escape… I'm not gonna treat human lives like commodities like they do."

In the midst of Honoka's declaration, she heard the familiar sound of her minion's frantic yapping, the little creature kicking up dust as it shambled as fast as it could up to her.

"Oh, you're back!" Honoka said as she knelt down to address the minion. "Did you find the Familiar?"

The minion shook its head, much to Honoka's disappointment, but she had no time to dwell on it as the minion proceeded to keep yapping to her. Honoka didn't perfectly understand her minions' strange little language, but she was always able to get the gist of what they were trying to say to her.

"Kaname-san and Miki-san… oh no! Where?"

Honoka followed the PoppinGummy minion all the way to the nearby automotive factory. A number of other children her age gathered at the front and began piling into waiting busses, all of the girls among them wearing the same uniform that Honoka recalled Madoka and Sayaka wore.

"It's here?" Honoka asked, the minion at her feet giving an affirming nod. "Alright, please guide me to them, quickly!" The minion swiftly followed the order, guiding Honoka around the building so they could sneak in from the back.

Meanwhile, a few of Honoka's other minions trailed behind them, failing to notice the figure who had taken notice of them. They picked up two minions out of the bunch, the recently created Chocodan and Chocodon, looking them over with an inquisitive hum before they turned their attention to their young master.

"Damn it! The hell does that four-eyes think she is!?" Kyoko cursed as she kicked a nearby can angrily.

After parting ways with Honoka, Kyoko had taken to wandering the streets of Mitakihara, ostensibly to continue searching for her Witch, but in practice she had taken to stomping about, fuming over the less than pleasant exchange.

"Lecturing me about what it means to be a Magical Girl. You're the one who doesn't get it! Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Mami did get to her first, filling her head with all of that love and justice crap…"

Kyoko supposed that she couldn't be too angry with Honoka, after all, she herself was once so young and naïve. But she knew better now, using magic to try and help other people was just asking for trouble, and somebody would always have to pay the price. And so, she decided that she would only use magic to help herself, that way, the consequences would be hers alone to bare. It had taken quite the rude awakening for her to see the truth, and since Honoka had declined Kyubey's offer, she would most likely never experience her own.

That was a good thing, Kyoko supposed.

Then, is that why you helped me out today? Just so I would owe you a favor?

"…Tch, whatever! I should have just left her to starve." Kyoko grumbled, less venom in the sentiment then even she realized.

Irritated with her thoughts, she searched for a distraction, and she quickly found one as her nose picked up the heavenly scent of freshly baked goods. Following the scent, she stumbled upon a taiyaki truck parked in a nearby lot, manned by a single young woman who was hard at work pouring batter into fish-shaped molds.

"…Yeah, now's definitely the time for snacks." Kyoko said with an eager lick of her lips. "Hey lady! Gimmie two!" Kyoko demanded, slamming the requisite amount of cash on the counter.

DING!

DING!

"Huh?"

"Congratulations, miss!" The woman manning the food truck said as she rang a bell that hung from the window. "You are the 100th customer to visit my truck this week!"

"100th customer?"

"That's right, and that means…" The woman hefted a brown paper bag onto the counter, filled to the brim with freshly baked taiyaki cakes. "You get an extra-large order of our specialty taiyaki, free of charge!"

"Seriously!?" Kyoko said as she looked into the overstuffed bag. "There's so many! This really all for free?"

"That's right, enjoy!" The woman said as she offered the bag to Kyoko, who happily accepted.

"Lucky! Thanks, lady!" Kyoko said as she pulled out one of the taiyaki cakes and took a big bite out of it. She let out a happy hum, savoring the sweet confection as she walked away from the truck, failing to notice the sinister smile that crossed the woman's face.

"If it's quality spice they want, I might as well make it myself… the spice of happiness." They said under their breath as they stepped out of their truck.

After making sure there were no witnesses, the woman pulled up her shirt, revealing a grotesque mouth on her stomach that opened wide and sent its tongue out towards Kyoko.

SHWING!

SHWING!

"GAH!" The woman cried as their elongated tongue was severed twice before retracting back into their abdominal mouth. "What the…"

"Nice try pal, but you'll have to do better than that to get the jump on me." Kyoko said, brandishing what appeared to be a polearm made of glowing red light in her left hand, her bag of taiyaki still coddled in her right arm.

The woman looked surprised at first, but as the pain subsided, they let out a condescending scoff.

"Hmph, quite the feisty little human, aren't you?" They said, Kyoko raising an eyebrow at the taunt. "Oh well, you may be lower quality, but I can't exactly let you walk away now."

The woman lifted their shirt again and pulled their Mimic Key out of their gavv, the Granute Bon transforming into his true monstrous form. He carried a black, scull shaped shell on his back, covered in conical spikes, and with his pink, porcupinefish-like face peeking out from one of the eye sockets. His arms were similarly armored, ending in spiked balls rather than hands, and his gavv expanded to cover his whole abdomen, filled with square, chipping teeth.

"What the hell!?" Kyoko cursed as she brandished her makeshift weapon at the grotesque monster.

They call themselves Granutes. Neither Witch nor Familiar, they are monsters with mouths on their stomachs that seem to be kidnapping humans for some nefarious purpose.

"…Oh, I get it now." Kyoko realized. "You're one of those Granute things, ain't ya?" She said, waving her weapon at the Granute flippantly.

Kyoko paused, wondering what her next move should be. She wasn't lying when she told Kyubey she had no interest in dealing with these so-called Granutes. This thing wouldn't drop a Grief Seed once she was finished cracking its shell open, so why even bother? It didn't seem very light on its feet, so she could just make a break for it and save herself the trouble of wasting her magic on a pointless fight.

Magical Girls are supposed to protect people's happiness!

Kyoko felt a pang of irritation before a wily smile appeared on her face.

"Eh, why not?" Kyoko said as she retracted her weapon back into her glowing Soul Gem. "I need to blow off some steam anyway!"

She threw her bag of taiyaki in the air as her Soul Gem began glowing brighter. She did a dynamic twirl as the crimson light transformed her street clothes into a frilly red costume. Her boots turned red with white accents, a pair of black socks rising up her legs to her thighs. She wore a red long coat with detached gray sleeves that ended in thick black cuffs, the jacket opening up halfway down the torso into a curtain of pinkish white frills. Her Soul Gem took the shape of an ovular gem resting on her collar bone, in an almost eye shaped window on her costume. From the gem came a flash of light that transformed into several small rods that fell around her, before being strung together by a black chain. She whipped around the wild weapon before it retracted into a long bronze spear with a red and silver triangular head, Kyoko brandishing it proudly as she stood before the Granute Bon challengingly.

The Granute Bon was quite surprised by Kyoko's transformation, the girl deftly catching the bag of taiyaki on its descent and spinning it on her finger as she summoned a lattice of glowing red chains to secure it to a nearby wall. The Granute Bon let out a curious hum.

"…Right, I heard the rumors of my fellow part-timers going missing. So, you're the reason, huh?" He incorrectly deduced, but Kyoko ignored the accusation as the two charged at each other, Kyoko's spear clashing with the Granute Bon's spiked fist.

"Hey, Madoka, is it just me, or is something a little bit… off here?" Sayaka said, squeezing Madoka's shoulder anxiously.

Madoka had managed to find Sayaka quite easily, it was only when she tried to retrace her steps back to the exit where problems started to arise. In another repeat of last year's incident, Madoka had gotten lost searching for Sayaka, but this time, there was no good Samaritan to point them in the right direction. So instead, the girls began to wander, but the further they went, the more things around them seemed to... change. The corridors and machinery of the auto plant were replaced with a maze of endless staircases, leading to and from twisted structures that were reminiscent of ancient Greek architecture.

"Something's wrong. I… I don't think we're in the factory anymore." Madoka nervously realized.

"So then where the heck are we!?" Sayaka cried, her voice echoing across the Witch's Labyrinth.

The girls flinched as they heard something call out in response, a horrid sound that seemed to be a cross between a bovine's mooing and a ghostly moan.

"W-What was that?" Madoka shuttered as she clung to Sayaka.

"I-I dunno… but it sounded close." Sayaka dreaded.

Unfortunately, the blunette was correct, as lumbering up nearby staircase came a tall, shadowy figure, an inky black silhouette molded into the shape a bipedal bovine-like beast, a single eye placed in the center of its face in between two long, curled horns. Every step it took seemed to shake the stone architecture around them, and its wisp-like hands clutched at a giant silver greataxe with a multicolored gem imbedded in the head.

The girls' faces went pale at the sight of the monster, Madoka's knees buckling and threatening to give out were Sayaka not holding her. With a panicked scream, the girls turned to make a run for it, but they only made it a few paces before the master of the Labyrinth leapt over their heads in a single bound and cut off their escape route. It let out another loud moan as the girls fell to the ground from the shockwave of its landing. Madoka watched in horror as the creature lumbered over them, its eye twitching with what seemed to be glee as it raised its axe overhead. Madoka and Sayaka froze, facing death for the second time in such a short time span, and as the beast brought its weapon down on its helpless victims, she held Sayaka tightly and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"SAVE US, HONOKA-CHAN!"

SMASH!

Madoka heard the axe cleave into the ground where Madoka and Sayaka once laid, as well as felt herself being pulled away at the very last second. As they skid to stop, Madoka opened her eyes to find a familiar pair of purple eyes look at her with concern through a pair of red glasses.

"Are you ok, Kaname-san, Miki-san!?"

"Honoka-chan…?" Madoka said in disbelief.

"Thank goodness, I made it in time." Honoka said with a relieved sigh as she set Madoka and Sayaka down.

"H-Honoka-chan!" Madoka cried as she wrapped her arms around her savior.

"E-Eh?"

"We're saved!" Sayaka said as she did the same, the girls crying relieved tears at their miraculous rescue.

"I-I'm sorry I was late; this place is a real maze." Honoka awkward apologized, struggling against the girls' embraces.

Their tearful reunion was cut short as the Witch let out another angry moan, hefting its axe out of the ground and brandishing it challengingly at the new arrival.

Asiphae, The Bovine Witch

"You big bully! I won't forgive you for attacking my friends!" Honoka declared as she freed herself from Madoka and Sayaka's grasp.

"Honoka-chan, what is that?" Madoka asked.

"It's not another alien from another dimension, is it?" Sayaka speculated.

"Um, no, not exactly… I'm sorry, but your questions will have to wait till later." Honoka said as she unzipped the flap on her hoodie, revealing her gavv, and placed a PoppinGummy minion inside.

"Gummy! Eat Gummy! Eat Gummy!" The minion chanted as Honoka turned the crank to chew.

Madoka and Sayaka took a step back as the snack bag shaped forcefield appeared around Honoka, quickly filling with colorful gummies as Honoka waved her free hand dynamically and then peered her glowing purple eyes through its fingers.

"Henshin!" She shouted as she slammed the button on her gavv.

The forcefield popped open, along with the minion in the belt, the gummies being inhaled by the Henshin Belt Gavv as Honoka's suit and gummy armor formed around her.

"PoppinGummy! JUICY!" The minion cried as the transformation was completed, Honoka lurching forward at the sudden rush of power.

Asiphae let out an angry moan as she charged like the raging bull her form mimicked. Honoka stood her ground, summoning the Gavvgablade from her gavv and clashing it against Asiphae's axe. The resulting shockwave shook the arena, Madoka and Sayaka just barely able to keep their footing. After breaking the bind, Asiphae took another swing at Honoka, who deftly managed to parry the heavy strike. The two began trading blows, Honoka's strength able to match the Witch's, but the difference in size between their weapons made it difficult for her to find an opening to press the attack.

Asiphae raised her axe for a heavy downward strike, Honoka narrowly avoiding it with a back handspring. The massive axe head imbedded itself into the stone floor of the arena, Asiphae tugging at the haft as she struggled to free her weapon.

"Now's my chance!"

Honoka brandished the Gavvgablade before leaping onto the axe head, further wedging it into the ground, and leapt at Asiphae's exposed face. However, the Witch was not as helpless as she seemed, as she suddenly craned her body back, her shadowy abdomen ripping open and sending what appeared to be her inky black intestines out to ensnare Honoka.

"What? Gah!" Honoka gasped as the shadowy tendrils wrapped around her neck, Honoka dropping her sword to grasp at them.

"Honoka-chan!" Madoka called from the sidelines with concern.

"Guh… Really? More tentacles?" Honoka choaked out irritably. "In that case…"

Fortunately, Honoka was prepared, opening the Henshin Belt Gavv to allow the PoppinGummy minion to hop out, and replacing it with a ZakuzakuChips minion.

"Snack! Eat Snack! Eat Snack!" The minion chanted as the chip bag shaped forcefield appeared around Honoka, severing the tendrils that held her aloft as Honoka turned the crank to chew.

She landed back on her feet as the bag began to fill with chips. Once Asiphae managed to pull her axe out of the ground, Honoka slammed the button on the Henshin Belt Gavv, unleashing the power as the chips were inhaled by the belt.

"ZakuzakuChips! ZAKUZAKU!" The minion announced as Honoka's gummy armor was replaced by chip plate mail, the Zakuzaku ChipSlashers appearing in her hands.

"Whoa! This time it's chips!?" Sayaka exclaimed excitedly at the new form.

With a mooing roar, Asiphae sent her tendril-like entrails to attack Honoka, who effortlessly cut them down with her dual blades. Once she closed the distance, Asiphae began swinging with her axe again. Honoka, realizing that the ChipSlashers weren't durable enough to survive a clash with the weapon, bobbed and weaved through the wild swings, waiting for an opening. Her patience paid off, as a particularly wide swing imbedded Asiphae's axe into one of the marble pillars of the arena. Honoka took the opportunity to come at Asiphae from her exposed side, cutting down the entrails that defended her. Then, with a double spinning slash, Honoka severed Asiphae's horned head from her body. The Witch went limp, its body dissipating into shadowy wisps as Honoka landed victoriously.

"Yeah! That's our Monster Girl!" Sayaka cheered.

"Are you both ok?" Honoka called out to her and Madoka.

"Yeah, just a little spooked." Sayaka admitted. "So, you think you could show us the way out of here? This place gives me the creeps."

"Huh?" Honoka looked around quizzically at the arena, the twisted architecture showing no signs of vanishing. "That's weird. Isn't the Labyrinth supposed to vanish after the Witch is…"

"Honoka-chan, look out! It's still moving!" Madoka cried.

Honoka looked back to where Asiphae fell, seeing that the wisps of darkness that composed her body were in fact still moving with purpose. Suddenly, the shadows wrapped around Honoka's body, ensnaring her in a way where she couldn't move her arms to slice her way free with the Zakuzaku ChipSlashers. Held aloft by the shadows, she watched in horror as half of them split off and reformed into Asiphae's bovine body. The Witch reclaimed her weapon from the pillar and swung it at her ensnared victim, sending Honoka flying across the arena and crashing into the opposite wall.

"Honoka-chan!" Madoka cried.

"Oh man, this isn't looking good." Sayaka said.

Honoka emerged from the small indent in the wall made from her impact, much of her chip mail armor shattered and lying in pieces on the ground. She shook her head, coming back to her senses, as she looked up and saw Asiphae let out a mooing roar and charge toward her, ready for round two.

Kyoko had tried to play it safe at first, using the superior reach of her weapon to pick at the Granute Bon's defenses and see what she was working with. Immediately she learned that wasn't going to be a viable strategy, as every prodding strike harmlessly bounced off the Granute Bon's rock-hard shell. Still, that was valuable information. She was swinging hard enough to break concrete after all, which meant that brute force wasn't the way to go.

'Guess I'll have to be more precise with my attacks." Kyoko mused as she avoided a punch from the Granute Bon's spiked fists.

"Hold still, will you!" He angrily demanded as Kyoko sprang back out of his range.

As his beady eyes shot Kyoko an irritated glare, she realized that the only part of his body not covered in some sort of protective carapace was his fleshy, porcupinefish-like face. Her target acquired, she segmented her spear and began whipping it wildly at the Granute Bon's feet. He danced back to avoid the weapon, but eventually he was knocked off balance enough for Kyoko to strike. She retracted her spear and lunged straight for the Granute Bon's exposed face, only for him to raise one of his spiked fists in defense. The spear head collided with his fist, bouncing off harmlessly, but the force was enough to knock the Granute Bon off his feet.

"Now look who won't hold still." Kyoko taunted as she twirled her spear in a figure eight and leapt toward the helpless Granute.

Though downed he was, the Granute Bon was far from helpless, as the spiked ball on the arm that he used to block Kyoko's spear suddenly doubled in size. Feeling a surge of power, the Granute Bon quickly rose back onto his feet and used his enlarged fist to knock away the head of Kyoko's spear as it came in range.

"What the…GAH!"

Kyoko's surprised gasp was cut off as the Granute Bon punched Kyoko in the gut with his enlarged fist. She flew back across the lot but managed to regain her composure in the air and land on her feet, clutching her gut as she winced at the residual pain. The Granute Bon wasted no time closing the distance and swinging at Kyoko. She parried the strike with her spear and then used it to vault over the Granute's head to avoid the backswing. She planted the spearhead into the concrete, spinning on the haft to gain momentum and then threw a kick at the Granute Bon's face. But once again, he blocked with the smaller of his spiked fists, causing it to inflate in the same way that the other had.

"Thanks for beefing up my arms!" The Granute Bon taunted, tossing Kyoko away with a wave of his enhanced arm.

She recovered in the air and landed on her feet. She looked down at the Soul Gem on her collarbone, able to see small wisps of shadow start licking at the edges of it.

"…Should be fine for now."

She was brought out of her musings as the Granute Bon charged in, Kyoko bringing up her spear to block another swing of his spiked fists.

"Take this!" Honoka cried as she sliced through Asiphae for what felt like the hundredth time, this time bisecting her by the gaping hole in her gut.

Honoka panted heavily, silently hoping that the Witch had finally been vanquished, but just as before the shadows that constituted her body simply reformed into that familiar bovine shape, her wispy hands collecting her discarded weapon.

"It came back again." Madoka lamented from the sidelines.

"Seriously? Is this thing immortal or what!?" Sayaka shouted her own irritation with the seemingly invincible monster.

With a mooing roar, Asiphae swung her axe at the nearby pillar, cleaving through it and causing the rest of the structure to collapse.

"Eh? W-WAH! LOOK OUT!" Honoka cried as she scrambled to avoid the falling debris, bobbing, weaving, and slicing through the marble and stone.

"Honoka-chan!" Madoka cried as the dust settled and Honoka was nowhere to be seen.

In actuality, Honoka was simply hiding amongst the rubble, taking the opportunity to catch her breath and regroup.

"I don't get it… I've tried everything, but the Witch just keeps coming back." Honoka said, baffled by Asiphae's supernatural resilience.

No offense Four-Eyes, but you really don't seem like the type that could make it as a Magical Girl.

"…Even if that's true, I have to defeat this Witch… but how?" As she pondered this out loud, the newly born PunchinGummy minion dug itself out of the rubble and yapped to get Honoka's attention. "Huh…?" She listened to the minion babble. "The eye?"

Honoka peeked out from behind the pile of stone she hid behind, finding Asiphae lumbering through the rubble to find her. The single, spherical eye in the center of Asiphae's face looked around the arena, a mass of vibrant color amidst the Witch's inky black form. And that's when it hit her. Every time Honoka defeated Asiphae, the shadows that made up its body also grew smaller, similarly colorful eyes, before coalescing back into its original lumbering form.

The bovine shaped beast wasn't the Witch's real body, it was a decoy made up of the Witch's familiars.

"But if that's the case, then where's the Witch?"

As the decoy turned in her direction, Honoka got her answer, finally noticing that imbedded in the silver axe the beast held was an identical eye that searched for her along with that of its wielder.

"The axe! The axe is the Witch's real body!" Honoka realized.

At her exclamation, the eye in Asiphae's axe-like head looked in her direction, Honoka quickly diving back behind cover to keep from being spotted.

"But my swords are too brittle to cut through the axe." Honoka lamented. "How do I…" Just then, the PunchinGummy minion piped up again, along with an accompanying PoppinGummy minion, both offering their assistance. "Alright, I'm counting on you!" Honoka said as she collected the two minions.

She replaced the ZakuzakuChips minion in her gavv with the PoppinGummy minion, summoning back her gummy armor with a few quick cranks. She then took the PunchinGummy minion and placed it in the Henshin Belt Gavv.

"Gummy! Eat Gummy! Eat Gummy!" The minion chanted as Honoka turned the crank to chew.

Once the refreshing soda flavor was properly savored, Honoka pressed the button on her gavv, the PunchinGummy minion popping open to reveal a blue mouth and a pair of blue arms with hands balled into round little fists.

"PunchinGummy!" The minion announced as blue fizzy energy began spilling out of Honoka's right glove, coalescing into a giant gummy gauntlet with its fingers clenched into a massive fist.

"I see! I can clobber that axe with this!"

BAM!

"Wah!" Honoka gasped as Asiphae landed right in front of her, having spotted Honoka after all.

Her Familiar came down on her with its master's axe-like body, Honoka quickly bringing her gauntlet up to guard. The Witch's axe-head bounced off the rubbery surface of the gauntlet with a splash of fizzy energy, sending her Familiar stumbling back. It quickly regained its footing and swung its master again, this time Honoka met the swing with a punch from the Gauntlet, knocking the axe away and leaving the decoy body open.

Just as before, the Familiar sent its innards out to attack Honoka to compensate, Honoka quickly reclaiming her previously discarded Gavvgablade in her free hand and slicing through the shadowy tendrils. The two began to trade blows, Honoka blocking and countering Asiphae's axe swings with her soda-flavored gauntlet and slicing through the retaliating tendrils with her sword. With this combination, Honoka was easily able to beat back Asiphae and her Familiar, until she met the axe blade with a mighty uppercut that sent Asiphae flying out of her Familiar's grasp and clambering to the ground across the arena. Before the Familiar could collect her, Honoka unleashed a barrage of punches that beat the Familiar back into a mass of wispy darkness.

As expected, the shadows crawled over to Asiphae and reformed into its bovine form, reaching down to collect its discarded master.

"Charge Me! Charge Me!" The PunchinGummy minion chanted as Honoka turned the crank with her massive gauntlet.

Suddenly, a cloud of fizzy blue spheres materialized around the Familiar, preventing it from collecting Asiphae. With the two separated, they were both sitting ducks as Honoka slammed the button on the Henshin Belt Gavv to unleash the full power of her minion. The spheres coalesced into soda-flavored gauntlets and proceeded to beat the Familiar into submission, the gauntlet on Honoka's arm overflowing with fizzy energy with each clobbering hit.

"PunchinGummy PUNCH! The minion announced as Honoka's eye visors glowed with resonating power.

She leapt into the air and came down on the helpless Asiphae with a powerful punch. The force of the impact reverberated into the gauntlet and recoiled back into Asiphae, the gauntlet bursting in a blast of fizzy energy that shattered the Witch into thousands of silvery pieces. The blast sent Honoka flying back, but she recovered with a shoulder roll, the PunchinGummy minion popping out of the Henshin Belt Gavv and ascending to the afterlife, its job completed.

"…Is that it? Is it finally dead?" Sayaka said, she and Madoka holding their breaths in suspense.

At that moment, Asiphae's twisted Labyrinth faded away, the confusing maze of staircases giving way to the equally confusing raised walkways that crisscrossed amidst the machinery of the open-air production floor of the auto plant.

"We're back! She did it! Honoka-chan won!" Madoka cheered as she and Sayaka embraced in celebration.

"Thank goodness…" Honoka said with a sigh of relief as she leaned against the walkway's railing.

TING

"Huh?" Honoka looked down to find a familiar silver-gilded black ball had fallen at her feet. She picked it up with a gloved hand, the Grief Seed unnaturally balancing on its long spike in her palm, the charm at the top shaped like an axe head. "The Witch's Grief Seed…"

This is the only reward that Magical Girls get for defeating a Witch.

Honoka felt a pang of guilt. She had rejected the opportunity to become a Magical Girl, and while she didn't regret protecting her friends, she would certainly regret claiming the reward that wasn't rightfully hers to claim. Her attention was grabbed by a PoppinGummy minion that climbed onto the railing of the walkway.

"PoppinGummy, could you please go find Sakura-san? I'd like you to give this to her for me." She requested, offering the Grief Seed to the minion.

With a happy little yap, the minion popped open and took the Grief Seed in its gummy little arms, off to search for the trinket's proper recipient.

"Honoka-chan!" Madoka called out, earning her Honoka's attention. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm alright. What about you two?" Honoka asked as the girls began to cross the walkway towards each other.

"Doing swell, thanks to you!" Sayaka assured with a playful wink and a thumbs up. "You really saved our skins again…"

"Hey you!"

Sayaka was cut off by the sound of an unfamiliar voice echoing across the machinery. The girls all looked to the source and found a peculiar looking man climbing a staircase up onto their walkway. He was a scrawny middle-aged man with curly hair that peeked out from underneath the rim of a brown bowler hat. He wore a pair of large-rimmed glasses and a pinstripe overcoat, a brown satchel hanging from a strap over his shoulder and a walking cane in his hand.

"Are you a Granute?" The man asked, his gaze firmly locked on Honoka.

"Huh?"

"Or perhaps some other organism? How fascinating. Let me examine you!" He enthusiastically requested, shoving Madoka and Sayaka to the side to get to Honoka.

"Um, I…"

"Hey, pops! What the heck's your deal?" Sayaka said as she tugged at the man's coat to get him to stop.

"What's your deal?" The man replied, looking down at Sayaka with an annoyed face. "Run along little girl, I'm doing important work here."

"Huh? You're the one that's needs to beat it!" Sayaka shot back, angrily standing on her toes to try and match his height.

"S-Sayaka-chan, please calm down." Madoka futilely tried to reign in her friend, but she and the man just continued bickering.

"Oh no, I'm going to be unmasked at this rate…" Honoka thought.

The alien girl made a hasty retreat, leaping off of the walkway and bounding over the machinery, the bickering humans noticing the incredible feat and powerless to follow.

"She ran…" Madoka said regretfully.

"And just when I finally managed to find one!" The man cried as he squatted angrily on the walkway.

"W-Well, you're the one that scared her off by being a creep!" Sayaka rebuked, crossing her arms, and turning away from the man in a huff. "Just who the heck are you anyway?"

"…I research Granutes." The man said, looking up at the girls as he adjusted his glasses.

"Granutes?" Madoka repeated the familiar word.

…I'm actually a Granute too!

"…Um, mister. D-Do you think I could ask you a few questions?" Madoka spoke up, the self-proclaimed Granute researcher looking up at her curiously.

CLANG!

At the last moment, the Granute Bon brought up its spiked fists and blocked the powerful thrust from Kyoko's spear, stopping it inches before it pierced his vulnerable face. The heavy strike caused the spiked balls to inflate once again, doubling in size and turning pink, allowing him to effortlessly knock the spear to the side and try to get into Kyoko's guard. Kyoko cursed under her breath, quickly leaping back out of the Granute Bon's range, and retaliating with her spear.

Sparks flew as the spearhead harmlessly bounced off of the Granute Bon's carapace. He guarded his vulnerable face as he closed the distance and tried to swing at her again, but she always immediately retreated and retaliated with a jab or whip of her spear, only to either be blocked by the Granute Bon's fists or miss and bounce off of his skull-like shell.

'Damn it! This is getting me nowhere!' Kyoko thought with a frustrated growl.

At the start of the battle, Kyoko had tried to conserve as much magic as she could, but that just made her movements sluggish and more predictable. By the time she decided to go all out, the Granute Bon had deduced her strategy and made guarding his face top priority. The only advantage she had now was her superior reach, after all, it didn't matter how big his fists got if he couldn't get close enough to use them.

"Alright, enough screwing around!" The Granute Bon said after blocking another thrust of Kyoko's spear. "Don't think you're safe just because I can't get in close to slug you!" He declared as the spikes on his shell began to flash with blue light.

"Oh crap!" Kyoko cursed, brandishing her spear in preparation for what was coming.

"Take this!"

The spikes on his shell shot out all at once, gouts of flame trailing behind them as they all careened towards Kyoko as homing missiles. Kyoko hopped around the battlefield to avoid them, segmenting her spear in order to whip it at the approaching spikes, detonating them midflight. She let out a sigh of relief as she parried the last of the missiles, only to miss the Granute Bon closing the distance in the chaos and slamming his massive fist into Kyoko, sending her flying back.

The Granute Bon wasted no time sending another salvo of spikes at Kyoko, the girl recovering in the air and doing her best to dodge and block as before. Unfortunately, she was still in a daze from the massive hit, and one of the spikes managed to get passed her defenses. The detonation sended her stumbling back into the range of two other spikes that she failed to block. Kyoko let out a loud, painful scream as she was engulphed in the pair of explosions, flying across the lot and crashing into the side of a nearby building. She slid to the ground, her knees buckling as she tried to stand. She planted her spear into the ground to help stabilize her, but her legs gave out anyway, the proud Magical Girl falling to her knees as she panted heavily, no strength left to fight.

"Hmph, look at that long face. It's almost not worth Pressing you." The Granute Bon taunted as he sauntered across the destroyed lot towards Kyoko. "But I can't let word get out about our operation, and at the end of the day, more Presses means more Dark Treats in my belly."

"…Dark Treats?" Kyoko wheezed.

"Hold still now, it'll all be over soon!" The Granute Bon said as he sent his tongue out to ensnare Kyoko yet again.

"…Finally let your guard down." Kyoko said with a toothy grin.

CRACK!

SHWING!

"GRRRAAHHHHH!" The Granute Bon screamed as Kyoko's segmented spear erupted from the ground at his feet, severing his tongue and cleaving through his face in one well-placed strike. He fell to the ground, clutching the wound on his face. "What the…?"

"I gotta hand it to you, fish face, you hit pretty hard." Kyoko said as she casually stood back up and dusted herself off. "But I've been hit harder." She taunted as she retracted her spear back through the ground where she had planted it.

"Grrr… you little brat!" The Granute Bon snarled as he climbed back onto his feet. He made to charge at the smugly smiling Magical Girl, but he was held back by what appeared to be a lattice of glowing red chains that ensnared one of his giant spiked fists. "What the…?" He reared his other fist back to break himself free, but it two became restrained by another lattice of the same red chains. With an angry growl, he prepared to send his spikes out to destroy his bindings, but for the third time he was ensnared by the chains, left completely helpless as he struggled against his binds.

"Hold still now~. It'll all be over soon!" Kyoko gleefully taunted as she brandished her spear, the head splitting open and spouting out a gout of red flames.

"W-Wait, hang on a second…!"

The Granute Bon's pathetic pleas went completely ignored, as Kyoko lunged forward and thrusted her flame coated spear into the Granute Bon's exposed face. The spear pierced straight through the Granute, the double-mouthed creature letting out an agonizing scream as he exploded in a burst of Kyoko's red flames. With a final twirl of her spear, Kyoko dismissed her magic, standing victoriously in her civilian guise amidst the smoke and rubble of the battlefield.

Her Soul Gem rested in her hand in its ovoid form. She looked down at it and winced upon seeing the little whisps of darkness that lapped at the corners of the gemstone. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Grief Seed, using it to clean the impurities of her Soul Gem. Once the gem was pure and shining again, she examined the Grief Seed, clicking her teeth in frustration as she saw that it had been all used up.

"Damn… guess I got a little carried away."

Kyoko didn't use up an inordinate amount of magic in the fight, just about as much as she would have fighting a moderately powerful Witch. It wasn't the end of the world… save for the fact that she had nothing to show for it. She spent the last half hour getting molly wopped by some disgusting, abdominal mouthed monster, and ended up wasting a Grief Seed to recover the magic she used in the fight. And the extra-large serving of taiyaki? Crushed under the rubble knocked loose by the Granute Bon's salvo of spikes.

So, what did she get for going out of her way to slay the man-eating monster hiding amongst the people of Mitakihara? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"…Tch, guess you reap what you sow." Kyoko said, transforming her Soul Gem back into a ring. Despite her irritation, she realized that there was no point getting angry over this pointless little escapade of hers. She decided to stick her neck out for the people of Mitakihara, so she had to live with the consequences, and that meant going into her next Witch hunt with one less Grief Seed on hand. "That's the last time I go around playing hero." She declared, retreating from the destroyed lot.

GROWL~

"Damn it, I was really looking forward to that taiyaki." Kyoko said, wishing the Granute Bon could come back to life so that she could kill it again for ruining her snacks.

"Eat Gummy! Eat Gummy!"

"I'd like to, but I'm all out of… huh?"

Kyoko looked down at her feet where the little voice came from, finding the strangest little creature, a PoppinGummy snack bag with eyes and a mouth, waddling up the street to her.

"What the…?" Kyoko squatted down curiously to get a better look at the creature.

"Eat Gummy!" The living snack bag repeated, offering Kyoko the Grief Seed it carried in its little arms.

"A Grief Seed? Wait, is that…?" Kyoko snatched the Grief Seed out of the creature's hands. "…It is, it's her Grief Seed!" She said, recognizing the Grief Seed to be from the Witch that she came to town to find, the axe head emblem matching the one on Asiphae's Witch's Kiss. "Where did you get this?" Her question went unanswered, as when she looked back the little living snack bag was nowhere to be seen.

Kyoko was left utterly baffled, looking down at the Grief Seed and silently trying to make heads or tails of the odd exchange.

"Is this… a reward for killing fish-face?"

Kyoko knew it was a ridiculous idea, but… was it really? Kyubey oversaw the extermination of Witches, so perhaps there were creatures that oversaw the extermination of the Granutes. Regardless, Kyoko found herself with her prey hunted and a Grief Seed to replace the one she lost. Properly compensated for her use of magic.

"PoppinGummy…"

Suddenly, the memory of a glasses wearing girl happily sharing her gummies with Kyoko flashed through her mind, and despite herself, she gave a small smile.

"Eh, why not? At least I might get a meal out of it." Kyoko said as she pocketed the Grief Seed and made her way across town.

Mami considered herself a good student, but even she had to admit that the yearly field trip to the automotive plant was a horribly dull affair. And yet, she resisted the urge to use her sapped mental energy as an excuse to not go on patrol. Thankfully, no Witches seemed to be active, and so she returned home, ready to turn in for the night and face the following day well rested.

"Yo. What took you so long, Mami?"

Mami's heart skipped a beat at the sound of the familiar voice. There, sitting outside of her apartment's front door, was none other than Sakura Kyoko, the Magical Girl of Kazamino City and, once upon a time, Mami's first ever Magical Girl partner.

"Sakura-san?"

"Why so surprised? You're the one who invited me over, aren't you?" Kyoko said as she stood from the floor and dusted herself off.

"Well, that's true, but Kyubey said you…"

"First off, let's get one thing straight." Kyoko interrupted, raising her hand to silence Mami. "I haven't changed my mind about Witches and Familiars, so let's not rehash that old debate, yeah?" She suggested, Mami narrowing her eyes at the comment. "But… if you give me some cake, I might be willing to hear you out about these Granute things… or whatever." Kyoko said, looking away awkwardly with her cheeks lightly flushed.

Mami felt a complex mix of emotions upon seeing her old friend again after all this time. They hadn't parted ways on the most amicable of terms, and the irreconcilable differences that led to their falling out still seemed to be alive and well. And yet, despite herself, Mami couldn't help but give her a satisfied smile, and eagerly welcome her back into her home.

Madoka sat in her pajamas at the desk in her room, looking down at the torn piece of notebook paper where Suga Kenzo, the self-proclaimed Granute researcher, had written down the address of his secret laboratory. When he learned that she and Sayaka were friends with a Granute, he quickly changed his dismissive attitude and eagerly invited them to his lab to further discuss his research. The man was the definition of "stranger danger", and yet, Madoka fully intended to take him up on his offer.

"Honoka-chan has rescued us twice now. I don't know what I could do to help her… but I at least want to know just what she's up against."

Madoka turned her attention back to her desktop computer, the glass screen showing yet another barrage of posts about monster sightings, some taken from Honoka's escape of the auto plant. Just as before, the posts were accusing Honoka of being a dangerous beast that was attacking the plant, making Madoka's blood boil. She knew better than to engage with rage baiters on the internet, but she couldn't take it anymore, she had to say something. And so, she typed away at her holographic keyboard.

Excuse me, but you have it all wrong. The colorful one riding the bike isn't a danger to anyone. In fact, they've been saving people from the other monsters. So please, stop saying mean things about them!

She posted the response to one of the most vocal of Honoka's detractors, and it didn't take long for others to reply.

What do you know?

Looks like a dangerous monster to me.

Good intentions or not, they still tore up the shopping district.

Well, if they're not a dangerous monster, then what are they?

The last comment got Madoka's attention. She obviously couldn't dox Honoka just to defend her to a bunch of internet trolls, but it might have been a good idea to differentiate her from the other monsters in some way. She was a monster slaying hero after all, so she needed a catchy name to reflect that.

Madoka pondered the idea, wondering what she could call Honoka to separate her from her fellow Granutes. She looked back at some of the photos attached to the post she was replying to, the most striking of which depicting Honoka chasing down the Granute Hound on her big, colorful vehicle.

They're not a monster, they're the Kamen Rider!

In the dead of night, the Stomach Inc. Agent entered the collection point where its masters eagerly awaited its return.

"Please look at this." The Agent said as it presented its smart device to Jeebh and Shita.

A video uploaded to social media played on the screen, depicting the strange Granute responsible for taking out their part-timers bounding across some machinery of an auto plant. The Agent paused the video once it had a clear view of the Granute, zooming in to reveal the red, mechanical gavv on its stomach, which the twins instantly recognized.

"I knew it! It's RedGavv!" They exclaimed in unison.

The twin procurement officers exchanged a troubled look, a sinking feeling that their troubles were only just beginning.

Chapter Text

With a sickening belch, Shita summoned forth an Agent from her grotesque gavv, the masked minion with white tassels on its uniform appearing in a flash of black energy. It stood at attention before its creator, ready to receive its orders.

"Search the city for RedGavv." Shita ordered. Context was not needed, for the Agents were born knowing most of what their creators knew. "Do not make contact, just report back once you have located her."

"Understood." The Agent replied in a distorted, masculine voice. With no other instructions, the Agent was on its way, leaving the room and heading off to search the city as ordered.

"Another Agent?" Jeebh said, looking back at his sister from the bulletin board. "Anymore and we'll start drawing too much attention."

"It can't be helped; we have to find RedGavv as soon as possible." Shita said as she plopped down on the nearest chair at the table. "You know what will happen if the others find out she of all things was messing with our side of the operation."

"They'd rain on our parade." Jeebh said in agreement. As the youngest members of the Stomach Family, the twins' position as Head Procurement Officers was undoubtably given to them through nepotism. Regardless, they knew how to do the job, and they did it well enough to avoid their siblings micromanaging their work, and they would very much like to keep it that way. "Well, hopefully we have enough Agents out there searching." Jeebh said as he put another pin on the map to represent the new pair of eyes they had on the city. "I can't wait to see her~!" He playfully cooed with a sadistic smirk on his face.

"See who, exactly?"

The twins flinched at the familiar voice. Casually strolling into the room was Nyelv, their older brother and direct superior, if not in the company than certainly in the family.

"Nyelv Nii-san!" The twins said in unison as they stood at attention, their brother eyeing them curiously.

"We were just… referring to an up-and-coming part-timer of ours!" Shita quickly, and perhaps too frantically, replied. "Isn't that right, Jeebh?"

"Y-Yes, Shita!" Jeebh awkwardly went along with her story. "We've been losing part-timers recently after all." He regretted having to reveal that little tidbit of information that they were trying to keep under wraps, but if they didn't deal with the problem soon, it was going to come out anyway, in their declining bottom line.

"Oh? Perhaps they have been dropping dead due to defects in their modifications?" Nyelv mused as he paced across the room, the twins relieved that he seemed to have given himself an excuse for their set back.

"What brings you here, Nii-san?" The twins nervously inquired.

"I came to check on our modified part-timers… but perhaps I should review my blueprints for overlooked faults." Nyelv said with a pensive stroke of his chin. "Well, I'll be off."

And just as suddenly as he came, Nyelv reached for a nearby door. With an ominous chuckle, a symbol that resembled a smiling maw of pointed teeth appeared over the door handle. Nyelv swung the door open to reveal the Door Space on the other side, striding through and closing the door behind him. Jeebh and Shita both let out sighs of relief before collapsing into a couple of chairs at the table.

"Looks like he hasn't found us out yet." Shita said.

"Our parade is still ours to lead." Jeebh said, sharing a satisfied smile with his sister.

Meanwhile, in the Door Space, Nyelv smiled knowingly to himself, looking back at the door that led back to the Human World.

"I wonder if those two have caught on yet."

"Marshmallows… get your free marshmallows here… get them while their soft and gooey…" Aki Mabayu unenthusiastically called out to pedestrians as they passed in front of Cake Shop Récompense.

Unsurprisingly, nobody gave her a second glance, or a first glance for that matter, completely ignoring the little waitress girl and going about their day. She let out a depressed sigh, not even the promise of free confections could overcome her tragic lack of aura.

"I told Sakie-san that this wasn't a job for an introverted loner like me." She muttered under her breath. "We'd honestly be better off with her giving out the free samples and me manning the kitchen… or maybe not."

Mabayu brushed her green, overgrown bangs out of her eyes to look down at the little blue bag of Marshmallows in her hand, the little white and pink treats visible through a plastic window. Recently, the café station of Récompense was getting more and more popular, in no small part due to Mabayu's improved latte art skills. As a result, the candy store where Mabayu's aunt, Aki Sakie, bought the marshmallows they used for their hot cocoa requested that they do some cross-promotion and gave them a bunch of marshmallows to give away as free samples to their customers.

And so, here she was, standing on the street corner and trying in vain to hand out the gooey treats to a bunch of apathetic passersby.

"Ugh… I hate this… I wanna go home…" Mabayu groaned. "Wait for me, my beloved kotatsu, we'll be reunited soon…" She told herself, a dreamy smile on her face as she envisioned herself watching a movie in her room while enveloped in the warmth of her heated sitting table.

Resigning herself to her fate, she tried to return to her doomed task. However, as she lazily tried to hand out the treats, she caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a girl her age slinking out of an alley across the street. She had long dark hair done up in braids, a colorful hoody with an odd zipper across the chest, and a pair of vibrant purple eyes that looked around curiously behind a pair of red rimmed glasses.

"Wait, isn't that…"

…WHAT!? D-Did I do this?

'The girl from the accident the other day!' Mabayu realized, nearly dropping the basket of marshmallows from the shock. 'No way… no way, no way! She's back? Why did she come back? Doesn't she know that returning to the scene where your mysterious superpowers first manifested is a surefire way to get discovered!?'

Mabayu's action movie addled mind raced as she watched the girl look around aimlessly across the street. She poked her head back into the alleyway she had just emerged from, looking, from as much as Mabayu could tell, like she was searching for something. Mabayu watched as the girl rubbed her temples, heavily concentrating as she glared down the empty alleyway, looking for something unseen. Eventually, the girl let go of a breath that she was holding, slumping her shoulders and hanging her head in disappointment, apparently not finding whatever it was she was looking for.

'What is she doing?' Mabayu wondered. 'Is she looking for some kind of hidden passageway, or some invisible enemy that only she can see? Don't tell me, is Récompense about to become the next battle ground in the fight between good and evil!?' Mabayu shook her head, realizing that she was beginning to spiral. 'Calm down, Mabayu, that's just the superhero movie binge from the other night talking. I'm sure there's a completely rational explanation as to why she survived that crash, and she's just a normal girl going about her day. No need to panic.'

As the girl turned away from the alleyway, she looked back towards Mabayu, their matching purple eyes meeting for just a split second before Mabayu quickly turned her back on her with a panicked gasp.

'Not good! She totally just caught me staring at her! Wait, hold on, it's probably fine, I have absolutely no presence after all. I bet she saw straight passed me just like everyone else did today. Let's just avert our gaze for a while and…'

"Um, excuse me?"

"UUUGGGYYYAAAAAA!" Mabayu screamed at the top of her lungs, surprising the girl that had crossed the street to approach her.

"Wah! S-Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The girl apologized with a polite bow.

"Huh? N-N-No, you didn't… I mean, I was just… w-what can I do for you?" Mabayu stuttered, cowering under the gaze of the indestructible girl.

"Oh, I was just wondering what you had in that basket of yours." The girl said.

"B-Basket?" Mabayu looked down at the basket that shook in her trembling grip. "Oh, right, the basket. It's just marshmallows." She said, presenting the basket full of treats for the girl to see.

"Wow! Really? Are these really marshmallows?" Mabayu flinched as the girl squealed with delight, looking down at the confections with a beaming smile.

"Uh… yeah, they are. Would you like some?" Mabayu tentatively offered.

"Yes!" The girl immediately agreed. "Um, how much for a bag?" She asked, reaching for her money.

"Oh, no, you can just take one. They're free samples." Mabayu said, taking a bag from the basket and offering it freely to the girl.

"Really? For free?" The girl asked. Mabayu gave an affirming nod, and that was all the girl needed to accept the bag. "Thank you very much! I've always wanted to try these!" She said before immediately ripping the bag open.

"Just digging right in, huh?" Mabayu muttered under her breath.

The girl pulled out one of the fluffy little confections from the bag, gazing at it with eyes filled with wonder as she squeezed it between her fingers.

"Thank you for the food." She said before popping the marshmallow in her mouth. "…Yummy~!" She cheered as she chewed on the treat. "It's soft and pillowy, but also a bit stretchy, and it kind of melts in my mouth the more I chew! I love it!" She ate another marshmallow, this time a pink one, and gushed over the change in flavor.

Mabayu let out a sigh of relief, it seemed that she was over-reacting after all, and the glutenous girl before her was just that, a harmless, glutenous girl. However, as said girl savored the marshmallows, Mabayu noticed something rustling under her hoody. She looked to the girl's abdomen and popping out of the sides of the flap appeared to be two little creatures shaped like living snack bags. One was the same sky-blue color as the bag of marshmallows the girl ate from, with a smiling cloud-like face with two pink eyes, and a label across its body that read "Fuwamallow". The other was pink in color with a round face and lidded eyes, its own label reading "Marumallow" in colorful bubble font.

The two little creatures locked eyes with Mabayu, the girl staring slack jawed as the living snack bags hopped out of the hoody and scampered off.

'What was… No! Nope! I didn't see anything! I'm just an innocent little waitress girl doing her job, handing out free samples to the masses. Yep, that's it, no story here!' She adamantly denied, looking away from where the little creatures had retreated to.

"Mabayu-chan~!" The sweet, melodious voice drew the girls' attention. Out from the front entrance of Récompense came a woman with short green hair and purple eyes that matched those of Mabayu, wearing the white and brown uniform of the café's head pâtissier.

"Oh, Sakie-san." Mabayu said.

"I just came out to check on how you were doing. Do you need more marshmallows to hand out?" Sakie innocently asked, much to Mabayu's discomfort. She hesitated to reply, but one look at her basket was all the answer Sakie needed. "Oh my, it looks like you hardly handed out any."

"Wait, am I the only one you've given these out to?" The bespectacled girl asked.

"Uh, well… yeah…" Mabayu awkwardly admitted.

"But why? These marshmallows are so soft and gooey and delicious! How can anyone turn down such tasty snacks?"

"Yeah… I guess it takes a special kind of loser to fail at giving away candy for free…" Mabayu muttered, hanging her head, and slumping her shoulders in shame.

"Oh, no, I-I didn't mean it like that!" The girl frantically tried to reassure Mabayu.

"Sakie-san, can I please come back inside now? I told you I wasn't built for this kind of work." Mabayu pleaded with her aunt.

"Mmm… but we agreed to do this cross-promotion for them." Sakie said with a troubled look on her face. "And you're the only one that can do it."

"That's why I told you to hire some actual part-timers!"

As a middle school student, Mabayu wasn't technically allowed to have a part time job, but since her legal guardian owned the café, Mabayu could get away with helping out by ostensibly doing chores in exchange for an allowance. Of course, she wasn't paid as well as an actual employee would have been, but Mabayu didn't mind, she owed a lot to Sakie, and she enjoyed having the pocket money.

"I suppose you have a point…" Sakie admitted. She took a beat to ponder the issue, her face lighting up as an idea came to mind. "Say miss, would you be interested in working here?"

"Huh? Me?" The girl with the glasses said, taken aback by the sudden offer.

"H-Her!?" Mabayu gasped, similarly shocked.

"Yes, you." Sakie playfully replied. "Like Mabayu-chan said, we're a little short staffed at the moment, and I really do need her back inside serving customers. I'm sorry to ask this so out of the blue, but could you please lend us a hand, just for today?" She requested, clasping her hands together in a pleading gesture.

"I… I don't know, I've never worked at a café before…" The girl said, fidgeting with her bag of marshmallows anxiously.

"Don't worry, you'd just be giving away the free marshmallow samples to people who pass by the front of the shop." Sakie explained, immediately piquing the girl's interest.

"Y-You mean you'd be paying me to handle snacks all day?"

"That's right, and you can even take home any that are left over at the end of the day." Sakie sweetened the pot.

"I'll do it!" The girl enthusiastically agreed.

"W-Wait, wait, hang on a second!" Mabayu said, waving her arms frantically between her aunt and the girl. She then pulled Sakie to the side, whispering to her under her breath as to not be heard. "Sakie-san, don't you recognize her? That's the girl that totaled that car in front of the shop the other day!"

"The other day?" Sakie said, stroking her chin as if struggling to recall. "Mmm… did something like that happen?" She said with a tilt of her head and ditzy smile.

"Don't play dumb! You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Mabayu quietly snapped. "The police questioned you about it and everything. Hiring her is just asking for trouble!"

"Mabayu-chan, are you rambling about those movies of yours again? I think I would remember something like that happening." Sakie said, patting Mabayu's head dismissively, much to her niece's chagrin. "By the way, young lady, what was your name?" She said, turning her attention back to the girl in question.

"Oh, it's Honoka. Inoue Honoka. I look forward to working with you." Honoka introduced herself with a polite bow.

"Likewise~!" Sakie replied with a carefree smile.

"Y-yeah… likewise…" Mabayu moaned, resigning herself to the whims of her aunt.

"…Looks like this is the place." Madoka said.

"Yeah, looks like it." Sayaka replied.

Madoka wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she was surprised to find that the address Suga had given her the day before led them to an ordinary house. It was a one-story home tucked away in the corner of an out of the way residential area of the city, not exactly where she expected a secret laboratory to be. Regardless, the instructions she received told her to make her way out behind the house and to enter the basement through a door in the back. They followed the instructions, and now they stood before the aforementioned door, Suga Kenzo presumably awaiting them inside.

"Have I mentioned that this is a really bad idea?" Sayaka said.

"Several times…" Madoka recalled.

"And yet you still don't seem to get the message!"

"I get it, ok! Even I can tell that this is really shady!" Madoka asserted. "But… this might be our only chance to figure out what's going on with Honoka-chan."

"Yeah, I get that, but…"

Madoka and Sayaka had been arguing about this since they had met the suspicious scientist. Madoka was determined to finally get some answers, and while Sayaka had her own curiosity, she was far more vocal with her distrust of Suga and his offer.

"…You don't have to come if you don't want to." Madoka said, looking to her feet anxiously. She really did understand why Sayaka was so apprehensive, and if she really didn't want to take the risk, Madoka wouldn't force her… regardless of how anxious it made her feel to go without her.

"Yeah right!" Sayaka said as she elbowed Madoka's arm playfully. "There's no way I'm letting you walk into some creep's basement all by yourself. If you're going, then I'm going, end of discussion."

"Sayaka-chan… thank you." Madoka said, looking up at Sayaka with an appreciative smile.

Hand in hand, the girls passed the threshold and descended a short staircase into the basement of the house. The girls gawked at what they saw, the basement having been turned into a disorganized workspace of sorts. There were medicine cabinets repurposed into bookshelves, filled with books and documents secured behind doors with translucent windows. On the opposite wall were shelves lined with various oddities, including anatomical models and jars filled with either preserved animal parts or entire small animals. In the corner of the room was a chalk board with numerous documents pinned up on it, and Suga himself sat at cluttered desk in the center of the room, dressed in a white lab coat as he read a worn-out book.

Now this was what Madoka pictured when she heard "secret laboratory".

"Oh, Kaname-san and… Miki-san, was it?" Suga said once he noticed his visitors' presence. "I'm glad you decided to come. Welcome to my laboratory. Feel free to sit anywhere… if you can find a clean spot, that is."

Indeed, with all of the clutter around, there were few places Madoka and Sayaka could sit. The only free spot was an old leather couch tucked away in the corner near the staircase, an option that the girls quickly dismissed.

"Uh, that's fine, I think we'll just stand." Sayaka said.

"Suit yourself." Suga said with a dismissive shrug.

"Um, thank you very much for inviting us, Suga-san." Madoka greeted with a polite bow. "I promise we won't take up too much of your time."

"Likewise, we don't want to worry your parents after all." Suga said as he set aside his book and gave the girls his attention. "First off, what do you two know about Granutes already?"

"Um… not much honestly." Madoka admitted. "Just that they're aliens from another dimension."

"And they all have these creepy looking mouths on their stomachs!" Sayaka added, snapping her hands together to mimic a Granute's gavv. "With sharp teeth, and a long tongue that they use to attack people with!" A shiver ran up her spine as she recalled the slobber of the Granute Hound's abdominal tongue.

"Oh, and they can disguise themselves to look human." Madoka recalled. "That's about it though."

"Ok, so you know the basics." Suga said with a snap of his fingers. "In that case, let's start with their motives." He said as he pulled out a tablet computer and started fiddling with it.

"Motives?"

"Granutes don't just attack people indiscriminately, they're here for a specific purpose." Madoka perked up, as she was finally going to receive an answer to her most burning question. "And that purpose is… to abduct humans for use as spice in their confections."

"…Eh?"

"Confections?"

Madoka and Sayaka gawked at the idea… but it did make some sense. As monsters with giant mouths on their stomachs, the idea that they were gobbling people up wasn't too farfetched, and if memory served, the Granute Hound did refer to the girls as "product" and other such things. And yet despite that, it was difficult for them to believe.

"And a particularly addictive confection at that. They call them Dark Treats." Suga explained, paying little mind to the girls' dismayed expressions. "Take a look."

Suga presented the tablet to the girls, the screen displaying a photograph of what appeared to be a dimly lit alleyway, where two dark figures were having a clandestine meeting. Suga pinched the screen to zoom into what one of the figures was holding; a bouquet of jagged planks of glass, with leathery red string wrapped around them.

"You know those long tongues their abdominal mouths have? They use them to compress people into these little planks."

"Wait, you're saying that these things are… people?" Sayaka said as she and Madoka took a closer look at the screen. Much to their horror, they could both make out the smiling faces of the humans trapped within the glass presses.

"That's right. If I were to put it in a more familiar way to you… it's sort of like freeze-drying an ingredient for later use." Suga said, picking up a bottle of freeze-dried berries to illustrate his point. "My guess is that they compress humans like that to make them easier to handle."

"No… no way…" Madoka said, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.

"I surmise that a considerable number of missing persons cases are in fact Granute abductions." Suga said as he paced over to the chalkboard in the corner, gazing at a few documents that were lists of missing people that he suspected were such victims. "It's quite the largescale operation they have going… those Dark Treats must be quite appetizing… not that I've ever had one." He added with a cheeky smile, though it quickly disappeared once he saw the girls' pale faces. "What's wrong?"

"So, you're saying… that Granute from before… he was going to turn us into Dark Treats… and eat us?" Madoka said, hugging her shoulders as she struggled to maintain composure.

"Oh? So, you girls were attacked by a Granute?" Suga said, his interest piqued. "Well, I figured as much, not sure how else you would have come into contact with one. Say, were either of you compressed? How did it feel?" He inquired, running back to his desk and ready to take notes.

The questions made Madoka recall the long, sopping wet tongue of the Granute Hound. How it hung from his gavv and threatened to steal her away from her happy life, just to be used as spice for a Granute's afternoon snack. Suddenly, her breathing became heavy and frantic, and her legs gave out from under her.

"Madoka?" Sayaka kneeled to her friend's side, realizing that she was having some sort of panic attack. Not that she could blame her, after the revelation of the fate that they had narrowly escaped. "You freak! The hell kind of question was that?" Sayaka snapped as she took the tablet and chucked it at Suga, who just barely managed to catch it.

"Hey! Be careful! I have important data on this thing." Suga said, but Sayaka paid him no mind, turning her attention to her distressed friend.

"It's ok Madoka. They didn't get us, we're safe." Sayaka said, rubbing Madoka's back in hopes of soothing her.

"But… but there are more out there… and they can make themselves look like normal humans…" Madoka replied through panicked breaths. "What if they come back for us… and Hono-… and the Kamen Rider isn't there to help us next time?"

"Kamen Rider? Oh, you mean that colorful Granute from yesterday? So, she saved you from being compressed?" Suga said but went ignored by the distressed teens. "…Speaking of which, I've recently been researching a means of counteracting the Granutes."

"…Huh?" Madoka said, turning her attention back to Suga.

"Things were moving pretty slowly on that front, that is, until I encountered your little friend yesterday."

"You mean, the Kamen Rider?" Madoka said as Sayaka helped her to her feet.

"Yes." Suga said with a snap of his fingers. "Now then, I've told you some of what I know, now it's your turn to return the favor. How about we start with these." He opened the nearest cabinet and pulled out two jars, each one containing a little living snack bag that the girls instantly recognized. "I found these little organisms outside the automotive plant, and I think I recall seeing a similar one stuck inside the Kamen Rider's gavv. You two are palls with them, right? Do you have any idea what these things are?"

"Those are…" Madoka traded a look with Sayaka. They had discussed before what they were willing to disclose to Suga during this little exchange, and for the most part they decided that they would only keep Honoka's name out of the conversation. Sayaka nodded in agreement, and Madoka continued. "They're the Kamen Rider's minions. She makes them whenever she eats human snacks."

"She said they were like little helpers that follow her orders, and when it's time to throw down, she uses them to transform!" Sayaka added, mimicking Honoka's transformation pose.

"I see, so she draws power from these things when she fights." Suga said, looking over the little creatures with a pensive stare. "How intriguing, I've never heard of a Granute that used their minions like that before… say, are you sure that your friend is actually a Granute?"

"Huh?" Madoka said, taken aback by the question. "Well, she told us that she was, and she has a gavv just like other Granutes have."

"But now that you mention it, her gavv did look a lot different from the one on the Granute that attacked us…" Sayaka said.

"No! If the Kamen Rider says that she's a Granute, then she's a Granute!" Madoka adamantly protested. "She's our friend… she wouldn't lie to us."

"If only you girls had thought to exchange contact information with her, then I could just ask her myself." Suga lamented. "Regardless, if she truly draws power from these things, then perhaps a human could do the same."

"You mean… transform into a Kamen Rider?" Madoka said.

"That's right. If that were the case, then anyone could stand a fighting chance against a Granute. Even me… or even you."

The chocolate flavored minions chattered in their jars as Suga held them out to the two girls. Madoka clenched her hands together as she considered the possibility, wondering if this was perhaps the chance to help her friend that she was looking for.

"Marshmallows! Get your marshmallows here!"

…

"They're soft and pillowy, but also stretchy and gooey!"

…

"Apparently, they go really well with hot cocoa too. I can't wait to try it!"

"…She's a natural." Mabayu said from behind the counter inside Récompense.

She watched her strange new co-worker Honoka, now decked out in the same waitress uniform as her, happily bouncing between passing civilians, singing the praises of the Fuwa-Fuwa brand marshmallows. Everyone she talked to left with a bag of marshmallows in hand, and Honoka didn't miss a beat greeting the next customer with a beaming smile. Mabayu let out a defeat sigh.

"And here I thought glasses girls with braids were supposed to be quiet loners like me. Guess that's main character energy for you." Mabayu lamented as she put the finishing touches on a latte for a customer. "Here, enjoy." She said as she served the beverage.

"Wow! It's really Amy!" The customer said, recognizing the foam art on the latte as depicting the neighborhood mascot. "The latte art at this café is just as amazing as I heard."

Mabayu couldn't help but smile to herself as she overheard the praise of her work.

"Nyehehe, that's right, I may be a hopeless introvert that couldn't give away candy to a baby, but I'm a genius when it comes to latte art!" Mabayu said under her breath. "I don't need a bright personality and mysterious superpowers; movies are fun, and Sakie-san is kind, I'm content with my life as it is."

"Aki-san!" Mabayu was brought out of her thoughts as Honoka called out to her from the front door of the establishment. "More Marshmallows, please!" She requested, showing off the empty basket in her hand.

"You gave them all away already!?"

"Oh my, they sure went fast, didn't they." Sakie said as she came out from the kitchen with a tray of freshly baked cupcakes.

"Yep! Like I thought, nobody could resist such delicious snacks!" Honoka said.

'Curse my complete and utter lack of presence!' Mabayu wilted.

"Mabayu-chan, can you please put these cupcakes in the display while I go fetch more Marshmallows?" Sakie requested.

"Ok, Sakie-san…" Mabayu gloomily complied, taking the tray.

"…Say, Aki-san, why do you call your mother by her name?" Honoka asked.

"Huh? Oh, she's not my mother, she's my aunt." Mabayu corrected her. "Oh, a-and by the way, I'm not working here part time, not really. I'm just helping my guardian with some chores, so please keep quiet about this."

"Your guardian?"

"Yeah… my mother passed away last year, so Sakie-san took me in." Mabayu hesitantly explained.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"No, no, it's fine, it's no big deal!" Mabayu insisted, but that didn't stop Honoka from looking down at the basket in her hands with a troubled expression.

'Oh man, there I go making things awkward, but what did she expect me to say? No child that doesn't live with their parents has a happy reason why that is!' Mabayu thought to herself as she arranged the cupcakes in the display case.

"You're pretty lucky then." Honoka said, catching Mabayu off guard. "My mother passed away a few days ago, and I've been pretty much on my own ever since."

"Oh… that's… I-I'm sorry to hear that." Mabayu awkwardly offered her condolences. "…You must miss her a lot."

"Yeah, I do." Honoka confessed. "I miss her every day, but that's why I have this." She pulled out a little sky-blue notebook from her uniform pocket and put it on the counter for Mabayu to see.

"A notebook?"

"This is my Yummy Note." Honoka said, opening the notebook to the most recent entry on chocolate. "My mother always used to talk about all of the snacks she loved to eat, so now every time I eat one, I make a note of it. It helps me remember all of the good times we had together, and it almost feels like she's still here with me."

"I-I see." Mabayu said as she flipped through the entries. She eventually made it to the front of the Yummy Note, with the list of all of the various snacks Honoka wanted to try.

"When I'm done with work, I'm gonna make an entry for marshmallows!" Honoka happily informed her.

"Wow, that's a lot of happy memories…If you ask me, you're the lucky one."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well…"

'Wait, hold on, why are we suddenly trauma dumping on each other?' Mabayu thought to herself. 'Don't tell me, is this supposed to be the scene were the main characters bond over their tragic backstories? Not good, if I empathize with her too much, I'm gonna get dragged along on her adventures as some kind of sidekick, or a guy in the chair. Nuh uh, no way, I am not the one, Morpheus!'

"Aki-san?"

"Ah, no, that's…"

RING

"Ah! W-Welcome to Récompense!" Mabayu frantically greeted the new customers the moment they walked through the door. "L-Latte! Would you like one of our popular lattes?"

"Uh… y-yes, two lattes please." One of the customers awkwardly agreed.

"Coming right up! S-Sorry, Inoue-san, duty calls!" Mabayu said as she threw herself into brewing the beverages.

"Oh… ok."

As Honoka stood in confusion, Sakie returned with more marshmallows, sending Honoka back outside to hand them out to the customers.

'That's right, I'm just the main character's unassuming co-worker, nothing more. Everything will be fine so long as I maintain that appropriate amount of distance.' Mabayu thought as she served the customers their lattes, having unconsciously drawn doodles of Honoka's strange snack bag minions in the foam.

Meanwhile, as Honoka happily handed out the Marshmallows, a masked Agent watched her from the shadows of the alley across the street.

"Target located." It said in a feminine voice before slinking away to report back to its master.

"You ok, Madoka?" Sayaka said as she handed Madoka a can of juice she had purchased from a vending machine.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Madoka said as she accepted the beverage. "I'm sorry for losing my head back there."

"Can't say I blame you, after hearing all of those horrible things." Sayaka said as she sat beside Madoka and started sipping from a can of her own.

The girls had left Suga's lab not too long ago, and now they sat at a bench overlooking a river as they ruminated on all of the things they had learned. Just the existence of aliens from another dimension was enough to throw them for a loop, but to think that they were hunting people as food, and not even for proper meals, but for snacks. It was enough to make anybody sick to their stomachs.

"Guess we really lucked out, huh? Running into Honoka before running into that other guy." Sayaka mused.

"To think that she's out there, fighting those horrible monsters, all on her own." Madoka said, looking out at the river with a wistful expression.

"Well, according to Suga, she won't be on her own for too much longer, though I'm not sure how much stock we should put into what that creep says."

"Yeah…"

"…Madoka, you're not considering volunteering for his mad science experiments, are you?"

"Puwah! H-Huh?" Madoka spat out her juice with a surprised gasp.

"Ah ha! Bullseye." Sayaka said. "Don't even think about it, young lady! It's way too dangerous!" She chastised Madoka.

"But… but this could be our only chance to help Honoka-chan, the same way she helped us." Madoka argued. "Don't you want to pay her back for saving us, twice?"

"Of course, I do." Sayaka admitted. "But Suga said himself that he only just started making progress on his anti-Granute weapon. For all we know, the thing could blow up and take us with it the first time it's even fired."

"But…"

"Look, I'm not saying we should just look the other way, but let's not rush into anything until we know exactly what it is we're getting into, ok?" Sayaka said, placing a comforting hand on Madoka's shoulder.

"…Ok." Madoka relented, taking a melancholic sip of her drink.

PING

"Oh, that's me." Sayaka said as she pulled out her smartphone. From the way Sayaka's face lit up upon reading the message she received, she knew exactly who it was from.

"Is it Kamijou-kun?"

"Yeah, Kyousuke said he finished his rehab session early. The doctors say that at the rate he's going, he should be back on his feet real soon!"

"Wow, that's great!" Madoka said, sharing in Sayaka's joy at the good news.

"Come on, if we hurry, we can still make visiting hours!" Sayaka urged as she grabbed her school bag and ran off.

"Ah, w-wait for me!" Madoka cried as she ran after her.

Unbeknownst to them, a Stomach Inc Agent with orange tassels spied on them from around the corner. It hummed pensively as it considered what it had learned from watching them, and then made off to report back to its master.

"Good work today, girls." Sakie said as Mabayu and Honoka emerged from the back room of the shop, having changed out of their uniforms. "Here, your "allowance" for the day."

"Thanks~." Mabayu said as she accepted the envelop with her pay.

"Thank you very much." Honoka said as she did the same. "Wow, my second ever paycheck. I wonder how many marshmallows I can buy with this!" She mused happily, earning an amused giggle from Sakie.

"It's too bad you did such a good job handing out those free samples. In the end, there weren't any left for you to take home." Sakie said. "You really did help us out of a jam today, Honoka-chan. If only I had someone as hardworking as you to help out every day…"

'There's the cast…'

"U-Um, if you want, I could come back tomorrow…" Honoka nervously offered.

"Really? Thank you! That would be such a big help!" Sakie said with a bright smile.

'Reeled in, hook, line, and sinker…' Mabayu lamented, having half expected this outcome.

"Mabayu-chan, I still have preparations to do for tomorrow, so please be careful and go home first." Sakie said to her niece.

"Ok."

With that, Mabayu and Honoka left the café, leaving Sakie to make her preparations and close up shop.

"G-Good work today." Mabayu awkwardly said to Honoka.

"Yes, same to you." Honoka replied. "Do you work here every day, Aki-san?"

"Y-Yeah, after school."

"I see. Well, then I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Honoka said with a polite bow, which Mabayu stiffly returned. Honoka then turned to leave, walking down the street with the promise that this wasn't the last Mabayu would see of the indestructible girl.

'Good, just like that. We're just co-workers, nothing more.' Mabayu thought to herself, satisfied with the appropriately civil exchange.

Just as Mabayu was about to retreat back to her home, her cozy kotatsu awaiting her, she noticed Honoka sitting down at the nearby bus stop.

"Hey, I don't think the busses are running this late." Mabayu called out to her.

"Huh? What's a bus?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

'What's a bus? What do you mean "what's a bus"? Why are you sitting at a bus stop if not to wait for a…'

My mother passed away a few days ago, and I've been pretty much on my own ever since.

"…Wait, don't tell me… were you planning on sleeping there tonight?"

"Um… w-well…" Honoka hesitated to answer, her face flushed, and her eyes filled with shame and unable to meet Mabayu's.

"…Um, if you want…"

'Wait! Wait! What am I saying! Don't get ahead of yourself, Mabayu! Remember, you're just the heroine's unassuming co-worker. If I start sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, I'll definitely get dragged into the plot! It's not my problem… not my problem… Not. My. Problem…'

…

…

'…Reeled in, hook, line, and sinker.'

"Wow! This is so delicious!" Honoka said through a mouthful of rice and fish. "What did you call this again?"

"It's mackerel simmered in miso." Sakie replied from the head of the table.

"Mackerel… miso… I'll remember that!" Honoka happily declared, both bubbly women completely oblivious to Mabayu sulking in her seat at the table.

In the end, Mabayu just couldn't look the other way and invited Honoka to stay with her and Sakie for the night. Of course, Sakie was more than happy to play hostess and prepared a fresh homecooked meal to welcome their house guest.

'I guess even an introverted loner like me couldn't just abandon someone in need so heartlessly. I made the right decision, right? We aren't gonna be attacked by a supervillain in the middle of the night and have our house completely wrecked in the battle, right?' Mabayu fretted as she quietly picked at her own food.

"Honoka-chan, once you're done eating, feel free to take a bath. I'll have the guest room ready for you when you finish." Sakie said as she served Honoka a second helping of rice. "Or perhaps you would rather sleep in Mabayu-chan's room with her?"

Mabayu nearly choked on her food at the suggestion.

"…Gawk, what? W-Why my room?"

"Why not? After all, this is the first time you've ever brought a friend home to stay the night, why not make the most of it and have a little slumber party~." Sakie said.

"B-But…"

"Besides… I'm sure you were planning on staying up all night watching those movies of yours, weren't you?"

"Urk…"

"If you're going to sacrifice your sleep, you might as well entertain our guest while you're at it, right~."

A cold chill ran up Mabayu's spine. Despite Sakie's serene smile and chipper voice, Mabayu could sense the aura of a scolding parent behind it. Mabayu was never the rebellious type, despite her rather slothful approach toward her responsibilities at school and work. And so, confronted with her naughty behavior, she found it extremely difficult to refuse.

"Movies… oh, you mean those moving picture things that you watch while eating popcorn?" Honoka recalled.

"Huh… uh, yeah, that's right." Mabayu said.

'Moving pictures…?'

Hey, I don't think the busses are running this late.

Huh? What's a bus?

Once again, Honoka spoke as if she lacked rather basic knowledge about the world around her, yet another strange quirk to add to the growing list. However, in that moment, Mabayu's critical suspicions were shoved to the back of her mind as a startling revelation dawned on her.

"Wait, don't tell me… have you never watched a movie before?" Mabayu made the unthinkable accusation.

"Nope, never." Honoka flippantly admitted before taking another bite of her mackerel.

An eerie silence fell over the table, the only sounds heard being Honoka's happy chewing and the sound of Mabayu's chopsticks hitting the table as they slipped from her grasp.

"That's… that's… unacceptable!" Mabayu suddenly shouted, startling Honoka and Sakie. Mabayu grabbed her chopsticks and started wolfing down her meal, almost choaking on it once or twice until her plate was clean. "Sakie-san! Inoue-san will stay in my room tonight!" Mabayu declared, an uncharacteristic glint in her eye.

"The spare futon is in the hallway closet." Sakie said, a satisfied smile on her face as she watched Mabayu scamper away from the table to prepare for the impromptu slumber party she was suddenly ecstatic for.

…

…

"Behold! Popcorn with the movie theater butter!" Mabayu said as she presented a large bowl filled with popcorn.

"Wow! So, this is popcorn!" Honoka said, looking over the warm, freshly popped kernels as the bowl was placed on the kotatsu.

After dinner, Honoka took a bath as offered, slipped into a set of Mabayu's spare pajamas, and waited for her host in Mabayu's room. The girl lived in a cozy little loft bedroom, the walls caked with errant newspaper and magazine clippings hung up like posters. The shelves were filled with books and video tapes, decorated with colorful fairy lights and drawn back curtains. The centerpiece of the room was an old television, paired with a VCR player of a similar make, held in a shelf across from a couch and a kotatsu, where Honoka currently sat at.

"Some would probably say that your first movie should be seen in a theater, but I think there's something to be said about a quiet home movie night, snuggled up in a kotatsu with a fresh bowl of popcorn in your arms." Mabayu said, though Honoka paid little attention as she picked a piece of popcorn from the bowl and popped it in her mouth.

"Yummy~! It looks soft and squishy, but it's actually chewy! And it's sweet and salty at the same time! I love it!" Honoka sang popcorn its praises as she continued popping kernels into her mouth.

"Now then, what to watch?" Mabayu said as she wandered over to one of the shelves filled with video tapes.

Unsurprisingly, Honoka felt her gavv rustle under her pajamas as she savored the new snack. Thankfully, she was already sat at the kotatsu, allowing her to inconspicuously unbutton her shirt around her torso and let the new minion pop out and escape underneath the cloth. It was wrapped in light blue packaging with red and white stripes, with a faceplate filled with popped kernels and a pair of "X" shaped eyes. The label read "Pop Burn" in yellow bubble letters.

"Alright, let's go with a classic masterpiece!" Mabayu said as she happily plucked a video tape from the shelf. "It's a science fiction story about a killer robot sent from the future to assassinate a woman in the past. I know that sounds kind of gruesome, but trust me, this is an undisputed classic for a reason!"

"Ok… if you say so." Honoka said through a mouthful of popcorn.

Mabayu happily popped the video tape into the VCR and hit play, before retreating to the warmth of the kotatsu with a big, excited smile on her face, which Honoka couldn't help but mirror. Despite how much Mabayu treated this as momentous occasion in Honoka's life, or perhaps even because of it, the girl talked throughout the entire movie, forcing Honoka to split her attention between the action on screen and Mabayu's commentary, all while Honoka munched away at her bowl of popcorn.

"Ahh! That was so good! No matter how many times you watch a masterpiece, it still holds up!" Mabayu gushed as the credits rolled. "So, what did you think of your first movie?"

"It was really interesting!" Honoka said. "I'm glad they were able to defeat the robot in the end, and I hope the woman is able to give birth to a healthy baby."

"Why hope when we can find out? Onto Part 2!" Mabayu cheered as she made to switch out the tape for a new one.

"Huh? You mean there's more?"

"Of course, there's a whole franchise… though I'd recommend stopping at the third one."

"Then, does that mean we get more popcorn?" Honoka asked, clutching the empty popcorn bowl hopefully.

"Uh… yeah, sure, if you still have room for more."

"Hurray!" Honoka cheered, to Mabayu's amusement.

"You sure do love your snacks, huh?" Mabayu said as she recovered the rewound tape from the VCR.

"Yes, I do. It's the same with you and movies, isn't it?"

"Huh?"

"You looked so happy when you were talking about the movie. It kind of reminded me of how my mother was when she was talking about snacks." Honoka elaborated.

"…Yeah, I guess you're right." Mabayu said, looking at the pair of video tapes, movie, and sequel, in her hands. "…I guess you could say that this shelf full of movies is kind of like your Yummy Note."

"Really?"

Mabayu paused, seemingly hesitant, but eventually she gathered herself and spoke.

"You see, my mother was hospitalized for a terminal illness when I was still young." Mabayu admitted, much to Honoka's shock. "Because of all the time she spent in the hospital, I don't really have very many happy memories of her."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Honoka said with a regretful frown.

"But one memory I do have is of us watching these movies together." Mabayu continued as she placed the new video tape into the VCR. "Even though she never watched it before, she was able to predict what would happen in Part 2. She was a fortune teller you see, but even without using her talents, she was able to guess it perfectly just from the context she had from other stories. I thought that was so cool, so I started watching a whole bunch of movies to try and do the same thing. In doing so, I was able to see so many wonderful movies, to witness how so many different writers, actors, and directors come together to tell such amazing stories, and I had fun watching them unfold. I guess, even though I don't have a lot of memories of my mother, she was the one that gave me the thing I love most in my life… or something?"

"I see…" Honoka looked down at her Yummy Note, open to the new entry about popcorn she was writing, the small bits of happiness given to her by her mother and Mabayu's coalescing into this impromptu movie night they were sharing. "That's wonderful."

"Er, sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to be such a downer all of a sudden!" Mabayu said, her face flush and suddenly unable to meet Honoka's gaze. "Uh, here, I'll go make us some more popcorn, b-be right back." She snatched the bowl from Honoka and quickly escaped, leaving Honoka to enjoy the opening scene of the sequel on her own.

The woman from the first movie turned out to be an emotionally distant, yet overly protective mother in the sequel. This time, Honoka couldn't quite enjoy Mabayu's running commentary as much as before, the familial themes of the sequel hitting too close to home.

One night, not very long ago, a pair of Agents came in the middle of the night and forcefully escorted Honoka and her mother to the production floor of Stomach Inc. headquarters. The sound of Human Presses being transported between machines via conveyer belts underscored Honoka's desperate struggle for escape, only to be granted her wish when she and her mother were shoved to the floor at the foot of a spice extracting machine.

"Honoka!" Her mother said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter protectively.

"Mom…"

Then came the sound of heavy footfalls, Honoka and her mother looking up to find her five older siblings, the Stomach Family, gathering around them in this little corner of the production floor.

"Lango Nii-san…?" Honoka said as her eldest half-brother loomed over her. Like the others, he was wearing his human disguise, each one of them designed to have a "familial resemblance" to their youngest half-sibling.

"What do you want from us!?" Honoka's mother demanded, even as Honoka felt her trembling.

"Don't act like you don't know." Lango said. "That nutcase father of ours who was harboring you is finally dead."

This was the moment Honoka learned of her father's passing, said so matter-of-factly and with not a hint of grief in her brother's voice. However, she was not given the time to process the news, as a silver belt, the Mimicdeviser, appeared around Lango's waist and spat out the Mimic Key within. Upon the key's removal, Lango's true Granute face was revealed, a draconic head with ebony black skin, glowing red eyes, and a pair of silver-gilded black horns. Honoka gasped at the sight of her brother's face, her mother tightening her protective grasp around her. It had been three years since her father had demanded that his children disguise themselves while in their own home, a futile attempt to make Honoka and her mother feel more comfortable in their imprisonment. But now the warden was gone, and there was no longer any need to accommodate the prisoners.

"Humans have no place in our family. Your only value is as spice for our Dark Treats." Lango said. Even with his alien face, the complete and utter distain he felt for his youngest sibling was plain to see.

"Please no… not my Honoka…" Her mother desperately pleaded, holding her precious child close. Honoka leaned into her mother's embrace, fearful tears staining her white gown as she tried to hide herself from her murderous siblings.

"Not that either of you would make for quality spice at present." Nyelv said as he too did away with his human disguise, revealing his true serpentine face.

"They'll do for our bargain bin treats." Glotta said as she revealed her true face as well; a pointed squid-like head with purple skin, silvery tendrils, glowing purple eyes, and a golden gilded mask that obscured her mouth.

Finally, Jeebh and Shita revealed their true forms, a pair of nearly identical feline faces with scarf-like tuffs of fur wrapped around their necks.

"Do it." Glotta commanded.

Off to the side, a pair of Stomach Inc part-timers stepped into view. One extended its gavv's tongue towards the pair of humans.

"Watch out!" Her mother cried as she suddenly pushed Honoka away. Honoka looked back at her mother in confusion, only to watch the sopping wet tongue wrap itself around her and squeeze tightly, her mother gasping as the air was knocked out of her lungs.

"Mom!" Honoka cried.

"Honoka… please, run!" Her mother said as she struggled to breath against her bindings.

Honoka wanted to scream, to beg and plead with her siblings to release them, to take her mother's hand and run off to the world of delicious snacks that they had promised to escape to someday. But all she could do was lay on the ground, frozen in fear, gawking at her ensnared mother as her siblings looked on with a range of quiet satisfaction and sadistic glee. And with that, her chance to escape was squandered, a second gavv tongue extending and ensnaring Honoka as well.

"Gah!"

"Honoka!"

"Mom!"

The two desperately called out to each other, struggling as best they could against the Granute tongues, but to no avail. With one last constriction, Honoka watched as her mother was transformed into a Human Press, her terrified face preserved in the shard of jagged glass.

"Mom…" Honoka wheezed as she was suddenly released by the tongue that ensnared her.

"What!? Why wasn't she pressed?" Glotta said, voicing the shock and confusion shared by her siblings.

"Perhaps it is the Granute half of her blood…" Nyelv suggested, stroking his chin pensively.

"Mom…" Honoka hesitantly reached out for her mother's press, only to be restrained by Lango's Agents.

"No matter, her execution can come after." Lango said dismissively.

As Honoka was held by the Agents, Glotta sauntered over and collected her mother's Press. Humming gleefully to herself, she placed the Press on the conveyer belt of the spice extractor, an older model used for the processing of lower quality ingredients.

"No… Stop!" Honoka cried, struggling with all of her might against the grasp of the Agents. She watched as Glotta activated the machine, the conveyer belt carrying the press into the gapping maw of the machine. "STOP!"

CLANG!

Honoka's heart nearly stopped as she heard the sound of the machine crushing her mother's Press within it. A moment later, the destroyed Press was ejected into a waste bin with other similarly used up Presses, her mother's form no longer discernable within the shattered glass.

"…No… mom…"

With a sadistic chuckle, Glotta grabbed the destroyed Press and crushed it in her hand, her and the rest of their siblings relishing in the death of the only person that ever loved Honoka.

Honoka let out a guttural scream, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably, Lango's Agents forcing her to her feet and dragging her away.

…

…

"MOM!" Honoka cried as her head rose from the pillow it rested on.

She panted heavily to catch her breath, her heart pounding and sweat on her brow as she frantically looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. It was when her eyes fell on the old television, screen filled with static as it ran out of movie to play, that she recalled that she had spent the night in Mabayu's room, the two girls having fallen asleep under the kotatsu during their late-night movie marathon. She looked down at her reluctant roommate, still fast asleep on the floor, undisturbed by her outburst, much to Honoka's relief.

She looked down at the kotatsu to see that her Yummy Note lay open on the page that listed all of the snacks that she wanted to try, that her mother had told her stories about, with newly made checkmarks next to marshmallows and popcorn. The horrors of her sleeping mind fresh in her mind, she picked up the notebook and held it close to her chest. All of those happy memories she shared with her mother, and yet it was the very last one that they will every share that she dreamt of every night.

"…Mom." Honoka whimpered as tears began to run down her cheeks, the poor girl trying her best not let her weeping disturb her sleeping host.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry some?" Mabayu said.

"Don't worry, it's not that heavy." Honoka asserted, carrying all four plastic bags filled with marshmallows.

School had just let out for the day, and Sakie had sent Honoka and Mabayu on an errand before they clocked in for their shifts. Apparently, Honoka had done such a good job giving out the free samples the day before, that they didn't have any marshmallows left to actually use in their hot cocoa. And so, here they were, picking up enough to both use in the shop and continue the promotion, much to Honoka's delight.

"Besides, I owe you and Sakie-san a lot for letting me stay with you. I don't want to be a bother, so I'm willing to help out with anything you need, around the house or at the shop." Honoka said.

"Ah… t-thanks." Mabayu awkwardly replied.

She felt a pang of guilt. Since the moment they had met, Mabayu had let her imagination run wild with all of the possible disasters that getting involved with Honoka could bring to her quiet life. Unsurprisingly, none of them came to pass; they remained just the panicked delusions of a girl that had watched far too many superhero movies.

'Maybe… maybe it's ok not to keep her at arm's length after all.' Mabayu thought as she and Honoka approached Récompense.

"U-Um, Inoue-san. If you want… after work, we could… watch some more movies together…" Mabayu shook like a leaf as she extended the invitation, her obscured eyes staring at her shoes as she awaited the polite rejection she expected.

"With more popcorn too?" Honoka asked with a hopeful smile.

"Huh? Uh, yeah, of course!"

"Hurray! I'd love to!" Honoka cheered, her smile beaming and a new spring in her step.

'I have a feeling she's only looking forward to the popcorn…' Mabayu thought with an exasperated chuckle. And yet still, she let herself smile as well, looking forward to another movie night with someone who, perhaps one day, she could call a friend.

"Alright, time to go to work." Honoka said as she reached for the front door of Récompense.

"Yep, another day, another…"

The proverb went unfinished as Mabayu noticed a peculiar, masked figure suddenly appear behind Honoka, seemingly out of thin air. Mabayu let out a soft gasp, which was all the warning Honoka got before the figure kicked her in the back, sending her stumbling forward and dropping the bags she held.

"Wah… W-W-Wah-Wah…!" Mabayu stammered, taking a few cautious steps back as the masked figure approached Honoka.

"An Agent?" Honoka said, clearly recognizing her assailant. "W-What's an Agent doing all the way out here?"

The "Agent" as it was called paid Honoka's inquiry little mind as it threw a punch at her. Honoka ducked under the gloved fist, turning around and putting up her guard just in time to block a follow up kick from the Agent. The force of the strike sent Honoka flying through Récompense's front window, showering the interior with shards of glass, and startling the patrons within.

"It's… IT'S HAPPENING! THE COLATERAL DAMAGE RIDDEN SUPERHERO FIGHT IS FINALLY HAPPENING!" Mabayu screamed, her greatest fears coming to life.

Within the shop, Honoka quickly rose back to her feet, reflexively reaching for the zipper on her hoodie, ready to fight back.

"Honoka-chan?"

Honoka paused at the sound of Sakie's voice, the pâtissier standing behind the counter with a bewildered look on her face. It was then that she noticed all of the other patrons in the shop, all huddled together in groups for protection. Their looks of shock and surprise soon turned to horror as the Agent leapt into the shop through the shattered window and aimed a blaster at Honoka.

"It's… It's me that you want, right? Please, don't hurt anyone else!" Honoka pleaded as the Agent silently approached, its focus placed solely on her.

"Honoka-chan, what are you doing?" Sakie said as she made to come out from behind the counter, but Honoka beckoned her with a hand to stay put.

"Sakie-san… everyone… I'm sorry!"

With that, Honoka suddenly dashed for the adjacent widow and crashed through it. Landing outside in a shower of shattered glass, she looked back to make sure that the Agent was taking the bait. And take the bait it did, as it immediately rushed to follow her. Honoka made to run down the street, only for a second agent, its tassels white as opposed to first Agent's blue, appeared from the adjacent alley, and blocked her path.

"Another one… fine, if you want me, come and get me!" Honoka said as she ran down a different street, the Agents immediately giving chase.

"It… It happened. It actually happened…" Mabayu muttered as she watched the Agents chase Honoka down the street.

"Mabayu-chan!" Sakie said as she rushed to her side. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"Huh? N-No, I'm fine." Mabayu said as Sakie looked her over for injuries. "Those things… I think they were after Inoue-san."

"Oh dear… Mabayu-chan, please go home for now, I'm going to call the police. If Honoka-chan returns to the house, take her, and hide in your room until I return, understand?" Sakie instructed.

There were a lot of things that Mabayu wanted to say, but they all died on her tongue. All she could do was silently nod her head in agreement and heed her aunt's instructions. As Sakie made her way back inside the shop, Mabayu glanced down the street Honoka and the Agents had disappeared down. For a moment, just a moment, Mabayu considered giving chase, playing the role of the heroine's mundane sidekick that fate seemed to have casted her in. However, as her legs shook, threatening to give out from under her at the memory of those masked assassins, Mabayu could only let out a guilty sigh as she looked away.

"I'm sorry, Inoue-san, but this just isn't a role that I was built to play." She said before turning the other way and rushing home as instructed, hoping beyond hope that Honoka would find her way back to them.

Honoka ran as fast as her legs could carry her, the Stomach Inc. Agents chasing her down back alleys and abandoned roadways until she managed to lead them into the forest just on the outskirts of the city. She looked around at her new surroundings, nothing but trees as far as the eye could see.

"No people around, no property to destroy. It should be ok to fight here." Honoka said as she unzipped the flap on her hoodie to reveal her gavv.

ZAP!

"Kya!" Honoka gasped as the PoppinGummy minion she was about to use was shot out of her hand by one of the pursuing Agents. "Oh no! PoppinGummy!" She began frantically looking for the discarded minion, spurned on as she felt the presence of the two Agents creeping up behind her, the blue-tasseled one with a blaster aimed at her exposed back.

"Hey there, RedGavv!" Honoka's heart skipped a beat, a cold chill running up her spine at the sound of the all too familiar voice. "Still alive and kicking, are you?"

Honoka slowly raised her head, hoping she was mistaken, but much to her horror it was indeed her older sister Shita that had offered the sardonic greeting, emerging through the trees along with her twin brother Jeebh.

"And here we thought you were good and dead already~." Jeebh said with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"…Shita Nee-san… Jeebh Nii-san?" Dried leaves and grass rustled beneath Honoka as she trembled in fear. "Wha… what are you doing here?"

"Our part-timers were being done in by some sort of monster." Shita began.

"After doing some digging, we spotted a familiar red-colored gavv on its belly." Jeebh added, showing off a photo of Honoka in her armored form on his personal smart device.

"The one-of-a-kind red gavv that only you have!" The twins said in unison as the image zoomed in on the Henshin Belt Gavv, the very same modified organ that laid exposed on Honoka's belly.

"It's a real shame, thanks to that red gavv, you couldn't even be Pressed into spice." Shita mockingly lamented, Honoka gasping as she was suddenly reminded of that awful moment not five days passed.

"Stop…"

"You poor thing~. If only you had been truly human like your precious mama was, then at least you two could have died together." Jeebh taunted with a sadistic grin.

"Stop it!" Honoka pleaded, her breath growing faint and tears welling up in her eyes.

"Right now, your mama is probably… in the belly of some random Granute!"

In that moment, every snack she ate, every small little moment of happiness brought about by a gummy, or a potato chip, or a marshmallow, or a kernel of popcorn, was defiled by the notion that somewhere out there, a lowly Granute had devoured her mother with just as much delight.

"NOOOOOO!" Honoka shrieked in a desperate attempt to deny reality, Jeebh and Shita bursting into gleeful laughter as they relished the pain of their little half-sister.

"Since Lango Nii-san and the others failed to put you out of your misery…" Shita began.

"…then we'll have to do the honors ourselves!" Jeebh finished.

"Kill her." The twins coldly commanded.

Honoka could hear the Agents' blasters warming up as they were aimed at her writhing form, but all she could do was sob into the grass, immobilized by the grief that she had been desperately trying to outrun since the moment she left the Granute World.

"Mom… I'm sorry… I'll be with you soon…" She muttered between sobs as she braced herself for the end.

THUD

"Huh?"

Honoka felt something hit the back of the head, turning her face to say that it was the PoppinGummy minion she had lost in the brush, returned to her.

"Eat Gummy!" The minion cried in a desperate attempt to encourage her.

I see… so I can make them after all.

ZAP!

ZAP!

With a shoulder roll, Honoka collected her minion off the ground and leapt back onto her feet, turning around to face Jeebh and Shita's Agents with bloodshot eyes filled with determination.

"That's right… I'm not the same as I was before. I've changed!" She declared before placing the PoppinGummy minion in her gavv.

"Gummy! Eat Gummy! Eat Gummy!" The minion chanted as Honoka turned the crank to chew. The White Agent charged in while the Blue Agent shot at her again, both attempts kept at bay by the snack bag forcefield as it filled with gummies.

"Henshin!" Honoka shouted as she struck her transformation pose and slammed the button on the Henshin Belt Gavv.

As soon as the snack bag popped open and the armor began to appear, the White Agent rushed in and kicked Honoka in the chest. She flew back, but regained her composure in the air, kicking off of a nearby tree as her armor fully formed.

"PoppinGummy! JUICY!"

With a mechanical belch, Honoka summoned the Gavvgablade and used it to block another kick from the White Agent, before retaliating with a slash across the Agent's chest that sent it stumbling back. The Blue Agent covered its ally's retreat with a few shots from its blaster, Honoka weaving between a few errant trees for cover as she closed the distance between them. Given the chance to recover, the White Agent reengaged, Honoka blocking a punch it threw at her and answering in kind with another swing of her sword, only for the Agent to perry the strike with the barrel of its blaster, knocking the blade to the side before taking aim and firing at Honoka point blank.

"Wah!" Honoka cried as she narrowly ducked under the blast, which bore a smoking hole into the tree behind her.

Before Honoka could retaliate, the Blue Agent entered the fray, wrapping its free arm around Honoka's neck and tossing her to the ground, Honoka managing to recover with a clumsy shoulder roll. As the Blue Agent attempted to approach, Honoka kept it at bay with a swing of the Gavvgablade, before rising to her feet and slashing through the approaching White Agent as well. She attempted to land another slash before it could recover, only for the Blue Agent to fire at her again, this time managing to hit her in the chest, her gummy armor bursting into a shower of purple drupelets. She stumbled back, but she was undeterred, quickly using another PoppinGummy minion to replenish her armor and get back into the fight.

"What are those little things?" Shita wondered, she and her brother observing the battle from the sidelines.

"Could they be… her minions?" Jeebh posited quizzically.

"It can't be. Wasn't she a talentless failure that couldn't make any?"

"Obviously something has changed since she came here."

"So, she's been taking on that form using her minions, and using it to take out our part-timers?" Shita said as she watched the half breed child competently fight off her and her brother's Agents.

"I've never seen such minions before." Jeebh said as he began nervously picking at his pristine nails.

Meanwhile, Honoka's blade clashed against the butt of the Blue Agent's blaster. The moment they broke the deadlock, the White Agent fired on Honoka, destroying more of her gummy armor, and sending Honoka stumbling back. In response, Honoka pressed the button on the Gavvgablade, charging the weapon with energy before she pulled the trigger and released it in a slashing arc of purple energy. Unfortunately, both Agents deftly avoided the slash, the White Agent ducking bellow it, the Blue Agent leaping over it, continuing their advance.

Honoka made a hasty retreat amidst the trees for cover, the Agents firing at her as she fumbled with the little speeder, piloted by a PoppinGummy minion.

"Push Me! Push Me! GO!" The minion cried as Honoka pushed the button and launched the speeder at the pursuing minion.

The speeder first crashed against the White Agent's blaster, knocking the weapon out of its hands. It then went on to land on the Blue Agent's mask, who halted in order to deal with the sudden obstruction to her vision. The White Agent, however, remained undeterred, closing the distance between them, and engaging with Honoka. It blocked a swing of the Gavvgablade, knocking the blade aside and elbowing Honoka in the chest, knocking her back. However, rather than capitalize on the opening, the Agent let down its guard, leaving himself open to retaliation. Unfortunately, Honoka took the bait, slashing at the Agent again, only to be promptly disarmed. Honoka reached for her discarded weapon, but the Agent kicked it away and then rammed its knee into Honoka's exposed face.

Dazed from the hit, Honoka failed to act before the Agent wrapped its arms around Honoka in a headlock. Despite her valiant struggle, Honoka was wrestled to the ground, the Agent's grip around her neck tightening in an attempt to choak her out. Meanwhile, the Blue Agent had done away with the meddling speeder, firing at the subdued Honoka, destroying her armor one gummy plate at a time.

'No… I can't lose here… not when… I've made it this far…' Honoka squirmed against the White Agent's grip, gasping for air as her vision beginning to dim. As she began to lose consciousness, she thought back to the time she spent in the Human World. All of the wonderful sights she had seen, all of the delicious snacks she finally had the chance to try, and most importantly, all of the wonderful people she had shared those snacks with.

"This is… the world my mother was born in… I HAVE TO PROTECT IT!"

Suddenly, Honoka crushed the last piece of her chest armor with her own hand, sending a spray of drupelets flying into the White Agent's face. With that momentary distraction, Honoka managed to break free from the Agent's grasp, kicking it away and rising back to her feet. She rushed towards the Blue Agent, who fired at her now exposed torso. The beams burned through her suit, Honoka taking the full brunt of the damage, but still she pushed through, punching the Blue Agent across its masked face and sending it staggering back.

Honoka panted, struggling to catch her breath, fearing that she was on her last legs as the Agents easily recovered. As her mind raced for a way to turn the tables, she heard a familiar yapping coming from overhead. Above her, waddling on a tree branch, was the Fuwamallow minion she had created the day before, coming to her rescue.

"Eat you?" Honoka interpreted her minion's cries. "Alright!"

Honoka bounded between the trees to climb up to her new minion, avoiding the Blue Agent's shots before collecting the Fuwamallow minion and placing it in the Henshin Belt Gavv.

"Marshmallow! Eat Marshmallow! Eat Marshmallow!" The minion chanted as Honoka turned the crank to chew. Upon hitting the button on the side, the minion's body popped open, revealing a white, apelike face within, with fangs that grew from the bottom of its jaw in an underbite, and bright rosy cheeks that contrasted its angry expression. "Fuwamallow! FUWA~FUWA~!"

Upon her descent, Honoka became encased in a large ball of fluffy marshmallows, before bursting free, having donned a set of puffy white armor. As she descended on the White Agent, it kicked her away, only for her to bounce harmlessly off of the ground and onto her feet, lunged forward as she was filled with new strength.

Undeterred, the White Agent rushed up and threw another kick at Honoka. She brought her marshmallow gauntlets up in defense, the puffy armor absorbing the force of the kick and sending her bouncing back into the air. However, rather than crash into the tree behind her, she harmlessly ricocheted off of it, retaliating with a double punch from a pair of marshmallow mittens that sent the Agent staggering back.

"Wow! So, this is the power of marshmallows!" Honoka said.

She curiously patted her fluffy chest armor, the marshmallow-like substance deforming and then springing back, summoning a strange, buoyant construct that took on the appearance of the onomatopoeia "fuwa" (フワ) in marshmallow-like bubble letters. Suddenly, the Blue Agent took aim and fired at her with its blaster, Honoka thinking quickly and grabbing onto the letters that carried her up into the air. She leisurely floated overhead, avoiding the laser blasts like a balloon on an errant breeze, until gravity began to win out and bring her back to the earth, Honoka kicking the Agents away before landing back on her feet.

"There's more where that came from!" Honoka cried as she made to reengage. Feeling a clank at her feet, she looked down to find her discarded Gavvgablade lying in the grass. She went to pick it up, only for the handle slip through the gooey grip of her mitten-like hands. She tried a few more times to retrieve her weapon, needing to use both hands to finally get it off the ground. "…Hard to grip." She said as she clumsily brandished the blade and attacked.

As the Blue Agent attempted to fire at Honoka again, she knocked her blaster arm away with a hefty swing of her sword, leaving her open for the White Agent to close in and throw a punch at her exposed back. However, the Agent's fist harmlessly bounced off of Honoka's puffy armor. It stumbled back from the recoil, giving Honoka the chance to land a downward slash that sent the White Agent stumbling back, following up with an upward swing that sent the Blue Agent flying as well.

She pressed the button on the Gavvgablade, charging the weapon with energy, but rather than release it in an arcing swing, Honoka pressed the pommel up against her puffy abdomen and then launched the sword into the air. The weapon arced over to the Agents, planting itself in the ground between them. They eyed the blade in confusion before the charged energy was unleashed into the ground, both Agents just barely able to avoid falling into the massive trench that opened up where the Gavvgablade's energy was dispersed.

Climbing up onto Honoka's shoulder was her Marumallow minion, yapping in her ear to get her attention.

"Oh, you wanna turn?" Honoka translated, the minion nodding in approval. "Alright."

"Marshmallow! Eat Marshmallow! Eat Marshmallow!" The minion chanted as Honoka placed it in the Henshin Belt Gavv and cranked to chew. As she savored the new flavor, fresh marshmallows began growing all over Honoka's armor, and when she hit the button, the marshmallows all coalesced around her, doubling her size.

"Marumallow!" The minion cried as Honoka was transformed into a massive hulking brute.

The Blue Agent fired at Honoka as it approached, the lasers harmlessly dissipating on Honoka's massive armor before the Agent was effortlessly swatted away. The White Agent didn't even get a chance to attack as Honoka grabbed it by the face and tossed it into the trench she created along with the Blue Agent.

"Charge Me! Charge Me!" The minion chanted as Honoka turned the crank. Her armor began budding more marshmallows, until her massive body took on the shape of a giant roller-like cylinder, her miniscule head visible on top.

"Marumallow ROLLING!" The minion announced as the button on the Henshin Belt Gavv was pressed.

Honoka's cylindrical body rolled into the trench, flattening the rubble, and further trapping the Agents within as she picked up speed. The Blue Agent desperately tried to fire at Honoka's exposed head, but she only ever hit her Marshmallow roller, the lasers harmlessly fizzling out.

"You're finished!" Honoka declared as she rolled over the twin Agents, trapping them in the roller as they were crushed over and over with each revolution.

Eventually, Honoka was ejected from the cylinder, landing safely outside of the trench as the marshmallows swelled and detonated in a massive explosion. The Agents, in their distorted voices, let out one final scream as they were obliterated in the inferno.

"No way!" Jeebh said as the dust settled.

"She defeated our Agents?" Shita said in disbelief, gawking at Honoka as she stood victoriously over the ruined battlefield.

"Please… leave the humans alone! If you don't, then you two are next!" Honoka declared, falling into a defensive stance, ready to continue the fight.

"We're next, you say? Hmph… watch your mouth, RedGavv." Shita irritably dismissed the threat.

"This is far from over." Jeebh said, daintily adjusting the ribbon on his collar that got jostled from the shockwave of his Agent's demise.

With that, the twin procurement heads turned their backs on Honoka and sauntered off. Honoka remained crouched in her stance until the moment they were out of sight. When all that she could hear was the wind rustling through the trees, she let out an anxious breath that she didn't even realize she was holding, falling to her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"I… I did it. I won." Honoka said as her minion was expelled from her gavv, ascending to heaven as Honoka reverted back to her civilian form. Her hands began shaking as she came down from the adrenaline of the fight, Honoka grasping her hands together as she took a few deep breaths. "It's ok… it's over… I won!"

As she tried to calm herself, a head of wild green hair peaked out of the nearby brush. In the end, Aki Mabayu had decided to follow Honoka after all, but remained hidden amidst the trees as the battle unfolded. Partially because she was drawn in by the drama of it all; not only did Honoka turn out to be the colorful monster that everyone was talking about recently, but she came face to face with her murderous siblings, a pair of flamboyant supervillains that had apparently had a hand in the tragic death of the heroine's mother. And yet, she still rose to the challenge, in order to defend the peace of the world that shunned her as a monster.

She had been so captivated by the narrative that she had little interest in playing the role she probably should have been playing in all of it. When Honoka was on the brink of despair, Mabayu considered speaking up, coming out of hiding as the heroine's mundane human friend, and give some rousing speech that would convince her not to give up hope. But alas, she just couldn't muster up the courage, so instead she did the only other thing she could do, and that was to throw Honoka's discarded minion at the back of her head, and hope that that would somehow be enough to convince her to keep fighting.

And miraculously, it was.

But now the battle was over, and Mabayu was being called to the set yet again. She swallowed the lump in her throat, preparing to go out there and comfort the emotionally grieving hero. She wondered if she should just come out and admit that she had witnessed the whole fight, or try to play dumb, like Sakie might have. However, before she could make a move, Honoka seemed to collect herself and stood up, prompting Mabayu to retreat back behind the brush. She held her breath as she listened to Honoka trudge through the grass, notably moving deeper into the forest, away from the city.

"…I'm sorry, Inoue-san, but all of this really is too much for me." Mabayu said with a forlorn sigh, once again disappointed in herself for abandoning the poor girl.

As she dusted herself off and made to return home, Mabayu wondered if she had squandered Honoka's only chance to make a friend. She quickly dismissed the idea, reprimanding herself for being so full of herself. Unlike Mabayu, Honoka was bright and friendly, a kind soul with the courage to defend the weak as a masked hero shunned by society. Mabayu was sure that Honoka could find better friends than her, friends that wouldn't have hesitated to stay by her side.

Honoka felt as though she had been walking in circles for hours, and it didn't help that the darker it got, the harder it became to tell the trees of the forest apart. Still, she dragged her feet across the grass, searching for a place she could hole up in for the night. As she let out a sad little sigh, one of her PoppinGummy minions climbed into her shoulder, yapping with concern for her.

"I know, Aki-san and her aunt are probably really worried about me right now… but this is for the best." Honoka said. "I don't want to put them in anymore danger than I already have."

GROWL~

Honoka whimpered at the sound of her stomach growling, her shoulders slumping and her eyelids feeling heavy.

"Oh no… I need to find… something to… eat…"

Drained from her earlier battle, Honoka collapsed in the middle of the dark forest, her gaggle of minions crowding around her, yapping to each other in concern for their fallen master. That concern would soon turn into fear, as a dark shadow was cast over Honoka's unconscious form underneath the moonlight. Her minions could do nothing but tremble helplessly as a large and imposing figure began to approach from the darkness.