One-way traffic

The waiter next to them couldn't help but come over.

"Um, miss..."

"Sorry, just a simple strawberry juice will do, please remember to add plenty of ice."

She casually ordered a drink and then continued to idly swing her legs while a Pocky stick dangled from her mouth.

Sayaka Miki wanted to say something, but what could she say now?

She could only stare blankly at Sakura Kyoko, unable to say anything.

"Sayaka."

Hearing Hatsune Miku's call, she couldn't help but turn around.

The girl in front of him looked at him with a complicated expression and shook her head.

In the end, she could only suppress all her dissatisfaction and bury her head in eating the dessert that had just been served.

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

A few minutes later they left the dessert shop.

Sayaka Miki followed Hatsune Miku to the street, but this time she didn't hesitate.

"What do you want to say?"

She blocked the entrance to the store, stopping the girl who had just come out.

It's Kyoko Sakura.

"Oh, you're not still thinking of fighting me, are you?"

"Stop joking around! What exactly are you trying to say to me? What were you trying to express with those words just now?!"

All their wishes and hopes had been mercilessly mocked by the other party, and no one could simply ignore it.

Sayaka Miki is the same.

Looking at her like this, Sakura Kyoko shook her head and reached out to take the box out of her arms.

That's Pocky, vanilla flavored.

"Eat?"

"What…?"

"If you're going to talk to me, let's smoke a Pocky together. Adults smoke for fun, and we kids all rely on this for fun."

Sayaka Miki paused, looking thoughtfully at the box of Pocky in front of her.

She finally reached out and took one.

Sakura Kyoko smiled and gently took the Pocky stick out of her mouth.

"I heard you just now. It seems your wish is for your boyfriend's injuries to heal, right?"

"What? He's not my boyfriend!"

"Okay, okay~ It doesn't matter what, that's the gist of it, right?"

Sakura Kyoko waved her hand and chuckled.

She spoke softly, facing Hatsune Miku and Sayaka Miki.

"The miracles, wishes, and magic of magical girls... all of these things should belong to you."

"Isn't it strange to force someone else to give away something that belongs to you?"

"How could this be... I, I really want Kyosuke to recover—"

"That's why I said it. Your statement is really ridiculous... Only a kid would have such a thought."

"Don't call me a brat, aren't you the same age? You don't look that much older than me!"

“...That’s right.”

She squinted her eyes and smiled.

"I'm just like you, nothing more than an ignorant brat."

What…?

Let's tell a story.

She turned her head and spoke calmly.

It tells the story of all this.

"It's nothing, just a boring, pathetic, ridiculous... and unworthy of anyone's sympathy story about an underage kid."

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

Once upon a time, there was a family like this.

My father was a religious priest. Every day, he would speak to his followers and teach them his beliefs in order to spread his ideas.

just.

No matter how correct or credible an idea may be, if it suddenly emerges, it will undoubtedly be rejected by others.

Thus, the father was kicked out of the religious headquarters because of his privately created ideas, and as a result, all the believers left.

The father, whose only home is a church, continues to preach his beliefs every day with his wife and children.

Of course, no one would listen to him.

The number of believers is unlikely to increase. Even if it does, they will eventually leave. A family of several people may not even be able to afford food, and an apple may have to be divided into several pieces.

That's how it is, a life without justice.

…so.

To protect her father, her family, and her father's beliefs, the daughter chose to reach out to miracles and magic.

The daughter became a magical girl, and her wish brought her father countless followers. Every day, she fought to defeat evil witches.

Every day is the same, day after day, and day after day... it never stops.

That's all that's needed.

The girl was so naive, believing that this would ensure a happy and harmonious future for her family.

—Until her father discovered the truth of the matter.

He was devastated when he learned that all his followers were drawn there by wishes and magic.

He committed suicide along with his wife and the rest of his children, and even burned down the church himself.

Only the girl, who had helped her father fulfill his wish, remained in this world.

Everything, all of it, stemmed from just one wish.

An original text, implemented for the benefit of others, has caused all this disaster.

Yes…

Sakura Kyoko was well aware that all of this was a fact that had happened to her.

"you…"

The response was one of utter astonishment.

Sayaka Miki, Hatsune Miku.

Both of them were completely stunned into silence.

She looks like she's only about the same age as Sayaka Miki.

But have you already experienced something so unimaginable...?

"Is that why you said those things about me?"

If that's the case... then everything makes sense.

Sayaka Miki wants to make a wish for someone else.

Sakura Kyoko has already made a wish for someone else.

Therefore, she is qualified to evaluate Sayaka Miki's actions and her wishes.

"The magic of magical girls is not as wonderful as we think; it is nothing more than a simple curse."

I've already taken countless bites of Pocky.

Sakura Kyoko, without turning her head, recounted this entire story.

“You know what? The moment I learned that my family was destroyed by my prayers, wishes, and my magic, I already knew it.”

"Magic and wishes cannot be used on other people."

"If you really want to cast a curse, you have to cast it on yourself... It's a curse, so we can't just pass it on to others."

It is precisely because I have experienced and felt these things that I can say these words.

Miki Sayaka stood there, stunned.

"Do you know why I want to say this to you, blue hair?"

She chuckled softly and said calmly.

"Because what you are about to do is exactly the same as what I did in the past."

They made their wishes for the people they cared about and to save those around them.

"But things are different now... I can stop all of this."

Kyoko Sakura gripped the box in her hand and took a deep breath.

Her eyes were filled with conviction.

"I don't want to see the same tragedy as mine happen here again. I don't want to see another tragedy that can't be stopped."

"What I couldn't stop in the past, I will do now."

"So... I don't want to see tragedy happen to you."

There was no sarcasm involved; it was simply a straightforward statement.

The box used to hold the Pocky sticks was empty, so... she tossed it into the trash can.

He placed both hands directly on Sayaka Miki's shoulders.

"I don't want to see the same tragedy that happened to me again, that's my goal."

That's why she chuckled.

"Simple, isn't it? That's right."

"It is precisely because of this simple and illogical situation that it is a magical girl."

Sayaka Miki never predicted that things would unfold this way.

Or rather, she had never even imagined such a situation.

Magical girls are not as simple as she thought.

Although Sakura Kyoko said that magical girls are very simple beings, this simplicity is completely different from the simplicity she imagined.

The choice he was about to make was exactly the same as what this girl had done in the past.

She was giving herself advice.

I don't want to go down the same crooked path as her, that cursed path that could even lead to the ruin of the entire family...

"I…"

My decision should have been accurate.

Sayaka Miki should really want to help Kyosuke Kamijou.

But why…

Why am I so hesitant and indecisive right now?

Was it because she was afraid of that future after hearing what Sakura Kyoko said?

Or... was it that I had this hesitation from the very beginning?