Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

"I don't want to continue being kept in the dark like this."

The words that came out of Madoka's mouth were like knives, constantly piercing Homura Akemi's heart.

She has always tried her best to keep Madoka away from dangerous environments like this and prevent her from becoming a magical girl, all to avoid such a thing happening.

But... this is happening right before her eyes.

On one hand, there was Xiaoyuan's earnest plea; on the other hand, there was the thought of ensuring Xiaoyuan's safety.

Homura Akemi no longer knew what to do.

Just then, she felt a gaze upon her, and following that gaze, she saw Yan Ming.

He stood there in front of himself, looking at Madoka and Sayaka.

"Don't worry, I won't erase your memories."

With calm and gentle words, Yan Ming spoke directly to the person involved, word by word.

“Simply running away won’t change anything. This is your fate, and I think it’s time for you to understand it.”

"Don't you think so, Homura Akemi?"

After hearing Yan Ming's words, Akemi Homura wanted to say something, but in the end, she only felt powerless.

"...It seems there's no other choice."

After sighing, Homura Akemi had no choice but to say these words in a conciliatory manner.

Volume 6, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Chapter 253 The One Who Knows Her Inner Torment

It was afternoon, after school had ended.

Mitakihara High School dismisses students early, so students generally don't have many classes.

Most junior high and high school students leave school around this time. Some start organizing club activities, while others simply go for a leisurely walk together in a nearby park.

However, almost no one knows about an incident that happened at Mitakihara High School today.

They were simply immersed in a illusory daily life, completely forgetting an event that had occurred in the vanished past.

"That's all for now, see you later, Aoi~"

"Okay, I'll chat with everyone again when I'm free tonight!"

As always, Suwa Aoi walked out of the school, said goodbye to her classmates, and headed straight home.

"Ah... I wish we could continue having holidays."

Although school just started recently, Aoi is already starting to think about her holiday.

"Hmm... what should I do when I get home?"

Homework was nothing to this model student, so she naturally started thinking about other things.

"Maybe we should continue looking for Xiaoyuan and the others, but their second year of junior high just started, and it wouldn't be good if it interfered with their studies. Or maybe we should continue looking for Yan Ming..."

Just as she was thinking about her plans after returning to her apartment, she saw it.

Not far away, two familiar figures were walking past the school gate.

"Is that... Madoka? And Sayaka too?"

The two figures opposite her, one pink and one blue, were undoubtedly the two people she knew; no one else could have such distinctive features.

However... they were heading in the wrong direction.

Aoi knew where they usually went after school, but this time, the two of them turned around and walked in the opposite direction from their house.

"Madoka, Sayaka? Where are you two headed?"

Upon hearing Aoi's voice from behind, the two of them visibly froze in place.

"Aoi, Aoi Aoi Yu-senpai?!"

"Why...why did you come to see us at a time like this?!"

Suwa Aoi walked up to them, and then the two of them started talking in a disjointed manner.

This scene immediately made Aoi blink in surprise.

"...School's out now. I just happened to see you guys walking this way. By the way, do you usually take this route home?"

"Well, Xiaoyuan and I had some things to take care of today, so we came here! Right, Xiaoyuan?"

"Eh—? Oh right, right! Just like Sayaka said, Aoi-senpai!!"

After exchanging glances, the two girls put on tense smiles. Aoi Yu could even see beads of sweat slowly dripping down their faces, which showed just how nervous they were.

"Are you all really alright...?"

"What kind of talk is that! We're doing great, right, Xiaoyuan!"

"That's right, Sayaka! Well, Aoi-senpai, let's go take care of other things as soon as possible. We need to hurry home for dinner after we're done. See you then~!"

That's all for now, see you tomorrow!

"Ah, oh..."

Before Aoi could even say "goodbye," the two girls took off running, their speed almost making Aoi think they were two supersonic fighter jets flying past her.

In short, in the blink of an eye, Madoka and Sayaka disappeared completely.

"What...what happened to them?"

Alone, Aoi waved her hand, utterly bewildered.

"Well, maybe it really is something important... Anyway, I'm going home now."

When I get back, I'll find Yan Ming and mooch a shaved ice treat for him!

Thinking this way, Aoi's mood improved slightly.

----------------------

"Is everything alright, Madoka? Senior Aoi shouldn't suspect us, right?"

"I don't know...! But all things considered, I feel like we have no reason to lie to her at all!"

"Ah, I just got nervous subconsciously, there's nothing I can do about it!"

And just like that, the two of them rushed off to the agreed-upon coffee shop to meet.

Two people had already taken their seats at the four-person table deep in the corner of the coffee shop: Homura Akemi and Yan Ming.

The two casually ordered a regular Americano, while Sayaka and Madoka, after ordering what they wanted, sat down together.

"Um, sorry we're a little late..."

"It's nothing, as long as it's just the two of you."

After confirming several times that no one else had followed, especially ordinary people like Kui Yu, Yan Ming nodded.

"Then, as I said before, I will tell you the truth."

"…etc."

At this moment, Homura Akemi suddenly interrupted Yan Ming.

Then she looked directly at Yan Ming with a strange expression.

"So, how did you find out about Madoka and Sayaka?"

"...Huh?"

"These things should only be known to me, whether it's about their fate or all sorts of other things..."

"If I said that it was because of my ability to read through time that I passively accessed your past experiences, would you believe me?"

"So that means you forcibly accessed my personal memories without my permission?"

Yan Ming didn't hide anything and directly stated the truth, and Akemi Homura looked at him with a very unpleasant expression.

However, these words made the eyes of the two girls in front of them light up immediately.

"Time...time ability?"

"So Senior Yan Ming really does have superpowers like stopping time and reversing time? Wow, that's amazing! It sounds just like something out of an anime!!"

Seeing how excited Madoka and Sayaka were, Homura Akemi wanted to say something, but in the end, she had to swallow her words again.

"...I'll settle the score with you when I get back."

These were the words the girl murmured softly, and for a moment Yan Ming didn't know what to say.

"Let's explain the current situation first. So, Madoka, Sayaka, what I'm going to talk about is what happened between the two of us up to this point..."

After making some deletions and modifications, Yan Ming and Akemi Homura told the two of them most of the story.

After all, Xiaoyuan didn't want Yanming to erase her memories again, so Yanming respected her choice and told her most of the things directly.

This includes things related to magical girls, witches, and even monsters like Time Jackers and Another Riders that want to attack them.

Some of the dark and cruel content wasn't revealed, because it would be too cruel for the two girls no matter what. But at least it made them understand that becoming a magical girl is definitely not a good thing.

"That's how it is... Do you understand?"

After some discussion, both of their faces were filled with disbelief.

"So, in other words, in places we don't know about, there really are girls fighting like the magical girls in TV shows? And there are also many evil monsters causing trouble everywhere?"

"That's right. Once you become a magical girl, you will face the fate of never stopping fighting these monsters... and the inevitable fate of destruction."

Yan Ming's words instantly dashed the slight expectation that had risen in the two girls' hearts.

"How could this be... Then, what exactly is the meaning of becoming a magical girl?"

"Ultimately, someone has to do this job."

When Homura Akemi said those words, Yan Ming could feel the heaviness in her voice.

"In short, you two remember this: although you have the great potential to become magical girls, if you actually do it, what awaits you will be an irreversible disaster."

"Once you become a magical girl, there is no chance to shed this identity. Your souls will be materialized and you will always have to rely on the Grief Seeds obtained after defeating witches to maintain your existence. Otherwise... your souls will eventually collapse and transform into an unprecedented calamity."

Although I still can't understand what Homura Akemi is saying, well... it's a very bad result, right?

Madoka and Sayaka were immediately plunged into a state of confusion.

"Then... Yan-kun, what should we do about your situation?"

“…What did you say? Sayaka.”

Sayaka's sudden words startled Homura Akemi.

"Didn't you say that becoming a magical girl is a bad thing? Well, if that's the case, haven't you been fighting as a magical girl for a long time now...?"

"Oh right! If that's the case, then Xiaoyan, you've already..."

Listening to the girls' words, Homura Akemi felt an endless stream of words welling up in her heart, but she tried her best to suppress them all.

"No problem, because I can handle it."

At this point, Yan Ming chimed in.

"My ability is to manipulate time at will, to pause, reverse, and predict the future; I can do almost anything."

"Wow, that's amazing..."

"So if something happens to Homura Akemi, I can still turn back time, just like I restored the damaged school today. That way, there won't be any problems."

While Madoka and Sayaka listened with great interest, Homura Akemi was completely dumbfounded by Yan Ming's words.

"you…"

She then looked at him, but Yan Ming did not look at her, which immediately caused the complex feelings in Akemi Homura's heart to surge again.

What on earth is this guy thinking...?

"That's all for today. Afterwards, those guys called Time Robbers and Witches might attack you again, but don't worry, we'll do everything we can to protect you."

"Thank you so much, Senior Yan Ming, and also, Xiao Yan..."

"Oh, right, if anyone tries to make you magical girls during this time, please try to politely refuse them."

Thinking about Mami Tomoe, Yan Ming casually mentioned it as well.

"There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and you must always remember that."