Yūka's POV

After we separated ways, I received a message from my mom saying that I should go to the convenience store to get food because she won't be able to cook. I thought of maybe doing the cooking myself, but I remembered that we don't have that much. I went to the nearest convenience store and went inside. I walked around the aisles for a bit, trying to think of something to buy. I'm not really hungry and I seriously have no idea what I like. I stared at the row of instant ramen, feeling kinda irritated. I'm wasting my time. Moreover, the money I brought was only fair, so I don't really have that much of a choice.

The opening of the door made me snap out of my thoughts and look at the person who came in. Surprisingly, it was someone I know. "Hiroyuki? What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to buy something, obviously," he said playfully, rolling his eyes while coming closer. I only replied with a snort. I looked back at the cupped ramen.

"Are you planning on buying that?"

"Yeah.. I don't have much with me so this is my only option," I said, dropping my hands beside me. I glanced at Hiroyuki when he held my wrist. He then beamed and oh my gosh, he's literally the sun.

"What are you—WOAH!" He dragged me to one aisle. On one side contained those meals that can be heated up. "My treat. You must be hungry."

"Not rea—"

"Nope. I'm going to buy it for you."

"Will you please let me finish talking first?!"

Hiroyuki dropped my hand in shock. He laughed sheepishly, putting some good distance between us. "Sorry.."

"I can't allow you to pay for it all. At least let me use my money for goodness sake."

He agreed and we bought the food we wanted. Hiroyuki offered to walk me home, and knowing that he won't take no for answer, I said yes. The deafening silence was making me uncomfortable as we walked. I thought of striking a conversation.

"Hiroyuki, about that hang out you said.."

"What about it?"

"Want to go tomorrow?"

"Eh? But aren't you tired? You need to get your rest since you were with your friends today."

"No, no. I'll be fine. I really think that we should do it tomorrow.. I have a feeling that we won't be together that much starting on Monday.."

His lips formed a thin line before he sighed, a sign of defeat. "Alright. We'll meet at the amusement park at 10AM." We stopped in front of my house as he waved. We said our goodbyes before I went inside, suddenly remembering my mother.

"Oh my... Yūka? Are you dating someone without my permission?"

Speaking of....

"No. I'm not interested," I answered, putting the plastic bag on top of the table.

"Not interested, you say.. That's not what your heart feels, am I right?" she asked as soon as I took a step up the stairs. I looked behind me to see her with her hands on her hips. A sassy pose indeed. "And what could that mean?"

"Oh dearie. Haven't I told you before? The both of you looked just like me and your father back then." I rolled my eyes playfully at her response. "Mom, not now, please."

She only sighed and waved me off. When I reached room, I collapsed on the bed immediately. Oh right, there's that thing tomorrow.

"Are you dating someone without my permission?"

Are we.... going on a date...? Wait no, of course not. I don't like him that way, same thing for him. If anything, it's just a friendly hang out...

.

.

.

.

.

But..

Why do I feel like I want it to be a real date?

"You seem to have a lot in your mind."

That voice... I searched around my room but wasn't able to find the source of the sound. I was about to confirm that it might be my imagination but I heard it once again.

"Right here." When I glanced at my left, I saw the cat-like animal pass through the different furnitures.

"Yūbi.. What are you doing here?" I asked. Yūbi wagged his tail back and forth, his magenta eyes closing. "I remember stating that I've been watching you for a while."

"What does that got to do with anything?"

"Haruna Yūka, don't you think it's time for you to make a wish?" His words made me think carefully.

"I'm not a mind reader, but I think you already have something in mind, am I wrong??"

"No... But—" I stared deeply into his eyes as he tilted his head to the side. "—do I really have to be a magical girl?"

"Frankly, no. However, being a magical girl have its benefits."

"And those are?"

"If you become one, you'll be able to have a wish granted. And because you wield magic, you can save people from falling into witch's hands when you defeat one. Taking one down can save thousands. Also, if you ever wander inside a labyrinth, being a magical girl means that you have more means of survival."

"Huh... What if I turn this down?"

"Rejecting the contract is alright, however, you won't get another chance. I've met other magical girls who also denied to form a contract and ended up feeling what you humans call as "regret". I'm not forcing you; you have the freedom to choose."

"Thanks, Yūbi. I think, I might have something, but I'm still not sure.."

He only sighed. "Alright." I looked at him in curiosity, wondering where he's going to exit to but that was quickly answered when passed through walls, disappearing from my sight instantly.

***

"Hiroyuki!!" I called, waving to the brown-haired man wearing a white long sleeves and a blazer on top, paired with some ripped jeans. He's also wearing some army boots.

"Yūka.." he choked out, eyeing me up and down.

"Is there something wrong with the outfit I chose?"

"N-no. Quite the opposite actually." His cheeks flushed red and he turned his head to the side, avoiding my eyes. "You look nice."

"T-thanks.. You too."

He smiled a bit at my response, winking at me. What in the world, he's acting shy just a few seconds ago!! "Well then, let's go!" He gently wrapped his hand around my wrist, grinning widly. I can almost say that the corner of his lips could reach the sky. He led me inside the park, pointing at different rides. He talked about them as he moved from one ride to another.

"So, what do you want to ride first?"

"I'm not really sure. You decide."

"You're not a fan of heights, are you?"

"No.."

"Then how about the roller coaster?"

Roller.... coaster..? "Hiroyuki!!" I yelled. "You know that I don't like high places! What made you think that I'm going to be fine in a roller coaster?!"

"It's not even that high. I saw some that are a lot higher."

"That doesn't matter!" I screamed, eyes frantically searching for any sign that he's joking. Maybe he's just teasing me and say 'Okay, chill. I'm just kidding.' or something. I scanned his face for the signs, but his steady gaze made me think otherwise.

"Y-you're serious..?"

He didn't utter a word—he didn't even make any sound. He just smiled.

"I-I'm going to die!!"

"Yūka, calm down. You're not. You won't fall off."

"I may be secured in my seat, but I could have a heart attack!!"

"This is amazing. I've never seen you panic like that before."

"Hello? I'm having a panic attack here and you're just there thinking this is amazing?" I spat. Maybe I should've stayed home instead.

"Like I said, calm down. I'll be with you the whole ride. Just give it a try. If you don't like it, feel free to punch me as hard as you can when we get down. Deal?"

I thought hard about his so called deal. "I don't want to be violent with you. Or anyone for that matter... How about treating me to a frappe?"

"Alright, deal."

We went in line for the roller coaster. The line was pretty long, and we're lucky that we got in the middle. The screaming of the people from the roller coaster made my knees buckle, and I found myself wanting to run away. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. It'll be fine Yūka. It'll be over before you know it. You don't have to look down at the ground and see tiny people flocking everywhere, and then realize you're a good 30 or something feet above ground.... It'll be fun, there's no way that you'll faint or possibly be thrown off when the coaster is going down and accelerating because of gravity... But, there's always the possibility... What if—

My line of thought was cut short (if you can call it that) when I felt something warm around my hand. I opened my eyes and looked down, seeing someone else's hand around mine. I stared up at Hiroyuki and took note of his rosy ears.

"It'll be fine. Think of it as a challenge. You won't be able to move on if you can't pass this trial.. If you ever feel scared, just remember that I'm here with you."

For the whole time I've been panicking inside, we got close and closer to the front. Until, we're the ones next. The mini door opened as the guy who's in charge led us to the seats. Hiroyuki immediately dragged me to the third seat, then we sat down. We were secured on our seats when Hiroyuki spoke.

"You must be relieved that I didn't drag you to the first or last row."

"N-not really. But I'm curious. Why did you choose this one?"

"If you were at the front or back, the impact will be greater. You know, during the drops. If you're at the front, the wind will be strong, and if you're at the back, it will feel more like you're really falling. That's what a friend of mine said."

I was about to reply when the roller coaster started moving. I pressed my back against the seat as I embraced for the moment when the roller coaster started going up. We stopped for a moment at the top, and I made the mistake of looking down. As expected, the people looked like ants from this high. I gulped and looked over to Hiroyuki as he held my hand firmly. When the roller coaster inched forward, he squeezed my hand, and grinned.

When the drop came, it was like a storm. Everyone was having fun, throwing their hands in the air, but I was so stiff. My legs couldn't move, my hair was all over the place, my hand felt lifeless and worst of all, I was stuck there, being nonvocal. The roller coaster went around the track for the last drop and this time, Hiroyuki called out my name. He then mouthed something when we reached the top.'Scream.'

And so I did.

Hiroyuki kept on giggling as he held both of my hands when we went down. My legs were wobbling like crazy, and there's one time when my legs gave up.

"So, how was it? Fun, right?"

"Fun, you say. You still need to get me my frappe."

"Oh stop lying. You enjoyed the ride! You were screaming like a baby!"

"No, I didn't!! And I wasn't!!"

He scoffed as a reply and got up to buy me the frappe. I smiled at his figure, remembering our time on the roller coaster. I really enjoyed it, but that's the truth that I could never admit.

Time flew by and our time at the amusement park ended in a flash. I was having too much fun that I didn't really care about my surroundings. When I looked up at the heavens, the sky blue color still dominated the firmament, but strands of orange appeared on the horizon.

"Time to go."

We walked back home and decided to take a long cut because according to Hiroyuki, "it's still early". We passed by the Central Park and was surprised to see a few people around.

"Weird. Why are there few people around this area? Are they avoiding this place?" Hiroyuki wondered. I certainly think this is peculiar too. I can only spot 3 of 4 people. And they're not even that close to the park.

"Wait Hiroyuki!" I yelled when I saw him going through the park without a care. I grabbed his shoulder and pointed at the opposite direction of where he's headed. "We need to go. Now."

"Eh? What's with you?"

"Hiroyuki, there's no time! Just—"

I was cut off when the surroundings changed in a split second. The tree are no longer there and was replaced with brick walls splashed with what looks like neon paint. I glanced at my side and thankfully saw Hiroyuki.

"Hiro—"

"Y-Yūka.... What's... that..?"

I followed the direction of his finger with my eye, and what I saw made me freeze.

A witch.

"H-Hiroyuki! Let's go!" I tugged at his arm but he stayed. I wanted to drag him but my feet were stuck to the ground. I tried to call him once again but suddenly it felt like something was stuck in my throat, preventing me from speaking.

The witch prepared to attack us. As dust covered the ground, I sighed heavily, gripping Hiroyuki's blazer with my trembling hands. I wasn't able to handle the fear and anxiety anymore and I collapsed. Hiroyuki seemed to snap and ran to me. His worried eyes searched for any injuries, just as the minions came, surrounding us in no time.

"Yūka!"

My gaze focused on the white blob a few meters behind Hiroyuki. The magenta eyes of the creature made me gasp.

'Yūka! Hurry! Make a wish and contract with me!'

This... Telepathy?

'B-but Hiroyuki...'

'Yūka! If you don't make a contract right now then it'll be over for you two!'

The minions closed in and I gave Yūbi a look of desparation. When I cast my eyes around us, the minions were about to attack. We barely managed to escape alive as I lead Hiroyuki away. We got a few scratches here and there and I felt bad because Hiroyuki is really trying his best to protect me even if he's overwhelmed as I am.

'Yūka! This won't do! You need to make a wish right now!'

I inhaled sharply and faced Yūbi, opening my mouth to say my wish that I carefully thought of. "I..."

"Yūka!"

My head snapped to Hiroyuki's direction who came running, pushing me away from the witch's attack. He received the full blow, causing him to fall unconscious. "No!" I crawled up to him to see if he's still breathing, but a minion sneaked up from behind, charging and causing damage to my legs.

"Yūbi, I'll do it," I managed to say, lips quivering. I breathed in and out. "I wa—"

I wasn't able to finish when Yūbi fell to the ground, lifeless. His body was cut in half and I stared at his corpse, terrified. "W-who could do such a thing?"

I was able to get an answer when the labyrinth faded, revealing a girl whose face I knew. "It's you... The girl from school.."

She just spared me a glance and took the grief seed, pocketing it. She snarled at Yūbi's corpse, releasing a breathe of frustration. She kneeled beside Hiroyuki and took out her soul gem, bringing it close to him. "What are y-"

Her soul gem started shining and so are Hiroyuki's wounds. His expression appeared calmer as his wounds healed instantly. She then did the same to me before standing up. Her sea green eyes stared at Yūbi before switching to me.

"Don't ever think of making a contract with that devil. You don't want to be tormented for eternity, do you?"

With her message delivered, she left. Deciding that I'll wait for Hiroyuki to wake up, I put his head gently on my lap as I watched the sunset.

That girl didn't even let me answer. Seriously, she just walked away as if nothing abnormal happened. I caught a glimpse of Hiroyuki's sleeping face which is covered by wounds earlier. Right, I wasn't able to thank her. To think of, I don't even know her name. How could a person be so mysterious???

=====
I'd be giving a vote to someone who helps others without receiving anything in return. Not only that, she even gave a warning!

Aight, progress is pretty good. I'm getting my inspiration from muzik as always, and that helps me write stuff. It feels refreshing to write continuously, you know?

~Kazumi_Nyay624