Unlimited Ambition

"...Is this guy really faking it?" Seeing my tearful eyes and unusually determined gaze despite my fear, Homura Akemi wavered once again.

"No, no way—this guy, this guy is Kyubey!" Homura Akemi then pulled out her automatic pistol and pointed it at my forehead.

"If you won't move aside, then die!" Homura Akemi said.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"No!"

Startled by the sudden turn of events, the two girls, Sayaka Miki and Madoka Kaname, saw Homura Akemi pull out a pistol and press it against my forehead, and they both spoke up to stop her.

“…Damn it.” Homura Akemi muttered under her breath, then tossed the dull, yellow Soul Gem over, turned, and left.

After Homura Akemi's figure had completely disappeared from sight, I knelt on the ground, clutching Mami's Soul Gem in both hands, and burst into tears. The two girls beside me had many questions for me, but in this situation, they didn't know how to begin or how to comfort me.

And so, I cried for a long time, until the sun had completely set and it was completely dark, before I staggered to my feet and walked home with the gait of a zombie.

“—Wright-kun.” Sayaka seemed to want to follow, but Madoka stopped her. Madoka shook her head at her, and Sayaka knew there was nothing she could do. Afterward, the two went to a nearby fast food restaurant, ordered some food, but neither of them was in the mood to eat or say anything.

"...Wright seems to be getting along really well with that girl." In the end, Sayaka couldn't stand it anymore and said this to Madoka.

Xiaoyuan nodded: "Yes, that seems to be the case."

Then came another awkward silence.

The next day, both Madoka Kaname and Sayaka were visibly upset. Although they didn't know the girl, watching her die right before their eyes was a shock to the girls, who were just ordinary high school students.

"Wright hasn't come to school, and there's been no notice of absence. Does anyone know what's going on?" the homeroom teacher and teacher asked.

Of course, no one answered. The students below whispered among themselves. Madoka and Sayaka exchanged a glance. They both felt it was best not to say anything about this.

Of course, most people probably wouldn't believe it if I told them.

"So, whoever is familiar with Wright, could you go and ask him how he is?" the teacher asked.

"Um—" Xiaoyuan then stood up impatiently: "I can go."

"Okay, I'll tell you his address after class." The teacher said, "That's all, everyone, class can begin."

"hateful……"

However, one person was unusually dissatisfied with the teacher's arrangement. Homura Akemi, with her long, straight black hair, gritted her teeth, determined to prevent Madoka from meeting with me.

After school.

“Um… Sayaka…” Madoka and her best friend Sayaka were heading towards my house when Madoka quickly realized something was wrong—it was that girl I saw yesterday who almost killed me, named Homura Akemi, who was my classmate.

To be honest, Xiaoyuan was terrified of meeting her.

“Don’t worry, if she dares to do anything, we’ll just call the police. Besides, it’s still early, and there are plenty of people on the street. She shouldn’t do anything,” Sayaka said.

"...But...if we let her come along like this, what will happen when we get to Wright's house..."

“Indeed.” Sayaka then turned around: “Hey! Transfer student, what are you up to by following us like this? Stop following us, or I’ll call the police!”

"..." Homura Akemi was silent for a moment: "Madoka Kaname. Don't have too much contact with that man."

"That man...you mean Wright?" Xiaoyuan asked.

"That's right, that guy, absolutely avoid having too much contact with him."

"Who do you think you are?" Sayaka shouted indignantly, but her voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of passersby.

"That's all. That's all I have to say." After saying that, Homura Akemi turned around and left with a flourish.

"What a weirdo," Sayaka muttered, then grabbed Madoka's hand. "Let's ignore her. Let's go."

"Ah—um." Xiaoyuan nodded, and for some reason, she felt that Xiaoyan's back view was very desolate.

"Have they arrived?"

"So, Mami, your sacrifice wasn't entirely unnecessary."

"No, it's not that I'm not sad. It's just that since there's nothing I can do, I'll try to think of things in a slightly better light."

"I'm so sorry. I really feel bad. But we have some guests..."

The doorbell rang.

"Um... Wright-kun, I'm Madoka Kaname, may I come in?"

Chapter Nine: What a gentle fellow!

The war has begun—sorry, I've been starting my books with that phrase a lot lately, I wonder if it's influenced by 2012. By the way, my new book, *The Empire Has Never Been Sacred*, has already been uploaded. The protagonist will be a Viking pirate for a while, then unify Northern Europe or something… That's all.

The following is the main text.

I opened the door and saw Madoka Kaname, who seemed a little embarrassed and shy, like some kind of cute little animal.

I really want to pinch her round little face.

that's all.

"Kaname Madoka... classmate?" I forced a smile, then opened the doorway a little wider. "Please come in."

"He looks very haggard. Is it because of what happened yesterday?" Kaname Madoka observed his expression and then thought to herself.

"—Excuse me!" Sayaka, who had been standing behind Madoka, immediately jumped out and said.

"Oh... Sayaka is here too." I greeted her again.

"What do you mean by 'also here'? It's like you're saying I shouldn't exist," Sayaka muttered to herself.

"Sayaka," Madoka whispered a reminder.

“…Oh, I’m sorry,” Sayaka apologized softly.

"No, there's nothing to apologize for." I shook my head, then watched them both walk in, take off their shoes at the entrance, and close the door.

"Then, I'll go make a cup of tea."

Even as he spoke, his steps remained unsteady, as if he might fall at any moment, prompting Madoka and Sayaka to wonder, "Is he really alright?"

"Wait a while... how should I talk to him?" Madoka said, as if talking to herself, or perhaps to Sayaka.

"Well... let's find out what happened yesterday."

At this moment, I came out of the kitchen. The high-end porcelain teapot and teacups on the tray made Xiaoyuan and the others feel very comfortable.

"I'll go get some more snacks," I said after pouring a cup of black tea for each of the two girls.

"Um, there's no need for that..." Although the little round-faced girl said this, I had already left.

The black tea was delicious. The pastries were also very tasty. If Mami were still alive, she would definitely be surprised that my cooking skills are even better than hers...

"That...about yesterday...that..." After eating and drinking, Sayaka was a little impatient to speak, but she didn't know how to ask.

"About yesterday?" I sighed, then said, "No wonder you're all curious... But please don't tell anyone about what happened today, okay?"

"Mm." Both girls nodded.

"The girl who died yesterday was my contractor, the magical girl Mami Tomoe. We'd been partners for almost two years. I thought that with her strength, nothing would happen to her, but in the end, it still happened..."

I sighed softly: "As for magical girls... you all saw what happened yesterday, right? That power that transcends common sense, called magic. And the monsters that fight against it."

"Hmm. What exactly is that? And what about magical girls and contracts? What do they all mean?" Sayaka asked.

"This world isn't as peaceful as it seems on the surface." I carefully chose my words. "Human sadness, anger, fear, hatred—it seems that these negative emotions gradually accumulate and form a series of monsters that threaten human lives. Originally, fighting those creatures was my responsibility. But..." I shook my head. "But, for some reason, I've been cursed. You heard what Homura Akemi said yesterday, didn't you?"

"That line?" Sayaka, who was engrossed in the story, was suddenly asked this question by me. She didn't react for a moment, and then asked me in a strange tone.

"Um...it can't attack humans, or magical girls...or anything like that," Madoka replied.

"Hmm, it seems... there really was such a statement." Sayaka also vaguely remembered it.

“That’s right.” I nodded. “Because of the curse, I can’t attack any intelligent life forms. However, if we leave those monsters alone, the world will gradually be destroyed by them, which won’t do. So I’m looking for girls who are willing to fight monsters. I make contracts with them, grant them superhuman powers, and guide them in battle. That’s about it.”

"Like the one from yesterday?" Xiaoyuan asked.

“…Well, it’s a little special.” I gave a wry smile: “That thing isn’t actually a monster in the usual sense, but rather…a former magical girl.”

"Huh?!" My comment startled the two girls, further diminishing their initial fascination with magical girls.

"Perhaps it's because they're physically and mentally exhausted from fighting monsters, or perhaps they've lost their minds because of their unique power, or perhaps they've suffered some extreme tragedy. So some magical girls gradually lose their way and eventually become beings similar to those monsters. And eliminating them is one of the magical girls' missions."

"I see..." the two girls exclaimed.

"Okay, it looks like it's been very hard work," Xiaoyuan said.

“Yes, this kind of work… is really difficult,” Sayaka agreed.

“But someone has to take responsibility…” I shook my head and then said, “Of course, there is compensation for magical girls. Every magical girl who signs a contract with me can make a wish.”

“Wish?” Sayaka seemed to realize something, then repeated the word.

I nodded: "That's right, wishes, even the resurrection of the dead, immortality, or endless wealth and power. Such wishes can be granted. So quite a few girls have signed contracts with me for similar things... However, I generally don't accept these kinds of requests."

"Huh? Why?" Sayaka asked curiously.

"Because those who come for something like this are usually not good-natured. Instead of trying to protect humanity, they might use the power I gave them to do something bad."

“That’s true.” Sayaka nodded in slight agreement.

"So that's why I'm willing to sign contracts with girls your age. Because girls at this age have purer hearts." I explained, "Even if it's not for grand principles like world peace, there are always some wishes that you'd be willing to risk your life to fulfill. As long as you sign a contract with me, those wishes can be fulfilled. That's it."

“…I see.” Sayaka lowered her head, then asked, half-jokingly, “If…I’m willing to sign a contract with you…how about it?”

Chapter Ten: Girls Have the Softest Hearts

"Sayaka...are you mocking me?"

"Huh? Why would you say that?"

"I can't play the violin at all now—what's the point of listening to these things?"

"No, as long as you try and don't give up, you definitely will—"

"I have absolutely no feeling in this hand—how do you expect me to keep going?!" In a fit of anger, Kamijou Boy #2 slammed his arm hard against the CD next to him. Instantly, the sharp edge cut his hand, and blood spurted out quite a distance.

"Ah!?" Seeing Kamijou's self-harming behavior, Sayaka was terrified and immediately stood up and grabbed Kamijou's other hand: "Don't do this, don't..." Tears quickly flowed down her face, and her voice became tearful.

"—It's no use, the doctor has already told me to give up... saying that with current medical technology, it's completely impossible to cure such an injury—my hand is completely useless." At this point, Kamijou Boy No. 2 couldn't help but burst into tears.

That concludes the recollection.