One-way traffic

"Then it's decided. If you encounter any witch barriers, remember to contact us. We'll come and eliminate them."

"That's right, just like Hatsune said, just remember to contact us."

"Great...! This gives us a chance to witness a real battle between magical girls!"

The two girls had expressions of both anticipation and joy on their faces.

just.

'With Hatsune Miku, shall we?'

I don't know if it was because of what Cupid said yesterday.

Looking at the two girls laughing happily in front of her, Mami Tomoe, sitting to one side, subconsciously had this thought in her mind.

—If only I were the only one with them, and not Hatsune Miku, how wonderful that would be.

"Well, it's about time."

After finishing her very sweet coffee, Miki Sayaka checked the time on her phone.

"Xiaoyuan, I think we...shouldn't we go to the hospital soon?"

"Hospital…?"

Hatsune Miku and Mami Tomoe, sitting opposite each other, both showed somewhat puzzled expressions.

"Um, Sayaka, are you injured in some way?"

"Huh? No, it's not that I need to go see a doctor."

The blue-haired girl waved her hand and quickly said.

"Well, how should I put it... actually, it's a friend of mine..."

"friend…?"

Although they were puzzled, Sayaka Miki didn't seem to have any intention of explaining it to them.

"Let's go, Xiaoyuan. I'm sorry, seniors, but although I really wanted to continue discussing this with you, I need to go to the hospital, so..."

"It's okay, Sayaka, you must be in a hurry too. Hurry up and visit your friend in the hospital."

"We can talk about magical girl stuff anytime, but friendship is something that can't be put on hold no matter what."

"Wow, thank you so much...!"

After repeatedly expressing their gratitude, Sayaka Miki and Madoka Kaname left with Kyubey in their arms.

Only two girls of similar age remained in the shop.

“...My friend.”

Mami Tomoe raised her coffee cup and took a small sip of the dark beverage.

"It's really an incredible word."

"Eh? What?"

"It's nothing, Hatsune Miku."

Mami Tomoe chuckled and continued.

"If it were you, I think you definitely wouldn't be able to understand what I'm trying to say."

"Eh…?"

Despite Hatsune Miku's bewildered expression, Mami Tomoe merely chuckled.

Of course you can't possibly understand what I'm thinking.

Unlike me, you have such wonderful roommates around you every day.

That's really great.

Mami Tomoe sighed with genuine emotion.

——————————————————————————————————————————

It took a short while to move from the coffee shop to the hospital.

Madoka Kaname and Kyubey sat in the waiting hall and waited.

Before long, familiar faces finally emerged from the front.

"Sayaka! Um, how's Kamijou-kun doing today?"

"...I didn't see him."

"Eh?"

While Kaname Madoka was somewhat taken aback, Miki Sayaka sighed, picked up her schoolbag in one hand, and walked out of the hospital with her.

She said this somewhat dejectedly.

"Don't even mention it. I waited for ages only to find out he wasn't in the ward today. He went out for some business and won't be back until tonight. He's already in such a bad state, and he still had to trouble himself like that. Honestly..."

The Kamijou that Miki Sayaka mentioned was actually a friend she cared about.

A boy who holds special significance for her, like a childhood sweetheart.

Madoka Kaname opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

"Don't worry, Xiaoyuan, I'm not that sad because of this."

Sayaka Miki smiled and walked with her through the vicinity of the hospital.

"But if I see him again, I'll definitely make him pay. He made me wait so long..."

Sayaka Miki stopped walking as she spoke.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Kaname Madoka blinked in confusion, unsure why the other person had suddenly stopped.

"...Xiao Yuan".

"Eh?"

The girl in front of her had a stern expression, and Madoka Kaname finally realized what was going on.

She wasn't looking at herself, but at the wall behind her.

She immediately turned her head and saw a sharp, dark black gem embedded in the hospital wall.

No matter how new they are to magical girls, they couldn't possibly not know what this thing is.

"The Seed of Lamentation... and it's about to hatch!"

Cupid shouted loudly, startling the two of them awake.

"For example, what would happen if it hatched?"

"The witch will activate her barrier, drawing everyone around her into it!"

"Doctor, what are we going to do about the patients in the hospital?!"

Instead of offering an answer, it's more accurate to say that the answer to the question is obvious to everyone.

Witches are cold-blooded monsters who show no mercy to anyone.

Sayaka Miki gritted her teeth and quickly pulled out her phone.

"Xiaoyuan, quick! You call Hatsune Miku, I'm going to go see Mami-senpai make the call!"

"Huh? Now, right now?"

"Otherwise, when else could it be?"

Those two people left their phone numbers so that they could face this kind of situation.

They quickly dialed the phone numbers of the two girls.

"Alright! Those two are already on their way here. It's not far from the coffee shop, they'll be there soon—"

Sayaka Miki hadn't finished speaking.

On that wall, the deep black gemstone suddenly began to shine.

"The Seed of Lamentation has successfully hatched...! The Witch's Barrier is about to be activated!"

No matter what Cupid said, it was already too late.

In that instant, the dark light engulfed the two girls.

————————————————————————————————————————

As the sun was about to set, the shadow stood atop the tallest building, a height no one could reach.

He ignored the howling wind and stood in a place where normal people couldn't possibly get to, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding something.

"No matter how many times the investigation is conducted, the fluctuations are always the same."

Accelerator murmured, clutching a Seed of Sorrow.

His superpower allows him to manipulate the direction of all energy, and also to observe the direction and flow rate of all energy.

With this power, he can distinguish whether the types of power are different.

Before that, he had already witnessed the aura that Homura Akemi exuded when she used magic, and he had also memorized the flow pattern of her energy.

Even without the ability to remember everything, a Level 5 esper could easily achieve photographic memory, not to mention that his mind is the strongest in Academy City with a population of 2.3 million.

Remembering something easily and not forgetting it is as simple as eating and drinking.

He sent Hatsune Miku to mingle with the kids and continue investigating information about magical girls, while he himself went off on separate paths to search for information about witches.

While finding the witch in the city is like finding a needle in a haystack, it's no challenge for Accelerator.

He possesses the Lament Seed that originally belonged to the witch. As long as he remembers the pattern of energy flow on the Lament Seed, searching the entire Mitakihara area will be no problem.

By manipulating the atmospheric flow throughout the city, he can capture all energy directions and then proceed using a process of elimination.

It's like using a large net to catch a warehouse full of fish; if you want to identify specific species, you just need to sift them out little by little.

Accelerator probably visited several witches' barriers that day, and the results were self-evident. The nearly ten Grief Seeds in his hand already showed what happened to those witches.

only.

After that, he discovered something that even he found incredible.

The energy flowing through Homura Akemi is that of a magical girl.

And the flow of energy directions that appears on the witch and the seed of lamentation.

They're all the same, actually.

"...What exactly does this mean?"

Why do the energy of witches and magical girls flow in the same direction? It's not just a coincidence, because he has tried it almost ten times, and the same thing happens with almost every Seed of Grief.

There is a more secretive relationship between magical girls and witches.

If that's the case, then it must be something more profound that neither Homura Akemi nor Kyubey told him.

If that's really the case.

"Ok?"

He suddenly stopped thinking.

Accelerator turned his gaze to the distance. He now had control over the atmospheric flow of the entire Mitakihara, and any new witch that appeared would be under his control.

There was a new surge of magical energy coming from the west.

But that location...

"Are you kidding me? Isn't that a hospital over there?"

Will a witch's barrier open near the hospital?

If that's really the case, what happens next is anything but funny.

Accelerator clicked his tongue in displeasure and reluctantly put away the Seeds of Sorrow.

"What a nuisance."

Bang——! !