Even on weekends, a few students could still be seen wandering around Mitakihara Private Middle School.
These scattered students hadn’t come to school for supplementary lessons.
Many had gathered with their classmates to participate in weekend activities organized by their respective clubs.
And among the clubrooms located within the school was the Dreamweaver Club.
This was the meeting place Homura Akemi had arranged for Makoto Tsukimi and Madoka Kaname.
Warm afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows.
When Makoto and Homura pushed open the door, they found a petite girl with pink twin tails sitting in the middle of the clubroom.
Madoka was completely absorbed in her work.
Her expression was extraordinarily focused as she carefully drew and wrote about the imaginary world taking shape in her mind.
She was so engrossed that she didn’t even notice Makoto and Homura entering.
Seeing Madoka concentrating so intently, Homura immediately stopped Makoto when he tried to interrupt her.
The black-haired girl clearly wanted to spend a little more time watching this serious, dedicated side of Madoka.
Makoto Tsukimi: “Are you sure you want to waste time standing here staring at her? Shouldn’t we get everything settled before Mami Tomoe does something?”
His lowered voice sounded beside Homura’s ear.
Homura Akemi: “…”
The hand blocking Makoto’s path slowly dropped.
Maintaining her cold expression, Homura turned to glance at him before looking back toward Madoka.
Then, with unmistakable reluctance, she finally moved aside.
Watching her behavior, Makoto couldn’t help grinning.
Whenever the usually cold and distant Homura saw Madoka, she immediately became like this.
That contrast was genuinely amusing.
While reflecting on this, Makoto continued moving.
Tap, tap, tap, tap~ Tap, tap, tap, tap~
Without making any attempt to suppress the sound of his footsteps, he walked toward Madoka.
The girl, still seriously writing and drawing, remained completely unaware of his approach.
As he moved closer, he could clearly see her youthful, earnest face and the illustrations spread across her desk.
Sunlight streaming through the windows illuminated both the papers and the girl herself.
Makoto examined the new drawings Madoka had created under his recommendations and guidance.
— Card Magical Girl.
The story followed a girl who accidentally opened a mysterious seal one day, allowing magical cards to escape.
She was then tasked with collecting twelve cards, each possessing a different power.
The overall premise was simple and straightforward.
Anyone familiar with Makoto’s previous life would immediately recognize that the idea he had provided was inspired by the legendary magical girl series Cardcaptor Sakura.
It was the series whose protagonist had become one of the earliest iconic figures of anime’s moe culture.
Originally broadcast in 1998 in Makoto’s previous world, the animated series was practically a perfect match for the current world’s peculiar internet environment, where entertainment content remained surprisingly underdeveloped.
As for the anime itself, Makoto had long since forgotten even such basic details as the exact number of Clow Cards involved in its main storyline.
After so many years, his strongest memories of the series were mostly concentrated on a few particular elements.
There was Tomoyo Daidouji, the protagonist’s best friend, who constantly designed new outfits for Sakura and filmed her adventures.
And there was Sakura’s famous magical incantation for releasing the power of her sealing key.
Beyond that memorable line, which Makoto had thought was incredibly cool when he was younger, his most lasting impression was simply that the protagonist had an enormous number of different outfits.
Consequently, when offering Madoka ideas for her project, Makoto had merely provided the basic concept of magical cards.
He had left everything else entirely up to her.
However, something rather unexpected had happened.
Although Makoto hadn’t mentioned the elements of the original anime that had left the deepest impression on him, Madoka had independently begun drawing all kinds of different costumes on her sheets of paper.
Apparently, the petite girl had a considerable interest in clothing design.
The girl, who had been concentrating on her drawings, instinctively raised her head.
And there she saw Makoto Tsukimi and Homura Akemi.
Surprise appeared on her face.
She glanced at Makoto, then at the illustrations she had been working on.
However, contrary to Makoto’s expectations, Madoka didn’t react with embarrassment.
Instead, the pink-haired girl confidently displayed her drawings for him to see.
Madoka Kaname: “What do you think, Tsukimi?”
Makoto Tsukimi: “I think these outfits would look really good on you, Madoka.”
He nodded as he offered his assessment of her drawings.
Madoka Kaname: “Really~? That’s what I thought too!”
A bright smile blossomed across the pink-haired girl’s face.
And because of that smile, Homura, who had immediately put her stern expression back on upon entering the room, unconsciously relaxed once again.
The cold-looking girl standing near the doorway gradually began inching closer toward Makoto and Madoka.
She started secretly examining what Madoka was drawing.
The moment Homura saw the contents, her emotions stirred.
In Madoka’s version of Card Magical Girl, the protagonist was an impulsive, somewhat impatient girl with a distinctly tomboyish personality.
Homura almost immediately recognized the influence of Madoka’s best friend, Sayaka Miki.
Homura Akemi: “Madoka, is the character you’ve designed based on Sayaka Miki?”
Although she was already fairly certain of the answer, the cold-looking girl couldn’t help asking.
Hearing Homura suddenly speak, Madoka froze in surprise.
Only then did she realize that Homura was also in the room.
The girl almost instinctively turned toward Makoto.
Seeing her reaction, Makoto was slightly taken aback as well.
After all, Homura had been the one arranging the meeting with Madoka.
Theoretically, Madoka should already have known that Homura was joining the club.
Homura Akemi: “Previously, I was communicating with Madoka using your name, Makoto Tsukimi.”
Madoka Kaname: “Ohhh! So it was actually you I was talking to, Homura?”
“No wonder I thought it was a little strange that Tsukimi kept leaving me letters.”
The pink-haired girl nodded, looking as though she had suddenly understood everything.
She then began earnestly showing Homura the various character designs and costumes she had created for Card Magical Girl.
Madoka Kaname: “Homura, what do you think of—”
Homura Akemi: “Homura. You can just call me Homura.”
The cold voice interrupted Madoka’s question.
Having finally begun interacting with Madoka again, Homura suddenly wondered whether establishing a connection with Makoto Tsukimi had been meant to lead her to this very moment.
In order to prevent Madoka from becoming involved in matters concerning magical girls, Homura had spent a long time deliberately avoiding this kind of gentle, peaceful interaction with her.
But now…
If all she was doing was guiding Madoka toward becoming absorbed in the creative project before her, rather than involving herself in actual magical girl affairs, then there shouldn’t be any problem with Homura participating too.
However, perhaps because Homura’s response had been a little too enthusiastic, Madoka instinctively turned toward Makoto as the other girl approached.
Makoto Tsukimi: “Homura Akemi will be helping us produce Card Magical Girl from now on.”
Makoto answered the unspoken question in Madoka’s gaze.
Only then did the pink-haired girl turn toward Homura with a slightly embarrassed expression.
Homura Akemi: “…”
Madoka Kaname: “Homura-chan?”
Homura Akemi: “Mm.”
However, when she glanced sideways, Homura saw exactly what she had expected.
Makoto was looking at her with an unmistakably teasing expression.
She almost instinctively glared back at him.
Perhaps it was some combination of embarrassment and jealousy stirring deep within her heart.
Whatever the reason, Makoto’s gaze seemed particularly irritating to Homura at that moment.
She intended to force him to look away through sheer intimidation.
Seriously, this boy already knew perfectly well about her circumstances.
If he had any tact whatsoever, he shouldn’t be interfering with her conversation with Madoka right now.
And so, as the two continued their silent exchange—one glaring fiercely, the other smiling innocently—for several seconds…
Madoka Kaname: “Homura-chan and Makoto-kun seem really close.”
A cheerful voice suddenly sounded beside them.
Madoka tilted her head, smiling slightly as she spoke.
Homura Akemi: “We’re not.”
The girl answered almost instinctively, immediately turning her head toward Madoka.
However, all she received in response was Madoka’s increasingly gentle smile.
Homura Akemi: “…”
What could she possibly do at a time like this?
Apparently, the only thing she could do was turn around and glare at Makoto again, silently urging him to move on to the next stage instead of dwelling on the current situation.
And faced with Homura’s gaze, Makoto finally took the hint.
Makoto Tsukimi: “Alright, enough small talk. Let’s get down to business.”
“With the addition of our transfer student, Homura Akemi, the production of Card Magical Girl will now enter an entirely new stage.”
As he spoke, he took out the pair of Empathy Bracelets in front of Madoka.
Sure enough, the moment Makoto revealed them, Madoka’s attention was immediately drawn toward the objects.
Makoto Tsukimi: “Madoka, you’ve always considered yourself a very happy person, haven’t you?”
He asked while handing one of the bracelets to the girl.
Madoka Kaname: “Mm-hmm.”
The girl nodded gently.
Unlike many other children her age, the petite pink-haired girl made no attempt to deny that she lived a happy life.
In Madoka’s eyes, her current life really was wonderful.
A beautiful town.
A happy family.
Cheerful friends.
A lively classroom.
Interesting teachers.
When she considered everything around her, Madoka felt as though the entire world was constantly treating her with kindness.
Sometimes, perhaps because her life was so wonderful, Madoka even felt that she didn’t deserve all the happiness she possessed.
She always wanted to do something.
She wanted to do something for others to repay the kindness and happiness she had received.
Otherwise, simply continuing to accept everything others gave her without offering anything in return made her uneasy.
Whether it was her best friends Sayaka and Hitomi, or her parents and younger brother, Madoka felt uncomfortable merely receiving their affection without giving something back.
And that was precisely why she was approaching the drawings before her with such seriousness.
She wanted to share her feelings and the happiness she experienced with other people.
Even if that sharing wasn’t especially important to anyone else, it would still represent a small expression of her gratitude.
Madoka Kaname wanted to help others.
She wanted to do something for someone else.
Makoto Tsukimi: “Then, Madoka, you can use this bracelet to weave scenes that express your feelings much more accurately.”