Mitsuko's POV

My eyes squinted as I observed the enigmatic expression Yūka had. Her golden eyes, which were a bit brighter than mine, remained focused on her hands that held the tea cup. Her lips parted, but she closed them, shaking her head lightly.

"I'll go get some snacks.." I stood up and walked to the kitchen, leaving her sitting at the living room. I guess I could say that her reaction is what I was expecting. It's natural. Humans love their lives, of course they wouldn't want to part with it. Moreover, Yūka's still in her teens. She could reach great lengths if she turned this contract down. Although, I'm not really sure about her well being.

I bit my tongue as I reached for the refrigerator, my hands gripping the handle before pulling the door open. I took out the plate filled with my leftover cookies and placed them in the microwave, heating them for around 3 minutes. I let them cool before going back to the living room, only to see Yūka gripping her phone tightly while looking sharply at the floor. I set the plate down on the table and she looked up at me, her cryptic expression from before staying.

"You want some?" I asked, trying to ease the tension. I got 2 cookies and handed one to her to which she accepted.

"If.." Her voice was soft and almost inaudible, making me furrow my eyebrows. "If we failed to protect ourselves.." Her eyes stared at the cookie in her hand, looking at it in all angles. "If you didn't come in time... Will we end up dying?"

The cookie in her grasp cracked and was split into pieces when her grip tightened. My eyes followed the crumbs that fell on the table. "Most likely so," I answered truthfully. "And if you did, your body would never be found. Once a witch dies, they disappear along with whatever is inside the labyrinth, as long as it's lifeless. You'll be a missing person forever."

She inhaled sharply. "So those things that you call witches—they can kill humans easily, right?" Her lips quivered and she looked at me with fear and worry. "Aren't you scared that you might die? Even if you have magic, I'm pretty sure that they can still kill you. And if that happens, no one will be able to find you. Aren't you terrified?"

I looked outside the window and saw the sunset. "To be honest, I don't know."

Leaning back, I met her gaze. "I guess it's not really a matter of being scared of dying. If I died then it's over, no restarts. No respawns. The world will be able to move on without me, so what's the point of being afraid of death? I'll be forgotten years from now. Besides, what I'm doing is kinda beneficial for everyone. At least when the time comes, I'm aware that I did something for the world and its inhabitants."

"You've already accepted it, huh?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess so. I'm not saying that I want to die, but I'm not saying I want to live either. I'm in the neutral side. I'm fine with dying or living, both has its benefits anyway."

She let out a low hum, her phone flashing beside her. Yūka took a look at it and frowned. "I have to leave in a few minutes. And you haven't told me a lot yet. I'm sorry. It's because of my hesitation, isn't it?"

I peered at her and raised an eyebrow. This girl is strange, I must say. "Why are you apologizing?  You did nothing wrong."

"B-but I—"

"If you're talking about the time when you went silent and thus ended up wasting time, if that's what you're thinking, then don't worry about it. That kind of response is normal. I mean, you're not like me who's fine with having an eternal sleep, are you?"

Her lips tugged downward, but she said nothing. She just munched on the cookies and drank the rest of her tea. Yūka's hand reached for the empty plate and the tea cups, but I grabbed her wrist, shaking my head. "I'll take care of that. You have to go home now, it's gotten late."

"Ah, but I want to...." I let her go as she retracted her arm.

"Oh shush, no buts. You're going home and that's final," I said, making sure to stress the word final. She flinched and nodded slowly, following me as we got to the door.

"Want me to walk you home?" I asked, my eyes analysing the darkening sky. Yūka waved her hand. "Oh, I'm fine going home by myself."

"Really? It's dangerous, you know?"

"Yes, really."

My lips stretched into straight line and I let out a sough. "Just avoid places that aren't usually populated. Take alleyways for an example. Or abandoned buildings. Those are always a bad sign."

She nodded and went on her way. My eyes followed her figure until I couldn't see her anymore, before going back inside. I plopped on the sofa, my mind wandering to the earlier events. Yūka seeing me at the rooftop, the witch, then inivting her into my house. Come to think of it, my behavior must be peculiar to her. My actions should've made her think that I'm moody or something.

Groaning, I sat up and picked the empty plate and tea cups, bringing them to the sink. I have to get my mind off of things for now....

***

"Where were you?" my companion asked, sending me a look of perturbation. "You were gone for a long time yesterday. Did something happen?"

I hummed and sat on one of the vacant benches in the garden. My friend followed after me, unwrapping his lunch as he occasionally sent me short glances. "Nothing much. I just felt sick," I replied with in a burned-out tone. I stared at my feet, feeling full.

"Sick?" Marui snapped his head towards me. "Are you okay? Are you sure that you could attend classes now?" He stared at me, worry evident in his eyes.

"Uhh, yeah?" I raised an eyebrow, scooting away from him. "Stop staring. You look like a creep."

He immediately leaned back and pouted, getting his chopsticks. For a while, we ate in silence, observing our peaceful surroundings. If only the world could be like this everytime, it would be nice.

"Mimi."

I slapped him in the arm when I heard my old nickname. "Don't call me that. It's cringey."

"What?" He furrowed his eyebrows, frowning like a child. "Why not? I used to call you that when we were kids."

"When we were kids," I repeated. "But we've grown now. Drop the childish nicknames."

"We are still kids."

"Yeah sure, but we've matured. Well, I'm sure about myself. I don't know about you."

He blinked a few times before sending me a glare, frowning. "Oh, you clearly don't know me," he stated firmly, staring dead straight into me, "You have no idea."

"W-why so serious?" I chuckled awkwardly.

Marui huffed, turning around. For the next few minutes, he ate with his back facing me. Did I went too far?

Sighing, I shook my head. "Rui," I called out, seeing his body flinch before he resumed doing whatever. "I'm sorry, alright? Don't be mad, okay?"

He glanced at me from over his shoulder, his dark pink eyes getting dim for a second. It instantly switched back to its original color, leaving me wondering me if what I saw was just a hallucination. "Fine," he grumbled, closing his bento and packing it. The lowering aura that's surrounding him remained, making some of the students passing by look at him, completely baffled.

I smiled and tugged at the sleeve of his gray blazer, making him look at me. "You were about to tell me something, right?" I asked. "What is it?"

He mumbled something incoherent. His eyes gazed at me for a few seconds before he looked away. "Nevermind that." Unsatisfied by his reply, I chose to pressure him to get answers. "Ehhh? But I want to know! Please?" I flashed him my puppy eyes and he scooted away, biting his lip.

"I..." He trailed off, looking at everything except for me. After a while, he immediately stood up, surprising me. "I already forgot what I was going to say, 'kay? Just forget it!"

I deadpanned, but I decided to let him go. Marui's stubborn like that, if he doesn't want to do something, then it's decided. I don't want to get a bruise or something—that guy can be violent if pushed way past his limits. Better stay on his good side.

"Anyway, hurry up. Time won't wait for you. We've got classes," he lectured, flashing me a disapproving look as he pointed at my more-than-half full lunch box. I rolled my eyes playfully, eating in a rushed manner. I got scolded by Marui because I ended up choking by the end, but yeah, I managed.

We went back to class just in time. I sat down on my seat, trying to focus as our science teacher came in. As always, I kept myself awake and fully functioning (by slapping or pinching myself), taking notes. Before I knew it, the school bell rang, signalling the end of classes. My classmates rushed out of the classroom while I stayed, taking my time to pack my things.

"Seriously, you're such a slow poke." A voice from in front of me caught my attention. I shot my head up and as expected, saw Marui smirking down at me. His white hair which faded into red at the end covered part of his face as he tilted his head to the side, grinning like a child.

"The fact that you're fond of vengeance just can't be accepted by my entire system. You look way too innocent," I said in a matter-of-fact tone. He huffed as a response,the mischievous glint in his eyes gave me the impression that he is, a 100%, not innocent.

Once I'm done with my bag, I sling it unto my shoulder. "Well see you tomorrow, Rui. Have a safe trip home."

I heard him say the same as I walked out the classroom. There's no need to go to the locker since I've already gotten my stuff so I headed straight to the school gates where I saw Yūka, waving her hand at me at a distance. I calmly walked over, nodding at her as we went on our way.

"I saw you with someone at lunch earlier." She giggled, clapping her hands. "You look so close. Is he your childhood friend?"

I sent her a 'How did you know?' look, but then I remembered that she may have seen the picture of me and Marui back then. I let out a hum as a reply, and she nodded, somehow getting my message.

"So, to properly introduce you to this magic thing," I said when we were out of people's earshot. "You're going to meet someone—" I stopped myself, coughing before rephrasing my sentence, "I mean, something."

I looked at her for a while and noticed her trembling hands. "Just be cool, I doubt that you'd be scared by what you're about to see," I added and she relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. I thought I have to deal with something scary."

"Well, spoiler alert. What you're about to see is not human."

"E-eh?" Yūka gave me look that says 'What do you mean?'. I snorted and jerked my thumb in the direction of the door of the abandoned building behind me. "I'm talking about that."

She peeked and raised an eyebrow at me. "There's nothing there..."

I groaned, facepalming. "Why don't you just show up, Yūbi? You're embarassing me in front of my kouhai."

A cat-like animal appeared, its pink eyes staring at me. "You called?" It spoke, swirling around me while wagging its tail.

"Uwa!! It looks so cute!" Yūka exclaimed, crouching and approaching the fur ball. She ran her hand through Yūbi's fur, but for some reason, he doesn't mind at all. "He's also soft!"

"I was expecting a bewildered reaction from you. Or perhaps the fact that the thing you're touching right now talks still haven't sinked in?"

"Ah, I guess you're right," she said and retracted her arm. "But he's still cute, nonetheless."

"First step is introductions. Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Yūbi stopped going around in circles and sat down. His eyes observed Yūka for a moment before speaking, "Well, fancy meeting you. I'm Yūbi. I'm a part of a foreign species called Incubators, who came to Earth billion of years ago. "

"Aliens?" Yūka blurted out. Her eyes sparkled as her grin widened. "Nice to meet you, Yūbi! I'm—"

"Haruna Yūka, yes?"

Yūka gaped at the animal. "How did you know my name...?"

"Of course, I know you. I've been keeping an eye on you for a while now," Yūbi replied, standing up and circling Yūka, before stopping in front of her.

"Keeping an eye on me? Why?"

Yūbi's pink eyes glinted as light striked it. "I would like it if you made a contract with me." He then walked up beside me, tilting his head as he asked, "Are you willing to be a magical girl in exchange of anything you desire?"

"A.. magical girl?" Yūka repeated, looking at me hesitantly.

"Girls like me who wield magic are "born" through contracts. A contract is made through Incubators, like Yūbi, and in exchange of using magic, you're going to have a single wish granted. However, it's not the kind of fantasy stories where the plot ends in a happily ever after. You have to keep fighting for your wish till the day you take you last breath, after all, that's what magical girls signed up for."

Her gold eyes darkened, losing its spark. "Oh," she mouthed, staring at me, completely lost. " I... don't really have anything that I want so desperately that I'm willing to trade my life for it.."

"That's fine," I answered. "Take your time coming up with a decision. The choice you're about to make is crucial—make sure that you won't end up regretting it." Yūka gazed at me, seemingly lost on her train of thought. "I seriously think that I don't deserve this," she said solemnly, "Many people would need this chance more than me. I mean, I can't even decide on what to do in the future, how could I possibly make a great choice right now without screwing things up?"

"It doesn't have to be right now." I smiled at her, patting her head. Tears threatened to spill from her golden orbs as she sniffled. "I'll guide you from now on, okay? I'm going to protect you. So when you're sure with your answer, come to me, alright? No matter what your choice is, I'll be there for you," I continued.

I fumbled over my words when I witnessed the tears trickling down her face. I waved my hands frantically, trying to think of a way to calm her down. "A-ah!! Why are you crying? Are you o-okay?"

"Yes," she whisphered, wiping her tears with her hand. "I'm just overwhelmed. Thank you, Mitsuko-san. I'm so glad that I have you as a friend. " She beamed, and I found myself tripping over my words as I tried to come up with a response.

"Y-your welcome.. It's nothing really.." Oh my Lord, this is too much. I've never experienced this situation before since I'm usually alone, so having someone cry in front of me... Argh, it feels like I'm going to have a heart attack.

I turned away as Yūka recomposed herself. Yūbi, who was silent for a while now, looked at me. "I almost forgot." He hopped on a garbage can, then leapt unto the roof of a house. "Mitsuko, would you mind going to the park later at midnight? Someone wants to have a chat with you."

My eyebrows knitted together. Who could possibly want to talk with me? Yūbi wagged his tail, scratching his ear with his foot. "Well?" he questioned. "If you're good, then go. If you're not, then don't show up. Those are your options."

"I know." I breathed out a sigh. "I'm intrigued. Yeah, sure. I'll go." I shot Yūka a smirk when she looked at me with concern. "'Cause why not?"

=====
I'm also intrigued. Are you going to hit that star shaped button, you know, for me? I mean, why not, right? *puppy eyes*

Early Christmas to everyone! (if you don't celebrate Christmas then, uhh, I hope you have a good time) Christmas is around the corner, but I just can't feel the vibes. Maybe because I still have examinations... ( TДT)

~Kazumi_Nyay624