Chapter Text
The white corridors of her new school seemed more labyrinthine to Madoka with every step she took. Perhaps she should have asked Sayaka or Hitomi to take her to the student council room, but she felt bad making them late to their respective clubs. Plus, admitting she was interested in checking it out seemed too embarrassing, especially since Sayaka would tease that she was only doing it to see Homura again. Not that she wasn’t, but it was more about the principle of not giving her childhood friend such an easy opportunity, particularly since the blue haired girl seemed to be taking her return as a chance to make up for the 3 years of teasing she had missed while Madoka was overseas. Her and her family had relocated to England to meet the demands of Junko’s career, and while it was a good experience, Madoka found it hard to keep in touch with her old classmates, even those she had been friends with since childhood. An issue exasperated by Madoka breaking her phone in a moment of clumsiness (i.e. tripping over her feet and dropping it into a fountain, thus losing their contact details in the process). Though in truth, things had been difficult between her and Homura even before that unfortunate accident, their conversations becoming exceedingly strained with distance until they lost touch.
So, when she arrived at her new High School two weeks into semester, she considered herself exceeding lucky to find herself sharing class with her childhood friends Sayaka and Hitomi. However, she did not expect their lunchtime reunion to leave her with such anxious curiosity, especially since it began with such an innocuous question from her green-haired friend.
“So Madoka, have you considered which club you’d like to join?”
“No, not really” she replied with a shake of her head “You’re in the tea ceremony club, right Hitomi?”
“Yes, and Sayaka is in the string band”
“To be close to Kyousuke right?” Madoka turned her head to blue-eyed tomboy with a knowing look “I’ll have to come see you guys play next time you perform.”
“No please don’t, I’m not very good, I mostly just help set up more than adding anything to the ensemble” Sayaka bemoaned with a bashful laugh and an awkward blush on her cheeks.
“Oh, she’s just being humble; Sayaka might not be a prodigy like Kamijo, but she plays the viola quite admirably.” Hitomi interjected, maintaining her usual formal tone, even while verbally rolling her eyes at her best friend’s self-deprecation “Perhaps you should join her, maybe it would be a good fit for you.”
“Oh no, I’ve no aptitude for music” Madoka giggled, recalling how she had terrorised her mother and father with a recorder back in elementary school “And I’m far too clumsy for tea ceremony, so I’d just be a burden to you, Hitomi.”
“Maybe you should try joining the student council then; they are always looking for additional help” Sayaka suggested, taking a sip from her juice she continued “Plus I’m sure Homura would be pleased to see you again.”
“Homura’s on the student council?” Madoka’s heart lit up at the mention of the name, surprised the usually anxious girl would have taken on something so demanding.
“I know right, she’s the Vice President even” Sayaka replied smiling at Madoka’s surprise “And she’s a stern one too; I’m pretty sure half our year level is terrified of her.” That was even more of a shock; the Homura she’d known was such a quiet and shy person, it was hard to imagine her leading a reign of disciplinarian terror.
“That might not be the best idea, Madoka.” Hitomi warned, turning to Madoka with a sadly protective look in her eyes. “Miss Akemi has changed a lot since you’ve been gone. You might not like who she’s turned into in that time.”
But before she could learn more, their sombre reunion was interrupted by the bell and Madoka was left to ponder in silence how her friend had changed. She’d be lying if she said Hitomi’s words hadn’t worried her, but that just gave her more reason to find her friend, even if only to make sure she was okay.
Homura had been such a shy sweetheart when they were together; her stuttering squeaks during her introduction speech to their class had filled Madoka with such a desire to befriend and protect her even before they truly met. They’d only spent a year together before she left, but in that time they rapidly became bosom friends — Madoka’s kindness breaking the black-haired girl out of her rabbit-like timidity and opening her heart. Then she went away and dropped her phone in a fountain, killing her only means of keeping in touch and she could only imagine the grief that caused her.
She came to the end of the corridor still occupied in her pitying thoughts, only to be broken free by a tantalising conversation she heard coming from around the corner.
“Tomoe, I know this is probably a long shot, but I’ve admired for the longest time and sharing class with you every day has been the highlight of my semester, so please go out with me!”
Madoka often considered herself naïve and ignorant when it came to relationships, having only ever been on a scant few dates while she was overseas, still she found the idea of romance utterly exciting and often dreamed about receiving a such a confession one day. Yet, even in her naivety, she could tell this one was unlikely to be successful, given the unsure timbre in the young man’s voice and the clearly contrived reasons he had chosen.
Despite knowing it was rude to eavesdrop, the short pink-haired girl found herself peering around the corner to watch and listen in closer. In doing so she found her guess was quickly confirmed, as a pretty blonde girl replied as kindly as she could to the brown-haired boy’s doomed confession.
“You’re very sweet, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to turn you down; I really haven’t the time to date anyone, I’m just far too busy at the moment, I’m sorry.” The answer rolling out her mouth so easily that it seemed clear she was well practised in crushing hopeful hearts.
“Ah damn that’s our Tomoe for you; always working so hard she puts the rest of us to shame.” The brunet laughed it off, relieved disappointment seething free from below “I knew there was no way you’d date a failure like me, but I thought I might as well try haha.”
“Don’t undercut yourself like that; you have many good things about you and I’m sure you can find someone who will love you for them.” The girl replied curling a finger down one of her curious spiralling pigtails, stern warmth gripping her voice in a way that made her seem motherly “Don’t beat yourself up because you got turned down by some silly girl who has far too much on her plate. Anyway, I’m sorry but I really do have to go, I’m running late for a meeting and I’m sure my VP is already dying to chew me out about it.”
As she heard the pair exchange awkward goodbyes, Madoka guiltily jumped back from the corner and turned around to retreat down the corridor. But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she felt a sudden thud collide with her back as it hurried around the corner. The impact sent the perpetually short girl stumbling ahead, crying out as she tripped over her feet; the soft blonde voice from before gasping in shock as she fell. She likely would have landed flat on her face, had the other girl not lunged out with lightning-sharp reflexes and caught her by the hand.
“I’ve got you!” her voice was panicked as she pulled her back to stability, but somehow still maintained its grace as it whistled through the air.
It was likely the adrenaline of the situation, but as she returned to her feet and saw her up close, Madoka found herself admiring the girl who had saved her (despite her being the one to knock her over in the first place). She was taller than Madoka (though that wasn’t exactly hard) with golden hair that curled into a pair impossibly perfect spirals down the side of her head; but most of all, Madoka found herself staring at the striking topaz eyes that shone with the desolate warmth of a desert’s sand. Standing close together in the amber glow of the afternoon sun, Madoka found her heart beating frantically, as though she had just been swept away like a fairy tale princess and begun flustering out apologies as her cheeks reddened from the guilt of her eavesdropping.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I should have been paying more attention to where I was going, I didn’t mean spy on you back there!”
This drew a tittering laugh out of the pretty blonde “My dear, what are you apologising for? I was the one who ran into you like a blind fool.”
“But that only happened because I was listening in on you, even though I knew I shouldn’t have.”
The girl let go of her hand with a charming smile, brushing a wavy lock out of her face with her now free hand; Madoka noticing a cold absence emerging where their fingers had been entwined.
“Oh gosh… I’m so sorry you had to witness that” she replied with a bemused sigh “Unfortunately it happens enough that I’m mostly used to it, even if the inevitable gossip is annoying to hear. Anyway, never mind about that folly; are you okay after I rammed into you like that?”
“Yeah, I think so. I’m just a little bit lost that’s all” She rubbed her head awkwardly, feeling like such a klutz next to the well-spoken student before her who just smiled affectionately at her bashfulness
“Are you a first year? I haven’t seen you around before today and you certainly seem new.”
“No, I’m second year, though I did just start today. I’ve been in England with my family for a while and I only got back recently, so I’m still trying to get re-adjusted to everything.”
“Oh, well that gives me even more reason to aid you as your senior.” She replied with a welcoming smile, her voice having such a refined intonation that Madoka was unsurprised to hear she was a third year — given how cool and collected she was it only made sense, though having that confirmed only made Madoka feel even more embarrassed about how they had met. “So how can I help you, Miss…?”
“Ah um, it’s Madoka, Madoka Kaname.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Kaname, I’m Mami Tomoe.” She swished her slender hand through her fringe as she spoke, brushing it out of her face in a theatrical way that just reinforced Madoka’s image of her as cool. “Now that we’ve got introductions out of the way, perhaps I can help you find what it was you were chasing, before you got lost.”
“This might sound stupid, but I was trying to find the student council office, because I heard my friend Homura might be there.” Madoka felt bashful admitting as much; seeing Homura again was still such a daunting prospect (Hitomi’s warnings only exasperated things) and despite knowing she was merely fretting, the short girl found herself fearing her stylish new senior would mock her for her sentimentality. Instead the blonde tilted her head at the mention of Homura and stroked her chin with curiosity as she spoke.
“Homura Akemi?”
“You know her?!”
As shocking as this revelation was for Madoka, she quickly found it washed away by flustered heat as Mami replied, “Yes, although she never told me she had such a cute friend.”
The blonde’s playfully elegant tone made even such cheap compliments seem utterly charming and left Madoka such a red-faced mess that she was glad that Mami shifted subjects without drawing attention to it. “Well, we must have been brought together by fate; I was just on my way there when I so rudely ran into you. Unfortunately, you were a bit off in your search, it’s on the floor below, but if you follow me, I’ll take you there and hopefully we can find you your friend.”
With that the third year picked her bag back up and set off walking, beckoning Madoka to follow.
“So, Miss Kaname, may I ask you more about yourself?” Mami asked turned her head to glance at her younger companion as she trotted along beside her, smiling at her little squeak of affirmation “How was England exactly? Is it a tea lovers paradise as so many jokes make it out to be?”
“Um, I can’t really say; people drank it a lot over there, but it was mostly just your average bagged tea. Though my mum would occasionally bring home some tea that tasted nice, but in the end, I don’t really know what makes a good tea.”
“Oh, what a pity, I’ll have to teach you someday if I can find time. A proper cup with fresh cake in the afternoon is one of the world’s grandest pleasures, trust me.” The dramatic flourish of her voice gaining even more joyous gravitas as she spoke of the earthly delights that tea could bring and Madoka found herself charmed by her slightly dorky passion, wondering if Hitomi’s clubmates were similar.
“Are you part of the tea ceremony club then Tomoe-senpai?”
“Oh, please call me Mami, and no I haven’t the time I’m afraid – down this way Miss Kaname.” She directed as she turned to walk down the stairs, before continuing “Those girls do a lovely job and the handful of sessions I’ve sat in on were charming, but I don’t know if I’m cut out for the traditionalist formality.” She sighed between breaths before joking “I fear my parents’ parties might’ve poisoned me with their Western tastes a long time ago, which puts me at odds with some of their members.”
“Do you parents throw parties often, Mami-senpai?” Madoka giggled, imagining them as a pair of Gatsby-esque beauties, throwing glamourous affairs every weekend; Mami seemed like she would look so perfect at one, dressed in an elegant dress greeting guests with a sublime charm and dazzling all on the ballroom floor.
But her fantasy fell apart as they reached the bottom of the stairs, a shade of sorrow descended upon her senior’s face.
“No, not anymore I’m afraid…” her eyes drifted away to the ground and the warmth of her smile froze from her face. The anxious guilt rising in her gullet made Madoka sure she had said something wrong and she found herself flustering out the beginnings of an apology before her timid voice was drowned out by a far louder one.
“Mademoiselle Tomoe!” A pair of dandy-looking girls, one blue-haired and meek, the other an earnest sandy blonde — both looking extremely dramatic as they came rushing down the hallway in their Renaissance-esque outfits, calling towards the golden third year, who turned to face them with a gleaming smile — her sadness veiled away as though it never existed. “We need your help, Madame President!”
“Well Miss Tart, Miss de Vignolles, it must be important, given you had to break our rule against running in the halls to tell me.” She chided them with a teasing look, laughing to herself as they stammered out apologies, insisting that her aid was indeed vital “It’s alright, I’ll let it slide, but please be more careful; I would hate to see one of my precious juniors hurt because someone was rushing about the corridors. Now what exactly is the fire you want me to put out?”
It turned out, the pair were from the drama club and had discovered that many of their props and costumes had been going missing from the start of the term. From what she gathered, it was likely an ongoing issue of equipment being misplaced or thrown out due to age. However, it seemed one of the other members was convinced another member was behind the disappearances, her accusation accentuating the tension that already existed between them and now threatened to tear the club apart. Though truthfully, she wasn’t really listening to the pair’s story, rather she was focused on the older girl; smiling as she watched her handle query with eloquent ease, listening to the girls gush about their concerns like a patient parent, soothing their fears with such gentle assurance you could easily mistake her for someone far older.
“Hmm, that is quite a conundrum. I believe Mr. Kaoru might be able to help you out with replacing the missing props, he used to help manage the drama club if I recall correctly.” Mami replied, her hand on her chin, puzzling out the solution verbally “I suggest you ask him, hopefully he should still be in his office. Oh, and if you could get Miss Hawkwood and Miss Corbeau to stay behind, I’ll come talk to them after my meeting and hopefully we can sort things out.”
“Thank you so much Mademoiselle Tomoe, you’re our saviour!” The pair bowed, bubbling at the older girl as if they had just spoken to a celebrity.
“It’s my pleasure girls, now I’m sorry but I have to rush off, I’ve promised to help Miss Kaname here reunite with an old friend and I’d hate if she was late because I was distracted by idly chatting.” The theatre girls spluttered out another set of apologies, which Mami shushed with a smile before beckoning her pink companion along down the corridor.
“Sorry about that Miss Kaname, I find it hard to turn down people in need, even when the issue really isn’t something I can necessarily solve.”
“That’s okay, I think that’s really cool of you Mami-senpai. You looked so reliable back there, I wish I could be like that too.” Madoka stared at the ground as she spoke, embarrassed to admit as much, having always felt so useless in so many ways.
“If you truly feel that way, I’ve no doubt you that you could be.” Mami replied, her eyes smiling down at her junior with encouragement which left Madoka blushing and silently pondering if what she said was true. But her reverie was cut short as they stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor and Mami spoke again.
“Well, we’ve arrived! Miss Akemi will likely be inside waiting impatiently. Go and surprise her for me.” Mami said cheerily, opening the door and beckoning her to go on through ahead.
The council room was a quiet little space with bookshelves lining the walls and a tiny kitchenette on the far end by the window; in the middle of the room stood an old table surrounded by chairs and at its far end sat a black-haired girl reading through a dense looking book and taking notes.
“You’re late.” Homura said bluntly, looking up from her task; her voice was far more steeled than Madoka remembered, but it was her. Staring at her she could tell Hitomi was right, she had changed a lot — her raven hair was long and luxurious as ever, but she no longer kept it in those dorky braids as she had in middle school, instead letting it flow freely down her back like a diabolic stream. Gone too were the glasses that made her face seem so homely and cute, instead her eyes seeming sharper with a serious glint of confidence that she had never known before. Honestly, Madoka had to admit, she looked kinda cool, even if she found her icy tone a little scary.
But all that changed as Homura recognised her old friend standing before her, the ice melting from her voice as she spoke in shock “Madoka? Is that you?”
“H-hello Homura, it’s good to see you again” As she spluttered out an awkward greeting, Madoka found herself overwhelmed by everything she wanted to say to her seemingly changed friend. Yet it was clear she was not alone in that confusion, as the stern looking girl jumped out of her seat with shocked elation, flustering out a thousand confused questions as she ran over to meet her best friend.
“What are you doing here? Weren’t you in England? W-when did you get back? I didn’t know you were coming.” Her eyes were wide with disbelief as she fidgeted in place, wanting to reach out and hug the short pink-haired girl to confirm she was really there. But fear and doubt froze her in place, and she stood stammering before her until Madoka spoke again, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.
“I got back a couple of weeks ago and when I heard you were here, I came to see you… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was coming, Homura; I wanted to send you a message, but I lost your address when a while back when I broke my phone.” She replied with a sheepish smile, cursing her clumsiness. “I’m sorry if I made you feel bad because of it…”
“It’s okay… I’m just so happy to see you again” Homura replied softly, her cheeks reddening as she shyly hid her mouth behind a balled hand, tears of joy welling in her eyes as she spoke “I missed you…”
“Homura!” Madoka cried out, her anxiety washed away as she tenderly wrapped her reclusive friend up in a friendly hug. The crying girl tensed for a second, before settling into the endearing embrace, breathing easy as Madoka stroked her back gently.
“Well, I never knew our stern Miss Akemi could be so cute.” Mami’s light voice teased apart their tender reunion, startling the pair as they turned to see her leaning against the closed the door with a wry smile on her face.
“Tomoe.” Homura glared at the older girl with enough venom it would spoil milk, her voice dropping back to the prickly chill it had held before she saw Madoka.
Mami however met her ire with graceful cheer.
“Now now, there’s no need for that, when you were being so sweet.” Moving away from the doorway and walking over to the counter to set the kettle to boil as she spoke “You can be as frigid as you want with me when we are discussing business later, but I enjoyed seeing you open up for Miss Kaname and I’m sure she would prefer it if you stayed that way too.”
Homura’s face fell into a cool frown at her word, desperately trying to hide the bashfulness she felt from being called sweet by Tomoe. Madoka meanwhile found herself caught in the crossfire of animosity she didn’t understand, as though she had unwittingly fallen into the middle of a cold war.
Mami however continued preparing her tea set, paying no attention to the sea of unease raging in the middle of the room.
“Would you like a cup of tea Miss Kaname dear?” Mami turned to ask with a pleased glint in her eyes, as Homura directed Madoka to sit down and reopened the notebook she had been writing in.
“Ah, yes please” Madoka squeaked, feeling out of place next to the studious new Homura and her pile of notes. The whole room had this air of importance and she felt alien sitting there, especially seeing how her friend had changed and found an environment to suit her.
“I would offer Ms. Akemi one as well, but unfortunately she’s a philistine who prefers instant coffee instead.”
Homura elected to ignore Mami’s mockery and instead looked at Madoka with dull exasperation, “I see you’ve met the president then.”
Madoka hmm’d and blinked in confusion, silently parsing what Homura had said until she cried out, “Mami’s the president?” Staring at the blonde third year in surprise.
“Oh, yes, I suppose I never mentioned it did I?” Mami met her shock with a smile, carrying the warm teapot and a pair of cups over to the table on a tray “I’m so used to everyone knowing who I am, that it must’ve slipped my mind. I suppose you wouldn’t have been at the welcoming ceremony, since you started later than everyone else…” She paused as sat down opposite the pink-haired junior, lifting up the teapot and dramatically pouring a cup of tea as she spoke “Well then let me take this moment to properly welcome you, Miss Kaname. My name is Mami Tomoe and I’m the student council president here at Mitakihara High School.”
The golden-haired girl placed the steaming cup daintily before her and met her eyes with a glistening smile.
“I really hope we can be friends.”