Chapter 201: Chapter 7: Cat-Abusing Maniac
Madoka Kaname—a genuinely good kid in every sense of the word.
In the original timeline, before Homura had ever uncovered Kyubey’s true nature, it was this girl who had saved her. It was witnessing Madoka’s death that drove Homura to wish for the chance to meet her again.
In the timelines that followed, once Kyubey revealed its real agenda, the cascade of despairing revelations only accelerated the corruption of their Soul Gems—these underage girls who never asked for any of it. And even then, Madoka had still been willing to leave her last Grief Seed for Homura to purify her gem.
"What is going on with that transfer student? And Madoka, what’s up with you—why did you run in there?" Sayaka led the way, sprinting ahead.
"I heard... this child’s... cry for help..." Madoka gasped between breaths. Running with this kind of payload was draining her stamina at double the rate.
"Meow?"
"You okay? You look like you’re lugging a shot put. Hand her over." Sayaka reached to take Yimi from Madoka, only to freeze—the path they’d come from had somehow changed.
Not the subtle, gradual kind of shift, like a spatial loop playing tricks on the mind. It was as if a child had grabbed a paintbrush and was slathering garish, kindergarten colors right over reality, directly in front of their eyes.
An ethereal children’s choir hummed something like a nursery rhyme, and the space around them transformed in style. The narrow passageway was replaced by flat, open ground. It was like being surrounded by the paper cutout backdrops from an elementary school musical—and then, one by one, mustachioed dandelion-like creatures appeared, bobbing their heads side to side as thorny vines crept ever closer.
These were the Rose Garden Witch’s Familiars—Anthonys.
The two girls, who had never witnessed anything like this, clung to each other in terror as these things shifted from whimsical to grotesque—the kind of monsters that only appeared in fever-dream nightmares.
Clink—
The sound of metal striking metal. Chains encircled the two of them, and from ahead came a girl holding a yellow gem.
"That was a close call, but you’re safe now."
It was Mami Tomoe—the same girl who had bought Yimi a book the night before. Aside from Homura the time-traveler, she was currently the only active Magical Girl responsible for the Mitakihara district.
She looked curiously at the cat in Madoka’s arms. "Is this little one injured? Poor thing."
Kyubey may have lacked emotions, but it was plenty cunning. Despite Mami being stationed not far away, when pursued it had deliberately reached out to Madoka—the girl with the absurdly high aptitude—for help instead.
Madoka looked down at Yimi in her arms. "I was called by her—a voice sounded in my head."
"Meow." Lady, you’re slandering me.
"Called? That’s strange." Mami’s confusion deepened. She glanced at their uniforms. "Those outfits—you’re Mitakihara students too, aren’t you? Oh, but before we chat, let me finish up my work first."
She tapped her foot, overlapped both hands, and raised her Soul Gem before her. The classic Magical Girl transformation sequence commenced—a pale yellow ensemble replacing her school uniform. Yimi stared, stunned.
How come this person’s beginner combat outfit looked better than hers?
Then came the barrage. Dense musket volleys materialized like Goldie’s Gate of Babylon, filling the entire space in an instant. Scattered fire struck every single Familiar closing in around them with pinpoint accuracy—a stylish elimination of every threat bearing down on the two girls and one cat.
In practice, though, this was something most Magical Girls wouldn’t bother doing. Attacking Familiars—which didn’t drop Grief Seeds—was essentially a waste of magic. All effort, no reward.
The nightmarish fairy-tale space dissolved. Mami waved at them. "First, let’s set this little one down. I’m a bit confused by all this, but I should be able to try healing her with magic."
"Magic?" Madoka was baffled, but cooperated, setting Yimi on the ground.
Mami knelt and directed her healing magic at Yimi the same way she’d heal her own wounds. In truth, she’d never tried this on a normal creature before—the most she’d ever done was patch up Kyubey.
"Meow?" Yimi looked at the Kyubey blood on her fur.
「It is self-evident: they have mistaken the Host for being injured and are currently attempting treatment.」
Kitty may have been young and inexperienced, but kitty wasn’t blind.
After learning about Kaido-sensei’s good intentions back then, this was only the second time the little cat had felt a pang of embarrassment. There was a nagging sense that not being injured right now was somehow the wrong move.
With a thought, Yimi drew the blood clinging to her fur into her storage space.
"Meow. (\^\_^\)"
Kitty has been successfully healed!
"Thank goodness." Mami breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Homura, who had caught up at some point. "You’re a little late. The Witch seems to have fled. If you want to finish it off quickly, go on ahead—I’ll let you have this one."
After all, Grief Seeds were limited, and Magical Girls were essentially competitors.
"Cat-Abusing Maniac!" Sayaka, now emboldened by having backup, jabbed a finger straight at Homura.
Homura’s expression didn’t change. She looked at Yimi. "Don’t let her fool you. She’s no ordinary cat."
Then she frowned slightly.
That line—she felt like she’d said something very similar before, pointing at Kyubey.
The girl clenched her fists.
This cat hadn’t spoken a single word in her defense, and was just lying there contentedly in Madoka’s arms...
"People who don’t listen really are tiresome. What I meant was, I’m letting you off this time. But even setting aside the Witch, you’re still a fellow Magical Girl engaging in cat abuse—I can’t just pretend I didn’t see that."
"..." Homura shot Yimi a threatening glare, then turned on her heel and left.
Go ahead and play innocent. I’ll be watching to see what you’re really up to.
While she had the power of Time Stop, Mami was no pushover either. More importantly, Homura didn’t want to waste her own magic on Magical Girl squabbles.
"..."
She’d lost count of how many loops she’d killed Kyubey in front of Madoka. So why was she being labeled a Cat-Abusing Maniac today of all days?
Watching her leave, Madoka instinctively waved after her.
She’d only transferred in today, and they’d barely exchanged a word, but last night Madoka had vaguely dreamed of her. In the dream, Homura had been wearing that exact same Magical Girl outfit.
"Meow."
Watching the wrongly accused Homura disappear, the little cat felt an inexplicable swell of guilt.
"The Cat-Abusing Maniac is gone now. So how are you gonna repay us? Madoka told me you can talk." Sayaka crouched down and pinched Yimi’s cat-face.
"Sayaka, that’s not how it works..."
"Are you dumb, Madoka? According to TV logic, this is the part where the wounded fairy creature loses its powers, then forms a contract with the girl who rescued it to repay her, turning them into a Magical Girl. Right?"
She’d accepted the existence of Magical Girls remarkably fast.
"Are you saying this child can talk?" Mami stared at Yimi, puzzled. No matter how she looked at it, this cat didn’t seem like a member of Kyubey’s species.
Hearing them, Yimi’s eyes lit up. She scrambled to stand on her hind legs, showing human-like courtesy: "Let me treat you—to something tasty."
"She really talked!" Sayaka shot to her feet and stumbled two steps backward.
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