What should you do when faced with someone who seemingly cannot be saved and is destined for tragedy?
Even if their downfall is unavoidable…
Even if everything could collapse in a single instant…
That person nevertheless treats you with genuine kindness and affection.
She is even willing to help you unconditionally, without requesting anything in return.
The sky remained clear, and sunlight shone directly upon the earth.
Having just left Mami Tomoe’s apartment, Makoto Tsukimi lowered his head and examined the pair of silver bracelets in his hands.
They seemed to emit a faint glow.
— Empathy Bracelets.
For the time being, that was what he decided to call them.
They were small magical devices created by Mami Tomoe using the magical energy supplied by a single Grief Seed.
All someone needed to do was place the two silver bracelets on two different people.
Their senses would then become connected to a certain extent.
According to Mami, if Makoto wanted to bring his ability under control, he merely needed to give the second bracelet to the magical girl supporting him and have her wear it.
After all, magical girls inherently possessed the ability to regulate their body’s pain perception and adjust the sensitivity of their various senses.
By surrendering part of the control over his body to a magical girl, Makoto could allow her to regulate his senses on his behalf.
This would prevent his Sensory Manipulation ability from causing him to experience random hallucinations.
In other words, it could allow him to become a completely ordinary person.
On the other hand, if Makoto wanted to share the illusions he created with someone else, the process was equally straightforward.
He would simply have the other person wear the bracelet and voluntarily grant access to the relevant sensory controls.
“Although there are limitations on how long they can be used, these really are items that perfectly satisfy my requirements.”
Carefully examining the bracelets in his hands, Makoto spoke with a somewhat helpless expression.
If Mami had been even a little less kindhearted, he wouldn’t have found himself feeling so conflicted.
But the problem was that she was simply too good a person.
Not only had she patiently and gently explained everything he wanted to know, but once she understood what kind of magical device he needed, she had immediately created it for him without showing the slightest concern about the resources it consumed.
“My recommendation is that you don’t interfere with anything.”
A cold voice suddenly sounded beside Makoto’s ear.
“For Mami-senpai, reaching the end without ever learning the truth would probably be the best possible outcome.”
When Makoto turned his head, he found himself standing within the familiar black-and-white world.
Homura Akemi stood beside him, one hand resting on his shoulder as she spoke.
Makoto Tsukimi: “So you’ve completely given up on Mami Tomoe?”
He turned toward the black-haired girl and asked his question.
Homura merely maintained her cold expression.
She offered no response whatsoever.
Makoto didn’t particularly mind.
After all, in a certain sense, his question had struck directly at something painful for the girl standing before him.
Makoto Tsukimi: “Why are you waiting here to ambush me instead of accompanying Madoka at the place you two agreed to meet?”
Homura Akemi: “There are some necessary things I need to take care of.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
The cold-looking girl gave Makoto a lofty glance.
She believed that Makoto had already been deceived by Mami-senpai’s seemingly gentle exterior.
Just as Homura herself had been in the beginning.
Homura Akemi: “Makoto Tsukimi, do you really think Mami-senpai, who’s spent nearly three years fighting witches and other magical girls on her own, is the kind of person who would trust others as easily as she appears to?”
“She’s more insecure than anyone else, and more cautious than anyone else. She may appear to trust the people around her, but in reality, she’s never truly trusted any of us.”
As the cold-looking girl spoke, she reached toward the pair of objects Makoto was holding, which he had named the Empathy Bracelets.
Homura Akemi: “Magical girls can use their magic to sense the locations of objects they’ve created with their powers.”
“Given Mami-senpai’s abilities, I wouldn’t be surprised if she could directly listen to the sounds surrounding these Empathy Bracelets.”
“As long as you carry them, Mami-senpai will be able to learn everything happening around you.”
Makoto Tsukimi: “So, looking at it that way, I’ve been tricked by Mami Tomoe?”
Homura Akemi: “I wouldn’t put it that way. Mami-senpai hasn’t actually lied to you.”
“Everything she told you about the functions of these bracelets was true. She simply didn’t tell you the whole story.”
Makoto Tsukimi: “Are you making excuses for Mami Tomoe, Homura?”
He turned his head toward the cold-looking girl as he asked.
Although Homura had consistently presented herself as being opposed to Mami, the moment Makoto began interpreting Mami’s actions from a malicious perspective, Homura immediately stepped in to defend her.
Homura Akemi: “No.”
Even as she answered, Homura seemed to realize the contradiction between her words and her attitude.
She began channeling her magical power into the Empathy Bracelets.
A magical girl’s abilities were fundamentally byproducts of the wish she had made.
Mami Tomoe had wished to remain alive at the moment of her impending death, and her magic manifested in the form of ribbons.
Homura Akemi, on the other hand, had wished to return to the past.
Consequently, her magic manifested through the reversal of time.
By consuming her magical power, Homura could reverse the state of an object to an earlier point in time.
However, because this involved manipulating time itself, using the ability directly consumed an enormous amount of magic.
For that reason, Homura generally avoided using it.
But now…
Whenever something involved Madoka Kaname, the cold-looking girl’s attitude changed completely.
As for how to deal with Mami Tomoe, Kyubey’s devoted supporter, Homura had already accumulated considerable experience during her previous time loops.
Magic capable of reversing time flowed into the Empathy Bracelets.
By consuming her own magical power, Homura reversed the flow of time affecting the bracelets.
As a result, the magical connection between them and Mami remained perpetually suspended at the instant just before a signal could be transmitted.
And yet, despite the seemingly minor nature of this interference, a faint trace of murky discoloration appeared within the violet gemstone on the back of Homura’s hand.
Homura Akemi: “Alright. Mami-senpai won’t be able to track our location anymore.”
“I’ve already arranged a new meeting place with Madoka. We can head there now.”
Strictly speaking, Makoto couldn’t help feeling somewhat uncomfortable about the situation.
He had only just received Mami’s assistance, yet now he was immediately dismantling all the precautions she had put in place.
It felt rather like exploiting someone for their usefulness and then discarding them once they were no longer needed.
Homura Akemi: “You can blame everything on me. After all, Mami-senpai and I are destined to be enemies.”
“You can still take Madoka to meet her in the future, but only after Madoka has completely lost interest in becoming a magical girl.”
Homura glanced at Makoto with her violet eyes as she explained her plan.
Given the relationship between Mami and Kyubey, the moment Mami encountered Madoka and Kyubey informed her of Madoka’s potential as a magical girl, Mami would undoubtedly take action.
At present, Mami-senpai could practically be described as Kyubey’s loyal follower.
As long as its requests weren’t too unreasonable, Mami would generally agree to fulfill them.
Not to mention…
Finding a genuinely kind magical girl who could become her companion was something Mami herself desperately desired.
Homura knew that preventing this chain of events would be extremely difficult.
Therefore, before any of it could happen, she needed Makoto to eliminate Madoka’s desire to become a magical girl and encourage her to focus more heavily on the pursuits directly in front of her.
Tap, tap, tap~ Tap, tap, tap, tap~
Within the black-and-white world where time had stopped, the cold-looking girl and Makoto walked forward together.
They needed to ensure they shook off Mami, who might currently be following them somewhere nearby.
At least for now, Homura had no intention of revealing to Mami that she herself was a magical girl.
Perhaps because the two had already experienced similar situations several times, Homura had become quite accustomed to moving around with Makoto while time was stopped.
She smoothly lowered the hand resting on his shoulder and instead took hold of his sleeve.
Homura’s time-stopping ability wasn’t something she could control completely without restrictions.
If she wanted another person to move within stopped time, she had to maintain physical contact with them.
Initially, although she hadn’t shown it on her face, the cold-looking girl had felt somewhat embarrassed walking alongside Makoto while maintaining such contact.
But now, as time passed, she was gradually becoming accustomed to it.
After all, compared with such minor feelings, Homura had far more important things to accomplish.
Homura Akemi: “Now that you have these Empathy Bracelets, Makoto, are you confident you can persuade Madoka?”
Makoto Tsukimi: “It’s hard to say whether I’m confident or not. After all, I don’t actually know Madoka Kaname very well.”
The two chatted casually as they walked.
However, as their conversation continued, Makoto met Homura’s gaze with a calm expression.
During their exchange, he had noticed certain contradictions in the cold-looking girl’s words.
Makoto Tsukimi: “Homura, you already knew Mami Tomoe would tamper with the magical items she gave me, didn’t you?”
Homura Akemi: “Yes.”
Makoto Tsukimi: “Then did you deliberately arrange things so that Mami Tomoe would notice me?”
He asked the question almost casually, as though it were nothing more than an idle remark.
As he spoke, Makoto continued walking forward through the black-and-white world, keeping his eyes fixed on the path ahead.
However, the instant his words left his mouth, the girl’s forward steps faltered slightly.
Even her consistently cold expression stiffened for a brief moment.