Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

"…Um."

Madoka was also somewhat surprised, because—it was the first time she had seen Homura Akemi so frankly nod and admit to something like this.

They did sometimes want to have meals with Homura Akemi, but for some reason, Homura Akemi would always suddenly disappear around mealtimes or after school, and they couldn't find her anywhere.

Unexpectedly, this time she not only came to them herself, but also changed her usual aloof personality and frankly admitted to this matter.

"What?! If it's such a small thing, just ask! Xiaoyuan and I won't refuse at all!"

"That's right, Xiaoyan, we've been trying to find a way to have dinner with you, but we haven't been able to find you for the past few days!"

"Um...sorry, I've been handling some things, so..."

"It's about magical girls, right? Oh, it's okay. It's a profession that allows you to travel back and forth every day, just like that senior Yan Ming, so everyone can totally understand if you do some secret things!"

Sayaka said in a very easygoing manner, and Madoka did the same; both of them accepted Homura Akemi with smiles on their faces.

"I see..." Homura Akemi couldn't help but clasp her hands together, and the vague tension in her heart immediately dissipated.

Because she hadn't had a normal campus life with these girls for a long time.

Before the time reset, she spent her days either fighting Kyubey and the witches or working on how to protect Madoka and solve the Witch's Night problem. She had no time to care about these things. Even when she spent time with these girls, all she got in return was their questioning gaze.

But... yes, things are completely different now.

I no longer need to be afraid of anything like I used to.

Whenever she thought of this, she couldn't help but think of the man who had helped her, saved her from her fate, and secretly rescued all the magical girls.

The reason I have this kind of life... is all thanks to him.

Therefore, in order not to let down all his efforts... I must also do my best to enjoy the life I have now.

Enjoy campus life as an ordinary girl.

Homura Akemi showed a gentle expression and walked directly to the two girls.

"So... what should we eat together?"

"Oh! Just now, a new pizza place opened nearby. Let's all go together!"

"I'm fine with anything, Xiaoyan. What about you? If a pizza place isn't an option, there are Chinese restaurants too."

"I'm fine with it too..."

"That's fine then! Hurry up, or there won't be any seats left!"

"Eh—? Is it, is it in such a hurry?!"

"Many people are already talking about how popular this store is! If you go too late, you might not even be able to get in. Now is the perfect time!"

Amidst Sayaka's commotion, the three of them were pulled by her towards the outside of the school.

This slightly playful yet warm atmosphere... yes, this is the kind of life these girls should have.

Three girls came down from the second floor, and on the way—

Walking past Homura Akemi was a figure that seemed somewhat familiar to her—a blonde.

"Huh...?"

She was slightly taken aback at first, then quickly turned her head to look behind her.

But the other party seemed to have already left.

"What's wrong, Xiaoyan?"

"It's nothing...it's just my imagination."

"Hey, hurry up, everyone!!"

So, after the three girls left, the blonde junior high school student, Mami Tomoe, also walked into the classroom.

"Ah, it's Mami!"

"There's a really popular restaurant here at lunchtime today, how about we go together?"

As soon as she returned to the classroom, some of the girls started to greet Mami Tomoe, and she smiled slightly but did not agree to their requests.

"I made my own bento box, so I won't be coming along."

"Eh~ is that so?"

"As expected of Asami, she's so skillful and knows how to cook so many dishes."

"He's practically an all-rounder!"

Amidst the girls' laughter, Mami Tomoe silently took her lunchbox from her desk and walked alone towards the rooftop.

—Click.

After closing the rooftop door and confirming that no one was coming to eat there that day, Mami Tomoe walked alone to the vicinity of the railing.

Upon opening the bento box, a delicious and visually appealing meal comes into view.

Mami Koba's expression, however, showed no joy whatsoever.

How long has this kind of life been going on?

She stared at the sky, eating her own cooking with a listless daze. Under the warm sunshine, she could only feel a chill that seeped into her heart.

"How long have I existed as a magical girl... I don't even know why I became like this."

Magical girl... that's an identity Mami Tomoe has had for a long time.

She lost her family in a sudden car accident, and just as she was about to die, a mysterious force transformed her into a magical girl.

However, she had no answers to questions about who made her a magical girl, or why she became a magical girl, and she had no idea why.

In her memory, ever since she became a magical girl, she has always been in this state of being ignored.

Having lost her loved ones, and carrying such a huge secret in her heart, she has no idea what use this identity is. To this day, Mami Tomoe still hasn't found anyone like herself, and she doesn't think that telling others about this secret will necessarily win their approval... but in that case, she won't be able to gain any companions.

What is the purpose of magical girls' existence...?

He possesses the ability to create flintlock muskets that wrap around like ribbons, but he has absolutely no idea what to do with this power… punish evil and uphold justice? Aside from a few robberies that he has occasionally encountered and resolved himself, what kind of evil could possibly require his intervention?

Now, Mami Tomoe doesn't even understand the meaning of her own existence.

Living in this world, spending each day in school with questions in my heart—

"Ah...no, don't come any closer...don't come any closer!!"

The scream reached my ears.

Mami Tomoe immediately stopped what she was doing, closed the bento box again, and looked toward the source of the sound.

That's in the direction of the back playground, which is located some distance away.

There's no one there right now... just two figures over there.

A black-haired girl with twin tails who was clearly a second-year junior high school student.

as well as…?

"What is that...?"

And a monster walking in front of it, as if it had stepped out of a two-dimensional dimension.

It held something like a needle in its hand, was about two meters tall, and was completely black like graffiti... It was definitely not "human".

But—when Mami Tomoe looked at that thing, she vaguely felt a sense of…familiarity?

"No matter what..."

That thing was clearly... meant to hurt that female student.

Her expression turned serious, and after putting away the lunchbox, she suddenly fell from the roof.

"No...no...it doesn't taste good at all!!"

The girl screamed in terror, her delicate body trembling slightly with despair.

The monster, however, still showed no mercy and reached out its claws at her.

It suddenly pierced through with that needle-like thing.

—Bang! !

In an instant, an explosive force knocked the weapon out of the monster's hand.

A large hole was blasted into the monster's right arm, while the girl being chased looked pitifully in the direction from which the attack came, tears welling in her eyes.

"Get out of the way immediately."

It's Mami Tomoe after her transformation.

She was raising a flintlock pistol, aiming it intently at the monster.

"Get back quickly... or you'll get hurt."

"Ah...woo...!"

The girl ran off into the distance without hesitation, while Mami Tomoe focused all her attention on the monster—

*Pfft—* *Pfft pfft pfft pfft pfft—!*

In the blink of an eye, the monster's entire body was suddenly riddled with holes from stabs.

"what?"

Mami Tomoe was stunned for a moment. She... hadn't done anything, so why was this happening...?

"How dare it leak out here? What a mischievous fellow."

*Pfft!* At that moment, Mami Tomoe saw clearly that another pink syringe had pierced through the other person's body.

The black monster dissipated, gradually shrinking to the size of a stone, and was directly grasped in the hands of the newcomer.

She was a girl with the same blonde hair as me, but with long hair.

"you…!"

Six identical syringes floated behind her, and after noticing Mami Tomoe, they smiled and looked at her.

"What, is this your first time seeing a witch?"

"Witch... are you talking about the monster that just appeared?"

"Yeah, oh dear? Aren't you a magical girl? It's rare to see someone who doesn't even know about witches~"

The girl approached with a somewhat strange smile, but Mami Tomoe did not show any signs of wariness.

Instead, she looked at him with some surprise.

"Magical girl...you're a magical girl too? I'm not the only one in this world like this...?"

"Hey~ What? You don't actually think you're the protagonist of this story, do you? Don't worry, there are tons of girls like you in this world."

The blonde girl looked at Mami Tomoe and spoke to her in a gentle tone.

"My name is Yuzuki Hana. What's your name?"

"...Mami Tomoe."

"That's a nice name. You wouldn't happen to be a student at this school, would you? What? You're still just a kid. Come to think of it, you really don't seem to know anything about the mission of us magical girls."

"What is your mission?"

"Just as you saw, defeat those monsters called 'witches,' and protect the safety of the suffering people from them. They often attack people with dark thoughts and negative emotions. If we don't deal with them properly, the world will become a mess."

Magical girls... have such a mission?

Mami Tomoe stared in disbelief, as if she had been struck by lightning, while the other person simply smiled even more broadly.

Would you be willing to help me?

"Varied…"

"Because there aren't many magical girls in this city right now, so I'm trying to find a way to increase their numbers so we can help more people."

"You, you mean..."

"That's right. If you're willing, starting today, we'll be comrades-in-arms and partners."

She naturally reached out her hand to herself.

"If you're willing, I can help you with any problems you encounter in life or in battle. Of course, you can also help me with my problems. We're all in the same boat, so there's nothing wrong with looking out for each other."