Two Chance Encounters

A5.2.1

[at Mitakihara Middle]

Homura: "Kaname-san, Mami-san, in Kamihama..."

Madoka: "Yeah, something must have happened in Kamihama..."

"She hasn't come to school today..."

Homura: "...It's okay!"

"Tomoe-san, of all people, would be alright!"

Madoka: "Yeah... that's right."

"Mami-san has to be fine!"

Homura: "Yeah, maybe she is at home."

Madoka: "Ah, home..."

"Oh, Homura-chan! Why don't we visit Mami-san then?"

"She might actually be there!"

Homura: "Yeah, we should go and check."

[fade to black]

Homura: *But after school, when we went to Tomoe-san's place, it was empty.*

[on the street]

Madoka: "Mami-san..."

Homura: (She still hasn't come back... Something must have happened...)

Madoka: "She didn't go to school and she didn't return home.."

"There must be something wrong. I wonder what happened to Mami-san?"

Homura: "I don't know either..."

(We won't know what happened to Tomoe-san unless we go to Kamihama...)

Madoka: "Homura-chan, I think I want to go to Kamihama."

Homura: "Huh? Kaname-san?"

Madoka: "If Mami-san has gotten into some kind of trouble..."

"Then we definitely have to save her!"

Homura: (...But I can't let Kaname-san go!)

(If Tomoe-san couldn't get back, then I mustn't allow her to go!)

"No, hold on, Kaname-san!"

Madoka: "But why, Homura-chan? I really want to go..."

"If Mami-san is there, then we have to go save her!"

Homura: "If Kamihama is such a dangerous place that even Mami-san can't make it back..."

"Then there's nothing we will be able to do to help."

Madoka: "That's..."

Homura: "If even you don't make it back, Kaname-san, I'd..."

Madoka: "Homura-chan..."

"That's right."

"If I went, I'd end up like Mami-san..."

Homura: "We don't know what's waiting for us there, so for now let's go back and calm down a little."

Madoka: "Yeah, that's a good idea..."

Homura: "Then if we wait a day, maybe Tomoe-san will come back."

[scene change to another street scene]

Homura: "I'm sorry, Kaname-san."

*I told Kaname-san that we shouldn't go...*

*But I must go investigate!*

*Not just Tomoe-san's disappearance, but also the secrets the city holds...*

*I will pin down these mysterious phenomena and determine the truth!*

"I'm off to change fate, Kaname-san..."

A5.2.2

[First, an overlooking view, then the train station in Kamihama]

Homura: "So this is Kamihama City..."

(It looks normal to the eye. Is it really that dangerous?)

"Tomoe-san is somewhere in this city..."

???: "Homura-chan!"

Homura: "Eh!?"

[Madoka shows up]

Homura: "K-Kaname-san!?"

"Why are you here?"

Madoka: "There was something of about you, Homura-chan."

"I wondered if you were planning on going to Kamihama by yourself..."

"Then, when I went to the station, I saw you get on a train."

"So I rushed to jump onto the next train to Kamihama!"

"I'm so glad I followed you."

Homura: "Kaname-san... Um, I..."

Madoka: "I'm glad you were concerned about me..."

"But I'm just as concerned about you, Homura-chan!"

Homura: "!?"

Madoka: "So please don't go on your own in secret, okay?"

"..."

Homura: "Kaname-san... Um... I'm sorry."

"Also..."

*Kamihama is a dangerous place, so in truth I didn't want to bring Kaname-san along.*

*But to have her coming for me make me feel so reassured...*

"Thank you."

Madoka: "Don't worry. Let's go search for Mami-san together!"

Homura: "Yeah! I won't go off on my own anymore."

Madoka: "Hehe, I'm glad."

"Homura-chan, you're always the hard-working solitary type."

Homura: *It's so strange that whenever I'm with Kaname-san...*

*I feel just a bit stronger than usual.*

Madoka: "We'll definitely find Mami-san, and all three of us will come home!"

Homura: "Yeah, let's all get home safely."

A5.2.3

[on the street in Kamihama]

Madoka: "So there is more than one rumor in Kamihama..."

Homura: "Then we won't be able to figure out which one Mami-san was investigating."

"All we can do is narrow down the possibilities one by one..."

Madoka: "In the first place, Mami-san might have been searching for the human-shaped witch instead of rumors..."

"But for now, we have no leads on anything but rumors..."

Homura: "Yeah, we'll investigate rumors and simultaneously ask about Tomoe-san."

Madoka: "Okay."

"Then, let's go look for that rumor we just heard about!"

Homura: "Yeah."

[Homura notices something magical]

Homura: (This magical response! A witch!?)

(Huh? Isn't that thing stuck into a wall...?)

(It's a grief seed!)

(Oh no, it's hatching!)

"Kaname-sa..."

[she gets pulled into the witch barrier]

Homura: "Huh? Did I..."

"Get pulled into a witch barrier..."

<Kaname-san, can you hear me? Kaname-san? Kaname-san!>

"..."

"It didn't work. It seems that telepathy doesn't work in this witch's barrier."

"I've gotta get out and meet up with her..."

[a familiar says some gibberish]

Homura: "A familiar!? Why right now?"

[she transforms]

Homura: "Get out of my way!"

[back on the street]

Madoka: <Homura-chan!? Where are you?>

"..."

(She's not responding... Something must have happened...)

(I felt it for just an instant before, but there was the response of a witch...)

(Maybe Homura-chan is in the witch's barrier?)

[she searches for it]

Madoka: (There's no magical response...)

[she's now by the radio tower]

Madoka: (If it's not nearby, then that means the barrier is moving...)

[she senses something]

Madoka: "!?"

"Is this a witch's response?!"

"Where is it..."

"Is it... atop that radio tower?"

(But... Homura-chan...)

some guy: "..."

Madoka: (That person with a witch's kiss is going into the radio tower?)

(...Oh no, I can't let him be!)

(I'm sorry, Homura-chan! Wait just a bit!)

[in the witch's barrier]

[a familiar makes a crazy noise]

Homura: (Now!)

"With this bomb... Take this!"

[it explodes]

Homura: "pant... pant..."

[the barrier dissolves]

Homura: "I got out..."

"I need to contact Kaname-san quickly."

<Kaname-san? Kaname-san! Where are you? Kaname-san!>

"..."

"She's not responding..."

"Has she gone out of the range of telepathy?"

"Or maybe she got swallowed in a barrier like I did..."

(This is Kamihama City, a place where witches gather...)

(I should have foreseen this possibility!)

"I've gotta save her! Hold on, Kaname-san!"

[cut to the top of the radio tower]

Madoka: "There it is, the witch's barrier..."

"I'm by myself, but I've gotta beat it quickly!"

something: *step... step... step...*

Madoka: "Huh? Someone's coming!?"

woman: "..."

Madoka: "Wh-what are you doing!?"

[she transforms]

Madoka: "Oh no, she's going to fall! I've gotta stop her!"

[the scene cuts to Iroha on top]

woman: "..."

[she jumps]

Iroha: "NOOO!!"

[she reappears]

woman: "..."

Iroha: "Huh? She didn't fall?"

Madoka: "Sigh... I made it in time..."

Iroha: "A magical... girl?"

Madoka: "Huh?"

[battle]

[cut to a less busy street]

Homura: (Kaname-san! Where are you?)

(Kaname-san is probably fighting... I've gotta search for the presence of a witch...)

(Where?)

(Where are you!?)

[cut to a restaurant]

Felicia: "The truth behind the rumor of the radio tower."

Tsukuyo: "No way, you've noticed what we're doing over there!?"

[back outside]

Homura: (I can't find her... I can't find her anywhere...)

[back inside the restaurant]

Tsukuyo: "Ahem, that was quite an impressive leading question..."

Felicia: "Woah, she totally self-destructed!"

[back outside]

Homura: (If I can't sense a witch near here, then how far could she have gone?)

(If she didn't head towards town, then... should I look over there?)

(Ahh, I need to find her quickly... Kaname-san is in danger...)

[back inside the restaurant]

Felicia: "Come on, tell us what you're doing!"

Tsukuyo: "I certainly cannot answer that!"

[she disappears]

Felicia: "Ah, she made a break for it!"

Tsuruno: "Let's chase her, Felicia!"

Felicia: "Yeah!"

[back outside]

Homura: (I should have looked over there! I'm sure Kaname-san is there...)

Felicia: "Heeey! You over there!"

"Catch her!"

"She dined and dashed!!"

Homura: "Eh!?"

Felicia: "Hurry up, catch her!"

Homura: "Uh, you mean... me?"

Felicia: "Hur-ry-up!"

Homura: "Um, uh..."

(Why now!?)

(I have to be looking for Kaname-san...)

(But there seems to be some trouble... I need more time to think!)

[she transforms]

Homura: "A-alright!!"

Felicia: "Ehh!? A magical girl!?"

Tsukuyo: "You're a magical girl!?"

[fade to gray]

Homura: *This is how I met the Kamihama magical girls who were investigating rumors.*

*Apparently, their friends were working with Kaname-san...*

*Having learned that, I went with them in order to meet up with Kaname-san.*

[by the radio tower, in the evening]

Homura: "Kaname-san!"

Madoka: "Homura-chan!"

Yachiyo: "I'm amazed that they happened to be friends."

Iroha: "It's a small world."

Homura: "Kaname-san, did you find Tomoe-san?"

Madoka: "No, I didn't..."

"Homura-chan, you weren't able to find her either?"

Homura: "Yeah, I went looking all over but..."

Madoka: "I see..."

Iroha: "......huh?"

"Tomoe-san?"

Yachiyo: "Mami?"

Tsuruno: "Tomoe Mami!?"

Felicia: "Mm, who's that?"

Madoka: "Huh? You know her?"

Iroha: "More than just know her..."

Tsuruno: "Yeah!"

"She was under the impression that Iroha-chan was a witch in human form!"

Madoka: "Eh!?"

"So when she warned us to watch out before coming here..."

"She was referring to Iroha-chan!?"

Homura: (This Iroha person is the witch in human form that Tomoe-san warned us about?)

(She looks like a normal person, but she's actually a witch...?)

(It looks like Kaname-san trusts her, but what should I do...)

Homura: "...Umm, are you sure she's not a witch?"

Madoka: "Ho-Homura-chan!"

Homura: "But... you never really know..."

Yachiyo: "If you're that afraid, then you don't have to work with us."

"If that's the case, then we'll just go search for the *rumor*."

"You two can focus on searching for Tomoe Mami-san."

Homura: "..."

Madoka: "It's okay, Homura-chan!"

"I've been with Iroha-chan and nothing happened!"

"Also, we beat a witch together."

Homura: "If that's the case..."

"Okay, I got it."

"I'm sorry for doubting you. Can we still work together?"

*In this dangerous city, having more allies is better...*

*There are so many uncertain factors, so in order to protect Kaname-san...*

*I will try trusting you, Tamaki Iroha-san!*