Yuka's POV

I looked at my reflection in the mirror, holding the hair tie with my mouth as I braided a small part of my hair. I made it look like a "headband" before securing it with the hair tie. I got my sling bag and was about to put my phone inside when the notification rang, making me almost drop it. I checked the message I received, the eagerness to meet Mitsuko-san's friend suddenly melted when I read the mail.

(Here's a drawing of Yūka so you can visualize it better. I suck at descriptions (╥﹏╥))

• Yūsha Yuki

Yūsha Yuki: Hey Yūka! I was wondering if you're free today. Want to hang out at the amusement park?

I bit my lip and stared at the message.

Yunyun_pachito: Ah, Hiroyuki.. I'm sorry, but I can't. I'm going to hang out with my friends today. We could do it next time. ^ω^

The screen glared at me as I awaited his response, but minutes had already passed and I saw no sign of reply, not even a letter. I sighed heavily and looked at the mirror one last time, before going out of the house and locking it. I took the key with me since my mom had the spare one.

I made my way to the coffee shop and walked inside. The cool air made me shiver, so I immediately went to the cashier to order something to warm me up. After I told my order, I scanned the place and saw no traces of Mitsuko-san. Maybe I'm too early.

I sat on a free spot and drank my espresso when it was delivered. I stared at the people around in complete boredom. I seriously think I'm going to die if I don't do something right now.

As if on cue, my phone vibrated from inside my bag.

•Yūsha Yuki

Yūsha Yuki: Alright then. I understand. Sorry for the late reply by the way. I had to run some errands.

Yunyun_pachito: Oh, it's fine. I was pretty bored anyway.

Yūsha Yuki: Eh? What are you doing?

Yunyun_pachito: I'm at the coffee shop near the school, waiting for a friend.

Yūsha Yuki: Go play some games on your phone if you got nothing to do then.

Yunyun_pachito: I don't have any interesting ones.

Yūsha Yuki: Well what do you want to do?

'Talk with you.'  I thought. Wait. What?!

Yunyun_pachito: I don't know..

I could feel my face burning when I remembered that embarassing thought. Ugh, what's wrong with me?

"Yūka?"

I shot my head up and breathed out a sigh of relief. There stood Mitsuko-san with a girl beside her. "Did we make you wait?"

"No. I was only here for a few minutes," I replied. I looked over the girl and our eyes met. She gave me a small smile and extended her arm. "Hello! My name is Atari Masami. It's nice to meet a friend of Mitsuko. This girl right is kind of a loner, you see so seeing her with a friend is a rare sight. " She giggled and shook her head, earning a slap on the arm from my senior.

"Oh, shut it." Mitsuko-san pouted. I can't help but think that she was cute when she did that. She's like a puppy. "A-anyway, we should get going. I'd like to explain things on our way."

"Eh? We're going somewhere?" I asked, confused. "I thought we're going to hang out." Atari-san studied my clothing. "Clearly, since you're wearing that. Of course we're going to hang out, but not like your average everyday girl."

I gaped at her when I realized what she meant. "You mean..?"

"Masami right here is also a magical girl." Mitsuko-san lowered her voice and glanced around the coffee shop. "Let's talk somewhere else. It's too crowded here. We don't want anyone thinking that we're lunatics because we're talking about magical powers that we have, don't we?"

I nodded and took out my phone. Hiroyuki hasn't replied yet, so I took the chance to tell him that I'll be going with my friends now. The three of us walked out of the shop and circled around town, joking around. Atari-san seems like a nice person so I got close with her instantly.

We stopped in front of an empty church along the way. It was deserted, and the cracks along the walls hinted that the church must be abandoned. The stained glass are in shards, and from where I stood, I could see the inside because there's no doors blocking my view. Atari-san's expression suggested that something must be wrong with the place. Could it be a witch?

"U-um.."

They both looked at me in a heartbeat. I shakily pointed at the church. "Are we going there?"

Atari-san showed me her ring that's embedded with a scarlet jewel. She gave me a wink before her ring shone and transformed into the soul gem that I'm most familiar with. You know, the one that looks like those treasured things in anime.

"I sense some remnants of a witch's magic somewhere. The wave patterns are identical to the witch I encountered before, so this one might be the same," Atari-san said. She glanced at Mitsuko-san beside her who's been silent this whole time. "Oi Mitsuko, something wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just unlike you to let a witch escape, Masami. Usually, you'd reduce the wishes to smithereens. If I have to phrase it in your words, I'd say you're a craven who dared to let the chance to annihilate the enemy pass," Mitsuko-san replied with a smirk. Atari-san didn't retort, which was surprising to me since she strikes me as a person who won't get down without a fight.

"The witches are getting stronger nowadays. To be honest, when I battled with the darned witch—" she stopped for a moment and reluctantly glanced at me. She appeared to be worried about me, but I have no idea why. "—I almost kicked the bucket. One more mistake and I would've been a goner." She faced Mitsuko-san with a serious look. "The injuries I've acquired during the fight were a lot, although fortunately none of them were fatal. If I were unexperienced, all it would take was one shot take me out. I barely missed those fierce attacks and avoiding being striked on vital spots was a serious pain in the neck."

"N-no way... The witch was that strong?"

Atari-san's piercing gaze made me step back. Mitsuko-san gave the other a tap on the shoulder, shaking her head lightly. "Apologies. I didn't want to scare you." Atari-san gazed at Mitsuko-san for a second before meeting my eyes. "I heard from Mitsuko that you've been asked by Yūbi to become a magical girl, correct?"

"Y-yes."

"Then, let me give a warning. Once you become a magical girl, you already passed the point of no return. Make sure that you're ready to face the consequences." She then grabbed Mitsuko-san's shoulder and pointed at the church. "Mind teaming up with me?"

"Of course not. As long as you come by my house for some tea. I still have some Darjeeling tea left."

"Aight, thanks. Haruna-san—"

"Yūka is fine, Atari-san."

"Well then, call me Masami. Anyway, stay close to us at all times. If you sense danger, warn us immediately."

"Now, now, Masami. She knows what to do. I've taken her to a few witch hunts myself. She really stunned me when she managed to survive on her own during her first encounter with one!" My senior said proudly and pat my head as if I'm her daughter. The way she's acting makes me think she's an exulting mom, letting the world know about her child's achievements.

"Mitsuko!"

"Fine, fine. Let's get going!"

We entered the church in total silence. I was in the middle of Masami-san and Mitsuko-san when they suddenly outstretched their arms, blocking me. They both transformed to their outfits, Masami-san holding up her soul gem. A "portal" appeared in front of us, and they ushered me to go after them. When we entered the labyrinth, minions already started springing out of nowhere. They were too many for me to count and they surrounded us in no time. I looked at my two friends who were facing away from me. One took the front, one took the rear.

"May I, Mitsuko?" Masami-san's voice made me turn to her. She had a halberd as a weapon.

"Absolutely. Yūka, stay close to me." She gestured for me to come to her and I did. "What I may do next may be ridiculous, but trust me."

"What cou—AH!" I yelped when she suddenly carried me bridal style. "M-Mitsuko-san!"

She only smiled at me as an answer. "Masami! At your signal!"

Masami-san backed away from the minions who were closing in on us. Flames started surrounding her, her ruby eyes burning. "In the count of three!"

She brought her halberd above her head, closing her eyes.

"Three..."

The minions held their daggers and prepared to attack.

"Two..."

They were slowly walking towards us, but Masami-san held her ground.

"One..!"

Mitsuko-san jumped up, carrying me in her arms. I clung to her in fear that I'd fall, but the hold she had on me made me feel safe. When I looked down, the only thing I saw is Masami-san standing in the midst.

"Atari Style 4th Generation: Ring Of Demise."

We landed safely on the ground and Mitsuko-san let go of me. I stared at Masami-san in awe. "What was that?"

"No time to explain. Let's hurry to the center of the labyrinth or else the minions will be coming back." We all started running to the location of the witch. Whenever an attack would come our way, Mitsuko-san and Masami-san protected me and deflected them. I felt bad for being of no use. I wish I could do something for them... I came back to my senses when I bumped into someone, which I assumed was Mitsuko-san since she's the one in front of me. My senior faced me and put both of her hands on my shoulders and said sternly, "You don't have to feel bad because you can't do anything. Warning us when attacks are coming are enough."

Masami-san stood beside Mitsuko-san and beamed at me, sending me a peace sign. Mitsuko-san winked and with a snap of her fingers, the glass barrier surrounded me, separating me from them. When the witch appeared, some mysterious gas has surrounded the area, preventing me from seeing anything. I could hear clashing from outside the barrier, but the smoke stayed. I sat on my knees, praying that none of them would get hurt.

"Yūka!" I looked around when I heard my name being called. Did something happen? When I looked behind me, the witch brought down its fangs on the barrier fiercely, surprising me greatly that I fell. The only thing I could remember next after pushing my back against the glass barrier in fear was someone calling me over and over, before darkness consumed me.

***

I rolled on my left side and yawned. I knew that my sleep that I got was enough because I felt like opening my eyes. My head started to hurt too, so that only means that it's time to get up. I opened one eye slowly so adjusting to the light will be easier. However, what my eyes saw wasn't some intense light. It was the sky. Orange, yellow, blue and pink are mixing all together, making it seem like what I'm seeing is a mere painting.

"Wow...

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I heard Masami-san's voice coming from beside me. I sat up slowly so I won't get dizzy. "Indeed," I replied, amazed by the view. When I turned back to Masami-san, I noticed something.

"Where's Mitsuko-san?"

"Mitsuko had some business to attend to, so she had to go after we defeated the witch."

"Witch?" I tilted my head, trying to call the recent events. "Ah! I blacked out in the middle of the fight."

"Yes, you did. You scared the both of us, really. We hurried with the witch and quickly checked up on you. Turns out you're okay," Masami-san said, releasing a sigh of relief. She placed a hand on her chest as she did so. I must've really made them worry a lot.

"I'm sorry."

Masami-san chuckled lightly, placing her hand on my back and rubbing it. "Don't be. You can't control situations like those. At least you came out alright."

"I guess." We sat on the bench outside the church for a few minutes, before I remembered something that piqued my interest a while ago. "Masami-san. May I ask how you met Mitsuko-san? You seem really close."

She was wordless for a moment, as if thinking deeply. "How we met, huh? To be honest, I can't really recall events like those, " she said with a giggle, scratching her cheek. "I guess the meeting doesn't matter that much to me. What's important is the present."

"I can't recollect memories of myself having met my friends too. But I don't think I'd forget the moment I saw Mitsuko-san."

"Eh? Why?"

I reminisced about the time when I went to the rooftop only to see.. "I.. caught Mitsuko-san crying."

.

.

.

.

.

"I suppose that's expected. She wouldn't get over that just like that. Even if it's been years already..."

Her words confused me. "What do you mean?"

She glanced at me, appearing reluctant to give a reply. She threw her head back and slumped on the bench, covering her face with her hands. "I don't think I should be the one to tell you this." She removed her hands and sighed. "The moment I saw you two, I know that she trusts you."

"Really? What makes you think that?"

"Best friend instincts, I guess. Anyway, seeing her actions, I can see that she really cares for you. That's why I think she should be the one to tell you the truth."

I can say that I anticipated that answer. She suddenly cupped my hands in her hers, leaning towards me. "Can you keep a promise?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. Promise me that you'll always be by Mitsuko's side. I'm going to be away for a bit, so you're the only one I could rely on."

"There's one more person.... I think he—"

"No. You can't trust him. I know that Mitsuko might drop kick me if she heard that I still won't get along with the guy, but I entrust you with this. I have a bad feeling about him. There's something fishy going on here."

"A-alright."

She then backed away and stood up. "About the promise. Please be by her side for me. Mitsuko is sad that her parents are away you see?"

I blinked a few times and recalled something that Mitsuko-san said before. "They're abroad, right?" My question seemed to shock Masami-san. She slowly nodded, making me smile sadly. "Mitsuko-san told me before. Her parents were abroad, but she looked heartbroken to me. I hope nothing bad happened to her parents, they were working hard for her too."

"Yeah, I hope so too. But if something were to happen, Mitsuko will definitely be miserable, just like that one time you saw her crying."

=====
Maybe a vote from you guys will prevent Mitsuko from feeling miserable?

So fam, it's still March when I wrote this, and I'm actually proud to announce that I'm making some progress. But when I thought about it, it's not that much. I'm not really in the "mood to write",  mostly because I have a lot of things in mind (and because I'm a dork who keeps on getting distracted by the internet) but if I know that my dear readers are there for me, your support will give me a boost! (I'm not actually hoping that you guys will just suddenly comment encouraging things but meh)

Also, when I try to read the chapter I wrote to check for mistakes (most are still unnoticed by me), I can't help but think that I've gotten bad at writing. I don't know man, I just feel like puking (1% puking, 99% cringing) when I read my story. But I'll put that aside now. You don't need drama lol. I got to write and write for ya'll so those insecurities will have to wait first. (づ￣ ³￣)づ

Also, my cousin dyeyeiyesh is coming over to stay for a few days. It's been a long time since I've last seen her so I'm pretty excited. To commemorate our upcoming reunion, I'll be dedicating this chapter to her. Hope cha like it! <3

~Kazumi_Nyay624