"Is that the last of your stuff?" Amaya asked, picking up an empty box.

"Yes," Miku nodded. "Thank you for helping."

"Anytime," Amaya beamed at her. "I'll make us some tea now." She left the room without waiting for an answer.

Now alone, Miku sat down on the bed, looking at the room she and Amaya would now share. It was a bit cramped with two twin beds in it now, but Miku liked to think it looked cosy. The pale green wallpaper looked cheerful next to the beige duvets on the beds, and the large wardrobe pressed up against the wall was now shared between the two girls.

"It's a nice place, isn't it?" A cheerful voice popped out of nowhere.

"Huh?!" Miku jumped and looked around for the source. There was no-one there.

Creepy, Miku shivered. Deciding she didn't want to face the source alone, she ran out to find Amaya.

"Miku," Amaya looked up from the pot of tea was brewing. "I think I forgot to mention there's someone else living with me."

"Didn't you say you lived alone?" Miku pulled out a chair to sit down on.

"Kind of," Amaya replied, placing the teapot lid back on the teapot. "Kyubey likes to come and go all the time, so he's more of a part-time resident."

"Kyubey?" The name sounded weird.

"Yup," Amaya nodded. "Kyubey, are you there?"

"I am!" A little white creature sprang out of the air to land on the kitchen bar lightly.

"Are you the voice from before?" Miku couldn't help but reach out to touch one of the creature's furry ears. It had two pairs of ears, she realised, the second, longer pair extending from out of its first cat-like ones, and surrounding by a ring of gold.

"I am," Kyubey replied simply, staring up at Miku with red eyes. Its long fluffy tail waved back and forth through the air enticingly, and Miku stared at the strange markings on its body.

"What kind of animal are you?" She wondered aloud, her hand moving from its ears to stroke the ring of red on its back and the pink tinges at the end of its ears.

"I'm an incubator," the mysterious creature replied happily. "I make contracts with-"

"That's enough, Kyubey," Amaya reached out to grab him around the scruff, holding the small incubator in the air. "Let's go to the living room to have the tea. Miku can you get some biscuits from the cupboard over there?"

"Okay," Miku jumped up to follow Amaya's request.

In the living room, Amaya still had Kyubey, but she had let the incubator lie down on her lap as she blew lightly on a cup of tea.

"I brought the biscuits," Miku held up the plate as she walked over.

"Thank you," Amaya leaned over to move the teapot to the side as Miku set them down.

"What was Kyubey saying earlier?" Miku asked as she sat down, picking up her cup of tea. "What does an incubator do?"

Amaya was silent for a moment, her hand hovering over Kyubey as though to grab him if he started talking.

"An incubator forms contracts with young girls," Amaya responded finally. "By granting them a wish, these girls then have to fight witches."

"Witches?" Miku sniffed her tea. It smelt nice.

"Yes, witches," Amaya took a sip from her cup. "They are very dangerous and attack normal people, and because they can't be seen by normal people, they're even more of a risk."

"If they're normal people, then are you saying that those girls are special?" Miku was wide-eyed at the thought of superpowers.

"In a way," Amaya replied, her hand beginning to stroke Kyubey's back. The incubator relaxed into the rhythmic strokes and snuggled up closer. "We call those girls 'magical girls', because they can then use magic, which incubators grant so those girls can fight witches."

"That sounds cool," Miku commented, thinking of fighting off monsters.

"It's not," Amaya replied abruptly, setting down her cup. "No matter what happens, unless your life depends on it, don't become a magical girl. It's something that you'll only regret doing."

"Are you a magical girl, Amaya?" Miku put down her cup as well, feeling daunted by Amaya's change in nature.

"Yes," Amaya replied calmly. "Because I had no choice."

Seeing Amaya's thinned lips, Miku decided not to ask any further.

"It's getting dark," Amaya glanced up at the clock. "I'll go start making dinner." She got up, picking up the sleeping kyubey, handing it over to Miku.

"Don't listen to anything that incubator says, Miku. Don't forget that."