One-way traffic

…In the end, even her mind went blank.

"Is Mami-senpai... really okay?"

"who knows."

Accelerator, dressed in a white winter coat, sat down on a chair to the side.

On the table were some simple dishes, various fresh pizzas bought from a fast food restaurant on the way.

At times like this, nobody thinks about cooking; they just have to eat something simple for now.

He picked up a slice of pizza from the side and took a small bite.

"These are almost cold, even though they should all be frozen foods."

"...Sorry, I have no appetite."

How could someone possibly have an appetite in this situation?

Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki were so worried that their hearts were pounding. They didn't even dare to sit down and had no appetite whatsoever.

At this moment, Mami Tomoe's door was opened directly.

The two girls immediately looked surprised and turned to look at Hatsune Miku who was walking out from inside.

"Miss Hatsune—!"

"What happened to Mami-senpai?!"

"...There were no physical injuries."

She shook her head, her expression filled with the same anxiety.

"However, Mami's mind is in turmoil right now, and she won't listen to anything I say."

"It's very messy...?"

They blinked together and looked at Hatsune Miku with a puzzled expression.

"What does this mean?"

"That's what it means."

As someone with the ability to see into other people's hearts, Hatsune Miku directly explained things to them.

"Right now, Mami is convinced that she is an incorrigible bad person, that she is the villain who almost killed everyone, so..."

In other words, Mami Tomoe is currently in a state of extreme inferiority.

She came to a profound understanding of the reality of all this.

Without Accelerator's help, she wouldn't even have had a chance to survive.

And what about yourself?

Before that, she abandoned Hatsune Miku and rushed to the front of the witch's barrier alone for her own selfish desires. She begged Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki to become magical girls just for her own desires. She was very careless in the battle and did not even regard the battle as a regular battle.

She made too many mistakes.

Most importantly, as expected, she abandoned Hatsune Miku and then, for her own selfish desires, planned to immediately turn Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki into magical girls.

I cannot forgive myself, I absolutely cannot forgive myself for this.

She's a complete bastard.

Such a despicable person, who has done so many evil deeds, would be better off dying sooner rather than later.

—You might as well die.

This is what Mami Tomoe is thinking right now.

She can no longer forgive herself, and she is completely unable to change her self-perception.

"how come…"

Naturally, both Sayaka Miki and Madoka Kaname stepped back with trembling expressions.

"Isn't there any way to save her? There must be, right, Hatsune-san!"

"...I can't do anything."

She shook her head and said with great concern.

“Even if I wanted to save Mami, she would resist all my attempts to save her. Moreover, right now, she genuinely loathes herself. This is a knot in Mami's own heart, and I alone cannot untie this deepest knot in her soul.”

This is not something that can be solved simply by being powerful.

If a person's inner self completely collapses, no matter if he is capable of destroying the solar system or the universe, he will ultimately become a useless person.

The heart and spirit are the masters of everything. If even a person's own heart collapses, he will eventually become nothing more than a lifeless wooden figure.

This is the danger that Mami Tomoe faces.

If things really don't go well, she might even suffer a mental breakdown and end up like a living dead.

Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki collapsed to their knees.

The two girls straddled the floor, trembling, as if they couldn't accept it.

"...Why, why did this happen...?"

Tears welled up and fell onto the floor.

Hatsune Miku clasped her hands together and couldn't help but turn her head away, her beautiful face filled with sorrow.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it."

pat.

A white shadow appeared in the room.

The group immediately turned their attention to it; it was Cupid, who walked directly from outside the door into the room.

"Mami is lucky to have survived. If the Soul Gem had been swallowed by that witch, she would have died completely."

"...Did Mami know about this before that?"

"I don't know."

"Then why didn't you tell her something so important?!"

Hatsune Miku couldn't resist and ran over.

She grabbed the cupped figure in front of her with both hands and cried out, her eyes trembling.

Cupid blinked and said, without any emotion in his eyes.

"Because she didn't ask me."

"…What did you say?"

"Because she didn't ask me that kind of thing. If you didn't ask me any questions, how could I possibly answer them?"

Is this something that needs to be asked to be answered?

Hatsune Miku suppressed her anger, her delicate body trembling, but she felt that the anger in her heart was more explosive than ever before.

"However, what if Mami's situation is also not optimistic?"

"Of course, Mami... is in danger of having a mental breakdown at any time."

"It's not just that."

Cupid blinked and continued.

"If a magical girl's emotions fall to the most desperate moment, her Soul Gem will be subjected to an unimaginable impact, which will accelerate the rate at which her Soul Gem becomes corrupted."

The so-called Soul Gem is the most important thing for magical girls.

Gems can be used to unleash magic, heal injuries, and even enhance weapons.

However, the use of miracles and magic always comes at a price.

Every time a Soul Gem is used with magic, it faces the danger of becoming murky. No one knows what will happen to the Soul Gem after it becomes murky.

But that would definitely not be a good thing.

Therefore, magical girls keep killing witches, and the Grief Seeds dropped by witches are important items that can help them purify their own soul gems.

But more importantly, neither Mami Tomoe nor anyone else here could possibly know what Kyubey had just said.

—The despair of a magical girl can also accelerate the process of her Soul Gem becoming murky.

"Why don't you talk about this, Kyubey...?"

"Because Mami didn't ask me."

"Is this something that needs to be asked to be answered?!"

Ignoring Hatsune Miku's angry shouts, Kyubey turned his attention to the two middle school girls standing to the side.

"That's why I said the situation is very critical right now."

"If Mami dies of despair for this reason, Mitakihara Internal Affairs Department will no longer have magical girls to maintain its internal circulation. At that time, the existence of witches will expand more and more, and Mitakihara, without the management of magical girls, will soon become a dead city, right?"

"So, Madoka, Sayaka."

It walked towards the two of them step by step.

"If Mami dies, you'll all need to hurry up and become magical girls."

"There's no other way. This is for the sake of the city, isn't it? If there aren't any new magical girls, the witches in this city will become more and more active. In that case, it won't just be one or two lives that are sacrificed."

"For that reason, you all need to hurry up and become magical girls—"

"Have you said enough?!"

Hatsune Miku slammed her fist on the table.

This was the first time in her history that she had ever erupted in such fury.

The girl's voice was heavy with anger, and her body trembled. Meanwhile, Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki, who were standing to the side, were already terrified by Kyubey's words.

If she continues to become a magical girl, she will face a dangerous situation like Mami Tomoe.

The battle against the witch is no child's play.

If things go wrong, it could lead to either physical death or spiritual death.

"I hope I didn't say anything wrong?"

Kyubey smiled and winked, then looked at Hatsune Miku beside him.

"I'm saying this because I'm thinking about this city of yours. Think about it, if no new magical girl appears here to help people get rid of the witch, more and more humans will die."

"Becoming a magical girl and battling witches is indeed dangerous, but that only applies to an individual, right?"

"Although Madoka and Sayaka, you will face the danger of fighting witches after becoming magical girls, in return, the entire Mitakihara will be saved!"

"Shouldn't the trade of exchanging a few for the safety of the many be the most profitable and advantageous transaction?"

There is no next sentence.

Before Cupid could finish speaking, its body was already being pulled up.

It wasn't Hatsune Miku who did it.

"Why don't you rest for a bit?"

Accelerator, holding Kyubey's ear with his left hand, walked over to Hatsune Miku's side.

The girl was so angry that she couldn't lift her head. Her whole body was trembling slightly, and her heavy breathing could be heard.

This is really a side of her that doesn't suit her at all.

Accelerator shook his head and patted Hatsune Miku on the shoulder.

"This isn't something you would do. Get back to your original form right now, you stupid young lady."

"Things involving the dark side are something only bastards like me should be doing."

"Mr. Accelerator...?"

Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki looked at Accelerator with utter astonishment.

"Um, where are you going?!"

He said nothing.