Unlimited Ambition

"...Hmm." Mami thought for a while and realized what I said made sense. She didn't dwell on it further and started chatting with me. As usual, it was mostly about interesting things that happened at school. I talked about strange news I'd seen on TV. Mami would then say, "Eh? Really? Wright, are you kidding me?"

So, do I really look that much like a fraud?

However, as they got closer to the hospital, Mami became increasingly uneasy.

After searching the hospital for a long time without finding any trace of the witch, Mami's mood worsened. Finally, she stopped, not wanting to go any further.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Let's go home," Mami said, her head bowed.

"Why?" I asked, a little puzzled.

"...There's no particular reason. Maybe that guy has already left. Wouldn't it be better if we patrolled somewhere else tomorrow?" Mami said.

“That’s not entirely impossible… but…” Seeing Mami’s unusual behavior, I sighed softly, stepped forward, and placed my hand on her shoulder: “Don’t you want to face her anymore? You really don’t have to be like this… After all, Charlotte, she—”

"—Stop talking!" Asami suddenly became very agitated: "I...I didn't mean it..."

For a time, Mami wasn't acting alone. She had a partner named Charlotte, who, like Mami, loved sweets and black tea. The two girls were incredibly close, often sending me away to have tea parties with the dolls.

Then one day, Charlotte suddenly disappeared. Mami and I searched for her for a long time but couldn't find her. After asking others, we only received answers like, "Huh? Does she even exist? Is she a new friend you met?"

In other words, Charlotte is dead, or rather, she has become a witch.

As for the reason, I can guess a little, but I don't want to say it aloud. As for Mami, who was involved, she naturally didn't want to bring it up again. So, we both tried very hard to pretend that nothing had ever happened and continued living our lives.

It's just one person missing, it shouldn't be a big deal.

Although Mami often wakes up from nightmares and is terrified afterward, it's probably nothing serious.

Betrayed his friends or something.

How can I comfort him/her?

Or rather, it's something you can't forget even if you want to.

Mami Tomoe.

Do you want me to comfort you?

"The past is the past, Mami, we're still young... let's look forward a little." In the end, I hugged her and whispered these words of comfort.

At that moment, at the side entrance of the hospital, Sayaka complained, "What? I came all this way to see him, and I didn't even see him. He was talking about rehabilitation training or something."

"Well, let's go back then." The round-faced girl, completely unaware of what was going on, didn't know how to respond, so she said this.

“Let’s go home, let’s go home. It’s getting late.” Sayaka said, then tugged at Madoka’s sleeve: “Madoka, look at that thing.”

Madoka turned around and looked in the direction Sayaka was pointing. She saw something that looked a bit like a thimble and was emitting a black light flickering in a crack in a rectangular pillar.

"Huh? What is this?" Xiaoyuan also felt a little strange, but her intuition told her that this kind of thing was probably quite unreliable, so it was better to stay away from it.

However, Sayaka had already walked past. This girl was much bolder than Madoka and curious about everything. It's not surprising that she was attracted to her.

"Sayaka—" Madoka tried to stop her, but it was too late. Just as Sayaka touched that thing—the surrounding scenery changed, becoming like a picture drawn by a primary school student with watercolors and crayons, filled with a bizarre, disillusioning, and darkly humorous style.

"Where, where is this?!" Sayaka exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the scene.

At that very moment, both I, who was comforting Mami, and Mami, who was receiving my comfort, noticed the strange change not far away.

"...Do we still want to go back?" I asked.

"No." Mami gently pushed me away. "Let's go, Kyubey. Let's settle this matter as soon as possible, and then go back."

Seeing that Mami had regained her usual confidence, I breathed a slight sigh of relief, then took her hand and walked towards the witch's barrier.

"That's right, it's time to put an end to this once and for all," Mami muttered to herself, then chuckled. It sounded chilling...

"Mami, what's wrong? If you're really feeling unwell, why don't you go home and rest for a bit?" I asked with some concern.

"No, it's okay. There's absolutely no problem—in fact, I'm in better shape than ever before." Asami said this, gripping my hand so tightly that it hurt a little.

"Relax a little, Mami," I complained, as Mami pulled me forward. But Mami seemed completely oblivious to what I was saying, as if she were lost in her own world.

"From now on, please keep a certain distance from Cupid."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Mami-senpai?"

"Oh? Wasn't I clear enough? Then let me explain it to you again—Khubby is mine, and can only be mine. I will absolutely not let anyone take him away—not even you!"

"—No, senior, you've misunderstood. There's absolutely nothing between me and Kyubey—"

"—Are you still trying to lie to me?!" Mami then slapped Charlotte across the face: "I clearly saw you telling Kyubey that you liked him!"

After that, Charlotte left in tears. The next day, I couldn't find her anywhere.

The flashback ends here. Mami and I have arrived deep within the witch's barrier, in a room resembling an emergency room with a sign that reads "In Surgery." Around us are piles of transparent medicine bottles. But inside the bottles are strange objects that look like scissors, cookies, or eyeballs. The air is thick with the smell of disinfectant…

"Wait a minute, there seems to be someone ahead—" I suddenly spotted two familiar figures walking ahead and called out to Mami...

Chapter Seven: So, karma is cyclical, and retribution is inevitable, senior!

At this moment, after spending several tens of minutes in such a bizarre world, Sayaka was slightly better, but Madoka was on the verge of collapse. Seeing familiar faces again brought her a great sense of peace.

"Madoka, Sayaka—what are you doing here?" I asked, feigning surprise. Mami and I stopped in front of them.

"Wright—do you know where this place is? Can we get out of here?" Sayaka asked eagerly.

"Hmm... here," I hesitated slightly, glancing at Mami, who remained expressionless, neither supporting nor opposing. I breathed a sigh of relief: "This is inside a witch's barrier. You seem to have wandered in by mistake. But it's alright. Once Mami defeats the witch, we can leave."

"So—no, what's this about a witch? And that girl—um, is her name Mami? What does 'solve' mean?" It was Sayaka again who asked these questions.

"Let's talk about this later," Mami said somewhat coldly. She then walked right past them, saying, "Hurry up, Kyubey."

"What..." Sayaka complained softly, seemingly dissatisfied with Mami's indifference.

"Okay, don't be too angry. Mami is actually a very nice person. It's just... well, she's just under a little too much pressure." I composed myself a bit before saying this.

"The pressure is immense... do you mean, the battle?" Although Xiaoyuan hadn't spoken, her mind was quite sharp. She quickly analyzed the situation.

"Huh? A battle?" In comparison, the blue-haired guy's intelligence seemed rather pathetic.

"Yes, it's a battle against witches." Since both of them are my chosen magical girls, it's okay to give a little spoiler first. So I said, "Actually, Mami has another identity: she's a magical girl who has made a contract with me. She exists as a hidden force to maintain world peace. She's always fighting against witches and other kinds of monsters."

“Is that so? That sounds really cool,” Sayaka said.

“No, please be a little more serious.” I said solemnly, “Being a magical girl is no easy task.”

At this moment, Mami, who was walking at the front, stopped in front of a fantastical "operating room".

"We've arrived," Mami said.

"Okay." I nodded. Then I turned to Madoka and Sayaka and said, "Please wait here for a moment. The upcoming battle will be a little intense..."

"But—" Before Sayaka could finish speaking, Mami and I went inside, then slammed the door shut. After that, a series of chilling gunshots rang out from inside.

The battle has begun.

Transformed into a magical girl, Mami Tomoe is dressed in Renaissance-style clothing, wearing a feathered hat and wielding a single-shot matchlock gun. Around her are numerous other matchlock guns. Her opponent, however, seems utterly powerless, slumped in a chair with frail arms and legs, resembling a doll.

“Then, I’ll kill you.” The senior’s face was now contorted with rage and terror, giving the impression that “this guy has gone mad.” While laughing maniacally, she pulled the trigger, firing a magic-infused bullet at the witch. Because it was an old-fashioned matchlock gun, after each shot, the gunpowder ash had to be cleaned up and the magazine reloaded—but Mami skipped all those steps. She simply threw away the matchlock gun that had been fired once, picked up another one from the ground, and continued firing.

Wow, that's incredibly extravagant, senior! If real Renaissance-era soldiers saw how lavishly you treat your firearms, they'd be crying. Back then, they treated a matchlock musket like a precious treasure.

Under this continuous bombardment, the doll-like witch was left battered and bruised by Mami. Then, as if feeling that simple ranged attacks weren't enough, Mami rushed over—because matchlock guns of that era didn't have bayonets. So, holding the gun upside down, she struck the witch directly with the butt of the gun, like hitting a golf ball, sending the doll-like witch flying.

From the moment we started until now, the battle has been completely one-sided. However, the unease in my heart is gradually growing. Something called experience tells me that if this continues, Mami will most likely—no, there is a 94.572% chance—die.

"Be careful, Mami!" I warned her. In truth, this was the only thing I could do. Before entering this dimension for my experiment, I had cursed myself, forbidding me from attacking any intelligent life within it. Humans, animals, magical girls, witches, or even the hellish creatures I summoned myself—none of them were allowed. Therefore, there was no other way but to escape.

"What? Weren't you doing a great job?" At that moment, Sayaka's nonchalant voice came from behind me: "Is that what they call a witch? She looks so weak. Seriously, did they have to make it this exaggerated? Was it really necessary? I could probably beat her."

“Shut up!” I turned around and yelled at the guy.

Sayaka seemed startled, taking two steps back before muttering under her breath, "What? There's no need to be so angry..."

“Sayaka…” Madoka tugged at Sayaka’s sleeve anxiously.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything then."

Just then, the battle between Mami and the witch took another turn. After Mami combined countless matchlock guns into a massive "gun" with a caliber as large as a 64-pounder cannon, she unleashed a final strike directly at the witch. The witch's body couldn't withstand such a heavy blow, and with a "bang!" it shattered into pieces.

"Is it over?" At this moment, both Sayaka and Madoka breathed a sigh of relief—including Mami herself, all three girls felt that she had won.

However, this is not the case.

"Watch out, Mami!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. At the same time, Mami turned around and smiled at me—behind her, a gaping maw full of sharp teeth suddenly slammed down…

Chapter Eight: Head Lost, Lala Lala

Whoosh—crack—plop.

I forced myself to stay awake, staggered slightly, and turned to the other two girls, saying, "You two, hurry up! Sign the contract with me!!"

"no need."

The next moment, Homura Akemi, with her long black hair flowing and an expressionless face, descended from the sky, and time in the entire world stopped for several seconds—then, a violent explosion rang out. The long, slender witch that had been reborn from the doll-like witch was instantly blasted into pieces by the violent explosion.

Won.

"You guys are really lucky to have escaped with your lives," the guy said, then walked over and picked up Mami Tomoe's Soul Gem from the ground.

Then, the entire barrier disappeared, and we returned to the real world.

"Well then, goodbye." He said this as he walked past me, then turned his head at a 45-degree angle with a flourish.

"You... wait a minute." Suppressing my intense anger, I grabbed Homura Akemi's shoulders.

Give that back to me.

"Oh?"

"That's Mami's keepsake—give it back to me!"

I finally couldn't hold back anymore and turned around to shout at her.

—Then Homura Akemi kicked it away: "This is something about magical girls. As an assistant, you have absolutely no need for it."

"You bastard—"

"—Don't look at me with such a terrifying gaze. As an assistant, you can't attack a magical girl, can you?" he said coldly.

"...Even so, I will never let you leave." I got up again and stretched out my hands to block Homura Akemi's way.